§20## ΚΕΦ. Κ΄. Ἐὰν ἀναβῇ εἰς οὐρανὸν αὐτοῦ τὰ δῶρα.
## Chapter 20 Even if his gifts ascend to heaven.
Καὶ ὁ αἱρετικὸς ὅταν εὔξηται, ὅταν ἡ θυσία αὐτοῦ ἀναβῇ τῇ ὑψηγορίᾳ, ὅταν δοκῇ κατεστηρίχθαι, τότε εἰς τέλος ἀπολεῖται· ἡ γὰρ εὐχὴ αὐτοῦ λογίζεται αὐτῷ εἰς ἁμαρτίαν.
And the heretic, when he prays, when his sacrifice ascends with high-sounding words, when he seems to be firmly established, then he will perish to the end; for his prayer is reckoned to him as sin.
Οἱ δὲ εἰδότες αὐτοῦ τὰ σφάλματα ἐκκλησιαστικοὶ ἐροῦμεν Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι καὶ ἀναπλάττοντες ἑαυτοῖς σφάλματα;
And we, the churchmen who know his errors, will say: Where are such people who dream and invent errors for themselves?
Οὐ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπερείδουσι σφαλλόμενοι· καὶ γίνονται ὥσπερ ἐνύπνιον ἐκπετασθὲν, ὅ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ.
They do not support their understanding on the truth, being in error; and they become like a dream that has flown away, which will not be found.
Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ Δαυῒδ ψάλλει· « Οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐξέλιπον.
David also sings something of this kind: "But the enemies of the Lord have perished.
Ἅμα τὸ δοξασθῆναι αὐτοὺς καὶ ὑψωθῆναι ἐκλείποντες ὡσεὶ καπνὸς ἐξέλιπον· » καὶ πάλιν· « Ὡσεὶ ἐνύπνιον ἐξεγειρομένων. »
Πλοῦτος ἀδίκως συναγόμενος ἐξεμεθήσεται.
As soon as they were glorified and exalted, they vanished; like smoke they vanished"; and again: "As a dream of those who awake." Wealth unjustly gathered will be disgorged.
Οἷδα καὶ ἄλλον πλοῦτον ἀδίκως συναγόμενον, τὸν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τῶν αἱρετικῶν, οἳ ἔχουσι μαθήματα ἐναντία τοῖς δόγμασι τῆς ἀληθείας, ἐγγάστρια αὐτῶν· ἃ οὐκ ἔστι γλυκέα, ἀλλὰ « χολὴ ἀσπίδος, » τουτέστι πονηρά· ὡς εἴρηται ἐν Δευτερονομίῳ ἐν ᾠδῇ Μωῦσέως περὶ τοῦ οἴνου τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτῶν· « Ἐκ γὰρ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτῶν. » Ἀλλ᾿ ὁ ἀγαθὸς Θεὸς οὐκ ἐάσει αὐτοὺς πλοῦτον ἀδίκως συναγόμενον ἔχειν ἀεὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλὰ ποιήσει αὐτοὺς ἐξεμέσαι.
I know also another wealth unjustly gathered, that which is in the words of the heretics, who have teachings contrary to the dogmas of truth in their bellies; which are not sweet, but "the gall of asps," that is, evil; as has been said in Deuteronomy in the song of Moses concerning the wine of their teaching: "For their vine is from the vine of Sodom." But the good God will not permit them to have wealth unjustly gathered always in themselves, but will make them disgorge it.
Ἄγγελος γὰρ κατʼ εὐεργεσίαν Θεοῦ ἐξελκύσει αὐτοὺς ἐπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς κακῶς οἰκοδομηθείσης οἰκίας· ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκκλησία πονηρευομένων.
For an angel, according to the beneficence of God, will drag them out of that very house which was badly built; which is the church of those who do evil.
Ἐπάγει γοῦν· « Ἐξ οἰκίας αὐτοῦ, » καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.
Therefore he adds: "Out of his house," and so forth.
Ὅρα δὲ πόσον καὶ τῷ ἑτεροδόξῳ ἀπόκειται διὰ τὰ ἀσεβῆ δόγματα.
See how much is laid up also for the heterodox on account of their impious dogmas.
Διὰ τοῦτο προσέχωμεν ἑαυτοῖς, μὴποτε ἐν πιθανολογίαις συληθῶμεν ἀπὸ αἱρετιχῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ ἐκπέσωμεν τοῦ μυστηρίου τῃς Ἐκκλησίας.
Therefore let us take heed to ourselves, lest we be despoiled by heretical teaching through plausible arguments, and fall away from the mystery of the Church.
Μὴ ἴδοι ἄμελειν νομάδων.
Let him indeed not see the milking of the nomads.
Καὶ ὁ ἑτερόδοξος δὲ οὐ βλέπει ἄμελξιν νομάδων.
And the heterodox also does not see the milking of the nomads.
Νομάδες δέ εἰσι ψυχαὶ νεμόμεναι ὑπὸ τῷ καλῷ ποιμένι, καὶ νομὴν εύρίσκουσαι.
Now nomads are souls pastured under the good shepherd, and finding pasture.
Καὶ τὰ δόγματα δὲ κατὰ Θεοῦ οὐδὲν ἔχει γλυκὺ, ἀλλὰ στρυφνὰ καὶ πυκνά.
And their dogmas against God contain nothing sweet, but are harsh and disagreeable.
Πολλῶν γὰρ ἀδυνάτων οἴκους ἔθλασεν.
For he has crushed the houses of many weak ones.
Καὶ ὁ ἑτερόδοξός σε ἐάν που εὕρῃ ἀσθενῆ ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀσθενῆ ἐν τῇ ὑγιεῖ διδασκαλίᾳ, τοῦτον ὑποσυλᾷ.
And the heterodox also, if he finds you weak in the faith, weak in sound teaching, despoils you.
Καὶ ἔστιν ἀληθῶς περὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου τῶν ἑτεροδόξων εἰπεῖν, ὅτι πολλῶν ἀδυνάτων οἴκους ἔθλασεν· ἁρπλζει δὲ τὴν δίαιταν τοῦ εὐεξαπατήτου, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οὐχ ἵστησιν αὐτήν· οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται στῆσαι τὸ ψεῦδος.
And it is true to say concerning the teacher of the heterodox, that he has crushed the houses of many weak ones; he seizes the livelihood of the easily deceived, and after this he does not establish it; for neither can he establish falsehood.
Ἡμέρα ὀργῆς ἐπέλθοι αὐτῷ.
Let a day of wrath come upon him.
Καθʼ ἣν ἡ θεία κατʼ αὐτοῦ κινεῖται δίκη· εἴτε τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἀσεβήσαντος, εἴτε τοῦ ἑτεροδόξου, εἴθ᾿ ὅπως ποτὲ ἀσεβοῦς, αὐτῷ μερίς ἐστιν ἡ δηλουμένη ἐν τοῖς προει ρημένοις.
On which the divine justice is moved against him; whether of the one from the circumcision who has acted impiously against God, or of the heterodox, or of any impious person whatsoever, his portion is that which is shown in the aforesaid things.
§21## ΚΕΦ. ΚΑ΄. Διὰ τί ἀσεβεῖς ζῶσι, πεπαλαίωνται δὲ καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ;
## Chapter 21 Why do the impious live, and have grown old also in wealth?
Τὸ μέντοι, « πεπαλαίωνται ἐν πλούτῳ, » εἶπεν ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ εἰσὶ νεόπλουτοι, ἀλλ ἐκ νεότητος καὶ μέχρι γήρως πλουτοῦντες διετέλεσαν.
Now, "they have grown old in wealth," he said instead of: they are not newly rich, but have continued being rich from youth even until old age.
Ἀναλαβόντα ψαλτήριον καὶ πιθάραν.
Taking up the psaltery and the cithara.
Ἄλλη πατέρων εὐδαιμονία, τῶν παίδων ἡ εὐφροσύνη, ἥν ἀποπληροῦσιν αὐλοὶ καὶ κιθάραι καὶ τύμπανα, ὑφʼ ὧν αἱ μὲν ἀκοαὶ καταυλοῦνται, αἱ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡδοναὶ διεγείρονται, καὶ οἱ παρόντες τῇ ἀκολάστῳ μελῳδίᾳ κατακηλοῦνται· ἣν οἱ τῶν ἀσεβῶν παῖδες ἀσελγῶς ἐργάζονται, ταῖς ἐντεταμέναις νευραῖς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἐπιβάλλοντες, καὶ πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν τῶν ὀργάνων ἐπικροτοῦντες.
Another happiness of fathers, the joy of children, which flutes and citharas and drums fulfill, by which their hearings are overwhelmed with flute-playing, and the pleasures of the soul are aroused, and those present are charmed by the wanton melody; which the children of the impious work lasciviously, putting their hands to the stretched strings, and clapping to the sound of the instruments.
Συνετέλεσαν ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὸν βίον αὐτῶν.
They finished their life in good things.
Τουτέστιν, οὐδὲν διάλειμμα τῆς εὐπραγίας αὐτοῖς ἐγένετο, ἀλλʼ ἐν βίῳ τελείῳ τοῖς σωματικεῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρυφῶντες διετέλεσαν· καὶ πέρας αὐτοῖς εὐδαιμονίας τὸ τῆς ζωῆς πέρας ἐγένετο, παραταθείσης μέχρι τελευτῆς τῆς εὐημερίας.
That is to say, there was no interruption of prosperity for them, but they continued enjoying bodily good things in a complete life; and the end of life became for them the end of happiness, their prosperity being extended until death.
Καὶ ἐν ἀναπαύσει ᾄδου ἐκοιμλθησαν.
And they slept in the rest of Hades.
Ἀντὶ τοῦ, μέχρι θανάτου ἀναπαυόμενοι καὶ εὐθυμοῦντες, ἀβα σάνιστοι εἰς ᾅδην κατέρχονται.
Instead of: resting and being cheerful until death, they go down to Hades without being tortured.
Ἤ, ὅτι οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ θάνατος πικρὸς αὐτοῖς γίνεται· ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ὑπνοῦντες, οὕτως ἀποθνήσκουσιν.
Or, that not even death itself becomes bitter to them; but just as those who sleep, so they die.
Ἢ, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι ἐν τῷ ζῇν κακοπαθοῦσι καὶ ταλαιπωροῦνται, ἀποθανόντες δὲ ἀναπαύονται· οὗτοι δὲ περὶ ὧν ὁ λόγος, πᾶσαν τὴν ζωὴν ὲν εὐθυμίᾳ διηνυκότες, οὕτως εἰς τὴν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ἦλθον ἀνάπαυσιν.
Or, that while others suffer hardship and are miserable in living, and rest when they have died, these of whom the discourse is, having completed all their life in cheerfulness, thus came to the rest in death.