Слово X, в котором повествуется о том 1) что христиане не должны вводить друг друга в соблазн; 2) каким соблазном следует пренебрегать; 3) что нельзя легко поддаваться всякому искушению

Do you know, blessed Christians, that just as great a reward will be awarded to those who correct their brothers, the same great condemnation will be given to those who lead their brothers into temptation. For he who turns a sinner away from a false and vicious path not only saves his soul from death, but also corrects many of his own sins. As James, the brother of the Lord, says, “if any of you wanders from the truth, and someone converts him, let him know that he who converts a sinner from the error of his path will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). And on the contrary, if someone leads his brother into temptation and thereby creates a reason for sin, he himself will not only destroy his brother’s soul, but will also be the culprit that his own sins will remain without forgiveness. Therefore, Basil the Great condemns the seducers of brothers as murderers and destroyers. He believes that in their minds and hearts they hold thoughts that are not only contrary to God, but through their actions they also dare to lead others into temptation: “Every thought that is contrary to the thought of God is a temptation, which, manifested in action, is condemned as for murder” (On Baptism. Book 2, Chapter 10). And these words are confirmed by the prophet Hosea, who tells how the priests killed the people of the city of Shechem. Why? Because they committed a sin and thereby seduced and destroyed their souls: “As robbers lie in wait for a man, so they kill a congregation of priests on the way to Shechem and commit abominations” (Hosea 6:9). In turn, the divine Chrysostom notes that just as those who honor their lesser brothers for the sake of Christ will enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward, so, on the contrary, those who disgrace and seduce them will suffer the greatest punishment. Interpreting the words of the Lord, “Whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble” (Matthew 18:6), the saint further quotes: “Just as those who honor them for My sake will gain Heaven, and, moreover, the greatest glory of this Kingdom, so those who dishonor the latter will suffer punishment” (Conversation 58 on the Gospel of Matthew). Therefore, I decided today, brothers, to talk to you about this and show you in the present Word that, firstly, Christians should not lead each other into temptation; secondly, what temptation should be neglected, and thirdly, that temptations should not be taken lightly. Hearken and you will understand! Christians should not lead each other into temptation. Direct and figurative meaning of the word “temptation” First of all, I would like to make this Word clear and understandable to the reader, and therefore I found it necessary to define the word “temptation” and reveal its meaning. Temptation in the literal and proper sense means: any sensory obstacle, an obstacle on the road, over which passers-by stumble and fall and which is either completely impossible to get around, like, say, a stone or a log or something else. God warns about such an obstacle in the book of Leviticus: “Do not curse the deaf, and do not place anything before the blind to stumble him” (Lev.19:14). Earthly life in a figurative sense is called a path or road, since it leads every person from birth to death, as in this case it is said: “Blessed are the blameless on the way” (Ps. 119:1). “Dear,” notes Basil the Great, “they call life because it hurries everyone born to the end” (Conversation on Psalm 1). I repeat: since earthly life is called a road, then in a figurative sense they consider any obstacle that turns people away from a straight and virtuous life as a temptation. Therefore, the divine Chrysostom, defining what temptation is, said: “What are the essence of temptations? Interference on the straight path" (Conversation 58 on the Gospel of Matthew). Basil the Great adds to what has been said that every deed that is contrary to God’s will is called a temptation: “Everything that is contrary to the will of the Lord is a temptation” (Moral Rules. 33). The saint further teaches that temptation is any deed that distances a person from piety and truth and leads into error and wickedness, and in general any deed that prevents us from obeying God’s commandment to death: “So, temptation, in my reasoning, guided by Scripture, is everything that either forces a person to fall away from pious truth and pushes to error, or leads to wickedness, or in general everything that prevents from obeying the commandment of God right up to death” (On Baptism. Book 2, Chapter 10). Every sin is a clear temptation, and Christians should not seduce either fellow believers or pagans. Pagans, tempted by the sins of Christians, do not accept the Christian faith. Christians, because of the temptation into which they lead pagans, are also responsible for their destruction. He who seduces with words or deeds is subject to condemnation, even if he has not seduced anyone with them. Every error, heresy, transgression of God's commandment, every evil and sin that occurs clearly is called and is a temptation. Because they, according to the definition of Basil the Great, are contrary to God's will and, according to Chrysostom, either plunge people who see or hear them into the same sin through imitation, or at least turn Christians away from the straight path of piety and virtuous life and make them cold and indifferent to the worship of God and the fulfillment of God's commandments. This is the reason why God calls the pagan gods a temptation and an obstacle. For they plunged the Jews into idolatry and turned them away from the proper worship and knowledge of the one and true God. As He says in Exodus: “If you serve their gods, it will be a snare for you” (Exodus 23:33) and in Deuteronomy: “And you will destroy all the nations which the Lord your God is giving you: let not your eye spare them; and do not serve their gods, for it is a snare for you” (Deut. 7:16). Consequently, all Christians need to jointly keep the commandments of the Lord and fulfill His divine and all-holy will, without transgressing a single His commandment and without committing any sin, especially obvious, so as not to give cause for temptation both for their brothers, Christians, and for Gentiles and pagans, as Paul calls: “Give no offense either to the Jews or to the Greeks, or to the church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32). After all, the rest of their co-religionists, Christians, looking at how they sin, are tempted, for some reason they themselves fall into the same sin that others are committing before their eyes, or, at least, become indifferent (to their salvation) and turn away from the straight path of virtue along which they walked. For these two reasons, they are damaged and punished. The culprits of this damage and punishment are the Christians who seduced them. The wicked and infidels, seeing how Christians, disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, sin, are themselves tempted and receive a reason not only to blaspheme and blaspheme the holy, pious and virtuous name of the Christian faith and all Christians in general, but to even blaspheme Christ Himself, Whom Christians worship as the Son of God and the true God. And the Christians who plunged them into temptation are guilty of this blasphemy. Pagans and the wicked not only blaspheme and revile the Christian faith because of temptations, but, in addition, they turn away from believing in Christ and accepting the true Orthodox faith of Christians. Therefore, if those Jews, when they only heard a single word from the mouth of the Lord, Who told them: “The Spirit gives life, the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63), they were so tempted that they fled from His word and no longer walked with Him and did not want to listen and believe in Him from now on, as the Scripture says: “From that time many of His disciples departed from Him and walked no more with Him” ( John 6:66). How much more today are pagans, idolaters, Jews and Ottomans tempted and unwilling to accept pious faith in Jesus Christ, seeing with their own eyes that Christians commit sins, and serious and great sins? As the divine Chrysostom says, since in our time so few miracles happen for Hellenes and pagans to believe, it is necessary that Christians themselves, with their pious lives, lead them to the faith of Christ. However, with their bad deeds they seduce the infidels, turning them away from accepting the pious faith. (Have they really forgotten) that they will have to answer before God not only for their own corruption and destruction, but also for the corruption and destruction into which they plunged the pagans: “So why should the pagans believe? Because of the signs? But they don't happen. Because of a virtuous life? But she is no longer there. Because of love? But there is no trace of her anywhere. Therefore, we will have to answer not only for our sins, but also for the corruption of others” (Conversation 10 on 1 Timothy). What am I saying? Any Christian who says any bad word or does a bad deed will be condemned twice: both for the bad word or deed that he said or did, and for the temptation into which he led other people, even if those who heard his bad word or saw the bad deed were not tempted. This is what the strict scribe of the Holy Spirit says, I’m talking about Basil the Great, who said: “If what is done or said is bad by nature, then the one who committed or said it both for his own sin and for temptation receives condemnation, even if the one who was led into temptation was not tempted. We learn about this from the words of the Lord spoken to Peter, who prevented Him from fulfilling the work of obedience until death: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a temptation to me! (Matthew 16:23)" (On baptism. Book 2, chapter 10). How can superiors avoid tempting subordinates? All Christians must strictly observe all the commandments of the Lord and try not to be the cause of temptation, as was said. In particular and most of all, all superiors who have spiritual or temporal, natural or acquired power should not lead their subordinates into temptation. In what case will those in power be able to avoid seducing their subordinates? In that case, of course, if each of them strives and makes efforts to fulfill the calling given to him by good and pious deeds, consistent and consistent with his power and position. As Basil the Great advises, “everyone must confirm his calling by appropriate deeds” (Moral Rules. 29). So, for example, patriarchs do not lead into temptation the bishops, priests and laity subordinate to them if they fulfill their calling and patriarchal dignity with good deeds corresponding to their highest position, imitating in this the Lord of all and the truly universal Patriarch Christ, Who fulfilled His calling by deeds, which is why he said: “These very deeds that I have done testify to Me that the Father has sent Me” ( John 5, 36). And again: “If I do not the works of My Father, do not believe Me; and if I do, then if you do not believe Me, believe My works, so that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him” (John 10:37-38). Thus, bishops and shepherds of intelligent sheep do not seduce the priests and their flock if they adhere unquestionably to those deeds that their hierarchal calling requires, imitating those divine bishops and holy apostles who said: “We do not cause anyone to stumble in anything, so that the service may not be blamed, but in everything we show ourselves as servants of God” (2 Cor. 6:3-4 ). Likewise, all priests, if they adhere to deeds befitting their holy order, then not only do not seduce the laity subordinate to them, but also do so that thanks to them they give glory to the Heavenly Father. As Isidore Pelusiot says: “God lights the priest like a torch and places him in a lamp, on his luminous pulpit, so that he illuminates the Church with his radiance, dispelling the darkness with his teachings and deeds, so that the people, seeing the rays of this life-giving lamp, are guided by them and glorify the Father of all lights” (Letter to Dositheus. About what a priest should be lamp). Thus, archimandrites and abbots of monasteries will not seduce the monks subordinate to them and their spiritual flock and flock if they observe everything that befits their abbot calling, and most of all, if they are not proud of the fact that they are abbots, but humble themselves as if they themselves were subordinates. As the wise Sirach instructs, “if you have been appointed leader at a feast, do not be proud; be among others as one of them: take care of them and then sit down” (Sir. 32, 1-2). Basil the Great says: “Let the boss not be exalted because of his dignity, so as not to be deprived of the bliss of humility.” Thus, kings not only do not seduce their subjects, but also bestow upon them many benefits if they unswervingly adhere to everything that corresponds to their greatest and highest dignity, but most of all the three main and fundamental royal virtues: piety, love of mankind and justice, about which Cyrus Theodoret wrote: “When those awarded power unswervingly watch the scales of justice... then they bring the gift of all kinds of benefits to those led; and if, in addition, sufficient prudence and the virtue of philanthropy are given to those for whom they are necessary, then an even greater benefit grows for the subordinates thanks to the superiors.” Thus, bosses and judges do not lead their subordinates and defendants into temptation if they act according to their calling, and moreover, if they do not take gifts (bribes), do not communicate with thieves, judge fairly and protect widows and orphans, so that what Isaiah said in relation to them would not be fulfilled: “Your princes are lawbreakers and accomplices of thieves, they all love gifts and pursue bribes, they do not protect orphans, and the cause of the widow does not reach them” (Is. 1:23), and the words of Zephaniah: “His princes in the midst of him are roaring lions, his judges are wolves of the evening, leaving not a bone until the morning” (Zeph. 3:3). Thus, teachers and mentors do not seduce students if they try to strengthen their teaching and mentoring calling with virtuous actions and do not teach one thing in words, but in reality do something different. Gregory the Theologian says: Either don’t teach, or teach with your character, Alluring with speeches, don’t push away with your hand: He who is pious himself does not need words, The writer teaches us through good examples. Thus, parents and masters do not lead their children and slaves into temptation when they do not upset them. The apostles also advise the same: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, lest they become discouraged” (Col. 3:21), but feed them with the teaching and instruction of the Lord, according to the same apostle: “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the teaching and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Slaves are also treated with meekness and are not angry with them, remembering that they themselves have a Master and Master in heaven. As the same Paul instructs, “you, masters, do the same with them (that is, with slaves), moderate severity, knowing that both over you and over them there is a Lord in heaven, with whom there is no partiality” (Eph. 6:9). In a word, in general, all Christians, men and women, young and old, priests and laity, those who occupy a high and significant position relative to other brothers, do not seduce their subordinates if they comply with all the requirements of the position and dignity of each of them and if they try to be for their subordinates an example and example of every virtue and every dignity in words and deeds. Blessed Paul, turning to Timothy, teaches: “Let no one despise your youth; but be an example to the faithful in speech, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (2 Timothy 4:12). To Titus he writes the following: “In everything, show yourself as an example of good deeds, in your teaching purity, sobriety, integrity, sound speech, without blame” (Titus 2:7-8). Why are great people obliged not to lead into temptation any more than small ones who are accustomed to imitate great ones? Why are great and powerful people obliged, more than commoners and ordinary people, to exercise caution so as not to lead their inferiors into even the slightest temptation? Because they are responsible both for those who imitate them and for those who obey them. For all the smaller ones have the natural property of constantly looking back to the larger ones as a model and example, and if they are virtuous, then they themselves become so, and if they are bad, then, imitating them, they themselves become bad. “For,” notes the divine Chrysostom, “for the most part, the people being led have the custom of looking at the morals of the leaders as a kind of primordial example and being equal to them” (On the priesthood. Homily 3). Therefore, we read in the Holy Scriptures that judge Gideon, when he defeated the Ishmaelites, I mean Zebah and Zalman, asked his soldiers who were with him in the war to give him gold earrings, which they took from their enemies, and, taking them, melted them in the fire and made an idol 132. When he placed this idol in his homeland in Ofra, he became guilty of the fact that all those who were his subordinates began to worship him. And this idol became a universal temptation for the people of Israel, because it plunged them into idolatry and turned them away from the worship of the true God: “And Gideon said to them: I ask one thing of you, give me each an earring from his spoils... From this Gideon made an ephod and put it in his city, in Ophrah, and all the Israelites began to go there fornication after it, and it became a snare to Gideon and to all his house.” ( Judges 8:24–27 ). Such is the evil temptation that the judge and the ruler gave, becoming the culprit of the fact that all his subordinates stumbled over him. The great, sinning, lead into terrible temptation the little ones, who, even sinning, little or do not seduce others When an eclipse of two luminaries and planets occurs, I mean the sun and the moon, then all people, seeing this, become worried, immediately carry mirrors, carry basins of water and observe with great curiosity the beginning, middle and end of the eclipse. Why? Yes, because the luminaries undergoing an eclipse are great, famous and known to everyone. However, when the other five planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, are eclipsed, the common people and common people are not at all worried or show any curiosity about their eclipse. Why? Because the planets undergoing an eclipse are small, poorly visible, and the very fact that they are eclipsed is unknown to most people. Likewise, when a patriarch, bishop, priest, tsar, judge, boss and other people in authority commit any obvious sin, all the people subordinate to them are immediately tempted, worried, open their mouths and reproach them. If the patriarch, they exclaim, our head, acts in this way, then what can I, the dust of the earth, do? If a bishop violates the law of God in this way, then how can I, an ordinary person, not break it? If the priest, who is the light, becomes darkness, then what can I, who am darkness, become? If the king is the guardian of the law, for the kingdom, according to Basil the Great, “is the legal authority” (Conversation at the beginning of the book of Proverbs), if the king, I repeat, commits lawlessness, then what should I, his subject, do? If the judge and the boss, our defenders of justice, commit injustice, then how can I, a subordinate, not be unjust? If the spiritual father, abbot and mentor sin and lead into evil temptation, then we, the laity, the ignorant, the simple people, looking at them, what should we do? And not only do lower-ranking people say this, but in fact they commit the same sin as them, and thus the temptation that high-ranking people produce becomes the reason that all lower-ranking people fall into temptation or, at least, turn away from the path of goodness and beneficence. Why? Because these sinners are great people, the sinners are famous, known and glorified by everyone. When people of lower rank sin, they do not lead anyone into such a great temptation. Why? Because those who have sinned are not great or famous, but insignificant people, ordinary people. What do I want to say? Insignificant people often commit sins, and great and obvious sins, but others are not only not tempted, but do not even want to know that these people are sinning, for insignificant people are like those four small stars that revolve around the planet Jupiter and because of this they received from astronomers the name satellites and guardians of Jupiter. In the same way, they are similar to two other small stars, which are located near the planet Saturn and are called the spearmen of Saturn. Just as these stars, due to their small size, are not at all visible to the naked eye of a person, but become visible only with the help of a telescope, so ordinary people, due to their smallness and insignificance, are invisible to others, who do not think at all about whether they exist and live in the world. And like those satellites of Jupiter and the spear-bearers of Saturn, who, although they undergo eclipses and disappear from view many times and almost daily, according to the general opinion and observation of modern astronomers, appear and hide in the shadow of their own planets, yet none of the people sees their eclipses and disappearances. Likewise, insignificant people, although they often sin, still, so to speak, hiding in the shadow of their own insignificance and smallness, do not let others know about their sins and do not tempt them. Therefore, the divine Chrysostom said: “The sins of random people, as if committed in darkness, destroy only those who commit them... and even if they become known, they do not cause any significant harm,” and also: “Those who live such a private and ordinary life, with their loneliness, like a cover, cover their sins” (On the priesthood. Homily 3). What are those in power and their sins like? However, with the great and those in power, everything happens not like that, no, but quite the opposite. Even when the sins of great people are small and insignificant, their subordinates consider them great and obvious, for those in power and great people are like a human face, and their sins are like flaws on it, as the moral writer Plutarch says. Just as flaws that mar a face, even when they are small, are clearly visible to everyone, so the slightest sins of those in power are noticed and become obvious to their subordinates. The divine Chrysostom likens the rulers to a man located on a tower or on a high mountain. Just as rulers become visible and visible to everyone below, in the same way their sins become obvious to those below: “But those who sit on the pinnacle of this glory are, first, visible to everyone; further, if they sin in the slightest, then the small thing appears to others as significant, for all people measure sin not by the significance of what was committed, but by the position of the sinner” (On the priesthood. Homily 3). Even when rulers do not sin, they are still condemned as having sinned. I'll say more. Great men and rulers attract such close attention from those below them that not only their small sins are seen as significant. However, even when they really do not sin, their subordinates still invent something and say that they are sinning. Do you want to make sure of this? Listen. What could be brighter and cleaner than the sun? Of course, there is nothing like that in the material world. But with all this, modern astronomers, with great curiosity, using telescopes, saw in the middle of the brightest and purest solar disk some dark clouds, which they call sunspots and pollution. Some of them claim that these stains and dirt really exist. Others argue that in fact they do not exist, but that there are only delusions and illusions of vision, occurring either from telescopes or from the weakness of the eyes of observers. This is how impudent and arrogant the curiosity and attention of people is, attributing spots and impurities even to the pure and greatest luminary, even the most material source of light - the sun. Those endowed with ecclesiastical authority must shine like the sun, and even above the sun Let those endowed with secular and especially spiritual and ecclesiastical authority, namely patriarchs, bishops, priests, confessors, abbots and clergy teachers, learn from this example. Let them learn, I repeat, from this example how bright and pure they must be, so that their virtue shines like the sun, or, better said, above the sun, so that the people subordinate to them cannot attribute to them any impurity or any accusation. Therefore, the golden pen of John wisely wrote that the power of the priesthood is not the same as the secular power of generals and kings. This requires angelic virtue. The soul of a priest must be purer than the very rays of the sun, so that the Holy Spirit never leaves it, so that the priest can say with Paul that it is not he himself who lives, but Christ lives in him: “Our speech is not about the power of a commander or a king, but about a matter that requires angelic virtue. For it is necessary that the soul of a priest be purer than the very rays of the sun, so that the Holy Spirit never leaves it, so that he can say: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20)” (On the priesthood. Homily 6). Those endowed with ecclesiastical power must surpass secular rulers and even hermit monks in their virtue Gregory the Theologian said that for those who have received church authority, it is not enough to keep themselves pure from sin. It behooves him to surpass others in virtue much more than he surpasses them in power, so as not to lead them into any temptation and force them to sin, but to encourage them to excel in virtue by the example of a good life: “... if one of us kept himself even as pure as possible from all sin, I still don’t know whether this is enough for someone who is preparing to teach others virtue. Whoever is entrusted with this must not only not be vicious... but must be distinguished by virtue according to the commandment that commands him to deviate from evil and do good... He is obliged not only to blot out bad images in his soul, but also to imprint better ones, so that he surpasses others in virtue more than he is superior to them in dignity" (Word 3). In short, for this reason the virtue and purity of patriarchs, bishops and priests must be so great that they surpass the virtue and purity of the hermits themselves who live in desert places, as the divine Chrysostom shows. “For if those who live in deserted places, moving away from the city, the square and their noise and enjoying peace in their refuges, do not rely on the safety of such a way of life, but add many other precautions... then what kind of power and strength do you think a priest needs in order to be able to save his soul from all defilement and preserve spiritual purity unharmed! They need cleanliness much more than those!” (On the priesthood. Homily 6). Temptations vary depending on the person From what has been said, it now finally becomes clear that one temptation is not essentially different from another. However, if you look from the point of view of the person from whom it comes, then one temptation is different from another and can be small, insignificant, great or greatest, just as the power of the one who produces the temptation can be less or greater. Thus, the same sin, for example adultery, if it is committed clearly by a commoner and an ordinary person, is considered minor. If it is performed by a monk, then it is a great one. If the hierodeacon creates it, then it will already be a great temptation. If performed by a priest, confessor or abbot, it is considered even greater. If it is done by a bishop, then this is a very great temptation. If the patriarch creates it, then the temptation will be the greatest of all. The temptation of a commoner is like a small pebble in the middle of the road, and very few travelers stumble over it. The monastic temptation is comparable to a large stone over which many stumble. The deacon's temptation is similar to an even larger stone. If the priestly temptation is like an even larger stone, then the bishop’s temptation is like a huge boulder, over which everyone stumbles: priests, laymen, men, women, small children and big ones - and fall to the ground because of this obstacle. In a word, either they themselves imitate the same sin, or at least they become hardened in heart and turn away from the path of virtue. But the patriarchal temptation is rather like a mountain that completely blocks the path of virtue and does not allow anyone to pass. And how great the temptation is, the more terrible the punishment that, consequently, its perpetrators will suffer for it. The same sin differs depending on the person who commits it Now listen to what the divine Isidore Pelusiot wrote to the monk Elisha: “For one who practices obedience to sin is a terrible thing, for one invested with the priesthood it is even more terrible, and for one promoted to the rank of bishop, it is in all respects the most terrible thing. For as much as someone exalts himself in honor, the same sin becomes more terrible. Having been done, it is measured not by nature, but by the position of the one who did it” (Letter 15). And in a letter to Bishop Feona, he reasons: “It is not the same thing for a layman to sin and for a priest to sin. This is clear from the law, for it commands that the same sacrifice be made for the sinned priest as for the whole people. If the sin were not equivalent, then the same sacrifice would not be prescribed. And it is greater not by nature, but by the position of the one who commits it: if he who teaches others sins, then because of his position he reveals a greater sin” (Letter 121). Where does the law prescribe that the priest should offer the same sacrifice as all the people? In the ninth chapter of the book of Leviticus it is said that just as all the elders of Israel offered to God one ox and one ram for their sins, so Aaron also offered one ox and one ram for his sins. Therefore, the divine Chrysostom says: “There are not the same punishments for all sins, but many and different according to times, and according to persons, and according to positions, and according to reason, and in many other ways. And to make it clearer what I am talking about, let us take for example the sin of adultery: look how many punishments I find, not according to my judgment, but according to the Holy Scriptures. Who committed adultery before the law? Others receive punishment, as Paul shows: “Those who sin without the law are without the law and will perish” (Rom. 2:12). Anyone who commits adultery after the law will suffer a more severe punishment, for “those who sin under the law,” he says, “will be condemned by the law” (Rom. 2:12). Anyone who commits adultery while he is a priest will receive much additional punishment because of his position; therefore, if other women who committed fornication were punished by death, then the daughters of priests were subject to burning: thus the legislator sufficiently shows what punishment awaits a priest who has committed such a sin, for if for his daughter he demanded a greater punishment due to the fact that she is the daughter of a priest, then how much more for the one who has the priestly rank? (Conversation 75 on the Gospel of Matthew). Not only should priests themselves not lead anyone into temptation, but also their sons and daughters, when they sin, are subject to more severe punishment than the laity What can we learn from these sacred words? The fact that all the clergy of the Most High God must not only not lead their people into the slightest temptation, but also raise their children to be chaste, good-natured, beneficent and pious, so that they do not commit any disorder or sin and thereby do not lead other Christians into temptation. For the guilt for the disorder, sin and evil temptation of the children of priests falls on their parents, who will have to answer for them before God and suffer punishment. After all, because of children's outrages, the high and honorable title of the priesthood is subjected to blasphemy and reproach, as well as God Himself, who established the priesthood. Therefore, the Holy Local Council in Carthage forbids the children of priests to participate in and watch spectacles: “Children of priests should not commit or watch worldly disgraces” (Rule 17). The same Council prescribes that no one should be ordained as a bishop, or as a priest, or as a deacon, until he has converted all the people in his house, including slaves, and all relatives, into Orthodox Christians: “Bishops, and deacons, and presbyters should not be ordained until they have converted everyone in their house into Orthodox Christians” (Rule 43). This is why Paul writes to Timothy that a priest must raise children in obedience with all honesty (see: 1 Tim. 3:4). And in a letter to Titus he adds that the children of a priest must be faithful and blameless, and not libertines and rebellious (see: Titus 1:6). Why am I talking only about the New Testament? The ancient law itself prescribes that if the daughter of a priest defiles herself by fornication, then she discredits the name of her father, the priest, and for this she is subject to burning: “If the daughter of a priest defiles herself by fornication, then she dishonors her father; it must be burned with fire” (Lev.21:9). Interpreting these words, the Eloquent One says that the daughter of a priest, if she sins, is punished more severely than other women, the daughters of the laity: “The daughters of priests, although they have nothing to do with the priesthood, are nevertheless subject to much more severe punishment than others because of their paternal position” (On the priesthood. Conversation 6). How do they receive a more severe punishment? For adultery, God ordered other women to be stoned (see: Deut. 22:21), and the priest’s daughters to be burned at the stake, as mentioned earlier. As a punishment, burning is worse than stoning, because when burned, not even bones remain of a person, and after stoning and death the body remains intact. Temptations emanating from people endowed with worldly power differ from each other depending on the person Depending on the ecclesiastical and spiritual rank, the temptation becomes small, large, great or greatest. Exactly the same dependence stems from public office. For the temptation from a simple warrior is small, from a centurion is great, from a thousand or a commander is already the greatest. The temptation produced by the judge and the boss is already very great; from the senator extremely great, and from the king the greatest of all. How many libertines and murderers were there in the entire Jewish kingdom under King David? Without a doubt, a great many. And with all this, there was no such great temptation from them as from King David himself, who committed adultery and murder. Therefore, senators, and judges, and commanders, and generals, and warriors, and all the common people, small and great people, having learned about the sins of their king, all without exception were led into temptation and excitement, secretly condemning their master. Because of this temptation, many fell into the same sins of murder and adultery, the majority’s love for God grew cold, and many turned away from the path of virtue and fulfilling God’s commandments. Therefore, if the Lord said once: woe because of a simple temptation, then we must say many times and a thousand times: woe because of the temptation produced by great and powerful people. And if the Lord said that it is better to hang a millstone on the neck of someone who simply leads into temptation, then we can rightfully say that it is better to hang a stone, much larger than a millstone, on the neck of great and powerful people from whom the temptation comes, and throw them into the depths of the sea: “Woe to that man through whom temptation comes... It would be better if they hung a millstone on his neck and drowned him in the depths of the sea” ( Matthew 18:6–7). And if the Lord declared that His angels would gather all those who simply cause temptation, and throw them into the fiery furnace, then we can say that the same angels will throw the great and those in authority, who lead others into temptation, not into an ordinary furnace, but into a fiery furnace, burning a hundred times hotter, so that they burn there forever: “The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom all temptations and those who practice iniquity, and will plunge them into fiery speech; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41–42). How bad is it when someone says: “Why should I care if someone is tempted?” Why did the Apostle Paul not eat meat at all, so as not to lead anyone into temptation? Where, finally, are those who lead their brother into obvious temptation, and then say with insolence: “What do I care if another is tempted? I wish to do what I please. I don’t care what harm this or that person suffers.” Let these people appear, I repeat, so that I can see them and say in the words of the divine Chrysostom: what are you saying, man, how come you don’t care? Christ commanded that your life should shine so much with beautiful and Christian deeds that everyone who sees you would not only praise, but also glorify your Master, Christ. But you, doing the opposite and instead of glory encouraging people to blaspheme God and be tempted, say that you don’t care? And what God-fearing soul, knowing God's laws, would ever utter such words? “And knowing all this, let’s be careful, I urge you, and not leave anyone in negligence and let’s not say such indifferent words: “What do I care if so-and-so is tempted?” What are you saying, tell me, what do you care? Christ commanded that your life should shine so that those who see you will not only be amazed at you, but also glorify your Master. And, doing the opposite and instead of glorifying bringing blasphemy upon Him, can you say nothing in justification? Is this worthy of a soul that fears God and firmly knows the laws of God?” (Talk 6 on Genesis). You do not know, unfortunate man, that the words you say, that I don’t care that my brother is being tempted, are the speeches of Satan, worthy of his cruelty and inhumanity, according to the same Chrysostom: “This would be appropriate to say about you, who neglect the salvation of your neighbor and utter such satanic speeches. For to say: “What do I care if so-and-so is tempted or if so-and-so perishes?” - worthy of his ferocity and inhumanity” (Conversation 20 on 1 Corinthians). In the time of the Apostle Paul there were some Christians weak in conscience who, seeing how some other Christians, strong in faith, ate meat sacrificed to idols, were tempted. Therefore, the Apostle Paul, in order not to tempt such weak Christians, refused to eat meat throughout his entire life: “And therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to stumble” (1 Cor. 8:13). But you, brother, when you hit someone, rob, oppress and commit other sins that are sufficient to lead into temptation not only the weak of conscience, but also the very strong - you, I say, dare to say: “What do I care if my brother is tempted?” “For we commit such sins,” says the divine Chrysostom, “that even the strong are led into temptation. When we beat, rob, oppress, treat free people as slaves, who could not be tempted by this?” (Conversation 20 on 1 Corinthians). Think about the fact that the Apostle Paul refused to eat not only meat sacrificed to idols, but also any other meat that is permitted, only so as not to lead his brother into temptation and not to destroy him, as the Eloquent One interprets; But you, who by the bad example of your life not only tempt and confuse your brother, but also plunge him into sin and condemn him to punishment, dare to say that you do not care that he is being tempted? Is this worthy of a Christian? Is it worthy of a brotherly lover? Is it worthy to be a disciple of Christ? If you cannot correct another person, do not lead him into temptation. Do not lead others into temptation because it is simple and insignificant. Those who seduce simple and insignificant people sin against Christ Himself Therefore, my beloved brothers, stop saying such things and neglecting the harm that you cause to your fellow believers, Christians, with your temptation. For such words and neglect increase your sin and bring upon your soul a heavier punishment. As the Eloquent Saint says, “Knowing this, let us distance ourselves from those who can desecrate the treasure of your virtue, and let us not do anything that causes any harm to our neighbor, for this spreads sin and brings upon us a more severe punishment” (Discourse 7 on the book of Genesis). Your duty is to correct and save your brothers from the Fall and in every way to help their salvation, which we will talk about in the eleventh Word. But if you cannot save them and correct them, then do not abandon them and do not lead them into sin with your temptation and bad example: “Even if,” says the golden vita, “even if you do not correct and encourage them - why set the steps? Why make you fall with you when you need to lend a hand? If you don’t want this, don’t overthrow them” (Conversation 20 on 1 Corinthians). If you neglect your brothers, for example, because they are simple and poor artisans, some are a shoemaker, some a tanner, some a coppersmith, some a tailor or do some other low work, know that although they are simple and poor, they are still your faithful brothers, and therefore you should not neglect them and lead them into temptation: “Do not say that such and such a shoemaker, or another tanner, or another coppersmith, but think that he is a believer and a brother” (Ibid.). For the angels of these simple and small people often see the face of God. As the Lord said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). For these simple and poor artisans are closer to the Kingdom of Christ, who was a carpenter and the son of a carpenter, and closer to the Kingdom of the apostles, who were fishermen and tent makers and, therefore, the simple people were more their brothers than the rich, the rulers and the senators. Therefore, do not despise them for this and do not lead them into temptation: “For we are the disciples of those fishermen, tax collectors, tent makers and the One who was raised in the carpenter’s house... Do not despise your brother, for he stands closer to the image of the apostles. After all, Peter also girded himself, and took a net in his hands, and caught fish after the resurrection of the Lord. Why, Peter and Paul, after many other and similar miracles, being in the tent-makers’ workshop, sewed skins, and the angels marveled at him, and the demons trembled” (Ibid.). And therefore, in the future, when you despise simple and poor people and lead them into temptation, know that you are sinning against Christ Himself. For this is what the Apostle Paul says: “By sinning in this way against the brothers and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ” (1 Cor. 8:12). Do you see the threat? Do you feel fear? Do not think, the apostle advises, that when you seduce a simple brother, you are harming him alone. No, his corruption and temptation relate to Christ Himself, Who was crucified out of love for him, who takes upon Himself the suffering of His servants, for whom he is like His own body. And if Christ condescended to be crucified for him, then shouldn’t you endure anything just so as not to tempt your brother? For this is how Chrysostom interprets the above: “The threat is strong and there is great condemnation in it: do not think,” he says, “that the damage is directed at him alone; it passes on to Christ Himself, who was crucified for him. If your Master did not refuse to be crucified for him, then won’t you agree to do everything so as not to give him any reason to be tempted?” (Talk 7 on Genesis). A person who lives virtuously will not receive any benefit from this if he leads others into temptation. Communication with bad people also leads to temptation. Christians must not lead even pagans into temptation Therefore, my Christian brothers, for the sake of God’s love and the salvation of the soul, try to be prudent both in relation to God and in relation to people, as Solomon and Paul agree to point out to us. Solomon says: “And you will find mercy and favor in the sight of God and men” (Prov. 3:4), Paul continues: “Be careful about what is good in the sight of all men” (Rom. 12:17). Do everything possible for you not to lead your brother into temptation, because if you, suppose, live righteously and virtuously, but give reasons for temptation to others, then know that all your good deeds are nothing. Why is it impossible to live virtuously, not lead others into temptation, and at the same time meet bad and worthless people? Because people who see that you meet and make friends, for example, with thieves, libertines, harlots, adulterers, adulteresses, murderers and other bad people, who are tempted and say that you are also thieves, libertines, adulterers and bad people, even if you are righteous, prudent and virtuous. After all, people do not look for what is in your heart, but judge by your deeds, which they see with their own eyes. This is confirmed by the divine Chrysostom: “Therefore, let us do everything so that our neighbor is not tempted, for life, even when it is very virtuous, but leads others into temptation, destroys everything. How can a righteous life lead into temptation? When communication with unrighteous people gives a person a bad reputation, for when we dare to communicate with bad people, then, even if we ourselves do not suffer harm, we seduce others” (Conversation 57 on the Gospel of John). If, suppose, you meet with a certain person and this gives rise to suspicion, for example, you enter the house of a certain virgin, widow or some other lonely and defenseless woman, not with any bad purpose, but to help her with good advice, to console her in her poverty, to strengthen her in chastity and the fear of God, Christians, seeing that you are meeting with her, going to her house, may suspect you of lustful intentions. Let Christians not be tempted when they see you. But how can you convince Jews, Ottomans, Armenians and other pagans and infidels not to be tempted when they see that you know such people? For their sake, we must be prudent and not lead them into temptation, so as not to become the culprit for them to blaspheme Christ and the holy name of the Christian faith. As Paul urges, “do not give offense either to the Jews or to the Greeks, or to the Church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32). “I,” says Chrysostom, “do not suspect anything bad about this maiden (for I love girlhood, but I do not consider love something bad) ... and I cannot think of anything inappropriate. But how do we convince outsiders? For it is necessary to have provision for them too” (Conversation 57 on the Gospel of John). It is indecent for Christians to date bad people. This is why, my brothers, you need to be disgusted by any friendship with vicious and bad people. You should avoid them. This is what God commands through Isaiah: “Come out from there, do not touch anything unclean” (Is. 52:11). And Paul instructs: “Cast out the wicked from among you” (1 Cor. 5:13); and in another place: “so that he who has done such a deed may be taken out from among you” (1 Cor. 5:2). And the prophet David commands never to meet even with the chosen ones from bad people: “Do not let my heart wander... with people who do iniquity, and I will not join with their chosen ones” (Ps. 140:4). In the same way, Job also advises us to turn away from jokers and scoffers: “If I walked in vanity, and if my foot hastened to deceit” (Job 31:5). What can I say? After all, these bad people are your friends, comrades, and relatives as close as your right eye. And yet you should hate and avoid them. Communication with them becomes a temptation for you too, for their vice penetrates your soul, like plague and leprosy: “Bad communities, it is said, corrupt good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33). They tempt others about you and make them think that you are the same. Therefore, as the Lord says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you” (Matthew 5:29). The Divine Chrysostom believes: “Therefore, let no one have a worthless friend - for if we, having worthless sons, drive them out and do not spare nature... then it is much more necessary to avoid those comrades and acquaintances who are bad, because even if we do not suffer any harm from them, we cannot avoid bad fame. For those outside do not know our way of life, but judge us by those with whom we associate” (Conversation 57 on the Gospel of John). The seducer must ask for forgiveness from the seduced, and also repent So, all Christians must beware of leading their brother into evil temptation, as follows from what was said above, as well as from the words of Paul: “Be careful not to give your brother any opportunity to stumble or be offended” (Rom. 14:13), and also: “It is better not to eat meat, not to drink wine, or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble, or to be offended, or to faint” (Rom. 14:21). “That... you may be pure and without stumbling in the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10). If, nevertheless, someone happens to seduce a brother with a vicious deed, a bad word, a gesture or some kind of movement, intentionally or through thoughtlessness, he must turn to the brother whom he seduced, ask for forgiveness and repent. If the temptation was obvious, then repentance should be obvious. If it happened secretly, then repentance must be secret. Thus, through repentance one must extinguish the temptation that has kindled in the brother’s heart, or at least, if possible, reduce this temptation and soften it and not allow his brother to go to bed tempted. For this is what the Holy Spirit advises through the wise Sirach: “Pray before Him and reduce your stumbling blocks” (Sir. 17:22). The Apostle Paul adds: “Let not the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26). I said that he who seduced his brother with a bad word or deed must ask for forgiveness, even if he did something insignificant and worthy of leniency. If someone was tempted and upset because another brother kept the commandments of the Lord, the traditions and rules of the holy fathers, then the one who was tempted and upset should ask for forgiveness, and not the brother who kept the commandments, as Basil the Great says: “If someone grieves, as the apostle said: “They were saddened for God’s sake” (2 Cor. 7:9), then it is not the one who grieved who needs correction, but the grieved person must show what is characteristic of grief for the sake of God (that is, repent)” (Rules, briefly stated. 40). Secret sins will become apparent and lead into temptation Many believe that the main way to avoid tempting your brother is to try to sin not openly, but secretly. I agree that sins that are committed in secret and without temptation attract less punishment than those that are committed openly, according to the words of Chrysostom: “Perhaps I will say something surprising, but if someone commits a great sin, and commits it secretly, without tempting anyone, then he will suffer less punishment than someone who sins less, but very openly, tempting many” (Sermon on Sin and Confession). Still, I believe that the main way not to lead someone into temptation is not to sin in secret, but to have a conscience in your soul that is not tempted before God and people, that is, guard your conscience so that it does not tempt him and convict him if he shows carelessness or breaks any commandment, whether it concerns love for God or love for his brother and his correction. For the one who has such a conscience, that is, does not sin either openly or secretly, cannot lead another into temptation, just as Paul, having such a conscience, never led anyone into temptation, for when he was accused before the ruler Felix, he said: “Therefore I myself strive always to have a blameless conscience before God and men” (Acts 24:16). “For one who sins in secret, it is impossible to completely keep his deeds secret and thereby not seduce his brother, especially if he is a great man and endowed with power: For the Lord, says Sirach, will reveal his secrets” (Sir. 1:30). “For,” notes Chrysostom, “it is impossible for the shortcomings of priests to be hidden, but even the slightest ones soon become obvious” (On the priesthood. Homily 3). This is clear from the history of King David, for he secretly committed adultery with Bathsheba and secretly killed Uriah her husband, but his secret sins, by the will of God, subsequently thundered like tympans and sounded louder than trumpets throughout his entire kingdom. Therefore God said to him: “You have done it in secret, but I will do it before all Israel and before the sun” (2 Samuel 12:12). What temptation should Christians ignore? If someone keeps the divine commandments, and others are tempted, then their temptation should be despised I really find that there is a temptation that should be ignored, but what is it? Listen. When you keep any commandment of God, or keep the divine and sacred rules of the holy apostles, or the rules of the Ecumenical and Local Councils, or the traditions of the Church, or when you simply try to fulfill the will of God and another is thereby led into temptation, then you must neglect this temptation and fulfill the commandment of God and keep the divine and sacred rules, saying the same to those who are tempted and to those who hinder you, what the apostles said to the Jews: “You must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), and also: “Judge whether it is right before God to listen to you more than to God” (Acts 4:19). For if, out of temptation, out of fear and out of servility to people, you neglect the commandment and will of God and the divine rules, this means that you honor people more than God, and prefer human love to God’s love and become more of a man’s pleaser than God’s. You sin and prefer to upset God and the saints just so as not to upset people. [This means] you are more afraid of people than of God. Who is not aware of how contrary all this is to the Holy Scriptures and your salvation? Who doesn't see this? “If a man sins against man, they will pray to God for him, but if a man sins against the Lord, then who will intercede for him?” (1 Samuel 2:25). And further it says: “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Therefore, Basil the Great says that no one should interfere with the one who fulfills the will of God, whether he does it in fulfillment of the commandment of God or for any other purpose consistent with the commandment. However, the one who does this himself should not listen to those who hinder him, even if they are his relatives, but remain with the judgment and decision that he has chosen: “He who does the will of God should not interfere, either according to the commandment of God, or according to another understanding following from the commandment, the one who does the lower should not indulge those who interfere, even when they are relatives, but remain with his judgment” (Moral Rules. 19). The Divine Chrysostom believes that one should take care of people so much as not to give them temptation. If we do not tempt them, but they reproach us simply and haphazardly, then we must despise them and mourn. You must be prudent before God and people; If you do not lead into temptation, and another reproaches you, let it not matter to you: “We will take care of people to such an extent as long as we do not give them a reason for reproach. If, without our fault, they wish to simply and randomly blame us, we will laugh and cry. Provide what is good before God and people, but if someone mocks you while you are providing for what is good, then worry no more” (Conversation 46 on the Acts of the Apostles). If, he continues, temptation occurs because of us, woe to us; if it happens because of someone else, we are not to blame: “For when it comes from us, woe to us; when it does not come from us, not at all. Woe to you, because of whom blasphemy is uttered against the name of God! What if I do something right, but someone else blasphemes? It’s not about me, but about him, because because of him the blasphemy was uttered against him... For when a deed pleasing to God is hindered by a temptation to which another is exposed, the temptation must be neglected; then we care when because of these people we are not forced to offend God in any way” (Ibid.). “Therefore, if some are tempted, we will not look; but only if it is fair and not to our detriment... If someone is tempted by the fact that I want to renounce (that is, become a monk), I should not worry about this” (Ibid.). We should despise those who turn us away from the will of God. Why did the Lord call Peter Satan? Look at examples from Scripture. John prevents the Lord from being baptized: “John restrained Him and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matthew 3:14). But the Lord neglected this obstacle, for it was contrary to the will of God: “But Jesus answered him: Leave it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Peter tried to prevent the Lord from suffering and dying: “Be merciful to yourself, Lord! let this not happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22). But the Lord scolded him and called him a temptation and Satan: “He turned and said to Peter: get away from Me, Satan! You are a temptation to me! because you think not about the things of God, but about the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). Think about the fact that the Lord said to him the same words that he said to the devil on the top of the mountain, as St. Luke says: “Get behind Me, Satan!” (Luke 4:8). He said this to Peter to teach us: whoever contradicts God's will is the second devil. In a word, the adversary and seducer is the one who creates temptation, and not the one who observes the will of God. Elymas the sorcerer, and Alexander the coppersmith, and Hymenaeus, and Philetus, and Demetrius the silversmith spoke out against Paul’s sermon, but the apostle not only neglected this temptation of theirs, but also called Elymas the son of the devil, and the others - Satans, as opponents of God’s will. It is about them that it is said: “A thorn was given to me in the flesh, an angel of Satan” (2 Cor. 12:7), as interpreted by the divine Chrysostom. He who speaks or does good is free from sin, even if he tempts someone. Only then should temptation be neglected when the benefit outweighs the harm from it. One should not neglect the temptation contained in the indifferent and permitted. The Lord sometimes neglected the temptation, but sometimes he did not Basil the Great introduced a general and main rule regarding temptation: if one said a beautiful word or did a good deed, and the other heard this beautiful word or saw this good deed, did not understand properly and because of his foolishness and bad thoughts received harm, then the one who said the word or performed a good deed is pure and innocent of the harm that the seduced one involuntarily received: “If something is with a good purpose or spoken or done, but it is a vice the one who takes advantage of this will actually cause him to suffer harm, then the one who has spoken or done something good for the edification of faith is free from condemnation of the seduced” (On Baptism. Book 2, Chapter 10). And, speaking briefly, only then should we neglect the temptation when the benefit gained from neglecting the temptation is greater than the harm resulting from the temptation. As Chrysostom says, “only then do we get rid of the punishment imposed on the tempted, when something other than the harm from temptation is born from temptation.” When the matter is indifferent, that is, neither destructive nor useful in itself, or is in our own power, then we should not neglect the temptation, not because of itself, but because of the greater harm that would occur if we neglected it. Therefore, the same Chrysostom said: “If the matter is indifferent, then one should abstain” (Discourse 7 on the Acts of the Apostles). Thus, our Lord Christ, when the Pharisees were tempted because of his words that it is not food that goes into the mouth that makes a person unclean, but bad speech coming from the mouth, he disregarded their temptation and said: “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted; leave them alone: ​​they are blind leaders of the blind” (Matthew 15:13). Why? Yes, because greater harm would have occurred if He had not neglected their temptation, for people would have slandered God’s creations and said that they are bad, and, therefore, would have slandered and blasphemed God that He is the creator of evil. Even though the Lord did not condemn the creation, later the godless Manichaeans dared to defame them, calling them nasty and unclean, and their creator a villain. What would they say if the Lord also reproached them? And when the collectors of didrachmas came and asked them for the didrachm, He, although He was free and above all taxes, being God, still did not disdain the temptation, but said to Peter: go and throw your hook into the sea. And he (went) and caught a fish and, finding a statir in its mouth, gave it to those who asked: “But so that we do not tempt them, go to the sea, throw a hook, and take the first fish that comes across, and when you open its mouth, you will find a statir; take it and give it to them for Me and for yourself” (Matthew 17:27). Why did He do this? Because it was in His hands not to pay the tax. To pay, since He was the firstborn, was His own law, given in ancient times, from those firstborn who were redeemed at the time of the tenth plague of Egypt, as shown in the 3rd chapter of the book of Numbers. And if the Lord had transgressed him, then He would have been considered an atheist and a violator of the divine law, and, therefore, more harm would have resulted if He had neglected this temptation. Paul, having the right to feed himself by preaching the Gospel, did not do this, so as not to lead anyone into temptation, and preached while working in the workshop So, Paul, although he had the right to feed himself by preaching the Gospel, like the other apostles, did not exercise his right by working and feeding himself by the labor of his own hands, since many false apostles accused him of preaching Christ in order to receive money, and thereby seduced the believers. If Paul had neglected the temptation, greater harm and hindrance would have occurred to the preaching of the Gospel and the salvation of people. To confirm that this is true, listen to the words that Paul himself said: “Nevertheless we have not exercised this power, but endure everything, so as not to put any obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:12). And if Christ determined for those who preach the Gospel that they should live and be fed by preaching, then Paul, feeding on his labors, did not violate this order and was not inferior, but surpassed it. And he did this for no other reason than for the sake of love and the spread of the preaching of Christ, who determined this order, and most of all because being engaged in a craft did not interfere with the preaching of the Gospel, but preached Christ to everyone who came to him, making his workshop a school and a church, as the Acts of the Apostles narrate: “And Paul lived for two whole years on his own and received everyone who came to him, preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching about Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness without restraint” (Acts 28:27). “Paul,” says Chrysostom, “was not ashamed to work with a knife, sew leather and talk with those in power, but was even proud of his craft, for many noble and respectable people came to him” (Conversations on the words: “Greet Priscilla and Aquila,” etc. (Rom. 16:3). Homily 1). He acted in the same way regarding the food sacrificed to idols: although he was allowed to touch it and eat it, as something indifferent and harmless: “All things are lawful for me,” he says (1 Cor. 6:12), - however, since because of this food many weak consciences were tempted and encouraged to think that there truly are idols in the world, and, consequently, spiritual damage and destruction occurred for believers, the apostle did not neglect this temptation, but preferred to refuse the harmless, for there was no harm from not tasting, according to Chrysostom (Discourse 46 on the Acts of the Apostles), in order to save believers from this great harm. That’s why he said: “If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” (1 Cor. 8:13). Agreeing with Paul, Basil the Great, summing up his reflection on temptation, said that in two cases the one who leads another into temptation is condemned: when he does something that is bad in itself, and when he does something that is permissible and is in the power of the doer himself, but seduces the weak through faith and knowledge: “Therefore, both when what is done, being bad in itself, becomes the cause of temptation, and when it, being from among those allowed and in our power, it becomes a temptation for the weak by faith or knowledge, it clearly and inevitably entails that terrible condemnation of the Lord, about which it is said: “It would be better if they were hanged ... and so on” (On Baptism. Book 2, Chapter 10). Christians should not be easily tempted. People are tempted not by understanding, but only by passions and misunderstandings Since until now we have said that Christians should not seduce others, and, as far as was in our power, we taught how to neglect them, now we should say something as a lesson to those who are tempted. For no one is tempted by justice and reason, but some are tempted by arrogance and envy when they see others achieving success and glory from God and men. Others are tempted by bad society, habit or unreasonable ideas that they have about sin, which is why they are embarrassed when they are exposed to depravity by mentors or other people, and some are tempted by the words of others out of hypocrisy and hatred, and some by their ignorance and blindness, or even by their iniquity, are tempted by the commandments and speeches of the Lord. There are also those who, prompted by another passion or unreasonable reason, are seduced by their brothers, as can be seen from the examples of Holy Scripture. Thus, the Lord’s compatriots, out of their arrogance and envy, were tempted when they saw that He taught with such wisdom, performed miracles and was glorified by God and the people. “Where did He get such wisdom and strength,” they wondered, “is He not the son of carpenters?.., where did he get all this? And they were offended because of Him” (Matthew 13:54–57). As Sirach says, the evil-speaker “and the arrogant will stumble through them” (Sir.23:7). Thus, Isaiah says about people prone to vice that they are tempted by those who reprove them: “And to him who demands judgment they lay snares at the gate, and they push away the upright” (Is. 29:21). The wise Sirach notes that those in whom there is evil, rancor and hypocrisy are tempted: “He who blinks his eye plots intrigues, and no one will stop him from doing so; before your eyes he will speak sweetly and will be amazed at your words, and then he will pervert his mouth and reveal temptation in your words” (Sir. 27:24-26). “He who seeks the law,” he continues, will be satisfied with it, but the hypocrite will stumble in it (Sir.32:17). He further speaks of those blinded by iniquity: “His ways are straight for the saints, but for the wicked they are stumbling blocks” (Sir. 39:30). The eyes deceive a person. What to do when someone talks about a brother's sin Therefore, my Christian brothers, do not be tempted when you hear something that you do not like, and do not be embarrassed when you see things that seem absurd to you. Don't be outraged. First, think carefully: maybe these words are reasonable and correct and the person who said them is thinking about how to help you and improve. Because of the passion that sits in you, you are tempted, trusting your suspicions, calling his words rude, and the one who spoke them as a seducer and a sower of discord. However, when you see or learn, for example, that your brother has done something bad, do not be tempted, do not be embarrassed, and do not begin to judge him in advance. It’s better to first find out whether this really happened. For not only is human hearing unreliable and deceptive, but often our own eyes fail and see something completely different from what actually happened: they see an oar immersed in water as broken, and the motionless earth as shaking when we look at it from the deck of a ship. Therefore, Maximus the God-Bearer gives the following advice: “Do not be suspicious of people who bring temptations, for those who heed temptations of any kind, whether they are produced intentionally or unintentionally, do not know the path of peace, which leads those who love it through love to the knowledge of God” (First Centurion on Love). When you are convinced that the deed is bad and the brother has really committed a sin, then remember God’s commandment: “Judge not, lest ye be judged” (Matthew 7:1), that is, you should not condemn your brother as a sinner and criminal, but repeat the words spoken by one Abba: “This brother has sinned today, but I will sin tomorrow. He committed a small sin, but I will commit great sins.” Even if the one who sinned is a patriarch, bishop, priest, monk or some other great and important person, do not be tempted and do not turn away from the straight path of virtue because of this and do not commit the same sin because of a bad example, but judge like wise and prudent people and say: well, what’s wrong with him that he is a patriarch, bishop, priest, monk? So what does it matter that he is a boss, a senator or a king? He is the same person and has the same passions as everyone else. Therefore, since he is the same person and has the same nature, is it surprising that the poor fellow was overcome by passion and sinned? After all, he is not an angel, but just a living person made of skin and flesh. Do power and position make him superior to human nature? Of course not. So why should I be tempted, why should I worry? Why should I get involved in such a sin? Just because he sinned? And why should I judge someone? I better hide and hide his sin. Firstly, so that no other Christian finds out, is tempted and sins. Secondly, so that pagans and heretics do not hear about him, do not rejoice, do not condemn our Orthodox faith and do not blaspheme Christ, just as David called on the Jews not to announce the murder of Saul and Jonathan, so that foreigners would not hear and rejoice: “Do not tell in Gath, do not proclaim in the streets of Ascalon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice” ( 2 Samuel 1:29 ). Thirdly, if I hide my brother's sin, then God will hide my own sins. As Abba Pimen said, if we hide our brother’s sin, then God will hide ours. Fourthly, whoever does not disclose, but hides the sins of his spiritual fathers, patriarchs, bishops, priests, confessors and sacred teachers, he, I repeat, is likened to the two good sons of Noah - Shem and Japheth, who not only did not want to announce to others, but, even looking at the nakedness of their father Noah, turned away, approached him with their backs and covered him with a cloak, so that they themselves and no one else would saw him: “And she and Japheth took the robe, and putting it on their shoulders, went backwards and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned back, and they did not see their father’s nakedness” (Gen. 9:23). Therefore, they received the blessing of their father according to the flesh, Noah: “Blessed is the Lord God of Shem... may God extend Japheth” (Gen. 9:26–27). In the same way, whoever hides the sins of his spiritual fathers receives blessings both from them and from God Himself. And on the contrary, whoever, due to his immoderation, publicly announces and divulges the sins of his spiritual fathers, is like Ham, that depraved son of Noah, who not only stood and saw his father’s nakedness, but also told his brothers about it, for which he received his father’s curse, becoming the slave of his brothers. What a curse does he inherit who publicly discloses the sins of his spiritual fathers! What can I say? It is not only the one who reveals the sins of his spiritual fathers who receives a curse. He deserves to die! Since someone who is insolent and curses his father according to the flesh is worthy of death, as God has established: “Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death” (Ex. 21:17), then how much more worthy of death is he who publicly insults his spiritual fathers?! For as much as the spirit is higher than nature and the soul is higher than the body, so spiritual fathers are higher than natural and blood fathers. And if God forbids reproaching the worldly leaders of the people: “A leader,” He says, “do not revile among your people” (Ex. 22:28), then how much more does He forbid reproaching the spiritual leaders of the people, as I already said, patriarchs, bishops, priests and all spiritual shepherds and teachers? Saint Maximus says: “Do not allow your father (that is, your spiritual father) to be reproached and do not encourage him to dishonor him, lest the Lord be angry with your deeds and destroy you from those living on earth” (First Centurion on Love). One should not be tempted by those who keep the commandments and sacred rules Christians, beware of blaming others. And most of all and especially try, my brothers, not to be tempted and embarrassed when you see and hear that a certain brother keeps the commandments of the Lord and the sacred rules of the holy apostles and Ecumenical and Local Councils, as well as the holy fathers. But first of all, strive to imitate your brother, praising him as a guardian of church traditions and the commandments of the Lord. And in no case, for the sake of God’s love, do not vilify such a person with offensive nicknames, scold or persecute him as a violator of modern customs and human traditions. Firstly, because by blaspheming and persecuting him, you are blaspheming and persecuting Christ Himself, His divine apostles and saints. For for the sake of love for the commandments of Christ and for the sake of the truth, which was transmitted by the apostles and saints, he endures and fights. Secondly, by reproaching and persecuting such a person, you number yourself among those ancient persecutors of saints and tyrants, and you force him to be numbered among those ancient persecuted saints and make sure that he receives the blessing of the Lord, Who said: “Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for My sake” (Matthew 5:11). Fourthly, as much as you fight and pursue such a guardian of truth and virtue, so much will he defeat you and be crowned with glory. For he has on his side the fighting truth and the God of truth Himself, as it is written: “Strive for the truth to the point of death, and the Lord God will fight for you” (Sir.4:32). And since the truth that intercedes for him, when fought with, is never defeated, but always defeats those who fight with it, as the wise Zerubbabel said: “Truth prevails over everything” (2 Ezra 3:12). “Truth,” the saint continues, “endures and remains strong for ever, and lives and reigns for ever and ever” (2 Ezra 4:38). It is not temptations themselves that harm, but the carelessness and passions of people. Temptations help more than they harm With the help of such fair conclusions, you can, my brothers, not receive harm from the temptations that occur in the world, and most of all when they relate not to faith, but to everyday affairs. After all, in and of themselves they do not harm people. If that were the case, then God would not have allowed them to come. But people suffer harm because of their carelessness, ignorance and passions. This becomes clear from the example of those just and virtuous people who do not suffer any harm due to temptations that arise. The Divine Chrysostom, interpreting the words of the Lord, notes: “Temptations must come” (Matthew 18:7), says: “Why did He not destroy them? Why should they be destroyed? For the sake of those suffering harm? But those who suffer harm do not perish from this, but from their own frivolity... If this were not so, but from temptations they perish, then it would be necessary for everyone to perish. If there are those who avoid, then let the one who does not avoid blame himself” (Conversation 59 on the Gospel of Matthew). What do I want to say? The fact that temptations not only do not harm attentive and reasonable people, but even help them, and help not only others, but also the one from whom they come. After all, they force him to be attentive, careful, vigilant and prudent, so as not to fall into the same thing, as Chrysostom warns: “Obvious evidence of this is virtuous people who not only do not suffer any harm from this, but also receive the greatest benefit, as Job was, as Joseph was, as all the righteous are. If many perish, it is from their own inattention... For temptations, as I said, awaken, make more vigilant and sensitive, and not only the one who was wary, but also the one who succumbed, quickly rises to his feet, making him more resistant and not so vulnerable” (Ibid.). Truly, “Woe to the world because of temptations,” said the Lord (Matthew 18:7). However, if we are attentive to ourselves and do not worry about worldly things, but everyone begins to observe his calling according to the commandments of the Lord, doing everything necessary for this, then we, without a doubt, will not harm anyone from temptations, but will receive great benefit from them. To summarize, Chrysostom says: “So if we are sober, we will gain considerable benefit from this: we will be especially vigilant” (Discourse 59 on the Gospel of Matthew). How to avoid harm from temptations Once the great Anthony saw the whole world entangled in the nets of the devil. Christ also says that the world is filled with temptations and stumblings. Solomon also warns: “Know that you are walking in the midst of snares” (Sir.9:18). “Do not say,” explains the Eloquent One, “you are walking past nets, but what is in the middle: on both sides of us there are abysses, on both sides there are ambushes” (Conversations about statues. 15). So how can you, brothers, not get caught in these networks? How to avoid getting entangled in temptations? How? Like this: if you are attentive to yourself, you will begin to observe the precepts of Scripture and the divine fathers, condemn yourself, humble yourself, blame and blame only yourself and not blame others. Thus the angel of the Lord said to Anthony, who was perplexed as to how one could escape from these snares: “Who can escape them? And the angel said to me: humility." And every time, brothers, above all else, remain in prayer and ask God with His grace and help to deliver you and not only not to lead your brothers into temptation by some of your sins or crimes, but also not to be tempted by the mistakes and sins of others. For God is the only one who protects those who fear and love Him from any temptation and fall. As Sirach says, “The eyes of the Lord are on those who love Him. He is a mighty defense and a strong support, a cover from the heat and a cover from the midday heat, a guard against stumbling and a guard against falling” (Sir.34:16). God commands His angels to take care of His servants and carry them in their arms, so that with the rational foot of their soul they do not stumble over some stone of temptation. As David says, “For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways: in their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Ps. 90:11-12). Finally, sing this Davidic psalm every time: “Keep me from the snares set for me, from the snares of the wicked” (Ps. 140:9), so that, protected by the Lord’s grace, you do not offend others and are not tempted by your brothers and without hindrance reach the day of reward and are worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom is glory and power with the Father and the Holy One Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Here I have called the "ephod" (Εφωδ) that Gideon made an idol, as Procopius translated it, and not a priestly vestment, as Theodoret translated it. There are three reasons why Procopius's translation is preferable to Theodoret's. First, many publications call what Gideon made an “ephod,” rather than an “ephod,” which was the priestly garment. Secondly, it seems that Gideon’s ephod was smelted and cast from the gold earrings of the Ismailis, while the ephod, the priestly robe, was woven from fine linen, the finest snow-white fabric, as it is written in the First Book of Samuel (2:18): “The child Samuel served before the Lord, wearing a linen ephod,” that is, made from fine linen. Third, Scripture says that Gideon placed this ephod in the city of Ophrah, which is consistent with an idol or cast statue, not a woven ephod. It appears, therefore, that Gideon made his own statue as an eternal memorial of vengeance and placed it in Ophrah without any evil purpose. However, the Israelites worshiped her as God. And an unknown interpreter says that what Gideon erected was his own statue (see: Octatevkh. T. 2. P. 180). – Note. St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. You might be interested in: