Беседа 23

One should not despair of deeds of virtue because of the difficulty of the matter. – The punishments from beyond the grave will be eternal. – The power of repentance in the present life and its uselessness in the future. 1 Corinthians 9:24. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the reward? 1. Having explained that condescension is very useful, that it constitutes the height of perfection, and that he himself, who achieved perfection more than anyone else, or rather surpassed it in that he did not take (content from his disciples), also condescending more than anyone else, showing us the time when both are needed, perfection and condescension, (the apostle) further reproaches (the Corinthians) with greater force, suggesting that their act, which seems to be a consequence of perfection, is wasted work. He does not say this clearly so that they do not become bitter, but he expresses it with his judgments. Having said before that they sin against Christ, destroy their brethren, and themselves do not receive any benefit from perfect knowledge if it is not combined with love, now he again turns to the well-known example and says: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the reward?” He does not say this in the sense that only one of all can be saved - yes, he will not be - but that we must make great efforts. Just as there, out of many who enter the field, not many are crowned, but only one achieves this, and therefore it is not enough to just go out to the feat, anoint yourself and fight, so here it is not enough to just believe and strive somehow, but if we do not strive in such a way as to show ourselves impeccable to the end and achieve a reward, then we will not receive any benefit. Even though you, he says, considered yourself perfect in knowledge, you have not yet achieved everything; he hints at this with the words: “so run to receive,” from which it follows that they have not yet reached. Then he teaches the way to achieve it. “All,” he says, “ascetics abstain from everything” (1 Cor. 9:25). What does it mean: from everything? It is not that he abstains from one thing and sins in another, but he abstains from gluttony, and from voluptuousness, and from drunkenness, and from all passions in general. This happens, he says, even with external exploits; Those who struggle must neither get drunk nor commit adultery during the struggle, so as not to weaken their strength, nor do anything else; but, abstaining completely from everything, they engage only in exercise. If this happens where a crown is given to one, then much more should it be here, where there is more generosity; here not only one is crowned, and the rewards themselves are much higher than feats. Therefore, wanting to shame them, he says: “They are to receive a perishable crown, but we are to receive an imperishable one. Therefore I do not run as if I were wrong” (1 Cor. 9:25–26). Having shamed them with what happens among outsiders (pagans), (the apostle) then points to himself. This is the best way to learn; That's why he does this all the time. What does it mean: “not as if it were incorrect”? I have in mind, he says, a well-known goal; I strive not in vain and not in vain, like you. Indeed, what good does it do you to enter the churches of idols and, as it were, show off your perfection? No. I am not like that, but everything I do, I do for the salvation of my neighbors; if I show perfection, it is for them; Whether it’s condescension, it’s for them; Is it superiority over Peter in that I do not take it - this is so that they will not be tempted; humiliation more than all, being circumcised and having your hair shaved, is so that they do not stumble. This is what it means: “not as if it were incorrect.” And you, tell me, why do you eat in churches? You cannot imagine any good reason: food does not bring you closer to God; if you eat, you gain nothing; if you don’t eat, you lose nothing; therefore, you are walking in vain and without a goal; this means: to the wrong. “I don’t fight so much as to just beat the air.” These words also express that he is not acting in vain and without purpose. I have (an enemy), he says, whom I am striking, that is, the devil; and you don’t hit him, but simply exhaust your strength. He says this because he spares them; Having previously expressed a strong rebuke to them, he here softens the reproach, postponing a strong blow to the end of the speech. Now he says that they are doing this in vain and in vain, and then he proves that by such behavior they bring destruction on their own heads and, in addition to harming the brethren, they themselves become guilty. “But I discipline and bring my body into subjection, so that while I have preached to others, I myself may not remain unworthy” (1 Cor. 9:27). Here he shows that they are devoted to gluttony, and do not curb this passion, and under the pretext of perfection they satisfy it - which he said with regret above: “food for the belly and the belly for food” (1 Cor. 6:13). From satiety comes both fornication and idolatry; Therefore, it rightly affects this disease in many places. Having shown how many disasters he suffered for preaching, he at the same time points to this; I fulfilled, he says, more than what was commanded, although it was not easy for me - everything, he says, is tolerable - but in addition I take upon myself the great work of living abstinently. Although it is difficult to overcome lust and the strength of the stomach, I curb it, do not indulge in this passion, but try in every possible way not to get carried away by it. 2. Do not think that I succeed in this without difficulty; no, for me this is a feat, abstinence and a struggle with nature, which constantly rebels and strives for freedom; but I do not give in, but subdue and subdue her with great effort. He says this so that no one despairs of deeds of virtue because of the difficulty of the matter; That’s why it’s expressed like this: “I pacify and enslave.” He did not say: I destroy or cut off, because the flesh is not an enemy; but: “I pacify 40 and enslave,” which is characteristic of a master, and not an enemy, a teacher, and not a villain, a nurturer, and not an adversary. “So that, while preaching to others, you yourself will not remain unworthy.” If Paul, the teacher of so many, feared this, and feared it after he had spread the sermon, become an evangelist, and received dominion over the universe, what should we say? Do not think, he says, that it is enough for your salvation that you believe; If for me, who preached, taught, and converted thousands of people, this is not enough for salvation when I myself do not behave impeccably, then even more so for you. Then he moves on to other examples; and as before he pointed to the apostles, to the general custom, to the (Old Testament) priests and to himself, so here he points to the Olympic Games. And then, pointing to himself, he again turns to the events of the Old Testament. Intending to utter a very strong word, he offers instruction in a general form and talks not only about the immediate, but also about all the ailments of the Corinthians in general. About external (pagan) exploits he said: “Don’t you know”, but here he says: “I do not want to leave you, brothers, in ignorance” (1 Cor. 10:1), expressing that they were too instructed in this. What is it that you don’t want to leave us in the dark about? “that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and everyone ate the same spiritual food; and they all drank the same spiritual drink: for they drank from the spiritual stone that followed; the stone was Christ. But God was not pleased with many of them” (1 Cor. 10:1–5). Why is he saying this? To show that just as those (Israelites) were not benefited by such gifts, so they (the Corinthians) will not be benefited by baptism and participation in spiritual sacraments if their lives do not correspond to grace; This is why he points to the prototypes of baptism and sacraments. What does it mean: “baptized into Moses”? Just as we, who believe in Christ and His resurrection, are baptized in order to ourselves take part in these sacraments - and we are baptized, he says, “for the dead” (1 Cor. 15:29), i.e. our bodies - so they, relying on Moses, i.e., seeing that he was the first to enter the sea, decided to enter there themselves. And since (the apostle) wants to bring the prototype closer to the truth, he does not express it this way, but calls the prototype by the name of truth. Here he points to the type of baptism, and then (to the type) of the sacred meal. As you eat the body of the Lady, so they (ate) the manna; Just as you drink blood, so do you drink water from a stone. Although it was sensual, it was given spiritually, not according to the laws of nature, but according to grace, and together with the body it nourished the soul, disposing it to faith. He did not add anything about food, because it was different from ordinary food not only in the method (of receiving), but also in essence - and it was manna - but about drink, in which only the method of receiving was miraculous and required explanation, after the words: “they drank the same spiritual drink,” he added: “for they drank from the spiritual subsequent stone”; and again: “the stone was Christ.” It was not a stone, he says, that by its nature emitted water; otherwise he would have exuded it before; but everything was done by some other spiritual stone, i.e. Christ, Who was constantly present with them and performed all the miracles; That’s why he says: subsequent. Do you see the wisdom of Paul, how he explains that Christ is the giver of both, and thus brings the type closer to the truth? He gave, he says, those gifts, and He also offers this meal; He led them through the sea, He also brought you through baptism: there He delivered manna and water, and to you body and blood. Such are His gifts! Let's see if He spared the Israelites when they turned out to be unworthy of His gifts? No; That’s why (the apostle) adds: “but God was not pleased with many of them.” Although God honored them with such honor, it did not bring them any benefit, and most of them perished. They all perished: but so that they would not think that they (the Corinthians) were facing general destruction, (the apostle) said: “many.” They were a myriad; but their numbers did not help them at all. All (good deeds) were a sign of God's love; but this did not help them either, because they themselves did not show deeds of love. Since many do not believe the doctrine of Gehenna, as an intangible and invisible object, then (the apostle) already proves by previous examples that God punishes sinners, even if he first poured out countless benefits on them: if you, he says, do not believe the future, then, of course, you will not treat the past with disbelief. 3. Look how many blessings God showed them: he freed them from Egypt and the slavery there, led them through the sea, sent down manna from heaven, brought out new and wonderful sources of water, constantly accompanied them, working miracles and protecting them everywhere; and yet, when they turned out to be unworthy of such gifts, he did not spare them, but destroyed them all. “For they were slain in the wilderness,” says (the apostle), showing with this expression their sudden death, the suffering and punishment sent upon them by God, and the fact that they did not receive the rewards that were set before them. And, moreover, He did not send all this down on them in the Promised Land, but outside and very far from it, punishing them with severe execution - by not allowing them to see the Promised Land, and by punishing them severely. But how do you say this applies to us? It applies to you exactly. That is why (the apostle) continues: “and these were images for us” (1 Cor. 10:6). As their gifts were types, so their punishments were types; just as baptism and the sacramental meal were foreshadowed, so it was foreshadowed by subsequent events that those unworthy of the gift would be punished, so that by such examples we would learn to be more self-controlled. That’s why he adds: “so that we do not lust after evil, as they lustfully did.” Just as in good deeds types preceded and truth followed, so it will be in punishments. Do you see how he suggests that we will not only be punished, but much more than those (Israelites)? After all, if there were prototypes there, and here the truth, then the punishments should be much greater - just like the gifts. And look against whom he speaks first: against those who ate in the churches. Having said: “For we should not be the lust of evil,” which applied to everyone in general, and in particular showing that every sin comes from evil lust, he first says: “Be not idolaters, as some of them were, about whom it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (1 Cor. 10:7). Do you hear how he calls (the Corinthians) idolaters? However, here he only hints, and then proves it. It also represents the reason why they flocked to the meals; this is voluptuousness. Having said: “so that we do not lust after evil,” and continuing: “also do not be idolaters,” he indicates the reason for such wickedness - in voluptuousness. “The people sat down,” he says, “to eat and drink,” and as a result “got up to play.” Just as those, he says, from voluptuousness reached idolatry, so we must be careful that you, for the same reason, do not reach the same point. Do you see how he proved that those who considered themselves perfect were more imperfect than others? He accuses them not only of not showing leniency, but also of the fact that some sin out of ignorance, and others out of voluptuousness, and for the death of the first he threatens punishment for the latter, not leaving the latter the opportunity to blame their sin on others, but declaring them the culprits of their own and others’ destruction. “Let us not commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication” (1 Cor. 10:8). Why does he here again mention fornication, about which he spoke so much before? This is what Paul usually did: when denouncing many sins, he listed them in order and pointed out each one separately, and then, speaking about others, he also mentioned those mentioned before. God acted in exactly the same way in the Old Testament: with every crime, He reminded the Jews of the calf and brought this sin to their attention. Paul acts in a similar way here: he reminds them of this sin and at the same time teaches that this evil also comes from lust and gluttony; therefore he adds: “Let us not commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them perished.” Why doesn’t he say what punishment befell (the Jews) for idolatry? Either because it was known and obvious, or because the punishment was not as great as under Balaam, when they served Beelphegor, being led to wickedness by the Midianite women who came to their militia on the advice of Balaam. And that this was the insidious advice of Balaam is clear from the words of Moses, who at the end of the book of Numbers says: “[together with the slain] they killed them and Balaam the son of Beor with the sword” in the War of Midian “and took... the spoils... And Moses was angry... and said: [why] have you left all the women alive? so they, according to the advice of Balaam, were a reason for the children of Israel to depart from the Lord to please Peor” (Num. 31: 8–9, 14–16). “Let us not tempt Christ, as some of them were tempted and were destroyed by serpents” (1 Cor. 10:9). 4. Here he points to another crime, which he talks about at the end of the epistle, accusing them (the Corinthians) of disagreeing regarding signs, grumbling about temptations and saying: when will there be blessings, when will there be rewards? To correct them and frighten them, he continues: “Do not murmur, as some of them murmured and were killed by the destroyer” (1 Cor. 10:10). One must not only suffer for Christ, but also endure everything that happens courageously and with complete pleasure; this is the crown of everything; and if this does not happen, then punishment will befall those who grumble. The apostles rejoiced when they were scourged; Paul boasted about his sufferings. “All this happened to them like images; but it is described for our instruction, who have reached the last ages” (1 Cor. 10:11). Again it frightens, pointing to the end, and inspires us to expect more than what was before. That we will be punished, he says, is something that those who do not believe in the doctrine of Gehenna can see from what has been said; and that we will be punished much more is evident from the fact that we received great blessings and that the former was only a type. If the gifts are greater, then the punishment is greater. For this reason, he called the previous events images, said that they were described for us, and mentioned the end, in order to recall the end of the world. Then the punishments will not be short-term and have a limit, but eternal. Present punishments end with present life, future ones will continue forever. With the words: “the ends of the ages,” he suggests nothing more than that the Last Judgment is already near. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Again he brings down the pride of those who exalted themselves in knowledge. If those who received so many (gifts) suffered in this way, and some were subjected to such punishment only for grumbling, others for tempting (God), because the people did not revere God, despite the fact that they had achieved such benefits, then all the more will this follow with us when we are not attentive. It is well said: “he thinks that he is standing”: relying on himself does not mean standing as he should stand; such a person will soon fall; and they (the Israelites), if they had not been arrogant and self-reliant, but had humbled themselves, they would not have suffered such disasters. From this it is obvious that especially pride, and then carelessness and voluptuousness are the sources of these evils. Therefore, if you are standing, be careful not to fall. To stand here does not mean to stand firm until we have rid ourselves of the waves of real life and reached a quiet haven. So, do not be proud that you stand, but be careful lest you fall. If Paul, who was the strongest of all, was afraid, then we should be much more afraid. The Apostle said: “Therefore, if anyone thinks that he is standing, beware lest he fall”: but we cannot say even this, because we have all, so to speak, fallen, been defeated and are lying on the ground. Who should I give as an example? The one who robs every day? He lies having suffered a great fall. Is it a fornicator? He is thrown to the ground. Am I a drunkard? He lies without even feeling that he is lying. Therefore, it is not this saying that now needs to be pronounced, but another one spoken by the prophet to the Jews: “Do they not get up when they fall?” (Jer.8:4). Truly everyone has fallen and does not want to rise; and we should inspire not that they should not fall, but that those lying down should try to rise. Let us arise, beloved, let us arise even now, and let us stand firm. How long will we lie down? How long will we revel and indulge in the many desires of life? And now is the time to say: “Whom should I speak to and whom should I exhort?” ( Jer.6:10 )? So everyone became deaf to the teaching of virtue, and therefore filled with many vices! If it were possible to expose souls, then how between soldiers after defeat one can see either the dead or the wounded, we would see such a (spectacle) in the Church. Therefore, I exhort and ask: let us give each other hands and rise; After all, I am one of the wounded and in need of treatment. Don't despair, though; Although the wounds are serious, they are not inhealable. Our doctor is such that we would only feel the wounds, and He, even if they were extremely dangerous, will open to us many paths to salvation. If you leave your anger at your neighbor, then your sins will be forgiven: “for if you forgive people...,” says (the Lord), “then your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). If you give alms, then your sins will be forgiven: “Atone for your sins...,” says (the prophet), “with mercy” (Dan. 4:24). If you pray earnestly, you will receive forgiveness: this is proven by the widow who, with her persistent request, bowed to the mercy of a cruel judge (Luke 18:5). If you begin to condemn yourself for your sins, you will receive consolation: “Tell your iniquities first, 41 so that you may be justified” (Is. 43:26). If you begin to grieve for them, this will be the greatest medicine for you: “I saw,” says (the Lord), “that he was sad and walked troubled, and he healed his ways” (Is. 57:17-18). If you generously endure the disaster that has befallen you, you will get rid of everything - after all, Abraham said to the rich man: “Lazarus has already received evil things in his life, ... and here he is comforted” (Luke 16:25). If you show mercy to a widow, your sins will be cleansed: “Defend,” says (the prophet), “the orphan, stand up for the widow. Then come and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they will be as white as wool” (Isa. 1:17-18). God will not leave a trace of your wounds on you. 5. Even if we fell into such depths of evil as the son who squandered his father’s property and ate husks, then, if we repent, we will certainly be saved; at least we owe a thousand talents, and then if we fall (to the Lord) and do not remember evil, we will receive forgiveness in everything; even if we go astray like a lost sheep, then (the Lord) can save us; Let us only desire this, beloved, and God loves mankind. It was enough for him that the debtor of a thousand talents fell to Him, that the one who squandered his father’s property had just returned, that the lost sheep wished to be saved. Therefore, imagining His love for mankind, let us propitiate Him here and hasten to bring confession before His face, so that, having left here unjustified, we would not be subjected to extreme punishment. If in real life we ​​show at least some diligence, we will receive the greatest benefit; and if we leave here without correcting ourselves at all, then no matter how much we repent there, it will not do us any good. We must strive while we are still in the field; and at the end of the spectacle, it is useless to cry and sob, as did the rich man, who, although he cried and sobbed, but in vain and in vain, because he missed the time at which it should have been done. However, he is not alone, but there are many rich people like him even today, who do not want to despise money, but despise their soul. I am surprised when I see how often they ask God for mercy, but are unmerciful to themselves, do not spare their soul, as if it were their enemy. Let us not joke, beloved, let us not mock and deceive ourselves, asking God for mercy, but ourselves preferring money, satiety and everything else to this mercy. If someone brought before you the case of a person and said that he, being exposed to mortal dangers and being able to free himself from destruction with a small amount of money, decided to die rather than lose any of his property, then you, of course, would recognize him as unworthy of any mercy or forgiveness. So judge yourself: we do the same, we neglect our salvation and value money. How can you ask God for mercy when you do not spare yourself and prefer money to your soul? I am extremely surprised at what kind of deception is hidden in money, or, better yet, not in money, but in the souls of those being deceived. And there are, indeed, people who laugh at this seduction. In fact, what about money can deceive us? Are they not both soulless and perishable matter? Isn't it deceptive to have them? Is it not associated with fear and dangers, with murders and intrigues, with enmity and hatred, with laziness and many vices? Are they not dust and ashes? What madness! What a disease! But, you say, it is not only necessary to condemn those infected with the disease, but to exterminate this passion. How else can one destroy it, if not by proving that it is vicious and filled with countless evils? However, it is not easy to convince someone who is addicted to these children's toys. He needs to point out another opposite beauty. But, as a sick person, he still cannot see incorporeal beauty. Therefore, let us imagine bodily beauty and say to him: imagine meadows and flowers on them, which are more beautiful than any gold, more pleasant and brighter than any precious stones; imagine the transparent streams of streams and rivers that flow quietly, like oil, across the earth; turn to the sky and look at the beauty of the sun, the beauty of the moon, the radiance of the stars. But what of this? We can’t, you say, use it like money? On the contrary, more than money, because its use is more necessary and its enjoyment is more reliable; you do not need to be afraid that someone will steal them, just like money, but you can always be confident in them, and without worries and worries. If you grieve over the fact that you use them together with others, and are not the only one who possesses them like money, then it means that you are not devoted to money, but only to greed. You wouldn't love money if it were common to everyone. So, having found what you love, i.e. greed, I will now show you how it does not love and hate you, how many swords it sharpens against you, how many abysses it digs, how many nets it scatters, how many rapids it prepares, in order to extinguish your passion in this way. Where can this be seen? From wars, from what is on the roads, on the seas, in courts of law. After all, it fills the seas with blood, and often stains the swords of judges unjustly, and arms those who carry out ambushes on the roads day and night, and makes them forget nature itself, and creates parricides and matricides, and generally introduces all kinds of evil into life. 6. That is why Paul calls (the love of money) the root (of all evil) (1 Tim. 6:10). It brings those devoted to it into a state no better than that in which the producing metals are found (in the mines). Just as these, being constantly imprisoned in darkness and bound, work without benefit, so those, hiding in the dens of the love of money, without any outside coercion, spontaneously subject themselves to torment and impose on themselves insoluble bonds. Those sentenced (to work in the mines), at least when evening comes, are freed from work; and they dig day and night over their despicable metals. Moreover, the first to determine the measure of their hard work; and the latter do not know the limits, but the more they dig, the more they feel discontent. But these, you say, work involuntarily, and those voluntarily? The more severe is their illness that they cannot even free themselves from it without feeling disgust at their miserable state. Like a pig in the mud, so they delight in wallowing in the filth of the love of money and suffering more severely than those condemned. And that they are really in a worse state, listen to what state they are in, then you will understand what state they are in. They say that the gold-bearing land has clefts and depressions in its dark caves; the criminal condemned to work in them, taking a lamp and a spade, goes inside, carrying with him a vessel of oil to pour from it into the lamp, because there, as I said, there is impenetrable darkness even during the day; then, when the time comes for the unfortunate man to take food, and he himself does not know the time, the guard of the prisoners hits the cave hard from above, and with these blows and sound he lets the one working inside know about the end of the day. Don't you shudder when you hear this? Let's see if money lovers don't suffer harder. Indeed, their guardian is more cruel, i.e. love of money, all the more cruel because it binds their soul along with their body; and their darkness is more terrible than that darkness, because it is not sensual, but hides inside, and wherever they go, they carry it with them everywhere, since their spiritual eye has been darkened. That is why Christ, expressing their extreme misfortune, says: for “if the light that is in you is darkness, then what is the darkness?” (Matthew 6:23). Those have at least the light of a lamp; and these (money lovers) are deprived of such light, and therefore every day they fall into thousands of abysses. Moreover, the condemned at nightfall calm down, achieving peace common to all unfortunates, i.e. nights; and for money lovers this harbor is also barred by greed; they are burdened with heavy worries at night, and exhaust themselves with all diligence, without any outside coercion. This is happening to them here; and what is there - what word can express? There are unbearable furnaces, fiery rivers, gnashing teeth, unbreakable bonds, a poisonous worm, impenetrable darkness, endless torment. Let us fear, beloved, let us fear the source of such torment, the insatiable passion, the destruction of our salvation. It is impossible to love both silver and soul together. Let us know that money is earth and ashes, that it will leave us when we leave here, or, better yet, it often leaves us even before our departure, causing us harm both in the future and in the present life. Even before Gehenna and the torments there, they stir up thousands of fights here and here, causing disagreements and discord. Nothing really causes such abuse as the love of money; nothing causes poverty more than it, whether it be in a rich man or a poor man, because this serious illness originates in the souls of the poor and increases their poverty. If the poor man turns out to be a lover of money, then he will suffer not from money, but from hunger; he will not calmly enjoy his small property, but will begin to exhaust his stomach with hunger, exhaust his whole body with nakedness and cold, appear everywhere untidier and dirtier than the prisoners, constantly cry and sob, as if he were the most unfortunate of all, although there are thousands poorer than him; if he goes to the marketplace, he will return from there with many wounds; whether he goes to the bathhouse or to a spectacle, he will receive even more wounds not only from the audience, but also from those on stage, seeing many dissolute women shining with gold; if he sails across the sea, again, seeing merchants there, ships loaded with a variety of goods, and countless benefits, he will hate his life; will he go along the dry route, seeing fields, dachas, hotels, baths, and imagining the income received from them, and consider his life to be not life; if he shuts himself up at home, and there, healing the wounds received at the market, he will be even more tormented in his soul, so that for him there remains only one consolation from the sufferings oppressing him - death and the cessation of life. Not only the poor, but also the rich who fall into this disease can undergo the same thing, and even more so in comparison with the poor, the stronger the passion in him and the greater the blindness; he will consider himself the poorest of all, and indeed he is the poorest of all. We must judge wealth and poverty not by the measure of property, but by the disposition of the soul; The poorest of all is the one who always desires more and can never stop his evil desire. So, let us flee the love of money, this culprit of poverty, the destroyer of the soul, the friend of Gehenna, the enemy of the kingdom of heaven, the source of all evil in general; Let us despise property in order to make better use of property, and together with property, receive the promised benefits to us, of which may we all be worthy (by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen). These conversations were delivered by the saint in Antioch around 390. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” (υπωπιαζω – I hit you in the face) In synod.trans. these words are missing – I.I. You might be interested in: