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Defence of his flight

2. Insincerity of this charge.

But forasmuch as they pretend to charge me with cowardice, it is necessary that I should write somewhat concerning this, whereby it shall be proved that they are men of wicked minds, who have not read the sacred Scriptures: or if they have read them, that they do not believe the divine inspiration of the oracles they contain. For had they believed this, they would not dare to act contrary to them, nor imitate the malice of the Jews who slew the Lord. For God having given them a commandment, ‘Honour thy father and thy mother,’ and, ‘He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death ¹;’ that people established a contrary law, changing the honour into dishonour, and alienating to other uses the money which was due from the children to their parents. And though they had read what David did, they acted in contradiction to his example, and accused the guiltless for plucking the ears of corn, and rubbing them in their hands on the Sabbath day ². Not that they cared either for the laws, or for the Sabbath, for they were guilty of greater transgressions of the law on that day: but being wicked-minded, they grudged the disciples the way of salvation, and desired that their own private notions should have the sole pre-eminence. They however have received the reward of their iniquity, having ceased to be an holy nation, and being counted henceforth as the rulers of Sodom, and as the people of Gomorrah ³. And these men likewise, not less than they, seem to me to have received their punishment already in their ignorance of their own folly. For they understand not what they say, but think that they know things of which they are ignorant; while the only knowledge that is in them is to do evil, and to frame devices more and more wicked day by day. Thus they reproach us with our present flight, not for the sake of virtue, as wishing us to shew manliness by coming forward (how is it possible that such a wish can be entertained by enemies in behalf of those who run not with them in the same career of madness?); but being full of malice, they pretend this, and buzz ⁴ all around that such is the case, thinking, foolish as indeed they are, that through fear of their revilings, we shall yet be induced to give ourselves up to them. For this is what they desire: to accomplish this they have recourse to all kinds of schemes: they pretend themselves to be friends, while they search as enemies, to the end that they may glut themselves with our blood, and put us also out of the way, because we have always opposed and do still oppose their impiety, and confute and brand their heresy.

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Apologie de Saint Athanase sur sa fuite

2.

Mais, puisqu’ils se donnent les airs de m’accuser de lâcheté, il me faut écrire quelques mots qui montreront la perversité de leur caractère, leur ignorance de la sainte Ecriture, ou, s’ils la connaissent, leur incrédulité sur la divine inspiration de ses oracles. S’ils croyaient, ils n’oseraient pas contre elle et ne rivaliseraient pas de méchanceté avec les Juifs, meurtriers du Seigneur. C’est Dieu qui a donné ce précepte: Honore ton père et ta mère, et cet autre : Que celui qui parle mal de son père et de sa mère, périsse de mort. Mais eux, ils se font des lois en sens contraire, changent l’honneur en déshonneur et s’arrogent l’argent que les fils doivent à leurs parents; ils lisent les actions de David, et leurs soucis sont en contradiction avec elles; ils font un crime aux innocents de prendre et d’égrener des épis le jour du sabbat, et eux-mêmes ne se mettent en peine ni des lois ni du sabbat, comblant ainsi leurs iniquités. Dans la perversité de leur caractère, ils portent envie au salut des disciples et ne tendent qu’à faire prévaloir leur opinion personnelle. Aussi ont-ils reçu le prix de leur transgression, devenus profanes, et traités désormais de princes de Sodome et de peuple de Gomorrhe; et il ne me semble pas que moindre soit le châtiment qui leur est infligé, l’inconscience de leur propre déraison. Car ils ne comprennent pas ce qu’ils disent et pensent même savoir ce qu’ils ne savent pas. Ils n’ont qu’une science, celle de mal faire et d’imaginer chaque jour des méfaits pires que ceux de la veille.

S’ils attaquent ma fuite, ce n’est pas par vertu, dans le désir de me voir agir en homme de cœur. D’où viendrait un tel vœu à des ennemis pour des hommes qui ne courent pas avec eux la carrière du mauvais esprit? C’est par malice qu’ils bourdonnent partout de tels bruits, se figurant, dans leur bonhomie, que, par crainte de leurs injures, je vais me livrer entre leurs mains. Voilà ce qu’ils veulent; c’est pour cela qu’ils s’agitent, jouent la comédie de l’amitié et poursuivent en ennemis. Rassasiés de sang, ils veulent encore se délivrer d’un homme qui, éternel ennemi de leur impiété, affiche et confond leur hérésie.