{"slug":"khazarzar-macarius-of-egypt-sermones-1-22-24-27","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-macarius-of-egypt-sermones-1-22-24-27","title":"Sermones 1_22 & 24_27","title_source":"Sermones 1_22 & 24_27","author":"Macarius of Egypt","genre":"homily","date":null,"tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash:floor","provider":"Baidu","generated":"2026-11-15T18:31:27Z","cost_usd":0.017733},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-macarius-of-egypt-sermones-1-22-24-27","work_id":"khazarzar-macarius-of-egypt-sermones-1-22-24-27","edition":"khazarzar","language":"","license":null,"url":null},"stats":{"passages":168,"english_words":42366,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":175408,"commentary_units":0,"commentary_kinds":0,"derived_notes":1,"ambiguities":0,"work_notes":0,"external_links":0,"timeline":0},"summary":{},"links":[],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-macarius-of-egypt-sermones-1-22-24-27","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":168,"translated":168,"commentary_passages":0,"commentary_units":0,"english_words":42366,"source_letters":175408,"commentary_kinds":0},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Greek; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: homily in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 168 narrative."},{"kind":"scripture","severity":"info","text":"1 scriptural phrase match(es) noted: John 1:29."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: khazarzar."}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":168},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"Ἐρώτησις. Πῶς λέγει Παῦλος· «ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα» «ἑαυτοῖς εἰσι νόμος»; εἰ μὴ εἶχον τὸν φυσικόν, πῶς ἐγίνοντο ἑαυτοῖς νόμος; Ἀπόκρισις. Διακρίσεως χρῄζει ὁ λόγος· καὶ ἠμαύρωται ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐκ ἠμαύρωται, καὶ τετύφλωται καὶ μερικῶς διήνοικται, καὶ νεκρός ἐστι καὶ ἐν τῇ φύσει ζῇ. οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ δέ τινα «εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωήν», εἰ μὴ διὰ πολλῶν πειρατηρίων, διὰ πολλῶν γυμνασιῶν διὰ πολλῶν ἀτιμιῶν. οὕτω γὰρ δεῖ τὸ σκεῦος τοῦτο γυμνασθὲν «εἰσελ θεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν», ἀγύμναστος δὲ οὐδεὶς εἰσέρχεται. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἵνα ᾖ σκεῦος ἀπόσκληρον καὶ λάβῃ αὐτὸ τεχνίτης, καὶ εἰσενέγκας αὐτὸ εἰς τὸ πῦρ πάλιν αὐτὸ ἐκβάλλει, σφυροκοπεῖ, πάλιν αὐτὸ εἰσφέρει, ἕως ἂν γένηται ἁπαλὸν καὶ σκεῦος τίμιον ἀποτελεσθῇ καὶ προχωρήσῃ εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν τῷ δεσπότῃ· ἢ ὥσπερ ἵνα ᾖ κηρός, οὗτος ὢν ἐν ψυχρῷ ἀέρι ἀπόσκληρός ἐστιν, ὅταν δὲ βληθῇ εἰς πῦρ καὶ ἄρχηται μαλάσσεσθαι καὶ ἁπαλύνεσθαι, τότε λαμβάνει τύπον καὶ εἰκόνα τελείαν τῆς σφρα γῖδοςοὕτω καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ψυχὴ πολλάκις εἰσερχομένη εἰς πῦρ καὶ δοκιμαζομένη χρῄζει παιδαγωγίας πολλῆς, ἵν' οὕτω δυνηθῇ τὴν τε λείαν εἰκόνα ἐντυπωθῆναι τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ σφραγῖδα ἐπουράνιον. καὶ τὰ «σκεύη» δὲ τὰ «ὀστράκινα» ὁ κεραμεὺς βάλλει εἰς πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ οὕτω δοκιμάζει, κἀκεῖ τὰ μὲν αὐτῶν γίνεται χρήσιμα, τὰ δὲ λύεται καὶ ἀφανίζεται. οὕτω καὶ οἱ βαίνοντες εἰς τὰ πειρατήρια καὶ εἰς τὴν γυμνασίαν τοῦ πολέμου ὄντες τῶν δύο τὸ ἕτερον ἢ νικῶσιν ἢ καταπίπτουσι καὶ ἀπόλλυνται καὶ γίνονται μακρὰν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἀλλότριοι τῆς ζωῆς.","english":"Question. How does Paul say, \"The Gentiles, who have no law,\" \"are a law to themselves\"? If they did not have the natural law, how did they become a law to themselves? Answer. The statement requires discernment: the inner man is both darkened and not darkened, both blinded and partially open-eyed, both dead and alive in nature. But it is not possible for anyone to \"enter into life\" except through many trials, through much training, through many dishonors. For thus this vessel must be trained to \"enter into the kingdom,\" and no one enters untrained. For just as, in order that a vessel be hardened and a craftsman take it, and having brought it into the fire, cast it out again, hammer it, bring it in again, until it becomes soft and is made a precious vessel and goes forth to the service of its master; or just as wax, while it is in cold air, is hard, but when it is thrown into fire and begins to be softened and made pliable, then it receives the impression and the perfect image of the seal—so also the soul itself, often entering into fire and being tested, needs much discipline, so that in this way it may be able to have the perfect image of Christ impressed upon it, and a heavenly seal. And the \"vessels\" that are \"of clay\" the potter throws into fire and water and thus tests them, and there some of them become useful, while others are broken and destroyed. So also those who go into trials and into the training of warfare—being of the two, they either conquer or fall and are destroyed and become far from God and strangers to life.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"οἱ δὲ ὑπομένοντες τὰ πειρατήρια καὶ τὰς θλίψεις, πίπτοντες ἐγειρόμενοι, οἰκοδομοῦντες καταστρεφόμενοι, λαμβάνουσι τὰ νικη τήρια καὶ οὕτω λοιπὸν ἄπτωτοί εἰσι καὶ ἀνίκητοι. οὕτω γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ψυχὴ γυμναζομένη· ποτὲ πίπτει ποτὲ ἐγείρεται, οἰκοδομεῖ κατα στρέφεται, ἕως οὗ τὰ νικητήρια ἀπενέγκηται. καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς φαινο μένοις τὰ παιδία πολλὰ ὁμοῦ ἀπέρχονται εἰς τὴν σχολήν· ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ἄτακτοι, οἱ δὲ θεατρικοί, οἱ δὲ ἀσελγεῖς, οἱ δὲ κυνηγοί, οἱ δὲ σχολαστικοὶ καὶ ἐξκέπτορες ἐξέρχονται· οὕτω καὶ εἰς τὰ μοναστήρια πολλοὶ ὁμοῦ εἰσιν ἀδελφοὶ καὶ διὰ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου τινὲς αὐτῶν εἰσέρχονται εἰς τὴν ζωήν, τινὲς δὲ οὔ. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ φυτόν, ἕως ὅτε νήπιον ἐστιν, καὶ χαυνοῦται καὶ οὐ δύναται ῥιζωθῆναι εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐὰν καταλάβωσιν ἀέρες σκληροί, ἀποκναίεται, καὶ ἄνεμοι ὅταν ἐπέλθωσιν, συσσείουσι καὶ καταρρίπτουσιν, ὅταν δὲ ὄντως ῥιζωθῇ κατὰ βάθους εἰς τὴν γῆν, οὔτε ἀέρες οὔτε χειμῶνες βλάψαι δύνανται, ἐπειδὴ κατὰ βάθους ἐρρίζωται καὶ ἔστιν ἰσχυρόν. οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἀκμὴν παιδία εἰσί, νήπιοι χρῄζοντες πολλῆς παιδαγωγίας, οἱ γὰρ μαθητευόμενοι «τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν» πάντοτε χρῄζουσιν ὁδηγῶν τῶν προδιοδευσάντων, ἕως ὅταν ῥιζωθῶσιν εἰς τὴν χάριν καὶ γένωνται ἄπτωτοι καὶ ἀσάλευτοι.","english":"But those who endure trials and afflictions, falling and rising, building up and being thrown down, receive the victor's crowns, and thus thereafter are without stumbling and unconquerable. For so it is with the soul that is trained: sometimes it falls, sometimes it rises, it builds up and is thrown down, until it carries off the victor's crowns. For even in visible things, many children go off together to school; but some of them come out disorderly, some theatrical, some licentious, some hunters, some studious and inquisitive. So also in the monasteries there are many brothers together, and through their free will some of them enter into life, and some do not. For just as the plant, while it is young, is soft and cannot take root in the earth, and if harsh airs come upon it, it is worn away, and when winds come upon it, they shake it and cast it down; but when it has truly taken root deep in the earth, neither airs nor storms can harm it, since it has taken root deep and is strong. So also the brothers are still children, infants needing much training; for those who are being instructed for \"the kingdom of heaven\" always need guides who have gone before, until they are rooted in grace and become without stumbling and unshaken.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Οἱ γὰρ Χριστιανοὶ ἀνώτεροι γίνονται παθῶν καὶ δαιμόνων, δεσπόται εἰσὶ τῶν «ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων» καὶ νυμφῶνος υἱοὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ «κληρονόμοι θεοῦ», οὗτοι ἔφθασαν εἰς τὴν τελειότητα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, «εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας» καὶ οὔτε πόνοι σωματικοὶ ἢ πυρετοὶ ἢ δαίμονες βλάψαι αὐτοὺς δύνανται· πάντων γὰρ δεσπόται εἰσὶ καὶ τὰ ἰοβόλα θηρία ὑποτέτακται αὐτοῖς. καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς «ὁ πρῶ τος ἄνθρωπος», δεσπότης ὢν τῶν κτισμάτων, παθῶν τε καὶ δαιμόνων ἐκυρίευεν, μετὰ δὲ τὸ παραβῆναι αὐτὸν δοῦλος γέγονε παθῶν καὶ δαι μόνων καὶ πυρὸς καὶ ξίφους. πάλιν δὲ ἐπελθόντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἱ ἄν θρωποι διὰ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ βαπτίσματος\n\nφθάνουσιν εἰς τὸ πρότερον μέτρον τοῦ Ἀδάμ, δεσπόται δαιμόνων καὶ παθῶν γίνονται, ὁ «ἔσχα τος ἐχθρὸς» «ὁ θάνατος» «ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας» Ἀδὰμ κατετέθη. χρὴ γὰρ τὸν Χριστιανὸν μακρὰν γενέσθαι τῶν βελῶν τῆς κακίας καὶ ζητεῖν σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ὅλα τὰ ἆθλα συγκερασθῆναι. εἰ δὲ τὸν μὲν ὀφθαλμὸν ἔχων τέλειον καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς ὄψεως αὐτοῦ, τὰς δὲ χεῖρας ἢ πόδας πέπληκται, οὗτος δύο μέλη ἔσχε σῶα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἀσθενῆ εἰσιν. ἀλλὰ χρὴ τὸν Χριστιανὸν ὅλα τὰ μέλη σῶα καὶ ὑγιῆ ἔχειν. τὸ ἅρμα καὶ τὸ ὅπλον τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ καὶ ἡ ἕνωσις καὶ ἡ διαγωγὴ ὅλη ἐκτός ἐστι τοῦ κόσμου τούτου καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐκ οἴδασι τί ζητοῦσιν. γῆς τεχνῖται γίνονται εἰς οὐρανὸν οὐκ ἀτενίζοντες, οὐδὲ ζητοῦσι μαθεῖν τέχνην εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάγειν δυναμένην. καὶ εἰ εὑρίσκεις ἐμπόρους πολλάκις εἴτε φιλοσόφους, εὑρίσκεις ὅτι τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου εἰσίν.","english":"For Christians become superior to passions and demons; they are masters of the unclean spirits and sons of the bridegroom of Christ and heirs of God. These have reached the perfection of Christ, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature, and neither bodily labors nor fevers nor demons can harm them; for they are masters of all things, and the venomous beasts are subjected to them. For indeed the first man himself, being master of creation, ruled over passions and demons; but after he transgressed, he became a slave of passions and demons and of fire and sword. But again, when Christ came, men through the power of baptism reach the former measure of Adam, become masters of demons and passions, and the last enemy, death, is placed under the feet of Adam. For the Christian must be far from the arrows of wickedness and seek to be saved and to be wholly blended into all the contests. But if a man has a perfect eye and the face of his sight, but his hands or feet are stricken, this man has two members sound and the others are weak. But the Christian must have all his members sound and healthy. The chariot and the weapon of Christianity and its union and its whole manner of life are outside this world, and for this reason the many among men do not know what they are seeking. They become craftsmen of the earth, not looking up to heaven, nor do they seek to learn a craft able to lead up to the heavens. And if you find merchants often or philosophers, you find that they are of this age.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"«τὸ» δὲ «μυστήριον» τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ «μέγα ἐστὶ» καὶ περισπούδαστον μόνοις τοῖς ἐκτὸς τοῦ κόσμου εὑρισκο μένοις. ὥσπερ ἵνα ᾖ πόλις μεγάλη καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πόλει ὅλοι ὦσιν εὐγενεῖς, ὅλοι βασιλεῖς, ὅλοι ἱερεῖς, ὅλοι πλούσιοι, συμβῇ δὲ τούτοις διαμερισθῆναι ἕνα ἕνα εἰς πατρίδας τινάς, λοιπὸν ὅλοι οἱ οἰκήτορες τῶν μερῶν ἐκείνων, ἔνθα αὐτοῖς ἀπαντῶσιν, ὡς βάρβαροι καὶ ξένοι αὐτοῖς ὅταν ἴδωσιν παραφαίνονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτοι ἐκείνοις. μόνον δὲ ἀλλήλους ἐπιγινώσκουσιν, ὅτι ὁμόγλωσσοί εἰσι καὶ μιᾶς πόλεως. οὗτοι γὰρ ἄλλου κόσμου εἰσίν, ἄλλης πόλεως πολῖται εἰσὶ (τῆς τῶν ἁγίων), ἄλλου αἰῶνος (ὅσοι γὰρ «ἐν Χριστῷ, καινὴ κτίσις»), ἄλλης σοφίας, ἄλλου πνεύματός εἰσι μέτοχοι, ἄλλης αἰνέσεως, ἄλλου πλούτου, ἄλλου ἀξιώματος, ἄλλης προαιρέσεως, ἄλλον «νοῦν» ἔχουσιν («Χριστοῦ»), υἱοί εἰσι «φωτός», υἱοὶ «νυμφῶνος», υἱοὶ «παρακλήσεως», υἱοὶ «δια θήκης» καινῆς. Ἀληθῶς οὖν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀγνοεῖται τὰ τῶν ἀφθάρτων ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ μὴ παρερχομένων. ὑπόθου, ὅτι ἐστὶ βασιλεύς, οὐ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐστίν; ῥήτωρ ἐστὶν ἢ φιλόσοφος, οὐ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐστίν; εἰ δέ ἐστιν ἐκείνου τοῦ αἰῶνος, οἶδεν ἐκείνην τὴν γλῶτταν καὶ μέτοχός ἐστιν ἐκείνης τῆς σοφίας· ἅπερ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς οὐχ εὑρίσκεται, οὔτε ἐστὶν οὔτε ἀληθῶς δύναται ἔργῳ καὶ δυνάμει γνωρισθῆναι, ὅτι φαντασία ἐστὶ καὶ ὀφθαλμῶν πλάνη πάντα τὰ φαινό μενα. καὶ διὰ πόσων δεῖ παρελθεῖν τινα καὶ ἐπιτυχεῖν τῆς ζωῆς; διὰ πολλῶν πειρατηρίων. οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ γάρ τινα «εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωήν», ἐὰν μὴ παρέλθῃ τὴν τραχείαν ὁδὸν καὶ τοὺς φοβεροὺς τόπους.","english":"But the \"mystery\" of Christianity \"is great\" and highly esteemed, known only to those found outside the world. It is as if there were a great city, and in that city itself all were noble, all kings, all priests, all rich, and it happened that these were dispersed one by one into certain homelands; thereafter all the inhabitants of those regions, wherever they meet them, appear to them as barbarians and strangers when they see them, and these likewise to those. But they alone recognize one another, because they are of the same tongue and of one city. For these are of another world, citizens of another city (that of the saints), of another age (for all who are \"in Christ\" are \"a new creation\"), partakers of another wisdom, another spirit, another praise, another wealth, another dignity, another disposition; they have another \"mind\" (\"that of Christ\"); they are sons \"of light,\" sons \"of the bridechamber,\" sons \"of consolation,\" sons \"of the new covenant.\" Truly, then, the things of the incorruptible and non-passing in the heavens are unknown to the many. Suppose a man is a king—is he not of this age? He is an orator or a philosopher—is he not of this age? But if he is of that age, he knows that tongue and is a partaker of that wisdom. For the things that are not found from heaven and earth neither exist nor can truly be known by deed and power, because all things that appear are imagination and a deception of the eyes. And through how many things must one pass to attain life? Through many trials. For it is not possible for anyone to \"enter into life\" unless he passes through the rough road and the fearful places.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ ὀμίχλη ἐπίκειται τῷ ἀέρι, οὕτως ἡ δύναμις τοῦ σατανᾶ ἐπλήρωσε τὰς καρδίας τοῦ Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἐπίκειται ὅλαις ταῖς προαιρέ σεσιν ὁ καπνός. καὶ λοιπόν εἰσι φιλαλήθεις καίτοι συνόντος τοῦ καπνοῦ σπουδάζοντες ἀντιστήκειν καὶ ἀγωνίζεσθαι, ἀλλ' οὐκ εὐθέως γίνονται τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μέρους, εἰ μὴ διὰ πολλοῦ δρόμου καὶ ἀγῶνος. οὗτοι τῶν μὴ ἀγωνιζομένων καλλίονες εἰσιν. ὅμως πολλοὶ μικρᾶς ἀναπαύσεως τυγχάνοντες καὶ αὐξανόμενοι ἐν χάριτι ἐπήρθησαν καὶ ἐτυφώθησαν καὶ ἐνόμισαν εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἐφθακέναι καὶ εἶπαν ἑαυτοὺς τελείους, οἱ δὲ ὑποκλέπτονται ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας καὶ οὐκ οἴδασιν. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο ἀπώλεσε τὸ γένος τῶν Χριστιανῶν, εἰ μὴ ἡ ἔπαρσις· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ὁ ὄφις ἐπλάνησεν, ὅτι «ὡς θεοὶ» γίνεσθε. πάνυ γὰρ τὸ θεῖον ἀντιτάσσεται τῇ ἐπάρσει· τὸ γὰρ σημεῖον τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ τοῦτό ἐστιν· ὃν βλέπεις πεινῶντα, διψῶντα, ἔχοντα πόνον, πτωχὸν «τῷ πνεύματι», τεταπεινωμένον παρ' ἑαυτῷ, ἐπιζητοῦντα συνεχῶς νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, οὗτος ἐν ἀληθείᾳ στήκει· εἰ δέ τις κεκόρεσται καὶ οὐκέτι δέεται, ἀλλὰ πλουτεῖ, οὗτος τῆς πλάνης ἐστὶ μέλος, ὥς φησιν· «ἤδη κεκορεσμένοι ἐστέ· ἤδη ἐπλουτήσατε»· καὶ πάλιν λέγει· «οὐαὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς πλουσίοις» τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἤδη περὶ ἑαυτῶν ἔχουσιν, ὅτι ἐσμέν τι. τῷ δὲ θεῷ ἡ δόξα.","english":"For just as mist lies upon the air, so the power of Satan has filled the hearts of Adam, and the smoke lies upon all their choices. And for the rest, they are lovers of truth, though the smoke is present, striving to resist and struggle, but they do not immediately become of the good part, except through a long course and struggle. These are better than those who do not struggle. Nevertheless, many, obtaining a little rest and growing in grace, were lifted up and puffed up and thought they had reached freedom and called themselves perfect, but they are secretly robbed by evil and do not know it. For nothing else has destroyed the race of Christians except exaltation; for indeed the serpent also deceived Adam, saying, \"You shall become as gods.\" For the divine is wholly opposed to exaltation; for this is the sign of Christianity: the one whom you see hungry, thirsty, in pain, poor \"in spirit,\" humbled in his own eyes, seeking continually night and day—this one truly stands. But if anyone is satisfied and no longer in need, but is rich, this one is a member of the deception, as it says: \"You are already satisfied; you have already become rich\"; and again it says: \"Woe to you who are rich\" in this world, but also to those who already hold concerning themselves that they are something. But to God be the glory.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"Ἐρώτησις. Ἆρά γε ἀνιστάμενα τὰ σώματα τοῦ Ἀδὰμ γυμνὰ ἵστανται ἀντικρὺς τῆς θεότητος ἢ ἔχουσιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς «σκεπάσματα» καὶ τρέφονται τροφὴν ἄλλην, ὃν τρόπον ἐντεῦθεν ἐσκέπασται ἐν ἐνδύμασι τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἐν βρώμασι τρέφεται (ἀνάγκη γὰρ τοὺς ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ὄντας ἄνδρας τε καὶ γυναῖκας περιβεβλῆσθαι καὶ σκέπεσθαι τὴν ἀσχημο σύνην καὶ τρέφεσθαι τὴν ἀπολλυμένην βρῶσιν); εἰ οὖν ἔτι συναναστάντα ἀπὸ τῆς διαλύσεως τῆς γῆς καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀρχαίαν σύμπηξιν ἐπανελ θόντα τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιδέονται ἢ οὔ;\n\nἈπόκρισις. Τοῦτό μοι ἀπρεπὲς καὶ ἀλόγιστον καταφαίνεται· οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ τῆς κτίσεως «εὐπρέπεια» καὶ ἁρμολογία καταργεῖται λυομένη καὶ οὐκέτι ἡ γῆ ἐκφέρει καρποὺς πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σώματος διατροφήν, παρέρχεται δὲ καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς σὺν παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ αὐτοῦ. πόθεν οὖν ἔτι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ τροφὴ χορηγηθήσεται καὶ τὰ περιβόλαια κατασκευασθήσεται λυομένων τῶν ὁρωμένων κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἀπόφασιν; ἢ δῆλον ὅτι ἕτερόν τί ἐστι πέρα τῶν ὁρωμένων τὸ μέλλον δίδοσθαι; δεῖ γὰρ καὶ περιβεβλῆσθαι καὶ τρέφεσθαι. εἰ δὲ τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις τὸ μάννα ὃ ἐδόθη ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ξένον ἦν καὶ ἀλλότριον τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν (γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι «ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος»), πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι τροφὴν δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς καὶ περιβόλαια τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ξένα τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν·","english":"Question. When the bodies of Adam rise, do they stand naked before the Godhead, or do they have \"coverings\" upon them and are they nourished with another food, in the manner that here the body is covered with garments and nourished with foods (for it is necessary that men and women who are in this age be clothed and cover their shame and be nourished with perishable food)? If, then, when they have risen from the dissolution of the earth and returned to their original composition, do they still need the same things or not?\n\nAnswer. This appears to me unseemly and unreasonable; for we know that all the \"comeliness\" and harmony of creation is abolished when it is dissolved, and the earth no longer brings forth fruits for the nourishment of the body, and the heaven also passes away with all its world. Whence, then, will food still be supplied to men and garments be prepared, when the things that are seen are dissolved according to the declaration of the Lord? Or is it clear that what is to be given is something other than the things that are seen? For it is necessary both to be clothed and to be nourished. But if to the Israelites the manna that was given in the wilderness was strange and foreign to their nature (for it is written that \"man ate the bread of angels\"), how much more in the age to come does God give food and garments to men that are foreign to their nature.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"ὅσοι οὖν ἐντεῦθεν λαμβάνουσι «τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ταῖς καρ δίαις» αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν ἐπουράνιον θησαυρὸν καὶ ὅσοι νῦν φοροῦσιν ἐνδύματα ἔνδοξα καὶ ἐπουράνια καὶ ὅσοι σπείρονται τὴν γῆν τῆς καρδίας σπόρον ἐπουράνιον καὶ πνευματικόν, οὗτοι ἀναμφιβόλως ἀπολαύσουσι καὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος δόξης. τὸ γὰρ νῦν κρυπτόμενον καὶ ἐμπολιτευόμενον τοῦ θεοῦ κάλλος τῇ ψυχῇ ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει προκύψαν καὶ ἐπιχυθὲν καλύψει καὶ δοξάσει τὸ ἔξωθεν σῶμα τῷ αἰωνίῳ φωτί. ἀνάγκη δὲ τὸν νοῦν τίμιον ὄντα ἐντεῦθεν εὐαγγελισθῆναι καὶ ὑποδέξασθαι τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πνεῦμα, καὶ οὕτω μετὰ ταῦτα συνδοξασθήσεται τὸ σῶμα. ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν τὴν ψυχὴν περιβαλὼν τῇ δόξῃ καὶ καταποθεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς αὐτοῦ ποιήσας ἐν τῷ προσδοκωμένῳ καιρῷ καὶ τὸ σῶμα περιβαλεῖ καὶ «σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ» ἀποδείξει, διδοὺς ἐκεῖ λοιπὸν ἀνάπαυσιν βρωμάτων καὶ ἐνδυμάτων ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐργασίαν ἄφθαρτον τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων.\n\nἘν τοῖς ὁρωμένοις δὲ πράγμασιν ἴδιον ἔργον ἔχει ἡ νὺξ καὶ ἴδιον ἔργον ἡ ἡμέρα. καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς νυκτὸς ἔργα πονηρά· ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ οἱ κακοῦργοι τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐνδείκνυνται, βοηθούμενοι γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ σκότους ἐπιβουλεύουσι καὶ κλέπτουσι καὶ πορνεύουσι καὶ μοιχεύουσι ἀδεῶς ὑπὸ μηδενὸς ἐλεγχόμενοι. τὰ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἔργα φωτεινά, ἔργα δικαιο σύνης καὶ θεοσεβείας, πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ἐν φωτὶ γινόμενον «φῶς ἐστιν», ἐν τῷ θεῷ εἰργασμένον. οὕτω καὶ οἱ τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐργαζόμενοι ὡς ἐν νυκτὶ νῦν μὲν λελήθασι πολλούς, ὕστερον δὲ «τὰ πάντα ἐλεγχόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς φανεροῦνται».","english":"Therefore, all who receive here \"the pledge of the Spirit in their hearts\" and the heavenly treasure, and all who now wear glorious and heavenly garments, and all who sow the soil of their heart with heavenly and spiritual seed—these will without doubt also enjoy the glory of the body. For the beauty of God that is now hidden and dwells as a citizen in the soul will in the resurrection emerge and be poured out, and will cover and glorify the outer body with eternal light. It is necessary that the mind, being honorable, receive the good news here and welcome the Spirit of God, and thus afterward the body also will be glorified together with it. For God, having from now on clothed the soul with glory and caused it to be swallowed up by his fire, in the time that is awaited will also clothe the body and make it \"conformed to the body of his glory,\" giving there thereafter rest from foods and heavenly garments and an incorruptible occupation, that of the angels.\n\nBut in things visible, night has its own work and day has its own work. And the works of the night are evil; for in it evildoers display lawlessness, for aided by the darkness they plot and steal and commit fornication and adultery without fear, convicted by no one. But the works of the day are luminous, works of righteousness and piety; for everything that is done in the light \"is light,\" having been wrought in God. So too those who work lawlessness, as in the night, now escape the notice of many, but later \"all things, being exposed by the light, are made manifest.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"οἱ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν συλλαμβάνοντες σπόρον τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν, τοῦ νοῦ συναπτομένου τοῖς αἰσχροῖς τοῦ πονηροῦ ἔργοις, λανθάνειν σπεύδουσι καὶ κρύπτειν ἑαυτῶν τὰ πονηρὰ ἔργα, ἀλλ' οὐ δύνανται λαθεῖν τὸν θεόν· «πάντα» γὰρ αὐτῷ «γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα», «πρὸς ὃν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος». τὸ γὰρ σκότος τὸ νῦν καλύψαν τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ τὸ σῶμα συσκοτάσει καὶ καλύψει, καταποθεῖται γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν σκοτεινῶν κόλπων τοῦ πονηροῦ, τὰ δὲ καλὰ ἔργα τῶν δικαίων ἐκλάμψει «ὡς ὁ ἥλιος», οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὰ κρυβῆναι δύνανται. ὥσπερ δὲ τὰ κάρπιμα ξύλα κατὰ τὸν τῆς κινήσεως χρόνον ἔνδον κυοφορήσαντα τοὺς καρπούς,","english":"For those who from now on conceive the seed of the evil one in their hearts, their mind being joined to the shameful works of the evil one, hasten to escape notice and to hide their evil works, but they cannot escape the notice of God; for \"all things are naked and laid bare\" to him, \"to whom our account must be given.\" For the darkness that now covers the soul and the heart will in that day darken and cover the body as well, for it is swallowed up by the dark bosoms of the evil one, but the good works of the righteous will shine \"as the sun,\" for they too cannot be hidden. And just as the fruit-bearing trees, during the season of their movement, having conceived their fruits within,","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"οὐκέτι κρύπτειν τὸ ἐμπεριεχόμενον δύνανται τοῦ καιροῦ ἑλκτικῇ τινι δυνάμει καὶ βίᾳ προφέροντος τοὺς καρποὺς εἰς βρῶσιν, καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ κόκκου εἰς γῆν θαπτόμενον πρῶτον μὲν ἐν τῷ ἀφανεῖ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τῆς γῆς ῥιζοῖ καὶ κυοφορεῖ καὶ οὕτως αὐξά νον καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς γῆς προκύπτον φανεροῦται τρεφό μενον καὶ εἰς καλάμην ὑψούμενον καὶ εἰς «στάχυν» πλήρη καὶ κόκκον ἀποδίδωσιν, καὶ ὃν τρόπον τὸ κλῆμα ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ κινούμενον πρῶτον ἔνδον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ κυοφορεῖ καὶ οὕτως εἰς φανέρωσιν προφέρει τὸ συλληφθὲν καρποφορούμενον καὶ τὸν οἶνον «ἐν καιρῷ» ἀποδίδωσιτὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ οἱ Χριστιανοὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν σπαρέντες καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν φυτευθέντες ἐν τῇ ἐπουρανίῳ ἀμπελῶνι ῥίζας γλυκυτάτας εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς καρδίας πήξαντες οὐ δύνανται ἀποκρύψαι τοὺς καρπούς, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἔνδον συλληφθὲν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἀναστάσεως συμπεριλάμψει καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ αὐτὸ εὐφραῖνον καὶ χαροποιοῦν. οὕτω πάλιν καὶ τὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἔργα φανεροῦνται. ὥσπερ δὲ σώφρων παρθένος εἰς πορνείαν ἐμπεσοῦσα καὶ συλλαβοῦσα καὶ κρύπτειν σπεύδουσα τὴν δυσώδη αὐτῆς ἀκολασίαν οὐ δύναται λαθεῖν, τὸ γὰρ ἔμβρυον εἰς τελείαν σύμπηξιν ἐλθὸν πρόεισιν ἐλέγχον τῆς τεκούσης τὴν παρανομίαν, οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ συλλαμβάνοντες τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ γεννήσαντες τέκνα ἀνομίας οὐ δύνανται ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκφυγεῖν τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ ἄφατον πῦρ, ἀλλ' αἱ ψυχαὶ καὶ τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ὁμοῦ κατα δικάζονται.","english":"They can no longer hide what is contained within, since the time, by some drawing and violent power, brings the fruits forth for food. And just as the body of the seed, buried in the earth, first in the unseen, in the belly of the earth, takes root and conceives, and thus growing and emerging toward the surface of the earth, is made manifest, being nourished and lifted up into a stalk and rendering a full ear and grain, and in the way the branch on the vine, stirred, first conceives within, in the heart, and thus brings forth into manifestation the fruit of what was conceived and renders the wine in due season—in the same way also Christians, who from now on have been sown and from now on planted in the heavenly vineyard, having fixed most sweet roots in the earth of the heart, cannot hide the fruits, but what was conceived within on the day of the resurrection will shine forth together with the body as well, gladdening and rejoicing it. Thus again also the works of sinners are made manifest. And just as a modest virgin who has fallen into fornication and has conceived and hastens to hide her foul licentiousness cannot escape notice—for the embryo, coming to full formation, comes forth convicting its mother of lawlessness—so also those who conceive sin in the heart and give birth to children of lawlessness cannot on that day escape the fearful and ineffable fire, but their souls and bodies together are condemned.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"Τοῦτο οὖν ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον, ἵνα ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν σπουδάσωμεν εἰς τὸν ὀλίγον καιρὸν τοῦτον καταξιωθῆναι ὑποδέξασθαι καὶ συλλαβεῖν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν ἐνδυθῇ δόξαν καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν, ἀποκαθιστᾷ γὰρ αὐτοὺς εἰς αἰῶνα καινὸν καὶ ἄφθαρτον, κτίζων αὐτοῖς «οὐρανὸν καινὸν καὶ γῆν καινὴν» καὶ φωστῆρας νέους, καὶ δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἰδίαν εἰκόνα καὶ πᾶσαν «τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν» «τῆς κληρονομίας». καὶ οἱ τοιοῦτοι εἰσὶ λίθοι τίμιοι καὶ μαργαρῖται ἐπίλεκτοι ἑστῶτες κατενώπιον τῆς θεότητος· οἱ γὰρ δίκαιοι λίθοι ἐκλήθησαν τίμιοι καὶ ἀετοὶ καὶ περιστεραί. ὁ δὲ ἀρχιτέκτων Χριστὸς λύει οἰκοδομὰς σκότους τῶν πονηρῶν διαλογισμῶν, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· «λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ» (ταῦτα γὰρ εἰσιόντα ὡς ἐν ἐρήμῳ ὠρύονται ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν), καὶ καθελὼν τίθησι τὸν θεμέλιον καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν πέτραν καὶ κυλίων τοὺς λοιποὺς λίθους (λέγω δὴ τοὺς τῆς φύσεως λογισμοὺς) ἀναφέρει ἕως τοῦ ἄκρου οἰκοδομήματος τῶν ὑψωμάτων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ συναρμολογῶν τῷ ἁγίῳ σώματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ συνάπτων τῇ οἰκοδομῇ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων. ἐκ δύο δὲ οὐσιῶν σύγκειται ἡ θεία οἰκοδομή· ἀνάγει αὐτὸς πρῶτον τὸν ἔσω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπον εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ πνευμάτων ἁγίων τετελειωμένων, καὶ αὖθις αὐτὸς ἄνωθεν κάτεισι πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιγείους καὶ φωλεύει σκηνὴν ἑαυτῷ πήξας ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐπιλεξάμενος ἑαυτῷ τόπον καταμένει.","english":"This, then, is what is sought: that from now on we strive, in this brief time, to be deemed worthy to receive and conceive in our hearts the Holy Spirit of God, so that through him, on that day, our bodies also may be clothed with glory and rest. For he restores them into a new and incorruptible age, creating for them \"a new heaven and a new earth\" and new luminaries, and he gives them his own image and the whole \"promise\" of \"the inheritance.\" And such people are precious stones and chosen pearls standing before the Godhead; for the righteous were called precious stones, and eagles, and doves. But Christ, the master builder, demolishes the buildings of darkness of evil thoughts, concerning which it is said: \"casting down thoughts and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God\" (for these, entering in as in a desert, howl in our hearts), and having torn them down he lays the foundation and his own rock, and rolling the remaining stones (I mean the thoughts of nature) he raises them up to the very summit of the building of the heights of heaven, fitting them together with the holy body of Christ and joining them to the building of the holy apostles. The divine building is composed of two substances: he first leads up our inner man into the building of his own body and of angels and perfected holy spirits, and again he himself descends from above to those on earth and makes his lair, having pitched his tent here and chosen for himself a place to abide.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"Ὥσπερ δὲ οἱ τῆς αἰσθητῆς ὄψεως ὀφθαλμοὶ ὁρῶσι τὸν αἰσθητὸν ἥλιον, οὕτω δεῖ τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρᾶν τὸ νοερὸν φῶς τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς «δικαιοσύνης», καὶ ὥσπερ αἱ χελιδόνες κατὰ τὸν τοῦ χειμῶνος καιρὸν ἀναχωρήσασαι, ὅτε οὐ δύνανται φέρειν τῶν ἀέρων τὴν τραχύ τητα καὶ τῶν πάγων τὴν σκληρότητα, ἐν τῷ τοῦ ἔαρος καιρῷ ἐπανερχόμεναι, ὅτε εὔδιον καὶ γαληνιῶντα εὑρίσκουσι τὸν ἀέρα θερμαινομένης ὅλης λοιπὸν τῆς γῆς, ἐλθοῦσαι δὲ ὡς εἰς ἰδίους οἴκους εἰσίασιν εἰς τοὺς οἴκους τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἀδεῶς εἰσπεδῶσαι καὶ καλιὰς αὐταῖς οἰκοδομήσασαι νοσσοποιοῦσι καὶ ὁσῶραι λαλοῦσι ταῖς τῆς φύσεως φωναῖςοὕτω καὶ ὁ κύριος παραγενάμενος εἰς τοὺς\n\nοἴκους τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν ἀναπαύεται εἰς τὴν καλιὰν τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν κἀκεῖ οἰκεῖ, παρερχομένων λοιπὸν τῶν κυμάτων καὶ τοῦ ἀγρίου χειμῶνος καὶ τοῦ σκότους, κἀκεῖ αὐτοῦ λάμπουσιν αἱ ἀκτῖνες φωτὸς ἡδυτάτου γέμουσαι, εἰρήνης βαθείας ἐπεισελθούσης τῷ τοιούτῳ οἴκῳ. ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοίνυν τοῦ ἔαρος, ἐγγιζούσης λοιπὸν καὶ ἐγχρονιζούσης τῆς θέρμης τοῦ ἡλίου ἡ γῆ θάλλει κινουμένη σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ καρποῖς καὶ φυτοῖς· ἄμπελοί τε γὰρ καὶ πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ δρυμοῦ καὶ ἄρουραι δασύνονται κατασκιαζόμεναι τοῖς ἀνθηροῖς φύλλοις καὶ κοσμούμεναι τοῖς φαιδροῖς ἄνθεσιν.","english":"Just as the eyes of physical sight see the physical sun, so must the eyes of the soul see the noetic light of the sun of \"righteousness,\" and just as the swallows, having departed at the time of winter, when they cannot endure the roughness of the airs and the hardness of the frosts, return again in the time of spring, when they find the air clear and calm, with the whole earth now warmed, and having come as to their own homes they enter into the houses of men and dart in fearlessly and build nests for themselves and hatch their young and speak with the voices of nature—so also the Lord, having come to the houses of our souls, rests in the nest of our heart and dwells there, now that the waves and the wild winter and the darkness have passed away, and there his rays shine, full of the sweetest light, deep peace having entered into such a house. In the time of spring, then, when the warmth of the sun is now near and lingering, the earth blossoms, stirred together with all the fruits and plants in it; for the vines and all the trees of the thicket and the fields grow shaggy, overshadowed by flowering leaves and adorned with bright flowers.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":12,"ref":"p12","source":"ἔτι μὴν καὶ τὰ ἄλογα τῶν ζῴων καρποφορεῖ ἐκ τῆς γαστρὸς προφέροντα τὰ ἔμβρυα, ὥστε εἶναι λοιπὸν καὶ νέα σώματα ἀρνίων τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων καὶ καρδίας ἀκάκους καὶ ἀφελεῖς τῶν ἀρτιγενῶν παίδων καὶ πάντα δὲ σχεδὸν τὰ πρὸ βραχέως στυγνάζοντα καὶ συνεσταλμένα καὶ ἀκίνητα καὶ ἄκαρπα νῦν μετα βέβληται καρποφοροῦντα καὶ κινούμενα καὶ τρεφόμενα. ἥ τε γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ κρύους συμπεπηγμένη γῆ διαλυθεῖσα καταλάμπεται ταῖς ποικίλαις τῶν ποῶν βοτάναις καὶ τὰ ἔρημα ὄρη ταῖς χλοαῖς ἐνδυθέντα ἀποβάλλει τὴν ἀγριότητα καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ πηγαὶ πλουτήσασαι τῇ προσθήκῃ τοῦ ὕδατος ἡδὺ καὶ διειδὲς προχέουσι νᾶμα, σκιρτᾷ δὲ καὶ ἀγαλλιᾷ πᾶν γένος ζῴων πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων συμμεταβαλλόμενα τῷ ἡδυτάτῳ καὶ εὐκραεῖ καιρῷ καὶ ἀφθόνως τρεφόμενα χαίρει.\n\nΤαῦτα δὲ πάντα τύποι εἰσὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν καὶ νοερῶν πραγμάτων, ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς δεινῆς ἀχλύος καὶ τῶν πικρῶν ἀνέμων συνδεδεμένος καὶ πεπεδημένος καὶ ἄκαρπός ἐστιν ὁ νοῦς, καὶ πάντες οἱ λογισμοὶ δεδουλωμένοι ἐν λύπῃ εἰσὶ πολλῇ· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἀνέρχονται διαλογισμοὶ ξένοι τῆς φύσεως καὶ ἕκαστος διαλογισμὸς κακὸς ἐκ τοῦ σατανᾶ ἐστιν. ἐν δὲ τῷ «καιρῷ» τῆς «ἐπισκέψεως» τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου πολλή τις γίνεται μεταβολὴ καὶ ἀλλαγή. ἄρχεται γὰρ ὁ νοῦς ἐξανθεῖν καὶ καρποφορεῖν καρποὺς πνευματικοὺς ἐκ τῆς γῆς τῆς καρδίας, οἱ τρί βολοι καὶ οἱ φραγμοὶ καὶ οἱ πονηροὶ δαίμονες διαρρήγνυνται ὑπὸ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. ἄρχεται δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ καρδία κι νεῖσθαι καὶ συλλαμβάνειν τὸν οὐράνιον σπόρον καὶ γεωργεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ γεωργοῦ.","english":"Moreover, even the irrational animals bear fruit, bringing forth their offspring from the womb, so that there are now also new bodies of lambs and of the other animals, and innocent and simple hearts of newly born children; and almost all things that shortly before were gloomy and contracted and motionless and barren have now been changed, bearing fruit and moving and being nourished. For the earth, frozen by the cold, is dissolved and shines brightly with the varied plants of the meadows, and the desolate mountains, clothed in verdure, cast off their wildness, and all the springs, enriched by the addition of water, pour forth a sweet and clear stream; and every kind of living creature, birds and quadrupeds, leaps and exults, changing together with the most pleasant and temperate season and being nourished abundantly, rejoices.\n\nBut all these things are types of spiritual and noetic realities. For from the dread mist and the bitter winds the mind is bound and fettered and barren, and all its thoughts are enslaved in great grief; for many thoughts foreign to nature go up there, and every evil thought is from Satan. But in the \"time\" of the \"visitation\" of the Holy Spirit there comes a great transformation and change. For the mind begins to blossom and to bear spiritual fruits from the earth of the heart; the thorns and the fences and the evil demons are broken apart by the power of the Holy Spirit. And the heart itself begins to be moved and to conceive the heavenly seed and to be cultivated by the true husbandman.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":13,"ref":"p13","source":"πολλὴ γαλήνη ἐκεῖ, πολλὴ εἰρήνη, καὶ μα κάριοι οἱ ἐπισκεφθέντες καὶ γεωργηθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. ὥσπερ δὲ αἱ περιστεραὶ ἐπὶ τὰς θυρίδας τρέχουσαι τὴν νοσσιὰν κατα λαμβάνουσιν, οὕτως οἱ δίκαιοι ἐπὶ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ τρέχουσιν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν («ὅπου» γὰρ «τὸ πτῶμα, ἐκεῖ καὶ οἱ ἀετοὶ συναχθήσονται»). αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα. Ξύλον ἄνοπλον, σταυρὸς ἄνευ σιδήρου καὶ σῶμα νεκρὸν ἐνίκησε καὶ ἐθανάτωσε τὸν διάβολον καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ· διὰ γὰρ τῆς ἰδίας αὐτοῦ πανοπλίας «ἰσχυρότερος» τὸν ἰσχυρὸν ὁπλίτην ἐθανάτωσε νι κήσας. καὶ νῦν δὲ πρὸς πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ζητοῦσαν αὐτὸν ἐξ ἀληθείας ἔρχεται καὶ πλησιάζων τῇ ψυχῇ συντρίβει καὶ ἀναιρεῖ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ σκότους τὴν φυλακήσασαν καὶ πεδήσασαν τὴν ψυχήν. τοσοῦτον δὲ πόθον καὶ τοσοῦτον ἔρωτα ὀφείλει ἔχειν ἡ ψυχὴ πρὸς τὸν ἡρμοσμένον αὐτῇ νυμφίον Χριστόν, ὅσον γυνὴ σώφρων καὶ φίλανδρος ὁρῶσα πολλάκις τὸν ἄνδρα ἐν φυλακῇ ἢ ἐν δεσμοῖς ἢ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ κολάσει διὰ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην συνδεδέσθαι καὶ συμπάσχειν δοκεῖ καὶ μᾶλλον αἰκίζεται βασανιζομένη τοῖς σπλάγχνοις ἢ ὁ κατεχόμενος. καὶ ὃν τρόπον Μαρία τοῦ κυρίου σταυρουμένου παρεστῶσα ἐδάκρυε κλαίουσα διὰ τὸ τοῦ πόθου κέντρον καὶ συσταυροῦσθαι ἐδόκει, οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ ἡ ἀγαπήσασα τὸν κύριον καὶ ζῆλον φίλτρου ἀναλαβοῦσα καὶ σπεύδουσα ἐν ἀληθείᾳ συνάπτεσθαι τῷ ἑαυτῆς νυμφίῳ","english":"There is great calm there, great peace, and blessed are those who have been visited and cultivated by the Holy Spirit. And just as the doves, running to the windows, seize the nest, so the righteous run to the glory of the body of Christ into the rest (\"for where the corpse is, there the eagles will be gathered together\"). To him be the glory. A wooden weapon, a cross without iron, and a dead body conquered and put to death the devil and his angels; for through his own armor the \"stronger\" one put to death the strong warrior, having conquered him. And now he comes to every soul that seeks him in truth, and drawing near to the soul he crushes and destroys the power of darkness that guarded and fettered the soul. And the soul ought to have as much longing and as much love for Christ, the bridegroom joined to it, as a chaste and husband-loving woman, seeing her husband often in prison or in bonds or in another punishment bound for love of him and seeming to suffer with him, is tormented more, being tortured in her inward parts, than the one held captive. And just as Mary of the Lord, standing by as he was crucified, wept, crying because of the sting of longing, and seemed to be crucified with him, so also the soul that has loved the Lord and taken up the zeal of affection and hastens in truth to be joined to its own bridegroom","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":14,"ref":"p14","source":"Χριστῷ ὀφείλει συμπάσχειν τοῖς παθήμασιν αὐτοῦ, πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἀεὶ ἔχουσα καὶ μεμνημένη τῶν στιγμάτων αὐτοῦ τῶν δι' αὐτὴν γενομένων, ὅσα δι' αὐτὴν πέπονθεν ὁ ἀπαθής, καὶ πῶς δι' αὐτὴν ἐκολάσθη ὁ πάσης ἀνώτερος κολάσεως, καὶ πῶς «ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ» ὢν «μορφὴν δούλου» ἀνέλαβεν, καὶ οὕτως ἐν πᾶσι συμπάσχειν καὶ συνδεδέσθαι αὐτῷ·\n\nοὕτω γὰρ καὶ συνδοξασθήσεται. καὶ ὡς τότε τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ λίθος ἀπεκυλίσθη τοῦ μνημείου καὶ εἶδε Μαρία τὸν κύριον, οὕτω δυνάμει καὶ ἐπισκέψει τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ὁ λίθος ὁ ἐπικείμενος τῇ ψυχῇ, «τὸ κάλυμμα» τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀποκυλίεται καὶ ἐκ μέσου αἴρεται καὶ καταξιοῦται ἡ ψυχὴ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἰδεῖν καὶ ἀναπαῆναι ἐν τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ λυθεῖσα καὶ ἐλευθερωθεῖσα τοῦ ἐπικειμένου λίθου τῆς ἁμαρτίας. πᾶσα γὰρ ψυχὴ ἀγαπῶσα τὸν κύριον θλίβεται ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν δαιμόνων πολεμούντων αὐτὴν καὶ μὴ ἐών των προσελθεῖν τῷ ζωοποιῷ Χριστῷ. τοῦτο δὲ κατὰ συγχώρησιν καὶ ἐπιτροπὴν θεοῦ γίνεται· δοκιμάζει γὰρ αὐτήν, εἰ ἀληθῶς ἀγαπᾷ τὸν δεσπότην, εἰ παραμένει τῇ προθέσει καὶ τῶν πόνων ὀχλούντων, εἰ μήποτε ὀκνήσασα ἀπείπηται αὐτὸν παραιτουμένη τὸν τῆς ὁδοῦ κόπον καὶ τὸν «πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας» πόλεμον ἀποφεύγουσα, παραμείνασα δὲ καὶ πολυετῆ χρόνον διατρίψασα τοῖς πειρασμοῖς τῆς κακίας, ἐν παρρησίᾳ κρίνεται πρὸς τὸν κύριον ὡς ἐγκαταλελειμμένη καὶ μηδεμιᾶς ἀξιωθεῖσα βοηθείας.","english":"She must suffer with Christ in his sufferings, always keeping before her eyes and remembering his wounds that were made for her sake, how much the impassible one suffered for her sake, and how he who is above all punishment was punished for her sake, and how, being \"in the form of God,\" he took \"the form of a servant,\" and thus in all things to suffer with him and be bound together with him;\n\nfor in this way she will also be glorified together with him. And just as then by the power of God the stone was rolled away from the tomb and Mary saw the Lord, so by the power and visitation of the Holy Spirit the stone lying upon the soul, \"the veil\" of sin, is rolled away and taken out of the midst, and the soul is deemed worthy to see the face of Christ and to rest in his Spirit, having been loosed and set free from the stone of sin lying upon it. For every soul that loves the Lord is oppressed by the evil demons warring against it and not allowing it to draw near to the life-giving Christ. But this happens by the permission and allowance of God; for he tests it, whether it truly loves the Master, whether it perseveres in its purpose even when troubles press upon it, lest perhaps growing weary it renounce him, shrinking from the toil of the way and fleeing the \"war against the spiritual forces of wickedness,\" but having persevered and spent many years in the temptations of evil, it is judged with boldness before the Lord as one that has been abandoned and deemed worthy of no help.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":15,"ref":"p15","source":"Καὶ ὁ κύριος τὸ ἀνδρεῖον τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς ὑπομονὴν θεασάμενος καὶ ὅτι πειραζομένη δόκιμος εὑρέθη, ἐπιφαίνεται τῇ χρηστότητι αὐτοῦ, ἐμφανίζων ἑαυτὸν καὶ καταλάμπων αὐτὴν τῷ ὑπερλάμπρῳ αὐτοῦ φωτὶ καὶ προσκαλούμενος αὐτὴν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν λέγει· «ἐλθὲ» ἐν εἰρήνῃ «ἡ πλησίον μου», καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ προσδραμοῦσα αὐτῷ ἐγκαλεῖ αὐτῷ καὶ φησίν· διὰ τί, κύριε, τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἐγκατέλιπές με πολλὰ πάσχουσαν καὶ ὑβριζομένην ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν; «εὗρόν με» γὰρ ζητοῦσάν σε «οἱ φύλακες» τῆς νυκτὸς οἱ περικυκλοῦντες τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἠνώχλησαν. ὁ δὲ κύριος φωτὸς ἀρρήτου πλήρης ἀποκρίνεται ἀνα πείθων καὶ παρακαλῶν καὶ λέγων πρὸς αὐτήν· καλῶς λέγεις, «ἐλθὲ» ἐν εἰρήνῃ «ἡ πλησίον μου, καλή μου, περιστερά μου». κρίνεται δὲ μετ' αὐτῆς δεικνύων αὐτῇ τοὺς τύπους τῶν ἥλων καὶ λέγων· ἴδε οἱ τύποι τῶν ἥλων, ἴδε αἱ μάστιγες, ἴδε τὰ ἐμπτύσματα, ἴδε τὰ τραύματα. ταῦτα πάντα διά σε πέπονθα τὴν πολλοῖς τραύμασιν τραυματισθεῖσαν καὶ ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἐχθρῶν ἑλκομένην ἐν πολλῇ δουλείᾳ· κἀγὼ τῇ ἐμῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὴν σὴν ζήτησιν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν σὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἐπειδὴ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς εἰκόνα ἐμὴν ἐποίησά σε καὶ εἰς ἐμὴν νύμφην ἔκτισά σε, καὶ διά σε πέπονθα ὁ ἀπαθής, καὶ ὁ ἀνύβριστος πολλὰς ὑπήνεγκα ὕβρεις διὰ τὴν σὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν. σὺ δὲ διὰ σεαυτήν, τὴν τοσαῦτα κακὰ ἔχουσαν καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον σκότος βεβυθισμένην, οὐκ ὤφειλες παθεῖν καὶ θλιβῆναι;","english":"And the Lord, seeing the courage of the soul and her endurance in temptations, and that being tried she was found approved, appears to her in his goodness, manifesting himself and shining upon her with his most radiant light, and calling her to himself he says: \"Come\" in peace, \"my neighbor.\" And she, running to him, accuses him and says: Why, Lord, have you left me for so long a time, suffering many things and being insulted by the enemies? For \"the watchmen\" of the night who encircle the city \"found me\" seeking you, and they troubled me. But the Lord, full of ineffable light, answers, persuading and consoling and saying to her: You speak well. \"Come\" in peace, \"my neighbor, my fair one, my dove.\" And he is judged with her, showing her the marks of the nails and saying: See the marks of the nails, see the scourges, see the spittings, see the wounds. All these things I have suffered for your sake, who were wounded with many wounds and dragged by many enemies into great slavery; and I, in my love for humanity, came for your seeking and for your freedom, since from the beginning I made you my image and created you as my bride, and for your sake I suffered, the impassible one, and I, the one who is above insult, endured many insults for your redemption. But you, for your own sake—you who have so many evils and are sunk in such darkness—ought you not to have suffered and been afflicted?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":16,"ref":"p16","source":"κρινόμενος δὲ εἰρηνικῶς καὶ προσδιαλεγόμενος τῇ ψυχῇ ἀποδείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ τὸ ὑπομεῖναι αὐτὴν θλιβομένην αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν αὐτῇ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνεδυνάμου ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς καὶ παρεθάρσυνε κρυπτῶς.\n\nἈκούσασα δὲ ταῦτα ἡ ψυχὴ γινώσκει, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἴδιον ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ τοῦ κυρίου τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ ὡραίου νυμφίου. αὐτὴ δὲ τὴν πρόθεσιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὸ θέλημα, ὃ ἔδωκεν αὐτῇ, ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας καταγνοῦσα ἀποκρίνεται καὶ λέγει· ἴδε κύριε, ἴδε σῶμα ἁγνόν, ἴδε ψυχὴν καθαράν, ἀπόλαβέ με ὅλην ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν δεξιὰν σκεπομένην καὶ ἐν τοῖς σοῖς κόλποις ἀναπαυομένην. δείκνυσιν αὐτῇ ἑαυτὸν ὁ κύριος ἐν δυσὶ προσώποις, ἔν τε τοῖς στίγμασιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ θεωρεῖ ἡ ψυχὴ τὰ πάθη, ἃ ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἔπαθεν, θεωρεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν ὑπέρλαμπρον δόξαν τοῦ ἐνθέου φωτὸς αὐτοῦ, «τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα» μεταμορφουμένη «ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν,\n\nκαθάπερ ἀπὸ κυρίου πνεύματος» καὶ ἐν ἀμφοτέροις τοῖς προσώποις προκόπτουσα, ἔν τε τῷ τοῦ πάθους καὶ ἐν τῷ τοῦ ἐνδόξου φωτός, τρόπον τινὰ λήθην λαμβάνει τῆς φύσεως καταλαμφθεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ συγ κραθεῖσα καὶ μιγεῖσα τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ, πνεῦμα καὶ αὐτὴ γεναμένη. ὡς γάρ τις προσαίτης καὶ σφόδρα πενόμενος καὶ θύραν ἐκ θύρας ἀμείβων «τῆς ἐφημέρου τροφῆς» ἕνεκεν, ἀθρόως ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου βασιλεύσας ἐπιλανθάνεται τῆς πτωχείας διὰ τὴν ἐν χερσὶν εὐδαιμονίαν, οὕτως ἡ ψυχὴ πλουτήσασα πλοῦτον ἐπουράνιον οὐκέτι μνημονεύει τῆς πρώτης πενίας.","english":"And being judged peacefully and conversing with the soul, he shows that it was he who gave her the power to endure when afflicted, and he who strengthened her in temptations and secretly encouraged her.\n\nAnd the soul, having heard these things, knows that she had nothing of her own, but that all things belong to the good and beautiful bridegroom, the Lord. But her purpose and love and will, which he gave her, she condemns with her whole heart and answers and says: Behold, Lord, behold a pure body, behold a clean soul; receive me wholly, sheltered under your right hand and resting in your bosom. The Lord shows himself to her in two aspects, both in his wounds and in the glory of his light, and the soul beholds the sufferings which he suffered for her sake, and beholds also the surpassing brightness of the glory of his divine light, being transformed into \"the same image from glory to glory,\n\nas from the Lord, the Spirit,\" and advancing in both aspects, both in that of the passion and in that of the glorious light, she in a manner takes forgetfulness of her nature, being illuminated by God and commingled and mingled with the heavenly man and with the Holy Spirit, becoming herself spirit. For just as some beggar, utterly poor and going from door to door for the sake of \"daily food,\" suddenly, on a moment's notice, having become a king, forgets his poverty because of the prosperity in his hands, so the soul, having been enriched with heavenly wealth, no longer remembers her former poverty.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":17,"ref":"p17","source":"εἰ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς φύσει «ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὢν» τρόπον τινὰ ἐπελάθετο τοῦ ἀξιώματος «μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν καὶ ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος», πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ ψυχὴ οὐσίαν καὶ δύναμιν καὶ φύσιν θεοῦ προσλαβοῦσα ἐπιλανθάνεται τῆς προτέρας αἰσχρότητος.\n\nΠαρακαλέσωμεν οὖν τὸν κύριον καὶ προσδοκήσωμεν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐπιφανῆναι καὶ λυτρώσασθαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ἐκ τοῦ σκότους, ἵνα οὕτως ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει καὶ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἀσθενείας ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐγκαθέτου καὶ ἐλλάμψαντος τῇ ψυχῇ φωτὸς λάμψῃ καὶ αὐτὸ συνδοξαζόμενον τῇ ψυχῇ. «ὁ κύριος ἐγγύς» ἡμῶν ἐστι, μόνον ἡμεῖς ἐν ἀληθινῇ καρδίᾳ ζητήσωμεν αὐτόν. πᾶς οὖν ὁ ἀκούων τοὺς λόγους ἐλπιζέτω δέξασθαι τὸν ἐν ὑποστάσει ὄντα λόγον καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ μαθεῖν πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. ὅρα δέ, ὦ οὗτος, ὁ θεὸν ἐλπίζων κληρονομῆσαι καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ κυρίου συγκραθῆναι, ὁποίαν σε χρὴ πολιτείαν καὶ σεμνό τητα βίου ἀναδέξασθαι καὶ ἐν ποίᾳ πολιτείᾳ διάγειν σε καὶ ἀναστρέφεσθαι χρή· ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ὅση δύναμις ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖν καὶ ἐπιδείκνυσθαι ὀφείλεις. Ἀμήν.","english":"For if Christ, who by nature \"was in the form of God,\" in a certain manner forgot his dignity, \"taking the form of a slave and being made in the likeness of men,\" how much more does the soul, having received the substance and power and nature of God, forget its former shamefulness.\n\nLet us therefore entreat the Lord and expect him in love to appear and redeem us from now on out of the darkness, so that thus in the resurrection the body also may shine with the light of the indwelling one who has illumined the soul, and itself be glorified together with the soul. \"The Lord is near\" to us; only let us seek him with a true heart. Let everyone, then, who hears the words hope to receive the Word who exists in substance and to learn all righteousness from him. But see, O you who hope to inherit God and to have your soul mingled with the Spirit of the Lord, what manner of conduct and dignity of life you must take up, and in what manner of life you must live and conduct yourself; for all these things you ought, as far as you are able, to do and demonstrate of yourself. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":18,"ref":"p18","source":"Ἔστι κόσμος ἀτελὴς καὶ ἔστι κόσμος τέλειος. πολλὰ εἴδη ἔχει ὁ ἀτελὴς καὶ παρερχόμενος ὅμοια τοῦ τελείου καὶ αἰωνίου. ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα παλάτιον καὶ βασιλεὺς ἐνδεδυμένος πορφύραν καὶ στέφανον ἐκ λίθων τιμίων συγκείμενον καὶ οἱ διάκονοι αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ὑπερασπισταί, οἱ μὲν ἐν αὐτῷ διατρίβοντες τῷ παλατίῳ, οἱ δὲ κόμητές εἰσι καὶ ἄλλοι ἄλλου ἀξιώματος, ἐνδεδυμένοι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐσθῆτα λαμπρὰν καὶ ἔντιμον. ἔστιν ἐν οὐρανῷ παλάτιον καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Χριστὸς ἐνδεδυ μένος τὴν βασιλικὴν πορφύραν. στρατεύονται ἐκεῖ παλατινοὶ καὶ κόμητες καὶ ἀξιωματικοί, καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἴσην ἐνδεδυμένοι δόξαν καὶ στεφάνους περικείμενοι ἐκ λίθων τιμίων (ἔθου γὰρ «ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ στέφανον ἐκ λίθων τιμίων»). εἰσὶν ἐν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ πολεμισταὶ καὶ στρατηγοὶ πολλοὺς διελθόντες ἀγῶνας καὶ πολλοὺς νικήσαντες πολέμους καὶ μυρία κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἄραντες τρόπαια. εὑρίσκονται καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀνδρεῖοι πολλοὶ καὶ πολεμισταὶ νικήσαντες τὸν διάβολον καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς προκοπὰς ἐλθόντες. εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ φαινομένῳ τῶν Ῥωμαίων παλατίῳ ἄνδρες ἔντιμοι, παντὸς θορύβου καὶ ἀγῶνος ἀπηλλαγμένοι, ὑπὸ μηδενὸς ἀναγκαζόμενοι ὅπλα βαστάζειν ἢ εἰς παράταξιν εἰσιέναι, οἱ λεγόμενοι βασιλικοὶ εὐνοῦχοι, ὑπὸ παντὸς ἀνθρώπου τιμώμενοι καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀγαπώμενοι, βαστά ζοντες καὶ ἐμπεπιστευμένοι τὴν πορφύραν, οἱ δὲ τὸ διάδημα, ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλο τι ἔντιμον καὶ βασιλικόν, εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τετιμημένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου βασιλέως ἄνδρες, οἱ ἀληθινοὶ εὐνοῦχοι οἱ εὐνουχισθέντες καὶ καθαρθέντες ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας·","english":"There is an imperfect world and there is a perfect world. The imperfect and passing world has many forms resembling those of the perfect and eternal world. Here there is a palace and a king clothed in purple and a crown composed of precious stones, and his attendants and his guards—some dwelling in the palace itself, while others are counts and others of another rank, themselves clothed in bright and honored garments. There is in heaven a palace and the king Christ, clothed in the royal purple. There palace officials and counts and dignitaries serve as soldiers, themselves clothed in equal glory and wearing crowns of precious stones (for you have set \"a crown of precious stones upon his head\"). There are on this earth warriors and generals who have passed through many contests and won many wars and raised countless trophies against the enemy. There are found here also many brave men and warriors who have conquered the devil and his angels and have advanced in progress. There are in the visible palace of the Romans honored men, free from all tumult and struggle, compelled by no one to bear arms or enter the battle line—those called the royal eunuchs, honored by every man and loved by the king himself, who carry and are entrusted with the purple, some the diadem, others some other honored and royal thing. There are also in the heavens men honored by the heavenly king, the true eunuchs who have been made eunuchs and purified from the war of sin.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":19,"ref":"p19","source":"τούτοις πατρίδες ἐνεπιστεύθησαν εὐλογημέναι ἔχουσαι εἰρήνην καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν, καὶ ἐπάνω εἰσὶ τεταγμένοι τῆς βασιλικῆς πορφύρας καὶ τῶν ἐπου ρανίων θησαυρῶν· οὗτοι παντάπασιν ἠλευθέρωνται τοῦ πολέμου ἐν ἀμεριμνίᾳ λοιπὸν διάγοντες. εἰσὶν ἐκεῖ τεχνῖται καὶ σοφοί, καὶ πάλιν ἐνταῦθά εἰσι σοφοὶ σοφισθέντες τῇ σοφίᾳ τῇ πνευματικῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ\n\nπανσόφου Χριστοῦ, οἷς ἔστιν ἐνδύματα φωτεινὰ καὶ πλοῦτος πνευ ματικὸς ὁ μηδέποτε παρερχόμενος. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον τῶν Χριστιανῶν τιμιώτερόν ἐστι πάσης ἐπινοίας καὶ παντὸς ἐπιτηδεύματος σαρκικοῦ. ἐργάζονται γὰρ ἔργον θεϊκὸν ὃ ὁ κόσμος οὐκ οἶδεν.\n\nΝοῦς νοὸς διενήνοχε καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπου τιμιώτερος. καὶ πάντα μοι τὰ ὁρώμενα πράγματα ἀντικείμενα καὶ ξένα τῶν νοητῶν καταφαίνεται. ἔστι γὰρ νοῦς διοδεύων καὶ τρέχων ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ βαδίζων διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῶν καθαρῶν αὐτοῦ λογισμῶν καὶ δι' αὐτῆς φθάνων τὰς ἀτραποὺς καὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς τὰς εὐτρεπισμένας τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις. καὶ ἔστιν ἕτερος νοῦς ἕρπων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς σαρκὸς κυλιόμενος. ἔστι νοῦς σαρκικὸς καὶ ἔστι νοῦς πνευματικός. πολὺ δὲ τοῦ σαρκικοῦ ὁ πνευματικὸς νοῦς διενήνοχεν.","english":"To these blessed homelands has been entrusted, possessing peace and rest, and they are appointed over the royal purple and the heavenly treasures; these have been wholly freed from war, passing their time thereafter in freedom from care. There are craftsmen and wise men there, and again here there are wise men made wise with the spiritual wisdom by the all-wise Christ, whose garments are luminous and whose spiritual wealth never passes away. And for this reason the work of Christians is more precious than every invention and every fleshly pursuit. For they work a divine work that the world does not know.\n\nMind differs from mind, and one man is more precious than another. And all visible things appear to me to be opposed and foreign to the things of the mind. For there is a mind that travels and runs even to heaven and walks along the road of its own pure thoughts and through it reaches the paths and the ways prepared for the saints in the heavenly places. And there is another mind that creeps upon the earth and rolls about in the ways of the flesh. There is a fleshly mind and there is a spiritual mind. And the spiritual mind differs greatly from the fleshly.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":20,"ref":"p20","source":"ὡς γὰρ τὰ πτερωτὰ τῶν ζῴων κούφῳ τῷ πτερῷ ἐπαιρόμενα τὸν ἐν μέσῳ διαπερᾷ ἀέρα ὑπὸ τῶν πτερύγων βοηθούμενα καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀέρος κουφιζόμενα (πτερυσσόμενα γὰρ ὥσπερ ἄνεμόν τινα προσ λαμβάνονται ὑποβαστάζοντα καὶ συνεργοῦντα τῇ πτήσει), τὰ δὲ ἄπτερα καὶ χαμαὶ κείμενα κἂν παρῇ τῇ προθυμίᾳ εἰς ἀέρα ἐπαίρεσθαι οὐκ ἰσχύουσινοὕτως ὁ καθαρεύσας νοῦς καὶ πτέρυγας πνευματικὰς προσλαβόμενος ὁρμῇ ὀξυτάτῃ χρώμενος ἄνεισιν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, εἰς τὸν ἀέρα τῆς θεότητος ἀναλαμβανόμενος, ὁ δὲ θηριώδης καὶ ἄγριος καὶ ὑλικὸς νοῦς εἰς γῆν κυλινδούμενος ἕρπει τὰς ἐρήμους μεταδιώκων, μὴ δυνάμενος καταλαβεῖν ἢ γνῶναι τὸν προειρημένον νοῦν. ἔστι γένη δένδρων ἃ οὔτε ἐν θέρει οὔτε ἐν χειμῶνι φυλλορροεῖ, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε περιβέβληται καὶ κεκόσμηται τοῖς ἄνθεσιν ὡς ἐλαία καὶ κυπάρισσος καὶ τὰ ὅμοια, καὶ πάλιν ἕτερά ἐστι γυμνούμενα καὶ ἀποβάλλοντα ἐν χειμῶνι τὰ φύλλα. ἔοικε τὸ ὑπόδειγμα τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς· δένδρα γὰρ προσηγορεύθησαν ὑπὸ τῆς γραφῆς καὶ οὐδέποτε ἀποβάλλουσι τὸν κόσμον καὶ τὴν εὐπρέπειαν τῶν φύλλων, οὐκ ἀνέμων ἀγρίων κινου μένων, οὐκ αὐχμῶν θερινῶν καταλαβόντων, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε ἐνδέδυνται τὴν δόξαν τοῦ πνεύματος. τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον· «ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀπορρυήσεται» καὶ εἰσὶν ἕτεροι κουφότερον νοῦν ἔχοντες, οἵτινες διὰ τὴν περικειμένην ἀσθένειαν ἐπερχομένων τῶν πειρασμῶν καὶ χειμώνων καὶ ἀνέμων οὐκ ἀνθίστανται οὔτε ὑπομένουσιν.","english":"For just as the winged creatures of the animals, lifted up by their light wing, pass through the air in the midst, helped by their wings and lightened by the air itself (for being fanned, as it were, they receive a kind of wind that bears them up and works together with their flight), but the wingless ones, lying on the ground, even if the eagerness to be lifted into the air is present, are not able; so the purified mind, having received spiritual wings and using a most keen impulse, ascends into heaven, being taken up into the air of the Godhead, but the beastly and wild and material mind, rolling on the ground, creeps along, pursuing the deserts, unable to grasp or know the mind previously mentioned. There are kinds of trees that shed their leaves neither in summer nor in winter, but are always clothed and adorned with flowers, as the olive and the cypress and the like, and again there are others that are stripped bare and cast off their leaves in winter. The example resembles Christians; for they were called trees by the Scripture, and they never cast off the adornment and comeliness of their leaves, neither when wild winds are stirred nor when summer droughts come upon them, but they are always clothed with the glory of the Spirit. This is what was said: \"He who will give his fruit in his season, and his leaf shall not fall.\" And there are others who have a lighter mind, who, because of the weakness that surrounds them, when temptations and winters and winds come upon them, do not resist nor endure.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":21,"ref":"p21","source":"Οἱ οὖν πνευματικοὶ κατὰ τὸ φρόνημα ἐχθροί εἰσιν τῶν σαρκικῶν. ὃν τρόπον γὰρ τὰ ἐν ὕδασι διαιτώμενα καὶ τρεφόμενα οὐ φέρουσι τὴν τῆς ἠπείρου ζωὴν ἀλλὰ διαφθείρονται τῶν ὑδάτων χωριζόμενα, καὶ πάλιν τὰ τὴν γῆν νεμόμενα τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι διατριβὴν φεύγει τὴν ἐν τῷ βυθῷ μισοῦντα ζωήν, οὕτω καὶ οἱ Χριστιανοὶ ἐπασχολούμενοι καὶ ἑλκόμενοι εἰς τὰ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου πράγματα συνέχονται καὶ τρόπον τινὰ πνίγεσθαι δοκοῦσιν. οὕτως οἱ σαρκικοὶ ἀναχωρήσαντες τῶν ὑλικῶν καὶ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς προσέχειν ἀναγκαζόμενοι ἰλιγγιῶσιν, συνεχόμενοι καὶ πνιγόμενοι. διόπερ σπάνιοι πάνυ οἱ ἀνδρεῖοι καὶ «μέχρι τέλους» ἐν ὑπομονῇ διανύοντες τὸ ἔργον αὐτῶν. χρῄζουσι δὲ οὗτοι πολλῆς ἀναιδείας καὶ ὀξύτητος πρὸς τὴν αἴτησιν τοῦ θεοῦ «ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ». ὡς γὰρ τὰ ὀξύπτερα τῶν ὀρνέων κούφῳ τῷ πτερῷ χρώμενα ἐπάνω γίνονται τῶν παγίδων καταγελῶντα τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς τῶν θηρευόντων, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἀγχίνους καὶ ὀξὺς τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἀπο φεύγει τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς καὶ παγίδας τοῦ διαβόλου. πολλὰ γὰρ πνεύματα συνέχουσι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ὅλα τὰ εἰς τὴν γῆν ἕρποντα πρὸς ἑαυτὰ ἕλκει καὶ ἀσχολεῖ καὶ ῥεμβάζει τὸν νοῦν. διόπερ ὡς ἀθλητὴς καὶ ἀγωνιστὴς ὀφείλει εἶναι ὁ Χριστιανός. ὥσπερ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ξένος καὶ τῶν κατὰ πόλιν πραγμάτων ἄπειρος ἐπιδημήσας πόλει τινὶ ὀχλαγω γουμένῃ καὶ εὐθηνούσῃ ἐν πλήθει, καὶ μὴ θαρρῶν","english":"Those, then, who are spiritual in their mindset are enemies of the fleshly. For just as creatures that live and are nourished in the waters do not endure the life of the dry land but perish when separated from the waters, and again those that dwell on the land flee the sojourn in the waters and hate the life in the deep, so also Christians, when they are occupied and dragged into the affairs of this age, are held fast and seem in some way to be choked. Thus the fleshly, when they have withdrawn from material things and are compelled to attend to spiritual things, are dizzy, held fast and choked. Therefore those who are manly and who in endurance carry through their work \"to the end\" are very rare. But these need much shamelessness and keenness for the petition of God \"in the present time.\" For just as the sharp-winged among the birds, using a light wing, rise above the snares and laugh at the plot of the hunters, so also the man sharp and keen in his thoughts escapes the plots and snares of the devil. For many spirits hold the soul fast, and all things that creep upon the earth draw the mind to themselves and occupy it and make it wander. Therefore the Christian ought to be like an athlete and a contender. And just as a man who is a stranger and unacquainted with the affairs of the city, having come to sojourn in some city that is crowded and flourishing in multitude, and not taking courage","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":22,"ref":"p22","source":"ἑαυτοῦ τῇ ἀπειρίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ δραμὼν ἐπιλαμβάνεταί τινος προστάτου ἐμπείρου δυναμένου ἐκβαλεῖν τὴν τῶν ὄχλων βίανοὗτος, ἕως μὲν κατὰ πόδας τρέχει τοῦ προηγουμένου ἀμετεωρίστως, εὐθεῖαν διανύει τὴν ὁδόν, μετεωριζόμενος δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει δήμοις διὰ νωχέλειαν περιφερόμενος μακρύνεται καὶ ἀφίσταται ζημιούμενος τὴν βοηθείαν. εἰ δὲ ἄρα σπουδάσει καὶ πόνων καταφρονήσει περιζωσάμενος ἐν ἰσχύι «τὴν ὀσφύν», διαρρήσσει τὴν τῶν ὄχλων βίαν καὶ καταλαμβάνει τὸν προστάτην καὶ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ βοηθείας ἀξιοῦται. τοῦτον ἔχουσι τὸν τρόπον καὶ αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, πόλις θεοῦ προσηγορεύθησαν καὶ ἔχουσι νῦν ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς ὄχλον πνευμάτων καὶ πλήθη διαλο γισμῶν ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τοῦ νοὸς καὶ τῆς καρδίας, προορῶσι δὲ τὸν ἑαυτῶν δεσπότην καὶ κηδεμόνα Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν φρόνιμον καὶ δοτῆρα τῶν μεγάλων ἀξιωμάτων, διόπερ καὶ αὐταὶ ἐν πολλῇ ἀναιδείᾳ καὶ ἀπονοίᾳ διασκεδάζειν καὶ διαρρήσσειν τὸν συνέχοντα τῶν ὄχλων θόρυβον ὀφείλουσιν. οὕτω γὰρ δύνανται ὑπερισχύσασαι ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τοὺς εὐλογημένους κόλπους τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"By his own inexperience and weakness he runs and lays hold of some experienced patron able to break through the violence of the crowds. This man, as long as he runs at the heels of his leader without distraction, completes a straight road; but being distracted and, through sluggishness, being carried about among the peoples in the city, he is drawn far away and falls off, losing the help. But if he will be earnest and despise toils, girding \"his loins\" in strength, he breaks through the violence of the crowds and reaches the patron and is deemed worthy of the help from him. The souls of men have this same manner; they were called a city of God and have now in their marketplaces a crowd of spirits and multitudes of reasonings in the broad streets of the mind and the heart, and they look to their own master and guardian, Jesus Christ, the prudent one and giver of great dignities. Therefore they too, in great shamelessness and recklessness, ought to scatter and break through the confining tumult of the crowds. For thus, having prevailed, they can come to the blessed bosoms of Christ, to whom be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":23,"ref":"p23","source":"Οἱ ἀναχωρήσαντες τοῦ κόσμου καὶ γνησίως λόγον θεοῦ ἐπακού σαντες καὶ σεμνῶς πολιτευόμενοι, ὄντες δὲ ἔτι ὑπὸ τὸ τῶν παθῶν κά λυμμα, ὅπερ διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἐκτήσαντο (τουτέστι τὸ σαρκικὸν τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν φρόνημα, ὅπερ θάνατον ὁ ἀπό στολος καλεῖ λέγων· «τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς θάνατος»), οὗτοι οὖν ἐοίκασιν ἀνθρώποις ἐν νυκτὶ βαδίζουσιν· ὑπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἄστρων (τουτέστι τῶν ἁγίων γραφικῶν ἐντολῶν) καταυγαζόμενοι ὅμως ἐν νυκτί εἰσιν, τῇ ἀοράτῳ τῶν παθῶν ἐνεργείᾳ, καὶ προσκόπτουσι καὶ πάντα ἀκριβῶς καθορᾶν οὐ δύνανται διὰ τὴν τοῦ σκότους τῶν παθῶν ἐνέργειαν. διὸ χρὴ αὐτοὺς πόνῳ καὶ πολλῇ πίστει ἐν ἀρεταῖς διάγοντας δεηθῆναι πολὺ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου δεσπότου, ἵνα διαυγασάσης τῆς ἡμέρας τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς «δικαιοσύνης» ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν πάντα κατιδεῖν ἀκριβῶς δυνήσωνται καὶ τῶν νοητῶν θηρίων τὴν ποικίλην καὶ διάφορον βλάβην καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ κόσμῳ ἀπολαύσεων τὴν ἄρρητον ποικιλίαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ τὰ ἐξαίσια κάλλη, ἅπερ οἱ πνευματικοὶ καὶ τέλειοι ἄνδρες, οἷς ἐνεργῶς τὸ νοητὸν φῶς ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις διηύγασεν, γνωρί ζουσιν ἐν ἀληθινῇ διακρίσει, καὶ τῶν κρειττόνων τὰς ἀρετὰς καὶ τῶν χειρόνων τὴν δεινότητα κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστου διάφορον ἐνέργειαν, καθὼς ὁ μακάριός φησι Παῦλος· «τελείων ἐστὶν ἡ στερεὰ τροφή, τῶν διὰ τὴν ἕξιν τὰ αἰσθητήρια γεγυμνασμένα ἐχόντων πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ», καὶ ὁ μακάριος δὲ Πέτρος λέγει·","english":"Those who have withdrawn from the world and have genuinely listened to the word of God and live reverently, yet are still under the veil of the passions, which all acquired through the disobedience of Adam (that is, the fleshly mindset of evil thoughts, which the apostle calls death, saying, \"the mindset of the flesh is death\"), these, then, resemble people walking in the night; for though they are illuminated by the stars (that is, by the holy commandments of Scripture), they are nonetheless in the night, by the invisible activity of the passions, and they stumble and cannot see all things accurately because of the working of the darkness of the passions. Therefore they must, living in virtues with labor and great faith, entreat the heavenly Master at length, so that when the day of the sun of \"righteousness\" has shone forth in their hearts, they may be able to behold all things accurately—both the varied and diverse harm of the noetic beasts and the inexpressible variety of the good things of the enjoyments in the incorruptible world, and the wondrous beauties which spiritual and perfect men, in whom the noetic light has shone actively in their hearts, recognize in true discernment—both the virtues of the better things and the dreadfulness of the worse, according to the diverse activity of each, just as the blessed Paul says: \"Solid food is for the perfect, for those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil,\" and the blessed Peter also says:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":24,"ref":"p24","source":"«καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔχομεν τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον, ᾧ καλῶς ποιεῖτε προσέχοντες ὡς λύχνῳ φαινομένῳ ἐν αὐχμηρῷ τόπῳ, ἕως οὗ ἡ ἡμέρα διαυγάσῃ καὶ φωσφόρος ἀνατείλῃ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν», καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «ὑμῖν» δὲ «τοῖς φοβουμένοις» τὸν κύριον «ἀνατελεῖ ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ἴασις ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτῶν». οἱ δὲ τῷ κόσμῳ ἐμπεφυρμένοι πολλοὶ ἐοίκασιν ἀνθρώποις περιπατοῦσιν ἐν νυκτὶ ζοφερᾷ νεφέλαις καὶ ὀμίχλῃ πεπληρωμένῃ, ἐν ᾗ οὔτε ὀλίγον αὖγος φωτὸς ἄστρου λάμπει (τουτ έστι λόγου θείου τὴν ψυχὴν διαυγάζοντος), ὡς ἐοικέναι αὐτοὺς σχεδὸν τυφλοῖς. οὕτως οἱ τὸ ὅλον ἐν ταῖς ὑλικαῖς περιπλοκαῖς ἐμπεφυρμένοι καὶ θεοῦ φόβῳ μήτε ἐντολὰς ἢ ἄλλας τινὰς ἀγαθοεργίας ἐργαζόμενοι ἀλλὰ τὸ ὅλον τῇ ματαιότητι τοῦ κόσμου ἐν τοῖς χαλεποῖς ἔργοις ἠπατημένοι. ὅσοι δὲ βιωτικοὶ ὑπὸ ἐντολῶν θεοῦ ὥσπερ ἄστρων καταυγάζονται, πίστει καὶ φόβῳ θεοῦ ἀναστρεφόμενοι οὔκ εἰσι τὸ ὅλον ἐν γνοφώδει καὶ ζοφερᾷ νυκτί· διὸ καὶ ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας ἔχειν δύνανται.","english":"And we have the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dry place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; and elsewhere: But for you who fear the Lord, the sun of righteousness shall rise, and healing in its wings. But the many who are mired in the world are like people walking in a murky night filled with clouds and mist, in which not even a little gleam of starlight shines (that is, of the divine word illuminating the soul), so that they resemble the nearly blind. Thus those who are wholly entangled in material complications, and who do neither the commandments nor any other good works out of the fear of God, but are wholly deceived by the vanity of the world in grievous deeds. But as many of those living in the world as are illumined by the commandments of God as by stars, conducting themselves in faith and the fear of God, are not wholly in the dark and murky night; therefore they can also have hope of salvation.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":25,"ref":"p25","source":"Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκ διαφόρων τεχνῶν καὶ ἐκ διαφόρων ἐπιτηδευμάτων οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ τὸν πλοῦτον συνάγουσι, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐκ διαφόρων ἐν ταῖς ἀρχοντικαῖς στρατιαῖς τάξεων τὸ κέρδος τοῦ χρυσοῦ πορίζουσι καὶ ἐκ διαφόρων κτημάτων ἢ ζῴων ἢ ἄλλων τινῶν τῷ οἰκοδεσπότῃ ὁ χρυσὸς συνάγεται, οὕτως ἐκ διαφόρων χαρισμάτων (καθὼς εἴρηται· «ἔχοντες δὲ χαρίσματα κατὰ τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν διάφορα») καὶ ἐκ διαφόρων ἀσκήσεων καὶ δικαιωμάτων καὶ ἀρετῶν διὰ θεὸν γινομένων ἕκαστος τὸν ἐπουράνιον χρυσόν (τουτέστι τὸν ἐπουράνιον πλοῦτον τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς), κατὰ τὴν καλὴν ἐπιτήδευσιν καὶ σπουδὴν καὶ πίστιν πορίζονται. τούτου ἕνεκεν οὐ χρὴ ἕκαστον τὸν πλησίον κρίνειν ἢ καταγινώσκειν ἢ ἐξουδενεῖν, μόνον τρεχέτω ἕκαστος διὰ θεὸν πιστῶς καὶ ἀγωνιζέσθω καὶ ποριζέτω τὸ πνευματικὸν κέρδος.\n\nΠλὴν φαίνονται οἱ χρυσὸν ὀρύσσοντες οἱ αὐτὰς τὰς φλέβας τοῦ χρυσοῦ ἀναζητοῦντες, τουτέστιν οἱ σκοπῷ ἀκροτάτῳ τοῦ φθάσαι εἰς «τὴν τελειότητα» ἀπαύστως καὶ ἀνενδότως τρέχοντες. οἱ γὰρ διὰ μακροθυμίας καὶ ὑπομονῆς τὰς τέχνας ἐργαζόμενοι ἤτοι οἱ ἐν τῇ γῇ κατ' ἐλπίδα ἐμπονοῦντες κατὰ μέρος πλουτοῦσιν, οἱ καὶ ἔνδοξοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ γίνονται, οἱ δὲ μίσθιοι Εἱλῶται οἱ ὀκνηροί, οἱ εὐθέως τὸ ἐμπῖπτον ἐσθίοντες, μὴ μετὰ μακροθυμίας κάμνοντες, ἀεὶ γυμνοὶ καὶ πένητες ἀπομένουσιν.","english":"For just as people in this world gather wealth from various crafts and various occupations, and likewise in the military ranks of rulers they procure gain of gold from various orders, and from various possessions or animals or other things gold is gathered for the master of the house, so from various gifts (as it is said: \"Having gifts differing according to the grace given to us\") and from various ascetic practices and righteous deeds and virtues performed for God's sake, each person procures the heavenly gold (that is, the heavenly wealth of the Spirit of eternal life), according to his good occupation and zeal and faith. For this reason no one ought to judge or condemn or despise his neighbor; let each one only run faithfully for God's sake and strive and procure the spiritual gain.\n\nHowever, those who dig for gold are clearly those who seek out the very veins of gold, that is, those who run ceaselessly and without faltering toward the highest goal of attaining \"perfection.\" For those who work their crafts with patience and endurance—that is, those who labor on the earth in hope—grow wealthy little by little, and they also become renowned in the world; but the hired servants, the Helots, the lazy ones, who immediately eat whatever falls to them, not laboring with patience, always remain naked and poor.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":26,"ref":"p26","source":"οὕτως ὅσοι ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργα μετὰ μακροθυμίας καὶ ὑπομονῆς σπουδαίως ἐμπονοῦσι καὶ πιστῶς ἀπεκδέ χονται τὴν ἐπουράνιον ἐλπίδα καὶ τὴν ἀντίληψιν τῆς χάριτος πρὸ ὀφθαλ μῶν ἔχοντες, ἀληθῶς οὗτοι τὸν πλοῦτον τοῦ πνεύματος συνάγουσι διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς αὐτῶν καὶ μακροθυμίας καὶ πόνου καὶ δεήσεως, διὸ καὶ ἔνδοξοι ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι ἐκείνῳ παρὰ θεῷ εὑρίσκονται, οἱ δὲ ἀνυπομόνη τοι, οἱ μόνον τοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν χάριν ἕτοιμοι, τοῦ δὲ πονεῖν καὶ κάμνειν καὶ ἐν πᾶσι θεῷ εὐαρεστεῖν μὴ ὑπομένοντες ἐν πάσῃ μακροθυμίᾳ, ἀπο γυμνοῦνται καὶ ἧς κατηξιώθησαν χάριτος. πάντοτε γὰρ ἡ ἀσθενὴς καὶ ὀκνηρὰ προαίρεσις ἀσύμφωνος οὖσα τῇ χάριτι, γυμνὴ ἀπὸ καλῶν ἔργων καὶ πενιχρὰ ἀπὸ ἀρετῶν εὑρισκομένη, ἀδόκιμος καὶ ἄδοξος παρὰ θεῷ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ αἰῶνι ἀποδείκνυται.\n\nΟἱ ἐξερχόμενοι ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ πτωχείαν ἀγαπῶντες καὶ γινό μενοι ξένοι κοινωνίας σαρκικῆς καὶ τῶν φαινομένων πάντων τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, δόξης καὶ τῶν δοκούντων ἐν βίῳ ὡς μεγάλων εἶναι καταφρο νοῦντες καὶ στήκοντες ἐν πτωχείᾳ καὶ προσέχοντες τῷ κυρίῳ, καλῶς κατανοοῦσι καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἐνάρετον σκοπὸν ἐνεστήσαντο.","english":"Thus all who labor diligently in the works of virtue with longsuffering and endurance, in hope, and faithfully await the heavenly hope, keeping the assistance of grace before their eyes—these truly gather the wealth of the Spirit through their endurance and longsuffering and toil and supplication; therefore they are found glorious before God in that age. But those who are impatient, who are ready only to receive grace, but do not endure to toil and labor and to please God in all things with all longsuffering, are stripped even of the grace of which they were deemed worthy. For always the weak and slothful will, being discordant with grace, is found naked of good works and poor in virtues, and is shown to be reprobate and inglorious before God in that age.\n\nThose who go out from the world and love poverty, and become strangers to fleshly fellowship and to all the things that appear in the world, despising glory and those who seem to be great in life, and who stand in poverty and attend to the Lord—these well understand, and have set before themselves a good and virtuous aim.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":27,"ref":"p27","source":"προσέχουσιν οὖν οὗτοι τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἔνδοξον πόλιν τῶν ἁγίων, εἰς πατρίδα ἐπουράνιον, εἰς οἰκοδομὰς καὶ οἴκους ἀχειροποιήτους, καὶ ἐπειδὴ ὁ νοῦς αὐτῶν ἐκεῖ προσέχει, ὡς ὅτι ἤδη εἰσῆλθαν καὶ ἐδοξάσθησαν καὶ εἰσὶ κληρονόμοι αὐτῆς, οὕτως εἰσὶν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ταῦτα ὥς εἰσιν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ διάγοντες διὰ τὴν καλὴν αὐτῶν πρόθεσιν καὶ τὸν σκοπόν, ἀπεκδέχονται γὰρ ὥς εἰσιν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ εἰσελ θεῖν εἰς «πόλιν, ἧς τεχνίτης καὶ δημιουργὸς ὁ θεός». αἱ γὰρ οἰκοδομαὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου σαθραί εἰσι καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσι στερεὸν θεμέλιον. «ἐν» γὰρ «τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος» ὅλα αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα καὶ αἱ οἰκοδομαὶ φθείρονται· «ὁ οὐρανὸς» γὰρ «ὡς βιβλίον ἑλιγήσεται» «καὶ ἡ γῆ παρ ελεύσεται». ποῦ οὖν τὰ ἔνδοξα καὶ μεγάλα τοῦ βίου, ὅταν ἐπιστῇ ὁ καιρὸς ὁ λύων αὐτά; συνάγαγέ μοι τὸν πλοῦτον, τὸν χρυσόν, τὸν ἄργυρον, τὰς κτήσεις καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ καλλονὴν καὶ πεποίθησιν καὶ ἄρξαι οἰκοδομεῖν πόλιν δι' αὐτῶν, τὴν σοφίαν, τὴν δόξαν, τὰ ἀξιώματα, τὰς δυναστείας, ταῦτα οἰκοδόμησον","english":"These, then, are intent on entering the glorious city of the saints, the heavenly homeland, the buildings and houses not made with hands; and since their mind is fixed there, as though they had already entered and been glorified and were heirs of it, so they are in themselves, and these things—even as they live in the flesh because of their good purpose and aim—they await, as they are in this age, to enter into \"a city whose builder and maker is God.\" For the buildings of this age are unsound and have no solid foundation. For \"in the consummation of the age\" all its works and buildings are corrupted; for \"the heaven shall be rolled up as a book\" \"and the earth shall pass away.\" Where, then, are the glorious and great things of this life, when the time comes that dissolves them? Gather for me the wealth, the gold, the silver, the possessions, and all the beauty and confidence that is in wealth, and begin to build a city with them—wisdom, glory, dignities, dominions—build these","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":28,"ref":"p28","source":"ὥσπερ τεῖχος τῆς πόλεως καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν κόσμησιν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτουκαὶ ὅταν τελέ σῃς τὴν πόλιν, οὐκ ἔχει ἑδραίωμα οὐδὲ στερεότητα ἡ πόλις. ἰδοὺ γὰρ σαθροὶ οἱ θεμέλιοι τοῦ τείχους καὶ πίπτουσιν, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ πόλει φθείρεται καὶ ἀφανίζεται. οὕτως ἐστὶν πᾶσα ἡ ποικιλία τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου φθειρομένη καὶ ἀφανιζομένη. Ὑμεῖς δὲ καλῶς ποιεῖτε οἰκοδομοῦντες οἰκοδομὰς ἀκαταλύτους καὶ μηδέποτε φθειρομένας· τὸν γὰρ θεμέλιον ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν σπουδάζετε θεῖναι καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν οἰκοδομούμενος θεμέλιος οὐδέ ποτε πίπτει· λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· «ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρα νῶν» «ἀνδρὶ φρονίμῳ» «ὅστις ἔσκαψεν καὶ ἐβάθυνεν καὶ ἔθηκεν θεμέ λιον ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν· γεναμένης δὲ πλημμύρας» καὶ τῶν ἀνέμων προσκρουσάντων «οὐκ ἔπεσεν· τεθεμελίωτο γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν». καὶ τίς ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ οἰκοδομὴ ἡ ἀχειροποίητος; ψυχαὶ πισταὶ αἱ ἀγαπῶσαι τὸν κύριον· οἰκοδομοῦνται γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ σοφοῦ ἀρχιτέκτονος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ «ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν», ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν κύριον, ἐπὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ τὸν ζωοποιόν, ἐπὶ τὴν θείαν δύναμιν, ἐπὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα. καὶ τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ λίθοι; οἱ καθαροὶ καὶ ἀγαθοὶ λογισμοὶ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ Ἀδάμ· ἐοίκασιν γὰρ οὗτοι τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ λίθῳ καὶ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον αὐτοῦ οὕτως ἐποικοδομοῦνται. τί λέγει ἡ γραφή; ἕως οὗ φθάσωμεν «εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ». ἀλλὰ ἔστι καὶ ἑτέρα οἰκοδομὴ ἡ «ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον», ψυχαὶ ἁμαρτωλαί, νοῦς κοσμικός, οἱ καταφερόμενοι εἰς τὰ πάθη τῆς σαρκός. οἰκοδομοῦνται οὗτοι εἰς τὸν πονηρὸν λογισμόν, ἐπὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ διαβόλου.","english":"Like a wall of the city and all the adornment of this age; and when you have finished the city, the city has no foundation or solidity. For behold, the foundations of the wall are rotten and fall, and all things in the city are corrupted and destroyed. So is all the variety of this age, being corrupted and destroyed. But you do well, building buildings that cannot be dissolved and are never corrupted; for you strive to lay your foundation upon the rock, and the foundation built upon the rock never falls. For the Scripture says: \"The kingdom of heaven is like\" \"a wise man\" \"who dug and deepened and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when the flood came\" and the winds beat against it, \"it did not fall, for it was founded upon the rock.\" And what is this building not made with hands? Faithful souls that love the Lord; for they are built by the wise master builder Jesus Christ \"upon the rock,\" upon the Lord himself, upon his life-giving word, upon the divine power, upon the Holy Spirit. And who are the stones? The pure and good thoughts of the nature of Adam; for these resemble the heavenly stone and are built up according to its measure. What does the Scripture say? Until we attain \"to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.\" But there is also another building, the one \"upon the sand\"—sinful souls, the worldly mind, those carried away into the passions of the flesh. These are built into the evil thought, upon the spirit of the devil.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":29,"ref":"p29","source":"καὶ τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ λίθοι; οἱ κακοὶ λογισμοὶ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὰς ἡδονὰς τῆς ἁμαρτίας. ἡ οὖν τοιαύτη οἰκοδομή, ἡ «ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον», πεφθαρμένη ἐστὶ καὶ λελυμένη.\n\nΟἱ οὖν ἐν τῷ παρόντι χρόνῳ κρούοντες «τὴν θύραν» καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα ὡς παρόντα λογιζόμενοι πολὺ συνετότεροί εἰσιν. ἀναλογιζόμενοι γὰρ τὴν φθορὰν καὶ λύσιν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, καταφρονοῦσιν κοινωνίας σαρκικῆς, εἰδότες ὅτι μετὰ ταῦτα λύσις γενήσεται τῶν σωμάτων, πάλιν ἀναλογιζόμενοι, ὅτι φθορᾷ ὑπόκειται καὶ γυμνότητι ὁ φαινό μενος πλοῦτος, καταφρονοῦσι πάντων τῶν ὁρωμένων, ἀναμνημονεύον τες δὲ καὶ τὰς γινομένας κατακρίσεις τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς καὶ τὰς ἐπι φερομένας αὐτοῖς διαφόρους κολάσεις στήκουσιν εἰς μέριμναν καὶ φόβον καὶ ἀσφαλίζονται τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν, μὴ ἐμπέσωσιν εἰς γέενναν καὶ βασάνους.\n\nἀναλογιζόμενοι δὲ πάλιν καὶ τὴν πόλιν τῶν ἁγίων καὶ τοὺς μεγιστᾶνας, τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν, τοὺς προφήτας, τοὺς ἀποστό λους, τοὺς μάρτυρας, καὶ τὰ κάλλη τὰ ἐπουράνια καὶ τὰς δόξας τὰς θεϊκάς, ἃς ἐνδύσονται οἱ ἅγιοι διὰ τὴν καλὴν αὐτῶν πρόθεσιν, εἰ καί εἰσιν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλ' ὡς ἤδη ἀπολαύοντες ἐκείνων τῶν ἀγα θῶν οὕτως εἰσίν. καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ ὄντες τῇ γυμνασίᾳ ἐοίκασι τῷ πατρὶ αὐτῶν τῷ οὐρανίῳ· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν καὶ τὰ καλὰ καὶ τὰ κακὰ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου βρύει, προέλαβον οὗτοι καὶ ἐποίησαν πόλεμον μετὰ τῆς κακίας καὶ ᾔτησαν ὅπλον παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν τοῦ οὐρανίου καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐποίησαν πόλεμον καὶ νίκην καὶ κατέσβεσαν «τὰ πεπυρωμένα βέλη» τῆς ἁμαρτίας. διὰ τοῦτο, ὅπου εἰσέρ χονται οὗτοι, «ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακῦψαι»·","english":"And what are the stones? The evil thoughts that love the pleasures of sin. Such a building, then, the one \"on the sand,\" is corrupted and dissolved.\n\nThose, therefore, who in the present time knock at \"the door\" and reckon future things as present are much more prudent. For when they consider the corruption and dissolution of this age, they despise fleshly intercourse, knowing that after these things there will be a dissolution of bodies; and again considering that the wealth that appears is subject to corruption and nakedness, they despise all things seen; and remembering also the condemnations that come upon sinners and the various punishments brought upon them, they stand in care and fear and secure their souls, lest they fall into Gehenna and torments.\n\nAnd considering again also the city of the saints and the great ones, our fathers, the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs, and the heavenly beauties and the divine glories with which the saints will be clothed because of their good purpose—even if they are in this age, yet they are as though already enjoying those good things. And being in this discipline, they are like their heavenly Father. For since after the transgression both good and evil spring from man himself, these have gone before and made war against evil, and asked for a weapon from their heavenly Father, and through it made war and victory and quenched \"the fiery darts\" of sin. For this reason, wherever these enter, \"angels desire to look in.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":30,"ref":"p30","source":"ἐπιτίθενται γὰρ αὐ τοῖς στέφανοι τίμιοι «ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν». ἄρχονται οὖν οἱ ἄγγελοι εἷς τῷ ἑτέρῳ λέγειν· τίνες εἰσὶν ἄρα οὗτοι οἱ τοιαύτης δόξης καὶ τοιού των στεφάνων καταξιωθέντες, ὅτι εἰς τιμιωτέρους ἡμῶν τόπους εἰσά γονται; καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ κύριος· δικαίως ὑμῶν προτιμῶνται, οὗτοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ «διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου» καὶ τὴν ἐντολήν μου ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ καταφρονήσαντες ἐκείνου τοῦ αἰῶνος, πτωχοὶ γενόμενοι, μυκτηριζόμενοι, χλευαζόμενοι εἰς τὸν ἐκεῖ κόσμον, πολεμούμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶ, καὶ ἀγωνιζόμενοι καὶ ἀθλοῦντες κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ\n\nἡττη θέντες ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, οἱ ἔχοντες πόνον καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν πλη ροῦντες δακρύων νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας διακονοῦντές μοι, οἱ τὴν ὕβριν τοῦ σταυροῦ μου βαστάσαντες ἐν τοῖς ὤμοις αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ πάθη μου ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν αὐτῶν. παραλαμβάνει οὖν τὰς τοιαύτας ψυχὰς ὁ κύριος καὶ προσφέρει αὐτὰς τῷ πατρὶ λέγων· ἴδε πάρεισιν αἱ καθαραὶ παρθένοι, αἱ ὑπακούσασαι τῆς ἐντολῆς σου, προσλαβοῦ αὐτὰς εἰς τὰς ἀγκάλας τοῦ πνεύματός σου καὶ εἰς τοὺς κόλπους τοῦ φωτός σου τοὺς εὐλογημένους. ὑπὲρ τούτων γὰρ ἐγὼ ἔκλινα γόνυ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπλή ρουν τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου δακρύων λέγων· «πάτερ ἅγιε», «ἁγίασον αὐτοὺς» καὶ διατήρησον «ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ», καὶ ἵνα γένωνται μεθ' ἡμῶν εἰς ἓν σῶμα καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα.","english":"For crowns of honor are set \"upon their heads.\" Then the angels begin to say to one another: Who then are these who have been deemed worthy of such glory and such crowns, that they are brought into places more honored than ours? And the Lord says to them: They are rightly preferred above you, for these are the ones who \"for my name's sake\" and for my commandment went out from the world and despised that age, becoming poor, mocked, ridiculed in that world, warred against by Satan, and struggling and contending against him and not defeated by him, those who have toil and fill their eyes with tears night and day, ministering to me, those who have borne the insolence of my cross on their shoulders and my sufferings in their bodies. The Lord therefore receives such souls and presents them to the Father, saying: Behold, the pure virgins are here, those who obeyed your commandment; receive them into the embraces of your Spirit and into the blessed bosoms of your light. For on their behalf I bowed the knee on the earth and filled my eyes with tears, saying: \"Holy Father,\" \"sanctify them\" and keep them \"from the evil one,\" and that they may become with us one body and one spirit.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":31,"ref":"p31","source":"οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐν τῷ τότε καιρῷ δι' ἐκείνους μόνους παρεκάλουν σε καὶ προσηυχόμην, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ὅλην τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν ἁγίων (ἡ γὰρ μακροθυμία αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ παράστασις τοῦ αἰῶνος εἰς τοῦτο γέγονεν, διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας γίνεσθαι διακό νους αὐτοῦ καὶ γενέσθαι αὐτῷ εὐαρέστους καὶ συμπληρωθῆναι αὐ τῶν τῇ ἐπουρανίῳ ἐκκλησίᾳ τὴν εἰρηνικὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν). καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἀγαλλιᾶται ἐπ' αὐτοῖς λέγων· «κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν», ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ υἱός μου ἅμα ὑμῖν εἰς ἓν πνεῦμα καὶ εἰς μίαν κοινωνίαν ἐσόμεθα. καὶ ἀποφέρει τὰς τοιαύτας ψυχὰς εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἐνδόξους θρόνους καὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην. μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τούτοις καὶ ἡ παρεμβολὴ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡ συνοῦσα αὐτοῖς, ὅτε ἠγωνίζοντο καὶ ὅτε ἦσαν ἐν τῇ ἀθλήσει παραμένοντες καὶ τὰς εὐχὰς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς νηστείας καὶ τὰς ἀγρυπνίας προσέφερον τῷ κυρίῳ. Στήκοντες οὖν ἐν τῇ πτωχείᾳ διὰ ταύτης τῆς πτωχείας ἐπισπάσασθε ἑαυτοῖς τὸν οὐράνιον πλοῦτον. καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ χαμευνίᾳ τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν γυμνάζοντες, ἐν τῇ γονυκλισίᾳ, ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ καλλίονες ἔσεσθε τῶν ἐν πορφύρᾳ διαγόντων. ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἐν τῇ πορφύρᾳ διάγοντες οὐ λειτουργοῦσι τῷ κυρίῳ, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐν τῇ σκληραγωγίᾳ καὶ τῷ φαινομένῳ χόρτῳ ἔρχεσθε εἰς τὸ προσκυνεῖν καὶ δοξολογεῖν τὸν θεόν. ἀλλὰ ἐν ταύτῃ ὄντες τῇ πτωχείᾳ καὶ τῇ γυμνότητι μὴ γίνεσθε ἀπρόθυμοι, ἔχοντες ὑπογραμμὸν καὶ σκοπὸν τὸν κύριον τὸν οὕτως διοδεύσαντα τὴν ὁδόν. ὅταν πονέσῃ σου τὸ σῶμα καὶ κοπιάσῃς, μνημόνευσον τοῦ σώματος τοῦ κυρίου, πῶς ὑπὸ Πιλάτου ἐτύπτετο καὶ ἔκαμνεν ὁδοιπορίαις.","english":"And not only at that time did I entreat you and pray for their sake alone, but also for the whole church of the saints (for his patience and the standing of the age have come to this, for the sake of those who are to become his servants and to become well-pleasing to him and to be completed with them in the heavenly church of his peaceful kingdom). And the Father rejoices over them, saying: \"Inherit the kingdom prepared for you\"; I and my Son together will be with you as one spirit and one fellowship. And he carries such souls away into rest and into glorious thrones and into gladness. And the host of angels that is with them bears witness to these things, both when they struggled and when they remained in their contest and offered their prayers and fasts and vigils to the Lord. Stand firm, therefore, in poverty, and through this poverty draw down for yourselves the heavenly wealth. For by exercising your bodies on the ground, in kneeling, in prayer, you will be more beautiful than those who live in purple. For those who live in purple do not serve the Lord, but you, in hardship and in what appears to be grass, come to worship and glorify God. But being in this poverty and nakedness, do not become disheartened, having as your pattern and goal the Lord, who thus traveled the road. When your body suffers and you grow weary, remember the body of the Lord, how it was struck by Pilate and grew faint with journeyings.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":32,"ref":"p32","source":"ὅταν λείψῃ σοι οἶκος, μνημόνευσον, ὅτι ὁ κύριος τῶν κτισ μάτων ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦτο εἶπεν· «αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσι καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ» καὶ ἀναπαῇ. ὅταν περιπατήσῃς, μνημόνευσον ὅτι οἱ πόδες τοῦ κυρίου ἐποίησεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ μὴ μόνον διὰ τὴν κεκονιορτημένοι ἦσαν, ὅσον χρόνον προφητείαν ἅπαξ ἐπ' ὄνου ἐκαθέσθη. ὅταν πληρώσῃς σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς δακρύων, μνημόνευσον ὅτι ὁ κύριος ἔκλαιε τὴν πτῶσίν σου προσευχόμενος πρὸς τὸν πατέρα «μετὰ κραυγῆς ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ δακρύων» πολλῶν, ἵνα ῥυσθῇς ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου. ὅταν μυκτηρίζωσί σε οἱ ἄνθρωποι, πρόσχες τοῖς ῥαπίσμασιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῖς ἐμπτύσμασιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὑπόμεινον ἐν τῇ ταπει νώσει σου. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἡ χαμευνία σου οὔκ ἐστι σκληροτέρα τοῦ ἀκανθίνου στεφάνου τοῦ ἐπιτεθέντος ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ. οὕτω δὲ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι καὶ αἱ παρεμβολαὶ χαίρουσι τῶν ἁγίων ἐπὶ τῷ νυμφίῳ καὶ τῇ νύμφῃ ἐν σάλπιγξι καὶ κιθάραις. ὥσπερ ἐπὶ φαινομένῳ γάμῳ πλουσίου, ἐν οἷς πᾶσα ἡ πόλις συντρέχει καὶ δῆμοι, αὐτοὶ δὲ μεσῖταί εἰσι συσπεύδοντες τῷ νυμφίῳ καὶ τῇ νύμφῃ, οὕτω καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἐπουράνιος ἐκκλησία συντρέχει, ψυχὴ δέ ἐστιν ἡ κοινωνοῦσα τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ νυμφίῳ. ὥσπερ δὲ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ θέρους ἕκαστος ὃ πρὸ καιροῦ ἔσπειρεν ἐκεῖνο προσδοκᾷ θερίσαι καὶ ἀπολαβεῖν ἐκ τῆς γῆς τοὺς καρπούς, οὕτω καὶ εἴ τίς τι εἰργάσατο «ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ» ἐκεῖνο προαπαντᾷ αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν.","english":"When a house fails you, remember that the Lord of creation, when he came upon the earth, said this: \"The foxes have holes and the birds of the heaven have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head\" and rest. When you walk, remember that the feet of the Lord walked upon the earth—except that they were covered with dust, for as long as he once sat upon a donkey for the prophecy. When you fill your eyes with tears, remember that the Lord wept over your fall, praying to the Father \"with loud crying and tears\" many, that you might be delivered from death. When people mock you, attend to his blows and his spittings, and endure in your humility. Likewise, your sleeping on the ground is not harder than the crown of thorns placed upon his head. Thus all the angels and the hosts of the saints rejoice over the bridegroom and the bride with trumpets and lyres. Just as at the visible wedding of a rich man, where the whole city and its peoples run together, and they are the mediators eagerly urging on the bridegroom and the bride, so too the whole heavenly church runs together, and it is the soul that shares fellowship with the heavenly bridegroom. And just as in the season of summer each one expects to reap what he sowed before the season and to receive the fruits from the earth, so too whatever anyone has worked \"in the present time,\" that same thing meets him beforehand in the kingdom of heaven.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":33,"ref":"p33","source":"εἰσὶ γὰρ Χριστιανοὶ ἐν λόγῳ καί εἰσι Χριστιανοὶ ἐν ἔργῳ. εὐξώμεθα οὖν ἔργῳ καὶ δυνάμει τὰ λαλούμενα ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ ἐν πάσῃ πληροφορίᾳ ἐπιτελεσθῆναι. ἡ γὰρ πεῖρα πολὺ βεβαιοτέρα ἐστὶ τῶν στηκόντων ἐν λόγοις ψιλοῖς. Δόξα τοῖς οἰκτιρμοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῷ ἀπείρῳ αὐτοῦ ἐλέει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Ὥσπερ τὸ εἰς βρῶσιν προχωροῦν ἀνθρώποις ζῷον πρότερον τυθῆναι δεῖ καὶ εἶθ' οὕτω τὴν δορὰν σὺν ταῖς θριξὶ περιαιρεθῆναι, καὶ τότε διὰ τῆς ἀνατομῆς τὴν ἔνδον ἐγκειμένην ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ κόπρον ἐκπλυθῆναι, καὶ πάλιν τὰ τῆς λεγομένης δευτέρας κοιλίας λεπτότερα καὶ δυσχερέστερα κόπρια ὑποκρυπτόμενα ἐν τοῖς πτερυγίοις τῆς δευ τέρας κοιλίας ἀκριβῶς διὰ τοῦ ὕδατος πλῦναι, καὶ τότε τὰ κρέα τῷ πυρὶ παραδιδόμενα καὶ κατ' ὀλίγον ἑψούμενα γλυκαίνεται, καὶ οὕτως εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ ἀπόλαυσιν τῷ οἰκοδεσπότῃ γίνεται, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ Χριστιανὸς ἀναχωρῶν τοῦ κόσμου καὶ ὥσπερ νεκρούμενος ἐκ τῆς προτέρας κακίστης ζωῆς καὶ ὡς δορὰν σὺν θριξὶ καὶ αἵματι τὸν κόσμον ἀποδυσάμενος, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔτι τὴν δυσώδη κόπρον τῶν πονηρῶν διαλογισμῶν ἔνδον κέκτηται, τὰς τῶν κακῶν ἔργων μνήμας, τὰ πρόδηλά τε καὶ φαῦλα καὶ ἕτερα λεπτότερα καὶ δυσεξεύρετα πάθη, τὰ καὶ δυσχερῶς καταλαμβανόμενα.","english":"For there are Christians in word, and there are Christians in deed. Let us pray, then, that what is spoken in us may be fulfilled in deed and power and in all assurance. For experience is far more trustworthy than those who stand on bare words. Glory to the mercies of Christ and to his boundless compassion toward the ages of ages. Amen. Just as an animal that comes to be food for humans must first be slaughtered, and then its hide with the hair removed, and then by dissection the dung lying inside the belly washed out, and again the finer and more troublesome excrements hidden in the folds of what is called the second stomach carefully washed with water, and then the flesh handed over to the fire and boiled little by little is made sweet, and so becomes food and enjoyment for the master of the house—in the same way also the Christian, withdrawing from the world and as it were being put to death from his former most wicked life, and stripping off the world like a hide with hair and blood—yet still he has within him the foul-smelling dung of evil thoughts, the memories of wicked deeds, both the obvious and base passions and others more subtle and hard to discover, which are also difficult to grasp.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":34,"ref":"p34","source":"χρὴ οὖν τὸν τέλειον Χριστιανὸν ἐπιθυμοῦντα γενέσθαι νεκρῶσαι ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῶν τοῦ κόσμου πονηρῶν ἔργων, ὧν ἔπραττε πρότερον, καὶ ὥσπερ δορὰν σὺν ταῖς θριξὶ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον ἔξωθεν ἀποδύσασθαι διὰ τῆς τελείας ἀναχωρήσεως καὶ παντελοῦς ἀποτάξεως καὶ εἶθ' οὕτω διὰ τῆς ἀνατομῆς (τουτέστι τῆς ἐπισκέψεως τῆς θείας χάριτος) τὴν κόπρον τῶν πονηρῶν διαλογισμῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἔνδοθεν ἀποπλῦναι δισσῷ τὰ λεπτότερα καὶ δυσεξεύρετα πάθη, καὶ τότε τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ τρόπῳ τὰ πρόδηλα καὶ πυρὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος πυρωθέντα καὶ πᾶσαν ὠμότητα προαιρέσεως ἀπο θέμενον καὶ πᾶσαν μεταβολὴν τελείαν δεξάμενον χρήσιμον καὶ ἡδὺν ἐν τῇ ἐπουρανίῳ τραπέζῃ εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν τοῦ ἐπουρανίου βασιλέως γενέ σθαι καὶ κληρονόμον τῆς βασιλείας, καθὼς εἴρηται ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου· «ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν, ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με καὶ τελειώσω αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔργον».","english":"It is necessary, then, that the one who desires to become a perfect Christian put himself to death from the evil works of the world that he formerly practiced, and, as it were, strip off this age from the outside like a hide with its hair, through complete withdrawal and total renunciation, and then in this way, through the dissection—that is, the visitation of divine grace—wash away from within the dung of evil thoughts in the heart, and by a twofold cleansing the finer and hard-to-discover passions, and then, in the heavenly manner, the things that are evident and have been set on fire by the fire of the Holy Spirit, and having laid aside all harshness of disposition and having received every complete change, become useful and pleasant at the heavenly table for the enjoyment of the heavenly King and an heir of the kingdom, just as it is said in the Gospel by the Lord: \"My food is that I do the will of the one who sent me and complete his work.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":35,"ref":"p35","source":"Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὸ πρὶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἐμωμοσκοπεῖτο τὸ πρόβατον, καὶ τότε εἰς θυσίαν προεχώρει καὶ διὰ τῆς λιπασίας τοῦ ζῴου καὶ τῆς κνίσσης τῆς διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς διαχεομένης ὁλοκαύτωμα τῷ θεῷ «εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας» προσεφέρετο, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα νῦν μωμοσκοπεῖται ψυχὴ ἡ ἑαυτὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτῆς «θυσίαν ζῶσαν ἁγίαν εὐάρεστον τῷ θεῷ» προσενέγκαι βουλομένη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου ἀρχιερέως Χριστοῦ, καὶ εἰ τὴν πιότητα τοῦ πνεύματος ἔχει, ἣν διὰ τῶν καλῶν νόμων τῶν διδασκαλιῶν τῆς χάριτος καὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν προσεκτήσατο ὄντως ὁλοκάρπωμα καὶ θυσία ζῶσα ἐν τῷ πνευματικῷ πυρὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ ἀρχιερέως Χριστοῦ τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ πατρὶ εἰς τὴν ζῶσαν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν προσκομίζεται, κληρονόμος τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγα θῶν γενέσθαι καταξιωθεῖσα. χρὴ οὖν ἕκαστον ἐν πᾶσι πάντοτε ἑαυτὸν ἀνακρίνειν καὶ δοκιμάζειν, εἰ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον πολιτεύεται καὶ «τοῖς ἴχνεσι» τοῦ κυρίου ἀκολουθεῖ (ἤτοι ὑπὸ τῶν πνευμα τικῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀνακρίνεσθαι δοκιμάζεται), καὶ ἀεὶ ἐκζητεῖν τοὺς τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον κηρύσσοντας καὶ τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν «ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ» κατέχοντας. ὥσπερ γὰρ πολλῶν ποτηρίων ἐπιδιδομένων ἀνθρώποις τοῦ πιεῖν φανερά εἰσι τὰ οἴνῳ ἡδυτάτῳ κεκερασμένα καὶ τὰ μόνον ὕδατος πεπληρωμένα (τὰ γὰρ οἴνῳ κεκερασμένα νόστον καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ εὐφροσύνην τῷ πίνοντι παρέχει), οὕτω πολλῶν ἐν κόσμῳ διὰ λόγων ποικίλων καὶ σοφιῶν προπινόντων ἀνθρώποις ἐκεῖνοί εἰσιν οἱ","english":"But just as formerly under the law the sheep was inspected for blemishes, and then it proceeded to sacrifice, and through the fattening of the animal and the fat dissolving through the fire it was offered to God as a whole burnt offering \"for a sweet-smelling aroma,\" so also here now the soul is inspected for blemishes—the soul that wishes to offer itself and its body as \"a living sacrifice, holy, well-pleasing to God\" through the heavenly high priest Christ—and if it has the fatness of the Spirit, which it acquired through the good laws of the teachings of grace and through the virtues, it is truly brought as a whole burnt offering and a living sacrifice, in the spiritual fire, through the true high priest Christ, to the heavenly Father, into the living kingdom of the heavens, having been deemed worthy to become an heir of eternal good things. It is necessary, then, that each person at all times in all things examine and test himself, whether he is conducting his life according to the word of truth and following \"in the footsteps\" of the Lord (that is, he is tested so as to be examined by spiritual men), and always to seek out those who proclaim the word of truth and who hold to Christianity \"in deed and in truth.\" For just as, when many cups are handed to people to drink, those mixed with the sweetest wine are evident, and those filled with water only (for those mixed with wine provide to the drinker return, strength, and gladness), so when many in the world offer drink to people through various words and wisdom, those are the ones who","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":36,"ref":"p36","source":"εὐφραίνοντες ψυχὰς εὐφροσύνην ἐπουράνιον καὶ εἰς μεταβολὴν ἀγαθὴν ἄγοντες, οἱ πνεύματι ἁγίῳ λαλοῦντες καὶ χάριτι ἠρτύμενοι, οἱ ζώσῃ φωνῇ καρδίας φθεγγόμενοι καὶ οὐ ψόφοις καὶ κόμποις χειλέων τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐξυδαρούμενοι ποτίζοντες, οἱ δύναμιν καὶ εὐφροσύνην οὐράνιον τῇ ἀκουούσῃ ψυχῇ παρέχοντες διὰ τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς λαλούσης χάριτος καὶ μεταβάλλοντες ἀνθρώπους εἰς τὴν ὁμοίαν τῆς χάριτος ἁγιότητα. ὥστε ἐκείνους χρὴ ἀνερευνᾶσθαι καὶ ζητεῖν, καθὼς προείπαμεν, τοὺς ζώσῃ καρδίᾳ ἐν πνεύματι φθεγγομένους, κἀκείνοις προσκαρτερεῖν παρ' ὧν τὴν ὄντως κατὰ θεὸν ὠφέλειαν λαμ βάνειν δύνανται, τοῖς ὄντως σοφοῖς ἐν κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἐν κόσμῳ, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· σοφὸν «ἐὰν ἴδῃς, ὄρθριζε πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ βαθμοὺς θυρῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκτριβέτω ὁ πούς σου»· ἐξομοιωθῆναι γὰρ αὐτοῖς οἱ ὑπήκοοι διὰ τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς παραμονῆς τῷ χρόνῳ δύνανται.","english":"Those who gladden souls with a heavenly gladness and lead them to a good transformation, who speak by the Holy Spirit and are seasoned with grace, who utter with the living voice of the heart and do not make the many drunk by watering them with noises and boastings of lips, who provide power and heavenly gladness to the soul that hears through the grace that speaks within them, and who transform people into the same holiness of grace—so that it is necessary, as we said before, to search out and seek those who speak in the Spirit with a living heart, and to devote oneself to them, from whom one can receive the truly God-given benefit, to those who are truly wise in the Lord and not in the world, concerning whom it is said: \"If you see a wise man, rise early to him, and let your foot wear down the steps of his doors\"; for those who are obedient can, through their staying with them, become like them in the course of time.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":37,"ref":"p37","source":"Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ εἰσὶ πολλοί, οἵτινες χρυσὸν πολὺν ἔνδον κέκτηνται καὶ οὔκ εἰσι πᾶσι καταφανεῖς, ἀλλ' ὅσον πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς μετριάζουσι μηδὲν κομπάζοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἢ ἐν κτήσεσιν ἢ ἐν οἰκίαις ἢ ἐν σκεύεσι διαφόροις ἢ οἰκέταις ἢ ζῴοις καὶ οὕτω μετὰ πάσης ἀσφαλείας τὸν θησαυρὸν αὐτῶν κεκρυμμένον ἔχουσιν, καὶ ἄλλοι εἰσὶ πολλοὶ οἵτινες παντάπασιν χρυσὸν μὴ κεκτημένοι, διὰ δέ τινων πολ λῶν σκευῶν καὶ οἴκων ζωγραφίας ὑπονοεῖσθαι ἑαυτοὺς ποιοῦσιν, ὡς ὅτι πολὺν χρυσὸν κέκτηνται, τῷ φαινομένῳ κόμπῳ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἀπα τῶντες, καὶ ὡς πλούσιοι νομίζονται ὄντες πένητες καὶ ἐνδεεῖςοὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς εἰσὶν ἐν δυνάμει τὸν ἐπουράνιον θησαυρὸν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ἑαυτοῖς κεκτημένοι καὶ οὔκ εἰσι τοῖς πᾶσι καταφανεῖς, ἀλλὰ κρύπτουσιν ἑαυτοὺς ὡς μετριάζοντες καὶ μὴ βουλόμενοι ὅ εἰσι γνωρισθῆναι, καί εἰσιν ἕτεροι οἵτινες διά τινων φαινομένων ὀλίγων ἀρετῶν, νηστειῶν ἢ ἀγρυπνιῶν ἢ ἡσυχίας ἢ λόγου «σοφίας» ἢ διά τινων τοιούτων, νομίζεσθαι βούλονται ὡς πνευματικοί, μὴ ἔχοντες τὴν ἐνέργειαν καὶ δύναμιν τοῦ πνεύματος. ὥσπερ γὰρ κατὰ τὸ ὑπόδειγμα, ἐὰν βουληθῇ ὁ κεκρυμμένον ἔχων τὸν πολὺν αὐτοῦ πλοῦτον μέρος τοῦ χρυσοῦ προκομίσαι, ὀλίγου χρήματος ὠνεῖται πᾶσαν τὴν περιου σίαν τοῦ ἐπιδεικνυμένου ἑαυτὸν ὡς πλούσιον καὶ ὃ μή ἐστι νομίζεσθαι βουλομένου·","english":"For just as in this world there are many who possess much gold within and are not visible to all, but as far as the many are concerned they are modest, boasting of themselves in nothing—neither in possessions nor in houses nor in various vessels nor in servants nor in animals—and thus keep their treasure hidden with all security; and there are many others who possess no gold at all, yet through many vessels and painted houses make themselves suspected of possessing much gold, deceiving the many by their apparent boast, and are considered rich while being poor and needy—so also among Christians there are those who possess in power the heavenly treasure of the Spirit within themselves and are not visible to all, but hide themselves as being modest and not wishing to be known for what they are; and there are others who, through some few apparent virtues—fastings or vigils or silence or wisdom of speech or some such things—wish to be considered spiritual, though they do not have the working and power of the Spirit. For just as in the example, if the one who has his great wealth hidden wishes to bring out a portion of the gold, with a little money he buys all the abundance of the one who displays himself as rich and wishes to be considered what he is not—","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":38,"ref":"p38","source":"ἀλλ' ἐὰν τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ ἀποκαλύψῃ καὶ φανερὸν ἑαυ τὸν πᾶσι καταστήσῃ, εἰς φθόνον πολὺν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐγείρονται πολλοὶ θαμβούμενοι, πῶς ὁ ὡς πτωχὸς τοῖς πᾶσι νομιζόμενος αἰφνίδιον τοσοῦτον πλοῦτον κέκτηται, καὶ ἄρχονται εἰς λειτουργίας καὶ πολλὰς ζημίας τοῦτον ἐμβάλλειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ κλέπται καὶ οἱ λῃσταὶ νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν τοῦτον ἐπιτηροῦσιν ἀναιρῆσαι καὶ ἀφελέσθαι αὐτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον, καὶ πάντοθεν εἰς κινδύνους καὶ ζημίας καὶ θλίψεις ἀδοκήτους περιπίπτει, ἐπειδὴ ἀξίωμα ἢ ἐξουσίαν τινὰ οὐδέπω παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἔλαβεν. διόπερ ὁ φρόνιμος ἀνὴρ ὁ χρυσὸν πολὺν κεκρυμμένον ἔχων ἀξίωμα δὲ μὴ εἰληφὼς κρύπτει πάσῃ ἀσφαλείᾳ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πλοῦτον, ἵνα μὴ γνωρισθεὶς τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ φθόνῳ ὑποπεσὼν ἢ ἐπιβούλοις ἀνθρώποις ἀπολέσῃ σὺν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ζωήν. εἰ δὲ ἀξίωμα παρὰ χειρὸς βασιλικῆς δέξεται ἀρχῆς τινος ἢ ἐξουσίας, ὁ τοιοῦτος, κἂν ἀποκαλύψῃ αὐτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον τοῦ θησαυροῦ, οὐ δέδοικεν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ δοξάζεται, κτήσεις μεγάλας συνωνούμενος καὶ οἴκους ἐνδόξους κτίζων, οἰκετῶν τε πλῆθος καὶ διαφόρων ζῴων μυριάδας διὰ τοῦ θησαυροῦ κτώμενος, ἄφοβός τέ ἐστιν ἀπὸ ἐφόδου λῃστρικῆς, τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῆς μαχαίρης κατὰ τῶν ἐπιβούλων καὶ κακοποιῶν ἀν θρώπων παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰληφώς, καὶ οὕτω διὰ τοῦ ἀξιώματος μᾶλλον πλοῦτον πλούτῳ ἐπισυνάγει καὶ χρυσὸν χρυσῷ διὰ πασῶν κτήσεων προστίθησιν, ἕως οὗ ὁλόπλουτος γένηται σχεδὸν μηδὲ εἰδὼς λοιπὸν ὅσα κέκτηται.","english":"But if he reveals his wealth and makes himself visible to all, many are stirred up to great envy against him, amazed that one who was considered poor by everyone has suddenly acquired so much wealth; and they begin to press him into public services and many losses, and moreover thieves and robbers watch him night and day to kill him and take away his wealth, and from every side he falls into dangers and losses and unexpected afflictions, since he has not yet received any rank or authority from the king. Therefore the prudent man who has much gold hidden but has not received rank keeps his wealth hidden with all safety, lest, being made known to the many and falling under envy or to plotting men, he lose his life together with his wealth. But if he receives rank from the king's hand, of some office or authority, such a man, even if he reveals the wealth of his treasure, is not afraid, but rather is even glorified in it, buying great possessions and building glorious houses, and through the treasure acquiring a multitude of servants and countless multitudes of various animals, and he is free from fear of a robbers' attack, having received from the king the authority of the sword against plotting and evildoing men; and so through the rank he gathers wealth upon wealth and adds gold to gold through all his acquisitions, until he becomes wholly rich, almost no longer even knowing how much he possesses.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":39,"ref":"p39","source":"Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστιανὸς ὁ εὑρὼν ἐν ἑαυτῷ πνευματικὸν χάρισμα καὶ εὐφραινόμενος ἐν παρακλήσει θείας χάριτος ἀσφαλῶς κρυπτέτω ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος παράκλησιν ἢ μυστηρίων ἐπουρανίων γνῶ σιν, μὴ καυχώμενος καὶ ἐπιδεικνὺς ἑαυτὸν τοῖς πλησίον, ἵνα μὴ φθόνῳ τῷ τῆς κακίας ὑποπεσὼν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀοράτων λῃστῶν εὐλογοφανῶς ὑποκλεπτόμενος συληθῇ μάλιστα, ἕως οὐδέπω εἰς οἰκονομίαν τινὰ πνευματικοῦ ἀξιώματος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου βασιλέως ἐτάγη. οἱ γὰρ οἰκονόμοι τῶν «μυστηρίων τοῦ θεοῦ» καὶ οἱ ὄντως ὠφελεῖν ψυχὰς δυνάμενοι καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος προκεχειρισμένοι, οὗτοι τὸν ἐπουράνιον πλοῦτον ἀδιαλείπτως κεκτημένοι ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ φθέγγονται ἀκαυχήτως καὶ ἀκενοδόξως. «οὕτω» (γάρ φησι) «λαλοῦ μεν, οὐχ ὡς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκοντες, ἀλλ' ὡς θεῷ τῷ δοκιμάζοντι τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν», καὶ πάλιν «κατενώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλοῦ μεν». μετὰ γὰρ τοσούτου πόθου ὀφείλουσιν οἱ Χριστιανοὶ περὶ τὰ «κρείττονα» καὶ «μείζονα» τοῦ πνεύματος «χαρίσματα» ἐπείγεσθαι, ἀκορέστως ἔχοντες περὶ τὸν οὐράνιον πλοῦτον καὶ οὕτω πεινᾶν καὶ διψᾶν «τὴν δικαιοσύνην», ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ τελεία καὶ ἄτρεπτος ἀγάπη «τοῦ πνεύματος», εἰς ἣν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος παραινεῖ καὶ προτρέπεται τοὺς ἐν μεγάλοις χαρίσμασιν ὄντας μὴ ἐναπομένειν ἐν οἷς κέκτηνται τοῦ πνεύματος δωρήμασιν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο σπουδάσαι διὰ πάσης δεήσεως κτήσασθαι, ὅθεν οὐκέτι πεσεῖν δυνατόν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ τελεία καὶ ἄτρεπτος «τοῦ πνεύματος» ἀγάπη, ἥτις πάντα τὰ χαρίσματα ἐν ἑαυτῇ κέκτηται, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὴ ὁμοῦ «καθ' ὑπερβολὴν» ὁδὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἀποκαλυφθεῖσα.","english":"Thus also the Christian who has found in himself a spiritual gift and rejoices in the consolation of divine grace should safely hide within himself the consolation of the Spirit, or the knowledge of heavenly mysteries, not boasting nor displaying himself to his neighbors, lest, falling under the envy of wickedness and being plausibly robbed by the invisible robbers, he be despoiled—especially so long as he has not yet been appointed by the heavenly King to some stewardship of spiritual rank. For the stewards of \"the mysteries of God,\" and those who are truly able to benefit souls and have been appointed beforehand by the Spirit for this purpose—these, possessing the heavenly wealth unceasingly, speak with authority without boasting and without vainglory. \"For thus\" (he says) \"we speak, not as pleasing men, but as to God who tests our hearts,\" and again, \"we speak before God in Christ.\" For with such great longing ought Christians to press on toward the \"better\" and \"greater\" \"gifts\" of the Spirit, being insatiable concerning the heavenly wealth, and thus to hunger and thirst for \"righteousness,\" which is the perfect and unchanging love \"of the Spirit,\" toward which the blessed Paul exhorts and urges those who are in great gifts not to remain in the gifts of the Spirit which they have acquired, but to strive by every entreaty to obtain that from which it is no longer possible to fall—which is the perfect and unchanging \"love of the Spirit,\" which possesses all the gifts in itself, or rather is itself at once the \"more excellent\" way revealed by the apostle to the disciples.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":40,"ref":"p40","source":"τοῖς γὰρ ἐν τοιούτοις καταντήσασι μέτροις καὶ τὰ πάθη τῆς κακίας κατήργηται (καθὼς εἴρηται· «ἡ ἀγάπη» «οὐ ζηλοῖ», «οὐ φυσιοῦται, οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς», «οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακὸν» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς) καὶ ἡ ζῶσα πηγὴ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου τῆς θεότητος ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀπαύστως καὶ ἀδιαλείπτως βρύει, καθὼς εἴρηται· «ὁ πίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ» «γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον», εἰς ἐπουράνια μυστήρια «ἄρρητα» ἁρπάζουσα πάντοτε τὸν νοῦν καὶ πτεροῦσα «ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν», ἀπὸ αἰώνων εἰς αἰῶνας, ἀπὸ μυστη ρίων εἰς μυστήρια, ἀπὸ δυνάμεων εἰς δυνάμεις, ἀπὸ ἀναπαύσεων εἰς ἀναπαύσεις ἀνεκδιηγήτους, ἀπὸ ἀρετῶν εἰς ἀρετάς, ἀπὸ ὑπερκοσμίων φώτων εἰς ὑπερουράνια φῶτα.\n\nΚαὶ τὸ ὅλον περὶ τὰ θεῖα καὶ κρείττονα ἀσχολουμένη ἡ τῆς τοιαύ της ψυχῆς διάνοια εὑρίσκεται ἐκκαιομένη πνευματικῷ ἔρωτι καὶ ἐπι θυμίᾳ κρείττονι ἐπὶ τὰ ἐνδοξότερα καὶ φωτεινότερα κάλλη τοῦ πνεύματος, ἀκορέστῳ πόθῳ «τετρωμένη» περὶ τὸν ἐπουράνιον νυμφίον καί, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, κατασπαταλῶσα λοιπὸν τῶν ἐλαττόνων περὶ τὰ κρείττονα καὶ μείζονα τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχει τὰ μηκέτι μήτε λόγῳ ῥηθῆναι δυνατὸν μήτε ἐννοίᾳ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ἐλλαμφθῆναι.","english":"For those who have arrived at such measures, the passions of evil have also been done away with (as it is said: \"Love does not envy,\" \"does not boast, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own,\" \"does not reckon evil,\" and so on), and the living spring of the Spirit from the abyss of the Godhead gushes forth in them unceasingly and without interruption, as it is said: \"He who drinks of the water that I shall give him\" \"shall become in him a spring of water leaping up into eternal life,\" always snatching the mind away into heavenly \"unutterable\" mysteries and giving it wings \"from glory to glory,\" from ages to ages, from mysteries to mysteries, from powers to powers, from rests to rests beyond all telling, from virtues to virtues, from lights above the world to lights above the heavens.\n\nAnd the understanding of such a soul, wholly occupied with things divine and superior, is found inflamed with spiritual love and with a desire that is higher, toward the more glorious and more luminous beauties of the Spirit, \"wounded\" with insatiable longing for the heavenly Bridegroom, and, so to speak, now luxuriating, it has its desire for the better and greater things rather than the lesser—things which can no longer be expressed in speech nor illuminated by human thought.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":41,"ref":"p41","source":"καὶ οὕτως ἐστίν, ὥσπερ βασιλέως †υἱὸς ἢ θυγάτηρ† κατασπαταλῶσα τῶν γονέων τὰ τίμια ἀποβάλλει καὶ τὰ τιμιώτερα ἐπιζητεῖ, ὑπόθου ἀντὶ ἀργυρῶν δίσκων χρυσοῦς ἐπιζητεῖ, ἀντὶ λαμπρῶν ἐνδυμάτων καὶ τιμίων ὁλο σηρικῶν διάλιθα καὶ χρυσοϋφῆ ἐπιλέγεται, ἀντὶ παλαιοῦ οἴνου καὶ χρηστοῦ προπάλαιον καὶ τιμιώτερον ἐπιθυμεῖ, αὐτὰ τὰ τίμια τῇ ἐπι θυμίᾳ τῶν κρειττόνων ἐξευτελίζει καὶ ὥσπερ χυδαΐζει ἐπιζητοῦσα τὰ βελτίονα παρὰ τῶν γονέωνοὕτως αἱ βασιλικαὶ ὄντως ψυχαὶ αἱ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ καὶ ἡγημονικοῦ πνεύματος τυχεῖν καταξιωθεῖσαι καὶ ἄτρεπτον τὴν τῆς ἀγάπης δύναμιν ἐν ἑαυταῖς δεξάμεναι καὶ τελείῳ ἔρωτι πρὸς τὸν ἐπουράνιον νυμφίον τετρωμέναι οὐκέτι περὶ τὰ πάθη τῆς κακίας ἠσχόληνται. πολλῷ γὰρ πόνῳ καὶ τόνῳ καὶ χρόνῳ καὶ τελείῳ ἀγῶνι διὰ πίστεως τούτων ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐλυτρώθησαν καὶ ἡρπαγμέναι εἰσὶ πάντοτε εἰς ἐπουράνια\n\nμυστήρια τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ εἰς τὰ διάφορα κάλλη τῆς θεότητος ἀπησχόληνται, τὰ κρείττονα καὶ μείζονα ἐν πολλῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπιζητοῦσαι. ἔχει γὰρ διάφορα καὶ πολυποίκιλα κάλλη ἄρρητα καὶ ἀνεννόητα ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος θεότης, ἅπερ εἰς τέρψιν καὶ χαρὰν καὶ ζωὴν καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ἀξίαις ψυχαῖς ἐπιδείκνυται εἰς τὸ πάντοτε σφοδροτέρῳ καὶ ἐμπυρεστέρῳ ἔρωτι πρὸς τὸν ἐπου ράνιον νυμφίον τὴν ἁγίαν ψυχὴν τιτρωσκομένην μηκέτι τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς περιβλέπεσθαι, ἀλλὰ ὅλην ἐξ ὅλου τῷ πόθῳ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀσχολεῖσθαι.","english":"And so it is: just as a son or daughter of a king, living in luxury, throws away the precious things of their parents and seeks after more precious things—suppose, instead of silver dishes, they seek golden ones; instead of bright and precious garments of pure silk, they choose gem-studded and gold-woven ones; instead of old and good wine, they desire very old and more precious wine—by their desire for better things they make these precious things themselves cheap and, as it were, common, seeking the better things from their parents—so truly royal souls, who have been deemed worthy to obtain the royal and governing Spirit and have received within themselves the unswerving power of love and are wounded with perfect love toward the heavenly Bridegroom, no longer occupy themselves with the passions of evil. For with much labor and intensity and time and a perfect struggle through faith they have been redeemed from these by the Spirit, and they have been caught up always into the heavenly mysteries of the Spirit and are occupied with the various beauties of the Godhead, seeking the better and greater things in great desire. For the Godhead of the Spirit has various and manifold beauties, ineffable and inconceivable, which it displays for delight and joy and life and rest to worthy souls, so that the holy soul, wounded always with a more vehement and more fiery love toward the heavenly Bridegroom, no longer looks around at the things on earth, but is wholly occupied, with all its longing, with him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":42,"ref":"p42","source":"Οὐκ ὀφείλει τοίνυν ψυχὴ Χριστιανὴ ἡ χάριτος μέτοχος γεναμένη ἐναπομένειν καὶ ἐμπληροφορεῖσθαι ὡς «ἤδη» τι καταλαβοῦσα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν προειρημένον σκοπὸν τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἀφορῶσα σπεύδειν πάν τοτε ἀγῶνι καὶ πόνῳ πολλῷ διὰ πίστεως τυχεῖν τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης τοῦ πνεύματος τελείας ἀγάπης, ἥτις «ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον», καθὼς Ἰωάννης εἴρηκε, καὶ πεινᾶν καὶ διψᾶν πάντοτε χρὴ «τὴν δικαιοσύνην» καὶ ὡς ἀρχομένη πάντοτε οὕτως ἐν ἑαυτῇ διακεῖσθαι διὰ «τὸν ὑπερ βάλλοντα» τοῦ πνεύματος «πλοῦτον» τὸν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἐπηγγελμένον, ἵνα οὕτως ἔχουσα ἡ εὐλαβὴς ψυχὴ περὶ τὴν πολλὴν τῶν κρειττόνων ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ ἃ κέκτηται καλὰ οὐκ ἀπόλλυσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἃ μηδέπω ἔχει ἐκεῖνα προσλαμβάνει. οὐχ ὡς μίσθιος γὰρ ἢ «δοῦλος» καιροσκοπεῖν ὀφείλει ἐπὶ τῷ καμάτῳ ὑποστελλόμενος ὁ Χριστιανός, ἀλλ' ὡς «υἱὸς καὶ κληρονόμος» ἐν πάσῃ εὐνοίᾳ καὶ προθυμίᾳ τῷ πατρὶ ἕως τέλους δουλεύσας, τῶν πατρικῶν ὑπαρχόντων οὕτως ἔσται κληρονόμος. πάν τες γὰρ ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ζωῆς δοκοῦσιν ἐναπολαύειν ἀπὸ βασιλέως ἕως ἐπαίτου καὶ ἕκαστος πληροφορεῖται ὅτι ζῇ, ἀλλ' ἐὰν συγκρίνῃς τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὴν τρυφὴν τῶν πλουσίων πρὸς τὴν τῶν πενήτων, πολλὴν διαφορὰν εὑρήσεις. κατὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῆς τρυφῆς τῶν διαφόρων ἐδεσμάτων καὶ οἴνου διαφόρου καὶ ἐνδυμάτων διαφόρων χρυσοῦ τε καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν κτημάτων συγκρίνων τὸν πένητα τῷ πλουσίῳ εὑρήσεις τοῦτον πρὸς ἐκεῖνον νεκρόν·","english":"A Christian soul, then, that has become a partaker of grace ought not to remain and be fully assured as though it had \"already\" attained something, but looking to the goal of the apostle spoken of before, it should strive always with struggle and much labor, through faith, to obtain the promised perfect love of the Spirit, which \"casts out fear,\" as John has said, and it must always hunger and thirst for \"righteousness,\" and, as one always beginning, be so disposed in itself because of the \"surpassing wealth\" of the Spirit promised to those who believe, so that the devout soul, being thus disposed toward the great desire for better things, does not lose the good things it possesses, but also receives those things it does not yet have. For the Christian ought not, like a hired servant or a \"slave,\" to watch for the opportune moment, cringing over his toil, but as a \"son and heir,\" having served the Father in all goodwill and zeal until the end, so shall he be heir of the Father's possessions. For all in this age seem to enjoy life, from king to beggar, and each is assured that he lives; but if you compare the life and luxury of the rich with that of the poor, you will find a great difference. For comparing the poor man with the rich according to the enjoyment of the luxury of various foods and various wines and various garments, of gold and silver and the rest of possessions, you will find the former dead compared to the latter.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":43,"ref":"p43","source":"ὁ γὰρ πλούσιος χρυσὸν μόνον μετὰ χεῖρας ψηλαφᾷ καὶ νομίσματα ἀριθμεῖ ὁ δὲ πένης καὶ χαλκοῦν νουμμίον ἐὰν εὕρῃ ἐν κοπρίᾳ οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται κύψαι καὶ λαβεῖν αὐτὸ διὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν τὴν πολλήν. ἐὰν οὖν συγκρίνῃς τὴν τοῦ πένητος πρὸς τὸν πλούσιον ζωήν, εὑρήσεις ὡς μὴ οὖσαν παρὰ οὖσαν, καὶ ὡς νεκρὸν παρὰ ζῶντα. οὕτως καὶ εἰς τὸ πνευματικόν. πάντες Χριστιανοὺς νομίζουσιν ἑαυτοὺς εἶναι διὰ τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως ἢ καὶ δι' ὀλίγας τινὰς ἀρετάς, ἀλλὰ οἱ ἀληθινοὶ Χριστιανοὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσίν, οἱ πνεύματι ἁγίῳ πλούσιοι, οἱ ταῖς διαφόροις τρυφαῖς τῆς χάριτος ἐναπολαύοντες, οἱ τῷ οὐρανίῳ πόθῳ τοῦ πνεύματος εὐφραινόμενοι, οἱ τοῖς διαφόροις τῶν χαρισμάτων οὐρανίοις ἐνδύμασιν τὴν ψυχὴν κεκοσμημένοι, οἱ οὐχ ὁμολογίᾳ καὶ ψιλῇ πίστει ἀλλὰ δυνάμει καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ πνεύματος τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν κεκτημένοι, οἱ τὸν οὐράνιον χρυσὸν (τουτέστι τὴν τῶν μυστηρίων τοῦ πνεύματος γνῶσιν καὶ διήγησιν) μετὰ χεῖρας τῆς ψυχῆς ἀδιαλείπτως τῷ νῷ ψηλαφῶντες, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀληθινοὶ Χριστιανοί. ἐὰν γὰρ συγκρίνῃς τὴν τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν διαγωγὴν καὶ ζωὴν τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων, εὑρήσεις πολλὴν διαφορὰν ὡς ζώντων πρὸς νεκρούς.","english":"For the rich man feels with his hands only gold and counts coins, but the poor man, if he finds even a bronze coin in the dung, is not ashamed to stoop down and take it because of his great need. If, then, you compare the life of the poor man with the rich man, you will find it as though it were not, compared with what is, and as a dead man compared with a living one. So it is also in the spiritual realm. All think themselves to be Christians because of the confession of faith in Christ, or even because of a few certain virtues, but the true Christians are few—those who are rich in the Holy Spirit, who delight in the various luxuries of grace, who are made glad by the heavenly longing of the Spirit, who have their soul adorned with the various heavenly garments of the gifts, who possess Christianity not by confession and bare faith but by the power and energy of the Spirit, who with the hands of the soul ceaselessly feel with the mind the heavenly gold (that is, the knowledge and narration of the mysteries of the Spirit)—these are the true Christians. For if you compare the conduct of their mind and the life of their soul with that of those others, you will find a great difference, as of the living compared with the dead.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":44,"ref":"p44","source":"ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἐν τῇ δεινῇ πενίᾳ τοῦ ἐγκοσμίου πνεύματος ὄντες καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ οὐρανίου πλούτου ἐστερημένοι καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν τὸν νοῦν συγκεχυμένοι μόλις κἂν ἕνα λογισμὸν καλὸν ἀπὸ πολλῶν κακῶν εὑρίσκοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀναπαύονται τῇ πενίᾳ διοικούμενοι καὶ ἐνδύμασι λιτοῖς ἀρετῶν μικρῶν πληροφοροῦνται τὰ διάφορα μὴ ἔχοντες τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ταῖς θείαις ἀρεταῖς ἐνεργήματα, ὡς καὶ ὁ κύριος πολλὴν τὴν διαφορὰν ἐφανέρωσε τῶν ἀληθινῶν προσκυνητῶν μελλόντων ἔσεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν τῶν δοκούντων προσκυνεῖν\n\nἐπιπολαίῳ καὶ ἐξωτέρᾳ προσκυνήσει, μὴ «ἐν πνεύματι» δὲ «καὶ ἀληθείᾳ»\n\nπροσκυνούντων, εἰπών· «ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, ὅτε οἱ ἀληθινοὶ προσκυνηταὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ πατρὶ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ τοιούτους ζητεῖ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτόν. πνεῦμα ὁ θεὸς καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτὸν ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν», τοὺς ἐπουρανίους παλατινοὺς καὶ ἐν πνεύματι πλουσίους ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν πενίᾳ δεινῇ τῆς ἁμαρτίας διακρίνων, οἵτινες διὰ τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως ζῆν δοκοῦσιν, οὐ μέντοι τὴν πλουσίαν ζωὴν τῆς ἐν δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος ἐνεργείας κεκτημένοι.","english":"For those men, being in the terrible poverty of the worldly spirit and deprived of the power of heavenly wealth, and with their mind confounded by the passions, scarcely finding even one good thought out of many evils within themselves, find rest, being governed by poverty and filled up with the plain garments of small virtues, since they do not have the varied workings of the Spirit in the divine virtues—as also the Lord made manifest the great difference between the true worshippers who were to be, and the many who seem to worship with a superficial and outward worship, not worshipping \"in spirit\" and \"in truth,\" when he said: \"The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for indeed the Father seeks such to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth\"—distinguishing the heavenly palace-dwellers and those rich in spirit from those in the terrible poverty of sin, who indeed through the confession of faith in Christ seem to live, yet have not acquired the rich life of the working that is in the power of the Spirit.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":45,"ref":"p45","source":"Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ σώματος πάντες μὲν ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ὑγιῆ καὶ ἀσινῆ αὐτὴν κέκτηνται, οἱ δὲ νοσερὰν ἢ καὶ τετραυματισμένην. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς πάθεσιν τοῦ σώματος πολλή τις διαφορὰ τυγχάνει· οἱ μὲν γὰρ προφανῶς τραύματα ἔχοντες ἀλγοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ τραύματα πρόδηλα μὴ ἔχοντες ψυγμὸν δεινὸν ἐν τῷ σώματι ἔχουσιν ὥστε μηδὲ κινεῖσθαι δύνασθαι καὶ κατὰ μὲν τὸ ὁρώμενον ὡς ὑγιὲς εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ σῶμα, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς πόνους καὶ τὴν κίνησιν τῆς ἐργασίας πολὺ χεῖρον αὐτοῦ ἐστι καὶ δυσθεράπευτον πάθος τοῦ προ δήλως πεπληγμένου. ἐκεῖνος φανερὰ ἔχων τὰ τραύματα, ἐὰν ἔλθῃ πρὸς τὸν ἰατρόν, ταχύτερον ἐκείνου θεραπείας ἀξιοῦται. καὶ πάντα δὲ τὰ κρύφια τοῦ σώματος πάθη τῶν προδήλων χείρονα τυγχάνει καὶ δυσ θεράπευτα. οὕτω καὶ οἱ Χριστιανοί. πολλοὶ νομίζονται ὑγιεῖς εἶναι (τουτέστι πνευματικοὶ) διά τινας ἐπιπολαίους καὶ σωματικὰς ἀρετάς, ἔσωθεν δὲ δεινοῖς πάθεσι κρυφίοις κεκράτηνται· καὶ ἄλλοι προδήλοις ἁμαρτήμασιν ἐνεχόμενοι καὶ παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς ὡς ἀδόκιμοι καὶ ἀπόβλητοι ὄντες (ὥσπερ τῷ Φαρισαίῳ «ὁ τελώνης»), ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψωσι πρὸς τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἰατρὸν Χριστόν, προσεγγίζοντες αὐτῷ ταχυτέραν τὴν ἴασιν παρὰ τοὺς προειρημένους δέχονται (ὃν τρόπον ὁ τελώνης παρὰ τὸν Φαρισαῖον, «κατέβη», γάρ φησιν, «δεδικαιωμένος»)· οὐκ εἰσὶ γὰρ οὕτω «κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον» ὡς οἱ κρυπτοῖς πάθεσι πεπληγμένοι, οἷον ἢ οἰήσει ἢ ἐπάρσει ἢ φυσιώσει ἢ ἀπιστίᾳ ἢ ὑπερηφανίᾳ ἢ δοκήσει ἢ ὑποκρίσει ἢ κενοδοξίᾳ ἢ δειλίᾳ ἢ αἰσχροῖς λογισμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὁμοίοις.","english":"For just as all people have the image of the body, but some possess it healthy and unharmed, while others possess it diseased or even wounded—yet even in the afflictions of the body themselves there is a great difference. For those who have visible wounds suffer pain, while those who have no obvious wounds have a terrible chill in the body, so that they cannot even move, and by appearance the body seems to be healthy, but in terms of its pains and the movement of its activity it is much worse, and its affliction is harder to cure than that of one who has been visibly struck. That man, having his wounds manifest, if he comes to the physician, is deemed worthy of healing more quickly than the other. And all the hidden afflictions of the body are worse than the manifest ones and hard to cure. So also are Christians. Many are thought to be healthy (that is, spiritual) because of certain superficial and bodily virtues, but inwardly they are mastered by terrible hidden passions; and others, entangled in manifest sins and regarded by the many as disreputable and outcast (as the tax collector was by the Pharisee), if they turn to the true physician, Christ, and draw near to him, receive healing more quickly than those just mentioned (in the way the tax collector did compared to the Pharisee; for it says, \"he went down justified\"). For they are not so \"in the inner man\" as those who have been struck by hidden passions—such as conceit, or arrogance, or puffing up, or unbelief, or pride, or presumption, or hypocrisy, or vainglory, or cowardice, or shameful thoughts and the like.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":46,"ref":"p46","source":"«ἄνθρωπος», γάρ φησιν, «ὄψεται εἰς πρόσωπον, ὁ δὲ θεὸς ὄψεται εἰς καρδίαν». πλὴν τὸ ζητούμενόν ἐστιν, ἵνα καὶ ἔξωθεν καὶ ἔσωθεν ὑγιὴς εὑρεθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τῆς θείας χάριτος καὶ τοῦ ἰδίου αὐτεξουσίου ἀγῶνος, καὶ τότε κληρονόμος τῆς βασιλείας γενέσθαι καταξιοῦται ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς ἀιῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.\n\nΑὕτη ἐστὶν «ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη», οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ «νόμος τοῦ πνεύματος», ὁ ἐν «καρδίαις» ἐγγραφόμενος, ὁ προκεκηρυγμένος ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν, ἐν τούτῳ τῷ νόμῳ καρποφορεῖ ἡ ψυχὴ καρποὺς «δικαιοσύνης» καὶ ζῇ ἐν θεῷ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. εἴ τις οὖν οὐκ ἐδέξατο τὴν χάριν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εἴ τις οὐκ ἤλπισε καὶ ἔλαβε «τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος», ἠθέτησε «τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ» καὶ ἠρνήσατο ἔργῳ πάσας τὰς γραφάς. εἰ γὰρ ἐνέργειαν οὐκ ἐδέξατο, φαντάζεται ὑπὸ λογισμῶν, τῆς ἐπουρανίου ἐκκλησίας τῶν «πρωτοτόκων» ἀλλότριος ὤν, τοῖς «πνεύμασι» τῶν «δι καίων καὶ τετελειωμένων» οὐκ ἐκοινώνησεν, τῆς «ἄνω Ἰερουσαλὴμ» οὐκ ἐγένετο. οὗτος οὐ προσεκύνησε «τῷ πατρὶ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀλη θείᾳ». ἐν ᾧ γὰρ οὔκ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς κατοικῶν, οὗτος οὐδὲ ἔγνωκε τὸν θεόν· «αὕτη» γάρ «ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἵνα γινώσκωσι σὲ τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεόν». «τὸ» γὰρ «γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστι» καὶ «ἡ γέννησις τοῦ θεοῦ» φυλάσσει «αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς οὐχ ἅπτεται αὐτοῦ». οὗτοι δὲ","english":"For,\" he says, \"man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.\" Yet the point under inquiry is that the human being be found healthy both outwardly and inwardly, through divine grace and his own self-determined struggle, and then be deemed worthy to become an heir of the kingdom in Christ Jesus, to whom be the glory and the power unto the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nThis is \"the new covenant,\" this is \"the law of the Spirit,\" the one inscribed in \"hearts,\" the one proclaimed beforehand by the prophets; in this law the soul bears fruit of \"righteousness\" and lives in God eternal life. If, then, anyone has not received the grace from God, and if anyone has not hoped and received \"the gift of the Holy Spirit,\" he has set aside \"the counsel of God\" and has denied all the Scriptures by his deed. For if he has not received the working, he is deluded by his own reasonings, being a stranger to the heavenly church of the \"firstborn\"; he has not shared with the \"spirits\" of the \"righteous and perfected,\" he has not become part of the \"Jerusalem above.\" This man has not worshiped \"the Father in spirit and truth.\" For in whom God does not dwell, that man has not even known God; \"for this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God.\" For \"that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,\" and \"the birth of God\" keeps \"him, and the evil one does not touch him.\" But these—","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":47,"ref":"p47","source":"βούλονται χωρὶς θεμελίου στέγην ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ οἴκῳ. χωρὶς μητρὸς υἱὸς οὐ γεννᾶται καὶ χωρὶς κοινωνίας τέκνον οὐ γίνεται, οὕτω καὶ χωρὶς τῆς γεννήσεως τῆς ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου υἱὸς θεοῦ οὐδεὶς γίνεται, υἱὸς δὲ θεοῦ μὴ ὢν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον οὐκ εἰσέρχεται. «ὅσοι γὰρ πνεύματι θεοῦ ἄγονται, οὗτοί εἰσιν υἱοὶ θεοῦ». οἶκος γὰρ οἰκοδομούμενος θεμελίου χρῄζει. οὐχὶ ἁπλῶς «ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον» τις οἰκοδομεῖ ἀλλὰ πρῶτον πᾶσαν ἄμμον ἀνορύσσει καὶ βαθύνει καὶ οὕτω τίθησιν «ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν» τὸν θεμέλιον, ἵνα δια μείνῃ ἀσάλευτος ἐρχομένων τῶν χειμώνων καὶ ἀνέμων καὶ τῶν κλυ δώνων καὶ τῶν ποταμῶν· οἱ δὲ ἁπλῶς ἐπὶ ἄμμον οἰκοδομοῦντες μάτην κοπιῶσιν, εὐθέως γὰρ πίπτει καὶ καταστρέφεται ἡ οἰκία. οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ φιλαλήθης βουλομένη τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτῆς οἰκοδομῆσαι κατὰ τὸν τοῦ κυρίου λόγον οὐκ οἰκοδομεῖ «ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον» τῶν πονηρῶν δια λογισμῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ ὀρύσσει καὶ βαθύνει τοὺς ἀμμώδεις καὶ κακοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῆς πονηρίας ὅσον δυνατὸν αὐτῇ ἐκκόπτουσα, ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ λογισμοὺς στερεοὺς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς πίστεως ἀσαλεύτους, ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ τὸν Χριστόν, τὴν ἀληθινὴν πέτραν, εἰς ἣν «πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύουσιν». καὶ οὕτως ἐποικοδομεῖ διὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς πολιτείας ἔχουσα καρδίαν καθαράν, συνείδησιν ἀγαθήν, πίστιν ἀνυπόκριτον κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον, καὶ οὕτω συμπληροῖ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν πνευματικὴν ἔσωθεν οὖσαν καθαρὰν καὶ ἔξωθεν πολὺ μᾶλλον καθαράν.","english":"They wish to put a roof on the house without a foundation. Without a mother a son is not born, and without union a child does not come to be; so too, without the birth that is from the Holy Spirit no one becomes a son of God, and one who is not a son of God does not enter into eternal life. \"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.\" For a house that is being built needs a foundation. It is not that someone simply builds \"on the sand,\" but first he digs up all the sand and goes deep, and so lays the foundation \"on the rock,\" so that it may remain unshaken when the storms and winds and waves and rivers come; but those who build simply on the sand labor in vain, for the house immediately falls and is overturned. So too a truth-loving soul, wishing to build its house according to the word of the Lord, does not build \"on the sand\" of the evil thoughts of sin, but digs and goes deep, cutting out the sandy and wicked thoughts of evil as far as it can, until it finds the solid thoughts of the faith of Christ, unshaken, until it finds Christ, the true rock, against which \"the gates of hell do not prevail.\" And so it builds upon this through good conduct, having a pure heart, a good conscience, and unfeigned faith, according to the apostle, and in this way it completes the building of the house of God—the spiritual house—pure within and much more pure without.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":48,"ref":"p48","source":"τὸ πρὶν γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι τοῦτο τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐλεύσεως καὶ ἐπιφανείας αὐτοῦ ὅλος ὁ καλλωπισμὸς τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἔξωθεν ἦν, καὶ ὁ νόμος καὶ ἡ περιτομὴ καὶ ὁ καθαρισμὸς καὶ αἱ θυσίαι καὶ αἱ προσφοραὶ καὶ αἱ λατρεῖαι. ἐξ οὗ δὲ «ἐπεφάνη» ὁ «σωτήριος» λόγος τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἔδωκε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον εἰς τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐν μέλανι μὴ γραφόμενον, πάντα ἔσωθεν εὑρίσκεται, καὶ λατρεία ἔσωθεν ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως καθαρᾶς καὶ θυσίαι ἔσωθεν (φησὶ γὰρ ὁ ψαλμῳδός· «ἔπαρσις τῶν χειρῶν μου θυσία ἑσπερινή») καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς ἡ ἔνδον ζητεῖται καθαρότης καὶ ὁ καλλωπισμὸς τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ οὕτω δύναται καὶ τὸ ἔξωθεν ἐξ ἀληθείας εἶναι καθαρόν, ὡς φησὶν ὁ κύριος· «Φαρισαῖε τυφλέ», «τὸ ἔσωθεν τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ τῆς παροψίδος πλῦνον», «ἵνα» «καὶ τὸ ἔξωθεν» ᾖ «καθαρόν». «ὁ» γὰρ «ποιήσας τὸ ἔσωθεν καὶ τὸ ἔξωθεν ἐποίησεν». εἰ γὰρ τὸ πρὶν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μὴ ἔχοντες τὸν ἔσωθεν καθαρισμὸν διὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῦ νόμου ἐκαλλωπίζοντο, πόσῳ μᾶλλον, ὅταν ἡ ψυχὴ καθαρισθῇ ἐκ τοῦ σκότους ἔχουσα ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὸν ἀληθινὸν Χριστόν, ἐξ ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἡγίασται καὶ κεκαλλώπισται. {{Μαργαρίτης μέγας καὶ πολύτιμος καὶ βασιλικός, ὁ εἰς διάδημα βασιλικὸν προχωρῶν, βασιλέως μόνου χρῄζει, καὶ βασιλεὺς μόνος δύναται τὸν μαργαρίτην τοῦτον φορεῖν, ἄλλῳ δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ φορεῖν τὸν τοιοῦτον μαργαρίτην οὐκ ἔξεστιν. οὕτω καὶ ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ καὶ θεϊκοῦ πνεύματος καὶ γένος ἐπουράνιον καὶ βασι λικὸν γένηται καὶ τέκνον θεοῦ (κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον·","english":"For formerly, before this mystery of the Spirit of Christ was revealed and before his coming and manifestation, the whole adornment of righteousness was outward—the law, circumcision, purification, sacrifices, offerings, and acts of worship. But since the saving Word of Christ has appeared and has given the Holy Spirit into the hearts of men—the Word not written in ink—all things are found within: worship within from a pure conscience, and sacrifices within (for the psalmist says, \"The lifting up of my hands is an evening sacrifice\"), and simply the inner purity and adornment of the soul is sought; and thus the outward can also be truly clean, as the Lord says: \"Blind Pharisee, wash the inside of the cup and the dish, that the outside also may be clean.\" For \"he who made the inside also made the outside.\" For if formerly men, not having inner purification, were adorned through the righteousness of the law, how much more, when the soul has been purified from darkness and has the true Christ within itself, is the body also truly sanctified and adorned. A great and precious and royal pearl, one that advances to a royal diadem, needs only a king, and only a king can wear this pearl, and it is not permitted for another man to wear such a pearl. So too, unless one is born of the royal and divine Spirit and becomes a heavenly and royal race and a child of God (according to what is written—","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":49,"ref":"p49","source":"«ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι»), τὸν ἐπουράνιον καὶ πολύτιμον μαργαρίτην, τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ κύριος, οὐ δύναται φορέσαι, βασιλείας μὴ γεννηθεὶς υἱός. οἱ γὰρ ἔχοντες καὶ φοροῦντες τὸν μαργαρίτην συζήσουσι καὶ συμβασιλεύσουσι τῷ Χριστῷ εἰς τοὺς ἀιῶνας· οὕτω γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ ἀπόστολος· «καθὼς ἐφορέσαμεν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ, φορέσωμεν καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου»}}. Χριστὸς ἐστὶν ὁ ἐν ψυχῇ φορούμενος ἐν φωτὶ ἀρρήτῳ μόνον τοῖς φοροῦσιν αὐτὸν ἐξ ἀληθείας γινωσκόμενος καὶ ὁρώμενος τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοῖς· ἀμυήτῳ δὲ «τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος» γνῶναι ἀδύνατον ἢ μόνον πίστιν δέξασθαι, ἕως οὗ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ γένηται ἡ ἐπουράνιος εἰκὼν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τότε τῇ πείρᾳ ἐξ ἀληθείας\n\nγινώσκει τὴν χρηστότητα τοῦ κυρίου. Δόξα τῷ οὕτως ἀγαπήσαντι τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ μετόχους τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ εἶναι καταξιώσαντι. λέγει γὰρ Πέτρος· «ἵνα» «γένησθε θείας κοινωνοὶ φύσεως». τοιούτων οὖν ἀγαθῶν καὶ θείων χαρισμάτων ἐπηγγελμένων σπουδάσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ παρακαλέσωμεν, ἵνα μέτοχοι γενώμεθα, καθὼς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος εἶπε· «τεκνία μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω ἄχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν». οὐαὶ ὅστις οὐκ ἐζήτησε καὶ εὗρε τὰ πνευματικὰ καὶ ἄρρητα ἀγαθά, ὅτι ὁ μὴ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ πνεύματος εἰς «βασιλείαν» εἰσελθεῖν οὐ δύναται· ὁ γὰρ κύριος οὕτως ἀπεφήνατο.","english":"But to as many as received him, he gave the right to become children of God”), he cannot wear the heavenly and precious pearl, the image of the true light, which is the Lord, unless he has been born a son of the kingdom. For those who have and wear the pearl will live together and reign together with Christ forever; for so the apostle said: “As we have worn the image of the earthly, let us wear also the image of the heavenly.” Christ is he who is worn in the soul in ineffable light, known only to those who wear him in truth, and seen by the eyes of the soul; but for the uninitiated it is impossible to know “the things of the Spirit” or only to receive faith, until the heavenly image of Christ comes to be in him as well, and then by experience he truly knows the goodness of the Lord. Glory to him who so loved the human race and counted them worthy to be partakers of his own substance. For Peter says: “that you may become partakers of the divine nature.” Since such good things and divine gifts have been promised, let us also be zealous and entreat, that we may become partakers, as the apostle also said: “My little children, for whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you.” Woe to him who has not sought and found the spiritual and ineffable good things, for he who has not been born of the Spirit cannot enter the “kingdom”; for the Lord so declared.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":50,"ref":"p50","source":"Ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ ἄνθρωπος πλασθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ χειρῶν ἦν ἐν καθαρότητι καὶ ἡμερότητι πολλῇ, ὅτε δὲ παρέβη τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ, ὑπὸ τὴν ἀπόφασιν γέγονεν, βασιλευθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ συναπηγρι ώθη τοῖς θελήμασιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γένος βασιλευθὲν ἐν ἀγριότητι καὶ ἐρημίᾳ ἐξητάσθη, μὴ ὑποτασσόμενον τῷ ζυγῷ τῆς δικαιοσύνης. ὅθεν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς ἀνακαλούμενος ἐν συνη θείᾳ ἀγριότητος τυγχάνων δυσχερῶς ἐπανέρχεται ἐπὶ τὸν ἥμερον καὶ χρηστὸν ζυγόν. ὃν τρόπον βοῦς αἰρόμενος ἀπὸ ἀγρίας ἀγέλης εἰς τὸ ὑπεισελθεῖν ζυγῷ καὶ ἀροτριάσαι τὴν γῆν πρῶτον μὲν ἀγριαίνεται καὶ ἀπεχθῶς ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ζυγόν, ἐπὰν δὲ γυμνασθῇ καὶ δαμασθῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ ζευγηλάτου, κατ' ὀλίγον σὺν τῷ ἐργάτῃ βοΐ, τὸ λοιπὸν ἄνευ ἀνάγκης προθύμως προσέρχεται τῷ ζυγῷ ἐμπονῶν τῇ γῇοὕτω καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ πιστεύουσα τῷ θεῷ ἔτι ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κρατουμένη καὶ ἔρημος οὖσα ἀγριαίνει πρὸς τὸν ἀληθινὸν ζυγόν, συζευγνυμένη δὲ μετὰ ἁγίων ψυχῶν τῶν τὸ ἔργον τῆς ἀληθινῆς γῆς καλῶς εἰδότων ἐργάζεσθαι, λοιπὸν ὑπὸ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ πνεύματος ἡμεροῦται καὶ ὁδηγεῖται εἰς ἀλήθειαν κατ' ὀλίγον, ἕως οὗ παντελῶς ἡμερωθῇ, καὶ λοιπὸν τὸν χρηστὸν ζυγὸν τοῦ κυρίου ἡδέως ἀναλαμβάνει ἐργαζομένη τὴν γῆν τῆς καρδίας, ἵνα ποιήσῃ καρποὺς «τοῦ πνεύματος», κεντουμένη καὶ μαστιζομένη ὑπὸ τῶν πικρῶν πειρασμῶν μᾶλλον εἰς τὸ ἔργον τὸ θεϊκὸν ἀόκνως καὶ σπουδαιοτέρως ἐργάζεται.","english":"From the beginning, man, formed by the hands of God, was in purity and great gentleness; but when he transgressed the commandment of God, he came under the sentence, and being ruled by the evil one, he was made savage along with his own wills, and his whole race, ruled in savagery and desolation, was found not submitting to the yoke of righteousness. Therefore, when he is called back by the word of life while he is still in the habit of savagery, he returns with difficulty to the gentle and kind yoke. In the way that an ox, taken from a wild herd to come under the yoke and plow the earth, at first is wild and has a dislike for the yoke, but when it has been trained and tamed by the yoke-driver, little by little together with the fellow-worker ox, for the rest it comes eagerly to the yoke without compulsion, laboring on the earth—so also the soul that believes in God, while still held under sin and being desolate, is wild toward the true yoke; but when it is yoked together with holy souls who well know how to work the work of the true earth, for the rest it is tamed by the grace of the Spirit and is guided into the truth little by little, until it is completely tamed, and for the rest it gladly takes up the kind yoke of the Lord, working the earth of the heart, so that it may produce the fruits \"of the Spirit,\" and being pricked and scourged by bitter temptations, it works the divine work all the more unremittingly and more zealously.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":51,"ref":"p51","source":"ἢ πάλιν {{ὥσπερ ἵππος ἐν ἀγέλαις πελάζεται καὶ ἐν ἐρημίαις μετὰ ἀγρίων θηρίων ἔχων τὴν δίαιταν ἄγριος καὶ ἀνυπότακτός ἐστι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, εἶτα λαμβάνεται ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγρίας ἀγέλης καὶ πρῶτον βασανίζεται ποικίλως, ἕως οὗ τὸ ἄγριον αὐτοῦ ἡμερωθῇ καὶ περιτιθέασιν αὐτῷ βαρὺν χαλινόν, ἕως οὗ μάθῃ εὐτάκτως καὶ ὀρθῶς περιπατεῖν, καὶ γυμνάζεται ὑπὸ ἐμπείρου καθιστοῦ, ἵνα ἐν πολέμῳ εὔχρηστος γένηται. εἶτα ἐνδύουσιν αὐτὸν ὅπλα ἢ θώρακα ἢ κατάφρακτα καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, καὶ πρῶτον τὸν χαλινὸν κρεμῶσιν καὶ συσσείουσι κατέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ συνεθισθῆναι καὶ μὴ ἀποπτυρῆναι. καὶ οὕτω διδασκόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπιβάτου μανθάνει πολεμεῖν ἐχθροῖς (χωρὶς γὰρ ἐπιβάτου καὶ θώρακος ἵππος πολεμεῖν οὐ δύναται)· ἐπὰν δὲ μάθῃ καὶ συνεθισθῇ εἰς τὸν πόλεμον, ὅταν ὀσφρανθῇ ἢ ἀκούσῃ φωνῶν «πολέμου», αὐτὸς ἑτοίμως ἔρχεται ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς, ὥστε καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς φωνῆς πτόησιν ἐμποιεῖν τοῖς πολεμισταῖς. τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἀπὸ τῆς παραβάσεως οὖσα ἀγρία καὶ ἀνυπότακτος ἐν ἐρημίᾳ τοῦ κόσμου πελα ζομένη μετὰ τῶν θηρίων, τῶν πνευμάτων «τῆς πονηρίας», τὴν δια κονίαν ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἔχουσα ζῇ. ὅταν δὲ ἀκούσῃ λόγον θεοῦ καὶ πιστεύσῃ, χαλιναγωγουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἀποτίθεται τὸ ἄγριον ἦθος καὶ τὸ σαρκικὸν φρόνημα, ἡνιοχουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπιβάτου Χριστοῦ.","english":"Or again, just as a horse in herds draws near and in desolate places has its dwelling with wild beasts, being wild and untamed toward men, then is taken from the wild herd and first is tormented in various ways, until its wildness is tamed, and they put a heavy bridle on it, until it learns to walk in order and rightly, and it is trained by an experienced rider, so that it may become useful in war. Then they clothe it with weapons or a breastplate or armor and the rest, and first they hang the bridle and shake it before its eyes, so that it may become accustomed and not shy away. And thus being taught by the rider it learns to fight against enemies (for without a rider and a breastplate a horse cannot fight); but when it has learned and become accustomed to war, whenever it scents or hears the sounds of \"war,\" it comes readily against the enemies, so as even from that very sound to cause panic in the warriors. In the same way also the soul, being wild and untamed from the transgression, drawing near in the desolate place of the world with the beasts, the spirits \"of wickedness,\" lives having its service in sin. But when it hears the word of God and believes, being bridled by the Spirit it puts off the wild disposition and the fleshly mind, being guided by the rider Christ.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":52,"ref":"p52","source":"εἶτα εἰς θλῖψιν καὶ δαμασμὸν καὶ στενοχωρίαν εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὸ δοκιμασθῆναι αὐτήν, ἵνα κατ' ὀλίγον ἡμερωθῇ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐκλειπούσης καὶ ἀφανιζομένης κατ' ὀλίγον τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ ἁμαρτίας καὶ οὕτως ἐνδυομένη ἡ ψυχὴ «τὸν θώρακα τῆς δικαιοσύνης» καὶ «τὴν περικεφαλαίαν τοῦ σωτηρίου» καὶ «τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως» καὶ «τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος» διδάσκεται πολεμεῖν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς αὐτῆς,\n\nκαὶ οὕτως ὁπλισαμένη τῷ τοῦ κυρίου πνεύματι ἀγωνίζεται «πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας» καὶ «τὰ πεπυρωμένα βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ» σβέννυσι. χωρὶς γὰρ τῶν τοῦ πνεύματος ὅπλων οὐκ ἀναιρεῖται ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἔχουσα δὲ τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ κυρίου ἡ ψυχή, ὅταν ἀκούσῃ καὶ αἴσθηται τῶν σφοδρῶν πολέμων, «ἐν ἀλαλάγματι καὶ κραυγῇ ἐκ πορεύεται» (καθὼς ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ εἴρηται), ὅτι καὶ ἀπὸ «τῆς φωνῆς τῆς δεήσεως» αὐτῆς προσπίπτουσιν οἱ ἐχθροί, καὶ οὕτως ἀγωνισαμένη καὶ νικήσασα διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τὸν πόλεμον νικηφόρους στεφάνους ἐπιφέρεται μετὰ παρρησίας πολλῆς, καὶ οὕτω συνάπτεται τῷ ἐπου ρανίῳ βασιλεῖ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.","english":"Then it enters into affliction and subduing and straitness, to be tested, so that little by little it may be tamed through the Spirit, as the sin within it gradually fails and vanishes; and thus the soul, being clothed with \"the breastplate of righteousness\" and \"the helmet of salvation\" and \"the shield of faith\" and \"the sword of the Spirit,\" is taught to war against its enemies,\n\nand thus armed with the Spirit of the Lord it strives \"against the spiritual forces of wickedness\" and quenches \"the fiery darts of the evil one.\" For without the weapons of the Spirit sin is not destroyed; but the soul that has the weapons of the Lord, when it hears and perceives the fierce wars, \"goes forth with shouting and cry\" (as it is said in Job), because at \"the voice of its supplication\" the enemies fall; and thus having striven and conquered the war through the Spirit, it bears victorious crowns with much boldness, and so is joined to the heavenly King for ever and ever.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":53,"ref":"p53","source":"Ἀμήν.}} Ὁ βουλόμενος θεῷ εὐαρεστῆσαι καὶ συγκληρονόμος «Χριστοῦ» πιστεύων γενέσθαι καὶ μιμητὴς τοῦ κυρίου σπουδάζων εἶναι, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς υἱὸς θεοῦ προσαγορευθῇ ἐκ πνεύματος, πρὸ πάντων τῆς μακρο θυμίας καὶ ὑπομονῆς δραξάμενος ὀφείλει τὰς ἀπαντώσας διαφόρους θλίψεις στενοχωρίας τε καὶ ἀνάγκας γενναίως ὑποφέρειν εἴτε σωματικὰς νόσους καὶ πάθη εἴτε ὀνειδισμοὺς ἀνθρώπων καὶ ὕβρεις εἴτε ἀοράτους θλίψεις διαφόρους τὰς ἐπαγομένας τῇ ψυχῇ ὑπὸ τῶν πονη ρῶν πνευμάτων πρὸς τὸ ἐμποδίσαι αὐτῇ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς χαύνωσιν καὶ ὀλιγωρίαν καὶ ἀνυπομονησίαν ἄγειν βουλομένων, κατ' οἰκονομίαν τοῦ κυρίου παραχωροῦντος ἑκάστην ψυχὴν δοκιμασθῆναι ἐν διαφόροις θλίψεσιν, ἵνα φανερωθῶσιν αἱ ψυχαὶ αἱ ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας ἀγαπῶσαι τὸν κύριον καὶ δι' αὐτὸν πάντα τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ γενναίως ὑπομένουσαι καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος κυρίου μὴ ἀφιστάμεναι, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε τὴν λύτρωσιν τῆς χάριτος ἐν πίστει καὶ ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ ἐκδεχόμεναι, διὸ καὶ ἐξελθεῖν δυνήσονται πάντα πει ρασμόν· οὕτω γὰρ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας «τοῦ πνεύματος» ἐπιτυγχάνουσαι ἄξιαι τῆς βασιλείας καθίστανται. ὀφείλει οὖν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ κυρίου ἐξακολουθοῦσα «τὸν σταυρὸν» τοῦ κυρίου αἴρειν μετὰ χαρᾶς, ὡς γέγραπται, τουτέστιν ἑτοίμως ἔχειν ὑπομένειν διὰ τὸν κύριον πάντα ἐπερχόμενον πειρασμὸν εἴτε κρυπτὸν εἴτε φανερόν, καὶ εἰς τὸν κύριον ἀποκρέμασθαι τῇ ἐλπίδι πάντοτε, ὅτι ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐστι καὶ τὸ θλιβῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν παραχωρουμένην ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀπολυτρωθῆναι παντὸς πειρασμοῦ καὶ θλίψεως δι' αὐτοῦ.","english":"Amen. Whoever wishes to please God and, believing, to become a co-heir of Christ, and strives to be an imitator of the Lord, so that he too may be called a son of God from the Spirit, must before all things lay hold of longsuffering and endurance, and bravely bear the various afflictions, straits, and constraints that come upon him—whether bodily illnesses and sufferings, or the reproaches and insults of men, or the various invisible afflictions brought upon the soul by the evil spirits, who wish to hinder it from going to the kingdom by leading it into slackness, negligence, and impatience—while the Lord in his providence permits each soul to be tested in various afflictions, so that the souls may be made manifest which love the Lord with their whole heart and for his sake bravely endure all things brought upon them by the evil one, and do not fall away from the hope of the Lord, but always await the redemption of grace in faith and much endurance; therefore they will also be able to come forth from every temptation. For in this way, obtaining the promise of the Spirit, they are made worthy of the kingdom. The soul, then, that follows the word of the Lord must take up the cross of the Lord with joy, as it is written—that is, be ready to endure for the Lord's sake every temptation that comes, whether hidden or manifest, and to hang upon the Lord in hope always, because it is in his power both to afflict the soul, when he permits it, and to set it free from every temptation and affliction through him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":54,"ref":"p54","source":"εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀνδρίζεται καὶ γενναίως φέρει ὑπομένουσα πᾶσαν θλῖψιν ἀλλὰ λυπεῖται καὶ ἀκηδιᾷ καὶ ἄχθεται καὶ στενοχωρεῖται καὶ ὀλιγωρεῖ τοῦ ἀγῶνος καὶ ἀπελπίζει ὡς μηκέτι λυτρουμένη (ὅπερ καὶ τοῦτο αὐτῆς ἐστι τῆς κακίας τέχνη εἰς ἀκηδίαν καὶ ὀλιγωρίαν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐμβάλλουσα) καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐγκρατὴς ἂν μὴ γένηται ἀπεκδεχομένη πάντοτε τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ κυρίου ἐν πίστει ἀδιστάκτῳ, τέκνον τῆς ζωῆς ἡ τοιαύτη ψυχὴ οὐ γίνεται, ἐπειδὴ ἀκόλουθος πάντων τῶν ἁγίων οὐ γέγονεν οὐδὲ τοῖς ἴχνεσιν τοῦ κυρίου περιεπάτησεν. κατανόησον γὰρ καὶ ἴδε πῶς ἐξ ἀρχῆς οἱ πατέρες πατριάρχαι προφῆται ἀπόστολοι καὶ μάρτυρες διὰ τῆς στενῆς ὁδοῦ τῶν θλίψεων καὶ πειρασμῶν διῆλθον καὶ οὕτως ἠδυνήθησαν εὐαρεστῆσαι τῷ θεῷ ὑπομείναντες πᾶσαν θλῖψιν καὶ πειρασμὸν γεν ναίως καὶ ἐν ταῖς στενοχωρίαις καὶ κακουχίαις ἥδοντο διὰ τὴν προσδοκωμένην τῆς μισθαποδοσίας ἐλπίδα, καθώς φησιν ἡ γραφή· «τέκνον, εἰ προσέρχῃ τῷ κυρίῳ δουλεύειν, ἑτοίμασον τὴν ψυχήν σου εἰς πει ρασμόν· βάθυνον τὴν καρδίαν σου καὶ καρτέρει», καὶ πάλιν ὁ ἀπόστολος· «εἰ δὲ χωρίς ἐστε παιδείας, ἧς μέτοχοι γεγόνασι πάντες, ἄρα νόθοι ἐστὲ καὶ οὐχ υἱοί», καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «τὰ» ἐπιφερόμενά «σοι» πάντα «ὡς ἀγαθὰ πρόσδεξαι, εἰδώς, ὅτι ἄτερ θεοῦ οὐδὲν γίνεται». καὶ ὁ κύριος λέγει· «μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσι καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ' ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς», καὶ τό· «μακάριοι οἱ","english":"But if she does not act manfully and does not bear nobly, enduring every affliction, but is grieved and grows despondent and is burdened and hemmed in and grows slack in the struggle and despairs as though she were no longer being redeemed (which is itself a device of evil, casting the soul into despondency and slackness), and if she does not become possessed of hope, always awaiting the mercy of the Lord in unwavering faith, such a soul does not become a child of life, since she has not become a follower of all the saints nor walked in the footsteps of the Lord. For consider and see how from the beginning the fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs passed through the narrow way of afflictions and temptations, and thus were able to please God, enduring every affliction and temptation nobly and rejoicing in their straits and hardships because of the hoped-for expectation of reward, as the Scripture says: \"Child, if you come to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation; deepen your heart and endure\"; and again the apostle: \"But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons\"; and elsewhere: \"Receive all that comes upon you as good, knowing that without God nothing happens.\" And the Lord says: \"Blessed are you when they reproach you and persecute you and say every evil word against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven\"; and: \"Blessed are the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":55,"ref":"p55","source":"δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασι λεία τῶν οὐρανῶν», δεδιωγμένοι δὲ εἴτε φανερῶς ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων εἴτε κρυπτῶς ὑπὸ τῶν πνευμάτων «τῆς πονηρίας». ἀνταγωνίζονται γὰρ τῇ τὸν θεὸν ζητούσῃ ψυχῇ καὶ εἰς θλίψεις διαφόρους ἐμβάλλουσι πρὸς τὸ ἐμποδίσαι αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἵνα δοκιμασθεῖσα φανερωθῇ, εἰ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἀγαπᾷ τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ ὑπομένειν πᾶσαν θλῖψιν καὶ εἰ τῆς ἐλπίδος εἰς τέλος κρατήσει τὴν λύτρωσιν ἐν πίστει ἀδιστάκτῳ ἐκδεχομένη ἢ πάλιν μὴ ὑπομείνασα ἀλλ' ὑποστείλασα εἰς τὰς θλίψεις καὶ ἀκηδιῶσα ἢ ὀλιγωροῦσα καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐλαττουμένη, ἵνα ἀποδειχθῇ μὴ ἀγαπῶσα τὸν θεὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. αἱ γὰρ διάφοροι θλίψεις καὶ οἱ πειρασμοὶ ἀποδεικνύουσι τὰς ἀναξίας καὶ ἀξίας ψυχάς, τὰς ἐχούσας πίστιν καὶ ἐλπίδα καὶ ὑπομονὴν καὶ τὰς μὴ ἐχούσας, ἵνα ἐν πᾶσιν ἀποδειχθεῖσαι δόκιμοι καὶ πισταὶ αἱ ἄξιαι ψυχαὶ αἱ ἕως τέλους ὑπομείνασαι καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος βεβαίως κρατήσασαι καὶ οὕτω τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν δεξάμεναι διὰ τῆς χάριτος δικαίως τῆς βασιλείας κληρονόμοι γένωνται. τὴν ἐλπίδα τοίνυν καὶ τὴν ὑπομονὴν πρὸ πάντων ἑκάστη ψυχὴ βουλομένη εὐαρεστῆσαι θεῷ γενναίως κρατείτω καὶ οὕτω δυνήσεται διεξελθεῖν πᾶσαν ἐπανάστασιν καὶ θλῖψιν τοῦ πονηροῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοσοῦτον παραχωρεῖ ὁ θεὸς ψυχὴν ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐλπίζουσαν καὶ αὐτὸν ὑπομένουσαν πειρασθῆναι, ὥστε καὶ ἐξαπορηθῆναι καὶ παραδοθῆναι εἰς πειρασμοὺς καὶ θλίψεις, ἃς οὐ δύναται ὑπενεγκεῖν, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος·","english":"persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; and persecuted either openly by men or secretly by the spirits of wickedness. For they contend against the soul that seeks God and cast it into various afflictions, in order to hinder it from entering into eternal life, and at the same time so that, having been tested, it may be shown whether it truly loves God by enduring every affliction and whether it will hold fast to hope until the end, awaiting redemption in undoubting faith, or again, not having endured but having shrunk back in afflictions and grown despondent or fainthearted and fallen short of hope, so that it may be proved not to love God in truth. For the various afflictions and temptations prove souls unworthy and worthy, those that have faith and hope and endurance and those that do not, so that in all things the worthy souls, having been proved approved and faithful—those that endured to the end and held firmly to hope and thus received redemption through grace—may justly become heirs of the kingdom. Therefore every soul that wishes to please God should before all things hold fast to hope and endurance nobly, and thus it will be able to pass through every uprising and affliction of the evil one. For God does not permit a soul that hopes in him and endures for him to be tested to such an extent as to be utterly at a loss and handed over to temptations and afflictions which it cannot bear, as the apostle says:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":56,"ref":"p56","source":"«πιστὸς ὁ θεός, ὃς οὐκ ἐάσει ὑμᾶς πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνασθε, ἀλλὰ ποιήσει σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ δύνασθαι ὑπενεγκεῖν». οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅσον βούλεται ὁ πονηρὸς πειράζει καὶ θλίβει τὴν ψυχήν, ἀλλ' ὅσον παραχωρεῖται αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, μόνον ἡ ψυχὴ γενναίως κρατείτω τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐν πίστει ἐκδεχέσθω τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν καὶ ἀντίληψιν. καὶ ἀμήχανον αὐτὴν ἐγ καταλειφθῆναι, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἀγωνίζεται διὰ πίστεως καὶ ἐλπίδος προσ φεύγουσα τῷ θεῷ καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν καὶ λύτρωσιν ἀδιστάκτως ἐκδεχομένη, τοσοῦτον ταχύτερον λυτροῦται αὐτὴν ὁ κύριος πάσης περιεχούσης θλίψεως. οἶδε γὰρ αὐτὸς πόσον ὀφείλει εἰς δοκιμασίαν καὶ παιδείαν καὶ πειρασμοὺς εἰσελθεῖν ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τοσοῦτον παραχωρεῖ, μόνον αὐτὴ τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ ἐλπίδος ἐγκρατὴς γενέσθω εἰς τέλος καὶ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ, καθὼς εἴρηται· «ἡ θλῖψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν, ἡ δὲ δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα· ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει», καὶ πάλιν· «ὡς θεοῦ διάκονοι, ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ, ἐν θλίψεσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν στενοχωρίαις» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καὶ ὁ κύριός φησιν· «ὁ δὲ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθή σεται» καί· «ἐν τῇ ὑπομονῇ ὑμῶν κτήσασθε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν» καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει· «τίς ἐπίστευσε τῷ θεῷ καὶ κατῃσχύνθη; ἢ τίς ἐνέμεινε τῷ φόβῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγκατελείφθη;","english":"Faithful is God, who will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way out, that you may be able to bear it. For the evil one does not test and afflict the soul as much as he wishes, but only as much as is permitted him by God; let the soul only bravely hold fast its hope and in faith await the help and succor that comes from him. And it is impossible for it to be abandoned, but to the extent that it struggles through faith and hope, fleeing to God and undoubtingly awaiting the help and deliverance that comes from him, to that extent the Lord delivers it more swiftly from every affliction that encompasses it. For he himself knows how much the soul must enter into testing and discipline and temptations, and he permits just so much; let it only become master of endurance and hope to the end, and it will certainly not be put to shame, as it is said: affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope; and hope does not put to shame; and again: as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, and the rest. And the Lord says: but the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved; and: in your endurance possess your souls; and elsewhere he says: who believed God and was put to shame? Or who remained in his fear and was abandoned?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":57,"ref":"p57","source":"ἢ τίς ἐπεκαλέσατο αὐτὸν καὶ ὑπερεῖδεν αὐτόν;» εἰ γὰρ ὀλίγης συνέσεως καὶ νοὸς μετέχοντες οἱ ἄν θρωποι ἐπίστανται δοκιμάζειν καὶ διακρίνειν, πόσον βάρος καὶ γόμον ἕκαστον τῶν ζῴων βαστάσαι δύναται, οἷον ἡμιόνος ἢ ὄνος ἢ κάμηλος, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπιφορτίζουσι κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ζῴου· καὶ ὁ κερα μεὺς ὁ πλάσας τὰ σκεύη εἰ μὴ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ αὐτὰ βάλῃ, ἵνα πυρω θέντα στερεωθῇ, ἐπιτήδεια εἰς χρῆσιν ἀνθρώποις οὐ γίνεται, ἐπίστα ται δὲ πόσον ἐν τῷ πυρὶ χρὴ αὐτὰ ἐνθεῖναι, ἕως οὗ χρήσιμα γένηται, καὶ οὔτε ὑπὲρ τὸ δέον ἀφίησιν αὐτὰ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ, ἵνα μὴ διαρραγέντα καταφθαρῇ, οὔτε δὲ πάλιν ἐλλειπῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἀποίητα καὶ ἄχρηστα ᾖεἰ οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν φαινομένων τοσαύτην γνῶσιν καὶ διάκρισιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι κέκτηνται, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ θεός, ὢν ἀκατάληπτος καὶ ἄφατός τις γνῶσις καὶ σύνεσις καὶ ὅλον σοφία ὑπάρχων, ἐπίσταται πό σων δοκιμασιῶν καὶ θλίψεων καὶ πειρασμῶν χρῄζουσιν αἱ ψυχαὶ αἱ αὐτῷ εὐαρεστεῖν θέλουσαι καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς τυχεῖν ἐπιποθοῦσαι. καὶ","english":"Or who called upon him and he overlooked him? For if human beings, who partake of but little understanding and mind, know how to test and distinguish how great a burden and load each of the animals can bear—such as a mule or a donkey or a camel—and they load them in proportion to the animal's strength; and the potter who molds the vessels, unless he puts them into the furnace so that, being fired, they may be made firm, they do not become fit for human use, yet he knows how much they must be placed in the fire until they become useful, and he neither leaves them in the furnace beyond what is needful, lest, being cracked, they be destroyed, nor again insufficiently, lest they be unfinished and useless—if, then, in the case of visible things human beings possess such knowledge and discernment, how much more does God, who is incomprehensible and ineffable, being a certain knowledge and understanding and wholly wisdom, know how many testings and afflictions and temptations the souls need that wish to please him and long to obtain eternal life. And","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":58,"ref":"p58","source":"οὕτως ὑπομένουσαι γενναίως καὶ πιστῶς ἐν ἐλπίδι πᾶσαν θλῖψιν μέχρι τέλους τότε δόκιμοι καὶ ἐπιτήδειοι τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν καθίστανται. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ εἶδος τῆς καννάβεως οὐ χρησιμεύει εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι ἐξ αὐτοῦ νήματα λεπτότατα, ἐὰν μὴ ἐπὶ πολὺ κοπανισθῇ, καὶ ὅσῳ βασανίζεται, ἐξινίζεται καὶ τοσούτῳ καθαρώτερον καὶ ἐπιτηδειότερον γίνεται, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ φιλόθεος εἰς πολλὰς δοκιμασίας καὶ πειρασμοὺς καὶ θλίψεις εἰσερχομένη καὶ ὑπομένουσα γενναίως καθαρωτέρα καὶ χρησιμωτέρα εἰς τὴν πνευματικὴν τῆς λεπτότητος ἐργασίαν καθίσταται καὶ τέλος τὸν ἐπουράνιον τῆς βασιλείας χῶρον καταξιοῦται κληρονομεῖν. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ νεόπλαστον σκεῦος ἐν πυρὶ μὴ βληθὲν ἀνεπιτήδειόν ἐστιν εἰς χρῆσιν ἀνθρώποις, ἢ ὥσπερ νήπιον βρέφος ὂν πρὸς τὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἔργα ἀνεπιτήδειον τυγχάνει, οὔτε γὰρ πόλεις οἰκοδομεῖν οὔτε φυτεῦσαι δύναται οὔτε σπόρον καταθέσθαι οὔτε ἕτερόν τι τοῦ κόσμου ἔργον ἐπιτελεῖν (νήπιον «γάρ ἐστιν»), οὕτω ψυχαὶ εἰ καὶ θείας χάριτος μέτοχοι γεγόνασι τροποφορούμεναι ἐν τῇ γλυκύτητι καὶ ἀναπαύσει τοῦ πνεύματος διὰ τὴν νηπιότητα αὐτῶν τῇ τοῦ κυρίου χρηστότητι; μήπω δὲ δοκιμασθεῖσαι καὶ πειρασθεῖσαι ἐν διαφόροις θλίψεσιν ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων, δι' ὧν ἡ πρὸς θεὸν ἀγάπη δείκνυται, ἀκμὴν νήπιαι τυγχάνουσι καὶ (ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω) οὐδέπω χρησιμεύουσι τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἀγύμναστοι ἔτι οὖσαι ὡς εἴρηται· «εἰ δὲ χωρίς ἐστε παιδείας, ἧς μέτοχοι γεγόνασι πάντες, ἄρα νόθοι ἔστε καὶ οὐχ υἱοί».","english":"Thus, enduring every affliction bravely and faithfully in hope until the end, they are then approved and fit for the kingdom of heaven. For just as the form of hemp is not useful for making the finest threads from it unless it is beaten for a long time, and the more it is tested, the more it is carded and the purer and more fit it becomes, so also the soul that loves God, entering into many trials and temptations and afflictions and enduring bravely, becomes purer and more useful for the spiritual working of fineness, and finally is deemed worthy to inherit the heavenly place of the kingdom. For just as a newly molded vessel, if it is not put into the fire, is unfit for human use, or just as an infant child is unfit for the works of the world—for it can neither build cities nor plant nor sow seed nor accomplish any other work of the world (for it is an infant)—so also souls, even if they have become partakers of divine grace, being shaped in the sweetness and rest of the Spirit because of their infancy through the goodness of the Lord—but not yet having been tested and tried in various afflictions by the evil spirits, through which love toward God is shown—are still infants and (so to speak) are not yet useful for the kingdom, being still unexercised, as it is said: \"But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":59,"ref":"p59","source":"ὥστε αἱ θλίψεις καὶ οἱ πειρασμοὶ εἰς συμφέρον εἰσὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ δόκιμον καὶ στερρὰν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπεργάζονται, ἐὰν γενναίως καὶ προθύμως ἐν πεποιθήσει καὶ ἐλπίδι θεοῦ ὑπομένῃ τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα, ἀπεκδεχομένη ἐν πίστει ἀδιστάκτῳ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου λύτρωσιν καὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἀδύνατον ἀποτυχεῖν αὐτὴν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας «τοῦ πνεύματος» καὶ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῶν τῆς κακίας πα θῶν καταξιωθῆναι, εἴπερ ὡς δόκιμος καὶ πιστὴ τὴν εἰς τὸν κύριον ἐλπίδα ἕως τέλους ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ κρατήσειεν.\n\nὭσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἅγιοι μάρτυρες εἰς τὸ φαινόμενον πολλὰς βασάνους ὑπέμειναν καὶ «ἕως θανάτου» ἐλθόντες διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν κύριον ἐλπίδα ἐνέμειναν τῇ καλῇ ὁμολογίᾳ καὶ οὕτω δόκιμοι ἀποδειχθέντες τοῦ στεφάνου «τῆς δικαιοσύνης» τυχεῖν κατηξιώθησαν, οἱ δὲ πλείονας καὶ χαλεπωτέρας βασάνους ὑπενέγκοντες πλειόνα δόξαν καὶ παρρησίαν ἐπὶ θεοῦ ἐκομίσαντο καὶ ἐκτήσαντο.","english":"So afflictions and temptations are for a person's benefit, and they render the soul approved and steadfast, if one endures what comes upon him bravely and eagerly in confidence and hope in God, awaiting in unwavering faith the redemption from the Lord and his mercy. And it is impossible for such a soul to fail of the promise \"of the Spirit\" and to be counted worthy of the redemption from the passions of wickedness, provided that, as approved and faithful, it holds fast its hope in the Lord until the end with much endurance.\n\nFor just as the holy martyrs endured many torments in appearance and, having come \"unto death,\" remained in the good confession because of their hope in the Lord, and thus, having been shown approved, were counted worthy to obtain the crown \"of righteousness,\" while those who endured more and harsher torments received and acquired greater glory and boldness before God.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":60,"ref":"p60","source":"ὅσοι δὲ ὑπεστάλησαν τὰς θλίψεις καὶ τὰς μάστιγας δεδοικότες μὴ ἐμμείναντες τῇ καλῇ ὁμολογίᾳ εἰς τέλος ἀπαρρησίαστοι καὶ κατῃσχυμμένοι καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἀποδείκνυνταιτὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ αἱ ψυχαὶ αἱ εἰς θλίψεις παραδιδόμεναι, ἵνα δοκιμασθῶσι, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς πονηρίας πνευμά των ἀοράτως καὶ διαφόρως βασανιζόμεναι, εἴτε κρυπτῶς ἔνδοθεν πόνοις θλίψεων ἢ λογισμοῖς πονηροῖς εἴτε δὲ καὶ φανερῶς διὰ σωμα τικῶν παθῶν, ὑπομένουσαι δὲ γενναίως καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος κρατοῦσαι καὶ τὴν μισθαποδοσίαν τοῦ κυρίου ἐν πίστει ἐκδεχόμεναι τοῦ αὐτοῦ στεφάνου «τῆς δικαιοσύνης» καταξιοῦνται καὶ λύτρωσιν ἐντεῦθεν δεχόμεναι τὴν αὐτὴν παρρησίαν τῶν μαρτύρων ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἐπὶ θεοῦ εὑρίσκουσιν. τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ μαρτύριον τῶν θλίψεων ὑπέμειναν, ὅπερ κἀκεῖνοι δι' ἀνθρώπων, αὗται δι' αὐτῶν τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας τῶν καὶ ἐκείνοις ἐνεργησάντων, καὶ ὅσῳ πλείονας θλίψεις καὶ ἐπαναστάσεις τοῦ πονηροῦ ὑπομένουσι καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος κρατοῦσι, τοσούτῳ πλείονα δόξαν ἐπὶ θεοῦ πορίζονται καὶ ἐντεῦθεν λυτροῦνται κατὰ τὴν προσδοκίαν τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτῶν, τῆς παρακλήσεως τοῦ πνεύματος καταξιούμεναι κἀκεῖθεν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν τῆς βασι λείας κληρονόμοι γενόμεναι. ὅσαι δὲ ψυχαὶ ὑποσταλῶσι δειλίᾳ καὶ φόβῳ τὰς θλίψεις μὴ ὑπομένουσαι, ἀλλ' εἰς ὀλιγωρίαν καὶ ἀνυπομονησίαν καὶ ἀπελπισμὸν ἔλθωσι καὶ","english":"But those who shrank back from afflictions and scourges out of fear, not remaining in the good confession to the end, are shown to be without boldness and put to shame both here and on the day of judgment. In the same way also the souls that are handed over to afflictions, in order that they may be tested, and are invisibly and variously tormented by the spirits of wickedness—whether secretly from within by the pains of afflictions or by evil thoughts, or else openly through bodily sufferings—yet endure bravely and hold fast to hope and await in faith the recompense of the Lord, are deemed worthy of the same crown of righteousness and, receiving redemption from this, find the same boldness as the martyrs on the day of judgment before God. For they have endured the same testimony of afflictions as those others—what the latter endured through men, these endure through the very spirits of wickedness who also worked in those men. And the more afflictions and assaults of the evil one they endure and hold fast to hope, the more glory they obtain before God and are redeemed from this, according to the expectation of their hope, being deemed worthy of the consolation of the Spirit and from there becoming heirs of the eternal good things of the kingdom. But as many souls as shrink back in cowardice and fear, not enduring afflictions, but come to negligence and impatience and despair and","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":61,"ref":"p61","source":"ἀποστραφῶσι τῆς ὁδοῦ «τῆς δικαιο σύνης» καὶ τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ κυρίου εἰς τέλος μὴ ἐκδέξωνται, αἱ τοιαῦται ψυχαὶ ὡς ἀδόκιμοι εὑρεθεῖσαι τῆς αἰωνίου βασιλείας τυχεῖν οὐ δυνή σονται. ἕως θανάτου γὰρ πᾶσα ψυχὴ χρεωστεῖ διὰ τὸν κύριον τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανόντα ἐν μακροθυμίᾳ ὑπομεῖναι καὶ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδα κρατῆσαι καὶ οὕτω τῆς αἰωνίου σωτηρίας καταξιωθῆναι· ὅσοι γὰρ βούλονται τελείως ἐξειλῆσαι τῆς μελλούσης γεέννης τῆς τιμωρούσης τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς καὶ τῆς οὐρανίου βασιλείας ἐπιτυχεῖν, τὰς θλίψεις τῆς γεέννης ἐντεῦθεν διὰ τῶν πειρασμῶν τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐπα γομένων παθεῖν αὐτοὺς δεῖ, καὶ ἐὰν ὑπομείνωσιν ἕως τέλους διὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ κυρίου ἐν πίστει ἀπεκδεχόμενοι, καὶ τῶν πειρασ μῶν καὶ τῶν θλίψεων διὰ τῆς χάριτος λυτροῦνται καὶ τῆς κοινωνίας «τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος» καταξιοῦνται καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου γεέννης ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλάττονται καὶ τὴν αἰώνιον βασιλείαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ κληρονομοῦσιν. τοιαύτην γὰρ ὁ κύριος τὴν ὁδὸν ἔθετο τὴν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν ἀποφέρουσαν στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην ὡς γέγραπται, διὰ τοῦτο «καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν» οἱ διοδεύοντες εἰς αὐτήν. τοιαύτης τοίνυν ἐλπίδος προκειμένης καὶ τοιού των ἐπαγγελιῶν ἐπαγγελθεισῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀψευδοῦς θεοῦ πᾶσαν ἐπ ανάστασιν καὶ θλῖψιν τοῦ πονηροῦ γενναίως ὑπομείνωμεν διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν ἀποκειμένην ἡμῖν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.","english":"But if they turn away from the way of righteousness and do not wait for the mercy of the Lord to the end, such souls, having been found worthless, will not be able to attain the eternal kingdom. For every soul is bound, until death, for the Lord's sake—who died for us—to endure in patience and to hold fast the hope in him, and so to be deemed worthy of eternal salvation. For as many as wish to be fully delivered from the coming Gehenna that punishes sinners and to obtain the heavenly kingdom, they must suffer the afflictions of Gehenna here below through the temptations brought on by the evil one; and if they endure to the end, awaiting in faith the mercy of the Lord through hope, they are both delivered from temptations and afflictions through grace and deemed worthy of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, and are released from eternal Gehenna here below and inherit the eternal kingdom of Christ. For the Lord has set such a way as leads to life—narrow and constricted, as it is written; for this reason also few are those who travel along it. Since such a hope lies before us and such promises have been promised by the God who does not lie, let us endure with courage every assault and affliction of the evil one for the sake of the hope laid up for us in the heavens.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":62,"ref":"p62","source":"ὅσας γὰρ θλίψεις ἐὰν ὑπομεί νωμεν διὰ τὸν κύριον, τί ἀντάξιον γενήσεται ἢ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπηγγελμένην ζωὴν ἢ πρὸς τὴν ἐντεῦθεν γινομένην ταῖς ὑπομενούσαις ψυχαῖς «τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος» παράκλησιν ἢ πρὸς τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν τοῦ σκότους τῶν παθῶν τῆς κακίας ἢ καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὀφλήματα τοῦ πλή θους τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν; καθὼς εἴρηται· «κρινόμενοι δὲ ὑπὸ κυρίου παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν», καὶ πάλιν· οὐ γὰρ «ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι εἰς ἡμᾶς».\n\nΓενώμεθα οὖν ὡς γενναῖοι στρατιῶται ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως ἡμῶν ἑτοί μως ἀποθνῄσκοντες. διὰ τί γὰρ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ὅτε ἐν βιωτικοῖς ἀνεστρε φόμεθα πράγμασι, ταῦτα οὐκ ἐπάσχομεν οὐδὲ τοιαύτας θλίψεις εἴχομεν, ἀλλὰ νῦν, ὅτε προσήλθομεν τῷ κυρίῳ εὐαρεστῆσαι, τοσαῦται ἐπαναστάσεις καὶ θλίψεις τοῦ πονηροῦ καθ' ἡμῶν ἐπεγείρονται; ὁρᾷς ὅτι διὰ τὸν κύριον ταῦτα πάσχομεν, φθονοῦντος ἡμῖν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ καὶ πειρωμένου διαστρέψαι ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς ζωῆς ἢ εἰς χαύνωσιν ἢ εἰς ὀλιγωρίαν ἀγα γεῖν, ἵνα μὴ εὐαρεστήσαντες σωθῶμεν. ὅσον τοίνυν ὁ πονηρὸς ἐπεγείρεται καθ' ἡμῶν, ἡμεῖς ἐὰν εὑρεθῶμεν ἐν ὑπομονῇ καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ ἑτοίμως ἔχοντες «ἕως θανάτου» ἐρχόμενοι ὑπομένειν διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν κύριον ἐλπίδα, πᾶσαι αὐτοῦ αἱ καθ' ἡμῶν μηχαναὶ λύονται. ἔχομεν γὰρ τὸν ὑπερασπιστὴν ἡμῶν καὶ ὑπέρμαχον Ἰησοῦν, ὃς καὶ ἡμῖν θλιβο μένοις καὶ ἐλπίζουσιν ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὑπομονὴν δίδωσιν, κἀκεῖνος καταισχύνεται ἡμῶν τὰ νικητήρια τῶν πόνων (τουτέστι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ κυρίου) κομιζομένων.","english":"For whatever afflictions we endure for the Lord's sake, what will be comparable either to the future promised life, or to the consolation of the Holy Spirit that comes from this present time to souls that endure, or to the redemption from the darkness of the passions of wickedness, or even to the debts of the multitude of our sins? As it is said: \"But being judged by the Lord, we are chastened, so that we may not be condemned with the world\"; and again: \"the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory that is to be revealed in us.\"\n\nLet us therefore be as noble soldiers, ready to die for our King. For why was it that in the world, when we were occupied with worldly affairs, we did not suffer these things nor have such afflictions, but now, when we have come near to please the Lord, so many uprisings and afflictions of the evil one are stirred up against us? You see that we suffer these things for the Lord's sake, while the enemy envies us and tries to turn us aside from the way of life, or to lead us into slackness or into negligence, so that we might not be saved by having pleased God. To the extent, then, that the evil one is stirred up against us, if we are found in endurance and courage, ready to endure \"even to death\" for the hope that is in the Lord, all his devices against us are dissolved. For we have Jesus as our protector and champion, who gives endurance both to us when we are afflicted and to those who hope in him, and that one is put to shame when we carry off the trophies of our labors—that is, the kingdom of the Lord.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":63,"ref":"p63","source":"γενώμεθα οὖν ὡς ἄκμονες τυπτόμενοι καὶ μὴ ἐνδιδόντες μηδὲ τύπους χαυνώσεως ἢ ὀλιγωρίας ἢ ἀκηδίας διὰ τῶν μαστίγων τῶν πειρασμῶν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς δεχόμενοι, δερόμενοι νικήσωμεν τὸν ἀντίπαλον διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς. καὶ γὰρ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν οὕτω τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ τον διώδευσε μαστιζόμενος ὀνειδιζόμενος διωκόμενος ἐμπτυόμενος, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ ἀτίμῳ θανάτῳ σταυροῦ ὑπὸ ἀνόμων τετιμώρηται. καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ὑπήνεγκε διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν «ἡμῖν καταλιμπάνων ὑπογραμμὸν» ζωῆς, ἵνα δι' ἧς ὁδοῦ πειρασμῶν καὶ θλίψεων καὶ θανάτου αὐτὸς διώδευσε, τῇ αὐτῇ ὁδῷ διοδεύσωσι οἱ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ πιστεύοντες καὶ «συγκληρόνομοι» αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι βουλό μενοι, ἵνα ὥσπερ αὐτὸς πολλὰ ἔπαθε δι' ἡμῶν, ὕστερον δὲ θανὼν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐνίκησε καὶ σταυρωθεὶς ἐσταύρωσε καὶ ἀποθανὼν ἐθανάτωσε κατακρίνας «τὴν ἁμαρτίαν» «διὰ τῆς\n\nσαρκὸς» καὶ καθελὼν τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις, καθὼς εἴρηται· «ἀπεκδυσάμενος τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας» ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ «ἐδειγμάτισε θριαμβεύσας αὐτὰς ἐν αὐτῷ», οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς πᾶσαν ἐπανάστασιν καὶ θλῖψιν τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐὰν γενναίως καὶ προθύμως καὶ «ἕως θανάτου» ἐλθόντες ὑπομείνω μεν, τότε νικήσομεν τὸν ἀντίπαλον διὰ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν κύριον ἐλπίδος, καὶ οὕτω δόκιμοι εὑρεθέντες τῆς ἀπο λυτρώσεως καταξιούμεθα καὶ τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ τοῦ πνεύματος πληρού μεθα καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν αἰωνίου ζωῆς κληρονόμοι γινόμεθα. εἰς γὰρ τὸν πνευματικὸν ἀγῶνα ἡ κατὰ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου νίκη διὰ παθῶν καὶ θανάτου γίνεται. πάσχοντες καὶ θανατούμενοι διὰ τὸν κύριον προθύ μως τότε νικῶμεν τὸν ἀντικείμενον.","english":"Let us therefore be like anvils that are struck and do not give way, nor receive in ourselves the impressions of slackness or faintheartedness or despondency through the scourges of temptations; being beaten, let us conquer the adversary through endurance. For our Lord also passed through this present age in this way—being scourged, reviled, persecuted, spat upon, and afterward even punished by an dishonorable death of the cross at the hands of the lawless. And all those things he endured for our salvation, \"leaving us an example\" of life, so that by the same road of temptations and afflictions and death through which he himself passed, those who truly believe in him and wish to become \"co-heirs\" with him might pass by that same road; so that just as he suffered many things for our sake, and afterward, dying on the cross, conquered, and by being crucified crucified, and by dying put to death, condemning \"sin\" \"through the flesh\" and bringing down the opposing powers, as it is said: \"having stripped off the principalities and the powers\" on the cross \"he made a show of them, triumphing over them in him\"—so also we, if we endure every uprising and affliction of the evil one bravely and eagerly, having come \"even to death,\" then we shall conquer the adversary through faith and endurance and hope in the Lord; and thus, having been found approved, we are counted worthy of the redemption and are filled with the sanctification of the Spirit and become heirs of the eternal life that is there. For in the spiritual contest, the victory over the adversary comes through sufferings and death. Suffering and being put to death for the Lord eagerly—then we conquer the adversary.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":64,"ref":"p64","source":"εἰ οὖν βουλόμεθα πᾶσαν θλῖψιν καὶ πειρασμοὺς μὴ ἐπιπόνους καὶ σκληροὺς ἡγεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' εὐχερῶς ὑπο μένειν πᾶσαν τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐπανάστασιν, τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κυρίου θάνατον πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν πάντοτε ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἔχωμεν καὶ καθὼς εἴρηται ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου «καθ' ἡμέραν τὸν σταυρὸν» αἴροντες (ὅ ἐστι θάνατος) ἀκολουθῶμεν αὐτῷ προθύμως ὀπίσω, καὶ οὕτως εὐχερῶς ὑπομένωμεν πᾶσαν θλῖψιν εἴτε κρυπτὴν εἴτε φανεράν. εἰ γὰρ θάνατον ὑπὲρ τοῦ κυρίου ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ προσδοκῶμεν καὶ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν πάντοτε ἐπι ποθοῦντες ἔχομεν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον οἵας ἂν βαρείας θλίψεις εὐχερῶς μετὰ χαρᾶς ὑπομενοῦμεν. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ δυσχερεῖς καὶ βαρείας καὶ φορτικὰς τὰς θλίψεις ἡγούμεθα ἀνυπομονήτως ἔχοντες, ἐπειδὴ τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κυρίου θάνατον πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν οὐκ ἔχομεν οὐδὲ ἐν αὐτῷ πάν τοτε ἡ διάνοια ἐπιποθεῖ· ὁ γὰρ τὸν κύριον ἐπιθυμῶν κληρονομῆσαι καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ πάθη ἀκολούθως ἐπιθυμείτω. ὥστε οἱ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀγαπῶντες ἐν τούτῳ φαίνονται, ὅταν πάσας θλίψεις ἐπερχομένας αὐ τοῖς γενναίως καὶ προθύμως ὑπομένωσι διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδα. Παρακαλέσωμεν τοίνυν τὸν κύριον δοῦναι ἡμῖν σύνεσιν εἰς τὸ γνωρί ζειν τὸ αὐτοῦ θέλημα καὶ προθύμως ἐπιτελεῖν ἐν πάσῃ ὑπομονῇ καὶ μακροθυμίᾳ μετὰ χαρᾶς, ἣν ἡμῖν αὐτὸς χαρίσεται δυναμώσας ἡμᾶς εἰς πᾶσαν εὐαρέστησιν, ἵνα δόκιμοι καὶ ἄξιοι εὑρεθέντες αὐτοῦ σωτηρίας αἰωνίου τύχωμεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.","english":"If, then, we wish to regard every affliction and temptation as not grievous and hard, but to endure easily every uprising of the evil one, let us always have before our eyes, in desire, the death for the Lord's sake, and, as it is said by the Lord, \"daily taking up the cross\" (which is death), let us follow him eagerly behind, and thus let us easily endure every affliction, whether hidden or manifest. For if we await death for the Lord's sake in desire and always hold it before our eyes, longing for it, how much more readily will we endure with joy whatever grievous afflictions there may be. For this is why we regard afflictions as difficult and heavy and burdensome, being impatient, because we do not have the death for the Lord's sake before our eyes, nor does our mind always long for it; for he who desires to inherit the Lord must also desire his sufferings in like manner. So then, those who love Christ are shown in this, when they endure courageously and eagerly all afflictions that come upon them for the hope that is in him. Let us therefore entreat the Lord to give us understanding, to know his will and to fulfill it eagerly in all endurance and longsuffering with joy, which he himself will grant us, strengthening us for all pleasing, so that, having been found approved and worthy of his eternal salvation, we may obtain it in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":65,"ref":"p65","source":"Ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις οἱ διὰ πείρας καὶ χρόνων παρελθόντες τὸν βίον οὔτε ὅταν λιμὸς γένηται, ἀπελπίζουσιν, ὡς ἤδη τοῦ κόσμου μέλλοντος ἀπόλλυσθαι καὶ μηκέτι εὐφορίαν γίνεσθαι, οὔτε ἐπὰν πολυ καρπία γένηται, ὡς μηκέτι λιμοῦ γινομένου οὕτω διάκεινται, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε προσδοκῶσιν, καὶ ἐν εὐφορίᾳ ἀφορίαν καὶ ἐν ἀφορίᾳ εὐφορίαν, οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἴσοι καὶ οἱ αὐτοί εἰσινοὕτως ἐν τῷ πνευματικῷ καὶ ἀοράτῳ κόσμῳ καὶ ἐν τῇ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ πνεύματος διαγωγῇ οἱ διὰ πείρας καὶ χρόνων παιδευόμενοι οὔτε ἐπὰν θλίψει τῆς ἁμαρτίας οἱᾳδήποτε ἀπαντήσωσιν, ἀπελπίζουσιν ὡς μηκέτι μέλλοντες τῆς χάριτος τυγ χάνειν, οὔτε ἐπὰν ἐν ἀναπαύσει καὶ εὐφροσύνῃ τοῦ πνεύματος γένων ται, ὑπτιοῦνται καὶ ἐπαίρονται ὡς μηκέτι θλίψεων ἐπερχομένων, ἀλλά εἰσιν ἴσοι ἀεὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτότητι μένοντες, ἑαυτῶν μὴ ἐξιστάμενοι, τεθεμελιωμένοι, ἑδραῖοι, ἔχοντες τὸν σκόπον τῆς τελειότητος καὶ τὴν ἐλευ θερίαν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς «υἱοθεσίας» προσδοκῶντες, ἥτις ἐστὶ τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀνθρώπου παντελὴς ἀπολύτρωσις. {{Μακάριοί εἰσιν οἱ παρελθόντες τοὺς φοβεροὺς τόπους τοῦ σκό τους καὶ τὴν δεινὴν νύκτα καὶ τοὺς αὐχμηροὺς καὶ νοσοποιοὺς ἀέρας τῆς ἁμαρτίας, οἱ εἰσελθόντες εἰς κατάπαυσιν καὶ χαράν.}} {{Εἰσὶ δὲ ἄλλοι νεώτεροι φρόνιμοι, συνετοί, εὐλαβεῖς, καὶ σύνεστιν αὐτοῖς χάρις καὶ ἤδη ἄρχονται λαλεῖν λόγον καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτῶν καλός ἐστιν, καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες φρόνιμοι ὄντες ἄρχονται ἐπαινεῖν καὶ θαυμάζειν καὶ τιμίους αὐτοὺς ἔχειν, ἐπειδὴ","english":"Just as among visible things, those who have passed through life by experience and over time are not, when a famine comes, without hope—as though the world were already about to perish and no more abundance would ever occur—nor, when great fruitfulness comes, are they so disposed as though famine would never come again, but they always expect both barrenness in abundance and abundance in barrenness, and such people are equal and the same—so too in the spiritual and invisible world and in the conduct of the grace of the Spirit, those who are trained by experience and over time neither, when they encounter affliction from sin of whatever kind, lose hope as though they would never again attain grace, nor, when they come to be in rest and gladness of the Spirit, are they made slack and puffed up as though afflictions would never come upon them, but they are always equal, remaining in the same state, not departing from themselves, founded, steadfast, having the goal of perfection and awaiting the freedom through the Spirit of \"adoption,\" which is the complete redemption of the old man. Blessed are those who have passed through the fearful places of darkness and the terrible night and the dry and disease-bearing airs of sin, who have entered into rest and joy. But there are others, young yet prudent, understanding, devout, and grace is with them, and they already begin to speak the word, and their word is good, and those who hear, being prudent, begin to praise and marvel and to hold them in honor, since","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":66,"ref":"p66","source":"λαλοῦσι λόγον θεοῦ. αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰ καὶ ἀπὸ χάριτος λαλοῦσιν, πλὴν τὸ κακὸν σύνεστι τῷ νῷ καὶ ὑποβάλλει τοῦ φιλοδοξεῖν καὶ συνήδεσθαι ἐν τοῖς ἐπαίνοις, ἵνα ποιήσῃ αὐτοὺς κενοδοξεῖν. ὃν τρόπον δέ τις ἀποστρέφεται ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς καὶ ἀντιτάσσεται, οὕτως ὀφείλει ἐν τῷ νῷ καὶ ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἀντιτάσσεσθαι τῇ κενοδοξίᾳ, καὶ εἰ ἀπὸ χάριτος λαλεῖ καὶ ἀναγκάζεται ὑπό τινων κηρύττειν αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον, αὐτὸς ὀφείλει ἀηδίζεσθαι καὶ φεύγειν ὡς ἀπὸ πυρὸς καὶ ἀντιτάσσεσθαι τῷ νῷ, ὥστε ἐπέχειν αὐτόν, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ εὑρεθῇ κενοδοξῶν. καὶ γὰρ Μωυσῆς, «ὁ θεράπων» τοῦ κυρίου, ἀναγκαζόμενος λαλεῖν καὶ κηρύσ σειν τὸν λόγον τῷ Ἰσραήλ, παρῃτήσατο λέγων· ὅτι οὔκ εἰμι «ἱκανὸς» λαλῆσαι. ὁμοίως καὶ Ἱερεμίας ἠναγκάζετο (ἐκαίετο γὰρ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ «ὡς πῦρ») καὶ παρῃτήσατο εἰπών· ὅτι «νεώτερός» εἰμι, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τοῦ προφητεύειν δόξαν καὶ ἔπαινον ἀπενέγκωμαι. καὶ Παῦλος· «εἰ μὲν ἑκὼν τοῦτο πράσσω, μισθὸν ἔχω· εἰ δὲ ἄκων, οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι». ὥσπερ οὖν ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις ὁ ἀρχιτέκτων ἔργον τι ποιεῖ καὶ ὁ χαλκεὺς καὶ ὁ ἀργυροκόπος βάλλων σκεύη εἰς πῦρ καὶ ποιῶν ἔργον, ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ οἰκοδομῶν ἔργον τι ἀποτελεῖ, οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι ἅπαξ εἰς τοῦτό εἰσιν εὐτρεπισμένοι, οὐχ ἵνα λαλῶσι καὶ «δοξασθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων», ἀλλ' ἵνα ὁ λόγος αὐτῶν ἔργον τι ἀποτελέσῃ·","english":"They speak the word of God. Yet even if they speak from grace, evil is present with their mind and suggests to them the love of glory and delight in praises, so as to make them vainglorious. And just as a person turns away from and opposes the desire of the flesh, so he ought in his mind and in his thoughts to oppose vainglory; and even if he speaks from grace and is compelled by certain people to proclaim his word, he himself ought to be displeased and to flee as from fire, and to oppose it in his mind, so as to restrain himself, lest through his word he be found vainglorious. For indeed Moses, \"the servant\" of the Lord, when compelled to speak and proclaim the word to Israel, declined, saying that he was not \"able\" to speak. Likewise Jeremiah also was compelled—for his heart was burning \"like fire\"—and he declined, saying, \"I am too young,\" and I cannot, so that through prophesying I might not carry off glory and praise. And Paul: \"If I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, a stewardship has been entrusted to me.\" Just as among visible things the master builder does a work, and the smith, and the silversmith casting vessels into the fire and doing a work, and likewise the builder completes a work, so also the men of God have once for all been prepared for this—not that they may speak and \"be glorified by men,\" but that their word may accomplish a work.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":67,"ref":"p67","source":"οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς λόγον κοῦφον καὶ ἀνωφελῆ λαλοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ὠφελοῦσι ψυχὰς καὶ βεβαρημένον νοῦν καὶ καταπεποντισμένον εἰς τὰ κακὰ φωτίζουσι καὶ ὁδηγοῦσι καὶ μεταβάλλουσιν εἰς «ἤθη χρηστὰ» καὶ τρόπους ἀγαθοὺς καὶ παρασκευάζουσιν αὐτοὺς ἀπ ελθεῖν «εἰς τὴν ζωήν». εἰσὶν οὖν πολλὰ ὀχυρώματα τῆς κακίας· τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐπιθυμία σαρκὸς καὶ φιλαργυρία, ἵνα ὥσπερ ἀντιτάσσεταί τις τῇ ἡδονῇ ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς, οὕτω καὶ τῇ φιλαργυρίᾳ· συμβαίνει γὰρ ὅτι ἔξωθέν ἐστι πτωχὸς καὶ ἀκτήμων καὶ ἔσωθεν συνήδεται τῷ πλού τῳ καί ἐστι φίλος πλουσίων, καὶ ἐὰν συμβῇ ὑπό τινος καταλειφθῆναι αὐτῷ χρήματα ἐκτρέπεται. ζητῶ οὖν τρόπον ἀφιλάργυρον, ἵνα καὶ ἐὰν συμβῇ αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς πλοῦτον, τότε μάλιστα ἀηδισθῇ, μισήσῃ, φύγῃ ὡς ἀπὸ πυρός. μετὰ ταῦτά εἰσιν ἄλλα ὀχυρώματα τῆς κενοδοξίας καὶ τῆς τυφώσεως, ἵνα τις δυνηθῇ τούτους τοὺς φραγμοὺς καὶ τὰ μεσότοιχα διαρρῆξαι, ἵνα ἔχῃ πόνον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, δάκρυα, πεῖναν, δίψαν.}} Συμβαίνει γὰρ ὅτι εἰσί τινες ἀποταξάμενοι, ἀκτήμονες, νηστεύοντες, καὶ ὡς βίᾳ αὐτὰ ποιοῦντες μεγάλα ἡγοῦνται, καὶ τοῖς δοξάζουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπαινοῦσι συνήδονται· εἰσὶ δὲ ἄλλοι οἱ διὰ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου παρακλήσεως συνηδόμενοι καὶ ἀναπαυόμενοι ἐν τῇ πενίᾳ καὶ ἐν τῇ κακουχίᾳ (μᾶλλον καὶ τοῦ πλουτοῦντος καὶ τρυφῶντος καὶ ἀναπαυομένου ἐν τοῖς σαρκικοῖς), καὶ ἐὰν ἀναγκάσῃς αὐτοὺς ἀναχωρῆσαι ἀπὸ τῆς κακουχίας, θλίβονται, ὡς πλούσιον ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις ἐὰν ἀναγκάσῃς πτωχεῦσαι, θλίβεται. ὃν δὲ λέγομεν πόνον, πεῖναν καὶ δίψαν, οὔκ εἰσι μόνον ἀπὸ φύσεως προσγινόμενα, ἀλλὰ τῷ πλείστῳ μέρει ἀπὸ θείας δυνάμεως.","english":"For they do not simply speak a light and unprofitable word, but they benefit souls and enlighten and guide the mind that is weighed down and sunk into evils, and change it into \"good manners\" and good ways, and prepare them to depart \"into life.\" There are, then, many strongholds of evil: the first are the desire of the flesh and the love of money, so that just as one sets himself against pleasure in his thoughts, so also against the love of money. For it happens that outwardly he is poor and possessionless, yet inwardly he rejoices in wealth and is a friend of the rich, and if it should happen that money be left to him by someone, he turns aside to it. I seek, then, a manner free from the love of money, so that even if it should happen that he fall into wealth, then especially he may be displeased, hate it, and flee from it as from fire. After these there are other strongholds of vainglory and of pride, so that one may be able to break through these fences and dividing walls, so that he may have toil in his soul, tears, hunger, thirst. For it happens that there are some who have renounced, are possessionless, fasting, and as though doing these things by force they consider them great, and they rejoice with those who glorify and praise them. But there are others who, through the Lord's consolation, rejoice and are at rest in poverty and in hardship (more than the one who is rich and lives in luxury and is at rest in fleshly things), and if you force them to withdraw from hardship, they are distressed, as a rich man in outward things, if you force him to become poor, is distressed. But what we call toil, hunger, and thirst are not only things that come about from nature, but for the most part from divine power.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":68,"ref":"p68","source":"καὶ οἱ εἰσελθόντες εἰς τὴν σαγήνην τῆς χάριτος οὗτοι δύνανται ἔχειν τὸν πόνον καὶ φόβον, τὴν πεῖναν καὶ τὴν δίψαν, ἄνευ δὲ τῆς θείας χάριτος οὐ δύνανται ἔχειν τὸν πόνον καὶ φόβον· οἱ γὰρ ταῦτα κεκτημένοι εἰσῆλθαν εἰς τὴν σαγήνην τῆς χάριτος. πλὴν πολλοὶ εἰσέρχονται εἰς τὴν σαγήνην καὶ οἱ μὲν συμφωνοῦντες τῇ χάριτι ἐξειλοῦσι καὶ εἰσέρ χονται εἰς τὴν ζωήν, οἱ δὲ ἐκτρέπονται καὶ ἀπέρχονται εἰς ἀπώλειαν. οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ἓν σχῆμα καὶ εἷς τρόπος τῆς χάριτος. οἱ μὲν γάρ εἰσιν ἐν πόνῳ, οἱ δὲ ἐν πείνῃ καὶ δίψῃ, ἄλλοι «ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ», καὶ ἄλλοι εἰσὶ πάντοτε ἐν τῇ χάριτι ἀναπαυόμενοι, ἐν ἀγάπῃ καὶ χαρᾷ καὶ ἀγαλλιάσει, ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ· «δουλεύσατε» (γάρ φησιν) «τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε αὐτῷ ἐν τρόμῳ». πλὴν ὁ καιρὸς οὗτος πέν θους ἐστὶ καὶ δακρύων, ἐκεῖνος ὁ αἰὼν γέλωτος καὶ χαρᾶς· ὁ καιρὸς οὗτος σταυροῦ καὶ θανάτου, ὁ\n\nκαιρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀπολυτρώσεως καὶ τρυ φῆς ἀρρήτου· ὁ καιρὸς οὗτος τῆς στενῆς καὶ τεθλιμμένης ὁδοῦ, ὁ καιρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀναπαύσεως καὶ εἰρήνης. ὅμως δὲ ὁ ἀρραβὼν «τοῦ πνεύματος» καὶ ἡ παράκλησις σύνεστιν «ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι» τοῖς θλιβο μένοις, ἡ δὲ τελεία ἀνάπαυσις καὶ ἀνταπόδοσις ἐκεῖθέν ἐστιν «ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι» αἰῶνι. εὑρίσκεις δὲ ἀποταξαμένους νοσερὰν ψυχὴν ἔχοντας τὸν νοῦν αὐτῶν νόσον ὡς ἐν μετεώρῳ εἰσὶ κεχαυνωμένοι, ῥεμβόμενοι.","english":"And those who have entered into the net of grace—these are able to have the labor and fear, the hunger and thirst; but without the divine grace they cannot have the labor and fear. For those who have acquired these things have entered into the net of grace. Nevertheless, many enter into the net, and some, agreeing with grace, are drawn out and enter into life, while others turn aside and depart into perdition. But there is not one form and one manner of grace. For some are in labor, others in hunger and thirst, others \"in fear and trembling,\" and others are always at rest in grace, in love and joy and exultation, and likewise in trembling; for \"serve\" (he says) \"the Lord in fear, and exult in him with trembling.\" Nevertheless, this present time is one of mourning and tears, that age of laughter and joy; this time of the cross and death, that time of redemption and ineffable delight; this time of the narrow and afflicted way, that time of rest and peace. Yet the earnest \"of the Spirit\" and the consolation are present \"in the present age\" for those who are afflicted, but the perfect rest and recompense is from there \"in the age to come.\" And you find those who have renounced the world having a sick soul, their mind diseased, as it were suspended on high, grown slack, wandering.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":69,"ref":"p69","source":"χρὴ δὲ αὐτῶν τὸν νοῦν καὶ «τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον» γενναῖον εἶναι, θαρ σηρὰν ἔχειν καρδίαν, τὸν λογισμὸν καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἀνδρείαν καὶ γενναίαν, ἵνα λάβῃ ὅπλα πολέμου καὶ τεθαρρηκὼς κατέλθῃ εἰς πόλε μον καὶ ἀνδρίσηται καὶ ποιήσῃ ἐκεῖ ἀγῶνα, ἵνα ἔχῃ τόνον καὶ ἀθλη τικὸν νοῦν. ταῦτα δὲ ἐν τῷ ἔσω ἀνθρώπῳ ἐπιτελεῖται· ψυχῆς γάρ ἐστι κινήματα, ζῶσαν ἵνα ἔχῃ καρδίαν. πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσιν ἔξωθεν ἔχοντες τὸ σχῆμα καὶ ὁ νοῦς αὐτῶν ἐξυδαρωμένος, ἀνόστως ῥεμβόμενος. δεῖ γὰρ κτήσασθαι καρδίαν καινήν, νοῦν ἐπουράνιον ἐν τῷ ἔσω ἀν θρώπῳ, ψυχὴν θείαν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, σῶμα ἐν σώματι, ἵνα γένηται δι πλοῦς ὁ ἄνθρωπος. ἐπίστευσας ἐπιστεύθης, ἠγάπησας ἠγαπήθης, ἐπέγνως ἐπεγνώσθης· προσλαμβάνει γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ξένα τινὰ τῆς φύσεως αὐτοῦ, ἐπουράνια, καὶ γίνεται διπλοῦς. Ὀλίγοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ βουλόμενοι ἀνασταθμίσαι μαργαρίτας καὶ δοκιμάσαι λίθους τιμίους. πολλοῖς γὰρ σύνεστι μαργαρίτης καὶ ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔχουσι τὸ διακριτικόν, οὐκ οἴδασι ποῖον θησαυρὸν κέκτηνται· οἱ δὲ διάκρισιν ἔχοντες ἢ συνείδησιν οἴδασι καὶ τὰ νομίσματα δοκιμάσαι καὶ τὰ παραχαράξιμα. Εἰσὶ δὲ ἄλλοι οἷς σύνεστι χάρις λεληθότως καὶ νεύει εἰς αὐτοὺς τὸ ἀγαθόν, καὶ ποιοῦσι καλὰ καὶ οὐκ οἴδασι πόθεν κινοῦνται, ἐπειδὴ ἀσυμφώνως καὶ ἀοράτως αὐτὸ ἔχουσιν. οἱ δὲ φρόνιμοι οὐ μόνον ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ ὀφείλουσι λέγειν ὅτι εὐχόμεθα, καὶ ὅτε ἀνίστανται ἀργοῦσι, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε ὀφείλουσιν ἔχειν τὴν μέριμναν καὶ πάντοτε εὔχεσθαι, ἐπειδὴ τὸ συνὸν κακὸν καὶ ὁ καπνὸς καὶ ἡ σύντροφος ἁμαρτία πάντοτε ὡς πηγῆς ὀφθαλμὸς βρύει καὶ οὐδέποτε ἀργοῦσιν οἱ διαλογισμοὶ κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς·","english":"But their mind and their inner man must be noble, must have a courageous heart, and their reasoning and choice must be manly and noble, so that one may take up the weapons of war and, having taken courage, descend into battle and play the man and make his struggle there, so that he may have tension and an athletic mind. But these things are accomplished in the inner man; for they are movements of the soul, so that it may have a living heart. For many have the outward form, while their mind is diluted and wanders without stability. For one must acquire a new heart, a heavenly mind in the inner man, a divine soul in the soul, a body in the body, so that the man may become double. You believed, you were believed; you loved, you were loved; you knew, you were known. For the man receives certain things foreign to his nature, heavenly things, and becomes double. For few are those who wish to weigh pearls and test precious stones. For a pearl is present with many, and since they do not have the power of discernment, they do not know what treasure they possess; but those who have discernment or conscience know how to test both the coins and the counterfeits. And there are others with whom grace is present secretly, and the good nods to them, and they do good things and do not know whence they are moved, since they have it discordantly and invisibly. But the prudent must not only say in prayer that we pray, and when they rise they are idle, but they must always have the care and always pray, since the evil that is present with them and the smoke and the sin that is their companion always gush forth like the eye of a spring, and their reasonings against the soul never rest.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":70,"ref":"p70","source":"οὐ μόνον γὰρ ὅτε εὔχῃ, οἱ διαλογισμοί εἰσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτε χρείας τινὰς ποιεῖς καὶ ὅτε κοιμᾶσαι, πάντοτε βρύουσιν. οὕτω καὶ σὺ ἔχεις τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πάντοτε ἀντιλέγειν. βλέπεις κατὰ κόσμον πλούσιον, εὐθέως ὑποβάλλει σοι, ὅτι ἔνδοξός ἐστιν, εὐθέως καὶ σὺ ἄντειπε· ταῦτα φθαρτά ἐστίν, περὶ ἐκείνου μοι μέλει τοῦ πλούτου τοῦ μὴ παρερχομένου. δεικνύει γυναῖκα ὡραῖαν, ὑποβάλλει σοι ἐπιθυμίαν, εὐθέως εἰπέ· ἀκαθαρσία ἐστίν, ἴδε τὰ μνημεῖα γέμει ὀστέων νεκρῶν.\n\nβλέπεις πράγματα ἔνδοξα ὡς ἐν βίῳ, οἰκοδομάς, πόλεις, σὺ πάντοτε τὴν ψυχήν σου πνευματικῶς οἰκοδόμησον καὶ πάν τοτε ἄντειπε τῇ συνούσῃ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἐπειδὴ ἔχεις θέλημα, καὶ πάντοτε εὔχου πρὸς τὸν θεόν. ὅτε γὰρ εὔχῃ, τί λέγεις; δέομαί σου, δέομαί σου. τὸ αὐτὸ εἰπὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ περιπατεῖν καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν καὶ μηδέποτε ἀργήσῃς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐὰν φθάσῃ ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐδέποτε ἀργεῖ ἡ εὐχή, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε τὸ πνεῦμα εὔχεται ἐν αὐτῷ. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ μέτρον τῶν μεγάλων καὶ τελείων ἐστίν, καὶ ὅτε περιπατοῦσιν ἢ συντυγχάνουσιν, πάντοτε εὔχονται τῷ κυρίῳ. εἴ τις οὖν λέγει· ὅτε μὲν κλίνω τὰ γόνατα, εὔχομαι καὶ δύναμαι ἀντ ειπεῖν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ὅτε δὲ ἐργάζομαι ἢ ἄλλο τι ποιῶ, οὐ δύναμαι ἀντειπεῖν, οὗτος ἰδιώτης ἐστὶ καὶ οὐκ ἔχει διάκρισιν· ἡ γὰρ ἁμαρτία πάντοτε πολεμεῖ καὶ ὁ νοῦς ἔχει θέλημα τοῦ ἀντιπράττειν καὶ ἀνταγωνίζεσθαι πάντοτε πρὸς τὴν συνοῦσαν κακίαν, εἴτε περιπατεῖ, εἴτε ὁδεύει, εἴτε ἕτερόν τι ποιεῖ. ὅπου γὰρ δέδεται ὁ νοῦς, ἐκεῖνο αὐτοῦ ἐστι θεός·","english":"For not only when you pray are the thoughts present, but also when you are engaged in certain necessities and when you sleep, they always gush forth. So you too have the will to always contradict. You see a man rich according to the world, and immediately it suggests to you that he is glorious; immediately you too contradict: these things are corruptible, it is that wealth which does not pass away that concerns me. It shows you a beautiful woman, it suggests desire to you; immediately say: she is uncleanness; look, the tombs are full of dead bones.\n\nYou see glorious things as in life, buildings, cities; you, always build your soul spiritually and always contradict the sin that is present with you, since you have the will, and always pray to God. For when you pray, what do you say? I beseech you, I beseech you. Say the same also in walking and in eating and drinking, and never be idle; for even if the good should come to a man, the prayer is never idle, but the Spirit always prays in him. And this is the measure of the great and perfect, that even when they walk or meet with others, they always pray to the Lord. If anyone therefore says: When I bend my knees, I pray and am able to contradict sin, but when I work or do something else, I am not able to contradict—this man is a simpleton and has no discernment; for sin always wages war, and the mind has the will to strive against and always struggle against the evil that is present with it, whether one walks, or journeys, or does anything else. For where the mind is bound, that is its god.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":71,"ref":"p71","source":"εἰ δέδεσαι τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἢ τῇ γαστριμαργίᾳ ἢ τῇ φιλαργυρίᾳ, ὁ δήσας σε θεός σου ἐστίν («ᾧ γάρ τις ἥττηται,\n\nτούτῳ καὶ δεδούλωται»), εἰ δὲ ἀποταξάμενος τῷ κόσμῳ τῇ παραθύρῳ πάλιν εἰσέλθῃς εἰς τὸν κόσμον, καὶ ἀρνησάμενος σαρκικὴν κοινωνίαν οὐ σπουδάζεις κοινωνῆσαι τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ νυμφίῳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ, τί ὠφέλησας ἐξελθὼν «ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου»; εἰ δὲ καταλιπὼν οὐσίας καὶ κτήσεις καὶ πράγματα, ἀντὶ τοῦ φαινομένου πλούτου οὐ λαμβάνεις ἄλλον πλοῦτον καὶ ἀντὶ τρυφῆς τρυφὴν ἐπουράνιον καὶ ἀντὶ τέκνου σὺ μὴ γίνῃ τέκνον «θεοῦ», τί ὠφέλησας ἀποταξάμενος; ἐγένου «ἅλας» μωρὸν καὶ οὔτε τὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἔχεις καταλιπὼν αὐτά, οὔτε τὰ ἐπουράνια καὶ πνευμα τικὰ ἐκληρώσω· λοιπὸν οὐδαμοῦ προχωρεῖς.\n\nὋν τρόπον δὲ ἡ κόρη τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ μικρὰ οὖσα πολλὰ δύναται βλέπειν, οὐρανόν, γῆν, ἥλιον, ὅταν δὲ μικρόν τι κάλυμμα εἰς τὴν κόρην παρεμπέσῃ καὶ ἐπισκιάσῃ, τυφλοῦται ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ ἐν σκότει ἐστίν, οὕτως ἐὰν μικρὸς καπνὸς ἢ ὀμιχλώδης δύναμις ἐπισκοτίσῃ τὸν νοῦν, τετύφλωται καὶ οὐδὲν ὁρᾷ, ἐὰν δὲ πάλιν διαυγάσῃ, βλέπει πράγματα πνευματικὰ καὶ ἐπουράνια. ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἡ γῆ ἐργασθεῖσα φαίνεται καρποφόρος, οὕτω καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς καρδίας ἐργαζομένη ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου οὐκέτι χερσεύει.","english":"If you are bound by desire or gluttony or love of money, the god that has bound you is your own («for whatever a person is defeated by, to that he is also enslaved»). But if, having renounced the world, you enter the world again through the back door, and having denied fleshly fellowship you do not strive to have fellowship with the heavenly bridegroom and the Holy Spirit, what have you gained by going out «from the world»? And if, having left behind possessions and properties and affairs, instead of the visible wealth you do not receive another wealth, and instead of luxury a heavenly luxury, and instead of a child you do not become a child «of God», what have you gained by renouncing? You have become «salt» that is foolish, and you neither have the things of the world, since you have left them, nor have you inherited the heavenly and spiritual things; from now on you make progress nowhere.\n\nAnd just as the pupil of the eye, though small, can see many things—heaven, earth, the sun—but when some small covering falls into the pupil and casts a shadow, the eye is blinded and is in darkness, so if a little smoke or a misty power darkens the mind, it is blinded and sees nothing; but if it becomes clear again, it sees spiritual and heavenly things. For just as the earth, when worked, appears fruitful, so also the earth of the heart, worked by the Holy Spirit, no longer lies waste.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":72,"ref":"p72","source":"ὥσπερ δὲ ἵνα ᾖ πόλις ἐν ὑψηλῷ τόπῳ ἢ ὄρει κειμένη καὶ ἔχῃ ἐκεῖ ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ εἰρήνην πολλὴν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ θησαυρούς, καὶ ὦσιν ἐκεῖ ἄνδρες εὐγενεῖς καὶ συγκλητικοί, λοιπὸν δὲ ἡ ὁδός, δι' ἧς διέρχεταί τις ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν, ἐστὶ στενή, περίμετρον βήματος ἔχουσα, ἑνὸς ἴχνος ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ᾖ ἐκ δεξιῶν χάος μέγα πυρὸς καὶ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν βάθος θαλάσσης, λοιπὸν ὀλίγον ἐὰν ἐκτραπῇ ὁ ποὺς τῆς στενῆς ἀτράπου καταποντίζεται ἢ εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἢ εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ, εἰ δέ τις ἀσφαλῶς διοδεύων παρέλθῃ τὴν τραχείαν καὶ φθάσῃ εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἐν ἀναπαύσει ἐστὶ καὶ πλούτῳ μεγάλῳ καὶ ἀμεριμνίᾳ πολλῇ. οὕτω καὶ εἰς τὸ πνευματικόν. τραχεῖά ἐστιν ἡ ὁδὸς εἰς ἣν διοδεύουσιν οἱ Χριστιανοί· κύκλῳ γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστι χάος μέγα πυρὸς τῶν ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων. ἐὰν δὲ δυνηθῶσιν ἐκείνων περιγενέσθαι καὶ παρελθεῖν τοὺς τριγχοὺς τῆς κακίας, εἰσέρχονται εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον πόλιν, εἰρηνευομένην, μεστὴν ἀγαθῶν πολλῶν καὶ εἰρήνης βαθείας, ὅπου τὰ πνεύματα τῶν δικαίων ἀναπαύονται σὺν τῷ κυρίῳ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Ἐρώτησις. Τίνος λόγου ἕνεκεν ἀνακαινιζομένου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐ παντελῶς ἀλλάσσεται ἡ ἀρχαία ἕξις; συμβαίνει γάρ τινα εἶναι ἁπλουστέρως φθεγγόμενον ὀξυτέραν ἔχοντα κίνησιν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν χάριν παραμένει ταῦτα. Ἀπόκρισις. Κατὰ παραχώρησιν καὶ οἰκονομίαν τῆς πίστεως γίνε ται. καὶ γὰρ οἱ ἀπόστολοι «εἰς ἣν δ' ἂν πόλιν» εἰσήρχοντο, δυνάμεις ἐποίουν μεγάλας, εἰς τοσοῦτον ὅτι καὶ αἱ σκιαὶ αὐτῶν πάθη ἀπήλαυνον, καὶ νεκροὺς ἤγειραν.","english":"Just as a city may lie on a high place or a mountain, and have there rest and great peace and wealth and treasures, and there may be noble and senatorial men in it, but the road by which one passes to the city is narrow, having the circumference of a step, the footprint of one man, and on the right is a great chasm of fire and on the left the depth of the sea, so that if the foot strays even a little from the narrow path, it is plunged either into the fire or into the water; but if someone passes through safely and traverses the rough way and reaches the city, he is in rest and great wealth and much freedom from care. So it is also in the spiritual sense. Rough is the road on which Christians travel; for around them is a great chasm of fire of the unclean spirits. But if they are able to prevail over them and pass through the thorns of wickedness, they enter the heavenly city, at peace, full of many good things and deep peace, where the spirits of the righteous rest with the Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.\n\nQuestion. For what reason, when a man is renewed, is his ancient disposition not entirely changed? For it happens that some are rather simple in speech, having a sharper movement, and after grace these things remain.\n\nAnswer. This happens by the permission and economy of faith. For the apostles, into whatever city they entered, performed great powers, to such an extent that even their shadows drove away passions and raised the dead.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":73,"ref":"p73","source":"εἰ συνέβαινεν οὖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ πόλει ἀποθνῄσκειν τινά, ἡ συνοῦσα αὐτοῖς χάρις ἡ ἐγείρασα τὸν νεκρὸν οὐκ ἠδύνατο ὅλους ἐγεῖραι τοὺς νεκρούς; ὁμοίως καὶ κακούμενοι ποικίλαις νόσοις προσήρχοντο, οἱ μὲν ἰάσεως ἐτύγχανον, οἷς δὲ οὐκ ἐπέτρεπεν ἡ χάρις, ἴασιν οὐ παρεῖχον. οὐ πάντα οὖν ὅσα ἤθελον ἐποίουν. ὁμοίως ὁ Παῦλος, ὅτε ἐχαλάσθη «ἐν σαργάνῃ» ὁ θεοφόρος, οὐκ ἠδύνατο διὰ τῆς συνούσης αὐτῷ δυνάμεως διαρρῆξαι τὸ τεῖχος ἢ λόγῳ εἰπεῖν· δὸς τόπον; ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγένετο τοῦτο, ἵνα φανῇ καὶ ἡ προαίρεσις τῶν πιστευ όντων καὶ ἡ φυσικὴ ἀσθένεια. οὐ πάντες οὖν ἐπετύγχανον, ἵνα πρόδηλοι γένωνται οἱ κακίαν αἱρούμενοι καὶ οἱ ἀγαθοὶ εἶναι θέλοντες. τῷ κυρίῳ ἔλεγον οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· κάτελθε ἐκ «τοῦ σταυροῦ», καὶ οὐ κατῆλθεν. ἡ γὰρ κατ' οἰκονομίαν ἀσθένεια δοκιμάζει τοὺς ἑδραίους βουλομένους εἶναι πρὸς τὴν πίστιν, εἰ «ἀμετακίνητοί» εἰσιν, εἰ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀλίγων κατορθωμάτων καὶ εἰς τὰ ἀσθενέστερα οὐ\n\nσκανδαλίζονται. διὰ τί; «τότε» δύνανται «ὅτε» ἀσθενοῦσιν. ὁ γὰρ Χριστιανισμὸς λίθος ἐστὶ «προσκόμματος» καὶ πέτρα «σκανδάλου». οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἐν χάριτι ὄντες σύνεστιν αὐτοῖς θησαυρὸς καὶ ἀνάπαυσις καὶ ὅμως ἐν καιρῷ ὑποστέλλει πρὸς τὸ δοκιμασθῆναι καὶ πολεμηθῆναι.","english":"If it happened, then, that someone should die in that city, could the grace that was with them, which raised the dead man, not raise all the dead? Likewise, those afflicted with various diseases came forward; some obtained healing, but to others grace did not permit it, and they provided no healing. So they did not do everything they wished. Likewise Paul, when the God-bearer was let down \"in a basket,\" could not by the power that was with him break through the wall or say in a word, \"Give way\"; but this did not happen, so that both the purpose of those who believe and natural weakness might be made evident. Not all, then, succeeded, so that those who choose wickedness and those who wish to be good might be plainly shown. The Pharisees said to the Lord, \"Come down from the cross,\" and he did not come down. For weakness according to the divine plan tests those who wish to be steadfast in the faith, whether they are \"immovable,\" whether from a few successes they are not scandalized even at weaker things. Why? \"Then\" they are able \"when\" they are weak. For Christianity is a stone \"of stumbling\" and a rock \"of offense.\" So also those who are in grace have a treasure and rest with them, and yet in due time it withdraws, so that they may be tested and fought against.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":74,"ref":"p74","source":"Ἐρώτησις. Διὰ τί ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ σκεύει τοῦ σώματος ἐνεργούσης τῆς χάριτος πάλιν ἐνεργεῖ καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία; Ἀπόκρισις. Πρῶτον μὲν ὁ γευσάμενος χάριτος ἀνέψυξεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ἀνεπάη ἀναπαύσει ἐπουρανίῳ ξένῃ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, ἵνα τὴν γλυκύτητα τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πείρᾳ γνῷ. ἔπειτα ἐὰν ὀλίγον μετεωρισθῇ ἢ ὁμιλῇ ὁ νοῦς ἢ ἄλλο τι ποιῇ, πάλιν πληροῦται τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἵνα θλιβῇ καὶ πείρᾳ μάθῃ τὴν πικρότητα αὐτῆς, καὶ τότε ὀξέως καταφύγῃ ζητῶν ἐκείνην τὴν ἄρρητον παράκλησιν καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν. καὶ πάλιν ἐπιτυγχάνει καὶ ἀναψύξας καὶ ἀναπαεὶς ὀλίγον, πάλιν ἐὰν ἀμελήσῃ, νομὴν εὑρίσκει ἡ κακία καὶ θλίβει πικρῶς τὸν ἄνθρωπον παραχωρούσης τῆς χάριτος, ἵνα πείρᾳ γνῷ τὴν ταύτης ἡδύτητα καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ παράκλησιν καὶ τὴν πικρίαν καὶ ὀδύνην καὶ θλῖψιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἵνα σπουδαιοτέρως αὐτὴν (εἴγε βούλεται σωθῆναι) φύγῃ καὶ προσ κολληθῇ ὅλος ἐξ ὅλου τῇ χάριτι, ἀποδιδοὺς ἑαυτὸν πάντοτε καὶ ἀναρ τῶν τῷ κυρίῳ, ἵνα τῇ ἐκείνης πικρότητι καὶ αἰσχρότητι καὶ θλίψει ἐπιθυμητὴ μᾶλλον καὶ ἐπιπόθητος γένηται ἡ τῆς χάριτος γλυκύτης καὶ ἀντίληψις καὶ ἀνάπαυσις καὶ ἀγαλλίασις, ἵνα αὐτῇ πείρᾳ τῶν δύο φύσεων τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὴν πικρίαν καὶ τῆς χάριτος τὴν γλυκύτητα ἡ ψυχὴ γευσαμένη πλεονάκις αἰσθητικωτέρα γένηται καὶ νηπτικωτέρα εἰς τὸ παντελῶς φυγεῖν τὴν κακίαν καὶ προσκολληθῆναι ὅλη ἐξ ὅλου τῷ κυρίῳ, ἕως οὗ γένηται μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς «ἓν πνεῦμα».","english":"Question: Why, when grace is at work in the same vessel of the body, does sin also work again? Answer: First, when a person has tasted grace, his soul is refreshed and rests in a heavenly rest that is strange to this age, so that by experience he may know the sweetness of the good. Then, if the mind is lifted up a little, or converses, or does anything else, it is filled with sin again, so that it may be afflicted and learn by experience its bitterness, and then quickly take refuge, seeking that ineffable consolation and rest. And again it obtains it, and having been refreshed and rested a little, again, if it becomes negligent, wickedness finds pasture and bitterly afflicts the man, with grace yielding place, so that by experience he may know the sweetness and rest and consolation of grace, and the bitterness and pain and affliction of sin, so that he may more earnestly flee it (if indeed he wishes to be saved) and be joined wholly, entirely, to grace, giving himself always and lifting himself up to the Lord, so that by that bitterness and shamefulness and affliction of sin, the sweetness and help and rest and exultation of grace may become more desirable and longed for, so that by the experience of the two, the soul having tasted the bitterness of sin and the sweetness of grace, may become more perceptive and more watchful, so as to flee wickedness completely and be joined wholly, entirely, to the Lord, until it becomes with him \"one spirit.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":75,"ref":"p75","source":"εἰ γὰρ ἦν πάντοτε ἡ γλυκύτης καὶ ἡ ἀνάπαυσις καὶ ἡ χαρὰ τῇ ψυχῇ, οὐκ ἐγί νωσκε τὴν διαφοράν, οὐκ ᾔδει τί κέκτηται καὶ ἀμελεστέρα ἐγίνετο, τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἠγνόει καὶ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν «τῆς χρηστό τητος» τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν οὐκ ἠπίστατο, κἂν ἐκέκτητο αὐτὰ οὐκ ᾔδει τί κέκτηται, καὶ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς πικρίας καὶ δει νότητα τῆς ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ᾔδει καὶ τὴν πονηρίαν αὐτῆς οὐκ ἠπίστατο. ἀλλ' οὕτως ἡ σοφία ἡ ἄρρητος τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκονομεῖ τὰ πράγματα, ἵνα καὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἀγαθὸν τῇ πείρᾳ γνωσθῇ συγκρίσει καὶ παραθέσει τῆς πικρίας τοῦ πονηροῦ, καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ψυχὴ κατὰ δύο τρόπους τὴν ὠφέ λειαν δέξηται· ἐν τῷ πεῖραν λαμβάνουσαν τῆς πικρίας καὶ θλίψεως τῆς ἁμαρτίας γεγευμένην τῆς χρηστότητος τοῦ κυρίου. καὶ φεύγειν παντὶ σθένει τὸ πονηρὸν θέλει καὶ σπουδαία εἶναι ἀεὶ καὶ εὔτονος εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ μὴ νηπία καὶ ἄπειρος καὶ ἄγνωστος τοῦ τε καλοῦ καὶ τοῦ κακοῦ, ἀλλ' ἔχει τελείαν τῶν ἀμφοτέρων πείρᾳ καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ καὶ αἰσθήσει τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ οὕτω παιδευθεῖσα καὶ τέλειον δρόμον δραμοῦσα διὰ τῆς πολλῆς τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν σπουδῆς καὶ ἐπιθυμίας τελείως «τὰ αἰσθητήρια γεγυμνασμένα» ἔχουσα (κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον) «πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ καὶ κακοῦ» τέλειον καὶ «τὸν στέφανον» ἀπο λήψεται καὶ «εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας» πνευματικῆς ἐλθοῦσα τῆς βασιλείας κληρονόμος κατασταθήσεται.","english":"For if the sweetness and the rest and the joy were always in the soul, it would not know the difference, it would not know what it possesses, and it would become more negligent; it would be ignorant of the abundance of the good, and it would not understand the abundance of the Lord's goodness, nor would it know the enjoyment—even if it possessed these things, it would not know what it possesses—and it would not know the abundance of bitterness and the severity of sin, nor would it understand its wickedness. But in this way the ineffable wisdom of God orders matters, so that its own good may be known by experience through comparison and contrast with the bitterness of the evil one, and the soul itself may receive benefit in two ways: by gaining experience of the bitterness and affliction of sin, and by tasting the goodness of the Lord. And it will desire to flee from evil with all its strength, and to be always zealous and earnest toward the good, and not infantile and inexperienced and ignorant of both good and evil, but it has complete knowledge of both through experience and activity and perception; and thus, having been trained and having run the perfect course through its great zeal and desire for the good, having its senses fully \"exercised\" (as it is said) \"to discern good and evil,\" it will receive the perfect \"crown,\" and having come \"to the measure of the stature\" of spiritual maturity, it will be appointed an heir of the kingdom.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":76,"ref":"p76","source":"τοιούτῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔοικε, τούτου γὰρ ἕνεκεν ὀλίγον κατ' ὀλίγον γεύεται τῆς βασιλείας, ἵνα ὅλῳ θελήματι καὶ ὅλῃ προαιρέσει ἐκ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου ᾖ ἀγαπήσασα τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἵνα ἡ αὐτεξούσιος προαίρεσις φανῇ (ποίῳ μέρει προσκολλᾶται καὶ τί αἰδεῖται), ἵνα καὶ δικαίως τὴν βασιλείαν κληρονομήσῃ καὶ αὐτὴ ὅλη ἀγωνισαμένη καὶ δραμοῦσα ἔχῃ μεγάλην παρρησίαν πρὸς τὸν κύριον εἰς τοὺς ἀπεράντους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Δύο εἰσὶ βασιλεῖαι, βασιλεία φωτὸς καὶ βασιλεία σκότους. σὺ οὖν ποίου βασιλέως εἶ, ἐπίσκεψαι σεαυτόν. ὅπου γὰρ ἐὰν φιλιάζῃς καὶ συνθήκας ποιῇς, ἐκείνου εἶ\n\nκοινωνός, γέγραπται γάρ· «τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν». ἔχεις γὰρ ἴδιον θέλημα καὶ ὅπου τὴν ὁρμὴν καὶ τὴν ὑπακοὴν δίδως, ἐκείνου γίνῃ κτῆμα καὶ υἱὸς καὶ φίλος. εἰ ἀγαπᾷς καὶ συνήδῃ τοῖς τῆς κακίας θελήμασιν, εὐθέως συνεργοῦσι σοι καὶ προσκολλῶνται. εὐπερίστατος γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἁμαρτία καὶ ἐν σπουδῇ παραγίνεται· ἄρχων γάρ ἐστιν ἐπὶ κακοπραξίᾳ ἀνθρώπων χαίρων. ὁμοίως πάλιν εἰ ἀγαπᾷς καὶ συνήδῃ τῷ ἀγαθῷ, πάλιν καὶ αὐτὸ παραγίνεται καὶ βοηθεῖ. ἀλλ' ὧδε μετὰ ἀγῶνος πολλοῦ προστέτακται, ἐπειδὴ βασιλεία ἐστὶ μὴ ἔχουσα «τέλος»· διὰ τοῦτο τὸ τίμιον σπάνιόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ δυσχερῶς κατορθούμενον ἔνδοξον, ὅθεν καὶ ἀΐδιον, ἐπεὶ ἀκαμάτως πάντες θέλουσιν εἰσελθεῖν καὶ γενέσθαι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἀνὰ μέσον δρόμος πολὺς καὶ ἀγὼν πρόκειται καὶ ἀπὸ πολλῶν ὀλίγοι ἐξειλοῦσιν.","english":"In some such way does the matter stand. For this reason he tastes of the kingdom little by little, so that with the whole will and the whole choice, out of free will, she may have loved God, and so that the free choice may be shown (to which part it clings and what it shrinks from), so that she may also inherit the kingdom righteously, and having herself striven and run the whole course, she may have great boldness before the Lord into the endless ages of ages. Amen. There are two kingdoms, a kingdom of light and a kingdom of darkness. Consider yourself, then, of which king you are. For wherever you make friendship and covenants, of that one you are\n\na partaker, for it is written: \"To those who love God all things work together for good.\" For you have your own will, and wherever you give your impulse and your obedience, of that one you become a possession and a son and a friend. If you love and are pleased with the wills of wickedness, immediately they work together with you and cling to you. For sin is easily come by and arrives with haste; for it is a ruler over the evildoing of men, rejoicing in it. Likewise again, if you love and are pleased with the good, it too likewise comes and helps. But here it is commanded with much struggle, since it is a kingdom that has no \"end\"; therefore the precious thing is rare, and what is with difficulty achieved is glorious, whence also it is eternal, since all wish to enter without toil and to become of the good, but in between a long course and struggle lie before them, and out of many, few are chosen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":77,"ref":"p77","source":"οἱ οὖν νικήσαντες κατήντησαν πρὸς ἡγεμόνα καὶ βασιλέα εἰρηνικὸν καὶ ἥμερον, ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ ἀνθρώπων χαίροντα, οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν κληρονομοῦσι τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας καὶ εἰσέρχονται εἰς λιμένα ἀναπαύσεως καὶ εἰς τὴν πόλιν τῶν ἁγίων καὶ «εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν». ὥσπερ γάρ ἐστιν οὐρανὸς φαινό μενος ὃς ἐπικαλεῖται στερέωμα, οὕτως ἐστὶν ἐπάνω τούτου ἄλλος οὐρανὸς φωτοειδής, ἔνθα παρεμβολαὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων (εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα ὁ θεὸς καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι σωματικοῖς ὁρίοις οὐ περιγράφονται), καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐστι σκηνὴ ἀχειροποίητος. ταῦτα οὖν πάντα θεῖά ἐστι καὶ ἄρρητα καὶ φωτεινά, ἐπειδὴ πνευματικά ἐστι καὶ ὑποστατικά, μὴ ὄντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἀλλὰ ἄλλου κόσμου, ὅπου οὔκ ἐστι σκότος ἢ νὺξ ἢ πόλεμος ἢ γέεννα. ἐπειδὴ οὖν οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ τοὺς πάντας τῷ ἔξω ὀφθαλ μῷ κατανοεῖν ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἐπουράνια, διὰ τοῦτο ὡς παραπέτασμα ἐκτίσθη τὸ στερέωμα τοῦτο, ἵνα μὴ ἐξῇ τινι ἁπλῶς καθορᾶν εἰ μὴ τοῖς καθα ροῖς τὴν καρδίαν καὶ τὸν νοῦν ἡγιασμένοις, τοῖς συμπολίταις καὶ συμ μύσταις τῶν ἁγίων. καὶ ὅταν συσταλῇ τοῦτο, τότε ἐκεῖνα τὰ μὴ φαινόμενα ὑποδέχεται τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς. πολλοὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μέρους ὄντες καὶ ἐνεργούμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πνεύματος ἐνόμισαν τετελειῶσθαι καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἔφοδον ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων καὶ ἐπι βουλὴν ἔπαθον, ὡς ἂν στρατιῶται νομίσαντες νενικηκέναι τοὺς ἐχθρούς, λοιπὸν ῥίψαντες τὰ ὅπλα καὶ ἐν ἀμεριμνίᾳ ὄντες, ἔγκρυμμα ποιήσαντες οἱ ἐχθροὶ καὶ ἄφνω ἐπιστάντες τοὺς μὲν φονεύσωσιν, τοὺς δὲ δήσωσιν, ἄλλους αἰχμαλώτους λάβωσιν.","english":"Those, then, who have conquered have arrived at a peaceful and gentle ruler and king, who rejoices in doing good to men; for such as these from now on inherit the land of the promise and enter into the harbor of rest and into the city of the saints and \"into the rest.\" For just as there is a heaven that appears, which is called the firmament, so above this there is another heaven, full of light, where are the encampments of the angels (even though God and the angels are certainly not circumscribed by bodily boundaries), and there is the tabernacle not made with hands. All these things, then, are divine and ineffable and full of light, since they are spiritual and substantial, not belonging to this age but to another world, where there is no darkness or night or war or Gehenna. Since, then, it is not possible for all to perceive those heavenly things with the outward eye, for this reason this firmament was created as a curtain, so that it might not be possible for anyone simply to gaze upon them except those pure in heart and sanctified in mind, the fellow citizens and fellow initiates of the saints. And when this is rolled up, then those things that are not seen receive the elect. For many, being of the good part and being moved by the good Spirit, thought they had been made perfect, and afterward suffered an assault and plot by the evil spirits, just as soldiers who think they have conquered their enemies, and so throw down their weapons and are in carelessness, while the enemies make an ambush and suddenly fall upon them, killing some, binding others, and taking others captive.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":78,"ref":"p78","source":"οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐπικινηθεῖσα παρεχρήσατο καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἔδησεν εἰς τὸν ἴδιον βυθὸν καὶ τοὺς βρόχους τῆς κακίας, τοὺς δὲ ᾐχμαλώτευσεν εἰς τὰ «πάθη» τῆς «ἀτιμίας». πάντες οὖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἴτε δίκαιοι εἴτε ἁμαρτωλοί, ἐὰν μὴ διὰ τοῦ νόμου «τοῦ πνεύματος» (τουτέστιν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) ἐλεύθεροι γένωνται, οὐ δύνανται ἐλευθερωθῆναι τῶν κακῶν καὶ ἐξειλῆσαι ἐκ τῆς κατα δυναστείας τοῦ διαβόλου. λέγει γὰρ Παῦλος διαγράφων τὴν πτῶσιν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· «ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος· τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου; εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ», ὅτι «ὁ νόμος τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς ἠλευθέρωσέ με ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου».\n\nὭσπερ πηγῆς βρυούσης ὅσοι ἂν πίνωσιν οὐδὲν ἐνδεῖ, οὕτως οἱ ἔχοντες τὰς προσόδους καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς τοῦ πνεύματος ἔνδοθεν ἐν τῷ νῷ ὅσα ἐὰν λαλήσωσιν, οἱ μὲν ἀκούσαντες πίστει ὠφελοῦνται, αὐτοὶ δὲ μένουσιν οἷοι καὶ τὸ πρὶν ἦσαν. τοῖς γὰρ πνευματικοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν κτίζονται παλάτια καὶ τρίκλινοι καὶ οἶκοι ὑπερμεγέθεις ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος, κατασκευάζεται δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐσθὴς διάφορος καὶ ἔνδοξος, καὶ ὅταν ἀναλύσωσι πρὸς τὸν Χριστόν, μετὰ πολλῆς χαρᾶς προσδέχονται αὐτοὺς οἱ ἴδιοι, τὰ πνεύματα τῶν δικαίων καὶ ὅλη ἡ ἐπουράνιος ἐκκλησία. λέγει γὰρ ὁ κύριος· «εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστέ, ἐπὶ ὀλίγα ἦς πιστός, ἐπὶ πολλῶν σε καταστήσω· εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ κυρίου σου». πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν λαμβάνοντες χάριν καὶ συμφωνοῦντες","english":"Thus sin also, once stirred up, misused them: some it bound in its own abyss and in the snares of wickedness, others it took captive into the “passions” of “dishonor.” All men, then, whether righteous or sinners, unless they become free through the law “of the Spirit” (that is, through Jesus Christ), cannot be freed from evils and delivered from the tyranny of the devil. For Paul says, describing man’s fall: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from death? I thank God through Jesus Christ,” because “the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from death.”\n\nAs from a gushing spring, all who drink have no lack, so those who have the revenues and treasures of the Spirit within in their mind—whatever they may say, those who hear are benefited by faith, while they themselves remain such as they were before. For from now on, for the spiritual, palaces and dining couches and exceedingly great houses are built by the Spirit, and various and glorious clothing is prepared for them, and when they depart to Christ, their own—the spirits of the righteous and the whole heavenly church—receive them with great joy. For the Lord says: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the joy of your lord.” For many of the brothers, receiving grace and being in agreement","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":79,"ref":"p79","source":"ὁσημέραι εἰς αὔξησιν καὶ προκοπὴν καὶ εἰς μέτρα μεγάλα προχωροῦσιν· εἰσὶ δὲ ἄλλοι οἵτινες λαμβάνουσι δωρεὰν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ οὗτοι καίτοι συνούσης τῆς χάριτος ἐκτρέπονται εἰς ἀταξίας καὶ εἰς κακὰ πολλά. Ἐρώτησις. Καὶ ὅτε ἐκπίπτουσιν εἰς ἁμαρτήματα, παραμένει ἡ χάρις ἢ εὐθὺς ἀφίσταται; Ἀπόκρισις. Συμβαίνει ὅτι καὶ πλημμελήσαντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώ που διὰ τὸ φιλάνθρωπον ἕως ὅτε ἐστὶν ἐν σαρκὶ παραμένει, ὅταν δὲ χωρισθῇ τοῦ σώματος ἡ ψυχή, τότε καὶ ἡ χάρις ἀφίσταται καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ χωρεῖ εἰς τὸ ἴδιον μέρος παραδιδομένη τοῖς πονηροῖς πνεύμασιν. οἱ γὰρ δύο νόμοι εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὁ νόμος τῆς κακίας κλέπτων εἰς τὸ ἴδιον μέρος καὶ ὁ νόμος τῆς χάριτος ἕλκων εἰς τὰ ἐπουράνια. ὅσῳ γὰρ εἰσέρχεταί τις εἰς τὰ πειρατήρια, στερεοῦται καὶ θεμελιοῦται καὶ γίνεται πέτρα ἄπτωτος, καὶ ὁ τοιοῦτος νοῦς, στήκων εἰς τὴν θύραν καὶ μὴ διδοὺς νῶτα τῷ πολεμίῳ ἀλλ' ἀνθιστάμενος, ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ τοῦ σώματος παραλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὸν οἱ δεξιοὶ ἄγγελοι εἰς τὸ μέρος τῆς βασιλείας καὶ χωρεῖ εἰς τὴν ἀΐδιον ζωήν. ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις ἵνα ᾖ βασιλεὺς διδοὺς χαρίσματα τοῖς διακόνοις αὐτοῦ, οἱ μὲν λαμβάνοντες εἰς πορνείας καὶ ἀσελγείας καὶ γαστριμαργίας ἀναλίσκουσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ λαμβάνοντες συντηροῦσι καὶ προσκτῶνται ἑαυ τοῖς σκεύη τίμια, οὗτοί εἰσιν ἔνδοξοι οἱ πολυπλασιάσαντες ἐκ τῶν παρασχεθέντων αὐτοῖς χαρισμάτων τὴν ἑαυτῶν οὐσίαν.","english":"Day by day they advance toward increase and progress and great measures; but there are others who receive a gift from God, and these, although grace is present with them, turn aside into disorder and into many evils. Question. And when they fall into sins, does grace remain, or does it depart at once? Answer. It happens that even when the man has sinned, because of his love for mankind it remains until he is in the flesh; but when the soul is separated from the body, then grace also departs, and the soul goes to its own place, handed over to the evil spirits. For the two laws are in the man: the law of wickedness, stealing him to its own place, and the law of grace, drawing him to the heavenly things. For insofar as one enters into the testing places, he is strengthened and grounded and becomes an unshakable rock; and such a mind, standing at the door and not turning its back to the enemy but resisting, at the departure of the body the angels on the right receive it into the portion of the kingdom, and it goes into eternal life. Just as in visible things, so that a king may be one who gives gifts to his servants, some who receive them spend them on fornication and debauchery and gluttony, while others who receive them preserve them and acquire for themselves precious vessels—these are the glorious ones who have multiplied their own substance from the gifts bestowed on them.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":80,"ref":"p80","source":"ἐξ ἀληθείας γὰρ οἱ γευσάμενοι ἐκείνης τῆς γλυκύτητος καὶ ἡδύτητος οὗτοι βλέ ποντες βασιλέα φαινόμενον ἠμφιεσμένον πορφύραν καὶ ἀξιώματα καὶ θησαυροὺς ὁρῶντες, ὥσπερ δυσωδίαν ἡγοῦνται καὶ βδελυκτὰ καὶ ταπεινὰ αὐτοῖς καταφαίνεται, ἐπειδὴ εἰσῆλθαν εἰς βασιλικοὺς καὶ ἐπουρανίους οἴκους τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀνεῴχθησαν αὐτοῖς θησαυροὶ ἐπουράνιοι καὶ ἐκληρονόμησαν ἄλλον πλοῦτον, ἄλλου ἀξιώματος γενό μενοι, υἱοὶ φωτὸς ἐπουρανίου, αἰῶνος ἀπεράντου. συγκρίνοντες οὖν τὰ ἐπίγεια τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις τότε γινώσκουσι τὸ χάος τὸ ἐν μέσῳ καὶ τὴν διαφοράν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἵνα ᾖ τις συνεχόμενος ὑπὸ πυρετοῦ, ἔτι ἀκμαζούσης τῆς κακώσεως ἐὰν προσενέγκῃς τῷ τοιούτῳ ἐδέσματα διάφορα ἢ γλύκασμά τι ἢ ἑτέραν τροφήν, σικχαίνει καὶ ἀηδίζηται καὶ ἀποστρέφεται, κεκορεσμένος ὢν καὶ μεμεθυσμένος ἐκ τοῦ πυρετοῦ καὶ ὥσπερ τροφὴν αὐτὸν ἔχων. οὕτω καὶ οἱ πνευματικοὶ ἔχοντες τὴν καῦσιν τῆς ἐπουρανίου ἀγάπης καὶ τοῦ θείου πυρός, ὅσα ἂν αὐτοῖς προσενέγκῃς τὰ φαινόμενα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, εἴτε ἀξιώματα εἴτε βασιλείαν εἴτε πλοῦτον εἴτε δόξαν, σικχαίνουσι καὶ βδελύσσονται, ὥσπερ τις ἀηδίζεται διοδεύων ἔνθα εἰσὶ νεκριμαῖα καὶ δυσωδία πολλή. τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον πάλιν καὶ οἱ μεμεστωμένοι τῆς ἐναντίας δυνάμεως καὶ ὄντες τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ κόσμου, οὗτοι λαλουμένου λόγου πνευ ματικοῦ περὶ φωτός, περὶ βασιλείας, περὶ αἰῶνος ἄλλου καὶ δυνάμεως θείας, ὥσπερ ἀηδίζονται καὶ ἀκηδιῶσι μὴ δυνάμενοι χωρῆσαι τὸν λόγον «τοῦ θεοῦ».","english":"For those who have truly tasted of that sweetness and pleasantness, when they see the king appearing clothed in purple and behold dignities and treasures, they regard them as a foul odor, and they appear to them abominable and base, because they have entered into the royal and heavenly houses of Christ and heavenly treasures have been opened to them, and they have inherited another wealth, having become of another dignity, sons of heavenly light, of an endless age. Comparing, then, earthly things with heavenly, they then know the gulf that lies between and the difference. For just as when someone is held by a fever, while the affliction is still at its height, if you set before such a person various foods or some sweetmeat or other nourishment, he loathes and is disgusted and turns away, being sated and drunk from the fever and, as it were, having it for food—so too those who are spiritual, having the burning of heavenly love and of the divine fire, whatever things of this world are set before them—whether dignities or a kingdom or wealth or glory—they loathe and abominate, as one is disgusted when passing through a place where there are corpses and much foul odor. In the same way, again, those who are filled with the opposing power and are of the spirit of the world—when a spiritual word is spoken about light, about the kingdom, about another age and divine power—they are, as it were, disgusted and grow listless, unable to contain the word of God.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":81,"ref":"p81","source":"ἐξ ἀληθείας γὰρ οὗτοί εἰσι σοφοὶ καὶ ἀνδρεῖοι, οὗτοι πολεμισταὶ οἱ ἄνω ἔχοντες τὸν ἑαυτῶν νοῦν καὶ ὀργιζόμενοι ταῖς συνούσαις αὐτοῖς ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ ἡδοναῖς καὶ ἀντιπράττοντες τῷ νόμῳ τῆς κακίας καὶ ὑπήκοοι γινόμενοι καὶ συνηδόμενοι «τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ». τί οὖν ἔστιν ὁ ῥήτωρ ἢ φιλόσοφος; ἐπανίσταται αὐτῷ ἐπι θυμία καὶ μοιχεύει †καὶ ἐπὶ πλεονεξίᾳ ἁρπάζεται καὶ† ἐλαύνεται ὁ νοῦς ὑπὸ τῶν πνευμάτων τῶν πονηρῶν, καὶ ποῦ αὐτῶν ἡ σοφία ἡ πολλή; Ἐρώτησις. Διὰ τί ὅταν ἀπέρχωμαι εἰς τὴν εὐχήν, πολλοῖς λογισ μοῖς συνέχομαι καὶ ῥεμβασμοῖς;\n\nἈπόκρισις. Ἀνδρείως καὶ προθύμως προσέρχου καὶ μὴ νωθρῶς καὶ ὡς ἐγκοιμώμενος, ἀλλὰ νηφούσῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ, ὡς ἔργον ἔχων καὶ μὴ ὡς μηδὲν πράσσων ῥέμβου τοῖς λογισμοῖς. ὥσπερ γὰρ σαρκικὸν ἔργον ποιῶν ὅλος ἐξ ὅλου ἐκεῖ εἶ τῷ νοῒ καὶ τοῖς λογισμοῖς καὶ τῷ σώματι, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὀφείλεις τῇ εὐχῇ\n\nπροσέρχεσθαι ὡς ἔργον πνευματικὸν προσδοκῶν ἐκτελέσαι· ὁ θεὸς γὰρ νοῦν ὁρᾷ καὶ λογισ μοῖς προσέχει. σπούδαζε ἐπισυνάγειν πάντοτε ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸ ἔργον καὶ εἰς τὴν ζήτησιν καὶ εἰς πόθον θεοῦ, ἐκεῖ ἐκτείνου καὶ ἐνθυμοῦ καὶ μελέτα, ὅπου τὸ σῶμα εὔχεται, ἤτοι βοῆς χρεία ἢ σιγῆς ἢ ὡσδη ποτοῦν, μόνον νηφούσῃ καὶ προσεχούσῃ διανοίᾳ. καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ εἰκονογράφος ὁ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ βασιλέως γράφων, ὅλα τὰ μέλη ἐὰν καλῶς ποιήσῃ, ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ δὲ ἐὰν ὀλίγον ἐλλείψῃ ἢ ἀφανίσῃ καὶ μὴ ὡς δέοι γράψας, ὅλον ἠφανίσθη τὸ ἔργον·","english":"For these are truly wise and courageous; these are the warriors who keep their own mind on things above and are angry with the desires and pleasures that dwell with them, and who strive against the law of evil and become obedient and rejoice together with \"the law of God.\" What, then, is the orator or the philosopher? Desire rises up against him and commits adultery, and he is carried off by greed, and his mind is driven by the evil spirits—and where is their great wisdom? Question. Why is it that when I go to prayer, I am beset by many thoughts and distractions?\n\nAnswer. Come courageously and eagerly, and not sluggishly and as one half-asleep, but with a sober mind, as one who has a work to do and not as one doing nothing, lest you be distracted by your thoughts. For just as when you do a bodily work, you are wholly there with your mind and your thoughts and your body, in the same way you ought to come to prayer as to a spiritual work, expecting to accomplish it; for God sees the mind and attends to the thoughts. Strive always to gather yourself into the work and into the seeking and into the longing for God; stretch out there and ponder and meditate, wherever the body prays—whether there is need of speech or silence or whatever kind—only with a sober and attentive mind. For just as the iconographer who paints the image of the king, if he does all the members well but in the eye falls short a little or spoils it and does not paint it as it ought to be, the whole work is ruined;","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":82,"ref":"p82","source":"βασιλικὴν εἰκόνα ἠφάνισε καὶ τιμωρίαις ὑπεύθυνος καθίσταται διὰ τὴν ῥαθυμίαν αὐτοῦὡσαύτως καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τῶν νοημάτων εὐθείως καὶ ὀρθῶς γραφέτω ἕκαστος τοῦ ἐπουρανίου βασιλέως ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς νοήμασι κοσ μείτω. ἢ ὡς ὁ οἰκοδόμος μετρεῖ τὸ εὐθὲς τοῦ κανόνος, μή τι παρα τραπῇ, ἢ ὡς ὁ γεωργὸς τὴν αὔλακα προσέχων οὐδαμῆ ἀσχολεῖται, ἀλλ' ὅλος ἐκεῖ ἐστιν, ἵνα ὀρθῶς τὰς αὔλακας ποιήσῃ. εἰ οὖν εἰς τὰ σωματικὰ οὕτως, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ ψυχὴ ὀφείλει ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ ὡς ἀληθινῷ ἔργῳ προσέχειν καὶ εὐθύνειν μετὰ πολλῆς νήψεως τὰ νοήματα καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς πρὸς θεὸν πάντοτε «εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν». οὕτω γὰρ δυνή σεται τὴν εὐθύτητα τοῦ νοὸς ἐμπόνως διορθωσάμενος ἐπαίνου ἀξιω θῆναι καὶ πνευματικῶν δωρεῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν, καὶ οὕτω τοὺς πόνους αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν ἐνεγκεῖν δύναται, ὁσημέραι προκόπτων καὶ βελτιούμενος καὶ πολλῶν «αἴτιος σωτηρίας» γινόμενος, ὡς φιλόθεος δὲ καὶ εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ ἀποδειχθεὶς τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας κληρονόμος καθίσταται ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.","english":"He destroys the royal image and becomes liable to punishments because of his negligence. Likewise, let each person paint the image of the thoughts rightly and correctly in his soul—the image of the heavenly King—and adorn it with all good thoughts. Or as the builder measures the straightness of the rule, lest it be twisted anywhere, or as the farmer, paying attention to the furrow, is in no way distracted but is wholly there, so that he may make the furrows straight. If, then, they do so in bodily matters, how much more ought the soul, in prayer as in a true work, to pay attention and to direct its thoughts and reasonings with much watchfulness toward God always \"unto the good.\" For thus, having laboriously corrected the uprightness of the mind, he will be able to be deemed worthy of praise and to attain spiritual gifts, and thus he can bring his labors into rest, progressing and improving day by day and becoming \"the cause of salvation\" for many; and having been shown to be a lover of God and well-pleasing to God, he is established as an heir of the kingdom of the heavens in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":83,"ref":"p83","source":"Ἐρώτησις. Διὰ τί οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οὐ δύνανται ἄρτιον καὶ ζωηρὸν ἀποδοῦναι λόγον; Ἀπόκρισις. Ὥσπερ τὸ γεννώμενον παιδίον ἐκ τῆς μήτρας σῶα τὰ μέλη ἔχον ἐξέρχεται μὴ ἔχον σίνος εἰς τὸ σῶμα, οὕτω καὶ οἱ γεννηθέντες ἐκ τῆς μήτρας τοῦ πνεύματος κἂν ἐν σαρκὶ εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον φαίνωνται, ἀλλὰ τῷ πνεύματι διόλου εἰς τὸν ἐκεῖ κόσμον εἰσὶ σὺν τῷ κυρίῳ ἀναπεπαυμένοι, ὅθεν καὶ ἐγεννήθησαν, καὶ οὗτοι μόνοι δύνανται τέλειον λόγον παραδοῦναι τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, ἔχοντες τὰ μέλη τοῦ πνεύματος τέλεια ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. εἰ δέ τινες ἐκεῖθεν οὐκ ἐγεννήθησαν, οὐ δύνανται λόγον πνευματικὸν παραδοῦναι, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔχουσι ζῶν πνεῦμα, ὅπερ ὑπαγορεύει αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐπουράνια. ὥσπερ ἵνα ᾖ παιδίον ἐκ μήτρας γινόμενον ἐπίμωμον ἢ τυφλὸν ἀπὸ γενετῆς ἢ χωλόν, ὡς τέρας ἐστὶ καὶ σημεῖον τῷ κόσμῳ, οὕτως εἰσὶν οἱ σοφοὶ οἱ θέλοντες διερμηνευταὶ τῶν γραφῶν εἶναι μὴ ἔχοντες τὸ οὐράνιον πνεῦμα, μήτε κερασθέντες ἐν τῇ θεότητι ἐπίμωμοί εἰσι, μὴ ἔχοντες ὑγιῆ τὰ μέλη, ἀλλ' ἐπιλήψιμον λόγον καὶ σαθρὸν παραδιδόντες. ὥσπερ ἵνα ᾖ νόμισμα, ὃ εἰς ἓν μέρος δοκεῖ ἔχειν χάραγμα, εἰς ἄλλο δὲ μέρος βεβλαμμένον ἐστὶ καὶ ἄχρηστον, οὕτως εἰσὶ καὶ οἱ ὄντες βεβλαμμένοι ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ὑπὸ τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν ἤτοι τῆς σοφίας θέλουσι λαλεῖν τὰ ἐπουράνια, ὅθεν οὐκ ἐγεννήθησαν. ἐπεὶ ὑπόστησόν μοι πρόσωπον ἕν, ὅτι ἔστι σοφός, παρθένος καὶ ἐν τοῖς φαινόμενοις ἀνεπίληπτος, νηστεύ ων, ἀγρυπνῶν, ἀποταξάμενος τῷ κόσμῳ, εὐχόμενος. λοιπὸν διαλέγομαι ἐγὼ πρὸς τοῦτον· παρθένος εἶ σύ; μᾶλλον σοῦ ἐγώ. εἰς τὸ φαινόμενον νηστεύεις;","english":"Question: Why can those who do not have the Holy Spirit within themselves not deliver a complete and living word? Answer: Just as a child born from the womb comes forth with its limbs sound, having no blemish on its body, so too those born from the womb of the Spirit—even though they appear in the flesh in this world—are entirely in the Spirit, having come to rest with the Lord in that other world, from which they were also born; and these alone can deliver a perfect word to the brethren, having the members of the Spirit perfect within themselves. But if some were not born from there, they cannot deliver a spiritual word, since they do not have the living Spirit who suggests heavenly things to them. Just as a child born from the womb that is blemished or blind from birth or lame is a portent and a sign to the world, so too are the wise who wish to be interpreters of the Scriptures without having the heavenly Spirit, and who have not been mingled in the divinity—they are blemished, not having their members sound, but delivering a reprehensible and unsound word. Just as a coin that appears to have an imprint on one side but is damaged and useless on the other side, so too are those who are damaged by sin: by their own mind, that is, by their wisdom, they wish to speak of heavenly things, from which they were not born. For suppose me one person who is wise, a virgin, and in outward appearances blameless—fasting, keeping vigil, renouncing the world, praying. Then I say to this person: Are you a virgin? I am more so than you. Do you fast in outward appearance?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":84,"ref":"p84","source":"μᾶλλον σοῦ ἐγώ. πτωχὸς εἶ; περισσότερον σοῦ ἐγώ. ὅτι οὐκ ὀφείλει τις ἐναπομεῖναι ἐν τούτοις τοῖς φαινομένοις καὶ οὐκ ὀφείλει ἀμεριμνεῖν ὁ νοῦς καὶ ἐπαναπαύεσθαι ἐν τούτοις ὡς ὢν τέλειος, ἀλλὰ ζητεῖν χρὴ τὸν νοῦν δύναμίν τινα ἐπουράνιον ἀνακερασθῆναι αὐτῷ καὶ ἐκδέξασθαι κατὰ πᾶσαν ὥραν τὸ ἐπουράνιον δῶρον, τὸ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν σου, τοῖς\n\nφυσικοῖς καρποῖς μιγῆναι, ἵνα πάντα ἅπερ ποιῇς καθαρῶς ᾖς ποιῶν. ὥσπερ ἐὰν ᾖ βασιλεὺς ἔχων σῶα τὰ μέλη, ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ τὴν πορφύραν ἐνδεδυμένος, οὐ προσκυνεῖται ὡς βασιλεύς, οὕτω καὶ σύ, εἰ καὶ τὰ φυσικὰ μέλη σῶα ἔχεις, ἐὰν μὴ ταῦτα ἔχων ἐνδύσῃ τὴν πορφύραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὃ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν σοῦ ἐστιν, οὐ στεφανοῦσθαι οὐδὲ εἰς θρόνον βασιλικὸν καθεσθῆναι δύνασαι.\n\nἈλλ' ἀποκρινῇ μοι, ὅτι ἐὰν εἰς τριάκοντα ἔτη ἢ τεσσαράκοντα μὴ δέξωμαι τὴν θείαν δύναμιν καὶ συμβῇ με ἐξελθεῖν τοῦ βίου, τί; Κἀγώ σοι πρὸς τοῦτο ἀποκρίνομαι, ὅτι οὐ κρίνει σε ὁ θεὸς ὡς βλάσφημον, καθότι περισσοτέραν σπουδὴν ἐνεδείξω εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν.","english":"Rather, I am more than you. Are you poor? I am more so than you. For one ought not to remain in these visible things, and the mind ought not to be free from care and rest in them as though it were perfect, but the mind must seek a heavenly power to be mingled with it and to receive at every hour the heavenly gift that is beyond your nature, to be mixed with natural fruits, so that in all things you do you may be doing them purely. Just as if a king were sound in his limbs, if he is not clothed in purple, he is not worshipped as a king, so also you, even if you have your natural limbs sound, if while having them you do not put on the purple of the Spirit, which is beyond your nature, you cannot be crowned nor seated on a royal throne.\n\nBut you will answer me: If in thirty or forty years I do not receive the divine power, and it happens that I depart from this life, what then? And I answer you to this: that God does not judge you as a blasphemer, inasmuch as you have shown greater zeal for the good.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":85,"ref":"p85","source":"εἰπεῖν σοι ἔχει ὁ θεός· ἐπειδὴ ἐξῆλθες ὀπίσω μου καὶ ἔκλαυσας καὶ ἐζήτησας νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας καὶ παρ' ὃ ἦς τὸ πρότερον ἀμεριμνῶν ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις καὶ φυσιούμενος ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, νῦν πλέον ἐσπούδασας κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς ζητῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ ἐπιθυμῶν δέξασθαι τὴν θείαν δύναμιν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὐ κρίνω σε ἐν τούτῳ ὡς βλάσφημον· μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ ἀποδέχομαί σε ὡς καλλίονα ἑαυτοῦ γενόμενον παρ' ὃ ἦς τὸ πρότερον. καὶ σὺ δὲ αὐτὸς δοκίμασον ἐν ἑαυτῷ καὶ διάκρινον ὅτι ἡ νῦν σου πολιτεία καὶ ἐργασία ἀνωτέρα ἐστίν. ἐγὼ δέ σοι λέγω κατὰ τὰς γραφάς, ὅτι «ὁ ζητῶν εὑρίσκει, καὶ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει, καὶ τῷ κρούοντι ἀνοιγήσεται». Ἀλλὰ λέγεις μοι ὅτι· ἀπόδειξόν μοι, πῶς σύνεστί τισιν ἡ θεία δύναμις ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι. Ἀποκρίνομαί σοι κἀγώ· πῶς σε πείσω, ὅτι ἡ θεία δύναμις τοῖς πιστοῖς σύνεστιν, ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς καινῆς; ἔλθωμεν πρῶτον ἐπὶ τὴν σκιάν. τίς ἐνεδυνάμωσε τὸν Ἀβραὰμ γέροντα ὄντα καὶ ἔχοντα τὸ «σῶμα νενεκρωμένον» ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἀνακαινισμὸν καὶ γεννῆσαι τὸν υἱόν; ἀλλὰ λέγεις μοι· τὰς μὲν θυσίας αὐτοῦ ἐδέξατο, πρὸς αὐτὸν δὲ οὐκ ἦν. καὶ τίς φίλος βουλόμενος συντυχεῖν τῷ φίλῳ αὐτοῦ πρῶτον εἰς τὴν ὕπαρξιν αὐτοῦ διακινεῖ, εἰς χώραν ἢ εἰς ἄμπελον, καὶ τότε αὐτὸν ὁρᾷ καὶ καταφιλεῖ; καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἄρα τὰς μὲν θυσίας τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐδέξατο καὶ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, πρὸς αὐτὸν δὲ οὐκ ἦν καὶ οὐκ ᾤκει ἐντὸς αὐτοῦ; καὶ ὅτε συνέβαλεν εἰς πόλεμον, τίς ἦν ὁ νικῶν; ἡ φύσις αὐτοῦ μόνη ἢ ὁ θεὸς ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ οἰκῶν καὶ ποιῶν τὴν νίκην; ἔλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὸν Νῶε. τίς ἦν ὁ ὑποτάξας ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ὅλα τὰ γένη τῶν θηρίων;","english":"God has this to say to you: Since you went out after me and wept and sought night and day, and beyond what you were before—carefree among visible things and puffed up about them—now you have been more earnest, according to the Scriptures, seeking the truth and desiring to receive the divine power in yourself, I do not judge you in this as a blasphemer; God forbid, but I accept you as having become better than yourself, beyond what you were before. And you yourself also test in yourself and discern that your present conduct and work is higher. And I say to you according to the Scriptures, that \"the one who seeks finds, and the one who asks receives, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.\" But you say to me: Show me how the divine power is present with some in the present age. I also answer you: How shall I persuade you that the divine power is present with the faithful—from the old covenant or from the new? Let us come first to the shadow. Who empowered Abraham, when he was old and had a \"body deadened,\" to come to renewal and beget the son? But you say to me: He accepted his sacrifices, but he was not with him. And what friend, wishing to meet his friend, first stirs himself to his property, to a field or to a vineyard, and then sees him and kisses him? And so did God accept Abraham's sacrifices and possessions, but was not with him and did not dwell within him? And when he engaged in war, who was the one who conquered? Was it his nature alone, or was it God dwelling in him and producing the victory? Let us come to Noah. Who was it that subjected before him all the kinds of beasts?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":86,"ref":"p86","source":"ἡ φύσις αὐτοῦ ἢ οὐράνιόν τι συνὸν αὐτῷ τὸ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν, ὅπερ ἔκτισεν αὐτὰ τὰ ζῴα καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ ὑπέταξεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ τὰ θηρία; ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἄρα ἀπὸ ἰδίας δυνάμεως τοιοῦτον λίθον ἠδύνατο ἀποκυλίσαι ἢ ἡ θεία δύναμις συνῆν αὐτῷ ἡ ἀποκυλίσασα τὸ βάρος τοῦ λίθου; τοσοῦτον δὲ ἀδιαλείπτως συνῆν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός, ὅτι οὐδὲ εἰ ἐκοιμᾶτο ἤφιεν αὐτόν. ἤνοιξε γὰρ τὰς θύρας τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ τὸν οὐράνιον οἶκον, εἰς τύπον κλίμακος ἐφαίνετο αὐτῷ. εἶτα ἐπάλαισεν αὐτῷ ὡς ἄνθρωπος πρὸς ἄνθρωπον. Οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἄξιοι Χριστιανοὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ γράμματος μανθάνουσι καὶ λαλοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ πνεύματος θεοῦ πάντα ἐκδιδάσκονται, «οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς» γράμμασιν (ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος) «ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ' ἐν διδακτοῖς πνεύματος ἁγίου». ἡ διαθήκη γὰρ αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ νόμος καὶ ἡ βίβλος αὐτῶν πνεῦμά ἐστιν, καθώς φησι τὸ πνεῦμα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· καὶ ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις «διαθήσομαι» «διαθήκην καινὴν» τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰακώβ, «οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην, ἣν διεθέμην τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν», ἀλλὰ «αὕτη ἡ διαθήκη, ἣν διαθήσομαι τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ», «διδοὺς νόμους μου εἰς τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν ἐπιγράψω αὐτοὺς» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ὡς γὰρ οἱ πάλαι ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης ἀνεγίνωσκον τοῖς σωματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὰ σωματικὰ γράμματα, οὕτως οἱ Χριστιανοὶ τοῖς ἔσωθεν","english":"Is it his own nature, or some heavenly being present with him that is above nature—which created the living creatures themselves and him, and subjected the wild beasts before him? Could Jacob, then, by his own strength have rolled away such a stone, or was it the divine power present with him that rolled away the weight of the stone? So continually was God present with him that not even when he slept did he leave him. For he opened the doors of the heavens and showed him the heavenly house; it appeared to him in the form of a ladder. Then he wrestled with him as a man with a man. The Christians worthy of Christ do not learn and speak from the letter, but are taught all things from the Spirit of God—\"not in taught\" letters (as the apostle says) \"in words of human wisdom, but in taught of the Holy Spirit.\" For their covenant and their law and their book is the Spirit, as the Spirit says through the prophet: And it shall be in the last days, \"I will make\" \"a new covenant\" with the house of Jacob, \"not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers,\" but \"this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel,\" \"giving my laws into their mind, and upon their heart I will write them,\" and so on. For just as those of old, from the old covenant, read the bodily letters with bodily eyes, so Christians with the inner","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":87,"ref":"p87","source":"ὀφθαλμοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀναγινώσκουσι καὶ μανθάνουσιν ἐκ τῆς διαθήκης τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ τῇ ἔσωθεν γλώσσῃ καινῇ λαλοῦσι καὶ τοῖς ἔσωθεν ὠσὶν ἀκούουσιν. οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ὁ κύριος ἐξελέξατο, ἄνδρας ἰδιώτας καὶ ἀγραμμάτους, καὶ ἐπλήρωσε πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ σοφισθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐλάλουν διδάσκοντες σοφοὺς καὶ γραμ ματεῖς· κἂν γὰρ «οὗτοι» (φησὶ) «σιωπήσουσιν, οἱ λίθοι κεκράξονται». προέλεγε δὲ τοῦτο ὁ κύριος ἤτοι περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἢ περὶ πασῶν ψυχῶν τῶν λυτρουμένων ἐκ τοῦ βαρυτάτου λίθου τῆς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ ἐπικειμένου αὐταῖς, ἐπὰν δὲ ἀρθῇ, κράζουσιν αἰνοῦσαι τὸν θεόν.\n\nὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ λίθοι τότε καὶ «αἱ πέτραι» θεωροῦσαι τὸν κύριον ἐσχίζοντο καὶ διηνοίγοντο «τὰ μνήματα», οὕτως ἐπὰν ἐπιλάμψῃ καὶ ἐπι φάνῃ «τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ» τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, ἀποσχίζεται ὁ βαρὺς λίθος τῆς ἁμαρτίας διδοὺς τόπον τῷ δεσπότῃ, ἵνα εἰσελθὼν ἐνοικήσῃ αὐτὸς εἰς αὐτήν. ἐπὰν οὖν ἴδωσιν αἱ ὥσπερ λίθος ψυχαὶ τὸ ἐπιθυμητὸν πρόσωπον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τότε κράζουσιν. καὶ ὥσπερ ὄρος ἐὰν ᾖ μὴ ἔχον ἔνδον οἰκητήρια ἀλλὰ ὂν λίθος, καὶ ἔλθῃ ἀνήρ τις τεχνίτης εἰδὼς λατομεῖν καὶ ἀπεργάσηται ἐκεῖ οἴκους καλλίστους, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ ἀληθινὸς καὶ καλὸς τεχνίτης ἔρχεται πρὸς τὰς ἀγαπώσας αὐτὸν ψυχὰς καὶ λατομεῖ καὶ ἀποτέμνει ἐξ αὐτῶν τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ καταρ τίζει ἑαυτῷ παλάτια καὶ μονὴν ἐν αὐταῖς ποιεῖται. κράζουσι τοίνυν αἱ ὥσπερ λίθος ψυχαί, ὅταν ἐπιφάνῃ κύριος «τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ».","english":"They read with the eyes of the soul and learn from the covenant of the Spirit, and they speak with a new tongue within and hear with ears within. For thus the Lord also chose the apostles, uneducated and illiterate men, and filled them with the Holy Spirit, and being made wise by the Spirit they spoke, teaching wise men and scribes; for even if \"these\" (he says) \"fall silent, the stones will cry out.\" The Lord foretold this either concerning the apostles or concerning all souls that are redeemed from the heaviest stone of sin that lies upon them, and when it is lifted, they cry out praising God.\n\nFor just as the stones then and \"the rocks\" that saw the Lord were split and \"the tombs\" were opened, so when the good \"face of the Lord\" Jesus Christ shines forth and appears in the soul, the heavy stone of sin is split apart, giving place to the Master, so that entering in he may himself dwell in it. When, then, souls that are like stone see the desirable face of Christ, then they cry out. And just as if a mountain has no dwellings within but is stone, and a craftsman comes who knows how to quarry and fashions there the most beautiful houses, in the same way Christ, the true and good craftsman, comes to the souls that love him and quarries and cuts away from them the spirit of sin and prepares for himself palaces and makes his dwelling in them. Therefore the souls that are like stone cry out when the Lord causes \"his face\" to shine upon them.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":88,"ref":"p88","source":"περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων ὅτι ἔκραξαν θέλοντες καὶ μὴ θέλοντες ὥσπερ αὐλὸς ἐπὰν πνέῃ τὸ πνεῦμα (ὡς θέλει ὁ πνέων οὕτω λαλεῖ ὁ αὐλός), οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ ὅμοιοι αὐτοῖς γεννηθέντες «ἄνωθεν» καὶ λαβόντες τὸ παράκλητον πνεῦμα, ὡς ἤθελεν αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐλάλει. τῷ γὰρ Νικοδήμῳ ὁ κύριος περὶ τοῦ «ἄνωθεν» γεννω μένου διηγούμενος ἔλεγε· «τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ, καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει». ὡς τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἀνέμου οὐδεὶς οἶδε τὸν οἶκον, πόθεν ἔρχεται, ἢ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ, ποῦ καταντᾷ, οὔτε κωλῦσαί τις δύναται οὔτε μετρῆσαι οὔτε καταλαβεῖν, ὁμοίως ὡς τὰ τῶν ποταμῶν ῥεύματα οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐπισχεῖν ἢ καταλαβεῖντὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς· οὐδεὶς δύναται καταλαβεῖν τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἢ πάλιν κωλῦσαι τὰ ῥεύματα τοῦ νοὸς ἢ ἐπισχεῖν ἢ εἰδέναι τὴν πηγὴν τῶν λογισμῶν τῆς διανοίας, πόθεν ἐξέρχεται, ἢ καταλαβεῖν, ποῦ ἀπέρχεται. ὅπου γὰρ οὔκ ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα καθέζεται καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ τῷ νῷ καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ ἐστὶν εἰς μακρὰς χώρας. εἰ οὖν, φησί, τὰ ἐπίγεια τὰ ἐνταῦθα ἐν χερσὶ τοι αῦτά ἐστι καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀκατάληπτα, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ γεννηθεὶς «ἄνω θεν» καὶ δεξάμενος τὸ ἐπουράνιον πνεῦμα τοῦ κυρίου καὶ κραθεὶς αὐτῷ «κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον» πόσον ἐστὶν ἀκατάληπτος ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνου; ὅπου γὰρ βούλεται, ἰδοὺ ἐκεῖ ἐστιν, ἐνταῦθα γὰρ οὖσα, ἐλθὸν τὸ οὐράνιον καὶ θεῖον πνεῦμα ὡδήγησεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὰ ἐπουράνια καὶ ἐδί δαξε καὶ πανταχοῦ ἀκατάληπτός ἐστιν ἐκείνη ἡ ψυχή. Δόξα τῇ μεγαλωσύνῃ αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Ὅ φησιν ὁ κύριος ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ·","english":"But concerning the apostles, that they cried out whether they willed or not, just as a flute sounds when the spirit breathes through it (as the one who breathes wills, so the flute speaks), so too the apostles and those born \"from above\" like them, having received the Paraclete Spirit, spoke as the Spirit itself willed within them. For the Lord, explaining to Nicodemus about the one born \"from above,\" said: \"The Spirit breathes where it wills, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.\" Just as no one knows the home of the wind of the spirit, where it comes from, or its fullness, where it arrives, nor can anyone hinder it or measure it or comprehend it—just as no one can hold back or comprehend the currents of rivers—so it is also with the soul: no one can comprehend its reasonings, nor again hinder the streams of the mind, nor hold them back, nor know the source of the thoughts of the understanding, where it comes from, or comprehend where it goes. For where it is not, there it sits, and elsewhere it is with the mind and understanding in distant places. If, then, he says, these earthly things here in our hands are such and so incomprehensible, how much more is that soul incomprehensible—the one born \"from above\" and having received the heavenly Spirit of the Lord and having been mingled with it \"according to the inner man\"? For where it wills, behold, there it is; for while it was here, the heavenly and divine Spirit came and led it into the heavenly places and taught it, and that soul is everywhere incomprehensible. Glory to his majesty forever and ever. Amen. What the Lord says in the gospel:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":89,"ref":"p89","source":"«τί στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν, καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ διοδεύοντες αὐ τήν», νοεῖται μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἀκροτάτην ἀρετὴν διὰ τὸ θλιβερὸν καὶ διὰ τὸ πόνῳ καὶ ἀγῶνι προσκτᾶσθαι αὐτὴν ἕκαστον. ὅμως δὲ στενὴν ὅταν λέγῃ ὁδὸν τοῖς μὴ βουλομένοις δι' αὐτῆς πορεύεσθαι, στενὴ ὁδὸς τοῖς ἐχθροῖς αὐτῆς ἐστι, τοῖς μὴ δυναμένοις βαδίζειν εἰς αὐτήν, καθὼς γέγραπται· «ὡς τραχεῖά ἐστι σφόδρα τοῖς ἀπαιδεύτοις, καὶ οὐκ ἐμμενεῖ ἐν αὐτῇ ἀκάρδιος»· πολλῆς γὰρ συνέσεως καὶ φρονήσεως καὶ ὑπομονῆς καὶ πίστεως χρεία, ἵνα\n\nτις ἑδραίως καὶ ἀσφαλῶς ἐπὶ τὴν μακαρίαν φθάσῃ καὶ θείαν «τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁδόν». ὥσπερ ἐὰν ᾖ ὄρος λίαν ὑψηλὸν καὶ κρημνῶδες καὶ ἔχῃ τρίβον λίαν στενὴν ὡσανεὶ περίμετρον βήματος ποδός, καὶ δι' ἐκείνης οὐ δύναται ζῷα τετρά ποδα ἢ ἄλλο τι διοδεῦσαι καὶ παρελθεῖν ἢ τάχα μόνον πετεινὰ τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων πτερῶν κουφιζόμενα, οὕτω καὶ αἱ ἀκρόταται ἐντολαὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ «ἡ ὁδὸς» τοῦ θεοῦ «στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη» ἐστὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου τοῖς μὴ μετέχουσι πνεύματος θεοῦ, καὶ ἀδύνατον παρελθεῖν τινας (τουτέστιν ὑπηκόους εὑρεθῆναι καὶ ἀμώμους εἰς πάσας τὰς εὐαγγελικὰς ἐντολάς), ἐὰν μὴ πτέρυγας τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος κτήσωνται, καὶ τότε κουφιζόμενοι τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύ ματι εὐκόλως δύνανται διοδεῦσαι τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν «τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁδόν», ἵνα «εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν» καταξιωθῶσιν, καθὼς ὁ κύριος εἴρηκεν·","english":"How narrow and constricted is the way that leads to life, and few there are who pass through it\"—this is understood with respect to the highest virtue, because of its affliction and because each person acquires it through toil and struggle. Yet when he calls the way narrow for those who do not wish to travel through it, the way is narrow for its enemies, for those who are unable to walk into it, as it is written: \"How exceedingly rough it is for the uneducated, and the fainthearted will not remain in it\"; for there is need of much understanding and prudence and endurance and faith, so that one may reach firmly and securely the blessed and divine \"way of righteousness.\" Just as if there were a mountain very high and steep and it had a path very narrow, as it were the width of a footstep, and through it four-footed animals or anything else cannot pass through and get by, except perhaps only birds that are lightened by their own wings, so too the highest commandments of the gospel and \"the way\" of God is \"narrow and constricted\" for the people of this world who do not partake of the Spirit of God, and it is impossible for any to pass through (that is, to be found obedient and blameless in all the gospel commandments) unless they acquire the wings of the Holy Spirit, and then, lightened by the Holy Spirit, they can easily pass through the gospel \"way of righteousness,\" so that they may be deemed worthy \"to enter into life,\" as the Lord has said.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":90,"ref":"p90","source":"ὅτι «ὁ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν ἐστιν», καὶ τότε γνώσονται ὅτι αἱ ἐντολαὶ Ἰησοῦ βαρεῖαι οὔκ εἰσιν, ὅταν πε πτερωμένοι τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ τὴν στενὴν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁδὸν οὗτοι ἐν κουφότητι πολλῇ καὶ εὐθυμίᾳ διοδεύωσιν· ἀδύνατον γὰρ χωρὶς τῶν ἁγίων πτερύγων τοῦ πνεύματος παρελθεῖν τινα τὴν προειρη μένην ὁδόν (τουτέστι πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ κυρίου καθαρῶς καὶ τελείως καὶ ἀμώμως ἀποπληρῶσαι), καὶ οὕτω καταξιωθῆναι εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν πύλην τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν.\n\nΠολλοῖς δὲ καὶ ποικίλοις τρόποις τῆς χάριτος κατὰ προκοπὴν καὶ αὔξησιν καὶ χρονικῇ παρατάσει εἰς τὰ τέλεια μέτρα τῆς καθαρό τητος ἡ χάρις τοῦ πνεύματος καταξιοῖ ἐλθεῖν ψυχὰς τὰς ὑπηκόους αὐτῇ κατὰ πάντα.","english":"because \"my yoke is easy and my burden is light,\" and then they will know that the commandments of Jesus are not heavy, when, winged by the Holy Spirit, these men pass through the narrow way—narrow to the rest of mankind—with great lightness and cheerfulness. For it is impossible for anyone to pass along the aforementioned way (that is, to fulfill all the commandments of the Lord purely, perfectly, and blamelessly) without the holy wings of the Spirit, and thus to be deemed worthy to enter through the gate of the kingdom of heaven.\n\nBut in many and varied ways, according to progress and growth and the passage of time, the grace of the Spirit deems worthy to come to the perfect measures of purity those souls that are obedient to it in all things.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":91,"ref":"p91","source":"ὃν τρόπον γάρ τινα τῶν ὀρνέων φοβούμενα τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς θηρία εἰς ἀκρότερον καὶ ὑψηλότερον μέρος ποιεῖται τὸν φωλεὸν ἢ ἐν στέγει ἢ ἐν δένδρῳ τινὶ ὑψηλῷ, καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ μήτηρ περιερχομένη φέρει τοῖς νεοσσοῖς τρυφερὰν τροφὴν καθὼς δύνανται ἐπιδέξασθαι διὰ τὸ ἔτι νήπια αὐτὰ εἶναι, εἶτα κατὰ καιρὸν στερεωτέραν προσφέρει τὴν τροφὴν κατὰ τὴν αὔξησιν τῆς ἡλικίας τῶν νεοσσῶν, ἅμα καὶ διδάσ κουσα αὐτὰ φυομένων καὶ αὐξανομένων τῶν πτερύγων γυμνάζεσθαι κατ' ὀλίγον ἐν τῷ ἀέρι τὴν πτῆσιν καὶ μελετᾶν πρῶτον μὲν περὶ τὴν καλιάν, εἶτα περὶ τοὺς κλάδους τοῦ δένδρου ἀπὸ κλάδου εἰς κλάδον, ἔπειτα ὀλίγον μηκόθεν, ἕως οὗ ἀνδρωθῇ καὶ τὰ πτερὰ στερεοποιηθῇ, καὶ λοιπὸν ἀπὸ βουνοῦ εἰς βουνὸν καὶ ἀπὸ ὄρους εἰς ὄρος, εὐμαρῶς καὶ ἀκόπως ἐν ἀναπαύσει ἀνίπτανταιοὕτω καὶ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἅπερ γεννᾷ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως, πρῶτον μὲν ἐν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς δίδωσι τροφὴν γάλακτος πνευματικήν, γλυκύτητος καὶ πόθου ἐπουρανίου μεστὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ· «γάλα» γὰρ «ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα», φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, «καὶ οὐ βρῶμα», καὶ ὁ Πέτρος δὲ οὕτως ἔφη· «ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη τὸ λογικὸν καὶ ἄδολον γάλα ἐπιποθήσατε». εἶτα κατὰ προκοπὴν καὶ αὔξησιν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀνακαινιζομένης στερεωτέραν τοῦ πνεύματος δίδωσι τροφήν, ἅμα τε καὶ αἱ τῆς χάριτος πτέρυγες (τουτέστιν ἡ δύναμις τοῦ πνεύματος) προκοπτούσης τε ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἔργοις τῆς ψυχῆς αὐξάνονται ἐν αὐτῇ.","english":"For in a certain manner, birds that fear the beasts on the earth make their nest in a higher and loftier place, either on a roof or in some tall tree, and the mother herself goes about and brings tender food to the nestlings, just as they are able to receive it because they are still infants; then in due season she offers them more solid food according to the growth of the age of the nestlings, and at the same time she teaches them, as their wings grow and increase, to exercise their flight little by little in the air and to practice first around the nest, then around the branches of the tree, from branch to branch, then a little farther off, until they are grown and their wings are made strong, and thereafter from hill to hill and from mountain to mountain they fly easily and without toil in rest. So also the children of God, whom the Holy Spirit begets from his own power, at first in the beginnings he gives them spiritual milk for food, full of sweetness and heavenly longing in the heart; for \"I fed you with milk,\" says the apostle, \"and not with solid food,\" and Peter also said thus: \"As newborn infants, desire the rational and guileless milk.\" Then, according to the progress and growth of the soul being renewed, he gives more solid food of the Spirit, and at the same time the wings of grace (that is, the power of the Spirit) increase in it as the soul progresses in good works.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":92,"ref":"p92","source":"εἶτα διδάσκει ἡ θεία χάρις (ἡ ἀγαθὴ καὶ ἐπουράνιος μήτηρ) τὴν διάνοιαν ἵπτασθαι πρῶτον μὲν περὶ τὴν νοσσιὰν τῆς καρδίας ἤτοι τῶν λογισμῶν (τουτέστιν ἀρεμ βάστως κατὰ θεὸν εὔχεσθαι δυνάμει πνεύματος). εἶτα ὅσῳ τροφὴν στερεωτέραν τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς θεότητος λαμβάνει, τοσούτῳ καὶ ἵπτασθαι δύναται μειζόνως καὶ ἀνωτέρως ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ὁδηγου μένη καὶ διαβασταζομένη. ἐπὰν δὲ λοιπὸν ἀνδρωθῇ καὶ «εἰς μέτρον» ἔλθῃ τῆς πνευματικῆς «ἡλικίας», ἀπὸ βουνοῦ εἰς βουνὸν καὶ ἀπὸ ὄρους εἰς ὄρος (τουτέστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου εἰς τὸν ἄνω κόσμον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου εἰς τὸν μακάριον καὶ ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἄπειρον αἰῶνα) εὐκόλως ὁ νοῦς ἵπταται ἐν πολλῇ ἀμεριμνίᾳ καὶ ἀναπαύσει ὑπὸ τῶν πτερύγων τοῦ\n\nπνεύματος βασταζόμενος καὶ ὁδηγούμενος «εἰς ὀπτασίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις» μυστηρίων ἐπουρανίων καὶ εἰς θεω ρίας πνευματικὰς ἀρρήτους, ἅσπερ γλῶσσα σαρκὸς λαλῆσαι οὐ δύνα ται. λοιπὸν γὰρ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀνώτερα καὶ ὑψηλότερα γίνονται τῆς κακίας ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος δυναμωθέντα καὶ εἰς οὐρανοὺς τὴν δίαιταν ἔχοντα, μηκέτι φοβούμενα τὴν τῶν ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων ἀγριότητα.","english":"Then divine grace (the good and heavenly mother) teaches the mind to fly, first around the nest of the heart, that is, of the thoughts (that is, to pray to God undistractedly in the power of the Spirit). Then, to the extent that it receives the more solid food of the Spirit of the Godhead, to that extent it is also able to fly more greatly and more highly, being led and carried aloft by the Spirit. But when it has finally been made manly and has come \"to the measure\" of spiritual \"stature,\" from hill to hill and from mountain to mountain (that is, from this world to the world above, and from this age to the blessed and incorruptible and endless age) the mind flies easily, in great freedom from care and rest, being carried and guided by the wings of the Spirit \"into visions and revelations\" of heavenly mysteries and into ineffable spiritual contemplations, which a tongue of flesh cannot speak. For from then on the children of God become higher and loftier than evil, having been strengthened by the Spirit and having their dwelling in the heavens, no longer fearing the savagery of the unclean spirits.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":93,"ref":"p93","source":"ὃν τρόπον τὰ νοσσία ἀνδρωθέντα καὶ τῶν πτερύγων τελείως αὐξηθέντων οὐκέτι δέδοικεν ἐπιβουλὴν θηρίων ἢ ἀνθρώπων διὰ τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀέρι ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον τὴν δίαιταν αὐτῶν εἶναι, καὶ ὥσπερ οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων γινώσκει τὴν τῶν πτηνῶν ὁμιλίαν, οὕτω καὶ τὴν γλῶσσαν τοῦ πνεύματος οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων τῶν πεπληρωμένων τοῦ πνεύματος «τοῦ κόσμου» ἐν δυνάμει γινώσκει ἢ μόνον οἱ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς χάριτος υἱοὶ γινώσκουσι τὴν λαλιὰν τῆς μητρὸς αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου· «πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συγκρίνοντες. ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ· μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν». ὥσπερ γὰρ βάρβαρος τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις ἡ τῶν χελιδόνων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν πετεινῶν φωνή, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς σαρκικοῖς οἱ τῶν πνευματικῶν λόγοι βάρβαροί εἰσιν. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς οἱ τῶν σαρκικῶν λόγοι ἤγουν «ἡ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου μωρία» ἐστὶ καὶ γνωρίζουσι μὲν αὐτοὺς ἀλλ' ἀποστρέφονται ὡς ληρωδίας καὶ ματαιότητος κόσμου λόγους.","english":"Just as nestlings, once grown to maturity and their wings fully developed, no longer fear the plots of beasts or of men, because for the most part their dwelling is in the air, and just as no man knows the speech of birds, so too no man filled with the Spirit of the world knows the tongue of the Spirit in power, but only the sons of the Spirit of grace know the speech of their mother, according to what was said by the apostle: \"comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.\" For just as the voice of swallows and the rest of the birds is barbarous to men, so also the words of spiritual men are barbarous to fleshly men. Likewise, to spiritual men the words of fleshly men—that is, \"the wisdom of the world\"—are foolishness, and they recognize them, but turn away from them as the words of the world's nonsense and vanity.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":94,"ref":"p94","source":"Ταῦτα πάντα διὰ τῶν φαινομένων πραγμάτων ἱστόρηταί μοι διά τε ὀρνέων καὶ ζῴων καὶ πάντων τῶν ὁρωμένων διὰ τὸ ἄλλως ῥηθῆναι τὰ πνευματικὰ ἢ ἑρμηνευθῆναι ἀδύνατον, καθὼς καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐν παραβολαῖς τὰ πλεῖστα ἐλάλησεν ὑποδείγματα ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων λαμβάνων «κόκκῳ σινάπεως» καὶ «ζύμῃ» καὶ «θησαυρῷ» τὴν βασιλείαν παρεικάζων· «ἀνοίξω» (γάρ φησιν) «ἐν παραβολαῖς τὸ στόμα μου, ἐρεύ ξομαι κεκρυμμένα ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου». ἄρρητα γάρ ἐστι τὰ πνευ ματικὰ μὴ δυνάμενα λόγῳ ἀνθρωπίνῳ φρασθῆναι, ἐὰν μὴ αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα πείρᾳ καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ διδάξῃ τὴν ἀξίαν καὶ πιστὴν ψυχήν. τὴν γὰρ πνευματικὴν ἀναγέννησιν καὶ τὴν αὔξησιν καὶ τὴν τελείωσιν ὡς δεῖ εἰπεῖν ἀδύνατόν ἐστι ῥηθῆναι ἢ μόνον πιστεύειν, ὅτι ταῦτα οὕτω ποιεῖ ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῖς τὴν εὐάρεστον αὐτῷ ἐπανῃρημένοις πολιτείαν. οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἡ τῶν πνευματικῶν ὁμιλία βάρβαρός ἐστι τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου ἀνθρώποις. ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσ σης πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ οἴδασι, τὰς τρίβους καὶ τὰ βάθη, καὶ οὐκ ἐγ χωρεῖ ἄνθρωπον ἢ θηρία ἢ τὰ λοιπὰ ζῷα τὰ ἐκεῖ γνωρίσαι ἢ ἐγ χρονίσαι ἐνταῦθα, ἐπεὶ ἀπόλλυνται πνιγέντα, οὕτως ἀδύνατόν ἐστι μὴ γεννηθέντα τινὰ ἐκ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ αἰῶνος τὰ ἐκεῖ γνωρίσαι ὡς ἔστι «καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ» καὶ τὰς τρίβους τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς βασιλείας εἰδέναι, εἰ μὴ οἱ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ πνεύματι ἀναστρεφόμενοι καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ζῶντες καὶ μετέχοντες καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ περιπατοῦντες κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου· «ἡμῶν δὲ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει», καὶ πάλιν· οὐδεὶς ἔγνω «τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ» «εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ».","english":"All these things have been recorded by me through visible things—through birds and animals and all things seen—because it is impossible for spiritual things to be spoken or interpreted otherwise, just as the Lord also spoke most things in parables, taking illustrations from visible things, likening the kingdom to a grain of mustard seed and to leaven and to a treasure. For he says, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world. For spiritual things are ineffable, unable to be expressed by human speech, unless the Spirit himself by experience and operation teaches the worthy and faithful soul. For the spiritual regeneration and growth and perfection—how one ought to speak of them—it is impossible to utter, or only to believe, that God does these things in this way for men who have chosen a manner of life pleasing to him. Thus also the discourse of spiritual things is barbarous to the men of the world. For just as the fish of the sea know all things in it—the paths and the depths—and it is not possible for a man or beasts or the other living creatures to know the things there or to linger there, since they are destroyed by drowning, so it is impossible for one not born of the Holy Spirit to know the things of that age as they are—both the depths of God and to know the paths of the Spirit of the kingdom—except those who conduct themselves in that very Spirit and live from him and partake and walk in him, according to what was said by the apostle: But our citizenship is in heaven; and again: no one has known the things of God except the Spirit of God.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":95,"ref":"p95","source":"«ἡμῖν δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀπεκάλυψε διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ», καὶ πάλιν φησίν· τὸ πνεῦμα «ἐρευνᾷ καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ». οὕτως ἀδύνατον τῷ ἔχοντι «τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου» καὶ μὴ γεγεννημένῳ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ εἰδέναι τι ἐν πείρᾳ γνώσεως τῶν τοῦ πνεύματος ὡς ἐστίν, κἂν θέλωσιν ἐμβατεύειν, εἰκῇ φυσιοῦνται ὑπὸ τοῦ νοὸς τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτῶν. σοφίᾳ γὰρ κοσμικῇ ἐπερειδόμενοι καὶ οἰόμενοι δύνασθαι καταλαμβάνειν τῇ συνέσει αὐτῶν τὰ πνευματικὰ ἄνευ τῆς ἐπισκέψεως καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐξαποροῦνται καὶ ἀπόλλυνται μὴ ἔχοντες θεμέλιον ἀληθῆ, (ὅς ἐστιν ὁ κύριος, δι' οὗ οἱ ἄξιοι πᾶσαν πνευματικὴν γνῶσιν περιλαμβάνουσιν). εἰς ἀδηλότητα γάρ τινα καὶ εἰς φαντασίαν στοχασμῶν ὁ νοῦς αὐτῶν καταντᾷ διὰ τῆς ἰδίας συνέσεως καὶ ἰσχύος\n\nνομιζόντων πνευματικὴν καταλαμ βάνειν γνῶσιν, ἀλλὰ κἂν πάσας τὰς γραφὰς ἀπὸ στόματος ἀπαγγέλλω σιν, οὐκ οἴδασι τὴν δύναμιν ὧν λαλοῦσιν. ὥσπερ γὰρ παιδία διδασκό μενα παρὰ διδασκάλῳ ἐκμανθάνει τὰ τῶν δεινῶν ῥητόρων διηγήματα καὶ τῷ μὲν στόματι ἀπαγγέλλουσι τοὺς λόγους τῶν σοφῶν, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν τῶν λόγων οὐκ ἴσασιν, οὐδὲ ἐπίστανται, τί ἀναγινώσκουσιν ἢ ἀπαγγέλλουσι διὰ τὴν νηπιότηταοὕτω καὶ οἱ τὰς γραφὰς ἀπαγγέλλοντες καὶ μελετῶντες ἐὰν μὴ παρὰ πνευματικῶν ἀνδρῶν παρα λάβωσι τὸν ἐγκείμενον ἀληθῆ νοῦν ἐν αὐταῖς καὶ ἐὰν μὴ ἔχωσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ζῶσαν φωνὴν (τουτέστιν αὐτὴν τὴν θεϊκὴν δύναμιν τὴν ὑπαγορεύσασαν τὰς γραφάς), ὡς ἔδει ὠφεληθῆναι οὐκ ὠφελήθησαν.","english":"But God has revealed them to us through his Spirit,” and again he says: the Spirit “searches even the depths of God.” Thus it is impossible for one who has “the spirit of the world” and has not been born in the Holy Spirit to know anything by experience of the knowledge of the things of the Spirit as they are, even if they wish to intrude into them; they are vainly puffed up by the mind of their flesh. For resting on worldly wisdom and supposing that by their own understanding they can grasp spiritual things without the visitation and revelation of the Spirit, they are at a loss and perish, having no true foundation (which is the Lord, through whom those who are worthy encompass all spiritual knowledge). For their mind comes to a certain uncertainty and to a phantasm of conjectures through their own understanding and strength, as they think to grasp spiritual knowledge; but even if they recite all the Scriptures from mouth, they do not know the power of what they speak. For just as children being taught by a teacher learn by heart the narratives of clever orators and with their mouth recite the words of the wise, but do not know or understand the power of the words, nor what they are reading or reciting, because of their infancy—so also those who recite and study the Scriptures, if they have not received from spiritual men the true meaning lying within them, and if they do not have within themselves the living voice (that is, the divine power itself that dictated the Scriptures), they are not benefited as they ought to have been benefited.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":96,"ref":"p96","source":"ἔτι γάρ εἰσιν ἐνδεδυμένοι «τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον», τουτέστι «τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου» (ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ νόμος «τῆς ἁμαρτίας» ὁ ἀντιστρατευόμενος «τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοός»). ὥσπερ δὲ ὁ μὴ γεννώμενος ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὅταν δὲ γεννηθῇ τότε ἔστιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον, οὕτω καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ γεννηθεὶς οὐκ ἔστιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος οὔτε ἐκεῖ καταντῆσαι δύναται. ἐὰν μὴ οὖν τὸ νέον καὶ ἐπουράνιον γέννημα ἀπεντεῦθεν δέξηται (τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι ἐκείνῳ ἐκ πνεύματος ἡ ψυχὴ γεννηθῇ κἀκεῖθεν τραφῇ καὶ αὐξηθῇ καὶ τελειωθῇ ἐν πνεύματι), εἰς ἐκεῖνον τὸν αἰῶνα οὐ καταντᾷ. οὕτω γάρ εἰσι δεδογματισμένα τὰ δόγματα ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ οὕτως ηὐδόκησε καὶ ἀπεφήνατο· «ἐὰν μή τις ἀναγεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν», οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ «εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν»· τὸ γὰρ γεννηθὲν «ἐκ πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστιν», ὥσπερ καὶ «τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς σάρξ ἐστιν». ἠθέλησε γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον συγκερασθῆναι τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ καθαρίσαι αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ ὄντος «ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν» αὐτῆς καὶ γενέσθαι μετ' αὐτῆς εἰς ἓν πνεῦμα, ἵνα νύμφην καθαρὰν καὶ ἄμωμον αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ παραστήσῃΔόξα τῷ οὕτως ἀγαπήσαντι τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν κατ' εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ κτισθεῖσαν, τῷ λυτρωσαμένῳ αὐτὴν ἐκ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ σκότους καὶ μεταστήσαντι αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ φωτὸς τῆς ζωῆς.","english":"For they are still clothed in “the old man,” that is, “the spirit of the world” (which is the law “of sin” that wars against “the law of the mind”). And just as one who is not born in this world does not exist, but when he is born, then he exists into this age, so also one who has not been born in the Holy Spirit does not exist into the age of the Spirit, nor can he arrive there. Unless, therefore, he receives the new and heavenly birth from here (that is, in that age the soul is born of the Spirit and from there is nourished and grows and is perfected in the Spirit), he does not arrive at that age. For thus the decrees have been ordained by the Lord, and thus he was pleased and declared: “Unless one is born again from above,” he shall not enter “into the kingdom of heaven”; for what is born “of the Spirit is spirit,” just as also “what is born of the flesh is flesh.” For the Holy Spirit willed to be mingled with the soul and to cleanse it from the spirit of sin that is “in its members” and to become with it one spirit, so that he might present it to himself as a pure and blameless bride. Glory to him who so loved the soul created in his image, who redeemed it from the kingdom of darkness and transferred it into the kingdom of the light of life.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":97,"ref":"p97","source":"Παρακαλέσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν θεὸν καὶ δεηθῶμεν αὐτοῦ, ἵνα γεννήσῃ ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ λυτρώσηται ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος «τοῦ κόσμου» καὶ εἰσαγάγῃ εἰς κόσμον θεότητος τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν. μήπως ὁ θάνατος (ὅ ἐστιν «τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου», «τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς») κατάσχῃ ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐξουσίαν καὶ γεέννῃ αἰωνίῳ παραδοθῶμεν καὶ τότε ἀνωφέλητα μετα νοήσωμεν, ὅτι ἔχοντες καιρὸν οὐκ ᾐτήσαμεν λύτρωσιν καὶ ἔλεος παρ' αὐτοῦ, καίπερ ἑτοίμως (ἐάν τις αἰτήσῃ καὶ ζητήσῃ καὶ κρούσῃ) τὰς ἰδίας ἐπαγγελίας φιλανθρώπως παρεχομένου· «πιστὸς γάρ» ἐστι καὶ ἀληθὴς «ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος» διδόναι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χάριν καὶ τὴν ζωὴν τοῖς μετὰ πίστεως αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν. προσδεξώμεθα τοίνυν ἀεὶ τὸν κύριον, τὸν ἀληθινὸν ζωοποιόν, ὃς μόνος δύναται ἐλθὼν λυτρώσασθαι τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν ἐκ τῶν ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν, τῶν παθῶν τῆς «ἀτιμίας», τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ἡμῶν ἄσπιλον καὶ ἄμωμον ἐν πάσαις ἀρεταῖς ποιού μενοι. μὴ γινώμεθα ὥσπερ αἱ πονηραὶ καὶ μίσανδροι γυναῖκες, αἵ τινες ἐπὰν ἔλθῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ κεκοπιακὼς πρὸς τὸ ἀναπαῆναι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, αὐταὶ τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν καταλιμπάνουσαι ἀλλαχοῦ ἀπερχό μεναι ῥέμβονται. πολὺ γὰρ βούλεται ἀναπαῆναι εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οἶκον, εἰς τὰ σώματα καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν, αὐτὸς ὁ καλὸς καὶ μόνος ἀνὴρ Χριστός, ὁ κεκοπιακὼς πολλὰ δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐξαγοράσας ἡμᾶς τῷ ἰδίῳ αὐτοῦ αἵματι, κρούει ἀεὶ τὰς θύρας τῶν καρδιῶν ἡμῶν, ἵνα ἀνοίξωμεν αὐτῷ καὶ εἰσελθὼν ἀναπαῇ εἰς τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν καὶ «μονὴν» παρ' ἡμῖν ποιήσῃ, ἵνα μὴ μεμπταῖοι γενώμεθα·","english":"Let us therefore also entreat God and beseech him, that he may beget us from the Holy Spirit and redeem us from the spirit \"of the world\" and lead us from now on into the world of the divinity of the Holy Spirit—lest death (which is \"the spirit of the world,\" \"the mind of the flesh\") seize us under its own authority and we be handed over to eternal Gehenna, and then we come to understand, to no avail, that when we had the time we did not ask for redemption and mercy from him, even though he readily (if anyone asks and seeks and knocks) provides his own promises in a loving manner; for \"faithful\" and true is \"he who promised\" to give his own grace and life to those who ask him with faith. Let us therefore always receive the Lord, the true life-giver, who alone can come and redeem our souls from the invisible enemies, the passions of \"dishonor,\" making our conduct spotless and blameless in all virtues. Let us not become like the wicked and man-hating women, who, when the husband comes home weary to rest in his house, leave their own houses and go off elsewhere and wander about. For much does that good and only husband Christ desire to rest in his own house, in our bodies and souls—he who has labored much for our sake and redeemed us with his own blood, and knocks always at the doors of our hearts, that we may open to him and, entering in, he may rest in our souls and make a \"dwelling\" with us, so that we may not be blameworthy.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":98,"ref":"p98","source":"ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ ὀνειδίζει ὁ κύριος τῷ μὴ νίψαντι καὶ ἀλείψαντι «τοὺς πόδας» αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ ἀναπαύσαντι αὐτόν, καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει ὁ\n\nκύριος· «ἰδοὺ ἕστηκα ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν καὶ κρούω· ἐάν τις» «ἀνοίξῃ» μοι «εἰσελεύσομαι πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ δειπ νήσω μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς μετ' ἐμοῦ». τοιγαροῦν ἡμεῖς μακρύνομεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μὴ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ζητοῦντες αὐτόν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀεὶ ἐγγίζει ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν κρούων καὶ ζητῶν εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ἀναπαῆναι ἐν ἡμῖν. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ πολλὰ παθεῖν ὑπέμεινε δοὺς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα εἰς θάνατον καὶ ἀγοράσας ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς δουλείας τοῦ σκότους, ἵνα ἐν ἑκάστῃ ψυχῇ εἰσελθὼν «μονὴν» ποιήσῃ καὶ ἀναπαῇ πολλὰ κεκοπιακὼς δι' αὐτήν. τοῦτο ἐγένετο θέλημα τῆς εὐδοκίας αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἔτι ὄντων ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ἐνοικήσῃ καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσῃ ἐν ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν αὐτοῦ. ἐκείνοις γὰρ τοῖς ἐξ ἀριστερῶν ἐν τῇ κρίσει ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου πεμπομένοις εἰς γέενναν μετὰ τοῦ διαβόλου τοῦτό φησιν· «ξένος ἤμην καὶ οὐκ ἐδέξασθέ με, γυμνὸς καὶ οὐ περιεβάλετέ με, ἠσθένησα καὶ οὐκ ἐπεσκέψασθέ με», «ἐπείνων καὶ οὐκ ἐδώ κατέ μοι φαγεῖν, ἐδίψων καὶ οὐκ ἐποτίσατέ με», «ἐν φυλακῇ ἤμην καὶ οὐκ ἤλθατε πρός με». τοῦτο μὲν εἰς τὸ προφανὲς περὶ τῶν εὐποιιῶν νοεῖται εἰς ἑαυτὸν τοῦ κυρίου ὑποδεχομένου τὴν εἰς τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ διακονίαν, τὸ δ' ἀληθέστερον καὶ βαθύτερον κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον ἑκάστου νοεῖται·","english":"Just as there the Lord reproaches the one who did not wash and anoint \"his feet\" and did not give him rest, and again elsewhere the Lord says: \"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone opens to me, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.\" Therefore we keep ourselves far from him, not seeking him in truth; for he himself always draws near to our souls, knocking and seeking to enter in and rest in us. For this reason he also endured many sufferings, giving his own body over to death and purchasing us from the slavery of darkness, so that entering into each soul he might make a \"dwelling\" and rest, having labored much for its sake. This was the will of his good pleasure, that while we are still in this age he might dwell and walk among us according to his promise. For to those on the left in the judgment, sent by the Lord into Gehenna with the devil, he says this: \"I was a stranger and you did not receive me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and you did not visit me,\" \"I was hungry and you did not give me food to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me drink,\" \"I was in prison and you did not come to me.\" This is understood openly concerning good works, the Lord receiving the service done to his servants as done to himself, but the truer and deeper meaning is understood in relation to the inner man of each person.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":99,"ref":"p99","source":"ἡ γὰρ ἀληθὴς τροφὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ πόσις καὶ τὸ ἀμφίον καὶ ἡ στέγη καὶ ἡ ἀνάπαυσις αἱ ψυχαὶ ἡμῶν εἰσιν, ἵνα δεξαμένη ἡ ψυχὴ τὸν κύριον ἐν ἑαυτῇ καὶ κοινωνήσασα τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ γένηται μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς «ἓν πνεῦμα», καὶ ἀνακαινισμὸς καὶ ἀλ λοίωσις τῆς καρδίας γένηται καὶ παθῶν κατάργησις καὶ σβέσις, ἐνέργεια δὲ πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ ἀρετῶν ἔργα ἐν ἡμῖν εὑρεθῇ. αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀληθὴς τοῦ κυρίου βρῶσις καὶ πόσις. πεινᾷ οὖν ὁ κύριος καὶ διψᾷ τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν καὶ ὥσπερ ξένος καὶ ἀσθενής ἐστιν ἐν ἡμῖν μηδέπω ἀναπαυσάμενος μηδὲ «μονὴν» ἔχων ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν. ἀεὶ τοίνυν κρούει βουλόμενος εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀναπαῆναι καὶ πᾶσαν πρό νοιαν ἡμῶν ποιεῖται ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς ὑποθέσεως.\n\nΔεξώμεθα τοίνυν αὐτὸν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ πολλῇ καὶ εἰσαγάγωμεν αὐτὸν ἔνδον ἡμῶν καὶ ξενίσωμεν καὶ θρέψωμεν αὐτὸν καὶ ποτίσωμεν καὶ ἀμφιάσωμεν αὐτὰς τὰς προαιρέσεις ἡμῶν ἐξ ὅλου αὐτῷ ἐκδότους ἀποδόντες καὶ τῷ θελήματι τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ ἐξακολουθοῦντες, μᾶλλον δὲ τραφῶμεν καὶ ποτισθῶμεν τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀμφιασθῶ μεν αὐτὸν τὸν κύριον, αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τροφὴ καὶ ἡ πόσις καὶ τὸ ἀμφίον ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ θησαυρὸς καὶ ἡ κληρονομία καὶ ἡ κτῆσις ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ ἀνάπαυσις καὶ ὁ οἶκος ἡμῶν καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἡ ζωὴ ἡ αἰώνιος αὐτὸς ἡμῶν ἐστιν, καὶ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἡ μὴ δεξαμένη αὐτὸν ἔνδον νῦν καὶ ἀναπαύσασα διὰ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς καρπῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀναπαεῖσα καὶ ζήσασα ζωὴν πνεύματος, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων κληρο νομίαν οὐκ ἔχει καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον πόλιν τῶν «πρωτοτόκων» εἰσελ θεῖν οὐ δύναται.","english":"For his true food and drink and clothing and shelter and rest are our souls, so that the soul, having received the Lord into itself and having communed with his Spirit, may become with him \"one spirit,\" and there may be a renewal and transformation of the heart and an abolishing and quenching of the passions, and the working of the Holy Spirit and the works of the virtues may be found in us. This is the true food and drink of the Lord. The Lord, then, hungers and thirsts for our souls, and is as a stranger and a sick man among us, not yet having rested nor having a \"dwelling\" in our souls. Always, therefore, he knocks, wishing to enter in to us and to rest, and he makes all his providence for our sake for this purpose.\n\nLet us, then, receive him in faith and great love, and let us bring him within us and give him hospitality and feed him and give him drink and clothe him—giving over our very dispositions to him wholly and entirely, and following the will of his Spirit; or rather, let us be fed and given drink by his Spirit and be clothed with the Lord himself. For he himself is our food and drink and clothing and treasure and inheritance and possession and rest and house, and he himself is our all, eternal life; and every soul that has not received him within now and given him rest through the fruits of virtue—or rather, has not been given rest by him and lived the life of the Spirit—has no inheritance in the kingdom of heaven with the saints, and cannot enter into the heavenly city of the \"firstborn.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":100,"ref":"p100","source":"εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῇ συκῇ ἐλθὼν ὁ κύριος τραφῆναι καὶ μὴ εὑρὼν καρπὸν ἐν αὐτῇ τιμωρίαν αὐτῇ κατεδίκασε καὶ παραχρῆμα ἐξηράνθη («μηκέτι» γάρ φησιν «ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα»), πόσῳ μᾶλλον ψυχῆς, ἧς μὴ εὑρίσκεται καρπὸς προαιρέσεως καὶ τρό ποι εὐθύτητος πρὸς βρῶσιν τοῦ κυρίου, τί πάθῃ ἢ ποίαν τιμωρίαν ὑποστῇ εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔστιν· αἰώνιος γάρ ἐστιν, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος· «εἰ γὰρ ὁ δι' ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς λόγος ἐγένετο βέβαιος, καὶ πᾶσα παρά βασις καὶ παρακοὴ ἔλαβεν ἔνδικον μισθαποδοσίαν, πῶς ἡμεῖς ἐκ φευξόμεθα τηλικαύτης ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίας»; καρπὸν τοίνυν ἀγα θὸν παρ' ἡμῶν ζητεῖ ὁ κύριος τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἡμῶν προαίρεσιν καὶ ὅλον τὸ θέλημα ἡμῶν τὸ ἐξ ὅλης ψυχῆς αὐτὸν ἀγαπῆσαι, ἵνα λαβὼν ὥσπερ καλὸν βρῶμα τὰς ἀρετὰς τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν καρποὺς ἐν ἡμῖν ἀτρέπτους καὶ ἀληθινοὺς ποιήσῃ φέρειν τοῦ πνεύματος θεϊκοὺς καὶ ζωῆς αἰωνίου μεστούς. ὥσπερ γὰρ «οὐκ ἦν» ἐκεῖ «καιρὸς\n\nσύκων» καὶ ἐζητήθη καρπὸς ἐν αὐτῇ, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα πρὸ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος κοινωνίας ἔρχεται ὁ κύριος ζητῶν καρπὸν ἀγαθῆς προαιρέσεως παρὰ τῆς ψυχῆς. ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸ προφανὲς ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ νοεῖται, ὅτι «καρπὸν ἄξιον» τῷ κυρίῳ οὐκ ἔδωκαν μὴ πιστεύσαντες αὐτῷ. ἐν ἑκάστῃ δὲ ψυχῇ τοῦτο σημαίνει, ὅτι πρὸ τῆς ἐνεργείας τῆς χάριτος καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τοὺς καρποὺς «τοῦ πνεύματος» φέρειν τὴν ψυχὴν ζητεῖ ὁ κύριος καρπόν τινα ἴδιον αὐτῆς τῆς ψυχῆς, αὐτὸ τὸ θέλημα καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν καὶ πίστιν καὶ ἀγάπην ὅλην αὐτῷ ἀποδοῦναι καὶ ὅση δύναμίς ἐστιν ἀγα θῶν ἔργων ἐπιτηδειότητα, ἤτοι ἔνδοθεν ἢ ἔξωθεν.","english":"For if the Lord, having come to the fig tree to be fed and finding no fruit on it, condemned it to punishment and it was immediately dried up (for he says, \"May no fruit ever come from you again\"), how much more—for a soul in which no fruit of choice and uprightness of character is found for the Lord's food—what it will suffer or what punishment it will undergo cannot be expressed; for it is eternal, as the apostle says: \"For if the word spoken through angels proved firm, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?\" The Lord, then, seeks from us a good fruit—our good choice and our whole will, to love him with our whole soul—so that, receiving the virtues of our souls as good food, he may make us bear fruits of the Spirit that are unchanging and true, divine and full of eternal life. For just as there \"was no season for figs\" and fruit was sought on it, so also here, before communion with the Spirit, the Lord comes seeking from the soul the fruit of good choice. There, indeed, it is understood in a manifest way concerning Israel, that they did not give the Lord \"fruit worthy\" of him, not believing in him. But in each soul this signifies that before the working of grace and before the soul bears the \"fruits of the Spirit,\" the Lord seeks some fruit proper to the soul itself—that it render to him its very will and choice and faith and whole love, and whatever capacity it has for readiness in good works, whether from within or from without.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":101,"ref":"p101","source":"ταῦτα παρ' ἡμῶν ὁ κύριος ἐπιζητεῖ καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀδιάλειπτον ζήτησιν καὶ ὅταν ἴδῃ τὴν τοιαύτην τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγαθὴν προαίρεσιν καὶ ὀρθὴν πρὸς κύριον ζήτησιν, τότε δίδωσιν αὐτῇ τὴν χάριν ἐρχόμενος καὶ κατοικῶν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ τότε καρποὺς «τοῦ πνεύματος» φέρειν τὴν ψυχὴν καταξιοῖ εἰς καιρὸν σύκων ὥριμον γενομένην. ἐν ἑκάστῃ γὰρ ψυχῇ περιέρχεται ὁ κύριος ζητῶν καρπὸν τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ἀναπαῆναι ἐν αὐτῇ, ὑπὲρ πάντων γὰρ ἀπέθανεν καὶ πᾶν γένος Ἀδὰμ ἠγόρασεν τῷ ἰδίῳ θανάτῳ. πᾶσα οὖν ψυχὴ χρεωστεῖ ἀποθανεῖν ἑαυτῇ καὶ αὐτῷ ζῆσαι καὶ δέξα σθαι αὐτὸν καὶ καταρτίσαι καὶ ἑτοιμάσαι οἶκον ἑαυτὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτῆς τῷ κυρίῳ, ἵνα εἰσελθὼν καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν εὑρὼν ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τῆς προαιρέσεως ἡμῶν τρόποις καὶ τραφεὶς καὶ ποτισθεὶς καὶ ἀμφι ασθεὶς καὶ ἀναπαεὶς ἐν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν ἐρῇ ἡμῖν τότε· «δεῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου· ἐπείνασα γὰρ καὶ ἐδώ κατέ μοι φαγεῖν, ἐδίψησα καὶ ἐποτίσατέ με» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἔχοντες τοίνυν τοιαύτην προσδοκίαν καὶ τοιαύτην ἐλπίδα τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ἀναπαῆναι τὸν κύριον εἰς τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀναπαῆναι τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ, πᾶν ὃ βλέπεις ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ γινόμενον νοερῷ ὀφθαλμῷ καὶ ἀγαθῇ προαιρέσει εἰς τὴν πνευ ματικὴν ὠφέλειαν μεταβάλλειν ὀφείλεις. οἷον ἐὰν ἴδῃς πλοῦτον ἐπί γειον, σὺ τὸν πνευματικὸν πλοῦτον ἐννοῶν ἐπιθύμει. ἐὰν ἴδῃς χαρὰν ἐν κόσμῳ καὶ ἑορτὰς γινομένας, εἰπὲ πρὸς ἑαυτόν·","english":"The Lord seeks these things from us—the unceasing seeking after him—and when he sees such a good disposition of the soul and a right seeking toward the Lord, then he gives it grace, coming and dwelling in us, and then he deems the soul worthy to bear the fruits \"of the Spirit\" when it has become ripe at the season of figs. For the Lord goes about in each soul seeking fruit, to enter in and rest in it; for he died for all and purchased every race of Adam by his own death. Every soul, therefore, owes it to die to itself and to live to him, and to receive him and to furnish and prepare itself and its body as a house for the Lord, so that entering in and finding rest in the good ways of our disposition, and being fed and given drink and clothed and rested in the virtues of our soul, he may then say to us: \"Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink,\" and the rest. Having, then, such an expectation and such a hope that the Lord will enter in and rest in our souls—or rather that our souls will rest in the Lord—everything you see happening in this world you ought to turn, with the eye of the mind and a good disposition, to spiritual benefit. For instance, if you see wealth upon the earth, think on the spiritual wealth and desire it. If you see joy in the world and festivals taking place, say to yourself:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":102,"ref":"p102","source":"πότε καταξιωθῇ ἡ ψυχή μου ἑορτάσαι τὴν πνευματικὴν τῆς χάριτος ἑορτὴν καὶ μετὰ ἁγίων ἀγγέλων καὶ μετὰ οὐρανίων δυνάμεων τὸν ἔσω μου ἄνθρωπον ἐγκαταλλαγῆναι; καὶ πάντα τὰ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ ἐχόμενα προσέχων τοῖς φαινομένοις σὺ τὴν τῶν ἀφθάρτων καὶ ἀοράτων ἐπιθυμίαν λάμ βανε, ἵνα καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ὁρωμένων οὐ βλάβος ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὠφέ λειαν καρπώσῃ, ἐὰν ἀοράτῳ καὶ νοερῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τὴν διάνοιαν εὐθύνῃς, ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων πραγμάτων τὴν τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἀγαθῶν κατανόησιν λαμβάνων. {{Σπουδάσωμεν τοίνυν ἐν πᾶσιν εὐαρεστοῦντες τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ τὴν προσδοκίαν τῆς χάριτος ἐν πίστει ἀδιαλείπτῳ ἔχοντες, ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τρόποις ἀναστρεφόμενοι ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας πιστεῦσαι ταῖς ἀνεκδιηγήτοις αὐτοῦ ἐπαγγελίαις (ὅτι ἀληθής ἐστιν «ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος») καὶ ἀγα πῆσαι αὐτὸν καὶ σπουδάσαι παντοίως ἐν πάσῃ ἀρετῇ καὶ αἰτήσει ἐπι μόνως καὶ ἐνδελεχῶς δέξασθαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, ὁλοκλήρως καὶ τελείως, ἵνα ζῳοποιηθῶσιν αἱ ψυχαὶ ἡμῶν ὡς ἔτι ἐν σαρκί ἐσμεν. ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ ἡ ψυχὴ δέξηται τὸν ἁγιασμὸν τοῦ πνεύματος διὰ πολλῆς πίστεως καὶ δεήσεως καὶ κοινω νὸς θείας φύσεως γένηται ἀνακερασθεῖσα τῇ χάριτι, δι' ἧς πᾶσαν ἐντολὴν ἐπιτελεῖν δυνήσεται, ἀποίητός ἐστι τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. ὅπερ γάρ τις ἐντεῦθεν ἐκτήσατο ἀγαθόν, αὐτὸ «ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ» ἔσται αὐτῷ ζωή.}} Σπουδάσωμεν τοίνυν ἐν ἀδιστάκτῳ πίστει δεόμενοι τοῦ κυρίου τυχεῖν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας «τοῦ πνεύματος», ὅπερ ἐστὶ ζῳοποίησις ψυχῆς.","english":"When will my soul be deemed worthy to celebrate the spiritual festival of grace and, together with holy angels and heavenly powers, to be reconciled—my inner man—with them? And attending to all that follows in this manner, from the things that are seen do you receive the desire for the incorruptible and invisible things, so that even from the visible things themselves you may reap not harm but rather benefit, if with the invisible and noetic eye you direct your understanding, taking from visible things the comprehension of heavenly goods. Let us therefore strive to please the Lord in all things and to hold the expectation of grace in unceasing faith, conducting ourselves in good ways, to believe with our whole heart his ineffable promises (for he who promised is true) and to love him and strive in every way in all virtue and petition, persistently and continually to receive the promise of his Spirit, wholly and perfectly, so that our souls may be given life while we are still in the flesh. For if in this world the soul does not receive the sanctification of the Spirit through much faith and supplication and become a partaker of the divine nature, being mingled with the grace through which it will be able to fulfill every commandment, it is unfit for the kingdom of heaven. For whatever good a person has acquired here, that same thing will be life to him on that day. Let us therefore strive, in undivided faith, entreating the Lord to obtain the promise of the Spirit, which is the giving of life to the soul.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":103,"ref":"p103","source":"εἰ γὰρ ὁ προσαίτης οὗτος διὰ τὸν σωματικὸν ἄρτον ἀναιδεύεται κρούων τὴν θύραν καὶ αἰτῶν καὶ ἐὰν μὴ λάβῃ ἐνδότερον εἰσέρχεται καὶ ἀναιδεστέρως\n\nαἰτεῖ ἄρτον ἢ ἔνδυμα ἢ ὑπόδημα εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕως οὗ λάβῃ οὐκ ἀφίσταται κἂν διώκωσιν αὐτόν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς, οἱ τὸν ἀληθινὸν καὶ ἐπουράνιον ἄρτον ζητοῦντες λαβεῖν εἰς δυνάμωσιν ψυχῆς καὶ τὰ οὐράνια τοῦ φωτὸς ἐνδύματα ἐνδύσασθαι ἐπιποθοῦντες καὶ τὰ νοερὰ ὑποδήματα τοῦ πνεύματος ὑποδήσασθαι ἐπιθυμοῦντες εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν ἀθανάτου ψυχῆς. πῶς ὀφείλομεν ἀπερικακήτως καὶ ἐνδελεχῶς μετὰ πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ μακροθυμεῖν ἀεὶ καὶ κρούειν τὴν πνευματικὴν θύραν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ αἰτεῖν ἐν πάσῃ ὑπομονῇ ἀξιωθῆναι ἡμᾶς τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, καθὼς καὶ ὁ κύριος «παραβολὴν» ἔλεγε «πρὸς τὸ δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν» καὶ διεξελθὼν τὸν λόγον ἐπάγει λέγων· πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος «ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν» «τῶν βοώντων» πρὸς αὐτὸν «νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας», καὶ πάλιν περὶ τοῦ φίλου λέγων· κἂν «διὰ τὸ φίλον εἶναι» «οὐ δώσει αὐτῷ», «διά γε τὴν ἀναίδειαν αὐτοῦ» ἀναστὰς «δώσει αὐτῷ ὅσων χρῄζει» καὶ ἐπιφέρει· «αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν· ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε· κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν. πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμ βάνει, καὶ ὁ ζητῶν εὑρίσκει, καὶ τῷ κρούοντι ἀνοιγήσεται». καὶ διεξελθὼν ἐπάγει· «εἰ οὖν ὑμεῖς πονηροὶ ὄντες οἴδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος δώσει πνεῦμα ἅγιον τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν».","english":"For if this beggar, for the sake of bodily bread, shamelessly knocks at the door and asks, and if he does not receive, enters further in and more shamelessly asks for bread or a garment or shoes for the rest of his body, and does not depart until he receives, even if they drive him away—how much more ought we, who seek to receive the true and heavenly bread for the strengthening of the soul, and who long to put on the heavenly garments of light, and who desire to put on the spiritual shoes of the Spirit for the rest of the immortal soul. How ought we, without faintheartedness and continually, with faith and love, always to be patient and to knock at the spiritual door of God and to ask with all endurance to be deemed worthy of eternal life, just as the Lord also spoke a parable about the need to pray always and not to lose heart, and having set out the account he adds, saying: how much more will our heavenly Father \"avenge\" those who cry out to him \"night and day,\" and again, speaking about the friend: even if \"because he is a friend\" \"he will not give him,\" yet \"because of his shamelessness\" he will rise and \"give him as much as he needs\"; and he adds: \"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.\" And having set this out he adds: \"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":104,"ref":"p104","source":"διὰ τοῦτο πάντοτε αἰτεῖν ἀπερικακήτως καὶ ἐπιμόνως παραινεῖ ἡμῖν ὁ κύριος καὶ ζητεῖν καὶ κρούειν πάντοτε· τοῖς γὰρ αἰτοῦσι καὶ ζητοῦσι καὶ κρούουσιν ἐπηγγείλατο δοῦναι, οὐ τοῖς οὐκ αἰτοῦσιν· αἰτούμενος γὰρ καὶ παρακαλούμενος καὶ ἀγαπώμενος θέλει δοῦναι ἡμῖν τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν. Προσέλθωμεν αὐτῷ τοίνυν, τῇ πνευματικῇ θύρᾳ, καὶ κρούσωμεν, ἵνα ἀνοίξῃ ἡμῖν, αἰτήσωμεν αὐτόν, τὸν ἄρτον τῆς ζωῆς, εἴπωμεν αὐτῷ· δός μοι, κύριε, ἄρτον τῆς ζωῆς, ἵνα ζήσω, ὅτι λιμῷ κακίας δεινῶς συνεχόμενος ἀπόλλυμαι. δός μοι ἀμφίον τοῦ φωτὸς τῆς σωτηρίας, ἵνα καλύψω τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην τῆς ψυχῆς μου, ὅτι γυμνὸς ὢν τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ πνεύματός σου αἰσχρῶς τοῖς πάθεσιν ἀσχημονῶ. καὶ ἐὰν ἐρῇ σοι· εἶχες ἀμφίον, τί αὐτὸ πεποίηκας; ἀποκρίθητι λέγων· «λῃσταῖς» περιέπεσα καὶ γυμνώσαντές με ἀφῆκαν «ἡμιθανῆ» καὶ «ἐκδύσαντες» ἦραν αὐτὸ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. δός μοι ὑποδήματα πνευματικά, ὅτι τοῖς νοεροῖς ποσὶν ἀκάνθαις περιπείρομαι καὶ τριβόλοις ἐν ἐρημίᾳ μου πελαζομένου περι πατῆσαι οὐ δύναμαι. δός μοι βλέψιν καρδίας, ἵνα ἀναβλέψω, ἄνοιξον τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας μου, ὅτι ἐτύφλωσάν με οἱ ἀόρατοι ἐχθροί μου καλύμματι σκότους καλύψαντες καὶ οὐ δύναμαι ἐνορᾶν σου τὸ οὐράνιον καὶ ἐπιθυμητὸν πρόσωπον. δός μοι ἀκοὴν πνευματικήν, ὅτι κεκώφωμαι τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ ἀκούειν σου οὐ δύναμαι τῆς ἡδείας καὶ χρηστῆς ὁμιλίας. δός μοι «ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως» καὶ οἶνον εὐφροσύνης πνευματικῆς, ἵνα ἐπιθῶ εἰς τὰ τραύματά μου καὶ ἀναψύξαι δυνηθῶ. ἴασαί με καὶ ὑγιῆ με ποίησον, ὅτι «ἡμιθανῆ» με ποιήσαντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου καὶ χαλεποὶ λῃσταὶ ἀφῆκαν με κατακεῖσθαι.","english":"For this reason the Lord always exhorts us to ask without ceasing and persistently, and always to seek and to knock; for he has promised to give to those who ask and seek and knock, not to those who do not ask. For when he is asked and entreated and loved, he wishes to give us eternal life. Let us therefore draw near to him, the spiritual door, and knock, so that he may open to us; let us ask him, the bread of life; let us say to him: Give me, Lord, the bread of life, that I may live, for I am terribly consumed by the famine of wickedness and am perishing. Give me the garment of the light of salvation, that I may cover the shame of my soul, for being naked of the power of your Spirit, I am shamefully disgraced by the passions. And if he says to you, You had a garment, what have you done with it? Answer, saying: I fell among robbers, and they stripped me and left me half-dead, and having stripped it off, they took it from me. Give me spiritual shoes, for with my intellectual feet I am pierced by thorns and thistles in my desert, and when the enemy draws near, I cannot walk. Give me the sight of the heart, that I may look up; open the eyes of my heart, for my invisible enemies have blinded me, covering me with a veil of darkness, and I cannot look upon your heavenly and desirable face. Give me spiritual hearing, for I have become deaf in my mind and cannot hear your sweet and gracious speech. Give me the oil of gladness and the wine of spiritual joy, that I may pour them on my wounds and be able to be refreshed. Heal me and make me whole, for my enemies and cruel robbers, having left me half-dead, have abandoned me to lie there.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":105,"ref":"p105","source":"μακαρία ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἀπερικακήτως ἀεὶ αἰτοῦσα καὶ παραμόνως καὶ πιστῶς ὡς πτωχὴ καὶ τετραυματισμένη, ὅτι λήψεται τὰ αἰτήματα αὐτῆς καὶ τεύξεται τῆς αἰωνίου ἰάσεως καὶ θεραπείας καὶ ἐκδικηθήσεται ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῆς τῶν παθῶν τῆς «ἁμαρτίας»· «πιστὸς γὰρ ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος» θεός, ὃς καὶ παράσχοι τὰ αἰτήματα ἡμῶν. Δόξα τῇ ἀγαθότητι αὐτοῦ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν πόλει ἄρχων προέρχεται πεπικραμένος κατὰ τῶν κακοποιῶν καὶ ἐπιβούλων, καὶ ἐὰν προσέλθῃ αὐτῷ τις συληθεὶς ὑπὸ λῃστῶν ἢ κλεπτῶν καὶ εἴπῃ· δέομαι τῆς σῆς βοηθείας, ὁ ἐχθρός μου ἥρπασέ με καὶ ἐσύλησε καὶ ἐτραυμάτισέ με καὶ τάδε καὶ τάδε μοι πέπραχε, καὶ καθεζόμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος ὁ ἄρχων εὐθέως ἀναζητεῖ τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ κακοποιὸν καὶ εὑρὼν βασάνοις καὶ τιμωρίαις αἰκίζει οὕτω καὶ\n\nδύνανται οἱ ἄνθρωποι βοηθείας τῆς ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐκδικήσεως τυχεῖν προσελθόντες καὶ ἐντυχόντες τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ παρακαλοῦντες παραμόνως. αὐτὸς γὰρ δύναται καὶ τὴν νοερὰν γῆν τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ὑπὸ τὴν θάλασσαν τῶν παθῶν τῆς πικρίας τοῦ σκότους τῶν πονηρῶν δυνάμεων τυγχάνουσαν κουφίσαι καὶ ἄνωθεν τῆς θαλάσσης ποιῆσαι εἶναι, τῆς ψυχῆς μέντοι πιστευούσης ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀγαπώσης καὶ ἐπικαλουμένης αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ προσδοκώσης ἀεὶ τὴν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος λύτρωσιν τῶν παθῶν παντελῆ ἐν αὐτῇ γενέσθαι διὰ τὴν ἄπειρον ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ. Δόξα τῇ μεγαλειότητι αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"Blessed is the soul that always asks without ceasing and persistently and faithfully, as poor and wounded, for it will receive its requests and will obtain eternal healing and cure, and will be avenged of its enemies, the passions of \"sin\"; for \"faithful is God who promised,\" who will also grant our requests. Glory to his goodness. For just as in a city a ruler comes forth embittered against evildoers and plotters, and if someone who has been robbed by bandits or thieves approaches him and says, \"I beg your help; my enemy has seized me and robbed me and wounded me and has done such and such to me,\" and the ruler sitting on the tribunal immediately seeks out the enemy and evildoer, and having found him, tortures him with torments and punishments—so also\n\ncan men obtain help from above and vengeance by approaching and petitioning the Lord and entreating persistently. For he is able both to lift up the noetic earth of the soul that lies beneath the sea of the passions of the bitterness of the darkness of the evil powers, and to make it be above the sea—provided the soul believes his promises and loves and calls upon him in truth and always expects the complete redemption of the passions through the Spirit to take place in it, because of his boundless love. Glory to his majesty unto the ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":106,"ref":"p106","source":"Οἱ «ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον» τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τῆς ἑαυτῶν καρδίας ποιούμενοι καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τὴν πετρώδη τῆς σκληρᾶς καρδίας γῆν τὸν σπόρον τοῦ λόγου δεξάμενοι ἀληθινὸν «θεμέλιον» ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οὐ κέκτηνται οὔτε πειρασμοὺς θλίψεων τοῦ πονηροῦ ὑπομένειν δύνανται, ἀλλ' ἀνυπομονήτως πάσας τὰς ἐπερχομένας αὐτοῖς θλίψεις φέρουσι, μὴ δυνάμενοι ὑποφέρειν τὰς ἐπαναστάσεις καὶ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς τῶν πονηρῶν πνευ μάτων τοὺς διὰ τὴν ζήτησιν τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῖς ἐπερχομένους. αἱ γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων προαιρέσεις τοιαῦταί εἰσιν· ἐὰν μή (φησίν) εὐθέως προσλάβω τὴν χάριν τοῦ πνεύματος, ἀπέρχομαι, ἀδυνάτως ἔχω παραμένειν, οὐ δύναμαι μακροθυμῆσαι χρόνοις πολλοῖς· εἰ δὲ λάβω, τότε παραμενῶ. οὗτος οὐδὲ λαβὼν παραμένει, ὅτι τὰς θλίψεις γενναίως φέρειν οὐ δύναται, μὴ προευτρεπίσας ἑαυτὸν εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο. μὴ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν μετάληψιν τῆς χάριτος οὐκέτι πόλεμος, οὐκέτι θλῖψις, οὐκέτι κλύδωνες τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐπεγείρονται; τότε πλείονες δοκιμασίαι, τότε μεγάλοι ἱδρῶτες, τότε μεγάλαι ἐπαναστάσεις. κατὰ γὰρ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν χάριτι προκοπὴν τοσοῦτον καὶ οἱ πειρασμοὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐπανίστανται, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπαφίεται ἡ τῆς κακίας δύναμις πειράσαι τὴν ψυχήν, καθόσον δυνατῶς ἔχει τοῦ ὑπομεῖναι. οἱ γὰρ προειρημένοι ὡς ἐπὶ μισθῷ δουλεύειν προσῆλθον τῷ κυρίῳ, ὡς ἀλλότριοι καὶ ξένοι, καὶ οὐχ ὡς πιστοὶ καὶ οἰκεῖοι δοῦλοι εὐαρεστεῖν καὶ πονεῖν ἐν τῇ δεσποτικῇ οἰκίᾳ προῄρηνται.","english":"Those who make the building of their own heart \"upon the sand,\" and those who receive the seed of the word \"upon the rocky ground\" of a hard heart, do not possess within themselves a true \"foundation,\" nor are they able to endure the temptations of afflictions from the evil one, but they bear all the afflictions that come upon them with impatience, being unable to endure the uprisings and temptations of the evil spirits that come upon them for the sake of seeking the kingdom. For the dispositions of such people are like this: \"Unless,\" he says, \"I receive the grace of the Spirit immediately, I depart; I am unable to remain; I cannot be patient for many years. But if I receive it, then I will remain.\" This man does not remain even after receiving it, because he cannot bear afflictions nobly, not having prepared himself beforehand for this very thing. For after the reception of grace, are there no longer war, no longer affliction, no longer waves of the evil one stirred up? Then there are more trials, then great sweats, then great uprisings. For in proportion to the soul's progress in grace, to that same degree the temptations of the evil one rise up against it, and to that same degree the power of wickedness is permitted to tempt the soul, insofar as it is able to endure. For those previously mentioned came to the Lord to serve as if for wages, as strangers and foreigners, and not as faithful and household servants have they chosen to please and to labor in the master's house.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":107,"ref":"p107","source":"οὗτοι καὶ μήπω ἐργασάμενοι μισθὸν ἀπαιτοῦσιν, δέον ὡς χρεῶσται καὶ εὐνόητοι καὶ πιστοὶ δοῦλοι τοῦ κυρίου αὐτῶν καὶ ἑκόντας καὶ ἄκοντας ἑαυτοὺς ἄγχειν εἰς τὴν ἀγαθὴν καὶ καλὴν τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δουλείαν καὶ πᾶσαν εὐαρέστησιν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἀδιάλειπτον εἴτε λαμβάνοντας ἤδη τι δόμα παρ' αὐτοῦ, εἴτε μηδέπω λαμβάνοντας, καὶ δέον κρίνειν, ὅτι τῷ δεσπότῃ μου κεχρεώστηται παρ' ἐμοῦ πᾶσα εὔνοια τοῦ δουλεύειν καὶ εὐαρεστεῖν πάντοτε, καὶ εἴτε δίδωσί μοι τὴν χάριν τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, εἴτε οὐδέπω δίδωσιν, οὐκ ἀφίημί μου τὸν δρόμον καὶ τὴν διακονίαν ὅσον τὸ ἐν ἐμοὶ δυνατόν, καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ κυρίου μου οὐκ ἐξίσταμαι (ἀληθὴς γάρ ἐστιν «ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος») καὶ πάντοτε αὐτῷ εὐχαριστεῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἤδη κεχάρισται, αὐτοῦ εἶναί με καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ οἰκονομεῖσθαι καὶ πάσης προνοίας αὐτοῦ καταξιοῦσθαι καὶ εἰς ταύτην τὴν διαγωγὴν καὶ τὸν βίον τοῦτον τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἐλθεῖν με δι' αὐτοῦ. δυνατός ἐστι καὶ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ πληρῶσαί με («πιστὸς γάρ» ἐστι καὶ ἀληθὴς) καὶ ἃ ἐπήγγελται παρέχει ἐμοῦ εἰς τέλος μακροθυμοῦντος ἐν πίστει καὶ ἐν πάσαις ἀρεταῖς ὅση δύναμις ἀναστρεφομένου. ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο λογισάμενος· τίς γάρ εἰμι ἐγὼ καὶ ποίας ἀξίας τυγχάνω, ὅτι κἂν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐπικληθῇ ἐπ' ἐμοί, ἀχρείου μου κατὰ πάντα τυγχάνοντος; παραμείνας οὖν καὶ εὐαρεστήσας προθύμως εἰς τέλος ἐν πάσῃ σπουδῇ καὶ δουλεύσας αὐτῷ ἐν πάσαις ἀρεταῖς χρηστὸς ὢν καὶ δίκαιος ὁτεδήποτε ποιεῖ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἀψευδὴς τυγχάνει· εἰ δὲ καὶ γεέννῃ βούλεταί με παραδοῦναι διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου τοῦ","english":"These men, not yet having worked, demand a wage, when they ought, as debtors and well-disposed and faithful servants of their own lord, both willingly and unwillingly to constrain themselves to the good and noble slavery of the commandments of Christ and to every unceasing well-pleasing of God—whether they already receive some gift from him, or not yet receive it—and they ought to judge that to my master all good will of serving and always well-pleasing is owed by me, and whether he gives me the grace of his Spirit or does not yet give it, I do not abandon my course and ministry as far as lies in me, and I do not depart from the hope of my lord (for true is \"he who promised\"), and always to give thanks to him for what he has already granted—that I am his and am administered by him and am counted worthy of all his providence, and that through him I have come to this manner of life and this life of ascetic practice. He is able also to fill me with his grace (for \"faithful\" is he and true) and to provide what he has promised, if I endure to the end in faith and conduct myself in all virtues with all the strength I have. And moreover, having considered this too: for who am I and of what worth am I, that even his name should be called upon me, when I am useless in all things? Having therefore remained and willingly well-pleased to the end with all diligence and having served him in all virtues, being good and righteous, at whatever time he fulfills his promises, because he is truthful; but if he wishes to hand me over to Gehenna because of my sins—","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":108,"ref":"p108","source":"κολασθῆναι, ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀφίημι αὐτὸν καὶ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης οὐκ ἐξίσταμαι, ὡς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰώβ φησιν· καὶ ἐὰν ἀποκτενῇς με, οὐκ ἀφίημί σε καὶ τῆς ἀκακίας μου οὐ μὴ ἐκσταίην. ὁ τοιοῦτος ὡς δοῦλος πιστὸς καὶ οἰκονόμος ἀγαθὸς καὶ μόνῳ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ δεσπότῃ εὔνοιαν ἐνδειξάμενος, πολλὰ πονέσας καὶ θλιβεὶς καὶ τῆς ἀγαθῆς δια κονίας ἐν πάσαις ἀρεταῖς μηδὲν ἐλλείψας, δίκαιος καὶ ὅσιος ὢν κληρονόμος τῆς ζωῆς γίνεται, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς ἐπὶ μισθῷ προσῆλθε δουλεύειν καὶ εὐαρεστεῖν, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν εἰς τέλος ἐξέδωκε προθύμως εὐδοκιμῆσαι καὶ εὐαρεστῆσαι τῷ ἑαυτοῦ δεσπότῃ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῆς υἱοθεσίας τοῦ πνεύματος τυχεῖν καταξιοῦται καὶ κληρονόμος τῆς βασιλείας γίνεται. «ὁ ποιμὴν» (γάρ φησιν) «ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων» (τουτέστιν ὁ ὑπὲρ τῆς βασιλείας ἀγωνιζόμενος καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν περιποιούμενος), ἕως θανάτου ἑαυτὸν ἐκδίδωσιν, «ὁ δὲ μισθωτὸς καὶ μὴ ὢν ποιμήν», ἐπὰν ἴδῃ «τὸν λύκον ἐρχόμενον» (τουτέστι θλίψεις καὶ πειρασμούς), ἀφίστα ται «καὶ φεύγει» τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ λατρείας καὶ παραφυλακῆς τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ περὶ τὰς ἁγίας ἐντολάς.","english":"to be punished, I do not let him go, and I do not depart from love toward him, as also the blessed Job says: Even if you kill me, I do not let you go, and I will not depart from my guilelessness. Such a man, as a faithful servant and a good steward, and having shown goodwill to his own master alone, having labored much and been afflicted and having fallen short in nothing of good service in all virtues, being righteous and holy, becomes an heir of life, because he did not come to serve and to please as for a wage, but gave himself over completely, eagerly, to be approved and to please his own master, and for this reason he is deemed worthy to obtain the adoption of the Spirit and becomes an heir of the kingdom. For, he says, the good shepherd lays down his own soul for the sheep (that is, the one who struggles for the kingdom and preserves his own soul), he gives himself over even to death; but the hired man, and one who is not the shepherd, when he sees the wolf coming (that is, afflictions and temptations), withdraws and flees from the service of God and from the guarding of his heart regarding the holy commandments.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":109,"ref":"p109","source":"Σπουδάσωμεν τοίνυν ἐν ἐλπίδι καὶ πίστει καὶ πάσῃ ὑπομονῇ τελείους ἑαυτοὺς τῷ κυρίῳ ἀποδοῦναι ἐν πάσαις ἐντολαῖς ἐνεχόμενοι καὶ παντὶ πρόπῳ ἀγαθῷ καταρτιζόμενοι, καὶ αὐτὸς τὰς ἰδίας ἐπαγγελίας τάχιον ποιεῖ μεθ' ἡμῶν (ἀψευδὴς γάρ ἐστιν), μόνον ἡμεῖς ὡς πιστοὶ καὶ οἰκεῖοι δοῦλοι τὴν ἐξ αὐτεξουσίου προαιρέσεως πᾶσαν εὐαρέστησιν ἐν σπουδῇ ἀδιαλείπτῳ ἐπιτελέσωμεν καὶ οὕτω τῆς χάριτος καταξιω θέντες καὶ θεμέλιον ἀληθῆ ἐν τῇ ἑαυτῶν καρδίᾳ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ πνεύματος κτησάμενοι πάντας πειρασμοὺς καὶ θλίψεις ὑπομένειν δυνησόμεθα, καὶ οὕτως ἄμωμοι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος καταρτισθέντες τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἄξιοι γενησόμεθα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.\n\nὉ τὸν οἰκοδεσπότην ἰδὼν καὶ εὑρὼν πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ εἶδε καὶ εὗρεν. τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ τὸν κύριον ζητῶν καὶ εὑρίσκων πάντα τὰ ἐπουράνια ἀγαθὰ εὗρεν· ἐν αὐτῷ γάρ «εἰσι πάντες οἱ θησαυροὶ τῆς σοφίας καὶ τῆς γνώσεως» οἱ «ἀπόκρυφοι». τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ὁ μὴ ὁρώμενος; ἆρα ἐπὶ γῆς; ἆρα ἐν οὐρανοῖς; ἆρα ὑπὸ τὴν θάλασσαν; ἆρα ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν; τίς δύναται αὐτὸν κρατῆσαι ἢ ἰδεῖν; οὐδὲ ἓν τῶν κτισμάτων. ψυχῇ πιστῇ καὶ ἀγαπώσῃ αὐτὸν κρατητὸν ἑαυτὸν παρέσχεν, «οὕτως ἠγάπησε» τὸ κτίσμα τοῦτο, τὴν ψυχήν. ὡσαύ τως πάλιν ψυχὴν τίς δύναται ἰδεῖν ἢ κρατῆσαι; ἢ ποία ἐστίν; οὐ φαίνεται. αὐτὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἑαυτὸν οὐ γινώσκει, ἕως οὗ ὁ κύριος αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύψει. ποῦ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι τοῖς λογισμοῖς; καθώς φησιν ἡ Σοφία· «ἄβυσσον καὶ καρδίαν τίς ἐξερευνήσει»; καὶ πάλιν ὁ ψαλμῳδός φησίν· «ἄβυσσος ἄβυσσον ἐπικαλεῖται».","english":"Let us therefore strive in hope and faith and all endurance to give ourselves perfect to the Lord, clinging to all the commandments and being equipped in every good way, and he himself will fulfill his own promises with us more quickly (for he is truthful), provided only that we, as faithful and household servants, accomplish all the good pleasure of our self-determined choice with unceasing zeal; and thus, having been deemed worthy of grace and having acquired in our own heart the power of the Spirit as a true foundation, we shall be able to endure all temptations and afflictions, and thus, having been equipped blameless through the Spirit, we shall become worthy of the eternal good things unto the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nHe who has seen the master of the house and found him has seen and found all things that are in his house. In the same way, he who seeks and finds the Lord has found all the heavenly good things; for in him \"are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,\" the \"hidden\" ones. What then shall we say? Where is God, who is not seen? Is he on earth? Is he in the heavens? Is he beneath the sea? Is he beneath the earth? Who can grasp or see him? Not one of created things. To a faithful soul that loves him he has given himself to be grasped; \"so greatly did he love\" this creature, the soul. Likewise again, who can see or grasp a soul? Or what sort is it? It does not appear. Man himself does not know himself until the Lord reveals it to him. For where is it not, in our thoughts? As Wisdom says: \"Who will search out the abyss and the heart?\" And again the psalmist says: \"Deep calls to deep.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":110,"ref":"p110","source":"μόνος οὖν ὁ θεὸς συναγαγεῖν τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐτῆς δύναται καὶ κρατῆσαι αὐτὴν εἰς τὸ ἴδιον θέλημα. ψυχὴ οὖν θεὸν κρατεῖ (ὡς προείρηται) τῇ ἀγάπῃ αὐτῆς· ἑαυτὸν γὰρ κρατητὸν ψυχῇ πιστῇ ὁ κύριος θελήσας ἐποίησε καὶ θεὸς ψυχὴν τὸ κρατεῖ εἰς ἑαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς πάντας εὐθύνει καὶ ὁδηγεῖ, καὶ χωρίζει μεμιγμένον ἀλλότριον αὐτῆς ἐγκόσμιον πνεῦμα. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ παραβάσεως πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων εἰς τὴν φύσιν αὐτῶν (τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα) ἐδέξαντο φάρμακον πικρὸν θανάτου, σκότους, ἁμαρτίας, ἐξαμαρτάνειν προτρεπόμενον, καὶ ποῦτο οὐδεὶς δύναται θεραπεῦσαι καὶ ἐξελέσθαι καὶ ἰάσασθαι τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα καὶ φονεῦσαι τὸν φονέα ἡμῶν, ἢ μόνον τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πνεῦμα· ἰδού (γάρ φησιν) «ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου». ἐπειδὴ οὖν οἶδε τὸ κακὸν τὸ συνὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, τίς δύναται μόνος φονεῦσαι αὐτό, χαυνοῖ καὶ ἐξυδαροῖ τὸν νοῦν ἐπὶ κοσμικά\n\nτινα πράγματα προτρεπόμενον ἢ καί τινα ἕτερα εὔλογα, μόνον ἵνα ἐκκλίνῃ αὐτὸν ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς ζητήσεως καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ πόνου. οἶδε γὰρ ὅτι, ἐὰν ἐκεῖνο ζητῇ, ὃ φονεύσει αὐτόν, ἀπολεῖται ταχέως. λοιπὸν οὖν παντὶ τρόπῳ ἀγωνί ζεται ἐξυδαροῦν τὴν προαίρεσιν καὶ συμβουλίας εὐλογοφανεῖς ὑπο σπείρειν, μόνον ἵνα ἐκεῖθεν ἀποσπάσῃ καὶ ἐκκλίνῃ καὶ μετεωρίσῃ τοῦ μὴ ζητεῖν τὸ φονεῦον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν.","english":"Therefore God alone is able to gather her thoughts together and to hold her to his own will. So the soul holds God (as has been said before) by her love; for the Lord, willing it, made himself graspable by a faithful soul, and God holds the soul to himself and directs and guides all its thoughts, and separates out the alien worldly spirit that is mixed in with it. For from Adam's transgression all the race of men received in their nature (the soul and the body) a bitter drug of death, of darkness, of sin, urging them on to sin, and no one is able to heal and rescue and cure humanity and to kill our killer except only the Spirit of God; for behold (he says), \"the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.\" Since, then, he knows the evil that is present with man, and who alone is able to kill it, he relaxes and makes slack the mind toward certain worldly matters, urging it on, or even toward certain other plausible things, only so as to turn it aside from that seeking and from that labor. For he knows that if it seeks that which will kill him, he will quickly perish. Henceforth, then, he struggles in every way to make the will slack and to sow plausible counsels, only so that he may draw it away from there and turn it aside and lift it up so that it does not seek the sin that kills him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[{"kind":"scripture","severity":"info","ref":"John 1:29","text":"The English carries the scriptural phrase “the lamb of god”, which matches John 1:29. The match is on the English draft; check the Coptic before quoting the verse."}]},{"i":111,"ref":"p111","source":"ἡμεῖς τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοί, πάντοτε τὸν σκοπὸν ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα καὶ τὸν πόνον ἐκεῖ ἔχωμεν μηδεμίαν ὥραν διδόντες ἑαυτοῖς ἄνεσιν καὶ μήτε ἐν μικρῷ μήτε ἐν μεγάλῳ πράγματι ὑπακούσωμεν ταῖς συμβουλίαις αὐτοῦ, ὅπως ἐκείνη ἡ πνευ ματικὴ καὶ ἐνυπόστατος ἐργασία γένηται ἐν ἡμῖν ἡ ἀποκτέννουσα τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν κακίαν. λόγοι γὰρ μύριοι οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦσιν, ἐργασίας πνευμα τικῆς χρεία ἐνυποστάτου. ἄλλος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ λόγον ἀκούων καὶ χα ροποιούμενος καὶ ἄλλος ὁ ἐνέργειαν θείας δυνάμεως αἰσθανόμενος ἐν ἑαυτῷ, δι' οὗ ἀποκτέννεται ἡ ἁμαρτία. ἄλλος οὗτος καὶ ἄλλος ἐκεῖνος. κἀκεῖνο μὲν καλόν, ἀλλ' ὁ δυνάμεως θείας ἐνέργειαν αἰσθανόμενος οὗτος ἐγγίζει καὶ κοινωνεῖ φύσει θείᾳ κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· ὅπως «γένησθε φύσεως θείας κοινωνοί», καὶ «σπέρμα» θεοῦ ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ «πνεύματος ἁγίου» μέτοχος τυγχάνει, ὥσπερ υἱὸς ὢν ἤδη «τῆς ἀληθείας».\n\nΜόνος οὖν ὁ θεὸς δύναται κρατῆσαι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ συναγαγεῖν τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐτῆς (καθὼς προλαβόντες ἀνωτέρω εἰρήκαμεν), ἄλλῳ δὲ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι ἀδύνατον. ποῦ οὖν ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή; ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὅλη ἐν τῷ σώματί ἐστι καὶ ὅλη ἔξω τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν, νοεῖ τὰ μέλλοντα, περὶ τῶν ἐρχομένων διαλογίζεται. ἐπὶ γῆς ἐστι τῷ σώματι καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐστιν ἡ ἀξία καὶ πιστή, ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐστι τῷ σώματι καὶ ἔξω εἰς πορρωτέρας πατρίδας κακὰ ἀποτελεῖ. ἡ δὲ ἀξία ἐπὶ γῆς οὖσα τῷ σώματι «ἐν οὐρανοῖς» πολιτεύεται τῷ φρονήματι, καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὢν τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ σώ ματι αὐτῆς ἐνέθηκεν. Δόξα τῇ μεγαλωσύνῃ αὐτοῦ τοῦ «οὕτως» ἀγαπήσαντος τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων.","english":"We therefore, beloved, should always keep our goal and struggle and labor there, giving ourselves no relaxation for even an hour, and in neither small nor great matter should we obey his counsels, so that that spiritual and substantial working may come to be in us which puts to death the evil in us. For ten thousand words profit nothing; there is need of substantial spiritual working. For one person is he who hears the word and is gladdened, and another is he who perceives in himself the working of divine power, through which sin is put to death. This one is different, and that one is different. And that is indeed good, but the one who perceives the working of divine power—this one draws near and partakes of the divine nature, according to what is written: \"that you may become partakers of the divine nature,\" and having \"the seed\" of God, \"of the Holy Spirit,\" in himself, he is a sharer, being already a son \"of the truth.\"\n\nGod alone, then, is able to hold the soul and to gather its thoughts (as we said earlier above), but for another to do this is impossible. Where, then, is the soul? For behold, it is wholly in the body and wholly outside the body; it understands things to come, it reasons about what is coming. It is on earth with the body, and with the mind it is in the heavens—the worthy and faithful soul, likewise also that of the sinner: it is on earth with the body, and outside, in far-off homelands, it accomplishes evils. But the worthy soul, being on earth with the body, \"in the heavens\" conducts its citizenship with the mind, and the Lord, being in the heavens, placed his image in its body. Glory to his majesty, who \"so\" loved the race of men.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":112,"ref":"p112","source":"τίς γὰρ δύναται συνάξαι τὴν ὑδαρότητα τοῦ γάλακτος εἰς ἕνωσιν καὶ πῆξιν, εἰ μὴ τὸ ἐμβαλλόμενον ἡ πυτία; οὕτω τίς δύναται καὶ ψυχὴν ἐσκορπισμένην τοῖς λογισμοῖς καὶ φύσει κτίσμα οὖσαν ἐλαφρῦναι καὶ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀναγαγεῖν καὶ εἰς σύμπηξιν καὶ στερεότητα καὶ ἕνωσιν τοὺς λογισ μοὺς ἐνέγκαι, ἐὰν μὴ τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πνεῦμα ὥσπερ πτερὰ γινόμενον κουφίσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν ἐνέγκῃ καὶ συνάξῃ τοὺς λογισ μοὺς εἰς ἕνα λογισμὸν ἔνθεον; «ἐτυρώθη» (γάρ φησιν ὁ προφήτης) «ὡς γάλα ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν». δύο τυρώσεις ἐνταῦθα νόει, ψυχὰς τυρου μένας εἰς τὸν θεὸν καὶ πηγνυμένας εἰς τὴν χάριν καὶ εἰς τὸν ἄνω κόσμον, καὶ ψυχὰς τυρουμένας εἰς τὴν κακίαν καὶ πηγνυμένας εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον καὶ τὸ ὅλον τῆς κακίας γινομένας. ὥσπερ γὰρ οὗτοι πήγνυνται καὶ στερεοῦνται ἐν τῇ κακίᾳ, οὕτω κἀκεῖνοι πήγνυνται καὶ στερεοῦνται ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ. ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦ πετεινοῦ ἡ γῆ ὁ ἀήρ ἐστιν εἰς ὃν διαιτᾶται, οὕτω καὶ οἱ λογισμοὶ καὶ ὁ νοῦς τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν· ἐν γῇ σκοτεινῇ καὶ γνοφερᾷ ἐνδιατρίβουσι μετὰ τῶν τῆς πονηρίας πνευμάτων ἐν λογισμοῖς κακοῖς πάντοτε τυγχάνοντες, κἀκεῖ περι πατοῦσι καὶ διαιτῶνται. ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ νοῦς καὶ οἱ λογισμοὶ τῶν δικαίων ἐν γῇ ζωῆς, ἐν γῇ φωτεινῇ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐνδιατρίβουσι κἀκεῖ περιπατοῦσι κἀκεῖ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν διαιτῶνται ἐν ἀγαθοῖς λογισ μοῖς καὶ οὐρανίοις πάντοτε τυγχάνοντες. τοῦτο ἔλεγεν ὁ κύριος· «καὶ μείζονα ἔργα ποιήσει» ὁ υἱός, «ἵνα ὑμεῖς θαυμάσητε», ἔργα ζωῆς ἀθά νατα καὶ μὴ παρερχόμενα τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τῷ νῷ τῶν πιστῶν, ἔνθα ἐμ περιπατοῦσι καὶ ἐρείδουσι τὰ ἴχνη τῶν λογισμῶν.","english":"For who can gather the watery nature of milk into unity and coagulation, except the rennet that is put in? So too, who can make light a soul that is scattered by its thoughts and is by nature a creature, and lead it up to the heavens, and bring its thoughts into cohesion and solidity and unity, unless the Spirit of God, becoming as it were wings, lifts up the soul and carries it beyond nature and gathers its thoughts into one divine thought? \"For their heart,\" says the prophet, \"was curdled like milk.\" Understand two curdlings here: souls that are curdled into God and solidified into grace and into the world above, and souls that are curdled into wickedness and solidified into this age and become wholly of wickedness. For just as these are solidified and made firm in wickedness, so also those are solidified and made firm in the Lord. For just as the air is the earth of the bird, in which it lives, so also are the thoughts and the mind of sinners: they dwell in a dark and gloomy land with the spirits of wickedness, always finding themselves in evil thoughts, and there they walk and live. In the same way also the mind and the thoughts of the righteous dwell in a land of life, in the bright land of the Spirit, and there they walk and from now on live there in good and heavenly thoughts, always finding themselves there. This is what the Lord said: \"And greater works shall he do,\" the Son, \"that you may marvel\"—works of immortal life that do not pass away, in the soul and mind of the faithful, where they walk and plant the footprints of their thoughts.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":113,"ref":"p113","source":"«γῆν καινὴν» φωτὸς καὶ «οὐρανὸν καινὸν» πνεύματος καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς κόσμον καινὸν κατεσκεύασε (καὶ αἰώνιον βασιλείαν), εἰς ὃν εἰσήνεγκε τὰς αὐτὸν ἐκδεχομένας καὶ\n\nἀγαπώσας ψυχὰς ἀπὸ γῆς θανάτου καὶ σκοτεινῆς πνευμάτων πονηρίας, ἔνθα οἱ λογισμοὶ αὐτῶν διέτριβον, εἰς γῆν ζωῆς καὶ φωτὸς πνευμάτων ἁγίων, εἰς ἣν ἐρείδει τὰ ἴχνη ὁ νοῦς καὶ οἱ λογισμοὶ περιπατοῦσιν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον μετατιθέμενοι ἐκ θανάτου. τοῦτο ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ κύριος ποιεῖν «ἔργα μείζονα» ἅπερ ἀκμὴν οὐκ ἦν, ἐπεὶ ὅσον ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις πᾶσα κατασκευὴ ἐν κόσμῳ ἦν, τὰ ὄρη, δένδρα, νεφέλαι, οὐρανός, ἥλιος, ἄστρα, σελήνη, ἄνθρωποι, ζῷα, ὕδατα, θάλασσα, ποταμοί, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ διακόσμησις ἦν. τὰ ἔργα οὖν τὰ καινὰ καὶ αἰώνια τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς μεταβολὴν καὶ ὑγείαν νόει καὶ ἴασιν αἰώνιον καὶ τῶν ἐκ πνεύματος τεκταινομένων αἰωνίων κατασκευῶν, ἃ ἐδωρήσατο τῇ ἀξίᾳ καὶ πιστῇ ψυχῇ. Παρακαλέσωμεν οὖν τὸν κύριον καὶ προσδοκήσωμεν αὐτὸν ἀδιστάκτῳ πίστει, ὅπως ἡ ἐνυπόστατος ἐργασία τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος γένηται ἐν ἡμῖν ἡ ἀποκτέννουσα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα ἐντεῦθεν καθαρισθέντες καὶ ἁγιασθέντες ἄξιοι τῆς ἐπου ρανίου βασιλείας γενώμεθα ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Μέγα γὰρ καὶ τίμιον κτίσμα παρὰ θεῷ ἡ ψυχὴ τυγχάνει.","english":"He prepared \"a new earth\" of light and \"a new heaven\" of spirit, and simply a new world (and an eternal kingdom), into which he brought the souls that awaited and loved him, from the earth of death and the dark wickedness of spirits, where their thoughts were dwelling, into an earth of life and light of holy spirits, on which the mind fixes its steps and their thoughts walk, being transferred from death into eternal life. This the Lord promised to do—\"greater works\" than these, which had not yet been, since as far as things visible are concerned, every structure was in the world: the mountains, trees, clouds, heaven, sun, stars, moon, people, animals, waters, sea, rivers, and all the ordering of it. Understand, then, the new and eternal works as the transformation and health of the soul, and eternal healing, and the eternal structures fashioned by the Spirit, which he bestowed on the worthy and faithful soul. Let us therefore entreat the Lord and await him with unwavering faith, so that the substantial working of the Holy Spirit may come to be in us—the working that puts sin to death—so that, cleansed and sanctified from here, we may become worthy of the heavenly kingdom in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen. For great and precious in the sight of God is the soul.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":114,"ref":"p114","source":"τοιούτῳ δέ τινι τρόπῳ τὴν κατασκευὴν τῆς λεπτότητος αὐτῆς παραπλησιάσωμεν, ὥσπερ ἐὰν ᾖ πόλις ἔχουσα πλατείας, βουλευτήρια, δημόσια, ῥύμας, ἀμφόδια, παλάτια καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ κατασκευάσματα, καὶ εἰσὶ τόποι ἐπιτήδειοι πρὸς τὸ συνέρχεσθαι ἐκεῖ τοὺς πρώτους τῆς πόλεως καὶ πᾶν τὸ πολίτευμα, καὶ ἐκεῖ καθέζεται κριτὴς καὶ δικάζει καὶ κατακρίνει πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει κακοποιοὺς καὶ λῃστὰς καὶ κλέπτας ἢ φαρμακοὺς ἢ μοιχοὺς ἢ ἐπιβούλους, ὁ δὲ κριτὴς ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐξουσίαν λαβὼν βασιλικήν, τουτέστι τὰς βασιλικὰς εἰκόνας καὶ τὰ σίγνα, οὕτω δύναται κρίνειν καὶ ἀναιρεῖν διὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας τοὺς κακο ποιούςοὕτω καὶ ἡ μεγάλη νοερὰ πόλις τοῦ θεοῦ, ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ πολίτευμα τῶν λογισμῶν, ἐπὰν λάβῃ τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐξουσίαν διὰ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐναρέτου αὐτῆς πολιτείας «τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος» καὶ τὴν ἐπουράνιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰκόνα καὶ τὰ οὐράνια τοῦ φωτὸς πνευματικὰ σίγνα, τότε δύναται ἀναιρεῖν καὶ κατακρίνειν τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ ἐχθροὺς καὶ κακοποιοὺς καὶ ἐπιβούλους καὶ λῃστάς (τουτέστι τὰ πνεύματα «τῆς πονηρίας»). ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κυρίου τοῦτο ἐν ἑτέρῳ τρόπῳ λαμβάνεται·","english":"Let us in some such way as this compare the constitution of its subtlety: just as if there were a city having broad streets, council chambers, public buildings, streets, alleys, palaces, and many other structures, and there are places suitable for the leading men of the city and the whole citizen body to gather there, and there a judge sits and judges and condemns all the evildoers in the city—robbers and thieves, or poisoners or adulterers or plotters—and the judge in the city, having received royal authority, that is, the royal images and seals, is thus able to judge and put to death the evildoers through the royal authority; so also the great noetic city of God, the soul and the citizen body of its thoughts within it, when it has received the authority from above through faith and its virtuous conduct—\"the sword of the spirit\" and the heavenly image of Christ and the heavenly spiritual seals of light—then it is able to put to death and condemn the enemies and evildoers and plotters and robbers within it (that is, the spirits \"of wickedness\"). But this is also taken in another way in the case of the Lord.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":115,"ref":"p115","source":"ὥσπερ ἐκ πόλεως καταπονουμένης ὑπὸ ἐχθρῶν καὶ ἐπιβούλων, μὴ ἐχούσης κριτὴν ἢ ἄρχοντα, εὑρεθῇ δὲ εἷς ἐκ τοῦ γένους ἐκείνης τῆς πόλεως, καὶ προσελθὼν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ δοὺς ἑαυτοῦ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ἔλαβεν ἐξουσίαν καὶ οὕτως ἐλθὼν διεχειρίσατο καὶ ἀνῄρησε τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐχθροὺς καὶ κακοποιούςτὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ κύριος, «ὁ» δεύτερος «Ἀδάμ», ἐκ τοῦ γένους Ἀδὰμ μόνος εὑρέθη καὶ ἔδωκε τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα ὑπὲρ παντὸς γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἔλαβε τὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν δυναστείαν καὶ ἀνῄρησε πᾶσαν τυραννικὴν δύναμιν τῆς πονηρίας καὶ «τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξου σίας» ἐθριάμβευσε «προσηλώσας» αὐτὰς «τῷ σταυρῷ», ἀναλαβὼν γὰρ τὸ σῶμα καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ νικήσας τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ κατακρίνας αὐτὸν «διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς» ἀνελθὼν ἐκάθισεν ἐν οὐρανοῖς προσκυνούμενος ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν «οὐρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων», καὶ οὕτω λοιπὸν ταῖς νοεραῖς αὐτοῦ πόλεσιν, ταῖς ζητούσαις αὐτὸν ψυχαῖς καὶ ὑπο τασσομέναις αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ βασιλεύεσθαι ἐπιθυμούσαις, ἄνωθεν ἀποστέλλει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φωτεινὴν καὶ θείαν τοῦ πνεύματος εἰκόνα, τὸν ἐπουράνιον ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα ἐντυπωθέντος καὶ κραθέντος ἐν αὐταῖς εἰρη νεύωσι καὶ χαίρωσι καὶ ἀγαλλιῶνται ἀγαλλιάσει «ἀνεκλαλήτῳ», καὶ οὕτως οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀναιροῦνται ἐλθόντος τοῦ ἐπουρανίου κριτοῦ καὶ ἡ πόλις ἡ νοητὴ","english":"Just as when a city is oppressed by enemies and conspirators, having no judge or ruler, and one is found from the race of that city, and he comes to the king and gives his own possessions and receives authority, and so coming he manages matters and destroys the enemies and evildoers in the city, in the same way also the Lord, the second Adam, was found alone from the race of Adam, and gave his own body for the whole race of men, and received the authority and the kingdom and the dominion, and destroyed every tyrannical power of wickedness, and triumphed over the principalities and the powers, nailing them to the cross. For taking up the body and through it conquering the enemy and condemning him through the flesh, he ascended and sat in the heavens, worshipped by all things in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And so thereafter, to his spiritual cities—the souls that seek him and are subject to him and desire to be ruled by him—he sends from above his own luminous and divine image of the Spirit, the heavenly man, so that when it has been imprinted and mingled in them, they may be at peace and rejoice and exult with exultation inexpressible, and thus the enemies of the soul are destroyed when the heavenly judge has come, and the noetic city","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":116,"ref":"p116","source":"εἰρήνην μεγάλην λαμβάνει. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐὰν μὴ λάβῃ τις τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν καὶ τὰ σίγνα, κρίνειν τοὺς κακοποιοὺς καὶ ἀναιρεῖν οὐ δύναται, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅμοιος πάντων, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἐὰν μὴ δέξηται ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπουράνιον εἰκόνα καὶ τὰ τοῦ ἀρρήτου φωτὸς ἐνδύματα καὶ τὰ ἐπου ράνια τῶν δωρεῶν τοῦ πνεύματος σίγνα, ἀναιρῆσαι καὶ κατακρῖναι τοὺς ἑαυτῆς ἐχθροὺς καὶ ἐπιβούλους οὐ δύναται. καὶ ἤδη ἀκούουσα τὴν ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ ἐπουρανίου ἄρχοντος, χαίρει καὶ ἀγαλλιᾷ, οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῆς τὰ πνεύματα «τῆς πονηρίας» φόβῳ καὶ τρόμῳ καὶ δειλίᾳ συνέχονται. ὥσπερ ἐν πόλει ἐρχομένου ἄρχοντος κρῖναι καὶ ἀναιρῆσαι τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ εὑρισκομένους λῃστὰς καὶ κακοποιοὺς χαίρουσι μὲν οἱ πολῖται τῆς πόλεως, οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ δειλίᾳ καὶ φόβῳ συνέχονται, καὶ ἐπὰν εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ ἄρχοντος ἔλθωσιν, αἰσχύνονται καὶ τρέμουσιν, οἱ δὲ πολῖται παρρησίαν καὶ χαρὰν μεγίστην ἔχουσιν, ὅτι ἀναιροῦνται τῆς πόλεως οἱ κακοποιοὶ καὶ ἐχθροὶ καὶ ἐπίβουλοι, οὕτως ὅταν ἐνδη μήσῃ καὶ ἐπιφανῇ ὁ ἀληθινὸς καὶ ἐπουράνιος ἄρχων Χριστὸς ἐν τῇ πόλει τῆς ψυχῆς, παρρησίαν καὶ χαρὰν μεγίστην λαμβάνει σὺν παντὶ τῷ πολιτεύματι τῶν ἰδίων αὐτῆς λογισμῶν, οἱ δὲ ἐπίβουλοι αὐτῆς καὶ ἐχθροί, τὰ πάθη τῆς κακίας, ἐν αἰσχύνῃ καὶ τρόμῳ καὶ δειλίᾳ τυγ χάνουσιν.","english":"receives great peace. For just as, unless someone receives the royal authority and the sword and the seals, he cannot judge evildoers and put them to death, but is like everyone else, so too the soul, unless it receives within itself the heavenly image of Christ and the garments of the ineffable light and the heavenly seals of the gifts of the Spirit, cannot put to death and condemn its own enemies and plotters. And already, hearing of the arrival of the heavenly ruler, it rejoices and exults, while its enemies, the spirits \"of wickedness,\" are held in fear and trembling and cowardice. Just as when a ruler comes into a city to judge and put to death the robbers and evildoers found in it, the citizens of the city rejoice, while the enemies are held in cowardice and fear, and when they come into the ruler's presence they are put to shame and tremble, while the citizens have boldness and the greatest joy, because the evildoers and enemies and plotters are put to death from the city, so when the true and heavenly ruler, Christ, comes to dwell and appear in the city of the soul, it receives boldness and the greatest joy together with the whole commonwealth of its own thoughts, while its plotters and enemies, the passions of wickedness, are in shame and trembling and cowardice.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":117,"ref":"p117","source":"Παρακαλέσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν κύριον, ὅπως τύχωμεν τῆς «ἐπουρανίου» δωρεᾶς τοῦ «πνεύματος» καὶ τὰ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀλλότρια τῆς κακίας πάθη θανατώσωμεν, ἵν' οὕτως εὐάρεστοι αὐτῷ καταστάντες καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ἀμώμως ἐπιτελέσαντες τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ἄξιοι γενώμεθα ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ Ὡς «ὁ πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. υἱόν, καὶ πάντα» διδάσκει αὐτὸν αὐτὸς «ὁ πατήρ», οὕτω καὶ οἱ Χριστιανοὶ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν κύριον· αὐτὸς ὁ καιρὸς καὶ τὸ ἔργον καὶ ὁ κύριος διδάσκει αὐτοὺς τὴν ἐπουράνιον διδασκαλίαν καὶ ἐπιστήμην. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν βίῳ εἴ τις ἔχει χρυσόν, ἄργυρον, κτήματα, πλοῦτον πολύν, οὗτος θέλει γεννῆσαι ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φύσεως τέκνα, ἵνα κληρονομήσῃ τὰ τοῦ πατρός, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ σχῇ κληρονόμον, λυπεῖται καὶ θλίβεταιοὕτω καὶ ὁ κύριος, ποιήσας τὸν Ἀδάμ, τὴν γῆν ταύτην καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν οἶκον αὐτῷ κατεσκεύασε καὶ βασιλέα πάντων αὐτὸν κατέστησε τῶν κτισμάτων, εὐτρεπίσας αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἐπουράνιον κληρονομίαν, ἵνα γένηται φίλος καὶ ἀδελφὸς Χριστοῦ, νύμφη καὶ κοινωνὸς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. ὡς γὰρ ὑμεῖς «ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας» ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κύριον καὶ ξένοι γίνεσθε καὶ θλῖψιν φέ ρετε, οὕτω καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας ἡμᾶς ἠγάπησε καὶ ἔπαθε καὶ ἐσταυρώθη, ἵνα εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κληρονομίαν καὶ ζωὴν εἰσαγάγῃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· διὰ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς γὰρ κατῆλθεν. καὶ λυπεῖται ὁ κύριος, ὁ ἐπουράνιος πατήρ, ἐὰν μὴ γεννήσῃ τέκνα ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φύσεως καὶ δῷ αὐτοῖς κληρονομίαν, τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἣν αὐτοῖς ἡτοίμασεν.","english":"Let us therefore also entreat the Lord, that we may obtain the heavenly gift of the Spirit and put to death the passions of wickedness that are alien to us, so that thus becoming well-pleasing to him and blamelessly fulfilling his commandments, we may become worthy of his kingdom in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power unto the ages of ages. Amen. As the Father loves the Son, and the Father himself teaches him all things, so also Christians, loving the Lord—the time itself and the work and the Lord teaches them the heavenly teaching and knowledge. For just as in life, if someone has gold, silver, possessions, great wealth, he wishes to beget children from his own nature, so that they may inherit what belongs to the father; but if he has no heir, he is grieved and distressed—so too the Lord, having made Adam, prepared this earth and heaven as a house for him and established him as king over all the creatures, having also prepared for him the heavenly inheritance, so that he might become a friend and brother of Christ, a bride and partaker of the Holy Spirit. For as you love the Lord with your whole heart and become strangers and endure affliction, so too the Lord loved us with his whole heart and suffered and was crucified, in order to bring people into his own inheritance and life; for it was for sinners that he came down. And the Lord, the heavenly Father, is grieved if he does not beget children from his own nature and give them an inheritance, the kingdom of heaven, which he has prepared for them.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":118,"ref":"p118","source":"πάντες γὰρ οἱ γενόμενοι δίκαιοι, ἄνθρωποι ὄντες ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ καὶ σάρκα περιβεβλημένοι, ἔργον μέγα παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐποίησαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἐβασίλευσαν γὰρ τῆς κτί σεως καὶ τοῦ θανάτου. εἶπε Μωϋσῆς τῷ ὕδατι καὶ μετεβλήθη εἰς αἷμα, εἶπε τῇ γῇ καὶ ἀνῆλθον βάτραχοι, εἶπε τῷ θανάτῳ· μὴ εἰσέλθῃς εἰς τὰ πρόθυρα, καὶ ὑπετάγη ὁ θάνατος καὶ ἐποίησε τὸ θέλημα Μωϋσέως, καὶ λοιπὸν ἔγνω ὁ θάνατος, ὅτι ἀπὸ τότε οὐκέτι βασιλεύει, ἐξ οὗ ἐφοβήθη τὸ πρόσταγμα Μωϋσέως καὶ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῷ. καὶ γὰρ καὶ σίγνον ἦν εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Μωϋσέως τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ θεϊκοῦ, ὅπερ σίγνον ὁ Ἀδὰμ πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως ἦν περιβεβλημένος, δόξαν γὰρ θεοῦ καὶ ἔνδυμα θεϊκὸν ἦν ἠμφιεσμένος αὐτὸς ὁ Ἀδάμ. ἕως οὖν Μωϋσέως οὐδεὶς ἔσχε τοῦτο τὸ σημεῖον εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον εἰ μὴ μόνον Μωϋσῆς. ἐξεπλάγη οὖν ὁ θάνατος θεασά μενος τὸ σημεῖον, ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἕως ἄρτι οὐδεὶς ἔσχε τὸ σημεῖον τοῦτο, καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ προεφήτευσεν,\n\nὅτι μέλλει βασιλεύεσθαι καὶ ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὃ καὶ οὕτω γέγονεν. ἐπεφάνη γὰρ λοιπὸν καὶ ὁ ἐπουράνιος Ἀδὰμ καὶ διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ κατέκρινε τὸν θάνατον καὶ κατῆλθεν εἰς τὰ μνημεῖα καὶ ἐνεφανίσθη τοῖς προ κεκοιμημένοις προφήταις καὶ δικαίοις. ἐπειδὴ ἦσαν λυπούμενοι ὡς μὴ τυγχάνοντες τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν, ἤγειρεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν τάφων καὶ περιέβαλεν αὐτοὺς δόξαν θεϊκὴν καὶ «ἐνεφανίσθησαν» ἐν τῇ πόλει Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ εἶδον τοὺς ἑαυτῶν φίλους καὶ συγγενεῖς καὶ πάλιν ἐκοιμήθησαν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ τὰς συμπήξεις καὶ τὰς ἁλύσεις τοῦ πονηροῦ διέρρηξεν ὁ κύριος καὶ ἐθανάτωσε τὸν διάβολον.","english":"For all who became righteous, being men just as the rest and clothed in flesh, did a great work beyond the rest of men upon the earth; for they reigned over creation and death. Moses spoke to the water and it was changed into blood; he spoke to the earth and frogs came up; he spoke to death: \"Do not enter the forecourts,\" and death was subjected and did the will of Moses. And thereafter death knew that from that time he no longer reigns, since he feared the command of Moses and obeyed him. For there was also a sign upon the face of Moses of the glory of the divine light, which sign Adam had been clothed with before the transgression; for Adam himself had been arrayed in the glory of God and a divine garment. Until Moses, then, no one had this sign upon his face except Moses alone. Death, therefore, was struck with amazement when he beheld the sign, because from Adam until now no one had had this sign, and he prophesied concerning himself, that he was about to be reigned over and subjected to the race of men, which indeed so came to pass. For thereafter the heavenly Adam also appeared and by the cross condemned death, and descended into the tombs and was manifested to the prophets and righteous who had fallen asleep before. Since they were grieving as not obtaining the promises, he raised them from the graves and clothed them with divine glory, and \"they appeared\" in the city of Jerusalem and saw their own friends and relatives and again fell asleep; for there the Lord tore apart the snares and chains of the evil one and put the devil to death.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":119,"ref":"p119","source":"ὁ Ἠλίας ἐξουσιαστικῶς ἔδησε τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν. πῶς τοῦτο ἴσχυσε ποιῆ σαι; προσέσχε πρὸς τὸν θεόν, ἐπίστευσεν, ἠγάπησεν. οὔτε γὰρ λέγω σοι ὅτι τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ἐξέτεινεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, οὔτε αὐτὸς τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ τὸ οὐράνιον πῦρ ἤνεγκε καὶ ἔκαυσε τὸ θυσιαστήριον καὶ τοὺς ψευδοπροφῆτας, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀγάπῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ πίστει συνήργησε θεϊκὴ δύναμις, ἥτις ταῦτα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐπετέλεσεν. εἶπε λόγον καὶ ἄλλος δίκαιος «καὶ ἔστη ὁ ἥλιος», ἄλλος ἔφραξε «στόματα λεόντων». Ὁρᾷς πῶς οἱ δίκαιοι βασιλεῖς εἰσι τῶν κτισμάτων καὶ πάντα τὰ κτίσματα τρέχει κατέναντι αὐτῶν. ἡ «αἱμορροοῦσα», «ἥτις οὐκ ἴσχυσε θεραπευθῆναι» ὑπὸ ἰατρῶν, μὴ ὁ κύριος ἀπῆλθε πρὸς αὐτήν; οὐχὶ αὐτὴ «ἥψατο τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ»; ὁ «ἀπὸ γενετῆς» τυφλὸς οὐχὶ αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἔκραξεν; ὁ Ζακχαῖος οὐχὶ αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἀνῆλθεν εἰς τὸ δένδρον; καὶ νῦν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ζῶντες νεκροί εἰσιν, καὶ εἰς τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἔρχεται ὁ κύριος καὶ κατασκηνοῖ εἰς τὰς ψυ χὰς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκτινάσσει τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν ἐκ τῶν λίθων καὶ ἐκ τῶν μνημείων τῶν ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων καὶ ἀπαθανατίζει τὰς ψυ χὰς αὐτῶν καὶ ζῳοποιεῖ ἐκ τῆς νεκρώσεως αὐτῶν.","english":"Elijah authoritatively bound the keys of the heavens and it did not rain. How did he have the strength to do this? He attended to God, he believed, he loved. For I do not tell you that he stretched out his hands to heaven, nor that he himself by his own power brought down the heavenly fire and burned the altar and the false prophets, but a divine power cooperated with his love and his faith, which accomplished these things through him. Another righteous man spoke a word and \"the sun stood still\"; another shut \"the mouths of lions.\" You see how the righteous are kings over creation, and all creation runs to meet them. The \"woman with the flow of blood,\" \"who could not be healed\" by physicians—did not the Lord go to her? Did she not herself \"touch the fringe of his garment\"? The man \"blind from birth\"—did he not himself cry out first? Did not Zacchaeus himself first climb the tree? And now men, though living, are dead, and the Lord comes to those who believe and dwells in their souls and shakes their hearts out from the stones and from the tombs of unclean spirits and makes their souls immortal and gives them life from their deadness.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":120,"ref":"p120","source":"ὥσπερ οὖν οἱ πρῶτοι δίκαιοι ἐπίστευσαν τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ προσέδραμον αὐτῷ, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῆσαι ὀφείλομεν τὸν θεὸν «ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας» καὶ πιστεῦ σαι καὶ ἀκοῦσαι, καὶ οὕτως ἔρχεται εἰς τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς καὶ τὰ διανοήματα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τοῦ σατανᾶ ἁρμολογίαν καὶ τοὺς δεσμοὺς καὶ τὰ συμπήγματα διαλύει καὶ καθαρίζει τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν ἐκ τῆς λέπρας καὶ ζῳοποιεῖ ἐκ τῆς νεκρώσεως καὶ φωτίζει τὸν νοῦν ἐκ τῆς τυφλώσεως. πάντα γὰρ τὰ κτίσματα, ἃ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός, ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἦν, καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ ὄρη καὶ βουνοὶ καὶ τὰ ζῷα καὶ πηγαί. λοιπὸν τί ἐστιν, ὅπερ ἐρχόμενος καὶ ἐνδυόμενος τὸ σῶμα ὁ κύριος ποιεῖ ἔργον μεῖζον τούτων, †ὡς† ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις οὐδὲν ἔλειπε τῇ κτίσει; τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ εἶπεν· «ὁ πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργά ζομαι», καὶ «μείζονα τούτων» «ἔργα» ποιῶ, εἰ γῆ ἦν ἐσπαρμένη καὶ φυτεῖαι καὶ οὐρανοὶ καὶ ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη; ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὅτι μειζότερον ἔργον τῶν φαινομένων ἔρχεται ποιῆσαι, μὴ φαινόμενον τοῖς σαρκικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς. τὰς γὰρ διεφθαρμένας διανοίας ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶ ἔρχεται διορθώσασθαι καὶ σπεῖραι σπόρον οὐράνιον ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς ψυχῆς, ὥσπερ ὁ γεωργὸς ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις σπείρει τὴν γῆν. μὴ ἆρα βοῦς ζεύγνυσιν; οὐχ οὕτως. μὴ ἆρα φυτείαν φαινομένην φυτεύει; οὐχ οὕτως. ἄμπελος γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ψυχὴ τῷ κυρίῳ (καὶ ὁ κύριος τῇ ψυχῇ) καὶ φυτεύει ἐκεῖ ῥίζας ἀγάπης, χαρᾶς γλυκείας καὶ πηγὰς ζωῆς βρυ ούσας ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, «οὐρανοὺς καινοὺς καὶ γῆν καινὴν» καὶ φωστῆρας νέους·","english":"Just as therefore the first righteous men believed in the Lord and ran to him, so also we ought to love God \"with all our heart\" and to believe and to hear, and thus he comes into our reasonings and thoughts and every arrangement of Satan, and dissolves the bonds and compactions and cleanses our hearts from the leprosy and gives life from the deadness and enlightens the mind from blindness. For all the creatures that God made were from the beginning—both rivers and mountains and hills and animals and springs. What, then, is the work that the Lord, coming and putting on the body, does greater than these, †so that† nothing was lacking in creation among things visible? What then is it that he said: \"My Father works until now, and I work,\" and \"greater works than these\" I do, if there was sown earth and plantings and heavens and sun and moon? But it is clear that he comes to do a greater work than things visible, one not visible to fleshly eyes. For he comes to set right the corrupted thoughts in secret by Satan and to sow heavenly seed in the earth of the soul, just as the farmer sows the visible earth. Does he yoke oxen? Not so. Does he plant a visible planting? Not so. For the soul is a vine to the Lord (and the Lord to the soul), and he plants there roots of love, of sweet joy, and springs of life gushing in the heart, \"new heavens and a new earth\" and new luminaries.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":121,"ref":"p121","source":"εἰ γὰρ τὰ ἄνθη τῆς γῆς τοσαύτην δόξαν περιβάλλει καὶ τὰ ἴα ἐνδύει πορφύραν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὴν λογικὴν ψυχὴν δοξάζει καὶ καλλωπίζει διακοσμήσει πνευματικῇ καὶ ἐνδύει τὴν πορφύραν τοῦ πνεύματος. οὕτω γὰρ ηὐδόκησεν, καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐργά ζεται, ἵνα ἡ ψυχὴ κερασθῇ τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ πνεύματι καὶ μῖξις γένηται καὶ κοινωνία τῶν ἐπιγείων μετὰ τῶν ἐπουρανίων, μόνον ἵνα ἀγαπή σωμεν ἀλλήλους καὶ πιστεύσωμεν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ δίδωσιν ἡμῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κληρονομίαν. αὐτὸς γὰρ σβέννυσι τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν, ἡμεῖς\n\nμόνον ἀγαπήσωμεν αὐτόν, καὶ ὃ οὐ δυνάμεθα ποιῆσαι, αὐτὸς ἔρχεται καὶ ἐξολοθρεύει τὸν θάνατον. οὔτε γὰρ «τὰ τείχη Ἰεριχὼ» ἴσχυσαν ἄνθρωποι καθελεῖν, ἀλλὰ δυνάμει θεϊκῇ ἔπεσαν. ὥσπερ ἵνα ᾖ ἄρχων καὶ ἔχῃ τὸ σίγνον καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, λοιπὸν διὰ τὸ προη γεῖσθαι τὴν εἰκόνα ἐξουσιαστικῶς πάντας ἀποκτέννει καὶ ἐξορίζει τοὺς ἀτάκτους. καὶ εἰ ἡ νεκρὰ εἰκὼν τοσοῦτον ἔχει φόβον καὶ ἀξίωμα, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ εἰκὼν ἡ ἐπουράνιος καὶ ἡ ζῶσα δύναμις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸ σίγνον τὸ ἐπουράνιον καὶ θεῖον, ἐὰν ζωγραφηθῇ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις, ἀναιρεῖ καὶ φονεύει τὰς δυνάμεις τοῦ σκότους τὰς μεμιγμένας κρυπτῶς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ «πᾶσαν τὴν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ δύναμιν» ἐξολοθρεύει. Δόξα τῇ μεγαλωσύνῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ ἀπείρῳ αὐτοῦ εὐσπλαγχνίᾳ εἰς τοὺς ἀπεράντους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"For if the flowers of the earth he clothes with such glory and dresses the violets in purple, how much more does he glorify the rational soul and adorn it with spiritual order and dress it in the purple of the Spirit. For so he was well pleased, and this work he works in souls, that the soul may be mingled with the heavenly Spirit and there may be a mixture and a communion of earthly things with heavenly, only that we love one another and believe God, and he gives us his own inheritance. For he himself quenches the fire that is in us; we need only love him, and what we are unable to do, he comes and destroys death. For \"the walls of Jericho\" men were not able to throw down, but they fell by divine power. Just as, in order that there may be a ruler and he may have the seal and the image before him, thereafter, because the image goes before him with authority, he puts to death all and banishes the disorderly. And if the dead image has so much fear and honor, how much more the heavenly image and the living power of God and the heavenly and divine seal, if it be painted in hearts, destroys and kills the powers of darkness that are secretly mingled in the heart and \"all the power of the enemy\" it destroys utterly. Glory to his majesty and to his boundless compassion unto the endless ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":122,"ref":"p122","source":"Ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ θεμέλιος καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὸ συμπλήρωμα, ὁ ἀκρογωνιαῖος. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς γῆς καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐστιν ὁ κύριος· ἐξ οὐρανοῦ γὰρ θεὸς ἦλθε καὶ ἔλαβε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ γῆς καὶ συνεκεράσθη τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ. ἴδε ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἴδε ἀπὸ γῆς, ἴδε ὁ θεμέλιος καὶ ἴδε ὁ ἀκρογωνιαῖος. οὕτως ηὐδόκησε ποιῆσαι καὶ τοῖς οὖσιν ἀπὸ γῆς ἔδωκε πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ἵνα τοὺς ἄνω καὶ τοὺς κάτω ποιήσῃ μίαν ἐκκλησίαν συγκεράσας τὴν θεότητα τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι. ὅταν δὲ ἀκούσῃς θεμέλιον, τὸν κύριον νόησον· αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ θεμέλιος μεμέτρηται καὶ οἱ ἐποικοδομούμενοι λίθοι πρὸς ἰσόμετρον τοῦ θεμελίου ὀφείλουσιν εἶναι, ἵνα ἡ οἰκοδομὴ ὑπὸ μίαν ἁρμολογίαν γένηται· οὔτε γὰρ κολοβοὶ δύνανται προχωρῆσαι ἐκεῖ οὔτε μακροί, ἀλλ' ἴσοι τοῦ μέτρου τοῦ θεμελίου ἁρμόζουσιν. οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὢν ἀληθινὸς θεμέλιος καὶ ἀκρογωνιαῖος εἰς ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέτρον τῆς τελειότητος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκάλεσεν ἐλθεῖν πάντας ἀνθρώπους. τοῦτο ἔλεγεν ὁ ἀπόστολος· «ἄχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες» «εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ», καὶ πάλιν· «ἵνα παραστήσωμεν πάντα ἄνθρωπον τέλειον ἐν Χριστῷ», καὶ πάλιν· «ἵνα πληρωθῆτε εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα» τοῦ Χριστοῦ. εἰς ταῦτα τὰ μέτρα ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐλθεῖν, εἰς ταύτην τὴν οἰκοδομὴν προσκέκληται πρὸς ἴσον τοῦ θεμελίου, ὅς ἐστιν αὐτὸς ὁ κύριοςΔόξα τῇ μεγαλειότητι αὐτοῦ. ὁ κόσμος ὅλος εἰς τὴν φαινομένην διακονίαν ἕστηκεν, οἱ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ δοῦλοι ἀόρατον ἔχουσι τὴν διακονίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἴσασιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι.","english":"Our Lord Jesus Christ is himself the foundation, and he is himself the completion, the cornerstone. For the Lord is from the earth and from heaven: for God came from heaven and took the man from the earth and was mingled with the man. See from heaven and see from earth, see the foundation and see the cornerstone. So he was pleased to do, and to those who are from the earth he gave the Holy Spirit from heaven, in order to make those above and those below one church, having mingled the Godhead with humanity. But when you hear \"foundation,\" understand it to mean the Lord; for the foundation itself has been measured, and the stones built upon it ought to be of equal measure with the foundation, so that the building may come under one jointing; for neither can the stunted proceed there nor the tall, but those equal to the measure of the foundation fit together. So also Christ, being the true foundation and cornerstone, has called all men to come to that measure of the perfection of Christ. This the apostle said: \"Until we all attain\" \"to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,\" and again: \"that we may present every man perfect in Christ,\" and again: \"that you may be filled to all the fullness\" of Christ. To these measures Christ has called the race of men to come; to this building he has summoned them, to equality with the foundation, which is the Lord himself. Glory to his majesty. The whole world stands for the visible ministry, but the servants of God have an invisible ministry in mystery, and men do not know it.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":123,"ref":"p123","source":"ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ ἀγγελικὴ φύσις ἀόρατος οὖσα διακονεῖ ἐν τοῖς ἀοράτοις τῷ ἀοράτῳ θεῷ, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ οὖσα πνεῦμα ἀοράτως διακονεῖ τῷ θεῷ τῷ ἀοράτῳ. καὶ ὁ σατανᾶς πνεῦμα ὢν καὶ αὐτὸς κρυπτῶς ἐν τῷ βάθει τῆς καρδίας πολεμεῖ. οἱ δὲ νῦν ἔχοντες ἔργον πνευματικὸν κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον οὐ «πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα» ἔχουσι τὴν πάλην, ἀλλὰ «πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους». αὕτη ἡ δύναμις τῆς θεότητος· ἀόρατος οὖσα ἔκτισε κόσμον τὸν φαινόμενον. καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ὁμοίως ἀόρατος οὖσα ἔκτισε κόσμον τὸν μὴ φαινόμενον. τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς διὰ τῆς ἀφανοῦς δυνάμεως αἰχμαλωτίζει εἰς διακονίας φαινομένας τῆς ἀνομίας. Ἐρώτησις. Τί ἐστιν ὅτι ἐρωτώμενος ὁ διάβολος «πόθεν παραγέγονας» ἀπεκρίνατο· «ἐμπεριπατήσας τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν πάρειμι»; Ἀπόκρισις. Τὰ μὲν πλείονα τούτων ἐστὶν ἀκατάληπτα, πλὴν τοῦτο ἐκ φήμης ἀκήκοα, ὅτι οἱ γόητες ἐν ὑποταγῇ ἔχουσι τοὺς δαίμονας· λοιπὸν συμβαίνει ἐν μίᾳ ὥρᾳ εἴκοσι ἢ καὶ τριάκοντα διὰ τῶν ἐπαοιδῶν καὶ τῆς γοητείας τοὺς αὐτοὺς δαίμονας ἐπικαλεῖσθαι εἰς τὸ κακοποιῆσαι, καὶ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν, εἰς τὰ μέρη τῆς δύσεως ἢ τῆς ἀνατολῆς ὤν, φθάνει ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ὥρᾳ τοῖς","english":"For just as the angelic nature, being invisible, serves the invisible God in invisible things, so also the soul, being spirit, invisibly serves the invisible God. And Satan, being a spirit, also secretly wages war in the depth of the heart. But those who now have a spiritual work, according to the apostle, do not have their struggle \"against blood and flesh,\" but \"against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of the darkness.\" This is the power of the Godhead: being invisible, it created the visible world. And the soul likewise, being invisible, created the world that is not visible. The same also does the evil one through invisible power: he takes captive unto visible services of lawlessness. Question. What is it that the devil, when asked \"From where have you come?\" answered, \"I am here, having walked about under heaven\"? Answer. Most of these things are incomprehensible, except that I have heard from report that the sorcerers have the demons in subjection; and so it happens that in one hour twenty or even thirty, through incantations and sorcery, the same demons are invoked to do harm, and each of them, being in the parts of the west or of the east, arrives in the same hour to those","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":124,"ref":"p124","source":"πᾶσιν ἐμφανισθῆναι καὶ ἐνεργῆσαι εἰς τὸ κακόν. εἰ οὖν τὸ κακὸν οὕτω φθάνει ἐν ῥοπῇ ὥρας πᾶσιν ὑπακούειν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ ἀγαθὸν δύναται ἐμφανίζεσθαι καὶ βοηθεῖν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτό. Τὰ οὖν πλείονα τούτων ὑπερβαίνει τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀσθένειαν. ὥσπερ δὲ σκεῦος βασιλικὸν κατασκευαζόμενον οὐχὶ ἀπὸ μιᾶς τελειοῦται, ἀλλὰ πλεονάκις εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὸ πῦρ, εἶθ' οὕτω σφυροκοπεῖται καὶ πολυτρόπως κοσμεῖται, καὶ τότε ἀπαρτίζεται σκεῦος τίμιον προχω ροῦν εἰς τράπεζαν βασιλικήν, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ διαφόρως κοσμουμένη καὶ γυμναζομένη τίμιον σκεῦος τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ ἐπου ρανίου γίνεται. ἔστι τις ἔχων ἀρετὰς πολλὰς βίου, ἀκτημοσύνας, νηστείας, ἀγρυπνίας, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ διὰ δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην ποιεῖ καὶ οὐ διὰ θεόν, ὧδε τὸν μισθὸν ἀπολαμβάνει· οἱ γὰρ δοξάζοντες αὐτὸν ἄνθρωποι οὗτοί εἰσιν αὐτοῦ θεοί. καὶ ἔστιν ἄλλος θέλων λανθάνειν ἀνθρώπους καὶ εὐαρεστεῖν θεῷ καὶ πολλάκις τινὰ ἀδιαφόρως ποιεῖ καὶ ἁπλουστάτως παρ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν δὴ ἐν πᾶσιν ἀκριβῆ, καὶ μᾶλλον οὗτος ἀποδεκτέος ἐστὶ παρὰ θεῷ, ἐπειδὴ διὰ θεὸν ποιεῖ, ἢ ἐκεῖνος ὁ διὰ δόξαν ἀνθρώπων. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν υἱὸς εἶ ἐκείνου τοῦ παραβάντος τὴν ἐντολήν, ἀνάγκη ὅτι υἱὸς ὢν καὶ τὸ παχὺ σκότος καὶ ἡ ἀράχνη καὶ ἡ ἀπείθεια καὶ ἡ μάχαιρα ἐμπέπηκταί σοι ὡς εἰς πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ χρὴ ἐκ τῆς δεινῆς συντροφίας καὶ χαλεπῆς συνηθείας τῆς ἁμαρτίας χωρισθῆναι καὶ ἀναλαβεῖν διαγωγὴν καὶ συντροφίαν καὶ ἦθος πνευματικὸν τοῦ δευτέρου Ἀδὰμ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου καὶ «νοῦν Χριστοῦ» κτήσασθαι, ἵνα γένῃς τούτου υἱὸς καὶ κληρονόμος.","english":"to be manifested to all and to work for evil. If, then, evil thus reaches in a moment of an hour to be obedient to all, how much more can good be manifested and help all who call upon it. The greater part of these things, then, surpasses our weakness. But just as a royal vessel being fashioned is not perfected from one firing, but enters the fire many times, and then is hammered and adorned in many ways, and then is completed as a precious vessel proceeding to the king's table, in the same way the soul also, being adorned and exercised in various ways, becomes a precious vessel of the heavenly King. There is one who has many virtues of life—possessions renounced, fastings, vigils—but since he does them for human glory and not for God, he receives his reward here; for the men who glorify him, these are his gods. And there is another who wishes to escape the notice of men and to please God, and often does something indifferently and very simply, compared with that man who is exact in all things, and yet this one is more acceptable to God, since he does it for God, than that one who does it for the glory of men. Since, therefore, you are a son of that one who transgressed the commandment, it is necessary that, being a son, the thick darkness and the spider and the disobedience and the sword are fixed in you as in all his sons, and it is necessary to be separated from the dread companionship and grievous habit of sin and to take up the conduct and companionship and spiritual character of the second Adam, the heavenly one, and to acquire \"the mind of Christ,\" so that you may become his son and heir.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":125,"ref":"p125","source":"καὶ γὰρ ὅλη ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ προφῆται καὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἡ ἔλευσις κατὰ τοῦ κακοῦ γεγένηται τοῦ παρεισελθόντος καὶ βασιλεύ σαντος, ὅπως ἀποκόψωσι τὰ κακὰ καὶ θριαμβεύσωσιν· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ νόμοι Ῥωμαίων κωλύουσιν (τὸν δὲ σατανᾶν οὔτε προφῆται οὔτε ἀπόστολοι οὔτε γραφαί). ὅμως ὁρᾷς ἕτοιμα τὰ κακὰ τὰ συνέχοντα τὸν κόσμον καὶ τοὺς συνηδομένους καὶ κατεχομένους εἰς τὸν θάνατον, καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν σπάνιον, ὥστε ἀπὸ πολλῶν ὀλίγους εἶναι τοὺς σωζο μένους. ἀναγκαῖον οὖν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς τοὺς προσελθόντας τῷ ζῶντι θεῷ δι' ἐναρέτου πολιτείας τούτῳ συναρμολογεῖσθαι καὶ συγκολλᾶσθαι, ἐπειδὴ «ἡ κεφαλὴ αὐτός ἐστιν», ὁ μαργαρίτης, ὁ θεμέλιος· καὶ εἴ τις οὐ κτᾶται τὸν θεμέλιον τοῦτον, οὐκ οἶδε ποῦ οἰκοδομεῖ. εἴ τις γάρ ἐστιν ἐν ἐρημίαις καθεζόμενος καὶ ἀσκεῖ ἔτι ἐγκρατὴς ὢν καὶ μὴ οἰκοδομῶν ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον, «ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον» οἰκοδομεῖ, ἐπὶ πράγματα λυόμενα καὶ εὔφθαρτα. ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἀποσπασθείσης κεφαλῆς ἀν θρώπου οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ τὰ ἄλλα μέλη συστῆναι, ἀλλ' εὐθέως λύεται καὶ φθείρεται, οὕτως ἄνευ τῆς κεφαλῆς (τουτέστιν ἄνευ τοῦ Χριστοῦ), ζῆσαι ψυχὴν ἀδύνατον, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ἰχθὺν ἄνευ ὕδατος ζῆν. ἐκεῖνον γὰρ ἔχων τὸν θεμέλιον ὡς ἐπὶ «πέτραν» ἐστὶν οἰκοδομῶν τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ. Δόξα τοῖς οἰκτιρμοῖς αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"For the whole lawgiving, and prophets, and apostles, and angels, and the coming [of Christ] came about against the evil that entered in and reigned, in order to cut off evils and triumph over them; indeed, even the laws of the Romans hinder (but Satan neither prophets nor apostles nor scriptures). Nevertheless you see that the evils which hold the world together are ready at hand, and those who take pleasure in them and are held fast unto death, and that good is rare, so that out of many few are those who are saved. It is necessary, then, that we who have come near to the living God through a virtuous conduct be fitted together and glued to him, since \"he himself is the head,\" the pearl, the foundation; and if anyone does not possess this foundation, he does not know where he is building. For if anyone is sitting in deserts and practices continence while yet not building upon the Lord, \"upon the sand\" he builds, upon things that are dissolved and easily corrupted. For just as, when a man's head is cut off, it is not possible for the other members to hold together, but they are immediately dissolved and corrupted, so without the head (that is, without Christ) it is impossible for a soul to live, just as neither can a fish live without water. For having that foundation, he is building his work as \"upon rock.\" Glory to his mercies unto the ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":126,"ref":"p126","source":"Αἱ τῶν λόγων συζητήσεις καὶ ἡ πεποίθησις τῆς γνώσεως οὐδὲν κέρδος τῇ ψυχῇ προσποιοῦσιν ὅσον περισπασμὸν καὶ ζημίαν, καὶ οἱ ἐν τούτοις κεκρατημένοι τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐοίκασιν ἀνθρώπῳ χόρτον ἀντὶ ἄρτου ἐσθίοντι, τὸν μὴ ἔχοντα ἡδονήν τινα μηδὲ τῷ σώματι δύναμιν ποιοῦντα, ἢ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν τοίχῳ γεγραμμένῳ καὶ σώζοντι μὲν πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν μελῶν εἰκόνα, μὴ περιπατοῦντι δὲ μηδὲ κινουμένῳ. καὶ γὰρ πᾶσαι αἱ αἱρέσεις ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἐντεῦθεν συνέστησαν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπείσθησαν τῷ ἀποστόλῳ λέγοντι· «ὦ βάθος πλούτου». βουληθέντες γὰρ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν λόγοις καταλαβεῖν ἐπλανήθησαν. «ὦ» (γὰρ) «βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ· ὡς ἀνεξηρεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ. τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν\n\nκυρίου»; οὔτε οὖν οἱ διὰ μαθημάτων τὴν ἀκριβῆ τοῦ θεοῦ κατάληψιν ζητοῦντες εὑρεῖν δύνανται, οὔτε οἱ διαβεβαιούμενοι διδάσκαλοι καὶ ἱκανοὺς ἑαυτοὺς λέγοντες εἶναι εἰς τὴν περὶ θεοῦ ἐξήγησιν φράσαι τι σαφὲς ἢ καταλαβεῖν ἰσχύουσιν, ἀλλὰ ὑπερβαίνει ὁμοῦ πάντας τοὺς διδασκομένους καὶ τοὺς διδάσκοντας ἡ ἀλήθεια, καὶ λελήθασιν ἑαυ τοὺς ἀμφότεροι πλανώμενοι. ἐὰν γὰρ εἴπῃ σοι ὁ διδάσκαλος ὅτι πῦρ ἐστιν ὁ θεός, εὑρήσεις αὐτὸν «ὕδωρ ζωῆς» γινόμενον. ἐὰν εἴπῃ σοι ὅτι ὡς βασιλεὺς ὁρᾶται καὶ φαίνεται, εὑρήσεις αὐτὸν ὡς σκιὰν ὀπτα νόμενον, ἄλλῳ δὲ ὡς πτωχόν, καὶ οἷς μὲν ὡς θεὸν οἷς δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωπον ταπεινόν. ἐὰν ζητήσῃς αὐτὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ἐπὶ γῆς εὑρίσκεται· ἐὰν δὲ ἐπὶ γῆς ζητήσῃς, εἰς οὐρανοὺς μετέρχεται. καὶ τοῖς μὲν πάλιν εὑρίσκε ται «θλῖψις» κατ' οἰκονομίαν γινόμενος, τοῖς δὲ «ἄνεσις».","english":"The discussions of words and the confidence of knowledge bring no profit to the soul so much as distraction and loss, and those who are mastered by these things resemble a man eating grass instead of bread, which has no pleasure and produces no strength for the body, or a man painted on a wall who preserves indeed the whole image of the members but neither walks nor moves. For all the heresies from the beginning were established from this source; for they were not persuaded by the apostle who says, \"O the depth of the riches.\" For wishing to grasp the wisdom of God in words, they went astray. \"O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and untraceable his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord?\" Neither, then, are those who seek through learning to find the exact comprehension of God able to find it, nor are those who are confident teachers and call themselves sufficient for the explanation concerning God able to say anything clear or to grasp it, but the truth surpasses together all both those who are taught and those who teach, and both have escaped their own notice, being deceived. For if the teacher says to you that God is fire, you will find him becoming \"water of life.\" If he says to you that he is seen and appears as a king, you will find him appearing as a shadow, and to another as a poor man, and to some as God and to others as a humble man. If you seek him in the heavens, he is found on earth; but if you seek him on earth, he passes over into the heavens. And again to some he is found becoming \"affliction\" by dispensation, but to others \"relief.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":127,"ref":"p127","source":"διὸ παραι τεῖσθαι προσῆκε τὴν πολυλογίαν καὶ ματαιολογίαν, οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῆς περᾶναί τις δύναται. ὑπὲρ τῆς κατὰ φύσιν ἑκάστῳ προσούσης γνώσεως κρινόμεθα μὴ παραδεξάμενοι τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ. Παρεάσαντες οὖν ταῦτα ζητήσωμεν, πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος ἐλθεῖν καὶ προσεγγίσαι τῷ θεῷ καὶ μαθεῖν παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ δέξασθαί τι ξένον τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ πεισθῶμεν τῷ εἰρηκότι· οὐδεὶς «ἀνθρώπων οἶδε τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ». εἰ οὖν ἄνθρωπος ὁμοιοπαθὴς τὴν σὴν βουλὴν γνῶναι ἢ καταλαβεῖν οὐ δύναται, πῶς θεοῦ βουλὴν ἐξερευνᾶν ἢ καταλαβεῖν ἄν θρωποι φθαρτοὶ ἐκβιάζονται; καὶ «οὐδεὶς» ἀνθρώπων οἶδε «τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ» τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ. «ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα γνῶμεν τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν· ἃ καὶ λαλοῦμεν». ζητήσωμεν οὖν τὸν κύριον, καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ὁδηγήσει καὶ διδάξει καὶ δυνησόμεθα γνῶναι τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ μυστήρια, ὅσον ἀνθρώπῳ γνῶναι δυνατόν, οὐχ ὅσον ἔστιν ὁ θεός. ἡμέτερον οὖν ἐστι μαθεῖν, πῶς γεννᾶται ἄνθρωπος ἐκ «πνεύματος», πῶς δεῖ ἀνθίστασθαι τοῖς πνεύμασι «τῆς πονη ρίας», καὶ διδαχθῆναι ζητῆσαι βοήθειαν παρὰ κυρίου καὶ πολεμῆσαι πρὸς τὸν ἀντικείμενον. χαίρει γὰρ ὁ κύριος ἀκεραίῳ ψυχῇ ἀνθρώπου, κἀκείνους ἁρπάζει εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ τοὺς φόβῳ καὶ ἀκακίᾳ προσερχομένους αὐτῷ.","english":"Therefore it is fitting to renounce much speaking and idle talk, for no one can accomplish anything by it. We are judged concerning the natural knowledge that belongs to each person if we do not receive the word of God. Setting these things aside, then, let us seek how a person can come and draw near to God and learn from him and receive something strange to this age in the heart, and let us be persuaded by the one who said: \"No one of men knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him.\" If, then, a man of like passions cannot know or comprehend your counsel, how do corruptible men force themselves to search out or comprehend the counsel of God? And \"no one\" of men knows \"the things of God except the Spirit of God\" that is in him. \"But we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we might know the things that have been given to us by God; which things we also speak.\" Let us therefore seek the Lord, and he himself will guide us and teach us, and we shall be able to know the mysteries of God, as far as it is possible for a man to know, not as far as God is. It is our part, then, to learn how a man is born of \"the Spirit,\" how one must resist the spirits \"of wickedness,\" and to be taught to seek help from the Lord and to wage war against the adversary. For the Lord rejoices in a guileless soul of a man, and he snatches into his kingdom those who come to him with fear and innocence.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":128,"ref":"p128","source":"Ἓν δέ σοι πάλιν δύναμαι εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ὁ ζητῶν τὸν θεὸν δέχεται δύναμιν πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ ἀναλύεται ἡ φύσις αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν τῆς πλάνης καὶ τῆς δειλίας, τροφὴν πεσοῦσαν, φύσιν τοῦ ἁγίου πυρός. ὥσπερ γὰρ ξύλον λεῖον καὶ ξηρὸν καὶ ἄκαρπον ὄζους ἔχον πολλοὺς ἄχρηστόν ἐστι καὶ πάντες οἱ παριόντες ἐπικαθεζόμενοι τὰ πεπηλω μένα τῶν ὑποδημάτων ἐπικαθαίρουσιν, ἐὰν δὲ βληθῇ καὶ εἰσενεχθῇ εἰς πῦρ μεταβαλλόμενον ἄνθραξ γίνεται, τοῦ ξύλου δηλαδὴ ἔνδον τοῦ πυρὸς ἐνδιαμένοντος ὑποστάσει, καὶ οὐδεὶς λοιπὸν ἅπτεσθαι ἢ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι δύναταιτοιαύτην μοι νόει τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν ἀπὸ τῆς παραβάσεως ἄκαρπον καὶ ξηρὰν καὶ ὄζους ἔχουσαν τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων, ἀλλοιοῦται δὲ εἰς τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἀνάπτεται εἰς πῦρ καὶ φῶς, καὶ ἐὰν θελήσωσιν οἱ δαίμονες κατὰ τὴν ἀρχαίαν συνήθειαν προσεγγίσαι τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ κακῶσαι, κατακαίονται ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ φυγαδεύονται ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ βάψαντος καὶ περισχόντος τὴν ψυχήν. ἀλλοιοῦται γὰρ οὕτως ὡς αὐτὸν αἰσθέσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὴν μεταβολὴν καὶ γνῶναι ὅτι οὔκ ἐστιν ἔχων τὸν πρῶ τον νοῦν τοῦ χοϊκοῦ φρονήματος. τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται, ἐπειδὴ κοινωνεῖ ἡ ψυχὴ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἀλλάσσει τὴν φύσιν εἰς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ μόρφωσιν. ὥσπερ γὰρ μήτηρ νήπιον ἔχουσα ἀγαπᾷ καὶ ἐν πολλῷ πόθῳ ἐναγκαλίζεται εἰς τοὺς κόλπους λαμβάνουσα, οὕτω τὸ πνεῦμα ἔρχεται εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἐναγκαλίζεται εἰς τοὺς κόλπους ἐν πολλῇ ἀναπαύσει καὶ χαρᾷ, καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ δυνάμεως θεϊκῇ καταποθεῖται ὑπὸ","english":"Again I can tell you one thing: that the one who seeks God receives the power of the Holy Spirit, and his nature is dissolved into the destruction of error and cowardice, receiving as food the nature of the holy fire that has fallen. For just as a smooth, dry, and fruitless piece of wood with many branches is useless, and all who pass by sit on it and wipe off the mud from their sandals—but if it is thrown and carried into fire, it is transformed and becomes charcoal, the wood clearly remaining within the fire in its substance, and no one thereafter can touch it or sit on it—understand that our nature is like this: from the transgression it is fruitless and dry and has branches of evil and unclean spirits, but it is changed into the power of God and is kindled into fire and light; and if the demons wish, according to their ancient habit, to approach the soul and harm it, they are burned up by the fire and put to flight by the light that has dipped and encompassed the soul. For it is changed in such a way that the person himself perceives the transformation and knows that he no longer has the former mind of earthly-mindedness. This happens because the soul communes with God and changes its nature into the form of God. For just as a mother who has an infant loves it and embraces it with great longing, taking it into her bosom, so the Spirit comes into the soul and embraces it into its bosom with great rest and joy, and by the working of divine power it is swallowed up by","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":129,"ref":"p129","source":"τοῦ πνεύματος ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἁρπάζεται καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζεται εἰς αἰχμαλω σίαν μυστηρίων ἐπουρανίων καὶ γίνεται εἰς αὐτὸν νοῦς ἔνθεος. τὰ γὰρ ῥαθύμως ἀποκείμενα σκεύη ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τότε διαλύει καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων πλάνην τὴν ἐμπολιτευσαμένην εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀπελαύνει καὶ καθαιρεῖ, καὶ τότε γίνεται ὅλος περιφερόμενος καὶ μεθύων εἰς ἀγάπην καὶ χαρὰν καὶ ταπείνωσιν πολλήν. ὅσοι οὖν ἀφῆκαν τὴν τῶν λόγων ματαιότητα καὶ ἦλθαν ἁπλότητι ζητῆσαι θεὸν καὶ ὅλην «τὴν μέριμναν» καὶ τὸν νοῦν ἐπέρριψαν «ἐπ' αὐτὸν» ἀληθῶς εὗρόν τι ξένον τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου καὶ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν συναφθὲν αὐτοῖς, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἐπλούτησαν καὶ ἐγένοντο βασιλεῖς· ἡ γὰρ ἐν σαρκὶ τοῦ κυρίου παρουσία καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς γενόμενος κόπος τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῦτο κατώρθωσε καὶ τοῦτο μέγα κέρδος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐδωρήσατο, ἵνα ναοὶ θεοῦ γένωνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ ἵνα ἔλθῃ ὁ θεὸς καὶ κατοικήσῃ ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ μέρος τοῦ θανάτου τὸ ἐπεισελθὸν καὶ ἐκδιωχθῇ καὶ ἐκ μέσου γένηται. Ἀποδῶμεν οὖν ἑαυτοὺς τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ζητήσωμεν εὑρεῖν τι παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ διδόμενον, καὶ ὅταν εὕρωμεν, πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ μανθάνομεν, ἃ οὔτε οἱ νομοδιδάσκαλοι οὔτε οἱ λογομάχοι διδάσκειν δύνανται. Πολὺ διαφέρουσι καὶ κρείττους τυγχάνουσιν αἱ τοιαῦται ψυχαὶ παρὰ τὰς λοιπὰς τὰς ἐν κόσμῳ οὔσας, ὡς ἂν εἴποιμι φῶς σκότους ἢ οἱ ζῶντες τῶν νεκρῶν.","english":"Such a man is seized by the Spirit and taken captive into the captivity of heavenly mysteries, and his mind becomes God-filled. For then he dissolves the vessels that lie idle in the soul, and drives out and casts down all the delusion of idols that has taken up its dwelling in the soul and the body, and then he becomes wholly carried about and drunk with love and joy and great humility. Therefore all who have abandoned the vanity of words and have come in simplicity to seek God, and have truly cast all their care and their mind upon him, have found something strange to this age and to their own nature, joined to them, and little by little they have grown rich and have become kings. For the presence of the Lord in the flesh, and the apostles, and all the labor that has been from the beginning, accomplished this for the saints and bestowed this great gain upon men: that men should become temples of God, and that God should come and dwell in their souls, and that the portion of death which entered in should be driven out and removed from their midst. Let us therefore give ourselves over to the Lord and seek to find something given by God, and when we have found it, we learn all things through it, things that neither the teachers of the law nor the word-strivers are able to teach. Such souls differ greatly from and are better than the rest that are in the world—as I might say, light than darkness, or the living than the dead.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":130,"ref":"p130","source":"οὐ μόνον δὲ αὗται ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον ὑποδεχόμεναι καὶ ἐν ἁπλότητι πολλῇ πιστεύουσαι καὶ εἰς ταύτην τὴν ἐλπίδα ἑστῶσαι τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῆς χάριτος, κἂν αὐτῶν τῶν χαρισμάτων ἀκμὴν οὐ τετυχήκασιν, πολὺ τῶν λοιπῶν διαφέρουσιν ἀνθρώπων διά τε τῆς πίστεως καὶ ἐλπίδος καὶ πάσης ἐν ἀρεταῖς σπουδῆς. αὗται γὰρ ὡς εἰπεῖν ἐντὸς ἤδη τῆς αὐλῆς εἰσι διὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ λόγου παραδεχθέντος καὶ καταυλιζομένου ἐν αὐταῖς. οὐ μικρὸν γὰρ τυγχάνει καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀκρό τατον λόγον παραδέξασθαι καὶ εἰσοικῆσαι ἔνδον καὶ καθαρίσαι πάσας τὰς ἰδίας ἐν ὑπονοίᾳ δοκήσεως οἰκοδομὰς καὶ ἀναθεῖναι τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτὴν τῇ ἐλπίδι τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ καὶ οὕτως ἀγωνίσασθαι σὺν τῇ τοῦ κυρίου βοηθείᾳ «πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας». οὐ μικρὸς οὖν ἀγὼν καὶ προκοπὴ τὸ κἂν ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνηθῆναι στῆναί τινα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχειν εἰς τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ κυρίου καὶ κατὰ χάριν ἀγωνιζόμενον πιστεύειν σῴζεσθαι καὶ διὰ τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ βοηθείας τοῦ κυρίου ἐλπίζειν νικῆσαι τὰ «τῆς πονηρίας» πνεύματα καὶ πάντων τῶν παθῶν περιγενέσθαι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος. πολὺ γὰρ καὶ αἱ τοιαῦται ψυχαὶ ἤδη τῶν λοιπῶν διαφέρουσιν, μόνον ἐὰν «ἕως τέλους» ἐμμείνωσι τῇ ἐλπίδι καὶ πίστει καὶ δρόμῳ καὶ σπουδῇ καὶ σκοπῷ, ἵνα αὐτῇ τῇ πείρᾳ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τῆς χάριτος καὶ ἀπαλλαγῆς τῆς κακίας τῶν παθῶν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν λαβοῦσαι «σωτηρίας αἰωνίου» τύχωσιν.","english":"Not only these, but also those who receive the word of truth through hearing and believe in great simplicity and stand firm in this hope through the expectation of grace—even if they have not yet attained the very height of the gifts—differ greatly from the rest of mankind through faith and hope and all zeal in virtues. For these, so to speak, are already within the courtyard through hope, since the word has been received and dwells in them. For it is no small thing to receive the very summit of the word of truth and to give it a dwelling within and to purify all one's own buildings of opinion formed by suspicion and to set the soul itself upon the hope of God and of his word, and thus to strive with the Lord's help \"against the spiritual forces of wickedness.\" It is no small struggle and progress, then, for a person to be able to stand even in the word of God and to place all hope in the mercy of the Lord and, striving according to grace, to believe that he is saved, and through the power and help of the Lord to hope to conquer the \"spirits of wickedness\" and to overcome all the passions through the Spirit. For such souls also already differ greatly from the rest, provided only that they remain \"to the end\" in hope and faith and course and zeal and aim, so that by the very experience of the benefits of grace and of release from the evil of the passions they may receive knowledge and attain \"eternal salvation.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":131,"ref":"p131","source":"οἱ γὰρ τῆς «ἡμέρας υἱοὶ» τὰ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐπιτελοῦσι πράγματα καὶ τὰ τῆς νυκτὸς τέκνα (τουτέστι μοιχοὶ καὶ κλέπται καὶ φαρμακοὶ) ὁμοίως τὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ἔργα ἐκτελοῦσιν, ἐν μὲν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ καθεύδοντες τὴν δὲ ἐργασίαν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ἔχοντες. οὕτω καὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ πεσόντος ἐκ τῆς ἐντολῆς καὶ ἐν τῇ παραβάσει γεγονότος συνέτριψαν τὰ τῆς νυκτὸς τέκνα (τουτέστι τὰ «τῆς πονηρίας» πνεύματα) τὰ καλὰ καὶ ἐράσμια τῆς ψυχῆς μέλη καὶ ἄτονον καὶ ἀσθενῆ αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πεποιήκασι σκοτίσαντες καὶ ἀνιάτως συντρίψαντες, ὡς μηδενὶ τῶν πατέρων ἢ προφητῶν ἰάσασθαι δυνατὸν εἶναι εἰ μὴ μόνον τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ κατασκευάσαντι αὐτήν. {{διὸ καὶ ἡ ἔλευσις τῆς ἀπείρου αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος ἐν τοσαύτῃ ἐλαττώσει καὶ ταπεινότητι γεγένηται, τοῦ ἀνορθῶσαι τὴν\n\nπεπτωκυῖαν ἐν τῇ πονηρίᾳ ψυχήν· «ἀνορθώσω» (γάρ φησιν) «καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω τὴν σκηνὴν Δαβὶδ τὴν πεπτωκυῖαν καὶ τὰ κατεσκαμμένα αὐτῆς ἀνοικοδομήσω» καὶ τῇ ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ σκότει δι αιτωμένῃ καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῆς νυκτὸς ἐπιτελούσῃ ἔν τε ταῖς πονηρίαις τῶν παθῶν πιπτούσῃ ἔλαμψεν εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν ἁγίαν τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῦ ἡμέραν, ἵνα λοιπὸν ἀνανήψασα ἀπροσκόπως ὁδεύῃ, τὰ τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἔργα τῆς ζωῆς ἐπιτελοῦσα, ἵν' οὕτως ἀξία τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν εὑρεθῇ. ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ τρέφεται ψυχὴ ἔνθα καὶ ἔστιν, ἔνθα καὶ προσκολλᾶται, ἤτοι ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος «τοῦ κόσμου» ἢ ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ὅθεν τρέφεται ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ζῇ.","english":"For the \"children of day\" perform the works of the day, and the children of night (that is, adulterers and thieves and sorcerers) likewise carry out the works of night, sleeping by day and having their labor in the night. So too, when Adam fell from the commandment and came into transgression, the children of night (that is, the \"spirits of wickedness\") crushed the good and lovely members of the soul and made it slack and weak from the good, darkening it and crushing it beyond healing, so that none of the fathers or prophets was able to heal it except only the Lord who fashioned it. Therefore also the coming of his boundless goodness took place in such great lowliness and humility, to raise up the soul that had fallen into wickedness; for he says, \"I will raise up and rebuild the fallen tabernacle of David, and I will rebuild its ruins,\" and upon her who was spent in night and darkness and performed the works of night and fell into the wickednesses of the passions, he shone his holy day of light, so that from then on, having come to her senses, she might walk without stumbling, performing the works of the day and of the light of life, so that in this way she might be found worthy of the kingdom of heaven. For the soul is nourished from that place where it also is, where it also cleaves, either from the spirit \"of the world\" or from the Spirit of God, and from that source it is nourished, and from there it also lives.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":132,"ref":"p132","source":"τὸ λοιπὸν ἕκαστος εἰ βούλεται δοκιμάσαι ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἐπιγνῶναι, πόθεν τρέφεται καὶ ἐν οἷς ἡ καρδία ἐστίν, ἵν' οὕτω συνήσας καὶ τὴν διάκρισιν κτησάμενος τῇ ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὁρμῇ ἑαυτὸν ἐκδῷ, πορευόμενος ἕκαστος εἰς τὴν προσευχὴν καταμανθανέτω τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῆς καρδίας καὶ τὰ ἐνεργήματα τῆς διανοίας πόθεν ἐστίν, ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος «τοῦ κόσμου» ἢ ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τίνες προσφέρουσι τῇ καρδίᾳ τροφάς, οἱ ἄνωθεν ἢ οἱ ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. καὶ δοκιμάσασα καὶ ἐπιγνοῦσα, ὦ ψυχή, αἰτοῦ τὸν κύριον μετὰ πολλοῦ πόνου ἐκείνην τὴν ἐπουράνιον τροφὴν μόνον τρέφεσθαι τὴν καρδίαν, ἵνα ἐκεῖ αὐξάνῃ κἀκεῖ ἐργάζηται κἀκεῖ διαιτᾶται ὅλη ἐξ ὅλου τῷ οὐρανίῳ τοῦ πνεύματος φρονήματι, ὅθεν καὶ χορηγεῖται αὐτῇ ἡ ἐπουράνιος βρῶσις κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· «ἡμῶν δὲ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει»}}, ἵνα καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖ κληρο νομίας εὐαρεστήσασα τελείως ἀξία καταστῇ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἐφιεμένη εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. Πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὑπὲρ τῶν καλῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων τὸν λόγον ποιοῦνται καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ θεόπνευστοι γραφαὶ νόμου ἢ προφητῶν ἢ οἱ εὐαγγελικοὶ τοῦ κυρίου λόγοι καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων κατὰ τῶν κακοποιῶν τιμωρίας ὡρίσαντο καὶ τοὺς τὰ καλὰ καὶ ἀγαθὰ ἔργα πράττοντας ἀποδέχονται καὶ τούτοις αἰώνιον βασιλείαν ἐπαγγέλλονται, οἵ τε ἔξω θεν τῶν ἐθνῶν νόμοι καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῶν τιμωροῦνται τοὺς ἁμαρ τάνοντας ἐνώπιον πάντων πρὸς φόβον τῶν λοιπῶν, ἀναστέλλειν καὶ ἀνακόπτειν τὴν τῶν κακῶν ἐργασίαν βουλόμενοι.","english":"For the rest, let each one, if he wishes to test and recognize himself—from where he is fed and in what his heart is engaged—so that, having understood and acquired discernment, he may give himself over to the impulse toward the good, let each one, as he goes to prayer, carefully observe the thoughts of the heart and the workings of the mind, from where they are—from the spirit \"of the world\" or from the Spirit of God—and who it is that offers food to the heart, those from above or those from this age. And having tested and recognized, O soul, ask the Lord with much labor that the heart be fed only on that heavenly food, so that it may grow there and work there and dwell there wholly, entirely by the heavenly mind of the Spirit, from where the heavenly food is also supplied to it, according to what is said: \"But our citizenship is in heaven,\" so that, having pleased him, it may become fully worthy of the inheritance there, aspiring to eternal goods forever. Amen. All men make their discourse concerning good pursuits, and all the divinely inspired Scriptures—whether of the law or the prophets, or the gospel words of the Lord and of the apostles—have appointed punishments against evildoers and receive those who do good and noble works, and promise to them an eternal kingdom; and the laws of the nations from without and their rulers punish those who sin before all, for the fear of the rest, wishing to restrain and check the practice of evils.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":133,"ref":"p133","source":"τῶν δὲ κακῶν ἔργων εἰς τὸ προφανὲς διδάσκαλος καὶ κῆρυξ οὐδεὶς τυγχάνει, ἀλλὰ πάντες τῶν καλῶν ἔργων τὸν ἔπαινον ποιοῦνταικαὶ ἰδού, ὡς ὁρῶμεν, τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον ἐπικρατεῖ καὶ αὐτὰ ἐπιτελεῖται καὶ αὐτὰ ἐν κόσμῳ βασιλεύει. ἔνθεν οἱ φρόνιμοι καὶ συνετοὶ νοῆσαι δύνανται διὰ πείρας, ἅπερ καὶ διὰ τῶν γραφῶν παραλαμβάνουσιν, ὅτι δύναμίς τίς ἐστιν ἐναντία κακίας, ἐν κρυπτῷ ποιμαίνουσα καὶ ἀποπλανῶσα τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς τὰ κακὰ καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίᾳ ἀοράτως διδάσκουσα πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν. πάντας λοιπὸν ἔστιν ἐπιτελεῖν τὰ κρυπτῶς δι' αὐτῶν ὑπο σπειρόμενα κατὰ τὸ ἴδιον τῆς ἐξουσίας βούλημα, ἅπερ οἱ πλεῖστοι οὐκ ἐπίστανται πόθεν ὑποσπείρεται, ἀλλὰ φυσικήν τινα ἀγωγὴν ὑπο λαμβάνουσι διὰ τὴν συνήθειαν τοὺς παρὰ φύσιν πονηροὺς διαλογισμοὺς ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἀναδίδοσθαι. τὰ δὲ φρονήματα τῶν νοημάτων τῶν ψυχῶν διαφόρως ὑπὸ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι κατεσκεύασται. ὥσπερ ἐάν τις ἔχῃ μεγάλην οὐσίαν ἔν τε χρήμασι καὶ σκεύεσι, χρυσῷ τε καὶ ἀργύρῳ καὶ πάσῃ ἐνδυμενίᾳ, καὶ ἕτερος κεκτῆται οὐσίαν ἐλαχίστην ἐν πᾶσιν, ἄλλος δὲ σύμμετρον οὐσίαν κεκτῆται οὕτω καὶ αἱ ψυχαί εἰσι τῶν ἀνθρώπων· διαφορὰν γὰρ πολλὴν κέκτηνται ἐν τῇ ἀοράτῳ οὐσίᾳ καὶ τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν διακρίσει. οἱ μὲν γὰρ πλατεῖς τῷ νῷ, οἱ δὲ ἐν στενότητι τυγχάνουσιν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἔστιν οὐσία φωτὸς ἀγαθὴ λογική τε καὶ νοερά, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ θεός, καὶ ἔστιν οὐσία ἐκ προαιρέσεως σκοτεινή, ἥτις ἐστὶ τὰ πνεύματα «τῆς πλάνης» καὶ","english":"But of evil works, no one becomes an open teacher and herald; rather, all give praise to good works. And behold, as we see, evils prevail for the most part, and they are carried out, and they reign in the world. Hence the wise and discerning can understand by experience what they also receive through the Scriptures, that there is a certain power opposed to evil, shepherding in secret and leading astray the race of men into evils, and invisibly teaching every impiety in the heart. Henceforth it is in the power of all to carry out what is secretly sown by them, according to the will of their own authority—things which most people do not know from where they are secretly sown, but they suppose it is some natural impulse, because of habit, that the evil reasonings contrary to nature are emitted from the heart. But the thoughts of the minds of souls have been variously fashioned by the Creator in humanity. Just as if someone has great substance in money and vessels, in gold and silver and every kind of clothing, and another possesses the least substance in all things, and another possesses a moderate substance—so also are the souls of men; for they possess a great difference in their invisible substance and in the discernment of their reasonings. For some are broad in mind, while others are in narrowness. Since, therefore, there is a good substance of light, rational and intelligible, which is God, and there is a dark substance from choice, which is the spirits \"of error\" and","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":134,"ref":"p134","source":"«ὁ ἄρχων» «τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου». τῇ ψυχῇ τῇ ἐχούσῃ ὀλίγην ὑπόστασιν νοὸς καὶ διακρίσεως ἢ πάλιν τῇ πλουσίᾳ ἐν τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν καὶ συνέσεως καὶ διακρίσεως κτήσει ὁ ἀγὼν καὶ ἡ σπουδὴ καὶ ὁ δρόμος γενέσθω καὶ τοῦτο ζητήσει, ὅπως τῇ οὐσίᾳ τοῦ θείου καὶ ἐπουρανίου καὶ νοεροῦ φωτὸς κολληθῆναι καταξιωθῇ, ἵνα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φυλάσσεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν παθῶν νόσου δύνηται, καὶ ἵνα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ διδάσκηται καὶ ὁδηγῆται εἰς πᾶσαν ἀγαθὴν τῶν ἁγίων ἐντολῶν ἐργασίαν· διὰ γὰρ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως ἁγιασθεῖσα ἁγία καὶ καθαρὰ ἀποδειχθήσεται. καὶ αὖθις ἀγὼν μέγας καὶ σπουδὴ γενέσθω ἑκάστῃ ψυχῇ «τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους» τοῦ λογικοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ, τῶν πνευμάτων «τῆς πονηρίας» καὶ παθῶν κακίας λυτρωθῆναι, ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ «τῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδὰμ» σύνεστι τῇ ψυχῇ τὰ προειρημένα κακὰ πολεμοῦντα. οὗτος οὖν ὁ σκοπὸς παντὶ τῷ βουλομένῳ τῆς βασι λείας καταξιωθῆναι γενέσθω, ἤτοι ἐν πλάτει ἢ ἐν στενότητι τοῦ νοὸς ὑπάρχοντι, ἵνα τῆς κακίας τῶν παθῶν λυτρωθῇ καὶ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος οὐσίας κοινωνὸς γενέσθαι καταξιωθῇ. ἡ νίκη γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἧττα διὰ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου θελήματος γίνεται, ἤτοι τῶν ἐναντίων ὑπεύθυνον ἑαυτὸν καταστῆσαι ἢ διὰ τῆς χάριτος ἀγωνίσασθαι καὶ νικῆσαι τὰ πάθη καὶ τῷ πνεύματι κοινωνῆσαι τὴν ψυχὴν ἁγιασθεῖσαν καὶ ἑνωθεῖσαν τῇ χάριτι ἀξίαν τοῦ κυρίου γενέσθαι, καὶ οὕτω τὴν βασι λείαν κληρονομεῖν καταξιοῦται.","english":"the ruler\" \"of this age.\" For the soul that has little substance of mind and discernment, or again the soul that is rich in the possession of thoughts and understanding and discernment, let the struggle and the zeal and the race be undertaken, and let it seek this: that it be deemed worthy to be joined to the essence of the divine and heavenly and noetic light, so that it may be able to be guarded by it from the disease of the passions, and so that it may be taught and guided by it into every good practice of the holy commandments; for having been sanctified through the divine power, it will be shown to be holy and pure. And again, let a great struggle and zeal be undertaken by each soul to be ransomed from \"the authority of darkness,\" the rational and evil one, from the spirits \"of wickedness\" and the wickedness of the passions, since from \"the transgression of Adam\" the aforementioned evils are present with the soul, warring against it. Let this, then, be the aim of everyone who wishes to be deemed worthy of the kingdom, whether he exists in breadth or in narrowness of mind, that he be ransomed from the wickedness of the passions and be deemed worthy to become a partaker of the essence of the Spirit. For victory and defeat come about through the self-determining will, either to make oneself liable to the adversaries, or through grace to struggle and conquer the passions and to have the soul, sanctified and united to grace, become a partaker of the Spirit and worthy of the Lord, and thus be deemed worthy to inherit the kingdom.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":135,"ref":"p135","source":"ᾗπερ γὰρ ἂν ψυχῇ σύνεστιν ἡ δύναμις τοῦ σκότους τῶν παθῶν καὶ τῆς κακίας τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων καὶ οἵᾳ ψυχῇ συναναστρέφεται καὶ ἐμπεριπατεῖ τὰ «τῆς πλάνης» ἀόρατα πνεύματα ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς καὶ τρίβοις τῶν λογισμῶν διὰ τῶν παθῶν τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἐπιτελοῦντα καὶ συγκοινωνὸς αὐτῶν γινομένη, ἐν τῷ ἐξελθεῖν αὐτὴν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τὰ πνεύματα «τῆς πλάνης» καὶ ὁ κακοῖς χαίρων ἄρχων, ὁ κοσμοκράτωρ «τοῦ σκότους», ἀποδέχεται καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει αὐτὴν καὶ κατέχει πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὡς ἰδίαν καὶ οἰκείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἐργασαμένην καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐν σαρκὶ εἰς τέλος συναναστραφεῖσαν. καὶ πάλιν ᾗπερ ἂν ψυχῇ σύνεστιν ἡ οὐσία τοῦ ἐπιθυμητοῦ καὶ ἀνεκλαλήτου κάλλους τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ θεϊκοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ ᾗπερ ἂν ψυχῇ συναναστρέφεται καὶ ἐμπεριπατεῖ ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάρις καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς καὶ τρίβοις τῶν λογισμῶν καὶ τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ τῆς καρδίας καὶ ἐνοικήσεως Χριστοῦ ἐντεῦθεν καταξιωθῇ, ἐν τῷ ἐξέρχεσθαι αὐτὴν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τὰ πνεύματα τῶν ἁγίων τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ ὁ «βασιλεὺς» τῆς «εἰρήνης» Χριστὸς ὁ ἀγαθαῖς ψυχαῖς χαίρων ταύτην ἀποδέχεται καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὡς ἰδίαν νύμφην καὶ οἰκείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα ἐπὶ γῆς μόνον ἐργασαμένην.","english":"For the soul with which the power of the darkness of the passions and the wickedness of the evil spirits is present, and the soul with which the invisible spirits \"of error\" associate and walk about, accomplishing their working through the passions in the ways and paths of the thoughts, and becoming a partaker with them—when that soul departs from the body, the spirits \"of error\" and the ruler who rejoices in evils, the world-ruler \"of darkness,\" receives and takes it to himself and holds it as his own and belonging to him, since it worked his will and consorted with him in the flesh to the end. And again, the soul with which the substance of the desirable and ineffable beauty of the light of the divine Spirit is present, and the soul with which the grace of the truth of Christ associates and walks about, in the ways and paths of the thoughts, and is from this deemed worthy of the sanctification of the heart and the indwelling of Christ—when it departs from the body, the spirits of the saints of light and the \"King\" of \"peace,\" Christ, who rejoices in good souls, receives and takes it to himself as his own bride and belonging to him, since it worked his will only upon the earth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":136,"ref":"p136","source":"Τὸ λοιπὸν ἕκαστος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπισκεψάμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καρ δίαν καὶ ἐγκύψας τοῖς ἰδίοις λογισμοῖς προσχεῖν ὀφείλει ἀκριβέστατα, ποῦ ἡ ψυχή, ποῦ ὁ νοῦς ῥέπει καὶ ποῖα κοινωνία σύνεστιν αὐτῷ, ἢ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ποῦ δέδεται καὶ ποῦ ἀγαπᾷ, ἄρα ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῷ θελήματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν μόνον «ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας» καὶ «ψυχῆς» κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῶν γραφῶν καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερόν τι περιβλέπεσθαι μηδὲ εἰς ἕτερόν τι ἀναπαύεσθαι ἢ μόνον εἰς αὐτὸν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐκκρέμασθαι καὶ τὴν παράκλησιν τοῦ «πνεύματος» ἀνάπαυσιν ἀληθινὴν ἡγεῖσθαιἢ ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ ἐν τῇ ὕλῃ καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐντολῶν παραβάσει καὶ χοϊκοῖς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου λογισμοῖς κατέχεται καὶ ἀπάγεται καὶ ἀγαπᾷ. καὶ ἐπισκεψάμενος ἕκαστος ἑαυτὸν ἐν τίσιν καὶ ποίοις ἐστίν, μετα νοησάτω καὶ πενθησάτω καὶ βοησάτω πρὸς κύριον «νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας» καθῶς παρήγγειλεν, ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν καὶ τὸν νοῦν καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἐν τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰρήνῃ φυλασσομένους εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν παρεκτὸς κακίας. ἡ σπουδὴ γὰρ πᾶσα ἡ παρὰ τῷ θεῷ γεναμένη διὰ πατέρων, διὰ προφητῶν, διὰ πατριαρχῶν, διὰ νόμου, ἔσχατον καὶ δι'","english":"For the rest, each person ought to examine his own heart and, stooping down to his own thoughts, to attend most carefully—where the soul, where the mind inclines, and what communion is present with it, either of the Spirit of God or of the spirit of the world, and where it is bound and where it loves: whether in the commandments of life and the will of God, in loving him only \"with all the heart\" and \"soul\" according to the word of the Scriptures, and looking to nothing else and resting in nothing else but cleaving to him alone in love, and reckoning the consolation of the \"Spirit\" to be true rest; or whether it is held fast and led away and loves in the earth and in matter and in the transgression of the commandments and in the earthly thoughts of this age. And each one, having examined himself as to what and of what sort he is, let him reflect and mourn and cry out to the Lord \"night and day,\" as he commanded, until he finds his own soul and mind and thoughts kept in the peace of Christ, so as to be without wickedness. For all the zeal that has come from God through fathers, through prophets, through patriarchs, through the law, and lastly also through","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":137,"ref":"p137","source":"αὐτῆς τῆς τοῦ κυρίου ἐπιδημίας καὶ ἐλεύσεως διὰ τὴν νοερὰν καὶ λογικὴν οὐσίαν τῆς τιμίας καὶ «κατ' εἰκόνα» αὐτοῦ ποιηθείσης ψυχῆς γεγένηται καὶ τὴν τοῦ νοὸς καὶ τῶν λογισμῶν διόρθωσιν καὶ ἴασιν ἐκ τῆς μεγάλης πτώσεως τῶν παθῶν, ὧν πέπονθεν ἡ ψυχὴ εἰς πνεύματα «πονηρίας» καὶ «ἀρχὰς» καὶ «ἐξουσίας» καὶ «κοσ μοκράτορας σκότους» ἐμπεσοῦσα διὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ γεναμένην ἐν ἀρχῇ παράβασιν, δι' ἧς τὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τῆς κακίας πάθη ἐνεδύσατο καὶ δι' αὐτὰ ἀλλοτρία τοῦ θεοῦ κατέστη. τὴν γὰρ ἴασιν καὶ λύτρωσιν τῆς νοερᾶς οὐσίας τῆς ψυχῆς ἐμφαίνων ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν· «ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν φρουρήσει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν» καὶ τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς «ἐν Χριστῷ», ὥστε ἡ ἴασις τῶν τραυμάτων τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις τῆς πτώσεως τοῦ νοῦ αὕτη ἐστίν· τὰ διανο ήματα καὶ τὰ φρονήματα καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς Χριστὸν δεθῆναι καὶ ἐν τῷ οὐρανίῳ φωτὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ φυλάσσεσθαι καὶ φρουρεῖσθαι τὴν ὑπόστασιν τῆς ψυχῆς σὺν τῇ κτήσει τῶν ἑαυτῆς λογισμῶν ἀπὸ τῶν πνευμάτων τοῦ σκότους, τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ ὑλικῶν καὶ ματαίων λογισμῶν. αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ λύτρωσις τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἡ ἔλευσις καὶ ἡ ἐπιδημία ἐπὶ τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως τὴν νοερὰν οὐσίαν καὶ λογικὴν καὶ τιμίαν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποκαταστήσῃ νῦν ἐν τῇ εὐγενείᾳ τῆς ἰδίας ἐξ ἀρχῆς καθαρότητος, πρὸς τούτοις καὶ κοινωνὸν τῆς ἰδίας τοῦ πνεύματος οὐσίας ταύτην καταστήσῃ ὡς εὐγενίδα τινὰ καὶ βασιλικὴν νύμφην ἑαυτοῦ.","english":"The Lord's own visitation and coming has taken place because of the intellectual and rational substance of the precious soul made \"in his image,\" and for the correction and healing of the mind and its thoughts from the great fall of the passions which the soul has suffered, having fallen into \"spirits of wickedness\" and \"principalities\" and \"powers\" and \"world-rulers of darkness\" through the transgression of Adam which came to be in the beginning, through which it put on the passions of the evil of sins and by them became estranged from God. For the apostle, showing forth the healing and redemption of the intellectual substance of the soul, says: \"The peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts\" and your reasonings \"in Christ,\" so that this is the healing of the soul's wounds and the resurrection of the mind's fall: that the thoughts and dispositions and reasonings of the soul be bound to Christ and be kept in the heavenly light of the Spirit of his peace, and that the substance of the soul together with the possession of its own reasonings be guarded from the spirits of darkness, the evil and material and vain reasonings. This is the redemption of the Lord and his coming and visitation upon the race of men, that he might restore the intellectual and rational and precious substance of the soul now in the nobility of its own purity from the beginning, and in addition might make it a partaker of the very substance of his Spirit, as a noble and royal bride of himself.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":138,"ref":"p138","source":"Πῶς τοίνυν τὴν τιμίαν ταύτην καὶ νοερὰν οὐσίαν τῆς ψυχῆς, τὴν ἐράσμιον καὶ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν κτίσιν ὁρατὴν καὶ ἀόρατον ἀξιολογωτέραν τυγχάνουσαν, δι' ἄγνοιαν καὶ ῥαθυμίαν καὶ ἀμέλειαν καὶ λήθην ἀνταλλάσσομεν λεπροῖς καὶ ταλαιπώροις καὶ φθαρτοῖς ὑλικοῖς πράγμα σι τῷ ἐν γῇ καὶ ὕλῃ καὶ κόσμῳ καὶ δόξῃ δεδέσθαι καὶ τὰ φαινόμενα ἀγαπᾶν καὶ τοῖς παρερχομένοις τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου προσέχειν καὶ τῇ περὶ ταῦτα στοργῇ διακεῖσθαι, δέον ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν πάντα ῥίψαντας καὶ ἐκτιναξαμένους τὰ τῆς γῆς παρερχόμενα πράγματα καὶ τὰ τῆς ὕλης καὶ χοὸς φθαρτὰ διανοήματα Χριστῷ μόνῳ δεθῆναι τῇ ἀγάπῃ καὶ οὐρανίῳ ἔρωτι πρὸς αὐτὸν μόνον τετρῶσθαι καὶ πνευματικῷ φίλτρῳ αὐτοῦ μόνου ἐρᾶν; Μέγα γὰρ καὶ τίμιον καὶ εὐγενὲς καὶ ἐράσμιον τὸ τῆς νοερᾶς καὶ λογικῆς οὐσίας τῆς ψυχῆς ἀξίωμα τυγχάνει, δι' ἣν ἀγὼν θεῷ καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἁγίαις δυνάμεσι, διὰ πατέρων καὶ πατριαρχῶν, διὰ προφητῶν, δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου εἰς πρεσβείαν καὶ ἐπι στροφὴν ταύτης ἐλθόντος, δι' ἀποστόλων, διὰ διδασκάλων, ἐργατῶν ἀληθείας ταύτην ἐπιστρεφόντων εἰς τὸ τοῦ κυρίου θέλημα καὶ ταύτην οἰκειώσασθαι καὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῖς ἔχειν εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν σπουδαζόντων, δι' ἣν ἀγὼν ὁμοίως καὶ σπουδὴ καὶ πόλεμος καὶ κόπος σατανᾷ καὶ ἀρχαῖς καὶ ἐξουσίαις δυνάμεων πονηρῶν, διὰ ψευδοπροφητῶν, ψευδαποστόλων, διὰ πλάνων ἀνθρώπων, διὰ δολίων ἐργατῶν καὶ αἱρέσεων, ἔσχατον καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου, ταύτην οἰκειώσασθαι εἰς τέλος τοῦ μὴ ἐξειλῆσαι αὐτῶν ἀλλ' εἰς ἀεὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ σκότει τῆς κατακρίσεως ταύτην ἔχειν ἀγωνιζομένων.","english":"How then do we, through ignorance and sloth and negligence and forgetfulness, exchange this precious and intellectual substance of the soul—which is lovely and more honorable than all visible and invisible creation—for leprous and wretched and corruptible material things, so as to be bound to what is in earth and matter and the world and glory, and to love the things that appear, and to attend to the passing things of this age, and to be disposed with affection for these things—when we ought, casting off all things from ourselves and shaking off the passing things of the earth and the corruptible thoughts of matter and dust, to be bound to Christ alone in love, and to be wounded by heavenly eros for him alone, and with spiritual affection to love him alone? For great and precious and noble and lovely is the dignity of the intellectual and rational substance of the soul, for whose sake there is a contest for God and angels and holy powers, for whose sake through fathers and patriarchs, through prophets, through the Lord himself who came for her intercession and conversion, through apostles, through teachers, workers of truth who turn her to the will of the Lord and strive to make her their own and to have her with themselves unto eternal life; for whose sake likewise there is a contest and zeal and war and toil for Satan and the principalities and powers of evil forces, through false prophets, false apostles, through deceiving men, through treacherous workers and heresies, and lastly even through the Antichrist himself, who strive to make her their own to the end, that they may not release her but may have her forever with themselves in the darkness of condemnation.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":139,"ref":"p139","source":"τὴν γὰρ ψυχὴν ταύτην τὴν τιμίαν εἰκόνα Χριστοῦ, τὴν ἐμπεσοῦσαν εἰς βυθὸν παθῶν κακίας, σκότους, δυνάμεων πονηρῶν, τῇ προαιρέσει προσκολληθῆναι βουλο μένην Χριστῷ, ἀλλαγῆναι καὶ μεταβληθῆναι καὶ ἀλλοιωθῆναι καὶ ἀνακαινισθῆναι καὶ ἀνακτισθῆναι δεῖ νῦν, ἕως ἐν σαρκὶ τυγχάνει, τοιούτῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ, κατὰ τὴν τῶν γραφῶν παράδοσιν. ὥσπερ ἐὰν ᾖ τόπος ἐν ᾧ πολλὴ δυσωδία καὶ βόρβορος τυγχάνει ἀποθήκης τε κοπριῶν μεμέστωται καὶ «πάσης ἀκαθαρσίας» καὶ σηπεδόνος καὶ αἰσχρότητος πεπλήρωται, ἔλθῃ δέ τις δυνάστης καὶ πλούσιος ἀνὴρ καὶ κελεύσῃ καθαρισθῆναι τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον ἀπὸ τῆς πολλῆς αἰσχρότητος καὶ ῥυπαρίας καὶ πάσῃ ἐπιμελείᾳ ἐκείνου τοῦ δυσωδεστάτου\n\nτόπου κάθαρσιν ποιήσηται καὶ λοιπὸν οἰκοδομήσῃ ἐκεῖ παλάτιον βασιλικὸν κοιτῶνάς τε χρυσορόφους καὶ μεμαρμαρωμένους τρικλίνους καὶ δια φόρους οἴκους ἐνδόξους κατασκευάσῃ πρὸς μονὴν καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν βασι λέωςτὸ λοιπὸν ἐκεῖ θυμιάματα καὶ εὐωδία καὶ καθαρότης πολλὴ ἀπ' ἐκείνης τῆς δυσωδίας καὶ ἀκαθαρσίας γίνεται.","english":"For this soul, this precious image of Christ, which has fallen into the abyss of passions, of wickedness, of darkness, of evil powers, and which by its own choice wishes to be joined to Christ, must now—while it is still in the flesh—be changed and transformed and altered and renewed and rebuilt in some such manner as this, according to the tradition of the Scriptures. Just as if there were a place in which there is much foul stench and filth, and it is filled with a dung-heap and full of \"all uncleanness\" and rot and vileness, and then some ruler and wealthy man should come and command that place to be cleansed from its great vileness and squalor, and with all diligence should effect the cleansing of that most foul-smelling place, and thereafter should build there a royal palace, and construct golden-roofed bedchambers and marble-paved dining halls and various glorious dwellings for the abode and rest of the king—then thereafter there come from that former stench and uncleanness incense and fragrance and great purity.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":140,"ref":"p140","source":"ἢ ὥσπερ ἵνα ᾖ γῆ ἔρημος καὶ ἄνυδρος καὶ ἀκανθῶν καὶ τριβόλων μεμεστωμένη, ἔλθῃ δὲ ἀνὴρ γεωργὸς ἀγαθὸς καὶ ἐργάσηται ἐπιμελῶς ἐκείνην τὴν ἔρημον τυγχάνουσαν γῆν καὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἄρας ἐκ μέσου πυρὶ καύσῃ καὶ ἀνανεώσας καὶ ἐργασάμενος αὐτὴν ἐξαγάγῃ ἐκεῖ ὕδατα πλουσιώτατα καὶ καταφυτεύσῃ ἀμπελῶνας καὶ παραδείσους ῥόδα τε καὶ παντοῖα ἄνθη καὶ παντοδαπὰ φυτὰ καρποφόρα, καὶ λοιπὸν γένηται ἐκεῖ τόπος ἀναπαύσεως ἥμερος, καρποφόρος καὶ ἔνυδρος καὶ εὔκαρποςἴδε πόση μεταβολὴ καὶ ἀλλαγὴ γέγονεν, ἀπὸ ποίας ἀγριότητος καὶ ἐρημίας εἰς ποίαν ἡμερότητα καὶ ἐπιτηδειότητα μετεκοσμήθη. ἢ ὥσπερ ἵνα ᾖ γυνὴ ἐπαίτης καὶ πενιχρά, εἰς ἣν πάντες οἱ βουλόμενοι καὶ παριόντες ἐμπαίζουσι καὶ παρακέχρηνται, ἐραστὴς δὲ αὐτῆς γένηται βασιλεύς τις ἔνδοξος καὶ ἀναλάβῃ αὐτὴν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνης τῆς αἰσχρότητος καὶ πορνείας εἰς σωφροσύνην τιμίαν καὶ ἐλευθέραις πρέπουσαν κατάστασιν ἐνέγκῃ καὶ ἀντ' ἐκείνων τῶν δυσωδεστάτων ῥακίων βασιλικὰ φορήματα καὶ διάχρυσα καὶ διάλιθα ἐνδύματα ἀμφιάσῃ διαδήματί τε βασιλικῷ ταύτην περιδησάμενος τιμήσῃ εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτοῦ κοινωνικὴν καὶ τιμίαν νύμφην βασιλέωςἰδοὺ πόση μεταβολὴ καὶ ἀλ λαγὴ γεγένηται ταύτῃ καὶ ἐξ οἵας αἰσχρότητος καὶ πενίας εἰς οἵαν τιμὴν δόξης καὶ πλοῦτον μετηνέχθη.","english":"Or just as a land might be desert and waterless and full of thorns and thistles, but a good farmer comes and carefully works that desert land, and taking the thorns and thistles out of its midst, burns them with fire, and renews it and works it, and brings forth there most abundant waters, and plants vineyards and gardens, roses and all kinds of flowers and all kinds of fruit-bearing plants, and thereafter that place becomes a gentle place of rest, fruitful and well-watered and productive—see how great a change and transformation has taken place, from what wildness and desolation it has been transformed into what gentleness and fitness. Or just as a woman might be a beggar and poor, at whom all who wish and who pass by mock and abuse, but a certain glorious king becomes her lover and takes her to himself and brings her from that shame and fornication into honorable chastity and a condition befitting free women, and instead of those most foul rags clothes her in royal and golden and jeweled garments, and binding her with a royal diadem honors her, so that she becomes his companion and an honorable bride of a king—behold how great a change and transformation has taken place for her, and from what shame and poverty she has been transferred into what honor of glory and wealth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":141,"ref":"p141","source":"Τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ταύτην σὺν τῷ σώματι ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ κακίας ἐμπεσοῦσαν καὶ ἐν τῇ ὄντως πτωχείᾳ τοῦ σκότους τῶν παθῶν τῆς πονηρίας κατενεχθεῖσαν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ παρα βάσεως καὶ ἐν πορνείᾳ καὶ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ μιασμῷ τῶν πονηρῶν πα θῶν μιανθεῖσαν καὶ ἐνυβρισθεῖσαν καὶ ἐν ἀγριότητι καὶ ἐρημίᾳ τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ αἰσχροῦ πνεύματος τοῦ κόσμου γεγενημένην, πιστεύσασαν καὶ προσελθοῦσαν εἰλικρινῶς ὅλῃ προαιρέσει καὶ ὅλῳ θελήματι τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν ἀγάπῃ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ ἀλλαγῆναι καὶ μεταβληθῆναι δεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγριότητος καὶ ἐρημίας ἐκείνης τῆς προτέρας καὶ ἐκ τῆς δυσωδίας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ παθῶν τῆς κακίας καὶ αἰσχ ρῶν καὶ ῥακώδων ἐνδυμάτων τῶν πνευμάτων «τῆς πονηρίας», ἀπιστίας, φιλαργυρίας, μίσους, κακίας, ὀργῆς, δόλου, ἀνοίας, ἐπιθυμίας κακῆς καὶ πάσης ἀκαθαρσίας ἀλλοιωθῆναι δεῖ καὶ ἀνακαινισθῆναι καὶ μετα βληθῆναι καὶ ἀναπλασθῆναι νῦν διὰ τῆς χάριτος. καὶ ἀντὶ μὲν τῶν τριβόλων καὶ ἀκανθῶν τῶν πονηρῶν διαλογισμῶν καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτη μάτων τῆς κακίας, ὧν ἡ γῆ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῆς βρύουσα ἐκαρποφόρει, δικαιοσύνην καὶ ὁσιότητα τοῦ θείου καὶ ἐπουρανίου πνεύματος τῆς ἀγαθότητος ἐν αὐτῇ βρύειν καὶ καρποφορεῖν δεῖ· ἀντὶ δὲ δυσωδίας καὶ βορβόρου καὶ οἰκοπέδων καὶ αἰσχρῶν τόπων, ὧν τὰ πνεύματα «τῆς πονηρίας» ἐν τῷ ἀοράτῳ τῆς ψυχῆς χώρῳ διὰ τῶν παθῶν ἐγκατεσκεύ ασεν, νῦν παλάτιον ἐπουράνιον καὶ μονὴν καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν ἐπουρανίου βασιλέως κατασκευασθῆναι δεῖ·","english":"In the same way, this mind and soul together with the body, having fallen into the sin of wickedness and having been brought down into the true poverty of the darkness of the passions of evil out of the transgression of Adam, and having been defiled in fornication and uncleanness and the pollution of wicked passions and having been outraged, and having become in the wildness and desert of the evil and shameful spirit of the world—when it has believed and come sincerely with its whole purpose and whole will to the Lord in the love of his Spirit, it must be changed and transformed from that former wildness and desert, and from the stench of sins and passions of wickedness and the shameful and ragged garments of the spirits \"of wickedness\"—unbelief, love of money, hatred, malice, anger, deceit, folly, evil desire, and all uncleanness—it must be altered and renewed and transformed and remolded now through grace. And instead of the thorns and thistles of evil thoughts and the sins of wickedness, with which the earth of its heart, teeming, used to bear fruit, it must now teem and bear fruit in it with righteousness and holiness of the divine and heavenly Spirit of goodness; and instead of the stench and mire and ruins and shameful places, which the spirits \"of wickedness\" established in the invisible region of the soul through the passions, there must now be prepared a heavenly palace and a dwelling and a rest of the heavenly King.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":142,"ref":"p142","source":"ἀντὶ δὲ ἐνδυμάτων μιαρῶν καὶ σκοτεινῶν, ὧν ἡ ψυχὴ ἐφόρει, νῦν ἐνδύματα τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς θεότητος φωτεινὰ πίστεως, ἀγάπης, ἀγαθωσύνης καὶ πάσης ἀρετῆς ἀμφιέννυται· ἀντὶ δὲ ἐκείνης τῆς δεινῆς αἰσχρότητος καὶ πορνείας τῶν πονη ρῶν πνευμάτων, μεθ' ὧν ἡ ψυχὴ ἐν τοῖς πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς ἐπόρνευεν, νῦν εἰς σωφροσύνην καὶ ἁγιασμὸν καὶ καθαρότητα καὶ κοινωνίαν τοῦ ἐπουρανίου βασιλέως Χριστοῦ ἄγεται καὶ διαδήματι ἐπουρανίῳ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος δόξης ἐν τιμῇ χάριτος περιδεσμεῖται· ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς πονηρίας τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ ῥέμβοντος καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντος τὸν νοῦν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν ὕλῃ\n\nκαὶ ἐν γῇ καὶ ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ ἐν παντὶ περισπασμῷ πονηρῷ, νῦν τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀγαθότητος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ αἰχμαλωτίζον τὸν νοῦν τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς μυστήρια θεοῦ ἀλάλητα καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἁγίοις καρποῖς τῆς ἀγαθωσύνης τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐν οἷς διαιτᾶται ὁ νοῦς καὶ πάντες οἱ τῆς ψυχῆς διαλογισμοὶ εἰς θείους καὶ ἐπουρανίους τοῦ πνεύματος λογισμοὺς αἰχμαλωτιζόμενοι, καθ' ὃν τρόπον τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς κακίας τῶν παθῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ἄκουσαν αἰχμαλωτίζει εἰς διαλογισμοὺς κόσμου καὶ ματαιότητος ὕλης. καὶ γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου ἐν ἀληθείᾳ λέγει· «ὡς τὸ σκότος αὐτῆς, οὕτω καὶ τὸ φῶς αὐτῆς».","english":"Instead of the filthy and dark garments that the soul wore, she is now clothed in the bright garments of the Spirit of divinity—of faith, love, goodness, and every virtue. And instead of that dreadful shamefulness and fornication with the evil spirits, with which the soul fornicated in evil thoughts, she is now led into chastity and sanctification and purity and communion with the heavenly King Christ, and is bound round in honor of grace with the heavenly diadem of the glory of the Spirit. And instead of the spirit of wickedness of the world that wanders about and takes captive the mind of the soul in matter and in earth and in evil and in every evil distraction, now the Spirit of the goodness of Christ from heaven takes captive the mind of the soul into the unutterable mysteries of God and into all the holy fruits of the goodness of the Spirit, in which the mind dwells and all the reasonings of the soul are taken captive into divine and heavenly thoughts of the Spirit—just as the spirit of evil of the passions takes the soul captive against her will into reasonings of the world and of the vanity of matter. For the Spirit through the prophet truly says: \"As her darkness, so also her light.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":143,"ref":"p143","source":"Οὕτως ἀλλαγῆναι δεῖ καὶ τὴν πιστεύσασαν ψυχὴν Χριστῷ καὶ ἀγαπῶσαν αὐτὸν εἰλικρινῶς καὶ οὕτως ἀνακαινισθῆναι καὶ μεταβολὴν ἔχειν ἐν πᾶσιν ἔν τε τοῖς κρυπτοῖς τῆς καρδίας λογισμοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἁγιασθεῖσαν καὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἔργοις τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐν ἀλη θείᾳ καὶ πληροφορίᾳ καὶ αἰσθήσει καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ἀγαθότητος ἐνεργοῦντος, καθ' ὃν τρόπον τὰ πνεύματα τοῦ σκότους τῶν παθῶν ἐνεργεῖ τὰ κακὰ ἐν αἰσθήσει καὶ πληροφορίᾳ ἔν τε τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ ἐν τῷ σώματι. πᾶσαι γὰρ αἱ αἱρέσεις διακένοις λόγοις ὑπο λήψει φρονήματος ὀρθοῦ καὶ ματαίᾳ οἰήσει δικαιοσύνης πληροφοροῦν ται, τὰ δὲ ὄντως τέκνα τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν ἔργοις ἀληθείας καὶ πίστεως ἀποδείκνυνται καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ τινὶ θείου πνεύματος ἐπιφοιτῶντος καὶ ἐπισκιάζοντος τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ «καρποὺς ἀξίους» τῆς χάριτος ἐπιδεικνυούσης ἐν δυνάμει καὶ αἰσθήσει καὶ πληροφορίᾳ καὶ τῇ «τοῦ νοὸς» «ἀνακαινίσει» καὶ ἀλλαγῇ καὶ καινῇ καὶ νέᾳ κτίσει «κατὰ τὸν ἔσω» τῆς καρδίας «ἄνθρωπον». οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀληθὴς Χριστιανισμὸς καὶ πασῶν τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν ἀκριβὴς ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἀποστολικὴ παρά δοσις, καὶ αὕτη ἡ τοῦ κυρίου ἔλευσις καὶ ἡ λύτρωσις τοῦ πεσόντος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀνθρώπου, καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ τῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ Χριστῷ πιστευόντων ἐλπίς.","english":"Thus the soul that has believed in Christ and loved him sincerely must also be changed in this way, and renewed and transformed in all things—both in the hidden thoughts of the heart, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and in the good works of righteousness, in truth and full assurance and perception and energy, as the Spirit of goodness works in it, just as the spirits of darkness of the passions work evil in perception and full assurance both in the soul and in the body. For all the heresies are filled with empty words, by the presumption of a right mind and the vain conceit of righteousness, but the true children of the Church of Christ are shown forth in works of truth and faith and in a certain energy of the divine Spirit visiting and overshadowing the soul, and displaying \"fruits worthy\" of the grace in power and perception and full assurance and in the \"renewal\" and transformation \"of the mind\" and in a new and fresh creation \"according to the inner man\" of the heart. This is true Christianity and the exact apostolic tradition of all the holy Scriptures in truth, and this is the coming of the Lord and the redemption of the man who has fallen under sin, and this is the hope of those who truly believe in Christ.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":144,"ref":"p144","source":"Σπουδάσωμεν τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν τῆς ἐλπίδος ταύτης πληροφορίαν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς δέξασθαι, ὅπως τῶν «ἐλπιζομένων» ἀγαθῶν καταξιωθέντες, τουτέστι τῆς ἐνοικήσεως τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμὸν τοῦ «πνεύματος» ἐν τῇ ἑαυτῶν καρδίᾳ κτησάμενοι καὶ τὸν ἐπουράνιον «θησαυρὸν» ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτῶν «σκεύεσιν» ἐναποθέντες καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἄμωμοι διὰ τῆς χάριτος καταρτισθέντες τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν σὺν Χριστῷ καταξιωθείημεν ἀπολαῦσαι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Ἡ διάκρισιν ψυχὴ κεκτημένη ἐν τῇ ἀκοῇ τοῦ λόγου ἐκ θείας χάρι τος ταύτην κέκτηται, καὶ γὰρ ἡ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐλπὶς καὶ ἀνάπαυ σις καὶ κτῆσις οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ· οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι κάλλος πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ γεγενημένων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ φώτων ὃ ζητοῦσι Χριστιανοί. ἰδοὺ γὰρ πόσα ἀγαθά ἐστιν ἐν τῇ γῇ διάφορα καὶ ποικίλα κάλλη καὶ ἀναπαύσεις, ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ὅση ποικιλότης ἄστρων, κάλλος φώτων, καὶ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐκ τούτων, ὃ ζητοῦσι καὶ χρῄζουσι Χριστιανοί. ἀλλ' ἔστι τι ὃ οὔτε ἐν τῇ γῇ οὔτε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἐστιν, ἐν ᾧ ζῶσι καὶ ὃ χρῄζουσιν οἱ τὸν κύριον ἀγαπῶντες. πόσαι γλῶσσαι ἐν κόσμῳ, πόσαι σοφίαι, πόσαι φρονήσεις, πόσαι τέχναι, πόσαι ἐπιστῆμαι καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα καὶ σπουδὴ καὶ πλοῦτος ἐν τῇ γῇ, καὶ οὐδὲν τούτων ἐστὶν ὃ χρῄζουσι καὶ ἐν ᾧ ζῶσι Χριστιανοί. ἔστιν οὖν τι ὃ ζητοῦσι μεῖζον οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ πάντων καὶ γῆς καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ ἀγαθῶν καὶ καλῶν, καὶ ἅπαξ πάντων τῶν φαινομένων ἀγαθῶν καὶ καλῶν, μηδενὶ τούτων συγκρινόμενον.","english":"Let us therefore also be earnest, through all the virtues, to receive in ourselves the full assurance of this hope, so that, having been counted worthy of the good things \"hoped for\"—that is, of the indwelling of the Lord—and having acquired the sanctification of the \"Spirit\" in our own heart, and having laid up the heavenly \"treasure\" in our own \"vessels,\" and having been perfected blameless in all the commandments through grace, we may be counted worthy to enjoy the eternal good things with Christ for ever and ever. Amen. The soul that possesses discernment has acquired it in the hearing of the word from divine grace; for the hope and rest and possession of Christians is not in this age. For it is not the beauty of all the earth and of the good things that have come to be in it, nor of heaven and the lights in it, that Christians seek. For behold, how many good things there are on the earth—manifold and varied beauties and rests—and likewise in heaven, how great a variety of stars, beauty of lights; and none of these is what Christians seek and need. But there is something that is neither on the earth nor in heaven, in which those who love the Lord live and which they need. How many languages are in the world, how many wisdoms, how many understandings, how many arts, how many sciences and pursuits and zeal and wealth on the earth—and none of these is what Christians need and in which they live. There is, then, something they seek that is greater than heaven and all things in it, and earth and the good and beautiful things in it, and once for all greater than all the good and beautiful things that appear, compared with none of these.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":145,"ref":"p145","source":"τοιγαροῦν τοιαύτης καὶ διανοίας καὶ ψυχῆς χρεία πρὸς τὴν ζήτησιν καὶ τὴν ἔρευναν τούτου τοῦ ἀσυγκρίτου καὶ μόνου καλοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ, ἥτις καὶ\n\nαὐτὴ μείζων καὶ ἀνωτέρα τυγχάνει πάντων τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ γῇ, καὶ πάσης σοφίας ἀνθρωπίνης καὶ φρονήσεως καὶ γνώσεως κοσμικῆς, μείζων δὲ καὶ ἀνωτέρα τῇ πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ λέγω· τὰ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἕως τῆς γῆς οὐδὲν τὴν ψυχὴν ὠφελεῖ. ὥσπερ γὰρ πάντων τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ γῇ καὶ ἀέρι ποικίλων τερπνῶν ἀρετὴ μείζων καὶ ἀνωτέρα καὶ κρείττων τυγχάνει, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκεῖνο μόνον ἀγαθὸν καὶ καλόν ἐστιν ὃ χρῄζουσιν καὶ ἐν ᾧ δύνανται ζῆσαι Χριστια νοί, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τοιαύτη καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ὀφείλει εἶναι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ καλοῦ τούτου ἔρευναν καὶ ζήτησιν ἐπειγομένη, ὑπερβαί νουσα πασῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ σοφιῶν καλλονὴν καὶ γλωσσῶν ποικι λότητα καὶ γηΐνην φρόνησιν καὶ δόξαν καὶ τρυφὴν καὶ τέρψιν, μείζων δὲ καὶ ἀνωτέρα τῇ πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ πρὸς τὸ μόνον καὶ ἀσύγκριτον καλόν, πάντων ὑπερπηδῶσα καὶ μηδενὶ δεθεῖσα, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ μόνον ποθήσασα.","english":"Therefore such a mind and such a soul are needed for the seeking and searching out of this incomparable and only good and beautiful thing—a soul that is itself greater and higher than all things in heaven and on earth, and than all human wisdom and prudence and worldly knowledge; greater and higher, I say, in faith and love. For the things from heaven down to earth profit the soul nothing. For just as virtue is greater and higher and better than all the varied delights in heaven and earth and air—or rather, that alone is good and beautiful which Christians need and in which they can live—in the same way the soul must be such, hastening toward the searching and seeking of this good and beautiful thing, surpassing the beauty of all the wisdom in the world and the variety of tongues and earthly prudence and glory and luxury and pleasure, and greater and higher in faith and love toward the only and incomparable beautiful thing, leaping over all things and bound by nothing, but desiring that alone.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":146,"ref":"p146","source":"Τί τοίνυν ἐστὶ τὸ μηδενὶ συγκρινόμενον ἀγαθὸν καὶ καλόν, ὃ ζη τοῦσι καὶ ἐν ᾧ ζῶσι Χριστιανοί; αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ κύριος. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ μηδενὶ συγκρινόμενος, πάντα γὰρ ὅσα ἐστὶ καλὰ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ γεγένηνται, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κληρονομία καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τῶν Χριστιανῶν· «κύριος» γάρ φησι «μερὶς τῆς κληρονομίας μου καὶ τοῦ ποτηρίου μου». οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο ζητεῖ παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ μόνον ἀγαθὸν καὶ κα λόν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ θεός, οὐ χρυσόν, οὐκ ἄργυρον, οὐ κτῆσιν, οὐ ζῷα οὐδὲ ἕτερόν τι τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἅπερ πάντα αὐτὸς ἔκτισεν, ἢ μόνον πίστιν ἀληθῆ καὶ τὴν ἐκ καρδίας ἀγάπην πρὸς αὐτόν. καὶ τότε καταξιοῦταί τις τῆς κτήσεως τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ μόνου ἀγαθοῦ τούτου· πνεύματος γὰρ ἁγίου μετουσίαν ἡ τοιαύτη ψυχὴ κομίσασθαι καταξιοῦται καὶ κοινωνεῖν Χριστῷ ἀπεντεῦθεν ἀξία καθίσταται. ἐὰν μὴ γὰρ πρότερον πρόφασις γένηται ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπῃ ἑλκύσας τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς ἑαυτόν, οὐκ ἀνελεύσεται εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ κτῆσις τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ μόνου καλοῦ. πρόφασις οὖν γίνεται ἕκαστος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς καὶ τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ θανάτου διὰ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον θέλημα τῆς ψυχῆς· ὅπου γὰρ ἂν δῷ τὴν φυσικὴν ἀγάπην αὐτῆς ἡ ψυχή, ἕλκει πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἤτοι τὴν ζωὴν ἢ τὸν θάνατον, καθὼς καὶ ἡ γραφὴ φησίν· «ἔναντι ἀνθρώπου ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ὁ θάνατος, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν εὐδοκήσῃ δοθήσεται αὐτῷ», ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἄτιμοι πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι μετα βληθέντες ἐκτήσαντο τὴν ζωὴν ταύτην. ἰδοὺ γὰρ (ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπό στολος) ὁ θεὸς «πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν».","english":"What, then, is that good and beautiful thing which is compared to nothing, which Christians seek and in which they live? It is the Lord himself. For he himself is the one compared to nothing, for all things that are beautiful have come to be from him, and he himself is the inheritance and the life of Christians; for it says, \"The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup.\" For the only good and beautiful thing, which is God, seeks nothing else from men—not gold, not silver, not possessions, not animals, nor anything else of the things on the earth, all of which he himself created—except only true faith and love toward him from the heart. And then a person is deemed worthy of the possession of this beautiful and only good thing; for such a soul is deemed worthy to receive a participation in the Holy Spirit and from that point is made worthy to have fellowship with Christ. For unless a man first becomes the occasion, drawing the love of God to himself by his own love, the life and the possession of the good and only beautiful thing will not come up into his soul. Each person, then, becomes the occasion of his own life and of his own death through the self-determining will of the soul; for wherever the soul gives its natural love, it draws to itself either life or death, just as the Scripture also says: \"Before man are life and death, and whichever he is pleased with will be given to him,\" since all men, having been changed, obtained this life—even the dishonored. For behold (as the apostle says), God \"wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":147,"ref":"p147","source":"οὐχ ὅτι οὐ διδόασι τὴν φυσικὴν ἀγάπην αὐτῶν καὶ προαίρεσιν ἀγαθὴν πρὸς τὸν θεόν· οὐ βιάζεται γὰρ τὰς προαιρέσεις ἀκούσας ὁ κύριος, ἀλλὰ ἀποσκοπεῖ καὶ θεωρεῖ τὴν προαίρεσιν καὶ ἀγάπην τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ποῦ ῥέπει καὶ ποῦ ἀγαπᾷ. ἐὰν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἴδῃ τὴν ἀγάπην τῆς ψυχῆς κολλωμένην, ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται καὶ κατασκηνοῖ καὶ κληρονομεῖται ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγαπώσης αὐτὸν ψυχῆς καὶ κληρονομεῖ αὐτήν, ἐπεὶ ἀδύνατον ἄλλως γενέσθαι· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ πρόφασιν λάβῃ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης καὶ πίστεως, οὐ γίνεται αὐτὸς ζωὴ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ κτῆμα τὸ μόνον τίμιον καὶ καλόν. ἕκαστος τοίνυν, ὡς προείρηται, πρόφασις γίνεται τοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐν τῷ πιστεύειν καὶ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν παρὰ πάντα τὰ βλεπόμενα, τοῦτο γὰρ μόνον ἐξαιρέτως ζητεῖ παρὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ θεός· ἡ τοιαύτη γὰρ ψυχὴ μείζων ἐστὶ καὶ ἀνωτέρα παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου καὶ πάσης τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ καὶ δόξης καὶ πλούτου καὶ ἀναπαύσεως καὶ πάσης τῆς φρονήσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ καλῶν, ὅτι τῷ μόνῳ καλῷ ἐπίστευσε καὶ τὸν μόνον ἀγαθὸν ἠγάπησεν ὑπεριδοῦσα πᾶσαν καλλονὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ τερπνότητα καὶ σοφίαν γλωσσῶν κόσμου ἀρνησαμένη, καὶ οὕτως ἐπιτυγχάνει καὶ ἀπολαύει τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καλοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ μόνου ὡραίου.","english":"Not that they do not give their natural love and good disposition toward God; for the Lord, when he has heard, does not force dispositions, but he observes and sees the disposition and love of the man, where it inclines and where it loves. If he sees the love of the soul cleaving to him, behold, he comes and dwells in it and is inherited by the soul that loves him, and he inherits it, since it is impossible for it to be otherwise; for if God does not receive from the man an occasion of love and faith toward him, he does not himself become the life of the man, nor does the man become his possession, the only honorable and good thing. Each one, therefore, as has been said before, becomes an occasion for the life and the promise to come to him, in believing and loving him above all things seen; for this alone God especially seeks from man. For such a soul is greater and higher than the whole world and all its wisdom and glory and wealth and rest and all its understanding and all the good things in it, because it has believed in the only beautiful one and has loved the only good one, despising all beauty and glory and delight and wisdom of the tongues of the world, having denied them; and thus it attains and enjoys the true beautiful and good and only lovely one.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":148,"ref":"p148","source":"Μή τις τοίνυν λεγέτω, ὅτι ἀδυνάτως ἔχω ἀγαπῆσαι ἢ διαλογίσασθαι ἢ πιστεῦσαι τῷ μόνῳ ἀγαθῷ, ὑπὸ δουλείαν καὶ δεσμοὺς ἁμαρτίας τυγ χάνων. τὸ μὲν γὰρ δύνασθαί σε τελείως τὰ ἔργα τῆς ζωῆς ἐργάζεσθαι καὶ τὸ ἑαυτὸν τῇ σῇ ἰσχύι ἐξελέσθαι καὶ ἐλευθερῶσαι τῆς ἐνοικούσης σοι ἁμαρτίας οὔκ ἐστιν εἰς τὴν σὴν ἐξουσίαν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἑαυτῷ ἀπένειμεν ὁ κύριος· αὐτὸς γὰρ μόνος «κατέκρινε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν» καὶ αὐτὸς μόνος ἐστὶν «ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου» καὶ αὐτὸς ἐλευθερῶσαι ἐπηγγείλατο τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας αὐτὸν καὶ πιστεύοντας αὐτῷ ἐκ τῆς δουλείας τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῶν παθῶν, καὶ οὓς ἂν αὐτὸς ἐλευθερώσῃ «ὄντως ἐλεύθεροι» τυγχάνουσιν. τὸ δὲ διαλογίσασθαί σε καὶ πιστεῦ σαι ἢ ἀγαπῆσαι τὸν κύριον ἢ ζητῆσαι αὐτὸν ἔχεις καὶ δύνασαι καὶ τὸ μὴ συνήδεσθαι μηδὲ συνεργάζεσθαι τῇ ἐνοικούσῃ ἁμαρτίᾳ, μόνον πρό φασις γενοῦ σὺ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς ἐν τῷ ζητεῖν τὸν κύριον, ἐν τῷ διαλογίζεσθαι καὶ ἀγαπᾶν καὶ προσδοκᾶν αὐτόν, καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν λύτρωσιν παρέχει. τοῦτο γὰρ μόνον παρὰ σοῦ ἐκδέχεται.","english":"Let no one therefore say, \"I am unable to love or to reason or to believe in the one who alone is good, since I lie under slavery and the bonds of sin.\" For to be able perfectly to perform the works of life, and to rescue yourself by your own strength and to free yourself from the sin that dwells in you—this is not in your power, since the Lord has reserved this for himself. For he alone \"condemned sin,\" and he alone is \"the one who takes away the sin of the world,\" and he himself promised to free from the slavery of sin and the passions those who love him and believe in him; and those whom he himself frees are \"truly free.\" But to reason and to believe, or to love the Lord, or to seek him—this you have and are able to do; and not to consent to nor cooperate with the sin that dwells in you—only become yourself the advocate of your own life in seeking the Lord, in reasoning and loving and awaiting him, and he himself provides the power and the redemption. For this alone he awaits from you.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":149,"ref":"p149","source":"ὥσπερ γὰρ σῶμα ὑπὸ θερμότητος πυρετοῦ κατεχόμενον ἐμπεπόδισται καὶ ἐπέχεται τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἢ ἐργάσασθαι τὰ τῆς γῆς ἔργα, ὁ μέντοι νοῦς τοῦ κατακειμένου οὐκ ἐπέχεται οὐδὲ ἠρεμεῖ, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ πλέον φρον τίζει καὶ μεριμνᾷ περὶ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ διάνοια αὐτοῦ διαλογίζεται περὶ τοῦ θέρους, εἰ τύχοι, ἢ περὶ ἀμπέλου ἢ περὶ ὁδοιπορίας ἢ περὶ ἐμπορίας ἢ περὶ ἄλλων τινῶν τοιούτων, καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἰδοὺ ἔρριπται ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρετοῦ κατεχόμενον, ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὐκ ἠρεμεῖ οὐδὲ ἐπέχεται τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ (διαλογιζόμενος δι' αὐτὰ) καὶ τοῦ ζητεῖν τὸν ἰατρὸν καὶ ἀξιοῦν τοὺς ἰδίους αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποστέλ λειν πρὸς αὐτὸν τοῦ ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἐπισκέψασθαι αὐτόν, καὶ προσδοκίαν ἔχει τοῦ ὑγιᾶναι. ἐάν τε γὰρ οὔτε λαλῇ οὔτε διαλογίζηται οὗτος, παντελῶς τέθνηκεν, ἕως οὗ δὲ ὁ πυρετὸς ἐπίκειται, τὸ σῶμα ἐμπεπόδισται καὶ ἐπέχεται ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων, ὁ δὲ νοῦς ἰδοὺ περὶ αὐτῶν σφο δρῶς διαλογίζεται καὶ φροντίζειτὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ὑπὸ δουλείαν καὶ ἐξουσίαν τοῦ σκότους τῶν παθῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας πεσοῦσα καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρετοῦ «τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας» κατεχομένη ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ἔργων τῆς ζωῆς, τῶν τοῦ πνεύματος τελείων ἀρετῶν, ἐμπεπόδισται καὶ ἐπέχεται ἀδυνάτως ἔχουσα ἀμώμως ταῦτα ἐπιτελεῖν, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ διαλογίζεσθαι ἢ μεριμνᾶν περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐπι τελεῖν ἐργασίαν ἐντολῶν καὶ ἀγαπᾶν τὴν ζωὴν οὐκ ἐπέχεται, ἐὰν ὄντως θέλῃ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ὀρέγεσθαι. ἀπὸ τοῦ βοᾶν τοιγαροῦν καὶ καλεῖν τὸν μόνον ἰατρὸν πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῆς βοήθειαν καὶ προσδοκᾶν τὴν ὑγείαν αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐμποδίζεται.","english":"For just as a body held by the heat of a fever is hindered and restrained from doing or working the works of the earth, yet the mind of the one lying down is not restrained nor at rest, but much more thinks and cares about his works, and his thought reasons about the harvest, if it should happen, or about a vineyard or about a journey or about trade or about certain other such things—and look, the body has been cast on the bed, held by the fever, but the mind is not at rest nor restrained from its works (reasoning through them) and from seeking the physician and asking his own people and sending to him that he may come and visit him, and it has the expectation of being healed. For if he neither speaks nor reasons, this one has completely died; but as long as the fever presses on, the body is hindered and restrained from its works, but look, the mind reasons and cares intensely about them. In the same way also the soul, having fallen under slavery and the authority of the darkness of the passions of sin and held by the fever of \"the law of sin,\" is hindered and restrained from the works of life—the perfect virtues of the Spirit—being unable to perform these blamelessly; but from reasoning or caring about them and performing the work of the commandments according to its power and loving life, it is not restrained, if it truly wishes to aspire to eternal life. Therefore it is not hindered from crying out and calling the only physician to its own aid and expecting its healing.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":150,"ref":"p150","source":"εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀπέθανεν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ψυχή, τουτέστι χωρισθεῖσα ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπολαύσεως τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν παράβασιν καὶ καλύμματι κακίας παθῶν καλυφ θεῖσα, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας γνώσεως καὶ τῶν διανοημάτων οὐκ ἀπέ θανεν, ἀλλ' ἔχει τὸ μεριμνᾶν περὶ τῶν ἔργων τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τὸ ἀγαπῆσαι καὶ καλεῖν καὶ βοᾶν πρὸς τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἰατρόν. ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας οὖν γνώ σεως οὐ νενέκρωται. τοῦτο τοίνυν ζητεῖ παρὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ θεός, ὅπερ ἔχει ἐλεύθερον διαλογίζεσθαι περὶ τῆς ζωῆς, τὸ ἀγαπῆσαι καὶ καλεῖν τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν ἰατρόν, καὶ μὴ συντίθεσθαι τῇ κακίᾳ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς πολιτεύεσθαι. ταύτην τὴν πρό φασιν μόνον παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ζητεῖ ὁ θεός· τὸ γὰρ δυναμῶσαι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἰάσασθαι ἐκ τοῦ πυρετοῦ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ ῥύσασθαι ἐκ τῆς δουλείας καὶ ἐνεργείας τῶν παθῶν αὐτοῦ ἐστι καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ ἀπόκειται, «ὅτι τὸ κράτος» (γάρ φησιν) «τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ σοῦ, κύριε, τὸ ἔλεος». ἐπίσταται γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐν ποίοις κακοῖς ἐστιν ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ πῶς ἐπέχεται τοῦ μὴ ποιεῖν τὰ ἔργα τῆς ζωῆς καὶ πῶς ἔρριπται ἐν νόσῳ χαλεπῇ τῶν παθῶν τῆς «ἀτιμίας»· μόνον ἐν τῷ νῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀρέσαι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῷ περιμένει. τὸ γὰρ δύνασθαι αὐτὸς «ἐν τάχει» ποιεῖ, καθὼς εἴρηται· πόσῳ","english":"For even if the soul has died from God—that is, having been separated from the enjoyment of the glory of his light through transgression, and having been covered with a veil of the wickedness of the passions—yet it has not died from its own knowledge and thoughts, but it has the capacity to be anxious about the works of life, and to love and call and cry out to the true physician. From its own knowledge, then, it has not been put to death. This, therefore, is what God seeks from man: that which he has free to reason about life—to love and call upon the only true physician, and not to consent to wickedness, but according to his power to live in good works. This pretext alone God seeks from men; for to strengthen the soul and heal it from the fever of sin, and to deliver it from the slavery and activity of the passions, is his own work and is reserved for him alone, \"for the power\" (he says) \"is God's, and yours, Lord, is the mercy.\" For he himself knows in what evils the soul is, and how it is hindered from not doing the works of life, and how it has been cast into the grievous sickness of the passions of \"dishonor\"; he waits only for the soul to please him in mind and in love. For to be able he himself brings about \"speedily,\" as it is said: how much","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":151,"ref":"p151","source":"μᾶλλον «ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν βοών των πρὸς αὐτὸν νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας». Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ πάλιν τὸ σῶμα ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρετοῦ κρατούμενον ἐπέχεται τοῦ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ κρατου μένη ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρετοῦ τῶν παθῶν ἐπέχεται καὶ ἐμποδίζεται ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων τῆς ζωῆς, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ καταξιωθεῖσα τοῦ ἐπου ρανίου πυρὸς τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς καὶ κατεχομένη ὑπὸ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ θείου ἐπέχεται τοῦ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τῷ φίλτρῳ καὶ τῷ πόθῳ πρὸς τὸν ἐπουράνιον νυμφίον πάν τοτε ἑλκομένη. εἰ γὰρ ὁ τοῦ σώματος πυρετὸς ἐπέχει τὸ σῶμα τοῦ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τῆς γῆς καὶ ὁ πυρετὸς τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῶν πα θῶν ἐπέχει τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων τῆς ζωῆς, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ ἐπουράνιον τοῦ πνεύματος πῦρ ἐκκαῖον καὶ φλέγον τὴν ἀξίαν καὶ πιστὴν ψυχὴν εἰς τὸν ἄνω τῆς βασιλείας ἔρωτα καὶ πόθον ἐπισχῇ καὶ ἐμποδίσῃ τοῦ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ λήθην πάσης ματαιότητος τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ποιήσεται. αὕτη γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ζητή σασα τὸν θεὸν τῷ ἑαυτῆς θελήματι καὶ τῇ ἑαυτῆς ἀγάπῃ ἕλκει αὐτὸν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν τοῦ βασιλευθῆναι καὶ ἡγημονευθῆναι καὶ ὁδηγηθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸ αὐτοῦ θέλημα. καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος οὕτω βούλε ται ζητηθεὶς καὶ ἀγαπηθεὶς καὶ πιστευθεὶς καὶ ἑλκυσθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τῆς ψυχῆς ἐλθεῖν καὶ κατασκηνῶσαι καὶ βασιλεῦσαι καὶ ἡγεμονεῦσαι παντὸς τοῦ φρονήματος αὐτῆς καὶ ὁδηγῆσαι αὐτὴν εἰς πᾶν τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ θέλημα. μὴ γάρ τις νομίσῃ μικράν τινα εἶναι τὴν ψυχὴν ἅτε ἐν μικρῷ σώματι κατοικοῦσαν καὶ ἐν σώματι ὅλην οὖσαν.","english":"rather \"he will avenge his elect, who cry to him night and day.\" But just as again the body, held fast by fever, is restrained from doing the works of the earth, and the soul, held fast in sin by the fever of the passions, is restrained and hindered from the works of life, in the same way the soul that has been deemed worthy of the heavenly fire of the Spirit of life, and is held by the power of the divine fire, is restrained from doing the works of sin, being always drawn by affection and longing toward the heavenly bridegroom. For if the fever of the body restrains the body from doing the works of the earth, and the fever of sin, that is of the passions, restrains the soul from the works of life, how much more will the heavenly fire of the Spirit, kindling and inflaming the worthy and faithful soul unto the love and longing for the kingdom above, restrain and hinder it from doing the works of sin, and will make it forget all the vanity of this age. For this soul, which has sought God by its own will and by its own love, draws him to itself, to be ruled and governed and guided by him according to his will. For the Lord himself thus wills, when he has been sought and loved and believed and drawn by the love of the soul, to come and dwell and reign and govern her whole mind and guide her into all the will of God. For let no one suppose that the soul is something small, as dwelling in a small body and being wholly in a body.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":152,"ref":"p152","source":"ἰδοὺ καὶ ἐν τῷ σώματί ἐστι καὶ ἔξωθεν τοῦ σώματός ἐστι καὶ ὅλη ἐν αὐτῷ ἐστι καὶ ὅλη ἔξωθεν αὐτοῦ ἐστι τῷ φρονήματι καὶ τοῖς λογισμοῖς. Μέγα γάρ τι σκεῦος καὶ δημιούργημα ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ψυχήν, τίμιόν τι καὶ ὡραῖον καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ κτίσματα ὄν, τοιοῦτον τίμιον ἔργον ὡς «εἰς κατοικητήριον θεοῦ» ἡτοιμασμένον καὶ κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ πεποιημένον. εἰκόνα γὰρ πνευματικὴν καὶ νοερὰν κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν λεπτότητα τὴν φυσικὴν ἔχει ἡ ψυχή, ὥσπερ τὸ σῶμα ἰδίαν ἔχει εἰκόνα. ἀλλ' ἡ ἀληθὴς εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ψυχή ἐστιν, καὶ ἐκείνη ἡ εἰκὼν ἡ ζῶσα καὶ ἀθάνατος βαστάζει καὶ φέρει τὴν εἰκόνα ταύτην. ἀόρατος δὲ καὶ ἀνεύρετος ἑαυτῇ τυγχάνει παρὰ τὴν αἰτίαν ταύτην· κάλυμμά τι σκότους κακίας ἐπίκειται αὐτῇ καλύπτον αὐτὴν τοῦ μὴ καταλαμβάνειν καὶ τοῖς νοεροῖς αὐτῆς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὴν ἰδίαν ἐνορᾶν ὑπόστασιν καὶ μὴ κατανοεῖν καὶ θεωρεῖν τὸν ἑαυτῆς ποιητήν, τοῦ μὴ ἀπολαύειν καὶ ζῆν καὶ ἀναψύχειν τῷ φωτὶ τῆς δόξης τῆς χρηστό τητος αὐτοῦ, τοῦ μὴ ἐντρυφᾶν ἐν τῇ ἀγαθότητι καὶ ἀγάπῃ αὐτοῦ. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ κάλυμμα ἀπὸ τῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδὰμ ἐκτησάμεθα δια δεξάμενοι τὴν κληρονομίαν τοῦ θανάτου.","english":"Behold, it is in the body and outside the body, and it is wholly in it and wholly outside it in its disposition and thoughts. For God made the soul a great vessel and workmanship, something precious and beautiful and surpassing all created things, a work so precious as to be prepared \"as a dwelling place of God\" and made according to his image. For the soul has a spiritual and intellectual image according to its own natural fineness, just as the body has its own image. But the soul is the true image of God, and that living and immortal image bears and carries this image. Yet it is invisible and undiscoverable to itself for this reason: a covering of the darkness of evil lies upon it, covering it so that it cannot comprehend, nor with its intellectual eyes look upon its own substance, nor perceive and contemplate its own Maker, nor enjoy and live and be refreshed by the light of the glory of his goodness, nor delight in his goodness and love. And this covering we acquired from the transgression of Adam, having received the inheritance of death.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":153,"ref":"p153","source":"Συγκέκλεισται τοίνυν καὶ κεκάλυπται ἡ ψυχὴ σκότει παθῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπολαύσεως καὶ κατανοήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας κατα λήψεως. ἐπιμένει δὲ τὸ ἔργον σῶον καὶ τὸ κτίσμα τέλειον τῆς ψυχῆς ὑπὸ τὸ κάλυμμα καὶ ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ ἠγμένης, ἔχον τὴν νοερὰν εἰκόνα καὶ τὴν κατασκευὴν ἣν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ δημιουργὸς ἐποίησε σῶαν. ὥσπερ γάρ τις συγκέκλεισται ἐν οἴκῳ φυλακῆς, ἐν ᾧ οὔκ ἐστι θύρα, οὔτε ὀπή, οὔτε θυρίς, οὔτε ὅλως ἔξοδός τις, καὶ ἔνδοθεν τῆς φυλακῆς ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωποςοὐδὲν δύναται ὁ ἔσω ἐγκεκλεισμένος ποιῆσαι εἰς τὸ ἐξελθεῖν ἢ μόνον καλέσαι καὶ βοῆσαι πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω, ἵνα ἀνοίξωσιν αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ ἐκτείνας πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω τοῦ οἴκου ὄντας πρὸς τὴν βοήθειαν αὐτοῦ ἐπικαλέσασθαιτὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ κεκαλυμμένη ἀπὸ θεοῦ καλύμματι παθῶν καὶ συγκεκλεισμένη ἐν φυλακῇ σκότους ἁμαρτίας μένει τὸ δημιούργημα καὶ τὸ κτίσμα τὸ τίμιον ἔνδον τοῦ καλύμματος σῶον, οἷον ἐκτίσθη, καὶ οὐδὲν δύναται ποιῆσαι πρὸς τὸ ἐξελθεῖν ἢ","english":"The soul, then, has been shut up and covered by the darkness of the passions, cut off from the enjoyment and contemplation of God and from its own comprehension. Yet the work remains sound and the soul's creation perfect under the covering, even while it is held in the prison, keeping the rational image and the constitution which the Creator made sound from the beginning. For just as a man is shut up in a prison-house in which there is no door, nor opening, nor window, nor any way out at all, and the man is inside the prison—the one shut inside can do nothing to get out, except only to call and cry out to those outside, that they may open for him, and stretching out his mind toward those outside the house, to call upon them for his help—in the same way the soul, covered by God with the covering of the passions and shut up in the prison of the darkness of sin, remains the handiwork and the precious creation, sound within the covering, just as it was created, and it can do nothing to get out except","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":154,"ref":"p154","source":"μόνον διανοηθῆναι καὶ δια λογίσασθαι καὶ φροντίσαι περὶ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ βοῆσαι πρὸς τὸν ἔξωθεν τοῦ καλύμματος τοῦ σκότους ὄντα κύριον καὶ λυτρωτήν, ἵν' οὗτος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμει ὁρῶν ἡμῶν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν βοὴν καὶ πίστιν καὶ ἀγάπην διαρρήξῃ τὸ κάλυμμα τοῦ σκότους καὶ φωτίσῃ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ φωτὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ λυτρώσηται ἐκ τοῦ σκότους τῆς ἁμαρ τίας τῶν παθῶν καὶ ὁδηγήσῃ αὐτὴν κατὰ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ θέλημα. αὕτη γὰρ ἔνδοθεν τοῦ καλύμματος οὖσα ἐκτείνει τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν τῇ ζητήσει καὶ τῷ πόθῳ πάντα τὰ βλεπόμενα παριδοῦσα καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀόρατον θείαν δύναμιν μετὰ πίστεως καὶ πόθου τῇ ζητήσει ἑαυ τὴν ἐπείγουσα καὶ προσδοκῶσα τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν τῆς χάριτος. καὶ αὐτὸς ἄνω ὢν ἐκτείνει τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτὴν εὑρισκόμενος αὐτῇ καὶ φανερούμενος καὶ ἀναπαύων ἀναπαύσει πνευματικῇ καὶ ὁδηγῶν αὐτὴν εἰς πᾶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ θέλημα. Ἐὰν μὴ γὰρ ἡ διάνοια τοῦ κυρίου ἔλθῃ πρὸς τὴν αὐτῆς διάνοιαν καὶ ὁδηγήσῃ αὐτήν, οὐκ οἶδε ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ. ὅσον γὰρ αὐτὴ καὶ τὸ φρόνημα αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν νοῦν ἀεὶ κολλᾷ πρὸς αὐτὸν τῇ ζητήσει καὶ πίστει καὶ πόθῳ, {{αὐτὸς πολὺ μᾶλλον τῇ ἑαυτοῦ χρηστό τητι προσέχων τῇ ἐνδιαθέτῳ αὐτῆς ἀγάπῃ κολλᾶται τῇ διανοίᾳ αὐ τῆς καὶ γίνεται μετ' αὐτῆς εἰς «ἓν πνεῦμα» κατὰ τὸν ἀποστολικὸν λόγον. τῆς γὰρ ψυχῆς κολλωμένης τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἐλεοῦντος καὶ ἀγαπῶντος αὐτὴν καὶ ἐρχομένου τε πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ κολλωμένου αὐτῇ καὶ λοιπὸν τῆς διανοίας παραμενούσης ἀδιαλείπτως τῇ χάριτι τοῦ κυρίου εἰς «ἓν πνεῦμα» καὶ εἰς μίαν κρᾶσιν καὶ εἰς μίαν διάνοιαν γίνονται ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ὁ κύριος.","english":"It is enough only to think and reason and care about the life of light, and to cry out to the Lord and Redeemer who is outside the covering of darkness, so that he, by his own power, seeing our cry toward him and our faith and love, may break the covering of darkness and enlighten the soul with his own light and redeem it from the darkness of the sin of the passions and guide it according to his own will. For the soul, being inside the covering, stretches out its mind toward him in seeking and longing, disregarding all visible things and, with faith and longing, pressing itself toward the invisible divine power in its seeking and awaiting the visitation of grace. And he, being above, stretches out his mind toward it, being found by it and revealed to it and giving it rest with spiritual rest and guiding it into all his own will. For unless the mind of the Lord comes to the soul's own mind and guides it, it does not know how to do the will of God. For to the extent that the soul and its disposition and its mind always cleave to him in seeking and faith and longing, he, much more in his own goodness, attending to its inward love, cleaves to its mind and becomes with it into \"one spirit,\" according to the apostolic word. For when the soul cleaves to the Lord and the Lord has mercy on it and loves it and comes to it and cleaves to it, and thereafter the mind remains continually in the grace of the Lord, the soul and the Lord become into \"one spirit\" and into one blending and into one mind.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":155,"ref":"p155","source":"καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα αὐτῆς ἔρριπται ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἡ δὲ διάνοια αὐτῆς ὅλη ἐξ ὅλου ἐν τῇ «ἐπουρανίῳ» «Ἱερουσαλὴμ» πολιτεύεται, «ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ» ἀνερχομένη καὶ κολλωμένη τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ διακονοῦσα αὐτῷ. καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ «τῆς μεγαλω σύνης» καθεζόμενος ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐν τῇ «ἐπουρανίῳ» πόλει ὅλος πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐν τῷ σώματι αὐτῆς ἐστιν. τὴν αὐτῆς εἰκόνα τέθεικεν ἄνω ἐν τῇ «ἐπουρανίῳ» πόλει τῶν ἁγίων «Ἱερουσαλὴμ» καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἀρρήτου φωτὸς τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ ἔθετο ἐν τῷ σώματι αὐτῆς. αὐτὴ αὐτῷ διακονεῖ ἐν τῇ ἐπουρανίῳ πόλει καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτῇ διακονεῖ ἐν τῇ τοῦ σώματος πόλει. αὐτὴ αὐτὸν ἐκληρονόμησεν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτὴν ἐκληρονόμησεν ἐπὶ γῆς. ὁ κύριος γὰρ κληρονομία τῆς ψυχῆς γίνεται καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ κυρίου.","english":"And her body is cast down on the earth, but her whole mind, entirely, lives as a citizen in the \"heavenly\" \"Jerusalem,\" ascending \"as far as the third heaven\" and cleaving to the Lord and ministering to him. And he himself, seated on the throne of \"his great majesty\" in the heavens in the \"heavenly\" city, is wholly toward her in her body. He has set her image above in the \"heavenly\" city of the saints, \"Jerusalem,\" and he has placed his own image of the ineffable light of his divinity in her body. She ministers to him in the heavenly city, and he ministers to her in the city of the body. She has inherited him in the heavens, and he has inherited her on the earth. For the Lord becomes the inheritance of the soul, and the soul the inheritance of the Lord.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":156,"ref":"p156","source":"εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἐν σκότει ἁμαρ τωλῶν ὄντων ἡ διάνοια καὶ ὁ νοῦς τοσοῦτον πόρρω τοῦ σώματος εἶναι δύναται καὶ μακρὰν ἀποδημεῖ καὶ εἰς πορρωτέρας πατρίδας ῥοπῇ ὥρας ἐξελθεῖν δύναται καὶ πολλάκις ἔρριπται ἐν τῇ γῇ τῷ σώματι καὶ ἡ διάνοια ἐν ἑτέρᾳ πατρίδι πρὸς τὸν ἀγαπητὸν αὐτῆς τυγχάνει ἢ πρὸς τὴν ἀγαπητήν, κἀκεῖ ἑαυτὸν ὡς διαιτώμενον καθορᾷεἰ οὖν ἡ τοῦ ἁμαρ τωλοῦ ψυχὴ οὕτως εὔπτερος καὶ ἐλαφρά ἐστιν ὥστε τὸν νοῦν αὐτῆς μὴ ἐμποδίζεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν πορρωτέρων τόπων, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ψυχή, ἧς ἤρθη τὸ κάλυμμα τοῦ σκότους ὑπὸ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ ἐφωτίσθησαν οἱ νοεροὶ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου φωτὸς καὶ ἐλυτρώθη τελείως τῶν παθῶν τῆς «ἀτιμίας» καὶ καθαρὰ διὰ τῆς χάριτος κατειργάσθη, ὅλη ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐν πνεύματι διακονεῖ τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ ὅλη ἐν τῷ σώματι διακονεῖ αὐτῷ καὶ τοσοῦτον πλατύνεται τῷ φρονήματι, ὥστε πανταχοῦ αὐτὴν εἶναι καὶ ὅπου βούλεται καὶ ἔνθα βούλεται διακονεῖν τῷ κυρίῳ.\n\nΤοῦτό φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος· «ἵνα ἐξισχύσητε καταλαβέσθαι σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς ἁγίοις τί τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκος καὶ βάθος καὶ ὕψος, γνῶναί τε τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα πληρω θῆτε εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ». θεώρησον ἄρρητα μυστήρια ψυχῆς, ἧς περιαιρεῖ ὁ κύριος τὸ ἐπικείμενον σκότος καὶ ἀποκαλύπτει αὐτὴν καὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται αὐτῇ, πῶς πλατύνει καὶ τείνει τὰ φρονήματα","english":"For even if the mind and thought of sinners who are in darkness can be so far from the body and travel far away, and in a moment of time can depart to more distant homelands, and often the body is cast down on the earth while the mind is in another homeland with its beloved, or with the one beloved to it, and there it beholds itself as if dwelling—if, then, the soul of the sinner is so winged and light that its mind is not hindered from more distant places, how much more a soul whose covering of darkness has been taken away by the power of the Spirit, and whose spiritual eyes have been enlightened by the heavenly light, and which has been perfectly redeemed from the passions of \"dishonor\" and made pure by grace—it serves Christ wholly in the heavens in the spirit, and wholly in the body it serves him, and it is so enlarged in its understanding that it is everywhere, both where it wishes and where it wishes to serve the Lord.\n\nThis is what the apostle says: \"that you may be able with all the saints to comprehend what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.\" Behold the ineffable mysteries of a soul whose overlying darkness the Lord removes and reveals it, and is revealed to it, how he enlarges and stretches out its thoughts","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":157,"ref":"p157","source":"τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῆς εἰς τὰ πλάτη καὶ μήκη καὶ βάθη καὶ ὕψη πάσης ὁρατῆς καὶ ἀοράτου κτίσεως. Μέγα τοίνυν καὶ θαυμαστόν τι καὶ θεῖον ἔργον ἐστὶν ἡ ψυχή. καὶ ὡς φαίνεται καὶ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ σώματος δια πλάσεως ἐδημιούργησεν αὐτήν· ἐν γὰρ τῷ εἰπεῖν· «ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ ὁμοίωσιν» παρὰ θεοῦ ἡ ψυχὴ πεποίηται καὶ οὕτω λαβὼν «χοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς» ἔπλασε τὸ σῶμα «καὶ ἐνεφύσησε» διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ἣν ἔκτισε ψυχὴν ἐν τῷ σώματι. ἐν δὲ τῷ δημιουρ γῆσαι τὴν ψυχὴν τοιαύτην αὐτὴν πεποίηκεν· ἐν τῇ φύσει αὐτῆς κακίαν οὐκ ἐνέθηκεν, οὐκ ᾔδει κακίαν ἡ φύσις αὐτῆς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα τῶν ἀρετῶν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐποίησεν αὐτήν. ἔθηκεν εἰς αὐτὴν νόμους ἀρετῶν, διάκρισιν, γνῶσιν, φρόνησιν, πίστιν, ἀγάπην καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἀρετὰς κατὰ τὴν «εἰκόνα» τοῦ πνεύματος. ἔτι γὰρ καὶ νῦν τῇ γνώσει καὶ φρονήσει καὶ ἀγάπῃ καὶ πίστει εὑρίσκεται καὶ φανεροῦται αὐτῇ ὁ κύριος. ἔθηκεν εἰς αὐτὴν διάνοιαν, λογισμούς, θέλημα, νοῦν ἡγε μόνα, ἐνθρονίσας ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ ἄλλην τινὰ πολλὴν †ἔχουσα ἐν αὐτῇ† λεπτότητα. ἐποίησεν αὐτὴν εὐκίνητον, εὔπτερον, ἄκοπον τὸ ἐν ῥοπῇ ἔρχεσθαι καὶ τοῖς φρονήμασιν διακονεῖν αὐτῷ ἔνθα τὸ πνεῦμα βούλεται, καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς ἔκτισεν αὐτὴν τοιαύτην τοῦ γενέσθαι αὐτὴν νύμφην καὶ κοινωνικὴν ἑαυτοῦ, τοῦ αὐτὸν μετ' αὐτῆς κεκρᾶσθαι καὶ εἰς «ἓν πνεῦμα» μετ' αὐτοῦ αὐτὴν γενέσθαι, ὥς φησιν·","english":"of its mind to the breadths and lengths and depths and heights of all visible and invisible creation. Great, then, and wonderful and divine is the work that is the soul. And as it appears, even before the formation of the body he created it; for in saying, \"Let us make man in our image and likeness,\" the soul was made by God, and thus taking \"dust from the earth\" he formed the body \"and breathed in\" through the Spirit the soul which he had created into the body. And in creating the soul he made it such as this: he did not place evil in its nature, its nature did not know evil, but according to the image of the virtues of the Spirit he made it. He placed in it laws of virtues, discernment, knowledge, prudence, faith, love and the remaining virtues according to the \"image\" of the Spirit. For even now the Lord is found and made manifest to it by knowledge and prudence and love and faith. He placed in it understanding, reasonings, will, a governing mind, enthroning in it also some other great †having in it† subtlety. He made it easily moved, swift-winged, untiring in coming in an instant and ministering to him with its thoughts wherever the Spirit wishes, and simply he created it such as to become a bride and partaker of himself, so that he might be mingled with it and it become \"one spirit\" with him, as it says:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":158,"ref":"p158","source":"«ὁ κολλώμενος τῷ κυρίῳ» εἰς «ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστιν».}} {{Οὔτε γὰρ σοφοὶ διὰ τῆς σοφίας οὔτε φρόνιμοι διὰ τῆς φρονήσεως αὐτῶν ἠδυνήθησαν καταλαβεῖν ψυχῆς λεπτότητα ἢ εἰπεῖν περὶ αὐτῆς ὡς ἔστιν, εἰ μὴ μόνον οἷς διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ἀποκαλύπτεται ἡ κατά ληψις καὶ γνῶσις ἀκριβὴς περὶ ψυχῆς γνωρίζεται. ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα θεώ ρει καὶ διάκρινον καὶ συνετῶς ἄκουσον· οὗτος θεὸς αὕτη οὐ θεός, οὗτος κύριος αὕτη δούλη, οὗτος κτίστης αὕτη κτίσμα, οὗτος ποιητὴς αὕτη ποίημα. οὐδὲν κοινὸν τῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτῆς φύσεως τυγχάνει, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἄπειρον καὶ ἄρρητον καὶ ἀνεννόητον ἀγάπην καὶ εὐσπλαγχνίαν αὐτοῦ ηὐδόκησε τοιοῦτον ποίημα καὶ κτίσμα νοερὸν καὶ τίμιον καὶ ἐξαίρετον ποιῆσαι, ὥς φησιν ἡ γραφή· «εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἀπαρχήν τινα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κτισμάτων», εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ συνάφειαν καὶ τὴν ἑαυ τοῦ κοινωνίαν, εἰς ἴδιον «κατοικητήριον», εἰς ἰδίαν τιμίαν καὶ καθαρὰν νύμφην. τοιούτων οὖν ἀγαθῶν προκειμένων καὶ τοιαύτων ἐπαγγελιῶν ἐπαγγελθεισῶν καὶ τοιαύτης εὐδοκίας ὑπὸ θεοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγενημένης μὴ ἀμελήσωμεν, ὦ τέκνα, μηδὲ ὀκνήσωμεν ἐπειχθῆναι πρὸς τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ὁλοτελῶς τῇ τοῦ κυρίου εὐαρεστήσει ἀπο δοῦναι. Παρακαλέσωμεν τοίνυν τὸν κύριον, ἵνα τῇ ἰδίᾳ τῆς θεότητος δυνάμει λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς τοῦ σκότους τῶν παθῶν τῆς «ἀτιμίας» καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν εἰκόνα καὶ τὸ πλάσμα ἐκδικήσας ἀνα λάμψαι ποιήσῃ, σώαν καὶ καθαρὰν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπεργασάμενος, ἵνα τυχόντες καὶ καταξιωθέντες τῆς κοινωνίας τοῦ «πνεύματος» αὐτοῦ σὺν αὐτῷ ἀπολαῦσαι καταξιωθῶμεν εἰς τοὺς ἀπεράντους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώ νων.","english":"He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.\" For neither the wise by their wisdom nor the prudent by their own understanding were able to grasp the fineness of the soul or to say what it is, except only those to whom the understanding is revealed through the Spirit and the precise knowledge concerning the soul is made known. But here observe and discern and listen with understanding: this one is God, that one is not God; this one is Lord, that one is a servant; this one is Creator, that one is a creature; this one is Maker, that one is a thing made. Nothing of his nature and hers is in common, but through his boundless and ineffable and inconceivable love and compassion he was well pleased to make such a thing made and creature—rational and precious and excellent—as the Scripture says: \"that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his own creatures,\" for his own conjunction and his own communion, for his own \"dwelling place,\" for his own precious and pure bride. Since, then, such good things lie before us, and such promises have been promised, and such good pleasure has come to be from God toward us, let us not be negligent, O children, nor let us shrink from hastening toward eternal life and wholly giving ourselves over to the good pleasure of the Lord. Let us entreat the Lord, therefore, that by the own power of his divinity he may redeem us from the prison of the darkness of the passions of \"dishonor,\" and having avenged his own image and his handiwork, may cause it to shine forth, having wrought the soul whole and pure, so that having obtained and been counted worthy of the communion of his \"Spirit,\" we may be counted worthy to enjoy it together with him into the endless ages of ages.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":159,"ref":"p159","source":"Ἀμήν.}} Οἱ ἀγαπητοὶ ἡμῶν ἀδελφοὶ τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας πεινῶσι καὶ διψῶσιν, ἐν ἀγάπῃ πολλῇ ἐπιθυμοῦντες αὐτὸν ἀκούειν. κἂν ἡμεῖς τοίνυν ἰδιῶται τυγχάνωμεν, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ ἐν πόθῳ καὶ στοργῇ δεχόμενοι τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ εὐφραίνονται καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα χαίρει, ὅταν ὁ ἴδιος λόγος ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ λαλῆται. κἂν γὰρ νήπιόν ἐστι τὸ βρέφος μὴ δυνάμενον κατὰ τὴν τῆς μητρὸς ὁμιλίαν λαλεῖν, ἀλλ' αὐτὴ ἡ μήτηρ συγκατερχομένη τῷ παιδίῳ καὶ συμψελλίζουσα συλλαλεῖ αὐτῷ, καὶ χαίρει ἡ μήτηρ ἐπὰν πρὸς αὐτὴν τὸ βρέφος προσλαλῇ τῇ στοργῇ τοῦ νηπίου ἀποσκοποῦσα. καὶ\n\nἡμεῖς τοίνυν, κἂν νήπιοι τυγχάνωμεν πρὸς τὴν ἄπειρον καὶ ἀκατάληπτον τοῦ κυρίου δόξαν καὶ κράτος καὶ γνῶσιν, μὴ δυνάμενοι κατ' ἀξίαν ὑφηγήσασθαι ἢ ἐξειπεῖν τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος μυστήρια, ὅμως ἡ χάρις τοῦ πνεύματος, ἡ μήτηρ τῶν ἁγίων, χαίρει, ὅταν ὁ περὶ αὐτῆς λόγος ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ λαλῆται. τὰ γὰρ ἐκ πνεύματος γεννώμενα τέκνα ἐν οὐδενὶ τὴν ἀνά παυσιν καὶ τὴν ἀγαλλίασιν ἔχουσιν εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ ἐκείνῳ ὅθεν γεννῶνται. ἕκαστον γὰρ τῶν ὄντων εἰς ἣν πατρίδα καὶ ἐν ᾧ τόπῳ γεννᾶται, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἀναπαύεται καὶ χαίρει. ἔστι κτίσματα διάφορα καὶ ἕκαστον κτίσμα ἔχει ἴδια γεννήματα. ἡ γῆ ἔχει πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ φυόμενά τε καὶ γεννώμενα ζῷα, θηρία τε καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ κτήνη ἢ καὶ ἕτερά τινα. τὰ ὕδατα ὁμοίως ἴδια γεννήματα ἔχει, τῶν ἰχθύων τὴν πολλὴν διαφοράν.","english":"Amen. Our beloved brothers hunger and thirst for the word of truth, longing to hear it with great love. And so, even if we are unlettered men, yet they themselves, receiving the word of God with longing and affection, are gladdened, and in this the Holy Spirit rejoices, whenever his own word is spoken in this world. For even if the infant is a babe unable to speak as its mother's speech does, yet the mother herself, condescending to the child and lisping along with it, speaks with it, and the mother rejoices when the babe speaks back to her, looking to the affection of the infant. And so we too, even if we are babes in relation to the boundless and incomprehensible glory and might and knowledge of the Lord, unable worthily to set forth or declare the mysteries of the Spirit, nevertheless the grace of the Spirit, the mother of the saints, rejoices whenever the word concerning her is spoken in the world. For the children born of the Spirit have their rest and exultation in nothing except in that word from which they are born. For each of existing things rests and rejoices in the homeland and place in which it is born. There are various created things, and each creature has its own offspring. The earth has all things that grow in it and the living creatures born in it—beasts and reptiles and cattle and certain others besides. The waters likewise have their own offspring, the great variety of fish.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":160,"ref":"p160","source":"ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ τὴν πολλὴν τῶν πετεινῶν πληθὺν καὶ διαφορὰν ἐν αὐτῷ κέκτηται, καὶ πάλιν ὁ οὐρανὸς ἴδια τὰ τῶν ἀστέρων ἔχει γεννήματα καὶ τὰ ἐπάνω τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἐοίκασιν ἀλλήλοις ἄλληλα οὔτε τὰ τούτων κτίσματα· ἄλλη γὰρ ἰδέα καὶ διαγωγὴ τῶν οὐρανίων καὶ ἄλλη τῶν ἐπιγείων, καὶ ἐξ ἧς οὐσίας οὐ γεγέννηταί τι, ἐὰν βουληθῇ ἀπελθεῖν κἀκεῖ διαιτᾶσθαι ὅθεν οὐκ ἐγεννήθη, πνιγμὸς καὶ θάνατος καὶ ἀφανισμὸς αὐτῷ συμβήσεται. οἷον οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης ἐὰν ἐν τῇ γῇ διαιτᾶσθαι βούλωνται θανατω θήσονται, ἐπειδὴ ἐξ αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐγεννήθησαν· τὰ τετράποδα τῆς γῆς ἐὰν τὴν διαγωγὴν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν ἔχειν θελήσωσιν πνίγονται καὶ θανα τοῦνται, ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖ οὐκ ἐγεννήθησαν· τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐὰν ἀφέντα τὴν ἐν τῷ ἀέρι πορείαν ἐπὶ γῆς τὴν διατριβὴν ποιῶνται ὑπὸ θηρίων καὶ ἑρπετῶν ἢ καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἀναλίσκονται. ἕκαστον γὰρ εἰς ἣν φύσιν καὶ οὐσίαν καὶ κόσμον ἐγεννήθη, ἐκεῖ ζῇ καὶ ἀναπαύεται. οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ πνεύματος ὁ ἐκεῖθεν λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ θάλπει καὶ ἀναπαύει καὶ τροφοφορεῖ, ὁ δὲ τοῦ κόσμου λόγος συμπνίγει καὶ ἐξαφανίζει καὶ θανατοῖ. οὐδὲν γὰρ κοινωνεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν ἔοικεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ κόσμου.","english":"Likewise the air possesses in itself the great multitude and variety of birds, and again the heaven has its own offspring of the stars, and the regions above the heavens, and neither do these resemble one another, nor their creatures. For one form and manner of life belongs to the heavenly things and another to the earthly, and if any creature, from whatever substance it was not begotten, should wish to depart and dwell there from whence it was not begotten, suffocation and death and destruction will befall it. For example, if the fish of the sea wish to live on the land, they will die, since they were not begotten from it; if the four-footed beasts of the earth wish to have their manner of life in the waters, they are suffocated and die, since they were not begotten there; if the birds of heaven, abandoning their journey in the air, make their dwelling on the earth, they are consumed by beasts and reptiles or even by men. For each one lives and rests in the nature and substance and world in which it was begotten. So then also the children of the Spirit—the word of God from there warms and gives rest and nourishes them, but the word of the world suffocates and destroys and puts to death. For the word of God and the word of the world have nothing in common and in no way resemble each other.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":161,"ref":"p161","source":"{{Ὁ γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ «λόγος» «θεός» ἐστι καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ κόσμου κόσμος ἐστί, καὶ πολλὴ διαφορὰ καὶ μεσότης τυγχάνει τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τῶν τέκνων τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν τέκνων τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ἕκαστον γέννημα τοῖς ἰδίοις γονεῦσιν ἔοικεν. ἐὰν θελήσῃ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος γέννημα ἐπιδοῦναι ἑαυτὸ εἰς τὸν λόγον τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὰ πράγματα τῆς γῆς καὶ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, θανατοῦται καὶ ἀπόλλυται ἀνάπαυσιν ἀληθινῆς ζωῆς εὑρεῖν μὴ δυνάμενον. ἡ γὰρ ὄντως ἀνάπαυσις αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖ ἐστιν ὅθεν ἐγεννήθη· συμπνίγεται γὰρ (ὥς φησιν) «καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται» ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ βιωτικαῖς φροντίσι συνεχόμενος καὶ γηίνοις δεσμοῖς δεσμούμενος. ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ σαρκικῇ προαιρέσει ἐνεχόμενος (τουτέστιν ἄν θρωπος τοῦ κόσμου), ἐπὰν ἐπακούῃ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θεοῦ συμπνίγεται καὶ ὥσπερ ἀλόγιστός τις καθίσταται. ἐθισθέντες γὰρ ταῖς κακαῖς ἀπάταις ὁπόταν περὶ θεοῦ ἀκούσωσιν, ὡς ἀηδεῖ ὁμιλίᾳ καταυγαζόμενοι τὸν νοῦν ἀηδίζονται. ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος φησίν· «ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ· μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν», καὶ ὁ προφήτης· ἐγένετο φησὶν αὐτοῖς ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς «ἔμετος». ὁρᾷς, ὅτι εἰς ὃν αἰῶνά τις οὐ γεγέννηται, ζῆν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται. καὶ ἑτέρως δὲ ἀκουστέον περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ. ἐὰν ἐπιδῷ ἑαυτὸν εἰς μεταβολὴν ἐλθεῖν ὁ σαρκικὸς ἄνθρωπος, ἀποθνῄσκει πρό τερον ἐκεῖθεν «καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται» τῆς προτέρας καὶ παλαιᾶς τῆς εἰς τὴν πονηρίαν τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς, καὶ τότε ζῆσαι δύναται εἰς τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον.","english":"For the \"word\" of God is \"God,\" and the word of the world is the world, and there is a great difference and distance between the word of God and the word of the world, and between the children of God and the children of the world, and each offspring resembles its own parents. If the offspring born of the Spirit wishes to give itself over to the word of the world and the affairs of the earth and the glory of this age, it is put to death and perishes, unable to find rest of true life. For its true rest is there where it was born; for, as he says, \"it is choked and becomes unfruitful\" from the word of God—the one held fast by worldly cares and bound by earthly chains. Likewise also the one held fast by a fleshly disposition (that is, a man of the world), whenever he hears the word of God, is choked and becomes as it were irrational. For having been accustomed to evil deceits, whenever they hear about God, being illuminated in mind as by a disagreeable conversation, they are disgusted. As also the apostle says: \"The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him,\" and the prophet says, \"the word of God became to them as\" \"vomit.\" You see that in whatever age a person has not been born, it is not possible for him to live there. And the same thing must be understood in another way as well. If the fleshly man gives himself over to come into a change, he first dies from there \"and becomes unfruitful\" to the former and old life in the wickedness of the world, and then he is able to live unto the word of God.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":162,"ref":"p162","source":"ἀναγεννηθῆναι γὰρ δεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας κακίστης ζωῆς τὸν βουλόμενον ἐν ἑτέρᾳ ζωῇ ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδοῦναι. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐάν τις νόσῳ ἢ πυρετῷ κατέχεται, καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἰδοὺ ἔρριπται ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ μηδὲν δυνάμενον διαπράξασθαι τῶν τῆς γῆς ἔργων,\n\nἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ γλῶσσα λαλεῖ περὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων καὶ ὁ νοῦς οὐχ ἡσυχάζει περι σπώμενος καὶ μεριμνῶν περὶ τῆς ἐργασίας, καὶ τὸν ἰατρὸν ἐπιζητεῖ ἀποστέλλων πρὸς αὐτὸν τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἡ ψυχὴ ἀπὸ τῆς παραβάσεως τῆς ἐντολῆς ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τῶν παθῶν γεγονυῖα καὶ ἄτονος καταστᾶσα, προσερχομένη δὲ τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ πιστεύουσα τῆς ἀντιλήψεως τυχεῖν καὶ ἀρνησαμένη τὴν προτέραν κακίστην ζωήν, εἰ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατάκειται ἡ ψυχὴ μὴ δυναμένη τὰ ἔργα τῆς ζωῆς ἐν ἀληθείᾳ διαπράξασθαι, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ μεριμνῆσαι περὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἐμπόνως, τὸ δεηθῆναι τοῦ κυρίου, τὸ ζητῆσαι τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἰατρὸν ἔχει καὶ δύναται. Καὶ οὐχ ὥς φασί τινες πλάνῳ διδασκαλίας ἀπαγόμενοι, ὅτι καθ άπαξ ἀπέθανεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ὅλως οὐδὲν δύναται ἀγαθὸν διαπράξασθαι.","english":"For one who wishes to give himself over to another life must be reborn from the former, utterly wicked life. And just as if someone is held by disease or fever, and behold his body is cast upon the bed, able to accomplish none of the works of the earth, but nevertheless his tongue speaks about those very works, and his mind is not at rest, being drawn and anxious about the work, and he seeks the physician, sending his friends to him—in the same way the soul, having come into weakness of the passions from the transgression of the commandment and having become without strength, yet when it comes to the Lord and believes that it will obtain his help and has renounced the former, utterly wicked life—even if the soul lies in the weakness of sin, unable to accomplish the works of life in truth, nevertheless it has and is able to be anxious earnestly about life, to entreat the Lord, to seek the true physician. And not as some say, led astray by a deceitful teaching, that once for all man has died and is wholly unable to accomplish any good.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":163,"ref":"p163","source":"καὶ γὰρ τὸ βρέφος κἂν μηδὲν ἔργον ἀκμὴν δύναται διαπράξασθαι ἢ τοῖς ἰδίοις ποσὶν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τὴν μητέρα ἀδυνατῇ, ὅμως κυλίεται, βοᾷ, κλαίει ἐπιζητοῦν τὴν μητέρα, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ σπλαγχνίζεται ἡδο μένη ἡ μήτηρ καὶ χαίρει ἐπιζητοῦντος αὐτὴν τοῦ νηπίου ἐν πόνῳ καὶ κραυγῇ, καὶ ἀδυνατοῦντος τοῦ βρέφους ἀπελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτήν, ὅμως διὰ τὴν πολλὴν τοῦ παιδὸς ζήτησιν καὶ πόθον αὐτὴ ἡ μήτηρ ἀπέρ χεται πρὸς αὐτὸ ὑπὸ τῆς πρὸς τὸ βρέφος ἀγάπης αἰχμαλωτιζομένη καὶ περιθάλπει καὶ τροφοφορεῖ ἐν πολλῇ στοργῇ.}} ὅμως καὶ προσ λαμβανομένη ἡ μήτηρ τὸ βρέφος, ἀκμὴν οὐκ ἀναπαύεται ἀλλ' ὀδύρεται, ἕως θῇ αὐτὸ ἐν ταῖς ἀγκάλαις αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν μαστὸν τῆς ἰδίας τοῦ γάλακτος τροφῆς προσαγάγῃ, καὶ οὕτω λοιπὸν αἱ πηγαὶ τοῦ γάλακτος ῥέουσαι εὐφραίνουσι τὸ νήπιον. ὅμως τὸ βρέφος καὶ ἀναπαὲν καὶ ἀναληφθὲν ὑπὸ τῆς μητρὸς καὶ τῷ μαστῷ προσεγγίσαν καὶ τῆς ἰδίας τοῦ γάλακτος τροφῆς ἀπολαῦον ἀκμὴν κλαίει, ὅτι μὴ ταχέως ἡ μήτηρ προσελάβετο καὶ ἀνέπαυσεν ἀλλ' εἴασεν αὐτὸ ἐπὶ πολὺ θλιβῆναι. κἂν μυρία γὰρ παραθῇ τις τῷ βρέφει ἐδέσματα ἢ χρυσὸν ἢ ἄργυρον ἢ ἕτερά τινα, ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τούτων χαίρει ἢ ἐπαναπαύεται ἢ περισπᾶται, ἢ μόνον ἐν τῇ τῆς μητρὸς θηλῇ καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ταύτης ὁράσει τέρπεται καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τροφὴν λαμβάνον εὐφραίνεται καὶ αὐτὴν ὁρῶν χαίρει καὶ ἀγαλλιᾷ.","english":"For even if the infant is not yet able to accomplish any work or to come to its mother on its own feet, nevertheless it rolls about, cries out, and weeps, seeking its mother; and in this the mother is moved with compassion, rejoicing and delighting that the infant seeks her with toil and crying; and though the infant is unable to go to her, yet because of the child's great seeking and longing, the mother herself comes to it, taken captive by her love for the infant, and she cherishes it and nourishes it with great affection. Yet even when the mother has taken up the infant, it still does not rest but wails, until she lays it in her arms and brings the breast of her own milk-nourishment to it, and thus at last the flowing fountains of milk gladden the infant. Yet even when the infant has been rested and taken up by the mother and has drawn near to the breast and enjoys its own milk-nourishment, it still weeps, because the mother did not quickly take it up and give it rest, but allowed it to be distressed for a long time. For even if someone sets before the infant countless foods, or gold, or silver, or anything else, it rejoices in none of these, nor is it rested or distracted by them, but is delighted only in its mother's breast and in the sight of her, and rejoices in receiving nourishment from her, and seeing her it is glad and exults.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":164,"ref":"p164","source":"Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἕκαστον τῶν ὁρωμένων ἕως καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων, ἤτοι τετραπόδων ἢ πετεινῶν, τὴν πρὸς τὰ τέκνα στοργὴν καὶ ἀναστροφὴν καὶ τῶν τέκνων πρὸς τὰς ἰδίας μητέρας οἰκείωσιν καὶ ἀγάπην ἡ φύσις φυλάττει ἀκολούθῳ τάξει. οἷον, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τὸ ὑπόδειγμα καταμάθωμεν, ἡ χελιδὼν τὴν ἰδίαν καλιὰν ἄνω που ποιεῖται εἰς ὑψη λωτέρους τόπους ἀπὸ ἑρπετῶν παραφυλαττομένη κἀκεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς τέκνα ἀνατρέφει καὶ θάλπει, καὶ οὐδεμιᾷ φωνῇ ἀνθρώπων ἢ ζῴων ἢ ἑτέρων τινῶν προσέχουσιν ἢ περισπῶνται τὰ νοσσία, μόνον δὲ τῆς μητρὸς τὴν φωνὴν ἂν ἀκούσωσιν, εὐθέως προσεπεγείρονται καὶ κεκρά γασι ζητοῦντα αὐτήν. ἡ δὲ χελιδὼν πανταχοῦ περιερχομένη τῷ θελή ματι αὐτῆς τὴν τροφὴν τοῖς τέκνοις προσκομίζει καὶ διαμασωμένη καὶ εἰς τρυφερότητά τινα καθιστῶσα προσδίδωσιν, ἵνα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς ἀκολούθως καὶ χρησίμως τραφῆναι δυνηθῶσιν. τὸν αὐτὸν οὖν τρόπον καὶ αἱ ψυχαὶ αἱ ἐν τῇ νηπιότητι τοῦ κόσμου τυγχάνουσαι καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν συνεχόμεναι καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῆς ζωῆς ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ποιεῖν ἀδυνατοῦσαι διὰ τὴν συνοῦσαν αὐταῖς τῆς κακίας δύναμιν, βοῶσαι δὲ καὶ ζητοῦσαι τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ ἀντίληψιν καὶ πόνον πολὺν καὶ πόθον ἔχουσαι πρὸς τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν, τὴν ἐπουράνιον μητέρα, τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, κλαυθμῷ καὶ βοῇ ταύτην ζητοῦσαι ἐπὶ μηδενὶ ἐπαναπαυόμεναι τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, εἰ μὴ μόνον τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν ἐν τῇ τοῦ πνεύματος μετουσίᾳ καὶ ἀνατροφὴν τὴν ἐπιπόθησιν ἔχουσαιαὐτὴ ἡ χρηστὴ καὶ οὐράνιος μήτηρ, ἡ χάρις τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐρχομένη πρὸς τὰς ζητούσας αὐτὴν ψυχὰς ἀναλαμβάνει ἐν ταῖς ἰδίαις τῆς ζωῆς ἀγκάλαις καὶ ἀναθάλπει τῇ πνευματικῇ καὶ","english":"Likewise also for each of the visible things, even down to the irrational creatures—whether four-footed beasts or birds—nature preserves, in an orderly sequence, the affection toward their young and their care, and the young's own attachment and love toward their own mothers. For instance, so that we may learn the example from the birds: the swallow makes its own nest somewhere on high, in loftier places, guarding against reptiles, and there it rears and warms its own young; and the nestlings pay heed to no voice of humans or of beasts or of any others, nor are they distracted, but only if they hear their mother's voice, they immediately rouse themselves and cry out, seeking her. And the swallow, going about everywhere by her own will, brings food to her young, and after chewing it and bringing it into a certain tenderness, she gives it to them, so that her young may be able to be fed in a fitting and useful way. In the same manner, then, also the souls that are in the infancy of the world and are held fast by the passions, and are unable to do the works of life in truth because of the power of evil that is with them, but cry out and seek the help that comes from God, and have much labor and longing for eternal life—seeking the heavenly mother, the Holy Spirit, with weeping and crying out, and resting upon nothing of this world, but having their rest only in the participation of the Spirit and their desired nurture—that good and heavenly mother, the grace of the Spirit, coming to the souls that seek her, receives them into her own arms of life and warms them with spiritual and","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":165,"ref":"p165","source":"οὐρανίῳ τοῦ τρυφεροῦ καὶ ἐπιθυμητοῦ καὶ ἁγίου καὶ λογικοῦ καὶ ἀδόλου γάλακτος τροφῇ εἰς αἴσθησιν καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ οὐρανίου πατρὸς ὁσημέραι ἐν προκοπῇ τῆς νοητῆς ἡλικίας αὐξανόμεναι, ἕως οὗ εἰς τέλειον μέτρον ἐλθοῦσαι καὶ «εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ» καταντήσασαι κατὰ τὸν τοῦ ἀποστόλου λόγον τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς τὴν μετουσίαν κομίσωνται. Αὐτὸς γὰρ μόνος ὁ κύριος τῇ ἰδίᾳ χρηστότητι καὶ εὐδοκίᾳ τοὺς διεσκορπισμένους ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τῆς ψυχῆς λογισμοὺς συνάγειν εἰς ἕνα ἔνθεον καὶ ἄνω προσέχοντα λογισμὸν δύναται. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ γάλα λύεται ἐν ἁπαλότητι καὶ κέχυται ἐν τῷ ἀγγείῳ ἐν χαυνότητι, πυτίας δὲ βληθείσης συνάγεται εἰς μίαν τινὰ στερρότητα καὶ παγιότητα, καὶ τὸ ἄλευρον ὁμοίως ἐν πολλῇ κέχυται τῇ λεπτότητι, ζύμης δὲ βληθείσης (ὡς ὁ κύριος ὑπέθετο τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν παρεικάσας τὰ «τρία σάτα τοῦ ἀλεύρου», «ἕως οὗ», φησίν, «ζυμωθῇ ὅλον») συνάγεται εἰς ἑνότητα διὰ τοῦ ὕδατος τὸ πολύχουν ἄλευρον, καὶ τίς δύναται εἰς στερρότητα καὶ χρησιμότητα εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τροφὴν ἀπεργάσασθαι ὥστε ἄρτον γενέσθαι, εἰ μὴ τὸ πῦρ μόνον;","english":"by the heavenly nourishment of the tender and desirable and holy and rational and guileless milk, growing day by day in the advancement of the spiritual age unto perception and knowledge of the heavenly Father, until, having come to the perfect measure and having attained \"to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,\" according to the word of the apostle, they may receive the participation of eternal life. For he alone, the Lord, by his own goodness and good pleasure, is able to gather the thoughts of the soul that have been scattered in the world into one godly and upward-looking thought. For just as milk is dissolved in softness and poured out in the vessel in looseness, but when rennet is added it is gathered into a certain single firmness and solidity, and flour likewise is poured out in great fineness, but when leaven is added (as the Lord suggested, likening the kingdom of heaven to the \"three measures of flour,\" \"until,\" he says, \"the whole is leavened\") the abundant flour is gathered into unity through the water, and who is able to bring it to firmness and usefulness for the food of men so that it becomes bread, except the fire alone?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":166,"ref":"p166","source":"τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ ψυχή, ἐν πολλῇ χαυνότητι καὶ ὑδαρότητι τοῦ κόσμου κεχυμένη διὰ τὴν πρόληψιν τῆς πρὸς τὰ πάθη συνηθείας καὶ τὴν τῶν λογισμῶν λεπτότητα ἀλεύρου τρόπον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ καταμεμερισμένητίς δύναται ἑνῶσαι τὰ ἐσκορπισμένα αὐτῆς νοήματα καὶ στερρὸν καὶ θεῖον καὶ εὐθῆ λογισμὸν ἀποκαταστῆσαι, εἰ μὴ διὰ πίστεως τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ δύναμις τῆς χάριτος καὶ τὸ ἐπουράνιον πῦρ τοῦ πνεύματος τῇ ἰδίᾳ δοκιμασίᾳ εἰς χρησιμότητα καὶ σωφροσύνην τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ πατρὶ ἀποκαταστήσει, καὶ οὕτως ἀξία τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν γενέσθαι δύναται; ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ ποιμὴν «τὰ διεσκορπισμένα» πρόβατα συνάγει τῇ ἰδίᾳ φωνῇ εἰς μίαν ποίμνην, καὶ αὐτῷ ἀκολουθοῦσιν συνηγμένα ἀλλήλοις καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ὁδηγούμενα. οὐαὶ ἐκείνῳ τῷ ποιμνίῳ τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι τὸν ὁδηγοῦντα εἰς τὰς καλὰς νομὰς ἃς αὐτὸς ἐπίσταται, ὅτι ὑπὸ λύκων καὶ θηρίων διαφθείρεται. οὐαὶ ψυχῇ τῇ μὴ ἐχούσῃ ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν πληροφορίᾳ τὸν ὁδηγὸν καὶ ποιμένα τῶν λογισμῶν αὐτῆς Χριστόν, ὅτι ὑπὸ τῶν δεινῶν λύκων καὶ τῶν θηρίων, τῶν πνευμάτων «τῆς πονηρίας», διεσκορπισμένη τοῖς λογισμοῖς καταναλίσκεται. Πρόσωπα δὲ ἔχει ὁ λόγος σωματικῶς καὶ πνευματικῶς, ἐπειδὴ καὶ σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν ἔχομεν· πάντα γὰρ τὰ ὁμοιώματα ὥσπερ ἔξωθεν σωματικῶς κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καλεῖται, οὕτω δύναται καθ' ἕνα ἕκαστον πνευματικῶς νοεῖσθαι ἐν τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν τῆς ψυχῆς συνάξει καὶ ἑνώσει. ὁμοίως πάλιν τὸ πολύχουν τοῦ σίτου τῶν σταχύων εἰς ἕτερον πρόσωπον ἔστι νοεῖν.","english":"In the same way also the soul, poured out in great slackness and watery weakness of the world through the preconception of its habit toward the passions and the fineness of its thoughts like flour scattered throughout this age—who is able to unite its scattered thoughts and restore a firm and divine and upright reasoning, except through faith the power of grace and the heavenly fire of the Spirit by its own testing restore it to usefulness and soundness of mind for the heavenly Father, and thus it can become worthy of the kingdom of the heavens? Likewise also the shepherd gathers the scattered sheep by his own voice into one flock, and they follow him, gathered to one another and guided by him. Woe to that flock that does not have the one guiding it into the good pastures that he himself knows, for it is destroyed by wolves and wild beasts. Woe to the soul that does not have within itself in full assurance the guide and shepherd of its thoughts, Christ, for by the terrible wolves and the wild beasts, the spirits of wickedness, being scattered in its thoughts, it is consumed. But the word has persons both bodily and spiritually, since we have both body and soul; for all the similitudes, just as they are called bodily from outside in the church, so can they be understood spiritually in each individual in the gathering and uniting of the thoughts of the soul. Likewise again the abundance of grain in the ears of corn can be understood in another person.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":167,"ref":"p167","source":"ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁρῶμεν, ὅτι πανταχόθεν συνάγεται διεσκορπισμένον ἐν πολλαῖς γαίαις καὶ ἀρούραις εἰς μίαν ἅλωνα, εἶτα συνθλιβόμενον καὶ συμπατούμενον ὑπὸ ζῴων λεπτύνεται ἡ καλάμη σὺν τῷ σίτῳ· καὶ τίς δύναται τὸ ἄχυρον τοῦ σίτου χωρίσαι, εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνέμου πνεύσει καὶ διαχωρίσει αὐτὰ ἀπ' ἀλλήλων; τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τίς δύναται ψυχὴν ἐσκορπισμένην καὶ κεχυμένην ἐν τῇ τοῦ κόσμου γῇ, τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τῶν παθῶν πλάνῃ, συναγαγεῖν ἐν τῇ ἀλωᾷ τῆς καρδίας καὶ χωρίσαι ἐξ αὐτῆς τὴν μεμιγμένην ἁμαρτίαν τῶν λογισμῶν τῆς κακίας, εἰ μὴ μόνον τὸ οὐράνιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ πνεῦμα πνεύσει ἐν αὐτῇ; φησὶ γὰρ ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· «οὗ τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ διακαθαριεῖ τὴν ἅλωνα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν μὲν σῖτον συνάξει ἐν ἀποθήκῃ, τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ». Παρακαλέσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ δεηθῶμεν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς ἐν πόνῳ καρδίας καὶ πόθῳ στοργῆς ζητοῦντες αὐτὸν μόνον, ἐπὶ μηδενὶ τοῦ κόσμου (ἡδονῇ ἢ δόξῃ ἢ ἀρχῇ ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινί) ἐπαναπαυόμενοι ἢ μόνον πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν ἐπιπόθησιν ἔχοντες, ἵνα συναγάγῃ τοὺς ἐσκορπισμένους ἡμῶν λογισμούς, ἵνα τῆς","english":"For behold, we see that what has been scattered over many lands and fields is gathered from all sides into one threshing floor, and then, being crushed and trampled by animals, the stalk is threshed fine together with the wheat; and who can separate the chaff from the wheat, unless the spirit of the wind blows and separates them from one another? In the same way, who can gather the soul that has been scattered and poured out upon the earth of the world, through the deceit of the passions of this age, into the threshing floor of the heart, and separate from it the sin of evil thoughts that is mixed in, unless only the heavenly Spirit of Christ breathes in it? For the evangelist says: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and he will gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Let us therefore also exhort ourselves and entreat the Lord day and night, in labor of heart and longing of affection, seeking him alone, resting upon nothing of the world (neither pleasure nor glory nor rule nor anything else), but having our longing toward him alone, so that he may gather our scattered thoughts, so that of the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":168,"ref":"p168","source":"ἐπισκέψεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιμελείας αὐτοῦ καταξιωθέντες καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ προσληφθέντες καὶ τροποφορηθέντες τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἄξιοι γενώμεθα, ἵν' ὡς σῖτος καθαρὸς καθαρισθέντες ἐν τῇ τῶν οὐρανῶν χώρᾳ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀποτεθῶμεν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐργάτης ἢ γεωργὸς πᾶσαν ὕλην καὶ βοτάνας καὶ χόρτον καταλιμπάνων ἐπὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν καὶ συλλογὴν τοῦ σίτου πορεύεται (οἶδε γὰρ ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν τὸ κέρδος καὶ τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχει), οὕτω καὶ ὁ καλὸς καὶ ἀληθινὸς γεωργὸς τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ὁ κύριος ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ ἐπιδημίᾳ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη καὶ πάσας προαιρέσεις ὑλικὰς καὶ κοσμικάς, ὡς μὴ χρησιμευούσας αὐτῷ καταλιμπάνων καὶ παριδών, ἐπὶ τοὺς οἰκείους αὐτοῦ καὶ πιστοὺς καὶ φίλους καὶ μόνον αὐτὸν ἀγαπῶντας καὶ ὡς σῖτος καλὸς «εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην» τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ καταρτισθέντας ἔρχεται καὶ τούτους συνάγει μόνους εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον τοῦ πατρὸς βασιλείαν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς τῶν ἀκάρπων ἀνθρώπων παριδὼν ὡς χόρτον ἄκαρπον «πυρὶ» παραδώσει, τοὺς τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ μὴ πεποιηκότας. Σπουδάσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν πάσῃ ἀγαθῇ ἀναστροφῇ καὶ τῇ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ ἐντολῶν παραφυλακῇ καὶ πάσαις ταῖς τῆς ζωῆς ἐντολαῖς πάντοτε ἐνέχεσθαι καὶ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος μετουσίαν κομίσασθαι, ἵν' ὥσπερ σῖτος καθαρὸς γενόμενοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ συναχθῆναι εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἄξιοι γενώμεθα. Ἀμήν.","english":"Having been deemed worthy of his visitation and care, and having been received by him and borne with in various ways, may we become worthy of eternal life, so that, purified as pure wheat, we may be stored away by him in the region of the heavens. For just as a laborer or farmer, leaving behind all timber and plants and grass, goes to the working and gathering of the wheat (for he knows that from there he has his profit and his rest), so also the good and true farmer of our life, the Lord, at his second coming, leaving behind and disregarding all the nations and all material and worldly inclinations, as not being useful to him, comes to those who are his own and faithful and friends and who love him alone and have been fitted as good wheat \"into the storehouse\" of his life, and gathers these alone into the heavenly kingdom of the Father, while the rest of the unfruitful men, having disregarded them as unfruitful grass, he will hand over \"to fire\"—those who have not done his will. Let us therefore also be diligent, in every good conduct and in the guarding of his holy commandments and in all the commandments of life, always to occupy ourselves and to receive the participation of the Spirit, so that, having become as pure wheat, we may be deemed worthy to be gathered by him into the kingdom. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]}]}