Yovhannēs Mandakuni, Čaṙkʿ (Homilies)

and the people of the prophet Amos, if they had repented at the first plague, would not have tasted the pains of the locusts, the wormwood, the grasshopper, the hail, the severe drought, the terrible famine, the grievous afflictions, and the untimely deaths. For this reason it is necessary for each one to beware of the evil path, lest further multitudes of grievous plagues be added upon you. For when our iniquities increase, then the plagues overflow upon us. But the providence of God also brings this upon us with care: that when we forget the fear of God and persist in evil, He does not wish to destroy us immediately and without repentance in sin, but grants a time for repentance. Then if we do not repent, He still has mercy on us for the sake of our return, and strikes our fields with hail, or with locusts, or with some other plague, so that, having become aware of our transgressions, we may repent. Then if we do not repent even thus, He strikes our beasts for our sake with various afflictions as if they were guilty of punishment, so that we may come to our senses. Then if we do not repent even thus, He either closes the heavens above us with harsh drought, or opens them with grievous abundance to destruction. Then if we do not repent even thus, He shakes the earth and causes it to tremble beneath us, and as if with a voice proclaims to make known our transgressions.

but not for the sake of repentance and penance. And if we do not repent even then, thereafter it sends upon our persons grievous afflictions, or untimely deaths, or mutilation of the body, or incurable pains, or demonic torment, and various pestilences, as Paul says: "For this reason there are among you many sick and diseased, and many more who have died untimely." For this reason it is necessary for you always to turn to chastisement and repent, and not to receive the many and grievous plagues, and thereby to escape the unquenchable fire and the eternal torments. And now let each one examine his own wretched self, and weigh the multitude of his own sins, and let no one think God unjust in pouring out the wrath of his anger; but give thanks to his forgiving and just judgment, for whatever God does is not a sign of anger, but of mercy. Behold, the universal deluge of the whole world was a sign of mercy and not of anger. For when they did not wish to repent and do penance through the ark-building preaching of Noah, who with the sound of the adze resounded in the ears of all, they were cut short by the swift death of countless sins. Although they received severe torments for their evil deeds, yet what they would have done on the morrow they escaped by means of death.

It is evident that the flood was a sign of mercy for those who did not wish to repent and do penance. Understand the same concerning the Sodomites: for it was not on account of any good deeds that they were destroyed by fire and lightning, but because of their grievous lawlessness and their foul conduct; for they were imprisoned in every abomination, and they lived in many pollutions until their sudden death. But to you, as to children, God has come to admonish and to heal, not to wound; to reveal now your lawlessness, and not to conceal it in the eternal shame of torments. He strikes your dwellings for your sake, that your souls may come to repentance. But perhaps you were afflicted with the evil disease of avarice, greed for gain, and covetousness, and He wished to curtail it; or you were given over to some licentiousness with lustful desire, and He wished to humble you through these deprivations; or, being sated with fullness and corpulent with fleshly pleasures, you had forgotten the fear of God, and now through some straitened distress and need you remember, and you provoke Him to anger, and He has roused you to penance. Behold, this wrath of punishment is for you a sign of mercy, and not of anger. But mercy, when shown in the face of such things, causes the multitude of sins to cease.

fire, but because of their sins. But you, make a reckoning of your thoughts, and examine your hearts, and find the multitude of your offenses, on account of which the floods of punishments pour over the earth. For the evil Satan always incites to evil things, and makes them seem small in our minds, so that we may not do penance. And we, foolishly despising, consider sins as something trivial, and heap up piles upon piles of sins upon ourselves. For some oppress and cut the boundaries of their neighbor's fields, concerning which the prophet says: "Woe to him who builds a house next to a house without right." And Satan makes that seem small, so that they may not do penance. And some cut the wages of laborers, who are considered as murderers. And Satan makes that seem small, so that they may not do penance. And some misuse the fruits of the church and deceive God, and they misuse the choice of choice animals, the calves and the lambs of their own persons, and deceive God, and offer the worthless and useless to the Lord. Concerning which the prophet says: "Cursed be the man whose choice remains, and who offers the defective to the Lord," by which even Cain was cursed. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not do penance. And some with slanderous tongues do not cease from calumny, speaking secretly about their neighbor, concerning which it says: "If one partakes of the body of the Lord and speaks evil of his neighbor, a heavenly sword will flash upon his lips.

and Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some are corrupt by gluttony, of whom even Paul says: Drunkards and slanderers do not inherit the kingdom of God. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some, fearless and feeble-minded, go out to the theaters and sit shamelessly, and from the demonic spectacle are wounded by invisible arrows; though not the body, yet they defile and corrupt the soul. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some, not from fear of God but only out of habit, enter the church, occupy themselves with empty words, and, despising the ministers of the glorification of God, turn the prayers into sins, and depart condemned. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some, alienated from the love of God and rejected from the grace of the Spirit, either partake of the holy sacrament with defilement, or withdraw with aversion; both are condemned to grievous torments. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. Some despise the baptism of the Lord and, with the pagan hopelessness, go forth with the hope of resurrection, and weep and mourn over the dead, which is forbidden by the holy apostles of Christ. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent.

And some, having abandoned and cast away the faith of Christianity and the power of the cross, go forth into incantations, spells, charms, sorceries, and the incantations of demons, which is complete idolatry and rejection of the divine laws. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. They teach our tongues false oaths, which Christ Himself commanded: "Do not swear at all." But let it be "yes, yes," and "no, no." That which is beyond this is from evil. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some slander orphans, men, and strangers. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some oppress their neighbors, extending their own places and diminishing their companion's portion. Concerning which the prophet says: "Woe to him who joins house to house and casts out his neighbor." And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some pervert the rights of men in judgment, and look to the splendid faces of the powerful, corrupted and despised by the bribes of lawlessness, concerning which the Scripture says: "Curses shall be in the marketplaces, and curses shall dwell in the houses of bribe-takers." And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some gather greatness from usurious interest and fill their houses.

which the prophet laments, saying: Woe to him who amasses great wealth by lawless means. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some tamper with scales and sting the hearts of buyers, not looking to the just weight of the wares, but striving to make the cheap costly and the costly cheap. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some do not obtain a just measure and a just weight, but make them small and large for the deception and oppression of many, concerning which the prophet says: Is a false measure not doubly abominable before God? And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some, with vengefulness, destroy the threshing-floors and granaries of their neighbor; but even more, those who are deluded by the counsel of Satan dare, with terrible lawlessness, to set fire to their houses of dwelling, who are debtors of much blood. For even if the people survived the death by fire, yet he who set the fire is liable, according to the number of souls, for the vengeance of manslaughter. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some, without any spiritual necessity, readily make peace with the enemies of God on various pretexts.

and they make friendships and alliances with the unbelievers, with the Jews and the pagans and the heretics, concerning which the prophet says: For that reason it shatters your ships, because you have become a friend of the enemy of God. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some of the weak-minded and those who fear God, though not by fornication, yet by evil jealousy and shameless envy they burn and consume their spouses in suspicions of fornication, who never cease from sins and from disturbance, but incessantly and perpetually sin with vengeance and clamor. Woe to those who suspect, and woe to those who give cause for suspicion. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And some sadden their parents, and pain their hearts with insults, which the commandment orders to punish. And some do not discipline their children, but leave them raw and reckless, for which the parents receive the penalties of chastisement. And some insolent servants despise their masters, with flattery and with labor of the eyes, bringing condemnation and torment upon themselves. And some of the votaries who offer gifts of provisions, transgress the vow and lie, and despise the covenants of the oath. And some of the nuns who wished to please Christ with garments and appearance, which is evil adultery.

And some among the clergy do not fear God to live chastely, but, feigning, they persist in their ways before men; foolishly, with the vice of vainglory, they make God unknown. They are condemned more than the fornicator and the drunkard. And some, with vices and deceit, reproach and slander their brothers, whose enmity rises up against God, for they blaspheme the work of his hands. For he who blasphemes the work is an enemy of the worker. And some cast the evil eye and are jealous of their brother’s advancement, and they rejoice and are glad at his fall and his impoverishment, which are terrible sins and grievous iniquities before God. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. But we pray according to custom and to please men, and we commune according to custom, and we perform the liturgy according to custom, and not with fear and trembling and love of the Spirit, and with all the readiness of our souls. I would also mention the countless other transgressions: the acts of arrogance, thefts, fornications, murders, deceits, idolatries, and especially the bloodthirsty envy and the foul rancor and the irreconcilable enmity toward one’s fellow, which are perpetual murderers and always in sins. And Satan makes that seem small, so that we may not repent. And now all this multitude of iniquities seethes within us.

Shall we dare to say, perhaps, that the scourges of God have been poured out upon us for the sake of His mercy, which for a long time He has patiently withheld, restraining the wrath of His anger from falling upon you, awaiting the turn of repentance? And because you remain unrepentant and without penance, He has caused you to taste a little of His threats, so that you might know that there is one who judges the whole multitude of our iniquities; and He has not poured out His anger according to the measure of your sins, but only a part of the many, to admonish you, so that you might know that there is a hell and eternal torments, by which He judges also your countless other wickednesses. And now, behold, you receive the test of the power of God, and you know His benevolence; do not henceforth imitate the wickedness of Pharaoh by hardening your hearts, but remember your crooked deeds, and turn back from each of your ways, and seek the straight path with supplications and entreaties; for if from you a multitude of other scourges arise, the terrible threats of the torments that have passed will cease; so that the forgiveness of sins may be reckoned among the wrath that has come upon you from the scourges, as the prophet says: "Lord, give us your peace, for according to all our deeds we have been requited.

As you have received from the hand of the Lord a small measure of recompense for your sins, which has become for you an aid to salvation, to rouse you to repentance. And now do not boast like Sodom in your impenitence, but repent like Nineveh, with weeping and sighs reconciling yourselves with the heavenly Father, who admonishes you as beloved ones, and has not, disregarding you, despised you as though hated strangers. And though for a time you may count the admonition as sorrow, yet afterwards you will recognize that you have received the repentance of contrition and the remission of sins through it. For whom the Lord loves, them he also admonishes, that they may be kept purified and absolved from sins. But if you would also be grateful for the just judgments of God, that you have received what you have justly wrought, God is able to multiply the small remnant of the fruits of your vineyards like the five loaves into sufficiency for your fullness. But do not seek any wondrous satiety; rather seek first the remission of sins and the healing of your souls, and all that will be added to you. And God, who is great in mercy, will give seed to the sower, and will grant you bread for food, and will increase the fruits of your righteousness. Having received all fullness and more, you will live by the mercy of God, to fill all the needs of your poor, orphans, and afflicted.

And this is the atonement for sins and for all your iniquities. This is the path that leads you to the eternal mansions of the kingdom. This is the ship that carries you to the harbor of peace. And this is the door that ushers you into the sweet-scented delights of paradise and into the luminous and eternal tabernacles of the saints and the righteous. May it render us worthy to partake of the graces of the glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto eternity of eternities. Amen. HOMILY ON APPROACHING THE HOLY SACRAMENT WITH CAUTION AND FEAR. My bones tremble with dread, and my soul is struck with awe, when I recall the terrible and great proximity of the sacrament. And my mind, drawn in two directions, is ever agitated. I desire to approach the longed-for thing, but my unworthiness hinders me. To reject and withdraw—this is the ruin of my soul. For there are many who either approach wickedly or withdraw in iniquity, and both are satanic. For one does not understand the power of the awesome sacrament, but, bound by base habit, approaches with a troubled conscience, not for salvation but for condemnation, not for remission of sins but for increase of iniquity. And the other, as if despising it as something worthless, withdraws, considering it of no importance, because he does not recognize the power and the graces of the great sacrament, or else he regards infrequent approach as some honor to the sacrament.

opens not to honor, but to foolishness and sloth, to depart from life and to yearn for darkness and death. The Lord himself said: "I am the bread of life, and whoever eats of this bread shall live forever. And the bread that I give is my body, which I gave for the life of the world." Therefore, all who depart from the body and blood of Christ, as if adding yet more for the sake of even greater confirmation, I say to you: "Amen, amen, unless you eat the body of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves." And those who do not have eternal life, their inheritance is the darkness of the abyss and the fire of Gehenna. For all who are far from the holy mystery readily receive the satanic poison and become its vessel perpetually. It is necessary for the soul either to partake of the grace of the Spirit or to receive from the foul spirit. The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and this evil one oppressed him. For a garden that has no wall, destructive beasts and wild boars enter and ruin it; and those not fortified by the holy mystery become dwellings of demons. Their souls, having fled from the angelic assembly, fall into the camps of demons. And demons readily seize them, torment their souls, and cruelly afflict their bodies, sometimes in fire, sometimes in water.

Now see and dispel your foolishness from yourself, correct your misbelief, urge your sloth to diligence, and hasten to be cleansed from sins, and with great longing hasten to the holy spiritual altar, lest you be cast out from your Christian name. For the faith of Christianity is baptism and partaking of the holy sacrament. And whoever is far from this and deficient is deficient in Christianity, for Christ does not dwell in him, nor he in Christ. For "He who eats of my body," he says, "shall dwell in me, and I in him." And therefore whoever wishes to dwell in him must go as he went. And whoever has the hope that God dwells in him and he in God must be holy, as he is holy, according to the measure of human weakness, and then approach. And whoever does not approach thus, it is evident that he approaches to the condemnation of his own soul, for approaching the holy body of the Lord is light for the holy ones and illuminates the soul by proximity, but for the impure it is fire, burning and destroying because of approaching with a guilty conscience. For when the testimony of the purity of your mind does not bear witness, it is evident that your approach to the holy sacrament is not according to the will of God, as Paul says: "These are the will of God, the testimony of your minds." And if your mind bears witness to your purity, then your proximity is according to the will of God.

If you approach with a wretched conscience, know that you will depart condemned, and more lawless than all the lawless. For this is even more iniquitous than the evil of blood-shedding murderers. For a man who kills a man is called a murderer; but he who partakes unworthily of the body of the Lord is a deicide, for he crucifies the Son of God anew. And now see to what table you approach with lawlessness, from which the heavenly powers tremble and shudder, and you with your foul lips dare to draw near. For if some evil odor were to reach a king, you would not dare to approach; yet you receive the heavenly king with your stinking soul, and are not struck with great awe. With filthy hands you dare to approach the food, and with your defiled spirit you partake indiscriminately. O depths of lawlessness, O terrible fears, O shameless impudence and grievous wickedness: with a wretched mind and a polluted spirit you go and approach the sanctities of the great mystery. And he who would dare more than this lawlessness is not, and is not, to be seen. When a man sins, it is said, he prays to God; but he who sins against God, to whom shall he pray? For you are not only guilty of the blood of a man, but of the body and blood of the Son of God. Take this to heart and see how you partake of the holy mystery.

For if you are confident of entering the kingdom of God, receive the communion of the mystery without a conscience; but if you are doubtful of the heavenly kingdom, then you are unworthy both of the mystery and of its sanctity. For it is impossible to be worthy of the holy mystery and not of the kingdom, for the sanctity of both is one and the same to be worthy of. Moreover, some, though they do not partake because of the conscience of their thoughts, nevertheless remain inside as hypocrites, making it appear to those outside that they are among the communicants. For everyone who is not worthy of the mystery should neither remain inside, nor be present at the prayers nor at the communion, but should go outside with the unworthy. Do not hypocritically remain inside as if worthy, and not partake as if unworthy. Why do you despise the awesome and great mystery? Do you not know that when the holy mystery is elevated upon the holy altar, at that moment the heavens open above, and Christ descends and arrives there, and the hosts of angels spread from heaven to earth, and surround the altar where the great lordly mystery is, and all are filled with the Holy Spirit? At that time, those who are risen in conscience are not worthy to partake of such a mystery until they are corrected by penance. Hear also the terrible proclamation of the preacher: "Let no one from the impure," he says, "let no one from the doubters, and let no one from the unworthy; those who are not prepared with sanctity, send them outside.

and cries out to those who remain within: “Look to yourselves, and examine your hearts—not with a conscience, nor with deceit, nor with cunning, nor with wiles, nor with hesitation and unbelief, shall you approach. For the sanctity of the mystery befits the holy and the pure.” And hearing this, we do not tremble and shudder before the awesome and great mystery, at which the seraphim tremble, and the cherubim dare not approach; angels and archangels shudder with trembling, and all the heavenly powers stand in awe and tremble. But how severely will he be consumed by torments, if a man with a guilty conscience should touch it? And as something thrown into fire is burned and destroyed, so he who makes light of Christ’s body becomes an enemy. But do not look upon it as mere bread, nor consider and regard it as wine. For the awesomeness of the holy mystery is not visible, but is known by powers; since Christ entrusted to us nothing visible in the mystery and in baptism, but something knowable. We see water, but we believe in the divine word, which says: “This is my body and blood. He who eats of my body and drinks of my blood, he will dwell in me and I in him, and I will raise him on the last day.

And we, with true faith, know Christ upon the altar, we approach him, we see him, we touch him, we kiss him, we take him within and receive him, and we become body and limbs and sons of God. Now, whoever does not believe with such faith, and does not know the body of the Son of God, is far from the help of God, far from the grace of the Spirit, far from the remission of sins and from eternal life, without expectation of resurrection, and without hope of salvation, and rejected from the Christian faith, by which salvation came to us through the shedding of the blood of Christ. And now, let no one approach him with conscience, let no one approach him with doubt, let no one rise up with weakness; but having believed truly, that in the great awesome mystery the heavens are the church, the throne of glory is the altar of the mystery, and Christ descends and places himself upon it, who always distributes for the salvation of all. And now, O man, look at yourself and see, where are you, whom do you see, whom do you kiss and receive within? You are among the heavenly powers, you bless among the angels, you praise among the seraphim, you see Christ, you kiss Christ, you take and partake of Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit and divine graces, you are glorified and strengthened forever.

Therefore, you priests and ministers, stewards of the holy mystery, approach with awe, keep with fear, serve with sanctity, and administer with vigilance. You possess a royal treasure; guard it with great fear and caution. For you will incur unforgivable torments if you know of someone's evil deeds and he, coming, dares to approach the holy body of Christ, and you hesitate to admonish, reject, and rebuke him. Or if, due to laziness and negligence, you dispense the holy body of Christ to the lawless and unworthy, and cast it as to dogs and swine, what forgiveness can be granted you? And to how many punishments and unforgivable torments will you be delivered—you who have become betrayers and debtors of the Lord's body? Behold, you rule in the name of Christ, you are nourished in the name of Christ, and you betray Christ to the lawless, and torment him with the filthy lives of the unworthy. Now, look upon yourself, O priest, and know yourself: what is the labor of your priesthood, and what work have you accomplished? You are not a plowman for your congregation, nor a sower or reaper, but you were appointed to teach and to admonish, to reject and to rebuke. This is the work of the priesthood, and it is always necessary daily. For it is for this reason that you were honored with such dignity and rule over all, so that you may examine such persons and, having rebuked them, reject them.

But those priests who do not know—they too are debtors of even more unforgivable torments, as Paul says: "He who eats and drinks unworthily shall be liable to the body and blood of the Lord." Moreover, for many, the taste of judgment brings forth bitter afflictions and with the harshness of diseases prematurely removes them from this world, as it is said: "Because of unworthy participation in the body of the Lord, there are among you many sick and diseased, and many more who have fallen asleep prematurely." For some, because of unworthy approach to the mystery, go about all their days broken and paralyzed; and some, because of it, lie fallen in incurable strokes and pains; and some, because of it, enter into prisons and bonds; and some, because of it, depart from this world childless. Moreover, many more wrathful events occur in the elements, and fruit-destructions, and untimely deaths of man and beast, because of unworthy participation in the body and blood of the Lord. Therefore, let us approach with great fear, let us examine our hearts with great caution; let us not, because of negligence, mark feasts for approaching communion. For on Wednesday and on Sunday and on the feasts of Pentecost and Easter, it is one and the same sacrifice, and the same mystery is performed. And you, at the time of approaching, keep your mind holy only, and not any days at length.

It is not audacity to approach the holy sacrament many times with a pure heart, for you thereby sustain and renew your soul. But if with unworthiness and a guilty conscience you approach even once in the whole time of your life, you will destroy your soul. See: Cain sinned one sin, and perished; Canaan sinned one sin, and perished; Ahab sinned one sin, and perished; Judas sinned one sin, and perished; and those who killed Christ killed him once, and perished. And if you, even once in the whole time of your life, approach the holy mystery unworthily, you will kill your soul with the destruction of eternal torments. But you will say: "I approach purified during the season of Lent." And what benefit will you gain from being purified once, when you will again become defiled? What use is washing, when you will again become filthy? What use is building, when you will again tear down? On the day of the feast alone you wish to be healed of your afflictions, and after that to waste away in afflictions; one day to be healed of the wounds of your sins, and then to desire to receive the same wounds again; one day to distance yourself from the devil, and then to be tormented by him perpetually. Such are those who commune of the holy mystery once, and then waste away in sins perpetually. What use is it to distance yourself once from the sword of the slayer, when on the morrow you deliver yourself into his hands? Or one day to sit at table with the king, and on the morrow to be delivered to merciless executioners?

ur life, it is a great sin. Likewise, there is no benefit or profit in partaking of the holy table only on the day of the feast of Easter, and then withdrawing with impure deeds and being with Satan perpetually. For what profit is it to find precious eyes on the day of the feast and lose them on the morrow? And it is not the communion on the feast day that is profitable when you again lose yourself through unworthy conduct. For what profit is it to approach Christ when you again attach yourself to Satan? There is no profit in being saved from the fire today and being burned cruelly tomorrow. And it is no consolation to come out of prison for one day and be king, and then be tormented mercilessly among the condemned. And it is no profit for one day to partake of the mystery and then be cast out among the condemned. For you are lame in both feet and weary in both minds: either be a servant of demons or a partaker of the mystery of Christ. One day you appear whitened like a swan, and another day black-fleeced like a goat. Today you are David, full of the Spirit, and tomorrow Saul, smitten by madness. Today you are Peter, obedient, and tomorrow Judas, rebellious. Today you are a partaker of the mystery of Christ, and tomorrow a servant of Satan. Today you partake of the Lord's body as a Christian, and tomorrow you withdraw from him like a stranger. Today you are among the confessors, and tomorrow outside among the deniers. Today you enter into the mystery among the faithful, and tomorrow you go out among the unbelievers.

What shall I call you, or what name shall I give you? Sometimes you are lamb-like, sometimes beast-like; sometimes clothed in light, and sometimes wrapped in darkness. Today you receive honor from the king, and tomorrow you do not accept it and turn your face away. Such are those who partake of the mystery on some days, and then, as if turning their faces like beasts, depart. If you are worthy of the mystery, partake freely always, that you may be spirit-filled, Christ-clothed, and Christ-receiving; and if you are unworthy by your conduct, you are not worthy even of the feast of Easter. But you will say: I have been purified during the forty-day fast, and I desire to approach the holy mystery. That is good, and I praise it. But why do you not approach always? I cannot, you say, keep myself pure always. Now if this is your thought—that if I partake once at the feast and then withdraw, and I am not worthy even of the feast—for the counsels of evil are in you. What profit is there in approaching Christ and not departing from Satan? What profit is there in tasting the precious medicine when you keep the wound within yourself? What profit is there in going to the physician when you are unwilling to uncover the wound? And you will find no profit in partaking when you are unwilling to depart from sins; rather, there is an increase of condemnation and torments.

If the king heard that some prince today entered into counsel with him, and tomorrow withdrew from him and became a confidant of his enemies, would he not receive him into counsel? Rather, he would bind him, torture him, and put him to death. How much more would Christ condemn and torment one who today wishes to enter with him into the Lord’s counsel, and tomorrow withdraw from that counsel and fulfill the will of the enemy? Are you not today pure from sins when you ponder in your mind, “Tomorrow I will withdraw and fulfill the will of my own self”? This is even more evil before God. One who intends to approach the holy body of Christ and then withdraw from him and from the commandments of God—this is to approach with a wavering mind, this is to receive with hesitation, this is to partake with deceit, and to commune with guile, deception, and half-hearted faith. This is more foul than any defilement, when you again intend to withdraw and once more return to your former evils. For a man who says he will turn from sins and then again turns back is like a dog that returns to its own vomit. And now, knowing all this, let us not with worthiness distance ourselves from the holy sacrament for some time, nor with unworthiness dare to touch the awesome mystery of sanctity.

for the terrible punishments of the unworthy remain—those who have dared to partake of the counsel with a troubled mind—and the punishments of the worthy, who are negligent and slothful over some length of time. But let us be cautious with great fear of our persons, and with great diligence let us dispel the darkness of ignorance; let us cast away unjust wrath, enmity, and evil-remembering rancor; let us reject cunning, slander, and envy; let us shake off sorrow and the clamor without speech; let us flee from the gluttonous, the slanderers, the drunkards, and the dissolute; let us put an end to malice, deceit, and secret treachery; let us be reconciled with our enemies, love those who are estranged, and forgive one another’s offenses; let us serve one another from the whole heart, be obedient to one another, bear one another’s burdens, love one another, and consider our neighbor better than ourselves; let us cleanse our heart, lower our eyes, restrain our tongue from slanders, do penance for our sins, dispel our troubled thoughts, shake off our stupidity, and turn our sloth into diligence; let us strengthen ourselves with fasts, labor with prayers, abound in mercy, be virtuous in deeds, shrink from evils, and be perfected in faith. For thus, by all virtue, shall we become worthy of the awesome and great council.

with great longing and perfect sanctity, let us partake of the most holy and life-giving body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is glory and power unto the ages of ages. Amen. LETTER OF CONSOLATION TO THE MOURNERS OF THE WORLD Look to the hope above, you who descend into the deep darkness of your grief. Hasten, dispel from yourself the maddening counsels of the evil one, and awake and come to your senses. Remember the commandments of God's ordinances, and shake off from yourself the satanic importunities, and take heed of the many evil wiles of the enemy, and beware of his arrows. Flee from his cunning and from his invisible snares. Escape from his bitter wounds and from his severe blows. Look into the turbidity of your thoughts, and know that these are the enemy's seeds within you. Arise, prostrate yourself before God, that you may be saved from his evil deceptions and from his lawless sorrow. For when Satan wholly ensnares a man's mind, he brings upon him sorrow and agitations of thoughts. Even if the sorrows are slight, yet in his troubled mind he renders them insurmountable and boundless, whereby he also drives the heart mad and weakens it from customary prayers and from the fear of God.

And especially if one finds reasons for his own death, he casts upon his neighbors an unbearable gloom of sorrow and mourning, and inwardly burns the heart, and weakens the mind, and utterly casts the memory, stupefied, from the awareness of the mind, and does not allow him to bow to the words of comforters and consolers, but stubbornly persists in the sorrow of mourning, so that the delusions of the enemy, with unbearable grief, drive him mad more than by drunkenness, and utterly do not allow him to look upon the commandments of God, which say: "Better is the day of death than the day of birth." Why? Because the day of birth is the beginning of sins and iniquities, and from there pains, cares, sorrows, slanders, poverty, burnings, orphanhoods, childlessness, and all the torments of many afflictions and tribulations of this world begin to grow in him. Moreover, Satan, having gathered and poured through him all the multitude of passions of sin, torments, oppresses, wounds him with enmity, theft, murder, slander, oaths, envy, malice, rancor, greed, and by depriving others, deceit, sorcery, divination, and with the entire countless multitude of passions, for which the recompense is the unquenchable fire and eternal torments. But through death, healed of all, he ceases.

for even if he had no measure of righteousness, yet he ceased from sinning. But if he had acquired a straight measure, he was freed from all doubtful sins and from the passions of this world, and ascended to be mingled with the host of saints and the righteous. And now it is foolishness to weep and mourn such a luminous life with profligacy and in a pagan manner. For Paul also forbade even a single sorrow, closing it off by saying: "Do not grieve for the departed as do the pagans who do not know God." But how severe a punishment do you think you deserve, who enter into mourning and lamentation and weeping? For it is forbidden to the Christian faithful, who were illumined by the holy font, and the great and awesome name of the Holy Trinity was invoked upon them, and they were consecrated by the seal of the cross of God, that they should in any way have the power to dishonor those consecrated to God with pagan lawlessness, nor to violently tear and rend and cast ashes upon the consecrated head; but rather to withdraw entirely from the lawless and satanic wailing and weeping and lawless lamentations. The Christian is not to command the tearing of hair, nor the rending of garments, nor to enter into lamentation, nor to bring forth the dirge, nor to bare the shoulders, nor to strike the forehead, nor to wear sackcloth, nor to scatter ashes, nor to raise cries, nor to drench with tears.

for all this is satanic and pagan, which senseless women babble in displays of hypocrisy, and they perform the work of idolaters over Christians, wailing the dirges, raising the lament, and sounding the cries of mourning, despairingly and cruelly beating the body over the departed Christian, whom it was fitting to send forth with psalms and blessings, honored with hymns into eternal life. Why do you, with mockeries and dishonors, mourn and persecute the soul-bearing and Christ-born body? And how shall we call those Christians who are led astray by satanic delusions over the dead? For even such lawless ones are joined by demons, who pass into the place of lamentation. For they themselves taught the lament of despair and the grief of mourning cries, so that they might condemn the mourners along with them to the fire of Gehenna. But you ought to be ashamed before Jews, pagans, and heretics, who slander our faith and say: Where is your hope of resurrection, when with such dirges, mournings, cries, and foul mockeries you become bloodied and blood-shedding, with wails and feathers, shrieks and wails, mourning and lamenting the world over the named Christian? Why do you boast, O Christians, that you are like Jews and pagans?

but we see your powerful mourning and sorrow exceeding that of the powerless: evil-voiced men choke themselves with shrieks, wails, and cries, they lament and wallow in despair, they strike and beat their foreheads as if possessed, and they shamelessly batter their breasts like madmen. And women, with hair loosened, tear at their cheeks, rend their garments, and shamelessly, having stripped themselves, tear and mourn in frenzy, like the evil-possessed maddened by the devil. Ashes, blood, and dust, and garments rent. Now with such clamors they rave and mock the images of Christians—things not heard among pagans, nor among Jews, nor among heretics, nor among those who have never received the hope of the resurrection of the dead. And so let us reject such lawless mourners from the number of Christians, and, cast out of the church, let us count them among the pagans, and let us take up mourning over them as over pagans. For such as these are worthy of mourning, of lamentation, of weeping, and of great wailing, who are condemned to the fire of Gehenna and have a share with the unbelievers, because they have brought the evil pagan passions of despair into the church. And now tell me, O priest, why do you bring the order of services and psalms into the ranks of those who strip themselves and run riot? What common ground is there between the holy services and the satanic, devil-maddened mourners?

Why do you mix your blessers with your cursers, your thankers with your enemies, your glorifiers with your blasphemers? It is not lawful to introduce angelic song into the unlawful, satanic assembly, nor to offer the holy prayers in their foul temples of demons, nor to consecrate the sacrifice at the altars of their offering-places; for the foul gather with the foul, and holiness befits the holy. There is not one people of Jews and pagans, nor of Christians and heretics, for they are opposed and destructive to each other; and you, mixing them together, unite them, and send forth blessings and curses into one assembly. The unlawful mourners with their wantonness provoke wrath, and the ministers intercede with prayer and psalm. When the relatives of the dying one, unlawfully, with mourning and lamentation, hostilely provoke God, why do you entreat, beseech, and intercede for the remission of the dying one’s sins? To whom does he listen, and what does he accept? If I am at all a caretaker of the departing one, remember him in your church, and entreat God in your prayers; but it is base and unseemly to mix the ministers of the holy church into the foul, satanic assembly of the mourners, and into the shameless spectacle of the disheveled women, the blood-smeared, torn, and ash-sprinkled ones; for even if they were enemies of the dying one, they could have grieved him and done him evil only to that extent which they did at the time of the departure of the Spirit.

and you do not accept the word of the prophet who said, "Let my soul return to your rest, for the Lord has done good to you." The Lord shows the benefit of the power of death, and you wail and lament and mourn bitterly. Behold, the prophet says to you, "Woe to him who calls evil good, or good evil." For the life of the sinner is evil, and he adds sin upon sin; and his death is good, for it ceases from evils. But if he had lived, you say, perhaps he would have repented, prayed, given alms, and with tears reconciled the Lord. Do not bring such a thing to mind, and do not deem the all-knowing one ignorant, who does not desire the death of the sinner. But the heart-knowing God knew that he would not repent; he grants him death as mercy, that he might cease from committing future sins. But the death of the righteous is entirely a cause for rejoicing and gladness, a change from the sin-loving and vain-spirited life of this world; and he will keep the treasure of the rewards of virtue, which he bore with patience, in peace and vigilance. And if there is any deficiency or fault, let us help him with compassion for the poor, let us remember the awesome mystery, let us perform acts of mercy for him; and that is the reward of the beneficent God, who does good for the deceased as he himself knows.

And you are wrapped in hope of the awesome day of resurrection, and you have completely removed from yourself the defects of sorrowful mourning, so that you may be called a Christian, and with all joys you have awakened, keep your eye on the desirable eternal life. And be comforted by this, that for your departed one, the terrible deaths of punishment did not befall. For there are many evil deaths, and from sudden pitfalls or untimely dying. But you, be comforted by this and thank God, that yours ended in peace in his bed. And evil deaths are for those who ended in rivers, and were torn apart by stoning. But you, be comforted by this and thank God, that yours was completed in your arms, and left a comforting testament to the living. And an evil death is for those who are torn apart piece by piece by the fangs of snakes and the evil jaws of beasts, and no one heard their last words, nor saw them stretch out their hands and feet. But you, be comforted by this and thank God, that you buried yours with your own hands, and heard his last words. There is an evil death for those who die in wars, and see the sword flash, and the darkness of the living covers their eyes, and they are cast to the beasts, having been made a spectacle for the enemy. But you, be comforted by this and thank God, that yours fell ill on a bed, and was offered with honor to God.

And they were put to death, and the bodies of the living were burned and their limbs torn apart, to be hung on wood, disfigured, and with shameful mockeries by crows and vultures. But you, be comforted by this and give thanks to God, that yours fell ill with thanksgiving, and was perfected with confession, and received the tomb of the fathers with kisses of greeting. That death is evil, of those who were tormented by demons, and who, insensible, would eat the bodies of their limbs, and, cast into prison with merciless fetters, would die of starvation. But you, be comforted and give thanks to God, that yours fell ill with repose, and ended with blessing, was wrapped in shrouds, and was sent off with psalms, and was dispatched to the heavens with priestly prayers and liturgies, and is ever blessed and remembered in the completion of the memorials. And now, who is there that would have such an ungrateful and spiritless mind, and, bringing this to mind, would not be greatly comforted, and ceaselessly give thanks to God, that with such glory and honor the departed was summoned to the heavens, where are all the assemblies of the universe, the hosts of the righteous and the ranks of the saints, the choirs of the prophets, the orders of the apostles, and the countless multitudes of martyrs, the resplendently adorned tabernacles.

Luminous dwellings, and eternal enjoyments, and the desirable paradise, imperishable goods, untroubled joys, ageless youth, unshakable health, holy love, a desirable place, a life of delights, and insatiable desires for spiritual foods, wondrous rejoicings, caresses of caresses, and comfort of softnesses, and spiritual rest of all the elect; with whom also your departed one may rest in joy. And now it is fitting for you to be comforted with all joy, for he flew to the heavens, was changed from man to angel, was cast from death into life, was drawn from darkness into light, was called from poverty to kingship, from servitude to freedom, from labors to rest, from sorrow to carefreeness, from sins to righteousness, was changed from the earthly to the spiritual, and was ranked with the fiery ones. Now be comforted by this in every way, if you have an eye on the resurrection. But also bring to mind that death is the path of the whole world, and we all go by that path. Adam, Abel, Seth, Noah, and all the righteous received death, by which it is fitting for you also to be comforted. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses, and David, the seers of God, and all the righteous patriarchs and the God-speaking ones received death, by which it is fitting for you to be comforted. Behold, all the holy and righteous kings received death, by which it is fitting for you also to be comforted.

Behold, the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs, and the Holy Virgin Mother of God received death, by which it is fitting for you also to be consoled. Behold, even Christ the Son of God received death for our salvation, that he might render us immortal in immortal life. For this reason, it is fitting to give thanks and to be consoled by the renewal of the hope of the resurrection of all the righteous, with whom we also shall rise, and we shall receive our departed ones with joy. Now, listen to Paul, who consoles us, saying: "Do not grieve for those who have fallen asleep, as do the other pagans who do not know God." Hear also the prophet who says: "In the evening the weeping ceases; in the morning there will be joy." Now, if you are called a Christian and have believed in the resurrection, be brave and console yourselves with prophetic and apostolic consolation. For mourning is for the hopeless, and not for the wise and the faithful, who have expectation of the renewal of all who have fallen asleep. For the death of a Christian is not a loss, but a renewal into eternal life. For this reason, we also send the souls of our departed ones into life with psalms and blessings, as if offering a gift to God. Concerning this, it is not fitting for a Christian to have mourning and weeping over the dead.

Let the Jews weep and the heretics mourn, let all the unbelieving and schismatic make lamentation and beat their breasts, for they are worthy of weeping and wailing, of sorrow and great mourning. But let us be consoled by the renewal of eternal life. And now, for all this, lift up your lamentations, put an end to your wailing, banish your grief, stop your tears, restrain your weeping, silence the clamor of cries and woes; despise the mournful dirges, scorn the tearing of hair and the rending of locks, drive away those who draw blood and those who cover themselves with ashes, be hostile to those who bare their limbs and those who go about disheveled. Let us depart from lawless error, let us distance ourselves from pagan impiety, let us utterly disperse satanic mourning and useless darkness. For let us live as Christians, and end our lives in the worship of God, and be found worthy of rest and of the kingdom of heaven in our Lord, to whom be glory, power, and honor now and forever.

Confessors, be diligent, strive to live in our days. For a terrible day is before us, a terrible tribunal and an unquenchable fire. Let us weep and lament, and beseech forgiveness, that we may live from the unquenchable fire which threatens sinners. Always and continually let us weep with compassionate supplications, with mournful sighs; let us implore the forgiving one of sins. Let us fall before him to confess what we have done here in secret, to reveal, tell, and show the hidden multitude of our sins. For there our thoughts are examined and our faults are shown; the secrets of our hearts are revealed in the world-visible public square. I am terrified and tremble when I hear the sound of the trumpet, which urgently calls the troops to the great terrible day of judgment. For the all-sinful Satan fought fiercely against me, and having wounded me, cast me out and threw me from the immortal glory, prepared the bitter evil of the Tartarus of Gehenna, and threatens to burn me, a sinner, in the furnace of sparks. Whoever has love of holiness, weep for me with tears; with warm supplications beseech forgiveness for me. My beloved Christ-lovers, help me, the wounded one; and with great compassionate mercy implore the Lord on my behalf. With sighs I beseech you, be fellow-mourners with me, the one who has sinned; with supplications weep with me, joining your voices to my calamity. Lament me with weeping, and raise your voices in pity; for I have been fiercely struck by the evil arrows of Satan.

The enemy has clouded me with the snares of darkness, and drawing a sword, has wounded me, whom I beseech you to heal. Holy children of the faith, where are you? Have mercy on me in my distress, and with tearful supplications entreat the forgiver of sins. I rely on your prayers, and I seek forgiveness for myself. For I have sinned in various ways, and I do not suffice for penance. I am terrified and tremble when I remember that I am greatly sinful, that I must pass to that land and see the Lord of glory. Christ, compassionate and merciful, have pity also on me, the all-sinful, for I seek mercy from your great tribunal. For a terrible day is before me, the sinner, which will examine the secrets of my heart and reveal my hidden thoughts. Now I beseech you, O philanthropic Lord, do not call me to account on that day; do not deliver me to evil torments and to the unquenchable fire of the furnace. For I shall give you praises of blessing to the Father and the Son and your Holy Spirit, who are ever blessed in eternity, glorified from eternity.

Prayer of the New O you who are uncreated and unbegotten and creator of all creatures, whom the earth cannot contain, and the heavens cannot encompass; but you are above the heavens, and beyond the limits; and all that is visible and invisible is contained within you. You rule over all, and your command governs all creatures. You impoverish, and you enrich; you strike, and you heal. You are the comforter of me endangered by Satan, and the healer of me sickened by sins. You are the receiver of prayers and the fulfiller of petitions. Incline your ear, Lord, and hear your servant. See, Lord, my afflictions, and receive me with mercy. Do not rebuke me in your wrath, and do not reprove me in your indignation. For you are the God of mercies, have mercy also on me the sinner, who with many groans and supplications entreat and beseech you. For I am wounded by sins, and pained by lawlessness. I am afflicted with evil passions in my offenses, and with foul thoughts in my iniquities. I am polluted with a putrid soul, and defiled with a sin-stained body. With shamefaced countenance I stand before you, and with shame before those who see me. And now you, Lord, sweet and forgiving, are called long-suffering for the sake of sinners. You who said: If the lawless one turns back, I will not remember all his lawlessness which he committed.

And now, behold, I have come and fallen before you, your servant who has sinned, and trembling I beg mercy from you. Do not remember my many sins, and do not reproach my iniquities—whether I sinned willingly or unwillingly, whether by words or by deeds, or whether I was defiled by untimely thoughts, whether from ignorance or from sloth and forgetfulness I acted. For you, Lord, are accustomed to pity and have mercy, and to forgive many sins, and to atone for all the hosts of iniquity. You who purified the harlot, freed the thief, justified the publican, and lightened those weighed down with sins. For you are a merciful God, and you pity the sinners who call upon you with faith. Have pity, Lord, also on me, who am full of sins, and save me from the snares of the enemy. Disperse, Lord, the darkness from the sight of my eyes, and open my deaf ears to hear aright. Heal my wounded tongue from slander, and cleanse my heart from evil thoughts. I desire you, Lord benefactor, and long for the mercy of my Father. Have pity on me, a sinner, and receive me like the prodigal son. Satiate my hunger with your love, and fill my need with the abundant flow of your grace. For I, desiring you, beg to draw near, and I yearn to look upon you at all times. I always long for your graces, and I am ever in need of your mercy. Do not bind me with the punished, and do not condemn me with the hated.

but receive me under the shelter of your will, and keep me among the keepers of your commandments. For if you examine my faults without forgiving, the promises of resurrection are vain for me, for my inheritance is the fire of Gehenna. For if you judge my condemnation and my wayward thoughts, then I would curse the day I was born from the womb. But look upon my supplications and my entreaties, and do not reject me from your mercy, for I long for your mercy and am in need of your compassion. For I have always defiled my body, and continually polluted my soul, not only with evil deeds, but also with foul thoughts. And now wash me from my sins, and cleanse me from the filth-befouled mire. I have besought you, and I implore you, fulfill the needs of my desire. Join me to the ranks of the saints and to the assembly of the righteous, who at all times enjoy your desirable vision. I do not dare to ask as a benefactor, but I prostrate myself with entreaty as a debtor and a great sinner. I do not [...] having boldness as one pure, but I beseech you to cleanse my stench from your purity, for I have an innumerable multitude of sins, and the hosts of my lawlessness continually overwhelm me; they constantly torment my heart, and consume and waste my body and my limbs. And for this reason I continually prostrate myself in entreaty, imploring and supplicating, for you are my Father and Lord, my maker and creator.

Where shall I go, or from whom shall I seek help? I have sinned against you, and before you I confess, and I beseech you: do not cast me out from your mercy, and do not throw me from your presence. I entreat you, Lord, my benefactor and my greatly merciful creator: do not put me to shame with eternal shame, and do not condemn me on the great day of judgment; do not expose me before your universal assembly; do not torment me with your pitiless torments, and do not punish me with your terrible Gehenna. But let me live among the fiery furnaces, and among the fiery rivers of flame, among the evil-tormented and the unillumined darkness and the bitter judgments and the unrelievable torments, the unbreakable bonds and the perpetual afflictions, the everlasting lamentations and the gnashing teeth. But have mercy on me, wounded by sins, and heal me, sickened by lawlessness. Receive me as the blasphemer and the persecutor, and disperse the multitude of my sins. Cleanse me from my impurity as the fornicator, and justify me as the publican. Have mercy on me as on the Canaanite woman, and grant me my transgressions as to the thief. Settle me among the ranks of the saints and in the dwellings of the righteous stewards, the enjoyments of the eternal life, and the joys of the infinite blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is glory eternal.

On the Acquisition of Virtue Admonition Before all virtues is humility, and before all vices is vainglory. The head of the virtues is love; but the head of the vices is self-justification. The fear of God drives away all sin; but sloth drives away the fear of God; likewise, captivity drives away virtue from the self. There are four virtues: silence, humility, keeping the commandments of God, and endurance. There are four virtues that preserve the self: showing mercy to the poor, not becoming angry, forbearance, and guarding oneself from forgetfulness of mind. These virtues are necessary at all times, and to fall prostrate before God in one's heart, and to hold oneself as a sinner, and not to judge others; and then thoughts cease. These are the four virtues that help a young monk: constant study of the scriptures, diligence and manual labor, being obedient and submissive to the elder, and never considering oneself as anything anywhere. Because of these four things souls are defiled: one, wandering in the city and not setting a guard over the eyes; two, having familiarity with women; three, having love for the powerful of the land; and four, loving worldly speech and idle talk.

On the Four Causes of Fornication: from eating and drinking to satiety, and from satiety to sleep and idleness, and from idle talk, play and laughter, and from the adornment of garments. On the Four Causes of the Darkening of the Mind: first, grieving one's companion, and despising one's companion, and scorning and reviling one's companion, and slandering one's companion. On the Four Causes by which Souls become barren and fruitless: first, not remaining in one's place and home; second, doing nothing; third, loving worldly occupations; and fourth, loving the goods of the earth and greed. On the Four Causes of Anger: first, from giving and from insisting on one's own will; second, from contradicting; third, from loving to be master over many; and fourth, from considering oneself wiser than other men. These are the virtues which a man acquires with difficulty, and these few preserve all virtues: to mourn at the proper time, and always to look only at one's own sins and not to judge others, and to consider oneself among sinners, and to keep one's own death always before one's eyes. Now, whoever wishes to preserve these virtues can live. It is possible for God to preserve us from all evil and from temptation and from the coming time, which is about to come upon the whole world, so that we may find mercy from Christ through the Holy Spirit.

On the Various Passions God created man and placed him in the garden of delight, with all his senses sound in his nature. Now when he listened to the one who deceived him, at that moment he took on all the passions, and immediately was cast out from the great and splendid glory that was his. For man should know that passions are what separate him from God, and that he should entreat the benevolent God to help him, so that he may then be able to cut away from himself all the passions. All these are wounds that men bear upon themselves, and they break and separate him from God. Blessed are those who cleanse themselves from all passions and from all defilements of soul and body. For the rational sheep is an acceptable sacrifice to God, and hears the voice that says: "Good and faithful servant, you have been faithful in little; I will set you over many; come, enter into the joy of your Lord." But those who wish to fulfill their desires according to the flesh, and do not wish to heal themselves through the healing of the holy virtues, are found naked before the holy commandment at the time of necessity; they fall into the outer darkness where Satan and the bound ones are. And the garments of defilement are these: fornication, love of money, malice, slander, envy, ambition, pride; these and those like them. What is fornication?

fornication: lust, gluttony, satiety of sleep, emptiness, vain speech, adornment of the body, and overflow and downward flow, shamelessness, weakness, slowness. What is avarice? Avarice, faithlessness, hopelessness, cruelty, mercilessness, greed, contempt, evil falsehood, self-indulgence, and not looking to the commandment of God. What is malice? Malice is slander, envy, flattery, selfishness, ignorance, falsehood, and false witness. What is anger? Anger is to oppress one's own will, opposition, contention, deceit, false knowledge, shortsightedness, narrowness, bitterness, not bearing enmity in thought, to give and to take. What is envy? Envy is hatred, not bearing the glory of a companion, and casting stumbling blocks for a companion. What is vainglory? Vainglory is shamelessness, to love this world and whatever is in the world, and to be renowned among men, and to fulfill the will of audacity. What is pride?

Pride is hardness of heart, being disobedient to all, and encouraging one’s own power, and considering oneself wise, and always following one’s own will, and despising one’s companion, and thinking oneself to be wise, and holding oneself as if lacking nothing. All this is done in the person himself, until it separates him from God. This is what Adam took up when he came to the fruit of the tree, and fell under the feet of death. LETTER CONCERNING THE HUMILITY OF THE DEVOUT AND THE SHAMELESSNESS OF THE WICKED Would that someone might take my head as a storehouse of many tears, and my eyes as a fountain of tears, and I might weep bitterly day and night over our constant sins. For fear has perished from the earth, and there is no uprightness before men. And our world has been filled with the humble as in the beginning. And we have bowed our minds into submission to our own Satan with our thoughts. For with our tongues we promise to know God, and with our deeds we deny him. God said: “If you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength.” From the soul is this: that you worship him alone, and call him Lord and creator of your soul. From strength is this: that you first put forth the strength of your soul in prayers and spiritual labors.

From the whole heart, do not [resort] to the houses of pagans or to the assemblies of martyrs, not to temples or to churches, not to lots or to graces, not to the cross or to fate, not to soothsayers or to priests, not to incantations or to fasts. Do not confess with the tongue while not believing in the heart, and do not believe in the heart while denying with the tongue. Do not honor God with words while provoking him with deeds, do not magnify him with faith while saddening him with works. But from the whole heart, from the self, from the strength, and from the thoughts of the heart, love God, and be a Christian, a namesake of Christ. But if with your tongue you call God creator, giver, savior, and sustainer, lord of death and life, yet with your heart and soul you submit to soothsayers, to enchanters, to diviners, to augurs, to sorcerers, to magicians, and to charmers, it is no longer fitting to call yourself a Christian, for you have departed from Christ and have submitted under the yoke of Satan. For you have abandoned and forsaken the creator and sustainer, and have relied on Satan. For if you truly believed that God is the creator of all, then it would be necessary that the creator alone be lord to sustain and to kill, to afflict and to heal. For who could approach diviners, who cannot even grant health and immortality to themselves? Show me one among the sorcerers who has passed away and become immortal.

If you say, "I will not go to soothsayers, but he is a physician, and I will go to physicians," this is the work of a physician: to cauterize, to cut, to let blood, and to apply remedies according to the nature of the pains; but not to perform incantations, to chant satanic songs, or to take salt and charcoal, or red arsenic, iron, water, and to blow on pearls, or to place a written charm on the body, or to tie the bones of fish and reptiles, the nails of bugs, on the hand, on the eye, and on the neck. Wretched and miserable one, why did you abandon God the Creator and Physician and the Cross the Protector, and rely on foolish sorcerers and demons corrupted by devils? See what the evil sorcerer does: passing through the earth, the incantation, and through the blowing, the demons approach him; and through entering into the incantation, he divines on the left and spits on the right, he dishonors the Cross and becomes an enemy of Christ, and does not know it. If he were to show the incantations, it would be mockery, derision, and a child's game. If it were necessary to recount the incantations of the parts of the body one by one, I would make the foolish mind of the sorcerer a mockery before everyone. For all the incantations and spells of the sorcerer, the magician, and the soothsayer are false and wretched, and a cause of Gehenna and eternal fire; and whoever approaches them is condemned to the fire of Gehenna, and has a share with the lawless.

because they despise the gifts of the healing art, by which it was possible to heal by the skill of medicine, by cauterizing and cutting and applying remedies to the pains. For they despise even more the gifts of the graces. For if someone should fall ill among you, they would summon the presbyters of the church; they would perform prayers over him, and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayers with faith would save the afflicted one. And as for the one whom the demon torments, they command by his own authority to drive it out by fasts and prayers through the sign of the all-victorious cross. And whoever dishonors the saving cross and despises the graces of Christ, and goes to soothsayers to be bewitched, and they place a phylactery and incantations and the written phylactery upon the person, concerning such Christ says: "Go, accursed ones, into the eternal fire; I do not know you." Because they did that which he did not command. Now if you say, "But they are Christians and they bewitch by the name of Christ, and even the servants of the church and monks write the phylactery," then consider the evangelist: "Many prophets," he says, "say on that day: 'Lord, in your name we prophesied, and in your name we expelled the demons, and we performed many mighty works, but you are closed to us.' And the Lord says: 'I do not know you.'" Because they did that which he did not command. And what shall I say concerning the prophets?

but also the disciple Judas, who performed signs and healings greater than those of the magicians, was not counted among the apostles, but fell into the depths of Gehenna. And what shall I say of the disciple? Even the angel did not preserve the abode where he was appointed, but fell accursed and became a demon, and inherited the name of the evil one. Therefore, in these refuges, even if they are Christians and servants of the church, and write in the name of Christ the oaths of the repositories, O foolish one, what are the oaths of demons? Are they not rather fasts and prayers with faith in the hand of the victorious sign of the cross, before which all the natures of demons tremble? But a written repository is contrary to the graces and commandments of God, just as the false prophets who deceived the people against the true prophets, and caused the word of truth to cease, and caused error to cease.

Now if the prophets who taught falsely were not heeded in that day, and the disciple Judas was expelled from the company, and the fallen angels were not spared, but were cast into the bonds of darkness and into Tartarus, not being kept for the day of judgment like the sins of the present time, then it is necessary to know that He did not spare even those who, not with faith but only in name, dedicate themselves to God, and are nourished in the house of God, and receive honor for God’s sake, and are considered heads of the church, and read the laws of God, and are called teachers of the ignorant, and leaders of the erring—yet they themselves are erring, having abandoned the gifts of God, the prayers and the oil of anointing which the commandments prescribed for the sick, and the fasts and prayers for the afflicted, and they themselves have turned to incantations and to written charms. Moreover, if even the leaders suffer a wound in the flesh or some sudden illness, they bring sorcerers into their houses to perform incantations; and they not only conduct themselves with external sorcery, but also learn incantations for themselves, and write amulets, and place them in the streets of the afflicted, and whisper charms into the ears of the sick. And they make names that are not heard in the written commandments, and they place the name of Christ among those names so that the writing may be considered divine. And Satan has dared so far as to write the holy name of God in the amulets of sorcerers and to place it in incantations.

for that is not to the honor of God, but to contempt. And what is more, they are bound to cast God into nets and snares along with the demons, and they do not perceive the invisible arrows of Satan. For nets and the book of snares are commands of demons, and not of God; and for that reason Satan does not allow his evil arrows to be felt, because he has caused even the holy name of God to be cruelly subjected to his commands, so that by the name of God no one may be able to perceive his dark designs. For with foolish minds they are called by the name of Christians, and with foolish deeds they fall away from their own wisdom. Now, is it that one who worships demons should kiss the demons in the eyes and on the mouth? No, but to fulfill the commands of the demons is perfect demon-worship.

Now when the sign of the cross appears in incantations and spells, and in sorceries and enchantments and divinations by barley and auguries by birds and divinations by salt and divinations by hair and divinations by water and divinations by herbs and divinations by the middle and divinations by books, in astrology, in necromancy, in auguries by fire, in lunar incantations, and in incantations of the threshold, in divinations by the shoulder-blade, in divinations by the palm, in the snnikon, in lots, in fortunes, in horoscopes, and in the book of the sanctuary, and in all the movements of the healers, enchanters, sorcerers, by which they summon the demons into air, into iron, into water, into vessels, into oil, into barley, into jewels, into wax, and into the hair of the head, and into all pollutions by which they defile and destroy the souls of those who obey them—and now, is not all this worthy of mourning and tears and great wrath, that after the Lord sent his Son, we should dare to devise such things? And now, whoever obeys this, is it indeed fitting to call himself a Christian, who is separated from Christ, and obedient to the will of demons, and stands in the service of Satan, and fulfills his commands continually with enchantments and with lots and with books of the sanctuary which the children of the curse write, and thinks to stand in the service of the holy altar of God? O senseless and foolish ones, do you not hear that God says to the sinner: "Why do you recount my righteousness at all, or put my law in your mouth?

And again he says: “If I saw sins in my heart, would the Lord hear me?” And again he says: “Depart from me, all of you who work iniquity.” Now, in your vain prayers, the prophet rejects you, and you do not understand. When you say, “Depart from me, all of you who work iniquity,” do you not indeed say that your own self should withdraw, you foul and iniquitous one? When you yourself say in your petitions, God says to the sinner: “Why do you at all recount my righteousness?” Do you not say to yourself: “Why do I presume to open my utterly foul mouth and recount the righteousness of God?” Do you not speak against yourself, and not understand? And when you hear from your own mouth: “If I saw sins in my heart, would the Lord hear me?” then you yourself know that you have sins in your heart, and the Lord does not hear you, for you say this with your mouth continually. And now, when you do not hear the speech of your own mouth, how can you claim to know the devices of Satan? And you have made yourself a laughingstock, and do not know it; you read the writings, and do not understand what is written. What do the commandments of God command us? Do they not indeed command that the cross be guardian and ordainer of all our works: for the sick, prayers and anointing with oil, and for those afflicted by Satan, protections and prayers?

And whoever does this, using writings and incantations, and brings in sorceresses into the houses, is outside the commandments and Christianity, and under the anathemas of the apostles. For this was not preached by them; rather, they even place a curse upon it and say: If anyone teaches more than this, let him be accursed; and again it says: Do not know anything more than what is written; and again it says: Cursed is every man who does not abide by what is written in the Scriptures; and Christ says: If anyone dissolves any of the commandments, even a small one, let him be called so. Now, then, you dissolve the graces of God and the power of the holy cross, and the fasts and prayers which the commandments ordain, and you bring in the guardian book, and the incantations of sorcerers—which are not in the commandments of God, but are the arrows of the beast of Satan through the hands of sorcerers, which, like a mist, have spread over the whole world, and they do not know. Moreover, you also say: what the sorcerers do and say, so it shall be. And if it ever happens, do not be deceived, O man; it was not because of the sorcerer, but even if you had not gone to the sorcerer, at that time it would have happened to you in that way. But you make the mercy of God appear as the power of the sorcerer. But through the hands of sorcerers, many times it does not happen, and sometimes it does happen; not that it happens by the power of the sorcerer, but as if the blind, stumbling over some obstacle, were to find something under their feet.

You will find them in the midst of terrors, and not as though you had seen something beforehand with your eyes; likewise you will see the works of sorcerers. But foolish people do not look upon what has not happened; rather, if they see that one thing has occurred, they take that and magnify it, and cast it into the hearing of all. Yet there is no power in a sorcerer or a diviner; and if you see something happen suddenly, as they said, it is not that it came from a diviner or a sorcerer, but because you believed thus, God permitted it to be so according to that belief of yours, so that you might be greatly condemned, for you ran to sorcerers instead of to God. For when you abandon the commandment and rely on sorcerers and diviners, you enter willingly into obedience to Satan, and he becomes lord of your will; just as a king’s son, when he willingly abandons the king and goes to the mountains to a certain bandit chief and gives himself into his service, then the bandit chief is indeed lord and master of his life and death. Now a great part of the world, with diviners and magicians, has entered into obedience to Satan, and there is no one who knows our utterly evil wickedness: that we have abandoned God the Creator and go to sorcerers, diviners, enchanters, amulet-keepers, and magicians, and continually provoke the Creator to wrath. And now, what was fitting to do about all this but only to mourn and weep, for only a small part of the world might barely be saved.

because we took the honor that was due to God and offered it to a mortal man, we gave knowledge—that knowledge which appeared among the earlier ones, as Saul revealed concerning the loss of the donkey, because they were children and there was no perfection of knowledge among them. But with us there are true spiritual knowledges in perfection, for Christ himself came and evangelized, loosed the bonds of the Law, poured forth graces, abolished death, promised resurrection, and the kingdom and eternal life. This is perfect knowledge, and not the finding of a lost donkey. He removed that ignorance and bestowed this, for which he does not wish that we should seek anything corporeal, but that we should seek the spiritual and cast the corporeal into it. For this reason he concealed that knowledge from us. Now do not believe that anyone by means of necromancy might make you think that he knows something from the power of God and the saints; that is forbidden among us, because it was not as great as the graces that he gave us. Now if someone falls with faith before God, and with prayers takes refuge in the relics of the martyrs, he receives healing of pains, the expulsion of disease, the driving out of demons, and the remission of sins. But also the hidden prophecy is not in a man of this present time, for the relics of the martyrs do not reproach anyone’s sins, nor do they impose involuntary penance upon them without the will of the doer.

For God never compels man by force, but takes refuge in the will, so that he may receive the reward of what is done. And neither churches nor tables are made, for God is never accustomed to doing such a thing, lest our goods be by compulsion; rather, they take refuge in the will, so that reward may be given to those who act. But such deceptions occur from the falsehoods of demons, so that they may make men labor without reward and mock them. For demons never know anything of the future, for that alone belongs to the one creator who knows all hearts; but demons and diviners are creatures, not the creator. And life and death, health and sickness, healing and greatness and poverty—to give these to their own creatures belongs only to the creator, and not to demons nor to diviners, who are themselves ruled by God as their creator. How then can they command other creatures, whose creator they are not? For creatures are subject only to their creator, who can destroy and renew them, and not to demons or diviners, who have no power even over themselves. Now, knowing that God alone is the creator, why do you cast yourself into bonds of sorcery and incantations, and defile yourself with auguries? And why do you think that by such means you can destroy or renew something of grass, vine, or materials of wood, linen, seeds, or any work that passes through your hands? Why do you fall into auguries and sorceries? Give me an answer.

Is the Sabbath and Wednesday harmful? For these are Christians only in the name of Christ. And a name cannot renew or destroy anything without light and sun. And light and sun are from the sun. And the sun does not have one rising on Wednesday and another on Saturday, and another on other days. Rather, this is one rising, and it is always the same. Now if the sun's rising is one on Wednesday and Friday, on Saturday and Sunday, why do these days harm from that one rising, and those do not? Give me an answer, O foolish and stubborn one, servant of sorcerers and estranged from the grace of God. Are not all days indeed the Lord's? And whatever good we do on all days is by our willingness and the will of God, and whatever evil we do is by our wickedness and God's permission. And God is the accomplisher of good, and we are the masters of evil. Now how can the name of Saturday and Wednesday renew or destroy anything, since even the name of the day cannot? For a name has no person or mind, and how can something that has no person or mind accomplish anything? But only Satan has made you foolish to understand this: for you have taken the honor of God's creation and dedicated it to the lifeless name of Saturday and Wednesday, and you condemn yourself along with the idolaters.

Now leave aside your foolishness, which came to you through the deceits of the days, for you can give no answer, but only your lawless error drags you to do this. But show me, why do you also blaspheme the moon, and make the moon a destroyer and a renewer? If you had blasphemed the sun, perhaps you would give me an answer, saying that the sun is heat, and is able to bring forth and fill, to dry up and nourish according to the command of the Creator. For the elements are four which tend to the creatures of God by the command of God: fire, water, earth, and air. And if any of these is found lacking in the mixture, the earth bears no fruit. And in this substance the moon has no part. Why do you hold the moon as the cause of destroying and renewing? Earth is from the earth, fire from the sun, water from the rains, air from the clouds. These are what tend to the creatures by the command of God. What power has the moon to destroy or renew? For the moon has no heat, no air, no earth, no water. But it was created only for us as light for the night, and it is fitting, bringing the likeness of the Giver of Life, and it does not know itself whether it is something or not, for there is no breath or life in it. But it moves and goes like fire and water, and stands for us in need and in service by the command of the Creator. And over plants and seeds it has no power, for it is utterly without breath.

Now how many torments and how much hell do you consider worthy that which makes the inanimate be thought animate, and takes the honor and authority of the creator and gives it to Satan and to the incantations of the days, and worships the creatures and not the creator? When you set the power of destroying the sign of the days, and make them be thought lord and creator, and you become by your own deeds a servant and worshiper of the moon and of the incantations of the days, and you bring upon yourself the irrevocable curse which says: "Cursed shall be he who serves and worships the sun and the moon and the powers of the heavens." And why do you wound yourself, O wretched one, with the invisible arrow of Satan, casting upon your deeds the incantations of the days and the omens? From which you gain nothing, but only penalties of the soul and an occasion for hell. But if you say: "Why should I not believe in the incantations, when I see everything destroyed on the days of the omens?" Do not be deceived, O man, for there is nothing in the creation of God without defects and corruptions and change; for the creator alone is incorruptible and immutable. But the creation which passes through our hands has defect and corruption and destruction and repair. And destruction and repair come from the moderation of rains, and from the heat of the sun, and not from the turning of the air; but not from the moon, for rain is not from the moon.

and not because of dampness, nor because of wind, if it harmed the grass and the seeds and all the work that you intend to do on its days. But it is only a light for the creatures. And from the moon no harm ever comes to you, but only from the heat of the sun and from the moisture of the moon. For just as in dry and arid places no harmful thing is produced, but when the moisture of the air is heated by the sun, it generates rot and worms. For the same example occurs in the garments of the body: when there is no moisture, heat, and dust, vermin are not generated; but when the heat of the body and the moisture of sweat and dust come together, many vermin of the garments are generated. Likewise, dust arises from grass and from moisture and from the heat of the day, and from the mixing of the elements with each other. For Saturday and Wednesday have no elements, and they do not rule over the creatures of God, neither to renew nor to destroy. Therefore, O foolish and senseless man, if you wish to choose for the work of your hands, choose the mixtures of the elements—of heat and cold, of moisture and dryness—and the spring and autumn days, and do not profane the Sabbaths, nor from them reckon the destruction or success of the work. But if you say again, "It is that even on the appointed days the vine and wine and everything that we do on those days are harmed," then consider and let it be so.

But consider this: do not think that the days themselves have power. For God showed us the light of the days only, and it is our own power to do good or evil in them. And if you attribute the ruin of your works to Satan, know that without your own will and God's permission, Satan has no power over God's creatures. You yourself know that a herd of swine could not enter unless commanded, and could not destroy anything unless by the Lord's command. And if Satan had power over our minds without our own will, pleasing to God, he would not allow even one person to exist, but would cast everyone into sin and destroy them. Then if that were so, the prophets would not be prophets, nor the apostles apostles, nor all the righteous righteous, for such would be his will. But it is not so; rather, he has power only over those who obey him. For you yourself know this, that Satan is a hater of man and not a lover of man; and if he had the power to hinder and stop the works of our hands, he would have long ago destroyed not only our works but also us entirely, for that is indeed his will. But he has no such power. But if there is ruin of your work, know this: God made you in his own image, and lord over all his creatures, and he commanded you to do everything with faith and grace, and with the protection of the sign of the holy cross.

and you abandoned the true God, the faith, and the cross as guardian, and made the Sabbath and the days of the sorcerers the master of your works. Then God also permits the ruin of your works according to your sorceries, because you believed in falsehood and are greatly condemned, instead of having received the truth. For Paul says concerning the Antichrist and such iniquities: Instead, he says, because they did not believe the truth, but consented to iniquity, for that reason God will send them a delusion of error, to believe in their error, so that those who did not believe the truth, but consented to iniquity, may be condemned. Now do you not tremble, O man, who, having abandoned God the creator, and having accustomed your mind to creatures, offer worship to your sorcerers? Do you not hear the Scripture which says that sorcerers bring toil and pains upon themselves? And again the prophet says: Our world is filled with sorcerers like the first ones, like the foreigners. And the Apostle says: You confound days and months and times; I fear for you. Now it is fitting for us also to fear the commandments, and to consent to the truth, and to consider as impure those who live by confusions and incantations, and by false dreams prepared by soothsaying.

And they do not understand that when one abandons the true path of divine worship and listens to such as these, many times falsehood appears as truth in their mind, so that they may be justly condemned. Instead of believing the truth, they consent to iniquity, as is written in the third book of Kings. When Ahab sinned, the prophet Micah saw the Lord, and the powers of heaven stood on the right and on the left. And the Lord said: "Who will go and deceive Ahab, and go to Ramoth Gilead and die?" And some began to say one thing, and others another. And a spirit came and stood before the Lord and said: "I will go and deceive him, and he will die." And the Lord said: "Why?" And he said: "I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets, and he will go to Ramoth Gilead and die." Now the Lord is not responsible for that deception, but he permitted the deception to occur, instead of their believing the holy prophets. Therefore, whoever becomes accustomed to believing the deceptions of demons, God permits him to be deceived, so that he may be condemned, instead of his believing their falsehood.

Now flee from the deceits of false men, and from the visions of dreams, and from the demonic knowledge of false relics, and from the commands of his deluded, wandering, dream-speaking servants, who labor for the souls of the many with their false prophecy, and having taken the honor due to God—which ought to be offered in the house of God before the holy cross and the holy witnesses—they take the sweet-smelling incense and the brightness of the light and offer them before falsehood. O foolish reader of all delusions, are not the relics of the martyrs sufficient for you, which have come and abide with you, and constantly intercede on your behalf? Or the sign of the holy cross, which is with you and in your house always? Why do you not seek your request from them? Why do you go in pursuit of the words of deceit? Is it that God is angry with you because you do not go to them? Does He not Himself say: “If anyone should say to you, ‘Christ is here’ or ‘there,’ do not believe him, for many false Christs and false prophets have arisen in the world, and they lead astray,” He says, “if there is any possibility, even the elect.” Behold, it has indeed happened, and we have seen false prophets after the prophets, false apostles after the apostles, and after the martyrs, behold now we see false martyrs deceiving people. And on account of the ignorant, who do not know the spirit of power and truth, they take these commands from the Lord, who says:

If they say to you, "Behold, he is in the desert," do not go out; and if they say, "He is in the reliquaries," do not go out. Now it is necessary to keep the commandment of Christ, and not to deceive ourselves by the snares of demons, even if they torment us with some false torments. For it is better to be tormented by the laws of Christ than to obey the commands of demons, even if they perform signs and wonders. For Satan is accustomed to deceive men with false signs, as if with true wrath, men who are in no way aware of his invisible arrows, which he also previously showed to the prophet Jeremiah, to Moses through Jannes, to Peter through Simon, and many others who practiced the sorcery of Satan and displayed false signs, and princes and peoples believed them, even to the point of persecuting the holy apostles and considering the true preaching of Christ to be error, and bringing much affliction upon the faithful. Now do not believe the false prophets, false apostles, and false martyrs because of false signs, for Satan is accustomed to do this. For at that time he troubled the Mosaic and Pauline, the spiritual and the all-wise, how much more will he trouble the foolish and the ignorant. Now what can we do about all these invisible devices of Satan, but be vigilant concerning the commandments of God, and love him with all our heart, soul, and strength, and pray unceasingly day and night.

For prayers tamed the wild beasts, bridled the lions, halted the savage fish, parted the sea, and saved the people. And fasts strengthen you, for fasts are the weapon of virtue. By means of fasts the face of Moses was glorified. By means of fasts Nineveh was saved, and the prophet ascended to heaven. And do not, because of your sluggish and foolish thoughts, consider great iniquities as small. Remember that because Adam considered the commandment of God as small, he was expelled from paradise. Because Ham considered the shame of his father as small and revealed it, he fell under curses and servitude. Because Esau considered the loss of his birthright as small, he found no place of repentance. Because Cain considered God as ignorant of the slaying of Abel as a small thing, he received trembling and vacillation. Because Korah, Dathan, and Abiram considered approaching the honor of the priesthood as a small thing, they were swallowed alive into hell. Because Zimri considered fornication as a small thing, twenty-three thousand men perished. Because Zedekiah considered the oath as a small thing, Jerusalem was plundered. Because Saul considered lying to the word of God and not slaying Agag as a small thing, the kingdom was rent asunder. Because David considered taking Israel by sword as a small thing, the slaughter of seventy thousand occurred. Because Sapphira and Ananias considered lying as a small thing, they met a violent death.

and because many, deeming the commandment of God of little account, were tormented there, and there they have an eye on the torments. And now it is necessary to keep the written commandments: not to enter into temples, not to go out into the deserts, and not to worship the earth with fear of the foreigner, but to keep his commandments, neither adding nor subtracting. Are not our own portions sufficient for each of us? Why do we go out and deceive ourselves by demons? Are not the spirit-bearing prophets sufficient for us? Why do we listen to dreams? Are not the priests of God sufficient for us? Why should we go to confused questioners? Are not the natural laws sufficient for us, in which the will of God is fully present? Why should we accept new-fangled commands and contemptible letters, which make the commands of the spirit-bearing prophets, the preaching of the holy apostles, and the teachings of the holy gospel seem deficient and lacking? And which, what is not necessary in the commandments, they make necessary, and show themselves to be from heaven, the written word of the hand of God? And we do not listen to Paul, who says: Do not trouble yourselves, neither by word nor by letter, as if from us. Take heed, O foolish and evil-doer, that for one sin Adam went out from paradise; for one murder, the trembling of Cain; for madness, the flood of the world; for arrogance, the fall of Satan; for impiety, the confusion of tongues; for pederasty, the destruction of Sodom.

because of false swearing, the destruction of Jerusalem; because of despising parents, curses and servitude; because of false testimony, the sawing of the elders at Shushan; because of ingratitude, the destruction of Herod; because of hard-heartedness, the drowning of Pharaoh; because of theft, the stoning of Achar; because of murmuring, the destruction of the Jews; because of fornication, those who fell in one day, twenty-four thousand. For because of your going after false gods, and because of your indiscriminately approaching incantations, there are among you, says the stone of the church, many sick and diseased; because of this also untimely deaths; because of this also many afflictions; because of this also childlessness in births and the binding of wombs indissoluble; because of this also torment by demons; because of this, homelessness and poverty; because of this also heavenly chastisements; because of this also blights of vineyards; because of this also ceaseless earthquakes; because of this also failures of livestock; because of this also oppressions by thieves; because of this also the fire of Gehenna and the eternal darkness and the everlasting torments. For if the golden cup which we present even to the king in service and at table, and having taken the same again, and having brought filth and mud and human excrement, which he himself would see, would you be able to present that same cup again on his table? No. Why?

We were defiled by filth, and the king became hostile, angry, and loathsome. Or concerning oaths, what do the commandments say? "Men," it says, "swear by that which is above themselves." Likewise also God, because there was no one greater to swear by, swore by Himself and spoke thus: "I have sworn by Myself," says the Lord, "that I will bless you with blessing." But for God to swear by His own creatures is impossible; it is impiety. Or after the coming of Christ, to write for us a book by the hand of God and give it: for if that were again necessary for us from heaven, then the coming of Christ would be deficient and incomplete. It is not so; rather, the laws gave us commandments on earth fully through the hand of Moses and Joshua, and after this, torments and the kingdom. But a second law, written by the hand of God and given from heaven, is not for the virtuous. But Satan turns some to the right and some to the left; and we all know the left, because we know clearly that it deviates under the guise of piety. And for this reason, I send this command: "Do not deviate from these written commandments to the right or to the left." And now let us look to the commandments of God, and let us do what is written in them; and let us not be led astray like the pagans by fortune, fate, and commands.

For what are the commandments spread throughout all the land, and the deluded speak falsely, saying that man lives and acts according to the commandments? If this is so, and man acts by commandment, then it is evident that he is not judged for his sins, because we fulfill his commandments. Then also we are crowned not for righteousness, because we do not do good by our own will, but by his compulsion unwillingly. Then also kings are not obliged to punish the thief, the fornicator, and the murderer, because he does not do that by his own will, but fulfills the commandments. Then if a foul man should kill, or a mother-in-law, or a neighbor a neighbor, or a servant a master, or a maidservant a mistress, or a disciple a teacher, should become hostile and kill, no one is obliged to accuse or punish, because they fulfill the commandment. Then also we are not obliged to accuse and persecute the bandits, because they come by commandment upon us, as you say. But it is not so. Rather, creatures are governed by compulsion and servitude and according to his commandment, and not even a sparrow falls into a snare without commandment. But only man is created lord and above commandment. For just as God himself is not a servant under commandment, but free and doing whatever he wills, so also he created man in his own likeness, lord and free and self-governing and doing whatever he wills of good and evil. And by free will, if we do good, the kingdom is promised; if evil, hell.

God is able and effective in goodness, and He does not will the death of the sinner, yet He does not remove free will from us, for He Himself says: “If you will and obey Me.” CANONS OF THE HOLY LORD YOVHANNĒS MANDAKUNI Now I say this according to my understanding: that one who is a child, ignorant and dull, who cannot read the Gospel on the dais before the hearing of the congregation, and has not learned the entire order of the priesthood, bears the punishment for his ordination—that is, those who ordained him bear the burden of the sins of the unworthy and the unlearned upon their own souls. But it is more lawful to deem worthy and to ordain the learned and those mature in age, and to lead the congregation. For this reason, the great Paul himself, with his far-reaching voice, raised a complaint, saying to Timothy: “Do not hastily lay hands upon them, and do not become a partner in the sins of others.” And again: “Do not plant untimely, lest, having become proud, you fall into the judgment of Satan.” For it is necessary that the priest be blameless, as the steward of God, and be a faithful overseer with the word of teaching. Now, just as Paul sets Christ as mediator between God and men, and as surety and ransom for the whole world, so likewise it is lawful for the priest to be, with complete blamelessness, a leader and a ransom for the atonement of the sins of the congregation before God.

Now if the Scripture says of the great Moses that he was meek, humble, and gentle beyond all men, and learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians—for if the meek, the gentle, the wise, and the spotless, a faithful messenger of God and an intimate overseer of the people, could not keep the people whole from sins, nor preserve them from the blows of God, nor cause them to inherit the promised land—then how can ignorant and blemished priests preserve the people from sins, who cannot even keep themselves from sins, let alone be the people’s guide and guarantor before God to lead them into the kingdom of God? For it is written and commanded: “Do not turn to the right, and do not turn to the left.” Therefore I command the leaders of the church to beware of ordaining the ignorant, and not to advance anyone to the episcopate, or to the presbyterate, or to the diaconate, or to any other rank by bribes of silver, as the Savior says in the holy Gospel to the holy disciples: “You receive for a price, and you give for a price.

Concerning the Forty-Day Fast and the Humility of the Latter in Relation to the Great Fast Now, because the forty-day fast is called a day of the passion of the Lord on Friday, the crucifixion, and the occasion of the calling of the passion-bearers in the world to take upon themselves the likeness of the passions of the Lord, for the salvation of the souls of the fellow-sufferers of the Lord, for the preservation of the persons of the commandment-keepers of the Lord, for becoming fellow-sufferers of the crucifixion of the Lord and partakers of the glory of the resurrection, and the occasion of the calling of sinners to repentance. Now, in this forty-day period, as it is the law to keep Saturday and Sunday as Friday and Wednesday, following the ordinances, and in that forty-day period which is called, Sunday is called the first day and the beginning of the days of the resurrection and the joy of the world and the good news of the kingdom, full of all joy for the persons of the commandment-keepers of righteousness, it is the law to eat on Friday and Wednesday as on Sunday and Saturday. For as the ordinance from the Great Fast until the Ascension of the Lord is called Sunday, so also from the Pre-Lenten period until the Great Fast is Friday. Now, bring yourself to agreement, and compare this forty of repentance and that forty of joy; weigh the forty against the forty, and Friday and Wednesday against Saturday and Sunday, and you will find them equal: not in this one increase and joy, nor in that one fasts and sorrows.

This forty-day period is the atonement for the sins of the year, and that forty-day period is the successor of the joys of the year. Now, it is the law to keep these forty days of fasting strictly from the Carnival until Easter, for it is called the atoner and forgiver of the sins of the year. But wine and oil, eggs, fish, cheese, vinegar, cabbage, leeks, beets, milk, butter, and fish roe—these are absolutely not lawful, nor is it fitting for anyone to taste them, whether great or small, righteous or sinful. There are many other foods for us during the forty days: hempseed, flaxseed, groats, grain, and sesame water. Now, with this forty-day fast, the Lord on the mountain of temptation drove back the tempter Satan, which is a pattern of victory for all the faithful. Was it perhaps necessary for God to fast? Certainly not; rather, He did this for the sake of example for men. Now, if we cannot die daily according to the word of Paul, let us at least strive during these forty days to be partakers of the sufferings of the Lord; for the sins of the year, having fallen heavily, let us cast them off from ourselves during these forty days. Do you not know that those who, with mindful thoughts, become fellow-sufferers in the sufferings of Christ, they alone can become partakers of the glory of the Resurrection? For it is said: "It is not only to believe in Christ, but also to receive sufferings for His name is fitting." Now, these forty days are the sufferings of the crucifixion of the Lord, and those forty days are the resurrection and life of the Lord.

These forty days are the vinegar and gall of the Lord’s torments, and those forty days are the honeycomb, the honey, and the portion of roasted fish of the Lord’s Resurrection. These forty days are kept by the soldiers guarding the Lord’s tomb, and those forty days are the angels giving the good news to the women of the Lord’s Resurrection. These forty days are the mediator of penance, and those forty days are the guarantor of forgiveness. These forty days are the expiator of offenses, and those forty days are the absolver of sins. These forty days are of weeping and tears, and those forty days are of joy and gladness. These forty days are of sowing with pains and sorrow, and those forty days are of reaping with glory and praise. Now, in this forty-day period the great prophet Moses gave the laws of the assembly, and in that forty-day period Moses atoned for the sins of Aaron and the sins of the entire people. In this forty-day period Elijah did not go to Mount Sinai to receive from the Lord the command for his own ascension into heaven. By these fasts the three youths lived through the towering, scorching flame of the destructive fire. By these fasts the Ninevites dissolved the death sentence of the Lord’s command, so that their fast of penance might be acceptable, and the sins of their offenses might be quickly forgiven.

On the Holy Trinity and on the Nativity of Christ our God The holy and consubstantial Trinity: three persons, one divinity, one essence, one substance, one self-will. One is the kingdom, one is the reign, one is the lordship, one is the dominion, one is the glory, one is the nature, one is the equality, one is the glory, one is the honor, one hope, one love, one faith. Great, mighty, powerful, and above all, without matter, without end, without beginning, without conclusion, uncreated, inaccessible, invisible, ineffable, and lacking nothing, and desiring nothing. All-father, all-loving, all-merciful, all-provident, all-hearing, all-bestowing, all-reaching, all-seeing, all-knowing, all-saving, all-preserving. Who by his glance tends to all creation, the heavenly and the earthly, the visible and the invisible, in inhabited and uninhabited places, from all creatures visible and invisible, heavenly and earthly, to him is glory eternal. The only-begotten Word came to earth by the will of the Father, and was incarnate from the holy Virgin, suffered, was buried, arose on the third day, and sat at the right hand of the Father; and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. Who according to essence is without mother, and according to dispensation is without father, came to save creation. It is not possible for God to suffer, and it was not possible for him to die; but that God came and became man, and died and saved creation.

Now, no other creator, savior, and sustainer like him has been, nor will be, nor can be; but only the one, the Only-Begotten, God born of the Virgin, who became man. For many among men are God-knowing, God-seeing, God-speaking; yet by nature they are called men, and not God. Some have ascended to heaven in the flesh; but even there they are men by nature, or angels, but not God. Likewise, the Word of God came to earth and became man, and died as a man, yet by essence he is called God, and not man; and by appearance he is God incarnate, and not man deified. Man in heaven and on earth, one and the same self, united and unified in body and divinity, born of the holy Virgin by the will of the Father—Word and mind—and by the will of the Father from the beginning he created all things, and at the end he appeared to men, Lord and overseer in heaven and on earth. He who before the ages and at the end descended to earth for the life and salvation of men: mediator of God, and guarantor of the world; sacrifice of the Father, and salvation of men; Passover of the world, and feast of the universe; shepherd of men, and guardian from enemies; giver of life, and herald of resurrection; promoter of life, and cause of the kingdom; peacemaker of the world, and light-giver to the darkened; giver of life, and dispenser of gifts; glory of the righteous, and ransom of sinners.

life of the living, and hope of the dead. Glory to him forever. ON LOVE God is love, says the son of thunder, the beloved disciple of Christ, John. And he who abides in love—God dwells in him, and he in God. And now, brothers, hear and take to heart the words of love. For everyone who loves God also loves his brother; for the love of God is manifested through the love of the brother. For if he does not love the brother whom he sees, how could he love God, whom he does not see? By this we know that we love God when we love our brother according to the love of the spirit and not according to the flesh. For the love of the spirit is one thing, and that of the flesh another, which we will set forth in its proper place later. But now, everyone who loves is known by God, and he himself knows God; and everyone who does not love his brother with compassion is estranged from God and cannot receive divine graces. Everyone who loves his brother from a holy heart becomes a dwelling place for God, and God dwells in him. For the Lord himself loved us and sent the Spirit of Truth to dwell in us. For our knowable spirit is bound by love to the unknowable Spirit of God; and as he loved us, so he wishes us to love one another. See how great is the boldness of love toward God, as if it makes man equal to God.

For God by his love became like men, and showed that men by their love are to become like God. For God so loved the world that he sent his only-begotten Son for the salvation of the world. If we love one another as God loved us, nothing evil can hinder our love. Everyone who loves is manifest before men and confident before God; for he has no fear of the death of sins, but stands by the love of God, and is fearless of all fearful dangers. Where love is, there fear is not; as John says: Fear does not exist in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear is with torments, and love with confidence; and fear is driven out by love. And where love is not, there is fear of judgment, and dread of destruction on the great and terrible day. But love makes a man fearless of enduring torments. I speak of that love which is wholly remote from doubt. For doubt and love do not dwell together.

And it is known that love not only bears the fruit of its peace in eternal lives, but also in this world it drives away all enmity—envy and division, malice and spite, slander and blasphemy, murmuring and backbiting, pride and arrogance, and especially the mother of all evils, love of money and greed. Now whoever possesses love is removed from all these evils and arrives at the heavenly, tranquil haven of peace, wholly good. For what is more peaceful than love: to be free from all disturbance and to fulfill the divine pleasures? Love is the key to the kingdom of heaven and the path of eternal life. Love makes men sons of God and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Love renders corruptible natures incorruptible and transforms mortals into immortality. Love makes earthly beings heavenly and fashions the clay-like into fiery beings. And now who can recount the immeasurable greatness of love, for it is ineffable and indescribable; just as the uncreated nature of the Godhead is inscrutable, so too is the nature of love. And as God is boundless, yet is near to all, and dwells in the meek, the humble, and in those who tremble at his word, so too is love near to all who desire it.

and it itself will dwell in those who seek it. For love loves those who love it, and hates not those who hate it. Those who seek it are near to it in a divine manner, for God is love and a desirer of love from a holy heart and from unfeigned faith. A WORD OF ADMONITION TO THE HEGUMENS For it is written and commanded: "Do not turn to the right, and do not turn to the left." Now it calls the spiritual passion the right, and the bodily passion it calls the left. Many indeed who have passed their days in idleness, living in both, sin and do not know it. For the enemy of God and of men conquered the earthly Adam with these passions, and with these same passions he was conquered by the spiritual Adam. With these passions he deceived the earthly Adam, and with these same passions he was slain by the heavenly Adam. With these passions he deceived the first father Adam, and with these same passions he was deceived by the newly-born Adam. With these passions he swallowed the animate Adam, and with these same passions he was swallowed by the divine Adam. With these same passions he himself was drowned in the sea. With these passions he conquered the devouring Adam in paradise, and with these same passions he was conquered by the preserving Adam in the desert. With these passions he deceived the ignorant Adam in paradise, and with these same passions he himself was later deceived on the mountain of temptation. Now the tempter of men, while he wished to test the Creator as if he were the created, was himself found to be tested, a son of perdition and an heir of darkness.

Now, since by spiritual passions the evil spirit fell from the heavens, and by bodily passions it expelled the bodily man from paradise, for this reason the father of all passions and evil breaths is called pride, and the mother of all bodily passions is gluttony. Now from these passions are born all spiritual and bodily passions. Now with these passions it fights against the monks in a bestial manner. With these passions it sows the night with sleep, furnishes the night with dreams, and casts the day with the tongue. Now these are what are called the fearful: gluttony, profligacy, prodigality, drunkennesses, sleepinesses, false speech, belly-worship. For this reason the Apostle says: "Food of the belly and belly of food, may God destroy these and those." Concerning fornication: lust, madness, woman-love, eye-gazing, eye-wandering, kiss-lust, shamelessness, wantonness, persistent gazing, laughter, prodigality, adultery, fornication, woman-knowing, man-knowing. For this reason the Apostle says: "All sins of the body are outside the body, but if one fornicates, one sins with one's own body." Concerning vanity: vain, empty, unreal, cowardly, sluggish, inactive, unproductive, living emptily, eating emptily, merciless, shameless, sleepy, dream-seeing, dream-knowing, vain prophet, ugly in battle, mindless, artless. For this reason the Apostle commanded.

He who does not work, let him not eat. Because of deceit: cunning, fraud, malice, venomous mind, venomous thought, venomous intent, poisonous, serpent-tongued, viper-minded, utterly false, manifoldly false, manifoldly stained, utterly evil, sullen-minded, sullen-faced, sorrowful, swollen, deformed, poison-maddened, poison-dispensing, proud, greedy, envious, slanderous, calumnious, seductive, divisive, rancorous, vengeful, irreconcilable, hateful. For this reason it is said that these are passions and are called *aheki*, and because of them we are condemned. And these are on the right: arrogance, haughtiness, vainglory, insatiable neediness, contempt, malevolence, hard-hearted, hard-minded, stiff-necked, quarrelsome, disobedient, insubordinate, harsh-mannered, harsh-spoken, harsh-tongued, evil-speaking, evil-hearted, wrathful, resentful, evil-tempered, perverse-tempered, impatient, boiling, swelling, attacking, striking, fighting, blood-faced, sorrowful, so that he could not even clear his mind of the phlegm and the breath. And again: if he is not entreated by someone, he can neither eat nor pray, but overcome by wrath he falls irreconcilably. For this reason the prophet complains and says, "Be angry and do not sin." And the apostle says, "Let the sun not set upon your wrath," and "Do not give place to the devil." And again he says, "The wrath of man does not work the adornment of God." Because of pride.

proud, self-willed, shameless, insolent, untrustworthy, disobedient, rebellious, stubborn, erring, distant, obstinate, contentious, contrary, opposing, slanderous, ordering, hostile, disturbing, troublemaking, hindering, evil-speaking, evil-doing, evil-willing, evil-hearing, evil-seeing, evil-speaking, false, false-fabricating, willful, will-worshipping, will-serving—which is called self-willed—self-indulgent, self-destroying. For it is written: He who loves sin hates himself. And again: If you see God before your eyes always, you will not sin and will not do all this. Glory-loving, self-seeking, self-loving, self-pleasing, living emptily. And all these evils have entered and dwell in man and cast him away from God. For God’s sake I beseech everyone to keep themselves from this evil passion, for because of these God is angry with him who bears them in himself. Concerning the teacher: No humble teacher is found, nor obedient disciple. The learned one becomes proud, and the ignorant one becomes harsh. There is no one who conducts himself rightly, and no one who stands in righteousness. The wise one is vainglorious, and the ignorant one is glory-seeking. The wise one does not humble himself, and the ignorant one does not obey. The elder commands with severity, and the younger answers with harshness. The elder seeks honor, and the younger seeks ease. There is no one who knows, and no one who learns and does. There is no one who is spirit-loving, and no one who is desert-loving. They have withdrawn from the world but have not withdrawn from possessions.

separated from parents and not separated from acquaintances; separated from spirits and not separated from councils; separated from spirits and not separated from sins; separated from mountains and not separated from marketplaces; separated from fasts and not separated from drinkers. And now many are called and few are chosen. Now as the church is called the priest's wife, and it is not lawful for him to have another woman but only one, because if the layman is not commanded to have two wives but one, to cleave to her, to love her, to live with her, for this is the command of the Lord, and again the Spirit is called spouse, and calls the church spouse, now by the same example the monastery is also called the monk's spouse, because the monks are born of the church. For the apostle says: The head of the woman is the man, and the glory of the woman is the man, and the law of the woman is the man. Now when the elder of the monastery is head and glory and law of the monastery, let him remain in his place and see his congregation. For if you who are the leader are not in your place, how can you say to others: Stay in your place, fear the Lord and obey the teachers of God. Now those who cannot justly demand the fruit of their own souls, who let their own souls loose and free, who drive away and consume the souls of others with curses, themselves riding on Satan's horse, pursuing lords and ladies, and abhor and detest crowned ones and monks as if they were contemptible.

No one can serve two masters. CANONS OF YOVHANNĒS MANDAKUNI, CATHOLICOS OF THE ARMENIANS [CHAPTERS 9] 6A. Concerning the fast of the weekdays of the week of Pentecost not to be kept, and not to preach to those doing penance on the evening of the Sabbath. B. On Sunday and from Easter until Pentecost not to kneel. C. To loosen the fast of the Sabbath and Sunday with cheese, with egg, as with oil, with fish, and with wine. D. On the days of the week not to be idle from work. E. Not to perform exorcisms on the Sabbath and on Wednesday. F. To celebrate the Epiphany and the Nativity of Christ together. G. To celebrate the fast of Vardavar and the world-deluge. H. Demons without the command of God cannot enter into man. I. Not to give communion to the demon-possessed until he is purified. [CANONS OF YOVHANNĒS MANDAKUNI] 2We owe thanks continually to the great and abundant, beneficent and philanthropic Lord, who made us intellectual, rational, spiritual; and gave us to know his holy name and says: I am with you in the ages of time. 62 (62) A. Concerning the holy fast of the fasts in the canons of the week, it does not command to keep it manifestly, for the Sabbath day is the evening of repentance, it does not preach on one side according to the command of the Mosaic law we must honor, and on the other, for it is the forerunner of the great king in the advance, it goes before with lamps and candles of Sunday. 67 (63) B.

Concerning the keeping of Sunday, neither the canons command it, nor the teachers, but they place curses and anathemas upon it. The same also the 318 bishops at Nicaea, in the holy council, established and confirmed anathemas. Canon 3. Also, on the day of Sunday and from Easter until Pentecost, they did not command to kneel twice, but to stand in prayer. Canon 4. If someone should say that wine comes from the vine, and oil from the tree, and fish from water—oh, senseless perception!—that is the doctrine of the accursed Nestorius, for Basil of Caesarea says that fish is a beast, and the apostle witnesses: The flesh of fish is one thing, and the flesh of an animal is another, and the flesh of a bird is another. Now the apostle says flesh, and the heretic says water. Now, how can it be water, since it is living—with joints, bones, sinews, blood, eyes, gills? Examine with understanding among fish and among beasts that are on dry land—lion, leopard, bear, dragon, which is a serpent, and the books call it synkē and hydra, marine creatures. Synkē is called a three-headed dog, and hydra is even more evil than it, but they do not eat their own offspring, whereas fish eats its own kind, and also eats man. Then how can it still be water? But there are also water birds and animals, and who is there that is nourished without water? Now the books call fish a living thing and even offer it as a sacrifice. Come, take oil: the books say oil and olive are one. Isaiah says: Wood of oil. And David says: My old age in the oil of abundance.

and the evangelist says concerning the virgins that they took no oil. And if you say, "You from your own oil." Behold, it is evident that oil and oil are one. Again: Not that Adam ate cheese, but the fruit of the tree, and he went out of paradise. But concerning wine, the books say: The drunkards are worse than the demon-possessed, as the apostle also says: "Do not be drunkards," and he did not say, "Do not drink wine," for even Noah commanded the drinking of wine because of sorrow, for Noah had no wine, but only grapes. Then Noah commanded to make it because of sorrow. Likewise, he gave it to us for enjoyment, not for drunkenness and debauchery, but as food when we eat with it in moderation, but when we drink, we bring other thoughts to mind and not those of God, as Isaiah also said: "Woe to those who rise at dawn and follow after the onion and the wine," for the wine itself burns them. Again he says: The priest and the prophet became foolish because of the onion. Formerly, the covenanters Samuel and Samson and the sons of Jonadab ate meat, but they did not drink wine or onion, for wine and onion-water and honey-water and amber-water are one, as the books say that egg and fish and oil are one. If someone should say that an egg is a living thing, if it comes from a living animal, if an egg is not tended, it dies.

but what is said by the Old and New Testaments and by the teachers, who are these: Athanasius, Cyril, John, Sahak of Jerusalem, Acacius, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Neocaesarea, Basil of Caesarea, Irenaeus, Origen, Eusebius, Clement, Timothy, John of Constantinople, Zenob, Severianus. Now, what is ordained by them, with the testimony of the prophets and apostles, no one is permitted to transgress. 295 (295). 5. From Easter until Pentecost all the days are as Sunday; it is not permitted to kneel, but to stand and offer prayers with veneration. 296 (296). 6. From Pentecost until Vardavar, two weeks they eat and one they fast; Vardavar: the feast of the apostles and the Matun according to the old, of the Tabernacle-bearers in the new; the consecration of the holy places of Jerusalem and the commemorations of the martyrs. 297 (297). 7. From Pentecost until the beginning of the fast, to fast on the eve of the Sabbath and to eat on the Sabbath is disorder; it is necessary to fast until evening, and to honor the Sabbath as Sunday, and to abstain from work are sins, and they call it old, and that the five days are greater than it. 298 (298). 8.

And whoever makes a memorial of the martyrs on Wednesday and Friday and celebrates a feast with eating, they are guilty of sins, for if it were in order, then on the Friday of Easter it would be necessary to make an offering, because Christ, the divine creator of heaven and earth, was crucified on Friday, and the readings, psalms, and Gospels for that day are many, and all people were freed from sins on that day, and paradise was opened on that day by the hand of the thief, and Christ freed people from servitude on that day and delivered them from Satan on that day, but the canons of the Church command that that day be kept separate, and instead of it, to eat on the other six days until Pentecost. 294 (294) 9. And those who celebrate the Nativity before the Epiphany are not worthy, for it is false, because the Nativity and the Epiphany are one, and it is evident from the reading, which says: The birth of Jesus Christ was thus. 295 (295) 10. Demons cannot enter into a man without the command of God, and it is evident from Saul, for the servants of Saul say: This evil from the Lord is choking you, and concerning Job, God gave a command, for the Lord said to Satan: Behold, I deliver him to you, and the demons could not enter the herd of swine without the command of God, so how can they enter into a man? But, the scriptures say: He who is innocent and virtuous, but from some he seeks punishment and from others he admonishes. 296 (296) [11]. But it is not necessary to take laws until they are sanctified.

But if at that same end, and with gratitude he receives among the martyrs, he becomes resplendent before God, as the Apostle says: I delivered such a one to Satan for the destruction of the body, that the spirit might live on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.