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that is, in the fortress of Bizye, the aforementioned bishop Theodosius, sent, as he said, on behalf of Peter the president of Constantinople; and Paul and Theodosius the consuls, sent, as they also said, on behalf of the emperor; and having gone up to the aforementioned monk Maximus, in the place where he was confined, they sat down, and permitted him also to sit, with them, of course, being also the 15Γ_014 bishop of Bizye. And Theodosius the bishop says to him: How are you, my lord abba?

MAX. As God predestined before all ages the providential course of events concerning me, so I am.

THEOD. What then? Did God ordain (predestine) everything concerning each of us? MAX. If He foreknew, He certainly also predestined; THEOD. What is this, "He foreknew," and "He predestined"? MAX. Foreknowledge is of the thoughts, words, and deeds that are in our power;

but predestination is of the things that happen which are not in our power. THEOD. What are the things in our power, and what are the things not in our power? MAX. It seems that my master, knowing everything, is speaking for the sake of testing

his servant. THEOD. By the truth of God, I asked in ignorance, and wishing to learn the

difference between the things in our power and not in our power; and how some things exist under the foreknowledge of God, while others are under predestination.

MAX. In our power are all voluntary things, that is, virtues and vices; but not in our power are the visitations of afflictions that happen to us, or their opposites. For neither is the chastising sickness in our power, nor the gladdening health; and their qualities and causes. For instance, the cause of sickness is disorder, just as the cause of health is good order; and the cause of the kingdom of heaven is the keeping of the commandments, just as the cause of eternal fire is their transgression.

THEOD. What then? Are you afflicted in this exile for this reason, because you have done things worthy of this affliction?

15Γ_016 MAX. I pray that God, by this affliction, may limit the payments for which I have sinned against Him in the transgression of His righteous commandments.

THEOD. Is affliction not brought upon many for the sake of testing? MAX. The testing is for the saints, so that through affliction may be manifested to the life

of men their dispositions concerning that which is good by nature, revealing along with themselves the virtues unknown to all, as in the case of Job and Joseph. For the one was tempted for the manifestation of his hidden courage; the other was tested for the proclamation of his sanctifying continence; and every one of the saints who is afflicted unwillingly in this age, was afflicted for some such dispensations, so that through the weakness permitted to be brought upon them, they might trample upon the proud and apostate dragon, that is, the devil.0140 For patience is the work of testing in the case of each of the saints.

THEOD. By the truth of God, you have spoken well; and I confess the benefit; and I have always sought to converse with you on such matters; but since it is on another subject that I and my lords, the future patricians, have come to you, and we have come such a distance, we ask you to accept what is proposed by us, and to make the whole world rejoice.

MAX. What are these things, master, and who am I, and from where am I, that my consent to the things proposed to me should make the whole world rejoice?

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τουτέστιν ἐν κάστρῳ Βιζύης, ὁ προρηθείς ἐπίσκοπος Θεοδόσιος, ὡς εἶπεν, ἐκ προσώπου Πέτρου τοῦ προέδρου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως πεμφθείς· καί Παῦλος καί Θεοδόσιος οἱ ὕπατοι, ὡς εἶπον καί αὐτοί, ἐκ προσώπου βασιλέως πεμφθέντες· καί ἀνελθόντες πρός τόν εἰρημένον μοναχόν Μάξιμον, ἐν ᾧ τόπῳ ἀπεκέκλειστο, ἐκάθισαν, καί ἐπέτρεψαν καί αὐτόν καθίσαι, συνόντος αὐτοῖς δηλονότι καί τοῦ 15Γ_014 ἐπισκόπου Βιζύης. Καί λέγει πρός αὐτόν Θεοδόσιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος· Πῶς ἔχεις, κῦρι ἀββᾶ;

ΜΑΞ. Ὡς προώρισεν ὁ Θεός πρό πάντων τῶν αἰώνων τήν περί ἐμέ προνοητικήν διεξαγωγήν, οὕτως ἔχω.

ΘΕΟ∆. Τί οὖν; πρό παντός περί ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ὥρισεν (προώρισεν) ὁ Θεός; ΜΑΞ. Εἴπερ προέγνω, πάντως καί προώρισε· ΘΕΟ∆. Τί ἔστιν αὐτό τό, Προέγνω, καί Προώρισεν; ΜΑΞ. Ἡ πρόγνωσις τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐννοιῶν καί λόγων καί ἔργων ἐστίν· ὁ

προορισμός δέ τῶν οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν συμβαινόντων ἐστί. ΘΕΟ∆. Ποῖά ἐστι τά ἐφ' ἡμῖν, καί ποῖα τά οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν; ΜΑΞ. Ὡς ἔοικε, πάντα γινώσκων ὁ δεσπότης μου, δοκιμαστικῶς διαλέγεται

πρός τόν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ. ΘΕΟ∆. Μά τήν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀγνοῶν ἠρώτησα, καί μαθεῖν θέλων τήν

διαφοράν τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν, καί οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν· καί πῶς τά μέν ὑπό τήν πρόγνωσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχουσι· τά δέ, ὑπό τόν προορισμόν εἰσιν.

ΜΑΞ. Ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι τά ἑκούσια πάντα, τουτέστιν ἀρεταί καί κακίαι· οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν δέ, αἱ ἐπιφοραί τῶν συμβαινόντων ἡμῖν κολαστικῶν τρόπων, ἤ τῶν ἐναντίων. Οὔτε γάρ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἡ κολάζουσα νόσος, οὔτε ἡ εὐφραίνουσα ὑγεία· καί αἱ ποιότητες καί αἱ τούτων αἰτίαι. Οἷον αἰτία νόσου ἀταξία, ὥσπερ καί ὑγείας εὐταξία· καί βασιλείας οὐρανῶν αἰτία, ἡ τῶν ἐντολῶν φυλακή, ὥσπερ καί πυρός αἰωνίου, ἡ τῶν τούτων παράβασις.

ΘΕΟ∆. Τί οὖν; διά τοῦτο θλίβῃ ἐν τῇ ἐξορίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἐπειδή ἄξιά τινα ἐποίησας ταύτης τῆς θλίψεως;

15Γ_016 ΜΑΞ. Παρακαλῶ ἵνα ὁ Θεός ταῦτῃ τῇ θλίψει περιορίσῃ τάς ἐκτίσεις ὧν ἥμαρτον αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ παραβάσει τῶν αὐτοῦ δικαιωτικῶν ἐντολῶν.

ΘΕΟ∆. Οὐκ ἔστι δοκιμῆς ἕνεκεν ἀπαγομένη θλίψις πολλοῖς; ΜΑΞ. Ἡ δοκιμή τῶν ἁγίων ἐστίν, ἵνα φανερωθῶσι διά τῆς θλίψεως τῷ βίῳ

τῶν ἀνθρώπων, αἱ περί τό φύσει καλόν διαθέσεις αὐτῶν, ἑαυταῖς συνεκφαίνουσαι τάς ἠγνοημένας πᾶσιν ἀρετάς, ὡς ἐπί Ἰώβ καί Ἰωσήφ. Ὁ μέν γάρ ἐπί φανερώσει τῆς κεκρυμμένης ἀνδρείας ἐπειράζετο· ὁ δέ, ἐπ' ἐκφωνήσει τῆς ἁγιαστικῆς σωφροσύνης ἐδοκιμάζετο· καί πᾶς τῶν ἁγίων ἀκουσίως ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ θλιβείς, ἐπι τισί τοιαύταις οἰκονομίαις ἐθλίβετο, ἵνα διά τῆς ἀσθενείας τῆς συγχωρουμένης αὐτοῖς ἐπαχθῆναι, τόν ὑπερήφανον καί ἀποστάτην περιπατήσωσι δράκοντα, τουτέστι τόν διάβολον.0140 Ἡ γάρ ὑπομονή, δοκιμῆς ἔργον ἐστίν ἐφ' ἑκάστου τῶν ἁγίων.

ΘΕΟ∆. Μά τήν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καλῶς εἶπας· καί ὁμολογῶ τήν ὠφέλειαν· καί ἐζήτουν ἀεί ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις συνδιαλέγεσθαι ὑμῖν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδή ἐπ' ἄλλῳ κεφαλαίῳ κἀγώ καί οἱ δεσπόται μου οἱ μελλοπατρίκιοι πρός σέ γεγόναμεν, καί τοσαῦτα διαστήματα ἤλθομεν, παρακαλοῦμέν σε τά παρ' ἠμῶν προτεινόμενα δέξασθαι, καί χαροποιῆσαι πᾶσαν τήν οἰκουμένην.

ΜΑΞ. Ποῖα ταῦτά εἰσι, δέσποτα, καί τίς ἐγώ, καί πόθεν εἰμί, ἵνα ἡ ἐπί τοῖς προτεινομένοις μοι συγκατάθεσις χαροποιήσῃ πᾶσαν τήν οἰκουμένην;