3

they are opposed to us and are hostile towards us, as if having become some borderland between us and the enemy, and they are both and neither; they neither confess the right doctrine nor do they deign to be called heretics.

O, strange affair! they are equally at war with both the truth and the lie, like some rootless tree, easily swaying 9.337 this way and that toward contrary impulses. I have heard the evangelist John saying in apocryphal writings to such people enigmatically that it is necessary to be truly hot or truly cold, in every way to be hot in the spirit, but cold to sin; For I wish, he says, that you were cold or hot, but that which is neither of these but touches upon both is nauseating and fit for vomiting. What then is the reason that long ago in the time of the disciples a great multitude was brought to the church through the Lord, but now the long and beautiful discourses of the teachers pass by without effect? Someone will perhaps say that then the miracles from their works aided the apostles and the word had its credibility through the charismatic gifts; I too say that the power from their works is a great force for persuasion. But now, what should one think of the things that are happening? Or do you not see similar miracles of the faith? For I appropriate the achievements of our fellow servants, who, walking by the same spirit in the power of healings, bear witness to the truth of the word, men coming from beyond the borders, citizens of our father Abraham, originating from Mesopotamia, these men also having gone out from their land and their kindred and from the whole world, looking toward heaven, in a way sojourning from human life, standing above the passions of nature, touching this life only so much as is necessary, and for the greater part soaring aloft 9.338 with the incorporeal powers, old in appearance, venerable to behold, shining with gray hair, their mouths secured in silence, not knowing how to dispute with words, not having learned how to debate. They have such authority over spirits as to accomplish what they wish by command alone and the demons withdraw, not by the arts of syllogisms but by the authority of faith, not being led into the impasse of contradiction but being driven out into the outer darkness. This is how a Christian knows how to reason; these are the achievements of our faith. Why then do we not persuade, if the grace of healings abounds, if the teaching of the word overflows, And one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills? Why is there no increase of those who are being saved? And let no one suppose that I consider the present grace to be small; I see the vine flourishing, thriving with its branches and abounding in fruit, I see the field waving with the multitude of its ears of corn; the crop is deep, the sheaf is thick, the seed is plentiful. But what am I to do? Having an insatiable nature in such things, I am possessed by the passion of the avaricious. No limit of abundance stops desire; what is ever added excites the appetite for more, becoming kindling for the desire of more. The things that are seen 9.339 gladden me and the things that are not seen grieve me, I rejoice in those present and I am pained by those absent. A strange mixed passion from opposites possesses the soul, with pleasure blended with grief. If I look up to you, I rest my desire on you, if I consider what is lacking, I do not see how not to groan at the misfortune; for men, having ceased to delight in the Lord and to rejoice in the peace of the church, devise certain substances and measure magnitudes, comparing the Son to the Father and granting the greater part of the measure to the Father. Who then could tell them that what is without quantity cannot be measured, what is without form cannot be tested, what is incorporeal cannot be weighed, what is undefined cannot be compared, that which is not compared does not admit of an account of greater and lesser? For from the comparison of limits to one another we discern the greater, but of which the end

3

ἡμῶν ἀντικαθίστανται πρὸς δὲ ἡμᾶς δυσμενῶς ἔχουσιν, ὥσπερ τι μεθόριον ἡμῶν τε καὶ τῶν πολεμίων γενόμενοι καὶ ἀμφότερά εἰσι καὶ οὐθέτερον οὔτε τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον ὁμολογοῦσι καὶ αἱρετικοὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι ἀπαξιοῦσιν.

ὢ καινοῦ πράγματος· καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ πρὸς τὸ ψεῦδος ἐπίσης ἐκπεπολέμηνται οἷόν τι δένδρον ἄρριζον ὧδε καὶ ὧδε πρὸς τὰς ἐναντίας ὁρμὰς εὐκόλως 9.337 μετακλινόμενοι. ἤκουσα τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ Ἰωάννου ἐν ἀποκρύφοις πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους δι' αἰνίγματος λέγοντος ὡς δέον ἀκριβῶς ζέειν ἢ ἀκριβῶς κατεψῦχθαι, ζέειν μὲν πάντως τῷ πνεύματι, κατεψῦχθαι δὲ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· Ὄφελον γὰρ ἦσθα, φησί, ψυχρὸς ἢ ζεστός, τὸ δὲ μηθέτερον τούτων ὂν ἀμφοτέρων δὲ ἐφαπτόμενον ναυτιῶδές ἐστι καὶ πρὸς ἔμετον ἐπιτήδειον. τί οὖν τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ πάλαι μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν μαθητῶν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου πολὺ πλῆθος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ προσάγεσθαι, νυνὶ δὲ τοὺς μακροὺς καὶ περικαλλεῖς τῶν διδασκάλων λόγους παρατρέχειν ἀπράκτους; Ἐρεῖ τις ἴσως ὅτι τότε συνήργει τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἔργων θαύματα καὶ τὸ ἀξιόπιστον ὁ λόγος διὰ τῶν χαρισμά των εἶχε· φημὶ κἀγὼ μεγάλην εἶναι πρὸς τὸ πείθειν ῥοπὴν τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἰσχύν. νυνὶ δὲ τί χρὴ τὰ γινόμενα ἡγεῖσθαι; ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὰ ὅμοια τῆς πίστεως θαύματα; οἰκειοῦμαι γὰρ τῶν ὁμοδούλων ἡμῶν τὰ κατορθώματα, οἳ τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύματι στοιχοῦντες ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τῶν ἰάσεων μαρτυροῦσι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τοῦ λόγου ἄνδρες ἐξ ὑπερορίας ἥκοντες, πολῖται τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀβραὰμ ἐκ Μεσοποταμίας ὁρμώμενοι, ἐξελθόντες καὶ οὗτοι ἐκ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς συγγενείας αὐτῶν καὶ τοῦ κόσμου παντός, πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέποντες, ἐκδημοῦντες τρόπον τινὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ζωῆς, ἄνω τῶν τῆς φύσεως παθημάτων ἱστάμενοι, τοσοῦτον ἐφαπτόμενοι τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης ὅσον ἐπάναγκες, τῷ δὲ πλείονι μέρει ταῖς ἀσωμάτοις 9.338 συμμετεωροποροῦσι δυνάμεσι, γηραιοὶ τὸ εἶδος, σεμνοὶ προσιδεῖν, πολιᾷ στίλβοντες, σιωπῇ κατησφαλισμένοι τὰ στόματα, λογομαχεῖν οὐκ εἰδότες, συζητεῖν οὐ μαθόντες. τοσαύτην ἔχουσι κατὰ τῶν πνευμάτων τὴν ἐξουσίαν ὡς προστάγματι μόνῳ τὸ δοκοῦν κατεργάζεσθαι καὶ ὑποχωρεῖν τὰ δαιμόνια οὐ συλλογισμῶν τέχναις ἀλλ' ἐξουσίᾳ τῆς πίστεως, οὐκ εἰς ἀπορίαν ἀντιφάσεως περιαγόμενα ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον ἀπελαυνόμενα. οὕτως οἶδεν ὁ Χριστιανὸς συλλογίζεσθαι, ταῦτα τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν τὰ κατορθώματα. διὰ τί οὖν οὐ πείθομεν, εἰ πλεονάζει τῶν ἰαμάτων ἡ χάρις, εἰ περισσεύει ἡ διδασκαλία τοῦ λόγου, Πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλε ται; διὰ τί οὐ γίνεται ἡ τῶν σῳζομένων προσθήκη; καὶ μή μέ τις ὑπονοείτω μικρὰν τὴν παροῦσαν ἡγεῖσθαι χάριν· ὁρῶ κομῶσαν τὴν ἄμπελον εὐθηνουμένην ταῖς κληματίσι καὶ τῷ καρπῷ πλεονάζουσαν, ὁρῶ κυμαινομένην τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἀσταχύων τὴν ἄρουραν· βαθὺ τὸ λήιον, ἁδρὸν τὸ δράγμα, πολὺς ὁ σπόρος. ἀλλὰ τί πάθω; ἀπλήρωτον ἔχων ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις τὴν φύσιν τῷ πάθει τῶν φιλοπλούτων κατέχομαι. οὐδεὶς περιουσίας ὅρος τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἵστησι· τὸ ἀεὶ προσγινό μενον πρὸς τὸ πλέον ἐρεθίζει τὴν ὄρεξιν ὑπέκκαυμα τῆς τοῦ πλείονος ἐπιθυμίας γινόμενον. εὐφραίνει με τὰ ὁρώμενα 9.339 καὶ λυπεῖ τὰ μὴ ὁρώμενα, τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀγάλλομαι καὶ τοῖς ἀποῦσιν ἀλγύνομαι. καινόν τι πάθος ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων σύμμικτον τὴν ψυχὴν περιέχει ἡδονῆς πρὸς λύπην συγκεκραμένης. ἐὰν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀναβλέψω, ὑμῖν ἐπαναπαύω τὸν πόθον, ἐὰν τὸ λεῖπον λογίσωμαι, οὐκ ἔχω ὅπως <οὐ> στενάξω τὴν συμφοράν· καὶ γὰρ ἀφέντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸ κατατρυφᾶν τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ τῆς ἐκκλησίας εὐφραίνεσθαι οὐσίας τινὰς τεχνολογοῦσι καὶ μεγέθη καταμετροῦσιν υἱὸν πατρὶ παραμετροῦντες καὶ τὸ περισσότερον τοῦ μέτρου τῷ πατρὶ χαριζόμενοι. τίς <ἂν> εἴποι αὐτοῖς ὅτι τὸ ἄποσον οὐ μετρεῖται, τὸ ἀειδὲς οὐ δοκιμάζεται, τὸ ἀσώματον οὐ σταθμίζεται, τὸ ἀόριστον οὐ συγκρίνεται, τὸ μὴ συγκρινό-μενον τὸν τοῦ πλείονος καὶ ἐλάττονος οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται λόγον; ἐκ γὰρ τῆς τῶν περάτων πρὸς ἄλληλα παραθέσεως τὸ πλέον ἐπιγινώσκομεν, οὗ δὲ τέλος