now revering through love him whom he 19.2 feared before; for no longer does he abstain from what should be abstained from because of fear, but through love he holds to the commandments. "The Spirit itself," he says, "bears witness," when we say, "Abba, Father."

20.1 But the Lord redeems us "with precious blood," freeing us from <the> former bitter masters, <the> sins, on account of which "the spiritual forces of 20.2 wickedness" had dominion over us. He leads, therefore, into the freedom of the Father, 20.3 making us co-heir sons and friends. "For my brothers," says the Lord, "and co-heirs are those who do the will of my Father." "Therefore, call no one on earth your father;" for there are masters on earth, but in heaven is the Father, "from whom every family in heaven and 20.4 on earth is named." For love rules the willing, but fear rules the unwilling, this is the "7worthless"7 one; but that which instructs for good leads to Christ and is salvific.

21.1 If indeed someone conceives of God (not in a worthy manner at all, for what conception is worthy of God?

but as is possible), let him conceive of a great and inconceivable and most beautiful "unapproachable light," inheriting every good power, every lovely virtue, caring for all, compassionate, impassible, good, knowing all things, foreknowing all things, sincere, sweet, radiant, pure. Since the soul is moved of itself, the grace of God demands from it what the soul has, its eagerness, like a contribution towards salvation; for he wills the good, which the 22.2 Lord gives it, to be the soul's own, for it is not without sensation, to be carried along like a body. Therefore, the having belongs to the one who has received, but the receiving to the one who willed and desired, and the 22.3 holding of what was received to the one who practiced holding it and is able. For this reason God has given the choice [upon] to the soul, so that he might show what is necessary, and it, having chosen, might receive and possess it.

23.1 Just as the Savior spoke and healed through the body, so also previously

through the prophets, and now through the apostles and 23.2 teachers; for the church serves the Lord's activity, whence also then he took on a human being, so that through him he might serve the 23.3 will of the Father. And the God who loves humanity always clothes himself with a human being for the salvation of humanity, previously the prophets, but now the church. For it is fitting for like to serve like for a like salvation.

24.1 When we were of dust, we were Caesar's. And Caesar is the temporal ruler,

whose image is the man of dust, the old man, into whom he has 24.2 returned. To him, therefore, the things of dust must be rendered, which "we have borne in the image of the man of dust," and "the things of God to God"; for each of the 24.3 passions is like a letter and an inscription and a mark for us. Now the Lord inscribes on us another mark and other names and letters, faith instead of unbelief, and so on. Thus we are transferred from material things to spiritual things, "having borne the image of the heavenly one."

25.1 John says that "I indeed baptize you with water, but after me comes [the one]

who will baptize you with the Spirit and with fire." But he baptized no one with fire; "But some," as Heracleon says, "marked the ears of those being sealed with fire," having heard the apostolic saying in this way. "For his winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor, and he will gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with 25.2 unquenchable fire." Therefore, "by the Spirit" is added to "by fire," since <as> the wheat is separated from the chaff (that is, from the material covering) by the spirit (wind) and the chaff is separated, being winnowed by the spirit (wind), so the Spirit

αἰδούμενος ἤδη δι' ἀγάπην ὃν ἐφο 19.2 βεῖτο πρότερον· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι διὰ φόβον ἀπέχεται τῶν ἀφεκτέων, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀγάπην ἔχεται τῶν ἐντολῶν. "αὐτό", φησί, "τὸ πνεῦμα μαρτυρεῖ", ὅταν λέγωμεν· "ἀββᾶ ὁ πατήρ."

20.1 Ἀγοράζει δὲ ἡμᾶς κύριος "τιμίῳ αἵματι", δεσποτῶν <τῶν> πάλαι τῶν πικρῶν ἀπαλλάσσων, <τῶν> ἁμαρτιῶν, δι' ἃς "τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς 20.2 πονηρίας" ἐκυρίευσεν ἡμῶν. ἄγει οὖν εἰς ἐλευθερίαν τὴν τοῦ πατρός, 20.3 συγκληρονόμους υἱοὺς καὶ φίλους. "ἀδελφοί μου γάρ", φησὶν ὁ κύριος, "καὶ συγκληρονόμοι οἱ ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου." "μὴ καλέσητε οὖν ἑαυτοῖς πατέρα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·" δεσπόται γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐν δὲ οὐρανοῖς ὁ πατήρ, "ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἔν τε οὐρανοῖς καὶ 20.4 ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." ἀγάπη γὰρ ἑκουσίων ἄρχει, ἀκόντων δὲ ὁ φόβος, οὗτος ὁ "7φαῦλος"7· ὃ δὲ εἰς ἀγαθὸν παιδαγωγῶν εἰς Χριστὸν ἄγει καὶ ἔστι σωτήριος.

21.1 Εἰ δή τις νοεῖ θεόν (κατ' ἀξίαν μὲν οὐδαμῶς, τίς γὰρ ἔννοια ἀξία θεοῦ;

ἀλλ' ὡς δυνατόν ἐστι), νοείτω μέγα καὶ ἀπερινόητον καὶ κάλλιστον "φῶς ἀπρόσιτον", πᾶσαν δύναμιν ἀγαθήν, πᾶσαν ἀστείαν ἀρετὴν συγκεκληρωμένον, πάντων κηδόμενον, φιλοικτίρμον, ἀπαθές, ἀγαθόν, πάντα εἰδός, προγινῶσκον πάντα, εἰλικρινές, γλυκύ, λαμπρόν, ἀκήρατον. Ἐπεὶ ἐξ ἑαυτῆς κινεῖται ἡ ψυχή, ἡ χάρις ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὃ ἔχει ἡ ψυχή, τὴν προθυμίαν, ἀπαιτεῖ παρ' αὐτῆς, οἷον ἔρανον εἰς σωτηρίαν· βούλεται γὰρ τῆς ψυχῆς ἴδιον εἶναι τὸ ἀγαθόν, ὃ δίδωσιν αὐτῇ ὁ 22.2 κύριος, οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀναίσθητος, ἵνα φέρηται ὡς σῶμα. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἔχειν τοῦ λαβόντος, τὸ λαβεῖν δὲ τοῦ θελήσαντος καὶ ὀρεχθέντος, τὸ 22.3 κρατεῖν δὲ ὃ ἔλαβεν τοῦ κρατεῖν μελετήσαντος καὶ δυναμένου. διὰ τοῦτο [ἐπὶ] τῇ ψυχῇ ὁ θεὸς τὴν αἵρεσιν δέδωκεν, ἵνα αὐτὸς μὲν μηνύσῃ τὸ δέον, ἣ δὲ ἑλομένη δέξηται καὶ κατάσχῃ.

23.1 Ὥσπερ διὰ τοῦ σώματος ὁ σωτὴρ ἐλάλει καὶ ἰᾶτο, οὕτως καὶ πρότερον

μὲν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, νῦν δὲ διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ 23.2 τῶν διδασκάλων· ἡ ἐκκλησία γὰρ ὑπηρετεῖ τῇ τοῦ κυρίου ἐνεργείᾳ, ἔνθεν καὶ τότε ἄνθρωπον ἀνέλαβεν, ἵνα δι' αὐτοῦ ὑπηρετήσῃ τῷ 23.3 θελήματι τοῦ πατρός. καὶ πάντοτε ἄνθρωπον ὁ φιλάνθρωπος ἐνδύεται θεὸς εἰς τὴν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν, πρότερον μὲν τοὺς προ φήτας, νῦν δὲ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. τὸ γὰρ ὅμοιον τῷ ὁμοίῳ ἐξυπηρετεῖν κατάλληλον πρὸς τὴν ὁμοίαν σωτηρίαν.

24.1 Ὅτε χοϊκοὶ ἦμεν, Καίσαρος ἦμεν. Καῖσαρ δέ ἐστιν ὁ πρόσκαιρος ἄρχων,

οὗ καὶ εἰκὼν ἡ χοϊκὴ ὁ παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος, εἰς ὃν ἐπαλιν 24.2 δρόμησεν. τούτῳ οὖν τὰ χοϊκὰ ἀποδοτέον, ἃ "πεφορέκαμεν ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ χοϊκοῦ", καὶ "τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ θεῷ"· ἕκαστον γὰρ τῶν 24.3 παθῶν ὥσπερ γράμμα καὶ χάραγμα ἡμῖν καὶ σημεῖον. ἄλλο χάραγμα νῦν ὁ κύριος ἡμῖν καὶ ἄλλα ὀνόματα καὶ γράμματα ἐνσημαίνεται, πίστιν ἀντὶ ἀπιστίας, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. οὕτως ἀπὸ τῶν ὑλικῶν ἐπὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ μεταγόμεθα "φορέσαντες τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου".

25.1 Ὁ Ἰωάννης φησίν, ὅτι "ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμᾶς ὕδατι βαπτίζω, ἔρχεται δέ μου [ὁ]

ὀπίσω ὁ βαπτίζων ὑμᾶς ἐν πνεύματι καὶ πυρί." πυρὶ δὲ οὐδένα ἐβάπτισεν· "ἔνιοι δέ", ὥς φησιν Ἡρακλέων, "πυρὶ τὰ ὦτα τῶν σφραγιζομένων κατεσημήναντο", οὕτως ἀκούσαντες τὸ ἀποστο λικόν. "τὸ γὰρ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ διακαθᾶραι τὴν ἅλω, καὶ συνάξει τὸν σῖτον εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην, τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει 25.2 πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ." πρόσκειται οὖν τῷ "διὰ πυρὸς" τὸ "διὰ πνεύματος", ἐπειδὴ <ὡς> ὁ σῖτος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀχύρου διακρίνεται (τουτέστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑλικοῦ ἐνδύματος) διὰ πνεύματος καὶ τὸ ἄχυρον χωρίζεται διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος λικμώμενον, οὕτως τὸ πνεῦμα