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Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. and establish me with your governing spirit; and elsewhere he asks: Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Then he answers: He that has clean hands, and a pure heart. This one, pure in all things, he leads up to the mountain of God, who has not utterly defiled his soul by thought or by knowledge or by his actions, persisting in evils, and whoever, through good works and <thoughts>, having received the governing spirit, has created anew his own heart which had been corrupted by wickedness. And the holy apostle, speaking about virginity, prescribes for those who have chosen to live with it what sort of life such a person must have: The virgin, he says, cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit, saying to be pure in both soul and flesh; and he commands to flee every sin as far away as possible, both the manifest and whatever is hidden, that is <to abstain completely from sins both> of practice and those accomplished by thought; for the goal for the soul honoring virginity is to draw near to God and become a bride of Christ.

8,1.50 Therefore, one who desires to become intimate with someone must adopt by imitation the manner of the one with whom he is becoming intimate; therefore it is necessary also for the one who longs to become a bride of Christ to be likened to the beauty of Christ through virtue, according to her ability; for it is not possible to be joined to light without shining toward that light; and I have heard the apostle John saying; For he says, every man that has this hope purifies himself, even as he is pure; and the apostle Paul also: Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ; for the soul that is to fly up to the divine and to be joined to Christ must drive out every sin from herself, both whatever is accomplished openly in actions, I mean theft and robbery and adultery and covetousness and fornication and disease of the tongue and every kind of manifest sin, and whatever secretly sits in souls and, being hidden from outsiders, devours a person bitterly with its most evil teeth; this is envy, unbelief, malevolence, deceit, desire for what one ought not, hatred, arrogance, vainglory, and the whole treacherous swarm of wickedness, which Scripture hates and abhors equally with the manifest kind of sins, being both kindred to one another and springing from the same wickedness. Whose bones did the Lord scatter? Was it not of the men-pleasers? 8,1.51 Whom does the Lord abhor like the accursed and blood-stained man? Is it not the treacherous and deceitful man? For the Lord abhors the bloody and deceitful man. Does not David openly curse those who speak peace with their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts, crying to God, Give them according to their deeds? And, In your heart, he says, you work wickedness in the earth. God called the secret motion of sin a work; for this reason he commands neither to pursue praises from men nor to be ashamed of dishonors from them. For Scripture deprives of their rewards in heaven those who ostentatiously pity the poor and make a show of their giving on earth; for if you seek to please men and for this reason you give, so that you may be praised, your reward for the good deed is fulfilled by the praises of men, for whose sake you showed your mercy. Do not, then, seek a reward in heaven, having stored up your works below, nor expect honor from God, for you have received it from men. Do you long for immortal glory? To him who is able to grant what you long for, show your life in secret. Do you dread eternal shame? Fear him who will reveal it on the day of judgment. How then does the Lord say, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify 8,1.52 your Father which is in heaven? Because he commands the one who follows the commandments of God to do whatever he does looking to him and pleasing him alone, hunting for no glory from men; but to flee the praises from them and ostentation, but through life and works

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Καρδίαν καθαρὰν κτίσον ἐν ἐμοὶ ὁ θεὸς καὶ πνεῦμα εὐθὲς ἐγκαίνισον ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις μου καὶ πνεύματι ἡγεμονικῷ στήριξόν με· ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ ἐρωτᾷ· Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ κυρίου; εἶτα ἀποκρίνεται· Ἀθῷος χερσὶ καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. τὸν διὰ πάντων καθαρὸν τοῦτον ἐπὶ τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ὄρος ἀνάγει, ὃς μήτε ἐννοίᾳ μήτε γνώσει μήτε ταῖς πράξεσιν εἰς τέλος κατεμίανε τὴν ψυχὴν ἐμμείνας τοῖς κακοῖς, καὶ ὅστις δι' ἔργων τε καὶ <νοημάτων> ἀγαθῶν τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ὑποδεξάμενος πνεῦμα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καρδίαν διεφθαρμένην ὑπὸ κακίας πάλιν ἀνέκτισεν. ὁ δὲ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος περὶ παρθενίας λέγων τοῖς μετ' αὐτῆς ζῆν ᾑρημένοις ὑπογράφει τὸν βίον ὁποῖον εἶναι δεῖ τὸν τοιοῦτον· Ἡ παρθένος, φησί, μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κυρίου, ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία τῷ σώματι καὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ψυχῇ τε καὶ σαρκὶ λέγων καθαρεύειν· καὶ φεύγειν πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν ὡς πορρωτάτω κελεύει, τήν τε ἐμφανῆ καὶ ὅση λαθραία, τουτέστι <παντελῶς ἀπέχεσθαι ἁμαρτημάτων τῶν τε> πρακτικῶν καὶ τῶν λογισμῷ τελουμένων· σκοπὸς γὰρ τῇ τὴν παρθενίαν τιμώσῃ ψυχῇ θεῷ πλησιάσαι καὶ γενέσθαι νύμφην Χριστοῦ.

8,1.50 ∆εῖ οὖν τὸν ἐπιθυμοῦντα οἰκειωθῆναί τινι τὸν ἐκείνου τρόπον τῇ μιμήσει λαβεῖν ᾧ οἰκειοῦται· οὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη καὶ τὴν Χριστοῦ ποθοῦσαν γενέσθαι νύμφην τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁμοιωθῆναι κάλλει δι' ἀρετῆς κατὰ δύναμιν· οὐ γὰρ ἔστι συναφθῆναί ποτε φωτὶ μὴ πρὸς ἐκεῖνο λάμψαντα τὸ φῶς· καὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Ἰωάννου λέγοντος ἤκουσα· Πᾶς γάρ φησιν ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα ταύτην ἁγνίζει ἑαυτὸν καθὼς ἐκεῖνος ἁγνός ἐστιν· καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος δὲ Παῦλος Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ· δεῖ γὰρ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἀνίπτασθαι πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ψυχὴν καὶ κολλᾶσθαι Χριστῷ πᾶσαν ἐξελαύνειν ἁμαρτίαν ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς, ὅση τε φανερῶς ταῖς πράξεσιν ἀποτελεῖται, κλοπὴν λέγω καὶ ἁρπαγὴν καὶ μοιχείαν καὶ πλεονεξίαν καὶ πορνείαν καὶ γλώσσης νόσον καὶ πᾶν ὅσον ἐμφανὲς ἁμαρτημάτων γένος, καὶ ὅση λάθρα ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐγκαθημένη καὶ τοὺς ἔξω λανθά νουσα διεσθίει τὸν ἄνθρωπον πικρῶς τοῖς κακίστοις ὀδοῦσιν· αὕτη δέ ἐστι φθόνος ἀπιστία κακοήθεια δόλος, ὄρεξις ὧν μὴ δεῖ, μῖσος ἀλαζονεία κενοδοξία καὶ πᾶν τὸ ὕπουλον τῆς κακίας σμῆνος, ὅπερ ἐξ ἴσου τῷ φανερῷ γένει τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡ γραφὴ μισεῖ καὶ βδελύττεται, συγγενῆ τε ὄντα ἀλλήλοις καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς φυόμενα κακίας. τίνος δὲ ἐσκόρπισεν ὀστᾶ ὁ κύριος; οὐ τῶν ἀνθρωπαρέ 8,1.51 σκων; τίνα βδελύττεται ὁ κύριος ὥσπερ τὸν ἐναγῆ καὶ μιαιφόνον; οὐ τὸν ὕπουλον ἄνδρα καὶ δόλιον; Ἄνδρα γὰρ αἱμάτων καὶ δόλιον βδελύσσεται κύριος. οὐ φανερῶς ὁ ∆αβὶδ τοῖς λαλοῦσιν εἰρήνην μετὰ τῶν πλησίον αὐτῶν, κακὰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν, καταρᾶται βοῶν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ∆ὸς αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν; καὶ Ἐν καρδίᾳ, φησίν, ἀνομίας ἐργάζεσθε ἐν τῇ γῇ. τὴν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ κίνησιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἔργον ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεός· διὰ τοῦτο παραγγέλλει μήτε τὰς παρὰ ἀνθρώπων εὐφημίας διώκειν μήτε τὰς παρ' αὐτῶν ἀτιμίας αἰσχύνεσθαι. τοὺς γὰρ ἐπιδεικτικῶς ἐλεοῦντας τὸν πένητα καὶ τὴν μετάδοσιν ἐπὶ γῆς θριαμβεύοντας ἀποστερεῖ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς μισθῶν ἡ γραφή· εἰ γὰρ ζητεῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσαι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δίδως, ἵνα ἐπαινεθῇς, πεπλήρωταί σου ὁ μισθὸς τῆς εὐποιίας τοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπαίνοις, δι' οὓς τὸν ἔλεον ἐπεδείκνυσο. μὴ οὖν ζήτει μισθὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, κάτω τὰ ἔργα ἀποθέμενος, μηδὲ παρὰ θεοῦ προσδόκα τιμήν, παρὰ γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ταύτην ἀπείληφας. ποθεῖς ἀθάνατον δόξαν; τῷ δυναμένῳ παρασχεῖν ἣν ποθεῖς δεῖξον ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τὸν βίον. δέδοικας αἰσχύνην αἰώνιον; φοβοῦ τὸν ἀνακαλύπτοντα ταύτην ἐν τῇ τῆς κρίσεως ἡμέρᾳ. πῶς οὖν λέγει ὁ κύριος Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν καὶ δοξάσωσι 8,1.52 τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς; ὅτι κελεύει τὸν ἑπόμενον ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τοῦ θεοῦ πᾶν ὅπερ ἂν ποιῇ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον βλέποντα ποιεῖν καὶ τούτῳ μόνον ἀρέσκειν, μηδε μίαν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δόξαν θηρώμενον· ἀλλὰ φεύγειν μὲν τοὺς παρὰ τούτων ἐπαίνους καὶ τὴν ἐπίδειξιν, διὰ δὲ τοῦ βίου καὶ τῶν ἔργων