that it is to sprout leaves, or to blossom, or to form unripe grapes, or to be harvested; for example, those of infancy, or of the fulfillment of the word, or those of progress in virtue, or of rule; and those of love, and joy, and peace, and the rest. The prophets are servants demanding the spiritual fruits to bring as priests to God. CHAP. 24. v. 45. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household? Perhaps inciting to seek a certain rare one. For by the doubtfulness of "then" he showed the rarity of such a steward, and not knowing another than himself as the faithful and wise steward, being established over the Father's works, I mean over humanity. For he speaks as if about another, overshadowing it with the excess of his wisdom. But he called himself a servant because he took the form of a servant. But see if the word does not shame bishops and teachers entrusted with such things to use wisely for each one the things according to worth, and to dispense scientifically the spiritual foods at the right time of quantity, of quality. But he said, "Who then," not as being ignorant, but so that they might not be meddlesome. But the word applies also against everyone entrusted with something by God, whether money, or rule, or some other power. And secondly, the steward is required to have faith and wisdom, so that he neither steals the master's things, but also dispenses them fittingly. Or the one who has a good conscience toward God, and not departing from any of the duties. And the one teaching correctly he calls faithful. But wise, the one not carried away by the foolish talk of heretics, but discerning the exactness of the word, or the one not tempted 17.304 by sins, on account of the not varied and not versatile nature of men. The one who knows when one must reprove, or rebuke, or exhort, or teach; and whom one must give milk to drink, and to whom one must impart solid food. CHAP. 25. v. 1. Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who, having taken their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. They say the ten virgins are the senses in each soul of the inner and outer man, having departed from idolatry and worldly desires, by having accepted, whether in pretense, or in truth, the pure word of God, and having been made virginal. And they are both those commonly understood, and those lying in proverbs, which also follow, as the virtues of the substance of Christ. Wherefore also entopeiat'. not some foolish, and others wise. But one and all went out to meet, those having accepted the mystery concerning Christ. For they go out from the error of the world, hastening to him who readily rushes toward them. Another from Origen. Virginity is one thing besides almsgiving, and the mind is another thing besides the body; and you will take this for the ten virgins. Therefore, wise are the senses of the one living according to reason; but foolish are those of the one living contrary and against right reason. Lamps are the all-virtuous action; and oil is the word poured upon the soul, which works the good action. Those are sleeping who have departed from the vital tone. Therefore the wise do not lose their lamps, nor are they inattentive concerning the keeping of the oil. The angels cry out to the sleeping senses, awakening them; that is, the ministering spirits sent forth for ministry for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. The adornment of the lamps is the evangelical use according to the senses; of the eyes to wonder at the one who made them, and to close so that they may not see injustice; of hearing and accepting a vain thing, neither a judgment of blood, but of the equal word; of taste perceiving Christ the Lord; of smell enjoying the fragrance of Christ, and of the ointment poured out; of touch touching the Word, as John says; Our hands have handled concerning the Word of life. And the voice comes at midnight; at that hour, in which the sons of Israel went out of Egypt, in which also Christ rose from the dead. The voice is the trumpet, which raises the dead, and brings them out of the tombs. And the "go out" also has a mystical meaning. For if not

ὅτι ἐκφύειν φύλλα, ἢ κυπρίζειν, ἢ ὀμφακίζειν, ἢ τρυγᾶσθαι· οἷον οἱ τῆς νη πιότητος, ἢ τῆς συμπληρώσεως τοῦ λόγου, ἢ οἱ τῆς ἐν ἀρετῇ προκοπῆς, ἢ ἀρχῆς· οἱ δὲ τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ χαρᾶς, καὶ εἰρήνης, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν. ∆οῦλοι οἱ προ φῆται τὰ πνευματικὰ καρπώματα ἀπαιτοῦντες προσ άγειν ὡς ἱερεῖς τῷ Θεῷ. ΚΕΦ. Κ∆ʹ. Στίχ. μεʹ. Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς δοῦλος καὶ φρό νιμος, ὃν κατέστησεν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦ; Τάχα παροξύνων εἰς τὸ ζητῆσαι ἕνα τινὰ σπά νιον. Τῇ γὰρ τοῦ ἄρα ἀμφιβολίᾳ τὸ σπάνιον ἔδειξε τοῦ τοιούτου οἰκονόμου, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλον αὑτοῦ τὸν πι στὸν καὶ φρόνιμον οἰκονόμον εἰδὼς, κατασταθμαζό μενον ἐπὶ τοῖς τοῦ Πατρὸς ἔργοις, λέγω δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι. Ὡς γὰρ περὶ ἑτέρου λέγει, ἐπισκιάζων αὐτὸ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῆς σοφίας. ∆οῦλον δὲ ἑαυτὸν εἶπε διὰ τὸ μορφὴν δούλου λαβεῖν. Ὅρα δὲ εἰ μὴ τοιαῦτα ἐγχειρισθέντας ἐπισκόπους καὶ διδασκάλους δυσωπεῖ ὁ λόγος φρονίμως ἑκάστῳ τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν χρῆσθαι, καὶ ἐπιστημόνως τὰς πνευματικὰς διατάσσειν τροφὰς καιρῷ ποσότητος, ποιότητος. Τὸ δὲ, Τίς ἄρα, εἶπεν, οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοῶν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ περιεργάζωνται. Ἁρμό ζει δὲ ὁ λόγος καὶ κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ ἐμπιστευθέντος τι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἴτε χρήματα, εἴτε ἀρχὴν, εἴτε δυναστείαν ἄλλην τινά. ∆εύτερον δὲ ἀπαιτεῖται ὁ οἰ κονόμος πίστιν καὶ φρόνησιν, ἵνα μήτε κλέψῃ τὰ δε σποτικὰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεόντως αὐτὰ οἰκονομήσῃ. Ἢ τὸν ἔχοντα πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν, καὶ μὴ ἀφ ιστάμενόν τινος τῶν δεόντων. Καὶ τὸν ὀρθῶς διδά σκοντα λέγει πιστόν. Φρόνιμον δὲ τὸν μὴ παραφερό μενον ταῖς τῶν αἱρετικῶν μωρολογίαις, ἀλλὰ διακρί νοντα τὸ ἀκριβὲς τοῦ λόγου, ἢ τὸν μὴ πειρόμενον 17.304 ἁμαρτίαις, διὰ τὸ μὴ ποικίλον καὶ πολύτροπον τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τὸν εἰδότα πότε δεῖ ἐλέγξαι, ἢ ἐπιτι μῆσαι, ἢ παρακαλέσαι, ἢ διδάξαι· καὶ τίνας μὲν ποτί σαι δεῖ γάλα, τίσι δὲ μεταδοῦναι τῆς στερεᾶς τροφῆς. ΚΕΦ. ΚΕʹ. Στίχ. αʹ. Τότε ὁμοιωθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐ ρανῶν δέκα παρθένοις, αἵτινες, λαβοῦσαι τὰς λαμπάδας αὐτῶν, ἐξῆλθον εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ νυμφίου. ∆έκα παρθένοι εἶναί φασι τὰς ἐν ἑκάστῃ ψυχῇ αἰ σθήσεις τοῦ ἔνδοθεν καὶ ἔξωθεν ἀνθρώπου, ἀποστά σας εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ τῶν κοσμικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, τῷ παραδέξασθαι, εἴτε προφάσει, εἴτε ἀληθείᾳ, τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καθαρὸν λόγον, καὶ παρθενοποιηθῆναι. Εἰσὶ δὲ αἵ τε κοινῶς νοούμεναι, καὶ αἱ ἐν παροιμίαις κεί μεναι, αἱ καὶ ἀνακολουθοῦσαι, ὡς αἱ ἀρεταὶ τῆς ὑπο στάσεως Χριστοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐντοπειατ'. οὐχ αἱ μὲν μωραὶ, αἱ δὲ φρόνιμοι. Ἀλλὰ μία καὶ πᾶσαι ἐξ ῆλθον εἰς ἀπάντησιν, αἱ παραδεξάμεναι τὸ περὶ Χρι στοῦ μυστήριον. Ἐξίασι γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου πλάνης, σπεύδουσαι πρὸς τὸν ἑτοίμως ὁρμῶντα πρὸς αὐτάς. Ἄλλο Ὠριγένους. Ἕτερον ἡ παρθενία παρὰ τὴνἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ ἕτερον ὁ νοῦς παρὰ τὸ σῶμα· καὶ τοῦτο λήψει εἰς τὰς δέκα παρθένους. Φρόνιμοι μὲν οὖν αἱ τοῦ κατὰ λόγον βιοῦντος αἰσθήσεις· μωραὶ δὲ αἱ τοῦ ἐναντίως καὶ παρὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον πολιτευο μένου. Λαμπάδες ἡ πανάρετος πρᾶξις· ἔλαιον δὲ ὁ ἐπιχεόμενος λόγος τοῦ ψυχικοῦ, τοῦ τὴν ἀγαθὴν πρᾶ ξιν ἐργαζομένου. Καθεύδουσιν οἱ ἀπανιστάμενοι τοῦ ζωτικοῦ τόνου. Οὐκ ἀπολλύουσιν οὖν τὰς λαμπάδας αἱ φρόνιμοι, οὐδὲ ἀπροσεκτοῦσι περὶ τὴν τήρησιν τοῦ ἐλαίου. Ἐμβοῶσιν οἱ ἄγγελοι ταῖς κοιμωμέναις αἰ σθήσεσι, διεγείροντες αὐτάς· τουτέστι τὰ λειτουρ γικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν. Κόσμος λαμπάδων ἡ κατὰ τὰς αἰσθήσεις εὐαγγελικὴ χρῆσις· ὀφθαλμῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ θαυμάζειν τὸν πεποιηκότα, καὶ μύειν ἵνα μὴ ἴδωσιν ἀδικίαν· ἀκοῆς καὶ παρα δεχομένης μάταιον, μήτε κρίσιν αἵματος, τοῦ δὲ ἴσου λόγου· γεύσεως αἰσθιούσης Χριστὸν τὸν Κύριον· ὀσφρήσεως Χριστοῦ εὐωδίᾳ ἀπολαυούσης, καὶ τοῦ ἐκ κενωθέντος μύρου· ἁφῆς ἁπτομένης τοῦ Λόγου, ὡς Ἰωάννης λέγει· Αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ Λόγου τῆς ζωῆς. Μεσονύκτιον δὲ γίνεται ἡ φωνή· ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ, ᾗ ἐξῆλθον οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν. Φωνή ἐστιν ἡ σάλπιγξ, ἡ τοὺς νεκροὺς ἐγείρουσα, καὶ ἐξάγουσα ἐκ τῶν τάφων. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ μυστικὸν νοῦν τὸ ἐξέλθετε. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ