Epistula Magna

 are possible with the God who has promised for the passions of sin later came upon the soul and the body because of the transgression of the first-fo

 gives himself to all the well-pleasingness of the commandments, to that extent he also acquires the participation of the spirit for the spiritual incr

 [as] one who, as a bride of Christ, longs to be joined to the heavenly king who is pure and undefiled. For the soul that longs to be joined to him and

 the worse work of destruction, numbering hidden and manifest sins as one, he says: And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up

 to have fellowship and to be united, but only with the Spirit of God, 247 being united and clinging to it, he commanded the soul to bear the sacred of

 But in another epistle, teaching about the same things and showing the disciples the abundance of spiritual wealth and exhorting them to hasten to att

 he sets forth the goal. And because we are not sufficient for the struggle against the principalities and the powers and the spiritual forces of wicke

 let us have affliction and struggle and a ceaseless race, daily stretching forward always to the things that are before and forgetting the things that

 and having entered with exultation, since indeed he has become the agent of great salvation for himself, if with long-suffering and patience he remain

 he who humbles himself will be exalted and again: Whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be the last of all and the servant of all just as th

 the adversary always hinders the mind in good things, from loving the things above by the memory of good things, but rather, by enticing the will thro

 occupying ourselves with love always. and thus we shall be able to receive daily increase and progress towards divine love, being helped by the divine

 the soul's love is stretched out toward God and therefore if someone wishes to persevere unceasingly in prayers and to be at leisure for fasting acco

 surrendering the mind to such things and by reason of a lack of discernment being fully convinced by the bodily kneeling, while the mind is in a state

 a lack, his own work and toil, should he think the fruits of the spirit to be, he possesses much vain conceit and falls from great spiritual goods, no

 the future hope of the resurrection 279 immortal and it is possible to take up the sufferings of Christ readily and easily. Let those who have not ye

 being done That, he says, they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. And the apostles, having legislated through the Spir

 the need of those who serve and give rest, and again the surplus of those who serve and work for the need of those who devote themselves to prayers. F

 we are deemed worthy of Christ, let us have communion with one another in all good things for the edification and benefit both of ourselves and of our

 of practices will it be to attain unless through what we have said before, setting forth through many things at the same time also the scriptural test

 believe in truths, that it is necessary for the one who has truly come to serve God to arrive at the measures of impassibility and freedom. Since ther

 workers or certain slaves are told by their master to reap three plethra each day, and one worker, having received such a command from his master, giv

 is promised to those who have consecrated themselves. For those who consider it impossible for this accomplishment to happen in men through the Spirit

 to those who obey the spirit, that it is necessary for the one who has approached God in truth, believing in his promises with a whole heart and striv

to have fellowship and to be united, but only with the Spirit of God, 247 being united and clinging to it, he commanded the soul to bear the sacred offspring of virtue and the fruits of the Spirit, and that the will should not agree with two persons, the worse and the better, but cleaving only to the good and being completely alienated from evil, to cultivate the single-formed fruit of virtues in the soul, according to what is written: For this reason I directed my steps toward all your commandments; I hated every unjust way; and I hated and abhorred iniquity, but I loved your law, so that thus the Lord, seeing the struggle of the soul, through his own love for mankind may completely work in us the great healing of the hidden passions through the power of the Spirit, working vengeance on our spiritual enemies; just as the Lord himself, speaking about the widow who was oppressed by her adversary and who came to the unjust judge, seeking vengeance from him and who, through her shameless persistence for a long time, obtained her vengeance, teaches us not to lose heart in our prayers. For he also spoke a parable to them that they ought always to pray and not to lose heart, and so on. Not losing heart hints at the long perseverance of prayer; and after 248 this the Lord says, See what the unjust judge says; how much more will your heavenly Father bring about justice for those who cry to him day and night; yes, I tell you, he will bring about justice for them quickly. For what a struggle the apostle had on behalf of the disciples, and to what spiritual measure he was eager for them to come, earnestly praying for them, and at the same time making the ultimate goal of Christianity clear to all those wishing to run without toil † truthfully and making manifest the apostolic rule of the new creation to those eager to press forward: Admonishing, he says, every man and teaching in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ, for which I also labor, striving. And again, for those counted worthy of the seal of the promised Spirit through baptism he prays that they might receive an increase of spiritual progress, saying: For this reason, I also, having heard of your faith and the love which you have for all the saints, do not cease praying for you and asking, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of his pow249er toward us who believe. And having noted precisely the manner of participation and partaking of the Spirit which comes in full assurance, According to the working, he says, of his power, which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead; according to that working of the Spirit, he says, that you also may receive the full assurance. And again in the same epistle, having advanced a little, desiring them to come to a certain higher increase and progress of spiritual perfection, he prays, saying: For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, being rooted and grounded in love; that you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

κοινωνεῖν καὶ ἑνοῦσθαι, ἀλλὰ μόνον τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ πνεύματι 247 συνενουμένην καὶ προσκολλωμένην τὰς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἱερὰς γονὰς καὶ τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ πνεύματος καρπογονεῖν τὴν ψυχὴν προσέταξεν, μηδὲ δυσὶ προσώποις, τῷ χείρονι καὶ τῷ κρείττονι, συμφωνεῖν τὴν προαίρεσιν, ἀλλὰ μόνον τῷ καλῷ χρωμένους καὶ τοῦ κακοῦ παντελῶς ἠλλοτριωμένους τὸν μονότροπον τῶν ἀρετῶν καρπὸν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ γεωργεῖν κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἐντολάς σου κατωρθούμην· πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἄδικον ἐμίσησα· καὶ Ἀδικίαν ἐμίσησα καὶ ἐβδελυξάμην, τὸν δὲ νόμον σου ἠγάπησα, ἵν' οὕτως τὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς ψυχῆς ὁρῶν ὁ κύριος τῇ ἰδίᾳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τὴν μεγάλην ἴασιν τῶν κρυφίων παθῶν διὰ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος δυνάμεως παντελῶς ἐν ἡμῖν ποιήσῃ, τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν νοητῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν ἐργαζόμενος· καθὼς αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος περὶ τῆς χήρας διεξερχόμενος τῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου καταπονουμένης καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄδικον ἄρχοντα προσελθούσης, ἐπιζητούσης τε τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐκδίκησιν καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐπὶ πολὺ τῆς προσμονῆς ἀναίδειαν αὐτῆς τῆς ἐκδικήσεως αὐτῆς τετυχηκυίας, διδάσκει ἡμᾶς μὴ ἐκκακεῖν ἐν ταῖς δεήσεσιν. Ἔλεγε γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ παραβολὴν πρὸς τὸ δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. τὸ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν τὴν ἐπὶ πολὺ προσμονὴν τῆς εὐχῆς αἰνίττεται· καὶ μετὰ 248 ταῦτα ὁ κύριος Ἴδετε τί λέγει ὁ ἄδικος κριτής· πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν βοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας· ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν ἐν τάχει. Οἷον γὰρ ἀγῶνα εἶχεν ὑπὲρ τῶν μαθητῶν ὁ ἀπόστολος καὶ εἰς ὁποῖον πνευματικὸν μέτρον ἐλθεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐσπούδαζεν ἐνδιαθέτως ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εὐχόμενος, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸν ἄκρον τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ σκοπὸν πᾶσι φανερὸν καθιστῶν τοῖς βουλομένοις ἀπόνως † φιλαλήθως τρέχειν καὶ τὸν ἀποστολικὸν τῆς καινῆς κτίσεως κανόνα τοῖς ἐπὶ τὸ ἔμπροσθεν προκόπτειν σπουδάζουσιν ἔκδηλον ποιῶν· Νουθετοῦντες, φησί, πάντα ἄνθρωπον καὶ διδάσκοντες ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ, ἵνα παραστήσωμεν πάντα ἄνθρωπον τέλειον ἐν Χριστῷ, εἰς ὃ καὶ κοπιῶ ἀγωνιζόμενος. καὶ πάλιν τοὺς τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος καταξιουμένους ἐπεύχεται τῆς πνευματικῆς προκοπῆς λαβεῖν αὔξησιν λέγων· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κἀγὼ ἀκούσας τὴν καθ' ὑμᾶς πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους οὐ παύομαι ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενος καὶ αἰτούμενος, ἵνα ὁ θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ πατὴρ τῆς δόξης, δῴη ὑμῖν πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως ἐν ἐπιγνώσει αὐτοῦ· πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι ὑμᾶς τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς κλήσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τίς ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τῆς κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ τί τὸ ὑπερβάλλον μέγεθος τῆς δυνά249 μεως αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς πιστεύοντας. τὸν δὲ τρόπον τῆς μετουσίας καὶ μεταλήψεως τοῦ πνεύματος ἀκριβῶς ὑποσημειωσάμενος ἐν πληροφορίᾳ γινομένης Κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν, φησί, τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, ἣν ἐνήργησεν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ, ἐγείρας αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν· κατ' ἐκείνην φησὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ πνεύματος, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς τὴν πληροφορίαν δέξησθε. καὶ πάλιν ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἐπιστολῇ μικρὸν προβὰς εἰς ὑψηλοτέραν αὔξησίν τινα καὶ προκοπὴν τελειότητος πνευματικῆς ἐλθεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐπιθυμῶν ἐπεύχεται λέγων· Τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται, ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, δύναμιν κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐρριζωμένους καὶ τεθεμελιωμένους· ἵνα ἐξισχύσητε καταλαβέσθαι σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς ἁγίοις, τί τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκος καὶ βάθος καὶ ὕψος, γνῶναί τε τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα πληρωθῆτε εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ.