7

they may understand, they will be strong in the faith, if they repent now while the tower is being built. But if the building is finished, they no longer have a place, but will be cast out. This only they have, to lie beside the tower. Do you wish to know about those who are cut up and cast far from the tower? These are the sons of lawlessness; they believed in hypocrisy, and all wickedness did not depart from them; for this reason they do not have salvation, because they are not useful for building on account of their wickednesses. For this reason they were cut up and cast far away because of the anger of the Lord, because they provoked him to anger. And the others whom you saw lying in great numbers, not going into the building, these are the ones who are scabby, who have known the truth, but do not abide in it nor cleave to the saints; for this reason they are useless. And who are those that have cracks? These are they that have things against one another in their hearts and are not at peace among themselves, but have an appearance of peace, but when they depart from one another, their wickednesses remain in their hearts. These then are the cracks which the stones have. And the maimed are these who have believed and have the greater part in righteousness, but have some parts of lawlessness. For this reason they are maimed and not complete. And who are the white and round ones that do not fit into the building, lady? She answered me, saying: How long are you foolish and without understanding, and ask everything and understand nothing? These are they who have faith, but also have the riches [of this world]; when [but] affliction comes, on account of their riches and their business, they deny their Lord. And I answered and say to her: Lady, when then will they be useful for the building? When, she says, their wealth which entices their souls is cut away, then they will be useful to God. For just as the round stone, unless it is cut and has something cast away from it, cannot become square, so also those who are rich in this age, unless their wealth is cut away, cannot become useful to the Lord. Know first from yourself; when you were rich you were useless, but now you are useful and profitable for life. Become useful to God; for you yourself are also made use of from the same stones. But the other stones which you saw cast far from the tower and falling into the road and rolling from the road into the pathless places, these are they who have believed, but from their double-mindedness leave their true road; thinking then that they can find a better road, they wander and suffer, walking in the pathless places. But those falling into the fire and being burned, these are they who have finally fallen away from the living God, and it no longer comes into their heart to repent on account of the lusts of their licentiousness and the wickednesses which they committed. But do you wish to know who the others are, who fall near the waters and are not able to be rolled into the water? These are they who have heard the word and wish to be baptized in the name of the Lord; then when the purity of the truth comes to their remembrance, they change their minds and go again after their wicked desires. So she finished the explanation of the tower. Being yet shameless, I asked her further, if all these stones which have been rejected and do not fit into the building of the tower, if there is repentance for them and they have a place in this tower. They have, she says, repentance, but they cannot fit into this tower; to another

7

νοήσωσιν, ἰσχυροὶ ἔσονται ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἐὰν νῦν μετανοήσωσιν ἐν ᾧ οἰκοδο μεῖται ὁ πύργος. ἐὰν δὲ τελεσθῇ ἡ οἰκοδομή, οὐκέτι ἔχουσιν τόπον, ἀλλ' ἔσονται ἔκβολοι. μόνον δὲ τοῦτο ἔχουσιν, παρὰ τῷ πύργῳ κεῖσθαι. Τοὺς δὲ κατακοπτομένους καὶ μακρὰν ·ιπτομένους ἀπὸ τοῦ πύργου θέλεις γνῶναι; οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τῆς ἀνομίας· ἐπίστευσαν δὲ ἐν ὑποκρίσει, καὶ πᾶσα πονηρία οὐκ ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτῶν· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔχουσιν σωτηρίαν, ὅτι οὔκ εἰσιν εὔχρηστοι εἰς οἰκοδομὴν διὰ τὰς πονηρίας αὐτῶν. διὰ τοῦτο συνεκόπησαν καὶ πόρρω ἀπερίφησαν διὰ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ κυρίου, ὅτι παρώργισαν αὐτόν. τοὺς δὲ ἑτέρους οὓς ἑώρακας πολλοὺς κειμένους, μὴ ὑπάγοντας εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομήν, οὗτοι οἱ μὲν ἐψωριακότες εἰσὶν οἱ ἐγνωκότες τὴν ἀλήθειαν, μὴ ἐπιμένοντες δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ μηδὲ κολλώμενοι τοῖς ἁγίοις· διὰ τοῦτο ἄχρηστοί εἰσιν. Oἱ δὲ τὰς σχισμὰς ἔχοντες τίνες εἰσίν; Oὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ κατ' ἀλλήλων ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἔχοντες καὶ μὴ εἰρηνεύοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλὰ πρόσωπον εἰρήνης ἔχοντες, ὅταν δὲ ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ἀποχωρήσωσιν, αἱ πονηρίαι αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἐμμέ νουσιν. αὗται οὖν αἱ σχισμαί εἰσιν ἃς ἔχουσιν οἱ λίθοι. οἱ δὲ κεκολοβω μένοι οὗτοί εἰσιν πεπιστευκότες μὲν καὶ τὸ πλεῖον μέρος ἔχουσιν ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, τινὰ δὲ μέρη ἔχουσιν τῆς ἀνομίας. διὰ τοῦτο κολοβοὶ καὶ οὐχ ὁλοτελεῖς εἰσιν. Oἱ δὲ λευκοὶ καὶ στρογγύλοι καὶ μὴ ἁρμόζοντες εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τίνες εἰσίν, κυρία; ἀποκριθεῖσά μοι λέγει· Ἕως πότε μωρὸς εἶ καὶ ἀσύνετος, καὶ πάντα ἐπερωτᾷς καὶ οὐδὲν νοεῖς; οὗτοί εἰσιν ἔχοντες μὲν πίστιν, ἔχοντες δὲ καὶ πλοῦτον [τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου]· ὅταν [δὲ] γένηται θλῖψις, διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν καὶ διὰ τὰς πραγματείας ἀπαρνοῦνται τὸν κύριον αὐτῶν. καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτῇ λέγω· Κυρία, πότε οὖν εὔχρηστοι ἔσονται εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομήν; Ὅταν, φησίν, περικοπῇ αὐτῶν ὁ πλοῦτος ὁ ψυχα γωγῶν αὐτούς, τότε εὔχρηστοι ἔσονται τῷ θεῷ. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ λίθος ὁ στρογγύλος ἐὰν μὴ περικοπῇ καὶ ἀποβάλῃ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τι, οὐ δύναται τετράγωνος γενέσθαι, οὕτω καὶ οἱ πλουτοῦντες ἐν τούτῳ τῷ αἰῶνι, ἐὰν μὴ περικοπῇ αὐτῶν ὁ πλοῦτος, οὐ δύνανται τῷ κυρίῳ εὔχρηστοι γενέσθαι. ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ πρῶτον γνῶθι· ὅτε ἐπλούτεις ἄχρηστος ἦς, νῦν δὲ εὔχρηστος εἶ καὶ ὠφέλιμος τῇ ζωῇ. εὔχρηστοι γίνεσθε τῷ θεῷ· καὶ γὰρ σὺ αὐτὸς χρᾶ σαι ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν λίθων. Τοὺς δὲ ἑτέρους λίθους οὓς εἶδες μακρὰν ἀπὸ τοῦ πύργου ·ιπτομένους καὶ πίπτοντας εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ κυλιομένους ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ εἰς τὰς ἀνοδίας, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ πεπιστευκότες μέν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς διψυχίας αὐτῶν ἀφίουσιν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀληθινήν· δοκοῦντες οὖν βελτίονα ὁδὸν δύνασθαι εὑρεῖν, πλα νῶνται καὶ ταλαιπωροῦσιν περιπατοῦντες ἐν ταῖς ἀνοδίαις. οἱ δὲ πίπτοντες εἰς τὸ πῦρ καὶ καιόμενοι, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ εἰς τέλος ἀποστάντες τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ οὐκέτι αὐτοῖς ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ μετανοῆσαι διὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀσελγείας αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν πονηριῶν ὧν ἠργάσαντο. τοὺς δὲ ἑτέρους τοὺς πίπτοντας ἐγγὺς τῶν ὑδάτων καὶ μὴ δυναμένους κυλισθῆναι εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ θέλεις γνῶναι τίνες εἰσίν; οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ τὸν λόγον ἀκούσαντες καὶ θέλοντες βαπτισθῆναι εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου· εἶτα ὅταν αὐτοῖς ἔλθῃ εἰς μνείαν ἡ ἁγνότης τῆς ἀληθείας, μετανοοῦσιν καὶ πορεύονται πάλιν ὀπίσω τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν αὐτῶν τῶν πονηρῶν. ἐτέλεσεν οὖν τὴν ἐξήγησιν τοῦ πύργου. ἀναιδευσάμενος ἔτι αὐτὴν ἐπηρώτησα, εἰ ἄρα πάντες οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι οἱ ἀποβεβλημένοι καὶ μὴ ἁρμόζοντες εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ πύργου, εἰ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς μετάνοια καὶ ἔχουσιν τόπον εἰς τὸν πύργον τοῦτον. Ἔχουσιν, φησίν, μετάνοιαν, ἀλλὰ εἰς τοῦτον τὸν πύργον οὐ δύνανται ἁρμόσαι· ἑτέρῳ