to abstain, and, if it is necessary to approach them, either having washed or having used some other such thing, so as not to be purified in a Jewish manner, teach; since there is much inquiry about this also from them. Answer. Since those who are dedicated to God have a sleepless adversary, who contrives by all means possible to him to place a blemish on the pious, for this reason they suffer involuntary things in their sleep. And yet the adversary, knowing that in things not in our power we are neither praised for noble things nor blamed for shameful things (for praise and blame are for things done by us with the consent of our reason) and that dreams are among things not in our power, but nevertheless also through dreams he stirs up in us actions of both kinds, both noble and shameful, having these hopes in himself, lest either by the performance of noble things he might rouse us to a vain boasting of things not done by us, or by the performance of shameful things he might be able to find us delighting in a lawless act. But to see such dreams is not in our power, but to be delighted at such an involuntary act or to be grieved—this is in our power. If, then, he finds us delighting in the involuntary act, the adversary boasts as a victor, but if he finds us grieving, his plan is frustrated, he being defeated. It is therefore sufficient for deliverance from the evil contrivance to be grieved at what has happened involuntarily and with tears to wash away the defilement of the fantasies that so involuntarily arise in us. But for those who thus suffer involuntary things to abstain from the communion of the divine mysteries, is not at all just; for if not, we thereby do away with the difference between voluntary and involuntary evils. Question 22. If the Lord Christ declared that the tares grow together with the wheat, how have the tares multiplied, while the wheat has almost disappeared? And what is the proof that what has disappeared was wheat? And how has the prophecy of their growing together not been proven false? Answer. The proof that what disappeared was wheat is this prophecy from him, saying: Because lawlessness will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. And again: In later times some will depart from the faith and will give heed to deceitful spirits and teachings of men. And again: They will turn away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. And again: Fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, to draw away the disciples after them. But that the wheat does not disappear until the end of the age, the Lord makes clear, saying: But for the sake of the elect, whom the Father has chosen, those days will be shortened. But if something happened to the wheat that was not said concerning

ἀπέχεσθαι, καί, εἰ προσιέναι αὐτοῖς ἀναγκαῖον, ἢ λουσάμενον ἢ ἑτέρῳ τοιούτῳ τινὶ χρησάμενον, ὥστε μὴ ἰουδαϊκῶς καθαί ρεσθαι, δίδαξον· ἐπειδὴ πολλή ἐστι περὶ τούτου καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν ἡ ζήτησις. Ἀπόκρισις. Ἐπειδὴ οἱ ἀνακείμενοι θεῷ ἄγρυπνον ἔχουσιν ἀντίπαλον, τὸν πᾶσι τοῖς δυνατοῖς αὐτῷ τρόποις μηχανώμενον θεῖναι τοῖς εὐσεβέσι μῶμον, διὰ τοῦτο ἀβούλητα καθ' ὕπνους πάσχουσι. Καίτοι εἰδὼς ὁ ἀντίπαλος ὅτι ἐν τοῖς οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν οὔτ' ἐπὶ τοῖς σεμνοῖς ἐπαινούμεθα οὔτ' ἐπὶ τοῖς αἰσχροῖς ψεγόμεθα (οἱ γὰρ ἔπαινοι καὶ οἱ ψόγοι τῶν μετὰ συγκαταθέσεως τοῦ λογισμοῦ ὑφ' ἡμῶν πραττομένων εἰσί) καὶ ὅτι τὰ ἐνύπνια τῶν οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐνυπνίων κινεῖ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀμφοτέρων τὰς πράξεις, καὶ τῶν σεμνῶν καὶ τῶν αἰσχρῶν, ταύτας ἔχων ἐν αὑτῷ τὰς ἐλπίδας, μήπως ἢ τῇ τῶν σεμνῶν ἐργασίᾳ ἐξεγείραι ἡμᾶς εἰς ματαίαν καύχησιν τῶν ἡμῖν μὴ πεπραγμένων, ἢ τῇ τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἐργασίᾳ δυνηθείη εὑ ρεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ ἀνόμῳ πράξει τερπομένους. Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἰδεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐνύπνια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐφ' ἡμῖν, τὸ δὲ τερφθῆναι ἐπὶ τῇ οὕτως ἀβουλήτῳ πράξει ἢ λυπηθῆναι τοῦτο ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι. Κἂν μὲν οὖν εὕρῃ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τῇ ἀβουλήτῳ πράξει τερπομένους, καυχᾶται ὡς νικητὴς ὁ ἀντίπαλος, ἐὰν δὲ λυπουμένους, μα ταιοῦται τῇ βουλῇ ἡττώμενος. Ἱκανὸν οὖν ὑπάρχει πρὸς τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τοῦ κακοῦ μηχανήματος τὸ λυπηθῆναι ἐπὶ τῷ ἀβουλήτως συμβεβηκότι καὶ δάκρυσιν ἀποπλύνειν τὸ μυσα ρὸν τῶν οὕτως ἀβουλήτως ἐν ἡμῖν ὑφισταμένων φαντασιῶν. Ἀπέχεσθαι δὲ τοὺς οὕτως τὰ ἀβούλητα πάσχοντας τῆς κοινω νίας τῶν θείων μυστηρίων, οὐδ' ὅλως δίκαιόν ἐστιν· εἰ δὲ μή γε, ἀναιροῦμεν κατὰ τοῦτο τῶν βουλητῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἀβου λήτων κακῶν τὴν διαφοράν. Ἐρώτησις κβ. Eἰ τῷ σίτῳ συναυξάνεσθαι τὰ ζιζάνια ὁ δεσπότης Χρι στὸς ἀπεφήνατο, πῶς τὰ μὲν ζιζάνια πεπλήθυνται, σχεδὸν δὲ ὁ σῖτος ἐξέλιπε; Καὶ τίς ἡ ἀπόδειξις τοῦ εἶναι σῖτον τὸν ἐκλείψαντα; Πῶς δὲ τῆς συναυξήσεως τούτων ἡ πρόῤῥησις οὐ διέψευσται; Ἀπόκρισις. Ἀπόδειξις τοῦ σῖτον εἶναι τὸν ἐκλείψαντα αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ παρ' αὐτοῦ πρόῤῥησις λέγουσα· ∆ιὰ τὸ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς ἀφίστανταί τινες τῆς πίστεως καὶ προσέχουσι πνεύμασι πλάνοις καὶ διδασκαλίαις ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποστρέφονται, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς μύθους ἐκτραπήσονται. Καὶ πάλιν· Eἰσελεύσονται εἰς ὑμᾶς λύκοι βαρεῖς, μὴ φειδόμενοι τοῦ ποιμνίου, τοῦ ἀποσπᾶν τοὺς μα θητὰς ὀπίσω αὑτῶν. Ὅτι δὲ ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἐκλείπει ὁ σῖτος, δηλοῖ ὁ κύριος λέγων· ∆ιὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς, οὓς ἐξελέξατο ὁ πατήρ, κολοβωθήσονται αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι. Ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν συνέβη τι τῷ σίτῳ τὸ μὴ εἰρημένον περὶ