10

of mercy and by the multitude of the compassions of God, who said, that "If your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and if they are like crimson, I will make them white as wool." Then, having received the authority and the power of pleasing God, she says: "In the evening weeping will lodge, and in the morning, rejoicing." "You have turned my mourning into joy for me, you have torn off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness, so that my glory may sing to you." And 31.1089 thus approaching, she sings to God, saying: "I will exalt you, Lord, for you have lifted me up, and have not made my enemies to rejoice over me."

QUESTION 11. How does one achieve hatred toward sins? ANSWER. Hatred for the causes of such things always arises from their unpleasant and painful result. If, therefore, someone is fully convinced of how many and how great evils sins are the cause, automatically and in disposition he experiences hatred toward them, as he who said showed: "I have hated and abhorred iniquity."

QUESTION 12. How can the soul be assured that God has forgiven her sins? ANSWER. If it sees itself in the disposition of him who said: "I have hated and abhorred iniquity." For God, having sent down his only-begotten Son for the forgiveness of our sins, as far as was in his power, forgave all beforehand. But since the holy David sings of mercy and judgment, and testifies that God is merciful and just, it is necessary that the things said by both the prophets and the apostles concerning the passages about repentance be done by us, so that the judgments of the justice of God may be shown, and his mercy may be perfected in the forgiveness of sins.

QUESTION 13. Should one who has sinned after baptism despair of his own salvation, having been found in a multitude of evils; or up to what measure of sins should one hope in the loving-kindness of God through repentance? ANSWER. If it is possible to count the multitude of God's compassions, and to measure the greatness of God's mercy, let despair occur in comparison with the multitude and greatness of sins. But if these things, as is likely, happen to be subject to measure and to be countable, but it is impossible to measure God's mercy and to count his compassions; it is not a time for despair, but for acknowledgement of mercy and condemnation of sins, the forgiveness of which is set forth in the blood of Christ, as it is written. And that one should not despair, we are taught in many places and in many ways, but especially from the parable of our Lord Jesus Christ concerning the son who took his father's substance and consumed it in sins. Of what and how great a feast his 31.1092 repentance became worthy, we learn from the very words of the Lord. And through Isaiah God says: "If your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and if they are like crimson, I will make them white as wool." This we ought to know is true only if the manner of repentance from a disposition that abhors sin becomes worthy, as it is written in both the Old and New Testament; and the fruit worthy, as has been said in the question concerning this.

QUESTION 14. From what fruits ought true repentance to be tested? ANSWER. The manner of those who repent and the disposition of those who depart from sin, and the earnestness for worthy fruits of repentance have been spoken of in their own places

QUESTION 15 What is this, "How often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?" And in what cases is it mine to forgive? ANSWER. The authority to forgive is not given absolutely; but in obedience of the one repenting, and in agreement with the one who has care of his soul. For it is written concerning such things, that "If two"

10

ἐλέους καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ εἰπόντος, ὅτι Ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ· ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡσεὶ ἔριον λευκανῶ. Τότε τὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν λαβοῦσα τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν εὐαρεστήσεως, λέγει· Τὸ ἑσπέρας αὐλισθήσεται κλαυθμὸς, καὶ εἰς τὸ πρωὶ ἀγαλλίασις. Ἔστρεψας τὸν κοπετόν μου εἰς χαρὰν ἐμοὶ, διέῤῥηξας τὸν σάκκον μου, καὶ περιέζωσάς με εὐ φροσύνην, ὅπως ἂν ψάλῃ σοι ἡ δόξα μου. Καὶ 31.1089 οὕτω προσελθοῦσα, ψάλλει τῷ Θεῷ, λέγουσα· Ὑψώ σω σε, Κύριε, ὅτι ὑπέλαβές με, καὶ οὐκ εὔφρανας τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐπ' ἐμέ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΙΑʹ. Πῶς κατορθοῖ τις τὸ μῖσος πρὸς τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἀεὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἀηδοῦς καὶ λυπηροῦ ἀποτελέσματος τὸ μῖσος πρὸς τοὺς αἰτίους τῶν τοιούτων ἐγγίνεται. Ἐὰν οὖν τις πληροφορηθῇ ὅσων καὶ ἡλίκων κακῶν γίνεται αἴτια τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, αὐτομάτως καὶ ἐν διαθέτως πάσχει τὸ πρὸς αὐτὰ μῖσος, οἷον ἔδειξεν ὁ εἰπών· Ἀδικίαν ἐμίσησα καὶ ἐβδελυξάμην.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΙΒʹ. Πῶς πληροφορηθῇ ἡ ψυχὴ, ὅτι ἀφῆκεν αὐτῇ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐὰν θεωρήσῃ ἑαυτὴν ἐν τῇ διαθέσει τοῦ εἰ πόντος· Ἀδικίαν ἐμίσησα καὶ ἐβδελυξάμην. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀφέσεως τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτη μάτων καταπέμψας τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ Υἱὸν, τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ προλαβὼν πᾶσιν ἀφῆκεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔλεον καὶ κρίσιν ᾄδει ὁ ἅγιος ∆αβὶδ, καὶ μαρτυ ρεῖ, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐλεήμων ἐστὶ καὶ δίκαιος, ἀνάγκη τὰ εἰρημένα ὑπό τε τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων εἰς τοὺς περὶ μετανοίας τόπους παρ' ἡμῶν γίνεσθαι, ἵνα τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνα δειχθῇ, καὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τελειωθῇ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΙΓʹ. Εἰ χρὴ τὸν μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ἐξαμαρτήσαντα ἀπογινώσκειν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας, ἐν πλήθει κακῶν εὑρεθέντα· ἢ ἕως ποίου μέτρου ἁμαρτιῶν ἐπελπίζειν χρὴ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλαν θρωπίᾳ διὰ τῆς μετανοίας. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Εἰ πλῆθος οἰκτιρμῶν Θεοῦ ἀριθμῆσαι, καὶ μέγε θος ἐλέους Θεοῦ μετρῆσαι δυνατὸν, ἐν συγκρίσει πλήθους καὶ μεγέθους ἁμαρτημάτων ἡ ἀπόγνωσις γινέσθω. Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μὲν, ὡς εἰκὸς, καὶ μέτρῳ ὑποβάλλεσθαι, καὶ ἀριθμητὰ εἶναι συμβαίνει, Θεοῦ δὲ ἔλεος μετρῆσαι καὶ οἰκτιρμοὺς ἀριθμῆσαι ἀδύνα τον· οὐκ ἀπογνώσεως καιρὸς, ἀλλ' ἐπιγνώσεως ἐλέους καὶ καταγνώσεως ἁμαρτημάτων, ὧν ἡ ἄφεσις πρόκειται ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καθὼς γέγραπται. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ χρὴ ἀπογινώσκειν, διδασκό μεθα πολλαχοῦ μὲν καὶ πολυτρόπως, μάλιστα δὲ ἐκ τῆς παραβολῆς τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ λαβόντος τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς οὐ σίαν καὶ καταναλώσαντος εἰς ἁμαρτήματα. Οὗ ἡ 31.1092 μετάνοια οἵας καὶ ὅσης ἑορτῆς ἀξία γέγονεν, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ῥημάτων τοῦ Κυρίου μανθάνομεν. Καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου δέ φησιν ὁ Θεός· Ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ· ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡς ἔριον λευκανῶ. Ὅπερ ὀφείλομεν εἰδέναι ἀληθὲς μόνον, ἐὰν ὁ τρόπος τῆς μετανοίας ἐκ διαθέσεως βδελυσσομένης τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀξιόλογος γένηται, καθὼς γέγραπται ἔν τε Παλαιᾷ καὶ Καινῇ ∆ιαθήκῃ· καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ἄξιος, κα θὼς εἴρηται ἐν τῷ περὶ τούτου ἐπερωτήματι.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ι∆ʹ. Ἐκ ποίων καρπῶν ὀφείλει δοκιμάζεσθαι ἡ ἀλη θὴς μετάνοια ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὁ τρόπος τῶν μετανοούντων καὶ ἡ διάθεσις τῶν ἀναχωρούντων τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος, καὶ ἡ σπουδὴ τῶν ἀξίων καρπῶν τῆς μετανοίας εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις τόποις

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΙΕʹ Τί ἐστι τὸ, «Ποσάκις ἁμάρτῃ εἰς ἐμὲ ὁ ἀδελφός μου καὶ ἀφήσω αὐτῷ;» Καὶ ἐπὶ ποίοις ἐμόν ἐστιν ἀφιέναι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ ἀφιέναι οὐκ ἀπολύτως δέδοται· ἀλλ' ἐν ὑπακοῇ τοῦ μετανοοῦντος, καὶ συμφωνίᾳ πρὸς τὸν ἐπιμελούμενον αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς. Γέ γραπται γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων, ὅτι Ἐὰν δύο