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to you, I do not know you. And what is the power of the saying? Not that he who knows all things before their creation was ignorant, but that their struggles and their labors were not for his sake, but for the show of men, and not according to the love of God. Wherefore also, having taken mercilessness as their counselor, they were deprived not only of the heavenly bridegroom, but also of the insatiable vision of the most beautiful paradise. For where anything is done without love, there Christ has nowhere to lay his head. And so mercilessness, finding an unguarded place and opportunity, eagerly leaps in, seizes and rules the place, drives out love, banishes sympathy, exiles mercy, forces the angel of peace to withdraw, and so the place, deprived of the love and mercy from God, becomes a deserted house and a dwelling place of every passion and unclean spirit, and becomes a strange land 60.690 and a forgotten land, where God is not known. Therefore they hear, 'I do not know you.' O this terrible beast! What fruit of the vine has it corrupted and not been filled? For this has swallowed the whole multitude of those on the left hand, having become the agent of the eternal fire; this, finding a place in the minds of the five foolish virgins, and having made them its own disciples, and having shut the doors of the bridal chamber, rendered them unknown to the bridegroom. O most evil and insatiable beast! How many has it swallowed, how many has it destroyed, how many has it murdered, how many has it burned with that fire? But not to the compassionate and merciful, may it not be so; for the merciful man boasts, not being afraid of judgment; For perfect love casts out fear; but it is prepared for the devil, according to the immortal voice of the Lord, and for his angels. But I say, also for his disciples, about whom we have just spoken, both those on the left hand and the foolish virgins. All these, and those who do similar things until the end, happen to be his disciples.

This also, having taken that rich man as a disciple, procured for him that place of torment, where, being consumed by fire, he sent up loud cries, saying, 'I am in anguish in this flame;' for such are the gifts that mercilessness bestows on those who love it. For this also dug that extraordinary chasm before his face, so that he might never be able to cross over to the place of respite, and find rest; for it is a digger and maker of pits; for this beast knows no other art. Woe to you, mercilessness, and to your disciples; woe to you, harshness, and to your possessors; what is the benefit to you to separate such a multitude of people from God? Listen, then, to mercilessness answering: My work is to dig pits, to shut doors, to stain tunics, to shut up bowels so as not to have mercy; my gain, to acquire many friends and to destroy them; my joy, to make more disciples, and to send them to Hades; when those on the left hand stood by ashamed, being reproached and accused, then I danced; and when they were sent out into the eternal fire, which I procured for them, I leaped for joy; when, lamenting, they departed, gnashing their teeth and being pushed by demons, I was there pushing with them and rejoicing; and when the ten virgins were preparing to meet the bridegroom, I circled them, and five of them I was not able to turn away; for they had many poor and destitute and weak people around them, both guarding them and with angels; and I also saw the right hand of the Lord protecting them, and I shuddered; but finding the remaining five naked of the love of God, I made them my disciples, and persuaded them not to buy oil, and I extinguished their lamps with mercilessness, and I darkened their hearts, and so, having no light, they were deprived of entry. But the other five, being ready, entered with the

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ὑμῖν, οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς. Τίς δὲ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ ῥητοῦ; Οὐχ ὅτι ἠγνόει ὁ εἰδὼς τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐ δι' αὐτὸν ἦσαν οἱ ἀγῶνες καὶ οἱ κόποι αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ οὐ κατὰ ἀγάπην Θεοῦ. Ὅθεν καὶ τὴν ἀσπλαγχνίαν σύμβουλον παραλαβοῦσαι, ἐστερήθησαν οὐ μόνον τοῦ ἐπουρανίου νυμφίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀκορέστου θέας τοῦ ὡραιοτάτου παραδείσου. Ἔνθα γὰρ χωρὶς ἀγάπης τι ἐπιτελεῖται, ἐκεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλῖναι. Καὶ λοιπὸν ἡ ἀσπλαγχνία ἄδειαν εὑροῦσα καὶ τόπον ἀφύλακτον σπουδαίως ἐμπηδήσασα, κατακρατεῖ καὶ κυριεύει τοῦ τόπου, ἐκδιώκει τὴν ἀγάπην, φυγαδεύει τὴν συμπάθειαν, ἐξορίζει τὸ ἔλεος, τῆς εἰρήνης τὸν ἄγγελον ἀναγκάζει ὑποχωρῆσαι καὶ λοιπὸν στερηθεὶς ὁ τόπος τῆς ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀγάπης καὶ τοῦ ἐλέους, γίνεται ὁ οἶκος ἔρημος καὶ κατοικητήριον παντὸς πάθους καὶ πνεύματος ἀκαθάρτου, καὶ γίνεται γῆ 60.690 ἀλλοτρία καὶ γῆ ἐπιλελησμένη, ἔνθα Θεὸς οὐ γινώσκεται. ∆ιὸ ἀκούουσι τὸ, Οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς. Ὢ τοῦ δεινοῦ θηρίου τούτου· ποῖον καρπὸν τῆς ἀμπέλου διέφθειρε καὶ οὐκ ἐνεπλήσθη; Αὕτη γὰρ ὅλον τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐξ εὐωνύμων κατέπιε, πρόξενος γενομένη τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ αἰωνίου· αὕτη τὸν τόπον εὑροῦσα ταῖς διανοίαις τῶν πέντε μωρῶν παρθένων, καὶ ἰδίας μαθητρίας ποιήσασα, καὶ τὰς θύρας τοῦ νυμφῶνος κλείσασα, ἀγνωρίστους αὐτὰς τοῦ νυμφίου παρεσκεύασεν. Ὢ κάκιστον καὶ ἀχόρταστον θηρίον· πόσους κατέπιε, πόσους ἠφάνισε, πόσους ἐφόνευσε, πόσους κατέκαυσεν ἐκείνῳ τῷ πυρί; Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τοῖς εὐσπλάγχνοις καὶ ἐλεήμοσιν, μὴ γένοιτο· καυχᾶται γὰρ ὁ ἐλεήμων, κρίσεως μὴ πτοούμενος· Ἡ γὰρ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον· ἀλλὰ τῷ διαβόλῳ ἡτοίμασται κατὰ τὴν ἀθάνατον φωνὴν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω, καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, περὶ ὧν πρὸ μικροῦ διηγησάμεθα τῶν τε ἐξ εὐωνύμων καὶ τῶν μωρῶν παρθένων. Οὗτοι πάντες καὶ ἕως τέλους οἱ τὰ ὅμοια πράττοντες, μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνουσιν.

Αὕτη καὶ τὸν πλούσιον ἐκεῖνον μαθητὴν λαβοῦσα, προεξένησεν αὐτῷ τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον τῆς βασάνου, ἔνθα καταφλεγόμενος, ὑψηλὰς ἠφίει φωνὰς λέγων, Ὀδυνῶμαι ἐν τῇ φλογὶ ταύτῃ· τοιαύτας γὰρ δωρεὰς χαρίζεται ἡ ἀσπλαγχνία τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτήν. Αὕτη γὰρ καὶ τὸ χάσμα ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἐξαίσιον ὤρυξε πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἰσχύσας ποτὲ περάσῃ εἰς τὸν τόπον ἀνέσεως, καὶ εὑρήσῃ ἀνάπαυσιν· αὕτη γὰρ ὀρυκτὴς τῶν λάκκων καὶ δημιουργὸς τυγχάνει· ἄλλην γὰρ τέχνην τὸ θηρίον τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπίσταται. Οὐαί σοι, ἀσπλαγχνία, καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς σου· οὐαί σοι, ἀπήνεια, καὶ τοῖς κτήτορσί σου· τί σοι τὸ ὄφελος τοσοῦτον πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων ἀποχωρίσαι ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἄκουε δῆθεν καὶ τῆς ἀσπλαγχνίας ἀποκρινομένης· Ἐμὸν ἔργον ἐστὶν ὀρύσσειν βότρους, θύρας κλείειν, σπιλοῦν χιτῶνας, κλείειν σπλάγχνα τοῦ μὴ ἐλεεῖν· ἐμὸν κέρδος, κτήσασθαι πολλοὺς φίλους καὶ ἀπολέσαι· ἐμὴ χαρὰ, περισσοτέρους ποιῆσαι μαθητὰς, καὶ τῷ ᾅδῃ παραπέμψαι· ὅτε οἱ ἐξ εὐωνύμων κατῃσχυμμένοι παρειστήκασιν ὀνειδιζόμενοι καὶ ἐγκαλούμενοι, τότε ἐγὼ ἐχόρευον· καὶ ὅτε ἐξεπέμποντο εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, ὅπερ ἐγὼ αὐτοῖς προεξένησα, ἐγὼ ἐσκίρτουν· ὅτε ὀδυρόμενοι ἀπήρχοντο τοὺς ὀδόντας τρίζοντες καὶ ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ὠθούμενοι, ἐγὼ ἤμην συνωθοῦσα καὶ συγχαίρουσα· καὶ ὅτε αἱ δέκα παρθένοι ἡτοιμάζοντο ἀπαντῆσαι τῷ νυμφίῳ, ἐγὼ ἐκύκλουν αὐτὰς, καὶ τὰς μὲν πέντε οὐκ ἴσχυσα ἀποστῆσαι· πολλοὺς γὰρ πένητας καὶ πτωχοὺς καὶ ἀδυνάτους εἶχον κύκλῳ αὐτῶν καὶ τηροῦντας αὐτὰς καὶ μετὰ ἀγγέλων· ἐθεώρουν δὲ καὶ δεξιὰν Κυρίου σκέπουσαν αὐτὰς, καὶ ἔφριττον· τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς πέντε εὑροῦσα γυμνὰς ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγάπης, ἐποίησα αὐτὰς μαθητρίας μου, καὶ ἔπεισα αὐτὰς μὴ ἀγοράσαι ἔλαιον, καὶ ἔσβεσα τὰς λαμπάδας αὐτῶν τῇ ἀσπλαγχνίᾳ, καὶ ἐσκότισα τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν, καὶ λοιπὸν μὴ ἔχουσαι φῶς ἐστερήθησαν τῆς εἰσόδου. Αἱ δὲ ἄλλαι πέντε ἕτοιμαι οὖσαι συνεισῆλθον τῷ