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The incarnate Word, having the entire passible power of his own humanity naturally joined to him in an indissoluble (14∆_052> union, being God, worked wonders in a human way, being accomplished through flesh that is by nature passible, and being man, went through the passions of nature in a divine way, being accomplished according to divine authority; but both rather in a theandric way, as being at once God and man, by the one restoring us to ourselves, having been shown what we have become, and by the other, giving us to himself, having become what he displayed, and through both confirming the truth of the things from which, in which, and which he was, as alone true and faithful, and wishing to be confessed by us for what he is.

Having him, sanctified in word and life, imitate his long-suffering as he is being formed [in you], and accepting the present writing, show yourselves to me as benevolent judges of its contents, overcoming with sympathy the failings of your child, who awaits this alone as the recompense for his obedience, and become for me mediators of reconciliation with him, creating the peace which surpasses all understanding, of which the Savior himself is prince, freeing by a practical disposition from the turmoil of the passions those who fear him, and Father of the age to come, begetting by the Spirit through love and knowledge those who have filled the world above.

To him be glory, majesty, power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen.

TO JOHN, ARCHBISHOP OF CYZICUS, MAXIMUS, GREETINGS IN THE LORD

PROLOGUE (14∆_054> 1061 Indeed, and perhaps justly, those are praised by all on account of their love of learning

the more eager lovers of noble things and the more diligent cultivators of knowledge about them, who approach the better and the teachers of better things, because by questioning, they unashamedly receive knowledge and understanding of what was unknown and free themselves from ignorance, 1064 inexperience, and the reproach associated with them. But as for you, what word could praise you worthily? Or who among men will be found capable of grasping, even in thought, the magnitude of your virtue? For though you are proven shepherds of rational sheep, and know how to lead them up and out to the fold above with the sounds of a spiritual pipe, as having previously acquired the disposition of mystical knowledge of divine things, which is unattainable by others; according to which, having been worthily entrusted with the rudders of the Church of Christ, you expertly guide it like a ship, along with the cargo of faith and the comeliness of a life according to God, toward the harbor of the divine will, having been harmed by none of the temptations on the sea of life. Concerning things known to you, of which God has also established you as interpreters, you do not consider it unworthy to ask not only those who are wiser, if anyone is indeed superior to you in knowledge at all, but also those who are worthy of nothing and utterly inexperienced in every subject, in faith of finding something remarkable even among the obscure, as is your custom.

(14∆_056> Therefore, I too, having received your esteemed letter, which commanded me to send you, set down in writing, the account that was delivered at that time concerning each of the difficult chapters in the orations of Saint Gregory the Theologian, about which we were laboring when we were together, I naturally marveled at your virtue and I extolled the all-radiant and exalted character of your Christ-like poverty according to it, or rather, him who in every way is through you and in you

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ὀ σαρκωθείς Λόγος ὅλην ἐσχηκώς συμφυεῖσαν καθ᾿ ἕνωσιν (14∆_052> ἄλυτον τήν παθητικήν τῆς ἰδίας ἀνθρωπότητος δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνως Θεός ὤν ἐνήργει τά θαύματα, διά σαρκός φύσει παθητῆς συμπληρούμενα, καί θεϊκῶς ἄνθρωπος ὤν διεξῄει τά πάθη τῆς φύσεως, κατ᾿ ἐξουσίαν ἐπιτελούμενα θεϊκήν· ἄμφω δέ μᾶλλον θεανδρικῶς, ὡς Θεός ὁμοῦ καί ἄνθρωπος ὤν τοῖς μέν ἡμᾶς ἑαυτοῖς ἀποδιδούς, φανέντας ὅπερ γεγόναμεν, τοῖς δέ διδούς ἡμᾶς ἑαυτῷ, γενομένους ὅπερ παρέδειξε, καί δι᾿ ἀμφοτέρων πιστούμενος τήν τῶν ἐξ ὧν, ἐν οἷς τε καί ἅπερ ὑπῆρχεν ἀλήθειαν, ὡς μόνος ἀληθής και πιστός, καί ὅπερ ἐστι παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ὁμολογεῖσθαι βουλόμενος.

Ὅν ἔχοντες, ἡγιασμένοι λόγῳ τε καί βίῳ, μορφούμενον μιμήσασθε τήν μακροθυμίαν, καί τήν παροῦσαν δεχόμενοι γραφήν, φάνητέ μοι τῶν ἐμφερομένων φιλάνθρωποι κριταί νικῶντες συμπαθείᾳ τά τοῦ παιδός ὑμῶν ὀλισθήματα, μόνην ταύτην ἐκδεχομένῳ τῆς εὐπειθείας ἀντίδοσιν, καί γένεσθέ μοι μεσῖται τῆς πρός αὐτόν καταλλαγῆς εἰρήνην δημιουργοῦντες τήν πάντα νοῦν ὑπερέχουσαν, ἧς αὐτός ἄρχων ἐστίν ὁ Σωτήρ, ἕξει πρακτικῇ τῆς τῶν παθῶν ταραχῆς ἐλευθερῶν τούς φοβουμένους αὐτόν, καί Πατήρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, Πνεύματι γεννῶν δι᾿ ἀγάπης καί γνώσεως τούς τόν ἄνω κόσμον πληρώσαντας.

Αὐτῷ δόξα, μεγαλωσύνη, κράτος, σύν τῷ Πατρί καί τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τούς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.

ΠΡΟΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΝ ΚΥΖΙΚΟΥ ΜΑΞΙΜΟΣ ΕΝ ΚΥΡΙῼ ΧΑΙΡΕΙΝ

ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟΣ (14∆_054> 1061 Ἐπαινοῦνται μέν, καί τυχόν δικαίως, παρά πάντων τῆς φιλομαθείας ἕνεκεν

οἱ προθυμότεροι τῶν καλῶν ἑρασταί καί τῆς ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ἐπιστήμης ἐπιμεληταί σπουδαιότεροι τοῖς κρείττοσι καί τῶν κρειττόνων διδασκάλοις προσιόντες, ὅτι δι᾿ ἐρωτήσεως τήν γνῶσιν τῶν ἠγνοημένων καί τήν ἐπιστήμην ἀνεπαισχύντως λαμβάνοντες σφᾶς αὐτούς ἀγνοίας 1064 καί ἀπειρίας καί τοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτάς ὀνείδους ἐλευθεροῦσιν. Ὑμᾶς δέ τίς ἄν ἀξίως ἐπαινέσειε λόγος; ἤ τίς ἀνθρώπων κἄν διανοίᾳ περιλαβεῖν ὑμῶν τό τῆς ἀρετῆς μέγεθος ἱκανός εὑρεθήσεται; Ὅτι δόκιμοι λογικῶν προβάτων ποιμένες ὑπάρχοντες, καί πρός τήν ἄνω μάνδραν φωναῖς σύριγγος πνευματικῆς ἀνάγειν τε και ἀπάγειν εἰδότες, οἷα δή τῆς ἀνεφίκτου τοῖς ἄλλοις τῶν θείων μυστικῆς γνώσεως τήν ἕξιν προειληφότες· καθ᾿ ἥν τῆς Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίας ἀξίως πεπιστωμένοι τούς οἴακας νηός τρόπον ἐπιστημόνως ἰθύνετε, μετά τοῦ φόρτου τῆς πίστεως καί τῆς τοῦ κατά Θεόν βίου εὐπρεπείας, πρός τόν λιμένα τοῦ θείου θελήματος, μηδέν τῶν κατά τήν θάλασσαν τοῦ βίου πειρασμῶν παραβλαβεῖσαν. Περί τῶν ἐγνωσμένων ὑμῖν, ὧν καί ἐξηγητάς ὑμᾶς κατέστησεν ὁ Θεός, οὐ μόνον τούς σοφωτέρους, εἴπερ τις ὑμῶν ἐστιν ὅλως κατά τήν γνῶσιν ἀνώτερος, ἀλλά καί τούς μηδενός ἀξίους καί παντελῶς παντός ἀπείρους μαθήματος, πίστει τοῦ εὑρεῖν τι, καθώς εἰώθατε, καί παρά τοῖς ἀσήμοις ἐπίσημον ἐρωτᾷν οὐχ ἡγεῖσθε ἀνάξιον.

(14∆_056> ∆ιό κἀγώ δεξάμενος τήν τιμίαν ὑμῶν ἐπιστολήν τόν περί ἑκάστου τῶν ἀπορηθέντων ὑμῖν κεφαλαίων ἐν τοῖς τοῦ ἁγίου Γρηγορίου τοῦ Θεολόγου λόγοις, περί ὧν ἐφιλοπονοῦμεν ἡνίκα σύν ἀλλήλοις ἦμεν, ἀποδοθέντα τό τηνικαῦτα λόγου γραφῇ καταθεμένῳ στεῖλαι ὑμῖν κελεύουσαν, ὑμᾶς μέν εἰκότως τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐθαύμασα καί τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτήν χριστοπρεποῦς ὑμῶν πτωχείας τό παμφαές καί ὑψηλόν ἀνύμνησα, μᾶλλον δέ τόν κατά πάντα τρόπον δι᾿ ὑμῶν τε καί ἐν ὑμῖν