13

having been disposed neglectfully; toward the administration? Are they not liable to the judgment of the negligent? according to what is written: Cursed is everyone who does the works of the Lord negligently. Everywhere we must be on our guard, lest, on the pretext of one commandment, we should appear to be breaking another. For it is not proper for us either to fight or to contend with the ungrateful; since a servant of the Lord must not fight, but he who is treated ungratefully by his kinsmen according to the flesh must remember the Lord's saying, that There is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, not 31.944 simply, but for my sake and the gospel's, who will not receive a hundredfold in this time, and in the age to come eternal life. But to the ungrateful one must testify against the sin of sacrilege, according to the commandment of the Lord who said: If your brother sins, go, reprove him, and the rest. But the word of godliness has forbidden us to be judged concerning them in external courts through what it says: To the one who wishes to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also; and that Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? And in these matters let us summon to judgment, having more regard for the brother's salvation than for the abundance of possessions. For the Lord, when he said, If he listens to you, added, You have gained, not possessions, but your brother. But there are times when, for the truth to be made clear, when the one who is the originator of the ungratefulness often calls us to a common arbitration, we condescend to the examination, not having initiated it ourselves, but following those who have summoned us, not fulfilling our own passion of anger or contentiousness, but making the truth manifest. For thus we will deliver him, even against his will, from evils, and we ourselves will not transgress the commandments, as servants of God who are peaceable and not lovers of money, firmly establishing ourselves by the manifestation of the truth, and in no way exceeding the given measure of zeal.

QUESTION 10. Whether it is right to receive all who come, or which ones? and

to receive them immediately, or after a trial, and of what sort? RESPONSE. Since the philanthropic God and our Savior Jesus Christ proclaims and says: Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; it is not without danger to push away those who approach the Lord through us, and wish to take upon themselves His good yoke, and the burden of the commandments, which lightens us toward heaven. Yet neither should one permit them with unwashed feet to tread upon the solemnity of the teachings; but just as our Lord Jesus Christ questioned the young man who came to him about his former life, and having learned that it had been well-ordered, he commanded him to fulfill what was still lacking for 31.945 perfection, and then he permitted him to follow; so it is clearly fitting for us also to learn about the past life of those who come; and to those who have already achieved something, to hand over the more perfect teachings, but those who are either turning from a wicked life, or who from a state of indifference are setting out for the strict life of the knowledge of God, it is necessary to examine what sort of character they have: lest they be unstable, and easily moved in their judgments. For the changeableness of such persons is suspect, who, besides not benefiting themselves at all, also become a cause of harm to others, holding reproaches and lies, and evil blasphemies against our work. But since all things are set right by diligence, and the fear of God overcomes all sorts of soul's defects, one must not despair of these immediately, but it is necessary to lead them into the appropriate exercises, taking proof of their judgment through time and laborious struggles, so that, if we find anything steadfast in them,

13

ἠμελημένως διατε θέντας· πρὸς τὴν διοίκησιν; Οὐχ ὑποδίκους εἶναι τοῦ κρίματος τῶν ἀμελούντων; κατὰ τὸ γε γραμμένον· Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου ἀμελῶς. Πανταχοῦ δὲ φυλακτέον ἡμῖν, μὴ, προφάσει μιᾶς ἐντολῆς, ἑτέραν φανῶμεν καταλύοντες. Οὔτε γὰρ μάχεσθαι, οὔτε συνδιαπληκτίζεσθαι τοῖς ἀγνωμονοῦσιν εὐπρεπὲς ἡμῖν· ἐπείπερ δοῦλον Κυ ρίου οὐ δεῖ μάχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀγνωμονούμενον παρὰ τῶν κατὰ σάρκα συγγενῶν μνημονεύειν χρὴ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις ἀφ ῆκεν οἰκίαν, ἢ ἀδελφοὺς, ἢ ἀδελφὰς, ἢ πατέρα, ἢ μητέρα, ἢ γυναῖκα, ἢ τέκνα, ἢ ἀγροὺς, οὐχ 31.944 ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ὃς οὐ μὴ λάβῃ ἑκατονταπλασίονα ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ, καὶ ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ ἐρχομένῳ ζωὴν αἰώ νιον. Τοῖς γε μὴν ἀγνωμονοῦσι διαμαρτύρασθαι χρὴ τὴν τῆς ἱεροσυλίας ἁμαρτίαν, κατὰ τὴν ἐντο λὴν τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε, ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ∆ικά ζεσθαι δὲ περὶ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ δικαστηρίων ἐξωτι κῶν ἀπηγόρευσεν ὁ τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγος δι' ὧν φησι· Τῷ θέλοντί σε κριθῆναι, καὶ τὸν χιτῶνά σου λαβεῖν, ἄφες αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον· καὶ ὅτι Τολμᾷ τις ὑμῶν, πρᾶγμα ἔχων πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον, κρίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων, καὶ οὐχὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων; Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων δὲ εἰς κρίσιν προσκαλεσώ μεθα, πλείονα λόγον ἔχοντες τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σωτηρίας, ἢ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων περιουσίας. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος εἰπὼν, Ἐάν σου ἀκούσῃ, ἐπήγαγεν, Ἐκέρδησας, οὐχὶ τὰ χρήματα, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀδελ φόν σου. Ἔστι δὲ ὅτε ὑπὲρ τοῦ τρανωθῆναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, αὐτοῦ πολλάκις ἡμᾶς τοῦ τῆς ἀγνω μοσύνης κατάρχοντος εἰς κοινὴν δίαιταν προκαλου μένου, συγκαταβαίνομεν πρὸς τὸν ἔλεγχον, οὐκ αὐ τοὶ κατάρξαντες, ἀλλὰ τοῖς προσκαλεσαμένοις ἀκο λουθοῦντες, οὐκ ἴδιον πάθος ὀργῆς ἢ φιλονεικίας πληροφοροῦντες, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν φανεροῦν τες. Οὕτω γὰρ κἀκεῖνον καὶ ἄκοντα τῶν κακῶν ἐξαιρήσομεν, καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς οὐ παρελευσό μεθα, ὡς Θεοῦ διάκονοι ἄμαχοι καὶ ἀφιλάργυροι, τῇ φανερώσει τῆς ἀληθείας εὐσταθῶς συνιστάμενοι, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ τὸ δεδομένον μέτρον τῆς σπουδῆς ὑπερβαίνοντες.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ιʹ. Πότερον χρὴ πάντας τοὺς προσιόντας δέχεσθαι, ἢ τίνας; καὶ

εὐθὺς αὐτοὺς προσίεσθαι, ἢ μετὰ δοκιμασίας, καὶ ποίας ταύτης; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰη σοῦ Χριστοῦ κηρύσσοντος καὶ λέγοντος· ∆εῦτε πρὸς μὲ, πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες, καὶ πεφορτισμέ νοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς· οὐκ ἀκίνδυνον ἀπ ωθεῖσθαι τοὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ δι' ἡμῶν προσιόντας, καὶ ὑπελθεῖν αὐτοῦ τὸν χρηστὸν ζυγὸν, καὶ τὸ τῶν ἐν τολῶν φορτίον, τὸ πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἡμᾶς ἀνακουφίζον, βουλομένους. Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἀνίπτοις ποσὶν ἐπιτρέπειν χρὴ τῆς σεμνότητος ἐπιβαίνειν τῶν διδαγμάτων· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τὸν προσελθόντα νεανίσκον ἐπηρώτησε περὶ τοῦ προτέ ρου βίου, καὶ μαθὼν, ὅτι κατώρθωται, τὸ πρὸς τὴν 31.945 τελείωσιν ἐλλεῖπον ἔτι πληρῶσαι προσέταξε, καὶ τότε ἐπέτρεψεν ἀκολουθεῖν· οὕτω δηλονότι καὶ ἡμᾶς προσήκει τὸν παρελθόντα βίον τῶν προσιόντων καταμανθάνειν· καὶ οἷς μὲν ἤδη τι προκατώρθωται, τὰ τελειότερα τῶν διδαγμάτων παραδιδόναι, τοὺς δὲ ἢ ἐκ βίου πονηροῦ μετατιθεμένους, ἢ ἐκ τῆς ἀδιαφορίας πρὸς τὸν ἀκριβῆ βίον τῆς θεογνωσίας ὁρμήσαντας ἀνακρίνειν χρὴ, ὁποῖοι τὸ ἦθός εἰσι· μὴ ἄστατοι, καὶ πρὸς τὰς κρίσεις εὐκίνητοι. Ὕποπτον γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων τὸ εὐμετάθετον, οἳ, πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν ἑαυτοὺς ὠφελῆσαι, ἔτι καὶ ἑτέροις αἴτιοι βλάβης γίνονται, ὀνείδη καὶ ψεύδη, καὶ βλασ φημίας πονηρὰς τοῦ ἔργου ἡμῶν κατέχοντες. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα ἐπιμελείᾳ κατορθοῦται, καὶ φόβος Θεοῦ παντοίων ἐλαττωμάτων ψυχῆς περιγίνεται, οὐδὲ τούτων ἀπογνωστέον εὐθὺς, ἀλλὰ ἄγειν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰ προσήκοντα γυμνάσια δεῖ, χρόνῳ καὶ ἐπιπό νοις ἀγωνίσμασι πεῖραν τῆς κρίσεως αὐτῶν λαμβά νοντας, ὡς, ἐάν τι βέβαιον παρ' αὐτοῖς εὕρωμεν,