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to care for salvation. For to have one's loins girded, and the lamp lit, signified a certain benefit to oneself; for it is necessary to be illuminated always by the light of knowledge, and to have the loins girded with self-control and every virtue of reason, and to be ever watchful and guard against the thief, lest he secretly break into the storeroom of the soul and plunder the things gathered therein; and further still to await one's Lord all the time of one's life. But not to stop at these things; but having received, as it were, a deposit from our own Master, the care of our fellow-servants, it is fitting to keep the trust, and thus to become faithful and wise so as never at the wrong time, but always at the proper time, to distribute the food allowance to our fellow-servants, neither overlooking and postponing, when it is needed, nor providing unseasonably to those not in need, but both at the proper time, and not doing this without measure; and to do this in two ways, both by the more rational benefit, improving their souls with the nourishment of lessons, and by the aid of material possessions for the needy; and to do these things always, so that, if ever our Lord, appearing suddenly, should take us up, he may find us doing these things, and He gives to the one who accomplishes these things a promise many times greater than the former one. For indeed, for being watchful, and always awaiting His presence, He has promised to have him recline and to serve him, having girded Himself; but for the faithful and wise stewardship and the timely distribution 24.565 of the food, declaring him truly thrice-blessed, He has certified with the addition of "amen" that He will set the one who is blessed not over a part, but over all His possessions. Hence the holy Apostle, having benefited, called those who are perfect according to God heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, and said: Whether life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are ours. And His possessions must be understood as the good things in the kingdom, which eye has not seen. But if that servant should say, etc. The faithful and wise one will obtain such things; but the one opposite to him will experience the Master's wrath, being cut in two and cut off from the body of good servants, and receiving a lot and a portion with the hypocrites or the unbelievers; whose end is weeping and gnashing of teeth. For as much as he devoured with his teeth, and as much as he transgressed while being drunk, for these things he will weep; paying the fitting penalty for the lawlessness against his fellow-servants, and for his licentious luxury, and for his contempt toward the Master, whom he confessed not to be ignorant of, and knew that he had a Lord, but supposing that He was postponing the judgment for a long time, he deceived himself. To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, etc. The Savior calls leaven the power perfected from the seed, alluding in this way to the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Word of the heavenly kingdom, having grown after the first sowing in the heavens, and having yielded perfect fruit, provides the supply of the Holy Spirit to those who have benefited from the first things, in the manner of leaven leavening a lump. And a woman, the wisdom of God, hides this in three measures of meal. Therefore to those who have obtained from much care and cultivation of the seed three measures of meal, divine doctrines and the knowledge concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of God supplies the Holy Spirit; and the same wisdom, according to another thought, leavens the whole man of God, composed of body and soul and spirit, by the supply of the divine inbreathing, hiding the benefit from itself in the three understood measures of meal, until the whole is leavened. Thus therefore, having been made and leavened by the participation of the heavenly leaven, he will be called a heavenly and spiritual man, and a new lump, as if a small mixture had been made, the three flours having been given, and

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σωτηρίας φροντίζειν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀνεζῶσθαι τὰς ὀσφύας, καὶ τὸν λύχνον ἀνῆφθαι, τὴν αὐτοῦ τινος εἰς ἑαυτὸν ὠφέλειαν ἐδήλου· γνώσεώς τε γὰρ φωτὶ διὰ παντὸς καταυγάζεσθαι ἀναγκαῖον, σωφροσύνῃ τε καὶ πάσῃ ἀρετῇ τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὴν ὀσφὺν περιεζῶσθαι, ἐγρηγορέναι τε διὰ παντὸς καὶ τὸν κλέπτην διαφυλάττειν, μὴ λαθὼν διορύξειε τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ταμεῖον, ἀποσυλήσειέ τε τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ συνηγμένα· ἔτι γε μὲν καὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Κύριον πάντα τὸν τῆς ζωῆς χρόνον ἐκδέχεσθαι. Ἀλλὰ μὴ μέχρι τούτων ἑστάναι· παραθήκην δ' ὥσπερ ὑποδεξαμένους παρὰ τοῦ ἑαυτῶν ∆εσπότου τὴν τῶν συνδούλων ἡμῶν κηδεμονίαν, φυλάττειν τὴν πίστιν προσήκει, οὕτω τε πιστοὺς γενέσθαι καὶ φρονίμους ὡς μήποτε ἀκαίρως, ἀεὶ δὲ τῷ προσήκοντι καιρῷ, ταῖς ἡμετέροις συνδούλοις τὸ σιτηρέσιον διανέμειν, μήτε παρορῶντας καὶ ὑπερτιθεμένους, ὅτε δεῖ, μήτ' οὐ δεομένοις παρέχοντας ἀκαίρως, ἀλλὰ καὶ καιρῷ τῷ προσήκοντι, καὶ μὴ ἀμέτρως τοῦτο ποιεῖν· τοῦτο δὲ πράττειν κατὰ δύο τρόπους, διά τε τῆς λογικωτέρας ὠφελείας τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν βελτιοῦντας ταῖς διὰ τῶν μαθημάτων τροφαῖς, διά τε τῆς τῶν αἰσθητῶν ὑπαρχόντων πρὸς τοὺς ἐνδεεῖς ἐπικουρίας· ταῦτα δὲ διὰ παντὸς ἐνεργεῖν, ἵνα, εἴ ποτε ἀθρόως ἐπιστὰς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν τὴν παράληψιν ἡμῶν ποιοῖτο, εὑρεῖν ταῦτα πράττοντας ἡμᾶς, ἐπαγγελίαν τε τῷ καὶ ταῦτα κατορθοῦντι τοῦ προτέρου πολλαπλασίονα δίδωσιν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῷ ἐγρηγορέναι, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ διὰ παντὸς περιμένειν παρουσίαν, ἀνακλίνειν ἐπήγγελται καὶ διακονῆσαι αὐτὸς περιζωσάμενος· ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ πιστῇ καὶ ἔμφρονι οἰκονομίᾳ καὶ τῇ κατὰ καιρὸν διανεμήσει 24.565 τῆς τροφῆς, τρισμακαρίους ἀληθῶς ἀποφαίνων, οὐκ ἐπί τι μέρος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν ὑπαρχόντων καταστήσειν τὸν μακαριζόμενον μετὰ προσθήκης τοῦ ἀμὴν ἐπιστώσατο. Ἔνθεν καὶ ὁ ἱερὸς Ἀπόστολος ὠφελημένος, τοὺς κατὰ Θεὸν τελείους κληρονόμους Θεοῦ καὶ συγκληρονόμους Χριστοῦ ἐκάλει, καὶ ἔλεγεν· Εἴτε ζωὴ, εἴτε θάνατος, εἴτ' ἐνεστῶτα, εἴτε μέλλοντα, πάντα ἡμῶν εἶναι. Ὑπάρχοντα δ' αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ νοητέον ἀγαθὰ, ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν. Ἐὰν δ' εἴπῃ ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος, κ. τ. λ. Ὁ μὲν πιστὸς καὶ φρόνιμος τοιούτων τεύξεται· ὁ δ' ἐναντίος τούτῳ ὀργῆς ∆εσπότου πειραθήσεται, διχοτομηθεὶς καὶ ἀποτεμνόμενος τοῦ σώματος τῶν ἀγαθῶν δούλων, κλῆρόν τε καὶ μερίδα λαμβάνων μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν ἢ τῶν ἀπίστων· ὧν τὸ τέλος κλαυθμὸς καὶ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. Ὅσα γὰρ τοῖς ὀδοῦσι κατήσθιε, καὶ ὅσα μεθυσκόμενος ἐπλημμέλει, ταῦτα ἀποκλαύσεται· δίκην τὴν προσήκουσαν διδοὺς τῆς τε κατὰ τῶν συνδούλων παρανομίας, καὶ τῆς ἀκολάστου τρυφῆς, καταφρονήσεώς τε τῆς εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην, ὃν ὡμολόγει μὲν μὴ ἀγνοεῖν, καὶ ᾔδει ὡς ἄρα Κύριον ἔχει, ἀναβάλλεσθαι δὲ αὐτὸν τὴν κρίσιν εἰς μακροὺς χρόνους ὑπολαμβάνων, ἑαυτὸν ἠπάτα. Τίνι ὁμοιώσω τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ; ὁμοία ἐστὶ ζύμῃ, κ. τ. λ. Ζύμην τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σπόρου τελεσιουργηθεῖσαν δύναμιν ὁ Σωτὴρ ὀνομάζει, τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοῦτον αἰνιξάμενος τὸν τρόπον. Ὁ γοῦν τῆς οὐρανίου βασιλείας Λόγος, μετὰ τὴν πρώτην ἐν οὐρανοῖς σπορὰν αὐξηθεὶς, καὶ καρπὸν ἀποδοὺς ἐντελῆ, τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τὴν ἐπιχορηγίαν τοῖς διὰ τῶν πρώτων ὠφελημένοις παρέχει, ζύμης δίκην φύραμα ζυμούσης. Γυνὴ δὲ ταύτην, ἡ σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία ἐγκρύπτει. Τοῖς γοῦν πορισαμένοις ἐκ πολλῆς ἐπιμελείας καὶ τῆς τοῦ σπόρου γεωργίας ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία, δόγματα θεῖα καὶ γνῶσιν τὴν περὶ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα χορηγεῖ· ἡ δ' αὐτὴ καθ' ἑτέραν διάνοιαν πάντα τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον ἐκ σώματος καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος συνεστῶτα, τῇ ἐπιχορηγίᾳ τῆς θείας ἐμπνεύσεως ζυμοῖ, ἐγκρύπτουσα τὴν ἐξ αὐτῆς ὠφέλειαν εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία τὰ νενοημένα, ἕως οὗ ζυμωθῇ ὅλον. Οὕτω γοῦν τῇ μετοχῇ τῆς οὐρανίου ζύμης ποιηθεὶς καὶ ζυμωθεὶς, οὐράνιος καὶ πνευματικὸς χρηματίσει ἄνθρωπος, καὶ νέον φύραμα, ὡς ἂν μικρᾶς κράσεως γενομένης, τῶν τριῶν ἀλεύρων ἀποδεδομένων, καὶ