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QUESTION 30. How shall we cut off the passion of evil desire. RESPONSE. With a burning desire for the will of God, and of such a kind as he showed who said: The judgments of the Lord are true, justified altogether; more to be desired than gold and much precious stone, and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. For the desire for better things, having within its authority and power the enjoyment of the things desired, compels one to despise and turn away from lesser things, as all the saints have taught; how much more so then from base things, and those worthy of shame?

QUESTION 31. If it is not permissible to laugh at all. RESPONSE. Since the Lord condemns those who laugh now, it is evident that there is never a time for laughter for the faithful, and especially amidst so great a multitude of those who, through transgression of the law, dishonor God and are put to death in sin, for whom it is necessary to be despondent and to groan.

QUESTION 32. From where comes untimely and immoderate drowsiness, and how can we put it away. RESPONSE. Such drowsiness occurs whenever the soul becomes more sluggish concerning the thoughts of God, and we despise the judgments of God; and we put it away whenever we take up a genuine and worthy concept of the majesty of God and the desire for his will, according to him who said: If I give sleep to my eyes, and slumber to my eyelids, and rest to my temples; until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

QUESTION 33. How is the men-pleaser exposed. RESPONSE. When he shows zeal in the presence of those who praise, but becomes lazy in the presence of those who censure. For if he wishes to please the Lord, he will be the same always and 31.1105 everywhere, fulfilling what was said: through the weapons of righteousness on the right hand and on the left; through glory and dishonor; through slander and praise; as deceivers, and yet true.

QUESTION 34. How might someone flee the passion of men-pleasing and looking around for the praises of men. RESPONSE. By full assurance of the presence of God, and by undistracted care for pleasing God, and by a burning desire for the blessings from the Lord. For no one in the sight of his master is carried away with pleasing a fellow servant to the dishonor of the master and his own condemnation.

QUESTION 35. How is the proud man recognized, and how is he healed. RESPONSE. He is recognized by seeking the things of pre-eminence; and he is healed if he believes the judgment of him who said: The Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. However, one must know this, that however much one may fear the judgment of pride, the passion cannot be healed unless he withdraws from all the practices of pre-eminence; just as one cannot unlearn a dialect or any art whatsoever, without completely withdrawing not only from doing or speaking anything according to that art, but also from hearing those who speak it and seeing those who practice it; which must be observed also in the case of every evil.

QUESTION 30. If it is right to seek honor. RESPONSE. We were taught to render honor to whom honor is due, but we were forbidden to seek honor, as the Lord said: How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Therefore, to seek glory from men is a proof of unbelief and an estrangement from piety, as the Apostle said: If I were still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ. And if those who receive the glory given by men were so condemned, those who seek the glory not given have an unspeakable judgment. 31.1108

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ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Λʹ. Πῶς ἐκκόψομεν τὸ πάθος τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς κακῆς. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐπιθυμίᾳ διαπύρῳ τῶν θελημάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοιαύτῃ, οἵαν ἔδειξεν ἔχειν ὁ εἰπών· Τὰ κρίματα Κυρίου ἀληθινὰ, δεδικαιωμένα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό· ἐπι θυμητὰ ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον πο λὺν, καὶ γλυκύτερα ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον. Ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡ τῶν κρειττόνων ἐπιθυμία ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ καὶ δυνάμει ἔχουσα τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῶν ἐπιθυμουμένων, καταφρονεῖν καὶ ἀποστρέφεσθαι ἀναγκάζει τὰ ἐλάττονα, ὡς ἐδίδαξαν οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες· πόσῳ δὲ μᾶλλον τὰ φαῦλα, καὶ αἰσχύνης ἄξια;

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΑʹ. Εἰ καθόλου γελᾷν οὐκ ἔξεστιν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Κυρίου τοὺς νῦν γελῶντας κατακρίνοντος, εὔδηλον, ὅτι οὐδέποτε καιρὸς γέλωτός ἐστι τῷ πι στῷ, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τοσούτῳ πλήθει τῶν διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ νόμου τὸν Θεὸν ἀτιμαζόντων καὶ θανατουμένων ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἀθυμεῖν καὶ στένειν χρή.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΒʹ. Ὁ ἄκαιρος καὶ ἄμετρος νυσταγμὸς πόθεν, πῶς αὐτὸν ἀποθώμεθα. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ὁ μὲν τοιοῦτος νυσταγμὸς γίνεται, ὅταν νωθρο τέρα γένηται ἡ ψυχὴ περὶ τὰς περὶ Θεοῦ ἐννοίας, καὶ τῶν κριμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ καταφρονῶμεν· ἀπο τιθέμεθα δὲ αὐτὸν, ὅταν γνησίαν καὶ ἀξιόλογον ἀναλάβωμεν τῆς μεγαλειότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἔννοιαν, καὶ τῶν θελημάτων αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα· Εἰ δώσω ὕπνον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου, καὶ τοῖς βλεφάροις μου νυσταγμὸν, καὶ ἀνάπαυ σιν τοῖς κροτάφοις μου· ἕως οὗ εὕρω τόπον τῷ Κυρίῳ, σκήνωμα τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΓ. Πῶς ἐλέγχεται ὁ ἀνθρωπάρεσκος. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὅταν ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἐπαινούντων σπουδὴν ἐπι δείξηται, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ψεγόντων ὀκνηρὸς γένηται. Εἰ γὰρ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀρέσκειν βούλεται, πάντοτε καὶ 31.1105 πανταχοῦ ὁ αὐτὸς ἔσται, πληρῶν τὸ εἰρημένον· ∆ιὰ τῶν ὅπλων τῆς δικαιοσύνης τῶν δεξιῶν καὶ ἀρι στερῶν· διὰ δόξης καὶ ἀτιμίας· διὰ δυσφημίας καὶ εὐφημίας· ὡς πλάνοι, καὶ ἀληθεῖς.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Λ∆ʹ. Πῶς φύγῃ τις τὸ πάθος τῆς ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας, καὶ τὸ περιβλέπεσθαι τοὺς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων ἐπαίνους. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Πληροφορίᾳ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ παρουσίας, καὶ ἀπε ρισπάστῳ φροντίδι τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εὐαρεστήσεως, καὶ διαπύρῳ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου μακαρισμῶν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐν ὄψεσι δεσπότου πρὸς ἀρέσκειαν συνδούλου ἐπὶ ἀτιμίᾳ τοῦ δεσπότου καὶ κατακρίσει ἑαυτοῦ μετεωρίζεται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΕʹ. Πῶς γνωρίζεται ὁ ὑπερήφανος, καὶ πῶς θε ραπεύεται. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Γνωρίζεται μὲν ἐκ τοῦ τὰ τῆς ὑπεροχῆς ἐπιζη τεῖν· θεραπεύεται δὲ, ἐὰν πιστεύσῃ τῷ κρίματι τοῦ εἰπόντος· Κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι χάριν. Ἐκεῖνο μέντοι εἰδέναι χρὴ, ὅτι, ὅπως ἄν τις φοβηθῇ τὸ κρῖμα τῆς ὑπερ ηφανίας, οὐ δύναται θεραπευθῆναι τὸ πάθος, ἐὰν μὴ ἀναχωρήσῃ τῶν τῆς ὑπεροχῆς ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἁπάν των· ὡς οὐ δύναται ἀπομαθεῖν διάλεκτον ἢ οἵαν δή ποτε τέχνην, μὴ τελείως ἀναχωρήσας οὐ μόνον τοῦ ποιεῖν, ἢ λαλεῖν τι κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν τέχνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ἀκούειν τῶν λαλούντων, καὶ βλέ πειν τοὺς ποιοῦντας· ὅπερ παρατηρητέον καὶ ἐπὶ πάσης κακίας.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Λʹ. Εἰ χρὴ τιμὴν ἐπιζητεῖν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἀποδιδόναι μὲν τῷ τὴν τιμὴν, τὴν τιμὴν ἐδι δάχθημεν, ἐπιζητεῖν δὲ τιμὴν ἐκωλύθημεν, τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Πῶς δύνασθε ὑμεῖς πιστεῦσαι δόξαν παρ' ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν δό ξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ μόνου Θεοῦ οὐ ζητοῦντες; Ὥστε τὸ ζητεῖν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δόξαν ἀπόδει ξίς ἐστιν ἀπιστίας, καὶ θεοσεβείας ἀλλοτρίωσις, τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπόντος· Εἰ ἔτι ἀνθρώποις ἤρεσκον, Χριστοῦ δοῦλος οὐκ ἂν ἤμην. Εἰ δὲ οἱ τὴν δεδομέ νην παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δόξαν λαμβάνοντες οὕτω κατεκρίθησαν, οἱ τὴν μὴ δεδομένην ἐπιζητοῦν τες ἄῤῥητον ἔχουσι τὸ κρῖμα. 31.1108