15

pleasure; with whom she consorts, she conceives the act. For this reason such offspring are accursed and they do not enter “into the Church of the Lord until the third and fourth and tenth generation.”

QUESTION 40 Why is it that, although there are many graver insults, the Lord in the Gospels the

one who calls his brother “fool” declares liable to hell, but the one who says “raca” he says is subject to the council?

RESPONSE The name “fool” they say is taken to mean the senseless and unintelligent, while

“raca” in the Hebrew tongue is interpreted as ‘despicable.’ Since, therefore, in the case of the atheist and the unbeliever the name “fool” is spoken according to the saying, “The fool has said in his heart: ‘There is no God,’” and according to Moses saying, “This is a foolish and unwise people,” whoever calls his brother, who is of the same faith, an atheist and idolater or a heretic and unbeliever, this one says “fool” and justly becomes liable to hell. But whoever says “raca,” that is, ‘spat upon and unclean,’ this one slanders the life of his brother and is reasonably subject to a lighter penalty.

14Α_072 QUESTION 41 What does the story in Judges concerning the Levite and the concubine signify,

whom those of the tribe of Benjamin abused and murdered? RESPONSE Since the sacred mind, which was made by God in the beginning, the natural law through

the transgression put to death, it took the concubine, that is, the legal worship, which was not natural but introduced; then, with the natural movements rising up like wolves, they murdered her as well. But the sacred mind, being angered, dismembers her and sends her into every border of Israel to the twelve tribes, that is, it divided the legal commandments and distributed each one to the corresponding power of the soul, so that all might be moved together to the destruction of the disorderly thoughts. There are three powers of the soul: the rational, the desiring, the irascible. And these require the four general virtues; for without these neither is vice destroyed, nor is virtue achieved. Then, so that what has been well judged may also come into action, they also need the five senses, so that the twelfth number may be completed, which characterizes all of Israel. Or the twelfth number also signifies time and nature; for time is based on seven, and nature is based on five.

That many of the Israelites fell in the war, and that after this the few were victorious, signifies that one who struggles against sin must be pure of every passion, since as long as he is held by high-mindedness or vainglory or pride or arrogance, or he condemns others or is held by any other passion whatsoever, in supposedly warring against the passions he is found to be ineffective and falls; but he must be pure of all things and then thus array himself for battle, 14Α_074 and thus the Lord grants the victory. That Israel was consoled over those of Benjamin who were left, who fled to the rock of Rimmon, indicates that the one who fights against the passions must not destroy the natural power along with the passions, but rather preserve what is contrary to the natural power; for example, if one struggles against the passion of gluttony, one must not completely do away with the necessary food for the sustenance of life, but rather the luxurious and raging diet. That they fled to the rock signifies faith in Christ or the stable state of the practical life, which easily puts to death the disorder of the passions; for Rimmon is interpreted as ‘uplifting of death.’

QUESTION 42

15

ἡδονή· μεθ᾽ οὗ συγγινομένη συλλαμβάνει τὴν ἐνέργειαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπικατάρατα τὰ τοιαῦτα κυήματα καὶ οὐκ εἰσέρχονται «εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν Κυρίου ἕως τρίτης καὶ τετάρτης καὶ δεκάτης γενεᾶς».

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 40 Τί δήποτε πολλῶν ὄντων βαρυτέρων ὕβρεων ὁ Κύριος ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις τὸν

λέγοντα τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ «μωρὸν» τῆς γεέννης ὑπεύθυνον ὁρίζεται, τὸν δὲ λέγοντα «ῥακὰ» τῷ συνεδρίῳ ὑποκεῖσθαι λέγει;

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Τὸ «μωρὸς» ὄνομα λέγουσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἄφρονος λαμβάνεσθαι καὶ ἀνοήτου, τὸ

δὲ «ῥακὰ» Ἑβραίων φωνῇ 'κατάπτυστον' ἑρμηνεύεται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀθέου καὶ ἀπίστου τὸ «μωρὸς» ὄνομα εἴρηται κατὰ τὸ «εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· "οὐκ ἔστιν Θεός"», καὶ κατὰ τὸν Μωυσῆν λέγοντα «οὗτος λαὸς μωρὸς καὶ οὐχὶ σοφός», ὅστις τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν ὁμόπιστον ἄθεον καὶ εἰδωλολάτρην ἢ αἱρετικὸν καὶ ἄπιστον ἀποκαλεῖ, οὗτος λέγει μωρὸν καὶ τῆς γεέννης δικαίως ὑπεύθυνος γίνεται. Ὅστις δὲ λέγει «ῥακά», τουτέστιν 'ἐμπτυσμένε καὶ ἀκάθαρτε', οὗτος τὸν βίον διαβάλλει τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰκότως κουφοτέρου ἐπιτιμίου ὑπόκειται.

14Α_072 ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 41 Τί σημαίνει ἡ ἐν τοῖς Κριταῖς ἱστορία ἡ κατὰ τὸν Λευΐτην καὶ τὴν παλλακὴν

ἣν παραχρησάμενοι ἐφόνευσαν οἱ τῆς φυλῆς Βενιαμίν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐπειδὴ ὁ κατ᾽ ἀρχὰς γενόμενος ἐκ Θεοῦ ἱερὸς νοῦς τὸν φυσικὸν νόμον διὰ

τῆς παραβάσεως ἐθανάτωσεν, ἔλαβεν τὴν παλλακήν, τουτέστιν τὴν νομικὴν λατρείαν, μὴ οὖσαν φυσικὴν ἀλλ᾽ ἐπείσακτον· εἶτα ἐπαναστάντων τῶν φυσικῶν κινημάτων οἱονεὶ λύκων ἐφόνευσαν καὶ αὐτήν. Ὁ δὲ ἱερὸς νοῦς ἀγανακτήσας μελίζει ταύτην καὶ ἀποστέλλει εἰς πᾶν ὅριον Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὰς δώδεκα φυλάς, τουτέστιν τὰς νομικὰς ἐντολὰς διέλει καὶ ἑκάστην ἀπονέμει τῇ ἁρμοζούσῃ τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμει, ὥστε πάσας συγκινηθῆναι πρὸς ἀναίρεσιν τῶν ἀτακτησάντων λογισμῶν. Εἰσὶν δὲ τρεῖς μὲν αἱ τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις· τὸ λογικόν, τὸ ἐπιθυμητικόν, τὸ θυμικόν. ∆έονται δὲ αὗται τῶν γενικῶν τεσσάρων ἀρετῶν· ἄνευ γὰρ τούτων οὔτε κακίας ἀναίρεσις γίνεται, οὔτε ἀρετῆς κατόρθωσις. Εἶτα πρὸς τὸ καὶ εἰς ἐνέργειαν τὰ καλῶς κριθέντα ἐλθεῖν χρῄζουσιν καὶ τῶν πέντε αἰσθήσεων ἵνα ὁ δωδέκατος εἰς πέρας ἔλθῃ ἀριθμός, ὁ πάντα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ χαρακτηρίζων. Ἢ καὶ χρόνον καὶ φύσιν ὁ δωδέκατος σημαίνει ἀριθμός· ἑβδοματικὸς γὰρ ὁ χρόνος, πενταδικὴ δὲ ἡ φύσις.

Τὸ δὲ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ πολλοὺς τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν πεσεῖν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τοὺς ὀλίγους νικῆσαι σημαίνει ὅτι δεῖ τὸν πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀνταγωνιζόμενον καθαρεύειν παντὸς πάθους, ἐπεὶ ἕως ὅτε ἢ ὑψηλοφροσύνῃ κεκράτηται ἢ κενοδοξίᾳ ἢ τύφῳ ἢ ἀλαζονείᾳ, ἢ κατακρίνει ἑτέρους ἢ ἄλλῳ οἱῳδήποτε πάθει ἐνέχεται, ἐν τῷ πολεμεῖν δῆθεν πρὸς τὰ πάθη ἀδρανὴς εὑρίσκεται καὶ πίπτει· ἀλλὰ δεῖ πάντων καθαρεύειν καὶ εἶθ᾽ οὕτως παρατάττεσθαι 14Α_074 καὶ οὕτως ὁ Κύριος παρέχει τὴν νίκην. Τὸ δὲ παρακληθῆναι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑπολειφθεῖσιν τοῦ Βενιαμὶν τοῖς καταφυγοῦσιν ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ Ῥεμμών, δηλοῖ ὅτι τὸν πρὸς τὰ πάθη μαχόμενον οὐ δεῖ συναναιρεῖν τοῖς πάθεσιν τὴν φυσικὴν δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν παρὰ φυσικὴν δύναμιν περιποιεῖσθαι· οἷον, ἀγωνίζεταί τις κατὰ τοῦ πάθους τῆς γαστριμαργίας, οὐ δέον πάντη τὴν χρειώδη τροφὴν τὴν πρὸς τὴν τῆς ζωῆς σύστασιν ἀνελεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἁβροδίαιτον καὶ λυσσώδη δίαιταν. Τὸ δὲ φυγεῖν εἰς τὴν πέτραν σημαίνει τὴν κατὰ Χριστὸν πίστιν ἢ τὴν παγίαν ἕξιν τῆς πρακτικῆς ἥτις τὴν τῶν παθῶν ἀταξίαν εὐμαρῶς θανατοῖ· Ῥεμμὼν γὰρ 'μετεωρισμὸς θανάτου' ἑρμηνεύεται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 42