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SECOND QUESTION (p. 116) You have done well, Father, and the words of the saints concerning what I asked

in setting forth. For hearing you resolve for me the points of difficulty, I marveled at the manifestation of the truth, but this came into my mind, that since “every word struggles with a word,” as you yourself have said, might there not again be some contradiction to the things said by you. But since I have known that the testimony through works alone is irrefutable and have heard the saints saying the same things as you, I no longer fear any such thing. For he who is not persuaded by these things, how could he himself be trustworthy? And how would he not reject the God of the saints? For His is the word spoken to the apostles and through them to the saints after them, that “he who rejects you rejects me,” which is the same as to say, the truth itself. How then could he who opposes the truth be accepted by those seeking the truth? Therefore I beseech you, father, to listen to me as I go through each of the other points, which I have heard from those men who have pursued Hellenic learning throughout their lives, and to tell me something of your own thoughts on these matters, and also to add the opinions of the saints concerning these things. For they say that we do wrongly in hastening to enclose our mind within the body; for they say that it is rather necessary to push it out of the body by every means. Therefore they also vehemently slander some of our own, writing against them, as advising beginners to look upon themselves and to send their own mind inward through the breath, (p. 118) asserting that the mind is not separate from the soul. That which is not separate, therefore, but is within, how could one send it inward again? And they also say that we say to house the divine grace through the nostrils. But since I know they say this slanderously, for from none of our own have I heard this, from this I suspected that they attack the other points maliciously as well; for it is characteristic of the same people both to invent things which are not true against men and to pervert the things which are true. But you, teach me, Father, how we choose with all diligence to send it inward and do not think it is bad to enclose the mind in the body.

SECOND RESPONSE (p. 120)

DISCOURSE

ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO PRACTICE SACRED HESYCHASM

THE SECOND OF THE FORMER

THAT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO ATTEND IN HESYCHIA

TO THEMSELVES IT IS NOT UNPROFITABLE WITHIN THE BODY

TO TRY TO HOLD THEIR OWN MIND.

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ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΑ (Σελ. 116) Καλῶς ἐποίησας, Πάτερ, καί τούς τῶν ἁγίων περί τοῦ ζητηθέντος μοι λόγους

προθέμενος. Σοῦ γάρ ἀκούων λύοντός μοι τά διηπορημένα, ἐθεύμαζον μέν τῆς ἀληθείας τό ἐμφανές, ἐκεῖνο δέ μου ὑπεισήει τήν διάνοιαν, ὡς ἐπείπερ «λόγῳ παλαίει πᾶς λόγος», ὡς καί αὐτός εἴρηκας, μή καί τοῖς ὑπό σοῦ λεγομένοις αὖθις εἴη τις ἀντιλογία. Ἐπεί δέ τήν διά τῶν ἔργων μαρτυρίαν μόνην ἔγνων οὖσαν ἀναμφίλεκτον καί τούς ἁγίους τά αὐτά σοι λέγοντας ἀκήκοα, οὐδέν τοιοῦτον ἔτι δέδοικα. Ὁ γάρ τούτοις μή πειθόμενος, πῶς ἄν αὐτός ἀξιόπιστος εἴη; Πῶς δ᾿ οὐκ ἄν ἀθετοίη τόν τῶν ἁγίων Θεόν; Αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐστι λόγος πρός τούς ἀποστόλους καί δι᾿ αὐτῶν πρός τούς μετ᾿ αὐτούς ἁγίους εἰρημένος, ὅτι «ὁ ἀθετῶν ὑμᾶς ἐμέ ἀθετεῖ», ταὐτόν δ᾿ εἰπεῖν, αὐτήν τήν ἀλήθειαν. Πῶς οὖν ἄν ἀποδεχθείη παρά τῶν ζητούντων τήν ἀλήθειαν ὁ ἀντικείμενος τῇ ἀληθείᾳ; ∆ιό παρακαλῶ σε, πάτερ, ἀκοῦσαί μοι καί τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστον διεξιόντος, ὧν παρά τῶν διά βίου τήν ἑλληνικήν παιδείαν μετιόντων ἀνδρῶν ἀκήκοα ἐκείνων καί εἰπεῖν μέν μοι καί τι τῶν δοκούντων παρά σεαυτοῦ πρός ταῦτα, προσθεῖναι δέ καί τάς τῶν ἁγίων περί τούτων δόξας. Λέγουσι γάρ ἠμᾶς κακῶς ποιεῖν ἔνδον τοῦ σώματος σπεύδοντας τόν ἡμέτερον ἐμπερικλείειν νοῦν˙ ἔξω γάρ τοῦ σώματός φασι μᾶλλον χρῆναι παντί τρόπῳ τοῦτον ἐξωθεῖν. ∆ιό καί διασύρουσι σφόδρα τινάς τῶν ἡμετέρων, κατ᾿ αὐτῶν γράφοντες, ὡς τοῖς ἀρχαρίοις παραινοῦντας ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτούς βλέπειν καί διά τῆς ἀναπνοῆς εἴσω πέμπειν τόν οἰκεῖον νοῦν, (σελ. 118) φάσκοντες μή κεχωρισμένον εἶναι τῆς ψυχῆς τόν νοῦν. Τόν οὖν μή κεχωρισμένον, ἀλλ᾿ ἐνόντα, πῶς ἄν αὖθις εἴσω πέμποι τις; Φασί δέ καί τήν θείαν χάριν διά τῶν μυκτήρων εἰσοικίζειν λέγειν. Ἀλλ᾿ εἰδώς ἐγώ συκοφαντικῶς τοῦτο λέγοντας αὐτούς, παρ᾿ οὐδενός γάρ τοῦτ᾿ ἤκουσα τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἐκ τούτου καί τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑπενόησα κακούργως ἐπιτίθεσθαι˙ τῶν γάρ αὐτῶν ἐστι τά τε μή ὄντα κατ᾿ ἀνθρώπων πλάττειν καί τά ὄντα κακουργεῖν. Σύ δέ δίδαξόν με, πάτερ, πῶς εἴσω πέμπειν σπουδῇ πάσῃ προαιρούμεθα καί μή κακόν οἰόμεθα τῷ σώματι καί τόν νοῦν ἐμπερικλείειν.

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΑ (Σελ. 120)

ΛΟΓΟΣ

ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΙΕΡΩΣ ΗΣΥΧΑΖΟΝΤΩΝ

ΤΩΝ ΠΡΟΤΕΡΩΝ Ο ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΟΣ

ΟΤΙ ΤΟΙ ΠΡΟΗΡΗΜΕΝΟΙΣ ΕΝ ΗΣΥΧΙΑ ΠΡΟΣΕΧΕΙΝ

ΕΑΥΤΟΙΣ ΟΥΚ ΑΣΥΝΤΕΛΕΣ ΕΝ∆ΟΝ ΤΟΥ ΣΩΜΑΤΟΣ

ΠΕΙΡΑΣΘΑΙ ΚΑΤΕΧΕΙΝ ΤΟΝ ΟΙΚΕΙΟΝ ΝΟΥΝ.