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through continence he has accomplished every flight from sins. But if he has fled most things, but is overcome by one, such a person is not continent; just as one who is troubled by one bodily affliction is not healthy; and one who is mastered by even one chance thing is not free. The other virtues, therefore, being achieved in secret, are seldom manifest to men; but continence makes its possessor known from the very encounter. For as corpulence and a healthy complexion characterize the athlete, so the gauntness of the body and the pallor blooming from continence show the Christian, that he is truly an athlete of the commandments of Christ; wrestling down his own enemy in the weakness of the body, and displaying what is possible in the struggles of piety, according to what has been said, that "When I am weak, then I am strong." How great the profit, just to see the continent man, barely and little by little partaking of necessities, and paying nature its due as a burdensome service, and being annoyed at the time spent on 31.965 these things, and quickly leaping from the table to the pursuit of his tasks. For I think that no argument would so take hold of the soul of the glutton and lead him to change, as even the mere encounter with the continent man. And this is, as it seems, to eat and drink to the glory of God; so that even at the table our good works may shine, that our Father who is in heaven may be glorified.

QUESTION 18. That it is necessary to taste all things set before us.

RESPONSE. Nevertheless, let this also be additionally defined, that for the subduing of the body, continence is indispensable for the combatants of piety; "For everyone who competes is temperate in all things." But so as not to fall in with the enemies of God whose own conscience is seared, and who for this reason abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe, it is necessary to partake of each thing, when an occasion happens to arise, so as to demonstrate to those who are watching, that "to the pure all things are pure," and that "every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving;" "For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." But even so, one must keep the goal of continence; by partaking of the simpler and necessary things for life only up to the point of need, and in these things avoiding the harm of satiety, but abstaining completely from things that are for pleasure. For in this way we shall both cut off the passion of the lovers of pleasure, and heal, as far as it is in our power, those whose own conscience is seared, and we shall free ourselves from suspicion in either case. "For why," it says, "is my liberty judged by another's conscience?" Continence shows the one who has died with Christ and has put to death his members which are on the earth. This we know is the mother of sobriety, the procurer of health, which sufficiently removes the hindrances to the bearing of good fruit in Christ; if, according to the voice of the Lord, "the cares of this age, and the pleasures of life, and the desires for other things...choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." Even demons flee from this, as the Lord himself taught us, that "This kind does not go out, except by prayer and fasting." 31.968

QUESTION 19. What is the measure of continence. RESPONSE. Concerning the

passions of the soul, there is one measure of continence: the complete alienation from things that lead to destructive pleasure; but concerning foods, just as the needs of some are different from others, according to age and occupations, and are appropriately distinguished with respect to the body's constitution; so indeed the measure of their use is different, and the manner. So that for one

18

διὰ τῆς ἐγ κρατείας πᾶσαν φυγὴν ἁμαρτημάτων κατώρθωσεν. Εἰ δὲ τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα ἔφυγεν, ὑφ' ἑνὸς δὲ κρατεῖται, οὐκ ἐγκρατὴς ὁ τοιοῦτος· ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ ὑφ' ἑνὸς πάθους σωματικοῦ ἐνοχλούμενος οὐχ ὑγιής· καὶ ὑφ' ἑνὸς καὶ τοῦ τυχόντος κυριευόμενος οὐκ ἐλεύθε ρος. Αἱ μὲν οὖν λοιπαὶ ἀρεταὶ, ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ κατορ θούμεναι, ὀλιγάκις διαφαίνονται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· ἡ δὲ ἐγκράτεια ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς συντυχίας γνώριμον ποιεῖ τὸν ἔχοντα. Ὡς γὰρ τὸν ἀθλητὴν ἡ πολυσαρκία καὶ ἡ εὔχροια χαρακτηρίζει, οὕτω τὸν Χριστιανὸν τὸ κατεσκληκὸς τοῦ σώματος, καὶ ἡ ἐκ τῆς ἐγκρατείας ἐπανθοῦσα ὠχρία δείκνυσιν, ὅτι ἀθλητὴς ὄντως ἐστὶ τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τοῦ σώματος καταπαλαίων ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ἐχθρὸν, καὶ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐν τοῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἄθλοις ἐπιδεικνύμε νος, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Ὅταν ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι. Ὅσον τὸ κέρδος, ὀφθῆναι μόνον τὸν ἐγκρατῆ, μόλις καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἁπτόμενον, καὶ ὡς λειτουργίαν ἐπαχθῆ ὑποτελοῦντα τῇ φύσει, καὶ δυσχεραίνοντα μὲν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς περὶ 31.965 ταῦτα διατριβῆς, ταχὺ δὲ τῆς τραπέζης ἀποπηδῶντα πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἔργων σπουδήν. Οἶμαι γὰρ ἂν καὶ τοῦ ἀκολάστου περὶ γαστέρα μηδένα λόγον τοσοῦτον τῆς ψυχῆς καθάψασθαι, καὶ πρὸς μεταβολὴν ἐναγα γεῖν, ὅσον καὶ μόνην τὴν συντυχίαν τοῦ ἐγκρα τοῦς. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὡς ἔοικε, τὸ εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν· ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης λάμπειν τὰ καλὰ ἡμῶν ἔργα πρὸς τὸ δοξασθῆναι τὸν Πατέρα ἡμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΙΗʹ Ὅτι δεῖ πάντων τῶν παρατιθεμένων ἡμῖν ἀπο γεύεσθαι.

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἀναγκαίως μέντοι κἀκεῖνο προσδιωρίσθω, ὅτι πρὸς τὸν ὑπωπιασμὸν τοῦ σώματος ἀπαραίτητον τοῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγωνισταῖς ἡ ἐγκράτεια· Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος, πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται. Πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ συνεμπίπτειν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς κε καυτηριασμένοις τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπεχομένοις βρωμάτων, ἃ ὁ Θεὸς ἔκτισεν εἰς με τάληψιν μετ' εὐχαριστίας τοῖς πιστοῖς, ἅπτεσθαι μὲν ἑκάστου χρὴ, καιροῦ ποτε συνεμπεσόντος, ὅσον ἐνδείκνυσθαι τοῖς ὁρῶσιν, ὅτι πάντα καθαρὰ τοῖς κα θαροῖς καὶ ὅτι πᾶν κτίσμα Θεοῦ καλὸν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον μετ' εὐχαριστίας λαμβανόμενον· Ἁγιά ζεται γὰρ διὰ λόγου Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐντεύξεως· φυλάσ σειν δὲ καὶ οὕτω τὸν τῆς ἐγκρατείας σκοπόν· τοῖς μὲν εὐτελεστέροις καὶ ἀναγκαίοις πρὸς τὸ ζῇν μέχρι τῆς χρείας προσδιατρίβοντα, καὶ ἐν τούτοις τοῦ κό ρου τὸ βλαβερὸν ἐκκλίνοντα, τῶν δὲ πρὸς ἡδονὴν καθόλου ἀπεχόμενον. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τῶν φιληδόνων τὸ πάθος ἐκκόψομεν, καὶ τοὺς κεκαυτηριασμένους τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν, τό γε ἐφ' ἡμῖν, θεραπεύσομεν, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς δὲ τῆς ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ ὑπονοίας ἐλευ θερώσομεν. Ἵνα τί γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ἐλευθερία μου κρίνεται ὑπὸ ἄλλης συνειδήσεως; Ἐγκράτεια δείκνυσι τὸν συναποθανόντα Χριστῷ, καὶ νεκρώ σαντα ἑαυτοῦ τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ταύτην οἴδα μεν σωφροσύνης μητέρα, ὑγείας πρόξενον, τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐν Χριστῷ καρποφορίας ἱκανῶς ὑπεξαί ρουσαν τὰ ἐμπόδια· εἴπερ, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνὴν, αἱ μέριμναι τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, καὶ αἱ ἡδο ναὶ τοῦ βίου, καὶ αἱ περὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἐπιθυμίαι συμ πνίγουσι τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται. Ταύτην καὶ δαίμονες ἀποφεύγουσιν, αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου διδάξαντος ἡμᾶς, ὅτι Τοῦτο τὸ γένος οὐκ ἐκπορεύεται, εἰ μὴ ἐν προσευχῇ καὶ νηστείᾳ. 31.968

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΙΘʹ. Τί τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἐγκρατείας. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν τῆς

ψυχῆς παθῶν ἓν μέτρον ἐγ κρατείας, ἡ παντελὴς ἀπαλλοτρίωσις τῶν πρὸς τὴν ὀλεθρίαν ἡδονὴν φερόντων· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν βρωμά των, ὥσπερ αἱ χρεῖαι ἄλλαι ἄλλων εἰσὶ, κατά τε ἡλικίας καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σώμα τος ἕξιν οἰκείως διαιρούμεναι· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ μέ τρον τῆς χρήσεως διάφορον, καὶ ὁ τρόπος. Ὥστε ἑνὶ