being done; That, he says, they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. And the apostles, having legislated through the Spirit to trouble the gentiles in nothing, except to abstain from what is necessary: from fornication and from what has been sacrificed to idols and from what is strangled and from blood, passed over in silence 282 for the time being the great matter of the commandments, through much and immeasurable goodness and compassion lightening the infancy of their spiritual age, wishing them only to enter first into the faith from idolatry, so that thus, obeying the word of truth in part, they might be counted worthy to arrive at the greater injunctions of the commandments and at spiritual growth. But if anyone happens to be more slothful in prayer and in service and in the remaining service of any work whatsoever done for the repose of the brothers, he is disposed slackly and carelessly and contemptuously, and does not manfully do zealously and faithfully what is commanded, this man, being called idle by the apostle, as one who does no work but is a busybody, is declared to be not even worthy of bread, when he says: "Let the idle man not even eat;" and elsewhere, "And God hates the idle;" and the idle man cannot even be faithful; and in Wisdom it says, "Idleness has taught much evil." For each one ought, in whatever work is done for the Lord, to bear fruit and be zealous even in one good thing, so that, being found completely fruitless, he not be outside of eternal life. Therefore, since the aforesaid goal is set before all the brothers in like manner, henceforth let each one strive according to his 283 ability and trust in the unfailing God to arrive at the perfect measure of the adoption of Christianity in all good zeal and practice of virtue. And let simplicity and guilelessness and love for one another and joy and humility by all means be established as a foundation in the brotherhood and be always in your midst, so that you, not being lifted up against one another or puffed up and grumbling, may not show your labor to be in vain, but rather in humility surpassing one another and considering your neighbors as lords, let us become imitators of Christ, who for our sake became poor. And let neither the one who perseveres unceasingly in prayers be lifted up and puffed up against the one not yet able to persevere so, so that his work may be able to receive advancement before God and men, nor let the one who has given himself to service or to the remaining ministry, by the instigation of wickedness, grumble or speak against the one who is at leisure for prayers and fasts, so that he may acquire grace before God and his work may become acceptable, but as being members of one another and obligated to give rest to one another, let us do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, according to the apostolic command; for just as the members of the body, being governed by the one soul, ungrudgingly provide service to one another, and "The eye," it says, "cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,'" "nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.'" But much more the members of the body that seem to be weaker, these we care for and on these 284 we bestow more abundant honor, so let us also do, being members of one another, as has been said. And each one, as members of one another governed by one spirit and nourished by the one living word of truth, we ought through love and simplicity and goodness and joy to be joined together for the repose of one another. For we were also created for this, as it is said: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ for good works, that we should walk in them;" and so God rejoices in such choices, accepting the work of each one that is done for his sake. For as you preserve such a disposition of simplicity toward one another, the abundance of those who persevere in prayers comes upon the

γινόμενα· Ὅπως, φησίν, ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι δὲ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος νομοθετήσαντες μηδὲν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν παρενοχλεῖν, εἰ μὴ ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν ἐπάναγκες, πορνείας καὶ εἰδωλοθύτου καὶ πνικτοῦ καὶ αἵματος, τὴν πολλὴν τῶν ἐντολῶν ὕλην παρεσιώ282 πησαν τέως διὰ πολλὴν καὶ ἄμετρον ἀγαθότητα καὶ συμπάθειαν ἐλαφρύναντες τῆς νοητῆς αὐτῶν ἡλικίας τὴν νηπιότητα, μόνον εἰς τὴν πίστιν αὐτοὺς εἰσελθεῖν πρῶτον ἐκ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας βουλόμενοι, ἵν' οὕτως κατὰ μέρος ὑπακούοντες τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ μείζονα τῶν ἐντολῶν παραγγέλματα καὶ τὴν πνευματικὴν αὔξησιν φθάσαι καταξιωθῶσιν. εἰ δέ τις καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ ὀκνηρότερος τυγχάνει καὶ ἐν τῇ διακονίᾳ καὶ ἐν τῇ λοιπῇ οἱουδήποτε ἔργου ὑπηρεσίᾳ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν ἀδελφῶν γινομένῃ χαύνως καὶ ἀμελῶς καὶ καταφρονητικῶς διάκειται, καὶ οὐκ ἀνδρίζεται σπουδαίως καὶ πιστῶς ποιεῖν ὃ ἐπιτάσσεται, οὗτος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἀργὸς ὀνομαζόμενος ὡς μηδὲν ἐργαζόμενος ἀλλὰ περιεργαζόμενος οὐδὲ ἄρτου ἄξιος εἶναι ἀποφαίνεται εἰπόντος· Ὁ ἀργὸς μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Τοὺς δὲ ἀργοὺς καὶ ὁ θεὸς μισεῖ· καὶ ὁ ἀργὸς οὐδὲ πιστὸς εἶναι δύναται· καὶ ἐν τῇ Σοφίᾳ λέγει· Πολλὴν κακίαν ἐδίδαξεν ἡ ἀργία. ὀφείλει γὰρ ἕκαστος ἐν ὁποιῳδήποτε ἔργῳ διὰ τὸν κύριον γινομένῳ καρποφορεῖν καὶ σπουδαῖος εἶναι κἂν ἐν ἑνὶ καλῷ, ἵνα μὴ παντελῶς ἄκαρπος εὑρισκόμενος ἐκτὸς τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς γένηται. Ἑνὸς οὖν προκειμένου τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁμοτρόπως ἀδελφοῖς τοῦ προειρημένου σκοποῦ τὸ λοιπὸν ἀγωνιζέσθω κατὰ δύ283 ναμιν ἕκαστος καὶ πιστευέτω τῷ ἀψευδεῖ θεῷ φθάσαι εἰς τὸ τέλειον τῆς υἱοθεσίας τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ μέτρον ἐν πάσῃ ἀγαθῇ σπουδῇ καὶ ἀρετῆς ἐπιτηδεύσει. ἡ ἁπλότης δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀφελότης καὶ ἡ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπη καὶ χαρὰ καὶ ταπείνωσις ἐξ ἅπαντος ὥσπερ θεμέλιος ἐν τῇ ἀδελφότητι ἑδρασθήτωσαν καὶ ἐν μέσῳ διὰ παντὸς ἤτωσαν, ἵνα μὴ ἐπαιρόμενοι κατ' ἀλλήλων ἢ φυσιούμενοι καὶ γογγύζοντες εἰκαῖον ὑμῶν τὸν κάματον ἀποδείξητε, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἑαυτῶν ὑπερέχοντες καὶ κυρίους τοὺς πλησίον ἡγούμενοι Χριστοῦ τοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντος μιμηταὶ γενώμεθα. καὶ μήτε ὁ ἀδιαλείπτως ταῖς εὐχαῖς προσκαρτερῶν κατὰ τοῦ μηδέπω οὕτω δυναμένου προσκαρτερῆσαι κατεπαιρέσθω καὶ φυσιούσθω, ἵνα δυνηθῇ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων προκοπὴν λαμβάνειν, μήτε ὁ ἐν τῇ διακονίᾳ ἢ ἐν τῇ λοιπῇ ὑπηρεσίᾳ ἑαυτὸν δοὺς ὑποβολῇ κακίας γογγυζέτω ἢ καταλαλείτω τοῦ σχολάζοντος ταῖς προσευχαῖς καὶ νηστείαις, ἵνα χάριν ἐπὶ θεοῦ κτήσηται καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ εὐπρόσδεκτον γένηται, ἀλλ' ὡς μέλη ἀλλήλων ὄντες καὶ ἀλλήλους ἀναπαύειν ὀφείλοντες μηδὲν κατ' ἐρίθειαν ἢ κενοδοξίαν ποιῶμεν κατὰ τὸ ἀποστολικὸν παράγγελμα· ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος ὑπὸ τῆς μιᾶς ψυχῆς διοικούμενα τὴν διακονίαν ἄφθονως παρέχει ἀλλήλοις καὶ Οὐ δύναται, φησίν, ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς εἰπεῖν τῇ χειρὶ χρείαν σου οὐκ ἔχω ἢ ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῖς ποσὶ χρείαν ὑμῶν οὐκ ἔχω, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ δοκοῦντα μέλη τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενέστερα ὑπάρχειν, ταῦτα περιέπομεν καὶ τού284 τοις τιμὴν περισσοτέραν περιτίθεμεν, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς μέλη ἀλλήλων ὄντες, καθὼς εἴρηται, ποιῶμεν, ὁ δὲ καθεῖς ὡς ἀλλήλων μέλη ὑπὸ ἑνὸς πνεύματος κυβερνώμενοι καὶ ὑφ' ἑνὸς τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας λόγου ζῶντος τρεφόμενοι διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ ἁπλότητος καὶ ἀγαθότητος καὶ χαρᾶς εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν ἀλλήλων συναρμοσθῆναι ὀφείλομεν. εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐκτίσθημεν, καθὼς εἴρηται· Αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν· καὶ οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις προαιρέσεσι χαίρει ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον τὸ δι' αὐτὸν γινόμενον ἀποδεχόμενος. τοιαύτην γὰρ διάθεσιν ἁπλότητος εἰς ἀλλήλους ὑμῶν ἀποσῳζόντων γίνεται τὸ περίσσευμα τῶν ταῖς εὐχαῖς προσκαρτερούντων ἐπὶ τὸ