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their hope shall not fail. Fear the Lord, my son, and the king: That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. But who will know the punishments of both? How then does the Savior say in the gospels: The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son? Or is punishment one thing, and judgment another; and punishment is the privation of passionlessness and of the knowledge of God with bodily pain; but judgment is the genesis of an age distributing according to proportion to each of the rational bodies.

110 For the tongue of the king is a sword, and not of flesh: And the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. and "not of flesh" instead of "not perceptible to the senses." For if his wrath is sharpened, it consumes men with their sinews: The sword of God consumes the old men who are being corrupted according to the desires of deceit, so that having put off the old man, they may put on the new man who was created according to God. And it burns like a flame: For I came to cast fire upon the earth. So that they are inedible to the young of eagles: This one is inedible to demons, who has been cleansed by the Lord and abstains from all evil. For I am the most foolish of all men: He called himself most foolish according to the privation of human wisdom. Who has ascended into heaven and come down? No one has ascended into heaven above, except the Son of Man who came down from heaven. Who has gathered the winds in his bosom? Who by faith or entirely has gathered those from the east and west and north and sea in the knowledge of God, and has given them spiritual contemplation to store up in the virtues? and otherwise, who through true knowledge has hidden false knowledge? Who has bound up the waters in a garment? Who stored up true knowledge in the virtues? Who has held all the ends of the earth? Who from the east and west and north and sea gathered all the nations, strengthening them with the virtues and storing up the heavenly water that flows from the spring of life. Do not add to his words: For to the law of the Lord it is not possible to add, and from it it is not possible to take away. Make a vain and false word far from me: Make falsely named knowledge far from me. Lest being filled I become false and say "Who sees me?": Lest, he says, being a filled hearer of knowledge I become proud, and say "No one will recognize my wisdom;" lest being filled with unapproachable knowledge, I should appear a liar to men, saying such things as those who are bound in blood and flesh are not able to know. and what follows is also well added, the "Lest being poor I steal and swear by the name of God;" for 111 someone steals others' contemplations, in order to fill a hungering mind. But this was happening before the coming of the Savior; but now Paul says: "Let the one who steals steal no longer, but rather let him work righteousness," so that having acquired knowledge he may also share with one who has need for what is there that is not ours, that we who have believed in Christ should also steal? For all things are ours, and we are Christ's, through whom all things were made, and Christ is God's. Or being poor I will steal and swear by the name of my God: This one steals knowledge, not who takes that of the one who came before, but who pilfers from falsely named knowledge. For all who have believed in Christ, taking contemplations from the holy prophets and apostles, are not called thieves of others' contemplations, but rather heirs of paternal property. Do not deliver a servant into the hands of a master: A mind fleeing evil, do not deliver it again to evil, since everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin; and sin is now named the devil who works the sin. But upon them will come a good blessing: The good blessing is the intelligible blessing, which is contrasted with the sensible blessing. Prepare your works for the way out and make ready for the field: Our Lord in the gospels named the world a field, the

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ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀποστήσεται. Φοβοῦ τὸν κύριον, υἱέ μου, καὶ βασιλέα: Ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεόν, καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. Τὰς δὲ τιμωρίας ἀμφοτέρων τίς γνώσεται: Πῶς οὖν ὁ σωτὴρ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις φησίν· Ὁ πατὴρ κρίνει οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τὴν κρίσιν δέδωκεν τῷ υἱῷ; ἢ ἄλλο μέν ἐστιν τιμωρία, ἄλλο δὲ κρίσις· καὶ τιμωρία μέν ἐστιν στέρησις ἀπαθείας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ μετ' ὀδύνης σωματικῆς· κρίσις δέ ἐστιν γένεσις αἰῶνος κατ' ἀναλογίαν ἑκάστῳ τῶν λογικῶν σωμάτων διανέμοντος.

110 Μάχαιρα γὰρ γλῶσσα βασιλέως, καὶ οὐ σαρκίνη: Καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν ῥῆμα θεοῦ. τὸ δὲ Οὐ σαρκίνη ἀντὶ τοῦ Οὐκ αἰσθητή. Ἐὰν γὰρ ὀξυνθῇ ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ, σὺν νεύροις ἀνθρώπους ἀναλίσκει: Τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς φθειρομένους κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης ἀναλίσκει ἡ μάχαιρα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵν' ἀποθέμενοι τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐνδύσονται τὸν νέον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα. Καὶ συγκαίει ὥσπερ φλόξ: Πῦρ γὰρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. Ὥστε ἄβρωτα εἶναι νεοσσοῖς ἀετῶν: Οὗτος ἄβρωτός ἐστι τοῖς δαίμοσιν, ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καθαρθεὶς καὶ ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ πάσης κακίας. Ἀφρονέστατος γάρ εἰμι πάντων ἀνθρώπων: Ἀφρονέστατον ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν κατὰ στέρησιν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φρονήσεως. Τίς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ κατέβη: Οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄνω, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατελθών. Τίς συνήγαγεν ἀνέμους ἐν κόλπῳ: Τίς πίστει ἢ πάντως συνήγαγε τοὺς ἀπ' ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν καὶ βορρᾶ καὶ θαλάσσης ἐν τῇ γνώσει τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ δέδωκεν αὐτοῖς θεωρίαν πνευματικὴν ἐναποθεῖναι ταῖς ἀρεταῖς; καὶ ἄλλως, τίς διὰ τῆς ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως ἔκρυψε γνῶσιν ψευδῆς; Τίς συνέστρεψεν ὕδωρ ἐν ἱματίῳ: Τίς ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν ἐναπέθετο ταῖς ἀρεταῖς; Τίς ἐκράτησε πάντων τῶν ἄκρων τῆς γῆς: Τίς ἀπ' ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν καὶ βορρᾶ καὶ θαλάσσης συνήγαγε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, πυκνώσας αὐτὰ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς καὶ τὸ ἐπουράνιον ὕδωρ ἐναποθέμενος τὸ ῥέον ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς τῆς ζωῆς. Μὴ προσθῇς τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ: Τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ κυρίου οὐκ ἔστιν προσθεῖναι, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν. Μάταιον λόγον καὶ ψευδῆ μακράν μου ποίησον: Ψευδώνυμον γνῶσιν μακράν μου ποίησον. Ἵνα μὴ πλησθεὶς ψευδὴς γένωμαι καὶ εἴπω Τίς με ὁρᾷ: Ἵνα μή, φησίν, πλησθεὶς γνώσεως ἀκροατὴς ὑπερήφανος γένωμαι, καὶ εἴπω Οὐδεὶς τὴν ἐμὴν ἐπιγνώσεται σοφίαν· ἵνα μὴ πλησθεὶς ἀπροσίτου γνώσεως, ψεύστης τοῖς ἀνθρώποις φανῶ, τοιαῦτα λέγων ὁποῖα μὴ δύνανται γινώσκειν οἱ ἐνδεδεμένοι αἵματι καὶ σαρκί. καλῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ ἕξης προστέθειται, τὸ Ἵνα μὴ πενηθεὶς κλέψω καὶ ὀμόσω τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ· κλέπτει γάρ 111 τις ἀλλότρια θεωρήματα, ἵνα νοῦν ἐμπλήσῃ πεινῶντα. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐγίνετο· νυνὶ δὲ ὁ Παῦλος φησίν· Ὁ κλέπτων μηκέτι κλεπτέτω, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐργαζέτω δικαιοσύνην, ἵνα γνῶσιν κτησάμενος μεταδῶ καὶ τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι τί γὰρ καὶ ἔστιν ὃ μή ἐστιν ἡμέτερον, ἵνα καὶ κλέψωμεν οἱ πεπιστευκότες Χριστῷ; πάντα γὰρ ἡμῶν ἐστίν, ἡμεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο, Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ. Ἢ πενόμενος κλέψω καὶ ὀμόσω τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ μου: Οὗτος κλέπτει γνῶσιν, οὐχ ὁ τὴν τοῦ προλαβόντος λαμβάνων, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐκ τῆς ψευδωνύμου ὑφαιρούμενος γνώσεως. καὶ γὰρ πάντες οἱ πεπιστευκότες Χριστῷ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων λαμβάνοντες θεωρήματα οὐ λέγονται κλέπται ἀλλοτρίων θεωρημάτων, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον κληρονόμοι πατρώων χρημάτων. Μὴ παραδῷς οἰκέτην εἰς χεῖρας δεσπότου: Φυγόντα νοῦν τὴν κακίαν μὴ πάλιν παραδῷς τῇ κακίᾳ, εἴπερ πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλος ἐστὶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ἁμαρτία δὲ νῦν ὀνομάζεται ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν διάβολος. Ἐπ' αὐτοὺς δὲ ἥξει εὐλογία ἀγαθή: Ἡ εὐλογία ἡ ἀγαθὴ ἡ νοητή ἐστιν εὐλογία, ἥτις ἀντιδιαιρεῖται πρὸς τὴν αἰσθητὴν εὐλογίαν. Ἑτοίμαζε εἰς τὴν ἔξοδον τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ παρασκευάζου εἰς τὸν ἀγρόν: Ὁ μὲν κύριος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ἀγρὸν τὸν κόσμον ὠνόμασεν, ὁ