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and truth, but writing for the sake of vainglory, not to lead to watchfulness, but to bring an end to watchfulness. For they hasten in every way to scorn them out of the appropriate practice itself—both the work and those who have fittingly undertaken it. And such men would readily call 'belly-souled' both the one who said, 'the law of God is in the midst of my belly,' and the one who said to God that 'my belly shall sound like a harp and my inward parts as a bronze wall which you have renewed,' and they would slander in common all those who through bodily symbols figure and call and trace out intelligible and divine and spiritual things. But they will inflict no harm on them because of this; rather, indeed, they will even become for them a cause of blessings and of a greater addition to their crowns in heaven; but they themselves remain outside the sacred veils and will not be able to gaze even at the shadows of the truth, and there is great fear lest they also pay an eternal penalty, not only having separated themselves from the saints, but also having proceeded in word against them.

(p. 142) For you know the life of Symeon the New Theologian, which was almost entirely a wonder and was glorified by God through supernatural wonders; and if someone were to call his writings 'writings of life,' he would not miss the mark; and you know that holy Nikephoros, who, after passing many years in quiet and stillness, then took up his abode in the more deserted parts of the Holy Mountain and occupied himself, having collected from all the patristic sayings, and handed down to us their neptic practice. These men, therefore, clearly commend to those who choose it this very thing which you say some are overthrowing. And why do I speak of the ancient saints? For men who were witnessed to a little before our time and were proven in the power of the Holy Spirit handed this down to us by their own mouth; they proclaimed in our time this theologian as a true theologian and a most sure initiate of the mysteries of God's truth—you hear of that Theoleptos, so named, the prelate of Philadelphia, or rather, the one who from this city, as from a lampstand, illumined the world; that Athanasios, who for no few years adorned the patriarchal throne, whose relics also God has honored; that Neilos from the Italians, the zealot of the great Neilos; Seliodes and Elias, who were in no way inferior to him; Gabriel and Athanasios, who were also deemed worthy of the gift of prophecy. You surely hear of all these and of many others who lived before them, with them, and after them, praising and exhorting those who wish to hold fast to this tradition, which the new teachers of stillness—who know not even a trace of stillness, nor from experience, but who admonish from idle talk—try to set aside and teach differently and scorn, to no useful purpose for their listeners. And we have conversed face-to-face with some of those saints (p. 144) and have had them as teachers. How then, setting at naught these men who were taught by both experience and grace, shall we yield to those who have proceeded to teach from arrogance and contention about words? This will not be, this will not be.

You, therefore, turn such men away, speaking wisely to yourself with David, 'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name'; and offering yourself as obedient to the fathers, hear how they urge us always to send the mind within.

THIRD QUESTION (P. 146)

Now, father, I have understood more precisely that they not only do not have the from works

knowledge, nor the experience from life, which alone is sure and irrefutable

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καί ἀληθείας, ἀλλά κενοδοξίας χάριν γράφοντας, οὐδ᾿ ἵνα πρός νῆψιν ἐναγάγωσιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα τῆς νήψεως ἐπαγάγωσιν. Αὐτό γάρ τό ἔργον καί τούς ἐμμελῶς ἐπειλημμένους τούτου παντί τρόπῳ σπεύδουσιν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς καταλλήλου πράξεως ἐξουθενεῖν. Οἱ τοιοῦτοι δέ ρᾳδίως καί τόν εἰπόντα ὡς «ὁ νόμος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ κοιλίας μου» καί τόν εἰρηκότα πρός Θεόν ὅτι «ἡ κοιλία μου ἠχήσει ὡς κιθάρα καί τά ἐντός μου ὡσεί τεῖχος χαλκοῦν ὅ ἐνεκαίνισας» κοιλιοψύχους ἄν προσαγορεύσεται καί κοινῇ πάντας διαβάλοιεν τούς διά σωματικῶν συμβόλων τά νοερά καί θεῖα καί πνευματικά τυποῦντας καί καλοῦντας καί ἀνιχνεύοντας. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐκείνοις μέν παρά τοῦτο βλάβος ἐποίσουσιν οὐδέν, μᾶλλον μέν οὖν καί μακαρισμῶν πρόξενοι γενήσονται καί μείζονος προσθήκης τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς στεφάνων, αὐτοί δέ καί τῶν ἱερῶν παραπετασμάτων ἔξω μένουσι καί οὐδέ πρός τάς σκιάς ἕξουσιν ἀτενίζειν τῆς ἀληθείας, πολύ δέ τό δέος μή καί δίκην τίσωσιν αἰώνιον, οὐκ ἀποδιαστείλαντες μόνον ἑαυτούς τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλά καί κατ᾿ αὐτῶν τῷ λόγῳ χωρήσαντες.

(σελ. 142) Συμεῶνος γάρ τοῦ νέου θεολόγου τόν βίον οἶσθα θαῦμά τε ὄντα πάντα σχεδόν καί δι᾿ ὑπερφυῶν θαυμάτων ὑπό Θεοῦ δεδοξασμένον, τά τε συγγράμματα αὐτοῦ συγγράμματα ζωῆς εἰπών τις, οὐκ ἄν ἁμάρτοι τοῦ προσήκοντος, καί Νικηφόρον δέ τόν ὅσιον ἐκεῖνον ὅς, πολυετῆ χρόνον ἐν ἡρεμίᾳ καί ἡσυχίᾳ διενεγκών, ἔπειτα τοῖς ἐρημικωτέροις μέρεσι τοῦ Ἁγίου Ὄρους ἐμφιλοχωρήσας καί ἀπασχολήσας ἑαυτόν, ἐκ πασῶν τῶν πατερικῶν φωνῶν συνειλοχώς, τήν νηπτικήν ἡμῖν αὐτῶν παραδέδωκε πρᾶξιν. Οὗτοι τοίνυν τοῦθ᾿ ὅπερ ἀνατρέπειν φής τινας σαφῶς τοῖς προαιρουμένοις εἰσηγοῦνται. Καί τί λέγω τούς παλαιούς τῶν ἁγίων; Ἄνδρες γάρ μικρῷ πρό ἡμῶν μεμαρτυρημένοι καί ἀποδεδειγμένοι ἐν δυνάμει πνεύματος ἁγίου τοῦθ᾿ ἡμῖν διά στόματος οἰκείου παρέδωκαν, τόν τε θεολόγον τοῦτον ὡς ἀληθῶς θεολόγον καί τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦ Θεοῦ μυστηρίων ἐπόπτην ἀσφαλέστατον ἐφ᾿ ἡμῶν ἀνεκήρυττον τόν φερωνύμως Θεόληπτον ἐκεῖνον ἀκούεις, τόν Φιλαδελφείας πρόεδρον, μᾶλλον δ᾿ ἀπό ταύτης ὡς ἀπό λυχνίας τόν κόσμον φωτίσαντα, τόν Ἀθανάσιον ἐκεῖνον, ὅς ἐπ᾿ ἐνιαυτούς οὐκ ὀλίγους τόν πατριαρχικόν ἐκόσμησε θρόνον, οὗ καί τήν σορόν ὁ Θεός ἐτίμησε, Νεῖλον ἐκεῖνον τόν ἐξ Ἰταλῶν, τόν τοῦ μεγάλου ζηλωτήν Νείλου, τόν Σελιώτην καί τόν Ἠλίαν, τούς μηδέν ἀποδέοντας ἐκείνου, Γαβριήλ καί Ἀθανάσιον, τούς καί προφητικοῦ χαρίσματος ἠξιωμένους. Τούτους πάντας πάντως ἀκούεις καί πολλούς ἄλλους πρό αὐτῶν τε καί σύν αὐτοῖς καί μετ᾿ αὐτούς γεγονότας, ἐπαινοῦντας καί παραινοῦντας, κατέχειν τούς βουλομένους τήν παράδοσιν ταύτην, ἥν οἱ νέοι διδάσκαλοι τῆς ἡσυχίας, οἱ μηδ᾿ ἴχνος ἡσυχίας εἰδότες, μηδ᾿ ἀπό πείρας, ἀλλ᾿ ἀπό λογολεσχίας νουθετοῦντες, ἀθετεῖν καί μεταδιδάσκειν καί ἐξουθενεῖν πειρῶνται, πρός οὐδέν χρήσιμον τῶν ἀκουόντων. Ἡμεῖς δέ καί τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων ἔστιν οἷς αὐτοπροσώπως ὡμιλήσαμεν (σελ. 144) καί διδασκάλοις ἐχρησάμεθα. Πῶς οὖν, τούτους παρ᾿ οὐδέν θέμενοι, τούς καί πείρᾳ καί χάριτι δεδιδαγμένους, τοῖς ἀπό τύφου καί λογομαχίας ἐπί τό διδάσκειν χωρήσασιν εἴξομεν; Οὐκ ἔσται τοῦτο, οὐκ ἔσται.

Καί σύ τοίνυν τούς τοιούτους ἀποτρέπου μετά τοῦ ∆αυίδ συνετῶς σεαυτῷ προσλαλῶν «εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τόν Κύριον καί πάντα τά ἐντός μου τό ὄνομα τό ἅγιον αὐτοῦ»˙ σεαυτόν τε πειθήνιον παρέχω τοῖς πατράσιν, ἄκουε πῶς εἴσω πέμπειν ἀεί τόν νοῦν προτρέπονται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΤΡΙΤΗ (Σελ. 146) Ἄρτι, πάτερ, ἀκριβέστερον ἔγνων μή μόνον τήν ἀπό τῶν ἔργων οὐκ ἔχοντας

εἴδησιν, μηδέ τῆς ἀπό τοῦ βίου πείρας, ἥ καί μόνη βεβαία καί ἀνεξέλεγκτος