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the Lord has legislated for us to pray in the gospels. 273 24, 20 For there shall be no offspring of evil men; but the lamp of the ungodly shall be put out Evil men will not beget virtues and right doctrines -for these are the offspring of the soul-because they do not fear the Lord; but those who are in fear of the Lord all the day will have offspring, and their hope will not depart. 274 24, 21 Fear God, my son, and the king, and be not disobedient to either of them “That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” 275 24, 22 For suddenly they will punish the ungodly; 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 deprivation of dispassion and of the knowledge of God, with bodily pain; but judgment is the genesis of an age, distributing bodies to each of the rational beings according to proportion. 276 24, 22ξ The tongue of the king is a sword, and not of flesh; and whoever is delivered up to it will be crushed “And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” And 'not of flesh' means 'not perceptible by the senses'. 277 24, 22δ For if his anger is sharpened, it consumes men with their sinews The sword of God consumes the old men who are corrupted according to the desires of deceit, that having put off the old man, they may put on the new man who was created according to God. 278 24, 22e.1-2 and it devours the bones of men and burns them up like a flame “For I have come to cast fire upon the earth.” 279 24, 22e.3 so as to be inedible to the young of eagles He who is cleansed by the Lord and refrains from all evil is inedible to demons.

280 30, 2 For I am the most foolish of all men, and the prudence

of men is not in me He called himself most foolish because of the deprivation of human prudence. 281 30, 4.1 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? “No one has ascended up to heaven, but the Son of Man who came down from heaven.” 282α 30, 4.2-4 Who has gathered the winds in his bosom? Who has wrapped up the water in a garment? Who has held all the ends of the earth? Who by faith or entirely has gathered those “from the east and west and north and sea” in the knowledge of God and given them spiritual contemplation to store up in virtues? And otherwise. Who through true knowledge has hidden false knowledge? 283 Who has stored up true knowledge in virtues? 284 Who “from the east and west and north and sea” has gathered all the nations, consolidating them with virtues and storing up the heavenly water that flows from the spring of life? 285 30, 6 Add not to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar For to the law of the Lord “it is not possible to add, and from it it is not possible to take away”. 286 30, 8.1 Remove from me a vain and false word Remove from me falsely called knowledge. 287α 30, 9 lest being filled, I become a liar and say, Who sees me? or being in want, I steal, and swear by the name of God Lest, he says, being filled with the highest knowledge, I become proud and say: No one will recognize my wisdom. Lest, being filled with unapproachable knowledge, I appear a liar to men, saying such things as those who are bound in blood and flesh cannot know. And it is well that what follows is added: “lest being in want, I steal, and swear by the name of God”; for someone steals the contemplations of others, in order to fill a hungry mind. But this happened before the coming of the Savior; but now Paul says: “Let the one who steals steal no more,” 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 steal? For all things are ours, and we are Christ’s, through whom all things were made, and Christ is God’s.

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προσεύχεσθαι ἡμᾶς νενομοθέτηκεν ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ὁ κύριος. 273 24, 20 οὐ γὰρ μὴ γένηται ἔκγονα πονηρῶν· λαμπτὴρ δὲ ἀσεβῶν σβεσθήσεται Οὐ γεννήσουσι πονηροὶ ἀρετὰς καὶ δόγματα ὀρθά -ταῦτα γάρ ἐστι γεννήματα τῆς ψυχῆς-διὰ τὸ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς τὸν κύριον· οἱ δὲ ὄντες ἐν φόβῳ κυρίου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἕξουσιν ἔγγονα καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀποστήσεται. 274 24, 21 φοβοῦ τὸν θεόν, υἱέ, καὶ βασιλέα καὶ μηδετέρῳ αὐτῶν ἀπειθήσῃς «Ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν.» 275 24, 22 ἐξαίφνης γὰρ τείσονται τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς· 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 ἐστι 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 σώματα διανέμοντος. 276 24, 22ξ μάχαιρα γλῶσσα βασιλέως καὶ οὐ σαρκίνη· ὃς δ' ἂν παραδοθῇ συντριβήσεται «Καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν ῥῆμα θεοῦ.» Τὸ δὲ οὐ σαρκίνη ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐκ αἰσθητή. 277 24, 22δ 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 ἐνδύσωνται τὸν νέον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα. 278 24, 22ε.1-2 καὶ ὀστᾶ ἀνθρώπων κατατρώγει καὶ συγκαίει ὥσπερ φλόξ «Πῦρ γὰρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.» 279 24, 22ε.3 ὥστε ἄβρωτα εἶναι νεοσσοῖς ἀετῶν Οὗτος ἄβρωτός ἐστι τοῖς δαίμοσιν ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καθαρθεὶς καὶ ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ πάσης κακίας.

280 30, 2 ἀφρονέστατος γάρ εἰμι πάντων ἀνθρώπων, καὶ φρόνησις

ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἐμοί Ἀφρονέστατον ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν κατὰ στέρησιν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φρονήσεως. 281 30, 4.1 τίς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ κατέβη; «Οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄνω, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατελθών.» 282α 30, 4.2-4 τίς συνήγαγεν ἀνέμους ἐν κόλπῳ; τίς συνέστρεψεν ὕδωρ ἐν ἱματίῳ; τίς ἐκράτησεν πάντων τῶν ἄκρων τῆς γῆς; 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 ψευδῆ; 283 Τίς ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν ἐναπέθετο ταῖς ἀρεταῖς; 284 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; 285 30, 6 μὴ προσθῇς τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἐλέγξῃ σε καὶ ψευδὴς γένῃ Τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ κυρίου «οὐκ ἔστιν προσθεῖναι καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν». 286 30, 8.1 μάταιον λόγον καὶ ψευδῆ μακράν μου ποίησον Ψευδώνυμον γνῶσιν μακράν μου ποίησον. 287α 30, 9 ἵνα μὴ πλησθεὶς ψευδὴς γένωμαι καὶ εἴπω· τίς με ὁρᾷ; ἢ πενηθεὶς κλέψω καὶ ὀμόσω τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ Ἵνα μή, φησί, πλησθεὶς γνώσεως ἀκροτάτης 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 ἑξῆς προστέθειται τὸ «ἵνα μὴ πενηθεὶς κλέψω καὶ ὀμόσω τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ»· κλέπτει γάρ τις ἀλλότρια θεωρήματα, ἵνα νοῦν ἐμπλήσῃ πεινῶντα. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐγίνετο· νυνὶ δὲ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· «ὁ κλέπτων μηκέτι κλεπτέτω», μᾶλλον δὲ ἐργαζέσθω δικαιοσύνην, ἵνα γνῶσιν κτησάμενος μεταδῷ καὶ τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι. Τί γὰρ καὶ ἔστιν ὃ μὴ ἔστιν ἡμέτερον, ἵνα καὶ κλέψωμεν οἱ πεπιστευκότες Χριστῷ; Πάντα γὰρ ἡμῶν ἐστιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο, Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ.