is, the law given to us by him in righteousness; and those who gouge out the eyes of the impious, he called ravens; but those who devour him whole, he named eagles, because some have been entrusted with a partial purification, and others with a universal one; for God wills that the impious also be saved. The bird, the cock, among us is called unspeakable. But to the females that are with him it is well-known; and flocks of birds follow him, because they all perhaps wander about in pleasure around him; and he is courageous for all of them into love; thus to the God of all, the ranks of angels submit not only in fear, but also in 17.233 love, when he himself wishes them to understand his command and to do it; and so it is also by nature with the souls of the just; for as many as are subject to his command, he is pleased for them to know not only the mysteries and depths laid up in the Scriptures, but also whatever things naturally happen to men in life, both from men and from demons, either through a vision of the mind, by the grace of the divine Spirit he provides foreknowledge, or initiation through an angel, or revelation through a vision. Here he calls the just rulers, who have power over demons and passions, which he called anger; let them not drink of the sour wine of the heretics, which intoxicates the mind and clouds the senses, which has something against the knowledge of the wisdom of God; so that having drunk, they might not forget the wisdom of God, and to judge rightly and to understand the contemplation of knowledge, they might no longer be able to benefit themselves and the weaker in soul. To those who are in pain and despair in their sins, give them to drink to intoxication from the vineyard of the Lord, that is, fasting, prayer, self-control, confession and all things that are for the gladness of the soul; but to those in the beginning, to drink the pains of sin to satiety, so that having drunk they might forget their demonic poverty; for he who is intoxicated by the knowledge of the Lord forgets the practice of pains. He calls poor the one who is deprived of knowledge, and weak the one who is unclean in his sins. He who kills the old man with a spiritual word, the one being corrupted according to the desires of deceit, sets his mind aright in righteousness, which is said to be the throne of God; for nowhere else is it natural for wisdom and knowledge and righteousness to be seated, except in a rational nature; and all these things are Christ. Be what you are, and do not be boastful, but be silent in the presence of the wise, and listen in the presence of elders; do not say, "Above the stars I will set my throne, and I will be like the Most High"; do not love the first places of the chief seat, but look to the last place; for it is better for it to be said to you, "Come up to me," than for you to be given back to the last place with shame in the presence of a ruler; for neither proclaim yourself wise, nor consider yourself just; for it is better for it to be said about you: "Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave him the name that is above every name." Behind, he says, are the things that have gone before; but our friend is God, who for the sake of his friendship toward us became man; for he himself said to the disciples: "No longer do I call you slaves, but friends." When the friend, Christ he means, reproaches you on account of your 17.236 sin, to abstain from it, do not despise it, but withdraw and return to the first moderation, that is, to the philanthropy of God. Grace, he says, are the commandments of God; and friendship, love toward God and neighbor. But let the one who loves God keep them in himself, so that he may not become reprehensible before him, when he distributes to each according to his merit; and the Savior in the Gospels says to the Jews who had believed in him: "If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples; and the truth has freed from the curse of the law; if therefore friendship frees, the Savior also frees; but Christ is the truth and friendship, whence also all who have knowledge of Christ are friends of one another; thus also in this friendship alone, the friends of the same are also friends of others. He who has been taught about the virtues, and these he ac

ἐστιν, ὁ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ δεδομένος ἡμῖν παρ' αὐτοῦ νόμος· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐξορύσσοντας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς, κόρακας εἶπεν· τοὺς δὲ ὅλον αὐτὸν κα τεσθίοντας, ὠνόμασεν ἀετοὺς, διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν τὴν μερικὴν, τοὺς δὲ τὴν καθόλου κάθαρσιν πεπιστεῦσθαι· θέλει γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς σώζεσθαι. Ὁ ἀλέκτωρ τὸ ὄρνεον παρ' ἡμῖν ἄλεκτα λέγεται. Παρὰ δὲ ταῖς συνούσαις αὐτῷ θηλείαις γνωριστά· πα ρέπονται δὲ αὐτῷ αἱ τῶν ὀρνίθων ἀγέλαι, διὰ τὸ πά σας ἴσως περινοστεῖν τῇ περὶ αὐτὸν ἡδονῇ· εὔψυχος δέ ἐστι πάσαις αὐτὸς εἰς ἀγάπην· οὕτως τῷ πάντων Θεῷ αἱ τῶν ἀγγέλων τάξεις, οὐ μόνον φόβῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ 17.233 ἀγάπῃ ὑπείκουσιν, ὅτε θέλει αὐτὸς νοεῖν αὐτὰς τὸ πρόσταγμα αὑτοῦ καὶ ποιεῖν· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ περὶ ταῖς τῶν δικαίων ψυχαῖς πέφυκεν· ὅσαι γὰρ ὑπό κεινται τῷ προστάγματι αὐτοῦ, οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς ἐναποκείμενα μυστήρια καὶ βάθη εὐδοκεῖ γινώσκειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα ἐν τῷ βίῳ πέφυκε γίνεσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, παρὰ ἀνθρώπων τε καὶ δαιμόνων, ἢ δι' ὁράσεως νοὸς, χάριτι θείου Πνεύματος παρέχει πρόγνωσιν, ἢ δι' ἀγγέλου μύησιν, ἢ δι' ὁράματος ἀπο κάλυψιν. ∆υνάστας ἐνταῦθα τοὺς δικαίους φησὶν, οἵτινες κατὰ τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ τῶν παθῶν τὴν δύναμιν ἔχον τες, ἥντινα θυμὸν ἐκάλεσε· μὴ πινέτωσαν ἐκ τοῦ τὸν νοῦν μεθύσκοντος, καὶ τὰς φρένας θολοῦντος ὀξώδους οἴνου τῶν αἱρετικῶν, τοῦ κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας γνώσεώς τι ἔχοντος· ἵνα μὴ πιόντες, ἐπιλά θωνται τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας, καὶ ὀρθὰ κρίνειν καὶ νοεῖν τὴν θεωρίαν τῆς γνώσεως, οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ δύναν ται ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τοὺς ἀσθενεστέρους ὠφελεῖν κατὰ ψυχήν. Τοῖς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὀδυνωμένοις καὶ ἀπογνώσει, δότε ἐκ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τοῦ Κυρίου πιεῖν εἰς μέθην, τουτέστι νηστείαν, προσευχὴν, ἐγκράτειαν, ἐξομο λόγησιν καὶ πάντα ὅσα εἰς εὐφροσύνην ψυχῆς· τοῖς δὲ ἐν ἀρχαῖς, ὀδύνας τῆς ἁμαρτίας πιεῖν εἰς κόρον, ἵνα πιόντες ἐπιλάθωνται τῆς δαιμονιώδους πενίας· ὁ γὰρ μεθυσθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐπιλαν θάνεται τὴν πρᾶξιν τῶν ὀδυνῶν. Πένητα λέγει τὸν ἐστερημένον τῆς γνώσεως, ἀσθε νῆ δὲ τὸν ἀκάθαρτον ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις. Ὁ λόγῳ πνευματικῷ τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀπο κτείνων, τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, κατορθοῖ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ τὸν αὐτοῦ νοῦν, ὃς λέγεται θρόνος εἶναι Θεοῦ· οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ πέφυκεν ἀλλαχοῦ καθέζεσθαι σοφία καὶ γνῶσις. καὶ δικαιο σύνη, εἰ μὴ ἐν φύσει λογικῇ· ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός. Οἷος εἶ, τοιοῦτος φαίνου, καὶ μὴ ἀλαζονεύου, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ σοφῶν σίγα, καὶ ἐπὶ πρεσβυτέρων ἀκροαοῦ· μὴ εἴπῃς, Ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καὶ ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ· μὴ ἔρα τῶν πρωτείων τῆς προκαθεδρίας, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον ἀπόβλεπε· κρεῖσσον γὰρ ῥηθῆναί σοι, Ἀνάβηθι πρός με, ἢ πρὸς τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον ἀποδοθῆναί σε μετ' αἰσχύνης ἐν προσώπῳ δυνάστου· μήτε γὰρ φρόνιμον ἑαυτὸν κή ρυττε, μήτε δίκαιον λογίζου· κρεῖσσον γὰρ ῥηθῆναι περὶ σοῦ· ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσε, καὶ ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα. Ὀπίσω λέγει τὰ προγεγονότα· φίλος δὲ ἡμῶν ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὃς διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλίαν ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν· εἴρηκε γὰρ αὐτὸς πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς· Οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ἀλλὰ φίλους. Ἡνίκα ἄν σε ὀνειδίζῃ ὁ φίλος, ὁ Χριστὸς λέγει, διὰ τὴν 17.236 ἁμαρτίαν, ταύτης ἀπέχεσθαι, μὴ καταφρόνει, ἀλλ' ἀναχώρει καὶ ὑπόστρεφε πρὸς τὴν πρώτην σωφροσύ νην, τουτέστι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν. Χάριν, τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντολάς φησι· φιλίαν δὲ, τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ πλησίον ἀγάπην. Ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν τὸν Θεὸν τηρησάτω αὐτὰς ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ἵνα μὴ ἐπονεί διστος γένηται παρ' αὐτῷ, ὅτε τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ ἀπονέμῃ· καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις πρὸς τοὺς πε πιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους φησίν· Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μου ἐστέ· καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἠλευθέρωσεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου· εἰ οὖν ἡ φιλία ἐλευθεροῖ, καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐλευθεροῖ· Χριστὸς δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ φιλία, ὅθεν καὶ πάντες οἱ ἔχοντες γνῶσιν Χριστοῦ, φίλοι ἀλλήλων εἰσίν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτης μόνον τῆς φι λίας οἱ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φίλοι, καὶ ἄλλων εἰσὶ φίλοι. Ὁ διδαχθεὶς περὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν, καὶ ταύτας ἐνερ