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"Little ones," I think, he calls those who are simple in mind and, due to the smallness of their intellect, are unable to discern the judgments of providence. Whoever, therefore, scandalizes such persons, it were better for him to be of the Greek lot, who like a donkey at a mill are bound only to the motion of the world, and that he be cast into the open expanse of the 14Α_116 sea, that is, into the confusion of life. This also the apostle Peter confirms, saying, "it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn back."

QUESTION 76 For what reason, after the man who gathered sticks on the sabbath was stoned by God's command, does he command that a hyacinth-colored thread be fastened to the tassels of their garments?

ANSWER He who keeps the sabbath in deed and knowledge, then becoming lazy, begins to gather for himself the kindling materials of the passions like sticks, or the gnostic who has turned toward the surface of visible things; fittingly, such passions are killed by the divine words as if by stones. But since God, seeing the laziness and proneness to fall of human beings, so that they might not, being overcome by forgetfulness, fall away from the commandment, commands that a hyacinth-colored thread be fastened to the tassels of their garments, so that by looking they might come to the memory of the commandment. This is the apparent purpose of the law, but the spiritual purpose, which also purifies the depths, is this: since the tassel is from the warp of the garment, this signifies that faith must be attached to the garment of practical and ethical philosophy—for this is the warp—and simply that faith and practice must be interwoven, and from these knowledge or wisdom is to be bound like hyacinth; for according to the etymologists, wisdom is so called, which the color of the hyacinth indicates by its dark hue.

14Α_118 QUESTION 77 What is the allegorical contemplation concerning Abel and Cain? ANSWER Cain is taken to mean the mind of the flesh, while Abel means

mourning or repentance. When, therefore, the intellect, not yet having perfectly established the practical disposition, is mocked by the mind of the flesh and goes out with it into the field, that is, into the breadth of natural contemplation, it is killed, not being strong enough to pass through the surfaces of beings but remaining in them. Whoever, therefore, kills Cain, that is, the mind of the flesh, which is assent—for he who murders mourning assents to wickedness—, undoes seven vengeances, that is, he abolishes the seven spirits of evil or the seven passions of wickedness activated by them. And the curse of Cain's groaning signifies the rebellion of the conscience, which always strikes and shakes his mind.

QUESTION 78 What does the story concerning Lamech signify? ANSWER Some of those educated in divine matters say that in the times of Lamech, there being disorder

and anarchy, the powerful oppressed the weak. This Lamech, therefore, having met a man with his wife, killed him and took his wife. And having met a brother with his sister, he killed him also and took his sister. And Scripture 14Α_120 called the one a man, and the other a youth. This is according to the history; but according to contemplation, Lamech is taken to mean the activity of wickedness. For he killed the man in us, the natural law,

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Μικρούς, οἶμαι, λέγει τοὺς κατὰ διάνοιαν ἀφελεῖς καὶ διὰ σμικρότητα νοὸς μὴ δυναμένους διακρίνειν τὰ τῆς προνοίας κρίματα. Ὅστις οὖν σκανδαλίσῃ τοὺς τοιούτους, συνέφερεν αὐτῷ ἑλληνικῆς εἶναι μοίρας, οἳ δίκην ὄνου ἐν μυλῶνι μόνῃ τῇ κινήσει τοῦ κόσμου ἐνήσχηνται, καὶ ἵνα ῥιφῇ ἐν τῷ πελάγει τῆς 14Α_116 θαλάσσης, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ συγχύσει τοῦ βίου. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος Πέτρος βεβαιοῖ λέγων "κρεῖσσον ἦν αὐτοῖς μὴ ἐπιγνωκέναι τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἢ ἐπιγνοῦσιν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀνακάμψαι".

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 76 Τίνος ἕνεκεν μετὰ τὸ λιθοβοληθῆναι κατὰ πρόσταξιν Θεοῦ τὸν τὰ ξύλα ἐν

σαββάτῳ συλλέξαντα, κελεύει εἰς τὰ κράσπεδα τῶν ἱματίων ἀποδεσμεῖσθαι κλῶσμα ὑακίνθινον;

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ὁ πράξει καὶ γνώσει σαββατίζων, εἶτα ῥαθυμήσας, ἄρξηται τὰς ἐξαπτικὰς

τῶν παθῶν ὕλας ἑαυτῷ ξύλων δίκην συλλέγειν, ἢ καὶ ὁ γνωστικὸς περὶ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τῶν ὁρατῶν στραφείς· εἰκότως τοῖς θείοις λόγοις οἱονεὶ λίθοις τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀποκτέννονται πάθη. Ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ ὁρῶν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ ῥάθυμον καὶ εὐόλισθον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, πρὸς τὸ μὴ τῇ λήθῃ κρατουμένους ἐκπίπτειν τῆς ἐντολῆς, κελεύει εἰς τὰ κράσπεδα τῶν ἱματίων ἀποδεσμεῖσθαι κλῶσμα ὑακίνθινον, ἵνα βλέποντες εἰς μνήμην ἔρχωνται τοῦ προστάγματος. Ταῦτα μὲν ὁ φαινόμενος τοῦ νόμου σκοπός, ὁ δὲ πνευματικὸς καὶ τὰ βάθη καθαίρων ἐστὶν οὗτος· ἐπειδὴ τὸ κράσπεδον ἐκ τοῦ στήμονος τοῦ ἱματίου ἐστίν, τοῦτο σημαίνει ὅτι δεῖ τῷ ἱματίῳ τῆς πρακτικῆς καὶ ἠθικῆς φιλοσοφίας ἠρτῆσθαι τὴν πίστιν τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ στήμων καὶ ἁπλῶς συμπεπλέχθαι πίστιν καὶ πρᾶξιν, ἐκ τούτων δὲ ἀποδεσμεῖσθαι ὑακίνθου τρόπον τὴν γνῶσιν ἤτουν σοφίαν· σοφίαν γὰρ κατὰ τοὺς ἐτυμολογοῦντας ἡ σοφία λέγεται, ὅπερ ἡ τῆς ὑακίνθου χρόα διὰ τῆς μελάνσεως ἐνδείκνυται.

14Α_118 ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 77 Τίς ἡ κατὰ τὸν Ἄβελ καὶ τὸν Κάϊν κατ᾽ ἀναγωγὴν θεωρία; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ὁ Κάϊν λαμβάνεται ἐπὶ τοῦ φρονήματος τῆς σαρκός, ὁ δὲ Ἄβελ ἐπὶ τοῦ

πένθους ἤγουν τῆς μετανοίας. Ὅτ᾽ ἂν οὖν μήπω τελείως κατορθώσας τὴν πρακτικὴν ἕξιν ὁ νοῦς χλευάζεται ὑπὸ τοῦ φρονήματος τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ ἐκβαίνει μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ πεδίον, τουτέστιν εἰς τὸ πλάτος τῆς φυσικῆς θεωρίας, ἀποκτέννεται μὴ ἰσχύων τὰς ἐπιφανείας τῶν ὄντων διαπερᾶσαι ἀλλ᾽ ἐν αὐταῖς ἐναπομένων. Ὅστις οὖν ἀποκτέννει τὸν Κάϊν, τουτέστιν τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ συγκατάθεσις ὁ γὰρ φονεύων τὸ πένθος συγκατατίθεται τῇ κακίᾳ , ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύει, τουτέστιν τὰ ἑπτὰ τῆς πονηρίας πνεύματα ἢ καὶ τὰ ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐνεργούμενα ἑπτὰ τῆς κακίας πάθη καταργεῖ. Ἡ δὲ κατάρα τοῦ στένειν τὸν Κάϊν δηλοῖ τὴν τοῦ συνειδότος ἐπανάστασιν τοῦ ἀεὶ τύπτοντος καὶ κατασείοντος αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 78 Τί δηλοῖ ἡ κατὰ τὸν Λάμεχ ἱστορία; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Φασί τινες τῶν τὰ θεῖα πεπαιδευμένων ὅτι ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς τοῦ Λάμεχ ἀταξίας

καὶ ἀναρχίας οὔσης ὁ δυνατὸς τὸν ἀσθενοῦντα κατεδυνάστευεν. Οὗτος οὖν ὁ Λάμεχ ὑπαντήσας ἄνδρα μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ. Ἀπαντήσας δὲ καὶ ἀδελφὸν μετὰ ἀδελφῆς ἀπέκτεινεν καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐκάλεσεν ἡ 14Α_120 Γραφὴ ἄνδρα, τὸν δὲ νεανίσκον. Ταῦτα μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν· κατὰ δὲ θεωρίαν λαμβάνεται ὁ Λάμεχ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐνεργείας τῆς κακίας. Ἀπέκτεινεν γὰρ ἐν ἡμῖν τὸν ἄνδρα, τὸν φυσικὸν νόμον,