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those who were likened to the foolish, who on the sand of uncertain judgment lay the foundation of the spiritual edifice, which a few drops of temptation, and a short torrent of the assaults of the evil one, having pulled away the substructure, both dissolved and scattered.

CHAPTER 22. Concerning obedience more fully.

In what manner, therefore, it is fitting for one who has once been united to a spiritual community to keep the union indissoluble, we have, as far as possible, suggested. Now, let us in turn again exercise the discourse concerning obedience; and having previously gone through it briefly, now let us set it forth more completely; and let us show how much obedience the exact account demands from the ascetics toward their superior. For from Holy Scripture itself I shall attempt to clarify the measure of this. Paul the apostle, writing to the Romans, commands them to be subject to all the higher authorities, authorities of this 31.1404 world, not spiritual ones; and this he made clear from what follows, speaking of tributes and taxes, and he declares that the one who resists the authority in the smallest thing, resists God. If, therefore, to the rulers of this world, to those who have received their authority according to human law, the divine law has assigned so much subjection from the devout, and this while they were at that time living in impiety; how much obedience ought the ascetic to render to the ruler appointed by God, and who has received his authority from His laws? How would he who resists his superior not resist the ordinance of God? especially since the Apostle explicitly commands to yield to spiritual leaders in all things. For he says, Obey your leaders, and submit to them. For they watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account, so that they may do this with joy and not with groaning; for that would be unprofitable for you. If, therefore, not obeying precisely is unprofitable, it is fitting for us to pursue what is more profitable. For the unprofitable, I think, implies great loss and repentance and correction. It is fitting especially to emulate the obedience of the saints, which they showed toward God, if indeed we are to work out obedience well, using a sufficient example for the subject. And let no one think that I, wishing to establish obedience toward leaders, am bringing forward excessive examples, and am daring to presumptuously compare obedience toward men with obedience toward God. For I have not made this comparison on my own initiative, but from the divine Scriptures themselves. For consider what the Lord says in the Gospels, decreeing obedience toward His own servants: He who receives you receives me; and again elsewhere: He who hears you hears me; and he who rejects you rejects me. And that what He said to the apostles, He legislated concerning all who would lead after them, it is possible to demonstrate from many and indisputable testimonies of the divine Scripture and from the clearest proofs. So that we too have made our arguments in accordance with the divine decrees, saying that one must set before oneself the obedience of the saints toward God as an example of obedience toward superiors. How then did the saints demonstrate obedience to the Master? Consider for me Abraham being commanded to leave his house, fatherland, substance, possessions, relatives, friends and besides these to pursue the opposites: a foreign land, the unknown, wandering, poverty, fears, 31.1405 dangers, and all the difficulties that accompany being a foreigner; and obeying without delay, and leaving behind prosperity and rest at home, but choosing in its place that upon the for

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οἱ τοῖς μωροῖς ὁμοιωθέντες, οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς ψάμμου, τῆς κατὰ τὴν γνώμην ἀβεβαιότητος, τὸν θεμέλιον τῆς πνευματικῆς τιθέντες οἰκοδομῆς, ὃν ὀλίγαι ψεκάδες πειρασμῶν, καὶ βραχὺς χείμαῤῥος τῶν τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐφόδων, ὑφελκύσας τὴν ὑποβάθραν, διέλυσέ τε καὶ διεσκόρπισεν.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΒʹ. Περὶ ὑπακοῆς πληρέστερον.

Ὅπως μὲν οὖν προσήκει τὸν ἅπαξ ἑνωθέντα πνευματικῷ συστήματι

φυλάττειν τὴν ἕνωσιν ἀδιά λυτον, κατὰ τὸ ἐνὸν ὑπεθέμεθα. Νῦν δ' αὖ πάλιν τὸν περὶ τῆς ὑπακοῆς λόγον γυμνάσωμεν· καὶ πρότερον μὲν διὰ βραχέων ἐπελθόντες, νῦν δὲ τελεώτερον ἐκτι θέμενοι· καὶ δείξωμεν, ὁπόσην ὁ ἀκριβὴς ἀπαιτεῖ λόγος παρὰ τῶν ἀσκητῶν τῷ προεστῶτι τὴν εὐπεί θειαν. Ἐξ αὐτῆς γὰρ τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς πειράσομαι ταύτης τὸ μέτρον διασαφῆσαι. Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος, Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιστέλλων, προστάσσει πάσαις ἐξου σίαις ὑπερεχούσαις ὑποτάσσεσθαι, ἐξουσίαις ταῖς τοῦ 31.1404 κόσμου, οὐ ταῖς πνευματικαῖς· καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν ἐπαγομένων ἐδήλωσεν, εἰπὼν περὶ φόρων καὶ τέλους, καὶ τὸν ἀντιτασσόμενον κατά γε τὸ σμικρότατον τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τῷ Θεῷ ἀντιτάσσεσθαι ἀποφαίνεται. Εἰ τοίνυν τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἄρχουσι, τοῖς κατὰ νόμον ἀν θρώπινον τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰληφόσι, τοσαύτην ὑποταγὴν παρὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων ὁ θεῖος νόμος ἀπένειμε, καὶ ταῦτα τηνικαῦτα ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ διαζῶσι· πόσην εὐπεί θειαν ὀφείλει ὁ ἀσκητὴς τῷ παρὰ Θεοῦ καταστάντι ἄρχοντι, καὶ παρὰ τῶν νόμων ἐκείνου λαβόντι τὴν ἐξουσίαν, εἰσφέρειν; Πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἂν ἀντιτάξαιτο τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ διαταγῇ ὁ τῷ καθηγουμένῳ ἀντιτασσόμενος; ἄλλως τε καὶ διαῤῥήδην τοῦ Ἀποστόλου κελεύοντος τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ἡγουμένοις ὑπείκειν ἐν πᾶσι. Πεί θεσθε γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῖς ἡγουμένοις ὑμῶν, καὶ ὑπεί κετε. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀγρυπνοῦσιν ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν, ὡς λόγον ἀποδώσοντες, ἵνα μετὰ χαρᾶς τοῦτο ποιῶσι, καὶ μὴ στενάζοντες· ἀλυσιτελὲς γὰρ ὑμῖν τοῦτο. Εἰ οὖν τὸ μὴ πρὸς ἀκρίβειαν πεί θεσθαι ἀλυσιτελὲς, προσήκει μεταδιώκειν ἡμᾶς τὸ λυσιτελέστερον. Τὸ γὰρ ἀλυσιτελὲς, οἶμαι, μεγάλης ζημίας καὶ μεταμελείας καὶ διορθώσεως ἔμφασιν ἐπιφέρεται. Ζηλοῦν δὲ προσήκει μάλιστα τὴν τῶν ἁγίων εὐπείθειαν, ἣν περὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπεδείξαντο, εἴ γε μέλλοιμεν ἀρκοῦντι ὑποδείγματι περὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν χρώμενοι, καλῶς τὴν ὑπακοὴν ἀπεργάζεσθαι. Καὶ μηδεὶς οἰέσθω με κρατύνειν ἐθέλοντα τὴν περὶ τοὺς ἡγουμένους εὐπείθειαν, ὑπέρογκα παράγειν τὰ ὑπο δείγματα, καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὑπακοῇ τολμᾷν αὐθαδῶς παρεικάζειν τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εὐ πείθειαν. Οὐ γὰρ οἴκοθεν ὁρμηθεὶς, ἀλλ' ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ταύτην τὴν εἰκασίαν πεποίημαι. Σκόπησον γὰρ τί ὁ Κύριος ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις φησὶ, τὴν περὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ δούλους θεσπίζων ὑπακοήν· Ὁ δε χόμενος ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ δέχεται· καὶ πάλιν ἑτέρωθι· Ὁ ἀκούων ὑμῶν ἐμοῦ ἀκούει· καὶ ὁ ἀθετῶν ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ ἀθετεῖ. Ὅτι δὲ ὃ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις εἴρηκε, περὶ πάντων τῶν μετ' αὐτοὺς καθηγησομένων ἐνομο θέτησεν, ἐκ πολλῶν καὶ ἀναμφιλέκτων μαρτυριῶν τῆς θείας Γραφῆς καὶ τεκμηρίων ἐναργεστάτων ἔστι παραστῆσαι. Ὥστε ἀκολούθως καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῖς θείοις θεσπίσμασι τοὺς λόγους ἐποιησάμεθα, φήσαντες δεῖν τὴν τῶν ἁγίων περὶ τὸν Θεὸν εὐπείθειαν ὑπό δειγμα τῆς περὶ τοὺς προεστῶτας ὑπακοῆς ἑαυ τοῖς προτιθέναι. Πῶς οὖν οἱ ἅγιοι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ τὴν εὐπείθειαν ἐπεδείξαντο; Σκόπησόν μοι τὸν Ἀβραὰμ κελευόμενον καταλιμπάνειν οἶκον, πατρίδα, περιουσίαν, κτήματα, συγγενεῖς, φίλους καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις διώκειν τὰ ἐναντία, τὴν ξένην, τὸ ἀν επίγνωστον, τὴν πλάνην, τὴν πενίαν, τοὺς φόβους, 31.1405 τοὺς κινδύνους, καὶ ὅσα τοῖς ξενιτεύουσιν ἕπεται δυσχερῆ· καὶ ἀμελητὶ ὑπακούοντα, καὶ κατα λιμπάνοντα μὲν τὴν οἴκοι εὐπραγίαν καὶ ἀνά παυσιν, ἀνθαιρούμενον δὲ ταύτης τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλ