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and it is wisdom, and from this thought all improvement comes. But since I speak of the things of the economy, this must be shown here. Being a child he did not say those things, which he said when he became a perfect man. Therefore he was advancing in progress. It must be understood thus: a teacher or another having a similar disposition for instruction, when students have approached who are desirous of knowledge, condescends and says those things which the beginners are able to hear, not what he himself is able to say, and he accommodates himself to the ignorance of the beginners, and as if knowing only these things which he says, he instructs them. Therefore, as much as the child progresses, the teacher also progresses; but the child progresses by the acquisition of learning, while the teacher progresses by the manifestation of his indwelling power. And take for me the sun having arrived at this perceptible horizon; but let some veil running underneath prevent the sight from quickly falling upon it, as if the veil were not there. As much as a manifestation occurs with respect to the sight, so much then also happens with respect to the sun. And I say the sun progresses, not by the acquisition of light, but by being able at last to illuminate one who was previously not able to be so illuminated. Sin, therefore, is a veil of the soul. Therefore if he does not choose wickedness, the light shows itself more clearly. Thus, thus therefore I say the teacher progresses in wisdom, not by the acquisition of wisdom, but by the manifestation of greater wisdom. In reality all progress was also hindered, unless, say, perfect, visible saints were able to effect and know such great things. If having become men they have done and said great things, this is for the progress and manifestation of virtue. And indeed to all the words which they will speak, do not give your heart, so that you may not hear your servant cursing you, because many times he will act wickedly. And indeed in many words, which men will speak, there is a certain ignorance and sin; ........ of the beginnings of the discoveries of the sciences. And saying, "do not give your heart," he passes to a moral lesson. You know that the ........ the sins and injustices done against someone, provoke him to indignation. Therefore if you give commands and the slaves are lazy concerning what is commanded, do not "give your heart" to this, since both you and he are harmed. If then a slave curses you, ........ you should consider him, 223 whether he does what was ordered or does not, not how he does it or does not. For later you want to know this, so that you might honor him with freedom, so that you might give to him that which he previously did not have. Therefore, you also consider yourself, whether you have not sinned at some time. For the apostle also writes this, having urged the slaves to be subject to their masters "not with eye-service," "but as slaves of Christ." He says: "And you masters, have equality toward your slaves." He who has equality toward his slaves does not press upon them and consider their dispositions, but the work, what has been done; and we shall not use it inopportunely. We find therefore in some gospels: a woman, he says, was condemned by the Jews for a sin and was being sent to be stoned in the place where this was accustomed to happen. The savior, he says, having seen her and having observed that they were ready to stone her, said to those who were about to cast stones at her: "Whoever has not sinned, let him take a stone and cast it himself."

If anyone is conscious in himself of not having sinned, let him take a stone and strike her. And no one dared; having checked themselves and known that they themselves were also liable for certain things, they did not dare to condemn that woman. because many times he will act wickedly. "Many times he will act wickedly" in order to do evil. But you, do not consider this. The matter for him stops at the intention. But if ever something of this sort should truly appear, as if he had actually dared it, then he must be prevented, then one must attend to what he says in his intentions. And many descents will distress your heart, because you too have cursed others. "Many descents," he says, which he comes many times. But he who often ........ does not act. And when I say about someone, that: often I......... I mean that I did not strike. as far as to speak ill of your heart ........ . because you too have cursed

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καὶ σοφία ἐστίν, καὶ ἐκ ταύτης τῆς διανοίας πᾶσα βελτίωσίς ἐστιν. ἐπει δὴ δὲ τὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας λέγω, τοῦτο̣ ὧδ̣ε̣ ὀφείλει δειχθῆναι. παιδίον ὂν οὐκ ἐκεῖνα ἔλεγεν, ἃ εἶπεν α᾿̣νὴρ τέλειος γεν̣άμενος. προέκοπτεν οὖν τὴν προκοπήν. οὕτω λημπτέον· διδάσκαλος ἢ ἄλλος ὁμοι´̣ως ἔχων τὴν 222 τῆς παιδεύσεως ἕξιν προσεληλυθότων μαθη̣τῶν καὶ ἐφιεμένων τῆς ἐπιστήμης σ̣υνκαταβαίνει καὶ ἐκεῖνα λέγει, ἃ δύνανται οἱ εἰςαγόμενοι ἀκοῦσαι, οὐχ ἃ αὐτὸς δύναται, καὶ συνσχηματίζεται τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν εἰσαγομένων, καὶ ὡς αὐτὰ μόνα εἰδὼς ἃ λέγει παιδεύει αὐτούς. ὅσον οὖν πρ̣οκόπτει τὸ παιδίον, προκόπτει καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν παιδίον προκόπτει προσλήμψει μαθημάτων, ὁ δὲ διδάσκαλος προκόπτει ἀναδείξε̣ι̣ τῆς ἐν ούσης δυνάμεως. καὶ λαβέ μοι τὸν ἥλιον φθάσαντα ε᾿̣πὶ τ̣ὸν ὁρίζοντα τοῦτον τὸν αἰσθητόν· ὑποτρέχον δέ τι κάλυμμα κωλυέτω τὴν ὄψιν ταχέως ἐπιβα λεῖν, ὡς εἰ μὴ ἦν τὸ κάλυμμα. ὅσον γ̣ίνετ̣αι περὶ τὴν ὄψιν φανέρωσις, τότε καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου γίνεται τοσαύτη. κ̣αὶ λέγω προκόπτειν τὸν ἥλιον, οὐ προσλήμψει φωτός, ἀλλὰ τῷ δύνασθαι λοιπὸν φωτίσαι τὸν πρότερον οὐ δυ νάμενον οὕτως καταλάμπεσθαι. κάλυμμα οὖν ψυχῆς ἐστιν ἡ ἁμαρτία. ἐὰν οὖν μὴ ἐκλέγῃ τὴν κακίαν, τὸ φῶς φανερώτερον ἑαυτὸ δείκνυσιν. ουτως οὕτως οὖν λέγω τὸν διδάσκαλον προκόπτειν σοφίᾳ, οὐ προσλήμψει σοφίας, ἀλλὰ ἀναδείξει πλείονος σο φίας. ἐπὶ τῷ ὄντι καὶ προκοπὴ πᾶσα ἐνεπο̣δ̣ίζετ̣ο, εἰ μή, φέρε, ἄρτιοι ἅγιοι ὁρατοὶ ὄντες τοσαῦτα ἠδύναντο ἐνεργ̣ε̣ῖν καὶ ἐγνωκέναι. εἰ ἄνδρες γε νόμενοι πεποίηκαν καὶ εἰρήκασιν μεγαλά, ἔστι τοῦτ̣ο̣ εἰς προκοπὴν ἀρε τῆς καὶ ἀνάδειξιν. καί γε εἰς πάντας λόγους, οὓς λαλήσουσιν, μὴ δῷς καρδίαν σου, ὅπως μὴ ἀκούσῃς τοῦ δούλου σου κατ αρωμένου σε, ὅτι πλειστάκις πονηρεύσεται. καί γε ει᾿̣ς λόγους πολ̣λ̣ούς, οὓς λαλήσουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ἄγνοιά τις καὶ ἁμαρτία ἐ´̣σ̣τιν· ········ τ̣ῶν ἀρχομένων τῶν εὑρέσεων τῶν ἐπιστη μῶν. κα̣ι`̣ λέγων· "μὴ δῷς καρδίαν σου" ε̣ι᾿̣ς̣ ἠθικὸν μάθημα διαβαίνει. οἶδας ὅτι τ̣ὰ ·········μενα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα καὶ ἀδικήματα τὰ κατά τινος γι̣νόμενα, ἐρεθίζει αὐτὸν εἰς ἀγανάκτησιν. ἐὰν τοίνυν ἐπιτάττῃς κ̣αὶ οἱ δοῦλοι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐπιταττομένοις ῥᾳ θυμοὶ ὦσιν, μὴ εἰς τοῦτο "δῷς τὴν καρδίαν σου", ἐπεὶ βλάπτῃ καὶ σὺ κἀκεῖνος. ἐὰν οὖν δοῦλος καταρᾶταί σε, ····· αυ᾿̣τ̣ὸν̣ σκοπήσῃς, 223 εἰ ποιεῖ τὸ προσταχθὲν ἢ οὐ ποιεῖ, οὐ πῶς ποιεῖ ἢ οὐ ποιεῖ. ὕστερον γὰρ τοῦτο θέλεις εἰδέναι, ἵνα η τιμήσῃς ἐλευθερίας, ἵνα δῷς αὐτῷ, ὃ π̣ρ̣ότερον οὐκ εἶχεν. σκόπησον οὖν καὶ σὺ σεαυτόν, εἰ οὐχ ἥμαρτές πο τε. τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος γράφει προτρεψάμενος τοὺς δούλους ὑπο κεῖσθαι τοῖς δεσπόταις "μὴ κατ' ὀφθαλμοδουλίαν", "ἀλλ' ὡς Χριστοῦ δούλους". λέγει· "καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ δεσπόται τὴν ἰσότητα πρὸς τοὺς δούλους ἔχετε." ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἰσότητα πρὸς τοὺς δούλους οὐκ ἐπίκειται καὶ τὰς διαθέσεις αὐτῶν σκοπεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἔργον, τί γέγονεν· καὶ οὐκ ἀκαί ρως χρησόμεθα. φέρομεν οὖν ἔν τισιν εὐαγγελίοις· γυνή, φησίν, κατεκρίθη ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐπὶ ἁμαρτίᾳ καὶ ἀπεστέλλετο λιθοβοληθῆναι εἰς τὸν τόπον, ὅπου εἰώθει γίνεσθαι. ὁ σωτήρ, φησίν, ἑωρακὼς αὐτὴν καὶ θεωρήσας ὅτι ἕτοιμοί εἰσιν πρὸς τὸ λιθ̣οβολη῀̣σαι αὐτήν, τοῖς μέλλουσιν αὐτὴν κατα βαλεῖν λίθοις εἶπεν· "ὃς οὐχ ἥμαρτεν, αἰρέτω λίθον καὶ βαλέτω εαὐ τόν."

εἴ τις σύνοιδεν ἑαυτῷ τὸ μὴ ἡμαρτηκέναι, λαβὼν λίθον παισάτω αὐ τήν. καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμησεν· ἐπιστήσαντες ἑαυτοῖς καὶ γνόντες, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπεύθυνοί εἰσίν τισιν, οὐκ ἐτόλμησαν καταπταῖσαι ἐκείνην. ὅτι πλειστάκις πονηρεύσεται. "πλειστάκις πονηρεύσεται" τοῦ κακῶσαι. ἀλλὰ μὴ σκόπει σὺ τοῦ το. μέχρι βουλῆς αὐτῷ ἵσταται τὸ πρᾶγμα. εἰ δέ π̣οτ̣ε τ̣ῷ ὀ´̣ν̣τ̣ι̣ τ̣ο̣ι̣ο̣υ῀̣τ̣ο´̣ τι φανείη ὡς ἀληθῶς τολμήσαντος αὐτοῦ, τότε κωλυτέον αὐτόν, τότε ἐπιστατέον, οἷς λέγει βουλήμασιν α̣ὐτ̣ο̣υ῀̣. καὶ καθόδους πολλὰς κακώσει καρδίαν σου, ὅτι ὡς καί γε σὺ κατηράσω ἑτέρους. "καθόδους πολλὰς" λέγει, ἃς ἔρχεται πολλάκις. ὁ δὲ πολλάκις ····· ····· ····τι ου᾿̣κ ἐνεργεῖ. καὶ ὅταν λέγω περί τινος, ὅτι· πολλάκις τυ····· ····· · σημαίνω, ὅτι οὐκ ἔτυψα. μέχρι τοῦ καρδίαν σου κακηγο ρῆσαι ····· ·. ὅτι ὡς καί γε σὺ κατηράσω