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What does the ladder seen by Jacob signify, and who are the descending and ascending angels?

RESPONSE We suppose the ladder to be piety towards God. And angels descending and ascending: ascending are the principles of the virtues being exalted through us, and descending are the principles of knowledge coming down on account of the exaltation of our virtues.

QUESTION 89 What does the denarius signify that was shown to the Lord by the Pharisees? RESPONSE The denarius is the law for the body’s need, given by concession; therefore, when the Pharisees, who are a type of the demons, bring this to us, we must hold and examine it through discernment and to nature render the things of need—for this is to give the things of Caesar to Caesar—but render the entire desire of the soul to God.

QUESTION 90 What does “if they persecute you from this city, flee to the other” mean? RESPONSE Cities exist for the guard and safety and protection of precious things; therefore a city is, in the manner of allegory, the ascetic practice devised from different ways, for example, temperance from wine, abstinence from foods, an intense vigil, and such things, which 14Α_140 are a guard and safety. If, therefore, the demons persecute us from one of these, bringing forward pride or vainglory through such a kind of ascetic practice, it is better to withdraw from such a way of life that seems to be more exact, lest you fall into arrogance, and to flee to another virtue free from vainglory until the principle of dispassion should come.

Or also otherwise: He calls the human souls cities; for to these the apostolic principles, being sent from the Savior, having been received by the worthy, they dwell in them, but having been driven away by the unworthy who judged themselves so, they move to the souls of others, which have become receptive of their teaching. And such cities of Israel they will certainly not have gone through, truly dwelling in them, and on the one hand dwelling within and on the other being persecuted from them, until the Son of Man should come in His glorious advent, fulfilling all things.

QUESTION 91 What is: “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering flax he will not quench”? RESPONSE The one who, in imitation of the Lord, uses a word of compassion, neither causes him who is bruised by sin to be completely broken by despair, nor quenches him who has his rational part puffed up through the vainglory of certain virtues, but allows him to have zeal until he might come to the perfection of knowledge. For this is, as I think, also for the tares to grow up with the good seed, that is, for the passion of pleasing men and vainglory 14Α_142 to sprout up together with the virtues. Whence the farmer of souls commands that these not be pulled out until the virtues should take root, lest someone wishing to pull up such passions might pull up with them the zeal for virtue.

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Τί σημαίνει ἡ τῷ Ἰακὼβ ὀφθεῖσα κλῖμαξ καὶ τίνες οἱ καταβαίνοντες καὶ ἀναβαίνοντες ἄγγελοι;

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Κλίμακα οἰόμεθα εἶναι τὴν εἰς Θεὸν εὐσέβειαν. Ἄγγελοι δὲ κατερχόμενοι καὶ

ἀνερχόμενοι· ἀνερχόμενοι μὲν οἱ τῶν ἀρετῶν λόγοι δι᾽ ἡμῶν ὑψούμενοι, κατερχόμενοι δὲ οἱ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡμῶν ὕψωσιν κατιόντες τῆς γνώσεως λόγοι.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 89 Τί σημαίνει τὸ δηνάριον τὸ ἐπιδιδόμενον τῷ Κυρίῳ ὑπὸ τῶν Φαρισαίων; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ ∆ηνάριόν ἐστιν ὁ κατὰ συγχώρησιν δεδομένος τῆς χρείας τοῦ σώματος

νόμος· δεῖ οὖν προσαγόντων ἡμῖν τοῦτον τῶν εἰς τύπον τῶν δαιμόνων ὄντων Φαρισαίων κρατεῖν καὶ ἐξετάζειν διὰ τῆς διακρίσεως καὶ τῇ μὲν φύσει ἀπονέμειν τὰ τῆς χρείας τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν δοῦναι τὰ Καίσαρος τῷ Καίσαρι , τὴν δὲ πᾶσαν τῆς ψυχῆς ἔφεσιν ἀπονεῖμαι τῷ Θεῷ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 90 Τί δηλοῖ τὸ «ἐὰν διώκουσιν ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς πόλεως, φεύγετε εἰς τὴν

ἄλλην»; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Αἱ πόλεις ἐπὶ φρουρᾶς καὶ ἀσφαλείας καὶ φυλακῆς τιμίων εἰσίν· πόλις οὖν

ἐστιν κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀλληγορίας τρόπον ἡ ἐκ διαφόρων τρόπων ἐπινοουμένη ἄσκησις, οἷον, ἐγκράτεια οἴνου, βρωμάτων ἀποχή, ἐπιτεταμένη ἀγρυπνία καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἅτινά 14Α_140 εἰσιν φρουρὰ καὶ ἀσφάλεια. Ἐὰν οὖν διώκουσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ δαίμονες ἀπὸ ἑνὸς τούτων, τύφον ἢ κενοδοξίαν διὰ τοῦ τοιούτου τῆς ἀσκήσεως εἴδους προσάγοντες, κρεῖττόν ἐστιν ὑποχωρεῖν τῆς τοιαύτης δοκούσης εἶναι ἀκριβεστέρας ἀγωγῆς, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ὑπερηφανίαν ἐμπέσῃς, καὶ φυγεῖν εἰς ἄλλην ἀκενόδοξον ἀρετὴν μέχρις ἂν ὁ τῆς ἀπαθείας ἔλθῃ λόγος.

Ἢ καὶ ἄλλως· πόλεις λέγει τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας ψυχάς· ἐπὶ γὰρ ταύτας οἱ ἀπόστολοι λόγοι παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος πεμπόμενοι, ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ἀξίων ὑποδεχθέντες ἐν αὐτοῖς οἰκοῦσιν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἀναξίων ἑαυτοὺς κρινάντων ἀπελασθέντες εἰς ἑτέρων ψυχὰς μετοικίζονται, δεκτικὰς τῆς αὐτῶν διδασκαλίας γεγενημένας. Καὶ τὰς τοιαύτας πόλεις τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ οὐ μὴ τελέσωσιν ἀληθῶς ἐνδημοῦντες αὐταῖς καὶ πῇ μὲν εἰσοικιζόμενοι, πῇ δὲ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν διωκόμενοι, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατὰ τὴν ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν τὰ πάντα πληρῶν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 91 Τί ἐστιν· «κάλαμον συντετριμμένον οὐ κατεάξει καὶ λίνον τυφόμενον οὐ

σβέσει»; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ὁ κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ Κυρίου συμπαθείας λόγῳ χρώμενος, οὔτε τὸν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ

συντετριμμένον τῇ ἀπογνώσει εἰς τέλος κατεαγῆναι ποιεῖ, οὔτε τὸν τὸ λογιστικὸν ἔχοντα τετυφωμένον διὰ κενοδοξίαν τινῶν ἀρετῶν σβέννυσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐᾷ ἔχειν τὴν προθυμίαν μέχρις ἂν εἰς τὸ τέλειον ἔλθοι τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, ὡς οἶμαι, καὶ τὸ συναυξάνειν τῷ ἀγαθῷ σπόρῳ τὰ ζιζάνια, τουτέστιν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τὸ τῆς ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας καὶ κενοδοξίας 14Α_142 πάθος συναναβλαστάνειν. Ὅθεν ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν γεωργὸς μὴ ἐκτίλλεσθαι ταῦτα προστάσσει μέχρι ἂν αἱ ἀρεταὶ λάβωσιν πῆξιν, μήποτε ἀνασπάσαι τὰ τοιαῦτα πάθη θέλων τις, συνεκτίλῃ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς προθυμίαν.

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