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For he relates that God permits men who have rejected the kingdom of God to be ruled even by themselves; so that the disorder of anarchy might not create polyarchy and from this work a destructive sedition for the whole race of men, with no one being entrusted with their care by a divine decree; and who on the one hand by reason orders those who are guided by reason towards gentleness; and on the other hand by fear of authority punishes those who contrive wickedness; and who by their will corrupt the innate good of knowledge with unnatural ways.

Whichever of the kings, then, has been zealous to keep the law of the kingdom in this way, has truly been shown to be second to God on earth, as having become a most faithful minister of the divine will, and having justly received the lot to rule over men, by being ruled by God. But whoever has thrust aside this ordinance, and has decided to rule for himself entirely, and not for God, will reasonably work things contrary to these; tyrannically shaking off the good from himself, 0453 and putting them far from all counsel and power; and revolutionarily drawing the wicked to himself, and making them lords of all his authority; which is the ultimate abyss of perdition for both the rulers and the ruled. But may God grant us to be willingly ruled by him, through the fulfillment of his life-giving commandments; and to honor worthily those who rule on earth according to him, as guardians of his divine ordinances.

LETTER 11. ... CONCERNING AN ASCETIC WOMAN WHO LEFT THE MONASTERY ... 11. Of the same to an abbess, concerning an ascetic woman who left the monastery, and

repented. 15Β_144 The heralds of the truth, and those who have become

ministers, all who from the beginning until our time, each in his own season, have clarified to us the saving will of God, say that nothing is so dear and lovely to God as the turning back of men to him from true repentance. Desiring to show this to be more divine than all other things, the divinely-ruling Word of God the Father; or rather, as the first and only sign of infinite goodness, in a certain ineffable mode of condescension, deigned to speak to us through the flesh, doing and suffering and saying those things through which it was necessary for us, being enemies and adversaries, to be reconciled to God the Father, and being alienated from the blessed life, to be brought back to it again. For not only did he heal our diseases by his miracles, and by his sufferings take up our infirmities, and by his death, the sinless one paying our debt as if he were liable, he freed us from our many and terrible transgressions; but also, teaching in many ways, he has willed that those who are willing should become equal to himself in their philanthropic disposition, and in perfect love for one another. For this very reason, he cried out, *I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.* And, *Those who are well 15Β_146 have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.* And, that he had come *to seek and to save the lost.* And, that he had been sent *to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.* And he intimated parabolically through the drachma that he had come to recover the royal image, which had come to be under the most foul-smelling dung of the passions. And, *Amen I say to you that there is joy in heaven and on earth over one sinner who repents.* For this reason, the one who had fallen among thieves, and was stripped of all clothing, and had been left half-dead from his wounds, he restored with wine and oil and bandages; and having placed him on his own beast, to the inn

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γάρ παραιτησαμένοις ἀνθρώποις τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείαν, συγχωροῦντα τόν Θεόν ἀφηγεῖται, κἄν ὑφ᾿ ἑαυτῶν βασιλεύεσθαι· ἵνα μή τό ἄτακτον τῆς ἀναρχίας πολυαρχίαν ἐργάσηται καί στάσιν φθοροποιόν ἐντεῦθεν τῷ παντί γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐνεργάσηται, μηδενός τήν αὐτῶν ἐπιμέλειαν κατά θείαν ψῆφον πεπιστευομένου· καί λόγῳ μέν τάσσοντος τούς διά λόγου παιδαγωγουμένους πρός ἡμερότητα· δυναστείας δέ φόβῳ κολάζοντος, τούς τήν πονηρίαν τεκταίνοντας· καί τό ἔμφυτον τῆς γνώσεως ἀγαθόν γνωμικῶς τοῖς παρά φύσιν τρόποις ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν διαφθείροντας.

Ὅστις οὖν βασιλέων, τοῦτον οὕτω φυλάξαι τόν νόμον τῆς βασιλείας ἐσπούδασε, Θεοῦ δεύτερος ἐπί γῆς ἀληθῶς ἀναπέφανται, ὡς θείας βουλῆς πιστότατος γενόμενος ὑπουργός, καί τό βασιλεύεσθαι ὑπό Θεοῦ, βασιλεύειν ἀνθρώπων δικαίως λαχών. Ὅστις δέ τοῦτον παρωσάμενος τόν θεσμόν, ἑαυτῷ βασιλεύειν πάντως διέγνω, καί οὐ Θεῷ, τἀναντία τούτοις εἰκότως ἐργάσηται· τυραννικῶς μέν ἑαυτοῦ 0453 τούς ἀγαθούς ἐκτινάσσων, καί πάσης πόῤῥω τιθέμενος βουλῆς καί δυναστείας· νεωτερικῶς δέ τούς πονηρούς ἐπισπώμενος, καί πάσης αὐτούς κυρίους τῆς αὑτοῦ καθιστῶν ἐξουσίας· ὅπερ ἐστί τῶν κρατούντων τε καί κρατουμένων ἔσχατον ἀπωλείας βάραθρον. Ἡμῖν δέ δοίη Θεός ἑκουσίως ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ βασιλεύεσθαι, διά τῆς ἐκπληρώσεως τῶν ζωοποιῶν αὐτοῦ ἐντολῶν· καί τούς κατ᾿ αὐτόν ἐπί γῆς βασιλεύοντας, ἀξίως τιμᾷν, ὡς φύλακας τῶν αὐτοῦ θείων διαταγμάτων.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΙΑ'. ... ΠΕΡΙ ΑΣΚΗΤΡΙΑΣ ΕΞΕΛΘΟΥΣΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΜΟΝΗΣ ... ΙΑ´. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός ἡγουμένην, περί ἀσκητρίας ἐξελθούσης τῆς μονῆς, καί

μετανοησάσης. 15Β_144 Οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκες, καί τῆς θείας χάριτος γενόμενοι

λειτουργοί, ὅσοι ἐξ ἀρχῆς μέχρις ἡμῶν κατά τούς ἑαυτῶν καιρούς ἕκαστος τό σωτήριον ἡμῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ διεσάφησαν θέλημα, φασί, μηδέ οὕτω Θεῷ εἶναι φίλον τε καί ἐράσμιον, ὡς ἡ ἐκ μετανοίας ἀληθοῦς ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιστροφή. Ὅπερ μάλιστα τῶν ἄλλων θειότερον ὑπάρχον δεῖξαι βουλόμενος ὁ θεαρχικός τοῦ Θεοῦ καί Πατρός Λόγος· μᾶλλον δέ καί πρῶτον καί μόνον τῆς ἀπείρου ἀγαθότητος γνώρισμα, κατά τινα ἄῤῥητον συγκαταβάσεως τρόπον, διά σαρκός ἡμῖν ὁμιλῆσαι ἠξίωσεν, ἐκεῖνα καί δράσας καί παθών καί εἰπών, δι᾿ ὧν ἔδει ἡμᾶς, ἐχθρούς ὄντας καί πολεμίους καταλλαγῆναι τῷ Θεῷ καί Πατρί, καί τῆς μακαρίας ζωῆς ξενωθέντας, πρός αὐτήν πάλιν ἐπαναχθῆναι. Οὐ μόνον γάρ τοῖς θαύμασι τάς νόσους ἡμῶν ἰάσατο, καί διά παθημάτων τάς ἀσθενείας ἀναλαβών, καί διά θανάτου ἀποδούς ὡς ὑπεύθυνος ὁ ἀναμάρτητος τό ἡμέτερον ὄφλημα τῶν πολλῶν καί φοβερῶν ἡμᾶς ἠλευθέρωσεν ἐγκλημάτων· ἀλλά καί πολυτρόπως διδάσκων, ἴσους ἑαυτῷ γενέσθαι κατά τήν φιλάνθρωπον ἕξιν, καί τήν εἰς ἀλλήλους τελείαν ἀγάπην, βουλομένους βεβούληται. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο, Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἐβόα, ἀλλά ἁμαρτωλούς εἰς μετάνοιαν. Καί, Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν 15Β_146 οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ᾿ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. Καί, Ζητῆσαι, καί σῶσαι τό ἀπολωλός, ἐληλυθέναι. Καί, Πρός τά πρόβατα, τά ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ ἀπεστάλθαι. Καί τήν βασιλικήν ἀνασώσασθαι εἰκόνα, ὑπό τήν δυσωδεστάτην τῶν παθῶν κόπρον γεγενημένην παραγεγονέναι, διά τῆς δραχμῆς παραβολικῶς παρῃνίξατο. Καί, Ἀμήν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι χαρά γίνεται ἐν οὐρανῷ καί ἐπί γῆς, ἐπί ἑνί ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι. ∆ιά τοῦτο τόν λησταῖς περιπεσόντα, καί γυμνωθέντα πάσης περιβολῆς, καί ταῖς πληγαῖς ἡμιθανῆ γεγενημένον, οἴνῳ καί ἐλαίῳ καί καταδέσμοις ἀνέῤῥωσε· καί ἐπί τό ἴδιον κτῆνος ἀναβιβάσας, τῷ πανδοχεῖ