33

to the devil and his angels, or that which goes before the face of the Lord and will set fire round about to his enemies, or the more fearful of these, which is appointed with the unsleeping 14Α_152 worm, not being quenched but lasting forever for the wicked.”

RESPONSE “Sodomite fire” is rained down upon those who the law of nature by the

misuse have trampled; and this is the reproach of the conscience, when it burns it like fire. And brimstone is the various circumstantial events, and storms are the sudden circumstances, which, when mixed, cause more severe pain. And they are burned in conscience in imitation of the devil and his angels, who through pride enviously slander the providence of God and use deceit toward their neighbor. And the fire “that goes before the face of the Lord” setting ablaze “his enemies” is the energies of God; for these characterize the face of God, such as, the good, the philanthropic, the gentle, and things similar to these; which illuminate those who are well-disposed to them, but burn those who are opposed and alienated from the likeness. And he did not say that these kinds of fire last forever, because according to Gregory of Nyssa, nature must receive its own powers and by recognition be restored to what it was from the beginning, so that the Creator may be shown to be without cause for sin. But he said that fire is more fearful, which is appointed with the eternal worm, not being quenched but also lasting forever for the wicked; which, when the divine appears and is set forth for enjoyment to the worthy, endlessly consumes and ceaselessly torments more severely than fire those who have not illumined themselves through good works, like a worm ever stirring up the memory, and considering the failure and deprivation of the good.

14Α_154 QUESTION 100 From the same, to the discourse 'On Hail', on the phrase “I do not accept that a spring

be stopped up and a torrent be borne along.” RESPONSE A spring is the evangelical teaching, always gushing forth through faith, a torrent

is profane philosophy, having persuasiveness in word only. And otherwise: a spring is one whose life is in harmony with his word, and a torrent is inactive reason, charming the hearing in its utterance only. Or also otherwise: a spring is one who makes the transmission to learners according to the meaning of the underlying texts, and a torrent is one who teaches according to the letter.

QUESTION 101 From the same: “concerning the just judgments of God, whether we

comprehend, or are ignorant of the great abyss.” RESPONSE The abyss is called incomprehensibility from "to stop up," that is, from "to block," according to

what is said in the psalm about the asp that stops its ears, instead of "that blocks"; so therefore to us who are not able to have a summary comprehension of the providence that gushes forth judgments, they are incomprehensible, but in another way, comprehensible.

QUESTION 102 From the same: “how also almsgiving by weights 14Α_156 according to the

holy Isaiah? For not even the good is without judgment, even if it seemed so to those in the vineyard.” RESPONSE If the almsgiving of God is weighed, it is also reasonably circumscribed. Rather

therefore one must suppose this, that just as we have a power of seeing and hearing

33

διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ, ἤτε ὃ πρὸ προσώπου Κυρίου πορεύεται καὶ φλογιεῖ κύκλῳ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ, ἢ τὸ τούτων φοβερώτερον, ὃ τῷ ἀκοιμήτῳ 14Α_152 σκώληκι συντέτακται, μὴ σβεννύμενον ἀλλὰ διαιωνίζον τοῖς πονηροῖς».

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐκείνοις ἐπιβρέχεται «Σοδομιτικὸν πῦρ», τοῖς τὸν νόμον τῆς φύσεως τῇ

παραχρήσει πατήσασιν· ἔστιν δὲ τοῦτο ὁ τῆς συνειδήσεως ἔλεγχος, ὅτ᾽ ἂν πυρὸς δίκην ταύτην κατακαίει. Θεῖον δέ ἐστιν αἱ διάφοροι περιστατικαὶ συμβάσεις, καταιγίδες δὲ αἱ ἀθρόαι περιστάσεις, αἵτινες μιγνύμεναι σφοδροτέρως ἀλγυνοῦσιν. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὴν συνείδησιν καίονται κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ, ὅσοι διὰ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας φθονερῶς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν διαβάλλουσιν καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον κέχρηνται ἀπάτῃ. Τὸ δὲ «ὃ πρὸ προσώπου Κυρίου πορεύεται» φλογίζον «τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ» πῦρ ἐστιν αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνέργειαι· αὗται γὰρ χαρακτηρίζουσιν τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόσωπον, οἷον, τὸ ἀγαθόν, τὸ φιλάνθρωπον, τὸ πρᾶον καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια· αἵτινες τοὺς μὲν οἰκείως ἔχοντας πρὸς αὐτὰ φωτίζουσιν, τοὺς δὲ ἐναντίως ἔχοντας καὶ ἀπηλλοτριωμένους τῆς ὁμοιότητος φλέγουσιν. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ εἴδη τοῦ πυρὸς οὐκ εἶπεν διαιωνίζειν, διότι κατὰ τὸν Νύσσης Γρηγόριον δεῖ τὴν φύσιν τὰς ἰδίας ἀπολαβεῖν δυνάμεις καὶ τῇ ἐπιγνώσει ἀποκαταστῆναι εἰς ὅπερ γέγονεν ἐξαρχῆς, ὥστε τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν ἀναίτιον ἀποδειχθῆναι τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ φοβερώτερον εἶπεν τὸ πῦρ, ὃ τῷ αἰωνίῳ σκώληκι συντέτακται, μὴ σβεννύμενον ἀλλὰ καὶ διαιωνίζον τοῖς πονηροῖς· ὅπερ, φαινομένου τοῦ θείου καὶ εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν προκειμένου τοῖς ἀξίοις, τοὺς μὴ διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἑαυτοὺς λαμπρύνοντας, δίκην σκώληκος ἀεὶ τὴν μνήμην ἀνακινούσης, καὶ ἀναλογιζομένους τὴν ἀποτυχίαν καὶ στέρησιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἀπεράντως κατεσθίει καὶ βασανίζει διηνεκῶς πυρὸς σφοδρότερον.

14Α_154 ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 100 Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν 'Περὶ χαλάζης' λόγον εἰς τὸ «οὐ δέχομαι πηγὴν

φράσσεσθαι καὶ χειμάρρουν φέρεσθαι». ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Πηγή ἐστιν ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ διδασκαλία, ἀεὶ διὰ πίστεως βλύζουσα, χείμαρρος

δὲ ἡ ἔξω φιλοσοφία, ἐν μόνῳ τῷ λόγῳ τὸ πειθανὸν ἔχουσα. Καὶ ἄλλως· πηγή ἐστιν ὁ τῷ λόγῳ τὸν βίον ἔχων συμφωνοῦντα, χείμαρρος δὲ ὁ ἄπρακτος λόγος, ἐν μόνῃ τῇ προφορᾷ τὴν ἀκοὴν γοητεύων. Ἢ καὶ ἄλλως· πηγή ἐστιν ὁ κατὰ τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἐγκειμένων τοῖς μανθάνουσιν τὴν παράδοσιν ποιούμενος, χείμαρρος δὲ ὁ κατὰ τὸ γράμμα διδάσκων.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 101 Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ· «περὶ τῶν δικαίων τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων, ἐάν τε

καταλαμβάνωμεν ἡμεῖς, ἐάν τε ἀγνοῶμεν τὴν πολλὴν ἄβυσσον». ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἄβυσσος λέγεται ἡ ἀκαταληψία ἡ ἐκ τοῦ βύειν ἤγουν ἐκ τοῦ φράσσειν, κατὰ

τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ περὶ τῆς βυούσης τὰ ὦτα ἀσπίδος ἀντὶ τοῦ "τῆς φραττούσης"· ὡς οὖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς μὴ δυναμένους ἐν περιλήψει γενέσθαι τῆς τὰ κρίματα βλυζούσης προνοίας εἰσὶν ἀκατάληπτα, κατ᾽ ἄλλον δὲ τρόπον ληπτά.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 102 Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ· «πῶς καὶ ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη εἰς σταθμοὺς 14Α_156 κατὰ τὸν

ἅγιον Ἡσαΐαν; οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἄκριτον, εἰ καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῷ ἀμπελῶνι ἔδοξεν». ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐὰν σταθμίζεται ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ περιγράφεται εἰκότως. Μᾶλλον

οὖν τοῦτο χρὴ ὑπολαμβάνειν, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἔχομεν δύναμιν ὀπτικὴν καὶ ἀκουστικὴν