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Since, I said, sir, I have not at all understood the times of deceit and luxury and of torment, declare it to me more clearly. Answering me he says: Your foolishness is persistent, and you do not wish to cleanse your heart and serve God. See to it, he says, lest the time be fulfilled and you be found foolish; listen then, he says, as you wish, so that you may understand them. The one who lives in luxury and is deceived for one day and does what he wishes is clothed with much foolishness and does not understand the deed which he does. On the morrow he forgets what he did the day before; for luxury and deceit have no memories because of the foolishness with which they are clothed, but punishment and torment, when they cleave to a man for one day, he is punished and tormented for up to a year; for punishment and torment have great memories. Being tormented therefore and punished for the whole year, he remembers then the luxury and deceit and knows that on account of these things he suffers evils. Every man therefore who lives in luxury and is deceived is tormented thus, because though they have life they have delivered themselves over to death. What kinds, I said, sir, of luxury are harmful? Every, he says, action is luxury for a man, which he does with pleasure; for even the quick-tempered man, satisfying himself in his own action, lives in luxury; and the adulterer and the drunkard and the slanderer and the liar and the covetous man and the defrauder and he who does all things similar to these satisfies his own disease; he lives in luxury therefore in his action. All these luxuries are harmful to the servants of God; on account of these deceits therefore do those who are punished and tormented suffer. But there are also luxuries that save men; for many, doing good, live in luxury, carried away by their own pleasure. This luxury, therefore, is profitable for the servants of God and brings life to such a man; but the harmful luxuries aforementioned bring torments and punishments; and if they persist and do not repent, they bring death upon themselves. Parable 7 After a few days I saw him in the same plain, where I had also seen the shepherds, and he says to me: What are you seeking? I am here, I said, sir, to ask you that you would command the punishing angel to depart from my house, because he afflicts me greatly. You must, he says, be afflicted; for so has the glorious angel commanded concerning you; for he wishes you to be tested also. For what, I said, sir, have I done that is so evil, that I should be delivered over to this angel? Listen, he says. Your sins are many, but not so great that you should be delivered over to this angel; but your house has committed great sins and iniquities, and the glorious angel was embittered at their works, and for this reason he commanded you to be afflicted for a certain time, so that they too might repent and cleanse themselves from every desire of this world. When therefore they repent and are cleansed, then the angel of punishment will depart. I say to him: Sir, if they have done such things that the glorious angel was embittered, what have I done? Otherwise, he says, they cannot be afflicted, unless you the head of the house are afflicted; for when you are afflicted, of necessity they too will be afflicted, but when you are at ease, they can have no affliction. But behold, I said, sir, they have repented with their whole heart. I also know, he says, that they have repented with their whole heart. Do you think then, he says, that the sins of those who repent are immediately forgiven? Not at all; but he who repents must torment his own soul and be humble-minded in all his practice

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Ἐπεί, φημί, κύριε, οὐ νενόηκα ὅλως τοὺς χρόνους τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ τρυφῆς καὶ βασάνου, τηλαυγέστερόν μοι δήλωσον. ἀποκριθείς μοι λέγει· Ἡ ἀφρο σύνη σου παράμονός ἐστιν, καὶ οὐ θέλεις σου τὴν καρδίαν καθαρίσαι καὶ δουλεύειν τῷ θεῷ. βλέπε, φησίν, μήποτε ὁ χρόνος πληρωθῇ καὶ σὺ ἄφρων εὑρεθῇς· ἄκουε οὖν, φησίν, καθὼς βούλει, ἵνα νοήσῃς αὐτά. ὁ τρυφῶν καὶ ἀπατώμενος μίαν ἡμέραν καὶ πράσσων ἃ βούλεται πολλὴν ἀφροσύνην ἐνδέδυται καὶ οὐ νοεῖ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἣν ποιεῖ. εἰς τὴν αὔριον ἐπιλανθάνεται τί πρὸ μιᾶς ἔπραξεν· ἡ γὰρ τρυφὴ καὶ ἀπάτη μνήμας οὐκ ἔχει διὰ τὴν ἀφρο σύνην, ἣν ἐνδέδυται, ἡ δὲ τιμωρία καὶ βάσανος ὅταν κολληθῇ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ μίαν ἡμέραν, μέχρι ἐνιαυτοῦ τιμωρεῖται καὶ βασανίζεται· μνήμας γὰρ μεγά λας ἔχει ἡ τιμωρία καὶ βάσανος. βασανιζόμενος οὖν καὶ τιμωρούμενος ὅλον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν, μνημονεύει τότε τῆς τρυφῆς καὶ ἀπάτης καὶ γινώσκει ὅτι διὰ ταῦτα πάσχει τὰ πονηρά. πᾶς οὖν ἄνθρωπος ὁ τρυφῶν καὶ ἀπατώ μενος οὕτως βασανίζεται, ὅτι ἔχοντες ζωὴν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς θάνατον παραδεδώ κασι. Ποῖαι, φημί, κύριε, τρυφαί εἰσι βλαβεραί; Πᾶσα, φησί, πρᾶξις τρυφή ἐστι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ὃ ἐὰν ἡδέως ποιῇ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ ὀξύχολος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ πράξει τὸ ἱκανὸν ποιῶν τρυφᾷ· καὶ ὁ μοιχὸς καὶ ὁ μέθυσος καὶ ὁ κατά λαλος καὶ ὁ ψεύστης καὶ ὁ πλεονέκτης καὶ ὁ ἀποστερητὴς καὶ ὁ τούτοις τὰ ὅμοια πάντα ποιῶν τῇ ἰδίᾳ νόσῳ τὸ ἱκανὸν ποιεῖ· τρυφᾷ οὖν ἐν τῇ πράξει αὐτοῦ. αὗται πᾶσαι τρυφαὶ βλαβεραί εἰσιν τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ· διὰ ταύτας οὖν τὰς ἀπάτας πάσχουσιν οἱ τιμωρούμενοι καὶ βασανιζόμενοι. εἰσὶν δὲ καὶ τρυφαὶ σώζουσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἀγαθὸν ἐργαζό μενοι τρυφῶσιν, τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἡδονῇ φερόμενοι. αὕτη οὖν ἡ τρυφὴ σύμφορός ἐστιν τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ζωὴν περιποιεῖται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ τοιού τῳ· αἱ δὲ βλαβεραὶ τρυφαὶ αἱ προειρημέναι βασάνους καὶ τιμωρίας περι ποιοῦνται· ἐὰν δὲ ἐπιμείνωσι καὶ μὴ μετανοήσωσιν, θάνατον ἑαυτοῖς περι ποιοῦνται. Παραβολὴ ζ Μετὰ ἡμέρας ὀλίγας εἶδον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πεδίον τὸ αὐτό, ὅπου καὶ τοὺς ποι μένας ἑωράκειν, καὶ λέγει μοι· Τί ἐπιζητεῖς; Πάρειμι, φημί, κύριε, ἐρω τῆσαί σε ἵνα τὸν ἄγγελον τὸν τιμωρητὴν κελεύσῃς ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου μου ἐξελθεῖν, ὅτι λίαν με θλίβει. ∆εῖ σε, φησίν, θλιβῆναι· οὕτω γὰρ προσέταξεν ὁ ἔν δοξος ἄγγελος τὰ περὶ σοῦ· θέλει γάρ σε καὶ πειρασθῆναι. Τί γάρ, φημί, κύριε, ἐποίησα οὕτω πονηρόν, ἵνα τούτῳ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ παραδοθῶ; Ἄκουε, φησίν· αἱ μὲν ἁμαρτίαι σου πολλαί, ἀλλ' οὐ τοσαῦται ὥστε σε τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τούτῳ παραδοθῆναι· ἀλλ' ὁ οἶκός σου μεγάλας ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἀνομίας ἠργά σατο, καὶ παρεπικράνθη ὁ ἔνδοξος ἄγγελος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσέ σε χρόνον τινὰ θλιβῆναι, ἵνα κἀκεῖνοι μετανοήσωσι καὶ καθαρίσωσι ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ πάσης ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. ὅταν οὖν μετανοήσωσιν καὶ καθαρισθῶσιν, τότε ἀποστήσεται ὁ ἄγγελος τῆς τιμωρίας. λέγω αὐτῷ· Κύριε, εἰ ἐκεῖνοι τοιαῦτα ἠργάσαντο, ἵνα παραπικρανθῇ ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ἔνδοξος, τί ἐγὼ ἐποίησα; Ἄλλως, φησίν, ἐκεῖνοι οὐ δύνανται θλιβῆναι, ἐὰν μὴ σὺ ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ οἴκου θλιβῇς· σοῦ γὰρ θλιβομένου ἐξ ἀνάγκης κἀκεῖνοι θλιβή σονται, εὐσταθοῦντος δὲ σοῦ οὐδεμίαν θλῖψιν δύνανται ἔχειν. Ἀλλ' ἰδού, φημί, κύριε, μετανενοήκασιν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας αὐτῶν. Oἶδα, φησί, κἀγὼ ὅτι μετανενοήκασιν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας αὐτῶν. τῶν οὖν μετανοούντων, φησίν, δοκεῖς τὰς ἁμαρτίας εὐθὺς ἀφίεσθαι; οὐ πάντως· ἀλλὰ δεῖ τὸν μετανοοῦντα βα σανίσαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν καὶ ταπεινοφρονῆσαι ἐν ἁπάσῃ τῇ πράξει αὐτοῦ