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QUESTION 40. Concerning business dealings at gatherings. RESPONSE. But reason shows us that the buying and selling which takes place in the martyria is not appropriate for us. For it is fitting for Christians to appear in the martyria or in the places around them for no other reason than for prayer and, coming to the remembrance of the saints' stand for piety even unto death, to be urged on to a similar zeal; remembering the most fearful wrath of the Lord, that, although He was always and everywhere meek and lowly in heart, as it is written, He raised the whip only against those selling and buying around the temple, as commerce was turning the house of prayer into a den of thieves. Nevertheless, because others before us have corrupted the custom that prevailed at the holy places, and instead of praying for one another, and worshipping and weeping before God with many, and propitiating Him for their sins, giving thanks for His benefactions, and building up through the word of exhortation, which we know was still observed even in our own memory—instead of these things they make both the time and the place a market, a festival, and a common emporium, it is not now fitting for us to follow them, and to confirm these absurdities by sharing in the practice; but to imitate the gatherings recorded in the Gospels at the time of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to fulfill what was ordained by the Apostle as contributing to such a pattern. For he writes thus: When you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, 31.1021 has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation; let all things be done for edification.

QUESTION 41 Concerning authority and obedience. RESPONSE. In them, however

in the permitted crafts, not everyone ought to be allowed to do what he has, or wishes to learn, but that for which he may be approved as being suitable. For he who has denied himself, and has put away all his own desires, does not do what he wants, but what he is taught. Nor indeed does reason permit one who has once entrusted the management of himself to others to choose what is profitable for himself, for they will assign him to that for which they may find him suitable in the name of the Lord; since he who chooses a work according to his own desire brings an accusation against himself, first of self-satisfaction, and secondly, that he is attached to the pursuit either for the sake of worldly glory, or for the hope of gain, or for some such reason, or through laziness and sloth he prefers what is easier. And to be in these things is proof of not yet having been delivered from the evil of the passions. Neither has he who wishes to carry out his own impulses denied himself, nor has he renounced the affairs of the world, if he is still excited by gain and by glory. Nor indeed has he who does not endure labor in his works put to death his members which are upon the earth; but he also brings forth a proof of stubbornness against himself, thinking his own judgment to be more accurate than the approval of the many. Therefore, if someone has a craft not condemned by the community, he ought not to abandon it; for it is of an unstable mind, and of an uncertain purpose, to despise the things at hand; and if he does not have one, let him not take one for himself; but let him receive what has been approved by the superiors, so that in everything he may preserve obedience. And as it was shown to be improper to permit oneself, so also not to accept what has been approved by others is to be condemned. But even if someone has a craft, and its practice does not please the brotherhood, let him readily cast it aside, showing that he is not passionately disposed toward anything in the world. Because to do the desires of the mind belongs to one who has no hope, according to the word of the Apostle; but to be obedient in everything is worthy of acceptance, with the same Apostle praising some, because they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us through

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ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Μʹ. Περὶ τῶν ἐν συνόδοις πραγματειῶν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὰς ἐν τοῖς μαρτυρίοις γινομένας ἀγο ρασίας οἰκείας ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος δείκνυσιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἄλ λου τινὸς ἕνεκεν ἐν τοῖς μαρτυρίοις ἢ ἐν τοῖς περὶ αὐτὰ τόποις φαίνεσθαι ἐπιβάλλει Χριστιανοῖς, ἢ προσευχῆς ἕνεκεν καὶ τοῦ εἰς ὑπόμνησιν ἐλθόντας τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας μέχρι θανάτου ἐνστά σεως πρὸς τὸν ζῆλον τὸν ὅμοιον προτραπῆναι· με μνημένους τῆς φοβερωτάτης ὀργῆς τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅτι, καίπερ πάντοτε καὶ πανταχοῦ πραῢς ὢν, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καθὼς γέγραπται, μόνοις τοῖς περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν πωλοῦσι καὶ ἀγοράζουσι τὴν μάστιγα ἐπανετείνατο, ὡς τῆς ἐμπορίας τὸν οἶκον τῆς προσευχῆς μεταποιούσης εἰς σπήλαιον λῃστῶν. Οὐ μὴν, ἐπειδὴ ἕτεροι προλαβόντες παρέφθειραν τὴν κεκρατηκυῖαν ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων συνήθειαν, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ προσεύχεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, καὶ μετὰ πλειό νων προσκυνεῖν καὶ προσκλαίειν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐξ ιλάσκεσθαι μὲν αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, εὐχαρι στεῖν δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, οἰκοδομεῖν δὲ διὰ τοῦ λόγου τῆς παρακλήσεως, ὅπερ ἔτι καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας μνήμης τηρούμενον ἔγνωμεν, ἀντὶ τού των ἀγορὰν, καὶ πανήγυριν, καὶ κοινὸν ἐμπόριον τόν τε καιρὸν καὶ τὸν τόπον ποιοῦνται, ἤδη καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀκολουθεῖν αὐτοῖς προσῆκε, καὶ βεβαιοῦν τὰ ἄτοπα τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τοῦ πράγματος· ἀλλὰ μιμεῖ σθαι τὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἱστορουμένας συνόδους, καὶ πλη ροῦν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ὡς συντελοῦντα τῷ τοι ούτῳ τύπῳ διατεταγμένα. Γράφει δὲ οὕτως· Ὅταν συνέρχησθε, ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ψαλμὸν ἔχει, διδα 31.1021 χὴν ἔχει, ἀποκάλυψιν ἔχει, γλῶσσαν ἔχει, ἑρ μηνείαν ἔχει· πάντα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν γινέσθω.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΜΑʹ Περὶ αὐθεντίας καὶ ὑπακοῆς. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐν αὐταῖς μέντοι

ταῖς συγκεχωρημέναις τέ χναις οὐχ ἕκαστος ἣν ἔχει, ἢ βούλεται μαθεῖν, ἐπι τρέπεσθαι ὀφείλει, ἀλλ' εἰς ἣν ἂν δοκιμασθῇ ἐπι τήδειος εἶναι. Ὁ γὰρ ἀρνησάμενος ἑαυτὸν, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ θελήματα ἀποθέμενος, οὐχὶ ὃ βούλεται ποιεῖ, ἀλλ' ὃ διδάσκεται. Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐκλέγεσθαι τὸ συμφέρον συγχωρεῖ ὁ λόγος τῷ ἅπαξ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ οἰκονομίαν ἐπιτρέψαντι ἑτέροις, οἳ πρὸς ὅπερ ἂν καταμάθωσιν ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου ἐπιτήδειον, εἰς ἐκεῖνο αὐτὸν τάξουσιν· ἐπεὶ ὅ γε κατ' ἰδίαν ἐπι θυμίαν ἐκλεγόμενος ἔργον κατηγορίαν ἑαυτοῦ ἐκφέ ρει, πρῶτον μὲν αὐταρεσκείας, ἔπειτα, ὅτι ἢ διὰ δόξαν κοσμικὴν, ἢ διὰ κέρδους ἐλπίδα, ἢ διά τι τοι οῦτον προσπέπονθε τῷ ἐπιτηδεύματι, ἢ δι' ὄκνον καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν προτιμᾷ τὸ κουφότερον. Τὸ δὲ ἐν τού τοις εἶναι ἀπόδειξίς ἐστι τοῦ μήπω ἀπηλλάχθαι τῆς τῶν παθῶν κακίας. Οὔτε δὲ ἠρνήσατο ἑαυτὸν ὁ ἰδίας ὁρμὰς ἐκτελεῖν θέλων, οὔτε ἀπετάξατο τοῖς τοῦ κό σμου πράγμασιν, εἴπερ ἔτι πρὸς κέρδος καὶ πρὸς δό ξαν ἐπτόηται. Οὐδὲ μὴν ἐνέκρωσεν αὐτοῦ τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὁ τὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις κόπον μὴ ὑπο μένων· ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐθαδείας δεῖγμα καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐκ φέρει, ἀκριβεστέραν οἰόμενος εἶναι τὴν ἰδίαν ἑαυ τοῦ κρίσιν τῆς τῶν πλειόνων δοκιμασίας. Εἴτε οὖν ἔχει τις τέχνην μὴ κατεγνωσμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ, ἀπο πηδᾷν αὐτῆς οὐκ ὀφείλει· ἀστάτου γὰρ γνώμης, καὶ προαιρέσεως ἀβεβαίου, ἐξουθενεῖν τὰ παρόντα· εἴτε μὴ ἔχει, μὴ ἑαυτῷ λαμβανέτω· ἀλλὰ τὸ παρὰ τῶν μειζόνων δοκιμασθὲν ὑποδεχέσθω, ἵνα ἐν παντὶ τὸ εὐπειθὲς διασώζῃ. Ὡς δὲ τὸ ἑαυτῷ ἐπιτρέ πειν ἀπρεπὲς ἀπεδείχθη, οὕτω καὶ τὸ παρ' ἑτέρων ἐγκριθὲν μὴ καταδέχεσθαι, κατεγνωσμένον ἐστίν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐὰν ἔχῃ τις τέχνην, μὴ ἀρέσκῃ δὲ αὐτῆς ἡ χρῆσις τῇ ἀδελφότητι, ἑτοίμως αὐτὴν ἀποῤῥιπτέτω, δεικνὺς, ὅτι πρὸς οὐδὲν τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐμπαθῶς διάκειται. ∆ιότι τὸ μὲν ποιεῖν τὰ θελήματα τῶν δια νοιῶν τοῦ μὴ ἔχοντός ἐστιν ἐλπίδα, κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Ἀποστόλου· τὸ δὲ ἐν παντὶ εὐπειθὲς ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιον, τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἀποστόλου ἐπαινοῦντός τινας, ὅτι ἑαυτοὺς ἔδωκαν πρῶτον τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἔπειτα καὶ ἡμῖν διὰ