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by a lack of necessities, when Christ is present with us, if indeed not even for the Israelites in the desert was there a want of useful things; or if they should be lacking for our testing, it is better to be in need and be with Christ, than without his fellowship to be rich in all the things of this life. But such a possession does not stop the harm at this point, but leads it further. For he who is zealous to have something of his own practices nothing other than separation and apostasy. For what would one who does not look to this even acquire? knowing that by the grace of Christ his servants always continue in an abundance of all necessities. Therefore, such a one is manifest, practicing the cutting off and death of his own soul, and selling his own salvation for a few small coins, and (permit me a little boldness) becoming a second Judas, beginning from theft (for private possession is theft), and ending in betrayal; for he also betrays the word of truth, just as that one betrayed the Lord. For when the rule of life holds that one should not be separated from the community to which we have been joined, nor acquire any private possession, nor do anything at all secretly, or becoming a wicked example for the harm of the brethren to those who are being saved; then, someone, disregarding the fear of God, and the ordinances of the Holy Spirit, first having considered misappropriation (for a private possession, however and from wherever obtained, is misappropriation), and then also apostasy and separation; how has he not betrayed the word of truth, and become a second Judas, betraying the truth to the extent possible? It is necessary therefore in every way to flee from possessing anything privately, beyond what is provided for all in common; and not only in this way to keep the mind unstained, but also to cleanse the inner man from all defilements: on the one hand, from unclean and wicked thoughts, which trouble the inner dwelling place of the Spirit; on the other hand, from deceit, and hypocrisy, and envy, and strife, which tear out love by the roots, and drive God from such a soul. For if God 31.1428 is love, he who does not have love is deprived of divine grace. But each one, preserving his own soul in all humility, and sanctification, and readiness for good deeds, should confine his thought to present things, considering how he may not, at the present time, fail in any of God's wills, and tear apart the present state of the community. For such a state of the soul will deliver us from all distraction, and in piety and a steadfast mind will prepare us to follow all good things, establishing this also before all things in the soul, that God is good, and the cause of all good things, but of no evil whatsoever, even if for the need of correction we should taste a harsher remedy. For God, being a physician of human souls, mixes the power of medicines sufficient for the nature of the diseases, cleansing the deepest wickedness, whenever this should be necessary. Knowing this clearly, therefore, let us always give thanks, even if we feel a harsher remedy, being cleansed of our negligences. But to endure through temptations and testing belongs to very few and Abrahamic men. These things, then, are as much as the grace of God has supplied to the humility of our mind for the exhortation of you who have embraced the common life. Of which, as the argument has shown, and our own mind has perceived, no polity could be found among men either more splendid, or more gracious, or more lofty. But since we have also brought the appropriate exhortation to those who attend to the monastic life, and the purpose is one and the same for both, to be well-pleasing to Christ, and the instructions concerning these things are related, let us also proceed to the discussion of those matters. For perhaps from there also something useful will be contributed to this discourse, able to brighten and adorn the way of life even more.

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ἐλλείψει τῶν ἀναγκαίων, Χριστοῦ παρόντος ἡμῖν, εἴπερ μηδὲ τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῶν χρη σίμων ἔνδεια γέγονεν· ἢ εἰ καὶ λείψειε πρὸς δοκιμασίαν ἡμῶν, βέλτιον ἐνδεῶς ἔχειν καὶ εἶναι μετὰ Χριστοῦ, ἢ δίχα τῆς ἐκείνου κοινωνίας πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τὸν βίον πλουτεῖν. Οὐ μέχρι τούτου δὲ τὴν βλάβην ἡ τοιαύτη κτῆσις ἵστησιν, ἀλλὰ ποῤῥωτέρω προάγει. Ὁ γὰρ ἴδιόν τι ἔχειν ἐσπουδακὼς οὐδὲν ἕτε ρον ἢ χωρισμὸν καὶ ἀποστασίαν μελετᾷ. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ πρὸς τοῦτο βλέπων τί ἂν καὶ κτήσαιτο; εἰδὼς, ὅτι τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτι οἱ αὐτοῦ δοῦλοι ἐν ἀφθονίᾳ πάντων τῶν ἀναγκαίων διατελοῦσιν ἀεί. Πρόδηλος οὖν ἐστιν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀποκοπὴν καὶ νέκρωσιν τῆς οἰ κείας ψυχῆς μελετῶν, καὶ τοῖς βραχέσιν ὀβολοῖς τὴν οἰκείαν σωτηρίαν ἀποδιδόμενος, καὶ (δότε μοι τολμῆ σαι μικρὸν) δεύτερός τις Ἰούδας γενόμενος, ἀπὸ κλοπῆς ἀρχόμενος (κλοπὴ γὰρ ἡ ἰδιάζουσα κτῆσις), καὶ καταστρέφων εἰς προδοσίαν· προδίδωσι γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος τὸν Κύριον. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ μὲν κανὼν τοῦ βίου ἔχῃ μηδὲ χωρίζεσθαι τοῦ συστήματος ᾧ συνήφθημεν, μηδὲ ἰδιά ζουσάν τινα κτῆσιν περιποιεῖσθαι, μηδὲ ὅλως λαθραῖόν τι διαπράττεσθαι, ἢ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τῶν ἀδελφῶν πονη ρὸν ὑπόδειγμα τοῖς σωζομένοις γενόμενον· εἶτα, παριδών τις τὸν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοὺς θεσμοὺς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, πρῶτον μὲν νοσφισμὸν (νοσφι σμὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ὁπωσοῦν καὶ ὁθενοῦν ἰδιάζουσα κτῆσις), ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ἀπόστασιν ἐννοήσας καὶ χωρισμόν· πῶς οὐχὶ τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας προδέ δωκε, καὶ δεύτερος Ἰούδας γεγένηται, κατὰ τὸ ἐγχω ροῦν προδιδοὺς τὴν ἀλήθειαν; Χρὴ τοίνυν παντὶ τρό πῳ φεύγειν ἰδίᾳ τι κεκτῆσθαι παρὰ τὰ κοινῇ πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ ποριζόμενα· καὶ οὐ ταύτῃ μόνον ἀκηλί δωτον τηρεῖν τὴν διάνοιαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἔνδον ἄνθρω πον πάντων μολυσμῶν ἐκκαθαίρειν· τοῦτο μὲν λο γισμῶν ἀκαθάρτων καὶ πονηρῶν, τῶν ἐπιθολούντων τὸ ἔνδον τοῦ Πνεύματος καταγώγιον· τοῦτο δὲ δόλου, καὶ ὑποκρίσεως, καὶ βασκανίας, καὶ ἔριδος, τῶν τὴν ἀγάπην πρόῤῥιζον ἀνασπώντων, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν τῆς τῶν τοιούτων ψυχῆς ἐλαυνόντων. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς 31.1428 ἀγάπη ἐστὶν, ὁ τὴν ἀγάπην οὐκ ἔχων τῆς θείας ἐστέ ρηται χάριτος. Ἐν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ δὲ πάσῃ, καὶ ἁγιασμῷ, καὶ ἑτοιμότητι τῇ περὶ τὰς ἀγαθὰς πράξεις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἕκαστον συντηροῦντα, πρὸς τὰ παρόντα συγ κλείειν τὸν λογισμὸν, σκοπούμενον, ὅπως ἂν μὴ, κατὰ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν, τινὸς τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ θελημάτων διαμαρτήσῃ, καὶ τὴν ἔνστασιν τῆς πολι τείας σπαράξῃ. Ἡ γὰρ τοιαύτη κατάστασις τῆς ψυ χῆς παντὸς μὲν μετεωρισμοῦ ἀπαλλάξει ἡμᾶς, ἐν εὐ λαβείᾳ δὲ καὶ ἑδραίῳ φρονήματι πᾶσι τοῖς καλοῖς παρασκευάσει συνέπεσθαι, τοῦτο καὶ πρὸ πάντων ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ καθιδρύοντας, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἀγαθὸς, καὶ πάντων ἀγαθῶν αἴτιος, κακοῦ δὲ οὐδ' ὁπωστιοῦν οὐ δενὸς, κἂν ἡμεῖς πρὸς τὴν χρείαν τῆς διορθώσεως δριμυτέρας τῆς θεραπείας γευσώμεθα. Ἰατρὸς γὰρ ὢν ὁ Θεὸς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν, πρὸς τὴν φύσιν τῶν νοσημάτων τὴν τῶν φαρμάκων κίρνησι δύναμιν ἱκανὴν, ἐκκαθάρας βαθυτάτην κακίαν, ὅταν τού του δεήσειε. Τοῦτο γοῦν εἰδότες σαφῶς, εὐχαριστῶμεν ἀεὶ, κἂν σφοδροτέρας τῆς θεραπείας ἐπαισθανόμεθα, τὰς ὀλιγωρίας καθαιρόμενοι. Τὸ δὲ διὰ πειρα σμῶν καὶ δοκιμασίαν ὑπομένειν ὀλίγων σφόδρα καὶ Ἀβραμιαίων ἀνθρώπων. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὅσα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις τῇ ταπεινότητι τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας ἐπεχορήγησεν εἰς παράκλησιν ὑμῶν τῶν τὸν κοι νωνικὸν βίον ἀσπασαμένων. Οὗπερ, ὡς ὁ λόγος ἐδή λωσε, καὶ ἡ ἡμετέρα κατεῖδε διάνοια, οὐδὲν οὔτε λαμπρότερον, οὐδὲ χαριέστερον, οὔτε ὑψηλότερον εὑ ρεθείη ἂν ἐν ἀνθρώποις πολίτευμα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τοῖς τῷ μοναδικῷ βίῳ προσέχουσι τὴν ἐνοῦσαν παράκλησιν εἰσηνέγκαμεν, εἷς δὲ καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς ἑκατέ ροις σκοπὸς, τὸ εὐαρεστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ συγγενῆ τὰ περὶ τούτων παιδεύματα, κἀκείνων τὸν λόγον ἐπίωμεν. Ἴσως γάρ τι κἀκεῖθεν τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ συνεισενεχθήσεται χρήσιμον, λαμπρύνειν ἐπιπλέον καὶ διακοσμεῖν τὴν πολιτείαν δυνάμενον.