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blocking off all his senses, and giving him no entrance, neither through the eyes, nor through the ears, nor through the tongue, nor through any other sense. For when the first passions are done away with, the results are unsubstantial. But if he suggests something to your mind, do not leave your place, shutting out fornication by means of chastity, and repelling hatred by means of love; and similarly securing each place of the virtues. For if, he says, you allow the spirit of the ruler to rest upon you, that is, to settle upon you, you will heap up many and great sins on your soul. Otherwise, If you first heal your soul through the care of the virtues, 93.597 you will cause many sins to cease; this is the remedy, not allowing the spirit of the ruler to come up against you. "There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an unwitting error which proceeds from the face of the ruler. The fool was given to great heights, and the rich will sit in a humble place." As for the literal meaning, he sees another evil in human affairs: rulers often making judgments unwillingly out of fear of some greater power, and glorifying the foolish, but confiscating the property of the rich through unwilling decisions. For often rulers have unwillingly served royal commands. But as for the spiritual meaning, men having willingly given themselves over to the love of pleasure, are then compelled to do something unwillingly, being pushed on by the ruler of the sons of disobedience, that is, the devil; to condemn as unjust the just providence of God, and to say, Why do the foolish become lofty and conspicuous, while those who from above and perhaps by birth are rich are changed to poverty? Therefore, when some of us are, as it were, willingly drunk with him, the said ruler suggests also involuntary things, that the one darkened by drunkenness should commit fornication and strike; for we do not get drunk in order to do these things at all; but since we have become drunk, we are also unwillingly pushed into these things; so also, being lovers of pleasure, we are often scandalized by the inscrutable judgments of God. "I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking as servants on the earth." He taught the unstable and swift-changing nature of life's reversals, urging us toward things that abide and are steadfast. "He who digs a pit will fall into it." The saying looks to the spiritual meaning alone. For it does not always happen in a historical sense. But he says that the one who sins is himself the first to punish his own soul; for he who loves injustice, hates his own soul; by the things through which one sins, by these he is punished. But the lawgiver Moses says concerning the murderer, Do to him in the manner that he acted wickedly against his neighbor. "And he who breaks down a hedge, a serpent will bite him." The hedge of the soul is the divine law and fear, and the true knowledge of the doctrines. Therefore, he who has despised the divine fear, and transgresses the commandments, or even falls into falsely named knowledge by sin, and the serpent activating this, being unguarded and stripped of divine grace, will be bitten. 93.600 "He who removes stones will be hurt by them." He who builds his house through the virtues, gathers stones, and builds well; but he who tears down what has already been built, through ease and listlessness removes stones, and toils, and is in danger. Otherwise, Holy stones in the prophet Zechariah the holy men are called. He who removes these, that is, persecutes or even kills them, is hurt, that is, he brings destruction upon himself, as Herod did when he murdered John. "He who splits wood will be endangered by it, if the iron should slip, and he himself has troubled his face, and he will strengthen his powers, and the abundance of the brave man is wisdom." Through symbols and through sensible things he leads us by the hand to the things that are understood. Therefore, he who uses the teaching word as an iron tool, and attempts to split the divine Scriptures, the fragrant woods, if he should miss the mark of the Holy Spirit, and not interpret orthodoxly according to the will of the lawgiver, but his word should fail,

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πάσας αὐτῷ τὰς αἰσθήσεις ἀποφράττων, καὶ μήτε δι' ὀφθαλμῶν, μήτε δι' ὤτων, μήτε διὰ γλώττης, μήτε δι' ἄλλης αἰσθήσεως εἴσοδον αὐτῷ παρέχων. Τῶν γὰρ πρωτοπαθειῶν ἀναιρουμένων, ἀνυπόστατα τὰ ἀποτελέσματα. Εἰ δὲ καὶ κατὰ διάνοιάν τι ὑποβάλλῃ, τόπον σου μὴ ἀφῇς, ἀποκλείων μὲν τὴν πορνείαν διὰ σωφροσύνης, διὰ δὲ ἀγάπης τὸ μῖσος ἀποκρουόμενος· καὶ ὁμοίως ἕκαστον τόπον τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀσφαλιζόμενος. Ἐὰν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐάσῃς καταπαύσας εἰς σὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐξουσιάζοντος, τουτέστι ἐπαναπαύσασθαι, πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας ἁμαρτίας ἐπισωρεύσεις σου τῇ ψυχῇ. Ἄλλως, Ἐὰν προθεραπεύσῃς σου τὴν ψυχὴν διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐπιμελείας, 93.597 παλλὰς καταπαύσεις ἁμαρτίας· τοῦτο τὸ ἴαμα, οὐ συγχωροῦν πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐξουσιάζοντος ἀναβῆναι ἐπὶ σέ. "Ἔστι πονηρία, ἢν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἤλιον, ὡς ἀκούσιον ἐξῆλθε ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ ἐξουσιάζοντος. Ἐδόθη ὁ ἄφρων ὕψεσι μεγάλοις, καὶ πλούσιοι ἐν ταπεινῷ καθίσονται." Πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν, ἑτέραν ὁρᾷ πονηρίαν ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις πράγμασι· τοὺς ἄρχοντας πολλάκις καὶ ἀκουσίως ἀποφαινομένους διὰ φόβον τινὸς μείζονος δυναστείας, καὶ δοξάζοντας μὲν τοὺς ἄφρονας, τῶν δὲ πλουσίων τὰς οὐσίας δημεύοντας διὰ τῶν ἀποφάσεων τῶν ἀκουσίων. Πολλάκις γὰρ βασιλικαῖς προστάξεσιν ἄρχοντες ἀκουσίως ὑπηρετήσαντο. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, Ἑκουσίως ἑαυτοὺς οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἰς φιληδονίαν ἐπιδεδωκότες, ἀκούσιόν τι λοιπὸν πράττειν ἀναγκάζονται, συνωθούμενοι ἐκ τοῦ ἐξουσιάζοντος τῶν υἱῶν τῆς ἀπειθείας, τουτέστι τοῦ διαβόλου· καταψηφίζεσθαι ὡς ἀδίκου τῆς δικαίας τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας, καὶ λέγειν, ∆ιὰ τί οἱ ἄφρονες ὑψηλοί τινες καὶ ἀπόβλεπτοι γίνονται, οἱ δὲ ἄνωθεν ἴσως που καὶ ἐκ γένους πλούσιοι εἰς πενίαν μεταβάλλουσιν; Ἡμῶν οὖν τινα πρὸς αὐτῷ ἑκουσίως οἷον μεθυόντων, ὁ εἰρημένος ἐξουσιάζων ὑποβάλλει καὶ τὰ ἀκούσια, τὸ ἐκ τῆς μέθης σκοτούμενον πορνεύειν καὶ τύπτειν· οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντως ἴνα ταῦτα πράξωμεν, μεθυσκόμεθα· ἀλλ' ἐπειδήπερ ἐμεθύσθημεν, καὶ ἄκοντες εἰς ταῦτα συνωθούμεθα· οὕτω καὶ φιληδονοῦντες περὶ τὰς ἀνέφικτα τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίματα πολλάκις σκανδαλιζόμεθα. "Εἶδον δούλους ἐφ' ἵπποις, καὶ ἄρχοντας πορευομένους ὡς δούλους ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Τὸ ἄστατον καὶ ἀγχίστροφον τῆς τοῦ βίου μεταβολῆς ἐδίδαξε, προτρέπων ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὰ μένοντα καὶ ἱστάμενα. "Ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον, ἐν αὐτῷ ἐμπεσεῖται." Πρὸς διάνοιαν μόνην βλέπει τὸ ῥητόν. Οὐ γὰρ πάντως καθ' ἱστορίαν συμβαίνει. Φησὶ δὲ, ὅτι Ὁ ἁμαρτάνων αὐτὸς πρῶτος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν τιμωρεῖται· Ὁ γὰρ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ἀδικίαν, μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν· δι' ὧν τις ἁμαρτάνει, διὰ τούτων κολάζεται. Φησὶ δὲ ὁ νομοθέτης Μωσῆς περὶ τοῦ φονέως, Ποιήσατε αὐτῷ ὃν τρόπον ἐπονηρεύσατο κατὰ τοῦ πλησίον. "Καὶ καθαιροῦντα φραγμὸν, δήξεται αὐτὸν ὁ ὄφις." Φραγμὸς τῆς ψυχῆς ὁ θεῖος νόμος καὶ φόβος, καὶ ἡ τῶν δογμάτων ἀληθὴς γνῶσις. Ὁ τοίνυν καταφρονήσας τοῦ θείου φόβου, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς παραβαίνων, ἢ καὶ ψευδωνύμῳ γνώσει περιπίπτων ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ταύτην ἐνεργοῦντος τοῦ ὄφεως, ἀφύλακτος ὢν καὶ γυμνὸς τῆς θείας χάριτος, δηχθήσεται. 93.600 "Ἐξαίρων λίθους διαπονηθήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς." Ὁ τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ οἰκοδομῶν διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν, λίθους συνάγει, καὶ καλῶς οἰκοδομεῖ· ὁ δὲ καταλύων τὰ ἤδη κτισθέντα, διὰ ῥᾳστώνης καὶ χαυνώσεως ἐξαιρεῖ λίθους, καὶ πονεῖ, καὶ κινδυνεύει. Ἄλλως, Λίθοι ἅγιοι παρὰ τῷ προφήτῃ Ζαχαρίᾳ οἱ ἅγιοι ἄνδρες κέκληνται. Ὁ τούτους ἐξαίρων, τουτέστι διώκων, ἢ καὶ ἀποκτείνων, διαπονεῖ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὄλεθρον ἐπισπᾶται καθ' ἑαυτοῦ, ὡς ὁ Ἡρώδης τὸν Ἰωάννην φονεύσας. "Σχίζων ξύλα κινδυνεύσει ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἐὰν ἐκπέσῃ τὸ σιδήριον, καὶ αὐτὸς πρόσωπον ἐτάραξε, καὶ δυνάμεις δυναμώσει, καὶ περισσεία τοῦ ἀνδρείου σοφία." ∆ιὰ συμβόλων καὶ διὰ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἐπὶ τὰ νοούμενα ἡμᾶς χειραγωγεῖ. Ὁ τῷ λόγῳ τοίνυν τῷ διδασκαλικῷ ὥσπερ σιδήρῳ χρώμενος, καὶ διασχίζειν τὰς θείας Γραφὰς, τὰ εὐώδη ξύλα, πειρώμενος, ἐὰν ἐκπέσῃ τοῦ σκοποῦ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὸ τοῦ νομοθέτου βούλημα ὀρθοδοξαστικῶς διερμηνεύσῃ, ἀλλὰ διαπέσῃ αὐτοῦ λόγος,