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he speaks of the wedding feasts, but those with wickedness or some evil, even if they enter, are again cast out with shame by the angels, whom he also calls ministers. Therefore, those who recline at the wedding feasts are the saints. But as for the one who does not have a wedding garment, I know that some consider this to be only those who have defiled their own bodies in fornication and adultery and murders. But it is not this, it is not; for he means everyone who is defiled by any passion or wickedness whatsoever. And that this is true, hear what Paul says: "Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, that is, idolaters, nor drunkards, nor revilers," and I will add, nor those who have hatred or envy toward any brother, "will not inherit the kingdom of God," nor do they have a share in the joy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you see how every wickedness and sin stains the garment of the soul and causes us to be cast out of the kingdom?

12. That it is not right, before the working of the commandments and the progress in virtue and

perfection, for any of the uninitiated to investigate the hidden mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens; and that at the second coming of the Lord all the saints will know one another. (95)

Let us therefore leave aside vain and unprofitable discussions and not be eager to learn the things of the time before the time, but let us rather obey the Master who says, "Search the Scriptures." Search and do not be overly curious. Search the Scriptures and do not engage in discussions outside of the holy Scriptures. Search the Scriptures, that you may be taught concerning faith and hope and love; (96) concerning faith, that you may not be carried about by every wind according to the trickery of unstable men, but that you may be strengthened by the right doctrines of the apostolic and catholic Church and "rightly divide her word". Not only this, but you will also be taught to seek the fruit of faith and the benefit from it through the practice of the commandments and, when you are able to find this, then you will also acquire a hope that does not put to shame and you will have complete love for God in it. For otherwise it is impossible for any man to acquire perfect love for God except through pure faith and firm and unwavering hope. Why then, leaving aside examining ourselves about these things, and whether we have such faith in God as He Himself, who is about to judge and requires this of us, says, do we busy ourselves with things beyond us, and this, while not knowing at all the things at our feet?

But what kind of faith is required of us by God and what sort we ought to have toward him, He Himself has declared through the gospels, saying thus: "Whoever wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me; for whoever comes to me and does not hate his father and his mother and his brothers and his sisters, and even his own soul, cannot be my disciple." And again: "He who has found his soul"—that is, in the things mentioned—"will lose it; but whoever loses his soul for my sake and for my gospel's"—that is, for the fulfillment of my commandments—"will find it unto eternal life." Have you heard the characteristics of faith? Are you satisfied with what has been said or do you still need to be reminded of what follows?

(97) If, therefore, you wish to learn that God requires such faith of us, so that, believing in him, we should not care at all about this present life, learn precisely from the Lord himself, who thus clearly exclaims: "Do not be anxious about tomorrow, what you shall eat or what you shall drink or what you shall wear." And little by little leading up to the

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τούς γάμους λέγει, τούς δέ μετά πονηρίας ἤ κακίας τινός, κἄν εἰσέλθωσι, πάλιν μετ᾿ αἰσχύνης ὑπό τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐκβάλλεσθαι, οὔς καί διακόνους καλεῖ. Οἱ οὖν ἀνακείμενοι ἐν τοῖς γάμοις οἱ ἅγιοί εἰσιν. Αὐτόν δέ τόν μή ἔχοντα ἔνδυμα γάμου, οἶδα ὅτι τινές τούς ἐν πορνείᾳ μόνον καί μοιχείᾳ καί φόνοις τά ἑαυτῶν καταρρυπώσαντας σώματα λογίζονται εἶναι. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο, οὐκ ἔστι· πάντα γάρ τόν ὑπό οἱουδηποτοῦν πάθους ἤ κακίας λέγει ῥερυπωμένον. Καί ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθές, ἄκουε Παύλου λέγοντος· "Μή πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι, οὔτε μοιχοί, οὔτε μαλακοί, οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται, οὔτε κλέπται, οὔτε πλεονέκται, οἱ καί εἰδωλολάτραι δηλονότι, οὔτε μέθυσοι, οὔτε λοίδοροι", προσθήσω δέ οὔτε οἱ μῖσος πρός τινα ἀδελφόν ἤ φθόνον ἔχοντες "βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν", οὐδέ μερίδα ἔχουσιν ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τό τῆς ψυχῆς ἔνδυμα πᾶσα πονηρία καί ἁμαρτία μολύνει καί ἡμᾶς ποιεῖ τῆς βασιλείας ἐκβάλλεσθαι;

ιβ΄. Ὅτι οὐ χρή πρό τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν καί τῆς εἰς ἀρετήν προκοπῆς τε

καί τελειώσεως τά κεκρυμμένα μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐρευνᾶν τῶν ἀμυήτων τινά· καί ὅτι ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐλεύσει πάντες ἀλλήλους γνωρίζουσιν οἱ ἅγιοι. (95)

Τοιγαροῦν ἐάσωμεν τάς ματαίας καί ἀνωφελεῖς συζητήσεις καί μή τά τοῦ καιροῦ

πρό καιροῦ μανθάνειν σπουδάζωμεν, πειθώμεθα δέ μᾶλλον οὕτω λέγοντι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ. "Ἐρευνᾶτε τάς Γραφάς". Ἐρευνᾶτε καί μή πολυπραγμονεῖτε. Ἐρευνᾶτε τάς Γραφάς καί μή ἔξωθεν τῶν ἁγίων Γραφῶν συζητήσεις ποιεῖσθε. Ἐρευνᾶτε τάς Γραφάς, ἵνα περί πίστεως καί ἐλπίδος καί ἀγάπης διδάσκησθε· (96) περί πίστεως, ἵνα μή παντί ἀνέμῳ συμπεριφέρησθε κατά τήν κυβείαν τῶν ἀστηρίκτων ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλά διά δογμάτων ὀρθῶν τῆς ἀποστολικῆς καί καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας στερεοῦσθε καί τόν "λόγον ὀρθοτομεῖτε" αὐτῆς. Οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά καί τόν τῆς πίστεως καρπόν καί τό ἐκ ταύτης ὄφελος διά τῆς πράξεως τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ ἐκζητεῖν διδαχθήσεσθε καί, ὅταν εὑρεῖν τοῦτο δυνηθῆτε, τηνικαῦτα καί τήν ἐλπίδα ἀκαταίσχυντον κτήσεσθε καί τήν πρός Θεόν ἀγάπην ἐν αὐτῇ ὁλικήν ἕξετε. Ἄλλως γάρ ἀδύνατον παντί ἀνθρώπῳ τήν πρός Θεόν ἀγάπην τελείαν κτήσασθαι εἰ μή διά πίστεως ἀκραιφνοῦς καί ἐλπίδος βεβαίας καί ἀδιστάκτου. Τί οὖν καταλιπόντες τό ἀνακρίνειν ἑαυτούς περί τούτων, καί εἰ ἄρα πίστιν ἔσχομεν πρός τόν Θεόν τοιαύτην οἵαν αὐτός ἐκεῖνος, ὁ καί κρῖναι μέλλων, καί ἀπαιτῆσαι ταύτην ἡμᾶς λέγει, τά ὑπέρ ἡμᾶς πολυπραγμονοῦμεν, καί ταῦτα, μηδέ τά ἐν ποσίν εἰδότες ποσῶς;

Ὁποία δέ ἐστιν ἡ πίστις ἥν ἀπαιτούμεθα πρός Θεοῦ καί ποταπή ἥν ὀφείλομεν πρός αὐτόν ἔχειν, αὐτός οὗτος διά τῶν εὐαγγελίων ἐδήλωσεν, οὕτως εἰπών· "Ὁ θέλων ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν καί ἀράτω τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ καί ἀκολουθείτω μοι· ὅστις γάρ ἔρχεται πρός με καί οὐ μισεῖ τόν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καί τήν μητέρα καί τούς ἀδελφούς καί τάς ἀδελφάς ἔτι δέ καί τήν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθητής". Καί πάλιν· "Ὁ εὑρών τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ" ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις δηλονότι "ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὅς δ᾿ ἄν ἀπολέσῃ τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καί τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μου" ἤγουν τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν μου ἐκπληρώσεως "εἰς ζωήν αἰώνιον εὑρήσει αὐτήν". Ἠκούσατε τῆς πίστεως τά γνωρίσματα; Ἀρκεῖσθε τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἤ ἔτι χρείαν ἔχετε καί τῶν ἑξῆς ἀναμνησθῆναι;

(97) Εἰ οὖν βούλεσθε μαθεῖν ὅτι τοιαύτην πίστιν ἀπαιτεῖ ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός, ὥστε μηδέ περί τῆς παρούσης ταύτης ζωῆς τό καθόλου φροντίζειν πιστεύοντας εἰς αὐτόν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ μάθετε ἀκριβῶς τοῦ Κυρίου οὕτω διαρρήδην βοῶντος· "Μή μεριμνήσητε περί τῆς αὔριον τί φάγητε ἤ τί πίητε ἤ τί ἐνδύσησθε". Κατά μικρόν δέ ἀνάγων ἐπί τά