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of this. And what is said in Proverbs: "The houses of the lawless will owe purification, but the houses of the righteous are acceptable." For these things are said not about perceptible things, but about the states of mind, the wicked ones needing purification, while the virtuous ones are acceptable, the "acceptable" indicating not what is chosen by someone, but what is worthy of praise; for the good is choiceworthy even if no one chooses it, and it is acceptable even if no one accepts it. And what is said about the one "who fears the Lord and delights greatly in his 147 commandments": "wealth and glory are in his house" is not said about a perceptible house or glory; for many who fear God have neither human glory nor a wealthy house, like Elijah, like Elisha and those like them, he who is "rich in good works" and "in all speech and all knowledge," as Paul writes, having wealth and glory in the house of the mind and adorned in his way of life through all the virtues. Moreover, the gospel also clarifies such a house; for it says: "whoever hears my words and does them, is like a wise man, who built his house upon the rock, and the rain fell, the winds blew, the rivers came, and the house was not shaken," which is the state of the virtuous man who has transformed the words of the Lord into deeds, who remains unweathered, harmed in no way by opposing forces. For such a one has founded his state and choice upon "the rock," which is "Christ." For to the one who confessed him it was said by 148 him: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church," while the one who hears the words casually and does not join deeds to the words is "likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand," that is, his state upon the fluid affairs of life, not admitting of seeds or .... Therefore this one, being unstable, has a swift fall when a little temptation is sent, either through the teaching of another or through some circumstance brought on by an evil spirit. He who has the praiseworthy house with a firm standing, as Moses, will hear from God: "But you, stand here with me." And about him the Savior says: "There are some of those standing here who will not taste death." Such a house, then, Job also had, which "the wise man, having built," "founded firmly upon the rock." Which the disciples of Christ also having equally, had an unshaken standing, keeping the words of salvation. "The house" of the mind "is at peace," being unconfused and unwearied, with 149 virtue working peace because they follow one another; for there is nothing discordant in the virtuous man. Regarding the virtues, the proverb might be fittingly said: "Wise women have built a house, but the foolish one has torn it down with her own hands." For vice works a swift perversion of the buildings. Therefore, one virtue is not sufficient for the building of a house. For this reason it is said in the plural: "women have built a house." But one vice is sufficient for perversion. For indeed it is said: if someone does all righteous deeds, but commits one act of lawlessness, all his righteous deeds are nullified. For they no longer stand nor remain when one vice has entered. It befalls the same virtuous man "not to miss the way of life of his tent." For one must pray for the one who is advancing, which is signified by the tent, not to stumble nor to sin; for it is possible while one is still advancing, while the one who dwells in the house is already at peace because of perfection, from the advancing of the one who has reaped fruit and sings in the psalms: "I will pass through in the place of a wondrous 150 tabernacle to the house of God," in which the one who has arrived, having come to the summit of virtue, is hard to move and most firm. This is shown from: "Everyone who has been born of God does not commit sin." And giving the reason he adds: "because his seed

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τούτου. καὶ τὸ ἐν Παροιμίαις λεγόμενον· "οἰκίαι τῶν παρανόμων ὀφειλήσουσιν καθαρισμόν, οἰκίαι δὲ δικαίων δεκταί." οὐ γὰρ περὶ αἰσθητῶν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἐν διανοίᾳ ἕξεων ταῦτα εἴρηται, καθάρσεως δεομένων τῶν φαύλων, τῶν δὲ ἐναρέτων δεκτῶν τυγχανόντων, τοῦ δεκτοῦ δηλοῦντος οὐ τό τινι αἱρετόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἄξιον ἐπαίνου· τὸ γὰρ ἀγαθὸν αἱρετόν ἐστιν κἂν μηδεὶς αὐτὸ αἱρῆται, καὶ δεκτόν ἐστιν κἂν μηδεὶς αὐτὸ δέχηται. καὶ τὸ περὶ τοῦ "φοβουμένου" δὲ "τὸν κύριον καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς 147 αὐτοῦ σφόδρα θέλοντος" εἰρημένον· "πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ" οὐ περὶ αἰσθητοῦ οἴκου ἢ δόξης λέγεται· πολλῶν γὰρ θεὸν φοβουμένων οὔτε δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην οὔτε οἶκον πλούσιον ἐχόντων ὡς Ἠλίας, ὡς Ἐλισαῖος καὶ οἱ ὅμοιοι, τοῦ "πλουτοῦντος ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς" καὶ "ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει", ὡς Παῦλος γράφει, πλοῦτον καὶ δόξαν ἐν τῶι οἴκῳ τῆς διανοίας ἔχοντος καὶ τῃ῀̣ πολιτείᾳ διὰ πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν κ̣εκοσ̣μημένου. ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον σαφηνίζει τὸν τοιοῦτον ο̣ἶκον· λέγει γάρ· "ὃς ἂν ἀκούσῃ τοὺς λόγους μου καὶ ποιήσῃ, ὅμοιός ἐστιν ἀνδρὶ φρονίμῳ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, καὶ κατέβη ἡ βροχή, ἔπνευσαν οἱ ἄνεμοι, ἦλθον οἱ ποταμοί, καὶ οὐκ ἐσείσθη" η῾̣ οἰκία, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ τοῦ ἐναρέτου̣ ἕξις τοῦ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἔργα μεταβαλόντος, ὅστις ἀχείμ̣αντος διαμένει μηδὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων ἐνεργειῶν βλαπτόμενος. ἐπὶ "τὴν πέτραν" γὰρ "τὸν Χριστὸν" τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἕξιν τε καὶ προαίρεσιν ἐθεμελίωσεν. τῷ γὰρ ὁμολογήσαντι αὐτὸν εἴρηται ὑπ' 148 αὐτοῦ· "σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ε᾿̣π̣ι`̣ ταύτῃ τῆι πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν", τοῦ ἀκούοντος τῶν λόγων ὡς ἔτυχεν καὶ μὴ συνάπτοντος πράξεις τοῖς λόγοις "ἀνδρὶ μωρῷ ὁμοιουμένου, ὃς ᾠκοδόμησεν τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον", ὅ ἐστιν τὴν ἕξιν ἐπὶ τὰ ῥευστὰ τοῦ βίου πράγματα σπορὰς ἢ ····μ̣ο··νωσιν οὐκ ἐπιδεχόμενα. διόπερ οὗτος ἀβέβαιος ὢν ταχείαν ἔχει τὴν πτῶσιν ὀλίγου σταλέντος πειρασμοῦ, ἤτοι διὰ παρ' ἄλλου διδασκαλίας ἢ διὰ περιστάσεώς τινος ὑπὸ πνεύματος πονηροῦ ἐπαγομένης. ὁ τὸν ἐπαινετὸν οἶκον στάσιν ἑδραίαν ἔχων καθὰ Μωσῆς ἀκούσεται πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. "σὺ δ' αὐτοῦ στῆθι μετ' ἐμοῦ." καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει· "εἰσίν τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστηκότων, οἳ οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου." τοιοῦτον οὖν καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ οἶκον εἶχεν, ὃν "οἰκοδομήσας" βέβαιαιον "ὁ φρόνιμος ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν ἐθεμελίωσεν". ὃν ἔχοντες ἐπ' ἴσης καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀκίνητον εἶχον τὴν στάσιν τηροῦντες τοὺς σωτηριώδεις λόγους. "εἰρηνεύει" δ' "ὁ οἶκος" τῆς διανοίας ἀσυνχύτου καὶ ἀκαμάντου μὲν οὔσης, τῆς 149 ἀρετῆς τὴν εἰρήνην ἐργαζομένης διὰ τὸ ἀντακολουθεῖν αὐτάς· ἀσύμφωνον γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐν τῶι σπουδαίῳ. περὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν οἰκείως λεχθείη τὸ παροιμιῶδες· "σοφαὶ γυναῖκες ᾠκοδόμησαν οἶκον, ἡ δὲ ἄφρων κατέσκαψεν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῆς." ἡ γὰρ κακία ταχείαν τῶν οἰκοδομημάτων ἐργάζεται διαστροφήν. μία μὲν οὖν ἀρετὴ πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν οἰκίας οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτάρκης. διὰ τοῦτο πληθυντικῶς εἴρηται· "γυναῖκες ᾠκοδόμησαν οἶκον." μία δὲ κακία πρὸς διαστροφὴν ἱκανή. εἴρηται γοῦν· ἐάν τις πάσας τὰς δικαιοσύνας ποιήσῃ, μίαν δὲ παρανομίαν ποιήσῃ, ἀθετοῦνται πᾶσαι αἱ δικαι οσύναι αὐτοῦ. οὐκέτι γὰρ ἵστανται οὐδὲ παραμένουσιν μιᾶς εἰσελθούσης κακίας. τοῦ δ' αὐτοῦ ἐναρέτου τυγχάνει "μηδὲ τὴν δίαιταν τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ διαμαρτεῖν". εὐκτέον γὰρ προκόπτοντι, ὅπερ διὰ τῆς σκηνῆς δηλοῦται, μὴ πταῖσαι μηδὲ ἁμαρτεῖν· ἐνδέχεται γὰρ ἕως ἔτι προκόπτει, τοῦ ἐν οἴκῳ διάγοντος εἰρηνεύοντος ἤδη διὰ τὴν τελειότητα, ἐκ τοῦ προκόπτειν τοῦ καρπωσαμένου καὶ ψάλλοντος· "διελεύσομαι ἐν τόπῳ σκηνῆς θαυ150 μαστῆς ἕως τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ", ἐν ᾧ ὁ φθάσας τῷ ε̣ἰς̣ τὴν ακ̣··ριαν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐληλυθέναι δυσκίνητός ἐστι καὶ βεβαιότατος. τοῦτο δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ· "πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἁμαρτίαν οὐ ποιεῖ." καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀποδιδοὺς ἐπιφε´̣ρει· "ὅτι σπέρμα αὐτοῦ