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VOLUME 2. Page (136) Of our Father among the Saints and Confessor Maximus,

Concerning the things that were done in the first exile, that is in Bizye; the things spoken between Theodosius, bishop of Caesarea in Bithynia, and him.

A. The things set in motion concerning our blameless faith of the Christians, and of the

contrarily introduced innovation, between Abba Maximus and Theodosius, bishop of Caesarea in Bithynia, I considered it necessary to make manifest to all of you who persist in orthodoxy, so that having a more accurate knowledge concerning these things, you may the more glorify the philanthropic God, Who gives utterance in the opening of the mouth (137) of those who fear Him; lest, as is their custom, the enemies of the truth, by proclaiming things contrary to it, should trouble your hearts.

B. Therefore, on the twenty-fourth of the month of August of the now past

fourteenth indiction, the aforementioned bishop Theodosius went out to him in the exile where he was guarded, that is, in the fortress of Bizye, sent, as he said, on behalf of Peter the prefect of Constantinople; and Paul and Theodosius the consuls, sent, as they also said, on behalf of the emperor; and going up to the said monk Maximus, in the place where he had been shut up, they sat down, and permitted him also to sit, the bishop of Bizye also being present with them, of course. And Theodosius the bishop says to him: How are you, Lord Abba? MAX. As God predestined before all ages the providential course concerning me, so I am. THEOD. What then? Has God predestined everything concerning each of us? MAX. If He foreknew, He certainly also predestined. THEOD. What is this, "He foreknew," and "He predestined"? MAX. Foreknowledge is of the thoughts, words, and deeds that are in our power; but predestination is of the things that happen to us that are not in our power. THEOD. What are the things in our power, and what are the things not in our power? MAX. As it seems, my master, knowing all things, is speaking with his servant for the sake of testing. THEOD. By the truth of God, I asked in ignorance, and wishing to learn the difference between the things in our power and not in our power; and how some things exist under the foreknowledge of God, while others are under predestination. MAX. In our power are all voluntary things, that is, virtues and vices; but not in our power are the visitations of chastisements that befall us, or of their opposites. For neither the chastising sickness is in our power, nor the gladdening health; nor their qualities and causes. For example, the cause of sickness is disorder, just as the cause of health is order; and the cause of the kingdom of heaven is the keeping of the commandments, just as the cause of eternal fire is their transgression. THEOD. What then? Are you afflicted in this exile because you did something worthy of this affliction? MAX. I pray that by this affliction God may limit the payments for which I have sinned against him in the transgression of his righteous commandments. THEOD. Is not affliction brought upon many for the sake of testing? MAX. The testing is for the saints, so that through affliction their dispositions for what is naturally good may be made manifest in the life of men, revealing along with themselves virtues unknown to all, as in the case of Job and Joseph. For the one was tempted for the manifestation of his hidden courage; and the other, for the proclamation

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ΤΟΜΟΣ Β´. Σελ. (136) Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις Πατρός ἡμῶν καί ὁμολογητοῦ Μαξίμου,

Περί τῶν πραχθέντων ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ἐξορίᾳ, ἤτοι ἐν Βιζύῃ· τά παρά τοῦ Θεοδοσίου ἐπισκόπου Καισαρείας Βιθυνίας, καί αὐτοῦ διαλεχθέντα.

Α΄. Τά κεκινημένα περί τῆς ἀμωμήτου ἡμῶν τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστεως, καί τῆς τῶν

δι' ἐναντίας παρεισάκτου καινοτομίας, μεταξύ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Μαξίμου, καί Θεοδοσίου ἐπισκόπου Καισαρείας Βιθυνίας ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην κατάδηλον ποιῆσαι πᾶσιν ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐν ὀρθοδοξίᾳ διατελοῦσιν, ἵνα ἀκριβέστερον τά περί τούτων εἰδέναι ἔχοντες, δοξάζητε μᾶλλον τόν φιλάνθρωπον Θεόν, τόν διδόντα λόγον ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος (137) τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν· μήπως συνήθως οἱ ἐχθροί τῆς ἀληθείας, τἀναντία ταύτης διαφημίζοντες, ἐκταράξωσιν ὑμῶν τάς καρδίας.

Β΄.Τοιγαροῦν τῇ εἰκοστῇ τετάρτῃ τοῦ Αὐγούστου μηνός τῆς νυνί παρελθούσης

τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης ἐπινεμήσεως, ἐξῆλθεν πρός αὐτόν ἐν ᾗ παρεφυλάττετο ἐξορίᾳ, τουτέστιν ἐν κάστρῳ Βιζύης, ὁ προρηθείς ἐπίσκοπος Θεοδόσιος, ὡς εἶπεν, ἐκ προσώπου Πέτρου τοῦ προέδρου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως πεμφθείς· καί Παῦλος καί Θεοδόσιος οἱ ὕπατοι, ὡς εἶπον καί αὐτοί, ἐκ προσώπου βασιλέως πεμφθέντες· καί ἀνελθόντες πρός τόν εἰρημένον μοναχόν Μάξιμον, ἐν ᾧ τόπῳ ἀπεκέκλειστο, ἐκάθισαν, καί ἐπέτρεψαν καί αὐτόν καθίσαι, συνόντος αὐτοῖς δηλονότι καί τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Βιζύης. Καί λέγει πρός αὐτόν Θεοδόσιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος· Πῶς ἔχεις, κῦρι ἀββᾶ; ΜΑΞ. Ὡς πρώρισεν ὁ Θεός πρό πάντων τῶν αἰώνων τήν περί ἐμέ προνοητικήν διεξαγωγήν, οὕτως ἔχω. ΘΕΟ∆. Τί οὖν; πρό παντός περί ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ὥρισεν(προώρισεν) Ο Θεός; ΜΑΞ. Εἴπερ προέγνω, πάντως καί προώρισε· ΘΕΟ∆. Τί ἔστιν αὐτό τό, Προέγνω, καί Προώρισεν; ΜΑΞ. Ἡ πρόγνωσις τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐννοιῶν καί λόγων καί ἔργων ἐστίν· ὁ προορισμός δέ τῶν οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν συμβαινόντων ἐστί. ΘΕΟ∆. Ποῖά ἐστι τά ἐφ' ἡμῖν, καί ποῖα τά οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν; ΜΑΞ. Ὡς ἔοικε, πάντα γινώσκων ὁ δεσπότης μου, δοκιμαστικῶς διαλέγεται πρός τόν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ. ΘΕΟ∆. Μά τήν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀγνοῶν ἠρώτησα, καί μαθεῖν θέλων τήν διαφοράν τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν, καί οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν· καί πῶς τά μέν ὑπό τήν πρόγνωσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχουσι· τά δέ, ὑπό τόν προορισμόν εἰσιν. ΜΑΞ. Ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι τά ἑκούσια πάντα, τουτέστιν ἀρεταί καί κακίαι· οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν δέ, αἱ ἐπιφοραί τῶν συμβαινόντων ἡμῖν κολαστικῶν τρόπων, ἤ τῶν ἐναντίων. Οὔτε γάρ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἡ κολάζουσα νόσος, οὔτε ἡ εὐφραίνουσα ὑγεία· καί αἱ ποιότητες καί αἱ τούτων αἰτίαι. Οἷον αἰτία νόσου ἀταξία, ὥσπερ καί ὑγείας εὐταξία· καί βασιλείας οὐρανῶν αἰτία, ἡ τῶν ἐντολῶν φυλακή, ὥσπερ καί πυρός αἰωνίου, ἡ τῶν τούτων παράβασις. ΘΕΟ∆. Τί οὖν; διά τοῦτο θλίβῃ ἐν τῇ ἐξορίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἐπειδή ἄξιά τινα ἐποίησας ταύτης τῆς θλίψεως; ΜΑΞ. Παρακαλῶ ἵνα ὁ Θεός ταῦτῃ τῇ θλίψει περιορίσῃ τάς ἐκτίσεις ὧν ἥμαρτον αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ παραβάσει τῶν αὐτοῦ δικαιωτικῶν ἐντολῶν. ΘΕΟ∆. Οὐκ ἔστι δοκιμῆς ἕνεκεν ἀπαγομένοη θλίψις πολλοῖς; ΜΑΞ. Ἡ δοκιμή τῶν ἁγίων ἐστίν, ἵνα φανερωθῶσι διά τῆς θλίψεως τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, αἱ περί τό φύσει καλόν διαθέσεις αὐτῶν, ἑαυταῖς συνεκφαίνουσαι τάς ἠγνοημένας πᾶσιν ἀρετάς, ὡς ἐπί Ἰώβ καί Ἰωσήφ. Ὁ μέν γάρ ἐπί φανερώσει τῆς κεκρυμμένης ἀνδρείας ἐπειράζετο· ὁ δέ, ἐπ' ἐκφωνήσει