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From Job: "because they had no shelter, they embraced a rock." RESPONSE Those who previously had no shelter, that is, faith, were the 14Α_198 nations;

but they embraced a rock, the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. QUESTION 136 Is it possible for a natural proof to be found concerning the Holy Trinity? RESPONSE All beings are believed to exist in three modes, in substance, in difference, in

life; and from the principle of the substance of beings we are assured that there is a certain substance, which is the Father; and from the difference of beings, wisdom, that is, the Son for it is of wisdom to assign to each nature its suitable property, and to preserve each of the things that have come into being distinct and unmixed both with respect to itself and to the rest and from life, the Holy Spirit. But in the case of God, these exist and are spoken of as hypostases, but in the case of creatures, as accidents.

QUESTION 137 From Saint Gregory the Theologian on the passage "all brought what was

preached to them, but others were volunteers, and what do the offerings signify"? RESPONSE Volunteers are those who from the natural seeds within them approach the

good, while the preached are those who come to the good through teaching. And he who piously utters the word concerning theology offers gold, and silver 14Α_200 he who has a pure life and brilliant and transparent teaching, and precious stones he who adorns practical power with divine words, and twisted fine linen he who preserves the state of virtue unshaken in involuntary temptations and through them, in the manner of water, washes away and whitens the thoughts arising in the soul from sin, and spun scarlet he who by the abundance of reason obliterates the pleasures and passions within us through the mortification of the members of the body, and purple he who has embraced the knowledge of beings accurately and without error; for purple is taken for knowledge in one application; for it is composed of many and various forms, just as knowledge is composed of many and various theorems. He who is completely deadened to sensation offers skins dyed red, and he who has acquired complete insensibility to present things offers hair.

QUESTION 138 What is the meaning of the psalm "serve the Lord with fear and rejoice

unto him with trembling" and how is it possible at the same time both to tremble and to rejoice and how again in the 18th (19th) does it say "the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever and ever", but John says "love casts out fear" and if it is cast out, how does it endure?

RESPONSE Fear is twofold; the one for crimes, the other according to the worth of the beloved; therefore

love casts off the fear for crimes, but preserves that for the worth of the beloved. And rejoicing 14Α_202 is the joyous disposition upon the acquisition of things, while gladness is the enjoyment of the things acquired.

QUESTION 139 What do the cows and the ears of corn shown to Pharaoh in a dream signify? RESPONSE Here Pharaoh is taken for nature; and the good cows

signify action, and the ears of corn, knowledge; for in this weekly time

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Ἐκ τοῦ Ἰώβ· «παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν σκέπην, πέτραν περιεβάλοντο». ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Τὰ μὴ ἔχοντα σκέπην πρότερον, τουτέστιν πίστιν, ἦσαν τὰ 14Α_198 ἔθνη·

περιεβάλοντο δὲ πέτραν, τὴν εἰς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν πίστιν. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 136 Εἰ δυνατὸν φυσικὴν ἀπόδειξιν εὑρεθῆναι περὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Πάντα τὰ ὄντα ἐν τρισὶν τρόποις εἶναι πεπίστευται, ἐν οὐσίᾳ, ἐν διαφορᾷ, ἐν

ζωῇ· καὶ ἐκ μὲν τοῦ τῆς οὐσίας τῶν ὄντων λόγου τὸ εἶναί τινα οὐσίαν πιστούμεθα, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ Πατήρ· ἐκ δὲ τῆς διαφορᾶς τῶν ὄντων τὴν σοφίαν, τουτέστιν τὸν Υἱόν σοφίας γὰρ τὸ ἀπονεῖμαι ἑκάστῃ φύσει τὴν πρόσφορον ἰδιότητα, καὶ εὐκρινῆ καὶ ἄφυρτα καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν καὶ πρὸς τὰ λοιπὰ διατηρεῖν ἕκαστον τῶν γεγονότων ἐκ δὲ τῆς ζωῆς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ ταῦτα ἐνυπόστατα εἰσὶν καὶ λέγονται, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν κτισμάτων συμβεβηκότα.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 137 Ἐκ τοῦ ἁγίου Γρηγορίου τοῦ Θεολόγου εἰς τὸ «πάντες μὲν εἰσέφερον τὸ

κηρυχθὲν αὐτοῖς, οἱ δὲ αὐτεπάγγελτοι ἦσαν καὶ τί σημαίνουσιν τὰ προσαγόμενα»; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Αὐτεπάγγελτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐκ τῶν ἐνόντων αὐτοῖς φυσικῶν σπερμάτων πρὸς τὸ

ἀγαθὸν ἐρχόμενοι, κηρυττόμενοι δὲ οἱ ἐκ διδασκαλίας εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐρχόμενοι. Καὶ χρυσὸν μὲν προσφέρει ὁ εὐσεβῶς τὸν περὶ θεολογίας λόγον ποιούμενος, ἄργυρον 14Α_200 δὲ ὁ βίον καθαρὸν καὶ διδασκαλίαν λαμπρὰν καὶ διαφανῆ, λίθους δὲ τιμίους ὁ τὴν πρακτικὴν δυναστείαν θείοις λόγοις κοσμῶν, βύσσον δὲ κεκλωσμένην ὁ τὴν ἕξιν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐν τοῖς ἀκουσίοις πειρασμοῖς ἀτίνακτον διαφυλάττων καὶ δι᾽ αὐτῶν ὕδατος τρόπον τοὺς ἐγγινομένους τῇ ψυχῇ ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας λογισμοὺς ἀποπλύνων καὶ ἐξασπρύνων, κόκκινον δὲ νενησμένην ὁ τῇ περιουσίᾳ τοῦ λόγου τὰ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν ἡδονῇ καὶ πάθη ἐξαφανίζων διὰ τῆς νεκρώσεως τῶν μελῶν τοῦ σώματος, πορφύραν δὲ ὁ τὴν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν ἀκριβῶς καὶ ἀπταίστως ἐγκολπισάμενος· ἡ γὰρ πορφύρα κατὰ μίαν ἐπιβολὴν εἰς τὴν γνῶσιν λαμβάνεται· ἐκ πολλῶν γὰρ καὶ διαφόρων σύγκειται εἰδῶν, καθάπερ καὶ ἡ γνῶσις ἐκ πολλῶν καὶ διαφόρων θεωρημάτων. ∆έρματα δὲ ἠρυθροδανωμένα προσφέρει ὁ τῇ αἰσθήσει παντελῶς νεκρωθείς, τρίχας δὲ ὁ τὴν παντελῆ πρὸς τὰ παρόντα ἀναισθησίαν κτησάμενος.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 138 Τί ἐστιν τὸ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ "δουλεύσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε

αὐτῷ ἐν τρόμῳ" καὶ πῶς ἐστιν ἐν ταὐτῷ δυνατὸν καὶ τρέμειν καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθαι καὶ πῶς πάλιν ἐν τῷ ιη' (18) λέγει "ὁ φόβος Κυρίου ἁγνός, διαμένων εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος", ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης φησὶν "ἡ ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον" καὶ εἰ ἔξω βάλλεται πῶς διαμένει;

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ ∆ιττὸς ὁ φόβος· ὁ μὲν ἐπὶ ἐγκλήμασιν, ὁ δὲ κατ᾽ ἀξίαν τοῦ ἀγαπωμένου· ἡ οὖν

ἀγάπη τὸν ἐπὶ ἐγκλήμασιν φόβον ἀποτίθεται, τὸν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀξίας τοῦ ἀγαπωμένου συντηρεῖ. Ἀγαλλίασις 14Α_202 δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπὶ κτήσει τινῶν ἐπίχαρτος διάθεσις, εὐφροσύνη δὲ ἡ ἐπὶ τῶν κτηθέντων ἀπόλαυσις.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 139 Τί σημαίνουσιν αἱ τῷ Φαραὼ καθ᾽ ὕπνον δειχθεῖσαι βόες καὶ οἱ στάχυες; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐνταῦθα ὁ Φαραὼ ἐπὶ τῆς φύσεως λαμβάνεται· οἱ δὲ βόες οἱ καλοὶ τὴν

πρᾶξιν δηλοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ στάχυες τὴν γνῶσιν· ἐν γὰρ τῷ ἑβδοματικῷ τούτῳ χρόνῳ