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prophets, and in the new covenant many of the saints have demonstrated by their works, having called by name those whom they had never seen, and indeed they also knew those whom they did not know.

Therefore, let those who say that the saints do not know or see one another, being persuaded by these things, not inquire about incomprehensible matters, but rather, if they obey me, let them not cease to pay attention to themselves and to examine themselves. But you who are ignorant of all that has been said, and have not come to perception and knowledge and experience of divine illumination and contemplation, how do you not shudder to write or speak at all about such things? For if we must give an account for every idle word, how much more shall we be examined concerning such things and punished as idle talkers. For an idle word is not, as one might suppose, only that which is unprofitable, but also that which is spoken by us before the deed and the knowledge that comes from experience. For when I do not despise earthly glory (111) nor abhor it with my soul, as harmful to the soul and depriving me of glory from above, but I teach others about it and command them to abstain from it, will not my word be idle and ineffectual and empty, and will I not be condemned as a liar? And when again I do not receive the grace of the Spirit in perception and knowledge, nor become taught by God through it, nor receive a word of wisdom and knowledge from above, but I shamelessly leap to interpret the divinely-inspired Scriptures and assume for myself the rank of a teacher, that is, using for this only so-called knowledge, will God indeed leave these things unexamined and not demand an account from me for this? Not at all, indeed. But if you wish, learn the things above and divine from the things below and human. Which man, tell me, even if he is admired above all for his wisdom and knowledge and science of laws, even if he prides himself on all righteousness and piety, dares to sit with judges as a judge and to call himself a judge and to legislate for others? And if he should do this, will he not be dishonored by the king and punished by the exactness of the laws? O, the shamelessness! No one dares to despise the earthly king and to seize his honor or office and assign it to himself, and you despise the heavenly King as if He were nothing and dare to undertake the apostolic offices without His assent and will? In short, being this way, do you think the Master will leave this unexamined? Not at all, by no means.

But O Lord, grant us to know you and to fear you worthily and to abide in your holy will. I beseech you, therefore, brothers, cease from these discussions and hasten through repentance and tears and humility, and moreover by the fulfillment of all the other commandments (112) to cleanse your own souls "from every defilement of flesh and spirit," so that you may enjoy the good things both of the present and of the future in revelation and perception and contemplation, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory, power, honor and worship to the Father and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages; amen.

DISCOURSE II.

The chapters of the contemplation of the discourse. (113)

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προφῆται καί ἐν τῇ νέᾳ πολλοί τῶν ἁγίων ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἀπέδειξαν, ἐξ ὀνόματος καλέσαντες οὕς οὐκ εἶδόν ποτε, ἀλλά δή καί ἐγνώρισαν οὕς οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον.

Οἱ οὖν λέγοντες μή γνωρίζειν μηδέ βλέπειν ἀλλήλους τούς ἁγίους, ἐκ τούτων πεισθέντες μή ζητεῖν περί ἀκαταλήπτων πραγμάτων, ἑαυτοῖς μᾶλλον, εἴπερ ἐμοί πείθονται, προσέχειν καί ἑαυτούς ἀνακρίνειν μή παύσωνται. Οἰ δέ τά μέν εἰρημένα πάντα ἀγνοοῦντες καί αἰσθήσει καί γνώσει και πείρᾳ θείου φωτισμοῦ καί θεωρίας μή γεγονότες, πῶς γράφειν ὅλως ἤ λέγειν περί τοιούτων οὐ φρίττετε; Εἰ γάρ ὑπέρ παντός ἀργοῦ ῥήματος λόγον ἀποδοῦναι ὀφείλομεν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον περί τῶν τοιούτων ἐτασθησόμεθα καί ὡς ἀργολόγοι κολασθησόμεθα. Ἀργός γάρ λόγος οὐχ, ὡς ἄν τις ὑπολάβοι, ὁ ἀνωφελής μόνον ἐστίν, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ καί πρό τῆς πράξεως καί τῆς ἐν πείρᾳ γνώσεως λαλούμενος παρ᾿ ἡμῶν. Ὁταν γάρ μή καταφρονήσω τῆς κάτω δόξης (111) μηδέ βδελύξωμαι ταύτην ἀπό ψυχῆς, ὡς ψυχοβλαβῆ καί τῆς ἄνω δόξης ἀποστεροῦσάν με, ἄλλους δέ διδάσκω περί αὐτῆς καί παραγγέλλω ταύτης ἀπέχεσθαι, οὐχί ἀργός καί ἄπρακτος καί κενός ὁ λόγος μου ἔσται καί ὡς ψεύστης κατακριθήσομαι; Ὅταν δέ πάλιν μή ἐν αἰσθήσει καί γνώσει λάβω τήν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος μηδέ διδακτός Θεοῦ γένωμαι δι᾿ αὐτῆς, μηδέ λόγον λάβω σοφίας καί γνώσεως ἄνωθεν, τά δέ τῶν θεοπνεύστων Γραφῶν ἀναιδῶς διερμηνεύειν ἐπιπηδῶ καί διδασκάλου τάξιν ἐμαυτῷ περιτίθεμαι, μόνῃ δηλαδή τῇ ψευδωνύμῳ γνώσει πρός τοῦτο χρώμενος, ἆρά γε ἀνεξέταστα ταῦτα Θεός ἐάσει καί λόγον ὑπέρ τούτου οὐκ ἀπαιτήσει με; Οὐδαμῶς δή. Εἰ βούλει δέ, ἐκ τῶν κάτω καί τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων διδάχθητι καί τά ἄνω καί θεῖα. Ποῖος, εἰπέ, τῶν ἀνθρώπων κἄν ὑπέρ πάντας ἐν σοφίᾳ καί γνώσει καί ἐπιστήμῃ νόμων θαυμάζηται, κἄν δικαιοσύνῃ καί εὐσεβείᾳ πάσῃ κομᾷ, μετά κριτῶν ὡς κριτής καθεσθῆναι καί κριτήν ἑαυτόν ὀνομάσαι καί ἄλλους νομοθετῆσαι τολμᾷ; Εἰ δέ καί τοῦτο ποιήσει, οὐχί παρά τοῦ βασιλέως ἀτιμασθήσεται καί παρά τῆς ἀκριβείας τῶν νόμων τιμωρησθήσεται; Ὤ τῆς ἀναιδείας! Τοῦ ἐπιγείου βασιλέως οὐδείς καταφρονῆσαι τολμᾶ καί τιμήν ἤ ἀξίωμα τούτου ἁρπάσαι καί ἀφορίσαι ἑαυτῷ, καί σύ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου ὡς οὐδενός καταφρονεῖς καί τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἀξιωμάτων ἄνευ τῆς ἐκείνου ῥοπῆς καί θελήσεως ἐπιχειρῆσαι κατατολμᾷς; Ὅλως δέ οὕτως ἔχων, οἴει ἀνεξέταστον τοῦτο τόν ∆εσπότην καταλιπεῖν; Οὔμενουν οὐδαμῶς.

Ἀλλ᾿ ὦ Κύριε, δός ἡμῖν ἐπιγνῶναί σε καί ἀξίως φοβεῖσθαί σε καί τοῖς ἁγίοις σου ἐμμένειν θελήμασι. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, παύσασθε τῶν συζητήσεων τούτων καί σπεύσατε διά μετανοίας καί δακρύων καί ταπεινώσεως, ἔτι δέ καί τῇ τῶν λοιπῶν ἁπασῶν ἐντολῶν (112) ἐκπληρώσει τάς ἑαυτῶν ἐκκαθᾶραι ψυχάς "ἀπό παντός μολυσμοῦ σακρός καί πνεύματος", ἵνα καί τῶν παρόντων καί τῶν μελλόντων ἐν ἀποκαλύψει καί αἰσθήσει καί θεωρίᾳ ἐπαπολαύσητε ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καί φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μεθ᾿ οὗ δόξα, κράτος, τιμή καί προσκύνησις τῷ Πατρί καί τῷ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καί ἀεί καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Β΄.

Τά κεφάλαια τῆς θεωρίας τοῦ λόγου. (113)