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prophets and in the new [covenant] many of the saints demonstrated from their works, calling by name those whom they had never seen, but also they knew those whom they did not know.

Therefore, let those who say that the saints neither know nor see one another, being convinced by these things not to inquire about incomprehensible matters, rather pay attention to themselves, if they are persuaded by me, and not cease examining themselves. But you who are ignorant of all that has been said and have not come to the 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 be punished as idle talkers. For an idle word is not, as one might suppose, only the unprofitable one, but also the one spoken by us before the deed and the knowledge from experience. For when I do not despise the glory below (111) nor abhor it with my soul, as harmful to the soul and depriving me of the glory 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, using for this, that is, only falsely called knowledge, will God then leave these things unexamined and not demand an account from me for this? By no means. But if you wish, be taught about the things above and divine from the things below and human. What man, tell me, even if he is admired above all in wisdom and knowledge and science of laws, even if he abounds in all justice and piety, dares to sit with judges as a judge and to name himself a judge and to legislate for others? And if he does this, will he not be dishonored by the king and punished by the rigor of the laws? Oh, the shamelessness! No one dares to despise the earthly king and to seize his honor or dignity and assign it to himself, and you despise the heavenly King as nothing and dare to undertake the apostolic dignities without His inclination and will? Being in such a state, 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 souls "from all 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 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)