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but they guide the mind to the hypothesis. Therefore, just as it is customary for silver to be given to bankers for a return (for there are, as I learned in Alexandria, those who receive and do this); so it is necessary for one who has received any grace to impart it to one who has need, or to do that which was said by the Apostle concerning the word: "Entrust these things to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also." For it is not only in the case of the word that this is meant to happen, 31.1253 but also in the case of every matter; because some have the ability, while others have received the experience of stewardship.

QUESTION 255. Where was he who heard "Take what is yours, and go" commanded to go? ANSWER. Perhaps where those who were placed on the left were commanded to go, who were accused of idleness in good works. But everyone who envies his brother is worse than the idle, as it is the custom of Scripture in many places to rank envy with murder.

QUESTION 256. What is the wage, which these also receive just like the last? ANSWER. Perhaps not being accused for the good things one has done is common to all who obey. For to be crowned is proper to those who have lawfully fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, in the love of Christ Jesus our Lord. But the agreed-upon wage can also be the hundredfold, which the Lord promised in the present time that those who for the sake of His commandment leave anything of what is at hand will receive; so that "Take what is yours" was said concerning this; but since those who seemed to have toiled before were sick with the passion of envy towards those who enjoyed equal things, they no longer inherit eternal life, but now receive only the hundredfold, to be condemned in the future on account of their envy, and to hear: "Go."

QUESTION 257. Who are the chaff burned with unquenchable fire? ANSWER. Those who are useful to the ones worthy of the kingdom of heaven, as the chaff is to the wheat, but do this not with a disposition of love towards God and towards their neighbor, whether in spiritual gifts or in bodily good deeds; and thus they leave themselves imperfect.

QUESTION 258. Who is the one condemned by the Apostle, "delighting in humility and worship," and so on. ANSWER. I think what follows clarifies the subject being sought in the passage 31.1256. For going on he names harsh treatment of the body; such are the Manichaeans, and any others like them.

QUESTION 259. Who is he who is fervent in spirit? ANSWER. The one who with fiery eagerness, and insatiable desire, and unwearied diligence does the will of God in the love of Christ Jesus our Lord, according to what is written: "In his commandments he will delight greatly."

QUESTION 260. Since the Apostle says, at one time, "Do not become foolish;" and at another, "Do not become wise in your own sight;" is it possible for one who is not foolish not to be wise in his own sight? ANSWER. Each command has its own definition. For to "Do not become foolish," he adds, "But understand what the will of God is;" and to "Do not be wise in your own sight," he adds, "But fear the Lord, and turn away from all evil." So a foolish person is one who does not understand the will of the Lord; and wise in his own sight is everyone who uses his own reasonings, and does not walk by faith in the words of God. If therefore someone wishes to be neither foolish nor wise in his own sight, he ought to understand the will of the Lord by faith in him, and in the fear of God to imitate the Apostle who says: "Casting down reasonings, and every high thing that is exalted against"

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πρὸς δὲ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τὸν νοῦν ὁδηγοῦσιν. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ ἀργύριον ἀκολουθίαν ἔχει τοῖς τρα πεζίταις δίδοσθαι εἰς πορισμόν (εἰσὶ γὰρ, ὡς ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ ἔγνων, οἱ ὑποδεχόμενοι καὶ τοῦτο ποιοῦντες)· οὕτως ἐπάναγκες τὸν ὑποδεξάμενον οἱανδήποτε χάριν μεταδιδόναι τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι, ἢ ἐκεῖνο ποιεῖν, τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰρημένον ἐπὶ τοῦ λόγου· Ταῦτα παράθου πιστοῖς ἀνθρώποις, οἵτινες ἱκανοὶ ἔσονται καὶ ἑτέρους διδάξαι. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐπὶ τοῦ λόγου τοῦτο γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν, 31.1253 ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς πράγματος· ὅτι οἱ μὲν τὸ δύ νασθαι ἔχουσιν, οἱ δὲ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν τῆς οἰκονομίας ὑπεδέξαντο.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΝΕʹ. Ποῦ ἀπελθεῖν προσετάχθη ὁ ἀκούσας· «Ἆρον τὸ σὸν, καὶ ὕπαγε.» ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τάχα ὅπου καὶ οἱ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν σταθέντες ἀπελ θεῖν προσετάχθησαν, οἵτινες ἐπὶ ἀργίᾳ τῶν καλῶν ἐνεκλήθησαν. Πᾶς δὲ ὁ φθονῶν τῷ ἀδελφῷ χείρων ἐστὶ τοῦ ἀργοῦ, τῆς Γραφῆς ἔθος ἐχούσης πολλαχοῦ μετὰ τοῦ φόνου τάσσειν τὸν φθόνον.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΝʹ. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ μισθὸς, ὃν λαμβάνουσι καὶ οὗτοι ὁμοίως τοῖς ἐσχάτοις. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τάχα τὸ μὴ ἐγκληθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐποίησέ τις κα λῶν κοινὸν πάντων τῶν ὑπακουόντων. Τὸ γὰρ στεφανωθῆναι ἴδιον τῶν τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα νομίμως ἀγωνισαμένων, τὸν δρόμον τελεσάντων, τὴν πίστιν τηρησάντων, ἐν ἀγάπῃ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν. ∆ύναται δὲ ὁ συμπεφωνημένος μισθὸς εἶναι καὶ τὰ ἑκατονταπλασίονα, ἅπερ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ ἀπολήψεσθαι ὁ Κύριος ἐπηγγείλατο τοὺς διὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν αὐτοῦ ἀφιέντας ὅ τι δήποτε τῶν παρόντων· ὥστε τὸ μὲν, Ἆρον τὸ σὸν, περὶ τούτου εἰρῆσθαι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ φθόνου πάθος ἐνόσησαν οἱ προ κεκμηκέναι δόξαντες πρὸς τοὺς τῶν ἴσων ἀπολαύ σαντας, μηκέτι κληρονομεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν, ἀλλὰ μόνα τὰ ἑκατονταπλασίονα νῦν ἀπο λαμβάνοντας, ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι κατακρίνεσθαι διὰ τὸν φθόνον, καὶ ἀκούειν τό· Ὕπαγε.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΝΖʹ. Τίνες εἰσὶν ἄχυρον κατακαιόμενον πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Οἱ χρησιμεύοντες μὲν τοῖς ἀξίοις τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὡς τὸ ἄχυρον τῷ σίτῳ, μὴ ἐν δια θέσει δὲ τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγάπης καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸν πλησίον τοῦτο ποιοῦντες, εἴτε ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς χαρίσμασιν, εἴτε ἐν ταῖς σωματικαῖς εὐεργεσίαις· καὶ οὕτως ἀτελεῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἀφιέντες.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΝΗʹ. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου καταγινωσκό μενος, «Ὁ θέλων ἐν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ καὶ θρῃσκείᾳ,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον σαφηνίζειν οἶμαι τὴν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ 31.1256 ζητουμένην ὑπόθεσιν. Ἀφειδίαν γὰρ σώματος προϊὼν ὀνομάζει· οἷοί εἰσιν οἱ Μανιχαῖοι, καὶ εἴ τινες ὅμοιοι τούτοις.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΝΘʹ. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ ζέων τῷ πνεύματι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὁ διαπύρῳ προθυμίᾳ, καὶ ἀκορέστῳ ἐπιθυμίᾳ, καὶ ἀόκνῳ σπουδῇ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· Ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ θελήσει σφόδρα.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΞʹ. Τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος, ποτὲ μὲν, «Μὴ γί νεσθε ἄφρονες·» ποτὲ δὲ, «Μὴ γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι παρ' ἑαυτοῖς·» εἰ δυνατὸν μὴ εἶναι φρόνιμον παρ' ἑαυτῷ τὸν μὴ ἄφρονα; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἕκαστον πρόσταγμα ἴδιον ἔχει ὅρον. Τῷ γὰρ, Μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρονες, ἐπιφέρει· Ἀλλὰ συνιέντες τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ τῷ, Μὴ ἴσθι φρόνιμος παρὰ σεαυτῷ, τὸ, Φοβοῦ δὲ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἔκκλινε ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ. Ὥστε ἄφρων μὲν ἔστιν ὁ μὴ συνιεὶς τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου· φρόνιμος δὲ παρ' ἑαυτῷ πᾶς ὁ λογισμοῖς ἰδίοις χρώμενος, καὶ μὴ κατὰ πίστιν στοιχῶν τοῖς ῥήμασι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ οὖν τις βούλεται μήτε ἄφρων εἶναι, μήτε φρόνιμος παρ' ἑαυτῷ, συνιέναι ὀφείλει τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου πίστει τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ μιμεῖσθαι τὸν Ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· Λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ