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passions may change into vices and dispositions. If, then, we are so as to be "approved earth" and "bringing forth suitable herbage," the "clouds" flow with the "rain" that makes the spiritual "herbs" grow. for instance, the ministering angels? -"Are you not all ministering spirits sent forth to 342 minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" And men also minister the divine "rain," and these are commanded to "rain righteousness," not to "rain" water, not to flow with showers.

12,3a In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble. The name of "house" is used for different things in the divinely inspired oracles. For when he says that the one who has "heard the words" of Jesus and turned them into deeds "builds his house upon the rock," he calls the way of life and the life, both practical and contemplative, the "house" of the one who has acted. And "the houses of the lawless shall owe a cleansing, but the houses of the righteous are acceptable" calls their lives and ways of life "houses." And "because the midwives feared God, they made themselves houses"; "fearing" him they had fear itself as both a "house" and a "stronghold"; for "the fear of the Lord is a stronghold for the holy." And the name of "house" often signifies the place on earth; for when he says that "in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay" and, "if a man," he says, "purge himself from these"—from the "vessels unto dishonor"—"he shall be a vessel unto honor, useful to the master, prepared for every good work," he means this: in the world there are excellent men; and these are "vessels" of "gold and of silver." And those who "cleanse" their own mind and work through fire are "golden vessels," those having zeal for intelligible things, those who are sharpened for super-cosmic things. But "silver vessels" are those who minister the word. For it has often been shown that the "word" is represented by the name of "silver." And I speak from an apostolic saying clearly stated, that this riddle might appear: the Spirit gives a "word of wisdom" and a "word of knowledge." And you have this difference: the one having a "word of wisdom" and a "word of knowledge" both understands correctly and contemplates scientific matters and is able to speak them in a didactic way; for there are those having a "word of knowledge," but not "apt to 343 teach"; and there are those who in fact have precise understanding and unerring knowledge, but are not such as to be able to transfer what they have understood to others in a didactic manner. There are, then, those who have a precise mind and for this reason are "golden vessels," but are not such as to minister to others what they have understood. But others are "silver," being able by word to clarify what they have understood and what they read. And there are other "vessels of wood and of clay." And of these "some are to honor, and some to dishonor." The "golden and silver" ones are for honor, but the "wooden and earthen" are for "dishonor." The "wooden" ones can be consumed by fire, but the "earthen" ones can be "broken in pieces." But he does not introduce unchangeable natures here, as the myth of the heretics wishes. For he added that "if a man purge himself of them," that is, of the "vessels of dishonor," "he will be a vessel unto honor for the master for every good work"; so that it is by himself that one becomes an honorable or a dishonorable "vessel." For there is also a change that occurs from the honorable to the dishonorable; for it is said in the Lamentations of Jeremiah, when a great change of Israel occurred from piety to impiety and from practical virtue to practical vice: "The precious sons of Zion, comparable to gold" and silver, "how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers." You see that the precious things made of gold and silver "were esteemed as earthen." Certainly then the race of Israel, when it disbelieved in the savior, "like the vessels of a potter they are broken in pieces, you shall rule them with a rod of iron"; when they were sheep, they were golden and were led by a shepherd's "rod," but now "with a rod of iron," and "they are broken in pieces like the vessels of a potter." For instance, in Jeremiah also there is something mystical about such things; he is commanded "to go down to the

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πάθη εἰς κακίας καὶ δια θέσεις μεταβάλωσιν. εἰ τοίνυν οὕτως ἐσμὲν ὡς "γῆ δόκι μος" εἶναι κα̣ὶ "τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον", ῥεῖ τὰ "νέφη" τὸν "ὑετὸν" τὸν αὐξητικὸν τῶν πνευματικῶν "βοτανῶν". ἐπερ· τοὺς διακονοῦντας ἀγγέλους; -"οὐχὶ πάντες ἐστὲ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς 342 διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονο μεῖν σωτηρίαν;" καὶ ἄνθρωποι δὲ διακονοῦσιν τὸν θεῖον "ὑετόν", καὶ τούτοις προστάττεται "ῥαίνειν δικαιοσύνην", οὐ "ῥαίνειν" ὕδωρ, οὐ ῥεῖν ὄμβρον.

12,3a ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἂν σαλευθῶσιν φύλακες τῆς οἰκίας. τὸ τῆς "οἰκίας" ὄνομα ἐν τοῖς θεοπνεύστοις λο γίοις κατὰ διαφόρων κεῖται. ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ τὸν τοὺς Ἰησοῦ "λόγους ἀκηκο ότα" καὶ μεταβαλόντα εἰς ἔργα "οἰκοδομεῖν τὴν ἑαυ τοῦ οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν", τὴν πολιτείαν καὶ τὸν βίον τὸν πρακτικὸν καὶ θεωρητικὸν "οἰκίαν" λέγει τοῦ ἐνεργήσαντος. καὶ τὸ "οἰκίαι παρανόμων ὀφειλήσουσιν κα θαρισμόν, οἰκίαι δὲ δικαίων δεκταὶ" τοὺς βίους καὶ τὰς πολιτείας "οἴκους" ὀνομάζει. καὶ "ἐπεὶ ἐφοβοῦντο αἱ μαῖαι τὸν θεόν, ἐποίησαν ἑαυταῖς οἰκίας", "φοβηθεῖ σαι" αὐτὸν τὸν φόβον ἔσχον καὶ "οἶκον" καὶ "ὀχύρωμα"· "ὀχύρωμα" γὰρ "ὁσίου φόβος κυρίου". σημαίνεται δὲ τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς "οἰκίας" πολλάκις ὁ περὶ γῆν τόπος· ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ ὅτι "ἐν μεγάλῃ οἰκίᾳ οὐ μόνα χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ σκεύη τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα" καὶ "ἐάν τις", φησίν, "ἑαυτὸν ἐκκαθάρῃ ἀπὸ τούτων"-τῶν "εἰς ἀτιμίαν σκευῶν"-, "ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμήν, εὔχρηστον τῷ δεσπότῃ, εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἡτοιμασμένον", τοῦτο οὖν λέγει· ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εἰσὶν σπουδαῖοι ἄνδρες· οὗτοι δὲ "σκεύη" εἰσὶν "χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ". καὶ ὅσοι τὸν νοῦν ἑαυτῶν "καθαίρουσιν" καὶ ἐργάζονται διὰ πυρώσεως "σκεύη" εἰσὶν "χρυσᾶ", οἱ περὶ τὰ νοητὰ ἔχοντες τὴν σπουδήν, οἱ περὶ τὰ ὑπερκόσμια ἠκονημένοι. "ἀργύρεα" δὲ "σκεύη" εἰσὶν οἱ τὸν λόγον διακονούμενοι. πολλάκις γὰρ ἀποδέδεικται ὅτι ὁ "λόγος" τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ "ἀργύρου" παρίσταται. καὶ λέγω ἀπὸ ἀπο στολικοῦ ῥητοῦ σαφῶς εἰρημένου, ἵνα τὸ αἴν̣ιγ̣μα τοῦτο φανῇ· τὸ πνεῦμα δίδωσιν "λόγον σοφίας" καὶ "λόγον γνώ σεως". καὶ ἔχεις διαφορὰν ταύτην· ὁ "λόγον" ἔχων "σο φίας" καὶ "λόγον γνώσεως" καὶ νοεῖ ὀρθω῀̣ς̣ καὶ θεωρεῖ τὰ ἐπιστημονικὰ καὶ λέγειν αὐτὰ δύναται διδασκαλικῶς· εἰσὶν γὰρ "λόγον γνώσεως" ἔχοντες, οὐχ "ἱκανοὶ" δὲ "δι 343 δάξαι"· καί εἰσιν τῷ ὄντι ἀκριβῆ νόησιν ἔχοντες καὶ γνῶσιν ἀδιάπτωτον, οὐχ οἷοι δέ εἰσιν τὰ νοηθέντα αὐτοῖς εἰς ἑτέρους μεταγαγεῖν διδασκαλικῷ τρόπῳ. εἰσὶν οὖν νοῦν ἔχοντες ἠκριβωμένον καὶ διὰ τοῦτο "χρύσεα σκεύη" εἰσίν, οὐχ οἷοι δέ εἰσιν διακονεῖν εἰς ἄλλους τὰ νοη θέντα αὐτοῖς. ἄλλοι δὲ "ἀργύρεά" εἰσιν δυνάμενοι λόγῳ τὰ νοηθέν τα αὐτοῖς καὶ ἃ ἀναγιγνώσκουσιν σαφηνίσαι. εἰσὶν δὲ ἄλλα "σκεύη ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα". καὶ τούτων "τὰ μὲν εἰς τιμήν, τὰ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν" ἐστίν. τίμια δέ εἰσιν τὰ "χρύσεα καὶ ἀργυρᾶ", "ἀτιμί ας" δὲ τὰ "ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα". τὰ μὲν "ξύλινα" δύνα ται ὑπὸ πυρὸς δαπανηθῆναι, τὰ δὲ "ὀστράκινα" οἷά τέ ἐστιν "συντριβῆναι". ἀλλ' οὐ φύσεις εἰσηγεῖται ὧδε ἀμεταβλήτους, ὡς βούλεται τῶν ἑτεροδόξων ὁ μῦθος. ἐπηγίοχεν γοῦν ὅτι "ἐάν τις ἐκκαθάρῃ αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς ἀτιμίας αὑτὸν" δη λονότι "σκευῶν", "ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμὴν τῷ δεσπότῃ ἐπὶ πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν"· ὥστε παρ' ἑαυτόν τις γίνεται τί μιον καὶ ἄτιμον "σκεῦος". ἔστιν γοῦν καὶ μετάπτωσις γινομένη ἀπὸ τιμίων εἰς τὸ ἄτιμον· εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν τοῖς Ἰηρεμίου θρήνοις μεταβολῆς πολλῆς γενομένης τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ εὐσεβ̣είας εἰς ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀπὸ πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς εἰς πρακτικὴν κακίαν· "υἱοὶ Σιὼν οἱ τίμιοι ἐπηρμένοι χρυ σίῳ" καὶ ἀργ̣ύρῳ, "πῶς ἐλογίσθησαν εἰς ἀγγεῖα ὀστρά κινα". θεωρεῖς ὅτι τὰ τίμια ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου πεποιη μένα "ἐλογίσθησαν εἰς ὀστράκινα". ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ γένος, ὅτε ἠπίστησεν τῷ ςωτῆρ̣ι, "ὡς σκεύη κεραμέως συντρίβονται, ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ"· ὅτε ἦσαν πρόβατα, χρυσᾶ ἦσαν καὶ ὑπὸ "ῥάβδου" ποιμαντικῆς ἤγοντο, νῦν δὲ "ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ", καὶ "συν τρίβονται ὡς σκεύη κεραμέως". αὐτ̣ίκ̣α̣ γο̣υ῀̣ν κ̣αὶ ἐν Ἰηρεμίᾳ μυστικόν τι περὶ τῶν τοιούτων κεῖται· προστάττεται "καταβῆναι εἰς τὸν