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variously distributing, impartibly dividing himself and in no way being cut along with those who partake, on account of the naturally indivisible essence of his unity, and conversely, on account of the different worth of the participants, paradoxically appearing through the participations in a definitive way according to an ineffable union (the Logos knows), to whom no one will be able to cross over who rejoices in the corruption of the flesh, and who is more pleased by the deceit of the world than by his blessed glory, nor will he who has been defeated by the world and exults in it, knowing it to be evil, stand with him who conquered the world. For divine justice has judged it not to be worthy, that those who limit what pertains to man to this life, and who live delicately in wealth and health of body and other dignities, and who judge this alone to be blessed, while esteeming the goods of the soul as nothing, should partake of the divine and eternal goods, for which they had no concern at all, being ignorant through their great diligence for material things (14∆_222> how much the virtues surpass wealth and health and the other temporal goods.

51. A CONTEMPLATION ON THE VIRTUES

A contemplation on the virtues. For the virtues, both alone and with other things, make a man blessed.

With other things, in breadth, as one of the sages in divine matters said, but alone and by themselves, it is understood by definition, as a two-cubit measure, while that which is in breadth is like a heap. For if you take two measures from a heap, what is left remains a heap; and from the blessedness in breadth, if you take away the goods of the body and external goods, but leave the virtues alone, even so the blessedness remains undiminished. For virtue is sufficient in itself for the happiness of the one who possesses it. Every evil man, therefore, is wretched, even if he has all the so-called goods of the earth combined, being deprived of the virtues; and every good man is blessed, even if he is deprived of all the goods on earth, possessing the splendor of virtue, with which Lazarus rejoices, having his rest in the bosom of Abraham.

52. ANOTHER CONTEMPLATION ON, "IF YOU ARE CRUCIFIED AS A THIEF"

Another contemplation on, "If you are crucified as a thief." And again, a grateful thief is he who has been deemed worthy to be crucified with Christ through the complete and entire casting out of the passions, and is crucified with him on the right, that is, practicing every virtue with reason and knowledge, and keeping his life without offense to all men, and having no movement at all discordant with the meekness of the Word through austerity. But an ungrateful thief is he who for the sake of glory or (14∆_224> greater gains treacherously feigns the life of virtue in his outward ways, and employs one single flattering word towards outsiders in place of all virtue and knowledge, but towards his associates is crooked in his judgment and altogether difficult to deal with, whom it is very necessary to silence with understanding when he blasphemes the way of God. For perhaps he will cease from slandering the Word through his own conduct, by the exhortation of the one rebuking him, just as the thief who fearlessly uttered blasphemy suffered on the cross. For not to speak against the one who rebukes has silence as a sign of acceptance of the word spoken.

According to whichever of the said ways we are crucified with Christ, let us be diligent, as we are here, to propitiate the Logos who is crucified with us, and to receive the unfailing promise of rest, freed in conscience from the thoughts that strike it, if indeed "today" indicates the present day of this age (For "Today," he says, "you will be with

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διαφόρως νομάς ἀμερῶς ἑαυτόν ἐπιμερίζοντα καί τοῖς μετέχουσιν οὐδ᾿ ὁπωσοῦν συνδιατεμνόμενον, διά τήν κατά φύσιν ἄτμητον ὀντότητα τῆς ἑνότητος, κἄμπαλιν διά τήν διάφορον ἀξίαν τῶν μετεχόντων ταῖς μετοχαῖς παραδόξως καθ᾿ ἕνωσιν ἄῤῥητον ἀφοριστικῶς ἐπιφαινόμενον (οἶδεν ὁ λόγος) , πρός ὅν οὐδείς διαβῆναι δυνήσεται θρύψει χαίρων σαρκός, καί τῆς αὐτοῦ μακαρίας δόξης τῇ τοῦ κόσμου ἀπάτῃ πλέον ἡδόμενος, οὐδέ στήσεται μετά τοῦ τόν κόσμον νικήσαντος ὁ τῷ κόσμῳ ἡττηθείς καί ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ κακῶς εἰδώς ἀγαλλόμενος. Οὐκ εἶναι γάρ ἄξιον ἔκρινεν ἡ θεία δικαιοσύνη, τούς τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ τά κατά τόν ἄνθρωπον περιγράφοντας, καί πλούτῳ καί ὑγείᾳ σώματος καί τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀξιώμασιν ἁβρυνομένους, καί τοῦτο μόνον μακάριον κρίνοντας, τά δέ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγαθά παρ᾿ οὐδέν τιθεμένους, τῶν θείων καί αἰωνίων μεταλαχεῖν ἀγαθῶν, ὧν οὐδ᾿ ὅλως ἐφρόντισαν, διά τήν πολλήν περί τά ὑλικά σπουδήν ἀγνοήσαντας (14∆_222> ὅσον πλούτου καί ὑγείας καί τῶν ἄλλων προσκαίρων ἀγαθῶν αἱ ἀρεταί ὑπερέχουσιν.

ΝΑ (51). ΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΠΕΡΙ ΑΡΕΤΩΝ

Θεωρία περί ἀρετῶν. Μόναι γάρ καί σύν τοῖς ἄλλοις αἱ ἀρεταί μακάριον ποιοῦσιν τόν ἄνθρωπον.

Μετά μέν τῶν ἄλλων, κατά πλάτος, ὥς τις ἔφη τῶν τά θεῖα σοφῶν, μόναι δέ καί καθ' ἑαυτάς, κατά περιγραφήν νοεῖται, ὡς δίπηχυ, τά δέ κατά πλάτος, ὡς σωρός. Σωροῦ γάρ κἄν δύο μεδίμνους ἀφέλῃς, τό λειπόμενον μένει σωρός· καί τῆς δέ κατά πλάτος μακαριότητος ἄν ἀφέλῃς τά τοῦ σώματος καί τῶν ἐκτός ἀγαθά, καταλίπῃς δέ μόνας τάς ἀρετάς, μένει καί οὕτως ἀνελλιπές τό μακάριον. Αὐτάρκης γάρ καθ᾿ ἑαυτήν τῷ ἔχοντι πρός εὐδαιμονίαν ἡ ἀρετή. Πᾶς οὖν κακός ἄθλιος, κἄν πάντα συλήβδην ἔχῃ τά λεγόμενα τῆς γῆς ἀγαθά, τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐστερημένος· καί πᾶς ἀγαθός μακάριος, κἄν πάντων ἐστέρηται τῶν ἐπί γῆς ἀγαθῶν, ἔχων τῆς ἀρετῆς τήν λαμπρότητα, μεθ᾿ ἧς Λάζαρος τήν ἐν κόλποις Ἀβράαμ ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχων ἀγάλλεται.

ΝΒ (52). ΑΛΛΗ ΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ, «ΕΑΝ ΣΤΑΥΡΩΘΗΣ ΩΣ ΛΗΣΤΗΣ»

Ἄλλη θεωρία εἰς τό, "Ἐάν σταυρωθῇς ὡς λῃστής». Κἄν αὖθις λῃστής ἐστιν εὐγνώμων ὁ καταξιωθείς συσταυρωθῆναι Χριστῷ διά

τῆς παντελοῦς καί ὁλοκλήρου τῶν παθῶν ἐκκρούσεως, καί δεξιῶς αὐτῷ συσταυρούμενος, τουτέστι μετά λόγου καί γνώσεως πᾶσαν διεξιών ἀρετήν, καί ἀπρόσκοπον πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τόν βίον διατηρῶν, καί μηδεμίαν ἔχων τό παράπαν τῆς τοῦ λόγου πραότητος ἀπᾴδουσαν δι᾿αὐστηρότητα κίνησιν, ἀγνώμων δέ λῃστής ἐστιν ὁ δόξης ἕνεκεν ἤ λημμάτων (14∆_224> ἁδροτέρων τοῖς φαινομένοις τρόποις ὑπούλως τόν κατ' ἀρετήν βίον ὑποκρινόμενος, καί ἕνα καί μόνον πρός τούς ἔξω τόν κόλακα λόγον ἀντί πάσης ἀρετῆς τε καί γνώσεως μετερχόμενος, πρός δέ τούς συνήθεις σκολιός τις τήν γνώμην τῶν παντάπασιν ὤν καί δυσάντητος, ὅν δεῖ μάλα γε τήν ὁδόν τοῦ Θεοῦ βλασφημοῦντα μετά συνέσεως ἐπιστομίζειν. Ἴσως γάρ παύσεται τοῦ διαβάλλειν διά τῆς οἰκείας ἀναστροφῆς τόν λόγον, τῇ παραινέσει τοῦ ἐπιπλήσσοντος, ὥσπερ ἐπί τοῦ σταυροῦ πέπονθεν ὁ τήν βλασφημίαν ἀδεῶς προσενέγκας λῃστής. Τό γάρ μή ἀντιφθέγξασθαι τῷ ἐπιπλήξαντι σημεῖον ἔχει τῆς τοῦ ῥηθέντος ἀποδοχῆς λόγου τήν σιωπήν. Καθ᾿ ἥντινα γοῦν τῶν εἰρημένων τῷ Χριστῷ συσταυρούμεθα, σπουδάσωμεν, ὥς ἐσμεν ἐνταῦθα, τόν συσταυρούμενον ἡμῖν ἰλεώσασθαι Λόγον, καί τήν ἀψευδῆ δέξασθαι κατά συνείδησιν καταρθεῖσαν τῶν πλησσόντων αὐτήν νοημάτων τῆς ἀναπαύσεως ἐπαγγελίαν, εἴπερ ἡ σήμερον τήν ἐνεστῶσαν τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος ἡμέραν ἐνδείκνυται (Σήμερον γάρ, φησίν, ἔσῃ μετ᾿