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they attributed these to the ruler of the demons. But that forgiveness is not granted to those who blaspheme, neither here nor in the age to come, must be investigated next. Some of those who have precisely understood such things through the Spirit say that there are four (14Α_260> ways by which forgiveness of sins is granted, two here and two in the age to come. For since memory does not extend to remembering the faults of one's whole life, so that a person might repent of them here, the Master of nature, being philanthropic, has arranged ways of repentance even for us who do not repent; in the age to come, as has been said, two. Whenever someone, having sinned here indifferently and again done good indifferently, whether moved to pity and compassion for his neighbor or other things pertaining to philanthropy, these things are weighed in the balance in the age to come at the time of judgment, and to whichever side the scale tips, forgiveness is granted. This is the one way; and this is the second: Whenever someone, being entangled in sins, but hearing the Lord say, "judge not, that you be not judged," out of fear judges no one, in the examination of his deeds he is not judged, as a keeper of the commandment. For the most truthful One is not forgetful of His own commandment. The other two ways have their forgiveness here: whenever someone who is in sins is managed by providence through misfortunes, necessities, and illnesses—for he does not know how God purifies him through such things—and if he gives thanks while being tried, he receives the reward for his thanksgiving, but if he is ungrateful, he is purified of the sins for which he is being disciplined by these things, but he pays the penalty for his ingratitude. Since, therefore, the sins someone commits against men, as the argument has shown, have many occasions for forgiveness—for one who sins against a man, but does good to another man, has made amends to the same nature against which he sinned—but the blasphemy against the Spirit—which is unbelief—having no other occasion for forgiveness except to become a believer, it is fitting that for the one who has ended his life in unbelief, the sin of unbelief and godlessness will not be forgiven, neither here nor in the age to come.

(14Α_262> QUESTION 190 From the Gospel: “truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not

taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power.” So says Mark, but Matthew: “until they see the Son of Man coming in his glory.”

RESPONSE Since the Word of God is not circumscribed by historical events,

but, being always active, shines its own light like the sun, he did not only say historically to the disciples “there are some standing here,” but he also speaks concerning all those who in their time shone with virtue, instead of "those who have their standing near me on the foundation of the virtues." And the phrase “they will not taste death” is said also concerning the apostles, that they will not taste physical death until they see through the Transfiguration the image of the brightness that is to be for the saints. But since the word knows different kinds of death—for the putting to death of the passions is also called death; but also the practical man, when he leaves behind the battle against the passions and comes to natural contemplation, has died to his former state, being occupied with the contemplation of beings, having ceased from the competitive struggle of practice; but also the one who has passed through natural contemplation and has left behind all caused things and has come to the cause through theological negation, he too has died to his former state, no longer being moved among created things but having transferred his movement to the creator of all; concerning, therefore, the death which occurs by the removal of all things, he says that they will not taste it, that is, they will not suffer it (14Α_264> those who are equal to the apostles in virtue, until being transfigured

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ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ταύτας ἀνετίθεσαν. Τὸ δὲ οὔτε ἐνταῦθα οὔτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ἄφεσιν γίνεσθαι τοῖς βλασφημοῦσιν, ἑξῆς ζητητέον. Φασί τινες τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἠκριβωκότων τέσσαρας (14Α_260> εἶναι τρόπους δι᾽ ὧν συγχώρησις γίνεται ἁμαρτημάτων, δύο ἐνταῦθα καὶ δύο ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐξικνεῖται ἡ μνήμη ὅλου τοῦ χρόνου μνημονεύειν τὰ σφάλματα, ἵνα ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐνταῦθα μετανοήσῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ᾠκονόμησεν φιλάνθρωπος ὢν ὁ ∆εσπότης τῆς φύσεως, καὶ ἡμῶν μὴ μετανοούντων, τρόπους μετανοίας· ἐν μὲν τῷ μέλλοντι, ὡς εἴρηται, δύο· ὅτ᾽ ἄν τις ἀδιαφόρως ἐνταῦθα ἁμαρτήσας καὶ πάλιν ἀδιαφόρως ἀγαθοεργήσας, εἴτε εἰς οἶκτον καὶ συμπάθειαν πρὸς τὸν πλησίον κινηθεὶς ἢ ὅσα ἄλλα φιλανθρωπίας ἐχόμενα, ταῦτα ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς κρίσεως ζυγοστατούμενα, ἐφ᾽ ἃ τὴν ῥοπὴν ἕξει, συγχώρησις γίνεται· οὗτος μὲν ὁ εἷς τρόπος· δεύτερος δὲ οὗτος· ὅτ᾽ ἄν τις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐνεχόμενος, ἀκούων δὲ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος "μὴ κρίνετε ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε", φοβούμενος οὐδένα κρίνει, ἐν τῇ ἐξετάσει τῶν βεβιωμένων ὡς φύλαξ τῆς ἐντολῆς οὐ κρίνεται· τῆς γὰρ ἑαυτοῦ ἐντολῆς οὐκ ἐπιλήσμων ὁ ἀψευδέστατος. Οἱ δὲ ἕτεροι δύο τρόποι ἐνταῦθα τὴν συγχώρησιν ἔχουσιν· ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις τις ὢν οἰκονομῆται ἐκ τῆς προνοίας ἐν συμφοραῖς, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν νόσοις ὡς οὐκ οἷδεν γὰρ διὰ τῶν τοιούτων καθαίρει αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός καὶ εἰ μὲν εὐχαριστεῖ πειραζόμενος, τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ εὐχαριστίᾳ μισθὸν λαμβάνει, εἰ δὲ ἀχαριστεῖ, δι᾽ ἃς μὲν ἁμαρτίας παιδεύεται ἐκ τούτων καθαίρεται, τὴν δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀχαριστίας εἰσπράττεται ποινήν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἅτινα εἰς ἀνθρώπους τις ἁμαρτάνει, ὡς ἔδειξεν ὁ λόγος, πολλὰς ἔχει προφάσεις συγχωρήσεων ἁμαρτάνων γάρ τις εἰς ἄνθρωπον, ἄλλον δὲ ἄνθρωπον εὖ ποιῶν, εἰς ἣν φύσιν ἥμαρτεν, αὐτῇ καὶ ἀπελογήσατο ἡ δὲ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα βλασφημία ἔστιν δὲ ἡ ἀπιστία μὴ ἔχουσα ἑτέραν πρόφασιν συγχωρήσεως εἰ μὴ τὸ γενέσθαι πιστόν , εἰκότως τῷ ἐν τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ τὸν βίον κατακλείσαντι οὔτε ἐνταῦθα οὔτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ἀφεθήσεται τῆς ἀπιστίας καὶ ἀθεΐας ἡ ἁμαρτία.

(14Α_262> ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 190 Ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου· «ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· εἰσί τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων οἵτινες οὐ

μὴ γεύσονται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐληλυθυῖαν ἐν δυνάμει». Ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Μάρκος, ὁ δὲ Ματθαῖος· «ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ».

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐπειδὴ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος τοῖς καθ᾽ ἱστορίαν γινομένοις οὐ περιγράφεται,

ἀλλὰ πάντοτε ἐνεργὴς ὢν ἡλίου δίκην τὸ οἰκεῖον φῶς ἐπιλάμπει, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἔλεγεν τὸ εἰσίν τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ πάντων τῶν κατ᾽ αὐτοὺς τῇ ἀρετῇ διαλαμψάντων λέγει ἀντὶ τοῦ "τῶν τῇ βάσει τῶν ἀρετῶν πλησίον μου ἐχόντων τὴν στάσιν". Τὸ δὲ «οὐ μὴ γεύσονται θανάτου» εἴρηται μὲν καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὅτι οὐ μὴ γεύσονται τοῦ φυσικοῦ θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν διὰ τῆς Μεταμορφώσεως τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς μελλούσης ἔσεσθαι τοῖς ἁγίοις λαμπρότητος. Ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ οἶδεν ὁ λόγος διαφόρους θανάτους καὶ γὰρ ἡ τῶν παθῶν νέκρωσις θάνατος λέγεται· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ πρακτικός, ἡνίκα τὴν πρὸς τὰ πάθη μάχην ἀφέμενος ἐπὶ τὴν φυσικὴν θεωρίαν ἔλθῃ, ἀπέθανεν τῇ προτέρᾳ καταστάσει, ἐνασχολούμενος τῇ τῶν ὄντων θεωρίᾳ, ἀργήσας ἐκ τῆς κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἀγωνιστικῆς μάχης· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ περάσας τὴν φυσικὴν θεωρίαν καὶ πάντα τὰ αἰτιατὰ καταλιπὼν καὶ εἰς τὸν αἴτιον ἐλθὼν διὰ τῆς θεολογικῆς ἀποφάσεως, καὶ οὗτος ἔθανεν τῇ προτέρᾳ καταστάσει, μηκέτι ἐν τοῖς πεποιημένοις κινούμενος ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῷ ποιητῇ τῶν ὅλων μεταβιβάσας τὴν κίνησιν περὶ οὖν τοῦ κατὰ ἀφαίρεσιν πάντων γινομένου θανάτου λέγει ὅτι οὐ μὴ γεύσονται αὐτοῦ, τουτέστιν οὐ μὴ πάθωσιν αὐτὸν (14Α_264> οἱ τῶν ἀποστόλων κατ᾽ ἀρετὴν ἰσοστάσιοι, ἕως οὗ μεταμορφωθεὶς