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of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness, so he added: But rather give alms of such things as you have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you; clearly all those things in which we sin by extortion and greed, and act wickedly. And Zacchaeus demonstrates this, saying: Behold, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. So that whatever such sins exist, which it is possible to resolve, and for which it is possible to give back a multiple, are cleansed in this manner; and in this manner, I say, which is not sufficient in itself for cleansing, but requires beforehand the mercy of God, and the blood of Christ; in which we also have the redemption of all other things, bringing forth for each the fruits worthy of repentance.

QUESTION 372. Since it is a command of the Lord not to be anxious about the morrow, how shall we understand the command rightly? For we see that we have much diligence for the sake of what is needful, so as to set aside even those things that are able to suffice for a longer time. ANSWER. He who accepts the teaching of the Lord, 31.1272 who said: Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and being fully persuaded of the truth of his promise, who added: And all these things shall be added unto you; does not make his soul idle in the cares of this life which choke the word and make it unfruitful. But striving in the good contest of pleasing God, he believes the Lord who said: The labourer is worthy of his food; and for its sake is not anxious about anything superfluous. But he labours and is anxious not for himself, but for the commandment of Christ, as the Apostle showed and taught, saying: I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak. For to be anxious for oneself is an accusation of self-love; but to be anxious and to labour for the commandment is a praise of a Christ-loving and brother-loving disposition.

QUESTION 373. What does one do, to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? ANSWER. From the blasphemy of that time, which the Pharisees blasphemed, for which this judgment was also set, it is clear that even now he blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, whoever ascribes the energies and the fruits of the Holy Spirit to the adversary; which many of us experience, often rashly calling the zealous man vainglorious, and falsely accusing of anger him who shows good zeal, and falsely ascribing other such things in wicked suspicions

QUESTION 374. How does one become a fool in this age? ANSWER. If he fears the judgment of God, who says: Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight; and imitates the one who said: I was as a beast before you; and casting off all conceit of understanding, does not first approve any of his own reasonings as good, nor indeed considers anything at all, before he is accustomed by the Lord's commandment itself to what is pleasing to God, whether in deed, or in word, or in thought, as the Apostle said: 31.1273 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who teaches man knowledge, as it is written.

QUESTION 375. If Satan can hinder the purpose of a saint, for it is written: "For I Paul purposed to come once and again, and Satan hindered us." ANSWER. Of the right actions in the Lord, some are accomplished by the purpose and judgment of the soul, and others are effected through the body either in diligence or in patience. Therefore, whatever lies in the purpose and judgment of the soul, it is in no way possible for Satan to hinder; but in those things accomplished through bodily action, often something also

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τῆς παροψίδος, τὸ δὲ ἔσωθεν ὑμῶν γέμει ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πονη ρίας, οὕτως ἐπήγαγε· Πλὴν τὰ ἐνόντα, δότε ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ ἰδοὺ πάντα καθαρὰ ὑμῖν ἐστι· πάντα ταῦτα δηλονότι ὅσα ἐν τῷ ἁρπά ζειν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν ἁμαρτάνομεν, καὶ πονηρευό μεθα. Παρίστησι δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ζακχαῖος εἰπών· Ἰδοὺ τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μου δίδωμι τοῖς πτωχοῖς· καὶ εἴ τινός τι ἐσυκοφάντησα, ἀποδί δωμι τετραπλοῦν. Ὥστε ὅσα τοιαῦτά ἐστιν ἁμαρτή ματα, ἅπερ δυνατὸν ἀναλῦσαι, καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔστιν ἀντιδοῦναι πολυπλάσιον, τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ καθαρί ζεσθαι· καὶ τούτῳ, φημὶ, τῷ τρόπῳ, οὐκ αὐτῷ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀρκοῦντι πρὸς τὴν κάθαρσιν, χρῄζοντι δὲ προηγουμένως τοῦ ἐλέους τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐν ᾧ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, ποιοῦντες ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τοὺς ἀξίους καρποὺς τῆς μετανοίας.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΟΒʹ Ἐπειδὴ πρόσταγμά ἐστι τοῦ Κυρίου μὴ μερι μνᾷν περὶ τῆς αὔριον, πῶς ὑγιῶς τὸ πρόσ ταγμα νοήσομεν; Ὁρῶμεν γὰρ, ὅτι πολ λὴν ἔχομεν σπουδὴν τῶν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἕνεκεν, ὥστε παραθέσθαι καὶ τὰ πρὸς πλείονα χρόνον ἀρκέσαι δυνάμενα. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὁ καταδεξάμενος τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου διδασκαλίαν, 31.1272 εἰπόντος· Ζητεῖτε πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ πληροφο ρηθεὶς τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐπαγγελίας, ἐπαγ αγόντος· Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν· οὐκ ἐν ταῖς βιωτικαῖς μερίμναις ταῖς συμπνιγούσαις τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἄκαρπον ποιούσαις, καταργεῖ τὴν ψυχήν. Ἐν δὲ τῷ καλῷ ἀγῶνι τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν εὐαρε στήσεως ἀγωνιζόμενος, πιστεύει τῷ Κυρίῳ εἰπόντι· Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὑτοῦ· καὶ οὐ δὲν ταύτης ἕνεκεν περιεργάζεται. Ἐργάζεται δὲ καὶ μεριμνᾷ οὐχὶ δι' ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καθὼς ὑπέδειξε καὶ ἐδίδαξεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, εἰπών· Πάντα ὑπέδειξα ὑμῖν, ὅτι οὕτω κοπιῶν τας δεῖ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τῶν ἀσθενούντων. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ δι' ἑαυτὸν μεριμνᾷν φιλαυτίας ἐστὶν ἔγκλη μα· τὸ δὲ διὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν μεριμνᾷν καὶ ἐργά ζεσθαι φιλοχρίστου καὶ φιλαδέλφου διαθέσεώς ἐστιν ἐγκώμιον.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΟΓʹ. Τί ἄν τις ποιήσας, βλασφημεῖ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐκ τῆς τότε βλασφημίας, ἢν ἐβλασφήμησαν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι, ἐφ' οἷς καὶ τὸ κρῖμα τοῦτο ἐτέθη, δῆλόν ἐστιν, ὅτι καὶ νῦν ἐκεῖνος βλασφημεῖ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὃς ἂν τὰς ἐνεργείας καὶ τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τῷ ἐναντίῳ ἐπιφημίσῃ· ὅπερ πάσχομεν οἱ πολλοὶ, τὸν μὲν σπουδαῖον κενόδοξον πολλάκις ῥιψοκινδύνως ἀποκαλοῦντες, τοῦ δὲ ζῆλον ἀγαθὸν ἐπιδεικνυμένου ὀργὴν καταψευδόμενοι, καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα ἐν ὑπονοίαις πονηραῖς ψευδῶς ἐπιφημί ζοντες

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΟ∆ʹ. Πῶς γίνεταί τις ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ μωρός; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐὰν φοβηθῇ τὸ κρῖμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, λέγοντος· Οὐαὶ οἱ συνετοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ἐπι στήμονες· καὶ μιμήσηται τὸν εἰπόντα· Κτηνώδης ἐγενήθην παρὰ σοί· καὶ πᾶσαν οἴησιν συνέσεως ἀποβαλὼν, μὴ πρότερόν τι τῶν ἰδίων λογισμῶν ὡς ἀγαθὸν ἐγκρίνῃ, μήτε μὴν λογίσηταί τι τὴν ἀρχὴν, πρὶν ἂν ὑπ' αὐτῆς τοῦ Κυρίου τῆς ἐντολῆς συνεθι σθῇ πρὸς τὸ ἀρέσκον τῷ Θεῷ εἴτε ἐν ἔργῳ, εἴτε ἐν λόγῳ, εἴτε ἐν ἐνθυμήσει, τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπόντος· 31.1273 Πεποίθησιν δὲ τοιαύτην ἔχομεν διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· οὐχ ὅτι ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἱκανοί ἐσμεν λογίσασθαί τι ὡς ἐξ ἑαυτῶν· ἀλλ' ἡ ἱκανότης ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ διδάσκοντος ἄνθρωπον γνῶσιν, καθὼς γέγραπται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΟΕʹ. Εἰ δύναται ἐγκόψαι πρόθεσιν ἁγίου ὁ Σατανᾶς, ὅτι γέγραπται· «Ἐγὼ μὲν Παῦλος προεθέμην ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς, καὶ ἐνέκοψεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς.» ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ κατορθωμάτων τὰ μὲν προθέσει καὶ κρίσει ψυχῆς ἐκτελεῖται, τὰ δὲ διὰ σώματος ἐνεργεῖται ἢ ἐν σπουδῇ ἢ ἐν ὑπομονῇ. Ὅσα μὲν οὖν ἐν προθέσει τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ κρίσει κεῖται, ταῦτα ἐγκόψαι οὐδενὶ τρόπῳ δυνατόν ἐστι τῷ Σατανᾷ· ἐν δὲ τοῖς διὰ σωματικῆς ἐνεργείας κατορθουμένοις πολ λάκις τι καὶ