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62

they come there also, being tried as if by fire through the comparison of their good and evil deeds, if indeed the scale of good things should weigh more heavily, they are cleansed of punishment.

QUESTION A,11 Concerning different kinds of justice. RESPONSE The wise in divine things say there are three kinds of justice, human, angelic

and divine; and they say that the human one is both the equal distribution and right judgment in the sensible things of this world, and the angelic one the abundant imparting of divine knowledge; and they define divine justice as suffering on behalf of those who sin.

QUESTION A,12 For what reason did the Lord, rebuking Peter, call him Satan? RESPONSE Not as some think does the Lord call Peter Satan insultingly,

but because the Lord's privations (14Α_290> became our possessions, for example, his death became our life, his dishonor became our glory. The apostle Peter, therefore, when the Lord said he was about to suffer, supposed, following the nature of things, that it is impossible for life to die or for such great glory to be dishonored. The Lord, therefore, refuting this supposition, that one must not seek the consequence of nature in things that are beyond nature—for by doing these things through their contraries, he has planned life through death, glory through dishonor—says of this supposition, as being contrary to him: "get thee behind me" instead of, "follow my will and do not anticipate by seeking a consequence of things." And they say that the name Satan is interpreted as 'adversary'; which the Lord did not utter insultingly, but as if he were saying, "you who are contrary to my purpose."

(14Α_292> QUESTION A,25 How ought we to piously understand the passage from the Gospel, that "the Father judges

no one, but has given all judgment to the Son" and how in another place he says "I judge no one, but the Word that I have spoken, that will judge him"?

RESPONSE Insofar as he is God, neither the Father nor the Son judges anyone; for neither

is a man a judge of irrational beings, but of men. But the Father has given the judgment to the Son, not insofar as the Son is God, but insofar as he has become man. And he will judge all by comparing his own conduct as a man with ours. Again, his word will judge, that is, his teaching, which he demonstrated through his works according to what is written, "which Jesus began both to do and to teach."

(14Α_294> QUESTION A,27 What does the riddle from Proverbs signify, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him

bread, if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for in doing this you will heap coals of fire on his head"?

RESPONSE We have as an enemy against the soul our own body, always through the rebellion

of the passions making war against us. If therefore the mind of the flesh, being hard pressed by the conscience, hungers, that is, desires salvation, or thirsts for divine knowledge, it is necessary to nourish it through continence and labors and to give it to drink through the study of the divine oracles. For thus are heaped upon its head, that is, upon the mind: coals of fire, which are divine and spiritual thoughts.

QUESTION A,28 What does the saying in the one hundred and first psalm mean, "I have become like

a pelican in the wilderness"?

62

ἔρχονται κἀκεῖ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ φαύλων πράξεων ἀντεξετάσεως οἱονεὶ πυρούμενοι, εἴπερ ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πλάστιγξ ἐπιβαρήσει, καθαίρονται τῆς κολάσεως.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Α,11 Περὶ διαφόρων δικαιοσυνῶν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Τρεῖς δικαιοσύνας οἱ τὰ θεῖα σοφοὶ λέγουσιν εἶναι, ἀνθρωπίνην, ἀγγελικὴν

καὶ θείαν· καὶ τὴν μὲν ἀνθρωπίνην φασὶν τὴν ἐν τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἰσονεμίαν τε καὶ εὐγνωμοσύνην, τὴν ἀγγελικὴν δὲ τῆς θείας γνώσεως ἄφθονον μετάδοσιν· τὴν δὲ θείαν δικαιοσύνην ὁρίζονται τὸ πάσχειν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Α,12 Τίνος χάριν ἐπιτιμήσας ὁ Κύριος τῷ Πέτρῳ εἴρηκεν αὐτὸν σατανᾶν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Οὐχ ὥς τινες νομίζουσιν τὸν Πέτρον ἀποκαλεῖ σατανᾶν ὑβριστικῶς ὁ Κύριος,

ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου στερήσεις (14Α_290> ἡμῶν ἕξεις ἐγένοντο, οἷον, ὁ αὐτοῦ θάνατος ἡμῖν ζωὴ γέγονεν, ἡ αὐτοῦ ἀτιμία ἡμῖν ἐγένετο δόξα. Ὁ οὖν ἀπόστολος Πέτρος, τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος μέλλειν πάσχειν αὐτόν, ὑπελάμβανεν τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων ἑπόμενος ὡς ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν τὴν ζωὴν ἀποθνῄσκειν ἢ τὴν τοσαύτην δόξαν ἀτιμασθῆναι. Ὁ οὖν Κύριος τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ταύτην ἀναιρῶν, ὡς οὐ δεῖ φύσεως ἀκολουθίαν ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἐπιζητεῖν διὰ γὰρ τῶν ἐναντίων ταῦτα ποιήσας, βεβούλευται διὰ θανάτου ζωήν, δι᾽ ἀτιμίας δόξαν ὡς οὖν ἀντικειμένην αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ταύτην λέγει· "ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου" ἀντὶ τοῦ "ἕπου μου τῇ βουλῇ καὶ μὴ προλάμβανε ζητῶν ἀκολουθίαν πραγμάτων". Τὸ δὲ σατανᾶς ὄνομά φασιν 'ἀντικείμενον' ἑρμηνεύεσθαι· ὅπερ ὁ Κύριος οὐχ ὑβριστικῶς προήγαγεν ἀλλ᾽ ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν "ἀντικείμενέ μου τῷ σκοπῷ".

(14Α_292> ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Α,25 Πῶς ὀφείλομεν εὐσεβῶς νοῆσαι τὸ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ὅτι "ὁ Πατὴρ κρίνει

οὐδένα ἀλλὰ τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν δέδωκεν τῷ Υἱῷ" καὶ πῶς ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ λέγει ὅτι "ἐγὼ κρίνω οὐδένα ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Λόγος ὃν ἐλάλησα, ἐκεῖνος κρινεῖ αὐτόν";

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Καθ᾽ ὃ Θεός ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ὁ Πατὴρ οὐδὲ ὁ Υἱὸς κρινεῖ οὐδένα· οὐδὲ γὰρ

ἄνθρωπος ἀλόγων γίνεται κριτὴς ἀλλ᾽ ἀνθρώπων. Ὁ δὲ Πατὴρ δέδωκεν τῷ Υἱῷ τὴν κρίσιν, οὐ καθ᾽ ὃ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς ἀλλὰ καθ᾽ ὃ ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν. Κρινεῖ δὲ πάντας συγκρίνων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὡς ἀνθρώπου πολιτείαν πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Πάλιν δὲ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ κρινεῖ, τουτέστιν ἡ διδασκαλία, ἥντινα διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐνεδείξατο κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον "ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν".

(14Α_294> ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Α,27 Τί δηλοῖ τὸ τῶν Παροιμιῶν αἴνιγμα τὸ «ἐὰν πεινᾷ ὁ ἐχθρός σου ψώμιζε

αὐτόν, ἐὰν διψᾷ πότιζε αὐτόν· τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ»;

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐχθρὸν ἔχομεν κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ἡμέτερον σῶμα, ἀεὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπαναστάσεως

τῶν παθῶν πολεμοῦν ἡμᾶς. Ἐὰν οὖν ἐκ τῆς συνειδήσεως πιεζόμενον τὸ τῆς σαρκὸς φρόνημα πεινᾷ, τουτέστιν ὀρέγεται σωτηρίας, ἢ διψᾷ θείαν γνῶσιν, δέον τρέφειν αὐτὸ δι᾽ ἐγκρατείας καὶ πόνων καὶ ποτίζειν τῇ μελέτῃ τῶν θείων λογίων. Οὕτως γὰρ σωρεύεται ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ, τουτέστιν ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν· ἄνθρακες πυρός, θεῖοι καὶ πνευματικοὶ λογισμοί.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Α,28 Τί σημαίνει τὸ ἐν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ πρώτῳ ψαλμῷ εἰρημένον "ὡμοιώθην

πελεκᾶνι ἐρημικῷ";