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How should we understand the ignorance of the Son concerning the end? ANSWER There are two kinds of ignorance: the one is culpable, the other is inculpable; and the one is within our power, while the other is not within our power. And the culpable kind, which is within our power, is ignorance concerning virtue and piety; but the inculpable kind, which is not within our power, is all that (14Α_310> we do not know even when we wish to know it, for instance, things happening far away, or things that are to come. If, then, among the holy prophets things far away and not within our power were known by grace, how much more did the Son of God know all things also through his humanity, not by nature but by union with the Word? For just as red-hot iron has all the properties of fire—for it gives light and burns—yet it is not fire by nature but iron, so also the humanity of the Lord, in that it was united to the Word, knew all things and all things befitting God were manifested in it; but in that a human nature was united in it, it is said to be ignorant.

QUESTION A,68 What does the monastic habit signify and, before this, what is the meaning of the tonsure of the hair? ANSWER Just as the head has precedence among all the members of the body, so also in the soul the mind holds the place of the head; this, therefore, must be shorn of all worldly thoughts. The colobium, since it covers the whole body but leaves only the hands bare, signifies that one must be clothed in moral philosophy, having stripped off the practical activities of (14Α_312> sin; for the hands are admittedly a symbol of action and activity.

The belt, since it is made from dead hides, and it girds the loins and navel, signifies the mortification through self-control and that this must always be placed upon the power and activity of wickedness; for the power of the adversary, the dominion of the evil one, is, according to Job, “on the navel of his belly,” and “the loins,” according to the blessed David, are filled with demonic mockings; and “mockings” are the various activities of fornication.

The analabos, since it has the cross both in front and behind, signifies that, according to the Apostle, we must not only be crucified to the world but also the world to us, so that in fleeing the world we may have no impediment nor be held fast by our relation to it through its manifest deceit, nor again, being pursued from behind by the world, may we yield the intensity of our piety because of involuntary temptations, but may remain insensible and dead to both involuntary and voluntary passions.

The hood declares the grace of God that guards and shelters our mind. For he who has shorn off the thoughts of the world receives the helmet of salvation.

The sandals have this meaning: since they are of dead hides, and are placed under a small part of the body, (14Α_314> in the same way that the whole body is related to the prints of the sandal, so must the soul use the body, and this dead to the passions contrary to nature.

The cloak, since it is four-cornered, and the world is also of four elements, signifies that we must be clothed in natural contemplation, so as not to look upon visible things with respect to sense and passions but through the reason in them to be led up to their Creator. That the left hand is left bare signifies that good deeds must be manifest in us according to the word of the Savior, so that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

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Πῶς ὀφείλομεν νοεῖν τὴν περὶ συντελείας τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἄγνοιαν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ ∆ιπλῆ τίς ἐστιν ἄγνοια· ἡ μὲν διαβαλλομένη, ἡ δὲ ἀδιάβλητος, καὶ ἡ μὲν ἐφ᾽

ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ οὐκ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν. Καὶ ἡ μὲν διαβαλλομένη καὶ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν, ἡ περὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ εὐσέβειαν ἄγνοια· ἡ δὲ ἀδιάβλητος καὶ οὐκ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὅσα (14Α_310> θελόντων ἡμῶν γινώσκειν οὐ γινώσκομεν, οἷον, τὰ πόρρω γινόμενα, τὰ μέλλοντα γίνεσθαι. Εἰ οὖν ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις προφήταις διεγινώσκετο τὰ πόρρω καὶ οὐκ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν χάριτι, πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον πάντα ἐπίστατο ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, οὐ φύσει ἀλλ᾽ ἑνώσει τῇ πρὸς τὸν Λόγον; Καθάπερ γὰρ σίδηρος πεπυρακτωμένος πάντα τὰ ἰδιώματα τοῦ πυρὸς ἔχει φωτίζει γὰρ καὶ καίει οὐ μὴν φύσει ἐστὶν πῦρ ἀλλὰ σίδηρος, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον τοῦ Κυρίου, καθ᾽ ὃ μὲν ἡνώθη τῷ Λόγῳ, πάντα ἐπίστατο καὶ τὰ θεοπρεπῆ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ διεδείκνυτο, καθ᾽ ὃ δὲ φύσις ἀνθρωπεία ἐν αὐτῷ ἥνωτο, λέγεται ἀγνοεῖν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Α,68 Τί σημαίνει τὸ μοναχικὸν σχῆμα καὶ πρὸ τούτου τίς ἡ ἀπόκαρσις τῶν τριχῶν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ὥσπερ πάντων τῶν ἐν τῷ σώματι μελῶν ἡ κεφαλὴ προτερεύει, οὕτως καὶ ἐν

τῇ ψυχῇ ὁ νοῦς κεφαλῆς τρόπον ἐπέχει· τοῦτον οὖν ἀποκείρειν δεῖ πάντων τῶν κοσμικῶν νοημάτων. Τὸ δὲ κολόβιον, ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὲν ὅλον σῶμα σκέπει, μόνας δὲ τὰς χεῖρας γυμνοῖ, σημαίνει ὡς χρὴ τὴν ἠθικὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐνδεδύσθαι ἀφῃρημένους τὰς πρακτικὰς τῆς (14Α_312> ἁμαρτίας ἐνεργείας· αἱ γὰρ χεῖρες ὁμολογουμένως πράξεως καὶ ἐνεργείας εἰσὶν σύμβολον.

Ἡ δὲ ζώνη, ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ νεκρῶν δερμάτων γίνεται, περισφίγγει δὲ ψύας καὶ ὀμφαλόν, σημαίνει τὴν νέκρωσιν διὰ τῆς ἐγκρατείας καὶ ὡς χρὴ ταύτην ἐπικεῖσθαι ἀεὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς κακίας δυνάμει καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ· ἡ γὰρ δύναμις τῆς ἀντικειμένης τοῦ πονηροῦ δυναστείας ἐστὶν κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ «ἐπ᾽ ὀμφαλοῦ γαστρός», καὶ «αἱ ψύαι» κατὰ τὸν μακάριον ∆αβὶδ πληροῦνται τῶν δαιμονικῶν ἐμπαιγμάτων· «ἐμπαίγματα» δέ εἰσιν αἱ διάφοροι τῆς πορνείας ἐνέργειαι.

Ὁ δὲ ἀνάλαβος, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἐμπρὸς καὶ ὀπίσω τὸν σταυρὸν ἔχει, σημαίνει ὅτι χρὴ κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον μὴ μόνον σταυρωθῆναι ἡμᾶς τῷ κόσμῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν κόσμον ἡμῖν, ἵνα φευγόντων ἡμῶν τὸν κόσμον μηδὲν ἐμποδὼν ἔχωμεν μὴ δὲ τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν σχέσει διὰ τῆς ἐπιφαινομένης ἀπάτης ἐγκρατηθῶμεν, μήτε δὲ πάλιν ἐκ τῶν ὄπισθεν διωκόμενοι ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, ἐκ τῶν ἀκουσίων πειρασμῶν ὑπενδώσωμεν τοῦ τόνου τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀλλὰ ἀναίσθητοι καὶ νεκροὶ διαμείνωμεν πρός τε τὰ ἀκούσια καὶ τὰ ἑκούσια πάθη.

Τὸ δὲ κουκούλλιον δηλοῖ τὴν φρουροῦσαν καὶ σκέπουσαν τὸν νοῦν ἡμῶν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ ἀποκειράμενος τὰ τοῦ κόσμου νοήματα τὴν περικεφαλαίαν δέχεται τοῦ σωτηρίου.

Τὰ δὲ σανδάλια τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν λόγον· ἐπειδὴ ἐκ νεκρῶν δερμάτων εἰσίν, μικρῷ δὲ μέρει τοῦ σώματος ὑπόκεινται, (14Α_314> τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ᾗπερ τὸ ὅλον σῶμα πρὸς τὰ ἴχνη τοῦ σανδαλίου ἔχει, οὕτω χρὴ τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ σώματι κεχρῆσθαι, καὶ τούτῳ νεκρῷ τῶν παρὰ φύσιν παθῶν.

Τὸ δὲ περιβόλαιον, ἐπειδὴ τετράγωνόν ἐστιν, ἐκ τεσσάρων δὲ στοιχείων καὶ ὁ κόσμος, σημαίνει ὅτι χρὴ περιβεβλῆσθαι ἡμᾶς τὴν φυσικὴν θεωρίαν, ὥστε μὴ πρὸς αἴσθησιν καὶ πάθη τὰ ὁρώμενα βλέπειν ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ ἐν αὐτοῖς λόγου πρὸς τὸν τούτων δημιουργὸν ἀνάγεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ τὴν ἀριστερὰν χεῖρα παραγυμνοῦσθαι σημαίνει ὅτι χρὴ τὰς ἀγαθὰς πράξεις ἐν ἡμῖν προφαίνεσθαι κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Σωτῆρος λόγον, ὅπως ἴδωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰ καλὰ ὑμῶν ἔργα καὶ δοξάσωσιν τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.