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or in deeds by the unjust and greedy), and he defends himself skillfully. For he says that the holy ought not to have affection for earthly and temporary things, since they are no longer holy; for they ought to prefer the things that are truly lovely and divine; for, desiring money, they are no longer holy. And the question is resolved; for the divine Paul says this, "For why do you not rather suffer wrong," saying not to be agitated about worldly things. And again, introducing divine love, concerning which neither injustice nor greed can exist, he says: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress?" and so forth. And he calls 'attached to matter' those who are passionate and set only on earthly things. And 'to be less esteemed' is to appear less reputable.

With angelic virtues: That virtue is rightly spoken of also in the case of angels, just as also in the case of God, according to the verse, "his virtue covered the heavens," and that for those concerned with material things to be wronged is part of divine providence, which accustoms them to desire more divine things.

Of attachment to material things: See how he says that not having affection for material things indicates manliness, that is, courage; for those who are enslaved to worldly and bodily passions are reasonably called effeminate. And that divine justice does not wish to entice and destroy us by these things, (14S_300> but accustoms us to the scorn of them, according to what is said, "For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives." What then? Are those who have wealth not loved by God? You will say that, first, wealth is not bad in itself, but the attachment to it and its bad use; then, God knows the weak among us, and wishing to save them for encouragement, he perhaps gives them both wealth and distinction in life, not ignorant of what they are; for how could he who knows all things before their beginning? But so that we might have no excuse, according to the Apostle, "Therefore you are without excuse, O man"; and again: "We have a great High Priest, who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses."

Not to entice: To entice is to deceive through pleasure; and it is also said of simply giving pleasure.

Of the best things: Of the desirable things. With an unyielding stance: He calls an unyielding stance the unyielding against the

resistance to the tickling of earthly things, and the not being bent toward material things through temptations.

§ 9. Of the proper activity in all things: He named proper activity the distinctive motion according to nature of each of the beings; for it is not possible for men to do the things of angels, or for water to do the things of fire, and vice versa.

And as from the worse things: Here, do not understand 'worse things' in relation to created things (for there is nothing evil in them), but in relation to sin, which came to be from our choice as a privation of the good. For God snatches us from it willingly, if we run to him.

(14S_302> And not inclining toward the worse: Understand him to be saying these things about perceptible beings and those under creation, that he preserves all things in their proper order; for none of them was changed, but they remained as they were created; this is what 'unchangeable' means. And 'not inclining toward the worse,' either because he has made them possessing free will, or because none of them departed from its proper state, or was carried over to inferior things. For the heaven and the earth remained, and the things in them likewise. And as for 'banishing activity improper to another' and 'keeping the properties of each from falling away,' understand it thus, that the elements remain contrary to one another, such as the hot and cold, and wet and dry, and each of them remains in its own integrity, and does not change to its contrary; for fire never becomes water, nor water

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ἤ ἐν πράγμασι παρά τῶν ἀδίκων καί πλεονεκτῶν), καί ἀπολογεῖται δεξιῶς. Λέγει γάρ, ὅτι οἱ ὅσιοι οὐκ ὀφείλουσι τοῖς γηΐνοις καί προσκαίροις προσπάσχειν, ἐπεί οὐκ ἔτι ὅσιοι· προτιμᾷν γάρ ὀφείλουσι τά ὄντως ἐραστά καί θεῖα· χρημάτων γάρ ἐφιέμενοι, οὐκ ἔτι ὅσιοι. Καί λέλυται ἡ ἐρώτησις· τοῦτο γάρ ὁ θεῖος Παῦλός φησι, «διά τί γάρ μή μᾶλλον ἀδικεῖσθε», λέγων μή περί τά κοσμικά ἐπτοῆσθαι. Καί πάλιν τόν θεῖον ἔρωτα εἰσηγούμενος, περί ὅν οὔτε ἀδικία, οὔτε πλεονεξία δύναται γενέσθαι, φησί· «τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπό τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θλῖψις ἤ στενοχωρία;» καί τά ἑξῆς. Προσύλους δέ φησι τούς ἐμπαθεῖς καί μόνοις τῆς γηΐνοις προκειμένους. 'Παρευδοκιμεῖσθαι' δέ ἐστι τό ἡττόνως εὐδόκιμον φαίνεσθαι.

Ταῖς ἀγγελικαῖς ἀρεταῖς: Ὅτι καλῶς λέγεται καί ἐπ' ἀγγέλων ἀρετή, ὥσπερ καί ἐπί Θεοῦ, κατά τό, «ἐκάλυψεν οὐρανούς ἡ ἀρετή αὐτοῦ», καί ὅτι ἀδικεῖσθαι τούς περί τά ὑλικά πράγματά τῆς θείας ἐστί προνοίας συνεθιζούσης αὐτούς τῶν θειοτέρων ἐφίεσθαι.

Τῆς τῶν ὑλικῶν προσπαθείας: Ὅρα πῶς φησιν, ὅτι τό μή προσπάσχειν τοῖς ὑλικοῖς πράγμασιν ἀρρενότητα δηλοῖ, τουτέστιν ἀνδρίαν· οἱ γάρ δουλεύοντες κοσμικοῖς καί σωματικοῖς πάθεσι θηλυδρίαι εἰκότως προσαγορεύονται. Καί ὅτι ἡ θεία δικαιοσύνη οὐ βούλεται διά τούτων ἡμᾶς θέλγειν καί ἀπολλύειν, (14S_300> ἀλλά συνεθίζει πρός τήν τούτων περιφρόνησιν, κατά τό εἰρημένον, «ὅν γάρ ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, παιδεύει· μαστιγοῖ δέ πάντα υἱόν ὅν παραδέχεται». Τί οὖν; Οἱ τόν πλοῦτον ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀγαπῶνται ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἐρεῖς, ὅτι πρῶτον μέν οὐχ ὁ πλοῦτος καθ' ἑαυτόν κακός, ἀλλ' ἡ περί τοῦτον προσπάθεια καί ἡ κακή χρῆσις· ἔπειτα οἶδεν ὁ Θεός τούς ἐν ἡμῖν ἀσθενεῖς, καί βουλόμενος αὐτούς περισῶσαι εἰς προτροπήν, καί χρήματα ἴσως καί βίου περιφάνειαν δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν ὅπερ εἰσί· πῶς γάρ ὁ γινώσκων πάντα πρίν γενέσεως αὐτῶν; Ἀλλ' ἵνα μηδεμίαν ἔχωμεν ἀπολογίαν κατά τόν Ἀπόστολον, «διά τοῦτο ἀναπολόγητος εἶ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε»· καί πάλιν· «ἔχομεν Ἀρχιερέα μέγαν, δυνάμενον συμπαθῆσαι ταῖς ἀσθενείαις ἡμῶν».

Τό μή θέλγειν: Θέλγειν ἐστί τό δι' ἡδονῆς ἀπατᾷν· λέγεται δέ καί τό ἁπλῶς ἡδύνειν.

Τῶν ἀρίστων: Τῶν ἐπιθυμητῶν. Ἀμειλίκτῳ στάσει: Ἀμείλικτον στάσιν φησί τήν ἀνένδοτον πρός τόν

γαργαλισμόν τῶν γηΐνων ἔνστασιν, καί τό μή κάμπτεσθαι πρός τά ὑλικά διά τῶν πειρασμῶν.

§ 9. Τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὅλοις ἰδιοπραγίας: Ἰδιοπραγίαν ὠνόμασε τήν ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων κατά φύσιν ἰδιάζουσαν κίνησιν· οὐδέ γάρ τά ἀγγέλων ἀνθρώποις πράττειν δυνατόν, ἤ τά πυρός ὕδατι, καί τό ἔμπαλιν.

Καί ὡς ἐκ τῶν χειρόνων: Τά χείρω ἐνταῦθα μή νοήσῃς πρός τά ποιήματα (οὐδέν γάρ ἐν αὐτοῖς κακόν), ἀλλά πρός τήν ἁμαρτίαν, ἥτις ἐκ τῆς ἡμῶν προαιρέσεως κατά στέρησιν ἀγαθοῦ παρυπέστη. Ἀναρπάζει γάρ ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός ἐξ αὐτῆς ἑκόντας, εἰ προσδράμοιμεν αὐτῷ.

(14S_302> Καί ἀρρεπῆ πρός τά χείρω: Ταῦτα περί τῶν αἰσθητῶν καί ὑπό τήν κτίσιν ὄντων νόμιζε λέγειν αὐτόν, ὅτι πάντα ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ εὐταξίᾳ διαφυλάττει· οὐδέν γάρ αὐτῶν μετετράπη, ἀλλ' οὕτως ὡς ἐκτίσθησαν, ἔμειναν· τοῦτο δηλοῖ τό ἀμετάβλητα. Ἀρρεπῆ δέ πρός τά χείρω, ἤ ὅτι προαιρετάς αὐτάς πεποίηκεν, ἤ ὅτι οὐδέν ἐξ αὐτῶν τῆς οἰκείας ἐξέστη καταστάσεως, ἤ πρός τά ὑποδεέστερα μετηνέχθη. Ὁ γάρ οὐρανός καί ἡ γῆ ἔμειναν, καί τά ἐν αὐτοῖς ὡσαύτως ἔχοντα. Τό δέ τήν ἀλλοτριοπραγίαν ἐξορίζειν καί ἀμεταπτώτους φυλάττειν τάς ἑκάστου ἰδιότητας, οὕτω νόησον, ὅτι τά στοιχεῖα ἐναντία μένουσιν ἀλλήλοις, οἷον τό θερμόν καί ψυχρόν, καί ὑγρόν καί ξηρόν, καί ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ὁλότητι ἐναπομένει, καί οὐ μεθίσταται πρός τό ἐναντίον· οὐδέποτε γάρ τό πῦρ ὕδωρ γίνεται, οὐδέ τό ὕδωρ