66
It is the head of all things, and a garment, and glory. But a body without a head is both dead and breathless. And a body without a tunic, how will it not be naked? Virtues without love are stale and useless; and naked of the divine glory, he who does not have love, even if he has all the virtues, stands stripped bare, and not bearing his nakedness, he wishes rather to be hidden. For he has shame and condemnation and hears "I do not know you" from the judge of all. The creator came to earth, took a soul and flesh, and gave a Divine Spirit, which is love. If therefore you desire and if you wish to receive the Divine Spirit, (112) believe in God completely, deny yourself likewise, take up the cross upon your shoulders without hesitation and you will receive it; die by intention, child, so that you may become a partaker of the immortal life! Let not deceivers deceive you with their false words, that those who die receive life after death; lest being persuaded you neglect it and not partake of life! Hear the words of God, hear those of the Apostles, hear those of the teachers, those of the church, what Christ cries out every hour.
66
Κεφαλή τῶν πάντων ἔστι καί ἱμάτιον καί δόξα. Κεφαλῆς χωρίς δέ σῶμα καί νεκρόν καί ἄπνουν ἔστι. Σῶμα δέ χωρίς χιτῶνος πῶς οὐχί γυμνόν ὑπάρξει; Ἀρεταί χωρίς ἀγάπης ἕωλοι, ἀνωφελεῖς τε˙ καί γυμνός τῆς θείας δόξης, ὁ μή ἔχων τήν ἀγάπην, ἀρετάς κἄν πάσας ἔχῃ, ἵσταται γεγυμνωμένος, καί τήν γύμνωσιν μή φέρων κρύπτεσθαι μᾶλλον ἐθέλει. Τήν αἰσχύνην γάρ ὡς ἔχων ἔχει καί τήν καταδίκην καί «οὐκ οἶδά σε» ἀκούει παρά τοῦ κριτοῦ τῶν ὅλων. Ἦλθεν ἐπί γῆς ὁ κτίστης, ἔλαβε ψυχήν καί σάρκα, ἔδωκε δέ Πνεῦμα Θεῖον, ὅπερ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη. Εἰ οὖν βούλει καί εἰ θέλεις τοῦ λαβεῖν τό Θεῖον Πνεῦμα, (112) πίστευσον Θεῷ τελείως, ἄρνησαι σαυτόν ὡσαύτως, ἐπί ὤμων ἀδιστάκτως ἆρον τόν σταυρόν καί λήψῃ˙ θάνον τῇ προθέσει, τέκνον, ἵνα μέτοχος γενήσῃ τῆς ζωῆς τῆς ἀθανάτου! Μή πλανήσωσί σε πλάνοι ταῖς αὐτῶν ψευδολογίαις, μετά θάνατον λαμβάνειν τήν ζωήν τούς τελευτῶντας˙ μή πεισθείς καταμελήσῃς καί ζωῆς οὐ μεταλήψῃ! Ἄκουσον Θεοῦ τούς λόγους, ἄκουσον τῶν Ἀποστόλων, ἄκουσον τῶν διδασκάλων, τῶν ἐπί τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τί Χριστός βοᾷ καθ᾿ ὥραν.