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33 (λγ'). How then is it that we, being transgressors of his commandments, do not hear the same things from him? Since the Apostle also said that those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God: "For as many as," he says, "are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." How then can we, being led by death, hear that we are sons of God? "For the mind of the flesh is death." But those who are led by the Spirit are manifest from the fruits of the Spirit. Let us see, then, the fruits of the Spirit: "for the fruit of the Spirit," he says, "is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control." Do we have these things in ourselves? But would that we did not have all the opposites. How then can we hear that we are sons of God, and not rather from the opposite? For that which is born of something is like that which has begotten it. And the Lord makes it clear, saying: "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." But we have become flesh, lusting against the Spirit, and for this reason we rightly hear from him: "My (14__408> Spirit shall not abide in these men, because they are flesh." How then can we hear that we are Christians, when we have nothing of Christ in ourselves?

34 (λδ'). But perhaps someone will say: "I have faith, and faith in him is sufficient for my salvation." But James cries out against him, saying: "Even the demons believe, and tremble." And again: "Faith without works is dead in itself; as are works also without faith." But how do we believe in him, or believe him concerning the things to come, when we do not believe him concerning things temporary and present, and for this reason are entangled with material things, and live in the flesh, and war against the Spirit? But those who believed in Christ in truth and made all of him to dwell in themselves through the commandments, spoke thus: "I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." For this reason, suffering for his sake for the salvation of all, as precise imitators of him and genuine keepers of his commandments, they would say: "When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat," because they heard him saying: "Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who abuse you," and so forth; and from their words and their works, Christ working in them was made manifest; but we, because (14__410> we act contrary to all his commandments, for this reason have been filled with all impurity. And for this reason we have become, instead of a temple of God, a house of trade, and instead of a house of prayer, a den of thieves, instead of a holy nation, a sinful nation, and instead of a people of God, a people full of sins, instead of a holy seed, a wicked seed, and instead of sons of God, lawless sons, because we have abandoned the commandments of the Lord, and we serve evil spirits through unclean passions, and have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger.

35 (λε'). For this reason, the great Isaiah, lamenting us, cries out, wishing at the same time to help in our fall, saying: "Why will you be struck down any more, adding lawlessness? Every head is for pain, and every heart for grief; from feet to head there is no soundness in him; neither wound, nor bruise, nor festering sore; there is no ointment to apply, nor oil, nor bandages." Then what follows upon these things? "The daughter of Zion will be left like a booth in a vineyard, and like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city."

The Apostle also, declaring this desolation of our 'soul', would say: "And just as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do things that are not proper; being filled with all unrighteousness, malice, wickedness, covetousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence; whisperers,

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33 (λγ'). Πῶς οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς παραβάται ὄντες τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ, τὰ ὅμοια παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀκούομεν; Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος τοὺς Πνεύματι ἀγομένους εἶπεν εἶναι υἱοὺς Θεοῦ· "Ὅσοι γάρ», φησί, "Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ἄγονται, οὗτοί εἰσιν υἱοὶ Θεοῦ». Πῶς οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου ἀγόμενοι, υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ἀκούειν δυνάμεθα; "Τὸ γὰρ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός, θάνατος». Οἱ δὲ Πνεύματι ἀγόμενοι, ἐκ τῶν καρπῶν τοῦ Πνεύματος δῆλοί εἰσιν. Εἴδωμεν οὖν τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ Πνεύματος· "ὁ γὰρ καρπὸς τοῦ Πνεύματος», φησίν, "ἐστὶν ἀγάπη, χαρά, εἰρήνη, μακροθυμία, χρηστότης, ἀγαθωσύνη, πίστις, πραΰτης, ἐγκράτεια». Ἆρα ἔχομεν ταῦτα ἐν ἑαυτοῖς; Ἀλλ᾽ εἴθε μὴ πάντα τὰ ἐναντία. Πῶς οὖν υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ἀκούειν δυνάμεθα, καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου; Τὸ γὰρ ἔκ τινος γεγεννημένον, ὅμοιον τοῦ γεγεννηκότος ἐστί. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ καὶ Κύριος, λέγων· "Τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, πνεῦμά ἐστιν». Ἡμεῖς δὲ γεγόναμεν σάρκες ἐπιθυμοῦντες κατὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δικαίως ἀκούομεν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ· "Οὐ μὴ ἐγκαταμείνῃ τὸ (14__408> Πνεῦμά μου ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας». Πῶς οὖν δυνάμεθα ἀκούειν Χριστιανοί, τί ποτε τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἔχοντες;

34 (λδ'). Ἀλλ᾽ ἐρεῖ τις ἴσως, ὅτι· Ἔχω τὴν πίστιν, καὶ ἀρκεῖ μοι ἡ πίστις ἡ εἰς αὐτὸν πρὸς σωτηρίαν. Ἀλλ᾽ ἀντιφθέγγεται αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰάκωβος, λέγων ὅτι· "Καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια πιστεύουσι, καὶ φρίσσουσι». Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων, νεκρά ἐστιν καθ᾽ ἑαυτήν· ὡς καὶ τὰ ἔργα δίχα πίστεως». Πῶς δὲ καὶ πιστεύομεν εἰς αὐτόν, ἢ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων αὐτῷ πιστεύομεν, οἱ περὶ τῶν προσκαίρων καὶ παρόντων αὐτῷ μὴ πιστεύοντες, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ὑλικοῖς συμφυρόμενοι, καὶ τῇ σαρκὶ ζῶντες, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος στρατευόμενοι; Οἱ δὲ τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ πιστεύσαντες καὶ ὅλον αὐτὸν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς διὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν εἰσοικίσαντες, οὕτως ἔλεγον· "Ζῶ δέ, οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ ὁ Χριστός. Ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, τῇ πίστει ζῶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με, καὶ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ». ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάσχοντες ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν πάντων σωτηρίαν, ὡς ἀκριβεῖς αὐτοῦ μιμηταὶ καὶ τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ γνήσιοι φύλακες, ἔλεγον· "Λοιδορούμενοι εὐλογοῦμεν, διωκόμενοι ἀνεχόμεθα, βλασφημούμενοι παρακαλοῦμεν», ἐπειδὴ ἤκουον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· "Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν· καλῶς ποιεῖτε τοῖς μισοῦσιν ὑμᾶς· εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ὑμᾶς· προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων καὶ τῶν ἔργων ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς Χριστὸς ἐφανεροῦτο· ἡμεῖς δέ, ἐπειδὴ (14__410> πάσαις ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ ἀντιπράττομεν, διὰ τοῦτο πάσης ἀκαθαρσίας ἐνεπλήσθημεν. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γεγόναμεν ἀντὶ ναοῦ Θεοῦ οἶκος ἐμπορίου, καὶ ἀντὶ οἴκου προσευχῆς σπήλαιον λῃστῶν, ἀντὶ ἔθνους ἁγίου ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλὸν, καὶ ἀντὶ λαοῦ Θεοῦ λαὸς πλήρης ἁμαρτιῶν, ἀντὶ σπέρματος ἁγίου σπέρμα πονηρόν, καὶ ἀντὶ υἱῶν Θεοῦ υἱοὶ ἄνομοι, ἐπειδὴ ἐγκατελίπομεν τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ δουλεύομεν τοῖς πονηροῖς πνεύμασι διὰ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων παθῶν, καὶ παρωργίσαμεν τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.

35 (λε'). ∆ιὰ τοῦτο θρηνῶν ἡμᾶς ὁ μέγας Ἡσαΐας κράζει, βοηθῆσαι ἅμα βουλόμενος τῇ πτώσει ἡμῶν, λέγων· "Τί ἔτι πληγῆτε προστιθέντες ἀνομίαν; Πᾶσα κεφαλὴ εἰς πόνον, καὶ πᾶσα καρδία εἰς λύπην· ἀπὸ ποδῶν ἕως κεφαλῆς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ ὁλοκληρία· οὔτε τραῦμα, οὔτε μώλωψ, οὔτε πληγὴ φλεγμαίνουσα· οὐκ ἔστι μάλαγμα ἐπιθεῖναι, οὔτε ἔλαιον, οὔτε καταδέσμους». Εἶτα τί τὸ ἐπὶ τούτοις; "Ἐγκαταλειφθήσεται ἡ θυγάτηρ Σιὼν ὡς σκηνὴ ἐν ἀμπελῶνι, καὶ ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἐν σικυηλάτῳ, ὡς πόλις πολιορκουμένη».

Ταύτην ἡμῶν τῆς 'ψυχῆς' τὴν ἐρήμωσιν καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος δηλῶν, ἔλεγε· "Καὶ καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα· πεπληρωμένους πάσῃ ἀδικίᾳ, κακίᾳ, πονηρίᾳ, πλεονεξίᾳ· μεστοὺς φθόνου, φόνου, ἔριδος, δόλου, κακοηθείας· ψιθυριστάς,