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casting down arguments, to speak Scripturally, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God. For this reason indeed the very Savior of all, our Lord and God, lovingly making us safe, says: Then, if anyone says to you: Behold, here is the Christ, behold, there; do not believe it, as He sends far away from the mystery concerning Him the counterfeit and various faiths and opinions of the devious concerning Him, and restrains His own followers from every foreign (opinion), by which they are accustomed both to disturb and to attack the (184) sincerity of the confession in Him, those who are contentious and dissentient in their manner; so that our pious and God-loving mind, being caught by any of these, might never fall away from the truth, being led astray by the plausibility of myths, and not confirmed by the proof of the words of the Fathers. Watch therefore and pray, the Word again exhorts us for this reason, that you may not enter into temptation; wishing to produce in us, by watchfulness, the vigilance concerning this, and by prayer, His assistance according to grace. And by temptation He means here the one from error, not from necessity, into which we are led from within, not from without, turning aside from the straight and royal path; which path you yourselves, being divinely guided, traverse straightly, and wisely guide me, your servant, who am limping on both hams, bringing me up to the shadowless and eveningless light of the most divine confession and conduct of the Word, looking to the reward from there. Since also a divine law exhorts those who are strong like you to bear the burdens of the weak, and so to fulfill the law. And a heavy burden above any other of the difficult things is the disagreement of words concerning the same things, arising in the more childish, by changes of times and persons, by deceit perhaps, or by the threat of those who flatter, fawn or act rigorously; and especially in a time of universal disorder, when things arise uncontrollably. Therefore, do not cease sympathetically extending a hand to your refugee, on the one hand cleansing him skillfully with word; on the other hand strengthening him lovingly with prayer, and reconciling and bringing him to Him, the God Word and all-king of the ages, who is rightly worshipped and believed in by you, both now and at His fearful appearing; to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be honor, might, glory, worship, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

OF MAXIMUS THE GREAT, the confessor,

Concerning the two wills of the one Christ our God. Other things for others have been skillfully devised for security and for adornment at the same time,

both figures and forms; and by these they seem to be distinguished in outward appearance, having become numb through folly to what is hidden; but for you, hallowed Father, for you who have already transferred your thought to an un-distanced life, the artless virtue, surpassing every form and figure, has sufficed for beauty and for a guard, beautifying in you to such an extent, in addition to the (185) unseen, also that which is seen by all, in proportion as you preferred the abiding desire, which never has satiety, to that of the dissolving and worldly world. Or rather, showing it to be so great, as is right, appropriated to God and like Him, in proportion as it showed it to be entirely alienated in respect to relation from matter and the things concerning it, and unlike them. Hence you also possess invincibility against those who do evil. For he who has by his will suffered good things is not by nature able to suffer at their hands, and is held fast entirely by them, and having received the fulfillment of desire, the ... over himself of the

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λογισμούς, Γραφικῶς εἰπεῖν, καθαιροῦντες , καί πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατά τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ταύτῃ τοι καί αὐτός ὁ τῶν ὅλων Σωτήρ Κύριος ἡμῶν καί Θεός, φιλανθρώπως ἡμᾶς ἀσφαλιζόμενος· Τότε, φησίν, ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ· Ἰδού ὦδε ὁ Χριστός, ἰδού ὦδε· μή πιστεύσητε, τάς κιβδήλους περί αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐπιλόξων, καί διαφόρους πίστεις καί ὑπολήψεις, τοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτόν ποῤῥωτάτω μυστηρίου διαπεμπόμενος, καί τούς οἰκείου ὀπαδούς ἀλλοτρίας ἁπάσης ( δόξης ) ἀνείργων, αἷς τό (184) εἰλικρινές τῆς εἰς αὐτόν ὁμολογίας ἐκταράττειν εἰώθασιν ἄμα καί πολεμεῖν, οἱ τόν τρόπον ἐριστικοί καί ἀντίφρονες· ὡς ἄν μή ποτ᾿ ἄν ὁ εὐσεβής καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς καί φιλόθεος νοῦς τινι τούτων ἁλούς, ἀποπέσῃ ἀληθείας, πιθανότητι μύθων παραῤῥυείς, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἀποδείξει πατρικῶν λόγων βεβαιωθείς. Γρηγορεῖτε γοῦν καί προσεύχεσθε, παρεγγυᾷ, διά τοῦτο πάλιν ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν, ἵνα μή εἰσέλθητε εἰς πειρασμόν· ἐγρηγόρσει μέν, τήν περί τοῦτο νῆψιν, προσευχῇ δέ, τήν αὐτοῦ κατά χάριν ἀντίληψιν βουλόμενος ἡμῖν ἐμποιῆσαι. Πειρασμόν δέ τόν ἐκ πλάνης, οὐκ ἀνάγκης φησίν ἐνταῦθα, εἰς ὅν οἴκοθεν, οὐχ ἑτέροθεν εἰσαγόμεθα, τῆς εὐθείας παρεκκλινόμενοι τρίβου καί βασιλικῆς· ἥν εὐθυτομοῦντες αὐτοί θεοδήγητοι, καί τούς κατ᾿ ἐμέ τόν ὑμέτερον ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοτέρων χωλανάντας τῶν ἰγγύων σοφῶς ὁδηγήσατε, πρός τό ἄσκιον ἀνακομίζοντες φῶς καί ἀνέσπερον, τῆς τοῦ λόγου θειοτάτης ὁμολογίας καί πολιτείας, πρός τήν ἐκεῖθεν ἀμοιβήν ἀποβλέποντες. Ἐπεί καί νόμος παρακελεύεται θεῖος τούς καθ᾿ ὑμᾶς δυνατούς τῶν ἀσθενούντων τά βάρη βαστάζειν, καί οὕτω τόν νόμον ἀναπληροῦν. Βαρύ δέ βάρος ὑπέρ τι ἄλλο καθέστηκε τῶν δυσχερῶν, ἡ περί τῶν αὐτῶν διαφορία λόγων, ἐγγινομένη τοῖς νηπιωδεστέροις, χρόνων τε καί προσώπων ὑπαλλαγαῖς, ἀπάτῃ τυχόν, ἤ ἀπειλῇ τῶν κολακευόντων, σαινόντων ἤ ἀκριβούντων· καί ἐν καιρῷ μάλιστα τῆς τοῦ παντός ἀνωμαλίας, ἀσχέτως ἐπιφυομένων. Χεῖρα τοιγάρτοι συμπαθῶς ὀρέγοντες τῷ ὑμετέρῳ μή διαλείποιτε πρόσφυγι, τοῦτο μέν λόγῳ καθαίροντες ἐπιστημόνως· τοῦτο δέ προσευχῇ στηρίζοντες φιλανθρώπως, καί αὐτῷ προσοικειοῦντές τε καί προσάγοντες, τῷ παρ᾿ ὑμῶν ὀρθῶς τε προσκυνουμένῳ καί πιστευομένῳ Θεῷ Λόγῳ καί παμβασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, νῦν τε καί κατά τήν αὐτοῦ φοβεράν ἐπιφάνειαν· ᾧ σύν Πατρί καί ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, τιμή, κράτος, δόξα, προσκύνησις, εἰς τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΜΑΞΙΜΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ τοῦ ὁμολογητοῦ,

Περί θελημάτων β´ τοῦ ἑνός Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Ἄλλα μέν ἄλλοις εἰς ἀσφάλειάν τε ὁμοῦ καί κόσμον τεχνικῶς ἐπινενόηνται,

σχήματά τε καί εἴδη· καί τούτοις ἐμπρέπειν δοκοῦσι τῷ φαινομένῳ, τοῦ κρυπτομένου δι᾿ ἄνοιαν καταναρκήσαντες· σοί δέ, Πάτερ ἡγιασμένε, πρός ἀδιάστατον ἤδη μετενεγκόντι βίον τόν λογισμόν, ἡ ἄτεχνος καί παντός εἴδους καί σχήματος ὑπερέχουσα, πρός κάλλος ἤρκεσε καί φρουράν ἀρετή, τοσοῦτον ὡραΐζουσά σου πρός τῷ (185) ἀφανεῖ, καί τό πᾶσιν ὁρώμενον, ὅσον πόθον τοῦ λυομένου καί κόσμου ( κοσμικοῦ ) τόν ἱστάμενον, καί οὔ ποτε κόρον ἔχοντα προετίμησας. Μᾶλλον δέ τοσοῦτον ἀποδεικνύσα, καθώς θέμις, προσῳκειωμένον Θεῷ καί ὅμοιον, ὅσον ὕλης καί τῶν περί ταύτην ἠλλοτριωμένον πάντη κατά σχέσιν ἀπέφηνε καί ἀνόμοιον. Ἔνθεν σοι καί τό ἀνάλωτον πρός τά δρῶντα κακῶς περίεστιν. Οὐ γάρ πέφυκε πρός ἐκείνων πάσχειν ὁ γνώμῃ πεπονθώς τά καλά, καί πρός ἐκείνων δι᾿ ὅλου κρατούμενος, πόθου τε πλήρωσιν εἰληφώς, τήν ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτῷ τοῦ