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they justly deprive and are like masterless dogs. For just as masterless dogs roam about in the squares and alleys of the city, that they might take a bone somewhere (186) or a discarded piece of old hide, or even lick dung or the blood of slaughtered cattle, and if a carcass is found for them, they eat insatiably and do not separate from the corpse beforehand, but even fighting they drive away the other dogs, until they lay bare not only the entrails but also the very bones stripped of their sinews, so also these ones run about like beggars at the doors of the rich and the poor, that they might pocket gold or silver or copper being given somewhere, since they have fallen away from the true and unfailing wealth; and when they achieve their goal, then for a little while, as though sated and needing nothing, they are thus disposed; but when the famine of insatiability unexpectedly seizes them, they give themselves over again to their former beggary, pitiful in the present things, even if they should acquire all the wealth of the world, more pitiful in the things to come, because they have willingly thrust away eternal life.

For God has revealed to them the wealth of his grace, so that they might be without excuse; and he has counted them worthy to taste of the heavenly gift and has made them partakers of the Holy Spirit, just as the divine Paul proclaimed; "But they did not glorify him as God," or love him, or revere the infinity of his goodness, "or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened; for claiming to be wise, they became fools." But not so are all who fear the Lord; but as many as, like well-disposed servants and as genuine sons, with joy endure the disciplines of their own father and master, saying: "I will bear the discipline of the Lord, for I have sinned against him," and otherwise: "The present sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the (187) glory that is to be revealed to us," and thus they persevere in the daily, as we have said, discipline and continuous repentance, not leaping away from or being vexed by it, being tutored in the aforementioned way, they always remain in the paternal house, splendidly attired, becoming table-companions with their own father and beholding his glory and the wealth which they are to inherit. And when they are well brought up and, having been disciplined, attain to the measure of the stature of a perfect man, then the all-good father gives all his possessions into their hands.

But let us first say what is the measure of spiritual stature and the height of the fullness of Christ, and thus let us go through the things belonging to the Father and how he gives them into the hands of those who believe in him. Attend therefore prudently to the power of the things that will be said to you.

The measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, spiritually considered, are these: and that I may make a beginning of it from below, its feet are faith and holy humility, a firm and unshakable foundation. Legs and ankles, shins and knees and thighs, are poverty, nakedness, exile, submission for Christ's sake with knowledge, obedience, and willing servitude. The members and parts that must be covered are unceasing prayer in the mind, the sweetness engendered from the shedding of tears, the joy of the heart and its ineffable consolation. Kidneys and loins are the standing and endurance for prayers and synaxes, and the burning of desire engendered from there for the vision and communion with God, as the divine David is recorded saying thus: "Burn my kidneys and my heart." And Paul says: (188) "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth." And the chief of the apostles, Peter, says, "Therefore, having girded up the loins of your mind, being sober, hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as children of obedience." Grace, that of the all-holy

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ἐνδίκως ἀποστεροῦσι καί κυσίν ὁμοιοῦνται ἀδεσπότοις. Καθάπερ γάρ οἱ ἀδέσποτοι κύνες ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις καί ῥύμαις τῆς πόλεως περιΐασιν, ἵν᾿ ὀστοῦν που (186) ἤ δέρματος παλαιοῦ μέρος ἀπορριφέν λάβωσιν, ἤ καί κόπρον ἤ αἷμα λείξουσι σφαγέντων κτηνῶν, εἰ δέ καί θνησιμαῖον αὐτοῖς εὑρεθῇ, ἀκορέστως ἐσθίουσι και οὐ χωρίζονται τοῦ πτώματος πρότερον, ἀλλά καί τούς ἄλλους κύνας μαχόμενοι ἐκδιώκουσιν, ἕως ἄν οὐ τῶν ἐγκάτων μόνον ἀλλά καί αὐτά τά ὀστᾶ γυμνά τῶν νεύρων ἀποδείξωσιν, οὕτω καί οὗτοι ἐν ταῖς τῶν πλουσίων καί πενήτων θύραις ἀγυρτικῶς περιτρέχουσιν, ἵνα χρυσόν που ἤ ἄργυρον ἤ χαλκόν διδόμενον ἐγκολπώσωνται, ἐπεί τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καί ἀρρεύστου πλούτου ἐξέπεσον· καί ὅταν τύχωσι τοῦ σκοποῦ, τότε πρός ὀλίγον, ὡς κεκορεσμένοι καί μηδενός χρῄζοντες, οὕτω διάκεινται· ἐπάν δέ ὁ λιμός τῆς ἀπληστίας ἐξ ἀνελπιστίας αὐτούς καταλάβῃ, τῇ προτέρᾳ καί αὖθις ἀγυρτίᾳ ἑαυτούς ἐκδιδόασιν, ἐλεεινοί τῶν παρόντων, κἄν τοῦ κόσμου τόν πλοῦτον ἅπαντα κτήσωνται, ἐλεεινότεροι τῶν μελλόντων, ὅτι τήν αἰώνιοιν ζωήν ἐκουσίως ἀπώσαντο.

Ἐφανέρωσε γάρ αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεός τόν τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ πλοῦτον, εἰς τό εἶναι αὐτούς ἀναπολογήτους· καί τῆς ἐπουρανίου δωρεᾶς γεύσασθαι αὐτούς κατηξίωσε καί Πνεύματος Ἁγίου μετόχους πεποίηκε, καθά καί ὁ θεῖος Παῦλος ἀνέκραγεν· "Οἱ δέ οὐχ ὡς Θεόν ἐδόξασαν", ἤ ἠγάπησαν, ἤ τό ἄπειρον τῆς αὐτοῦ ᾐδέσθησαν ἀγαθότητος, "ἤ αὐτῷ εὐχαρίστησαν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν καί ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία· φάσκοντες γάρ εἶναι σοφοί, ἐμωράνθησαν". Οὐχ οὕτως δέ πάντες οἱ φοβούμενοι τόν Κύριον· ἀλλ᾿ ὅσοι τάς τοῦ ἰδίου πατρός καί δεσπότου παιδείας ὡς εὐγνώμονες δοῦλοι καί ὡς υἱοί γνήσιοι μετά χαρᾶς ὑπενέγκωσι, λέγοντες· "Παιδείαν Κυρίου ὑποίσω, ὅτι ἥμαρτον αὐτῷ ", καί ἄλλως· "Οὐκ ἄξια τά παρόντα παθήματα πρός τήν (187) ἀποκαλυπτομένην ἡμῖν δόξαν εἰσί", καί οὕτως ἐμμείνωσι τῆ καθημερινῇ, ὡς ἔφημεν, παιδείᾳ καί διηνεκεῖ μετανοίᾳ, μή ἀποσκιρτῶντες ἤ πρός ταύτην ἀχθόμενοι, τῷ προειρημένῳ τρόπῳ παιδαγωγούμενοι, ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῷ πατρικῷ ἐστολισμένοι λαμπρῶς ἀεί διαμένουσι, συνέστιοι τῷ ἑαυτῶν πατρί γινόμενοι καί τήν δόξαν καθορῶντες αὐτοῦ καί τόν πλοῦτον ὅν κληρονομεῖν μέλλουσιν. Ὅταν δέ καλῶς ἀνατραφῶσι καί παιδευθέντες εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τελείου ἀνδρός καταντήσωσι, τηνικαῦτα καί ὁ πανάγαθος πατήρ πάντα τά ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῷ δίδωσιν εἰς τάς χεῖρας αὐτῶν.

Ἀλλά γάρ εἴπωμεν πρότερον τί τό μέτρον τῆς πνευματικῆς ἡλικίας καί τό ὕψος τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ καί οὕτως περί τῶν ὑπαρχόντων τῷ Πατρί καί ὅπως δίδωσι ταῦτα εἰς τάς χεῖρας τῶν πιστευόντων αὐτῷ διέλθωμεν. Πρόσεχε οὖν τῇ δυνάμει τῶν ῥηθησομένων σοι συνετῶς.

Μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ταῦτά εἰσι πνευματικῶς θεωρούμενα· καί ἵνα κάτωθεν τήν ἀρχήν ταύτης ποιήσωμαι, πόδες αὐτῆς ἡ πίστις καί ἡ ἁγία ταπείνωσίς ἐστι, βάσις στερρά καί ἀκράδαντος. Σκέλη καί ἀστράγαλοι, κνῆμαι καί γόνατα καί μηροί, ἡ ἀκτημοσύνη, ἡ γυμνότης, ἡ ξενιτεία, ἡ διά Χριστόν ὑποταγή μετά γνώσεως, ἡ ὑπακοή καί ἡ εὐπρόθυμος δουλεία. Μέλη καί μόρια ἅ ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι χρεών, ἡ ἀδιάλειπτος εὐχή κατά νοῦν, ἡ ἐκ τῆς χύσεως τῶν δακρύων ἐγγινομένη ἡδύτης, ἡ χαρά τῆς καρδίας καί ἡ ἄφατος ταύτης παράκλησις. Νεφροί καί ὀσφύς, ἡ πρός τάς εὐχάς καί τάς συνάξεις στάσις καί καρτερία καί ἡ ἐκεῖθεν ἐγγινομένη πύρωσις τοῦ ἐπιθυμητικοῦ πρός θεωρίαν καί συνουσίαν Θεοῦ, καθώς ὁ θεῖος ∆υίδ ἀναγράφεται οὕτω λέγων· "Πύρωσον τούς νεφρούς μου καί τήν καρδίαν μου". Καί ὁ Παῦλός φησι· (188) "Στῆτε οὖν περιζωσάμενοι τάς ὀσφῦς ὑμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ". Καί τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁ κορυφαιότατος Πέτρος "∆ιό, φησίν, ἀναζωσάμενοι τάς ὀσφῦς τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν, νήφοντες τελείως, ἐλπίσατε ἐπί τήν φερομένην ὑμῖν χάριν ἐν ἀποκαλύψει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὡς τέκνα ὑπακοῆς". Χάριν, τήν τοῦ παναγίου