84

something else(281) other than that, and pretending to be that, to be changed; just as an eye, having once gazed upon the sun, would not mistake for it the moon, or any of the other stars in the heavens. But for those whose entire purpose the Holy Spirit took at their birth, He transferred it completely from earth to the heavens, and through true knowledge in act, He refashioned the mind with the blessed rays of God the Father, so that he might be thought to be another god, present in his state through grace; which God is not by participation, but by essence; of these the purpose has clearly become sinless according to the state of virtue and knowledge, being unable to deny what has been discerned in act through experience itself. Even if, then, we have the spirit of adoption, which is a seed that forms those who are born into the likeness of the one who sowed it; yet we do not offer to it a will pure from the inclination and disposition toward something else; and for this reason, even after being born, I say, of water and the Spirit, we prepare our will to receive the activity gnostically, if perhaps through [Fr. if perhaps through) the practical life the mystical water might bring about the cleansing of the conscience; and the life-giving Spirit might effect in us the immutable perfection of the good through knowledge in experience. Therefore, each of us who are still able to sin is lacking in the will to purely offer our whole selves, according to our judgment, to the Spirit.

SCHOLIA. a. For those who ask whether Adam was created mortal or immortal,

the answer is at once fitting and very appropriate. b. Idle faith, he says, has the grace of adoption in potentiality, as through the commandments

it is not set in motion by those who possess it. c. He sets forth two modes of birth: the one according to the substance, so to speak, of the whole human being,

according to which the perfection of adoption comes to be in potentiality in the soul; the other according to judgment and purpose, according to which the Holy Spirit, taking a willing judgment and purpose, refashions it toward deification, uniting it wholly to God. Therefore, according to the first mode of birth, it is possible for those who have been born to incline toward sin, not wanting to bring into action the power of adoption that is in them, because of their attachment to the flesh. For purpose is that which uses; while the power of adoption is, as it were, the instrument, or rather it remains inactive, since the purpose does not choose to use it. Therefore, according to this mode of birth, he says it is possible for those who have been born to sin; but according to the second, it is impossible, once the judgment(284) and purpose have been deified. Thus the Apostle, speaking according to this mode of birth, said that he who is born of God does not commit sin.

QUESTION 7.

What is the meaning of, "For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does"? How are the dead judged in the flesh?

Answer. It is a custom of Scripture to change the tenses, and for one another

to substitute them; and the future as past, and the past as

84

ἄλλο(281) τι παρ᾿ ἐκεῖνο, κἀκεῖνο εἶναι προσποιούμενον, μεταπεσεῖν· ὥσπερ οὔτε ὀφθαλμός ἅπαξ τόν ἥλιον θεασάμενος, εἰς τήν σελήνην, ἤ τινας ἄλλους τῶν κατ᾿ οὐρανόν ἀστέρων παραγνωρίσαι. Ὧν δέ κατά τήν γέννησιν, τήν ὅλην προαίρεσιν λαβόν τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον, ἀπό τῆς γῆς πρός οὐρανούς δι᾿ ὅλου μετέθηκε, καί διά τῆς κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν ἀληθοῦς ἐπιγνώσεως, ταῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ καί Πατρός μακαρίαις ἀκτῖσι τόν νοῦν μετεποίησεν, ὡς ἄλλον εἶναι θεόν νομισθῆναι παρόντα τά κατά τήν ἕξιν διά τῆς χάριτος· ὅπερ οὐ πάσχων, ἀλλ᾿ ὑπάρχων κατ᾿ οὐσίαν ἐστίν ὁ Θεός· τούτων σαφῶς ἀναμάρτητος κατά τήν ἕξιν τῆς ἀρετῆς καί τῆς γνώσεως ἡ προαίρεσις γέγονεν, μή δυναμένων ἀρνήσασθαι τό διά τῆς πείρας αὐτῆς κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν διεγνωσμένον. Κἄν οὖν ἔχομεν τό πνεῦμα τῆς υἱοθεσίας, ὅπερ ἐστί σπέρμα πρός τήν τοῦ σπείραντος εἰδοποιοῦν τούς γεννωμένους ὁμοίωσιν· ἀλλ᾿ οὐ παρέχομεν αὐτῷ τήν γνώμην τῆς ἐπ᾿ ἄλλο ῥοπῆς τε καί διαθέσεως καθαράν· καί διά τοῦτο καί μετά τό γεννηθῆναι δι᾿ ὕδατος λέγω καί Πνεύματος, τήν ἐνέργειαν δέχεσθαι γνωστικῶς τήν γνώμην παρεσκευάζομεν, ἄραγε διά [Fr. ἆρα ἄν διά) τῆς πρακτικῆς τό μυστικόν ὕδωρ ἐποιεῖτο τῆς συνειδήσεως κάθαρσιν· καί τό ζωοποιόν Πνεῦμα τήν ἄτρεπτον ἐν ἡμῖν τοῦ καλοῦ διά τῆς ἐν πείρᾳ γνώσεως ἐνήργει τελείωσιν. Λείπει τοιγαροῦν ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτεῖν ἔτι δυναμένων, τό καθαρῶς ἑαυτούς ὅλους κατά τήν γνώμην ἐμπαρέχειν βουληθῆναι τῷ Πνεύματι.

ΣΧΟΛΙΑ. α΄. Πρός τούς ἐρωτῶντας, πότερον ὁ Ἀδάμ θνητός ἤ ἀθάνατος διεπλάσθη,

πρόσφορος ὁμοῦ καί λίαν κατάλληλος ἡ ἀπόκρισις. β΄. Ἀργή πίστις, φησί, δυνάμει τήν χάριν ἔχει τῆς υἱοθεσίας, ὡς διά τῶν ἐντολῶν

μή κινουμένη ὑπό τῶν ἐχόντων αὐτήν. γ΄. ∆ύο τινάς ἀποφαίνεται τρόπους γεννήσεως· τόν μέν κατ᾿ οὐσίαν, ἵν᾿ οὕτως

εἴπωμεν, τοῦ ὅλου ἀνθρώπου· καθ᾿ ὅν ἡ τῆς υἱοθεσίας τελείωσις δυνάμει τῇ ψυχῇ ἐγγίνεται· τό δέ κατά γνώμην καί προαίρεσιν, καθ᾿ ὅν τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον παραλαβόν θέλουσαν γνώμην τε καί προαίρεσιν, μεταπλάττει πρός θέωσιν, ὅλην αὐτήν ἐνοῦν τῷ Θεῷ. Κατά μέν οὖν τόν πρῶτον τῆς γεννήσεως τρόπον, οἷόν τε τούς γεγεννημένους ῥέψαι πρός ἁμαρτίαν, μή βουλομένους εἰς ἔργον ἄγειν τήν ἑνοῦσαν αὐτοῖς τῆς υἱοθεσίας δύναμιν, τῇ πρός τήν σάρκα προσπαθείᾳ. Ἡ γάρ προαίρεσίς ἐστι τό χρώμενον· ἡ δέ τῆς υἱοθεσίας δύναμις, οἰονεί τό ὄργανον, ἤ τις δή ἀνενέργητος μένει, τῆς προαιρέσεως μή ταύτης χρῆσθαι προαιρουμένης. Κατά μέν οὖν τοῦτον τῆς γεννήσεως τόν τρόπον, οἷόν τέ φησι τούς γεγεννημένους ἐξαμαρτῆσαι· κατά δέ τόν δεύτερον, ἀμήχανον, ἅπαξ θεωθείσης τῆς γνώμης(284) καί προαιρέσεως. Τόν οὖν Ἀπόστολον, κατά τοῦτον τῆς γεννήσεως τόν τρόπον φάναι, τόν γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἁμαρτίαν μή ποιεῖν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ζ ΄.

Τί ἐστίν, "Εἰς τοῦτο γάρ καί νεκροῖς εὐηγγελίσθη, ἵνα κριθῶσι μέν κατά ἄνθρωπον σαρκί, ζῶσι δέ κατά θεόν πνεύματι·" Πῶς οἱ νεκροί σαρκί κρίνονται;

Ἀπόκρισις. Ἔθος ἐστί τῇ Γραφῇ τούς χρόνους μεταλλάσσειν, καί εἰς ἀλλήλους

μεταλαμβάνειν· καί τόν μέλλοντα ὡς παρῳχηκότα, καί τόν παρῳχηκότα ὡς