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of mortification, the complete freedom from the passions; and of the second resurrection, the unspotted and true confidence according to conscience; and the illumination of knowledge according to the intellect. And if these things have come to be in us, let us celebrate with Christ our God; but if not, let us strive at least not to betray the Word to the passions like Judas, or not to deny him like Peter; lest we might not be strong enough to repent, and be led away repenting unprofitably; or to weep bitterly and wash away the marks of denial. For denial of the Word is the refusal to do good out of fear; and betrayal is the deliberate impulse towards sin according to one's action; may it not befall us to have experience of these.

LETTER 33. ... TO THE SAME. 33. Of the same to the same.

If according to the great vanquisher of temptations, Job, The life of men is a trial. (15B_414>

And the world, as the Lord said, lies in wickedness; and, Many are the tribulations of the righteous, as the great David declares, and that we must by all means have temptations and struggles, either against men or against demons, according to the just judgment of God, according to the holy Apostle, let us beseech God to give us endurance, so that we may be able to be drawn up from the mire of the passions, and to stand upon the unshakable rock, I mean the dispassion in Christ through grace; with the tempting life, and the wicked world, and men, and demons having been mortified in us, that is, the passionate life, and the sensual deception of pleasure, and the fleshly sufferings, and the passionate movements of the soul, and the involuntary suggestions that follow upon these, which were called tribulations. Let us endure, therefore, that we may be saved; for he who endures to the end will be saved. The peace of Christ be with us. Amen.

LETTER 34. ... TO THE SAME. 34. Of the same to the same.

The Lord, going to his passion, left peace to us; and again, having risen from the dead, he has given peace to us. What does he signify through these things, That we must bear contrary times with dispassion, neither succumbing to grievous circumstances, being without better hope, nor being carried away by cheerful circumstances, to cast off the reasoning that disciplines us; but to be the same both in suffering and in well-being. But this does not happen, unless we first tread upon the asp and basilisk; that is, we become superior to disobedience to the divine words, (15B_416> and to the reception of wicked thoughts; and we trample upon the lion and the dragon, that is, 0629 anger and desire; when these are removed, all peace will be ours, since nothing will be able to move us towards any of the things that abide here.

Let us master anger and desire, and we shall cast down the whole house of the foreigners together with those in it, having slain the passionate life and conduct together with the passions.

LETTER 35. ... TO THE SAME. 35. Of the same to the same.

If after that great and fearful desert, the Israelite people receive the land of rest, and the most astounding report of all, he who through

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νεκρώσεως, ἡ τῶν παθῶν παντελής ἐλευθερία· τῆς δέ τοῦ δευτέρου ἀναστάσεως, ἡ κατά συνείδησιν ἀκηλίδωτος καί ἀληθής παῤῥησία· καί ὁ κατά νοῦν φωτισμός τῆς γνώσεως. Καί εἰ μέν ταῦτα γεγόνασιν ἐν ἡμῖν, Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ συνεορτάζωμεν· εἰ δέ μήγε, ἀγωνισώμεθα κἄν μή προδοῦναι τοῖς πάθεσι τόν Λόγον κατά τόν Ἰούδαν, ἤ μή ἀρνήσασθαι κατά τόν Πέτρον· μή πως οὐκ ἰσχύσωμεν μετανοῆσαι, καί ἀπαχθῶμεν ἀκερδῶς μεταμελούμενοι· ἤ πικρῶς κλαῦσαι καί πλῦναι τά τῆς ἀρνήσεως στίγματα. Ἄρνησις γάρ ἐστι τοῦ Λόγου, ἡ τοῦ πράττειν τό ἀγαθόν διά φόβον παραίτησις· προδοσία δέ, ἡ κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν ἐμπρόθετος πρός ἁμαρτίαν ὁρμή· ὧν μή γένοιτο ἡμᾶς πεῖραν λαβεῖν.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΛΓ'. ... ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΥΤΟΝ. ΛΓ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν. Εἰ κατά τόν μέγαν νικητήν τῶν πειρασμῶν Ἰώβ, Πειρατήριόν (15Β_414>

ἐστιν ὁ βίος τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Καί ὁ κόσμος, ὡς εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖται· καί, Πολλαί αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, ὡς ὁ μέγας ἀποφαίνεται ∆αβίδ, καί τούς πειρασμούς, καί τήν πάλην, ἤ πρός ἀνθρώπους, ἤ πρός δαίμονας κατά τήν δικαίαν κρίσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, πάντως ἔχειν ἡμᾶς δεῖ, κατά τόν ἅγιον Ἀπόστολον, παρακαλέσωμεν τόν Θεόν ὑπομονήν δοῦναι, πρός τό δυνηθῆναι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς ἰλύος τῶν παθῶν ἀνασπασθῆναι, καί στῆναι ἐπί τήν ἄσειστον πέτραν, τήν ἐν Χριστῷ λέγω διά τῆς χάριτος ἀπάθειαν· νεκρωθέντων ἐν ἡμῖν τοῦ τε πειράζοντος βίου, καί τοῦ πονηρευομένου κόσμου, καί τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καί τῶν δαιμόνων, τουτέστι, τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς ζωῆς, καί τῆς κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ἡδονικῆς ἀπάτης, καί τῶν σαρκικῶν παθημάτων, καί τῶν ψυχικῶν ἐμπαθῶν κινημάτων, καί τῶν ἐπί τούτοις ἀκουσίων ἐπαγωγῶν, αἵτινες θλίψεις ἐκλήθησαν. Ὑπομείνωμεν οὖν ἵνα σωθῶμεν· ὅτι ὁ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος σωθήσεται. Ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν. Ἀμήν.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Λ∆'. ... ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΥΤΟΝ. Λ∆´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν. Εἰρήνην ἀπιών πρός τό πάθος ὁ Κύριος ἀφῆκεν ἡμῖν· καί πάλιν ἀναστάς ἐκ

νεκρῶν εἰρήνην δέδωκεν ἡμῖν. Τί διά τούτων αἰνιττόμενος, Τό δεῖν τούς ἐναντίους καιρούς ἀπαθῶς διαφέρειν ἡμᾶς, μήτε ταῖς λυπηραῖς περιστάσεσιν ὑποπίπτοντας, κρείττοντος ἐλπίδος εἶναι χωρίς, μήτε ταῖς φαιδραῖς ὑποθέσεσι συμπεριφερομένους, τόν παιδαγωγοῦντα ἡμᾶς λογισμόν ἀπωθεῖσθαι· ἀλλά τούς αὐτούς εἶναι καί πάσχοντας καί εὐπαθοῦντας. Τοῦτο δέ οὐ γίνεται, εἰ μή πρότερον ἐπιβῶμεν ἐπί ἀσπίδα καί βασιλίσκον· τουτέστιν ὑπεράνων γενώμεθα παρακοῆς τῶν θείων λόγων, (15Β_416> καί παραδοχῆς τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν· καί καταπατήσωμεν λέοντα καί δράκοντα, τουτέστι 0629 θυμόν καί ἐπιθυμίαν· ὧν ἀπογενομένων, πᾶσα ἡμῖν ἔσται εἰρήνη, μηδενός ἡμᾶς κινῆσαι δυναμένου πρός μηδέν τῶν ὧδε μενόντων.

Κρατήσωμεν θυμοῦ καί ἐπιθυμίας, καί ὅλον ὁμοῦ τόν οἶκον τῶν ἀλλοφύλων μετά τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ κατεβάλομεν, τήν ἐμπαθῆ ζωήν τε καί ἀγωγήν τοῖς πάθεσι συναποκτείναντες.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΛΕ'. ... ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΥΤΟΝ. ΛΕ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν. Εἰ μετά τήν μεγάλην καί φοβεράν ἐκείνην ἔρημον, ὁ Ἰσραηλίτης λαός τήν

γῆν λαμβάνει τῆς ἀναπαύσεως, καί τό πάντων καταπληκτικώτερον ἄκουσμα, ὁ δι᾿