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“But of the truly good”: Concerning the goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, the true God. He makes to be in reality, that is, He upholds for permanence.

“And He wills all things always to be”: Since he said “all things,” and (15∆_436> among all things are also lifeless and irrational things, by adding “according to the suitability of each,” he preemptively dealt with the underlying objection.

“And He earnestly strives”: How the Lord loves all things, and exhorts us not to fall away from Him, for which reason He is also called Paraclete.

“And of those who act coyly”: To act coyly (thryptesthai) properly means to be broken down; but the word is also said of lovers, who, putting off a meeting with those who love them, use such a physical, that is, broken down, manner. Whence it is also taken for other similar matters.

“Nevertheless He runs to meet those who approach”: The elements of the Gospel parable of the prodigal are suggested in these words, and similar things. And wonderfully he also says “whole to whole ones,” shaming the heretics of that time, who said that only the soul is saved by God, and not the body. The whole Lord, therefore, he says, having taken a soul and a body, has saved us whole, who are of soul and body. And at that time there were heretics from Simon, as Irenaeus and Hippolytus declare. And those who dogmatize the teachings of Origen also think the same things. And “embracing,” instead of 'having been entwined'.

“That is, the good”: Note whom he says are the friends called together; and a little later he understands these to be the good angels. And see how he understands the phrase, “So that the dwelling may be of all who rejoice.”

“But you, as your letters show”: But you, he says, O Demophilus, also insulted the priest for saying that the impious man who repents is to be pitied, that is, worthy of mercy. And it seems to me that Demophilus insulted a presbyter; for he is accustomed to calling priests "presbyters," as he made clear in “On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy.” And here too, descending a little, he states and establishes this. And the syntax is by hyperbaton. You insulted the (15∆_438> priest for deeming it just also that the impious man is to be pitied, that is, worthy of mercy.

“You have contracted the Holy of Holies”: “You have contracted” instead of “you have humbled,” and “made small.” Or not this, but “you have contracted” instead of “you have gathered together,” as has been said, as if “you have lifted up,” having carried them from the altar, although deacons and presbyters are entrusted to do this, as the law says “And priests shall put away the holy things,” as he also says on the following page.

“It is not lawful for a priest”: That a presbyter, even if he sins, ought not to be corrected by a deacon or a monk, let alone by laymen, and this apart from heresy; for the order of the ministers, that is, deacons, is above the order of the monks. And if this is so, much more is it not lawful for a bishop to be accused by anyone.

“But the priests are angels”: Note that priests are also angels and interpreters, that is, teachers of the divine judgments after the hierarchs; and that the letter was written concerning a presbyter who was persecuted and insulted by a monk is especially shown from this.

“Through the midst of the ministers”: Note that those seeking to learn divine things from presbyters ought not to do this by themselves, even if they are monks, but through the medium of deacons, and this when a suitable occasion is present.

“Through whom also their being”: As we said above in the “Ecclesiastical Hierarchy,” in the chapter concerning monastic perfection, the monastic habit is given to them through presbyters

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«Ἀλλά τοῦ ὄντως ἀγαθοῦ»: Περί ἀγαθότητος τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὄντως εἶναι ποιεῖ, τοῦτ' ἔστι διακρατεῖ πρός διαμονήν.

«Καί πάντα βούλεται ἀεί γενέσθαι»: Ἐπειδή πάντα εἶπεν, ἐν (15∆_436> δέ τοῖς πᾶσι καί ἄψυχα καί ἄλογα, προσθείς κατά τήν ἑκάστων ἐπιτηδειότητα, τήν ὑφορμῶσαν ἀντίθεσιν προεθεράπευσε.

«Καί φιλονεικεῖ»: Πῶς ἐρᾷ πάντων ὁ Κύριος, καί παρακαλεῖ ἡμᾶς μή ἐκπεσεῖν αὐτοῦ, ὅθεν καί Παράκλητος ἀκούει.

«Καί θρυπτομένων»: Θρύπτεσθαι κυρίως τό κατακλᾶσθαι· λέγεται δέ ἡ λέξις καί ἐπί τῶν ἐρωμένων, οἵ, τήν πρός τούς ἐρῶντας ἀναβαλλόμενοι συντυχίαν, τοιούτῳ τῷ σωματικῷ, τουτέστι κατακεκλασμένῳ, κέχρηνται ἤθει. Ὅθεν λαμβάνεται καί ἐπί ἄλλων ὁμοιοτρόπων πραγμάτων.

«Ὅμως προσιοῦσι προστρέχει»: Τά τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς παραβολῆς τοῦ ἀσώτου ὑποτίθεται ἐν τούτοις, καί τά ὅμοια. Θαυμασίως δέ καί τό ὅλος ὅλους φησί, καταισχύνων τούς τότε αἱρετικούς, οἵτινες ψυχήν μονήν σώζεσθαι ὑπό Θεοῦ, καί οὐ σῶμα, ἔλεγον. Ὅλος οὖν, φησίν, ὁ Κύριος, ὡς ψυχήν καί σῶμα λαβών, ὅλους ἡμᾶς τούς ἐκ ψυχῆς καί σώματος σέσωκεν. Ἦσαν δέ τότε αἱρετικοί ἀπό Σίμωνος, ὡς δηλοῦσιν Εἰρηναῖος καί Ἱππόλυτος. Καί οἱ τά Ὠριγένους δέ δογματίζοντες τά αὐτά φρονοῦσι. «Περιφύς» δέ, ἀντί τοῦ 'περιπλακείς'.

«∆ηλαδή τούς ἀγαθούς»: Σημείωσαι τίνας φησί τούς συγκαλουμένους φίλους· μετ' ὀλίγα δέ τούς ἀγαθούς ἀγγέλους εἶναι τούτους νοεῖ. Ὅρα δέ πῶς νοεῖ τό, «Ἵνα ᾖ πάντων εὐφραινομένων ἡ κατοικία».

«Σύ δέ, ὡς τά γράμματά σου δηλοῖ»: Σύ δέ, φησίν, ὦ ∆ημόφιλε, καί τόν ἱερέα ὕβρισας, εἰπόντα ἐλεητόν εἶναι, τουτέστιν ἐλέους ἄξιον, τόν ἀσεβῆ καί μετανοοῦντα. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι ὁ ∆ημόφιλος πρεσβύτερον ὑβρικέναι· τούς γάρ ἱερέας πρεσβυτέρους εἴωθε καλεῖν, ὡς ἐν τῷ «Περί τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς ἱεραρχίας» διετράνωσε. Καί ἐνταῦθα δέ μετά βραχέα ὑποκατιών τό εἰρημένον καί συνίστησι. Καθ' ὑπερβατόν δέ ἡ σύνταξις. Ὕβριζες τόν (15∆_438> ἱερέα δικαιώσαντα καί τό, τόν ἀσεβῆ ἐλεητόν ὑπάρχειν, ἤγουν ἐλέους ἄξιον.

«Τά Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων συνέστειλας»: Συνέστειλας ἀντί τοῦ ἐταπείνωσας, καί ἐσμίκρυνας ἤ οὐ τοῦτο, ἀλλά συνέστειλας ἀντί τοῦ συνῆξας, ὡς εἴρηται, οἱονεί ἐπῆρας, ἐκ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου βαστάσας, καίτοι διακόνων καί πρεσβυτέρων τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐπιτετραμμένων τοῦ νόμου λέγοντος «Καί ἱερεῖς περιστελοῦσι τά ἅγια», ὡς καί ἐν τῷ ἑξῆς φύλλῳ φησίν.

«Οὐ θεμιτόν ἱερέα»: Ὅτι οὐ δεῖ πρεσβύτερον, κἄν ἁμαρτάνῃ, ὑπό διακόνου ἤ μονάζοντος εὐθύνεσθαι, μή τί γε ὑπό λαϊκῶν, ταῦτα δέ δίχα αἱρέσεως· ὑπέρ γάρ τήν τάξιν τῶν μοναχῶν, ἡ τῶν λειτουργῶν, ἤτοι διακόνων. Καί εἰ τοῦτο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οὐδέ ἐπίσκοπον κατηγορεῖσθαι θέμις ὑπό τινος.

«Οἱ δέ ἱερεῖς ἄγγελοι»: Σημείωσαι ὅτι καί ἱερεῖς ἄγγελοι καί ὑποφῆται, τουτέστι διδάσκαλοι τῶν θείων κριμάτων εἰσί μετά τούς ἱεράρχας· καί ὅτι περί πρεσβυτέρου διωχθέντος καί ὑβρισθέντος παρά μονάζοντος ἡ ἐπιστολή ἐγράφη, ἐντεῦθεν μάλιστα δηλοῦται.

«∆ιά μέσων τῶν λειτουργῶν»: Σημείωσαι ὅτι οἱ τά θεῖα ζητοῦντες παρά πρεσβυτέρων μαθεῖν, οὐ δι' ἑαυτῶν τοῦτο πράττειν ὀφείλουσι, κἄν ὑπάρχωσι μοναχοί, ἀλλά διά μέσων διακόνων, καί τοῦτο ὅταν ἁρμόδιος παρῇ καιρός.

«∆ι' ὧν καί τό εἶναι»: Ὥσπερ εἴπομεν ἄνω ἐν τῇ «Ἐκκλησιαστικῇ ἱεραρχίᾳ», ἐν τῷ περί μοναχικῆς τελειώσεως κεφαλαίῳ, διά πρεσβυτέρων αὐτοῖς δίδοται τό μοναχικόν σχῆμα