129

a monastic way of life, superior and practical. The Pharisees, then, whose name means 'separated' and 'divided', were so called from their dividing and separating themselves from all others, both in the purest and most exact way of life and in the commandments of the law. And the scribes pursue this same way of life, among whom are the same polity, both self-control and virginity, fasting twice a week, the cleansing of cups and plates and pots, tithes and firstfruits and constant prayers and all the rest, with the exception, of course, of the wondrous Essenes as being far superior and greatly pre-eminent. Paul, having emulated this Pharisaic way of life as the best, very much prides himself, saying, "a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee." Whence also our Lord, reasonably proposing a more perfect and angelic life, clearly said to the lovers of the heavenly inheritance, "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." From this indeed also the apostolic Dionysius, extolling the sacred order of monks, speaks thus: "But the highest order of all the initiated is the sacred establishment of the monks, having been purified with all purification by the whole power and complete purity of its own operations, whence our divine leaders deemed them worthy of sacred 1.355 epithets, some calling them 'therapeutae' and others 'monks' from their pure service and worship of God." Having collected these few things from many, I think I have necessarily put them together for those who are perplexed as to when and from where the conduct, ascetic practice, and order of the monks began. Where, then, are the iconoclasts who, along with the other divine traditions and institutions of the apostolic church, impiously and foolishly cast away and spurn the monastic way of life, these newly-appeared Jews, who, following their impious and God-hated initiator Copronymus, dogmatize this as new and recent out of extreme madness, desperation, and stupidity, understanding neither what they say nor about what they are so confident? But we, following the teachings of the holy fathers, believe this to be ancient and old. But also Basil the Great, speaking about submission and the monastic way of life, said thus: "For this reason also the philanthropic Lord, caring for our salvation, divided human affairs into two ways of life, marriage and virginity, so that he who is not able to bear the contest of virginity and asceticism might enter into cohabitation with a wife, knowing this, that an account will be required of him for temperance and sanctification and for likeness to the saints in marriage and child-rearing, both in the old and in the new dispensations. For we all shall be required to give obedience to the gospel, both monks and those in marriage. For to one who has entered into marriage, 1.356 incontinence and desire for and intercourse with a woman will suffice for pardon. But the rest of the commandments, legislated for all alike, are not without danger for those who transgress them, as the Lord says to his disciples, 'And what I say to you, I say to all.'" But also Gregory the Great in theology and Saint John Chrysostom and very many others of the divine and blessed fathers in their various discourses affirm that the tradition of the solitary life is ancient and apostolic. And if we should bring forward some from the outside for this testimony, let no one blame us. Reasonably, then, Plato, hinting at the rarity of the perfect, said: "It does not seem to me possible for men to become blessed and happy, except for a few. As long as we live, we maintain this: for many are the narthex-bearers, but the philosophers are rare and few. But it is a noble deed and belief to obtain all things after death." whence he introduced a simple and noble man according to Aeschylus. There will be honors and gifts for him for seeming to be such. Therefore, it is unclear

129

μο ναδικὸν ὑπερφερῆ καὶ βιωτικόν. Φαρισαῖοι τοίνυν, ἑρμηνευόμενοι ἀφωρισμένοι καὶ μεμερι σμένοι, παρὰ τὸ μερίζειν καὶ ἀφορίζειν ἑαυτοὺς τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάν των ἐλέγοντο εἴς τε τὸ καθαρώτατον τοῦ βίου καὶ ἀκριβέστατον καὶ εἰς τὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐντάλματα. τὸν δὲ αὐτὸν βίον μετέρχονται καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς, παρ' οἷς καὶ πολιτεία ἡ αὐτὴ ἐγκράτειά τε καὶ παρθενία, νηστεία δὶς τοῦ σαββάτου, ξεστῶν καὶ πινάκων καὶ ποτηρίων καθαρισμοί, ἀποδεκατώσεις τε καὶ ἀπαρχαὶ καὶ ἐν δελεχεῖς εὐχαὶ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα, ὑπεξαιρουμένων δηλονότι τῶν θαυμασίων Ἐσσαίων ὡς ὑπερτέρων σφόδρα καὶ λίαν ὑπερκειμέ νων. ἣν δὴ Φαρισαϊκὴν ὡς ἄριστον πολιτείαν ὁ Παῦλος ζηλώ σας εὖ μάλα σεμνύνεται, φάσκων "Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων, κατὰ νόμον Φαρισαῖος." ὅθεν εἰκότως καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν τὸν τελειό τερον καὶ ἀγγελικὸν ὑποτιθέμενος ἐναργῶς βίον ἔφασκε πρὸς τοὺς ἐραστὰς τῆς οὐρανίου κληρουχίας "ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιο σύνη ὑμῶν πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλ θητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν." ἔνθεν γέ τοι καὶ ὁ ἀπο στολικὸς ∆ιονύσιος ἀποσεμνύνων τὴν ἱερὰν τῶν μοναχῶν τάξιν οὕτω φησίν "ἡ δὲ τῶν τελουμένων ἁπασῶν ὑψηλοτέρα τάξις ἡ τῶν μοναχῶν ἐστὶν ἱερὰ διακόσμησις, πᾶσαν μὲν ἀποκεκαθαρμένη κάθαρσιν ὁλκῇ δυνάμει καὶ παντελεῖ τῶν οἰκείων ἐνεργειῶν ἁγνό τητι, ἔνθεν οἱ θεῖοι καθηγεμόνες ἡμῶν ἐπωνύμων ἑαυτοὺς ἱερῶν 1.355 ἠξίωσαν, οἱ μὲν θεραπευτὰς οἱ δὲ μοναχοὺς ὀνομάσαντες ἐκ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ καθαρᾶς ὑπηρεσίας καὶ θεραπείας." Ταῦτα ἐκ πολλῶν ἐρανισάμενος ὀλίγα ἀναγκαίως οἶμαι συν τέθεικα διὰ τοὺς ἐπαποροῦντας πότε καὶ πόθεν ἡ τῶν μοναχῶν ἤρξατο διαγωγή τε καὶ ἄσκησις καὶ τάξις. ποῦ τοίνυν εἰσὶν οἱ τὴν μοναδικὴν πολιτείαν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ἐκκλη σίας θείων παραδόσεών τε καὶ θεσμῶν εἰκονομάχοι δυσσεβῶς καὶ ἀνοήτως ἀποβαλλόμενοι καὶ διαπτύοντες, ἀρτιφανεῖς Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἀσεβῆ καὶ θεοστυγῆ μυσταγωγὸν αὐτῶν Κοπρώνυμον νέαν καὶ πρόσφατον ταύτην δογματίζοντες ἐξ ἄκρας μανίας τε καὶ ἀπονοίας καὶ ἀβελτηρίας, μὴ νοοῦντες μήτε ἃ λέγουσι μήτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται; ἡμεῖς δὲ ταῖς διδασκαλίαις τῶν ἁγίων πατέ ρων ἑπόμενοι καὶ ἀρχαίαν ταύτην καὶ παλαιὰν πιστεύομεν ὑπάρ χειν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ μέγας Βασίλειος περὶ ὑποταγῆς καὶ μοναδικῆς πολιτείας ἐξιὼν οὕτως ἔφη "διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος κύριος, κηδόμενος ἡμῶν τῆς σωτηρίας, εἰς δύο βίους διεῖλε τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων, συζυγίαν καὶ παρθενίαν, ἵνα ὁ μὴ δυνάμενος ὑπενεγκεῖν τὸν τῆς παρθενίας καὶ ἀσκήσεως ἆθλον ἔλθῃ εἰς συνοίκησιν γυναικός, ἐκεῖνο εἰδὼς ὡς ἀπαιτηθήσεται λόγον σωφροσύνης καὶ ἁγιασμοῦ καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἐν συζυγίαις καὶ τεκνοτροφίαις ἁγίους ὁμοίωσιν, τούς τε ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ καὶ τῇ νέᾳ. πάντες γὰρ ἄνθρωποι ἀπαιτη θησόμεθα τὴν πρὸς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὑπακοήν, μοναχοί τε καὶ οἱ ἐν συζυγίαις. ἀρκέσει γὰρ τῷ ἐπὶ γάμον ἐλθόντι εἰς συγγνώμην τὸ 1.356 τῆς ἀκρασίας καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸ θῆλυ ἐπιθυμίας καὶ συνουσίας. τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν πᾶσιν ὁμοίως νενομοθετημένα οὐκ ἀκίν δυνα τοῖς παραβαίνουσι, καθώς φησιν ὁ κύριος πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυ τοῦ μαθητάς «ἃ δὲ ὑμῖν λέγω, πᾶσι λέγω.»" ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ μέγας ἐν θεολογίᾳ Γρηγόριος καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος καὶ ἄλλοι πλεῖστοι τῶν θείων καὶ μακαρίων πατέρων ἐν διαφόροις αὐ τῶν λόγοις διαβεβαιοῦνται ἀρχαίαν καὶ ἀποστολικὴν εἶναι τὴν τοῦ μονήρους βίου παράδοσιν. εἰ δὲ καί τινας τῶν θύραθεν εἰς ταύ την τὴν μαρτυρίαν παράξομεν, μηδεὶς μεμφέσθω ἡμῖν. εἰκότως οὖν ὁ Πλάτων ὑπεμφαίνων τῶν τελείων τὸ σπάνιον ἔφασκεν "οὔ μοι δοκεῖ δυνατὸν ἀνθρώποις μακαρίοις τε καὶ εὐδαίμοσι γενέ σθαι, πλὴν ὀλίγων. μέχρι περ ἂν ζῶμεν, τοῦτο διορίζομεν· ναρθηκοφόροι μὲν γὰρ πολλοί, φιλόσοφοι δὲ σπάνιοι καὶ ὀλίγοι. καλὴ δὲ πρᾶξις καὶ πίστις τελευτήσαντα τυχεῖν ἁπάντων." ὅθεν ἐπήγαγεν ἄνδρα ἁπλοῦν καὶ γενναῖον κατ' Αἰσχύλον. ἔσονται αὐτῷ τιμαὶ καὶ δωρεαὶ δοκοῦντι τοιούτῳ εἶναι. ἄδηλον οὖν