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15. The demons who fight by means of a deficiency of virtue are those who teach fornication and drunkenness, avarice and envy, and such things; but those who fight by means of excess are those who teach conceit and vainglory and pride, and such things; and through the right-handed things they covertly sow the left-handed things.

16. The definition of virtue is the union of human weakness, according to knowledge, with the divine power. He therefore who confines himself to the weakness of his nature has not reached the definition (14C_136> of virtue; for this reason he transgresses, not yet having received the power that strengthens the weak; but he who audaciously sets his own weakness against the divine power as if it were strength, has passed beyond the definition of virtue; and for this reason, transgressing, he does not recognize it, as if the excess that follows were his own doing. For he considers the transgression to be virtue. More pardonable, then, is the one who, having confined himself to his natural weakness, suffers the fall from virtue more out of indolence, than the one who, in order to perform his duties, compares his own weakness as strength against the divine power, bringing about the fall more out of audacity.

57. ON "THE PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN IS POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE". (14C_138> 57. QUESTION 57. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. What does "effective" mean? Answer. I know the prayer of the righteous to be effective in two ways: in one way,

when he who prays makes this offering of prayer to God with works according to the commandment, and not, only in a bare word and empty sound of the voice falling from the tongue, allowing the prayer to lie idle and without substance, but effective and living, being animated by the ways of the commandments. For the substance of prayer and supplication is clearly the fulfillment through the virtues, by which the righteous man has a prayer that is powerful and able to do all things, being made effective by the commandments; and in another way, when he who is in need of the prayer of the righteous man performs the works of prayer, both correcting his former life and making the prayer of the righteous man powerful, being strengthened by his own good conduct.

For there is no benefit from the prayer of the righteous man, when he who is in need of it delights in transgressions more than in virtues, since even the great Samuel once mourned for the transgressing Saul, but was not able to propitiate God, not having as a helper in his mourning the proper correction of the transgressor. Therefore, making His servant cease from his useless mourning, God says to him (14C_140>: How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?

And again Jeremiah, the most compassionate, praying for the people of the Jews, who were maddened by the deceit of demons, is not heard, not having for the power of his prayer the conversion from the deceit of the godless Jews. Whence God, leading him away from praying in vain, says: Therefore do not pray for this people, nor ask that they be pitied, and do not pray, and do not approach me any more concerning them, for I will not listen.

For it is indeed of great folly, not to say madness, for one who by disposition delights in pernicious things to seek salvation through the prayer of the righteous and to ask for forgiveness of those things in which he glories, being defiled in action by intention, when he who needs it ought not to allow the prayer of the righteous to become idle and motionless, if indeed

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15. Οἱ κατ᾿ ἔλλειψιν ἀρετῆς πολεμοῦντες δαίμονές εἰσιν, οἱ πορνείαν καί μέθην, φυλαργυρίαν τε καί φθόνον, καί τοιαῦτα διδάσκοντες· οἱ δέ καθ᾿ ὑπερβολήν πολεμοῦντές εἰσιν, οἱ τήν οἴησιν καί τήν κενοδοξίαν καί τήν ὑπερηφάνειαν, καί τά τοιαῦτα διδάσκοντες· καί διά τῶν δεξιῶν τοῖς ἀριστεροῖς ἐπικεκρυμμένως ἐμπείροντες.

16. Ἀρετῆς ὅρος ἐστίν, ἡ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀσθενείας κατ᾿ ἐπίγνωσιν πρός τήν θείαν δύναμιν ἕνωσις. Ὁ τοίνυν ἑαυτόν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ περιγράφων τῆς φύσεως, πρός τόν ὅρον οὐκ ἦλθε (14Γ_136> τῆς ἀρετῆς· διά τοῦτο πλημμελεῖ, μήπω λαβών τήν τό ἀσθενές ἰσχυούσαν δύναμιν· ὁ δέ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως τήν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν ὡς ἰσχύν αὐθαδῶς ἀντιπροβαλλόμενος, τόν ὅρον παρῆλθε τῆς ἀρετῆς· καί διά τοῦτο πλημμελῶν, ὡς τοῦ κατόπιν ὑπερφεροῦς παρ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ γενομένου, οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκει. Ἀρετήν γάρ εἶναι νομίζει τό πλημμέλημα. Συγγνωστός οὖν μᾶλλον, ὅ τῇ κατά τήν φύσιν ἀσθενείᾳ ἑαυτόν περιγράψας, παθών μᾶλλον ἐκ ῥᾳθυμίας τῆς ἀρετῆς τήν ἔκπτωσιν, ἤ ὁ τήν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν ὡς ἰσχύν πρός τήν τῶν καθηκόντων ποίησιν ἀντιπαραβαλλόμενος τῆς θείας δυνάμεως, δράσας μᾶλλον ἐξ αὐθαδίας τήν ἔκπτωσιν.

ΝΖ (57). ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ "ΠΟΛΥ ΙΣΧΥΕΙ ΕΥΧΗ ∆ΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΕΝΕΡΓΟΥΜΕΝΗ". (14Γ_138> 57. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΝΖ' Πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη. Τί ἐστι τὸ ἐνεργουμένη; Ἀπόκρισις. Κατὰ δύο τρόπους ἐνεργουμένην οἶδα τοῦ δικαίου τὴν δέησιν· καθ᾽ ἕνα μέν,

ὁπόταν μετὰ τῶν κατ᾽ ἐντολὴν ἔργων τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ταύτης ποιεῖται προσαγωγὴν τῆς δεήσεως ὁ εὐχόμενος καὶ μή, μόνον ἐν ψιλῷ λόγῳ καὶ διακένῳ φωνῆς ἤχῳ τῆς γλώττης ἐκπίπτουσαν, ἀργὴν κεῖσθαι τὴν δέησιν καὶ ἀνυπόστατον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐνεργὸν καὶ ζῶσαν, τοῖς τρόποις τῶν ἐντολῶν ψυχουμένηνεὐχῆς γὰρ καὶ δεήσεως ὑπόστασις ἡ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν ὑπάρχει προδήλως ἐκπλήρωσις, καθ᾽ ἣν ἰσχυρὰν καὶ πάντα δυναμένην ὁ δίκαιος ἔχει τὴν δέησιν, ἐνεργουμένην ταῖς ἐντολαῖς· καθ᾽ ἕτερον δὲ τρόπον, ὁπόταν ὁ τῆς εὐχῆς τοῦ δικαίου δεόμενος τὰ ἔργα τῆς εὐχῆς διαπράττεται, τόν τε πρότερον διορθούμενος βίον καὶ τὴν δέησιν ἰσχυρὰν τοῦ δικαίου ποιούμενος, διὰ τῆς οἰκείας καλῆς ἀναστροφῆς δυναμουμένην.

Οὐ γὰρ ὄφελος τῆς τοῦ δικαίου δεήσεως, τοῦ ταύτης χρῄζοντος πλέον τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡδομένου τοῖς πλημμελήμασιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μέγας ποτὲ Σαμουὴλ ἐπένθει πλημμελοῦντα τὸν Σαούλ, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἴσχυσε τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεώσασθαι, μὴ λαβὼν συλλήπτορα τοῦ πένθους τὴν καθήκουσαν τοῦ πλημμελοῦντος διόρθωσιν. ∆ιὸ τοῦ ἀνονήτου πένθους ὁ Θεὸς καταπαύων τὸν (14Γ_140> ἑαυτοῦ θεράποντά φησι πρὸς αὐτόν· ἕως πότε σὺ πενθεῖς ἐπὶ Σαούλ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐξουδένωκα αὐτὸν τοῦ μὴ βασιλεύειν ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ;

Καὶ πάλιν Ἱερεμίας ὁ συμπαθέστατος ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, περὶ τὴν πλάνην μανέντος τῶν δαιμονίων, οὐκ εἰσακούεται προσευχόμενος, οὐκ ἔχων εἰς προσευχῆς δύναμιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης τῶν ἀθέων Ἰουδαίων ἐπιστροφήν. Ὅθεν τοῦ διακενῆς προσεύχεσθαι καὶ τοῦτον ἀπάγων ὁ Θεός φησι· καὶ σύ, μὴ προσεύχου περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ μὴ ἀξίου τοῦ ἐλεηθῆναι αὐτούς, καὶ μὴ εὔχου καὶ μὴ προσέλθῃς μοι περὶ αὐτῶν ἔτι, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι.

Πολλῆς γὰρ ὄντως ἐστὶν ἀβελτερίας, ἵνα μὴ λέγω παραφροσύνης, δι᾽ εὐχῆς δικαίων ἐπιζητεῖν σωτηρίαν τὸν κατὰ διάθεσιν τοῖς ὀλεθρίοις ἡδόμενον κἀκείνων αἰτεῖσθαι συγχώρησιν, οἷς ἐγκαυχᾶται κατ᾽ ἐνέργειαν προθέσει σπιλούμενος, δέον μὴ ἀργὴν ἐᾶν γίνεσθαι καὶ ἀκίνητον τοῦ δικαίου τὴν δέησιν τὸν ταύτης δεόμενον, εἴπερ