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fruits, the virtues. For instance, cognitive prudence, against both ignorance and superstition; courage, against both cowardice and reckless audacity; temperance, against intemperance and foolishness; justice against injustice; I mean against greed and having less than one's due; arming ourselves with humility against pride; bringing forth condescension against haughtiness; moderation against conceit; long-suffering against faint-heartedness; and also holding fast to gentleness towards all, and meekness, and cheerful sharing with those in need; and diligently caring for hospitality and brotherly love, and philanthropy; and pursuing peace and love; in which, as in a certain foundation of good things, all the good things given to men by God are gathered and preserved.

These things, my blessed master, everyone who loves the kingdom of the heavens, and who hastens to flee the experience of the eternal punishments threatened to sinners, practices doing and keeping them entirely according to his ability; having as a helper for the keeping of such things, the unforgotten memory of both death and the uncertainty (424) associated with it; and of the desolation after the soul's departure, bringing nothing else with it, except the conscience branded by the evil things it has done; and the thought of the fearful examination by the wicked spirits that will happen to it in this air; the remembrance of the now bitter and lightless confinement of souls in Hades; the expectation of shame before the just Judge and the heavenly Powers at the revelation of secret things, which is heavier than all the punishments threatened to sinners. These things, and more than these, I have already written according to my ability, and writing I shall not cease, as much as I am able, having a desire for my beloved master, the expounder of such words.

But let us be sober, and let us be watchful concerning our own keeping, blessed one; lest we be condemned the more, as speaking and hearing divine things only idly and in vain. Since also for these words we will give an account to God on the day of judgment; both I who speak them, and those who hear them; if we leave them entirely idle and fruitless; but may it rather be that all of us exult in all the words of God, and be shown to be doers of the divine and saving wills within them; by the prayers and intercessions of our all-glorious and all-holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and of all the saints. Amen.

16. Of the same to the most holy and most blessed archbishop John, concerning that the soul is incorporeal.

Having received the precious letter of your perfection in virtue, adorned with all high-minded humility, I was at once amazed and astonished; how, thinking the same in both, you have become consistent with yourself; neither unapproachable to the lofty, nor despised by the lowly. For having wisely mixed for yourself one form of virtue from both, you paradoxically cause the one to be seen in the other; (425) to the lowly, the lofty; and to the lofty the opposite, humility. Therefore, servant of God, I accept without excuse your command, bidding me to prove more naturally, without Scriptural and Patristic testimony, if the soul is an incorporeal creation. Trusting again in the droplets of your teaching, you who are one have refreshed me who was scorched by manifold ignorance.

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καρπούς τάς ἀρετάς. Οἷον, φρόνησιν γνωστικήν, κατά τε τῆς ἀγνοίας, καί τῆς δεισιδαιμονίας· ἀνδρείαν, κατά τε τῆς δειλίας, καί τῆς προπετοῦς θρασύτητος· σωφροσύνην, κατά τῆς ἀκολασίας καί τῆς ἠλιθιότητος· δικαιοσύνην κατά τῆς ἀδικίας· λέγω δέ κατά τῆς πλεονεξίας καί μειονεξίας· ταπεινοφροσύνην, κατά τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ὁπλίζοντες· συγκατάβσιν, κατά τῆς ἐπάρσεως προφέροντες· μετριότητα κατά τῆς οἰήσεως· μακροθυμίαν κατά τῆς ὀλιγοψυχίας· ἡμερότητός τε αὖ πρός πάντας, καί πραότητος, καί τῆς πρός τούς δεομένους ἱλαρᾶς μεταδόσεως ἀντεχόμενοι· φιλοξενίας τε καί φιλαδελφίας, καί φιλανθρωπίας φιλοπόνως φροντίζοντες· εἰρήνην τε καί ἀγάπην μεταδιώκοντες· ἐν ᾗ, καθάπερ τινί πυθμένι τῶν καλῶν, συνάγεταί τε καί φυλάττεται πάντα τά τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δεδωρημένα θεόθεν ἀγαθά.

Ταῦτα, δέσποτα μου εὐλογημένε, πᾶς ἐρῶν τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας, καί φεύγειν σπεύδων τῶν ἠπειλημένων τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν αἰωνίων κολάσεων τήν πεῖραν κατά δύναμιν πάντως ποιεῖν τε καί φυλάττειν ἐπιτηδεύει· τῆς τῶν τοιούτων ἔχων φυλακῆς ἀρωγόν, τοῦ τε θανάτου, καί τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτόν (424) ἀδηλίας, τήν ἄληστον μνήμην· τῆς τε μετά τήν ἔξοδον τῆς ψυχῆς ἐρημώσεως, μηδέν ἄλλο συνεπαγομένης ἑαυτῇ, πλήν τῆς ἐπί τοῖς αὐτῇ κακῶς πεπραγμένοις ἐστιγμένης συνειδήσεως· καί τῆς πρός αὐτήν κατά τόν ἀέρα τοῦτον γενησομένης τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων φοβερᾶς ἐρεύνης τήν ἔννοιαν· τῆς ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ νῦν πικρᾶς καί ἀφεγγοῦς τῶν ψυχῶν κατακλείσεως τήν ἐνθύμησιν· τῆς ἐπί τοῦ δικαίου Κριτοῦ καί τῶν οὐρανίων ∆υνάμεων ἐπί τῇ φανερώσει τῶν κρυπτῶν αἰσχύνης τήν προσδοκίαν, τῆς πασῶν βαρυτέρας τῶν ἠπειλημένων τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι κολάσεων. Ταῦτα, καί τούτων πλείονα, καί ἤδη κατά δύναμιν γέγραφα, καί γράφων οὐ παύσομαι, καθ᾿ ὅσον οἷός τε εἰμι, τόν ἐμόν ἠγαπημένον δεσπότην πόθον ἔχων, τῶν τοιούτων λόγων ἐκβιβαστήν.

Ἀλλά νήψωμεν, καί γρηγορήσωμεν περί τήν ἑαυτῶν φυλακήν, εὐλογημένε· μήπως πλέον κατακριθῶμεν, ὡς εἰκῆ καί μάτην τά θεῖα λέγοντες μόνον καί ἀκούοντες. Ἐπειδή καί ὑπέρ τούτων τῶν λόγων τῷ Θεῷ λόγον ὑφέξομεν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· ἐγώ τε ὁ τούτους λέγων, καί οἱ τούτων ἀκούοντες· ἐάν ἀργούς παντελῶς καί ἀκάρπους αὐτούς καταλείψωμεν· γένοιτο δέ μᾶλλον πάντας ἡμᾶς, πᾶσιν ἐπαγάλλεσθαι τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγοις, καί τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς θείων καί σωτηρίων θελημάτων ποιητάς ἀποφανθῆναι· εὐχαῖς καί πρεσβείαις τῆς πανενδόξου καί παναγίας ∆εσποίνης ἡμῶν Θεοτόκου καί Ἀειπαρθένου Μαρίας, καί πάντων τῶν ἁγίων. Ἀμήν.

στ´. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν ἁγιώτατον καί μακαριώτατον ἀρχιεπίσκοπον Ἰωάννην, περί τοῦ , Ὅτι ἀσώματός ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή.

Τό τίμιον τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐπ᾿ ἀρετῇ τελειότητος δεξάμενος γράμμα, πάσης μεγαλοφυοῦς μετριοφροσύνης ὡραϊσμένον, ἠγάσθην τε ὁμοῦ καί ἐξέστην· πῶς τε ὁ αὐτός διανοούμενος ἐν ἀμφοτέροις, σαυτῷ καθέστηκας ὅμοιος· μήτε τῷ ὑψηλῷ ἀπρόσιτος, μήτε τῷ ταπεινῷ καταφρονούμενος. Ἕν γάρ ἀρετῆς εἶδος, σοφῶς σαυτῷ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν κερασάμενος, ἑκατέρῳ ποιεῖς παραδόξως ἐνθεωρεῖσθαι τό ἕτερον· (425) τῷ ταπεινῷ μέν, τό ὑψηλόν· τῷ ὑψηλῷ δέ τό ἔμπαλιν, τήν ταπείνωσιν. ∆ιό δή, δοῦλε Θεοῦ, ἀπαραιτήτως σου δέχομαι τό ἐπίταγμα, φυσικώτερον ἀποδεῖξαι κελεῦον, Γραφικῆς καί Πατρικῆς μαρτυρίας χωρίς, εἰ ἔστι κτίσμα ἀσώματον ἡ ψυχή. Ταῖς ὑμετέραις πάλιν θαῤῥῶν τῆς διδασκαλίας ψεκάσιν, εἷς μέ διαφόρως ἀγνοίᾳ φρυγόμενον ἐδρόσισας.