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we have known the Studite, who lived in our generation, and not only him, but also some others of his disciples, who through his supplications and prayers, by the ineffable love for mankind of the exceedingly good God, were deemed worthy of such a good, as I said. I say this not boasting in their power, but giving thanks for the goodness of God and proclaiming it to all of you, so that you yourselves may hasten to be deemed worthy of such a good. For this is the sign of love according to God, that one should not only acquire possession of the good for himself, but also make his wealth known to his neighboring brothers and urge them to seek and find and be enriched by it.

For this reason, therefore, as you see, I cry out to you, taking up the prophetic voices: "Come to him and be enlightened, and the faces of your (410) consciences will not be ashamed." For what? Having given yourselves over to laziness and negligence and the desires and pleasures of the flesh, you say it is impossible for you to be cleansed through repentance and to draw near to God; and not only this, but that it is not even possible to receive the grace of His Spirit and through it be born again and adopted and be made like Him? This is not impossible, it is not. For it was impossible before his presence on earth; but since the Lord of all, God, was pleased to become man and in all things to be made like us, without sin, He has made these things possible and easy for us, having given us power to become children of God and His co-heirs, to whom belongs all glory, honor, and worship, unto the ages. Amen.

Concerning participation in the Holy Spirit. And that it is impossible for the works of virtue to be made firm otherwise, except through the visitation of the Spirit, without whom no one is guided toward virtue, nor can one benefit others or receive foreign thoughts. And concerning the being in all things equal and likewise of the

Tri-hypostatic Godhead.

Discourse 33. (411) Brothers and fathers, God is fire and is so named by every God-inspired

Scripture, and the soul of each of us is a lamp. Just as, then, the lamp, even if it is filled with oil or with flax or has other flammable material, before it partakes of fire and is lit is entirely darkened, so too the soul, even if it seems to be adorned with all the virtues, but has not partaken of the fire, that is, has not received the divine substance and light, is still extinguished and darkened and its works are uncertain. For all things must be tested and made manifest by the light.

(412) He, therefore, who still has the lamp of his soul without a share, clearly, of the divine fire, is more in need of a guide and a lamp shining and at the same time discerning his actions and compassionating his faults through confession and correcting the crooked things done by him hour by hour. For just as it is not possible for one walking at night not to stumble, so it is not possible for one not yet seeing the divine light not to sin, as Christ says: "If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees this light. But if anyone walks

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ἡμῶν ἔγνωμεν τόν Στουδιώτην, ἐν τῇ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς γενόμενον γενεᾷ, καί οὐ μόνον αὐτόν, ἀλλά καί τινάς ἄλλους τῶν αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν, διά τῶν αὐτοῦ δεήσεων καί εὐχῶν, ἀφάτῳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ ὑπεραγάθου Θεοῦ τοῦ τοιούτου καταξιωθέντας, ὡς ἔφην, καλοῦ. Λέγω δέ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἐκείνων δυνάμει καυχώμενος, ἀλλά τῇ ἀγαθότητι εὐχαριστῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ καί κηρύττων ταύτην πᾶσιν ὑμῖν, ἵνα καί ὑμεῖς αὐτοί σπουδάσητε τοῦ τοιούτου καταξιωθῆναι καλοῦ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τό γνώρισμα τῆς κατά Θεόν ἀγάπης, ἵνα μή μόνον ἑαυτῷ τις τήν κτῆσιν περιποιῆται τοῦ καλοῦ, ἀλλά καί τοῖς πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἀδελφοῖς γνωρίζῃ τόν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ καί προτρέπηται αὐτοῖς ζητῆσαι καί εὑρεῖν καί πλουτῆσαι αὐτόν.

∆ιά τοῦτο τοιγαροῦν, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, βοῶ πρός ὑμᾶς, τάς προφητικάς ἀναλαμβάνων φωνάς· "Προσέλθετε πρός αὐτόν καί φωτίσθητε καί τά πρόσωπα τῶν (410) συνείδησεων ὑμῶν οὐ μή καταισχυνθῇ ". Τί γάρ; Τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ καί ἀμελείᾳ καί ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις καί ἡδοναῖς τῆς σαρκός ἐκδότους ἑαυτούς ποιήσαντες, ἀδύνατον εἶναι ὑμῖν διά μετανοίας ἐκκαθαρθῆναι καί Θεῷ προσεγγίσαι λέγετε· καί οὐ τοῦτον μόνον, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ τήν τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ χάριν λαβεῖν δυνατόν καί δι᾿ αὐτῆς ἀναγεννηθῆναι καί υἱοθετηθῆναι καί ἐξομοιωθῆναι αὐτῷ; Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο ἀδύνατον, οὐκ ἔστιν. Ἀδύνατον μέν γάρ ἦν πρό τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐπί γῆς παρουσίας· ἀφ᾿ οὗ δέ εὐδόκησεν ἄνθρωπος γενέσθαι καί κατά πάντα χωρίς ἁμαρτίας ἐξομοιωθῆναι ἡμῖν ὁ ∆εσπότης τῶν ἁπάντων Θεός, δυνατά ἡμῖν ταῦτα καί ῥᾴδια ἀπειργάσατο, δεδωκώς ἡμῖν ἐξουσίαν υἱούς γενέσθαι Θεοῦ καί συγκληρονόμους αὐτοῦ, ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμή καί προσκύνησις εἰς τούς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.

Περί μετοχῆς Πνεύματος Ἁγίου. Καί ὅτι ἀδύνατον ἄλλως βεβαιωθῆναι τά ἔργα τῆς ἀρετῆς, εἰ μή δι᾿ ἐπιδημίας τοῦ Πνεύματος, οὗ χωρίς οὐδείς πρός ἀρετήν κατευθύνεται, οὐδέ ἄλλους ὠφελεῖν δύναται ἤ ἀλλοτρίους δέχεσθαι λογισμούς. Καί περί τό ἴσον κατά πάντα καί ὡσαύτως ὄν τῆς

Τρισυποστάτου Θεότητος.

Λόγος ΛΓ΄. (411) Ἀδελφοί καί πατέρες, πῦρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεός καί τοῦτο παρά πάσης θεοπνεύστου

Γραφῆς ὀνομάζεται, ἡ δέ ψυχή ἑκάστου ἡμῶν λυχνία. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ λυχνία, κἄν ἐλαίου πεπλήρωται κἄν στυππείου κἄν ἄλλην ὕλην ἔχῃ εὐάναπτον, πρό τοῦ μετασχεῖν τοῦ πυρός καί ἀναφθῆναι ὅλη ἐσκοτισμένη ἐστίν, οὕτω καί ἡ ψυχή, κἄν πάσαις τό δοκεῖν κοσμῆται ταῖς ἀρεταῖς, τοῦ δέ πυρός οὐ μετέσχεν, εἴτ᾿ οὖν οὐσίας θείας καί φωτός οὐ μετέλαβεν, ἔστιν ἔτι ἐσβεσμένη καί ἐσκοτισμένη καί τά ἔργα αὐτῆς ἀβέβαια. Πάντα γάρ ὑπό τοῦ φωτός ἐλεγχθῆναι δεῖ καί φανερωθεῖναι.

(412) Ὁ οὖν οὕτως ἔχων ἔτι τήν λυχνίαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἀμέτοχον δηλονότι τοῦ θείου πυρός , ὁδηγοῦ δέεται μᾶλλον καί λύχνου φαίνοντος ἅμα καί διακρίνοντος τάς πράξεις αὐτοῦ καί τά δι᾿ ἐξαγορεύσεως συμπαθοῦντος αὐτῷ σφάλματα καί τά στρεβλῶς ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ καθ᾿ ὥραν διαπραττόμενα ἐπανορθοῦντος. Ὡς γάρ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται μή προσκόπτειν τόν περιπατοῦντα νυκτός, οὕτως οὐκ ἐνδέχεται μή πταίειν τόν μήπω καθορῶντα τό θεῖον φῶς, καθώς φησιν ὁ Χριστός· "Ἐάν τις περιπατῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, οὐ προσκόπτει, ὅτι τό φῶς τοῦτο βλέπει. Ἐάν δέ τις περιπατῇ