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guard yourselves from injuries. For in reality, if one must compare wicked teachings to deadly drugs, as your dream-interpreters say, these are both hemlock and aconite and any other man-slaying drug. These are poisons for souls, not our words, which the wine-struck brains, being full of fantasies because of their condition, cry out; whom, if they were of sound mind, it would behoove them to know that the prophetic gift shines upon souls that are undefiled and cleansed from every stain. For it is neither possible for a dirty mirror to receive the reflections of images, nor for a soul preoccupied with the cares of life and darkened by the passions arising from the mind of the flesh to be able to receive the illuminations of the Holy Spirit. For not every dream is immediately a prophecy, as Zechariah says: "The Lord made visions and winter rain, because the diviners spoke vanities and told false dreams." And these are also ignorant of that, those who, according to Isaiah, dreaming, loving their bed, doze off, that often an energy of error is sent upon the sons of disobedience. And there is a lying spirit which, being in the false prophets, deceived Ahab. Knowing these things, they should not have been so exalted as to attest prophecy to themselves, who are shown to fall short even of the accuracy of Balaam the diviner. Who, though summoned by the king of the Moabites with the greatest gifts, did not endure to utter a word against the will of God, nor to curse Israel whom the Lord does not curse. If, then, their visions during sleep agree with the commandments of the Lord, let them be content with the Gospels, which require no help from dreams for their credibility. But if the Lord has left us His own peace and has given us a new commandment that we should love one another, but the dreams suggest strife and division and the destruction of love, let them not give opportunity to the devil to invade their souls through sleep, nor let them make the visions from him more authoritative than the saving teachings.

211.τ TO OLYMPIUS

211.1 And having come upon the letter of your honor, I became more pleased with myself and more cheerful, and coming into conversation with your most beloved sons, I seemed to see you yourself. They, having received my soul much afflicted, so disposed it that I forgot the hemlock among you, which the dream-sellers and dream-merchants carry about against us for the sake of those who hired them. Some letters I have written, and others we will give later, if you wish. Only may there be some benefit from them for those who receive them.

212.τ TO HILARIUS

212.1 And what do you think I have suffered, or what opinion I hold, since I visited Dazimon, but learned a few days after our arrival that your eloquence had departed? For not only because of the admiration I have had for you from a child, right from our very school-days, have I always considered your conversation to be of great worth, but also because there is nothing so important now as a truth-loving soul possessing a sound criterion of things; which we believe is preserved in you. For we see most of the rest, as in the hippodromes, divided, some on this side, others on that, and shouting along with the partisans. But you, being above fear and flattery and every ignoble passion, with a sound eye it is likely

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βλάβας φυλάξησθε. Τῷ ὄντι γάρ, εἰ χρὴ τὰς πονηρὰς διδασκαλίας τοῖς ὀλεθρίοις φαρμάκοις ἐξομοιοῦν, ὡς οἱ παρ' ὑμῖν ὀνειροσκόποι φασί, ταῦτά ἐστι καὶ κώνειον καὶ ἀκόνιτον καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον φάρμακον ἀνδροφόνον. Ταῦτα ψυχῶν δηλητήρια, οὐχ οἱ ἡμέτεροι λόγοι, ἅπερ αἱ οἰνόπληκτοι μήνιγγες ἐκβοῶσι πολυφάνταστοι οὖσαι διὰ τὸ πάθος· οὕς, εἴπερ ἐσωφρόνουν, ἐχρῆν εἰδέναι ὅτι ταῖς ἀχράντοις καὶ πάσης κηλῖδος κεκαθαρμέναις ψυχαῖς τὸ προφητικὸν ἐναυγάζει χάρισμα. Οὔτε γὰρ κατόπτρῳ ῥυπῶντι δυνατὸν τῶν εἰκόνων δέξασθαι τὰς ἐμφάσεις, οὔτε ψυχὴν ταῖς βιωτικαῖς προειλημμένην μερίμναις καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ φρονήματος τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπισκο τουμένην πάθεσι δυνατὸν ὑποδέξασθαι τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύ ματος τὰς ἐλλάμψεις. Οὐ γὰρ πᾶν ἐνύπνιον εὐθὺς προφη τεία, ὥς φησι Ζαχαρίας· «Κύριος ἐποίησε φαντασίαν καὶ ὑετὸν χειμερινόν, διότι οἱ ἀποφθεγγόμενοι ἐλάλησαν κόπους καὶ τὰ ἐνύπνια ψευδῆ ἐλάλουν». Οὗτοι δὲ κἀκεῖνο ἀγνοοῦσιν, οἱ κατὰ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι κοίτην φιλοῦντες νυστάξαι, ὅτι πολλάκις ἐνέργεια πλάνης ἀποστέλλεται ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας. Καὶ ἔστι πνεῦμα ψευδὲς ὃ ἐν τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις γενόμενον Ἀχαὰβ ἐξηπάτησε. Ταῦτα εἰδότας ἔδει μὴ τοσοῦτον ὑπεραρθῆναι ὥστε ἑαυτοῖς προφητείαν προσμαρτυρεῖν, οἵ γε δείκνυνται καὶ τοῦ οἰωνοσκόπου Βαλαὰμ τῆς ἀκριβείας ἀπολειπόμενοι. Ὃς ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Μωαβιτῶν ἐπὶ μεγίσταις δωρεαῖς μετακληθεὶς οὐκ ἠνέσχετο ἀφεῖναι φωνὴν παρὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδὲ ἀράσασθαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ὃν οὐκ ἀρᾶται Κύριος. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τοῦ Κυρίου αἱ κατὰ τὸν ὕπνον αὐτῶν φαντασίαι συντρέχουσιν, ἀρκείσθωσαν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις οὐδεμιᾶς βοηθείας ἐκ τῶν ὀνείρων εἰς τὴν ἀξιοπιστίαν προσδεομένοις. Εἰ δὲ ὁ μὲν Κύριος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ εἰρήνην ἀφῆκεν ἡμῖν καὶ ἐντολὴν καινὴν ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, τὰ δὲ ὀνείρατα μάχην καὶ διάστασιν καὶ ἀγάπης ἀφανισμὸν ὑφηγεῖται, μὴ διδότωσαν καιρὸν τῷ διαβόλῳ διὰ τοῦ ὕπνου ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν ἐπιβαίνειν, μηδὲ κυριώτερα ποιείτωσαν τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ φαν τάσματα τῶν σωτηρίων διδαγμάτων.

211.τ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΩ

211.1 Καὶ τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐντυχὼν τῆς τιμιότητός σου ἡδίων ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ

εὐθυμότερος ἐγενόμην, καὶ τοῖς ποθεινοτάτοις υἱέσιν εἰς ὁμιλίαν ἐλθὼν αὐτόν σε ἔδοξα καθορᾶν. Οἳ πάνυ μου τὴν ψυχὴν κεκακωμένην παραλαβόντες οὕτω διέθηκαν ὥστε ἐπιλαθέσθαι με τοῦ παρ' ὑμῖν κωνείου, ὃ οἱ ὀνειροπῶ λαι καὶ ὀνειροκάπηλοι εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐκμισθωσαμένων αὐ τοὺς χάριν καθ' ἡμῶν περιφέρουσιν. Ἐπιστολὰς δὲ τὰς μὲν ἔγραψα, τὰς δὲ καὶ εἰς ὕστερον δώσομεν, ἐὰν ἐθέλῃς. Μόνον εἴη τι ὄφελος παρ' αὐτῶν τοῖς λαμβάνουσιν.

212.τ ΙΛΑΡΙΩ

212.1 Ἐμὲ δὲ τί οἴει πεπονθέναι ἢ τίνα γνώμην ἔχειν, ἐπειδὴ ἐπεδήμησα μὲν

τῷ ∆αζιμῶνι, ἔμαθον δὲ ὀλίγαις ὕστερον ἡμέραις τῆς παρουσίας ἡμῶν ἐξεληλυθέναι σου τὴν λογιότητα; Οὐ γὰρ μόνον διὰ τὸ ἐκ παιδὸς θαῦμα ὃ ἔσχον περὶ σὲ εὐθὺς ἀπὸ διατριβῶν αὐτῶν ἀεὶ πολλοῦ ἀξίαν ἐθέμην τὴν ὁμιλίαν σου, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ μηδὲν οὕτω σπουδαῖον εἶναι νῦν ὡς φιλαλήθη ψυχὴν ὑγιὲς τῶν πραγμά των τὸ κριτήριον κεκτημένην· ὅπερ ἡγούμεθα παρὰ σοὶ διασώζεσθαι. Καὶ γὰρ τῶν λοιπῶν τοὺς πλείστους ὁρῶμεν, ὥσπερ ἐν ταῖς ἱπποδρομίαις, τοὺς μὲν ὡς τούτους, τοὺς δὲ ὡς ἐκείνους διῃρημένους, καὶ συνεκβοῶντας τοῖς στασιάζουσι. Σὲ δὲ καὶ φόβου καὶ θεραπείας καὶ παντὸς ἀγεννοῦς πάθους ὑψηλότερον ὄντα εἰκὸς ὀφθαλμῷ ὑγιαίνοντι