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enjoying. But when they insatiably delight in such a good and are confirmed that, “according to the divine Apostle, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us,” and that “each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor,” they are not content with the preceding struggles, but again from relaxation (381) and such delight they proceed to the contests, according to what was said by the Theologian, from quiet to discourse, not for themselves, although also for themselves, but zealous for God, whom they long for and by whom they are longed for in return. No longer striking and being struck, nor do they grapple with the enemies in the former way, but they are fearsome to them even by their mere appearance. For as soon as they appear, their enemies are turned to flight, and those wounded by them are immediately healed, bound up and anointed by them and are taught how they must approach such men, and with what sort of weapons and what kind of devices. If the one who is quiet and the one who presides over others and the one who teaches others does not know these things one by one, then the one who seems to be quiet is not quiet, but sits in ignorance, only having enclosed his body; nor is the one who seems to preside a president, but walking on a road he does not know, or rather, outside the road, he will cast those who follow him, along with himself, into the abyss of eternal fire; nor is the one who seems to teach a teacher of others, but a liar and deceiver, because he does not have within himself the true wisdom, our Lord Jesus Christ. And what need is there even to speak about binding and loosing for those who are in such a state, when even those who have the Paraclete in themselves forgiving sins shudder lest they do anything contrary to the will of the One who is in them and speaks through them? But who, being so mad and lifted up to such audacity before receiving the Paraclete, would say and do the works of the Spirit and, without the will of God, accomplish the things of God? Woe to those who dare these things on the awesome day of judgment, on which the incorruptible and impartial Judge, the Lord, sits upon a throne and an awesome judgment seat, rendering to each according to his works and thoughts and (382) words, to whom belongs all glory, honor, and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the unending ages of ages. Amen.

ONE HUNDRED PRACTICAL AND THEOLOGICAL CHAPTERS. Of our holy father Symeon the New Theologian, abbot of the monastery of Saint

Mamas of Xerokerkos, one hundred practical and theological chapters. (383) 1. To those who see bodily, God is nowhere, for He is invisible; but to those

who perceive spiritually He is everywhere, for He is present both in everything and outside of everything; for this reason He is also near to those who fear Him, and His salvation is far from sinners.

2. Remembrance of Christ illumines the mind and casts out demons; and the light of the Holy Trinity, shining in a pure heart, detaches it from the whole world and makes its participant already from this point to be filled with the glory to come, to the extent that it is possible for a man who is activated by grace from above, but is still hidden by the veil of the flesh.

3. If after the passing away of things seen there is nothing else, if not God alone is, and is, and will be, then certainly those who richly partake of His grace in this world, even if they are present on earth, are for the most part already united to the age to come, and they somehow groan, being burdened by the shadow and the drag.

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ἐπαπολαύοντες. Ἐπάν δέ τοῦ τοιούτου καλοῦ ἀκορέστως κατατρυφήσωσι καί βεβαιωθῶσιν ὡς «οὐκ ἄξια, κατά τόν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον, τά παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρός τήν μέλλουσαν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι δόξαν» καί ὅτι «ἕκαστος λήψεται τόν μισθόν κατά τόν ἴδιον κόπον», οὐκ ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν ἄθλοις ἀρκοῦνται, ἀλλά πάλιν ἀπό τῆς ἀνέσεως (381) καί τῆς τοιαύτης τρυφῆς ἐπί τούς ἀγῶνας χωροῦσι, κατά τό εἰρημένον ὑπό τοῦ Θεολόγου, ἀπό τῆς ἡσυχίας ἐπί τόν λόγον, οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς, εἰ καί ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλ᾿ ὅν ποθοῦσι καί ᾧ ἀντιποθοῦνται Θεῷ φιλοτιμούμενοι. Οὐκέτι δέ τύπτοντες καί τυπτόμενοι, οὐδέ ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ τρόπῳ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς συμπλέκονται, ἀλλά φοβεροί αὐτοῖς καί μόνῃ τῇ ἰδέᾳ εἰσίν μόνον γάρ ἀναφανέντων, εἰς φυγήν μέν τρέπονται οἱ τούτων ἐχθροί, οἱ δέ γε παρ᾿ ἐκείνων τρωθέντες εὐθύς θεραπεύονται, δεσμοῦνται καί ἐπαλείφονται παρ᾿ αὐτῶν καί διδάσκονται, πῶς δεῖ προσέρχεσθαι τοῖς τοιούτοις, ἐν ποίοις τε ὅπλοις καί μηχανήμασι ποταποῖς. Ταῦτα εἰ μή καθ᾿ ἕν ὁ ἡσυχάζων καί ὁ προεστώς ἄλλων καί ὁ διδάσκων ἑτέρους ἐπίσταται, οὔτε ἡσυχάζων ἐστίν ὁ δοκῶν ἡσυχάζειν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ κάθηται, μόνον περικεκλεισμένος τό σῶμα οὔτε προεστώς ἐστιν ὁ δοκῶν προεστάναι, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν ὁδῷ ᾗ οὐκ ἐπίσταται, μᾶλλον δέ ἔξω τῆς ὁδοῦ, πορευόμενος, τούς ἀκολουθοῦντας αὐτῷ σύν αὐτῷ εἰς αἰωνίου πυρός κρημνόν ἀπορρίψει οὔτε διδάσκαλος ἄλλων ἐστίν ὁ διδάσκεν δοκῶν, ἀλλά ψεύστης καί πλάνος, ὅτι τήν ἀληθινήν σοφίαν, τόν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, οὐκ ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Τί δέ χρή καί λέγειν περί τοῦ δεσμεῖν καί λύειν τούς οὕτως ἔχοντας, ὅπου γε καί οἱ τόν Παράκλητον ἔχοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀφιέντα τά ἁμαρτήματα φρίττουσι μή τι τῶν παρά γνώμην τοῦ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄντος καί δι᾿ αὐτῶν λαλοῦντος ἐργάσωνται; Ἀλλά τίς οὕτω μανείς καί ἐπί τοσοῦτον θράσους ἀρθείς πρός τοῦ τόν Παράκλητον δέξασθαι εἴπῃ καί ποιήσει ἔργα τοῦ Πνεύματος καί ἄνευ γνώμης Θεοῦ τά τοῦ Θεοῦ διαπράξεται; Οὐαί τοῖς ταῦτα τολμῶσιν ἐν τῇ φοβερᾷ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, ἐν ᾗ ὁ ἀδέκαστος καί ἀπαραλόγιστος κριτής Κύριος κάθηται ἐπί θρόνου καί βήματος φοβεροῦ, ἀποδιδούς ἑκάστῳ κατά τά ἔργα καί τάς ἐνθυμήσεις καί τούς (382) λόγους αὐτοῦ ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμή καί προσκύνησις σύν τῷ πατρί καί τῷ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι νῦν καί ἀεί καί εἰς τούς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων ἀμήν.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΑ ΠΡΑΚΤΙΚΑ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΚΑ ρ΄. Τοῦ ὁσίου πατρός ἡμῶν Συμεών τοῦ Νέου Θεολόγου, ἡγουμένου μονῆς τοῦ ἁγίου

Μάμαντος τῆς Ξηροκέρκου, κεφάλαια πρακτικά καί θεολογικά ρ΄. (383) α'. Θεός τοῖς μέν σωματικῶς ὁρῶσιν οὐδαμοῦ ἐστιν, ἀόρατος γάρ, τοῖς δέ

πνευματικῶς νοοῦσι πανταχοῦ ἐστι, πάρεστι γάρ ἐν γάρ τῷ παντί καί ἐκτός τοῦ παντός ἐστιν, ἐν τούτῳ καί ἐγγύς ἐστι τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν καί μακράν ἀπό ἁμαρτωλῶν ἡ σωτηρία αὐτοῦ.

β΄. Μνήμη Χριστοῦ φωτίζει τόν νοῦν καί δαίμονας ἐκδιώκει τό δέ φῶς τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος φαῖνον ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ παντός ἀφιστᾷ τοῦ κόσμου καί τόν μέτοχον αὐτοῦ ἀπ᾿ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη ἐμφορεῖσθαι ποιεῖ τῆς μελλούσης δόξης, καθόσον ἀνθρώπῳ χωρητόν τῷ ὑπό τῆς ἄνωθεν χάριτος ἐνεργουμένῳ, κρυπτομένῳ δέ εἰσέτι τῷ παραπετάσματι τῆς σαρκός.

γ'. Εἰ οὐδέν ἕτερον μετά τήν παρέλευσιν τῶν ὁρωμένων, εἰ μή μόνος ὁ Θεός ἐστι, καί ἔστι καί ἔσεται, πάντως οἱ τῆς αὐτοῦ χάριτος ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ πλουσίως μετέχοντες, εἰ καί τῇ γῇ πάρεισιν, ἀλλά τό πλεῖστον ἤδη τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι συνήφθησαν, οἵ καί στένουσί πως τῇ σκιᾷ καί τῷ ἐφολκίῳ βαρούμενοι.