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and making him by grace that which He Himself is known to be by nature, except, however, for the nature. For that, while preserving what man is, is naturally able to make him a god by grace, bestowing deification upon the one who is led, as being good, a gift beyond nature; and it cuts him off cleanly from two things, I mean the world and nature. But if it is nature that leads man, who is in his own state, it shows man to be natural, being in the middle of God and the world, as one who participates in neither of these by intention. But if it is the world that carries him, it makes a beast, that is, only flesh of the man who is led, creating in him an impassioned state of deception, through which, having placed him far from God and nature, it teaches him to do all things that are contrary to nature.

The extremes, then, I mean God and the world, are accustomed to lead man away from one another and from the middle state, I mean nature. But the middle state, (448) being the borderland of these, if it should take man when he is considering it alone, it separates him equally from the extremes, neither permitting him to run up to God, and being ashamed to let him fall down to the world. As soon, therefore, as man is moved toward one of these with internal disposition of will, at once he has changed toward that very one and his energy, and has altered his name, being called carnal, or soulish, or spiritual. The work and sign of the carnal man is to know only how to do evil. Of the soulish, to wish neither ever to do nor to suffer evil. Of the spiritual, to wish only to do well, and if it happens for virtue's sake to suffer well, to accept it eagerly. If, therefore, you desire to be led by the Spirit of God, blessed one, as indeed you do desire, take away from yourself the world and nature; or rather, circumcise yourself from these things, and do not refuse to be wronged; do not refuse to bear mockery and insults; and, to speak concisely, while suffering evil, never cease from doing good to those who do evil, and from forgiving all things done, for the sake of God and virtue, according to the one who said: If anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And again according to the blessed Apostle who says: When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat.

Henceforth, if you wish to be persuaded by me, blessed servant of God, bestow great thanks on those who have afflicted you; and if it is necessary to suffer further loss from them in all things, do not refuse; and rather bless when reviled, and endure when persecuted, and entreat when slandered, so that you may not be carnal, as one who only knows and wishes to do wrong; or soulish, as one who does not endure being wronged; but rather spiritual, who willingly both knows and practices only doing good, and who knows how to eagerly suffer evil for virtue's sake from those who wish it, looking to Jesus, the pioneer of our salvation; who, in return for all the good things, which no one has yet been able to comprehend with knowledge, patiently endured all the terrible things, as no one else has, from sinners and for sinners. For the goal of the Giver of the commandments is to free man from the world and from nature. And for this reason, he who does not obey is condemned; and in vain do fathers in the world make excuses for their children, and the superiors of communities of those practicing the solitary life, that the commandments must reasonably be inoperative for them. If we were to accept this as true, the Lord will be shown to have written a law of salvation for no one at all. But the word of Scripture, as I think, called the natural man "soulish"; since the property of nature is naturally observed only concerning, as those skilled in such things say, ensouled things, and simply things subject to generation and corruption. But I have written these things to you, my lord, because greatly (449) through your lector

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κἀκεῖνο ποιοῦν αὐτόν θέσει, ὅπερ αὐτό ὑπάρχον φύσει γνωρίζεται, πλήν μέντοι τῆς φύσεως. Ἐκείνη γάρ, τοῦθ᾿ ὅπερ ἐστί διαφυλάττει τόν ἄνθρωπον, θεόν ποιεῖν θέσει πέφυκε, θέωσιν ὡς ἀγαθός ὑπέρ φύσιν τῷ ἀγομένῳ δωρούμενος· καί τῶν δύο καθαρῶς ἀποτέμνει, κόσμου λέγω καί φύσεως. Εἰ δέ φύσις ἐστίν ἡ ἄγουσα τόν ἄνθρωπον, καθ᾿ ἑαυτόν ὄντα, φύσει τόν ἄνθρωπον διαδείκνυσι· μέσον Θεοῦ καί κόσμου τυγχάνουσα· ὡς οὐδετέρου τούτων κατά γνώμην μετέχοντα. Εἰ δέ κόσμος ἐστίν ὁ φέρων, κτῆνος ἐργάζεται, ἤτοι σάρκα μόνην τόν ἀγόμενον ἄνθρωπον· ἐμπάθειαν αὐτῷ δ᾿ ἀπάτης δημιουργῶν· καθ᾿ ἡν Θεοῦ τε καί φύσεως μακράν αὐτόν ἀποθέμενος, τά παρά φύσιν πάντα ποιεῖν αὐτόν ἐκδιδάσκει.

Αἱ οὖν ἀκρότητες, Θεόν δέ φημι καί κόσμον, ἀλλήλων καί τῆς μεσότητος, λέγω δέ τήν φύσιν, ἀπάγειν τόν ἄνθρωπον εἰώθασιν. Ἡ δέ μεσότης, τούτων (448) οὖσα μεθόριος, εἰ αὐτήν μόνην σκοποῦντα λάβοι τόν ἄνθρωπον, ἐπίσης τῶν ἄκρων κινηθῇ διίστησιν· οὔτε πρός τόν Θεόν αὐτόν ἀναδραμεῖν συγχωροῦσα, καί πρός τόν κόσμον ἀφιέναι καταπεσεῖν αἰδουμένη. Ἅμα τοίνυν πρός τινα τούτων κοινηθῇ κατά γνώμην ἐνδιαθέτως ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἅμα πρός αὐτόν ἐκεῖνον καί τήν ἐνέργειαν ἤμειψε, καί τήν προσηγορίαν μετάβαλε, σαρκικός, ἤ ψυχικός, ἤ πνευματικός προσαγορευόμενος. Ἔργον δέ καί γνώρισμα τοῦ μέν σαρκικοῦ, τό κακῶς μόνον εἰδέναι ποιεῖν. Τοῦ δέ ψυχικοῦ, τό μήτε ποιεῖν βούλεσθαί ποτε, μήτε πάσχειν κακῶς. Τοῦ δέ πνευματικοῦ, τό ποιεῖν μόνον καλῶς βούλεσθαι, καί ὑπέρ ἀρετῆς εἰ συμβαίνει πάσχειν καλῶς, προθύμως καταδέχεσθαι. Εἰ τοίνυν Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ἄγεσθαι ποθεῖς, εὐλογημένε, ὥσπερ οὖν καί ποθεῖς, κόσμον καί φύσιν σαυτοῦ περίελε· μᾶλλον δέ τούτων σαυτόν περίτεμε, καί ἀδικεῖσθαι μή παραιτήσῃ· ἐμπαιγμούς τε καί ὕβρεις φέρειν μή ἀπαναίνου· καί ἵνα συνελών εἴπω, πάσχων κακῶς, τοῦ ποιεῖν καλῶς τοῖς δρῶσι κακῶς, καί πάντα προσαφιέναι τά δρώμενα, θεοῦ χάριν καί ἀρετῆς, μή παύσῃ ποτέ, κατά τόν εἰπόντα· Ἐάν τις θέλῃ σοι κριθῆναι, καί τόν χιτῶνά σου λαβεῖν, ἄφες αὐτῷ καί τό ἱμάτιον. Καί πάλιν κατά τόν μακάριον Ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· Λοιδορούμενοι, εὐλογοῦμεν· διωκόμενοι, ἀνεχόμεθα· βλασφημούμενοι, παρακαλοῦμεν.

Λοιπόν εἰ πεισθῆναί μοι βούλοιο, δοῦλε τοῦ θεοῦ εὐλογημένε, μεγάλην κατάθου χάριν τοῖς θλίψασι· καί προσζημιωθῆναι αὐτοῖς εἰ δέον ἐστί πάντα, μή ἀνανεύσῃς· καί μᾶλλον εὐλόγησον λοιδορούμενος· καί ἀνάσχου διωκόμενος, καί παρακέλεσον βλασφημούμενος, ἵνα μή ᾖς σαρκικός, ὡς ἀδικεῖν μόνον καί εἰδώς καί βουλόμενος· ἤ ψυχικός, ὡς ἀδικεῖσθαι μή ἀνεχόμενος· ἀλλά μᾶλλον πνευματικός, τό εὖ ποεῖν μόνον ἑκουσίως καί εἰδώς καί ἀσκούμενος· καί πάσχειν κακῶς παρά τῶν βουλομένων προθύμως ὑπέρ ἀρετῆς ἐπιστάμενος· ἀφορῶν πρός τόν τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν ἀρχηγόν Ἰησοῦν· ὅς ἀντί πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ὅσα οὐδέπω τις γνώσει περιλαβεῖν δεδύνηται, πάντα τά δεινά, ὅσα οὐδείς ὑπό τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, καί ὑπέρ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν μακροθύμως ὑπέμεινε. Σκοπός γάρ τῷ δοτῆρι τῶν ἐντολῶν, κόσμου καί φύσεως ἐλευθερῶσαι τόν ἄνθρωπον. Καί διά τοῦτο κατάκριτος, ὁ μή πειθόμενος· καί μάτην οἱ κατά κόσμον πατέρες τά ἔκγονα προφασίζονται, καί τάς συνοδίας τῶν τόν μονήρη βίον ἀσκουμένων οἱ προϊστάμενοι, πρός τό δεῖν εὐλόγως αὐτοῖς ἀργάς εἶναι τάς ἐντολάς. Ὅπερ ὡς ἀληθές εἰ δεξοίμεθα, οὐδενί τό παράπαν ὁ Κύριος γεγραφώς νόμον σωτηρίας δειχθήσεται. Ψυχικόν δέ, καθώς οἶμαι, τόν φυσικόν ὁ τῆς Γραφῆς λόγος ἐκάλεσεν ἄνθρωπον· ἐπειδή περί μόνα, καθώς φασιν οἱ τά τοιαῦτα δεινοί, τά ψυχούμενα, καί ἁπλῶς τά ὑπό γένεσιν καί φθοράν, ἡ τῆς φύσεως θεωρεῖσθαι πέφυκε ἰδιότης. Ταῦτα δέ γέγραφα ὑμῖν, δέσποτα, ἐπειδή πολύ (449) διά τοῦ ὑμετέρου παραναγνωστικοῦ