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the impulse of many toward wickedness, and by force leading to tranquility through the threat of the prudent. For what reason is naturally suited to persuade the prudent to embrace willingly, fear is accustomed to compel the foolish to love unwillingly.

For this reason I have learned that kingship was permitted to enter into the life of men, and I accept the account as true and as a teacher of the reason. But if any other reason than this has been established as the cause according to the divine Scripture, I believe this is comprehensible only to those pure in mind. Nevertheless, however, not even this is wholly out of harmony with the purpose of the divine Scripture. For that Scripture relates that God permits men who have rejected the kingship of God to be ruled even by themselves; so that the disorder of anarchy might not produce polyarchy and thence bring about destructive sedition for the whole race of men, with no one being entrusted with their care by divine decree; and one who by reason orders those educated by reason towards gentleness; and by the fear of authority punishes those who contrive wickedness, and those who by their will corrupt in themselves the innate good of knowledge through unnatural ways.

Whichever king, therefore, has been zealous to keep this law of kingship in this way, has truly been revealed as second to God on earth, having become a most faithful minister of the divine will, and having justly obtained the rule of men by being ruled by God. But whoever, having thrust aside this ordinance, has decided to rule for himself in every way, and not for God, will reasonably work the opposite of these things; tyrannically shaking off from himself (453) the good, and putting them far from all counsel and power; and innovatively drawing to himself the wicked, and making them lords of all his authority; which is the ultimate abyss of destruction for both the rulers and the ruled. But may God grant us to be ruled by Him willingly, through the fulfillment of His life-giving commandments; and to worthily honor those who rule on earth according to Him, as guardians of His divine ordinances.

11. By the same author to a mother superior, concerning a nun who left the monastery, and repented.

The heralds of truth, and those who have become ministers of divine grace, as many as from the beginning until our own time, each in his own time, have made clear to us the saving will of God, say that nothing is so dear and lovely to God as the turning of men to Him from true repentance. Wishing to show this to be more divine than all other things, or rather, as the first and only sign of infinite goodness, the divine Word of God the Father, in a certain ineffable mode of condescension, deigned to speak to us through the flesh, doing and suffering and saying those things through which it was necessary for us, being enemies and adversaries, to be reconciled to God the Father, and having been alienated from the blessed life, to be led back again to it. For not only did He heal our diseases by miracles, and take up our infirmities through sufferings, and through death the sinless one, as if liable, paying our debt, freed us from our many and terrible crimes; but also, teaching in many ways, He has willed that those who wish should become equal to Himself in philanthropic disposition and in perfect love for one another. For this very reason, He cried out, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." And, "Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but"

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πολλῶν πρός ἀτοπίαν ὁρμήν, καί βίᾳ πρός τῶν σωφρόνων δι᾿ ἀπειλῆς ἄγοντες γαληνότητα. Ὁ γάρ πέφυκε λόγος τούς σώφρονας πείθειν ἑκουσίως ἀσπάζεσθαι, τοῦτο στέργειν ὁ φόβος τούς ἄφρονας εἴωθεν ἀκουσίως βιάζεσθαι.

∆ιά ταύτην ἐγώ τήν αἰτίαν τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρεισελθεῖν τήν βασιλείαν συγχωρηθῆναι μεμάθηκα, καί ἀποδέχομαι τόν λόγον ὡς ἀληθῆ, καί τῆς αἰτίας διδάσκαλον. Εἰ δέ τις καί ἕτερος ταύτης λόγος καθέστηκεν εἴτιος κατά τήν θείαν Γραφήν, τοῦτον εἶναι μόνοις ἡγοῦμαι ληπτόν τοῖς καθαροῖς τήν διάνοιαν. Πλήν δι᾿ ὅμως, οὐδ᾿ οὗτος τοῦ σκοποῦ τῆς θείας ὁλοσχερῶς ἀπᾴδει Γραφῆς. Κἀκείνη γάρ παραιτησαμένοις ἀνθρώποις τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείαν, συγχωροῦντα τόν Θεόν ἀφηγεῖται, κἄν ὑφ᾿ ἑαυτῶν βασιλεύεσθαι· ἵνα μή τό ἄτακτον τῆς ἀναρχίας πολυαρχίαν ἐργάσηται καί στάσιν φθοροποιόν ἐντεῦθεν τῷ παντί γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐνεργάσηται, μηδενός τήν αὐτῶν ἐπιμέλειαν κατά θείαν ψῆφον πεπιστευομένου· καί λόγῳ μέν τάσσοντος τούς διά λόγου παιδαγωγουμένους πρός ἡμερότητα· δυναστείας δέ φόβῳ κολάζοντος, τούς τήν πονηρίαν τεκταίνοντας· καί τό ἔμφυτον τῆς γνώσεως ἀγαθόν γνωμικῶς τοῖς παρά φύσιν τρόποις ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν διαφθείροντας.

Ὅστις οὖν βασιλέων, τοῦτον οὕτω φυλάξαι τόν νόμον τῆς βασιλείας ἐσπούδασε, Θεοῦ δεύτερος ἐπί γῆς ἀληθῶς ἀναπέφανται, ὡς θείας βουλῆς πιστότατος γενόμενος ὑπουργός, καί τό βασιλεύεσθαι ὑπό Θεοῦ, βασιλεύειν ἀνθρώπων δικαίως λαχών. Ὅστις δέ τοῦτον παρωσάμενος τόν θεσμόν, ἑαυτῷ βασιλεύειν πάντως διέγνω, καί οὐ Θεῷ, τἀναντία τούτοις εἰκότως ἐργάσηται· τυραννικῶς μέν ἑαυτοῦ (453) τούς ἀγαθούς ἐκτινάσσων, καί πάσης πόῤῥω τιθέμενος βουλῆς καί δυναστείας· νεωτερικῶς δέ τούς πονηρούς ἐπισπώμενος, καί πάσης αὐτούς κυρίους τῆς αὑτοῦ καθιστῶν ἐξουσίας· ὅπερ ἐστί τῶν κρατούντων τε καί κρατουμένων ἔσχατον ἀπωλείας βάραθρον. Ἡμῖν δέ δοίη Θεός ἑκουσίως ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ βασιλεύεσθαι, διά τῆς ἐκπληρώσεως τῶν ζωοποιῶν αὐτοῦ ἐντολῶν· καί τούς κατ᾿ αὐτόν ἐπί γῆς βασιλεύοντας, ἀξίως τιμᾷν, ὡς φύλακας τῶν αὐτοῦ θείων διαταγμάτων.

ΙΑ´. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός ἡγουμένην, περί ἀσκητρίας ἐξελθούσης τῆς μονῆς, καί μετανοησάσης.

Οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκες, καί τῆς θείας χάριτος γενόμενοι λειτουργοί, ὅσοι ἐξ ἀρχῆς μέχρις ἡμῶν κατά τούς ἑαυτῶν καιρούς ἕκαστος τό σωτήριον ἡμῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ διεσάφησαν θέλημα, φασί, μηδέ οὕτω Θεῷ εἶναι φίλον τε καί ἐράσμιον, ὡς ἡ ἐκ μετανοίας ἀληθοῦς ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιστροφή. Ὅπερ μάλιστα τῶν ἄλλων θειότερον ὑπάρχον δεῖξαι βουλόμενος ὁ θεαρχικός τοῦ Θεοῦ καί Πατρός Λόγος· μᾶλλον δέ καί πρῶτον καί μόνον τῆς ἀπείρου ἀγαθότητος γνώρισμα, κατά τινα ἄῤῥητον συγκαταβάσεως τρόπον, διά σαρκός ἡμῖν ὁμιλῆσαι ἠξίωσεν, ἐκεῖνα καί δράσας καί παθών καί εἰπών, δι᾿ ὧν ἔδει ἡμᾶς, ἐχθρούς ὄντας καί πολεμίους καταλλαγῆναι τῷ Θεῷ καί Πατρί, καί τῆς μακαρίας ζωῆς ξενωθέντας, πρός αὐτήν πάλιν ἐπαναχθῆναι. Οὐ μόνον γάρ τοῖς θαύμασι τάς νόσους ἡμῶν ἰάσατο, καί διά παθημάτων τάς ἀσθενείας ἀναλαβών, καί διά θανάτου ἀποδούς ὡς ὑπεύθυνος ὁ ἀναμάρτητος τό ἡμέτερον ὄφλημα τῶν πολλῶν καί φοβερῶν ἡμᾶς ἠλευθέρωσεν ἐγκλημάτων· ἀλλά καί πολυτρόπως διδάσκων, ἴσους ἑαυτῷ γενέσθαι κατά τήν φιλάνθρωπον ἕξιν, καί τήν εἰς ἀλλήλους τελείαν ἀγάπην, βουλομένους βεβούληται. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο, Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἐβόα, ἀλλά ἁμαρτωλούς εἰς μετάνοιαν. Καί, Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ᾿