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destroy it. At least it is said in Isaiah: "those who have lost their heart." But the heart is lost when the mind comes to be outside its proper state. And it is troubled if it has any confusion. And I happen to be troubled by receiving thoughts and notions that are not fitting. "They drew near from the opposite side and stood." Not as companions, not as friends, not to be united with me, but "from the opposite side," so that being present they might oppose. I have observed such a thing both in Zechariah and in the one hundred and eighth psalm. It is said concerning Judas that: "let the devil stand at his right hand." And concerning "Jesus the great high priest, son of Jozadak": "the devil stood at his right hand to oppose him." And see that the devil stood at the right hand of both Judas and of Jesus the great high priest, the most pure and holy one. But concerning Jesus it is said: "to oppose him." He stood so that he might be an adversary to his right-hand things, that he might war against it, because he rightly performs what must be done and has such a disposition. 267 But not so concerning Judas. He has already taken possession of Judas' right-hand things. He has given the devil a standing-place in these things. And here "they stood on the opposite side." For this reason they drew near, that they might destroy and trouble. 12 And those nearest to me stood afar off. There are two kinds of friends, there are two dispositions of neighbors. When former enemies become pretended friends and speak in riddles, they do this so that they may oppose. And that I may take from the catechetical teaching of the Shepherd, I say: there are two angels with man, and the one suggests evil things, but the other good things, and the one is of righteousness, the other of unrighteousness. If, therefore, the one of unrighteousness draws near, the one suggesting evil things, the good angel withdraws, as on the other hand when that one has drawn near, this evil one opposes; for opposites, the good and the evil, cannot coexist; for evil is active when the good is far away. But if it were also the person of the Savior saying these things, he could say that: my once friends have become distant, my sons, whom I begot and exalted. Having rejected me, they have become far off. But those from the nations who have believed, having become friends, are henceforth near and "opposite me," instead of "before my face"; for no longer do we take "opposite" as "opposed," but as "in front of," "before." 13 And those seeking my soul used violence, and those seeking evils against me spoke vanities. None of those who love my soul use violence against it, but rather draw near or become one with it. But the others use violence and, seeking evils against him whom they force, speak vanity, nothing beneficial, nothing contributing to the knowledge of the truth, but about vain things; for all evil things are vain, the wicked things, and the temporary things which are seen and are easily despised and most easily circumscribed and destroyed. One must seek the soul beneficially. And by the addition "evils" to "those seeking my soul and using violence," it is clear that they are wicked. The one who brings the sinning soul to repentance and leads the one who has strayed from the truth to it, seeks the soul in a praiseworthy and beneficial way. The Savior at least "has come to seek and to save the lost." This one, seeking the soul, seeks it that he may lead it to salvation, that he may bring it to its former state. As, therefore, the Savior does this through instruction and through contributing to the good, so also do the Savior's disciples and indeed angels and men do this. But none of these, seeking the soul, speaks vanity, none seeks evils for it, but good and beneficial things. 13 And they meditated on deceits all the day long. All their life they meditated on crookedness; for how could they not? They had "crooked reasonings which separate from God," and their heart had become crooked and perverse, which the holy one prays not to have, saying: "a perverse heart has not cleaved to me." The one having, therefore, crooked reasonings

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ἀπόλλων ταύτην. εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν Ἰσαίᾳ· "οἱ ἀπολωλεκότες τὴν καρδίαν". ἀπόλλυται δὲ ἡ καρδία, ὅταν ἡ νόησις ἔξ̣ω τῆς καταλλήλου καταστάσεως γένηται. ταράττεται δέ, ε᾿̣ὰν ἔχῃ τινὰ σύνχυσιν. ὑπάρχει με ταράττεσθαι δὲ ἐκ̣ τοῦ λογισμοὺς καὶ ἐνθυμήματα λαμβάνειν μὴ προσήκοντα. "ἐξ ἐναντίας ἤγγισαν καὶ ἔστησαν". οὐχ ὡς ἑταῖροι, οὐχ ὡς φίλοι, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ ἑνωθῆναί μοι, ἀλλ' "ἐξ ἐναντίας", ἵνα παρόντες ἐναντιῶνται. τοιαύτην παρατήρησιν ἔσχον καὶ ἐν τῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ ὀγδόῳ ψαλμῷ. λέγεται περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα ὅτι· "διάβολος στήτω ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ". περὶ δὲ "Ἰησοῦ τοῦ ἱερέως τοῦ μεγάλου τοῦ Ἰωσεδέχ"· "ὁ διάβολος εἱστήκει ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ τῷ ἀντικεῖσθαι αὐτῷ". καὶ ὅρα ὅτι καὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ ἱερέως τοῦ μεγάλου τοῦ καθαρωτάτου καὶ ἁγίου ἐκ δεξιῶν ὁ διάβολος εἱστήκει. ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ εἴρη̣τ̣αι· "τοῦ ἐναντιοῦσθαι αὐτῷ". ἔστη ἵνα τοῖς δεξιοῖς αὐτοῦ ἀντικείμενος ᾖ, πολεμῇ αὐτήν, ὅτι δεξιῶς ἐπιτελεῖ τ̣ὰ πρακτέα καὶ τὴν διάθεσιν ἔχει τοιαύτην. ἐπὶ 267 δὲ τοῦ Ἰούδα οὔ. τὰ δεξιὰ τοῦ Ἰούδα προκατείληφεν. στάσιν αὐτῷ δέδωκεν τῷ διαβόλῳ ἐν τούτοις. καὶ ὧδε "ἐξ ἐναντίας ἔστησαν". διὰ τοῦτο ἤνγισαν, ἵνα πορθήσωσιν καὶ ταράξωσιν. 12 καὶ οἱ ἔγγιστά μου ἀπὸ μακρόθεν ἔστησαν. δύο γένη φίλων εἰσίν, δύο εἰσὶν διαθέσεις πλησίων. ὅταν οἱ πάλαι ἐχθροὶ γένωνται προσποιητοὶ φίλοι καὶ αἰνιττόμενοι, ἵν' ἐναντιωθῶσιν τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν. καὶ ἵνα ἀπὸ τῆς Ποιμενικῆς διδασκαλίας λάβω τῆς κατηχητικῆς, λέγω· δύο ἄγγελοί εἰσιν μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ὁ εἷς πονηρὰ ὑποβάλλει, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος ἀγαθά, καὶ ὁ μὲν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ὁ δὲ τῆς ἀδικίας ἐστίν. ἐὰν οὖν πλησίον γένηται ὁ τ̣ῆς ἀδικίας, ὁ κακὰ ὑποβάλλων, μακρύνεται ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄγγελος, ὡς αὖ ἐκείνου συνεγγίσαντος οὗτος ὁ πονηρὸς ἐνα̣ντιοῦται· ὡς γὰρ ἀσυνύπαρκτά ἐστιν τὰ ἐναντία, τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ κακόν· ἐνεργεῖ γὰρ τὸ κακόν, ὅταν ὁ ἀγαθὸς ᾖ πόρρω. ἐὰν δὲ καὶ πρόσωπον ᾖν τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸ ταῦτα λέγον, δύναται λέγειν ὅτι· μακρὰν γέγοναν οἱ ποτέ μου φίλοι, οἱ υἱοί μου, οὓς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα. ἀθετήσαντές με πόρρω γεγένηνται. οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύσαντες φίλοι γενόμενοι λοιπὸν ἐγγύς εἰσιν καὶ "ἐξ ἐναντίας μου", ἀντὶ τοῦ "κατὰ πρόσωπόν μου"· οὐκέτι γὰρ τὸ "ἐναντίον" "ἀντικείμενον" λαμβάνομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐπιπρόσωπον, ἐπίπροσθεν. 13 καὶ ἐξεβιάζοντο οἱ ζητοῦντες τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ ζητοῦντες τὰ κακά μοι ἐλάλησαν ματαιότητας. οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκβιάζεται αὐτήν, ἀλλὰ συνεγγίζει ἢ ἓν πρὸς αὐτὴν γίνεται. οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ἐκβιάζονται καὶ ζητοῦντες τὰ κακὰ κατ' ἐκείνου οὗ ἐκβιάζονται, ματαιότητα λαλοῦσιν, οὐδὲν ἐπωφελές̣, οὐδὲν συντελοῦν πρὸς τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλὰ περὶ ματαίων· μάταια γὰρ πάντα ἐστὶν τὰ πονηρά, τὰ φαῦλα, καὶ τὰ πρόσκαιρα δὲ ἅ ἐστιν βλεπόμενα καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητα καὶ ῥᾷστα περιγραφόμενα καὶ ἀπολλύμενα. δεῖ ζητῆσαι τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπωφελῶς. τῷ δὲ προσκεῖσθαι "τοῖς ζητοῦσιν τὴν ψυχήν μου καὶ ἐκβιαζομένοις" "τὰ κακά", φανερόν, ὅτι φαῦλοί εἰσιν. ὁ τὴν ἁμαρτάνουσαν ψυχὴν εἰς μετάνοιαν προσηκάμενος καὶ τὴν ἀπεσφαλμένην τῆς ἀληθείας ἄγων εἰς ταύτην, ἐπαινετῶς ζητεῖ καὶ ἐπωφελῶς τὴν ψυχήν. ὁ σωτὴρ γοῦν "ἐλήλυθεν ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός". οὗτος ζητῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ζητεῖ, ἵνα εἰς σωτηρίαν αὐτὴν ἀγάγῃ, ἵνα κατὰ τὴν προτέραν αὐτῆς κατάστασιν ἐνέγκῃ. ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦτο ποιεῖ διὰ παιδεύσεως καὶ διὰ συντελείας τῆς εἰς τὸ καλόν, οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοῦ σωτῆρος μαθηταὶ καὶ ἄγγελοί γε καὶ ἄνθρωποι τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν. οὐδεὶς δὲ τούτων ζητῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ματαιότητα λαλεῖ, οὐδεὶς ζητεῖ αὐτῇ κακά, ἀλλὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ ἐπωφελῆ. 13 καὶ δολιότητας ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐμελέτησαν. πάντα τὸν βίον ἑαυτῶν σκολιότητας ἐμελέτων· πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἤμελλον; "σκολιοὺς" εἶχον "λογισμοὺς τοὺς χωρίζοντας ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ", καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν σκολιὰ γεγόνει καὶ σκαμβή, ἣν ἀπεύχεται ὁ ἅγιος ἔχειν λέγων· "οὐκ ἐκολλήθη μοι καρδία σκαμβή". ὁ ἔχων οὖν σκολιοὺς λογισμοὺς