184

a certain difference among these, just as barbarian, not Scythian, not Greek, not Jew, but Christ is all and in all.

β'. The Holy Trinity, extending through all things from the first even to the last as from a certain head to the feet, holds all together, glues and unites and binds them to itself and holding them together makes them firm and unbreakable} and in each one of them it is shown and made known as one and the same, which is God, in whom the last become first and the first like the last.

γ'. We the faithful ought to see all the faithful as one and to consider Christ to be in each one of them, and so to be disposed in love toward him, as to be ready to lay down our own lives for him. For we ought not to say or think that anyone is wicked at all, but to see all as good, as we have said} for if you see someone troubled by passions, hate not the brother but the passions that war against him, and if you see him tyrannized by desires and prejudices, have even more compassion, (422) lest you yourself also be tempted, being subject to the change of easily besetting matter.

δ'. In the same way that the intelligible orders of the powers above are illumined by God in order, from the first hierarchy to the second, and from this one to the next and so on, with the divine radiance passing through all, so also the saints, being illumined by the divine angels, being bound and united by the bond of the Spirit, become equal in honor and rivals with them. For from the preceding saints, the saints who come in each generation through the working of God's commandments, cleaving to these, are likewise illumined like them, receiving the grace of God by participation, and they become like a certain golden chain, each of them being one link, each one being bound to the one before by faith and works and love, so that they are and become one chain in the one God which cannot be quickly broken.

ε'. If someone is counterfeit from hypocrisy, or blameworthy from his works, or for a short time broken by one passion, or happens to be slightly deficient in some part from carelessness, he is not numbered with the whole, but is cast out as useless and unapproved, so that in a time of tension he might not cause the bond of the chain to be broken and work a division among the undivided and grief in both, with those in front grieving for those behind, and these grieving for the separation from those who lead.

στ'. He who does not strive for union with the last of all the saints in love and vehement desire through humility, but possesses some small unbelief toward him, will never be united at all nor ranked with him among the first and preceding saints, even if he seems to have all faith and all love toward God (423) and toward all the saints} for he will be cast out by them, as one who has not accepted, through humility, the place in which he was stationed and to which he was appointed by God before the ages to be joined.

ζ'. Humility precedes godly sorrow, and inexpressible joy and gladness follow} and the hope of salvation clings to godly humility. For insofar as someone from his soul considers himself more sinful than all men, to that extent hope grows with his humility and flourishes in his heart, confirming that through this he is going to be saved.

η'. Insofar as someone descends into the depth of humility and despairs of himself as unworthy of being saved, to that extent he mourns and sends forth fountains of tears} and in proportion to these, spiritual joy gushes forth in his heart, and with this joy hope springs up and grows, and provides a more certain full assurance of salvation.

184

διαφορά τις ἐν τούτοις, ὥσπερ βάρβαρος, οὐ Σκύθης, οὐχ Ἕλλην, οὐκ Ἰουδαῖος, ἀλλά τά πάντα καί ἐν πᾶσι Χριστός.

β'. Ἡ Ἁγία Τριάς, διά πάντων διήκουσα ἀπό τῶν πρώτων καί μέχρι τῶν ἐσχάτων ὡς ἀπό κεφαλῆς τινος μέχρι ποδῶν, συγκροτεῖ πάντας συγκολλᾷ τε καί συνενοῖ καί συνδεσμεῖ ἑαυτῇ καί συγκροτοῦσα στερρούς καί ἀρραγεῖς ἀπεργάζεται} ἐν ἑνί τε αὐτῶν ἑκάστῳ μία καί ἡ αὐτή δείκνυται γνωριζομένη, ἥτις ἐστίν ὁ Θεός, ἐν ᾧ καί οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι γίνονται καί οἱ πρῶτοι ὥσπερ οἱ ἔσχατοι.

γ'. Πάντας τούς πιστούς ὡς ἕνα βλέπειν ὀφείλομεν οἱ πιστοί καί ἐφ᾿ ἑνί ἑκάστῳ αὐτῶν εἶναι λογίζεσθαι τόν Χριστόν καί οὕτως τῇ πρός αὐτόν ἀγάπῃ διάκεισθαι, ὡς ἑτοίμους εἶναι ὑπέρ αὐτοῦ τιθέναι τάς ἰδίας ψυχάς. Οὐδέ γάρ τό καθόλου λέγειν ἤ νομίζειν ὀφείλομέν τινα πονηρόν, ἀλλά πάντας ὡς ἀγαθούς ὁρᾷν, ὥσπερ εἴπομεν} κἄν γάρ ὑπό παθῶν ὀχλούμενον ἴδῃς τινά, μή τόν ἀδελφόν ἀλλά τά πάθη μίσησον τά πολεμοῦντα αὐτῷ, κἄν ὑπό ἐπιθυμιῶν καί προλήψεων τυραννούμενον, ἐπί πλεῖον σπλαγχνίσθητι, (422) μήποτε καί αὐτός πειρασθῇς, ὡς ὑπό τροπήν ὤν ὕλης εὐπεριστάτου.

δ'. Ὅν τρόπον αἱ νοεραί τάξεις τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων ἀπό Θεοῦ κατά τάξιν ἐλλάμπονται ἀπό τῆς πρώτης ταξιαρχίας ἐπί τήν δευτέραν καί ἀπό ταύτης ἐπί τήν ἑτέραν καί καθεξῆς, τῆς θεϊκῆς ἐπί πάσας διερχομένης φωτοβολίας, οὕτω καί οἱ ἅγιοι ἀπό τῶν θείων ἐλλαμπόμενοι ἀγγέλων, τῷ συνδέσμῳ τοῦ Πνεύματος συνδούμενοί τε καί συνενούμενοι, ἰσότιμοι αὐτοῖς καί ἐφάμιλλοι γίνονται. Ἀπό γάρ τῶν προλαβόντων ἁγίων οἱ κατά γενεάν καί γενεάν διά τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐργασίας ἐρχόμενοι ἅγιοι, τούτοις κολλώμενοι, ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις ἐλλάμπονται, τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν λαμβάνοντες κατά μέθεξιν, καί ὥσπερ τις γίνονται χρυσῆ ἅλυσις, καθείς τούτων ὄντες γονάτιον ἕν, ἑκάτερος τῷ προλαβόντι τῇ πίστει καί τοῖς ἔργοις καί τῇ ἀγάπῃ συνδούμενος, ὡς εἶναι μίαν αὐτούς καί γίνεσθαι σειράν ἐν ἑνί τῷ Θεῷ μή δυναμένην ταχέως διαρραγῆναι.

ε'. Εἴ τις κίβδηλος ἐξ ὑποκρίσεως, ἤ ἐξ ἔργων ἐπίμωμος, ἤ πρός βραχύ τεθραυσμένος ἐξ ἑνός πάθους, ἤ μικρόν ἐλλιπής ἐξ ἀξελείας ἐν μέρει τυγχάνει, οὐ συγκαταριθμεῖται τοῖς ὁλοκλήροις, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἄχρηστος καί ἀδόκιμος ἀποβάλλεται, ἵνα μή ἐν καιρῷ τάσεως διαρραγῆναι ποιήσῃ τόν σύνδεσμον τῆς ἁλύσεως καί δάστασιν ἐν ἀδιαστάτοις καί λύπην ἐν ἀμφοτέροις ἐργάσηται, τῶν μέν ἔμπορσθεν ὑπέρ τῶν ὑστέρων, τούτων δέ ὑπέρ τοῦ χωρισμοῦ τῶν προαγόντων ἀλγυνομένων.

στ'. Ὁ τῆς ἑνώσεως τῆς πρός τόν ἔσχατον πάντων ἁγίων ἐν ἀγάπῃ καί ἐπιθυμίᾳ σφοδρᾷ διά ταεπινοφροσύνης μή ἐφιέμενος, ἀλλά μικράν τινα κεκτημένος πρός αὐτόν ἀπιστίαν, οὐχ ἑνωθήσεται ὅλως ποτέ οὐδέ καταταγήσεται σύν αὐτῷ τοῖς πρώτοις καί προλαβοῦσιν ἁγίοις, κἄν δοκῇ πᾶσαν ἔχειν τήν πίστιν καί πᾶσαν τήν ἀγάπην πρός Θεόν (423) καί πρός ἅπαντας τούς ἁγίους} ἔξω γάρ βληθήσεται παρ᾿ αὐτῶν, ὡς μή ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἐν ᾧ ἐτάγη καί ᾧ συναφθῆναι ὑπό Θεοῦ πρό αἰώνων ὡρίσθη διά ταπεινοφροσύνης καταδεξάμενος.

ζ'. Τοῦ κατά Θεόν πένθους προηγεῖται ταπείνωσις, ἕπεται δέ χαρά καί εὐφροσύνη ἀνέκφραστος} τῇ δέ κατά Θεόν ταπεινώσει περιφύεται ἡ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐλπίς. Καθόσον γάρ ἀπό ψυχῆς ἔχει τις ἑαυτόν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτωλότερον, κατά τοσοῦτον ἡ ἐλπίς συναυξάνει τῇ ταπεινώσει καί θάλλει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, βεβαιοῦσα ὅτι διά ταύτης μέλλει σωθήσεται.

η'. Καθόσον εἰς βάθος τις κατέρχεται ταπεινώσεως καί ἑαυτόν ἀπογινώσκει ὡς ἀνάξιον τοῦ σωθήσεσθαι, κατά τοσοῦτον πενθεῖ καί δακρύων ἀφίησι πηγάς} τούτων δέ ἀναλόγως ἡ πνευματική ἀναβλύζει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ χαρά, ταύτῃ δέ ἡ ἐλπίς συμπηγάζει καί συναυξάνει καί τήν πληροφορίαν τῆς σωτηρίας βεβαιοτέραν παρέχεται.