190

obviously being covered by the desires of the flesh; and flesh and blood does not inherit the kingdom of God, which is the Holy Spirit.

45. From divine baptism we receive the forgiveness of sins and are freed from the former curse and are sanctified by the presence of the Holy Spirit, but not then the perfect grace according to: “I will dwell in them and walk among them”; for this belongs to those of firm faith and who demonstrate this by their works. For after we are baptized, turning aside to evil and shameful deeds, we cast off entirely that very sanctification, but through repentance and confession and tears, we first receive proportionately the forgiveness of sins and thus sanctification with grace from above.

46. From repentance comes the washing away of the stain (435) of shameful deeds, and after this, participation in the Holy Spirit; but not simply, but according to the faith and the disposition and the humility of those repenting with their whole soul; not only this, but also after receiving perfect forgiveness of sins from one's father and sponsor. For this reason it is good to repent daily according to the commanding precept; for "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" indicates to us an indefinite labor.

47. The grace of the all-holy Spirit is given as a pledge to the souls betrothed to Christ; and just as without a pledge a woman does not have the security that the union with the man will one day surely come to be, so too a soul never receives sure confidence that it will be with its Master and God for ages, or be mystically and ineffably united to him, and enjoy his unapproachable beauty, unless it receives the pledge of his grace and possesses it consciously within itself.

48. In the way that written contracts, if they do not receive the signatures of trustworthy witnesses, the pledge is not secure, so too before the working of the commandments and the acquisition of the virtues, the illumination of grace is not secure. For what the witnesses are in agreements, this, in the case of the spiritual pledge, the working of the commandments and the virtues have become; for through these each of those who are to be saved receives the perfect possession of the pledge.

49. First, as it were, the agreements are written through the working of the commandments, then they are sealed and signed by the virtues; and at that time the (436) bridegroom Christ gives the ring to the bride-soul, that is, the pledge of the Spirit.

50. Just as the bride before the wedding receives only the pledge from the bridegroom, but awaits to receive the agreed-upon dowry and the gifts promised in it after the wedding, so indeed also the bride of the faithful, the church, and the soul of each one of us first receives from the bridegroom Christ only the pledge of the Spirit, but awaits to receive the eternal good things and the kingdom of heaven after the departure from here, being fully assured through the pledge that the things agreed upon with her will be unfailing.

51. Just as when the bridegroom is delayed on a journey, or is occupied with some other affairs and for the time being postpones making the wedding, if the bride, becoming angry, scorns his love and either erases or tears up the betrothal contract, she at once falls from the hopes related to the bridegroom, so also it is wont to happen in the case of the soul. For whenever one of those who are striving says: “Until when must I suffer hardship?” and makes light of the ascetic labors and through neglect of the commandments and abandonment of continual repentance, as it were

190

δηλονότι τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν τῆς σαρκός καλυπτόμενος˙ σάρξ δέ καί αἷμα βασιλείαν Θεοῦ, ἥτις ἐστί τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον, οὐ κληρονομεῖ.

με'. Ἀπό μέν τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος τήν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων λαμβάνομεν ἄφεσιν καί τῆς πρώην κατάρας ἐλευθερούμεθα καί τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἁγιαζόμεθα, τήν δέ τελείαν χάριν κατά τό˙ «Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω», οὐ τότε˙ τοῦτο γάρ τῶν βεβαιοπίστων καί ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ταύτην ἐπιδεικνύντων ἐστί. Μετά γάρ τό βαπτισθῆναι ἡμᾶς πρός πονηράς καί αἰσχράς πράξεις ἐκκλίνοντες καί αὐτόν τόν ἁγιασμόν εἰς ἅπαν ἀποβαλλόμεθα, μετανοίᾳ δέ καί ἐξομολογήσει καί δάκρυσι κατά ἀναλογίαν τήν ἄφεσιν πρότερον τῶν ἡμαρτημένων λαμβάνομεν καί οὕτω τόν ἁγιασμόν μετά τῆς ἄνωθεν χάριτος.

μστ'. Ἀπό μέν τῆς μετανοίας ἔκπλυσις τοῦ μολυσμοῦ (435) τῶν αἰσχρῶν γίνεται πράξεων, μετά δέ ταύτην, μετοχή Πνεύματος Ἁγίου˙ οὐχ ἁπλῶς δέ, ἀλλά κατά τήν πίστιν καί τήν διάθεσιν καί τήν ταπείνωσιν τῶν ἐξ ὅλης μετανοούντων ψυχῆς˙ οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά καί μετά τό τελείαν τήν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων παρά τοῦ πατρός καί ἀναδόχου λαβεῖν. ∆ιά τοῦτο καλόν καθ᾿ ἑκάστην μετανοεῖν κατά τήν κελεύουσαν ἐντολήν˙ τό γάρ «μετανοεῖτε, ἤγγικε γάρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν» ἀόριστον ἡμῖν ὑπεμφαίνει τήν ἐργασίαν.

μζ'. Ἡ χάρις τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ταῖς τῷ Χριστῷ νυμφευομέναις ψυχαῖς ὡς ἀρραβών δίδοται˙ καί καθάπερ ἀρραβῶνος χωρίς οὐκ ἔχει ἀσφαλῶς ἡ γυνή τήν μετά τοῦ ἀνδρός συνάφειαν μέλλειν ποτέ βεβαίως γενήσεσθαι, οὕτως οὐδέ ψυχή βεβαίαν λαμβάνει πληροφορίαν ποτέ τοῦ μετά τοῦ δεσπότου αὐτῆς καί Θεοῦ εἰς αἰῶνας συνέσεσθαι, ἤ μυστικῶς καί ἀνεκφράστως αὐτῷ συνάπτεσθαι, καί τοῦ ἀπροσίτου κάλλους ἐπαπολαύειν αὐτοῦ, εἰ μή τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ τόν ἀρραβῶνα λάβῃ καί γνωστῶς αὐτόν ἐν ἑαυτῇ κτήσηται.

μη'. Ὅν τρόπον οἱ γραφόμενοι συμβολικοί χάρται εἰ μή ὑπογραφάς ἀξιοπίστων μαρτύρων δέξωνται, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀρραβών βέβαιος, οὕτως οὐδέ πρό τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν καί τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν κτήσεως ἀσφαλής ἡ τῆς χάριτος ἔλλαμψις γίνεται. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐν τοῖς συμφώνοις οἱ μάρτυρες, τοῦτο ἐπί τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἀρραβῶνος ἡ τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐργασία καί αἱ ἀρεταί καθεστήκασι˙ τελείαν γάρ διά τούτων λαμβάνει τήν τοῦ ἀρραβῶνος κατάσχεσιν ἕκαστος τῶν μελλόντων σωθήσεσθαι.

μθ'. Πρῶτον οἱονεί τά σύμφωνα γράφονται διά τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν, εἶτα ὑπό τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐπισφραγίζονται καί ὑπογράφονται˙ καί τηνικαῦτα ἐπιδίδωσι τόν (436) δακτύλιον ὁ νυμφίος Χριστός τῇ νύμφῃ ψυχῇ, ἤγουν τόν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ Πνεύματος.

ν'. Ὥσπερ ἡ νύμφη πρό τοῦ γάμου τόν ἀρραβῶνα μόνον παρά τοῦ νυμφίου λαμβάνει, τήν δέ συμφωνηθεῖσαν προῖκα καί τάς ἐν αὐτῇ ὑποσχεθείσας δωρεάς μετά τόν γάμον λαβεῖν ἀπεκδέχεται, οὕτω δή καί ἡ νύμφη τῶν πιστῶν ἐκκλησία καί ἡ ψυχή ἑνός ἑκάστου ἡμῶν πρῶτον ὑπό τοῦ νυμφίου Χριστοῦ τόν ἀρραβῶνα μόνον λαμβάνει τοῦ Πνεύματος, τά δέ αἰώνια ἀγαθά καί τήν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν μετά τήν ἐνθένδε ἀποδημίαν λαβεῖν ἀπεκδέχεται, πληροφορουμένη διά τοῦ ἀρραβῶνος ὡς ἀδιάψευστα τά συμπεφωνημένα αὐτῇ ἔσονται.

να'. Καθάπερ βραδύνοντος τοῦ νυμφίου ἐν ἀποδημίᾳ, ἤ ἀπασχολουμένου ἐν ἑτέραις τισίν ὑποθέσεσι καί τόν γάμον τέως ὑπερτιθεμένου ποιῆσαι, ἐάν ὀργισθεῖσα ἡ νύμφη τῆς ἐκείνου ἀγάπης καταφρονήσῃ καί τόν ἀρραβωνικόν χάρτην ἤ ἀπαλείψῃ ἤ διαρρήξῃ, ἐκπίπτει τῶν πρός τόν νυμφίον ἐλπίδων εὐθύς, οὕτω καί ἐπί τῆς ψυχῆς πέφυκε γίνεσθαι. Ἐπάν γάρ εἴπῃ τις τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων˙ «Ἕως πότε κακοπαθεῖν ὀφείλω;» καί τῶν ἀσκητικῶν πόνων κατολιγωρήσῃ καί διά τῆς ἀμελείας τῶν ἐντολῶν καί ἐγκαταλείψεως τῆς διηνεκοῦς μετανοίας οἱονεί