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we will obtain salvation. 962 Ps 100,2a But for one who lives rightly and wishes to have a blameless way, not only must the action be blameless, but also the understanding and the knowledge concerning doctrines must be precise. For one sings psalms, striking the instrument melodiously and harmoniously, which is the body as has often been said, so as to produce the best activities. And he also takes up understanding, thinking about what should be thought. And since the goal of acting and thinking blamelessly is to receive God's presence into the mind and the intellect, he immediately added, When will you come to me? For so that you would come to me and dwell with me as in a holy temple, the aforementioned things have been accomplished by me. And it might also be said by those who foretold the savior's advent here: We have sung psalms, we have understood the things prophesied concerning your coming into this life. 963 Ps 100,2b-4 Of those who proceed according to the activities of the mind, as many as are moved with malice, become outside of themselves, gaping passionately at sensible things. For it is customary to say that such people are outside of themselves and out of their minds. But he who is moved with guilelessness, that is with virtue, concerning things to be done and to be thought, having inclined towards himself, turns; being wholly of the mind and of the care of the inner man, he proceeds with the best disposition in the midst of his house. And the house of each of the diligent is the virtue which they achieve. For this reason also Jacob is remembered as dwelling in a house, and the souls that seek unseen and hidden contemplations, which the scripture calls the midwives of the Hebrews, having feared God, build houses constructed from virtues; whom also, calling them wise women in another passage, he said, Wise women have built houses. I did not set a lawless thing before my eyes; I have no aim and no proposed end to transgress the law. And indeed Joseph, Susanna, the three youths in the furnace, and as many as are gathered into their company, will say what is at hand; whence they say to those who war against them and persecute them; You do not drive me from the purpose which I have, even if you speak devising ten thousand things upon ten thousand, even if you inflict punishments and threaten death itself. I have hated those who commit transgressions. He says those who commit transgressions are those who sin; for every sin becomes a disobedience and a transgression of the divine law. But the custom of the brethren calls transgressors those who have denied Christ, whom it is fitting to hate intensely, as they have chosen to be enemies of the savior; whence also the word, wishing to have no fellowship with them, says, If anyone called a brother, in addition to other sins, is also an idolater, do not eat with such a one. For the apostle does not write this about those who are altogether Gentiles, who indeed writes in his epistle, If any of the unbelievers invites you and you wish to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions. If, therefore, he does not forbid sharing salt with unbelievers, but he forbids eating with one called a brother who is an idolater, it is clear that he means one who has transgressed from Christianity to the worship of idols. And therefore, these transgressors who commit transgressions must be especially hated, not insofar as they happen to be human beings, but insofar as they are such persons. A crooked heart has not cleaved to me. It is written in Ecclesiastes, God made man upright. If, therefore, he has been made upright by having been made according to virtue from the beginning, all malice and crookedness of character are far from him. Whoever therefore has remained keeping uprightness and likeness to God, utters this voice, showing that the crooked thought which has lost what is right is not suitable for us, but comes from somewhere outside, whenever we draw it to ourselves, having cast away what is upright. When the evil one turned away from me, I did not know him. The evil devil turns away from everyone who keeps the command, Give no place to the devil. Judas, for example, since he did not take care not to give him a place, he did not turn away from him, but first having cast into his heart

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σωτηρίας τευξόμεθα. 962 Ps 100,2a Τοῦ δὲ ὀρθῶς βιοῦντος καὶ αμωμον ὁδὸν εχειν βουλομένου οὐχ ἡ πρᾶξις μόνη αμεμπτος ειναι ὀφείλει ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ σύνεσις καὶ ἡ περὶ τὰ δόγματα γνῶσις ἠκριβωμένη. ψάλλει γάρ τις κρούων τὸ οργανον ἐμμελῶς καὶ ἐναρμονίως, οπερ ἐστὶ τὸ σῶμα καθὰ πολλάκις ειρηται, ἐπὶ τῷ ἀποτελεῖν ἀρίστους ἐνεργείας. καὶ σύνεσιν δὲ ἀναλαμβάνει, περὶ τῶν φρονητέων διανοούμενος. καὶ ἐπεὶ τέλος ἐστὶ τοῦ ἀμώμως πρᾶξαι καὶ νοῆσαι τὸ θεοῦ δέξασθαι παρουσίαν εἰς τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν, ἐπήγαγεν εὐθὺς τὸ Πότε ηξεις πρός με; ἐπὶ γὰρ τῷ ηκειν σε πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ οἰκῆσαι ὡς ἐν ἁγίῳ ναῷ παρ' ἐμοὶ κατώρθωταί μοι τὰ προειρημένα. ̔Ρηθείη δ' αν καὶ πρὸς τῶν προαναφωνησάντων τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐνταῦθα ἐπιδημίαν ̓Εψάλαμεν, συνήκαμεν τὰ θεσπισθέντα περὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν βίον φοιτήσεώς σου. 963 Ps 100,2b-4 Τῶν διαπορευομένων κατὰ τὰς τοῦ νοῦ ἐνεργείας, οσοι σὺν κακίᾳ κινοῦνται, ἐκτὸς ἑαυτῶν γίνονται ἐμπαθῶς τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς προσκεχηνότες. εθος γοῦν λέγειν τοὺς τοιούτους ἐκτὸς ἑαυτῶν καὶ ἐξεστηκότας ειναι. ὁ δὲ σὺν ἀκακίᾳ τουτέστι σὺν ἀρετῇ κινούμενος περὶ τὰ πρακτέα καὶ φρονητέα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν κεκλικὼς στρέφεται· ολος τοῦ νοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐπιμελείας τοῦ εσω ἀνθρώπου γινόμενος, διαπορεύεται μεθ' εξεως βελτίστης ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οικου αὐτοῦ. οικος δ' ἑκάστου τῶν σπουδαίων ην κατορθοῦσιν ἀρετήν. ταύτῃ καὶ ὁ ̓Ιακὼβ οἰκῶν οἰκίαν μνημονεύεται, καὶ αἱ τῶν ἀφανῶν καὶ κεκρυμμένων θεωριῶν ζητητικαὶ ψυχαί, ας μαίας τῶν ̔Εβραίων ὁ λόγος καλεῖ, φοβηθεῖσαι τὸν θεὸν τὰς ἐκ τῶν ἀρετῶν συγκληρουμένας οἰκίας οἰκοδομοῦσιν· ας καὶ σοφὰς γυναῖκας καθ' ετερον λόγον καλῶν Σοφαί, ειπε, γυναῖκες ᾠκοδόμησαν οικους. Οὐ προετιθέμην πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου πρᾶγμα παράνομον· οὐ σκοπὸν εχω καὶ προκείμενον τέλος παρανομῆσαι. καὶ ἐροῦσί γε τὸ ἐγκείμενον ̓Ιωσὴφ Σουσάννα οἱ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τρεῖς παῖδες καὶ οσοι εἰς τὸ τάγμα τούτων συλλέγονται· οθεν φασὶ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμοῦντας αὐτοὺς καὶ διώκοντας· Οὐκ ἐκκρούεις με ης εχω προθέσεως, καν μυρία ἐπὶ μυρίοις σοφιζόμενος λέγῃς, καν ἀναρτᾷς τιμωρίας καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν θάνατον ἀπειλῇς. Ποιοῦντας παραβάσεις ἐμίσησα. ποιοῦντας παραβάσεις λέγει τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας· πᾶσα γὰρ ἁμαρτία παρακοὴ καὶ παράβασις τοῦ θείου γίνεται νόμου. ἡ συνήθεια δὲ τῶν ἀδελφῶν παραβάτας καλεῖ τοὺς Χριστὸν ἀρνησαμένους ους ἐπιτεταμένως μισεῖν προσήκει ἐχθροὺς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἑλομένους ειναι· οθεν καὶ ἀκοινωνήτως εχειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς βουλόμενος ὁ λόγος φησίν ̓Εάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος πρὸς ἑτέροις ἁμαρτήμασι καὶ εἰδωλολάτρης ῃ, τῷ τοιούτῳ μὴ συνεσθίειν. οὐ γὰρ περὶ τῶν καθάπαξ ἐθνικῶν τοῦτο ὁ ἀπόστολος γράφει, ος γε ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολῇ χαράττει Ει τις καλεῖ ὑμᾶς τῶν ἀπίστων καὶ θέλετε πορεύεσθαι, πᾶν τὸ παρατιθέμενον ὑμῖν ἐσθίετε μηδὲν ἀνακρίνοντες. εἰ ουν οὐ κωλύει ἁλῶν κοινωνεῖν ἀπίστοις, ἀπαγορεύει δὲ συνεσθίειν μετὰ ὀνομαζομένου ἀδελφοῦ οντος εἰδωλολάτρου, φανερὸν οτι τὸν ἐκ χριστιανισμοῦ παραβεβηκότα ἐπὶ τῷ σέβειν ειδωλα σημαίνει. καὶ τούτους ουν τοὺς παραβάτας ποιοῦντας παραβάσεις μάλιστα μισητέον, οὐχ ῃ ανθρωποι τυγχάνουσιν ἀλλ' ῃ εἰσι τοιοῦτοι. Οὐκ ἐκολλήθη μοι καρδία σκαμβή. γέγραπται ἐν τῷ ̓Εκκλησιαστῇ ̔Ο θεὸς ἐποίησε τὸν ανθρωπον εὐθῆ. εἰ ουν εὐθὴς γεγένηται τῷ κατ' ἀρετὴν ἀρχῆθεν πεποιῶσθαι, πᾶσα κακία καὶ σκολιότης ἠθῶν μακρὰν αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. οστις ουν διέμεινε τηρῶν τὴν εὐθύτητα καὶ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν ὁμοιότητα, ταύτην προφέρει τὴν φωνήν, δεικνὺς τὴν σκαμβὴν καὶ τὸ ὀρθὸν ἀπολέσασαν νόησιν μὴ κατάλληλον ἡμῖν ουσαν ἀλλ' εξωθέν ποθεν ἐπερχομένην, οταν ἡμεῖς αὐτὴν ἐπισπασώμεθα τὸ εὐθὺ ἀποβάλλοντες. ̓Εκκλίνοντος ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ πονηροῦ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον. ἐκκλίνει ὁ πονηρὸς διάβολος ἀπὸ παντὸς τηροῦντος τὸ Μὴ δίδοτε τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ. ̓Ιούδας γοῦν ἐπεὶ μὴ ἐφυλάξατο τόπον αὐτῷ παρασχεῖν, οὐκ ἐξέκλινεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ πρότερον βαλὼν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν