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told a myth about magi, but they acclaim a certain Zarnouas as founder of their race. Therefore I have nothing further to write to your honor concerning them.

259.τ TO PALLADIUS AND INNOCENTIUS, MONKS

259.1 You ought to surmise how much I love you from how you yourselves

love. And I have always desired to be an arbiter of peace, but when I fail, I am grieved. For how could I not be? However, I cannot be hostile to anyone for this reason, knowing that the good of peace was long ago taken from us. But if the cause of the division lies with others, may the Lord grant that those who cause dissensions cease. Nevertheless, I do not seek your continual presence here. So for this reason do not apologize to me. For I know that men who have chosen a life of toil and who always provide the necessities for themselves by their own hands cannot be away from their own for a long time. But wherever you may be, remember us and pray, that we at least may have peace with ourselves and toward God, with no disturbance dwelling in our thoughts.

260.τ TO OPTIMUS, BISHOP

260.1 And in any case seeing the good boys with pleasure both because of the beyond their years

steadfastness of character and because of their closeness to your piety, from which something great can be expected of them, when I saw them approaching me with a letter from you, I doubled my affection for them. And when I read the letter and saw in it both the provident nature of your disposition concerning the Churches, and also your diligence concerning the reading of the divine Scriptures, I gave thanks to the Lord and I prayed for good things for those who brought such a letter to us, and before them, for the one who wrote it to us.

260.2 You have inquired about that much-talked-of saying, bandied about by all, up and down, what is the solution to "Whoever kills Cain will release seven punishments." And by this you have, for the time being, recommended yourself as one who carefully keeps that charge of Timothy which Paul delivered to him (for it is clear that you are attentive to reading); then also us old men, already numb both with time and with the weakness of the body and with the multitude of afflictions which, having been stirred up around us, have now burdened our life, you have nevertheless roused up and, being fervent in spirit, you have brought us, who were chilled like hibernating animals, back to a moderate wakefulness and vital energy. Now, the saying can be understood simply in this way and can also receive a varied interpretation. The simpler meaning, and the one that can readily occur to anyone, is this: that Cain must give sevenfold punishment for what he sinned. For it is not the part of a just judge to decree equal returns for equal deeds, but it is necessary for the one who initiated the evil to pay what is owed with an addition, if he is to become better through the punishments and to make the rest more sober-minded by his example. Therefore, since it has been ordained for Cain to pay the penalty for his sins seven times, he who kills him, it says, will annul this which has been decreed against him by the divine judgment. This is the meaning that comes to us from this upon first reading.

260.3 But since the mind of the more diligent is accustomed to searching the depths, it seeks how justice is fulfilled in the "seven times" and what the punishments are, whether

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μάγων ἐμυθολόγησεν, ἀλλὰ Ζαρνοῦάν τινα ἑαυτοῖς ἀρχηγὸν τοῦ γένους ἐπιφημίζουσι. ∆ιόπερ οὐδὲν ἔχω πλέον ἐπι στέλλειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τῇ τιμιότητί σου.

259.τ ΠΑΛΛΑ∆ΙΩ ΚΑΙ ΙΝΝΟΚΕΝΤΙΩ ΜΟΝΑΖΟΥΣΙΝ 259.1 Ἐγὼ πόσον μὲν ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶ εἰκάζειν ὀφείλετε ἐξ ὧν ἡμᾶς αὐτοὶ

ἀγαπᾶτε. Καὶ εἰρήνης μὲν ἐπεθύμησα ἀεὶ γενέσ θαι βραβευτής, ἀποτυγχάνων δὲ λυποῦμαι μέν. Πῶς γὰρ οὔ; Οὐ μὴν δὲ ἐχθραίνειν δύναμαί τισι τούτου γε ἕνεκεν εἰδὼς ὅτι πάλαι ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἤρθη τὸ τῆς εἰρήνης καλόν. Εἰ δὲ παρ' ἄλλοις ἡ αἰτία τῆς διαστάσεως, παράσχοι Κύριος παύσασθαι τοὺς τὰς διχοστασίας ποιοῦντας. Οὐ μέντοι οὐδὲ ἐπιζητῶ συνεχῆ ὑμῶν τὴν ἐπιδημίαν. Ὥστε τούτου ἕνεκεν μὴ ἀπολο γεῖσθέ μοι. Οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι ἄνδρες τὸν πεπονημένον προελόμε νοι βίον καὶ ἀεὶ διὰ τῶν χειρῶν ἑαυτοῖς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα συμπορι ζόμενοι πολὺν ἀποδημεῖν χρόνον τῶν ἰδίων οὐ δύνανται. Ἀλλ', ὅπουπερ ἂν ἦτε, μέμνησθε ἡμῶν καὶ προσεύχεσθε, ἵνα αὐτοὶ γοῦν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν μηδεμιᾶς τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἡμῶν ταραχῆς ἐνοικούσης.

260.τ ΟΠΤΙΜΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ

260.1 Καὶ ἄλλως ἡδέως ὁρῶν τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς παῖδας διά τε τὸ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἡλικίαν

τῶν ἠθῶν εὐσταθὲς καὶ διὰ τὸ πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν οἰκεῖον ἀφ' οὗ τι καὶ μέγα προσδοκᾶν ἐστιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, ἐπειδὴ μετὰ γραμμάτων σῶν εἶδον αὐτοὺς προσιόντας μοι, ἐδιπλασίασα τὸ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς φίλτρον. Ὅτε δὲ ἀνέγνων τὴν ἐπιστολὴν καὶ εἶδον ἐν αὐτῇ ὁμοῦ μὲν τὸ περὶ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας προνοητικὸν τῆς σῆς διαθέσεως, ὁμοῦ δὲ τὸ περὶ τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἐπιμελές, ηὐχαρίστησα τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ηὐξάμην τὰ ἀγαθὰ τοῖς τὰ τοι αῦτα ἡμῖν διακομίζουσι γράμματα καὶ πρό γε αὐτῶν αὐτῷ τῷ γράψαντι ἡμῖν. 260.2 Ἐπεζήτησας τὸ πολυθρύλητον ἐκεῖνο καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἄνω καὶ κάτω περιφερόμενον ῥητόν, τίνα τὴν λύσιν ἔχει τὸ «Πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας Κάϊν ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσει». ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτου τέως μὲν αὐτὸς σεαυτὸν συνέστησας τὸ Τιμοθέου, ὃ παρέδωκεν Παῦλος αὐτῷ, ἀκριβῶς φυλάττοντα (δῆλος γὰρ εἶ προσέχων τῇ ἀναγνώσει)· ἔπειτα καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς γέροντας καὶ νεναρκηκότας ἤδη καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν θλίψεων αἳ πολλαὶ νῦν περὶ ἡμᾶς κινηθεῖσαι ἐβάρησαν ἡμῶν τὴν ζωήν, ὅμως διανέστησας καὶ ζέων τῷ πνεύματι κατεψυγμένους ἡμᾶς, ὡς τὰ φωλεύοντα τῶν ζώων, εἰς ἐγρήγορσιν μετρίαν καὶ ζωτικὴν ἐνέργειαν ἐπανήγαγες. Ἔστι δ' οὖν τὸ ῥητὸν καὶ ἁπλῶς οὕτω νοηθῆναι δυνάμενον καὶ ποικίλον ὑποδέξασθαι λόγον. Ἡ μὲν οὖν ἁπλουστέρα καὶ παντὶ δυναμένη ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου παραστῆναι διάνοια αὕτη ἐστίν, ὅτι δεῖ τὸν Κάϊν ἑπταπλασίονα δοῦναι τὴν τιμωρίαν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἥμαρτεν. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι δικαίου κριτοῦ ἴσας πρὸς ἴσας ὁρίζειν τὰς ἀντα ποδόσεις, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκη τὸν κατάρξαντα κακοῦ μετὰ προσθή κης ἀποτίσαι τὰ ὀφειλόμενα, εἰ μέλλοι αὐτός τε βελτίων ταῖς τιμωρίαις γενήσεσθαι καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς σωφρονεστέ ρους ποιεῖν τῷ ὑποδείγματι. Οὐκοῦν, ἐπειδὴ τέτακται ἑπτάκις ἀποπληρῶσαι τὴν δίκην τῶν ἡμαρτημένων τὸν Κάϊν, παραλύσει, φησί, τοῦτο τὸ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας κρίσεως ἐπ' αὐτῷ δεδογμένον ὁ ἀποκτείνας αὐτόν. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ νοῦς ὁ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ἀναγνώσεως ἡμῖν προσ πίπτων. 260.3 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐρευνᾶν πέφυκε τὰ βάθη τῶν φιλοπονωτέ ρων ἡ διάνοια, ἐπιζητεῖ τὸ δίκαιον πῶς ἐν τῷ ἑπτάκις ἀποπληροῦται καὶ τί τὰ ἐκδικούμενα, πότερον