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a fitting distinction, saying . . . . . . that the seed from him ought to bring to a good conclusion the . . . . enterprise; adding the reason, because he had shed much blood upon the earth. And he is persuaded by God's admonition; and he embraces the counsel with pleasure and judges it more honorable than his own design. And he himself does not build the temple of God. But he passes on to his son abundantl. . . . he gives both the material and the plan; being taught . . . . . . as I think, (637) the orderly bonds of salvation. And lest by going through the contemplation of each of the things said I should lengthen the discourse, the peaceful one . . . . . able to build the temple of God above . . . . .these are they, and if any . . . . ., but able to persuade to attend not by fear and cooperating in the building of the most divine temple receiving harm; both Hiram king of Tyre and the one hundred and fifty thousand of the foreigners who were stonecutters and water-carriers. But Gird your sword, and prosper, and reign, even if you reigned without your Maximus, for the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness, which are these very things. But I will add, also be vigilant with all your might not to be led away just as he was with the daughters of the gentile kings; lest they divide the kingdom for a foolish son and a rebellious servant. For very willingly . . . . . Farewell, honored Father, and pray for your servant . . . . shepherd, and one terribly held by many sins.

43. From the same to John the cubicularius. The honored letter of my God-guarded master has come, with peace and

bringing him whole, as he appears in his character. For in the gravity of the words, the disposition of the soul is naturally revealed along with the gentleness of character; and I was delighted as if receiving my master himself, and I embraced him in the spirit, and encompassing him completely in the capacity of my heart, I stored him away; and I glorified Christ our God, who implanted in men the law of love as a light; according to which, those who know how to properly care for the seeds of love are never able to be apart from one another, even if they are far separated from each other physically by spatial distance.

But since the letter, bringing good tidings of worldly peace, has transformed grief into joy for the soul, it is fitting that we too should be in every way grateful for it to the God who has bestowed this grace; lest we appear ungrateful for the good deed, having repaid the benefactor badly. And we shall in every way be grateful, it is clear, by using the peace for what is needful, and by rejecting the friendship with the world and the world-ruler which exists evilly in us; having at last put an end to the war waged against God through the passions, and having made treaties with them of peace towards Him in the rendering inactive of the body, let us cease from enmity towards Him. For it is impossible for us to be loved by Him, while we are in rebellion against Him through the passions, and are liable to pay tribute through wickedness to the wicked tyrant and murderer of souls, the devil, unless we first are entirely at war with the evil one. For up to this point we have stood as enemies and adversaries of God, even if we fashion for ourselves (640) the name of believers, as long as we wish to serve the passions of dishonor, and willingly accept to pay dreadful taxes to the devil through the works of shame. And no benefit will come to us hereafter from worldly peace, if the soul is in a bad state, and is in rebellion against its own maker, and does not endure to be under His kingdom, being still sold to countless masters into wickedness itself always

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διαστολήν πρόσφορον, λέγων . . . . . . σπέρμα τό ἐξ αὐτοῦ δεῖν εἰς πέρας ἀγαγεῖν τό καλόν τ. . . . ας ἐγχείρημα· προσθείς τήν αἰτίαν, διά τό πολύν αὐτόν ἐκκεχυκέναι αἷμα ἐπί τῆς γῆς. Καί πείθεται μέν παραινοῦντι τῷ Θεῷ· ἀσπάζεται δέ μεθ᾿ ἡδονῆς τήν συμβουλήν καί τῆς ἰδίας μορφῆς κρίνει τιμιωτέραν. Καί αὐτός μέν οὐκ οἰκοδομεῖ τόν τοῦ Θεοῦ ναόν. Παραπέμπει δέ τῷ υἱῷ δαψιλ. . . . δίδωσι τήν τε ὕλην καί τό παράδειγμα· διδασκόμενος. . . . . . ὡς οἶμαι, (637) τούς εὐτάκτους τῆς σωτηρίας δεσμούς. Καί ἵνα μή τήν καθ᾿ ἕκαστον τῶν εἰρημένων διεξερχόμενος θεωρίαν μηκύνω τόν λόγον, τό εἰρηνικόν . . . . . τόν ναόν τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμενον ἄνω . . . . .αὐταί εἰσιν, καί εἴ τις . . . . ., ἀλλά μή φόβῳ δορυφορεῖν πεῖσαι δυναμένην καί εἰς τήν οἰκοδομήν τοῦ θειοτάτου ναοῦ συνεργοῦσαν βλάβος λαμβάνουσαν· τόν τε Χηράν βασιλέα Τύρου καί τάς ἑκατόν πεντήκοντα χιλιάδας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τῶν λατόμων καί ὑδροφόρων. Ἀλλ᾿ Ἔντεινον, καί κατευόδου, καί βασίλευε, κἄν χωρίς Μαξίμου τοῦ σοῦ ἐβασίλευσας, ἕνεκεν ἀληθείας καί πραότητος καί δικαιοσύνης, αἵτινες αὗταί εἰσι. Προσθήσω δέ, καί ἀγρύπνει κατά κράτος μή συναπαχθῆναι καθ' ὅ τι σύν ταῖς τῶν ἐθνικῶν βασιλέων θυγατράσι· μήπως συνδιέλωσι τήν βασιλείαν εἰς υἱόν ἄφρονα καί δοῦλον ἀποστάτην. Πολύ γάρ ἑκών . . . . . Ἔῤῥωσο, Πάτερ τίμιε, καί εὔχου τῷ σῷ δούλῳ . . . . πουμένῳ, καί δεινῶς ἐνεχομένῳ ὑπό πολλῶν ἁμαρτιῶν.

ΜΓ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Ἰωάννην κουβικουλάριον. Ἧκεν τό τίμιον τοῦ θεοφυλάκτου μου δεσπότου γράμμα, μετά τῆς εἰρήνης καί

αὐτόν ὅλον φέρον τοῖς τρόποις φαινόμενον.Τῇ γάρ τῶν λόγων σεμνότητι πέφυκέ πως ἐμφαίνεσθαι μετά τῆς τῶν τρόπων ἐπιεικείας καί τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ διάθεσις· καί ἤσθην ὥσπερ αὐτόν δεξάμενος τόν ἐμόν δεσπότην, καί ἠσπασάμην τῷ πνεύματι, καί ὅλον τῷ χωρήματι τῆς καρδίας περιλαβών ἀπεθέμην· καί ἐδόξασα Χριστόν τόν Θεόν ἡμῶν, φῶς τοῖς ἀνθρωποις ἐμφύντα τῆς ἀγάπης τόν νόμον· καθ᾿ ἥν ἀλλήλων ἀπεῖναι οὐδέποτε δύνανται, κἄν πολλῷ διεστήκασιν ἀλλήλων σωματικῶς τῷ τοπικῷ διαστήματι, οἱ τῶν σπερμάτων τῆς ἀγάπης δεόντως ἐπιμελεῖσθαι γινώσκοντες.

Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπειδή εἰρήνης κοσμικῆς εὐαγγέλια τό γράμμα κομίσαν, εἰς χαράν τῆς ψυχῆς τήν λύπην μεθήρμοσε, δέον ἐστί καί ἡμᾶς ὑπέρ αὐτῆς εἰκότως τῷ χαρισαμένῳ Θεῷ γενέσθαι πάντως εὐγνώμονας· ἵνα μή φανῶμεν ἀχάριστοι περί τήν εὐποιίαν, κακῶς τόν εὐεργέτην ἀνταμειψάμενοι. Γενησόμεθα δέ πάντως εὐγνώμονες, εἰς δέον δῆλον ὅτι τῇ εἰρήνῃ χρησάμενοι, καί τήν πρός τόν κόσμον καί κοσμοκράτορα κακῶς ἡμῖν ἐνυπάρχουσαν ἀθετήσαντες φιλίαν· τόν διά τῶν παθῶν πρός τόν Θεόν συνεστάμενον καί ὀψέ ποτε καταλύσαντες πόλεμον, καί σπονδάς αὐτοῖς τῆς πρός αὐτόν εἰρήνης ποιήσαντες ἐν τῇ καταργήσει τοῦ σώματος, τῆς πρός αὐτόν ἔχθρας παυσώμεθα. Ἀδύνατον γάρ ἐστιν ἡμᾶς αὐτῷ φιλωθῆναι, διά τῶν παθῶν πρός αὐτόν στασιάζοντας, καί τῷ πονηρῷ τυράννῳ καί φονευτῇ τῶν ψυχῶν διαβόλῳ διά κακίας δασμοφορεῖν ἐνεχομένους, μή πρότερον δι᾿ ὅλου πολεμωθέντας τῷ πονηρῷ. Μέχρι γάρ τόπε τοῦ Θεοῦ καθεστήκαμεν ἐχθροί καί πολέμιοι, κἄν πιστῶν προσηγορίαν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς (640) περιπλάττωμεν, μέχρις οὗ πάθεσιν ἀτιμίας δουλεύειν βουλόμεθα, καί φόρους εἰσφέρειν δεινούς ἑκουσίως διά τῶν ἔργων τῆς αἰσχύνης τῷ διαβόλῳ καταδεχόμεθα. Καί οὐδέν ὄφελος ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς κατά κόσμον εἰρήνης λοιπόν γενήσεται, τῆς ψυχῆς κακῶς διακειμένης, καί πρός τόν ἴδιον ποιητήν στασιαζούσης, καί ὑπό τήν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι οὐκ ἀνεχομένης, ἔτι μυρίοις πεπραμένης δεσπόταις εἰς κακίαν αὐτήν ἀεί