261

by the encouragement of the one who said, "Make a balance and a scale for your words." For speaking is not beneficial to all, just as being silent is not; for it is not fitting for the one who is able to open his mouth with the word of God to be silent, but for the one who utters an idle word and condemning words, silence will be for his good. He who says, "There is one who is silent and is found wise," and, "There is one who is silent, for he has no answer," knows the difference among those who keep silence, and there is one who is silent, knowing the right time. For the one who has knowledge of the time to speak and of the time when one must not say anything would ask for a guard and a door to be supplied from God for his mouth and his lips, so that he might utter nothing out of season; and let him who has no answer to the questions put forth pray that, having been shown by God to be close-mouthed, he may not answer one thing for another; furthermore, let even the one who is found wise through being silent demand confirmation from God for the silence by which he is found wise. And since the men who work lawlessness fabricate excuses, pretending to make a defense for the evil things they do, I who have besought you concerning many things, O Master, ask also that I may not come into such a disposition, so that when sinning my heart might have an inclination to words of wickedness for the purpose of making excuses in sins with the men who work lawlessness. For if my heart should be kept by your watch, I will not be yoked together by the elect of the men who work lawlessness. And the elect of these would be those who allege excuses for the evil things they do, being worse than those who practice lawlessness without excuse and openly. And these are those who sin with knowledge, although those who make an excuse of ignorance or weakness seem to be superior to those who practice lawlessness openly and with knowledge. Therefore, through the preceding words, the one praying would say: "May there be no cause, O Master, as if through pretended ignorance or force or weakness, for my heart to be inclined to words of wickedness which one might utter making an excuse for his sins, so that it may not follow that I be yoked together with the elect of the men who work lawlessness." 1230 Ps 140,5b And "head" in these words must be considered to signify the ruling faculty, being as it were the chief part of the soul. 1231 Ps 140,5c-8a You will also understand it thus: what other "good pleasures" of the elect of those who work lawlessness would there be than false opinions and wicked dispositions, within which he asks that his prayer might be, for the purpose of their being refuted and deposed? For in these his prayer is made in no other way than by asking God for their overthrow and destruction. And therefore He has arranged the matter in accordance with his request. For the mighty ones of the men who work lawlessness, being the same as their elect, were swallowed up, when the Word of God, which the divine Scripture has often interpreted as a rock, drew near to them. And being swallowed up is a symbol of being conquered; for thus is it also said, "Death is swallowed up in victory," and "that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life," but also "Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods"—and it means the rods of the sophists and enchanters, as the scepter of divine truth and wisdom conquers the scepters of the phalanx. And if you also call the rulers of this age who profess wisdom and the host of the other demons the mighty ones who have been formed according to wickedness, these too, having drawn near to Christ the rock, will be swallowed up, vanishing and being shown to be nothing by the presence of Christ, who destroys the wisdom of the wise and sets aside the understanding of the prudent, while perceptible seeds need to be cast into ploughed and broken earth for the purpose of being hidden in the earth and casting their roots deep. for thus the words of the saints, which they have from God, being spiritual seeds, will also be able to bear fruit, securely supported by their roots. has such power as not only to take root and bear fruit but also the need of a plough

261

προτροπῇ τοῦ εἰπόντος Τοῖς λόγοις σου ποίησον ζυγὸν καὶ σταθμόν. οὐ πᾶσι γὰρ τὸ λαλεῖν ωσπερ οὐδὲ τὸ σιωπᾶν συμφέρει· τῷ γὰρ δυναμένῳ ἀνοίγειν τὸ στόμα λόγῳ θεοῦ οὐ καθήκει σιωπᾶν, τῷ δὲ προφερομένῳ ῥῆμα ἀργὸν καὶ τοὺς καταδικάζοντας λόγους πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ εσται ἡ σιωπή. οιδε διαφορὰν τῶν σιωπὴν ἀγόντων ὁ λέγων Εστι σιωπῶν εὑρισκόμενος σοφός, καὶ Εστι σιωπῶν, οὐ γὰρ εχει ἀπόκρισιν, καὶ εστι σιωπῶν εἰδὼς καιρόν. ὁ γὰρ ἐπιστήμην εχων καιροῦ τοῦ εἰπεῖν καὶ καιροῦ καθ' ον οὐ δεῖ τι λέγειν αἰτήσοιτο φρουρὰν καὶ θύραν τῷ στόματι καὶ τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ ὑπαρχθῆναι θεόθεν, οπως μηδὲν ἀκαίρως προφέρῃ· καὶ ὁ μὴ εχων πρὸς τὰς προαγομένας ἐρωτήσεις ἀποκρίνασθαι παρακαλείτω, οπως ἐχέθυμος ειναι πρὸς θεοῦ ἀποδειχθεὶς μὴ ετερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων ἀποκρίνεσθαι· ετι μὴν καὶ ὁ διὰ τοῦ σιωπᾶν εὑρισκόμενος σοφὸς βεβαίωσιν ἐκ θεοῦ ἀπαιτείτω τῇ σιωπῇ καθ' ην εὑρίσκεται σοφός. Καὶ ἐπεὶ οἱ τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐργαζόμενοι ανθρωποι προφάσεις πλάττουσιν ἀπολογούμενοι δῆθεν ὑπὲρ ων ἐνεργοῦσι κακῶς, ἐγὼ ὁ περὶ πολλῶν παρακαλέσας σε, ω δέσποτα, ἀξιῶ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ εἰς τοιαύτην διάθεσιν ἐλθεῖν, ωστε ἁμαρτάνοντα εἰς λόγους πονηρίας ῥέπουσαν εχειν τὴν καρδίαν ἐπὶ τῷ προφασίζεσθαι ἐν ἁμαρτίαις σὺν τοῖς ἐργαζομένοις τὴν ἀνομίαν ἀνθρώποις. εἰ γὰρ τηρηθείη ἡ καρδία μου ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς φυλακῆς, οὐδὲ συνδυασθήσομαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν τῶν τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐργαζομένων ἀνθρώπων. ἐκλεκτοὶ δὲ τούτων ειεν οἱ σκηπτόμενοι προφάσεις ἐφ' οις δρῶσιν κακῶς, χειρόνων οντων τῶν ανευ προφάσεως καὶ ἀνεπικαλύπτως ἀνομούντων. ουτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ μετὰ τοῦ γινώσκειν ἁμαρτάνοντες, τῶν αγνοιαν η ἀσθένειαν προφασιζομένων προύχειν δοκούντων τῶν φανερῶς καὶ μετὰ τοῦ εἰδέναι ἀνομούντων. ειποιεν ουν διὰ τῶν προκειμένων ὁ εὐχόμενος Μηδεμία αἰτία, ω δέσποτα, ὑπάρξοι ὡς δι' αγνοιαν δῆθεν η βίαν η ἀσθένειαν ἐκκλῖναι τὴν καρδίαν μου εἰς λόγους πονηρίας ους προενέγκοιτό τις προφασιζόμενος ἐφ' οις ἁμαρτάνει, οπως μηδὲ ἀκολουθήσῃ τὸ συνδυᾶσαι μετὰ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν τῶν τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐργαζομένων ἀνθρώπων. 1230 Ps 140,5b Κεφαλὴν δὲ ἐν τούτοις τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ὡσανεὶ κεφάλαιον τῆς ψυχῆς τυγχάνον σημαίνεσθαι νομιστέον. 1231 Ps 140,5c-8a Νοήσεις καὶ ουτως· τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν τίνες αλλαι ειεν εὐδοκίαι η ψευδοδοξίαι καὶ πονηραὶ διαθέσεις, ων εισω τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προσευχὴν ἀξιοῖ γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τῷ διελεγχθείσας καθαιρεθῆναι; ἐν ταύταις γὰρ ἡ προσευχὴ αὐτοῦ οὐκ αλλως γίνεται η αἰτουμένου θεοῦ ἀνατροπὴν καὶ κατάλυσιν αὐτῶν. διὸ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀξίωσιν αὐτοῦ ᾠκονόμησε τὸ πρᾶγμα. οἱ γὰρ κραταιοὶ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν ἀνθρώπων οἱ αὐτοὶ τυγχάνοντες τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς αὐτῶν κατεπόθησαν, ἐγγίσαντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ον πέτραν πολλάκις ἡρμήνευσεν ἡ θεία γραφή. σύμβολον δὲ τοῦ νενικῆσθαι τὸ καταπίνεσθαι· ουτω γὰρ ειρηται καὶ τὸ Κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος, καὶ τὸ Ινα καταποθῇ τὸ θνητὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ Κατέπιεν ἡ ῥάβδος ̓Ααρὼν τὰς ἐκείνων· φησὶ δὲ τὰς τῶν σοφιστῶν καὶ ἐπαοιδῶν ῥάβδους, νικῶντος τοῦ σκήπτρου τῆς θεϊκῆς ἀληθείας καὶ σοφίας τὰ σκῆπτρα τῆς φάλαγγος. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοὺς αρχοντας τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος σοφίαν ἐπαγγελλομένους καὶ τῶν αλλων δαιμόνων τὸ στῖφος κραταιοὺς τῶν κατὰ κακίαν πεποιωμένων ἐρεῖς, καὶ ουτοι τῷ Χριστῷ τῇ πέτρᾳ συνεγγίσαντες καταποθήσονται, ἀφανιζόμενοι καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ειναι ἀποδεικνύμενοι τῇ παρουσίᾳ Χριστοῦ ἀπολλύντος τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν ἀθετοῦντος, τῶν δὲ αἰσθητῶν σπερμάτων χρῃζόντων εἰς ἀροτριαθεῖσαν καὶ σχισθεῖαν γῆν καταβληθῆναι ἐπὶ τῷ εἰς τὴν γῆν κρυβέντα τὰς ῥίζας εἰς βάθος βαλεῖν. ουτως γὰρ καὶ καρποφορῆσαι ἀσφαλῶς στηριχθέντα ταῖς ῥίζαις δυνήσεται τὰ τῶν ἁγίων ῥήματα α θεόθεν εσχον τυγχάνοντα σπέρματα πνευματικά. τοσαύτην εχει δύναμιν ὡς μὴ μόνον ῥιζῶσαι καὶ καρποφορῆσαι ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀρότρου χρείαν