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QUESTION 1.

What are the virtues of the soul, and what are those of the body? Answer. The virtues of the soul are these: love, humility, meekness, long-suffering, forbearance,

unresentfulness, freedom from anger, freedom from dejection, freedom from envy, freedom from judging, freedom from vainglory, compassion, sober-mindedness, freedom from the love of money, sympathy, freedom from pride, freedom from arrogance, compunction. And the virtues of the body are these: fasting, sleeping on the ground, vigilance, self-control, non-possessiveness, freedom from distraction.

(788) QUESTION 2.

What is the meaning of the Apostle's saying: "I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the mind also."? Answer. One sings with the spirit when one only brings forth the pronunciation of what is sung through

the tongue. But one sings with the mind when, knowing the power of what is sung, one rejoices in its contemplation.

QUESTION 3.

What is the meaning of: "In iniquities I was conceived, and in sins did my mother conceive me."? Answer. Because the original purpose of God was that we should not be born through marriage from

corruption; but the transgression of the commandment introduced marriage because Adam acted lawlessly; that is, he set aside the law given to him by God. All, therefore, who are born of Adam are conceived in iniquities, falling under the condemnation of our forefather. And the phrase, "And in sins did my mother conceive me," signifies that Eve, the first mother of us all, craved sin as she was swelling with desire for pleasure. For this reason, we also, falling under the condemnation of our mother, are said to be conceived in sins.

QUESTION 4.

What is the meaning of the Apostle's saying: "To be anathema from Christ for the sake of my kinsmen."?

Answer. I could wish, he says, to be delivered by Christ to the devil, (789) so as

to be scourged, and to endure the punishments for Israel's sake; which they justly owed for their unbelief in God, only that they might be saved; in the same way that the Lord also delivered Himself up, and became a curse for our sake.

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ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Α΄.

Τίνες ἀρεταί ψυχῆς, καί τίνες σώματος; Ἀπόκρισις. Ἀρεταί ψυχῆς εἰσιν αὗται· ἀγάπη, ταπείνωσις, πραΰτης, μακροθυμία, ἀνεξικακία,

ἀμνησικακία, ἀοργησία, τό ἄθυμον, τό ἄφθονον, τό ἄκριτον, τό ἀκενόδοξον, ἐλεημοσύνη, σωφροσύνη, ἀφιλαργυρία, συμπάθεια, ἄτυφον, ἀνυπερήφανον, κατανυκτικόν. Ἀρεταί δέ σώματός εἰσιν αὗται· νηστεία, χαμευνία, ἀγρυπνία, ἐγκράτεια, ἀκτημοσύνη, τό ἀπερίσπαστον.

(788) ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Β΄.

Τί ἐστι τό ἐν τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ εἰρημένον· " Ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι, ψαλῶ δέ καί τῷ νοΐ. " Ἀπόκρισις. Ψάλλει τις τῷ πνεύματι, ὅταν μόνον τήν προφοράν τῶν ψαλλομένων διά

γλώσσης φέρει. Ψάλλει δέ τῷ νοΐ, ὅταν τήν δύναμιν τῶν ψαλλομένων γινώσκων, τῇ θεωρίᾳ εὐφραίνεται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Γ΄.

Τί ἐστιν; " Ἐν ἀνομίαις συνελήφθην, καί ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐκίσσησέ με ἡ μήτηρ μου. " Ἀπόκρισις. Ἐπειδή ὁ προηγούμενος σκοπός τοῦ Θεοῦ ἦν, τό μή διά γάμου γεννᾶσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ

φθορᾶς· ἡ δέ παράβασις τῆς ἐντολῆς τόν γάμον εἰσήγαγε διά τό ἀνομῆσαι τόν Ἀδάμ· τουτέστιν ἀθετῆσαι τόν ἐκ Θεοῦ δοθέντα αὐτῷ νόμον. Πάντες οὖν οἱ ἐξ Ἀδάμ γεννώμενοι, ἐν ἀνομίαις συλλαμβάνονται, ὑποπίπτοντες τῇ τοῦ προπάτορος καταδίκῃ. Τό δέ, Καί ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐκίσσησέ με ἡ μήτηρ μου, σημαίνει, ὅτι ἡ Εὔα ἡ πάντων ἡμῶν μήτηρ πρώτη, ἐκίσσησε τήν ἁμαρτίαν ὥσπερ ὀργῶσα τήν ἡδονήν. ∆ιά τοῦτο καί ἡμεῖς, τῇ τῆς μητρός ὑποπίπτοντες καταδίκῃ, κισσᾶσθαι λέγομεν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ∆΄.

Τί ἐστι τό παρά τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ λεγόμενον. "Ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ἀπό Χριστοῦ ὑπέρ τῶν συγγενῶν μου."

Ἀπόκρισις. Ηὐχόμην, φησί, παραδοθῆναι ἀπό τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ διαβόλῳ, (789) ὥστε

μαστιγωθῆναι, καί τάς ὑπέρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ κολάσεις ὑπομεῖναι· ἅσπερ κατά τό δίκαιον ἐχρεώστουν ὑπέρ τῆς εἰς Θεόν ἀπιστίας, μόνον ἵνα σωθῶσι· καθ᾿ ὅν τρόπον καί ὁ Κύριος παρέδωκεν ἑαυτόν, καί γέγονε ὑπέρ ἡμῶν κατάρα.