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QUESTION 24.

What is the meaning of: "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also?"

Response. If, he says, the demons tempt you through your thoughts on the right cheek, making you proud through your good deeds, turn the other; that is, bringing to mind the deeds of the left-hand action, as many as have been done by us.

QUESTION 25.

How ought we to piously understand the word of the Gospel? That " The Father judges no one; but has given all judgment to the Son." And how in another place does he say? that "I judge no one; but the word that I have spoken, that will judge him."

Response. Inasmuch as he is God, neither the Father nor the Son judges anyone. For a man does not become a judge of irrational beings, but of men. But the Father has given judgment to the Son; not inasmuch as the Son is God, but inasmuch as he became man. And he will judge all, comparing his own conduct as a man with ours. Again, his word judges, that is, his teaching, which he demonstrated through his works, according to what is written: (805) " Which Jesus began both to do and to teach. "

QUESTION 26.

What is the blasphemy of the Spirit; and how? "Every sin will be forgiven men; but for those who blaspheme against it, it will not be forgiven, neither in this age, nor in the one to come."

Response. The question concerning the blasphemy of the Spirit contains its own solution. For when the

Lord was performing various healings, the Jews attributed these energies of the Spirit to the ruler of the demons. But the saying, that for those who blaspheme there is no forgiveness, neither here nor in the future, must be investigated next. Some of those who have accurately investigated such things through the Spirit say that there are four ways by which the forgiveness of sins comes about: two here, and two in the future. For since the memory is not sufficient to remember the faults of one’s whole life, so that a person might repent for them here, the Master of nature, being a lover of mankind, has provided ways of repentance even for us who do not repent; in the future, as has been said, two. When someone, having sinned here indifferently [R. non bene διαφόρως] and again done good indifferently, is moved either to pity and compassion towards his neighbor, or whatever else pertains to philanthropy, these things in the future age at the time of judgment are weighed in the balance, and on whichever side the scale tips, forgiveness is granted; This is the one way; And the second is this: when someone, being entangled in sins, yet hearing the Lord say, "Judge not, that you be not judged," out of fear judges no one, in the examination of his life, as a keeper of the commandment he is not judged. For the most truthful One is not forgetful of his own commandment. The other two ways have their forgiveness here, when someone, being in sins, is administered by providence through misfortunes, through necessities, through illnesses. For as he does not know how to purify through such things

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ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Κ∆΄.

Τί ἐστι τό· "Ἐάν τίς σε ῥαπίσῃ εἰς τήν δεξιάν, στρέψον αὐτῷ καί τήν ἄλλην;" Ἀπόκρισις. Ἐάν σε, φησίν, οἱ δαίμονες διά τῶν λογισμῶν πειράσωσιν εἰς τήν δεξιάν

σιαγόνα, ἐπαίροντες διά τῶν δεξιῶν ἔργων, στρέψον τήν ἄλλην· τουτέστι, τά τῆς ἀριστερᾶς πράξεως ἔργα, ὅσα ἡμῖν πέπρακται, ὑπ᾿ ὄψιν ἄγων.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΚΕ΄.

Πῶς ὀφείλομεν εὐσεβῶς νοῆσαι τό τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου; Ὅτι " Ὁ Πατήρ κρινεῖ οὐδένα· ἀλλά τήν κρίσιν πᾶσαν δέδωκε τῷ Υἱῷ." Καί πῶς ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ λέγει; ὅτι "Ἐγώ κρινῶ οὐδένα· ἀλλ᾿ ὁ λόγος ὅν ἐλάλησα, ἐκεῖνος κρινεῖ αὐτόν."

Ἀπόκρισις. Καθό Θεός ἐστιν, οὐδέ ὁ Πατήρ, οὐδέ ὁ Υἱός κρινεῖ οὐδένα. Οὐδέ γάρ ἄνθρωπος

ἀλόγων γίνεται κριτής, ἀλλ᾿ ἀνθρώπων. Ὁ δέ Πατήρ δέδωκε τῷ Υἰῷ τήν κρίσιν· οὐ καθό Θεός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός, ἀλλά καθό ἄνθρωπος γέγονε. Κρινεῖ δέ πάντας, συγκρίνων τήν ἑαυτοῦ ὡς ἀνθρώπου πολιτείαν πρός ἡμᾶς. Πάλιν δέ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ κρινεῖ, τουτέστι διδασκαλία, ἥντινα διά τῶν ἔργων ἀνεδείξατο, κατά τό γεγραμμένον· (805) " Ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καί διδάσκειν. "

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΚΣτ΄.

Τί ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημία· καί πῶς; "Πᾶν ἁμάρτημα ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· τοῖς δέ εἰς αὐτό βλασφημήσασιν, οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται, οὔτε ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, οὔτε ἐν τῷ μ έλλοντι."

Ἀπόκρισις. Ἡ περί τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημίας ἀπορία, αὐτόθεν ἔχει τήν λύσιν. Τοῦ γάρ

Κυρίου ἰάσεις ποιοῦντος ποικίλας, οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τάς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας, τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμόνων ταύτας ἀνετίθεσαν. Τό δέ, Οὔτε ἐνταῦθα, οὔτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι, ἄφεσιν γίνεσθαι τοῖς βλασφημοῦσιν, ἑξῆς ζητητέον. Φασί τινές τῶν τά τοιαῦτα διά τοῦ Πνεύματος ἠκριβωκότων, τέσσαρας εἶναι τρόπους, δι᾿ ὧν συγχώρησις γίνεται ἁμαρτημάτων· δύο ἐνταῦθα, καί δύο ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Ἐπειδή γάρ οὐκ ἐξικνεῖται ἡ μνήμη ὅλου τοῦ χρόνου μνημονεύειν τά σφάλματα, ἵνα ὑπέρ αὐτῶν ἐνταῦθα μετανοήσῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ᾠκονόμησε φιλάνθρωπος ὤν ὁ ∆εσπότης τῆς φύσεως, καί ἡμῶν μή μετανοούντων τρόπους μετανοίας· ἐν μέν τῷ μέλλοντι, ὡς εἴρηται, δύο. Ὅταν τις ἀδιαφόρως [R. non bene διαφόρως] ἐνταῦθα ἁμαρτήσας, καί πάλιν ἀδιαφόρως ἀγαθοεργήσας, εἴτε εἰς οἶκτον καί συμπάθειαν πρός τόν πλησίον κινηθείς, ἤ ὅσα ἄλλα φιλανθρωπίας ἐχόμενα, ταῦτα ἐν τῶ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ἐν τῷ καιρῶ τῆς κρίσεως ζυγοστατούμενα, ἐφ᾿ ἅ τήν ῥοπήν ἕξει, συγχώρησις γίνεται· Οὗτος μέν ὁ εἷς τρόπος· ∆εύτερος δέ, οὗτος· ὅταν τις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐνεχόμενος· ἀκούων δέ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος, Μή κρίνετε, ἵνα μή κριθῆτε, φοβούμενος οὐδένα κρίνῃ, ἐν τῇ ἐξετάσει τῶν βεβιωμένων, ὡς φύλαξ τῆς ἐντολῆς οὐ κρίνεται. Τῆς γάρ ἑαυτοῦ ἐντολῆς οὐκ ἐπιλήσμων ὁ ἀψευδέστατος. Οἱ δέ δύο ἕτεροι τρόποι, ἐνταῦθα τήν συγχώρησιν ἔχουσιν, ὅταν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις τις ὤν, οἰκονομεῖται ἐκ τῆς προνοίας ἐν συμφοραῖς, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν νόσοις. Ὡς οὐκ οἶδε γάρ διά τῶν τοιούτων καθαίρειν