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to humble and make weak, is not yet blessed, until through the intense labor of ascetic practice it be mortified and receive consummation. For such a one is blessed, as having died with Christ through the inaction of evil things, and rising again through the height of the virtues. For this the Psalmist also signifies, saying: Blessed are the undefiled, that is, those pure of evil; who walk in the law of the Lord; who journey by means of good deeds.

QUESTION 54.

What is the meaning of, "If they persecute you from this city [vulg. in this city], flee to another?"

(828) Answer. Cities exist for the guard and safety and protection of precious things. A city, therefore, according to the allegorical manner, is the ascetic practice conceived from various ways, such as, temperance in wine, abstinence from foods, extended vigilance, and such things, which are a guard and safety. If therefore the demons persecute us from one of these, bringing pride or vainglory through such a form of ascetic practice, it is better to withdraw from such a seemingly more exact discipline, lest we fall into arrogance, and to flee to another virtue free of vainglory, until the principle of dispassion should come. Or also otherwise, he calls human souls cities. For the apostles, being sent to these by the Savior, being driven away from those who judged themselves unworthy, migrate to the souls of others, who have become receptive of their teaching; and such cities of Israel, they will not have gone through, truly residing in them; and in some places settling in, but in others being persecuted from them, until the Son of man comes in his glorious advent, fulfilling all things.

QUESTION 55.

How is it that, "Almsgiving is by measures, according to Saint Isaiah?" For nothing good is without judgment, even if it seemed so in the case of those in the vineyard.

Answer. If the mercy of God is measured and circumscribed, it is with good reason. Rather, therefore, one must understand this: that just as we have a power of seeing and hearing and breathing, not receiving the whole of the air, or the light, or the sound, since then no participation in these would be left for another, but each partakes according to the power proportionally present to it; so also the mercy of God gives both forgiveness and grace according to the quality of the dispositions of each of the subjects. For example, someone has repented perfectly; perfectly also he is forgiven; likewise also in the case of one who loves.

QUESTION 56.

What is the meaning of that which is said in Ezra, "Terrify them in the law of the Lord?" Answer.

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ταπεινοῦν καί ἀσθενῆ ποιεῖν, οὔπω μακαριστός, μέχρις ἀν διά τοῦ συντόνου τῆς ἀσκήσεως πόνου νεκρωθῇ καί συντέλειαν λάβῃ. Ὁ γάρ τοιοῦτος μακάριος, ὡς τῷ Χριστῷ συναποθανών διά τῆς κακῶν ἀπραξίας, καί συνανιστάμενος πάλιν διά τό ὕψος τῶν ἀρετῶν. Τοῦτο γάρ καί ὁ Ψαλμῳδός σημαίνει λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ ἄμωμοι, οἱ καθαροί δῆλον ὅτι κακίας· οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου· οἱ διά τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων ὁδεύοντες.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ν∆΄.

Τί δηλοῖ τό, "Ἐάν διώκωσιν ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης [vulg. ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ], φεύγετε εἰς τήν ἄλλην;"

(828) Ἀπόκρισις. Αἱ πόλεις ἐπί φρουρᾶς καί ἀσφαλείας καί φυλακῆς τιμίων εἰσί. Πόλις οὖν ἐστι

κατά τόν τῆς ἀλληγορίας τρόπον, ἡ ἐκ διαφόρων τρόπων ἐπινοουμένη ἄσκησις οἷον, ἐγκράτεια οἴνου, βρωμάτων ἀποχή, ἐπιτεταμένη ἀγρυπνία, καί τά τοιαῦτα, ἅτινά εἰσι φρουρά καί ἀσφάλεια. Ἐάν οὖν διώκωσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ δαίμονες, ἀπό ἑνός τούτων, τύφον ἤ κενοδοξίαν διά τοῦ τοιούτου τῆς ἀσκήσεως εἴδους προσάγοντες, κρεῖττόν ἐστιν ὑποχωρεῖν τῆς τοιαύτης δοκούσης εἶναι ἀκριβεστέρας ἀγωγῆς, ἵνα μή εἰς ὑπερηφανίαν ἐμπέσωμεν, καί φυγεῖν εἰς ἄλλην ἀκενόδοξον ἀρετήν, μέχρις ἄν ὁ τῆς ἀπαθείας ἔλθῃ λόγος. Ἤ καί ἄλλως, πόλεις λέγει τάς ἀνθρωπίνας ψυχάς. Ἐπί γάρ ταύτας οἱ ἀπόστολοι παρά τοῦ Σωτῆρος πεμπόμενοι, ἀπό μέν τῶν ἀναξίων ἑαυτούς κρινόντων ἀπελαθέντες, εἰς ἑτέρων ψυχάς μετοικίζονται, δεκτικάς τῆς αὐτῶν διδασκαλίας γεγενημένας· καί τάς τοιαύτας πόλεις τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, οὐ μή τελέσωσιν ἀληθῶς ἐνδημοῦντες αὐταῖς· καί πῆ μέν εἰσοικιζόμενοι· πῆ δέ, ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν διωκόμενοι, ἕως ἄν ἔλθῃ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατά τήν ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν τά πάντα πληρῶν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΝΕ΄.

Πῶς καί, "Ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη εἰς σταθμούς, κατά τόν ἅγιον Ἠσαΐαν;" Οὐδέ γάρ τι ἀγαθόν ἄκριτον, εἰ κἄν ἐν τοῖς τῷ ἀμπελῶνι ἔδοξεν.

Ἀπόκρισις. Ἐάν σταθμίζεται ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί περιγράφεται, εἰκότως. Μᾶλλον

οὖν τοῦτο χρή ὑπολαμβάνειν, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἔχομεν δύναμιν ὀπτικήν καί ἀκουστικήν καί ἀναπνευστικήν, οὐχ ὅλον εἰσδεχομένας τόν ἀέρα, ἤ τό φῶς, ἤ τήν φωνήν, ἐπεί οὐκ ἄν ἄλλῳ ὑπελείφθη ἡ ἐκ τούτων μετοχή, ἀλλά κατά τήν ἀναλόγως προσοῦσαν δύναμιν ἑκάστῳ μετέχει· οὕτω καί ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐλεημοσύνη κατά τήν ἑκάστου τῶν ὑποκειμένων διαθέσεων ποιότητα, καί τήν ἄφεσιν καί τήν χάριν δίδωσιν. Οἷον, τελείως τις μετενόησε· τελείως καί ἀφίεται· ὡσαύτως καί ἐπί τοῦ ἀγαπῶντος.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΝΣτ΄.

Τί ἐστι τό ἐν τῷ Ἔσδρα λεγόμενον, "Φοβέρισον αὐτούς ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου;" Ἀπόκρισις.