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restoration; and a third, which the holy Gregory of Nyssa also used more in his own discourses, is this, the restoration of the powers of the soul that fell into sin, to that for which they were created; for just as the whole of nature in the resurrection must receive the hoped-for incorruptibility of the flesh in time, so also the powers of the soul that have been turned aside must receive it through the extension of the ages; and having passed through all the ages and not finding a stopping-place, to come to God who has no end and thus through knowledge, not by participation in good things, to receive back the powers and to be restored to the ancient state, and for the Creator not to be shown as the cause of sin. The third restoration, therefore, is nothing other than this; for concerning the two there is no dispute, or what has been decreed by the Apostle, that the sinful work is to be burned up and the one who has done it is to be saved unburnt, in such a way, however, as not participating in the good things, but recognizing the deprivation of participation. and very rightly it was said by the Father "and for the Creator not to be shown as the cause of sin"; for that which is from God, that is, our nature, as having been brought forth from being, is inconsumable by that fire, but that which is not from God, namely sin, but created by the choice of the one who acted, as not being one of the things that exist, but subsisting alongside them, will depart, being unranked among the things that exist. thus therefore, even if neither Gregory of Nyssa, nor Maximus the Father said it, yet the great Apostle declared that there would be a fiery requital for sin, and the emphasis is of a restoration, as was said by the Father, not Origenistic, far from it; for there is no fellowship of light with darkness nor agreement of saints with heresiarchs, against whom, who appropriate the sacred dogmas of the most divine Gregory for their own malevolence, there is both the unadulterated and the thief-refuting, but not for the overturning of the aforementioned, as it would seem to me. But if something deeper should be discovered by the most holy metropolitan, we shall hear again; since also our most holy patriarch, having heard the things said by Saint Maximus, said nothing inappropriate at that time. 472 {1To the abbess Euphrosyne}1 Having heard now also that your honor has been comforted from the suffering concerning your blessed mother, I gave thanks to the Lord, who has made you known as both genuinely mother-loving and excellently God-loving, the one through affectionate grief, the other through measured comfort; from which things it has been shown that you have loved both mother and God. But come, lady, rejoicing and trembling walk your path, rejoicing because you were deemed worthy to be the daughter of such a mother, but trembling because the care of leadership is upon you, for which the contest is not ordinary nor is the reward to be despised, but on both sides the height is very great for those who have understanding. You therefore, as prudent, as intelligent, as led from your mother in spirit, live a most excellent and well-ordered life, setting yourself forth as a type of good works for the sisters. may the eye of your heart not slumber from keeping the commandments of God, do not stop the ear of your soul from hearing the voice of teaching, being taught and teaching, being enlightened and enlightening, being led by the hand and leading by the hand, being brought to God and bringing others. may your name be heard in good conduct, so that God may be glorified in you and in your monastery, not becoming common according to the lukewarmness of the many, but being precise according to the ordinance of the spirit in one mind, in one will, in one heart and soul, in imitation of the saints recorded in the apostolic acts; for, it says, there was one soul and heart of all, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own. This is a good life, this is the portion of the Lord, this is a true common life; but where these things are not, the opposite is clear. what great joy and glory for you, most honored one, but also for your children, to live an apostolic life, to be led according to the tradition of the fathers, in a manner worthy of your noble birth; for this is nobility,

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ἀποκατάστασιν· τρίτην δέ, ᾗ καὶ μᾶλλον κατακέχρηται ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ λόγοις ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, ἐστὶν αὕτη, ἡ τῶν ψυχικῶν δυνάμεων τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὑποπεσουσῶν εἰς ὅπερ ἐκτίσθησαν πάλιν ἀποκατάστασις· δεῖ γὰρ ὥσπερ τὴν ὅλην φύσιν ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀφθαρσίαν χρόνῳ ἐλπιζομένην ἀπολαβεῖν, οὕτως καὶ τὰς παρατραπείσας τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις τῇ παρατάσει τῶν αἰώνων ἀπολαβεῖν· καὶ περάσασαν τοὺς πάντας αἰῶνας καὶ μὴ εὑρίσκουσαν στάσιν εἰς τὸν θεὸν ἐλθεῖν τὸν μὴ ἔχοντα πέρας καὶ οὕτως τῇ ἐπιγνώσει, οὐ τῇ μεθέξει τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαβεῖν τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀποκατασταθῆναι καὶ μὴ δειχθῆναι τὸν δημιουργὸν αἴτιον τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἡ τρίτη ἀποκατάστασις· περὶ γὰρ τοῖν δυοῖν ἀναμφίλεκτον ἢ ὅπερ δεδογμάτισται τῷ ἀποστόλῳ, τοῦ τὸ ἁμαρτητικὸν ἔργον κατακαῆναι καὶ τὸν πεπραχότα σωθῆναι ἀκατάκαυστον, οὕτως δέ, ὡς οὐ μετέχοντα τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀλλ' ἐπιγινώσκοντα τὴν στέρησιν τῆς μεθέξεως. καὶ μάλα εἰκότως εἴρηται τῷ πατρὶ "4καὶ μὴ δειχθῆναι τὸν δημιουργὸν αἴτιον τῆς ἁμαρτάς"5· ὃ μὲν γὰρ παρὰ θεοῦ, ἤγουν ἡ καθ' ἡμᾶς φύσις, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ὄντος παραχθεῖσα, ἀνάλωτος τῷ πυρὶ ἐκείνῳ, ὃ δὲ οὐκ ἐκ θεοῦ, ἤτοι ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ πράξαντος δημιουργηθεῖσα προαιρέσει, ὡς οὔ τι τῶν ὄντων οὖσα, ἀλλὰ παρυφιστᾶσα οἰχήσεται, ἀκατάτακτος οὖσα τοῖς οὖσιν. οὕτως οὖν, κἂν μήτε Γρηγόριος ὁ Νυσσαεύς, κἂν μήτε Μάξιμος ὁ πατὴρ λέγοι, ἀλλά γε ὁ μέγας ἀπόστολος ἀπέφησεν ὅτι ἄμειψις διάπυρος εἴη τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἡ δὲ ἔμφασίς ἐστιν ἀποκαταστάσεως, ὡς εἴρηται τῷ πατρί, οὐκ Ὠριγενιαστική, ἄπαγε· οὐδεμία γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος οὐδὲ συμφώνησις ἁγίοις πρὸς αἱρεσιάρχας, πρὸς οὕς, σφετεριζομένους τὰ τοῦ θειοτάτου Γρηγορίου ἱερὰ δόγματα πρὸς τὴν σφῶν κακόνοιαν, καὶ ἡ ἀνόθευτος καὶ ὁ κλεπτέλεγχος, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπ' ἀνατροπῇ τῶν προειρημένων, ὡς ἐμοὶ φαίνοιτο. εἰ δέ τι βαθύτερον ἐξευρεθείη τῷ ἁγιωτάτῳ μητροπολίτῃ, ἀκουσόμεθα πάλιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ ἱερώτατος ἡμῶν πατριάρχης, ἀκηκοὼς τὰ λεχθέντα τῷ ἁγίῳ Μαξίμῳ, οὐδὲν ἀπεμφαῖνον τηνικαῦτα ἔφησεν. 472 {1Εὐφροσύνῃ ἡγουμένῃ}1 Ἀκηκοὼς καὶ νῦν ὅτι παρεμυθήθη σου ἡ τιμιότης ἀπὸ τοῦ περὶ τὴν μακαρίαν μητέρα πάθους εὐχαρίστησα τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὃς ἐγνώρισέ σε καὶ φιλομήτορα γνησιεύουσαν καὶ φιλόθεον ἀριστεύουσαν, τὸ μὲν διὰ τοῦ ἀγαπητικοῦ λυπηροῦ, τὸ δὲ διὰ τοῦ συμμεμετρημένου παρακλητικοῦ· ἐξ ὧν ἀποδέδεικται ὅτι καὶ μητέρα καὶ θεὸν ἠγάπησας. ἀλλὰ δεῦρο, κυρία, χαίρουσα καὶ τρέμουσα βάδιζε τὴν ὁδόν σου, χαίρουσα μὲν ὅτι ἠξίωσαι τοιαύτης μητρὸς θυγάτηρ χρηματίσαι, τρέμουσα δὲ ὅτι τὸ τῆς προστασίας φροντιστήριόν σοι πάρεστιν, οὗ οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν ἀγὼν οὐδὲ εὐκαταφρόνητος ὁ μισθός, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν ἀμφοτέρωθεν τὸ ὕψωμα τοῖς νοῦν ἔχουσιν. Σὺ οὖν ὡς ἐχέφρων, ὡς συνετή, ὡς μητρόθεν ἠγμένη ἐν πνεύματι ἄριστον βίον καὶ κεκανονισμένον διέλασον, τύπον ἑαυτὴν προθεῖσα ἀγαθοεργίας ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς. μὴ νυστάξῃ τὸ ὄμμα τῆς καρδίας σου ἀπὸ φυλακῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ θεοῦ, μὴ βύσῃς τὸ οὖς τῆς ψυχῆς εἰσακούειν φωνῆς διδασκαλικῆς, διδασκομένη καὶ διδάσκουσα, φωτιζομένη καὶ φωτίζουσα, χειραγωγουμένη καὶ χειραγωγοῦσα, προσαγομένη θεῷ καὶ προσάγουσα. ἀκουστὸν εἴη τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν ἀγαθῇ πολιτείᾳ, ὡς ἂν δοξάζηται θεὸς ἐν σοὶ καὶ ἐν τῇ μονῇ σου, μὴ χυδαιουμένη κατὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν χλιαρότητα, ἀλλὰ ἀκριβαζομένη κατὰ τὴν διαταγὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ἑνὶ φρονήματι, ἐν ἑνὶ θελήματι, ἐν μιᾷ καρδίᾳ τε καὶ ψυχῇ, μιμήσει τῶν ἐν ἀποστολικαῖς πράξεσιν ἱστορουμένων ἁγίων· ἦν γάρ, φησί, πάντων μία ψυχὴ καὶ καρδία, καὶ οὐδείς τι τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν ἴδιον εἶναι. Αὕτη ζωὴ ἀγαθή, αὕτη μερὶς Κυρίου, τοῦτο κοινόβιον ἀληθινόν· οὗ δὲ οὐ ταῦτα, τοὐναντίον δῆλον ὅτι. ἡλίκη σοι χαρὰ καὶ δόξα, τιμιωτάτη, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις σου, ἀποστολικῶς πολιτεύεσθαι, πατροπαραδότως ἄγεσθαι, εὐγενοπρεπῶς· τοῦτο γὰρ εὐγένεια,