Scholia in Acta Of Saint Athanasius from the second discourse against the Novatians.

If it remained, he says, it remained yours, and after it was sold, it was under your authority. But since, he says, you attempted to test the Holy Spirit, and agreed on this, you will receive experience of what you desired. Indeed, others will be disciplined and will be afraid to test, having received the experience through you.

Of Saint Athanasius from the treatise against the Novatians. One must understand here also, that it was the beginning of the preaching, and these men dared a great thing, attempting to test the Holy Spirit; but their punishment became a great benefit to the other brethren; for they were disciplined, and were taught that one must not dare against the Spirit, nor attempt to test it. Just as a person being baptized by a human priest is enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, so also the one confessing in repentance through the priest receives forgiveness by the grace of Christ. CHAP. 8, v. 24. You pray for me to the Lord. OF ATHANASIUS From the third discourse against those called Cathars. Therefore, against his underlying bitterness, and this audacity and attempt of his against the gift of God, Peter was justly moved, and being moved said to him: May your silver perish with you. Though it should not be so, yet because of this audacity of yours, that you thought the gift of God could be acquired through money, you have no part or 26.1317 lot in this matter. For your heart is not right before God. And having said so many things against him rightly and justly, considering none of these things incurable by the medicine of repentance, and judging these things to be therapeutic, he added: Repent therefore of your wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For this too is a great thing for you. And do not hasten for the gift through money so impurely and filthily. But for now, ceasing from your bitterness and this evil thought, repent, if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you, not as if doubting, but because the affections are hard to cure, not incurable, mind you, but hard to cure. For if it were incurable, it would be superfluous to say: Repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord. But that repentance is indeed powerful through these things, but that for those weighed down into evil there is need for much repentance and care, pointing this out he added: If perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. And so powerful was the exhortation to repentance of this great apostle, even to such a great magician, and to one so full of gall and bitterness, and filled with so many evils, that he now gave himself to care, and Scripture testifies that he said these things to him: You pray for me to the Lord; for I have no boldness, so that none of the things you have said may come upon me. Indeed, the divine Apostle neither forbade these things to him, nor refused. For how could he who both suggested and said it? And this great magician himself was so benefited by the hope of repentance, that having now been so changed from his wickedness and bitterness

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Scholia in Acta Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀθανασίου ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς Νουατιανοὺς βʹ λόγου.

Εἰ ἔμενε, φησὶν, ὑμῖν ἔμενε, καὶ πραθὲν ἐν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ἦν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ, φησὶν, ἐπεχειρήσατε πειράσαι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ εἰς τοῦτο συνεφωνήσατε, λήψεσθε πεῖραν οὗ ἠθελήσατε. Σωφρονισθήσονται δὴ, καὶ φοβηθήσονται καὶ ἄλλοι πειράσαι, δι' ὑμῶν τὴν πεῖραν λαβόντες.

Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀθανασίου ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Νουατιανοὺς πραγματείας. Κατανοῆσαι δεῖ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι ἀρχὴ ἦν τοῦ κηρύγματος, καὶ μέγα μὲν ἐτόλμησαν οὗτοι, πειράσαι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπιχειρήσαντες· μεγάλη δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀδελφοῖς ὠφέλεια γέγονεν ἡ τούτων τιμωρία· ἐπαιδεύθησαν γὰρ, καὶ ἐδιδάχθησαν, ὅτι οὐ δεῖ κατὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τολμᾷν, οὐδὲ πειράσαι τοῦτο ἐπιχειρεῖν. Ὥσπερ ἄνθρωπος ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἱερέως βαπτιζομένου φωτίζεται τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χάριτι, οὕτως καὶ ὁ ἐξομολογούμενος ἐν μετανοίᾳ διὰ τοῦ ἱερέως λαμβάνει τὴν ἄφεσιν χάριτι Χριστοῦ. ΚΕΦ. Ηʹ, ς. κδʹ. ∆εήθητε ὑμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον. ἈΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ Ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς λεγομένους Καθαροὺς λογ. γʹ. Πρὸς οὖν τὴν ὑποκειμένην αὐτοῦ πικρίαν, καὶ ταύτην αὐτοῦ τὴν κατὰ τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Θεοῦ τόλμαν καὶ ἐπιχείρησιν Πέτρος δικαίως ἐκινήθη, καὶ κινηθεὶς εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· Τὸ ἀργύριόν σου σὺν σοὶ εἴη εἰς ἀπώλειαν. Εἰ καὶ μὴ δεῖ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τόλμαν σου ταύτην, ὅτι τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνόμισας διὰ χρημάτων κτᾶσθαι, οὐκ ἔστι σοι μερὶς, οὐδὲ 26.1317 κλῆρος ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ. Ἡ γὰρ καρδία σου οὐκ ἔστιν εὐθεῖα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ τοσαῦτα κατ' αὐτοῦ εἰπὼν ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως, οὐδὲν τούτων ἀνίατον ἡγησάμενος τῷ τῆς μετανοίας φαρμάκῳ, θεραπευτικὰ δὲ ταῦτα κρίνας εἶναι, ἐπήγαγε· Μετανόησον οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας σου, καὶ δεήθητι τοῦ Κυρίου, εἰ ἄρα ἀφεθήσεταί σοι ἦ ἐπίνοια τῆς καρδίας σου. Μέγα γάρ σοι καὶ τοῦτο. Καὶ μὴ ἤδη τὴν δωρεὰν οὕτως ἀκαθάρτως καὶ ῥυπαρῶς διὰ χρημάτων σπεῦδε. Ἀλλὰ τέως τῆς πικρίας σου καὶ τῆς κακῆς ταύτης ἐπινοίας παυσάμενος, μετανόησον, εἰ ἄρα ἀφεθήσεταί σοι ἡ ἐπίνοια τῆς καρδίας σου, οὐχ ὡς ἀμφιβάλλων, ἀλλ' ὅτι δυσίατα πάθη, οὐκ ἀνίατα μέντοι, ἀλλὰ δυσίατα. Εἰ γὰρ ἦν ἀνίατον, περισσὸν ἦν τό· Μετανόησον ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας σου ταύτης, καὶ δεήθητι τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡ μετάνοια μὲν ἰσχύει διὰ τούτων, ὅτι δὲ μετὰ πολλῆς μετανοίας καὶ ἐπιμελείας χρεία τοῖς βαρυνθεῖσιν εἰς κακίαν, παριστὰς ἐπήγαγεν· Εἰ ἄρα ἀφεθήσεταί σοι ἡ ἐπίνοια τῆς καρδίας σου. Εἰς γὰρ χολὴν πικρίας καὶ σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας ὁρῶ σε ὄντα. Καὶ τοσοῦτον ἴσχυεν ἡ εἰς μετάνοιαν προτροπὴ τοῦ μεγάλου τούτου ἀποστόλου καὶ πρὸς τὸν τοσοῦτον μάγον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὕτω χολῆς καὶ πικρίας μεστὸν, καὶ τοσούτων κακῶν πεπληρωμένον, ὡς ἤδη ἐπιμελείας ἑαυτὸν δοῦναι, καὶ ταῦτα αὐτῷ εἰπόντι τὴν Γραφὴν ἐπιμαρτυρεῖν· ∆εήθητε ὑμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον· οὐ γὰρ ἐμοὶ παῤῥησία μέτεστιν, ὅπως μηδὲν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπ' ἐμὲ, ὧν εἰρήκατε. Οὔτε δὴ ἀπηγόρευσε ταῦτα αὐτῷ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, οὔτ' ἀπηρνήσατο. Πῶς γὰρ ὁ καὶ ὑποθέμενος καὶ εἰπών; Τοσοῦτον δὲ ὠφελήθη οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ τηλικοῦτος μάγος ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος, τῆς εἰς μετάνοιαν, ὡς ἤδη τοσοῦτον τῆς πονηρίας καὶ πικρίας αὐτὸν μεταβληθέντα

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