{"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.0":{"o":"Ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις ἐβουλήθητε γνῶναι, πῶς ὁ νόμος πνευματικός ἐστι, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον· καὶ τίς ἡ γνῶσις, καὶ ἡ ἐνέργεια τῶν φυλάττειν αὐτὸν βουλομένων, τούτου χάριν κατὰ δύναμιν εἰρήκαμεν.","t":"Since you have often wished to know how the law is spiritual, as the divine apostle says, and what is the knowledge and the practice of those who wish to keep it, for this reason we have spoken of it as far as we are able.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.0 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-0)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.1":{"o":"Πρῶτον, ὅτι Θεὸν οἶδαμεν παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ εἶναι αἴτιον, καὶ ἀρχὴν, καὶ μεσότητα, καὶ τέλος· τὸ δὲ ἀγαθὸν, ἀμήχανον ἐνεργεῖν ἢ πιστεύεσθαι, εἰ μὴ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι.","t":"First, that we know God to be the cause of every good, and its beginning, middle, and end; and the good cannot be practised or believed except in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.1 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.10":{"o":"Μὴ πειρῶ πρᾶγμα σκολιὸν ἐπιλῦσαι διὰ φιλονεικίας, ἀλλὰ δι᾽ ὧν ὁ πνευματικὸς παρακελεύεται νόμος, δι' ὑπομονῆς, καὶ προσευχῆς, καὶ μονολογίστου ἐλπίδος.","t":"Do not try to resolve a tangled matter by contention, but by the means the spiritual law commands: by patience, by prayer, and by hope that keeps to a single thought.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.10 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-10)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.100":{"o":"Πάλιν δὲ ὁ ἐγκρατὴς ἐὰν κτᾶται χρήματα, ἀδελφός ἐστι τοῦ προτέρου κατὰ διάνοιαν· μητρὸς μὲν τῆς αὐτῆς διὰ τὴν νοερὰν ἡδονήν· πατρὸς δὲ ἑτέρου διὰ τὴν τοῦ πάθους ἐναλλαγήν.","t":"Again, the self-controlled man, if he acquires money, is in mind a brother of the former: of the same mother because of pleasure in the mind, but of a different father because of the change of passion.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.100 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-100)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.101":{"o":"Ἔστιν ὁ περικόπτων πάθος διὰ μείζονα ἡδυπάθειαν· καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγνοούντων αὐτοῦ τὸν σκοπὸν, δοξάζεται. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀγνοεῖ κοπιῶν ἀνόνητα.","t":"There is one who cuts off a passion for the sake of a greater self-indulgence, and he is glorified by those who do not know his aim. Perhaps he does not even know himself, toiling to no profit.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.101 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-101)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.102":{"o":"Ἡ αἰτία πάσης κακίας, κενοδοξία καὶ ἡδονή· ὁ δὲ μὴ μισήσας αὐτὰ, οὐ μὴ περιάρῃ πάθος.","t":"The cause of all wickedness is vainglory and pleasure; whoever has not hated them will not remove a passion.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.102 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-102)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.103":{"o":"῾Ρίζα πάντων τῶν κακῶν εἴρηται ἡ φιλαργυρία· ἀλλὰ καὶ αὕτη σαφῶς δι' ἐκείνων συνίσταται. Ἐκτυφλοῦται δ᾽ ὁ νοῦς διὰ τῶν τριῶν τούτων παθῶν, φιλαργυρίας λέγω, κενοδοξίας, καὶ ἡδονῆς.","t":"Love of money has been called “the root of all evils”; but it too clearly depends on those two. The mind is blinded by these three passions, I mean love of money, vainglory, and pleasure.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.103 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-103)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.104":{"o":"Τρεῖς θυγατέρας λέγω βδέλλης· αὗταί εἰσι, κατὰ τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν, ὑπὸ μητρὸς ἀφροσύνης ἀγαπήσει ἀγαπώμεναι.","t":"These, I say, are the three daughters of the leech, which according to the divine Scripture are “loved with love” by their mother, folly.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.104 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-104)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.105":{"o":"Γνῶσις καὶ πίστις, αἱ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν σύντροφοι, δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ δι᾽ ἐκείνας ἠμβλύνθησαν.","t":"Knowledge and faith, the companions of our nature, have been dulled for no other reason than these.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.105 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-105)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.106":{"o":"Θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ, καὶ πόλεμος καὶ φόνοι, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λοιπὸς κατάλογος τῶν κακῶν, δι' ἐκείνας ἐν ἀνθρώποις σφόδρα ἐκραταιώθησαν.","t":"Wrath and anger, war and murders, and all the rest of the catalogue of evils have grown very strong among human beings because of them.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.106 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-106)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.107":{"o":"Οὕτω μισῆσαι δεῖ φιλαργυρίαν καὶ κενοδοξίαν καὶ ἡδονὴν, ὡς μητέρας τῶν κακῶν, καὶ μητρυιὰς τῶν ἀρετῶν.","t":"So we must hate love of money, vainglory, and pleasure as the mothers of evils and the stepmothers of virtues.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.107 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-107)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.108":{"o":"Διὰ ταῦτα μὴ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν κόσμον, μηδὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ προσετάχθημεν· τοῦτο δὲ εἴρηται, οὐχ ἵνα τὰ κτίσματα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀκρίτως μισήσωμεν, ἀλλ᾿ ὅπως τῶν τριῶν ἐκείνων παθῶν τὰς ἀφορμὰς περικόψωμεν.","t":"For this reason we have been commanded not to love the world or the things in the world; and this was said not so that we should hate God's creatures without discernment, but so that we should cut off the occasions of those three passions.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.108 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-108)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.109":{"o":"Οὐδεὶς, φησὶ, στρατευόμενος τῷ Θεῷ, ἐμπλέκεται ταῖς τοῦ βίου πραγματείαις· ὁ γὰρ μετὰ τῆς ἐμπλοκῆς τὰ πάθη νικῆσαι θέλων, ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ μετὰ ἀχύρων σβεννύοντι ἐμπυρισμόν.","t":"“No one serving as a soldier for God,” it says, “entangles himself in the affairs of this life.” For whoever wishes to conquer the passions while entangled is like someone putting out a fire with straw.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.109 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-109)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.11":{"o":"Τυφλός ἐστι κράζων καὶ λέγων· Υἱὲ Δαβίδ, ἐλέησόν με, ὁ προσευχόμενος σωματικῶς, καὶ μή πω ἔχων γνῶσιν πνευματικήν. Ὁ ποτὲ τυφλὸς ἀναβλέψας καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Κύριον, οὐκέτι υἱὸν Δαβὶδ, ἀλλ᾿ Υἱὸν Θεοῦ ὁμολογήσας προσεκύνησε.","t":"Whoever prays bodily and has not yet any spiritual knowledge is the blind man who cries out, saying, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” The man once blind, when he had received his sight and saw the Lord, worshipped him, confessing him no longer as son of David but as Son of God.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.11 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-11)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.110":{"o":"Ὁ διὰ χρήματα, ἢ δόξαν, ἢ ἡδονὴν ὀργιζόμενος τῷ πλησίον, οὔπω ἔγνωκεν ὅτι ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ διακονεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ πράγματα.","t":"Whoever is angry with his neighbour because of money, glory, or pleasure has not yet come to know that God administers affairs in justice.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.110 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-110)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.111":{"o":"Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος, ὅτι Εἴ τις οὐκ ἀποτάσσεται πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος, μὴ μόνον περὶ χρήματα νόει τὸ εἰρημένον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ πάντων τῶν τῆς κακίας πραγμάτων.","t":"When you hear the Lord saying, “If anyone does not renounce all that he has, he is not worthy of me,” understand the saying not only of money but of all the works of wickedness.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.111 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-111)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.112":{"o":"Ὁ μὴ γινώσκων τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὔτε ἀληθῶς πιστεύειν δύναται. Ἡ γὰρ γνῶσις κατὰ φύσιν προηγεῖται τῆς πίστεως.","t":"Whoever does not know the truth cannot truly believe either; for knowledge naturally precedes faith.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.112 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-112)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.113":{"o":"Ὥσπερ ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὁρωμένων τὸ προσφυές ἀπένειμεν ὁ Θεός· οὕτω καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις λογισμοῖς, κἂν θέλωμεν, κἂν μή.","t":"Just as God has assigned to each visible thing what suits it, so also to human thoughts, whether we wish it or not.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.113 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-113)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.114":{"o":"Εἴ τις προφανῶς ἁμαρτάνων καὶ μὴ μετανοῶν, οὐδὲν ἔπαθεν ἕως ἐξόδου, τούτου νόμιζε ἀνίλεων εἶναι τὴν κρίσιν ἐκεῖ.","t":"If someone who sins openly and does not repent has suffered nothing up to his departure, consider that his judgment there will be without mercy.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.114 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-114)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.115":{"o":"Ὁ ἐμφρόνως προσευχόμενος, ὑπομένει τὰ ἐπερχόμενα · ὁ δὲ μνησικακῶν, οὔπω καθαρῶς προσηύξατο. Ζημιωθεὶς, ἢ ὀνειδισθεὶς, ἢ διωχθεὶς παρά τινος, μὴ λογίζου τὸ παρὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μέλλον ἐκδέχου· εὑρήσεις ὅτι πολλῶν σοι ἀγαθῶν γέγονε πρόξενος, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ παρόντι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι.","t":"Whoever prays with understanding endures what comes upon him; but whoever bears a grudge has not yet prayed purely. [116] When you suffer loss, or are reproached, or are persecuted by someone, do not consider the present but wait for what is to come; you will find that he has brought you many good things, not only in the present but also in the age to come.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.115 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-115)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.117":{"o":"Ὥσπερ τοὺς κακοσίτους ἀψίνθιον ὠφελεῖ τὸ πικρόν· οὕτω τοῖς κακοτρόποις κακὰ πάσχειν συμφέρει. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ εὐεκτεῖν, τοὺς δὲ μετανοεῖν παρασκευάζει τὰ φάρμακα.","t":"As bitter wormwood helps those with poor appetite, so suffering evils benefits those of bad character. For the medicines restore the first to health and bring the second to repentance.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.117 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-117)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.118":{"o":"Εἰ μὴ θέλεις κακοπαθεῖν, μηδὲ κακοποιεῖν θέλε· διότι τοῦτο ἐκείνῳ ἀπαραβάτως ἀκολουθεῖ. Ὁ γὰρ σπείρει ἕκαστος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει.","t":"If you do not wish to suffer evil, do not wish to do evil either; for the one follows the other inevitably. “For whatever each one sows, that he will also reap.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.118 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-118)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.119":{"o":"Ἐκουσίως τὰ φαῦλα σπείροντες, καὶ ἀκουσίως θερίζοντες, τὴν δικαιοσύνην τοῦ Θεοῦ θαυμάζειν ὀφείλομεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ θέρους καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον σπόρου καιρός τις διώρισται, τούτου χάριν ἀπιστοῦμεν περὶ τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν.","t":"Sowing wicked things willingly and reaping them unwillingly, we ought to marvel at the justice of God. But because a certain time has been set between sowing and harvest, we disbelieve in the recompense.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.119 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-119)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.12":{"o":"Μὴ ἐπαρθῇς ἐκχέων δάκρυον ἐν προσευχῇ σου. Χριστὸς γὰρ ἥψατο τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῆς καρδίας σου, καὶ νοερῶς ἀνέβλεψας.","t":"Do not be lifted up when you shed tears in your prayer. For it is Christ who touched the eyes of your heart, and you received your sight in the mind.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.12 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-12)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.120":{"o":"Αμαρτήσας, μὴ αἰτιῶ τὴν πρᾶξιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἔννοιαν. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ὁ νοῦς προέδραμεν, οὐκ ἂν τὸ σῶμα ἐπηκολούθησε.","t":"When you have sinned, do not blame the act but the thought. For if the mind had not run ahead, the body would not have followed.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.120 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-120)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.121":{"o":"Τῶν προφανῶς ἀδικούντων πονηρότερός ἐστιν ὁ λαθροκακοῦργος· διόπερ ἐκεῖνος καὶ πονηροτέρως κολάζεται.","t":"The secret evildoer is worse than those who do wrong openly; therefore he is also punished more severely.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.121 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-121)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.122":{"o":"Ὁ δόλους συμπλέκων, καὶ κεκρυμμένως κακοποιῶν, ὄφις ἐστὶ, κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, ὁ καθήμενος ἐν ὁδῷ, καὶ δάκνων πτέρναν ἵππου.","t":"Whoever weaves deceits and does evil in secret is, according to Scripture, the serpent that sits by the road and bites the horse's heel.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.122 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-122)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.123":{"o":"Ὁ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ εἷς τινα μὲν ἐπαινῶν, εἴς τινα δὲ ψέγων τὸν πέλας, οὗτος κενοδοξίᾳ καὶ φθόνῳ κεκράτηται· καὶ διὰ μὲν τῶν ἐπαίνων, κρύπτειν πειρᾶται τὸν φθόνον, διὰ δὲ τῶν ψόγων, ἑαυτὸν εὐδοκιμώτερον ἐκείνου συνίστησιν.","t":"Whoever at the same time praises his neighbour to one person and blames him to another is ruled by vainglory and envy. By the praise he tries to hide his envy, and by the blame he presents himself as more esteemed than the other.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.123 (PG 65:919; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-123)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.124":{"o":"Ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ πρόβατα βόσκειν καὶ λύκους· οὕτως ἀδύνατον ἐλέους τυχεῖν τὸν δολοποιοῦντα τὸν πλησίον.","t":"Just as one cannot pasture sheep and wolves together, so it is impossible for one who deals deceitfully with his neighbour to obtain mercy.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.124 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-124)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.125":{"o":"Ὁ τῇ ἐπιταγῇ ἐπιμίσγων λάθρα τὸ ἴδιον θέλημα, μοϊχός ἐστι, καθὼς ἐν τῇ Σοφίᾳ δεδήλωται, καὶ δι' ἔνδειαν φρενῶν, ὀδύνας καὶ ἀτιμίας ὑποφέρει. Ὥσπερ ὕδατος καὶ πυρὸς ἐναντία ἡ σύνοδος, οὕτως ἐναντιοῦται ἀλλήλοις δικαιολογία καὶ ταπείνωσις.","t":"Whoever secretly mixes his own will with the command is an adulterer, as is shown in the Wisdom, and through lack of sense he bears pains and dishonour. [126] As the meeting of water and fire is a meeting of opposites, so self-justification and humility are opposed to each other.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.125 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-125)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.127":{"o":"Ὁ ζητῶν ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, ἀγαπάτω ταπεινοφροσύνην· ὁ δὲ κατακρίνων τὸν ἕτερον, σφραγίζει τὰ ἑαυτοῦ κακά.","t":"Whoever seeks forgiveness of sins should love humility; but whoever condemns another seals his own evils.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.127 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-127)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.128":{"o":"Μὴ ἀφῆς ἀνεξάλειπτον ἁμαρτίαν, κἂν βραχυτάτη τυγχάνῃ, ἵνα μὴ ὕστερον ἐπὶ μεῖζον κακὸν κατασύρῃ σε.","t":"Do not leave a sin unerased, even if it is very small, lest it later drag you into greater evil.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.128 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-128)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.129":{"o":"Ἐὰν θέλῃς σωθῆναι, ἀληθῆ λόγον ἀγάπησον, καὶ μηδέποτε ἀκρίτως ἔλεγχον ἀποστραφῆς.","t":"If you wish to be saved, love a true word, and never turn away from rebuke without discernment.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.129 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-129)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.13":{"o":"Ὁ κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ τυφλοῦ ἀποβαλὼν τὸ ἱμάτιον, καὶ ἐγγίσας τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀκολουθεῖ αὐτῷ, καὶ κήρυξ γίνεται τῶν τελειοτέρων δογμάτων.","t":"Whoever, in imitation of the blind man, throws off his cloak and draws near to the Lord follows him and becomes a herald of the more perfect teachings.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.13 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-13)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.130":{"o":"Λόγος ἀληθὴς μετέβαλε γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, καὶ ὑπέδειξεν αὐτοῖς φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς.","t":"A true word changed the offspring of vipers and showed them how to flee from the wrath to come.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.130 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-130)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.131":{"o":"Ὁ δεχόμενος λόγους ἀληθείας, ὑποδέξεται τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον· φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος· Ὁ δεχόμενος ὑμᾶς, ἐμὲ δέχεται.","t":"Whoever receives words of truth will receive God the Word; for the Lord says, “Whoever receives you receives me.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.131 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-131)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.132":{"o":"Παραλυτικός ἐστι χαλασθεὶς διὰ τοῦ δώματος, ἁμαρτωλὸς παρὰ πιστῶν κατὰ Θεὸν ἐλεγχόμενος, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων πίστιν λαμβάνων τὴν ἄφεσιν.","t":"The paralytic let down through the roof is a sinner rebuked for God's sake by the faithful, who receives forgiveness through their faith.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.132 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-132)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.133":{"o":"Κρείσσον μετ' εὐλαβείας ὑπερεύχεσθαι τοῦ πλησίον, ἢ ἐλέγχειν αὐτὸν ἐν παντὶ πράγματι.","t":"It is better to pray devoutly for your neighbour than to rebuke him over every matter.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.133 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-133)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.134":{"o":"Ὁ ὀρθῶς μετανοῶν, ὑπὸ ἀφρόνων χλευάζεται. Τοῦτο δὲ αὐτῷ ἐστι τεκμήριον εὐαρεστήσεως.","t":"Whoever repents rightly is mocked by fools; but this is a sign to him that he is pleasing God.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.134 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-134)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.135":{"o":"Ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος, πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται, καὶ οὐ παύσεται, ἕως ἂν ἐξολοθρεύσῃ Κύριος σπέρμα ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος. Λόγισαί μοι ἕνδεκα εἶναι τὰ πάθη τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ἐὰν ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀγαπήσῃς θελήματι, ἐκεῖνο ἀναπληρώσει τὸν τόπον τῶν ἕνδεκα.","t":"Whoever competes exercises self-control in all things, and will not stop until the Lord destroys the seed out of Babylon. [136] Reckon for me that the passions of sin are eleven: if you love one of them by your will, that one will fill the place of the eleven.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.135 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-135)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.136":{"o":"Πῦρ ἐστι καιόμενον ἡ ἁμαρτία. Ὅσον ἂν περικόψῃς τὴν ὕλην, τοσοῦτον σβεσθήσεται· καὶ καθὸ ἐν ἐπιθῇς, ἀναλόγως ἐκκαυθήσεται.","t":"Sin is a burning fire. As much fuel as you cut away, so much will it die down; and as much as you add, so much will it flare up.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.136 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-136)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.137":{"o":"Ἐπαρθεὶς ἐν ἐπαίνοις, ἐκδέχου ἀτιμίαν. Φησὶ γάρ· Ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν, ταπεινωθήσεται.","t":"If you are lifted up by praise, expect dishonour. For it says, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.137 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-137)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.138":{"o":"Ὅταν πᾶσαν ἑκούσιον κακίαν ἀποβάλωμεν τῆς διανοίας, τότε ἂν πολεμήσωμεν πάθεσι τοῖς κατὰ πρόληψιν.","t":"When we have cast all voluntary wickedness out of the mind, then we can fight against the passions that come from prepossession.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.138 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-138)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.14":{"o":"Κακία ἐν λογισμοῖς μελετωμένη, θρασύνει καρδίαν· ἀναιρουμένη δι' ἐγκρατείας καὶ ἐλπίδος, συντρίβει αὐτήν.","t":"Wickedness pondered in thoughts makes the heart bold; destroyed by self-control and hope, it breaks the heart.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.14 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-14)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.140":{"o":"Πρόληψις ἔστι τῶν προτέρων κακῶν μνεία ἀκούσιος, παρὰ μὲν τῷ ἀγωνιστῇ προβῆναι εἰς πάθος κωλυομένη· παρὰ δὲ τῷ νικητῇ ἕως προσβολῆς ἀνατρεπομένη.","t":"Prepossession is the involuntary remembrance of former evils. In the one who is still struggling, it is prevented from going on into passion; in the one who has conquered, it is overthrown as early as the provocation.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.140 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-140)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.141":{"o":"Προσβολὴ ἔστιν ἀνείδωλον κίνημα καρδίας, κλεισούρας δίκην, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐμπείρων κατεχομένη.","t":"Provocation is an imageless movement of the heart, held back by the experienced like a mountain pass.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.141 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-141)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.142":{"o":"\"Ὅπου εἰκόνες λογισμῶν, ἐκεῖ γέγονε συγκατάθεσις· κίνημα γάρ ἐστιν ἀνείδωλον, ἀναίτιος προσβολή. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐκ τούτων ἐκφεύγων, ὡς δαλὸς ἐκ πυρός· καὶ ἔστιν ὁ μὴ ἀναστρέφων, ἕως ἂν ἐκκαύσῃ φλόγα.","t":"Where there are images of thoughts, consent has already taken place; for a provocation without blame is an imageless movement. There is one who escapes from these like a brand from the fire; and there is one who does not turn back until he has kindled a flame.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.142 (PG 65:921; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-142)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.143":{"o":"Μὴ λέγε· Ο τι οὐ θέλω, καὶ ἔρχεται. Πάντως γὰρ κἂν μὴ αὐτὸ ἀγνοῇς, τὰς δὲ αἰτίας ἀγαπᾶς τοῦ πράγματος.","t":"Do not say, “I do not want it, and it comes.” For even if you do not love the thing itself, you certainly love its causes.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.143 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-143)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.144":{"o":"Ὁ ζητῶν ἔπαινον, ἔγκειται πάθει· καὶ θλίψιν ἐπελθοῦσαν ἀποδυρόμενος, ἀγαπᾷ τὴν ἄνεσιν.","t":"Whoever seeks praise is gripped by passion; and whoever laments when affliction comes loves ease.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.144 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-144)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.145":{"o":"Ὡς ἐπὶ ζυγοῦ ἀστατεῖ τοῦ ἡδυπαθοῦντος ὁ λογισμὸς, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν κλαίει καὶ ἀποδύρεται δι΄ ἁμαρτίας· ποτὲ δὲ πολεμεῖ καὶ ἀντιλέγει τῷ πλησίον, ἐκδικῶν τὰς ἡδονάς. Ὁ πάντα δοκιμάζων καὶ τὸ καλὸν κατέχων, ἀκολούθως ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ ἀφέξεται.","t":"The thought of the self-indulgent wavers as on a scale: at one time it weeps and laments over sins, at another it fights and contradicts the neighbour, defending its pleasures. [146] Whoever tests all things and holds fast what is good will consequently keep away from every evil.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.145 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-145)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.147":{"o":"Μακρόθυμος ἀνὴρ, πολὺς ἐν φρονήσει ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ λόγοις σοφίας παραβάλλων τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ.","t":"A patient man is great in understanding; so too is the one who inclines his ear to words of wisdom.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.147 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-147)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.148":{"o":"Χωρὶς μνήμης Θεοῦ, γνῶσις ἀληθὴς εἶναι οὐ δύναται· ἐκτὸς γὰρ τῆς προτέρας, ἡ δευτέρα νόθος ὑπάρχει.","t":"Without remembrance of God there can be no true knowledge; for without the first, the second is spurious.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.148 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-148)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.149":{"o":"Τὸν σκληροκάρδιον οὐκ ὠφελεῖ λεπτοτέρας γνώσεως λόγος, διότι ἐκτὸς φόβου, μετανοίας πόνους οὐ καταδέχεται.","t":"A word of subtler knowledge does not benefit the hard-hearted; for without fear he does not accept the labours of repentance.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.149 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-149)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.15":{"o":"Ἔστι συντριμμὸς καρδίας ὁμαλὸς καὶ ἐπωφελὴς, εἰς κατάνυξιν αὐτῆς· καὶ ἔστιν ἕτερος ἀνώμαλος καὶ ἐπιβλαβής, εἰς πλῆξιν αὐτῆς.","t":"There is a breaking of the heart that is gentle and beneficial, leading it to compunction; and there is another, violent and harmful, leading it to injury.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.15 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-15)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.150":{"o":"Τῷ πραεῖ ἀνθρώπῳ πιστολογία συμβάλλεται, καθότι οὐ πειράζει Θεοῦ μακροθυμίαν, καὶ οὐ τύπτεται ἐν πυκνῇ παραβάσει.","t":"Words of faith benefit the meek person, because he does not try God's patience and is not struck down for frequent transgression.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.150 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-150)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.151":{"o":"\"Ανδρα δυνατὸν μὴ ἐλέγξῃς ἐπὶ κενοδοξίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπιφορὰν τῆς μελλούσης ἀτιμίας ὑπόδειξον· τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ τρόπῳ ὁ συνετὸς ἡδέως ἐλέγχεται.","t":"Do not rebuke a powerful man for vainglory, but point out the coming dishonour that will befall him; in this way the sensible man accepts rebuke gladly.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.151 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-151)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.152":{"o":"Ὁ μισῶν ἔλεγχον, κατὰ πρόθεσιν ἔγκειται τῷ πάθει. Ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν, δηλονότι κατὰ πρόληψιν παραφέρεται.","t":"Whoever hates rebuke is gripped by passion deliberately; but whoever loves it is clearly carried away by prepossession.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.152 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-152)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.153":{"o":"Μὴ θέλε ἀκούειν ἀλλότρια πονηρεύματα· τῷ γὰρ τοιούτῳ θελήματι καὶ οἱ χαρακτῆρες τῶν πονηρευμάτων διατρέφονται.","t":"Do not wish to hear about other people's wickednesses; for by such a wish the impressions of those wickednesses are nourished in us as well.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.153 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-153)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.154":{"o":"Ὁ κακοῖς λόγοις ἐνηχηθεὶς, σεαυτῷ ὀργίζου, καὶ μὴ τῷ λαλήσαντι · πονηρᾶς γὰρ ἀκοῆς, πονηρὸς καὶ ὁ ἀποκρισιάριος.","t":"When evil words have rung in your ears, be angry with yourself and not with the speaker; for of a wicked hearing the one who carries the reply is wicked too.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.154 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-154)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.155":{"o":"Εἴ τις ματαιολόγοις ἀνθρώποις περιτύχοι, ὑπεύθυνον ἑαυτὸν ἡγείσθω τῶν τοιούτων ῥημάτων, κἂν μὴ προσφάτως, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ παλαιοῦ χρεωστήματος. Ἐὰν ἴδῃς τινὰ καθ' ὑπόκρισιν ἐπαινοῦντά σε, ἐν ἰδίῳ καιρῷ παρ' ἐκείνου ψόγον ἐκδέχου.","t":"If anyone meets people who speak idly, let him consider himself responsible for such words, if not from a recent debt, then from an old one. [156] If you see someone praising you hypocritically, expect blame from him in due time.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.155 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-155)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.157":{"o":"Τὰ παρόντα θλιβερά προσσυνάλλασσε τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ οὐδέποτέ σου τὸν ἀγῶνα χαυνώσει πλημμέλεια.","t":"Exchange present afflictions for the good things to come, and negligence will never slacken your struggle.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.157 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-157)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.158":{"o":"Ὅταν διὰ σωματικὴν παροχὴν ἄνθρωπον ὡς ἀγαθόν ἐκτὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαινέσῃς, ὕστερον ὁ αὐτὸς σοι πονηρὸς καταφανήσεται.","t":"When you praise a man as good apart from God because of some bodily gift, later the same man will appear wicked to you.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.158 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-158)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.159":{"o":"Πᾶν ἀγαθὸν παρὰ Κυρίου οἰκονομικῶς ἐπο έρχεται · καὶ οἱ φέροντες αὐτὸ, εἰσὶν ἀγαθοῦ διάκονοι.","t":"Every good comes from the Lord by his providence; and those who bring it are servants of the good.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.159 (PG 65:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-159)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.16":{"o":"Αγρυπνία, καὶ προσευχὴ, καὶ τῶν ἐπερχομένων ὑπομονή, συντριμμός ἐστιν ἀνεπηρέαστος, καὶ ἐπωφελής τῇ καρδίᾳ, μόνον εἰ μὴ διά τινος πλεονεξίας ἐγκόψομεν αὐτῶν τὴν σύγκρασιν. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν τούτοις ὑπομένων, καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς βοηθήσεται ὁ δὲ ἀμελῶν καὶ διαχεόμενος, ἐν ἐξόδῳ ἀφορήτως ὀδυνηθήσεται.","t":"Vigil, prayer, and patient endurance of what comes upon us are a breaking of the heart that does no damage and does it good, provided we do not cut short their blending through some greed. For whoever perseveres in these will be helped in the rest also; but whoever is careless and dissipated will suffer unbearable pain at his departure.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.16 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-16)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.160":{"o":"᾿Αγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν τὰς μετεμπλοκὰς ὁμαλῷ λογισμῷ ὑποδέχου· καὶ οὕτως ἀνατρέπει ὁ Θεὸς τῆς ἀνωμαλίας τὰ πράγματα.","t":"Accept the alternation of good and evil things with an even mind; and so God overturns the unevenness of circumstances.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.160 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-160)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.161":{"o":"Ἡ ἀνισότης τῶν λογισμῶν, τὰς τῶν ἰδικῶν ἀνιδίως μεταβολὰς ἐπιφέρει· ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ τὰ ἀκούσια τοῖς ἑκουσίοις προσφυῶς ἀπένειμε.","t":"Unevenness of thoughts brings unsettled changes in one's circumstances; for God has fittingly assigned involuntary things to voluntary ones.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.161 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-161)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.162":{"o":"Τὰ αἰσθητὰ, τῶν νοερῶν ἐστιν ἔκγονα, τὸ δέον φέροντα ψήφῳ Θεοῦ.","t":"Sensible things are the offspring of things of the mind, bringing what is due by God's decree.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.162 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-162)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.163":{"o":"Καρδίας ἡδυπαθούσης, λογισμοὶ λοιμοὶ ἀναφύονται · καὶ ἐν τῷ καπνῷ τὴν ἐγκειμένην ὕλην ἐπιγινώσκομεν.","t":"When the heart indulges in pleasure, pestilent thoughts spring up; and from the smoke we recognize the fuel lying within.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.163 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-163)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.164":{"o":"Παράμενε τῇ διανοίᾳ, καὶ οὐ κοπιάσεις ἐν πειρασμοῖς· ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἀναχωρῶν, ὑπόμενε τὰ ἐπερχόμενα.","t":"Remain within your mind, and you will not be wearied in temptations; but if you withdraw from it, endure what comes upon you.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.164 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-164)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.165":{"o":"Εὔχου μὴ ἐλθεῖν σοι πειρασμόν· ἐλθόντα δὲ, κατάδεξαι ὡς σὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἀλλότριον.","t":"Pray that temptation may not come upon you; but when it comes, accept it as your own and not as another's.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.165 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-165)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.166":{"o":"Αρον τὴν ἔννοιαν ἀπὸ πάσης πλεονεξίας, καὶ τότε δυνήσει ἰδεῖν τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου.","t":"Take your thought away from all greed, and then you will be able to see the schemes of the devil.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.166 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-166)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.167":{"o":"Ὁ λέγων πάσας εἰδέναι τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου, οὐκ οἶδεν ἑαυτὸν τέλειον εἰσφέρειν.","t":"Whoever says he knows all the schemes of the devil does not know that he is presenting himself as perfect.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.167 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-167)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.168":{"o":"Ὅταν ἐξέλθῃ ὁ νοῦς τῶν σωματικῶν φροντίδων, βλέπει κατ' ἀναλογίαν τὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν πανουργίας.","t":"When the mind comes out of bodily cares, it sees the cunning of the enemies in proportion.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.168 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-168)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.169":{"o":"Ὁ λογισμοῖς συναπαγόμενος, ἐκτυφλοῦται ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν· καὶ τὰς μὲν ἐργασίας τῆς ἁμαρτίας βλέπει, τὰς δὲ αἰτίας αὐτῶν οὐ δύναται ἰδεῖν.","t":"Whoever is carried away by thoughts is blinded by them; he sees the workings of sin but cannot see their causes.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.169 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-169)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.17":{"o":"Φιλήδονος καρδία, εἰρκτὴ καὶ ἅλυσις τῇ ψυχῇ ἐν καιρῷ ἐξόδου· ἡ δὲ φιλόπονος, θύρα ἐστὶν ἀνεῳγμένη.","t":"A pleasure-loving heart is a prison and a chain for the soul at the time of its departure; but a heart that loves toil is an open door.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.17 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-17)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.170":{"o":"Ἔστιν ὁ ποιῶν προφανῶς ἐντολὴν, δουλεύων πάθει, καὶ διὰ λογισμῶν πονηρῶν ἀγαθὴν πρᾶξιν ἐξαφανίζων.","t":"There is one who openly keeps a commandment while serving a passion, and through evil thoughts makes the good deed vanish.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.170 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-170)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.171":{"o":"Ἐμφερόμενος ἐν ἀρχῇ κακοῦ, μὴ λέγε· Οὐ μὴ νικήσῃ με. Καθὸ γὰρ ἂν ἐμφέρῃ, κατὰ τοσοῦτον ἤδη νενίκησαι.","t":"When you are being drawn into the beginning of evil, do not say, “It will not conquer me.” For to the degree that you are drawn in, you have already been conquered.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.171 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-171)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.172":{"o":"Ἕκαστον τῶν γενομένων, ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἄρχεται· καὶ κατὰ μέρος τρεφόμενον, λαμβάνει τὴν αὔξησιν.","t":"Everything that comes to be begins from something small, and grows as it is nourished little by little.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.172 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-172)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.173":{"o":"Δίκτυόν ἐστι πολύπλοκον, ἡ τῆς κακίας μέθοδος · ᾧ μερικῶς ἐμπλακεὶς, ἐὰν ἀμελήσῃ, περιεκτικῶς σφίγγεται.","t":"The method of wickedness is an intricate net: whoever is partly entangled in it, if he is careless, is drawn tight all over.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.173 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-173)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.174":{"o":"Μὴ θέλε ἀκούειν δυστυχίας ἐχθρῶν ἀνθρώπων. Οἱ γὰρ ἡδέως ἀκούοντες τῶν τοιούτων ῥημάτων, καρποὺς τρυγῶσι τῆς ἰδίας προθέσεως.","t":"Do not wish to hear of the misfortunes of people who are your enemies. For those who gladly hear such words gather the fruit of their own purpose.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.174 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-174)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.175":{"o":"Μὴ πᾶσαν θλίψιν ἐπέρχεσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δι᾽ ἁμαρτίαν νόμιζε· εἰσὶ γάρ τινες εὐαρεστοῦντες καὶ πειραζόμενοι. Γέγραπται γάρ· Ασεβεῖς καὶ ἄνομοι ἐκδιωχθήσονται. Ὁμοίως καὶ Οἱ εὐσεβῶς θέλοντες ζῆν ἐν Χριστῷ, διωχθήσονται.","t":"Do not think that every affliction comes upon people because of sin; for there are some who are pleasing to God and are tested. For it is written, “The ungodly and lawless will be driven out”; and likewise, “Those who wish to live godly in Christ will be persecuted.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.175 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-175)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.176":{"o":"Ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως, βλέπε τὴν προσβολὴν τῆς θλίψεως· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ προσβολὴ παραμυθεῖται τὴν θλίψιν, εὐπαράδεκτος γίνεται.","t":"In the time of affliction, watch for the provocation that comes in the affliction; for since that provocation consoles the affliction, it is readily welcomed.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.176 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-176)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.177":{"o":"Τινὲς φρονίμους λέγουσι, τοὺς διακριτικοὺς τῶν αἰσθητῶν πραγμάτων. Φρόνιμοι δὲ εἰσιν, οἱ ἐπικρατοῦντες τῶν ἰδίων θελημάτων.","t":"Some call prudent those who can discern sensible things. But the prudent are those who master their own wills.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.177 (PG 65:925; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-177)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.178":{"o":"Πρὸ ἀναιρέσεως τῶν κακῶν, μὴ υπακούσῃς τῇ καρδίᾳ σου. Οἴας γὰρ ἐνθήκας ἔχει, τοιαύτας καὶ προσθήκας ἐπιζητεῖ.","t":"Before the destruction of the evils, do not obey your heart. For whatever deposits it holds, it seeks additions of the same kind.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.178 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-178)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.179":{"o":"Ὥσπερ εἰσὶν ὄφεις συναντῶντες ἐν νάπαις, καὶ εἰσὶν ἔτεροι φωλεύοντες ἐν οἰκίαις· οὕτως εἰσὶ πάθη, λογιστικῶς μορφούμενα, καὶ εἰσὶν ἕτερα, πρακτικῶς ἐγκείμενα, εἰ καὶ ἐξ ἄλλων εἰς ἄλλας εἰκόνας μετεμορφώθησαν.","t":"Just as there are snakes that meet you in glens, and others that lurk in houses, so there are passions that take shape in thought and others that lie within through action, even if they have been transformed from one image into another.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.179 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-179)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.18":{"o":"Σιδηρᾶ πύλη ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀπάγουσα, ἐστὶ σκληρὰ καρδία. Τῷ δὲ κακοπαθοῦντι καὶ τεθλιμμένῳ αὐτομάτη ἀνοιχθήσεται, καθὼς καὶ τῷ μακαρίῳ Πέτρῳ.","t":"A hard heart is an iron gate leading to the city. But for one who suffers hardship and is afflicted it will open of its own accord, as it did for blessed Peter.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.18 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-18)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.180":{"o":"Ὅταν ἴδῃς τὰ ἐγκείμενα ὑποστατικῶς κινούμενα, καὶ εἰς πάθος προκαλούμενα τὸν νοῦν ἡσυχάζοντα, γίνωσκε ὅτι ὁ νοῦς ποτε καὶ τούτων προηγήσατο, καὶ εἰς πρᾶξιν ἤγαγε, καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐνέθηκεν.","t":"When you see the things that lie within moving substantially and calling the mind to passion while it is at rest, know that the mind once went before them too, brought them into action, and deposited them in the heart.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.180 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-180)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.181":{"o":"Οὐ συνίσταται νέφος ἐκτὸς αὔρας καὶ ἀνέμου, καὶ οὐ γεννᾶται πάθος ἐκτὸς ἐννοίας.","t":"No cloud forms without a breeze and wind, and no passion is born without a thought.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.181 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-181)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.182":{"o":"Ἐὰν μηκέτι ποιῶμεν τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, ῥᾳδίως ἐν Κυρίῳ ὑπολήξει τὰ προεγκείμενα.","t":"If we no longer do the wishes of the flesh, as Scripture says, the things that lay within before will easily subside in the Lord.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.182 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-182)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.183":{"o":"Τὰ μὲν ὑποστατικὰ τοῦ νοὸς εἴδωλα, πονηρότερά ἐστι καὶ ἐπικρατέστερα. Τὰ δὲ λογιστικά, τούτων αἴτια καὶ προηγητικά.","t":"The substantial images of the mind are more wicked and more powerful; but those in thought are their causes and forerunners.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.183 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-183)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.184":{"o":"Ἔστι κακία καρδιακῶς κατέχουσα διὰ τὴν χρονίαν πρόληψιν. Καὶ ἔστι κακία λογιστικῶς πολεμοῦσα διὰ τῶν καθημερινῶν πραγμάτων.","t":"There is wickedness that holds the heart because of long-standing prepossession; and there is wickedness that wars in thought through everyday affairs.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.184 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-184)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.185":{"o":"Ὁ Θεὸς τὰς πράξεις κατὰ τὰς προθέσεις λογίζεται· Δῴη γάρ σοι, φησὶ, Κύριος κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν σου.","t":"God reckons actions according to intentions; for it says, “May the Lord give to you according to your heart.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.185 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-185)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.186":{"o":"Ὁ ἐν θεωρίᾳ συνειδήσεως μὴ ἐγκαρτερῶν, οὐδὲ τοὺς σωματικοὺς πόνους ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καταδέχεται.","t":"Whoever does not persevere in the contemplation of conscience will not accept bodily labours for the sake of godliness either.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.186 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-186)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.187":{"o":"Φυσική βίβλος ἐστὶ συνείδησις. Ὁ ἐμπράκτως ἀναγινώσκων αὐτὴν, λαμβάνει πεῖραν θείας ἀντιλήψεως.","t":"Conscience is a book of nature. Whoever reads it in practice gains experience of divine help.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.187 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-187)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.188":{"o":"Ὁ μὴ αἱρούμενος τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας πόνους ἑκουσίως, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσίων χαλεπωτέρως παιδεύεται.","t":"Whoever does not willingly choose labours for the truth is disciplined more harshly by involuntary ones.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.188 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-188)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.189":{"o":"Ὁ γνοὺς τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ κατὰ δύναμιν ποιῶν αὐτὸ, διὰ μικρῶν πόνων τοὺς μεγάλους ἐκφεύξεται. Ὁ ἐκτὸς προσευχῆς καὶ ὑπομονῆς πειρασμοὺς νικῆσαι θέλων, οὐκ ἀπώσεται αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ πλέον ἐμπλακήσεται. Κύριος εἰς τὰς ἰδίας ἐγκέκρυπται ἐντολὰς, καὶ τοῖς ζητοῦσιν αὐτὸν κατ᾿ ἀναλογίαν εὑρίσκεται. Μὴ εἴπῃς· Ἐποίησα ἐντολὰς, καὶ οὐχ εὖρον τὸν Κύριον. Γνῶσιν γὰρ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης πολλάκις εὕρηκας. Οἱ δὲ ὀρθῶς ζητοῦντες αὐτὸν, εὑρήσουσιν εἰρήνην.","t":"Whoever knows the will of God and does it as far as he can will escape great labours through small ones. [190] Whoever wishes to conquer temptations without prayer and patience will not drive them off but will become more entangled. [191] The Lord is hidden in his own commandments, and is found by those who seek him in proportion. [192] Do not say, “I have kept the commandments and have not found the Lord.” For you have often found knowledge with righteousness; and those who seek him rightly will find peace.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.189 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-189)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.19":{"o":"Πολλοὶ μὲν εἰσὶ προσευχῆς τρόποι, ἕτερος ἑτέρου διαφορώτερος. Ὅμως οὐδὲ εἷς τρόπος εὐχῆς ἐπιβλαβὴς τυγχάνει· εἰ μὴ τι ἂν οὐκ ἔστιν εὐχὴ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐργασία σατανική.","t":"There are many ways of prayer, one differing from another. Yet no way of prayer is harmful, unless it is not prayer at all but a work of Satan.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.19 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-19)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.190":{"o":"Εἰρήνη ἐστὶ τῶν παθῶν ἀπαλλαγή· αὐτὴ δὲ, ὡς λέγει ὁ ἅγιος Ἀπόστολος, ἐκτὸς ἐνεργείας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος οὐχ εὑρίσκεται. \"Αλλο πρᾶξις ἐντολῆς, καὶ ἄλλο ἀρετὴ, κᾶν ἐξ ἀλλήλων τὰς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀφορμὰς λαμβάνωσι τὰ πάντα.","t":"Peace is deliverance from the passions; and this, as the holy apostle says, is not found without the working of the Holy Spirit. [194] Practice of a commandment is one thing and virtue another, even though all things take the occasions of good from one another.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.190 (PG 65:927; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-190)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.191":{"o":"Πρᾶξις ἐντολῆς λέγεται, ἐν τῷ πρᾶξαι τὸ προστεταγμένον· ἀρετὴ δὲ, ἐν τῷ ἀρέσκειν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ γεγενημένον. \"Ωσπερ εἷς μὲν ἔστιν ὁ αἰσθητὸς πλοῦτος, κατὰ δὲ κτῆσιν πολυμερής· οὕτω μία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀρετὴ, πολυτρόπους ἔχουσα τὰς ἐργασίας. Ὁ ἐκτὸς ἔργου σοφιζόμενος καὶ λαλῶν λόγους, πλουτεῖ ἐξ ἀδικίας · καὶ οἱ πόνοι αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, εἰς οἴκους ἀλλοτρίους ἔρχονται.","t":"It is called practice of a commandment when one does what has been commanded; but virtue, when what has been done pleases the truth. [196] Just as sensible wealth is one, though manifold in its possession, so virtue is one, though it has many kinds of working. [197] Whoever talks wisely and speaks words without work is rich from injustice; and his labours, according to Scripture, go into the houses of strangers.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.191 (PG 65:929; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-191)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.192":{"o":"Πάντα ὑπακούσεται τῷ χρυσίῳ, φησί· καὶ τῇ χάριτι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ νοητὰ διοικηθήσεται. Συνείδησις ἀγαθὴ διὰ προσευχῆς εὑρίσκεται, καὶ προσευχή καθαρὰ διὰ συνειδήσεως· θάτερον γὰρ θατέρου κατὰ φύσιν προσδέεται.","t":"“All things will obey gold,” it says; and by the grace of God the things of the mind will be governed. [199] A good conscience is found through prayer, and pure prayer through conscience; for each by nature needs the other.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.192 (PG 65:929; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-192)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.2":{"o":"Πᾶν ἀγαθὸν παρὰ Κυρίου δεδώρηται· καὶ ὁ οὕτω πιστεύων, οὐκ ἀπολέσει αὐτό. Ἡ δὲ βεβαία πίστις, πύργος ἐστὶν ἰσχυρός· Χριστὸς δὲ τὰ πάντα τῷ πιστεύοντι γίνεται.","t":"Every good thing has been given by the Lord, and whoever believes this will not lose it. Firm faith is a strong tower, and Christ becomes all things to the one who believes.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.2 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.20":{"o":"Ἄνθρωπος κακοποιῆσαι θέλων, πρῶτον ηὔξατο κατὰ συνήθειαν· καὶ οἰκονομικῶς ἐμποδισθεὶς, ὕστερον εὐχαρίστησεν.","t":"A man who wanted to do evil first prayed, as was his custom; and being hindered by providence, he afterward gave thanks.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.20 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-20)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.200":{"o":"Ὁ Ἰακὼβ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ χιτῶνα ποικίλον ἐποίησε, καὶ ὁ Κύριος τῷ πραεῖ γνῶσιν ἀληθείας χαρίζεται, καθὰ γέγραπται, ὅτι Διδάξει πραεῖς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ.","t":"Jacob made Joseph a many-coloured coat, and the Lord gives the meek the knowledge of truth, as it is written: “He will teach the meek his ways.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.200 (PG 65:929; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-200)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.201":{"o":"Πάντοτε ἐργάζου τὸ ἀγαθὸν κατὰ δύναμιν, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ μείζονος μὴ στρέφου ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλαττον· Ὁ γὰρ στραφεὶς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔστιν εὔθετος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν.","t":"Always do good as far as you can, and when the time for the greater comes, do not turn to the lesser. For “whoever has turned back,” it says, “is not fit for the kingdom of heaven.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.201 (PG 65:929; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-201)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.21":{"o":"Ὁ Δαβὶδ φονεῦσαι βουληθεὶς Ναβάλ τὸν Καρμήλιον, ὑπόμνησιν λαβὼν περὶ θείας ἀνταποδόσεως, ἐγκοπεὶς τῆς προθέσεως, πολλὰ εὐχαρίστησεν.","t":"David, when he wished to kill Nabal the Carmelite, was reminded of God's retribution, was stopped from his purpose, and gave great thanks.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.21 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-21)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.22":{"o":"Οἴδαμεν δὲ πάλιν ἃ πεποίηκεν ἐπιλαθόμενος τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ οὐκ ἐπαύετο, ἕως ὁ Νάθαν αὐτὸν εἰς μνήμην κατέστησεν.","t":"But we know also what he did when he forgot God; and he did not stop until Nathan brought him back to remembrance.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.22 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-22)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.23":{"o":"Ἐν καιρῷ μνήμης Θεοῦ πολυπλασίασον δέησιν, ἵνα ὅταν ἐπιλάθῃς, ὁ Κύριος ὑπομνήσῃ σε.","t":"At the time when you remember God, multiply your supplication, so that when you forget, the Lord may remind you.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.23 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-23)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.24":{"o":"Ὁ ἀναγινώσκων τὰς θείας Γραφὰς, νόησον τὰ κεκρυμμένα. \"Οσα γὰρ προεγράφη, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν διδασκαλίαν προεγράφη.","t":"You who read the divine Scriptures, understand what is hidden in them. For “whatever was written beforehand,” it says, “was written beforehand for our instruction.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.24 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-24)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.25":{"o":"Τὴν πίστιν ἡ Γραφή λέγει, ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασιν· καὶ τοὺς μὴ ἐπιγινώσκοντας τὴν ἐνοίκησιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τούτους ἀδοκίμους εἴρηκεν.","t":"Scripture calls faith “the substance of things hoped for,” and it has called those who do not recognize the indwelling of Christ “unapproved.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.25 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-25)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.26":{"o":"Ὥσπερ δι' ἔργων καὶ λόγων φανεροῦται ἔννοια, οὕτω διὰ τῶν καρδιακῶν ἐνεργημάτων ἡ μέλλουσα ἀνταπόδοσις.","t":"Just as the intention is made manifest through deeds and words, so the coming reward is made manifest through the workings of the heart.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.26 (PG 65:907; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-26)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.27":{"o":"Οἰκτίρμων καρδία δῆλον ὅτι οἰκτειρήσεται καὶ ἐλεηθήσεται ὁμοίως ἐλεήμων. Τὰ δὲ ἐναντία, ἡ ἀκολουθία ἀντιπεφώνηκεν. Ὁ νόμος τῆς ἐλευθερίας διδάσκει πᾶσαν ἀλήθειαν· καὶ οἱ μὲν πολλοὶ τοῦτον κατὰ γνῶσιν ἀναγινώσκουσιν · ὀλίγοι δὲ νοοῦσιν αὐτὸν κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν.","t":"Clearly a compassionate heart will be shown compassion, and in the same way a merciful heart will receive mercy; and the logical consequence states the contrary for the contrary. [28] The law of liberty teaches all truth. Many read it according to knowledge, but few understand it in proportion to their practice of the commandments.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.27 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-27)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.29":{"o":"Μὴ ζήτει αὐτοῦ τὴν τελειότητα ἐν ἀρεταῖς ἀνθρωπίναις · τέλειος γὰρ ἐν αὐταῖς οὐχ εὑρίσκεται. Ἡ γὰρ τελειότης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγκέκρυπται.","t":"Do not seek its perfection in human virtues, for no one is found perfect in them. Its perfection is hidden in the cross of Christ.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.29 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-29)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.3":{"o":"Καταρχέτω σου πάσης προθέσεως, ὁ κατάρχων παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ, ὅπως κατὰ Θεὸν γένοιτο τὸ προκείμενον.","t":"Let him who is the beginning of every good be the beginning of every purpose of yours, so that what you set out to do may be done according to God.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.3 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-3)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.30":{"o":"Ὁ νόμος τῆς ἐλευθερίας διὰ μὲν γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς ἀναγινώσκεται· διὰ δὲ ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν νοεῖται· πληροῦται δὲ διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.","t":"The law of liberty is read through true knowledge, understood through the practice of the commandments, and fulfilled through the compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.30 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-30)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.31":{"o":"Ὅταν πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ συνειδήσεως κατορθοῦσθαι βιαζώμεθα, τότε νοήσομεν τὸν νόμον τοῦ Κυρίου ἄμωμον, ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις μὲν καλοῖς ἐπιτηδευόμενον· χωρὶς δὲ οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν ἀνθρώποις τελειωθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενον.","t":"When we force ourselves, through conscience, to fulfil all the commandments of God, then we shall understand that the law of the Lord is blameless: it is practised in our good deeds, but without God's compassion it cannot be brought to perfection in human beings.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.31 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-31)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.32":{"o":"Ὅσοι πάσης ἐντολῆς Χριστοῦ ἑαυτοὺς ὀφειλέτας οὐκ ἐλογίσαντο, οὗτοι τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον σωματικῶς ἀναγινώσκουσι, μὴ νοοῦντες μήτε ἃ λέγουσι, μήτε περὶ τίνος διαβεβαιοῦνται· διὸ καὶ πληροῦν αὐτὸν ἐξ ἔργων νομίζουσιν.","t":"Those who have not reckoned themselves debtors to every commandment of Christ read the law of God bodily, understanding neither what they say nor what they affirm; and so they suppose they fulfil it by works.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.32 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-32)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.33":{"o":"Ἔστι πρᾶγμα προφανῶς ἐπιτελούμενον, ὡς καλὸν, καὶ ὁ σκοπὸς τοῦ ἐπιτελοῦντος αὐτὸ, εἰς πονηρόν· καὶ ἔστιν ἕτερον ὡς πονηρὸν, καὶ ὁ σκοπὸς τοῦ ἐπιτελοῦντος αὐτὸ, εἰς ἀγαθόν.","t":"There is an action done openly as good, while the aim of the one doing it is evil; and there is another done as evil, while the aim of the one doing it is good.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.33 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-33)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.34":{"o":"Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἔργα ποιοῦσί τινες, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγους λαλοῦσι τῷ τρόπῳ ᾧ προειρήκαμεν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐναλλάσσουσι πράγματα κατὰ ἀπειρίαν ἢ ἄγνοιαν· οἱ δὲ ἐναλλάσσουσι κατὰ πρόθεσιν πονηρίας· ἕτεροι δὲ κατὰ σκοπὸν εὐσεβείας.","t":"Some not only do deeds but also speak words in the way we have described. Some misrepresent things through inexperience or ignorance; others misrepresent them with evil intent; still others with a godly aim.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.34 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-34)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.35":{"o":"Ὁ ἐν προβολῇ ἐπαίνου ἐγκρύπτων διαβολήν, δυσεύρετός ἐστι τοῖς ἁπλουστέροις· ὅμοιος δὲ τούτῳ ἐστὶν ὁ κενοδοξῶν ἐν ταπεινῷ σχήματι.","t":"Whoever hides slander under a show of praise is hard for simpler people to detect; and like him is the one who seeks vainglory under a humble appearance.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.35 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-35)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.36":{"o":"Οἵτινες ἐπὶ πολὺ κατασοφισάμενοι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν τῷ ψεύδει, παραχωρηθέντες ὕστερον, διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐξελέγχονται.","t":"Those who for a long time have cunningly concealed the truth in falsehood are later abandoned and exposed by the facts.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.36 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-36)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.37":{"o":"Ἔστι ποιῶν τις προφανὲς ὡς καλὸν τῷ πλησίον ἀμυνόμενος· καὶ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ μὴ ποιῆσαι αὐτὸν ὠφεληθεὶς κατὰ διάνοιαν.","t":"There is one who does something openly as good while taking revenge on his neighbour; and there is one who, by not doing it, has profited in his mind.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.37 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-37)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.38":{"o":"Ἔστιν ἔλεγχος κατὰ κακίαν, καὶ δι' ἄμυναν· καὶ ἔστιν ἕτερος κατὰ φόβον Θεοῦ καὶ ἀλήθειαν.","t":"There is a rebuke that comes from malice and for revenge; and there is another that comes from the fear of God and from truth.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.38 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-38)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.39":{"o":"Τὸν παυσάμενον καὶ μετανοοῦντα μηκέτι ἔλεγχε. Εἰ δὲ λέγεις κατα Θεὸν ἐλέγχειν, πρῶτον τὰ σὰ κακὰ φανεροποίησον.","t":"Do not rebuke any longer one who has stopped and repents. And if you say that you rebuke according to God, first make your own evils known.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.39 (PG 65:909; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-39)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.4":{"o":"Ὁ ταπεινόφρων καὶ ἔργον ἔχων πνευματικὸν, ἀναγινώσκων τὰς θείας Γραφὰς, πάντα εἰς ἑαυτὸν νοήσεις, καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἕτερον.","t":"The humble person who is engaged in spiritual work, when reading the divine Scriptures, will apply everything to himself and not to someone else.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.4 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-4)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.40":{"o":"Πάσης ἀρετῆς κατάρχει Θεὸς, καὶ τοῦ μεθημερινοῦ φωτὸς ὁ ἥλιος.","t":"God is the beginning of every virtue, as the sun is of the light of day.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.40 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-40)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.41":{"o":"Ποιήσας ἀρετὴν, μνήσθητι τοῦ εἰρηκότος, ὅτι Χωρὶς ἐμοῦ οὐ δύνασθε ποιεῖν οὐδέν.","t":"When you have done a virtuous act, remember him who said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.41 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-41)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.42":{"o":"Διὰ θλίψεως τὰ ἀγαθὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡτοίμασται· ὁμοίως καὶ τὰ κακὰ διὰ κενοδοξίας καὶ ἡδονῆς.","t":"Good things have been prepared for human beings through affliction; likewise evil things through vainglory and pleasure.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.42 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-42)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.43":{"o":"Ἐκφεύγει ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας ὁ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ἀδικούμενος, καὶ ὁμοίαν τῆς θλίψεως εὑρίσκει τὴν ἀντίληψιν.","t":"Whoever is wronged by others escapes from sin, and finds help equal to his affliction.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.43 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-43)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.44":{"o":"Ὁ μὴ πιστεύων τῷ Χριστῷ περὶ ἀνταποδόσεως, πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν ὑπομένει κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως.","t":"Whoever believes Christ about the reward endures every injustice in proportion to his faith.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.44 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-44)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.45":{"o":"Ὁ ἀδικούντων ἀνθρώπων ὑπερευχόμενος καταράσσει τοὺς δαίμονας· ὁ δὲ τοῖς πρώτοις ἀντιτασσόμενος, ὑπὸ τῶν δευτέρων τιτρώσκεται. Κρείσσων πλημμέλεια ἀνθρώπων, καὶ μὴ δαιμόνων· ὁ δὲ εὐαρεστῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀμφοτέρους ἐνίκησε.","t":"Whoever prays for those who wrong him dashes down the demons; but whoever opposes the first is wounded by the second. [46] Better an offence from human beings than from demons; but whoever pleases the Lord has conquered both.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.45 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-45)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.47":{"o":"Πᾶν ἀγαθὸν παρὰ Θεοῦ οἰκονομικῶς παραγίνεται· διαφεύγει δὲ μυστικῶς τοὺς ἀγνώμονας καὶ ἀχαρίστους καὶ ἀεργούς.","t":"Every good comes from God by his providence; but it secretly escapes the unthankful, the ungrateful, and the idle.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.47 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-47)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.48":{"o":"Πᾶσα κακία εἰς τὴν ἀπηγορευμένην ἡδονὴν καταλήγει, καὶ πᾶσα ἀρετὴ εἰς παράκλησιν πνευματικήν. Καὶ ἡ μὲν προτέρα κρατοῦσα, προσερεθίζει τὰ οἰκεῖα· καὶ ἡ δευτέρα δὲ, ὁμοίως τὰ συγγενῆ.","t":"All wickedness ends in forbidden pleasure, and all virtue in spiritual consolation. When the first prevails, it stirs up what is its own; and the second likewise stirs up what is akin to it.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.48 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-48)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.49":{"o":"Ὀνειδισμὸς ἀνθρώπων θλίψιν παρέχει τῇ καρδίᾳ· ἁγνείας δὲ γίνεται αἰτία τῷ ὑπομένοντι.","t":"Reproach from people brings grief to the heart, but it becomes a cause of purity for the one who endures it.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.49 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-49)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.5":{"o":"Ἐπικαλοῦ τὸν Κύριον, ἵνα ἀνοίξῃ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας σου, καὶ ἴδῃς τὴν ὠφέλειαν τῆς προσευχῆς καὶ ἀναγνώσεως. Ὁ ἔχων τι χάρισμα, καὶ συμπάσχων τοῖς μὴ ἔχουσι, διὰ τῆς συμπαθείας φυλάσσει τὸ δώρημα. Ὁ δὲ ἀλαζὼν ἀπολεῖ αὐτὸ, τοῖς τῆς ἀλαζονείας πειρασμοῖς περικρουόμενος.","t":"Call upon the Lord to open the eyes of your heart, so that you may see the benefit of prayer and reading. [6] Whoever has some gift and suffers with those who do not have it keeps the gift through that fellow-feeling; but the boastful person will lose it, battered by the temptations that boasting brings.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.5 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-5)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.50":{"o":"῎Ἄγνοια ἀντιλέγειν πρὸς τὰ ὠφέλιμα παρασκευάζει· καὶ θρασυνομένη αὔξει τὰς κακίας.","t":"Ignorance prepares a person to argue against what is beneficial; and when it grows bold, it increases the vices.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.50 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-50)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.51":{"o":"Τὰ προεγκείμενα μηδὲν ζημιούμενος, τὰ θλιβερὰ προσδέχου· καὶ ὡς ἀποδώσων λόγον, πλεονεξίαν ἀπόβαλε.","t":"Accept painful things as though you lost nothing of what you already have; and, as one who will give account, cast away greed.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.51 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-51)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.52":{"o":"Αμαρτήσας λαθραίως, μὴ πειρῶ λανθάνειν Πάντα γὰρ γυμνά τετραχηλισμένα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ, πρὸς ὃν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος.","t":"When you have sinned secretly, do not try to stay hidden. “For all things are naked and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.52 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-52)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.53":{"o":"Κατὰ διάνοιαν σεαυτὸν ἐπιδείκνυε τῷ Δεσπότῇ: Ἄνθρωπος γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς εἰς καρδίαν ὁρᾷ.","t":"Show yourself to the Master in your mind; for “a man looks on the face, but God looks on the heart.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.53 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-53)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.54":{"o":"Μηδὲν λογίζου ἢ πρᾶττε ἄνευ σκοποῦ. Ὁ γὰρ ἀσκόπως ὁδοιπορῶν, ματαιοπονήσει.","t":"Think or do nothing without a goal. For whoever travels without a goal will labour in vain.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.54 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-54)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.55":{"o":"Τῷ ἐκτὸς ἀνάγκης ἁμαρτάνοντι δυσμετανόητα γίνεται· διότι ἀλάθητος ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη. Σύμβασις ὀδυνηρὰ μνήμην Θεοῦ παρέχει τῷ συνετῷ· θλίβουσα κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τὸν ἐπιλανθανόμενον τοῦ Κυρίου.","t":"For one who sins without compulsion, repentance becomes hard, because the justice of God cannot be escaped. [56] A painful occurrence brings the remembrance of God to the wise, and afflicts in proportion the one who forgets the Lord.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.55 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-55)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.57":{"o":"Πᾶς ἀκούσιος πόνος γινέσθω σοι μνήμης Θεοῦ διδάσκαλος · καὶ οὐκ ἐπιλείψει σοι ἀφορμὴ πρὸς μετάνοιαν.","t":"Let every involuntary suffering become for you a teacher of the remembrance of God, and you will not lack an occasion for repentance.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.57 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-57)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.58":{"o":"Λήθη καθ' ἑαυτὴν οὐδεμίαν ἔχει δύναμιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀμελειῶν κατ᾿ ἀναλογίαν κρατύνεται.","t":"Forgetfulness has no power of itself; it grows strong in proportion to our negligence.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.58 (PG 65:911; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-58)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.59":{"o":"Μὴ λέγε· Τί ποιήσω, ὅ τι οὐκ ἐθέλω, καὶ ἔρχεται; Διότι μνημονεύων παρελογίσω τὸ ὀφειλόμενον.","t":"Do not say, “What shall I do? I do not want it, and it comes.” For when you remembered, you neglected what you owed.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.59 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-59)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.60":{"o":"Ὁ γὰρ μνημονεύεις, ποίησον· καὶ ὁ ἀμνημονεῖς, ἀποκαλύπτεταί σοι· καὶ οὐ μὴ παραδῶς ἀκρίτως τὴν ἔννοιαν λήθη.","t":"Do what you remember, and what you do not remember will be revealed to you; and do not hand your thought over to forgetfulness without discernment.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.60 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-60)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.61":{"o":"Ἡ Γραφή φησιν· \"Αδης, καὶ ἀπώλεια φανερὰ παρὰ Κυρίῳ. Ταῦτα δὲ περὶ καρδιακῆς ἀγνοίας καὶ λήθης λέγει.","t":"Scripture says, “Hades and destruction are manifest before the Lord.” It says this about ignorance and forgetfulness of heart.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.61 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-61)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.62":{"o":"῞Αδης ἐστὶν ἄγνοια· ἀπώλεια δέ ἐστι λήθη. ᾿Αμφότερα δὲ ἐστιν ἀφάνερα· διότι ἐξ ὑπαρχόντων ἀπώλοντο.","t":"Hades is ignorance, and destruction is forgetfulness; both are unseen, because they have perished from among the things that exist.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.62 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-62)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.63":{"o":"Τὰ σὰ περιεργάζου κακὰ, καὶ μὴ τὰ τοῦ πλησίον· καὶ οὐ μὴ συλλυθῇ σου τὸ νοερὸν ἐργαστήριον.","t":"Busy yourself with your own evils, not with your neighbour's, and your workshop of the mind will not be plundered.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.63 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-63)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.64":{"o":"Πάντων τῶν κατὰ δύναμιν καλῶν, δυσχώρητος ἡ ἀμέλεια· ἐλεημοσύνη δὲ καὶ προσευχὴ ἀνακαλεῖται τοὺς ἀμελήσαντας.","t":"Of all good things within our power, negligence is hard to make good; but almsgiving and prayer recall the negligent.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.64 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-64)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.65":{"o":"Πᾶσα θλίψις κατὰ Θεὸν, ἔργον ἐστὶν εὐσεβείας ἐνυπόστατον· ἡ γὰρ ἀληθινὴ ἀγάπη δι᾽ ἐναντίων δοκιμάζεται.","t":"Every affliction borne for God's sake is a real work of godliness; for true love is tested by adversities.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.65 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-65)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.66":{"o":"Μὴ λέγε κεκτῆσθαι ἀρετὴν ἐκτὸς θλίψεως ἀδόκιμος γάρ ἐστι διὰ τὴν ἄνεσιν.","t":"Do not say that you have acquired virtue without affliction; for it is untested, because of ease.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.66 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-66)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.67":{"o":"Πάσης ἑκουσίου θλίψεως ἀναλογίζου τὴν ἔκβασιν, καὶ εὑρήσεις ἐν αὐτῇ ἁμαρτίας ἀναίρεσιν.","t":"Consider the outcome of every voluntary affliction, and you will find in it the destruction of sin.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.67 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-67)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.68":{"o":"Πολλαὶ συμβουλίαι τοῦ πέλας πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον · ἑκάστῳ δὲ τῆς ἰδίας γνώμης οὐδὲν ἁρμοδιώτερον.","t":"Many are the counsels of one's neighbour toward what is helpful; but for each person nothing is more fitting than his own judgment.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.68 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-68)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.69":{"o":"Ζητῶν θεραπείαν, ἐπιμέλησαι τῆς συνειδήσεως · καὶ ὅσα λέγει, ποίησον· καὶ εὑρήσεις τὴν ὠφέλειαν.","t":"When you seek healing, take care of your conscience; do whatever it tells you, and you will find the benefit.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.69 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-69)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.7":{"o":"Στόμα ταπεινόφρονος λαλήσει ἀλήθειαν· ὁ δὲ ἀντιλέγων αὐτῇ, ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ ἐκείνῳ, τῷ ἐπὶ σιαγόνα τὸν Κύριον ῥαπίσαντι.","t":"The mouth of the humble will speak truth; but whoever contradicts it is like that servant who struck the Lord on the cheek.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.7 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-7)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.70":{"o":"Τὰ κρυπτὰ ἑκάστου ὁ Θεὸς οἶδε, καὶ ἡ συνείδησις· καὶ διὰ τούτων αὐτῶν λαμβανέτω διόρθωσιν.","t":"God knows the hidden things of each person, and so does the conscience; and through these each should receive correction.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.70 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-70)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.71":{"o":"Ὁ ἀβουλήτως κοπιῶν, καθολικῶς πτωχεύει. Ὁ δὲ μετ᾿ ἐλπίδος τρέχων, δίπλουτός ἐστιν.","t":"Whoever toils unwillingly is poor in every way; but whoever runs with hope is doubly rich.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.71 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-71)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.72":{"o":"\"Ανθρωπος ὅσα δύναται ἐπιτηδεύει, κατὰ τὸ θέλημα· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τὰς τούτων ἐκβάσεις ποιεῖ, κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον.","t":"A human being pursues whatever he can according to his will; but God brings about the outcomes according to what is just.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.72 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-72)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.73":{"o":"Ἐὰν θέλῃς ἀκατακρίτως παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ἔπαινον λαβεῖν· πρῶτον ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν σου ἀγάπησον ἔλεγχον.","t":"If you wish to receive praise from people without being condemned, first love rebuke for your sins.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.73 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-73)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.74":{"o":"Ὅσην ἄν τις ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας Χριστοῦ καταδέξηται ἐντροπὴν, ἑκατονταπλασίως ὑπὸ πλήθους δοξασθήσεται.","t":"Whatever shame anyone accepts for the truth of Christ, he will be glorified a hundredfold by a multitude.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.74 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-74)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.75":{"o":"Κρεῖσσον δὲ πᾶν ἀγαθὸν ἐργάζεσθαι διὰ τὰ μέλλοντα.","t":"But it is better to do every good for the sake of the things to come.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.75 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-75)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.76":{"o":"Ὅταν ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωπον ὠφελήσῃ ἐν λόγοις ἢ ἐν πράγμασιν, Θεοῦ εἶναι τὴν χάριν νοείτωσαν ἀμφότεροι. Ὁ δὲ μὴ συνιὼν τοῦτο, παρὰ τοῦ συνιέντος ἐξουσιασθήσεται.","t":"When one person helps another in words or deeds, let both understand that the grace is God's. Whoever does not understand this will be ruled by one who does.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.76 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-76)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.77":{"o":"Ὁ ἐπαινῶν τὸν πλησίον κατά τινα ὑπόκρισιν, ὀνειδίσει αὐτὸν ἐν καιρῷ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐντραπήσεται.","t":"Whoever praises his neighbour hypocritically will in time reproach him, and will himself be put to shame.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.77 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-77)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.78":{"o":"Ὁ ἀγνοῶν ἐνέδραν πολεμίων, σφάζεται εὐκαίρως· καὶ ὁ μὴ εἰδὼς τὰς αἰτίας τῶν παθῶν, καταπίπτει ῥᾳδίως.","t":"Whoever does not know the enemies' ambush is easily slaughtered; and whoever does not know the causes of the passions easily falls.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.78 (PG 65:913; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-78)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.79":{"o":"Ἀπὸ φιληδονίας ἀμέλεια, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀμελείας λήθη προσγίνεται. Τῶν συμφερόντων γὰρ τὴν γνῶσιν ὁ Θεὸς πᾶσι δεδώρηται.","t":"From love of pleasure comes negligence, and from negligence forgetfulness. For God has given to all the knowledge of what is beneficial.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.79 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-79)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.8":{"o":"Μὴ γίνου μαθητὴς τοῦ ἐπαίροντος ἑαυτὸν, ἵνα μὴ ἀντὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης ὑπερηφάνειαν μάθῃς.","t":"Do not become a disciple of someone who exalts himself, lest instead of humility you learn pride.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.8 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-8)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.80":{"o":"\"Ανθρωπος ὑποτίθεται τῷ πλησίον, καθά ἐπίσταται· Θεὸς δὲ ἐνεργεῖ τῷ ἀκούοντι, καθὰ ἐπίστευσεν.","t":"A person advises his neighbour according to what he knows; but God works in the hearer according to what he has believed.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.80 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-80)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.81":{"o":"Εἶδον ἰδιώτας ἔργῳ ταπεινοφρονήσαντας, καὶ ἐγένοντο τῶν σοφῶν σοφώτεροι. Ἕτερος ἰδιώτης ἀκούσας ἐκείνου ἐπαιρομένου, τὴν ταπείνωσιν οὐκ ἐμιμήσατο· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ ἰδιωτείᾳ κενοδοξῶν, ὑπερηφάνειαν προσελάβετο.","t":"I have seen unlettered people who were humble in practice, and they became wiser than the wise. Another unlettered man, hearing them praised, did not imitate their humility, but took vainglory in his lack of learning and acquired pride.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.81 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-81)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.82":{"o":"Ὁ σύνεσιν ἐξουθενῶν, καὶ εἰς ἀμαθίαν ἐγκαυχώμενος, οὐκ ἔστιν ἰδιώτης μόνον τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ γνώσει.","t":"Whoever despises understanding and boasts of lack of learning is unlettered not only in speech but also in knowledge.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.82 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-82)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.83":{"o":"Ὥσπερ ἐστὶν ἄλλο σοφία λόγου, καὶ ἄλλο φρόνησις· οὕτως ἕτερον ἰδιωτεία λόγου, καὶ ἕτερον ἀφροσύνη.","t":"Just as wisdom of speech is one thing and prudence another, so plainness of speech is one thing and folly another.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.83 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-83)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.84":{"o":"Οὐδὲν βλάψει ἀμαθία λέξεων τὸν εὐλαβέστατον, ὡς οὐδὲ σοφία λόγων τὸν ταπεινόφρονα.","t":"Ignorance of words will not harm the most devout, just as wisdom of words will not harm the humble.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.84 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-84)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.85":{"o":"Μὴ λέγε· Οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι τὸ δέον, καὶ ἀναίτιὸς εἰμι μὴ ποιῶν αὐτό. Εἰ γὰρ ἐποίεις καλὰ ὅσα ἐπίστασαι, καὶ τὰ λοιπά σοι ἀκολούθως ἀπεκαλύπτετο, οἰκείῳ τρόπῳ ἓν δι᾽ ἑνὸς κατανοούμενα.","t":"Do not say, “I do not know what I ought to do, and so I am not to blame for not doing it.” For if you did all the good you know, the rest would be revealed to you in turn, each thing understood through another in its proper way.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.85 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-85)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.86":{"o":"Οὐ συμφέρει σοι πρὸ τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν πρώτων, εἰδέναι τὰ δεύτερα· Ἡ γὰρ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ διὰ τὴν ἀργίαν, ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ, διὰ τὰ πάντα ὑπομένειν.","t":"It does not benefit you to know the second things before practising the first. For “knowledge puffs up” through idleness, “but love builds up,” through enduring all things.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.86 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-86)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.87":{"o":"Τῆς Γραφῆς τὰ ῥήματα διὰ πράξεων ἀναγίνωσκε· καὶ μὴ πλατυλόγει, ἐπὶ ψιλοῖς τοῖς νοήμασι εἰκῆ φυσιούμενος.","t":"Read the words of Scripture through deeds, and do not speak at length, puffed up in vain over bare ideas.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.87 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-87)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.88":{"o":"Ὁ ἀφεὶς τὴν πρᾶξιν, καὶ γυμνῇ τῇ γνώσει ἐπερειδόμενος, ἀντὶ διστόμου μαχαίρας καλαμίνην ῥάβδον κρατεῖ, ἥτις ἐν καιρῷ πολέμου, κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, τρήσει τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν εἰσελεύσεται, τὸν ἰὸν τῆς φύσεως πρὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἐμβάλλουσα.","t":"Whoever abandons practice and leans on bare knowledge holds a staff of reed instead of a two-edged sword; in time of war, as Scripture says, it will pierce his hand and go into it, injecting the poison of nature before the enemy does.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.88 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-88)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.89":{"o":"Μέτρον ἔχει καὶ σταθμὸν παρὰ Θεῷ πᾶσα ἔννοια. Ἔστι γὰρ τὸ αὐτὸ ἢ ἐμπαθῶς ἢ μεσοτρόπως λογίσασθαι. Ὁ ποιήσας ἐντολὴν, ἐκδεχέσθω τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς πειρασμόν· ἡ γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπη, δι᾽ ἐναντίων δοκιμάζεται. Μὴ καταφρονήσῃς ποτὲ ἐν λογισμῶν ἀμελείᾳ· ἀλάθητος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ πάσης ἐννοίας.","t":"Every thought has its measure and weight with God. For one can think the same thing either with passion or in a moderate way. [90] Whoever has fulfilled a commandment should expect the temptation that comes on account of it; for love for Christ is tested by adversities. [91] Never be careless about your thoughts in negligence; for nothing escapes God's notice in any thought.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.89 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-89)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.9":{"o":"Μὴ ἐπαρθῇς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἐπὶ νοήμασι γραφικοῖς, μήποτε τῷ πνεύματι τῆς βλασφημίας περιπέσῃς.","t":"Do not be lifted up in your heart over your understanding of the Scriptures, lest you fall into the spirit of blasphemy.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.9 (PG 65:905; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-9)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.90":{"o":"Ὅταν ἴδῃς λογισμὸν ἀνθρωπίνην σοι δόξαν ὑπαγορεύοντα, γίνωσκε σαφῶς, ὅτι αἰσχύνην σοι κατασκευάζει.","t":"When you see a thought suggesting human glory to you, know clearly that it is preparing shame for you.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.90 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-90)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.91":{"o":"Ἐπίσταται ὁ ἐχθρὸς, τοῦ πνευματικοῦ νόμου τὸ δίκαιον, καὶ ζητεῖ μόνον τὴν νοερὰν συγκατάθεσιν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἢ τὸν τῆς μετανοίας ὑπεύθυνον ποιήσῃ τὸν ὑποχείριον, ἢ μὴ μετανοοῦντα, ἀκουσίοις ἐπιφοραῖς ὀδυνήσῃ αὐτόν.","t":"The enemy knows the justice of the spiritual law, and seeks only the mind's consent. For in this way he will either make the one in his power liable to repentance, or, if he does not repent, will torment him with involuntary afflictions.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.91 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-91)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.92":{"o":"Ἔστι δ᾽ ὅτε καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἐπιφορὰς ἀντιμάχεσθαι παρασκευάσει, ὅπως καὶ ὧδε τὰς ὀδύνας πολυπλασιάσῃ, καὶ ἐν ἐξόδῳ διὰ τὴν ἀνυπομνησίαν ἀποδείξῃ ἄπιστον.","t":"Sometimes he will also prepare him to fight against the afflictions, so as to multiply his pains here too, and at his departure to show him an unbeliever through his lack of remembrance.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.92 (PG 65:915; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-92)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.93":{"o":"Πρὸς τὰ ἐπερχόμενα πολλοὶ πολλὰ ἀντετάξαντο· ἀλλ᾽ ἐκτὸς προσευχῆς καὶ μετανοίας οὐδεὶς τὸ δεινὸν διέφυγεν. Ἓν δι' ἑνὸς τὰ κακὰ λαμβάνει τὴν δύναμιν, ὁμοίως καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ δι᾽ ἀλλήλων αὐξάνεται· καὶ τὸν ἑαυτῶν μέτοχον ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω μείζονα προτρέπονται.","t":"Many have resisted what comes upon them in many ways; but without prayer and repentance no one has escaped what is terrible. [96] Evils gain strength one through another; likewise good things grow through one another, and urge the one who shares in them on to greater things ahead.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.93 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-93)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/1.94":{"o":"Τὰ μικρὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἐξευτελίζει ὁ διάβολος· ἄλλως γὰρ ἐπὶ μεῖζον κακὸν ἀγαγεῖν οὐ δύναται. Ῥίζα αἰσχρᾶς ἐπιθυμίας, ἀνθρώπινος ἔπαινος· ὥσπερ καὶ σωφροσύνης, ὁ περὶ κακίας ἔλεγχος, οὐχ ὅταν ἀκούωμεν, ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν αὐτὸν καταδεχώμεθα. Οὐδὲν ὠφελήθη ὁ ἀποταξάμενος καὶ ἡδυπαθῶν· ὁ γὰρ ἐποίει διὰ τῶν χρημάτων, τοῦτο καὶ μηδὲν ἔχων ἐργάζεται.","t":"The devil belittles small sins; otherwise he cannot lead a person to greater evil. [98] Human praise is the root of shameful desire, just as rebuke of wickedness is the root of self-restraint, not when we hear it but when we accept it. [99] Whoever has renounced the world and lives in luxury has gained nothing; for what he used to do by means of his money he does even when he has nothing.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 1.94 (PG 65:917; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/1-94)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.1":{"o":"Κύριος τὸν μὲν κόσμον ἀγρῷ, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυγμα σπόρῳ παρεικάσας, σῖτον μὲν ἐν πρώτοις ἐσπάρθαι λέγει, ὕστερον δὲ ζιζάνια· ὡς ἐκ τούτου δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἐπιγνῶναι, ὅτι τὰ μὲν μετὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν παράδοσιν ἐπινενοημένα φρονήματα περιττή τίς ἐστι καὶ δαιμονιώδης ἐπισπορά. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἁγίων αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν μηδὲν ὑπολειψάντων τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου μηδὲν ὑστερηκότος τῶν ὑπερλίαν ἀποστόλων, ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ σίτῳ τὸν κόσμον κατεσπαρκότος τῷ λόγῳ, τινὲς ἑτερόφρονες, ζιζανίων δίκην ἀνακύψαντες ἐπέκεινα τοῦ σίτου, πειρῶνται ὑπερεκτείνεσθαι μυστικώτερα τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὡς οἴονται, διδάσκειν ἐπιχειρήσαντες. Τὸν γὰρ Μελχισεδέκ, φύσει Θεὸν εἶναι οὐκ ἐκήρυξαν ἐκεῖνοι, ὡς οὗτοι λέγουσιν· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοιαῦτά τινα συνεισφέρουσι νοήματα, ὡς καὶ τὰς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γεγενημένας τοῦ Κυρίου οἰκονομίας εὐτελίζεσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἐκ παρασιωπήσεως Γραφικῆς ἀπάτορα καὶ ἀμήτορα ὀνομασθέντα θεοποιοῦσιν ἄνθρωπον, εὐτελίζουσι τὸν Πατέρα ἔχοντα ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ μητέρα ἐσχηκότα ἐπὶ γῆς δι᾽ ἡμᾶς Χριστόν· καὶ εἰ διὰ τὸ ἀγενεαλόγητον ἐκεῖνον μέγαν ἤγηνται, γενεαλογούμενον τὸν Χριστὸν ἡττότερον ἂν νομίσειαν. Ἡ δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐννοίας προαγωγὴ τοὺς ἀφρονεστέρους αὐτῶν καὶ εἰς ἄρνησιν κατασύρειν ἔοικεν, ὅπερ πλείονα φέρει κατάκρισιν τῷ προηγησαμένῳ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐννοίας. Ταῦτα δὲ πάσχουσιν, ὡς οἶμαι, διὰ τὸ παρατρέχειν αὐτοὺς τὰ συστατικά κεφάλαια τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, καί τινας περικοπὰς πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον σκοπὸν ἐκζητεῖν ἑκουσίους. Διὸ καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ ἑρμηνευόμενον χρηματισμὸν τῷ χρηματισθέντι ἀνθρώπῳ ὡς Θεῷ ἀπονέμουσι, καὶ τὸν κατὰ τὴν τάξιν τῆς ἱερατείας ἀφωμοιωμένον τῷ Κυρίῳ ἄνθρωπον, λέγουσι φύσει Υἱὸν Θεοῦ. Φασὶ γάρ· Εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος Υἱὸς Θεοῦ, πῶς βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης, καὶ βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης ἐλέγετο; Γνώσονται εἰ βούλονται. Ὁ ἀπόστολος αὐτὸν οὐ λέγει φύσει βασιλέα εἰρήνης, ἀλλ᾽ ἑρμηνευόμενον. Φησὶ γὰρ πρῶτον μὲν, Ἑρμηνευόμενος βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς Σαλήμ, ὅ ἐστι βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης. Τοῦτο γοῦν τὸ ῥητὸν παρατρέχουσι τὸ εἰπεῖν ἑρμηνευόμενον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος ἑρμηνείαν φύσιν εἶναι τοῦ χρηματισθέντος ἔνδοξον.","t":"The Lord, likening the world to a field and the preaching of the truth to seed, says that wheat was sown first and tares afterward; from this we can recognize that the opinions devised after the apostolic tradition are a superfluous and demonic sowing. For since his holy disciples left out nothing of the truth, and holy Paul fell in no way short of the super-apostles, but sowed the world with the word as with wheat, some of another mind, springing up like tares beyond the wheat, try to stretch beyond, undertaking to teach things more mystical than the apostles, as they suppose. For the apostles did not proclaim Melchizedek to be God by nature, as these say; and moreover they bring in such ideas as to belittle the Lord's dispensations made for us. For if they deify a man called fatherless and motherless because Scripture is silent about it, they belittle Christ, who has a Father in heaven and had a mother on earth for our sake; and if they have thought him great because he is without genealogy, they would think Christ, whose genealogy is given, inferior. The development of such a notion seems to drag the more foolish of them even into denial, which brings greater condemnation on the one who led the way in such a notion. They suffer this, I think, because they run past the constitutive chapters of the divine Scripture and seek out certain passages at will for their own purpose. That is why they assign to the man who bore the title, as to God, the title that is interpreted of Christ, and say that the man likened to the Lord in the order of priesthood is by nature Son of God. For they say, “If he was not Son of God, how was he called king of peace and king of righteousness?” Let them learn, if they will. The apostle does not call him king of peace by nature, but by interpretation. For he says, “First, being interpreted, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.” This word “interpreted” they run past, and for this reason they make the interpretation of the name the glorious nature of the one who bore it.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.1 (PG 65:1117; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.10":{"o":"Θαυμάζω δὲ, πῶς οὐκ ἤκουσαν τοῦ μακαρίου Πέτρου σαφῶς περὶ αὐτῶν βοῶντος, καὶ λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἔσονται ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι, οἵτινες παρεισάξουσιν αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας. Προσφυῶς δὲ εἴρηκε τὸ παρεισάξουσι· καιροσκοποῦσι γὰρ ὄντως, καὶ καθ' ὃ εὕρωσι τοὺς παρατυγχάνοντας, κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ποιοῦνται· ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν λέγουσιν φανερῶς Θεὸν, ποτὲ δὲ πανούργως ὁμολογοῦσιν, ὅτι ἡμεῖς αὐτὸν ἱερέα τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀνομάζομεν, καθὼς καὶ ἡ θεία Γραφή. Εἰ ὅλως τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ πιστεύουσιν, εἴπωσι πάντα κατὰ τὴν Γραφήν. Πρῶτον ἡ Γραφή Θεὸν αὐτὸν οὐ λέγει, μήτε ἐκεῖνοι λεγέτωσαν· όμολογείτωσαν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι Αφωμοιωμένος ἐστὶ τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐ φύσει Υἱὸς, καὶ ὅτι Ἑρμηνευόμενός ἐστι βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, οὐ φύσει, καὶ ὅτι Ἐφ' ὃν λέγεται ταῦτα, φυλῆς ἑτέρας μετέσχηκε· καὶ μὴ περικοπὴν ἀμφιῤῥεπῆ ἐκλέγωσιν, ὡς καὶ πείθειν ὑποκρίσει τοὺς πολλοὺς, καὶ παγιδεύειν τοὺς νηπιωτέρους. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν ἐντολὴν τοιαύτην κατὰ τάξιν λαβόντες παρὰ Κυρίου, τοὺς δι' ἄγνοιαν πλανωμένους πείθειν ἀναγκαζόμεθα· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ, ὅταν ἴδωσι τοὺς ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐπατημένους μετανοῆσαι θέλοντας, εὐληπτοτέραις αὐτοὺς πιθανολογίαις ἐπικρατοῦσιν, οὗτως ἀεὶ λέγοντες· Εἰ καὶ οὐκ ἔστι φύσει Θεὸς ὁ Μελχισεδέκ, οὐδὲν ἡμαρτήσαμεν ἄνθρωπον θεοποιήσαντες · γέγραπται γάρ· Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Θεοί ἐστε, καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες· οὐκ εἰδότες, ὅτι ἡ τοιαύτη διχόνοια ἀβέβαιον τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν ἀποδείκνυσι σαφῶς, ἂν οὕτως τὸν Κύριον πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἴσον ἡγήσωνται, καὶ οὐκέτι ὡς ἔστι, Σωτῆρα, καὶ Θεὸν, καὶ Δεσπότην, καὶ λατρεύειν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα παρασκευάζει. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ὄφεως δίκην ἀντειλισσόμενοι σφίγγουσι τοὺς ἀποδρᾷν αὐτῶν βουλομένους, ἀνάγκη καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐντολὴν ἔχοντας τὸ, Γινεσθε φρόνιμοι ὡσεὶ ὄφεις, μιμήσασθαι τὴν ἐκείνων κακουργίαν, καὶ τοῖς ἀγχιστρόφοις νοήμασι ἐκλύειν αὐτῶν τὰς τοιαύτας περιείλιγγας, λέγοντες, ὅτι κᾶν ἐστι Θεὸς ὁ Μελχισεδέκ, οὐδὲν ἁμαρτήσαιμεν ἐν τούτῳ ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν ἔχοντες καὶ ὀνομάζοντες· γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὄνομα ἕτερον ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι πάντας ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, Τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι πληρουμένου. Ἀκουέτωσαν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου παραγγέλλοντος, μηδὲ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου δευτεροκήρυκας παραδέχεσθαι. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, φησὶν, ἄλλον Ἰησοῦν κηρύσσει, ὃν οὐκ ἐκηρύξαμεν, ἢ Πνεῦμα ἕτερον λαμβάνετε, ὃ οὐκ ἐλάβετε, ἢ Εὐαγγέλιον ἕτερον, ὃ οὐκ ἐδέξασθε, καλῶς ἀνείχεσθε. Εἰ οὖν οὗτος τὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου σφραγίζει, τί πείσονται λοιπὸν οἱ τὰς αἱρέσεις παρεισάγοντες, ἢ οἱ πιστεύοντες αὐτοῖς; ᾿Αλλὰ τί φασι πρὸς ἡμᾶς; Πῶς οὐ πάντες διδάσκουσιν ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, καθάπερ καὶ σὺ ὧδε σήμερον; Γνώτωσαν δὲ, ὅτι πάντες οἱ διδάσκοντες τὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὡς βέβαια βεβαιοῦσιν, οὐδεὶς δὲ πω καινοτομεῖ ὡς μηδέπω κεκηρυγμένα· εἰ δὲ καὶ ποτέ τις πλανηθεὶς ἀκουσίως φωραθῇ, πάντως ἢ ἐπιτιμηθεὶς ἐπιστρέφει, ἢ τὸ ψεῦδος αἱρετισάμενος, μετὰ τῶν ἔξω λογισθήσεται, ὅπερ εἰκὸς καὶ ἐν τούτοις παθεῖν. Καὶ ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ἔστι δοκιμάσαι τὴν ἀφροσύνην αὐτῶν, ὡς πάσης αἱρέσεως πονηρότεροι τυγχάνουσιν. ᾿Αφορισθέντες γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἐπισκόπων καὶ ἀναθεματισθέντες, ὅπου ἀγνοοῦνται καὶ κοινωνοῦσι λάθρα, καὶ συνάγονται, τουτέστιν ὁ προειρήκαμεν, ὅτι καὶ τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀτιμάζουσιν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλ᾽ εἰ καὶ ποτε διὰ τῆς ἐπιπλάστου εὐλαβείας αὐτῶν δυνηθῶσι παρ' ἐπισκόποις, ἢ περιοδευταῖς δεχθῆναι, εὐθὺς τοὺς ὄντως πιστοὺς καὶ ὀρθοδόξους διαβάλλουσι λαθραίως ὡς κακόφρονας, καὶ μισεῖσθαι ἢ διώκεσθαι παρασκευάζουσιν. ᾿Αλλ' ὁ ἐπιστάμενος τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, περιτρέπει αὐτῶν τὴν πανουργίαν· καὶ φανεροποιήσας αὐτοὺς, εἰς βόθρον, ὃν εἰργάσαντο, παραχωρεῖ ἐμπεσεῖν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον.","t":"I am amazed that they have not heard blessed Peter crying out plainly about them and saying, “There will be false teachers, who will bring in secretly destructive heresies.” He fittingly said “bring in secretly”; for they truly watch for opportunities, and as they find those they meet, so they make their answers: sometimes they openly call him God, sometimes they cunningly confess, “We name him priest of God, as the divine Scripture does.” If they believe the divine Scripture at all, let them say everything according to Scripture. First, Scripture does not call him God; neither let them say it. And let them confess this too, that he is made like the Son of God, not Son by nature; that he is by interpretation king of righteousness, not by nature; and that he of whom these things are said belonged to another tribe; and let them not pick out an ambiguous extract, so as to persuade the many by hypocrisy and ensnare the more childish. We, having received such a commandment in order from the Lord, are compelled to persuade those who go astray through ignorance; but they, when they see those trampled by them wishing to repent, overpower them with more persuasive arguments, always saying, “Even if Melchizedek is not God by nature, we have not sinned by deifying a man; for it is written, ‘I said, You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High,’” not knowing that such double-mindedness plainly makes faith in Christ unstable, if they thus consider the Lord equal to all human beings, and no longer, as he is, Saviour, God, and Master; and it leads them to worship the creation instead of the Creator. Since, then, twisting about like a serpent, they squeeze those who wish to escape them, we too, having the command, “Be wise as serpents,” must imitate their mischief and undo such coils of theirs with versatile thoughts, saying, “Even if Melchizedek is God, we would not sin in this by holding and naming him a man; for it is written that there is no other name under heaven in which we must all be saved but the Lord Jesus Christ, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” Let them hear the apostle commanding not to accept second preachers of the Gospel. “For if one comes,” he says, “and preaches another Jesus whom we did not preach, or you receive another Spirit which you did not receive, or another gospel which you did not accept, you bear with it well.” If, then, he seals the things of the Gospel, what will happen to those who bring in heresies, or those who believe them? But what do they say to us? “Why does not everyone teach in the churches as you do here today?” Let them know that all who teach confirm the things of the apostles as firm, and no one yet innovates as though they had not yet been preached; and if anyone ever is caught having gone astray unwillingly, he certainly either turns back when rebuked, or, choosing falsehood, will be reckoned with those outside, which is likely to happen to these too. And in this one can test their folly, that they are more wicked than every heresy. For having been excommunicated and anathematized by the holy bishops, where they are unknown they communicate secretly and assemble, that is, as we said before, they dishonour the mystery and dispensation of Christ. And not only this, but if ever through their feigned devotion they manage to be received by bishops or visitors, they at once secretly slander the truly faithful and orthodox as evil-minded, and cause them to be hated or persecuted. But he who knows the thoughts of human beings overturns their cunning, and having exposed them, lets them fall into the pit they dug, as it is written.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.10 (PG 65:1133; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-10)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.11":{"o":"Ὅμως ἀφέντες αὐτῶν τὰς λαθραίας τοῦ κακοῦ συνεισφοράς, τοῦ προκειμένου γενώμεθα, τελείως αὐτῶν διελέγξαντες τὴν κακοπιστίαν. Τὸ γὰρ ὄνομα ἐκεῖνο προφῆται οὐ προεκήρυξαν, ἀπόστολοι οὐκ ἐδίδαξαν, μάρτυρες οὐχ ὡμολόγησαν, οὐδεὶς τῶν πατριαρχῶν, ὡς Θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐφανέρωσεν, οὐδεὶς τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων συνέγραψε. Διὸ ἀνάνηψον, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, καὶ γνῶθι, ὅτι σε ὁ διάβολος περισσῶς φρονεῖν ἐποίησεν, ἵνα τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν ἐκείνου θελήματι νοσήσας, λοιπὸν καὶ τῷ πτώματι αὐτοῦ συγκαταπέσῃς. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ θελήματι ; ὅτι τοσοῦτον ἔχων νέφος μαρτύρων εἰς βεβαίωσιν τῆς ἀληθοῦς πίστεως, ἡρετίσω καὶ ὡμολόγησας, ὃ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ὡμολόγησεν. Εἰ γὰρ χωρὶς ἐκείνης τῆς γνώσεως καὶ τῆς ὁμολογίας ἐκεῖνοι πάντες ἐσώθησαν, σώθητι καὶ σὺ κατὰ μίμησιν ἐκείνων, καὶ εἰπὲ, κατὰ τὸν ἅγιον Παῦλον, ὅτι Οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἔκρινα εἰδέναι, εἰ μὴ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, καὶ τοῦτον ἐσταυρωμένον. Εἰ δὲ ἐκτὸς τοιαύτης ὁμολογίας ἑαυτῷ λογίζῃ μὴ δύνασθαι σωθῆναι, δῆλον, ὅτι καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους ὡς μὴ σωθέντας ἔχεις παρὰ σεαυτῷ, εἰ καὶ στόματι μὴ λέγεις ἀνθρώπους ὑποκρινόμενος, ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως μεῖζον τῆς σῆς φωνῆς βοᾷ ἡ ἀκολουθία τοῦ πράγματος. Βλέπεις πόσαις βλασφημίαις, καὶ πόσοις κακοῖς περιπέπτωκας διὰ τὴν τοιαύτην σου κακοπιστίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ παντελῆ ἀπιστίαν; Τὸ δὲ πῶς, μάθε· Σημεία Μελχισεδέκ οὐκ ἐποίησεν, ἐντολὰς οὐκ ἔθετο, ἀπειλὰς οὐχ ὡρίσατο, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἀπέθανεν, Πνεύματος ἁγίου μετοχὴν οὐκ ἐδωρήσατο. ᾿Αγνοῦ λοιπὸν τίνα τῆς εἰς ἐκεῖνον πίστεως ἐχέγγυον ἔχεις πληροφορίαν. Εἰ δὲ λέγεις, Ταῦτα πάντα σαρκωθεὶς παρέσχεν ἡμῖν, πλέον ἑαυτὸν ὑπόδικον τῆς κακοπιστίας ἐλέγχεις. Ἐν οἷς γὰρ ἡμῖν ἑαυτὸν διὰ ῥημάτων καὶ πραγμάτων ἐφανέρωσεν ὁ Κύριος, ἐν τούτοις καὶ πιστεύειν ἐνετείλατο - εἶπε γὰρ ἡ Γραφή, ὅτι ὤφθη τῷ ᾿Ἀβραὰμ ἐν φωνῇ ἐντελλόμενος αὐτῷ ἐντολὰς, καὶ προλέγων τὰ ἐσόμενα, καὶ ἐπαγγελλόμενος εὐεργεσίας ἐν γῇ Χαλδαίων, καὶ πρὸς τῇ δρυῖ τῇ Μαμβρῇ, καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις δὲ πλείστοις λόγοις, καὶ πράγμασιν, οὐδαμῶς δὲ ἀδήλως, οὔτε Μελχισεδέκ, οὔτε διὰ Μελχισεδέκ ἡ Γραφὴ δεδήλωκε. Τούτου χάριν ἀνυπόστατός σου ἡ πίστις, ἄδηλον τὸ φρόνημα, ματαία ἡ τοιαύτη θεογνωσία. Διὰ τοῦτο τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως διὰ πολλῶν μαρτύρων φανερωθείσης, ὅσοι ἂν βλέπωσιν ἑτέρωθι, καὶ εὐλόγως καὶ ἀλόγως τὸν Μελχισεδὲκ ὀνομάζουσιν, ἢ φύσει Υἱὸν Θεοῦ, φανερῶς Ἰουδαΐζουσι · διότι Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ ἐκ Μαρίας γεννηθεὶς, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτῷ λείπει, ἕνα πάλιν ζητήσωμεν ἀλλαχοῦ τὸ πλήρωμα· ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ εὐδόκησε κατοικῆσαι πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς Θεότητος σωματικῶς, καὶ ἐσμὲν ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι πάντες, οἱ πιστεύοντες τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ ὡς Υἱοῦ Θεοῦ, εὐδοκίᾳ, καὶ δυνάμει, καὶ χάριτι τοῦ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα, καὶ τὸ κράτος, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία, νῦν, καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Αμήν.","t":"But leaving aside their secret contributions of evil, let us return to the matter in hand, having fully refuted their false belief. For that name the prophets did not proclaim beforehand, the apostles did not teach, the martyrs did not confess, none of the patriarchs made him known as God, none of the holy fathers wrote it. Therefore come to your senses, O man, and know that the devil has made you think beyond measure, so that, sick by your will with his pride, you might also fall together with him in his fall. For how is it not by will? Having so great a cloud of witnesses to confirm the true faith, you have chosen and confessed what none of them confessed. If all of them were saved without that knowledge and that confession, be saved you too in imitation of them, and say with holy Paul, “I decided to know nothing else except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” But if you reckon that without such a confession you cannot be saved, clearly you hold all the saints as not saved, even if you do not say so with your mouth, playing the hypocrite with people; yet the sequence of the matter cries louder than your voice. Do you see into how many blasphemies and how many evils you have fallen through such false belief of yours, or rather complete unbelief? Learn how: Melchizedek did no signs, laid down no commandments, fixed no threats, did not die for us, did not give participation in the Holy Spirit. I do not know, then, what pledge of assurance you have for faith in him. And if you say, “He gave us all these when he became flesh,” you prove yourself even more guilty of false belief. For in the things in which the Lord made himself known to us through words and deeds, in these he also commanded us to believe. For Scripture said that he appeared to Abraham in a voice, giving him commandments, foretelling what would be, and promising benefits in the land of the Chaldeans, and at the oak of Mamre, and in very many other words and deeds, in no way obscurely; but Scripture has made nothing known either as Melchizedek or through Melchizedek. For this reason your faith has no substance, your opinion is obscure, and such knowledge of God is vain. Therefore, since the orthodox faith has been made plain through many witnesses, those who look elsewhere and, with or without reason, name Melchizedek Son of God by nature are plainly acting like Jews; because Jesus Christ, born of Mary, is himself the Son of the living God, and nothing is lacking to him, that we should seek the fullness elsewhere; for in him it pleased the whole fullness of the Godhead to dwell bodily, and we are all filled in him, who believe his words as the Son of God, by the good pleasure, power, and grace of God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. To him be glory, might, and kingdom, now and always and for ever and ever. Amen.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.11 (PG 65:1137; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-11)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.2":{"o":"Πάλιν οἱ αὐτοί φασιν· Εἰ μὴ ἦν Θεὸς, πῶς ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ; Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ, ὡς ἔοικεν, οὐκ ἔτι Υἱὸν λέγουσι τὸν Μελχισεδέκ, ἀλλὰ τάχα πατέρα. Καί φασιν · Ἡμεῖς οὐ λέγομεν αὐτὸν Πατέρα, ἀλλὰ τὸν Υἱὸν κατὰ τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον πρὶν σαρκωθῆναι ἢ ἐκ Μαρίας γεννηθῆναι. Καὶ πῶς ἀπάτωρ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, ὦ ματαιόφρονες; μάθετε ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἐπὶ τὸν σαρκωθέντα εἰρῆσθαι λέγει. Φησὶ γάρ· Ἐφ' ὃν λέγεται ταῦτα, φυλῆς ἑτέρας μετέσχηκε πρόδηλον γὰρ, ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ Κύριος. ᾿Αλλ' εἰπὲ, φασὶ, πῶς ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατείλας ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀπάτωρ ἐστὶ καὶ ἀμήτωρ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ; οὐκ εἰδότες ὁ λέγουσιν. Οὐ γὰρ περὶ ἀπάτορος ἔθετο τὴν τάξιν ὁ Παῦλος, ἀλλὰ περὶ μόνης τῆς ἱερωσύνης. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐ λέγει, σὺ ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ, ἀλλὰ, σὺ ἱερεὺς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. Τί δὲ ἐστι τὸ, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν ; Τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν κατὰ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν, καὶ οὐ κατὰ νόμον μόνον. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ φυλὴ τοῦ Λευί, κατὰ νόμον ἱερατεύειν ἐτέτακτο · ὁ δὲ Μελχισεδέκ οὐ κατὰ νόμον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τάξιν προφητείας, δεικνύων τὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Διὰ τοῦτό φησι· σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, οὐ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Λευί, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν ᾿Ααρών, τῆς αὐτῆς φυλῆς ὄντων, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ, τοῦ χωρὶς νόμου ἱερατεύσαντος.","t":"Again the same people say, “If he was not God, how is he fatherless, motherless?” In this, it seems, they no longer call Melchizedek Son, but perhaps Father. And they say, “We do not call him Father, but the Son according to God the Word, before he became flesh or was born of Mary.” And how is God the Word fatherless, you vain-minded? Learn exactly that blessed Paul says all those things were said of the incarnate one. For he says, “He of whom these things are said belonged to another tribe; for it is evident that our Lord sprang from Judah.” “But tell us,” they say, “how is Christ, who sprang from Judah, fatherless and motherless after the order of Melchizedek?” not knowing what they say. For Paul did not set down the order with reference to being fatherless, but only to the priesthood. That is why he does not say, “You are fatherless, motherless after the order of Melchizedek,” but, “You are a priest after the order of Melchizedek.” What is “after the order”? That is, after the likeness, and not according to law only. For the tribe of Levi was appointed to be priests according to law; but Melchizedek, not according to law but according to the order of prophecy, showing the things of Christ. That is why he says, “You are a priest for ever,” not after the order of Levi, nor after the order of Aaron, who were of the same tribe, but after the order of Melchizedek, who was a priest without the law.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.2 (PG 65:1119; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.3":{"o":"Ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Εἰ ὁ Μελχισεδέκ ἄνθρωπός ἐστι, πῶς μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές; Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἐκ περικοπῆς ἐρωτῶσι, τὰ πλείονα τοῦ κεφαλαίου παρατρέχοντες. Λέγει γάρ· ᾿Αφωμοιωμένος τῷ Υἱῷ Θεοῦ, μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές. Αφομοίωσις δὲ, καὶ ὑπόστασις ταυτὸν οὐκ ἔστι· τὸ μὲν γὰρ τύπος, τὸ δὲ ἀλήθεια τυγχάνει. Ωσπερ οὖν ἀφωμοίωται τῷ Χριστῷ ὁ προφήτης Ἰωνᾶς, καὶ μένει προφήτης κατὰ τὴν τριήμερον ταφήν· καὶ ὥσπερ ἀφωμοίωται αὐτῷ Μωϋσῆς κατὰ τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀφήγησιν, καὶ μένει ἡγούμενος εἰς τὸ διηνεκές· οὔτως ἀφωμοίωται αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ Μελχισεδέκ κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἱερωσύνην, καὶ μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Διὸ λέγει · Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τὰξιν Μελχισεδέκ. ᾿Αλλὰ δεδόσθω, φασὶν, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁ Μελχισεδέκ ἀφωμοιωμένος τῷ Χριστῷ, δεῖξον πῶς ἀπάτωρ καὶ ἀμήτωρ ἐστὶ, μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων, ἀφωμοιωμένος δὲ τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἐν τούτοις δεῖξον τὴν ἀφομοίωσιν, ἵνα γνῶμεν, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος ὁ Μελχισεδέκ, καὶ οὐκ αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστός. Οὕτω μὲν ἀντερωτήσαντες οὐχ ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ παρατάσσονται. Ἤρκει γὰρ αὐτοῖς πιστεῦσαι τῷ ᾿Αποστόλῳ, ἀφωμοιωμένον αὐτὸν εἰρηκότι τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Λέγοντες οὖν, Δεῖξον ἡμῖν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἀφομοίωσιν, ἵνα πιστεύσωμεν, ἐοίκασιν ἀπιστεῖν τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου λεγομένοις · ὡς εἴγε ἡμεῖς ἀπορήσαιμεν τῆς τοιαύτης ἀποδείξεως, ἐκεῖνοι τῆς πίστεως ἀφίστανται, ἢ ἀποστήσονται, ὡς καὶ ἀπέστησαν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν πολλά ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἐν τῇ ἀληθινῇ Γραφῇ ὀνόματα, ὧν ἡ ἀπόδειξις παρὰ τῷ πλήθει δυσεύρετος, παρὰ τοῦτο ἡ Ἐκκλησία τῆς παραδοθείσης πίστεως ἀποστήσεται, καὶ ταῖς ἐκείνων ὑπονοίαις ὑπαχθήσεται; Μὴ γένοιτο ! Πλὴν οὐ διὰ τοῦτο σιωπήσομεν ἀκρίτως, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν ἀποδείξομεν τὴν ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις ἀφομοίωσιν.","t":"But again they say to us, “If Melchizedek is a man, how does he remain a priest perpetually?” This too they ask from an extract, running past most of the chapter. For it says, “Made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.” Likeness and substance are not the same: the one is a type, the other the truth. Just as the prophet Jonah was made like Christ and remains a prophet in the three-day burial, and as Moses was made like him in leading the people and remains a leader perpetually, so Melchizedek too was made like him in the priesthood of the nations, and remains a priest for ever. That is why it says, “You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” “But let it be granted,” they say, “that Melchizedek was a man made like Christ; show how he is fatherless and motherless, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God; show the likeness in these, so that we may know that Melchizedek is a man and not Christ himself.” By asking in return in this way, they range themselves not against us but against the divine Scripture. It was enough for them to believe the apostle, who said he was made like the Son of God. So when they say, “Show us the likeness in the names, so that we may believe,” they seem to disbelieve what Paul says; as though, if we lacked such a demonstration, they would stand away from the faith, or will stand away, as indeed they have. Since, then, many names can be found in the true Scripture whose explanation is hard for most to find, will the church on this account stand away from the faith handed down and be led by their suspicions? Far from it! Yet we will not keep silent without discernment on this account, but will show, as far as we can, the likeness in the things mentioned.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.3 (PG 65:1119; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-3)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.4":{"o":"᾿Απάτορα καὶ ἀμήτορα τὸν Μελχισεδέκ λέγει ὁ Παῦλος κατὰ τὸ ἑπόμενον ῥητὸν, ὅτι ἀγενεαλόγητος. Ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῇ γενεαλογίᾳ οὐκ ἐμφέρεται τίνος πατρὸς, ἢ ποίας μητρὸς, ἢ πότε ἐγεννήθη, ἢ πότε ἀπέθανε· διὰ τοῦτο μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν ἔχων, μήτε τέλος. Οὔτε γὰρ ἡδύνατο γενεαλογηθῆναι, ἐκ τῶν παραλειφθέντων καταγόμενος ἐθνῶν, καθὼς ἡ Γραφή ἐκ τῆς κατοικεσίας αὐτὸν φανεροποιεῖ. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ἀφωμοίωται τῷ Υἱῷ Θεοῦ, ἐπειδὴ ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐκ ἔσχε πατέρα, καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ οὐκ ἔσχε μητέρα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰρήκαμεν, ὅτι κατ' οἰκονομίαν οὐκ ἐμφέρεται ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, πότε ἐγεννήθη ὁ Μελχισεδέκ, ἢ πότε ἀπέθανε · καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λέγει μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχειν · ζητοῦσι καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ τὴν ἀφομοίωσιν, λέγοντες · Εἴπερ περὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ, εἰπὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πῶς οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, οὔτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχει, ἵνα γνῶμεν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὴν ἀφομοίωσιν. Οἴδαμεν γὰρ, ὅτι ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ Μαρίας, καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔσχε, καὶ ἀπέθανε, καὶ ἀνέστη κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς. Ἡμεῖς δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα · Πιστεύετε τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, ὅτι ὁ Λόγος σάρξ ἐγένετο, οὐ τραπεὶς εἰς ἄνθρωπον ἀλλὰ ἄνθρωπον εἰς ἑαυτὸν προσλαβόμενος; Οἱ δὲ; Ναὶ, φασὶ, τοῦτο πιστεύομεν. Εἰ οὖν πιστεύετε, γνῶτε, ὅτι, ἄνθρωπος ψιλὸς, οὔτε ἐστὶν οὔτε νοεῖται ὁ Χριστὸς, καθότι μονομερῶς οὐχ ὑπέστη ποτὲ, καὶ ὕστερον ἡνώθη. Δῆλον δὲ, ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου θεοπρεπῶς πρότερον ἐνεργήσαντος κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι. Διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἐκ σοῦ ἅγιον, κληθήσεται Υἱὸς Θεοῦ. Ὅθεν νοοῦμεν, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς, οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, οὔτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχει. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ἄναρχος Λόγος, τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως γέγονεν ἀρχὴ, σαφὲς ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς ἄναρχος διὰ τὴν ἐκ μήτρας ἕνωσιν. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ὁ Μελχισεδέκ, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἀφωμοίωται αὐτῷ οἰκονομικῶς παρασιωπηθείσης αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς γεννήσεως, καὶ τῆς τελευτῆς, ἵνα προδηλώσῃ τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστήρια. Α Ε΄. Καὶ πάλιν φασίν· ὁ Κύριος τὸ ἡμέτερον ἀνέλαβε σῶμα, ἢ οὗ; Ναὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον· ἀλλ' οὐ διηρημένως αὐτὸ ἀνέλαβεν· οὐ γὰρ προϋπέστησεν αὐτὸ, καὶ τότε ἡνώθη, ἀλλ᾿ ἀδιαίρετον ἐκ μήτρας ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἕνωσιν, καθά προειρήκαμεν. Εὐθὺς δὲ λέγουσι - Διατί οὖν ψηφίζετε αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔτη; Ἔτη ψηφίζονται οὐκ ἐκ φύσεως μονομερῶς, ἀλλὰ γεννήσεως τοῦ γενομένου ἀνθρώπου. Οὐκ εἶπε γὰρ ἡ Γραφή, ὅτι ἐγεννήθη ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος, ὡς ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅς ἐστι Θεὸς ἅμα καὶ ἄνθρωπος, ἀμέριστος, καὶ ἀδιαίρετος Υἱὸς Θεοῦ. Γεννήσεως οὖν τῆς οἰκονομικῆς ἔσχεν ἀρχὴν, φύσεως δὲ ἀρχὴν οὐκ ἔχει διὰ τὴν ἐκ μήτρας ἕνωσιν. Τίνι γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, ἐπιθήσεις ἀρχήν; Σώματι ψιλῷ; ἀλλὰ ψιλὸν οὐδέποτε ὑπῆρξε τὸ Κυριακὸν σῶμα κατὰ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν φωνὴν τὴν λέγουσαν πρὸς Ἰωσήφ· Μὴ φοβηθῇς παραλαβεῖν Μαριάμ τὴν γυναῖκά σου · τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν, ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐστίν· ᾿Αλλ' ἐπιθήσεις. ἀρχὴν τῷ γεννηθέντι Χριστῷ; ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ὁ Λόγος σεσαρκωμένος, καθὼς ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἀποδέδεικται. Οὔτε οὖν μερισμὸν, οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἐπιθεῖναι δύνασαι τῷ Χριστῷ, καθὼς ἀποδέδεικται. Δεδόσθω, φασὶν, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἔχει ἀρχὴν διὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν· μὴ ἡ ἕνωσις ἀρχὴν οὐκ ἔχει; Καὶ ἔχει, καὶ οὐκ ἔχει διότι αὐτὸς ὁ ἄναρχος, τῆς ἑνώσεως γέγονεν ἀρχή· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἶπον, καὶ ἔχει καὶ οὐκ ἔχει. Εὐσεβέστερον δέ ἐστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει· ὅσα γὰρ ὑποστατικῶς ἤνωται, κἂν ἐκ δύο νοεῖται, ὅμως τὸ τῇ τοῦ δυνατωτέρου φύσει συνενωθὲν, ἐκεῖνο καὶ νοεῖται, καὶ ὀνομάζεται. Καθάπερ ποταμὸς ἐκ βροχῆς συσταθεὶς, καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ συμμιγεὶς, οὐκ ἔτι λέγεται ποταμὸς, ἀλλὰ θάλασσα, ἐκεῖθεν ἀρχὴν λαβών, κἀκεῖ καταλήξας. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἡ σωματικὴ δύναμις ὡς ὑπερέχουσα ἐνήργησε τῷ Λόγῳ, καὶ οὕτως γέγονεν ἕνωσις, νοείσθω καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔχειν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν. Εἰ δὲ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος θεοπρεπῶς ἐνήργησε κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, φανερὸν ὅτι πρὸς ἐκείνην τὴν φύσιν τὸ ἅγιον σῶμα ηὐγένισται· ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησε κατοικῆσαι πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς. Εἰ δὲ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα δηλονότι οὐδὲν ὑπολέλειπται τῆς θεότητος, ὃ οὐκ ἔχει τὸ ἅγιον σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἶτε ἀναρχότητα εἴποις, εἴτε Θεότητα, εἴτε ἀθανασίαν, εἴτε παντοκρατορικὴν δύναμιν, εἴτε ἐξουσίαν, εἴτε κράτος, εἴτε σοφίαν ἀθάνατον, πάντα ἔχει· ὅτι εὐδόκησεν ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικῆσαι πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς. Διὰ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ Παῦλος · Ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν οὐδένα οἴδαμεν κατὰ σάρκα· εἰ δὲ ἐγνώκαμεν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκ ἔτι γινώσκομεν. Ἐγνώκαμεν γὰρ, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησε κατοικῆσαι πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς Θεότητος σωματικῶς, καὶ ἐσμὲν ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ᾽, Ἐν αὐτῷ· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐστι τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι πληρουμένου. Οὕτω δὴ οὖν νοεῖται Χριστὸς, μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν ἔχων, μήτε ζωῆς τέλος.","t":"Paul calls Melchizedek fatherless and motherless according to the following word, “without genealogy.” Since it is not stated in the genealogy of what father or what mother he was, or when he was born or when he died, for this reason he has neither beginning of days nor end. For he could not have a genealogy, being descended from the nations that were left over, as Scripture makes plain from his dwelling place. In this he was made like the Son of God, since the Lord Jesus Christ had no father on earth and had no mother in heaven. And since we have said that by design it is not stated in the divine Scripture when Melchizedek was born or when he died, and for this reason it says he had neither beginning of days nor end of life, they seek the likeness in this word too, saying, “If this is said of Melchizedek, tell us also of Christ how he has neither beginning of days nor end of life, so that we may know the likeness in this too. For we know that the one born of Mary both had a beginning and died and rose according to the Scriptures.” We say to this: “Do you believe the Gospel, that the Word became flesh, not changed into a man but taking man into himself?” They say, “Yes, we believe this.” “If, then, you believe, know that Christ neither is nor is understood to be a mere man, since he never existed on one side alone and was united afterward. It is clear that God the Word first worked in a manner worthy of God, as it is written, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the holy one born of you will be called Son of God.’ Hence we understand that Christ has neither beginning of days nor end of life. For if the Word without beginning became the beginning of the incarnation, it is clear that Christ is without beginning because of the union from the womb. So Melchizedek too is likened to him in this, his birth and his death being passed over by design, to foreshow the mysteries of Christ.” [5] And again they say, “Did the Lord take our body or not?” “Yes, ours; but he did not take it as something divided. For he did not cause it to exist beforehand and then unite himself with it, but made the union indivisible from the womb, as we said before.” At once they say, “Why then do you count his years?” “Years are counted not from a nature taken on one side, but from the birth of the man who came to be. For Scripture did not say that a mere man was born, as you say, God the Word, but Christ, who is God and man together, the undivided and indivisible Son of God. So he had a beginning of the birth of the dispensation, but has no beginning of nature, because of the union from the womb. For to what, tell me, will you assign a beginning? To a mere body? But the Lord's body never existed as mere body, according to the word of the Gospel that says to Joseph, ‘Do not fear to take Mary your wife; for what is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.’ Or will you assign a beginning to the Christ who was born? See, he is the Word himself made flesh, as has been shown in the Gospels. So you can assign to Christ neither division nor beginning, as has been shown.” “Let it be granted,” they say, “that Christ has no beginning because of the union; does the union have no beginning?” “It both has and has not, because the one without beginning became the beginning of the union; and for this reason I said it both has and has not. But it is more reverent to say that it has not. For whatever is united hypostatically, even if it is understood from two, yet what is united to the nature of the stronger is both understood and named as that. Just as a river formed from rain and mingled with the sea is no longer called a river but sea, having taken its beginning from there and ending there. If the bodily power, as superior, had worked upon the Word and so the union came about, let it be understood to have a beginning according to the nature of the body. But if God the Word worked in a manner worthy of God according to the Gospel, it is clear that the holy body has been ennobled toward that nature; for in him it pleased the whole fullness of the Godhead to dwell bodily. And if the whole fullness, clearly nothing of the Godhead is left that the holy body of Christ does not have; whether you speak of being without beginning, or Godhead, or immortality, or almighty power, or authority, or might, or immortal wisdom, it has all; for it pleased the whole fullness of the Godhead to dwell in him bodily. That is why Paul says, ‘From now on we know no one according to the flesh; even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, we know him so no longer.’ For we have known that in him it pleased the whole fullness of the Godhead to dwell bodily, and we have been filled in him. He did not say ‘in them’ but ‘in him’; for he is the fullness of him who fills all in all. So, then, Christ is understood as having neither beginning of days nor end of life.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.4 (PG 65:1121; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-4)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.5":{"o":"Πάλιν λέγουσιν· Εἱ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, πῶς μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές; Τοῦτο κατὰ δύο τρόπους νοητέον, οὐ μόνον περὶ ἐκείνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ πάντων ἁγίων. Πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι ἐμφέρεται ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ, Εἰς τὸ διηνεκές, καὶ ὅτι μένουσι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ διηνεκῶς· Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης μένει προφήτης εἰς τὸ διηνεκές, καὶ παρὰ τῇ Γραφῇ, καὶ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Ὁμοίως οἱ ἀπόστολοι μένουσιν εἰς τὸ διηνεκές· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ποίᾳ ἐλπίδι ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ καθ' ἡμέραν ἀπέθνησκον; Καὶ πάντες οἱ ἱερατεύσαντες τῷ Χριστῷ μένουσιν εἰς τὸ διηνεκές. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Μελχισεδέὲκ ἱερατεύσας τῷ Θεῷ, μένει εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς, κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, λέγοντος, ὅτι αὐτῷ πάντες ζῶσιν. Εἰς θεολογίαν δὲ λαμβάνουσι κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον τὸν Μελχισεδέκ, ὡς Θεῷ πρέπειν ἡγούμενοι αὐτῷ τὸ, Θεωρεῖτε δὲ πηλίκος οὗτος, ᾧ καὶ δεκάτην ἐμέρισεν Ἀβραὰμ ἐκ τῶν ἀκροθηγίων ὁ πατριάρχης. Καὶ τί τοῦτο πρὸς θεότητος ἀξίαν; Θέλεις ἰδεῖν μείζονα ταπεινότητα τοῦ ᾿Αβραάμ; Ὁπηνίκα τὸ σπήλαιον ἔλαβεν εἰς ταφὴν Σάῤῥας, τοῖς ἀποδομένοις προσεκύνησε. Παρὰ τοῦτο κἀκείνους θεοποιήσομεν, διότι προσεκύνησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ πατριάρχης ; Μὴ γένοιτο ! Ἴδε πόσον ἔχονται ἀφροσύνης, ὅτι ἐν πηλικότητι τὸν Θεὸν ὁρίζονται, καὶ οἴα βραχύτητι! Οὐ θεωρεῖτε γὰρ, εἶπε, πηλίκος οὗτος, ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὁ ἐπιστάμενος τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς τὰς ἑκουσίους αὐτῶν κινήσεις, τὸ δέον ἐπὶ πάντων ἀπονείμας οὐ προσφάτως, ἀλλ᾿ ἰδίῳ καιρῷ προσφυῶς ἀνακύπτειν ὀρισάμενος. Οὐδὲ εἶπεν ὁ σταθμίσας εὐμέτρως ὑετῶν, καὶ χιόνων ἐπιφορὰς, κρυμούς τε χειμερινοὺς, καὶ θερινοῦ καύσωνος βολὰς, ἵνα μὴ τὸν κόσμον ἀπολέσῃ. Οὐδὲ εἶπεν, ὁ ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς δικαισύνης ἀποσώζων, καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸν ἀνυποκρίτως ἐλεῆσαι δυνάμενος, ὁ πανταχοῦ ὢν ἀδιαιρέτως, καὶ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ μένων ἀσυγχύτως· ὁ τῶν ἀγαθῶν κτίστης, καὶ πάντων γνώστης εὐκριτὴς, ὁ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ δήσας τὸν ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ ἐν μωρίᾳ τοῦ φρονίμου ὄφεως τὰ σκεύη ἁρπάσας, ὁ ἐξαγαγὼν ἐκ θανάτου ζωὴν, καὶ τὰ ἄδηλα φανεροποιήσας. Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο ὁ ᾿Απόστολος εἶπε περὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ, ἀλλὰ, Θεωρεῖτε, φησὶ, πηλίκος οὗτος, ᾧ καὶ δεκάτην μέρισεν ᾿Αβραάμ! ῎Αρα, εἰ ἦν Θεὸς, ὁ Παῦλος ἐν πηλικότητι τὴν ἀκατάληπτον δύναμιν περιώριζε, καὶ τοῦτο ἐν μηδενὶ θαυμαστῷ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ταῖς δεκάταις τοῦ ᾿Ἀβραὰμ, ἃς καὶ οἱ κατὰ νόμον ἱερεῖς καταλαμβάνουσιν; \"Ὅταν οὖν ἀναγινώσκων εὕρῃς τι περὶ Μελχισεδέκ γεγραμμένον, Μελχισεδέκ; \"Όταν δὲ ἀκούσας, παρὰ τῶν Μελχισεδεκιτῶν ὅτι Θεὸς ὀνομάζεται, μνήσθητι τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ, ὅτι ἑτέρας γενεᾶς ἐστι, τουτέστι Χαναναίων. μνήσθητι τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου, Ἐφ' ὃν λέγεται ταῦτα, φυλῆς ἑτέρας μετέσχηκε, καὶ οὐδέποτε πλανηθήσῃ. Πρόδηλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός· ᾿Ακολούθησον τῇ πίστει Παύλου, καὶ μὴ τὰ προφητικῶς χρηματισθέντα πρόσνεμε τῷ χρηματίσαντι, μηδ' αὐτὰ πάλιν τὰ τυπικῶς γεγενημένα αὐτοῖς ἀπόνεμε τοῖς τύποις. Ποίας φυλῆς μετέσχηκεν ὁ Μελχισεδέκ, ὅτι αὐτὸς αὐτῷ νομίζεις τὰ εἰρημένα; Οὕτω δε πλανώμενος, πάντως ἂν καὶ τὸν ἀμνὸν τὸν σφαγέντα τυπικῶς, Θεὸν ἡγήσῃ λέγων· Εἰ μὴ ἦν Θεὸς, πῶς τὸν ὀλοθρευτὴν ἄγγελον ἀπήλαυνε τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ; Τάχα δὲ καὶ τὸν χαλκοῦν ὄφιν θεοποιήσεις, ταῦτα ὑπολαμβάνων, καὶ λέγων· εἰ μὴ ἦν Θεὸς, πῶς τοὺς δηχθέντας ὑπὸ ὄφεων ἐθεράπευεν; Ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸ τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου ἐροῦμεν. Ἐφ' ὃν λέγεται ταῦτα, φυλῆς ἑτέρας μετέσχηκεν· Ἔκαστος γὰρ αὐτῶν, οὐ δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ ἐποίει τὴν δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἑρμηνευομένου Χριστοῦ · οὕτω καὶ ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ κἂν ἐχρημάτισε βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης, οὐ φύσει ἦν, ἀλλ᾽ ἑρμηνευόμενος κατὰ τὴν Γραφήν· Ἐφ' ὃν γὰρ λέγεται ταῦτα, φυλῆς ἑτέρας μετέσχηκεν","t":"Again they say, “If Melchizedek is a man, how does he remain a priest perpetually?” This is to be understood in two ways, not only of him but of all the saints. First, that it is stated in Scripture, “perpetually,” and that they remain with God perpetually: Isaiah the prophet remains a prophet perpetually, both in Scripture and with God. Likewise the apostles remain perpetually; otherwise, with what hope did they die daily for Christ? And all who served as priests to Christ remain perpetually. So holy Melchizedek too, having served as priest to God, remains perpetually, according to the word of the Lord, who says that all live to him. They take Melchizedek into theology according to this word, thinking it befits him as God: “See how great this man is, to whom even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils.” And what has this to do with the dignity of Godhead? Do you wish to see a greater lowliness of Abraham? When he took the cave for Sarah's burial, he bowed down to the sellers. Shall we then deify them too, because the patriarch bowed down to them? Far from it! See how great their folly is, that they define God by size, and by such smallness! For he did not say, “See how great is he who made heaven and earth and the sea, who knows the mind of human beings in their voluntary movements, who assigned what is due to all, appointing it to appear fittingly not at once but in its own time.” Nor did he say, “He who weighed out in measure the falls of rain and snow, the frosts of winter and the blasts of summer heat, so as not to destroy the world.” Nor did he say, “He who preserves justice in compassion and can have mercy on the sinner without pretence, who is everywhere undivided and remains in the Father without confusion; the creator of good things and the discerning knower of all, who bound the strong man in weakness and plundered the goods of the cunning serpent in foolishness, who brought life out of death and made plain what was hidden.” The apostle said nothing like this about Melchizedek, but, “See,” he says, “how great this man is, to whom Abraham gave a tenth!” If he were God, would Paul have confined the incomprehensible power within a measure of size, and that in nothing wonderful, but in the tithes of Abraham, which the priests under the law also receive? When, then, reading, you find something written about Melchizedek, remember the apostle: “He of whom these things are said belonged to another tribe,” and you will never go astray. And when you hear from the Melchizedekians that he is called God, remember the apostolic word, that he is of another race, that is, of the Canaanites. For it is evident that our Lord Jesus Christ sprang from Judah. Follow the faith of Paul, and do not assign what was declared prophetically to the one through whom it was declared, nor again attribute to the types themselves what happened in types. Of what tribe was Melchizedek, that you think the things said belong to him? Erring in this way, you would surely think the lamb slain as a type was God, saying, “If it was not God, how did its blood drive away the destroying angel?” Perhaps you will deify the bronze serpent too, supposing these things and saying, “If it was not God, how did it heal those bitten by serpents?” But we will say the apostle's word: “He of whom these things are said belonged to another tribe.” For each of these worked the power not through itself but through the Christ interpreted in them; so too Melchizedek, even if he was called king of righteousness and king of peace, was not so by nature, but by interpretation, according to Scripture. For he of whom these things are said belonged to another tribe.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.5 (PG 65:1125; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-5)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.7":{"o":"Ἤθελον γὰρ κἀγὼ πυθέσθαι τῶν φρεναπατῶν· Τίνος ἕνεκα οἱ προφῆται, ἢ οἱ ἀπόστολοι Θεὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι οὐκ ἐκήρυξαν ; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ φθόνῳ ἢ φόβῳ ἐφέροντο, οὐκ ἂν τὸν ἐκ Μαρίας ἀφθόνως καὶ ἀφόβως πᾶσιν ἐφανέρωσαν ; Εἰ δὲ ἠγνόησαν, ἐκεῖνοι μὲν νήπιοι παρ' ὑμᾶς, ὑμεῖς δὲ παρ᾽ ἐκείνους τελειότεροι, καθότι τὸ ἐκείνους λαθὸν ὑμῖν ἀπεκαλύφθη. Ἀλλὰ τί φασιν οἱ δεινοί; Μὴ θαυμάσῃς, ὅτι εἰ ἠγνόησαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο, ὅπου γε καὶ τῷ Παύλῳ δυσερμήνευτον κατεφάνη, λέγοντι· Περὶ οὗ πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, καὶ δυσερμήνευτος λέγειν. \"Ω τῆς ἀλαζονείας ! Δοκοῦντες εἶναι τῶν ἀποστόλων σοφώτεροι, οὔτε νοοῦσιν ἃ λέγουσιν, οὔτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται. Εἰ γὰρ πιστεύουσιν ὅλως ὅτι, πολὺς ὁ περὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ λόγος, καὶ δυσερμήνευτος, εἰπάτωσαν, ποίῳ μέρει δυσερμήνευτός ἐστι ; πότερον τῷ ἡμετέρῳ, ἢ τῷ ἐκείνων; Ἡμεῖς λέγομεν, ὅτι ἐρμηνεύεται Μελχισεδέκ εἰς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, καὶ πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσερμήνευτος, καθ' ὁ καὶ [ό] ᾿Απόστολος λέγει· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ λέγουσιν, ὅτι Θεὸς φύσει ἐστίν. Εἰ δὲ φύσει Θεὸς πῶς δυσερμήνευτος ; Θεὸς καθολικῶς πιστεύεται ἀνερμήνευτος, οἱ δὲ τύποι ἑρμηνεύονται. Διὰ τοῦτο ἴδωμεν, τίνι μαρτυρεῖ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος, εἰπών· Περὶ οὗ πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσερμήνευτος. Εἰ ἐκείνοις, ὡς περὶ Θεοῦ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ εἰρηκὼς, ἑρμηνευσάτωσαν τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῶν, ὡς νοήσαντες αὐτὸν φύσει Θεόν· εἰ δὲ μή γε, ἡμεῖς ἐν Κυρίῳ κατὰ δύναμιν τὰ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ ὡς τυπικὰ ἑρμηνεύσομεν, κατὰ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου, καὶ παυσάσθωσαν βλασφημοῦντες. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ Ἱερουσαλήμ Ἰεβοὺς ἐκαλεῖτο· ὅθεν γινώσκομεν, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν καθαιρεθέντων ἑπτὰ ἐθνῶν ἦν ὁ Μελχισεδέκ· Ἰεβουσαῖος γὰρ ἐτύγχανεν. Ὕστερον δὲ, μετὰ τὸ ἐκβληθῆναι τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ἀποικίσαι τὸν λαὸν, ἀπεκλήρωσεν αὐτὴν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἱερεῦσι, τοῦ ἐκείνου ἀναφέρεσθαι τὰς θυσίας ἐκ παντὸς τόπου τῶν Ἰουδαίων· ὅθεν καὶ μετὰ τὸ καταπαῦσαι ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, μετωνόμασε τὴν πόλιν Σαλήμ, ὁ ἐστιν εἰρήνη. Ἱερουσαλήμ δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται, ὄρασις εἰρήνης. Τούτου χάριν ὁ Μελχισεδέκ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ καὶ τῇ Γραφῇ βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης ἑρμηνεύεται· ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ ἐβασιλεύετὸ πρότερον, ὡς εἴ τις εἴπῃ, βασιλεὺς Σέλγης· Σέλγη δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται ἀγνεία. Οὐκ οὖν εἰκότως ὁ ἡγούμενος Σέλγης, κατὰ τὸ τῆς πόλεως ὄνομα, ἡγούμενος ἀγνείας ἑρμηνεύεται; οὐ φύσει μέντοι ἁγνείας ἐστὶν ἡγούμενος, ἀλλὰ καθ' ἑρμηνείαν ὀνομασίας. Χριστὸς δὲ ἐστι φύσει ἁγνείας ἡγούμενος. \"Αρα νοοῦσιν, ὅτι καὶ ὁ Μελχισεδέκ καθ' ἑρμηνείαν ὀνομαστικὴν βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης λέγεται; Εἱ μὲν Ἱερουσαλὴμ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἐπουράνιος, ἔνθα ἐβασίλευσεν, ἤτω καὶ ὁ ἡγούμενος αὐτῆς φύσει βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης· εἰ δὲ αὕτη τύπος ἦν τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλήμ, φανερόν, ὅτι καὶ οὗτος τυπικῶς ὠνόμασται βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης, διὰ τὴν ὁμωνυμίαν τῆς πόλεως. Τὸ δὲ Βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, τοῦ οἰκείου ὀνόματός ἐστιν ἑρμηνεία, τουτέστι Μελχισεδέκ, γλώσσῃ τῇ Χανανίτιδι, καθὼς παρὰ τῶν ἐπισταμένων ἐμάθομεν, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι Ἀμβρόσιος, τουτέστιν ἀθάνατος. Τί οὖν; ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων Αμβρόσιοι ὀνομάζονται, παρὰ τοῦτο φύσει καὶ ἀθάνατοί εἰσι, κατὰ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν; Οὐ πάντως. Πόσοι Εὐγένιοι λέγονται, δοῦλοι ὑπάρχοντες! πόσοι Αθανάσιοι λέγονται, ὄντες θνητοί! πόσοι Πολυχρόνιοι, καὶ γίνονται ὀλιγοχρόνιοι! πόσοι Δημοκράται, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἐκράτησαν! καὶ εὑρέθησαν οἱ χρηματισμοὶ ἀκατάλληλοι τοῖς πράγμασιν.","t":"For I too would have liked to ask these deceivers: why did the prophets or the apostles not proclaim him to be God? If they were moved by envy or fear, would they not have made known the one born of Mary to all without envy or fear? And if they did not know, then they were children compared with you, and you more perfect than they, since what escaped them has been revealed to you. But what do these clever people say? “Do not be surprised that the apostles did not know this mystery, since even to Paul it appeared hard to explain, when he said, ‘About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain.’” O the boastfulness! Thinking themselves wiser than the apostles, they understand neither what they say nor what they affirm. For if they believe at all that the word about Melchizedek is long and hard to explain, let them say in what respect it is hard to explain: in ours, or in theirs? We say that Melchizedek is interpreted as referring to our Lord Jesus Christ, and the word is long for us and hard to explain, just as the apostle says; but they say he is God by nature. And if he is God by nature, how is he hard to explain? God is universally believed to be beyond interpretation, but types are interpreted. Therefore let us see for whom holy Paul bears witness when he says, “About whom we have much to say, and it is hard to explain.” If for them, as having spoken of Melchizedek as God, let them interpret their God, as having understood him to be God by nature; but if not, we in the Lord will interpret, as far as we can, the things of Melchizedek as types, according to the purpose of holy Paul, and let them stop blaspheming. First, Jerusalem was called Jebus; hence we know that Melchizedek was from the seven nations that were destroyed, for he was a Jebusite. Later, after the nations were driven out and the people settled, God allotted it to the priests, for the sacrifices to be brought there from every place of the Jews; hence too, after he gave rest from the enemies, he renamed the city Salem, which is peace. And Jerusalem is interpreted “vision of peace.” For this reason Melchizedek is interpreted in Paul and in Scripture as king of peace; for he reigned in it before, as if one were to say, king of Selge; and Selge is interpreted purity. Is not the ruler of Selge, then, fittingly interpreted ruler of purity, according to the name of the city? Yet he is not ruler of purity by nature, but by interpretation of the name. But Christ is by nature ruler of purity. Do they understand, then, that Melchizedek too is called king of peace by interpretation of a name? If this is the heavenly Jerusalem where he reigned, let its ruler also be king of peace by nature; but if it was a type of the Jerusalem above, it is plain that he too was named king of peace typically, because of the city's name. And “king of righteousness” is the interpretation of his own name, that is, Melchizedek, in the Canaanite tongue, as we have learned from those who know it, as if one were to say Ambrosius, that is, immortal. What then? Since many people are called Ambrosius, are they therefore immortal by nature, according to the name? Not at all. How many are called Eugenius, though they are slaves! How many are called Athanasius, though they are mortal! How many Polychronius, and they become short-lived! How many Democrates, and they ruled no one! And the titles are found not to fit the facts.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.7 (PG 65:1127; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-7)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.8":{"o":"Ἐπειδὴ οὖν τὰς ὀνομασίας ἡρμηνεύσαμεν κατὰ δύναμιν, φέρε, ὡς οἷόν τε, καὶ τὰ πράγματα πάλιν. Ωσπερ ᾿Αβραάμ, μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων οἰκογενῶν τριακοσίων δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ὁπλισάμενος, ἐπὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἑτροπώσατο· οὕτως ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οἱ ὄντως οἰκογενεῖς αὐτοῦ τριακόσιοι δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ πατριάρχαι, ἐν τῇ Νικαίων πόλει ἀποστολικῶς ὁπλισάμενοι ἐτροπώσαντο τὰς αἱρέσεις. Ἴδε ἑρμηνείαν προσφυῆ. Τότε ὁ Μελχισεδέκ ἐξἡνεγκεν ἄρτον καὶ οἶνον, εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν τοῖς ἀναστρέφουσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ πολέμου. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ μέγας ἀρχιερεὺς, τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ νοεροῦ πολέμου πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀναστρέφουσι δίδωσιν ἄρτον καὶ οἶνον ήγιασμένον, λέγων· Λάβετε, φάγετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες. Καὶ πάλιν δίδωσι δεκάτας Ἀβραὰμ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀκροθινίων τῷ ἱερεῖ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ οἱ ἐφάμιλλοι τῆς ἐκείνου πίστεως προσφέρουσι τῷ Χριστῷ τὰ ἀκροθίνια. Αἱ γὰρ πέντε αἰσθήσεις, διττῶς ἀνατεθεῖται αὐτῷ, νοερῶς λέγω καὶ ἰδικῶς, δεκάται τινές εἰσι τῶν μορίων τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν, τῆς ποτε αἰχμαλωτευθείσης ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων κατὰ τὴν προειρημένην ἱστορίαν. ῾Ἆρα διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐνόησας, πῶς πολύς ἐστιν ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσερμήνευτος, καθὼς προείρηκεν ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος ἀπόστολος; Μὴ οὖν τοὺς τύπους λέγε ἀλήθειαν, μηδὲ ἀκούσας ἀπάτορα, καὶ ἀμήτορα διὰ τὸ ἀγενεαλόγητον, λογίζου διὰ τοῦτο Υἱὸν Θεοῦ φύσει. Ἡ οὐκ ἀνέγνως ὅσα διηγεῖται ἡ θεία Γραφὴ ἐν τῇ κατ᾿ αὐτὸν ἱστορίᾳ περὶ τῶν τύπων, περὶ τοῦ Λὼτ τοῦ ἀδελφιδοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, περὶ τῶνδε βασιλέων, τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἅμα καὶ τῶν τόπων, καὶ τὸν Μελχισεδέκ, καὶ τὴν πόλιν Σαλὴμ φανερῶς δηλώσασα; Οὐδὲν δὲ τούτων περὶ τῆς σαρκώσεως τοῦ Κυρίου αὐτολύτως ἑρμηνεύεται. Εἰ γὰρ φύσις τὰ ὀνόματὰ εἰσιν, οὐκέτι ἑρμηνεία· εἰ δὲ ἑρμηνεία, οὐκέτι φύσις. Πῶς οὖν πολὺς ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσερμήνευτος; ᾿Αλλὰ γνῶθι τὸ γεγραμμένον, ὅτι ταῦτα τύποι συνέβαινον ἐκείνοις· γέγραπται δὲ εἰς νουθεσίαν ἡμετέραν, εἰς οὓς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων κατήντησε.","t":"Since we have interpreted the names as far as we can, come, as far as possible, let us interpret the events too. Just as Abraham, arming himself with his own three hundred and eighteen household servants, routed the foreigners in the time of Melchizedek, so in the time of Christ his true household, the three hundred and eighteen patriarchs, armed in apostolic fashion in the city of Nicaea, routed the heresies. See a fitting interpretation. Then Melchizedek brought out bread and wine for the refreshment of those returning from the war. So too Christ, the great high priest, gives to those returning to him from the spiritual war bread and wine sanctified, saying, “Take, eat of it, all of you.” And again Abraham gives tithes from the spoils to the priest of God; and those who emulate his faith offer Christ the firstfruits. For the five senses, dedicated to him in a twofold way, I mean spiritually and particularly, are a kind of tithes of the parts of our nature, which was once taken captive by the foreigners according to the story mentioned. Have you understood from what has been said how the word is long and hard to explain, as holy Paul the apostle said before? Do not, then, call the types the truth, nor, on hearing “fatherless and motherless” because he is without genealogy, reckon him for this reason Son of God by nature. Or have you not read all that the divine Scripture tells in his story about the types: about Lot, Abraham's nephew, about these kings, the names both of the men and of the places, plainly showing both Melchizedek and the city of Salem? None of these is interpreted of itself as referring to the Lord's incarnation. For if the names are nature, they are no longer interpretation; and if interpretation, no longer nature. How then is the word long and hard to explain? But know what is written, that these things happened to them as types, and were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.8 (PG 65:1129; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-8)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/10.9":{"o":"Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι πυθέσθαι παρ' αὐτῶν· Πῶς ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος μὴ ἔχων τότε σάρκα ἱεράτευσεν; ὑπὲρ τίνος δὲ καὶ ἱεράτευσεν; Εἱ ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόσμου λέγεις, καὶ ποῦ ἔστι τὸ θύμα; χωρὶς γὰρ αἱματοχυσίας ἤκουσας, ὅτι οὐ γίνεται ἄφεσις· τίνες δὲ εἰσι καὶ οἱ τῆς ἱερωσύνης κήρυκές τε καὶ μάρτυρες; Εἰ δὲ λέγουσιν, ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν ἐστι, τύπος δὲ ἐγένετο τῶν μελλόντων· οὐκοῦν ὁ ἄσαρκος τοῦ σαρκωθησομένου τύπος εὑρίσκεται; μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ τύπος ἐγένετο; Ὅπου δὲ αὐτὸς πάρεστιν, οὐ λέγεται τύπος, ἀλλ᾽ ἀλήθεια. Εἰ δὲ τότε ἀλήθεια, ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκώσεως τί ἐροῦμεν ; πῶς δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει, ὅτι ἑτέραις γενεαῖς τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη, ὡς νῦν ἀπεκαλύφθη τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις, καὶ προφήταις; τότε δὲ οὔτε προφῆται ἐβόησαν περὶ τούτου, οὔτε ἀπόστολοι. Ἀλλὰ τί πάλιν λέγουσιν; Εἰ μὴ ἦν Θεὸς, πῶς ἦν ἱερεὺς πρὸ νόμου; Ἡμεῖς δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἱερωσύνη λέγεται διὰ τὸ θύειν τῷ Θεῷ θυσίας ἄνθρωπον ἔνσαρκον· χωρὶς δὲ σαρκὸς ἱερεὺς οὐκ ὀνομάζεται. Ωσπερ οὖν ἔθυσε τῷ Θεῷ ῎Αβελ πρὸ νόμου, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀποδέδεικται ἱερεὺς, καὶ ὥσπερ ἔθυσεν αὐτῷ Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἀποδέδεικται ἱερεύς· ὡς οὗτοι πάντες ἔθυσαν πρὸ τοῦ νόμου, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Μελχισεδέκ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου ἦν ἱερεύς. ᾿Αλλά φασι· Τούτους ἱερεῖς οὐκ εἶπεν ἡ θεία Γραφή. Ἡ μὲν θεία Γραφὴ οὐ περιττολογεῖ, καθὼς παραζητεῖτε ὑμεῖς. Εἰ δὲ ὅλως ζητεῖτε τὴν διαφορὰν τοῦ πράγματος, ὁ Μελχισεδέκ οὐκ ἔθυσεν, ἀλλὰ μόνον ὠνομάσθη. Βεβαιότεροι οὖν εἰσιν οὗτοι θύσαντες, ἢ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὀνομασθεὶς, ἐπειδὴ τὸ θύειν ἱερωσύνης ἐστὶ μᾶλλον, ἢ γὰρ τὸ χρηματίζειν. Τὴν τοιαύτην μὲν διαφορὰν τῇ ἐκείνων ἀκαιρολογίᾳ παρεθήκαμεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν Κυρίῳ κἀκεῖνον κακείνους ὁμοίως ἱερεῖς ἔχομεν τοῦ Θεοῦ.","t":"And it is necessary to ask them this too: how did God the Word, having no flesh then, act as priest? And for whom did he act as priest? If you say for the world, where is the victim? For you have heard that without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. And who are the heralds and witnesses of the priesthood? If they say that he is the Word himself, but became a type of things to come, then is the fleshless one found to be a type of the one who would become flesh, or rather was he a type of himself? Where he himself is present, it is not called a type but the truth. And if it was the truth then, what shall we say of the incarnation? And how does Scripture say that this mystery was not made known to other generations as it has now been revealed to the holy apostles and prophets? For then neither prophets nor apostles cried out about this. But what do they say again? “If he was not God, how was he a priest before the law?” We say to them: priesthood is so called because a man in the flesh offers sacrifices to God; without flesh no one is called a priest. Just as Abel sacrificed to God before the law and for this reason has been shown a priest, and as Jacob sacrificed to him and has been shown a priest, as all these sacrificed before the law, so Melchizedek too was a priest before the law. But they say, “The divine Scripture did not call these priests.” The divine Scripture does not speak superfluously, as you demand. And if you seek the difference of the matter at all, Melchizedek did not sacrifice but was only named a priest. These, then, who sacrificed, are more firmly priests than he who was named, since to sacrifice belongs to priesthood more than to bear the title. We have set out such a difference against their untimely talk; but we in the Lord hold both him and them alike as priests of God.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 10.9 (PG 65:1133; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/10-9)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.1":{"o":"Ἡ τῶν ἔξωθεν κακοπιστία ἐν τοῖς ὑπογεγραμμένοις, ἐλέγχεται ὑπὸ τῶν βεβαιοπίστων, καὶ ἐπεγνωκότων τὴν ἀλήθειαν.","t":"The false belief of outsiders is refuted in what is written below by those who are firm in faith and have come to know the truth.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.1 (PG 65:929; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.10":{"o":"Τινὲς ἐπ᾿ ἀρετῇ ἐπαινεθέντες, ἡδύνθησαν, καὶ τὴν τῆς κενοδοξίας αὐτῶν ἡδονὴν, ἔδοξαν εἶναι παράκλησιν. Ἔτεροι ἐφ᾽ ἁμαρτίαις ἐλεγχθέντες, ἐπόνεσαν, καὶ τὸν ἐπωφελῆ πόνον ἐλογίσαντο εἶναι κακίας ἐνέργειαν.","t":"Some, praised for virtue, were delighted, and thought the pleasure of their vainglory was consolation. Others, rebuked for sins, were pained, and reckoned that beneficial pain to be the working of evil.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.10 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-10)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.100":{"o":"Ὅσα ἐκτὸς προσευχῆς ἢ λαλοῦμεν, ἢ πράττομεν, ὕστερον ἢ σφαλερά, ἢ ἐπιβλαβή τυγχάνουσι, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀγνώστους διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐλέγχουσιν.","t":"Whatever we say or do without prayer turns out afterward to be either mistaken or harmful, and exposes us through events as lacking knowledge.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.100 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-100)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.101":{"o":"Ἐξ ἔργων, καὶ λόγων, καὶ ἐννοίας, δικαίωσις· ἐκ δὲ πίστεως, καὶ χάριτος, καὶ μετανοίας, θησαυροὶ σωτηρίας πολλοί.","t":"From works, words, and thought comes justification; but from faith, grace, and repentance come many treasures of salvation.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.101 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-101)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.102":{"o":"Ωσπερ μετανοοῦντι ὑψηλοφρονεῖν ἀλλότριον· οὕτως ἑκουσίως ἁμαρτάνοντι ταπεινοφρονεῖν ἀδύνατον.","t":"As pride is foreign to one who repents, so humility is impossible for one who sins voluntarily.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.102 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-102)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.103":{"o":"Οὐκ ἔστι συνειδήσεως κατάγνωσις ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη, ἀλλὰ χάριτος Θεοῦ καὶ συμπαθείας ἐπίγνωσις.","t":"Humility is not a condemnation by conscience, but a recognition of God's grace and compassion.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.103 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-103)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.104":{"o":"Ὅπερ ἐστὶν οἶκος αἰσθητὸς τῷ κοινῷ ἀέρι, τοῦτο νοῦς λογιστικὸς τῇ θείᾳ χάριτι.","t":"What a visible house is to the common air, a rational mind is to divine grace.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.104 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-104)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.105":{"o":"Ὅσην ἂν ἐκβάλῃς ὕλην, τοσοῦτον αὐτομολήσει· καὶ ὅσην ἂν ἐμβάλῃς, τοσοῦτον ὑποχωρήσει. Ὕλη οἴκου, σκεύη καὶ βρώματα · ὕλη δὲ νοὸς, κενοδοξία καὶ ἡδονή.","t":"As much material as you throw out, so much will come in of its own accord; and as much as you bring in, so much will withdraw. [106] The material of a house is furniture and food; the material of the mind is vainglory and pleasure.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.105 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-105)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.107":{"o":"Χώρημα καρδίας, ἐλπὶς εἰς Θεόν· στενοχωρία δὲ αὐτῆς, φροντὶς σωματική.","t":"The heart's spaciousness is hope in God; its narrowness is bodily care.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.107 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-107)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.108":{"o":"Μία μέν ἐστι καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύματος · ἐνεργεῖ δὲ ἑκάστῳ, καθὼς βούλεται.","t":"The grace of the Spirit is one and unchanging, but it works in each as it wills.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.108 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-108)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.109":{"o":"Ὥσπερ ὑετὸς ἐπιχεθεὶς τῇ γῇ τοῖς φυτοῖς προσφυῆ παρέχει ποιότητα, γλυκεῖαν μὲν τοῖς γλυκέσι, στυφὴν δὲ τοῖς στυφοῖς· οὕτω ἡ χάρις, ταῖς καρδίαις τῶν πιστῶν ἀτρέπτως ἐπιβάλλουσα, ἁρμοζούσας ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τὰς ἐνεργείας χαρίζεται· τῷ διὰ Χριστὸν πεινῶντι γίνεται τροφὴ, καὶ τῷ διψῶντι, πόμα ἡδύτατον· τῷ ῥιγῶντι, ἔνδυμα, καὶ τῷ κοπιῶντι, ἀνάπαυσις· τῷ προσευχομένῳ, ἐλπὶς καρδιακή, καὶ τῷ πενθοῦντι, παράκλησις.","t":"As rain poured on the earth gives the plants a quality suited to each, sweet to the sweet and astringent to the astringent, so grace, falling unchangeably upon the hearts of the faithful, bestows workings fitted to the virtues. To one who hungers for Christ's sake it becomes food, and to one who thirsts, the sweetest drink; to one who is cold, clothing, and to one who toils, rest; to one who prays, hope of heart, and to one who mourns, consolation.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.109 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-109)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.11":{"o":"Ὅσοι προφάσει ἀγώνων ἀμελεστέρων κατεπαίρονται, οὗτοι ἐξ ἔργων σωματικῶν δικαιοῦσθαι νομίζουσιν. Ὅσοι δὲ ἐπερειδόμενοι ψιλῇ τῇ γνώσει τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας εὐτελίζουσιν, οὗτοι ἐκείνων πολύ ἀφρονέστεροι τυγχάνουσιν.","t":"Those who are puffed up over those whose struggles are slacker think they are justified by bodily works. And those who lean on bare knowledge and despise the ignorant are far more foolish than they.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.11 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-11)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.110":{"o":"Ὅταν δὴ οὖν ἀκούσῃς τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς λεγούσης περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ὅτι ἐκάθισεν ἐφ᾿ ἕνα ἕκαστον τῶν ἀποστόλων, ἢ ὅτι ἐφήλατο ἐπὶ τὸν προφήτην, ἢ ἐνεργεῖ, ἢ λυπεῖται, ἢ σβέννυται, ἢ παροξύνεται· καὶ πάλιν, τοὺς μὲν ἀπαρχὴν ἔχοντας · τοὺς δὲ, πλήρεις Πνεύματος ἁγίου, μὴ τομὴν, ἢ ἀλλοίωσίν τινα ἐννοήσῃς ἐπὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος · ἀλλὰ πίστευε, καθ' ὃν προειρήκαμεν τρόπον, ἄτρεπτον καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον, καὶ παντοδύναμον, δι' ὃν ἐν ταῖς ἐνεργείαις καὶ μένει ὅ ἐστι, καὶ ἑκάστῳ τὸ δέον ἀποσώζει θεοπρεπῶς. Αὐτὸ μὲν γὰρ ἡλίου δίκην ἐπὶ τοὺς βαπτισθέντας ἐκκέχυται τελείως. Εκαστος δὲ ἡμῶν, καθ᾽ ὂν ἂν τὰ ἐπισκοτοῦντα πάθη μισήσας περιαιρῇ, ἀναλόγως φωτίζεται· καθ' ὁ δὲ ἂν ἀγαπῶν αὐτὰ διαλογίζηται, ὁμοίως σκοτίζεται.","t":"So when you hear the holy Scripture say of the Holy Spirit that it sat upon each of the apostles, or that it leapt upon the prophet, or that it works, or is grieved, or is quenched, or is provoked; and again, that some have the firstfruits and others are full of the Holy Spirit, do not think of any division or change in the Spirit. Rather believe, in the way we said before, that it is unchanging and unalterable and all-powerful; for which reason in its workings it both remains what it is and preserves for each, as befits God, what is due. For it has been poured out completely, like the sun, upon the baptized. But each of us is enlightened in proportion as he hates and removes the passions that darken him, and darkened in the same way in proportion as he loves them and dwells on them.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.110 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-110)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.111":{"o":"Ὁ μισῶν πάθη περιαιρεῖ τὰς τούτων αἰτίας. Ὁ δὲ ταῖς αἰτίαις ἐγκείμενος ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν καὶ μὴ βουλόμενος πολεμεῖται.","t":"Whoever hates the passions removes their causes; but whoever is given over to the causes is warred upon by the passions even against his will.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.111 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-111)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.112":{"o":"Ὅταν ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν ἐνεργώμεθα, ἑαυτοὺς αἰτιασώμεθα, καὶ μὴ πατρώαν ἁμαρτίαν.","t":"When we are worked upon by evil thoughts, let us blame ourselves and not ancestral sin.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.112 (PG 65:945; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-112)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.113":{"o":"Ῥίζαι τῶν λογισμῶν εἰσιν αἱ προφανεῖς κακίαι, ἃς χερσὶ καὶ ποσὶ καὶ στόματι ἐκδικοῦμεν ἕκαστος.","t":"The roots of thoughts are the open vices, which each of us defends with hands, feet, and mouth.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.113 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-113)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.114":{"o":"Οὐκ ἔστι προσομιλεῖν πάθει κατὰ διάνοιαν, μὴ ἀγαπῶντα τὰς τούτου αἰτίας. Τις γὰρ αἰσχύνης καταφρονῶν, κενοδοξίᾳ προσομιλεῖ· ἢ τίς ἐξουδένωσιν ἀγαπῶν, ἐπὶ ἀτιμίᾳ ταράσσεται; τίς δὲ καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ἔχων, ἡδονὴν σαρκὸς παραδέχεται· ἢ τις τῷ Χριστῷ τελείως πιστεύων, μεριμνᾷ περὶ προσκαίρων, ἢ διαμάχεται;","t":"One cannot converse with a passion in the mind without loving its causes. For who that despises disgrace converses with vainglory? Or who that loves being set at nought is troubled at dishonour? Who that has a broken and humbled heart welcomes pleasure of the flesh? Or who that believes perfectly in Christ is anxious about temporal things, or fights over them?","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.114 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-114)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.115":{"o":"Ὁ ἀθετούμενος ὑπό τινος, καὶ μήτε λόγῳ, μήτε ἐννοίᾳ τῷ ἀθετοῦντι φιλονεικῶν, γνῶσιν ἀληθῆ κέκτηται, καὶ πίστιν βεβαίαν ἐπιδείκνυται τῷ Δεσπότῃ. Ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι, ἑκάστῳ τὸ δίκαιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποσώζοντος.","t":"Whoever is rejected by someone and does not contend with the one rejecting him, either in word or in thought, has acquired true knowledge and shows firm faith toward the Master. [116] “The sons of men are false in the balances, to do wrong,” while God preserves for each what is just.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.115 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-115)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.117":{"o":"Εἰ οὔτε τῷ ἀδικοῦντί ἐστι· περίσσεια, οὔτε τῷ ἀδικουμένῳ ὑστέρημα· ἐν εἰκόνι μὲν διαπορεύεται ἄνθρωπος, πλὴν μάτην ταράσσεται.","t":"If there is no surplus for the one who does wrong and no lack for the one wronged, “a man walks about as a shadow, yet he is troubled in vain.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.117 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-117)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.118":{"o":"Ὅταν ἴδῃς τινὰ ἐν πολλαῖς ἀτιμίαις ὀδυνώμενον, γίνωσκε ὅτι, λογισμοῖς κενοδοξίας ἐμφορηθεὶς, ἡδέως τῶν καρδιακῶν σπερμάτων θερίζει τὰ δράγματα.","t":"When you see someone pained by many dishonours, know that, having been filled with thoughts of vainglory, he is reaping, unpleasantly, the sheaves of the seeds in his heart.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.118 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-118)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.119":{"o":"Ὁ σωματικαῖς ἡδοναῖς πέρα τοῦ δέοντος ἀπολαύσας, ἑκατονταπλασίοις πόνοις ἀποτίσει τὴν περίσσειαν.","t":"Whoever has enjoyed bodily pleasures beyond what is needed will pay for the excess with hundredfold labours.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.119 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-119)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.12":{"o":"Ἐκτὸς τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν ἔργων, οὔπω βεβαία ἡ γνῶσις, κἂν ἀληθὴς τυγχάνῃ. Διότι παντὶ πράγματι τὸ ἔργον ἐστὶ βεβαίωσις.","t":"Without the works of virtue knowledge is not yet secure, even if it is true; for in every matter the work is the confirmation.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.12 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-12)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.120":{"o":"Αρχικὸς ὑποτακτικῷ χρεωστεῖ λέγειν τὸ ὀφειλόμενον· παρακουόμενος δὲ, τὴν ἐπιφορὰν τῶν κακῶν προδιαγγέλλειν.","t":"A superior owes it to a subordinate to tell him what he ought to do; and if disobeyed, to foretell the evils that will follow.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.120 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-120)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.121":{"o":"Ὁ ἀδικούμενος παρά τινος, καὶ μὴ παραζητῶν τῷ ἀδικοῦντι τὰ δέοντα, κατ' ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέρος πιστεύει τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ ἑκατονταπλασίως λαμβάνει ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, καὶ κληρονομεῖ ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον.","t":"Whoever is wronged by someone and does not seek redress from the wrongdoer believes in Christ in that respect, and receives a hundredfold in this age and inherits eternal life.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.121 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-121)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.122":{"o":"Μνήμη Θεοῦ ἐστι πόνος καρδίας ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας γινόμενος. Πᾶς δὲ ἐπιλανθανόμενος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡδυπαθὴς καὶ ἀνάλγητος γίνεται.","t":"Remembrance of God is pain of heart endured for godliness. Everyone who forgets God becomes self-indulgent and insensitive.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.122 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-122)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.123":{"o":"Μὴ λέγε, ὅτι ὁ ἀπαθὴς θλίβεσθαι οὐ δύναται· κἂν μὴ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλησίον τοῦτο κεχρεώστηκεν.","t":"Do not say that the dispassionate cannot be afflicted; even if not for himself, he owes it to be afflicted for his neighbour.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.123 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-123)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.124":{"o":"Ὅταν ὁ ἐχθρὸς τῶν ἐν τῇ λήθῃ ἁμαρτημάτων πολλὰ κρατήσῃ χειρόγραφα, τότε καὶ ἐν τῇ μνήμῃ ποιεῖν αὐτὰ τὸν χρεωφειλέτην ἀναγκάζει, τῷ τῆς ἁμαρτίας λόγῳ εὐλόγως ἀποχρώμενος.","t":"When the enemy holds many bonds of sins committed in forgetfulness, he then forces the debtor to commit them also in remembrance, reasonably using the law of sin.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.124 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-124)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.125":{"o":"Εἰ βούλει διηνεκῶς μνημονεύειν Θεοῦ, μὴ ἀπωθοῦ ὡς ἀδίκους τὰς ἐπιφορὰς, ἀλλ' ὡς δικαίως ἐρχομένας ὑπόμενε. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ὑπομονὴ δι᾽ ἑκάστης συμβάσεως τὴν μνήμην ἀνακινεῖ, ἡ δὲ παραίτησις μειοῖ τὸν φαιδρὸν τῆς καρδίας πόνον, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀνέσεως τὴν λήθην ἐργάζεται. Ἐὰν θέλῃς παρὰ Κυρίου ἐπικαλυφθῆναι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου, μὴ φανεροποιήσῃς ἀνθρώποις τὰς σεαυτοῦ ἀρετάς. Ὁ γὰρ ἂν πράττωμεν ἐπὶ ταύταις, τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπ᾿ ἐκείναις ἐργάζεται.","t":"If you wish to remember God continually, do not push away what comes upon you as unjust, but endure it as coming justly. For patience stirs up remembrance through each occurrence, while refusal diminishes the bright toil of the heart and through ease produces forgetfulness. [126] If you wish your sins to be covered by the Lord, do not make your virtues known to people. For whatever we do with these, God also does with those.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.125 (PG 65:947; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-125)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.127":{"o":"Κρύψας ἀρετὴν, μὴ ἐπαίρου ὡς δικαιοσύνην ἐκτελῶν· δικαιοσύνη γάρ ἐστι, μὴ μόνον τὸ κρύπτειν τὰ καλὰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐννοεῖν τι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων.","t":"When you have hidden a virtue, do not be lifted up as though accomplishing righteousness; for righteousness is not only hiding good deeds but also not thinking anything forbidden.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.127 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-127)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.128":{"o":"Μὴ χαῖρε ὅταν εὖ ποιήσῃς τινὶ, ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν ἀμνησικάκως ὑπομείνῃς τὴν παρεπομένην ἐναντιότητα. Ὃν γὰρ τρόπον αἱ νύκτες τὰς ἡμέρας, οὕτω αἱ κακίαι τὰς ἀρετὰς διαδέχονται.","t":"Do not rejoice when you do good to someone, but when you endure without resentment the opposition that follows. For as nights follow days, so vices follow virtues.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.128 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-128)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.129":{"o":"Κενοδοξία, καὶ φιλαργυρία, καὶ ἡδονὴ ἄσπιλον εὐποιίαν διαμεῖναι οὐκ ἀφιᾶσιν, εἰ μὴ πρότερον αὗται φόβῳ Θεοῦ καταπέσωσιν.","t":"Vainglory, love of money, and pleasure do not allow good deeds to remain spotless unless they first fall before the fear of God.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.129 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-129)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.13":{"o":"Πολλάκις ἐκ τῆς περὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἀμελείας, καὶ ἡ γνῶσις σκοτίζεται. Ὧν γὰρ αἱ ἐργασίαι καθόλου παρελογίσθησαν, τούτων καὶ αἱ μνῆμαι κατὰ μέρος οἰχήσονται· ἡ Γραφὴ διὰ τοῦτο κατὰ γνῶσιν εἰδέναι τὸν Θεὸν ὑποτίθεται, ἵν᾽ ὀρθῶς αὐτῷ ποτε διὰ τῶν ἔργων δουλεύσωμεν.","t":"Often knowledge too is darkened through negligence in practice. For when the doing of things has been wholly neglected, the memory of them also will gradually depart. This is why Scripture urges us to know God with knowledge, so that we may one day serve him rightly through works.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.13 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-13)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.130":{"o":"Εἰς τὰς ἀκουσίους ὀδύνας τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ Θεοῦ θαυμασίως ἐγκέκρυπται, τὸν ὑπομένοντα εἰς μετάνοιαν ἕλκον, καὶ ἀπαλλάττον τῆς αἰωνίου κολάσεως.","t":"In involuntary pains the mercy of God is wonderfully hidden, drawing the one who endures to repentance and delivering him from eternal punishment.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.130 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-130)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.131":{"o":"Τινὲς ἐργαζόμενοι ἐντολὰς ἐν ζυγῷ ἀντιῤῥέψαι αὐτὰς ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἐκδέχονται· τινὲς δὲ δι᾿ αὐτὸν τὸν ἀποθανόντα ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, ἐξευμενίζονται. Ζητητέον τίς αὐτῶν ἔχει ὀρθὸν τὸ φρόνημα.","t":"Some, doing the commandments, expect them to outweigh their sins on a scale; others seek God's favour through him who died for our sins. We must ask which of them thinks rightly.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.131 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-131)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.132":{"o":"Γεέννης· φόβος καὶ παραδείσου πόθος παρέχουσι τὴν τῶν θλιβερῶν ὑπομονήν· καὶ τοῦτο, οὐκ ἐξ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ γινώσκοντος τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς ἡμῶν.","t":"Fear of hell and longing for paradise give patience in painful things; and this not from ourselves, but from him who knows our thoughts.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.132 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-132)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.133":{"o":"Ὁ πιστεύων περὶ τῶν μελλόντων τῶν ὧδε ἡδέων ἀδογματίστως ἀπέχεται· ὁ δὲ ἀπιστῶν ἡδὺς καὶ ἀνάλγητος γίνεται.","t":"Whoever believes about the things to come abstains from pleasures here without being told; but whoever disbelieves becomes pleasure-loving and insensitive.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.133 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-133)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.134":{"o":"Μὴ εἴπῃς· Πῶς ἡδυπαθήσει ὁ πένης, μὴ ἔχων τὰ αἴτια; Δύναται γάρ τις καὶ διὰ μόνων τῶν λογισμῶν ἀθλιωτέρως ἡδυπαθεῖν.","t":"Do not say, “How will the poor man indulge himself, when he does not have the means?” For one can indulge oneself even more wretchedly through thoughts alone.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.134 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-134)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.135":{"o":"Ἕτερόν ἐστι γνῶσις πραγμάτων, καὶ ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἀληθείας ἐπίγνωσις. Καθόσον οὖν διαφέρει ὁ ἥλιος τῆς σελήνης, κατὰ τοσοῦτον τῆς προτέρας ἡ δευτέρα ὠφελιμωτέρα τυγχάνει. Ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων γνῶσις κατ' ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν προσγίνεται · ἡ δὲ ἀληθείας ἐπίγνωσις, κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἐλπίδος. Εἰ οὖν θέλεις σωθῆναι, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν, πειρῶ πάντοτε ὑπερβαίνειν τὰ αἰσθητὰ, καὶ διὰ μόνης ἐλπίδος προσκολλᾶσθαι τῷ Θεῷ. Οὕτω γὰρ ἀκοντὶ μὲν παρατρεπόμενος, εὑρήσεις ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας, διὰ τῶν προσβολῶν πολεμούσας σοι· ταύτας· δὲ διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς νικῶν, καὶ μένων εὔελπις εἰς τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς ῥυομένην σε.","t":"Knowledge of things is one thing, and recognition of the truth another. As much as the sun surpasses the moon, so much more beneficial is the second than the first. Knowledge of things comes in proportion to the practice of the commandments; recognition of the truth, in the measure of one's hope in Christ. If then you wish to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, try always to rise above sensible things and to cleave to God through hope alone. For in this way, though turned aside against your will, you will find principalities and powers fighting you through provocations; but conquering them through prayer, and remaining full of hope, you will find the grace of God rescuing you from the wrath to come.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.135 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-135)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.136":{"o":"Ο συνιὼν τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου μυστικῶς εἰρημένον, τὴν πάλην ἡμῶν πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας φήσαντος, γνώσεται καὶ τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ Κυρίου, πρὸς τὸ δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν.","t":"Whoever understands what the holy Paul said mystically, when he said that our wrestling is against the spiritual forces of wickedness, will also understand the Lord's parable about the need to pray always and not lose heart.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.136 (PG 65:949; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-136)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.137":{"o":"Ο νόμος ἓξ ἡμέρας τυπικῶς. ἐργάζεσθαι, τῇ δὲ ἑβδόμῃ σχολάζειν παρακελεύεται· διότι ψυχῆς ἔργον ἐστὶν ἡ διὰ χρημάτων εὐποιία· σχολὴ δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ κατάπαυσις, τὸ πωλῆσαι πάντα, καὶ δοῦναι πτωχοῖς κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου· καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης καταπαύσαντα τῇ νοερᾷ σχολάζειν ἐλπίδι. Εἰς ταύτην τὴν κατάπαυσιν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἡμῶν μετὰ σπουδῆς προτρέπεται λέγων· Σπουδάσωμεν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν κατάπαυσιν. Ταῦτα δὲ εἰρήκαμεν, οὐκ ἀποκλείοντες τὰ μέλλοντα, οὔτε ὧδε τὴν καθολικὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν εἶναι ὁρίσαντες· ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι χρὴ πρῶτον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἔχειν τὴν χάριν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐνεργοῦσαν, καὶ οὕτω κατ᾿ ἀναλογίαν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τοῦτο φανεροποιῶν ὁ Κύριος, ἔλεγεν· Ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστι. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ᾿Απόστολος ἔλεγεν· ῎Εστι πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις· καὶ πάλιν· Οὕτως τρέχετε, ἵνα καταλάβητε· καὶ πάλιν · Δοκιμάζετε ἑαυτοὺς εἰ ἐστε ἐν τῇ πίστει· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκετε ὅτι Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν; εἰ μήτι ἄρα ἀδόκιμοί ἐστε.","t":"The law commands, figuratively, to work six days and rest on the seventh. For the soul's work is doing good with money; its rest and repose is to sell everything and give to the poor, according to the Lord's word, and, having come to rest through having no possessions, to keep sabbath in spiritual hope. Our Paul too earnestly urges us toward this rest, saying, “Let us strive to enter that rest.” We have said this not to exclude the things to come, nor to define that the whole recompense is here, but because we must first have the grace of the Holy Spirit working in the heart, and so, in proportion, enter the kingdom of heaven. The Lord made this plain when he said, “The kingdom of heaven is within you.” The apostle said the same: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for”; and again, “So run that you may obtain”; and again, “Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith. Do you not recognize that Christ Jesus dwells in you? Unless indeed you are unapproved.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.137 (PG 65:951; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-137)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.138":{"o":"Ὁ ἀλήθειαν ἐγνωκὼς ταῖς θλιβεραῖς ἐπιφοραῖς οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται· οἶδε γὰρ ὅτι εἰς φόβον Θεοῦ ὁδηγοῦσι τὸν ἄνθρωπον.","t":"Whoever has known the truth does not resist painful afflictions; for he knows that they lead a person to the fear of God.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.138 (PG 65:951; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-138)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.139":{"o":"Αἱ παλαιαὶ ἁμαρτίαι κατ' εἶδος μνημονευθεῖσαι βλάπτουσι τὸν εὔελπιν· μετὰ λύπης μὲν γὰρ ἀντιδοθεῖσαι τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀφιστᾶσιν· ἀλύπως δὲ ἐξεικονισθεῖσαι τὸν παλαιὸν μολυσμὸν ἐναποτίθενται.","t":"Old sins remembered in detail harm the hopeful person: if recalled with grief, they draw him away from hope; if pictured without grief, they deposit the old defilement anew.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.139 (PG 65:951; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-139)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.14":{"o":"\"Ὅταν προφανῶς ἐπιτελῶμεν ἐντολὰς, τὰ μὲν ἰδικὰ παρὰ Κυρίου ἀναλόγως λαμβάνομεν · ὠφελούμεθα δὲ, κατὰ τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς προθέσεως.","t":"When we keep the commandments outwardly, we receive from the Lord what is proper to them in proportion; but we are benefited according to the aim of our intention.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.14 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-14)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.140":{"o":"Ὅταν ὁ νοῦς κρατήσῃ δι᾽ ἀρνήσεως τὴν μονολόγιστον ἐλπίδα, τότε ὁ ἐχθρὸς προφάσει ἐξομολογήσεως τὰ προγεγραμμένα κακὰ ἐξεικονίζει, ἵνα τὰ χάριτι Θεοῦ ἐπιλησθέντα πάθη ἀναζωπυρήσῃ καὶ λεληθότως ἀδικήσῃ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Τότε γὰρ κἂν φαιδρὸς καὶ μισοπαθὴς ὑπάρχῃ, ἐξ ἀνάγκης σκοτισθήσεται, συσχεθεὶς ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις. Κἂν ὁμιχλώδης ἔτι καὶ φιλήδονος εἴη, συγχρονίσει πάντως καὶ ἐμπαθῶς προσομιλήσει ταῖς προσβολαῖς, ὡς πρόληψιν εὑρεθῆναι τὴν τοιαύτην μνήμην, καὶ οὐκ ἐξομολόγησιν. \"Αν θέλῃς Θεῷ προσφέρειν ἀκατακρίτως ἐξομολόγησιν, μὴ μνημόνευε κατ' εἶδος τὰς παρατροπάς· λίαν γὰρ μολύνεις τὴν διάνοιαν· ἀλλ᾽ ὑπόμενε γενναίως τὰς τούτων ἐπαγωγάς,","t":"When the mind, through self-denial, holds fast to hope fixed on a single thought, then the enemy, on the pretext of confession, pictures the evils done before, in order to rekindle the passions forgotten by God's grace and to harm the person secretly. For then, even if he is bright and hates the passions, he will necessarily be darkened, caught up in what he has done. And if he is still clouded and pleasure-loving, he will certainly linger and converse with the provocations with passion, so that such remembrance turns out to be prepossession, not confession. If you wish to offer God confession without condemnation, do not remember your lapses in detail, for you greatly defile the mind; but endure bravely what they bring upon you.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.140 (PG 65:951; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-140)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.141":{"o":"Τὰ ἀνιαρὰ, διὰ τὰς προσγεγενημένας ἁμαρτίας ἐπέρχονται πάσης πλημμελείας τὸ προσφυὲς ἐπικομίζοντα. Ὁ γνωστικὸς καὶ εἰδὼς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὐ διὰ μνήμης τῶν πραχθέντων, ἀλλὰ δι᾽ ὑπομονῆς τῶν ἐπερχομένων ἐξομολογεῖται τῷ Θεῷ.","t":"Painful things come because of sins already committed, bringing what is fitting for every offence. [142] The person of knowledge who knows the truth confesses to God not by remembering what he has done but by enduring what comes upon him.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.141 (PG 65:951; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-141)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.143":{"o":"᾿Αποβαλὼν πόνον καὶ ἀτιμίαν, μὴ ἐπαγγέλλου δι᾽ ἑτέρων ἀρετῶν μετανοεῖν· κενοδοξία γὰρ καὶ ἀναλγησία δουλεύειν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ καὶ διὰ δεξιῶν πεφύκασιν.","t":"When you have rejected labour and dishonour, do not promise to repent through other virtues; for vainglory and insensitivity naturally serve sin even through right-hand things.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.143 (PG 65:951; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-143)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.144":{"o":"Ὥσπερ τὰς ἀρετὰς πόνοι καὶ ἀτιμίαι, οὕτω καὶ τὰς κακίας ἡδοναὶ καὶ δόξαι τίκτειν εἰώθασι.","t":"As labours and dishonours usually give birth to the virtues, so pleasures and glories give birth to the vices.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.144 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-144)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.145":{"o":"Πᾶσα σωματικὴ ἡδονὴ ἐκ προλαβούσης ἐστὶν ἀνέσεως · ἄνεσιν δὲ γεννᾷ ἡ ἀπιστία. Ὁ ὢν ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίας οὐ δύναται μόνος περιγενέσθαι τοῦ σαρκικοῦ θελήματος. Διότι τὸν ἐρεθισμὸν ἄπαυστον ἔχει καὶ ἐγκείμενον τοῖς πάθεσιν.","t":"Every bodily pleasure comes from preceding ease, and unbelief gives birth to ease. [146] One who is under sin cannot by himself overcome the will of the flesh, because he has the incitement unceasing and lodged in the passions.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.145 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-145)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.147":{"o":"Ἐμπαθεῖς ὄντας προσεύχεσθαι δεῖ καὶ ὑποτάσσεσθαι· μόλις γὰρ ἔστι μετὰ βοηθείας πολεμῆσαι ταῖς προλήψεσιν.","t":"Those who are subject to passions must pray and be obedient; for even with help it is hard to fight against prepossessions.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.147 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-147)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.148":{"o":"Ὁ μεθ' ὑποταγῆς καὶ προσευχῆς πυκτεύων τῷ θελήματι, ἀθλητής ἐστιν εὐμέθοδος, ὁ τὴν νοητὴν πάλην διὰ τῆς τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἀποχῆς προφανῶς ἐπιδεικνύμενος.","t":"Whoever boxes with his own will by obedience and prayer is a skilful athlete, openly showing the spiritual wrestling through abstinence from sensible things.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.148 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-148)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.149":{"o":"Ὁ μὴ συναλλάσσων τῷ Θεῷ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ θέλημα, ὑποσκελίζεται ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ἐπιτηδεύμασι, καὶ ὑποχείριος τῶν ἀντιπάλων γίνεται.","t":"Whoever does not exchange his own will for God's is tripped up in his own pursuits and falls into the hands of his adversaries.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.149 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-149)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.15":{"o":"Ὁ θέλων τι πρᾶξαι καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος, ὡς ποιήσας ἐστὶ παρὰ τῷ καρδιογνώστη Θεῷ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ κακοῖς νοητέον.","t":"Whoever wishes to do something and cannot is, before God who knows the heart, as one who has done it. This is to be understood both of good things and of evil.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.15 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-15)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.150":{"o":"\"Όταν ἴδῃς δύο κακοὺς ἔχοντας πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπην, γίνωσκε ὅτι ἕτερος τῷ ἑτέρῳ συνεργεῖ πρὸς τὸ θέλημα.","t":"When you see two wicked men who love each other, know that each helps the other toward his will.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.150 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-150)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.151":{"o":"Ὑψηλόφρων καὶ κενόδοξος ἀλλήλοις ἡδέως συναλλάσσουσιν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ δουλικῶς ὑποπίπτοντα ἐπαινεῖ τὸν κενόδοξον, ὁ δὲ συνεχῶς ἐπαινοῦντα μεγαλύνει τὸν ὑψηλόφρονα.","t":"The proud man and the vainglorious man gladly deal with each other: the one praises the vainglorious man who submits to him slavishly, and the other magnifies the proud man who praises him constantly.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.151 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-151)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.152":{"o":"Φιλαλήθης ἀκροατὴς ἀμφοτέρωθεν πορίζεται τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἐπὶ μὲν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς μαρτυρούμενος, προθυμότερος γίνεται· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς κακοῖς ἐλεγχόμενος, μετανοεῖν ἀναγκάζεται.","t":"A hearer who loves the truth draws truth from both sides: commended for good things, he becomes more eager; rebuked for evil things, he is compelled to repent.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.152 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-152)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.153":{"o":"Δεῖ ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὴν προκοπὴν καὶ τὸν βίον ἔχειν· καὶ κατὰ τὸν βίον ὀφείλομεν τὰς προσευχὰς ἀναφέρειν τῷ Θεῷ.","t":"Our way of life must match our progress, and we ought to offer our prayers to God according to our way of life.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.153 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-153)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.154":{"o":"Καλὸν μὲν τὴν κεφαλαιωδεστέραν κρατεῖν ἐντολὴν, καὶ μηδὲν κατ' εἶδος μεριμνᾶν, μηδὲ κατ' εἶδος προσεύχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ μόνον ζητεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν, κατὰ τὸν λόγον Κυρίου. Εἰ δὲ περὶ ἑκάστης χρείας φροντίζομεν, ὀφείλομεν περὶ ἑκάστης προσεύχεσθαι. Ὁ γὰρ ἐκτὸς· προσευχῆς τι ποιῶν ἢ φροντίζων οὐκ εὐοδοῦται ἐπὶ τῷ τέλει τοῦ πράγματος. Καὶ τοῦτο ἔστιν ὅ εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος· Οὐ δύνασθε χωρὶς ἐμοῦ ποιεῖν οὐδέν.","t":"It is good to hold the more comprehensive commandment, and to be anxious about nothing in particular and to pray for nothing in particular, but only to seek the kingdom, according to the word of the Lord. But if we take thought for each need, we ought to pray about each. For whoever does or plans anything without prayer does not prosper at the end of the matter. And this is what the Lord said: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.154 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-154)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.155":{"o":"Τὸν παραλογιζόμενον τὴν περὶ προσευχῆς ἐντολὴν ἀτοπώτεραι παρακοαὶ διαδέχονται, ἑτέρα τῇ ἑτέρᾳ καθάπερ δέσμιον παραπέμπουσα. Ὁ τὰ ἐνεστῶτα θλιβερὰ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν μεταγενεστέρων ἀγαθῶν προσδεχόμενος γνῶσιν ἀληθείας εὔρηκε, καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ λύπης ταχέως ἀπαλλαγήσεται.","t":"More outrageous disobediences succeed the one who disregards the commandment about prayer, each handing him on to the next like a prisoner. [156] Whoever accepts present afflictions in expectation of later goods has found knowledge of the truth, and will quickly be freed from anger and grief.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.155 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-155)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.157":{"o":"Ὁ κακουχίαν καὶ ἀτιμίαν ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας αἱρούμενος ἀποστολικὴν ὁδὸν πορεύεται, τὸν σταυρὸν ἄρας, καὶ τὴν ἄλυσιν περικείμενος. Ὁ δὲ ἐκτὸς τῶν δύο τούτων προσέχειν τῇ καρδίᾳ πειρώμενος, πλανᾶται κατὰ νοῦν, καὶ ἐμπίπτει εἰς πειρασμοὺς καὶ παγίδας τοῦ διαβόλου.","t":"Whoever chooses ill-treatment and dishonour for the truth walks the apostolic road, having taken up the cross and put on the chain. But whoever tries to attend to his heart without these two goes astray in mind and falls into temptations and snares of the devil.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.157 (PG 65:953; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-157)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.158":{"o":"Οὔτε τοῖς λογισμοῖς τοῖς κακοῖς ἐκτὸς τῶν αἰτιῶν, οὔτε ταῖς αἰτίαις ἐκτὸς τῶν λογισμῶν ἐστι πολεμοῦντα νικῆσαί ποτε. Ὅταν γὰρ τὸ ἓν μονομερῶς ἀποβάλωμεν, μετ' οὐ πολὺ διὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου τοῖς ἀμφοτέροις ἐμφερόμεθα.","t":"One can never win by fighting evil thoughts apart from their causes, or the causes apart from the thoughts. For when we reject one alone, we are soon drawn into both through the other.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.158 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-158)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.159":{"o":"Ὁ φόβῳ κακοπαθείας καὶ ὀνειδισμοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μαχόμενος, ἢ ὧδε δι' ἐπιφορᾶς περισσοτέρως κακοπαθεῖ, ἢ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ἀνηλεῶς: κολάζεται.","t":"Whoever fights with people for fear of ill-treatment and reproach either suffers more ill here through what befalls him, or is punished without mercy in the age to come.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.159 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-159)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.16":{"o":"Ὁ νοῦς ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος, ἀγαθὰ καὶ κακὰ ἐκτελεῖ πολλά· τὸ δὲ σῶμα ἐκτὸς τοῦ νοὸς, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐπιτελέσαι δύναται. Διότι ὁ νόμος τῆς ἐλευθερίας, πρὸ τῆς πράξεως ἀναγινώσκεται.","t":"The mind without the body accomplishes many good and evil things; but the body without the mind can accomplish none of them. For the law of liberty is read before the action.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.16 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-16)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.160":{"o":"Ὁ πᾶσαν κακὴν ἐπιφορὰν ἀποκλεῖσαι βουλόμενος, ὀφείλει διὰ προσευχῆς, συναλλάσσειν τῷ Θεῷ τὰ πράγματα, καὶ κρατεῖν μὲν νοερῶς τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδα, τὴν δὲ φροντίδα τῶν αἰσθητῶν κατὰ δύναμιν παραλογίζεσθαι.","t":"Whoever wishes to shut out every evil affliction ought to entrust his affairs to God through prayer, to hold his hope in him in the mind, and to disregard the care of sensible things as far as he can.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.160 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-160)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.161":{"o":"Ὅταν εὕρῃ ὁ διάβολος ἐκτὸς ἀνάγκης ἄνθρωπον τοῖς σωματικοῖς ἐνασχολούμενον, πρότερον, ἁρπάζει αὐτοῦ τὰ τῆς γνώσεως λάφυρα· εἶθ' οὕτω τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδα ὡς κεφαλὴν ἀποτέμνει.","t":"When the devil finds a person occupied with bodily things without necessity, he first seizes the spoils of his knowledge, and then cuts off his hope in God as one cuts off a head.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.161 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-161)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.162":{"o":"Εἴ ποτε λάβοις καθαρᾶς προσευχῆς ὀχυρὸν τόπον, τὴν γνῶσιν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀναδιδομένην παρὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ μὴ καταδέχου, ἵνα τὸ μεῖζον μὴ ἀπολέσῃ. Κρεῖσσον γὰρ τοῖς τῆς προσευχῆς βέλεσι κατατοξεύειν αὐτὸν κατὰ τόπον συγκεκλεισμένον, ἢ προσομιλεῖν αὐτῷ τὰ σκύλα προφέροντι, καὶ ἀποσπᾶν ἡμᾶς τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ δεήσεως.","t":"If ever you gain the stronghold of pure prayer, do not accept at that time the knowledge of things offered by the enemy, lest you lose the greater. For it is better to shoot him down with the arrows of prayer while he is shut in his place than to converse with him as he offers spoils and draws us away from our supplication against him.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.162 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-162)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.163":{"o":"Ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων χώρα, ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ καὶ ἀκηδίας, ὠφελεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον· ἐν καιρῷ δὲ καθαρᾶς προσευχῆς καταβλάπτειν εἴωθε.","t":"The realm of things benefits a person in time of temptation and listlessness; but in time of pure prayer it usually does harm.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.163 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-163)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.164":{"o":"Διδάσκειν ἐν Κυρίῳ λαχὼν, καὶ παρακουόμενος, θλίβου νοερῶς, καὶ μὴ ταράσσου προφανῶς· θλιβόμενος γὰρ οὐ συγκατακριθήσῃ τῷ παρακούοντι· ταρασσόμενος ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ πράγματι πειρασθήσῃ.","t":"If it is your lot to teach in the Lord and you are disobeyed, be grieved in mind, but do not be openly troubled. For if you grieve you will not be condemned with the disobedient; if you are troubled, you will be tempted in the same matter.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.164 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-164)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.165":{"o":"Ἐν καιρῷ ἐξηγήσεως, μὴ κρύψῃς τὰ τοῖς παροῦσι προσήκοντα, τὰ μὲν εὐπρεπῆ σαφεστέρως, τὰ δὲ σκληρὰ αἰνιγματωδῶς διηγούμενος.","t":"When explaining, do not hide what is fitting for those present, telling the seemly things more clearly and the harsh things in riddles.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.165 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-165)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.166":{"o":"Τοῦ ἐν ὑποταγῇ σου μὴ ὄντος σφάλμα μὴ προσενέγκῃς εἰς πρόσωπον. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐξουσίας μᾶλλον ἢ συμβουλίας ἐστί.","t":"Do not bring a fault to the face of someone who is not under your authority; for this belongs to authority rather than to counsel.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.166 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-166)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.167":{"o":"Τὰ πληθυντικῶς γινόμενα γίνεται πᾶσιν ὠφέλιμα. Ἑκάστῳ τὰ ἴδια κατὰ συνείδησιν ἐμφανίζονται.","t":"What is done in common benefits all; but to each person his own concerns are revealed according to conscience.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.167 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-167)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.168":{"o":"Ὁ λαλῶν ὀρθῶς ὀφείλει καὶ αὐτὸς εὐχαριστεῖν, ὡς παρὰ Θεοῦ λαμβάνων τὰ ῥήματα. Ἡ γὰρ ἀλήθεια οὐ τοῦ λαλοῦντός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος Θεοῦ.","t":"Whoever speaks rightly ought himself to give thanks, as one who receives the words from God. For the truth is not the speaker's, but God's who works in him.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.168 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-168)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.169":{"o":"Παρ' ὧν οὐκ ἔχεις ὁμολογίαν ὑποταγῆς, μὴ φιλονείκει ἀνθιστάμενος τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, ἵνα μὴ μῖσος ἐγείρῃς κατὰ τὴν θείαν Γραφήν.","t":"With those from whom you have no profession of obedience, do not contend by opposing the truth, lest you stir up hatred, according to the divine Scripture.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.169 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-169)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.17":{"o":"Τινὲς μὴ ποιοῦντες τὰς ἐντολὰς, πιστεύειν ὀρθῶς νομίζουσι. Τινὲς δὲ ποιοῦντες, ὡς μισθὸν ὀφειλόμενον, τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκδέχονται· ἀμφότεροι δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ἀπεσφάλησαν,","t":"Some who do not keep the commandments think they believe rightly. Others who keep them await the kingdom as a wage owed to them. Both have missed the kingdom.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.17 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-17)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.170":{"o":"Ὁ ὑποτακτικῷ ὅπου οὐ δεῖ ἀντιλέγοντι παραχωρῶν πλανᾷ αὐτὸν ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ πράγματι, καὶ τὰς συνθήκας τῆς ὑποταγῆς ἀθετεῖν παρασκευάζει.","t":"Whoever gives way to a subordinate who contradicts him where he should not leads him astray in that matter, and prepares him to break the covenant of obedience.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.170 (PG 65:955; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-170)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.171":{"o":"Ὁ φόβῳ Θεοῦ νομοθετῶν ἢ παιδεύων τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα τὴν ἐναντιουμένην τῷ σφάλματι ἀρετὴν ἑαυτῷ περιποιεῖται· ὁ δὲ μνησικακῶν καὶ κακοθελῶς ὀνειδίζων τῷ ὁμοίῳ πάθει κατὰ τὸν πνευματικὸν περιπίπτει νόμον.","t":"Whoever lays down the law for, or disciplines, a sinner in the fear of God acquires for himself the virtue opposed to the fault; but whoever bears a grudge and reproaches him with ill will falls into the same passion, according to the spiritual law.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.171 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-171)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.172":{"o":"Ὁ καλῶς μαθὼν τὸν νόμον φοβεῖται τὸν νομοθέτην· καὶ ἐλπίζων ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ἐκκλίνει ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ.","t":"Whoever has learned the law well fears the lawgiver; and hoping in him, he turns away from every evil.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.172 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-172)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.173":{"o":"Μὴ γίνου δίγλωσσος, ἑτέρως μὲν τῷ λόγῳ, ἑτέρως δὲ τῇ συνειδήσει διακείμενος· τὸν γὰρ τοιοῦτον ἡ Γραφὴ ὑπὸ κατάρας ἴστησιν.","t":"Do not be double-tongued, disposed one way in word and another in conscience; for Scripture places such a person under a curse.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.173 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-173)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.174":{"o":"Ἔστιν ὁ ἀλήθειαν λέγων καὶ ὑπὸ ἀφρόνων μισούμενος, κατὰ τὸν ᾿Απόστολον· καὶ ἔστιν ὁ ὑποκρινόμενος καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀγαπώμενος. Ὅμως οὐδέτερον τῶν ἀνταποδόσεων τούτων πολυχρόνιον γίνεται, διότι ὁ Κύριος, ἐν ἰδίῳ καιρῷ, ἑκάστῳ τὸ δέον ἀνταποδίδωσιν.","t":"There is one who speaks the truth and is hated by fools, according to the apostle; and there is one who plays the hypocrite and is loved for it. Yet neither of these returns lasts long, because the Lord in his own time repays each what is due.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.174 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-174)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.175":{"o":"Ὁ τὰ μέλλοντα μοχθηρὰ ἀναιρεῖν βουλόμενος ὀφείλει τὰ ἐνεστῶτα ἡδέως ὑποφέρειν · οὕτω γὰρ νοερῶς συναλλάσσων πράγματι, διὰ μικρῶν ὀδυνῶν, μεγάλας ἐκφεύξεται.","t":"Whoever wishes to remove future hardships ought to bear present ones gladly. For by exchanging in mind one thing for another, he will escape great pains through small ones.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.175 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-175)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.176":{"o":"Ασφάλισαι λόγον ἀπὸ καυχήσεως, καὶ λογισμὸν ἀπὸ οἰήσεως, ἵνα μὴ παραχωρηθεὶς πράξῃς τὰ ἐναντία. Οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἀνθρώπου μόνον τελεσιουργεῖται τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ παντεπόπτου Θεοῦ,","t":"Guard your speech from boasting and your thought from conceit, lest you be abandoned and do the opposite. For the good is accomplished not by a human being alone, but by God who sees all.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.176 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-176)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.177":{"o":"Ὁ παντεπόπτης Θεὸς, ὥσπερ τοῖς ἔργοις ἡμῶν ἀξίας ἐπιφορὰς ἀπένειμεν, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς λογισμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἑκουσίοις νοήμασιν.","t":"God who sees all, as he has assigned worthy consequences to our works, so also to our thoughts and voluntary intentions.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.177 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-177)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.178":{"o":"Οἱ ἀκούσιοι λογισμοὶ ἐκ προλαβούσης ἁμαρτίας ἀναφύονται· οἱ δὲ ἑκούσιοι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου θελήματος· ὅθεν αἴτιοι εὑρίσκονται τῶν προτέρων οἱ δεύτεροι.","t":"Involuntary thoughts spring up from sin committed before; voluntary ones from free will. Hence the second are found to be causes of the first.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.178 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-178)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.179":{"o":"Ταῖς μὲν παρὰ πρόθεσιν κακαῖς ἐννοίαις λύπη παρέπεται· διὸ καὶ συντόμως ἐξαφανίζονται· ταῖς δὲ κατὰ πρόθεσιν, χαρά· ὅθεν καὶ δυσαπάλλακτοι γίνονται.","t":"Grief accompanies evil thoughts that are against our purpose, which is why they quickly vanish; but joy accompanies those according to our purpose, which is why they are hard to get rid of.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.179 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-179)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.18":{"o":"Παρὰ δεσπότου μισθὸς δούλοις οὐ κεχρεώστηται · οὐδ᾽ αὖ πάλιν εἰ μὴ δουλεύσαντες ὀρθῶς ἐλευθερίαν τυγχάνουσιν.","t":"A master owes no wage to his slaves; nor again do they obtain freedom unless they have served rightly.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.18 (PG 65:933; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-18)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.180":{"o":"Ὁ φιλήδονος λυπεῖται ἐν ψόγοις καὶ κακοπαθείαις· ὁ δὲ φιλόθεος, ἐν ἐπαίνοις καὶ πλεονεξίαις.","t":"The lover of pleasure is grieved by blame and hardship; but the lover of God, by praise and gain.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.180 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-180)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.181":{"o":"Ὁ μὴ γινώσκων τὰ κρίματα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀμφίκρημνον ὁδὸν κατὰ νοῦν διαβαίνει, καὶ ὑπὸ παντὸς ἀνέμου ῥᾳδίως ἀνατρέπεται· ἐπαινούμενος γαυριᾷ, καὶ ψεγόμενος ἐρεθίζεται, εὐωχούμενος ἀσελγαίνει, καὶ κακοπαθῶν ἀποδύρεται, συνιὼν φανητιᾷ, καὶ μὴ νοῶν σχηματίζεται, πλουτῶν ἀλαζονεύεται, καὶ πτωχεύων ὑποκρίνεται, κορεσθεὶς θρασύνεται, καὶ νηστεύων κενοδοξεῖ, τοῖς ἐλέγχουσι φιλονεικεῖ, καὶ τοῖς συγγνώμην αὐτῷ ἀπονέμουσιν ὡς ἀνοήτοις ἐφυβρίζει. Ἐὰν μήτε οὖν κατὰ χάριν Χριστοῦ γνῶσιν ἀληθείας καὶ φόβον Θεοῦ αἰτήσηται, οὐ μόνον ἐκ τῶν παθῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν συμβάσεων δεινῶς τραυματίζεται. Ὅταν λῦσαι θέλῃς πρᾶγμα συμπεπλεγμένον, ζήτει περὶ αὐτοῦ, τί τῷ Θεῷ ἀρέσκει, καὶ εὐρήσεις τὴν λύσιν αὐτοῦ ἐπωφελῆ.","t":"Whoever does not know the judgments of God walks in mind along a road with cliffs on both sides, and is easily overturned by every wind: praised, he is elated; blamed, he is provoked; feasting, he is licentious; suffering, he laments; understanding, he shows off; not understanding, he pretends; rich, he boasts; poor, he plays the hypocrite; full, he grows bold; fasting, he is vainglorious; he quarrels with those who rebuke him, and insults as fools those who forgive him. If then he does not ask, by the grace of Christ, for knowledge of the truth and the fear of God, he is grievously wounded not only by the passions but also by what happens to him. [182] When you wish to untangle a complicated matter, seek what pleases God about it, and you will find its solution beneficial.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.181 (PG 65:957; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-181)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.182":{"o":"Ἐν οἷς ἂν πράγμασιν εὐδοκῇ ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν τούτοις καὶ πᾶσα κτίσις ὑπηρετεῖ· ἐν οἷς δὲ ἂν αὐτὸς ἀποστρέφηται, ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ κτίσις ἀντιτάσσεται.","t":"In whatever matters God is well pleased, all creation also serves; and in whatever he turns away from, creation likewise resists.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.182 (PG 65:959; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-182)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.184":{"o":"Ὁ ἀντιτασσόμενος ταῖς σκυθρωπαῖς ἐπιφοραῖς, οὐκ οἶδεν, ἀντιμάχεται τῇ κελεύσει τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὁ δὲ καταδεχόμενος αὐτὰς μετὰ γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς, οὗτος κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν ὑπομένει τὸν Κύριον.","t":"Whoever resists gloomy afflictions fights, without knowing it, against God's command; but whoever accepts them with true knowledge waits for the Lord, according to Scripture.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.184 (PG 65:959; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-184)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.185":{"o":"Πειρασμοῦ ἐπελθόντος, μὴ ζήτει διὰ τί, ἢ διὰ τίνος ἐλήλυθεν, ἀλλ᾿ ὅπως ἂν αὐτὸν εὐχαρίστως καὶ ἀμνησικάκως ὑπομείνῃς.","t":"When temptation comes, do not ask why or through whom it has come, but how you may endure it with thanksgiving and without resentment.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.185 (PG 65:959; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-185)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.186":{"o":"Αλλότριον κακὸν οὐ προστίθησιν ἁμαρτίαν, ἐὰν μὴ ἡμεῖς αὐτὸ κακαῖς παραδεξώμεθα ἐννοίαις.","t":"Another's evil does not add sin to us, unless we receive it with evil thoughts.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.186 (PG 65:959; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-186)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.187":{"o":"Εἰ οὐκ ἔστι ῥᾳδίως εὑρεῖν τὸν ἐκτὸς πειρασμοῦ εὐαρεστήσαντα, εὐχαριστεῖν δεῖ τῷ Θεῷ ἐπὶ πάσῃ συμβάσει.","t":"If it is not easy to find anyone who has pleased God without temptation, we must give thanks to God for every occurrence.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.187 (PG 65:959; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-187)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.188":{"o":"Εἰ μὴ νυκτερινῆς ἄγρας ἀπέτυχεν ὁ Πέτρος, οὐκ ἂν τῆς ἡμερινῆς ἐπέτυχε· καὶ εἰ μὴ αἰσθητῶς ἐτυφλοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος, οὐκ ἂν πνευματικῶς ἀνέβλεψε καὶ εἰ μὴ ὡς βλάσφημος ἐσυκοφαντεῖτο ὁ Στέφανος, οὐκ ἂν, τῶν οὐρανῶν αὐτῷ ἀνεῳχθέντων, τὸν Κύριον ἐθεάσατο.","t":"If Peter had not failed in the night's fishing, he would not have succeeded in the day's; if Paul had not been blinded bodily, he would not have received spiritual sight; and if Stephen had not been falsely accused as a blasphemer, he would not have seen the Lord when the heavens were opened to him.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.188 (PG 65:959; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-188)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.189":{"o":"Ὥσπερ ἡ κατὰ Θεὸν ἐργασία ἀρετὴ λέγεται, οὕτως ἡ παρὰ προσδοκίαν θλίψις πειρασμὸς λέγεται. Ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ᾿Ἀβραὰμ ἐπείραζε, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἔθλιβεν, οὐχ ἵνα μάθῃ ὁποῖός ἐστιν (ᾔδει γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ εἰδὼς τὰ πάντα, πρὶν γενέσθαι αὐτὸν), ἀλλ᾽ ὅπως ἀφορμὰς αὐτῷ παράσχῃ τῆς τελείας πίστεως. Πᾶσα θλίψις ἐλέγχει τὴν ῥοπὴν τοῦ θελήματος, εἴτε εἰς δεξιὰ ῥέπει, εἴτε εἰς ἀριστερά. Διὰ τοῦτο ἡ συμβατικὴ θλίψις πειρασμὸς ὀνομάζεται, τῷ μετόχῳ πεῖραν τῶν κεκρυμμένων θελημάτων παρέχουσα. Φόβος Θεοῦ ἀναγκάζει ἡμᾶς πολεμεῖν τῇ κακίᾳ· ἡμῶν δὲ πολεμούντων, ὁ Κύριος ἀναιρεῖ αὐτήν.","t":"Just as work done for God's sake is called virtue, so unexpected affliction is called temptation. [190] God tempted Abraham, that is, afflicted him for his good, not to learn what kind of man he was (for he who knows all things before they come to be knew him), but to give him occasions for perfect faith. [191] Every affliction exposes the inclination of the will, whether it leans to the right or to the left. That is why the affliction that befalls us is called a temptation, since it gives the one who undergoes it a trial of his hidden wishes. [192] The fear of God compels us to fight against evil; and as we fight, the Lord destroys it.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.189 (PG 65:959; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-189)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.19":{"o":"Εἰ Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανε, κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, καὶ οὐ ζῶμεν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανόντι καὶ ἐγερθέντι, δηλονότι δουλεύειν αὐτῷ ἕως θανάτου κεχρεωστήκαμεν. Πῶς οὖν ὀφειλομένην τὴν υἱοθεσίαν λογισόμεθα;","t":"If Christ died for us according to the Scriptures, and we no longer live for ourselves but for him who died and rose for us, clearly we owe it to serve him until death. How then shall we reckon adoption as something owed to us?","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.19 (PG 65:933; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-19)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.190":{"o":"Σοφία ἐστὶν οὐ μόνον τὸ διὰ φυσικῆς ἀκολουθίας εἰδέναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑπομένειν ὡς ἰδίαν τὴν τῶν ἀδικούντων τιμωρίαν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῇ προτέρᾳ ἐναπομείναντες πρὸς ὑπερηφανίαν ἀνεπήρθησαν· οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν δευτέραν φθάσαντες ταπεινοφροσύνην ἐκτήσαντο. Εἰ βούλει μὴ ἐνεργεῖσθαι ὑπὸ πονηρῶν λογισμῶν, ἐξουδένωσιν ψυχῆς καὶ θλίψιν σαρκὸς ὑποδέχου, καὶ τοῦτο οὐ μερικῶς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, καὶ καιρῷ, καὶ πράγματι. Ὁ τοῖς θλιβεροῖς ἑκουσίως ἐμπαιδευόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσίων λογισμῶν οὐ κατέχεται · ὁ δὲ τὰ πρῶτα μὴ καταδεχόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν δευτέρων καὶ μὴ βουλόμενος αἰχμαλωτίζεται. Ὅταν άδικουμένου σου σκληρυνθῇ τὰ σπλάγχνα καὶ ἡ καρδία, μὴ λυποῦ, ὅτι οἰκονομικῶς ἐκινήθη τὸ προκείμενον· ἀλλὰ χαίρων ἀνάτρεπε τοὺς ἐπανακύπτοντας λογισμούς· εἰδὼς ὅτι τούτων ἐκ προσβολῆς ἀναιρουμένων, κἀκεῖνα μετὰ τὴν κίνησιν ἀναιρεῖσθαι πέφυκε. Τῶν δὲ λογισμῶν ἐνδελεχούντων, κἀκεῖνα προσθήκην λαμβάνειν εἴωθεν.","t":"Wisdom is not only knowing the truth through the natural sequence of things, but also enduring as one's own the punishment inflicted by those who do wrong. Those who stopped at the first were lifted up to pride; those who reached the second acquired humility. [194] If you wish not to be worked upon by evil thoughts, accept humiliation of soul and affliction of flesh, and that not partially but in every place, time, and matter. [195] Whoever is trained voluntarily by painful things is not held by involuntary thoughts; but whoever does not accept the first is taken captive by the second even against his will. [196] When, as you are wronged, your inward parts and heart are hardened, do not grieve that what lay within has been stirred by providence; but rejoicing, overturn the thoughts that raise their heads, knowing that when they are destroyed at the provocation, those inner things too naturally die away after the stirring; but if the thoughts persist, the inner things usually increase.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.190 (PG 65:959; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-190)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.191":{"o":"Ἐκτὸς συντριμμοῦ καρδίας ἀδύνατον καθόλου ἀπαλλαγῆναι κακίας. Συντρίβει δὲ καρδίαν ἡ τριμερὴς ἐγκράτεια, ὕπνου λέγω, καὶ τροφῆς, καὶ σωματικῆς ἀνέσεως. Ἡ δὲ περὶ τούτων περισσεία ἡδυπάθειαν ἐντίθησιν· ἡδυπάθεια δὲ τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς παραδέχεται. Αντίκειται δὲ καὶ τῇ προσευχῇ, καὶ τῇ προσηκούσῃ διακονίᾳ.","t":"Without breaking of the heart it is wholly impossible to be freed from evil. The heart is broken by threefold self-control: of sleep, I mean, of food, and of bodily ease. Excess in these produces self-indulgence, and self-indulgence welcomes evil thoughts. It also opposes prayer and fitting service.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.191 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-191)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.192":{"o":"Κελεύειν ἀδελφοῖς λαχών, φύλαττε τὴν τάξιν σου, καὶ μὴ διὰ τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας παρασιωπήσῃς τὰ δέοντα. Ἐν οἷς μὲν γὰρ ὑπακούσουσι, μισθὸν ἕξεις ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀρετῆς· ἐν οἷς δὲ παρακούσουσι, πάντως ἀφήσεις αὐτοῖς, καὶ λήψῃ τὰ ἴσα παρὰ τοῦ εἰρηκότος· ᾿Αφίετε, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Πανηγύρει ἔοικε πᾶσα σύμβασις. Ὁ εἰδὼς πραγματεύεσθαι κερδαίνει πολλά· ὁ δὲ μὴ εἰδὼς ζημίας ὑποφέρει.","t":"If it is your lot to command brothers, keep your rank, and do not keep silent about what is needed because of those who contradict. In what they obey, you will have a reward for their virtue; in what they disobey, you will forgive them entirely, and receive the like from him who said, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” [199] Every occurrence is like a fair: whoever knows how to trade gains much, but whoever does not suffers losses.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.192 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-192)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.2":{"o":"Ὁ Κύριος πᾶσαν ἐντολὴν ὀφειλομένην δεῖξαι θέλων, τὴν δὲ υἱοθεσίαν ἰδίῳ αἵματι δεδωρημένην τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, φησίν· \"Όταν πάντα ποιήσητε προστεταγμένα ὑμῖν, τότε εἴπατε· Δοῦλοι ἀχρεῖοί ἐσμεν, καὶ ὃ ὠφείλομεν ποιῆσαι, πεποιήκαμεν· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι μισθὸς ἔργων ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλὰ χάρις Δεσπότου, πιστοῖς δούλοις ἡτοιμασμένη.","t":"The Lord, wishing to show that every commandment is owed, but that adoption has been given to human beings by his own blood, says: “When you have done all that is commanded you, then say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we ought to do.’” Therefore the kingdom of heaven is not a wage for works but a grace of the Master, prepared for faithful servants.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.2 (PG 65:929; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.20":{"o":"Χριστὸς, Δεσπότης κατ' οὐσίαν, καὶ Δεσπότης κατ' οἰκονομίαν, ὅτι καὶ μὴ ὄντας ἐποίησε, καὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ θανόντας, διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος ἐξηγόρασε, καὶ τοῖς οὕτω πιστεύουσι, τὴν χάριν ἐδωρήσατο.","t":"Christ is Master by nature, and Master by the economy: because he made us when we did not exist, and when we were dead through sin he redeemed us by his own blood, and gave grace to those who believe so.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.20 (PG 65:933; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-20)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.200":{"o":"Τὸν ἀπὸ ἑνὸς λόγου μὴ ὑπακούοντα μὴ βιάζου μετὰ φιλονεικίας, ἀλλὰ τὸ κέρδος ὁ ἀπέβαλεν ἐκεῖνος, σὺ περιποίησαι σεαυτῷ. Πλεῖον γὰρ τῆς ἐκείνου διορθώσεως ὠφελήσει ἡ σὴ ἀνεξικακία.","t":"Do not press with contention one who does not obey at a single word, but secure for yourself the gain he has thrown away. For your forbearance will benefit you more than his correction.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.200 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-200)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.201":{"o":"Ὅταν ἡ τοῦ ἑνὸς βλάβη εἰς τοὺς πολλοὺς διατρέχῃ, τότε οὐ δεῖ μακροθυμεῖν, οὔτε ζητεῖν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ συμφέρον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν πολλῶν, ἵνα σωθώμεν. Διότι τῆς μονομεροῦς ἀρετῆς ἡ πολυμερής ὠφελιμωτέρα τυγχάνει.","t":"When the harm done by one spreads to many, then one must not be patient or seek one's own advantage, but that of the many, so that they may be saved. For a virtue that benefits many is more useful than one that benefits only one.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.201 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-201)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.202":{"o":"Ἐάν τις πέσῃ εἰς οἱανδήποτε ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ μὴ λυπηθῇ κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τοῦ σφάλματος, εὐχερῶς τῷ αὐτῷ περιπεσεῖται δικτύῳ.","t":"If anyone falls into any sin whatever and is not grieved in proportion to the fault, he will easily fall into the same net.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.202 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-202)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.203":{"o":"Ὥσπερ λέαινα δαμάλει φιλικῶς οὐ προσίεται, οὕτως ἀναισχυντία τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν λύπην εὐμενῶς οὐ παραδέχεται.","t":"As a lioness does not approach a heifer in friendship, so shamelessness does not kindly accept godly grief.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.203 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-203)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.204":{"o":"Ὥσπερ λύκῳ πρόβατον οὐ συνέρχεται εἰς τεκνογονίαν, οὕτως οὔτε κόρῳ πόνος καρδιακὸς εἰς κύησιν ἀρετῶν.","t":"As a sheep does not mate with a wolf to bear young, so neither does pain of heart unite with satiety to conceive virtues.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.204 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-204)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.205":{"o":"Οὐδεὶς δύναται πόνον καὶ λύπην κατὰ Θεὸν ἔχειν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον καὶ τούτων τὰς αἰτίας ἀγαπήσῃ. Φόβος Θεοῦ καὶ ἔλεγχος εἰσδέχονται λύπην ἐγκράτεια δὲ καὶ ἀγρυπνία προσομιλοῦσι πόνῳ.","t":"No one can have godly pain and grief unless he first loves their causes too. [206] Fear of God and rebuke receive grief; self-control and vigil keep company with pain.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.205 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-205)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.207":{"o":"Ὁ γραφικαῖς ἐντολαῖς καὶ νουθεσίαις μὴ παιδευόμενος τῇ μάστιγι τοῦ ἵππου καὶ τῷ κέντρῳ τοῦ ὄνου ἐλασθήσεται· εἰ δὲ καὶ τούτοις ἀντιτάσσεται, καὶ ἐν κημῷ καὶ χαλινῷ τὰς σιαγόνας ἀχθήσεται.","t":"Whoever is not trained by the commandments and admonitions of Scripture will be driven by the horse's whip and the donkey's goad; and if he resists these too, his jaws will be led with muzzle and bridle.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.207 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-207)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.208":{"o":"Ὁ ὑπὸ τῶν μικρῶν εὐχερῶς νικώμενος, καὶ τοῖς μεγάλοις ἐξ ἀνάγκης δεδούλωται· ὁ δὲ τούτων καταφρονῶν, καὶ τοῖς μεγάλοις ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀντιτάσσεται.","t":"Whoever is easily conquered by small things is necessarily enslaved to great ones; but whoever despises the small ones also resists the great ones in the Lord.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.208 (PG 65:961; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-208)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.209":{"o":"Μὴ πειρῶ ἐλέγχων ὠφελεῖν τὸν ἐν ἀρεταῖς καυχώμενον, διότι ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ φιλενδείκτης καὶ φιλαλήθης εἶναι οὐ δύναται.","t":"Do not try to help by rebukes someone who boasts in his virtues; for the same person cannot both love display and love the truth.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.209 (PG 65:963; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-209)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.21":{"o":"Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς τῆς Γραφῆς λεγούσης, ὅτι ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἔργα λέγει γεέννης ἢ βασιλείας ἀντάξια· ἀλλ᾿ ἔργα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀπιστίας ἢ πίστεως, ἃ Χριστὸς ἀποδίδωσιν ἑκάστῳ, οὐχ ὡς συναλλάκτης πραγμάτων, ἀλλ' ὡς Θεὸς κτίστης καὶ ἀγοραστὴς ἡμῶν.","t":"When you hear Scripture saying that he will repay each according to his works, it does not mean works that deserve hell or the kingdom, but works of one's own unbelief or faith, which Christ repays to each, not as a trader in goods but as God, our Creator and Redeemer.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.21 (PG 65:933; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-21)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.210":{"o":"Πᾶν ῥῆμα Χριστοῦ ἔλεον, καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ σοφίαν ἐμφαίνει Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν τούτων δύναμιν διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς ἐμβάλλει τοῖς ἡδέως ἀκούουσιν. Ὅθεν οἱ ἀνελεήμονες, καὶ ἄδικοι, ἀηδῶς ἀκούοντες τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν, γνῶναι οὐκ ἐδυνήθησαν - ἀλλὰ καὶ λαλοῦντες ἐσταύρωσαν. Καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν ἴδωμεν, εἰ ἠδέως αὐτοῦ ἀκούομεν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκεν· ῾Ὁ ἀγαπῶν με τὰς ἐντολάς μου τηρήσει, καὶ ἀγαπηθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός μου, κἀγὼ ἀγαπήσω αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐμφανίσω αὐτῷ ἐμαυτόν. Βλέπεις, πῶς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐμφάνειαν ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἐνέκρυψε;","t":"Every word of Christ shows God's mercy, justice, and wisdom, and through hearing implants their power in those who listen gladly. That is why the merciless and unjust, hearing God's wisdom without pleasure, could not know it, but even crucified him as he spoke. Let us then see whether we listen to him gladly. For he said, “Whoever loves me will keep my commandments, and he will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Do you see how he hid his own manifestation in the commandments?","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.210 (PG 65:963; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-210)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.211":{"o":"Πασῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐστι περιεκτικωτάτη ἡ εἰς Θεὸν καὶ τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπη, ἥτις ἐκ τῆς τῶν ὑλικῶν ἀποχῆς, καὶ τῆς τῶν λογισμῶν ἡσυχίας συνίσταται. Τοῦτο εἰδὼς ὁ Κύριος παραγγέλλει ἡμῖν λέγων· Μὴ μεριμνήσητε περὶ τῆς αὔριον. Καὶ εἰκότως· ὁ γὰρ τῶν ὑλικῶν καὶ τῆς μερίμνης αὐτῶν μὴ ἀπαλλαγεὶς, τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν πῶς ἀπαλλαγήσεται ; Ὁ δὲ τοῖς λογισμοῖς περιεχόμενος, πῶς ἂν ἴδοι τὴν ὑπὸ τούτων καλυπτομένην ἁμαρτίαν ἐνυπόστατον, ἥτις ἐστὶ σκότος καὶ ὁμίχλη ψυχῆς, ἐξ ἐννοιῶν πονηρῶν καὶ λόγων καὶ πράξεων ἐμπεσοῦσα τοῦ μὲν διαβόλου διὰ προσβολῆς βιαστοῦ πειράζοντος, καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὑποδεικνύοντος · τοῦ δὲ ἀνθρώπου διὰ φιληδονίαν καὶ κενοδοξίαν ἡδέως προσομιλήσαντος Εἰ γὰρ καὶ κατὰ διάκρισιν οὐκ ἐβούλετο, ἀλλὰ κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἐδύνατο καὶ παρεδέχετο. Ὁ δὲ ταύτην μὴ θεασάμενος τὴν περιεκτικὴν ἁμαρτίαν, πότε ἂν δεηθείη περὶ αὐτῆς καθαρισθήσεσθαι; Ὁ δὲ μὴ καθαρισθεὶς, πῶς ἂν εὕροι τὸν τόπον τῆς καθαρᾶς φύσεως Ὁ δὲ τοῦτο μὴ εὑρὼν, πῶς ἂν ἴδοι τὸν ἐνδοτέρω οἶκον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἴπερ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐσμεν, κατὰ τὸν προφητικὸν, καὶ εὐαγγελλικὸν, καὶ ἀποστολικὸν λόγον; Χρὴ οὖν, διὰ τῆς τῶν προειρημένων ἀκολουθίας, ζητῆσαι τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον, καὶ διὰ προσευχῆς παραμένοντας κρούειν, ὅπως ἢ ὧδε ἢ ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ ἀνοίξοι ἡμῖν ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης, καὶ ἀμελήσασιν μὴ εἴποι · Οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς, πόθεν ἐστέ. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ὀφείλομεν αἰτήσασθαι καὶ λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ δοθὲν φυλάξαι· εἰσὶ γάρ τινες οἱ καὶ μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν ἀπολέσαντες. Διὸ τῶν προειρημένων πραγμάτων ψιλὴν μὲν τὴν γνῶσιν, ἢ καὶ συμβατικὴν τὴν πεῖραν, ἴσως καὶ ὀψιμαθεῖς καὶ νέοι κατέχουσι · τὴν δὲ μεθ' ὑπομονῆς παράμονον ἐργασίαν, μόλις τῶν γερόντων οἱ εὐλαβεῖς καὶ πολύπειροι, οἱ πολλάκις αὐτὴν δι᾿ ἀπροσεξίας ἀπολέσαντες, καὶ δι᾽ ἑκουσίων πόνων ἀναζητοῦντες, καὶ εὑρίσκοντες. Τοῦτο οὖν ποιεῖν καὶ ἡμεῖς μὴ παυσώμεθα, ἕως αὐτὴν ἀναφαίρετον κατ' ἐκείνους κτησώμεθα. Ταῦτα τοῦ πνευματικοῦ νόμου ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγα ἐγνώκαμεν τὰ δικαιώματα, ἃ καὶ ὁ μέγας ψαλμῳδὸς ὑφηγεῖται ἐνδελεχῶς, τοῦ μαθεῖν αὐτὰ καὶ ποιεῖν τοὺς συνετῶς ψάλλοντας ἐν Κυρίῳ. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ᾿Αμήν.","t":"The most comprehensive of all the commandments is love for God and neighbour, which is built up from abstinence from material things and stillness of thoughts. Knowing this, the Lord commands us, saying, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow.” And rightly; for whoever has not been freed from material things and the care of them, how will he be freed from evil thoughts? And whoever is surrounded by thoughts, how could he see the sin that is covered by them and has real existence, which is the darkness and fog of the soul, fallen upon it from evil thoughts, words, and deeds? The devil tempts by forcible provocation and shows the beginning; and the person gladly converses with it through love of pleasure and vainglory. For even if by discernment he did not wish it, in act he was able and accepted it. Whoever has not seen this comprehensive sin, when would he pray to be cleansed of it? And whoever has not been cleansed, how would he find the place of pure nature? And whoever has not found this, how would he see the inner house of Christ, since we are the house of God according to the prophetic, evangelic, and apostolic word? We must, then, seek this house through the sequence of what has been said, and knock, persevering in prayer, so that either here or at our departure the master of the house may open to us, and not say to us, if we have been negligent, “I do not know where you come from.” And we ought not only to ask and receive, but also to keep what has been given; for there are some who lost it even after receiving. Therefore bare knowledge of the things we have described, or even experience of them by chance, late learners and the young may perhaps possess; but the constant practice of them with patience is possessed with difficulty by the devout and experienced among the elders, who have often lost it through inattention, and sought it again through voluntary labours, and found it. Let us too not cease doing this until, like them, we acquire it so that it cannot be taken away. These few out of many ordinances of the spiritual law we have come to know, which the great psalmist also continually sets forth, so that those who sing with understanding in the Lord may learn them and do them. To him be glory for ever. Amen.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.211 (PG 65:963; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-211)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.22":{"o":"Ὅσοι τοῦ λουτροῦ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας ἠξιώθημεν, τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἔργα, οὐ δι' ἀνταπόδοσιν προσφέρομεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ φυλακὴν τῆς δοθείσης ἡμῖν καθαρότητος.","t":"All of us who have been counted worthy of the washing of regeneration offer good works not for recompense but to keep the purity given to us.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.22 (PG 65:933; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-22)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.23":{"o":"Πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ὅ διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐργαζόμεθα φύσεως, ἀπέχεσθαι μὲν ποιεῖ τοῦ ἐναντίου κακοῦ. Προσθήκην δὲ ἁγιασμοῦ ἐκτὸς χάριτος ποιῆσαι οὐ δύναται.","t":"Every good work that we do through our own nature makes us abstain from the opposite evil; but without grace it cannot add holiness.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.23 (PG 65:933; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-23)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.24":{"o":"Ὁ ἐγκρατὴς, ἀπέχεται γαστριμαργίας· ὁ ἀκτήμων, πλεονεξίας· ὁ ἥσυχος, πολυλογίας· ὁ ἁγνὸς, φιληδονίας· ὁ σεμνὸς, πορνείας· ὁ αὐτάρκης, φιλαργυρίας· ὁ πρᾶος, ταραχῆς· ὁ ταπεινόφρων, κενοδοξίας· ὁ ὑποτακτικὸς, φιλονεικίας· ὁ ἐλεγκτικὸς, ὑποκρίσεως. Ὁμοίως ὁ εὐχόμενος, ἀπέχεται ἀνελπιστίας· ὁ πτωχὸς, φιλοχρηματίας· ὁ ὁμολογητὴς, ἀρνήσεως· ὁ μάρτυς, εἰδωλολατρείας. Βλέπεις πῶς πᾶσα ἡ ἕως θανάτου ἐπιτελουμένη ἀρετὴ, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ ἁμαρτίας ἐστὶν ἀποχή; ἁμαρτίας δὲ ἀποχὴ, φύσεώς ἐστιν ἔργον, οὐ βασιλείας ἀντάλλαγμα· ἄνθρωπος μόλις φυλάσσει τὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φύσεως· Χριστὸς δὲ, διὰ σταυροῦ τὴν υἱοθεσίαν χαρίζεται.","t":"The self-controlled abstains from gluttony; the one without possessions, from greed; the quiet, from much talking; the pure, from love of pleasure; the chaste, from sexual immorality; the content, from love of money; the meek, from agitation; the humble, from vainglory; the obedient, from contentiousness; the one who rebukes himself, from hypocrisy. Likewise the one who prays abstains from despair; the poor, from love of wealth; the confessor, from denial; the martyr, from idolatry. Do you see how all virtue practised until death is nothing other than abstaining from sin? And abstaining from sin is a work of nature, not a price paid for the kingdom. A human being barely keeps what belongs to his own nature; but Christ gives adoption through the cross.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.24 (PG 65:933; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-24)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.25":{"o":"Ἔστιν ἐντολὴ μερική, καὶ ἔστιν ἑτέρα περιεκτική. Πὴ μὲν γὰρ μερικῶς, κελεύει μεταδοῦναι τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι; πὴ δὲ ἐντέλλεται, πᾶσιν ἀποτάξασθαι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν.","t":"There is a partial commandment, and there is another that is comprehensive. In one place it commands, partially, to share with the one who has nothing; in another it commands to renounce all one's possessions.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.25 (PG 65:933; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-25)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.26":{"o":"Ἔστιν ἐνέργεια χάριτος, τῷ νηπίῳ ἀγνοουμένη. Καὶ ἔστι τῆς κακίας ἑτέρα, τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἐξομοιουμένη. Καλὸν δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα μὴ ἐνοπτρίζεσθαι διὰ τὴν πλάνην· μήτε μὴν ἀναθεματίζειν, διὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἀλλὰ πάντα δι᾽ ἐλπίδος προσφέρειν τῷ Θεῷ. Αὐτὸς γὰρ οἶδε τῶν ἀμφοτέρων τὸ χρήσιμον. Ὁ διαπεράσαι θέλων τὴν νοητὴν θάλασσαν, μακροθυμεῖ, ταπεινοφρονεῖ, ἀγρυπνεῖ, ἐγκρατεύεται. Ἐκτὸς δὲ τῶν τεσσάρων τούτων ἐὰν εἰσελθεῖν βιάσηται, θορυβεῖ μὲν τὴν καρδίαν, περάσαι δὲ οὐ δύναται.","t":"There is a working of grace unknown to the spiritually immature, and there is another working, of evil, that resembles the truth. It is good not to gaze at such things, because of deception, nor to anathematize them, because of the truth, but to offer everything to God with hope; for he knows the use of both. [27] Whoever wishes to cross the spiritual sea is patient, humble, watchful in vigil, self-controlled. If he forces his way in without these four, he troubles his heart but cannot cross.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.26 (PG 65:933; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-26)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.28":{"o":"Ἡσυχία ὠφελεῖ, τῶν κακῶν ἀργήσασα. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τὰς τέσσαρας ἀρετὰς ἐν προσευχῇ προσλάβῃ βοήθημα, πρὸς ἀπάθειαν οὐδὲν αὐτῇ συντομώτερον.","t":"Stillness is beneficial when it is idle of evils. And if it takes the four virtues as a help in prayer, nothing leads more quickly to dispassion.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.28 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-28)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.29":{"o":"Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡσυχάσαι τὸν νοῦν ἄνευ σώματος, οὔτε λῦσαι τὸ τούτων μεσότοιχον ἄνευ ἡσυχίας καὶ προσευχῆς.","t":"The mind cannot be still without the body, nor can the dividing wall between them be broken down without stillness and prayer.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.29 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-29)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.3":{"o":"Οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖ δοῦλος ὡς μισθὸν, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἀλλ᾽ εὐαρεστεῖν ὡς ὀφειλέτης, καὶ κατὰ χάριν ἐκδέχεται.","t":"A slave does not demand freedom as a wage; rather he seeks to please as a debtor, and awaits it as a grace.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.3 (PG 65:929; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-3)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.30":{"o":"Σάρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα κατὰ τῆς σαρκός. Οἱ δὲ πνεύματι περιπατοῦντες, ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκικὴν οὐ μὴ τελέσωσιν.","t":"“The flesh desires against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.” But those who walk by the spirit will not fulfil the desire of the flesh.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.30 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-30)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.31":{"o":"Οὐκ ἔστι τελεία προσευχὴ χωρὶς νοητῆς ἐπικλήσεως· ἀπερισπάστως δὲ βοώσης ἐννοίας ἐπακούει ὁ Κύριος.","t":"There is no perfect prayer without invocation in the mind; and the Lord hears the thought that cries out without distraction.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.31 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-31)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.32":{"o":"Νοῦς ἀπερισπάστως εὐχόμενος θλίβει καρδίαν · Καρδίαν δὲ συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει.","t":"A mind praying without distraction afflicts the heart; and “a broken and humbled heart God will not despise.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.32 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-32)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.33":{"o":"Ἡ προσευχὴ, ἀρετὴ λέγεται, κἂν μήτηρ αὐτῶν τυγχάνῃ· ἀπογεννᾷ γὰρ αὐτὰς, διὰ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν συναφείας.","t":"Prayer is called a virtue, though it is the mother of the virtues; for it gives birth to them through union with Christ.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.33 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-33)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.34":{"o":"Ἐὰν πράξωμεν χωρὶς προσευχῆς καὶ ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος, ὕστερον ἐπιβλαβὲς καὶ ἀτελὲς τυγχάνει.","t":"Whatever we do without prayer and good hope turns out afterward to be harmful and incomplete.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.34 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-34)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.35":{"o":"Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς· Ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοὶ πρῶτοι, καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι, μετόχους ἀρετῶν καὶ μετόχους ἀγάπης νόει. ᾿Αγάπη γὰρ, ἐσχάτη μὲν ἀρετῶν τυγχάνει κατὰ γένεσιν· πρώτη δὲ εὑρίσκεται ἁπασῶν κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν, τὰς προγεγενημένας αὐτῆς ἐσχάτας ἀποδεικνύουσα.","t":"When you hear, “The last will be first, and the first last,” understand it of those who share in the virtues and those who share in love. For love is the last of the virtues in order of birth, but it is found first of all in worth, showing those born before it to be last.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.35 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-35)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.36":{"o":"Ἐὰν ἀκηδιάσῃς, ὑπὸ κακίας πολυτρόπως θλιβόμενος, μνημόνευσον τῆς ἐξόδου καὶ τῶν χαλεπῶν κολαστηρίων.","t":"If you fall into listlessness, afflicted in many ways by evil, remember your departure and the grievous punishments.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.36 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-36)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.37":{"o":"Κρεῖσσον γὰρ τὸ προσκολλᾶσθαι τῷ Θεῷ διὰ προσευχῆς καὶ ἐλπίδος, ἢ μνήμας ἔχειν ἐξωτέρας, κἂν ἐπωφελεῖς τυγχάνωσιν.","t":"For it is better to cleave to God through prayer and hope than to have outward memories, even if they are beneficial.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.37 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-37)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.38":{"o":"Οὐδεμία τῶν ἀρετῶν μόνη καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἀνοίγει τὴν φυσικὴν ἡμῖν θύραν, ἐὰν μὴ πᾶσαι ἀκολούθως ἀλλήλων ἐξήρτηνται.","t":"No virtue alone by itself opens the door of our nature, unless all depend on one another in sequence.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.38 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-38)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.39":{"o":"Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐγκρατὴς, ὁ λογισμοῖς τρεφόμενος: κἂν γὰρ ὠφέλιμοι ὦσιν, οὐκ εἰσὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος ὠφελιμώτεροι.","t":"The one who feeds on thoughts is not self-controlled; for even if they are useful, they are not more useful than hope.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.39 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-39)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.4":{"o":"Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, καὶ τοῖς εὖ δουλεύουσιν αὐτῷ, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν χαρίζεται· φησὶ γάρ· Εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστὲ, ἐπὶ ὀλίγα ἐγένου πιστὸς, ἐπὶ πολλῶν σε καταστήσω· εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ Κυρίου.","t":"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and he gives freedom to those who serve him well. For he says, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many; enter into the joy of your Lord.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.4 (PG 65:929; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-4)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.40":{"o":"Ἔστιν ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον πᾶσα ἀμετανόητος· περὶ ἧς κἂν ἅγιος ὑπὲρ ἑτέρου προσεύξηται οὐκ εἰσακούεται.","t":"Every unrepented sin is a sin unto death; concerning it, even if a saint prays for another, he is not heard.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.40 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-40)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.41":{"o":"Ὁ ὀρθῶς μετανοῶν, οὐκ ἀντελλογεῖ τὸν κόπον τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἀεὶ δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Θεὸν ἐξευμενίζεται.","t":"Whoever repents rightly does not reckon his labour against his old sins, but always propitiates God through himself.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.41 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-41)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.42":{"o":"Εἰ ὅσα ἔχει ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν ἀγαθὰ, καθ' ἡμέραν ποιεῖν αὐτὰ κεχρεωστήκαμεν, τί λοιπὸν περὶ τῶν προγεγενημένων κακῶν τῷ Θεῷ ἀνταποδώσομεν;","t":"If we owe it to do every day all the good things our nature has, what more shall we give back to God for our past evils?","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.42 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-42)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.43":{"o":"Ὅσην ἂν ὑπερβολὴν ἀρετῆς σήμερον ποιήσωμεν, παρελθούσης ἀμελείας ἔλεγχός ἐστιν, οὐκ ἀνταπόδοσις.","t":"Whatever excess of virtue we achieve today is a reproof of past negligence, not a recompense.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.43 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-43)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.44":{"o":"Ὁ θλιβόμενος νοερῶς, καὶ ἀναπαυόμενος σαρκικῶς, ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ σαρκικῶς θλιβομένῳ, καὶ νοερῶς διαχεομένῳ. Ἡ δ᾽ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν θλίψις ἑκούσιος, συνεργεῖ πρὸς θάτερον, ἥτε τῆς διανοίας, τῇ σαρκικῇ, καὶ ἡ τῆς σαρκὸς, πρὸς τὴν διάνοιαν· τὸ γὰρ ἀσύνθετον αὐτῶν μοχθηρότερον γίνεται. Μεγάλη ἀρετὴ, τὸ ὑπομένειν τὰ ἐπερχόμενα, καὶ ἀγαπᾶν τοὺς μισοῦντας, κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου. ᾿Αγάπης δὲ ἀνυποκρίτου τεκμήριον, ἀδικημάτων συγχώρησις.","t":"Whoever is afflicted in mind and rests in the flesh is like one who is afflicted in the flesh and dissipated in mind. Voluntary affliction from both works together for the other: that of the mind for that of the flesh, and that of the flesh for the mind; for when they are not joined they become worse. [45] It is a great virtue to endure what comes and to love those who hate us, according to the word of the Lord. And the sign of unfeigned love is the forgiveness of wrongs.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.44 (PG 65:935; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-44)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.45":{"o":"Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπὸ καρδίας συγχωρῆσαί τινι τὰ παραπτώματα, ἐκτὸς γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς· αὕτη γὰρ ἴδια ἑκάστῳ τὰ ἐπερχόμενα δείκνυσιν.","t":"One cannot forgive another's trespasses from the heart without true knowledge; for this shows each person that what comes upon him is his own.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.45 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-45)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.47":{"o":"Οὐδὲν ἀπολέσεις, ὃ ἂν ἀφῆς διὰ τὸν Κύριον· τῷ γὰρ ἰδίῳ καιρῷ πολυπλασίως ἐλεύσεται.","t":"You will lose nothing that you give up for the Lord; for in its own time it will come back many times over.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.47 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-47)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.48":{"o":"Ὅταν ὁ νοῦς τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας σκοποῦ ἐπιλάθηται, τότε τὸ προφανὲς ἔργον τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀνόνητον γίνεται.","t":"When the mind forgets the aim of godliness, the visible work of virtue becomes profitless.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.48 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-48)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.49":{"o":"Εἰ παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ βλαβερὰ ἡ κακοβουλία, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῖς τὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἐπανῃρημένοις.","t":"If ill counsel is harmful to every person, how much more to those who have taken up strictness of life.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.49 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-49)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.5":{"o":"Οὔπω δοῦλός ἐστι πιστὸς, ὁ ψιλῇ τῇ γνώσει ἐπερειδόμενος, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ δι᾽ ὑπακοῆς τῷ ἐντειλαμένῳ Χριστῷ πιστεύων.","t":"He is not yet a faithful servant who leans on bare knowledge, but he who believes in Christ, who gave the commandment, through obedience.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.5 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-5)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.50":{"o":"Ἔργῳ φιλοσόφει περὶ βουλῆς ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ἀνταποδόσεως Θεοῦ· οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ ὁ λόγος τῆς ἐργασίας σοφώτερος.","t":"Philosophize in deed about human will and God's recompense; for no word is wiser than the doing.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.50 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-50)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.51":{"o":"Τοῖς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας πόνοις ἀκολουθεῖ ἡ ἀντίληψις. Τοῦτο δὲ γνωστέον, διὰ νόμου θείου καὶ συνειδήσεως.","t":"Help follows labours undertaken for godliness. This is to be known through the divine law and conscience.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.51 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-51)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.52":{"o":"Εἷς παρέλαβε φρόνημα, καὶ ἀπερισκέπτως ἐκράτησεν · ἕτερος δὲ παρέλαβε, καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ συνέκρινε. Ζητητέον, ποῖος αὐτῶν εὐσεβεστέρως ἐπόνησε.","t":"One man received an opinion and held it without examination; another received it and compared it with the truth. We must ask which of them laboured more piously.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.52 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-52)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.53":{"o":"Σημεῖον γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς, ἡ τῶν θλιβερῶν ὑπομονὴ, καὶ τὸ μὴ αἰτιᾶσθαι ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ ταῖς ἑαυτῶν συμφοραῖς.","t":"A sign of true knowledge is patience in painful things and not blaming people for one's own misfortunes.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.53 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-53)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.54":{"o":"Ὁ ποιῶν ἀγαθὸν, καὶ ζήτῶν ἀνταπόδοσιν, οὐ δουλεύει Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἰδίῳ θελήματι. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἁμαρτήσαντα τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν διαδράσαι, εἰ μὴ διὰ μετανοίας προσηκούσης τῷ σφάλματι.","t":"Whoever does good and seeks a recompense does not serve God but his own will. One who has sinned cannot escape the recompense except through repentance fitting the fault.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.54 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-54)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.55":{"o":"Τινὲς λέγουσιν· Οὐ δυνάμεθα ποιῆσαι τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ἐὰν μὴ ἐναργῶς δεξώμεθα τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος. ᾿Αεὶ δὲ οἱ προαιρέσει ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ἐγκείμενοι, ὡς ἀβοήθητοι παραιτοῦνται τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν. Ἡ μὲν χάρις, τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ βαπτισθεῖσι, μυστικῶς δεδώρηται· ἐνεργεῖ δὲ κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν, καὶ κρυφίως βοηθεῖν ἡμῖν ἡ χάρις οὐ παύεται, ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν δὲ ἐστι ποιεῖν ἢ μὴ ποιεῖν τὸ ἀγαθὸν κατὰ δύναμιν. Πρῶτον μὲν θεοπρεπῶς διεγείρει τὴν συνείδησιν. Ὅθεν καὶ κακοποιοί μετανοήσαντες τῷ Θεῷ εὐηρέστησαν. Πάλιν ἐν διδασκαλίᾳ τοῦ πλησίον ἐγκρύπτεται. Ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῇ διανοίᾳ παρέπεται, καὶ διὰ τῆς φυσικῆς ἀκολουθίας ἐκδιδάσκει τὸν νοῦν, τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἀλήθειαν. Εἰ οὖν τῆς μερικῆς ταύτης ἀκολουθίας μὴ κρύψωμεν τὸ τάλαντον, εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐναργῶς εἰσελευσόμεθα.","t":"Some say, “We cannot do good unless we clearly receive the grace of the Spirit.” But those who by choice are given over to pleasures always excuse themselves, as though helpless, from doing what is within their power. [56] Grace has been given mystically to those baptized into Christ, and it works in proportion to the practice of the commandments. Grace never ceases to help us secretly; but it is in our power to do or not to do the good as far as we can. First, in a manner worthy of God, it awakens the conscience; that is how evildoers too repented and pleased God. Again, it is hidden in the teaching of a neighbour. Sometimes also it accompanies the mind in reading, and through the natural sequence teaches the mind its own truth. If, then, we do not hide the talent of this partial sequence, we shall clearly enter into the joy of the Lord.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.55 (PG 65:937; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-55)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.57":{"o":"Ὁ πρὸ τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν τὰς ἐνεργείας τοῦ Πνεύματος παραζητῶν, ὅμοιός ἐστι δούλῳ ἀργυρωνήτῳ, ὃς ἅμα τῷ ἀγορασθῆναι σὺν ταῖς ὠναῖς καὶ ἐλευθερίας γραφήν παραζητεῖ.","t":"Whoever seeks the workings of the Spirit before practising the commandments is like a slave bought with money who, as soon as he is bought, asks for his deed of freedom together with the bill of sale.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.57 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-57)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.58":{"o":"Ὁ τὰς ἔξωθεν ἐπιφορὰς δικαιοσύνῃ Θεοῦ παραγινομένας εὑρηκὼς, οὗτος ζητῶν τὸν Κύριον, εὖρε γνῶσιν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης.","t":"Whoever has found that outward afflictions come by the justice of God has, in seeking the Lord, found knowledge with righteousness.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.58 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-58)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.59":{"o":"Ἐὰν νοήσῃς, κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, ὅτι ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ τὰ κρίματα Κυρίου, γενήσεταί σοι πᾶσα σύμβασις θεογνωσίας διδάσκαλος.","t":"If you understand, according to Scripture, that “his judgments are in all the earth,” every occurrence will become for you a teacher of the knowledge of God.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.59 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-59)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.6":{"o":"Ὁ τὸν δεσπότην τιμῶν, ποιεῖ τὰ κελευόμενα. Σφαλεὶς δὲ ἢ παρακούσας, ὑπομένει ὡς ἴδια τὰ ἐπερχόμενα.","t":"Whoever honours his master does what is commanded. And if he slips or disobeys, he endures what comes upon him as his own.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.6 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-6)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.60":{"o":"Κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστου ἔννοιαν ἀπαντᾶ τὸ ὀφειλόμενον· τὴν δὲ ποικιλίαν τῆς ἁρμοδίου ἐπιφορᾶς μόνος ὁ Θεὸς ἐπίσταται.","t":"What is due meets each person according to his thought; but only God knows the variety of the fitting consequence.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.60 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-60)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.61":{"o":"Ὅταν ἀτιμίαν τινὰ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων πάθῃς, εὐθὺς τὴν ἐπιφορὰν τῆς παρὰ Θεοῦ δόξης ἐννόησον καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τῇ ἀτιμίᾳ ἄλυπος καὶ ἀτάραχος ἔσῃ ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ δόξῃ, πιστὸς καὶ ἀκατάκριτος εὑρεθήσῃ, ὅταν ἐλεύσηται.","t":"When you suffer some dishonour from people, at once think of the glory that will come from God; and you will be untroubled and unshaken by the dishonour, and when the glory comes you will be found faithful and uncondemned.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.61 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-61)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.62":{"o":"Ἑπαινούμενος ὑπὸ πλήθους κατ᾿ εὐδοκίαν Θεοῦ, ἐπιδεικτικὸν μὲν μηδὲν ἐπιμίξῃς τῇ Κυριακῇ οἰκονομίᾳ, ἵνα μὴ πάλιν ἐκ μεταβολῆς εἰς τούναντίον ἐμπέσης.","t":"When you are praised by a multitude by God's good pleasure, mix nothing of display with the Lord's dispensation, lest you fall again by a change into the opposite.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.62 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-62)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.63":{"o":"Σπόρος οὐκ αὐξηθήσεται δίχα γῆς καὶ ὕδατος· καὶ οὐκ ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐκτὸς ἑκουσίων πόνων καὶ θείας ἀντιλήψεως.","t":"Seed will not grow without earth and water; and a person will not be benefited without voluntary labours and divine help.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.63 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-63)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.64":{"o":"Οὐκ ἔστι χωρὶς νέφους ἐπιχυθῆναι βροχὴν, οὐδὲ χωρὶς συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς εὐαρεστῆσαι Θεῷ.","t":"Rain cannot pour down without a cloud, nor can one please God without a good conscience.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.64 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-64)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.65":{"o":"Μὴ ἀπαναίνου μανθάνειν, κἂν λίαν φρόνιμος τυγχάνῃς· ἡ γὰρ οἰκονομία τοῦ Θεοῦ ὠφελιμωτέρα ἐστὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας φρονήσεως.","t":"Do not refuse to learn, even if you are very wise; for God's providence is more beneficial than our wisdom.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.65 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-65)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.66":{"o":"Ὅταν ὑφ᾽ ἡδονῆς τινος ἡ καρδία παρακινηθῇ τοῦ τῆς φιλοπονίας τόπου, τότε λίθου βαρυτάτου δίκην ἐπὶ καταβάσει ἐνολισθήσαντος δυσεπικράτητος γίνεται.","t":"When the heart is moved by some pleasure from its place of diligent labour, it becomes hard to restrain, like a very heavy stone that has slipped on a slope.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.66 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-66)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.67":{"o":"Ὥσπερ μόσχος ἄπειρος βοτάναις ἐπιτρέχων κατήντησεν εἰς ἀμφίκρημνον τόπον· οὕτως εὑρίσκεται ψυχὴ κατὰ μικρὸν ὑπὸ λογισμῶν ἀποβουκολουμένη.","t":"As an inexperienced calf, running after grass, comes to a place with cliffs on both sides, so the soul is found led astray little by little by thoughts.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.67 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-67)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.68":{"o":"Ὅταν ὁ νοῦς ἀνδρισάμενος ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀποσπᾷ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ χρονίας προλήψεως, τότε ἡ καρδία ὡς ὑπὸ δημίων κολάζεται, τεινόντων αὐτὴν ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα τοῦ νοὸς καὶ τοῦ πάθους.","t":"When the mind, acting manfully in the Lord, drags the soul away from long-standing prepossession, then the heart is tormented as if by executioners, as the mind and the passion stretch it this way and that.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.68 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-68)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.69":{"o":"Ὥσπερ οἱ ἐν θαλάσσῃ πλέοντες, ἡδέως ὑπομένουσι τὸν ἡλιακὸν καύσωνα· οὕτως οἱ μισοῦντες τὴν κακίαν ἀγαπῶσιν ἔλεγχον. Διότι ἐναντιοῦται, ὁ μὲν τοῖς ἀνέμοις, ὁ δὲ τοῖς πάθεσιν.","t":"As those who sail the sea gladly endure the sun's heat, so those who hate evil love rebuke. For the one is opposed to the winds, the other to the passions.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.69 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-69)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.7":{"o":"Φιλομαθὴς ὢν, γίνου καὶ φιλόπονος· ἡ γὰρ ψιλὴ γνῶσις, φυσιοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.","t":"If you love learning, love labour too; for bare knowledge puffs a person up.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.7 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-7)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.70":{"o":"Ωσπερ φυγὴ ἐν χειμῶνι, ἢ ἐν σαββάτῳ, ὀδύνη γίνεται τῇ σαρκὶ, καὶ βεβήλωσις τῇ ψυχῇ· οὕτως ἐπανάστασις παθῶν γηραλέῳ σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ καθιερωμένῃ.","t":"As flight in winter or on the Sabbath is pain for the flesh and defilement for the soul, so is an uprising of passions for an aged body and a consecrated soul.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.70 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-70)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.71":{"o":"Οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἀγαθὸς καὶ οἰκτίρμων, ὡς ὁ Θεός· τῷ δὲ μὴ μετανοοῦντι, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀφίησι.","t":"No one is as good and compassionate as God; but even he does not forgive the one who does not repent.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.71 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-71)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.72":{"o":"Πολλοὶ λυπούμεθα ἐπὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις· τὰς δὲ αὐτῶν αἰτίας ἡδέως καταδεχόμεθα.","t":"Many of us grieve over our sins, yet gladly accept their causes.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.72 (PG 65:939; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-72)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.73":{"o":"Ἀσπάλαξ ὑπὸ γῆν ἕρπων τυφλὸς ὢν, ἀστέρας ἰδεῖν οὐ δύναται· καὶ ὁ μὴ πιστεύων περὶ προσκαίρων οὔτε περὶ τῶν αἰωνίων πιστεύειν δύναται.","t":"The mole, crawling underground and blind, cannot see the stars; and whoever does not believe God about temporal things cannot believe about eternal things either.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.73 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-73)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.74":{"o":"Χάρις πρὸ χάριτος, ἡ ἀληθὴς γνῶσις δεδώρηται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, πρὸ πάντων τῷ δωρησαμένῳ πιστεύειν τοὺς μετόχους αὐτῆς ἐκδιδάσκουσα.","t":"True knowledge has been given by God to human beings as a grace before grace, teaching those who share in it, before all else, to believe the Giver.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.74 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-74)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.75":{"o":"Ὅταν ἐνάμαρτος ψυχὴ καὶ ἐπερχομένας θλίψεις αὐτῇ οὐ καταδέχεται, τότε οἱ ἄγγελοι περὶ αὐτῆς λέγουσιν· Ἰατρεύσαμεν τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ οὐκ ἰάθη. Νοῦς ἐπιλαθόμενος τῆς ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐναντίων ὡς συμφερόντων, τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διαμάχεται.","t":"When a sinful soul does not accept the afflictions that come upon it, the angels say of it, “We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed.” [76] A mind that has forgotten true knowledge fights with people for things opposed to it as though they were beneficial.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.75 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-75)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.77":{"o":"Ὥσπερ ἐν ὕδασι πῦρ χρονίσαι οὐ δύναται, οὕτως οὐδὲ λογισμὸς αἰσχρὸς φιλοθέῳ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι πᾶς φιλόθεος ἐστὶ καὶ φιλόπονος· ἑκούσιος δὲ πόνος ἐχθρὸς ἡδονῆς κατὰ φύσιν ὑπάρχει.","t":"As fire cannot last long in water, so a shameful thought cannot last in a God-loving heart; for every lover of God loves labour, and voluntary labour is by nature an enemy of pleasure.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.77 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-77)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.78":{"o":"Πάθος ἔργου νομὴν κρατῆσαν διὰ τοῦ θελήματος, ὕστερον καὶ μὴ θέλοντι τῷ μετόχῳ βιαίως κατεπεγείρεται.","t":"A passion that has gained pasture in action through the will later rises up violently against the one who shares in it, even when he does not wish it.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.78 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-78)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.79":{"o":"Τῶν ἀκουσίων λογισμῶν τὰς αἰτίας ἀγαπῶμεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπέρχονται τῶν ἑκουσίων δηλονότι καὶ τὰ πράγματα.","t":"We love the causes of involuntary thoughts; that is why they come. And clearly the same holds for the things of voluntary thoughts.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.79 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-79)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.8":{"o":"Οἱ ἀπροσδοκήτως ἡμῖν συμβαίνοντες πειρασμοὶ, οἰκονομικῶς ἡμᾶς φιλοπόνους διδάσκουσι, καὶ μὴ βουλομένους εἰς μετάνοιαν ἕλκουσιν.","t":"The temptations that befall us unexpectedly teach us by providence to love labour, and drag us to repentance even against our will.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.8 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-8)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.80":{"o":"Οἴησις καὶ ἀλαζονεία βλασφημίας εἰσὶν αἴτια· φιλαργυρία δὲ καὶ κενοδοξία, ἀσπλαγχνίας καὶ ὑποκρίσεως.","t":"Conceit and boastfulness are causes of blasphemy; love of money and vainglory, of mercilessness and hypocrisy.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.80 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-80)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.81":{"o":"Ὅταν ἴδῃ ὁ διάβολος, ὅτι ὁ νοῦς ἐκ καρδίας προσηύξατο, τότε μεγάλους καὶ κακοτέχνους λογισμοὺς ἐπιφέρει. Μικραῖς γὰρ ἀρεταῖς, μεγάλας ἐπιφορὰς ἀναιρεῖν οὐκ ἀνέχεται.","t":"When the devil sees that the mind has prayed from the heart, he brings great and cunning thoughts. For he does not allow great attacks to be destroyed by small virtues.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.81 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-81)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.82":{"o":"Λογισμὸς ἐγχρονίζων δηλοῖ τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου προσπάθειαν· ταχέως δὲ ἀναιρούμενος σημαίνει πόλεμον καὶ ἐναντιότητα.","t":"A thought that lingers shows a person's attachment; but one that is quickly destroyed signifies war and opposition.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.82 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-82)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.83":{"o":"Τρεῖς εἰσι νοητοὶ τόποι, εἰς οὓς ὁ νοῦς ἐκ μεταβολῆς εἰσέρχεται· κατὰ φύσιν, παρὰ φύσιν, ὑπὲρ φύσιν. Καὶ ὅταν μὲν εἰς τὸν κατὰ φύσιν εἰσέλθῃ, εὑρίσκει ἑαυτὸν αἴτιον τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν, καὶ ἐξομολογεῖται τῷ Θεῷ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἐπιγινώσκων τὰς αἰτίας τῶν παθῶν. Ὅταν δὲ εἰς τὸν παρὰ φύσιν γένηται, ἐπιλανθάνεται τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διαμάχεται ὡς ἀδικοῦσιν αὐτόν. Ὅταν δὲ εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ φύσιν εἰσαχθῇ, εὑρίσκει τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, οὓς εἶπεν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος, ἀγάπην, χαρὰν, εἰρήνην, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ οἶδεν, ὅτι ἐὰν προκρίνῃ τὰς σωματικὰς φροντίδας, ἐμμένειν ἐκεῖ οὐ δύναται. Καὶ ἀναχωρῶν τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου ἐμπίπτει εἰς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ εἰς τὰς ἐπακολουθούσας αὐτῇ δεινὰς συμβάσεις, κἂν μὴ πρόσφατον, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἰδίῳ καιρῷ, ὡς οἶδεν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη.","t":"There are three spiritual places into which the mind enters by change: according to nature, contrary to nature, and above nature. When it enters the one according to nature, it finds itself the cause of its evil thoughts, and confesses its sins to God, recognizing the causes of the passions. When it comes into the one contrary to nature, it forgets God's justice and fights with people as though they wronged it. When it is brought into the one above nature, it finds the fruits of the Holy Spirit of which the apostle spoke, love, joy, peace, and the rest. And it knows that if it prefers bodily cares it cannot remain there; and withdrawing from that place it falls into sin and into the grievous occurrences that follow it, if not at once, then in their own time, as the justice of God knows.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.83 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-83)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.84":{"o":"Τοσοῦτον ἑκάστου γνῶσις ἀληθὴς τυγχάνει, ὅσον αὐτὴν πραότης καὶ ταπείνωσις καὶ ἀγάπη βεβαιώσουσι.","t":"Each person's knowledge is true to the extent that meekness, humility, and love confirm it.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.84 (PG 65:941; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-84)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.85":{"o":"Πᾶς ὁ βαπτισθεὶς ὀρθοδόξως ἔλαβε μυστικῶς πᾶσαν τὴν χάριν· πληροφορεῖται δὲ λοιπὸν κατὰ τὴν ἐργασίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν.","t":"Everyone baptized in the orthodox way has received all grace mystically; but he is then given full assurance of it according to the practice of the commandments.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.85 (PG 65:943; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-85)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.86":{"o":"Ἐντολὴ Χριστοῦ κατὰ συνείδησιν ἐπιτελουμένη, κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὀδυνῶν τῆς καρδίας, δωρεῖται παράκλησιν. Πλὴν ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἰδίῳ καιρῷ παραγίνεται.","t":"A commandment of Christ kept according to conscience gives consolation in proportion to the heart's pains. But each of these comes in its own time.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.86 (PG 65:943; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-86)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.87":{"o":"Ἔχε παράμονον δέησιν ἐπὶ παντὶ πράγματι, ὡς μηδὲν ἐπιτελεῖν δυνάμενος ἐκτὸς βοηθείας.","t":"Keep up constant supplication in every matter, as one who can accomplish nothing without help.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.87 (PG 65:943; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-87)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.88":{"o":"Οὐδὲν προσευχῆς εἰς συνεργίαν δυνατώτερον, καὶ πρὸς εὐδοκίαν Θεοῦ οὐδὲν αὐτῆς ὠφελιμώτερον.","t":"Nothing is more powerful than prayer for working together with God, and nothing more beneficial for winning God's good pleasure.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.88 (PG 65:943; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-88)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.89":{"o":"Πᾶσα ἐργασία ἐντολῶν ἐν αὐτῇ περικέκλεισται. Τῆς γὰρ εἰς Θεὸν ἀγάπης οὐδὲν εἴρηται ἀνώτερον. Προσευχὴ ἄῤῥεμβος, σημεῖον φιλοθεΐας τῷ παραμένοντι. Αμέλεια δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ ῥεμβασμὸς, φιληδονίας τεκμήριον.","t":"All practice of the commandments is enclosed in it. For nothing higher has been spoken of than love for God. [90] Undistracted prayer is a sign of love for God in the one who persists in it; but its neglect and distraction are proof of love of pleasure.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.89 (PG 65:943; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-89)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.9":{"o":"Αἱ ἐπερχόμεναι θλίψεις ἀνθρώποις, τῶν ἰδίων κακῶν εἰσιν ἔκγονα· ἐὰν δὲ αὐτὰς διὰ προσευχῆς ὑπομείνωμεν, εὑρήσομεν πάλιν ἀγαθῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιφοράν.","t":"The afflictions that come upon people are the offspring of their own evils; but if we endure them with prayer, we shall find good things coming upon us in turn.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.9 (PG 65:931; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-9)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.90":{"o":"Ὁ ἀθλίπτως ἀγρυπνῶν καὶ μακροθυμῶν, καὶ προσευχόμενος, Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐναργῶς μέτοχος τυγχάνει. Ὁ δὲ θλιβόμενος ἐν τούτοις, καὶ θελήματι ὑπομένων, ταχέως καὶ οὕτως ἐπιτυγχάνει τῆς ἀντιλήψεως. Ἐντολὴ ἐντολῆς ἀποδέδεικται διαφορωτέρα· διὸ καὶ πίστις πίστεως βεβαιοτέρα εὑρίσκεται. Ἔστι πίστις ἐξ ἀκοῆς, κατὰ τὸν ᾿Απόστολον καὶ ἔστι πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις.","t":"Whoever keeps vigil, is patient, and prays without affliction clearly shares in the Holy Spirit; and whoever is afflicted in these things and endures willingly also quickly obtains help. [92] One commandment has been shown to be more excellent than another; so too one faith is found firmer than another. There is faith “from hearing,” according to the apostle, and there is faith that is “the substance of things hoped for.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.90 (PG 65:943; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-90)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.91":{"o":"Καλὸν τὸ διὰ λόγων ὠφελεῖν τοὺς πυνθανομένους · κρεῖσσον δὲ τὸ δι᾽ ἀρετῆς καὶ προσευχῆς συνεργεῖν αὐτοῖς· ὁ γὰρ διὰ τούτων ἑαυτὸν προσφέρων τῷ Θεῷ βοηθεῖ καὶ τῷ πέλας διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου βοηθήματος.","t":"It is good to help inquirers by words; but it is better to work together with them through virtue and prayer. For whoever offers himself to God through these helps his neighbour also through the help he himself receives.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.91 (PG 65:943; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-91)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.92":{"o":"Εἰ θέλεις συντόμῳ λόγῳ ὠφελῆσαι τὸν φιλομαθῆ, ὑπόδειξον αὐτῷ προσευχὴν καὶ πίστιν ὀρθὴν, καὶ τῶν ἐπερχομένων ὑπομονήν· πάντα γὰρ λοιπὰ τὰ καλὰ διὰ τούτων εὑρίσκεται.","t":"If you wish to help one who loves learning in a short word, show him prayer, right faith, and patience in what comes; for all the rest of the good is found through these.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.92 (PG 65:943; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-92)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/2.93":{"o":"Περὶ ὧν τις ἤλπισεν εἰς Θεὸν, οὐκ ἔτι περὶ ἐκείνων τῷ πλησίον διαμάχεται. Εἰ πᾶν ἀκούσιον ἐκ τῶν ἑκουσίων τὴν αἰτίαν ἔχει, κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἐχθρὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὡς αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ τυγχάνει. Ἑκούσιον λέγει τὸν λογισμόν· ἀκούσιον δὲ τὴν σύμβασιν. Πάντων τῶν κακῶν προηγεῖται ἡ ἄγνοια· δευτέρα δὲ αὐτῆς ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπιστία. Φύγε πειρασμὸν δι᾽ ὑπομονῆς καὶ δεήσεως εἰ δὲ ἐκτὸς τούτων ἀντιτάσσει, περισσοτέρως ἐπέρχεται. Ὁ πρᾶος κατὰ Θεὸν, τῶν σοφῶν ἐστι σοφώτερος · καὶ ὁ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ τῶν δυνατῶν δυνατώτερος, ἐπειδὴ τὸν ζυγὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ γνῶσιν βαστάζουσι.","t":"About whatever someone has hoped in God for, he no longer fights with his neighbour. [96] If everything involuntary has its cause in what is voluntary, according to Scripture, no one is such an enemy to a person as he is to himself. By voluntary he means the thought; by involuntary, the occurrence. [97] Ignorance goes before all evils, and second after it is unbelief. [98] Flee temptation by patience and supplication; if you resist without these, it comes upon you all the more. [99] The one who is meek for God's sake is wiser than the wise, and the one humble in heart is stronger than the strong, because they bear the yoke of Christ with knowledge.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 2.93 (PG 65:943; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/2-93)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.0":{"o":"εἰς τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἐνεργείας· ἣν οἱ πιστοὶ καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐργασίας διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἔλαβον.","t":"… into the power of the working, which the faithful received, even before their practice, through the grace of baptism.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.0 (PG 65:965; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-0)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.1":{"o":"Ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία, θεοπρεπῶς ὡς οἶδεν αὐτὸς, τῆς πάντων προνοῶν σωτηρίας, διαφόροις δόγμασι τὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας θέμενος νόμον, ἕνα σκοπὸν πρέποντα τοῖς πᾶσιν ὡρίσατο, λέγων· Μετανοεῖτε· ὡς ἐκ τούτου δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἐπιγνῶναι, ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ ποικιλία τῶν ἐντολῶν εἰς ἕνα καταλήγει τὸν τῆς μετανοίας ὅρον, καθὼς καὶ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἐν κεφαλαίῳ ἐνετείλετο, εἰπών · Λέγετε αὐτοῖς · Μετανοεῖτε ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· οὐ πάντως χρονικὴν εἰρηκὼς ἐγγύτητα τῆς βασιλείας, ὡς ἕναγχος ἐπικειμένην τῷ κόσμῳ (οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἡ ἀλήθεια ἀκατάλληλα τοῖς πράγμασι διωρίζετο. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ οἱ τηνικαῦτα περιιόντες καὶ οἱ μετ' ἐκείνους ἐκοιμήθησαν, ἀμοιρήσαντες τῆς καθόλου συντελείας)· ἀλλ' εἰδὼς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λόγον ὁ Κύριος, καὶ βασιλείας καὶ μετανοίας δύναμιν ἔχοντα, Μετανοεῖτε, φησίν · ἤγγίκε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἐἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο δοθείη, πῶς ῾Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ζύμῃ, ἣν λαβοῦσα γυνὴ ἔκρυψεν εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία, ἕως οὗ ἐζυμώθη ὅλον; ἢ καθότι ἡ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον ὑποδεξαμένη διάνοια ἔκρυψεν εἰς τὴν τριμερῆ ὑπόστασιν, σώματος λέγω, καὶ πνεύματος, καὶ ψυχῆς, κατὰ τὸν ᾿Απόστολον, καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς λεπτότητα, ἀλεύρου δίκην πολυμερῶς διακεχυμένην, εἰς μίαν τῆς πίστεως ζύμην συνήγαγεν, ἐξομοιωθῆναι τῷ ἐνεργοῦντι λόγῳ καθόλου περιμένουσα. Οὕτως ὡμοίωσε τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον κόκκῳ σινάπεως, μικρὸν μὲν ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀκουόντων καρδίᾳ κατασπειρόμενον, διὰ δὲ τῆς προσηκούσης ἐργασίας αὐξανόμενον, καὶ ὥσπερ δένδρον εὐμέγεθες ἐν ὑψηλῷ τόπῳ, οὕτως εἰς οἶκον καταφυγῆς γενόμενον ταῖς πελαζομέναις διανοίαις. Τότε δὲ ἀληθῶς ἂν εἴη, ὁπότε καθαροὺς καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους εἶναι ἔφη, διὰ τὸν λόγον ὃν ἤκουσαν, τῇ συνεισφερομένῃ τὸν λόγον δυνάμει πρὸς ἐργασίαν ἀποχρησαμένους, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καθαροὺς γενομένους· Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὸς ὑπάρχει. Διὸ καὶ τοὺς μὴ χρησαμένους τοιαύτῃ συνεισφορᾷ, ὡς ἀπίστοις κατέκρινεν, εἰπών· Εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐχ εἶχον· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσι περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν.","t":"Our Lord Jesus Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, providing for the salvation of all in a way worthy of God, as he himself knows, laid down the law of liberty in various teachings, yet set one goal fitting for all, saying, “Repent.” From this we can recognize that all the variety of the commandments comes down to the one definition of repentance, just as he commanded the apostles in summary, saying, “Say to them, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” He did not at all mean a nearness of the kingdom in time, as though it were about to fall upon the world immediately (for the Truth would not define things in a way that did not fit the facts: see, both those living then and those after them have fallen asleep without sharing in the consummation of all things). Rather, the Lord, knowing that his own word has the power both of the kingdom and of repentance, says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” For if this is not granted, how is “the kingdom of heaven like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole was leavened”? Is it not because the mind that has received the word of God has hidden it in the threefold substance, I mean body, spirit, and soul, according to the apostle, and has gathered into the one leaven of faith all the subtlety of these in the thoughts, scattered in many parts like flour, waiting to be made wholly like the Word that works in it? In this way he likened the word of truth to a grain of mustard seed, sown small in the hearers' heart, but growing through fitting practice, and like a great tree in a high place, so becoming a house of refuge for the minds that come near. This will truly be so when, as he said, even the apostles were clean through the word which they had heard, having used the power that comes with the word for practice, and having become clean through it; for “the word of God is living and active.” That is why he condemned as unbelievers those who did not use such a contribution, saying, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.1 (PG 65:965; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.10":{"o":"᾿Αλλ' ἐρεῖς μοι πάντως· Οἱ ἀληθῶς εὐηρεστηκότες τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ εἰς τέλειον πεφθακότες, ποίας ἔτι χρήζουσι μετανοίας; Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἐγίνοντο τοιοῦτοι ἄνθρωποι καὶ εἰσὶ, σύμφημι· ἀλλ᾽ ἄκουσον συνετῶς, καὶ γνώσῃ, πῶς καὶ οἱ τοιοῦτοι χρήζουσιν αὐτῆς. Τὸ ψεῦδος ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου εἶναι εἴρηκεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀρνήσασθαι πάντα βουλεύων, προστίθησιν· Ἔτι δὲ τὸ ἐμβλέψαι γυναικὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι, μοιχείαν ἐλογίσατο, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ὀργὴν φόνῳ παρείκασε, καὶ περὶ ἀργοῦ ῥήματος λόγον διδόναι ἐφανέρωσε · τίς οὖν ὁ ψεύδους ἀπείραστος, καὶ πάσης τῆς κατὰ τὸ ἐμβλέψαι ἐπιθυμίας ἀμύητος, καὶ μηδέποτε ὀργισθεὶς τῷ πλησίον φιλονεικεῖν, μηδὲ ἀργοῦ ῥήματος ὑπηρέτης εὑρεθεὶς, ὥστε μὴ χρήζειν μετανοίας; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἔστι τοιοῦτος, ποτὲ δὲ ἐγένετο, μετάνοιαν κεχρεώστηκεν ἕως θανάτου. Θῶμεν δὲ, ὅτι καὶ τούτων τινὲς ἐκτὸς εὕρηνται, καὶ ἀπὸ γεννήσεως πάσης κακίας ἀλλότριοι (ὅπερ ἀδύνατον, τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου λέγοντος· Πάντες ἥμαρτον, καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι)· ὅμως εἰ καὶ ἐτύγχανον τοιοῦτοι, πλὴν ἐκ τοῦ ᾿Αδάμ εἰσι, καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τῆς παραβάσεως πάντες γεγόνασι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῷ θανάτῳ τῆς ἀποφάσεως κατεδικάσθησαν, σωθῆναι ἐκτὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ μὴ δυνάμενοι. Σταυρωθέντος δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ αἵματὶ πάντας ἐξαγοραζομένου, τότε καὶ αὐτοὶ λυτροῦνται. Εἶτα καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ λυτρωτὴς πᾶσι τίθησιν ὅρον ἕνα περιεκτικὸν τῶν πραγμάτων, καί φησι πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους· Λέγετε αὐτοῖς· Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Θέμενος ἅμα ἐντολὰς τὰς ἐκτελούσας τὴν μετάνοιαν, καὶ τὴν πλήρωσιν αὐτῶν ἕως θανάτου ὥρισεν, εἰπών· Ὁ ἀπολέσας τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον φυλάξει αὐτήν. Καὶ πάλιν, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. Καὶ σφραγίζει λέγων· Ὁ λύσας μίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων, ἐλάχιστος κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Εἰ οὖν ἕως θανάτου ὥρισε τὴν μετάνοιαν, καθὼς ἀποδέδεικται, ὁ πρὸ θανάτου λέγων αὐτὴν τετελεκέναι, λύει τὴν ἐντολὴν ὑφαιρῶν τὸν θάνατον.","t":"But you will certainly say to me, “Those who have truly pleased God and have reached perfection, what further repentance do they need?” That there have been and are such people, I agree; but listen with understanding, and you will know how even such people need it. God has said that falsehood is from the devil, and, wishing us to renounce everything, he adds: further, he reckoned looking at a woman to desire her as adultery, likened anger toward a neighbour to murder, and made known that we shall give account for an idle word. Who then is untried by falsehood, uninitiated in every desire that comes by looking, has never been angry and quarrelled with his neighbour, and has never been found the servant of an idle word, so as not to need repentance? Even if he is not such now, he once was, and owes repentance until death. But suppose some have been found free of these things and strangers to all evil from birth (which is impossible, since holy Paul says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace”); yet even if they were such, they are from Adam, and all have come under the sin of the transgression, and for this reason were condemned to the death of the sentence, being unable to be saved apart from Christ. When Christ was crucified and redeemed all by his own blood, then they too are ransomed. Then the Redeemer himself sets for all one definition comprehending all things, and says to the apostles, “Say to them, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Having at the same time laid down the commandments that accomplish repentance, he fixed their fulfilment until death, saying, “Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will keep it for eternal life”; and again, “and even his own life.” And he seals it, saying, “Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” If, then, he fixed repentance until death, as has been shown, whoever says he has completed it before death breaks the commandment by removing death.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.10 (PG 65:979; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-10)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.11":{"o":"Ὅθεν μικροῖς τε καὶ μεγάλοις ἕως θανάτου ἀτέλεστος ἡ μετάνοια. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῇ πράξει ἕως ἐκεῖ μὴ δυνηθῶμεν, τῷ δὲ σκοπῷ ἐπιτηδεύειν ὀφείλομεν, ἵνα μὴ κατὰ πρόθεσιν λύοντες τὴν ἐντολὴν, ὑποβληθῶμεν τῷ κρίματι, ἐλάχιστοι κληθέντες ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ζήτησον τοὺς ἀπ' αἰῶνος τὸν βίον τοῦτον διοδεύσαντας, καὶ εὐρήσεις διὰ μετανοίας τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον ἐπὶ τοῖς εὐαρεστήσασι τελεσθέν. Οὐδεὶς κατεκρίθη, εἰ μὴ ταύτης κατεφρόνησε· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδικαιώθη, εἰ μὴ ταύτης ἐπεμελήσατο. Σαμψών, καὶ Σαούλ, καὶ Ἡλεῖ μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ ἤδη μερικῶς ἁγιωσύνην μετασχόντων, πρῶτον μὲν ταύτην ἀπώλεσαν, τῆς μετανοίας ἀμελήσαντες· τῆς δὲ διορίας παρελθούσης, ἔσχατον ὑποδίκῳ θανάτῳ πεπτώκασιν. Ὁ διάβολος οὐ παύεται πολεμῶν ἡμᾶς, οὔτε ἡ μετάνοια ἀργεῖν ὀφείλει ποτέ. Οἱ ἅγιοι ὑπὲρ τῶν πλησίων αὐτὴν προσφέρειν ἀναγκάζονται, ἐκτὸς ἐνεργοῦς ἀγάπης τελειωθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενοι. Μάθε πῶς ἡ φύσις διδάσκει ἡμᾶς, ἕως θανάτου μὴ ἀφιέναι αὐτήν. Νοῦς λογικῶς ἀργεῖν οὐ δύναται, ἀλλὰ κἂν τέλειος ᾖ, καλῶς ἔχων· ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς ἐργάζεται · ἐὰν δὲ προφάσει τελειότητος παύσηται τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐργασίας, πάντως ἐπὶ τὸ ἀριστερὸν νεύει· ἀποσχόμενος δὲ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ, πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ δεξιὸν φυσικῶς ἕλκεται. Δεξιῶν δὲ ἐργασία καὶ ἀρχομένοις, καὶ μέσοις, καὶ τελείοις ἐστὶ προσευχὴ, καὶ λογισμῶν καθαίρεσις, καὶ τῶν ἐπερχομένων ὑπομονὴ, ὧν χωρὶς οὐκ ἔστι κατορθῶσαι τὰς λοιπὰς ἀρετὰς, δι' ὧν γίνεται εὐπρόσδεκτος ἡ μετάνοια. Εἰ αἴτησίς ἐστιν ἐλέους ἡ μετάνοια, … ἐπιμελεῖσθαι χρεία τῷ ἔχοντι. Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει. Εἰ οὖν ὁ ἐλεῶν ἐλεηθήσεται, διὰ ταύτην, ὡς οἶμαι, ὅλος ὁ κόσμος συνέστηκεν, ἕτερος δι᾽ ἑτέρου οἰκονομικῶς βοηθούμενος. Διὰ ταύτην ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς Νινευΐτας ἔσωσεν· ἀμελήσαντας δὲ αὐτῆς Σοδομίτας κατέφλεξεν.","t":"Hence for small and great alike repentance remains incomplete until death. Even if we cannot reach that far in practice, we ought to pursue it in aim, lest by deliberately breaking the commandment we come under the judgment and be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Look for those who have passed through this life from the beginning, and you will find the mystery of godliness accomplished through repentance in those who pleased God. No one was condemned except one who despised it, and no one was justified except one who cared for it. Samson, Saul, and Eli with his sons, who already had partly shared in holiness, first lost it by neglecting repentance; and when the appointed time had passed, they finally fell into a death under judgment. The devil does not cease to war against us, and repentance ought never to be idle. The saints are compelled to offer it for their neighbours, since they cannot be perfected without active love. Learn how nature teaches us not to give it up until death. The mind cannot be idle in its rational activity; even if it is perfect and in good condition, it works on the right hand; but if on the pretext of perfection it ceases from the practice of good things, it certainly leans to the left; and refraining from the left, it is naturally drawn again to the right. The work of the right hand, for beginners, for those in the middle, and for the perfect, is prayer, casting down thoughts, and endurance of what comes; without these the other virtues cannot be achieved, and through them repentance becomes acceptable. If repentance is a request for mercy, … the one who has [it] needs to take care. For “everyone who asks receives.” If then “the merciful will receive mercy,” through this, I think, the whole world holds together, one helped by another by God's ordering. Through this God saved the Ninevites, and burned up the Sodomites who neglected it.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.11 (PG 65:979; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-11)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.12":{"o":"Εἰ καὶ μέχρι θανάτου μετανοοῦντες ἀγωνισώμεθα, οὐδὲ οὕτως τὸ δέον ἐπληρώσαμεν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀντάξιον τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ὥσπερ ἐσθίομεν καὶ πίνομεν, καὶ λαλοῦμεν, καὶ ἀκούομεν· οὕτω καὶ μετανοεῖν φυσικῶς κεχρεωστήκαμεν. Απαξ ὁ ἄξιος, θανάτῳ κατὰ νόμον τεθανάτωται· ὁ δὲ ζῇ, μετανοίας ἕνεκεν, καὶ μὴ δι' ἄδειαν. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τῆς παραβάσεως ἁμαρτίαν, βαπτισθέντες ἐκαθαρίσθημεν · καθαρισθέντες, ἐντολὰς ἐλάβομεν. Όμοιοποιῶν τὸ δεύτερον, τὸ πρῶτον ἐμόλυνεν, λήθην λαβὼν τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ τῶν πάλαι αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν, ὧν οὐδεὶς ἀνελλιπὴς τὸ καθ' ἡμέραν εὑρίσκεται, μηδέποτε μηδὲν τῶν προστεταγμένων παραλείψας. Διὰ τοῦτο πᾶσιν ἂν εἴη ἀναγκαία ἡ μετάνοια. Αὕτη τὰ ποτὲ ἑκούσια νῦν ἀκούσια ἀποδείκνυσι, διὰ τὸ μισῆσαι τὰ πάθη, καὶ ἀπέχεσθαι τοῦ πράγματος. Ὁ περιορίζων αὐτὴν, στρέφεται εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ ἀνακαινίζει τὰ παλαιὰ παραπτώματα. Ὁ ἔχων γνῶσιν ἀληθῆ, οἶδεν ὅτι χρείαν ἔχει καὶ μετανοίας· ἕκαστον γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐν ἀλλήλοις κατευθύνεται. Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ μετανοίας ἐγγυήσατο· ὁ ἀφιεὶς αὐτὴν ἀθετεῖ τὸν ἐγγυησάμενον. \"Ανευ μετανοίας, κατὰ πρᾶξιν οὐδὲν Α ἄξιον ποιῆσαι δυνάμεθα· ἐλεούμεθα δὲ μεγάλως διὰ τὴν πρόθεσιν. Βιαζόμενος ἕως ἐξόδου, καὶ κρατῶν αὐτὴν, κἂν ἔν τινι πλημμελήσῃ, διὰ τὴν βίαν σωθήσεται· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Κύριος ἐπηγγείλατο. Ο λέγων μηκέτι χρήζειν αὐτῆς, δίκαιον ἑαυτὸν κρίνει, καὶ ἔγγονον κακὸν ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς ὀνομάζεται. Ὁ οἰήσει δικαιοσύνης ὡς τελέσας αὐτὴν διακείμενος, ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν, ἀντιστρόφως συνδυάζεται ταῖς ἡδοναῖς, εἴπερ ἡ οἴησις καὶ ἡ ἀλαζονεία ἡδοναὶ τυγχάνουσιν. Ὁ ἔχων οἴησιν, οὐ δύναται σωθῆναι· γέγραπται γάρ· Ὁ κατοιόμενος καὶ καταφρονητής ἀνὴρ ἀλαζῶν, οὐθὲν οὐ μὴ περανεῖ. Εἰ οὐδὲν βλάπτει τὸν τέλειον ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη, μηδὲ αὐτὸς ἀφῇ ταύτης αἰτίαν, μετάνοιαν. Ὁ πιστὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ὁ δίκαιος Ἰὼβ γῆν καὶ σποδὸν ἑαυτοὺς ὠνόμασαν· ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ῥήματα ταπεινοφροσύνης τεκμήριον. Ὁ δὲ μετανοίας κεκορεσμένος, ταπεινοφρονεῖν οὐ δύναται. Οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες οἱ ὄντως μεγαλόφρονες, καὶ μεγαλομάρτυρες, ἐκ μέσου καιομένης φλογὸς ἐξωμολογοῦντο, καὶ τὸ ἡμαρτηκέναι καὶ ἡνομηκέναι λέγοντες, περὶ τῶν ποτὲ κακῶν μετενόουν, λοιπὸν τέλειοι ὄντες · καὶ πᾶς σχεδὸν ὁ ὕμνος αὐτῶν, μετανοίας ἐπέχει δύναμιν.","t":"Even if we struggle in repentance until death, not even so have we fulfilled what is owed; for nothing is worth the kingdom of heaven. As we eat and drink, speak and hear, so we naturally owe it to repent. Once for all the one deserving it was put to death under the law; but he lives for the sake of repentance, and not for licence. Because of the sin of the transgression we were cleansed when baptized; once cleansed, we received commandments. Whoever does not keep the second has defiled the first, forgetting the cleansing of his old sins; and no one is found without failing daily, never omitting any of the things commanded. Therefore repentance would be necessary for all. It makes what was once voluntary now involuntary, through hating the passions and abstaining from the deed. Whoever limits it turns back and renews his old transgressions. Whoever has true knowledge knows that he also needs repentance; for each of them is set right by the other. Christ stood surety for us on condition of repentance; whoever gives it up sets aside his surety. Without repentance we can do nothing worthy in practice; but we are greatly shown mercy because of our purpose. Whoever forces himself until his departure and holds fast to it, even if he offends in something, will be saved through his forcing; for this the Lord promised in the Gospels. Whoever says he no longer needs it judges himself righteous, and is called an evil offspring by Scripture. Whoever is disposed with conceit of righteousness as though he had completed it is, without knowing it, coupled in turn with the pleasures, since conceit and boastfulness are pleasures. Whoever has conceit cannot be saved; for it is written, “The conceited and scornful man, the boaster, will accomplish nothing.” If humility harms the perfect not at all, let him not give up its cause either, repentance. Faithful Abraham and righteous Job called themselves earth and ashes; and these words are proof of humility. But whoever has had his fill of repentance cannot be humble. The three youths, truly great-souled and great martyrs, made confession from the midst of the burning flame, and saying that they had sinned and transgressed, they repented of their former evils, though they were already perfect; and almost the whole of their hymn has the force of repentance.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.12 (PG 65:981; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-12)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.13":{"o":"Εἰ οὖν καὶ λίαν εὐαρεστήσαντες καὶ τέλειοι διὰ πραγμάτων ἀποδειχθέντες, τούτῳ ἕως θανάτου έχρήσαντο τῷ βοηθήματι, τίς ἐστι λοιπὸν ὁ προφάσει δικαιοσύνης θαῤῥῶν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ μετανοίας καταφρονῶν; Ἐγὼ μὲν οἶμαι, οὐδ᾽ ἂν κατὰ Παῦλον ἢ Πέτρον ἅγιός τις εἴη, οὐδ᾽ οὕτως αἱρήσεται τὸ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης καταλιπεῖν. Διὰ τοῦτο Πέτρος ἑαυτὸν τῷ Κορνηλίῳ, κρύψας μὲν τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ, τὸ δὲ ἴδιον φανερώσας, εἶπεν· Ἀνάστα, κἀγὼ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπός εἰμι· μηδὲν δὲ κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον λέγειν θεόθεν ἐδιδάχθημεν, ὁμολογήσας. Παῦλος δὲ τῆς δεδομένης αὐτῷ χάριτος παρὰ Χριστοῦ, ὑπολήγειν οὐδαμοῦ ἕως θανάτου λογισάμενος, οὕτως ἔφη· Διώκω δὲ, εἰ καὶ καταλάβω, ἐφ᾽ ᾧ καὶ κατελήφθην ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, κατάληψιν τὴν μέχρις ἐξόδου ἐπιμονὴν εἰρηκώς· καθάπερ καὶ τῷ πιστῷ Τιμοθέῳ, ἐπιστέλλει φανερὰν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐγγύτητα τῆς ἐξόδου καθιστῶν, λέγων· Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· οὐκ ἔνστασιν καὶ ὅρον χρονικὸν ἐπιμετρήσας ἑαυτῷ, ὡς καταπαύσας τὸν δρόμον διὰ τελειότητα, καὶ μηκέτι χρήζων ἀγώνων τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μηδέποτε ἐπὶ γῆς καταπαυομένων, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ Ἐκκλησία· ἀλλὰ τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτοῦ, τέλος δρόμου καὶ ἀγώνων εἴρηκε. Φησὶ γάρ· Ήδη σπένδομαι, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς ἀναλύσεως ἐφέστηκεν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐκ εἶπεν, ᾿Αναπαύομαι, ἀλλ᾽, Ἤδη σπένδομαι, διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ῥημάτων τε καὶ πραγμάτων δεικνὺς πᾶσι, τῆς μετανοίας τὸν ὅρον ἕως λύσεως καὶ θανάτου κεχρεωστημένον τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ βασιλεῖ Χριστῷ· ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Αμήν.","t":"If, then, those who greatly pleased God and were shown perfect by their deeds used this help until death, who is left who is confident in himself on the pretext of righteousness and despises repentance? For my part I think that even if someone were holy like Paul or Peter, not even so would he choose to abandon the cause of humility. That is why Peter, hiding what was God's in this matter and making known what was his own, said to Cornelius, “Stand up; I myself also am a man”; and he confessed, “We have been taught by God to call nothing common or unclean.” And Paul, reckoning that he would nowhere fall short of the grace given him by Christ until death, said thus: “But I press on, if I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ,” meaning by laying hold perseverance until his departure; just as he writes to faithful Timothy, making plain to him the nearness of his departure, saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”; not measuring out for himself a halt and a limit in time, as though he had ended the race through perfection and no longer needed the struggles for the body of Christ, which is the church, struggles that never cease on earth; but he called his departure the end of the race and of the struggles. For he says, “I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure has come.” Do you see that he did not say, “I am at rest,” but, “I am already being poured out,” showing to all by such words and deeds that the limit of repentance is owed until dissolution and death to Christ the heavenly King? To him be glory for ever. Amen.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.13 (PG 65:983; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-13)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.2":{"o":"Τοῦτο δὲ εἰρήκαμεν, οὐχ ὡς ἀπιστοῦντες περί τῆς μελλούσης βασιλείας, ἥτις τοῖς ἰδίοις καὶ ἀορίστοις καιροῖς ἀπαραβάτως ἐλεύσεται · ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν αὐτὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἐπέχει δύναμιν, γενόμενος τοῖς πιστοῖς ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, ἀῤῥαβὼν τῆς μελλούσης κληρονομίας, ἀπαρχὴ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν · τοῖς δὲ ἀπίστοις καὶ βεβήλοις, ἐνυπόστατος ἀθεΐας ἔλεγχος. Διό φησι· Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Εἰ οὖν μόνον τοὺς ἀκούοντας ὀφειλέτας ἔργου ὁ λόγος δείκνυσι, συνεισφέρων ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῶν λεγομένων τὴν δύναμιν, τί ποιησόμεθα ἡμεῖς, οἱ οὐ μόνον λόγων, ἀλλὰ πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων εὐεργεσιῶν συνεισελθούσης τῆς δυνάμεως ἀθετήσαντες· καὶ οὐ μόνον τὸ ἓν τάλαντον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πέντε, καὶ τὰ δύο εἰς γῆν κρύψαντες, σωματικῶς ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις τοῦ Κυρίου ἀποχρησάμενοι· δι' ὧν εἰκὸς καὶ ἄλογα εὐεργετούμενα ὑπακούειν τῷ χειραγωγοῦντι, καθὸ ἔχει φύσεως δύναμιν, ὡς καὶ θηρίον ἀγριότητα τραπῆναι πρὸς λόγὸν ὑπακοῆς τοῦ εὐεργέτου; Κατὰ τοσοῦτον ἡμεῖς οἱ αὐτεξουσιότητι ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ζῶα τιμηθέντες, τῶν θηρίων ἀγριώτεροι, καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ἀλογώτεροί πεφανερώμεθα. Ἐκεῖνα γὰρ πρὸς τὸν ἀλλήλων πλησιασμὸν ἡδέως ἔχει, ὅθεν καὶ νεμόμενα ἕκαστον ἐξαρκεῖται τῷ παρατυχόντι, καὶ ἀφθόνως τῷ ἑτέρῳ καταλείπει τὸ παρακείμενον· ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ τῶν ἀλόγων ἐπιστατεῖν καὶ κυριεύειν τεταγμένοι, τῆς φύσεως τὴν κακίαν προετιμήσαμεν · ὥστε καὶ μηδεμιᾶς ἀναγκαστικῆς αἰτίας, ἡμᾶς βιαζομένης, ἀνηλεῶς καὶ ἐπιφθόνως ἔχειν πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον. Τοὺς τοιούτους, οἶμαι, ὄφεις, γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν ὁ Ἰωάννης ὠνόμασε, φυγεῖν τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς, τὴν μετάνοιαν εὑρηκότας, ἧς ποιῆσαι καρποὺς ἀξίους παρακελεύεται, καὶ ἐκ δύο χιτώνων μεταδοῦναι τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι, καὶ περὶ βρωμάτων ὁμοίως ποιεῖν ἐντειλάμενος. Εἰ δὲ τοὺς πρὸ τῆς πίστεως τὸ δέον ἡγνοηκότας, ὄφεσι διὰ τὸ συμπαθὲς παρείκασεν, ἀπαρείκαστον ἂν εἴη κακὸν, τὸ μετὰ πίστιν καὶ γνῶσιν, καὶ παροχὰς ἃς εἰλήφαμεν, ἀδεῶς ἐξαμαρτάνειν","t":"We have said this not as disbelieving in the future kingdom, which will certainly come at its own undetermined times, but because the word of the Lord holds the very power of the kingdom, becoming for the faithful the substance of things hoped for, the pledge of the future inheritance, the firstfruits of eternal goods, but for the unbelieving and profane a real refutation of their godlessness. That is why he says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” If, then, the word shows its hearers to be debtors of work merely by bringing into the heart the power of what is said, what shall we do, who have set aside not only words but many great benefits that came to us together with that power, and have hidden in the earth not only the one talent but also the five and the two, using the Lord's benefits in a bodily way? Through such benefits it is natural that even irrational animals, when treated well, obey the one who leads them, as far as their nature allows, so that even a wild beast turns from its fierceness to obedience to its benefactor. To that degree we, who were honoured with free will above all living things, have shown ourselves wilder than the beasts and more irrational than the irrational animals. For they are glad to be near one another, so that as they graze each is content with what comes to it and leaves what lies by to the other without envy; but we, appointed to govern and rule the irrational animals, have preferred the wickedness of nature, so that, with no compelling cause forcing us, we behave mercilessly and enviously toward our own kind. Such people, I think, John called serpents, offspring of vipers, who had found repentance as a way to flee from the wrath to come; he urges them to bear fruits worthy of it, commanding that whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and likewise with food. And if he compared to serpents, out of compassion, those who before faith did not know what was required, it would be an evil beyond comparison to sin without fear after faith, knowledge, and the gifts we have received.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.2 (PG 65:967; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.3":{"o":"Τὰ μὲν οὖν κρύφια παρήσω, ἃ ἕκαστος λογιστικῶς κατ᾿ ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ἀποτελεῖν· εἴπω δὲ μᾶλλον & πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπαχθῶς ἔχοντες ἐπιτηδεύομεν, μάλιστα πρὸς τοὺς δοκοῦντας ἡδικηκέναι, μήτε μικροῖς μήτε μεγάλοις κατὰ Θεὸν συντυγχάνοντες. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἀφανεστέρων ἢ πτωχοτέρων προφανῶς κατεπαιρόμεθα, ὥσπερ μισθίων ἢ δούλων κατεξουσιάζειν ἐθέλοντες, οὐκέτι ἐν Χριστῷ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ πλούτῳ ἐκδικοῦντες τὴν εὐγένειαν. Καὶ ὅταν μέν τινα τῶν σοβαρωτέρων ἁμαρτάνοντὰ ἴδωμεν, ἐλέγξαι οὐ δυνάμεθα· φαμὲν δὲ τοῖς παρατυχοῦσιν, ὅτι γέγραπται· Μὴ πρὸ καιροῦ τι κρίνετε, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ Κύριος· τῶν δὲ ταπεινοτέρων μικράν τινα αἰτίαν εὑρόντες, εὐθέως κατεπικείμεθα, φανητιῶντες καὶ λέγοντες, ὅτι γέγραπται· Τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα ἐνώπιον πάντων ἔλεγχε. Καὶ οὕτως, τὴν μὲν ἑαυτῶν ὑπόκρισιν, ἤτοι κακίαν, ταῖς Γραφικαῖς μαρτυρίαις ἐνδιαστρόφως ὑποκαλύπτομεν, ἐκείνους δὲ, ὡς κατὰ Θεὸν ἐλέγχοντες διακείμεθα. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις. Τοὺς δὲ ἰσοδυναμοῦντας ἐπὶ μικραῖς τισιν ἀφορμαῖς εὐθέως ἀποστρεφόμεθα, πᾶσαν μηχανὴν ἐννοοῦντες πρὸς ἄμυναν. Καὶ οὐ πρότερον αὐτοῖς εὐμενιζόμεθα, ἄχρις οὗ αὐτοῖς κατὰ γνώμην γενώμεθα. Προφάσεως δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιλαβόμενοι, ὡς ἐπ᾿ ἀγαθῷ χαίροντες, τὴν πονηρίαν ἐπιδεικνύμεθα, καὶ μετὰ τὸ, ἀμύναντες, τότε φιλικωτέρως αὐτοῖς ὁμιλοῦμεν, δευτέρας φιλίας τὴν προλαβοῦσαν τοῦ κακοῦ νίκην θεμέλιον προθέμενοι. Ἀνάγκη δὲ πᾶσα τὸ ἔργον ὅμοιον τῷ θεμελίῳ ἐπακολουθῆσαι, καὶ πάλιν νεῖκος ζητεῖν, ὡς μηδέποτε ἄμαχον φιλίαν διαμεῖναι τῷ νικᾶν βουλομένῳ, ἀλλ᾽ ἀεὶ παρακολουθεῖν τῇ νίκῃ τὸ μῖσος, καθώς φησιν ἡ θεία Γραφή, ὅτι Μῖσος ἐγείρει νεῖκος. Τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτον νόσημα προσγίνεται τοῖς ἐν δόξῃ καὶ χρήμασι τὰ πρωτεῖα μεταδιώκουσι, καθἀπερ τὸ πρῶτον τῆς νόσου τὸ δυσεντέριον· ὅπερ καὶ νῦν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος θεραπεύει λέγων · Τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἀλλήλους προηγούμενοι, ὑπερέχοντες ἑαυτῶν. Πρὸς μὲν οὖν τοὺς ταπεινοτέρους, εἴτουν ἰσοτίμους, οὕτως διακείμεθα. Τὴν δὲ πρὸς τοὺς δυνατωτέρους πονηρίαν κεκρυμμένην οὖσαν καὶ πολύτροπον, οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν ὡς ἔστιν, ἢ νοῆσαι ῥάδιον. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἐντολὴν τηροῦντες διακείμεθα τοῖς ἀνωτέροις, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκείνους ὑποτρέχομεν οὓς ἀδικῆσαι μὴ δυνάμεθα, καὶ ὀφθαλμῷ μὲν βασκάνῳ τὰς εὐτυχίας αὐτῶν καθορῶμεν πικρῶς, εὐδαιμονίαν δὲ αὐτῶν οὐδὲ κηρυττομένην ἡδέως ἀκούομεν · καὶ σχήματι μὲν καὶ λόγοις εἰρηνικῶς κολακεύομεν τοὺς τοιούτους, ἐναντίως δὲ ταῖς ἐννοίαις πρὸς αὐτοὺς διακείμεθα ὡς ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν πληροῦσθαι τὸ λεγόμενον · Τῶν λαλούντων εἰρήνην μετὰ τῶν πλησίον αὐτῶν, κακὰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν.","t":"I will pass over the hidden things, which each person can carry out in thought as he pleases; let me speak rather of what we practise when we are ill-disposed toward one another, especially toward those who seem to have wronged us, meeting neither small nor great according to God. Over those who are more obscure or poorer we openly exalt ourselves, wishing to lord it over them as over hired men or slaves, no longer defending nobility in Christ but in the flesh and in wealth. When we see one of the more important people sinning, we cannot rebuke him, but say to those present, “It is written, ‘Do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes.’” But when we find some small cause in the humbler, we immediately fall upon them, showing off and saying, “It is written, ‘Rebuke the one who sins before all.’” And so we perversely cover our own hypocrisy, that is, our wickedness, with testimonies from Scripture, and regard ourselves as rebuking them according to God. So much for those below us. Our equals we turn away from at once on small occasions, devising every means of revenge; and we are not reconciled to them until we have got our way with them. Seizing on that same pretext, rejoicing as if over something good, we display our wickedness; and after taking revenge, we then converse with them in a more friendly way, laying down our earlier victory of evil as the foundation of a second friendship. But the building must necessarily match the foundation, and seek strife again, so that a friendship never remains free of fighting for one who wishes to win, but hatred always follows the victory, as the divine Scripture says, “Hatred stirs up strife.” This disease befalls those who pursue first place in glory and money, like dysentery, the first of diseases; which the blessed Paul now heals, saying, “In humility outdo one another in honour, counting others better than yourselves.” So we are disposed toward the humbler, or toward our equals. As for our wickedness toward the more powerful, it is hidden and many-sided, and not easy to tell or even to understand. For we do not behave toward our superiors as keeping a commandment, but fawn on those we cannot harm; we look on their good fortune bitterly with an envious eye, and do not gladly hear their happiness even when it is proclaimed; in appearance and words we flatter them peaceably, but in our thoughts we are disposed against them, so that the saying is fulfilled in us: “who speak peace with their neighbours, but evil is in their hearts.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.3 (PG 65:967; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-3)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.4":{"o":"Ταῦτα δὲ εἰρήκαμεν περὶ τῶν ἀκοντὶ περιφερομένων, τοὺς ἑκουσίως ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐξωτέρους δεῖξαι βουλόμενοι, καὶ πρὸς μετάνοιαν δυσκόλως ῥέποντας. Πῶς γὰρ οὐχὶ ἑκουσίως, εἰ μὴ θέλοντες ποιεῖν το τοῦ Δανιὴλ, καὶ εὐρεῖν ἄφεσιν, λέγοντος · Τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι, καὶ τὰς ἀνομίας σου ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς πενήτων; ᾿Αλλ' ἐρεῖς τυχόν · Οὐκ ἔχω χρήματα, πῶς οἰκτειρήσω πένητα Οὐκ ἔχεις χρήματα, ἀλλ᾽ ἔχεις θελήματα· ἀπόταξαι αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐν ἐκείνοις ἐργάζου τὸ ἀγαθόν. Οὐ δύνασαι εὐποιῆσαι χειρὶ σωματικῇ; εὐποίησον δεξιᾷ προαιρέσει. \"Όταν ἁμάρτῃ εἰς σὲ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ἄφες αὐτῷ, κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ἔσται σοι ἐλεημοσύνη. Εἰ ζητοῦμεν ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν παρὰ Θεοῦ, τοῦτο ποιεῖν ὀφείλομεν ἐπὶ πάσῃ πλημμελείᾳ πρὸς ἕκαστον, ὅπως γένηται τὸ, \"Αφετε καὶ ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Μέγα μὲν τῷ ἔχοντι χρήματα μεταδιδόναι τοῖς πένησιν, ἐλεῆσαι δὲ τοὺς πλησίον ἐπὶ ἁμαρτήμασι, τοσοῦτον μεῖζόν ἐστι πρὸς ἄφεσιν, ὅσον ψυχὴ τιμιωτέρα σώματος κατὰ φύσιν ὑπάρχει. \"Ὅσοι δὲ αἰτήσαντες ἄφεσιν παρὰ Θεοῦ, ἔλαβον μὲν πολλάκις, ὡς διὰ τοῦτο μηδὲν ἡμᾶς ἐντεῦθεν πονηρὸν ὑπομένειν τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ τοῖς πλησίον μετέχειν οὐ καταδεχόμεθα ὅμοιοί ἐσμεν τῷ δούλῳ ἐκείνῳ τῷ πονηρῷ, ὃς μυρίων ταλάντων ἄφεσιν εἰληφὼς παρὰ τοῦ δεσποτοῦ, τῷ συνδούλῳ ἑκατὸν δηνάρια οὐ συνεχώρησεν. Ο καὶ νομίμως ὁ Κύριος διαλεγόμενος ἔφη · Δοῦλε πονηρέ, πᾶσαν τὴν ὀφειλὴν ἐκείνην ἀφῆκά σοι, ἐπεὶ παρεκάλεσάς με· οὐκ ἔδει καὶ σὲ ἐλεῆσαι τὸν σύνδουλόν σου (ἀφιέναι αὐτῷ τὸ ὀφειλόμενον), ὡς καὶ ἐγώ σε ἠλέησα; Καὶ ὀργισθεὶς, φησί · Παράδοτε αὐτὸν τοῖς βασανισταῖς, ἕως οὗ ἀποδῷ πᾶν τὸ ὀφειλόμενον. Καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων · Οὕτως ποιήσει ὑμῖν ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἐὰν μη ἀφῆτε ἕκαστος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ τὰ παραπτώματα ἀπὸ τῶν καρδιῶν ὑμῶν. Διὸ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ τοὺς ποικίλαις εὐεργεσίαις παρ' αὐτοῦ πλουτισθέντας, ἀνελεήμονα δὲ καὶ ἀσυμπαθῆ τρόπον ἔχοντας, ταλανίζει λέγων· Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς πλουσίοις, ὅτι ἀπέχετε τὴν παράκλησιν ὑμῶν. Ὄντως γὰρ πλοῦτος μὲν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἡ περιουσίὰ τῶν διαφόρων ἡμῖν δωρημάτων· οὐαὶ δὲ ἡμῖν, ὅτι παρακαλέσαντες καὶ πολλάκις ἐλεηθέντες αὐτοὶ παρακαλούμενοι οὐδένα ἠλεήσαμεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπέχομεν τὸν παράκλησιν ἡμῶν.","t":"We have said this about those who are carried about against their will, wishing to show that those who sin voluntarily are further off and incline to repentance with difficulty. For how is it not voluntary, if we do not wish to do what Daniel said and find forgiveness: “Redeem your sins by almsgiving, and your iniquities by compassion on the poor”? But perhaps you will say, “I have no money; how shall I show compassion to the poor?” You have no money, but you have wills: renounce them, and do good in them. You cannot do good with a bodily hand? Do good with a right purpose. When your brother sins against you, forgive him, according to the Lord's word, and it will be alms for you. If we seek forgiveness of sins from God, we ought to do this for every offence toward everyone, so that the saying may be fulfilled, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” It is a great thing for one who has money to share it with the poor; but to have mercy on one's neighbours in their sins is greater for forgiveness, as much as the soul is by nature more precious than the body. Those of us who have asked forgiveness from God and have often received it, so that we suffer nothing evil on that account, but do not consent to share the same with our neighbours, are like that wicked servant who, having received from his master forgiveness of ten thousand talents, did not forgive his fellow servant a hundred denarii. Speaking lawfully about him the Lord said, “You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me; should not you also have had mercy on your fellow servant (forgiving him what he owed), as I had mercy on you?” And being angry, he says, “Hand him over to the torturers until he pays all that is owed.” And he adds, saying, “So also my Father in heaven will do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother his trespasses from your hearts.” That is why elsewhere he pronounces wretched those who have been enriched by him with various benefits but have a merciless and unsympathetic way of life, saying, “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” For truly our wealth is the abundance of the various gifts given us; but woe to us, because, having begged and often received mercy, we have shown mercy to no one when begged, but have received our consolation.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.4 (PG 65:969; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-4)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.5":{"o":"Εἰπὼν γὰρ περὶ πλουσίων, οὐ πάντας αἰτιᾶται τοὺς εὐποροῦντας. Εἰσὶ γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ οἱ ἀληθῶς τὸν πλοῦτον διοικεῖν ἐπιστάμενοι πρὸς τὸ θέλημα τοῦ δεδωκότος Θεοῦ, καὶ ἑκατονταπλασίονα, καθὼς γέγραπται, ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ λαμβάνοντες· ὡς ὁ μακάριος Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ὁ δίκαιος Ἰὼβ, ἐλεήμονες γενόμενοι πλέον ἐπλούτησαν, καὶ ὧδε, καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι· ἀλλὰ καθὰ προειρήκαμεν, τοὺς πλεονεκτικὸν τρόπον ἔχοντας, καὶ εἴτε ἐν χρήμασιν, εἴτε ἐν διαφόροις οἰκτιρμοῖς νοσφιζομένους τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεὰς, καὶ τὸν πλησίον μὴ βουλομένους ἐλεεῖν ἐπιμέμφεται. Οὐ γὰρ ἡ παρὰ Κυρίου κτίσις τὸν ἔχοντα ἀδικεῖ · ἀλλ᾽ ἡ ἐξ ἀδικίας ἐπιγενομένη πλεονεξία, καὶ ἡ ταύτης μήτηρ ἀσπλαγχνία, ἃς παντελῶς φεύγοντες οἱ βεβαιόπιστοι, ἄρδην τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀπετάξαντο οὐ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσιν ἀκρίτως μισήσαντες, ἀλλὰ πεπιστευκότες τῷ τοῦτο ποιεῖν αὐτὴν ἐντειλαμένῳ Χριστῷ, παρὰ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐφήμερον αὐτάρκειαν ἐκδεχόμενοι. Δύναται οὖν τις καὶ ἐκτὸς χρημάτων πλουτεῖν, συνέχων ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ, ἤτοι λόγον, ἢ γνῶσιν, ἢ οἱανδήποτε συμπάθειαν, τὰ κοινῇ πᾶσι κεχαρισμένα. Λαμβάνει γὰρ, ἵνα μεταδῷ τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι. Οἱ δὲ ἀνελεημόνως πρὸς τὸν πλησίον διάκεινται, τὸ οὐαὶ προσλαμβάνουσιν, ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὴν παράκλησιν αὐτῶν. Παραπλησίως δὲ τούτοις καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Ἰάκωβος ὁ ἀπόστολος, τοῖς οὕτω πλουτοῦσι λέγει. Ἄγε νῦν, οἱ πλούσιοι, καὶ κλαύσατε ὀλολύζοντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις. Κλαίειν δὲ καὶ ὀλολύζειν ἐπιτρέπων, εἰς μετάνοιαν ἡμᾶς προτρέπεται. Συνειδὼς δὲ ὅτι ἀνεπιμέλητον τὸ πάθος ἐστὶ φησίν· Ὁ Πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπεν· ὡς ἂν εἰπεῖν ἄχρηστός ἐστι, μὴ καὶ εἰς ἑτέρους μεταδοθεὶς, ὄντινα οἱ πολλοὶ καὶ δίχα χρημάτων κεκτήμεθα, ἐν τοῖς νοεροῖς ταμείοις τὴν πλεονεξίαν χρυσοῦ δίκην κατορύξαντες. Περὶ οὗ καὶ ὁ Προφήτης ἐκφαντικώτατά φησι· Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου, τὸν ἀφιλάγαθον καὶ πλεονεκτικὸν αὐτοῦ τρόπον μώλωπας λέγων. Τὸ δὲ, Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν, τὴν μέχρις ἐξόδου ἀμέλειαν, ὀζομενίαν καὶ σῆψιν εἶναι λογισάμενος. Καὶ γάρ τινες αἱρούμεθα μᾶλλον ὑπὸ γῆν καλύψαι τὴν περιουσίαν, ἢ μεταδοῦναι τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι. Τότε δὴ ἐξόδου καταλαβούσης, προσόζει τῇ ψυχῇ τὸ τοιοῦτον τραῦμα, ὡς σηπεδόνος καὶ ἀφροσύνης αἰτία· καὶ αἰώνιος μώλωψ αὐτῇ προσγινόμενος, οὐκ ἀφίησιν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον βασιλείαν τῶν πρωτοτόκων, καθὼς ὁ νόμος περὶ τῶν ἐχόντων μῶμον ἐξαγορεύει. Τάχα δὲ καιρὸς ἂν εἴη καὶ τοὺς χαλεπωτέρους μώλωπας γυμνῶσαι, καὶ τῷ ἰατρῷ τῶν ψυχῶν ἐπιδεῖξαι. Τοῦ γὰρ ἁγίου Παύλου εἰπόντος· Τὸ ὑμῶν περίσσευμα εἰς τὸ ἐκείνων ὑστέρημα· ἡμεῖς τὸ ἐναντίον ποιοῦμεν, τὸ ὑστέρημα τῶν πενήτων ἀφαρπάζοντες, καὶ προστιθέντες τῷ ἡμετέρῳ περισσεύματι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐκτὸς χρημάτων κατεργαζόμεθα. Ὅταν πλημμελήσωμεν εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐπί τινι πράγματι, οὐ μόνον ἀθεράπευτον ἀφίεμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπολογίαν ἣν ἡμεῖς ἐχρεωστοῦμεν, ταύτην παρ' ἐκείνου τυραννικῶς λαμβάνομεν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ποιοῦντες, ἢ καθὼς προείρηται, τὸ ἐκείνων ὑστέρημα προστιθέντες τῷ ἡμετέρῳ περισσεύματι, τῇ Γραφῇ, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐναντιούμενοι. ᾿Αλλ᾿ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἡμῖν ἀπογνωστέον. Μὴ γένοιτο! Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν κακῶν κρινόμεθα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ θέλειν μετανοῆσαι, καὶ γνῶναι τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ θαυμάσια, καθὼς μαρτυρεῖ αὐτὴ ἡ ᾿Αλήθεια· Δοκεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι ὧν τὸ αἷμα ἔμιξε Πιλάτος μετὰ τῶν Γαλιλαίων, ἁμαρτωλότεροι ἦσαν παρὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆν; Οϋ, λέγω ὑμῖν· ἀλλὰ ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσητε, ὡσαύτως ἀπολεῖσθε. Καὶ οἱ δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἐφ᾽ οὓς ἔπεσεν ὁ πύργος τοῦ Σιλωάμ, καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτούς· δοκεῖτε ὅτι ἁμαρτωλότεροι ἦσαν παρὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Ἱερουσαλήμ; Οϋ, λέγω ὑμῖν· ἀλλ' ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσητε, ὡσαύτως ἀπολεῖσθε. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι διὰ τὸ ἀποστῆναι τῆς μετανοίας, κατακρινόμεθα; Μετάνοια δὲ, ὡς οἶμαι, οὔτε καιροῖς, οὔτε πράγμασι περιώρισται, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐντολῶν ἀναλόγως ἐπιτηδεύεται. Ἐντολαὶ δέ τινες περιεκτικώτεραι τυγχάνουσι, πολλὰ τῶν ἐνικῶν ἐν ἑαυταῖς περιέχουσαι, καὶ πολλὰ μόρια κακίας ὑφ᾽ ἓν περικόπτουσαι. Οἷον γέγραπται· Παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου, καὶ, ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵροντος τὰ σὰ, μὴ κωλύσῃς· καὶ, Τὸν θέλοντα δανείσασθαι ἀπὸ σοῦ, μὴ ἀποστραφῇς. Ταῦτα δὲ ἑνικά ἐστι· περιεκτικὸν δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸ, Πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς· καὶ, Ἆρον τὸν σταυρόν σου, καὶ δεῦρο,ἀκολούθει μοι· σταυρὸν λέγων τὴν τῶν ἐπερχομένων θλίψεων ὑπομονήν. Ὁ οὖν πάντα διαδοὺς πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἄρας τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς τὰς προειρημένας ἐφάπαξ ἐποίησε. Καὶ πάλιν· Βούλομαι, φησί, προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπαίροντας ὀσίας χεῖρας· καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις· Εἴσελθε εἰς τὸ ταμιεῖών σου, καὶ πρόσευξαι τῷ Πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ· καὶ πάλιν, ἀδιαλείπτως προσευχόμενος τὴν ἐν παντὶ προσευχὴν περιέκλεισε. Καὶ πάλιν φησίν· Οὐ πορνεύσεις, οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ φονεύσεις, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις· Λογισμούς καθαιροῦντες, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ δὲ καθαιρῶν λογισμοὺς, πάσας τὰς προειρημένας κακίας ἀπέκλεισε. Διόπερ οἱ φιλόθεοι καὶ βεβαιόπιστοι, ἐπὶ τὰς περιεκτικὰς ἐντολὰς βιάζονται, καὶ τὰς μερικὰς δὲ κατὰ σύμβασιν ἀπαντώσας οὐ παραπέμπονται.","t":"For in speaking of the rich, he does not blame all the wealthy. For among them are some who truly know how to manage wealth according to the will of God who gave it, and who receive a hundredfold in this age, as it is written; as blessed Abraham and righteous Job, being merciful, grew richer both here and in the age to come. But, as we said before, he blames those who have a grasping way of life and who, whether in money or in various kinds of compassion, appropriate God's gifts and will not show mercy to their neighbour. For it is not the Lord's creation that wrongs its possessor, but the greed that arises from injustice and its mother, mercilessness. Fleeing these utterly, those firm in faith renounced present things altogether, not hating God's creation without discernment, but believing Christ who commanded them to do this, and awaiting from him their daily sufficiency. So one can be rich even without money, holding back greedily a word, or knowledge, or any kind of compassion, the things granted to all in common. For he receives in order to share with one who does not have. Those who are disposed mercilessly toward their neighbour take on themselves the woe, because they have received their consolation. In a similar way the holy apostle James also says to those who are rich in this way, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.” In allowing them to weep and howl, he urges us to repentance. And knowing that the passion is neglected, he says, “Your wealth has rotted”; as if to say it is useless if it is not shared with others: the wealth which many of us possess even without money, having buried our greed like gold in the treasuries of the mind. Of this the prophet also speaks most clearly: “My wounds have grown foul and festered,” calling his ungenerous and grasping way of life wounds; and by “have grown foul and festered” reckoning negligence until departure to be stench and rot. For some of us prefer to hide our wealth under the earth rather than share it with one who has nothing. Then indeed, when departure comes, such a wound stinks to the soul, as a cause of rot and folly; and becoming an eternal wound to it, it does not allow it to enter the heavenly kingdom of the firstborn, as the law declares about those who have a blemish. [6] Perhaps it is time to uncover the more grievous wounds too, and to show them to the physician of souls. For when holy Paul said, “Your abundance for their lack,” we do the opposite, snatching away the lack of the poor and adding it to our abundance. And this we do even without money. When we offend against a brother in some matter, we not only leave it unhealed, but the apology that we owed we tyrannically exact from him, doing nothing else than, as was said, adding their lack to our abundance, opposing Scripture, so to speak. But we must not despair on this account. Far from it! For we are not judged for the multitude of our evils, but for not wishing to repent and to know the wonders of Christ, as the Truth himself testifies: “Do you think,” he says, “that those Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled were greater sinners than all people on the earth? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think they were greater sinners than all people who live in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Do you see that we are condemned for giving up repentance? And repentance, I think, is not limited by times or circumstances, but is practised in proportion through Christ's commandments. Some commandments are more comprehensive, containing many particular ones within themselves and cutting off many parts of evil at once. For instance, it is written, “Give to everyone who asks you,” and “From him who takes what is yours do not hold it back,” and “Do not turn away from him who wishes to borrow from you.” These are particular; but comprehensive beyond them is “Sell your possessions and give to the poor,” and “Take up your cross and come, follow me,” meaning by the cross the patient endurance of afflictions that come. So whoever has given everything to the poor and taken up his cross has kept all the commandments mentioned at once. And again: “I wish,” it says, “that men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands”; and beyond these: “Go into your room and pray to your Father in secret”; and again, by praying without ceasing he has included prayer in every place. And again it says, “You shall not commit sexual immorality, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder,” and all such things; and beyond these, “Casting down reasonings and every high thing raised up against the glory of God.” Whoever casts down reasonings has shut out all the vices mentioned. Therefore the lovers of God who are firm in faith press on to the comprehensive commandments, and yet do not pass over the particular ones as they meet them in circumstances.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.5 (PG 65:971; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-5)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.7":{"o":"Ὅθεν λογίζομαι τὸ τῆς μετανοίας ἔργον, ἐν ταῖς τρισὶ ταύταις ἐντολαῖς ἐξυφαίνεσθαι, ἐν τῷ λογισμούς καθαιρεῖν, καὶ ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθαι, καὶ τὰς ἐπερχομένας θλίψεις ὑποφέρειν· ἅπερ οὐ μόνον φανερὰν, ἀλλὰ καὶ νοερὰν ἐργασίαν ἔχειν ὀφείλει, ὥστε τοὺς ἐγχρονίσαντας, ἀπαθεῖς καταστῆσαι. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ὑπὸ τῶν προειρημένων τριῶν ἀρετῶν δύναται τελειωθῆναι τὸ τῆς μετανοίας ἔργον, καθὼς ὁ λόγος ἀπέδειξε, πᾶσι πάντοτε προσήκειν οἶμαι τὴν μετάνοιαν ἁμαρτωλοῖς τε καὶ δικαίοις, τοῖς βουλομένοις σωτηρίας τυχεῖν· διότι οὐδείς ἐστιν ὁ ὅρος τελειότητος, ὁ μὴ χρονίζων τῆς τῶν προειρημένων ἀρετῶν ἐργασίας. Καὶ γὰρ ἀρχομένοις μὲν εὐσεβείας εἰσαγωγὴ, μέσοις δὲ προκοπή, τελείοις δὲ βεβαίωσις δι' αὐτῶν προσγίνεται, μήτε χρόνοις, μήτε δικαιώμασιν ἀνακοπτομένων, ἢ μόνον τῷ ἀπὸ ἀγνοίας καὶ κακοπιστίας, καὶ τούτῳ εὐχερῶς ἐπὶ τὰς ἡδονὰς ῥέποντι, καὶ προφάσει ἀπελπισμοῦ φιληδονοῦντι, καὶ τὸ τῶν Ναβατιανῶν φρόνημα προσλαμβανομένῳ, καὶ μετάνοιαν ἐκβάλλοντι, εἰ καὶ ἐπερείδοντι τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ διαλεγομένῳ πρὸς Ἑβραίους, τοῖς ἑκουσίως ἁμαρτάνουσι καὶ καθ' ἡμέραν βαπτιζομένοις λέγοντι · · Μὴ πάλιν θεμέλιον καταβαλλόμενοι μετανοίας ἀπὸ νεκρῶν ἔργων καὶ πίστεως ἐπὶ Θεὸν, βαπτισμῶν διδαχῆς. Τοῦτο δὲ εἴρηκεν, οὐ τὴν μετάνοιαν ἐκβάλλων, μὴ γένοιτο! ὡς ἐκεῖνοι λέγουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πάσῃ ἐργασίᾳ μετανοίας ἕνα θεμέλιον εἶναι τὸ βάπτισμα ἐν Χριστῷ διδάσκων, τοῦ μὴ καθ' ἡμέραν βαπτίζεσθαι τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς πεπιστευκότας. Καὶ ἐπάγει· ᾿Αδύνατον γὰρ ἅπαξ φωτισθέντας, γευσαμένους τε τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς ἐπουρανίου, καὶ μετόχους γενηθέντας Πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ καλὸν γευσαμένους Θεοῦ ῥῆμα, δυνάμεις τε μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, καὶ παραπεσόντας, πάλιν ἀνακαινίζειν πρὸς μετάνοιαν, ἵνα εἰδῇς ἀνακαινισμὸν καὶ θεμέλιον ἐπὶ πάσῃ μετανοίᾳ προκείμενον, τὸ ἅγιον βάπτισμα. Καὶ μετ᾿ ὀλίγα ἐπάγει· Ἑκουσίως γὰρ ἁμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, οὐκέτι ἀπολείπεται θυσία περὶ ἁμαρτίας.","t":"Hence I reckon that the work of repentance is woven of these three commandments: casting down thoughts, praying without ceasing, and bearing the afflictions that come. These must have not only an outward but also an inner practice, so as to make those who persevere in them dispassionate. Since, then, the work of repentance can be perfected by the three virtues mentioned, as the argument has shown, I think repentance always befits everyone, sinners and righteous alike, who wish to obtain salvation; for there is no limit of perfection at which one ceases to persevere in the practice of these virtues. For through them beginners are introduced to godliness, those in the middle make progress, and the perfect are confirmed, the virtues being cut short neither by times nor by achievements; except for the one who, from ignorance and false belief, easily inclines to pleasures, indulges in pleasure on the pretext of despair, takes up the opinion of the Novatianists, and casts out repentance, relying on the apostle when he addresses the Hebrews who sinned voluntarily and were baptized every day, saying, “Not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the teaching of baptisms.” He said this not casting out repentance, far from it, as they say, but teaching that in every work of repentance the one foundation is baptism in Christ, so that those from the circumcision who had believed should not be baptized every day. And he adds, “For it is impossible to renew again to repentance those who have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and have fallen away,” so that you may know that the renewal and foundation laid down for every repentance is holy baptism. And shortly after he adds, “For if we sin voluntarily after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.7 (PG 65:975; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-7)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.8":{"o":"Ἐπεὶ οὖν εἰσι τὰ πράγματα, ἐκεῖ ἀρμόζει τὰ προσφυῶς λεγόμενα, δηλονότι οὐ μόνον Ἰουδαίοις λέγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἑκουσίως ἐξαμαρτάνουσιν· ὧν πρῶτοί εἰσιν οἱ λέγοντες, μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα μὴ εἶναι μετάνοιαν · καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λοιπὸν αὐθαιρέτως ἀπαγόμενοι, τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐργάζονται. Τὰ δὲ ῥήματα ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος ὕστερον πρῶτον εἴρηκε· καὶ τοῦτο οἰκονομικῶς ποιῶν, ὡς οἶμαι, ὅπως τοῖς μὲν εὐλαβεστέροις διὰ τῆς τῶν Γραφῶν ἐκζητήσεως σαφές γένοιτο τὸ νόημα, τοῖς δὲ ἀμελεστέροις καὶ καταφρονηταῖς δυσεύρετον, ἵνα μὴ προφάσει μελλούσης μετανοίας, ἀδεῶς ἐξαμαρτάνωσιν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν, οἱ μὲν, προφάσει μετανοίας, κατὰ πρόθεσιν ἔγκεινται τοῖς κακοῖς· οἱ δὲ, διὰ τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν εἶναι μετάνοιαν, ἀπηλγηκότες, ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῷ διαβόλῳ· ἀμφοτέροις δὲ τὸ πάθος πονηρὸν καὶ δυσίατον. Διὰ τοῦτο ἡ Ἀλήθεια πᾶσιν ἁρμόδιον προσφέρει βοήθημα, λέγουσα· Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὅπως μήτε οἱ πνευματικοὶ, καὶ οἱ ἐν προκοπῇ τυγχάνοντες, ἀμελήσωσι τοῦ προστάγματος τούτου, ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, ὡς εἰπεῖν, τοῖς λεπτοῖς καὶ ὀλίγοις ἀσφαλιζόμενοι, φησὶ γάρ· Ὁ ἐξουδενῶν τὰ ὀλιγά, κατὰ μικρὸν πεσεῖται. Καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς· Πῶς δύναται ὁ πνευματικὸς πεσεῖν; Τοιοῦτος μὲν διαμένων, οὐ καταπίπτει· ὅταν δὲ τι τῶν ἐναντίων καταδέξηται, καὶ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ μείνῃ ἀμετανόητος, ἐκεῖνο αὐτὸ τὸ μικρὸν χρονίσαν καὶ αὐξηθὲν, οὐκέτι ἀνέχεται ὀρφανικῶς αὐτῷ συνεῖναι, ἀλλ᾽ ἕλκει αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν συγγένειαν, σχοινίου δίκην τῇ μακρᾷ φιλία βιαίως ἐπισπώμενον. Καὶ εἰ μὲν διὰ προσευχῆς μαχησάμενος ἀποκόψει, ἐμμένει μέντοι γε ἀπολήξας τῆς προσηκούσης αὐτῷ ἀπαθείας τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἀφέστηκε τοῦ τυχόντος κακοῦ πρὸς πάθος· εἰ δὲ εἰς τέλος συναπάγοιτο τῇ ἐπιτάσει τοῦ ἐπικρατοῦντος, τὸν τῆς μάχης καὶ προσευχῆς κόπον περιστελλόμενος, ἀνάγκη δελεάζεσθαι καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων παθῶν· καὶ οὕτως ἐκ διαδοχῆς ὑπὸ ἑκάστου κατὰ μικρὸν συνηθικὼς ἀπαγόμενος, κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἀπαγωγῆς ἀποσχοινίζεται τῆς θείας τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείας, καὶ ἀποφέρεται λοιπὸν καὶ εἰς μείζονα κακὰ, ἴσως καὶ μὴ βουλόμενος, ὑπὸ τῆς βίας τῶν προκεκρατηκότων.","t":"Since, then, the matters exist where the fitting words apply, clearly they are said not only to the Jews but to all who sin voluntarily; first among them are those who say there is no repentance after baptism, and who therefore, carried away by their own choice, work lawlessness. Holy Paul put first the words that come later, doing this by design, I think, so that the meaning might become clear to the more devout through searching the Scriptures, but hard to find for the careless and contemptuous, lest on the pretext of future repentance they sin without fear. Since, then, some deliberately persist in evil on the pretext of repentance, while others, not believing that there is repentance, have become callous and handed themselves over to the devil, and the passion is wicked and hard to heal in both, the Truth offers a help fitted to all, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near”; so that not even the spiritual and those making progress neglect this command, feeling secure, as it were, about small and few things; for it says, “Whoever despises little things will fall little by little.” And do not say, “How can the spiritual man fall?” While he remains such, he does not fall; but when he accepts something contrary and remains unrepentant in it, that very small thing, lingering and growing, no longer endures to dwell with him alone, but drags him toward its own kindred, pulling him violently like a rope of long friendship. If he fights through prayer and cuts it off, he remains, though he has fallen short of his proper dispassion by as much as he stood apart from the passion of that evil. But if he is carried away to the end by the strength of what prevails, refusing the labour of fighting and prayer, he is necessarily ensnared by the other passions too; and so, led away by each in succession little by little by habit, he is cut off from God's help in the measure of his straying, and is carried off to greater evils, perhaps even against his will, by the violence of what has mastered him.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.8 (PG 65:977; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-8)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/3.9":{"o":"Πάντως δὲ ἐρεῖς μοι· Οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ κακοῦ τυγχάνων παρακαλέσαι τὸν Θεὸν, μὴ ἐκπεσεῖν εἰς τὸ ἔσχατον; Καγώ σοι λέγω, ὅτι ἡδύνατο· ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ εὐτελείας τὸ μικρὸν τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ παραδεξάμενος ὡς οὐδὲν, οὐκέτι παρακαλεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἀγνοῶν, ὅτι τὸ μικρὸν ἐκεῖνο γίνεται εἰσαγωγὴ καὶ αἰτία τοῦ μείζονος· οὕτως ἐπ᾿ ἀγαθῷ, καὶ οὕτως ἐπὶ κακῷ. Ὅταν δὲ μεγαλυνθῇ τὸ πάθος, καὶ νομὴν κρατήσῃ διὰ τοῦ θελήματος, λοιπὸν καὶ παρὰ θέλημα βιαίως αὐτῷ κατεπαίρεται. Τότε νοήσας παρακαλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν, πολεμῶν τῷ ἐχθρῷ, ὃν ἀγνοῶν ἐξεδίκει πρότερον, μαχόμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὅταν ὑπακουσθῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν βοήθειαν οὐκ ἐδέξατο, διότι οὐκ ἦλθεν ὡς ἐνόμισεν ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ὡς ᾠκονόμησεν ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον. Εἰδὼς γὰρ ἡμῶν τὸ ἀπρεπὲς καὶ καταφρονητικὸν, τὰ πολλὰ βοηθήματα διὰ θλίψεως παρέχει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἵνα μὴ ἀθλίπτως ῥυσθέντες, πάλιν τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπιτηδεύωμεν ἁμαρτήματα. Όθεν ἀναγκαῖον εἶναί φαμεν ὑπομένειν τὰ ἐπερχόμενα, καὶ πάνυ προσφυὲς τῇ μετανοίᾳ.","t":"But you will certainly say to me, “At the beginning of the evil, could he not have entreated God not to fall to the uttermost?” And I say to you that he could; but out of carelessness he accepted the small thing into his will as nothing, and no longer prays about it, not knowing that this small thing becomes the entrance and cause of the greater; so with good, and so with evil. And when the passion has grown and has gained pasture through the will, it then rises violently against him even against his will. Then he understands and entreats God, fighting the enemy whom he unknowingly used to defend, fighting people on its behalf. And sometimes, when he is heard by the Lord, he does not accept the help, because it did not come as the person thought but as the Lord arranged for his good. For knowing our unseemliness and contempt, he gives people most of his help through affliction, so that we may not, being rescued without affliction, practise the same sins again. Hence we say it is necessary to endure what comes, and very fitting for repentance.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 3.9 (PG 65:977; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/3-9)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/4.0":{"o":"Ἐπειδὴ οἱ μὲν τέλειον λέγουσι τὸ ἅγιον βάπτισμα, ἐπερειδόμενοι τῇ Γραφῇ λεγούσῃ· Ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι, καὶ ἀπόλουσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου· καὶ τὸ, Λούσασθε καὶ καθαροὶ γίνεσθε· καὶ πάλιν· ᾿Αλλ' ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλ᾽ ἡγιάσθητε, καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα εἰς μαρτυρίαν φέροντες· ἕτεροι δὲ ἐξ ἀγώνων ἀναιρεῖσθαι τὴν παλαιὰν ἁμαρτίαν, φέροντες καὶ αὐτοὶ μαρτυρίαν τῆς Γραφῆς λεγούσης· Καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος, ἅμα δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ἐν ἑαυτοῖς εὑρίσκοντες πρὸς ταῦτα ἡμεῖς τί ἐροῦμεν, ἢ τίνι πιστεύσομεν ᾿Απόκρισις. Χρὴ μὲν ἡμᾶς τῷ ἀποστολικῷ κηρύγματι πιστεύειν, καὶ ἐμμένειν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ὁμολογίαις, καὶ μὴ πειράζειν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν ἐν ἀνθρωπίναις ὑπονοίαις, μηδὲ πάλιν ἑκουσίῳ ζυγῷ δουλείας ἀνέχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ κρατεῖν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, διὰ τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν, δι᾽ ὧν ἀναλόγως πᾶσα ἀλήθεια εὑρίσκεται· καὶ εἰδέναι σαφῶς, ὅτι διὰ τὴν τούτων ἔλλειψιν κατὰ ἀναλογίαν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐνεργούμεθα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μάταιον ἐλογισάμεθα τὸ κήρυγμα, περιεργασίᾳ μᾶλλον ἢ λόγῳ Θεοῦ πειθόμενοι, διὰ τοῦτο ματαία καὶ ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἔτι ἐσμὲν ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν. Ερώτησις. Ἡμεῖς οὐ λέγομεν μάταιον τὸ κήρυγμα, ἀλλὰ ζητοῦμεν μαθεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἀπόκρισις. Εἰ οὖν τὸ κήρυγμα ἀληθὲς ἔχομεν, τελέσωμεν πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς, καὶ τότε εἴδομεν εἰ ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐνεργούμεθα· τὸ γὰρ ἅγιον βάπτισμα, τέλειον μὲν ἔστιν, οὐ τελειοῖ δὲ τὸν μὴ ποιοῦντα τὰς ἐντολάς. Μὴ οὖν ἀνθρωπίναις ὑπονοίαις, ἀλλὰ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ μᾶλλον πιστεύσωμεν, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς· καὶ ὅτι Συνετάφημεν αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος· καὶ, ο ἀποθανών, δεδικαίωται ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· καὶ ὅτι Ἁμαρτία ἡμῶν οὐ κυριεύσει, ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ποιήσωμεν· εἰ δὲ οὐ ποιοῦμεν, ἄπιστοί ἐσμεν, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κρατούμεθα. Πίστις γάρ ἐστιν, οὐ μόνον τὸ βαπτισθῆναι εἰς Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ποιεῖν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ· ὅτι μὲν γὰρ μυστικῶς συνταφέντες αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, καὶ συνήγειρεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, δῆλον· ὅμως ἔδωκεν ἐντολὰς, ἵνα ταύτας ποιήσαντες, εὔρωμεν τὴν δεδομένην ἡμῖν τελειότητα· εἰ δὲ μὴ ποιήσομεν, ἑκουσίως φανῶμεν ἐνεργούμενοι ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Εἰ λέγομεν ἐξ ἔργων ἀναιρεῖσθαι ἁμαρτίαν, ἄρα Χριστὸς δωρεὰν ἀπέθανε, καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα πάντα ψευδῆ τυγχάνει· καὶ ἐἰ οὐκ ἔστι τέλειον τὸ βάπτισμα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ἀγώνων λέγουσιν ἔχειν τὴν τελειότητα, μάταιος παρ' ἐκείνοις ὁ τῆς ἐλευθερίας νόμος, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τῆς Καινῆς Διαθήκης νομοθεσία ἀνήρηται. ῎Αδικον δὲ καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν εἰσάγουσι, τοῖς βαπτισθεῖσιν ἔργα ἐλευθερίας προστάξαντα, ἔτι παρὰ προαίρεσιν δεδουλωμένοις τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, καθὼς λέγουσι· καὶ ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκέτι χάρις, ἀλλ᾽ ἡμετέρων ἀγώνων ἀνταπόδοσις. Εἰ γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων, οὐκ ἔτι χάριτι· εἰ δὲ χάριτι, τὸ ἔργον οὐκ ἔστιν ἔργον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐντολὴ τοῦ ἐλευθερώσαντος, καὶ ἔργον ἐλευθερίας καὶ πίστεως. Τοιαῦτα πρὸς Γαλάτας ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος οἰκονομικῶς προέγραψεν, νουθετῶν καὶ αὐτοὺς τὰ ὅμοια ἀπιστήσαντας. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἀπιστοῦμεν τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ, μὴ γένοιτο ! οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῷ κηρύγματι πίστιν ἀρνούμεθα ἀλλ᾽ εἰ καὶ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κρατούμεθα, οὐχ ὡς τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἀτελοῦς ὄντος, ἀλλ' ὡς ἡμῶν τῆς ἐντολῆς ἀμελούντων, καὶ ἐγκειμένων ταῖς ἡδοναῖς προαιρέσει, καθάπερ ἐλέγχει ἡμᾶς ἡ θεία Γραφή, λέγουσα· Ὡς κύων ἐπιστρέψας ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον· οὕτως ἄνθρωπος ἐπιστρέφων ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν αὐτεξουσίῳ προαιρέσει· τὸ γὰρ θέλημα, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα, οὔτε Θεὸς, οὔτε Σατανᾶς βιάζεται. \"Αρα ουκ ἤκουσαν, ὅτι ἐντολαὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αἱ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα δεδομέναι, νόμος ἐλευθερίας ἐστὶ, καθά φησιν ἡ Γραφή· Οὕτως ποιεῖτε, καὶ οὕτως λαλεῖτε, ὡς διὰ νόμου ἐλευθερίας μέλλοντες κρίνεσθαι· καὶ πάλιν ὁ ἅγιος Πέτρος· Επιχορηγήσασθε ἐν τῇ πίστει ὑμῶν τὴν ἀρετήν· καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς εἰπὼν, ἐπάγει λέγων· Ω γὰρ μὴ πάρεστι ταῦτα, τυφλός ἐστι μυοπάζων, λήθην λαβὼν τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ τῶν πάλαι αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἐννοήσατε διὰ τῶν προειρημένων τὸν διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος καθαρισμὸν, μυστικῶς μὲν γενόμενον, ἐνεργῶς δὲ διὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν εὑρισκόμενον· εἰ δὲ βαπτισθέντες οὐκ ἠλευθερώθημεν ἀπὸ τῆς πατρικῆς ἁμαρτίας, δηλονότι οὐδὲ τὰ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἔργα ποιεῖν δυνάμεθα· εἰ δὲ δυνάμεθα ποιεῖν αὐτὰ, φανερὸν μὲν, ὅτι μυστικῶς τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δουλείας ἠλευθερώθημεν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· Ὅτι Ὁ νόμος τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς ἠλευθέρωσέ με ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τοῦ θανάτου. Διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀμέλειαν τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ καθαρίσαντος ἡμᾶς, ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐνεργούμεθα. Ἢ οὖν δεῖξόν μοι τοὺς βεβαπτισμένους ἀδυνάτως ἔχειν τὰς ἐντολὰς τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐργάζεσθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μὴ εἶναι τέλειον τὸ βάπτισμα· ἢ ἡμῶν δεικνυόντων εἰληφέναι αὐτοὺς τὴν τοιαύτην δύναμιν, ὁμολογείτωσαν, ἐλευθεροῦσθαι μὲν χάριτι Χριστοῦ, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ παραδεδωκέναι τῇ τῶν κακῶν δουλείᾳ, διὰ τὸ μὴ τελεῖν πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πάλιν ὑποχειρίους γεγονέναι. Λαβέτωσαν δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων μαρτυριῶν τὸν ἔλεγχον · Καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, ἀδελφοὶ, ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος. Ὁ οὖν δοῦλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, πῶς δύναται ἑαυτὸν καθαρίσαι ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος, μὴ ἔχων τὴν τοιαύτην ἐλευθερίαν καὶ δύναμιν, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κρατούμενος; Εἰ δὲ ἔχεις τὸ κράτος κατὰ τῶν παθῶν, γίνωσκε ὅτι οὐ κατέχῃ ἐξουσίᾳ, ἀλλ᾽ αἰτίᾳ θελήματος. Ὅσα οὖν ἡ θεία Γραφὴ περὶ καθαρισμοῦ διαλέγεται, ὡς ἐλευθέροις διαλέγεται, ὡς ἐλευθέροις παραινεῖ, τοῦ μὴ μένειν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις λογισμοῖς, ἀλλὰ ἀγαπᾶν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντας ῥέπειν, ἐφ᾿ ὁ ἂν θέλωμεν, ἤτοι ἀγαθὸν, ἤτοι κακόν. Ερώτησις. Εἰ ἠλευθερώθημεν ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι, διὰ τί οὐκ οἴδαμεν τὸν ἀέρα τῆς ἐλευθερίας, καθὰ βλέπουσιν οἱ ἀγωνιζόμενοι; Απόκρισις. Ἐπισκοτοῦσιν ἡμῖν αἱ κατὰ θέλησιν ἡδοναὶ, καὶ ἀμέλειαι τῶν ἐντολῶν, ἃς ἐκεῖνοι διωρθώσαντο. Προειρήκαμεν γὰρ, ὅτι ἐλευθεροῦται μὲν ὁ ἄνθρωπος κατὰ τὴν δωρεάν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἴδιον θέλημα, ὅπου ἀγαπᾷ, ἐκεῖ ἐμμένει, κἂν βεβάπτισται, διὰ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ· Βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσι τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, τότε ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰδίου θελήματος λέγει, ἵνα βιάσηται ἕκαστος ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸ βάπτισμα μὴ τρέπεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ κακὸν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐμμένειν εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν. Εἰ γὰρ βίᾳ ἔπασχεν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐξουσιῶν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, πάντως ἡδύνατο ἐλευθερῶσαι ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀτρέπτους βίᾳ ποιῆσαι. Νῦν δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς μὲν διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος τῆς κατὰ βίαν δουλείας ἐξήγαγε, καταργήσας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ ἐντολὰς ἐλευθερίας ἔθετο. Ἐμμένειν δὲ, ἢ μὴ ἐμμένειν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ ἡμῶν θελήματι παρεχώρησεν. Αἱ οὖν ἐντολαὶ καθὸ ἂν ἐπιμελοῦνται, κατ᾿ αὐτὸ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἐλευθερώσαντα ἀγάπην σημαίνουσι· καθὸ ἂν δὲ ἀμελοῦνται ἢ ἐκλείπουσι, τὴν πρὸς τὰς ἡδονὰς ἡδυπάθειαν δεικνύουσιν· οἱ δὲ, τοῖς ἰδίοις λογισμοῖς περιπίπτουσι λέγοντες, ὅτι Θέλομεν ποιῆσαι τὰς ἐντολὰς, καὶ οὐ δυνάμεθα, ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατ᾿ ἐξουσίαν κρατούμενοι· διὸ χρὴ πρότερον ἀγωνίσασθαι καὶ ἐξαλείψαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν ἐπιτελέσαι τὰς τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐντολὰς, μὴ νοοῦντες ἃ λέγουσι, μήτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται. Εἰ γὰρ ὅλως οὐκ ἔχεις τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ οὐ δύνασαι ἐπιτελέσαι τὰς ἐντολὰς, διὰ ποίων ἀγώνων λέγεις ἐξαλεῖψαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν; Οἱ ἀγῶνες τῶν πιστῶν ἐντολαί εἰσιν. Σὺ οὖν λέγεις· Οὐ δύναμαι ποιῆσαι τὰς ἐντολὰς, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον δι' ἀγώνων καθαρισθῶ. Δεῖξόν μοι ἐκτὸς ἐντολῶν οὓς λέγεις ἀγῶνας, καὶ πείθομαί σου τῷ φρονήματι. Κἂν γὰρ προσευχὴν εἴποις, ἐντολή ἐστι· κἂν νηστείαν, κἂν ἀγρυπνίαν, ἐντολή ἐστι· κἂν μετάδοσιν, κἂν ψυχῆς ἄρνησιν, ἐντολή ἐστι· κἂν λογισμῶν καθαίρεσιν, ἐντολή ἐστι· κἂν θάνατον, καὶ σταυρὸν, καὶ ὁτιοῦν ἔργον ἀρετῆς εἴποις, ἐντολαί εἰσι πάντα. Διὸ τοῖς λαβοῦσι τὴν δύναμιν τῶν ἐντολῶν, ὡς πιστοῖς παραγγέλλει, τοῦ ἐπαγωνίσασθαι διὰ τὸ μὴ στραφῆναι εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω· οὐχ ὡς διὰ τούτων ἐξαλεῖψαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ὥστε μηκέτι ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιστραφῆναι εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω. Καὶ αὐταὶ οὖν αἱ ἐντολαὶ, οὐχὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκκόπτουσι (τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ μόνου τοῦ σταυροῦ γεγένηται), ἀλλὰ τοὺς ὅρους τῆς δοθείσης ἡμῖν ἐλευθερίας φυλάττουσιν. Ἐπεὶ εἰπέ μοι σὺ, εἰ δι' ἔργων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ ᾿Αδάμ ἐκκόπτεις, πῶς ῾Ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς; ᾿Αλλὰ πρὸς ταῦτα μὲν ἀντιλέγειν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, ἀνακόλουθα δὲ μόνον ἐπερωτῶσι, πρὸς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ὑπονοίας τὸ πᾶν νεύοντες, τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ τῆς Γραφῆς μὴ πειθαρχοῦντες. Εἰ γάρ φασιν, Ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι ἀναιρεῖται ἁμαρτία, διὰ τί πάλιν ἐνεργεῖ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ; Ἡμεῖς δὲ πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν τὴν αἰτίαν, ὅτι οὐ καταλειφθεῖσα ἐνεργεῖ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα (δίδωσι γὰρ τελείαν τὴν λύσιν)· δῆσαι δὲ πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τῆς προσπαθείας, ἃ λελυμένα ἐστὶ διὰ τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν, τῆς τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου ἐστὶ προαιρέσεως· ὁ γὰρ περί τινα ἡδονὴν ἢ θυμὸν ἐγχρονίζων λογισμὸς, οὐχ ἁμαρτίας ἐγκαταλειφθείσης, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτεξουσίου προσπαθείας ἐστὶ τεκμήριον. Διότι ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν λογισμοὺς καθαιρεῖν, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατὰ τὴν Γραφήν. Λογισμὸν οὖν πονηρὸν τοῖς καθαιροῦσιν αὐτὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, φιλοθεΐας, οὐχ ἁμαρτίας ἐστὶ σημεῖον. Οὐ γὰρ ἡ προσβολὴ τοῦ λογισμοῦ ἐστὶ σημεῖον ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλ᾿ ἡ τοῦ νοὸς πρὸς αὐτὸν φιλικὴ ὁμιλία. Εἰ δὲ οὐ φιλοῦμεν, τίνος χάριν αὐτῷ συγχρονίζομεν; Αδύνατον γὰρ τὸν ἀπὸ καρδίας μισούμενον, τῇ καρδίᾳ παρατατικῶς προσομιλεῖν, ἐκτὸς ἡμετέρας κακοπραγίας. Εἰ οὖν καὶ μισούμενος λογισμὸς κρατεῖ κατ᾿ ἐξουσίαν τὸν νοῦν (συμβαίνει γὰρ, καὶ οὐκ ἀντιλέγω), ὅμως τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐγκατάλειμμα τῆς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ἀθεΐας. Ὅταν γὰρ μετὰ τὸ ἅγιον Βάπτισμα, δυνάμενοι ποιεῖν ὅλας τὰς ἐντολὰς, οὐ ποιῶμεν αὐτὰς, τότε καὶ μὴ θέλοντες, ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κρατούμεθα, ἕως ἂν διὰ μετανοίας τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλέσωμεν, πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς κατορθούμενοι, καὶ ἐξαλείψῃ ἡμῶν τὴν ἀθεΐας ἁμαρτίαν. Δύο γάρ εἰσιν αἰτίαι τῆς τοῦ κακοῦ ἐνεργείας, καὶ αἱ δύο ἐξ ἡμῶν εἰσι· μία μὲν ἐνεργοῦσα κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐλλείψεως· ἑτέρα δὲ ἀπαραιτήτως κρατοῦσα διὰ τὴν μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα κακοπραγίαν· ἣν ὁ Θεὸς μόνος ἀναιρεῖ, διὰ ἐλεημοσύνης, καὶ προσευχῆς, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐπερχομένων ὑπομονῆς παρακαλούμενος · ἅπερ καὶ αὐτὰ παρέχει ἡμῖν λεληθότως ἡ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἡμῖν δεδομένη τελεία χάρις. Ερώτησις. Οὐκοῦν ὁ Παῦλος μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ἥμαρτεν, ὅτι ἑκουσίως ἐνηργεῖτο; Λέγει γὰρ, ὅτι Βλέπω ἕτερον νόμον ἀντιστρατευόμενον τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοός μου. ᾿Απόκρισις. Οὕτω καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς Γραφὰς οἱ κακῶς νοοῦντες διαστρέφουσι, καὶ πλανῶνται. ᾿Ανάλαβε γὰρ ἄνωθεν τὸ κεφάλαιον τοῦτο, καὶ εὑρήσεις ὅτι ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος οὐ λέγει περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν ἀπίστων Ἰουδαίων πρόσωπον λαμβάνει, πείθων αὐτοὺς, ὅτι χωρὶς χάριτος Χριστοῦ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος δεδομένης, ἀδύνατον περιγενέσθαι τῆς ἁμαρτίας · εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος, τις με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου; ἐπάγει λέγων· Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, ὅτι ὁ νόμος τοῦ Πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς ἠλευθέρωσέ με ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ θανάτου. Διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Ὁ νόμος πνευματικός ἐστιν, ἐγὼ δὲ σαρκικός είμι, πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· ὅθεν καὶ ὅλα τὰ τοῦ νόμου, καὶ τὰ τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ τῶν θυσιῶν ἐν ἡμῖν πληροῦται, τοῖς τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος μυστικῶς εἰληφόσι. Ναὸν γὰρ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡμᾶς εἴρηκεν εἶναι, καὶ ἀνενέγκαι πνευματικὰς θυσίας παρακελεύεται, Ἰουδαίους λέγων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ· καὶ περιτομὴν καρδίας, ἐν πνεύματι, οὐ γράμματι, καὶ αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν νόμον πνευματικὸν ὁ ἐπουράνιος νομοθέτης Χριστὸς διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῖς πιστοῖς ἐπέγραψεν, οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶ λιθίναις, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πλαξὶ καρδίας σαρκίναις. Ὥσπερ οὖν ταῦτα ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ εἴρηκεν εἶναι, οὕτω μοι νόει καὶ ἕκαστα τῶν τυπικῶς εἰρημένων. Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὕτω βεβαίως ἐπιστεύσαμεν Χριστῷ, οὐδὲ πασῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ ὀφειλέτας ἑαυτοὺς ἐλογισάμεθα, οὐδὲ ἡρνησάμεθα αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ. Τούτου χάριν τὰ προειρημένα μυστήρια, ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰληφότες, ἀγνοοῦμεν. Ὅταν δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ὀλιγοπιστίᾳ αὐτῶν καταγνῶμεν, καὶ εἰλικρινῶς αὐτῷ διὰ πασῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ πιστεύσωμεν, τότε τῶν προειρημένων πραγμάτων πεῖραν λαβόντες ἐν αὐτοῖς, ὁμολογήσομεν ἀληθῶς τέλειον εἶναι τὸ ἅγιον βάπτισμα, καὶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀφανῶς ἐγκεκρυμμένην, ἐκδεχομένην δὲ λοιπὸν τὴν ἡμετέραν ὑπακοὴν, καὶ ἐργασίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν, ὧν τὴν δύναμιν δι' αὐτῆς προειλήφαμεν. Διὰ τοῦτο, ὅσοι οὔπω τὰς ἐντολὰς εἰργασάμεθα τῆς ἐλευθερίας, οὔπω τὴν ἐλευθέραν Ἱερουσαλήμ κατειλήφαμεν (Ἡ γὰρ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλήμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν, ἥτις ἐστὶ μήτηρ ἡμῶν, ἀναγεννῶσα ἡμᾶς διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας), ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐσμεν τοῦ Κάϊν, καὶ πλανώμεθα, ἀνοδίας ὁδεύοντες. Τὸ γὰρ φιλονεικεῖν ἀγνοοῦντα, ἀντιλέγειν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, τῆς ὁδοῦ εἰσι παραλλαγαὶ, καὶ οὐκ ὀρθοτομίαι. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τὴν τελείαν ἄνοδον ὁρῶν ἡμᾶς βραδύνοντας ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, Οὕτως, φησὶ, τρέχετε, ἵνα καταλάβητε. Εἰ δὲ τὴν πόλιν οὔπω κατειλήφαμεν, πότε τὸν ναὸν θεασώμεθα, καὶ εἰσελθόντες ἔνδον τύχωμεν τῆς τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου προσαγωγῆς; Καὶ τί λέγω περὶ πίστεως, καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ὅπου γε οὐδὲ τὰ θηρία τοῦ καλάμου παρεληλύθαμεν; οἷς ἐπιτιμῆσαι τὸν Θεὸν ἐπηύχετο ὁ Προφήτης, ἵνα μὴ θηριάλωτα γένηται τὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν θυμάτων, ἃ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος ἀναφέρειν προστέτακται· εἰ κατὰ σὲ, ὁ μὲν Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, κατὰ τὸν λόγον Παύλου · ὁ δὲ ναὸς παρὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ Δαβὶδ οὔπω ᾠκοδόμηται, οὔτε τὸ ἱλαστήριον παρ' αὐτοῦ κατεσκεύασται · τοῦτο γὰρ ἄντικρυς βοᾷ ὁ λέγων ἐξ ἀγώνων ἀναιρεῖν τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ οὐ διὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος, ἥτις ἐν ἡμῖν μὲν ἔστι κρυπτῶς διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος · τότε δὲ ὀφθήσεται, ὅταν τὴν ὁδὸν τῶν ἐντολῶν καλῶς διανύσαντες, τοὺς τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν λογισμοὺς τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ Χριστῷ ὡς θῦμά τι προσενέγκωμεν τὰ ὑγιῆ, οὐ τὰ θηριόδηκτα· θηριάλωτοι γὰρ γίνονται οἱ πλεῖστοι, τῶν ἐντολῶν ὅσοι ἐκτρέπονται· λέγω δὴ τῆς τῶν θλιβερῶν ὑπομονῆς· καὶ ἀποσκιρτῶντες τῆς εὐθείας, ἀνοδίας βαδίζουσιν, ἑτέρους μᾶλλον ἢ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπὶ ταῖς αἰτίαις μεμφόμενοι. Μόλις δὲ ὀλίγοι ἐξ αὐτῶν τινες δι' εὐθείας ὁδεύουσι, καὶ τοῦτο διὰ προσευχῆς φυλαττόμενοι, δι' ἐλπίδων δεσμούμενοι, διὰ πειρασμῶν τυπτόμενοι, καὶ οὕτω τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν ναὸν καταλαμβάνουσι, καὶ εἰς θυσίαν ἀναφέροντες. Πόλις δὲ ἐστιν ἡ φαιδρὰ καὶ ἔννομος ἐν Χριστῷ διάκρισις, ἥτις, ὅταν μὲν εὐσεβῶς διοικῇ τὰ πράγματα, εἰρηνεύει τε καὶ εὐθύνει · ὅταν δὲ διαμαρτάνῃ, τοῖς ἐχθροῖς παραδίδοται εἰς κατάλυσιν αὐτῆς. Ναὸς δὲ, τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος θεόκτιστον τέμενος· θυσιαστήριον, τὸ ἐν τῷ ναῷ τούτῳ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἵδρυσμα, ἐν ᾧ πάσης συμβάσεως πρωτογενής λογισμὸς, ὡσεὶ πρωτότοκον ζῶον ὑπὸ τοῦ νοῦ ἀναφερόμενος θύεται εἰς ἱλασμὸν τοῦ ἀναφέροντος, εἴγε καὶ ἄμωμον αὐτῷ ἀνενέγκοι. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ ὁ ναὸς οὗτος τὸ ἐσώτερον τοῦ καταπετάσματος, ὅπου πρόδρομος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εἰσῆλθεν Ἰησοῦς, καὶ οἰκεῖ ἐν ἡμῖν, εἰ μήτι ἄρα ἀδόκιμοί ἐστε· ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ ἐνδότατον καὶ ἀπόκρυφον καὶ εἰλικρινὲς χώρημα τῆς καρδίας, ὃ εἰ μὴ διὰ Θεοῦ καὶ λογικῆς καὶ νοερᾶς ἐλπίδος ἀνοιγῇ, οὐκ ἔστι βεβαίως ἐπιγνῶναι τὸν ἐνοικοῦντα, οὔτε εἰδέναι εἰ προσεδέχθησαν ἡμῶν αἱ λογικαὶ θυσίαι, ἢ οὔ · καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν πρώτοις ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ πῦρ ἀνήλισκε τὰ λείψανα, οὕτω καὶ ὧδε συμβαίνει· ἀνοιγείσης γὰρ τῆς πιστῆς καρδίας διὰ τῆς προειρημένης ἐλπίδος, ὁ ἐπουράνιος ἀρχιερεὺς δέχεται τοὺς πρωτοτόκους τοῦ νοῦ λογισμοὺς, καὶ ἀναλίσκει τῷ θείῳ πυρὶ, περὶ οὗ εἶπε· Πῦρ ἦλθον βάλλειν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τί ἤθελον εἰ ἤδη ἀνήφθη; Πρωτοτόκους δὲ λογισμοὺς εἴρηκε τοὺς ἐν δευτερονοίᾳ καρδίας μὴ γεγενημένους, ἀλλὰ ἐκ πρώτης προσβολῆς καὶ ἀναδόσεως εὐθὺς Χριστῷ προσφερομένους, τοὺς γὰρ ἐκ πολυνοίας αὐτῷ προσφερομένους, χωλὰ καὶ τυφλὰ καὶ τερατώδη ὠνόμασεν ἡ Γραφή, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μὴ εἶναι δεκάτας τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ ἀρχιερεῖ Δεσπότῃ Χριστῷ. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν καὶ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα, πάσης πονηρᾶς ἐννοίας ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν αἴτιοι, ἤδη διὰ τῶν γραφικῶν μαρτυρίων ἀποδέδεικται. Εἰ δὲ χρὴ καὶ διὰ φυσικῆς ἀκολουθίας τοῦτο φανερὸν καταστῆσαι, πάλιν εἰρήσεται· Ὦ ἄνθρωπε, ὁ λέγων ἐκτὸς αἰτίας ἐνεργεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίας μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀγώνων ταῦτα ἐκκόπτειν ἐπαγγελλόμενος, γνῶθι ἀκριβῶς ὅτι ἡναντίωσαι, καὶ περιπέπτωκας τοῖς αὐτοῦ ῥήμασιν. Εἰ γὰρ λέγεις τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς εἶναι τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίαν, μάθε παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου, ὅτι διὰ τοῦ Βαπτίσματος Χριστὸν ἐνδυσάμενος, ἔχεις δύναμιν καὶ ὅπλα καθαιρεῖν αὐτούς. Τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα, φησὶ, τῆς στρατιᾶς ἡμῶν, οὐ σαρκικὰ, ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ, πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων· λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ἔχων τὴν κατ᾿ αὐτῶν δύναμιν, οὐ καθαιρεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐκ προσβολῆς, δηλονότι φιληδονεῖς ἐξ ἀπιστίας, καὶ συνδυάζεις αὐτοῖς· καὶ σὺ εἶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐνεργείας, οὐχὶ ᾿Αδάμ. Ερώτησις. Πῶς δύναται ἐξ ἀπιστίας φιληδονεῖν, ἢ συνδυάζειν τοῖς λογισμοῖς, ὁ ἑαυτὸν καθείρξας ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ, καὶ καθ' ἡμέραν νηστεύων, ἐγκρατευόμενος, καὶ πτωχεύων, καὶ ξενιτεύων, καὶ προσευχόμενος, καὶ πολλὰς τοιαύτας θλίψεις ὑποφέρων; ᾿Απόκρισις. Καλῶς εἴρηκας ὅτι πολλὰς θλίψεις τοιαῦτα ποιῶν ὑποφέρει. Εἰ γὰρ ἀθλίπτως καὶ μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ φιλοπονίας τὰς προειρημένας φανερὰς ἀρετὰς ἐπιτελοῦμεν, οὐκ ἂν κατὰ νοῦν ἡμεν φιλήδονοι. ᾿Αδύνατον γὰρ, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς σωματικοῖς πόνοις ἀλγυνόμενον, μὴ κατὰ ἀναλογίαν προσομιλεῖν ταῖς προσβολαῖς, καὶ παραμυθεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς πόνοις ἀηδίαν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ἐβούλετο ὁ τοιοῦτος, οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἐπὶ τοῖς πόνοις ἐθλίβετο. Τοῦτο δὲ πάσχομεν, ἐπειδὴ οὐ πόθῳ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν κακοπαθοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ φόβῳ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν νῦν ἐπερχομένων πειρασμῶν. Ὅθεν, τὴν μὲν κακὴν πρᾶξιν, ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι νομίζομεν, τὸν δὲ πρὸ ταύτης λογισμὸν, ἀλλοτρίαν λέγομεν εἶναι ἐνέργειαν. ᾿Αδύνατον δὲ, τὴν ἐνέργειαν ταύτην ἀποστραφήναι, τοὺς μὴ ἰδίαν αὐτὴν, ἀλλὰ ἀλλοτρίαν ἡγουμένους. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν καὶ δίχα συνδυασμοῦ λογισμός τις άηδὴς, καὶ μισούμενος καθάπερ λῃστὴς, ἀπροόπτως ἐπιβαλὼν, βίᾳ κατέχει τὸν νοῦν πρὸς ἑαυτόν. Ὅμως μάθε ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι καὶ οὗτος ἐξ ἡμῶν ἔχει τὰς ἀφορμάς· εἰ γὰρ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμά τινι πονηρῷ λογισμῷ ἑαυτοὺς ἕως πράξεως ἐπεδώκαμεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑπεύθυνοι καὶ παρὰ γνώμην γεγόναμεν · ἤ τινα σπέρματα ἑκουσίως κρατοῦμεν κακίας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὠχύρωται ὁ πονηρός· καὶ ὁ μὲν διὰ σπερμάτων κρατήσας ἡμᾶς, οὐκ ἀναχωρεῖ, ἕως ἂν αὐτὰ ῥίψωμεν· ὁ δὲ διὰ τῆς κακῆς πράξεως παραμένων, τότε φυγαδεύεται, ὅταν πόνους ἀξίους τῷ Θεῷ προσενέγκωμεν. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ταύτην ἐγὼ λέγω τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ μᾶλλον τοῦ πράξαντος τὸ κακὸν καὶ τοῦ ἔχοντος τὰ σπέρματα. Εἰ δὲ λογισμοὶ (ὅτι καὶ τῶν δύο τούτων λογισμοὶ προηγήσαντο) καὶ λῃστής τίς ἐστι τούτων αἴτιος, κἀγώ σοι λέγω, ὅτι ὁ ἔχων ἐξουσίαν καθαρίσαι αὐτὸν ἐκ προσβολῆς, καὶ μὴ καθαρίσας, ἀλλ᾽ ἕως πράξεως προσομιλήσας αὐτῷ. Εἰ δὲ ὅλως πρὸ τῆς πράξεως οὐκ ἐδύνατο αὐτὸν καταβαλεῖν διὰ τὴν τοῦ νοὸς ἀσθένειαν, πῶς μετὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἀπαγγέλλει ἐκκόπτειν αὐτόν ; Νόησον ὅτι καὶ πρὸ τῆς πράξεως εἰ ἤθελες, ὁ Θεὸς ἐβοήθει σοι. Καὶ ὅταν ἴδῃς διὰ τῆς καρδίας σου γενομένην σοι τὴν βοήθειαν, σύνες ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔξωθεν μεταβατικῶς ἐλήλυθεν ἡ χάρις· ἀλλ᾽ ἡ δεδομένη σοι διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος κρυπτῶς νῦν, ἐνήργησε τοσοῦτον, ὅσον σὺ μισήσας τὸν λογισμὸν ἀπεστράφης. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λύσας ἡμᾶς πάσης βίας ὁ Χριστὸς, τὴν προσβολὴν τῶν λογισμῶν ἀπεκώλυσε τῆς καρδίας, ἵνα οἱ μὲν μισούμενοι ἐκ καρδίας εὐθὺς ἐξαφανίζωνται, οἱ δὲ ἀγαπώμενοι ὅσον ἀγαπῶνται, τοσοῦτον καὶ παραμένωσιν · ὅπως δειχθῇ καὶ ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τί ἀγαπᾷ · τοὺς πόνους διὰ τὴν χάριν, ἢ τοὺς λογισμούς διὰ τὴν ἡδονήν. Καὶ μὴ ξενισθῶμεν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγαπωμένων βιαίως ἐνεργούμεθα· καθότι ὡς τι πονηρὸν αὐτῶν συγγένεια, οὕτω ταῖς ἡμῶν ἐπιθυμίαις αἱ προσβολαὶ συνεργοῦσιν ἀλλήλαις, καὶ ἑκάστη τὸν ἑαυτῆς ἐργάτην συγχρονίσαντα, λοιπὸν τῇ πλησίον παραδίδωσιν, ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς δευτέρας καὶ παρὰ γνώμην ἴσως ἀπάγεσθαι, τῇ περὶ τὴν πρώτην συνηθεία βιαίως ἑλκόμενον. Τίς γὰρ κενοδοξίας ἐμπλησθεὶς ὑπερηφανίαν διαφυγεῖν δυνήσεται; ἢ τρυφῆς ἀπολαύσας λογισμῷ πορνείας οὐ κρατηθήσεται; ἢ τίς πλεονεξίᾳ ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδοὺς, ὑπὸ ἀσπλαγχνίας οὐ σφίγγεται ; πῶς δὲ οἱ τούτων πάντων παρὰ γνώμην ἀποστερούμενοι οὐ θυμωθήσονται καὶ δεινῶς ἐλασθήσονται; Διὸ χρὴ νοῆσαι, ὅτι καθ' ἡμετέραν αἰτίαν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐνεργούμεθα, κατὰ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς κατὰ βίαν δουλείας ἐλευθερούμεθα. Ὁ γὰρ νόμος, φησί, τοῦ Πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς, ἠλευθέρωσέ με ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ θανάτου. Καὶ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν λοιπόν ἐστι, τοῖς ἀκούσασι καὶ μαθοῦσι τὰ ἐντάλματα τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἢ, Κατὰ σάρκα περιπατῆσαι, ἢ κατὰ πνεῦμα. ᾿Αδύνατον δὲ, κατὰ πνεῦμα περιπατῆσαι τοὺς ἔπαινον ἀνθρώπων ἢ ἄνεσιν σώματος ἠγαπηκότας· καὶ ἀμήχανον κατὰ σάρκα βιῶσαι τοὺς τὰ μέλλοντα τῶν παρόντων ἐνδιαθέτως προκρίνοντας. Διὸ χρὴ πολλὰ πλανηθέντας ἡμᾶς λοιπὸν μισῆσαι ἔπαινον ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἄνεσιν σώματος, δι᾽ ὧν οἱ πονηροὶ λογισμοὶ καὶ μὴ θελόντων ἡμῶν ἀναφύονται· καὶ ἐκ διαθέσεως εἰπεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὸ τοῦ προφήτου ῥητόν · Οὐχὶ τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε, Κύριε, ἐμισησα, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ἐξετηκόμην; Τέλειον μίσος ἐμίσουν αὐτοὺς, εἰς ἐχθροὺς ἐγένοντό μοι. Καὶ ὄντως ἐχθροὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν οἱ πονηροὶ λογισμοί, οἱ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι διακωλύοντες. Εἴπερ ὁ μὲν θέλει πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ διὰ προσπαθείας ἡμᾶς πλανῶσι, καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμᾶς ἀπείργουσι. Περὶ ὧν καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἴρηκεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τῆς καρδίας εἶπεν ἐκπορεύεσθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κοινοῦσι τὸν ἄνθρωπον· δῆλον δὲ ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως, ἀλλ' ἐκ κενοδοξίας. Πῶς γὰρ δύνασθε, φησὶ, πιστεύειν, δόξαν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ μόνου Θεοῦ οὐ ζητοῦντες; Ὅταν οὖν τὴν κενοδοξίαν μισήσωμεν, καὶ περὶ πάντων αὐτῷ πιστεύσωμεν, πάντα λογισμὸν καρδιακῆς καὶ μονολογίστου ἐλπίδος αὐτῷ προσεδαφίζοντες· τότε, καθὼς ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος πίστεως, ἐγένετο τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ βρώματα τοῦ πιστοῦ· οὕτως ἐν τῇ νοερᾷ ἐλπίδι καὶ ἀρνήσει τῶν λογισμῶν γίνεται ὁ βεβαιόπιστος καὶ καθαρὸς νοῦς βρῶμα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ εἰπόντος· Ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν, ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Πατρός μου· πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν, κατὰ τὸν λόγον Παύλου. ᾿Αλήθειαν δὲ λέγει τῆς κατ' ἐλπίδα νοερᾶς πίστεως εὑρισκομένης καθὼς προειρήκαμεν, ἥτις οὐκἐτι ἐξ ἀκοῆς, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐνεργείας τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος πιστεύεται, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, κατὰ τὴν Γραφήν· ἔστι γὰρ πίστις ἐξ ἀκοῆς, καὶ ἔστι πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις. ᾿Αβάπτιστος δὲ ἢ κενόδοξος, εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας ταύτης ἐλθεῖν οὐ δύναται. Πρῶτον γὰρ ἐν τῇ καθολικῇ Ἐκκλησία βαπτισθήσεται, καὶ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος χάρις δίδοται μυστικῶς, καὶ ἐνοικεῖ κρυπτῶς. Εἶθ᾽ οὕτως κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν καὶ τῆς νοερᾶς ἐλπίδος ἀποκαλύπτεται τοῖς οὕτω πιστεύουσι τῷ Κυρίῳ εἰρηκότι· ῾Ο πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ Γραφή, ποταμοί ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος. Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὗ ἔμελλον λαμβάνειν οἱ πιστεύοντες εἰς αὐτόν. Διόπερ ἡμεῖς πιστεύομεν, διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος τὴν ἐλευθερίαν καὶ τὸν καθαρισμὸν μυστικῶς εἰληφέναι, κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα· Νῦν δὲ ἀπελούσασθε, νῦν δὲ ἐδικαιώθητε, νῦν δὲ ἐκαθαρίσθητε. Καὶ τοιαῦτα γράφει Κορινθίοις, μήπω κατ' ἐλπίδα νοερὰν διὰ τῆς τῶν λογισμῶν ἀρνήσεως κεκαθαρμένοις, καὶ διὰ τῆς καρδιακῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας ἡγιασμένοις, ἀλλ' ἔτι κακοῖς οὖσι καὶ ἀδικοῦσι, καὶ ἀποστεροῦσι, καὶ ταῦτα ἀδελφοῖς· ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι οἱ βαπτισθέντες, κατὰ μὲν τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὸν καθαρισμὸν μυστικῶς εἰλήφασι· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἰδίαν ὀλιγοπιστίαν, ἕκαστος ἐνεργεῖται, ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας ἐξελκόμενος καὶ δελεαζόμενος· καθὼς γέγραπται· Εἶτα ἐπιθυμία συλλαβοῦσα τίκτει ἁμαρτίαν, ἡ δὲ ἁμαρτία ἀποτελεσθεῖσα ἀποκύει θάνατον. Οὐκοῦν ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας ἡ λογικὴ ἁμαρτία, ἐκ δὲ ταύτης τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτὴν πράξεως, ὁ ἡ Γραφὴ ὠνόμασε θάνατον. Ὅτι δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύματος, διδάσκουσα ἡμᾶς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, γνῶθι πάλιν ἀπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων. Ἰδοὺ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τί λέγει τῷ πλήθει ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος· Μετανοήσατε, φησὶ, καὶ βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, καὶ λήψεσθε την δωρεαν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Καθὸ ἂν δὲ τις ἀπιστῇ, εὐθέως ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κρατεῖται. Ἰδοὺ καὶ τοῖς ἐν Ἐφέσῳ δέκα καὶ δύο ἀνδράσιν ἀπίστως βαπτισθεῖσι, πῶς ἐγκαλεῖ ὁ ᾿Απόστολος, καί φησιν· Εἰ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐλάβετε πιστεύσαντες; Οἱ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπον· ᾿Αλλ' οὐδὲ εἰ Πνεῦμα ἅγιόν ἐστιν, ἠκούσαμεν. Εἶπεν οὖν πρὸς αὐτούς· Εἰς τί οὖν ἐβαπτίσθητε; Οἱ δὲ εἶπον· Εἰς τὸ Ἰωάννου βάπτισμα. Εἶπε δὲ Παῦλος· Ἰωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισε βάπτισμα μετανοίας, λέγων τῷ λαῷ, εἰς τὸν ἐρχόμενον μετ' αὐτὸν, ἵνα πιστεύσωσι, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ ἐβαπτίσθησαν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ. Καὶ ἐπιθέντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ Παύλου τὰς χεῖρας, ἦλθε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπ' αὐτούς. Ἐπείσθης ἄρα κἂν νῦν, ὅτι εὐθέως ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος δίδοται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοῖς βεβαιοπίστοις· τοῖς δὲ ἀπίστοις, ἢ κακοπίστοις, καὶ μὴ βαπτισθεῖσιν οὐ δίδοται; Ὅτι δὲ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν οἱ λυποῦντες αὐτὸ, καὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀποσβεννύντες, μάθετε παρὰ τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου λέγοντος· Τὸ Πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε, προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε· καὶ πάλιν· Μὴ λυπεῖτε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐν ᾧ ἐσφραγίσθητε εἰς ἡμέραν ἀπολυτρώσεως. Ταύτας δὲ τὰς μαρτυρίας εἰσάγομεν, οὐχ ὡς πάντα ἄνθρωπον βεβαπτισμένον καὶ λαβόντα τὴν χάριν, λοιπὸν ἄτρεπτον λέγοντες, καὶ μηκέτι χρήζοντα μετανοίας, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, κατὰ μὲν τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τελεία ἡ χάρις ἡμῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ δεδώρηται πρὸς ἐκπλήρωσιν πασῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν. Λοιπὸν δὲ ἕκαστος αὐτὴν λαβὼν μυστικῶς, καὶ μὴ τελεσιουργῶν͵ τὰς ἐντολὰς, κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἐλλείψεως ἐνεργεῖται ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἥτις οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἀμελήσαντος· καθότι λαβὼν τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἐργασίας, τὸ ἔργον οὐκ ἐπιτελεῖ. Ἡ δὲ ἔλλειψις ἐξ ἀπιστίας ἐστίν· ἡ δὲ ἀπιστία οὐκ ἔστιν ἁμαρτία ἀλλοτρία, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀπιστήσαντος, ἥτις λοιπὸν πάσης ἁμαρτίας μήτηρ καὶ εἰσαγωγὴ γίνεται. Εἴτε οὖν ταχέως τελειωθῆναι βουλόμεθα, εἴτε βραδέως, ὀφειλέται ἐσμὲν τελείως τῷ Χριστῷ πιστεῦσαι, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ἐργάζεσθαι, εἰληφότες τῆς τοιαύτης ἐργασίας παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν· καὶ τότε δὲ οὐχ ὡς παρὰ μίαν ἐντολὴν ὀφείλοντες καὶ μονομερῶς ἐργάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ περιεκτικῶς συλλαβεῖν τὰς ἑνικὰς, καὶ οὕτω πάσας τελεσιουργῆσαι συντόμως. Εἰσὶ γὰρ ἐντολαὶ κεφαλαιωδέστεραι, ἐν αὐταῖς πολὺ πλῆθος τῶν λοιπῶν περιέχουσαι. Τοῦτον μόνον οὖν τὸν ἀγῶνα χρεωστοῦμεν ἡμεῖς τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀπιστίας καταγωνίσασθαι, καὶ μὴ ἀμελῆσαι περιεκτικῶν ἐντολῶν, δι' ὧν ἡ δοθεῖσα ἡμῖν χάρις ἐναργῶς ἀποκαλύπτεται. Ὄπερ καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος γενέσθαι ἡμῖν προσεύχεται λέγων· Τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα δῴη ὑμῖν ὁ Κύριος δύναμιν κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν πάση πληροφορίᾳ καὶ αἰσθήσει, εἰς τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν διὰ τῆς πίστεως Καιρὸς δ' ἂν εἴη, καθὼς προειρήκαμεν, καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν μαρτυρίαν ταύτην βεβαιῶσαι· ἰδοὺ γὰρ καθόσον πιστεύοντες τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐργαζόμεθα, κατὰ τοσοῦτον καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους καρποὺς ἐν ἡμῖν ἐνεργεῖ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Οἱ δὲ καρποὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος, κατὰ τὸν ἅγιον Παῦλον, εἰσὶν, ἀγάπη, χαρά, εἰρήνη, μακροθυμία, χρηστότης, ἀγαθωσύνη, πίστις, πραότης, ἐγκράτεια. Τίς οὖν καθόλου τούτων τῶν ἐνεργημάτων ἀμύητος μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα τυγχάνει, ἵνα ἀρνήσηται, λέγων τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν μὴ εἰληφέναι ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος; Τίς δὲ πάλιν καθ᾿ ἡμέραν ἀδιαλείπτως ὑπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τούτων ἐνεργεῖται, μήπω τελεσιουργήσας τὰς ἐντολὰς, ἵνα εἴπῃ, Τέλειός εἰμι καὶ ἄτρεπτος; \"Ὅθεν δηλοῖ ὅτι, ὥσπερ τελεία μὲν ἔστιν ἡ χάρις, ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τέλειοι διὰ τὴν τῶν ἐντολῶν ἔλλειψιν· οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸ ἅγιον βάπτισμα τέλειόν ἐστιν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀτελεῖς πρὸς αὐτὸ τυγχάνομεν. Σὺ οὖν, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ βεβαπτισμένος, μόνον δὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν, εἰς ἣν τὴν δύναμιν εἴληφας, καὶ σεαυτὸν πρὸς τὴν ἐμφάνειαν τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος εὐτρέπισον· καὶ οὕτω σοι ἐμφανίσει ἑαυτὸν κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ὁ Κύριος πνευματικῶς, ὡς οἶδεν αὐτός. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ Πνεῦμὰ ἐστιν· οὗ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου, ἐκεῖ ἐλευθερία. Καὶ τότε νοήσεις τὸ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστιν. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἀναγκαίως εἰδέναι χρὴ, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολὰς μερικὰς, μερικῶν ἐντολῶν οὔσας, καὶ ὑπ᾿ ἐκείνων πληροῦνται, αἱ καὶ ἑνικαὶ λέγονται. Καὶ οἱ μερικῶς τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐργασάμενοι, κατὰ ἀναλογίαν εἰς βασιλείαν εἰσέρχονται. Οἱ δὲ βουλόμενοι εἰς τὸ τέλειον φθάσαι, ὀφείλουσι περιεκτικῶς πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐργάσασθαι. Περιεκτικὴ δὲ πασῶν ἐντολῶν, ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς ἄρνησίς ἐστιν, ὅ ἐστι θάνατος. Καὶ ὥσπερ ζῶν ἐν σαρκὶ, ἐλλιπής ἐστι τῆς τελεσιουργίας ταύτης· οὕτως ἕως ἐξόδου ἄδεκτος εἶναι προσβολῆς οὐ δύναται διὰ τὴν προειρημένην ἔλλειψιν. Εἴ τις οὖν τῶν πιστῶν καλῶς διὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν πολιτευσάμενος, τινὰ πνευματικὴν ἀναλόγως εὔροι ἐνέργειαν, πιστευέτω ὅτι ἤδη προσειλήφει τὴν ταύτης δύναμιν, καθότι ἔλαβε διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος, τὴν πάντων ἀγαθῶν αἰτίαν· λέγω δὴ, οὐ μόνων τῶν κρυπτῶν καὶ πνευματικῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν φανερῶν ἀρετῶν πρόξενον. Καὶ μηδεὶς τῶν ἐναρέτων ὑπολαμβανέτω, διὰ μόνης τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως πεποιηκέναι τι ἀγαθόν Ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ, φησὶν ὁ Λόγος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας προφέρει τὸ ἀγαθὸν, θησαυρὸν λέγων τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῶν πιστῶν κεκρυμμένον. Ὁμοία γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν θησαυρῷ κεκρυμμένῳ ἐν ἀγρῷ, ὃν εὑρὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔκρυψε, καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἐπώλησε πάντα, καὶ ἠγόρασε τὸν ἀγρὸν ἐκεῖνον. Τοῦτο γὰρ πάνυ τοῖς εἰρημένοις προσφυῶς ἔχει. Ὁ γὰρ νοήσας ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ κεκρυμμένον ἔχει, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον, πάντα ῥίψας τὰ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου πράγματα, παραμένει ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ καρδίᾳ, πάσῃ φυλακῇ τηρῶν αὐτὴν, καὶ ζητῶν τὴν ἔξοδον τῆς ζωῆς κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐ χρὴ οἴεσθαι δι᾿ ἀγώνων ἐκκόπτειν τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὰς ἰδίας ἁμαρτίας τὰς μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα γενομένας, εἰ μὴ διὰ Χριστοῦ. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐστιν ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ τὸ θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας. Προσθεὶς δὲ τὸ, ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας, δείκνυσιν ὅτι τὸ εὐδοκεῖν ἐν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι. Καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν δὲ, ὅτι Χωρὶς ἐμοῦ οὐ δύνασθε ποιεῖν οὐδέν· καὶ τὸ, Οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε, ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς, εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ συντείνει νόημα. Τάχα δὲ οὕτω νοητέον καὶ τὸ, Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν ὃ γέγονεν · εἴπερ ἐν τοῖς πᾶσίν ἐστι καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα· καὶ τὸ, Οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, εἰ μὴ δι' ἐμοῦ. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπὶ τὸν ναόν σου σοὶ οἴσουσι βασιλεῖς δῶρα, [τὸ εἰκὸς καὶ γινόμενον,] ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐναντίον, Ἀπὸ τοῦ ναοῦ σου ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ σοι οἴσουσι βασιλεῖς δῶρα, διότι ἑκάστου βασιλικώτατος νοῦς ἀπὸ τοῦ κρυπτοῦ τῆς καρδίας ναοῦ πρῶτον λαμβάνει τὰς καλὰς καὶ ἀγαθὰς ὑποθέσεις ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἄγει αὐτὰς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐνάρετον πολιτείαν, ἣν Ἱερουσαλήμ ὠνόμασε· καὶ πάλιν αὐτὰς αὐτῷ προσφέρει διὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐννοίας προσδεδωρημένῳ Χριστῷ. Ταῦτα δὲ εἰρήκαμεν, οὐκ ἀποκλείοντες τὰ μέλλοντα, ἀλλ' ὁμολογοῦντες, ὅτι τὴν δύναμιν τῶν ἐντολῶν εἰλήφαμεν, καὶ τῶν δεσμῶν τοῦ θανάτου ἐλύθημεν. Ὀφειλέται δὲ ἐσμεν τῆς ἐργασίας λοιπόν · καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐργασώμεθα τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ δεδομένη ἡμῖν χάρις οὐκ ἀποκαλύπτεται. Πῶς γὰρ οἱ ἀποθανόντες ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, τὸ καλὸν ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτῶν ποιεῖν ἠδυνάμεθα, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας ἐζωοποίησε, καὶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐδωρήσατο ; Ὅθεν νοήσομεν, ὅτι τελεία ἡ χάρις ἡμῖν δεδώρηται τοῦ Πνεύματος, εἰς ἐκπλήρωσιν πασῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν, προσθήκην τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν αὐξήσεως παρέχουσα, ἐνδυναμοῦσα ἕως θανάτου τοὺς ἰδίους ἐργάτας, Μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, κατὰ τὴν πατρικὴν ἀκολουθίαν, ἣν προ[σ]ειρήκαμεν. Ερώτησις. Ὁ οὖν βαπτισθεὶς, τίνα δέχεται μυστικῶς; Τὸν Χριστὸν, ἢ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα; Ποτὲ γὰρ εἴρηκας τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνοικεῖν, ποτὲ δὲ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα. Ἀπόκρισις. Τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα δεχόμεθα διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ λέγεται, καὶ Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ· τούτου χάριν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν δεχόμεθα. Ἐρώτησις. Οὐκοῦν τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐστιν ἡ Τριάς, Απόκρισις Οὕτω μονοπροσώπως οὐ λέγομεν εἶναι τὴν Τριάδα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ οὐ κεχώρισται τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν Τριάδα ὁμολογοῦμεν κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θεότητα. Ωσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Πατρί ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ πάλιν ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ ὁ Πατήρ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα· οὕτως ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι ὁ Πατὴρ καὶ Υἱός ἐστιν, οὐ συγχύσει τῶν τριῶν ὑποστάσεων, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑνώσει τῆς αὐτῆς μιᾶς βουλῆς καὶ Θεότητος. Ὥστε καὶ ἡμεῖς, εἴτε τὸν Πατέρα μονομερῶς ὀνομάζομεν, εἴτε τὸν Υἱὸν, εἴτε τὸ Πνεῦμα, ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ ὀνόματι τὴν Τριάδα ὀνομάζομεν, κατὰ τὸν νῦν ὂν εἰρήκαμεν λόγον.","t":"Since some say that holy baptism is perfect, relying on the Scripture that says, “Rise, be baptized, and wash away your sins,” and, “Wash yourselves and become clean,” and again, “But you were washed, but you were sanctified,” and bringing forward many such testimonies; while others say that the old sin is destroyed by struggles, they too bringing the testimony of Scripture that says, “Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit,” and at the same time finding in themselves the very working of sin after baptism: what shall we say to this, or whom shall we believe? Answer. We must believe the apostolic preaching and abide by our own confessions, and not test the power of God by human suspicions, nor again submit willingly to a yoke of slavery, but hold fast to freedom through the practice of the commandments, through which all truth is found in proportion; and we must know clearly that it is through the lack of these that we are worked upon by sin in proportion. But since we have reckoned the preaching vain, trusting curiosity rather than the word of God, our faith too is vain, and for this reason we are still in our sins. Question. We do not say the preaching is vain, but we seek to learn the truth. Answer. If then we hold the preaching to be true, let us fulfil all the commandments, and then we shall see whether we are worked upon by sin. For holy baptism is perfect, but it does not perfect the one who does not keep the commandments. Let us not, then, trust human suspicions, but rather the divine Scripture: that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures”; and that “we were buried with him through baptism”; and, “whoever has died has been justified from sin”; and that “sin will not have dominion over us,” if we do his commandments; but if we do not, we are unbelievers and are held by sin. For faith is not only being baptized into Christ, but also doing his commandments. That, buried with him mystically through baptism, he also raised us with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places, according to Scripture, is clear; yet he gave commandments, so that by doing them we might find the perfection given us; and if we do not, we show ourselves voluntarily worked upon by sin. If we say that sin is destroyed by works, then “Christ died for nothing,” and all that has been said is false; and if baptism is not perfect, but they say they have perfection from struggles, the law of liberty is vain in their eyes, and the whole legislation of the New Covenant is abolished. They also make Christ unjust, as commanding works of freedom to the baptized who, as they say, are still enslaved to sin against their will; and the grace of God is no longer grace but a repayment of our struggles. “For if by works, it is no longer by grace; but if by grace,” the work is not a work but a commandment of the one who set us free, and a work of freedom and of faith. Such things holy Paul wrote beforehand, by design, to the Galatians, admonishing them, who also disbelieved in similar ways. We, however, do not so disbelieve the grace of God, far from it! Nor do we deny faith in the preaching; but if after baptism we are held by sin, it is not because baptism is imperfect, but because we neglect the commandment and are given over by choice to pleasures, as the divine Scripture reproves us, saying, “As a dog returning to its own vomit,” so is a person returning to his own sin by free choice. For neither God nor Satan forces the will, or baptism. Have they not heard, then, that the commandments of Christ given after baptism are a law of liberty, as Scripture says: “So act and so speak as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty”? And again holy Peter: “Supply virtue in your faith,” and, after saying what follows, he adds, “For whoever lacks these things is blind and short-sighted, having forgotten the cleansing of his old sins.” Understand through what has been said that the cleansing through baptism takes place mystically but is found actively through the commandments. If, when baptized, we were not freed from ancestral sin, clearly we cannot do the works of freedom either; but if we can do them, it is plain that we were mystically freed from slavery to sin, as it is written: “The law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and of death.” But through neglect of the commandments of him who cleansed us, we are worked upon by sin. Either, then, show me that the baptized are unable to practise the commandments of liberty, and that for this reason baptism is not perfect; or, when we show that they have received such power, let them confess that they are freed by the grace of Christ, but have handed themselves over to slavery to evils by not fulfilling all the commandments, and for this reason have again become subject. Let them take the refutation from their own testimonies: “Let us cleanse ourselves, brothers, from every defilement of flesh and spirit.” How, then, can the slave of sin cleanse himself from every defilement of flesh and spirit, if he does not have such freedom and power but is held by sin? And if you have the mastery over the passions, know that you are not held by force but by a cause in your will. Whatever the divine Scripture says about cleansing, it says to free people; it exhorts them as free people not to remain in such thoughts but to love freedom, since we have the power to incline to whichever we wish, whether good or evil. Question. If we were set free in baptism, why do we not know the air of freedom as those who struggle see it? Answer. The pleasures we choose and our neglect of the commandments darken us, which they have corrected. For we have said already that a person is set free according to the gift of Christ; but according to his own will he remains wherever he loves, even if he has been baptized, because of his free will. So when it says, “The violent take the kingdom of heaven by force,” it speaks of one's own will, so that each of us may force himself, in keeping with baptism, not to turn to evil but to remain in good. For if a person were subject to force from the powers, God could certainly have freed us and made us unchangeable by force. But now it is not so; rather, he himself led us out of forced slavery through baptism, having abolished sin through the cross, and laid down commandments of freedom; but to remain or not to remain in the commandments he left to our free will. So the commandments, in so far as they are cared for, signify love for the one who set us free; in so far as they are neglected or lacking, they show indulgence in pleasures. But some fall into their own reasonings, saying, “We want to do the commandments and cannot, being held by sin by force; so we must first struggle and wipe out sin, so that we may be able to fulfil the commandments of liberty,” not understanding what they say or what they affirm. For if you have no freedom at all and cannot fulfil the commandments, by what struggles do you say you wipe out sin? The struggles of the faithful are commandments. You say, “I cannot do the commandments unless I am first cleansed through struggles.” Show me the struggles you speak of apart from the commandments, and I will be persuaded by your opinion. For if you speak of prayer, it is a commandment; if of fasting, if of vigil, it is a commandment; if of sharing, if of denial of one's soul, it is a commandment; if of casting down thoughts, it is a commandment; if you speak of death, the cross, or any work of virtue whatever, all are commandments. That is why he commands those who have received the power of the commandments, as faithful people, to struggle further so as not to turn back; not as though wiping out sin through these, but so as no longer to turn back. And the commandments themselves do not cut out sin (for this has been done through the cross alone), but guard the bounds of the freedom given us. For tell me, if you cut out Adam's sin by works, how did “Christ die for our sins according to the Scriptures”? But to this they have nothing to say in reply; they only ask inconsistent questions, inclining everything toward their own suspicions and not obeying the truth of Scripture. For they say, “If sin is destroyed in baptism, why does it work again in the heart?” We have often said the cause: it does not work after baptism as something left behind (for baptism gives complete release); but to bind ourselves again through attachment to what has been loosed through the practice of the commandments belongs to the choice of free will. For a thought that lingers over some pleasure or anger is proof not of sin left behind but of freely chosen attachment. For we have the power to cast down reasonings and every high thing raised up against the knowledge of God, according to Scripture. So an evil thought in those who cast it down within them is a sign of love for God, not of sin. For it is not the provocation of the thought that is a sign of sin, but the mind's friendly converse with it. If we do not love it, why do we linger with it? For it is impossible for what is hated from the heart to keep company with the heart continually, without our own wrongdoing. And if even a hated thought holds the mind by force (for it happens, and I do not deny it), this is still not a remnant of Adam's sin, but of godlessness after baptism. For when after holy baptism, though able to do all the commandments, we do not do them, then even against our will we are held by sin, until through repentance we entreat God, setting ourselves right in all the commandments, and he wipes out our sin of godlessness. For there are two causes of the working of evil, and both are from us: one works in proportion to our lack of the commandments; the other holds us inexorably because of our wrongdoing after baptism, which God alone removes when entreated through almsgiving, prayer, and patience in what comes; and these too the perfect grace given us through baptism secretly supplies. Question. Then did Paul sin after baptism, since he was worked upon voluntarily? For he says, “I see another law warring against the law of my mind.” Answer. In this way those who understand badly twist the other Scriptures too, and go astray. Take up this chapter from the beginning, and you will find that holy Paul does not speak of himself after baptism, but takes the role of the unbelieving Jews, persuading them that without the grace of Christ given through baptism it is impossible to overcome sin. Having said, “Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?” he adds, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, for the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and of death.” That is why he says, “The law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.” Hence all the things of the law, of the temple, and of the sacrifices are fulfilled in us, who have received the grace of the Spirit mystically from baptism. For he has said that we are a temple of the Spirit, and urges us to offer spiritual sacrifices, speaking of Jews inwardly and not outwardly, and of circumcision of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; and Christ, the heavenly lawgiver, has written the spiritual law itself on the faithful through the Spirit, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. As he has said these things are inward, so understand also each of the things said figuratively. But since we have not believed Christ so firmly, we have not reckoned ourselves debtors to all his commandments, nor denied ourselves according to his word. For this reason, though we have received the mysteries mentioned from baptism, we do not know them. But when we condemn our little faith and believe him sincerely through all his commandments, then, gaining experience of these things in ourselves, we shall confess truly that holy baptism is perfect, and that the grace of Christ is invisibly hidden, waiting for our obedience and our practice of the commandments, whose power we have already received through it. Therefore, those of us who have not yet practised the commandments of liberty have not yet reached the free Jerusalem (“for the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother,” regenerating us through the washing of regeneration); but we are still on the way of Cain, and wander, travelling by trackless paths. For to quarrel in ignorance and to contradict the truth are deviations from the road, not straight cutting. That is why blessed Paul, seeing us slow toward the perfect ascent, says, “So run that you may obtain.” If we have not yet reached the city, when shall we see the temple, and, entering within, obtain access to the altar? And why do I speak of faith, the temple, and the altar, when we have not even got past the beasts of the reed? The prophet prayed that God would rebuke them, so that the firstborn of the victims, which the Jew who is one inwardly is commanded to offer, might not become the prey of beasts. If, according to you, there is a Jew inwardly, according to Paul's word, but the temple has not yet been built by the son of David, nor the mercy seat made by him (for this is what is loudly proclaimed by the one who says that Adam's sin is destroyed by struggles, and not through the grace of God, which is in us hiddenly through baptism; but it will be seen when, having well completed the road of the commandments, we offer the thoughts of our nature to Christ the high priest like a sacrifice, sound and not mauled by beasts). For most become the prey of beasts, all who turn aside from the commandments, I mean from patience in painful things; and leaping off the straight way, they walk by trackless paths, blaming others rather than themselves for the causes. Scarcely a few of them travel by the straight way, and that guarded by prayer, bound by hopes, beaten by temptations; and so they reach the city and the temple, and bring their offering. The city is bright and lawful discernment in Christ, which, when it administers affairs piously, is at peace and prospers, but when it goes wrong is handed over to the enemies for its destruction. The temple is the God-built precinct of soul and body; the altar is the foundation of hope in this temple, on which the first-born thought of every occurrence, offered by the mind like a first-born animal, is sacrificed for the propitiation of the one who offers it, if indeed he offers it to him without blemish. This temple also has the place within the veil, where Jesus entered as forerunner on our behalf and dwells in us, unless indeed you are unapproved: this is the innermost, hidden, and pure chamber of the heart, which unless it is opened by God and by rational and spiritual hope, one cannot surely recognize the one who dwells there, nor know whether our rational sacrifices have been accepted or not. For as at first in Israel fire consumed the remains, so it happens here too: when the faithful heart is opened through the hope mentioned, the heavenly high priest receives the first-born thoughts of the mind and consumes them with the divine fire, of which he said, “I came to cast fire on the earth, and what do I wish, if it is already kindled?” He called first-born thoughts those not produced by second thoughts of the heart, but offered at once to Christ from the first provocation and arising; for those offered to him after much thinking Scripture called lame, blind, and monstrous, and for this reason not tithes for the heavenly high priest, the Master Christ. That even after baptism we are the cause of every evil thought has now been shown through the testimonies of Scripture. And if this must also be made plain through the natural sequence of things, it will be said again: O man, you who say that after baptism you are worked upon without cause by Adam's sin, and promise to cut it out through struggles, know exactly that you have contradicted yourself and fallen into your own words. For if you say evil thoughts are Adam's sin, learn from holy Paul that, having put on Christ through baptism, you have power and weapons to cast them down. “For the weapons of our warfare,” he says, “are not fleshly but powerful for God for the destruction of strongholds, casting down reasonings and every high thing raised up against the knowledge of God.” But if, having the power against them, you do not cast them down at the provocation, clearly you love pleasure out of unbelief and couple with them; and you are the author of such working, not Adam. Question. How can one who has shut himself in a cell, fasting daily, self-controlled, poor, living as a stranger, praying, and enduring many such afflictions, love pleasure out of unbelief or couple with thoughts? Answer. You have spoken well, that in doing such things he endures many afflictions. For if we performed the visible virtues mentioned without affliction, with joy and love of labour, we would not be pleasure-lovers in mind. For it is impossible for one pained by bodily labours not to converse proportionately with the provocations and console himself for the unpleasantness of the labours. If such a person did not want this, he would not be afflicted by the labours. We suffer this because we endure hardship not from longing for the good things to come but from fear of the temptations now coming upon us. Hence we consider the evil deed our own sin, but call the thought before it another's working. And it is impossible for those who consider this working not their own but another's to turn away from it. There is indeed a thought, without coupling, that is unpleasant and hated, which like a robber falls upon us unexpectedly and holds the mind by force to itself. Yet learn exactly that this too has its occasions from us. For either after baptism we gave ourselves over to some evil thought as far as action, and for this reason have become liable even against our will; or we deliberately keep some seeds of evil, and for this reason the evil one is entrenched. The one who holds us through seeds does not withdraw until we cast them out; the one who remains through the evil action is put to flight when we offer God fitting labours. For this reason I do not call this Adam's sin either, but rather the sin of the one who did the evil and keeps the seeds. And if thoughts (for thoughts preceded these two) and some robber are the cause of them, I too say to you that the cause is the one who had the power to cleanse himself of it at the provocation and did not, but conversed with it as far as action. And if before the action he could not overthrow it at all because of the mind's weakness, how does he promise to cut it out after the action? Understand that even before the action, if you had wished, God would have helped you. And when you see help coming to you through your heart, understand exactly that grace did not come from outside by passing over to you; rather the grace given you secretly through baptism has now worked to the extent that you hated the thought and turned away. And for this reason Christ, having loosed us from all force, has stopped the provocation of thoughts from compelling the heart, so that those hated from the heart vanish at once, while those loved remain as long as they are loved; so that both the grace of God and the will of the person may be shown, what it loves: labours for the sake of grace, or thoughts for the sake of pleasure. And let us not be surprised that we are worked upon forcibly not only by what we love; for as their kinship is something evil, so the provocations work together with one another on our desires, and each hands over its own worker, once he has lingered, to the next, so that he is carried off by the second, perhaps against his judgment, dragged forcibly by his habit with the first. For who, filled with vainglory, can escape pride? Or who, having enjoyed luxury, will not be overcome by a thought of sexual immorality? Or who that has given himself to greed is not gripped by mercilessness? And how will those deprived of all these against their will not be angered and terribly driven? Therefore we must understand that by our own cause we are worked upon by sin, but by the Spirit we are freed from forced slavery. “For the law of the Spirit of life,” he says, “has set me free from the law of sin and of death.” And it remains in our power, who have heard and learned the commands of the Spirit, either “to walk according to the flesh, or according to the Spirit.” It is impossible for those who have loved human praise or bodily ease to walk according to the Spirit; and it is impossible for those who heartily prefer the things to come to the present to live according to the flesh. Therefore we, who have strayed much, must henceforth hate human praise and bodily ease, through which evil thoughts spring up even against our will; and say to the Lord from the heart the prophet's words: “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and pine away over your enemies? I hated them with a perfect hatred; they became my enemies.” And truly evil thoughts are enemies of God, preventing his will from being done; since he wills all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, while they lead us astray through attachment and keep us from salvation. Of these the Lord said that they come out not from Adam but from the heart, and for this reason defile the person; and clearly not from faith, but from vainglory. “For how can you believe,” he says, “when you receive glory from people and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” When, then, we hate vainglory and believe him in everything, dashing every thought to the ground before him with the hope of the heart that keeps to a single thought, then, just as at the beginning of faith through baptism the body of Christ became the food of the faithful, so in spiritual hope and denial of thoughts the firmly believing and pure mind becomes the food of Jesus, who said, “My food is to do the will of my Father”: that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, according to Paul's word. He speaks of truth found in spiritual faith according to hope, as we said before, which is no longer believed from hearing but from the working of the all-holy Spirit, which is “the substance of things hoped for,” according to Scripture; for there is faith from hearing, and there is faith that is the substance of things hoped for. The unbaptized or the vainglorious cannot come to the knowledge of this truth. For first one will be baptized in the catholic church, and through baptism grace is given mystically and dwells hiddenly. Then, in proportion to the practice of the commandments and spiritual hope, it is revealed to those who so believe the Lord, who said, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.” This he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive. Therefore we believe that we have received freedom and cleansing mystically through baptism, according to him who says, “But now you were washed, now you were justified, now you were cleansed.” And he writes such things to the Corinthians, who had not yet been cleansed in spiritual hope through the denial of thoughts, nor sanctified through the working of the Spirit in the heart, but were still evil, doing wrong and defrauding, and that their brothers; to show that the baptized have received cleansing mystically according to the gift of Christ, but that according to his own little faith each is worked upon, drawn away and enticed by his own desire, as it is written: “Then desire, having conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” So sin in thought comes from one's own desire, and from it the outcome of the action that follows it, which Scripture called death. That the grace of the Spirit is in us from baptism, teaching us all truth according to the Lord's word, learn again from Scripture and from the facts. See what blessed Peter says to the crowd in the Acts: “Repent,” he says, “and let each of you be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” But to the extent that someone disbelieves, he is at once held by sin. See also how the apostle reproaches the twelve men in Ephesus who had been baptized without faith, and says, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said to him, “We have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” He said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” Hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus; and when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them. Are you persuaded, even now, that the Holy Spirit is given at once from baptism to those firm in faith, but is not given to the unbelieving, to those of false belief, and to the unbaptized? And that it is we who grieve him and quench him in ourselves, learn from the apostle who says, “Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophecies”; and again, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” We bring forward these testimonies not as saying that every baptized person who has received grace is henceforth unchangeable and no longer needs repentance, but that from baptism, according to the gift of Christ, the grace of God has been given us perfect for the fulfilment of all the commandments. But thereafter each who has received it mystically and does not fulfil the commandments is worked upon by sin in proportion to his lack; and that sin is not Adam's but the negligent person's, since having received the power for the work, he does not carry out the work. The lack comes from unbelief; and unbelief is not another's sin but that of the one who disbelieved, and it then becomes the mother and entrance of every sin. Whether, then, we wish to be perfected quickly or slowly, we are debtors to believe Christ perfectly and to practise all his commandments, having received from him the power for such practice; and then not as owing it to work one commandment alone, partially, but to grasp the particular ones comprehensively, and so to fulfil them all in short. For there are more principal commandments, containing within them a great number of the others. This is the only struggle we owe: to fight down our own unbelief and not to neglect the comprehensive commandments, through which the grace given us is clearly revealed. This holy Paul prays may happen to us, saying, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the Lord may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith,” with all full assurance and perception. It would be time, as we said before, to confirm this testimony also through the facts. For see: to the extent that, believing, we practise the commandments, the Holy Spirit works his own fruits in us. And the fruits of the Spirit, according to holy Paul, are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. Who, then, after baptism is wholly uninitiated in these workings, so as to deny it, saying he did not receive the grace of the Spirit from baptism? And who, again, is worked upon daily and without ceasing by these fruits, before he has fulfilled the commandments, so as to say, “I am perfect and unchangeable”? Hence it is plain that just as grace is perfect, but we are not perfect because of our lack in the commandments, so too holy baptism is perfect toward us, but we are imperfect toward it. You, then, O man baptized in Christ, only give the work for which you have received the power, and prepare yourself for the manifestation of the one who dwells in you; and so the Lord will manifest himself to you spiritually according to his promise, as he himself knows. “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” And then you will understand the saying, “The kingdom of heaven is within you.” And this too must necessarily be known: that particular commandments are parts of other commandments and are fulfilled by them, and these are also called single. Those who practise the commandments partially enter the kingdom in proportion; but those who wish to reach perfection must practise all the commandments comprehensively. The comprehensive commandment of all is the denial of one's soul, which is death. And just as while living in the flesh one falls short of this completion, so until one's departure one cannot be free of provocation, because of this lack. If, then, any of the faithful who has lived well through the commandments finds some spiritual working in proportion, let him believe that he had already received its power, since he received through baptism the grace of the Spirit, the cause of all good things; I mean the source not only of hidden and spiritual virtues but also of visible ones. And let none of the virtuous suppose he has done any good thing by his own power alone. “For the good man,” says the Word, not from himself, but “out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good,” calling treasure the Holy Spirit hidden in the heart of the faithful. For “the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and went and sold everything and bought that field.” This fits very well with what has been said. For whoever has understood exactly that from baptism he has Christ hidden within himself, according to the apostle, throws away all the affairs of this world and remains in his own heart, keeping it with all watchfulness and seeking the outcome of life, according to the Proverb. Therefore one must not suppose that Adam's sin is cut out through struggles, nor even one's own sins committed after baptism, except through Christ. “For it is he who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” By adding “for his good pleasure,” he shows that being well pleased in the virtues is in our power. And the sayings “Apart from me you can do nothing” and “You did not choose me, but I chose you” tend to the same meaning. Perhaps we should also understand in this way “All things came into being through him, and without him nothing came into being that has come into being,” since our own things too are among all things; and “No one comes to the Father except through me.” That is why the prophet did not say, “From Jerusalem to your temple kings will bring you gifts,” but the opposite: “From your temple to Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts,” because each person's most kingly mind first receives fair and good themes from the hidden temple of the heart, from Christ who dwells there, and leads them to the virtuous way of life, which he called Jerusalem; and again offers them through good thought to Christ who gave them in advance. We have said this not excluding the things to come, but confessing that we have received the power of the commandments and have been loosed from the bonds of death. We are, then, debtors of the work; and if we do not practise the commandments of God, the grace given us is not revealed. For how could we, who were dead in sin, do good of ourselves, unless the Lord himself had made us alive through the washing of regeneration and given us the grace of the Spirit? Hence we shall understand that the grace of the Spirit has been given us perfect for the fulfilment of all the commandments, giving increase of growth in Christ, empowering its workers until death, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” according to the order of the fathers, which we described before. Question. Whom, then, does the baptized person receive mystically: Christ, or the Holy Spirit? For sometimes you have said that Christ dwells within, sometimes the Holy Spirit. Answer. We receive the Holy Spirit through baptism. But since he is called both Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ, for this reason through the Spirit we receive the Father and the Son. Question. Is the Spirit, then, the Trinity? Answer. We do not say the Trinity is single in person in this way; but since he is not separated from the Father and the Son, for this reason we confess the Trinity in him according to his Godhead. For as the Son and the Spirit are in the Father, and again the Father and the Spirit in the Son, so the Father and the Son are in the Spirit, not by confusion of the three hypostases, but by the union of the same one will and Godhead. So we too, whether we name the Father alone, or the Son, or the Spirit, name the Trinity in the one name, according to the account we have now given.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 4.0 (PG 65:985; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/4-0)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/4.1":{"o":"Ἐρώτησις. Πῶς ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει ἐπουράνιον εἶναι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, σὺ δὲ εἴρηκας ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτὴν εἶναι Απόκρισις. Οὐ μόνον τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἀγαθὰ, ὅσα μέλλουσιν ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει λαμβάνειν οἱ δίκαιοι, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἄνω εἰσί. Τούτων δὲ οἱ ἀῤῥαβῶνες καὶ ἀπαρχαὶ, ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις τῶν βεβαιοπίστων ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν πνευματικῶς ἐνεργοῦσιν· ὅπως πληροφορηθέντες περὶ τῶν μελλόντων, τῶν παρόντων ἁπάντων καταφρονήσωμεν, καὶ ἕως θανάτου τὸν Θεὸν ἀγαπήσωμεν. Διὰ τοῦτο, Προσελθεῖν ἔχετε, οὐκ εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ, Προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει, καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος Ἱερουσαλήμ ἐπουρανίῳ. Δεκτικοὶ γὰρ τούτων ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος γεγόναμεν · τυχεῖν δὲ αὐτῶν μόνοι καταξιοῦνται οἱ βεβαιόπιστοι, οἱ διὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀγάπην καθ' ἡμέραν ἀποθνήσκοντες, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι πᾶσαν ἔννοιαν τῆς ἐνταῦθα ζωῆς ὑπερβαίνοντες, καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον ἐννοοῦντες ἢ μόνον, πότε καταντήσωσιν εἰς τελείαν ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐνδότερον ἄνοιγμα τῆς καρδίας, ὅπου πρόδρομος εἰσῆλθεν Ἰησοῦς. Τοῦτο ζητῶν παρὰ τὰς ἀρχὰς ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Διώκω δὲ εἰ καὶ καταλάβω, ἐφ᾽ ᾧ καὶ κατελήφθην (τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν, ἵνα ἀγαπήσω, ἐφ᾽ ᾧ καὶ ἠγαπήθην) ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ καταλαβεῖν ταύτην τὴν ἀγάπην, οὐκέτι ἕτερόν τι ἐννοεῖν κατεδέχετο, οὐ τὰ θλιβερὰ τούτου τοῦ σώματος, οὔτε τὰ θαύματα τῆς κτίσεως, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν σχεδὸν ἔννοιαν παρῃτεῖτο, μηδὲ πρὸς ὥραν τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας ἀποστερηθῆναι καταδεχόμενος. Ἐφανεροποίησε δὲ ὅσα διὰ τὴν πνευματικὴν ἀγάπην παρῃτεῖτο, καί φησι· Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θλίψις, ἢ στενοχωρία, ἢ διωγμός, ἢ λιμός, ἢ γυμνότης, ἢ κίνδυνος, ἢ μάχαιρα; καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ πάλιν· Πέπεισμαι, φησὶν, ὅτι οὔτε θάνατος, οὔτε ζωὴ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ πάλιν· Οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, καθότι οὐδὲν τοῦτο ἐννοεῖν ἡνείχετο, ἢ μόνον ἐκεῖ παραμένειν. Ερώτησις Πῶς πρὸ βραχέος εἴρηκας, ὅτι τελείως ἐνοικεῖ ἐν ἡμῖν τὸ Πνεῦμα; ᾿Απόκρισις. ᾿Απαρχὴν εἶπον, οὐ μέρος τι τοῦ παντὸς, οὐδὲ ὡς τομήν τινα τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰσάγων [οὔτε γὰρ τέμνεται, οὔτε ἀλλοιοῦται], ἀλλὰ τὸ ἡμῶν χωρητικὸν ἐμφαίνων, μὴ δυνάμενον χωρῆσαι πᾶσαν τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνέργειαν, εἰ μὴ διὰ τῆς τελείας ἐντολῆς, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι διὰ θανάτου. Εἴπερ καὶ ὁ ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας Χριστοῦ θάνατος ἐντολὴ Θεοῦ ἐστιν. \"Ωσπερ οὖν ὁ ἥλιος ὧν τέλειος, τελείαν καὶ ἁπλῆν καὶ ἴσην ἅπασι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χάριν ἐπιβάλλει, λοιπὸν δὲ ἕκαστος καθόσον ἔχει τὸ ὄμμα κεκαθαρμένον, κατ᾿ αὐτὸν καὶ εἰσδέχεται φῶς · οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, πασῶν μὲν ἐνεργειῶν καὶ δωρεῶν τοὺς πιστεύοντας αὐτῷ δεκτικοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἐποίησε. Λοιπὸν δὲ οὐ πᾶσιν ὁμοτίμως τὰς δωρεὰς ἐνεργεῖν, ἀλλ᾿ ἑκάστῳ πρὸς ἀξίαν, κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν, ὅσον μαρτυρῆσαι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἔργοις, καὶ φανεροποιῆσαι τὸ μέτρον τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως. Διὸ, φησὶν, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν, κράζον· Ἀββᾶ, ὁ Πατήρ· καὶ, Αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα συμμαρτυρεῖ τῷ πνεύματι ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐσμὲν τέκνα Θεοῦ. Ὅτι δὲ οὐδεὶς ἑαυτῷ ἐκκόπτει τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Χριστὸς μόνος κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως, ἄκουε τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου λέγοντος, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς· καὶ πάλιν· Συνίστησι δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπην εἰς ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι ἔτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ἡμῶν ὄντων, Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανε· καὶ, Συνετάφημεν αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἵνα, ὥσπερ ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ἐκ νεκρῶν, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς περιπατήσωμεν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ, ὅτι Ὁ ἀποθανὼν δεδικαίωται ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· καὶ, ὅτι Χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι διὰ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται· καὶ πάλιν· Ἧτε γάρ ποτε σκότος, νῦν δὲ φῶς ἐν Κυρίῳ. Ως τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε· καὶ πάλιν Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐσμὲν παιδίσκης τέκνα, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐλευθέρας. Τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ οὖν, ᾗ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἠλευθέρωσε στήκετε· καὶ πάλιν· Ὡς ἐλεύθεροι, καὶ μὴ ὡς ἐπικάλυμμα ἔχοντες τῆς κακίας τὴν ἐλευθερίαν. Βλέπεις πῶς δι' ὧν σὺ λέγεις ἀγῶνα ἐκκόπτειν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ταῦτα καινότητος, καὶ ἐλευθερίας, καὶ φωτὸς ἔργα λέγει ἡ Γραφή; Φανεροῖ δὲ καὶ αὐτεξουσίου παρατροπὰς, ἃς σὺ λέγεις εἶναι τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίαν. Τὸ γὰρ, ῾Ὡς ἐπικάλυμμα τῆς κακίας ἔχειν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν· καὶ, Λυπεῖν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· καὶ, Ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν· καὶ τὸ, Ἐναρξαμένους πνεύματι, νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθαι· καὶ, ὅτι ᾿Οφειλέται ·ἐσμὲν, οὐ τῇ σαρκὶ, τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ζῇν, ταῦτα καὶ τοιαῦτα εἰδυῖα ἡ Γραφή, ὅτι ποιεῖν αὐτὰ ἢ μὴ ποιεῖν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι, διὰ τοῦτο οὐχὶ Σατανᾶν, οὐδὲ τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡμᾶς μέμφεται. Εἰ δὲ βούλει νουνεχῶς ἀκοῦσαι, εἴπω σοι τῶν πάντων κεφαλαιωδέστερον. Σὺ τοὺς λογισμούς μετασχηματικοὺς λέγεις εἶναι τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίαν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος φανερῶς καὶ ἀριδήλως περὶ τῆς κακονοίας ταύτης, ὡς αἰτίοις ἡμῖν ἐγκαλεῖ, λέγων· Μὴ σχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν. Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ ἡμετέρου θελήματος, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ τυραννίδος, καὶ ἐγκατάλειμμα τῆς τοῦ ᾿Αδὰμ ἁμαρτίας, διὰ τί ἡμεῖς ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς ἐγκαλούμεθα, οἱ ἀκουσίως ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐνεργούμενοι, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ τυραννούμενοι; \"Ἆρα καὶ ἀναιτίως μέλλομεν κολάζεσθαι; Ἢ τάχα καὶ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς, τὰ ὑπὲρ φύσιν προστάξας, καὶ παρὰ φύσιν ζητῶν ἡμῖν τὰ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν; ᾿Αλλ' οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο· μὴ γένοιτο! Ἑπεὶ ἐγώ σε ἐρωτήσω, καὶ δός μοι ἀπόκρισιν. Ὅσην ἔχει ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν εὐσεβείας δύναμιν, ταύτην καθ' ἡμέραν κεχρεωστήκαμεν τῷ Θεῷ προσφέρειν ἢ οὔ; Πάντως ἐρεῖς μοι, ὅτι Ναὶ, ἐπειδὴ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦτο φύσει κεχάρισται, καὶ κατὰ δύναμιν τὰς ἐντολὰς ἔθετο. Οὐκοῦν εἰ ·· σήμερον αὐτῷ προσφέρομεν ἀγαθὸν, σημερινόν ἐστι χρέος, δεῖξόν μοι λοιπὸν τῆς παλαιᾶς ἁμαρτίας ἀνταπόδομα, ἤτοι τῆς σῆς, ἤτοι τῆς ᾿Αδάμ. Ἐγὼ δέ σοι λέγω, ὅτι οὐ μόνον τοῦτο οὐκ ἔχεις δεῖξαι, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ τὸ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν ἀνελλιπῶς ἀποδοῦναι. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον τοῦτο; Ἐκ τοῦ μὴ πάντοτε ἐν ταῖς αὐταῖς ἀρεταῖς εὑρίσκεσθαι. Ὅσον γὰρ ἂν σήμερον προσθείης τῇ ἀρετῇ, τοσοῦτον ἠλέγχθης χρεώστης εἶναι τῆς παρελθούσης, φανεροποιήσας τὴν τῆς φύσεως δύναμιν. Ἐδείχθη γὰρ διὰ τῆς σήμερον προσθήκης, ὅτι οὐ φύσεως, ἀλλὰ θελήματος πρόσθεσίς ἐστιν ἡ ἔλλειψις, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀναιρούμεθα. Ερώτησις. Δεδόσθω ταῦτα οὕτω ἔχειν· ὅμως ἓν οἶδα, ὅτι, εἰ μὴ ὁ ᾿Ἀδὰμ παρέβη, ἐγὼ τῆς τοῦ κακοῦ προσβολῆς πεῖραν οὐκ ἐλάμβανον. Απόκρισις. Οὐδὲ τοῦτο ὀρθῶς εἴρηκας· τὸ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ κακοῦ προσβολῆς ἄπειρον εἶναι, ἀτρέπτου φύσεώς ἐστιν, οὐχὶ δὲ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης· ἡμεῖς γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἀδὰμ μιᾶς φύσεώς ἐσμεν. Ἔδει κἀκεῖνον καθ' ἡμᾶς εἶναι, καὶ ἡμᾶς κατ᾿ ἐκεῖνον. Οὐκοῦν πειθέτω σε αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι οὔτε ἄτρεπτος ἦν, οὔτε μονομερῶς κακότρεπτος, καὶ οὐκ ἀνάγκῃ φύσεως παρέβη τὴν ἐντολὴν, ἀλλ᾽ εὐδοκίᾳ θελήματος. Ωσπερ ἐκεῖνος δεκτικὸς μὲν ἦν τῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ προσβολῆς ὑπακοῦσαι, εἶχε δὲ τὴν ἐξουσίαν, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς.","t":"Question. How does Scripture say that Jerusalem is heavenly, while you have said that it is in the heart? Answer. Not only Jerusalem, but also the other good things that the righteous will receive in the resurrection, we know are above. But their pledges and firstfruits are at work spiritually from now on in the hearts of those firm in faith, so that, being fully assured about the things to come, we may despise all present things and love God until death. That is why he did not say, “You are to come,” but, “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” For we have become capable of receiving these things from baptism; but only those firm in faith are counted worthy to obtain them, who for the love of Christ die daily, that is, rise above every thought of the life here and think of nothing else but when they will reach perfect love of Christ, which is the inner opening of the heart, where Jesus entered as forerunner. Seeking this at the beginning holy Paul said, “But I press on, if I may lay hold of that for which I was also laid hold of” (that is, that I may love, as I was also loved) “by Christ.” After laying hold of this love, he no longer consented to think of anything else, neither the hardships of this body nor the wonders of creation, but declined almost every thought, not consenting to be deprived even for an hour of the working of the Spirit. He made plain what he declined for the sake of spiritual love, and says, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Affliction, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” and the rest; and again, “I am persuaded,” he says, “that neither death nor life,” and the rest; and again, “nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” since he could not bear to think of any of these, but only to remain there. Question. How did you say a little while ago that the Spirit dwells in us perfectly? Answer. I spoke of firstfruits, not introducing some part of the whole, nor any division of the Spirit, but indicating our capacity, which cannot contain the whole working of the Spirit except through the perfect commandment, that is, through death; since death for the truth of Christ too is a commandment of God. Just as the sun, being perfect, casts its favour perfect, simple, and equal upon all, while each receives light in proportion as he has his eye cleansed, so also the Holy Spirit has made those who believe in him capable of all workings and gifts from baptism. But thereafter he works his gifts not equally in all, but in each according to worth, in proportion to the practice of the commandments, so as to bear witness to good works and make plain the measure of faith in Christ. That is why, it says, “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father’”; and, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” That no one cuts out Adam's sin for himself, but Christ alone, in proportion to faith in him, hear the apostle saying, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures”; and again, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us”; and, “We were buried with him through baptism, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead, we too might walk in newness of life,” and the rest; and, “Whoever has died has been justified from sin”; and, “By grace you have been saved through faith, and not from works, so that no one may boast”; and again, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light”; and again, “We are not children of the slave woman but of the free. Stand fast, then, in the freedom with which Christ has set us free”; and again, “As free, and not having your freedom as a cover for wickedness.” Do you see how the things through which you say struggle cuts out sin, Scripture calls works of newness, of freedom, and of light? And it also makes plain the turnings of free will, which you say are Adam's sin. For “having freedom as a cover for wickedness,” and “grieving the Holy Spirit,” and “doing the will of the flesh and of the thoughts,” and “having begun in the Spirit, now being made perfect by the flesh,” and “we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh”: Scripture, knowing these and such things, that it is in our power to do them or not, for this reason blames not Satan nor Adam's sin, but us. And if you wish to hear with understanding, let me tell you the most principal point of all. You say that thoughts that change their shape are Adam's sin; and see, blessed Paul clearly and plainly reproaches us about this evil mind as being ourselves the cause, saying, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” If these things are not of our will but of Satan's tyranny and a remnant of Adam's sin, why are we reproached by Scripture, we who are worked upon unwillingly by sin and tyrannized by Satan? Are we then to be punished without cause? Or perhaps God is unjust, commanding what is above nature and requiring of us, against nature, what is beyond our power? But it is not so; far from it! For let me ask you, and give me an answer. Do we owe it to offer God daily as much power of godliness as our nature has, or not? You will certainly tell me, “Yes, since God gave this by nature and laid down the commandments according to our power.” Then if the good we offer him today is today's debt, show me now the repayment for the old sin, whether yours or Adam's. But I tell you that not only can you not show this, but you cannot even repay the daily debt without fail. And how is this clear? From our not always being found in the same virtues. For as much as you add to virtue today, so much are you proved a debtor for the past, having made plain the power of nature. For it has been shown through today's addition that the lack is not of nature but of will, and for this reason we are destroyed by sin. Question. Let it be granted that this is so; yet one thing I know: if Adam had not transgressed, I would not have experienced the provocation of evil. Answer. Neither have you said this rightly. For to be without experience of the provocation of evil belongs to an unchangeable nature, not to human nature; and we and Adam are of one nature. He had to be as we are, and we as he. Let that first man himself persuade you that he was neither unchangeable nor wholly prone to evil, and that he transgressed the commandment not by necessity of nature but by the consent of his will. Just as he was capable of obeying Satan's provocation, but had the power, so are we.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 4.1 (PG 65:1009; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/4-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/4.2":{"o":"Ἐρώτησις. Τάχα νῦν ἀνέχομαί σου, ὅτι τὴν προσβολὴν τοῦ Σατανᾶ οὐκ ἀναιρεῖς. Ἀπόκρισις. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις ἀνεῖλον πώποτε. Οἶδα γὰρ καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ πειρασθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ τὴν Γραφὴν λέγουσαν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις· καὶ πάλιν, Ἀντίστητε τῷ διαβόλῳ, καὶ φεύξεται ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν· καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ, Ὁ ἀντίδικος ὑμῶν διάβολος, ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος περιπατεῖ, ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ. ᾿Αλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡμεῖς τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς, οὐχ ἡμῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἑτέρων τινῶν εἶναι νομίζομεν, ποτὲ μὲν λέγοντες αὐτοὺς εἶναι τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίαν, ποτὲ δὲ αὐτὸν τὸν Σατανᾶ, ποτὲ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Σατανᾶ προσβολήν, τούτου χάριν λέγομεν, ὅτι ἄλλο τί ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτία, καὶ ἄλλο ὁ Σατανᾶς, καὶ ἄλλο ἡ τοῦ Σατανᾶ προσβολή, καὶ ἕτερον οἱ πονηροὶ ἡμῶν λογισμοὶ, κἂν ἐκ προσβολῆς τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἔχωσι. Σατανᾶς μὲν γὰρ ἐστιν αὐτὴ ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου ὑπόστασις, ἡ καὶ τὸν Κύριον πειράζειν ἐπιχειρήσασα· ἁμαρτία δὲ τοῦ πρώτου Ἀδὰμ, ἐστὶν ἡ τῆς ἐντολῆς παράβασις τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου προσβολὴ δὲ τοῦ Σατανᾶ, ἐστὶ μονολόγιστος ἐμφάνεια πράγματος πονηροῦ, ἥτις ἑαυτῷ προσεγγίσαι τῷ νῷ ἡμῶν δι᾽ ὀλιγοπιστίας εὑρίσκει. Ἐντολὴν γὰρ ἡμῶν λαβόντων τοῦ μηδὲν μεριμνᾶν, ἀλλὰ πάσῃ φυλακῇ τηρεῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καρδίαν, καὶ ζητεῖν ἐντὸς ἡμῶν οὖσαν τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὅταν ἀποστῇ ὁ νοῦς τῆς καρδίας καὶ τῆς προειρημένης ζητήσεως, εὐθέως δίδωσι τόπον τῇ τοῦ διαβόλου προσβολῇ καὶ γίνεται δεκτικὸς τῆς πονηρᾶς ὑποθέσεως. Ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ τότε κινεῖν ὁ διάβολος τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἡμῶν κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἔχει, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἂν ἡμῶν ἐφείσατο, πᾶσαν κακὴν ἔννοιαν ἀναγκαστικῶς ἐπιφέρων, καὶ μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν ἐννοεῖν συγχωρῶν· ἐξουσίαν δὲ μόνον ἔχει μονολογίστως ἐν πρωτονοίᾳ ὑποδεικνύειν τὰ πονηρά δόγματα τοῦ πειράζειν ἡμῶν τὸ ἐνδιάθετον, τοῦ ῥέπειν πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου ὑπόθεσιν, ἢ πρὸς τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις ἀντίκεινται· ὅθεν ἡμεῖς, ἐφ᾽ οἷς μὲν ἀγαπῶμεν, εὐθέως πρὸς τὸ ὑπόδειγμα ἀνακινοῦμεν τοὺς λογισμοὺς, καὶ ἐμπαθῶς προσομιλοῦμεν κατὰ διάνοιαν τῷ ὑποβληθέντι πράγματι· ἐφ᾽ οἷς δὲ μισοῦμεν, συγχρονίζειν οὐ δυνάμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν μισοῦμεν τὴν προσβολήν. Ἡ δὲ μισουμένη παραμένει γίνεται γάρ], πλὴν οὐκ ἐκ διαθέσεως προσφάτου, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ παλαιᾶς προ[σ]λήψεως ὠχύρωται· διὸ καὶ ἀπρόσκοπ[τ]ος ἵσταται ἐν τῷ τόπῳ καὶ μονολόγιστος, ὑπὸ τῆς καρδιακῆς ἀηδείας εἰς πολύνοιαν καὶ πάθος προσβῆναι κωλυομένη· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει φύσιν ἡ μονοπρόσωπος ἐμφάνεια μισουμένη, παρὰ τοῦ προσέχοντος ἑαυτὸν, βίᾳ κατασῦραι τὸν νοῦν εἰς τὸ τῆς πολυνοίας πάθος, εἰ μὴ διὰ ἡδυπαθείας καρδιακῆς μόνης. Ὥστε ἡμεῖς τῆς ἡδυπαθείας εἰ παντελῶς ἀποστῶμεν, οὐδὲ τῶν προ[σ]λήψεων μονολόγιστος ἐμφάνεια βλάψαι ἡμᾶς ἔτι δύναται, καὶ τὴν συνείδησιν πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν τῶν μελλόντων κατακρίνειν. Ἐπιγνόντος γὰρ τοῦ νοὸς τὴν ἀργὴν τῆς προ[σ]λήψεως ἔνστασιν, καὶ ἐξομολογουμένου τῷ Θεῷ τὴν παλαιὰν αἰτίαν, εὐθέως ἀναιρεῖται καὶ οὗτος ὁ πειρασμός. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ νοῦς ἐξουσίαν ἔχει προσέχειν τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ πάσῃ φυλακῇ τηρεῖν αὐτὴν, εἰς τὰ ἐνδότερα αὐτῆς ἀνενόχλητα ταμεῖα εἰσελθεῖν πειρώμενος, ἔνθα οὐκ εἰσὶ πονηρῶν λογισμῶν ἄνεμοι, βιαίως ὠθοῦντες καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἐπὶ τοὺς κρημνοὺς τῆς ἡδυπαθείας, καὶ εἰς φρέατα ἀσφάλτου καταβάλλοντες· οὔτε πλατεῖά τις καὶ εὐρύχωρος ὁδὸς, ῥήμασί τε καὶ σχήμασι κοσμικῆς σοφίας κατατετρωμένη, καὶ δελεάζουσα τοὺς ἑπομένους αὐτῇ, κἂν λίαν φρόνιμοι τυγχάνουσι. Τὰ δὲ καθαρὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐνδότερα ταμεῖα, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Χριστοῦ γυμνὸν οὐκ εἰσδέχονται μηδὲν ἐπιφερόμενον τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, μὴ εὔλογον, μὴ ἄλογον, εἰ μὴ τὰ τρία ταῦτα, ἃ εἶπεν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος, πίστιν, ἐλπίδα, ἀγάπην. Δύναται οὖν τις φιλαλήθης ὧν καὶ καρδιοπονεῖν βουλόμενος, μηδὲ ὑπὸ τῶν προλήψεων ἐξωσθῆναι κατὰ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἣν προειρήκαμεν ἀλλὰ προσέχειν τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ προκόπτειν εἰς τὸ ἐνδότερον, καὶ ἐγγίζειν τῷ Θεῷ μόνον, ἵνα ἐπὶ τῆς προσοχῆς καὶ παραμονῆς πόνοις μὴ ἀηδίζηται. Οὐ δύναται γὰρ μὴ καρδιοπονεῖν ὁ προσεκτικὸς τῶν λογιστικῶν μετεωρισμῶν καὶ σαρκικῶν ἡδονῶν, ἑαυτὸν καθ' ἡμέραν, οὐκ ἔξωθεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔνδοθεν περιγράφων· ἐν οἷς πολλάκις καὶ ἔννοια καὶ πρᾶξις ἀνεστράφη. \"Οθεν, τὴν μὲν μονολόγιστον προσβολὴν, ἀναγκαστικὴν οἴδαμεν, διὰ τὸ καὶ μισουμένην παραμένειν· τὴν δὲ τῶν ἐπαγομένων λογισμῶν ὁμιλίαν, προαιρετικήν. Ἔδειξαν δὲ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντες ἐν τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς παραβάσεως ᾿Αδάμ, τὴν μὲν προσβολὴν κωλῦσαι μὴ δυνηθέντες, τὴν δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁμιλίαν καὶ προσπάθειαν καθόλου παραιτησάμενοι. Ερώτησις. Εἰ τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ παράβασιν κατὰ ἀνάγκην οὐ παρεδεξάμεθα; Ο ἐστιν ἡ λογιστικὴ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτία. Απόκρισις. Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ Ἀδὰμ παράβασις, ἀλλ᾽ ἔλεγχος τῆς ἑκάστου ἡδυπαθείας. ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐδὲ τὴν παράβασιν διεδεξάμεθα. Ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὴν διαδοχὴν, ἀνάγκῃ ἔδει πάντας παραβάτας εἶναι, καὶ μὴ ἐγκαλεῖσθαι ὑπὸ Θεοῦ κατὰ ἀνάγκην φυσικῆς διαδοχῆς παραβαίνοντας. Νῦν δὲ οὐχ οὕτως· οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντες παραβαίνομεν τὴν ἐντολὴν, οὐδὲ πάντες φυλάττομεν. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι οὐ κατὰ ἀνάγκην ἐστὶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡδυπάθεια ἡ παράβασις. Εἰ δὲ λέγεις διὰ ταύτην ἐληλυθέναι τὸν Κύριον· διὰ τί ταύτην οὐκ ἀνήρει ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἕκαστος ἐξουσίαν ἔχει παραβῆναι, ἢ μὴ παραβῆναι; Οὐκοῦν τὴν παράβασιν προαιρετικὴν οὖσαν, καθὼς ἀποδέδεικται, οὐδεὶς ἐξ ἀνάγκης διεδέξατο· τὸν δὲ ἐκ ταύτης θάνατον ἀναγκαστικὸν ὄντα διεδεξάμεθα· ὅς ἐστι Θεοῦ ἀλλοτρίωσις. ᾿Αποθανόντος γὰρ τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ἀλλοτριωθέντος ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὔτε ἡμεῖς ζῇν ἐν Θεῷ ἡδυνάμεθα· διὸ ἦλθεν ὁ Κύριος, ἵνα ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας ζωοποιήσῃ, καὶ καταλλάξῃ τῷ Θεῷ, ὁ καὶ πεποίηκεν. Οὐκοῦν οὐ τὴν παράβασιν διεδεξάμεθα, ἐπειδὴ κἀκεῖνον ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐκράτησεν, ὃς ἐβασίλευε καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντας ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς παραβάσεως ᾿Αδάμ. Ερώτησις. Δεδόσθω ὅτι τὴν παράβασιν θελήματι ἔσχεν ὁ ᾿Αδὰμ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁμοφυεῖς ὄντες καὶ ἡμεῖς θέλήματι ἐκπίπτομεν· μὴ καὶ τὴν προσβολήν θελήματι ἔσχεν; Απόκρισις. Ναὶ τὴν προσβολὴν κατὰ ἀνάγκην ἔσχεν. Ἀλλ᾽ ἡ προσβολὴ οὔτε ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν, οὔτε δικαιοσύνη, ἀλλ᾿ ἔλεγχος τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου ἡμῶν θελήματος. Διὸ καὶ προσβάλλειν ἡμῖν παρεχωρήθη, ἵνα τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐντολὴν ῥέποντας στεφανίτας, ἀποδείξῃ ὡς πιστούς τοὺς δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἡδονὴν κατεγνωσμένους, ὡς ἀπίστους. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ εἰδέναι ἡμᾶς χρὴ, ὅτι οὐ καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ἡμῶν τροπὴν εὐθέως δόκιμοι ἢ ἀδόκιμοι κρινόμεθα· ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν ὅλην ἡμῶν τὴν ἐν σαρκὶ ζωὴν διὰ τῶν προσβολῶν δοκιμασθῶμεν, νικῶντες, νικώμενοι· πίπτοντες, ἐγειρόμενοι· πλανώμενοι, εὐοδούμενοι · τότε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐξόδου πάντων συμψηφισθέντων, κατὰ ἀναλογίαν κρινόμεθα. Οὔτε οὖν ἡ προσβολή ἐστιν ἁμαρτία. Μὴ γένοιτο! Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐξ ἀνάγκης μονολογίστως δεικνύει τὰ πράγματα, ἀλλ᾿ ἡμεῖς ἐν Κυρίῳ ἐλάβομεν ἐξουσίαν πνευματικῆς ἐργασίας, καὶ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἀπὸ πρώτης ἐννοίας δοκιμάζειν τὸ βλαβερὸν καὶ τὸ ὠφέλιμον, καὶ ἀποβάλλειν ἢ προσδέχεσθαι τοὺς λογισμοὺς, οὐκ ἐξ ἀνάγκης, ἀλλ' ἐκ διαθέσεως πληθυνομένους. Θῶμεν δὲ κατὰ σὲ, ὅτι καὶ οὗτοι κατὰ ἀνάγκην καὶ διαδοχὴν ἀναφύονται διὰ τί ἡμᾶς ἡ θεία Γραφὴ κατακρίνει ἐπὶ τοῖς πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς; ἢ πῶς δυνάμεθα ἀποκλεῖσαι τοὺς ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ διαδοχῆς ἡμῖν ἐνοχλοῦντας; Εἰ δὲ μοι λέγεις · Δυνάμεθα διὰ τῆς χάριτος ἧς εἰλήφαμεν ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς· γνῶθι ὅτι καὶ οὕτως ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν αἴτιοι, ἔχοντες παρὰ Θεοῦ δύναμιν ἀποκλείειν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ πρώτης ἐννοίας καὶ ἀναδόσεως. Εἴ τις δὲ ἄλλον τινὰ ἴστησιν αἴτιον τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κακῶν, οὐ μόνον ἀδεῶς ἐξαμαρτάνει, ἀλλὰ καὶ βλασφημεῖ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς ἀναιτίως τοὺς ἀνθρώπους παραχωροῦντος πολεμεῖσθαι. Ερώτησις. Διὰ τί οὖν ἐγὼ βεβαπτισμένος, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλῶ, καὶ τὴν χάριν αὐτοῦ ἐπικαλοῦμαι, καὶ ὅλῳ θελήματι βούλομαι ῥυσθῆναι καὶ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι; Η δῆλον, ὅτι ἡ τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ παράβασις ταύτην ἡμῖν τὴν ἀπαραίτητον κληρονομίαν κατέλιπεν ᾿Απόκρισις. Ἔδει μὲν ἡμᾶς λογικοὺς ὄντας, εἰδέναι τί ἀκούομεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὑπὸ φιληδονίας καὶ κενοδοξίας σκοτισθεῖσα ἡ ψυχὴ εἰς τὸν βυθὸν τῆς ἀγνοίας καταπέπτωκεν, οὐκέτι οὔτε Γραφικῆς ἐντολῆς ἀκούει, οὔτε φυσικῆς ἀκολουθίας, οὔτε ἐμπείρων ἐπιστασίας · ἢ μόνον ταῖς ἐννοίαις ἀκολουθεῖν. Τίς γὰρ πιστεύων τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, καὶ ποιῶν τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐχ εὑρίσκει κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τὴν ὑπόλειψιν τῶν λογισμῶν, καὶ πληροφορεῖται, ὅτι οὐ κατ᾿ ἐξουσίαν κρατοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ὀλιγοπιστίαν ἡμῶν καὶ ἔλλειψιν τῶν ἐντολῶν; Διὸ οὐ πάντες τῇ καταστάσει ἴσοι ἐσμὲν, οὔτε ταῖς αὐταῖς ἐννοίαις ἐλαυνόμεθα, ἐπειδὴ προαιρετικαί εἰσιν αἱ τῶν λογισμῶν αἰτίαι. Εἰ γὰρ ἦσαν ἀναγκαστικαὶ ἐκ τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ, πάντες ἂν ὁμοίως ἐνηργούμεθα, καὶ ἀπαραιτήτως ἐκρατούμεθα· καὶ οὔτε Γραφικῆς νουθεσίας ἐδεόμεθα, φύσεως κατά διαδοχὴν κρατούσης, καὶ οὐ φιληδόνου θελήματος. Νῦν δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἐστίν. Μὴ γένοιτο ! Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁρῶμεν, ὅτι οὐ πάντες ὁμοίως ἐνεργούμεθα, οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς καιροῖς, οὔτε ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς πράγμασιν· ἀλλ᾽ ἕκαστος καθὸ ἂν ἐπίστευσε τῷ Κυρίῳ, περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, ἀνθρωπίνης δόξης, καὶ ἡδυπαθείας καταφρονήσας, τοσοῦτον καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀπέκλεισε, καὶ τοῦ ἡδυπαθοῦντος ἡσυχέστερος τυγχάνει. Διὰ τοῦτο ἕτερος ἑτέρου καὶ τῇ ἐννοίᾳ καὶ τῷ βίῳ διενηνόχαμεν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν καὶ τοῦτο σοφιζόμεθα τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ ζητοῦμεν οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν οὐ δι᾽ ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ, οὔτε δι' εὐτελείας καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης καρδιοπονοῦντες σβέσαι τοὺς λογισμοὺς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῆς κρυπτῆς ἡδυπαθείας, κενοδοξίας, λέγω, καὶ ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας, οἰήσεως καὶ φαντασμοῦ νίκης καὶ ἐπάρσεως, καὶ ἑτέρων τοιούτων, ὧν αἱ μὲν ἀποτυχίαι τοὺς ἐπιθυμητικοὺς πληθύνουσι λογισμούς, τούτου χάριν οὐ δυνάμεθα. Τί οὖν τὰς αἰτίας κρατοῦντες πειρώμεθα ἀποβάλλειν ἀδίκως τὰς προσφυεῖς αὐτῶν ἐνεργείας; Εἰ δὲ ψευδὴς ὁ λόγος, καὶ χωρὶς ἡμετέρας αἰτίας ὑπὸ τῶν λογισμῶν ἐνεργούμεθα, ἀκριβῶς ἐπισκεψώμεθα ὡς Θεῷ ἐξομολογούμενοι. Τίς οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅτι καὶ ἔργῳ, καὶ λόγῳ, καὶ διανοίᾳ τὰ προειρημένα πάθη ἐπισπώμεθα καθ' ἡμέραν καὶ τοὺς μὲν συνεργοῦντας ἀγαπῶμεν, ὡς εὐεργέτας τοὺς δὲ ἐμποδίζοντας, ὡς ἐχθροὺς ἀποστρεφόμεθα Εἰ δὲ οὕτω τὰ προειρημένα πάθη ἀγαπῶμεν, ὡς καὶ προφανῶς αὐτὰ διεκδικεῖν, πῶς τὴν μονολόγιστον αὐτῶν προσβολήν μισήσομεν ; Τῆς πρωτονοίας δὲ παραδεχθείσης, πῶς οἱ ταύτης ἀπηρτισμένοι λογισμοὶ μὴ ἀκολουθήσωσιν;","t":"Question. Perhaps I now bear with you, since you do not do away with the provocation of Satan. Answer. Neither in what was said before did I ever do away with it. For I know that Job was tempted by the devil, and that Scripture says, “Our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”; and again, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”; and elsewhere, “Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” But since we consider evil thoughts to be not ours but someone else's, saying sometimes that they are Adam's sin, sometimes Satan himself, sometimes Satan's provocation, for this reason we say that Adam's sin is one thing, Satan another, Satan's provocation another, and our evil thoughts yet another, even if they take their occasions from provocation. Satan is the very person of the devil, who also dared to tempt the Lord; the sin of the first Adam is the first man's transgression of the commandment; and Satan's provocation is the appearance, in a single thought, of an evil thing, which finds a way to approach our mind through little faith. For we received a commandment to be anxious about nothing, but to keep one's heart with all watchfulness and seek the kingdom of heaven which is within us; when the mind withdraws from the heart and from this seeking, it at once gives place to the devil's provocation and becomes receptive to the evil suggestion. But not even then does the devil have power to move our thoughts by force; otherwise he would not have spared us, bringing every evil thought by compulsion and allowing us to think nothing good. He has power only to show evil suggestions in a single thought at the first thought, to test our inner disposition, whether it inclines to his suggestion or to God's commandment, since these are opposed to each other. Hence, toward the things we love, we at once stir up our thoughts toward the example, and converse passionately in the mind with the thing put forward; but with the things we hate we cannot linger, but hate the provocation itself. A hated provocation does remain, yet not from a recent disposition; it is entrenched from an old prepossession. That is why it stands in its place without advancing and as a single thought, prevented by the heart's distaste from going on to much thinking and to passion. For a hated single appearance has no power by nature to drag the mind by force from the one who attends to himself into the passion of much thinking, except through the heart's self-indulgence alone. So if we wholly withdraw from self-indulgence, not even the single appearance of prepossessions can harm us any more, or condemn our conscience, for the security of the future. For when the mind recognizes the idle presence of the prepossession and confesses the old cause to God, this temptation too is at once destroyed. And again the mind has power to attend to the heart and keep it with all watchfulness, trying to enter its inner, undisturbed chambers, where there are no winds of evil thoughts driving soul and body violently onto the cliffs of self-indulgence and casting them into pits of asphalt; nor any broad and spacious road, trodden with the words and forms of worldly wisdom, enticing those who follow it, however prudent they may be. The pure inner chambers of the soul and the house of Christ receive no one who brings anything of this age, reasonable or unreasonable, except these three, which the apostle named: faith, hope, love. One who loves the truth and is willing to labour in heart can, then, not be driven out even by prepossessions, according to the sequence we have described, but attend to the heart, advance inward, and draw near to God alone, so as not to grow weary of the labours of attention and perseverance. For one who attends to the wanderings of thought and the pleasures of the flesh cannot help labouring in heart, daily circumscribing himself not only outwardly but also inwardly, in which both thought and deed have often been overturned. Hence we know the single-thought provocation to be compulsory, since it remains even when hated; but converse with the thoughts that follow, to be chosen. Those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression showed this: they could not prevent the provocation, but wholly refused converse and attachment to it. Question. Did we not receive Adam's transgression by necessity, which is our sin in thought? Answer. It is not Adam's transgression but the exposure of each person's self-indulgence. Nor did we inherit the transgression. For by inheritance all would necessarily have had to be transgressors, and not be accused by God, transgressing by necessity of natural succession. But now it is not so; for neither do we all transgress the commandment, nor do we all keep it. Hence it is clear that transgression is not by necessity but is self-indulgence. And if you say the Lord came because of it, why did he not destroy it in baptism, but still now each has the power to transgress or not to transgress? So no one inherited by necessity the transgression, since it is voluntary, as has been shown; but we inherited the death that came from it, which is compulsory, and which is estrangement from God. For when the first man died, that is, was estranged from God, neither could we live in God. That is why the Lord came, to make us alive through the washing of regeneration and reconcile us to God, which he has done. So we did not inherit the transgression, since necessity ruled him too, which “reigned even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression.” Question. Let it be granted that Adam had the transgression by will, and that for this reason we too, being of the same nature, fall by will; did he not also have the provocation by will? Answer. Yes, he had the provocation by necessity. But provocation is neither sin nor righteousness, but a test of our free will. That is why it was permitted to provoke us, to show those who incline to the commandment crowned as faithful, and those condemned for inclining to pleasure as unbelieving. And we must know this too: we are not judged approved or unapproved at once at each of our turnings; but when we have been tested through provocations through our whole life in the flesh, conquering, conquered, falling, rising, straying, prospering, then on the day of our departure, when all has been reckoned together, we are judged in proportion. So provocation is not sin. Far from it! For even if by necessity it shows things in a single thought, we have received in the Lord power for spiritual work, and it is in our power from the first thought to test what is harmful and what is beneficial, and to cast off or accept the thoughts that multiply not by necessity but by disposition. But suppose, as you say, that these too spring up by necessity and inheritance: why does the divine Scripture condemn us for evil thoughts? Or how can we shut out those that trouble us by necessity and inheritance? And if you tell me, “We can, by the grace we have received from baptism, according to the Scriptures,” know that even so we are the cause, having power from God to shut them out from the first thought and arising. And whoever makes someone else the cause of his own evils not only sins without fear but also blasphemes against God, as permitting people to be warred against without cause. Question. Why then, though baptized, do I entreat God, call upon his grace, and wish with my whole will to be rescued and freed from evil thoughts, and cannot? Is it not clear that Adam's transgression left us this inescapable inheritance? Answer. Being rational, we ought to know what we hear. But since the soul, darkened by love of pleasure and vainglory, has fallen into the depth of ignorance, it no longer listens to the commandment of Scripture, nor to the natural sequence of things, nor to the guidance of the experienced, but only follows its thoughts. For who that believes the divine Scripture and does the Lord's commandments does not find the thoughts diminishing in proportion, and is not assured that they rule not by force but by our little faith and lack of the commandments? That is why we are not all equal in condition, nor driven by the same thoughts, since the causes of thoughts are matters of choice. For if they were compulsory from Adam, we would all be worked upon alike and held inescapably; and we would not need the admonition of Scripture, since nature by inheritance, and not a pleasure-loving will, would be ruling. But it is not so. Far from it! For see, we observe that we are not all worked upon alike, nor at the same times, nor in the same matters; but each, to the extent that he has believed the Lord about the good things to come and has despised human glory and self-indulgence, has shut out the thoughts and is quieter than the self-indulgent. For this reason we differ from one another both in thought and in life. Since, then, we even sophisticate against the truth in this, and seek to quench the thoughts not by faith in Jesus, that is, not by the practice of his commandments, nor by labouring in heart through lowliness and humility, but with hidden self-indulgence, I mean vainglory and the wish to please people, conceit, imagined victory and elation, and other such things, whose failures multiply the thoughts of desire: for this reason we cannot. Why then, holding on to the causes, do we try unjustly to cast off their fitting workings? And if this account is false, and we are worked upon by thoughts without our own cause, let us examine closely, as confessing to God. Who does not know that by deed, word, and thought we draw the passions mentioned to ourselves daily, and love those who help us as benefactors, and turn away from those who hinder us as enemies? And if we so love these passions as even to defend them openly, how shall we hate their single-thought provocation? And when the first thought has been accepted, how shall the thoughts attached to it not follow?","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 4.2 (PG 65:1013; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/4-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/4.3":{"o":"Ἐρώτησις. Εἰ καὶ ταῦτα θῶμεν οὕτως ἔχειν· οὕτως ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Κύριος ἐπηγγείλατο ποιῆσαι τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν βοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας. ᾿Απόκρισις. Ὁ μὲν Κύριος οὐ πρὸς τοὺς ἐγκειμένους ταῖς ἡδυπαθείαις θελήματι τὴν παραβολὴν λέγει, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ὑπὸ μόνων τῶν προσλήψεων πολεμουμένοις. Διὸ τοὺς μὲν ὑπὸ ἐχθρῶν ἀδικουμένους ἐκδικήσειν ἐπηγγείλατο, ἐκείνοις δὲ ὡς τὴν βοηθοῦσαν ἐντολὴν ἀποθεμένοις ἐγκαλεῖ, λέγων· Τι με καλεῖτε, Κύριε, Κύριε, καὶ οὐ ποιεῖτε ἃ λέγω; Οὓς καὶ παρεικάζει ἀνδρὶ μωρῷ ἐπὶ ψάμμου τῶν ἰδίων θελημάτων οίκοδομοῦντι τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ. Μὴ οὖν ἀστηρίκτῳ νῷ καὶ ἀλόγῳ βουλῇ πάσαις ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὑπονοίαις ὡς ἀληθιναῖς ἐπερείδου, ποτὲ μὲν λέγων, ὅτι Ἐγὼ βεβάπτισμαι, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλῶ, καὶ τὴν χάριν αὐτοῦ ἐπισπῶμαι, ὅλῳ θελήματι βουλόμενος ῥυσθῆναι τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι, ὡς ἀναιτίως ὑπὸ τῶν λογισμῶν κρατούμενος· ποτὲ δὲ πάλιν τὴν ἐκδίκησιν περιμένων τοῦ Κυρίου, ἣν ποιῆσαι ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις κατηγγείλαμεν, πανταχοῦ σεαυτὸν ἀναίτιον ἱστῶν· ὅπερ μεγάλης ἐστὶ βλασφημίας. \"Όμως ἐρωτήσω σε κἀγὼ τῆς οἰήσεως νόημα, καὶ δός μοι ἀπόκρισιν. Οἶδα δὲ, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας σφιγγόμενος, ἢ μείζονος ἐπάρσεως ῥήματα λαλήσεις, ἢ τὴν σεαυτοῦ αἰτίαν ὁμολογήσεις.","t":"Question. Even if we grant that this is so, still in the Gospels the Lord promised to avenge those who cry to him night and day. Answer. The Lord does not speak the parable to those who are given over to self-indulgence by their will, but to those who are warred upon by prepossessions alone. That is why he promised to avenge those wronged by enemies, but reproaches the others as having laid aside the commandment that helps them, saying, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” He also likens them to a foolish man who builds his house on the sand of his own wishes. Do not, then, with an unsteady mind and irrational counsel, lean on all your own suspicions as though they were true, saying at one time, “I have been baptized, and I entreat God, and draw down his grace, wishing with my whole will to be rescued from evil thoughts, and I cannot,” as though held by thoughts without cause; and at another time waiting for the Lord's vengeance, which we announced he would carry out in the Gospels, setting yourself up everywhere as blameless, which is great blasphemy. Yet let me too ask you a thought of conceit, and give me an answer. I know that, pressed by the truth, you will either speak words of greater elation or confess your own responsibility.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 4.3 (PG 65:1021; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/4-3)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/4.4":{"o":"Ἐρώτησις. Διὰ τί ὁ Κύριος εἰπὼν, Ἐν τάχει ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν, οὐ ποιεῖ ἐν τάχει, ἀλλὰ βραδύνει, καὶ ἀφίησί σε ἐν τοῖς πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς, καίτοι όλοκαρδίως καὶ ἀνενδοιάστως εὐχόμενον, καθὼς εἴρηκας; Απόκρισις. Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, ἐγὼ λογίζομαι, ὅτι δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον βραδύνει, ἢ διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ὑπομονήν· ὅσον γὰρ ἄν τις ὑπομείνῃ πολεμούμενος, τοσοῦτον καὶ δοξασθήσεται. Ἐγὼ μὲν ἐδόκουν μόνης τῆς περιεχούσης σε οἰήσεως προσενέγκαι ἀπόκρισιν· σὺ δὲ καὶ βλασφημίαν προσέθηκας. Ἵνα γὰρ σεαυτοῦ ψευδώνυμον ὑπομονὴν ἐπιγράψῃς, ἔστησας τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰδίου λόγου ψευδόμενον· καὶ τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς, οὐκέτι κατὰ τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν, πονηρίας, καὶ ἡδυπαθείας, καὶ πάσης ἁμαρτίας παρεκτικοὺς, ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἐκπορευομένους, κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ κοινοῦντας τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπομονῶν αἰτίους. Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδέποτε τοὺς τοῖς πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς συνεχομένους, ὑπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς ἐπαινουμένους εὔρηκα, οὔτε ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, οὔτε ἐν τῇ Καινῇ Διαθήκῃ, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὡς αἰτίους καὶ κατακρινομένους ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ, ὥσπερ τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς μισεί, οὕτω καὶ τὴν γεννῶσαν αὐτοὺς καρδίαν. Διὸ οἱ ἔχοντες αὐτοὺς, πενθεῖν ὀφείλομεν ὡς φιλαμαρτήμονες, καὶ μὴ φυσιοῦσθαι ὡς πολεμοῦντες ἀλλοτρίοις κακοῖς. Γνῶθι οὖν, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, ὅτι ὁ Κύριος ἐφορᾷ τὰς πάντων καρδίας, καὶ τοὺς μὲν μισοῦντας τῶν πονηρῶν ἐνθυμημάτων τὴν πρωτόνοιαν παραχρῆμα ἐκδικεῖ, καθὼς ἐπηγγείλατο, καὶ οὐκ ἐπαφίησι τὸν ἐσμὸν τῆς πολυνοίας ἐπαναστάντα μολῦναι αὐτῶν τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν συνείδησιν· τοὺς δὲ τὰς πρώτας ἀναδόσεις μὴ διὰ πίστεως καὶ ἐλπίδος καταβάλλοντας, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ καταμανθάνειν δῆθεν καὶ δοκιμάζειν προσηδυπαθοῦντας, ἀφίησιν, ὡς ἀπίστους καὶ αὐτοβοηθοῦντας, περικρουσθῆναι καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐφεπομένων λογισμῶν· οὓς διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναιρεῖ, ἐπειδὴ βλέπει τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς προσβολὴν ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν ἀγαπωμένην, καὶ μὴ ἐκ πρώτης ἀφανείας μισουμένην. Εἰ δὲ τις μετὰ τοσαύτην φανερολογίαν ἀπιστεῖ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ἔργῳ ἐπιτηδευσάτω μαθεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Εἰ δὲ οὔτε τῇ Γραφῇ πιστεύει, οὔτε ἔργῳ βούλεται ἑαυτὸν πληροφορῆσαι, δῆλός ἐστιν ἀγαπῶν τὴν᾿ ἡδονὴν τῆς οἰήσεως. Τί γὰρ ταύτης ἡδυπαθέστερον, ἀλλοτρίαν τὴν λογικὴν ἁμαρτίαν ὑποτιθεμένης, καὶ γαυριᾷν καὶ ἐπαίρεσθαι, ὡς ἀναιτίους μᾶλλον, ἢ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι καὶ πενθεῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς πονηροῖς βουλεύμασι παρασκευαζούσης; Ερώτησις. Σὺ προείρηκας, ὅτι τὴν μὲν παράβασιν τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ οὐ διεδεξάμεθα, τὸν δὲ θάνατον αὐτοῦ διεδέχθημεν. Οὐκοῦν τοῦ θανάτου κρατοῦντος, κρατοῦσι καὶ οἱ πονηροὶ λογισμοί. ᾿Απόκρισις. Ὢ τῆς ἀπιστίας! Τί οὖν ἦλθεν ὁ Κύριος ἐν σαρκὶ, ἢ πάντως ἵνα εἷς ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀποθάνῃ, κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, καὶ καταργήσῃ τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι τὸν διάβολον; Εἰ δὲ ἔτι τὸν ἐκ τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ θάνατον κρατεῖν ἐκτὸς ἡμετέρας κακοπιστίας νομίζεις, δηλονότι καὶ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀθετεῖς, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ἀτέλεστον ἔχεις, ἔτι τῶν βεβαπτισμένων χωρὶς αἰτίας ἰδίας ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρικοῦ θανάτου κρατουμένων. Διὰ τοῦτο, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, πῶς χάριτι Χριστοῦ νέος Ἀδὰμ γέγονας, καὶ οὐδὲν τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐπιφέρεις, εἰ μή τι ἂν ἐκ τῆς σῆς κακοπιστίας καὶ παραβάσεως; Ήλθε δι᾽ ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος, ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἔλυσεν ἡμᾶς τοῦ πατρικοῦ θανάτου, καθαρίζει ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀνακαινίζει διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, τίθησιν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐσθίειν ἐπιτρέπει, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι πάντα βεβαπτισμένον ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀγαπᾶν καὶ ὑπομένειν ἐν τοῖς ἡττήμασι, καὶ μὴ ἐν ταῖς τροπαῖς ἕκαστον ἐφευρίσκειν. Καὶ ἐν μὲν τοῖς δοκοῦσι καλοῖς ἀγαπᾶν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς νομιζομένοις κακοῖς μισεῖν· ὅ ἐστι τὸ ξύλον τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν, οὗ ἀπογευσάμενος ὁ νοῦς, εὐθέως περιπίπτει τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἡττήμασι, καὶ εὑρίσκει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γύμνωσιν διὰ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐφευρέσεως, διὰ τοῦ πλησίον, ἣν πρῶτον οὐκ ἐπίστατο, διὰ συμπαθείας ἐπικεκαλυμμένην. Διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τεθεῖσιν ἐντέταλται, λέγων· Μὴ κρίνετε, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε· ἄφετε, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Σύντομον ἐπὶ τούτοις φησίν· \"Οσα θέλετε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς ὁμοίως. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται. Ὃν τρόπον ἐποίησας, ἔσται σοι. Ποσάκις οὖν τὰς ἐντολὰς ταύτας ἐβεβηλώσαμεν ! Ποσάκις τὸν πλησίον κατεκρίναμεν ἀσυμπαθῶς! Ποσάκις ἐμισήσαμεν, ἢ καὶ μηδὲν ἀδικοῦντας ἠδικήσαμεν! Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, τί ἔτι τὸν Ἀδὰμ μεμφόμεθα, καὶ ἑτέροις αἱτιώμεθα κακοῖς; Εἰ γὰρ δὴ καὶ περιεπέσαμεν τῷ ὁμοίῳ θανάτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁμοίως παρέβημεν τὴν ἐντολὴν θελήματι, καθὼς κἀκεῖνος. Τρία οὖν συμβέβηκε τῷ ᾿Ἀδὰμ πράγματα, καὶ οὐχὶ ὡς σὺ νομίζεις· ἅτινά ἐστι, προσβολὴ κατ' οἰκονομίαν, παράβασις κατὰ ἰδίαν ἀπιστίαν, θάνατος κατὰ δικαίαν κρίσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπακολουθήσας οὐχ ἧττον τῇ οἰκονομικῇ προσβολῇ, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐξ ἀπιστίας παραβάσει. Ἡμεῖς οὖν μόνον τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ διεδεξάμεθα· διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας γενέσθαι, ἕως οὗ ἦλθεν ὁ Κύριος, καὶ πάντας ἐζωοποίησε. Τὴν δὲ πρωτόνοιαν κατ' οἰκονομίαν ἔχομεν ὥσπερ κἀκεῖνος · καὶ τὸ παρακοῦσαι ἢ μὴ παρακοῦσαι κατὰ θέλημα ἔχομεν, ὥσπερ κἀκεῖνος. Καὶ πείθουσιν ἡμᾶς, ὅτι προαιρετικὴν ἔχομεν τὴν διὰ τῶν λογισμῶν παράβασιν οἱ μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντες ἐν τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς παραβάσεως ᾿Ἀδὰμ, καθὼς εἶπεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ὄντες ἐκεῖνοι ἠδυνήθησαν μὴ ἁμαρτῆσαι ἐν τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς παραβάσεως ᾿Ἀδὰμ, δηλονότι καὶ ἡμεῖς δυνάμεθα. Τί οὖν προφασιζόμεθα προφάσεις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις, καὶ λαλοῦμεν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀδικίας, ὡς ἀλλοτρίοις κακοῖς πολεμεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς παραχωρήσαντος ἀδίκως; Ὀφείλομεν δὴ οὖν ἀκριβῶς εἰδέναι, ὅτι πάσης τῆς τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ αἰτίας ἀναιρεθείσης παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἕκαστος εἴ τι πάσχοι κακὸν, ἀθετήσας διὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἀπιστίας, ἤγουν ἐκ φιληδονίας, ἣν ἔλαβε μυστικῶς ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι τελειότητα. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὔπω ἔγνω ὁ ἔλαβεν, ἀτελὴς ὢν τῇ πίστει, καὶ ἐλλιπὴς ὢν τῇ ἐργασίᾳ· ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Θεὸς τὸ τέλειον ἐδωρήσατο. Φησὶ γάρ· Πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον ἄνωθέν ἐστι καταβαῖνον παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν φώτων. Τοῦτο δὲ τέλειον οὐχ ἁπλῶς, οὐδ᾽ ὡς ἔτυχεν εὑρίσκει τις, κἂν πᾶσαν κοσμικὴν σύνεσιν παρεισενέγκῃ, εἰ μὴ δι' ἐργασίας τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντολῶν· καὶ τοῦτο ἀναλόγως· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν διαφορὰν τῆς ἐργασίας, διαφόρως καὶ ἡ δωρεὰ ἡμῖν ἀποκαλύπτεται. Μηδεὶς οὖν ἑαυτὸν συστελλέτω λόγοις καὶ σχήμασιν, ἐκείνην μὴ ἔχων τὴν σύνεσιν. Φησὶ γάρ· Οὐχ ὁ ἑαυτὸν συνιστάνων, ἐκεῖνός ἐστι δόκιμος, ἀλλ' ὃν ὁ Κύριος συνίστησι. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ παρὰ Κυρίου τὰς συστάσεις λαμβάνων, ὀφείλει ὀρθῷ φρονήματι κεχρῆσθαι, καὶ εἰδέναι ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι ὅσον ἄν τις ἡγωνίσατο κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀπιστίας, καὶ προέκοψε τῇ πίστει, καὶ κατέλαβέ τι ἀγαθὸν, οὐ κατὰ γνῶσιν μόνον ψιλὴν, ἀλλὰ κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν· οὐδὲν πλέον εὗρεν ἢ εὑρεῖν δυνήσεται, εἰ μὴ ὁ προειλήφει μυστικῶς διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός. \"Ὅσοι γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε. Χριστὸς δὲ τέλειος Θεὸς ὢν, τελείαν τοῖς βαπτισθεῖσι τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος δεδώρηται· προσθήκην δὲ παρ' ἡμῶν οὐ λαμβάνουσαν, ἀποκαλυπτομένην δὲ καὶ ἐμφανίζουσαν ἡμῖν κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἐντολῶν ἐργασίας, καὶ προσθήκην ἡμῖν τῆς πίστεως παρέχουσαν, ἕως ἂν καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως, εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἴ τι οὖν προσφέρομεν αὐτῷ ἀναγεννηθέντες, τοῦτο ἤδη παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἦν ἐγκεκρυμμένον, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· Τις ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, ἢ τίς σύμβουλος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, ἢ τίς προέδωκεν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀνταποδοθήσεται αὐτῷ; \"Ὅτι ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν πάντα. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","t":"Question. Why does the Lord, who said, “He will carry out the vengeance speedily,” not do it speedily, but delays, and leaves you among evil thoughts, though you pray, as you said, with your whole heart and without hesitation? Answer. I reckon he delays for no other reason than for my patience; for as much as someone endures when warred upon, so much will he be glorified. I thought I was answering only the conceit that holds you; but you have added blasphemy too. For in order to write yourself up with a falsely named patience, you have made God a liar in his own word; and you make evil thoughts no longer, as divine Scripture says, the producers of wickedness, self-indulgence, and every sin, coming out of the heart, according to the Lord's word, and defiling the person, but causes of patience. I have never found those held by evil thoughts praised by divine Scripture, either in the Old or the New Testament, but rather condemned as responsible. For God, as he hates evil thoughts, so too hates the heart that gives birth to them. Therefore we who have them ought to mourn as lovers of sin, and not be puffed up as fighting against evils not our own. Know, then, O man, that the Lord looks upon the hearts of all; those who hate the first thought of evil designs he avenges at once, as he promised, and does not let the swarm of much thinking rise up and defile their mind and conscience; but those who do not overthrow the first arisings by faith and hope, but indulge in them on the pretext of examining and testing them, he leaves, as unbelievers who help themselves, to be battered also by the thoughts that follow. He does not destroy these, because he sees that the provocation toward them is loved by us and not hated from its first, still invisible, appearance. And if anyone, after so plain a statement, disbelieves what has been said, let him try to learn the truth in practice. And if he neither believes Scripture nor wishes to assure himself by practice, he clearly loves the pleasure of conceit. For what is more self-indulgent than this conceit, which supposes the sin in thought to be someone else's and makes people exult and be elated as blameless, rather than confess and mourn over evil designs? Question. You said before that we did not inherit Adam's transgression, but that we did inherit his death. Then since death rules, evil thoughts also rule. Answer. O the unbelief! Why then did the Lord come in the flesh, if not that one might die for all, according to the Scriptures, and destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil? But if you still think that the death from Adam rules apart from our false belief, clearly you set aside the coming of Christ too, and hold baptism to be ineffective, since the baptized are still ruled by ancestral death without cause of their own. Therefore, O man, how have you become a new Adam by the grace of Christ, and bring nothing of the old by necessity, unless it be from your own false belief and transgression? The Lord came for us, died for us, loosed us from ancestral death, cleanses and renews us through baptism, places us in the paradise of the church, and allows us to eat of every tree in the paradise: that is, to love every baptized person in the church and bear with them in their failings, and not to search out each person's lapses; and not to love them in what seems good and hate them in what is thought evil, which is the tree of knowing good and evil. When the mind tastes of it, it at once falls into the same failings, and through its evil searching through its neighbour finds its own nakedness, which at first it did not know, since it was covered by compassion. That is why those placed in the paradise of the church are commanded, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” And concisely beyond these he says, “Whatever you wish people to do to you, do likewise to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” “As you have done, so it will be to you.” How often, then, have we profaned these commandments! How often have we condemned our neighbour without compassion! How often have we hated, or even wronged those who did no wrong! If this is so, why do we still blame Adam and accuse others of evils? For even if we have fallen into a like death, we have also likewise transgressed the commandment by will, as he did. Three things happened to Adam, then, and not as you think: provocation by God's ordering, transgression by his own unbelief, and death by God's just judgment, following not so much the providential provocation as the transgression that came from unbelief. We, then, inherited only Adam's death, because we could not become living from the dead until the Lord came and made all alive. The first thought we have by God's ordering, as he did; and to disobey or not to disobey we have by will, as he did. And those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression, as the apostle said, persuade us that transgression through thoughts is a matter of choice. For if they, being from Adam, were able not to sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression, clearly we can too. Why then do we make excuses in sins, and speak injustice against God, as though he unjustly allowed us to be warred upon by evils not our own? We ought, then, to know exactly that since every cause from Adam has been removed by the Lord, each person, if he suffers any evil, has set aside through his own unbelief, that is, from love of pleasure, the perfection he received mystically in baptism. For even if the person has not yet known what he received, being imperfect in faith and deficient in practice, God gave what is perfect. For it says, “Every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” This perfect gift one does not find simply or by chance, even if he brings in all worldly understanding, but only through the practice of God's commandments, and that in proportion; for according to the difference of the practice, the gift too is revealed to us differently. Let no one, then, commend himself by words and appearances, not having that understanding. For it says, “Not the one who commends himself is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” And even the one who receives commendation from the Lord ought to have a right mind and know exactly that however much one has struggled against his own unbelief, advanced in faith, and laid hold of some good, not by bare knowledge only but in act, he has found nothing more, nor will be able to find, than what he had received beforehand mystically through baptism, which is Christ. “For as many of you,” it says, “as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” And Christ, being perfect God, has given the baptized the grace of the Spirit perfect; it receives no addition from us, but is revealed and manifests itself to us in proportion to the practice of the commandments, and gives us increase of faith, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Whatever, then, we offer him after being reborn was already hidden in us from him, as it is written: “Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counsellor? Or who has first given to him, that it should be repaid to him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 4.4 (PG 65:1023; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/4-4)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.1":{"o":"Επειδήπερ πρώην πολὺς ἦν φροντίζων ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας, καὶ πολλὴν ἔχων μέριμναν περὶ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν ζωῆς, ἀντέβαλες ἡμῖν τὰ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὸν διηγούμενος, δι' οἴων πόνων καὶ ὁρμῆς ζεούσης ἔμελλες προσκολλᾶσθαι τῷ Κυρίῳ δι' ἀκριβοῦς πολιτείας καὶ ἐγκρατείας, καὶ πάσης ἄλλης κακοπαθείας, ἀγρυπνίας τε πολλῆς, καὶ συντόνου προσευχῆς ἀγωνιζόμενος · οἵ τε πόλεμοι καὶ αἰκισμοὶ σαρκικῶν παθῶν ἐν τῇ σωματικῇ φύσει ἀναῤῥιπίζοντες, καὶ κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπεγείρονται ἐκ τοῦ ἀντιστρατευομένου νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς ἡμῶν, περισσοτέρως παρενοχλεῖσθαι ἀπωδύρου ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς ὀργῆς καὶ ἐπιθυμίας πάθους· καὶ μέθοδόν τινα, καὶ λόγους παραινέσεως ἐπεζήτεις, οἴοις τε πόνοις καὶ ἀγῶσι χρησάμενος ἀνώτερος τῶν προειρημένων ὀλεθρίων παθῶν καταστῆναι δυνήσῃ. Καὶ ἐν μὲν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ὅσον ἦν δυνατὸν, κατὰ πρόσωπον τῇ ἀγάπῃ σου παρῃνέσαμεν, τὰ ψυχωφελῆ νοήματα καὶ φρονήματα ὑποτιθέμενοι, καὶ ἀποδεικνύντες οἴοις πόνοις καὶ τόνοις ἀσκητικοῖς, μετὰ συνέσεως, καὶ πεφωτισμένης γνώσεως λογικῶς κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον πολιτευσαμένη ψυχή, διὰ πίστεως χάριτι βοηθουμένη δύναται περιγενέσθαι τῶν ἔνδοθεν τῆς καρδίας βρυόντων κακῶν, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ τῶν προειρημένων παθῶν. Πρὸς ἃ γὰρ πάθη διὰ πρό[σ]ληψιν καὶ συνήθειαν μᾶλλον πεποίηται ἡ ψυχὴ περισσοτέρως ὀχλουμένη, καὶ ὀξυπετεστέρως ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν ὑποσυρομένη, κατὰ τούτων σπουδαιότερον καὶ ἀδιάλειπτον ἀγῶνα ἀναλαβεῖν ὀφείλει, ἕως οὗ ὑποτάξῃ τὰ σαρκικὰ καὶ ἄλογα τῆς κακίας ἐνεργήματα, οἷς πρότερον ὑπετάσσετο, καὶ ὑπεσύρετο, καὶ τῇ συνεχεῖ τῶν λογισμῶν ὑποκρίσει καὶ μελέτῃ κακῇ διὰ τῆς ἔνδον τῶν ἐννοιῶν συγκαταθέσεως αἰχμάλωτος ἀπεφέρετο. Ἐπεὶ οὖν σωματικῶς διέστημέν σου σώματι, οὐ καρδίᾳ, ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐληλυθότες πρὸς τοὺς ἀληθινοὺς ἐργάτας καὶ ἀθλητὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅπως καὶ ἡμεῖς κἂν μικρῶς πως ἀγωνισάμενοι καὶ συναθλοῦντες τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, τοῖς ἀθλοῦσι πρὸς τὰς ἀντικειμένας ἐνεργείας, καὶ τοῖς πάθεσι γενναίως ἀνθισταμένοις, τὸν ὄκνον ἀποθώμεθα, τὴν ἀμέλειαν ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἀποῤῥίψωμεν, καὶ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν καὶ ἐπιμέλειαν ἀναλάβωμεν, πρὸς εὐαρέστησιν Θεοῦ ἐπειγόμενοι. Διόπερ ὀλίγην παραίνεσιν καὶ νουθεσίαν ψυχωφελή προεθυμήθην διὰ γράμματος χαράξαι τῇ γνησιότητί σου, ἵνα περὶ ὧν κατὰ πρόσωπόν σοι ἐλάλουν, ταῦτα δι᾽ ὀλίγων ἐν τῷ μετρίῳ τῆς παραινέσεως ἡμῶν γράμματι ἐντυγχάνων ἐπιμελῶς, ὡς παρόντων ἡμῶν πνευματικὴν ὠφέλειαν καρπώσῃ.","t":"Since formerly you were very concerned for your salvation and had much care about the life according to God, you conferred with us, telling us your own situation: with what labours and burning zeal you meant to cleave to the Lord through a strict way of life and self-control and every other hardship, struggling with much vigil and intense prayer; and you lamented that the wars and torments of the fleshly passions, fanned into flame in the bodily nature and rising up against the soul from the law of sin that wars against the law of our mind, troubled you excessively, especially the passions of anger and desire. And you asked for a method and words of counsel, by what labours and struggles you might be able to rise above these destructive passions. At that time we counselled your love face to face as far as we could, suggesting thoughts and attitudes beneficial to the soul, and showing by what labours and ascetic efforts, with understanding and enlightened knowledge, a soul living rationally according to the Gospel, helped by grace through faith, can overcome the evils that teem within the heart, especially the passions mentioned. For against the passions toward which the soul has been more inclined through prepossession and habit, by which it is troubled more and carried away more swiftly, it ought to take up a more earnest and unceasing struggle, until it subjects the fleshly and irrational workings of evil, to which it was formerly subject and by which it was carried away, and by the constant pretence and evil rehearsal of thoughts, through inner consent to them, was led away captive. Since, then, we are separated from you in body, not in heart, having come into the desert to the true workers and athletes of Christ, so that we too, struggling however little and contending together with the brothers who contend against the opposing powers and nobly resist the passions, may put away sloth, cast negligence from us, and take up all zeal and care, hastening to please God: for this reason I was eager to write to your sincerity a little counsel and admonition beneficial to the soul, so that by reading carefully, in a few words in this modest letter of counsel, what I told you face to face, you may reap spiritual benefit as though we were present.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.1 (PG 65:1027; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.10":{"o":"Τί γὰρ οὖν; Ἐὰν πόθῳ καὶ διαθέσει ἀνεπιλήστῳ τὰς μνήμας ταύτας διασώζῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, οὐ κατακυριεύσει σου τὸ τῆς ὀργῆς καὶ πικρίας καὶ θυμοῦ πάθος· τῶν γὰρ θεμελίων τοῦ πάθους τῆς ὑπερηφανίας διὰ τῆς ταπεινώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἧς ἀναλογίζῃ, ὑπερελθόντων, ὅλον τὸ οἰκοδόμημα τῆς ἀνομίας, τοῦ θυμοῦ, καὶ ὀργῆς, εὐχερῶς καὶ αὐτομάτως καταλύεται. Ποία γὰρ σκληρὰ καὶ λιθίνη καρδία ἐὰν ἔχῃ ἐν νῷ διηνεκῶς τὴν τοσαύτην τῆς θεότητος τοῦ Μονογενοῦς δι' ἡμᾶς ταπείνωσιν, καὶ τὴν ἀπαριθμηθεῖσαν τῶν προῤῥηθέντων παθημάτων μνήμην, οὐ συντρίβεται; Οὐχὶ γῆ, καὶ σποδὸς, καὶ πάτημα παρὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἑκουσίως γίνεται; Οὕτω δὲ ταπεινουμένης καὶ συντριβομένης τῆς ψυχῆς, εἰς ταπείνωσιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἀποσκοπούσης, ποῖος θυμὸς ταύτης κατακρατῆσαι δυνήσεται; ποία ὀργὴ, ποία πικρία περιγενέσθαι; Αλλ' ὡς ἔοικεν, ἡ λήθη τῶν συμφερόντων τούτων καὶ ζωοποιούντων ἡμᾶς λογισμῶν, καὶ ἡ ταύτης ἀδελφὴ ῥαθυμία, καὶ ἡ τούτων συνεργὸς καὶ ὁμότροπος ἄγνοια, τὰ βαθύτερα καὶ ἐσώτερα τῆς ψυχῆς πάθη, τὰ δυσεξεύρετα καὶ δυσκατόρθωτα περιεργείᾳ δεινῇ τὴν ψυχὴν καλύπτοντα καὶ σκοτίζοντα, τὰ λοιπὰ πάθη τῆς κακίας ἐνεργεῖν καὶ ἐμφωλεύειν ἐν αὐτῇ παρασκευάζει, ὡς ἀφοβίαν καὶ ἀμέλειαν τῶν κακῶν ἐμποιοῦντα, εἰς ὁδὸν καὶ ἐργασίαν ἑκάστῳ πάθει, ἀδεῶς καὶ εὐκόλως παρέχοντα. Κεκαλυμμένης γὰρ τῆς ψυχῆς ὑπὸ τῆς παγκάκου λήθης, καὶ τῆς ὀλεθρίου ῥαθυμίας, καὶ τῆς πάντων τῶν κακῶν μητρὸς καὶ τροφοῦ ἀγνοίας, ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὁρωμένων, ἢ νοουμένων, ἢ ἀκουομένων εὐχερῶς προσδεσμεῖται ὁ ἄθλιος καὶ τυφλώττων νοῦς. Οἷα ἐὰν κάλλος ἴδῃ γυναικὸς, εὐθὺς ἐτρώθη τῇ σαρκικῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ· καὶ οὕτω λοιπὸν διαδεξάμεναι αἱ μνῆμαι τῶν ἐμπαθῶς καὶ ἡδέως θεωρηθέντων, διὰ τῆς ἀνὰτυπώσεως τῶν ἐννοιῶν καὶ κακῆς μελέτης, ἔνδον τὰς εἰκόνας ἀναζωγραφοῦσι· καὶ οὕτω τὸν ἐμπαθῆ ἔτι καὶ ἄθλιον μιαίνουσι νοῦν, διὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων.","t":"What then? If with longing and an unforgetting disposition you keep these remembrances in your heart, the passion of anger, bitterness, and wrath will not master you; for when the foundations of the passion of pride have been overcome through the humility of Christ, which you reckon up, the whole building of lawlessness, of wrath and anger, is easily and of itself pulled down. For what hard and stony heart, if it keeps continually in mind the great humbling of the Godhead of the Only-begotten for us and the remembrance of the sufferings listed, is not broken? Does it not willingly become earth and ashes and something trampled by all? And when the soul is so humbled and broken, looking to the humility of the Lord, what wrath will be able to overpower it? What anger, what bitterness, to prevail? But, it seems, forgetfulness of these beneficial and life-giving thoughts, its sister sloth, and ignorance, their fellow worker and of the same character, cover and darken the soul with terrible curiosity, they being the deeper and more inward passions of the soul, hard to find and hard to correct; and they prepare the other passions of evil to work and lurk in it, producing fearlessness and neglect of evils and giving each passion a road and a working fearlessly and easily. For when the soul is covered by all-evil forgetfulness, destructive sloth, and ignorance, the mother and nurse of all evils, the wretched and blinded mind easily binds itself to each thing seen, thought, or heard. For example, if it sees a woman's beauty, it is at once wounded by fleshly desire; and so the memories of things beheld with passion and pleasure, taking over, repaint the images within through the imprinting of thoughts and evil rehearsal; and so they defile the mind, still passionate and wretched, through the working of the evil spirits.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.10 (PG 65:1045; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-10)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.11":{"o":"Τὸ λοιπὸν γὰρ καὶ ἡ σάρξ ἐὰν ᾗ πία καὶ νεάζουσα, ἢ ὑγροτέρα, ταῖς τοιαύταις μνήμαις ἑτοίμως διεγειρομένη τῷ πάθει ἐνεργεῖ τὰ ἐν αὐταῖς πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν κινουμένη, ἢ ἐνίοτε καθ' ὕπνους, ἢ καθ' ὕπαρ ἀκαθαρσίας ἐργαζομένη. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις γυναικὶ οὐκ ἐκοινώνησε, σώφρων, καὶ παρθένος, καὶ ἁγνὸς παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νενόμισται, ἢ καὶ ἁγίου ἔχει ὑπολήψεις· παρὰ δὲ τῷ τὰ κρυπτὰ ὑποπτεύοντι, βέβηλος καὶ μοιχὸς καὶ ἄσωτος οὗτος κρίνεται· καὶ δικαίως ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ κατακρίνεται, ἐὰν μὴ θρηνῇ καὶ πενθῇ, νηστείαις καὶ ἀγρυπνίαις καὶ εὐχαῖς ἀδιαλείπτως τὴν σάρκα κατατήξας, καὶ τὸν νοῦν ταῖς ἁγίαις μνήμαις καὶ μελέταις τοῦ λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ θεραπεύσας, καὶ διορθωσάμενος, ἀξίαν μετάνοιαν τῷ Θεῷ προσενέγκῃ, οὗ ἐνώπιον τὰ κακὰ ἐνενόησεν, ἢ ἐποίησεν· ἀψευδὴς γὰρ ἡ ζῶσα φωνὴ εἰποῦσα· Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν· Πᾶς ὁ βλέπων γυναῖκα εἰς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι, ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Διὰ τοῦτο συμβάλλεται τοῖς νέοις μάλιστα, τὸ μήτε ὅλως, εἰ δυνατὸν, συντυγχάνειν γυναιξὶ, κἂν ἅγιαι νομίζωνται. Εἰ δὲ δυνατὸν καὶ ἔξωθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων διάγειν, ἐλαφρότερος ὁ πόλεμος διατελεῖ, καὶ τρανότερον γνωρίζει, μάλιστα ἐὰν ἀκριβῶς προσέχῃ αὐτῷ, καὶ ὀλιγοσιτίᾳ, καὶ ὀλιγοποσίᾳ ὕδατος, καὶ ἀγρυπνία πολλῇ, ἐν προσευχῇ τὴν διαγωγὴν ἔχειν ἀγωνιζόμενος, καὶ μάλιστα ἐμπείροις πνευματικῶν Πατέρων συναναστρέφεσθαι, καὶ συνεῖναι, καὶ ὁδηγεῖσθαι σπουδάζων. Ἐπικίνδυνον γὰρ τὸν μόνον καὶ ἰδιόρυθμον καὶ ἀμάρτυρον, καὶ μετὰ ἀπείρων τοῦ πνευματικοῦ πολέμου συζῇν· ἄλλοις γὰρ πολέμων τρόποις οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἁλίσκονται, ὅτι πολλά εἰσι τῆς κακίας τὰ μηχανήματα καὶ ἔνεδρα κεκρυμμένα, καὶ διάφοροι παγίδες καταπεπήγασι τοῦ Ἐχθροῦ πανταχόθεν. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συνεῖναι ἢ συνεχῶς συντυγχάνειν γνωστικοῖς ἀνδράσι σπουδαστέον καὶ ἀγωνιστέον· ὅπως κᾶν μὴ αὐτὸς ἔχῃ λύχνον ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως, διὰ τὸ ἔτι ἀτελὲς τῆς νοητῆς ἡλικίας καὶ νήπιον, τῷ ἔχοντι συνοδεύων οὐ περιπατεῖ ἐν σκότει, οὐ κινδυνεύει βρόχοις καὶ παγίσι, καὶ τοῖς νοητοῖς οὐ περιπίπτει θηρίοις, τοῖς ἐν τῷ σκότει νεμομένοις, καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ χωρὶς λύχνου νοητοῦ τοῦ θείου λόγου περιπατοῦντας ἁρπάζουσι καὶ διαφθείρουσιν.","t":"Then the flesh too, if it is fat and youthful or rather moist, is readily stirred by such memories, and works out in passion what is in them, being moved to desire, or sometimes producing impurities in sleep or while awake. For even if he has had no outward relations with a woman, and is reckoned by people chaste, virgin, and pure, or even has the reputation of a saint, before him who sees hidden things he is judged profane, an adulterer, and dissolute; and he is justly condemned on that day, unless he laments and mourns, wasting his flesh with fasts, vigils, and prayers without ceasing, and healing and correcting his mind with holy remembrances and meditations on the word of God, and offers worthy repentance to God, before whom he thought or did these evils. For the living voice is not false, which said, “But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” That is why it helps the young especially not to meet women at all, if possible, even if they are thought holy. And if it is possible also to live away from people, the war is lighter and he recognizes it more clearly, especially if he attends to himself closely, struggling to spend his life in prayer with little food, little water to drink, and much vigil, and especially eager to live with, be with, and be guided by spiritual fathers who have experience. For it is dangerous to live alone, by one's own rule, without witnesses, or with people inexperienced in the spiritual war; for such are caught by other ways of warfare, since the devices of evil and hidden ambushes are many, and various snares of the enemy have been fixed on every side. That is why one must be eager and strive to be with, or constantly meet, men of knowledge; so that even if he does not himself have the lamp of true knowledge, because he is still immature and a child in spiritual age, travelling with one who has it he does not walk in darkness, is not in danger of nooses and snares, and does not fall among the spiritual beasts that roam in the darkness and seize and destroy those who walk in it without the spiritual lamp of the divine word.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.11 (PG 65:1045; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-11)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.12":{"o":"Εἰ οὖν βούλει, τέκνον, οἰκεῖον λύχνον φωτὸς νοητοῦ γνώσεως πνευματικῆς ἔνδον κτήσασθαι, ἐν τῇ βαθυτάτῃ νυκτὶ ἀπροσκόπτως τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου περιπατεῖν δυνήσῃ, καὶ ὑπὸ Κυρίου τὰ διαβήματά σου κατευθυνθείη, ὅπως τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου θελῆσῃς σφόδρα, κατὰ τὸ προφητικὸν λόγιον, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι, πίστει διαπύρως τῶν τελειοτέρων εὐαγγελικῶν προσταγμάτων περιέχεσθαι, καὶ τῶν παθημάτων τοῦ Κυρίου δι᾽ ἐπιθυμίας καὶ εὐχῆς γενέσθαι κοινωνὸς, ὑποδείκνυμί σοι μέθοδον θαυμαστὴν καὶ ἐπίμονον, τρόπου πνευματικοῦ, οὐ σωματικοῦ κόπου ἢ ἀγῶνος δεομένην, ἀλλὰ ψυχικοῦ πόθου καὶ νοὸς προσεχούς διανοίας χρήζουσαν, φόβῳ καὶ ἀγάπῃ Θεοῦ συνεργουμένην· δι' ἧς ἐπινοίας τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὐχερῶς τροπώσασθαι δυνηθήσῃ κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Δαβίδ, ἕνα γίγαντα τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἀνελόντα διὰ πίστεως καὶ πεποιθήσεως τῆς εἰς Θεὸν, καὶ οὕτω τὰς μυριάδας τῶν ἐχθρῶν μετὰ τοῦ ἰδίου λαοῦ εὐχερῶς τροπωσάμενον. Ἐκ δὲ ὑποθέσεως τοῦ ἡμετέρου λόγου, τρεῖς τοὺς δυνατοὺς καὶ κραταιοὺς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων γίγαντας ὁρᾷ, εἰς οὓς ἐπεστήρικται πᾶσα ἡ τοῦ νοητοῦ ὀλοφυρτικοῦ ἀντικειμένου δύναμις, ὧν καθαιρεθέντων, εὐχερῶς λοιπὸν πᾶσα εἰς ἀναίρεσιν ἡ τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων ἀσθενήσει δύναμις. Εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ ὀνομαζόμενοι τοῦ Πονηροῦ ἰσχυροὶ γίγαντες, ἡ ἤδη προειρημένη ἄγνοια, ἡ τῶν κακῶν ἁπάντων μήτηρ, λήθη ἡ ταύτης ἀδελφὴ καὶ συνεργὸς καὶ συνέριθος· ἡ τὸ σκοτεινὸν τοῦ μελανοῦ νέφους ἔνδυμα καὶ κάλυμμα ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἐξυφαίνουσα ῥαθυμία, ἡ ἀμφοτέρας στηρίζουσα καὶ κραταιοῦσα, καὶ σύστασιν αὐταῖς παρεχομένη, τῇ ἀμελεστάτῃ ψυχῇ, τὸ ἔμμονον κακὸν ἐργαζομένη. Ὑπὸ γὰρ ῥαθυμίας λήθης τε καὶ ἀγνοίας τὰ τῶν λοιπῶν παθῶν ὑποστηρίγματα κραταιοῦνται καὶ μεγαλύνονται. Βοηθοὶ γὰρ ἀλλήλων οὖσαι, καὶ χωρὶς ἀλλήλων μὴ δυνάμεναι συνιστάναι, ἰσχυραὶ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου δυνάμεις ἀποδείκνυνται, καὶ οἱ κραταιοὶ τοῦ Πονηροῦ ἄρχοντες, δι' ὧν πᾶσα ἡ στρατιὰ τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας ὑπονοστεῖται, καὶ ὑποστηρίζεται, καὶ τὰ διανοήματα ἐκτελεῖν ἰσχύει· ὧν ἄνευ συστῆναὶ τὰ προκείμενα οὐ δύναται.","t":"If, then, child, you wish to acquire within your own lamp of the spiritual light of spiritual knowledge, so that you may be able to walk without stumbling in the deepest night of this age, and your steps may be directed by the Lord, so that you may greatly delight in the way of the Gospel, according to the prophetic saying, that is, cling with ardent faith to the more perfect commands of the Gospel and become a sharer in the Lord's sufferings by desire and prayer, I show you a wonderful and lasting method, of a spiritual kind, needing not bodily labour or struggle but requiring longing of soul and an attentive mind, wrought together with the fear and love of God; by this device you will be able easily to rout the battle line of the enemies, like blessed David, who killed the one giant of the foreigners by faith and trust in God, and so with his own people easily routed the tens of thousands of the enemy. According to the subject of our discourse, he sees three mighty and strong giants of the foreigners, on whom the whole power of the spiritual, destructive adversary rests; when they are overthrown, the whole power of the evil spirits will easily weaken to destruction. The mighty giants of the Evil One, as they are called, are ignorance, mentioned already, the mother of all evils; forgetfulness, its sister, fellow worker, and helper; and sloth, which weaves in the soul the dark garment and veil of the black cloud, which supports and strengthens both and gives them consistency, working lasting evil in the most negligent soul. For by sloth, forgetfulness, and ignorance the supports of the other passions are strengthened and magnified. Being helpers of one another and unable to stand without one another, they prove to be strong powers of the adversary and the mighty rulers of the Evil One, through whom the whole army of the spirits of wickedness is sustained and supported and is able to carry out its designs; without them the things mentioned cannot stand.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.12 (PG 65:1047; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-12)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.13":{"o":"Εἰ οὖν βούλει κατὰ τῶν προειρημένων παθῶν τὸ νίκος ἄρασθαι, καὶ τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν νοητῶν ἀλλοφύλων εὐχερῶς τροπώσασθαι, δι' εὐχῆς καὶ συνεργείας Θεοῦ γινόμενος ἐν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς καρδίας δύνας, ἀνίχνευσον τοὺς τρεῖς τούτους δυνατοὺς τοῦ διαβόλου γίγαντας, λήθην λέγω, καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν, καὶ ἄγνοιαν, τὸ ὑποστήριγμα τῶν νοητῶν ἀλλοφύλων, ἐξ ὧν τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς κακίας πάθη ὑπονοστούμενα ἐνεργεῖ, καὶ ζῇ, καὶ ἰσχύει, ἐν ταῖς τῶν φιληδόνων καὶ κενοδόξων ψυχαῖς. Καὶ διὰ πολλῆς προσεχείας καὶ νοῦ ἐπιστασίας μετὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν ῥοπῆς εὑρὼν τὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀγνοούμενα, ὀλεθριώτερα τῶν λοιπῶν ὄντα κακὰ διὰ τῶν δικαιοσύνης ὅπλων τῶν ἀπεναντίας, ἐκείνης μνήμης ἀγαθῆς λέγω τῆς πάντων τῶν καλῶν αἰτίας, καὶ γνώσεως πεφωτισμένης, δι' ἧς ἀναγρηγοροῦσα ψυχὴ τὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας σκότος διώκει ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς, καὶ προθυμίας ἀρίστης πρὸς σωτηρίαν εὐτρεπιζούσης καὶ ἐπει[σα]γούσης τῇ ψυχῇ, τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐνδυσάμενος ὅπλα, ἐν δυνάμει Πνεύματος ἁγίου, διὰ πάσης προσευχῆς καὶ δεήσεως γενναίως καὶ ἀνδρείως καταγωνίσῃ τοὺς τῶν νοητῶν ἀλλοφύλων τρεῖς προειρημένους γίγαντας. Διὰ μὲν τῆς ἀρίστης κατὰ Θεὸν μνήμης ἀγαθῆς, \"Οσα ἐστὶν ἀληθῆ, ὅσα σεμνά, ὅσα δίκαια, ὅσα ἀγνὰ, ὅσα εὔφημα, εἴ τις ἀρετὴ, καὶ εἴ τις ἔπαινος, πάντα λογιζόμενος, τὴν παγκάκιστον λήθην ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ ἐκδιώκων· διὰ δὲ τῆς πεφωτισμένης καὶ οὐρανίου γνώσεως, τὴν ὀλέθριον ἄγνοιαν τοῦ σκότους ἐξαφανίζων. διὰ δὲ τῆς παναρέτου καὶ καλλίστης προθυμίας, τὴν ἄθεον καὶ τὴν τῶν κακῶν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ κατεργαζομένην ῥαθυμίαν ἐξελαύνων. Ταύτας δὲ τὰς ἀρετὰς, οὐ ψιλῆς, ἢ ἐκ μόνης προαιρέσεως, ἀλλ' ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ καὶ συνεργείας ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἐν πολλῇ προσεχείᾳ καὶ εὐχῇ ἐκτενεῖς κτησάμενος. Οὕτω δυνήσῃ τῶν προειρημένων ἰσχυρῶν γιγάντων ῥυσθῆναι τοῦ Πονηροῦ. Γνώσεως γὰρ ἀληθοῦς, καὶ μνήμης λόγου Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀγαθῆς προθυμίας συμφωνίᾳ, διὰ χάριτος ἐνεργοῦς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ συστῆναι σπουδαζομένης καὶ ἐπιμελῶς φυλασσομένης, λήθης καὶ ἀγνοίας καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας ἴχνος ἐν αὐτῇ ἀφανίζεται, καὶ εἰς τὸ μὴ ὂν περιίσταται· τῆς χάριτος βασιλευούσης ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. ᾿Αντίγραφον παρὰ Νικολάου πρὸς Μάρκον Ἀσκητήν. Ἡ χάρις, τῷ Θεῷ χάρις, χάρις τῇ ἀνυπερβλήτῳ καὶ ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ αὐτοῦ δωρεᾷ, ὅτι ἐφιλανθρωπεύσατο ψυχὴν ἐν πάθεσι δεινοῖς κατεχομένην, καὶ ὅλην ἀκμὴν ἀπηλλοτριωμένην, καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο διὰ τῆς εὐσπλάγχνου καὶ ὅλης ἐξ ὅλης Θεῷ ἀνακειμένης προαιρέσεως, λέγω δὴ τῆς ἐναρέτου καὶ Θεῷ κεκολλημένης τῆς ὁσίας σου ψυχῆς, δι' ἧς ἀπεστάλης μοι σπινθήρ ἀστράπτων, πλήρης φωτὸς θεϊκοῦ, καὶ ἄγκιστρον ἔχον δέλεαρ πνευματικόν · καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς λυχνείας τῷ πόνῳ καὶ πόθῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ συνηνωμένου τῷ Θεῷ λογισμοῦ, τεχθέντων ῥημάτων ἀνέσπασε τὴν ἀθλίαν μου ψυχὴν ἐκ τοῦ ζοφωδεστάτου σκότους καὶ θυέλλης, καὶ ἀνανεῦσαι ἐποίησε τὴν διάνοιάν μου ἐξαίρετος Δεσπότης ἐκ τῶν μηνυθέντων μοι τριῶν γιγάντων. Ὄντως γὰρ γίγαντες μεγάλοι καὶ ἀνήμεροι, μηδέποτε παυόμενοι τοῦ πολεμεῖν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος. Τίνα δὲ οὕτως ἀγρίως καὶ δεινῶς κατέχουσιν ἐπὶ γῆς, ὡς ἐμὲ τὸν κακῶς καὶ ἰδίῳ θελήματι ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἔτι κυριευόμενον ; ᾿Αλλ᾿ ὁ μηδέποτε τερπόμενος ἐπ᾿ ἀπωλείᾳ ζώντων, ἠλέησε καὶ ἀνέδειξε τὸ μακρόθυμον αὐτοῦ καὶ εὔσπλαγχνον τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ ἐκίνησεν ἐκεῖνον τὸν εὐσεβῆ λογισμόν · καὶ ἐξύπνισε τὴν ὕπνῳ βαθυτάτῳ κατακειμένην προαίρεσιν, καὶ ἀνέδειξε καὶ ἐφανέρωσέ μοι τοὺς προειρημένους γίγαντας. Λέγω δὲ πρῶτον, τὴν λήθην τὴν ἐκβάλλουσαν τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐκ τοῦ παραδείσου. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἔλαθε τὴν παραγγελίαν τοῦ Δεσπότου, οὐκ ἂν ἐξέπεσε τῆς τοιαύτης δόξης · καὶ τὴν ῥαθυμίαν δι' ἧς ῥαθυμήσας ἤκουσε τῆς ὁμοζύγου· καὶ τὴν ἄγνοιαν δι' ἧς ἡγνόησε, τίς ἦν καὶ τὶ ὑπῆρχε. Ταῦτα τρία πνεύματα φανερά μοι κατέστησεν ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς, διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος ἐν σοί. Ἐξαπέστειλε γὰρ ἀληθῶς μάχαιραν δίστομον, ὅ ἐστι ῥῆμα Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐδιχοτόμησε τὸν νοῦν ἐν πολλῇ γαλήνῃ. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τούτου μέχρι ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡδύτητά τινα πνευματικὴν, ὡς τῶν σῶν ῥημάτων ἐνέθηκε τῇ προαιρέσει μου. Πόσοις οὖν στόμασι καὶ πόσαις γλώσσαις δυνηθῶ ἀξίως εὐχαριστῆσαι τῷ ἀληθινῷ καὶ Δεσπότη Θεῷ, ὑπὲρ τῶν παρὰ σοῦ ὑπομνησθέντων μοι εὐεργεσιῶν; Ἢ αὖ πάλιν τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τὸ εὐμέθοδον καὶ εὔσπλαγχνον τῶν ῥημάτων, καὶ διεγερτικὸν πρὸς ζήτησιν τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ τήρησιν ἐντολῶν Θεοῦ, καὶ πολλὴν ὠφέλειαν τοῦ βαδίσαι θέλοντος τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ Κυρίου, τὴν ἀπάγουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐμοὶ ἡ τοιαύτη ὠφέλεια διὰ τὸν λόγον ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσοι αὐτὸν ἤκουσαν, μεγάλως ἐλαμπρύνθη αὐτῶν ἡ διάνοια, καὶ πολλὴν ὠφέλειαν ἐκαρπώσατο ἀπὸ τῶν ἐναργῶς λεχθέντων ῥημάτων. Αμέλει τὰ ῥήματα πράγματα ἐβεβαιώθησαν, καὶ οἱ λόγοι οὐκ ἠκούσθησαν ὡς λόγοι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἔργον φανερὸν προκείμενον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν. Εὐθέως γὰρ ἐνέθηκε νῆψιν πολλὴν ὁ λόγος εἰς τὰς προαιρέσεις. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐνεργῶς ἦν ὁ λόγος, οὐκ ἔμεινεν ἀέργως, ἀλλ᾽ εὐθέως στάχυας ἐβλάστησε, καὶ τὸν καρπὸν ὥριμον ἔδειξε, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἕως τούτου ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκόρεστος ἐγένετο, ὡς οἶδεν ὁ Θεός· ὁσάκις γὰρ ἐντύχω, κόρον οὐ λαμβάνει ἡ ταλαίπωρός μου ψυχή. Τῇ οὖν πρεσβείᾳ τῆς σῆς ἁγιωσύνης, ἔσται τὸ δῶρον τοῦτο ἔμμονον, τοῦ παραμεῖναί με τὸν οὐράνιον σπινθῆρα, καὶ ἀπολέσαι παντελῶς τοὺς προειρημένους γίγαντας ἕως τέλους, μή ποτε ἐπιλάθωμαι, καὶ τῆς αὐτεξουσίου προαιρέσεως προδοσίᾳ ἐμβάλω ἐμαυτὸν εἰς τὰ προειρημένα κακὰ, καὶ γένωμαι κατάβρωμα τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Ἀλλὰ πιστεύω τῷ Κυρίῳ μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, τῷ ἐνοικοῦντι ἐν σοὶ, ὅτι διὰ τῆς ὁσιότητός σου καὶ τῶν ὁμοίως σοὶ ἀγωνιζομένων, οὐ μή με παρἴδῃ, οὐδ᾽ οὐ μὴ παραδώσῃ με εἰς τὰ στόματα τῶν προειρημένων γιγάντων· ἀλλὰ πάντοτε διὰ τῶν ὁσίων δούλων αὐτοῦ ὑπομιμνήσκων τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, γνώρισαἱ μοι τῷ τάλανι εὐχαῖς σου ἁγίαις. Παρακαλῶ οὖν καὶ ἱκετεύω τὴν εὔσπλαγχνον καὶ ὁσίαν σου ψυχὴν, μὴ καταγνῶς μου εἰς τοῦτο, ὅτι θαρσήσας ἀπετόλμησα τοῦ ἀντιχαράξαι γράμματα τῇ ἁγιότητί σου· ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ εἶδον ἀνεωγμένα σπλάγχνα πατρικά, κἂν δι᾽ εὐτελῶν γραμμάτων παρακαλῶ καὶ δέομαι τοῦ μνημονεύεσθαί μου ἐν πάσῃ ὥρᾳ [ὅτι ἀεὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐπισκέπτεται τὸν παρεδρευτὴν καὶ ἀδιάλειπτον λατρευτήν, λέγω δὴ τὸν ἀξίως κεκαθαρμένον νοῦν τῆς εὐλογημένης σου ψυχῆς], ὅπως διὰ τῆς ἁγιωσύνης σου κἀγὼ ἀπὸ τῶν κακῶν μου ῥυσθῶ, καὶ εὕρω διέξοδον ἀγαθὴν χάριτι Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ τιμὴ καὶ κράτος σὺν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ᾿Αμήν.","t":"If, then, you wish to win the victory over the passions mentioned and easily rout the battle line of the spiritual foreigners, entering into yourself through prayer and God's help, and going down into the depths of the heart, track down these three mighty giants of the devil, I mean forgetfulness, sloth, and ignorance, the support of the spiritual foreigners, from which the other passions of evil, sustained, work, live, and are strong in the souls of the pleasure-loving and vainglorious. And having found, through much attention and watchfulness of mind with help from above, the evils unknown to most, which are more destructive than the rest, put on, through the weapons of righteousness that are their opposites, I mean good remembrance, the cause of all good things; enlightened knowledge, through which the soul, awakening, drives the darkness of ignorance from itself; and the best eagerness, which prepares and leads the soul to salvation: put on the weapons of virtue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and through all prayer and supplication you will nobly and manfully overcome the three giants of the spiritual foreigners. Through the best good remembrance according to God, reckoning “whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise,” you drive away all-evil forgetfulness from yourself; through enlightened and heavenly knowledge you make the destructive ignorance of darkness vanish; through the all-virtuous and most beautiful eagerness you drive out sloth, which is godless and works evils in the soul. Acquire these virtues not by bare choice alone, but by the power of God and the help of the Holy Spirit, in much attention and earnest prayer. So you will be able to be rescued from the strong giants of the Evil One. For by the harmony of true knowledge, remembrance of the word of God, and good eagerness, established in the soul through active grace, earnestly sought and carefully guarded, every trace of forgetfulness, ignorance, and sloth vanishes from it and passes into non-existence, while grace reigns in it, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and might for ever. Amen. Reply from Nicolas to Mark the Ascetic. Grace, thanks be to God, thanks for his unsurpassable and indescribable gift, that he has shown his love for humankind to a soul held in terrible passions and still wholly estranged, and has visited it through the compassionate choice wholly dedicated to God, I mean your holy soul, virtuous and joined to God, through which a flashing spark full of divine light was sent to me, and a hook with spiritual bait; and from the lampstand of words born by labour and longing from a thought united to God it drew my wretched soul out of the gloomiest darkness and storm, and the excellent Master made my mind look up through the three giants made known to me. For truly they are great and savage giants, never ceasing to war against the human race. Whom on earth do they hold so savagely and terribly as me, who am still wretchedly mastered by them by my own will? But he who never takes pleasure in the destruction of the living has had mercy and shown the patience and compassion of his love for humankind, and stirred that godly thought, and woke my choice that lay in deepest sleep, and showed and revealed to me the giants mentioned. I mean first forgetfulness, which cast Adam out of paradise. For if he had not forgotten the Master's command, he would not have fallen from such glory; and sloth, through which, being slothful, he listened to his wife; and ignorance, through which he did not know who he was and what he had. These three spirits the Lord Jesus has made plain to me through the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. For he truly sent a two-edged sword, which is the word of God, and divided my mind in great calm. And not only this, but he also put into my choice a certain spiritual sweetness, as of your words. With how many mouths and how many tongues could I worthily thank the true God and Master for the benefits recalled to me by you? Or again for the good method and compassion of the letter's words, which rouse one to seek the truth and keep God's commandments, and give much benefit to one who wishes to walk the way of the Lord that leads to eternal life? Not only to me did such benefit come through your discourse, but all who heard it had their minds greatly brightened and reaped much benefit from the words so clearly spoken. Indeed the words were confirmed as deeds, and the discourse was not heard as words but as a work set plainly before our eyes. For at once the discourse put much watchfulness into our choices. And since the discourse was active, it did not remain idle, but at once sprouted ears and showed ripe fruit; and not only this, but it became insatiable, as God knows: however often I read it, my wretched soul is not sated. By the intercession of your holiness, then, may this gift be lasting, so that the heavenly spark may remain in me, and I may wholly destroy the giants mentioned to the end, lest I ever forget and, by betrayal of my free choice, throw myself into the evils mentioned and become food for the enemies. But I believe in my Lord Jesus Christ, who dwells in you, that through your holiness and those who struggle like you he will not overlook me, nor hand me over to the mouths of the giants mentioned, but will always, through his holy servants, remind me of his way and make it known to me, wretched as I am, by your holy prayers. I beg, then, and beseech your compassionate and holy soul, do not condemn me for this, that I made bold to write a letter in reply to your holiness; but since I saw your fatherly heart opened, even by a poor letter I beg and pray to be remembered at every hour, so that through your holiness I too may be rescued from my evils and find a good outcome by the grace of Christ our God, with whom be honour and might to the Father with the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.13 (PG 65:1049; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-13)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.2":{"o":"Τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀρχὴν τῆς κατὰ Θεόν σου ὠφελείας, ὦ τέκνον, ἐντεῦθεν ποιεῖσθαι ὀφείλεις. ᾿Ανεπιλήστως καὶ ἀειμνημονεύτως ἐν ἀδιαλείπτῳ μελέτῃ ἀναλογίσασθαι χρὴ πάσας τὰς τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ εἰς σὲ γεγενημένας οἰκονομίας καὶ εὐεργεσίας εἰς σωτηρίαν τῆς ψυχῆς σου, καὶ μὴ λήθῃ κακίας καλυπτομένης ῥαθυμίας αἰτίᾳ, ἀμνημονίᾳ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων αὐτοῦ εὐεργεσιῶν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀνωφελῶς καὶ ἀχαρίστως παρέρχεσθαι τὸν ὑπόλοιπον χρόνον. Αἱ γὰρ τοιαῦται ἀδιάλειπτοι μνῆμαι, ὥσπερ τι κέντρον νύττουσαι τὴν καρδίαν, κινοῦσιν αὐτὴν πάντοτε εἰς· ἐξομολόγησιν, εἰς ταπείνωσιν, εἰς εὐχαριστίαν μετὰ συντετριμμένης ψυχῆς εἰς πᾶσαν σπουδὴν ἀγαθὴν, καὶ ἀνταπόδοσιν τρόπων καὶ ἡθῶν χρηστῶν, καὶ πάσης τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν ἀρετῆς, ἀεὶ μελετῶσαι εὐσυνειδήτῳ γνώμῃ τὸ προφητικὸν λόγιον, τὸ, Τί ἀνταποδώσομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἀνταπέδωκεν ἡμῖν; Ὅταν γὰρ ἀναλογίσηται ψυχὴ τὰς ἀπὸ γεννήσεως εὐεργεσίας τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ, ἢ ἐκ πόσων κινδύνων πολλάκις ἐρύσθη, ἢ πόσοις κακοῖς περιπεσοῦσα, καὶ ἐν πλημμελείαις πολλάκις ὑποπεσοῦσα, ὀλισθήσασα οὐ παρεδόθη κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον κρίμα τοῖς ἀπατήσασι πνεύμασιν εἰς ἀπώλειαν καὶ εἰς θάνατον· ἀλλὰ μακροθύμως ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Δεσπότης παρορῶν τὰ πλημμελήματα διεφύλαξεν, ἐκδεχόμενος τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν αὐτῆς· καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς καὶ πονηροῖς πνεύμασιν ἑκουσίως διὰ τῶν παθῶν δουλεύσασαν αὐτὸς διέτρεφε, σκέπων καὶ παντοίως προνοῶν, καὶ τέλος ἀγαθῷ πνεύματι εἰς σωτηρίαν ὠδήγησε· καὶ φίλτρον ἀσκητικοῦ βίου τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐνέθηκε, καὶ μετὰ χαρᾶς τὸν κόσμον καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπάτην τῶν σαρκικῶν ἡδονῶν καταλιπεῖν ἐνεδυνάμωσε, καὶ ἀγγελικῷ σχήματι τῆς ἀγγελικῆς τάξεως κατεκόσμησε, καὶ εὐχερῶς προσληφθῆναι παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων ἐν συστήματι ἀδελφότητος παρεσκεύασε. Τίς δὲ εὐσυνείδητον ἔχων γνώμην, καὶ ταῦτα ἀναλογιζόμενος, οὐχὶ πάντοτε ἐν συντετριμμένῃ καρδίᾳ διατελέσει ἔχων τοσαῦτα ἐνέχυρα προλαβουσῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν πρότερον αὐτὸς ποιήσας; οὐχὶ πάντοτε βεβαίαν ἐλπίδα ἀναλάβῃ, τοῦτο λογιζόμενος, ὅτι Εἰ μηδὲν ἀγαθόν μου ποιήσαντος, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτήσαντος, ἐν ἀκαθαρσίᾳ σαρκὸς καὶ ἄλλαις πολλαῖς κακίαις συλληφθέντος, οὐ κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἀνταπέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ τοσαύτας δωρεὰς καὶ χάριτας εἰς σωτηρίαν ᾠκονόμησεν ; Ἐὰν οὖν ὁλοτελῶς δῶμεν αὐτῷ τοῦ λοιποῦ δουλεύειν αὐτῷ ἐν πάσῃ ἁγνῇ ἀναστροφῇ, καὶ ἀρετῶν κατορθώσει πασῶν, ἀγαθῶν καὶ πνευματικῶν χαρισμάτων καταξιώσει, εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν κατευοδῶν καὶ δυναμῶν. Διόπερ ὁ πάντοτε τὸν τοιοῦτον λογισμὸν διασώζων, καὶ μὴ ἐπιλανθανόμενος τῶν τοιούτων εὐεργεσιῶν, δυσωπεῖ αὐτὸν, καὶ εὐθύνει, καὶ ἐπείγει πρὸς πᾶσαν ἄσκησιν ἀρετῆς ἀγαθὴν, καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐργασίαν δικαιοσύνης πάντοτε προθύμως, καὶ πάντοτε ἑτοίμως εἰς τὸ ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ.","t":"The beginning of your benefit according to God, my child, you should make from this. Without forgetting and with constant remembrance, in unceasing meditation, you must reckon up all the dispensations and benefits of the God who loves humankind that have come to you for the salvation of your soul, and not, covered by the forgetfulness of evil because of sloth, in failure to remember his many great benefits, pass the rest of your time without profit or gratitude. For such unceasing remembrances, pricking the heart like a goad, always move it to confession, to humility, to thanksgiving with a contrite soul, to every good zeal, and to repayment by good ways and character and every virtue according to God, ever meditating with a good conscience on the prophetic saying, “What shall we repay to the Lord for all that he has repaid us?” For when a soul reckons up the benefits of the God who loves humankind from its birth, or from how many dangers it was often rescued, or how, having fallen into many evils and often into offences, it was not handed over when it slipped, by just judgment, to the deceiving spirits for destruction and death; but the Master who loves humankind patiently overlooked its offences and preserved it, waiting for its return; and though it had voluntarily served the enemies and evil spirits through the passions, he himself nourished it, sheltering and providing in every way, and at last led it by his good Spirit to salvation; and put love of the ascetic life in its heart, and strengthened it to leave with joy the world and all its deceit of fleshly pleasures, and adorned it with the angelic habit of the angelic order, and arranged for it to be readily received by the holy fathers into the company of a brotherhood: who, having a good conscience and reckoning these things, will not always remain in a contrite heart, having so many pledges of benefits received beforehand, without having first done any good himself? Will he not always take firm hope, reckoning this: if, when I had done no good but had sinned much before him, caught in impurity of the flesh and many other vices, he did not deal with me according to my sins nor repay me according to my iniquities, but arranged so many gifts and graces for my salvation, then if we give ourselves wholly to serve him from now on in all pure conduct and the achievement of all virtues, he will count us worthy of good and spiritual gifts, prospering and strengthening us for every good work? Therefore whoever always keeps such a thought and does not forget such benefits shames himself, sets himself right, and urges himself to every good exercise of virtue and every work of righteousness, always eagerly and always ready to do the will of God.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.2 (PG 65:1029; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.3":{"o":"Τοιγαροῦν, ὦ τέκνον ἀγαπητὸν, ἔχον χάριτι Θεοῦ φυσικὴν σύνεσιν, ταύτην τὴν ἀδολεσχίαν καὶ μελέτην ἀγαθὴν πάντοτε ἐν σαυτῷ φύλασσε, μὴ ὑπὸ λήθης τῆς ὀλεθρίου καλυπτόμενος, μηδὲ ὑπὸ ῥαθυμίας τῆς ματαιούσης καὶ ἐκκλινούσης ἀπὸ ζωῆς τὸν νοῦν ἐμποδιζόμενος, μὴ ὑπὸ ἀγνοίας τῆς πάντων τῶν κακῶν αἰτίας τὸν λογισμὸν σκοτιζόμενος, μὴ [ὑπὸ] ἀμελείας τῆς παγκάκου δελεαζόμενος, μὴ ὑπὸ ἡδονῆς τῆς σαρκὸς ὑποσυρόμενος, μὴ ὑπὸ ἐπιθυμίας τὸν νοῦν αἰχμαλωτιζόμενος, καὶ συγκαταθέσει πορνικῶν λογισμῶν μιασμὸν ἐν αὐτῷ ἐργαζόμενος, μὴ ὑπὸ ὀργῆς μισαδελφίαν γεννώσης νικώμενος, καὶ οἰκτρᾶς ἕνεκεν καὶ ταλαιπώρου προφάσεως λυπῶν καὶ λυπούμενος, καὶ συνάγων μνήμας τῷ πλησίον λογισμῶν πονηρῶν τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν καθαρᾶς προσευχῆς ἐκκλειόμενος, καὶ τὸν νοῦν ἐξανδραποδιζόμενος, καὶ θηριώδει λογισμῷ τὸν ὁμόψυχον ἀδελφὸν ὑποβλεπόμενος, καὶ τῷ ἀλόγῳ τοῦ σαρκικοῦ φρονήματος τρόπῳ τῇ συνειδήσει δεσμούμενος, καὶ τοῖς πονηροῖς πνεύμασιν οἷς ὑπῆρξας εἰς παιδείαν παραδιδόμενος ἄχρι καιροῦ, ἕως οὗ πάντοθεν ἐξαπορηθεὶς ὁ νοῦς, καὶ ὑπὸ λύπης καὶ ῥαθυμίας καταποθεὶς, καὶ τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν προκοπὴν διὰ τὰς προλαβούσας αἰτίας ἀπολέσας, πάλιν ἄρχεται ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι, διὰ πολλῆς ταπεινώσεως, ἀρχὴν ὁδοῦ σωτηρίας· καὶ πολλὰ καμὼν ἐν εὐχαῖς καὶ ὁλονυκτίαις ἀγρυπνίαις, λύσας τὰ αἴτια διὰ τῆς ταπεινώσεως καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν, οὕτως ἄρχεται πάλιν ἀνανήφειν, καὶ διὰ φωτισμοῦ γνώσεως εὐαγγελικῆς θείᾳ χάριτι ἐλλαμπόμενος γινώσκει, ὅτι ὁ μὴ ἑαυτὸν τελείως τῷ σταυρῷ ἐπιδιδοὺς ἐν φρονήματι ταπεινώσεως, καὶ ῥίψας ἑαυτὸν ὑπὸ πάντων καταπατεῖσθαι καὶ καταφρονεῖσθαι, ἀδικεῖσθαί τε καὶ καταγελᾶσθαι, καὶ χλευάζεσθαι, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα μετὰ χαρᾶς διὰ τὸν Κύριον ὑπομένων, καὶ μὴ ἐκδικῶν ὅλως τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, δόξαν, ἢ τιμὴν, ἡ ἔπαινον, ἢ ἡδονὴν βρώσεως, ἢ πόσεως, ἢ ἐνδύματος, Χριστιανὸς ἀληθινὸς οὐ δύναται γενέσθαι.","t":"Therefore, beloved child, having by God's grace natural understanding, always keep this good converse and meditation in yourself, not covered by destructive forgetfulness, nor hindered by sloth, which makes the mind vain and turns it from life; not darkened in your thought by ignorance, the cause of all evils, nor enticed by all-evil negligence, nor carried away by the pleasure of the flesh, nor having your mind taken captive by desire and producing defilement in it by consent to thoughts of sexual immorality; nor overcome by anger, which gives birth to hatred of one's brother, grieving and being grieved for some pitiful and wretched pretext, and storing up memories of evil thoughts against your neighbour, shut out from pure prayer to God, your mind enslaved, eyeing your like-minded brother with a beastly thought, bound in conscience by the irrational manner of the fleshly mind, and handed over for a time for discipline to the evil spirits to which you submitted; until the mind, at a loss on every side, swallowed up by grief and sloth, and having lost its progress according to God for the reasons mentioned, begins again with much humility to take hold of the beginning of the road of salvation; and after labouring much in prayers and all-night vigils, having loosed the causes through humility and confession to God, so begins again to become sober; and, illumined by divine grace through the enlightenment of evangelical knowledge, knows that whoever does not give himself wholly to the cross in a humble mind, casting himself down to be trampled and despised by all, wronged, laughed at and mocked, enduring all this with joy for the Lord's sake, and not defending at all human things, glory or honour or praise, or the pleasure of food or drink or clothing, cannot become a true Christian.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.3 (PG 65:1031; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-3)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.4":{"o":"Τοιγάρτοι οὐ τοιούτων ἡμῖν προκειμένων ἀγώνων καὶ ἄθλων καὶ στεφάνων, μέχρι τότε ἡμεῖς ὑπὸ τῆς ἐσχηματισμένης εὐσεβοῦς μορφώσεως τῷ Κυρίῳ δουλεύοντες, ἄλλο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νομιζόμενοι, καὶ ἄλλο τῷ κρυπτῷ γινωσκόμενοι καὶ καταφαινόμενοι. Ἅγιοι γὰρ παρὰ πολλῶν νομιζόμενοι, ἄγριοι ἀκμὴν τὸ ἦθος τυγχάνομεν ἀληθῶς, μόρφωσιν εὐσεβείας ἔχοντες, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἐνώπιον Θεοῦ μὴ κεκτημένοι· παρθένοι καὶ ἀγνοὶ παρὰ πολλῶν νομιζόμενοι, καὶ παρὰ τῷ τὰ κρυπτὰ κατανοοῦντι, ἐν ἀκαθαρσίαις συγκαταθέσεων πορνικῶν ἔνδοθεν μολυνόμενοι, καὶ ταῖς ἐνεργείαις τῶν παθῶν βορβορούμενοι, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐσχηματισμένην ἡμῶν ἄσκησιν, ἔτι καὶ τοῖς ἐπαίνοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπτιούμενοι, καὶ τὸν νοῦν ἐκτυφλούμενοι. Ἕως πότε οὖν ἐν τῇ ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς πορευόμεθα, τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ φρονήματος μὴ ἐπιλαβόμενοι, καὶ τὴν κατὰ συνείδησιν πολιτείαν οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκομεν, ἵνα ταύτην σπουδαίως μεταδιώξωμεν, ὅπως καὶ τὴν κατὰ συνείδησιν παρῥησίαν εὑρήσωμεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι ἐν τῇ νομιζομένῃ' τοῦ ἔξωθεν ἀνθρώπου δικαιοσύνῃ στηριζόμεθα, καὶ δι' ὑστέρησιν ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως, διὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν μόνον ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἑαυτοὺς πλανῶμεν, τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκειν βουλόμενοι, καὶ τὰς παρ' αὐτῶν δόξας καὶ τιμὰς καὶ ἐπαίνους θηρώμενοι; Ἥξει πάντως ὁ τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους ἀποκαλύπτων, καὶ φανερῶν τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν, ὁ ἀπαραλόγιστος δικαστὴς, ὁ μήτε πλούσιον ἐντρεπόμενος, μήτε πτωχὸν ἐλεῶν, ὁ τὸ σχῆμα τὸ ἔξωθεν περιαιρῶν, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τὴν ἔνδοθεν κεκρυμμένην φανερῶν· ὁ τοὺς κατὰ συνείδησιν πολιτευσαμένους ἀληθινοὺς ἀγωνιστὰς καὶ ἀθλητὰς, ἐν παρουσίᾳ ἀγγέλων ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰδίου Πατρὸς στεφανῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἐσχηματισμένους καὶ μόρφωσιν εὐσεβείας περιβεβλημένους, καὶ φαινομένην μόνην πολιτείαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπιδεικνυμένους, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ ματαίως στηριζομένους, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς φρεναπατοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ πάσης τῆς ἐπουρανίου στρατιᾶς θριαμβεύων δεινῶς αἰσχυνομένους, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἐξώτερον κατακρινομένους κατὰ τὰς μωρὰς παρθένους, αἴτινες, τοῖς μὲν ἔξωθεν τοῦ σώματος παρθενίαν ἐφύλαξαν· (οὐδὲν γὰρ περὶ τούτου ἐνεκλήθησαν), ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔλαιον μερικῶς ἐν τοῖς ἀγγείοις εἶχον, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ἀρετῶν τινῶν καὶ κατορθωμάτων μέτοχοι ἐτύγχανον· διὸ καὶ αἱ λαμπάδες αὐτῶν μέχρι τινὸς ἤπτοντο· διὰ δὲ ἀμέλειαν καὶ ἄγνοιαν καὶ ῥαθυμίαν, τῆς ἔνδοθεν καθαρότητος πρόνοιαν οὐκ ἐποιήσαντο· καὶ τὸν κρυπτόμενον ἔσωθεν τῶν παθῶν ἐσμὸν, τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν καὶ πνευμάτων ἐνεργούμενον, ἀκριβῶς οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων ἐνεργειῶν τὰ νοήματα αὐτῶν ἐφθείροντο ἐν τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν συγκαταθέσει κινοῦσαι ἑαυτὰς, δελεαζόμεναι κρυπτῶς καὶ ἡττώμεναι φθόνῳ τῷ κακίστῳ, ζήλῳ τῷ μισοκάλῳ, ἔριδι, μίσει, φιλονεικίᾳ, ὀργῇ, πικρίᾳ, ὑποκρίσει, θυμῷ, ὑπερηφανίᾳ, κενοδοξία, ἀνθρωπαρεσκείᾳ, φιλαργυρίᾳ, ἐπιθυμίᾳ σαρκικῇ, ἐν λογισμοῖς τὴν ἡδυπάθειαν ἐργαζομένοις, ἀπιστίᾳ, ἀφοβίᾳ, δειλίᾳ, ἀκηδίᾳ, λύπῃ, ἀντιλογίᾳ, χαυνώσει, ὕπνῳ, οἰήσει, δικαιοσύνῃ, ἐπάρσει, ἀλαζονείᾳ, ἀπληστίᾳ, ἀσωτίᾳ, πλεονεξία, ἀνελπιστίᾳ τῇ πάντων χαλεπωτέρᾳ, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς τῆς κακίας λεπτοτάτοις ἐνεργήμασιν. Αἵτινες καὶ τῶν καλῶν τὴν ἐργασίαν, ἢ πολιτείαν σεμνὴν, καὶ αὐταὶ ἐδόκουν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ποιεῖσθαι, τοὺς παρ' αὐτῶν ἐπαίνους καρποῦσαι, εἰ καί τινων χαρισμάτων μετέχουσαι, τῆς κενοδοξίας καὶ ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας πνεύμασιν ἀπεμπόλων τὰ θεῖα χαρίσματα, τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς πάθεσι κοινωνοῦσαι ἐμίγνυον τὰ καλὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα τοῖς πονηροῖς καὶ σαρκικοῖς φρονήμασι· διὸ ἀπρόσδεκτα καὶ ἀκάθαρτα ἀπειργάζοντο κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κάϊν θυσίαν· διόπερ καὶ τοιούτου τέλους ἔτυχον· νυμφίου χαρᾶς στερηθεῖσαι, καὶ νυμφῶνης ἐπουρανίου ἀποκλεισθεῖσαι.","t":"Since such struggles, contests, and crowns are not yet before us, we serve the Lord until now under an assumed form of piety, thought to be one thing by people and known and shown to be another in secret. Thought holy by many, we are truly still savage in character, having a form of godliness but not having its power before God; thought virgins and pure by many, before him who observes hidden things we are defiled within by the impurities of consent to thoughts of sexual immorality, wallowing in the mire of the workings of the passions; and because of our assumed asceticism we are also puffed up by people's praises and blinded in mind. How long, then, shall we walk in the vanity of the mind, not laying hold of the evangelical mind, and not recognizing the way of life according to conscience, so that we may pursue it earnestly and find the boldness that comes from conscience; but still rely on the supposed righteousness of the outward man, and through lack of true knowledge deceive ourselves by outward practices only, wishing to please people and hunting glory, honours, and praises from them? He will surely come who reveals the hidden things of darkness and makes manifest the counsels of hearts, the judge who cannot be deceived, who neither respects the rich nor pities the poor, who strips off the outward form and makes manifest the truth hidden within; who crowns those who lived according to conscience, true contestants and athletes, in the presence of angels before his own Father; and who will put to grievous shame, triumphing over them before the high calling of the saints and all the heavenly host, those who assumed a form and clothed themselves with a form of godliness, displaying to people only an apparent way of life, relying on it in vain and deceiving themselves; and he condemns them to the outer darkness like the foolish virgins. They kept the outward virginity of the body (for they were not accused of anything about that), and even had some oil in their vessels, that is, they shared in some virtues and achievements; that is why their lamps burned for a while. But through negligence, ignorance, and sloth they took no thought for inner purity; and the swarm of passions hidden within, worked by evil thoughts and spirits, they did not recognize accurately, but their thoughts were corrupted by the opposing powers, as they moved themselves in consent to the thoughts, secretly enticed and overcome by the worst envy, by jealousy that hates the good, by strife, hatred, contentiousness, anger, bitterness, hypocrisy, wrath, pride, vainglory, the wish to please people, love of money, fleshly desire that works indulgence in thoughts, unbelief, fearlessness, cowardice, listlessness, grief, contradiction, slackness, sleep, conceit, self-righteousness, elation, boastfulness, insatiability, prodigality, greed, despair, the most grievous of all, and the other most subtle workings of evil. They too were thought by people to do good works and a dignified way of life, reaping their praises; and even if they shared in some gifts, they bartered the divine gifts to the spirits of vainglory and people-pleasing, and sharing in the other passions they mixed good practices with evil and fleshly attitudes; so they made them unacceptable and unclean, like Cain's sacrifice. That is why they met such an end: deprived of the joy of the bridegroom and shut out of the heavenly bridal chamber.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.4 (PG 65:1033; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-4)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.5":{"o":"Ταῦτα οὖν λογιζόμενοι καὶ διακρίνοντες, γνῶμεν καὶ συνιῶμεν τίνες ἐσμὲν, ἵνα ὡς ἔτι καιρὸν μετανοίας καὶ ἐπιστροφῆς ἔχομεν, ἑαυτοὺς διορθωσώμεθα, ὅπως τὰ καλὰ ἡμῶν ἔργα καθαρῶς ἐπιτελούμενα, ἀληθινὰ καὶ καλὰ ᾖ, σαρκικῷ φρονήματι μὴ μιγνύμενα, ἵνα μὴ ἀπόβλητα γένηται, ὡς θυσία ἐπίμωμος, δι' ἀφοβίαν καὶ ἀμέλειαν, καὶ ἀληθινῆς γνώσεως ἔλλειψιν, μὴ πως καὶ τὸν κόπον τῆς παρθενίας καὶ ἐγκρατείας, νηστείας καὶ ἀγρυπνίας, καὶ κακοπαθείας ὑπομένωμεν, καὶ τὰς ἡμέρας ἀναλώσωμεν, καὶ τὰς προειρημένας τῶν παθῶν αἰτίας, τὰ δοκοῦντα ἡμῖν δικαιώματα, ὡς θυσία ἐπίμωμος εὑρεθέντα, ἀπρόσδεκτα τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ ἀρχιερεῖ Χριστῷ γένηται. Γνώσεως οὖν, τέκνον, καὶ συνέσεως προηγουμένης ἐπιμελητέον τῷ βουλομένῳ τὸν σταυρὸν ἆραι, καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ ἐπακολουθεῖν, διὰ τῆς ἀδιαλείπτου ἐν ἑαυτῷ τῷ λογισμῷ ἐρεύνης, καὶ πολλῆς μερίμνης περὶ σωτηρίας, καὶ πολλῆς τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἐφίξεως, καὶ συνέσεως, καὶ ἐρωτήσεως τῶν ὁμοφρόνων, καὶ συμψύχων δούλων τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἀγῶνα ἀγωνιζομένων, ἵνα μὴ ἀγνοῶν περιπατῇ ἐν σκότει, καὶ ἄνευ φωτὸς καὶ λύχνου ὁδεύῃ. Ὁ γὰρ ἰδιόρυθμος ἄνευ εὐαγγελικῆς γνώσεως καὶ ὁδηγίας ὁδεύων, πολλὰ προσκόπτει, καὶ εἰς πολλοὺς βόθρους καὶ παγίδας τοῦ διαβόλου ἐμπίπτει, πολλὰ πίπτει, καὶ πολλά πλανᾶται, καὶ πολλοῖς περιπίπτει κινδύνοις· καὶ οὐκ οἶδε ποίου τέλους τυγχάνει. Πολλοὶ γὰρ διὰ πολλῶν κόπων καὶ ἀσκήσεως διῆλθον, καὶ κακοπαθείας καὶ πολλοὺς μόχθους, ὡς διὰ Θεὸν, ὑπέμειναν· καὶ ἡ ἰδιορυθμία, καὶ ἡ ἀδιακρισία, καὶ τὸ ἀνεπιτηδὲς τῆς παρὰ τὸν πλησίον ὠφελείας, ἀκηρίους αὐτῶν τοὺς τοσούτους κόπους καὶ πόνους καὶ καμάτους εἰργάσαντο.","t":"Reckoning and discerning these things, then, let us know and understand who we are, so that, while we still have time for repentance and return, we may correct ourselves, so that our good works, being done purely, may be true and good, not mixed with a fleshly mind, lest they be rejected like a blemished sacrifice through lack of fear, negligence, and lack of true knowledge; lest we endure the labour of virginity and self-control, fasting, vigil, and hardship, and spend our days, and yet, because of the causes of the passions mentioned, the things that seem to us righteous deeds are found to be a blemished sacrifice and become unacceptable to the heavenly high priest Christ. Knowledge and understanding must therefore come first, child, for one who wishes to take up the cross and follow Christ, through unceasing searching within oneself in thought, much care for salvation, much striving toward God, understanding, and questioning of like-minded and kindred servants of God who are fighting the same fight, so that he may not walk in darkness in ignorance and travel without light and lamp. For whoever goes his own way without evangelical knowledge and guidance stumbles often, falls into many pits and snares of the devil, falls often, wanders much, meets many dangers, and does not know what end he will reach. For many have passed through many labours and much asceticism, and endured hardships and many toils as though for God; and their self-will, lack of discernment, and failure to seek the benefit of their neighbour made all those labours, pains, and toils fruitless.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.5 (PG 65:1035; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-5)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.6":{"o":"Σὺ οὖν, τέκνον ἀγαπητὸν, κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς τοῦ λόγου παραινέσεως, τὰς εἰς σὲ γεγενημένας τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ μὴ ἐπιλανθάνου εὐεργεσίας, κλοπῆς καὶ ῥαθυμίας ὑποσυρόμενος· ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐξ ἀρχῆς γεννήσεώς σου μέχρι τοῦ νῦν, ἐὰν τε σωματικάς, ἐάν τε πνευματικὰς εὐεργεσίας πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τιθέμενος, μελέτα ἐν αὐταῖς καὶ ἀδολέσχει κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· Καὶ μὴ ἐπιλανθάνου πάσας τὰς ἀνταποδόσεις αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ῥᾳδίως καὶ εὐκόλως προσάξωσιν εἰς ἀγάπην Θεοῦ. Ἡ καρδία κινεῖται ἀνταποδοῦναι κατὰ δύναμιν, βίον ἀκριβῆ, πολιτείαν ἐνάρετον, συνείδησιν εὐλαβῆ, λόγον εὐάρμοστον, καὶ ὅλον ἑαυτὸν τῷ Θεῷ ἀναθεῖναι δυσωπούμενον ὑπὸ τῆς μνήμης τῶν τοσούτων καλῶν, ὧν πέπονθας ὑπὸ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ φιλανθρώπου Δεσπότου, ὅπως αὐτομάτῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν μνήμης, μᾶλλον δὲ συνεργούσης σοι καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν ῥοπῆς, εἰς ἀγάπην καὶ πόθον τιτρώσκεται ἡ καρδία σου, ὅτι ἅπερ ἄλλοις οὐκ ἐποίησε, πολλῇ κρίσει θαυμάσια, τῇ ἰδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀῤῥήτῳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, σοὶ ἐποίησε. Πάντων μὲν οὖν τῶν εἰς σὲ καλῶν παρὰ Θεοῦ γεγενημένων ἐν μνήμῃ ἀδιαλείπτῳ εἶναι σπούδαζε· ἐξαιρέτως δὲ ἐκείνης τῆς θαυμαστῆς χάριτος καὶ εὐεργεσίας ἀδιαλείπτως μέμνησο, ἧς ἐκπλέοντί σοι ἅμα τῇ μητρί σου ἐκ τῶν ἁγίων τόπων ἐπὶ τὴν Κωνσταντίνου πόλιν παράσχῃ σοι, καθὼς ἡμῖν διηγήσω, ὅτε ἡ φοβερά ἐκείνη καὶ ἀκατάσχετος ζάλη, καὶ κλύδων μέγας τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκινήθη· καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ ἅμα τοῖς ναύταις καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ μητρί σου ἀπώλοντο ἐν τῷ βυθῷ· καὶ ἐκ παραδόξου καὶ θείας δυνάμεως μόνος σὺ μετὰ δύο ἄλλων ἀποῤῥιφθέντες διεσώθητε· καὶ πῶς ᾠκονομήθη ἐλθεῖν σε ἐν ᾿Αγκύρᾳ, καὶ πατρικοῖς σπλάγχνοις παρά τινος ἐλευθέρου προσληφθέντα, καὶ διαθέσει ζευχθέντα τῷ εὐλαβεστάτῳ τέκνῳ Ἐπιφανίῳ, ἵνα ἀμφότεροι ὁδηγηθῆτε δι᾿ ὁσίου ἀνδρὸς ἐλθεῖν εἰς σωτηρίας ὁδόν· καὶ παρὰ ἁγίων δούλων Θεοῦ, ὡς γνήσια τέκνα, προσληφθῆναι.","t":"You, then, beloved child, according to the beginning of this counsel, do not forget the benefits of the God who loves humankind that have come to you, carried away by forgetfulness and sloth; but setting before your eyes his benefits from the beginning of your birth until now, whether bodily or spiritual, meditate on them and ponder them, according to the saying, “And do not forget all his benefits,” so that they may easily and readily lead you to the love of God. The heart is moved to repay as far as it can: a strict life, a virtuous way of living, a reverent conscience, fitting speech, and to dedicate oneself wholly to God, shamed by the remembrance of so many good things that you have received from the good Master who loves humankind; so that, as of its own accord, through such remembrance of benefits, or rather with help from above working with you, your heart may be wounded with love and longing, because the wonders he did not do for others, with much judgment, in his own unspeakable love for humankind he did for you. Be zealous, then, to keep in unceasing remembrance all the good things that have come to you from God; and above all remember unceasingly that wonderful grace and benefit which he granted you when you were sailing with your mother from the holy places to Constantinople, as you told us, when that fearful and irresistible storm and great surge rose in the night, and all in the ship, with the sailors and your mother herself, perished in the deep; and by an unexpected and divine power you alone, with two others, were cast ashore and saved; and how it was arranged that you came to Ancyra and were taken in with fatherly affection by a free man, and joined in affection to the most devout child Epiphanius, so that you both might be guided by a holy man onto the road of salvation and be received by holy servants of God as true children.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.6 (PG 65:1037; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-6)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.7":{"o":"Ὑπὲρ τούτων οὖν ἁπάντων τῶν παρὰ Θεοῦ σοι γεγενημένων καλῶν, τί ἄξιον ἔχεις ἀνταποδοῦναι τῷ καλέσαντι τὴν ψυχήν σου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον; Ἑαυτῷ γὰρ λοιπὸν, κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον, οὐκέτι ζῇν ὀφείλεις, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὑπὲρ σοῦ ἀποθανόντι καὶ ἐγερθέντι εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν δικαιοσύνης, εἰς πᾶσαν κατόρθωσιν ἐντολῶν, ἐκζητῶν ἀεὶ, τί ἐστι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ εὐάρεστον καὶ τέλειον· καὶ τοῦτο παντὶ σθένει σπουδάζειν καὶ διώκειν. Πλὴν τὴν νεότητά σου ὦ τέκνον, οὕτως ὑπόταξον τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ λόγος ἀπαιτεῖ· Παράστησον τὸ σῶμα ὡς θυσίαν ζῶσαν, ἁγίαν, εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν, πᾶσάν τε νοτίδα ἐπιθυμίας σαρκικῆς δι' ὀλιγοσιτίας καὶ ὀλιγοποσίας, καὶ ὁλονυκτίων ἀγρυπνιῶν ψύξον καὶ ξήρανον, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ διαθέσεως εἴπῃς · Ἐγενήθην ὡς ἀσκὸς ἐν πάχνῃ, τὰ δικαιώματά σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην· καὶ ἐπιγνοὺς ὅτι Χριστοῦ εἶ, τὴν σεαυτοῦ σάρκα σταύρωσον, κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν φωνὴν, σὺν τοῖς παθήμασι καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις, καὶ τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς νέκρωσον, οὐ μόνον τὴν πρακτικὴν τῆς πορνείας, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων τῇ σαρκὶ ἀκαθαρσίαν. Καὶ οὐ μόνον ἕως τούτου ἔστησε τὸν ἀγῶνα ὁ ἀληθινῆς καὶ ἀμολύντου καὶ ὁλοτελοῦς παρθενίας τὸν στέφανον ἐκδεχόμενος· ἀλλ᾽ ἐπακολουθῶν τῇ ἀποστολικῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πάθους τὴν συμμαχίαν καὶ κίνησιν νεκροῦν ἀγωνίζεται. Καὶ οὔτε οὕτως πληροφορεῖται σφοδρῷ ἔρωτι τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν φωνὴν καὶ ἄχραντον παρθενίαν ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ σώματι κατασκηνῶσαι ἐκδεχόμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν ἐν μόνῳ τῷ λογισμῷ ψυχῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐνθύμησιν, ἄνευ κινήσεως καὶ ἐνεργείας σωματικοῦ πάθους ἐν παραῤῥιπισμῷ νοὸς ἀνερχομένην, ἐξαφανισθῆναι εὔχεται· τοῦτο δὲ διὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν βοηθείας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ ἐπιχορηγίας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μόνης κατορθοῦσθαι δυνατόν. Εἱ ἄρα τινές εἰσιν οἱ τῆς χάριτος αὐτῆς ἠξιωμένοι, οὗτος ὁ τῆς καθαρᾶς καὶ ἀχράντου παρθενίας τὸν στέφανον ἐκδεχόμενος, νεκροῖ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς μέλη, ἐπιτάσει καὶ ἐπιμονῇ τῆς ἐγκρατείας διαφθείρων τὸν ἔξω ἄνθρωπον, λεπτύνων αὐτὸν καὶ ῥινῶν, καὶ κατεσκελετευμένον ἀπεργαζόμενος, ἵνα διὰ πίστεως καὶ ἀγώνων, καὶ τῇ τῆς χάριτος ἐνεργείᾳ, ὁ ἔσω ἀνακαινίζηται, ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον προκόπτων, ἀγάπῃ αὐξανόμενος, ἐλπίδι μεγαλυνόμενος, πραότητι κοσμούμενος, εἰρήνῃ Χριστοῦ βραβευόμενος, χρηστότητι ἀγόμενος, ἀγαλλιάσει πνεύματος εὐφραινόμενος, ἀγαθότητι φρουρούμενος, φόβῳ Θεοῦ περιεχόμενος, συνέσει καὶ γνώσει φωτιζόμενος, σοφίᾳ λαμπρυνόμενος, ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ὁδηγούμενος. Ταύταις καὶ ταῖς ὁμοίαις ἀρεταῖς ἐγκαινιζόμενος ὁ νοῦς, τῆς θεοειδοῦς εἰκόνος τὸν χαρακτῆρα ἐν ἑαυτῷ γνωρίζει, καὶ τῆς Δεσποτικῆς ὁμοιώσεως τὸ νοητὸν καὶ ἄῤῥητον κάλλος συνίησι, καὶ τῆς αὐτοδιδάκτου καὶ αὐτομαθοῦς σοφίας καὶ ἐνδιαθέτου νόμου τὸν πλοῦτον καταλαμβάνει. Λέπτυνον οὖν, ὦ τέκνον, τὴν νεωτερικὴν σάρκα, καὶ τοῖς προειρημένοις πίανον τὴν ἀθάνατον ψυχὴν, καὶ ταῖς προειρημέναις ἀρεταῖς ἀνακαίνισον τὸν νοῦν τῇ συνεργείᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Νεότητος γὰρ σάρκα φασὶ πιαινομένην διαφόροις βρώμασι καὶ οἴνου πόσεσι, ὡς χοῖρον ἔτοιμον εἰς σφαγὴν εἶναι. Οὕτω τῇ πυρώσει τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἡδονῶν ἡ ψυχή κατασφάζεται, καὶ τῇ ζέσει τῆς κακῆς ἐπιθυμίας ὁ νοῦς αἰχμαλωτίζεται, ἀντέχειν πρὸς τὰς ἡδονὰς τῆς σαρκὸς μὴ δυνάμενος· εἰσροὴ γὰρ αἵματος, ἐκροὴν πνεύματος ἀπεργάζεται. Ἐξαιρέτως δὲ οἴνου μετάληψιν μὴ ὀσφραινέσθω ἡ νεότης, ἵνα μὴ διπλῇ πυρκαϊᾷ ἐξαπτομένη, τῇ ἐμφύτῳ λέγω ζέσει, καὶ τῇ ἔξωθεν ἐπιχεομένῃ· οἰνοποσίᾳ, τὴν πνευματικὴν ἡδονὴν τῷ πόνῳ τῆς κατανύξεως ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀποδιώκῃ, καὶ σύγχυσιν καὶ πύρωσιν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐμποιῇ· ἀλλὰ δι᾽ ἐπιθυμίαν πνευματικὴν, καὶ ὕδατος κόρον ἡ νεότης μὴ προσιέσθω· πάνυ γὰρ πρὸς συνέργειαν σωφροσύνης συμβάλλεται ἡ τοῦ ὕδατος ἔνδεια. Καὶ τοῦτο ἔργῳ δοκιμάσας, αὐτῇ τῇ πείρᾳ τὴν πληροφορίαν λήψῃ. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ζυγὸν ἀνάγκης ἐπιθεῖναί σοι βουλόμενοι τοῦτο νομοθετοῦμεν ἢ ὁρίζομεν, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἐπίνοιαν καὶ μέθοδον ἀγαθὴν πρὸς συνέργειαν ἀληθοῦς παρθενίας καὶ ἀκριβοῦς σωφροσύνης παραινοῦμεν ἀγαπητικῶς καὶ συμβουλεύομεν, τῇ αὐτεξουσιότητί σου καταλιμπάνοντας ὁ βούλεται.","t":"For all these good things that have come to you from God, then, what worthy return have you to repay him who called your soul to eternal life? By right you ought no longer to live for yourself, but for him who died and rose for you, in all virtue of righteousness and every achievement of the commandments, always seeking what is the will of God, good, pleasing, and perfect, and pursuing it with all your strength. But subject your youth, child, to the word of God in the way the word itself requires: “Present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, your rational worship”; and cool and dry up all the moisture of fleshly desire through little food and little drink and all-night vigils, so that you too may say from the heart, “I have become like a wineskin in the frost; I have not forgotten your statutes”; and, recognizing that you are Christ's, crucify your own flesh with its passions and desires, according to the apostolic word, and put to death your members that are on the earth, not only the practice of sexual immorality but also the impurity worked in the flesh by the evil spirits. And the one who awaits the crown of true, undefiled, and complete virginity does not stop the struggle there; but following the apostolic teaching, he struggles to put to death even the alliance and movement of the passion itself. Nor even so is he satisfied, though he awaits with fervent love to make the evangelical word and spotless virginity dwell in his own body; but he prays that even the bare notion of desire in the soul's thought alone, arising without movement or working of bodily passion, in the mind being stirred up, may vanish. This can be achieved only through help from above and the power and supply of the Holy Spirit. If there are any counted worthy of this grace, this man who awaits the crown of pure and spotless virginity puts to death the members on the earth, wearing away the outward man by the intensity and perseverance of self-control, thinning him and filing him down and reducing him to a skeleton, so that through faith and struggles and the working of grace the inner man may be renewed, advancing day by day toward what is better, increasing in love, magnified in hope, adorned with meekness, ruled by the peace of Christ, led by kindness, gladdened by joy of spirit, guarded by goodness, encompassed by the fear of God, enlightened by understanding and knowledge, made radiant by wisdom, guided by humility. Renewed by these and similar virtues, the mind recognizes in itself the stamp of the God-like image, understands the spiritual and unspeakable beauty of the likeness to the Master, and lays hold of the wealth of self-taught and self-learned wisdom and of the inner law. Thin, then, child, your youthful flesh, and fatten your immortal soul with the things mentioned, and renew your mind with the virtues mentioned by the help of the Holy Spirit. For they say that youthful flesh fattened with various foods and drinks of wine is like a pig ready for slaughter. So the soul is slaughtered by the burning of the body's pleasures, and the mind is taken captive by the heat of evil desire, unable to resist the pleasures of the flesh; for an influx of blood produces an outflow of spirit. Above all, let youth not even smell the taking of wine, lest, kindled by a double fire, I mean the natural heat and that poured in from outside by wine-drinking, it drive away from itself the spiritual pleasure that comes with the pain of compunction, and produce confusion and burning in the heart. Rather, for the sake of spiritual desire, let youth not take its fill even of water; for a shortage of water contributes greatly to chastity. Test this in practice, and you will gain full assurance by experience itself. We do not lay this down or define it wishing to put a yoke of necessity on you, but we counsel and advise it lovingly as a good device and method that helps true virginity and strict chastity, leaving it to your free will as you wish.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.7 (PG 65:1037; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-7)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.8":{"o":"Δεῦρο δὴ λοιπὸν καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἀλόγου τῆς ὀργῆς πάθους ὀλίγα διαλάβωμεν, τοῦ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἐρημοῦντος, καὶ συγχέοντος, καὶ σκοτίζοντος, καὶ θηρίοις ὅμοιον τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποδεικνύντος ἐν καιρῷ τῆς κινήσεως καὶ ἐνεργείας αὐτοῦ, τὸν μάλιστα εὐολίσθως καὶ ὀξυῤῥεπῶς πρὸς αὐτὸ ἔχοντα τὸ πάθος. Τοῦτο ἐξαιρέτως ὑπερηφανίᾳ στηρίζεται καὶ κραταιοῦται, καὶ ἀκατάλυτον γίνεται, ἕως ἂν ὑπονοτίζηται τὸ τῆς πικρίας λέγω καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ διαβολικὸν δένδρον, τῷ φαύλῳ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ὕδατι· καὶ εὐανθοῦν καὶ εὐθαλοῦν πολὺν τὸν τῆς ἀνομίας καρπὸν φέρει · καὶ οὕτως ἀκαταλύτως ἡ τοῦ Πονηροῦ οἰκοδομὴ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ γίνεται, ἔχουσα στήριγμα καὶ κραταίωμα τούτου τῆς ὑπερηφανίας θεμελίου. Εἰ οὖν βούλει τὸ δένδρον τῆς ἀνομίας, τὸ τῆς πικρίας καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ λέγω πάθος, ἐν σοὶ ξηρανθῆναι καὶ ἄκαρπον γενέσθαι, ἵνα ἡ ἀξίνη τοῦ πνεύματος ἐλθοῦσα ἐκκόψῃ, καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλῃ, κατὰ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν φωνὴν, καὶ ἐξάρῃ σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ· καὶ εἰ βούλει τὸν τῆς ἀνομίας οἶκον, ὃν ὁ Πονηρὸς οἰκονομικῶς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἑκάστοτε, ὡς λίθους, προφάσεις διαφόρους εὐλόγους ἢ ἀλόγους συνάγων διὰ τῆς ὕλης πραγμάτων ἢ ῥημάτων ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς, καὶ οἰκοδομὴν κακίας ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ κατασκευάζων στήριγμα καὶ κραταίωμα, τοὺς τῆς ὑπερηφανείας λογισμοὺς ὑποτίθησιν· εἰ οὖν βούλει τούτων καταλυθῆναι καὶ κατασκαφῆναι τὸν οἶκον, ἔχε τὴν ταπείνωσιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἀνεπίληστον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, τίς ὢν, τί γέγονε δι' ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐξ οἴου ὕψους φωτὸς θεότητος ἀποκεκαλυμμένης, κατὰ δύναμιν τῶν ἄνω οὐσιῶν, καὶ ἐν οὐρανοῖς δοξαζομένης ὑπὸ πάσης λογικῆς φύσεως, ἀγγέλων τε καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων, θρόνων, κυριοτήτων, ἀρχῶν, ἐξουσιῶν, χερουβὶμ καὶ σεραφίμ, καὶ τῶν ἀκατονομάστων νοερῶν δυνάμεων, ὧν οὐκ ἔφθασεν εἰς ἡμᾶς τὰ ὀνόματα, κατὰ τὸ Ἀποστόλου αἴνιγμα, εἰς οἷον βάθος ταπεινώσεως ἀνθρώπων, δι' ἄφατον ἀγαθότητα κατῆλθε, καὶ κατὰ πάντα ὁμοιωθεὶς ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας τῶν παθῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ κυριευομένοις.","t":"Come now, let us also discuss briefly the irrational passion of anger, which lays waste every soul, confounds and darkens it, and makes a person like the beasts at the time of its movement and working, especially one who slips easily and quickly into this passion. It is above all supported and strengthened by pride, and becomes indestructible, as long as the devilish tree, I mean of bitterness, anger, and wrath, is watered from below by the foul water of pride; and blossoming and flourishing it bears much fruit of lawlessness; and so the building of the Evil One in the soul becomes indestructible, having the support and strength of this foundation of pride. If, then, you wish the tree of lawlessness, I mean the passion of bitterness, anger, and wrath, to be dried up in you and become fruitless, so that the axe of the Spirit may come and cut it down and throw it into the fire, according to the word of the Gospel, and root it out with all wickedness; and if you wish the house of lawlessness, which the Evil One cunningly builds in the soul each time, gathering various pretexts, reasonable or unreasonable, like stones, through the material of deeds or words in the thoughts, building a structure of evil in the soul and laying down the thoughts of pride as its support and strength: if, then, you wish their house to be pulled down and razed, keep the humility of the Lord unforgotten in your heart: who he is and what he became for us; from what height of the light of a Godhead revealed, as far as they can bear it, to the beings above, and glorified in heaven by every rational nature, angels and archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, cherubim and seraphim, and the unnamed spiritual powers whose names have not reached us, according to the apostle's riddle; to what depth of human humility he came down through his unspeakable goodness, made like us in all things, us who sat in darkness and the shadow of death and were ruled by the enemy through the working of the passions.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.8 (PG 65:1041; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-8)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/5.9":{"o":"Ἐν τοιαύτῃ τοίνυν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ὄντας ἡμᾶς, καὶ βασιλευομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀοράτου καὶ πονηροῦ θανάτου, οὐκ ἐπῃσχύνθη ὁ πάσης κτίσεως ὁρατῆς τε καὶ ἀοράτου Δεσπότης, ἀλλὰ ταπεινώσας ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὸν ὑπὸ τὰ πάθη τῆς ἀτιμίας καὶ δεσποτικῆς ἀποφάσεως καταδικασθέντα ἄνθρωπον, κατά πάντα ὅμοιος ἡμῖν γέγονε χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι, χωρὶς παθῶν ἀτιμίας· τὰ γὰρ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τῆς παραβάσεως ὑπὸ τῆς Δεσποτικῆς φωνῆς ἐπενεχθέντα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐπιτίμια, θανάτου, κόπου, πείνης, δίψης, καὶ τῶν τοιούτων πάντων ἀνέλαβε, γενόμενος ὅ ἐσμεν, ἵνα γενώμεθα ὁ ἐστιν. Ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, ἵνα σάρξ γένηται Λόγος. Πλούσιος ὧν ἐπτώχευσε δι' ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν. Ωμοιώθη διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν ἡμῖν, ἵνα διὰ πάσης ἀρετῆς ὁμοιωθῶμεν αὐτῷ. Ἐξ οὗ γὰρ ἐπεδήμησε Χριστὸς, ἀληθῶς ὁ κατ᾽ εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν καινὸς ἄνθρωπος διὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος καὶ δυνάμεως ἀνακαινίζεται, εἰς μέτρον τῆς τελείας ἀγάπης φθάνων τῆς ἔξω βαλλούσης τὸν φόβον, τῆς μηκέτι ὑπὸ πτῶσιν γενέσθαι δυναμένης. Ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει. Ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη, φησὶν ὁ Ἰωάννης, ὁ Θεός ἐστι· καὶ ὁ μένων ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, ἐν τῷ Θεῷ μένει. Τούτου τοῦ μέτρου κατηξιώθησαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, καὶ οἱ ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐξασκήσαντες, καὶ τελείους ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ παραστήσαντες, καὶ τελείῳ πόθῳ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ζωῇ αὐτῶν τῷ Σωτῆρι ἀκολουθήσαντες. Τὴν τοσαύτην ταπείνωσιν, ἣν διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀγάπην, ἀῤῥήτῳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ ἀνέλαβεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐὰν πάντοτε ἀνεπιλήστως ἀναλογίζῃ, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι τὴν ἐν μήτρᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου κατασκήνωσιν, τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀνάληψιν, τὴν ἀπὸ γυναικὸς γέννησιν, τὴν κατὰ μέρος τῆς σωματικῆς ἡλικίας αὔξησιν, τὰς ἀτιμίας, ͵ τὰς ὕβρεις, τοὺς ὀνειδισμοὺς, τὰς λοιδορίας, τὰς μάστιγας, τὰ ἐμπτύσματα, τὰ ἐπὶ κόῤῥης ῥαπίσματα, τὸν καταγέλωτα, τὸν ἐμπαιγμὸν, τὴν κοκκίνην χλαμύδα, τὸν ἀκάνθινον στέφανον, τὴν τῶν ἀρχόντων κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀπόφασιν, τὴν τῶν ἀνόμων Ἰουδαίων, ὁμοφύλων ὄντων, κατ' αὐτοῦ βόησιν· Ἆρον, ἆρον, σταύρωσον αὐτόν· τὸν σταυρὸν, τοὺς ἤλους, τὴν λόγχην, τὸν κάλαμον, τὸν ποτισμὸν τοῦ ὅξους καὶ τῆς χολῆς, τὸν θρίαμβον τῶν ἐχθρῶν, τὸν καταγέλωτα παραπορευομένων, καὶ λεγόντων· Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατάβηθι ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ πιστεύσομέν σοι· καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν παθημάτων, ἅπερ δι' ἡμᾶς ὑπέμεινε, τὴν σταύρωσιν, τὸν θάνατον, τὴν ἐν τῷ μνημείῳ τριήμερον ταφὴν, τὴν εἰς ἄδου κάθοδον· ἔπειτα τὰς τῶν παθημάτων ἐπικαρπίας, οἷαι καὶ τίνες εἰσὶ, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι, τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν, τὴν τοῦ ᾅδου καὶ θανάτου σκύλευσιν, τῶν συνελθουσῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ ψυχῶν, τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀνάληψιν, τὴν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Πατρὸς καθέδραν, τὴν ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένην τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν, τὴν πάντων τῶν ἀγγέλων προσκύνησιν εἰς τὸν πρωτότοκον τῶν νεκρῶν, διὰ τὴν τῶν παθημάτων αἰτίαν, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου φωνὴν τὴν λέγουσαν· Τοῦτο φρονείσθω ἐν ὑμῖν, ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ· ἀλλ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ἑκένωσε, μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος, καὶ σχήματι εὐρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος· ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσε, καὶ ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ ὄνομα, τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα, ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐπουρανίων, καὶ ἐπιγείων, καὶ καταχθονίων. Ἰδοὺ αἱ τῶν προῤῥηθέντων αἰτίαι, κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίμα, εἰς οἴαν δόξαν καὶ ὕψος τὸν Κυριακὸν ἀνήγαγον ἄνθρωπον.","t":"When we were in such captivity, then, and ruled by the invisible and evil death, the Master of all creation visible and invisible was not ashamed, but humbled himself and took up the human being condemned under the passions of dishonour and the Master's sentence, and became like us in all things without sin, that is, without the passions of dishonour. For the penalties brought upon man by the Master's voice because of the sin of the transgression, death, toil, hunger, thirst, and all such things, he took up, becoming what we are so that we might become what he is. The Word became flesh, so that flesh might become Word. Being rich, he became poor for our sake, so that we by his poverty might become rich. He was made like us through his love for humankind, so that through every virtue we might be made like him. For from the time Christ came among us, the new man, according to the image and likeness, is truly renewed through the grace and power of the Spirit, reaching the measure of perfect love which casts out fear, which can no longer fall. For “love never falls.” “For love,” says John, “is God; and whoever abides in love abides in God.” The apostles were counted worthy of this measure, and those who practised virtue as they did, presented themselves perfect to the Lord, and followed the Saviour with perfect longing all their life. If you always reckon without forgetting the great humility which Christ took up through his love for us and his unspeakable love for humankind, that is, the dwelling of God the Word in the womb, the assumption of man, birth from a woman, growth step by step in bodily age, the dishonours, the insults, the reproaches, the abuse, the scourges, the spitting, the blows on the cheek, the mockery, the derision, the scarlet cloak, the crown of thorns, the sentence of the rulers against him, the outcry against him of the lawless Jews, who were of his own race, “Away, away, crucify him,” the cross, the nails, the spear, the reed, the drink of vinegar and gall, the triumph of his enemies, the mockery of those who passed by, saying, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross and we will believe you,” and the rest of the sufferings he endured for us, the crucifixion, the death, the three-day burial in the tomb, the descent into Hades; and then the fruits of the sufferings, what and how great they are, that is, the resurrection from the dead, the despoiling of Hades and of death, of the souls who came up with the Lord, the ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand of the Father, the honour and glory above every principality and power and every name that is named, the worship of the firstborn from the dead by all the angels, because of his sufferings, according to the apostle's word which says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” See to what glory and height the causes mentioned, according to God's just judgment, raised the Lord's humanity.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 5.9 (PG 65:1041; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/5-9)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.1":{"o":"Ὁ κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον μόνον πιστὸς, τὸ ὄρος τῆς κακίας ἑαυτοῦ διὰ πίστεως μετατίθησιν, ἀπωθούμενος ἑαυτοῦ τῇ ἀστάτῳ περιφορᾷ τὴν ὑπὸ αἴσθησιν τῆν ἐπ' αὐτῆς προτέραν διάθεσιν. Ὁ δὲ μαθητὴς εἶναι δυνάμενος, ἐκ τοῦ Λόγου δεχόμενος χερσὶ τῶν γνωστικῶν ἄρτων τὰ κλάσματα, διατρέφει χιλιάδας, πράξει δεικνὺς πληθυνομένην τοῦ Λόγου τὴν δύναμιν. ῾Ὁ δὲ ἀπόστολος ἰσχύσας εἶναι, πᾶσαν ἰατρεύει νόσον, καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν, ἐκβάλλων δαιμόνια, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι τὴν τῶν παθῶν φυγαδεύων ἐνέργειαν, νοσοῦντας ἰώμενος, πρὸς ἕξιν εὐσεβείας τοὺς στερηθέντας αὐτῆς δι' ἐλπίδος ἐπανάγων, καὶ τοὺς δι᾿ ὄκνων μαλακισθέντας ἐπιστύφων τῷ λόγῳ τῆς πίστεως. Πατεῖν γὰρ ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων κελευσθεὶς ἀρχὴν, τέλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐξαφανίζει.","t":"One who is only a believer according to the Gospel moves the mountain of his own wickedness by faith, thrusting away from himself, by its unstable revolving, his former disposition toward it in sense. One who is able to be a disciple, receiving from the Word in his hands the fragments of the loaves of knowledge, feeds thousands, showing in practice the power of the Word multiplied. And one who has become strong enough to be an apostle heals every disease and every sickness, casting out demons, that is, putting to flight the working of the passions; healing the sick, bringing back through hope to a habit of godliness those deprived of it, and bracing with the word of faith those made weak by sloth. For, commanded to tread on serpents and scorpions, he makes the beginning and the end of sin vanish.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.1 (PG 65:1053; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.10":{"o":"Μωσῆς ὁ μέγας ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς πηξάμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκηνὴν, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι τὴν γνώμην καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἱδρυσάμενος ἔξω τῶν ὀρωμένων, προσκυνεῖν τὸν Θεὸν ἄρχεται, καὶ εἰς τὸν γνόφον εἰσελθὼν τὸν ἀηδῆ καὶ ἄϋλον τῆς γνώσεως τόπον, ἐκεῖ μένει τελούμενος τὰς ἱερωτάτας τελετάς.","t":"The great Moses, pitching his own tent outside the camp, that is, setting his will and thought outside visible things, begins to worship God; and entering the darkness, the formless and immaterial place of knowledge, he remains there, being initiated into the most sacred rites.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.10 (PG 65:1057; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-10)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.11":{"o":"Ὁ τὸν νόμον διὰ βίου καὶ πολιτείας ἐπιτελῶν, μόνων τῶν τῆς κακίας ἀργεῖ συμπερασμάτων, καταθύων τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ἄλογον τῶν παθῶν ἐνέργειαν, καὶ τούτῳ πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἀρκεῖται τῷ τρόπῳ, διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ πνευματικὴν νηπιότητα.","t":"Whoever fulfils the law through his life and conduct rests only from the outcomes of evil, sacrificing to God the irrational working of the passions; and he is content with this way for salvation, because of his spiritual childhood.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.11 (PG 65:1057; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-11)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.12":{"o":"Ὁ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ζωὴν γνησίως ἀσπαζόμενος, καὶ ἀρχὴν καὶ τέλος ἑαυτοῦ τῆς κακίας ἐξέτεμε, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἔργῳ τε καὶ λόγῳ μετέρχεται, θύων θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως, πάσης τῆς κατ' ἐνεργείας τῶν παθῶν ἀπηλλαγμένος ὀχλήσεως, καὶ τῆς κατὰ νοῦν πρὸς αὐτὴν μάχης ὑπάρχων ἐλεύθερος, καὶ μόνον ἔχων τὴν ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίδι τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν τὴν ψυχὴν διατρέφουσαν ἀκόρεστον ἡδονήν.","t":"Whoever genuinely embraces the evangelical life has cut off from himself both the beginning and the end of evil, and pursues every virtue in deed and word, offering a sacrifice of praise and confession, freed from all the trouble of the passions' workings, free of the mind's battle against it, and having only the insatiable pleasure that nourishes the soul in hope of the good things to come.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.12 (PG 65:1057; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-12)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.13":{"o":"Ὁ τῆς γεέννης φόβος, κακίαν φεύγειν παρασκευάζει τοὺς εἰσαγομένους· ὁ δὲ πόθος τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀντιδόσεως, τοῖς προκόπτουσι τὴν ἐπ᾿ ἐνεργείᾳ τῶν ἀγαθῶν χαρίζεται προθυμίαν. Τὸ δὲ τῆς ἀγάπης μυστήριον, πάντων ὑπεραίρει τῶν γεγονότων τὸν νοῦν, πρὸς πάντα τὰ μετὰ Θεὸν τυφλόν ἀπεργαζόμενον. Μόνους γὰρ τοὺς τυφλοὺς πρὸς πάντα τὰ μετὰ Θεὸν γεγενημένους ὁ Κύριος σοφίζει, δεικνὺς τὰ θειότερα.","t":"The fear of hell prepares beginners to flee evil; longing for the reward of good things gives those advancing eagerness to do good; but the mystery of love lifts the mind above all created things, making it blind to all things after God. For the Lord makes wise only those who have become blind to all things after God, showing them more divine things.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.13 (PG 65:1057; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-13)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.14":{"o":"Ὁ γνώσεως ἐφιέμενος, ἀμετακινήτως τὰς βάσεις τῆς ψυχῆς ἐρεισάτω παρὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ καθά φησιν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Μωσεῖ· Σὺ δὲ αὐτοῦ στῆθι μετ' ἐμοῦ. Ἰστέον δὲ, ὅτι καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἱσταμένοις παρὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐστὶ διαφορά, εἴπερ ἐκεῖνο μὴ παρέργως ἀναγινώσκεται τοῖς φιλομαθέσι, τὸ, Καὶ εἰσὶ τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστηκότων, οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου, ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐληλυθυῖαν ἐν δυνάμει. Οὐ γὰρ πᾶσιν ἀεὶ μετὰ δόξης ὁ Κύριος ἐπιφαίνεται παρ' αὐτῷ ἱσταμένοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν εἰσαγομένοις, ἐν δούλου μορφῇ παραγίνεται· τοῖς δὲ δυναμένοις ἀκολουθῆσαι αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὸ ὑψηλὸν ἀναβαίνοντι τῆς αὐτοῦ μεταμορφώσεως ὄρος, ἐπὶ Θεοῦ μορφῇ ἐπιφαίνεται, ἐν ᾗ ὑπῆρχε πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι. Δυνατὸν οὖν ἐστι κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ τὸν αὐτὸν πᾶσι τοῖς παρ᾿ αὐτὸν τυγχάνουσιν ἐπιφαίνεσθαι Κύριον· ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν οὕτω, τοῖς δὲ ἑτέρως, κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἐν ἑκάστῳ πίστεως, δηλονότι ποικίλων τὴν θεωρίαν.","t":"Whoever desires knowledge should fix the foundations of his soul immovably beside the Lord, as God says to Moses, “But you, stand here with me.” We must know that among those who stand beside the Lord there is also a difference, if that saying is read with care by lovers of learning: “There are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power.” For the Lord does not always appear in glory to all who stand beside him; to beginners he comes in the form of a servant, but to those able to follow him as he goes up the high mountain of his transfiguration he appears in the form of God, in which he existed before the world was. So it is possible for the same Lord to appear at the same time to all who are near him, but to some in one way and to others in another, according to the measure of faith in each, clearly varying the vision.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.14 (PG 65:1059; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-14)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.15":{"o":"Ἀνατέλλει ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ δύνει ὁ ἥλιος, φησὶν ἡ Γραφή. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ λόγος, ποτὲ μὲν νομίζεται ἄνω, ποτὲ δὲ κάτω, κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν δηλονότι, καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν λόγον, ἢ τὸν τρόπον τῶν μετερχομένων τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ περὶ τὴν θείαν κινουμένων γνῶσιν. Μακάριος δὲ ὁ κρατῶν ἄδυτον ἐν ἑαυτῷ, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Ναυῆ Ἰησοῦν τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιον, ὅλον τὸ μέτρον τῆς κατὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωὴν ἡμέρας κακίας, ἑσπέρας καὶ ἀγνωσίας μὴ περιγραφόμενον, ἵνα δυνηθῇ νομίμως τροπώσασθαι τοὺς ἐπανισταμένους αὐτοῦ πονηροὺς δαίμονας. ῾Ο τὴν κατ' εὐσέβειαν μετιών φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἀοράτους παρατασσόμενος δυνάμεις, εὐχέσθω τήν τε φυσικὴν αὐτῷ διάκρισιν παραμεῖναι φῶς ἔχουσαν σύμμετρον καὶ τὴν φωτιστικὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ παιδαγωγεῖ τὴν σάρκα πρὸς ἀρετὴν διὰ πράξεως· ἡ δὲ, φωταγεῖ τὸν νοῦν τὴν τῆς σοφίας πάντων προκρίναι συμβίωσιν, καθ᾽ ἣν τῶν τε τῆς κακίας ὀχυρωμάτων, καὶ παντὸς ὑψώματος ἐπαιρομένου κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, ποιεῖται τὴν καθαίρεσιν. Καὶ δηλοῖ δι᾽ εὐχῆς αἰτῶν ὁ Ναυῆ Ἰησοῦς στῆναι τὸν ἥλιον κατὰ Γαβαῶ, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν, ἄδυτον αὐτὸν τὸ φῶς τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατὰ τὸ ὅρος τῆς κατὰ νοῦν θεωρίας φυλαχθῆναι· καὶ τὴν σελήνην κατὰ φάραγγα, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι, τὴν φυσικὴν διάκρισιν, ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκικῆς ἀσθενείας κειμένην, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀναλλοίωτον διαμεῖναι.","t":"“The sun rises, and the sun sets,” says Scripture. So also the Word is thought sometimes above and sometimes below, clearly according to the worth, and the very principle or manner, of those who pursue virtue and are moved toward divine knowledge. Blessed is he who, like Joshua son of Nun, keeps within himself the Sun of righteousness unsetting through the whole measure of the day of this present life, not bounded by the evening of evil and ignorance, so that he may lawfully rout the evil demons who rise against him. [16] Whoever pursues the philosophy of godliness and is drawn up against the invisible powers should pray that his natural discernment may remain with him, having proportionate light, and the enlightening grace of the Spirit. For the first trains the flesh toward virtue through practice; the second enlightens the mind to prefer above all things living with wisdom, by which it pulls down the strongholds of evil and every high thing raised up against the knowledge of God. Joshua son of Nun shows this when he asks in prayer that the sun stand still over Gibeon, that is, that the light of the knowledge of God be kept unsetting over the mountain of contemplation in the mind; and the moon over the valley, that is, that natural discernment, set over the weakness of the flesh, may remain unchanged from virtue.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.15 (PG 65:1059; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-15)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.17":{"o":"Οἱ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατὰ τὴν Γαλιλαίαν ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ κλείσαντες τὰς θύρας καθἡμενοι, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν οἱ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας κατὰ τὴν χώραν τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων ἐν τῷ ὕψει τῶν θείων θεωρημάτων ἀσφαλῶς βεβηκότες, θυρῶν δίκην μύσαντες τὰς αἰσθήσεις, παραγινόμενον ἀγνώστως δέχονται τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, ἄνευ τῆς κατ' αἴσθησιν ἐνεργείας αὐτοῖς ἐπιφαινόμενον, ἀπάθειάν τε διὰ τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ μερισμοὺς Πνεύματος ἁγίου διὰ τῆς ἐμπνεύσεως δωρούμενον, καὶ τὴν κατὰ πνευμάτων πονηρῶν ἐξουσίαν παρέχοντα, καὶ δεικνύοντα τῶν αὐτοῦ μυστηρίων τὰ σύμβολα.","t":"Those who, for fear of the Jews, sat in Galilee in the upper room with the doors shut, that is, those who, for fear of the spirits of wickedness, have set themselves securely in the land of revelations, on the height of divine contemplations, closing their senses like doors, receive the Word of God coming to them unknowably, appearing to them without the working of the senses, giving dispassion through peace and distributions of the Holy Spirit through his breathing on them, granting authority against evil spirits, and showing the symbols of his mysteries.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.17 (PG 65:1059; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-17)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.18":{"o":"Ἡ γῆ τῶν Χαλδαίων, ἐστὶν ὁ ἐμπαθὴς βίος, ἐν ᾧ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων δημιουργεῖται καὶ προσκυνεῖται τὰ εἴδωλα· ἡ δὲ μέση τῶν ποταμῶν, ἐστὶν ὁ ἐπαμφοτερίζων τοῖς ἐναντίοις τρόποις· ἡ δὲ γῆ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἐστὶν ἡ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ πεπληρωμένη κατάστασις. Πᾶς οὖν ὁ ταύτης, κατὰ τὸν παλαιὸν Ἰσραὴλ, τῆς ἔξεως, πρὸς δουλείαν πάλιν κατασύρεται παθῶν, τῆς δοθείσης ἐλευθερίας στερούμενος.","t":"The land of the Chaldeans is the life of passion, in which the idols of sins are made and worshipped; the land between the rivers is the life that wavers between opposite ways; the land of promise is the state filled with every good. Everyone, then, who falls from this habit, like Israel of old, is dragged down again to slavery to the passions, deprived of the freedom given him.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.18 (PG 65:1061; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-18)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.19":{"o":"Σημειωτέον, ὡς οὐδεὶς τῶν ἁγίων φαίνεται κατελθὼν εἰς τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν· οὐ γὰρ θέμις, οὔτε συνέσεώς ἐστι λογικῆς, τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνθαιρεῖσθαι τὰ χείρονα τοὺς τὸν Θεὸν ἀγαπῶντας. Εἰ δὲ τινες αὐτῶν κατὰ βίαν ἐκεῖ τῷ λαῷ συναπήχθησαν, νοοῦμεν διὰ τούτων τοὺς μὴ προηγουμένως, ἀλλὰ κατὰ περίστασιν σωτηρίας, ἕνεκεν τῶν χρηζόντων χειραγωγίας, ἀφέντας τὸν ὑψηλότερον τῆς γνώσεως λόγον, καὶ τὴν περὶ παθῶν μετερχομένους διδασκαλίαν. Καθ᾿ ἣν καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἀπόστολος ἐν σαρκὶ λυσιτελέστερον ἔκρινεν εἶναι, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι τῇ ἡθικῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, διὰ τοὺς μαθητὰς, ὅλον ἔχων τὸν πόθον ἀναλῦσαι τῆς ἠθικῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ γενέσθαι διὰ τῆς κατὰ νοῦν ὑπερκοσμίου καὶ ἁπλῆς θεωρίας.","t":"Note that none of the saints is seen to have gone down into Babylonia of his own accord; for it is not right, nor of rational understanding, for those who love God to choose the worse instead of the good. And if some of them were carried off there by force with the people, we understand by them those who, not by preference but by circumstance of salvation, for the sake of those needing guidance, left the higher word of knowledge and took up teaching about the passions. In this sense the great apostle too judged it more profitable to remain in the flesh, that is, in moral teaching, for his disciples' sake, while having his whole longing to depart from moral teaching and be with Christ through simple contemplation in the mind beyond the world.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.19 (PG 65:1061; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-19)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.2":{"o":"Σάββατα σαββάτων ἐστὶν ἠρεμία ψυχική ψυχῆς λογικῆς, καὶ ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν πάντων ἐν τοῖς οὖσι θειοτέρων λόγων τὸν νοῦν συστειλάσης, καὶ μόνον τὸν Θεὸν κατ᾿ ἐρωτικὴν ἔκστασιν ὁλικῶς ἐνδυσάσης, καὶ παντελῶς ἀκίνητον αὐτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τῆς μυστικῆς θεολογίας ποιησάσης.","t":"The sabbath of sabbaths is the spiritual rest of the rational soul, which has withdrawn the mind even from all the more divine principles in beings, has clothed itself wholly with God alone in loving ecstasy, and has made itself altogether unmoved from God through mystical theology.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.2 (PG 65:1053; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.20":{"o":"Ἀποδημεῖ σαρκὸς, ὁ πρὸς τὴν γνωστικὴν ἕξιν μεταβὰς ἀπὸ τῆς πρακτικῆς, ἀρπαζόμενος, ὡς αἱ νεφέλαι, τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις νοήμασιν εἰς τὸν διαφανή τῆς μυστικῆς θεωρίας ἀέρα, καθὸ σὺν Κυρίῳ εἶναι δυνήσεται. Πάντοτε ἐκδημεῖ ἀπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὁ μήπω δίχα τῶν κατ' αἴσθησιν ἐνεργειῶν καθαρῷ νοὶ θεωρῆσαι κατὰ τὸ ἐφικτὸν τὰ νοήματα δυνάμενος, καὶ τὸν περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου λόγον ἁπλοῦν χωρὶς αἰνιγμάτων μὴ χωρῶν.","t":"He is away from the flesh who has passed from the practical to the contemplative habit, caught up like the clouds by higher thoughts into the transparent air of mystical contemplation, so that he can be with the Lord. He is always away from the Lord who cannot yet behold thoughts with a pure mind, as far as is possible, without the workings of sense, and who does not grasp the simple word about the Lord without riddles.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.20 (PG 65:1061; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-20)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.21":{"o":"Πῶς τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τῷ τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς ποικίλως διὰ τῶν αἰνιγμάτων σεσωματωμένον ὁρῶμεν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, οὔπω τὸν ἀσώματον καὶ ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἑνιαῖον, καὶ μόνον, ὡς ἐν ἀσωμάτῳ καὶ ἑνιαίῳ καὶ μόνῳ Υἱῷ, νοητῶς τεθεάμεθα Πατέρα· κατὰ τὸ, Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα· κἀγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί; Πολλοῖς οὖν χρεία τῆς ἐπιστήμης, ὥστε διαδύντας πρότερον τὰ περὶ τὸν Λόγον τῶν ῥημάτων καλύμματα, οὕτω γυμνὸν τῷ νοὶ καθαρὸν αὐτὸν ἑστῶτα θεάσασθαι τὸν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δεικνύντα. Διόπερ ἀνάγκη τὸν εὐσεβῶς τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιζητοῦντα, μηδενὶ κρατεῖσθαι ῥητῷ, ἵνα μὴ ἀντὶ Θεοῦ τὰ περι Θεοῦ λάθῃ λαβὼν, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ἀντὶ τοῦ λόγου τὰ ῥητὰ στέργων ἐπισφαλῶς τῆς Γραφῆς, τοῦ λόγου διαφυγόντος τὸν νοῦν, τὸν ἐκ τῶν περιβλημάτων κρατεῖν δοκοῦντα τὸν ἀσώματον λόγον, κατά γε τὴν Αἰγυπτίαν, τὴν μὴ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, ἀλλὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπιλαμβανομένην ἱματίων· καὶ τοὺς παλαιους ἀνθρώπους, οἱ μόνῃ τῇ εὐπρεπείᾳ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἐναπομείναντες, ἕλαθον τῇ κτίσει λατρεύοντες παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα.","t":"How, while we see the Word of God variously embodied through riddles in holy Scripture, have we not yet spiritually beheld the bodiless, simple, unitary, and only Father, as in the bodiless, unitary, and only Son, according to the saying, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father; I am in the Father and the Father in me”? Many therefore need knowledge, so that, first passing through the veils of words around the Word, they may behold him standing naked to the pure mind, who shows the Father to people. Therefore one who seeks God piously must not be held by any letter, lest he unknowingly take the things about God instead of God, that is, loving the words of Scripture dangerously instead of the Word, while the Word escapes the mind that thinks it holds the bodiless Word by his garments; like the Egyptian woman who laid hold not of Joseph but of his clothes; and like the people of old, who, remaining in the mere beauty of visible things, unknowingly worshipped the creation instead of the Creator.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.21 (PG 65:1061; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-21)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.22":{"o":"Ὅταν ὁ νοῦς τὰς ἐπικειμένας αὐτῷ πολλὰς περὶ τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγων ὠθῆται δόξας, τότε σαφὴς αὐτῷ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ λόγος ἀναφαίνεται, διδοὺς αὐτῷ τῆς ὄντως γνώσεως τὰς ὑποθήκας, καὶ τὰς πρώην ἐπ' αὐτῷ προλήψεις, ὡσεὶ λεπίδας τῶν ὀπτικῶν δυνάμεων ἀπωθούμενος, κατὰ τὸν θεσπέσιον καὶ μέγαν ἀπόστολον Παῦλον· λεπίδες γάρ εἰσιν ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐπικείμεναι τῷ διορατικῷ τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ ἀπείργουσαι τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἀκραιφνῆ τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον διαβάσεως, αἵ τε πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν μόνον τῆς Γραφῆς ὑπολήψεις, καὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων αἱ κατ' αἴσθησιν προσπαθεῖς θεωρίαι.","t":"When the mind thrusts away the many opinions about the principles of truth that lie upon it, then the principle of truth appears clear to it, giving it the counsels of true knowledge and thrusting away its former prepossessions like scales from the powers of sight, as with the divine and great apostle Paul. For truly scales lie upon the soul's power of insight and prevent its passage to the pure principle of truth: assumptions about the letter of Scripture alone and passionate sense-perceptions of visible things.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.22 (PG 65:1061; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-22)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.23":{"o":"Ὁ γενναίως καταπαλαίσας τὰ πάθη τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις πνεύμασιν ἱκανῶς πολεμήσας, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κατὰ ψυχὴν χώρας ἐξελάσας αὐτῶν τὰ νοήματα, καρδίαν εὐχέσθω καθαρὰν αὐτῷ δοθῆναι, καὶ πνεῦμα εὐθὲς ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις ἐγκαινισθῆναι· τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι, τελείως, τῶν μὲν φαύλων κενωθῆναι λογισμῶν, τῶν δὲ θείων ἐννοιῶν πληρωθῆναι διὰ τῆς χάριτος, ἵνα γένηται κόσμος Θεοῦ νοητὸς, λαμπρός τε καὶ μέγας ἐξ ἠθικῶν, καὶ φυσικῶν, καὶ θεολογικῶν συνεστὼς θεωρημάτων.","t":"Whoever has nobly wrestled down the passions of the body, fought sufficiently against the unclean spirits, and driven their thoughts out of the land of his soul, should pray that a clean heart may be given him and a right spirit renewed within him; that is, that he may be completely emptied of base thoughts and filled with divine thoughts through grace, so that he may become a spiritual world of God, bright and great, made up of moral, natural, and theological contemplations.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.23 (PG 65:1063; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-23)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.24":{"o":"Καρδία ἐστὶ καθαρὰ, ἡ παντάπασιν ἀνείδεον τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἀδιαμόρφωτον παραστήσασα τὴν μνήμην, καὶ μόνοις τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἑτοίμη ἐνσημανθῆναι τύποις, δι' ὧν ἐμφανὴς πέφυκε γενέσθαι.","t":"A clean heart is one that has presented its memory to God wholly without form or shape, ready to be stamped only by his impressions, through which he is by nature made manifest.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.24 (PG 65:1063; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-24)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.25":{"o":"Ζητοῦσί τινες τῶν φιλομαθῶν, κατὰ ποῖον ἔσται τρόπον ἡ τῶν αἰωνίων μονῶν τε καὶ ἐπαγγελιῶν διαφορὰ, πότερον καθ' ὑπόστασιν τοπικὴν, ἢ κατ᾿ ἐπίνοιαν τῆς ἰδιαζούσης καθ' ἑκάστην μονὴν πνευματικῆς ποιότητά τε καὶ ποσότητα. Καὶ τοῖς μὲν, δοκεῖ τὸ πρῶτον· τοῖς δὲ, τὸ δεύτερον. Ὁ δὲ γνοὺς, τί τὸ, Ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντὸς ἡμῶν ἐστι· καὶ τί τὸ, Μοναὶ πολλαὶ παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ, τοῦ δευτέρου πάλιν γενήσεται.","t":"Some lovers of learning ask in what way the difference of the eternal dwellings and promises will be: whether by local situation, or by conception of the spiritual quality and quantity proper to each dwelling. Some think the first, others the second. But whoever knows what “the kingdom of God is within us” means, and what “there are many dwellings with the Father” means, will side with the second.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.25 (PG 65:1063; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-25)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.26":{"o":"Ὁ τῷ θείῳ πόθῳ νικήσας τὴν πρὸς τὸ σῶμα τῆς ψυχῆς διάθεσιν, ἀπερίγραφος γέγονε, κἄν ἐστι ἐν σώματι. Ὁ γὰρ ἔλκων τὴν τοῦ ποθοῦντος ἔφεσιν, Θεὸς πάντων ἀσυγκρίτως ἐστὶν ὑψηλότερος, οὐκ ἐῶν τὸν ποθοῦντά τινι τῶν μετὰ Θεὸν προσηλῶσαι τὴν ἔφεσιν. Ποθήσωμεν οὖν τὸν Θεὸν καθ' ὅλην ἡμῶν τὴν τῆς ἐφέσεως ἰσχὺν, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς σωματικοῖς τὴν προαίρεσιν ἀκράτητον ποιησώμεθα, καὶ πάντων τῶν ὄντως αἰσθητῶν καὶ νοητῶν ὑπεράνω τῇ διαθέσει γενώμεθα, καὶ οὐδὲν κατὰ γνώμην, πρὸς τὸ συνεῖναι Θεῷ τῷ κατὰ φύσιν ἀπεριγράφῳ, παντελῶς ὑπὸ τῆς φυσικῆς ζωῆς ζημιωθησόμεθα. Ερώτησις. Εἰ πάντοτε εἰσέρχεται ἄνθρωπος εἰς ἐκεῖνα τὰ πράγματα; ᾿Απόκρισις. Ἡ μὲν χάρις ἀδιαλείπτως σύνεστι, καὶ ἐῤῥίζωται καὶ ἐζύμωται ἐκ νέας ἡλικίας, καὶ ὡς φυσικὸν καὶ πηκτὸν ἐγένετο αὐτῷ συνὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὡς μία οὖσα ἡ χάρις. Πολυτρόπως δὲ ὡς θέλει πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκονομεῖ· ποτὲ πλέον ἐκκαίεται καὶ ἅπτεται τὸ πῦρ· ποτὲ δὲ ὡς πραΰτερον καὶ μαλακώτερον. Αὐτὸ τὸ φῶς κατὰ καιροὺς πλέον ἐξάπτεται καὶ λάμπει· ποτὲ ὑποστέλλον καὶ στυγνάζει. Καίτοι ἡ λαμπὰς πάντοτε καιομένη καὶ λάμπουσα· ὅταν δὲ φαιδρυνθῇ, πλέον ἐν μεθέξει ἐξετάζεται τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ φῶς ἐνδιδοῦσα· καίτοι συνὸν τὸ φῶς ἀμβλύτερόν ἐστι. Πλὴν ἐπεφάνη τισὶ τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ διὰ φωτὸς, καὶ προσεπάγη τῷ ἔσω ἀνθρώπῳ. \"Αλλοτε πάλιν ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ, ὡς ἐν ἐκστάσει γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ εὑρέθη εἰς θυσιαστήριον ἑστὼς ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ προσηνέχθησαν τῷ τοιούτῳ ἄρτοι τρεῖς, ὡς δι᾽ ἑλαίου ἐζυμωμένοι· καὶ ὅσῳ ἥσθιεν ἐκεῖνος πλέον ηὔξανε καὶ ἐμηκύνετο. ῎Αλλοτε πάλιν ὥσπερ ἔνδυμά τι φωτεινὸν οἷον οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον, οὔτε ἀπὸ ἀνθρωπίνων χειρῶν δυνατὸν κατασκευασθῆναι. Ὃν τρόπον εἰς τὸ ὄρος ἀνελθὼν ὁ Κύριος μετὰ Ἰωάννου καὶ Πέτρου μετεμορφώθη, καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ ἱμάτια ἐξἡστραψεν· οὕτως ἦν τὸ ἔνδυμα ἐκεῖνο· καὶ ἐθαμβεῖτο ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐνδεδυμένος. Ἐν ἄλλῳ καιρῷ, ἀδιαλείπτως φαίνων ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἤνοιγε τὸ ἐνδότερον, καὶ βαθύτερον, καὶ ἀπόκρυφον φῶς· ὁ καινὸς κόσμος ὁ φωτεινὸς σὺν τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ αἰνῶν καὶ δοξολογῶν, ὥστε ὅλον τὸν ἄνθρωπον καταποθέντα εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν γλυκύτητα καὶ θεωρίαν, μηκέτι ἔχειν ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλ' εἶναι ὡς μωρὸν καὶ βάρβαρον τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ, διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἀγάπην καὶ ἰδιότητα, καὶ διὰ τὰ ἀπόκρυφα μυστήρια· ὥστε τὸν ἄνθρωπον κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐλευθερωθέντα φθάσαι εἰς τὰ τέλεια μέτρα, καὶ εἶναι καθαρὸν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἀλλὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ὑπέστειλεν ἡ χάρις, καὶ ἦλθε τὸ κάλυμμα τῆς ἐναντίας δυνάμεως. Φαίνεται δέ πως μερικῶς, καὶ ἔστη εἰς ἕνα βαθμὸν τὸ κατώτερον τῆς τελειότητος. Ὡς, ἵνα εἴπωμεν, δεῖ δώδεκα παρελθεῖν τινας βαθμοὺς, καὶ φθάσαι εἰς τὴν τελειότητα · καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τινι ἔφθασε καταλαβεῖν ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέτρον, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν τελειότητα. Πάλιν ἐκδίδωσιν ἡ χάρις, καὶ κατέρχεται παρὰ ἕνα βαθμὸν, καὶ στήκει εἰς τὰ ἕνδεκα. Εἰ δὲ τις πλούσιος ἐν τῇ χάριτι, πάντοτε νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, εἰς τὰ τέλεια μέτρα ἕστηκεν, ὧν ἐλεύθερος καὶ καθαρὸς, πάντοτε αἰχμάλωτος καὶ μετέωρος. Καὶ νῦν, ὡς ἐδείχθη, ἐκεῖνα τὰ θαυμάσια, καὶ ὧν πεῖραν ἔλαβεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, εἰ συνεῖναι αὐτῷ πάντοτε, οὐκ ἠδύνατο τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ λόγου, ἢ τὸ βάρος ὑποδέξασθαι· οὔτε ἡνείχετο ἀκούειν τι, ἢ μεριμνᾶν κἂν εἰς τὸ τυχὸν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, οὔτε περὶ τῆς αὔριον, εἰ μὴ μόνον κεῖσθαι ἐν μιᾷ γωνίᾳ μετέωρον καὶ μεμεθυσμένον. Ὥστε τὸ τέλειον μέτρον οὐκ ἐδόθη, ἵνα δυνηθῇ σχολάσαι εἰς τὴν μέριμναν τῶν ἀδελφῶν εἰς τὴν διακονίαν τοῦ λόγου. Πάλιν τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ διαλέλυται. Τὰ δὲ πράγματα οὕτως ἐστίν. Ὡς γνοφώδης τις δύναμις ἐπίκειται· σκεπάζει ὡς ἀὴρ ἐλαφρὸς, λεπτὸς, καίτοι πάντοτε τῆς λαμπάδος καιομένης καὶ φαινούσης· ὥσπερ ἐπίκειται ἐκείνῳ τῷ φωτὶ κάλυμμα. Ὅθεν ὁμολογεῖ τοιοῦτος ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι τέλειος, οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος τὸ ὅλον ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ὥστε εἰπεῖν καὶ ἐλεύθερος καὶ οὐκ ἐλεύθερος, καὶ διαλέλυται καὶ τέθραυσται τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ, καὶ πάλιν ἔν τινι οὐ διαλέλυται τὸ ὅλον · οὔτε δὲ πάντοτε ἴση ἡ εὐχὴ ἦν. Ἔστι καιρὸς ὅτε πλέον ἐξάπτει καὶ παρακαλεῖ καὶ ἀναπαύει· ἔστι καιρὸς ὅτε ὑποστέλλει, καὶ στυγνάζει, ὡς αὐτὴ ἡ χάρις οἰκονομεῖ πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ. Ὅμως εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸ μέτρον, τὸ τέλειον, ἐν καιροῖς καὶ γευσάμενος, καὶ πεῖραν ἔχων ἐκείνου τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ἀκμὴν δὲ οὐδένα εἶδον Χριστιανὸν τέλειον ἢ ἐλεύθερον. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ ἀναπαύεται τις ἐν τῇ χάριτι, καὶ εἰσέρχεται εἰς μυστήρια καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις καὶ εἰς ἡδύτητα πολλὴν τῆς χάριτος. Καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἔσω σύνεστιν. Οὗτοι δὲ διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν χάριν, καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς φῶς, νομίζουσιν ἐλεύθεροι καὶ τέλειοι εἶναι παρὰ ἀπειρίαν σφαλλόμενοι, ἐπειδὴ ἔχουσιν ἐνέργειαν τῆς χάριτος. ᾿Ακμὴν δὲ οὐδένα εἶδον ἐλεύθερον, ἐπειδὴ κἀγὼ μερικῶς ἐν καιροῖς τισιν εἰσῆλθον ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ μέτρῳ, καὶ οἶδα καταμαθεῖν πῶς ἐστι τέλειος. Ερώτησις. Εἰπὲ ἡμῖν· Ἐν ποίοις εἶ μέτροις; ᾿Απόκρισις.","t":"Whoever has conquered by divine longing the soul's attachment to the body has become unbounded, even though he is in the body. For God, who draws the desire of the one who longs, is incomparably higher than all, not allowing the one who longs to fix his desire on anything after God. Let us then long for God with all the strength of our desire, make our choice unmastered by all bodily things, become in disposition above all things sensible and intelligible, and we shall suffer no loss at all from natural life in our resolve to be with God, who is by nature unbounded. Question. Does a person always enter into those states? Answer. Grace is unceasingly present, rooted and leavened in him from youth, and has become as something natural and fixed, dwelling with the person, grace being one. But it governs in many ways, as it wills, for the person's good: sometimes the fire burns more and is kindled, sometimes more gently and softly. The light itself at times is kindled more and shines; at times it draws back and grows dim. Yet the lamp is always burning and shining; when it is made bright, it is found more in participation in the love of God, giving light; yet when the light is present it is dimmer. Moreover, the sign of the cross appeared to some through light and was fixed in the inner man. At another time, in prayer, a man was as if in ecstasy, and found himself standing at the altar in a church, and three loaves were offered to him, as though leavened with oil; and the more he ate, the more they grew and increased. At another time it was like a garment of light, such as is not on earth in this age, nor can be made by human hands. As when the Lord went up the mountain with John and Peter and was transfigured, and his garments flashed like lightning, so was that garment; and the man clothed in it was amazed. At another time, shining unceasingly in the heart, it opened the inner, deeper, and hidden light: the new world of light with the Lord, praising and glorifying, so that the whole man, swallowed up in that sweetness and contemplation, no longer had himself, but was as a fool and a barbarian to this world, because of the surpassing love and its character and the hidden mysteries; so that at that time the man, set free, reached the perfect measures and was pure from sin. But afterward grace drew back, and the veil of the opposing power came. It appears in part, and he stood at one step below perfection. As if, to put it so, one must pass twelve steps to reach perfection; and at some time he succeeded in reaching that measure and entered perfection. Again grace gives way, and he comes down one step and stands at the eleventh. But if someone is rich in grace, he always, night and day, stands in the perfect measures, free and pure, always captivated and raised up. And now, as was shown, if those wonders that the man experienced were always present to him, he could not take up the ministry of the word or its burden, nor bear to hear anything or to take the least thought for himself or for tomorrow, but only lie in a corner, raised up and intoxicated. So the perfect measure was not given, so that he might be free for the care of the brothers in the ministry of the word. Again the dividing wall of the fence has been broken down. Things are like this: a dark power lies upon him; it covers like a light, thin air, although the lamp is always burning and shining; as if a veil lay over that light. Hence such a person confesses that he is not perfect, nor wholly free from sin; so that one may say he is both free and not free; the dividing wall of the fence has been broken and shattered, and again in something it has not been wholly broken. Nor was prayer always equal. There is a time when it kindles more, consoles, and gives rest; there is a time when it draws back and grows dim, as grace itself arranges for the person's good. Yet he has entered the perfect measure, tasting it at times and having experience of that age. But I have not yet seen any Christian perfect or free. Rather, one rests in grace and enters into mysteries and revelations and into much sweetness of grace, and sin is still present within. These, because of the surpassing grace and the light in them, think they are free and perfect, mistaken through inexperience, because they have the working of grace. But I have not yet seen anyone free, since I too have at times entered partly into that measure, and know how to learn what the perfect man is like. Question. Tell us, in what measures are you? Answer.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.26 (PG 65:1063; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-26)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.27":{"o":"Μετὰ τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ νῦν ἡ χάρις οὕτως ἐνεργεῖ· εἰρηνεύει ὅλα τὰ μέλη, ὥστε τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς χαρᾶς, ὡς παιδίον ἄκακον ἀφελὲς φαίνεσθαι, καὶ οὐκέτι κατακρίνει ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἢ Ἕλληνα, ἢ Ἰουδαῖον, ἢ ἁμαρτωλὸν, ἀλλὰ ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρωπος καθαρῷ ὀφθαλμῷ πάντας ὡς ἕνα ὁρᾷ, καὶ χαίρει ὁμοίως ἐφ᾿ ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ πάντας θέλει προσκυνεῖν, Ἕλληνας, Ἰουδαίους. Ἄλλῃ ὥρᾳ υἱὸς βασιλέως, οὕτω θαῤῥεῖ τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡς Πατρὶ, καὶ ἀνοίγονται αὐτῷ θύραι, καὶ εἰσέρχεται ἔνδον εἰς πολλὰς μονὰς, καὶ ὅσῳ εἰσέρχεται, πάλιν ἀνοίγεται αὐτῷ πρὸς λόγον, ἀφ' ἑκατὸν μονῶν εἰς ἄλλας ἑκατὸν μονὰς, καὶ πλουτεῖ. Πάλιν ἄλλῳ ἄλλα καινότερα καὶ θαυμάσια δείκνυται αὐτῷ. Καὶ ἐμπιστεύεται ὡς υἱῷ καὶ κληρονόμῳ, πράγματα μὴ δυνάμενα ῥηθῆναι ὑπὸ φύσεως ἀνθρωπίνης, ἢ στόματι καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ ταύτῃ. ῎Αλλῃ ὥρᾳ λοιπὸν ὡς πρέσβυς Θεοῦ, ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης, ἄρχεται δεῖσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόσμου, ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος ὅλος ὁ ᾿Αδάμ· ἐκκαιόμενος ἐκ τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ θέλων πάντας σωθῆναι, διδάσκει λόγον ζωῆς καὶ τὰ τῆς βασιλείας, πρεσβεύων ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἐξηγούμενος ὅσον δυνατὸν ἀκοῦσαι, μυστήρια ἐπουράνια καὶ θεῖα τοῦ ἀπείρου αἰῶνος τοῦ ἀκαταλήπτου. \"Αλλῃ ὥρᾳ ὁπλίζεται ὅλος ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνδεδυμένος, καὶ λαμβάνει στρατείαν ἐπουράνιον, καὶ ἄρχεται κατακόπτειν τὰς παρεμβολὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ ποιεῖν ἐκεῖ σφαγὰς πολλὰς πτωμάτων πολλῶν. \"Αλλῃ ὥρᾳ ἐνεργεῖ τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ εὐφραίνονται μετ' ἀλλήλων ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ἐν πολλῷ φωτὶ καὶ χαρᾷ, πρός τε τὸν Κύριον καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφούς. Ὅμως δὲ ἡ λαμπὰς καὶ τὸ φῶς νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας καίεται, τὸ δὲ ὅλον κατ' οἰκονομίαν οὐκ ἀλλοιοῦται, καὶ ὅλος αὐτὸν ἐστὶ καθαρὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ σχεδὸν οὐκ ἔστιν ὡς δεῖ, ὅμως διακέκοπται καὶ τὸ μεσότοιχον, καὶ νενίκηται ὁ θάνατος. Ποτὲ δὲ ἡ λαμπὰς πλέον ἐκκαίεται, καὶ φαιδρύνεται, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὴν λαμπηδόνα ἐκείνην, καὶ τὴν στιλβότητα φέρειν, ἀλλ᾽ εἶναι ὡς ἐκλελυμένον. Πάλιν ἔτι ἀπτόμενον τὸ φῶς, ὥσπερ στυγνάζει, καὶ ἐπίκειται ὥσπερ ἀήρ τις λεπτὸς, γνοφώδης, ὡς ἐπὶ δέρματος τῆς ἐναντίας δυνάμεως. Διὰ τοῦτο λέγει ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι Οὐκ εἰμὶ τὸ ὅλον ἐλεύθερος. Εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας δόξα τῷ Κυρίῳ. Αμήν.","t":"Since the sign of the cross, grace now works in this way: it brings peace to all the members, so that from much joy the soul seems like an innocent, simple child, and the person no longer condemns Greek or Jew or sinner, but the inner man sees all with a pure eye as one, rejoices alike over the whole world, and wishes to honour all, Greeks and Jews. At another hour, as a king's son, he is as confident toward the Son of God as toward a father; doors are opened to him, and he enters within into many dwellings; and the more he enters, again doors are opened to him in proportion, from a hundred dwellings into another hundred dwellings, and he grows rich. Again, other newer and more wonderful things are shown to him, and as to a son and heir things are entrusted to him that cannot be spoken by human nature, or by this mouth and tongue. At another hour, as an ambassador of God, from his great love toward him, he begins to pray for the world, that the whole world, the whole of Adam, may be saved; burning with love and wishing all to be saved, he teaches the word of life and the things of the kingdom, acting as ambassador for Christ and explaining, as far as can be heard, heavenly and divine mysteries of the infinite and incomprehensible age. At another hour the whole man is armed, clothed with the whole armour of God, takes up a heavenly campaign, and begins to cut down the camps of the enemies and make great slaughter there. At another hour it works in the soul, and the soul and the Lord rejoice with each other, and the person is in much light and joy, toward both the Lord and the brothers. Yet the lamp and the light burn night and day, and the whole is not changed, by God's ordering; the person is wholly pure, and yet almost not as he should be; yet the dividing wall has been broken through and death has been conquered. Sometimes the lamp burns more and is made brighter, so that the person cannot bear that brilliance and radiance, but is as one undone. Again, while the light is still kindled, it grows dim, as it were, and a thin, dark air lies upon it, as on the skin of the opposing power. That is why such a person says, “I am not wholly free.” To the Lord be glory for ever. Amen.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.27 (PG 65:1067; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-27)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.28":{"o":"Καλόν ἐστιν ἡ νηστεία, ἡ ἀγρυπνία, ἡ ξενιτεία, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ἀκμὴν πολιτείας ἐστὶν ἀγαθῆς. Πλὴν ἡ τάξις τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐσωτέρα ἐστὶ τούτων· καὶ οὐκ ὀφείλει τις ἐπὶ τούτοις τὴν πεποίθησιν ἔχειν. Συμβαίνει δὲ ὅτι εἰσί τινες χάριτος μέτοχοι, καὶ ἡ κακία ἔτι ἔσω οὖσα, τεχνάζεται καὶ παραχωρεῖ ἑκοῦσα, καὶ οὐκ ἐνεργεῖ, ἀλλὰ ποιεῖ νομίσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὅτι ἐκαθαρίσθη ὁ νοῦς αὐτοῦ· καὶ λοιπὸν φέρει τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἰς οἴησιν ὅτι Χριστιανός ἐστι τέλειος. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ὅταν νομίσῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι Ἐλεύθερός εἰμι, καὶ ἀμεριμνεῖ, τότε λῃστρικῷ τρόπῳ ἐπέρχεται αὐτῷ ἡ κακία ἔγκρυμμα ποιοῦσα, καὶ πειράζει αὐτὸν, καὶ καταφέρει αὐτὸν εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι εἴκοσι ἐτῶν ὄντες, ἢ λῃσταὶ, ἢ στρατιῶται, κατὰ πολεμίων οἴδασι τεχνάζεσθαι, καὶ ὑποκαθέζονται καὶ ποιοῦσιν ἔγκρυμμα, καὶ λαμβάνουσι τὰ νῶτα τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ περικυκλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς ἀθρόως, καὶ ἀποκτείνουσι· πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ κακία οὖσα τοσούτων χιλιάδων, τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον ἔχουσα, πῶς ἀπολέσει ψυχάς; Οἶδεν ἔγκρυμμα ποιεῖν ἐν καρδίᾳ, κατὰ καιροὺς μὴ ἐνεργεῖν, ἵνα ἐνέγκῃ τὴν ψυχὴν εἰς οἴησιν τελειότητος. Ὁ θεμέλιος τοῦ Χριστιανοῦ οὗτός ἐστιν. Ὅσας ἂν ποιήσῃ ἄνθρωπος δικαιοσύνας, ἵνα μὴ ἐπαναπαῇ ἐν αὐταῖς, καὶ ἔχῃ ἑαυτὸν μέγα, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα ᾗ πτωχὸς τῷ πνεύματι· καὶ ἐὰν γένηται μέτοχος χάριτος, μὴ νομίσῃ ἑαυτὸν κατειληφέναι τι, καὶ οἰηθῇ εἶναί τὶς, καὶ ἄρξηται διδάσκειν. Ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα ὢν καλῆς πολιτείας, νηστεύων πολὺ, ξενιτεύων, εὐχόμενος, μέτοχος χάριτος, μὴ ἡγήσαιτο τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τιμίαν. Ἀλλὰ τότε μάλιστα ὄντως ἀρχὴ χάριτος γεγένηται, ἵνα ἔχῃ τὸν πόνον, τὴν πεῖναν, καὶ τὴν δίψαν, ἵνα μὴ ᾖ κεκορεσμένος, ἵνα μὴ ἔχῃ ἑαυτὸν δίκαιον, ἢ πλούσιον ἐν χάριτι · ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα ᾗ πενθῶν καὶ δακρύων, ὃν τρόπον ἵνα ᾗ μήτηρ, καὶ ἔχῃ υἱὸν μονογενῆ καὶ παιδεύσῃ αὐτὸν, καὶ ὅταν γένηται ἀνὴρ, συμβαίνει αὐτὸν ἀποθανεῖν· καὶ λοιπόν... Λείπει.","t":"Fasting, vigil, and living as a stranger are good, but these are still part of a good way of life. The order of Christians is more inward than these, and one should not put one's confidence in them. It happens that some share in grace while evil is still within; it schemes and withdraws willingly, and does not work, but makes the person think that his mind has been cleansed; and then it brings him to the conceit that he is a perfect Christian. And afterward, when the person thinks, “I am free,” and is careless, then evil comes upon him like a robber, laying an ambush, tempts him, and brings him down to the lowest parts of the earth. For if men twenty years old, robbers or soldiers, know how to use stratagems against enemies, lie in wait, set ambushes, take the enemy from behind, surround them suddenly and kill them, how much more will evil, which is so many thousands of years old and has this as its work, know how to destroy souls? It knows how to lay an ambush in the heart, not working for a time, so as to bring the soul to the conceit of perfection. This is the foundation of the Christian: however many righteous deeds a person does, not to rest in them and think himself great, but to be poor in spirit; and if he becomes a sharer in grace, not to think he has attained anything, or suppose himself to be someone, and begin to teach. Rather, though he lives well, fasting much, living as a stranger, praying, sharing in grace, let him not consider his soul precious. Then above all is truly the beginning of grace: that he have the labour, the hunger and the thirst, that he not be sated, that he not consider himself righteous or rich in grace; but that he mourn and weep, as a mother who has an only son, brings him up, and when he becomes a man, he happens to die; and then… (The rest is missing.)","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.28 (PG 65:1069; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-28)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.3":{"o":"Θέρους θέρος ἐστὶν ἡ πᾶσα ἄβατος, καὶ κατὰ τὴν τῶν νοητῶν μυστικὴν θεωρίαν, περὶ νοῦν ἀγνώστως συνισταμένη τοῦ Θεοῦ κατανόησις, ἣν προσφέρει δεόντως ὁ ἐκ τῶν ὁρατῶν καὶ τῶν ἀοράτων κτισμάτων ἀξίως γεραίρων τὸν κτίσαντα.","t":"The harvest of harvests is the understanding of God, wholly inaccessible, formed unknowably in the mind according to the mystical contemplation of spiritual things; it is fittingly offered by one who worthily honours the Creator from creatures visible and invisible.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.3 (PG 65:1053; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-3)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.4":{"o":"Ὁ τὴν ἕκτην εὐαγγελικῶς ἄγων ἡμέραν, ἀποκτείνας πρότερον τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πρῶτα κινήματα, τὴν πάσης κακίας ἔρημον διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν καταλαμβάνει τῆς ἀπαθείας κατάστασιν, σαββατίζων κατὰ νοῦν καὶ αὐτῆς ψιλῆς τῆς τῶν παθῶν φαντασίας. ῾Ο δὲ τὸν Ἰορδάνην διαπεράσας, εἰς τὴν τῆς γνώσεως μετατίθεται χώραν, καθ' ἣν ὁ νοῦς μυστικῶς ὑπὸ τῆς εἰρήνης οἰκοδομούμενος, Θεοῦ γίνεται κατοικητήριον ἐν πνεύματι.","t":"Whoever keeps the sixth day in the way of the Gospel, having first killed the first movements of sin, reaches through the virtues the state of dispassion empty of all evil, keeping sabbath in mind even from the bare imagination of the passions. And whoever has crossed the Jordan is transferred into the land of knowledge, in which the mind, built up mystically by peace, becomes a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.4 (PG 65:1055; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-4)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.5":{"o":"῾Ο τὴν ἕκτην θεϊκῶς μετὰ τῶν προσφόρων ἔργων καὶ ἐννοιῶν ἑαυτῷ συμπληρώσας ἡμέραν, καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καλῶς τὰ ἑαυτοῦ συντελέσας ἔργα, διέβη τῇ κατανοήσει πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπὸ φύσιν καὶ χρόνον ὑπόστασιν, καὶ εἰς τὴν τῶν αἰώνων καὶ αἰωνίων μετετάξατο μυστικὴν θεωρίαν, σαββατίζων ἀγνώστως κατὰ νοῦν τὴν ὁλικὴν τῶν ὄντων ἀπόλειψίν τε καὶ ὑπέρβασιν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τῆς ὀγδόης ἀξιωθεὶς, ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν ἀνέστη [τῶν μετὰ Θεὸν λέγω πάντων αἰσθητῶν τε καὶ νοητῶν, καὶ λόγων] καὶ νοημάτων, καὶ ἔζησε τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μακαρίαν ζωὴν [τοῦ μόνου κατὰ ἀλήθειαν κυρίως ζωῆς καὶ λεγομένου καὶ ὄντος], οἷα καὶ αὐτὸς γενόμενος τῇ θεώσει Θεός.","t":"Whoever has completed the sixth day for himself in a godly way with fitting works and thoughts, and has himself, with God, finished his own works well, has passed in understanding through all existence subject to nature and time, and has been transferred to the mystical contemplation of the ages and eternal things, keeping sabbath unknowably in mind, by leaving and transcending all beings entirely. And if he is also counted worthy of the eighth day, he has risen from the dead (I mean from all things after God, sensible and intelligible, and from words) and from thoughts, and has lived the blessed life of God (who alone in truth is properly both called and is life), as one who has himself become God by deification.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.5 (PG 65:1055; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-5)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.6":{"o":"Τὰ φαινόμενα πάντα δεῖται σταυροῦ, τῆς τῶν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ κατ' αἴσθησιν ἐνεργουμένων ἐπεχούσης τὴν σχέσιν ἕξεως· τὰ δὲ νοούμενα πάντα χρήζει ταφῆς, τῆς τῶν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῆς κατὰ νοῦν ἐνεργουμένων ὁλικῆς ἀκινησίας Τῇ γὰρ σχέσει συναναιρουμένης τῆς περὶ πάντα˙ φυσικῆς ἐνεργείας τε καὶ κινήσεως, ὁ λόγος μόνον ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ὑπάρχων ὥσπερ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγηγερμένος, προσαναφαίνεται πάντα περιγραφήν ἔχοντα ἐξ αὐτοῦ, μηδενὸς φυσικῇ σχέσει τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν οἰκειότητα τὸ σύνολον ἔχοντος· κατὰ χάριν γὰρ, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ κατὰ φύσιν ἐστὶν ἡ τῶν σωζομένων σωτηρία.","t":"All visible things need a cross, the habit that checks the attachment of those who act upon them by sense; all intelligible things need a burial, the complete stillness of those who act upon them by the mind. For when, together with the attachment, all natural activity and movement toward all things is taken away, the Word, existing alone by himself as though risen from the dead, appears beyond all things that have their bound from him, nothing at all having kinship with him by natural relation; for the salvation of those who are saved is by grace and not by nature.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.6 (PG 65:1055; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-6)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.7":{"o":"Ἕως τῆς ἡμῶν τε καὶ πάντων τῶν μετὰ Θεὸν οὐσίας κατὰ διάνοιαν καθαρῶς οὐκ ἐμβεβήκαμεν τὴν ἕξιν, οὔπω τὴν κατ᾿ ἀρετὴν ἀτρεψίαν ἐλάβομεν. Ὁπηνίκα δὲ τοῦτο δι' ἀγάπης ἡμῖν κατορθωθῇ τὸ ἀξίωμα, τότε γνωσόμεθα τῆς θείας ἐπαγγελίας τὴν δύναμιν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ εἶναι χρὴ πιστεύειν καθίδρυσιν ἀμετάθετον τοὺς ἀξίους, ἔνθα προλαβὼν ὁ νοῦς δι᾿ ἀγάπης τὴν σφετέραν ἐῤῥίζωσε δύναμιν. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἐκβὰς ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ πάντων τῶν ὁπωσοῦν νοεῖσθαι δυναμένων, καὶ εἰς τὴν ὑπὲρ νόησιν σιγὴν καταστὰς, οὐ δύναται τροπῆς εἶναι πάντων ἐλεύθερος.","t":"Until we have passed purely in thought beyond the habit of our own being and that of all things after God, we have not yet received unchangeableness in virtue. But when this dignity is achieved by us through love, then we shall know the power of the divine promise. For we must believe that the worthy are established immovably there where the mind has first rooted its own power through love. For whoever has not gone out of himself and of all that can in any way be thought, and come to rest in the silence beyond thought, cannot be free of all change.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.7 (PG 65:1055; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-7)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.8":{"o":"Πᾶσα νόησις, πλήθους, ἢ τὸ ἐλάχιστον δυάδος, πάντως ἔμφασιν ἔχει. Μέση γάρ τινων ἐστὶν ἀκροτήτων σχέσις ἀλλήλοις συνάπτουσα Το τε [νο]οῦν καὶ τὸ νοούμενον· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέτερον δι᾿ ὅλου τὴν ἁπλότητα πέφυκε σώζειν· τὸ τε γὰρ νοοῦν, ὑποκείμενόν τί ἐστι, πάντως συνεπινοουμένην αὐτῷ τὴν τοῦ νοεῖσθαι ἔχον δύναμιν, ἢ πρὸς ὑποκειμένην τὴν οὗ ἐστι δύναμις οὐσίαν. Οὐ γάρ τι τῶν ὄντων τὸ σύνολον, αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ, ἁπλῆ τις οὐσία ἢ νόησις ἐστιν, ἵνα καὶ μονὰς ἀδιαίρετος. Τὸν δὲ Θεὸν εἶτα οὐσίαν εἴπομεν, οὐκ ἔχει φυσικῶς συνεπινοουμένην αὐτῷ τὴν τοῦ νοεῖσθαι δύναμιν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ σύνθετος· εἴτε νόησις, οὐκ ἔχει φυσικῶς δεκτικὴν τὴν τῆς νοήσεως ὑποκειμένην οὐσίαν. Αλλ' αὐτὸς κατ' οὐσίαν, νόησίς ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ὅλος νόησις, καὶ μόνον, καὶ ὑπὲρ οὐσίαν ὅλος, καὶ ὑπὲρ νόησιν ὅλος · διότι μονὰς ἀδιαίρετος, καὶ ἀμερὴς, καὶ ἁπλῆ. Ὁ τοίνυν καθοτιοῦν νόησιν ἔχων, οὔπω τῆς δυάδος ἐξῆλθεν· ὁ δὲ ταύτην πάμπαν ἀπολιπὼν, γέγονε ποσῶς ἐν τῇ μονάδι, τὴν τοῦ νοεῖν ὑπεροχικῶς ἀποθέμενος δύναμιν.","t":"Every act of thought certainly shows a plurality, or at least a duality. For it is a relation between certain extremes, joining them to each other: what thinks and what is thought. Neither of them can by nature keep simplicity throughout. For what thinks is a subject, having with it the power of thinking; or it is related to the substance of which it is the power. For none of the beings at all, by itself, is a simple substance or thought, so as to be an indivisible unity. But God, whether we call him substance, does not have by nature the power of thinking conceived together with him, lest he be composite; or whether thought, he does not have by nature a substance underlying and receptive of thought. But God himself is in substance thought, and wholly thought, and only thought, and wholly beyond substance, and wholly beyond thought; because he is an indivisible, partless, and simple unity. So whoever has thought in any way has not yet left duality; but whoever has wholly abandoned it has come in some measure into the unity, having laid aside, in a surpassing way, the power of thinking.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.8 (PG 65:1055; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-8)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/6.9":{"o":"Ἐν μὲν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἑτερότης καὶ ἀνομοιότης ἐστὶ καὶ διαφορά· ἐν δὲ τῷ Θεῷ κυρίως ἑνὶ καὶ μόνῳ τυγχάνοντι, ταύτης καὶ ἔξω γενέσθαι, τῶν πολλῶν ἐπιβάλλειν ταῖς περὶ Θεοῦ θεωρίαις. Καὶ δηλοῖ τοῦτο Μωϋσῆς ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς πηγνύμενος τὴν σκηνὴν τῆς διανοίας, καὶ τότε προσομιλῶν τῷ Θεῷ. Τὸ γὰρ μετὰ λόγου τοῦ κατὰ προφορὰν πειρᾶσθαι φάναι τὸν ἄῤῥητον, ἐπικίνδυνον, ὅτι δυὰς καὶ πλέον ἐστὶν ὁ κατὰ προφορὰν λόγος. Τὸ δὲ ἄνευ φωνῆς μόνῃ ψυχῇ τὸ ὂν θεωρεῖν, ἰσχυρότερον, ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ἀδιαίρετον ἵσταται μονάδα, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τοῖς πολλοῖς. Ὁ γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς ἅπαξ τοῦ ἔτους εἰς τὰ ῞Αγια τῶν ἁγίων ἔσω τοῦ καταπετάσματος εἰσιέναι μόλις προστεταγμένος, διδάσκει, μόνον δεῖν ἐκεῖνον τὸν τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ τὰ ἅγια διαβάντα, καὶ εἰς τὰ ῞Αγια τῶν ἁγίων ἔσω γενόμενον, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι τὴν ἅπασαν τῶν αἰσθητῶν τε καὶ νοητῶν παρελθόντα φύσιν, καὶ πάσης τῆς κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν ἰδιότητος γενόμενον καθαρὸν, ἀνείμονι καὶ γυμνῇ τῇ διανοίᾳ προσβάλλειν ταῖς περὶ Θεοῦ φαντασίαις.","t":"In the many there is otherness, unlikeness, and difference; but in God, who is properly one and alone, one must also be outside these, and outside the many, to approach the contemplations of God. Moses shows this, pitching the tent of his thought outside the camp, and then conversing with God. For to try to speak of the unspeakable with spoken word is dangerous, because spoken word is a duality and more; but to contemplate Being with the soul alone, without voice, is stronger, because it stands in the indivisible unity and not among the many. For the high priest, commanded to enter the holy of holies within the veil scarcely once a year, teaches that only he who has passed through the court and the holy place and come within the holy of holies, that is, has passed beyond the whole nature of sensible and intelligible things and become pure of every property of becoming, may approach the appearances of God with a mind unclothed and naked.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 6.9 (PG 65:1057; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/6-9)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/7.0":{"o":"Ἠρώτησέ τις τῶν ἐν λόγοις δικανικῶν γέροντὰ ἀσκητὴν, λέγων· Παρακαλῶ, πείσατέ με γνῶναι θέλοντα, τί φρονοῦντες οἱ μοναχοί φατε δεῖν τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας μὴ κρίνειν· ἢ τί μεταχειριζόμενοι, τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἔργων ἀπέχεσθε; ἐφ᾽ ὧν λίαν καταμεμφόμεθα ὑμᾶς, ὡς τὴν μὲν ἀκρισίαν παρὰ τοὺς νόμους, τὴν δὲ ἀργίαν παρὰ τὴν φύσιν ἐπιτηδεύοντας. Εἰ δὲ φιλοσοφίας χάριν τοῦτο ποιοῦντες ἐπιγνῶτε,. ἀναγκαίως καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς μέμψεως ἀποστὰς, ζηλώσω τὴν ἀρετὴν ὑμῶν. Ὁ δὲ ἀσκητὴς πρῶτον κατὰ νοῦν εὐξάμενος, οὕτως ἔφη· Ἔδει μὲν, ὦ λογιώτατε, ταῦτά σε πυθόμενον παρὰ τῶν εὖ εἰδότων μαθεῖν. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἔτι τῶν διδασκομένων τυγχάνομεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ σοφὸς πρὸς τοὺς ἰδιώτας ηὐτομόλησας, ὡς πιστωσόμενος περὶ ὧν ἔφης, ἄκουσον · Οἱ μοναχοὶ ξένον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οὐχ ἡρετίσαντο φρόνημα, ἀλλὰ τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατέχειν σπουδάζουσι, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· Τοῦτο φρονείσθω ἐν ὑμῖν, ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἀλλ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε, μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος, καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος. Ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν, γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. Γνῶθι οὖν ὅτι θεοδώρητόν ἐστι, καὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἀρετῆς, λέγω δὴ ταπεινοφροσύνης πρόξενος. Ἔργῳ δὲ ἐνετείλατο ὁ Κύριος τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦτο ἐργάζεσθαι, εἰπών· Ἐργάζεσθε, μὴ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν ἀπολλυμένην, ἀλλὰ τὴν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ὁ δὲ δικανικὸς λέγει· Γνωσόμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς, παρακαλῶ, ποῖόν ἐστι τὸ ἔργον. Ὁ δὲ ἀσκητῆς· Τὸ διὰ προσευχῆς ζητεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ· ἣν καὶ ἐντὸς ἡμῶν εἴρηκεν εἶναι· καὶ τοῖς ζητοῦσιν αὐτὴν τὰ σωματικά πάντα ὑπέσχετο. Ταῦτα οὖν ἀκούσαντες παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ πιστεύσαντες, κατὰ δύναμιν ἐργαζόμεθα· πῶς ἔξω τῆς φύσεως ἡμᾶς πράττειν λέγεις; Εἰ δὲ φαίνεταί σοι παρὰ φύσιν, γνῶθι τίνα καταμέμφῃ· ὁ Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐντειλάμενος. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ κρίνειν τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας, Θεοῦ ἐντολή ἐστι. Πῶς παρανομοῦσιν οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ, εἰρηκότος τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· Ἐμοὶ ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει Κύριος · καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις· Μὴ κρίνετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ κριθῆτε· καὶ τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου· Μὴ πρὸ καιροῦ τι κρίνετε· καὶ πάλιν· Μὴ ἐκδικοῦντες ἑαυτούς· καὶ πάλιν· Σὺ τί κρίνεις ἀλλότριον οἰκέτην; Τίς ἐστι λοιπὸν ὁ τούτων δικαιοτέρους νόμους ὁρισάμενος, καὶ πρὸ καιροῦ κρῖναι θέλων τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας, ὡσεὶ ἀναμάρτητος, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον φυλάττειν πειρωμένοις παρανομίαν ἐγκαλῶν, καὶ τὴν ἀνεξικακίαν ὀνομάζων κακίαν; Β΄. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ σχολαστικὸς ἔφη · Οἱ οὖν ἄρχοντες ἁμαρτάνουσι, τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας ἀμυνόμενοι, καὶ τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις τὸ δίκαιον ἀποσώζοντες; 'Απεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Οἱ δικασταὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἀλλ᾿ οἱ παραδιδόντες, καὶ μὴ τῷ Θεῷ ἀποδιδόντες· πρῶτον μὲν, πᾶν τὸ ἐπελθὸν αὐτοῖς, τῶν ἰδίων κακῶν ἐπιφορὰ τυγχάνει, εἰς μετάνοιαν αὐτοὺς ἕλκον, καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἄμυναν· δεύτερον δὲ, εἰ καὶ ἀδίκως ἔπαθον, τὸ τυχὸν πλημμέλημα ἔδει ἀφεῖναι τῷ ἀδικήσαντι, ἀκούσαντας τοῦ Κυρίου εἰρηκότος· ῎Αφετε, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν, καὶ μὴ διὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀνταποδόσεως ἀσυγχώρητα ποιεῖν τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακά. Οἱ δὲ ἄρχοντες, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον, οὐκ εἰσὶ φόβος τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων, ἀλλὰ τῶν κακῶν. Οὐ γὰρ τοὺς πιστοὺς καὶ εὐλαβεῖς ἀναγκάζουσι τῶν ἀδικούντων κατηγορεῖν, οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀνεξικάκοις ἐγκαλοῦσι, διότι οὐ χρῶνται τοῖς δικαστηρίοις ἀδικούμενοι, ἀλλὰ τοῖς βουλομένοις παρέχουσι τὴν ἐκδίκησιν. Τοὺς δὲ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν μακροθυμοῦντας, ὡς μᾶλλον εὐφρονοῦντας, καὶ τιμῶσι καὶ ἀποδέχονται. Ὥσπερ οὖν τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ἐντυγχάνειν. οὐκ ἐφέλκονται οὕτω τοὺς κατηγοροῦντας ἐκδικοῦντες οὐχ ἁμαρτάνουσι. Διὸ χρὴ, ὦ σοφώτατε, μετὰ τοὺς ἔξωθεν λόγους τε καὶ νόμους, λοιπὸν καὶ τὸν πνευματικὸν διαδεχθῆναι νόμον, καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἀναδέξασθαι πόνους· καὶ ὡς ἴδια ὑπομένεις τὰ ἐπερχόμενα λυπηρὰ, ὧν χωρὶς οὐ δύναταί τις ἀληθῶς γενέσθαι σοφός. Γ΄. Τοῦ δὲ σχολαστικοῦ ζητοῦντος μαθεῖν, τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας πόνοι· εἶπεν ὁ γέρων, τὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἶναι ἐντολὰς, ὧν πρώτη καὶ μεγίστη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη, καθότι οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακὸν, ἀλλὰ πάντα στέργει, πάντα ἐλπίζει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ὑπομένει, κατὰ τὴν Γραφήν. Ταῦτα δὲ ποιοὔσα, οὐ δύναται κρίνειν τὸν ἀδικεῖν αὐτὴν δοκοῦντα. Ἐν ταύτῃ ἕτερος μὲν ἑτέρου διαφέρομεν, πάντα δὲ τῆς ἀξίας αὐτῆς ἀπολειπόμεθα. Ἐκδεχόμενοι χάριτι Χριστοῦ τῶν ἐλλειμμάτων τὴν ἀναπλήρωσιν, ὑπὲρ τῆς κατὰ δύναμιν ἐργασίας μὴ ἀμελήσωμεν. Θεὸς γὰρ οἶδε πόσων ἀσθενοῦντες οὐ δυνάμεθα ποιεῖν, καὶ πόσων ἀμελοῦντες οὐκ ἐργαζόμεθα τὸ ἔργον τῆς ἀγάπης. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἐκ τῶν προαιρετικῶν πόνων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν συμβατικῶν θλίψεων κρατύνεται, πολλῆς ἡμῖν χρεία παρὰ Θεοῦ ὑπομονῆς καὶ πραότητος· διὰ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος. Ὁ θέλων γενέσθαι σοφὸς ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, μωρὸς γενέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός. Ὁ τοιοῦτος τοὺς μὲν ἀνωτέρους αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς θελήμασι τῆς τελείας ἀγάπης οὐ κατακρίνει · ἑαυτὸν δὲ μᾶλλον πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ὑπεροχὴν ἐπεκτείνει· καὶ ὅταν αὐτοὺς καταλάβῃ, πάλιν ἄλλους ζητεῖ ἑαυτοῦ μείζονας, καὶ εὑρὼν ἁμιλλᾶται κἀκείνοις, καὶ οὐδέποτε παύεται τοῦ δρόμου, ἕως ἂν εὑρίσκῃ τινὰς αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπη προσάγοντας. Εἰ δὲ τις αὐτῶν μὲν τοῖς ἀνωτέροις οὐ παρεικάζει, ἐκείνους δὲ ὡς μὴ τελείους κατακρίνει, ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν ἑαυτὸν, καταδικάζει. Φησὶ γάρ· Μὴ καταδικάζετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ καταδικασθῆτε. \"Οθεν οἱ ἐν ῥήμασι σοφοὶ μόνους τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας ἁμαρτάνειν νομίζουσιν· οἱ δὲ πνευματικοὶ καὶ ἀδικούμενοι ἑαυτοὺς καταμέμφονται, ὅταν μὴ μετὰ χαρᾶς αὐθαιρέτως τὰς ἀδικίας ὑποφέρουσιν· οὐ μόνον δὲ διὰ τοῦτο, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι καὶ ἐκ παλαιᾶς αὐτῶν αἰτίας αἱ θλίψεις ἀναφύονται, εἰ καὶ ἁμάρτημα ἁμαρτήματος ἐλαφρότερον τυγχάνει. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐκδικῶν ἑαυτὸν ἀκρισίας Θεοῦ δοκεῖ καταγινώσκειν· ὁ δὲ ὑποφέρων ὡς ἰδίαν τὴν ἐπελθοῦσαν αὐτῷ θλίψιν, τὴν ἰδίαν πρόσληψιν ὁμολογεῖ, δι᾽ ἣν καὶ ὑπομένων πάσχει τὰ δεινά. Δ΄. ᾿Αγανακτήσας δὲ ὁ κοσμικὸς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐλέγχοις, ἔφη · Εἰ ταῦτα ὁ πνευματικὸς ὑμῶν παρακελεύεται νόμος, τοῦ Θεοῦ θεσπίσαντος, καθὼς ἔφης, διὰ τἱ πίπτουσί τινες τῶν μοναχῶν, τοῦτον κρατοῦντες τὸν νόμον; Ὁ δὲ γέρων ἔφη· Οἱ κρατοῦντες αὐτὸν οὐ πίπτουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ οἱ καταλείποντες, καὶ τῶν καιρίων αὐτοῦ ἀμελήσαντες, προσευχῆς, λέγω, καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης, ὑπὸ μερίμνης βιωτικῆς καὶ κενοδοξίας κλαπέντες. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ διάβολος πάντα τὰ βιωτικὰ ἐννοεῖν οὐκ ἀποτρέπει μόνον, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα προσευχῆς καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης ἀποπλανήσῃ· οἶδε γὰρ τὰ ἐκτὸς τῶν δύο τούτων γινόμενα, ὅτι κἂν καλὰ τυγχάνῃ, ὀψέ ποτε ἀφαιρεθήσεται ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Προσευχὴν δὲ λέγομεν, οὐ μόνον διὰ σαρκὸς ἐπιδεικνυμένην, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι᾽ ἐννοίας ἀπερισπάστου τῷ Θεῷ προσφερομένην. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἂν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀκαίρως περισπασθῇ, οὐδὲ τὸ ἕτερον καταμόνας παρίσταται τῷ Θεῷ φερομένην, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἰδίῳ θελήματι. Επερωτᾷ ὁ σχολαστικός· Ἔχει θέλημα ἡ σάρξ παρὰ τὴν διάνοιαν; ᾿Απεκρίθη ὁ ἀσκητής· Ἔχει, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· Ἦμεν γάρ ποτε καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπειθοῦντες, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκός· καὶ πάλιν· Ἡ σάρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα κατὰ τῆς σαρκός. Ἴδε οὖν, ὅτι ἔχει καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ θέλημα, ἅπερ ἡμεῖς ἀγνοοῦμεν διὰ τὴν τῶν λογισμῶν ἀπροσεξίαν καὶ συγκατάθεσιν. Ὅθεν οὐ μόνον οἱ ἀμελοῦντες προσευχῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τῇ διανοίᾳ μὴ προσέχοντες ἐπηρεάζονται. Ταῦτα δὲ εἰρήκαμεν οὐχ ὡς ἑτέρους κατακρίνοντες, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἐλλείμματα ὁμολογοῦντες. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ὑπερηφανίας, τοῦτο δὲ ταπεινοφροσύνης γνώρισμα. Καὶ Ὑπερηφάνοις μὲν ἀντιτάσσεται Κύριος, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι χάριν· δι' ἧς οὐ μόνον εἰς γνῶσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἕξιν ἡμᾶς ἄγει τῆς ἱερᾶς ἀρετῆς, λέγω δὴ τῆς ἀπερισπάστου προσευχῆς, ἧς μηδόλως ἡμᾶς ἀμελεῖν βουλόμενος ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος λέγει· ᾿Αδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε. \"Αμα δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀμετεώριστον τοῦ νοὸς ἐμφαίνει λέγων· Μὴ σχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν, εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς, τὶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ εὐάρεστον καὶ τέλειον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν ὀλιγοπιστίαν ἡμῶν καὶ ἀσθένειαν διαφόρους ἐντολὰς ἔθετο ὁ Θεὸς, ὅπως κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ· σπουδὴν ἕκαστος ἐκφύγοι τὴν κόλασιν, καὶ τύχοι τῆς σωτηρίας, τούτου χάριν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος ὁδηγεῖ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον τοῦ Θεοῦ θέλημα, μηδόλως ἡμῶν κριθῆναι βουλόμενος. Εἰδὼς δὲ πρὸς κατόρθωσιν πασῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν συνεργοῦσαν τὴν προσευχὴν, οὐ παύεται πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως περὶ αὐτῆς ἐντελλόμενος, καὶ λέγων· Προσευχόμενοι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν πνεύματι, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐπαγρυπνοῦντες ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτερήσει καὶ δεήσει. Ε΄. Ὅθεν γινώσκομεν, ὅτι προσευχὴ προσευχῆς διαφορωτέρα τυγχάνει. \"Αλλο γάρ ἐστιν, ἀῤῥέμβῳ διανοίᾳ καὶ μὴ θολωτῷ νῷ παρακαλεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἄλλο τὸ παριστᾶν τὸ σῶμα, καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ ῥέμβεσθαι. Καὶ πάλιν, ἄλλο ἐστὶ καιροσκοπεῖν, καὶ μετὰ τὰς σωματικὰς ἀσχολίας εὐκαιρήσαντα προσεύξασθαι· καὶ ἄλλο, ὅσον δυνατὸν προτιμᾶν καὶ προαρπάζειν τὴν εὐχὴν τῶν κοσμικῶν φροντίδων, κατὰ τὸν ᾿Απόστολον λέγοντα· Ὁ Κύριος ἐγγύς. Μηδέν μεριμνᾶτε· ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ δεήσει, τὰ αἰτήματα ὑμῶν γνωριζέσθω πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Καθὼς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος ἔφη· Σωφρονήσατε οὖν καὶ νήψατε εἰς προσευχὰς, πᾶσαν τὴν μέριμναν ὑμῶν ἐπιθέντες ἐπὶ τὸν Θεόν. Πρῶτον δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος εἰδὼς, ὅτι πάντα διὰ προσευχῆς ὠχύρωται, φησί· Μὴ μεριμνήσητε τί φάγητε, ἢ τί πίητε, ἢ τί ἐνδύσησθε, ἀλλὰ μόνον ζητεῖτε τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Τάχα δὲ καὶ εἰς μείζονα πίστιν διὰ τούτου ἡμᾶς προσκαλεῖται ὁ Κύριος. Τίς γὰρ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν προσκαίρων μέριμναν ἀποβαλών, καὶ ἀνενδεὴς γενόμενος, μὴ πιστεύσει λοιπὸν αὐτῷ καὶ περὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν; Ὅθεν καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦτο φανεροποιῶν ἔλεγεν· Ὁ ἐν ὀλίγῳ ἄπιστος καὶ ἐν πολλῷ ἄπιστός ἐστιν. Ὅμως καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἡμᾶς ἐφιλανθρωπεύσατο· εἰδὼς γὰρ ἀπαραίτητον οὖσαν τὴν ἐφήμερον τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπιμέλειαν, οὐ περιέκοψε τὴν καθημερινὴν φροντίδα, ἀλλὰ παραχωρήσας ἡμῖν τὴν σήμερον, περὶ τῆς αὔριον μὴ μεριμνᾷν παρακελεύεται, πάνυ θεοπρεπῶς καὶ φιλανθρώπως. Καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι δυνατὸν, σάρκα φοροῦντας καὶ ἀνθρώπους τυγχάνοντας τὰ τῆς σωματικῆς ζωῆς καθόλου παραλογίσασθαι. Συσταλῆναι γὰρ τὰ πολλὰ εἰς ὀλίγα διὰ προσευχῆς καὶ ἐγκρατείας ἐνδέχεται, παντελῶς δὲ παροραθῆναι ἀδύνατον. Γ΄. Διόπερ ὁ βουλόμενος εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ καταντῆσαι, κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, οὐκ ὀφείλεις προκρίνειν πάσας τὰς διακονίας, ἢ ἐκτὸς ἀνάγκης ἐπισπᾶσθαι ὡς ἔτυχεν, οὔτε ἀπαντώσας κατ᾿ ἀνάγκην τινὰ καὶ οἰκονομίαν Θεοῦ, προφάσει προσευχῆς παρωθεῖν καὶ ἀποβάλλειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διαφορὰν ἐπιγινώσκειν, καὶ τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ δουλεύειν ἀδογματίστως. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ οὕτως φρονῶν, οὔτε, κατὰ τὴν Γραφήν, ἐντολὴν ἐντολῆς διαφορωτέραν καὶ περιεκτικὴν εἶναι πιστεύει, οὔτε, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην, πρὸς πάσας τὰς ὅτι αὗται ἀναγκαῖαι καὶ ἀπαραίτητοι ἐντολαὶ οὐ Α ἐντολὰς κατορθοῦσθαι οἰκονομικῶς ἀπαντώσας βούλεται. ᾿Απαραιτήτων οὖν ὄντων τῶν ἀναγκαίων, καὶ οἰκονομικῶς ἀπαντώντων, παραιτεῖσθαι χρὴ τὰς ἀκαίρους ἀσχολίας, προτιμῶντας τὴν προσευχὴν, μάλιστα τὰς εἰς πολυτέλειαν καὶ πλεονεξίαν χρημάτων ἡμᾶς κατασπώσας. Ὅσαν γὰρ ἄν τις ἐν Κυρίῳ συστέλλοι ταύτας καὶ τὰς περισσὰς αὐτῶν ὕλας ἐκκόπτοι, τοσοῦτον καὶ τὴν ἔννοιαν ἀπὸ ῥεμβασμῶν συστέλλει· καὶ ὅσον ἂν συστέλλοι τὴν ἔννοιαν, τοσοῦτον καὶ τῇ καθαρᾷ προσευχῇ δίδωσι τόπον, καὶ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν εἰλικρινῆ ἐπιδείκνυσιν. Εἰ δὲ τις δι᾽ ὀλιγοπιστίαν, ἢ ἑτέραν τινὰ ἀσθένειαν, τοῦτο ποιεῖν οὐ δύναται, κἂν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπιγινωσκέτω, καὶ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐπεκτεινέσθω, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ νηπιότητα καταιτιώμενος. Κρεῖσσον γὰρ ἐλλείψεως δοῦναι λόγον, καὶ μὴ πλάνης καὶ οἰήσεως. Πειθέτω σε ἡ παραβολὴ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἕνα Φαρισαῖον καὶ ἕτερον τελώνην παρεισάγουσα. Διὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς πειρώμεθα πᾶσαν κοσμικὴν μέριμναν δι᾽ εὐχῆς καὶ ἐλπίδος ἀποκρούσασθαι. Μὴ δυνάμενοι δὲ ἀνελλειπῶς τοῦτο κατορθῶσαι, τῷ μὲν Θεῷ προσφέρομεν τῶν ἐλλειμμάτων τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν, τῆς δὲ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν σπουδῆς οὐκ ἀφιστάμεθα· βέλτιον γὰρ ἐγκληθῆναι περὶ ἐλλείψεως μερικῆς, καὶ μὴ παντελοῦς ἐγκαλύψεως. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ περὶ προσευχῆς ὀφείλομεν, ἐπειδὴ ἕκαστος πρὸς τὴν ἠγαπημένην αὐτῷ χρείαν ἀσχολούμενος ὀφειλομένην διακονίαν ἐκτελεῖν δοκεῖ, ἀγνοῶν, ὅτι πρὸς εὐαρέστησιν Θεοῦ μᾶλλον ἢ αὐτοῦ τὰ πράγματα κρίνειν ὀφείλεται. Τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις δυσδιάκριτον, πάντοτε οὐδὲ αἱ αὐταὶ, ἀλλ' ἐτέρα τῆς ἑτέρας ἐν ἰδίῳ καιρῷ προτιμᾶσθαι ὀφείλει, ἐπειδὴ οὐ πᾶσι μὲν διακονία πάντοτε, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ἰδίῳ καιρῷ ἐπιτελεῖται. Τῆς δὲ προσευχῆς ἀδιαλείπτως ἡμῖν ἡ λειτουργία νενομοθέτηται· τούτου χάριν τῶν ἐκ τῆς ἀνάγκης ἀσχολιῶν προκρίνειν αὐτὴν ὀφείλομεν. Ταύτην τὴν διαφορὰν πάντες οἱ ἀπόστολοι διδάσκοντες τὸ πλῆθος περισπᾶν αὐτοὺς εἰς διακονίαν βουλόμενον, ἔλεγον· Οὐκ ἀρεστόν ἐστι καταλιπόντας ἡμᾶς τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ διακονεῖν τραπέζαις· ἐπισκέψασθε οὖν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἄνδρας μαρτυρουμένους ἑπτὰ, οὓς καταστήσωμεν ἐπὶ τῆς χρείας ταύτης· ἡμεῖς δὲ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ διακονίᾳ τοῦ λόγου προσκαρτερήσωμεν· καὶ ἤρεσεν ὁ λόγος ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους. Εἰ δὲ διὰ τούτων μανθάνομεν, ὅτι τοῖς μὴ δυναμένοις προσκαρτερεῖν τῇ προσευχῇ καλὸν τὸ ἐγκεῖσθαι τῇ διακονίᾳ, ἵνα μὴ ἀμφοτέρων ἐκπέσωμεν· τοῖς δὲ δυναμένοις κρεϊσσόν ἐστι τὸ μὴ ἀμελοῦν τοῦ βελτίονος. Ζ΄. Ὁ δὲ δικανικὸς ἀκούσας ταῦτα οὕτως ἔφη Πῶς οἱ κατὰ κόσμον σοφοὶ προσευχῆς ἀμελοῦντες οὐ καταπίπτουσιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἑαυτοὺς φυλάττουσιν; Ὁ δὲ ἀσκητὴς στενάξας οὕτως ἔφη Καλῶς εἶπας, ὅτι οὐ πίπτουσι. Πεσόντες γὰρ ἅπαξ τὸ ἐξαίσιον καὶ δισσὸν πτῶμα, τῆς οἰήσεως καὶ ἀμελείας λέγω, οὔτε ἀναστῆναι δύνανται χωρὶς τῆς προσευχῆς, οὔτε ἔχουσι πόθεν πέσωσι. Τίς γὰρ ἔτι μέριμνα τῷ διαβόλῳ παλαίειν τοῖς ἀεὶ κάτω κειμένοις, καὶ μηδέποτε ἱσταμένοις; Ἕτεροι μέν εἰσιν οἱ ποτὲ μὲν νικῶντες, ποτὲ δὲ νικώμενοι· πίπτοντες, ἐγειρόμενοι· θλίβοντες, θλιβόμενοι· πολεμοῦντες, πολεμούμενοι· καὶ ἕτεροι οἱ τῇ πρώτῃ πτώσει διὰ πολλὴν ἄγνοιαν ἐναπομείναντες, καὶ μὴ εἰδότες, ὅτι περιπεπτώκασιν, οἷς ἐλεεινῶς ὁ προφήτης διαλέγεται Μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται; ἢ ὁ ἀποστρέφων οὐκ ἐπιστρέψει; καὶ πάλιν· Ἔγειραι, ὁ καθεύδων, καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ἐπιφαύσει σοι ὁ Χριστός. Μὴ βουλομένοις δὲ τὸν τῆς ἐγέρσεως κόπον ἀναδέξασθαι, καὶ τῇ προσευχῇ παραμένειν, καὶ ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας θλιβῆναι, διὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν βασιλείαν, φησί· Τῇ διαφθορᾷ σου, Ἰσραὴλ, τίς βοηθήσῃ; Οὐκ ἔστι τραῦμα, οὔτε μώλωψ, οὔτε πληγὴ φλεγμαίνουσα, οὔτε τι τῶν παρὰ θέλημα συμβαινόντων κακῶν. Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἁμαρτία ἡ πρὸς θάνατον, μηδὲ ταῖς ἑτέρων προσευχαῖς ἰατρευομένη. Ἰατρεύσαμεν γὰρ τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ οὐκ ἰάθη, διότι αὐθαίρετος ἡ νόσος, καὶ οὐκέτι μάλαγμα ἐπιθεῖναι, οὔτε ἔλαιον, οὔτε και ταδέσμους, τὰ παρ' ἑτέρων βοηθήματα. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀποφθέγγεται ἡ θεία Γραφὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἐξευτελίζοντας τὴν προσευχὴν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀνάγκης καὶ ἀσθενείας ὥραις καὶ καιροῖς ταύτην περιορίζοντας, τοῦ μὲν Κυρίου πάντοτε νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, τοῦ δὲ ᾿Αποστόλου ἀδιαλείπτως αὐτὴν προσφέρειν τῷ παντοδυνάμῳ Θεῷ νομοθετήσαντος. Η΄. Ἰδοὺ καὶ ἡ Παλαιά Διαθήκη πῶς ἀνακόπτει τὸν πεποιθότα ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐπαιρόμενον, λέγουσα· Ἴσθι πεποιθὼς ἐπὶ Κύριον ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ σου, ἐπὶ δὲ σῇ σοφίᾳ μὴ ἐπαίρου. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ εἰσὶ ψιλὰ ῥήματα, καθώς τισιν ἔδοξε, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο βίβλους ἐκτήσαντο, καὶ γνόντες τὴν τῶν γεγραμμένων δύναμιν, μηδὲν τούτων ἐργασάμενοι, ὑπερφυσῶνται ψιλοῖς τοῖς νοήμασι, καὶ διὰ λόγων καὶ ζητημάτων συνιστῶντες ἑαυτοὺς, μέγαν παρὰ τοῖς σοφίας ἀπείροις φέρουσιν ἔπαινον, τῆς φιλοπονίας μὴ ἁψάμενοι, μηδὲ τοῦ ἔργου μνησθέντες, πολλὴν παρὰ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν φιλοπόνων καὶ εὐσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀποφέρονται τὴν κατάγνωσιν. Διότι τῇ εἰσαγωγικῇ γνώσει τῶν Γραφῶν οὐ πρὸς ἔργον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν ἀποχρησάμενοι, τῆς κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἀπεστερήθησαν χάριτος. Οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐν προσώπῳ καυχώμενοι, καὶ οὐ καρδίᾳ. Ὅθεν οἱ τοῦ ἔργου ἄπειροι ὀφείλουσιν αὐτοῦ ἅψασθαι· τὰ γὰρ παρὰ τῆς Γραφῆς εἰρημένα, οὐχ ἵνα νοήσωμεν μόνον, ἀλλ᾽ ὅπως αὐτὰ καὶ ποιήσωμεν, εἴρηνται. Ἀρξώμεθα δὴ οὖν τοῦ ἔργου· οὕτως οὖν ἀκολούθως προκόπτοντες εὐρήσομεν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ βεβαία πίστις, καὶ ἀνυπόκριτος ἀγάπη, καὶ ἀμνησικακία, καὶ φιλαδελφία, καὶ ἐγκράτεια, καὶ ὑπομονή, καὶ γνῶσις ἐσωτέρα, καὶ πειρασμῶν λύτρωσις, καὶ χαρισμάτων δωρήματα, καὶ ἐξομολόγησις καρδιακή, καὶ δάκρυον ἐκτενὲς, διὰ προσευχῆς τοῖς πιστοῖς ἐγγίνεται. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐπερχομένων θλιβερῶν ὑπομονὴ, καὶ εἰλικρινὴς τοῦ πλησίον ἄφεσις, καὶ νόμου πνευματικοῦ ἐπίγνωσις, καὶ δικαιοσύνης Θεοῦ εὕρεσις, καὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐπιφοίτησις, καὶ θησαυρῶν πνευματικῶν δόσις, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Θεὸς παρέχειν τοῖς πιστοῖς ἀνθρώποις, καὶ ὧδε καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι. Καὶ ἅπαξ ἁπλῶς κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ἀναφανῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν ἀδύνατον, εἰ μὴ διὰ χάριτος Θεοῦ καὶ πίστεως, ἀνθρώπου μετὰ πολλῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ ἀμετεωρίστου προσευχῆς τῇ καρδίᾳ παραμένοντος. Πῶς οὖν οἱ τοιούτων καὶ τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν δι᾽ ἄγνοιαν καὶ προσευχῆς ἀμέλειαν ἀπεστερημένοι λέγουσιν· Οὐ πεπτώκαμεν ; Καὶ σοφίαν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιγράφουσιν, οἱ μηδὲ τὴν ἰδίαν καταβολὴν ἐπιστάμενοι, ἐλεεινοὶ τῆς πτώσεως, ἐλεεινοὶ τῆς ἀπειρίας, τοῦτο μόνον κερδαίνοντες, ὅτι ἡμᾶς πλεῖον πιστεύειν τῇ Γραφῇ παρασκευάζουσι, λεγούσῃ τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου μωρίαν εἶναι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ· ἡ δὲ ἐκ Θεοῦ, ἄνωθέν ἐστι κατερχομένη παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν φώτων, ἧς τεκμήριόν ἐστιν ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη. Οἱ οὖν ἀνθρωπαρεσκεῖν βουλόμενοι, ἀντὶ τῆς θείας τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἐδέξαντο, καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ φυσιούμενοι καὶ ἐγκαυχώμενοι, πολλοὺς τῶν ἁπλουστέρων ἠπάτησαν, πείσαντες οὐκ ἐν πόνοις εὐσεβείας καὶ προσευχῆς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πειθοῖ ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας, καὶ λόγοις φιλοσοφεῖν· ἣν καὶ ὁ ᾿Απόστολος συνεχῶς μέμφεται, καὶ κένωσιν τοῦ σταυροῦ ὀνομάζει. Φησὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους Ἐπιστολῇ· Οὐκ ἀπέστειλέ με Χριστὸς βαπτίζειν, ἀλλ᾽ εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγου, ἵνα μὴ κενωθῇ ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· Τὰ μωρὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τοὺς σοφούς· καὶ τὰ ἀγενῆ τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ τὰ ἐξουδενούμενα ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα, ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργήσῃ, ὅπως μὴ καυχήσηται πᾶσα σάρξ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ οὖν ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐν ῥήμασιν Ἑλληνικῆς σοφίας, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πονήμασι προσευχῆς καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης εὐδοκεῖ, καθὼς καὶ ἀποδέδεικται, τί ματαιοφρονοῦσι, καὶ τὸν πρῶτον τρόπον τῆς θεοσεβείας ὡς δυσκατόρθωτον καταλιπόντες, οὐδὲ τῷ δευτέρῳ, ἢ κἂν τῷ τρίτῳ σωθῆναι βουλόμενοι, καὶ τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους ἐξαπατῶσιν; Θ΄. Τοῦ δὲ σχολαστικοῦ βουλομένου μαθεῖν, τίνες εἰσὶ τῆς θεοσεβείας τρόποι, ὁ ἀσκητὴς ἀπεκρίνατο Ὁ πρῶτός ἐστι, τὸ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν· ὁ δεύτερος τῷ ἁμαρτήσαντι ὑπομένειν τὰ ἐπερχόμενα θλιβερά· ὁ δὲ τρίτος τρόπος, τὸν μὴ ὑπομένοντα πενθεῖν ἐν τοῖς ὑπομονῆς ἐλλείμμασι, καθότι ὧδε μὴ διορθωθέντα διὰ τῶν προσφυῶν συμβάσεων, ἐξ ἀνάγκης λοιπὸν τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἡμῖν κρίσιν ἐπάγουσιν, εἰ μήτι οὖν πενθοῦντας ἡμᾶς καὶ τεταπεινωμένους ἰδὼν ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς οἶδε, τῇ παντοδυνάμῳ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητι καὶ θείᾳ χάριτι ἐξαλείψῃ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν προειρημένων ἀμελείᾳ τὸ πένθος καὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν καταλιπόντες, ἔτι ἑαυτοὺς καὶ λόγοις κοσμικῆς σοφίας εὐδοκοῦμεν, ὅπως καὶ ἐν τούτοις τῶν εὐλαβεστέρων κατεπαιρώμεθα, πῶς ἐλεηθῶμεν λοιπὸν ἐναντία τοῦ ἐλέους ποιοῦντες; ὦ ! πῶς πιθανόν ἐστι τὸ τῆς ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας πάθος καὶ δυσεύρετον, καθότι καὶ τῶν φρονίμων κατακρατεῖ; Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων παθῶν αἱ ἐργασίαι τοῖς μετόχοις αὐτῶν εὔδηλοί εἰσιν· ὅθεν καὶ ταπεινοφρονεῖν τοὺς κεκρατημένους παρασκευάζουσιν· ἡ δὲ ἀνθρωπαρέσκεια ῥήμασί τε καὶ σχήμασιν εὐσεβείας ἐπικρύπτεται, ὡς μηδὲ τὰς παρατροπὰς αὐτῆς τοὺς δελεαζομένους ἐπιγνῶναι ῥᾴδιον. Ι'. Ἐπερώτησεν ὁ κοσμικός· Ποῖαἱ εἰσιν αἱ ἐξ ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας παρατροπαί; μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ τούτων μαθεῖν βούλομαι, τί ἐστιν ἀνθρωπαρέσκεια· ὁρῶ γάρ σε οὐ φύσεως ἀκόλουθα λέγειν τοῖς κεχρηματισμένοις ἑπόμενον, ἀλλ᾿ ἀμαθίας αἰτίαν τῶν πάντων καταστοχαζόμενον, καὶ ἀσυναρτίστοις μαρτυρίαις ψέγοντα τὰ ὠφέλιμα. Διὸ ταύτης μοι τῆς προσωνυμίας πρῶτον εἰπὲ τὴν οἰκειότητα, καὶ οὕτως πιστεύομέν σοι, ὅτι καὶ τὴν γενικωτάτην αὐτῆς βλάβην κατείληφας. Ὁ δὲ ἀσκητὴς ἔφη· ᾿Ανθρωπαρέσκειά ἐστιν, ὡς δοκῶ, τὸ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκειν. Ταύτην εἶναι οἶδα τοῦ χρηματισμοῦ τὴν οἰκειότητα. Ὁ δὲ δικανικὸς, ὡς μέγα τι θαυμάσας τὸ ῥῆμα, φησί Πάνυ προσφυῶς εἴρηκας. Τί οὖν, εὐλαβέστατε, ψέγεις ἀδίκως τὸ δίκαιον; Ἢ οὐ φαίνεταί σοι δίκαιον εἶναι τὸ ἑκάστῳ τῶν οἰκείων ἔργων τὴν δοκιμασίαν ἑαυτῷ ἀποδιδόναι, ἀλλ᾽ ἑτέροις τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ κρίσιν ἐπιτρέπειν μᾶλλον ἢ ἑαυτοῖς; Ἐγὼ δὲ φημι, μήτε ὅλως ἀρετὴν ὀνομάζεσθαι τὸ μὴ ἀρέσκον ἀνθρώποις, μήτε παρὰ τοῦ πέλας ἔχειν τὸν ἔπαινον· ὅπερ καὶ τῆς Γραφῆς ἤκουσα λεγούσης· Εγκωμιαζέτω σε ὁ πέλας, καὶ μὴ τὸ σὸν στόμα· ἀλλότρια, καὶ μὴ τὰ σὰ χείλη· καὶ πάλιν· \"Εκαστος ἡμῶν τῷ πλησίον ἀρεσκέτω εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρὸς οἰκοδομήν· καὶ πάλιν· ᾿Απρόσκοποι γίνεσθε καὶ Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ Ἕλλησι, καὶ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τίς δὲ δύναται, μὴ ἀρέσκων τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἀπρόσκοπος εἶναι; Τί οὖν τοσοῦτον ἐβάθυνας τὴν ἀνθρωπαρέσκειαν μεμφόμενος; Εἰ δὲ τοὺς κατὰ σὲ μὴ ἀρέσκοντας χρὴ ἀποδέχεσθαι, καιρός σοι λοιπὸν τοὺς λῃστὰς, καὶ φονεῖς, καὶ ἅρπαγας, καὶ ἐπιβούλους ἐπαινεῖν, ἐπειδὴ οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀρέσκουσιν. Εἰ δὲ ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις παρὰ σοῦ ἡμεῖς μέχρι νῦν σεσιωπήκαμεν, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· οὐ γὰρ ὡς μὴ ἐπιστάμενοι τὰς Γραφὰς, οὐδὲ ὡς ἀγνοοῦντες τὸ δίκαιον, ἀλλὰ βουλόμενοι πρότερον ὑπακοῦσαι τῶν ὑμετέρων λόγων. Οἴδαμεν δὲ καὶ συγγνώμην ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς ἐν λόγῳ σφαλλομένοις, ὅταν μὴ θελήματα ἀπαιδευσίας αἴτια τοῦτο ποιῶσι, καὶ ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς προσηγορίαις κακίαν ἐπιγράφωσιν· ὅπερ καὶ σὺ παρὰ γνώμην πέπονθας, εὐλαβέστατε· βουλόμενος γὰρ, ὡς οἶμαι, φανεροποιῆσαι τὴν αὐταρέσκειαν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν σοι οὐκ ἀπὸ ἀμελείας, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ ἀμαθίας προσελήλυθε, δίκαιον ἂν εἴη, τῆς προσωνυμίας φανερωθείσης, καὶ τὰς αἱτίας ὡς ψευδεῖς παρασιωπηθῆναι, ἂς τοσοῦτον φαύλας καὶ δυσευρέτους ἔδοξας εἶναι, ὡς καὶ τῶν φρονίμων κατακρατεῖν. ΙΑ΄. Ὁ δὲ ἀσκητὴς ἐπιγνοὺς ὅτι φανερῶς πρὸς τοὺς ἐλέγχους ἀγανακτεῖ, καὶ τὰ ῥηθησόμενα παραιτιᾶται, ἀπηνεώθη μικρὸν, ὡς εἰκάσαι πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ὅτι τοῖς συλλογισμοῖς καταπλαγεὶς, τὰς συστάσεις κατέλειπεν. ᾿Ανοίξας δὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἔφη· Ἐπειδὴ οὐ νικῆσαι, ἀλλ' ὠφεληθῆναι προθέμενοι, ἐπὶ τούτους ἥκομεν τοὺς λόγους· αὐτὸς δὲ ἄχρι τοῦ νῦν παρεσιώπησας, οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοῶν τὸ δικαιότερον, ἔφης, ἀλλὰ πρότερον τὴν παρ' ἡμῶν ἀκοῦσαι διήγησιν βουλόμενος· τούτου χάριν παρακαλοῦμεν τὴν θαυμασιότητά σου, τέλος δοῦναι τῷ ἐπαγγέλματι, καὶ διδάξαι, ὡς οὐκ αὐτοπροσώπως, ἀλλ᾽ ἑτερωνύμως μέμφεται τὴν ἀνθρωπαρέσκειαν ἡ θεία Γραφή (ἣν πᾶσαν καλῶς ἐπιστάμενος, οὐ καλῶς ἄχρι νῦν παρεσιώπησας). Οὕτω γὰρ τὰ τῆς Γραφῆς, σοῦ λέγοντος, Β οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τοῖς προειρημένοις πεισθῶμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοῖς διηγήμασιν ἀνεξόμεθά σου δικαιότερα λέγοντος, εἰ καὶ ἀπὸ ἰδιωτείας, ὡς ἔφης, τὰ ὀνόματα ἀνταλλάξαντες, ἀρετὴν ἀντὶ πάθους ἡτοιμασάμεθα. Ὁ δὲ βιωτικὸς ταῦτα ἀκούσας, ἀπεκρίνατο· Οὐκ εἶπον, ὅτι πᾶσαν Γραφὴν ἐπίσταμαι, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ μέρους. Σὺ οὖν με εἰς τὸ λέγειν μὴ προσκαλοῦ, ἀλλ᾿ ἐναρξάμενος, εἰ μὲν ἀπορεῖς τῶν συστάσεων, σιώπα, καὶ παρ᾿ ἡμῶν συγγνώμην ἕξεις. Εἰ δὲ πάρεστί σοι δεῖξαι καταγινωσκομένην ὀνομαστὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπαρέσκειαν, λέγε· καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐξ ἀνάγκης, κἂν μὴ θέλωμεν, τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὁμολογήσομεν. Ὁ δὲ ἀσκητὴς ἔφη· Ἐχέτω ταῦτα οὕτως· τὰς δὲ ἀδίκους παρὰ σοῦ μέμψεις ποῦ θήσομεν; Ὁ δὲ δικανικὸς λέγει · Εἰς τὸν τῆς μακροθυμίας νόμον, ὃν ἡμᾶς προεδίδαξας. Ο Ὁ δὲ γέρων πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἐπαινῶ σε τῆς σοφίας, ἵνα μὴ λέγω τῆς πανουργίας, καθότι ἐπὶ τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ συμπάθειαν παρεισήγαγες, διὰ τῆς τοῦ παρέχειν ἐπαγγελίας τὸ λαβεῖν προσκεψάμενος. Ὅμως ταῦτα καταλιπόντες, τοῦ προκειμένου γενώμεθα. ΙΒ΄. ῎Ἄκουε οὖν τῆς Γραφῆς προφερούσης τὰς κατὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας μέμψεις· πρῶτον τοῦ Προφήτου λέγοντος· \"Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς διεσκόρπισεν ὀστᾶ ἀνθρωπαρέσκων· κατῃσχύνθησαν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐξουδένωσεν αὐτοὺς· καὶ ὁ ᾿Απόστολος· Μὴ κατ' ὀφθαλμοδουλείαν, ὡς ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι· καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ ζητῶ ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσαι; καὶ ἔτι· Εἰ ἀνθρώποις ἠρέσκουν, Χριστοῦ δοῦλος οὐκ ἂν ἤμην· καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ ἀναλεξάμενος εὑρήσεις. Ὁ δὲ κοσμικὸς ἔφη· Τί οὖν; ὅτι καὶ ἃ εἶπον γέγραπται, ἆρα ἡ Γραφὴ ἀσύμφωνος ἑαυτῇ; Ὁ ἀσκητὴς ἔφη· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἑαυτῇ ἀσύμφωνος, ἀλλ᾽ ἡμεῖς ἀμβλυωποῦμεν πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπόδειξιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐ πάντες ἀσεβεῖς ἄνθρωποι, οὐδὲ πάντες εὐσεβεῖς τυγχάνομεν· τούτου χάριν οὐ πᾶσιν ἀρέσκειν ὀφείλομεν, πλὴν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς· ὁμοίως δὲ οὐ πᾶσι μὴ ἀρέσκειν ὀφείλομεν, πλὴν τοῖς πονηροῖς. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Κύριος τοῦτο φανεροποιῶν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις φησίν· Οὐαὶ ὅταν καλῶς ὑμᾶς εἶπωσι πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐν τούτοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς δοκοῦσι καλοῖς ἀνθρωπαρεσκεῖν ἡμᾶς κωλύει, ὅταν μὴ δι' ἔλεγχον καὶ μίμησιν, ἀλλὰ δι' ἔπαινον καί τινα ἀντίδοσιν ἐπιδεικνύωμεν τὰ καλὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Καὶ εἰκότως. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνταποδόσεως ἕνεκεν σωματικῆς ἀρέσκειν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις βούλεται, οὐδὲν χάρισμα πνευματικὸν παρὰ Θεοῦ λαμβάνει, οὐδὲ τυγχάνει τῶν ἐκεῖ ἀνταποδόσεων, ἀπέχων τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἐφανέρωσεν, οὐχ ἅπαξ, ᾿ἀλλὰ καὶ πλειστάκις· καὶ περὶ προσευχῆς, καὶ περὶ νηστείας, καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης ἐντελλόμενος, κρύπτειν αὐτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρήγγειλεν. ΙΓ΄. Ὁ δὲ σχολαστικὸς, ἔτι λαλουμένων τῶν ῥημάτων, εἶπε μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ· ἱκανῶς ἔχει, περὶ τούτου πεπληροφόρημαι. Λείπεται δέ σοι μὴ ἐν αἰνίγματι, μηδὲ ἐν εἰκασμῷ, ἀλλὰ φανερῶς εἰπεῖν, τίνες εἰσὶν αἱ τῆς κακίας παρατροπαὶ, ἵνα γνῶμεν ἀκριβῶς, εἰ εἰσὶ, καθὼς εἴρηκας, σκοτεινότεροι καὶ δυσεύρετοι, ὡς δύνασθαι αὐτὰς ἐληλυθυίας, καὶ τῶν φρονίμων κατακρατεῖν. Ὁ δὲ ἀσκητὴς ἔφη· ῎Ἄκουε συνετῶς, καὶ ἀπαγγελῶ σοι ὀνομαστί · αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπίστησον, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς εὕρῃς πάσας ταύτας ἐν πᾶσιν ἐκείνοις τῷ πάθει οἰκειωμένας. Πρώτη καὶ μήτηρ ἐστὶ τῶν παρατροπῶν ἡ ἀπιστία. Ταύτῃ δὲ λοιπὸν ὡς τέκνα ἐπακολουθοῦσι φθόνος, μίσος, ζῆλος, δόλος, νεῖκος, ὑπόκρισις, προσωποληψία, ὀφθαλμοδουλεία, καταλαλιὰ, ψεῦδος, εὐλαβείας πρόσχημα, οὐκ ἀληθείας, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα δυσφανῆ καὶ σκοτεινὰ πάθη. Τὸ καὶ πάντων φαυλότερον, ὅτι τινὲς διὰ τῆς τοῦ λόγου σοφίας συνιστῶσιν αὐτὰ ὡς καλὰ, καὶ τὴν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῆς βλάβην α ἐπικαλύπτουσιν. Εἰ δὲ βούλει, καὶ τὴν πανουργίαν αὐτῶν μερικῶς φανεροποιήσω. Ὁ πανοῦργος ἀνθρωπάρεσκος, ἑτέρῳ συμβουλεύων, ἑτέρῳ ἐπιβουλεύει ἄλλον ἐπαινῶν, ἄλλον ψέγει· νουθετῶν τὸν πλησίον, ἑαυτὸν συνίστησιν · εἰς δίκην συνηγορεῖ, οὐχ ἵνα τὸ δίκαιον κρίνῃ, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἀμύνηται· μετὰ κολακείας ἐλέγχει, ἕως οὗ ὀνειδίζων παραδεχθῇ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἐχθρόν· ἀνωνύμως διαβάλλει, ἵνα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καταλαλιὰν ἐπικρύψῃ· ὁρκίζει τοὺς ἀκτήμονας τοῦ ὁμολογῆσαι τὰ ἐνδέοντα, ὡς παρασχεῖν βουλόμενος· καὶ ὅταν εἴπωσιν, ὡς αἰτοῦντας διαφημίζει · παρὰ ἀπείροις καυχᾶται, καὶ παρὰ ἐμπείροις ταπεινολογεῖ, τὸν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἔπαινον θηρώμενος. Έγκωμιαζομένων ἐναρέτων ἀηδίζεται · καὶ ἐπιῤῥίψας ἑτέραν διήγησιν, περισπᾷ τὸ ἐγκώμιον · τοὺς ἀρχικοὺς ἀπόντας ἐξευτελίζει, καὶ παρόντας εἰς πρόσωπον δοξάζει τοὺς ταπεινόφρονας μυκτηρίζει, καὶ τοὺς διδασκάλους μωμοσκοπεῖ· ἰδιωτείαν ὀνειδίζει, ἵνα ὡς σοφὸν ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδείξῃ· πάντων τὰς ἀρετὰς παραλογίζεται, τὰς δὲ κακίας διὰ μνήμης ἔχει. Καὶ ἀπαξαπλῶς καιροὺς θηρεύει, καὶ προσώποις δουλεύει, ὅπως πληροφορήσῃ τὸ πολυτροπώτατον τῆς ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας πάθος κρύπτειν πειρᾶται τὰ ἑαυτοῦ κακὰ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐρωτήσεως. Οἱ δὲ ὄντως μοναχοὶ οὐχ οὗτως, ἀλλὰ τούταντίον, τὰ τῶν ἄλλων συμπαθῶς παρορῶσι· τὰ δὲ αὐτῶν τῷ Θεῷ φανεροποιοῦσι. Διὸ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀγνοούντων ἀνθρώπων ἐξευτελίζονται· οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον βροτοῖς, ὅσον Θεῷ ἀρέσκειν σπουδάζουσι, τοῦτο μὲν εὐαρεστοῦντες, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἑαυτοὺς κατακρίνοντες, ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοτέροις ἐκδεχόμενοι παρὰ Κυρίου τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν, εἰρηκότος - Ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται. ΙΔ΄. Ὁ δὲ σχολαστικὸς, πονήσας ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐλέγχοις, ἔφη· Ἐγώ σου σὺν τοῖς νοήμασιν, ὦ ἀσκητὰ, καὶ τὴν πανουργίαν ἐθαύμασα, ἣν ἑτέροις ἐγκαλῶν αὐτὸς ἐπεσκιασμένως κατέχεις. Ἀπορῶν γὰρ τῆς ἐγκυκλίου παιδεύσεως, εἰς τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν μωρίαν ἐπεσπάσω, λέγων αὐτὴν σοφίαν εἶναι μεγίστην, καὶ Θεῷ εὐάρεστον, μεθ᾿ ἧς καὶ τὴν προσευχὴν, καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας πόνους προσέλαβες, ὅπως τὴν εὔδηλον ἀπαιδευσίαν τῇ ἀδήλῳ εὐλαβείᾳ ἐπικαλύψῃς. Ει δὲ ὅλως ἐργάτης τυγχάνεις τῶν σῶν διηγημάτων, αὔριον πάλιν ἐπιβαλόντες ἐπιγνωσόμεθα · καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν, ἀναστὰς ἀπῆλθεν. Ὁ δὲ γέρων προπέμψας αὐτὸν καὶ στραφεὶς ἐποτνία. Οἱ δὲ ἀδελφοὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν, τοῦ στεναγμοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν· ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ὁρῶ τινας ὑμῶν τεταραγμένους. Τεκμήριον γὰρ ἔλαβον, ὅτι οὐ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς βλάβην ἐδέξασθε τοῦ δικανικοῦ τὰ ῥήματα · καὶ οὐκ ὠφεληθέντας, ἀλλ᾽ ὑβρισθέντας ἑαυτοὺς ἐλογίσασθε ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις. Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ αἰτία τῆς ἐμῆς ἀθυμίας, ὅτι τὸν πνευματικὸν νόμον ἑτέροις λαλοῦμεν, αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐ τηροῦμεν. Εἰ δὲ οὐ προσφυῶς κατηκολούθησα τῷ βουλήματι τῶν σκυθρωπῶν, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτοὶ κρατοῦσι τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον, καὶ πάντα θλιβερὰ οὐκ ἀδίκως ἐπέρχεσθαι πεπιστεύκασι κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, ὡς γέροντί μοι συγγνώμην τῆς μικρονοίας ἀπόδοτε, μόνον ἵνα πιστεύσωμεν, ὅτι τῶν συμβαινόντων ἡμῖν λυπηρῶν ἐσμεν ὑπεύθυνοι, καὶ εἰ μὴ προσφάτως, ἢ δι' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ παλαιοῦ χρεωστήματος. Τότε εἷς τῶν ἀδελφῶν πεποιθὼς ἐπὶ ἐγκρατείᾳ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀγνοῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ πάντα μὲν τὰ θλιβερὰ ὑπομένειν πειρώμενος, ὅμως ὡς μάρτυρ πάσχειν ἀδίκως οἰόμενος, μετὰ θράσους ἀπεκρίνατο, λέγων· Ποῦ ἡ Γραφὴ κατὰ αἰτίαν ἑκάστου καὶ δικαίαν κρίσιν Θεοῦ ἐπέρχεσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰς συμφορὰς εἴρηκεν ; Ὁ δὲ γέρων, ἐφ᾽ οἷς εἰρήκει λίαν εὐπροσωπήσας ἔφη· Ἐν πολλοῖς κεφαλαίοις τοῦτο ζητήσας εὑρήσεις, ἀγαπητέ, καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, καὶ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ Διαθήκῃ· εἰ δὲ βούλει, καὶ ἡμεῖς σμικρὰ φανερώσωμεν · αὐτὸς δὲ μαθὼν, ἀπόβαλε τὴν ὑψηλοφροσύνην, καὶ κτῆσαι τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ταπείνωσιν, λέγοντος· Ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, καὶ μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶὸς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὐρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν. ΙΕ΄. Ὁ δὲ ὑποτακτικὸς ἐπιδραμὼν τῷ λόγῳ, ἔφη Εἰ ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ἐν τούτῳ μιμεῖται τὴν ταπείνωσιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐν τῷ ἴδιον χρέος ἡγεῖσθαι τὰ ἐπερχόμενα, καθὼς εἴρηκας, δηλονότι καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς παθών, ἴδιον χρέος ἐξετέλεσεν· ὅθεν ἐγὼ βλασφημεῖν ἡγοῦμαι τὸν τοῦτο λέγοντα. ᾿Ακούσας δὲ ταῦτα ὁ ἡγούμενος, λέγει · Ἐγὼ μὲν ἐπειρώμην τὴν προλαβοῦσάν σου πεῦσιν πρότερον λῦσαι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ταύτῃ ἐτέραν ἐπέβαλες, ὡς ἐκ τῆς συγχύσεως τῶν μυρίων ἐρωτήσεων ἐπεκάλυψας τὰς λύσεις. Ἡμεῖς ἐν Κυρίῳ καὶ περὶ τούτου πληροφορήσομεν, τὰ προσήκοντα ἀντεπερωτήσαντες. Εἰπέ μοι, οἱ δανειζόμενοι ἴδιον χρέος, αὐτοὶ μόνοι χρεῶσται τυγχάνουσιν, ἢ καὶ οἱ ἐγγυώμενοι αὐτούς; Ὁ δὲ ὑποτακτικὸς ἀπεκρίθη Δηλονότι καὶ οἱ ἐγγυώμενοι αὐτούς. Ὁ δὲ γέρων πρὸς αὐτόν· Γνῶθι οὖν ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἀναδεξάμενος χρεωφειλέτην ἑαυτὸν κατέστησε, κατὰ τὰς θείας Γραφάς· Ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου· ῾Ο γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα· Ὁ πάντων τὸν θάνατον ἀναδεξάμενος, καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀποθανών, σὲ μόνον οὐκ ἀνεδέξατο; Τοῦτο ὁμολόγησον σαφῶς, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἡττήμεθα. Ὁ δὲ ἀδελφὸς προσπεσὼν ἔφη · Εἰ καὶ ὡς νήπιος ἐσφάλην κατὰ ἄγνοιαν, τὸν δὲ λυτρωτὴν τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν καὶ ἀνάδοχον οὐκ ἀρνοῦμαι. Οἶδα γὰρ, ὅτι οὐδεμία ἑτέρα ἐλπὶς σωτηρίας ὑπολέλειπται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου λέγοντος, ὅτι Πάντες ἥμαρτον, καὶ ὑστερούμενοι τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι. ΙΓ΄. Ωφεληθέντων δὲ πάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἐπιγνώσει καὶ μετανοίᾳ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, ὁ δὲ γέρων ἔφη · Λείπεται λοιπὸν ἡμᾶς δεῖξαι ἀπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς, ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν συμβαινόντων λυπηρῶν ἑκάστῳ ἀδίκως ἐπέρχεται, ἀλλὰ πάντα κατὰ δικαίαν κρίσιν Θεοῦ, τῶν μὲν ὑπὲρ ἰδίων κακῶν, τῶν δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν πλησίον πασχόντων, εἰς κόλπον ἐπέρχεται πάντα τοῖς ἀδίκοις · Παρὰ δὲ Κυρίου πάντα δίκαια· καὶ πάλιν · Πάντα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης· καὶ ὁ σπείρει ἕκαστος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει· καὶ, Εἰ ἡμῶν ἀδικία Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησι, τί ἐροῦμεν; Μὴ ἄδικος ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν; κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω. Μὴ γένοιτο. Ἰδοὺ καὶ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ βληθέντες, διδάσκουσιν ἡμᾶς τοῦτο τὸ φρόνημα, κατὰ ἰδίαν αἰτίαν καὶ Θεοῦ παίδευσιν λέγοντες έμβεβλῆσθαι, εἰ καὶ ἄλλο ἀνεδέξαντο πρόσωπον. Καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Δαβὶδ, ὑπὸ τοῦ Σεμεῖ θλιβόμενος, κελεύσει Θεοῦ καὶ διὰ ἴδια αἰτιάματα ὁμολογεῖ θλίβεσθαι. Καὶ Ἠσαΐας δὲ καὶ Ἱερεμίας. Ἰεζεκιήλ τε καὶ Δανιὴλ, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ προφῆται, τῷ τε λαῷ καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὰ μέλλοντα θλιβερὰ κατὰ τὴν ἐἑκάστου ἁμαρτίαν ἐπἐρχεσθαι αὐτοῖς προεφήτευον, ἅμα καὶ τὰς αἰτίας καὶ τὰς ἀφορμὰς προδηλώσαντες · φησὶ γάρ· ᾿Ανθ᾽ ὧν ἐλάλουν τάδε, καὶ ἐποίουν τάδε, ἐπέλθοι αὐτοῖς τάδε. Καὶ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ ὁ μακάριος Δαβὶδ τοῦτο φανεροποιῶν ἔλεγεν · Ἔγνων, Κύριε, ὅτι δικαιοσύνη τὰ κρίματά σου, καὶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ σου ἐταπείνωσάς με. Καὶ πάλιν · Ονειδος ἄφρονι ἔδωκάς μοι· ἐκωφώθην, καὶ οὐκ ἤνοιξα τὸ στόμα μου, ὅτι σὺ ἐποίησας. Καὶ εὐχαριστεῖ, ὅτι τῶν ἐπικεκαλυμμένων ἐν ἡμῖν ἐννοιῶν πονηρῶν ἐπέστειλεν αὐτῷ, ἵνα ἀκριβῶς τὰς ἐννοίας ἡμῶν ἐπιβλεψάμενοι, ἑαυτοὺς διορθωσώμεθα, καὶ μὴ ἀμφιβάλλωμεν εἰ τὸ πλεῖστον τῆς κακίας τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀγνοοῦμεν. Τελείου γὰρ ἀνδρός ἐστιν ἀληθάργητον εἶναι ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ἡττήμασιν. Εἰ δὲ τὰ προφανῆ ἡττήματά ἐστι δυσκατανόητα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ ἐνθυμήματα. Γνωσόμεθα οὖν ὡς λογικοὶ, ὅτι πρὸς τὴν ἡμῶν ὠφέλειαν ἐπιφέρει Κύριος τὰς ἐπαγωγὰς, καὶ πολλὰ καλὰ δι' αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἐργάζεται. Πρῶτον εὕρεσις τῶν κρυπτῶς ἡμᾶς κατεχουσῶν ἐννοιῶν, μετὰ τὴν τούτων εὕρεσιν · καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνην προστίθησιν ἀληθινὴν καὶ ἀσχημάτιστον, εἶτα τῆς ματαίας οἰήσεως ἀπαλλαγῆναι κελεύουσαν ἀνακάλυψιν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον · Διέκυψαν πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν, ὅπως ἂν ἐξολοθρευθῶσιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Τοῦτο οὖν ἀκριβῶς ἴστε γινώσκοντες, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ τὰς ἐπιφοράς μετὰ πίστεως καὶ εὐχαριστίας ὑπομείνωμεν, τὴν ἐγκεκρυμμένην κακίαν εὑρεῖν οὐ δυνάμεθα. Ταύτης δὲ τρανῶς μὴ εὑρεθείσης, οὔτε τοὺς ἐνεστῶτας φαύλους λογισμοὺς ἀποῤῥίψαι δυνάμεθα, Β οὔτε τῶν προγεγενημένων κακῶν ἱλασμὸν ζητῆσαι, οὔτε περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀσφάλειαν δέξασθαι.","t":"One of those skilled in legal speech asked an old ascetic, saying, “Please, persuade me, for I wish to know: with what thought do you monks say that one must not take wrongdoers to court? Or what do you have in hand that you abstain from visible works? We blame you greatly for these, as practising refusal to go to law against the laws, and idleness against nature. But if you show that you do this for the sake of philosophy, I too will necessarily give up my blame and emulate your virtue.” The ascetic, having first prayed in his mind, said: “You ought, most learned sir, to have asked these things and learned them from those who know well; for we are still among those being taught. But since you, the wise man, have come over to the unlettered, to be assured about what you said, listen. The monks have not chosen a way of thinking foreign to the church, but strive to hold the mind of Christ, according to the apostle who says, ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross.’ Know, then, that this is God-given, and the source of the great virtue, I mean humility. And the Lord commanded the church to do this work, saying, ‘Work not for the food that perishes, but for that which endures to eternal life.’” The lawyer said, “Let us too know, please, what kind of work this is.” The ascetic said: “To seek through prayer the kingdom of God and his righteousness, which he said is within us; and to those who seek it he promised all bodily things. Having heard this from the Lord and believed it, we work as far as we can. How do you say we act outside nature? And if it seems to you against nature, know whom you blame: for it is God who gave the command. Likewise, not taking wrongdoers to court is a commandment of God. How do those who do this break the law, when God has said through the prophet, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’; and in the Gospels, ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged’; and the apostle, ‘Do not judge anything before the time’; and again, ‘Not avenging yourselves’; and again, ‘Who are you to judge another's servant?’ Who, then, has laid down laws more just than these, wishing to judge wrongdoers before the time as though sinless himself, accusing of lawlessness those who try to keep God's law, and calling forbearance wickedness?” [2] Hearing this, the scholar said, “Do rulers sin, then, when they punish wrongdoers and preserve justice for the wronged?” The old man answered: “The judges do not sin, but those who hand others over and do not leave them to God. First, everything that comes upon them is the consequence of their own evils, drawing them to repentance and not to revenge. Second, even if they suffered unjustly, they ought to have forgiven the wrongdoer whatever offence it was, having heard the Lord say, ‘Forgive, and you will be forgiven,’ and not make their own evils unforgivable through human repayment. Rulers, according to the apostle, are not a terror to good works but to evil. For they do not compel the faithful and devout to accuse wrongdoers, nor do they accuse the forbearing because they do not use the courts when wronged; but they give vengeance to those who want it. Those who are patient for God's sake they honour and accept as wiser. So, just as they do not drag in those who do not wish to appeal, so they do not sin in avenging those who accuse. Therefore, most wise sir, after the outward words and laws, you must now take up the spiritual law as well, accept the labours for godliness, and endure as your own the painful things that come; without these no one can truly become wise.” [3] When the scholar sought to learn what the labours for godliness are, the old man said they are the commandments of Christ, the first and greatest of which is love, since it does not reckon evil, but bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things, endures all things, according to Scripture. “Doing these things, it cannot take to court the one who seems to wrong it. In this we differ from one another, but we all fall short of its worth. Awaiting from the grace of Christ the filling up of our deficiencies, let us not neglect working as far as we can. For God knows how much we cannot do through weakness and how much of the work of love we do not do through negligence. And since love is strengthened not only by chosen labours but also by afflictions that befall us, we need much patience and meekness from God. That is why the apostle says, ‘Whoever wishes to become wise in this age, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.’ Such a person does not condemn those above him in the wishes of perfect love, but rather stretches himself toward their excellence; and when he reaches them, he again seeks others greater than himself, and finding them, competes with them too, and never ceases from the race until he finds some leading him in love. But if someone does not compare himself with those higher, but condemns them as imperfect, he condemns himself without knowing it. For it says, ‘Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.’ Hence those wise in words think that only the wrongdoers sin; but the spiritual, even when wronged, blame themselves when they do not bear the injustices with joy and of their own will; and not only for this, but because their afflictions spring from some old cause of their own, even if one sin is lighter than another. For whoever avenges himself seems to condemn God's lack of judgment; but whoever bears as his own the affliction that comes upon him confesses his own prepossession, for which he endures terrible things.” [4] The worldly man, indignant at the reproofs, said, “If your spiritual law commands these things, as you say, by God's decree, why do some of the monks fall, who hold this law?” The old man said: “Those who hold it do not fall, but those who abandon it and neglect its vital parts, I mean prayer and humility, stolen away by worldly care and vainglory. Hence the devil does not turn us away from thinking only of worldly things, but in order to lead us astray from prayer and humility; for he knows that what is done without these two, even if it is good, will sooner or later be taken from him. By prayer we mean not only what is shown through the flesh, but what is offered to God through undistracted thought. For if one of these is distracted untimely, the other does not stand alone before God either, but is carried along by one's own will.” The scholar asked, “Does the flesh have a will apart from the mind?” The ascetic answered: “It has, according to the apostle who says, ‘For we too were once disobedient, doing the wishes of the flesh’; and again, ‘The flesh desires against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.’ See, then, that it has both desire and will, which we do not know because of our inattention and consent to thoughts. Hence not only those who neglect prayer but also those who do not attend to their thought are harmed. We have said this not condemning others, but confessing our own deficiencies. For the first is a mark of pride, the second of humility. And ‘the Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble’; through it he leads us not only to the knowledge but also to the habit of the sacred virtue, I mean undistracted prayer, which blessed Paul, not wishing us to neglect it at all, speaks of: ‘Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.’ And at the same time he shows the mind's freedom from distraction, saying, ‘Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may prove what is the will of God, good, pleasing, and perfect.’ For since God laid down various commandments for our little faith and weakness, so that each according to his zeal might escape punishment and obtain salvation, for this reason the apostle guides us to God's perfect will, not wishing us to be judged at all. And knowing that prayer helps toward achieving all the commandments, he does not cease commanding about it in many parts and many ways, saying, ‘Praying at all times in the Spirit, and keeping alert to this with all perseverance and supplication.’” [5] “Hence we know that one prayer is more excellent than another. It is one thing to entreat God with an unwandering thought and an untroubled mind, and another to present the body while wandering in thought. Again, it is one thing to wait for an opportunity and pray when free after bodily occupations, and another to prefer prayer as far as possible and snatch it before worldly cares, according to the apostle who says, ‘The Lord is near. Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God.’ As blessed Peter also said, ‘Be sober, then, and watchful in prayers, casting all your care on God.’ But first the Lord himself, knowing that all things are fortified through prayer, says, ‘Do not be anxious what you will eat, or what you will drink, or what you will wear; but seek only the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.’ Perhaps by this the Lord also calls us to greater faith. For who, having cast off care for temporal things and become free of need, will not then believe him about eternal goods also? Hence he made this plain himself, saying, ‘Whoever is faithless in little is faithless also in much.’ Yet even in this he showed his love for humankind; for knowing that daily care of the flesh is unavoidable, he did not cut off daily concern, but allowing us today, he commands us not to be anxious about tomorrow, in a manner most worthy of God and most loving. For it is not possible for those who bear flesh and are human to disregard the things of bodily life altogether. Many things can be reduced to few through prayer and self-control, but they cannot be wholly overlooked.” [6] “Therefore one who wishes to attain to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, according to Scripture, ought not to prefer all ministries, or draw them to himself without necessity at random, nor push away and reject on the pretext of prayer those that meet him by some necessity and by God's ordering, but to recognize the difference and serve God's ordering without fixed rules. For whoever does not think so neither believes, according to Scripture, that one commandment is more excellent and comprehensive than another, nor wishes, according to the prophet, that all the commandments that meet him by God's ordering be set right. Since necessary things that meet us by God's ordering cannot be refused, we must refuse untimely occupations, preferring prayer, especially those that drag us down to extravagance and greed for money. For as much as one reduces these in the Lord and cuts off their superfluous material, so much does he also reduce his thought from wandering; and as much as he reduces his thought, so much does he give place to pure prayer and show sincere faith in Christ. And if someone cannot do this through little faith or some other weakness, let him at least recognize the truth and stretch forward as far as he can, blaming his own childishness. For it is better to give account for a lack than for error and conceit. Let the Lord's parable persuade you, which brings in one Pharisee and another tax collector. Therefore let us too try to beat off every worldly care through prayer and hope. And if we cannot achieve this without failing, let us offer God the confession of our deficiencies, but not give up our zeal for these things; for it is better to be accused of a partial lack than of complete concealment. Above all we owe it concerning prayer, since each one, busy with the need he loves, thinks he is carrying out the service he owes, not knowing that matters ought to be judged by God's good pleasure rather than his own. What is hard to discern in these things is that the same ministries are not always to be preferred, but one before another in its own time, since not every ministry is for all always, but is carried out in its own time. But the service of prayer has been laid down for us without ceasing; for this reason we ought to prefer it to the occupations of necessity. All the apostles taught this difference when the multitude wished to draw them away into service, saying, ‘It is not right that we should leave the word of God to serve tables. Choose out from among you seven men of good report, whom we may appoint over this need; but we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.’ And the saying pleased the whole multitude. If we learn from this that for those who cannot persevere in prayer it is good to be occupied with service, so that we may not fall from both, for those who can it is better not to neglect the better.” [7] Hearing this, the lawyer said, “How do the wise of the world, who neglect prayer, not fall, but guard themselves through philosophy?” The ascetic groaned and said: “You have said well that they do not fall. For having once fallen the extraordinary and double fall, I mean of conceit and negligence, they can neither rise without prayer nor have anywhere from which to fall. For what further care has the devil to wrestle with those who always lie down and never stand? Others there are who sometimes conquer and sometimes are conquered, fall and rise, afflict and are afflicted, wage war and are warred upon; and others who have remained in the first fall through great ignorance, not knowing that they have fallen, to whom the prophet speaks pitifully: ‘Does not he who falls rise again? Or does not he who turns away return?’ And again, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ But to those who do not wish to accept the labour of rising, to persevere in prayer, and to be afflicted for godliness for the sake of the kingdom to come, he says, ‘In your destruction, Israel, who will help you?’ It is not a wound, nor a bruise, nor an inflamed sore, nor any of the evils that happen against our will. This is the sin unto death, which is not healed even by the prayers of others. ‘For we would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed,’ because the disease is self-chosen, and there is no longer any salve to apply, nor oil, nor bandages, the helps from others. The divine Scripture utters these and such things to those who belittle prayer and limit it to hours and times out of necessity and weakness, while the Lord laid it down to be offered to the almighty God always, night and day, and the apostle, without ceasing.” [8] “See also how the Old Testament checks the one who trusts in himself and is elated by his own wisdom, saying, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not be lifted up by your own wisdom.’ These are not bare words, as some have thought, who for this reason acquired books, and knowing the force of what is written but doing none of it, are puffed up by bare ideas; and commending themselves through words and questions they win great praise from those inexperienced in wisdom; not touching diligent labour nor remembering the work, they bring on themselves much condemnation from God and from diligent and devout men. For having used the introductory knowledge of the Scriptures not for work but for display, they have been deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit's working. These are the ones who boast in appearance and not in heart. Hence those inexperienced in the work ought to take it up; for the things said by Scripture were said not that we might only understand them, but that we might also do them. Let us, then, begin the work; so, advancing in order, we shall find that not only hope in God, but also firm faith, unfeigned love, freedom from resentment, brotherly love, self-control, patience, inner knowledge, deliverance from temptations, gifts of graces, heartfelt confession, and constant tears come to the faithful through prayer. And not only these, but also patience in painful things that come, sincere forgiveness of one's neighbour, knowledge of the spiritual law, finding of God's righteousness, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the giving of spiritual treasures, and all that God promised to give to faithful people, both here and in the age to come. In a word, it is impossible for the soul to appear in the image of God except through the grace of God and the faith of a person who perseveres in his heart with much humility and undistracted prayer. How, then, do those deprived of so many such goods through ignorance and neglect of prayer say, ‘We have not fallen’? And they ascribe wisdom to themselves who do not even know their own downfall, pitiable for their fall, pitiable for their inexperience, gaining only this, that they make us believe Scripture the more, which says that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; but the wisdom from God comes down from above from the Father of lights, and its proof is humility. Those, then, who wish to please people have received human wisdom instead of divine, and puffed up and boasting in it, they have deceived many of the simpler, persuading them to philosophize not in labours of godliness and prayer but in persuasive human wisdom and words; which the apostle constantly blames and calls an emptying of the cross. For he says in the Letter to the Corinthians, ‘Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be emptied’; and again, ‘God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; and the low things of the world and the despised God chose, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no flesh might boast before God.’ If, then, God is well pleased not with the words of Greek wisdom but with the labours of prayer and humility, as has been shown, why are they vain in mind, abandoning the first way of godliness as hard to achieve, not wishing to be saved by the second or even the third, and deceiving the simpler?” [9] When the scholar wished to learn what the ways of godliness are, the ascetic answered: “The first is not to sin; the second, for one who has sinned, to endure the painful things that come; the third, for one who does not endure, to mourn over his failures in patience; since, if they are not corrected here through fitting occurrences, they necessarily bring upon us the judgment there, unless God, seeing us mourning and humbled, wipes out our sins as he knows, by his almighty goodness and divine grace. But if, after neglecting these things, we abandon mourning and humility and still take pleasure in ourselves and in words of worldly wisdom, so as to exalt ourselves even in these over the more devout, how shall we obtain mercy, doing the opposite of mercy? O how persuasive and hard to detect is the passion of people-pleasing, since it masters even the prudent! The workings of the other passions are plain to those who share in them, so that they make those mastered by them humble; but people-pleasing hides itself under words and appearances of godliness, so that it is not easy even for those enticed by it to recognize its deviations.” [10] The worldly man asked, “What are the deviations that come from people-pleasing? Or rather, before these I wish to learn what people-pleasing is; for I see that you do not say what follows from nature in keeping with the terms used, but conjecture that ignorance is the cause of everything, and blame useful things with disconnected testimonies. So tell me first the proper meaning of this name, and then we will believe you that you have grasped its most general harm.” The ascetic said, “People-pleasing, I think, is pleasing people. This I know to be the proper meaning of the term.” The lawyer, as though greatly admiring the word, said: “You have spoken very fittingly. Why then, most devout sir, do you blame unjustly what is just? Or does it not seem to you just that each should not give himself the testing of his own works, but entrust the judgment of good to others rather than himself? I say that what does not please people should not be called virtue at all, nor have praise from one's neighbour; which I have heard Scripture also say: ‘Let your neighbour praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips’; and again, ‘Let each of us please his neighbour for his good, for building up’; and again, ‘Give no offence to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God.’ Who can be without offence without pleasing people? Why then have you gone so deep in blaming people-pleasing? And if, according to you, we must approve those who do not please, it is time for you to praise robbers, murderers, plunderers, and plotters, since they please no one. And if we have kept silent until now about what you said, do not be surprised; not as not knowing the Scriptures, nor as ignorant of what is just, but wishing first to listen to your words. We know also how to forgive those who err in speech, when they do this not from wills that cause lack of education, nor write wickedness over good names; which you too have suffered against your intention, most devout sir; for you wished, I think, to make plain self-pleasing. Since, then, this came to you not from negligence but from lack of learning, it would be just, now that the name has been made plain, for the charges also to be passed over in silence as false, which you thought so base and hard to find as to master even the prudent.” [11] The ascetic, recognizing that he was plainly indignant at the reproofs and was rejecting what would be said, kept silent a little, so that all the hearers guessed that, struck by the syllogisms, he had abandoned his positions. Opening his mouth he said: “Since we have come to these discussions intending not to win but to be helped, and you yourself kept silent until now, not, as you said, as ignorant of what is more just, but wishing first to hear our account; for this reason we beg your excellency to fulfil your promise and to teach how the divine Scripture blames people-pleasing not by its own name but by another (you know all of it well, yet have not kept silent well until now). For in this way, when you speak the words of Scripture, we shall not only be persuaded about what was said before, but shall also bear with you in many accounts when you speak more justly, even if, from lack of learning, as you said, we exchanged the names and prepared a virtue in place of a passion.” The man of the world, hearing this, answered: “I did not say I know all Scripture, but in part. So do not call me to speak, but begin; if you lack proofs, be silent, and you will have pardon from us. But if you can show people-pleasing condemned by name, speak; and we will necessarily confess the truth even against our will.” The ascetic said, “Let it be so; but where shall we put your unjust blames?” The lawyer said, “Into the law of patience, which you taught us before.” The old man said to him: “I praise you for your wisdom, not to say your cunning, since you brought in sympathy for ignorance, looking to receive through the promise of giving. But leaving these things, let us come to the matter in hand.” [12] “Hear, then, Scripture bringing forward its blame of people-pleasing; first the prophet, saying, ‘For God has scattered the bones of people-pleasers; they were put to shame, because God despised them’; and the apostle, ‘Not with eye-service, as people-pleasers’; and again, ‘Do I seek to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ’; and you will find many others by gathering them in the divine Scripture.” The worldly man said, “What then? Since what I said is also written, is Scripture inconsistent with itself?” The ascetic said: “It is not inconsistent with itself, but we are dim-sighted toward the demonstration of the truth. Since not all people are ungodly, nor are we all godly, for this reason we ought not to please all, except the good; likewise we ought not to displease all, except the wicked. That is why the Lord, making this plain in the Gospels, says, ‘Woe when all people speak well of you.’ And not only in these, but even in things that seem good he forbids us to please people, when we show good things to people not for reproof and imitation but for praise and some return. And rightly; for whoever wishes to please people for the sake of a bodily return receives no spiritual gift from God, nor obtains the rewards there, having received his wage, as the Lord made plain in the Gospels not once but many times; and in commanding about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, he ordered that they be hidden from people.” [13] While the words were still being spoken, the scholar said with a loud voice, “That is enough; I am fully convinced about this. It remains for you to say not in a riddle nor by conjecture but plainly what the deviations of this wickedness are, so that we may know exactly whether they are, as you said, darker and hard to find, so that when they come they master even the prudent.” The ascetic said: “Listen with understanding, and I will tell you by name; and see for yourself whether you do not find all of them belonging to this passion in all those people. First and mother of the deviations is unbelief. Following her as children come envy, hatred, jealousy, deceit, strife, hypocrisy, partiality, eye-service, slander, falsehood, a show of reverence and not of truth, and all such obscure and dark passions. What is worse than all is that some by wisdom of speech commend them as good and cover up the harm in it. If you wish, I will also make their cunning plain in part. The cunning people-pleaser, counselling one, plots against another; praising one, blames another; admonishing his neighbour, he commends himself; he pleads in a lawsuit not to judge what is just but to take revenge on his enemy; he rebukes with flattery, until by reproaching he gets his enemy accepted; he slanders anonymously to hide his own slander; he adjures those without possessions to confess their needs, as though wishing to supply them, and when they speak, he spreads it about that they are beggars; among the inexperienced he boasts, and among the experienced he speaks humbly, hunting praise from both. When the virtuous are praised he is displeased, and throwing in another story he diverts the praise; he belittles superiors when absent and glorifies them to their faces when present; he sneers at the humble and finds fault with teachers; he reproaches lack of learning to show himself wise; he disregards everyone's virtues, but keeps their vices in memory. In short, he hunts opportunities and serves persons, so as to satisfy the most many-sided passion of people-pleasing, and tries to hide his own evils by inquiring into those of others. But true monks are not so, but the opposite: they overlook the faults of others with compassion and make their own known to God. That is why they are despised by people who do not know; for they are eager to please not so much mortals as God, on the one hand pleasing him, on the other condemning themselves, awaiting from the Lord the reward for both, since he said, ‘Whoever exalts himself will be humbled.’” [14] The scholar, pained by the reproofs, said: “Along with your thoughts, ascetic, I have admired your cunning too, which you accuse in others and hold yourself in a shadowy way. For lacking general education, you have taken refuge in foolishness according to God, saying it is the greatest wisdom and pleasing to God, and with it you have taken up prayer and labours for godliness, so as to cover your obvious lack of education with an unseen devotion. Whether you are indeed a doer of what you describe, we shall find out when we come again tomorrow.” And having said this, he rose and left. The old man, having seen him off, turned and groaned. The brothers begged him to tell the cause of his groaning, and he said: “I see some of you troubled. For I have received a sign that you received the lawyer's words not for benefit but for harm, and reckoned yourselves not helped but insulted by what was said. This is the cause of my dejection: that we speak the spiritual law to others, but do not keep it ourselves. But if I have not rightly followed the meaning of your gloomy faces, and they hold God's law and have believed that all painful things come not unjustly, according to Scripture, forgive me as an old man for my small-mindedness; only let us believe that we are responsible for the painful things that befall us, even if not recently or through the very matters, then from an old debt.” Then one of the brothers, confident in his self-control and therefore ignorant of the truth, who tried to endure all painful things but thought he suffered unjustly like a martyr, answered boldly, saying, “Where has Scripture said that misfortunes come upon people because of each one's cause and by God's just judgment?” The old man, greatly cheered by what he had said, said: “You will find it if you seek in many chapters, beloved, both in the Old and in the New Testament; and if you wish, we too will show a few. But when you have learned, cast away haughtiness and acquire the humility of Christ, who says, ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’” [15] The disciple, running ahead of the argument, said, “If each of us imitates the humility of Christ in this, by considering what comes upon him his own debt, as you said, then clearly Christ too, in suffering, paid his own debt; hence I think the one who says this blasphemes.” Hearing this, the abbot said: “I was trying to resolve your earlier question first; but since you have thrown another on top of it, you have hidden the answers, as it were, by the confusion of countless questions. We will satisfy you on this too in the Lord, by asking fitting questions in return. Tell me: those who borrow are they alone debtors for their own debt, or also those who stand surety for them?” The disciple answered, “Clearly also those who stand surety for them.” The old man said to him: “Know, then, exactly that Christ too, taking us upon himself, made himself a debtor, according to the divine Scriptures: ‘The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’; ‘He who became a curse for us.’ He who took upon himself the death of all and died for all, did he not take you alone upon himself? Confess this clearly, and we are defeated.” The brother fell down and said: “Even if I erred as a child through ignorance, I do not deny the Redeemer of our souls and our surety. For I know that no other hope of salvation remains for people, since the apostle says, ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace.’” [16] When all had been helped by the brother's recognition and repentance, the old man said: “It remains for us to show from Scripture that none of the painful things that befall each person comes unjustly, but all by God's just judgment, some suffering for their own evils, others for their neighbours. ‘With the Lord all things are just’; and again, ‘All the works of God are with righteousness’; and, ‘Whatever each one sows, that he will also reap’; and, ‘If our unrighteousness shows God's righteousness, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? I speak in a human way. Far from it.’ See, the three youths too, cast into the furnace, teach us this way of thinking, saying that they were cast in for their own cause and God's discipline, even though they took upon themselves the role of another. And holy David, afflicted by Shimei, confesses that he is afflicted by God's command and for his own faults. And Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, and the other prophets foretold to the people and to the nations that coming afflictions would come upon them according to each one's sin, showing beforehand both the causes and the occasions; for it says, ‘Because they said this and did this, let this come upon them.’ And in the psalm blessed David made this plain, saying, ‘I know, O Lord, that your judgments are righteousness, and in your truth you humbled me’; and again, ‘You made me a reproach to the fool; I was mute and did not open my mouth, because you did it.’ And he gives thanks that he sent this to him because of the evil thoughts hidden in us, so that, looking carefully at our thoughts, we may correct ourselves, and not doubt whether we are ignorant of most of our wickedness. For it belongs to a perfect man not to be forgetful of his own failings. And if visible failings are hard to perceive, how much more our inward designs. Let us know, then, as rational beings, that the Lord brings trials for our benefit and works many goods in us through them. First, the discovery of the thoughts that hold us hiddenly; after their discovery he adds true and unfeigned humility, and then the disclosure that bids us be freed from vain conceit, as it is written, ‘All the workers of lawlessness peeped out, that they might be destroyed for ever and ever.’ Know this exactly, then, brothers: unless we endure afflictions with faith and thanksgiving, we cannot find the hidden wickedness. And if it is not clearly found, we can neither cast away the present base thoughts, nor seek propitiation for past evils, nor receive security for the future.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 7.0 (PG 65:1071; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/7-0)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/7.1":{"o":"Ἐρώτησις. ΙΖ΄. Εἰ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ δικανικοῦ ἔλεγχοί εἰσι τῶν ἡμετέρων πραγμάτων, διὰ τί τῶν εἰρημένων ὑπευθύνους ἑαυτοὺς οὐχ εὑρίσκομεν; Ἀπόκρισις. Αἱ ἐπιφοραὶ καὶ οἱ ἔλεγχοι ταῖς αἰτίαις εἰς τὸ φανερὸν οὐκ ἐξομοιοῦνται· κατὰ δὲ τὸ πνευματικὸν, πᾶσαν ἀποσώζουσι δικαιοσύνην. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς γνῶναι δυνάμεθα. Μὴ γὰρ οἱ ὑπὸ τοῦ πύργου τοῦ Σιλωάμ ἀποθανόντες, ἑτέροις πύργον ἀπεκατέστησαν, καὶ οἱ ἀπαχθέντες εἰς μετάνοιαν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι αἰχμάλωτοι ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη, ἄλλους τινὰς αἰχμαλώτους ἔλαβον εἰς μετάνοιαν; Οὐχ οὕτως εἰσὶν αἱ παιδευτικαὶ συμβάσεις· ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ οἱ στρατιῶται, ὅταν φωραθῶσιν ἁμαρτήσαντες, αἰκίζονται μὲν, οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ πάσχουσιν, οἷα φαῦλα πεποιήκασιν · οὕτω καὶ πάντες παιδευόμεθα μὲν διὰ τῶν ἐπερχομένων, εὐκαίρως δὲ καὶ ἁρμοζόντως καὶ πρὸς μετάνοιαν οὐχ ὁμοιοτρόπως δὲ, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ καιρῷ, οὐδὲ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν πραγμάτων· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὁ ἄγει τοὺς πολλοὺς εἰς ἀπιστίαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνης, ἡ τοῦ καιροῦ ὑπέρθεσις, καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐπιφερομένων ἀνομοιότης. Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ ἐπέρχονται ἡμῖν θλιβερά πράγματα, τοῦτο μὲν δι' ἀνθρώπων φθονούντων, κολακευόντων, καταλαλούντων, διαβαλλόντων, συκοφαντούντων, πλανώντων, ἀπόντων, διορυττόντων, κλεπτόντων, ἀποστερούντων, σκανδαλιζόντων, διωκόντων, καταφρονούντων, μισούντων, τυπτόντων, ἐπηρεαζόντων, καὶ ὅσα ἀνθρώποις παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ἐπέρχονται, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος σφριγῶντος, πολεμοῦντος, ἀναπαύσεις θέλοντος· ἐντὸς τούτοις συμβαίνοντα δήγματα κυνῶν, ἰοβόλων, ἢ σαρκοβόρων θηρίων· πρὸς τούτοις λοιμοί, σεισμοί, παγετοί, καύσωνες, γῆρας, πενία, μόνωσις, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα τοῦτο δὲ διὰ τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας πρὸς ἃ τὴν πάλην ἡμῶν εἶναι ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἐφανέρωσε, τοὺς λόγους ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς πράξεις ἐπιτηρούντων, δι᾽ ὧν ἀκολούθως ἐφαμίλλους καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἡμῶν καταστοχάζονται εἶναι· εἰκότως. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ὁ αὐτεξούσιος ἡμῶν νοῦς ταῖς δοκιμαστικαῖς προσβολαῖς ἐξ ἀπιστίας προσομιλήσει, καὶ ἀφεὶς τὴν καθολικήν ἐλπίδα λογισμοὺς ἀνακινήσει, οὔτε λόγοι προσφέρονται, οὔτε πράξεις ἐπιτελοῦνται. Ερώτησις. ΙΗ΄. Αὐτὸς εἴρηκας, ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ συμφοραὶ κατὰ αἰτίαν εὐλόγως ἑκάστῳ ἐπέρχονται, εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνης ἡμῶν ἐφέλκουσι. Φανέρωσον οὖν ἡμῖν τὰς αἰτίας, ἵνα οὕτως πιστεύωμεν, ὅτι ὑπεύθυνοι τῶν ἐπιφορῶν ἐσμεν, καὶ ὀφείλομεν ὑπομένειν τὰ ἐπερχόμενα θλιβερὰ, ἵνα μὴ ἐν τῇ κρίσει, οὐχ ὡς ἁμαρτωλοὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς τὴν ἴασιν μὴ προσδεξάμενοι, βαρυτέραν ἕξωμεν τὴν κόλασιν. Ἀπόκρισις. Πάσης συμβάσεως αἰτία ἐστὶν οἱ ἑκάστου λογισμοί. Εἶχον δὲ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι καὶ οἱ λόγοι καὶ αἱ πράξεις· ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸ ἐννοίας ταῦτα οὐ προέρχονται, τούτου χάριν τὸ πᾶν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἐπιγράφοιμι. Τοῦ λογισμοῦ οὖν προηγουμένου, λοιπὸν οἱ λόγοι καὶ αἱ πράξεις παρέχουσιν ἡμῖν τὴν εἰς ἀλλήλους κοινωνίαν. Δύο δὲ εἰσιν οἱ τρόποι τῆς κοινωνίας· εἷς ἀπὸ ἀγάπης, καὶ εἷς ἀπὸ κακίας. Διὰ δὲ τῆς κοινωνίας οὓς οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἀλλήλους ἀναδεχόμεθα. Ταῖς δὲ άναδοχαῖς ἐπιφοραὶ ἀναγκαίως ἀκολουθοῦσι, καθώς φησιν ἡ Γραφή· Ὁ ἐγγυώμενος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ φίλον, ἐχθρῷ παραδίδωσι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χεῖρα. Οὕτως ἔκαστος, οὐ μόνον ἑαυτοῦ τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ὑπομένει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλησίον, ἐφ᾽ οἷς αὐτὸν ἀνεδέξατο. Ερώτησις. ΙΘ', ᾿Αξιοῦμεν μαθεῖν τὸν ἕνα τρόπον τῆς ἀναδοχῆς, λέγομεν δὲ τὸν ἀπὸ κακίας γενόμενον. Απόκρισις. Ἀπὸ κακίας ἀναδοχὴ ἀκούσιός ἐστιν. Οὕτω δὲ συμβαίνει· ᾿Αναδέχεται τοὺς πειρασμοὺς, ὡς θέλει ὁ ἀποστερῶν τοῦ ἀποστερουμένου, ὁ πλεονεκτῶν τοῦ πλεονεκτουμένου, ὁμοίως ὁ συκοφαντῶν τοῦ συκοφαντουμένου, ὁ καταπονῶν τοῦ καταπονουμένου, ὁ καταλαλῶν τοῦ καταλαλουμένου, ὁ καταφρονῶν τοῦ καταφρονουμένου, ὁ διαβάλλων τοῦ διαβαλλομένου· καὶ ἵνα μὴ καθ᾽ ἓν λέγω, πᾶς ὁ ἀδικῶν, τοῦ ἀδικουμένου κατὰ ἀναλογίαν ἀναδέχεται τοὺς πειρασμούς. Τούτοις δὲ μαρτυρεῖ ἡ θεία Γραφὴ λέγουσα· Δίκαιος ἐκ θήρας ἐκδύνει, ἀντ᾿ αὐτοῦ δὲ παραδίδοται ἀσεβής· καὶ πάλιν· ῾Ο ὀρύσσων βόθρον, ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς αὐτὸν, καὶ ὁ κυλίων λίθον, ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτὸν κυλίει· καὶ πάλιν. Εἰς κόλπον ἐπέρχεται πάντα τοῖς ἀδίκοις, παρὰ δὲ Κυρίου πάντα δίκαια. Εἰ οὖν ἡ ἡμῶν ἀδικία, Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησιν ἐν ἀλλήλοις, κατὰ τὸν ᾿Απόστολον, τί ἐροῦμεν; Μὴ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργὴν τοῖς παιδευομένοις διὰ τῶν ἐπιφορῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα ἀνεπισκέπτως ἀγριαινομένοις;","t":"Question [17]. If the lawyer's words are reproofs of our own affairs, why do we not find ourselves guilty of what was said? Answer. Afflictions and reproofs do not outwardly resemble their causes; but in the spiritual sense they preserve all justice. We can know this also through the holy Scripture. Did those who died under the tower of Siloam put up a tower over others, and did those carried off to Babylon as captives for seventy years for repentance take others captive for repentance? Disciplinary occurrences are not like that; but as soldiers, when caught having done wrong, are punished, yet do not suffer the same evil things they did, so we are all disciplined by what comes upon us, at the right time, fittingly, and toward repentance, yet not in the same way, nor at the same time, nor through the same things. And this is what leads many to disbelieve the justice of God: the delay of the time and the unlikeness of what is brought upon us. Since many painful things come upon us, on the one hand through people who envy, flatter, slander, accuse, inform, deceive, are absent, break in, steal, defraud, give offence, persecute, despise, hate, strike, insult, and all that comes to people from people; and from one's own body, swelling, warring, wanting rest; besides these, the bites of dogs, venomous creatures, or flesh-eating beasts; and in addition plagues, earthquakes, frosts, heat waves, old age, poverty, loneliness, and all such things; and on the other hand through the spirits of wickedness, against which the apostle made plain our wrestling is, who watch our words and actions and through them guess that our thoughts are of the same kind: and rightly. For unless our free mind converses with the testing provocations out of unbelief and, abandoning universal hope, stirs up thoughts, neither are words spoken nor actions done. Question [18]. You have said that all misfortunes come reasonably to each according to a cause and draw us to the knowledge of God's justice. Show us, then, the causes, so that we may believe that we are liable for the afflictions and ought to endure the painful things that come, lest at the judgment, not only as sinners but as having refused the healing, we receive heavier punishment. Answer. The cause of every occurrence is each person's thoughts. I could have said words and actions too; but since these do not come forth before thought, for this reason I ascribe everything to thoughts. Thought going first, then words and actions give us communion with one another. There are two ways of communion: one from love, and one from wickedness. Through communion we take upon ourselves one another, even those we do not know. And afflictions necessarily follow such suretyship, as Scripture says: “Whoever stands surety for his friend gives his own hand to an enemy.” So each one endures not only what comes upon him for himself, but also on behalf of his neighbour, for whom he stood surety. Question [19]. We ask to learn the one way of suretyship, that which arises from wickedness. Answer. Suretyship from wickedness is involuntary. It happens thus: the one who defrauds takes on himself, as it were, the temptations of the one defrauded; the greedy man, those of the one he takes advantage of; likewise the informer, those of the one informed against; the oppressor, those of the oppressed; the slanderer, those of the slandered; the despiser, those of the despised; the accuser, those of the accused; and not to speak one by one, everyone who does wrong takes on himself in proportion the temptations of the one wronged. The divine Scripture bears witness to this, saying, “The righteous escapes from the hunt, and the ungodly is handed over in his place”; and again, “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever rolls a stone rolls it upon himself”; and again, “All things come into the bosom of the unjust, but from the Lord all things are just.” If, then, our unrighteousness shows God's righteousness among one another, according to the apostle, what shall we say? Is God unjust who brings wrath on those disciplined through afflictions, who even rage at them without consideration?","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 7.1 (PG 65:1095; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/7-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/7.2":{"o":"Ἐρώτησις. Κ'. Ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχειν πιστεύομεν δι' ἀκολουθίας ἐπακούσαντες. Λοιπὸν εἰπὲ ἡμῖν καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀγάπης ἀναδοχὴν, ἵνα καὶ ταῦτα μὴ ἀγνοῶμεν. Απόκρισις. Ἐξ ἀγάπης ἀναδοχή ἐστιν, ἣν ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς ἡμῖν πάντως δέδωκε, πρῶτον ἰασάμενος ἡμῶν τὰς ἀσθενείας τῆς ψυχῆς, εἶτα θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον, καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν· ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, τὴν καθαρὰν φύσιν ἀποκαθιστῶν τοῖς βεβαίως αὐτῷ πιστεύουσι, θανάτου λύτρωσιν, θεοσέβειαν παραδοὺς, εὐσέβειαν διδάσκων, ὑπὲρ ἀγάπης κακοπαθεῖν ἕως θανάτου ὑποδεικνύων· τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις ὑπομονὴν διὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος μετουσίας χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν· καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα ἀγαθὰ, ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη. Διὸ καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πειρασμοὺς ἀναδέχεται, μυκτηριζόμενος, ὀνειδιζόμενος, δεσμούμενος, παραδιδόμενος, κολαφιζόμενος, ὅξος καὶ χολὴν ποτιζόμενος, συκοφαντούμενος, διωκόμενος, ῥαπιζόμενος. Οὗτος ἡμῖν διὰ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος κοινωνήσας, καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάθη ἀναδεξάμενος, πάλιν τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀποστόλοις παρέδωκε τὸν νόμον τοῦτον, προφήταις, πατράσι, πατριάρχαις· τοὺς μὲν προδιδάξας διὰ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος, τοῖς δὲ ὑποδείξας διὰτοῦ ἀχράντου σώματος. Ταύτην τὴν ἀναδοχὴν ἐμφαίνων ἔλεγεν Μὴ φοβεῖσθε, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐγὼ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἁγιάζω ἐμαυτὸν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ὦσιν ἡγιασμένοι ἐν ἀληθείᾳ· καὶ πάλιν Μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ. \"Οθεν καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος μιμούμενος τὸν Κύριον ἔλεγε· Νῦν χαίρω ἐν τοῖς παθήμασί μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ͵ ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἀναπληρῶ τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου ὑπὲρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, ὁ ἐστιν ἡ Ἐκκλησία· καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν ἐξ ἀγάπης ἀναδοχὴν αἰνιττόμενος. Βούλει σαφέστερον, πῶς ἡμῖν πάντες οἱ ἀπόστολοι δι᾽ ἐννοίας καὶ λόγου καὶ πράξεως ἐκοινώνησαν, καὶ διὰ τῆς κοινωνίας τοὺς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀνεδέξαντο πειρασμούς; διὰ μὲν ἐννοίας τὰς Γραφὰς ἡμῖν παρανοίγοντες, τὰς προφητείας παρατιθέμενοι, τῷ Χριστῷ πιστεύειν ὡς λυτρωτῇ πείθοντες, λατρεύειν αὐτῷ ὡς κατὰ φύσιν Υἱῷ Θεοῦ πληροφοροῦντες, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσευχόμενοι, δακρύοντες, καὶ ὅσα τοῖς πιστοῖς ἐστι διὰ ἐννοίας· διὰ δὲ λόγους, παρακαλοῦντες, νουθετοῦντες, ἐλέγχοντες, τὴν ἀπιστίαν ἡμῶν ἐπισκώπτοντες, τὰς Γραφάς διερμηνεύοντες, τὸν καιρὸν φανεροποιοῦντες, τὸν Χριστὸν ὁμολογοῦντες, αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον κηρύττοντες, τὸν Λόγον ἐνανθρωπήσαντα, ἕνα, καὶ οὐ δύο λέγοντες, κἂν ἐκ δύο νοεῖται ἡνωμένων ἀδιαιρέτως, ἀσυγχύτως, ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, καὶ τόπῳ, καὶ πράγματι τὴν κακοπιστίαν ἀνακόπτοντες, τῷ ψεύδει μὴ συντιθέμενοι, καυχωμένῳ κατὰ σάρκα μὴ συνομιλοῦντες, κενοδόξῳ μὴ συνδιατρίβοντες, ἀλαζόνα μηδόλως κατοπτεύσαντες, πονηρευόμενον ἐξουθενοῦντες, τοὺς ταπεινοὺς προϊέμενοι, τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς οἱκειούμενοι, καὶ ἡμᾶς τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖν διδάξαντες διὰ δὲ πράξεως, διωκόμενοι, φυλακιζόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι, μυκτηριζόμενοι, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι. καὶ ἀποκτεινόμενοι, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἔπαθον. Οὕτω δὴ οὖν διὰ τῆς κοινωνίας ἀνεδέξαντο ἡμῶν τοὺς πειρασμούς· εἶτε γὰρ, φησὶν, θλιβόμεθα ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμῶν παρακλήσεως καὶ σωτηρίας, εἴτε παρακαλούμεθα ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμῶν σωτηρίας καὶ παρακλήσεως, τὸν νόμον παρὰ Χριστοῦ δεξάμενοι τοῦ λέγοντος· Μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ. Καὶ αὐτοὶ ἡμῖν παραδεδώκασι λέγοντες· Εἰ ὁ Κύριος τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἔθηκεν, ὀφείλομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τιθέναι· καὶ πάλιν· ᾿Αλλήλων τὰ βάρη βαστάζετε, καὶ οὕτως ἀναπληρώσετε τὸν νόμον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἰ οὖν ἔγνωμεν τοὺς δύο τρόπους τῆς εἰς ἀλλήλους κοινωνίας, καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀκολουθοῦσαν ἀναδοχὴν, καὶ τοὺς κατὰ ἀναλογίαν συμβαίνοντας πειρασμοὺς, μὴ περιεργάζεσθε ἢ πῶς, ἢ πότε, ἢ διὰ τίνος ἐπέρχονται. Τὸ γὰρ ἑκάστῳ προσφυὲς, καὶ τὴν ἀνυπέρθετον αὐτῶν ἔπειξιν, καὶ τὴν πάσης τῆς κτίσεως εἰς τοῦτο συνέργειαν, μόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰδέναι Ἡμεῖς δὲ ὀφείλομεν μόνον πιστεύειν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ εἰδέναι ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἐπελθὸν ἡμῖν ἀκουσίως, ἢ δι᾿ ἀγάπην, ἢ διὰ κακίαν ἡμῖν ἐλήλυθε• καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑπομένειν χρὴ, καὶ μὴ ἀπωθεῖσθαι αὐτὸ, ἵνα μὴ προσθῶμεν ἁμαρτίαν ἐφ᾽ ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν. ΚΑ΄. Πρὸ πάντων παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ, ἀκριβῶς προσέχειν τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀνωφελῶς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν λόγων πειρασμοὺς ὑπομείνωμεν, καὶ ὑμεῖς διὰ ῥαθυμίαν τὰ εἰρημένα λήθη παραδώσητε. Ἡ γὰρ λήθη ῥαθυμίας θυγάτηρ, ἀμφότερα δὲ ἀπιστίας ἔγγονα τυγχάνει. Πρὸς ταῦτα ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ ἀδελφοί· Προθυμότερος ἔσο περὶ τὴν διήγησιν, ὦ Πάτερ · ἡμεῖς γὰρ οἴδαμεν ἃ ἠκούσαμεν, βεβαιούμενοι περὶ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς ταῦτα λεγούσης, ὅτι ἐκτὸς δικαιοσύνης Θεοῦ, οὐδὲν τῶν ἀκουσίων τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συμβαίνει· εἰ καὶ τὴν μυστικὴν τῶν συμβάσεων συνδρομὴν ἐναρμόνιον ἔπειξιν ἄνθρωποι ὄντες οὐ καταλαμβάνομεν, καθὼς καὶ αὐτὸς προείρηκας. Διόπερ ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ἄφρων τις γενόμενος ἔφη· Εἰπὲ ἡμῖν λοιπὸν, τί τὸ θέλημα τῆς σαρκὸς, καὶ πῶς ἐκτὸς τοῦ νοὸς ὑφέστηκεν. Ὁ γὰρ σχολαστικὸς ἠρώτησε μόνον, εἰ ἔστι · τὸ δὲ πῶς, ἢ τί ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐπύθετο. Πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ ᾿Ασκητὴς ἔφη· Θέλημα σαρκὸς, ἐστὶν ἡ φυσικὴ τοῦ σώματος κίνησις μετὰ τῆς ἑπομένης χωρὶς λογισμοῦ πυρώσεως · ἅπερ δι᾽ ὕπνου καὶ τῆς τῶν μελῶν ἀνέσεως ἰσχὺν λαμβάνει. Περὶ ὧν φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος Πέτρος· Ἀγαπητοί, μὴ ξενίζεσθε τῇ ἐν ὑμῖν πυρώσει πρὸς πειρασμὸν ὑμῖν γινομένῃ ὡς ξένου ὑμῖν συμβαίνοντος. Καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος περὶ αὐτῶν ἔφη· Ἡ σὰρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα κατὰ τῆς σαρκός. Διὸ καὶ παραγγέλλει λέγων· Ἐν πνεύματι περιπατεῖτε, καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς οὐ μὴ τελέσητε ποτε. Ταῦτα δὲ εἰρήκασιν ἀσυνδιάστους ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὰς τοιαύτας κινήσεις εἶναι βουλόμενοι.","t":"Question [20]. We believe these things are so, having listened to the sequence of the argument. Now tell us also about suretyship from love, so that we may not be ignorant of this either. Answer. Suretyship from love is what the Lord Jesus has given us in every way: first healing the weaknesses of our soul, then curing every disease and every sickness; he who takes away the sin of the world, restoring the pure nature to those who firmly believe in him, giving redemption from death, handing down the worship of God, teaching godliness, showing how to suffer hardship for love until death; granting us patience in these things through participation in the Spirit; and the good things to come, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have they entered the heart of man. That is why he also takes upon himself the temptations on our behalf, being mocked, reproached, bound, handed over, beaten, given vinegar and gall to drink, falsely accused, persecuted, struck. He, having shared with us through flesh and spirit and taken upon himself the sufferings on our behalf, in turn handed this law to his own apostles, to prophets, fathers, patriarchs: teaching some beforehand through the all-holy Spirit, and showing it to others through his spotless body. Showing this suretyship he said, “Do not fear; I have overcome the world”; and again, “For them I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth”; and again, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Hence holy Paul too, imitating the Lord, said, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you Gentiles, and fill up what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for the sake of his body, which is the church,” he too hinting at suretyship from love. Do you want it more clearly, how all the apostles shared with us through thought, word, and deed, and through this communion took upon themselves the temptations on your behalf? Through thought: opening the Scriptures to us, setting forth the prophecies, persuading us to believe in Christ as Redeemer, assuring us that we should worship him as Son of God by nature, praying for us, weeping, and whatever belongs to the faithful through thought. Through words: exhorting, admonishing, rebuking, mocking our unbelief, interpreting the Scriptures, making plain the time, confessing Christ, proclaiming that he is the one crucified, the Word made man, speaking of one and not two, even if he is understood from two united indivisibly and without confusion; checking false belief at every time, place, and matter, not agreeing with falsehood, not conversing with one who boasts according to the flesh, not spending time with the vainglorious, not looking at all to the boaster, setting at nought the evildoer, putting forward the humble, making the devout their own, and teaching us to do the same. Through deed: being persecuted, imprisoned, ill-treated, mocked, in want, afflicted, and killed, and suffering all such things for us. So through communion they took our temptations upon themselves; for, it says, “whether we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, or whether we are comforted, it is for your salvation and consolation,” having received the law from Christ who says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” And they in turn handed it on to us, saying, “If the Lord laid down his life for us, we too ought to lay down our lives for the brothers”; and again, “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” If, then, we know the two ways of communion with one another, the suretyship that necessarily follows, and the temptations that occur in proportion, do not busy yourselves about how, or when, or through whom they come. For what fits each one, their urgency that admits no delay, and the cooperation of all creation in this, God alone can know. We ought only to believe in God's justice, and know that everything that has come upon us involuntarily has come either through love or through wickedness; and for this reason we must endure it and not push it away, lest we add sin to our sins. [21] Above all I beg you, brothers, to attend carefully to what has been said, so that we may not endure without profit the temptations that come for these words, and you through sloth hand over what has been said to forgetfulness. For forgetfulness is the daughter of sloth, and both are offspring of unbelief.” To this the brothers answered, “Be more eager in your account, Father; for we know what we have heard, being assured that the divine Scripture says that nothing involuntary happens to people apart from God's justice, even if, being human, we do not grasp the mystical concurrence and harmonious urgency of events, as you yourself said before.” Then one, having become foolish from what was said, said, “Tell us now what the will of the flesh is, and how it exists apart from the mind. For the scholar only asked whether it exists, but did not ask how or what it is.” To this the ascetic said: “The will of the flesh is the natural movement of the body with the burning that follows without thought; which gains strength through sleep and the ease of the members. Of these the apostle Peter says, ‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the burning among you that comes upon you for a trial, as though something strange were happening to you.’ And blessed Paul said of them, ‘The flesh desires against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.’ That is why he commands, saying, ‘Walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfil the desire of the flesh.’ They said these things wishing us not to couple with such movements.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 7.2 (PG 65:1097; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/7-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/8.1":{"o":"\"Ἄκουε ψυχή λογική, κοινωνὲ τῶν ἐμῶν βουλευμάτων - βούλομαί σοί τι μυστικὸν καὶ κοινὸν διηγήσασθαι πρᾶγμα, ᾧπερ ὅτι οὐ καθαρισθήσῃ τῶν παθῶν, κατείληφα, ἀλλὰ χάριτι Χριστοῦ μικρὸν ἀνεθήσῃ. Ἔγνων σαφῶς, ὦ ψυχή, ὅτι ἐγώ τε καὶ σὺ παρὰ φύσιν ἐνεργούμενοι, ὑπὸ ἀγνοίας πλανώμεθα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίαις ἑτέρους μεμφόμεθα, ἔξωθεν ἡμῶν τὴν κακίαν εἶναι λέγοντες· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν τὸν ᾿Ἀδὰμ, ποτὲ δὲ τὸν Σατανᾶν, ποτὲ δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους αἰτιώμεθα. Καὶ ἐν τούτῳ δοκοῦντες ἑτέρους πολεμεῖν, ἑαυτοὺς πολεμοῦμεν · καὶ νομίζοντες ἀλλήλων ὑπερασπίζειν, ἐγώ τε καὶ σὺ κατ᾿ ἀλλήλων στρατευόμεθα · καὶ ἑαυτοὺς εὐεργετεῖν οἰόμενοι, ἑαυτοὺς αἰκίζομεν, κόπους καὶ ὀνειδισμοὺς ἀνονήτους δικαίως ὑπέχοντες· τὰς μὲν ἐντολὰς τῷ δοκεῖν ἀγαπῶντες, τὰς δὲ αἰτίας αὐτῶν διὰ τὴν πλάνην μισήσαντες. Ὅθεν ἔγνων ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι οὔτε εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν, οὔτε εἰς τὸ κακὸν ὑπό τινος ἐξουσίας ἀδίκως ἑλκόμεθα, ἀλλ᾿ ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἐν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς τῶν πραγμάτων, ᾧ ἂν πρὸς τὸ θέλημα δουλεύσωμεν, ἤτοι τῷ Θεῷ, ἢ τῷ διαβόλῳ, αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς δικαίως λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον κατεπείγει μέρος.","t":"Listen, rational soul, partner of my counsels: I wish to tell you something hidden and shared, by which, I have grasped, you will not be cleansed of the passions, but by the grace of Christ you will be relieved a little. I have known clearly, O soul, that you and I, being worked upon against nature, go astray through ignorance, and for this reason blame others for our own sins, saying that wickedness is outside us; and we blame sometimes Adam, sometimes Satan, sometimes people. And in this, thinking we fight others, we fight ourselves; and supposing we defend each other, you and I campaign against each other; and thinking we do ourselves good, we torment ourselves, justly undergoing profitless labours and reproaches, loving the commandments in appearance but hating their causes through our error. Hence I have known exactly that we are not dragged unjustly by any power either to good or to evil; but from baptism, in the beginnings of things, whichever we serve with our will, God or the devil, he justly urges us on thereafter to his own side.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 8.1 (PG 65:1103; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/8-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/8.2":{"o":"Αἱ δὲ ἀρχαὶ τῶν πραγμάτων εἰσὶν ἀδιαλόγιστοι προσβολαὶ δύο, ἔπαινος ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἄνεσις σώματος, αἵτινες ἑκουσίως προσβάλλουσαι πρὸ τοῦ θελήματος ἡμῶν, οὔτε κακίαι εἰσὶν, οὔτε ἀρεταὶ, ἀλλ᾿ ἔλεγχοι τῆς ἡμετέρας νεύσεως ποῦ ῥέπομεν. Τοῦ γὰρ Κυρίου βουλομένου ἡμᾶς ὑπομένειν ὀνειδισμοὺς καὶ κακοπάθειαν, τοῦ δὲ διαβόλου τὰ ἐναντία θέλοντος, ἡμεῖς ὅταν θέλωμεν ἐπὶ ταῖς προσβολαῖς ἐκείναις, φανερὸν ὅτι τὴν ῥοπὴν ἐδώκαμεν τῷ φιληδόνῳ πνεύματι, παρακούσαντες τοῦ Κυρίου· ὅταν δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς προειρημέναις προσβολαῖς θλιβώμεθα, δῆλον ὅτι τὴν ῥοπὴν ἐδώκαμεν τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν στενὴν ἀγαπήσαντες. Διὰ τοῦτο οὖν αἱ δύο αὗται προσβολαὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις προσβαλεῖν παρεχωρήθησαν, ὅπως οἱ τὴν ἐντολὴν ἀγαπῶντες, δώσουσι τῷ Χριστῷ τὴν ῥοπὴν τοῦ θελήματος· καὶ αὐτὸς εἴσοδον εὑρὼν, ὁδηγήσει τὸν νοῦν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Οὕτω δέ μοι νόει καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον. Ὅσοι γὰρ πάλιν ἀγαπῶσι τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην δόξαν, καὶ τὴν ἄνεσιν τοῦ σώματος, δεδώκασιν εἴσοδον τῷ διαβόλῳ· ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς εὑρὼν ἰδίαν εἴσοδον, τὰ ἴδια λοιπὸν ὑποτίθεται κακά· καθὸ ἂν αὐτῷ ἡδέως λογίζωνται, προσθήκας ποιεῖν οὐ παύονται, ἕως οὗ τὰς προειρημένας προσβολὰς ἐκ καρδίας μισήσωμεν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὕτως αὐτὰς ἀγαπῶμεν, ὥστε οὐ μόνον τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀντ᾿ αὐτῶν προδιδόαμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὰς ἐκείνας ἑτέραν τῇ ἑτέρᾳ ἐν καιρῷ καταλλάσσομεν· ποτὲ ἀτιμίαν ὑποφέρομεν διὰ φιληδονίαν. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ τούτοις ἀλύπως συνθώμεθα, λοιπὸν τὰς αὐξητικὰς ὕλας αὐτῶν ζητοῦμεν. Ὕλαι καὶ κενοδοξίας καὶ ἡδονῆς φιλαργυρία, ἡ ῥίζα πάντων τῶν κακῶν, κατὰ τὴν θείαν Γραφήν.","t":"The beginnings of things are two provocations not yet reasoned on: human praise and bodily ease. Coming upon us voluntarily before our will, they are neither vices nor virtues, but tests of where our inclination leans. For since the Lord wishes us to endure reproaches and hardship, and the devil wishes the opposite, when we are pleased at those provocations, it is plain that we have given our inclination to the pleasure-loving spirit, disobeying the Lord; but when we are afflicted at them, it is clear that we have given our inclination to God, having loved the narrow way. For this reason these two provocations have been allowed to assail people, so that those who love the commandment may give Christ the inclination of their will; and he, finding an entrance, will lead the mind to the truth. Understand the opposite in the same way. For those who love human glory and bodily ease have given an entrance to the devil; and he too, finding his own entrance, then suggests his own evils; and as they think of them with pleasure, they do not cease adding to them until we hate the provocations mentioned from the heart. But we love them so much that we not only betray virtue for them, but also exchange one for the other in turn: sometimes we bear dishonour for the sake of love of pleasure. And when we agree to these without grief, we then seek the materials that increase them. The material of both vainglory and pleasure is love of money, the root of all evils, according to the divine Scripture.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 8.2 (PG 65:1103; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/8-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/8.3":{"o":"Πάντως δὲ ἐρεῖς μοι, ὦ φίλη ψυχή, ὅτι οὔτε χρυσίον θησαυρίζομεν, οὔτε κτήματα ἔχομεν. Κἀγώ σοι λέγω, ὅτι οὔτε χρυσὸς, οὔτε κτήματα παρέχουσι τὴν βλάβην, ἀλλὰ, καθὼς προείρηκα, ἡ ἐμπαθής αὐτῶν παράχρησις. Ἰδοὺ γάρ τινες ἀπαθῶς πλουτήσαντες εὐηρέστησαν, ὡς ὁ ἅγιος Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ Ἰώβ, καὶ Δαβίδ. Τινὲς δὲ καὶ δίχα πλούτου τὸ πάθος τῆς φιλοχρηματίας ἐν εὐτελεστάταις ὕλαις ἐτρέψαμεν· ὅθεν τῶν πολλὰ κεκτημένων ἐσμὲν ἀθλιώτεροι· διότι ἀφέντες τὴν καθολικὴν κακοπάθειαν μετὰ πανουργίας, ἡδυπαθοῦμεν ὡς Θεοῦ λανθάνοντες· τὴν γὰρ φιλαργυρίαν διαφεύγοντες, τὴν φιληδονίαν οὐ φεύγομεν· χρυσὸν οὐ θησαυρίζομεν, καὶ τὰς λεπτὰς ὕλας συνάγομεν. ᾿Αρχὰς καὶ ἡγεμονίας οὐ λαμβάνομεν, τὰς δὲ δόξας αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐπαίνους ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου θηρεύομεν · τὰς κτήσεις καταλείπομεν, καὶ τὰς ἀπολαύσεις αὐτῶν οὐ παραιτούμεθα · ὅταν δὲ καὶ παραιτεῖσθαι δόξωμεν, οὐχ ὡς τὴν πλεονεξίαν φεύγοντες, ἀλλ' ὡς τὰ κτίσματα τοῦ Θεοῦ βδελυσσόμενοι· Μὴ ἄψῃ, μὴ γεύσῃ, μὴ θίγῃς. Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς, ὦ φίλη ψυχή, τὴν παράβασιν τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ καὶ τῆς Εὔας, ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν ἰδικῶς ἐπ' ἐκείνοις γεγενημένην πίστευε νυνὶ δὲ νοητῶς ἐπ᾿ ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ γινομένην εὑρήσεις Ταῦτα γὰρ τυπικῶς συνέβαινεν ἐκείνοις· ἐγράφη δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν, εἰς οὓς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων κατήντησεν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἀναγεννηθέντες, τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ ἀναγεννήσαντος ἡμᾶς παρέβημεν, καθότι τοῦ Κυρίου πάντας τοὺς ὁμοπίστους ἀγαπᾶν, καὶ τὸν ἐκ πάντων ἐρχόμενον καρπὸν δι᾽ ὑπομονῆς ἐσθίειν κελεύσαντος, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρῶσιν φαγεῖν, ἡμεῖς τοῖς τοῦ ὄφεως λογισμοῖς χρησάμενοι, τοὺς μὲν, ὡς καλοὺς ἡγαπήσαμεν· τοὺς δὲ, ὡς πονηροὺς ἐμισήσαμεν· ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν · οὗ ἀπογευσάμενοι, κατὰ διάνοιαν θανατούμεθα· οὐχὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν θάνατον ποιήσαντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸν πλησίον μισήσαντος· Θεὸς γὰρ θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ τέρπεται ἐπ᾿ ἀπωλείᾳ ζώντων, οὔτε κινεῖται πάθει ὀργῆς, οὔτε ἐπινοεῖ πρᾶγμα εἰς ἄμυναν, οὔτε ἀλλοιοῦται πρὸς τὴν ἑκάστου ἀξίαν· ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησεν, ὑπὸ νόμῳ πνευματικῷ κρίνεσθαι προορίσας. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐ λέγει τῷ Ἀδὰμ, Ἧ δ᾽ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε, ἐγὼ θανατώσω ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ᾽ ἀσφαλιζόμενος τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης προλέγει νόμον, καὶ φησίν· Η δ᾽ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε. Καὶ ὅλως δὲ ἑκάστῳ πράγματι, καλῷ τε καὶ κακῷ, φυσικῶς ἐπακολουθεῖν τὸ δέον ἀπένειμε, καὶ οὐκ ἐπινοητικῶς, ὡς τινες νομίζουσιν, οἱ τὸν πνευματικὸν ἀγνοοῦντες νόμον. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ μερικῶς τοῦτον ἐπιστάμενοι, γινώσκειν ὀφείλομεν, ὅτι εἴ τινα τῶν ὁμοπίστων ὡς κακὸν μισήσομεν, καὶ ἡμεῖς κακοὶ ὄντες, ὑπὸ Θεοῦ μισηθησόμεθα· καὶ εἰ ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸν τῆς μετανοίας ἐκβάλλομεν, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἁμαρτωλοὶ ὄντες ἀποβληθησόμεθα· καὶ εἰ οὐκ ἀφίεμεν τῷ πλησίον τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, οὔτε ἡμῖν ἀφεθήσεται. Τοῦτον νόμον φανεροποιῶν ὁ νομοθέτης Χριστὸς, εἴρηκε· Μὴ κρίνετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ κριθῆτε· ἄφετε, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Τοῦτον ἰδὼν τὸν νόμον, φανεροποιῶν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Ὁ κρίνων τὸν ἕτερον, ἑαυτὸν κατακρίνεις. Καὶ ὁ Προφήτης δὲ οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τοῦτο, ἐβόα πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν λέγων· ὅτι σὺ ἀποδώσεις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν· καὶ ἕτερος προφήτης ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ φησιν· Ἐμὴ ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει Κύριος.","t":"But you will certainly tell me, dear soul, that we neither store up gold nor have possessions. And I tell you that neither gold nor possessions bring harm, but, as I said before, their passionate misuse. For see, some who were rich without passion pleased God, like holy Abraham, Job, and David. But some of us, even without wealth, have turned the passion of love of money to the cheapest materials; hence we are more wretched than those who have much, because, having abandoned general hardship, we cunningly indulge ourselves as though escaping God's notice. Escaping love of money, we do not flee love of pleasure; we do not store up gold, but gather petty materials; we do not take offices and governorships, but hunt their glories and praises in every way; we leave possessions, but do not refuse their enjoyments; and when we seem to refuse them, it is not as fleeing greed but as loathing God's creatures: “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.” When you hear, dear soul, of the transgression of Adam and Eve, believe that in the beginning it happened to them particularly; but now you will find it happening spiritually in me and in you. For these things happened to them as types, and were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. For see, reborn through baptism, we have transgressed the commandment of him who gave us rebirth. The Lord commanded us to love all who share the faith and to eat with patience the fruit that comes from all, according to the saying, “From every tree in the garden you may eat as food”; but we, using the serpent's thoughts, loved some as good and hated others as evil; which is the tree of knowing good and evil. Tasting of it, we are put to death in mind; not because God made death, but because a person hated his neighbour. For “God did not make death, nor does he take pleasure in the destruction of the living,” nor is he moved by the passion of anger, nor devises anything for revenge, nor is altered according to each one's deserts; but he made all things in wisdom, having predetermined that they be judged under a spiritual law. That is why he does not say to Adam, “On the day you eat, I will put you to death,” but, securing him, he foretells the law of justice and says, “On the day you eat, you shall surely die.” And in general he assigned to each thing, good and bad, that what is due should follow naturally, and not by contrivance, as some think who do not know the spiritual law. But we who know it in part ought to know that if we hate any who share our faith as evil, we too, being evil, will be hated by God; and if we cast someone out of repentance as a sinner, we too, being sinners, will be cast out; and if we do not forgive our neighbour his sins, neither will they be forgiven us. Christ the lawgiver, making this law plain, said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Paul, seeing this law and making it plain, said, “In judging another, you condemn yourself.” And the prophet, not ignorant of this, cried to God, “For you will repay each according to their works”; and another prophet says in God's person, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 8.3 (PG 65:1105; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/8-3)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/8.4":{"o":"Καὶ τί λέγω καθ' ἓν, ὅπου γε πᾶσιν ἡ Γραφή Παλαιά τε καὶ Νέα, μάλιστα ὁ μέγας ψαλμῳδὸς σαφέστερον ἡμῖν τοῦτον ὑποδείκνυσι τὸν νόμον, ὅπως πνευματικὸν εὑρόντες αὐτὸν, καὶ μυστικῶς προωρισμένον ἐπὶ πάσῃ ἡμῶν τῇ τροπῇ φοβηθέντες, οὐ μόνον προφανῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ κρυπτῶς ἀγαπᾶν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς σπουδάσωμεν. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι Μωσαϊκὸς νόμος τὰ φανερὰ κρίνων, ἀλλὰ πνευματικὸς καὶ τὰ κρυπτὰ ἐλέγχων · κἀκεῖνον μὲν ὁ αὐτὸς Θεὸς ἐνομοθέτησε τῷ ἰδίῳ καιρῷ πρέποντα· οὗτος δὲ ἐκεῖνον ἐπλήρωσε, διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, εἰρηκότος· Οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι. Διὰ τοῦτο (περὶ παντὸς πράγματος ἅπαξ λαλήσεται) καὶ λοιπὸν συγχωρεῖν τῷ δοκοῦντι ἡδικηκέναι, κἂν εὔλογον εἴη κἂν ἄλογον τὸ ἀδίκημα, πάσης ἀρετῆς εἰδότας μείζονα εἶναι τὴν τῆς συγχωρήσεως. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐ δυνάμεθα τοῦτο ποιεῖν διὰ τὴν προκατέχουσαν ἁμαρτίαν, ὀφείλομεν μετὰ ἀγρυπνίας καὶ πάσης κακοπαθείας τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλεῖν, ἕως οὗ εὕρωμεν ἱλασμὸν, καὶ λάβωμεν τὴν τοιαύτην δύναμιν. Πρὸς ταῦτα, ὦ ψυχὴ, ἕνα σκοπὸν ὀφείλομεν ἔχειν ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, καὶ τόπῳ, καὶ πράγματι, τὸ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων διαφόρως ἀδικούμενοι χαίρειν καὶ μὴ λυπεῖσθαι· χαίρειν δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, οὐδὲ ἀσκόπως, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι εὕρομεν ἀφορμὴν τοῦ ἀφιέναι τῷ ἁμαρτήσαντι. καὶ λαβεῖν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων. Αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἀληθὴς θεογνωσία πάσης γνώσεως περιεκτικωτάτη, δι' ἧς δυνάμεθα παρακαλεῖν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ ἐπακούεσθαι· αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ τῆς εὐχῆς καρποφορία · διὰ ταύτης τὸν σταυρὸν ἄραι καὶ ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ δυνάμεθα· αὕτη τῶν πρώτων καὶ μεγάλων ἐντολῶν μήτηρ τυγχάνει. Διὰ ταύτης γὰρ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν Θεὸν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας, καὶ τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτοὺς δυνάμεθα. Διὰ ταύτης γὰρ νηστεύειν καὶ ἀγρυπνεῖν καὶ κακοπαθεῖν ὀφείλομεν, ὅπως ἡ καρδία καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα ἀνοιγέντα εἰσδέξωνται ταῦτα, καὶ μὴ ἀποβάλωσι. Τότε γὰρ καὶ τὴν κρυπτῶς δεδομένην ἡμῖν τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος χάριν, οὐκέτι ἀδήλως, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πάσῃ πληροφορίᾳ καὶ αἰσθήσει ἐνεργοῦσαν εὑρήσομεν, διὰ τὸ ἀφιέναι τῷ πλησίον τὰ ἁμαρτήματα.","t":"And why do I speak point by point, when all Scripture, Old and New, and especially the great psalmist, shows us this law more clearly, so that, finding it spiritual and fearing it as mystically predetermined at our every turning, we may strive to love the brothers not only openly but also in secret? For it is not the Mosaic law, which judges visible things, but the spiritual law, which exposes hidden things. The same God laid down the former, fitting for its own time; and this law fulfilled it through the grace of our Lord, who said, “I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfil it.” Therefore (since it will speak once about every matter) we ought henceforth to forgive the one who seems to have wronged us, whether the wrong is reasonable or unreasonable, knowing that forgiveness is greater than every virtue. And since we cannot do this because of the sin that holds us beforehand, we ought to entreat God with vigil and every hardship until we find propitiation and receive such power. To this end, O soul, we ought to have one aim at every time, place, and matter: to rejoice and not grieve when we are wronged in various ways by people; and to rejoice not simply nor aimlessly, but because we have found an occasion to forgive the one who sinned and to receive forgiveness of our own sins. For this is the true knowledge of God, most comprehensive of all knowledge, through which we can entreat God and be heard; this is the fruit of prayer; through it we can take up the cross and follow the Lord; it is the mother of the first and great commandments. For through it we can love God with all our heart and our neighbour as ourselves. For its sake we ought to fast, keep vigil, and suffer hardship, so that the heart and the inward parts may be opened and receive these things and not cast them out. For then we shall find the grace of holy baptism, given us hiddenly, working no longer obscurely but with all full assurance and perception, because we forgive our neighbour his sins.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 8.4 (PG 65:1107; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/8-4)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/8.5":{"o":"Ταύτης δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς κωλυτικαί εἰσι κακίαι δύο, κενοδοξία, καὶ ἡδονὴ, ἃς χρὴ πρότερον κατὰ νοῦν παραιτήσασθαι, καὶ οὕτω τὴν ἀρετὴν κρατῆσαι. Διὰ τοῦτο, ὦ ψυχή, προδοῦσα ἑαυτὴν τοῖς δυσὶ τούτοις θελήμασι, μηδένα αἰτιῶ, μήτε τὸν ᾿Αδάμ, μήτε τὸν Σατανᾶν, μήτε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ πολέμησον τῷ σῷ θελήματι, καὶ μὴ καταφρονήσῃς· ἐμφύλιος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πόλεμος. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἔξωθεν, ἵνα μετὰ τῶν συνόντων ἀδελφῶν πολεμήσωμεν, ἔνδοθέν ἐστιν· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων συμπολεμήσει ἡμῖν. Ἕνα ἔχομεν σύμμαχον τὸν μυστικῶς ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἐγκεκρυμμένον Χριστὸν, ἀνίκητον καὶ ἀλάθητον. Συμμαχήσει δὲ ἡμῖν, ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ κατὰ δύναμιν ποιήσωμεν. Τὰ δὲ πολεμοῦντα ἡμῖν, καθώς προειρήκαμεν, ἡδονὴ συμμιγεῖσα τῷ σώματι, καὶ κενοδοξία, αἳ καὶ ἐμὲ καὶ σὲ κατέχουσι. Ταῦτα τὰ δύο τὴν Εὔαν ἐπλάνησαν, καὶ τὸν ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἐξηπάτησαν. Ἡ μὲν ἡδονὴ ἔδειξε τὸ ξύλον, ὡς καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν, καὶ ὡραῖον τοῦ κατανοῆσαι· Ἡ δὲ κενοδοξία τό· Ως θεοὶ ἔσεσθε, γινώσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν. Καθάπερ οὖν ὁ πρωτόπλαστος ᾿Αδὰμ καὶ ἡ Εὔα ᾐσχύνοντο ἀλλήλους, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν κακίαν τῶν νοερῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀποβαλόντες, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς γυμνοὺς ὁρῶντες, ἀλλήλους κατὰ συνείδησιν αἰσχυνόμεθα· ἰδοὺ φύλλα συκῆς ἑαυτοῖς συῤῥάπτομεν, ἐξωτέροις ῥήμασι καὶ σχήμασι καὶ δικαιολογίαις ἐνδύοντες. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος κατασκευάζει ἡμῖν τὸ ἐκ δερμάτων ἔνδυμα, καὶ λέγει· Ἐν τῇ ὑπομονῇ ὑμῶν κτήσασθε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν. Καὶ τὰ ἀκόλουθα παραινεῖ λέγων· Ὁ εὑρὼν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ἐν μνησικακίᾳ, ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· καὶ ὁ (ἐν αὐτῇ) ἀπολέσας αὐτὴν, εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον εὑρήσει αὐτήν. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Αμήν.","t":"Two vices hinder this virtue: vainglory and pleasure, which must first be refused in the mind, and so the virtue grasped. Therefore, O soul, having betrayed yourself to these two wishes, blame no one, neither Adam nor Satan nor people, but fight your own will, and do not despise it; for the war is civil war. It is not outside, so that we may fight with the brothers who are with us; it is within; and no one among people will fight alongside us. We have one ally, Christ, hidden in us mystically through baptism, unconquerable and missing nothing. He will fight with us if we do his commandments as far as we can. The things that war against us, as we said before, are pleasure mixed with the body, and vainglory, which hold both me and you. These two led Eve astray and deceived Adam. Pleasure showed the tree as good for food and beautiful to look at; vainglory said, “You will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” Just as the first-formed Adam and Eve were ashamed before each other, so we too, having cast wickedness off from our spiritual eyes and seeing ourselves naked, are ashamed before one another in conscience; see, we sew fig leaves together for ourselves, clothing ourselves with outward words, appearances, and self-justifications. But the Lord makes us the garment of skins, and says, “In your patience gain your souls.” And he exhorts what follows, saying, “Whoever finds his soul,” that is, in resentment, “will lose it; and whoever loses it” (in this) “will find it for eternal life.” To him be glory for ever. Amen.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 8.5 (PG 65:1107; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/8-5)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/9.1":{"o":"Προσήκει τοὺς ἀσκοῦντας ἐναρχομένους, καὶ ἐπιτελεῖν, τούς τε νέους καὶ πρεσβυτέρους, ἐῤῥωμένον ἔχοντας τὸ σῶμα, μήτε κάματον, μήτε κάκωσιν φοβουμένους, πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ τὴν χρησιμωτέραν καὶ ἀσφαλεστέραν ἀπαραλείπτως προΐστασθαι νηστείαν. Σταθμῷ τὸν ἄρτον ἐσθίειν, καὶ μέτρῳ τὸ ὕδωρ πίνειν, ἀπὸ καιροῦ εἰς καιρόν· τοσοῦτον δὲ, ὅσον πεινῶντας καὶ διψῶντας ἀναχωρεῖν τοῦ δείπνου, καὶ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν πρὸς Θεὸν λειτουργίαν μὴ ἐμποδίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς τῶν βρωμάτων. Ἐὰν γὰρ θελήσωμεν ἐσθίοντες κορεσθῆναι, ταχέως ἀκηδιάσαντες ἐφ᾽ ἑτέραν τραπησόμεθα ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ ἐὰν ταύτης μεταλαμβάνοντες ἐμπλησθῶμεν, καὶ ταύτην ὁμοίως αὖθις ὡς πρώτην ἀποδοκιμάσαντες καταλείψομεν. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμᾶς, ἂν ἐπινοήσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιθυμίαν ἢ νηστείαν, πρὸς παράκλησιν ἐπιμεῖναι χορταζομένους. Τί τοῦ μάννα ἐν τοῖς σιτίοις πολυτελέστερον; καὶ ὡς τοῦτο ἔφαγε, καὶ ἐνεπλήσθη ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτε μὴ εἶχε κρείττονος ἐπιθυμῆσαι, τὸ ἔλαττον ἐπεθύμησε, σκόροδα καὶ κρόμμυα, ὥστε ἔμφυτον τῇ πλησμονῇ ἡ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἐπιθυμία. Εἰ οὖν ἐν τῷ κορέννυσθαι ἄρτου, ἐπιθυμοῦμεν ἑτέρου, τοῦτον ἐσθίοντες μὴ κορεσθῶμεν, ἵνα τοῦτον ἐπιθυμοῦντες ἀεὶ ἐπιθυμῶμεν κορεσθῆναι· ὅπως καὶ τὴν βλάβην τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκφύγωμεν, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐγκρατείας ἀπενεγκώμεθα.","t":"It befits those who practise asceticism, both beginners and those finishing, young and old, who have a healthy body and fear neither fatigue nor hardship, to put forward with all eagerness, without omission, the more useful and safer fast: to eat bread by weight and drink water by measure, from time to time; and so much that they leave the meal still hungry and thirsty, and the necessary service to God is not hindered by the pleasure of foods. For if we wish to be filled when we eat, we shall soon grow weary and turn to another desire; and if we take our fill of this, we shall likewise reject it in turn like the first and abandon it. And when we devise a desire or a fast for ourselves, we cannot persevere toward consolation while being filled. What among foods was more costly than the manna? And when Israel had eaten and been filled with it, since it had nothing better to desire, it desired the lesser, garlic and onions, so that desire for something else is innate in fullness. If, then, when filled with bread we desire something else, let us not be filled when we eat it, so that, desiring it, we may always desire to be filled; so that we may both escape the harm that comes from desire and carry off the righteousness that comes from self-control.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 9.1 (PG 65:1109; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/9-1)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/9.2":{"o":"᾿Αλλ' ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις τῶν περὶ τὴν νηστείαν ὀκνηροτέρων · Μὴ γὰρ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπον τροφῆς μεταλαμβάνειν; ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς ὡς ἁμαρτίας οὔσης τοῦτο συμβουλεύομεν, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἐκ τούτου τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατακολουθούσης. Καὶ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ οὐχ ἥμαρτεν ἐπιθυμήσας, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας Θεοῦ καταλαλήσας ἠσέβησεν· εἶπε γάρ· Μὴ δυνήσεται ὁ Θεὸς ἑτοιμάσαι τράπεζαν ἐν ἐρήμῳ; Καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἑτοιμασθῆναι αὐτοῖς, τότε ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξεκαύθη ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ συνεπόδισε τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ ζῶντες πάλιν ἑτέρας ἐπιθυμήσωσι τροφῆς, καὶ λόγους κατὰ τοῦ Ὑψίστου λαλήσωσι, καὶ ἐξολοθρευθῶσιν οἱ κατάλοιποι αὐτῶν. Ἔργον ἐστὶ τῆς ἀναιδοῦς κρατῆσαι γαστρός· θεός ἐστι τῶν ἡττωμένων αὐτῇ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀθωωθῆναι τὸν ἀνεχόμενον αὐτῆς. Καὶ οὐ μόνον τὸ τῆς πλησμονῆς ἐστι τὸ κινδυνευόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀσιτίας· ἐν τῷ παρελθεῖν γὰρ ἡμέρας πλείους οὐδενὸς μεταλαμβάνοντας, ἡ ἀκηδία χώραν λαβοῦσα ἐπαναστήσεται, καὶ πολεμήσει ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὴν μὲν ἀγρυπνίαν ἡμῶν τῆς νυκτὸς μεταβαλεῖ εἰς ὕπνον, τὴν δὲ προσευχὴν ἡμῶν τῆς ἡμέρας εἰς σαρκικοὺς λογισμοὺς, ὥστε ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου ώφεληθῆναι μηδὲν, καὶ ἐκ τῶν σαρκικῶν λογισμῶν μᾶλλον βλαβῆναι τὰ μέγιστα. Ἀρχόμεθα γὰρ ὡς ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀσκοῦντες μέγα φρονεῖν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν μικροτέρους ἐξουθενεῖν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ πάσης πλημμελείας χαλεπώτερον. Ωσπερ γὰρ γεωργὸς ἀσύνετος, ἐὰν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χώραν, ἀναλώμασι πολλοῖς κατεργασάμενος, ἄσπορον ἐάσῃ, εἰς ζημίαν ἐκοπίασεν· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐὰν τὴν ἑαυτῶν σάρκα πολλῇ τῇ προσόδῳ δουλαγωγήσαντες, τὸν λόγον τῆς προσευχῆς μὴ καταβάλωμεν, μᾶλλον καθ᾽ αὑτῶν ἐσπουδάσαμεν.","t":"But perhaps one of those more sluggish about fasting will say, “Is it a sin for a person to take food?” We do not counsel this as though it were sin, but because sin follows from it. Israel did not sin by desiring, but acted impiously by speaking against God through its desire; for it said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?” And after it had been prepared for them, then the wrath of God was kindled against them and hindered their chosen ones, so that they might not live and again desire other food and speak words against the Most High, and the rest of them be destroyed. It is a labour to master the shameless belly; it is the god of those defeated by it, and whoever puts up with it cannot be acquitted. And not only is there danger from fullness, but also from abstaining from food. For when many days pass without our taking anything, listlessness gains ground and will rise up and war against us, changing our night vigil into sleep and our day's prayer into fleshly thoughts, so that we gain nothing from the sleep and are harmed most greatly by the fleshly thoughts. For we begin to think great things of ourselves as practising asceticism beyond others, and to despise the lesser, which is more grievous than any offence. For just as a foolish farmer who has worked his land at great expense and leaves it unsown has toiled to his loss, so we too, if we bring our flesh into subjection with great effort but do not sow the word of prayer, have rather striven against ourselves.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 9.2 (PG 65:1111; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/9-2)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/9.3":{"o":"Ἀλλ᾽ ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις· Εἱ ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ ἡ δικαιοσύνη, τίς ἐστι χρεία τῆς νηστείας; Πολλὴ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον. \"Ωσπερ γάρ τις τῶν πενήτων γεωργῶν, ἐὰν ἐπὶ χέρσου σπείρῃ μὴ νεώσας τὴν γῆν, ἀντὶ πυροῦ ἀκάνθας προσοδευθήσεται· οὕτω καὶ ἐὰν ἡμεῖς μὴ τὴν ἑαυτῶν σάρκα νηστείᾳ ὑπωπιάσαντες, τὸν λόγον τῆς προσευχῆς καταβάλωμεν, ἀντὶ δικαιοσύνης ἁμαρτίας καρπωσόμεθα. Ἡ γὰρ σὰρξ αὕτη ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης ὑπάρχει· καὶ ἐὰν μὴ τοσαύτης ἐπιμελείας τύχῃ, ὅσης ἐκείνη, καρπὸν δικαιοσύνης οὐδέποτε βλαστήσει. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγομεν, οὐχ ὡς τοὺς ἐκ τῆς νηστείας ὠφεληθῆναι βουλομένους ἐγκόπτοντες, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μετὰ διακρίσεως καὶ φόβου Θεοῦ τὴν ἀπάθειαν τοῦ οἰκείου σώματος ἐξασκεῖν βουλομένους προτρεπόμενοι· ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ὠφελεῖ τοὺς μετὰ λογισμοῦ αὐτῇ προσιόντας, οὕτω βλάπτει τοὺς ἀλογίστως αὐτῇ προσερχομένους. Οἱ οὖν κηδόμενοι τῆς ὠφελείας αὐτῆς, ὀφείλουσι φυλάττεσθαι καὶ τὴν βλάβην αὐτῆς· καὶ τὸν ἄρτον, ὃν ἐσθίομεν μετὰ τὴν συμπλήρωσιν τῆς νηστείας, ἧς ὀρίζομεν ἑαυτοῖς, τοῦτον διελεῖν εἰς τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ἀσιτίας, ἵνα μέρους βραχέος καθ' ἑκάστην λαμβάνοντες φιμώσωμεν τῆς ἑαυτῶν σαρκὸς τὸ φρόνημα, καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχωμεν ἐστηριγμένην εἰς τὴν ὠφελιμωτέραν προσευχήν· ὅπως δυνάμει Θεοῦ, ἀπὸ ἐπάρσεως φυλαχθέντες, ἐν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ διάγωμεν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν, ἧς χωρὶς οὐδεὶς εὐηρέστησε Θεῷ.","t":"But perhaps someone will say, “If righteousness is in prayer, what need is there of fasting?” Much, in every way. For just as a poor farmer who sows on dry ground without ploughing the earth will reap thorns instead of wheat, so we too, if we sow the word of prayer without first subduing our flesh by fasting, shall reap sin instead of righteousness. For this flesh is from that earth; and unless it receives as much care as that earth, it will never sprout the fruit of righteousness. We say this not to hinder those who wish to be helped by fasting, but to urge on those who wish to practise the dispassion of their own body with discernment and the fear of God. For as fasting helps those who approach it with reason, so it harms those who approach it without reason. Those, then, who care for its benefit must also guard against its harm; and the bread that we eat after completing the fast we have set ourselves, let us divide it among the days of abstinence, so that, taking a small portion each day, we may muzzle the mind of our flesh and keep our heart fixed on the more beneficial prayer; so that by the power of God, guarded from elation, we may live in humility all the days of our life, without which no one has pleased God.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 9.3 (PG 65:1113; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/9-3)."},"mark-hermit-opuscula/9.4":{"o":"Εἰ γὰρ ταπεινοφροσύνης ἐπεμελούμεθα, οὐκἂν ἐδεήθημεν παιδείας · πάντα γὰρ τὰ κακὰ καὶ δεινὰ τὰ συμβαίνοντα ἡμῖν, διὰ τὴν ἔπαρσιν ἡμῶν συμβαίνει. Εἰ γὰρ τῷ ᾿Αποστόλῳ, ἵνα μὴ ἐπαρθῇ, ἄγγελος Σατᾶν ἐδόθη, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐπηρμένοις αὐτὸς ὁ Σατανᾶς δοθήσεται καταπατεῖν ἡμᾶς ἕως ταπεινωθῶμεν; Οἱ προπάτορες ἡμῶν, οἴκων ἐδέσποζον, καὶ πλοῦτον εἶχον, καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ τέκνων προενόουν, καὶ Θεῷ ὠμίλουν διὰ τὴν ἄπλαστον ταπεινοφροσύνην αὐτῶν· ἡμεῖς δὲ κόσμου ἀνεχωρήσαμεν, καὶ πλούτου κατεφρονήσαμεν, καὶ τοὺς οἴκους κατελίπομεν, καὶ ὑπὸ δαιμόνων χλευαζόμεθα διὰ τὴν ἔπαρσιν ἡμῶν. Ὁ ἐπαιρόμενος ἀγνοεῖ ἑαυτόν· εἰ γὰρ ἐγίνωσκεν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀφροσύνην, μεθ᾿ ἧς ἀναστρέφεται, οὐκ ἂν ἐπήρθη. Ὁ δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἀγνοῶν πῶς δύναται Θεὸν γιγνώσκειν; Εἰ γὰρ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀφροσύνην οὐκ ἴσχυσε συνιέναι, πῶς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν, ἧς πόῤῥωθέν ἐστι καὶ ξένος, συνιέναι δυνήσεται; Ὁ γὰρ γινώσκων τὸν Θεὸν, ἐνοπτρίζεται τὴν μεγαλωσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ φαυλίζει ἑαυτὸν, ὡς ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ, καὶ λέγει · Ἕως ἀκοῆς ἤκουόν σου τὸ πρότερον· νῦν δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἑώρακέ σε. Διὸ ἐφαύλισα ἐμαυτὸν, καὶ ἐτάκην· ἤγημαι δὲ ἐμαυτὸν γῆν καὶ σποδόν. Οἱ τοίνυν τὸν Ἰὼβ μιμούμενοι, οὗτοι τὸν Θεὸν ὁρῶσι· οἱ δὲ ὁρῶντες αὐτὸν, οὗτοι γινώσκουσιν αὐτόν. Ἐὰν οὖν βουληθῶμεν ὁρᾷν τὸν Θεὸν, φαυλίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ ταπεινοφρονήσωμεν · ἵνα μὴ μόνον αὐτὸν ἐξ ἐναντίας ὁρῶμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν οἰκοῦντά τε καὶ ἀναπαυόμενον ἔχοντες, κατατρυφῶμεν αὐτοῦ. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡ ἀφροσύνη ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ σοφισθήσεται, καὶ ἡ ἀσθένεια ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ δυναμωθήσεται, κραταιούσῃ ἡμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν ἀξιώσαντα ἡμᾶς τῆς δωρεᾶς ταύτης περισσοτέρως δοξασθῆναι ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἡμῶν διάβολον ὑπερβαλόντως καταισχῦναι δι᾽ ἡμᾶς, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ· ὅτι αὐτῷ πρέπει δόξα, μεγαλωσύνη τε καὶ μεγαλοπρέπεια, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ᾿Αμήν.","t":"For if we cared for humility, we would not need discipline; for all the evils and terrible things that befall us befall us because of our elation. For if an angel of Satan was given to the apostle so that he might not be elated, how much more will Satan himself be given to us who are elated, to trample us until we are humbled? Our forefathers were masters of houses, had wealth, provided for wives and children, and conversed with God because of their unfeigned humility; but we have withdrawn from the world, despised wealth, left our houses, and are mocked by demons because of our elation. The elated person does not know himself; for if he knew himself and the folly with which he lives, he would not be elated. And how can one who does not know himself know God? For if he could not understand his own folly, how will he be able to understand the wisdom of God, from which he is far away and a stranger? For whoever knows God sees his greatness as in a mirror and thinks little of himself, like blessed Job, who says, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear before, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I have despised myself and melted away, and I count myself earth and ashes.” Those, then, who imitate Job see God; and those who see him know him. If, then, we wish to see God, let us think little of ourselves and be humble; so that we may not only see him before us, but, having him dwelling and resting in us, may delight in him. For so our folly will be made wise in his wisdom, and our weakness made strong in his power, which strengthens us toward him who counted us worthy of this gift, that he may be the more glorified in us, and that our enemy the devil may be put to shame exceedingly through us, in our Lord Jesus Christ himself; for to him belong glory, greatness, and majesty for ever. Amen.","f":"Mark the Hermit, <i>Opusc.</i> 9.4 (PG 65:1115; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/mark-hermit-opuscula/9-4)."}}