Letter 97: . Against the Macedonians, or Spirit-Contesters.

To Orion the Monk. Concerning the parable of the weeds. From where, you asked, do the evil thoughts come out of the heart? This is a question that touches the very nature of the spiritual battle. The Lord spoke of the enemy who sows weeds among the wheat while men sleep, teaching us that evil thoughts enter the soul through negligence and spiritual drowsiness. When the mind is wakeful and attentive to God, the devil finds no entrance; but when we relax our vigilance and give ourselves over to carelessness, the evil one plants his seeds of wickedness in the fertile soil of our inattention. The weeds grow alongside the wheat because in this life, good and evil coexist within the same soul, and the full separation belongs to the future judgment. To Eutonios the Deacon. Do not blame the one who wished to do a good deed but was unable to help, judging him by the outcome; rather honor him by his intention, because he was moved in his nature to do what was necessary, even if he was weakened in his ability and could not accomplish it. For God judges not merely the deed but the will behind it. To Kyrillos. On the saying, \"The stone which the builders rejected\" — this is a prophecy concerning Christ, whom the leaders of Israel rejected but whom God made the cornerstone of a new and eternal temple.

. Against the Macedonians, or Spirit-Contesters. It was in order to show the union of the most Holy Spirit with Himself and the Father said to the disciples that Our Lord and Master, after rising from the dead, said to his disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive any ones’ sins, they are forgiven.”- namely, by the authority [1] of the divine Spirit you receive, who has divine power to remit sins.

ΡΗΔ'. - ΩΡΙΩΝΙ ΜΟΝΑΧΟ. Περὶ τῆς παραβολῆς τῶν ζιζανίων. Πόθεν, ἔφης, οἱ πονηροὶ λογισμοὶ ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ``` ΤΛΕ΄. – ΕΥΤΟΝΙΟ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΩ. Τὸν βουληθέντα εὐεργετῆσαι, μὴ δυνηθέντα δὲ βοηθῆσαι, μὴ ἐκ τῆς ἐκβάσεως μέμφου, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τῆς προθέσεως τίμα· ὅτι [καὶ] τῇ φύσει κεκίνηται, ἃ ἐχρῆν διαπράξασθαι, εἰ καὶ τῇ δυνάμει ἐνάρκησε, μὴ ἰσχύσας ἐργάσασθαι. ΥΖ. - ΚΥΡΙΛΛΩ. Εἰς τὸ, « Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομούν τες. · Ὃν τρόπον δύο σύνδεσμος τοίχων γωνιαῖός τις εὑρίσκεται λίθος, πρὸς ἀδιαίρετον ἕνωσιν, ἐκατέρους D'συνδέων· οὕτω τοὺς δύο τῆς οἰκουμένης λαοὺς (81) ἡ τοῦ Δεσπότου ἡμῶν ἔνσαρκος οἰκονομία συνάψασα καὶ εἰς ἐν σῶμα, καὶ [ἓν] πνεῦμα συναρμολογή ---CONTINUES--- Α ταῦτα (97) καὶ ἀληθῆ εἶναι ἡγούμεθα (98)· τῶν δὲ δυσκόλων ῥᾳδίως ἀποκρουόμεθα τὴν μνήμην, τῷ μὴ βούλεσθαι γενέσθαι, τὸ πλέον νέμοντες· διὰ τοῦτο τῶν δοκούντων χρηστῶν ἀπολαύειν ἐλπίζοντες, τὰ δυσχερή διαδιδράσκειν οἰόμεθα· καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν εὐπραγία παραμυθῆται τῶν σκυθρωπῶν τὴν ἀπει- λήν. Ἡ γὰρ ῥαθυμία τῇ ἀνέσει [νευρουμένη] ἀμνη- μονεῖν πως καὶ τῆς φύσεως παρασκευάζει, καὶ ἔξω τῶν ὅρων αὐτῆς ἀκοντίζει. Εἰ δὲ τις τὴν ῥαθυμίαν σβέσειεν, εὐθὺς βλαστάνοντας ὄψεται τοὺς ὀρθούς λογισμοὺς, τοὺς καὶ τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν κρίσιν βε- βαιοῦντας. ---LETTER [missing number]--- ΡΗ. - ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟ. Εἰς τὸ εἰρημένον, « Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως. » Ὁ θειότατος, ὦ σοφὲ, τοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγος καὶ τὸ θεῖον ἑαυτοῦ κήρυγμα βασιλείαν καλεῖ, ὡς ὠδῖνον τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν. «Ὁμοία γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὁ μικρό- τερον μέν ἐστι πάντων τῶν σπερμάτων· ὅταν δὲ αὐξηθῇ, μεῖζον τῶν λαχάνων γινέται.» Ὁ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ὅτι ᾿Απὸ μικροῦ (εὐτελεῖς γὰρ αἱ λέξεις) τοσοῦτον αὐξηθήσεται, ὡς πᾶσαν Έλληνε κὴν ἀποκρύψαι σοφίαν. Οπερ οὖν καὶ ἐγένετο. Αττικίζουσα γὰρ ἡ πλάνη, καὶ δεινῶς συλλογίζο μένη, ἀγροικιζομένῃ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ παρεχώρησεν. ---LETTER [missing number]--- ΡΑΘ. – ΕΡΜΟΓΕΝΕΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟ. Εἰκότως μὲν ἀγανακτεῖς, μισοπονηρίας τέμενος ! & ἐπειδήπερ ὁ κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν, ὡς φῆς, τῆς ἀσει βείας Εὐσέβειον ἑαυτὸν καλέσας (οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο (99) εἶχεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦνομα) φαυλόν τι καὶ πεπα- τημένον πρᾶγμα τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἠγησάμενος, καὶ τοῖς τὰ αὐτὰ αὐτῷ δρῶσι, ταύτην νέμειν τολμᾷ, τοὺς μὲν πάσης τιμῆς ἀξίους ἐξοστρακίζων, τοὺς δὲ μηδ᾽ ἐν λαϊκοῦ τάξει τελεῖν δικαίους, εἰς τὸ σεπτὸν θυσιαστήριον ἀνάγων (1), διπλῆ τοῦτο, τόγε εἰς αὐ- τὸν ἥκον, καθυβρίζων, τῷ τε τοὺς ἀξίους ἀπείργειν, τῷ τε τοὺς ἀναξίους ἐγκρίνειν. ᾿Αλλ' ίσθι, ὅτι οὐκ οἴσει ταῦτα εἰς τέλος ὁ πανεπόπτης ὀφθαλμός, ὁ νῦν μὲν δι' ἀγαθότητα μακροθυμῶν, ὕστερον δὲ σφόδρα ταύτας (2) αὐτὸν ἀπαιτήσων δίκας. ``` ΘΕΟΔΩΡΩ Μόνον βλαβερὸν τὸ μὴ τοὺς πονηροὺς τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ΛΓ.-ΤΟ ΑΥΤΟ. Τὸ ἀγαθὸν Θεὸν μὲν ἔχει κατὰ φύσιν, οὐκ ἀβού- λητον, ἀλλὰ προαιρετικὴν, οὐδὲ βιαίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἑκού- σιον. Ἡμεῖς δὲ κατὰ ἄσκησιν καὶ προκοπὴν ἀναλαμ- βάνομεν. Οὐκ ἀναφαίρετον ἔχοντες τοῦτο, ὥσπερ ή θεία φύσις· ἀλλὰ μεταπίπτον, εἰ ραστώνης ἔρως ἀχορεύτως χορεύσειεν. ΡΞΔ΄. – ΘΕΟΔΩΡΩ ΚΟΜΙΤΙ Τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχεσθαι ἀεὶ καὶ ἐν παντί.