§14Ἡ νηστεία ἀποχὴ τροφῆς ἐστι κατὰ τὸ σημαινόμενον, τροφὴ δὲ οὐδὲν δικαιοτέρους ἡμᾶς ἢ ἀδικωτέρους ἀπεργάζεται, κατὰ δὲ τὸ μυστικὸν δηλοῖ ὅτι ὥσπερ τοῖς καθ᾿ ἕνα ἐκ τροφῆς ἡ ζωή, ἡ δ᾿ ἀτροφία θανάτου σύμβολον, οὕτως καὶ ἡμᾶς τῶν κοσμικῶν νηστεύειν χρή. ἵνα τῷ κόσμῳ ἀποθάνωμεν καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τροφῆς θείας μεταλαβόντες θεῷ ζήσωμεν.
Fasting is abstinence from food according to the literal meaning, but food makes us neither more righteous nor more unrighteous; but according to the mystical meaning, it indicates that, just as for individuals life comes from food, and lack of food is a symbol of death, so we too must fast from worldly things, so that we may die to the world and, after this, partaking of divine food, live to God.
ἄλλως τε κενοῖ τῆς ὕλης τὴν ψυχὴν ἡ νηστεία καὶ καθαρὰν καὶ κούφην σὺν καὶ τῷ σώματι παρίστησι τοῖς θείοις λόγοις.
Moreover, fasting empties the soul of matter, and presents it, clean and light along with the body, to the divine words.
τροφὴ μὲν οὖν κοσμικὴ ὁ πρότερος βίος καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. τροφὴ δὲ θεϊκὴ πίστις. ἐλπίς, ὑπομονή, γνῶσις, εἰρήνη. σωφροσύνη.
Therefore, worldly food is the former life and sins; but divine food is faith, hope, patience, knowledge, peace, temperance.
»μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην τοῦ θεοῦ· οὗτοι γὰρ καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται. « ψυχὴ δέ. ἀλλ᾿ οὐ σῶμα τὴν ὄρεξιν ταύτην λαμβάνει.
"For blessed are those who hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God, for they shall be filled." But it is the soul, and not the body, that receives this appetite.
§15Τῆς πίστεως τὴν εὐχὴν ἰσχυροτέραν ἀπέφηνεν ὁ σωτὴρ τοῖς πιστοῖς ἀποστόλοις, ἐπί τινος δαιμονιῶντος, ὃν οὐκ ἴσχυσαν καθαρίσαι, εἰπών· »τὰ τοιαῦτα εὐχῇ κατορθοῦται. « ὁ μὲν πιστεύσας ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων ἔλαβεν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου, ὁ δ᾿ ἐν γνώσει γενόμενος ἅτε μηκέτι ἁμαρτάνων παρ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν λοιπῶν κομίζεται.
The Savior showed to the believing apostles that prayer is more powerful than faith, in the case of a certain demoniac whom they were not able to cleanse, saying: "Such things are accomplished by prayer." Indeed, he who has believed has received forgiveness of sins from the Lord; but he who has come to be in knowledge, since he no longer sins, obtains the forgiveness of the remaining things from himself.
§16Ὥσπερ αἱ θεραπεῖαι καὶ αἱ προφητεῖαι καὶ τὰ σημεῖα, οὕτως καὶ ἡ γνωστικὴ διδασκαλία δι᾿ ἀνθρώπων ἐνεργοῦντος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιτελεῖται· ὁ γὰρ θεὸς δι᾿ ἀνθρώπων τὴν δύναμιν ἐπιδείκνυται.
Just as healings, prophecies, and signs, so also the gnostic teaching is accomplished through humans, with God working; for God displays His power through humans.
καὶ ὀρθῶς ἡ προφητεία φησίν· »καὶ ἀποστελῶ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἄνθρωπον ὃς σώσει αὐτούς. « αὐτὸς οὖν ἐκπέμπει ποτὲ μὲν προφήτας. ποτὲ δὲ ἀποστόλους, σωτῆρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
And rightly the prophecy says: "And I will send to them a man who will save them." He himself therefore sends out sometimes prophets, and sometimes apostles, as saviors of humans.
οὕτως θεὸς δι᾿ ἀνθρώπων εὐεργετεῖ· οὐχὶ γὰρ τὰ μὲν δύναται, τὰ δὲ οὐ δύναται ὁ θεός, οὐδὲ ἀσθενεῖ ποτε ἐν οὐδενί, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδὲ τὰ μὲν ἑκόντος, τὰ δὲ ἄκοντος αὐτοῦ γίνεται, καὶ τὰ μὲν ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ ὑφ᾿ ἑτέρου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐγέννησεν δι᾿ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐπαίδευσεν δι᾿ ἀνθρώπων.
Thus God benefits through humans; for it is not that God can do some things and cannot do others, nor does He ever become weak in anything; but neither do some things happen by His will and others against His will, nor some by Him and others by another; but He both begot us through humans and educated us through humans.
§17Ὁ θεὸς ἡμᾶς ἐποίησεν οὐ προόντας.
God made us when we did not exist beforehand.
ἐχρῆν γὰρ καὶ εἰδέναι ἡμᾶς ὅπου ἦμεν, εἰ προῆμεν, καὶ πῶς καὶ διὰ τί δεῦρο ἥκομεν· εἰ δ᾿ οὐ προῆμεν, τῆς γενέσεως μόνος αἴτιος ὁ θεός.
For we ought also to know where we were, if we existed beforehand, and how and why we came here; but if we did not exist beforehand, God is the sole cause of our coming into being.
ὡς οὖν οὐκ ὄντας ἐποίησεν, οὕτως καὶ γενομένους σῴζει τῇ ἰδίᾳ χάριτι, ἐὰν ἄξιοι καὶ ἐπιτήδειοι φανῶμεν, εἰ δὲ μή, παρήσει πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον τέλος· »καὶ γὰρ ζώντων ἐστὶ καὶ νεκρῶν κύριος. « §18Ὅρα δὲ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐ μόνον ἐπ᾿ ἀνθρώπων μὴ ὄντας εἰς τὸ εἶναι παράγων καὶ τοὺς γενομένους αὔξων καθ᾿ ἡλικίας προκοπήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πιστεύοντας σῴζων κατὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἑκάστῳ· ἤδη δὲ μεταβάλλει καὶ ὥρας καὶ καιροὺς καὶ καρποὺς καὶ στοιχεῖα.
Therefore, as He made us when we were not, so also He saves those who have come into being by His own grace, if we show ourselves worthy and suitable; but if not, He will let them go to their proper end; "for He is Lord of both the living and the dead." See the power of God, not only in the case of humans, bringing those who were not into being, and growing those who have come into being according to the progress of age, but also saving those who believe according to what is proper to each; and already He also changes seasons and times and fruits and elements.
οὗτος γὰρ εἷς θεὸς ὁ καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὸ τέλος τῶν γενομένων οἰκείως ἑκάστῳ μετρήσας.
For this is the one God who measured both the beginning and the end of things that have come into being, properly for each.
§19Ἐκ πίστεως καὶ φόβου προκόψας εἰς γνῶσιν ἄνθρωπος οἶδεν εἰπεῖν »κύριε κύριε«. ἀλλ᾿ οὐχ ὡς ὁ δοῦλος· ἔμαθεν λέγειν »πάτερ ἡμῶν«. »τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς δουλείας τὸ εἰς φόβον« ἐλευθερώσας καὶ δι᾿ ἀγάπης προκόψας εἰς »υἱοθεσίαν«, αἰδούμενος ἤδη δι᾿ ἀγάπην ὃν ἐφοβεῖτο πρότερον· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι διὰ φόβον ἀπέχεται τῶν ἀφεκτέων, ἀλλὰ δι᾿ ἀγάπην ἔχεται τῶν ἐντολῶν.
A human who has progressed from faith and fear into knowledge knows how to say "Lord, Lord," but not as a slave; he has learned to say "Our Father," having freed "the spirit of slavery that leads to fear" and having progressed through love into "adoption," reverencing now through love Him whom he previously feared; for no longer because of fear does he abstain from things to be avoided, but because of love he clings to the commandments.
»αὐτό«, φησί, »τὸ πνεῦμα μαρτυρεῖ«, ὅταν λέγωμεν· »ἀββᾶ ὁ πατήρ. « §20Ἀγοράζει δὲ ἡμᾶς κύριος »τιμίῳ αἵματι«, δεσποτῶν τῶν πάλαι τῶν πικρῶν ἀπαλλάσσων, τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, δι᾿ ἃς »τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας« ἐκυρίευσεν ἡμῶν.
"The Spirit Himself," he says, "bears witness," when we say: "Abba, Father." And the Lord redeems us with "precious blood," delivering us from our former bitter masters, namely sins, because of which "the spiritual forces of evil" ruled over us.
ἄγει οὖν εἰς ἐλευθερίαν τὴν τοῦ πατρός, συγκληρονόμους υἱοὺς καὶ φίλους.
Therefore He leads us into the freedom of the Father, as co-heirs, sons, and friends.
»ἀδελφοί μου γάρ«, φησὶν ὁ κύριος, »καὶ συγκληρονόμοι οἱ ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου. « »μὴ καλέσητε οὖν ἑαυτοῖς πατέρα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· « δεσπόται γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐν δὲ οὐρανοῖς ὁ πατήρ, »ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἔν τε οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. « ἀγάπη γὰρ ἑκουσίων ἄρχει, ἀκόντων δὲ ὁ φόβος, οὗτος ὁ
φαῦλος
· ὃ δὲ εἰς ἀγαθὸν παιδαγωγῶν εἰς Χριστὸν ἄγει καὶ ἔστι σωτήριος.
"For My brothers," says the Lord, "and co-heirs are those who do the will of My Father." "Therefore, do not call anyone on earth your father;" for there are masters on earth, but in heaven is the Father, "from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named." For love rules over the willing, but fear over the unwilling—this latter being the worthless kind; but that which disciplines towards the good leads to Christ and is saving.