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In sanctum Barlaam martyrem

ENCOMIUM TO THE HOLY MARTYR BARLAAM

50.675 1. The blessed Barlaam has called us together to this sacred feast and festival, not that we might praise him, but that we might emulate him; not that we might become hearers of his encomia, but that we might become imitators of his achievements. For in the affairs of this life, those who ascend to great offices would never choose to see others as sharers of the same high position; for there envy and malice cut off love; but in spiritual matters it is not so, but entirely the opposite; for then most of all do the martyrs perceive their own honor, when they see their own fellow-servants having arrived at the fellowship of their own good things. So that if anyone wishes to praise martyrs, let him imitate martyrs; if anyone wishes to eulogize the athletes 50.676.30 of piety, let him emulate their labor; this will bring the martyrs a pleasure no less than their own achievements.

And that you may learn that they are most aware of their own good things when they see us in safety, and consider the matter a very great honor, hear Paul saying: Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. And Moses before this said to God: If you will forgive their sin, forgive it; but if not, blot me also out of the book which you have written; I do not feel the honor from above because of their misfortune, he says; for the fullness of the faithful has the coherence of a body; what profit is there then for the head to be crowned, while the feet are being punished? 50.677 And how is it possible, one says, to imitate martyrs now? For it is not a time of persecution. I know it too; it is not a time of persecution, but it is a time for martyrdom; it is not a time for such wrestlings, but it is a time for crowns; men do not persecute, but demons persecute; a tyrant does not pursue us, but the devil pursues us, more harsh than all tyrants; you do not see burning coals set before you, but you see the flame of desire being kindled. They trampled on the burning coals, you trample on the pyre of nature; they fought with their fists against wild beasts, you rein in your anger, that untamed and unruly beast; they stood against unbearable pains, you overcome the unseemly and wicked thoughts that teem in your heart; thus you will imitate the martyrs. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness.

The desire of our nature is a fire, an unquenchable and perpetual fire; it is a raging and mad dog, and though you beat it back ten thousand times, it leaps up ten thousand times, and does not desist; harsh is the flame of burning coals, but this is more terrible, the flame of desire; we never have a truce in this war, we never have an armistice in the present life, but the contest is continuous, so that the crown also may be glorious. For this reason Paul always arms us, since it is always a time of war, since the enemy is always watchful. Do you wish to learn that desire burns no less than fire? Hear Solomon saying, Will a man walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet? so he who goes in to his neighbor's wife, and everyone who touches her, will not be held guiltless. Do you see that the nature of desire rivals the nature of fire? For just as it is impossible for one touching fire not to be burned, so more keenly than fire does the sight of beautiful forms seize upon one who looks intemperately

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In sanctum Barlaam martyrem

ΕΓΚΩΜΙΟΝ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΓΙΟΝ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΑ ΒΑΡΛΑΑΜ

50.675 αʹ. Συνεκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην ἑορτὴν καὶ πανήγυριν ὁ μακάριος Βαρλαὰμ, οὐχ ἵνα αὐτὸν ἐπαινέσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτὸν ζηλώσωμεν· οὐχ ἵνα ἀκροαταὶ γενώμεθα τῶν ἐγκωμίων, ἀλλ' ἵνα μιμηταὶ γενώμεθα τῶν αὐτοῦ κατορθωμάτων. Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων, οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιντό ποτε οἱ πρὸς τὰς μεγάλας ἀναβαίνοντες ἀρχὰς ἑτέρους κοινω νοὺς τῆς αὐτῆς προεδρίας ἰδεῖν· φθόνος γὰρ ἐκεῖ καὶ βασκανία διακόπτουσι τὴν ἀγάπην· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν πνευ ματικῶν οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν· τότε γὰρ μάλιστα τῆς οἰκείας τιμῆς αἴσθησιν λαμβάνουσιν οἱ μάρτυρες, ὅταν τοὺς συνδούλους τοὺς ἑαυτῶν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἰδίων ἀγαθῶν κοινωνίαν φθάσαντας ἴδωσιν. Ὥστε εἴ τις βούλεται ἐπαινεῖν μάρτυρας, μιμείσθω μάρτυρας· εἴ τις βούλεται ἐγκωμιάζειν τοὺς ἀθλητὰς 50.676.30 τῆς εὐσεβείας, ζηλούτω τὸν ἐκείνων πόνον· τοῦτο τοῖς μάρτυσιν οὐκ ἐλάττω τῶν οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων οἴ σει τὴν ἡδονήν.

Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τότε μάλιστα αἰ σθάνονται τῶν οἰκείων ἀγαθῶν, ὅταν ἡμᾶς ἴδωσιν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ὄντας, καὶ μεγίστην τιμὴν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἡγοῦνται, ἄκουσον τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· Νῦν ζῶμεν, ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκητε ἐν Κυρίῳ. Καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς δὲ πρὸ τούτου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἔλεγεν· Εἰ μὲν ἀφῇς αὐ τοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἄφες· εἰ δὲ μὴ, κἀμὲ ἐξάλει ψον ἐκ τῆς βίβλου ἧς ἔγραψας· οὐκ αἰσθάνομαι τῆς ἄνω τιμῆς διὰ τὴν τούτων δυσπραγίαν, φησί· σώμα τος γάρ ἐστιν ἀκολουθία τῶν πιστῶν τὸ πλήρωμα· τί τοίνυν ὄφελος τὴν κεφαλὴν στεφανοῦσθαι, τῶν ποδῶν κολαζομένων; 50.677 Καὶ πῶς δυνατὸν, φησὶ, μιμήσασθαι μάρτυρας νῦν; οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι διωγμοῦ καιρός. Οἶδα κἀγώ· διωγμοῦ μὲν καιρὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ μαρτυρίου καιρός ἐστι· παλαισμάτων τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστι καιρὸς, ἀλλὰ στεφά νων καιρός ἐστι· οὐ διώκουσιν ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλὰ διώ κουσι δαίμονες· οὐκ ἐλαύνει τύραννος, ἀλλ' ἐλαύνει διάβολος, τυράννων πάντων χαλεπώτερος· οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἄνθρακας προκειμένους, ἀλλ' ὁρᾷς φλόγα ἐπιθυμίας ἀναπτομένην. Κατεπάτησαν ἐκεῖνοι τοὺς ἄνθρακας, καταπάτησον σὺ τῆς φύσεως τὴν πυράν· ἐπύκτευσαν ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς θηρία, χαλίνωσον σὺ τὸν θυμὸν, τὸ ἀνήμερον καὶ ἀτίθασσον θηρίον· ἔστησαν ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς ὀδύνας ἀφορήτους, περιγενοῦ σὺ τῶν ἀτόπων καὶ πονηρῶν λογισμῶν τῶν βρυόντων ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· οὕτω μιμήσῃ μάρτυρας. Νῦν γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας.

Πῦρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς φύσεως, πῦρ ἄσβεστον καὶ διηνεκές· κύων ἐστὶ λυττῶν καὶ μεμηνὼς, κἂν μυριάκις αὐτὸν διακρούσῃ, μυριάκις ἐπιπηδᾷ, καὶ οὐκ ἀφίσταται· χαλεπὴ μὲν ἡ τῶν ἀνθράκων φλὸξ, ἀλλ' αὕτη δεινοτέρα, ἡ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας· οὐδέποτε ἔχομεν ἐκεχειρίαν τοῦ πολέμου τούτου, οὐδέποτε ἔχομεν ἀνακωχὴν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον, ἀλλὰ διηνεκὴς ὁ ἀγὼν, ἵνα καὶ λαμπρὸς ὁ στέ φανος γένηται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ἀεὶ Παῦλος καθοπλί ζει, ἐπειδὴ ἀεὶ πολέμου καιρὸς, ἐπειδὴ ἀεὶ γρηγορεῖ ὁ ἐχθρός. Βούλει μαθεῖν, ὅτι πυρὸς οὐκ ἔλαττον ἡ ἐπιθυμία καίει; Ἄκουσον τοῦ Σολομῶντος λέγοντος, Περιπατήσει τις ἐπ' ἀνθράκων πυρὸς, τοὺς δὲ πόδας οὐ κατακαύσει; οὕτως ὁ εἰσερχόμενος εἰς τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἁπτό μενος αὐτῆς, οὐκ ἀθωωθήσεται. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι φύσις ἐπιθυμίας ἁμιλλᾶται φύσει πυρός; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀδύ νατον πυρὸς ἁπτόμενον μὴ δέξασθαι ἐμπρησμὸν, οὕ τω πυρὸς ὀξύτερον τῶν εὐμόρφων ὄψεων ἡ θεωρία τῆς ἀκολάστως βλεπούσης ἐπιλαμβάνεται