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31.629 his own, and his wife, and children, and even his own soul, cannot be my disciple

. Do you think the Gospels were established for married men also? Behold, it has been made clear to you that all people will be required to give obedience to the Gospel, both monks and those in marriage. For to the one who comes to marriage, the pardon for incontinence and for desire and intercourse with the female will suffice; but the rest of the commandments, legislated equally for all, are not without danger for those who transgress them. For when Christ proclaimed the Father's commandments, he was speaking to those in the world; and if it happened that he was asked privately and answered his own disciples, he testified, saying: What I say to you, I say to all. Therefore, do not fall away, O you who have chosen the fellowship of a wife, as if you had authority to embrace the world. For you need more labors and watchfulness for the attainment of salvation; since you have chosen to live in the midst of the snares and the power of the apostate forces, and you have the provocations of sins before your eyes, and all your senses are being forced open night and day to the desire for them.

Know, therefore, that you will not escape the wrestling match with the apostate, nor will you lay hold of victory over him without many labors in keeping the evangelical doctrines. For how will you be able to refuse the battle against the enemy, while living in the arena of the fight? Which is all the earth under heaven, where we are taught by the writing of Job that he goes about and walks about, like a raging dog, seeking whom he may devour. If, therefore, you refuse the battle against the adversary, go away to another world, in which he is not; and you will have the refusal of the struggle against him, and a safe inactivity from the evangelical doctrines. But if this is impossible, hasten to the learning of the ascetic struggle against him, being taught the art of wrestling by the Scriptures; so that you may not, being defeated by him through ignorance, be delivered to the eternal fire. Let these things, however, be said in passing to those in marriage who carelessly neglect the keeping of Christ's commandments. But you, O lover of the heavenly ways of life, and pursuer of the angelic life, and desiring to become a fellow-soldier of the holy disciples of Christ, strengthen yourself for the endurance of the 31.632 afflictions, and bravely approach the assembly of the monks; and at the beginning of your renunciation, be courageous, not to be dragged down by the attachment to your relatives according to the flesh, being strengthened by the exchange of mortal things for immortal; and when you make the disposal of your possessions, be unbending, being fully assured that you are sending them ahead to heaven, hiding them in the bosoms of the poor, and finding them with God with a great increase.

And being torn away from friends and companions, do not become distressed, being joined to Christ who was crucified for you; than whom what should be considered more friendly by us? And when, by the cooperation of God, you win this first round against your enemy, do not cast yourself away like some worthless vessel. For already by the renunciation of earthly things you have honored yourself in the sight of Christ; but with much care and forethought, make it your business to find a man, an unerring guide for your way of life, one who knows well how to guide those who are journeying to God, abounding in virtues, having from his own works the testimony of his love for God, having a knowledge of the divine Scriptures; undistracted, not a lover of money, not meddlesome, quiet, a lover of God, a lover of the poor, not given to anger, not resentful, great in the edification of those who approach him, not vainglorious, not proud, not a flatterer, unswerving, preferring nothing to God. And if

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31.629 αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ τὰ τέκνα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθητής

. Ἆρά σοι δοκεῖ καὶ τοῖς ὑπογυναίοις τεθεῖσθαι τὰ Εὐαγγέλια; Ἰδοὺ, σεσαφήνισταί σοι, ὡς πάντες ἄνθρωποι ἀπαιτηθησόμεθα τὴν πρὸς τὸ Εὐ αγγέλιον ὑπακοὴν, μοναχοί τε καὶ οἱ ἐν συζυγίαις. Ἀρκέσει γὰρ τῷ ἐπὶ γάμον ἐλθόντι ἡ συγγνώμη τῆς ἀκρασίας καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸ θῆλυ ἐπιθυμίας τε καὶ συνουσίας· τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν πᾶσιν ὁμοίως νενομοθετημένα οὐκ ἀκίνδυνα τοῖς παραβαί νουσι. Καὶ γὰρ εὐαγγελιζόμενος ὁ Χριστὸς τὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐντάλματα, τοῖς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ διελέγετο· εἰ δέ που συνέβη καὶ κατ' ἰδίαν ἐπερωτηθέντα αὐτὸν ἀποκρίνασθαι τοῖς αὑτοῦ μαθηταῖς, διεμαρτύ ρατο λέγων· Ἃ δὲ ὑμῖν λέγω, πᾶσι λέγω. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀναπέσῃς, ὦ οὗτος, ὁ πρὸς κοινωνίαν γυναικὸς προῃρημένος, ὡς ἐπ' ἐξουσίας ἔχων τὸν κόσμον περι βαλέσθαι. Πλειόνων γάρ σοι πόνων καὶ φυλακῆς χρεία πρὸς τὴν τῆς σωτηρίας ἐπιτυχίαν· ἅτε δὴ καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν παγίδων καὶ τοῦ κράτους τῶν ἀποστατι κῶν δυνάμεων οἰκεῖν ἐκλεξαμένῳ, καὶ τοὺς ἐρεθι σμοὺς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐν ὄψεσιν ἔχοντι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν αὐτῶν ἐπιθυμίαν νύκτωρ τε καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἐκμο χλευομένῳ πάσας σου τὰς αἰσθήσεις.

Γίνωσκε τοίνυν, ὡς οὐ διαδράσεις τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἀποστάτην παλαίστραν, οὐδὲ τῆς τούτου νίκης καθάψῃ ἄνευ πόνων πολλῶν τῶν ἐπὶ φυλακῇ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν δογμάτων. Πῶς γὰρ δυνήσῃ ἀρνήσασθαι τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἐχθρὸν μάχην, ἐν τῷ σκάμματι τῆς μάχης δι άγων; Ὅπερ ἐστὶ πᾶσα ἡ ὑπ' οὐρανὸν γῆ, ἐν ᾗ ἐμπε ριάγειν τοῦτον καὶ ἐμπεριπατεῖν, ὡς κύνα λυττῶντα, ζητοῦντα τίνα καταπίῃ, ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Ἰὼβ γρα φῆς διδασκόμεθα. Εἰ τοίνυν ἀρνῇ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν μάχην, μέτελθε εἰς ἕτερον κόσμον, ἐν ᾧ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔστι· καὶ ὑπάρξει σοι ἡ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν πάλης ἄρνησις, καὶ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν δογμά των ἀκίνδυνος ἀργία. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀδύνατον, σπεῦδε πρὸς τὴν μάθησιν τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀθλήσεως, διδασκό μενος ὑπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν παλαισμάτων τέχνην· ἵνα μὴ, ἐξ ἀγνοίας ἡττηθεὶς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ παραδοθῇς. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὅμως ἐν παραδρο μῇ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν συζυγίαις ἀκινδύνως τῆς τῶν ἐντο λῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ φυλακῆς καταμελοῦντας εἰρήσθω. Σὺ δὲ, ὁ τῶν οὐρανίων πολιτευμάτων ἐραστὴς, καὶ τῆς ἀγγελικῆς διαγωγῆς πραγματευτὴς, καὶ τῶν ἁγίων μαθητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ συστρατιώτης γενέσθαι ἐπιθυμῶν, τόνωσον σεαυτὸν πρὸς τὴν ὑπομονὴν τῶν 31.632 θλίψεων, καὶ ἀνδρείως πρόσελθε τῇ συγκλήτῳ τῶν μοναχῶν· καὶ ἐν μὲν τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς ἀποταγῆς σου ἀνδρίζου, μὴ καθελκυσθῆναι ὑπὸ τῆς προσπαθείας τῶν κατὰ σάρκα συγγενῶν, τῇ ἀνταλλαγῇ τῶν θνητῶν πρὸς τὰ ἀθάνατα ἐνισχυόμενος· ἡνίκα δὲ τῶν προσόντων σοι πραγμάτων ποιῇ τὴν ἀπόθεσιν, ἔσο ἀκαμπὴς, προπέμπειν αὐτὰ εἰς οὐρανοὺς πληροφο ρούμενος, τοῖς μὲν κόλποις τῶν πτωχῶν ἐναποκρύ πτων αὐτὰ, παρὰ δὲ Θεῷ εὑρίσκων σὺν πολλῇ τῇ προσθήκῃ.

Φίλων δὲ καὶ συνήθων διασπώμενος, μὴ γενοῦ περιθλιβὴς, Χριστῷ συναπτόμενος τῷ ὑπὲρ σοῦ σταυρωθέντι· οὗ τί ἂν λογιστέον ἡμῖν φι λικώτερον; Ἡνίκα δὲ συνεργίᾳ Θεοῦ τὴν πρώτην ταύτην πυγμὴν νικήσῃς τὸν σὸν ἐχθρὸν, μὴ ῥίψῃς σεαυτὸν ὥσπερ τι τῶν ἀτίμων σκευῶν. Ἤδη γὰρ τῇ ἀποταγῇ τῶν γηίνων πραγμάτων τετίμηκας σεαυτὸν παρὰ Χριστῷ· ἀλλ' ἐν πολλῇ φροντίδι καὶ περινοίᾳ ποίησαι εὑρεῖν ἄνδρα πρόοδον τῆς σῆς πολιτείας ἀπλανῆ, καλῶς ἐπιστάμενον ὁδηγεῖν τοὺς πρὸς Θεὸν πορευομένους, κομῶντα ταῖς ἀρεταῖς, ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων ἔργων τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἔχοντα τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγάπης, γνῶσιν ἔχοντα τῶν θείων Γραφῶν· ἀπερίσπαστον, ἀφιλάργυρον, ἀπράγμονα, ἡσύχιον, θεοφιλῆ, φιλό πτωχον, ἀόργητον, ἀμνησίκακον, πολὺν εἰς οἰκοδο μὴν τῶν ἐγγιζόντων αὐτῷ, ἀκενόδοξον, ἀνυπερ ήφανον, ἀκολάκευτον, ἀπερίτρεπτον, μηδὲν προτι μῶντα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ εἰ