2

dangers. If you want to combine and arrange, you are able to do this better in the spiritual spectacle. Yoke your pious thoughts against the devil’s horses that are mad for females; array long-suffering against the strong. For, he says, a long-suffering man is better than a strong one; against Judaism, Christianity; against Hellenism, piety; against fornication, moderation; against greed, almsgiving; against falsehood, truth; against anger, gentleness and forbearance. Again, against sharp things yoke submissive things, that is, against anger and grief, meekness (For a meek man, he says, is a physician of the heart); against sharp things, meekness; against enmity, friendship; against hatred, love; against affliction, thanksgiving; against pride, humility; against wickedness, goodness; and once for all against every contrary thing, hold the orthodox and saving faith.

But you, as charioteer, must also have the self-control of the spirit, so that you do not fall into nausea and become despondent. For he who strives, he says, is temperate in all things; they indeed, that they might receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. Take also the helmet of salvation, and the whip in your hand, which our Lord Jesus made from a cord, and drove from the 59.570 temple the merchants of the devil. Stand firmly upon the chosen vessel; mount the chariot of the eunuch, O Philip, of him who is freed from all impurity; mount the chariot; gaze without distraction upon the starter who serves at the reading of the Gospel. Let no one think I speak in jest; I do not lie. For just as in the hippodrome the eyes of all are fixed upon the starter, when the signal has been set, gazing, awaiting in his will the opening; no less also do we, who are gathered for the ecclesiastical spectacle, when the deacon is about to open the four-doored Gospel, all gaze upon him providing silence, and when he begins the course of the reading, we immediately rise up, crying out: But glory to you, O Lord. Mount the chariot, hunt, run away, subdue, cast out, turn away, seize, and make from your mouth the good confession, run against the adversary; For he who walks simply, walks confidently. Subdue him as David subdued Goliath, cast him out as Elisha did Gehazi, seize him as Elijah did Ahab in the vineyard of Naboth, turn him away into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth; pay attention to yourself.

For pay attention, he says, to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing and drunkenness. Bear all things; For, he says, bear one another's burdens. On the upward path, be on your guard, Lest you strike your foot against a stone; do not turn to the things behind, remembering Lot's wife. Keep to the middle way of righteousness, do not turn to the right, nor to the left. Seek from within the paradise, seek from within. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, thefts, false witness, slander, blasphemies, the things that defile a man. Do not go up with him, as neither did God with Israel, because he is stiff-necked; do not go up with him; he calls you to sin. He himself will bend you. And get before him, saying to him: Get behind me, Satan, for you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men. Remain outside, like Elijah fleeing Jezebel; press on toward the prize of the upward call. Let him not overtake you, as Absalom's servants did not overtake those with Jonathan and Ahimaaz, the priests of the Lord, as they were fleeing; let him not seize you, as the servants of the king of Jericho did not seize the spies; but if possible, deceive him as Rahab the harlot deceived those who were searching. Let him not subjugate you, as Pharaoh did not subjugate those with Moses and Aaron; but go around him, as the Magi went around Herod. Do not be distressed; for you have God as your commander, and Christ as your physician. Be not terrified at all; for you have

2

κινδυνεύματα. Εἰ βούλει κομβινεύειν καὶ διατάσσεσθαι, δύνασαι τοῦτο ποιεῖν μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ θεωρήματι πνευματικῷ. Ζεῦξον κατὰ τῶν θηλυμανῶν ἵππων τοῦ διαβόλου τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς σου λογισμούς· ἀντιδιάταξαι κατ' ἰσχυρῶν μακροθυμίαν. Κρεῖττον γὰρ, φησὶ, μακρόθυμος ἰσχυροῦ· κατὰ ἰουδαϊσμοῦ χριστιανισμὸν, καθ' ἑλληνισμοῦ θεοσέβειαν, κατὰ πορνείας σωφροσύνην, κατὰ πλεονεξίας ἐλεημοσύνην, κατὰ ψεύδους ἀλήθειαν, κατ' ὀργῆς πραότητα καὶ ἐπιείκειαν. Πάλιν κατ' ὀξέων ζεῦξον καθυποτακτὰς, τουτέστι, κατὰ θυμοῦ καὶ λύπης πραϋθυμίαν ( Πραΰθυμος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀνὴρ, καρδίας ἰατρός)· κατ' ὀξέων πραϋθυμίαν, κατ' ἔχθρας φιλίαν, κατὰ μίσους ἀγάπην, κατὰ θλίψεως εὐχαριστίαν, καθ' ὑπερηφανίας ταπεινοφροσύνην, κατὰ πονηρίας ἀγαθωσύνην, καὶ κατὰ παντὸς ἅπαξ ἐναντίου πράγματος τὴν ὀρθόδοξον καὶ σωτήριον πίστιν ἔχε.

∆εῖ δέ σε ἡνιοχοῦντα καὶ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἔχειν ἐγκράτειαν, ἵνα μὴ ναυσιασμῷ περιπεσὼν ἀκηδιάσῃς. Ὁ γὰρ ἀγωνιζόμενος, φησὶ, παντὸς ἐγκρατεύεται· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἵνα φθαρτὸν στέφανον λάβωσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄφθαρτον. Λάβε καὶ τὴν κασσίδα τοῦ σωτηρίου, καὶ τὸ φραγέλλιον ἐν τῇ χειρί σου, ὃ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ποιήσας ἐκ σχοινίου, ἤλαυνεν ἀπὸ τοῦ 59.570 ἱεροῦ τοὺς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐμπόρους. Στῆκε ἑδραίως ἐπὶ τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς· ἀνάβηθι ἐπὶ τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ εὐνούχου, ὦ Φίλιππε, τοῦ ἀπηλλαγμένου τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας πάσης· ἀνάβηθι ἐπὶ τὸ ἅρμα· ἀμετεωρίστως ἀτένιζε τὸν τῷ ἀναγνώσματι τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου διακονοῦντα μαμπάριον. Μήτις με δόξῃ γελοιάζοντα λέγειν· οὐ ψεύδομαι. Ὡς γὰρ ἐν τῷ ἱπποδρομίῳ πάντων οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐπὶ τὸν μαμπάριον, πεπηγότος τοῦ σημάντρου, ἀτενίζουσιν. ἐκδεχομένων ἐν τῇ βουλῇ ἐκείνου τὸ ἄνοιγμα· οὐδὲν ἧττον καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν θεωρίαν εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ ἀθροιζόμενοι, τοῦ διακόνου ἀνοίγειν μέλλοντος τὸ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τετράθυρον, πάντες αὐτῷ ἀτενίζομεν ἡσυχίαν παρέχοντες, καὶ ἡνίκα τοῦ δρόμου τῆς ἀναγνώσεως ἄρξηται, εὐθέως διανιστάμεθα ἡμεῖς, ἐπιφωνοῦντες· Ἀλλὰ δόξα σοι, Κύριε. Ἀνάβηθι ἐπὶ τὸ ἅρμα, θήρευσον, ἀποδρόμησον, κατάστειλον, ἔκβαλε, ἀπόστρεψον, πίασον, καὶ ποίησον ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν, ἀποδρόμησον κατὰ τοῦ ἐναντίου· Ὁ γὰρ πορευόμενος ἁπλῶς, πορεύεται πεποιθώς. Κατάστειλον αὐτὸν ὡς ὁ ∆αυῒδ τὸν Γολιὰθ, ἔκβαλλε αὐτὸν ὡς ὁ Ἑλισσαῖος τὸν Γιεζὶ, πίασον αὐτὸν ὡς ὁ Ἡλίας τὸν Ἀχαὰβ ἐν τῷ ἀμπελῶνι τοῦ Ναβουθαὶ, ἀπόστρεψον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον, ὅπου ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων· πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ.

Προσέχετε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑαυτοῖς, μήποτε βαρυνθῶσιν ὑμῶν αἱ καρδίαι ἐν κραιπάλῃ καὶ μέθῃ. Πάντα βάστασον· Ἀλλήλων γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ βάρη βαστάζετε. Ἄνοδα ἔχων φυλάττου, Μή ποτε προσκόψῃς πρὸς λίθον τὸν πόδα σου· μὴ ἀποστρεφόμενος εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, μνημονεύων τῆς γυναικὸς Λώτ. Μέσον ἔχε ὁδὸν δικαιοσύνης, μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ, μηδ' εἰς ἀριστερά. Ἔσωθεν ζήτει ἐκ τοῦ παραδείσου, ἔσωθεν ζήτει. Ἐκ γὰρ τῆς καρδίας ἐξέρχονται διαλογισμοὶ πονηροὶ, φόνοι, μοιχεῖαι, κλοπαὶ, ψευδομαρτυρίαι, καταλαλιαὶ, βλασφημίαι, τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Μὴ συναναβῇς αὐτῷ, ὡς οὐδὲ ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι σκληροτράχηλός ἐστι· μὴ συναναβῇς αὐτῷ· εἰς ἁμαρτίαν σε καλεῖ. Αὐτός σε κάμψει. Καὶ γενοῦ πρὸ αὐτοῦ, λέγων αὐτῷ· Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἔξω μεῖνον, ὡς Ἠλίας φεύγων τὴν Ἰεζαβέλ· σπεῦδε εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως. Μή σε καταλάβῃ, ὡς οὐδὲ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ παῖδες τοὺς περὶ Ἰωναθὰν, καὶ Ἀχιμαὰς τοὺς ἱερεῖς τοῦ Κυρίου φεύγοντας· μή σε πιάσει, ὡς οὐδὲ βασιλέως Ἱεριχὼ παῖδες τοὺς κατασκόπους· ἀλλ' εἰ δυνατὸν, ἀπάτησον αὐτὸν ὡς Ῥαὰβ τοὺς ἐρευνῶντας ἡ πόρνη. Μή σε καθυποτάξῃ, ὡς οὐδὲ Φαραὼ τοὺς περὶ Μωϋσέα καὶ Ἀαρών· ἀλλὰ περίκαμψον αὐτὸν, ὡς οἱ μάγοι Ἡρώδην. Μὴ ἀγωνιάσῃς· ἔχεις γὰρ τὸν διατάκτην Θεὸν, καὶ ἰατρὸν τὸν Χριστόν. Μηδὲν πτοηθῇς· ἔχεις γὰρ