3

of men, which is most apt to relax the soul's tension. For the mind, when not scattered upon things outside, nor diffused over the world by the senses, returns to itself, and through itself ascends to the thought of God; and illuminated and enlightened by that beauty, it forgets even its own nature, not dragging down the soul to the care of food, nor to the anxiety for clothing, but, having leisure from earthly cares, it transfers all its zeal to the acquisition of eternal goods; how temperance and courage might be perfected in him, and how justice and prudence and the other virtues, as many as are subdivisions of these general ones, properly suggest to the virtuous man to perform each of his duties in life. 2.3 But the greatest path to the discovery of one's duty is the study of the divinely-inspired Scriptures. For in them are found both the precepts for actions and the lives of the blessed men, recorded and handed down, like living icons of the life according to God, set forth for the imitation of good works. And so, whatever a man feels himself to be lacking, by devoting himself to that, as from a kind of common dispensary, he finds the suitable medicine for his sickness. The lover of temperance, for example, continually studies the story of Joseph and from him learns temperate actions, finding him not only continent towards pleasures, but also habitually disposed towards virtue. But he learns courage from Job, who not only, when his life changed to the opposite—becoming poor from rich and childless from having beautiful children in the twinkling of an eye—remained the same, preserving the spirit of his soul everywhere unhumbled, but also was not provoked when his friends, coming to console him, assailed him and intensified his pains. Again, one who considers how he might be at the same time meek and great-souled, so as to use his anger against sin but his meekness towards men, will find David to be noble in his brave deeds in war, but meek and unmoved in his requitals to his enemies. Such also was Moses, rising up with great anger against those sinning against God, but with a meek soul bearing the slanders against himself. And everywhere, just as painters, when they paint an image from an image, frequently look at the model and strive to transfer its character to their own work of art, so too must he who has resolved to make himself perfect in all the parts of virtue look to the lives of the saints as to moving and active statues, and make their good his own through imitation. 2.4 Again, prayers following the readings find the soul fresher and more vigorous, moved by its desire for God. And a good prayer is that which implants a clear concept of God in the soul. And this is the indwelling of God: to have God established in oneself through memory. Thus we become a temple of God, when the continuity of our memory is not interrupted by earthly cares, when the mind is not disturbed by unexpected passions, but the lover of God, fleeing all things, withdraws to God and, driving out the things that summon us to wickedness, occupies himself with the practices that lead to virtue. 2.5 And first of all, it is fitting to take pains not to be ignorant in the use of speech, but to ask without contentiousness, to answer without ambition, not interrupting the one speaking when he says something useful, nor desiring to insert one's own speech for show, setting measures for speech and hearing, to learn without shame and to teach without envy, and, if one has been taught something by another, not to conceal it like base women who substitute illegitimate children, but to proclaim it with gratitude

3

ἀνθρώπων, ὃ μάλιστα λύειν τῆς ψυχῆς τὸν τόνον πέφυκε. Νοῦς μὲν γὰρ μὴ σκεδαννύμενος ἐπὶ τὰ ἔξω, μηδὲ ὑπὸ τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον διαχεόμενος, ἐπάνεισι μὲν πρὸς ἑαυτόν, δι' ἑαυτοῦ δὲ πρὸς τὴν περὶ Θεοῦ ἔννοιαν ἀναβαίνει· κἀκείνῳ τῷ κάλλει περιλαμπόμε νός τε καὶ ἐλλαμπόμενος καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς φύσεως λήθην λαμβάνει, μήτε πρὸς τροφῆς φροντίδα, μήτε πρὸς περιβο λαίων μέριμναν τὴν ψυχὴν καθελκόμενος, ἀλλά, σχολὴν ἀπὸ τῶν γηΐνων φροντίδων ἄγων, τὴν πᾶσαν ἑαυτοῦ σπουδὴν ἐπὶ τὴν κτῆσιν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν μετατίθησι· πῶς μὲν κατορθωθῇ αὐτῷ ἡ σωφροσύνη καὶ ἡ ἀνδρεία, πῶς δὲ ἡ δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἡ φρόνησις καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ ἀρεταὶ ὅσαι, ταῖς γενικαῖς ταύταις ὑποδιαιρούμεναι, καθηκόντως ἕκαστον ἐπιτελεῖν τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ὑποβάλλουσι τῷ σπουδαίῳ. 2.3 Μεγίστη δὲ ὁδὸς πρὸς τὴν τοῦ καθήκοντος εὕρεσιν ἡ μελέτη τῶν θεοπνεύστων Γραφῶν. Ἐν ταύταις γὰρ καὶ αἱ τῶν πράξεων ὑποθῆκαι εὑρίσκονται, καὶ οἱ βίοι τῶν μακαρίων ἀνδρῶν ἀνάγραπτοι παραδεδομένοι, οἷον εἰκόνες τινὲς ἔμψυχοι τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτείας, τῷ μιμήματι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων πρόκεινται. Καὶ τοίνυν περὶ ὅπερ ἂν ἕκαστος ἐνδεῶς ἔχοντος ἑαυτοῦ αἰσθάνηται, ἐκείνῳ προσ διατρίβων, οἷον ἀπό τινος κοινοῦ ἰατρείου, τὸ πρόσφορον εὑρίσκει τῷ ἀρρωστήματι φάρμακον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐραστὴς τῆς σωφροσύνης τὴν περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἱστορίαν συνεχῶς ἀνελίσσει καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰς σωφρονικὰς ἐκδιδάσκεται πράξεις, εὑρίσκων αὐτὸν οὐ μόνον ἐγκρατῶς πρὸς ἡδονὰς ἔχοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑκτικῶς πρὸς ἀρετὴν διακείμενον. Ἀνδρείαν δὲ παιδεύεται παρὰ τοῦ Ἰώβ, ὃς οὐ μόνον, πρὸς τὰ ἐναντία τοῦ βίου μεταπεσόντος αὐτῷ πένης ἐκ πλου σίου καὶ ἄπαις ἀπὸ καλλίπαιδος ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ γενόμενος, διέμενεν ὁ αὐτὸς ἀταπείνωτον πανταχοῦ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς φρόνημα διασώζων, ἀλλ' οὔτε τῶν φίλων εἰς παραμυθίαν ἡκόντων ἐπεμβαινόντων αὐτῷ καὶ συνεπιτει νόντων τὰ ἀλγεινὰ παρωξύνθη. Πάλιν σκοπῶν τις πῶς ἂν πρᾶος ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ καὶ μεγαλόθυμος γένοιτο, ὥστε τῷ μὲν θυμῷ κατὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κεχρῆσθαι, τῇ δὲ πραότητι πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, εὑρήσει τὸν ∆αβὶδ γενναῖον μὲν ἐν τοῖς κατὰ πόλεμον ἀνδραγαθήμασι, πρᾶον δὲ καὶ ἀκίνητον ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀντιδόσεσι. Τοιοῦτος καὶ Μωσῆς, μεγάλῳ μὲν τῷ θυμῷ κατὰ τῶν εἰς Θεὸν ἐξαμαρτανόντων διανισ τάμενος, πραείᾳ δὲ τῇ ψυχῇ τὰς καθ' ἑαυτοῦ διαβολὰς ὑποφέρων. Καὶ πανταχοῦ, ὥσπερ οἱ ζωγράφοι, ὅταν ἀπὸ εἰκόνος εἰκόνα γράφουσι, πυκνὰ πρὸς τὸ παράδειγμα ἀποβλέποντες τὸν ἐκεῖθεν χαρακτῆρα πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτῶν σπουδάζουσι μεταθεῖναι φιλοτέχνημα, οὕτω δεῖ καὶ τὸν ἐσπουδακότα ἑαυτὸν πᾶσι τοῖς μέρεσι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀπερ γάσασθαι τέλειον, οἱονεὶ πρὸς ἀγάλματά τινα κινούμενα καὶ ἔμπρακτα, τοὺς βίους τῶν ἁγίων ἀποβλέπειν καὶ τὸ ἐκείνων ἀγαθὸν οἰκεῖον ποιεῖσθαι διὰ μιμήσεως. 2.4 Εὐχαὶ πάλιν τὰς ἀναγνώσεις διαδεχόμεναι νεαρωτέραν τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἀκμαιοτέραν τῷ πρὸς Θεὸν πόθῳ κεκινη μένην παραλαμβάνουσιν. Εὐχὴ δὲ καλὴ ἡ ἐναργῆ ἐμποιοῦσα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔννοιαν τῇ ψυχῇ. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνοίκησις, τὸ διὰ τῆς μνήμης ἐνιδρυμένον ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Θεόν. Οὕτω γινόμεθα ναὸς Θεοῦ, ὅταν μὴ φροντίσι γηΐναις τὸ συνεχὲς τῆς μνήμης διακόπτηται, ὅταν μὴ τοῖς ἀπροσδοκήτοις πάθεσιν ὁ νοῦς ἐκταράττηται, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀποφυγὼν ὁ φιλόθεος ἐπὶ Θεὸν ἀναχωρῇ καί, ἐξελαύ νων τὰ προσκαλούμενα ἡμᾶς εἰς κακίαν, τοῖς πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἄγουσιν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἐνδιατρίβῃ. 2.5 Καὶ πρῶτόν γε πάντων σπουδάζειν προσήκει περὶ τὴν τοῦ λόγου χρῆσιν μὴ ἀμαθῶς ἔχειν, ἀλλ' ἐρωτᾶν μὲν ἀφι λονείκως, ἀποκρίνεσθαι δὲ ἀφιλοτίμως, μὴ διακόπτοντα τὸν προσδιαλεγόμενον ὅταν τι χρήσιμον λέγῃ, μηδὲ ἐπιθυ μοῦντα τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λόγον ἐπιδεικτικῶς παρεμβάλλειν, μέτρα ὁρίζοντα λόγῳ καὶ ἀκοῇ, μανθάνειν δὲ ἀνεπαισχύν τως καὶ διδάσκειν ἀνεπιφθόνως, καί, εἴ τι παρ' ἑτέρου δεδίδακται, μὴ ἐπικρύπτειν ὥσπερ αἱ φαῦλαι τῶν γυναι κῶν, αἱ τὰ νόθα ὑποβαλλόμεναι, ἀλλὰ κηρύσσειν εὐγνω μόνως