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blessed is that one through this spiritual reasoning, and he was lifted to such a height, that it, having begun from below, from the earth, reached heaven itself, and the heaven above this one, and the one after that again. For he himself was caught up to the third heaven; but his desire and his love for Christ surpassed not only three, but all the heavens. For his body was small, and in this he had nothing more than us; but in his spiritual disposition he outstripped by a great margin all the people on earth. And one would not err for this reason by comparing that holy one to such an image as this, as if a flame, covering the surface of all the earth, and raised up to a height from all sides, should pass beyond the vault of heaven, and coursing through the air above it, whether it is air, or whatever it may be, should fill with fire the space between these two heavens, and not even stop its course there, but leaping up at once to the third, should ascend, and make everything one fire, having as great a breadth as the width of all the earth, and as great a height as from the third heaven to us. Rather, I think I have not said even the smallest part of his love. And that the words are not an exaggeration, one will know precisely by going through what was written by us to Demetrius on account of this subject. Thus one must love Christ, thus one must stand aloof from present things. The holy prophets also had such souls; for this reason they also received other eyes. Therefore, to separate themselves from present things was of their own zeal; but for other eyes to be opened for them after this for the contemplation of future things, was henceforth of the grace of God. Such was Elisha, who, since he stood aloof from all worldly things, and loved the kingdom in heaven, and scorned all present things, kingship and power and glory 47.414 I say, and the honor from all, saw what no one else ever saw, a whole mountain hidden by an array of fiery horses and chariots and such soldiers. For one who admires present things would never be deemed worthy of the contemplation of future things; but one who looks down on these things, and considers them to be no better than a shadow and a dream, will quickly attain those great and spiritual things. Since we too show the wealth that is proper for men to our children then, when we see that they have become men, and look down on all childish things; but as long as they admire those things, we consider them to be unworthy of these. For a soul that has not practiced despising small and worldly things will not be able to admire the things in the heavens; just as one that admires those things will not be able to avoid scorning these. The blessed Paul also said this; for even if what was said was spoken concerning doctrines, it might be fitting to be said also concerning ways of life and gifts, that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.

3. As I was saying, therefore, let us seek solitudes, not only those of place, but also those from choice, and before all other things let us lead the soul into its own uninhabited place. For with such a disposition even the blessed David, though dwelling in a city, and administering a kingdom, and surrounded by countless cares, was held fast by the love of Christ more ardently than those who had taken to the deserts. For those tears and groans and lamentations, by day, by night, one would scarcely see one or a second of those now crucified displaying, if indeed there is anyone at all. For let us not examine only the lamentations, but also who he was that made them

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μακάριος ἐκεῖνος διὰ τούτου τοῦ πνευματικοῦ λογισμοῦ, καὶ πρὸς τοσοῦτον ὕψος ἐπῆρεν, ὡς κάτωθεν ἀρξαμένην ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, πρὸς αὐτὸν φθάσαι τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦτον οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὸν μετ' ἐκεῖνον πάλιν. Αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ἕως τρίτου ἡρπάγη οὐρανοῦ· ὁ δὲ πόθος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀγάπη οὐ τρεῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ὑπερηκόντισε. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ σῶμα βραχὺς ἦν, καὶ πλέον ἡμῶν κατὰ τοῦτο εἶχεν οὐδέν· τῇ δὲ πνευματικῇ διαθέσει πάντας τοὺς ὄντας ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος παρήλασεν. Καὶ οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι τούτου γε ἕνεκα τοιαύτῃ τινὶ τὸν ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον εἰκόνι παραβαλὼν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις φλὸξ τὰ νῶτα πάσης ἐπισχοῦσα τῆς γῆς, καὶ πρὸς ὕψος ἀρθεῖσα πάντοθεν παρέλθοι τὴν οὐράνιον ἁψῖδα, καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ ταύτης ἀέρα διαδραμοῦσα, εἴτε ἀήρ ἐστι, εἴθ' ὅ τί ποτε, πληρώσαι τοῦ πυρὸς τὸ μέσον τῶν δύο τούτων οὐρανῶν, καὶ μηδὲ ἐνταῦθα σταίη τοῦ δρόμου, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν τρίτον ἀθρόως ἐκπηδήσασα ἀναβαίη, καὶ πάντα ἐργάσαιτο μίαν πυρὰν, τοσοῦτον μὲν ἔχουσαν πλάτος, ὅσον τὸ εὖρος πάσης τῆς γῆς, τοσοῦτον δὲ ὕψος, ὅσον ἀπὸ τοῦ τρίτου οὐρανοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ μέρος εἰρηκέναι μοι δοκῶ. Καὶ ὅτι οὐχ ὑπερβολή ἐστι τὰ ῥήματα, εἴσεταί τις ἀκριβῶς τὰ πρὸς ∆ημήτριον ἡμῖν ταύτης ἕνεκεν γραφέντα τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐπελθών. Οὕτω δεῖ φιλεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν, οὕτω τῶν παρόντων ἀφεστάναι πραγμάτων. Τοιαύτας εἶχον καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι προφῆται ψυχάς· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἑτέρους ἔλαβον ὀφθαλμούς. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀποστῆσαι τῶν παρόντων ἑαυτοὺς, τῆς ἐκείνων σπουδῆς ἦν· τὸ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα ἑτέρας ἀνοιγῆναι πρὸς τὴν τῶν μελλόντων θεωρίαν ὄψεις αὐτοῖς, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ λοιπὸν ἐγίνετο χάριτος. Τοιοῦτος Ἑλισσαῖος ἦν, ὃς ἐπειδὴ πάντων ἀπέστη τῶν βιωτικῶν, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἠράσθη τῆς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ τὰ παρόντα διέπτυσεν ἅπαντα, βασιλείαν καὶ δυναστείαν καὶ δόξαν 47.414 λέγω, καὶ τὴν παρὰ πάντων τιμὴν, εἶδεν ἃ μηδεὶς ἕτερος εἶδέ ποτε, ὄρος ὁλόκληρον ἵππων πυρίνων καὶ ἁρμάτων καὶ στρατιωτῶν τοιούτων παρατάξει κρυπτόμενον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὰ παρόντα θαυμάζων, οὐκ ἂν ἀξιωθείη τῆς τῶν μελλόντων θεωρίας ποτέ· ὁ δὲ τούτων ὑπερορῶν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄμεινον σκιᾶς καὶ ὀνείρατος αὐτὰ διακεῖσθαι νομίζων, ταχέως ἐπιτεύξεται τῶν μεγάλων ἐκείνων καὶ πνευματικῶν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς τότε τὸν πλοῦτον τὸν ἀνδράσι προσήκοντα τοῖς παισὶν ἐπιδείκνυμεν τοῖς ἡμετέροις, ὅταν ἄνδρας αὐτοὺς γενομένους ἴδωμεν, καὶ τῶν παιδικῶν ὑπερορῶντας ἁπάντων· ἕως δ' ἂν ἐκεῖνα θαυμάζωσιν, ἀναξίους τούτων εἶναι νομίζομεν. Ψυχὴ γὰρ μὴ μελετήσασα τῶν μικρῶν καὶ βιωτικῶν καταφρονεῖν, οὐ δυνήσεται θαυμάσαι τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνα θαυμάζουσα, οὐ δυνήσεται τούτων μὴ καταγελᾷν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· εἰ γὰρ καὶ περὶ δογμάτων εἴρηται τὸ λεχθὲν, ἔχοι ἂν καιρὸν καὶ περὶ τρόπων εἰρῆσθαι καὶ δωρεῶν, ὅτι Ὁ ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ Θεοῦ.

γʹ. Ὅπερ οὖν ἔφην, ἐρημίας ἐπιζητῶμεν, μὴ τὰς ἐκ τόπων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἀπὸ τῆς προαιρέσεως, καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τὴν ψυχὴν εἰς αὐτὴν ἄγωμεν τὴν ἀοίκητον. Μετὰ γὰρ τῆς τοιαύτης καταστάσεως καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ πόλιν οἰκῶν, καὶ βασιλείαν οἰκονομῶν, καὶ μυρίαις περιβεβλημένος φροντίσι, τῶν τὰς ἐρημίας κατειληφότων θερμότερον συνείχετο τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πόθῳ. Τὰ γὰρ δάκρυα καὶ τὰς οἰμωγὰς καὶ τοὺς ὀλοφυρμοὺς ἐκείνους, τοὺς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, τοὺς ἐν νυκτὶ, μόλις ἕνα που καὶ δεύτερον τῶν νῦν ἐσταυρωμένων ἐπιδεικνύμενον ἴδοι τις ἂν, εἴ γέ τις ὅλως ἐστί. Μὴ γὰρ τοὺς θρήνους ἐξετάσωμεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τίς ὢν ἐποιεῖτο