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Possession is rare, enjoyment highly prized. Thus also He who created us contrived for us, through the alternation in life, the enduring grace of the things given. Do you not see that the sun is brighter after the night, and waking is more pleasant after sleep, and health more desirable after the experience of its opposite? And so a table is more delightful after fasting, alike for the rich and those with fine tables, and alike for those with a simple and improvised diet. Fear the example of the rich man; his lifelong luxury delivered him to the fire. For not being accused of injustice, but of delicate living, he was fried in the flame of the furnace. Therefore, that we may quench that fire, water is needed. And fasting is not only beneficial for the future, but is also more profitable for the flesh itself; for extreme states of good health have relapses and reversals, as nature collapses, being unable to bear the weight of well-being. See then, lest now spurning water, you later desire a drop, like the rich man. No one has suffered a hangover from water; no one's head has ever ached, being heavy with water; no one has needed another's feet while living on water-drinking; no one's hands have become useless being irrigated with water. For faulty digestion necessarily follows those who live in luxury; this produces severe diseases in their bodies. The complexion of one who fasts is modest, not breaking out in shameless redness, but adorned with a temperate paleness; a gentle eye, a composed gait, a thoughtful face, not insulted by unrestrained laughter, moderation in words, purity of heart. Remember the saints from of old, of whom the world was not worthy, who went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented; imitate their way of life, if you seek their portion. What made Lazarus rest in the bosom of Abraham? Was it not fasting? And John's entire life was one fast; he had no bed, no table, no arable land, no ploughing ox, no grain, no baker, nor anything else of this life. For this reason, among those born of women there is none greater than John the Baptist. And fasting, along with other things which he enumerated in his boasts about affliction, brought Paul up to the third heaven. And the main point upon what has been said: our Lord, having fortified with fasting the flesh which He took up for our sakes, thus received in it the attacks of the devil, teaching us to anoint and train ourselves with fasting for the contests in temptations, and giving the adversary a kind of hold through want. For He was unapproachable to him because of the height of His divinity, had He not stooped to the human level through want. Nevertheless, when returning to the heavens He partook of food, confirming the nature of His risen body.

But you, while over-fattening yourself, and not ceasing to flesh out your body, yet wasting away your mind in the atrophy of saving and life-giving teachings, take no account. Or are you ignorant that just as in a battle line the alliance with one 59.678 party brings about the defeat of the other, so he who sides with the flesh overcomes the spirit, and he who changes sides to the spirit enslaves the flesh? For these are opposed to each other. So if you wish to make the mind strong, tame the flesh through fasting. For this is what the Apostle says, that Though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed; and, When I am weak, then I am strong. Will you not despise perishable foods? Will you not conceive a desire for the table in the kingdom, for which fasting here will surely prepare the way? Or are you ignorant that by the immoderation of satiety you are preparing for yourself a fat tormenting worm? For who, in lavish food and continual luxury, has received any fellowship of a spiritual gift? Moses, when receiving the second legislation, needed a second fast; the Ninevites, if the irrational animals had not also fasted with them, would not have escaped the threat of destruction. Whose bodies fell in the wilderness? Was it not of those who lusted for eating meat? Those until

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σπανία ἡ κτῆσις, περισπούδαστος ἡ ἀπόλαυσις. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ κτίσας ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον ἐναλλαγῆς παράμονον ἡμῖν τὴν χάριν τῶν δεδομένων ἐμηχανήσατο. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς, ὅτι καὶ ἥλιος φαιδρότερος μετὰ τὴν νύκτα, καὶ ἐγρήγορσις ἡδίων μετὰ τὸν ὕπνον, καὶ ὑγίεια ποθεινοτέρα μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν τῶν ἐναντίων; Καὶ τράπεζα τοίνυν χαριεστέρα μετὰ τὴν νηστείαν, ὁμοίως μὲν πλουσίοις καὶ εὐτραπέζοις, ὁμοίως δὲ τοῖς λιτοῖς καὶ αὐτοσχεδίοις τὴν δίαιταν. Φοβήθητι τὸ ὑπόδειγμα τοῦ πλουσίου· ἐκεῖνον παρέδωκε τῷ πυρὶ ἡ διὰ βίου τρυφή. Οὐ γὰρ ἀδικίαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἁβροδίαιτον ἐγκληθεὶς, ἀπετηγανίζετο ἐν τῇ φλογὶ τῆς καμίνου. Ἵνα τοίνυν σβέσωμεν ἐκεῖνο τὸ πῦρ, ὕδατος χρεία. Καὶ οὐ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα μόνον ὠφέλιμος ἡ νηστεία, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ σαρκὶ λυσιτελεστέρα· αἱ γὰρ εἰς ἄκρον εὐεξίαι ὑποστροφὰς ἔχουσι καὶ μεταπτώσεις, ὀκλαζούσης τῆς φύσεως, καὶ ἀναφέρειν τὸ βάρος τῆς εὐεξίας ἀδυνατούσης. Ὅρα οὖν, μὴ νῦν διαπτύων τὸ ὕδωρ, ὕστερον ῥανίδος ἐπιθυμήσῃ, ὥσπερ ὁ πλούσιος. Οὐδεὶς ἐκραιπάλησεν ἀπὸ ὕδατος· οὐδενὸς κεφαλὴ ὠδυνήθη ποτὲ ὕδατι βαρυνθεῖσα· οὐδεὶς ἀλλοτρίων ποδῶν ἐδεήθη ὑδροποσίᾳ συζῶν· οὐδενὸς χεῖρες ἀπηχρειώθησαν ὕδατι καταρδόμεναι. Τὸ γὰρ περὶ τὴν πέψιν πλημμελὲς τοῖς τρυφῶσιν ἀναγκαίως ἀκολουθεῖ· τοῦτο τὰ σφοδρὰ νοσήματα τοῖς σώμασιν ἐνεργάζεται. Τοῦ νηστεύοντος σεμνὸν τὸ χρῶμα, οὐκ εἰς ἐρύθημα ἀναιδὲς ἐξανθοῦν, ἀλλ' ὠχρότητι σώφρονι κεκοσμημένον· ὀφθαλμὸς πραῢς, κατεσταλμένον βάδισμα, πρόσωπον σύννουν, ἀκολάστῳ γέλωτι μὴ καθυβριζόμενον, συμμετρία λόγων, καθαρότης καρδίας. Μνήσθητι τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἁγίων, Ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος, οἳ περιῆλθον ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι· ἐκείνων μίμησαι τὴν ἀναστροφὴν, εἴπερ ζητεῖς αὐτῶν τὴν μερίδα. Τί τὸν Λάζαρον ἐπανέπαυσε τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Ἀβραάμ; οὐχ ἡ νηστεία; Ἰωάννου δὲ ὁ βίος ἅπας μία νηστεία ἦν· ὃς οὐ κλίνην εἶχεν, οὐ τράπεζαν, οὐ γῆν ἀρόσιμον, οὐκ ἀροτῆρα βοῦν, οὐ σῖτον, οὐ σιτοποιὸν, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μείζων ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν οὐκ ἔστιν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ. Παῦλον δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ ἡ νηστεία, ἢν ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως καυχήμασιν ἀπηριθμήσατο, εἰς τὸν τρίτον ἀνήγαγεν οὐρανόν. Κεφάλαιον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν νηστείᾳ τὴν σάρκα, ἢν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀνέλαβεν, ὀχυρώσας, οὕτως ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦ διαβόλου τὰς προσβολὰς ὑπεδέξατο, ἡμᾶς τε παιδεύων νηστείαις ἀλείφειν καὶ παιδοτριβεῖν ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς ἀγῶνας, καὶ τῷ ἀντιπάλῳ διὰ τῆς ἐνδείας οἱονεὶ λαβὴν ἐνδιδούς. Ἀπρόσιτος γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ διὰ τὸ ὕψος τῆς θεότητος, εἰ μὴ διὰ τῆς ἐνδείας ὑπέβη πρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. Ἐπανιὼν μέντοι εἰς οὐρανοὺς τροφῆς ἥψατο, τὴν φύσιν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ ἀναστάντος πιστούμενος.

Σὺ δὲ ὑπερπιαίνων μὲν σαυτὸν, καὶ κατασαρκῶν οὐκ ἀνίης, ἐκτήκων δὲ τὸν νοῦν ἐν ἀτροφίᾳ τῶν σωτηρίων καὶ ζωοποιῶν διδαγμάτων, οὐδένα λόγον ποιεῖς. Ἢ ἀγνοεῖς, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἐπὶ παρατάξεως ἡ τοῦ 59.678 ἑτέρου συμμαχία ἧτταν ποιεῖ τοῦ ἑτέρου, οὕτως ὁ τῇ σαρκὶ προσθέμενος, τὸ πνεῦμα καταγωνίζεται, καὶ ὁ πρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα μεταταξάμενος, καταδουλοῦται τὴν σάρκα; Ταῦτα γὰρ ἀλλήλοις ἀντίκεινται. Ὥστε εἰ βούλει ἰσχυρὸν ποιῆσαι τὸν νοῦν, δάμασον τὴν σάρκα διὰ νηστείας. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ὅ φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι Ὅσον ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, τοσοῦτον ὁ ἔσωθεν ἡμῶν ἀνακαινοῦται· καὶ, Ὅταν ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι. Οὐ καταφρονήσεις τῶν φθαρτῶν βρωμάτων; οὐκ ἐπιθυμίαν λήψῃ τῆς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τραπέζης, ἣν πάντως ἡ ἐνθάδε νηστεία προευτρεπίσει; Ἢ ἀγνοεῖς τῇ ἀμετρίᾳ τοῦ κόρου παχὺν σεαυτῷ τὸν βασανιστὴν κατασκευάζων σκώληκα; Τίς γὰρ ἐν τροφῇ δαψιλεῖ καὶ τρυφῇ διηνεκεῖ ὑπεδέξατό τινα κοινωνίαν χαρίσματος πνευματικοῦ; Μωϋσῆς δευτέραν λαμβάνων νομοθεσίαν, δευτέρας νηστείας ἐδεήθη· Νινευῖται, εἰ μὴ καὶ τὰ ἄλογα συνενήστευσαν, οὐκ ἂν διέφυγον τὴν ἀπειλὴν τῆς καταστροφῆς. Τίνων ἔπεσε τὰ κῶλα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; οὐ τῶν κρεοφαγιῶν ἐπιθυμούντων; Ἐκεῖνοι ἕως