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he becomes lofty in thought, and bears all things easily, delighting in the memory; he who has in mind the one who deemed us worthy to truly love, and remembering him, when will he either feel anything sorrowful, or fear anything dreadful and dangerous? Never. For if, when loved by powerful men, we are formidable to all, much more so when loved by God. And if it be necessary to give riches, or bodies, or even our very soul for this love, let us not spare them. For it is not enough to say in words that we love, but it is necessary also to show the proof from deeds; for not even he himself showed his love through words only, but also through deeds. For if in the houses of the great, a servant who has made his master's business his own, has not thereby made his own things his master's, but has made his master's things his own, and uses his master's things as if they were his, and many of the servants fear him more than the master; and since he despised his own things, he has not truly despised his own things, but rather has obtained greater things; much more so in spiritual matters. Therefore let us not care for our own things, in order that we may care for our 63.572 own things; but let us despise them, in order that we may possess them. For if we despise them, God will take care of them; but if we take care of them, God will despise them. If anyone therefore wishes to love genuinely and to understand the power of love, let him run to its nursling, the blessed Paul, and he will teach him how great a contest it is to bear separation from a loved one, and how great a soul it requires. For this man, this man who stripped off the flesh, and put aside the body, and went about the world almost with a naked soul, and banished every passion from his mind, and imitated the passionlessness of the bodiless powers, bore all other things easily, as if suffering in another's body, both prisons and chains and kidnappings and scourgings and threats and death and every form of punishment; but being separated from one soul loved by him, he was so confounded and disturbed, that in the city where he expected to see his beloved and did not find him, he immediately fled from that city. What is this, O blessed Paul? While bound in the stocks, and inhabiting a prison, and having scourges laid upon you, and your back streaming with blood, you both initiated and baptized, and offered sacrifice, and did not despise one who was about to be saved; but having come to Troas, and finding the field cleared, and ready to receive the seeds, did you cast away so much gain from your hands, and flee immediately? Yes, he says; for I was seized by a great tyranny of despondency, and the absence of Titus exceedingly confounded my mind; and it so took hold of me and overcame me, as to compel me to do this. Do you see how it is a very great contest to be able to bear gently the separation from a loved one? how painful and bitter a thing? how it requires a lofty and vigorous soul? For it is not enough for those who love to be bound only in soul, nor are they satisfied with this for consolation. but they also need bodily presence, and if this is not present, no small part of their joy has been cut away. Alas, for the fiery passion of love! Paul who dares the fire, the man of adamant, the firm, the unbending, the inflexible, he who says, 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or famine, or persecution, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?' he who dares land and sea, he who laughs at the adamantine gates of death; this man, when he saw the tears of some beloved ones, was so broken and crushed, that he did not even hide his feeling, but said immediately: 'What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart?' O the wonder! An abyss of waters did not crush him, and a few tears crushed and broke him? 'What are you doing, weeping and crushing my heart?' What do you say, tell me? did a tear have the strength to crush that soul of adamant? Yes, he says; for great is the strength of love; it overcomes and conquers me; for I withstand all things, except love. Who would not

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ὑψηλὸς γίνεται τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ πάντα εὐκόλως φέρει ἐντρυφῶν τῇ μνήμῃ· ὁ τὸν ὄντως ἀγαπῆσαι ἡμᾶς καταξιώσαντα ἔχων ἐν διανοίᾳ, καὶ μεμνημένος αὐτοῦ, πότε ἢ λυπηροῦ τινος αἰσθήσεται, ἢ φοβερόν τι καὶ ἐπικίνδυνον φοβηθήσεται; Οὐδέποτε. Εἰ γὰρ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων δυνατῶν ἀγαπώμενοι φοβεροὶ πᾶσίν ἐσμεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Κἂν χρήματα δέῃ, κἂν σώματα, κἂν αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν ὑπὲρ ταύτης δοῦναι τῆς ἀγάπης, μὴ φεισώμεθα. Οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τὸ διὰ ῥημάτων λέγειν, ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν, ἀλλὰ χρὴ καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων δεικνύειν ἀπόδειξιν· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔδειξε τὴν ἀγάπην. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς τῶν μεγάλων οἰκίαις οἰκέτης ὁ τὰ αὑτοῦ, τοῦ δεσπότου ποιησάμενος, οὐ τὰ αὑτοῦ, τοῦ δεσπότου πεποίηκεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ τοῦ δεσπότου, ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ὁμοίως αὐτῷ τοῖς ἐκείνου κέχρηται, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν μᾶλλον αὐτὸν δεδοίκασιν ἢ ἐκεῖνον· καὶ ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κατεφρόνησεν, οὐχὶ κατεφρόνησε τῶν ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον μειζόνων ἐπέτυχε· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς. Μὴ τοίνυν φροντίζωμεν τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἵνα φροντίζωμεν τῶν ἡμε 63.572 τέρων, ἀλλὰ καταφρονῶμεν αὐτῶν, ἵνα κτησώμεθα αὐτά. Ἂν γὰρ ἡμεῖς αὐτῶν καταφρονήσωμεν, ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν ἐπιμελήσεται· ἂν δὲ ἡμεῖς αὐτῶν ἐπιμελώμεθα, ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν καταφρονήσει. Εἴ τις οὖν φιλεῖν ἐθέλει γνησίως καὶ δύναμιν ἀγάπης ἐπίστασθαι, ἐπὶ τὸν ταύτης τρόφιμον, τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον, δραμέτω, κἀκεῖνος αὐτὸν διδάξει, ἡλίκος ἐστὶν ἆθλος ἐνεγκεῖν χωρισμὸν φιλουμένου, καὶ ἡλίκης δεόμενος ψυχῆς. Οὗτος γὰρ, οὗτος ὁ τὴν σάρκα ἀποδυσάμενος, καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀποθέμενος, καὶ γυμνῇ σχεδὸν τὴν οἰκουμένην περιιὼν τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ πᾶν πάθος ἐξορίσας τῆς διανοίας, καὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων τὴν ἀπάθειαν μιμούμενος, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα πάντα ῥᾳδίως ἔφερεν, ὡς ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ πάσχων σώματι, καὶ δεσμωτήρια καὶ ἁλύσεις καὶ ἀπαγωγὰς καὶ μάστιγας καὶ ἀπειλὰς καὶ θάνατον καὶ πᾶν κολάσεως εἶδος, μιᾶς δὲ ψυχῆς ἀγαπωμένης παρ' αὐτοῦ χωρισθεὶς, οὕτω συνεχύθη καὶ διεταράχθη, ὡς ἐν ᾗ τὸν ἀγαπώμενον προσδοκῶν ἰδεῖν οὐχ εὗρεν, εὐθέως καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἀποπηδῆσαι. Τί τοῦτο, ὦ μακάριε Παῦλε; ξύλῳ μὲν δεδεμένος, καὶ δεσμωτήριον οἰκῶν, καὶ μάστιγας ἔχων ἐπικειμένας, καὶ τὰ νῶτα αἵματι περιῤῥεόμενος, καὶ ἐμυσταγώγεις καὶ ἐβάπτιζες, καὶ θυσίαν προσῆγες, καὶ ἑνὸς οὐ κατεφρόνησας μέλλοντος σώζεσθαι· εἰς δὲ τὴν Τρῳάδα ἐλθὼν, καὶ τὴν ἄρουραν εὑρὼν ἐκκεκαθαρμένην, καὶ ἑτοίμην οὖσαν τὰ σπέρματα δέξασθαι, τοσοῦτον ἔῤῥιψας ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν κέρδος, καὶ ἀπεπήδησας εὐθέως; Ναὶ, φησί· πολλῇ γὰρ κατεσχέθην ἀθυμία; τυραννίδι, καὶ σφόδρα μου συνέχεε τὴν διάνοιαν ἡ Τίτου ἀπουσία· καὶ οὕτω μου ἐκράτησε, καὶ περιεγένετο, ὡς ἀναγκάσαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. Εἶδες πῶς μέγιστος ἆθλος τὸ δυνηθῆναι ἐνεγκεῖν πράως ἀγαπωμένου χωρισμόν; πῶς ὀδυνηρὸν πρᾶγμα καὶ πικρόν; πῶς ὑψηλῆς δεόμενον καὶ νεανικῆς ψυχῆς; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι μόνον τὸ τῇ ψυχῇ συνδεδέσθαι, οὐδὲ ἀποχρῶνται τούτῳ εἰς παραμυθίαν. ἀλλὰ καὶ σωματικῆς δέονται παρουσίας, κἂν μὴ τοῦτο προσῇ, οὐ μικρὸν τῆς εὐφροσύνης ὑποτέτμηται μέρος. Βαβαὶ τοῦ διαπύρου ἔρωτος τῆς ἀγάπης· ὁ πυρὸς κατατολμῶν Παῦλος, ὁ ἀδαμάντινος, ὁ στεῤῥὸς, ὁ ἀκλινὴς, ὁ ἀκαμπὴς, ὁ λέγων, Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ, θλῖψις, ἢ στενοχωρία, ἢ λιμὸς, ἢ διωγμὸς, ἢ γυμνότης, ἢ κίνδυνος, ἢ μάχαιρα; ὁ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης κατατολμῶν, ὁ τῶν ἀδαμαντίνων τοῦ θανάτου πυλῶν καταγελῶν· οὗτος, ἐπειδή τινων ἀγαπητῶν εἶδε δάκρυα, οὕτως κατεκλάσθη καὶ συνετρίβη, ὡς μηδὲ κρύψαι τὸ πάθος, ἀλλ' εἰπεῖν εὐθέως· Τί ποιεῖτε κλαίοντες καὶ συνθρύπτοντές μου τὴν καρδίαν; Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος· ἄβυσσος αὐτὸν οὐ συνέτριψεν ὑδάτων, καὶ μικρὰ δάκρυα συνέτριψεν καὶ συνέκλασε; Τί ποιεῖτε κλαίοντες καὶ συντρίβοντές μου τὴν καρδίαν; Τί λέγεις, εἰπέ μοι; ἐκείνην τὴν ἀδαμαντίνην ψυχὴν συντρίψαι δάκρυον ἴσχυσε; Ναὶ, φησί· πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ τῆς ἀγάπης ἰσχύς· αὕτη μου περιγίνεται καὶ κρατεῖ· πρὸς πάντα γὰρ ἀντέχω, πλὴν τῆς ἀγάπης. Τίς οὐκ ἂν