5

With all watchfulness, guard your heart. For just as gold is unceasingly spied upon by thieves night and day, and is snatched away unexpectedly, and you do not know it; see that the enemy does not deceive you with the sin of our first father, and quickly cast you out of the paradise of delight. For he who drew Adam away from life by the theft of food, and expected to trip up Jesus as well, will not be ashamed all the more to mix for you also the first cause of evils, knowing this to be a powerful poison. For the passion of gluttony is not wont to show its own strength in a multitude of foods, but in desire and a small taste. If, therefore, the desire for some small taste has the strength to subject you to the passion of gluttony, it will relentlessly deliver you to death. For just as a certain source of water, being divided into many channels, makes the whole place around the channels to flourish; so also the passion of gluttony, if it is given to your heart, watering all your senses, planting the substance of wickedness in you, will make your soul a dwelling-place of wild beasts. For I have seen many who were overcome by passions become healthy, but I have not seen one among all who was a secret eater or a glutton, but that they were either broken off from the continent life and corrupted by the world, or they tried to hide themselves among the continent and were allied with the devil through sensual pleasure. For these are liars, often swearing, perjurers, opponents, strikers-back, screamers, deniers of food, illiberal, living delicately, discontented, fault-finders, lovers of darkness, willing opponents of every virtuous way of life.

For in order to cover the passion of gluttony, they fall into the swarm of evils; who in appearance are among those being saved, but in deeds are among those who are condemned. This delivered Adam to death, and brought about the end of the world because of the pleasure of the belly. Noah is laughed at, Ham is cursed, Esau falls from his birthright and marries among the Canaanites, Lot becomes the husband of his daughter, his own son-in-law and father-in-law; the father a husband, and the grandfather a father, on both sides insulting the boundaries of nature. This also made Israel a worshipper of an idol, and 31.641 caused their limbs to fall in the desert. This also made one of the prophets, sent from God to rebuke an impious king, the food of a wild beast; and he whom Jeroboam the king with all his royal power was not strong enough to resist, being taken by the deceit of the belly, is carried off to a pitiful death. But Daniel, the man of desires, having mastered his belly, became master of the kingdom of the Chaldeans, becoming a destroyer of idols, and a slayer of the dragon, a tutor of lions, a foreteller of God's incarnation, and an interpreter of hidden mysteries. The three holy youths, appearing superior to the pleasure of the belly, despised the royal wrath, and fearlessly dared that terrible burning furnace, which Nebuchadnezzar the king had the power to light. They showed the golden image being deified to be useless; and that which was constructed over a long time by Satan for the insult of God's glory, they, taking it as spoils, offered to their own Master. They caused the most hostile king himself, and the whole army against God, together with all creation, to hymn God. And, to say all in sum, if you master the belly, you will inhabit paradise; but if you do not master it, you have become the fuel of death. Become a faithful treasury of the virtues, and have as a key the tongue of your spiritual father. Let this open your mouth for the partaking of bread, and let this shut it. Do not accept the serpent as a counselor, who wishes to lead you captive instead of good counsel. Even to the tasting of the tongue, guard against the sin of secret eating. For if it is strong enough to turn you in a small matter, it has thrown you in the wrestling match, and holds you in its bonds. Do not lend your ears to everyone who speaks, and do not

5

Πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ χρυσὸς κατασκοπεῖται μὲν ἀδιαλείπτως ὑπὸ τῶν κλεπτῶν ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ἁρπάζεται δὲ ἀπροσ δοκήτως, καὶ οὐ γινώσκεις· ὅρα μή σε πλανήσῃ ὁ ἐχθρὸς τῇ τοῦ προπάτορος ἁμαρτίᾳ, καὶ τὸ τάχος σε ἐκβάλῃ τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς. Ὁ γὰρ τὸν Ἀδὰμ τῇ τῆς βρώσεως κλοπῇ ὑφελκύσας τῆς ζωῆς, προσδοκήσας τε καὶ Ἰησοῦν ὑποσκελίζειν, οὐκ ἐντραπήσεται πολλῷ μᾶλλον καὶ σοὶ κεράσαι τὸ πρῶ τον αἴτιον τῶν κακῶν, ἰσχυρὸν δηλητήριον τοῦτο γινώσκων. Τὸ γὰρ τῆς γαστριμαργίας πάθος οὐκ ἐν πλήθει βρωμάτων τὴν ἰδίαν ἰσχὺν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι πέ φυκεν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ καὶ μικρᾷ γεύσει. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐπιθυμία βραχείας τινὸς γεύσεως ἰσχύσει σε ὑποβάλλειν τῷ τῆς γαστριμαργίας πάθει, ἀκαμάτως σε τῷ θανάτῳ παραδώσει. Ὥσπερ γὰρ φύσις τις ὕδατος πολλοῖς ὁλκοῖς προσδιαιρουμένη πάντα τὸν περὶ τοὺς ὁλκοὺς τόπον θάλλειν παρασκευάζει· οὕτω καὶ τὸ τῆς γαστριμαργίας πάθος, εἰ ἀναδοθῇ σου τῇ καρδίᾳ, πάσας σου τὰς αἰσθήσεις ποτίζον, ὕλην κα κίας ἐν σοὶ καταφυτεῦσαν, θηρίων κατοικητήριον τὴν σὴν ψυχὴν καταστήσει. Πολλοὺς γὰρ ἐγὼ πάθεσι κρα τηθέντας εἶδον ἐν ὑγείᾳ γενομένους, ἕνα δὲ ἐκ πάν των λαθροφάγον, ἢ γαστρίμαργον οὐκ εἶδον, ἀλλ' ἢ ἀποῤῥαγέντας τοῦ ἐγκρατοῦς βίου, καὶ τῷ κόσμῳ διαφθαρέντας, ἢ τοῖς ἐγκρατέσιν ἐναποκρύπτεσθαι πειρωμένους, καὶ τῷ διαβόλῳ τῇ ἡδυπαθείᾳ συνασπι ζομένους. Ψεῦσται γάρ εἰσιν οὗτοι, πολύορκοι, ἐπί ορκοι, ἀντιστάται, ἀντιπλῆκται, ἀνακράκται, ἀρ νησίφαγοι, ἀνελεύθεροι, ἁβροδίαιτοι, μεμψίμοιροι, ἐρευνηταὶ, σκοτεινοχαρεῖς, πάσης τῆς ἐναρέτου πο λιτείας ἀντεργάται ἑκούσιοι.

Ἵνα γὰρ τὸ τῆς γαστρι μαργίας πάθος σκεπάσωσι, τῷ ἐσμῷ τῶν κακῶν πε ριπίπτουσιν· οἵτινες τῷ μὲν σχήματί εἰσιν ἐν τοῖς σωζομένοις, τοῖς δὲ πράγμασιν ἐν τοῖς κατακεκρι μένοις. Αὕτη τὸν Ἀδὰμ θανάτῳ παρέδωκε, καὶ τῷ κό σμῳ συντέλειαν ἐπήγαγε διὰ τὴν τῆς γαστρὸς ἡδονήν. Νῶε γελᾶται, Χὰμ κεκατήραται, Ἡσαῦ τῶν πρωτοτοκίων ἐκπίπτει, καὶ τοῖς Χαναναίοις ἐπιγαμβρεύε ται, Λὼτ θυγατρόγαμος γίνεται, γαμβρὸς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ πενθερός· ὁ πατὴρ ἀνὴρ, καὶ ὁ πάππος πατὴρ, ἑκα τέρωθεν τοὺς ὅρους τῆς φύσεως ἐνυβρίζων. Αὕτη καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἰδώλου προσκυνητὴν ἐποίησε, καὶ 31.641 τούτων τὰ κῶλα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ πεσεῖν παρεσκεύασεν. Αὕτη καί τινα τῶν προφητῶν, ἐπὶ ἐλέγχῳ ἀνοσιουρ γοῦ βασιλέως ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἀποσταλέντα, ἀγρίου θηρὸς βορὰν πεποίηκε· καὶ ὃν οὐκ ἴσχυσεν Ἱεροβοὰμ ὁ βα σιλεὺς σὺν πάσῃ τῇ βασιλικῇ δυνάμει ἀμύνασθαι, τῇ τῆς γαστρὸς ἀπάτῃ ληφθεὶς, ἐλεεινὸν θάνατον ἀπο φέρεται. ∆ανιὴλ δὲ ὁ ἐπιθυμιῶν ἀνὴρ, κρατήσας γα στρὸς, βασιλείας Χαλδαίων κατεκυρίευσεν, εἰδώλων καθαιρέτης γενόμενος, καὶ δράκοντος ἀναιρέτης, λεόντων παιδαγωγὸς, ἐνανθρωπήσεως Θεοῦ προαγο ρευτὴς, καὶ μυστηρίων ἀποκρύφων ἐξηγητής. Γαστρὸς ἡδονῆς ἀνώτεροι φανέντες οἱ τρεῖς ἅγιοι παῖδες, ὀργῆς βασιλικῆς ὑπερεφρόνησαν, καὶ τῆς φοβερᾶς ἐκείνης καμίνου τῆς καιομένης, ἣν ἴσχυσεν ἀνάψαι Ναβουχο δονόσορ ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἀπτοητὶ κατετόλμησαν. Εἰκόνα χρυσῆν θεοποιουμένην ἀργὴν ἀπέδειξαν· καὶ τὴν ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ κατασκευασθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐφ' ὕβρει τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξης, λάφυρα λαβόντες, τῷ ἰδίῳ ∆εσπότῃ προσενηνόχασιν. Αὐτὸν τὸν ἔχθιστον βασιλέα, καὶ ἅπαν τὸ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ στρατόπεδον σὺν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει ὑμνῳδεῖν τὸν Θεὸν παρεσκεύασαν. Καὶ, ἵνα πάντα συνελὼν εἴπω, εἰ κρατήσεις γαστρὸς, οἰκήσεις τὸν παράδεισον· εἰ δὲ οὐ κρατήσεις, γέγονας θανάτου παρανάλωμα. Γενοῦ πιστὸς θησαυρὸς τῶν ἀρετῶν, καὶ ἔχε κλεῖδα τὴν τοῦ πνευματικοῦ σου πατρὸς γλῶσσαν. Αὕτη σου ἀνοιγέτω τὸ στόμα πρὸς μετάληψιν ἄρτου, καὶ αὕτη ἀποκλειέτω. Μὴ παραδέξῃ σύμβουλον τὸν ὄφιν, ἀντὶ καλῆς συμβουλίας συλαγωγῆσαί σε θέλοντα. Μέχρι γεύσεως γλώσσης φυλάττου λαθροφαγίας ἁμαρτίαν. Εἰ γάρ σε ἐν μικρῷ τρέψαι ἰσχύσει, ἔβαλέ σε τῇ πάλῃ, καὶ συνέχει σε τοῖς δεσμοῖς. Μὴ ὕπεχε τὰ ὦτά σου παντὶ λαλοῦντι, καὶ μὴ