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of the greatest watchfulness, so that one who has chosen to live according to God might not fall into any of the things that cause harm.

2.5 What then is harmful in these things? A venerable way of life is set before all, both men and women; but decorum is proper to the life according to philosophy, and this is achieved in the unmixed and separate [life] of one’s existence, so that nature may be unmixed and unconfused, neither women among men nor men among women rushing toward the observed occasions of indecency. 2.6 But the necessity of travel removes the strictness in these matters and leads to an indifference to the things that should be observed; for it is impossible for a woman to traverse such a long road, unless she has someone to protect her and, because of her natural weakness, is lifted onto the beast of burden and then taken down, and supported in difficulties. Whatever we might suppose, whether she has an acquaintance to perform this service or a hired hand to provide the assistance, in either case what happens does not escape blame; for neither by leaning on a stranger nor on one of her own does she keep the law of modesty. 2.7 And since the inns and lodgings and cities in the eastern regions have great license and indifference toward evil, how will it be possible for one passing through smoke not to have his eyes stung, where hearing is polluted, and the eye is polluted, and the heart is polluted through eyes and ears receiving what is improper? How will it be possible to pass through impassioned places without passion? 2.8 And what more will one have who has been in those places, as if the Lord were physically living in those places to this day while absent from us, or as if the Holy Spirit were more abundant among the people of Jerusalem but unable to cross over to us? 2.9 And yet if it is possible to infer the presence of God from what is seen, one might rather think that God dwells among the nation of the Cappadocians than in the places abroad; for however many altars are among them, through which the name of the Lord is glorified, one could not count [altars] of almost the whole inhabited world. 2.10 Then too, if there were more grace in the places around Jerusalem, sin would not be endemic to those who live there; but as it is, there is no form of impurity that is not dared among them, both fornications and adulteries and thefts and idolatries and sorceries and envies and murders; and this evil is especially endemic, so that nowhere is there such a readiness to murder as in those places, where like wild beasts they attack one another for the blood of their kinsmen for the sake of cold gain. Where, then, such things happen, what proof is there that there is more grace in those places?

2.11 But I know the objection of the many to what I have said; for they say: "1Why did you not legislate these things for yourself? For if there was no gain for one who travels for God's sake to be there, for what reason did you needlessly undergo such a long journey?"2 2.12 Let them hear, then, my defense concerning these matters. For me, because of this necessity in which I was appointed to live by the one who governs our life, there was an order from the holy synod, for the sake of the correction of the church in Arabia, to go to those places; and since Arabia is a neighbor to the places around Jerusalem, I undertook also to consult with the leaders of the holy churches in Jerusalem because their affairs were in turmoil and in need of a mediator. 2.13 Then, since the most pious emperor also provided the ease of travel by means of a public vehicle, there was no necessity for us to suffer those things which we also observed in the case of others; for the vehicle was to us instead of a church and a monastery, with everyone singing psalms together and fasting together for the Lord throughout the entire journey. 2.14 Therefore, let our example not be a stumbling block to anyone, but rather let our counsel be persuasive, that concerning what we have submitted our eyes to, concerning these things we also advise. 2.15 For we

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μεγίστης φυλακῆς, ὡς μηδενὶ τῶν καταβλαπτόντων ὁ κατὰ θεὸν προῃρημένος ζῆν περιπείροιτο.

2.5 τί οὖν ἐστιν ἐν τούτοις τὸ βλάπτον; ἡ σεμνὴ πολιτεία πᾶσι πρόκειται καὶ ἀνδράσι καὶ γυναιξίν· ἴδιον δὲ τοῦ κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν βίου ἡ εὐσχημοσύνη, αὕτη δὲ ἐν τῷ ἀμίκτῳ καὶ ἰδιάζοντι [βίῳ] τῆς ζωῆς κατορθοῦται, ὡς ἀνεπίμικτον καὶ ἀσύγχυτον εἶναι τὴν φύσιν, μήτε τῶν γυναι κῶν ἐν ἀνδράσι μήτε τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐν γυναιξὶ πρὸς τὰ παρα 2.6 τετηρημένα τῆς ἀσχημοσύνης ὁρμώντων. ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς ὁδοι πορίας ἀνάγκη ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ἐν τούτοις ἀκρίβειαν καὶ πρὸς ἀδιαφορίαν τῶν παρατετηρημένων ἄγει· ἀμήχανον γὰρ γυ ναικὶ τοσαύτην ὁδὸν διαδραμεῖν, εἰ μὴ τὸν διασῴζοντα ἔχοι καὶ διὰ τὴν φυσικὴν ἀσθένειαν ἀναγομένη ἐπὶ τὸ ὑποζύγιον κἀκεῖθεν καταγομένη καὶ ἐν ταῖς δυσχερείαις παρακρατουμένη. ὅπερ δ' ἂν ὑποθώμεθα, εἴτε γνώριμον ἔχει τὸν τὴν θεραπείαν ἀποπληροῦντα εἴτε μισθωτὸν τὸν τὴν διακονίαν παρεχόμενον, καθ' ἑκάτερον μέρος οὐ δια φεύγει τὴν μέμψιν τὸ γινόμενον· οὔτε γὰρ τῷ ξένῳ ἑαυ τὴν προσαναπαύουσα οὔτε τῷ ἰδίῳ τὸν τῆς σωφροσύνης 2.7 φυλάττει νόμον. τῶν δὲ κατὰ τοὺς ἀνατολικοὺς τόπους πανδοχείων καὶ καταλυμάτων καὶ πόλεων πολλὴν τὴν ἄδειαν καὶ πρὸς τὸ κακὸν τὴν ἀδιαφορίαν ἐχόντων, πῶς ἔσται δυνατὸν τὸν διὰ καπνοῦ παριόντα μὴ δριμυχθῆναι τὰς ὄψεις, ὅπου μολύνεται μὲν ἀκοή, μολύνεται δὲ ὀφθαλ μός, μολύνεται δὲ καρδία δι' ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ ἀκοῆς δεχο μένη τὰ ἄτοπα; πῶς ἔσται δυνατὸν ἀπαθῶς παρελθεῖν 2.8 τοὺς ἐμπαθεῖς τόπους; τί δὲ καὶ πλέον ἕξει ὁ ἐν τοῖς τόποις ἐκείνοις γενόμενος, ὡς μέχρι τοῦ νῦν σωματικῶς τοῦ κυρίου ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς τόποις διάγοντος ἡμῶν δὲ ἀποφοιτῶντος, ἢ ὡς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος παρὰ τοῖς Ἱεροσολυμίταις πλεονάζοντος πρὸς δὲ ἡμᾶς διαβῆναι ἀδυ 2.9 νατοῦντος; καὶ μὴν εἰ ἔστιν ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων θεοῦ παρ ουσίαν τεκμήρασθαι, μᾶλλον ἄν τις ἐν τῷ ἔθνει τῶν Καπ παδοκῶν τὸν θεὸν διαιτᾶσθαι νομίσειεν ἤπερ ἐν τοῖς ἔξω τόποις· ὅσα γάρ ἐστιν ἐν τούτοις θυσιαστήρια, δι' ὧν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου δοξάζεται, οὐκ ἄν τις τὰ πάσης σχεδὸν 2.10 τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐξαριθμήσαιτο [θυσιαστήρια]. ἔπειτα καὶ εἰ ἦν πλείων ἡ χάρις ἐν τοῖς κατὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα τόποις, οὐκ ἂν ἐπεχωρίαζε τοῖς ἐκεῖ ζῶσιν ἡ ἁμαρτία· νῦν μέντοι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκαθαρσίας εἶδος ὃ μὴ τολμᾶται παρ' αὐτοῖς, καὶ πορνεῖαι καὶ μοιχεῖαι καὶ κλοπαὶ καὶ εἰδωλολατρεῖαι καὶ φαρμακεῖαι καὶ φθόνοι καὶ φόνοι· καὶ μάλιστά γε τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐπιχωριάζει κακόν, ὥστε μηδαμοῦ τοιαύτην ἑτοι μότητα εἶναι πρὸς τὸ φονεύειν ὅσην ἐν τοῖς τόποις ἐκεί νοις, θηρίων δίκην τῷ αἵματι τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἐπιτρεχόντων ἀλλήλοις ψυχροῦ κέρδους χάριν. ὅπου τοίνυν ταῦτα γίνεται, ποίαν ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει τὸ πλείονα χάριν εἶναι ἐν τοῖς τόποις ἐκείνοις;

2.11 Ἀλλ' οἶδα τὸ ἀντιλεγόμενον τῶν πολλῶν πρὸς τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ εἰρημένα· λέγουσι γάρ· "1∆ιὰ τί ταῦτα καὶ ἐπὶ σεαυ τὸν οὐκ ἐνομοθέτησας; εἰ γὰρ μηδὲν ἦν κέρδος τῷ κατὰ θεὸν ἐκδημήσαντι ἀντὶ τοῦ γενέσθαι ἐκεῖ, ὑπὲρ τίνος μάτην 2.12 ὑπέστης τὴν τοσαύτην ὁδόν;"2 ἀκουσάτωσαν οὖν τῆς ὑπὲρ τούτων παρ' ἐμοῦ ἀπολογίας. ἐμοὶ διὰ τὴν ἀνάγκην ταύ την, ἐν ᾗ ζῆν ἐτάχθην παρὰ τοῦ οἰκονομοῦντος ἡμῶν τὴν ζωήν, ἐγένετο <πρόσταγμα> τῆς ἁγίας συνόδου, διορθώσεως ἕνεκεν τῆς κατὰ τὴν Ἀραβίαν ἐκκλησίας, μέχρι τῶν τόπων γενέσθαι· καὶ ἐπειδὴ ὅμορός ἐστιν ἡ Ἀραβία τοῖς κατὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα τόποις, ὑπεσχόμην ὡς καὶ συσκεψόμενος τοῖς προεστῶσι τῶν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἁγίων ἐκκλησιῶν διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτῶν ἐν ταραχῇ τὰ πράγματα καὶ χρῄζειν τοῦ 2.13 μεσιτεύοντος. ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου βασιλέως παρασχομένου τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς ὁδοῦ διὰ δημοσίου ὀχή ματος, οὐδεμία ἡμῖν ἀνάγκη ἐγένετο ταῦτα πάσχειν ἃ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων κατενοήσαμεν· τὸ γὰρ ὄχημα ἡμῖν ἀντὶ ἐκκλησίας καὶ μοναστηρίου ἦν, διὰ πάσης τῆς ὁδοῦ συμψαλλόντων 2.14 πάντων καὶ συννηστευόντων τῷ κυρίῳ. τὸ οὖν ἡμέτερον μηδένα σκανδαλιζέτω, μᾶλλον δὲ πιθανὴ γενέσθω ἡ συμβουλία ἡμῶν, ὅτι περὶ ὧν τὼ ὀφθαλμὼ ὑπεβάλομεν, 2.15 περὶ τούτων καὶ συμβουλεύομεν. ἡμεῖς γὰρ