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saying it is more honorable than knowledge, more steadfast than faith, and more enduring than hope, and always remaining in the same state, without which all that is diligently pursued for good is unprofitable. But the Lord, connecting every law and all the prophetic mysteries to such a gift, himself also declares that love has the primacy over all things. If, therefore, in the preeminent and comprehensive of achievements he is not left behind by the great Paul, then also in all the other things, which love leads, and whatever springs forth from it, he will certainly be revealed as having no less. For just as one who partakes of human nature is in all the properties of that nature; so too the one who has achieved the perfection of love in himself, possesses all the forms of good that are considered with it, along with the archetype of achievements. For whether it is faith that saves, or through hope we are saved, or through patience we await grace, love believes all things and hopes all things and endures all things, as the Apostle says. And all the other things, that we may not spend time speaking of each one, become a sprout from the root of love, all that is earnestly pursued in the name of virtue, so that the one who has this, lacks none of the others. But indeed the great Basil had this; therefore he was lacking in none of the good things through it. And if he had all things, he was in no way diminished.

12 But someone will surely say that that one saw the third heaven and was caught up into paradise and heard unutterable words, which it is not lawful for a man to speak. But not even he openly received such grace through this flesh. For he does not hide his uncertainty, saying: Whether in the body, I do not know, or out of the body, I do not know; God knows. And concerning this one might dare to say that in the body he saw no such thing, but in incorporeal and intelligible contemplation there is nothing of these things that he left unseen. A witness to these things is his discourse, both that which he delivered himself and that which he left in his writings. That one, going about in a circle from Jerusalem to Illyricum, preached the word of the gospel to all those in between; and this man's word and preaching has traversed almost the entire inhabited world, being eagerly studied by all, just as the words of Paul. Let the remaining things be passed over, through which this man's life corresponds to that one's, for example, that one was crucified to the world, and the world to this one. That one put the body to death, and this one also perfected his power in weakness. To live was Christ for both, and death was a like gain for each, and the departure to the Master was more desirable than the erring life.

13 Or does it seem right to compare John also to the teacher? But that that one is preeminent among those born of women and is more than a prophet, as the divine voice testifies, it would be madness and impiety at the same time to bring another forward to compare with such a life; but to come after one so great and of such a kind, holds the proof of the highest blessedness. Let us understand the argument in this way. John was not in soft clothing, nor was he a reed shaken by the winds. But he embraced the wilderness before the inhabited places and again sojourned in the inhabited places. May no one then attack the argument, if the truth will also bear witness to this for our teacher, that in these things he is not left behind by the great John? Who does not know how he considered a soft and effeminate manner of life an enemy, in everything hunting for what is steadfast and manly before pleasures, warmed by the sun, exposed to the cold, training the body with fastings and self-control, dwelling in the cities as in deserts, being in no way harmed in virtue by company, and making the deserts into cities? For neither did his life among the many turn him from his precise and secure way of life. Nor, if he withdrew by himself to the remote places, was he able to be stripped of those who were with him for their benefit; so that also in this according to

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γνώσεως προτιμοτέραν λέγων, πίστεως δὲ παγιωτέραν, καὶ ἐλπίδος διαρκεστέραν, καὶ πάντοτε ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ διαμένουσαν, ἧς ἄνευ ἀνόνητον εἶναι πᾶν τὸ ἐπ' ἀγαθοῦ σπουδαζόμενον. ὁ δὲ Κύριος πάντα νόμον, καὶ πάντα τὰ μυστήρια τὰ προφητικὰ τοῦ τοιούτου ἐξάπτων χαρίσματος, πάντων πρωτεύειν τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποφαίνεται. εἰ οὖν ἐν τῷ ὑπερέχοντι καὶ περιληπτικῷ τῶν κατορθωμάτων οὐκ ἀπολείπεται τοῦ μεγάλου Παύ λου ἄρα καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις πᾶσιν, ὧν ἡ ἀγάπη καθηγεῖται, καὶ ὅσα ἐκ ταύτης ἐκφύεται, πάντως οὐκ ἔλαττον ἔχων ἀναφανήσεται. ὅσπερ γὰρ ὁ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως μετέ χων ἐν πᾶσίν ἐστι τοῖς τῆς φύσεως ἰδιώμασιν· οὕτως καὶ ὁ τὸ τέλειον τῆς ἀγάπης ἐν ἑαυτῷ κατορθώσας, πάντα ὅσα συν θεωρεῖται ταύτῃ τῶν ἀγαθῶν εἴδη μετὰ τοῦ πρωτοτύπου τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἔχει. εἴτε γὰρ πίστις ἐστὶν ἡ σώζουσα, εἴτε διὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος σωζόμεθα, εἴτε δι' ὑπομονῆς τὴν χάριν ἀπεκδεχόμεθα, ἡ ἀγάπη πάντα πιστεύει καὶ πάντα ἐλπίζει καὶ πάντα ὑπομένει, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος. καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἵνα μὴ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον λέγοντες διατρίβωμεν, τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀγάπην ῥίζης βλάστημα γίνεται, ὅσα τῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς λόγῳ σπουδάζεται, ὥστε τὸν ταύτην ἔχοντα, μηδενὸς ἐνδεῶς ἔχειν τῶν ἄλλων. ἀλλὰ μὴν εἶχε ταύτην ὁ μέγας Βασίλειος· οὐδενὸς ἄρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν δι' αὐτῆς ἀπελείπετο. εἰ δὲ πάντα εἶχεν ἐν οὐδενὶ πάντως ἠλάττωτο.

12 Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις πάντως, ὅτι τρίτον οὐρανὸν εἶδεν ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἡρπάγη εἰς τὸν παράδεισον καὶ ἤκουσεν ἄρρητα ῥήματα ἂ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος φανερῶς διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ταύτης τὴν τοιαύτην χάριν ἐδέξατο. οὐ γὰρ ἐπικρύπτεται τὴν ἀμφιβολίαν λέγων· Εἴτε ἐν σώματι οὐκ οἶδα, εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος οὐκ οἶδα· ὁ Θεὸς οἶδεν. καὶ περὶ τούτου τολμήσας εἴποι τις ἂν ὅτι ἐν σώματι τοιοῦτον μὲν οὐδὲν εἶδεν, τῇ δὲ ἀσωμάτῳ καὶ νοητῇ θεωρίᾳ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅ τι τού των ἀφῆκεν ἀθέατον. μάρτυς δὲ τούτων ὁ παρ' αὐτοῦ λόγος, ὅν τε ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ διεξῄει καὶ ὃν κατέλιπεν ἐν συγγράμμασιν. ἐκεῖνος ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπὶ τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν ἐν κύκλῳ περιελθὼν πᾶσι τοῖς διὰ μέσου τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν ἐκήρυξε λόγον· καὶ ὁ τούτου λόγος καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα πᾶσαν μικροῦ δεῖν τὴν οἰκουμένην διέλαβεν, ἐπ' ἴσης τοῖς Παύλου λόγοις παρὰ πάντων καὶ αὐτὸ σπουδαζόμενον. παρείσθω δὲ τὰ λοιπὰ δι' ὧν ὁ βίος τούτου πρὸς τὸν ἐκείνου συμφέρεται, οἷον ἐσταυρώθη τῷ κόσμῳ ἐκεῖνος, καὶ τούτῳ ὁ κόσμος. ἐνέκρωσε τὸ σῶμα ἐκεῖνος, ἐτελείωσε καὶ οὗτος ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τὴν δύναμιν. Χριστὸς ἦν τὸ ζῇν ἀμφοτέροις, καὶ ὅμοιον ἑκατέρῳ κέρδος ὁ θάνατος, καὶ προτιμοτέρα τοῦ πεπλανημένου βίου ἡ πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην ἀνάλυσις.

13 Ἢ καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἀντιπαραδεῖξαι τῷ διδασκάλῳ δοκεῖ; ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν προτερεύειν ἐκεῖνον τῷ ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν καὶ περισσότερον ἔχειν τοῦ προφήτου τῆς θείας φωνῆς μαρτυρούσης, μανίας ἂν εἴη καὶ ἀσεβείας ἅμα ἄλλον ἀντιπαρεξαγαγεῖν τῷ τοιούτῳ βίῳ διὰ συγκρίσεως· ἀλλὰ τοῦ τοσούτου καὶ τοιούτου καὶ τὸ κατόπιν ἐλθεῖν, τῆς ἀνω τάτω μακαριότητος τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει. οὑτωσὶ δὲ τὸν λόγον κατανοήσωμεν. οὐκ ἦν οὔτε ἐν μαλακοῖς ἱματίοις ὁ Ἰω άννης, οὔτε κάλαμος ἦν ἀνέμοις ἐνσαλευόμενος. ἠσπάζετο δὲ πρὸ τῶν οἰκουμένων τὴν ἔρημον καὶ πάλιν τοῖς οἰκουμένοις ἐπεχωρίαζεν. μή τις ἄρα ἐπισκήψει τῷ λόγῳ, εἰ τοῦτο προσ μαρτυρήσει καὶ τῷ διδασκάλῳ ἡμῶν ἡ ἀλήθεια, ὡς ἐν τού τοις αὐτὸν τοῦ μεγάλου Ἰωάννου μὴ ἀπολείπεσθαι; τίς οὐκ οἶδεν ὅπως μαλακήν τε καὶ τεθρυμμένην τοῦ βίου δίαιταν πολεμίαν ἡγήσατο, ἐν παντὶ τὸ καρτερικὸν καὶ ἀνδρῶδες πρὸ τῶν ἡδέων θηρώμενος, ἡλίῳ θαλπόμενος, κρύει παραβαλλόμενος, νηστείαις καὶ ἐγκρατείαις καταγυμνάζων τὸ σῶμα, ταῖς πόλεσιν ὡς ἐν ἐρήμοις ἐνδιατρίβων οὐδὲν εἰς ἀρετὴν ἐκ τῆς συντυχίας παραβλαπτόμενος, καὶ πόλεις τὰς ἐρημίας ἀπεργαζόμενος; οὔτε γὰρ ἡ μετὰ τῶν πολλῶν διαγωγὴ τῆς ἀκριβοῦς τι καὶ ἀσφαλοῦς πολιτείας παρέτρεψεν. οὔτε, εἰ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐσχατιὰν ἐχώρησεν, γυμνωθῆναι τῶν ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ συνόντων οἷός τε ἦν· ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου καθ'