of what are considered to be dearest in life, of affection towards possession or towards this life, but having turned away from all these things, we may become wholly God’s and of the life with Him and in His presence as those who will have fellowship with His only-begotten and with those who partake of Him, then we might say that we have fulfilled the measure of the confession; but if we should be lacking in even one thing, we have not fulfilled but have defiled the measure of the confession and have mixed something foreign with it. Therefore we will need what those who have built upon the foundation with “wood” or “hay” or “stubble” need. 12 And this also we must know, that we received the so-called covenants of God on the basis of agreements which we made with him, undertaking to live according to Christianity. And in our agreements with God was the whole manner of life according to the gospel, which says: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” And often we have become more inspired hearing also this: “For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” But that it is necessary to deny oneself and take up one’s cross and follow Jesus, not only Matthew, whose wording we have cited, has written, but also Luke and Mark. For hear what Luke says: “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” And Mark: “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Therefore, long ago we ought to have denied ourselves and said: “I no longer live;” and now let it be shown if, having taken up our cross, we have followed Jesus; which has happened, if “Christ lives” in us. If we wish to save our soul, so that we may receive it back as a better soul, let us also lose it by martyrdom. For if we lose it for Christ's sake, casting it upon him in death for his sake, we will obtain true salvation for it; but if the contrary, we will hear that the one who has gained the whole perceptible world through his own destruction or through being deprived of himself is not profited at all. And once someone has lost his own soul or been deprived of it, even if he gains the whole world, he will not be able to give it “in exchange for” the perishing “soul.” For that which has been created “according to the image of God” is more honorable than all bodies. One alone has been able to give an exchange for our formerly perishing soul, the one who purchased us with his own “precious blood.” 13 And according to certain deeper meanings Isaiah says: “I gave Egypt as your ransom, and Ethiopia and Seve for you; since you became precious in my sight,” but the exact meaning concerning this and the rest, if loving to learn in Christ and wishing at some point to transcend learning “through a glass” and “darkly,” you hasten to the one who called, in just a little while you will know “face to face” as friends of the father and teacher in heaven. For friends learn in plain sight and not through riddles or by the bare wisdom of sounds and words and symbols and types, encountering the nature of intelligible things and the beauty of truth. If indeed

νομιζομένων εἶναι ἐν τῷ βίῳ φιλτάτων φιλοστοργί ας πρὸς τὴν κτῆσιν ἢ πρὸς τὸ ζῆν τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὅλα ταῦτα ἀποστρα φέντες ὅλοι γενοίμεθα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ παρ' αὐτῷ ζωῆς ὡς κοινωνήσοντες τῷ μονογενεῖ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῖς μετόχοις αὐ τοῦ, τότ' ἂν εἴποιμεν ὅτι ἐπληρώσαμεν τὸ μέτρον τῆς ὁμολογίας· εἰ δὲ κἂν ἑνί τινι λείποιμεν, οὐκ ἐπληρώσαμεν ἀλλ' ἐμολύναμεν τὸ τῆς ὁμολογίας μέτρον καὶ ἐπεμίξαμέν τι αὐτῷ ἀλλότριον. διὸ δεησό μεθα ὧν δέονται οἱ ἐποικοδομήσαντες τῷ θεμελίῳ «ξύλα» ἢ «χόρτον» ἢ «καλάμην». 12 Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἡμᾶς εἰδέναι χρὴ, ὅτι τὰς καλουμένας τοῦ θεοῦ διαθήκας ἐπὶ συνθήκαις παρεδεξάμεθα αἷς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐποιησά μεθα ἀναδεχόμενοι τὸ κατὰ χριστιανισμὸν βιοῦν. καὶ ἐν ταῖς πρὸς θεὸν συνθήκαις ἡμῶν ἦν πᾶσα ἡ κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πολιτεία, λέγον· «εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι. ὃς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι, ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃς δ' ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, οὗτος σώσει αὐτήν.» πολλάκις δὲ ἐμπνουστότεροι γεγό ναμεν ἀκούοντες καὶ τοῦ· «τί γὰρ ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ; ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ; μέλλει γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀν θρώπου ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ, καὶ τότε ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ.» τὸ δὲ δεῖν ἀρνεῖσθαι ἑαυτὸν καὶ αἴρειν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ σταυρὸν καὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἀκολουθεῖν οὐ μόνος Ματθαῖος, οὗ τὴν λέξιν παρεθέμε θα, ἀνέγραψεν ἀλλὰ καὶ Λουκᾶς καὶ Μάρκος. ἄκουε γὰρ Λουκᾶ μὲν λέγοντος· «ἔλεγε δὲ πρὸς πάντας· εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεσθαι, ἀρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι. ὃς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι, ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃς δ' ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, οὗτος σώσει αὐτήν. τί γὰρ ὠφελεῖται ἄνθρωπος κερδήσας τὸν κόσμον ὅλον, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἀπο λέσας ἢ ζημιωθείς;» Μάρκου δέ· «καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν ὄχλον σὺν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἀκο λουθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι. ὃς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν σῶσαι, ἀπολέ σει αὐτήν· ὃς δ' ἂν ἀπολέσῃ ἕνεκεν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, σώσει αὐτήν. τί δὲ ὠφελήσει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐὰν κερδήσῃ τὸν κόσμον ὅλον καὶ ζη μιωθῇ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ; τί γὰρ δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;» πάλαι τοίνυν ὀφείλομεν ἀρνεῖσθαι ἑαυτοὺς καὶ λέγειν· «ζῶ οὐκέτι ἐγώ·» καὶ νῦν δὲ φανήτω, εἰ ἄραντες ἑαυτῶν τὸν σταυρὸν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἠκολουθήσαμεν· ὅπερ γέγονεν, εἰ «ζῇ» ἐν ἡμῖν «Χριστός». εἰ θέλομεν ἡμῶν σῶσαι τὴν ψυχὴν, ἵνα αὐτὴν ἀπολάβωμεν κρείττονα ψυχῆς, καὶ μαρτυρίῳ ἀπολέσωμεν αὐτήν. ἐὰν γὰρ ἀπολέσωμεν αὐτὴν ἕνεκεν Χριστοῦ αὐτῷ ἐπιῤῥιπτοῦντες αὐτὴν ἐν τῷ δι' αὐτὸν θανάτῳ, τὴν ἀληθῆ σωτηρίαν περιποιήσομεν αὐτῇ· ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον, ἀκούσομεν ὅτι οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖται ὁ τὸν ὅλον κερδήσας αἰσθητὸν κόσμον διὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἀπωλείας ἢ διὰ τοῦ ἑαυτὸν ἐζημιῶσθαι. ἅπαξ δὲ ἀπολέσας τις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἢ ζημιωθεὶς αὐτὴν, κἂν τὸν ὅλον κερδήσῃ κόσμον, οὐ δυνήσεται αὐτὸν δοῦναι «ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς» ἀπολλυμένης «ψυχῆς». ἡ γὰρ «κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ» δεδημιουργημένη τιμιωτέρα ἐστὶ πάντων σωμάτων. εἷς μόνος δεδύνηται δοῦναι ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ἀπολλυμένης πρότερον ψυχῆς ἡμῶν, ὁ ὠνησάμενος ἡμᾶς τῷ ἑαυτοῦ «τιμίῳ αἵματι». 13 Καὶ κατά τινας δὲ βαθυτέρους λόγους φησὶν Ἡσαΐας· «ἔδωκά σου ἄλλαγμα Αἴγυπτον καὶ Αἰθιοπίαν καὶ Συήνην ὑπὲρ σοῦ· ἀφ' οὗ σὺ ἔντιμος ἐγενήθης ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ», τὸν δὲ περὶ τούτου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀκριβῆ λόγον ἐὰν φιλομαθοῦντες ἐν Χριστῷ καὶ ἤδη ποτὲ τὸ «δι' ἐσόπτρου» καὶ «ἐν αἰνίγματι» μανθάνειν ὑπερβαίνειν θέλοντες σπεύδητε πρὸς τὸν καλέσαντα, ὅσον οὐδέπω «πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον» εἴσεσθε ὡς φίλοι τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς πατρὸς καὶ δι δασκάλου. οἱ γὰρ φίλοι ἐν εἴδει καὶ οὐ δι' αἰνιγμάτων μανθάνουσιν ἢ γυμνῇ σοφίᾳ φωνῶν καὶ λέξεων καὶ συμβόλων καὶ τύπων, προσ βάλλοντες τῇ τῶν νοητῶν φύσει καὶ τῷ τῆς ἀληθείας κάλλει. εἴπερ