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and those from a long time ago; for indeed it is right to call them so too. For if we show great earnestness concerning our own soul, it is possible even after ten years to be newly-illumined, if we preserve the newness that comes to us from illumination. For it is not time that makes one newly-illumined, but a pure life; for it is possible even after two days for one who is not attentive to lose the dignity of the title. And I will give you an example of this, how a newly-illumined person immediately lost, after two days, both the grace and the honor of being newly-illumined. I tell the example so that, seeing the fall, you may secure your own salvation. For not only from those who are standing, but also from those who have been tripped up, you must be corrected and healed. Simon the magician changed, it says, and being baptized continued with Philip, beholding the signs; but after a few days he immediately returned to his own wickedness, and wished to buy salvation with money. What then does Peter say to the newly-illumined? "I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity; therefore pray to the Lord, if perhaps this wickedness of yours may be forgiven." He had not yet entered into the contests, and immediately he fell an unpardonable fall. Just as it is possible, then, after two days to fall, and to lose the title of newly-illumined and its grace, so also after ten and twenty years and until the last day is it possible to have this both brilliant and venerable name and reality. And of this the apostle Paul is a witness, shining more brightly in his old age. For since this newness is not from nature, but we are lords of either choice, both to grow old and to remain new lies within our power. For in the case of the body, even if one strives for everything, even if one manages everything, and does not wear out the body, even if one makes it stay inside, even if one does not exhaust it with toils and continuous labors, old age will in any case overtake it according to the law of nature; but in the case of the soul it is not so; but if you do not wear it out, nor exhaust it with the toils of life and worldly cares, it remains forever, preserving its pristine newness. Do you not see these stars in the heavens? They have now been shining for us for six thousand years, and not one of them has become dimmer. If where there is nature, the light has so remained in its prime; where there is choice, will it not much more remain such as it shone from the beginning? Rather, if we wish, it will not only remain such, but will also be more brilliant, so as even to rival the rays of the sun. Do you wish to learn how it is possible even after time to be newly-illumined? Hear what Paul says to people who had been illumined long before: "Among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life to my boasting." You have put off the old and tattered garment, you have anointed yourselves with the spiritual ointment, you have all become free; let no one henceforth return to the former slavery. The matter is a war and a contest. 51.76 No slave competes, no servant serves as a soldier; but if he is caught being a slave, he is cast out of the register of soldiers with punishment. Not only in this military service, but also in the Olympic games this same custom prevails. For after the thirty days here, leading them up to the suburb they lead them around, and with the whole theater seated, the herald cries, "Does anyone accuse this man?" so that, having cast off the suspicion of slavery, he may thus enter the contests. If the devil does not accept slaves into his own contests, how do you dare, having become a slave of sin, to enter the contests of Christ? There the herald says, "Is there any accuser of this man?" but here Christ does not speak thus; but even if all accuse him before baptism, He says, "I will receive him, and I will cast off his slavery, and having made him free I will bring him into the contests." Have you seen the philanthropy of the contest-giver? He does not inquire into former things, but demands an account of the things that come after. When you were a slave, you had countless accusers, the

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καὶ τοὺς πρὸ πλείονος χρόνου· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τούτους οὕτω χρὴ καλεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ πολλὴν σπουδὴν ἐπιδεικνύμεθα περὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ψυχὴν, ἔξεστι καὶ μετὰ δέκα ἔτη εἶναι νεοφωτίστους, ἐὰν τὴν νεότητα τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ φωτίσματος ἐγγινομένην ἡμῖν διασώσωμεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ χρόνος ποιεῖ νεοφώτιστον, ἀλλ' ὁ βίος ὁ καθαρός· ἐγχωρεῖ γὰρ καὶ μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας ἀπολέσαι τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς προσηγορίας τὸν μὴ προσέχοντα. Καὶ τούτου παράδειγμα ὑμῖν ἐρῶ, πῶς νεοφώτιστος εὐθέως ἀπώλεσε μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας καὶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ νεοφωτίστου καὶ τὴν τιμήν. Λέγω δὲ τὸ παράδειγμα, ἵνα ἰδόντες τὸ πτῶμα, ἀσφαλίσησθε τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑστώτων ὑμᾶς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπεσκελισμένων διορθοῦσθαι χρὴ καὶ θεραπεύειν. Σίμων ὁ μάγος μετεβάλετο, φησὶ, καὶ βαπτισθεὶς προσκαρτερῶν ἦν τῷ Φιλίππῳ, θεωρῶν τὰ σημεῖα· ἀλλὰ μετ' ὀλίγας ἡμέρας εὐθέως ἐπανῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κακίαν, καὶ διὰ χρημάτων ἐβούλετο τὴν σωτηρίαν πρίασθαι. Τί οὖν φησι τῷ νεοφωτίστῳ ὁ Πέτρος; Εἰς χολὴν πικρίας καὶ σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας ὁρῶ σε ὄντα· διὸ δεήθητι τοῦ Κυρίου, εἰ ἄρα ἀφεθήσεταί σοι ἡ κακία αὕτη. Οὔπω ἐνέβη εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας, καὶ εὐθέως ἔπεσεν εἰς πτῶμα ἀσύγγνωστον. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἔστι μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας πεσεῖν, καὶ ἀπολέσαι τὴν προσηγορίαν τοῦ νεοφωτίστου καὶ τὴν χάριν, οὕτω καὶ μετὰ δέκα ἔτη καὶ εἴκοσι καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἡμέρας ἔστιν ἔχειν καὶ λαμπρὸν τοῦτο καὶ σεμνὸν ὄνομά τε καὶ πρᾶγμα. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυς ἀπόστολος Παῦλος, ἐν γήρᾳ διαλάμψας μειζόνως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ νεότης αὕτη οὐκ ἀπὸ φύσεως, ἀλλ' ἑκατέρας προαιρέσεως ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν κύριοι, καὶ τὸ γηρᾶσαι καὶ μεῖναι νέους ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστι κείμενον. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ σώματος κἂν ἅπαντά τις ἐπισπουδάζῃ, κἂν ἅπαντά τις πραγματεύηται, καὶ μὴ κατατρίβῃ τὸ σῶμα, κἂν ποιῇ μένειν ἔνδον, κἂν μὴ κατατείνῃ τοῖς πόνοις αὐτὸ καὶ τοῖς συνεχέσιν ἔργοις, πάντως κατὰ τὸν τῆς φύσεως νόμον καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸ καταλήψεται τὸ γῆρας· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλ' ἂν μὴ κατατρίβῃς αὐτὴν, μηδὲ κατατείνῃς πόνοις βιωτικοῖς καὶ κοσμικαῖς φροντίσι, μένει διαπαντὸς ἀκραιφνῆ τὴν νεότητα διατηροῦσα. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τούτους τοὺς ἀστέρας τοὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς; Ἑξακισχίλια λοιπὸν ἡμῖν ἔτη φαίνουσι, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἀμαυρότερος γέγονεν. Εἰ δὲ ἔνθα φύσις, οὕτως ἔμεινεν ἀκμαῖον τὸ φῶς· ἔνθα προαίρεσις, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον μενεῖ τοιοῦτον, οἷον ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔλαμψε; Μᾶλλον δὲ, ἐὰν ἐθέλωμεν, οὐ τοιοῦτον μόνον μενεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ λαμπρότερον ἔσται, ὡς καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς ἁμιλλᾶσθαι τὰς ἡλιακὰς ἀκτῖνας. Βούλει μαθεῖν πῶς ἔξεστι καὶ μετὰ χρόνον εἶναι νεοφωτίστους; Ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος πρὸς ἀνθρώπους πρὸ πολλοῦ τοῦ χρόνου πεφωτισμένους· Ἐν οἷς φαίνεσθε ὡς φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ, λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες εἰς καύχημα ἐμοί. Ἀπεδύσασθε τὸ παλαιὸν καὶ διεῤῥωγὸς ἱμάτιον, ἠλείψασθε τὸ μύρον τὸ πνευματικὸν, ἐλεύθεροι πάντες ἐγένεσθε· μηδεὶς λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὴν δουλείαν ἐπανερχέσθω τὴν προτέραν. Πόλεμός ἐστι τὰ πράγματα καὶ ἀγών. 51.76 Οὐδεὶς ἀγωνίζεται δοῦλος, οὐδεὶς στρατεύεται οἰκέτης· ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἁλῷ δοῦλος ὢν, μετὰ τιμωρίας ἐκβάλλεται τοῦ τῶν στρατιωτῶν καταλόγου. Οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς στρατείας δὲ ταύτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Ὀλυμπιακῶν ἀγώνων τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἔθος κρατεῖ. Μετὰ γὰρ τὰς τριάκοντα ἡμέρας τὰς ἐνταῦθα ἀναγαγόντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ προάστειον περιάγουσι, καὶ τοῦ θεάτρου καθημένου παντὸς, βοᾷ ὁ κήρυξ, Μή τις τούτου κατηγορεῖ; ὥστε αὐτὸν ἀποσκευασάμενον τῆς δουλείας τὴν ὑποψίαν, οὕτως εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐμβῆναι. Εἰ δὲ ὁ διάβολος οὐ δέχεται δούλους εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ, πῶς σὺ τολμᾷς δοῦλος γενόμενος τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐμβῆναι τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Ἐκεῖ μὲν ὁ κήρυξ λέγει, Μή τις τούτου κατήγορος; ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ οὕτω λέγει· ἀλλὰ κἂν ἅπαντες αὐτοῦ κατηγορήσωσι πρὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, λέγει, Ἐγὼ δέξομαι αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀποσκευάσομαι τῆς δουλείας, καὶ ποιήσας ἐλεύθερον εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας εἰσάξω. Εἶδες φιλανθρωπίαν ἀγωνοθέτου; Οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ πρότερα, ἀλλὰ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖ. Ὅτε δοῦλος ἦς, μυρίους εἶχες κατηγόρους, τὸ