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his face fell in dejection and tears poured from his eyelids; but she was so far from being humbled along with our suffering, that she made the memory of the saint an occasion for a loftier philosophy, and went through such discourses, explaining the nature of man and revealing through her words the divine economy hidden in sorrowful things, and relating things concerning the life to come as if she were inspired by the Holy Spirit; so that it seemed to me that my soul was, for a short while, outside of human nature, lifted up along with her words and was established within the heavenly sanctuaries by the guidance of her discourse.

18 And just as we hear in the story of Job, that although the man was wasting away over his whole body with the discharge from the corruption of his wounds, he did not incline his thoughts toward what pained his senses, but while he had pain in his body, his own energy was not blunted nor did he interrupt his discourse that was entering into higher things; I saw something of this kind also in that great woman, while the fever was scorching all her strength and driving her toward death, as if refreshing her own body with some kind of dew, so she kept her mind unimpeded in the contemplation of lofty things, in no way harmed by so great an illness. And if this writing were not extending to an infinite length, I would have related everything in order, how she was lifted up in her discourse, philosophizing to us about the soul and explaining the cause of life through the flesh, and for what purpose man is, and how he is mortal, and whence comes death, and what is the return from this back to life. In all these things, as if inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit, she went through everything clearly and logically, with all ease, her speech flowing like water from some spring carried unimpeded downwards.

19 When the discourse was finished; ‘It is time for you,’ she said, ‘brother, having been worn out by the great toil of the journey, to rest your body for a little while.’ And for me it was a great and true rest to look at her and to listen to her great words; but since this was pleasing and dear to her, so that I might seem to obey my teacher in all things, having found some charming lodging prepared in one of the nearby gardens, I rested under the shade of the vine-arbors. But it was not possible to have any enjoyment of the things that delight the senses, as my soul within was confounded by the expectation of sorrowful things; for the vision of the dream seemed to reveal the riddle to me through what was appearing. For the sight before me was truly the relic of a holy martyr, which was dead to sin, but was illumined by the indwelling grace of the Spirit. And I was relating these things to one of those who had previously heard my dream; and while we were, as was likely, in a state of dejection in expectation of grievous things, I do not know how, but having guessed our state of mind, she sent us a more cheerful message, and urged us to be of good courage and to have better hopes for her; for she had perceived a turn for the better. These things were not said to deceive, but the words were from truth itself, even if we for the present did not understand. For in reality, just as some runner who has outrun his rival and is already at the end of the course, approaching the prize and seeing the crown of victory, as if he had already obtained what was set before him, rejoices in himself and announces his victory to the more well-disposed spectators, from such a disposition she too gave us cause to hope for better things concerning herself, already looking toward ‘the prize of the upward call’ and almost uttering the words of the apostle for herself, that ‘Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the righteous judge will award to me,’ since ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’ We therefore, at the message of good things

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συνέπιπτεν ἐν κατηφείᾳ τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ ἐξεχεῖτο τῶν βλεφάρων τὰ δάκρυα· ἡ δὲ τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχε τῷ ἡμετέρῳ συνταπεινωθῆναι πάθει, ὥστε ἀφορμὴν ποιησαμένη τῆς ὑψηλοτέρας φιλοσοφίας τὴν περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου μνήμην τοιούτους διεξῆλθε λόγους φυσιολογοῦσά τε τὸ ἀνθρώπινον καὶ τὴν θείαν οἰκονομίαν τὴν διὰ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν κεκρυμμένην τῷ λόγῳ διακαλύ πτουσα τά τε περὶ τῆς μελλούσης ζωῆς καθάπερ θεοφορου μένη τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι διεξιοῦσα· ὥστε μοι τὴν ψυχὴν ἔξω μικροῦ δεῖν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως εἶναι δοκεῖν συνεπαρθεῖσαν τοῖς λεγομένοις καὶ ἐντὸς τῶν οὐρανίων ἀδύτων τῇ χειραγωγίᾳ τοῦ λόγου καθισταμένην.

18 Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἱστορίας ἀκούομεν, ὅτι πανταχόθεν τῇ σηπεδόνι τῶν τραυμάτων ὅλῳ τῷ σώματι διὰ ἰχώρων ὁ ἀνὴρ συντηκόμενος οὐ πρὸς τὸ ἀλγύνον τὴν αἴσθησιν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἐπεκλίνετο, ἀλλ' ἐν μὲν τῷ σώματι τὸ ἀλγοῦν εἶχεν, ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν ἐνέργειαν οὐκ ἠμβλύνετο οὐδὲ διέκοπτε τὸν λόγον τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις ἐμβατεύοντα· τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἑώρων ἐκείνης, τοῦ πυρετοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς κατα φρύγοντος καὶ πρὸς τὸν θάνατον συνελαύνοντος, καθάπερ δρόσῳ τινὶ τὸ σῶμα ἑαυτῆς ἀναψύχουσα, οὕτως ἀπαρα πόδιστον εἶχεν ἐν τῇ περὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν θεωρίᾳ τὸν νοῦν, οὐδὲν ὑπὸ τῆς τοσαύτης ἀρρωστίας παραβλαπτόμενον. Καὶ εἰ μὴ πρὸς ἄπειρον ἐξετείνετο μῆκος ἡ συγγραφή, πάντα ἂν καθεξῆς διηγησάμην, ὅπως ἐπήρθη τῷ λόγῳ περί τε τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῖν φιλοσοφοῦσα καὶ τῆς διὰ σαρκὸς ζωῆς τὴν αἰτίαν διεξιοῦσα, καὶ ὅτου χάριν ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ὅπως θνητὸς καὶ ὅθεν ὁ θάνατος καὶ τίς ἡ ἀπὸ τούτου πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν πάλιν ἀνάλυσις. Ἐν οἷς ἅπασιν ὥσπερ ἐμπνευσθεῖσα τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος πάντα διεξῄει σαφῶς τε καὶ ἀκολούθως, ἐν εὐκολίᾳ πάσῃ τοῦ λόγου ῥέοντος καθάπερ ἐκ πηγῆς τινος ἀπαραποδίστως πρὸς τὸ πρανὲς φερομένου τοῦ ὕδατος.

19 Ἐπεὶ δὲ συνεπεράνθη ὁ λόγος· «Ὥρα σοι, φησίν, ἀδελφέ, πολλῷ τῷ κόπῳ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας πεπονηκότι βραχύ τι διαναπαῦσαι τὸ σῶμα.» Κἀμοὶ μεγάλη μὲν καὶ ἀληθὴς ἄνεσις ἦν τὸ προσορᾶν τε αὐτὴν καὶ τῶν μεγάλων ἐπα κροᾶσθαι λόγων· ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο κεχαρισμένον ἦν καὶ φίλον αὐτῇ, ὡς ἂν διὰ πάντων πείθεσθαι τῇ διδασκάλῳ δοκοίην, ἔν τινι τῶν παρακειμένων κηπίων χαρίεσσάν τινα κατα γωγὴν παρεσκευασμένην εὑρὼν ὑπὸ τὴν τῶν ἀναδενδρά δων σκιὰν ἀνεπαυόμην. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν δυνατὸν τῶν εὐφραι νόντων τὴν αἴσθησιν ἔχειν τῆς ψυχῆς ἔνδοθεν τῇ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν ἐλπίδι συγχεομένης· τοῦ γὰρ ἐνυπνίου ἡ ὄψις ἐκκαλύπτειν μοι διὰ τῶν φαινομένων ἐδόκει τὸ αἴνιγμα. Ἦν γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς τὸ προκείμενον θέαμα μάρτυρος ἁγίου λείψανον, ὃ τῇ μὲν ἁμαρτίᾳ νενέκρωτο, τῇ δὲ ἐνοικούσῃ τοῦ πνεύματος χάριτι κατελάμπετο. Καὶ ταῦτα πρός τινα διεξῄειν τῶν προακηκοότων μου τὸ ἐνύπνιον· κατηφέστερον δὲ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν λυπούντων διακειμένων οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως στοχασαμένη τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν διανοίας ἀγγελίαν τινὰ τῶν εὐθυμοτέρων πρὸς ἡμᾶς δια πεμψαμένη θαρρεῖν ἐνεκελεύετο καὶ τὰς ἀμείνους ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἔχειν ἐλπίδας· ἐπῃσθῆσθαι γὰρ τῆς πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ῥοπῆς. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ πρὸς ἀπάτην ἐλέγετο, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ λόγος ἦν, κἂν ἡμεῖς πρὸς τὸ παρὸν ἠγνοή σαμεν. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ καθάπερ τις δρομεὺς παραδραμὼν τὸν ἀντίπαλον καὶ ἤδη πρὸς τὸ τέρματι τοῦ σταδίου γενόμε νος, προσεγγίζων τε τῷ βραβείῳ καὶ τὸν ἐπινίκιον στέφανον βλέπων, ὡς ἤδη τετυχηκὼς τοῦ προκειμένου ἐπαγάλλεταί τε αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς εὐνουστέροις τῶν θεατῶν τὴν νίκην εὐαγγελίζεται, ἀπὸ τοιαύτης ἡμῖν διαθέσεως κἀκείνη τὰ χρηστότερα περὶ ἑαυτῆς ἐλπίζειν ἐδίδου, ἤδη πρὸς «τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως» βλέπουσα καὶ μονονουχὶ τὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου καὶ ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς φθεγγομένη, ὅτι «Ἀπο κειταί μοι λοιπὸν ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ὃν ἀπο δώσει μοι ὁ δίκαιος κριτής», ἐπειδὴ «Τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα ἠγώνισμαι καὶ τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα καὶ τὴν πίστιν τετή ρηκα». Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀγγελίαν