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of this life-giving question; for if you had done this without hesitation from the beginning, the good God would not have overlooked you, but would have clearly given you the enjoyment of what you longed for.

Therefore, if you wish to obtain what you desire and long for, I mean the good things of God, and from being human to become an earthly angel, love, brother, affliction of the body, embrace hardship, and love temptations as if they were to become for you procurers of every good thing. What is more beautiful, tell me, than a soul afflicted with the knowledge that by enduring it is about to inherit the joy of all things? What is more courageous than a contrite and humbled heart, which effortlessly turns the phalanxes of demons and utterly drives them away? What is more glorious than spiritual poverty, the procurer of the kingdom of heaven, than which what could be of equal worth either now or in the age to come? And not to be anxious for oneself for the sake of any earthly thing, but to have one's whole mind toward Christ, of how many eternal good things do you think this is the procurer, of how great an angelic state? And to despise all temporal things together and even, so to speak, the necessary needs of the body (30), so as not to contend with anyone over these things in order to preserve peace and love undiminished in an untroubled state of soul, of what rewards, of what crowns and prizes is this not worthy? Truly, the commandment is beyond nature and the rewards are beyond reason; Christ will become all things in place of all things for these people. But when you hear "Christ," do not pay attention to the simplicity of the word and the brevity of the expression, but understand for me the glory of the Godhead, which is beyond mind and thought, its ineffable power, its immeasurable mercy, its incomprehensible riches, which He gives to them both lavishly and generously, and these things are sufficient for them in place of all things, as they have received Him Himself in themselves, the cause and rewarder of every good thing; for he who has been deemed worthy to see and behold Him has desired nothing else, nor has he who has become full of the love of God endured to love anyone else on earth more.

Therefore let us strive, my beloved brothers, to find Christ and to see Him, how beautiful and delightful He is, since we also see many people, on account of a desire for certain temporal things, enduring many toils and labors and making long journeys, and not only this, but also despising wife and children and all other glory and luxury, and esteeming nothing else more than their own will, so as not to fail in their own purpose. And if some people lay down their whole struggle and their very soul for temporary and corruptible things, shall we not give over our souls (31) and our bodies to death for the sake of the King of kings and Lord of lords and Creator and Ruler of all? And where shall we go or where shall we flee, brothers, from His face? For if we ascend into heaven, we will find Him there; if we descend into Hades, He is there also; if we go to the uttermost parts of the sea, we will not escape His hand, but His right hand will hold our souls and our bodies. Since we are not able, brothers, to resist or to flee from the face of the Lord, come and let us give ourselves as slaves to the Lord God who for our sake put on the form of a slave and died for us, come and let us be humbled under His mighty hand, which gushes forth eternal life for all and imparts it richly through the Spirit to those who seek it.

O my beloved brothers, with how much pain and grief my soul is filled, when I wish to speak of the wonders of the hand of God and the ineffable

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τοῦ ζωηφόρου τούτου ζητήματος· εἰ γάρ ἀδιστάκτως τοῦτο πεποίηκας ἐξ ἀρχῆς, οὐκ ἄν σε ὁ ἀγαθός ὑπερεῖδε Θεός, ἀλλ᾿ ἔδωκεν ἄν σοι τοῦ ποθουμένου σαφῶς τήν ἀπόλαυσιν.

Τοιγαροῦν εἰ θέλεις ἐπιτυχεῖν ὧν ἐφίεσαι καί ποθεῖς, τῶν ἀγαθῶν λέγω τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί ἐξ ἀνθρώπων γενέσθαι ἄγγελος ἐπίγειος, ἀγάπησον, ἀδελφέ, θλῖψιν σώματος, ἄσπασαι κακοπάθειαν, τούς δέ πειρασμούς οὕτω φίλησον ὡς μέλλοντάς σοι γενέσθαι προξένους παντός ἀγαθοῦ. Τί ὡραιότερον, εἰπέ μοι, θλιβομένης ψυχῆς μετά γνώσεως ὅτι ὑπομένουσα τήν πάντων μέλλει κληρονομῆσαι χαράν; Τί ἀνδρειότερον συντετριμμένης καί τεταπεινωμένης καρδίας, ἥ τάς φάλαγγας τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπονητί τρέπουσα εἰς τέλος ἀποδιώκει; Τί ἐνδοξότερον πτωχείας πνευματικῆς τῆς προξένου τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἧς τί ἄν καί ἔσται ἀντάξιον ἤ νῦν ἤ ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι; Τό δέ καί ἑαυτοῦ μή μεριμνᾶν ἕνεκέν τινος τῶν γηῒνων, ἀλλ᾿ ὅλην ἔχειν τήν διάνοιαν πρός Χριστόν, πόσων τοῦτο οἴει εἶναι πρόξενον ἀγαθῶν αἰωνίων, ὅσης τῆς ἀγγελικῆς καταστάσεως; Τό δέ καί πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν προσκαίρων καταφρονεῖν καί αὐτῶν εἰπεῖν τῶν τοῦ σώματος (30) ἀναγκαίων χρειῶν, ὡς μή φιλονεικεῖν ὑπέρ τούτων μετά τινος διά τό τήν εἰρήνην καί τήν ἀγάπην ἐν ἀταράχῳ ψυχῆς καταστήματι ἀμείωτον συντηρεῖν, ποίων τῶν ἀμοιβῶν, τίνων δέ τῶν στεφάνων καί τῶν βραβείων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπάξιον; Ὄντως ὑπέρ φύσιν ἡ ἐντολή καί ὑπέρ λόγον αἱ ἀμοιβαί, Χριστός τά πάντα ἀντί πάντων τούτοις γενήσεται. Χριστόν δέ ἀκούων μή τῇ τοῦ λόγου ἁπλότητι καί τῇ βραχύτητι τῆς λέξεως πρόσεχε, ἀλλά τήν τῆς Θεότητος ἐννόει μοι δόξαν, τήν ὑπέρ νοῦν καί διάνοιαν, τό ταύτης κράτος τό ἄφραστον, τό ἀμέτρητον ἔλεος, τόν ἀκατάληπτον πλοῦτον, ἅ δαψιλῶς τε καί φιλοτίμως αὐτοῖς δίδωσι, καί ταῦτα τούτοις ἀντί πάντων ἀρκεῖ, ὡς δεξαμένοις αὐτόν ἐκεῖνον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, τόν αἴτιον καί βραβευτήν παντός ἀγαθοῦ· οὐδέ γάρ ἐπεθύμησέ τινος ἑτέρου ὁ αὐτόν ἰδεῖν καί θεάσασθαι καταξιωθείς, οὐδ᾿ ὁ τῆς ἀγάπης ἔμπλεως γεγονώς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄλλον τινά ἐπί γῆς ἀγαπῆσαι πλέον ἠνέσχετο.

Τοιγαροῦν σπουδάσωμεν, ἀγαπητοί μου ἀδελφοί, τόν Χριστόν εὑρεῖν καί ἰδεῖν αὐτόν, ὁποῖός ἐστι τό κάλλος καί τήν τερπνότητα, ἐπειδή καί πολλούς ὁρῶμεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων δι᾿ ἑπιθυμίαν προσκαίρων τινῶν κόπους καί πόνους πολλούς ὑπομένοντας καί μακράς ἀποδημίας ποιουμένους, οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά καί γυναικός καί τέκνων καί πάσης ἄλλης δόξης καί τρυφῆς καταφρονοῦντας καί μηδέν ἕτερον τοῦ ἰδίου προτιμωμένους θελήματος, ὥστε μή ἀποτυχεῖν τοῦ ἰδίου σκοποῦ. Καί εἰ διά πρόσκαιρα καί φθαρτά τόν ὅλον ἀγῶνα καί αὐτήν τίθενται τήν ψυχήν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τινές, ἡμεῖς ὑπέρ τοῦ Βασιλέως τῶν βασιλευόντων καί Κυρίου τῶν κυριευόντων καί κτίστου καί ἐξουσιαστοῦ τῶν ἁπάντων τάς ψυχάς ἡμῶν (31) καί τά σώματα εἰς θάνατον οὐ προδώσωμεν; Καί ποῦ ἀπελευσώμεθα ἤ ποῦ φύγωμεν, ἀδελφοί, ἀπό προσώπου αὐτοῦ; Ἐάν γάρ εἰς τόν οὐρανόν ἀναβῶμεν, ἐκεῖ αὐτόν ὄντα εὑρήσομεν· ἐάν εἰς τόν ᾅδην κατέλθωμεν, κἀκεῖ πάρεστιν· ἐάν εἰς τά ἔσχατα τῆς θαλάσσης, οὐ φευξόμεθα τήν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ᾿ ἡ δεξιά αὐτοῦ κατάσχῃ τάς ἡμετέρας ψυχάς καί τά σώματα. Μή δυνάμενοι οὖν ἀνθίστασθαι ἀδελφοί, ἤ φυγεῖν ἀπό προσώπου Κυρίου, δεῦτε καί δῶμεν ἑαυτούς δούλους τῷ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς δούλου μορφήν ἐνδυσαμένῳ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ καί ἀποθανόντι ὑπέρ ἡμῶν, δεῦτε καί ταπεινωθῶμεν ὑπό τήν κραταιάν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, τήν βλύζουσαν πᾶσι ζωήν τήν αἰώνιον καί τοῖς ζητοῦσι μεταδιδοῦσαν αὐτήν πλουσίως διά τοῦ Πνεύματος.

Ὦ ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοί, πόσης ὀδύνης καί λύπης ἡ ψυχή μου πεπλήρωται, ὅταν ἐγώ μέν ἐξειπεῖν βουληθῶ τῆς χειρός τοῦ Θεοῦ τά θαυμάσια καί τό ἄφραστον