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exercising your power and the endurance of those who fall into them. Therefore, do not lose heart; for there is only one thing to be feared, one temptation: sin alone. And I have not ceased to chant this word to you continually. All other things are a fable, whether you speak of plots, or enmities, or deceits, or slanders, or insults, or accusations, or confiscations, or exiles, or sharpened swords, or the sea, or the war of the whole world. For whatever these all may be, they are both temporary and transient, and happen to a mortal body, and do no harm at all to the sober soul. For this reason, the blessed Paul, wishing to show the worthlessness of both the good and the grievous things of the present life, revealed the whole matter in one word, saying: for the things which are seen are temporal. Why then do you fear temporary things, which flow by like river streams? For such are present things, whether good or grievous. But another prophet compared all human prosperity not to grass but to another, more worthless material, calling it all together a flower. For he did not set down a part of it, only wealth or luxury, but all things that seem to men to be glorious, embracing them under the single name of "glory," he thus introduced the image of grass, saying: all the glory of man as the flower of grass. But is adversity terrible and grievous? But see it also compared again to another image, and despise it also. For comparing insults and outrages and reproaches and mockeries from enemies and plots to a worn-out garment and moth-eaten wool, he said: fear not the reproach of men, neither be ye overcome by their contempt, for they shall grow old as a garment, and shall be eaten up as wool by a moth. Therefore, let nothing that happens trouble you. But cease calling upon this man and that man and running after shadows—for this is human alliance—call upon God, whom you worship, continuously; with a mere nod all things are resolved in the turn of a moment. But if you have called many times and have not been heard, do not despair; for such is the custom of the compassionate One. For was he not able to deliver those children, so that they would not fall into the fiery furnace? But, when they were taken captive, when they were cast into a barbarian land, then Christ the true God suddenly showed his wonder-working and scattered the fire. For it, not bearing the virtue of the righteous, leaped out and set on fire those of the Chaldeans whom it found around the furnace. And henceforth the furnace was a church for them, and they called upon all creation, both visible and invisible, angels and powers, and so taking all things together they said: O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord. Do you see how the patience of the saints both turned the fire into dew and shamed the tyrant? And throughout the whole world he sends letters: "Great," he says, "is the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego." And see how great a severity he imposed: if anyone should speak a word against them, his house should be confiscated and his possessions plundered. Therefore, do not lose heart, nor despair.

For even I, when I was driven from the city, I cared for none of these things, but said to myself: if the queen wishes to exile me, she will exile me; the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. If she wishes to saw me in two, she will saw me in two; I have Isaiah as an example. If she wants to hurl me into the sea, she will hurl me; I am reminded of Jonah. If she wants to throw me into a furnace, I have the three children who suffered this. If she wants to throw me to the beasts, I have Daniel. If she wants to stone me, let her stone me; I have Stephen the protomartyr. If she wants to take my head, I have John. If she wants to take my possessions, let her take them; naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall depart there. The apostle advises me, saying: God is no respecter of

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δύναμιν καὶ τῶν ἐμπιπτόντων τὴν ὑπομονὴν ἐγγυμνάζων. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀναπέσῃς· ἓν γὰρ μόνον ἐστὶ φοβερόν, εἷς πειρασμός· ἁμαρτία μόνον. Καὶ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ἐπᾴδων ὑμῖν τὸ ῥῆμα οὐκ ἐπαυσάμην. Τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα μῦθος, κἂν ἐπιβουλὰς εἴπῃς, κἂν ἀπεχθείας, κἂν δόλους, κἂν συκοφαντίας, κἂν λοιδορίας, κἂν κατηγορίας, κἂν δημεύσεις, κἂν ἐξορίας, κἂν ξίφη ἠκονημένα, κἂν πέλαγος, κἂν τὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης πόλεμον. Οἷα γὰρ ἂν ᾖ ταῦτα πάντα, πρόσκαιρά τέ ἐστι καὶ ἐπίκηρα καὶ ἐν θνητῷ γινόμενα σώματι καὶ τὴν νήφουσαν οὐδὲν παραβλάπτοντα ψυχήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῶν χρηστῶν καὶ τῶν λυπηρῶν τῶν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον τὸ εὐτελὲς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος δεῖξαι βουλόμενος μιᾷ λέξει τὸ πᾶν ἐνέφηνεν εἰπών· τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα. Τί τοίνυν τὰ πρόσκαιρα δέδοικας, τὰ ποταμίων ῥευμάτων δίκην παραρρέοντα; Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ παρόντα, κἂν χρηστά, κἂν λυπηρά. Προφήτης δὲ ἕτερος ἅπασαν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην εὐημερίαν οὐ χόρτῳ ἀλλ' ἑτέρᾳ ὕλῃ εὐτελεστέρᾳ παρέβαλεν ἄνθος αὐτὴν ὀνομάσας πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μέρος αὐτῆς ἔθηκε, πλοῦτον μόνον ἢ τρυφήν, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ ἀνθρώποις δοκοῦντα εἶναι λαμπρά, μιᾷ προσηγορίᾳ τῇ τῆς δόξης περιλαβών, οὕτως ἐπήγαγε τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χόρτου εἰπών· πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. Ἀλλ' ἡ δυσημερία δεινὸν καὶ βαρύ; Ἀλλ' ὅρα καὶ ταύτην πάλιν ἑτέρᾳ παραβαλλομένην εἰκόνι καὶ καταφρόνει καὶ ταύτης. Τὰς γὰρ λοιδορίας καὶ τὰς ὕβρεις καὶ τὰ ὀνείδη καὶ τὰ σκώμματα τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς ἱματίῳ παλαιωθέντι καὶ ἐρίῳ διαβρωθέντι παρεικάζων ἔλεγεν· ὀνειδισμὸν ἀνθρώπων μὴ φοβεῖσθε καὶ τῷ φαυλισμῷ αὐτῶν μὴ ἡττᾶσθε, ὅτι ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται καὶ ὡσεὶ ἔριον ὑπὸ σητὸς οὕτω βρωθήσονται. Μηδέν σε τοίνυν ταραττέτω τῶν γινομένων. Ἀλλ' ἀφεὶς τὸν δεῖνα καὶ τὸν δεῖνα παρακαλεῖν καὶ τὰς σκιὰς περιτρέχειν-τοῦτο γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνη συμμαχία-τὸν Θεόν, ᾧ λατρεύεις, ἐνδελεχῶς παρακάλει· νεύσει μόνον καὶ πάντα ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ λύεται ῥοπῇ. Εἰ δὲ πολλάκις παρεκάλεσας καὶ οὐκ εἰσηκούσθης, μὴ ὀλιγωρήσῃς· τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἔθος ἔχει ὁ φιλάνθρωπος. Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἐκείνους τοὺς παῖδας λυτρώσασθαι, ἵνα μὴ εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς ἐμπέσωσιν; Ἀλλ', ὅτε ᾐχμαλωτεύθησαν, ὅτε εἰς βαρβάρων χώραν ἀπερρίφησαν, τότε ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς ἄφνω τὴν θαυματοποιίαν ἐνεδείξατο καὶ διεσκόρπισε τὸ πῦρ. Μὴ φέρον γὰρ αὐτὸ τὴν ἀρετὴν τῶν δικαίων ἐξεπήδησεν ἔξω καὶ ἐνεπύρισεν οὓς εὗρε περὶ τὴν κάμινον τῶν Χαλδαίων. Καὶ λοιπὸν ἐκκλησία αὐτοῖς ἦν ἡ κάμινος καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν προσεκαλοῦντο, τά τε ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, ἀγγέλους καὶ δυνάμεις καὶ οὕτω πάντα συλλαβόμενοι ἔλεγον· εὐλογεῖτε πάντα τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου τὸν Κύριον. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἡ ὑπομονὴ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ τὸ πῦρ εἰς δρόσον μετέβαλε καὶ τὸν τύραννον ἐδυσώπησε. Καὶ κατὰ πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης πέμπει γράμματα· μέγας ὁ Θεός, φησί, Σεδράχ, Μισὰχ καὶ Ἀβδεναγώ. Καὶ ἴδε πόσην ἀποτομίαν ἐνέθηκεν· εἴ τις λόγον εἴποι κατ' αὐτῶν, τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ ταμιεύεσθαι καὶ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ διαρπάζεσθαι. Μὴ οὖν ἀθυμήσῃς, μηδὲ ὀλιγωρήσῃς.

Καὶ γὰρ ἐγώ, ὅτε ἐξηλαυνόμην τῆς πόλεως, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐφρόντιζον, ἀλλ' ἔλεγον πρὸς ἐμαυτόν· εἰ μὲν βούλεται ἡ βασίλισσα ἐξορίσαι, ἐξορίσει με· τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. Εἰ βούλεται πρίσαι, πρίσει με· τὸν Ἠσαΐαν ἔχω ὑπογραμμόν. Εἴ με θέλει εἰς τὸ πέλαγος ἀκοντίσαι, ἀκοντίσει με· τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ὑπομνιμνῄσκομαι. Εἰ θέλει εἰς κάμινον ἐμβαλεῖν, τοὺς τρεῖς παῖδας ἔχω τοῦτο πεπονθότας. Εἴ με θέλει τοῖς θηρίοις βαλεῖν, ἔχω τὸν ∆ανιήλ. Εἰ θέλει με λιθάσαι, λιθάσῃ με· Στέφανον ἔχω τὸν πρωτομάρτυρα. Εἰ θέλει τὴν κεφαλήν μου λαβεῖν, ἔχω τὸν Ἰωάννην. Εἰ θέλει τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μου λαβεῖν, λάβῃ αὐτά· γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ. Ἐμοὶ παραινεῖ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγων· πρόσ ωπον ἀνθρώπου Θεὸς οὐ