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My soul was disposed toward what was appearing, my nature on the one hand being weighed down into gloom, as was likely, because of no longer expecting to hear such a voice again, but rather expecting that in a moment the common boast of our lineage would depart from human life, and my soul on the other hand, as if divinely inspired by what was appearing, and supposing that she had transcended our common nature. For that she, even in her last breaths, felt no strangeness at the hope of her departure, nor cowered before the separation from life, but with an elevated mind philosophized until her last breath on those things she had determined from the beginning concerning this life, no longer seemed to me to be human, but as if some angel had, for a divine purpose, assumed a human form, for whom, since there was no kinship or affinity with life in the flesh, it was not unlikely for the mind to remain in a state of passionlessness, since the flesh did not drag it down to its own passions. For this reason, it seemed to me that that divine and pure love for the invisible Bridegroom, which she held hidden and nourished in the secret places of her soul, she was then making manifest to those present and publishing the disposition in her heart, by hastening toward the one she longed for, so that she might quickly be with him, released from the bonds of the body. For in truth her course was as to a lover, with none of the other pleasures of this life turning her eye toward itself.

23 And indeed the greater part of the day had already passed, and the sun was declining toward its setting. But her eagerness did not relent, but as much as she approached her departure, as if seeing more of the Bridegroom's beauty, she rushed with more vehement haste toward the one she longed for, uttering such things no longer to us who were present, but to that very one on whom she fixed her gaze steadfastly with her eyes. For her pallet was turned toward the east, and ceasing to converse with us, she henceforth spoke with God through prayer, supplicating with her hands and speaking in a low voice, so that we could moderately overhear what was being said; and such was her prayer that we had no doubt that it was both made to God and was being heard by him.

24 "You," she said, "have loosed for us, Lord, 'the fear of death'. You made the end of life here the beginning of true life for us. You for a season give our bodies rest in sleep and again awaken them 'at the last trumpet'. You give our earth as a deposit to the earth, which you formed with your hands, and again you take back what you gave, transforming our mortal and uncomely part with incorruption and grace. You have delivered us from the curse and from sin, having become both for us. You 'have broken the heads of the dragon' who through the chasm of disobedience seized man by the throat. You have made a way for us to the resurrection, having shattered the gates of Hades and 'brought to nothing him who has the power of death'. You 'have given a sign to those who fear you', the symbol of the holy cross for the destruction of the adversary and the security of our life. O eternal God, on whom 'I was cast from my mother's womb', 'whom my soul has loved' with all its strength, to whom I have dedicated both my flesh and my soul from my youth and until now, set by me a shining angel to lead me to the place of refreshment, where there is 'the water of rest', beside the bosoms of the holy fathers. You who cut through the flame of the fiery sword, and gave back to paradise the man who was crucified with you and fell upon your mercies, 'remember me also in your kingdom', for I too have been crucified with you, 'having nailed my flesh through fear of you and having been afraid of your judgments'. Let not the fearsome chasm separate me from your elect, nor let the slanderer stand against my way, nor let my sin be found before your eyes, if in anything I have erred through the weakness of our nature in word or in

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διετίθετό μοι πρὸς τὸ φαινόμενον ἡ ψυχή, τῆς μὲν φύσεως εἰς σκυθρωπότητα κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς βαρουμένης διὰ τὸ μηκέτι προσδοκᾶν τῆς τοιαύτης φωνῆς καὶ αὖθις ἀκούσεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὅσον οὐδέπω τὸ κοινὸν καύχημα τῆς γενεᾶς ἐλπίζειν ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου βίου μεταστήσεσθαι, τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς οἷον ἐνθουσιώσης ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων καὶ ἐκβεβηκέναι τὴν κοινὴν φύσιν ὑπονοούσης. Τὸ γὰρ μηδὲ ἐν ἐσχάταις ἀναπνοαῖς αὐτὴν οὖσαν παθεῖν τινα ξενισμὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐλπίδι τῆς μεταστάσεως μηδὲ δειλιάσαι πρὸς τὸν χωρισμὸν τῆς ζωῆς, ἀλλ' ὑψηλῇ τῇ διανοίᾳ τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτῇ περὶ τοῦ τῇδε βίου κεκριμένοις μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἐμφιλοσοφεῖν ἀναπνοῆς οὐκέτι μοι ἐδόκει τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων εἶναι, ἀλλ' οἷον ἀγγέλου τινὸς οἰκονομικῶς ἀνθρωπίνην ὑπελθόντος μορφήν, ᾧ μηδεμιᾶς οὔσης πρὸς τὸν ἐν σαρκὶ βίον συγγενείας ἢ οἰκειώσεως οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς ἐν ἀπαθείᾳ τὴν διάνοιαν μένειν, μὴ καθελκούσης τῆς σαρκὸς πρὸς τὰ ἴδια πάθη. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό μοι ἐδόκει τὸν θεῖον ἐκεῖνον καὶ καθαρὸν ἔρωτα τοῦ ἀοράτου νυμφίου, ὃν ἐγκεκρυμμένον εἶχεν ἐν τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπορρήτοις τρεφόμενον, ἔκδηλον ποιεῖν τότε τοῖς παροῦσι καὶ δημοσιεύειν τὴν ἐν καρδίᾳ διάθεσιν τῷ ἐπείγεσθαι πρὸς τὸν ποθούμενον, ὡς ἂν διὰ τάχους σὺν αὐτῷ γένοιτο τῶν δεσμῶν ἐκλυθεῖσα τοῦ σώματος. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ ὡς πρὸς ἐραστὴν ὁ δρόμος ἐγίνετο, οὐδενὸς ἄλλου τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἡδέων πρὸς ἑαυτὸ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἐπιστρέφοντος.

23 Καὶ τῆς μὲν ἡμέρας ἤδη παρῳχήκει τὸ πλέον καὶ ὁ ἥλιος πρὸς δυσμὰς ἐπεκλίνετο. Τῇ δὲ οὐκ ἐνεδίδου ἡ προ θυμία, ἀλλ' ὅσον τῇ ἐξόδῳ προσήγγιζεν, ὡς πλέον θεω ροῦσα τοῦ νυμφίου τὸ κάλλος ἐν σφοδροτέρᾳ τῇ ἐπείξει πρὸς τὸν ποθούμενον ἵετο, τοιαῦτα φθεγγομένη οὐκέτι πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς παρόντας, ἀλλὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον εἰς ὃν ἀτενὲς ἀφεώρα τοῖς ὄμμασι. Πρὸς γὰρ ἀνατολὴν ἐτέτραπτο αὐτῇ τὸ χαμεύνιον, καὶ ἀποστᾶσα τοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς διαλέ γεσθαι δι' εὐχῆς ὡμίλει τὸ λοιπὸν τῷ θεῷ χερσί τε ἱκε τεύουσα καὶ ὑποφθεγγομένη λεπτῇ τῇ φωνῇ, ὥστε ἡμᾶς ἐπαΐειν μετρίως τῶν λεγομένων· τοιαύτη δὲ ἦν ἡ εὐχή, ὡς μηδὲ ἀμφιβάλλειν, ὅτι καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐγίνετο καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου ἠκούετο.

24 Σύ, φησίν, ἔλυσας ἡμῖν, κύριε, «τοῦ θανάτου τὸν φόβον». Σὺ ζωῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀρχὴν ἡμῖν ἐποίησας τὸ τέλος τῆς ἐνταῦθα ζωῆς. Σὺ πρὸς καιρὸν ἡμῶν ὕπνῳ διαναπαύεις τὰ σώματα καὶ πάλιν ἀφυπνίζεις «ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγγι». Σὺ δίδως παρακαταθήκην τῇ γῇ τὴν ἡμετέραν γῆν, ἣν ταῖς σαῖς χερσὶ διεμόρφωσας, καὶ πάλιν ἀνακωμίζῃ ὃ ἔδωκας, ἀφθαρσίᾳ καὶ χάριτι μεταμορφώσας τὸ θνητὸν ἡμῶν καὶ ἄσχημον. Σὺ ἐρρύσω ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς κατάρας καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀμ φότερα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γενόμενος. Σὺ «συνέθλασας τὰς κεφαλὰς τοῦ δράκοντος» τοῦ διὰ τοῦ χάσματος τῆς παρακοῆς τῷ λαιμῷ διαλαβόντος τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Σὺ ὡδοποίησας ἡμῖν τὴν ἀνάστασιν, συντρίψας τὰς πύλας τοῦ ᾅδου καὶ «καταργήσας τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου». Σὺ «ἔδωκας τοῖς φοβουμένοις σε σημείωσιν» τὸν τύπον τοῦ ἁγίου σταυροῦ εἰς καθαίρεσιν τοῦ ἀντικειμένου καὶ ἀσφά λειαν τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς. Ὁ θεὸς ὁ αἰώνιος, ᾧ «ἐπερρίφην ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός», «ὃν ἠγάπησεν ἡ ψυχή μου» ἐξ ὅλης δυνάμεως, ᾧ ἀνέθηκα καὶ τὴν σάρκα καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ νεότη τός μου καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν, σύ μοι παρακατάστησον φωτεινὸν ἄγγελον τὸν χειραγω γοῦντά με πρὸς τὸν τόπον τῆς ἀναψύξεως, ὅπου «τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως», παρὰ τοὺς κόλπους τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων. Ὁ διακόψας τὴν φλόγα τῆς πυρίνης ῥομφαίας, καὶ ἀπο δοὺς τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν συσταυρωθέντα σοι καὶ ὑποπεσόντα τοῖς οἰκτιρμοῖς σου, κἀμοῦ «μνήσθητι ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου», ὅτι κἀγὼ σοὶ συνε σταυρώθην, «καθηλώσασα ἐκ τοῦ φόβου σου τὰς σάρκας μου καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν κριμάτων σου φοβηθεῖσα». Μὴ διαχωρισάτω με τὸ χάσμα τὸ φοβερὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκ λεκτῶν σου, μηδὲ ἀντιστήτω ὁ βάσκανος τῇ ὁδῷ μου μηδὲ εὑρεθείη κατενώπιον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου ἡ ἁμαρ τία μου, εἴ τι σφαλεῖσα διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἐν λόγῳ ἢ ἐν