of a greater judgment than the enumerated evils through such a renunciation, he would have freed the ascetic, together with the brotherhood, from labor and more transgressions. 53.12 But you, O athlete and ascetic of piety, if you would wish to sail across this great and broad sea, through the yawning and unspeakable ocean in the midst, having already advanced well from the earth and having detached the ship from matter, do not guide it to land again, seeking to return, but keep your eye fixed toward heaven. For you will find stars in the heaven to which I say you should look, whose names and number the heavenly pilot knows. you will find in it all the luminaries, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, truly fixed luminaries, illuminating the lightless night of this life; looking to whom you will safely guide the ship of piety to the harbor of rest, the heavenly Jerusalem, having left all things behind in imitation of them, and turning back to none of them. 53.13 For those who occupy themselves with worse things are many, but the workers of piety are few. But your intention of laborious renunciation has not been with the many of the broad way, but of those who press on to enter into eternal life through the narrow and afflicted way, and you ought to keep your profession unforgotten in your mind, and thus you will be able to bear all afflictions nobly. For not the chance comers, but the noble and ready to obey the will of God, traverse the narrow way, and have unceasing war against the spiritual forces of wickedness, who justly inherit the kingdom as chosen soldiers of God. 53.14 And in another way Moses the servant of God, speaking allegorically, said that the four-footed animals that part the hoof and chew the cud were clean, and those not having these traits unclean; that the man of God must not follow one thought without discernment, living together and taking pleasure with the evil thought that accompanies wickedness, but by always distinguishing himself through reason to have precisely the proper reasoning of his nature as an antagonist to the evil practices of wickedness, and to ruminate and to meditate and to exercise the mind in the faithful oracles of the commandments of God, so that always in these things the antagonistic and pious reasoning, dwelling within, may be strengthened against the accompanying wickedness, until it puts on the power from on high, which, having authoritatively destroyed the accompanying wickedness, will reveal the pure reasoning of a pure nature. Those, therefore, who struggle in this way and distinguish themselves are considered pure by God, standing outside of voluntary sins, and having presented their own will, as much as possible, to God alone. 53.15 For he who wishes to become a Christian in truth ought to possess the labor and the struggle not in a carnal way, but in the mind with the thoughts themselves. that is, he ought to accustom himself, as much as possible, always by the meditation of good and pure thoughts, and to extend his mind toward the right side, expecting every hour in faith the visitation of the Spirit, so that through such a struggle he may be able to receive purification, in order that everything he sees in the world he may take for the edification of the soul, understanding all things purely; for example, through wealth and the other delights of the world, the true, heavenly wealth above, or luxury, or unfading glory, of which these things are shadows. For this world is an image of the true and eternal one; therefore, whatever a man sees, he ought to receive within his soul for his benefit, so that the mind may never rest from meditation on good things, since these things can be achieved with much struggle and sweat and labor of soul; but God himself perfects everything in truth. 53.16 For he who wishes to escape and be delivered from the evil one must always have his thoughts as a dwelling place and refuge in the Lord, and

περισσοτέρου τῶν ἀπηριθμημένων κακῶν διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀποταγῆς κρίματος, τόν τε ἀσκητὴν ἀπήλλαξεν ἂν ὁμοῦ τῇ ἀδελφότητι κόπου καὶ πλημμελημάτων πλειόνων. 53.12 ἀλλὰ σύ γε, ὦ ἀθλητὰ εὐσεβείας καὶ ἀσκητά, εἰ βούλοιο ταύτην διαπλεῦσαι τὴν μεγάλην καὶ εὐρύχωρον θάλασσαν, διὰ τὸ ἀχανὲς ἐν μέσῳ καὶ ἄφατον πέλαγος, προκόψας ἀπὸ γῆς ἤδη καλῶς καὶ τῆς ὕλης ἀποσπάσας τὴν ναῦν, μὴ πάλιν εἰς γῆν ὁδηγοῦ, ζητῶν ἐπιστρέ φειν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἀτενὲς ἔχε τὸ ὄμμα. εὑρήσεις γὰρ ἀστέρας εἰς ὃν ἐγώ σέ φημι οὐρανὸν ἀφορᾶν, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὁ οὐράνιος ἐπίσταται κυβερνήτης. εὑρήσεις ἐν αὐτῷ τοὺς φωστῆρας ἅπαν τας, πατέρας, πατριάρχας, προφήτας, ἀποστόλους, καὶ μάρτυρας, φωστῆρας ἀληθῶς ἀπλανεῖς, τὴν ἀφεγγῆ τοῦ βίου καταυγάζοντας νύκτα· πρὸς οὓς ἀποβλέπων ἀσφαλῶς ὁδηγήσεις τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας ναῦν ἐπὶ λιμένα τῆς ἀναπαύσεως, Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἐπουράνιον, πάντα καταλελοιπὼς κατὰ μίμησιν αὐτῶν, καὶ πρὸς μηδὲν αὐτῶν ἐπιστρεφό μενος. 53.13 οἱ γὰρ ἐνδιατρίβοντες τοῖς χείροσι πλείους, σπάνιοι δὲ οἱ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐργάται. σοῦ δὲ ἡ τῆς ἐπιπόνου ἀποταγῆς πρόθεσις οὐχὶ μετὰ τῶν πολλῶν γέγονε τῆς πλατείας, ἀλλὰ τῶν διὰ τῆς στενῆς καὶ τεθλιμμένης εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν βιαζομένων, καὶ ὀφείλεις ἄληστον ἔχειν ἐν τῷ νῷ τὸ ἐπάγγελμα, καὶ οὕτω δυνήσῃ πάσας τὰς θλίψεις φέρειν γενναίως. οὐ γὰρ οἱ τυχόντες, ἀλλὰ γενναῖοι καὶ ἕτοιμοι τῷ θελήματι τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπακούειν, τὴν στενὴν διαπορεύονται, καὶ πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἀδιάλειπτον ἔχουσι πόλεμον, οἵτινες δικαίως τὴν βασιλείαν κληρονομοῦσιν ὡς ἐκλεκτοὶ στρατιῶται τοῦ θεοῦ. 53.14 καὶ ἑτέρως δὲ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ θεράπων Μωυσῆς αἰνιττόμενος τὰ διχηλοῦντα καὶ μηρυκώμενα τετράποδα καθαρὰ ἔλεγεν εἶναι τὰ δὲ μὴ οὕτως ἔχοντα ἀκάθαρτα· ὅτι οὐ χρὴ ἑνὶ λογισμῷ ἀδιακρίτως ἀκολου θεῖν τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον συνδιαζῶντα καὶ συνηδόμενον τῷ τῆς κακίας συνόντι πονηρῷ λογισμῷ, ἀλλ' ἑκάστοτε διακρίνοντα ἑαυτὸν διὰ τοῦ λόγου ἀκριβῶς ἔχειν τῆς φύσεως τὸν ἴδιον λογισμὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν τῶν πονηρῶν τῆς κακίας ἐπιτηδευμάτων, καὶ ἀναμηρυκᾶσθαι καὶ ἐμμελε τᾶν καὶ γυμνάζειν τὸν νοῦν εἰς τὰ πιστὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγια, ὅπως ἀεὶ ἐν τούτοις ὁ ἀνταγωνιστὴς καὶ εὐσεβὴς λογισμὸς ἐνδιαιτώμενος δυναμωθῇ κατὰ τῆς συνούσης κακίας, ἕως οὗ ἐνδύσηται τὴν ἐξ ὕψους δύναμιν, ἥτις ἐξουσιαστικῶς τὴν συνοῦσαν πονηρίαν ἀνελοῦσα καθαρὸν τὸν τῆς καθαρᾶς φύσεως λογισμὸν ἀναδείξει. οἱ οὕτως οὖν ἀγωνιζόμενοι καὶ διακρίνοντες ἑαυτοὺς καθαροὶ παρὰ θεῷ λογίζονται, ἑκουσίων ἁμαρ τημάτων ἐκτὸς καθεστῶτες, καὶ τὸ ἑαυτῶν θέλημα, ὅση δύναμις, θεῷ μόνῳ παραστήσαντες. 53.15 ὁ γὰρ γενέσθαι βουλόμενος ἐξ ἀληθείας Χριστιανὸς τὸν πόνον καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα οὐ σαρκικὸν ὀφείλει κεκτῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ τῷ νῷ αὐτοῖς τοῖς λογισμοῖς. τουτέστιν ἀεὶ τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ καθαρῶν ἐννοιῶν μελετῇ ὀφείλει ἑαυτὸν, ὅση δύναμις, ἐθίζειν, καὶ εἰς τὸ δεξιὸν μέρος τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ ἐκτείνειν, τὴν ἐπιφοίτησιν τοῦ πνεύματος πᾶσαν ὥραν ἐν πίστει προσ δοκῶντα, ὅπως διὰ τοῦ τοιούτου ἀγῶνος τὸν καθαρισμὸν δέξασθαι δυνηθῇ, ἵνα πᾶν ὃ βλέπει ἐν κόσμῳ εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς ψυχῆς λαμβάνῃ καθαρῶς ἐννοούμενος πάντα· οἷον διὰ τοῦ πλούτου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τοῦ κόσμου τερπνῶν τὸν ἄνω ἐπουράνιον πλοῦτον ἀληθινὸν ἢ τρυφὴν ἢ δόξαν ἀμάραντον, ὧν εἰσι ταῦτα σκιαί. ὁ γὰρ κόσμος οὗτος, τοῦ ἀληθι νοῦ καὶ αἰωνίου εἰκὼν τυγχάνει· πᾶν οὖν ὅπερ ὁ ἄνθρωπος βλέπει ἔνδον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ λαμβάνειν ὀφείλει, ἵνα μηδέποτε ἠρεμῇ ὁ νοῦς τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν μελετῆς, ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα μετὰ πολλοῦ ἀγῶνος καὶ ἱδρῶτος καὶ πόνου ψυχῆς δύναται κατορθωθῆναι· τὸ δὲ πᾶν αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς καταρτίζει ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. 53.16 τὸν γὰρ βουλόμενον διαφυγεῖν καὶ ῥυσθῆναι τοῦ πονηροῦ ἀεὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐλιστήριον καὶ καταφυγὴν εἰς τὸν κύριον δεῖ κεκτῆσθαι, καὶ