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to the west as far as the very bank of the river—its name is Euphrates—and towards the rising sun it has the boundary of the Roman dominion; for Assyria succeeds it, being the western limit of the Persian kingdom, which later men named Adiabene. In this nation there are many large and populous cities, and a very great land is inhabited, but a very great land is both uninhabited and desert. 2.2 This divine man, having occupied the extremity of this desert and found a cave not man-made, nor well and finely dug, but able to provide some small shelter for those wishing to take refuge, gladly inhabited the place, considering it more precious than palaces gleaming with gold and silver. In this he passed his time, partaking of food once a week. His food was barley-bread, and that of bran, his relish was salt, his most pleasant drink the natural spring of water, and this was not measured by satiety, but determined by the need for the food previously taken. And his delicacy and luxury and every kind of feast was the singing of David's psalms and continual conversation with God. And enjoying these insatiably, he did not wish to have his fill, but was always being filled, and always cried out: "How sweet are your words to my throat, more than honey and the honeycomb to my mouth." For he heard again the blessed David saying: "The judgments of the Lord are true, righteous altogether, more to be desired than gold and much precious stone, and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb." He heard him again saying: "Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the requests of your heart." And again: "Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice." And: "Gladden my heart, to fear your name." And: "Taste and see that the Lord is good." And: "My soul has thirsted for God, the strong, the living." And: "My soul has clung close behind you." And he transferred into himself the love of the one who had said these things. For on account of this the great David also taught these things by singing, so that he might make many partners and fellow-lovers of God; and he did not fail in his hope, but he wounded both this divine man and countless others with divine love. For this man received so great a torch of affection, that he was intoxicated with longing and saw nothing of earthly things, but only the beloved, dreaming of him by night and imagining him by day. 2.3 Many, having learned of his supreme philosophy, some living in the neighborhood, others from afar—for fame, as if winged, ran everywhere—ran, beseeching to share in the wrestling-school and to live for the rest of their lives under him, as some gymnastic-master and trainer. For not only do birds hunt birds, singing and calling their kin to themselves and entangling them in the surrounding snares, but men also hunt their fellows, some for ruin, others for salvation. Thus gathering together, they quickly became ten, then double and triple that, and later they filled the number of one hundred. 2.4 And having become so many, that cave received them; for they learned from the Elder to neglect the care of the body. And they themselves ate, similarly to the trainer, the barley-bread seasoned with salt. But later in time, also gathering wild vegetables, then filling earthenware jars and mixing in as much brine as was sufficient, those who needed care had a relish. But for this vegetable the dampness of the dwellings is hostile; for it is its nature to produce in it mold and rot; therefore, when this affliction happened to this relish—for the cave received much moisture from all sides—the companions beseeched the Elder

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ἑσπέραν μέχρις αὐτῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ τῆς ὄχθης-Εὐφράτης δὲ ὄνομα τούτῳ-, πρὸς ἥλιον δὲ ἀνίσχοντα τὸ τέρμα ἔχει τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας· ἡ γὰρ Ἀσσυρία διαδέχεται, πέρας οὖσα ἑσπέριον τῆς Περσικῆς βασιλείας, ἣν Ἀδιαβηνὴν οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα ὠνόμασαν. Ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἔθνει πολλαὶ μὲν πόλεις μεγάλαι καὶ πολυάν θρωποι, χώρα δὲ παμπόλλη μὲν οἰκουμένη, παμπόλλη δὲ ἀοίκητός τε καὶ ἔρημος. 2.2 Ταύτης ἐσχατιὰν τῆς ἐρήμου καταλαβὼν ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνὴρ καὶ ἄντρον εὑρὼν οὐ χειροποίητον, οὐδὲ εὖ καὶ καλῶς ὀρωρυγμένον, ἀλλὰ βραχεῖάν τινα σκέπην παρέχειν δυνάμενον τοῖς καταφεύγειν ἐθέλουσιν, ἀσπασίως ᾤκησε τὸ χωρίον, τῶν χρυσῷ καὶ ἀργύρῳ καταλαμπομένων βασιλείων νομίζων πολυτελέστερον. Ἐν τούτῳ διῆγεν, ἅπαξ τῆς ἑβδομάδος σιτίων μεταλαμβάνων. Σιτίον δὲ ἦν αὐτῷ ἄρτος ὁ καχρυδίας καὶ αὐτὸς πιτυρίας, ὄψον δὲ οἱ ἅλες, πόμα δὲ ἥδιστον τὸ αὐτοφυὲς τῶν ὑδάτων νᾶμα, καὶ τοῦτο δὲ οὐ τῷ κόρῳ μετρούμενον, ἀλλὰ τῇ χρείᾳ τῆς προκαταβληθείσης τροφῆς ὁριζόμενον. Τρυφὴ δὲ ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ χλιδὴ καὶ πανδαισία παντοδαπὴ ἡ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὑμνῳδία καὶ ἡ διηνεκὴς πρὸς θεὸν ὁμιλία. Καὶ τούτων ἀπλήστως ἀπολαύων, κόρον λαβεῖν οὐκ ἐβούλετο, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ μὲν ἐνεπίμ πλατο, ἀεὶ δὲ ἐβόα· "Ὡς γλυκέα τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου, ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον τῷ στόματί μου". Ἤκουσε γὰρ πάλιν τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αβὶδ λέγοντος· "Τὰ κρίματα κυρίου ἀληθινά, δεδικαιωμένα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ, ἐπι θυμητὰ ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον πολύν, καὶ γλυκύτερα ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον". Ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ πάλιν λέγοντος· "Κατατρύφησον τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ δῴη σοι τὰ αἰτήματα τῆς καρδίας σου". Καὶ αὖθις· "Εὐφρανθήτω καρδία ζητούντων τὸν κυρίον." Καί· "Εὔφρανον τὴν καρδίαν μου, τοῦ φοβεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομά σου." Καί· "Γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ κύριος." Καί· "Ἐδίψησεν ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς τὸν θεόν, τὸν ἰσχυρόν, τὸν ζῶντα." Καί· "Ἐκολλήθη ἡ ψυχή μου ὀπίσω σου." Καὶ μετέθηκεν εἰς ἑαυτὸν τοῦ ταῦτα εἰρηκότος τὸν ἔρωτα. Τούτου γὰρ χάριν αὐτὰ καὶ ∆αβὶδ ὁ μέγας ᾄδων ἐδίδασκεν ὡς ἂν πολλοὺς κοινωνοὺς καὶ συνεραστὰς τοῦ θεοῦ καταστήσειε· καὶ οὐ διήμαρτε τῆς ἐλπίδος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτον τὸν θεσπέσιον ἄνδρα καὶ μυρίους ἑτέρους τῷ θείῳ κατέτρωσεν ἔρωτι. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ οὗτος ἐδέξατο φίλτρου πυρσόν, ὡς μεθύειν τῷ πόθῳ καὶ μηδὲν μὲν ὁρᾶν τῶν γηΐνων, μόνον δὲ τὸν ἐρώμενον καὶ νύκτωρ ὀνειροπολεῖν καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν φαν τάζεσθαι. 2.3 Ταύτην αὐτοῦ τὴν ἄκραν φιλοσοφίαν πολλοὶ μεμαθη κότες, οἱ μὲν ἐκ γειτόνων οἰκοῦντες, οἱ δὲ πόρρωθεν- ὑπόπτερος γὰρ ἡ φήμη διέθεε πάντοσε-, ἔδραμον ἱκετεύοντες τῆς παλαίστρας μεταλαχεῖν καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῷ οἷόν τινι γυμναστῇ καὶ παιδοτρίβῃ τὸ λοιπὸν βιοτεύειν. Θηρεύουσι γὰρ οὐ μόνον ὄρνιθες ὄρνιθας ᾄδοντες καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς τοὺς ὁμογενεῖς ἐκκαλούμενοι καὶ ταῖς περικειμέναις περιπείροντες πάγαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωποι τοὺς ὁμοφυεῖς, οἱ μὲν εἰς λώβην, οἱ δὲ εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀγρεύουσιν. Οὕτω συναγειρόμενοι δέκα μὲν ταχέως ἐγένοντο, εἶτα διπλάσιοι καὶ τριπλάσιοι, ὕστερον δὲ τὸν ἑκατὸν ἐπλήρωσαν ἀριθμόν. 2.4 Καὶ τοσούτους δὲ γενομένους ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἄντρον ἐδέχετο· ἔμαθον γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ Πρεσβύτου τῆς τοῦ σώματος κατο λιγωρεῖν θεραπείας. Ἐσιτοῦντο δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ τῷ παιδοτρίβῃ παραπλησίως τὸν καχρυδίαν ἄρτον τοῖς ἁλσὶν ἡδυνόμενον. Χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον καὶ τῶν αὐτοφυῶν λαχάνων συλλέγοντες, εἶτα κεράμους ἐμφοροῦντες καὶ τῆς ἅλμης ὅσον ἀπόχρη μιγνύντες, εἶχον ὄψον οἱ θεραπείας δεόμενοι. Τούτῳ δὲ τῷ λαχάνῳ τὰ νενοτισμένα τῶν οἰκημάτων πολέμια· εὐρῶτα γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ σηπεδόνα πέφυκεν ἐμποιεῖν· τούτου τοιγαροῦν τοῦ πάθους περὶ τόδε τὸ ὄψον γεγενημένου-πολλὴν γὰρ πανταχόθεν τὸ ἄντρον εἰσεδέχετο τὴν νοτίδα-, ἱκέτευον τὸν Πρεσβύτην οἱ θιασῶται