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to permit them to build a certain small hut, sufficient for the vessels of this relish. But at first he did not accept the request. But at length being persuaded—for he was taught by the great Paul not to seek his own interests, but to be carried away with the lowly—he gave the measurements of the hut as quite short and small, and he went far from the cave to offer his customary supplications to God. For he was accustomed to walk often for fifty stades, and sometimes even twice that many, through the desert, separating himself from all human company, and turning inward to commune with God by himself and to reflect on that divine and ineffable beauty. Taking advantage of this free time, those who had been deemed worthy of his care built the hut proportionate to their need, but larger than they had been ordered. But when he returned after the tenth day, like some Moses from the mountain and the ineffable vision, and saw that the building had been made larger than he wanted; "I am afraid," he said, "O men, that by widening our earthly lodgings we may be shrinking our heavenly ones. And yet these are temporary and suitable for us for a little while, but those are eternal and cannot come to an end." And he said these things, training the company in the more perfect things; but he bore it nevertheless, having hearkened to the apostolic voice: "I seek not my own advantage, but that of the many, that they may be saved." 2.5 And he taught them also to offer hymnody to God in common indoors, and after dawn to go out two by two into the desert, and for one, bending his knees, to offer the owed prostration to the Lord, and the other to sing fifteen Davidic psalms while standing, then to alternate the work, with the one rising to sing, and the other bowing to the ground to prostrate; and this they continued doing from morning until late evening. And resting for a short while before sunset, these came together from here, and those from there, and all from everywhere into the cave, and they offered the evening hymnody together to the Lord. 2.6 The Elder himself was also accustomed to take one of the more notable men as a companion in the liturgy. And a certain man followed him rather often, a Persian by race, and in appearance tall and admirable, possessing a soul more wondrous than his appearance—James was his name—who also after his death shone in every virtue. And he was distinguished and conspicuous not only to those there, but also to the schools of philosophy in Syria, in one of which he also died, having lived, as it is said, one hundred and four years. This man, having joined the great Elder on the way to the desert, followed from a distance; for the teacher did not allow him to draw near, lest this become an occasion for conversation for them, and the conversation steal away from the mind the image of God. And following, he sees along the road a certain enormous serpent lying; then, seeing it, he did not dare to advance, and though often wanting to turn aside out of fear, he strengthened his resolve again; then stooping down, and taking a pebble, and having thrown it, he saw the serpent remaining in its form and completely unable to move. And understanding that it was dead, he supposed the death of the beast to be the work of the Elder. And having completed the journey, and having fulfilled the liturgy of the hymnody, when the time for rest came, the Elder sat down and urged him also to rest his body for a little while, and at first he sat in silence; but when the Elder touched on some conversation, with a slight smile James entreated him to make clear to him what was unknown. When he gave him permission to ask: "I saw," he said, "along the road a very great serpent thrown down, and at first I was afraid, supposing it to be alive; but when I saw it was dead, I took courage and made my journey. Tell me," he said, "O father, who killed it? For you were leading the

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οἰκίσκον τινὰ βραχὺν σφίσιν ἐπιτρέψαι δείμασθαι τοῖς τοῦδε τοῦ ὄψου ἀποχρῶντα ἀγγείοις. Ὁ δὲ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα τὴν αἴτησιν οὐκ ἐδέχετο. Ὀψὲ δέ ποτε πεισθείς-ἐδιδάχθη γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου Παύλου μὴ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ζητεῖν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ταπεινοῖς συνα πάγεσθαι-, ἐδίδου μὲν τοῦ οἰκίσκου τὰ μέτρα βραχέα τινὰ καὶ σμικρά, ἀπῄει δὲ πόρρω τοῦ ἄντρου τὰς συνήθεις τῷ θεῷ ἱκετείας προσοίσων. Εἰώθει γὰρ πεντήκοντα μὲν πολλάκις σταδίους, ἔστι δ' ὅτε καὶ δὶς τοσούτους, κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον βαδίζων καὶ πάσης ἑαυτὸν ἀνθρωπίνης συνουσίας χωρίζων καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν νεύων καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὁμιλεῖν τῷ θεῷ καὶ τὸ θεῖον ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἄρρητον κατοπτρίζεσθαι κάλλος. Ταύτης λαβόμενοι τῆς σχολῆς οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου κηδεμονίας ἠξιωμένοι τῇ μὲν χρείᾳ σύμμετρον, μείζονα δὲ ἢ ἐπετάχθησαν, τὸν οἰκίσκον ἐδείμαντο. Ἐπανελθὼν δὲ μετὰ δεκάτην ἡμέραν, οἷά τις Μωϋσῆς, ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους καὶ τῆς ἀφράστου θεωρίας, καὶ θεασάμενος μείζονα ἢ ἐβούλετο τὴν οἰκοδομὴν γεγενημένην· "∆έδοικα, ἔφη, ὦ ἄνδρες, μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εὐρύνοντες καταγώγια σμικρύνωμεν τὰ οὐράνια. Καίτοι ταῦτα μέν ἐστι πρόσκαιρα καὶ ἐπ' ὀλίγον ἡμῖν ἐπιτήδεια, ἐκεῖνα δὲ αἰώνια καὶ πέρας λαβεῖν οὐ δυνάμενα". Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἔλεγε, τὰ τελεώτερα τὸν χορὸν ἐκπαιδεύων· ἠνείχετο δὲ ὅμως, τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ἐπακούσας φωνῆς· "Οὐ ζητῶ τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ συμφέρον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν πολλῶν, ἵνα σωθῶσιν". 2.5 Ἐξεπαίδευσε δὲ κἀκείνους ἔνδον μὲν κοινὴν τῷ θεῷ τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν προσφέρειν, μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἕω ἀνὰ δύο κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον ἐξιέναι, καὶ τὸν μὲν τὰ γόνατα κάμπτοντα τὴν ὀφειλομένην τῷ δεσπότῃ προσφέρειν προσκύνησιν, τὸν δὲ ᾄδειν ἑστῶτα ψάλμους δαυϊτικοὺς πεντεκαίδεκα, εἶτα ἐναλλάττειν τὸ ἔργον, καὶ τὸν μὲν ἀνιστάμενον ᾄδειν, τὸν δὲ εἰς γῆν κατακύπτοντα προσκυνεῖν· καὶ τοῦτο ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ μέχρι δείλης ὀψίας διετέλουν ποιοῦντες. Πρὸ δὲ ἡλίου δυσμῶν βραχύ τι διαναπαυόμενοι, εἰς τὸ ἄντρον οὗτοι μὲν ἔνθεν, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἐκεῖθεν, πάντες δὲ πανταχόθεν συνῄεσαν, καὶ τὴν ἑσπερινὴν ὑμνῳδίαν κατὰ ταὐτὸν τῷ δεσπότῃ προσέφερον. 2.6 Εἰώθει δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Πρεσβύτης ἕνα τινὰ τῶν ἐπιση μοτέρων κοινωνὸν τῆς λειτουργίας λαμβάνειν. Εἵπετο δὲ αὐτῷ συχνότερον ἀνήρ τις, τὸ μὲν γένος Πέρσης, τὸ δὲ εἶδος μέγας καὶ ἀξιάγαστος, θαυμασιωτέραν τοῦ εἴδους τὴν ψυχὴν κεκτημένος- Ἰάκωβος ὄνομα αὐτῷ-, ὃς καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν ἐν πάσῃ μὲν διέλαμψεν ἀρετῇ. Ἐπίσημος δὲ καὶ περίβλεπτος ἦν οὐ τοῖς αὐτόθι μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ Συρίᾳ τῆς φιλοσοφίας φροντιστηρίοις, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἐτελεύτα βιώσας, ὡς λέγεται, τέτταρα καὶ ἑκατὸν ἔτη. Οὗτος τῷ μεγάλῳ Πρεσβύτῃ τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν ἔρημον κοινωνήσας ὁδοῦ πόρρωθεν εἵπετο· οὐ γὰρ εἴα πελάζειν ὁ διδάσκαλος, ἵνα μὴ πρόφασις αὐτοῖς τοῦτο διαλέξεως γένηται, ἡ δὲ διάλεξις κλέψῃ τοῦ νοῦ τὴν περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ φαντασίαν. Ἑπόμενος δὲ ὁρᾷ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν δράκοντά τινα παμμεγέθη κείμενον· εἶτα θεασάμενος προβῆναι μὲν οὐκ ἐθάρρησεν, ἐκκλῖναι δὲ πολλάκις ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους ἐθελήσας, ἀνερρώσθη πάλιν τὸν λογισμόν· ἔπειτα κύψας, καὶ ψηφίδα λαβών, καὶ ταύτην ἀκοντίσας, ἑώρα τὸν δράκοντα ἐπὶ σχήματος μένοντα καὶ κινεῖσθαι παντελῶς οὐ δυνάμενον. Συνιεὶς δὲ ὡς νεκρὸς εἴη, ἔργον ὑπέλαβεν εἶναι τοῦ Πρεσβύτου τοῦ θηρίου τὸν θάνατον. Τὴν δὲ ὁδὸν ἐξανύσας, καὶ τῆς ὑμνῳδίας τὴν λειτουργίαν πεπληρωκώς, ὡς ὁ τῆς ἀναπαύλης ἧκε καιρός, καθίσας ὁ Πρεσβύτης καὶ αὐτῷ τὸ σῶμα διαναπαῦ σαι μικρὸν παρηγγύησε, καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον καθῆστο σιγῶν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ Πρεσβύτης τινὸς ἥψατο διαλέξεως, μετά τινος μειδιάματος ἱκέτευεν ὁ Ἰάκωβος δῆλον αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι τὸ ἀγνοούμενον. Τοῦδε ἔρεσθαι ἐπιτρέψαντος· "Εἶδον, ἔφη, κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν δράκοντα μέγιστον ἐρριμμένον, καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐδεδίειν, ζῆν τοῦτον ὑπολαμβάνων· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τεθνεῶτα ἐθεασάμην, θαρρήσας τὴν πορείαν ἐποιησάμην. Εἰπέ μοι, ἔφη, ὦ πάτερ, τίς τοῦτον ἀπέκτεινεν; σὺ γὰρ ἡγοῦ τῆς