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of the road; no one else has passed this way." But the Presbyter said: "Cease, he said, meddling in such things, which can bring no benefit to those who busy themselves with them." But nonetheless the wonderful James pressed on, desiring to learn the truth. But the Presbyter, trying for a long time to hide it, but not tolerating grieving his admirer for too long; "I will tell you, he said, what you desire to learn, but I charge you to make no one else, while I am alive, a confidant of what will be said; for it is fitting to hide such things, which often arouse boastfulness and pride. But when I depart from here and become free from such passions, I do not forbid you to speak and to narrate the power of divine grace. Know well, then, said the great Julian, that as I was walking along the road, that beast came upon me and opened its mouth, desiring to devour me. But I, using the name of the Lord and showing the trophy of the cross with my finger, shook off all fear, and I saw the beast fall immediately to the ground and, having praised the common savior, I made my way forward." Having thus concluded the narrative, he stood up and took the road to the cave. 2.7 Another time a young man, sprung from noble stock, but raised in luxury, and possessing a zeal greater than his strength, besought the Presbyter to share with him the journey to the desert, not this common one that is traveled by all every day, but the longest one, a journey often lasting seven days, and often even ten. This was that much-spoken-of Asterius. And when the divine Presbyter tried to prevent the young man, speaking of the waterlessness of the desert, the young man insisted, begging to enjoy this gift. And overcome by his entreaties, the Presbyter gave in. And he followed eagerly at first; but after the first and second and third day had passed, being burned by the sun's ray—for it was summer, and at the height of summer, it brings a more violent flame, of course—he was continually tormented by thirst. And at first he was ashamed to report his suffering, calling to mind the things foretold by the teacher; but being overcome and seized by faintness, he begged the Presbyter to pity him. But he, reminding him of his predictions, ordered him to go back again. But when the young man said that he neither knew the road leading to the cave, nor, even if he knew it, would he be able to walk, his strength having been consumed by thirst, the divine man, pitying the youth's suffering and granting pardon for the weakness of his body, bent his knees and besought the master, and wet the ground with warm tears, and sought a way of salvation for the young man. And He who does the will of those who fear him and hearkens to their prayer, made the stream of tears that touched the dust a spring of water; and thus, when the young man had had his fill of the stream, he immediately ordered him to depart. 2.8 And the spring has remained until now, bearing witness to the Mosaic prayer of the divine old man. For just as that one long ago, striking that barren rock with his staff, inundated it with streams of river waters so that he might satisfy those many thousands who were thirsty, so this divine man, watering that most arid sand with his tears, drew forth streams of spring waters, not to cure the thirst of many myriads, but that of one young man. 2.9 For being enlightened in his soul by divine grace, he foresaw very clearly the future perfection of the young man. For this man, many years later, being called by divine grace so that he might train many others in the same virtue, in the places around Gindarus—this is a very large village belonging to Antioch

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ὁδοῦ· ἕτερος δὲ οὐδεὶς ταύτην διελήλυθεν." Ὁ δὲ Πρεσβύτης· "Παῦσαι, ἔφη, πολυπραγμονῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα φέρειν ὄνησιν τοῖς χρωμένοις οὐδεμίαν δυνάμενα." Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἧττον ὁ θαυμάσιος Ἰάκωβος ἐπέκειτο, μαθεῖν τἀληθὲς ἐφιέμενος. Ὁ δὲ Πρεσβύτης, κρύπτειν μὲν ἐπὶ πολὺ πειρώμενος, ἀνιᾶν δὲ τὸν ἐραστὴν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον οὐκ ἀνεχό μενος· "Ἐγώ σοι, ἔφη, ἐρῶ μὲν ὃ μαθεῖν ἐφίεσαι, παρεγγυῶ δὲ μηδένα ἕτερον, ἐμοῦ ζῶντος, ποιήσασθαι τοῦ ῥηθησομένου συνίστορα· κρύπτειν γὰρ τὰ τοιάδε προσήκει εἰς ἀλαζονείαν καὶ τύφον πολλάκις ἐγείροντα. Ἢν δ' ἐγὼ ἐνθένδε ἀπέλθω καὶ τῶν τοιῶνδε παθῶν ἐλεύθερος γένωμαι, λέγειν οὐ κωλύω καὶ τῆς θείας χάριτος διηγεῖσθαι τὴν δύναμιν. Εὖ ἴσθι τοίνυν, ἔφη ὁ μέγας Ἰουλιανός, ὡς βαδίζοντί μοι κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ὁ θὴρ ἐκεῖνος ἐπῄει καὶ τὸ στόμα ἀνεῴγνυ καταφαγεῖν ἐφιέμενος. Ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ τοῦ κυρίου προσηγορίᾳ χρησάμενος καὶ τῷ δακτύλῳ τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ τρόπαιον ὑποδείξας, ἅπαν μὲν δέος ἀπεσεισάμην, πεσὸν δὲ εἰς τὴν γῆν παραυτίκα τὸ θηρίον ἐθεασάμην καί, τὸν κοινὸν ἀνυμνή σας σωτῆρα, τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσω πορείαν ἐποιησάμην". Οὕτω τὸ διήγημα συμπεράνας, ἀναστὰς εἴχετο τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ ἄντρον ὁδοῦ. 2.7 Ἄλλοτε δὲ μειράκιον, ἐξ εὐγενῶν μὲν βλαστῆσαν, τρυφη λῶς δὲ τεθραμμένον, προθυμίᾳ δὲ μείζονι τῆς δυνάμεως κεχρη μένον, ἱκέτευσε τὸν Πρεσβύτην τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν ἔρημον αὐτῷ κοινωνῆσαι πορείας, οὐ τῆς κοινῆς ταύτης τῆς ὑπὸ πάντων καθ' ἑκάστην ὁδευομένης ἡμέραν, ἀλλὰ τῆς μακροτάτης, καὶ πολλάκις μὲν ἡμέρας ἑπτά, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ δέκα κατεχούσης ἀποδημίας. Ἀστέριος δὲ ἦν οὗτος ὁ πολυθρύ λητος. Τοῦ δὲ θεσπεσίου Πρεσβύτου τὸν νέον διακωλύοντος καὶ τῆς ἐρήμου τὸ ἄνυδρον λέγοντος, ἐπέκειτο λιπαρῶν ὁ νέος ταύτης ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς δωρεᾶς. Ἡττηθεὶς δὲ ταῖς ἱκετείαις ἐνέδωκεν ὁ Πρεσβύτης. Ὁ δὲ ἠκολούθει τὰ μὲν πρῶτα προθύμως· πρώτης δὲ καὶ δευτέρας καὶ τρίτης διελθούσης ἡμέρας, ὑπὸ τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος φλεγόμενος - θέρος γὰρ ἦν, ἀκμάζοντος δὲ τοῦ θέρους, σφοδροτέραν δήπουθεν ἐπιφέρει τὴν φλόγα-, δίψει διετέλει τρυχόμενος. Καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπαγγέλλειν τὸ πάθος ᾐσχύνετο, τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου προρρηθέντων εἰς μνήμην ἐρχόμενος· ἡττώμενος δὲ καὶ λειποθυμίᾳ κατεχόμενος οἰκτεῖραι αὐτὸν τὸν Πρεσβύτην ἱκέτευεν. Ὁ δέ, τῶν προρρήσεων ἀναμνήσας, ἀπιέναι πάλιν ἐκέλευεν. Τοῦ δὲ νέου μήτε τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄντρον φέρουσαν ἐπίστασθαι λέγοντος, μήτε, εἰ γινώσκοι, δύνασθαι ἂν βαδίσαι, τῆς ἰσχύος ὑπὸ τοῦ δίψους δαπανηθείσης, οἰκτείρας ὁ θεῖος ἄνθρωπος τοῦ νεανίου τὸ πάθος καὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενείᾳ συγγνώμην ἀπονείμας, κλίνας τὰ γόνατα τὸν δεσπότην ἱκέτευε, δάκρυσι δὲ θερμοῖς τὸ ἔδαφος ἔβρεχε καὶ πόρον σωτηρίας ἐπεζήτει τῷ νέῳ. Ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν καὶ τῆς δεήσεως αὐτῶν εἰσακούων, τὴν τῶν δακρύων λιβάδα τῆς κόνεως ἁψαμένην πηγὴν ὑδάτων ἀπέφηνε· καὶ οὕτω τοῦ νάματος ἐμφορηθέντα τὸν νέον εὐθὺς ἀπιέναι προσέταξεν. 2.8 Ἡ δὲ πηγὴ διέμεινε μέχρι καὶ νῦν, τῇ Μωσαϊκῇ τοῦ θεσπεσίου γέροντος προσευχῇ μαρτυροῦσα. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος πάλαι ποτὲ τῇ ῥάβδῳ τὴν πέτραν ἐκείνην τὴν ἄγονον πλήξας κατέκλυσε ποταμιαίων ὑδάτων γοναῖς ὡς ἂν τὰς πολλὰς ἐκείνας χιλιάδας διψώσας κορέσειεν, οὕτως οὗτος ὁ θεῖος ἀνήρ, τὴν ξηροτάτην ἐκείνην ψάμμον καταρδεύσας τοῖς δάκρυσι, πηγαίων ναμάτων εἵλκυσε ῥεύματα, οὐχ ἵνα πολλῶν μυριάδων, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἑνὸς μειρακίου θεραπεύσῃ τὸ δίψος. 2.9 Ὑπὸ θείας γὰρ χάριτος τὴν ψυχὴν φωτιζόμενος, τὴν ἐσομένην τῷ νέῳ τελειότητα προεώρα μαλὰ σαφῶς. Οὗτος γὰρ χρόνοις πολλοῖς ὕστερον, ὑπὸ τῆς θείας χάριτος προσκληθεὶς ὡς ἂν καὶ ἑτέρους πολλοὺς εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν παιδοτριβήσειεν ἀρετήν, ἐν τοῖς περὶ τὴν Γίνδαρον χωρίοις -κώμη δὲ αὕτη μεγίστη τελεῖν ὑπὸ τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν