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and children, all the people, become suppliants of the great man, begging that some release from their troubles might be provided for them from unexpected sources. For he said that God was able to do all things in him, whatever is impossible for human devices and thoughts. For nothing that pertains to human counsel and power was left undone by them, since they had done everything with stones and earthworks and whatever else is usually devised against such evils, and were unable to withstand the force of the evil. And so that he might be especially moved to pity by them, they asked him to become an eyewitness of the disaster, and to learn that they were unable to move their dwelling, and that death always lay before them in the rush of the water. Therefore, having arrived at the place (for no hesitation hindered his zeal for the good); needing neither a carriage, nor horses, nor anything else that could transport him, but leaning on a staff, he completed the whole journey, and at the same time discoursing philosophically with those who shared the journey with him about the higher hope, in which he was always principally engaged, he made other things secondary to this more honored pursuit. So when the diversion of the stream was pointed out by his guides, and the sight itself announced the disaster, the place having been carved into a deep ravine by the inrush of the waters; he says these things to those 46.932 gathered together: It is not for men, brothers, to contain the movement of water within boundaries; such a work is of divine power alone, to shut up the force of the waters within boundaries. For thus the Prophet says to God: that “You have set a boundary which it will not pass over.” To Christ alone, the Master of creation, is the nature of the elements subject, remaining for ever in whatever places it may be assigned. Since, therefore, God is the one who legislates the boundaries for the waters, he alone by his own power could also fetter the disorder of this river. He spoke, and as if becoming inspired by a more divine thought, and with a loud voice having prayed for Christ to come to him as an ally for the task at hand, he plants the staff, which he carried in his hand, at the corrupted place of the bank. And the earth there being saturated and spongy, it easily gave way into the depth, yielding both to the weight of the staff and to the hand of the one planting it. Then praying to God that this become like a bar and a hindrance to the disorder of the waters, he turned back again, showing by the deed that everything done by him was worked by divine power. For immediately, not after a long time, the staff, having taken root in the banks, became a tree. And the plant became a fixed boundary for the stream, and until now the plant is a spectacle and a story for the locals. For whenever that Lycus river, flooding from rainstorms and torrents, rushes on as usual and becomes rough, fearfully splashing with its current, then, having touched the top of the base of the tree with the water, swelling again in the middle, it draws back its stream, and as if fearing to approach the tree, it passes the place with a curving wave.

Such was the power of the great Gregory, or rather of God who worked the miracles in him. For the nature of the elements was shown to be as if subject, changing according to his commands as he saw fit, so that a lake was transformed into wheat-bearing land, and the ravines of the water were inhabited, the staff having secured safety for the inhabitants. And until now the name for the tree is "the Staff," a memorial of Gregory's grace and power preserved for all time by the inhabitants. What of the prophetic miracles do you wish to set against these by way of comparison? Shall I speak of the parting of the Jordan, which Elijah made with the striking of his mantle before his ascension, and after him Elisha, the heir of the mantle and of the spirit? But in these cases, only to the

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καὶ παῖδες πανδημεὶ πάντες ἱκέται τοῦ μεγάλου γίνονται, δεόμενοι λύσιν αὐτοῖς τινα τῶν κακῶν ἐξ ἀνελπίστων πορίσασθαι. Ἅπαντα γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ τὸν Θεὸν ἔλεγε δύνασθαι, ὅσα ταῖς ἀνθρωπίναις ἐπινοίαις καὶ διανοίαις ἐστὶν ἀμή χανα. Μηδὲν γὰρ τῶν εἰς βουλήν τε καὶ δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνην ἡκόντων παρ' αὐτῶν ἐλλειφθῆναι, λίθοις καὶ χώμασι, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν κα κῶν εἴωθεν ἐπινοεῖσθαι, πάντα πεποιηκότων, καὶ ἀντισχεῖν πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κακοῦ μὴ δυνηθέντων φοράν. Καὶ ὡς ἂν μάλιστα παρ' αὐτῶν ἐναχθείη πρὸς ἔλεον, αὐτόπτην ἠξίουν γενέσθαι τῆς συμφορᾶς, καὶ μαθεῖν ὡς οὔτε δυνατῶς εἶχον μεταθεῖναι τὴν οἴκησιν, καὶ ὅτι πάντοτε αὐτοῖς ὁ θάνατος ἐπὶ τῇ ὁρμῇ κεῖται τοῦ ὕδατος. Γενόμενος τοίνυν κατὰ τὸν τόπον (οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὄκνος αὐτῷ τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν σπουδὴν διεκώλυεν)· οὔτε ὀχήματος, οὔτε ἵππων, οὔτε ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν διαγαγεῖν αὐτὸν δυναμένων προσδεηθεὶς, ἀλλὰ βα κτηρίᾳ τινὶ στηριζόμενος, πᾶσαν διήνυσε τὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἅμα προσφιλοσοφῶν τοῖς τῆς ὁδοῦ κοινωνοῦσιν αὐτῷ περὶ τῆς ὑψηλοτέρας ἐλπίδος, ἐν οἷς ἀεὶ κατὰ τὸ προηγούμενον διατρίβων, τὰ ἄλλα πάρεργα τῆς προ τιμοτέρας ἐποιεῖτο σπουδῆς· ὡς οὖν ὑπεδείχθη παρά τε τῶν προκαθηγησαμένων ἡ τοῦ ῥείθρου παρα τροπὴ, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ φαινόμενον τὴν συμφορὰν διεμή νυεν, εἰς βαθεῖαν χαραδρωθέντος τοῦ τόπου φαράγγα διὰ τῆς τῶν ὑδάτων ἐμπτώσεως· ταῦτά φησι πρὸς τοὺς 46.932 συνειλεγμένους· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπων, ἀδελφοὶ, τὸ διαλαμβάνειν ὅροις τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος κίνησιν· μόνης τῆς θείας δυνάμεως ἔργον τὸ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ἐντὸς ὅρων κατακλείειν τὴν τῶν ὑδάτων φοράν. Οὕτως γάρ φησι πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὁ Προφήτης· ὅτι «Ὅριον ἔθου, ὃ οὐ παρελεύσεται.» Μόνῳ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ τῆς κτίσεως Χριστῷ ἡ τῶν στοιχείων φύσις ἐστὶν ὑποχείριος, ἐν οἷς ἂν ταχθῇ τόποις, εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς παραμένουσα. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ὁ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ νομοθετῶν τοὺς ὅρους τοῖς ὕδασι, μόνος ἂν ἐκεῖνος τῇ ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει καὶ τοῦ ποτα μοῦ τούτου τὴν ἀταξίαν πεδήσειεν. Εἶπεν, καὶ οἷον ἔνθους ἐξ ἐπινοίας θειοτέρας γενό μενος, καὶ μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτῷ σύμ μαχον πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον ἐλθεῖν ἐπευξάμενος, καταπήγνυσι τὴν βακτηρίαν, ἣν διὰ χειρὸς ἔφερεν, κατὰ τὸν διεφθορότα τόπον τῆς ὄχθης. ∆ιάβροχος δὲ οὖσα κατ' ἐκεῖνο ἡ γῆ καὶ σομφώδης, ῥᾳδίως ὑπενό στησε κατὰ τὸ βάθος, τῷ τε βάρει τῆς βακτηρίας ἅμα καὶ τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ πηγνύντος ὑπείξασα. Εἶτα τοῦτο καθάπερ τι κλεῖθρον γενέσθαι καὶ κώλυμα τῆς τῶν ὑδάτων ἀταξίας τῷ Θεῷ ἐπευξάμενος, πάλιν ὑπέστρεφεν, ἔργῳ δείξας ὅτι πᾶν τὸ παρ' ἐκείνου γινόμενον ὑπὸ θείας ἐνηργεῖτο δυνάμεως. Εὐθὺς γὰρ οὐ μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον ἡ μὲν βακτηρία, ταῖς ὄχθαις ἐῤῥιζωθεῖσα, δένδρον ἐγένετο. Τῷ δὲ ῥείθρῳ τὸ φυτὸν ὅρος ἐπάγη, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις θέαμα γίνεται τὸ φυτὸν καὶ διήγημα. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐξ ἐπομβρίας τε καὶ χειμάῤῥων ὁ Λύκος ἐκεῖνος πλημμυρῶν κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες καὶ τραχυνόμενος φέρηται, φοβερὸς ἐπι καχλάζων τῷ ῥεύματι, τότε περὶ τὸν πυθμένα τοῦ δένδρου κατὰ τὸ ἄκρον ἐπιφαύσας τῷ ὕδατι, πάλιν ὀγκωθεὶς κατὰ τὸ μέσον συστέλλει τὸ ῥεῖθρον, καὶ οἷον φοβούμενος ἐμπελάσαι τῷ δένδρῳ, κυρτῷ τῷ κύ ματι παραμείβει τὸν χῶρον.

Τοιαύτη τοῦ μεγάλου Γρηγορίου ἡ δύναμις, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν ἐκείνῳ τὰ θαύματα. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὑποχειρία τις οὖσα τῶν στοιχείων ἡ φύσις ἐδείκνυτο πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν ἀλλασσομένη τοῖς ἐπιτάγμασιν, ὥστε λίμνην μὲν εἰς πυροφόρον χώραν μετατεθῆναι, τὰς δὲ χαράδρας τοῦ ὕδατος οἰκισθῆναι, τῆς βακτηρίας ᾠκειωμένης τὸ ἀσφαλὲς τοῖς οἰκήτορσιν. Ὄνομα δὲ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἐστι τῷ δένδρῳ, ἡ βακτηρία, μνημόσυνον τῆς Γρηγο ρίου χάριτος καὶ δυνάμεως τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις ἐν παντὶ τῷ χρόνῳ σωζόμενον. Τί βούλει τούτοις τῶν προφητι κῶν θαυμάτων ἀντιπαρατεθῆναι διὰ συγκρίσεως; Εἴπω τὴν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου τομὴν, ἣν τῇ πληγῇ τῆς μηλωτῆς ὁ Ἠλίας πρὸ τῆς ἀνόδου πεποίηται, καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν Ἐλισσαῖος ὁ κληρονόμος τῆς μηλωτῆς καὶ τοῦ πνεύ ματος; Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τούτων, μόνοις τοῖς