going out by night for clothes-stealing, they lead him along, and then they thought it right to accomplish something 42.6 even greater. And he little by little grew accustomed, and because of his great nature, having departed from the straight path like a hard-mouthed and strong horse, and biting the bridle more fiercely, was borne down toward the pits. 42.7 And having completely despaired of salvation in God, he no longer contemplated anything small, but having done something great, since he had once for all been lost, he thought it right to suffer the same things as the others. So taking these very men and organizing a band of robbers, he was a ready robber-chief, most violent, most bloodthirsty, most harsh. 42.8 Time passed, and when some need arose, they summoned John. And he, when he had settled the other matters for which he had come, said, "Come now, O bishop, give us back the deposit, which I and Christ entrusted to you, with the church of which you preside as witness." 42.9 And he at first was astounded, thinking he was being falsely accused about money which he had not received, and he could neither believe about what he did not have nor disbelieve John; but when he said, "I demand back the young man and the soul of the brother," groaning from deep within, the old man, and shedding some tears, said, "That one is dead." "How, and what sort of death?" "He is dead to God," he said, "for he turned out wicked and utterly ruined and, in short, a robber, and now instead of the church he has seized the mountain with a like 42.10 band of soldiers." Tearing his garment, the apostle, and striking his head with a great wail, said, "A fine guardian of the brother's soul I left behind; but let a horse be ready for me now, and let someone become my guide for the road." He rode, just as he was, straight 42.11 from the church. And having come to the place, he is captured by the robbers' outpost, neither fleeing nor refusing, but 42.12 shouting, "For this I have come; lead me to your chief." He for a time, just as he was armed, waited; but when he recognized John approaching, overcome with shame he turned to flight. But he pursued with all his might, 42.13 forgetting his own age, crying out, "Why do you flee me, child, your own father, unarmed, an old man? Have mercy on me, child, do not be afraid; you still have hopes of life; I will give an account to Christ for you; if it is necessary, I will willingly endure your death, as the Lord did for us; for you I will give my soul in exchange. Stand, believe; 42.14 Christ sent me." And he, having heard, first stood looking down, then threw down his weapons, then trembling wept bitterly; and he embraced the old man as he approached, making his defense with wails as best he could and being baptized a second time with his tears, hiding only 42.15 his right hand. But he, giving surety, swearing that forgiveness had been found for him from the Savior, praying, kneeling, kissing that very right hand as though cleansed by repentance, led him back to the church, and interceding with abundant prayers, striving together with constant fasts, and charming his mind with various chains of words, he did not depart, as they say, before he had restored him to the church, giving a great example of true repentance and a great sign of regeneration, a visible trophy of resurrection. 42.16 * * * rejoicing with bright faces, singing hymns, opening the heavens. But before all, the Savior himself comes to meet him, welcoming him, holding out a light without shadow, unceasing, leading to the bosom of the Father, to 42.17 eternal life, to the kingdom of the heavens. Let one believe these things, and God's disciples and God the guarantor, prophecies, gospels, apostolic words; living with these and lending his ears and practicing the works, at the very departure he will see the end and the demonstration of the doc- 42.18 trines. For he who here welcomes the angel of repentance will not repent then, when he leaves the body, nor will he be put to shame, seeing the Savior approaching with his glory and host; he does not fear the fire; But if anyone chooses to continue sinning on every occasion for pleasures and prefers the luxury here to eternal life and, though the Savior offers forgiveness, turns away, neither God any longer nor wealth nor falling before

νύκτωρ ἐπὶ λωποδυσίαν ἐξιόντες συνεπάγονται, εἶτά τι 42.6 καὶ μεῖζον συμπράττειν ἠξίουν. ὃ δὲ κατ' ὀλίγον προσειθίζετο καὶ διὰ μέγεθος φύσεως ἐκστὰς ὥσπερ ἄστομος καὶ εὔρωστος ἵππος ὀρθῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ τὸν χαλινὸν ἐνδακὼν μειζόνως κατὰ τῶν βαράθρων 42.7 ἐφέρετο. ἀπογνοὺς δὲ τελέως τὴν ἐν θεῷ σωτηρίαν οὐδὲν ἔτι μικρὸν διενοεῖτο, ἀλλὰ μέγα τι πράξας, ἐπειδήπερ ἅπαξ ἀπολώλει, ἴσα τοῖς ἄλλοις παθεῖν ἠξίου. αὐτοὺς δὴ τούτους ἀναλαβὼν καὶ λῃστήριον συγκροτήσας, ἕτοιμος λῄσταρχος ἦν, βιαιότατος, μιαιφονώτατος, χαλεπώτατος. 42.8 χρόνος ἐν μέσῳ, καί τινος ἐπιπεσούσης χρείας ἀνακαλοῦσι τὸν Ἰωάννην. ὃ δέ, ἐπεὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὧν χάριν ἧκεν κατεστήσατο, "ἄγε δή", ἔφη, "ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, τὴν παραθήκην ἀπόδος ἡμῖν, ἣν ἐγώ τε καὶ ὁ Χριστός σοι παρακατεθέμεθα ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἧς προκαθέζῃ, μάρτυρος." 42.9 ὃ δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐξεπλάγη, χρήματα οἰόμενος, ἅπερ οὐκ ἔλαβε, συκοφαντεῖσθαι, καὶ οὔτε πιστεύειν εἶχεν ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ εἶχεν οὔτε ἀπιστεῖν Ἰωάννῃ· ὡς δὲ "τὸν νεανίσκον" εἶπεν "ἀπαιτῶ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ", στενάξας κάτωθεν ὁ πρεσβύτης καί τι καὶ ἐπιδακρύσας, "ἐκεῖνος" ἔφη "τέθνηκε". "πῶς καὶ τίνα θάνατον;" "θεῷ τέθνηκεν" εἶπεν· "ἀπέβη γὰρ πονηρὸς καὶ ἐξώλης καί, τὸ κεφάλαιον, λῃστής, καὶ νῦν ἀντὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸ ὄρος κατείληφε μεθ' ὁμοίου 42.10 στρατιωτικοῦ." καταρρηξάμενος τὴν ἐσθῆτα ὁ ἀπόστολος καὶ μετὰ μεγάλης οἰμωγῆς πληξάμενος τὴν κεφαλήν, "καλόν γε" ἔφη "φύλακα τῆς τἀδελφοῦ ψυχῆς κατέλιπον· ἀλλ' ἵππος ἤδη μοι παρέστω καὶ ἡγεμὼν γενέσθω μοί τις τῆς ὁδοῦ." ἤλαυνεν, ὥσπερ εἶχεν, αὐτόθεν 42.11 ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. ἐλθὼν δὲ εἰς τὸ χωρίον ὑπὸ τῆς προφυλακῆς τῶν λῃστῶν ἁλίσκεται, μήτε φεύγων μήτε παραιτούμενος, ἀλλὰ 42.12 βοῶν· "ἐπὶ τοῦτ' ἐλήλυθα, ἐπὶ τὸν ἄρχοντα ὑμῶν ἀγάγετέ με." ὃς τέως, ὥσπερ ὥπλιστο, ἀνέμενεν· ὡς δὲ προσιόντα ἐγνώρισε τὸν Ἰωάννην, εἰς φυγὴν αἰδεσθεὶς ἐτράπετο. ὃ δὲ ἐδίωκεν ἀνὰ κράτος, 42.13 ἐπιλαθόμενος τῆς ἡλικίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ, κεκραγώς· "τί με φεύγεις, τέκνον, τὸν σαυτοῦ πατέρα, τὸν γυμνόν, τὸν γέροντα; ἐλέησόν με, τέκνον, μὴ φοβοῦ· ἔχεις ἔτι ζωῆς ἐλπίδας· ἐγὼ Χριστῷ λόγον δώσω ὑπὲρ σοῦ· ἂν δέῃ, τὸν σὸν θάνατον ἑκὼν ὑπομενῶ, ὡς ὁ κύριος τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν· ὑπὲρ σοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀντιδώσω τὴν ἐμήν. στῆθι, πίστευ-42.14 σον· Χριστός με ἀπέστειλεν." ὃ δὲ ἀκούσας πρῶτον ἔστη μὲν κάτω βλέπων, εἶτα ἔρριψε τὰ ὅπλα, εἶτα τρέμων ἔκλαιε πικρῶς· προσελθόντα δὲ τὸν γέροντα περιέλαβεν, ἀπολογούμενος ταῖς οἰμωγαῖς ὡς ἐδύνατο καὶ τοῖς δάκρυσι βαπτιζόμενος ἐκ δευτέρου, μόνην ἀποκρύπτων42.15 τὴν δεξιάν. ὃ δὲ ἐγγυώμενος, ἐπομνύμενος ὡς ἄφεσιν αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος εὕρηται, δεόμενος, γονυπετῶν, αὐτὴν τὴν δεξιὰν ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς μετανοίας κεκαθαρμένην καταφιλῶν, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπανήγαγε, καὶ δαψιλέσι μὲν εὐχαῖς ἐξαιτούμενος, συνεχέσι δὲ νηστείαις συναγωνιζόμενος, ποικίλαις δὲ σειρῆσι λόγων κατεπᾴδων αὐτοῦ τὴν γνώμην, οὐ πρότερον ἀπῆλθεν, ὥς φασι, πρὶν αὐτὸν ἐπιστῆσαι τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, διδοὺς μέγα παράδειγμα μετανοίας ἀληθινῆς καὶ μέγα γνώρισμα παλιγγενεσίας, τρόπαιον ἀναστάσεως βλεπομένης. 42.16 * * * φαιδροῖς γεγηθότες, ὑμνοῦντες, ἀνοιγνύντες τοὺς οὐρανούς. πρὸ δὲ πάντων αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ προαπαντᾷ δεξιούμενος, φῶς ὀρέγων ἄσκιον, ἄπαυστον, ὁδηγῶν εἰς τοὺς κόλπους τοῦ πατρός, εἰς τὴν 42.17 αἰώνιον ζωήν, εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. πιστευέτω ταῦτά τις καὶ θεοῦ μαθηταῖς καὶ ἐγγυητῇ θεῷ, προφητείαις, εὐαγγελίοις, λόγοις ἀποστολικοῖς· τούτοις συζῶν καὶ τὰ ὦτα ὑπέχων καὶ τὰ ἔργα ἀσκῶν ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἐξόδου τὸ τέλος καὶ τὴν ἐπίδειξιν τῶν δογμά 42.18 των ὄψεται. ὁ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἄγγελον τῆς μετανοίας προσιέμενος οὐ μετανοήσει τότε, ἡνίκα ἂν καταλίπῃ τὸ σῶμα, οὐδὲ καταισχυνθήσεται, τὸν σωτῆρα προσιόντα μετὰ τῆς αὑτοῦ δόξης καὶ στρατιᾶς ἰδών· οὐ δέδιε τὸ πῦρ· εἰ δέ τις αἱρεῖται μένειν ἐπεξαμαρτάνων ἑκάστοτε ἐπὶ ταῖς ἡδοναῖς καὶ τὴν ἐνταῦθα τρυφὴν τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς προτιμᾷ καὶ διδόντος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἄφεσιν ἀποστρέφεται, μήτε τὸν θεὸν ἔτι μήτε τὸν πλοῦτον μήτε τὸ προπεσεῖν