press on to the end in endurance, because “he who endures to the end, this one will be saved.” Know that according to Peter you will rejoice “though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” But hear “grieved” instead of “labored,” as is also clear from: “in pain you shall bring forth children”; for a woman does not always give birth in the passion of grief but in labor. If then it is useful for Christ's disciples: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires”; do not then love the things that are passing away, but by doing the will of God become worthy to be one together with the Son and the Father and the Holy Spirit according to the prayer of the Savior who says: as I and you are one. “that they also may be one in us.” And for how many days is it possible to gain by loving “the world” or “the things in the world” and losing or destroying one's own soul and carrying about a conscience weighed down more than “a heavy burden” and weighed down by the fall of denial? Let each of us recall how many times he was in danger of dying the common death, and let us consider, lest perhaps we were preserved for this reason, that being baptized with our own blood and washing away every sin we might make our dwelling place at the altar in heaven with those who have striven together with us. 40 But if anyone, giving in from a great love of life or softness toward labors or from what is thought to be persuasively brought forward by those who persuade us to worse things, should deny that there is one God and his Christ but confess demons or fates, let such a one know that he is preparing “a table for the demon” and filling “a drink offering for Fate,” having forsaken the Lord and forgotten his holy mountain, subject to these reproofs, as Isaiah wrote in this manner: “But you who forsake me and forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for the demon and fill a drink offering for Fate, I will deliver you to the sword, and you shall all fall down in slaughter; because I called you and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not listen, and you did what was evil in my sight and chose what I did not desire. Therefore thus says the Lord Lord: behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; behold, my servants shall exult in gladness, but you shall cry out for the pain of your heart and shall wail from a broken spirit. For you shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen ones, and the Lord will slay you.” But also if, understanding what the table of the Lord is, we should wish to partake of it, let us know this: “You cannot partake of the Lord's table and the table of demons.” But also if we wish, understanding what is meant by: “I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of heaven,” to be found with those who drink with Jesus, let us attend to this: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” And who, having heard John the son of thunder say: “the one who denies the Father and the Son, everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who confesses the Son has the Father also,” will not be afraid to deny the Son by saying he is not a Christian, in denying him not having the Father? And who would not be urged on to confess to being a Christian in deeds and words, in order that he might also have the Father? For those who confess have the Father. 41 If we have passed “from death to life” through having passed from unbelief to faith, let us not

ἕως τέλους ἐν τῷ ὑπομένειν προκόψατε, ὅτι «ὁ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σω θήσεται». ἴστε ὅτι κατὰ τὸν Πέτρον ἀγαλλιάσεσθε «ὀλίγον ἄρτι εἰ δέον ἐστὶ λυπηθέντες ἐν ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς, ἵνα τὸ δοκίμιον ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως πολυτιμότερον χρυσίου τοῦ ἀπολλυμένου καὶ διὰ πυρὸς δεδοκιμασμένου εὑρεθῇ εἰς ἔπαινον καὶ δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν ἐν ἀποκα λύψει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ». ἀλλὰ τοῦ «λυπηθέντες» ἀντὶ τοῦ πονέσαν τες ἀκούσατε, ὡς δῆλον καὶ ἐκ τοῦ· «ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα»· οὐ γὰρ πάντως ἐν λύπῃ τῷ πάθει τίκτει γυνὴ ἀλλὰ ἐν πόνῳ. εἰ μὲν χρήσιμον τοῖς Χριστοῦ μαθηταῖς τό· «μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κόσμον μηδὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ. ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν αὐτῷ· ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ ἡ ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίου, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἐστίν. καὶ ὁ κόσμος παράγεται καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία»· μὴ οὖν ἀγαπᾶτε τὰ παραγόμενα, ἀλλὰ ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ ἄξιοι γίνεσθε τοῦ ἓν γενέσθαι ἅμα υἱῷ καὶ πατρὶ καὶ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος εὐχὴν λέ γοντος· ὡς ἐγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν. «ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ἓν ὦσι». πόσας δὲ καὶ ἡμέρας ἔστι κερδῆσαι ἀγαπήσαντα «τὸν κόσμον» ἢ «τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ» καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ζημιούμενον ἢ ἀπολλύντα καὶ περι φέροντα συνειδὸς βαρούμενον ὑπὲρ «φορτίον βαρὺ» καὶ βαρούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς ἀρνήσεως πτώματος; ὑπομνησθῶμεν ἕκαστος, ὁσάκις ἀπο θανεῖν τὸν κοινὸν θάνατον ἐκινδύνευσε, καὶ λογισώμεθα, μή ποτε διὰ τοῦτο ἐτηρήθημεν, ἵνα βαπτισάμενοι τῷ ἑαυτῶν αἵματι καὶ ἀπολου σάμενοι πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν παρὰ τῷ ἐν οὐρανοῖς θυσιαστηρίῳ τὰς δια τριβὰς μετὰ τῶν συναγωνισαμένων ποιησώμεθα. 40 Εἰ δέ τις ἐνδοὺς ἀπὸ πολλῆς φιλοζωΐας ἢ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πόνους μαλακίας ἢ τῶν νομιζομένων πιθανῶς προσάγεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀναπειθόντων ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὰ χείρονα ἀρνήσαιτο μὲν τὸ εἶναι ἕνα θεὸν καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ ὁμολογήσαι δὲ δαιμόνια ἢ τύχας, ἴστω ὁ τοιοῦτος ἑτοιμάζων «τῷ δαιμονίῳ τράπεζαν» καὶ πληρῶν «τῇ τύχῃ κέρασμα», ἐγκαταλιπὼν κύριον καὶ ἐπιλανθανόμενος τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ἁγίου αὐτοῦ, τούτοις τοῖς ἐλέγχοις ὑποκεισόμενος, ὡς ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἀνέ γραψε τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον· «ὑμεῖς δὲ οἱ ἐγκαταλιπόντες με καὶ ἐπι λανθανόμενοι τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου καὶ ἑτοιμάζοντες τῷ δαιμονίῳ τράπεζαν καὶ πληροῦντες τῇ τύχῃ κέρασμα, ἐγὼ παραδώσω ὑμᾶς εἰς μάχαιραν, πάντες ἐν σφαγῇ πεσεῖσθε· ὅτι ἐκάλεσα ὑμᾶς καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσατε, ἐλάλησα καὶ παρηκούσατε καὶ ἐποιήσατε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ καὶ ἃ οὐκ ἐβουλόμην ἐξελέξασθε. διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέ γει λέγει κύριος κύριος· ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι φάγονται, ὑμεῖς δὲ πεινάσετε, ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι πίονται, ὑμεῖς δὲ διψήσετε, ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι εὐφρανθήσονται, ὑμεῖς δὲ αἰσχυνθήσεσθε, ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι ἀγαλλιάσονται ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, ὑμεῖς δὲ κεκράξεσθε διὰ τὸν πόνον τῆς καρδίας καὶ ἀπὸ συντριβῆς πνεύματος ὀλολύξετε. καταλείψετε γὰρ τὸ ὄνομά μου εἰς πλησμονὴν τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς μου, ὑμᾶς δὲ ἀνελεῖ κύριος». ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴπερ νοοῦντες, τίς ἡ τοῦ κυρίου τράπεζα, μετέχειν αὐτῆς βουλοίμεθα, γινώσκωμεν τό· «οὐ δύνασθε κυρίου τραπέζης μετέχειν καὶ τραπέζης δαιμονίων». ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ θέλομεν συνιέντες, τί ἐστι τό· «οὐ μὴ πίω ἀπ' ἄρτι ἐκ τοῦ γενήματος τῆς ἀμπέλου ταύτης ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, ἕως αὐτὸ πίνω καινὸν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν», μετὰ τῶν πινόντων σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ εὑρεθῆναι, προσέχω μεν τῷ· «οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον κυρίου πίνειν καὶ ποτήριον δαι μονίων». τίς δὲ ἀκούσας τοῦ τῆς βροντῆς υἱοῦ Ἰωάννου λέγοντος· «ὁ ἀρ νούμενος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν, πᾶς ὁ ἀρνούμενος τὸν υἱὸν οὐδὲ τὸν πατέρα ἔχει· ὁ ὁμολογῶν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἔχει» οὐ φο βηθήσεται διὰ τοῦ λέγειν μὴ εἶναι Χριστιανὸς ἀρνήσασθαι τὸν υἱὸν, ἐν τῷ ἀρνεῖσθαι αὐτὸν οὐχ ἕξων τὸν πατέρα; καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν προ τραπείη ὁμολογεῖν τὸ εἶναι Χριστιανὸς ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις, ἵνα καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἔχῃ; οἱ γὰρ ὁμολογοῦντες ἔχουσι τὸν πατέρα. 41 Εἰ μεταβεβήκαμεν «ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωὴν» διὰ τοῦ μεταβεβηκέναι ἀπὸ ἀπιστίας εἰς πίστιν, μὴ