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gives over to death. What, I say, Lord, are the works of evil desire that deliver men to death? make them known to me, so that I may abstain from them. Listen, he says, to the works in which evil desire brings death to the servants of God. Foremost of all is the desire for another's wife or husband, and for extravagance of wealth, and for many vain foods and drinks and many other foolish luxuries; for all luxury is foolish and empty for the servants of God. These desires, then, are evil, bringing death to the servants of God. For this evil desire is a daughter of the devil. It is necessary, therefore, to abstain from evil desires, so that by abstaining you may live to God. But as many as are overcome by them and do not resist them, will perish in the end. For these desires are deadly. You, therefore, put on the desire of righteousness, and having armed yourself with the fear of the Lord, resist them. For the fear of God dwells in the good desire. If the evil desire sees you armed with the fear of God and resisting it, it will flee far from you, and will no longer be seen by you, fearing your weapons. You, therefore, having gained the victory and been crowned over it, come to the desire of righteousness, and having delivered to it the victory which you received, serve it as it wishes. If you serve the good desire and are subject to it, you will be able to overcome the evil desire and subdue it as you wish. I would like, I say, Lord, to know in what ways I must serve the good desire. Listen, he says: work righteousness and virtue, truth and fear of the Lord, faith and meekness, and whatever good things are similar to these. By working these things you will be a well-pleasing servant of God and you will live to him; and everyone who serves the good desire will live to God. He finished, therefore, the twelve commandments and says to me: You have these commandments; walk in them, and exhort those who hear, so that their repentance may be pure for the remaining days of their life. Fulfill diligently this ministry which I give you, and you will accomplish much; for you will find favor with those who are about to repent, and they will obey your words; for I will be with you and will compel them to obey you. I say to him: Lord, these commandments are great and good and glorious, and able to gladden the heart of a man who is able to keep them. But I do not know if these commandments can be kept by a man, because they are very hard. Answering, he says to me: If you set it before yourself that they can be kept, you will keep them easily, and they will not be hard; but if it has already come up in your heart that they cannot be kept by a man, you will not keep them. Now I say to you: if you do not keep these, but disregard them, you will not have salvation, neither your children nor your house, since you have already judged for yourself that these commandments cannot be kept by a man. And these things he spoke to me very angrily, so that I was confounded and feared him greatly; for his form was changed, so that a man could not bear his anger. But seeing me completely disturbed and confounded, he began to speak to me more gently and cheerfully, and says: Foolish, senseless, and double-minded one, do you not understand the glory of God, how great

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δίδωσιν εἰς θάνατον. Ποῖα, φημί, κύριε, ἔργα ἐστὶ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς πονηρᾶς τὰ παραδιδόντα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εἰς θάνατον; γνώρισόν μοι, ἵνα ἀφέξωμαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Ἄκουε, φησίν, ἐν ποίοις ἔργοις θανατοῖ ἡ ἐπιθυμία ἡ πονηρὰ τοὺς δούλους τοῦ θεοῦ. Πάντων προέχουσα ἐπιθυμία γυναικὸς ἀλλοτρίας ἢ ἀνδρὸς καὶ πολυτελεί ας πλούτου καὶ ἐδεσμάτων πολλῶν ματαίων καὶ μεθυσμάτων καὶ ἑτέ ρων τρυφῶν πολλῶν καὶ μωρῶν· πᾶσα γὰρ τρυφὴ μωρά ἐστι καὶ κενὴ τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ. αὗται οὖν αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι πονηραί εἰσι, θανατοῦσαι τοὺς δούλους τοῦ θεοῦ. αὕτη γὰρ ἡ ἐπιθυμία ἡ πονηρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου θυγάτηρ ἐστίν. ἀπέχεσθαι οὖν δεῖ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν τῶν πονηρῶν, ἵνα ἀποσχό μενοι ζήσητε τῷ θεῷ. ὅσοι δὲ ἂν κατακυριευθῶσιν ὑπ' αὐτῶν καὶ μὴ ἀντισταθῶσιν αὐταῖς, ἀποθανοῦνται εἰς τέλος. θανατώδεις γάρ εἰσιν αἱ ἐπι θυμίαι αὗται. σὺ οὖν ἔνδυσαι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ καθο πλισάμενος τὸν φόβον τοῦ κυρίου ἀντίστηθι αὐταῖς. ὁ γὰρ φόβος τοῦ θεοῦ κατοικεῖ ἐν τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῇ ἀγαθῇ. ἡ ἐπιθυμία ἡ πονηρὰ ἐὰν ἴδῃ σε καθω πλισμένον τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθεστηκότα αὐτῇ, φεύξεται ἀπὸ σοῦ μακράν, καὶ οὐκέτι σοι ὀφθήσεται φοβουμένη τὰ ὅπλα σου. σὺ οὖν νῖκος λαβὼν καὶ στεφανωθεὶς κατ' αὐτῆς ἐλθὲ πρὸς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ παραδοὺς αὐτῇ τὸ νῖκος ὃ ἔλαβες, δούλευσον αὐτῇ καθὼς αὐτὴ βούλεται. ἐὰν δουλεύσῃς τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῇ ἀγαθῇ καὶ ὑποταγῇς αὐτῇ, δυνήσῃ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς πονηρᾶς κατακυριεῦσαι καὶ ὑποτάξαι αὐτὴν καθὼς βούλει. Ἤθελον, φημί, κύριε, γνῶναι ποίοις τρόποις με δεῖ δουλεῦσαι τῇ ἐπι θυμίᾳ τῇ ἀγαθῇ. Ἄκουε, φησίν· ἔργασαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀρετήν, ἀλήθειαν καὶ φόβον κυρίου, πίστιν καὶ πραότητα, καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ὅμοιά ἐστιν ἀγαθά. ταῦτα ἐργαζόμενος εὐάρεστος ἔσῃ δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ζήσῃ αὐτῷ· καὶ πᾶς ὃς ἂν δουλεύσῃ τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῇ ἀγαθῇ, ζήσεται τῷ θεῷ. Συνετέλεσεν οὖν τὰς ἐντολὰς τὰς δώδεκα καὶ λέγει μοι· Ἔχεις τὰς ἐντολὰς ταύτας· πορεύου ἐν αὐταῖς, καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας παρακάλει ἵνα ἡ μετά νοια αὐτῶν καθαρὰ γένηται τὰς λοιπὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν. τὴν διακονίαν ταύτην ἥν σοι δίδωμι τέλει ἐπιμελῶς, καὶ πολὺ ἐργάσῃ· εὑρή σεις γὰρ χάριν ἐν τοῖς μέλλουσι μετανοεῖν καὶ πεισθήσονταί σου τοῖς ·»μα σιν· ἐγὼ γὰρ μετὰ σοῦ ἔσομαι καὶ ἀναγκάσω αὐτοὺς πεισθῆναί σοι. λέγω αὐτῷ· Κύριε, αἱ ἐντολαὶ αὗται μεγάλαι καὶ καλαὶ καὶ ἔνδοξοί εἰσι καὶ δυνά μεναι εὐφρᾶναι καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου τοῦ δυναμένου τηρῆσαι αὐτάς. οὐκ οἶδα δὲ εἰ δύνανται αἱ ἐντολαὶ αὗται ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου φυλαχθῆναι, διότι σκληραί εἰσι λίαν. ἀποκριθεὶς λέγει μοι· Ἐὰν σὺ σεαυτῷ προθῇς ὅτι δύνανται φυλαχθῆναι, εὐκόπως αὐτὰς φυλάξεις, καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται σκληραί· ἐὰν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν σου ἤδη ἀναβῇ μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτὰς ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου φυλαχ θῆναι, οὐ φυλάξεις αὐτάς. νῦν δέ σοι λέγω· ἐὰν ταύτας μὴ φυλάξῃς, ἀλλὰ παρενθυμηθῇς, οὐχ ἕξεις σωτηρίαν, οὔτε τὰ τέκνα σου οὔτε ὁ οἶκός σου, ἐπεὶ ἤδη σεαυτῷ κέκρικας τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαι τὰς ἐντολὰς ταύτας ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου φυλαχθῆναι. Καὶ ταῦτά μοι λίαν ὀργίλως ἐλάλησεν, ὥστε με συγχυθῆναι καὶ λίαν αὐτὸν φοβηθῆναι· ἡ μορφὴ γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἠλλοιώθη, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἄνθρω πον ὑπενεγκεῖν τὴν ὀργὴν αὐτοῦ. ἰδὼν δέ με τεταραγμένον ὅλον καὶ συγ κεχυμένον ἤρξατό μοι ἐπιεικέστερον καὶ ἱλαρώτερον λαλεῖν, καὶ λέγει· Ἄφρον, ἀσύνετε καὶ δίψυχε, οὐ νοεῖς τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ, πῶς μεγάλη