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I arrived to see that divine flock, having as companions for my journey others who embraced the same life as I. Therefore, having spent the entire cycle of the week with this divine man, we observed a face that admitted no change, not at one moment relaxed, and at another drawn together in gloominess; and his gaze likewise was not at one time grim, and at another cheerful, but his eyes always remained in the same decorum; and these things are sufficient to testify to the calm of his soul. But it is likely someone might think that he was seen to be such because no cause was provoking him. For which reason I am compelled to narrate something of this sort that happened in our presence. That divine man was seated with us, stirring up discourses on philosophy and seeking the height of the evangelical life. But while such discourses were taking place, a certain Olympius, a Roman by race, and himself admirable in character, honored with the priesthood and holding the second-in-command of that province, came to us, crying out against the divine David, calling that forbearance of his a public disgrace, saying that his meekness was ruinous to all, and calling that supreme philosophy foolishness and not forbearance. But he, as if having a soul of adamant, received the words, but was not pricked by what was meant to prick, nor did he change his countenance, nor did he abandon the conversation at hand but, with a gentle voice and words that revealed the serenity of his soul, he sent that elder away, urging him to attend to what he wished; "But I," he said, "as you see, am conversing with these who have come to us, considering this ministration to be necessary". 4.11 How could one better demonstrate the meekness of the soul? For for one entrusted with that leadership to receive such drunken insolence from the one holding the second rank, especially with strangers present and listening to the abuse, and to endure no surge and turmoil from anger—what excess of courage and endurance does this leave behind? The divine apostle, therefore, having considered the weakness of human nature, measures the lawgiving to nature; "Be angry," he says, "and do not sin; let not the sun go down on your wrath." For knowing that the movements of anger are of nature and not of the will, he does not tolerate legislating things that are too burdensome, and perhaps even impossible; but for the movement of nature and the storm of anger he sets the day as a measure, commanding to choke it with reason and to restrain it with a bridle, and not allowing it to proceed beyond the limits. But this divine man struggled beyond the established laws and leaped over the hurdles, not allowing anger to be stirred until evening, but not permitting it to be stirred at all. Such things this man also enjoyed from the company of the great Eusebius. 4.12 I have seen many other lovers and zealots of this philosophy who have been in that hut, some in the prime of their body, and some in deep old age; for men who had lived more than ninety years did not wish to abandon the laborious life, but excelled in the toils of youth, entreating God all night and all day and performing those holy liturgies, and partaking of that frugal food every two days. And that I might pass over the others, who are not worthy of silence, but of praise and every kind of commendation, but so that I not make the narrative overly long beyond measure, there was a certain man in that divine place—they call him Abban— who sprang from an Ishmaelite root, but was not estranged from the Abrahamic house according to his forefather, but shared with Isaac in the paternal inheritance, or rather he seized it from the heavens the

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τὴν θείαν ἐκείνην ἀγέλην θεάσασθαι ἀφικόμην κοινωνοὺς ἔχων τῆς ἀποδημίας καὶ ἄλλους τὸν αὐτόν μοι βίον ἀσπαζομένους. Ἅπαντα τοίνυν τῆς ἑβδομάδος τὸν κύκλον παρὰ τῷδε τῷ θείῳ διαγαγόντες, ἐθεώμεθα πρόσωπον οὐδεμίαν μεταβολὴν δεχόμενον, οὐδὲ νῦν μὲν διαχεόμενον, νῦν δὲ σκυθρωπότητι συναγόμενον καὶ τὸ ὄμμα δέ γε ὡσαύτως οὐκ ἄλλοτε μὲν βλοσυρόν, χαροπὸν δὲ ἄλλοτε, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀεὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς μένοντας εὐκοσμίας· ἱκανοὶ δὲ οὗτοι τεκμηριῶσαι τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν γαλήνην. Ἀλλ' εἰκός τινα νομίσαι τοιοῦτον αὐτὸν ἑωρᾶσθαι μηδεμιᾶς παρακινούσης αἰτίας. Οὗ εἵνεκα διηγήσασθαί τι τοιοῦτον συμβὰν ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἀναγκάζομαι. Καθῆστο παρ' ἡμᾶς ὁ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ τοὺς περὶ φιλοσοφίας λόγους ἀνακινῶν καὶ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας τὸ ἄκρον ἐπιζητῶν. Τοιούτων δὲ μεταξὺ γινομένων λόγων Ὀλύμπιός τις τὸ μὲν γένος Ῥωμαῖος, τὸν δὲ τρόπον καὶ αὐτὸς ἀξιάγαστος, ἱερωσύνῃ τετιμημένος καὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐκείνης τὰ δεύτερα διέπων, ἧκε παρ' ἡμᾶς τοῦ θείου ∆αυΐδου καταβοῶν καὶ λώβην κοινὴν τὴν ἐπιείκειαν ὀνομάζων ἐκείνην καὶ λυμαίνεσθαι πᾶσιν τὴν πρᾳότητα λέγων καὶ ἄνοιαν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπιείκειαν τὴν ἄκραν ἐκείνην φιλοσοφίαν καλῶν. Ὁ δὲ καθάπερ ἀδαμαντίνην ἔχων ψυχὴν ἐδέχετο μὲν τοὺς λόγους, οὐκ ἐκεντεῖτο δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν κεντεῖν πεφυκό των, οὐδὲ μετέβαλλε τὸ πρόσωπον, οὐδὲ τὴν προκειμένην ἠφίει διάλεξιν ἀλλά, μετὰ πρᾳείας φωνῆς καὶ λόγων τὴν ψυχικὴν μηνυόντων αἰθρίαν, τὸν πρεσβύτην ἐκεῖνον ἀπέπεμπε, παρακαλῶν αὐτὸν ἐπιμεληθῆναι ὧν βούλεται· "Ἐγὼ δέ, ἔφη, τοῖσδε τοῖς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφιγμένοις, ὡς ὁρᾷς, διαλέγομαι, ἀναγκαίαν εἶναι νομίζων ταύτην τὴν θεραπείαν". 4.11 Πῶς ἄν τις ἄμεινον ἐπιδείξειε τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν πρᾳ ότητα; Τὸ γὰρ τὴν προστασίαν ἐκείνην πεπιστευμένον τοιαύτην ὑπὸ τοῦ τὰ δευτερεῖα ἔχοντος δέξασθαι παροινίαν, μάλιστα δὲ ξένων παρόντων καὶ τῆς λοιδορίας ἀκροωμένων, καὶ μηδεμίαν ἐκ τοῦ θυμοῦ ζάλην ὑπομεῖναι καὶ ταραχήν, ποίαν ἀν δρείας καὶ καρτερίας ὑπερβολὴν καταλείπει; Ὁ μὲν οὖν θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἐπεσκεμμένος τῇ φύσει μετρεῖ τὴν νομοθεσίαν· "Ὀργίζεσθε γάρ, φησι, καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε· ὁ ἥλιος μὴ ἐπιδυέτω ἐπὶ τῷ παρορ γισμῷ ὑμῶν." Τὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ θυμοῦ κινήματα τῆς φύσεως εἰδὼς ἀλλ' οὐ τῆς γνωμῆς, ἐπίπονα λίαν, τάχα δὲ καὶ ἀδύνατα νομοθετεῖν οὐκ ἀνέχεται· τῇ κινήσει δὲ τῆς φύσεως καὶ τῇ ζάλῃ τοῦ θυμοῦ μέτρον τὴν ἡμέραν ὁρίζει, ἄγχειν κελεύων τῷ λογισμῷ καὶ τῷ χαλινῷ πιέζειν καὶ περαιτέρω τῶν ὅρων προβαίνειν μὴ συγχωρῶν. Ὁ δὲ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνὴρ ὑπὲρ τοὺς κειμένους ἠγωνίζετο νόμους καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰ σκάμματα ἥλλετο, οὐ μέχρι τῆς ἑσπέρας κινεῖσθαι τῷ θυμῷ παραχωρῶν, ἀλλὰ μηδ' ὅλως ἐπιτρέπων κινεῖσθαι. Τοιαῦτα καὶ οὗτος τῆς Εὐσεβίου τοῦ μεγάλου συνουσίας ἀπώνατο. 4.12 Πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ ἄλλους ἐραστὰς τῆς φιλοσοφίας ταύτης καὶ ζηλωτὰς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ καλύβῃ γεγενημένους τεθέαμαι, τοὺς μὲν ἐν ἀκμῇ τοῦ σώματος, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἐν γήρᾳ βαθεῖ· πλείονα γὰρ ἢ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτη διαβιώσαντες ἄνθρωποι τὸν ἐπίπονον βίον καταλιπεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τῆς νεότητος ἱδρῶσι διέπρεπον, παννύχιοι μὲν καὶ πανημέριοι τὸν θεὸν ἀντιβολοῦντες καὶ τὰς εὐαγεῖς ἐκείνας λειτουργίας ποιούμενοι, διὰ δύο δὲ ἡμερῶν τῶν εὐτελῶν ἐκείνων σιτίων μεταλαγχάνοντες. Καὶ ἵνα τοὺς ἄλλους καταλίπω οὐ σιγῆς ὄντας ἀξίους, εὐφημίας δὲ καὶ ἐπαίνων παντοίων, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ πέρα τοῦ μέτρου μακρὸν ἐργάσωμαι τὸ διήγημα, ἐγένετό τις ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ θείῳ χωρίῳ-Ἀββᾶν δὲ αὐτὸν ὀνομάζουσιν- ὃς ἐκ μὲν τῆς Ἰσμαηλίτιδος ἐβλάστησε ῥίζης, οὐκ ἀπῳκίσθη δὲ τῆς Ἀβραμιαίας κατὰ τὸν πρόγονον οἰκίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς πατρῴας κληρονομίας τῷ Ἰσαὰκ ἐκοινώνησε, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὴν ἥρπασε τῶν οὐρανῶν τὴν