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various hardship and wandering. Do you see a most exact ascetic, and one who for God’s sake despised all worldly prosperity? But let us go on to what follows. He arrives in Palestine, the place shown by God for his sojourning; but when a famine overtook the land, he removes to Egypt, and there, when his wife was taken from him, he is not fainthearted, nor does he find fault with the dispensations of God, as if receiving such rewards for his ready obedience; but he also meekly bore this, the most grievous of all wrongs, a wrong done not once, but again by the king of Gerar. For having once decided to obey God, he did not consider what God was ordaining for him, but how he himself might render the most exact and blameless obedience. For this reason also at last he receives the child Isaac, the prize and gift of long prayer and faith; but when he saw him advancing to the prime of his age, and offering good hopes to his parents of posterity, and of the future establishment of his race, then after so many hopes he is commanded by God to lead him up to a high mountain, and sacrifice him to the Giver. And having received this abrupt voice, and this fearful ministry, and what was stronger than nature, not only a command but also something heard, how meekly he bore it, how he was not out of his mind, how his soul did not sink, but as if about to sacrifice some lamb, so with a calm and untroubled mind, placing upon himself the yoke of obedience, he went with the child to fulfill what was commanded, not even in this questioning the judgment of God, nor finding fault, but considering his own task, how he might in no way relax his obedience. Thus indeed he also won a glorious crown, being established for the world as a pillar of faith and obedience. It would have been possible, then, to go through the ready obedience of the other saints who shone in the old history, for the instruction of the ascetics’ unquestioning obedience; but lest we make our discourse long, referring each of those who wish to be instructed to the hearing of the holy Scriptures, we ourselves will turn our discourse to the disciples of the Savior, showing how they obeyed and how they were subject. Jesus said to them while they were still 31.1408 at the beginning of their discipleship, and expecting that the Lord would reign at any moment, and supposing that they themselves would neither labor, nor be in danger, nor toil, but would reign with Christ and share in the royal glory and service and honor. And Peter makes this clear when he rebuked Jesus, at the time when he was speaking about his own passion; for taking him aside, it says, Peter began to rebuke him, saying: Be it far from you, Lord; this shall not be to you; showing by this that he did not in any way expect difficulty. And the sons of Zebedee also make it clear, bringing their mother to entreat the Lord on their behalf, so that they might be honored with the seat on the right and on the left. For if they did not suppose that he would reign very soon, they would not have dared to ask this, thinking of the Savior's seat at the right hand of the Father in heaven. What then did he say to them while they were expecting and hoping for these things? Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. And so, having heard something most contrary to their own hope, they did not say, "We came with other hopes, and you command us things contrary to what we hoped for?" We expected rest, and you send us out to dangers? We hoped for honors, and you bring in dishonors? We expected a kingdom, and you command us to be persecuted and to be slaves of all? They said none of these things, although they heard other things more numerous and more grievous than those mentioned, such as, They will deliver you up to tribulation, and they will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake.

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λοδαπῆς ταλαιπωρίαν καὶ ἄλην. Ὁρᾷς ἀσκητὴν ἀκριβέστατον, καὶ τῆς κοσμικῆς ἁπάσης εὐημερίας διὰ τὸν Θεὸν ὑπερόπτην; Ἀλλ' ἐπίωμεν τὰ ἑξῆς. Καταλαμβάνει μὲν τὴν Παλαι στίνην, τὸν παρὰ Θεοῦ ὑποδειχθέντα τόπον εἰς παροι κίαν· λιμοῦ δὲ καταλαβόντος τὴν χώραν, εἰς Αἴγυ πτον μετανίσταται, κἀκεῖ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀφαιρεθεί σης, οὐ μικροψυχεῖ, οὐδὲ ταῖς οἰκονομίαις τοῦ Θεοῦ καταμέμφεται, ὡς τῆς εὐπειθείας τοιαύτας ἀντιδεχόμενος ἀμοιβάς· ἀλλὰ πράως καὶ τοῦτο ἤνεγκε τὸ πάντων βαρύτατον ἀδικημάτων ἀδίκημα, οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ αὖθις ὑπὸ τοῦ Γεράρων βασι λέως γενόμενον. Κρίνας γὰρ ἅπαξ ὑπακούειν Θεῷ, οὐκ ἐσκόπει τί ἐπ' αὐτῷ οἰκονομεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ὅπως αὐτὸς ἀκριβεστάτην καὶ ἀνεπίληπτον τὴν ὑπ ακοὴν εἰσενέγκηται. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τὸ τελευ ταῖον λαμβάνει μὲν τὸν παῖδα τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, μακρᾶς εὐχῆς καὶ πίστεως ἆθλον καὶ δώρημα· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἑώρα αὐτὸν εἰς ὥραν ἡλικίας προβαίνοντα, καὶ ἐλ πίδας ἀγαθὰς τοῖς γεγεννηκόσι παρέχοντα διαδοχῆς, καὶ τῆς μετέπειτα τοῦ γένους συστάσεως, τὸ τηνι καῦτα μετὰ τοσαύτας ἐλπίδας κελεύεται παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν, καὶ κατα θύειν τῷ δεδωκότι. ∆εξάμενος δὲ τὴν ἀπότομον ταύ την φωνὴν, καὶ τὴν φοβερὰν λειτουργίαν, καὶ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἰσχυρότερον οὐκ ἐπίταγμα μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄκουσμα, ὅπως πράως ἤνεγκεν, ὅπως οὐκ ἐξέστη τὰς φρένας, ὅπως οὐ κατέπεσε τὴν ψυχὴν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἄρνα τινὰ καταθύειν μέλλων, οὕτως ἠρεμαίῳ καὶ ἀταράχῳ φρονήματι τὸν ζυγὸν τῆς ὑπακοῆς ἐπιθέμενος, ᾔει σὺν τῷ παιδὶ, τὸ προσταχθὲν ἐκ πληρώσων, οὐδὲν οὐδὲ ἐν τούτῳ πολυπραγμονῶν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσιν, οὐδὲ μεμφόμενος, ἀλλὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον σκοπῶν, ὅπως ἂν κατὰ μηδὲν τὴν ὑπακοὴν παραλύσειεν. Οὕτω τοι καὶ λαμπρὸν ἤρατο στέφα νον, τῇ οἰκουμένῃ στήλη πίστεως καὶ ὑπακοῆς ἱδρυνθείς. Ἐνῆν μὲν οὖν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἁγίων τῶν κατὰ παλαιὰν ἱστορίαν διαλαμψάντων τὴν εὐ πείθειαν διελθεῖν, εἰς παίδευμα τῆς τῶν ἀσκητῶν ἀναμφιλέκτου ὑπακοῆς· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ μακρὸν τὸν λόγον ἀπεργασώμεθα, ἕκαστον τῶν παιδεύεσθαι βου λομένων τῇ ἀκροάσει τῶν ἁγίων Γραφῶν παρα πέμψαντες, αὐτοὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὸν λόγον τρεψόμεθα, δεικνύντες πῶς ὑπήκουον, καὶ πῶς ὑπετάσσοντο. Ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔτι 31.1408 τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς μαθητεύσεως ἔχουσι, καὶ προσδοκῶ σιν, ὅσον οὐδέπω βασιλεῦσαι τὸν ∆εσπότην, καὶ ὑπολαμβάνουσιν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ καμοῦνται μὲν οὐ δὲν, οὐδὲ κινδυνεύσουσιν, οὐδὲ κοπιάσουσιν, συμβα σιλεύσουσι δὲ Χριστῷ, καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς δόξης καὶ θεραπείας καὶ τιμῆς συμμεθέξουσι. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῖ μὲν Πέτρος ἐπιτιμῶν τῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἡνίκα περὶ τοῦ οἰκείου πάθους ἐποιεῖτο τοὺς λόγους· Προσλα βόμενος γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ὁ Πέτρος, ἤρξατο ἐπιτιμᾷν αὐτῷ, λέγων· Ἵλεώς σοι, Κύριε, οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο· καὶ δεικνὺς ταύτῃ, ὅτι οὐδ' ὁπωσ τιοῦν προσεδόκα δυσχερές· δηλοῦσι δὲ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ζεβεδαίου τὴν μητέρα παρακαλοῦσαν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ προσαγαγόντες, ὥστε τῇ ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ τῇ ἐξ εὐωνύμων τιμηθῆναι καθέδρᾳ. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ αὐτίκα μάλα βασιλεύειν αὐτὸν ὑπελάμβανον, οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο ἐτόλμησαν αἰτῆσαι, τὴν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐν οὐρανοῖς καθέδραν τοῦ Σωτῆρος διανοούμε νοι. Τί οὖν ταῦτα προσδοκῶσιν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐλπίζου σιν ἔλεγεν; Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς πρό βατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων. Καὶ οὕτω πρᾶγμα ἐναν τιώτατον τῆς οἰκείας ἐλπίδος ἀκούσαντες, οὐκ εἶπον, ὅτι Ἐφ' ἑτέραις ἐλπίσι προσήλθομεν, καὶ ἐναντία τῶν ἐλπισθέντων προστάσσεις ἡμῖν; Ἄνεσιν προσ εδοκήσαμεν, καὶ πρὸς κινδύνους ἐκπέμπεις; Τιμὰς ἠλπίσαμεν, καὶ ἀτιμίας παρεισβάλλεις; Βασι λείαν προσεδοκήσαμεν, καὶ τὸ ἐλαύνεσθαι καὶ πάν των δούλους εἶναι διακελεύῃ; Οὐδὲν τούτων οὐκ εἶπον, καίπερ ἕτερα τῶν εἰρημένων ἀκούσαντες πλείονα καὶ βαρύτερα, οἷον τὸ, Παραδώσουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς θλίψεις, καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσεσθε μισούμενοι ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου. Καὶ ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας δὲ καὶ βασιλεῖς ἀχθήσεσθε ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ.