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And the soldier polishes his weapons, and prepares his horse for war, and a farmer sharpens his sickle, and a traveler, being confident, undertakes a long journey, and an athlete strips and is naked for the contests; so indeed let us also, since the fast has appeared like a kind of spiritual summer, both as soldiers polish our weapons, and as farmers sharpen our sickle, and as pilots set our reasonings against the waves of unseemly desires, and as travelers let us undertake the journey to heaven, and as athletes let us strip for the 49.51 contests. For the faithful man is both a farmer, and a pilot, and a soldier, and an athlete, and a traveler. For this reason Paul also says: Our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers; put on therefore the whole armor of God. Have you seen the athlete? Have you seen the soldier? If you are an athlete, you must enter the contest naked; if you are a soldier, you must stand in the line of battle fully armed. How then is it possible to be both these things, both to be naked and not naked, and clothed and not clothed? How? I will tell you. Strip off the affairs of this life, and you have become an athlete; put on the spiritual weapons, and you have become a soldier; strip yourself of worldly cares; for it is the time for wrestling; put on the spiritual weapons; for a difficult war has been arrayed for us against demons. For this reason one must be naked, so as to offer no hold to the devil wrestling against us, and be armed on all sides, so as to receive a fatal blow from nowhere. Cultivate your soul, and cut out the thorns, sowing the word of piety, plant the beautiful plants of philosophy, and tend them with much care, and you have become a farmer, and Paul will say to you: The hardworking farmer must be the first to receive a share of the crops. He himself also pursued this art; for this reason, writing to the Corinthians, he said: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. Sharpen your sickle, which you have blunted through gluttony, but sharpen it through fasting; undertake the journey that leads to heaven, undertake the one that is afflicted and narrow, and travel it. And how will you be able both to undertake it and to travel it? By disciplining your body and bringing it into subjection; for where there is a narrowness of the way, the bulkiness from gluttony is a great hindrance. Subdue the waves of unseemly desires, beat back the storm of wicked thoughts, save the vessel, demonstrate your great experience, and you have become a pilot. And of all these things the fast will be our foundation and teacher; but I do not mean this fast of the many, but the strict fast, not only the abstinence from foods, but also from sins; for the nature of the fast is not sufficient to deliver those who practice it, unless it is done according to the proper rule. For an athlete, he says, is not crowned, unless he competes according to the rules. Therefore, lest after enduring the labor of fasting we should lose the crown of fasting, let us learn how and in what manner one must practice this matter. Since that Pharisee also fasted, but after that fast he went down desolate and empty of the fruits of fasting; the tax collector did not fast, and he who did not fast came before him who had fasted, so that you may learn that there is no benefit from fasting, if all the other things do not also follow. The Ninevites fasted, and drew to themselves the favor of God; the Jews also fasted, and accomplished nothing more, but even departed under accusation. Since, therefore, the danger of fasting is so great for those who do not know how one must fast, let us learn the laws of fasting, so that we may not run uncertainly, nor beat the air, nor shadow-box when we fight. Fasting is a medicine, but the medicine, even if it be beneficial ten thousand times over, often becomes useless through the inexperience of the one using it. And 49.52 for one must also know the time at which this should be applied, and the quantity of the medicine itself, and the constitution of the body

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ἀποσμήχει δὲ ὁ στρατιώτης τὰ ὅπλα, καὶ παρασκευάζει τὸν ἵππον εἰς πόλεμον, καὶ γεωργὸς ἀκονᾷ δρέπανον, καὶ ὁδοιπόρος θαῤῥῶν ἀποδημίας ἅπτεται μακρᾶς, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἀθλητὴς ἀποδύεται καὶ γυμνοῦται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς, καθάπερ θέρους πνευματικοῦ τινος τῆς νηστείας φανείσης, καὶ ὡς στρατιῶται τὰ ὅπλα ἀποσμήξωμεν, καὶ ὡς γεωργοὶ τὴν δρεπάνην ἀκονήσωμεν, καὶ ὡς κυβερνῆται πρὸς τὰ κύματα τῶν ἀτόπων ἐπιθυμιῶν τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀντιτάξωμεν, καὶ ὡς ὁδῖται τῆς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀποδημίας ἁψώμεθα, καὶ ὡς ἀθληταὶ πρὸς τοὺς 49.51 ἀγῶνας ἀποδυσώμεθα. Ὁ γὰρ πιστὸς καὶ γεωργὸς, καὶ κυβερνήτης, καὶ στρατιώτης, καὶ ἀθλητὴς, καὶ ὁδοιπόρος ἐστίν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας· ἐνδύσασθε οὖν τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἶδες τὸν ἀθλητήν; Εἶδες τὸν στρατιώτην; Εἰ ἀθλητὴς εἶ, γυμνὸν εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα εἰσελθεῖν σε δεῖ· εἰ στρατιώτης εἶ, καθωπλισμένον σε ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως ἑστάναι χρή. Πῶς οὖν ἀμφότερα ταῦτα εἶναι δυνατὸν, καὶ γυμνὸν εἶναι καὶ οὐ γυμνὸν, καὶ ἐνδεδυμένον καὶ οὐκ ἐνδεδυμένον; Πῶς; ἐγὼ λέγω. Ἀπόδυσαι τὰ βιωτικὰ πράγματα, καὶ γέγονας ἀθλητής· ἔνδυσαι τὰ ὅπλα τὰ πνευματικὰ, καὶ γέγονας στρατιώτης· γύμνωσον σαυτὸν τῶν βιωτικῶν φροντίδων· πάλης γάρ ἐστιν ὁ καιρός· ἔνδυσαι τὰ πνευματικὰ ὅπλα· πόλεμος γὰρ ἡμῖν πρὸς δαίμονας συγκεκρότηται χαλεπός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ γυμνὸν εἶναι χρὴ, ὥστε μηδεμίαν λαβὴν τῷ διαβόλῳ παρασχεῖν παλαίοντι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ καθοπλίζεσθαι πάντοθεν, ὥστε μηδαμόθεν καιρίαν δέξασθαι πληγήν. Γεώργησόν σου τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας ἔκτεμε, σπεῖρον τὸν λόγον τῆς εὐσεβείας, τὰ καλὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας φύτευσον φυτὰ, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς θεράπευε τῆς ἐπιμελείας, καὶ γέγονας γεωργὸς, καὶ ἐρεῖ πρὸς σὲ ὁ Παῦλος· Τὸν κοπιῶντα γεωργὸν δεῖ πρῶτον τῶν καρπῶν μεταλαμβάνειν. Ταύτην καὶ αὐτὸς μετῄει τὴν τέχνην· διὰ τοῦτο Κορινθίοις ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλὼς ἐπότισεν, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ηὔξησεν. Ἀκόνησόν σου τὴν δρεπάνην, ἣν ἤμβλυνας διὰ τῆς ἀδηφαγίας, ἀκόνησον δὲ διὰ τῆς νηστείας· ἅψαι τῆς ὁδοιπορίας τῆς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν φερούσης, τῆς τεθλιμμένης καὶ στενῆς ἅψαι, καὶ ὅδευσον. Πῶς δὲ δυνήσῃ καὶ ἅψασθαι, καὶ ὁδεῦσαι; Ὑπωπιάζων σου τὸ σῶμα, καὶ δουλαγωγῶν· ἔνθα γὰρ ὁδοῦ στενοχωρία, μέγα κώλυμα ἡ ἐκ τῆς ἀδηφαγίας πολυσαρκία. Κατάστειλον τὰ κύματα τῶν ἀτόπων ἐπιθυμιῶν, ἀπόκρουσαι τὸν χειμῶνα τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν, διάσωσον τὸ σκάφος, πολλὴν ἐπίδειξαι τὴν ἐμπειρίαν, καὶ γέγονας κυβερνήτης. Πάντων δὲ τούτων ὑπόθεσις ἡμῖν ἡ νηστεία καὶ διδάσκαλος ἔσται· νηστείαν δὲ οὐ ταύτην λέγω τὴν τῶν πολλῶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀκριβῆ νηστείαν, οὐ τὴν τῶν βρωμάτων ἀποχὴν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων· οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τῆς νηστείας ἡ φύσις ἐξελέσθαι τοὺς μετιόντας, ἐὰν μὴ μετὰ τοῦ προσήκοντος γένηται νόμου. Καὶ γὰρ ἀθλητὴς, φησὶν, Οὐ στεφανοῦται, ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως ἀθλήσῃ. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ πόνον ὑπομείναντες νηστείας ἐκπέσωμεν τοῦ στεφάνου τῆς νηστείας, μάθωμεν πῶς καὶ τίνα τρόπον τὸ πρᾶγμα μετιέναι χρή. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Φαρισαῖος ἐκεῖνος ἐνήστευσεν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν νηστείαν ἐκείνην κατῆλθεν ἔρημος καὶ κενὸς τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς νηστείας καρπῶν· ὁ τελώνης οὐκ ἐνήστευσε, καὶ ἔμπροσθεν γέγονεν ἐκείνου τοῦ νηστεύσαντος ὁ μὴ νηστεύσας, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι νηστείας ὄφελος οὐδὲν, ἂν μὴ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἕπηται πάντα. Ἐνήστευσαν οἱ Νινευῖται, καὶ ἐπεσπάσαντο τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ εὔνοιαν· ἐνήστευσαν καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ πλέον οὐδὲν ἔπραξαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατηγορηθέντες ἀπῆλθον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοσοῦτος ὁ κίνδυνος τῆς νηστείας τοῖς οὐκ εἰδόσιν ὅπως χρὴ νηστεύειν, μάθωμεν τῆς νηστείας τοὺς νόμους, ἵνα μὴ τρέχωμεν ἀδήλως, μηδὲ ἀέρα δέρωμεν, μηδὲ σκιαμαχῶμεν πυκτεύοντες. Φάρμακόν ἐστιν ἡ νηστεία, ἀλλὰ τὸ φάρμακον, κἂν μυριάκις ὠφέλιμον ᾖ, πολλάκις ἄχρηστον γίνεται διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν τοῦ χρωμένου. Καὶ 49.52 γὰρ καὶ καιρὸν εἰδέναι χρὴ καθ' ὃν δεῖ τοῦτο ἐπιτιθέναι, καὶ ποσότητα αὐτοῦ τοῦ φαρμάκου, καὶ σώματος κρᾶσιν τὴν