your names are written in the heavens”. Therefore one must rejoice, if one becomes such a person, so that his name may be inscribed in the heavens. But just as the name of the saints is inscribed in the heavens, so too for those who live an earthly life, who do not pass by the land of Edom but possess the fields and vineyards of the land of Edom, their names are written as those abandoning God upon the earth. “Let them be ashamed,” he says, “who have fallen away, let them be written on the earth”; for indeed, “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Each one is the cause to himself of being written. If you seek the things on earth, you do not seek the heavenly things. If your soul is inclined to the things here, you become the cause to yourself, as Jesus says: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Do you store up treasure in heaven? You are the cause to yourself of your name being inscribed in the heavens. These things are because of “let them be written on the earth.” And he states the reason: “because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of life.” And in the beginning the same prophet said from the person of God: “they have forsaken me, the spring of living water,” and now: “they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of life.” Let us then also say, if we wish not to forsake the Lord, the spring of life, the saying of the true disciples of Jesus, which they spoke to the teacher who said to them: “Do you also wish to go away?” What then shall we say? “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Here the second section also ended. 17.5 Then again there is a prayer that goes like this: “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for you are my boast. Behold, they say to me: Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come. But I have not grown weary following after you, and I have not desired the day of man, you know.” Only to the physician who has come for those who are sick and says: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick,” is it possible for anyone who wants to be cured of the sickness of his soul to say with confidence: “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed.” But if anyone else besides this one professes the medicine of souls, you could not say truthfully to that one: “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed.” For that “woman with the issue of blood” had spent “all she had” on physicians, and “could not be healed by any of them”; for to none of them was it reasonable to say: “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed,” but only to the one, for whom it is enough to touch “the fringe of his garment.” I say therefore to this one: “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed”; for if you heal, the end will follow upon the healing from you, the cure, so that I might be saved. However many others may save, I will not be saved; but the only and true salvation is if Christ saves, since then I will be saved. “A horse is a false hope for salvation,” and all other things besides God are false for salvation. For this reason I would say to him: “Save me, O Lord, and I will be saved.” And I say this, if I can also say the following, having renounced every boast, so that I may say: “for you are my boast,” or when I fulfill the commandment that says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his wealth, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows that I am the Lord.” Blessed therefore is the one who has renounced every boast below, such as in so-called noble birth and in beauty and in physical matters, in wealth, in glory, and is content with one boast, that he might say: “for you are my boast.” 17.6 “Behold, they say to me: Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come. But I have not grown weary following after you.” Jesus says to you: “Take up your cross, and follow me,” and “Leave all, and follow me,” and “Whoever does not leave father and mother, and follow after me, is not worthy to be my disciple.” If, then, you become such as to always follow Jesus, you will both follow and, insofar as you follow, you will not grow weary; “not
ὀνόματα ὑμῶν γέγραπται ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς». οὐκοῦν χαίρειν δεῖ, ἐὰν τοιοῦτός τις γένηται, ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐγγράφηται ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ὡς δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τῶν ἁγίων ἐγγράφεται ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, οὕτως τῶν πολιτευομένων γηΐνως, τῶν οὐ παραπορευομένων τὴν γῆν Ἐδὼμ ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀγροὺς γῆς Ἐδὼμ ἐχόντων καὶ τοὺς ἀμπελῶνας, γράφεται τὰ ὀνόματα ὡς καταλειπόντων τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. «καταισχυν θήτωσαν» γάρ φησιν «ἀφεστηκότες, ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γραφήτωσαν»· καὶ γὰρ «ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε μετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν». αἴτιος ἕκαστος ἑαυτῷ ἐστι τοῦ γραφῆναι. εἰ <τὰ> ἐπὶ γῆς ζητεῖς, οὐ ζητεῖς τὰ οὐράνια. εἰ νένευκέ σου ἡ ψυχὴ περὶ τὰ τῇδε πράγματα, σὺ σεαυτῷ αἴτιος γίνῃ, τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λέγοντος· «μὴ θησαυρίζετε ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζουσι, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσι καὶ κλέ πτουσιν· ἀλλὰ θησαυρίζετε ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανοῖς». θησαυρίζεις ἐν οὐρανῷ; σαυτῷ αἴτιος εἶ τοῦ τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐγγράφεσθαι ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ταῦτα διὰ τὸ «ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γραφήτωσαν». καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν λέγει· «ὅτι ἐγκατέλιπον πηγὴν ζωῆς τὸν κύριον». καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης ἔλεγεν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ· «ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον πηγὴν ὕδατος ζωῆς», καὶ νῦν· «ἐγκατέλιπον πηγὴν ζωῆς τὸν κύριον». εἴπωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς, εἴπερ θέλομεν μὴ ἐγκαταλιπεῖν πηγὴν ζωῆς τὸν κύριον, τὴν φωνὴν τῶν γνησίων Ἰησοῦ μαθητῶν, ἣν εἰρήκασι πρὸς τὸν διδάσκαλον εἰπόντα αὐτοῖς· «μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε πορεύεσθαι»; τί οὖν εἴπωμεν; «κύριε, πρὸς τίνα ἀπελευσόμεθα; ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις». ἐνθάδε ἔληξε καὶ ἡ δευτέρα περικοπή. 17.5 Εἶτα πάλιν εὐχή ἐστιν οὕτως ἔχουσα· «ἴασαί με, κύριε, καὶ ἰαθήσομαι· σῶσόν με, καὶ σωθήσομαι, ὅτι καύχημά μου σὺ εἶ. ἰδοὺ αὐτοὶ λέγουσι πρός με· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ λόγος κυρίου; ἐλθέτω. ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐκοπίασα κατακολουθῶν ὀπίσω σου, καὶ ἡμέραν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἐπεθύμησα, σὺ ἐπίστασαι». μόνῳ τῷ ἐληλυθότι διὰ τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας ἰατρῷ καὶ λέγοντι· «οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες» ἔστιν εἰπεῖν τεθαρρηκότως πάντα τὸν βουλόμενον θεραπευθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ νοσεῖν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ· «ἴασαί με, κύριε, καὶ ἰαθήσομαι». εἰ δέ τις ἄλλος παρὰ τοῦτον ἐπαγγέλλεται τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρικήν, οὐκ ἂν λέγοις ἐκείνῳ ἀληθεύων· «ἴασαί με, κύριε, καὶ ἰαθήσομαι». καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνη ἡ «αἱμορροοῦσα» ἐδαπάνησε «τὰ παρ' αὐτῆς πάντα» εἰς τοὺς ἰατρούς, καὶ «οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ὑπ' οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν θεραπευθῆναι»· πρὸς οὐδένα γὰρ ἐκείνων εὔλογον ἦν εἰπεῖν· «ἴασαί με, κύριε, καὶ ἰαθήσομαι», ἢ πρὸς μόνον, <οὗ> ἀρκεῖ ἅψασθαι «τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου». λέγω οὖν πρὸς τοῦτον· «ἴασαί με, κύριε, καὶ ἰαθήσομαι»· ἐὰν γὰρ ἰάσῃ, τὸ τέλος ἐπακολουθήσει τῇ ἀπὸ σοῦ ἰάσει, ἡ θεραπεία, ὥστ' ἄν με σωθῆναι. ὅσοι δὲ ἄλλοι σώσουσιν, οὐ σωθήσομαι· μόνη δὲ καὶ ἀληθῶς σωτηρία, ἐὰν σώσῃ Χριστός, ἐπεὶ τότε σωθήσομαι. «ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν», ψευδῆ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα παρὰ τὸν θεὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν. διὰ τοῦτο αὐτῷ εἴποιμι ἄν· «σῶσόν με, κύριε, καὶ σωθήσομαι». καὶ λέγω τοῦτο, ἐὰν καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς δυνηθῶ λέγειν τῷ ἀποτετάχθαι παντὶ καυχήματι, ἵνα εἴπω· «ὅτι καύχημά μου εἶ σύ», ἢ ὅτε πληρῶ τὴν λέγουσαν ἐντολήν· «μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ σοφὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσθω ὁ καυχώμενος, τοῦ συνιεῖν καὶ γινώσκειν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος». μακάριος οὖν ὁ ἀποταξά μενος πάσῃ τῇ κάτω καυχήσει, οἷον ἐπὶ καλουμένῃ εὐγενείᾳ καὶ ἐπὶ κάλλει καὶ τοῖς σωματικοῖς πράγμασιν, ἐπὶ πλούτῳ, ἐπὶ δόξῃ, καὶ ἀρκούμενος μιᾷ καυχήσει ἵνα εἴπῃ· «ὅτι καύχημά μου εἶ σύ». 17.6 «Ἰδοὺ αὐτοὶ λέγουσι πρός με· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ λόγος κυρίου; ἐλθέτω. ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐκοπίασα κατακολουθῶν ὀπίσω σου». ὁ Ἰησοῦς σοι λέγει· «ἆρον τὸν σταυρόν σου, καὶ ἀκολούθει μοι», καὶ «ἄφες πάντα, καὶ ἀκολούθει μοι», καὶ «ὅστις οὐ καταλείψει τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος εἶναι μαθητής». ἐὰν οὖν γένῃ τοιοῦτος ὥστε πάντοτε ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ ἀκολου θήσεις καὶ ὅσον ἀκολουθεῖς οὐ κοπιάσεις· «οὐκ