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called service, he continued to unroll this in his soul, by night and by day considering and investigating how he might increase it. For this reason his labor continually increased and received intensification each day, and it was sweet and full of pleasure, driving satiety far away. For no one ever saw him taking rest for even a small part of the day, but prayer succeeded psalmody, and psalmody succeeded prayer, and the reading of the divine oracles succeeded both; then the care of arriving strangers, then some other of the necessary works would take place. 5.3 Journeying through life in these things and set forth as an archetype of virtue for those wishing to emulate him, like some sweet-singing bird he gathered many of his own kind into these nets of salvation. But at first he did not endure to have anyone live with him; but building small cells with doors near each other, he commanded each of those who joined him to live by himself, frequently visiting and searching the cells lest they might have anything stored up beyond what was necessary. And they say that he, carrying scales, would meddle precisely with the weight of the loaves of bread, and if ever he found more than the appointed amount, he would be displeased and call those who did this gluttons. For he commanded them, neither eating nor drinking, to await satiety, but to partake of only so much as is sufficient to provide life for the body. And if ever he saw flour separated from the bran, he would revile those who had done this as though they were partaking of Sybaritic food; and at night, arriving suddenly at the door of each, if he found someone awake and hymning God, he would depart again in silence; but if he perceived someone overcome by sleep, he would knock on the door with his hand, and with his tongue he would strike the one lying down as offering more care to the body than was necessary. 5.4 Some of his like-minded companions, seeing this labor of his, suggested that he build one dwelling for all. For they said that those who were now scattered would live more exactly, and he himself would be freed from the greater care. The most wise man accepted the advice, and gathering everyone and demolishing those small cells, and building one for those who were assembled, he commanded them to live in common and to encourage one another, and for this one to imitate that one's meekness, and for that one to mix his meekness with this one's zeal, and for another sharing his wakefulness to partake of the lesson of fasting. "For thus," he said, "by taking what is lacking from one another, we will achieve the most perfect virtue. For just as in the city marketplaces one is a seller of bread, another of vegetables, another a merchant of clothes, and another a maker of shoes, and by collecting what they need from each other they live more cheerfully, for one giving a cloak receives a shoe in return, and one buying a vegetable gives bread in exchange; so it is fitting for us to give to one another in exchange the precious parts of virtue." 5.5 While those of the same tongue were thus being trained and struggling and hymning God in the Greek language, a love for this way of life also seized those who used the local language; and some, running together, supplicated both to become part of the flock and to partake of his sacred teaching. And he accepted their request, remembering the master's legislation which he brought to the holy apostles: "Go," he said, "and make disciples of all nations." And having built another dwelling beside that one, he commanded them to live there, having constructed a certain divine temple into which he ordered both these and those to come together at the beginning and end of the day, so that they might offer both the evening and the morning hymnody in common to God, though divided in two

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καλέσαντος θεραπείαν καὶ ταύτην ἀνελίττων ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ διετέλει νύκτωρ τε καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν σκοπούμενος καὶ διερευνώμενος ὅπως ταύτην αὐξήσειε. Τούτου εἵνεκα ὁ πόνος αὐτῷ διηνεκῶς ηὔξετο καὶ ἐπίτασιν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐδέχετο, καὶ γλυκὺς ἦν καὶ ἡδονῆς ἀνάπλεως καὶ πόρρω τὸν κόρον ἐλαύνων. Οὐ γάρ τις αὐτὸν ἐθεάσατο πώποτε βραχὺ γοῦν μορίον ἡμέρας ἀναπαύλης μεταλαχόντα, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν ψαλμῳδίαν εὐχή, τὴν δὲ εὐχὴν ψαλμῳδία, ἀμφότερα δὲ τῶν θείων λογίων ἀνάγνωσις διεδέχετο· εἶτα ἡ τῶν ἀφικνουμένων ἐπιμέλεια ξένων, ἔπειτα ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀναγ καίων ἔργων ἐγίνετο. 5.3 Ἐν τούτοις τὸν βίον ὁδεύων καὶ ἀρχέτυπον ἀρετῆς τοῖς ζηλοῦν βουλομένοις προκείμενος, οἷά τις ὄρνις εὐκέλαδος πολλοὺς τῶν ὁμοφύλων εἰς τὰ σωτήρια ταῦτα συνήγειρε θήρατρα. Ἀλλὰ κατ' ἀρχὰς μὲν οὐδένα σύνοικον ἔχειν ἠνέσχετο· βραχεῖς δὲ οἰκίσκους ἀγχιθύρους οἰκοδομῶν, αὐτὸν καθ' αὑτὸν ἕκαστον τῶν συνιόντων διάγειν ἐκέλευε συχνῶς ἐπισκοπῶν καὶ τοὺς οἰκίσκους διερευνώμενος μή τι πέρα τῆς χρείας ἀποκείμενον ἔχοιεν. Φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ζυγὰ ἐπιφερόμενον τὸν τῶν ἄρτων σταθμὸν πολυπραγμονεῖν ἀκριβῶς καὶ εἴ ποτε εὕροι τοῦ ὡρισμένου πλείονα, δυσχε ραίνειν καὶ γαστριμάργους τοὺς τοῦτο ποιοῦντας ἀποκαλεῖν. Ἐκέλευε γὰρ μήτε ἐσθίοντας μήτε πίνοντας ἀναμένειν τὸν κόρον, ἀλλὰ τοσούτων ἀπολαύειν ὁπόσα τῷ σώματι παρέχειν ἀπόχρη τὴν ζωήν. Εἰ δέ ποτε καὶ τῶν πιτύρων ἀποκεκρι μένον τὸ ἄλευρον ἐθεάσατο ὡς συβαριτικῆς τροφῆς ἀπο λαύουσι τοῖς τοῦτο δεδρακόσιν ἐλοιδορεῖτο· καὶ νύκτωρ δὲ ἐξαπιναίως παρὰ τὴν ἑκάστου θύραν ἀφικνούμενος, εἰ μέν τινα εὗρεν ἐγρηγορότα καὶ τὸν θεὸν ὑμνοῦντα, σιγῇ πάλιν ἀπεχώρει· εἰ δέ τινα ὕπνῳ κατεχόμενον ᾔσθετο, τῇ χειρὶ μὲν τὴν θύραν ἐπάτασσε, τῇ γλώττῃ δὲ τὸν κατακείμενον ἔβαλλεν ὡς πλείονα ἢ ἔδει τῷ σώματι τὴν θεραπείαν προσφέροντα. 5.4 Τοῦτον αὐτοῦ τὸν πόνον τῶν ὁμογνωμόνων τινὲς θεασάμενοι ἓν πᾶσιν οἰκοδομῆσαι καταγώγιον εἰσηγήσαντο. Ἀκριβέστερον γὰρ ἔφασαν τοὺς νῦν διεσπαρμένους βιώσεσθαι καὶ αὐτὸν τῆς πλείονος φροντίδος ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι. Ἐδέξατο τὴν παραίνεσιν ὁ σοφώτατος καὶ συναγείρας ἅπαντας καὶ τοὺς μικροὺς ἐκείνους καταλύσας οἰκίσκους, ἕνα δὲ τοῖς συνει λεγμένοις δειμάμενος κοινῇ τε πολιτεύεσθαι καὶ παραθήγειν ἀλλήλους ἐκέλευσε καὶ τοῦτον μὲν τὴν ἐκείνου μιμεῖσθαι πρᾳότητα, ἐκεῖνον δὲ τῷ τούτου ζήλῳ κεραννύναι τὸ πρᾷον καὶ ἄλλον ἀγρυπνίας μεταδιδόντα τοῦ τῆς νηστείας μεταλαμ βάνειν μαθήματος. "Οὕτω γὰρ παρ' ἀλλήλων, ἔφη, τὸ ἐνδέον λαμβάνοντες, τὴν τελεωτάτην κατορθώσομεν ἀρετήν. Καθά περ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς πολιτικαῖς ἀγοραῖς ὁ μὲν ἄρτων ἐστὶ πρατήρ, ὁ δὲ λαχάνων, ὁ δὲ ἱματίων ἔμπορος, ἄλλος δὲ ὑποδημάτων δημιουργός, παρ' ἀλλήλων δὲ τὴν χρείαν ἐρανιζόμενοι θυμηρέστερον βιοτεύουσιν, ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἱμάτιον διδοὺς ἀντιλαμβάνει ὑπόδημα, ὁ δὲ λάχανον ὠνούμενος ἀποδίδοται ἄρτον· οὕτως ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλοις ἀντιδιδόναι προσήκει τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰ πολυτίμητα μόρια." 5.5 Οὕτω τῶν ὁμογλώττων γυμναζομένων τε καὶ ἀγω νιζομένων καὶ τῇ ἑλλάδι φωνῇ τὸν θεὸν ἀνυμνούντων, ἔλαβεν ἔρως ταυτησὶ τῆς πολιτείας καὶ τοὺς τῇ ἐγχωρίῳ κεχρημένους φωνῇ· καὶ συνδραμόντες τινὲς ἱκέτευον καὶ τῆς ἀγέλης γενέσθαι καὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας μεταλαχεῖν. Ἐδέξατο δὲ τὴν αἴτησιν, τῆς δεσποτικῆς μεμνημένος νομοθεσίας ἣν τοῖς ἱεροῖς προσενήνοχεν ἀποστό λοις· "Πορευθέντες, λέγων, μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη". Καὶ παρ' ἐκεῖνο τὸ καταγώγιον ἕτερον οἰκοδομήσας ἐκεῖ τούτους διάγειν ἐκέλευσε, νεών τινα θεῖον κατασκευάσας εἰς ὃν καὶ τούτους κἀκείνους συνιέναι προσέταξεν ἀρχομένης τε καὶ ληγούσης ἡμέρας ἵνα καὶ τὴν ἑσπερινὴν καὶ τὴν ἑωθινὴν ὑμνῳδίαν κοινῇ προσφέρωσι τῷ θεῷ, διχῇ μὲν διῃρημένοι