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having received their presence and company." 6.9 As the elder was saying these and such things, the hidden man revealed himself from his shelter; and he was wild to look at, having squalid hair, and his face was wrinkled, and all the members of his body were skeletal, clad in some filthy rags sewn together with palm shoots. And after greeting them and giving the address of peace, he inquired who they were and from where they had come and to where they were going. And he answered the question and asked in turn from where he had come and why ever he chose this life. And he said: "I too had this zeal which you also have as you go; and I had made as a companion on this journey a certain acquaintance of like mind who held the same purpose as I; and we had bound each other by an oath not to separate our companionship even by death. Therefore, during the journey it happened that he received the end of his life here. But I, being bound by the oath, both dug as I was able and gave the body to burial; and beside this tomb, having dug another grave for myself, I await here the end of my life and offer the customary service to the master. And for food I have the dates which a certain brother was appointed by our guardian to bring me." 6.10 As these things were being said, a lion appeared from afar; and when those with the elder fell into distress, the one sitting at the shelter, perceiving it, stood up and gestured to the lion to move to the other side. And it was immediately persuaded and came, carrying the cluster of dates; then it went away again as permitted and, lying down far from the men, it slept. So then, having distributed the dates to all, and having shared with them in prayer and psalmody, and after the end of the service in the morning, having bid them farewell, he sent them away, astonished at the strange sight. 6.11 But if anyone disbelieves what has been said, let him be reminded of the life of the great Elijah and of the service of the ravens, who continually brought him bread in the morning and meat in the evening. And it is easy for the creator of all things to find all kinds of means for the care of his own; thus he protected Jonah in the belly of the whale for three days and nights, and he made the lions in the den stand in awe of Daniel, and he made the lifeless fire act rationally, to illuminate those within but to burn up those outside. But indeed I do something superfluous in offering proofs concerning the divine power. 6.12 When, therefore, they reached the desired mountain, they say that that wondrous old man, in that place where Moses was deemed worthy to see God—and he saw as it was possible for a mortal nature—bent his knees and did not rise before he heard a divine voice, signifying to him the master's favor. And since he remained thus bowed for the entire cycle of the week, having partaken of not even a little food, the voice that came commanded him both to take what was set before him and to eat it eagerly; and stretching out his hand and finding three apples, and having eaten his fill of these as the giver had instructed, he became filled with all strength and with gladness greeted his companions, as was fitting. Therefore, rejoicing and being gladdened, he returned, since indeed he had heard a divine voice and had again enjoyed God-given food. 6.13 And having returned, he built two schools of philosophy, one on the ridge of the mountain about which we have spoken before, and the other below at the very edge of the foothills. And in each he gathered athletes of virtue and became trainer and coach for these and those, both teaching the attacks of the adversary and enemy and promising the favor of the judge of the contest and encouraging them to be brave

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τούτων παρουσίαν καὶ ὁμιλίαν δεξάμενοι." 6.9 Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγοντος τοῦ πρεσβύτου, ἀναδείκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῆς καταδύσεως ὁ κεκρυμμένος ἄνθρωπος· καὶ ἦν ἄγριος μὲν ἰδεῖν, αὐχμηρὰν δὲ ἔχων τὴν κόμην, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπον ἐρρικνωμένον, κατεσκελετευμένα δὲ πάντα τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος, ῥάκιά τινα πιναρὰ περιβεβλη μένος φοινικίνοις βλαστοῖς συνερραμμένα. Ἀσπασάμενος δὲ καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης τὸ πρόσρημα δεδωκὼς ἐπυνθάνετο τίνες τε εἶεν καὶ πόθεν ἥκοιεν καὶ ὅποι ἀπίοιεν. Ὁ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐρώτησιν ἀπεκρίνατο καὶ ἀντεπύθετο πόθεν τε ἐληλυθὼς εἴη καὶ τί δήποτε ταύτην ἕλοιτο τὴν ζωήν. Ὁ δὲ· "Ταυτὴν ἔσχον κἀγὼ τὴν προθυμίαν, ἔφη, ἣν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔχοντες ἄπιτε· κοινωνὸν δὲ τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης ἐπεποιήμην συνήθη τινὰ καὶ ὁμογνώμονα καὶ τὸν αὐτόν μοι κεκτημένον σκοπόν· ὅρκῳ δὲ ἀλλήλους ἐπεπείκειμεν μηδὲ τῷ θανάτῳ χωρίσαι τὴν συνουσίαν. Τοιγάρτοι κατὰ τὴν ἀποδημίαν ἐκεῖνον μὲν τῇδε συνέβη δέξασθαι τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος. Ἐγὼ δὲ τῷ ὅρκῳ πεπεδημένος ὤρυξά τε ὡς ἐδυνάμην καὶ ταφῇ τὸ σῶμα παρέδωκα· παρὰ τοῦτο δὲ τὸ σῆμα τάφον ἕτερον ἐμαυτῷ κατορύξας, τῇδε περιμένω τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος καὶ τῷ δεσπότῃ τὴν συνήθη λειτουργίαν προσφέρω. Τροφὴν δὲ ἔχω τοὺς φοίνικας οὓς ἀδελφός τίς μοι κομίζειν ὑπὸ τοῦ κηδεμόνος ἐτάχθη." 6.10 Τούτων οὕτω λεγομένων, λέων πόρρωθεν ἀνεφάνη· ἀγωνίᾳ δὲ τῶν σὺν τῷ πρεσβύτῃ περιπεσόντων, αἰσθόμενος ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς καταδύσεως καθήμενος, ἀναστὰς τῷ λέοντι διένευσεν εἰς τὸ ἕτερον μεταβῆναι μέρος. Ὁ δὲ παραυτίκα ἐπείσθη τε καὶ ἧκε, φέρων τῶν φοινίκων τὸν βότρυν· εἶτα πάλιν ἀπῆλθεν ἐπιτραπεὶς καὶ πόρρωθεν τῶν ἀνδρῶν κατα κλιθεὶς ἐκαθεύδησε. ∆ιανείμας τοίνυν τοὺς φοίνικας ἅπασι, προσευχῆς τε αὐτοῖς καὶ ψαλμῳδίας κοινωνήσας καὶ μετὰ τὸ τέλος τῆς λειτουργίας ἕωθεν ἀσπασάμενος ἀπέπεμψε τὸ καινὸν θέαμα τεθηπότας. 6.11 Εἰ δέ τις ἀπιστεῖ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, τῆς Ἠλιοῦ τοῦ πάνυ πολιτείας καὶ τῆς τῶν κοράκων διακονίας ἀναμνη σθήτω οἳ πρωῒ μὲν ἄρτον, δείλης δὲ κρέας αὐτῷ κομίζοντες διετέλεσαν. Ῥᾴδιον δὲ τῷ ποιητῇ τῶν ὅλων παντοδαποὺς πόρους εἰς τὴν τῶν οἰκείων θεραπείαν εὑρίσκειν· οὕτω τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρία νυχθήμερα διεφύλαξε καὶ τοὺς λέοντας ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ τεθηπέναι τὸν ∆ανιὴλ παρεσκεύασε καὶ τὸ ἄψυχον πῦρ λογικῶς ἐνεργεῖν καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἔνδον φωτίζειν, τοὺς δὲ ἔξω κατακαίειν πεποίηκεν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ περιττὸν ποιῶ περὶ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως ἀποδείξεις προσφέρων. 6.12 Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τὸ ποθούμενον κατέλαβον ὄρος, φασὶν ἐκεῖνον τὸν θαυμάσιον γέροντα ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χωρίῳ ἐν ᾧ τὸν θεὸν Μωϋσῆς ἰδεῖν ἠξιώθη, εἶδε δὲ ὡς δυνατὸν ἦν φύσει θνητῇ, κλῖναι τὰ γόνατα καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀναστῆναι ἕως θείας ἐπήκουσε φωνῆς, τὴν δεσποτικὴν αὐτῷ μηνυούσης εὐμένειαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἅπαντα τῆς ἑβδομάδος τὸν κύκλον οὕτω συγκεκυφὼς διετέλεσε, τροφῆς οὐδὲ βραχείας μετα λαχών, ἐκέλευσεν ἡ γενομένη φωνὴ καὶ τὰ προτεθέντα αὐτῷ λαβεῖν καὶ προθύμως καταφαγεῖν· ἐκτείνας δὲ τὴν χεῖρα καὶ τρία μῆλα εὑρὼν καὶ τούτων ἐμφορηθεὶς ὡς ὁ δεδωκὼς παρηγγύησεν, ἰσχύος τε γέγονεν ἁπάσης ἀνάπλεως καὶ μετὰ θυμηδίας τοὺς συνόντας, ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν, ἠσπάσατο. Γεγηθὼς τοίνυν καὶ γαννύμενος ἐπανῄει ἅτε δὴ καὶ θείας ἐπακούσας φωνῆς καὶ θεοσδότου πάλιν ἀπολαύσας τροφῆς. 6.13 Ἐπανελθὼν δὲ δύο φιλοσοφίας ᾠκοδόμησε φροντισ τήρια, ἓν μὲν εἰς τὴν ῥαχίαν τοῦ ὄρους περὶ οὗ προειρήκαμεν, θάτερον δὲ κάτω παρ' αὐτὰ τῆς ὑπωρείας τὰ κράσπεδα. Ἐν ἑκατέρῳ δὲ ἀθλητὰς ἀρετῆς συναθροίσας καὶ τούτων κἀκείνων γυμναστὴς καὶ παιδοτρίβης ἐγένετο, καὶ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου καὶ πολεμίου διδάσκων τὰς προσβολὰς καὶ τοῦ ἀγωνοθέτου τὴν εὔνοιαν ὑπισχνούμενος καὶ θαρρεῖν παρα καλῶν