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to show the man's confidence before God. 7.4 And the wonderful Abraames was of the same company, who inhabited the place called Paratomos, but sent forth everywhere the splendors of his virtue. And the miracles worked after his death bear witness to the splendor of his life. For his tomb gushes forth all kinds of healings even to this day, and witnesses are those who abundantly draw these from there through faith. And may I also partake of their assistance, having sanctified my tongue by their memory. 8.t APHRAATES 8.1 That the nature of all men is one and it is easy for those who wish to practice philosophy, whether they be Greeks or barbarians, is easy to learn from many other sources, but Aphraates alone is sufficient to show this clearly. For this man, both born and raised among the most lawless Persians and sprung from such parents and educated in their customs, attained to such virtue as to eclipse even those born from pious parents and who received a pious upbringing from childhood. For first, having scorned his lineage—and this was distinguished and illustrious—, he ran to the worship of the Lord, imitating the Magi, his forefathers; then, having abominated the impiety of his countrymen, he preferred a foreign land to his own, and having reached Edessa—and this city is very great and populous and made especially brilliant by its piety—, having found a small dwelling outside the walls and having confined himself, he took care of his own soul, like some excellent farmer, cutting out by the roots the thorns of the passions and clearing the divine crop and offering the ripe fruits of the evangelical seeds to the master. 8.2 And from there he comes to Antioch, which was being severely disturbed by the heretical storm, and having taken up lodging before the city in a certain school of philosophy and having learned some few little words of the Greek tongue, he drew, indeed, as many as possible to the hearing of the divine oracles; but using a semi-barbarous tongue, he brought forth the birth-pangs of his mind, receiving such streams from the grace of the divine Spirit. For who of those priding themselves on eloquence, knitting their brows, speaking pompously, and boasting in the snares of syllogisms ever prevailed over that uneducated and barbarous voice? For he contended against reasonings with reasonings, and against the arguments of the philosophers with divine words, crying out with the great Paul: "Even if I am unskilled in speech, yet not in knowledge." And in this manner he continually, according to the apostolic voice: "destroying arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought to the obedience of Christ." And one could see running together both those in office and dignity and those ranked in some military service and those who live by their hands and in short, both civilians and soldiers, the educated and the uninitiated in letters, those living with poverty and those boasting in wealth, some receiving in silence what was offered, but others both asking questions and inquiring and providing occasions for discourse. 8.3 And though having undertaken so great a labor, he never endured to take a companion, but he preferred working for himself to the service offered to him by others; and holding his gatherings by the courtyard door, he himself would open for those entering and would send off those departing. And he never accepted anything from anyone, not bread, not relish, not a garment, but only one of his acquaintances supplied him with bread. And having come into old age

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δεῖξαι τὴν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς παρρησίαν. 7.4 Καὶ Ἀβραάμης δὲ ὁ θαυμάσιος τῆς αὐτῆς ἦν συμμορίας, ὃς τὸν μὲν καλούμενον Παράτομον <τόπον> ᾤκησε, πάντοσε δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰς μαρμαρυγὰς ἐξέπεμψε. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῇ λαμπρό τητι τῆς ζωῆς τὰ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν ἐνεργούμενα θαύματα. Ἀναβλύζει γὰρ ἡ ἐκείνου θήκη μέχρι καὶ τήμερον παντοδαπὰς θεραπείας καὶ μάρτυρες οἱ ταύτας ἐκεῖθεν ἀφθόνως διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἀρυόμενοι. Ἐμοὶ δὲ εἴη καὶ τῆς τούτων ἐπικουρίας μεταλαχεῖν, τῇ τούτων μνήμῃ τὴν γλῶτταν καθαγιάσαντι. 8.t ΑΦΡΑΑΤΗΣ 8.1 Ὅτι μία πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις καὶ ῥᾴδιόν ἐστι τοῖς βουλομένοις φιλοσοφεῖν εἴτε Ἕλληνες εἴτε βάρβαροι εἶεν, πολλαχόθεν μὲν καὶ ἄλλοθέν ἐστι καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές, ἀπόχρη δὲ καὶ μόνος Ἀφραάτης τοῦτο δηλῶσαι σαφῶς. Οὗτος γὰρ ἐν Πέρσαις τοῖς παρανομωτάτοις καὶ τεχθεὶς καὶ τραφεὶς καὶ ἐκ τοιούτων γονέων βλαστήσας καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων νόμιμα παιδευθεὶς εἰς τοσαύτην ἤλασεν ἀρετὴν ὡς ἀποκρύψαι καὶ τοὺς ἐξ εὐσεβῶν φύντας καὶ τροφὴν εὐσεβῆ δεξαμένους παιδόθεν. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τοῦ γένους καταφρονήσας-ἐπίσημον δὲ τοῦτο ἦν καὶ λαμπρόν-, εἰς τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου προσκύνησιν ἔδραμε τοὺς προπάτορας μιμησάμενος μάγους· εἶτα τῶν ὁμοφύλων τὴν ἀσέβειαν βδελυξάμενος τὴν ἀλλοδαπὴν τῆς οἰκείας προείλετο καὶ τὴν Ἔδεσσαν καταλαβών-πόλις δὲ αὕτη μεγίστη καὶ πολυάνθρωπος καὶ τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ διαφερόντως λαμπρυνομένη -, ἔξω τῶν περιβόλων οἰκίδιον εὑρὼν καὶ ἑαυτὸν καθείρξας τῆς οἰκείας ἐπεμελεῖτο ψυχῆς, οἷά τις ἄριστος γεωργὸς προρρίζους τῶν παθῶν τὰς ἀκάνθας ἐκτέμνων καὶ τὸ θεῖον λήϊον ἐκκαθαίρων καὶ τοὺς τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν σπερμάτων καρποὺς ὡρίμους τῷ δεσπότῃ προσφέρων. 8.2 Ἐκεῖθεν δὲ καταλαμβάνει τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν ὑπὸ τῆς αἱρετικῆς ζάλης χαλεπῶς κυκωμένην καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἄστεως ἔν τινι καταχθεὶς φροντιστηρίῳ φιλοσοφίας καὶ τῆς ἑλλάδος φωνῆς μαθὼν ὀλίγα ἄττα ῥημάτια εἷλκε μὲν ὅτι πλείστους εἰς τὴν τῶν θείων λογίων ἀκρόασιν· τῇ δὲ μιξοβαρβάρῳ κεχρημένος γλώττῃ τὰς τῆς διανοίας ὠδῖνας προέφερεν, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ θείου πνεύματος χάριτος τὰ τοιαῦτα δεχόμενος νάματα. Τίς γὰρ τῶν ἐπ' εὐγλωττίᾳ βρενθυομένων καὶ τὰς ὀφρῦς συναγόντων καὶ σοβαρῶς φθεγγομένων καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν συλλογισμῶν πάγαις νεανιευομένων τῆς ἀπαιδεύτου καὶ βαρβάρου φωνῆς ἐκείνης περιεγένετο πώποτε; Λογισμοῖς μὲν γὰρ λογισμούς, θείοις δὲ λόγοις τοὺς τῶν φιλοσόφων κατηγωνίζετο λόγους, μετὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Παύλου βοῶν· "Εἰ καὶ ἰδιώτης τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλ' οὐ τῇ γνώσει". Καὶ τοῦτον ἀεὶ διετέλει τὸν τρόπον κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν φωνήν· "Λογισμοὺς καθαιρῶν καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζων πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ". Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν συνθέοντας καὶ τοὺς ἐν τέλει καὶ ἀξιώματι καὶ τοὺς ἔν τινι στρατείᾳ τεταγμέ νους καὶ τοὺς ἀποχειροβιώτους καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς ἰδιώτας τε καὶ στρατιώτας, πεπαιδευμένους καὶ λόγων ἀμυήτους, πενίᾳ συζῶντας καὶ πλούτῳ κομῶντας, καὶ τοὺς μὲν σιγῇ δεχομένους τὰ προσφερομένα, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἐρομένους καὶ πυνθανομένους καὶ ἀφορμὰς τῷ λόγῳ παρέχοντας. 8.3 Τοσοῦτον δὲ ἀναδεδεγμένος πόνον σύνοικον λαβεῖν οὐκ ἠνέσχετο πώποτε, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτουργίαν τῆς παρ' ἑτέρων αὐτῷ προσφερομένης θεραπείας προείλετο· καὶ παρὰ τὴν αὔλειον θύραν τὰς συνουσίας ποιούμενος, αὐτὸς ἀνεῴγνυ τοῖς εἰσιοῦσι καὶ ἀπιόντας προὔπεμπεν. Ἐδέξατο δὲ παρά τινος οὐδὲν πώποτε, οὐκ ἄρτον, οὐκ ὄψον, οὐχ ἱμάτιον, ἀλλ' εἷς αὐτῷ μόνος τῶν γνωρίμων ἐχορήγει τὸν ἄρτον. Εἰς δὲ γῆρας ἐλάσας