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to pay and to devise many other things that are able to persuade him to contribute the knowledge from his own art and to find a remedy for the affliction. But here we need none of these things: not a long journey, not weariness, not a long circuit, not an expense of money, but it is enough for one who has brought genuine faith and poured out warm tears with a sober soul to find healing for the soul immediately and to receive the cure of the body. 7.7 Have you seen the power of physicians? Have you seen their munificence? Have you seen an art not overcome by diseases? For indeed, in the case of bodily afflictions, the difficulty of the disease has often overcome the art of the physician. But here there is nothing of the sort ever to suspect, but if we make our approach with faith, we reap the benefit immediately. And do not be surprised, beloved; for the philanthropic Master, since for His sake and for the confession of Him they endured all things and resisted sin to the point of blood, having stripped themselves for the contest, wishing to make them more glorious through this also and to increase their glory still more even in this mortal life, in their honor He generously bestows gifts on those who approach with faith. 7.8 And that the things said by us are not mere words but that experience of the facts itself testifies, I know well that you also will say and will bear witness. For what woman, having her husband on a journey and being distressed at the separation, having come here and offered her supplication to the Master of all through the holy martyrs, did not more quickly bring him back from the long journey? and another again, seeing her own child besieged by a grievous illness and being torn, so to speak, and rent in her heart, having arrived here and shed warm tears and roused these holy ones to pray on her behalf, I mean the crowned ones of Christ, did she not immediately drive away the disease and cause the sick one to return to health? 7.9 And many, having fallen into difficult circumstances and seeing unbearable dangers hanging over them, having arrived here and made fervent prayer, have escaped the experience of all those terrible things. And why do I speak of bodily diseases and difficult circumstances? Many, even being tyrannized by the devil himself and besieged by passions of the soul, having come to these spiritual physicians and coming to the memory of their own sins and laying bare their wounds, so to speak, in word, received such great comfort from here that they immediately perceived it and made their conscience lighter and returned home with much assurance. 7.10 For just as spiritual springs able to pour forth abundant streams, so has the Master granted to us the tombs of the holy martyrs. And just as the springs of water are set before all without hindrance for those wishing to draw the streams from there, and as much as the size of the vessel is able to receive, so much the one who wishes takes and goes away, in this same way it is possible to see it also in the case of these spiritual springs. For these springs also are open to all and there is no distinction of persons here, but whether one is rich or poor, whether slave or free, whether man or woman, one receives such a measure from these divine streams as the measure of zeal he has been eager to bring. 7.11 For what the vessels are there for the reception of the waters, this here is the mind and fervent zeal and the sober approach. For one who approaches in this way immediately receives countless good things, as the grace of God invisibly lightens his conscience and provides much assurance and prepares him henceforth to be released from the earth and to be re-anchored in heaven. For it is possible even for one entangled in a body to have nothing in common with the earth but to imagine all the things in the heavens and to survey the things there

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καταβαλεῖν καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα ἐπινοῆσαι τὰ δυνάμενα πεῖσαι ἐκεῖνον τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας τέχνης ἐπιστήμην εἰσενεγκεῖν καὶ τῷ πάθει παραμυθίαν εὑρέσθαι. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδενὸς ἡμῖν τούτων δεῖ, οὐχ ὁδοιπορίας μακρᾶς, οὐ καμάτου, οὐ πολλῆς περιόδου, οὐ δαπάνης χρημάτων, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ πίστιν εἰσενεγκόντα γνησίαν καὶ δάκρυα θερμὰ προχέαντα μετὰ νηφούσης ψυχῆς παραχρῆμα καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ τὴν ἰατρείαν εὑρεῖν καὶ τοῦ σώματος τὴν θεραπείαν κομίσασθαι. 7.7 Εἶδες ἰατρῶν δύναμιν; εἶδες φιλοτιμίαν; εἶδες τέχνην οὐ νικωμένην ὑπὸ νοσημάτων; Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν σωματικῶν παθῶν πολλάκις ἐνίκησε τοῦ ἰατροῦ τὴν τέχνην ἡ δυσκολία τῆς νόσου. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν ἔστι τοιοῦτον ὑποπτεῦσαί ποτε, ἀλλ' ἐὰν μετὰ πίστεως τὴν πρόσοδον ποιώμεθα, παραχρῆμα τὴν ὠφέλειαν καρπούμεθα. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, ἀγαπητέ· ὁ γὰρ φιλάνθρωπος δεσπότης, ἐπειδὴ δι' αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁμολογίαν ἅπαντα ὑπέμειναν καὶ μέχρις αἵματος ἀντικατέστησαν πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀποδυσάμενοι, βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς καὶ διὰ τούτου λαμπροτέρους ἀποφῆναι καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ πλέον αὐξῆσαι καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐπικήρῳ τούτῳ βίῳ, εἰς τιμὴν αὐτῶν τοῖς μετὰ πίστεως προσιοῦσι τὰς δωρεὰς φιλοτιμεῖται. 7.8 Καὶ ὅτι οὐ ῥήματα μόνον εἰσὶ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν λεγόμενα ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ μαρτυρεῖ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ πεῖρα, καὶ ὑμεῖς εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι ἐρεῖτε καὶ μαρτυρήσετε. Ποία γὰρ γυνὴ ἐν ἀποδημίᾳ τὸν ἄνδρα ἔχουσα καὶ δυσχεραίνουσα ἐπὶ τῷ χωρισμῷ, παραγενομένη ἐνταῦθα καὶ διὰ τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων τὴν ἱκεσίαν προσαγαγοῦσα τῷ τῶν ὅλων δεσπότῃ, οὐχὶ θᾶττον ἐπανήγαγε τοῦτον ἐκ τῆς μακρᾶς ἀποδημίας; καὶ ἑτέρα πάλιν ὁρῶσα τὸν ἑαυτῆς παῖδα ὑπὸ ἀρρωστίας χαλεπῆς πολιορκούμενον καὶ σπαραττομένη ὥσπερ εἰπεῖν καὶ διακοπτομένη τὰ σπλάγχνα, ἐνταῦθα ἀφικομένη καὶ θερμὰ δάκρυα ἀφεῖσα καὶ διεγείρασα εἰς τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς δέησιν τοὺς ἁγίους τούτους, τοὺς τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγω στεφανίτας, οὐκ εὐθέως τὴν νόσον ἀπήλασε καὶ πρὸς ὑγίειαν τὸν ἄρρωστον ἐπανελθεῖν παρεσκεύασε; 7.9 Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ περιστάσεσι πραγμάτων περιπεπτωκότες καὶ κινδύνους ἀφορήτους αὐτοῖς ὁρῶντες ἐπικρεμαμένους, ἐνταῦθα ἀφικόμενοι καὶ τὴν προσευχὴν ἐκτενῆ ποιησάμενοι, πάντων ἐκείνων τῶν δεινῶν τὴν πεῖραν διέφυγον. Καὶ τί λέγω σωματικὰ νοσήματα καὶ πραγμάτων περιστάσεις; Πολλοὶ καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ διαβόλου τυραννούμενοι καὶ ὑπὸ παθῶν ψυχικῶν πολιορκούμενοι, πρὸς τοὺς πνευματικοὺς τούτους ἰατροὺς παραγεγονότες καὶ εἰς μνήμην ἐλθόντες τῶν οἰκείων πλημμελημάτων καὶ τῷ λόγῳ γυμνώσαντες αὐτῶν ὡς εἰπεῖν τὰ ἕλκη, τοσαύτην ἐντεῦθεν ἐδέξαντο τὴν παραμυθίαν ὡς αἴσθησιν εὐθέως λαβεῖν καὶ κουφότερον ἐργάσασθαι αὐτῶν τὸ συνειδὸς καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς πληροφορίας οἴκαδε ἐπανελθεῖν. 7.10 Καθάπερ γὰρ πηγὰς πνευματικὰς δαψιλῆ τὰ νάματα προχέειν δυναμένας, οὕτω τὰς τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων θήκας ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῖν κεχάρισται. Καὶ ὥσπερ αἱ πηγαὶ τῶν ὑδάτων πᾶσιν ἀδεῶς πρόκεινται τοῖς ἀρύεσθαι βουλομένοις τὰ ἐκεῖθεν νάματα καὶ ὅσον ἂν ὑποδέξασθαι δύνηται τοῦ ἀγγείου τὸ μέγεθος, τοσοῦτον λαβὼν ἄπεισιν ὁ βουλόμενος, τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πηγῶν τούτων τῶν πνευματικῶν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Καὶ αὖται γὰρ αἱ πηγαὶ πᾶσίν εἰσιν ἀνειμέναι καὶ οὐδεμία ἐστὶν ἐνταῦθα προσώπων διαφορά, ἀλλὰ κἂν πλούσιος ᾖ τις κἂν πένης, κἂν δοῦλος κἂν ἐλεύθερος, κἂν ἀνὴρ κἂν γυνή, τοσοῦτον μέτρον ὑποδέχεται ἐκ τῶν θείων τούτων ναμάτων ὅσον ἐὰν μέγεθος προθυμίας εἰσενεγκεῖν σπουδάσῃ. 7.11 Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν ἐκεῖ τὰ ἀγγεῖα πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὑδάτων ὑποδοχήν, τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα ἡ διάνοια καὶ ἡ ζέουσα προθυμία καὶ ἡ μετὰ νήψεως πρόσοδος. Ὁ γὰρ οὕτω προσιὼν εὐθέως τὰ μυρία κομίζεται ἀγαθά, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος ἀοράτως αὐτοῦ κουφιζούσης τὸ συνειδὸς καὶ πολλὴν τὴν πληροφορίαν παρεχομένης καὶ παρασκευαζούσης λοιπὸν τῆς γῆς ἀπαλλάττεσθαι καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν μεθορμίζεσθαι. ∆υνατὸν γὰρ καὶ σώματι περιπεπλεγμένον μηδὲν κοινὸν ἔχειν πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἅπαντα φαντάζεσθαι καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ περισκοπεῖν