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pits, fires, the congealings of frost, the tearing of flesh from the ribs, the beatings about the head, the putting out of the 44.1300 eyes, the cutting off of fingers, the tearing of the body on either side through the legs, the wasting away through famine, all these and such things the saints accepted with gladness, as purifications for sin, so that no trace arising in the heart through pleasure might be left behind, since this painful and sharp sensation wipes out all the impressions arising in the soul according to pleasure. Blessed, therefore, are those who are persecuted for my sake. This is of such a kind (so that we might understand the other saying as well), as if one were to give speech to health, it too would say: that Blessed are those who have been separated from sickness for my sake. For the alienation from painful things prepares those who were once sick to be in me. Thus let us hear the voice, as if life itself were crying out such a beatitude to us. Blessed are those persecuted by death for my sake; as the light would say, Blessed are those persecuted by darkness for my sake. Likewise also righteousness, and sanctification, and incorruptibility, and goodness, and every concept conceived and spoken of toward the better. The Lord being, inasmuch as he is conceived, let him be thought to say to you according to that: that Blessed is everyone who is driven away from every contrary thing, from corruption, darkness, sin, injustice, greed, from each of the things that are distinguished from the words, deeds, and thoughts according to virtue. For to be outside of evil things is to be established within good things. "He who commits sin," says the Lord, "is a slave to sin." Therefore, he who has departed from that which he served, is free in dignity. The highest form of freedom is to become self-governing. But the dignity of the kingdom does not have any tyranny set over it. Therefore if he who is a stranger to sin is self-governing; and the characteristic of a kingdom is to be sovereign and masterless; consequently, he who is persecuted from evil is called blessed, as the persecution from there procures for him the royal dignity. Let us not then be grieved, brethren, being driven away from earthly things. For he who has departed from here, lodges in the heavenly palaces. These are two elements in the creation of beings, divided for the life of the rational nature, earth and heaven. The place of those who have obtained life through the flesh is the earth; but heaven is the place of the bodiless. It is necessary, therefore, that our life be somewhere; if we are not persecuted from the earth, we certainly remain on the earth; if we depart from here, we will be removed to heaven. Do you see to what the beatitude leads, through that which seems grievous, becoming the procurer of so great a good for you? Having understood which, the Apostle also says, that All discipline for the present seemeth not to be of joy, but of sorrow: but afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit 44.1301 of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby. Therefore, affliction is the flower of the expected fruits. For the sake of the fruit, therefore, let us also pluck the flower; let us be persecuted, that we may run; and running, we will not run in vain, but let the race be toward the prize of our high calling; so let us run, that we may obtain. What is that which is obtained? What is the prize? What is the crown? It does not seem to me that each of the things hoped for is anything other than the Lord Himself. For He Himself is both the judge of the contest for those who contend, and the crown of those who conquer; He is the one who distributes the inheritance; He is the good inheritance; He is the good portion; He is the one who bestows the portion upon you; He is the one who enriches; He is the wealth, the one showing you the treasure, and becoming a treasure to you; the one who leads you to the desire of the goodly pearl, and is set before you as a prize for the one who travels well. That we may therefore possess that, as if in a marketplace, let us exchange what we have for what we do not have. Let us not be grieved, therefore, when we are persecuted, but rather let us even rejoice, because through being persecuted from the things honored on earth, we are driven together toward the heavenly good, according to the

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βάραθρα, πυρκαϊὰς, τὰς τῶν κρυμῶν πήξεις, τὰς τῶν πλευρῶν ἀποσαρκώσεις, τὰς τῶν κεφαλῶν περικυκλώσεις, τὰς τῶν ὀμμάτων 44.1300 ἀποβολὰς, τὰς τῶν δακτύλων ἀποκοπὰς, τὰς τῶν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα τοῦ σώματος διὰ τῶν σκελῶν ῥήξεις, τὰς διὰ τοῦ λιμοῦ τηκεδόνας, πάντα ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ὡς καθάρσια τῆς ἁμαρτίας οἱ ἅγιοι μετ' εὐφροσύνης προσίεντο, ὡς ἂν μηδὲν ἴχνος τῇ καρδίᾳ διὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐγγινόμενον ὑπολειφθείη, τῆς ἀλγεινῆς ταύ της καὶ δριμείας αἰσθήσεως πάντας τοὺς καθ' ἡδονὴν ἐγγινομένους τῇ ψυχῇ τύπους ἐξαλει φούσης. Μακάριοι τοίνυν οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν (ὡς ἂν καὶ τὸν ἕτερον λόγον κατανοήσωμεν), ὡς εἴ τις τῇ ὑγιείᾳ λόγον δοίη, εἴπῃ ἂν κἀκείνη· ὅτι Μακάριοι οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς νόσου κε χωρισμένοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν λυπηρῶν ἀλλο τρίωσις, τὸ ἐν ἐμοὶ γενέσθαι τούς ποτε νενοσηκότας παρασκευάζει. Οὕτως ἀκούσωμεν τῆς φωνῆς, ὡς αὐτῆς τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῖν τὸν τοιοῦτον μακαρισμὸν ἐμ βοώσης. Μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ· ὡς τὸ φῶς λέγοι Μακάριοι οἱ δεδιω γμένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ σκότους ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. Ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἁγιασμὸς, καὶ ἡ ἀφθαρσία, καὶ ἡ ἀγαθότης, καὶ πᾶν νόημα τῶν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον νοου μένων τε καὶ λεγομένων. Ὁ Κύριος ὢν, καθὸ νοεῖ, κατ' ἐκεῖνό σοι λέγειν νομιζέσθω· ὅτι Μακά ριός ἐστι πᾶς ὁ παντὸς ἐναντίου πράγματος ἀπελαυ νόμενος, φθορᾶς, σκότους, ἁμαρτίας, ἀδικίας, πλεονεξίας, ἑκάστου τῶν διαστελλομένων τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν λόγοις πράγμασί τε καὶ νοήμασι. Τὸ γὰρ ἔξω τῶν κακῶν γενέσθαι, ἐντός ἐστι τῶν ἀγαθῶν καταστῆναι. «Ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν,» φησὶν ὁ Κύριος, «δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας.» Οὐκοῦν ὁ ἀποστὰς ᾧ ἐδούλευσεν, ἐλευθεριάζει τῷ ἀξιώματι. Τὸ δὲ ἀκρότατον τῆς ἐλευθερίας εἶδος, τὸ αὐτεξουσιόν ἐστι γενέσθαι. Ἡ δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ἀξία ὑπερκειμένην ἑαυτῆς τινα τυραννίδα οὐκ ἔχει. Οὐκοῦν εἰ αὐτεξούσιός ἐστιν ὁ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀλλότριος· ἴδιον δὲ βασιλείας ἐστὶ τὸ αὐτοκρατές τε καὶ ἀδέσποτον· ἀκολούθως μακαρίζεται ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ διωκόμενος, ὡς τῆς ἐκεῖθεν διώξεως τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀξίαν αὐτῷ προξενούσης. Μὴ οὖν ἀχθεσθῶμεν, ἀδελφοὶ, τῶν γηΐνων ἀπελαυνόμενοι. Ὁ γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν μεταστὰς, ἐν τοῖς κατ' οὐρανὸν βασιλείοις αὐλίζεται. ∆ύο ταῦτά ἐστι στοιχεῖα ἐν τῇ τῶν ὄντων κτίσει, πρὸς διαγωγὴν τῆς λογικῆς φύσεως μεμερισμένα, ἡ γῆ τε καὶ ὁ οὐρανός. Τόπος τῶν διὰ σαρκὸς εἰληχότων τὴν ζωὴν, ἡ γῆ· ὁ δὲ οὐρανὸς τῶν ἀσωμάτων. Ἀνάγκη τοίνυν πάντως εἶναί που τὴν ἡμετέραν ζωὴν, ἐὰν μὴ διωχθῶμεν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, τῇ γῇ πάντως ἐναπομένομεν· ἐὰν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπέλθωμεν, ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν μετοικισθησόμεθα. Ὁρᾷς εἰς ὅ τι φέρει ὁ μακαρισμὸς διὰ τοῦ δοκοῦντος λυπηροῦ τοῦ τοσούτου σοι ἀγαθοῦ γινόμενος πρόξενος; Ὅπερ νοήσας, φησὶ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι Πᾶσα παιδεία πρὸς μὲν τὸ παρὸν οὐ δοκεῖ χαρᾶς εἶναι, ἀλλὰ λύπης· ὕστερον δὲ καρπὸν εἰρηνικὸν τοῖς δι' αὐτῆς γεγυμνασμένοις ἀπο 44.1301 δίδωσι δικαιοσύνης. Οὐκοῦν τῶν προσδοκωμένων καρπῶν ἄνθος, ἡ θλίψις ἐστίν. ∆ιὰ τὸν καρπὸν οὖν, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος δρεψώμεθα· διωχθῶμεν ἵνα δράμωμεν· δραμόντες δὲ οὐκ εἰκῆ δραμούμεθα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ βραβεῖον ἡμῶν τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως ὁ δρόμος ἔστω· οὕτω δράμωμεν, ἵνα καταλάβωμεν. Τί τὸ καταλαμβανόμενον; Τί τὸ βραβεῖον; Τίς ὁ στέφανος; Οὔ μοι δοκεῖ ἄλλο τι εἶναι παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν Κύριον ἕκαστον τῶν ἐλπιζομένων. Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι καὶ ἀγωνοθέτης τῶν ἀθλούντων, καὶ στέφανος τῶν νικώντων· ἐκεῖνος ὁ διανέμων τὸν κλῆρον· ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀγαθὸς κλῆρος· ἐκεῖνος ἡ ἀγαθὴ μερίς· ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὴν μερίδα σοι χαριζόμενος· ἐκεῖνος ὁ πλουτίζων· ἐκεῖνος ὁ πλοῦτος, ὁ δεικνύς σοι τὸν θησαυρὸν, καὶ θησαυρός σοι γινόμενος· ὁ εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν σε τοῦ καλοῦ μαργαρίτου ἄγων, καὶ ὤνιός σοι τῷ καλῶς συμπορευομένῳ προκείμενος. Ἵνα οὖν ἐκεῖνο κτησώμεθα, ὥσπερ ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς, ὧν ἔχομεν ἀντικαταλλάσσωμεν ἃ οὐκ ἔχομεν. Μὴ λυπηθῶμεν τοίνυν διωκόμενοι, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν, ὅτι διὰ τὸ διώκεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν τῇ γῇ τιμίων, πρὸς τὸ οὐράνιον ἀγαθὸν συνελαυνόμεθα, κατὰ τὸν