38

the honor from us even though they do not need it, so that we might be able to reap the blessing from them. 7.18 And so that you may learn how they despised all things in the present life in order to be able to obtain those immortal goods, consider in your mind for me, beloved, that while seeing with their bodily eyes the tyrant breathing fire and sharpening his teeth and showing a fury more fierce than a lion's and preparing fire and frying pans and cauldrons heated from below and doing everything to overcome and wrestle down their reasoning, these men, having left all things on earth, with the eyes of faith were looking upon the king of heaven and the assembly of angels standing by and were imagining those ineffable goods. 7.19 And having transferred their mindset there, they no longer paid attention to any of the things that were seen; but even seeing the hands of the executioners tearing their flesh and watching this perceptible fire being kindled and the coals leaping up, they were depicting to themselves the fire of Gehenna and thus having strengthened their reasoning they then leapt, so to speak, toward the terrible things, not considering the present pain produced in the body but hastening toward eternal rest. And according to the exhortation of this blessed one setting their minds on things above, they continued where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And they were dismayed by none of the things that were seen, but passed by all things, considering them a dream and a shadow, because their reasoning was given wings by the desire for the things to come. 7.20 For this very reason this blessed one too, knowing the strength of such counsel, said: "Set your minds on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." See the understanding of the teacher, where he at once led up those who obeyed him. For having cut through all angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, all those invisible forces, the cherubim, the seraphim, he placed the mindsets of the faithful beside the royal throne itself; and those walking on the earth through his own teaching he persuaded to be released from the bonds of the body, and to fly and stand in thought beside the Lord of all. 7.21 And so that those hearing these things might not think again that the counsel surpasses them and that the commands are impossible and that to take up such a mindset is beyond human power, after saying: "Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth," he added: "For you have died." O soul on fire and having great longing for God. "For you have died," he says, all but saying: What do you still have in common with the present life? Why do you gape at the things of the earth? You have died, that is, you have become dead to sin, you have once for all renounced the present life. 7.22 Then, so that they might not be disturbed hearing "you have died," he quickly added: "and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Your life, he says, is not now visible, for it is hidden; therefore do not act as though you are alive with respect to the affairs of the present life, but be disposed as though you have died and are dead. For tell me, is it possible for one who has died in this life to do anything further regarding present affairs? By no means. In the same way, he says, for you who have died once for all and been made dead to sin through baptism, it follows that you have nothing in common with the passions of the flesh and the affairs on the earth. "For our old man," he says, "was crucified with him and was buried through baptism." Therefore do nothing of the things on the earth nor act as though living in present affairs. For your life is now hidden and is unclear to unbelievers, but there will be a time when it will be made manifest. Now is not your time; therefore, having died once for all, do not wish to set your minds on things on the earth. For the greatness of your virtue is especially shown in this way, when, having conquered the mindset of the flesh, you are disposed toward all worldly things as though you have become dead to this life. 7.23 Let those also hear these things who

38

τὴν παρ' ἡμῶν τιμὴν καὶ μὴ δεόμενοι, ἵν' ἡμεῖς τὴν παρ' αὐτῶν εὐλογίαν καρπώσασθαι δυνηθῶμεν. 7.18 Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅπως ὑπερεῖδον πάντων τῶν ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ ἵνα δυνηθῶσιν ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶν ἀθανάτων ἐκείνων ἀγαθῶν, ἐννόει μοι, ἀγαπητέ, τῷ λογισμῷ ὅτι ὁρῶντες τοῖς σωματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸν τύραννον πῦρ πνέοντα καὶ θήγοντα τοὺς ὀδόντας καὶ λέοντος σφοδρότερον τὴν μανίαν ἐπιδεικνύμενον καὶ πῦρ καὶ τήγανα καὶ λέβητας ὑποκαιομένους παρασκευάζοντα καὶ πάντα ποιοῦντα ὥστε περιγενέσθαι καὶ καταπαλαῖσαι αὐτῶν τὸν λογισμόν, καταλιπόντες οὗτοι τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἅπαντα, τοῖς τῆς πίστεως ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸν βασιλέα τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐθεώρουν καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων τὸν δῆμον παρεστῶτα καὶ τὰ ἀπόρρητα ἐκεῖνα ἀγαθὰ ἐφαντάζοντο. 7.19 Καὶ τὸ φρόνημα ἐκεῖ μεταστήσαντες, οὐδενὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων λοιπὸν ἐπεστρέφοντο· ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν δημίων τὰς χεῖρας ὁρῶντες καταξαινούσας αὐτῶν τὰς σάρκας καὶ τὸ πῦρ τοῦτο τὸ αἰσθητὸν βλέποντες ἀναπτόμενον καὶ τοὺς ἄνθρακας ἐκπηδῶντας, αὐτοὶ τὸ τῆς γεέννης πῦρ ἑαυτοῖς ὑπέγραφον καὶ οὕτω τὸν λογισμὸν αὐτῶν νευρώσαντες ἥλλοντο λοιπὸν ὡς εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὰ δεινά, οὐ τὴν παροῦσαν ὀδύνην τὴν ἐγγινομένην τῷ σώματι λογιζόμενοι ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν διηνεκῆ ἀνάπαυσιν σπεύδοντες. Καὶ κατὰ τὴν παραίνεσιν τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου τὰ ἄνω φρονοῦντες, διετέλουν οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθήμενος. Καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν ὁρωμένων κατεπλήττοντο, ἀλλὰ πάντα παρέτρεχον ὡς ὄναρ καὶ σκιὰν αὐτὰ ἡγούμενοι, διὰ τὸ πτερωθῆναι αὐτῶν τὸν λογισμὸν τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιθυμίᾳ. 7.20 ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος εἰδὼς τῆς τοιαύτης συμβουλῆς τὴν ἰσχὺν ἔλεγε· «Τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθήμενος.» Ὅρα διδασκάλου σύνεσιν, ποῦ ἀνήγαγεν ἀθρόον τοὺς αὐτῷ πειθομένους. Πάντας γὰρ διατεμὼν ἀγγέλους, ἀρχαγγέλους, θρόνους, κυριότητας, ἀρχάς, ἐξουσίας, πάσας τὰς ἀοράτους ἐκείνας δυνάμεις, τὰ χερουβίμ, τὰ σεραφίμ, παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν θρόνον τὸν βασιλικὸν ἔστησε τῶν πιστῶν τὰ φρονήματα· καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς βαδίζοντας διὰ τῆς οἰκείας διδασκαλίας ἔπεισε μὲν ἀπαλλάττεσθαι τῶν συνδέσμων τοῦ σώματος, ἵπτασθαι δὲ καὶ παρ' αὐτὸν ἑστάναι τῇ διανοίᾳ τὸν τῶν ὅλων κύριον. 7.21 Καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσι πάλιν οἱ ταῦτα ἀκούοντες ὑπερβαίνειν αὐτοὺς τὴν συμβουλὴν καὶ ἀδύνατα εἶναι τὰ ἐπιτάγματα καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην δύναμιν εἶναι τὸ τοιοῦτον φρόνημα ἀναλαβεῖν, εἰπών· «Τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς», ἐπήγαγεν· «Ἀπεθάνετε γάρ.» Ὢ ψυχῆς πεπυρωμένης καὶ πολὺν ἐχούσης τὸν πόθον περὶ τὸν Θεόν. «Ἀπεθάνετε γάρ, φησί», μονονουχὶ λέγων· Τί κοινὸν ἔχετε πρὸς τὸν παρόντα βίον λοιπόν; Τί κεχήνατε πρὸς τὰ τῆς γῆς πράγματα; Ἀπεθάνετε, τουτέστι νεκροὶ γεγόνατε τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, καθάπαξ ἀπετάξασθε τῇ παρούσῃ ζωῇ. 7.22 Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ θορυβηθῶσιν ἀκούοντες ἀπεθάνετε, ταχέως ἐπήγαγε· «καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ.» Ἡ ζωή, φησίν, ἡ ὑμετέρα νῦν οὐ φαίνεται, κέκρυπται γάρ· μὴ τοίνυν ὡς ζῶντες οὕτως ἐνεργεῖτε πρὸς τὰ τοῦ παρόντος βίου πράγματα, ἀλλ' ὡσανεὶ ἀποθανόντες καὶ νεκροὶ ὄντες οὕτω διάκεισθε. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, μὴ ἔστι τὸν ἀποθάνοντα κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον ἐνεργεῖν τι λοιπὸν εἰς τὰ παρόντα πράγματα; Οὐδαμῶς. Οὕτω, φησί, καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀποθανόντας καθάπαξ καὶ νεκρωθέντας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἀκόλουθον μηδὲν κοινὸν ἔχειν πρὸς τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς πάθη καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πράγματα. «Ὁ παλαιὸς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος, φησί, συνεσταυρώθη καὶ ἐτάφη διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος.» Μηδὲν τοίνυν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διαπράττεσθε μηδὲ ὡς ζῶντες ἐν τοῖς παροῦσι πράγμασιν ἐνεργεῖτε. Ἡ γὰρ ζωὴ ἡ ὑμετέρα νῦν μὲν κέκρυπται καὶ ἄδηλός ἐστι τοῖς ἀπίστοις, ἔσται δὲ καιρὸς ὅτε φανερὰ γενήσεται. Νῦν οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμέτερος ὁ καιρός· ἀποθανόντες τοίνυν καθάπαξ μὴ θελήσητε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς φρονεῖν. Τὸ γὰρ τῆς ἀρετῆς ὑμῶν μέγεθος οὕτω μάλιστα διαδείκνυται ὅταν τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς καταγωνισάμενοι ὡσανεὶ νεκροὶ τῷ βίῳ γεγενημένοι οὕτω διάκεισθε πρὸς ἅπαντα τὰ βιωτικά. 7.23 Ἀκουέτωσαν ταῦτα καὶ οἱ