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of the achievements labored for by a middle-aged man, an elder, and an old man? Who could measure his sweat? Who could count the wrestlings that took place in so great a time? And what account could encompass either the seeds sown by him or the drachmas gathered? Who is so lofty in mind as to perceive accurately the wealth amassed from that good trade? I know the sea of his achievements, and for this reason I fear to approach the telling of the narrative, lest my account be submerged; for which reason I will walk along the shore, and the things along the mainland before the sea I will both admire and recount; but the deep I will leave to the one who, according to the divine scripture, searches the deep things and knows the hidden things. 9.2 This one, therefore, contended first in Galatia; from there, for the sake of visiting, he reached Palestine, so that, having seen the places that received the saving passions, he might worship in them the God who saved, not as one circumscribed by place—for he knew the uncircumscribable nature of His being—, but so that he might also feast his eyes on the sight of the things he longed for, and not only the soul's eye, without physical sight, enjoy the spiritual delight through faith. For those who are affectionately disposed toward someone are somehow accustomed by nature to reap delight not only from the sight of him, but also to gaze upon his house and garments and sandals with all gladness; having this love for the bridegroom, the bride mentioned in the Song of Songs cries out, saying: "As the apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my kinsman among the sons; in his shadow I delighted and sat, and his fruit was sweet in my throat." Therefore this divine man did nothing unfitting, having received the same love for the bridegroom, and having used the words of the bride: "I am wounded by love." And having longed to see, as it were, a certain shadow of the bridegroom, he went away to see the places that gushed forth the springs of salvation for all mankind. 9.3 Therefore, having enjoyed what he longed for, he was brought to Antioch; but having seen the city's love of God, he preferred the foreign land to his native one, considering as fellow citizens not those of the same race and kin, but those of like mind and partners in the faith, and those drawing the same yoke of piety. And having come to love this way of life, he did not pitch a tent, nor set up a hut, nor build a small house, but spent all his time in another's tomb. This had an upper room and a sort of railing jutting out, to which a fitted ladder received those wishing to ascend. Confined in this, he spent the longest possible time, using cold water and eating only bread, and this not every day, but remaining one day without food, and on the next day partaking of these very things. 9.4 And when someone arrived in a Corybantic frenzy and raging mad, and full of the working of the evil demon, he on the one hand cleansed him, having prayed, and freed him from that diabolical frenzy. And since he did not wish to depart, but beseeched to give service in return for that healing, he made him a companion. I too know this man, and I remember the miracle, and I saw the reward of the healing, and I have heard of the conversation that took place between them about me. For Daniel on the one hand said—for this was his name—that I too would share with him in this good service; but that divine man on the other hand did not agree for this to happen, taking into account the affection of my parents for me. And often, having set me on his knees, he nourished me with a grape and bread; for my mother, having had experience of his spiritual grace, once a week me

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μεσοπολίῳ καὶ πρεσβύτῃ καὶ γέροντι πονηθέντων κατορθωμάτων; Τίς ἂν ἐκείνου τὸν ἱδρῶτα μετρήσειεν; Τίς δ' ἂν τὰς ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ γενομένας ἀριθμήσειε πάλας; Ποῖος δ' ἂν ἐφίκοιτο λόγος ἢ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καταβληθέντων σπερμάτων ἢ τῶν συλλεγέν των δραγμάτων; Τίς οὕτως ὑψηλὸς τὴν διάνοιαν ὡς κατιδεῖν ἀκριβῶς τὴν ἐκ τῆς καλῆς ἐμπορίας συναθροισθεῖσαν περιουσίαν; Οἶδα τῶν ἐκείνου κατορθωμάτων τὸ πέλαγος καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πελάζειν τῇ τῆς διηγήσεως ἱστορίᾳ δειμαίνω ἵνα μὴ ὁ λόγος ὑποβρύχιος γένηται· οὗ εἵνεκεν παρὰ τὴν ἠϊόνα βαδιοῦμαι καὶ τὰ παρὰ τὴν ἤπειρον πρὸ τοῦ πελάγους θαυμάσομαί τε καὶ διηγήσομαι· τὸν δὲ βυθὸν καταλείψω τῷ κατὰ τὴν θείαν γραφὴν τὰ βαθέα ἐρευνῶντι καὶ τὰ ἀπόκρυφα γινώσκοντι. 9.2 Οὗτος τοίνυν ἐν Γαλατίᾳ τὸν πρῶτον ἤθλησε χρόνον· ἐκεῖθεν ἱστορίας εἵνεκεν τὴν Παλαιστίνην κατέλαβεν ἵνα τοὺς τὰ σωτηρία παθήματα δεξαμένους θεασάμενος τόπους ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν σεσωκότα προσκυνήσῃ θεόν, οὐχ ὡς τόπῳ περιγραφόμενον-ἠπίστατο γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἀπερίγραφον-, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑστιάσῃ τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῶν ποθουμένων καὶ μὴ μόνον τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὀπτικόν, δίχα τῆς ὄψεως, τῆς πνευματικῆς διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἀπολαύῃ τρυφῆς. Πεφύκασι γάρ πως οἱ φιλοστόργως περί τινα διακείμενοι οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς θέας αὐτοῦ μόνης θυμηδίαν καρ ποῦσθαι ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ἐσθήματα καὶ ὑποδήματα μετὰ πάσης θεωρεῖν εὐφροσύνης· τοῦτον ἔχουσα τὸν ἔρωτα περὶ τὸν νυμφίον ἡ ἐν τοῖς ᾄσμασι τῶν ᾀσμάτων φερομένη νύμφη βοᾷ λέγουσα· "Ὡς μῆλον ἐν τοῖς ξύλοις τοῦ δρυμοῦ, οὕτως ὁ ἀδελφιδός μου ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν υἱῶν· ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐπεθύμησα καὶ ἐκάθισα καὶ καρπὸς αὐτοῦ γλυκὺς ἐν λάρυγγί μου". Οὐδὲν οὖν ἀπεικὸς οὐδὲ ὁ θεῖος οὗτος πεποίηκεν ἄνθρωπος τὸν αὐτὸν μὲν περὶ τὸν νυμφίον δεξάμενος ἔρωτα, τοῖς δὲ τῆς νύμφης χρησάμενος ῥήμασι· "Τετρωμένος ἀγάπης ἐγώ". Ποθήσας δὲ καθάπερ τινὰ τοῦ νυμφίου θεωρῆσαι σκιὰν τοὺς ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις τὰς σωτηρίους πηγὰς ἀναβλύσαντας ἀπῄει ὀψόμενος τόπους. 9.3 Ἀπολαύσας τοιγαροῦν ὧν ἐπόθησε κατήχθη μὲν εἰς τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν· θεασάμενος δὲ τῆς πόλεως τὸ φιλόθεον τῆς πατρίδος τὴν ξένην προείλετο, πολίτας ἡγούμενος οὐ τοὺς ὁμοφύλους καὶ συγγενεῖς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ὁμογνώμονας καὶ τῆς πίστεως κοινωνοὺς καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐφέλκοντας τῆς εὐσεβείας ζυγόν. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν διατριβὴν ἀγαπήσας οὐ σκηνὴν ἐξέτεινεν, οὐ καλύβην ἐπήξατο, οὐκ οἰκίσκον ἀνήγειρεν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ τάφῳ τὸν πάντα διετέλεσε χρόνον. Ὑπερῷον δὲ εἶχεν οὗτος καὶ δρύφακτόν τινα προβεβλημένον, ᾧ κλῖμαξ συνηρμοσμένη τοὺς ἀναβῆναι βουλομένους ἐδέχετο. Ἐν τούτῳ καθειργμένος ὅτι πλεῖστον διετέλεσε χρόνον ὕδατι μὲν ψυχρῷ χρώμενος, ἄρτον δὲ μόνον σιτούμενος καὶ τοῦτον οὐ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἀλλὰ μίαν μὲν ἄσιτος διαμένων, τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ τούτων αὐτῶν μεταλαγχάνων. 9.4 Ἐπεὶ δέ τις ἀφίκετο κορυβαντιῶν καὶ μεμηνὼς καὶ τῆς τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος ἐνεργείας ἀνάπλεως, ἐκάθηρε μὲν αὐτὸν προσευξάμενος καὶ τῆς διαβολικῆς ἐκείνης ἠλευθέρωσε βακχείας. Ἀπιέναι δὲ μὴ βουλόμενον, ἀλλὰ τῆς θεραπείας ἐκείνης ἀντιδοῦναι τὴν διακονίαν καθικε τεύσαντα σύνοικον ἐποιήσατο. Οἶδα καὶ τοῦτον ἐγὼ καὶ τοῦ θαύματος μέμνημαι καὶ τὸν τῆς θεραπείας ἐθεασάμην μισθὸν καὶ τῆς περὶ ἐμοῦ γενομένης αὐτοῖς ἀκήκοα διαλέξεως. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ∆ανιῆλος ἔλεγε-τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ ὄνομα- ὡς τῆς καλῆς αὐτῷ ταύτης διακονίας κοινωνήσω κἀγώ· ὁ δὲ θεσπέσιος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ οὐ συνωμολόγει τοῦτο γενέσθαι, τὸ περὶ ἐμὲ τῶν γεγεννηκότων λογιζόμενος φίλτρον. Πολλάκις δέ με τοῖς γόνασιν ἐπικαθίσας σταφυλῇ με καὶ ἄρτῳ διέθρεψε· πεῖραν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τῆς πνευματικῆς χάριτος ἡ μήτηρ δεξαμένη ἅπαξ με τῆς ἑβδομάδος