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will be able to worthily relate in words the magnitude of the affliction that was then about to befall me? Certainly no one! For what shall we say or what defense shall we be able to make at all? That we left the world and the things in the world? but these things we did not loathe from our soul; for this is the true withdrawal from the world and the things in the world, after fleeing the world, to hate its ways and to loathe them.

(113) What then is the world and what are the things in the world? Listen! It is not gold, not silver, not horses, nor even mules; for all these things, which serve us for the need of the body, we also possess. Not meat, not bread, not wine; for we too partake of these and eat sufficiently. Not houses, not baths, not fields or vineyards and suburbs; for the lauras and the monasteries consist of such things. But what is the world? It is sin and the attachment to things, brothers, and the passions. But as for the things in the world, let John the Theologian speak, the beloved disciple of Christ: "For do not love," he says, "the world nor the things in the world; because everything in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world." If then we, having left the whole world and fled it and become destitute, have not guarded against these things, what benefit would there be for us from the withdrawal alone? For wherever we may depart from and wherever we may arrive, we will find the same things again; for everywhere we are unable to live as solitary men, everywhere we need the necessities for the sustenance of the body, everywhere there are also women and children and wine and every kind of fruit; for our life is sustained by these and such things. If we have the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of our thoughts, how shall we be able in the midst of them to abstain from sin altogether and not be struck at all by its sting? This is what many of the saints of old and of today, I well know, have guarded against (114) and are guarding against, living amidst the affairs and cares and anxieties of life and completing their life in perfect holiness, as Paul testifies concerning these and such people, saying: "For the form of this world is passing away, so that those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who use the world as not abusing it." It is possible, then, to learn the rest from these things; for example, for one who is angered not to be wrathful, for one who justifies himself not to assent at all in his heart to what is said, for one who avenges himself to be as dead to the world in the disposition of his soul, for one who has once become such to seek and to be eager not even to spare his own body. For such were they, and in every generation those who struggle become such.

But if we do not strive to become such and so complete our life, what shall we say? That "We have despised glory and wealth?" But He will surely say to us: "You have not left behind envy and strife and jealousy." That these things alienate us and separate us from God, the divine James, the apostle of Christ, says: "But if you have bitter jealousy—for it is possible to be jealous for a good cause!—and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic; for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every vile practice," and a little later: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions," and he adds: "Adulterers and adulteresses, (115) do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." But observe that he did not say only, "The world is an enemy of God," but also the friendship with the world; for through it we become adulterers and adulteresses. And that

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τό μέγεθος τῆς τότε μελλούσης μοι γενέσθαι θλίψεως δυνήσεται ἀξίως, διά λόγου ἐκδιηγήσασθαι; Πάντως οὐδείς! Τί γάρ καί ἐροῦμεν ἤ τί ὅλως δυνηθῶμεν ἀπολογήσασθαι; ὅτι τόν κόσμον καί τά ἐν κόσμῳ κατελίπομεν; ἀλλά ταῦτα οὐκ ἐβδελυξάμεθα ἀπό ψυχῆς· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἀληθής τοῦ κόσμου καί τῶν ἐν κόσμῳ ἀναχώρησις, τό μετά τό φυγεῖν τόν κόσμον μισῆσαι τά αὐτοῦ καί βδελύξασθαι.

(113) Τί δέ ὁ κόσμος καί τί τά ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εἰσίν; Ἄκουσον! Οὐ χρυσίον ἐστίν, οὐκ ἄργυρος, οὐχ ἵπποι, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ ἡμίονοι· ταῦτα γάρ πάντα, ὅσα καί ἡμῖν λειτουργοῦσιν εἰς χρείαν τοῦ σώματος, καί ἡμεῖς κεκτήμεθα. Οὐ κρέας, οὐκ ἄρτος, οὐκ οἶνος· μεταλαμβάνομεν γάρ καί ἡμεῖς ἐκ τούτων καί ἐσθίομεν αὐτάρκως. Οὐκ οἶκοι, οὐ λουτρά, οὐ χωρία ἤ ἀμπελῶνες καί προάστεια· αἱ λαῦραι γάρ καί τά μοναστήρια ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων συνίστανται. Ἀλλά τίς ὁ κόσμος; Ἡ ἁμαρτία καί ἡ πρός τά πράγματα σχέσις ἐστίν, ἀδελφοί, καί τά πάθη. Τά δέ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ Ἰωάννης ὁ Θεολόγος εἰπάτω, ὁ ἠγαπημένος τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθητής· "Μή ἀγαπᾶτε γάρ, φησί, τόν κόσμον μηδέ τά ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ· ὅτι πᾶν τό ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκός καί ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν καί ἡ ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίου, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἐστίν". Εἰ οὖν ἡμεῖς τόν κόσμον ὅλον καταλιπόντες καί ἀποφυγόντες καί γεγονότες γυμνοί, ταῦτα οὐκ ἐφυλαξάμεθα, τί ἡμῖν τό ὄφελος ἐκ μόνης τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως γένοιτ᾿ ἄν; Καί γάρ ὅθεν ἄν ἐξέλθωμεν καί ἐν οἷς ἄν καταντήσωμεν, τά αὐτά πράγματα πάλιν εὑρήσομεν· πανταχοῦ γάρ ἄνθρωποι μόνοι ζῆν οὐ δυνάμεθα, πανταχοῦ τά πρός τήν σύστασιν τοῦ σώματος χρήζομεν ἐπιτήδεια, πανταχοῦ καί γυναῖκες καί παῖδες καί οἶνος καί παντοίων ἐστίν εἶδος καρπῶν· ἐκ τούτων γάρ καί τῶν τοιούτων ἐστίν ἡ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν σύστασις. Ἐάν τήν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχωμεν τῆς σαρκός καί τήν ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν καί τήν ἀλαζονείαν τῶν λογισμῶν, πῶς δυνησόμεθα ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν τῆς καθόλου ἁμαρτίας ἀποσχέσθαι καί μηδόλως τῷ ταύτης κέντρῳ πληγῆναι; Ὅπερ πολλοί τῶν πάλαι καί τῶν νῦν ἁγίων, εὖ οἶδα, ἐφυλάξαντο (114) καί φυλάττουσι, μέσον τῶν τοῦ βίου πραγμάτων καί φροντίδων καί μεριμνῶν διατρίβοντες καί ἐν ἁγιότητι τελείᾳ τόν βίον αὐτῶν διανύοντες, καθώς ὁ Παῦλος μαρτυρεῖ περί τούτων καί τῶν τοιούτων λέγων· "Παράγει γάρ τό σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ἵνα καί οἱ ἔχοντες γυναῖκας ὡς μή ἔχοντες ὦσι καί οἱ ἀγοράζοντες ὡς μή κατέχοντες καί οἱ χρώμενοι τῷ κόσμῳ ὡς μή καταχρώμενοι". Ἔξεστιν οὖν καί τά λοιπά ἐξ τούτων καταμαθεῖν· οἷον, τόν θυμούμενον μή ὀργίζεσθαι, τόν δικαιολογούμενον μηδόλως τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῖς λαλουμένοις προστίθεσθαι, τόν ἑαυτόν ἐκδικοῦντα ὡς νεκρόν εἶναι τῷ κόσμῳ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς διαθέσει, τόν ἅπαξ τοιοῦτον γενόμενον ζητεῖν τε καί προθυμεῖσθαι μηδέ τοῦ ἰδίου φείδεσθαι σώματος. Τοιοῦτοι γάρ καί ἐγένοντο καί καθ᾿ ἑκάστην γενεάν οἱ ἀγωνιζόμενοι γίνονται.

Εἰ δέ μή τοιοῦτοι γενέσθαι σπουδάσομεν καί οὕτω τόν βίον ἡμῶν ἀνύομεν, τί ἐροῦμεν; ὅτι "∆όξης καί πλούτου κατεφρονήσαμεν;" Ἀλλά πάντως ἐρεῖ ἡμῖν ὅτι· "Φθόνον καί ἔριν καί ζῆλον οὐ κατελείψατε". Ὅτι δέ ταῦτα ἀλλοτριοῦσιν ἡμᾶς καί χωρίζουσιν ἀπό τοῦ Θεοῦ, λέγει ὁ θεῖος Ἰάκωβος, ὁ ἀπόστολος τοῦ Χριστοῦ· "Εἰ δέ ζῆλον πικρόν ἔχετε ἔστι γάρ καί ἐπί καλῷ καί ζηλῶσαί τινα! - καί ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾶ ὑμῶν, μή κατακαυχᾶσθε καί ψεύδεσθε κατά τῆς ἀληθείας, οὐκ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ σοφία ἄνωθεν κατερχομένη, ἀλλά ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης· ὅπου γάρ ζῆλος καί ἐρίθεια, ἐκεῖ καί ἀκαταστασία καί πᾶν φαῦλον πρᾶγμα", καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγα· "Αἰτεῖτε καί οὐ λαμβάνετε, διότι κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε, ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσετε", καί ἐπιφέρει· "Μοιχοί καί μοιχαλίδες, (115) οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου ἔχθρα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν; ὅς ἄν οὖν βουληθῇ φίλος εἶναι τοῦ κόσμου, ἐχθρός τοῦ Θεοῦ καθίσταται". Σκόπει δέ ὅτι οὐκ εἶπε μόνον· "Ὁ κόσμος ἐχθρός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ", ἀλλά καί ἡ πρός τόν κόσμον φιλία· δι᾿ αὐτῆς γάρ μοιχοί καί μοιχαλίδες γινόμεθα. Καί ὅτι