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of the good things of the world. But neither was I made for the world, but the world for me.” Considering these things, therefore, in yourself and zealously accomplishing them according to what was said to you, strive for the truth even to death. For Christ also became obedient unto death. But the Apostle also says: "See to it that there not be in any of you an evil heart, so as to fall away from the living God, but exhort one another and build one another up, as long as it is called today.” For "today" signifies the whole time of our life. Thus conducting yourself, brother, you will both save yourself and gladden us and glorify God for ever and ever. Amen.

43.t ADMONITION TO THE YOUNG

43.1 Learn, you who are a monk and a faithful man and a worker of piety, and

be taught the evangelical way of life, the subjugation of the body, a humble mind, purity of thought, the annihilation of anger. When compelled to go one mile, go another for the Lord's sake; when deprived of something, do not go to law; when hated, love; when persecuted, endure; when reviled, entreat. Be dead to sin, be crucified to God; cast all your care upon the Lord, that you may be found where there are myriads of angels, festive gatherings of the firstborn, thrones of apostles, chief seats of prophets, scepters of patriarchs, crowns of martyrs, praises of the just. Desire to be numbered with those just ones in Christ Jesus our Lord. To Him be the glory for ever. Amen.

44.t TO A MONK WHO HAS FALLEN AWAY

44.1 We do not say "rejoice," because there is no rejoicing for the impious. For disbelief still surrounds me and such a great absurdity and the great deed which you have done does not enter my heart, if indeed it is so, as it now appears to all. For I wonder how such great wisdom was swallowed up, how such great exactness was dissolved, from whence such great blindness was poured around, how, having considered nothing at all, you have worked such and so great a destruction of souls. For if this is true, you have delivered your own soul to the abyss and have paralyzed the strength of all who hear of this impiety. You have set aside the faith, you have missed the mark of the good contest. Therefore I grieve for you. For what priest hearing of this will not mourn? What churchman does not beat his breast? What layman is not downcast? What ascetic does not lament? Perhaps even the sun grew dark at your fall and the powers of the heavens were shaken at your destruction. Even the unfeeling stones wept at your madness, and even your enemies wailed because of the excess of your lawlessness. O what great hardness of heart, O what terrible cruelty. You did not fear God, you did not respect men, you did not feel shame before friends, but you have shipwrecked everything at once, you have been plundered of everything at once. Therefore again I grieve for you, O wretched one. You who proclaimed to all the vigor of the kingdom, have fallen from the kingdom. You who instilled in all the fear of the teaching, did not have the fear of God before your eyes. You who preached holiness, are found to be accursed. You who prided yourself on having no possessions, are found to be robbing for money. You who showed forth the punishment of God through your instruction, have yourself brought punishment upon yourself. How shall I mourn for you? How shall I grieve for you? How has the morning star that rises early fallen, and been dashed to the earth? Both ears of everyone who hears it will ring. How has the Nazirite, who shone brighter than gold, become darker than soot? How has the precious son of Zion become a useless vessel? Of whom the memory of divine things

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τῶν τοῦ κόσμου καλῶν. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐγὼ διὰ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ὁ κόσμος δι' ἐμέ.» Ταῦτα οὖν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐπιλογιζόμενος καὶ τελῶν αὐτὰ σπουδαίως κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον σοι, ἀγώνισαι ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἕως θανάτου. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς ὑπήκοος γέγονε μέχρι θανάτου. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησι· «Βλέπετε μήποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ εἰς τὸ ἀποστῆ ναι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ζῶντος, ἀλλὰ ἀλλήλους παρακαλεῖτε καὶ εἷς τὸν ἕνα οἰκοδομεῖτε ἄχρις οὗ τὸ σήμερον λέγεται.» Τὸ γὰρ σήμερον σημαίνει ὅλον τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν. Οὕτως οὖν πολιτευόμενος, ἀδελφέ, καὶ σεαυτὸν σώσεις καὶ ἡμᾶς εὐφρανεῖς καὶ τὸν Θεὸν δοξάσεις εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

43.τ ΝΟΥΘΕΣΙΑ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΝΕΟΥΣ

43.1 Μάθε σὺ ὁ μονάζων καὶ πιστὸς ἄνθρωπος καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐργάτης, καὶ

διδάχθητι εὐαγγελικὴν πολιτείαν, σώματος δουλαγωγίαν, φρόνημα ταπεινόν, ἐννοίας καθα ρότητα, ὀργῆς ἀφανισμόν. Ἀγγαρευόμενος, προστίθει διὰ τὸν Κύριον· ἀποστερούμενος, μὴ δικάζου· μισούμενος, ἀγάπα· διωκόμενος, ἀνέχου· βλασφημούμενος, παρακάλει. Νεκρώθητι τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, σταυρώθητι τῷ Θεῷ· ὅλην τὴν μέριμναν μετάθες ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, ἵνα εὑρεθῇς ὅπου ἀγγέ λων μυριάδες, πρωτοτόκων πανηγύρεις, ἀποστόλων θρόνοι, προφητῶν προεδρίαι, σκῆπτρα πατριαρχῶν, μαρτύρων στέφανοι, δικαίων ἔπαινοι. Ἐκείνοις σεαυτὸν τοῖς δικαίοις ἐπιθύμησον συναριθμηθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.

44.τ ΠΡΟΣ ΜΟΝΑΧΟΝ ΕΚΠΕΣΟΝΤΑ

44.1 Χαίρειν οὐ λέγομεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι χαίρειν τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν. Ἔτι γὰρ ἀπιστία

με περιέχει καὶ οὐκ ἐπέρχεταί μου εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τὸ τηλικοῦτον ἀτόπημα καὶ τὸ ἐπιχείρημα τὸ μέγα ὃ ἔπραξας, εἴ γε κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον ἤδη πᾶσιν οὕτως ἔχει. Θαυμάζω γὰρ πῶς ἡ τοσαύτη σοφία κατεπόθη, πῶς ἡ τοσαύτη ἀκρίβεια διελύθη, πόθεν ἡ τοσαύτη τύφλω σις περιεχέθη, πῶς μηδὲν τὸ σύνολον ἐννοήσας τοιαύτην καὶ τοσαύτην ἀπώλειαν ψυχῶν εἰργάσω. Εἰ γὰρ ἀληθὲς τοῦτο, παραδέδωκας καὶ τὴν σαυτοῦ ψυχὴν τῷ βυθῷ καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀκουόντων τὴν ἀσέβειαν ταύτην τὸν τόνον παρέλυσας. Τὴν πίστιν ἠθέτησας, τοῦ ἀγῶνος τοῦ καλοῦ ἠστόχησας. ∆ιὸ ἀλγῶ ἐπὶ σοί. Ποῖος γὰρ ἱερεὺς ἀκούων οὐ θρηνήσει; Ποῖος ἐκκλησιαστικὸς οὐ κόπτεται; Ποῖος λαϊκὸς οὐ σκυθρωπάζει; Ποῖος ἀσκητὴς οὐ πενθεῖ; Τάχα καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἐσκότασεν ἐπὶ τῷ σῷ πτώματι καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐσαλεύθησαν ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ ἀπωλείᾳ. Ἐδάκρυσαν καὶ οἱ ἀναίσθητοι λίθοι ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ μανίᾳ, ἔκλαυσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀνομίας σου. Ὢ πολλῆς πωρώσεως, ὢ δεινῆς ὠμότητος. Οὐ Θεὸν ἐφο βήθης, οὐκ ἀνθρώπους ᾐδέσθης, οὐ φίλους ἐνετράπης, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ πάντα ἐναυάγησας, ὁμοῦ πάντα ἐσυλήθης. ∆ιὸ πάλιν ἀλγῶ ἐπὶ σοί, ἄθλιε. Ὁ τῆς βασιλείας πᾶσι τὸν τόνον ἀπαγγέλλων, τῆς βασιλείας ἐξέπεσες. Ὁ τῆς διδα σκαλίας τὸν φόβον πᾶσιν ἐμποιῶν, οὐκ ἔσχες φόβον Θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου. Ὁ ἁγιωσύνην κηρύσσων, ἐναγὴς εὑρίσκῃ. Ὁ ἐπὶ ἀκτημοσύνῃ σεμνυνόμενος, συλοχρηματῶν ἐφευρίσκῃ. Ὁ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κόλασιν ἐπι δεικνύμενος διὰ τῆς ὑφηγήσεως, αὐτὸς κόλασιν σεαυτῷ προεξένησας. Πῶς σε θρηνήσω; Πῶς ἀλγήσω ἐπὶ σοί; Πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ὁ ἑωσφόρος ὁ πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων καὶ συνε τρίβη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; Παντὸς ἀκούοντος ἠχήσει τὰ ἀμφό τερα ὦτα. Πῶς ὁ Ναζιραῖος, ὁ ἐκλάμπων ὑπὲρ χρυ σίον, ἐσκότασεν ὑπὲρ ἀσβόλην; Υἱὸς Σιὼν ὁ τίμιος πῶς ἐγένετο σκεῦος ἄχρηστον; Οὗ ἡ μνήμη τῶν θείων