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of the Lord, and having known accurately that there was nothing crooked or tortuous in it, nor filled with ravines and rocks, thorns and thistles, but that it was entirely smooth and level, delighting the eyes of those who traveled it with the brightest spectacles, and beautifying the feet, and putting on the preparation of the gospel of peace, for walking safely and quickly. Which I rightly preferred above all, and I began to build the fallen and ruined house of my soul. As I was thus arranging my own affairs and correcting the error of my mind, I heard the words of a certain wise teacher crying out such things to me: “Come out,” he said, “all you who desire to be saved; separate yourselves from the vanity of the world; for its form is passing away for a little while, and behold, it will not be. Come out without turning back, 210 not for free and without reward, but carrying provisions of eternal life; for you are about to walk a long road, having need of many provisions from here. And you are taking possession of the eternal place, which has two regions, having many dwelling places in themselves, one of which God has prepared for those who love him and keep his commandments, being filled with all kinds of good things, in which those who are deemed worthy will live in continual incorruption, enjoying indestructible immortality, where pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away. But the second, being full of darkness and tribulation and pain, has been prepared for the devil and his angels, into which will be cast also those who have procured it for themselves through evil works, who have exchanged the present things for the incorruptible and eternal, and have made their whole selves food for the eternal fire.” Having heard this voice and recognized its truthfulness, I made it my work to attain that lodging, which is free from all pain and sorrow, and is full of such security and such good things, of which the knowledge is now in me only in part, since I am a babe in spiritual age and seeing the things there as through a mirror and in riddles. But when that which is perfect comes, and I shall know face to face, then that which is in part will be done away. I thank God, therefore, through Jesus Christ our Lord. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death, and 212 opened my eyes to see without error that the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. And just as I, having recognized the vanity of present things, hated them with a perfect hatred, so also I advise you to know about these things, so that you may be disposed toward them as things foreign and quickly passing away, and having taken away everything from here, you may treasure up for yourself in the incorruptible age an inviolable treasure, inexhaustible wealth, where you must go without delay, so that, when you depart, you will not be in need, but abounding in wealth, just as I set before you a most suitable image of these things above. And Joasaph says to the elder: “How then will I be able to send ahead treasures of money and wealth there, so that when I depart I may find their enjoyment inviolable and indestructible? And how shall I show my hatred for present things, and lay hold of the eternal? Make it very clear to me.” And Barlaam says: “The sending ahead of this wealth to the eternal place is done by the hands of the poor. For one of the prophets, Daniel the most wise, says to the king of Babylon: ‘Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you; and redeem your sins by alms, and your iniquities by mercy to the poor.’ And the Savior also says: ‘Make friends for yourselves from the 214 mammon of unrighteousness, so that, when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.’ And the Master speaks at length, up and down, of almsgiving and sharing with the poor, as in the Gospel

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τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ γνοὺς ἀκριβῶς μηδὲν ἐν αὐτῇ σκολιὸν ἢ στραγγαλιῶδες ὑπάρχειν, μήτε φαράγγων καὶ σκοπέλων ἀκανθῶν τε καὶ τριβόλων πεπληρωμένην, ἀλλ' ὅλην λείαν καθεστηκέναι καὶ ὁμαλήν, τέρπουσαν μὲν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῶν αὐτὴν ὁδευόντων ταῖς φανοτάταις θεωρίαις ὡραΐζουσαν δὲ τοὺς πόδας, καὶ ὑποδύουσαν τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης, τοῦ ἀσφαλῶς τε καὶ συντόμως βαδίζειν· ἥνπερ πάντων δικαίως προέκρινα, καὶ οἰκοδομεῖν ἠρξάμην τὴν πεσοῦσάν μου τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ φθαρεῖσαν οἰκίαν. Οὕτως μου τὰ κατ' ἐμαυτὸν διατιθεμένου καὶ τὸ σφαλερὸν τοῦ νοὸς ἐπανορθοῦντος, ῥημάτων ἀκήκοα σοφοῦ τινος διδασκάλου τοιαῦτά μοι ἐμβοῶντος· Ἐξέλθετε, ἔφη, πάντες οἱ ποθοῦντες σωθῆναι· ἀποχωρίσθητε τῆς ματαιότητος τοῦ κόσμου· παράγει γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα αὐτοῦ μικρὸν ὅσον, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἔσται. ἐξέλθετε ἀμεταστρεπτί, 210 μὴ προῖκα δὲ καὶ ἀμισθί, ἀλλ' ἐφόδια φερόμενοι ζωῆς αἰωνίου· μακρὰν γὰρ μέλλετε βαδίζειν ὁδόν, πολλῶν ἔχουσαν χρείαν τῶν ἐντεῦθεν ἐφοδίων. καὶ καταλαμβάνετε τὸν αἰώνιον τόπον χώρας ἔχοντα δύο, πολλὰς ἐν ἑαυταῖς μονὰς ἐχούσας, ὧν τὴν μὲν μίαν ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν καὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ φυλάττουσιν ἐντολάς, παντοίων οὖσαν ἀγαθῶν πεπληρωμένην, ἧσπερ οἱ ἀξιωθέντες ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ ζήσονται διηνεκεῖ, τῆς ἀνωλέθρου ἀπολαύοντες ἀθανασίας, ἔνθα ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη, λύπη καὶ στεναγμός· ἡ δὲ δευτέρα, σκότους οὖσα μεστὴ καὶ θλίψεως καὶ ὀδύνης, τῷ διαβόλῳ ἡτοίμασται καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ, ἐν ᾗ βληθήσονται καὶ οἱ δι' ἔργων πονηρῶν ἑαυτοῖς ταύτην προξενήσαντες, οἱ τῶν ἀφθάρτων καὶ αἰωνίων τὰ παρόντα ἀνταλλαξάμενοι καὶ ὅλους ἑαυτοὺς κατάβρωμα τοῦ αἰωνίου πυρὸς ποιησάμενοι. Ταύτης ἐγὼ τῆς φωνῆς ἀκούσας καὶ τὸ ἀψευδὲς αὐτῆς ἐπιγνούς, ἐκεῖνο καταλαβεῖν τὸ κατάλυμα ἔργον ἐθέμην, τὸ πάσης μὲν ἀπηλλαγμένον ὀδύνης τε καὶ λύπης, τοσαύτης δὲ ἀσφαλείας καὶ τοιούτων ἀγαθῶν πλῆρες ὑπάρχον, ὧν ἡ γνῶσις νυνὶ μὲν ἐκ μέρους ἐστὶν ἐν ἐμοί, νηπίῳ τε ὄντι τὴν πνευματικὴν ἡλικίαν καὶ ὡς δι' ἐσόπτρων καὶ αἰνιγμάτων τὰ ἐκεῖθεν βλέποντι· ὅτε δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, καὶ ἐπιγνώσομαι πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον, τότε τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται. εὐχαριστῶ τοίνυν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν· ὁ γὰρ νόμος τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἠλευθέρωσέ με ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ διή 212 νοιξέ μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀπλανῶς κατιδεῖν ὅτι τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς θάνατος, τὸ δὲ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος ζωὴ καὶ εἰρήνη. καὶ καθάπερ οὖν ἐγώ, τῶν παρόντων ἐπιγνοὺς τὴν ματαιότητα, τέλειον αὐτὰ ἐμίσησα μῖσος, οὕτω δὴ καὶ σὲ γινώσκειν περὶ τούτων συμβουλεύω, ἵνα ὡς ἀλλοτρίοις διατεθῇς αὐτοῖς καὶ θᾶττον παρερχομένοις, ἀφελόμενος δ' ἐντεῦθεν πάντα, θησαυρίσῃς σεαυτῷ ἐν τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ αἰῶνι θησαυρὸν ἀσύλητον, πλοῦτον ἀδαπάνητον, ἔνθα σε δεῖ ἀνυπερθέτως πορευθῆναι, ἵνα, ὅταν ἀπέλθῃς, οὐχ ὑστερούμενος ἔσῃ, ἀλλὰ πλούτῳ βρίθων, καθάπερ σοι τὴν τούτων ἀνεθέμην ἀνωτέρω καταλληλοτάτην εἰκόνα. χῃ Λέγει δὲ ὁ Ἰωάσαφ τῷ γέροντι· Πῶς οὖν δυνήσομαι θησαυροὺς χρημάτων καὶ πλούτου ἐκεῖσε προπέμπειν, ὡς ἂν ἄσυλον αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνώλεθρον τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν ἀπελθὼν εὕρω; πῶς δὲ δείξω τὸ πρὸς τὰ παρόντα μου μῖσος, καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀνθέξομαι; μάλα σαφήνισόν μοι. καί φησιν ὁ Βαρλαάμ· Ἡ μὲν τοῦ πλούτου τούτου πρὸς τὸν αἰώνιον τόπον προπομπὴ ταῖς χερσὶ γίνεται τῶν πενήτων. φησὶ γάρ τις τῶν προφητῶν, ∆ανιὴλ ὁ σοφώτατος, τῷ βασιλεῖ Βαβυλῶνος· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, βασιλεῦ, ἡ βουλή μου ἀρεσάτω σοι· καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι καὶ τὰς ἀδικίας σου ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς πενήτων. λέγει δὲ καὶ ὁ Σωτήρ· Ποιήσατε ἑαυτοῖς φίλους ἐκ τοῦ 214 μαμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας, ἵν', ὅταν ἐκλίπητε, δέξωνται ὑμᾶς εἰς τὰς αἰωνίους σκηνάς. καὶ πολὺν ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω λόγον ὁ ∆εσπότης τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ μεταδόσεως τῶν πενήτων ποιεῖται, καθὼς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ