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but also those in Egypt learned of God's providence for him and the virtue of the righteous man. For see the excess of his magnanimity, how, winged by his longing for God, he did not stop at the things seen nor did he attend only to the things promised, but he imagined the things to come. And when God promised land for land and said: “Go out from your land and come to a land that I will show you,” he himself, leaving behind the sensible things, yearned for the intelligible things. 8.9 Perhaps what has been said seems to you to be a riddle? But do not be disturbed; I will bring forth the proof so that you may learn how the righteous man, having received the promise of sensible things, had his desire set on intelligible things. From where, then, will we know this precisely? Let us hear him speaking, or rather the blessed Paul, the teacher of the world, who knew all these things with precision, speaking about him, but not about him only but also about all the righteous. For once, wishing to recall the list of the righteous, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, he says: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar and greeted them, and having confessed that they are strangers and sojourners on the earth.” 8.10 What are you saying, O blessed Paul? Did they not receive the promises? Did they not possess all of Palestine? Did they not become masters of the land? Yes, he says; they have indeed received Palestine and possession of the land, but with the eyes of faith they had their desire set on other things. He therefore added, saying: “For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. And if they had been mindful of that from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better one, that is, a heavenly one.” Did you see their longing? Did you see their desire? Did you see how, though God everywhere promised sensible things and spoke of land, these men were seeking that homeland and desired that heavenly one? For this reason he added: “Whose architect and builder is God.” Did you see how they desired intelligible things and imagined those things which do not appear to the bodily eyes but are perceived by faith? 8.11 But here my mind is troubled and my reason is confounded, when I consider that we are going contrary to all these. For just as these righteous men, having received the promise of sensible things, had their desire for intelligible things, so we, having received the promise of intelligible things, are frantic about sensible things and do not listen to the blessed Paul saying: “For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal.” And again elsewhere, declaring that such are the things prepared for those who love him, he says: “What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man.” But we, even after all these things, gape after present things, I mean wealth and the glory of the present life, luxury, the honors from men; for these seem to be the splendid things of the present life. They seem, I said, since they differ in nothing from a shadow and dreams. 8.12 For wealth itself often has not remained even until evening with those who think they possess it, but like an ungrateful runaway slave it moves from this one to another, and leaves naked and destitute those who handle it with great eagerness; and that it has often surrounded with unbearable dangers those who have a great desire for it, the very experience of things has become a teacher for all. Is human glory also something of this sort? For he who today appears brilliant and distinguished among all suddenly becomes dishonored and easily despised by all. 8.13 What then could be more worthless than these things, which, I say, fly away before they appear, which never stand still but so quickly run past those who are frantic about them? For just as it is never possible to see a wheel remaining on the same part of its rim, but constantly turning and being carried up and down, so also is it possible to see in the case of these things. For the change in human affairs is swift-flowing

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ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐμάνθανον καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν πρόνοιαν καὶ τοῦ δικαίου τὴν ἀρετήν. Ὅρα γὰρ αὐτοῦ τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας τὴν ὑπερβολήν, ὅπως πτερωθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ περὶ τὸν Θεὸν πόθου οὐ μέχρι τῶν ὁρωμένων ἵστατο οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐπαγγελθεῖσι μόνον προσεῖχεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα ἐφαντάζετο. Καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ γῆν ἀντὶ γῆς ἐπαγγειλαμένου καὶ εἰπόντος· «Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου καὶ δεῦρο εἰς γῆν ἣν ἄν σοι δείξω», αὐτὸς καταλιπὼν τὰ αἰσθητὰ τῶν νοητῶν ἠφίετο. 8.9 Τάχα αἴνιγμα ὑμῖν εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ εἰρημένον; Ἀλλὰ μὴ θορυβηθῆτε· ἐγὼ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἐπάγω ἵνα μάθητε ὅπως ὁ δίκαιος αἰσθητῶν ἐπαγγελίαν δεξάμενος περὶ τὰ νοητὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν εἶχε. Πόθεν οὖν τοῦτο ἀκριβῶς εἰσόμεθα; Ἀκούσωμεν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου, τοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης διδασκάλου, τοῦ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ταῦτα ἅπαντα ἐπισταμένου, περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, οὐ περὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν δικαίων πάντων. Μνημονεῦσαι γάρ ποτε βουλόμενος τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν δικαίων οἷον τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, τοῦ Ἰσαάκ, τοῦ Ἰακώβ φησι· «Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον οὗτοι πάντες μὴ κομισάμενοι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἀλλὰ πόρρωθεν αὐτὰς ἰδόντες καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι καὶ ὁμολογήσαντες ὅτι ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδημοί εἰσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.» 8.10 Τί λέγεις, ὦ μακάριε Παῦλε; Οὐκ ἔλαβον τὰς ἐπαγγελίας; Οὐ τὴν Παλαιστίνην πᾶσαν κατέσχον; Οὐ κύριοι τῆς γῆς γεγόνασι; Ναί, φησί· τὴν μὲν Παλαιστίνην εἰλήφασι καὶ τῆς γῆς τὴν κατάσχεσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τῆς πίστεως ὀφθαλμοῖς περὶ ἕτερα τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν εἶχον. Ἐπήγαγεν οὖν λέγων· «Οἱ γὰρ ταῦτα λέγοντες ἐμφανίζουσιν ὅτι πατρίδα ζητοῦσι καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐκείνης ἐμνημόνευον ἀφ' ἧς ἐξῆλθον, εἶχον ἂν καιρὸν ἀνακάμψαι· νῦν δὲ κρείττονος ὀρέγονται, τουτέστιν ἐπουρανίου.» Εἶδες αὐτῶν τὸν πόθον; Εἶδες αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν; Εἶδες πῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ πανταχοῦ αἰσθητὰ ἐπαγγελομένου καὶ περὶ γῆς διαλεγομένου, οὗτοι ἐκείνην ἐζήτουν τὴν πατρίδα καὶ ἐκείνης ὀρέγοντο τῆς ἐπουρανίου; ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο προσέθηκεν· «Ἧς τεχνίτης ἐστὶ καὶ δημιουργὸς ὁ Θεός.» Εἶδες πῶς τῶν νοητῶν ἐπεθύμουν καὶ ἐκεῖνα ἐφαντάζοντο τὰ μὴ τοῖς σωματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς φαινόμενα ἀλλὰ τῇ πίστει νοούμενα; 8.11 Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα θορυβεῖται μου ἡ διάνοια καὶ συγχεῖται ὁ λογισμός, ὅταν ἐννοήσω ὅτι ἀπεναντίας πᾶσι τούτοις ἡμεῖς ἐρχόμεθα. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ δίκαιοι οὗτοι αἰσθητῶν ἐπαγγελίαν δεξάμενοι περὶ τὰ νοητὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔσχον, οὕτως ἡμεῖς νοητῶν ἐπαγγελίαν δεξάμενοι περὶ τὰ αἰσθητὰ ἐπτοήμεθα καὶ οὐκ ἀκούομεν τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου λέγοντος· «Τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα, τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα αἰώνια.» Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ δηλῶν ὅτι τοιαῦτά ἐστι τὰ ἡτοιμασμένα τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν λέγει· «Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη.» Ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἅπαντα περὶ τὰ παρόντα κεχήναμεν, τὸν πλοῦτον λέγω καὶ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ παρόντος βίου, τὴν τρυφήν, τὰς τιμὰς τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ταῦτα γὰρ δοκεῖ εἶναι τὰ λαμπρὰ τοῦ παρόντος βίου. ∆οκεῖ, εἶπον, ἐπειδὴ σκιᾶς καὶ ὀνειράτων οὐδὲν διενήνοχε. 8.12 Καὶ γὰρ ὁ πλοῦτος αὐτὸς οὐδὲ μέχρι τῆς ἑσπέρας πολλάκις παρέμεινε τοῖς αὐτὸν κατέχειν οἰομένοις, ἀλλὰ καθάπερ δραπέτης ἀγνώμων ἀπὸ τούτου πρὸς ἕτερον μεθίσταται, καὶ γυμνοὺς καὶ ἐρήμους ἀφίησι τοὺς μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς αὐτὸν περιέποντας· ὅτι δὲ καὶ κινδύνοις πολλάκις περιέβαλεν ἀφορήτοις τοὺς πολλὴν περὶ αὐτὸν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχοντας αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ πεῖρα διδάσκαλος ἅπασι καθέστηκε. Τοιοῦτόν τί ἐστι καὶ ἡ δόξα ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη; ὁ γὰρ σήμερον λαμπρὸς καὶ ἐπίσημος παρὰ πᾶσι φαινόμενος ἀθρόον ἄτιμος γίνεται καὶ πᾶσιν εὐκαταφρόνητος. 8.13 Τί οὖν τούτων γένοιτ' ἂν οὐδαμινέστερον, τῶν πρὶν ἢ φανῆναι λέγω ἀφιπταμένων, τῶν οὐδέποτε ἱσταμένων ἀλλ' οὕτω ταχέως παρατρεχόντων τοὺς περὶ ταῦτα ἐπτοημένους; Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸν τροχὸν οὐδέποτε ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τῆς ἄντυγος μένοντα μέρους ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς στρεφόμενον καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω περιαγόμενον, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Ὀξύρροπος γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων ἡ μεταβολὴ