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having may be, and those who buy as though not possessing, and those who use the world as not abusing it". It is possible, therefore, to learn the rest from these things; for example, for the one who is angry not to be enraged, for the one who justifies himself not at all to assent in his heart to the things spoken, for the one who avenges himself to be as dead to the world in the disposition of his soul, for the one who has once become such to seek and to be eager not even to spare his own body. For such men have both existed 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 certainly say to us: "You have not left behind envy and strife and jealousy." And 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 is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic; for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be 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? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." Consider that he did not only say: "The world is an enemy of God," but also the friendship with the world; for through it we become adulterers and adulteresses. And that this is true, hear the Lord himself saying: "Everyone who looks to lust has already committed adultery in his heart " and again: "You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's." And through these words he shows us that not only the one who commits the sin himself is separated from God and becomes His enemy, but also the one who loves it and the one who desires something, that is, being disposed with the heart towards something on earth, for this is friendship with the world; so that it is clearly demonstrated that, even if someone is naked of all things and does not commit any sin in deed, but only loves and is fond of it, as it were being disposed towards it, he is an enemy of God, just as John also says: "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him", but also the Lord: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your mind and with all your strength and with all your soul", so that he who is desirously or relatively disposed towards something else is outside of this commandment. But we, the wretched and miserable, having left behind the great and glorious and lofty things of the world and having come to the monastery, some of us love gleaming cloaks, others garments of fine gold, others straps and scapulars, others sandals and footwear, others pleasant foods and (116) drinks, others knives and needles and razors or even things more worthless than these, through which things we fall away from the love of Christ, the king over all, and having become his enemies, we do not perceive it, O brethren! for which things we are therefore destined, if we do not repent beforehand and each of us banish every evil and wicked desire and strife and jealousy and arrogance from our soul, to be condemned to the eternal fire with tax collectors and sinners and the rich, who lived in dissipation.

For this reason, therefore, let us be zealous, brethren, to display every virtue, and to abhor every wickedness and every passion from our soul and to hate every thing, small or great, which brings danger to our souls; and let us use only those things in which the mind is not delighted, and our heart is not pleased, so that we may not, through things that seem worthless, rank ourselves on the left hand with worldly people, as has been said,

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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 ἀληθές ἐστι τοῦτο, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· "Πᾶς ὁ ἐμβλέψας πρός τό ἐπιθυμῆσαι ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ " καί πάλιν· "Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τι τοῦ πλησίον σου". ∆είκνυσι δέ διά τούτων ἡμῖν τῶν ῥημάτων, ὅτι οὐχ ὁ ποιῶν τήν ἁμαρτίαν αὐτός μόνος χωρίζεται τοῦ Θεοῦ καί ἐχθρός αὐτοῦ γίνεται, ἀλλά καί ὁ αὐτήν ἀγαπῶν καί ὁ ἐπιθυμῶν τινος, ἤτοι σχετικῶς τῇ καρδίᾳ πρός τι τῶν ἐπί γῆς διακείμενος, τοῦτο γάρ ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου ἐστίν· ὥστε φανερῶς ἀποδέδεικται ὅτι, εἰ καί γυμνός πάντων ὑπάρχει τις καί μή πράττει ἔργῳ τήν οἱανοῦν ἁμαρτίαν, μόνον δέ ἀγαπῶν καί φιλῶν αὐτήν οἱονεί σχετικῶς πρός αὐτήν διακείμενος, ἐχθρός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καθώς καί Ἰωάννης φησίν· "Ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ τόν κόσμον, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Πατρός ἐν αὐτῷ", ἀλλά καί ὁ Κύριος· "Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τόν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου καί ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου καί ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου", ὥστε ὁ πρός ἕτερόν τι ἐπιθυμητικῶς ἤ σχετικῶς διακείμενος τῆς ἐντολῆς ταύτης ἐκτός ἐστιν. Ἡμεῖς δέ, οἱ ἄθλιοι καί ταλαίπωροι, τά μεγάλα καί περίδοξα καί ὑψηλά τοῦ κόσμου καταλιπόντες καί εἰς τό μοναστήριον ἐλθόντες, ἀγαπῶμεν οἱ μέν παλλία ἐκστίλβοντα, οἱ δέ ἱμάτια καλόχρυσα, οἱ δέ λώρους καί ἀναλάβους, ἄλλοι σανδάλια καί ὑποδήματα, ἄλλοι βρώματα ἡδέα καί (116) πόματα, ἕτεροι σμίλας καί ῥαφίδας καί μαχαίρας ἤ καί τά τούτων εὐτελέστερα, δι᾿ ὧν τῆς ἀγάπης ἐκπίποντες τοῦ ἐπί πάντων βασιλέως Χριστοῦ καί ἐχθροί αὐτοῦ γενόμενοι, οὐκ αἰσθανόμεθα, ὦ ἀδελφοί! δι᾿ ἅ καί μέλλομεν ἄρα, εἰ μή προλαβόντες μετανοήσομεν καί πᾶσαν ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν καί πονηράν καί ἔριν καί ζῆλον καί ἀλαζονείαν ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν ἕκαστος ἐξορίσομεν, εἰς τό πῦρ τό αἰώνιον μετά τελωνῶν κα΄ἁμαρτωλῶν καί πλουσίων, τῶν ἐν ἀσωτίᾳ βιωσάντων, κατακριθήσεσθαι.

∆ιά τοῦτο οὖν σπουδάσωμεν, ἀδελφοί, πᾶσαν ἀρετήν ἐπιδείξασθαι, πᾶσαν δέ κακίαν καί πᾶν πάθος βδελύξασθαι ἀπό ψυχῆς καί μισῆσαι πᾶν πρᾶγμα μικρόν ἤ μέγα, ὅ φέρει ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν κίνδυνον· μόνοις δέ τούτοις χρησώμεθα ἐν οἷς ὁ μέν νοῦς οὐ τέρπεται, ἡ καρδία δέ ἡμῶν οὐχ ἡδύνεται, ἵνα μή εἰς τά ἀριστερά διά τῶν δοκούντων εὐτελῶν μετά τῶν κοσμικῶν, ὡς εἴρηται, ἡμᾶς αὐτούς κατατάξαντες,