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I, but Christ lives in me." For upon these human glories, boasting greatly, as if leaping upon walls, the wicked leap, even if the saint does not. For it is clear that he said these things, attributing them to the human person. For the blessed one was modest, if anyone ever was, having been witnessed to be "blameless" and "righteous". And he might also be saying this: even if I happened to be like a well-walled city, toiling in wealth and glory, yet these things are dead to me, as I do not consider their loss a heavy one. Therefore I do not spare these things. I have absolutely no longing for them, being dead to them, 169 since I live a blessed life. For it is good "to die to sin," so that we might live to God and not, like the "widow who lives in pleasure," be handed over while living to the death of sin. "For I have not been false to the holy words of my God." For this reason, being dead to them, I consider all human things a tomb, since I have not been false to the holy words of God, either because I have stumbled in nothing but am "righteous"—this he says according to the one who says, "I am conscious of nothing in myself"—or because he did not show the things said by God in testimony to be false, as was said of him: "and he did not charge God with foolishness." For his way was found to be in harmony with the words of God that testified to his virtue. Therefore he also calls his virtuous actions God's, according to the one who says, "not I, but the grace of God that is with me." And it is also indicative of his having been taught by God to say: "For I have not been false to the holy words of my God." And no less does he also appear free from pride, actively showing from God the saying: "but do not be lifted up in your wisdom." For he confesses that all things are of God. For it is useful not to cast things upon oneself, which the divine word again advises: "Let not the wise man boast in 170 his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his wealth, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows the Lord." We have examples in the Scriptures of those who boast foolishly and trust in themselves, Goliath and Pharaoh, who did not suffer what they expected, "their arrogance having been extinguished". But "claiming to be wise, they become fools" according to the saying. But it is also said concerning those who are arrogant in wealth: "Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and when the glory of his house increases, for when he dies he will take nothing." For either he will leave them behind, or they him, when a change has occurred. But the saint, casting nothing upon himself, ascribes all things to God. "For what is my strength, that I should endure? Or what is my time, that my soul should be patient? Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh bronze? Did I not trust in him? But help is gone from me. Mercy has forsaken me, and the visitation of the Lord has overlooked me." 171 Being loving, he wishes to teach his friends that he does not endure such an onslaught of afflictions because of anything human, and to represent to him that: if it were not for a divine reckoning, insofar as it came to human weakness, I would not have borne these things—for by what strength, he says, consider that I endure these things, or for what time will I be able to live, undergoing these things. Is my strength that of a stone, or do I have flesh of bronze, so as not to feel the pain with them? —so that they might not, being disposed toward one who is insensible, belittle his endurance. For there are those who think concerning the martyrs that they do not feel the pains, which takes away their virtue. But he also wishes to put those things in their mind, that he does not suffer because of sin, saying: "Did I not trust in him?" And in addition to these things, gently hinting also at the permission from God, he adds: "But help is gone. Mercy has forsaken me, and the visitation of the Lord has overlooked me," so that from these things they might understand that the saint, being conscious that these things have happened to him, bears them nobly, standing against the one who asked for him, having believed 172 that even if the Lord struck him, having permitted the

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ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός." ἐπὶ γὰρ ταύτας τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας δόξας μεγάλα κομπάζοντες καθάπερ ἐπὶ τειχέων ἁλλόμενοι οἱ μοχθηροὶ ἐπιπηδῶσιν, εἰ καὶ μὴ ὁ ἅγιος. δῆλον γάρ, ὅτι τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ προσώπῳ ταῦτα προσάπτων εἴρηκεν. μετριόφρων γὰρ εἰ καί τις ἄλλος ὁ μακάριος, "ἄμεμπτος" μαρτυρηθεὶς εἶναι καὶ "δίκαιος". εἴη δὲ καὶ ταῦτα λέγων ὅτι· εἰ καὶ καθάπερ εὖ τετειχισμένη πόλις ἐτύγχανον πλούτῳ καὶ δόξῃ καμών, ἀλλά γε ἐμοὶ ταῦτα τέθνηκεν οὐ βαρείαν αὐτῶν τὴν στέρησιν λογιζομένῳ. διὸ καὶ οὐ φείδομαι τούτων. ὅλως αὐτῶν μηδένα πόθον ἔχω τεθνηκὼς αὐτοῖς, 169 ἐξ οὗ ζῶ ζωὴν μακαρίαν. καλὸν γὰρ "ἀποθνῄσκειν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ", ἵνα τῷ θεῷ ζήσωμεν καὶ μὴ καθάπερ ἡ "σπαταλῶσα χήρα" ζῶντες θανάτῳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας παραδοθῶ μεν. "οὐ γὰρ ἐψευσάμην ῥήματα ἅγια θεοῦ μου." διὰ τοῦτο πάντα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα τάφον ἡγοῦμαι τεθνηκὼς αὐτοῖς, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐψευσάμην τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγια ῥήματα, ἤτοι διὰ τὸ ἐν μηδενὶ πταῖσαι ἀλλὰ "δίκαιος" εἶναι-τοῦτο λέγει κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα· "οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα"- ἢ ὅτι τὰ εἰρημένα ἐν μαρτυρίας μέρει πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ ψευδῆ ἔδειξεν καθὸ εἴρηται περὶ αὐτοῦ· "καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἀφροσύνην θεῷ." τοῖς γὰρ λόγοις τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς μαρτυροῦσιν αὐτῷ τὸ ἐν ἀρετῇ ὂν ὁ τρόπος αὐτοῦ σύμφωνος εὑρίσκετο. διόπερ καὶ τὰς ἐναρέτους ἑαυτοῦ πράξεις τοῦ θεοῦ λέγει κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα· "οὐκ ἐγὼ δέ, ἀλλὰ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ σὺν ἐμοί." δεικτικὸν δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ πεπαιδεῦσθαι αὐτὸν τὸ λέγειν· "οὐ γὰρ ἐψευσάμην ῥήματα ἅγια θεοῦ μου." οὐδὲν δ' ἧττον καὶ ἄτυφος φαίνεται ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνεργῶς δεικνὺς τό· "ἐπὶ δὲ σῇ σοφίᾳ μὴ ἐπαίρου." θεοῦ γὰρ τὰ πάντα ὁμολογεῖ. χρήσιμον γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ βάλλεσθαι, ὅπερ πάλιν παραινεῖ λόγος θεῖος· "μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ σοφὸς ἐν 170 τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ μηδὲ ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ἐν τῇ ἰσχύι αὐτοῦ μηδὲ ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσθω ὁ καυχώμενος τοῦ συνίειν καὶ γιγνώσκειν τὸν κύριον." ἔχομεν παραδείγματα ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς τῶν ἀσυνέτως καυχωμένων καὶ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς πεποιθότων Γολιὰδ καὶ Φαραώ, οἵτινες οὐχ ἅπερ ἤλπισαν πεπόνθασιν "σβεσθείσης αὐτῶν τῆς ὑπερηφανίας". "εἶν̣α̣ι̣ φάσκοντες" δὲ "σοφοὶ μωραίνονται" κατὰ τὸ λόγιον. ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν πλούτῳ ἀλαζονευομένων λέγεται· "μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀποθνῄσκειν αὐτὸν λήμψεται τὰ πάντα." ἢ γὰρ αὐτὸς αὐτὰ καταλείψει ἢ αὐτὰ αὐτὸν μεταβολῆς γεγενημένης. ἀλλὰ ὁ ἅγιος οὐδὲν ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ βαλλόμενος θεῷ πάντα ἀνατίθησιν. "τίς γάρ μου ἡ ἰσχύς, ὅτι ὑπομένω; ἢ τίς μου ὁ χρόνος, ὅτι ἀνέχεταί μου ἡ ψυχή; μὴ ἰσχὺς λίθων ἡ ἰσχύς μου; ἢ αἱ σάρκες μού εἰσιν χάλκειαι; ἦ οὐκ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἐπεποίθειν; βοήθεια δὲ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἄπεστιν. ἀπείπατό με ἔλεος, ἐπισκοπὴ δὲ κυρίου ὑπερεῖδέν με." 171 παιδεῦσαι τοὺς φίλους ἀγαπητικὸς ὢν βούλεται, ὡς οὐ διά τι ἀνθρώπινον τὴν τοσαύτην ἐπιφορὰν τῶν ἀνιαρῶν ὑπομένει, καὶ παραστῆσαι αὐτῷ ὅτι· εἰ μὴ λογισμῷ θείῳ, ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς ἀνθρωπίνην ἀσθένειαν, οὐκ ἂν οὐκ ἀνήνεγκα ταῦτα-διὰ ποίαν γάρ, φησίν, ἰσχὺν ταῦτα ὑπομένω λογίσασθε, ἢ διὰ ποῖον χρόνον βιῶσαι δυνήσομαι ταῦτα ὑφιστάμενος. ἡ ἰσχὺς δέ μοι ἢ λίθου ἐστὶν ἢ χαλκείας ἔχω τὰς σάρκας, ὥστε μὴ ἐπαισθάνεσθαι τὸν πόνον αὐτοῖς; -ἵνα μὴ περὶ ἀναισθήτου διακείμενοι εὐτελίζωσι τὴν καρτερίαν. εἰσὶ γὰρ οἱ καὶ περὶ τῶν μαρτύρων διανοούμενοι, ὅτι τῶν ἀλγηδόνων οὐκ ἐπαισθάνονται, ὅπερ παραιρεῖται αὐτῶν τὴν ἀρετήν. ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνα αὐ τοῖς ἐνθεῖναι τῆι διανοίᾳ βούλεται, ὅτι οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας πάσχει, λέγων· "ἦ οὐκ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἐπεποίθειν;" πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἠρέμα καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ θεοῦ συνχώρησιν αἰνιττόμενος ἐπάγει· "βοήθεια δὲ ἄπεστιν. ἀπείπατό με ἔλεος, ἐπισκοπὴ δὲ κυρίου ὑπερεῖδέν με", ἵν' ἐκ τούτων κατανοήσωσιν, ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα συνειδὼς εἰς ἑαυτὸν γεγενημένα ὁ ἅγιος φέρει γενναίως ἱστάμενος πρὸς τὸν ἐξαιτησάμενον, πεπι172 στευκώς, ὅτι εἰ καὶ ἔπαισεν αὐτὸν κύριος συνχωρήσας τῷ