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having become overjoyed, he said: "Lord, where were you until now?" So, to say "Where were you?" is surely of one who does not know where he was; but to say "Until now" indicated the vision and perception and knowledge of the Master's presence. If, therefore, we are not willing to renounce in this way and to persevere like him and we do not choose to endure, how might we be deemed worthy to see God in the Holy Spirit as he did and be filled with exultation? In no way.

But let us, if it seems right, direct our discourse to another point. What did the great Arsenios do from the very beginning of his renunciation? Did he not, leaving behind the palace and the emperors, the silk-clad servants and all his wealth, arrive alone at the monastery as a poor and destitute man, he who had once been eager to remain hidden, (129) fleeing glory and human praise, that he might be glorified by God? Was he, then, content with these things alone? May it not be; but what? He did not even deign to count himself as a lowly person among lowly people, but considered himself as a dog. For when a loaf of bread was thrown to him by the abbot and it fell on the ground, he, on all fours, not with his hand but with his mouth, picking up the bread like a dog, thus ate it. And sitting in his cell, not only did he work, but he also spent much less than his handiwork for his own needs, drinking water that smelled like mire. For this reason, while working and praying he wept continually and was drenched in his own tears, but also, praying from evening he stood until morning and he persevered in poverty and lowliness until the end. Why? In order that he too might surely suffer and see what the great Anthony was deemed worthy to see and suffer. How then is it not written of him also, that he saw the Lord? Did he endure the toils, but was not deemed worthy to see him? No, but he too was deemed worthy to see God in this way, even if the one who wrote this did not state it so clearly; and if you wish to learn this accurately, go through the chapters set forth by him himself, I mean by the holy Arsenios, and you will know from them that he too is truly a beholder of God.

He, therefore, who imitates them in deed and labors will truly be deemed worthy of the same grace; but if someone is not willing to imitate their humility and patience, why does he even say the thing is impossible? And who will recount the deeds of Euthymios and Sabbas and the saints who followed, which were beyond human nature? For whether (130) before receiving the grace of the Spirit, or after receiving it, at any rate, without toils and many labors and sweats and force and hardship and affliction no one has passed through the darkness of the soul, nor has he beheld the light of the All-Holy Spirit. For the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force, since it is also through many tribulations that we must enter into the kingdom of heaven. And the kingdom of heaven is participation in the Holy Spirit; for this is what is said, that the kingdom of heaven is within us, so that we may be diligent to receive and have the Holy Spirit within us. Let not, therefore, those who are outside of continual force and hardship and lowliness and affliction say, that we have the Holy Spirit within us; for without works and sweats and labors of virtue this reward is not given to anyone. Wherefore it seems good to me also, what is said by many in this way: "Show works," he says, "and demand wages."

For I know a man who before undertaking labors and before doing violence to himself, with uprightness of thoughts and simplicity of soul having bent over the divine Scriptures and for a few days and nights without labor, so to speak, having kept vigil and prayed and was so illumined by grace from above, that he seemed to have gone out of himself

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περιχαρής γεγονώς ἔλεγε· "Κύριε, ποῦ ᾗς ἕως ἄρτι; " Τό μέν οὖν εἰπεῖν "Ποῦ ᾗς;" ἀγνοοῦντος πάντως ἐστίν ὅπου καί ἦν· τό δέ εἰπεῖν "Ἕως ἄρτι" τήν θεωρίαν καί αἴσθησιν καί γνῶσιν τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου παρουσίας ἐδήλωσεν. Εἰ τοίνυν οὕτως ἀποτάξασθαι ἡμεῖς οὐ βουλόμεθα καί καρτερῆσαι ὁμοίως ἐκείνῳ καί ὑπομεῖναι οὐ προαιρούμεθα, πῶς τόν Θεόν ἐν Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἰδεῖν ἀξιωθῶμεν καί πληρωθῆναι ἀγαλλιάσεως; Οὐδαμῶς.

Ἀλλά γάρ καί πρός ἕτερον, εἰ δοκεῖ, τόν λόγον ἰθύνωμεν. Τί ὁ μέγας Ἀρσένιος διεπράξατο ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς ἀποταγῆς αὐτοῦ; Οὐχί τά βασίλεια καταλιπών καί τούς βασιλεῖς, τού σηρικοφόρους οἰκέτας καί πάντα τόν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ, μόνος ὡς φτωχός καί πένης ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ ἀφίκετο, ὅστις ποτέ ἦν σπουδάσας λαθεῖν, (129) φεύγων τήν δόξαν καί τόν ἀνθρώπινον ἔπαινον, ἵνα παρά Θεῷ δοξασθῇ; Τί οὖν ἄρα τούτοις μόνοις ἔμεινεν ἀρκεσθείς; μή γένοιτο· ἀλλά τί; Οὐδέ ὡς εὐτελής μετά εὐτελῶν ἀνθρώπων ἑαυτόν κατατάξαι ἠνέσχετο, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς κύνα ἐλογίσατο ἑαυτόν. Ῥιφέντος γάρ αὐτῷ παρά τοῦ ἡγουμένου τοῦ ἄρτου καί πεσόντος τούτου ἐπί τῆς γῆς, αὐτός τετραποδίσας, οὐ τῇ χειρί ἀλλά τῷ στόματι, ὡς κύων ἄρας τόν ἄρτον, οὕτως αὐτόν ἔφαγεν. Ἐν δέ τῷ κελλίῳ καθήμενος, οὐ μόνον εἰργάζετο, ἀλλά καί πολύ ἔλαττον τοῦ ἐργοχείρου αὐτοῦ εἰς τήν ἑαυτοῦ χρείαν ἀνήλισκεν, ὕδωρ πίνων βορβόρου ὄζοντος ὅμοιον. ∆ιά τοῦτο καί ἐργαζόμενος καί εὐχόμενος διηνεκῶς ἔκλαιε καί τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δάκρυσι κατεβρέχετο, ἀλλά καί ἀφ᾿ ἑσπέρας εὐχόμενος ἵστατο μέχρι πρωΐας καί τῇ πτωχείᾳ καί εὐτελείᾳ μέχρι τέλους ἐνεκαρτέρησε. ∆ιά τί ; ∆ιά τό παθεῖν πάντως καί ἰδεῖν καί αὐτόν, ὅπερ ὁ μέγας Ἀντώνιος ἰδεῖν καί παθεῖν ἠξιώθη. Πῶς οὖν οὐ γέγραπται καί ἐπί τούτου, ὅτι εἶδε τόν Κύριον; Μή τούς μέν κόπους αὐτός κατεβάλετο, ἐκεῖνον δέ ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἠξίωται; Οὐχί, ἀλλά καί αὐτός οὕτως ἰδεῖν τόν Θεόν ἠξιώθη, εἰ καί μή ὁ συγγραψάμενος τοῦτο οὕτως ἐδήλωσε φανερῶς· καί εἰ βούλει τοῦτο μαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς, τά παρ᾿ ἐκείνου αὐτοῦ, φημί τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀρσενίου, ἐκτεθέντα κεφάλαια δίελθε καί γνώσει ἐξ αὐτῶν ὅτι καί οὗτος θεόπτης ἐστίν ἀληθῶς.

Ὁ οὖν αὐτούς ἐκμιμούμενος ἔργῳ καί πόνοις τῆς αὐτῆς ὄντως καταξιωθήσεται χάριτος· εἰ δέ μή βούλεταί τις τήν ταπείνωσιν τούτων καί τήν ὑπομονήν ἐκμιμήσασθαι, τί καί λέγει τό πρᾶγμα ἀδύνατον; Εὐθυμίου δέ καί Σάβα καί τῶν καθεξῆς ἁγίων τάς πράξεις, τάς ὑπέρ ἄνθρωπον, τίς διηγήσεται; Εἴτε γάρ (130) πρό τοῦ τήν χάριν λαβεῖν τοῦ Πνεύματος, εἴτε καί μετά τό ταύτην λαβεῖν, τέως ἄνευ κόπων καί πόνων πολλῶν καί ἱδρώτων βίας τε καί στενοχωρίας καί θλίψεως οὐδείς διῆλθε τόν σκοτασμόν τῆς ψυχῆς, οὐδέ τό φῶς τοῦ Παναγίου Πνεύματος ἐθεάσατο. Βιαστή γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν καί βιασταί ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν, ἐπειδή καί διά πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τήν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἡ δέ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἡ μετοχή ὑπάρχει τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ Ἁγίου· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τό εἰρημένον ὅτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐντός ἡμῶν ἐστιν, ἵνα τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον ἐντός ἡμῶν λαβεῖν καί ἔχειν σπουδάσωμεν. Μή οὖν λεγέτωσαν οἱ ἐκτός ὄντες διηνεκοῦς βίας καί στενοχωρίας καί εὐτελείας καί θλίψεως, ὅτι ἐντός ἡμῶν ἔχομεν τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον· ἄνευ γάρ ἔργων καί ἱδρώτων καί πόνων τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁ μισθός οὗτος οὐ δίδοταί τισι. ∆ιό μοι καλῶς ἔχειν δοκεῖ καί τό παρά πολλοῖς οὕτω λεγόμενον· "∆εῖξον, φησίν, ἔργα καί ἀπαίτει μισθούς".

Ἐγώ γάρ οἶδα ἄνθρωπον πρό τοῦ κόπους καταβαλέσθαι καί πρό τοῦ βιάσασθαι ἑαυτόν, εὐθύτητι διαλογισμῶν καί ψυχῆς ἁπλότητι ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς ἐγκύψαντα καί ὀλίγας ἡμέρας καί νύκτας ἀκόπως, ἵν᾿ εἴπω, ἀγρυπνήσαντα καί εὐξάμενον καί ἐπί τοσοῦτον ἐλλαμφέντα ὑπό τῆς ἄνωθεν χάριτος, ὡς ἔξω δόξαι αὐτόν γενέσθαι