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of the body and of the dwelling and of the whole world - for it was night and it became as a perfect day, but since he received wealth without labor, he also quickly disdained it. Therefore, having become neglectful, he lost all the wealth at once and to (131) such an extent that he did not remember at all that he had ever beheld such glory.

How then do those who were never deemed worthy either to receive or to perceive this glory in any way, say that they have it all within themselves, I am at a loss. But oh, the hardness of heart, oh, the darkness, oh, the ignorance and the vain conceit, where have they ever learned this or through what scriptures? Truly they became futile in their thinking and their senseless heart was darkened and they remained in Egypt, that is, in the darkness of their passions and their pleasures.

For those who have longed to see the land of promise, which the eyes of the meek and humble and poor are deemed worthy to see, accept every hardship and every affliction and abasement and strongly abstain from every and all kinds of bodily pleasure and honor and ease. Not only that, but they also separate themselves from every person, small and great, fleeing them without hatred, in order that they might be deemed worthy to set foot upon it before their course is cut off from the way of this present life. For being humbled and being truly disposed as wicked people who have given much offense, but also indeed as enemies and transgressors of the commandments of God they live gloomy and sorrowful, longing to learn what they must do to be reconciled to the Lord Christ. For this reason, therefore, the Lord grants them not only to know what they must do, but also strength is given to them by Him and endurance so that, having fulfilled all that is necessary, they may see and possess Him Himself, (132) the God who is over all and in all, and then to live as in heaven and to have their citizenship there, whether they live in caves or in mountains or in cells, or whether they move about in the midst of cities, and so to serve Him always in joy and gladness and inexpressible exultation.

This, therefore, is the work of the saints, this is the practice of those who are led by the Spirit of God. Such also in our generation was the holy and most blessed and pious Symeon, who shone like the sun in the midst of the renowned monastery of the Stoudios, who was once in the midst of the world and renounced the affairs of the world and friends and relatives, and not only that but also the cares and anxieties and pleasures of life to such a degree as not even to have any memory of them at all, but even banished this far from himself, who lived among the multitude of monks and then spoke that blessed saying, "The monk," he says, "ought to be in the monastery as being and not being, and not appearing, or rather not even being known," which he also interpreted, saying: "As being present in the body, but not being present in the spirit, and not appearing except only through the Holy Spirit to the pure in heart, and not being known because of having nothing to do with anyone." O blessed sayings, through which his angelic way of life, beyond human, is proclaimed, through which he himself testified for himself through the Holy Spirit that he possessed his citizenship in heaven, through which he revealed our life with God, (133) saying he had nothing to do with anyone. Which no one is able to achieve or to say truthfully, unless he is wholly united to God in his entirety; and if he does say it, he deceives himself. For he who says he does not sin is blind and shortsighted, but he who has God cannot sin, because His seed remains in him, as John, the most theological thunder of the apostles, says. And that he had the whole God within himself, he said while living and after dying he cries out with a great voice through his own handwriting: "Acquire God as a friend for yourself and of human help

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τοῦ σώματος καί τοῦ οἰκήματος καί τοῦ κόσμου παντός - νύξ γάρ ἦν καί ὡς ἡμέρα τελεία ἐγένετο , ἀλλ᾿ ἐπεί ἀπόνως πλοῦτον ἔλαβε, συντόμως αὐτοῦ καί κατεφρόνησε. ∆ιό καί ἀμελήσας, ὅλον ὁμοῦ τόν πλοῦτον ἀπώλεσε καί ἐπί (131) τοσοῦτον, ὡς μηδέν μνημονεύειν ὅλως αὐτόν, ὅτι ποτέ τοιαύτην δόξαν τεθέαται.

Πῶς οὖν οἱ μηδέ λαβεῖν ἀξιωθέντες ποτέ ἤ κατιδεῖν τήν δόξαν ταύτην ποσῶς, λέγουσιν ἔχειν ταύτην ὅλην ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀπορῶ. Ἀλλ᾿ ὤ τῆς πωρώσεως, ὤ τοῦ σκοτασμοῦ, ὤ τῆς ἀγνοίας καί τῆς ματαίας οἰήσεως, ποῦ ποτε τοῦτο ἤ διά ποίων γραφῶν μεμαθήκασιν; Ὄντως ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν καί ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία καί ἔμειναν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ σκότει τῶν παθῶν αὐτῶν καί τῶν ἡδονῶν.

Οἱ γάρ τήν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἰδεῖν ποθήσαντες, ἥν πραέων ὀφθαλμοί καί ταπεινῶν καί πτωχῶν βλέπειν καταξιοῦνται, πᾶσαν στενοχωρίαν καί πᾶσαν θλῖψιν καί εὐτέλειαν καταδέχονται καί ἀπό πάσης καί παντοίας σωματικῆς ἡδονῆς καί τιμῆς καί ἀνέσεως σφοδρῶς ἀπέχονται. Οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά καί ἀπό παντός ἀνθρώπου μικροῦ τε καί μεγάλου χωρίζονται, φεύγοντες αὐτούς ἀμίσως, ἵνα ταύτης καταξιωθῶσιν ἐπιβῆναι πρό τοῦ ἐκκοπῆναι τόν δρόμον αὐτῶν ἀπό τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς. Ταπεινούμενοι γάρ καί ὡς πονηροί καί προσκεκρουκότες πολλά ἐπ᾿ ἀληθῶς διακείμενοι, οὐ μήν ἀλλά γάρ καί ὡς ἐχθροί καί παραβάται τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ στυγνοί καί λελυπημένοι διάγουσιν, ἐπιποθοῦντες μαθεῖν τό τί ἄν δέοι αὐτούς διαπράξασθαι πρός τό καταλλαγῆναι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ Χριστῷ. ∆ιά τοῦτο τοίνυν χαρίζεται αὐτοῖς ὁ Κύριος οὐ μόνον τό γνῶναι ὅ τι δέοι ποιῆσαι, ἀλλά καί ἰσχύς δίδοται αὐτοῖς παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ καί ὑπομονή εἰς τό ἐκπληρώσαντας πάντα ἅ δεῖ, αὐτόν ἐκεῖνον ἰδέσθαι καί κτήσασθαι (132) τόν ἐπί πάντων καί ἐπί πᾶσι Θεόν καί τηνικαῦτα ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ διάγειν καί ἐκεῖσε τό πολίτευμα ἔχειν, κἄν ἐν σπηλαίοις κἄν ἐν ὄρεσι κἄν ἐν κελλίοις διάγωσι, κἄν ἐν μέσαις ἀναστρέφωνται πόλεσι, καί οὕτως ἀεί ἐν χαρᾷ καί εὐφροσύνῃ καί ἀγαλλιάσει ἀρρήτῳ δουλεύειν αὐτῷ.

Αὕτη τοιγαροῦν ἡ ἐργασία τῶν ἁγίων ἐστίν, αὕτη ἡ πρᾶξις τῶν ἐν Πνεύματι ἀγομένων Θεοῦ. Οἷος γέγονε καί ἐν τῇ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς γενεᾷ ὁ ἅγιος καί μακαριώτατος εὐλαβής Συμεών, ὁ λάμψας δίκην ἡλίου μέσον τῆς περιωνύμου μονῆς τῶν Στουδίου, ὁ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ κόσμου ποτέ ὤν καί τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου πράγμασι καί φίλοις καί συγγενέσιν, οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά καί ταῖς φροντίσι καί μερίμναις καί ἡδοναῖς τοῦ βίου ἐπί τοσοῦτον ἀποταξάμενος, ὡς μηδέ τήν μνήμην ὅλως ἔχειν αὐτῶν, ἀλλά καί ταύτην ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ ἐξορίσαι μακράν, ὁ ἀναστραφείς μέσον τοῦ πλήθους τῶν μοναχῶν καί τήν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην τότε λέξας φωνήν, "Ὀφείλει"λέγων "εἶναι ὁ μοναχός ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ ὡς ὤν καί μή ὤν καί μή φαινόμενος, μᾶλλον δέ μηδέ γνωριζόμενος", ἥν καί ἑρμηνεύων ἔλεγεν· "Ὡς ὤν μέν τῷ σώματι, μή ὤν δέ τῷ πνεύματι, μή φαινόμενος δέ εἰ μή μόνοις διά τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος τοῖς καθαροῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ, μή γνωριζόμενος δέ διά τό μή ἔχειν μετά τινός τι". Ὤ μακαρίων ῥημάτων, δι᾿ ὧν ἡ ὑπέρ ἄνθρωπον ἀγγελική πολιτεία αὐτοῦ κηρύττεται, δι᾿ ὧν κεκτῆσθαι ἐν οὐρανοῖς τό πολίτευμα αὐτός ἑαυτῷ διά τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος μεμαρτύρηκεν, δι᾿ ὧν τήν μετά Θεοῦ ἡμῶν διαγωγήν ὑπέφηνε, (133) μή ἔχειν εἰπών μετά τινός τι. Ὅπερ οὐδείς κατορθῶσαι ἤ ἐπ᾿ ἀληθῶς εἰπεῖν δύναται, εἰ μή ὅλως ὅλῳ ἑνωθῇ τῷ Θεῷ· εἰ δέ καί εἴπῃ, πλανᾷ ἑαυτόν. Ὁ γάρ λέγων μή ἁμαρτάνειν τυφλός ἐστι μυωπάζων, τόν Θεόν δέ ὁ ἔχων ἁμαρτάνειν οὐ δύναται, ὅτι σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἰωάννης ἡ θεολογικωτάτη τῶν ἀποστόλων βροντή. Ὅτι δέ ἐκεῖνος τόν Θεόν ὅλον εἶχεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ καί ζῶν ἔλεγε καί ἀποθανών διά τῆς οἰκειοχείρου αὐτοῦ γραφῆς μεγάλῃ βοᾷ τῇ φωνῇ· "Θεόν κτῆσαι σεαυτῷ φίλον καί ἀνθρώπου βοηθείας