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fourteen years ago " and what follows, and again: "But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might see the things that have been given to us by God, which things we also speak". But what at all would I profit myself or my holy father from praises? Nothing at all. But just as I have spoken above about the other saints, I did not profit them at all by my words, but I stirred the listeners to zeal and urged them to imitate them, so also concerning the holy Symeon I will not cease speaking, and since a necessity is laid upon me, unwillingly I speak also about our unworthy selves. For the unbelief of the many who say, to the harm of those who hear, that it is not possible for such a one to exist now, who is worthy in his deeds of the charisms given to them, forces me, even unwillingly, to say things I never wished to say and to make public truly the love of God for humanity, so that the sloth and indolence of those who say these things may be refuted.

Our blessed father and holy Symeon labored, so as to surpass many of the holy fathers of old, and he endured so many afflictions and temptations, as to be made equal to many of the most illustrious among the martyrs. Therefore he was glorified by God and became dispassionate and holy, receiving in himself the whole, (136) so to speak, of the Paraclete; and then, just as a father gives an inheritance to a son as a gift, so also he filled me, his unworthy servant, with the Holy Spirit without effort and freely. For who among you, tell me, is able to understand well, let alone to have done, the things done by him and, as far as possible, spoken of?

For first of all he wrote this, as in the order of teaching, saying thus: "Brother, consider this to be called the perfect withdrawal from the world, the complete putting to death of one's own will." O blessed voice, or rather, soul, deemed worthy to become so and to be separated from the entire world. For to these and to such ones the Lord Christ says: "You are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Come to me and I will give you rest." For those who walk otherwise, in any way in their own wills or in some seemingly good things, will not see the life which those who have been cut off from the world and have died to their own will see.

If, therefore, you do not accept, brother, to be humbled and to be subjected, to be afflicted and dishonored, to be despised and reviled and to become as one of the obscure and foolish and lowly and fallen, and not even to be scorned by every person and to be counted as one of the epileptics and beggars in the squares and streets of the city, how, tell me, will you become a stranger to your own will? For if God has commanded us all to bear these things with patience as they come for trial and testing, or rather not for trial and testing, but brought upon us for the (137) purification of our souls, and we do not wish to endure them, but the unwillingness to suffer these things lives in us, which is the earthly mind of the flesh, how shall we become dead? In no way. And if we do not become dead to the world and to the things in the world, how shall we who have not become dead for God's sake live the life hidden in Christ? How, as the holy Symeon said, shall we behold God dwelling as light in us? In no way, brothers, let no one deceive you.

But do you consider the blessed Symeon a fool and are you ashamed to imitate his deeds? Imitate Christ the God. Suffer yourself for your own salvation, as he suffered for you. For they called him, as you hear, a demon-possessed man, a deceiver, a glutton and a winebibber. For they said: "You have a demon," and again: "Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." These things our blessed father, the holy Symeon, also heard on our behalf, or rather, on account of us. Along with these things you hear

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πρό ἐτῶν δεκατεσσάρων " καί τά ἑξῆς, καί πάλιν· "Ἡμεῖς δέ οὐ τό πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν, ἀλλά τό Πνεῦμα τό ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα ἴδωμεν τά ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν, ἅ καί λαλοῦμεν". Τί δέ καί ἐμαυτόν ὠφελήσαιμι ἤ τόν ἐμόν πατέρα τόν ἅγιον ἐκ τῶν ἐπαίνων κἄν ὅλως; Πάντως οὐδέν. Ἀλλά καθάπερ περί τῶν λοιπῶν ἁγίων ἄνωθεν εἰρηκώς, ἐκείνους μέν ἐκ τῶν λόγων οὐδέν ὠφέλησα, τούς δέ ἀκροατάς πρός ζῆλον διήγειρα καί πρός τήν ἐκείνων παρώτρυνα μίμησιν, οὕτω καί περί τοῦ ἁγίου Συμεών καί λέγων οὐ παύσομαι, ἀνάγκης δέ μοι ἐπικειμένης μή βουλόμενος λέγω καί περί ἡμῶν αὐτῶν τῶν ἀναξίων. Ἡ γάρ τῶν πολλῶν ἀπιστία τῶν λεγόντων εἰς βλάβην τῶν ἀκουόντων, μή δύνασθαι εἶναί τινα τοιοῦτον ἄρτι μήτε τοῖς ἔργοις εἰς τάς τῶν ἐκείνοις δοθέντων χαρισμάτων καταξιούμενον, ἀναγκάζει με καί ἄκοντα λέγειν ἅ λέγειν οὐ ἐβουλόμην οὐδέποτε καί δημοσιεύειν ὄντως τοῦ Θεοῦ τό φιλάνθρωπον, ἵνα τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων τό ὀκνηρόν καί ῥᾴθυμον ἀπελέγχηται.

Ἐκοπίασεν ὁ μακάριος πατήρ ἡμῶν καί ἅγιος Συμεών, ὡς πολλούς τῶν πάλαι ἁγίων πατέρων ὑπερβαλέσθαι, θλίψεις δέ πειρασμούς τοσούτους ὑπέμεινε, ὡς ἐξισωθῆναι πολλοῖς τῶν περιφανεστέρων ἐν μάρτυσι. ∆ιά ταῦτα οὖν ἐδοξάσθη ἀπό Θεοῦ καί ἐγένετο ἀπαθής καί ἅγιος, λαβών ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὅλον, (136) ὡς εἰπεῖν, τόν Παράκλητον· καί τότε, ὥσπερ προῖκα πατήρ υἱῷ κλῆρον δίδωσι, οὕτω κἀμέ τόν ἀνάξιον δοῦλον αὐτοῦ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου ἀκαματί καί δωρεάν ἔπλησε. Ποῖος γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, ἐξ ὑμῶν, μή ὅτι γε εἴπω διεπράξατο, ἀλλ᾿ ἔτι τά παρ᾿ ἐκείνου πραχθέντα καί ὡς δυνατόν ῥηθέντα, νοῆσαι καλῶς δύναται;

Πρῶτον γάρ πάντων τοῦτο ἔγραψεν, ὡς ἐν τάξει διδασκαλίας οὕτως εἰπών· "Ἀδελφέ, ταύτην ἡγοῦ λέγεσθαι ἀναχώρησιν τελείαν τοῦ κόσμου, τήν παντελῆ τοῦ ἰδίου θελήματος ἀπονέκρωσιν". Ὤ μακαρίας φωνῆς, μᾶλλον δέ ψυχῆς τῆς οὕτω γενέσθαι ἀξιωθείσης καί τοῦ κόσμου παντός χωρισθείσης. Πρός γοῦν τούτους καί τούς τοιούτους ὁ ∆εσπότης λέγει Χριστός· "Ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἐστέ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, ἀλλ᾿ ἐγώ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου. ∆εῦτε προς με κἀγώ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς". Οἱ γάρ ἄλλως πως ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτῶν θελήμασι κἄν ὁπωσοῦν ἤ ἔν τισι καλοῖς τό δοκεῖν πορευόμενοι, οὐ μή ἴδωσι τήν ζωήν, ἥν οἱ ἀποτμηθέντες τοῦ κόσμου καί τῷ ἑαυτῶν ἀποθανόντες θελήματι βλέπουσιν.

Εἰ οὖν σύ ταπεινωθῆναι καί ὑποταγῆναι, θλιβῆναί τε καί ἀτιμασθῆναι, ἐξουδενωθῆναι καί λοιδορηθῆναι καί ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀφανῶν καί ἀφρόνων καί εὐτελῶν καί παραπεσόντων, ἀδελφέ, οὐ καταδέχῃ γενέσθαι, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ καταφρονηθῆναι παρά παντός ἀνθρώπου καί ὡς εἷς τῶν ἐπιλήπτων καί προσαιτούντων εἰς τάς πλατείας καί ῥύμας τῆς πόλεως λογισθῆναι, πῶς, εἰπέ, γένῃ ξένος τοῦ ἰδίου θελήματος; Εἰ γάρ ταῦτα πρός δοκιμήν καί πεῖραν ἐπερχόμενα φέρειν ἐν ὑπομονῇ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεός ἐνετείλατο, μᾶλλον δέ οὐ πρός δοκιμήν καί πεῖραν, ἀλλά πρός (137) κάθαρσιν τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν ἐπαγόμενα, ἡμεῖς ὑπομεῖναι ταῦτα οὐ θέλομεν, ἀλλά ζῇ ἐν ἡμῖν τό μή θέλειν ταῦτα παθεῖν, ὅπερ ἐστί τό γεῶδες φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός, πῶς νεκροί γενησόμεθα; Οὐδαμῶς. Εἰ δέ μή νεκροί τῷ κόσμῳ καί τοῖς ἐν κόσμῳ γενοίμεθα, πῶς οἱ μή γεγονότες διά Θεόν νεκροί ζήσομεν τήν ἐν Χριστῷ κεκρυμμένην ζωήν; Πῶς, ὡς ὁ ἅγιος εἶπε Συμεών, θεασόμεθα τόν Θεόν ἐνοικήσαντα ὡς φῶς ἐν ἡμῖν; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀδελφοί, μηδείς πλανάτω ὑμᾶς.

Ἀλλά μωρόν ἡγῇ τόν μακάριον Συμεών καί αἰσχύνῃ μιμήσασθαι τάς πράξεις αὐτοῦ; Μίμησαι Χριστόν τόν Θεόν. Πάθε καί αὐτός διά τήν σεαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἔπαθε διά σέ. Ἐκάλουν γάρ αὐτόν, ὡς ἀκούεις, διαμονῶντα, πλάνον, φάγον καί οἰνοπότην. Ἔλεγον γάρ· "∆αιμόνιον ἔχεις", καί πάλιν· "Ἰδού ἄνθρωπος φάγος καί οἰνοπότης, φίλος τελωνῶν καί ἁμαρτωλῶν". Ταῦτα δέ καί ὁ μακάριος πατήρ ἡμῶν, ὁ ἅγιος Συμεών, ὑπέρ ἡμῶν, μᾶλλον δέ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἤκουσε. Σύν τούτοις ἀκούεις