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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 that is from God, that we may see the things that have been freely given to us by God, which we also speak". How would I benefit myself or my holy father at all from praise? In no way. But just as I have spoken above concerning the other saints, I did not benefit them at all by my words, but I stirred up the hearers to zeal and incited them to imitation of them, so too concerning Saint Symeon I will not cease to speak, and since necessity is upon me, I speak unwillingly also concerning 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, nor one who is deemed worthy by his works for the charisms given to those men, forces me even against my will to say what I never wished to say and to make public the true philanthropy of God, so that the sloth and indolence of those who say these things may be refuted.

Our blessed father and Saint Symeon labored so as to surpass many of the ancient holy fathers, and he endured so many afflictions and temptations as to be made equal to many of the most illustrious martyrs. For these things, therefore, he was glorified by God and became dispassionate and holy, having received in himself the whole Paraclete, (136) so to speak; and then, just as a father gives an inheritance to a son as a dowry, so he filled even me, his unworthy servant, with the Holy Spirit without toil and for free. For which of you, tell me, is able to understand well—not to say he has done them—but even the things done by him and spoken of as possible?

For first of all he wrote this, speaking thus as in an order of teaching: "Brother, consider this to be called a perfect withdrawal from the world: the complete putting to death of one's own will." O blessed voice, or rather, soul, that was deemed worthy to become so and to be separated from the entire world. Indeed, to these and such as these 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 in some other way proceed in their own wills, even in any way or in what seem to be good things, will not see the life that those who are cut off from the world and have died to their own will behold.

If, therefore, you do not accept, brother, to be humbled and to be subject, to be afflicted and dishonored, to be despised and reviled, and to become as one of the obscure and foolish and worthless and fallen, nor to be scorned by every man and to be counted as one of the beggars and those who ask for alms in the squares and streets of the city, how, tell me, will you become a stranger to your own will? For if God commanded all of us 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 (137) the purification of our souls—and we do not wish to endure them, but there lives in us the unwillingness to suffer these things, 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 Saint 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 also for your own salvation, as he suffered for you. For they called him, as you hear, possessed by a demon, a deceiver, a glutton and a drunkard. For they said: "You have a demon," and again: "Behold, a man who is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." These things our blessed father, Saint Symeon, also heard on our behalf, or rather, because 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