55

as he distrusts an ordinary man who says that for every idle word men will give an account on the day of judgment; and he thinks to be saved while laughing and speaking shamefully and talking idly, while that one calls wretched those who laugh and blessed those who mourn; but also, not denying himself nor carrying the cross, he thinks he follows Christ who was crucified for him; and loving his own parents more, he holds from his soul that he is worthy of Christ. Thus, therefore, also those who supposedly come to him through renunciation and do not hate all their own relatives, and furthermore deny their own soul, (149) but on the contrary, even loving them more, they vainly think they are disciples of Christ; and breaking every hour not one and the least of the commandments but many and great ones, they think they are doing nothing at all contrary, nay rather, they even suppose that being thus they will be great in the kingdom of God; and what is the greatest of all evils, is that they say these things are not a transgression of a commandment at all, but they even unwisely attempt to persuade us ourselves, who lay claim to the word of truth. But let us return to the subject at hand.

Therefore, all that Christ and God commanded the apostles, he likewise ordered us to keep, which things we are able to keep in the world, but we do not choose to, because we are weak in faith and in love for Christ. And that this is true is testified by all those before the law and in the law and after the coming of the Savior who, with children and wives and amidst all worldly cares and concerns, were well-pleasing to the Lord, having become separated from all these things by a dispassionate choice and appearing more brilliant in faith and life than those in mountains and caves. For this reason, therefore, using the Lord's commandment as a help, as spoken for us and our weakness, we renounce all things and approach the narrow and afflicted way and are, as it were, bodily cut off from the world and the things of the world, and thus departing from one country and place and city to another dwelling and abode (150) we arrive, each one walking or even quick-footing and running into the stadium of the training of the virtues through a way of life, as it were, and ascetic practice according to his own choice. What is this? So that we may acquire dispassion from the things mentioned. For this reason, also departing from the world, immediately following the Lord's commandments and obeying His orders, we begin the way that leads to the heavens.

But consider well with me now from this point the power of what is being said. Picture for me in your mind a road entirely trodden by the feet of those who have gone before well. On this side and that, imagine for me mountains and forests and cliffs and crags and ravines, and with these, plains and paradises and delightful and shady and most beautiful places, and all kinds of fruits in them, then a great multitude of wild beasts and hidden bands of robbers and murderers in places. This being so, nothing of the things mentioned will be able either to entice us and shake our senses or to harm us, as we follow the saints who have gone before and travel the same road which they also walked. For as we journey on the road of the commandments of our Lord and God and pass unswervingly through the midst of all the things mentioned, none of those robbers nor of the beasts openly and shamelessly attacks us or dares to approach us, and especially if we follow a guide and travel with good fellow-travelers. But nevertheless, sometimes from afar, and sometimes having come very near, some use threats and look at us with a murderous eye, while others use certain enticements and flatteries (151) and friendly conversations. But indeed they also point out to us the delights of the places in the country and the

55

ὡς τῷ τυχόντι ἀνθρώπῳ διαπιστεῖ λέγοντι ὅτι καί ὑπέρ ἀργοῦ λόγου λόγον δώσουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως· καί οἴεται γελῶν καί αἰσχρολογῶν καί ματαιολογῶν σωθῆναι, ταλανίζοντος ἐκείνου τούς γελῶντας καί μακαρίζοντος τούς πενθοῦντας· ἀλλά καί ἑαυτόν μή ἀπαρνούμενος μηδέ τόν σταυρόν βαστάζων, ἀκολουθεῖν νομίζει τῷ δι᾿ αὐτόν σταυρωθέντι Χριστῷ· καί πλεῖον φιλῶν τούς ἑαυτοῦ γονεῖς, ἄξιον εἶναι αὐτόν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀπό ψυχῆς ἔχει. Οὕτως ἄρα καί αὐτοί οἱ ἐρχόμενοι δῆθεν πρός αὐτόν διά τῆς ἀποταγῆς καί οὐ μισοῦντες ἅπαντας τούς ἑαυτῶν συγγενεῖς, ἔτι δέ καί τήν ἑαυτῶν ψυχήν ἀπαρνούμενοι, (149) ἀλλ᾿ ἐξ ἐναντίας καί ἀγαπῶντες αὐτούς μᾶλλον, μαθηταί εἶναι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ματαίως νομίζουσι· καί λύοντες καθ᾿ ὥραν οὐχί μίαν καί τήν ἐλαχίστην τῶν ἐντολῶν ἀλλά πολλάς καί μεγάλας, οὐδέν ὅλως ἐναντίον ποιεῖν τι νομίζουσι, μᾶλλον μέν οὖν καί μεγάλους ἑαυτούς ἐν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείᾳ οὕτως ἔχοντες ὑπολαμβάνουσιν ἔσεσθαι· καί τό μεῖζον ἁπάντων κακῶν, ὅτι οὐχί παράβασιν ὅλως ταῦτα ἐντολῆς εἶναι λέγουσιν, ἀλλά καί ἡμᾶς αὐτούς, ἀντιποιουμένους τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἀληθείας, πείθειν ἀσυνέτως ἐπιχειροῦσιν. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπί τό προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν.

Πάντα τοίνυν ὅσα τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ὁ Χριστός καί Θεός ἐνετείλατο, ὁμοίως καί ἡμᾶς φυλάττειν προσέταξεν, ἅπερ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ φυλάξαι δυνάμεθα μέν, οὐ προαιρούμεθα δέ διά τό ἀσθενεῖν ἡμᾶς τῇ πίστει καί τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ εἰς Χριστόν. Καί ὅτι τοῦτο ἀληθές ἐστι μαρτυροῦσι πάντες οἱ πρό νόμου καί ἐν νόμῳ καί μετά τήν τοῦ Σωτῆρος παρουσίαν μετά παίδων καί γυναικῶν καί τῶν ἐν ἅπασι βιωτικοῖς μεριμνῶν καί φροντίδων εὐαρεστήσαντες τῷ Κυρίῳ, κεχωρισμένοι τούτων ἁπάντων τῇ ἀπροσπαθεῖ προαιρέσει γενόμενοι καί ὑπέρ τούς ἐν ὄρεσι καί σπηλαίοις λαμπρότεροι τῇ πίστει καί τῷ βίῳ ἀναφανέντες. ∆ιά τοῦτο τοιγαροῦν τῇ ἐντολῇ τοῦ Κυρίου χρώμενοι βοηθῷ ὡς δι᾿ ἡμᾶς καί τήν ἡμετέραν ἀσθένειαν λεχθείσῃ , πᾶσιν ἀποτασσόμεθα καί τῇ στενῇ καί τεθλιμμένῃ ὁδῷ προσερχόμεθα καί οἱονεί πως τοῦ κόσμου σωματικῶς καί τῶν τοῦ κόσμου ἀποτεμνόμεθα, καί οὕτως ἀπ᾿ ἄλλης χώρας καί τόπου καί πόλεως πρός ἑτέραν ἀπαίροντες κατοικίαν καί μονήν (150) ἀφικνούμεθα, εἰς τό στάδιον τῆς γυμνασίας τῶν ἀρετῶν διά πολιτείας οἱονεί καί ἀσκήσεως κατά τήν ἑαυτοῦ προαίρεσιν ἕκαστος βαδίζοντες ἤ καί ὀξυποδοῦντες καί τρέχοντες. Τί τοῦτο; Ἵνα τήν ἀπροσπάθειαν τῶν εἰρημένων κτησώμεθα. ∆ιά τοῦτο γάρ καί ἀπό τοῦ κόσμου ἀπαίροντες, αὐτίκα ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἑπόμενοι τοῦ Κυρίου καί τοῖς προστάγμασιν αὐτοῦ πειθαρχοῦντες, ἀπαρχόμεθα τῆς εἰς οὐρανούς φερούσης ὁδοῦ.

Σκόπει μοι δέ ἐντεῦθεν ἄρτι καλῶς τῶν λεγομένων τήν δύναμιν. Ὑποζωγράφει μοι τῷ νοΐ ὁδόν τετριμμένην ὅλην τοῖς ποσί τῶν προλαβόντων καλῶς. Ἔνθεν τε κἀκεῖθεν ὄρη μοι νόει καί ὕλας καί κρημνούς καί σκοπέλους καί φάραγγας, σύν τούτοις δέ πεδία και παραδείσους τόπους τε τερπνούς καί συσκίους καί ὡραιοτάτους καί παντοδαπούς καρπούς ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἶτα θηρίων πλῆθος πολύ καί ληστῶν καί ἀνδροφόνων κατά τόπους ἐγκεκρυμμένα συστήματα. Τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων οὐδεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ἤ δελεάσαι καί τήν αἴσθησιν ἡμῶν κατασεῖσαι ἤ παραβλάψαι δυνήσεται, ἑπομένους τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν ἁγίοις καί τήν αὐτήν ὁδόν πορευομένους ἥν κἀκεῖνοι ἐβάδισαν. Πορευομένων γάρ ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ Κυρίου και Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐντολῶν καί διερχομένων ἀμεταστρεπτί μέσον ἁπάντων τῶν εἰρημένων, οὐδείς οὔτε τῶν ληστῶν ἐκείνων οὔτε τῶν θηρίων φανερῶς καί ἀναιδῶς ἡμῖν ὲπιβαίνει ἤ τολμᾷ προσεγγῖσαι ἡμῖν, καί μάλιστα ἐάν ὁδηγῷ ἐπακολουθῶμεν καί συνοδοιπόροις συμπορευώμεθα ἀγαθοῖς. Πλήν ὅμως ποτέ μέν μακρόθεν, ποτέ δέ ἔγγιστα γεγονότες, οἵ μέν ἀπειλαῖς χρῶνται καί φονίῳ πρός ἡμᾶς βλέπουσιν ὄμματι, οἵ δέ δελεασμοῖς τισι καί καλακείαις (151) καί φιλικαῖς ὁμιλίαις. Ἀλλά μήν ὑποδεικνύουσιν ἡμῖν καί τά τῶν τόπων τερπνότητας κατά χώραν καί τήν