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opening his mouth in boldness, rejoicing at the sight of the angels, at the glory of God, counting himself blessed for the scourges, the bonds, the tortures, for the profitable end, because it has become for him the agent of endless life. 10.11.1 But when you hear these things, I know what you think and say: “I too am capable of the same things. If I live according to virtue, I will be no worse nor more dishonored than those who are now admired.” These words are indeed of one who is boastful, justifying himself like the greatly boasting Pharisee and foreign to all humility. And it is manifest that he who has not first been humbled does not ascend to a height; for it is a master's decree. 10.11.2 But so that someone may grant you that you will become such, do you not wish, tell me, to reverence those who cut for you the path of piety, the guides of good things, the teachers of virtue, those who taught you endurance and contempt for death? Learn gratitude from the students of this life, because becoming like their teachers and lacking nothing of the art, they nevertheless cherish the breasts of their teachers, they show reverence, they praise them, they yield the first place, they serve them as fathers. 10.12.1 The saints are able to do many things even after they have died, and having departed this life they benefit men; and Elisha is a witness of these things, having long since departed this life and fallen asleep, but having received the immortal and inseparable grace of God dwelling with his dust and with his lifeless bones. For you know, diligent student of the Scriptures, that a certain dead man, being carried by his relatives for burial, when robbers or enemies suddenly overtook them, as tends to happen in distress and tumult, was cast upon the tomb of the thrice-blessed prophet, was suddenly brought to life and returned to the living. 10.12.2 What then shall we say to what happened? Did the righteous one have perception of what was being done? Did he send up a prayer for the dead man as he did for the child of the Shunammite? But the truth of the matter does not allow us to think any such thing. For the righteous one had been lying there for many years, his body having dissolved into kindred soil and cognate dust. And it has been made manifest that God, always glorifying his own people even after death, works wondrous things around their tombs and resting places, so that the living, always and in later life, having as a pledge of good hope the honors paid to the departed, may eagerly complete the life of the best conduct. 10.12.3 Likewise also Elijah, the guide of this prophet, after the fiery horses and the chariot of fire, living in another life and having departed from men to the place he received by lot, left behind his mantle as a sufficient symbol of his power. And yet of what value was it? For it was nothing other than a dead and worthless skin from age. Nevertheless, even the Jordan drew back from it, and the water was cut in two and stood divided just as in the time of Joshua of old, who was a type of the one to come. 10.12.4 The Tishbite was present even while absent, and the garment of the philosopher supported the disciple, the loving-kindness of God granting a safe crossing of the river and honoring the garments of the saints as if they were animate. And that it might be shown clearly that the miracle concerning the river did not happen because of the one striking the water, but for the honor of the one who had departed and been taken up, when Elisha struck the water, the water flowed as usual, having suffered nothing new. 10.12.5 But when, having failed, he cried out: "Where now is the God of Elijah?" and crying out a second time he struck it, immediately the river, dividing its stream, showed the dry land bare, and the prophet, crossing on foot, arrived at the other side. 10.13.1 And Joseph, loving the deceased Jacob not so much in a special way as a father, as honoring him as the common patriarch of the nation, with that much-talked-of attendance carried the remains out of Egypt, so that Moses, along with the creation of the world and the

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ἀνοίγων ἐν παρρησίᾳ τὸ στόμα, ἐπευφραινόμενος τῇ θέᾳ τῶν ἀγγέλων, τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μακαρίζων ἑαυτὸν τῶν μαστίγων, τῶν δεσμῶν, τῶν στρεβλώσεων, τῆς ἐπικερδοῦς τελευτῆς, ὅτι τῆς ἀτελευτήτου ζωῆς αὐτῷ γεγένηται πρόξενος. 10.11.1 Ἀλλ' ὅταν τούτων ἀκούσῃς, οἶδα ἃ φρονεῖς καὶ λέγεις· «∆εκτικὸς κἀγὼ τῶν ὁμοίων. Ἂν ζήσω κατ' ἀρετήν, οὐ χείρων οὐδὲ ἀτιμότερος τῶν νῦν θαυμαζομένων ἔσομαι». Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν ἀλαζόνος ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα δικαιοῦτος ἑαυτὸν κατὰ τὸν μεγάλαυχον Φαρισαῖον καὶ πάσης ταπεινότητος ξένα. Πρόδηλον δέ, ὡς ὁ μὴ πρότερον ταπεινωθεὶς εἰς ὕψος οὐκ ἀναβαίνει· ἀπόφασις γάρ ἐστι δεσποτική. 10.11.2 Ἵνα δὲ τίς σοι συγχωρήσῃ, ὅτι γενήσῃ τοιοῦτος, οὐ θέλεις, εἰπέ μοι, αἰδεσθῆναι τοὺς τὴν ὁδόν σοι τῆς εὐσεβείας τέμνοντας, τοὺς ὁδηγοὺς τῶν καλῶν, τοὺς διδασκάλους τῆς ἀρετῆς, τοὺς παιδεύσαντάς σε καρτερίαν καὶ θανάτου καταφρόνησιν; Παρὰ τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ βίου τούτου εὐγνωμοσύνην διδάχθητι, ὅτι ὅμοιοι γινόμενοι τῶν διδαξάντων καὶ οὐδὲν τῆς τέχνης ἐλλείποντες ὅμως τῶν διδασκόντων φιλοῦσι τὰ στήθη, αἰδοῦνται, εὐφημοῦσι, τῶν πρωτείων παραχωροῦσι, θεραπεύουσι ὡς πατέρας. 10.12.1 Πολλὰ καὶ τελευτήσαντες ἅγιοι δύνανται καὶ ἀπελθόντες τοῦ βίου εὐεργετοῦσιν ἀνθρώπους· καὶ μάρτυς τῶν λεγομένων Ἐλισσαῖος πάλαι μὲν ἀπελθὼν τοῦ βίου καὶ κοιμηθείς, ἀθάνατον δὲ καὶ ἀχώριστον τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν λαβὼν τῷ χώματι παρεδρεύουσαν καὶ τοῖς ἀψύχοις ὀστέοις. Οἶδας γάρ, ὁ φιλόπονος τῶν Γραφῶν μαθητής, ὅτι νεκρός τις παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων εἰς τὴν ἐκφορὰν κομιζόμενος λῃστῶν ἀθρόον ἢ πολεμίων κατα λαβόντων, οἷα φιλεῖ συμβαίνειν ἐν συνοχῇ καὶ θορύβῳ, ἐπιρριφθεὶς τῷ τάφῳ τοῦ τρισμακαρίου προφήτου ἀθρόον ἐψυχώθη καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ζῶντας ἀνέλυσεν. 10.12.2 Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς τὸ γενόμενον; Μὴ αἴσθησιν εἶχε τῶν πραττομένων ὁ δίκαιος; Μὴ εὐχὴν ἀνέπεμψεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ νεκροῦ ὡς ὑπὲρ τοῦ παιδαρίου τῆς Σωμανίτιδος; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον δίδωσιν ἡμῖν ἐννοεῖν ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθεια. Ἔκειτο γὰρ πρὸ πολλῶν τῶν χρόνων ὁ δίκαιος ἀναλυθέντος τοῦ σώματος πρὸς τὸν συγγενῆ χοῦν καὶ τὴν ὁμόφυλον κόνιν. Πρόδηλον δὲ καθέστηκεν, ὡς δοξάζων ὁ Θεὸς ἀεὶ καὶ μετὰ τελευτὴν τοὺς ἰδίους ἀνθρώπους περὶ τὰς θήκας αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς ἀναπαύσεις θαυματουργεῖ τὰ παράδοξα, ἵνα οἱ ζῶντες ἀεὶ καὶ μεθηλικέστεροι ἐνέχυρον ἔχοντες τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος τὰς εἰς τοὺς ἀπελθόντας τιμὰς προθύμως τὸν τῆς ἀρίστης πολιτείας ἐξανύωσι βίον. 10.12.3 Ὡσαύτως καὶ Ἡλίας ὁ τοῦ προφήτου τούτου καθηγεμὼν μετὰ 10.12.3 τοὺς φλογώδεις ἵππους καὶ τὸ πύρινον ἅρμα ἐν ἄλλῃ βιωτεύων ζωῇ καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων εἰς τὸν χῶρον ὃν ἔλαχεν, ἱκανὸν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως σύμβολον ἀφῆκεν τὴν μηλωτήν. Καίτοι πόσου τινὸς ἀξία ὑπῆρχεν ἐκείνη; Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἄλλο τι ἢ δέρμα νεκρὸν καὶ φαῦλον ἐκ παλαιό τητος. Ὅμως δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰορδάνης αὐτὴν ὑπεστέλλετο καὶ δίχα τὸ ὕδωρ ἐτέμνετο καὶ διακεκριμένον εἱστήκει ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὸ παλαιόν, ὃς ἦν τύπος τοῦ μέλλοντος. 10.12.4 Παρῆν δὲ καὶ ἀπὼν ὁ Θεσβίτης καὶ τὸ ἔνδυμα τοῦ φιλοσόφου ἐδεξιοῦτο τὸν μαθητήν, ἀσφαλῆ τοῦ ποταμοῦ χαριζομένης τὴν περαίωσιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματα τῶν ἁγίων τιμώσης ὡς ἔμψυχα. Καὶ ἵνα δειχθῇ καθαρῶς ὅτι τὸ περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν θαυματούργημα οὐ διὰ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐγένετο τοῦ πλήττοντος τὸ ὕδωρ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ οἰχομένου καὶ ἀναληφθέντος, πατά ξαντος τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Ἐλισσαίου ἔρρει τὸ ὕδωρ συνήθως οὐδὲν πεπονθὸς καινόν. 10.12.5 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀποτυχὼν ἐπεβόησεν· Ποῦ δή ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς Ἡλίου, καὶ βοήσας ἐκ δευτέρου καθίκετο, εὐθὺς ὁ ποταμὸς διασχὼν τὸ ῥεῖθρον γυμνὴν ἔδειξε τὴν ξηρὰν καὶ πεζεύσας ὁ προφήτης εἰς τὸ πέραν ἀφίκετο. 10.13.1 Ὁ δὲ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν Ἰακὼβ τελευτήσαντα οὐχ ὡς πατέρα τοσοῦτονἰδιαζόντως ἀγαπῶν, ὅσον ὡς κοινὸν τοῦ ἔθνους πατριάρχην τιμῶν, μετὰ τῆς πολυθρυλήτου θεραπείας ἐκείνης ἀπήγαγεν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου τὸ λείψανον, ὥστε τὸν Μωϋσέα μετὰ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου γενέσεως καὶ τῆς