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his own parents, has it from his soul that he is worthy of Christ. Thus, then, even those who supposedly come to him through renunciation and do not hate all their own relatives, and moreover deny their own soul, (149) but on the contrary even love them more, vainly consider themselves to be disciples of Christ; and transgressing 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 suppose that by being so they will be great in the kingdom of God; and the greatest of all evils, 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 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 attested 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, pleased the Lord, having become separated from all these things by a disposition free from attachment and having appeared more radiant 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, into the stadium of the training of the virtues through a way of life, as it were, and ascetic practice, each one walking or even quickening his pace and running according to his own choice. What is this for? So that we may acquire freedom from attachment to the things mentioned. For this reason, departing from the world, immediately following the commandments of the Lord and obeying His precepts, we begin the way that leads to heaven.

Consider well with me now from this point the power of what is being said. Picture for me in your mind a road completely worn by the feet of those who have gone before well. On this side and on that, imagine for me mountains and forests and cliffs and crags and ravines, and along with these, plains and paradises, pleasant 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 various places. Things being so, none of the things mentioned will be able to either entice us and shake our senses or harm us, as we follow the saints who have gone before and travel the same road which they also walked. For as we travel on the road of the commandments of our Lord and God and pass without turning aside through the midst of all the things mentioned, none of either those robbers or the wild beasts openly and shamelessly assails us or dares to approach us, and especially if we follow a guide and travel with good fellow-travelers. Nevertheless, however, sometimes being far off, sometimes 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 region by region and the beauty of the fruits and they advise us to rest a little for the comfort of the labors of the journey and suggest that we eat of the fruits, bringing forward the sweetness more than the sight of them, and they devise many other snares

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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 ὡραιότητα τῶν καρπῶν καί παραινοῦσι μικρόν ἀναπαύσασθαι εἰς παραμυθίαν τῶν πόνων τῆς ὁδοιπορίας καί φαγεῖν ὑποτίθενται ἀπό τῶν καρπῶν τό ἡδύ πλέον ἐπιφερομένων τῆς ἐνούσης αὐτοῖς θεωρίας, καί πολλάς ἑτέρας ἐπινοοῦσι τάς πάγας