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only-begotten because there is no other sun, when the holy one is isolated and separated from other people in life and contemplation, he is only-begotten. Therefore, "I am only-begotten and poor." And yet one who is so poor is rich; for "he is rich in all speech and in all knowledge." But in relation to the God who watches over and bestows gifts, he is poor; for just as Abraham said: "Since I have begun to speak to the Lord, I who am but earth and ashes"—for he did not call himself "earth and ashes" absolutely, but "since I have begun to speak to the Lord"—, so also Moses, although educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and skilled in words, called himself "slow of speech and of a slow tongue," "since you began to speak to your servant." Therefore this one also, even if he is rich—for nothing is richer than he who has his eyes always on the Lord—, yet in relation to the one who looks upon and has mercy, he saw himself as poor. It is also possible to say "only-begotten" because I have only one soul. This, having been ensnared, you will snatch from the trap; for it is my only-begotten. 17 The afflictions of my heart were enlarged. Not of everyone, I say, are the afflictions enlarged, but of the one who bears them nobly. This the Apostle writes: "troubled on every side, yet not distressed." Those who know the Hebrew dialect say that being distressed, when it is named with affliction, signifies this: to be afflicted by choice, to be distressed by not bearing the afflictions nobly, as Job, "being troubled in every way, was not distressed"; for how was he distressed who said: "As it seemed good to the Lord, so it came to be; blessed be the name of the Lord"? And the apostles, coming out "from the council, because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name," were not afflicted in their disposition, but rejoiced. And in the case of perceptible things, the one who competes in expectation of a crown, seeing it lying before his eyes, bears the blows nobly, rejoicing that when struck he does not give in. Therefore, the term of affliction, when it is joined with distress, signifies this: not to be afflicted in the mind, but to bear it nobly. When each of them is found separately in Scripture, what affliction signifies, this distress indicates; "in affliction and distress, from there a lion and a lion's cub and vipers and the offspring of asps." When affliction and distress occur, that is, when external things are afflictive, and the disposition is also afflicted, and the choice of each is afflicted, and characters become manifest, the lion appears as a lion—that is, either the noble and strong one or the wrathful one; for it reveals both; when the righteous one, trusting like a lion, nobly endures afflictions, then he is praiseworthily seen as a lion. But when a wrathful person is distressed along with the affliction, he is revealed as fierce-tempered and "a lion's cub." Among lions, some are perfect, others are imperfect and as it were cubs of lions and offspring of lions. So also you will find in the choices of men; some are lions to the utmost, others are just beginning to be born. The martyrs of the truth, being afflicted, were not distressed. 17 And from my necessities lead me out. Here he calls afflictions necessities. And in other places: "And they cried to the Lord, and from their necessities he saved them." For one must not pay attention to those who introduce astrology; for they say this, that fate measures out certain things to people. But if someone fears God and becomes wise according to God, he is outside of the things that are imposed. Therefore, the learned men of the Egyptians, among whom is Hermes Trismegistus, also say that the wise man is no longer subject to fate, he is outside of the world. As the Savior says it is possible for one who is in the world to be no longer of it, when he has his mind above and a heavenly citizenship, so they, stammering from our teachings, say that the wise man dissolves fate. At any rate, some of those concerned with astrology thus

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μονογενῆ τῷ ἄλλον ἥλιον μὴ εἶναι, ὅταν ὁ ἅγιος μονωθῇ καὶ χωρισθῇ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων βίῳ καὶ θεωρίᾳ, μονογενής ἐστιν. "μονογενὴς" οὖν "εἰμι καὶ πτωχός". καίτοι ὁ οὕτω πτωχὸς πλούσιός ἐστιν· "πλουτεῖ" γὰρ "παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει". ἀλλὰ ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἐφορῶντα θεὸν καὶ τὰς δωρεὰς χαριζόμενον πτωχός ἐστιν· ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ εἶπεν· "ἐπεὶ ἠρξάμην λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον, ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός"-μὴ γὰρ καθάπαξ ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν "γῆ καὶ σποδός", ἀλλ' "ἐπεὶ ἠρξάμην πρὸς τὸν κύριον λαλῆσαι"-, οὕτω καὶ Μωυσῆς καίτοι πεπαιδευμένος πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων καὶ ἱκανῶς ἔχων περὶ λόγους, "ἰσχνόφωνον καὶ βραδύγλωσσον" ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν, "ἀφ' οὗ ἤρξω λαλεῖν τῷ θεράποντί σου". καὶ οὗτος οὖν εἰ καὶ πλούσιός ἐστιν- οὐδὲν γὰρ πλουσιώτερον τοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς διὰ παντὸς πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἔχον τος- , ἀλλ' ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἐπιβλέψαντα καὶ ἐλεῶντα εἶδεν ἑαυτὸν πτωχόν. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ "μονογενὴς" εἰπεῖν ὅτι μίαν ἔχω μόνην ψυχήν. ταύτην παγιδευθεῖσαν ἐκσπάσεις ἐκ τῆς παγίδος· μονογενὴς γάρ μοί ἐστιν. 17 αἱ θλίψεις τῆς καρδίας μου ἐπλατύνθησαν. οὐ παντός, λέγω, αἱ θλίψεις πλατύνονται, ἀλλὰ τοῦ γενναίως αὐτὰς φέροντος. τοῦτο ὁ ἀπόστολος γράφει· "ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι". λέγουσιν οἱ τὴν Ἑβραίων εἰδότες διάλεξιν ὅτι τὸ στενοχωρεῖσθαι, ὅτε μετὰ θλίψεως ὀνομάζεται, τοῦτο δηλοῖ τὸ προαιρέσει θλίβεσθαι, τὸ στενοχωρῆσαι τῷ μὴ γενναίως φέρειν τὰ θλιβηρά, οἷον ὁ Ἰὼβ "ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενος οὐκ ἐστενοχωρεῖτο"· πῶς γὰρ ἐστενοχωρεῖτο ὁ λέγων· "ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου εὐλογημένον"; καὶ οἱ ἐξερχόμενοι δὲ ἀπόστολοι "ἀπὸ τοῦ συνεδρίου, ὅτι κατηξιώθησαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἀτιμασθῆναι", οὐκ ἐθλίβοντο κατὰ τὴν διάθεσιν, ἀλλὰ ἔχαιρον. καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν δὲ ὁ προσδοκίᾳ στεφάνου ἀγωνιζόμενος ὁρῶν αὐτὸν πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν κείμενον γενναίως φέρει τὰς πληγάς, χαίρει ὅτι τυπτόμενος οὐκ ἐνδίδει. τὸ τῆς θλίψεως οὖν ὄνομα ὅτε μετὰ στενοχωρίας συνέζευκται, τοῦτο σημαίνει τὸ κατὰ τὴν διάνοιαν μὴ θλίβεσθαι, ἀλλὰ γενναίως φέρειν. ὅταν χωρὶς ἕκαστον αὐτῶν κεῖται ἐν τῇ γραφῇ, ὃ σημαίνει ἡ θλῖψις, τοῦτο ἡ στενοχω ρία δηλοῖ· "ἐν θλίψει καὶ στενοχωρίᾳ ἐκεῖθεν λέων καὶ σκύμνος λέοντος καὶ ὄφεις καὶ ἔκγονα ἀσπίδων". ὅταν θλῖ88 ψις καὶ στενοχωρία γένηται, τουτέστιν ὅταν τὰ ἔξωθεν θλιβηρὰ ᾖ, θλίβηται δὲ καὶ ἡ διάθεσις, θλίβηται καὶ ἡ προαίρεσις ἑκάστου, καὶ ἤθη φανερὰ γίνεται, ὁ λέων λέων φαίνεται-ἤτοι ὁ γενναῖος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς ἢ ὁ θυμώδης· ἀμφότερα δὲ φανεροῖ· ὅταν ὁ δίκαιος ὡς λέων πεποιθὼς γενναίως ἐνέγκῃ τὰ θλιβηρά, τότε ἐπαινετῶς λέων ὤφθη. ὅταν δὲ σὺν τῇ θλίψει στενοχωρῆταί τις θυμώδης, ἀναδείκνυται ὠμόθυμος καὶ "σκύμνος λέοντος". ἐπὶ τῶν λεόντων οἱ μέν εἰσιν τέλειοι, οἱ δὲ ἀτελεῖς καὶ ὡσανεὶ σκύμνοι τῶν λεόντων καὶ γεννήματα τῶν λεόντων. οὕτω καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀνθρώπων προαιρέσεσιν εὑρήσεις· οἱ μέν εἰσιν ἄκρως λέοντες, οἱ δὲ ἄρτι λαμβάνοντες τοῦ γεννᾶσθαι. οἱ μάρτυρες τῆς ἀληθείας θλιβόμενοι οὐκ ἐστενοχωροῦντο. 17 καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν μου ἐξάγαγέ με. ἀνάγκας ὧδε τὰς θλίψεις λέγει. καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις· "καὶ ἐκέκραξαν πρὸς κύριον, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν αὐτῶν ἐρύσατο αὐτούς". οὐ γὰρ προσεκτέον τοῖς εἰσηγουμένοις γενεθλιαλογίαν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι λέγουσιν ὅτι ἐπιμετρεῖ τινα ἡ εἱμαρμένη τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. ἐὰν δέ τις θεοσεβήσῃ καὶ κατὰ θεὸν σοφὸς γένηται, ἔξω γίνεται τῶν ἐπηρτημένων. καὶ Αἰγυπτίων οὖν οἱ λόγιοι, ὧν ἐστιν ὁ τριςμέγιστος Ἑρμῆς, λέγουσιν ὅτι ὁ σοφὸς οὐκέτι ὑπόκειται τῇ εἱμαρμένῃ, ἔξω γίνεται τοῦ κόσμου. ὡς λέγει ὁ σωτὴρ δυνατὸν εἶναι ὄντα ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ μηκέτι ἐξ αὐτοῦ εἶναι, ὅταν ἄνω ἔχῃ τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν οὐράνιον, οὕτω ἐκεῖνοι ψελλίσαντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων λέγουσιν ὅτι ὁ σοφὸς λύει τὴν εἱμαρμένην. τινὲς γοῦν τῶν περὶ γενεθλιαλογίαν ἐχόντων οὕτως