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19.2 And the high priest of the city to which the village belonged, learning of the man's virtue, arrived, wishing to give him the gift of the priesthood; and having dug through some part of the small house, he entered and laid his hand upon him and completed the prayer and said many things to him and made known the grace that had come upon him. But having heard no sound, he departed, after ordering the hole to be built up again. 19.3 At another time again, the men of that village from which he had set out, having crossed the river's passage at night and having dug through the dwelling, took him, neither resisting nor commanding, and carried him on a litter to their own village; and having built such a small house in the morning, they immediately enclosed him. And he likewise kept silent, speaking to no one about anything. But after a few days again, the men of the village on the opposite side, coming again at night and digging through the dwelling, led him away to themselves, as he did not speak against it, nor force himself to stay, nor yet again depart eagerly. Thus he made himself completely dead to this life and, making it true, he would utter that apostolic saying: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me". Such a man did he also become. For these things are sufficient to show the whole purpose of his life. And I, having reaped a blessing from this, will move on to the narrative of the others. 20.t MARIS 20.1 There is a certain village near us called Homerou. Near this, the divine Maris, having built a small hut, spent thirty-seven years enclosed in it. And he received much dampness from the nearby mountain; and in the winter season it even gushed forth with certain streams of water. How much harm comes to bodies from this, both city-dwellers and country-folk know; for even to the rustics the sufferings that arise from this are clear. But nonetheless not even these things persuaded that sacred head to change his small house, but he remained, enduring, until he finished his course. 20.2 And he passed his earlier life with the labors of virtue, whence he preserved chastity in his body and for his soul. And this he himself clearly indicated to me, teaching that his body remained incorrupt and as it had come forth from his mother's womb, and this though he had celebrated many feasts of the martyrs when he was young, and had charmed the crowds with his beautiful voice; for he spent a very long time singing psalms, and he was radiant with the bloom of his body. But nonetheless, neither the beauty of his body, nor the brilliance of his voice, nor mixing with the crowds marred the beauty of his soul, but living similarly to those enclosed, he cared for his own soul; and he increased his virtue with the labors of enclosure. 20.3 I often enjoyed this man's company; for he would order me to block the door, and when I entered he would embrace me and would hold long discourses on philosophy. And he also shone with simplicity and utterly detested varied customs; and he loved poverty above the greatest wealth. Having lived for ninety years, he used garments made from goat's hair. And bread and a little salt fulfilled his need for nourishment. 20.4 But after a long time, desiring to see the spiritual and mystical sacrifice being offered, he asked that the offering of the divine gift take place there. And I gladly obeyed, and arranged for the sacred vessels to be brought—for the ... was not far off.

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19.2 Καὶ ὁ τῆς πόλεως δὲ ἀρχιερεὺς ἧς ἦν ἡ κώμη, τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μαθὼν ἀρετήν, ἀφίκετο τῆς ἱερωσύνης αὐτῷ δοῦναι τὸ δῶρον βουλόμενος· καὶ διορύξας τοῦ οἰκίσκου τι μέρος εἰσελήλυθε καὶ τὴν χεῖρα ἐπέθηκε καὶ τὴν εὐχὴν ἐπετέλεσε καὶ πολλὰ μὲν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη καὶ τὴν ἐπιγενο μένην ἐμήνυσε χάριν. Οὐδεμιᾶς δὲ φωνῆς ἀκούσας ἀπελήλυθεν ἀνοικοδομηθῆναι κελεύσας τὸ ὄρυγμα. 19.3 Ἄλλοτε δὲ πάλιν οἱ τῆς κώμης ἐκείνης ἀφ' ἧς ὥρμητο, νύκτωρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸν πόρον διαπεράσαντες καὶ τὸ οἴκημα διορύξαντες, λαβόντες αὐτὸν οὔτε ἀντιτείνοντα οὔτε κελεύοντα εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν κώμην φοράδην ἐκόμισαν καὶ τοιοῦτον ἕωθεν οἰκίσκον δειμάμενοι παραυτίκα καθεῖρξαν. Ὁ δὲ ὁμοίως ἡσυχίαν ἦγεν, οὐδὲν πρὸς οὐδένα διαλεγόμενος. Μετ' ὀλίγας δὲ πάλιν ἡμέρας οἱ τῆς ἀντιπέραν κώμης, νύκτωρ πάλιν ἐπελθόντες καὶ τὸ οἴκημα διορύξαντες, πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἀπῆγον οὐκ ἀντιλέγοντα οὐδὲ μένειν βιαζόμενον οὐδ' αὖ πάλιν προθύμως ἀπαίροντα. Οὕτω νεκρὸν ἑαυτὸν παντελῶς τῷ βίῳ κατέστησε καὶ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἐκείνην φωνὴν ἀληθεύων ἐφθέγγετο. "Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι, ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός· ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ". Τοιοῦτος καὶ οὗτος ἐγένετο. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα δεῖξαι τὴν πᾶσαν τοῦ βίου προαίρεσιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν καρπωσάμενος εὐλογίαν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων διήγησιν μεταβήσομαι. 20.t ΜΑΡΙΣ 20.1 Ὁμήρου κώμη τίς ἐστι παρ' ἡμῖν καλουμένη. Παρὰ ταύτην οἰκίδιον οἰκοδομήσας βραχὺ Μάρις ὁ θεσπέσιος ἑπτὰ καὶ τριάκοντα ἐν αὐτῷ καθειργμένος διετέλεσεν ἔτη. Πολλὴν δὲ ἐκ τοῦ παρακειμένου ὄρους ὑπεδέχετο τὴν νοτίδα· ἐν ὥρᾳ δὲ χειμῶνος καὶ λιβάδας τινὰς ὑδάτων ἀνέβλυζεν. Ὅση δὲ τοῖς σώμασιν ἐντεῦθεν ἐπιγίνεται βλάβη ἴσασι καὶ ἀστοὶ καὶ χωριτικοί· καὶ γὰρ τοῖς ἀγροίκοις δῆλα τὰ παθήματα τὰ ἐντεῦθεν φυόμενα. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἔπεισε τὴν ἱερὰν ἐκείνην κεφαλὴν τὸν οἰκίσκον ἀμεῖψαι, ἀλλὰ διέμεινε καρτερῶν ἕως τὸν δρόμον ἐξήνυσεν. 20.2 Καὶ τὸν πρότερον δὲ βίον μετὰ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς διώδευσε πόνων, ὅθεν καὶ τῷ σώματι τὴν ἁγνείαν καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ διετήρησε. Καὶ τοῦτό μοι σαφῶς αὐτὸς κατεμή νυσεν ἄφθορον αὐτῷ διαμεῖναι τὸ σῶμα διδάξας καὶ οἷον ἀπὸ τῆς μητρῴας ἐξεληλύθει μήτρας, καὶ ταῦτα πολλὰς μὲν μαρτύρων πανηγύρεις ἐπιτελέσας ἡνίκα νέος ἐτύγχανεν, εὐφωνίᾳ δὲ καταθέλξας τοὺς δήμους· ψάλλων γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διετέλεσε χρόνον, ὥρᾳ τε σώματος λάμπων. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὔτε τοῦ σώματος τὸ κάλλος οὔτε τῆς φωνῆς ἡ λαμπρότης, οὐχ ἡ τῶν πολλῶν ἐπιμιξία τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐλυμήνατο κάλλος, ἀλλὰ τοῖς καθειργμένοις παραπλησίως βιοτεύων τῆς οἰκείας ἐπεμελεῖτο ψυχῆς· ηὔξησε δὲ τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῖς τῆς καθείρξεως πόνοις. 20.3 Τούτου πολλάκις τῆς συνουσίας ἀπέλαυσα· ἀποφράτ τειν γάρ μοι τὴν θύραν ἐκέλευε, καὶ εἰσιόντα δὲ περιεπτύσσετο καὶ μακροὺς περὶ φιλοσοφίας ἐξέτεινε λόγους. Ἁπλότητι δὲ καὶ οὗτος διέλαμπε καὶ τὰ ποικίλα ἤθη παντά πασιν ἐβδελύττετο· τὴν πενίαν δὲ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἄκραν εὐπορίαν ἠγάπησεν. Ἐνενήκοντα δὲ ἔτη βεβιωκὼς τοῖς ἐξ αἰγείων τριχῶν κατεσκευασμένοις ἱματίοις ἐχρῆτο. Ἄρτος δὲ καὶ ἅλες ὀλίγοι τῆς τροφῆς αὐτῷ τὴν χρείαν ἐπλήρουν. 20.4 Ποθήσας δὲ διὰ χρόνου μακροῦ τὴν πνευματικὴν καὶ μυστικὴν θυσίαν προσφερομένην ἰδεῖν, ᾔτησεν ἐκεῖ γενέσθαι τὴν τοῦ θείου δώρου προσκομιδήν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀσμένως ὑπήκουσα καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ σκεύη κομισθῆναι παρεγ γυήσας-οὐ πόρρωθεν γὰρ ἦν τὸ