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"For since man, having been made by God from the beginning and placed in paradise, transgressed the commandment, he fell into corruption and death; then, being governed by the manifold providence of God through every generation, he persisted in progressing toward the worse, being led by the various passions of the flesh to the despair of this life, for this reason, the only-begotten Son of God, the pre-eternal Word from (14__356> God the Father, 'the fount of life' and of immortality, appeared to us who were sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, having been made flesh of the Holy Spirit and the holy Virgin, and He showed us a way of godlike 'life'; and having given holy commandments, and having promised the kingdom of heaven to those who live according to them, and having threatened eternal punishment to those who transgress them; and having suffered the saving passion, and having risen from the dead, He bestowed 'upon us' 'the' hope of the resurrection and 'of eternal life,' having loosed through obedience the condemnation of the ancestral sin, and having abolished the power of death by death; so that, 'as in Adam all die, so also in him shall all be made alive'; and having ascended into heaven, and being seated at the right hand of the Father, He sent down the Holy Spirit as a pledge 'of life,' and for the enlightenment and sanctification 'of' our 'souls,' and as a help to those who struggle for their own salvation to keep his commandments. This was the purpose of the Lord's incarnation, to speak briefly."

2 (b). And the Brother said: "What commandments, then, ought I to do, Father, so that through them I may be saved, I would wish [to]

hear briefly." And the Elder answered: "The Lord Himself said after the resurrection to the apostles: "Go,

make disciples of all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded (14__358> you." So therefore, all that He commanded must be observed by every person baptized in the name of the life-creating and divinely-ruling Trinity. For this reason the Lord joined the observance of all the commandments to right faith, as knowing that it is impossible for the one separated from the other to save man. For this reason David also, having right faith, said to God: "According to all Your commandments I directed my course; I have hated every unjust way." For against every unjust way, all the commandments have been given to us by the Lord; and if one is omitted, it certainly introduces in its place the opposite way of wickedness."

3 (c). And the Brother said: "And who is able, Father, to do all the commandments, being so many?" The Elder said: "He who imitates the Lord, and follows in His footsteps." And the Brother said: "And who is able to imitate the Lord? For the Lord was God, even if He became man; but I am a sinful man, and enslaved to countless passions; how then am I able to imitate the Lord?"

And the Elder answered: "Of those who are enslaved to the matter of the world, no one is able to imitate the Lord;

but those who are able to say: 'Behold, we have left all, and have followed you,' they receive (14__360> the power both to imitate Him, and to be rightly directed toward all His commandments."

And the Brother says: "What power?" The Elder answered:

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"Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς γεγονὼς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τεθείς, τὴν ἐντολὴν παραβάς, τῇ φθορᾷ καὶ θανάτῳ ὑπέπεσεν· εἴτα τῇ ποικίλῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίᾳ κατὰ πᾶσαν γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν κυβερνώμενος, ἐπέμενεν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον προκόπτων, ὑπὸ τῶν ποικίλων τῆς σαρκὸς παθημάτων ἀγόμενος τῷ ἀπελπισμῷ τῆς ζωῆς τούτου χάριν, ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱός, ὁ προαιώνιος Λόγος ὁ ἐκ (14__356> Θεοῦ Πατρός, 'ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ζωῆς' καὶ τῆς ἀθανασίας, ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις, σαρκωθεὶς ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου, καὶ πολιτείαν ἡμῖν θεοειδοῦς 'ζωῆς' ἐπέδειξε· καὶ ἐντολὰς ἁγίας δεδωκώς, καὶ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν ἐπαγγειλάμενος τοῖς κατ᾽ αὐτὰς πολιτευομένοις, καὶ κόλασιν αἰώνιον τοῖς παραβαίνουσιν ἀπειλήσας· καὶ παθὼν τὸ σωτήριον πάθος, καὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάς, 'τὴν' ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀναστάσεως καὶ 'τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς' ἐδωρήσατο 'ἡμῖν,' τὸ κατάκριμα δι᾽ ὑπακοῆς λύσας τῆς προγονικῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τὸ κράτος τοῦ θανάτου τῷ θανάτῳ καταργήσας· ἵνα, "ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνήσκουσιν, οὕτως ἐν αὐτῷ πάντες ζωοποιηθήσονται»· καὶ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνελθών, καὶ ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς καθεσθείς, τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον κατέπεμψεν εἰς ἀρραβῶνα 'τῆς ζωῆς,' καὶ εἰς φωτισμὸν καὶ ἁγιασμὸν 'τῶν' ἡμετέρων 'ψυχῶν,' καὶ εἰς βοήθειαν τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας φυλάξαι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ. Οὗτος ἦν ὁ σκοπὸς τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐνανθρωπήσεως, ὡς ἐν συντόμῳ εἰπεῖν».

2 (β'). Καὶ ὁ Ἀδελφὸς εἶπε· "Ποίας οὖν ἐντολὰς ὀφείλω ποιῆσαι, Πάτερ, ἵνα δι᾽ αὐτῶν σωθῶ, ἤθελον [ἂν]

συντόμως ἀκοῦσαι». Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Γέρων· "Αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος εἶπε μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις· "Πορευθέντες,

μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην (14__358> ὑμῖν». Ὥστε οὖν ὅσα ἐνετείλατο δεῖ τηρεῖν, πάντα ἄνθρωπον βαπτισθέντα εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τῆς ζωοποιοῦ καὶ θεαρχικῆς Τριάδος. Τούτου γὰρ χάριν τῇ ὀρθῇ πίστει ὁ Κύριος τὴν πασῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν συνέζευξε τήρησιν, ὡς εἰδὼς ὅτι ἀμήχανον τὴν μίαν διαζευχθεῖσαν τῆς μιᾶς σώζειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ∆αβὶδ τὴν ὀρθὴν πίστιν ἔχων, πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἔλεγε· "Πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἐντολάς σου κατωρθούμην· πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἄδικον ἐμίσησα». Κατὰ γὰρ πάσης ὁδοῦ ἀδίκου, πᾶσαι ἡμῖν αἱ ἐντολαὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου δεδώρηνται· καὶ ἐὰν παραλειφθῇ μία, τὴν ἀντικειμένην αὐτῇ ὁδὸν τῆς κακίας ἀντεισάγει πάντως».

3 (γ'). Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ἀδελφός· "Καὶ τίς δύναται, Πάτερ, πάσας τὰς ἐντολάς, τοσαύτας γε οὔσας, ποιεῖν;" Ἔφη ὁ Γέρων· "Ὁ τὸν Κύριον ἐκμιμούμενος, καὶ κατ᾽ ἴχνος αὐτῷ ἐπακολουθῶν». Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ἀδελφός· "Καὶ τίς δύναται τὸν Κύριον μιμήσασθαι; ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ἦν Θεός, εἰ καὶ

ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν· ἐγὼ δὲ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ἁμαρτωλός, καὶ μυρίοις πάθεσι δεδουλωμένος· πῶς οὖν δύναμαι τὸν Κύριον μιμήσασθαι;"

Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Γέρων· "Τῶν τῇ ὕλῃ τοῦ κόσμου δεδουλωμένων, οὐδεὶς δύναται τὸν Κύριον

μιμήσασθαι· οἱ δὲ δυνάμενοι λέγειν· "Ἰδού, ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν πάντα, καὶ ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι», ἐκεῖνοι λαμβάνουσι (14__360> δύναμιν τοῦ τε μιμήσασθαι αὐτόν, καὶ τοῦ πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ κατορθῶσαι».

Καί φησιν [ὁ] Ἀδελφός· "Ποίαν δύναμιν;" Ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Γέρων·