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place—and using the hands of the deacons instead of an altar, I offered the mystical and divine and saving sacrifice. But he was filled with all spiritual pleasure and supposed he was seeing heaven itself, and said that he had never enjoyed such great gladness. But I, being exceedingly loved by him, thought I would do an injustice if I did not also praise him after his death, and an injustice to others as well if I did not set forth this excellent philosophy for imitation. And so now, having besought to obtain his assistance, I will put an end to the narrative. 21.t JAMES 21.1 Since we have recounted the contests of the aforementioned athletes of virtue, narrating in summary both the toils in their training and the sweats in their contests and their most brilliant and illustrious victories, come, let us also write the way of life of those who are still living and competing magnificently and striving to surpass with their sweat those who have gone before, and let us leave for those to come a beneficial memory. For just as the way of life of the saints who once excelled long ago brought the greatest benefit to those who came after, so will these narratives become archetypes for those after us. 21.2 I will make the great James the beginning of these; for he is first among the others both in time and in toil, and those who emulate him, emulating him, do wondrous and extraordinary things. But it happened, I know not how, that both among those who have departed and those who are still living, this name is first. For indeed, when I narrated their way of life, I made that divine James the beginning, who scattered that Persian army by prayer and, when the walls of the city had fallen, he neither allowed the city to be captured and forced the enemies to flee by sending against them gnats and mosquitoes. Therefore, let his namesake and one of like character be first of the company of the contestants who are still living, not because he is a sharer of the name, but because he has also emulated his virtue and himself has become an example of philosophy to the others. 21.3 For having associated with that famous Maron and having partaken of his divine teaching, with greater toils he has outshone his teacher. For the one had the precinct of the old error as an enclosure and pitched a tent made of skins of haircloth, and using this he escaped the assaults of rain and snow; but this one, having said farewell to all these things—both tent and hut and enclosure—has the sky as a roof, receiving all the contrary assaults of the air, and now being deluged by torrential rain, now being frozen by frost and snow, and at other times being scorched and burned by the sun's rays, and enduring all things. And as if contending in another's body and striving eagerly to conquer the nature of the body—for though clothed in this mortal and passible thing, he lives as if in an impassible one—and practicing the bodiless life in a body, with the divine Paul he cries out: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh; for our weapons are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds; pulling down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." 21.4 But these contests beyond nature he practiced in lesser toils. For having previously confined himself in a certain small hut and from the outside noises the

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χωρίον-καὶ ταῖς τῶν διακόνων χερσὶν ἀντὶ θυσιαστηρίου χρησάμενος τὴν μυστικὴν καὶ θείαν καὶ σωτήριον θυσίαν προσήνεγκα. Ὁ δὲ πάσης ἡδονῆς ἐνεφορεῖτο πνευματικῆς καὶ αὐτὸν ὁρᾶν τὸν οὐρανὸν ὑπελάμβανε καὶ ἔφασκεν οὐδεπώποτε εὐφροσύνης ἀπολελαυ κέναι τοσαύτης. Ἐγὼ δὲ θερμῶς λίαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φιληθεὶς ἀδικήσειν ᾠήθην εἰ μὴ καὶ τελευτήσαντα εὐφημήσαιμι, ἀδικήσειν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους εἰ μὴ τὴν ἀρίστην ταύτην φιλοσοφίαν προθείην εἰς μίμησιν. Καὶ νῦν τοίνυν τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ τυχεῖν ἐπικουρίας ἀντιβολήσας πέρας ἐπιθήσω τῷ διηγήματι. 21.t ΙΑΚΩΒΟΣ 21.1 Ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἀναρρηθέντων τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθλητῶν τοὺς ἀγῶνας διεξήλθομεν, ἐν κεφαλαίῳ διηγησάμενοι καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ μελέτῃ πόνους καὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἱδρῶτας καὶ τὰς λαμπροτάτας καὶ περιφανεστάτας νίκας, φέρε καὶ τῶν ἔτι περιόντων καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἀγωνιζομένων καὶ φιλονεικούντων νικῆσαι τοῖς ἱδρῶσι τοὺς προλαβόντας τὴν πολιτείαν συγγράψωμεν καὶ τοῖς ἐσομένοις καταλείψομεν ὀνησιφόρον μνήμην. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῶν πάλαι ποτὲ διαπρε ψάντων ἁγίων ἡ πολιτεία τοῖς ἔπειτα μεγίστην ὠφέλειαν ἐκόμισεν, οὕτως ἀρχέτυπα τοῖς μεθ' ἡμᾶς τὰ τούτων γενήσεται διηγήματα. 21.2 Ἀρχὴν δὲ τούτων ποιήσομαι τὸν μέγαν Ἰάκωβον· οὗτος γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῷ πόνῳ πρωτεύει καὶ τοῦτον ζηλώσαντες οἱ ζηλώσαντες τὰ θαυμαστὰ καὶ παράδοξα δρῶσιν. Συνέβη δὲ οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως καὶ τῶν ἀπελθόντων καὶ τῶν ἔτι περιόντων τοῦτο πρωτεῦσαι τὸ ὄνομα. Καὶ γὰρ τὴν ἐκείνων πολιτείαν διηγησάμενος ἀρχὴν τὸν θεῖον ἐκεῖνον ἐποιησάμην Ἰάκωβον ὃς τὴν περσικὴν ἐκείνην στρατιὰν ἐσκέδασε προσευχῇ καί, τῶν τοῦ ἄστεως περιβόλων κατα πεσόντων, οὔτε τὴν πόλιν ἁλῶναι συνεχώρησε καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους φυγεῖν κατηνάγκασεν ἐμπίδας αὐτοῖς ἐπιστρατεύ σας καὶ κώνωπας. Ὁ ἐκείνου τοίνυν ὁμώνυμος καὶ ὁμότροπος τῆς τῶν ἔτι περιόντων ἀγωνιστῶν πρωτευέτω συμμορίας, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τῆς προσηγορίας ἐστὶ κοινωνός, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου ἐζήλωκεν ἀρετὴν καὶ παράδειγμα φιλοσοφίας αὐτὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐγένετο. 21.3 Μάρωνι γὰρ ἐκείνῳ τῷ πάνυ συγγενόμενος καὶ τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας μεταλαχὼν τοῖς μείζοσι πόνοις ἀπέκρυψε τὸν διδάσκαλον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ καὶ περίβολον εἶχε τῆς παλαιᾶς πλάνης τὸ τέμενος καὶ σκηνὴν ἐκ δέρρεων τριχίνων ἐπήξατο καὶ ταύτῃ χρώμενος τὰς τοῦ ὑετοῦ καὶ νιφετοῦ διέφυγε προσβολάς· οὗτος δὲ πᾶσι τούτοις ἐρρῶσθαι φράσας, καὶ σκηνῇ καὶ καλύβῃ καὶ περιβόλῳ, ὄροφον ἔχει τὸν οὐρανόν, πάσας τοῦ ἀέρος τὰς ἐναντίας δεχόμενος προσβολάς, καὶ νῦν μὲν ὑετῷ λάβρῳ κατακλυζόμενος, νῦν δὲ κρυμῷ καὶ νιφετῷ πηγνύμενος, ἄλλοτε δὲ ταῖς ἀκτῖσι φλεγόμενός τε καὶ ἐμπιπράμενος καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντα καρτερῶν. Καὶ ὡς ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ ἀγωνιζόμενος σώματι καὶ φιλονεικῶν τῇ προθυμίᾳ νικῆσαι τὴν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν- θνητὸν γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ παθητὸν περικείμενος ὡς ἐν ἀπαθεῖ πολιτεύεται-καὶ τὴν ἀσώματον ζωὴν ἐν σώματι μελετῶν μετὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου βοᾷ· "Ἐν σαρκὶ περιπατοῦντες οὐ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμεθα· τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικά, ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρω μάτων· λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντες πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ". 21.4 Ἀλλὰ τούτους τοὺς ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἀγῶνας ἐν μείοσιν ἐμελέτησε πόνοις. Ἐν οἰκίσκῳ γάρ τινι βραχεῖ πρότερον ἑαυτὸν καθείρξας καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν θορύβων τὴν