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"Hear Him saying: 'Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will by any means hurt you.'"

4 (d). Having received this power and authority, Paul said: "Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ." And again: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit." And again: "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." And again: "To me the world has been crucified, and I to the world."

5 (e). Prophesying about this authority and help, David said: "He who dwells in the help of the Most High will abide in the shelter of the God of heaven. He will say to the Lord: You are my helper and my refuge, my God, and I will hope in Him." And after a little: "You will tread upon the asp and the basilisk, and you will trample the lion and the dragon; for He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all (14__362> your ways." But those who are attached to the flesh and love the matter of the world, hear what they hear from Him: "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me." And after a little: "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." And, "whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple." Therefore, he who wishes to become His disciple, and to be found worthy of Him and to receive power from Him against the spirits of wickedness, separates himself from every carnal relationship; and strips himself of all material affection, and so struggles against the invisible enemies for His commandments, just as the Lord Himself gave us an example, being tempted in the desert by their chief, and having come into the world by 'those' energized by him.

6 (f). And the Brother said: "But many, Father, are the commandments of the Lord; and who can have them all

in mind, so that he may struggle for them all? And especially I, being of little strength? I would like to hear a concise word, so that by holding to it, I might be saved through it."

And the Elder answered: "Although they are many, Brother, yet they are summed up in one word, in this:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he who struggles to keep this word, (14__364> fulfills all the commandments together. But one cannot, without separating himself, as was said before, from material attachment, love either God or neighbor genuinely; since it is impossible to be attached to matter and at the same time to love God. And this is what the Lord says: "No one can serve two masters"; And: "no one can serve God and mammon." For as much as our mind clings to the things of the world, [so much] is it enslaved to them and despises the commandment of God by transgressing it."

7 (g). And the Brother said: "What things do you mean, Father?" And the Elder answered: "Foods, money, possessions, glory, relatives, and so on." And the Brother said: "Tell me, Father, did not God create them, and give them to men for use?

and how does he command not to cling to them?" And the Elder answered: "It is clear that God created them, and gave them for use to men. And

all things made by God are good, so that by using them well, to God

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"Αὐτοῦ ἄκουσον λέγοντος· "Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ· καὶ οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς οὐ μὴ ἀδικήσει».

4 (δ'). Ταύτην τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν λαβὼν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· "Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ». Καὶ πάλιν· "Οὐκ ἔστι νῦν κατάκριμα τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα». Καὶ πάλιν· "οἱ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν σὺν τοῖς παθήμασι καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις». Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐμοὶ κόσμος ἐσταύρωται, κἀγὼ τῷ κόσμῳ».

5 (ε'). Περὶ ταύτης τῆς ἐξουσίας καὶ βοηθείας προφητεύων ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἔλεγε· "Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Ὑψίστου, ἐν σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αὐλισθήσεται. Ἐρεῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ· Ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ καὶ καταφυγή μου, ὁ Θεός μου, καὶ ἐλπιῶ ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν». Καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγα· "Ἐπὶ ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον ἐπιβήσῃ, καὶ καταπατήσεις λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα· ὅτι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ, τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε ἐν πάσαις (14__362> ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου». Οἱ δὲ τῇ σαρκὶ προσκείμενοι καὶ τὴν ὕλην ἀγαπῶντες τοῦ κόσμου, ἄκουε ποῖα παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἀκούουσιν· "Ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμέ, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος». Καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγα· "Καὶ ὃς οὐ λαμβάνει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος». Καί, "ὅστις οὐκ ἀποτάσσεται πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτῷ, οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθητής». Ὁ οὖν θέλων γενέσθαι αὐτοῦ μαθητής, καὶ ἄξιος αὐτοῦ εὑρεθῆναι καὶ δύναμιν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν κατὰ τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας, χωρίζει ἑαυτὸν πάσης σαρκικῆς σχέσεως· καὶ γυμνοῖ ἑαυτὸν πάσης ὑλικῆς προσπαθείας, καὶ οὕτως πρὸς τοὺς ἀοράτους ἐχθροὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ ἀγωνίζεται ὡς, αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἑαυτὸν τύπον ἡμῖν παρέσχεν, ἔν τε τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀρχηγοῦ αὐτῶν πειραζόμενος, καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ἐλθὼν ὑπὸ 'τῶν' ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐνεργουμένων.

6 (στ'). Καὶ ὁ Ἀδελφὸς εἶπεν· "Ἀλλὰ πολλαί εἰσι, Πάτερ, αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐντολαί· καὶ τίς δύναται πάσας ἔχειν

κατὰ νοῦν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ πασῶν ἀγωνίσηται; ἐγὼ δὲ μάλιστα, ὀλιγόνους ὑπάρχων; σύντομον λόγον ἤθελον [ἂν] ἀκοῦσαι, ἵνα αὐτὸν κρατῶν δι᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐσωζόμην».

Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Γέρων· "Εἰ καὶ πολλαί εἰσιν, Ἀδελφέ, ἀλλ᾽ ἑνὶ λόγῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦνται, ἐν τῷ·

"Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου· καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτόν». Καὶ ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος τοῦτον κρατεῖν τὸν λόγον, (14__364> πάσας ὁμοῦ τὰς ἐντολὰς κατορθοῖ. Οὐ δύναται δέ τις μὴ χωρίσας ἑαυτόν, ὡς προείρηται, τῆς τῶν ὑλικῶν προσπαθείας, οὔτε τὸν Θεόν, οὔτε τὸν πλησίον ἀγαπῆσαι γνησίως· ἐπειδὴ ὁμοῦ τῇ ὕλῃ προσκεῖσθαι, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀγαπῆσαι, ἀμήχανον. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ λέγει ὁ Κύριος· "Οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν»· Καί· "οὐδεὶς δύναται Θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ». Ὅσον γὰρ ὁ νοῦς ἡμῶν τῶν τοῦ κόσμου ἀντέχεται πραγμάτων, [τόσον] δεδούλωται αὐτοῖς καὶ καταφρονεῖ τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραβαίνων».

7 (ζ'). Καὶ ὁ Ἀδελφὸς εἶπε· "Ποίων πραγμάτων λέγεις, Πάτερ;" Καὶ ὁ Γέρων ἀπεκρίθη· "Βρωμάτων, χρημάτων, κτημάτων, δόξης, συγγενῶν, καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς». Καὶ ὁ Ἀδελφὸς εἶπεν· "Εἰπέ, Πάτερ, οὐχὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὰ ἔκτισε, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἰς χρῆσιν δέδωκε;

καὶ πῶς κελεύει αὐτῶν μὴ ἀντέχεσθαι;" Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Γέρων· "∆ῆλον ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὰ ἔκτισε, καὶ δέδωκεν εἰς χρῆσιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Καὶ

καλὰ πάντα τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγονότα, ἵνα καλῶς αὐτοῖς χρησάμενοι, τῷ Θεῷ