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who hoped, and rescued the world from his dominion. In this way Christ "was crucified out of weakness (14__376>»; through which weakness he put death to death and abolished him who has the power of death. In this way also Paul was weak in himself and boasted "in weaknesses, that the power of Christ might rest upon" him.

14 (ιδ'). Having learned the way of this victory, he said, writing to the Ephesians: "For you the struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers," and so on. He says to take up the breastplate of righteousness, and the helmet of hope, and the shield of faith, and the sword of the spirit, so that those who have the war against the invisible enemies might be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one; but showing the way of the struggle by deed, he said: "So I run in this way, not as aimlessly; I box in this way, not as one beating the air; but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, after preaching to others, I myself should become disqualified." And again: "To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated." And again: "In labor and hardship, in sleepless nights often, in cold and nakedness, apart from other things."

15 (ιε'). And he fought this battle against the demons who work pleasures in the flesh, driving them out through the weakness of his own body; but against those who wage war unto hatred and for this reason stir up the more careless of men (14__378> against the pious, so that, being tempted by them, they might hate them and transgress the commandment of love, again showing us the way of victory by his deeds, he said: "When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat; we have become as the scum of the world, the refuse of all things, even until now." For the demons instigated reviling and blaspheming and persecuting for this reason, so that they might move him to hatred of the one reviling and blaspheming and persecuting, having as their aim the transgression of the commandment of love.

But the Apostle, not ignorant of their intentions, blessed those who reviled, and endured those who persecuted, and entreated those who blasphemed to depart from the demons who were working these things, and to be reconciled to the good God; and he defended himself against the demons working these things by this manner of struggle, always conquering evil with good, in imitation of the Savior, and thus turning the whole world away from demons, they reconciled it to God, both he himself and the other Apostles, conquering through defeat those who hoped to conquer. If therefore you also, Brother, hold to this purpose, you too can love those who hate you; but if not, it is otherwise impossible."

16 (ιστ'). And the Brother said: "Truly, Father, it is so and not otherwise; and for (14__380> this reason the Lord, being blasphemed and struck and suffering the other things which he suffered from the Jews, endured, sympathizing with them as being ignorant and deceived; which is why he also said on the cross: 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do'; but triumphing over the cunning and deceit of the devil and 'of' his rulers on the cross, for the sake of the commandment of love, as you said, struggling against them even to death, and having granted us the victory over them and having destroyed the power of death, he bestowed his resurrection as life for the whole world. But pray for me, Father, that I may be fully able to know the purpose of the Lord and of his Apostles, and may be able to be sober in times of temptation, and not to be ignorant of the intentions of the devil and of his demons."

17 (ιζ'). And the Elder, answering, said:

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ἐλπίσαντα, καὶ τὸν κόσμον ἐρρύσατο τῆς αὐτοῦ δυναστείας. Τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ὁ Χριστὸς "ἐξ ἀσθενίας (14__376> ἐσταυρώθη»· δι᾽ ἧς ἀσθενείας τὸν θάνατον ἐνέκρωσε καὶ τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου κατήργησε. Τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἠσθένει καὶ ἐκαυχᾶτο "ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις, ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ" ἐν αὐτῷ "ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ».

14 (ιδ'). Ταύτης τῆς νίκης τὸν τρόπον μαθών, ἔλεγεν Ἐφεσίοις γράφων· "Οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τόν τε θώρακα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀναλαβεῖν φησι, καὶ τὴν περικεφαλαίαν ἐλπίδος, καὶ τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως, καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ἵνα δυνηθῶσι πάντα τὰ βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα σβέσαι, οἱ πρὸς τοὺς ἀοράτους ἐχθροὺς τὸν πόλεμον ἔχοντες· ἔργῳ δὲ τὸν τρόπον τῆς πάλης ἐπιδεικνύμενος ἔλεγεν· "Ἐγὼ οὖν οὕτως τρέχω, ὡς οὐκ ἀδήλως· οὕτως πυκτεύω, ὡς οὐκ ἀέρα δαίρων· ἀλλ᾽ ὑποπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ, μήπως ἄλλοις κηρύξας αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι». Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἄχρι τῆς ἄρτι ὤρας καὶ πεινῶμεν καὶ διψῶμεν καὶ γυμνητεύομεν, καὶ κολαφιζόμεθα». Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐν κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ· ἐν ἀγρυπνίαις πολλάκις, ἐν ψύχει καὶ γυμνότητι, χωρὶς τῶν παρεκτός».

15 (ιε'). Καὶ ταύτην μὲν τὴν πάλην πρὸς τοὺς [τὰς] ἡδονὰς ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ ἐνεργοῦντας ἐπάλαιε δαίμονας διὰ τῆς ἀσθενείας τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος αὐτοὺς ἐπελαύνων· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς εἰς μῖσος πολεμοῦντας καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀμελεστέρους (14__378> κατὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν κινοῦντας, ἵνα δι᾽ αὐτῶν πειραζόμενοι αὐτοὺς μισήσωσι καὶ τὴν ἐντολὴν τῆς ἀγάπης παραβῶσι, πάλιν τὸν τρόπον τῆς νίκης ἔργοις ἡμῖν ὑποδεικνύων ἔλεγεν· "Λοιδορούμενοι, εὐλογοῦμεν· διωκόμενοι, ἀνεχόμεθα· βλασφημούμενοι, παρακαλοῦμεν· ὡσπερεὶ καθάρματα τοῦ κόσμου ἐγενήθημεν, πάντων περίψημα ἕως ἄρτι». Οἱ μὲν γὰρ δαίμονες διὰ τοῦτο λοιδορεῖν καὶ βλασφημεῖν καὶ διώκειν ὑπέβαλλον, ἵνα εἰς μῖσος τοῦ λοιδοροῦντος καὶ βλασφημοῦντος καὶ διώκοντος αὐτὸν κινήσωσι, τὸν σκοπὸν εἰς τὴν παράβασιν τῆς ἐντολῆς τῆς ἀγάπης ἔχοντες.

Ὁ δὲ Ἀπόστολος μὴ ἀγνοῶν τὰ νοήματα αὐτῶν τοὺς λοιδοροῦντας ηὐλόγει, καὶ τῶν διωκόντων ἀνείχετο, καὶ τοὺς βλασφημοῦντας παρεκάλει τῶν μὲν ταῦτα ἐνεργούντων ἀποστῆναι δαιμόνων, τῷ δὲ ἀγαθῷ οἰκειωθῆναι Θεῷ· τοὺς δὲ ταῦτα ἐνεργοῦντας δαίμονας τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς πάλης ἠμύνετο, ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἀεὶ νικῶν τὸ κακόν, κατὰ τὴν μίμησιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος, καὶ οὕτως ὅλον τὸν κόσμον τῶν δαιμόνων ἀποστήσαντες τῷ Θεῷ ᾠκείωσαν, αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ Ἀπόστολοι, διὰ ἥττης νικήσαντες τοὺς νικᾷν ἐλπίσαντας. Ἐὰν οὖν καὶ σύ, Ἀδελφέ, τοῦτον κρατήσῃς τὸν σκοπόν, δύνασαι καὶ σὺ τοὺς μισοῦντας ἀγαπᾷν· εἰ δὲ μή γε, ἄλλως ἀμήχανον».

16 (ιστ'). Καὶ ὁ Ἀδελφὸς εἶπεν· "Ἐπ᾽ ἀληθείας, Πάτερ, οὕτως ἐστὶ καὶ οὐκ ἄλλως· καὶ διὰ (14__380> τοῦτο ὁ

Κύριος βλασφημούμενος καὶ κολαφιζόμενος καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάσχων, ἅπερ ἔπαθεν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀνείχετο, ἐκείνοις μὲν συμπάσχων ὡς ἀγνοοῦσι καὶ πεπλανημένοις· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ· "Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσι»· τοῦ δὲ διαβόλου καὶ 'τῶν' ἀρχόντων αὐτοῦ θριαμβεύων τὴν πανουργίαν καὶ τὴν ἀπάτην ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐντολῆς τῆς ἀγάπης, καθὼς εἶπας, μέχρι θανάτου πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀγωνισάμενος, καὶ τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτῶν νίκην ἡμῖν χαρισάμενος καὶ τοῦ θανάτου καταλύσας τὸ κράτος, τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ εἰς ζωὴν παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ ἐδωρήσατο. Ἀλλ᾽ εὔχου ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, Πάτερ, ἵνα τελείως ἐξισχύσω γνῶναι τὸν σκοπὸν τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τῶν Ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ, καὶ δυνηθῶ νήφειν ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς τῶν πειρασμῶν, καὶ μὴ ἀγνοεῖν τὰ νοήματα τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων αὐτοῦ».

17 (ιζ'). Καὶ ὁ Γέρων ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν·