69

making the passage for the leader. "And when they seemed to approach me very closely," he said, "I said: "3Who are you? And from where have you come? And needing what have you come at this time? Until when will you play games, O wretched one, and despise the divine long-suffering?"3 This I was saying, having turned towards the east and offering my supplication to God. And he pushed, but was not strong enough to throw me down—for the divine grace resisted—and immediately all those things vanished". 21.27 He also said that at the time of those wicked robbers, when setting out from Isauria they burned and plundered most of the east, he feared greatly not the slaughter—for he was not so attached to the body—but the enslavement and captivity and the sight of impiety and lawlessness. And the devil, perceiving this fear—for he had often heard him revealing it to his acquaintances—imitates by night the wailing of women. "And I," he said, "seemed to hear that the enemies had come and were setting fire to the villages. Immediately therefore, having parted the hair on my head in two, and having brought the part on the right and the part on the left over my shoulders to my chest, I made my neck ready for the cut of the sword so that, receiving a swift blow, I might be delivered from that abominable sight. Thus having passed that whole night and continually expecting their attack, when day came and some people arrived, I inquired what they had heard about the Isaurians. And they said they had learned nothing in these days. And so," he says, "I recognized that that phantom too was diabolical." 21.28 "And another time," he said, "having been made like a vigorous youth, radiant in beauty and adorned with blond hair, he approached, smiling and jesting at the same time. And I," he said, "having been armed with anger, drove him away, reviling him. But he persisted, looking seductive and gushing forth pleasure with both his smile and his voice. Then therefore, having whetted my anger more, "3How are you able," I said, "to wander about the whole inhabited world and bring such plots against all?"3 And he said that he was not alone, but that a multitude of demons had been scattered throughout the whole inhabited world, jesting and being in earnest in such ways at the same time. For by the seeming jest they are eager to destroy the whole nature of men. "3But you, be gone," I said, "as Christ commands you, He who sent a whole legion through the swine into the deep."3 He heard and at the same time fled, neither bearing the power of the Lord's name nor being able to look at the splendor of the servant's philosophy." 21.29 And though knowing other stories more numerous than these, I do not wish to write them down, lest their multitude become a pretext for disbelief for the weaker ones. For to those who see the divine man, nothing of this sort being said appears incredible, since his visible virtue confirms the things being said. But since the written account of the narrative will also pass down to those who will come later, and for many the ears are less believing than the eyes, let us measure the narrative by the weakness of the hearers. 21.30 For him therefore others also built a very large shrine in the neighboring village, not many stades distant; and I too prepared a tomb in the shrine of the gloriously triumphant apostles. But learning this, the divine man many times besought me much to commit his body to the grave on that mountain. And I said many times that it is not fitting for one who has been neglectful of the present life to make provision for his burial. But when I saw that this was agreeable to him, I both assented and agreed and I had the coffin both cut and brought up. And when I saw the stone being ruined by the frost, I permitted a small building to be made for the coffin. And when he ordered also the building

69

ποιοῦντες τῷ ἡγουμένῳ τὴν πάροδον. Ὡς δὲ σφόδρα μοι πελάζειν ἔδοξαν, εἶπον, ἔφη· "3Τίς εἶ; Καὶ πόθεν ἥκεις; Καὶ τίνος δεόμενος κατὰ τοῦτον ἐλήλυθας τὸν καιρόν; Μέχρι τίνος παίζεις, ὦ ταλαίπωρε, καὶ τῆς θείας μακροθυμίας καταφρονεῖς;"3 Τοῦτο ἐγὼ μὲν ἔλεγον πρὸς ἕω τετραμμένος καὶ τῷ θεῷ τὴν ἱκετείαν προσφέρων. Ὁ δὲ ὦσε μέν, καταβαλεῖν δὲ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν-ἡ γὰρ θεία χάρις ἀντέσχεν-καὶ παραυτίκα φροῦδα πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἐγένετο". 21.27 Ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν τῶν ἀλιτηρίων ἐκείνων λῃστῶν καιρόν, ὅτε ἐξ Ἰσαυρίας ὁρμώμενοι τῆς ἕω τὰ πλεῖστα ἐμπρήσαντες ἐληΐσαντο, δεδιέναι σφόδρα οὐ τὴν σφαγήν-οὐ γὰρ οὕτω φιλοσώματος ἦν-, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀνδραποδισμὸν καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας καὶ παρανομίας τὴν θεωρίαν. Τούτου δὲ τοῦ δέους αἰσθόμενος ὁ διάβολος-ἤκουσε γὰρ αὐτοῦ πολλάκις πρὸς τοὺς γνωρί μους ἐκφήναντος-μιμεῖται νύκτωρ ὀλολυγὴν γυναικῶν. "Ἐγὼ δέ, ἔφη, ἀκούειν ἐδόκουν ὡς ἥκοιεν οἱ πολέμιοι καὶ ὡς πῦρ ταῖς κώμαις ἐμβάλλοιεν. Εὐθὺς τοίνυν δίχα τῆς κεφαλῆς διακρίνας τὰς κόμας, καὶ τὰς μὲν ἐκ δεξιῶν, τὰς δὲ ἐξ εὐωνύμων διὰ τῶν ὤμων ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος μετενεγ κὼν εὐτρεπῆ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ξίφους τομὴν τὸν αὐχένα ἐποίουν ἵνα σύντομον δεξάμενος τὴν πληγὴν τῆς ἀπευκτῆς ἐκείνης ἀπαλλαγῶ θεωρίας. Οὕτω πᾶσαν ἐκείνην διατελέσας τὴν νύκτα καὶ διηνεκῶς τὴν ἐκείνων ἔφοδον προσδεχόμενος, ἐπειδὴ ἡμέρα ἐγένετο καὶ ἧκόν τινες, ἐπυθόμην τί περὶ τῶν Ἰσαύρων εἶεν ἀκηκοότες. Οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον μηδὲν ἐν ταύταις ἐγνωκέναι ταῖς ἡμέραις. Καὶ οὕτω, φησίν, ἐπέγνων διαβο λικὴν κἀκείνην εἶναι τὴν φαντασίαν." 21.28 "Ἄλλοτε δέ, ἔφη, νέῳ σφριγῶντι ἀπεικασθεὶς ὥρᾳ λάμποντι καὶ κόμῃ ξανθῇ κεκοσμημένῳ, προσῄει μειδιῶν ἅμα καὶ παίζων. Ἐγὼ δέ, ἔφη, τῷ θυμῷ καθοπλι σθεὶς ἐξήλαυνον λοιδορούμενος. Ὁ δὲ ἐπέμενεν ἑταιρικὸν βλέπων καὶ τῷ τε μειδιάματι τῷ τε φθέγματι ἡδονὴν ἀναβλύζων. Τότε τοίνυν πλεῖον τὸν θυμὸν παραθήξας· "3Πῶς ἰσχύεις, ἔλεγον, πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην περινοστεῖν καὶ πᾶσι τοιαύτας προσφέρειν ἐπιβουλάς;"3 Ὁ δὲ ἔλεγε μὴ μόνος εἶναι, ἀλλὰ πλῆθος δαιμόνων κατὰ πᾶσαν ἐσκεδάσθαι τὴν οἰκουμένην τοιαῦτα παιζόντων ὁμοῦ καὶ σπουδαζόντων. Τῇ γὰρ δοκούσῃ παιδιᾷ σπουδάζουσιν ἅπασαν ἀφανίσαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν. "3Ἀλλὰ σύ γε ἄπιθι, ἔφην, τοῦ Χριστοῦ σοι κελεύοντος τοῦ λεγεῶνα ὅλην διὰ τῶν χοίρων τῷ βυθῷ παραπέμψαντος."3 Ἤκουσεν ἅμα καὶ ἔφυγεν, οὔ τε τῆς δεσποτικῆς προσηγορίας τὴν δύναμιν φέρων οὔτε τῆς οἰκετικῆς φιλοσοφίας τὴν αἴγλην βλέπειν δυνάμενος." 21.29 Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πλείονα τούτων εἰδὼς διηγήματα, συγγράφειν οὐ βούλομαι μὴ τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις τὸ πλῆθος ἀπιστίας γένηται πρόφασις. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ὁρῶσι τὸν θεῖον ἄνθρωπον οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον λεγόμενον ἀπίθανον καταφαίνεται, τῆς ὁρωμένης ἀρετῆς τὰ λεγόμενα βεβαιούσης. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ὕστερον ἐσομένους τὸ τοῦ διηγήματος διαβήσεται σύγγραμμα, ἀπιστότερα δὲ τοῖς πολλοῖς τὰ ὦτα τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῶν ἀκουόντων μετρήσωμεν τὴν διήγησιν. 21.30 Τούτῳ τοίνυν ᾠκοδόμησαν μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι σηκὸν μέγιστον ἐν τῇ πελαζούσῃ κώμῃ οὐ πολλοὺς ἀφεστῶτα σταδίους· κατεσκεύασα δὲ κἀγὼ θήκην ἐν τῷ τῶν καλλι νίκων ἀποστόλων σηκῷ. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ θεῖος ἄνθρωπος πολλά με πολλάκις ἐλιπάρησεν ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ ὄρει ταφῇ παραδοῦναι τὸ σῶμα. Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπον πολλάκις ὡς οὐ προσήκει τὸν τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς ἀμελήσαντα ταφῆς ποιήσασθαι πρόνοιαν. Ὡς δὲ τοῦτο αὐτῷ καταθύμιον εἶδον, ἐπένευσά τε καὶ συνεθέμην καὶ τὴν λάρνακα τμηθῆναί τε καὶ κομισθῆναι ἄνω πεποίηκα. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν λίθον ὑπὸ τῆς πάχνης διαφθειρόμενον εἶδον, μικρὸν οἰκίσκον ἐπέτρεψα γενέσθαι τῇ λάρνακι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκέλευσε καὶ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν