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having completed the roof, we set it in place; "I will not endure," he said, "that this be called the tomb of Jacob, but I wish this to become a shrine of the victorious martyrs, and that I, like some sojourner, should be laid in another casket, having been deemed worthy to dwell beside them." And these things he not only said but also did. And having gathered together many prophets, many apostles, and the greatest possible number of martyrs from everywhere, he placed them in one coffin, wishing to dwell with the people of the saints and longing to rise with them and be deemed worthy of the divine vision. 21.31 This is sufficient to prove the modesty of his mind. For he who had gathered so great a wealth of virtue and lived in extreme poverty desired to dwell beside the company of the well-provided. What sort of labors then and how great the struggles of my revered master were, and how much grace from God he enjoyed, and how many victories he has won, and with what sort of crowns he has been adorned, these things are also sufficient to teach. 21.32 But since some accuse him of a difficult character and are displeased with his love of solitude and quiet, I will say a few things about this and put an end to the narrative. He is set before all, as I have already said, for viewing, fenced in by neither a fence nor covered by any hut or tent. And each of those who arrive, hindered by no barrier, wishes to converse with him as soon as he comes. But for the other lovers of this philosophy, there are both fences and doors and the enjoyment of quiet, and the one enclosed opens when he wishes and puts it off as long as he wishes and is filled with divine contemplation as much as he wishes; but here there is none of these things; for this reason he is especially displeased with those who trouble him at the time of his prayer. If, at his command, they go away at once, he again applies himself to prayer. But if they persist in bothering him and, having urged them once and twice, he cannot persuade them, then becoming annoyed, he sends them away with a rebuke. 21.33 I too had words with him about this, and I said that some were vexed at being driven away and not sharing in his blessing, and that it would be fitting for those who arrive for this reason, completing a journey of many days, not to return aggrieved, but filled with good cheer and feasting the ignorant with the tales of your philosophy. But he said: "Not for the sake of anyone else, but for my own, have I occupied this mountain. And since I am beset by very many wounds from my sins, I need much healing, and for this reason I beseech our Master to offer me the remedies for my wickedness. How then is it not absurd and exceedingly foolish to break off the course of my supplication and in the middle of it have a conversation with men? For if I were the servant of a fellow human being, and at the time of my master's service I left off bringing either the food or the drink at the proper time and had a conversation with one of my fellow servants, how many blows would I not justly receive? And if, approaching a magistrate and recounting the injustice I am suffering from someone, I were to interrupt the discussion in the middle and make some other speeches to one of those present, does it not seem to you that the judge would be displeased and deprive me of his aid, and in addition impose lashes and drive me from the court-railings? How then is it pious for a servant to behave properly toward his master and a petitioner toward a judge, but for me, when I approach God who is both eternal Master and most just Judge and King of all, not even to make my approach in a similar way to these, but while praying in the midst of it to turn to my fellow servants and have a long conversation?" 21.34 These things I both heard and reported to those who were displeased. And he seems to me to have spoken well and finely. For in addition to what has been said, also a peculiarity of all lovers

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συμπεράναντες τὸν ὄροφον ἐπεθήκαμεν· "Οὐκ ἀνέξομαι, ἔφη, τοῦτον Ἰακώβου καλεῖσθαι τάφον, ἀλλὰ βούλομαι τῶν καλλινίκων μαρτύρων τοῦτον γενέσθαι σηκόν, ἐμὲ δὲ οἷά τινα μέτοικον εἰς ἑτέραν κεῖσθαι θήκην, παροικεῖν αὐτοῖς ἠξιωμένον". Καὶ ταῦτα οὐ μόνον εἶπεν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔδρασε. Καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν προφήτας, πολλοὺς δὲ ἀποστόλους, πλείστους δὲ ὅτι μάλιστα μάρτυρας πανταχόθεν συναγαγὼν ἐν μιᾷ τέθηκε λάρνακι, τῷ τῶν ἁγίων δήμῳ συνοικεῖν ἐθελήσας καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀναστῆναι καὶ τῆς θείας θεωρίας ἀξιωθῆναι ποθήσας. 21.31 Ἱκανὸν δὲ τοῦτο τεκμηριῶσαι τὴν τοῦ φρονήματος μετριότητα. Ὁ γὰρ τοσοῦτον πλοῦτον ἀρετῆς συνειλοχὼς καὶ ἐσχάτῃ πενίᾳ συζῶν τῇ τῶν εὐπόρων συμμορίᾳ παροικεῖν ἐπεθύμησεν. Ὁποῖοι μὲν οὖν τῆς σεβασμίας ἐμοὶ κεφαλῆς οἱ πόνοι καὶ οἱ ἀγῶνες ἡλίκοι καὶ ὅσης θεόθεν ἀπέλαυσε χάριτος καὶ ὅσας νίκας νενίκηκε καὶ οἵοις στεφάνοις κατα κεκόσμηται, ἀπόχρη καὶ ταῦτα διδάξαι. 21.32 Ἐπειδὴ δέ τινες δυσκολίαν ἤθους ἐπαιτιῶνται καὶ δυσχεραίνουσι τὸ φιλέρημον καὶ ἡσύχιον, ὀλίγα περὶ τούτου εἰπὼν πέρας ἐπιθήσω τῷ διηγήματι. Πρόκειται πᾶσιν, ὡς ἤδη ἔφην, εἰς θεωρίαν οὔτε θριγκίῳ πεφραγμένος οὔτε καλύβῃ τινὶ ἢ σκηνῇ καλυπτόμενος. Ἕκαστος δὲ τῶν ἀφικνουμένων, ὑπ' οὐδενὸς ἑρκίου κωλυό μενος, εὐθὺς παραγινόμενος προσδιαλέγεσθαι βούλεται. Τοῖς δὲ ἄλλοις ταυτησὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἐρασταῖς καὶ θριγκία καὶ θύραι εἰσὶ καὶ ἡσυχίας ἀπόλαυσις, καὶ ἀνοίγνυσιν ἐθελήσας ὁ καθειργμένος καὶ ἀναβάλλεται ὅσον βούλεται καὶ τῆς θείας ἐμφορεῖται θεωρίας ὅσον ἐθέλει· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τούτων οὐδέν· διὸ μάλιστα δυσχεραίνει τοὺς παρ' αὐτὸν τῆς προσευχῆς τὸν καιρὸν ἐνοχλοῦντας. Εἰ μὲν κελεύσαντος εὐθὺς ἀπίοιεν, πάλιν ἔχεται τῆς εὐχῆς. Εἰ δὲ ἐπιμένοιεν ἐνοχλοῦντες καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς παρεγγυήσας μὴ πείσειε, τηνικαῦτα δυσχεράνας, ἐπιτιμῶν ἀποπέμπεται. 21.33 Ἐμοὶ δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτου πρὸς αὐτὸν γεγένηνται λόγοι καί τινας ἔφην ἀσχάλλειν ἐξελαθέντας καὶ εὐλογίας μὴ μετασχόντας, καὶ ὅτι πρέπον εἴη τοὺς τούτου χάριν ἀφικνουμένους καὶ πολλῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἐξανύοντας μὴ ἀχθομένους ἐπανιέναι, ἀλλὰ θυμηδίας ἐμφορουμένους καὶ τοῖς τῆς σῆς φιλοσοφίας διηγήμασιν ἑστιῶντας τοὺς ἀγνο οῦντας. Ὁ δέ· "Οὐκ ἄλλου του χάριν, ἔφη, ἀλλ' ἐμαυτοῦ τὸ ὄρος κατείληφα. Καὶ πολλὰ λίαν ἁμαρτημάτων περι κείμενος ἕλκη πολλῆς δέομαι θεραπείας καὶ τούτου εἵνεκα τὸν ἡμέτερον ἱκετεύω δεσπότην ὀρέξαι μοι τὰ τῆς κακίας ἀλεξιφάρμακα. Πῶς τοίνυν οὐκ ἄτοπον καὶ λίαν ἀνόητον, διακόψαι μὲν τὸν τῆς ἱκετείας εἱρμόν, μεταξὺ δὲ διάλεξιν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ποιήσασθαι; Εἰ γὰρ οἰκέτης ἀνθρώπου ὁμοφυοῦς ἐτύγχανον ὤν, ἐν δὲ τῷ τῆς δεσποτικῆς διακονίας καιρῷ καταλιπὼν τὸ προσενεγκεῖν εἰς καιρὸν ἢ τὰ σιτία ἢ τὰ ποτὰ πρός τινα τῶν ὁμοδούλων ἐποιησάμην διάλεξιν, πόσας οὐκ ἂν δικαίως ἐδεξάμην πληγάς; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἄρχοντι προσελ θὼν καὶ ἣν ὑπομένω παρά τινος διηγούμενος ἀδικίαν, διέκοψα μὲν ἐν μέσῳ τὴν διάλεξιν, ἄλλους δὲ λόγους τινὰς πρός τινα τῶν παρόντων ἐποιησάμην, οὔ σοι δοκεῖ δυσχεράναι τὸν δικαστὴν καὶ τῆς μὲν ἐπικουρίας ἀποστερῆσαι, προσθεῖναι δὲ καὶ μάστιγας καὶ τῶν κιγκλίδων ἀπελάσαι; Πῶς τοίνυν ὅσιον δεσπότῃ μὲν τὸν οἰκέτην καὶ δικαστῇ τὸν ἱκέτην προσηκόντως προσφέρεσθαι, ἐμὲ δὲ τῷ θεῷ τῷ καὶ αἰωνίῳ δεσπότῃ καὶ δικαστῇ δικαιοτάτῳ καὶ βασιλεῖ τῶν ἁπάντων προσιόντα μηδὲ τούτοις παραπλησίως ποιεῖσθαι τὴν πρόσ οδον, ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ προσευχόμενον πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοδούλους τρέπεσθαι καὶ μακρὰν ποιεῖσθαι διάλεξιν;" 21.34 Ταῦτα καὶ ἤκουσα καὶ πρὸς τοὺς δυσχεράναντας διεπόρθμευσα. Καὶ εὖ μοι καὶ καλῶς εἰρηκέναι δοκεῖ. Πρὸς γὰρ αὖ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ ἴδιον τῶν ἐρώντων πάντων