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the king's son and those around him, and the proverb was fulfilled in them, that a gazelle was joining battle against a lion. For the one had made the Most High his refuge, and in the shadow of His wings he hoped; but the others had trusted in the rulers of this age who are passing away, and in the world-ruler of darkness, to whom they had subjected themselves piteously and wretchedly. Nachor therefore is brought in, impersonating Barlaam; and those around the king held to such a purpose; but again, wise providence was arranging things differently from above. For when all these were present, the king says to his orators and philosophers, or rather, to those who deceive the people and are foolish of heart: "Behold, a contest is set before you, and the greatest of contests. For one of two things will happen to you: either, having strengthened our side, and having convicted Barlaam and those with him of being in error, you will receive the greatest glory and honor from us and from the whole senate and be crowned with wreaths of victory; or, being defeated with all shame, you will be put to a most wretched death, and all your possessions will be given to the people, so that your memory may be utterly removed from the earth. For I will give your bodies to be consumed by wild beasts, and I will enslave your children in perpetual bondage." When the king had spoken these things, his son said: "You have judged a just judgment today, O king; may the Lord confirm this decision of yours. And I say the same things to my teacher." 392 And turning, he says to Nachor, who was thought to be Barlaam: "You know, O Barlaam, in what glory and luxury you found me; and with many words you persuaded me to abandon my ancestral laws and customs, and to worship an unknown God, having drawn my mind to follow your doctrines with promises of certain unspoken and eternal good things and to embitter my father and lord? Now, therefore, consider yourself to be standing on the scale of a balance. For if, winning the present contest, you shall show your doctrines that you taught me to be true, and convict those who oppose us today of being in error, you will be glorified as no one ever has been and will be called a herald of truth, and I will abide in your teaching and will worship Christ, just as you preached, until my last breath; but if, being defeated either by trickery or by truth, you become the cause of my shame today, I will swiftly avenge my disgrace, tearing out both your heart and your tongue with my own hands, and giving them as food for dogs along with the rest of your body, so that all may be taught through you not to lead astray the sons of kings." Hearing these words, Nachor was very gloomy and downcast, seeing himself falling into the pit which he had dug and being caught in the trap which he had hidden, and perceiving his own sword entering his heart. Therefore, reasoning within himself, he decided rather to attach himself to the king's son and to strengthen his side, in order to escape the danger hanging over him, since that one would be able 394 to punish him deservedly, if he were found to be causing him grief. But the whole thing was of divine providence, wisely confirming our side through its opposites. For when the initiates of the idols and Nachor came to debate with each other, just like another Balaam who in the time of Balak, having set out to curse Israel, blessed him with manifold blessings, so also Nachor stood strongly against the unwise and foolish wise men. For as the king was sitting upon his throne, with his son also sitting in council, as we have said, and with the unwise orators standing by, who had sharpened their tongues like a sword for the destruction of the truth, who, in the words of Isaiah, conceive trouble and bring forth iniquity, and when countless people had gathered to watch the contest so as to learn which side would carry off the victory, one says to Nachor

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τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸν καὶ τοὺς περὶ αὐτόν, καὶ ἐπληροῦτο ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὸ τῆς παροιμίας, ὅτι πρὸς λέοντα δορκὰς μάχης ἥπτετο. ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὸν Ὕψιστον ἔθετο καταφυγὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ ἤλπισε τῶν αὐτοῦ πτερύγων· οἱ δὲ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἐπεποίθεσαν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τοῖς καταργουμένοις, καὶ τῷ κοσμοκράτορι τοῦ σκότους, ᾧ καθυπέταξαν ἑαυτοὺς ἐλεεινῶς καὶ ἀθλίως. Ἄγεται τοίνυν ὁ Ναχὼρ τὸν Βαρλαὰμ ὑποκρινόμενος· καὶ οἱ μὲν περὶ τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ τοιούτου εἴχοντο σκοποῦ· ἑτέρα δὲ πάλιν ἡ σοφὴ πρόνοια ἄνωθεν ᾠκονόμει. παρισταμένων γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων φησὶν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ῥήτορσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ φιλοσόφοις, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῖς λεωπλάνοις καὶ ἀσυνέτοις τὴν καρδίαν· Ἰδοὺ δὴ ἀγὼν ὑμῖν πρόκειται καὶ ἀγώνων ὁ μέγιστος. δυοῖν γὰρ θάτερον γενήσεται ὑμῖν· ἢ τὰ ἡμέτερα κρατύναντας, καὶ πλανᾶσθαι τὸν Βαρλαὰμ καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἐλέγξαντας, δόξης μεγίστης καὶ τιμῆς παρ' ἡμῶν τε καὶ πάσης τυχεῖν τῆς συγκλήτου καὶ στεφάνοις νίκης καταστεφθῆναι· ἢ ἡττηθέντας σὺν πάσῃ αἰσχύνῃ κακιγκάκως θανατωθῆναι, πάντα δὲ τὰ ὑμέτερα τῷ δήμῳ δοθῆναι, ὡς ἂν παντάπασιν ἐξαρθῇ τὸ μνημόσυνον ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. τὰ μὲν γὰρ σώματα ὑμῶν θηρίοις δώσω παρανάλωμα, τὰ δὲ τέκνα ὑμῶν διηνεκεῖ καταδουλώσω δουλείᾳ. Τούτων οὕτως εἰρημένων τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἔφη· Κρῖμα δίκαιον σήμερον ἔκρινας, ὦ βασιλεῦ· κρατύναι Κύριος ταύτην σου τὴν γνώμην. κἀγὼ δὲ τὰ αὐτά φημι τῷ ἐμῷ διδασκάλῳ. 392 καὶ ἐπιστραφεὶς λέγει τῷ Ναχώρ, ὃς ἐνομίζετο Βαρλαὰμ εἶναι· Οἶδας, ὦ Βαρλαάμ, ἐν τίνι με δόξῃ εὕρηκας καὶ τρυφῇ· καὶ λόγοις πλείστοις ἔπεισάς με τῶν μὲν πατρῴων ἀποστῆναι νόμων τε καὶ ἐθῶν, ἀγνώστῳ δὲ λατρεῦσαι Θεῷ, ἀρρήτων τινῶν καὶ αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίαις ἑλκύσας μου τὸν νοῦν τοῖς σοῖς ἐξακολουθῆσαι δόγμασι καὶ τὸν ἐμὸν παραπικρᾶναι πατέρα τε καὶ δεσπότην; νῦν οὖν ὡς ἐπὶ τρυτάνης νόμιζε σεαυτὸν ἑστάναι. εἰ μὲν γάρ, νικήσας τὴν προκειμένην πάλην, ἀληθῆ σου τὰ δόγματα δείξεις ἅ μοι ἐδίδαξας, πλανωμένους δὲ ἐλέγξεις τοὺς σήμερον ἡμῖν ἀντιπίπτοντας, σὺ μὲν δοξασθήσῃ ὡς οὐδεὶς τῶν πώποτε γεγονότων καὶ κήρυξ ἀληθείας κληθήσῃ, ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ σῇ ἐμμενῶ διδαχῇ καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ λατρεύσω, καθὰ δὴ καὶ ἐκήρυξας, μέχρι τῆς τελευταίας μου ἀναπνοῆς· εἰ δέ, ἡττηθεὶς εἴτε δόλῳ εἴτε ἀληθείᾳ, αἰσχύνης μοι σήμερον πρόξενος γένῃ, θᾶττον ἐκδικήσω μου τὴν ὕβριν, χερσὶν οἰκείαις τήν τε καρδίαν σου καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν ἐξορύξας, κυσί τε βορὰν ταῦτα σὺν τῷ λοιπῷ σου σώματι παραδούς, ἵνα παιδευθῶσι πάντες διὰ σοῦ μὴ πλανᾶν υἱοὺς βασιλέων. Τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ Ναχὼρ τῶν ῥημάτων, σκυθρωπὸς ἦν λίαν καὶ κατηφής, ὁρῶν ἑαυτὸν ἐμπίπτοντα τῷ βόθρῳ ᾧ εἰργάσατο καὶ τῇ παγίδι ᾗ ἔκρυψε συλλαμβανόμενον, καὶ τὴν ῥομφαίαν αὐτοῦ εἰς καρδίαν αὐτοῦ κατανοῶν εἰσδυομένην. Συλλογισάμενος οὖν καθ' ἑαυτόν, τῷ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱῷ μᾶλλον ἔγνω προστεθῆναι καὶ τὰ ἐκείνου κρατῦναι, τοῦ διαφυγεῖν τὸν ἐπηρτημένον αὐτῷ κίνδυνον, ὡς ἐκείνου εὐλόγως δυναμένου 394 τιμωρήσασθαι αὐτόν, εἴπερ παραπικραίνων εὑρεθείη. τὸ δὲ πᾶν τῆς θείας ἦν προνοίας σοφῶς διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων τὰ ἡμέτερα βεβαιούσης. ὡς γὰρ εἰς λόγους ἦλθον ἀλλήλοις οἱ μύσται τῶν εἰδώλων καὶ ὁ Ναχώρ, καθάπερ τις ἄλλος Βαλαὰμ ὃς ἐπὶ τοῦ Βαλάκ ποτε, ἐπαράσασθαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ προθέμενος, πολυειδέσιν αὐτὸν εὐλόγησεν εὐλογίαις, οὕτως καὶ ὁ Ναχὼρ ἰσχυρῶς τοῖς ἀσόφοις καὶ ἀσυνέτοις σοφοῖς ἀντικαθίστατο. Καθεζομένου γὰρ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου, συνεδριάζοντος καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ, καθάπερ ἔφημεν, παρεστώτων δὲ τῶν ὥσπερ ῥομφαίαν τὰς γλώσσας ἀκονησάντων ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῆς ἀληθείας ἀσόφων ῥητόρων, οἵ, τὸ τοῦ Ἠσαΐου, κύουσι πόνον καὶ τίκτουσιν ἀνομίαν, συνελθόντων δὲ ἀπείρων λαῶν εἰς θέαν τοῦ ἀγῶνος ὥστε μαθεῖν ὁπότερον μέρος τὴν νίκην ἀποίσεται, λέγει τῷ Ναχὼρ εἷς