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gain, and forfeit his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” And what follows: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Therefore, everyone learning some craft, seeing his teacher perfecting his craft through action and experience, also strives to make what was entrusted to him like his teacher's; but if he is not able, he is not perfected in the work. And we therefore, having our Lord Jesus Christ as our teacher, why do we not imitate his teaching? Because he renounced ease, luxury, glory, wealth, pride, the power to defend himself, his mother and brothers, and indeed even his own life, for the sake of piety toward the Father and his love for us, enduring not only persecution and scourging, reproach and mockery, but indeed also being nailed to the wood, so that he might save repentant Jews and Greeks. If, therefore, for our sake he renounced all things, not being ashamed of the cross nor despising death, for what reason do we not imitate his sufferings and renounce for his sake even our very life, since he gives us endurance? For he did it for our sake, but we for our own; for he does not need us, but we need his mercy. But he seeks only the genuineness and free will of our faith, as the scripture says: “If you are righteous, what do you give him, or what will he receive from your hand? To a man like yourself is your impiety, and to a son of man your righteousness.” Let us renounce, therefore, parents and relatives and friends and wife and children and possessions and our entire life, whenever any of these is an obstacle to piety. For we must pray that we may not enter into temptation; but if we are called to martyrdom, we must confess the precious name with perseverance; and if we are punished for this reason, let us rejoice as those who are hastening to immortality. When persecuted, let us not be surprised; let us not love the present age nor the praises from men nor the glory and honor of rulers, just as also some of the Jews, admiring the works of the Lord, did not believe in him for fear of the chief priests and the rest of the rulers. “For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God.” And having made the good confession, we not only save ourselves, but also those

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κερδήσῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ; Ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρω πος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;» Καὶ ἑξῆς· «Μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτενόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι· φοβήθητε δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν δυνά μενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ.» Πᾶς οὖν ὁ μανθάνων τέχνην τινά, βλέπων τὸν διδάσκαλον αὐτοῦ διὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας καὶ ἐμπειρίας ἀπαρτί ζοντα τὴν τέχνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ζηλοῖ ὅμοιον αὐτῷ ποιήσασθαι τὸ ἐγχειρισθέν· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἐξισχύσῃ, οὐκ ἔστιν τετελειωμένος ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ. Καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν, ἔχοντες διδάσκαλον τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστόν, διὰ τί οὐ μιμούμεθα τὴν αὐτοῦ διδαχήν; Ὅτι ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἀπετάξατο ἀνέσει, τρυφῇ, δόξῃ, πλούτῳ, τύφῳ, δυνάμει ἀμυντικῇ, μητρὶ καὶ ἀδελφοῖς, ἤδη δὲ καὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ ζωῇ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα εὐσέβειαν καὶ τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς φιλαν θρωπίαν, ὑπομείνας οὐ μόνον διωγμὸν καὶ μάστιγας, ὀνει δισμὸν καὶ ἐμπαιγμόν, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸ ξύλον πρόσπηξιν, ὅπως Ἰουδαίους καὶ Ἕλληνας μετανοήσαντας σώσῃ· εἰ οὖν αὐτὸς δι' ἡμᾶς ἀπετάξατο ἅμα πᾶσι, μὴ ἐπαισχυνθεὶς σταυρόν, μηδὲ ἀδοξήσας τὸν θάνατον, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡμεῖς οὐ μιμούμεθα αὐτοῦ τὰ πάθη καὶ ἀποτασσόμεθα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ ζωῇ ἡμῶν, διδόντος αὐτοῦ ἡμῖν τὴν ὑπομονήν; Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ δι' ἡμᾶς, ἡμεῖς δὲ δι' ἑαυτούς, οὐ γὰρ χρῄζει ἡμῶν αὐτός, ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ ἐλέους αὐτοῦ· μόνον δὲ τὸ τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν γνήσιον ἐπιζητεῖ καὶ αὐθαίρετον, ὥς φησιν ἡ γραφή· «Eἰ δίκαιος εἶ, τί δώσεις αὐτῷ ἢ τί ἐκ χειρός σου λήψεται; Ἀνδρὶ τῷ ὁμοίῳ σου ἡ ἀσέβειά σου, καὶ υἱῷ ἀνθρώπου ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου.» Ἀποταξώμεθα οὖν καὶ γονεῦσιν καὶ συγγενέσιν καὶ φίλοις καὶ γυναικὶ καὶ τέκνοις καὶ κτήμασιν καὶ σύμπαντι τῷ βίῳ, ὅταν ᾖ τι τούτων κώλυμα πρὸς εὐσέβειαν. ∆εῖ γὰρ προσεύχεσθαι μὲν ἡμᾶς, ἵνα μὴ εἰσέλθωμεν εἰς πει ρασμόν· ἐὰν δὲ κληθῶμεν εἰς μαρτύριον, μετὰ ἐνστάσεως ὁμολογεῖν τὸ τίμιον ὄνομα· καὶ ἐὰν τούτου χάριν κολασθῶ μεν, χαίρωμεν ὡς ἐπὶ ἀθανασίαν σπεύδοντες. ∆ιωκόμενοι μὴ ξενιζώμεθα, μὴ ἀγαπήσωμεν τὸν νῦν αἰῶνα μηδὲ τοὺς παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ἐπαίνους μηδὲ τὴν τῶν ἀρχόντων δόξαν καὶ τιμήν, καθάπερ καί τινες τῶν Ἰουδαίων, θαυμάζοντες τοῦ Κυρίου τὰς ἐνεργείας, οὐκ ἐπίστευον εἰς αὐτὸν φόβῳ τῷ πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς τῶν ἀρχόντων· «Ἠγάπησαν γὰρ τὴν δόξαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων μᾶλλον ἤπερ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ὁμολογήσαντες δὲ τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν, οὐ μόνον ἑαυτοὺς σóζομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς