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of age and gray hair. When the king's son heard these things, he immediately 432 stood up and became more fervent in spirit. and he began to revive the reasoning of Nachor, which was collapsing into despair, and to make it firmer in the faith of Christ, saying, "Nachor, let there be no hesitation for you about this. For it is written that God is able to raise up children for Abraham even from these stones; which is nothing else than this, as father Barlaam said, that it is possible for those without hope and steeped in all lawlessness to be saved, and to become servants of Christ, who through the highest excess of love for mankind opened the heavenly gates to all who turn back, closing the way of salvation to none at all, but compassionately receiving those who repent? For this reason also, the wage is appointed equally for those who came to the vineyard around the first and third, sixth and ninth and eleventh hour, as the holy Gospel says; so that, even if you have grown old in sins until now, if you approach fervently, you will be deemed worthy of the same rewards as those who have striven from their youth. And after the most divine youth had spoken many other things about repentance to Nachor, who had grown old in evils, and promised that Christ would be merciful and guaranteed forgiveness, and fully assured him that the good one is always ready to receive repentance, having soothed his diseased soul as if with certain medicines, he bestowed upon it a pure health. For Nachor immediately said to him: "You indeed, O most noble in soul rather than in body, well initiated into these wonderful 434 mysteries, may you remain in the good confession until the end, and may no time or circumstance cut this from your heart; but I will go forth from here seeking my salvation, and through repentance will propitiate the God whom I have angered. For I will no longer see the king's face, if only you will it." And the king's son, becoming overjoyed and gladly receiving the word, embraced and kissed him, and having prayed intently to God, sent him out of the palace. And Nachor, going out with a contrite soul, leaps like a deer into the deepest desert, and finds the cave of a certain monk, invested with the dignity of the priesthood, where he was hidden because of the impending fear. He falls down before him most fervently, washes his feet with tears, imitating the one-time harlot, and asks for the divine baptism. The priest, therefore, being filled with divine grace, was exceedingly pleased, and at once, as was the custom, having catechized him, after not a few days perfected him with baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And Nachor remained with him, always repenting for the things in which he had sinned, and blessing God who does not wish for any to be lost, but awaits the conversion of all and lovingly receives those who repent. And in the morning, the king, having learned what had happened to Nachor and despairing of the hope he had in him, and seeing also his wise and foolish orators so completely defeated 436, was at a loss. And casting some of them out with terrible insults and dishonors, and others he scourged severely with ox-whips and smeared their faces with soot, he banished them from his own presence; and he himself began to condemn the weakness of the falsely-named gods, even if he was not yet willing to look completely to the light of Christ. For the thick cloud of the mist surrounding him still held the vision of his heart. But yet he no longer honored the temple-keepers, nor indeed did he conduct festivals and perform libations to the idols; but he had a mind shaken from both sides, on the one hand condemning the weakness of his gods, and on the other fearing the strictness of the evangelical life and being inseparably attached to his wicked habits. For he was utterly enslaved to the pleasures of the body, and was wholly given to the passions

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ἡλικίας καὶ πολιᾶς. Ταῦτα ὡς ἤκουσεν ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱός, εὐθὺς 432 διανίσταται καὶ θερμότερος τὴν ψυχὴν γίνεται. καὶ τὸν λογισμὸν τοῦ Ναχὼρ πρὸς ἀπόγνωσιν συγκύπτοντα ἀναλαμβάνειν ἄρχεται, καὶ στερρότερον περὶ τὴν Χριστοῦ πίστιν διατιθέναι, Μηδείς, ὦ Ναχώρ, λέγων, μηδεὶς ἔστω σοι περὶ τούτου δισταγμός. γέγραπται γὰρ δυνατὸν εἶναι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ· ὅπερ τί ἄλλο ἢ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη Βαρλαάμ, τὸ ἐξ ἀνελπίστων καὶ πάσαις κατακρανθέντων ἀνομίαις δύνασθαι σωθῆναι, καὶ δούλους γενέσθαι Χριστοῦ, ὃς δι' ἄκραν φιλανθρωπίας ὑπερβολὴν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπιστρέφουσι τὰς οὐρανίους διήνοιξε πύλας, οὐδενὶ τῶν πάντων τὴν τῆς σωτηρίας ἀποκλείσας ὁδόν, ἀλλὰ συμπαθῶς τοὺς μετανοοῦντας δεχόμενος; διὰ ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ τοῖς περὶ πρώτην καὶ τρίτην, ἕκτην τε καὶ ἐννάτην καὶ ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν προσελθοῦσι τῷ ἀμπελῶνι κατ' ἴσον ἀφορίζεται ὁ μισθός, ὡς τὸ ἅγιόν φησιν Εὐαγγέλιον· ὥστε, κἂν μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις κατεγήρασας, ἐὰν θερμῶς προσέλθῃς, τῶν αὐτῶν τοῖς ἐκ νεότητος ἀγωνισαμένοις ἀξιωθήσῃ γερῶν. Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἕτερα περὶ μετανοίας λαλήσας ὁ θειότατος νεανίας τῷ παλαιωθέντι ἐν κακοῖς Ναχώρ, καὶ ἵλεων γενέσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν ὑποσχόμενος καὶ ἐγγυησάμενος τὴν ἄφεσιν, καὶ πληροφορήσας αὐτὸν ὡς ἕτοιμός ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἀεὶ τοῦ δέχεσθαι τὴν μετάνοιαν, τὴν νενοσηκυῖαν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ οἷά τισι φαρμάκοις καταμαλάξας, καθαρὰν ἐχαρίσατο τὴν ὑγίειαν. ἔφη γὰρ εὐθὺς ὁ Ναχὼρ πρὸς αὐτόν· Σὺ μέν, ὦ εὐγενέστατε τὴν ψυχὴν μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ σῶμα, καλῶς μεμυημένος τὰ θαυ 434 μαστὰ μυστήρια ταῦτα, μένοις ἐν τῇ καλῇ ὁμολογίᾳ μέχρι τέλους, καὶ μηδεὶς ταύτην χρόνος ἢ τρόπος τῆς σῆς ἐκτέμοι καρδίας· ἐγὼ δὲ πορεύσομαι ἐξ αὐτῆς τὴν ἐμὴν ζητῶν σωτηρίαν, καὶ διὰ μετανοίας τὸν Θεὸν ἐξιλεωσόμενος ὃν παρώργισα. οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ὄψομαι πρόσωπον, εἰ σὺ μόνον θελήσειας. περιχαρὴς δὲ γενόμενος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸς καὶ ἀσμένως τὸν λόγον δεξάμενος, περιλαβὼν αὐτὸν κατεφίλει, καὶ ἐντενῶς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εὐξάμενος ἐκπέμπει τοῦ παλατίου. Ἐξελθὼν δὲ ὁ Ναχὼρ κατανενυγμένος τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τὴν βαθυτάτην ἅλλεται ὡς ἔλαφος ἔρημον, καὶ μοναχοῦ τινος, ἱερωσύνης περικειμένου ἀξίαν, καταλαμβάνει σπήλαιον, ἔνθα ἐκέκρυπτο ἐκεῖνος διὰ τὸν ἐπικείμενον φόβον. τούτῳ δὲ θερμότατα προσπίπτει, πλύνει τοὺς πόδας δάκρυσι, τήν ποτε μιμούμενος πόρνην, καὶ τὸ θεῖον ἐξαιτεῖται βάπτισμα. ὁ τοίνυν ἱερεύς, θείας ὢν χάριτος πεπληρωμένος, ἥσθη τε λίαν, καὶ παραχρῆμα, ὥσπερ ἔθος, κατηχήσας αὐτόν, δι' ἡμερῶν οὐκ ὀλίγων τελειοῖ τῷ βαπτίσματι εἰς ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος. ἔμεινε δὲ Ναχὼρ μετ' αὐτοῦ μετανοῶν ἀεὶ ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτε, καὶ εὐλογῶν τὸν Θεὸν τὸν μὴ βουλόμενον ἀπολέσθαι τινά, ἀλλὰ πάντων τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν ἐκδεχόμενον καὶ μετανοοῦντας φιλανθρώπως δεχόμενον. Ἕωθεν δὲ μαθὼν τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ναχὼρ ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ἀπογνοὺς ἧς εἶχεν ἐλπίδος ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ἰδὼν δὲ καὶ τοὺς σοφοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ παράφρονας ῥήτορας οὕτως ἀνὰ κράτος ἡττη 436 θέντας, ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ ἦν. καὶ ἐκείνους μὲν ὕβρεσι δειναῖς καὶ ἀτιμίαις βαλών, οὓς δὲ καὶ βουνεύροις σφοδρῶς μαστιγώσας καὶ ἀσβόλῃ τὰς ὄψεις περιχρίσας, ἐξέβαλε τοῦ ἰδίου προσώπου· αὐτὸς δὲ καταγινώσκειν ἤρξατο τῆς τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν ἀσθενείας, εἰ καὶ μὴ τελείως τῷ φωτὶ Χριστοῦ προσβλέψαι τέως ἠθέλησε. τὸ γὰρ τῆς περικειμένης αὐτῷ ἀχλύος παχὺ νέφος κατεῖχεν ἔτι τὰς ὁράσεις αὐτοῦ τῆς καρδίας. ἀλλ' οὖν οὐκ ἔτι τοὺς νεωκόρους ἐτίμα, οὔτε μὴν ἑορτὰς ἦγε καὶ σπονδὰς ἐπετέλει τοῖς εἰδώλοις· ἀλλὰ σαλευομένην εἶχε τὴν διάνοιαν ἀμφοτέρωθεν, ἔνθεν μὲν τῆς ἀσθενείας καταγινώσκων τῶν θεῶν αὐτοῦ, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν δεδοικὼς τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας καὶ δυσαποσπάστως τῶν πονηρῶν ἔχων ἐθῶν. πάνυ γὰρ ταῖς ἡδοναῖς κατεδουλοῦτο τοῦ σώματος, καὶ ὅλος ἦν πρὸς τὰ πάθη