John of Damascus, Life of Barlaam and Joasaph

led like a captive, and drunk, as Isaiah says, without wine, and as if drawn by the muzzle of evil habit. Thus while the king wrestled with two thoughts, his most noble son, who possessed a truly most kingly soul, was resting in his palace, presenting to all through his deeds the noble, orderly, and steadfast nature of his character. For theaters and horse races and the practice of hunting, and all the empty pursuits and deceptions of youth, the enticements of foolish souls, were considered as nothing to him; but he was wholly devoted to the commandments of Christ, 438 and he longed for Him, his soul wounded by divine love; he longed for Him who is truly desirable, who is all sweetness and desire, and an insatiable longing. And coming to the memory of the teacher Barlaam, and beholding his life as in a mirror, his soul was charmed with love, and he took most diligent care how he might see him, and, carrying his words unceasingly in his heart, he was like a tree planted by the waters of the Psalms, being watered without ceasing and bringing forth beautiful fruits to the Lord. For he rescued many souls from the snares of the devil and brought them saved to Christ; for many, coming to him, enjoyed saving words, from which not a few, fleeing error, ran to the word of salvation; and others, bidding a long farewell to the things of this life, entered the ascetic arena. But he himself was devoted to prayers and fastings, and frequently sent up this voice, saying, O Lord, my Lord and King, in whom I have believed, to whom I fled and was delivered from error, give a worthy reward to your servant Barlaam, for having shown you, the way of truth and life, to me who was wandering; and do not deprive me of seeing again that angel in the flesh, of whom the world is not worthy, and of finishing the rest of my life with him, so that, walking in the footsteps of his way of life, I may be well-pleasing to you, my God and Master. 440 XXIX At that time there was a public festival of the falsely-named gods in that city; and the king had to be present at the festival and to adorn it with an abundance of sacrifices. But the temple-keepers were afraid, seeing him disposed carelessly and lukewarmly towards their worship, lest he should ever neglect his presence in the temple, and they themselves should be deprived of the royal gift given to them and of the other revenues. Rising up therefore, they found a cave situated in the deepest desert, where a certain man lived who was devoted to magical arts, and was a most fervent champion of idolatrous error; Theudas was his name; whom the king also honored exceedingly, and considered a friend and teacher, saying that through his divination his kingdom prospered and advanced; so when the priests of the idols came to him, they called upon him for help, and made clear the condemnation of the gods that was coming upon the king, what the king's son had done, and what Nachor had spoken against them, and how, "If you yourself," they said, "do not come to help us, all hope has vanished, all the worship of the gods is lost; for you alone are left to us as a comfort in our misfortune, and in you we have placed our hopes." 442 Theudas therefore marches out with the satanic host that was with him, and arms himself against the truth, having called upon many of the evil spirits, which he knows cooperate eagerly in evil deeds, and which he always used as ministers; with whom he comes to the king. And when his arrival was announced to the king, and he entered, holding a staff of palm-wood, and girt with a sheepskin, the king rose from his throne, and meeting him greeted him, and bringing a throne near him

αἰχμαλώτου δίκην ἀγόμενος, καὶ μεθύων, ὅ φησιν Ἠσαῖας, ἄνευ οἴνου, καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπὸ κημοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς συνηθείας ἑλκόμενος. Οὕτως οὖν τοῦ βασιλέως δυσὶ παλαίοντος λογισμοῖς, ὁ εὐγενέστατος αὐτοῦ υἱός, καὶ τῷ ὄντι βασιλικωτάτην κεκτημένος ψυχήν, ἠρεμῶν ἦν ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ αὐτοῦ, τὸ τῆς φύσεως αὐτοῦ γενναῖον κόσμιόν τε καὶ βεβηκὸς διὰ τῶν ἔργων πᾶσι παριστῶν. θέατρα γὰρ καὶ ἀγῶνες ἵππων καὶ κυνηγεσίων μελέτη, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ τῆς νεότητος κεναὶ σχολαὶ καὶ ἀπάται, τὰ τῶν ἀφρόνων ψυχῶν δελεάσματα, παρ' οὐδὲν ἐλογίζοντο αὐτῷ· ἀλλ' ὅλος τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐξήρτητο ἐντολῶν, 438 καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπόθει τρωθεὶς τὴν ψυχὴν ἔρωτι θείῳ· αὐτὸν ἐπόθει τὸν ὄντως ποθητόν, ὅς ἐστιν ὅλος γλυκασμὸς καὶ ἐπιθυμία, καὶ ἀκόρεστος ἔφεσις. Εἰς μνήμην δὲ ἐρχόμενος τοῦ διδασκάλου Βαρλαάμ, καὶ τὸν ἐκείνου ἐνοπτριζόμενος βίον, ἔρωτι τὴν ψυχὴν ἐθέλγετο, καὶ ὅπως αὐτὸν ἴδοι ἐφρόντιζεν ἐπιμελέστατα, καί, τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ περιφέρων ἀλήστως, οἱονεὶ ξύλον ἦν πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τοῖς ψαλμικοῖς ὕδασιν, ἀρδευόμενον ἀδιαλείπτως καὶ ὡραίους προσάγον καρποὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ. πολλὰς γὰρ ψυχὰς τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου ἐρρύσατο ἀρκύων καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ προσήγαγε σεσωσμένας· πολλοὶ γὰρ εἰς αὐτὸν φοιτῶντες λόγων ἀπήλαυον σωτηρίων, ἐξ ὧν οὐκ ὀλίγοι, τὴν πλάνην φυγόντες, τῷ σωτηρίῳ προσέδραμον λόγῳ· ἄλλοι δέ, μακρὰν τοῖς τοῦ βίου χαίρειν εἰπόντες, τὴν ἀσκητικὴν ὑπεισῆλθον παλαίστραν. αὐτὸς δὲ εὐχαῖς ἐσχόλαζε καὶ νηστείαις, καὶ συχνῶς ταύτην ἀνέπεμπε τὴν φωνήν, Ὦ Κύριε, λέγων, Κύριέ μου καὶ Βασιλεῦ, ᾧ ἐγὼ ἐπίστευσα, ἐφ' ὃν ἐγὼ κατέφυγον καὶ τῆς πλάνης ἐρρύσθην, ἀπόδος μισθὸν ἄξιον τῷ θεράποντί σου Βαρλαάμ, ἀνθ' ὧν μοι τῷ πλανηθέντι σὲ ὑπέδειξε, τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τῆς ζωῆς· καὶ μὴ στερήσῃς με αὖθις ἰδεῖν τὸν ἐν σώματι ἄγγελον ἐκεῖνον, οὗ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ κόσμος ἐπάξιος, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τελέσαι τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς ζωῆς μου, ἵνα, κατ' ἴχνος τῆς αὐτοῦ πολιτείας περιπατήσας, εὐαρεστήσω σοι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ∆εσπότῃ. 440 χχιχ Κατ' ἐκεῖνο δὲ καιροῦ πανήγυρις ἦν τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν δημοτελὴς ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ· ἔδει δὲ τὸν βασιλέα παρεῖναι τῇ ἑορτῇ καὶ θυσιῶν δαψιλείᾳ ταύτην κοσμῆσαι. ἀλλ' ἐδεδίεσαν οἱ νεωκόροι, ὁρῶντες αὐτὸν ἀμελῶς περὶ τὸ σέβας αὐτῶν καὶ χλιαρῶς διακείμενον, μή ποτε ἀμελήσειε τῆς ἐν τῷ ναῷ παρουσίας, καὶ στερηθεῖεν αὐτοὶ τῆς διδομένης αὐτοῖς βασιλικῆς δωρεᾶς καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν προσόδων. ἀναστάντες οὖν καταλαμβάνουσιν ἄντρον ἐν βαθυτάτῃ διακείμενον τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἔνθα κατῴκει ἀνήρ τις μαγικαῖς σχολάζων τέχναις, καὶ τῆς εἰδωλικῆς πλάνης θερμότατος ὑπάρχων προασπιστής· Θευδᾶς ὄνομα αὐτῷ· ὃν καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐτίμα διαφερόντως, καὶ φίλον ἡγεῖτο καὶ διδάσκαλον, διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ λέγων μαντείας εὐθενουμένην προκόπτειν τὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν· ὡς εἰς αὐτὸν τοίνυν οἱ μὴ ἱερεῖς τῶν εἰδώλων ἀφικόμενοι τοῦτον εἰς βοήθειαν προσεκαλοῦντο, καὶ τὴν ἐγγινομένην τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν θεῶν κατάγνωσιν δήλην ἐποίουν, οἷά τε ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως πεποιήκει υἱός, οἷα δὲ κατ' αὐτῶν ὁ Ναχὼρ δεδημηγορήκει, καὶ ὡς, Εἰ μὴ αὐτός, φασίν, ἐλεύσῃ βοηθήσων ἡμῖν, πᾶσα ἐξέλιπεν ἐλπίς, πάντα ἀπόλωλε τὰ τῶν θεῶν σεβάσματα· σὺ γὰρ μόνος ἡμῖν ὑπελείφθης τῆς συμφορᾶς παραμύθιον, καὶ ἐπὶ σοὶ τὰς ἐλπίδας ἐθέμεθα. 442 Ἐκστρατεύει τοίνυν ὁ Θευδᾶς μετὰ τῆς συμπαρούσης αὐτῷ σατανικῆς στρατιᾶς, καὶ κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁπλίζεται, πολλὰ τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων καλέσας, ἃ πρὸς τὰ φαῦλα συνεργεῖν οἶδε προθύμως, καὶ οἷς ἐκεῖνος ἀεὶ διακόνοις ἐχρῆτο· μεθ' ὧν παραγίνεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. Ὡς δὲ ἐμηνύθη τῷ βασιλεῖ ἡ ἄφιξις αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰσῆλθε, ῥάβδον μὲν κατέχων βαϊνήν, μηλωταρίον δὲ περιεζωσμένος, ἀνέστη ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ θρόνου, καὶ τοῦτον προσυπαντήσας ἠσπάσατο, καὶ θρόνον ἐνεγκὼν πλησίον αὐτοῦ