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of labor. Thus he subjected his nature to keeping vigil, as one without flesh and bodiless. The work of prayer and of mental labor was unceasing for him, and all the time of his life was spent in spiritual and heavenly contemplations, so that he was not deprived of an hour, not a moment at all, from when he inhabited this desert. 582 For this is the work of the monastic order, never to be found idle from spiritual labor; which indeed the noble and well-equipped runner of the heavenly course accomplished well. And he kept his fervor unquenched from the beginning to the end, always making ascents in his heart, and passing from strength to a higher strength, continually adding longing to longing and zeal to zeal, until he arrived at the hoped for and longed for blessedness. xxxix So, then, being together with one another, both Barlaam and Joasaph, and competing in the good contest, being outside of all care and all worldly disturbance, possessing an untroubled mind and unmixed with any confusion, and after their many labors for the sake of piety, on one of the days, having called his spiritual son, whom he had begotten through the Gospel, he began a discourse and spiritual conversation, saying, "Long ago, O most beloved Joasaph, you should have dwelled in this desert; and Christ promised this to me as I was praying for you, that I would see it before the end of my life. I have seen, therefore, as I desired; I have seen you torn away from the world and the things in the world, and joined to Christ with unwavering mind, and come to the measure of the perfection of his fullness. Now therefore, since the time of my departure is at the doors, and the desire, my companion from youth and of my own age, 584 to be with Christ is already being fulfilled for all time, you must cover my body with the earth and return the dust to the dust, and remain for the rest of the time in this place, holding to the spiritual way of life and making mention of my lowliness. For I fear lest the gloomy multitude of demons stand in the way of my soul on account of the multitude of my ignorances. You, therefore, child, do not neglect the laboriousness of the ascetic life, nor shrink from the length of time and the plots of the demons; but boldly laugh to scorn their weakness, being strengthened by the grace of Christ, and be thus toward the harshness of the labors and the span of time, as one expecting your departure from here each day, and as if the same day were for you the beginning and the end of your ascetic practice. Thus always forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus, as the divine Apostle exhorts, saying, "Let us not lose heart; but though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary affliction is achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs it, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." Considering these things, beloved, be strong and take courage, and as a good soldier strive to please the one who enlisted you. And if the evil one brings you thoughts 586 of negligence and hastens to slacken the intensity of your purpose, do not fear his plots, considering the Lord's command, saying, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Therefore rejoice in the Lord always, because he chose you and separated you from the world, and set you as in his presence. But he himself, who called you with a holy calling, is always near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. For he himself has said, "I will never

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ἐργασίας. οὕτω δὲ εἰς τὸ ἀγρυπνεῖν τὴν φύσιν ὑπέταξεν, ὡς ἄσαρκός τις καὶ ἀσώματος. εὐχῆς δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τῆς νοερᾶς ἐργασίας ἄληκτον τὸ ἔργον ἦν, καὶ ἅπας ὁ τῆς ζωῆς χρόνος εἰς θεωρίας ἀνηλίσκετο πνευματικάς τε καὶ οὐρανίους, ὡς μὴ ὥραν, μὴ στιγμὴν αὐτὸν τοπαράπαν ζημιωθῆναι, ἀφ' οὗπερ τὴν ἔρημον ᾤκησε ταύτην. 582 τοῦτο γὰρ ἔργον μοναχικῆς τάξεως, τὸ μηδέποτε ἀργὸν τῆς πνευματικῆς ἐργασίας εὑρεθῆναι· ὃ δὴ καλῶς κατώρθωσεν ὁ γενναῖος καὶ εὐσταλὴς σταδιοδρόμος τῆς οὐρανίου πορείας. καὶ ἄσβεστον αὐτοῦ τὴν θέρμην ἐφύλαξεν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς μέχρι τέλους, ἀναβάσεις ἀεὶ ἐν καρδίᾳ τιθέμενος, καὶ ἐκ δυνάμεως εἰς ὑψηλοτέραν μεταβαίνων δύναμιν, πόθῳ πόθον καὶ σπουδὴν σπουδῇ διηνεκῶς προστιθείς, ἕως ἔφθασεν εἰς τὴν ἐλπιζομένην καὶ ποθουμένην μακαριότητα. χχχιχ Οὕτως οὖν ἀλλήλοις συνόντες Βαρλαάμ τε καὶ Ἰωάσαφ, καὶ τὴν καλὴν ἅμιλλαν ἁμιλλώμενοι, ἐκτὸς πάσης μερίμνης καὶ πάσης βιωτικῆς ὄντες ταραχῆς, ἀνεπιθόλωτόν τε τὸν νοῦν κεκτημένοι καὶ ἀμιγῆ πάσης συγχύσεως, μετὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καμάτους, ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν πνευματικὸν υἱόν, ὃν διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἐγέννησε, λόγου ἥπτετο καὶ ὁμιλίας πνευματικῆς, Πάλαι, λέγων, ὦ φίλτατε Ἰωάσαφ, ἐν ταύτῃ σε τῇ ἐρήμῳ κατοικεῖν ἔδει· καὶ τοῦτό μοι ὁ Χριστὸς προσευχομένῳ περὶ σοῦ ἐπηγγείλατο πρὸ τῆς τοῦ βίου τελευτῆς ὄψεσθαι. εἶδον οὖν ὡς ἐπεθύμουν· εἶδόν σε ἀπορραγέντα μὲν κόσμου καὶ τῶν ἐν κόσμῳ, συναφθέντα δὲ τῷ Χριστῷ ἀδιστάκτῳ τῇ γνώμῃ, καὶ εἰς μέτρον ἐλθόντα τελειότητος τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ. νῦν οὖν ἐπειδή μοι ὁ τῆς ἀναλύσεως καιρὸς ἐπὶ θύραις, καὶ ἡ σύντροφος καὶ ἡλικιῶτις 584 ἐπιθυμία τοῦ συνεῖναι τῷ Χριστῷ διὰ παντὸς ἤδη πληροῦται, σὲ μὲν δεῖ καλῦψαί μου τὸ σῶμα τῇ γῇ καὶ τὸν χοῦν ἀποδοῦναι τῷ χοΐ, μεῖναι δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐν τῷδε τῷ τόπῳ τῆς πνευματικῆς ἐχόμενον πολιτείας καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς μνείαν ποιούμενον μετριότητος. δέδοικα γὰρ μή ποτε ἡ ζοφερὰ τῶν δαιμόνων πληθὺς τῇ ψυχῇ μου ἐμποδὼν καταστῇ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐμῶν ἀγνοημάτων. Σὺ οὖν, τέκνον, μὴ ὀλιγωρήσῃς τὸ ἐπίπονον τῆς ἀσκήσεως, μηδὲ δειλιάσῃς τὸ μῆκος τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς τῶν δαιμόνων· ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν τῆς ἀσθενείας, τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ῥωννύμενος χάριτι, τολμηρῶς καταγέλα, πρὸς δὲ τὴν σκληρότητα τῶν πόνων καὶ τὸ τοῦ χρόνου διάστημα οὕτως ἔσο, ὡς καθ' ἡμέραν τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀνάλυσιν προσδοκῶν, καὶ ὡς ἀρχὴν εἶναί σοι τῆς ἀσκήσεως τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμέραν καὶ τέλος. οὕτως ἀεὶ τῶν μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος, πρὸς τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος, κατασκοπῶν δίωκε τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, καθάπερ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος παρακελεύεται, Μὴ ἐκκακῶμεν, λέγων· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, ἀλλ' ὁ ἔσω ἀνακαινοῦται ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ· τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμῖν, μὴ σκοπούντων ἡμῶν τὰ βλεπόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα· τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα, τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα αἰώνια. Ταῦτα λογιζόμενος, ἀγαπητέ, ἀνδρίζου καὶ ἴσχυε, καὶ ὡς καλὸς στρατιώτης σπούδαζε τῷ στρατολογήσαντι ἀρέσαι. κἂν λογισμούς σοι 586 ὀλιγωρίας ὁ πονηρὸς φέρῃ καὶ τὸν τόνον ὑποχαλᾶν τῆς προθέσεως σπεύδῃ, μὴ φοβοῦ αὐτοῦ τὰς ἐπιβουλάς, τὸ ∆εσποτικὸν ἐννοῶν πρόσταγμα, Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ θλῖψιν ἕξετε, λέγοντος· ἀλλὰ θαρσεῖτε· ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον. διὸ χαῖρε ἐν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε, ὅτι ἐξελέξατό σε καὶ διεχώρισεν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ἔθετο ὡς ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ. αὐτὸς δέ, ὁ καλέσας σε κλήσει ἁγίᾳ, ἐγγύς ἐστιν ἀεί. μηδὲν μερίμνα· ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ δεήσει μετὰ εὐχαριστίας τὰ αἰτήματά σου γνωριζέσθω πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκεν· Οὐ μή