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He who has been able to understand and perceive that he entered the world naked, having been brought forth from non-being, this one will know Him who made him and will fear and love Him alone and will serve Him with his whole soul and will in no way prefer His visible things, but knowing with all certainty that he is a stranger to all earthly things, and one might say even to those things in heaven, he gives over the whole purpose of his soul to the service of Him who made him. For if he is a stranger to the things from which he was formed and among which he lives, how much more to those from which he is very distant both in nature and in essence and in way of life. But he who has recognized that he is a stranger to earthly things and knows that he entered this theater naked and is about to depart from it naked again, how will he not mourn? How will he not weep, not only for himself, but also for all men of his kind and who share his passions? And he who loves and fears God alone, how will he be gladdened in a bodily way, or celebrate bodily according to the custom of men, somehow so ignorantly and thoughtlessly, (366) with the Lord Himself always saying to such people: "The world will rejoice, but you will be grieved; but take heart, I have overcome the world. For I will rise in you, the worse world having been swallowed up by the life that is awarded to all from my Spirit; and when you see me, your heart will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you." How then will he who sees the heavenly Master come to be in desire for some earthly thing, or think anything that does not please God? And how will he who knows himself with certainty to be a stranger and naked and poor, even if he possesses all things, to speak apostolically, be adorned, or be lifted up by what he does, or think highly of himself because of a multitude of candles and lamps and because of perfumes and myrrh, or a gathering of people, or a bountiful and lavish table, and will he boast in the appearance of friends and the presence of glorious men of the earth? In no way, then. For he knows that all these things and all people together exist today and pass away tomorrow, the present things appearing today and after a little while disappearing. For such a person, who knows how to celebrate well, does not have his mind or his perception at all on the things that are happening—for this is for those who imagine nothing more than the things that are seen—but as present in the rites being performed, he sees with a wise mind the things to come, and in them his heart rejoices and he seems to be wholly in those things and with those who are celebrating in heaven, the multitude of the people, or the gathering of friends, but he always considers what comes after a little while, that the lights will be extinguished, while the people will depart, each to his own home, and he alone will be left in darkness. Do not, then, count for me times and months and seasons (367), nor say to me: "Behold, I have celebrated the birth of Christ, the Presentation, the Theophany, the Resurrection, the Ascension, the descent of the Spirit." Do not say these things to me nor count all the feasts, but neither consider these sufficient for the salvation of your soul, nor think that the feast for you is in bright garments and proud horses and costly myrrh, and in candles and lamps and a multitude of people. For these things do not make the feast bright, nor is this a true feast, but symbols of a feast. For what benefit is it to me, beloved, not to mention lighting many candles and lamps in the temple and in the church of the faithful, but if I were able to acquire such things as the sun shining from heaven, and instead of many lamps, to affix the stars to the roof of the mind and make it a new heaven and a strange thing upon the earth, and in addition to this, to exult in their light, and to be marveled at and praised by those who have gathered, if then after a little while, when they have all been extinguished, I myself will be left in darkness? And if today I should make myself and those who have gathered fragrant with myrrh, but tomorrow from

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Ὁ συνιέναι καί συνιδεῖν δυνηθείς ὅτι γυμνός ἐκ τοῦ μή ὄντος παραχθείς εἰς τόν κόσμον εἰσῆλθεν, οὗτος τόν ποιήσαντα αὐτόν ἐπιγνώσεται καί μόνον αὐτόν φοβηθήσεται καί ἀγαπήσει καί αὐτῷ δουλεύσει ἐξ ὅλης ψυχῆς καί οὐδέν οὐδαμῶς, προτιμήσει τῶν ὁρωμένων αὐτοῦ, ἀλλά ξένον πάντων τῶν ἐπιγείων, εἰπεῖν δέ καί αὐτῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἑαυτόν εἶναι ἐν πάσῃ πληροφορίᾳ εἰδώς, ὅλην αὐτοῦ τήν πρόθεσιν τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς τήν θεραπείαν τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτόν ἐκδίδωσιν. Εἰ γάρ ἐξ ὧν ἐπλάσθη καί ἐν οἷς διάγει ξένος ἐστί, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐκείνων ὧν κατά πολύ ἀφέστηκε καί τῇ φύσει καί τῇ οὐσίᾳ καί τῇ διαγωγῇ. Ὁ δέ γε ξένον ἑαυτόν ὄντα τῶν ἐπιγείων ἐπεγνωκώς καί εἰδώς ὅτι γυμνός ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ τούτῳ εἰσῆλθε καί γυμνός πάλιν ἐξέρχεσθαι τούτου μέλλει, πῶς οὐχί πενθήσει; Πῶς δέ οὐ κλαύσει οὐχ ἑαυτόν μόνον, ἀλλά καί πάντας τούς ὁμογενεῖς καί ὁμοιοπαθεῖς αὐτῷ ἀνθρώπους; Ὁ δέ καί τόν Θεόν μόνον ἀγαπῶν καί φοβούμενος, πῶς σωματικῶς εὐφρανθήσεται, ἤ σωματικῶς κατά τήν τῶν ἀνθρώπων συνήθειαν οὕτω πως ἀγνώστως ἑορτάσει καί ἀλογίστως, (366) αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου πρός τούς τοιούτους ἀεί λεγοντος· «Ὁ κόσμος χαρήσεται, ὑμεῖς δέ λυπηθήσεσθε· ἀλλά θαρσεῖτε, ἐγώ νενίκηκα τόν κόσμον. Ἀναστήσομαι γάρ ἐν ὑμῖν, καταποθέντος τοῦ χείρονος κόσμου ὑπό τῆς ζωῆς τῆς βραβευομένης πᾶσιν ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ Πνεύματος· καί ἰδόντες με, χαρήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία καί τήν χαράν ὑμῶν οὐδείς αἴρει ἀφ᾿ ὑμῶν». Πῶς οὖν ὁ τόν οὐράνιον βλέπων ∆εσπότην ἐπιγείου τινός ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ γένηται πράγματος, ἤ ἐννοήσει τι ὅ μή ἀρέσκει Θεῷ; Πῶς δέ ὁ καί ξένον ἑαυτόν εἰδώς ἐν πληροφορίᾳ γυμνόν τε καί πένητα, εἰ καί τά πάντα κατέχει, ἀποστολικῶς εἰπεῖν, ἐγκαλλωπισθήσεται, ἤ ἐφ᾿ οἷς ἄρα ποιεῖ ἐπαρθήσεται, ἤ ἐπί πλήθει κηρῶν καί λύχνων μεγάλα φρονήσει καί ἐπί ἀρώμασι καί μύροις, ἤ συνάξει λαοῦ, ἤ εὐθηνούσῃ τραπέζῃ καί πολυτελεῖ, καί φίλων παριφανείᾳ καί παρουσίᾳ ἐνδόξων ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἐπί τῆς γῆς ἐγκαυχήσεται; Οὐδαμῶς οὖν. Οἶδε γάρ ταῦτα πάντα καίπάντας ὁμοῦ τήν σήμερον ὄντας καί παρερχομένους τήν αὔριον, σήμερον τά παρόντα φαινόμενα καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγον ἀφανιζόμενα. Οὐδέ γάρ ἔχει πρός τά γινόμενα ὁ τοιοῦτος καί τό ἑορτάζειν καλῶς ἐπιστάμενος ἤ τόν νοῦν ἑαυτοῦ ἤ τήν αἴσθησιν ὅλως - τοῦτο γάρ τῶν μηδέν πλέον τῶν ὁρωμένων φανταζομένων ἐστίν , ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἐνεστῶτα ἐν τοῖς τελουμένοις ὁρᾷ σοφῷ τῷ νοΐ τά μέλλοντα καί ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς τήν καρδίαν εὐφραίνεται καί δοκεῖ ὅλον ἐν ἐκεῖνοις ἑαυτόν εἶναι καί μετά τῶν ἑορταζόντων εἰς οὐρανούς τό πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ, ἤ τήν τῶν φίλων συνέλευσιν, ἀλλά τό μετ᾿ ὀλίγον ἀεί ἐννοεῖ, ὅτι δή τά μέν σβεσθήσονται, οἱ δέ ἀπελεύσονται ἕκαστος εἰς τά ἴδια καί μόνος αὐτός ἐν ἐν σκότει καταλειφθήσεται. Μή δή οὖν μοι χρόνους καί μῆνας καί καιρῶν περιόδους (367) ἀρίθμει, μηδέ λέγε μοι «Ἰδού ἑώρτασα τήν Χριστοῦ γέννησιν, τήν Ὑπαπαντήν, τά Θεοφάνια, τήν Ἀνάστασιν, τήν Ἀνάληψιν, τήν τοῦ Πνεύματος κάθοδον». Μή ταῦτά μοι λέγει μηδέ πάσας ἀρίθμει τάς ἑορτάς, ἀλλά μηδέ ἀρκεῖν σοι ταύτας λογίζου πρός σωτηρίαν ψυχῆς μηδέ ἐν λαμπροῖς ἱματίοις καί ἀγερώχοις ἵπποις καί μύροις πολυτίμοις, κηροῖς τε καί λύχνοις καί πλήθει λαοῦ, τήν ἑορτήν σοι νόμιζε εἶναι. Ταῦτα γάρ λαμπράν τήν ἑορτήν οὐ ποιεῖ οὐδέ ἀληθής ἑορτή ἐστι τοῦτο, ἀλλά σύμβολα ἑορτῆς. Τί γάρ μοι ὄφελος, ἀγαπητέ, μή εἴπω κηρούς καί λύχνους ἀνάψαι πολλούς ἐν τῷ ναῷ καί τῇ τῶν πιστῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἀλλ᾿ ἐάν τοιούτους αὐτούς κτήσασθαι δυνηθῶ, οἷον τόν ἀπ᾿ οὐρανοῦ λάμποντα ἥλιον, καί ἀντί λύχνων πολλῶν τούς ἀστέρας προσπῆξαι τῷ ὀρόφῳ τοῦ νοῦ καί ποιῆσαι αὐτόν καινόν οὐρανόν καί πρᾶγμα ξένον ἐπί τῆς γῆς, καί ἔτι πρός τούτοις, ἐν τῷ τούτων ἀγαλλιασθῆναι φωτί, θαυμαστωθῆναί τε παρά τῶν συνεληλυθότων καί ἐπαινεθῆναι, εἶτα μετ᾿ ὀλίγον, πάντων ἀποσβεσθέντων αὐτῶν, αὐτός ἐγώ ἐν σκότει καταλειφθήσομαι; Εἰ δέ καί σήμερον μέν μύροις ἐμαυτόν τε καί τούς συνεληλυθότας εὐωδιάσαιμι, αὔριον δέ ἐκ