171

to see and venerate just as the glorious ones; to likewise render honor to the blind as if I see from on high the deeds of all men and to do these things for my sake, which things write again. To have nothing at all against anyone in your heart, not even a bare stirring or a slight suspicion; to pray from the soul with pain of heart out of sympathy for all those who sin against you, and likewise for those who dare such things against me, beseeching with tears their conversion; to bless at the same time those who curse you and to praise those who always revile you with envy, and to consider those who insult you as benefactors, but for those who neither submit nor obey you, as completely denying me their own Master, to lament and weep continually; do not cease admonishing them. For he who receives you receives me, I said, and he who hears you certainly hears me; (305) but he who does not receive your words and counsels with trembling and fulfill them unto death, shall have no part in my eternal glory, shall not be counted with the crucified one, with me who was obedient to the Father unto death, shall not stand at the right hand, nor shall such a one become a co-heir of those who have crucified themselves. Therefore do not cease admonishing, therefore do not cease weeping, therefore do not cease seeking their salvation, so that if they obey and if they turn back, you will have them as brothers, you will gain your own members and bring them to me as genuine subjects, so that I too may receive them through you and glorify them and offer them with you to my Father as gifts. But if they will not deny their own wills, if they will not despise their own souls, as I said, if they will not become dead to their own wills and live by your will in this life, by fulfilling my will through yours, you will not lose your reward, you will not be deprived of it, but I will give it to you twofold instead of single, because even when not being heard you did not cease from speaking, but were rather hated and rather turned away from and detested by them, as I was once hated and am now through them and those like them. By such works I wish to be served, by such and similar things strive to be well-pleasing to me; for in these I greatly rejoice. Do not prefer to be idle nor choose at all anything in the world above the soul’s benefit. (306) For what will it profit if one gains the world

171

καθορᾶν τε καί προσκυνεῖν καθάπερ τούς ἐνδόξους˙ τό τοῖς τυφλοῖς ὡσαύτως δέ τήν τιμήν ἀπονέμειν ὡς ἀνωθεν ὁρῶντός μου πάντων ἀνθρώπων πράξεις καί ταῦτα δι᾿ἐμέ ποιεῖν, ἅπερ καί πάλιν γράφε. Τό μή ἔχειν κατά τινος ὅλως ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μέχρι ψιλῆς κινήσεως ἤ μικρᾶς ὑπονοίας˙ τό εὔχεσθαι ἀπό ψυχῆς μετά πόνου καρδίας ἐκ συμπαθείας τούς εἰς σέ ἁμαρτάνοντας πάντας, ὡσαύτως καί τούς εἰς ἐμέ τά τοιαῦτα τολμῶντας, μετά δακρύων ἐξαιτῶν ἐπιστροφήν τήν τούτων˙ τό εὐλογεῖν μεθ᾿ ἅμα δέ τούς σέ καταρωμένους καί ἐπαινεῖν τούς φθόνῳ σέ ἀεί λοιδορουμένους καί τούς ἐπηρεάζοντας ὡς εὐεργέτας ἔχειν, τούς δέ μή καθυπείκοντας μήθ᾿ ὑπακούοντάς σου, ὡς ὅλως ἀρνουμένους με τόν ἑαυτῶν ∆εσπότην, θρηνεῖν καί κλαίειν συνεχῶς˙ οὕς νουθετῶν μή παύσῃ. Ὁ γάρ ὑμᾶς δεχόμενος ἐμέ δέχεται, εἶπον, καί ὁ ἀκούων δέ ὑμῶν πάντως ἐμοῦ ἀκούει˙ (305) ὁ δέ μή τρόμῳ τούς ὑμῶν λόγους καί παραινέσεις δεχόμενος καί ἐκπληρῶν αὐτούς μέχρι θανάτου, οὐ μή μου κοινωνήσειε δόξης τῆς αἰωνίου, οὐ μή καταγήσεται σύν τῷ ἐσταυρωμένῳ, ἐμοί τῷ ὑπακούσαντι Πατρί μέχρι θανάτου, οὐ μή σταθῇ ἐκ δεξιῶν, οὐ μή συγκληρονόμος τῶν σταυρωσάντων ἑαυτούς γένηται ὁ τοιοῦτος. Λοιπόν μή παύσῃ νουθετῶν, λοιπόν μή παύσῃ κλαίων, λοιπόν μή παύσῃ τήν αὐτῶν ἐκζητῶν σωτηρίαν, ἵνα εἰ ὑπακούσωσι καί εἰ ἐπιστραφῶσιν, ἕξεις αὐτούς ὡς ἀδελφούς, κερδήσεις τά σά μέλη καί προσαγάγεις μοι αὐτούς ὑπηκόους γνησίους, ἵνα κἀγώ εἰσδέξωμαι διά σοῦ καί δοξάσω καί τῷ ἐμῷ σύν σοί Πατρί προσενέγκω ὡς δῶρα. Εἰ δέ μή ἀπαρνήσονται θελήματα οἰκεῖα, εἰ μή καταφρονήσουσι ψυχῶν αὐτῶν, ὡς εἶπον, εἰ μή νεκροί γνήσονται θελήμασιν οἰκείοις καί σοῦ ἐν τῷ θελήματι ζήσονται ἐν τῷ βίῳ διά τοῦ σοῦ τό θέλημα τό ἐμόν ἐκπληροῦντες, οὐκ ἀπολέσεις σου μισθόν, οὐ στερηθήσῃ τούτου, ἀλλά διπλοῦν σοι ἀνθ᾿ ἁπλοῦ τοῦτον ἐγώ παρέξω, ὅτι καί μή εἰσακουόμενος οὐκ ἀπέστης τοῦ λέγειν, ἀλλά καί μᾶλλον ἐμισοῦ καί μᾶλλον ἀπεστρέφου καί ἐβδελύσσου παρ᾿ αὐτῶν, ὡς ἐγώ ἐμισήθην ποτέ καί νῦν δέ δι᾿ αὐτῶν καί τῶν τούτοις ὁμοίων. ∆ιά τοιούτων βούλομαι ἔργων με θεραπεύειν, διά τοιούτων σπούδαζε καί τῶν τούτοις ὁμοίων εὐαρεστεῖν μοι˙ τούτοις γάρ ἐπευφραίνομαι λίαν. Μή προτιμήσῃς τό ἀργεῖν μηδέ προκρίνῃς ὅλως ὑπέρ ψυχῆς ὠφέλειαν ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐν κόσμῳ. (306) Τί γάρ ὠφεληθήσεται ὁ κερδαίνων τόν κόσμον