174

These are also true friends, these are co-heirs, these are also martyrs by choice alone, without scrapings, rackings, braziers and cauldrons and consuming fire and cutting swords. At these things all the super-cosmic orders together cried out: Your judgment is just, O All-merciful, let it be written, and let it be sealed now and for the ages! Amen.

42.

That those already from here united to God through participation in the Holy Spirit, when they depart from this life will be with him from then on for the ages; but if not, rather the opposite for those who are otherwise disposed here will happen then. (310)

The beginning of life is an end for me and the end is a beginning for me. From where I have come, I do not know, where I am, I do not know, and where again I will arrive, I do not know, wretched me. I am born earth from the earth, body from body, from the corruptible certainly corruptible, and being wholly mortal I spend a little time on earth living in the flesh and I die and I begin another life, passing from this one. I leave the body in the earth that is destined to be resurrected and to live a unending life for the ages. Now therefore look upon me, O God, now have compassion, O only one, now have mercy on me! Behold, my strength has failed, to old age, O Savior, I have drawn near, to the gates of death. The ruler of the world is coming, wishing to seek out my works and my deeds, the shameful and profane; the executioners stand by, looking at me harshly, and they await to receive the command and to drag down into the abyss of Hades, O Savior, my wretched soul. You therefore, who are by nature compassionate, the only lover of mankind, the all-merciful Lord, have mercy on me then and do not hold a grudge against me, do not abandon me, (311) do not give place against me to my deceitful enemy, who every hour threatens me, roaring against me, gnashing his teeth and saying to me: Where do you get your courage, and how do you hope to escape my hands, since having abandoned me you went to Christ and just now disregarded my commands? But you will in no way escape; for where will you go? You will never have the strength to escape me at all, me who led Adam and Eve out of paradise, who also made Cain the murderer of his brother, me who at the time of the flood ultimately enticed all together to fall wretchedly into error and dreadful death by my deceptions,

174

οὗτοι καί φίλοι γνήσιοι, οὗτοι συγκληρονόμοι, οὗτοι καί μάρτυρές εἰσι τῇ προαιρέσει μόνῃ, χωρίς ξεσμῶν, ἀναρτισμῶν, ἐσχαρῶν καί λεβήτων καί κατακαίοντος πυρός καί ξιφῶν τῶν τεμνόντων. Πρός ταῦτα ὑπερκόσμιαι ὁμοῦ ἅπασαι τάξεις ἠλάλαξαν˙ ∆ικαία σου ἡ κρίσις, πανοικτίρμον, γραφήτω, σφραγισθήτω τε νῦν καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας! Ἀμήν.

ΜΒ'.

Ὅτι οἱ τῷ Θεῷ ἀπ᾿ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη διά τῆς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος μετουσίας ἑνωθέντες, ἐκδημοῦντες τοῦ βίου εἰς αἰῶνας αὐτῷ ἐκεῖθεν συνέσονται˙ εἰ δ᾿ οὖν, ἀλλά τό ἀνάπαλιν τοῖς ἄλλως ἔχουσιν ἐνταῦθα τότε γενήσεται. (310)

Ἀρχή τοῦ βίου τέλος μοι καί τό τέλος ἀρχή μοι. Τό ὅθεν ἥκω, ἀγνοῶ, τό ποῦ εἰμι, οὐκ οἶδα, καί ποῦ αὖθις ἀφίξομαι, οὐ γινώσκω, ὁ τάλας. Γεννῶμαι γῆ ἀπό τῆς γῆς, ἀπό σώματος σῶμα, ἀπό φθαρτοῦ πάντως φθαρτός, καί θνητός ὅλως πέλων μικρόν ἐν γῇ χρονοτριβῶ ζῶν ἐν σαρκί καί θνῄσκω καί βίου ἄλλου ἄρχομαι μεταβαίνων ἐκ τούτου. Ἐῶ τό σῶμα ἐν τῇ γῇ ἀναστήσεσθαι μέλλον καί ἀτελεύτητον ζωήν ζήσεσθαι εἰς αἰῶνας. Νῦν οὖν ἐπίβλεψον, Θεέ, νῦν σπλαγχνίθητι, μόνε, νῦν με ἐλέησον! Ἰδού, ἐξέλιπεν ἰσχύς μου, εἰς γῆρας, Σῶτερ, ἤγγισα, εἰς πρόπυλα θανάτου. Ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου ἔρχεται ἀναζητῆσαι θέλων τά ἔργα καί τάς πράξεις μου, τάς αἰσχράς καί βεβήλους˙ οἱ δήμιοι παρίστανται ἀπηνῶς με ὁρῶντες καί πρόσταγμα ἐκδέχονται λαβεῖν καί κατασπάσαι εἰς ᾅδου, Σῶτερ, βάραθρον ψυχήν μου τήν ἀθλίαν. Σύ οὖν ὁ φύσει εὔσπλαγχνος, ὁ φιλάνθρωπος μόνος, ὁ πανοικτίρμων Κύριος, ἐλέησόν με τότε καί μή μνησικακήσῃς μοι, μή με ἐγκαταλίπῃς, (311) μή δώσῃς χώραν κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ ἐχθρῷ μου τῷ δολίῳ, τῷ καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ὥραν μοι προσεπαπειλουμένῳ, ὠρυομένῳ κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ, τρίζοντι τούς ὀδόντας καί˙ Ποῦ θαρρεῖς, μοι λέγοντι, πῶς δέ διαφυγεῖν μου ἐλπίζεις χεῖρας, ὅτι με καταλιπών προσῆλθες Χριστῷ κἀμοῦ τάς ἐντολάς ἄρτι παρελογίσω; Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἐκφύγεις οὐδαμῶς˙ ποῦ γάρ καί ἀπελεύσῃ; Οὐ διαδράσαι πώποτε ὅλως ἐμέ ἰσχύσεις, τόν τόν Ἀδάμ ἐξάξαντα καί Εὔαν παραδείσου, τόν καί τόν Κάϊν ἀδελφοῦ ποιήσαντα φονέα, τόν ἐπί τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ πάντας ὁμοῦ τῇ πλάνῃ καί τῷ θανάτῳ τῷ φρικτῷ περιπεσεῖν ἀθλίως εἰς τέλος δελεάσαντα ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἐξαπάταις,