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that you did not overlook me lying down below in darkness, but you touched me with your divine hand, which I, upon seeing, immediately rose up rejoicing; for it was shining brighter than the sun. I hastened to grasp it, wretched one that I am, and it vanished immediately from my eyes, and again I was entirely in darkness. I fell to the ground mourning and weeping, rolling about and groaning painfully, longing to see your divine hand again. You stretched it out, it appeared to me more clearly and embracing it I kissed it fervently; O goodness and great compassion! The Creator has given His hand to be kissed, the one that holds all things together by its power; O grace, O ineffable gift! And again the Maker withdrew it, surely testing my eagerness, whether I long for it and its Giver, whether I despise all things and prefer it, and remain in its love. I immediately left the world and the things of the world, I closed all my senses together, eyes, ears, nose, mouth and lips, (362) I died to all relatives and friends, yes, I truly died by my will, and sought only the hand of God; and it, seeing me act this way, touched me secretly, took hold of my hand and led me while I was in the midst of darkness. I felt it, then, and followed rejoicing, I ran intensely by night and by day, I walked vigorously with eagerness, and walking, again I was motionless and then I advanced further forward, O mysteries, O contests, O prizes! As I was thus running in the middle of the stadium that hand ineffably reached me, through the intercession of my holy father, and it touched my wretched head and gave me the crown of victory, but it rather became a crown for me, and seeing it, ineffable gladness, ineffable joy, ineffable delight I had - for how could I not? having conquered the whole world and put to shame the ruler of the world and from the hand of God a divine crown, or rather the hand itself of the Master of all having received - a wonder! instead of a crown, a hand,

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ὅτι οὐ παρεῖδές με ἐν σκότει κάτω κείμενον, ἀλλ᾿ ἥψω μου χειρί σου θείᾳ, ἥν ἰδών ἐγώ ἀνέστην εὐθύς χαίρων˙ ἔλαμπε καί γάρ φαιδρότερον ἡλίου. Ἔσπευσα κρατῆσαί γε ταύτην, ὁ τάλας, καί ἠφαντώθη εὐθύς ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν μου, καί πάλιν ὅλος ἐγενόμην ἐν σκότει. Ἔπεσα πρός τοὔδαφος πενθῶν καί κλαίων, κυλινδούμενος καί στενάζων ἐμπόνως, ποθῶν ἰδεῖν σου πάλιν τήν θείαν χεῖρα. Ἥπλωσας αὐτήν, ὤφθη μοι τρανοτέρως καί περιπλακείς κατεφίλησα ταύτην˙ ὤ χρηστότητος καί πολλῆς εὐσπλαγχνίας! Χεῖρα δέδωκεν ἀσπάσαθαι ὁ κτίστης τήν συνέχουσαν τά σύμπαντα τῷ σθένει˙ ὤ χαρίσματος, ὤ δωρεᾶς ἀφράστου! Πάλιν τε ταύτην συνέστειλεν ὁ πλάστης πάντως δοκιμάζων μου τήν προθυμίαν, εἰ ποθῶ ταύτην καί τόν ταύτης δοτῆρα, εἰ καταφρονῶ πάντων καί προτιμῶμαι ταύτην καί μένω ἐν τῇ ταύτης ἀγάπῃ. Ἔλιπον εὐθύς κόσμον καί τά τοῦ κόσμου, ἔμυσα πάσας ὁμοῦ καί τάς αἰσθήσεις, ὀφθαλμούς, ὦτα, ῥῖνα, στόμα καί χείλη, (362) πᾶσιν ἔθανον συγγενέσι καί φίλοις, ναί, ὡς ἀληθῶς ἔθανον τῇ θελήσει, καί μόνην ἐζήτησα Θεοῦ τήν χεῖρα˙ ἰδοῦσα δ᾿ αὕτη οὕτως ποιοήσαντά με, ἥψατο λάθρα, χειρός ἐκράτησέ μου καί ὡδήγει με μέσον τοῦ σκότους ὄντα. Ἠσθανόμην οὖν καί χαίρων ἠκολούθουν, ἔτρεχον σφοδρῶς ἐν νυκτί καί ἡμέρᾳ, εὐτόνως ἐβάδιζον σύν προθυμίᾳ, βαδίζων δ᾿ αὖθις ἀκίνητος ὑπῆρχον καί τότε μᾶλλον προέκοπτον τοῖς πρόσω, ὤ μυστηρίων, ὤ ἄθλων, ὤ βραβείων! Οὕτω τρέχοντα τοῦ σταδίου ἐν μέσῳ πέφθακεν ἡ χείρ ἀπορρήτως ἐκείνη, τοῦ ἐμοῦ πρεσβεύσαντος πατρός ἁγίου, καί τῆς ταλαίνης ἥψατο κεφαλῆς μου καί δέδωκέ μοι τόν στέφανον τῆς νίκης, αὕτη δέ μᾶλλον στέφανος γέγονέ μοι, καί ταύτην βλέπων ἄφραστον εὐφροσύνην, ἄφραστον χαράν, ἄφραστον θυμηδίαν εἶχον - πῶς γάρ οὖ; κόσμον ὅλον νικήσας καί τόν τοῦ κόσμου ἄρχοντα καταισχύνας ἀπό χειρός τε τοῦ Θεοῦ στέφος θεῖον, μᾶλλον δέ αὐτήν τοῦ τῶν ὅλων ∆εσπότου λαβών - θαῦμα! ἀντί στεφάνου χεῖρα,