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and a mother, as begetting in others the disposition toward virtue. But for the rest, rejoice and exult, having recovered the more honorable part of your holy flock; and especially having received also my hallowed lord George the presbyter, who is truly a divine field, and a most approved husbandman of the divine and great George, powerful in work and word before God and all the people, according to the science of cultivating souls, and for this reason most lovely to all who love the Lord. But since for the time being I have become half-dead and half-cut, having been broken off from their beneficial company, either receive me as a sickened member and heal me, or through prayers console me and persuade me to bear the separation dispassionately. For this too has become a property of the divine and true priesthood.

32. Of the same to Abba Polychronius. Since we are about to celebrate the burial of Christ who was put to death and buried in the flesh for our sake, and

his resurrection, let us consider if we too have been put to death, and buried according to the old man who is corrupted according to the desires of deceit, and have been raised up according to the new man who is (628) renewed in the image of his creator. A sign of the first death is complete freedom from the passions; of the second resurrection, the spotless and true confidence according to conscience; and the illumination of knowledge according to the mind. And if these things have come to be in us, let us celebrate with Christ our God; but if not, let us struggle at least not to betray the Word to the passions like Judas, or not to deny Him like Peter; lest we be unable to repent, and be led away repenting without profit; or to weep bitterly and wash away the marks of denial. For denial of the word is the refusal to do good out of fear; betrayal, the intentional impulse toward sin in action; may it not be that we have experience of these.

33. Of the same to the same. If, according to the great conqueror of temptations Job, The life of men is a trial.

And the world, as the Lord said, lies in the evil one; and, Many are the afflictions of the righteous, as the great David declares, and we must by all means have temptations and struggles, either against men or against demons, according to the just judgment of God, according to the holy Apostle, let us beseech God to give us endurance, so that we may be able to be drawn up from the mire of the passions, and to stand upon the unshakable rock, I mean dispassion in Christ through grace; the tempting life, and the evil world, and men, and demons having been put to death in us, that is, the passionate life, and the pleasant deceit according to sense, and the carnal sufferings, and the passionate movements of the soul, and the involuntary suggestions upon these, which have been called afflictions. Let us therefore endure so that we may be saved; for he who endures to the end will be saved. The peace of Christ be with us. Amen.

34. Of the same to the same. Peace the Lord left to us as He was going to His passion; and again, having risen from the dead,

He has given us peace. What is he hinting at through these things? That we ought to endure contrary times dispassionately, neither succumbing to grievous circumstances, of a better

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μήτηρ δέ, ὡς καί τῆς κατ᾿ ἀρετήν ἐν ἄλλοις ἕξεως γεννητική. Ἀλλ᾿ εὐφραίνεσθε τό λοιπόν καί ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, τό τιμιώτερον μέρος τῆς ὑμετέρας ἁγίας ἐπαναλαβόντες ποίμνης· καί μάλιστα προσλαβόμενοι καί τόν ἡγιασμένον κύριόν μου Γεώργιον τόν πρεσβύτερον, τό ὄντως θεῖον γεώργιόν τε, καί θείου καί μεγάλου Γεωργίου γεωργόν δοκιμώτατον, ἱκανόν ἐν ἔργῳ καί λόγῳ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καί παντός τοῦ λαοῦ, κατά τήν ψυχῶν γωργικήν ἐπιστήμην, καί διά τοῦτο πᾶσιν ἐπέραστον τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τόν Κύριον. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπειδή τέως ἐγώ κατέστην ἡμιθνής καί ἡμίτομος, τῆς ἐπωφελοῦς αὐτῶν ἀπεῤῥωγώς συζυγίας, ἤ κἀμέ προσλάβετε ὡς μέλος νενοσηκός, καί θεραπεύσατε, ἤ δι᾿ εὐχῶν με παραμυθήσασθε, καί πείσατε ἀπαθῶς φέρειν τόν χωρισμόν. Καί τοῦτο γάρ τῆς θείας καί ἀληθοῦς ἱερωσύνης καθέστηκεν ἴδιον.

ΛΒ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός ἀββᾶν Πολυχρόνιον. Ἐπειδή ταφήν τοῦ ὑπέρ ἡμῶν νεκρωθέντος καί ταφέντος κατά σάρκα Χριστοῦ, καί

ἀνάστασιν ἑορτάζειν μέλλομεν, σκοπήσωμεν εἰ καί ἡμεῖς ἐνεκρώθημεν, καί ἐτάφημεν κατά τόν παλαιόν ἄνθρωπον τόν φθειρόμενον κατά τάς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, καί ἀνέστημεν κατά τόν καινόν ἄνθρωπον τόν (628) ἀνακαινούμενον κατ᾿ εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος. Σημεῖον δέ τῆς μέν τοῦ πρώτου νεκρώσεως, ἡ τῶν παθῶν παντελής ἐλευθερία· τῆς δέ τοῦ δευτέρου ἀναστάσεως, ἡ κατά συνείδησιν ἀκηλίδωτος καί ἀληθής παῤῥησία· καί ὁ κατά νοῦν φωτισμός τῆς γνώσεως. Καί εἰ μέν ταῦτα γεγόνασιν ἐν ἡμῖν, Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ συνεορτάζωμεν· εἰ δέ μήγε, ἀγωνισώμεθα κἄν μή προδοῦναι τοῖς πάθεσι τόν Λόγον κατά τόν Ἰούδαν, ἤ μή ἀρνήσασθαι κατά τόν Πέτρον· μή πως οὐκ ἰσχύσωμεν μετανοῆσαι, καί ἀπαχθῶμεν ἀκερδῶς μεταμελούμενοι· ἤ πικρῶς κλαῦσαι καί πλῦναι τά τῆς ἀρνήσεως στίγματα. Ἄρνησις γάρ ἐστι τοῦ λόγου, ἡ τοῦ πράττειν τό ἀγαθόν διά φόβον παραίτησις· προδοσία δέ, ἡ κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν ἐμπρόθετος πρός ἁμαρτίαν ὁρμή· ὧν μή γένοιτο ἡμᾶς πεῖραν λαβεῖν.

ΛΓ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν. Εἰ κατά τόν μέγαν νικητήν τῶν πειρασμῶν Ἰώβ, Πειρατήριόν ἐστιν ὁ βίος τῶν

ἀνθρώπων. Καί ὁ κόσμος, ὡς εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖται· καί, Πολλαί αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, ὡς ὁ μέγας ἀποφαίνεται ∆αβίδ, καί τούς πειρασμούς, καί τήν πάλην, ἤ πρός ἀνθρώπους, ἤ πρός δαίμονας κατά τήν δικαίαν κρίσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, πάντως ἔχειν ἡμᾶς δεῖ, κατά τόν ἅγιον Ἀπόστολον, παρακαλέσωμεν τόν Θεόν ὑπομονήν δοῦναι, πρός τό δυνηθῆναι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς ἰλύος τῶν παθῶν ἀνασπασθῆναι, καί στῆναι ἐπί τήν ἄσειστον πέτραν, τήν ἐν Χριστῷ λέγω διά τῆς χάριτος ἀπάθειαν· νεκρωθέντων ἐν ἡμῖν τοῦ τε πειράζοντος βίου, καί τοῦ πονηρευομένου κόσμου, καί τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καί τῶν δαιμόνων, τουτέστι, τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς ζωῆς, καί τῆς κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ἡδονικῆς ἀπάτης, καί τῶν σαρκικῶν παθημάτων, καί τῶν ψυχικῶν ἐμπαθῶν κινημάτων, καί τῶν ἐπί τούτοις ἀκουσίων ἐπαγωγῶν, αἵτινες θλίψεις ἐκλήθησαν. Ὑπομείνωμεν οὖν ἵνα σωθῶμεν· ὅτι ὁ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος σωθήσεται. Ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν. Ἀμήν.

Λ∆´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν. Εἰρήνην ἀπιών πρός τό πάθος ὁ Κύριος ἀφῆκεν ἡμῖν· καί πάλιν ἀναστάς ἐκ νεκρῶν

εἰρήνην δέδωκεν ἡμῖν. Τί διά τούτων αἰνιττόμενος, Τό δεῖν τούς ἐναντίους καιρούς ἀπαθῶς διαφέρειν ἡμᾶς, μήτε ταῖς λυπηραῖς περιστάσεσιν ὑποπίπτοντας, κρείττοντος