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to be without hope, nor, being carried away by cheerful circumstances, to reject the reasoning that instructs us; but to be the same both when suffering and when faring well. But this does not happen, unless we first step upon the asp and the basilisk; that is, we become superior to the disobedience of the divine words, and to the reception of wicked thoughts; and we tread down the lion and the dragon, that is (629) anger and desire; and when these are gone, all will be peace for us, with nothing able to move us towards anything that remains here. Let us master anger and desire, and we have thrown down the whole house of the foreigners together with those in it, having killed along with the passions the impassioned life and conduct.

35. Of the same to the same. If after that great and terrible wilderness, the Israelite people receive the land

of rest, and what is the most astonishing thing of all to hear, He Who for our sake became man, being God and Lord of all, through sufferings and the cross and death, enters into His glory, there being no other way appointed for Him, as it is written: Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? Let us not lose heart in afflictions, being faint; but let us look to the author and finisher of our salvation, Jesus; and let us endure what happens nobly. For of every affliction the end is joy; and of every labor, rest, and of every dishonor, glory; and simply, of all painful things for the sake of virtue, the end is, to be with God forever, and to enjoy the eternal repose which has no end. But pray, Father, that we may attain it, having crossed the sea of life well, and having guarded the intelligible foundations of the soul from its brine.

36. Of the same to the same. Blessed is our master by the Lord, and blessed is the garden of his

heart, which the true husbandman, Jesus, planted, and filled with immortal plants of righteousness; of whose fruits we also partook, being filled with his spiritual herbs; with which also the great Apostle knows how to nourish those who are weak for the direct vision of divine things; feeding them, as with herbs, the natural contemplation of visible things; and through the magnificence of things that appear, leading them by the hand to their creator; whom our blessed Father and teacher, imitating, has affectionately welcomed us, setting before us symbolically through the herbs the understanding of this creation. But give also of solid food, and stir our soul, which has no appetite for divine things, being enfeebled by pleasures, astringing its desire with the more subtle word of providence and judgment; that you may not only nourish your disciples with herbs, teaching only the principles of things that come to be and pass away; but also with wheat, and wine, and oil, strengthen them with the words of eternal things; giving the word that holds the virtues together as solid bread, and with the word according to (632) unforgettable knowledge, warming the heart like wine toward a deifying ecstasy of your followers; and the nourishing and unquenchable torch that maintains these things; like oil, creating the peaceful and untroubled state of meekness in your servants.

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ἐλπίδος εἶναι χωρίς, μήτε ταῖς φαιδραῖς ὑποθέσεσι συμπεριφερομένους, τόν παιδαγωγοῦντα ἡμᾶς λογισμόν ἀπωθεῖσθαι· ἀλλά τούς αὐτούς εἶναι καί πάσχοντας καί εὐπαθοῦντας. Τοῦτο δέ οὐ γίνεται, εἰ μή πρότερον ἐπιβῶμεν ἐπί ἀσπίδα καί βασιλίσκον· τουτέστιν ὑπεράνων γενώμεθα παρακοῆς τῶν θείων λόγων, καί παραδοχῆς τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν· καί καταπατήσωμεν λέοντα καί δράκοντα, τουτέστι (629) θυμόν καί ἐπιθυμίαν· ὧν ἀπογενομένων, πᾶσα ἡμῖν ἔσται εἰρήνη, μηδενός ἡμᾶς κινῆσαι δυναμένου πρός μηδέν τῶν ὧδε μενόντων. Κρατήσωμεν θυμοῦ καί ἐπιθυμίας, καί ὅλον ὁμοῦ τόν οἶκον τῶν ἀλλοφύλων μετά τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ κατεβάλομεν, τήν ἐμπαθῆ ζωήν τε καί ἀγωγήν τοῖς πάθεσι συναποκτείναντες.

ΛΕ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν. Εἰ μετά τήν μεγάλην καί φοβεράν ἐκείνην ἔρημον, ὁ Ἰσραηλίτης λαός τήν γῆν

λαμβάνει τῆς ἀναπαύσεως, καί τό πάντων καταπληκότερον [καταπληκτικώτερον] ἄκουσμα, ὁ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος Θεός ὤν καί πάντων Κύριος, διά παθημάτων καί σταυροῦ κάι θανάτου, εἰς τήν δόξαν αὐτοῦ εἰσέρχεται, οὐκ ὄντος ἄλλου τρόπου ὡρισμένου αὐτῷ, καθώς γέγραπται· Οὐχί ταῦτα ἔδει παθεῖν τόν Χριστόν, καί εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τήν δόξαν αὐτοῦ; Μή ἐκκακήσωμεν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν, ἐκλυόμενοι· ἀλλ᾿ ἀπίδωμεν εἰς τόν ἀρχηγόν τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν, καί τελειωτήν Ἰησοῦν· καί ὑπομείνωμεν τά συμβαίνοντα γενναίως. Πάσης γάρ θλίψεως τέλος ἐστίν ἡ χαρά· καί παντός κόπου ἡ ἀνάπαυσις, καί πάσης ἀτιμίας δόξα· καί ἁπλῶς, πάντων τῶν ὑπέρ ἀρετῆς ἀλγεινῶν τέλος ἐστί, τό μετά Θεοῦ γενέσθαι διά παντός, καί τῆς αἰωνίου καί πέρας μή ἐχούσης ἀνέσεως ἀπολαῦσαι. Ἀλλ᾿ εὖξαι, Πάτερ, ἵνα τύχωμεν αὐτῆς καλῶς τήν θάλασσαν τοῦ βίου περάσαντες, καί βρόχους τάς νοητάς βάσεις τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς αὐτοῦ ἅλμης φυλάξαντες.

Λστ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν. Εὐλογημένος ἐστίν ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ, καί εὐλογημένος ὁ κῆπος τῆς

καρδίας αὐτοῦ, ὅν ἐφύτευσεν ὁ ἀληθινός γεωργός Ἰησοῦς, καί πεπλήρωκεν ἀθανάτων φυτῶν δικαιοσύνης· οὗ καί ἡμεῖς τῶν καρπῶν μετελάβομεν, τῶν αὐτοῦ πνευματικῶν λαχάνων ἐμφορηθέντες· οἷς καί ὁ μέγας Ἀπόστολος οἶδε τρέφειν, τούς πρός τήν ἄμεσον τῶν θείων αὐτοψίαν ἐξασθενοῦντας· βρωματίζων αὐτούς ὥσπερ λάχανα τήν φυσικήν τῶν ὁρατῶν θεωρίαν· καί διά τῆς τῶν φαινομένων μεγαλοπρεπείας, πρός τόν αὐτῆς κτίστην χειραγωγῶν· ὅν μιμούμενος καί ὁ εὐλογημένος ἡμῶν Πατήρ καί διδάσκαλος, φιλοστόργως ἡμᾶς ἐφιλοφρόνησε, ταύτης ἡμῖν τῆς κτίσεως συμβολικῶς παραθείς διά τῶν λαχάνων τήν κατανόησιν. Ἀλλά μετάδος καί στερεᾶς τροφῆς, καί κίνησον ἡμῶν ἀνορεκτοῦσαν πρός τά θεῖα τήν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς παρειμένην ψυχήν, ἐπιστύφων τῷ λεπτοτέρῳ τῆς προνοίας καί τῆς κρίσεως λόγῳ τήν ἔφεσιν· ἵνα μή μόνον λαχάνοις διατρέφῃς τούς σούς μαθητάς, μόνους τούς τῶν γινομένων καί ἀπογινομένων λόγους διδάσκων· ἀλλα καί σίτῳ, καί οἴνῳ, καί ἐλαίῳ, τοῖς τῶν ἀϊδίων στήρισον λόγοις· τόν τε συνεκτικόν τῶν ἀρετῶν ὡς στεῤῥόν ἄρτον λόγον διδούς, καί τῷ κατά τήν (632) ἄληστον γνῶσιν, ὥσπερ οἴνῳ τήν καρδίαν λόγῳ διαθερμαίνων πρός ἔκστασιν θεοποιόν τῶν σῶν ὀπαδῶν· καί τήν διατρέφουσαν, καί ἄσβεστον τόν ἐν τούτοις διατηροῦσαν πυρσόν· καθάπερ ἔλαιον, τήν εἰρηνικήν καί ἀτάραχον τῆς πραότητος ἕξιν ἐμποιῶν τοῖς σοῖς οἰκέταις.