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he persecutes, reviles, envies, rages, kills, and does all things against us, falling into these things; but we, as you have willed, your humble servants, are strong in weakness, we are rich in poverty, we rejoice in all affliction, being outside the world. We, O Master, are with you, but the world has the body. Therefore, the blind man wanders, holding only clay, which he will not even gain; for he will give, as you promised, at the last trumpet, this too as spiritual, and then he alone will gain his own evils along with those like-minded and blind lovers of the world.

57.

That he who has longed for God with his whole soul hates the world. (408) I am held by a shadow and I see the truth, that there is nothing but sure hope. What hope then? Which eyes have not seen. What is this? Life, which all long for. And what is life but God, the creator of all things? Long for him and hate the world. The world is death, for what does it have that is not transient?

58.

A common teaching with reproof to all: kings, high priests, priests, monastics, laity, spoken and said from the mouth of God. (409)

O Christ, grant me words of wisdom, words of knowledge and of divine understanding. For you know the weakness of my speech and my lack of worldly learning; you know that I have you alone as life and word and knowledge and wisdom, God my savior and protector in life and the breath of my humble soul, I who am a stranger and humble in words. You are my hope, you my help, you my shelter, you my refuge, you my boast, my wealth, my glory.

273

ἀποδιώκει, λοιδορεῖ, φθονεῖ, μαίνεται, κτείνει καί πάντα πράσσει καθ᾿ ἡμῶν περιπίπτων ἐν τούτοις˙ ἡμεῖς δέ, ὡς εὐδόκησας, οἱ ταπεινοί σου δοῦλοι ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ ἰσχυροί, ἐν πενίᾳ πλουτοῦμεν, ἐν πάσῃ θλίψει χαίρομεν ὄντες ἔξω τοῦ κόσμου. Ἡμεῖς, ὤ ∆έσποτα, σύν σοί, κόσμος δ᾿ ἔχει τό σῶμα. Λοιπόν, πλανᾶται ὁ τυφλός πηλόν κατέχων μόνον, ὅς οὐδ᾿ αὐτόν κερδήσειε˙ δώσει γάρ, ὡς ὑπέσχου, ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγγι πνευματικόν καί τοῦτον, καί τότε μόνος τά κακά τά ἴδια κερδήσει σύν τοῖς ὁμόφροσιν αὐτοῦ καί τυφλοῖς φιλοκόσμοις.

ΝΖ'.

Ὅτι ὁ τόν Θεόν ἐξ ὅλης ποθήσας ψυχῆς μισεῖ τόν κόσμον. (408) Σκιᾷ κρατοῦμαι καί ἀλήθειαν βλέπω, ὅ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἤ ἐλπίς ἡ βεβαία. Ποίαν οὖν ἐλπίς; Ἥν ὀφθαλμοί οὐκ εἶδον. Αὔτη τί ἐστι; Ζωή, ἥν ἅπαντες ποθοῦσιν. Ἡ δέ ζωή τί ἤ Θεός κτίστης πάντων; Τοῦτον πόθησον καί μίσησον τόν κόσμον. Κόσμος θάνατος, τί γάρ ἄρρεστον ἔχει;

ΝΗ'.

∆ιδασκαλία κοινήν σύν ἐλέγχῳ πρός πάντας˙ βασιλεῖς, ἀρχιερεῖς, ἱερεῖς, μονάζοντας, λαϊκούς, ὑπό στόματος λαληθεῖσα καί λεγομένη Θεοῦ. (409)

Ὦ Χριστέ, παράσχου μοι λόγους σοφίας, λόγους γνώσεως καί συνέσεως θείας. Σύ γάρ οἶδάς μου τό ἀσθενές τοῦ λόγου καί ἀμέτοχον μαθήσεως τῆς ἔξω˙ σύ ἐπίστασαι, ὅτι σέ μόνον ἔχω ζωήν καί λόγον καί γνῶσιν καί σοφίαν, σωτῆρα Θεόν καί προστάτην ἐν βίῳ καί ἀναπνοήν τῆς ταπεινῆς ψυχῆς μου, ὁ ξένος ἐγώ καί ταπεινός τοῖς λόγοις. Σύ εἶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου, σύ ἡ ἀντίληψίς μου, σύ ἡ σκέπη μου, σύ ἡ καταφυγή μου, σύ τό καύχημα, ὁ πλοῦτός μου, ἡ δόξα.