274

You willed from the world, O Word, according to compassion to receive me, the stranger, the unworthy, the lowly and worse than any man, than any irrational animal, and because of this, trusting in your mercy, I both ask you and speak and fall down before you: give a right word, give strength, give me power to speak to all those dedicated to you (410) and serving you, O King of all, to speak to initiates, to rulers and to servants, to those who seem to see you and attend you and serve you as a true Master. All men, kings and potentates, priests, bishops, monastics and laymen, do not disdain to hear the voice and words of me, the lowly man, but open to me the ears of your heart and hear and understand, what the God of all and before all ages says, the unapproachable, the only almighty, in whose hand is the breath of all that exists: Kings! You do well warring against the nations, if you yourselves are not doing the works and customs and counsels and opinions of the nations and through your many works and words deny me, your king. It would have been better for you to keep my words and to rightly perform all my commandments, and in blessed poverty to pursue the quiet life. For what is the profit in vindicating the world from death and temporary slavery, but for you yourselves to become by your works slaves of both passions and demons every day and heirs of the unquenchable fire? For all things are good, whatever other works one does for my sake and for compassion and mercy toward his neighbor, but first of all, if he pities himself (411) and keeps my words with all diligence and shows genuine repentance for what he has perhaps previously done,

274

Σύ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἠθέλησάς με, Λόγε, κατ᾿ εὐσπλαγχνίαν προσλαβέσθαι τόν ξένον, τόν ἀνάξιον, τόν εὐτελῆ καί χείρω παντός ἀνθρώπου, παντός ἀλόγου ζῴου, καί διά τοῦτο θαρρῶν σου τῷ ἐλέει καί αἰτοῦμαί σε καί λαλῶ καί προσπίπτω˙ δός λόγον εὐθῆ, δός ἰσχύν, δός μοι κράτος εἰπεῖν πρός πάντας τούς σοί ἀνακειμένους (410) καί λατρεύοντάς σοι, βασιλεῦ τῶν πάντων, λαλῆσαι μύσταις, ἄρχουσί τε καί λάτραις, τοῖς δοκοῦσί σε βλέπειν καί θεραπεύειν καί δουλεύειν σοι ὡς ∆εσπότῃ γνησίως. Ἄνθρωποι πάντες, βασιλεῖς καί δυνάσται, ἱερεῖς, ἐπίσκοποι, μονασταί καί μιγάδες, μή ἀπαξιώσητε φωνῆς ἀκοῦσαι καί λόγων ἐμοῦ τοῦ εὐτελοῦς ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλά καρδίας ἀνοίξατέ μοι ὦτα καί ἀκούσατε καί σύνετε, τί λέγει ὁ πάντων Θεός καί πρό πάντων αἰώνων, ὁ ἀπρόσιτος, ὁ μόνος παντοκράτωρ, οὗ ἐν τῇ χειρί πνοή πάντων τῶν ὄντων˙ Βασιλεῖς! Καλῶς ποιεῖτε πολεμοῦντες τά ἔθνη, ἐάν μή αὐτοί τά τῶν ἐθνῶν ποιοῦντες ἔργα καί ἔθη καί βουλάς τε καί γνώμας καί διά πολλῶν ἔργων ὑμῶν καί λόγων ἀπαρνῆσθε μέ, τόν ὑμῶν βασιλέα. Κρεῖσσον ἦν ὑμῖν λόγους ἐμούς φυλάσσειν ὀρθῶς τε ποιεῖν τάς ἐντολάς μου πάσας, καί ἐν πτωχείᾳ τῇ μακαριζομένῃ τόν ἀπράγμονα μεταδιώκειν βίον. Τί γάρ ὄφελος διεκδικεῖν τόν κόσμον ἀπό θανάτου καί προσκαίρου δουλείας, αὐτούς δέ δούλους καί παθῶν καί δαιμόνων τοῖς ἔργοις ὑμᾶς γίνεσθαι καθ᾿ ἑκάστην καί κληρονόμους τοῦ πυρός τοῦ ἀσβέστου; Πάντα γάρ καλά, ὅσα τις ἄλλα πράσσει ἔργα δι᾿ ἐμέ καί τήν πρός τόν πλησίον συμπάθειάν τε καί ἐλεημοσύνην, πρῶτον δέ πάντων, εἰ ἑαυτόν οἰκτείρῃ (411) καί τούς λόγους μου πάσῃ σπουδῇ φυλάξῃ καί μετάνοιαν ἐνδείξηται γνησίαν ὑπέρ τῶν πρῴην ἴσως ἐξειργασμένων,