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so that loving him exceedingly, and he who is loved 59.409 by him so wills. For this reason, mixing these good things, he continually spoke also of the painful things, training their minds. For the words, He remains with you, and, that It is expedient for you that I go away, were meant to comfort. For this reason, He anticipated and said countless things about the Spirit: He is in you, and, The world cannot receive Him, and, He will bring all things to your remembrance, and, the Spirit of truth, and, the Holy Spirit, and, the Comforter, and, that it is expedient for you; so that they might not be disheartened, as if there were no one to stand by and help them. But He says it is expedient, showing that He will make them spiritual. 5. This, indeed, we also see has happened. For those who were trembling and afraid, after receiving the Spirit, leaped into the midst of dangers, and stripped themselves for iron, and fire, and wild beasts, and seas, and every kind of punishment; and the unlettered and ignorant spoke with such boldness as to astonish their hearers. For the Spirit made them from clay to iron, and made them winged, and did not allow them to fall down to anything human. For such is that grace: if it finds despondency, it dissolves it; if evil desire, it consumes it; if cowardice, it casts it out; and it no longer allows him who has partaken of it to be a man, but, as if he had been translated to heaven itself, it prepares him to imagine all the things there. For this reason, no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own; but they continued steadfastly in prayers with gladness and simplicity of heart. For of this the Holy Spirit has special need; For the fruit of the Spirit is joy, peace, faith, meekness. And yet, he says, the spiritual often feel pain; but that sorrow is sweeter than joy. Since Cain also was grieved, but with the grief of the world; and Paul was grieved, but with godly sorrow. For whatever is spiritual has the greatest gain; just as everything worldly has the ultimate loss. Let us, therefore, draw to ourselves the invincible help of the Spirit by keeping the commandments, and we shall be in nothing inferior to the angels. For they are not such because they are bodiless (for if this were so, none of the bodiless would have become 59.410 wicked); but choice everywhere is the cause of all things. For this reason also among the bodiless were found some worse than men and irrational beings, and among those who have bodies, some better than the bodiless. At any rate, all the righteous who inhabit the earth, and have bodies, have achieved what they achieved. For as sojourners and strangers they inhabited the earth; but heaven, as citizens. Therefore, do not you say, I am clothed in flesh, I cannot overcome, nor undertake the toils for virtue. Do not accuse the Creator. For if wearing flesh makes virtue impossible, the blame is not ours; but that it does not make it impossible, the choir of the saints has shown. Indeed, the nature of the flesh did not prevent Paul from becoming such as he became; nor Peter from receiving the keys of the heavens. And Enoch, too, wearing flesh, was translated, and was not found. Thus also Elijah was caught up with the flesh, and Abraham with Isaac and his grandson, having flesh, shone forth; and Joseph with it wrestled against that licentious woman. And why do I say flesh? For even if you put a chain on the flesh, no harm was done. For though I am bound, says Paul, Yet the word of God is not bound. And why do I say bonds and chains? Add also a prison and locks, and not even so do these things become a hindrance to virtue. Thus, indeed, did Paul teach the mysteries. For the bond of the soul is not iron, but cowardice and the desire for money, and the countless passions. These things bind, even if the body is unbound. But these are born from the body, one says. This is a pretext and a false excuse. For if they were born from the body, all would suffer them. For just as it is not possible to escape toil and sleep and hunger and thirst, since it is of nature; so too these passions, if they were such, would have let no one be outside their tyranny. But if many escape, it is clear that such failings belong to a sluggish soul. This therefore

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ὥστε σφόδρα αὐτὸν ἀγαπῶν, καὶ ὁ ἀγαπώμενος 59.409 παρ' αὐτοῦ οὕτω βούλεται. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο τὰ χρηστὰ ταῦτα ἀναμιγνὺς, συνεχῶς ἔλεγε καὶ τὰ λυπηρὰ, ἐγγυμνάζων αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ, Παρ' ὑμῖν μένει, καὶ, ὅτι Συμφέρει ὑμῖν ἡ ἀναχώρησις, παραμυθουμένου ἦν. ∆ιὰ γάρ τοι τοῦτο προλαβὼν μυρία εἶπε περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος, τὸ, Ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστι, καὶ, Ὁ κόσμος οὐ δύναται λαβεῖν, καὶ, Αὐτὸς ἀναμνήσει πάντα, καὶ, Πνεῦμα ἀληθείας, καὶ, Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, καὶ, Παράκλητον, καὶ, ὅτι Συμφέρει ὑμῖν· ἵνα μὴ ἀθυμῶσιν ὡς οὐδενὸς ὄντος τοῦ προστησομένου καὶ βοηθήσοντος. Συμφέρειν δὲ λέγει, δηλῶν ὅτι πνευματικοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐργάσεται. εʹ. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ὁρῶμεν γεγενημένον. Οἱ γὰρ τρέμοντες καὶ δεδοικότες, μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὸ Πνεῦμα, εἰς μέσους ἥλλοντο τοὺς κινδύνους, καὶ πρὸς σίδηρον, καὶ πῦρ, καὶ θηρία, καὶ πελάγη, καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀπεδύσαντο τιμωρίαν· καὶ οἱ ἀγράμματοι καὶ ἰδιῶται μετὰ τοσαύτης διελέγοντο παῤῥησίας, ὡς ἐκπλήττειν τοὺς ἀκροωμένους. Ἀπὸ γὰρ πηλίνων σιδηροῦς αὐτοὺς ἐποίησε τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ πτηνοὺς εἰργάσατο, καὶ πρὸς οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων καταπεσεῖν ἀφῆκεν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ χάρις ἐκείνη· κἂν ἀθυμίαν εὕρῃ, διαλύει, κἂν ἐπιθυμίαν πονηρὰν, δαπανᾷ, κἂν δειλίαν, ἐκβάλλει, καὶ οὐκ ἀφίησι λοιπὸν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι τὸν μετασχόντα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ εἰς αὐτὸν μεταστάντα τὸν οὐρανὸν, πάντα τὰ ἐκεῖ φαντάζεσθαι παρασκευάζει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδείς τι τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν ἴδιον εἶναι· ἀλλὰ προσεκαρτέρουν ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει καὶ ἀφελότητι καρδίας. Τούτου γὰρ μάλιστα δεῖται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Ὁ γὰρ καρπὸς τοῦ Πνεύματος χαρὰ, εἰρήνη, πίστις, πραότης. Καὶ μὴν καὶ ἀλγοῦσι πολλάκις οἱ πνευματικοὶ, φησίν· ἀλλ' ἡ λύπη χαρᾶς ἐστιν ἡδίων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Κάϊν ἐλυπήθη, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ κόσμου λύπην· καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐλυπήθη, ἀλλὰ τὴν κατὰ Θεόν. Πᾶν γὰρ ὅπερ ἂν ᾖ πνευματικὸν, κέρδος ἔχει μέγιστον· ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ κοσμικὸν ἅπαν ζημίαν ἐσχάτην. Ἐπισπασώμεθα τοίνυν τὴν ἄμαχον τοῦ Πνεύματος βοήθειαν τὰς ἐντολὰς τηροῦντες, καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐσόμεθα ἐλάττους. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, ἐπειδὴ ἀσώματοί εἰσι, τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν (εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐδεὶς ἂν τῶν ἀσωμάτων ἐγένετο 59.410 πονηρός)· ἀλλ' ἡ προαίρεσις πανταχοῦ πάντων αἰτία. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀσωμάτοις ἀνθρώπων χείρους καὶ ἀλόγων εὑρέθησαν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς σώματα ἔχουσιν, ἀσωμάτων κρείττους. Πάντες γοῦν οἱ δίκαιοι τὴν γῆν οἰκοῦντες, καὶ σώματα ἔχοντες, κατώρθωσαν ἅπερ κατώρθωσαν. Ὡς γὰρ παρεπίδημοι ὄντες καὶ ξένοι, τὴν γῆν ᾤκησαν· τὸν δὲ οὐρανὸν, ὡς πολῖται. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ σὺ λέγε, Σάρκα περίκειμαι, οὐ δύναμαι περιγενέσθαι, οὐδὲ τῶν ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς ἱδρώτων λαβέσθαι. Μὴ κατηγορήσῃς τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ σάρκα φορεῖν ἀδύνατον ποιεῖ τὴν ἀρετὴν, οὐχ ἡμῶν τὸ ἔγκλημα· ὅτι δὲ οὐ ποιεῖ ἀδύνατον, ἔδειξεν ὁ τῶν ἁγίων χορός. Τὸν γοῦν Παῦλον οὐκ ἐκώλυσε τῆς σαρκὸς ἡ φύσις γενέσθαι τοιοῦτον, οἷος ἐγένετο· οὐδὲ Πέτρον λαβεῖν τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν. Καὶ ὁ Ἐνὼχ δὲ σάρκα φορέσας, μετετέθη, καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκετο. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἠλίας ἡρπάγη μετὰ τῆς σαρκὸς, καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ μετὰ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ τοῦ ἐγγόνου σάρκα ἔχοντες ἔλαμψαν· καὶ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ μετὰ ταύτης ἐπάλαισε πρὸς τὸ ἀκόλαστον ἐκεῖνο γύναιον. Καὶ τί λέγω σάρκα; Κἂν γὰρ ἅλυσιν τῇ σαρκὶ περιθῇς, οὐδὲν ἐβλάβη. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐγὼ δέδεμαι, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος, Ἀλλ' ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ δέδεται. Καὶ τί λέγω δεσμὰ καὶ ἅλυσιν; Πρόσθες καὶ δεσμωτήριον καὶ κλεῖθρα, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτω κώλυμα γίνεται ταῦτα τῇ ἀρετῇ. Οὕτω γοῦν ἐμυσταγώγησεν ὁ Παῦλος. ∆εσμὸς γὰρ ψυχῆς οὐ σίδηρος, ἀλλὰ δειλία καὶ χρημάτων ἐπιθυμία, καὶ τὰ μυρία πάθη. Ταῦτα δεσμεῖ, κἂν λελυμένον ᾖ, τὸ σῶμα. Ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος ταῦτα τίκτεται, φησί. Σκῆψις ταῦτα καὶ πρόφασις ψευδής. Εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος ἐτίκτετο, πάντες ἂν αὐτὰ ὑπέμενον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ κόπον καὶ ὕπνον καὶ τὸ πεινῇν καὶ διψῇν οὐκ ἔνι διαφυγεῖν, ἐπειδὴ φύσεώς ἐστιν· οὕτω καὶ ταῦτα, εἰ τοιαῦτα ἦν, οὐδένα ἂν ἀφῆκαν ἔξω τῆς αὐτῶν εἶναι τυραννίδος. Εἰ δὲ πολλοὶ διαφεύγουσιν, εὔδηλον ὅτι ῥᾳθυμούσης ἐστὶ ψυχῆς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐλαττώματα. Ταύτην τοίνυν