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2. And the Brother said: What commandments then must I do, Father, that through them I may be saved? I wish to hear it concisely. And the elder answered: The Lord Himself said after the resurrection to the apostles: Go, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. Therefore, every person baptized in the name of the life-giving and divine Trinity must observe all that he commanded. For on this account the Lord joined the observance of all the commandments with right faith; knowing that it is impossible for the one separated from the other to save a person. For this reason David also, having right faith, said to God: I directed my ways according to all your commandments; I hated every unjust way. For against every unjust way, all the commandments have been given to us by the Lord; and if one is omitted, it certainly introduces the opposing way of evil.

3. And the Brother said: And who is able, Father, [to do all the commandments, being so many? The elder said: He who imitates the Lord, and follows in his footsteps. And the Brother said: And who is able] to imitate the Lord? For the Lord was God, even though he became man; but I am a sinful man, and enslaved to countless passions; how then can I imitate the Lord? And the elder answered: Of those enslaved to the matter of the world, no one is able to imitate the Lord; but those who are able to say: Behold, we have left everything and followed you; they receive the power both to imitate him and to direct themselves according to all his commandments. And the Brother says: What power? the elder answered: Hear him saying: Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

4. Having received this power and authority, Paul said: Become imitators of me, as I also am of Christ. And again: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but also according to the Spirit. And again: And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. And again: the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

5. Prophesying about this authority and help, David said: He who dwells in the help of the Most High shall abide in the shelter of the God of heaven. He will say to the Lord: You are my helper and my refuge, my God, and I will hope in Him. (916) And after a little: You shall tread upon the asp and the basilisk, and you shall trample the lion and the dragon; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. But those who are attached to the flesh and love the matter of the world, hear what things they hear from [Alt. hear what from. Fr. hear such things as] Him: He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And after a little: And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. And, Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple. Therefore, he who wishes to become His disciple, and be found worthy of Him, and to receive power from Him against the spirits of wickedness, separates himself from every fleshly relationship; and strips himself of every material attachment; and thus he struggles against the invisible enemies for the sake of His commandments; as the Lord Himself provided a type for us, being tempted in the desert by their ruler, and when He came into the world, by those energized by him.

6. And the Brother said: But the commandments of the Lord are many, Father; and who is able to keep all of them in mind, so as to strive for all of them? especially I, being of little learning? I would like to hear a concise saying, so that by holding to it, I might be saved through it. And the elder answered: Though they are many, Brother, yet in one word

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β΄. Καί ὁ Ἀδελφός εἶπε· Ποίας οὖν ἐντολάς ὀφείλω ποιῆσαι, Πάτερ, ἵνα δι᾿ αὐτῶν σωθῶ, ἤθελον συντόμως ἀκοῦσαι. Καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Αὐτός ὁ Κύριος εἶπε μετά τήν ἀνάστασιν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις· πορευθέντες, μαθητεύσατε πάντα τά ἔθνη· βαπτίζοντες αὐτούς εἰς τό ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρός καί τοῦ Υἱοῦ καί τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· διδάσκοντες αὐτούς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν. Ὥστε οὖν ὅσα ἐνετείλατο δεῖ τηρεῖν, πάντα ἄνθρωπον βαπτισθέντα εἰς τό ὄνομα τῆς ζωοποιοῦ καί θεαρχικῆς Τριάδος. Τούτου γάρ χάριν τῇ ὀρθῇ πίστει ὁ Κύριος τήν πασῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν συνέζευξεν τήρησιν· ὡς εἰδώς, ὅτι ἀμήχανον τήν μίαν διαζευχθεῖσαν τῆς μιᾶς σώζειν τόν ἄνθρωπον. ∆ιά τοῦτο καί ὁ ∆αβίδ τήν ὀρθήν πίστιν ἔχων, πρός τόν Θεόν ἔλεγε· Πρός πάσας τάς ἐντολάς σου κατωρθούμην· πᾶσαν ὁδόν ἄδικον ἐμίσησα. Κατά γάρ πάσης ὁδοῦ ἀδίκου, πᾶσαι ἡμῖν αἱ ἐντολαί ὑπό τοῦ Κυρίου δεδώρηνται· καί ἐάν παραλειφθῇ μία, τήν ἀντικειμένην αὐτῇ ὁδόν τῆς κακίας ἀντεισάγει πάντως.

γ΄. Καί εἶπεν ὁ Ἀδελφός· Καί τίς δύναται, Πάτερ, [πάσας τάς ἐντολάς, τοσαύτας γε οὔσας, ποιεῖν; Ἔφη ὁ γέρων· Ὁ τόν Κύριον ἐκμιμούμενος, καί κατ᾿ ἴχνος αὐτῷ ἐπακολουθῶν. Καί εἶπεν ὁ Ἀδελφός· Καί τίς δύναται] τόν Κύριον μιμήσασθαι; ὁ γάρ Κύριος ἦν Θεός, εἰ καί ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν· ἐγώ δέ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ἁμαρτωλός, καί μυρίοις πάθεσι δεδουλωμένος· πῶς οὖν δύναμαι τόν Κύριον μιμήσασθαι; Καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Τῶν τῇ ὕλῃ τοῦ κόσμου δεδουλωμένων, οὐδείς δύναται τόν Κύριον μιμήσασθαι· οἱ δέ δυνάμενοι λέγειν· Ἰδού ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν πάντα, καί ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι· ἐκεῖνοι λαμβάνουσι δύναμιν τοῦ τε μιμήσασθαι αὐτόν, καί τοῦ πρός πάσας τάς ἐντολάς αὐτοῦ κατορθῶσαι. Καί φησιν Ἀδελφός· Ποίαν δύναμιν; ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Αὐτοῦ ἄκουσον λέγοντος· Ἰδού δέδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καί σκορπίων, καί ἐπί πᾶσαν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ· καί οὐδέν ὑμᾶς οὐ μή ἀδικήσει.

δ΄. Ταύτην τήν δύναμιν καί τήν ἐξουσίαν λαβών ὁ Παῦλος, ἔλεγε· Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθώς κἀγώ Χριστοῦ. Καί πάλιν· Οὐκ ἔστι νῦν κατάκριμα τοῖς ἐν Χριστῶ Ἰησοῦ, μή κατά σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν, ἀλλά καί πνεῦμα. Καί πάλιν· Οἱ δέ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τήν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν σύν τοῖς παθήμασι καί ταῖς ἐιθυμίαις. Καί πάλιν· Ἐμοί κόσμος ἐσταύρωται, κἀγώ τῷ κόσμῳ.

ε΄. Περί ταύτης τῆς ἐξουσίας καί βοηθείας προφητεύων ὁ ∆αβίδ, ἔλεγε· Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Ὑψίστου, ἐν σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αὐλισθήσεται.Ἐρεῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ· Ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ, καί καταφυγή μου, Θεός μου, καί ἐλπιῶ ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν. (916) Καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγα· Ἐπί ἀσπίδα καί βασιλίσκον ἐπιβήσῃ, καί καταπατήσεις λέοντα καί δράκοντα· ὅτι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περί σοῦ, τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου. Οἱ δέ τῇ σαρκί προσκείμενοι, καί τήν ὕλην ἀγαπῶντες τοῦ κόσμου, ἄκουε ποῖα παρ᾿ [Alt. ἄκουσον τί παρ᾿ . Fr. ἄκουε οἷα] αὐτοῦ ἀκούουσιν· Ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἤ μητέρα ὑπέρ ἐμέ, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. Καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγα· Καί ὅς οὐ λαμβάνει τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ καί ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. Καί, Ὅστις οὐκ ἀποτάσσεται πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτῷ, οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθητής.Ὁ οὖν θέλων γενέσθαι αὐτοῦ μαθητής, καί ἄξιος αὐτοῦ εὑρεθῆναι· καί δύναμιν παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν κατά τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας, χωρίζει ἑαυτόν πάσης σαρκικῆς σχέσεως· καί γυμνοῖ ἑαυτόν πάσης ὑλικῆς προσπαθείας· καί οὕτως πρός τούς ἀοράτους ἐχθρούς ὑπέρ τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ ἀγωνίζεται· ὡς αὐτός ὁ Κύριος ἑαυτόν τύπον ἡμῖν παρέσχεν, ἔν τε τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὑπό τοῦ ἀρχηγοῦ αὐτῶν πειραζόμενος· καί ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ἐλθών, ὑπό τῶν ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐνεργουμένων.

στ΄. Καί ὁ Ἀδελφός εἶπεν· Ἀλλά πολλαί εἰσι, Πάτερ, αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐντολαί· καί τίς δύναται πάσας ἔχειν κατά νοῦν, ἵνα ὑπέρ πασῶν ἀγωνίσηται; ἐγώ δέ μάλιστα, ὀλιγόνους ὑπάρχων; σύντομον λόγον ἤθελον ἀκοῦσαι, ἵνα αὐτόν κρατῶν, δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐσωζόμην. Καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Εἰ καί πολλαί εἰσιν, Ἀδελφέ, ἀλλ᾿ ἑνί λόγῳ