333

before our eyes, broke our humble soul, as you explained each detail: that you, our master, bear what has happened with thanksgiving and refer the suffering to God, placing yourself outside of those who have been wronged by human insolence, and seeking one end, that you might make your life henceforth acceptable to the Lord of all. At all this, we were fittingly disposed to say that "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things;" for just as in some storehouse, having stored up treasures of knowledge in your soul from your previous education, both divine and human, at a time of fitting need you bring forth spiritual riches, managing your own salvation. And see, good man, that it has turned out for your good: the divine lessons, the reading and knowledge, the study and practice, the supplication and prayer, the possession of the sacred oracles and books. How very rich you are, even if you have few provisions for life left; how fair-faced and lovely-eyed, even if you have been deprived of your sight by injustice; how very illustrious and glorious, even if you have resolved to endure a life of dishonor and ignominy. And surely this is a test and a trial of virtue, so that, from those things by which we seem to have been abandoned, we may find that we are being benefited by the good God; who through things right and left, through glory and dishonor, through ill repute and good repute, and the other things which the apostolic voice set forth, knows how to manage our life for our benefit. And this is an ancient doctrine and characteristic of the way of life of God-inspired men. Take Abel, the righteous one to whom God bore witness; did he not become a victim of his brother's hand? That Enoch, who pleased God, was it not because of the corruptors of that time who were eager to destroy him that God snatched him from their midst, translating him to unseen places, who also remains until now, to be the forerunner of the second appearing of Christ? Consider Abraham, tested by God in many ways, whose tested faith is much more precious than gold. And that I may pass over the others, who are many and cannot be commemorated within the measure of a letter, [consider] Job of the countless struggles; perhaps if we compare our own circumstances with his sufferings, we should find them indeed lacking, and we shall join in uttering his memorable voice, taking it up each time. Thus then we beseech you, most longed for, to arrange your own affairs and to transform the time of misfortune and much suffering into good fortune and well-being with a better mind and a steadfastly faithful disposition; for nothing human will move one who is so firmly fixed and lives by confidence in God, having been shown to be higher than all things accustomed to cause grief. And if you say that in listening to the one reading you turn to sleep, it is no wonder; for the loss of sight is accustomed to produce this. And if you say that you have no work for your hands, with your nature being inactive, let it be no concern to you; the apostle says: "You have a psalm, you have a teaching, you have a tongue, you have a revelation; let all things be done for edification." Eat, drink, sleep, only possess a thankful spirit and, read whatever lies stored up within you and in the natural book of your mind. And a little later you might look up greatly and see the unapproachable light, Jesus the Son of God, coming from heaven with the glory of his power in a flame of fire, judging some as deserving of judgment, but glorifying others as partakers of glory; may you also be among them. my dearest and most honored one, flashing forth like a ray of the sun. Concerning the suburb which you designated to become a monastery, if then anything else was thus or otherwise appointed for a good purpose, God has accepted all things as if they had already happened, if indeed you bear the loss of all things with thanksgiving. Pray for us sinners; for now not we sinners, but even any of the holy ones would ask for your prayer, as one who labors in sufferings. most beloved of God

333

κατ' ὀφθαλμούς, κατέκλασεν ἡμῶν τὴν ταπεινὴν ψυχήν, ἐξηγορήσας ἕκαστα, ὅτι καὶ εὐχαρίστως φέροις, ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν, τὸ συμβεβηκὸς καὶ ἐπὶ θεὸν ἀναφέρεις τὸ πάθος, ἔξω ἑαυτὸν τιθῶν τῶν σκαιωρηθέντων ἀνθρωπίναις ἐπηρείαις, καὶ τέλος ἓν ζητῶν, ὅπως εὐπρόσδεκτον πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς τὴν ζωὴν καταστήσειας τῷ δεσπότῃ τῶν ἁπάντων. ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις διέθηκεν ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὸ εἰκός, ἐκεῖνο εἰπόντας, ὅτι ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας ἐκβάλλει τὰ ἀγαθά· καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἔν τινι ταμιείῳ τὰ ἐκ τῆς προλαβούσης παιδείας θείας τε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνης ἐναποθέμενος τῇ ψυχῇ γνωστικὰ θησαυρίσματα ἐπὶ καιροῦ εἰκότως χρειώδους προΐοις τὰ πνευματικὰ πλούτη, οἰκονομῶν τὸ κατὰ σεαυτὸν σωτήριον. καὶ ἴδε, ἄνθρωπε ἀγαθέ, ὅτι εἰς καλόν σοι ἀπέβη τὰ θεῖα μαθήματα, ἡ ἀνάγνωσις καὶ ἐπίγνωσις, ἡ σχολὴ καὶ ἐντριβή, ἡ ἔντευξις καὶ ἡ προσευχή, ἡ κτῆσις τῶν ἱερῶν λόγων τε καὶ δέλτων. ὡς πλούσιος σὺ ἄγαν, κἂν εἰς ὀλίγα σοι περίεστι τὰ τῆς ζωῆς ἐφόδια, ὡς εὐωπὴς καὶ καλλιβλέφαρος, κἂν τὴν ὄψιν ἀδικίᾳ ἀπεστέρησαι, ὡς περιφανὴς λίαν καὶ περίδοξος, κἂν τὴν ἄτιμον καὶ ἄδοξον ζωὴν ἀνατλᾶν διανενόησαι. καί γε πάντως τοῦτο δοκιμή τίς ἐστι καὶ βάσανος ἀρετῆς, ἵνα, ἐξ ὧν δοκῶμεν ἐγκαταλελεῖφθαι, ἐντεῦθεν εὕρωμεν εὐεργετῆσθαι πρὸς θεοῦ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ· ὃς διὰ τῶν δεξιῶν καὶ ἀριστερῶν, διὰ δόξης καὶ ἀτιμίας, διὰ δυσφημίας καὶ εὐφημίας καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὅσα ἡ ἀποστολικὴ διεστείλατο φωνή, οἶδεν οἰκονομεῖν συμφερόντως τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν. καὶ τοῦτο δόγμα ἀρχαῖον καὶ τῆς τῶν θεολήπτων ἀνδρῶν πολιτείας γνωριστικόν. λάβε μοι Ἄβελ, τὸν θεοκρίτως μαρτυρηθέντα δίκαιον· οὐχὶ παρανάλωμα ἀδελφικῆς χειρὸς γέγονεν; τὸν Ἐνὼχ ἐκεῖνον, θεῷ εὐαρεστήσαντα, οὐχὶ διὰ τοὺς τηνικαῦτα φθορεῖς καὶ φθείρειν αὐτὸν ἐσπουδακότας θεὸς ἐκ μέσου ἥρπασεν, ἐν ἀδήλοις τόποις μεταθέμενος, ὃς καὶ μένει μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο προάγγελος τῆς δευτέρας ἐπιφανείας Χριστοῦ ἐσόμενος; γνῶθι τὸν Ἀβραάμ, πειραζόμενον ὑπὸ θεοῦ πολυτρόπως, οὗ τὸ δοκίμιον τῆς πίστεως πολυτιμότερον χρυσίου ὅτι μάλιστα. καὶ ἵνα τοὺς ἄλλους παραδράμοιμι, πολλοὺς ὄντας καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἐπιστολῆς μέτρῳ ὑπομνηματίζεσθαι ἐγχωροῦντας, Ἰὼβ τὸν μυρίαθλον τάχα, εἰ παραβάλωμεν τὰ ἑαυτῶν τοῖς ἐκείνου πάθεσιν, εὕροιμεν δὴ ἐνδεῶς ἔχοντα καὶ συμφθεγξόμεθα τὴν ἐκείνου ἀοίδιμον φωνὴν ἑκάστοτε ἀναλαμβάνοντες. Οὕτως οὖν παρακαλοῦμέν σε, ἐπιπόθητε, διαθέσθαι τὰ κατὰ σαυτὸν καὶ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς δυσπραγίας καὶ πολυπαθείας κρείττονι λογισμῷ καὶ βεβαιοπίστῳ γνώμῃ εἰς εὐτυχίαν καὶ εὐπάθειαν μεταστοιχειώσασθαι· τὸν γὰρ οὕτως ἐρηρεισμένον καὶ πεποιθήσει θεοῦ ζῶντα οὐδὲν παρακινήσει τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, ὑψηλότερον πεφηνότα πάντων τῶν λυπεῖν εἰωθότων. κἂν λέγῃς ἐν τῇ παρακροάσει τοῦ ἀναγινώσκοντος εἰς ὕπνον τρέπεσθαι, οὐ θαῦμα· πέφυκε γὰρ ἡ ἀφαίρεσις τῆς ὄψεως τοῦτο ἐργάζεσθαι. κἂν φῇς μηδὲν ἔργον ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἔχειν, ἀπρακτούσης τῆς φύσεως, μηδέν σοι μελέτω· φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος· ψαλμὸν ἔχεις, διδαχὴν ἔχεις, γλῶσσαν ἔχεις, ἀποκάλυψιν ἔχεις· πάντα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν γινέσθω. φάγε, πίε, ὕπνωσον, μόνον τὸ εὐχάριστον κέκτησο καί, ὅσα σοι οἴκοθεν καὶ ἐν τῷ φυσικῷ τοῦ νοῦ βιβλίῳ ἀπόκειται, ἀναγίνωσκε. καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον ἀναβλέψειας μέγα καὶ ἴδοις τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀπρόσιτον, Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενον μετὰ δόξης δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ ἐν πυρὶ φλογός, οὓς μὲν κρίνοντα ὡς ἐνδίκους κρίσεως, οὓς δὲ δοξάζοντα ὡς δόξης συνίστορας· μεθ' ὧν εἴης καὶ αὐτός. φίλτατέ μοι καὶ τιμιώτατε, ἀπαστράπτων ἴσα καὶ ἡλίου βολίδι. Περὶ οὗ προώρισας προαστείου εἰς μοναστήριον καθεστάναι, εἴ τι οὖν ἄλλο οὕτως ἢ ἑτέρως ἐν καλῷ διώριστο, πάντα ὡς ἤδη γεγονότα θεὸς ἐδέξατο, εἴπερ εὐχαρίστως τὴν ἀφαίρεσιν πάντων οἴσεις. προσεύχου περὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν· ἄρτι γὰρ οὐχ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τις τῶν ὁσίων ἐξαιτήσοιτο ἄν σου τὴν δέησιν, ὡς κάμνοντος τοῖς παθήμασιν. ὁ θεοφιλέστατος