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a mournful message? The father was well, performing the usual acts of his sincere love and reception toward the brothers and fathers. For who more than he embraced hospitality and cared for those who were loved, whom the successive presence and persistence of visitors did not overcome, so much as their scarcity and quick departure annoyed him instead? And why must I illustrate what is being said to you who know it well? He was, therefore, as has been said, engaged in these things. But when the festal day of the second day after Pentecost arrived, rising from the meal he was seized with the pains of a catarrh, which started from his head and went down to his spine and the regions of his back; on account of this, we the humble were moved and found him truly ill and explaining the causes of the affliction. Then, when we had returned home, coming again on the next day we found him still struck with more violent pains and a burning fever, barely able to speak softly to us and hinting at his despair of living in the flesh. What next? On the third day, his tongue was completely bound, and [not] long after, bitter death. But let it be called bitter for us because of the loss of the holy man, but for him very sweet because he departed to be with Christ; what could be more blessed than this? So the blessed one lay (for it is good to describe this too) like some strange sight, venerable in appearance, angelic in form, as if the soul that had gone to be with the Lord had impressed some sun-like features upon the holy body, with which and in which he had served the Holy Trinity. Suddenly a crowd gathered, of monks and of laity alike, a very large one, and it poured around him, looking upon him as a sacred treasure, or rather, to speak more appropriately, as if he were breathing and able to speak. Tears were shed, by the reverent silently, by his attendants more loudly. Thus, then, with the fitting psalms and hierarchical invocations, he was given over to the tomb, in the place where the blessed one was accustomed to serve the Lord; and so the father was added to the fathers, the confessor to the confessors, the teacher to the teachers, the prophet to the prophets, and we might add these as well: the temperate to the temperate, the pure to the lovers of purity, the hospitable to the hospitable, the moderate to the moderate-minded, he who had become all things well to all men as much as possible, that he might gain all or the majority, resting on apostolic achievements. And now we the humble, like orphans, lament him who was truly a lover of his father and a lover of his brothers, while his church, that is, the little flock, is greatly perplexed and calls for its shepherd and father, just as it is likely for fledglings who have lost their parents and are chirping and wandering about often and have no one who can feed them, spiritually and physically; for these things his friends must also take thought as they are able. But you, O blessed one, what do you say to these things? Do you remain in the flesh, or do you judge it more necessary to depart from here? since we have just learned again that you are very weary. Or is it better that we who have grown old and are of no use to this life, but rather even draw sin upon sin, should depart from this wretched flesh, and that he and those like him, since they are radiant in both life and word, should still live among men? Reply to us on these things, O longed-for one, and indeed let the holy children of your brother, fellow-contestant, and soul-mate hear your comforting voice; for thus we both would be more at ease, offering to God our thanksgivings and prayers with joyful sorrow. 534 {1To Symeon the monk}1 The question put forth by your honor ought to have received its clarification from its own context; for you are not one of the uninitiated, but one of those able to benefit others also. For what fellowship, says the apostle, has light with darkness, or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? If, therefore, the cup of blessing is a participation in the blood of Christ, and the bread which we break is a participation

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ὀδυρτικὸν ἀπάγγελμα; ὑγιαίνων ἦν ὁ πατήρ, τὰ συνήθη ἐνεργῶν τῆς ἀνυποκρίτου αὐτοῦ ἀγάπης καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ πατέρας δεξιώσεως. τίς γὰρ ὁ πλέον ἐκείνου φιλοξενίαν ἀσπαζόμενος καὶ θεραπεύων φιλουμένους, ὃν οὐχὶ ἡ ἐπάλληλος τῶν ἐπιφοιτώντων παρουσία καὶ ἐπιμονὴ ἐδάμαζεν, ὅσον ἠνία μᾶλλον ἡ σπάνη τούτων καὶ ταχεῖα παλινοδία; Καὶ τί δεῖ πρὸς σὲ τὸν εὖ εἰδότα ὑποδειγματίζειν τὸ λεγόμενον; ἦν οὖν, ὡς εἴρηται, ἐν τούτοις. ἐπεὶ δὲ παρῆν ἡ ἡμέρα τῆς μετὰ τὴν Πεντηκοστὴν δευτέρας ἑορτάσιμος, ἀναστὰς ἀπὸ τῆς ἑστιάσεως ἐλήφθη πόνοις καταρροίας, ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς γενομένης ἐπὶ τὸν σπόνδυλον καὶ τοὺς τόπους τῶν μεταφρένων· ἐφ' ᾧ κινηθέντες οἱ ταπεινοὶ εὕρομεν αὐτὸν κάμνοντα τῷ ὄντι καὶ διασαφοῦντα τὰς αἰτίας τῆς συμπτώσεως. εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ ὑπεστρέψαμεν οἴκοι, αὖθις τῇ ἑξῆς παραγενόμενοι εὕρομεν αὐτὸν ἔτι βαλλόμενον σφοδροτέραις ἀλγηδόσι καὶ διακαεῖ πυρετῷ, μόλις δυνηθέντα ἡμῖν ἠρέμα προσφθέγξασθαι καὶ τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν τοῦ ζῆν ἐν σαρκὶ αἰνιττόμενον. τί τὸ ἑξῆς; τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ δεσμὸς τῆς γλώττης πάμπαν καὶ [οὐ] μετ' οὐ πολὺ ὁ πικρὸς θάνατος. Ἀλλ' ἡμῖν μὲν διὰ τὴν στέρησιν τοῦ ἁγίου ἀνδρὸς τὸ πικρὸν εἰρήσθω, ἐκείνῳ δὲ καὶ πάνυ γλυκὺ διὰ τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι· οὗ τί ἂν εἴη μακαριώτερον; ἔκειτο οὖν ὁ μακαρίτης (καλὸν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ὑπογράψαι) ὥσπερ τι ξένον θέαμα, αἰδέσιμος τῇ ὄψει, ἀγγελοειδὴς τῷ σχήματι, τῆς ἐνδημησάσης πρὸς Κύριον ψυχῆς ὥσπερ τινὰς ἡλιοειδεῖς χαρακτῆρας ἐναπομαξαμένης τῷ ἱερῷ σώματι, μεθ' οὗ καὶ ἐφ' ᾧ λελάτρευκε τῇ Ἁγίᾳ Τριάδι. ἠθροίσθη ἐξαπίνης ὅμιλος, ὁμοῦ μὲν μοναστῶν, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ μιγάδων, πολὺς ὅτι μάλιστα, περιεκέχυτο εἰς αὐτὸ ὡς εἰς ἱερὸν κειμήλιον ἀποβλέπων ἤ, μᾶλλον, οἰκειότερον εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἔμπνουν καὶ φωνεῖν δυνάμενον. ἐχεῖτο δάκρυα τῶν μὲν αἰδημόνων ἀψοφητί, τῶν δὲ θεραπευτῶν ἐκραγέστερον. οὕτως οὖν σὺν ψαλμῳδίαις ταῖς καθηκούσαις καὶ ἐπικλήσεσιν ἱεραρχικαῖς παρεδόθη τῷ τάφῳ, καθ' ὃν τόπον εἰώθει ὁ μακάριος λειτουργεῖν Κυρίῳ· καί γε προσετέθη ὁ πατὴρ τοῖς πατράσιν, ὁ ὁμολογητὴς τοῖς ὁμολογηταῖς, ὁ διδάσκαλος τοῖς διδασκάλοις, ὁ ὑποφήτης τοῖς ὑποφήταις, προσθείημεν δ' ἂν καὶ ταῦτα, ὁ ἐγκρατὴς τοῖς ἐγκρατέσιν, ὁ ἁγνὸς τοῖς φιλάγνοις, ὁ φιλόξενος τοῖς φιλοξένοις, ὁ μέτριος τοῖς μετριόφροσιν, ὁ πάντα τοῖς πᾶσιν εὖ γεγονὼς καθ' ὅσον οἷόν τε, ἵνα τοὺς πάντας ἢ τοὺς πλείονας κερδήσῃ, ἀποστολικοῖς κατορθώμασιν ἐπερειδόμενος. καὶ νῦν ἡμεῖς μὲν οἱ ταπεινοὶ ὀρφανικῶς ἀποδυρόμενοι τὸν ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ φιλοπάτορα καὶ φιλάδελφον, ἡ δὲ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐκκλησία, εἴτουν τὸ μικρὸν ποίμνιον, ἠπορημένον λίαν καὶ ἀνακαλούμενον τὸν ποιμένα καὶ πατέρα, οἷα εἰκὸς νεοττοὺς ἀπολελωκότας τοὺς φύσαντας καὶ πυκνὰ τρύζοντας καὶ ἀλύοντας καὶ οὐκ ἔχοντας τὸν δυνάμενον βρωματίζειν νοητῶς τε καὶ αἰσθητῶς· ἐφ' οἷς καὶ φροντιστέον τὰ κατὰ δύναμιν τοῖς ἐκείνου φίλοις. Σὺ δέ, ὦ μάκαρ, τί φῆς πρὸς ταῦτα; ἐπιμένεις τῇ σαρκὶ ἢ ἀναγκαιότερον κρίνεις ἀπᾶραι τῶν ἐνθένδε; ἐπειδὴ κεκμηκότα σε λίαν πάλιν ἄρτι μεμαθήκαμεν. ἢ κρεῖττον μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς τοὺς γεγηρακότας καὶ μή τι χρησιμεύοντας τῷ βίῳ, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἐφ' ἁμαρτίαις ἐπισπωμένους ἐκχωρῆσαι τοῦ δυστήνου τοῦδε σαρκίου, αὐτὸν δὲ καὶ τοὺς οἵους αὐτός, ἐπειδὴ φαεινοὶ καὶ βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ, ἔτι ἐμπολιτεύεσθαι ἐν ἀνθρώποις; πρὸς ταῦτα ἀντίφθεγξαι ἡμῖν, ὦ ἐπιπόθητε, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ φωνῆς σου ἀκουσάτωσαν παραμυθητικῆς οἱ τοῦ σοῦ ὁμαδέλφου καὶ συνάθλου καὶ συμψύχου παῖδες ἱεροί· οὕτω γὰρ ῥᾴους γενοίμεθα ἀμφότεροι, θεῷ τὰ χαριστήρια καὶ εὐκτήρια χαρμολύπως ἀνατιθέμενοι. 534 {1Συμεὼν μονάζοντι}1 Τὸ παρὰ τῆς τιμιότητός σου προταθὲν ἐρώτημα ὀφείλει οἴκοθεν τὴν διασάφησιν εἰληφέναι· οὐδὲ γὰρ τῶν ἀμυήτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλους ὠφελεῖν ἰσχυόντων ὑπάρχει. ποία γὰρ κοινωνία, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος ἢ τίς μερὶς πιστῷ μετὰ ἀπίστου; εἰ οὖν τὸ ποτήριον τῆς εὐλογίας κοινωνία τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ἄρτος ὃν κλῶμεν κοινωνία