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Prologus 4 (prooemium in asceticum magnum)

OF THE SAME. THE LONG RULES. PROEMIUM.

Since by the grace of God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we have come together to the same place, we who have set for ourselves one and the same goal of the life according to godliness; and you, on the one hand, are manifest in your desire to learn something of the things pertaining to salvation, but it is necessary for me, on the other hand, to proclaim the ordinances of God, remembering night and day the Apostle who says, that For three years, night and day, I did not cease with tears admonishing each one; and the present time is most opportune for us, and this place offers tranquility and complete freedom from outside disturbances, let us pray together for one another, so that we, on the one hand, may give the measure of grain to our fellow servants in due season; and you, on the other hand, having received the word, like the good soil, may yield a perfect and manifold fruit in righteousness, as it is written. I beseech you therefore, through the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, let us at last take hold of the care for our souls; let us be grieved over the vanity of our past life; let us strive for the things to come for the glory of God, and of his Christ, and of the adorable and holy Spirit.

Let us not remain in this sloth and dissipation, always squandering the present through indolence, and putting off the beginning of our works until tomorrow and the day after, and then, being overtaken by the one who demands our souls, unprepared with good works, let us be cast out from the joy of the bridal chamber 31.892, and weep idly and unprofitably, lamenting then the time of life that was badly spent, when there will be nothing more for those who repent. Now is the acceptable time, says the Apostle, now is the day of salvation. This is the age of repentance, that is the age of recompense; this of patience, that of consolation. Now God is a helper to those who turn from an evil way, but then a fearful and inexorable examiner of human deeds and words and thoughts. Now we enjoy his long-suffering, then we shall know his righteous judgment, when we rise again, some to eternal punishment, and others to eternal life, and each will receive according to his deeds. Until what time shall we put off obedience to Christ, who has called us into his heavenly kingdom? Shall we not become sober? Shall we not recall ourselves from the life of habit to the strictness of the Gospel? Shall we not set before our eyes that fearful and manifest day of the Lord, in which the kingdom of heaven will receive those who draw near to the right hand of the Lord through their deeds; while Gehenna of fire and eternal darkness will hide those who are thrust to the left on account of their destitution of good works? There will be, he says, the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. And we say we desire the kingdom of heaven, but we do not care for the things by which it is possible to obtain it; but undertaking no labor for the Lord's commandment, we suppose in the vanity of our mind that we will obtain honors equal to those who have resisted sin even unto death. Who, sitting at home or sleeping during the time of sowing, when the harvest has come, has filled his bosom with sheaves? Who has gathered grapes from a vineyard not planted and cultivated by him? The fruits belong to those, whose are also the labors; the honors and the

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Prologus 4 (prooemium in asceticum magnum)

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΟΡΟΙ ΚΑΤΑ ΠΛΑΤΟΣ. ΠΡΟΟΙΜΙΟΝ.

Ἐπειδὴ Θεοῦ χάριτι ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

συνεληλύθαμεν εἰς ταυτὸν οἱ ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν σκοπὸν τοῦ βίου τοῦ κατ' εὐσέβειαν ἐνστησάμενοι· καὶ ὑμεῖς μὲν εὔδηλοί ἐστε μαθεῖν τι τῶν πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἐπιποθοῦντες, ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀνάγκη ἀναγγέλλειν τὰ δικαιώματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας μεμνημένῳ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέ γοντος, ὅτι Τριετίαν νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν οὐκ ἐπαυ σάμην μετὰ δακρύων νουθετῶν ἕνα ἕκαστον· και ρὸς δὲ ἐπιτηδειότατος ἡμῖν ὁ παρὼν, καὶ τόπος οὗτος ἡσυχίαν παρέχων καὶ σχολὴν πᾶσαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν θορύβων, συνευξώμεθα ἀλλήλοις, ὥστε ἡμᾶς μὲν ἐν καιρῷ τοῖς συνδούλοις ἡμῶν δοῦναι τὸ σιτο μέτριον· ὑμᾶς δὲ, λαβόντας τὸν λόγον, ὡς τὴν ἀγα θὴν γῆν, τέλειον καὶ πολυπλασίονα τὸν ἐν δικαιο σύνῃ καρπὸν ἀποδοῦναι, καθὼς γέγραπται. Παρα καλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρ τιῶν ἡμῶν, ἁψώμεθά ποτε τῆς φροντίδος τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν· λυπηθῶμεν ἐπὶ τῇ ματαιώσει τοῦ προλαβόντος βίου· ἀγωνισώμεθα ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόν των εἰς δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ προσκυνητοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος.

Μὴ τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἐκλύσει ταύτῃ ἐναπομείνωμεν, καὶ τὸ μὲν παρὸν ἀεὶ διὰ ῥᾳθυμίας προϊέμενοι, πρὸς δὲ τὸ αὔριον καὶ τὸ ἐφεξῆς τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ἔρ γων ὑπερτιθέμενοι, εἶτα καταληφθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀπαιτοῦντος τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν, ἀπαρασκεύαστοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων, τῆς μὲν χαρᾶς τοῦ νυμφῶνος 31.892 ἀποβληθῶμεν, ἀργὰ δὲ καὶ ἀνόνητα μετακλαίω μεν, τὸν κακῶς παρεθέντα τοῦ βίου χρόνον ὀδυρό μενοι τότε, ὅτε πλέον οὐδὲν ἐξέσται τοῖς μεταμελο μένοις. Νῦν καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος, φησὶν ὁ Ἀπό στολος, νῦν ἡμέρα σωτηρίας. Οὗτος ὁ αἰὼν τῆς μετανοίας, ἐκεῖνος τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως· οὗτος τῆς ὑπομονῆς, ἐκεῖνος τῆς παρακλήσεως. Νῦν βοηθὸς τῶν ἐπιστρεφόντων ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς ὁ Θεὸς, τότε φοβερὸς καὶ ἀπαραλόγιστος τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πρα γμάτων τε καὶ ῥημάτων καὶ ἐνθυμημάτων ἐξετα στής. Νῦν τῆς μακροθυμίας ἀπολαύομεν, τότε τὴν δικαιοκρισίαν γνωρίσομεν, ὅταν ἀναστῶμεν, οἱ μὲν εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον, οἱ δὲ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἀπολάβῃ ἕκαστος κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ. Πρὸς τί να καιρὸν ὑπερτιθέμεθα τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ καλέσαντος ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείαν; Οὐκ ἐκνήψομεν; οὐκ ἀνακαλεσόμεθα ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ κατὰ συνήθειαν βίου πρὸς τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου; Οὐκ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ληψό μεθα τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν φοβερὰν ἐκείνην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ, ἐν ᾗ τοὺς μὲν τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τῶν πράξεων προσεγγίζοντας βασιλεία οὐρανῶν ὑποδέξεται· τοὺς δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀριστερὰν διὰ τὴν ἐρημίαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἀπεωσμένους, γέεννα πυρὸς καὶ σκότος αἰώνιον κατακρύψει; Ἐκεῖ ἔσται, φησὶν, ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. Ἡμεῖς δὲ βασιλείας μὲν οὐρανῶν ἐπιθυμεῖν λέ γομεν, ἐξ ὧν δὲ ἔστιν αὐτῆς ἐπιτυχεῖν οὐ φροντίζο μεν· ἀλλὰ μηδένα πόνον ὑπὲρ ἐντολῆς Κυρίου κα ταδεχόμενοι, τῶν ἴσων τιμῶν τεύξεσθαι τοῖς μέ χρι θανάτου πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀντικαταστᾶσιν ἐν τῇ ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς ἡμῶν ὑποτιθέμεθα. Τίς ἐν καιρῷ τῆς σπορᾶς οἴκοι καθήμενος ἢ καθεύδων, ἐνστάντος τοῦ θερισμοῦ, τὸν κόλπον ἐπλήρωσε τῶν δραγμάτων; τίς ἐτρύγησεν ἀμπελῶνα τὸν μὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ πεφυτευμένον καὶ πεπονημένον; Ἐκείνων οἱ καρποὶ, ὧν καὶ οἱ πόνοι· αἱ τιμαὶ καὶ οἱ