τὸ δὲ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἀξιωθῆναι καὶ υἱοὺς Θεοῦ γενέσθαι τῶν ὀρεκτῶν ὑπάρχει τὸ ἔσχατον, καὶ οὗ γενομένοις πάσης θεωρίας ἀνάπαυσις, καθὼς γέγραπται.
τῆς οὖν ὑπερφυοῦς ταύτης καὶ τῶν ἐφετῶν ἀκροτάτης μακαριότητος ἠξιώθησαν ἐπιτυχεῖν οἱ ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἅγιοι διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐργασίας· οἱ μὲν μαρτυρικῶς ἀθλήσαντες καὶ μέχρις αἵματος πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀντικαταστάντες, οἱ δὲ ἀσκητικῶς ἀγωνισάμενοι, καὶ τὴν στενὴν βαδίσαντες ὁδόν, καὶ μάρτυρες τῇ προαιρέσει γενόμενοι.
ὧν τὰς ἀριστείας καὶ τὰ κατορθώματα, τῶν τε δι' αἵματος τελειωθέντων καὶ τῶν δι' ἀσκήσεως τὴν ἀγγελικὴν πολιτείαν μιμησαμένων, γραφῇ παραδιδόναι, καὶ ἀρετῆς ὑπόδειγμα ταῖς μετέπειτα (4,1) παραπέμπειν γενεαῖς, ἐκ τῶν θεηγόρων Ἀποστόλων καὶ μακαρίων Πατέρων ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρείληφεν Ἐκκλησία, ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν τοῦτο νομοθετησάντων.
ἡ γὰρ πρὸς ἀρετὴν φέρουσα ὁδὸς τραχεῖά τίς ἐστι καὶ ἀνάντης καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς μήπω μεταθεμένοις ὅλους ἑαυτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τῶν παθῶν τυραννίδος ἔτι πολεμουμένοις.
διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πολλῶν δεόμεθα τῶν πρὸς αὐτὴν παρακαλούντων ἡμᾶς, τοῦτο μὲν παραινέσεων, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ βίων ἱστορίας τῶν ἐκείνην προωδευκότων,
ὃ καὶ μᾶλλον ἀλύπως ἐφέλκεται πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ μὴ ἀπογινώσκειν παρασκευάζει τῆς πορείας τὸ δύσκολον.
ἐπεὶ καὶ τῷ μέλλοντι βαδίζειν ὁδὸν δύσπορον καὶ τραχεῖαν παραινῶν μέν τις καὶ προτρεπόμενος ἧττον πείσειεν·
ὑποδεικνύων δὲ πολλοὺς αὐτὴν ἤδη διελθόντας, εἶτα κἀν τῷ τέλει καλῶς καταλύσαντας, οὕτω πείσειε μᾶλλον καὶ αὐτὸν ἂν τῆς πορείας ἅψασθαι.
τούτῳ οὖν ἐγὼ στοιχῶν τῷ κανόνι, ἄλλως δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐπηρτημένον τῷ δούλῳ κίνδυνον ὑφορώμενος, ὅς, λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου τὸ τάλαντον, εἰς γῆν ἐκεῖνο κατώρυξε καὶ τὸ δοθὲν πρὸς ἐργασίαν ἔκρυψεν ἀπραγμάτευτον, ἐξήγησιν ψυχωφελῆ ἕως ἐμοῦ καταντήσασαν οὐδαμῶς σιωπήσομαι· ἥνπερ μοι ἀφηγήσαντο ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς τῆς ἐνδοτέρας τῶν Αἰθιόπων χώρας, οὕστινας Ἰνδοὺς οἶδεν ὁ λόγος καλεῖν, ἐξ ὑπομνημάτων ταύτην ἀψευδῶν μεταφράσαντες, ἔχει δὲ οὕτως.
Illud porro Spiritu sancto donari, et filios Dei fieri, expetendorum omnium extremum est (Naziananz., orat. de Athanas.); et quo cum ventum fuerit, conquiescit omnis contemplatio, quemadmodum divinis Litteris proditum est.
Hanc igitur excellentem, et expetendarum omnium rerum supremam beatitudinem, sancti omnes, qui ab aevo condito exstiterunt, per virtutum cultum ac studium divino beneficio consecuti sunt; ut qui partim martyrium subierint, atque ad sanguinem usque adversus peccatum in acie steterint, partim religiosae ac Deo devotae vitae certamen exantlarint, actamque viam tenuerint, animique destinatione martyres exstiterint.
Quorum luculentas virtutes ac praeclara facinora (hoc est et eorum qui martyrio perfuncti sunt, et eorum qui per religiosam exercitationem angelicum vitae genus imitando expresserunt) litterarum monumentis commendare, atque ob virtutis exemplum ad posteras aetates transmittere, a divinis apostolis, et beatis patribus Christi Ecclesia accepit, hoc videlicet ad nostri generis salutem velut lata lege promulgantibus.
Etenim via ea quae ad virtutem ducit, aspera est atque ardua et permolesta, iis praesertim qui nondum sese totos ad Deum transtulerunt, verum adhuc vitiorum animique perturbationum tyrannide conflictantur.
Quo fit ut multis ad eam illecebris indigeamus, nimirum et consiliis ac cohortationibus, et exemplis eorum qui hanc viam priores inierunt.
Id quod etiam minore cum molestia ad eam attrahit, efficitque ne ob vitae difficultatem animis frangamur ac desperatione afficiamur.
Siquidem ei quoque cui ardua et difficilis via ineunda est, non perinde quispiam monendo ac cohortando, ut eam ingrediatur, persuaserit.
At cum multos ostendit qui eam confecerint, ac tandem percommodum diversorium nacti sint, tum vero magis eum adducet, ut eamdem quoque viam capessat.
Huic igitur ipsae quoque regulae insistens, ac praeterea impendens ignavo illi servo periculum metuens, qui (445,1) talentum a Domino acceptum in terram abdidit, quodque ei quaestus faciendi causa datum erat ita occultavit, ut nihil ex eo lucri faceret (Matth. XXV), historiam animabus utilem, ad me usque allatam silentio minime praeteribo, quam mihi pii quidam viri interioris Aethiopiae (quos Indos vocant) ex veris commentariis translatam narraverunt. Haec porro ad hunc modum se habet.
Now to have been accounted worthy of the Holy Spirit and to have become sons of God is of all things most to be coveted; and, as it is written, “They that have become his sons find rest from all enquiry.”
This marvellous, and above all else desirable, blessedness have the Saints from the beginning won by the practice of the virtues, some having striven as Martyrs, and resisted sin unto blood, and others having struggled in self-discipline, and having trodden the narrow way, proving Martyrs in will.
Now, that one should hand down to memory the prowess and virtuous deeds of these, both of them that were made perfect by blood, and of them that by self-denial did emulate the conversation of Angels, and should deliver to the generations that follow a pattern of virtue, this hath the Church of Christ received as a tradition from the inspired Apostles, and the blessed Fathers, who did thus enact for the salvation of our race.
For the pathway to virtue is rough and steep, especially for such as have not yet wholly turned unto the Lord, but are still at warfare, through the tyranny of their passions.
For this reason also we need many encouragements thereto, whether it be exhortations, or the record of the lives of them that have travelled on the road before us;
which latter draweth us towards it the less painfully, and doth accustom us not to despair on account of the difficulty of the journey.
For even as with a man that would tread a hard and difficult path; by exhortation and encouragement one may scarce win him to essay it,
but rather by pointing to the many who have already completed the course, and at the last have arrived safely.
So I too, “walking by this rule,” and heedful of the danger hanging over that servant who, having received of his lord the talent, buried it in the earth, and hid out of use that which was given him to trade withal, will in no wise pass over in silence the edifying story that hath come to me, the which devout men from the inner land Of the Ethiopians, whom our tale calleth Indians, delivered unto me, translated from trustworthy records. It readeth thus.
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