About paradise

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Dying will Moses, who taught everyone in his heavenly books, this leader of the Jews, may he teach me, as a student, with his Pentateuch - this treasury of revelation. It reveals the history of the Garden of Eden; in appearance, only described, it is majestic in the secrets hidden in it, and briefly depicted, it is marvelous in its plants. For a long time I was torn by fear and love. Love called me to carefully examine paradise, and the fear of its greatness kept me from such inquisitiveness. Finally, I combined both with wisdom. Reverently honoring the secrets of paradise, I examined one thing that was revealed in it. He researched one thing for his own gain, and kept silent about the other for his own benefit. I joyfully began the history of paradise. There is little in it for reading, but a lot for research. The lips read what was revealed in the narrative, and the spirit, soaring tremblingly, ascended to explore the glory of paradise, however, not with the thought of comprehending what paradise is in itself, but wanting to experience it, as far as it is allowed to a person. With my spiritual eye I looked at heaven. The peaks of all the mountains are low compared to his height. The high waves of the flood barely touched his heels; they reverently kissed his feet and returned back to crush and trample the tops of the mountains and heights. One heel of paradise was kissed by a flood that crushed all heights. But no matter how high paradise is placed, those who ascend there do not become weary, and those who inherit it are not burdened with labor. With his beauty he fills with joy and attracts those walking towards him, illuminates them with the sparkle of rays, delights them with his fragrance. The luminous clouds form tabernacles for those who have become worthy of it. The sons of light descend from their tents and rejoice in the land where they were persecuted; they rejoice on the ridge of the sea and do not drown, where Simon the stone did not drown. Blessed is the one who sees that his beloved is with them: and here is down in their hosts, and there is grief in their abodes! Their chariots are like clouds, rushing through the air with ease. Each one soars at the head of those he taught. His ascetic labors became a chariot for him, and his host of disciples became a glorious accompaniment. Blessed is he who sees the prophets soaring with their faces, and the apostles with their hosts! “Whoever does and teaches, he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:19). Paradise is far from sight, it is inaccessible to the eye, therefore, one can only dare to depict it in comparisons. In the bright crown that we see near the moon, imagine paradise; and it also surrounds and embraces both the sea and the land. But my lips are uncontrollable, they are not satisfied with the sweetness of paradise. Let's imagine other similarities. Moses made a crown on the majestic altar (Ex. 27:3), and he crowned the altar with a golden crown. Such is paradise - this beautiful crown that crowns the universe. When Adam sinned, God expelled him from paradise and, in His goodness, gave him a home outside the boundaries of paradise, settling him in a valley below paradise. But people sinned there too, and because of this they were scattered. Since they became unworthy to live near paradise, God ordered the ark to remove them to the mountains of Kardu. The families of two brothers were separated. Cain went away and began to live in the land of Nud, below the places where the families of Seth and Enosh lived. But the descendants of those who dwelt above and were called the sons of God, left their country, came down and entered into marriage with the daughters of men, with the daughters of those who dwelt below. The sons of light dwell in the heavenly abodes of paradise, and from there they see the rich man in the abyss. He lifts up his eyes, sees Lazarus, calls out to Abraham, asking him to have mercy on him. But the generous Abraham, who had compassion for Sodom, shows himself to be unmerciful towards one who himself was not merciful. The abyss separates the rich from love, the abyss separates the righteous and the sinners, so that the former do not become attached by love to the latter, so that the virtuous do not feel torment when they see their sons, brothers and relatives in hell, so that a mother does not grieve for her wicked son, and a mistress does not grieve for the maid with whom she grew up and studied. With weakening (all-forgiveness) the victims of persecution look at their persecutors, the oppressed look at their oppressors, the slain look at the murderers, the prophets look at those who stoned them, the apostles look at those who crucified them. The sons of light from their heavenly abodes peer (peer, bending down) at the wicked and, looking at their deeds, wonder why, having lost the hope of salvation, they abandoned themselves to wickedness. Woe to him who hid his vile deeds in darkness, who sinned and hid himself in order to deceive everyone; who, seeing such, dishonored and lied in order to deceive everyone who listened to him. Lord, may the wings of Your goodness cover me, because your fingers will point at the sinner and constantly reveal his shame and secret deeds. My boldness does not dare to extend beyond what I have said. But perhaps there will be someone bolder than me, and he will say that the ignorant and unreasonable, who sinned out of ignorance, must, however, be punished as guilty, and the Good One will settle them near paradise, and they will eat from the grains of paradise. But even these abodes, which are so small and despicable in comparison with the heavenly abodes, are hungry and lustful, scorched in Gehenna. Their torment is aggravated when they look at the springs of those abodes gurgling before them; The rich man also lusted after them, but he did not find anyone to make his tongue hard. Inside the suffering there is fire, in front of them there is water. Blessed is he who desires paradise, he also desires paradise; joyfully accepts him into his gates, embraces him in his arms, delights him with songs in his bosom, opens his bowels for him and rests in them. But he turns away and runs away from the one who himself turns away from heaven, for the door of heaven is a testing door, although it loves people. Therefore, stock up here with the key to heaven and take it with you. Reasonable is this door, which desires you so much, rejoices and rejoices so much in you; as a leader, she wisely measures those who enter her: whether anyone is small or great, she herself expands according to the height and dignity of each, and with her measure she shows who is perfect and who is insufficient. People see that everything has perished: wealth is gone, there are no carnal pleasures, beauty and dominion have disappeared and passed away, they remember this there and mourn that they are tormented, they learn that what they have acquired is just a dream, their wealth is a shadow. They lost what they had and found what they did not have; the blessings they loved flew away, and the grief they hated befell them. What we hoped for is no longer there, what we were not afraid of, we found. And they groan that they have been humiliated and stolen, that the former monastery was deceptive, but the present torment is real, that their peace has disappeared, and the punishment will not stop. The righteous also see that their suffering is over, the sorrows were temporary, the burden is not eternal, as if they had never felt cramped, and their fast was like a dream, after which they rise, as if from a dream, and find paradise and the meal of the Kingdom prepared before them. For those who are strangers to paradise, its height is inaccessible, but he himself bows his bosom to those who ascend to it; turns a joyful gaze on the righteous, encloses the whole world, embraces the great sea. For those above him he is a neighbor, for his relatives he is a friend, and for those who are strangers he is an enemy. I saw fruitful fig trees in its fence. It would be nice for those condemned to weave crowns for themselves from their leaves, and those who are naked would like to cover themselves with their leaves, but they shame the naked one, for by covering his nakedness, they plunge him into sorrow, because in the land of glory the very clothing of the naked person is dishonor. Who can count the beauties of paradise? Its structure is wonderful, every part of it is brilliant, the paradise for those who live in it is vast, its palaces are bright; its springs delight with their fragrance, but when they pour out to us, they lose their fragrance on our earth, because they receive an earthly taste suitable for our drinking. That will, to which everything is subject, collected the waters that irrigate paradise in the form of streams, imprisoned them in the earth and commanded them to flow out, just as it forms waters in the depths of the clouds, and they spread in the air at the behest of that will. The Artist who sought them out decorated and diversified the beauties of paradise; degrees of degrees are more adorned (beautiful) in paradise, and as one rises above the other, it is equally superior in beauty. For the lower ones God appointed the lowest part of paradise, for the middle ones - the middle part, and for the highest ones - the very height. When the righteous ascend to the degrees assigned to them as an inheritance, then each, according to the extent of his labors, will be elevated by truth to the very degree to which he is worthy and to which he should remain. As great is the number and difference of degrees, so great is the number and difference in the dignity of those settled; the first degree is assigned to the repentant, the middle to the righteous, the height to the victors, the palace of the Divine is exalted above all. And Noah placed animals at the very bottom of his ark, and birds in the middle, and he himself, like God, lived in the upper part of the ark. And at Sinai, the people of Judah stood at the bottom of the mountain, the priests on its slope, Aaron in the middle, Moses on top, and the glory of the Lord covered the top of the mountain. The Ark and Mount Sinai show us the mystery of how the garden of life is divided; in them the Creator presented to us the image of a well-ordered, beautiful and desired paradise by all; and by its height, and by its beauty, by its fragrances and its growths, paradise is the haven of all riches; it depicts the Church. Невозможно и мысленно представить себе образ этого величественного и превознесенного сада, на вершине которого обитает слава Господня. Око какого ума в состоянии будет рассмотреть тот сад, достанет ли сил исследовать его, и зоркости – хотя бы достигнуть его взором? His wealth is incomprehensible! Можно полагать, что благословенное древо жизни по лучезарности своей есть солнце рая: светоносны листья его, на них отпечатлены духовные красоты сада; прочие древа, по веянию ветров, преклоняются, как бы поклоняясь этому вождю и царю дерев. Посреди рая насадил Бог древо познания, окружил его страхом, оградил ужасом, чтобы, подобно ограде, охраняли они его окрестность. В одной заповеди, которая воспрещала вкушать плодов сего древа, Адам услышал две заповеди; надлежало ему бояться древа и почувствовать, что непозволительно даже подходить к нему. It was impossible for the serpent to enter paradise, because neither animals nor birds were allowed to approach the environs of paradise. When Adam went out to the serpent, with the insidious questions asked of Eve, he learned what heaven was and what it was like. The cursed one learned what this sanctuary was like, learned that from Adam and Eve its glory was hidden in the tree of knowledge, learned that the entrance to the doors of the sanctuary was covered by a commandment, and then guessed that in the fruit of the tree was the key to truth, and that those who transgressed the commandment would have their eyes opened and they would be filled with repentance. The eyes of the first parents were open, but at the same time they were closed, so that they would not see the glory, nor would they see the shame, so that they would not see the glory of the inner sanctuary, nor would they see their bodily nakedness. God hid both of these knowledges in a tree and made the tree as a judge of the two sides. As soon as Adam dared, approached and tasted the fruit, suddenly, and in one instant, both knowledge poured into him, he pulled off and removed both veils from his eyes. The man saw the glory of the Holy of Holies - and was horrified, saw his ignominy - and was ashamed, grieved and groaned, although both the knowledge he acquired interceded for his forgiveness. Anyone who eats this fruit must either receive his sight and become blessed, or receive his sight and groan. If one who is devoted to sin eats, he will complain. Blessed is he who sees and does not taste, however, not like this brave man, whose torment was aggravated when he was hungry, but could not taste the rozhi (feed squeezes) that he saw. God did not allow Adam to see nakedness, so that if he violated the commandment, then with nakedness all the vileness of his act would be revealed, but God did not show him the Holy of Holies, so that if he kept the commandment, then he would see it and rejoice more. He hid both rewards so that Adam, after fighting for both, would receive a crown for his labors. God set the tree as a judge, so that if a person tastes its fruit, it would show him the dignity that he had lost through arrogance, and also show him the dishonor that he found as punishment for himself, and if he wins and triumphs, it would clothe him with glory and reveal to him what shame is; and then the person, remaining healthy, would have knowledge of illness. A person in himself would be healthy, and yet in his mind he would have knowledge of what illness is, and for him what he has would be useful, and what he knows would serve as an acquisition. And when a person is sick and has in his mind the knowledge of what health is, then the illness weighs on him and the knowledge torments him. If Adam had won, his members would have been covered with glory, but with his mind he would have known what suffering is, his body would have prospered and his rational powers would have been elevated. But the serpent perverted this, gave him a taste of humiliation in reality, and left glory only in memory: what a man found covered him with shame, and what he lost, he must cry about. The tree was for him the image of a door, the fruit was a curtain that covered the church. Adam picked the fruit, violated the commandment - and as soon as he saw the glory that shone with its rays from within, he ran away and hurried to seek refuge under humble fig trees. He who planted the tree of knowledge placed it in the midst, so that it would separate both the highest and the lowest, the holy and the Holy of Holies. Adam approached, dared to enter, and was horrified. Just as King Uzziah was covered with leprosy, so Adam exposed himself, and since he was stricken, like Uzziah, he hastened to leave. Both fled and hid, because both were ashamed of their flesh. If all the trees of paradise were adorned with the same luminosity that clothed the glory, then just as the Cherubim cover their faces with their wings, so the trees would cover themselves with their branches so as not to look at their Lord. But they were all ashamed of Adam, who suddenly found himself naked, when the serpent stole his robe, and he himself lost his legs. Since Adam was not allowed to enter the inner church, this church was guarded so that Adam would be content with serving in the outer church, and as a priest serves, bringing a censer, so he would serve, keeping the commandment. The commandment for Adam was a censer, so that with it he could enter before the face of the Hidden One, into the hidden church. The mystery of paradise is depicted by Moses, who built two sanctuaries: the holy and the Holy of Holies. Access to the outer sanctuary was always free, but entry into the inner sanctuary was only allowed once. Thus, God closed the interior of paradise for Adam and opened the exterior, so that he could be content with the exterior. The Just One saw that relaxation would make Adam impudent; He knew that if he loosened the reins, Adam would stretch further and cross the small and weak barrier. Therefore, out of necessity, he set new barriers for him. The word and the commandment were the fence of the tree, and the Cherub and the edge of the sword became the stronghold of paradise. Adam, in his uncleanness, wanted to enter the Holy of Holies, which loves only those like him, and since he dared to enter the inner sanctuary, he was not left in the outer. And the sea, when it sees the corpse of any animal in its depths, does not leave it in itself, but throws it out. Every leper in the camp was an example of this among the Jewish people: he was removed from the camp, he was cast out. When he was cleansed from leprosy, then they showed him mercy, the priest sprinkled him with hyssop, blood and water, and the leper returned to his home and entered into his inheritance. Adam was pure, but in that beautiful garden, when the serpent blew on him, he became leprous and defiled, and the garden rejected the unclean and cast him out from its depths. The Most High High Priest saw that Adam was cast out of paradise, and bowed down and condescended to him, and cleansed him with His hyssop, and brought him into paradise. Adam was naked but beautiful; His caring wife worked hard and made him clothes to reproach. The Garden of Eden saw him and was saddened that he was the cause of this. Mary found another robe for the thief, which adorned and illuminated him with promise. The Garden of Eden saw the thief and lovingly accepted him in Adam's place. Moses, who doubted, although he saw the promised land, did not enter it; his limit was the Jordan. And Adam, who sinned, was cast out from the paradise of life, and the Cherub became an obstacle to him. But both were introduced by our Lord, and entered through the resurrection: Moses into the promised land, Adam into paradise. No mouth can describe the inside of that garden and the attractive beauty of its exterior. They are not able to describe even simple decorations on the fence as they should. Its colors are brilliant, its fragrances are wondrous, its beauty is coveted, its dishes are valuable. At the edge of the fence of paradise are the last of its treasures, but they also surpass in wealth all the treasures of the universe. No matter how small the treasures of its lower reaches are in comparison with the treasures of the high country, yet the bliss at its very fence is much more excellent and higher than all the blessings of this vale we inhabit. Let them not be angry with me because my tongue dared to depict something that exceeded its strength, and therefore diminished it with its insufficient image. Since there is no mirror that would reflect the beauty of paradise, and there are no colors that would vividly describe it, then let my will not be blamed; For our benefit, I took the trouble to create an image of paradise. This will serve as a consolation to the mourner, as an edification to the youth, it will bring great glory to the chaste, and it will turn into gain for the poor. Therefore, let each one give me his money and his kodrant, let each one pray for me in Eden, so that I too may reach that country, because to the best of my ability I speak about paradise, so that the poor will long for the fullness of its promises. And You, Omniscient, do not judge my will! And You, the Hidden One for all, do not blame my inquisitiveness! I do not dare to explore Your birth, which is completely hidden, - there I fenced off the word with silence. Since I was in awe of Your birth, you placed me in paradise. From all those who love You, praise be to You, the Hidden One! I contemplated the creative Word and likened it to the stone that followed the Jewish people in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:4). It was not from the collection of waters contained in it that it produced abundant streams; there was no water moisture in it, but seas flowed out of it. Thus, by God’s Word everything was created out of nothing. Moses in his book described the creation of nature, so that both nature and Scripture would testify to the Creator: nature when we use it, Scripture when we read it. These two witnesses go around every country, remain at all times, they are always before us and expose the apostates who deny the Creator. I read the beginning of this book and delved into every letter and every verse, gradually raising it to height. The first thing that developed in front of me affably stopped me and with the connection of speech lured me to what followed. And as soon as I reached the verse where the history of paradise is written, then he carried me away from the midst of the book and transported me to the bosom of paradise. Both the eye and the mind, as if on a bridge, passed over the verses and flowed into the abode of paradise. The eye raised the mind by reading, and the mind gave the eye rest from reading, because after reading a book the eye is calm, but the mind is working. That book was both a bridge to heaven and a door into it; I crossed the bridge and entered heaven. The eye remained outside, and the mind went inside; and I began to find out about what was not written. It is a bright, pure, glorious and magnificent height. Scripture calls it Eden, because on it is the height of all bliss. There I saw the tabernacles of the righteous, exuding fragrant ointments, (which) poured out fragrance, decorated with flowers, crowned with delicious fruits. As is the work of man, so is his tent: one is lower in its decoration, another shines with its beauty, one is less in appearance, the other shines with glory. But Edem pleased me more with his peace than with his beauty. Purity dwells in it, and there is no place for defilement; peace lives in him, and there is no place for confusion. I asked later whether heaven would be large enough for all the righteous who should live in it? In questions he touched on what is not written, and learned from what was written; look at this man: a legion of all kinds of demons lived in him; they lived in man, and yet they were not noticeable, because this horde is both simpler and more subtle than the soul itself. So, a whole horde lived in one body. But the body of the righteous will become a hundred times purer and more refined than this when they rise and are resurrected. The body of the righteous will be like a spirit, which can, when it wants, expand and increase, and when it wants, contract and decrease; when it contracts, it can be in one place, and when it expands, it can be everywhere. Listen to other similarities and understand. Thousands of rays or sparks of sunlight occur in one house, tens of thousands of fragrances float over one flower garden. If they are confined in a small space, then just as the space is filled with them, so they are all spread out throughout it. Likewise, paradise, although full of spiritual beings, is vast in order for these beings to spread there. There is no end or number to the thoughts contained in the heart, no matter how small it is; and although everything is filled with them, thoughts are not constrained in the heart and do not constrain each other. Likewise, the glorious paradise is roomy for pure spirits, the essence of which cannot be comprehended by thought. As much as I could, I sang of paradise and was ready to leave it, but suddenly within it there was heard, as in a camp, the voice of those singing with the sound of trumpets: “Holy, holy, holy!” (Rev. 4:8) - and I heard the Divinity being glorified in Paradise. Blessed is he who is worthy of heaven through truth or goodness, through labor or generosity! I was amazed, because as soon as I left the boundaries of paradise, my companion left me and retreated from me. When I reached the borders of the earth that produces thorns, then I was met with illness and suffering of all kinds. And I saw that our country is a prison, that before my eyes there are prisoners, but they are crying about this prison when they should leave it. I was amazed that children also cry when they leave the womb, they cry that out of darkness they call them into the light, that out of cramped conditions they go into the world. So death for this world is an image of birth; those weep are those whom this earth, the mother of suffering, gives birth to for the garden of joys. Have mercy on me, Lord of Paradise, and if it is not possible for me to enter Your Paradise itself, then place me, albeit outside, near those pastures that are within its fence. Let there be a meal inside it for the righteous, but let the fruits that grow within its fence fall like grains outside it for sinners, so that they too may live according to Your goodness! The key of teaching, which opens every book, also opened to my eyes that book in which I read about the treasure of the ark, about the crown of the law, and opened that Scripture, which, before all others, proclaims about the Creator, embraces all His creations, allows us to see all His beauty, shows all His adornments. This Scripture led me to the gates of heaven, and as soon as I entered, my mind became numb with surprise, my astonished mind was lost, my senses refused to embrace the splendor of the treasures, to distinguish the taste of the dishes, to compare the liveliness of the colors, to put together all the beauty, to depict in words what was before my eyes. Paradise envelops all members with the fullness of its joys, captivates the eyes with its decoration, the ear with its sounds, the taste and smell with its dishes and fragrances. Blessed is He who has called those who labored in vigil and fasting to paradise, so that for their fasting they may enjoy consolation and feast in His delightful pastures! One view of heaven exalted me, one thought about it enriched me; intoxicated by its fragrances, I forgot my wretchedness; renewed by the variety of his beauties, I became as if different and plunged into the waves of his glory. Oh, how intoxicated I became and forgot my guilt in this country, which for naked Adam was a burning furnace of testing! And although one wave of his beauties was too much for me, he nevertheless took me and plunged me into a larger sea. In his beauty I saw even greater beauty and thought: “If paradise is so glorious, then how glorious is Adam, this image of his Planter! How beautiful is the Cross, this chariot of the son of Adam – the Lord!” Man was not created for the sake of paradise, but, on the contrary, he himself was to blame for the planting of paradise. A pure heart is more precious than plants, a song is better than fruits, a word is more pleasant than what grows on trees, a person’s faith is more valuable than fragrant roots, his love is more beautiful than any aromas. God planted a beautiful garden and created a pure Church, nailed a commandment on the tree of knowledge; He gave joy, but they do not desire it; he warned, but they do not fear it. He has established a teaching in the Church that delights with promises and frightens with threats; he who despises this teaching perishes, but whoever follows it is saved. The Church of Saints is the image of heaven; In it, the all-life-giving fruit is collected daily, and for drinking, it is put into the winepress of grapes, full of life-giving medicine. The serpent is exhausted, bound by a curse, Eve’s lips are sealed with saving silence and again submit to the Creator. There are no naked people among the inhabitants of paradise, because all are clothed with glory; no one covers himself with leaves and appears ashamed; in our Lord they found for themselves the clothing Adam had lost. The Church keeps their ears pure from the poison of the serpent and from the poison of those who, having heeded the serpent, denigrated their new and whitened vestments and lost their clothes. A never-tiring force, a never-failing muscle, planted this paradise, adorned it without labor, and adorned it with all kinds of fruits. The Creator saw and rejoiced, and began to dwell in that paradise, planted for His glory, just as He planted that garden for His own glory. The virtuous, bearing their fruits, march to paradise, flaunted with all kinds of fruits; and with their deeds they put this wonderfully beautiful garden to shame. Paradise sees that the fruits of the righteous are superior in dignity to the fruits of its trees, and that the decorations of the victors put its decoration to shame. Blessed is he who is worthy to see in paradise how the superior and majestically beautiful fruits of the trees of paradise are put to shame at the sight of the fruits brought by the righteous! The flowers of paradise see these fruits and recognize themselves as defeated, they come into fear, seeing the flowers of virgins and saints, whose crown brought joy to both the creature and its Creator. The fruits of the righteous are more pleasing to the Omniscient than any fruit or tree plant. The beauty of nature extols the dignity of the spirit, heaven - the dignity of the mind, flowers - the dignity of good morals, the garden - the dignity of freedom, the earth - the dignity of reason. Blessed is he who exalted Adam! More than all the glorious decorations of paradise, the valiant deeds of the winners, who represented in themselves the beautiful image of paradise, are worthy of glorification. They are imprinted with the beauty of the Garden of Eden. Therefore, leaving the trees, let us praise the winners and, instead of the inherited blessings, let us glorify those who accepted this inheritance. If the beauty of paradise amazes us, then all the more we admire the beauty of the spirit; one is a matter of nature, and the other is a matter of free will. Freedom was jealous of the Garden of Eden, and from it victorious fruits arose and grew, and the splendor of the crowns surpassed the decorations of paradise. How beautiful the suppers of the righteous, who are delighted there, appear to the spiritual eye, inviting us to become their brothers, neighbors and fellow members! Let nothing deprive us, brothers, of communication with them! Let us become their friends, and if not friends, then at least close to them. Oh, if only we could move in, even if not in their abodes, then at least around them! How worthy of competition is he who is worthy of the wealth of their treasures! How blessed is he who receives even a drop of their benefits! Oh, if only I could be granted even a small share in what is there! Let the enemy then look at me and rejoice, who dreamed of seeing me in the place that he had prepared for me, and see me in the monastery that has been prepared for me by Your mercies! Blessed is he who is worthy to see their bright robe! Blessed is he who is worthy to listen to their wisdom! Blessed is the hearing intoxicated with their voice! Blessed is he who has achieved their bliss! Blessed is he who labors to be among the first! Woe to the one who did not even bother to become the last! Blessed is he for whom they intercede before the Good! Woe to him against whom they cry out to the Just One! He who loves them is in Eden; whoever hates is in hell. It will be more tolerable for Sodom than for the city where they shook off the dust (Matthew 10:14-15). In the house where they prayed, the dead returned to life and perfect peace was established there. If they came to Egypt, they satisfied its hunger. If they came to the unreasonable sea, they made it wise with a rod. If they entered the wild desert, they illuminated it with a pillar. If they were thrown into a red-hot oven, they sprinkled it with coolness. If they were thrown into a ditch, then an Angel descended there and taught the animals to fast. Their church is the salt that salts the whole earth, protecting it from rottenness. Their church enlightened the east, illuminated the west, they raised the north, taught the south. They ascended to heaven and opened it; descended into the sea - and explored its depths. The secret revealed to the apostles in parables, they spread throughout all countries and announced to everyone. The whole world accepted this secret in order to find strength in it. One of the saints cuts through the air with his chariot, the Angels hastily meet him and see him clothed in flesh in their abodes. But just as the earth-born, clothed in glory, ascended to heaven in a chariot, so the Lord, in His goodness, descended, clothed himself with Flesh, sat on a cloud, and ascended, and reigns over those above and below. The fiery spirits - Angels - were surprised at Elijah when they saw the coveted treasure in him; They marveled at the dust and glorified the One who formed this dust, joyfully seeing in it the virginity that exalts those below and brings amazement to those above. He will have a battle on earth, and a crown in heaven. Love and learning, combined with truth, can form the spirit and enrich it with new treasures, if it intelligently penetrates the treasury of secrets. I learned with love and learned that paradise is the haven of winners. Since You have vouchsafed me to see heaven, vouchsafe me to enter it! In temptations, console yourself with promises! The word of Him who pours out His gifts on everyone is not false; His treasury is not so scanty that we should fear that His promises will not be fulfilled. He gave His Son for us, so that we might believe. His Flesh is with us, and His truth is with us. He came and gave us His key, because His treasures await us. With the onset of evening, the world closes its eyes and falls into sleep, and with the onset of morning it awakens again. So, in a mysterious sense, it is now night, and the Rewarder is still far away, but the day will come and He will appear. Don’t be careless, brothers, don’t think that your feat is long-lasting, that the Resurrection is distant. Behold, death is behind us, and before us is the Resurrection. Be patient, you who mourn, you will enter heaven. Its dew will wash away your uncleanness; his refuge will make you glad; his supper will put an end to your labors; his crown will comfort you; its supper will give consolation to the hungry, and it will cleanse those who eat it; He will offer heavenly drink to those who are thirsty, and it will make wise those who drink it. Blessed is the beggar who turns his gaze to this land filled with countless riches! Amethysts and other precious stones were deposited outside it, thrown out like rubbish - they would desecrate this land of glory. If someone brought beryls and other precious stones there, they would seem cloudy and dark in this radiant country. Both husbands and wives are clothed in a bright robe, the nakedness of their limbs is covered with glory, shameful movements in the members are silenced, the sources of lust are blocked, poison is destroyed, the soul is pure and green in Eden of sweetness, like wheat without chaff. Virginity triumphs there because the serpent, who secretly poured his poison into his ears, has disappeared. Filled with joyful zeal, the fig tree says to him: “Bring back to memory your innocent childhood, remember that day when, naked, you hid in my bosom. Praise be to Him Who covered your nakedness with a robe!” There youth rejoices that it has won the victory, sees Joseph in paradise, who has pulled away and rejected the voluptuousness that burned in the reckless, and defeated the asp in his own hole. Samson, the conqueror of the lions, was overcome by a viper, bit him, and soon he lost the hair of his Nazarite life. The wives who suffered cruelly here in the diseases of the curse and the pangs of childbearing are laid to rest there. With joy they see that their babies, whom they gave up for burial with cries, are like lambs grazing in the pastures of Eden, placed in high degrees of glory, shining with radiant light, like brothers of the most pure Angels. Praise to the Merciful One, Who often reaps children so early - the late fruit of elderly parents, so that in paradise they become the firstborn! This is a new spectacle - to see how some fruits are reaped there by other fruits, the first-born by the first-born, and how those reaped are likened in purity to those who reap. Cling in spirit to paradise, O old age! His stench will return you to childhood, his breath will make you young, he will clothe you in clothes that will cover your impurities. Your image is represented in Moses. His wrinkled cheeks, blooming and shining, became the image of old age, youthful (rejuvenated) in Eden. There are no dark spots in the inhabitants of paradise, because they are pure from sin; there is no anger in them, for they are free from all irritability; there is no mockery, because they are free from all deceit; They do not harm each other, do not harbor enmity, for they are free from all envy; no one is judged there, because there are no hard feelings there. There the sons of men see themselves in glory - and they marvel at themselves, for their fleshly nature, once indignant and outrageous, is now calm and pure; they shine externally with beauty and internally with purity; the body shines visibly, but the soul invisibly shines. The lame man, who could not even walk, gallops in paradise; There is a crippled man rushing through the air, who did not move from his place. And the eyes of the blind, who hungered for light from the mother’s womb and did not ripen it, are delighted with the beauty of paradise, the sound of the paradise pipes (pipes) delights the ears of the deaf. He who has not allowed himself to be cursed or slandered will have a heavenly blessing awaiting him first of all. Whoever constantly keeps the gaze of his eyes pure and chaste will see the highest beauty of paradise. He who has suppressed all bitterness in his thoughts will have springs of sweet joy flowing in his limbs. The virgin, disgusted by the fading wedding crown, will shine there in the bridal chamber of the righteous, who loves the children of light. Since she hated the works of darkness and since she lived alone in the house, marriage there will rejoice her, and she will be the joy of the angels, the joy of the prophets, the glory of the apostles. Whoever, together with Daniel, to whom the kings honored, bowing before him in their diadems, chose vegetables for their food, such a faster will be honored by the trees instead of the kings, they will bow before him in all their beauty, calling to him: “Enter our tabernacles, live under our branches, sprinkle with our dew, enjoy our fruits.” Whoever washed the feet of the saints will be cleansed by this dew. Whoever stretched out his hand to provide for the poor, the fruits from those trees will bend down of their own accord. All the multitude of flowers will joyfully rush to crown the foot that went to visit the sick, and they will argue with each other who should kiss her foot first. Whoever abstains from wine with wise moderation, the vineyards of paradise await him, and every vine will spread out its grapes to him. And if he is a virgin, they accept him into their pure bosom, because, living alone, he did not know the womb, and did not ascend to the marriage bed. Those who were crowned here with the sword for our Lord will gloriously triumph in their crowns there, because their bodies laughed at the fire of the tormentors. The seven sons of light (the holy Maccabee martyrs) shine there like stars - this is the victorious crown of their mother, because by their death they put to shame the wrath of the wicked. The bliss of that country will renew the wives who have labored in serving the saints. There they will see how blessed the widow is in Eden, having welcomed Elijah into her home. Instead of the two springs that fed her - the waterpot and the chvantz (small jug), tree branches in Eden feed her, because she fed the poor. There is nothing there that is not useful; and the herbs there give off a pleasant aroma, and the food in Eden is beautiful. He who tastes them becomes youthful, and he who smells them becomes beautiful. Each flower hides the Resurrection in its depths and is ready to give to the one who plucks it; Each fruit carries a treasure within itself and is ready to give to the one who takes it. No one bothers there, no one hungers, because no one sins. No one feels repentance there, because there are no repentants there. Those who have labored in the field do not go out there to do great deeds and remain at rest. There is no old age there, because there is no death; there are none there who are buried, because there are none who are born. They have no sorrow because they are free from all suffering; They have no fear, because they are far from any networks. There is no enemy there, because the fighting is over. They continually call themselves and each other blessed, because their warfare has ceased; crowns have been received and there is rest in their tabernacles. I looked at this country and sat, mourning myself and those like me. My days have passed, they have flown by like one day; they were lost and disappeared without me even noticing. Repentance seized my soul, because I had lost the crown, and the name, and the glory, and the robe, and the bright bridal chamber, and the table of the Kingdom. Blessed is he who is worthy of them! With tears, let all the sons of light beg for me there, so that our Lord will grant them a single soul, and for me a new reason to glorify the Greatness, which extends His helping hand in such a variety of ways. May He who repays in truth, but not without kindness, according to His bounties, give me from the treasury of His mercy! If it is impossible for a defiled person to enter this country, then allow me to dwell within its fence under its shadow. And just as paradise is like a meal, then, out of mercy, allow me, although outside paradise, to accept and taste its fruits, so that what was said to me will be fulfilled: “and the dogs eat of the grains... of their masters” (Matthew 15:27). Then I will learn what was taught to me in the parable of the rich man who did not give even a grain from his meal to the poor; I will see how Lazarus sojourns (wanders) in paradise, I will see how the rich man is cruelly tormented, and from the outside (looking from the outside) I will tremble before the severity of Your justice, and inwardly I will be encouraged by the breath of Your goodness. Place me near the fence of this garden, so that I may be in proximity to the universes (located) inside paradise, and so that the absolute ones will envy me. Who can simultaneously see both bliss and torment, have before his eyes both Gehenna and the Garden of Eden? The crown of those who dwell inside Eden will show me the severity of my guilt, and the torment of the outer ones will teach me how merciful You are for me. Whose eye can bear both sights? Whose ears can bear the sound of those cries with which the wicked in Gehenna blaspheme the Just One, and those hymns with which the righteous praise Him in the Garden of Eden? Some look at each other with amazement - both have discovered matters for which the wicked are worthy of condemnation. May my guilt before my neighbors not be revealed on that day! However, this would make me, Lord, even more despicable. If my guilt is known to You, then from whom should I hide it? I made shame an idol for myself. Grant me, Lord, to have fear of You alone, the Almighty, and to be ashamed of You alone, the Merciful! Man has made his neighbor, as it were, his god: he always tries to please him, he is ashamed of him if he commits a crime, he is afraid of him if he behaves badly, and from his praise he loses the value of his good deed; therefore man in the full sense became a slave of slaves. You, the Good One, who gave us the freedom that we gave into slavery, do also so that with You we can replace the ruler whom we ourselves have placed over ourselves! The word written in the book came into my ears and made me glad. It depicts the story of a robber, and my soul was comforted, looking at his many atrocities, because the Lord had mercy on the robber too. Therefore, I also received hope that I would enter that garden whose name I heard, and I admired it. My spirit broke my chains, and I hastened to see him. I saw there a monastery and a luminous tabernacle and heard a voice that said: “Blessed is the thief who has received the keys of paradise!” I expected to meet him there, but I thought that the soul cannot feel in heaven without the participation of its organ and instrument; and in the land of joys I was overcome with sorrow that my investigation of the mysteries was useless. The thought of the thief led me to the following question: if the soul can see and hear without the participation of the flesh, then why is it imprisoned in it? If without it it has no life, then why does it not die with the body? The soul cannot see without the body - this is proven by the body itself, for if it is deprived of sight, then the soul along with it becomes blind and gropes. Both body and soul need each other, and they themselves testify to this: just as the body needs a soul in order to live, so the soul needs a body in order to see and hear. If the body is silent, the soul is silent along with it, and it also gets sick if the body is sick; and although apart from the body and in itself the soul is healthy, it nevertheless takes part in everything that concerns the body. She is like a baby in its mother's womb, which, having life in itself, has no speech and no reason. And if the soul, being in the body while it is in its infant state, cannot cognize either itself or the body associated with it, then does it not become weak upon separation from the body, when it has no sensory organs either outside itself or within itself that it could use as instruments? Is it not only through the feelings of the body associated with the soul that it manifests itself and becomes visible? This blessed monastery lacks nothing, this country is completely perfect in everything; Couldn't the soul enter into it alone, having neither feelings nor understanding? Of course, it will enter the Day of Resurrection, when the body perceives all its senses as perfect. When the Creative hand formed the flesh and appointed it to sing songs to its Creator, then this silent bird did not make a single sound until the Creator finally breathed into the body a soul that aroused a song in it. Then the strings began to sound, and the soul itself acquired the word of wisdom in them. When the Lord completed the creation of Adam, then he took him and settled him in paradise. Neither a soul without a body, nor a body without a soul could enter there, but the pure and perfect entered together into this perfect abode. Together they came out of it, becoming unclean. And this shows that they will enter the Day of Resurrection together. Adam was a careless guardian of paradise, because a cunning thief entered there to plunder him, and left without attention the fruits to which anyone else would hasten; kidnapped the very inhabitant of the garden. Our Lord came to seek Adam, and went out and found him in Sheol (in the underworld), brought him out from there, and brought him into paradise - into those longed-for abodes at the paradise fence where the souls of the righteous and saints live, waiting there for their beloved bodies, so that when the doors of the garden open, both bodies and souls would exclaim: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who brought out one Adam and brought in again with many!” On earth - the exploits of Eden - the crown of glory. God will renew both heaven and earth at our resurrection, and the creation will liberate and rejoice with us. The earth, our mother, suffered reproach and was cursed for sinners; but for the sake of the righteous the Good One will bless our nourisher, and together with her children he will renew her. The evil one has dissolved his cup, and shows his poison to everyone, secretly spreads his nets to everyone, lays out his snares, grows tares everywhere to suppress the pious. But the Good One in the beautiful paradise sweetens the bitterness for them, adorns them with bright crowns, and because they bore their cross, lifts them up to Eden. If you want to enter the tree of life, it bends its branches like steps to your feet, calls you to its bosom, so that you sit on the bed of its branches, ready to bow its back before you, embrace and tightly squeeze in an abundance of flowers and rest, like a baby in its mother’s bosom. Who saw the meal on the branches of this tree? Whole rows of fruits of every kind are under the hands of the eater; in order, one after another, they themselves approach him; fruits satiate and quench his thirst, dew serves as a bath for him, leaves serve as clean cloth. The treasury of the Lord, who is rich in everything, never runs out. Among the purest air there are firmly rooted trees; below they are covered with flowers, above they are full of fruits; from ripe fruits their top becomes fat, and the lower branches are all in flowers. Who has ever heard or seen a cloud hovering over one’s head, like a thicket, with a vault of fruit in it, and a colorful carpet spread under one’s feet? As soon as the waves of one stream of joy leave you, another one beckons. Everything there is filled with joy. Here you eat fruit, and there you are refreshed with drink; here you wash yourself with clean dew, and there you anoint yourself with fragrant moisture; here you smell a fragrance, and there you hear a delightful song. Blessed is He who made Adam glad! Pleasant winds blow there alternately, hastening to serve, like Martha and Mary. The supper does not stop, and it never happens without those invited. Tired Martha once dared to grumble against the One who called her to paradise, where those who serve at supper do not know fatigue. The winds in paradise rush hither and thither before the righteous: one brings them food, another pours out drink; the breath of one is fatness, and the breath of another is a fragrant ointment. Who has seen such winds that with their breath would either satisfy you with food, or serve as drink, or water with coolness, or anoint? The winds of those who live spiritually feed there spiritually; the supper there does not tire you; the hand is not bothered; no care for teeth; the womb is not burdened. Who enjoyed such a tireless meal, satiated without food, filled without drinking, quenched his thirst with the breeze of one wind, and was satisfied with the breeze of another? See how this is tangibly depicted in plants. The wind feeds the wheat and other ears of corn, nourishing them with its breath and fattening them with its strength; Isn’t it all the more possible for the winds of blessing to nurture the rational and spiritual plantings of paradise? For spiritual beings, food is spiritual. Smart winds feed the intelligent ones there. Their breath makes you fat, their breath sweetens you. One anoints you, the other brings you joy. Who has ever experienced such pleasure: to eat without hands, to drink without lips, so that one pleasant breath of the wind was both food and drink for him? Look, even to this day this still happens on this thorn-producing earth; to this day, on this cursed field, wheat is raised by the wind in the depths of the ear according to the supreme will of the Almighty. The breath of the wind feeds her, as it were, with her mother’s breasts, thereby representing an image of how spiritual ones are nourished. If wheat, this food of the flesh, most of which is spewed out by the flesh, is nourished by the air and thickened by the winds, then can the pure winds from the treasury of Eden harm spiritual beings? Subtle juices constitute the nutrition of spiritual beings. And fire will teach you that everything is powered by air. Is it possible to imagine any place where there would be no air? His breath extinguishes the fire, his breath maintains the flame. Who has seen a mother who would nourish everything and everyone? Everything depends on the air, and it depends only on the One, Whose power feeds everything. Let the Chaldeans be put to shame, who thought so much about the heavenly bodies, claiming that they nourish everything and everyone. And stars, and seeds, and the sun, and reptiles, and people are nourished by the air; His breath, as I said, feeds fire, which is akin in nature to luminaries. The soul soars without air, but it itself serves as a support for the body: our flesh rests on it, it prepares bread for us, it makes our field fruitful. Such is the blessed air: it delights, saturates, quenches the thirst of spiritual beings, they soar in it, wash themselves with it, for them it is a sea of ​​pleasures. The heavenly fragrance satisfies without bread; the breath of life serves as drink, the senses drown there in waves of pleasures that are poured out on everyone and in all possible forms. No one feels burdened in this host of joys, and everyone constantly drinks in them without satiety, marveling at the greatness of God. Nowadays they hunger and are filled with the flesh, but instead of the flesh they feel the hunger of the soul, and the soul eats food that is akin to it. More than any food, the soul delights in Him who nourishes everything, is satisfied with His delights, and is amazed at His treasures. The bodies, containing blood and moisture, achieve purity there, equal to the soul itself. The wings of the soul, burdened here, become much purer there, becoming similar to what is highest in it - the mind. The very mind that is restless here in its movements is serene there, like the greatness of God. The soul is higher in dignity than the body, and the spirit is higher in dignity, but higher than the spirit is the hidden Divinity. But at the end, the flesh will be clothed with the beauty of the soul, the soul with the beauty of the spirit, and the spirit will become like God’s greatness. There the flesh rises to the level of souls, the soul ascends to the level of spirit, and the spirit, rushing with fear and love, ascends to the heights of God's greatness. It does not fly too high and does not stop for a long time on one thing, and its slowing down is reasonable, and its soaring is saving. If you are hungry for food, then Moses puts you to shame, who, without stocking up on food, ascended to the top of the mountain, and there without food was strong in body; enduring thirst, he became even more beautiful. Who has seen a person who, without eating food, feeds on sight - and blooms with beauty, revels in voice - and becomes strong? He was fattened by glory, he reveled in lightness and radiance. All our food is only pus, its sediment (sediment) is disgusting to us, the stench is unbearable, its burdensomeness makes us clumsy, excess causes us harm. If such food also delights and fattens, then how much should the soul delight in streams of joys, when its strength is nourished by the breasts of wisdom! There, streams of joy flow from the glory of the Father through His Only Begotten among the crowd of those who contemplate, and everyone delights in the pasture of contemplation. Who has seen how the hungry are satisfied, made fat, and drunk with the streams of glory flowing from the beauty of Him Who is the eternal glory? He, the Lord of all, is also the treasury of everything. To each, to the best of his ability, as if through a small hole, He shows the beauty of His hidden being and the radiance of His greatness. And His radiance lovingly illuminates everyone: the small with a faint flicker, the perfect with rays of light; His full glory is beheld only by Him who is born. To the extent that someone has cleansed his eye here, to that extent will he be able to contemplate the glory of Him who is above all. To the extent that one opens his ears here, to that extent will he partake of His wisdom there. To the extent that anyone has prepared his bosom here, he will receive from His treasures there. The Lord gives His gifts in moderation, commensurate with the strength of the recipient: He gives Himself to be seen according to the strength of our eye, and to hear according to the strength of our hearing, and to glorify according to the strength of our lips; He also gives wisdom according to the strength of our tongue. Streams of blessings flow from His grace; it is renewed hourly in dishes, fragrant in incense, revealed in every power, shining in flowers. Who has seen whole hosts feeding on one glory? Their vestments are light, their faces are radiance: they constantly absorb and exude the fullness of God’s grace. In their mouths is the source of wisdom, in their thoughts - peace, in knowledge - truth, in research - fear, in praise - love. Grant, O Lord, to my beloved, that both I and they may find there at least the last remnants of Your grace. Contemplation of Your Beloved is a source of bliss. Whoever is worthy to enjoy it despises all food, because he who contemplates You (always) becomes fat with Your beauty. Praise be to Your splendor! What lips will depict heaven? What language can describe his glory? What kind of mind will be in itself the likeness of its beauty? His innermost bosom is inaccessible to contemplation. Therefore, I will look with surprise at what is visible, at what is external - and this will show me how far I am from the innermost. The air surrounding paradise from the outside is noble; near it, every month is prosperous: cloudy Shevat (February) is clear there, like Iyar (May); the cold and stormy Konun (January) is fruitful there, like Av (August); Ziron (June) is like Nisan (March), scorching Fomuz (July) is like dew-bearing Tisri (September). And the gloomiest months bloom there with luxurious pleasantness, because the air in the vicinity of Eden is pleasant. Every month scatters flowers around paradise, so that at any time a crown of flowers will be ready with which to crown even the feet of paradise, if it is not worthy to crown its head. Stormy months with their winds do not have access to paradise, where peace and silence reign. If even in the air around paradise the storms of the stormiest months are overcome, then can they touch the blessed air, which with its heavenly breath makes people immortal? An inexhaustible stream of works flows there every month; and each of them bears its fruits soon after its flowers. Sweet springs of wine, honey, milk and oil boil there. One Konun (December) produces a stalk, and the other (January) produces an ear, and Shevat (February) steals its decoration, bringing sheaves. All months there are divided into four orders of magnitude. In the third month, the first-born fruits ripen, in the sixth - fat fruits, in the ninth - hard fruits, and finally, the crown of summer are fragrant grains and fruits that delight the taste. As the moon changes, so does the flowering. At the beginning of the moon, the depths of the branches open, at the full moon they become fuller and expand in all directions, with damage they curl up again, and at the end they fall off; at the beginning of the new moon they give birth to new offspring. The moon is the key to their depths: it both opens and closes them. In paradise, fruits and flowers in a special way constitute special treasures, even more diverse by their mutual mixing. Let both flowers be close to each other and each have its own color; if they are connected to each other, they give a new color; and if their fruits are united, they produce new beauty, and their leaves take on a new appearance. The fruitfulness of the trees of paradise is like an unbroken chain. If the first fruits are collected and fall, the second and third ones appear behind them. Who has ever seen a late fruit holding on to the heel of the first fruits, like that baby holding on to the heel of its older brother? The fruits of heaven follow and grow one after another, like the continuous birth of people. Among people there are old people, middle-aged people, young people, babies who have already been born, and babies conceived in the womb who are yet to be born. So the fruits of paradise follow one after another, and appear like the constant succession of the human race. The river of humanity flows in all ages: there are elders, youths, youths, children, babies, fed on mother's milk and carried in the mother's womb. This is how fruits will be born: there are firstborns, there are also lastborns—there are waves of fruits and an abundance of flowers everywhere. Blessed is the sinner who finds mercy in our country and is worthy to be accepted into the vicinity of paradise, so that, by grace, he may graze even outside paradise. Praise be to the Just One, who rules with goodness! Goodness does not enclose His limits at all, but, out of His boundless love, Descends even to the wicked - a cloud of His goodness is spread over His property, and on those who are in the flame it will rain His bounty, so that the tormented can taste the cooling dew. The heavenly air is a source of pleasure; Adam fed on it in his youth; its breath served the newly created Adam as if it were his mother’s breasts; he was young, handsome and cheerful. But as soon as he neglected the commandment, he became sad and old and weak, and bore old age as a heavy burden. In the blessed land of bliss there is neither harmful cold nor scorching heat. There is a haven of joys, there is a gathering of all kinds of joys; there is an abode of light and fun; there the sounds of harps and harps are heard everywhere, and the whole Church can hear the chanting of “Hosanna and Alleluia.” Instead of a fence around paradise there is an all-enjoying peace, instead of walls and a barrier there is an all-pacifying peace. The Cherub, guarding paradise, is friendly to the blessed who live there, and formidable to the outcasts who are outside it. What you hear about a pure and holy paradise is all pure and spiritual. Whoever listens to the description of paradise cannot judge it, because this description is not subject to judgment. Judging by the names of paradise, one might think that it is earthly, but by its power it is spiritual and pure. And the spirits have the same names, but the holy is different from the unclean. He who speaks, except for the names taken from visible objects, cannot depict the invisible in front of those who listen. If the Creator of the Garden of Eden Himself had not clothed its greatness with names borrowed from our country, then how would our likenesses depict it? If a person stops at just the names that God’s greatness used to depict Eden, then by the very names that are used for us, he embarrasses the dignity of Eden and humiliates Goodness, which bowed its height to our infancy, and since human nature is far from the understanding of Eden, clothed it in images in order to raise it to the archetype. Your mind should not be confused by these names. Paradise is clothed with names akin to you, not because it needs images taken from you, but because your nature is very weak and small in front of its greatness, although its beauties are diminished when they are outlined in weak images akin to you. Because weak eyes are not able to see the rays of its heavenly colors, God clothed its trees with the names of our trees, named its fig trees with the name of our fig trees, its leaves are depicted similar to the leaves that we see in ours, in order to make all this easily accessible to the understanding of those clothed with flesh. The flowers of this country are much more numerous and brilliant than the stars seen in the visible sky; the blessed fragrance wafting from paradise, like a doctor, quenches some of the diseases on the cursed earth and with healing power heals the disease that was brought to earth by the serpent. The breeze emanating from the blessed part of paradise sweetens the bitterness of our country and erases the curse of our land. Our exhausted world, matured in disease, still breathes with Eden; They are preached that the medicine of life has been sent to our deadness. When the blessed apostles were gathered, there was a strong turmoil there, and the breath of paradise, wafting in those abodes, poured out its fragrances. It anointed preachers who were to teach and lead those invited to the heavenly supper, and rejoices over those who come to it, because it loves people. Grant me, according to Your goodness and with the help of Your grace, to reach this treasury of ointments, this storehouse of fragrances, so that I, the hungry one, can enjoy the scent of the aroma. The fragrance of heaven always saturates everyone. Whoever smells it forgets about all food with pleasure. Blessed is He who prepared this royal meal in Eden! My curiosity was rekindled. I wanted to ask - and was afraid to dare, but He who guided my thought clothed the question born in my mind with wisdom; and I believed everything that He told me, because the words depicted exactly what I wanted to know. I asked: “How did the seducing serpent achieve knowledge of God’s commandment?” And I received the answer: “The serpent knew the truth of the secret by ear, and it is probable that he could have known it by ear. A voice came to Adam, warning him against the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The cunning man heard this voice - and persuaded him to commit a crime, seduced the worker so that he would pluck the fruit ahead of time, the pleasantness of which in due time would have become different, but for the one who plucked it ahead of time it contained bitterness. The cunning man covered the truth with deception, for he knew that something completely different would befall the daring, because the good acquired through sin turns into a curse for the acquirer. Remember Uzziah, who dared to enter the sanctuary. Because he sought the high priesthood for himself, he lost the kingdom (2 Chronicles 26:16). Adam wanted to acquire - and deepened his poverty. In the sanctuary you can see a tree, in a censer you can see fruit, in a leprosy you can see nakedness. Both Uzziah and Adam were harmed by the two treasures. But another irresistible Fighter came out and put on the weapon with which Adam was defeated. The enemy saw the weapon and rejoiced, not feeling that he would be plundered. What should have terrified him was hidden inside, and what encouraged him became open to him. The evil one came to win - and beyond his expectations he remained defeated. God planted two trees in paradise - the tree of life and the tree of knowledge; both of them are blessed sources of all blessings. Through them, a person can become like God: through life, not to know death, and through wisdom, not to know error. I, Ephraim, am dying and writing a will, wanting to leave everyone as a keepsake something of what I have, so that those who know me will remember me even for my words. Alas! My time has passed, the continuation of my years has disappeared. The fabric is finished and the shuttle is at the end of the warp. The oil in the lamp has dried up, my days and hours have passed, the hireling has completed his year, the stranger has completed his term. The guards surrounded me on all sides, forcing me to hasten, and they put a chain on my neck, like a criminal. Should I cry? But there is no one to hear. Should I cry for help? But there is no deliverer. Woe to you, Ephraim, at the Judgment, when you appear before the Throne of the Son! Those who know you will surround you on all sides. Alas, what a shame! Woe to him who is put to shame there! You, Jesus, judge Ephraim, and do not hand over judgment to another. For whomever God judges receives bounties at the Judgment. I heard from the wise and learned from the leaders: whoever sees the face of Tsarev will not be put to death, even if he has sinned. Woe is me, my brethren! What happened to me? Weep and weep for my lot. Those who forced me to hasten came to take me and take me away, like the others. Hosea frightens me greatly. He reproaches and reproaches me: “He appeared gray in Ephraim,” but he was not ashamed (Hos. 7:9). And again: “Ephraim the youth” turns away his neck from the yoke (Hos. 10:11). And if anyone says that Hosea says this about Ephraim the son of Joseph, I know that he would not distinguish Ephraim from Ephraim, or me from anyone else. David consoles me somewhat, saying: “Ephraim is the strength of my head” (Ps. 59:9). I don’t want to boast about this - God is my witness, but to you, my brothers, I want to give you a commandment, teach you and convince you, so that you remember me in prayers and petitions, so that at least for my words those who know me remember me. So come, close my eyes; the matter is decided - I must die, the determination is made - I am separated from you and cannot stay. I swear on your life, my disciples, and on the life of Ephraim himself, that he will never leave the bed on which he ascended, because I am burdened with a serious illness, and my torment is unbearable. I display a banner for you, I place a mirror in front of you and an image in it, so that you constantly look at it and try to become like it. Neither day nor night, throughout my entire life, I have never slandered anyone, and from the beginning of my existence I have not quarreled with anyone. But he constantly competed in meetings with apostates. For you know that the owner of the sheep beats his dog, who, seeing the wolf going into the sheepfold, does not run and bark at him. The wise man has no hatred for anyone; and if he hates anyone, then only a stupid one. And a fool also has no love for anyone; and if he loves anyone, then only a stupid one. (Do not be surprised, my brethren, that while learning obedience, some denied me. And among the twelve apostles there was one traitor, Judas. You also know that initially thorny plants usually grow in the vineyard, and thorns are reaped among the roses. Before you, as before sincere and unanimous brethren, I confirm that my faith is sound, I even swear to its unshakability. For I wish your thoughts to be firm about the inviolable and undivided faith of the faithful.) I swear by the One who descended on Mount Sinai and spoke from the stone (Ex. 17:6), I swear by the lips that cried out: “Eloi” (Mark 15:34), and thereby caused the whole creation to tremble. I swear by the One who was sold by Judas and killed in Jerusalem; I swear by the power of the One who was struck on the cheek and the greatness of the One who received spitting. I swear by the three names of Fire (Deut. 4:34) and by the One God's being and one will that I did not separate from the Church, did not rebel against God's omnipotence. If in my mind I exalted the Father more than the Son, then may He not have mercy on me. If I have humbled the Holy Spirit before God, then let my eyes be covered with darkness. If I confessed differently than what I said, then let me be cast into utter darkness. If I speak hypocritically, then let me burn in flames along with the evil ones. If I say this out of man-pleasing, then may the Lord not listen to Me at the Judgment. I swear both by yours, my disciples, and by my life: Ephraim had no property, no rod, no vagina, because I heard the words of our Lord: do not acquire anything on earth (Matthew 6:19). Come, my brothers, speak peace to me and let me go; I'm parting from you. I conjure you, my beloved, remember me in prayers and petitions, because I spent my days and hours in sinful vanity. I conjure you, my disciples, with unbreakable oaths, so that my words will not be in vain: do not transgress my commandments! If anyone lays me under the altar, then let him not see God’s altar, because it is indecent for stinking uncleanness to lie in a holy place. If anyone places me in a church, let him not see the church of light, because vain glory is of no use to him who is unworthy of glory. Each one will appear naked to give an account for himself. Why give honor to someone who could not maintain his honor? He who has not glorified himself should not be glorified by the world. All things pass away, as you heard from our Lord (Matthew 24:35), therefore I say this with tears, my brethren. The church made of stone is destroyed, as you have heard and read (Matthew 24:2), and the church of flesh (human flesh) is raised for retribution and Judgment. Our Lord does not judge stones, but judges the sons of men. Do not take anything from me as a souvenir for yourself, my brothers, my beloved, my children, children of the Holy Church, for as a souvenir you have what you have heard from our Lord, Who is the Giver of Life to us all. If you take what Ephraim has, then Ephraim will be responsible. The Lord will say to me: “They believed in you more than in Me. And if they had put more faith in Me, they would not have taken anything from you as a keepsake.” Do not put me with the martyrs, because I am a sinner and worthless; Because of my shortcomings, I am afraid to approach their bones. If the straw comes close to the fire, the fire will ignite and burn it. I do not forbid this because the proximity of the martyrs disgusts me, but because of my shortcomings I am afraid. I heard the prophet say: “Noah, Job and Daniel will not deliver their neighbors (Ezek. 14:14,18); “brother will not deliver” brother, and relative will not deliver relative” (Ps. 48:8). Whoever carries me in his hands, let his hands become covered with leprosy, like Gehazi’s; but, lifting me onto your shoulders, carry me as quickly as possible and bury me as despicable, because my days have passed miserably. Why should you glorify me when I am ashamed before the Lord? Why should you please me when I have no good deeds? If someone described my deeds to you, each of you would spit on my face. If the stench of a sinner had been felt by those approaching him, then everyone would have fled from Ephraim’s stench. Whoever puts silk clothes into the coffin with me will be cast into utter darkness. Whoever puts a scarlet robe into the tomb with me will be thrown into fiery hell. Consign me to the ground in my robe and cuculus, because the decoration is indecent to the indecent, and pomp is useless to a dead man stretched out in a coffin. I am a sinner, as I have already said. Let no one please me. My deeds are open to God, He knows the iniquities that I have committed. I am defiled by uncleanness and lewdness, blackened by sins. What impurity is there in me? What sin does not lie with me? Everything obscene, everything lawless and nasty, as I have already said, is in me. Come, O Edessians, my brothers, my lords, children and fathers, bring what you promised, and place it in the grave with your brother. Bring what you promised, my brothers, and lay it before me, so that I myself, while I have a few memories left, will set a price for it. Let expensive clothes be sold, their price brought and distributed to the poor, needy and needy. And it will be a memory for you, and for my benefit. You will be rewarded for this by the mercy of God as distributors, and me as an adviser. But there is another reward for deeds, and another for words. He who gives is greater than he who receives, as you have heard, beloved (Acts 20:35). I thank you, my brothers, for what you have given to me and how you have honored me, although I am unworthy, because I spent my days in sins. He who honors the prophet accepts the reward of the prophecy, as our Teacher assures through His lips (Matthew 10:41). And you know that He is not deceitful. Although I am a sinner, Christ will reward you, because for His sake and out of trust in Him you have shown me this honor. He for whose sake you have honored me, beloved, will reward you for your vows and accept your offerings. Although I am not a prophet, you will accept the reward of prophesying. Blessed is the city you inhabit, Edessa, the mother of the wise! The Son blessed him with his living lips through his disciple. (When King Abgar, the creator of this city, through ambassadors expressed a desire to receive the Savior, the Lord of all Christ, who appeared on earth, and said: “I heard about everything that You have done and what You suffered from the Jews who reject You; therefore come here and live with me; I have a small city, it will serve both You and me.” Then the Lord, marveling at his faith and sending eternal messengers, blessed city, approving its foundations.) And let this blessing remain on him until the Holy One comes! Whoever withholds anything from what was promised to me, let him die the death of Ananias, who thought of lying to the apostles - and fell dead at their feet. (When Ephraim spoke thus, one of those standing here, a very noble man, was struck by an unclean spirit, immediately fell to the bed and began to cry out loudly. Ephraim said to him: “What has this been done by you, man?” And at this word he immediately stood up and said: “I brought expensive clothes with the intention of putting them with you. And as soon as you commanded not to put anything in the coffin with you, I changed this thought, saying: “If there is no way will not be put in such clothes, then why put them on display? If he orders us to give something to the poor, we will give them to the needy, as much as they need, from something else that we have." The blessed one answered him: “Go and fulfill your intention." Whoever carries a wax candle in front of me, let fire burn him from his insides. Why does one need fire who is burned by his own fire? As soon as the visible fire is kindled, the inner, hidden fire is ignited by it. I have had enough of my internal illness; do not increase it also externally. Better, brothers, shed your tears for me, for my friends and for everyone like me. I spent my days in sins and useless vanity; and on the day when I had no hope, a thief came and attacked me; at an hour when I was not thinking, the kidnapper crept up and approached, and forced me to go from here to a country unknown to me. I conjure you, who attracts me, do not confuse or torment me. And if you do to me according to my sins, then great fear will seize me: and then what will happen to me? When I remember what I have done, my knees tremble and my teeth grind; When I bring to mind what I have done, horror seizes me. For I have done nothing good at all in all my days, nothing good has been done at all since my parents brought me into the world. Do not put fragrances with me in the grave, because this honor is useless to me. Do not put on incense, because they will not deliver me from the Judgment. Burn aromas in the sanctuary, and accompany me with prayers; Bring fragrances as a gift to God, and bury me in the earth with psalmody. Instead of wasting incense and aromas, remember me in your prayers, for what is the use of incense to a dead man who cannot smell it? Burn incense in the sanctuary, so that those who enter there may enjoy their fragrance. Do not cover stinking pus with silk clothes, which will serve no purpose. Leave him to lie on the rot, because he cannot feel the honor being given. The rich deserve splendor, and the poor deserve rot; To the descendant of kings belongs the kingdom, and to the stranger - misery. Do not place me in your tombs, for your ornaments will serve me nothing. I made a vow to God to be buried with the strangers. I am a wanderer just like them; Lay me with them, my brethren. Every bird loves those similar to itself, and man loves those similar to himself. Lay me in the cemetery where the brokenhearted are buried, so that the Son of God at His coming will water me and raise me up along with them. Look, O Lord, at my spells, that Thy mercies may appear to me. I pray to You, Son of the Merciful, do not deal with me according to my sins. “If you see iniquity... who will stand” before You? ( Ps.129:3 ) If you demand an account at the Judgment, no one will be justified. “Every mouth will be stopped,” as it is written, “and the whole world will be guilty” (Rom. 3:19). I am not losing hope by saying this, but I am repeating what is written. What will you gain, Son of the Merciful, if I am cast into the fire? Show me your usual bounties, so that Your goodness will be known. If you judge strictly, then indeed, as Your righteousness has spoken, not one out of a thousand, nor two out of darkness will be justified (Ps. 13:3). “Are you reassured, Ephraim, that I will not judge people, that the righteous will be compared with the wicked, the blameless and good with the evil?” No, there can never be communication between light and darkness. How can both Abel and his killer Cain be equal? Or how is it possible to live with the martyrs and their persecutors, against whom the martyrs will cry out and complain? If I say this, I do not ask to compare the good with the evil, but I beg You, Son of the Good, to have mercy on me, my friends and those like me. This is what I said, and I say, and I will not go back on my word: if You do not show mercy, no one will see the Kingdom! For of all those clothed with flesh, Only One is pure from sin. And not only do I say this because I myself am a sinner, but the Scripture actually says so, as I suggest to you, my brothers. “Leave your wisdom, Ephraim,” the Angel of Death tells me, “your intricacies are useless for you; those who persecute you will not listen to you.” And in great anger he also says to me: “Shut your mouth - not everyone will perish like you. The sinner thinks that everyone is the same as him; the blind man assumes that everyone is like him.” Come, my brothers, lay me down, for I am already losing my strength, and soon I will be gone; admonish me with prayer, psalms and offerings. When thirty days have passed since my death, perform a memorial for me, my brethren, because the dead are helped by offerings made by the living (in both the Greek and Syriac texts it reads according to: “the thirtieth day.” And this indicates a special custom in the ancient Church to commemorate the dead, except on other days, on the thirtieth day). Have you not noticed that when living wine ripens in a vineyard, dead wine also ferments in an earthen vessel? And if, my beloved, an onion emitting a heavy smell shows a feeling in itself (when one grows in the field, then the other sprouts in the house), then shouldn’t the dead feel all the more when they create a memory of them? You, sage, will object to me: “This is done according to the laws of nature, and nature does not convince me until you provide evidence.” But be patient, I will present you, if you want, with proof from Scripture. Moses in his blessing said to Reuben: In the third generation let Reuben live (Deut. 33:6). And if it were impossible to receive help from the dead, then why did the son of Abraham bless Reuben? And if you think that the dead do not feel, then listen to what the apostle says: “If the dead do not rise from death, why are they baptized for the sake of the dead?” (1 Cor. 15:29). The sons of Mattathia, containing only images of the truth, with sacrifices, as it is written, atoned for the sins of those defiled by pagan offerings and those who fell in battle (2 Mac. 12:40–46). Isn’t it all the more possible for the priests of the Son of God to cleanse the sins of the dead with holy sacrifices and the prayers of their lips? But when you come to commemorate me, let none of you commit lawlessness and sin, but remain pure, chaste and holy, my brothers, in vigil. This is not necessary because the sin of lewdness is more serious than all sins, for there are sins more serious than fornication. But so that I do not fall responsible for you, for our Lord will say to me: “You, Ephraim, have gathered these adulterers and fornicators.” It is written that God will judge them at the last Judgment (Heb. 13:4). And what else can I say? I am extremely afraid, my beloved, and now I repeat what I said shortly before. Whoever God judges receives bounties for himself at the Judgment. Carnal lust in the body is the same as leaven in flour: it is generated by a person, like fire by iron, and as soon as it is generated within him, it devours and corrupts him. Come close to me, my disciples, accept the blessing by the power of the blessed Shepherd. I am not Noah, but you be like Shem and Japheth. I am not like Melchizedek, but you may be blessed like Abraham. I am not Isaac, but you will receive the blessing like Jacob. I am not like Moses, but let you be like Joshua the son of Nun; I am not Elijah, but you will receive my spirit like Elisha. “May Christ magnify your memory, wonderful Abba, may your light shine like that of an Angel, may you shine glorified like Moses, may all who look at you understand that you are God’s servant!” May the God of Abraham hear you, who walked in my footsteps, Abraham, and as soon as you desire to open your lips, may your Lord fill them with inspirations of wisdom, as I heard the prophet say: “Expand your mouth, and I will do it” (Ps. 80:11). May God hear you, Simeon, when you call on Him in your prayer; No matter what city you come to, may you fill the Church there like a cup! Brides will come to see you; virgins, shut up (in their chambers), will come to listen to your saving instructions, receive help from you, learn from you the salvation of the soul, hear from you wise and beneficial things - and you will become famous in the world, like a doctor in the camp. Immaculate, simple-hearted and sincere Mara from Agel; immaculate not by nature, but by the simplicity of your will, in Whom you trusted, you followed me in my suffering, May He, together with the righteous, reward you with the reward that the saints accept! Warrior and hunter Zenobius from Mesopotamia, let your word be like fire, and let it consume the thorns of heresies; like a fire in the forest; - Let the word of your teaching burn them. Like David, conquer and overthrow the sons of error instead of Goliath; put on the armor of the prophets and the armor of the apostles; May your Lord be your companion and invincible army! Cursed be your mother, Pavlo! Woe to the womb that gave birth to you! For you took part in all heresies and invented all sorts of disputes, and therefore you lost all your labors, like Judas lost his pieces of silver. The pillar you left behind (1 Tim. 3:15) will show a miracle in your body, because you placed your trust in a broken reed, leaving behind the rod of the Cross. Rebel Arvad, may your memory be consumed from among the living, because you forsook the wine of Christ and drank the yeast of sin. Let the Son, whom your lips have blasphemed, repay at your hands for His reproach! Cursed be the Arians and the Manichaeans, the Kafars and the Ophites, the Marcionites and the Ebiomians, the Bardesans and the Kukites! May the Paulians and Vitalians, the Subbotniks and the Worvorians be cursed, along with the teachings of other unclean heresies! Blessed is he who has chosen the Holy Church. This is a lamb that was not torn to pieces by a wolf, this is a pure dove that the hawk pursuing it could not overtake. “Like a cup of wine in the hand of the Lord is not dissolved” (Ps. 74:9), the apostates drank it - and became drunk, separated - and rebelled against Jesus. Just as a mad dog bites his own master if he can, so the apostates spew blasphemies against their Lord. Praise be to Him Who is exalted above them, and Whose height is unattainable for them! For if the wicked could somehow enter heaven, they would bring their strife there too - into the peaceful abode of those above. Their brothers were bold and once wished to ascend to heaven, but the truth condemned them, and the wicked were disgraced and ashamed. And if those who wanted to ascend to the abode of the heavenly Angels suffered such a judgment and such a punishment, then what condemnation, brethren, will those impudent ones who want to separate the Father, Son and Spirit be subjected to? Continue in my teaching and do not fall away from my faith, my disciples. Whoever doubts about God, like Cain, let him be “shaken... on the earth” (Gen. 4:12). Whoever humbles the Son before the Father, let the earth swallow him up alive. Let him who doubts the Holy Spirit receive no pardon. Whoever rebels against the Church may have flesh like Gehazi and be covered with leprosy. Whoever departs from my faith, let him be strangled by Judas. Great wickedness is blasphemy, flee from it, beloved; He who speaks evil and blasphemes sins against the living God. Carnal sins are enough for us; let us not add wickedness to them. In this alone is my hope and my consolation before God, that I have never slandered my Lord, and blasphemy has never come out of my mouth. For I have hated, O Lord, those who hate You, and have not loved Your enemies. Write my words on your hearts and remember me, for after my death wicked people will come to you “in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Their speech is sweet, but the inclinations of their heart are full of bitterness. They are good in appearance, but come from Satan. Flee them and their teachings, and do not approach them. You know that anyone captured in a place where the king was reviled is taken to court and interrogated; and although he is innocent and did not revile the king, he nevertheless bears punishment for not having zeal for the king. Therefore, do not associate with false teachers and do not associate with unbelievers. It is easier to live with a demon than with an infidel. You cast a spell on the demon, and he will leave, because he cannot resist the name of Jesus; but if you cast thousands of spells against an infidel, he will not retreat from his malice and will not abandon his madness. It is easier to teach a demon than to convert the sons of error. The demons confessed and said: “Thou art the Lord, the Son of God” (Mark 3:11); on the contrary, the infidels stubbornly assert that He is not the Son of God. Satan who lives in them confesses, but they stand firm in their stubbornness. If a willow can grow on a bare stone, then an apostate can accept the teaching. It is easier for a mountain, according to Scripture, to stoop to a valley, it is easier for a willow, in fulfillment of the prophetic word, to grow on a bare stone, than for an apostate to learn the truth. If the raven can become white, then the wicked can become righteous. When it snows in winter and falls on the raven’s feathers, then the raven also appears white for a while from the snow lying on its feathers. So sometimes the wicked, hearing about the Judgment, are horrified by future torment, repent for a short time of what they have done, leave their way of life for a while, turning from their wickedness. Listen to my instructions, my disciples, keep my words in memory: do not deviate from my faith and do not transgress my words! The time will come when everything written will be accomplished and what was predicted will be fulfilled: “heaven and earth will pass away, one jot, or one dot will not pass away,” as our Teacher swore with an oath (Matthew 5:18), and you know that He is not a liar (in the Syriac original, these words are followed by a long story about the struggle of Moses with the wise men of Egypt, which is completely unrelated to the testament and interrupting the connection of speech. According to the publisher, this story is taken from some other work of Ephraim and inserted here by an unreasonable copyist). Here comes, and is already close, taking me away. Leave your philosophizing, Ephraim. I beg You, Lord Jesus, as a man begs his friend: “Do not put me on Your side when You come!” I'll tell you something else. I swear on your life that this is not false. When I was still very small and lying on my mother’s lap, then it seemed to me as if in a dream, which later came true. A grape branch appeared on my tongue, it grew higher and higher, and soared to the sky; Countless fruits appeared on it, and the leaves could not be counted. Growing more and more, spreading out and expanding into a circle, it spread out over the whole world; they gathered fruit from it, and the fruit did not decrease; even the more grapes were picked, the more their number increased. The grapes are conversations, the leaves are chants. The giver of this is God. Praise be to Him for His goodness! According to His good pleasure, He gave me this from His treasury. Farewell my friends, pray for me my beloved. Now, the time has come for the merchant to go to his country. But alas! My property is destroyed, all my treasures are wasted. No one cries for the good, because they descend into the grave to live. For me, for my neighbors like me, shed your tears, my brothers, because we spent our days and years in vanity. Farewell, earth, may your sons live in joy, may there be peace in the Churches, may the persecution of the wicked cease, may the wicked be made righteous, and may sinners bring repentance! Peace be with you, taking me away, taking the soul from the body and separating them into special abodes until the Resurrection! This will has been preserved in the Syriac original and in the Greek translation. A translation from the Syriac is offered here. The passages in brackets are not in the Syriac original and have been supplemented from the Greek translation. You might be interested in: