Letter 412

To Eutropius the Monk. If you wish to ascend to the altar of the Jerusalem that is in the heavens, advance by manifold virtue and make your ascent by humility, building up in your own heart the ascents spoken of by the blessed David [Psalm 84:5-7] in the place of the valley of weeping of human life. For that the life of human beings is full of weeping and mourning you will learn clearly, when you see the infants weeping as they come forth from the mother's womb, and again, after death, the pitiable man being lamented. Therefore ascend to that altar by virtue and by humility, not by transgressions and arrogance.

Εἰ βούλει ἀνελθεῖν εἰς τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῆς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς Ἱερουσαλήμ, δι’ ἀρετῆς πολυειδοῦς, καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης προκόπτων ἀνάδηθι, τὰς εἰρημένας τῷ μακαρίῳ Δαυΐδ ἀναβάσεις, ἐν τῇ σεαυτοῦ καρδίᾳ κατασκευάζων ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ζωῆς. Ὅτι γὰρ κλαυθμοῦ, καὶ πένθους πλήρης τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ βίος, μαθήσῃ σαφῶς, βλέπων τὰ βρέφη κλαίοντα τῆς γαστρὸς τῆς μητρώας προκύπτοντα, καὶ μετὰ τὸ θανεῖν πάλιν τὸν ἐλεεινὸν θρηνούμενον ἄνθρωπον. Δι’ ἀρετῆς τοίνυν ἀνέρχου, καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης πρὸς ἐκεῖνο τὸ θυσιαστήριον, μὴ διὰ πταισμάτων, καὶ ὑπερηφανείας.