Christ is not changed, 606 nor will his holy body be altered, but the power of the blessing, and the life-giving grace is perpetual in him. And certain others go about, as they say, pretending to devote themselves only to prayer, and doing no work, and they make piety a pretext for idleness and a means of gain, not thinking rightly. For let them say that they are better even than the holy apostles, who worked when time gave them the leisure for it, and also labored in the word of God. And how have they forgotten the blessed Paul writing to some people, "For I hear that there are some who walk among "you doing no work, but are busybodies?"

Therefore the Church does not accept those who do this. For it is admittedly necessary to pray intently while remaining quietly in the monasteries; but it is in no way harmful, but rather it is also exceedingly beneficial to work, so that one may not be found burdensome to others, receiving their sweat for one's own needs, and may be able from one's own labors to comfort a widow and an orphan, and any of the brethren who are sick. But if they think it is good not to undertake work, when everyone emulates their ways, who will feed them? Therefore some make it a pretext for idleness and gluttony, to think it necessary to be at leisure for prayer alone, and not to undertake work at all. Do not allow the orthodox to assemble with those called Meletians, so that they may not become partakers of their apostasy. 607 But if those people come to the orthodox repenting, let them be received; but let no one be indifferent, nor have communion with those who do not repent, so that, as I said, they may not become partakers of the evil faith that is in them.

Let your God-fearing reverence arrange for these things to be read in those monasteries for the edification of those there, and let it be commanded to keep them, so that neither may the orthodox weary, their conscience being paralyzed, nor indeed may those wishing to live in idleness have any pretext for seeming to be good. I pray that you may be well in the Lord, beloved and most desired.

ἀλλοιοῦται 606 Χριστὸς, οὐδὲ τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ σῶμα μεταβληθήσεται, ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς εὐλογίας δύναμις, καὶ ἡ ζωοποιὸς χάρις διηνεκής ἐστιν ἐν αὐτῷ. Περιέρχονται δὲ καὶ ἕτεροί τινες, ὡς φασὶ, προσποιούμενοι μόνῃ σχολάζειν τῇ προσευχῇ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐργαζόμενοι, καὶ ὄκνου πρόφασιν καὶ πορισμοῦ ποιοῦνται τὴν εὐσέβειαν, οὐκ ὀρθὰ φρονοῦντες. ἐπεὶ λεγέτωσαν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων κρείττονας, οἳ εἰργάζοντο μὲν ἐνδιδόντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν εἰς τοῦτο σχολὴν, ἔκαμνον δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ. πῶς δὲ καὶ ἐπελάθοντο γράφοντος τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου πρός τινας "Ἀκούω γὰρ περιπατεῖν "ἐν ὑμῖν τινας μηδὲν ἐργαζομένους, ἀλλὰ περιεργαζομένους;"

Οὐκ ἀποδέχεται τοίνυν τοὺς τοῦτο δρῶντας ἡ Ἐκκλησία. δεῖ μὲν γὰρ ὁμολογουμένως εὔχεσθαι συντόνως ἐνηρεμοῦντας τοῖς ἀσκητηρίοις· λυπεῖ δὲ οὐδὲν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὠφελιμώτατόν ἐστιν ἄγαν τὸ καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ ἑτέροις ἐπαχθὴς εὑρεθῆ, τοὺς αὐτῶν ἱδρῶτας εἰς ἰδίαν δεχόμενος χρείαν, δυνηθῇ δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ πόνων παραμυθήσασθαι χήραν καὶ ὀρφανὸν, καὶ ἀσθενοῦντάς τινας τῶν ἀδελφῶν. εἰ δὲ νομίζουσιν εἶναι καλὸν, τὸ ἔργου μὴ ἅπτεσθαι, ὅταν πάντες τὰ αὐτῶν ζηλώσωσι, τίς ὁ τρέφων αὐτούς; ἀργίας τοίνυν καὶ γαστριμαργίας πρόφασιν ποιοῦνταί τινες, τὸ δεῖν οἴεσθαι μόνῃ σχολάζειν τῇ προσευχῇ, ἔργου δὲ ὅλως μὴ ἅπτεσθαι. μὴ συγχώρει δὲ τοῖς ὀρθοδόξοις μετὰ τῶν καλουμένων Μελετιανῶν συνάγεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ γένωνται κοινωνοὶ τῆς ἀποστα 607 σίας αὐτῶν. ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν ἐκεῖνοι μετανοοῦντες ἔρχονται πρὸς τοὺς ὀρθοδόξους, ἔστωσαν δεκτοί· μηδεὶς δὲ ἀδιαφορείτω, μηδὲ κοινωνείτω ἐκείνοις μὴ μεταγινώσκουσιν, ἵνα μὴ, ὡς ἔφην, κοινωνοὶ γένωνται τῆς ἐνούσης κακοπιστίας αὐτοῖς.

Ταῦτα ἡ σὴ θεοσέβεια ἀναγνωσθῆναι παρασκευασάτω ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς μοναστηρίοις εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τῶν αὐτόθι, καὶ παραγγελλέτω φυλάττειν αὐτὰ, ἵνα μήτε οἱ ὀρθόδοξοι κάμνωσι παραλυομένης αὐτῶν τῆς συνειδήσεως, μήτε μὴν οἱ ἀργοτροφεῖν ἐθέλοντες ἔχωσί τινα παρείσδυσιν τοῦ δοκεῖν εἶναι χρηστοί. Ἐῤῥῶσθαί σε ἐν Κυρίῳ εὔχομαι, ἀγαπητὲ καὶ ποθεινότατε.