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he prayed for his enemies: Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing. if anyone, having been wronged more, endures more, this one is blessed; if anyone is deprived, if anyone is rejected for the name of the Lord, this one is truly of Christ. See that no plant of the devil be found among you; for it is bitter and briny. Be sober, be temperate in Christ Jesus. The last times, then, are at hand. Let us be ashamed of, let us fear the long-suffering of God. Let us not despise the riches of His goodness and forbearance; for either let us fear the coming wrath, or let us love the present grace in this present life; only to be found in Christ Jesus so as to truly live. Apart from him, may you never choose even to breathe; for he is my hope, he is my boast, he is my unfailing wealth, in whom I carry about my bonds from Syria to Rome, spiritual pearls, in which may it be granted to me, through your prayer, to be perfected, having become a partaker of the sufferings of Christ and a sharer of his death and of the resurrection from the dead and of the unfailing life, which may I be granted to obtain, so that I may be found in the lot of the Ephesian Christians, who were also always of one mind with the apostles in the power of Jesus Christ, with Paul, John, Timothy the most faithful. I know who I am and to whom I write. I, Ignatius the least, and one like those under danger and judgment; but you have been shown mercy, established in Christ. You are a thoroughfare for those who are being slain for Christ's sake from the blood of Abel the righteous to the blood of Ignatius the least. You are fellow-initiates of Paul, the sanctified, the martyred, for he is a chosen vessel, under whose footsteps may it be granted me to be found, and of the other saints, when I attain to Jesus Christ, who always remembers you in his prayers.

Be diligent, therefore, to come together more frequently for the Eucharist of God and for his glory. For when you are frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are overthrown, and his fiery arrows for sin return to him without effect; for your concord and harmonious faith are his destruction, and a torment to his underlings. Nothing is better than the peace which is in Christ, in which every war of aerial and earthly spirits is brought to nothing. For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, and against the powers, and against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore none of the devil's devices will escape you, if, like Paul, you perfectly have faith and love toward Christ, which is the beginning of life and the end. The beginning of life is faith, and the end is love; and the two, being in unity, make the man of God. All other things are consequent to goodness. No one who professes faith ought to sin, nor one who has acquired love to hate his brother. For he who said: You shall love the Lord your God, also said: And your neighbor as yourself. Those who profess to be of Christ are known not only by what they say, but also by what they do; for by the fruit the tree is known. It is better to be silent and to be, than to speak and not to be. The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power; with the heart one believes, but with the mouth confession is made, the one unto righteousness, the other unto salvation. It is good to teach, if he who speaks also does. For whoever shall do and teach, this one will be great in the kingdom. Our Lord and God, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, first did, and then taught, as Luke testifies, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches. Nothing is hidden from the Lord, but even our secret things are near to him. Let us therefore do all things as if he were dwelling in us, that we may be his temples and he our God in us. Let Christ speak in us, as also in Paul. May the Holy Spirit teach us to speak the things of Christ in a way like him.

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ἐχθρῶν προσηύχετο· Πάτερ ἄφες αὐτοῖς, οὐκ οἴδασιν, ὃ ποιοῦσιν. εἴ τις πλέον ἀδικηθεὶς πλείονα ὑπομείνῃ, οὗτος μακάριος· εἴ τις ἀποστερηθῇ, εἴ τις ἀθετηθῇ διὰ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου, οὗτος ὄντως Χριστοῦ ἐστιν. βλέπετε, μὴ τοῦ διαβόλου βοτάνη εὑρεθῇ ἐν ὑμῖν· πικρὰ γάρ ἐστιν καὶ ἁλμυρά τις αὕτη. νήψατε, σωφρονήσατε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ἔσχατοι καιροὶ λοιπόν εἰσιν. αἰσχυνθῶμεν, φοβηθῶμεν τὴν μακροθυμίαν τοῦ θεοῦ. μὴ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καταφρονήσωμεν· ἢ γὰρ τὴν μέλλουσαν ὀργὴν φοβηθῶμεν, ἢ τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν χάριν ἀγαπήσωμεν ἐν τῷ νῦν βίῳ· μόνον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ εὑρεθῆναι εἰς τὸ ἀληθινῶς ζῆν. χωρὶς τούτου μηδ' ἂν ἀναπνεῦσαί ποτε ἕλησθε· οὗτος γάρ μου ἡ ἐλπίς, οὗτος τὸ καύχημα, οὗτος ἀνελλιπὴς πλοῦτος, ἐν ᾧ τὰ δεσμὰ ἀπὸ Συρίας μέχρι Ῥώμης περιφέρω, τοὺς πνευματικοὺς μαργαρίτας, ἐν οἷς γένοιτό μοι τελειωθῆναι τῇ προσευχῇ ὑμῶν μέτοχον τῶν παθημάτων Χριστοῦ καὶ κοινωνὸν τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι καὶ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως καὶ τῆς ἀνεκλιποῦς ζωῆς, ἧς γένοιτό μοι ἐπιτυχεῖν, ἵνα ἐν κλήρῳ Ἐφεσίων εὑρεθῶ τῶν Χριστιανῶν, οἳ καὶ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πάντοτε συνῆσαν ἐν δυνάμει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, Παύλῳ, Ἰωάννῃ, Tιμοθέῳ τῷ πιστοτάτῳ. Oἶδα, τίς εἰμι καὶ τίσιν γράφω. ἐγὼ ὁ ἐλάχιστος Ἰγνάτιος καὶτοῖς ὑπὸ κίνδυνον καὶ κρίσιν παρόμοιος· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠλεημένοι, ἐστηριγμένοι ἐν Χριστῷ. πάροδός ἐστε τῶν διὰ Χριστὸν ἀναιρουμένων ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος Ἄβελ τοῦ δικαίου ἕως τοῦ αἵματος Ἰγνατίου τοῦ ἐλαχίστου. Παύλου συμμύσται ἐστέ, ἡγιασμένου, μεμαρτυρημένου, ὅτι σκεῦός ἐστιν ἐκλογῆς, οὗ γένοιτό μοι ὑπὸ τὰ ἴχνη εὑρεθῆναι καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἁγίων, ὅταν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιτύχω, ὃς πάντοτε ἐν ταῖς δεήσεσιν αὐτοῦ μνημονεύει ὑμῶν.

Σπουδάζετε οὖν πυκνότερον συνέρχεσθαι εἰς εὐχαριστίαν θεοῦ καὶ δόξαν. ὅταν γὰρ συνεχῶς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ γένησθε, καθαιροῦνται αἱ δυνάμεις τοῦ σατανᾶ, καὶ ἄπρακτα αὐτοῦ ἐπιστρέφει τὰ πεπυρωμένα βέλη πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν· ἡ γὰρ ὑμετέρα ὁμόνοια καὶ σύμφωνος πίστις αὐτοῦ μέν ἐστιν ὄλεθρος, τῶν δὲ ὑπασπιστῶν αὐτοῦ βάσανος. οὐδὲν ἄμεινον τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν εἰρήνης, ἐν ᾗ πᾶς πόλεμος καταργεῖται ἀερίων καὶ ἐπιγείων πνευμάτων. οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ πρὸς ἐξουσίας καὶ πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις. Oὐκοῦν οὐ λήσεται ὑμᾶς τι τῶν νοημάτων τοῦ διαβόλου, ἐὰν ὡς Παῦλος τελείως εἰς Χριστὸν ἔχητε τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀρχὴ ζωῆς καὶ τέλος. ἀρχὴ ζωῆς πίστις, τέλος δὲ ἀγάπη· τὰ δὲ δύο ἐν ἑνότητι γενόμενα θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον ἀποτελεῖ. τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα εἰς καλοκἀγαθίαν ἀκόλουθά ἐστιν. οὐδεὶς πίστιν ἐπαγγελλόμενος ὀφείλει ἁμαρτάνειν, οὐδὲ ἀγάπην κεκτημένος μισεῖν τὸν ἀδελφόν. ὁ γὰρ εἰπών· Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου, εἶπεν· Kαὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν. οἱ ἐπαγγελλόμενοι Χριστοῦ εἶναι οὐκ ἐξ ὧν λέγουσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ὧν πράττουσι γνωρίζονται· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δένδρον γινώσκεται. Ἄμεινόν ἐστι σιωπᾶν καὶ εἶναι, ἢ λαλεῖν καὶ μὴ εἶναι. οὐκ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει· καρδίᾳ πιστεύεται, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται, τῇ μὲν εἰς δικαιοσύνην, τῷ δὲ εἰς σωτηρίαν. καλὸν τὸ διδάσκειν, ἐὰν ὁ λέγων ποιῇ. ὃς γὰρ ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ, οὗτος μέγας ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ. ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ θεὸς Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος πρῶτον ἐποίησεν, καὶ τότε ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ Λουκᾶς, οὗ ὁ ἔπαινος ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ πασῶν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν. οὐδὲν λανθάνει τὸν κύριον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κρυπτὰ ἡμῶν ἐγγὺς αὐτῷ ἐστιν. πάντα οὖν ποιῶμεν ὡς αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν κατοικοῦντος, ἵνα ὦμεν αὐτοῦ ναοὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν θεός. Χριστὸς ἐν ἡμῖν λαλείτω, ὡς καὶ ἐν Παύλῳ. τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διδασκέτω ἡμᾶς τὰ Χριστοῦ φθέγγεσθαι παραπλησίως αὐτῷ.