9

Then it is also necessary to consider this, that it is proper for the accused to bring forward indisputable witnesses, whom not even any of the accusers can blame. But if the one being persecuted were to call to testify those accused by the persecutors, not even the judge himself would endure to accept them. For if I had omitted the praise of the Fathers who wrote of these holy men, I would have done wrong, I confess, and become ungrateful to my teachers. But if, being accused, I offered a defense and brought forward indisputable witnesses, why do those who wish to see none of these things blame me in vain? And as to how I revere the men, the book written by us on their behalf is a witness, in which we refuted the indictment made against them, not fearing the power of the accusers nor the plots made against us. Therefore, let those who embrace idle talk have some other pretext for their nonsense. My aim is not to say and do all things for the sake of this person or that, but to build up the Church of God and to please her bridegroom and Master. For my conscience bears me witness that I do these things not for the sake of bodily comfort nor clinging to that care-laden honor, which I hesitate to call wretched. For I would have resigned of my own accord long ago, if I did not fear the divine judgment. And now know well, my lord, that I await the necessity. And I think it is drawing near; for the things being contrived are evidence of it. 17 TO THE DEACONESS CASIANA. If I looked only to the excess of your suffering, I would have postponed my letter for a time, so that I might take time as an ally for healing. But since I know the philosophy of your God-loving self, I have dared to offer words of consolation, which I have been taught both by nature and by the divine Scripture. For nature has its mortal element, and all of life is full of such misfortunes; and the Governor of all and the Pilot of the universe, the Master who wisely directs our affairs, offers us every kind of comfort through the divine oracles. And the books of the holy Gospels are full of these, and full too are the writings of the holy apostles, and the decrees of the thrice-blessed prophets. But I think it superfluous to collect these and offer them to your God-revering self, who from the beginning has been nurtured in the divinely-inspired words, and has regulated her own life according to them, and does not need other teaching. I beseech you, therefore, to be mindful of those words, which both charge us to master our passions, and promise eternal life, and proclaim the destruction of death, and announce the common resurrection of us all; and in addition to these, or rather before these, that it is the Master who commanded these things to happen so, and a Master most wise and most good, and who knows precisely what is expedient, and who in every way directs matters toward this. For there are times when death is better than life, and what seems grievous is more pleasing than what is considered delightful. Let your God-revering self, therefore, accept the exhortation of my lowliness, so that you may serve the Master of all by nobly bearing what is painful and by becoming a model of philosophy for women and men alike. For all will marvel at the courage of your reasoning, having nobly received the assault of suffering and having dissolved its most violent attack by the greatness of your spirit. And we have sufficient comfort in the living images of the departed child; for he has left us fruits worthy of love, able to put a stop to the immoderation of our grief. And in addition to these things, I beseech you also to measure your grief by the weakness of your body and not to increase your sufferings by an excess of despondency. But I the

9

Ἔπειτα δὲ κἀκεῖνο χρὴ συνιδεῖν, ὡς τὸν κατη γορούμενον ἀναμφισβητήτους μάρτυρας προσήκει παράγειν, οἷς οὐδὲ τῶν κατηγόρων τις ἐπιμέμψασθαι δύναται. Εἰ δὲ τοὺς παρὰ τῶν διωκόντων κατηγορουμένους ὁ διωκόμενος εἰς μαρτυρίαν καλέσοι, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἂν ὁ δικάζων ἀνάσχοιτο δέ ξασθαι. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔπαινον Πατέρων συγγράφων τούσδε τοὺς ἁγίους παρέλιπον, ἠδίκησα ἄν, ὁμολογῶ, καὶ περὶ τοὺς διδασ κάλους ἀχάριστος ἐγενόμην. Εἰ δὲ κατηγορούμενος ἀπολογίαν προσήνεγκα καὶ τοὺς ἀναμφισβητήτους παρήγαγον μάρτυρας, τί μάτην οἱ τούτων οὐδὲν ἰδεῖν ἐθέλοντες ἐπιμέμφονται; Ὅπως δὲ σέβω τοὺς ἄνδρας, μάρτυς ἡ παρ' ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν συγγραφεῖσα βίβλος, ἐν ᾗ τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν γεγενημένην γραφὴν διελύσαμεν, οὐ δείσαντες τῶν κατηγόρων τὴν δυναστείαν οὐδὲ τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν γενομένας ἐπιβουλάς. Ἄλλην τοίνυν ἐχέτω σαν τερθρείας ἀφορμὴν οἱ τὴν ἀδολεσχίαν ἀσπαζόμενοι. Ἐμοὶ σκοπὸς οὐ πρὸς χάριν τοῦ δεῖνος καὶ τοῦ δεῖνος πάντα λέγειν καὶ πράττειν· ἀλλὰ τήν τε τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομεῖν καὶ τῷ ταύτης ἀρέσκειν νυμφίῳ τε καὶ ∆εσπότῃ. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ σωματικῆς ἕνεκα θεραπείας οὐδὲ τῆς πολυφρόντιδος τιμῆς ἀντεχόμενος, ἣν δύστηνον ὀνομάζειν ὀκνῶ, ταῦτα ποιῶ, μαρτυ ρεῖ μοι τὸ συνειδός. Πάλαι γὰρ ἂν αὐτόματος ἀπέστην, εἰ μὴ τὸ θεῖον ἐδεδίειν κριτήριον. Καὶ νῦν εὖ ἴσθι, δέσποτα, ὡς τὴν ἀνάγκην προσμένω. Πελάζειν δὲ ταύτην οἶμαι· τεκμηριοῖ γὰρ τὰ τυρευόμενα. 17 ΚΑΣΙΑΝΗ ∆ΙΑΚΟΝΩ. Εἰ μὲν εἰς μόνην ἀφεώρων τὴν τοῦ πάθους ὑπερβολήν, ἀνεβαλόμην ἂν τέως τὰ γράμματα, ἵνα λάβω τὸν χρόνον τῆς θεραπείας ἐπίκουρον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν οἶδα τῆς σῆς θεοφιλείας, τοὺς παραμυθητικοὺς προσενεγκεῖν ἐθάρρησα λόγους, οὓς καὶ παρὰ τῆς φύσεως καὶ παρὰ τῆς θείας ἐδιδά χθην Γραφῆς. Ἥ τε γὰρ φύσις τὸ ἐπίκηρον ἔχει, καὶ τῶν τοιούτων συμφορῶν ἅπας ὁ βίος μεστός· καὶ τῶν ὅλων ὁ Πρύ τανις καὶ τοῦ παντὸς ὁ Κυβερνήτης, ὁ σοφῶς τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς πρυτανεύων ∆εσπότης, παντοδαπὴν ἡμῖν διὰ τῶν θείων λογίων προσφέρει παραψυχήν· καὶ τούτων μεσταὶ μὲν τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων αἱ βίβλοι, μεστὰ δὲ τὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων συγ γράμματα, καὶ τῶν τρισμακαρίων προφητῶν τὰ θεσπίσματα. Περιττὸν δὲ οἶμαι συλλέγειν ταῦτα καὶ τῇ σῇ προσφέρειν θεοσεβείᾳ, ἄνωθεν τοῖς θεοπνεύστοις ἐντεθραμμένῃ λόγοις, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα τὸν οἰκεῖον ῥυθμισάσῃ βίον, καὶ διδασκαλίας ἑτέρας μὴ δεομένῃ. Παρακαλῶ τοίνυν ἐκείνων ἀναμνησθῆναι τῶν λόγων, οἳ καὶ τῶν παθῶν παρεγγυῶσιν ἡμῖν κρατεῖν, καὶ τὴν αἰώνιον ὑπισχνοῦνται ζωήν, καὶ τοῦ θανάτου κηρύττουσι τὴν κατάλυσιν, καὶ τὴν κοινὴν πάντων ἡμῶν ἀνάστασιν ἐπαγ γέλλονται· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ τούτων, ὅτι ∆εσ πότης ὁ ταῦτα οὕτω γενέσθαι κελεύσας, καὶ ∆εσπότης σοφώτατός τε καὶ ἀγαθώτατος, καὶ τὸ συμφέρον ἀκριβῶς ἐπιστάμενος, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο πάντως ἰθύνων τὰ πράγματα. Ἔστι γὰρ ὅτε θάνατος ἀμείνων ζωῆς καὶ ὁ δοκῶν ἀνιαρὸς τῶν νομιζομένων τερπνῶν ἐστι θυμηρέστερος. ∆εξάσθω τοίνυν ἡ θεοσέβειά σου τῆς ἐμῆς ταπεινώσεως τὴν παράκλησιν, ἵνα τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεραπεύσῃς ∆εσπότην, γενναίως ἐνεγκοῦσα τὰ λυπηρὰ καὶ γυναιξὶν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀνδράσι φιλοσοφίας ὑπόδειγμα γενομένη. Θαυμάσονται γὰρ ἅπαντες τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὴν ἀνδρίαν, δεξαμένην γενναίως τοῦ πάθους τὴν προσβολὴν καὶ τὴν σφοδροτάτην αὐτοῦ διαλύσασαν ἐμβολὴν τῇ μεγαλοψυχίᾳ τῆς γνώμης. Ἔχομεν δὲ ψυχαγωγίαν ἀρκοῦσαν τοῦ κατοιχομένου παιδὸς τὰς ζώσας εἰκόνας· ἀξιεράστους γὰρ ἡμῖν καρποὺς καταλέλοιπεν, παῦσαι δυναμένους τῆς ἀχθηδόνος τὴν ἀμετ ρίαν. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀντιβολῶ καὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενείᾳ μετρῆσαι τὴν λύπην καὶ μὴ αὐξῆσαι τὰ πάθη τῇ τῆς ἀθυμίας ὑπερβολῇ. Ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν