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my soul blesses his mind toward God, having recognized it as virtuous and perfect, his steadfastness and his freedom from anger, living in all the gentleness of God.

Therefore, children of the light of truth, flee division and evil doctrines; and where the shepherd is, there, like sheep, follow. For many plausible wolves with evil pleasure take captive those who run the course of God; but in your unity they will have no place. Abstain from the evil weeds, which Jesus Christ does not cultivate, because they are not the Father's planting. Not that I found division among you, but a straining out. For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ, these are with the bishop; and as many as repent and come to the unity of the church, these also will be of God, so that they may live according to Jesus Christ. "Be not deceived, my brothers;" if anyone follows a schismatic, "he does not inherit the kingdom of God;" if anyone walks in a strange opinion, this one does not consent to the passion. Be diligent, therefore, to use one Eucharist; for there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup for union with his blood, one altar, as there is one bishop with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow servants; so that whatever you do, you do it according to God. My brothers, I am exceedingly poured out in loving you and, rejoicing exceedingly, I make you secure; yet not I, but Jesus Christ, in whom being bound I fear the more, as being still imperfect; but your prayer to God will make me perfect, so that I may attain the lot in which I have received mercy, taking refuge in the Gospel as the flesh of Jesus, and in the apostles as the presbytery of the church. And we also love the prophets, because they too proclaimed with a view to the Gospel, and hoped in him, and awaited him, in whom also believing they were saved, being in the unity of Jesus Christ, saints worthy of love and worthy of admiration, testified to by Jesus Christ and numbered together in the Gospel of our common hope. But if anyone interprets Judaism to you, do not listen to him. For it is better to hear Christianity from a man with circumcision, than Judaism from one who is uncircumcised. But if both do not speak of Jesus Christ, these are to me monuments and tombs of the dead, on which are written only the names of men. Flee, therefore, the evil arts and snares of the ruler of this age, lest, being afflicted by his opinion, you grow weak in love; but all of you come together with an undivided heart. And I thank my God that I have a good conscience among you, and no one can boast either secretly or openly that I have burdened anyone in small or great things. And to all among whom I have spoken, I pray that they may not acquire it for a testimony. For even if some wished to deceive me according to the flesh, yet the spirit is not deceived, being from God. For "it knows whence it comes and where it goes," and it convicts the hidden things. I cried out while I was among you, I spoke with a loud voice, with the voice of God: Pay attention to the bishop and to the presbytery and deacons.

But some suspected me of saying these things as if I had foreseen the division of certain people; but he in whom I am bound is my witness that I did not know it from human flesh. But the Spirit was proclaiming, saying these things: Do nothing without the bishop, keep your flesh as the temple of God, love unity, flee divisions, be imitators of Jesus Christ, as he also is of his Father. I, therefore, was doing my own part as a man perfected for unity. But where there is division and anger, God does not dwell. Therefore the Lord forgives all who repent, if they repent into the unity of God and the council of the bishop. I trust in the grace of Jesus Christ, who will loose from you every bond. But I exhort you to do nothing according to rivalry, but according to the teaching of Christ. Since I heard some saying that, "If I do not find it in the archives, I do not believe it in the Gospel;" and when I said to them that "It is written," they answered me that "That is the question." But to me, the archives are Jesus Christ, the inviolable archives are his cross

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μακαρίζει μου ἡ ψυχὴ τὴν εἰς θεὸν αὐτοῦ γνώμην, ἐπιγνοὺς ἐνάρετον καὶ τέλειον οὖσαν, τὸ ἀκίνητον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀόργητον αὐτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιεικείᾳ θεοῦ ζῶντος.

Tέκνα οὖν φωτὸς ἀληθείας, φεύγετε τὸν μερισμὸν καὶ τὰς κακοδιδασκαλίας· ὅπου δὲ ὁ ποιμήν ἐστιν, ἐκεῖ ὡς πρόβατα ἀκολουθεῖτε. Πολλοὶ γὰρ λύκοι ἀξιόπιστοι ἡδονῇ κακῇ αἰχμαλωτίζουσιν τοὺς θεοδρόμους· ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἑνότητι ὑμῶν οὐχ ἕξουσιν τόπον. Ἀπέχεσθε τῶν κακῶν βοτανῶν, ἅστινας οὐ γεωργεῖ Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι αὐτοὺς φυτείαν πατρός. Oὐχ ὅτι παρ' ὑμῖν μερισμὸν εὗρον, ἀλλ' ἀποδιϋλισμόν. Ὅσοι γὰρ θεοῦ εἰσιν καὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὗτοι μετὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου εἰσίν· καὶ ὅσοι ἂν μετανοήσαντες ἔλθωσιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ οὗτοι θεοῦ ἔσονται, ἵνα ὦσιν κατὰ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ζῶντες. «Mὴ πλανᾶσθε, ἀδελφοί μου·» εἴ τις σχίζοντι ἀκολουθεῖ, «βασιλείαν θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομεῖ» εἴ τις ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ γνώμῃ περιπατεῖ, οὗτος τῷ πάθει οὐ συγκατατίθεται.Σπουδάσατε οὖν μιᾷ εὐχαριστίᾳ χρῆσθαι· μία γὰρ σὰρξ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἓν ποτήριον εἰς ἕνωσιν τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ, ἓν θυσιαστήριον, ὡς εἷς ἐπίσκοπος ἅμα τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ καὶ διακόνοις, τοῖς συνδούλοις μου· ἵνα ὃ ἐὰν πράσσητε κατὰ θεὸν πράσσητε. Ἀδελφοί μου, λίαν ἐκκέχυμαι ἀγαπῶν ὑμᾶς καὶ ὑπεραγαλλόμενος ἀσφαλίζομαι ὑμᾶς· οὐκ ἐγὼ δέ, ἀλλ' Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ἐν ᾧ δεδεμένος φοβοῦμαι μᾶλλον, ὡς ἔτι ὢν ἀναπάρτιστος· ἀλλ' ἡ προσευχὴ ὑμῶν εἰς θεόν με ἀπαρτίσει, ἵνα ἐν ᾧ κλήρῳ ἠλεήθην ἐπιτύχω, προσφυγὼν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ὡς σαρκὶ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, ὡς πρεσβυτερίῳ ἐκκλησίας. Kαὶ τοὺς προφήτας δὲ ἀγαπῶμεν, διὰ τὸ καὶ αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον κατηγγελκέναι καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίζειν καὶ αὐτὸν ἀναμένειν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐσώθησαν, ἐν ἑνότητι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὄντες, ἀξιαγάπητοι καὶ ἀξιοθαύμαστοι ἅγιοι, ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μεμαρτυρημένοι καὶ συνηριθμημένοι ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τῆς κοινῆς ἐλπίδος. Ἐὰν δέ τις Ἰουδαϊσμὸν ἑρμηνεύῃ ὑμῖν, μὴ ἀκούετε αὐτοῦ. Ἄμεινον γάρ ἐστιν παρὰ ἀνδρὸς περιτομὴν ἔχοντος Χριστιανισμὸν ἀκούειν, ἢ παρὰ ἀκροβύστου Ἰουδαϊσμόν. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀμφότεροι περὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μὴ λαλῶσιν, οὗτοι ἐμοὶ στῆλαί εἰσιν καὶ τάφοι νεκρῶν, ἐφ' οἷς γέγραπται μόνον ὀνόματα ἀνθρώπων.Φεύγετε οὖν τὰς κακοτεχνίας καὶ ἐνέδρας τοῦ ἄρχοντος τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, μήποτε θλιβέντες τῇ γνώμῃ αὐτοῦ ἐξασθενήσετε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ· ἀλλὰ πάντες ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ γίνεσθε ἐν ἀμερίστῳ καρδίᾳ. Eὐχαριστῶ δὲ τῷ θεῷ μου, ὅτι εὐσυνείδητός εἰμι ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐκ ἔχει τις καυχήσασθαι οὔτε λάθρα οὔτε φανερῶς ὅτι ἐβάρησά τινα ἐν μικρῷ ἢ ἐν μεγάλῳ. Kαὶ πᾶσι δὲ ἐν οἷς ἐλάλησα, εὔχομαι, ἵνα μὴ εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτὸ κτήσωνται. Eἰ γὰρ καὶ κατὰ σάρκα μέ τινες ἠθέλησαν πλανῆσαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα οὐ πλανᾶται ἀπὸ θεοῦ ὄν. «Oἶδεν» γάρ «πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει», καὶ τὰ κρυπτὰ ἐλέγχει. Ἐκραύγασα μεταξὺ ὤν, ἐλάλουν μεγάλῃ φωνῇ, θεοῦ φωνῇ· Tῷ ἐπισκόπῳ προσέχετε καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ καὶ διακόνοις.

Oἱ δὲ ὑποπτεύσαντές με ὡς προειδότα τὸν μερισμόν τινων λέγειν ταῦτα· μάρτυς δέ μοι, ἐν ᾧ δέδεμαι, ὅτι ἀπὸ σαρκὸς ἀνθρωπίνης οὐκ ἔγνων. Tὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ἐκήρυσσεν λέγον τάδε· Χωρὶς τοῦ ἐπισκόπου μηδὲν ποιεῖτε, τὴν σάρκα ὑμῶν ὡς ναὸν θεοῦ τηρεῖτε, τὴν ἕνωσιν ἀγαπᾶτε, τοὺς μερισμοὺς φεύγετε, μιμηταὶ γίνεσθε Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν τὸ ἴδιον ἐποίουν ὡς ἄνθρωπος εἰς ἕνωσιν κατηρτισμένος. Oὗ δὲ μερισμός ἐστιν καὶ ὀργή, θεὸς οὐ κατοικεῖ. Πᾶσιν οὖν μετανοοῦσιν ἀφίει ὁ κύριος, ἐὰν μετανοήσωσιν εἰς ἑνότητα θεοῦ καὶ συνέδριον τοῦ ἐπισκόπου. Πιστεύω τῇ χάριτι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς λύσει ἀφ' ὑμῶν πάντα δεσμόν. Παρακαλῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς μηδὲν κατ' ἐρίθειαν πράσσειν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ χριστομαθίαν. Ἐπεὶ ἤκουσά τινων λεγόντων ὅτι, ἐὰν μὴ ἐν τοῖς ἀρχείοις εὕρω, ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ οὐ πιστεύω· καὶ λέγοντός μου αὐτοῖς ὅτι γέγραπται, ἀπεκρίθησάν μοι ὅτι πρόκειται. Ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀρχεῖά ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, τὰ ἄθικτα ἀρχεῖα ὁ σταυρὸς αὐτοῦ