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you live in relaxation and good cheer.

8.t LETTER 8

8.1 Indeed, the letter that came before was sufficient for your constancy, to quell the inflammation of your pain; but since the tyranny of despondency has greatly overcome you, I thought it necessary to add a second to the first, so that you might enjoy the consolation with much abundance and that your health might be secure from now on. Come then, and from another source I will scatter the dust of your despondency. For I think it has become like dust from a wound and severe swelling. Nevertheless, not even so should your care be neglected. For dust also brings destruction upon the most vital of limbs for one who does not diligently avoid it, clouding the clarity of the pupil and completely disturbing the whole eye of the negligent person. So that this may not happen here as well, let us with great diligence consume the remnant of the evil. But rise up and stretch out your hand to us. For just as is accustomed to happen with those whose bodies are ailing, if the physicians' remedies are applied, but their own part is neglected, the benefit of health is cut short; this is naturally the case with the soul also. So that this may not happen, be diligent to contribute your own part to us with fitting understanding, so that from both sides the benefit may become great. ‘But I want to,’ perhaps you will say, ‘but I cannot; for I am not able to beat back the thick and dark cloud of despondency, although I try very hard.’ This is an excuse and a pretext; for I know the nobility of your reason, I know the strength of your pious soul, the abundance of your understanding, the power of your philosophy, and that it is sufficient for you only to command the raging sea of despondency and make all things calm. But so that this may become easier for you, let us also contribute what is from ourselves. How then will you be able to do this easily? By considering everything in the first letter—for many things were said by us on that subject in it—and with those things also doing what I now command. What is that? When you hear that of the Churches one has sunk, another is shaken, another is swamped by harsh waves, another has suffered incurable things, one having received a wolf instead of a shepherd, another a pirate instead of a pilot, another an executioner instead of a physician, grieve indeed—for it is not right to bear such things without pain—but grieve, putting a measure to your grief. For if in those things in which we ourselves transgress and for which we are about to be held accountable, it is not necessary nor safe, but even very destructive and harmful to grieve with much vehemence, much more so for the transgressions of others is it superfluous and vain to be weakened and broken, and in addition to these, satanic and the destruction of the soul.

8.2 And that you may learn that these things are so, I will relate to you an old story. A certain Corinthian man, having enjoyed the sacred streams and been cleansed through the initiation of baptism and having partaken of the most awesome table and having shared in absolutely all of our mysteries—and many say that he even held the rank of a teacher—after this sacred rite and being within all the secret good things and holding the first place in the Church, sinned a most grievous sin. For having seen his father’s wife with unrighteous eyes, he did not stop at this wicked desire, but also brought his licentious intent to action; and the audacious deed was not only fornication, but also adultery, or rather even than adultery by much

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ἀνέσει καὶ εὐθυμίᾳ διάγεις.

8.t ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Ηʹ 8.1 Ἤρκει μὲν καὶ ἡ πρώην ἐλθοῦσα ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς τὴν ἐμμέλειαν τὴν σὴν καταστεῖλαί σου τῆς ὀδύνης τὴν φλεγμονήν· ἐπειδὴ δέ σε σφόδρα κατειργάσατο τῆς ἀθυμίας ἡ τυραννίς, ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι ἐνόμισα καὶ δευτέραν προσθεῖναι τῇ προτέρᾳ, ὥστε σε μετὰ δαψιλείας πολλῆς καρπώσασθαι τὴν παράκλησιν καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ σοι τὰ τῆς ὑγιείας εἶναι λοιπόν. ∆εῦρο δὴ οὖν καὶ ἑτέρωθεν διασκεδάσω σου τῆς ἀθυμίας τὴν κόνιν. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ ἕλκους καὶ οἰδημάτων χαλεπῶν κόνιν οἶμαι αὐτὴν γεγενῆσθαι. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀμελητέον τῆς ἐπιμελείας τῆς σῆς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ κόνις τὸν μὴ μετὰ σπουδῆς αὐτὴν ἐκκλίνοντα ἐν τῷ καιριωτάτῳ τῶν μελῶν ἐπάγει τὴν λύμην, τὸ διειδὲς τῆς κόρης θολοῦσα καὶ ὁλόκληρον διαταράττουσα τοῦ ῥᾳθυμοῦντος τὸ ὄμμα, ἵν' οὖν μὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοῦτο γένηται, μετὰ σπουδῆς πολλῆς καὶ τὸ λείψανον ἀνέλωμεν τοῦ κακοῦ. Ἀλλὰ διανάστηθι καὶ χεῖρα ἡμῖν ὄρεξον. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ σώματα καμνόντων συμβαίνειν εἴωθεν, ἂν τὰ τῶν ἰατρῶν μὲν εἰσφέρηται, τὰ δὲ ἐκείνων ἐλλιμπάνῃ, διακόπτεται τῆς ὑγιείας τὸ κέρδος, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ γένηται τοῦτο, καὶ τὰ παρὰ σεαυτῆς μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης συνέσεως σπούδαζε εἰσφέρειν ἡμῖν, ὥστε ἑκατέρωθεν πολλὴν γενέσθαι τὴν ὠφέλειαν. «Ἀλλὰ βούλομαι μέν, ἴσως ἐρεῖς, οὐ δύναμαι δέ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀρκῶ διακρούσασθαι τὸ νέφος τὸ πυκνὸν καὶ ζοφῶδες τῆς ἀθυμίας, καίτοι σφόδρα φιλονεικοῦσα.» Σκῆψις ταῦτα καὶ πρόφασις· ἐγὼ γὰρ οἶδά σου τῶν λογισμῶν τὴν εὐγένειαν, οἶδα τῆς εὐλαβοῦς ψυχῆς τὴν ἰσχύν, τῆς συνέσεως τὸ πλῆθος, τῆς φιλοσοφίας τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ ὡς ἀρκεῖ σοι μόνον ἐπιτάξαι τῷ μαινομένῳ τῆς ἀθυμίας πελάγει καὶ πάντα ποιῆσαι γαλήνην. Ἵνα δέ σοι τοῦτο καὶ εὐκολώτερον γένηται, καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσοίσωμεν. Πῶς οὖν ῥᾳδίως δυνήσῃ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι; Καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ ἐπιστολῇ ἀναλογιζομένη πάντα-καὶ γὰρ πολλὰ ταύτης ἕνεκεν ἡμῖν εἴρηται τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐν ἐκείνῃ-καὶ μετ' ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦτο ποιοῦσα ὅπερ ἐπιτάττω νῦν ἐγώ. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς ὅτι τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἡ μὲν κατέδυ, ἡ δὲ σαλεύεται, ἑτέρα χαλεποῖς περιαντλεῖται κύμασιν, ἄλλη τὰ ἀνήκεστα πέπονθεν, ἡ μὲν λύκον ἀντὶ ποιμένος λαβοῦσα, ἡ δὲ πειρατὴν ἀντὶ κυβερνήτου, ἡ δὲ δήμιον ἀντὶ ἰατροῦ, ἄλγει μέν-οὐ γὰρ δεῖ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀνωδύνως φέρειν-, ἄλγει δὲ μέτρον ἐπιθεῖσα τῇ λύπῃ. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν οἷς ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ πλημμελοῦμεν καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν μέλλομεν τὰς εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν, οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον οὐδὲ ἀσφαλές, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ὀλέθριον καὶ βλαβερὸν τὸ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀλγεῖν τῆς σφοδρότητος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἑτέροις πλημμελουμένων τὸ καταμαλακίζεσθαι καὶ κατακλᾶσθαι περιττόν τε καὶ μάταιον, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις σατανικὸν καὶ ψυχῆς ὄλεθρος. 8.2 Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, ἱστορίαν σοι διηγήσομαι παλαιάν. Κορίνθιός τις ἀνὴρ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀπολαύσας ναμάτων καὶ καθαρθεὶς διὰ τῆς τοῦ βαπτίσματος μυσταγωγίας καὶ τῆς φρικωδεστάτης μετασχὼν τραπέζης καὶ πάντων ἁπαξαπλῶς τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν κοινωνήσας μυστηρίων-πολλοὶ δέ φασιν ὅτι καὶ διδασκάλου τάξιν ἐπεῖχε-, μετὰ τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην τελετὴν καὶ τὸ πάντων ἐντὸς γενέσθαι τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τὰ πρωτεῖα ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἥμαρτεν ἁμαρτίαν χαλεπωτάτην. Τὴν γὰρ γυναῖκα τοῦ πατρὸς ἀδίκοις ἰδὼν ὀφθαλμοῖς, οὐκ ἔστη μέχρι τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης ἐπιθυμίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἔργον τὴν ἀκόλαστον γνώμην ἐξήγαγε· καὶ ἦν τὸ τολμηθὲν οὐχὶ πορνεία μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μοιχεία, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ μοιχείας πολλῷ