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love of the Lord. You depart without care, without a will; for you have nothing to bequeath but your hair-shirt garment and whatever else belongs to your unadorned life. From this point on, you already stand naked before God, bringing your soul pure from the mire of material things. But you do have something to leave us: your mighty prayer, which you sent down upon us even when we were infants, signing and sealing us in the night hours, offering supplications to the Lord on our behalf at every moment. You will also leave behind your tirelessness in the divine liturgies, your loving-kindness and zeal, and the apostolic boast of your labor; for in truth, much labor has come forth from your holy hands and has sheltered and warmed not only us, but also the entire brotherhood. They too, having you as a spiritual mother and cherishing you, are grieved for you just as we are, and call upon you. These things we have set down in writing as if they were not happening, making a consolation for ourselves and showing you the things of our heart, which you also know of yourself. I therefore, my holy mother, as you know, even if I wished to come, had no way because of the care laid upon me unworthily, and I know not for what reason. For it is marvelous, he says, if Saul is also among the prophets, and indeed Theodore among the abbots. This has kept me, this has bound me; since if I were held by iron chains, I would have broken them and stood before your face. But now, in my place, I have sent the presbyter to you for a little comfort, because he too is longed for and honored by you, so that he may be present in all things for your weakness, visiting and caring for what is needed, and if you remain there, he may remain, and if you depart, he may depart along with the steward. For the rest, as God prospers and your weakness allows, so, honored mother, continue, and do not be strained beyond your strength by wishing to depart. And send us a report quickly as to how you are faring in your illness, so that we may be a little cheered; for all the brothers immediately made a rule for you and have a continuous prayer for your health. Grant us your holy prayer, bless us with motherly gifts, greet us through your letter, give us the peace which you have through the grace of Christ and will have for ever and ever. 7 {1To Empress Irene}1 A voice, says the most God-seeing Jeremiah, was heard in Ramah, lamentation and great mourning, Rachel then weeping for her children. But the present things, of what sort and how great are they? From whence yesterday, our all-good lady, did messengers from your sacred palace appear and report to us all the praises recently made of your deeds, truly making both our ears ring. What then? That you have raised a standard of such great piety to the ends of the earth. And behold, from all around have come to you, like flying clouds, a multitude of prayers, honoring God for your auspicious accomplishments. Tell us, O lady, who is it that has set your most pure mind upon the heights of the thoughts of truth, so that as from some high and lofty watchtower you might look down upon such things as are pleasing to God and holy. Teach us whence so great a love of piety has descended upon you, to be laudably insatiable for the things pleasing to God and to drive beyond sparing your very beneficial provision for Christians, both spiritual and physical. Or is it because, thinking much on divine things and having a motherly desire, you did not consider it sufficient only to have redeemed your people by help from above, as if from some Egyptian bondage, of the impious faith, I mean, unless, after your previous good deeds which have shone forth for you in many ways like stars, you also added the present grace as a kind of consummation of your virtues? Holy, holy, holy. Let the heaven above rejoice, let us cry out with the most sacred-voiced Isaiah, even if it is bold, that God through you has had mercy on his people. For indeed your whole kingdom has been filled with joy and exultation, because the lawless yoke that lay upon it has been removed, and the rod that was on the neck of such a dominion. Who has heard such things?

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ἀγάπην τοῦ Κυρίου. ἀμέριμνος ἀπέρχῃ, ἀδιάθετος· οὐ γὰρ πάρεστίν σοί τι διαθέσθαι ἢ τὸ ἔνδυμά σου τὸ τρύχινον καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τῆς ἀσκευάστου ζωῆς σχέδιον. ἀπ' ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη γυμνὴ παρίστασαι τῷ θεῷ, καθαρὰν τῆς τῶν ὑλῶν βορβορώσεως φέρουσα τὴν ψυχήν. ἔχεις δ' ὅ τι ἡμῖν καταλείψεις, τὴν κραταιὰν εὐχήν, ἣν καὶ νηπίοις ἡμῖν οὖσι σχεδὸν κατέπεμπες, σημειοῦσα καὶ κατασφραγίζουσα ἐν ταῖς νυκτεριναῖς ὥραις, λιτὰς ἀνθ' ἡμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ προσφέρουσα. καταλείψεις δὲ καὶ τὸ ἄοκνόν σου ἐν ταῖς θείαις λειτουργίαις καὶ φίλαγνον καὶ σπουδαῖον καὶ τὸ ἀποστολικὸν καύχημα τοῦ καμάτου· τῷ ὄντι γὰρ πολὺς κάματος ἐκ τῶν ὁσίων σου χειρῶν ἐξελήλυθεν καὶ διεσκέπασεν καὶ διέθαλψεν οὐχ ἡμᾶς μόνους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅπασαν τὴν ἀδελφότητα. οἳ καὶ ὡς μητέρα πνευματικὴν ἔχοντές σε καὶ περιέποντες τὰ ἴσα ἡμῖν καταλυποῦνταί σε καὶ ἀνακαλοῦνται. Ταῦτα ὡς μὴ γινόμενα ἐσχηματίσαμεν ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν, παρηγορίαν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ποιοῦντες καὶ ὑποδεικνύοντές σοι τὰ τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν, ἅπερ καὶ ἐξ ἑαυτῆς ἐπίστασαι. ἐγὼ τοίνυν, μῆτέρ μου ἁγία, ὡς οἶσθα, εἰ καὶ ἤθελον εἰσελθεῖν, οὐκ εἶχον πῶς διὰ τὴν φροντίδα τὴν ἐπικειμένην μοι ἀναξίως καὶ οὐκ οἶδα ποίῳ λόγῳ. ὡς θαυμαστὸν γάρ, φησίν, εἰ καὶ Σαοὺλ ἐν προφήταις, καί γε Θεόδωρος ἐν ἡγουμένοις. τοῦτό με εἶρξεν, τοῦτό με ἐδέσμευσεν· ἐπεὶ σιδηραῖς ἁλύσεσιν εἰ ἦν κατεπιασμένος, διέρρησσον αὐτὰς καὶ πρὸ προσώπου σου ἱστάμην. νῦν δὲ ἀντὶ ἐμοῦ ἔπεμψά σοι τὸν πρεσβύτερον εἰς μικρὰν παραμυθίαν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτός σοι ποθητὸς καὶ τίμιος, ἵνα ἐν πᾶσι συμπαρῇ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ σου, ἐπισκεπτόμενος καὶ φροντίζων τὰ δέοντα, κἄν τε ἐπιμένῃς ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι, ἐπιμένῃ, κἄν τε ἐξέρχῃ, συνεξερχόμενος ἅμα τοῦ οἰκονόμου. λοιπὸν ὡς εὐοδώσει ὁ θεὸς καὶ φέρει ἡ ἀσθένεια οὕτως, μῆτερ τιμία, καὶ διαγενοῦ, καὶ μὴ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ταθῇς θέλουσα ἐξελθεῖν. τάχιον δὲ ὅπως διαφέρῃ ἐν τῇ νόσῳ διάγνωσιν πέμψον ἡμῖν, ἵνα εὐψυχήσωμεν μικρόν· κανόνα δὲ εὐθέως πάντες οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἐποίησάν σοι καὶ εὐχὴν ἔχουσι διηνεκῆ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας σου. χάρισαι ἡμῖν τὴν ἁγίαν σου εὐχήν, εὐλόγησον ἡμᾶς μητρικαῖς δωρεαῖς, ἄσπασαι ἡμᾶς διὰ τοῦ γράμματος, δὸς ἡμῖν τὴν εἰρήνην, ἣν ἔχεις διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἕξεις εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων. 7 {1Εἰρήνῃ βασιλίσσῃ}1 Φωνή, φησίν, ἐν Ῥαμᾷ ἠκούσθη, ὁ θεοπτικώτατος Ἱερεμίας, θρῆ-νος καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς, Ῥαχὴλ τότε κλαίουσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς. τὰ δὲ παρόντα οἷα καὶ ἡλίκα; πόθεν που χθές, δέσποινα ἡμῶν πανάγαθε, ἀναφανέντες ἄγγελοι τοῦ ἱεροῦ σου παλατίου καὶ ἀκουτίσαντες ἡμῖν πάσας τὰς γεγενημένας σου τῶν ἔργων ἄρτι αἰνέσεις, ἤχησαν ἡμῶν ἀμφότερα ὡς ἀληθῶς τὰ ὦτα. τί τοιγαροῦν; ὅτι ἦρας σύσσημον ἐν τοῖς πέρασι τηλικαύτης εὐσεβείας. καὶ ἰδοὺ ἥκουσί σοι κυκλοτέρωθεν, ὡς νεφέλαι πετόμεναι, λιταὶ παμπληθεῖς, γεραίρουσαι τὸν θεὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν αἰσίων σου καταπράξεων. φράζε ἡμῖν, ὦ δέσποινα, τίς ὁ ἐπιβιβάσας σου τὸν καθαρώτατον νοῦν ἐπὶ τὰ ὕψη τῶν νοημάτων τῆς ἀληθείας, ὥστε ὡς ἀπὸ σκοπιᾶς τινος ὑψηλῆς μετεώρου καταθρῆσαι τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀρεστὰ θεῷ καὶ ὅσια. δίδαξον ὅθεν σοι ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας τοσοῦτος ἔρως ἐνέσκηψεν, καλῶς ἀπληστεύεσθαι τὰ θεάρεστα καὶ εἰς ὕπερ ἐλάσαι φειδοῦς τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ψυχικῆς τε καὶ σωματικῆς πολυφελοῦς προμηθείας. ἢ ἐπειδὴ πολὺ τὰ θεῖα φρονοῦσα καὶ ὁμειρομένη μητρικῶς οὐκ ἀρκετὸν ἡγήσω τὸ μόνον τὸν λαόν σου τῇ ἄνωθεν ἐπικουρίᾳ ὡς ἐξ Αἰγυπτιακῆς τινος δουλείας, τῆς δυσσεβοῦς, φημί, πίστεως, λυτρώσασθαι, εἰ μὴ μετὰ τῶν προλαβόντων πολυτρόπως ἐκλαμψάντων σοι δίκην ἀστέρων ἀγαθουργημάτων καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν ὡς κολοφῶνά τινα τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐπιπροσθήσασθαι χάριν; Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος. εὐφράνθη ὁ οὐρανὸς ἄνωθεν, μετὰ τοῦ ἱεροφωνοτάτου Ἠσαΐου ἐπιβοήσωμεν, εἰ καὶ τολμηρόν, ὅτι ἠλέησεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ σοῦ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. ἐπλήσθη γοῦν ἡ σύμπασά σου βασιλεία χαρᾶς καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεως, ὅτι ἀφῄρηται ὁ ἄνομος ζυγὸς ὁ ἐπ' αὐτὴν κείμενος καὶ ἡ ῥάβδος ἡ ἐπὶ τοῦ τραχήλου τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπικρατήσεως. τίς ἤκουσε τοιαῦτα;