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to lose heart in temptations. Remember the passion of the savior, how many insults he endured for our sake. For some
called him a Samaritan, and others a demoniac and a glutton and a false prophet. For they say: behold a glutton and a drunkard, and that he casts out demons by the prince of demons. What of when they led him to cast him down a cliff, and when they spat in his face and gave him blows? What of when they gave him vinegar and gall to drink, when they struck his head with the reed? What of when they put the cloak on him and when they crowned him with thorns and fell down before him mocking him and bringing every kind of derision upon him? And when those bloodthirsty dogs surrounded him and when he was led to the passion naked and all his disciples deserted him? And one denied him, another betrayed him, and the others fled and he stood alone naked in the midst of those crowds? For it was the feast that gathered everyone then. And when they crucified him as an evil man in the midst of malefactors and he hung unburied and when they took him down from the cross, until someone brought him out to bury him? And when they pronounced an evil slander against him that his disciples stole him and he is not here? And remember also the apostles, that they were persecuted from all sides and were hidden in the cities, not being able to appear. How Peter was hidden with Simon the tanner and Paul with the woman who sold purple, because they did not have boldness among the rich. But later everything became smooth for them. So you too, do not be disheartened now. For I too heard about that foolish Arsacius, whom the queen placed on my throne, that he afflicted the brothers and the virgins who did not wish to have communion with him. And many of them died in prison for my sake. For that wolf in sheep's clothing, having the appearance of a bishop, but being an adulterer—for just as a woman is called an adulteress who is joined to another while her husband is alive, so also this one is an adulterer—not of the flesh, but of the spirit; for while I am alive he has seized my throne of the church.
And I have written these things from Cucusus, where the queen ordered us to be exiled. And many tribulations met us along the way, but we cared for none of them. But when we came into the country of the Cappadocians of Tauro-Cilicia, choirs of fathers met us, of holy men, and not only that but also multitudes of monks and virgins pouring forth immortal fountains of tears. And they wept, seeing us departing in exile, and said to themselves: It were better for the sun to have withdrawn its rays than for the mouth of John to have fallen silent. These things disturbed and afflicted me, because I saw everyone weeping for me. For all the other things, whatever happened, I took no thought. The bishop of this city received us very welcomely and showed great love towards us, so that, if it were possible, he would have even yielded his throne to us, if we were not observing the rule. Therefore I pray and beseech and grasp your knees. Cast off the sorrow of your despondency and remember us before God, and be pleased to write to us.
2 A second letter of the same to the same Cyriacus And bodies that have wrestled with violent fevers and seas that have battled with wild winds do not at once, the one lay aside the harm from the fevers, nor the other the surge from the waves, but gently and little by little. For indeed bodies need more time, so that after the release from fevers into a clean
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ἐκκακεῖν ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς. Ἀνάμνησαι τὸ πάθος τοῦ σωτῆρος, ὅσας ὕβρεις δι' ἡμᾶς ὑπέμεινεν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ
αὐτὸν Σαμαρείτην ἐκάλουν, οἱ δὲ δαιμονῶντα καὶ γαστρίμαργον καὶ ψευδοπροφήτην. Λέγουσι γάρ· ἰδοὺ ἄνθρω πος φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης καὶ ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια. Τί δέ, ὅτε ἦγον αὐτὸν κρημνίσαι καὶ ὅτε εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐνέπτυον καὶ ῥαπίσματα αὐτῷ ἐδίδουν; Τί δέ, ὅτε ὄξος καὶ χολὴν αὐτὸν ἐπότιζον, ὅτε τῷ καλάμῳ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἔτυπτον; Τί δέ, ὅτε τὴν χλαμύδα αὐτῷ περιετίθουν καὶ ὅτε ἀκάνθαις αὐτὸν ἐστεφάνουν καὶ προσέπιπτον αὐτῷ ἐμπαίζοντες καὶ πᾶν εἶδος χλεύης αὐτῷ ἐπάγοντες; Καὶ ὅτε περιῆγον αὐτῷ οἱ αἱμοβόροι ἐκεῖνοι κύνες καὶ ὅτε ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ἤγετο γυμνὸς καὶ πάντες αὐτὸν κατέλιπον οἱ μαθηταί; Καὶ ὃς μὲν αὐτὸν ἠρνήσατο, ὃς δὲ παρέδωκεν, οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ἐδραπέτευσαν καὶ μόνος εἱστήκει γυμνὸς ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ὄχλων ἐκείνων; ἑορτὴ γὰρ ἦν ἡ πάντας συνάγουσα τότε. Καὶ ὅτε ὡς πονηρὸν ἐν μέσῳ κακούργων αὐτὸν ἐσταύρωσαν καὶ ἄταφος ἐκρέματο καὶ ὅτε κατήγαγον αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, ἕως οὗ τις αὐτὸν ἐξήγαγεν, ἵνα θάψῃ αὐτόν; Καὶ ὅτε ψόγον πονηρὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀπεφήναντο ὅτι οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἔκλεψαν αὐτὸν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν; Ὑπομνήσθητι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ὅτι πανταχόθεν ἐδιώκοντο καὶ κατεκρύπτοντο ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι μὴ δυνάμενοι φανῆναι. Πῶς ὁ Πέτρος παρὰ τῷ Σίμωνι τῷ βυρσεῖ κατεκρύπτετο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος παρὰ τῇ πορφυροπώλιδι γυναικί, ὅτι οὐκ εἶχον παρὰ τοῖς πλουσίοις παρρησίαν. Ἀλλ' ὕστερον πάντα ὁμαλὰ ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ νῦν μὴ ἀθυμήσῃς. Ἤκουσα γὰρ κἀγὼ περὶ τοῦ λήρου ἐκείνου τοῦ Ἀρσακίου, ὃν ἐκάθισεν ἡ βασίλισσα ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ μου, ὅτι ἔθλιψε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τὰς παρθένους μὴ θελούσας αὐτῷ κοινωνῆσαι. Πολλοὶ δὲ αὐτῶν δι' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ ἐναπέθεντο. Ὁ γὰρ προβατόσχημος ἐκεῖνος λύκος, ὁ σχῆμα μὲν ἔχων ἐπισκόπου, μοιχὸς δὲ ὑπάρχων-ὡς γὰρ ἡ γυνὴ μοιχαλὶς χρηματίζει ἡ ζῶντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἑτέρῳ συναφθεῖσα, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος μοιχός ἐστιν-οὐ σαρκός, ἀλλὰ πνεύματος· ζῶντος γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἥρπασέ μου τὸν θρόνον τῆς ἐκκλησίας.
Καὶ ταῦτα ἐπέστειλα ἀπὸ Κουκουσῶν, ὅπου ἐκέλευσεν ἡμᾶς ἡ βασίλισσα ἐξορισθῆναι. Πολλαὶ δὲ θλίψεις κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν συνήντησαν ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' οὐδενὸς ἐφροντίσαμεν. Ὅτε δὲ ἤλθομεν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν Καππαδοκῶν τῆς Ταυροκιλικίας, χοροὶ ἡμῖν ὑπήντων πατέρων, ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ πλήθη μοναζόντων καὶ παρθένων τὰς ἀθανάτους πηγὰς τῶν δακρύων ἐκχέοντες. Καὶ ἔκλαιον θεωροῦντες ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἐξορίᾳ ἀπερχομένους καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἑαυτούς· συνέφερεν, ἵνα ὁ ἥλιος συνέστειλε τὰς ἀκτῖνας αὑτοῦ ἢ ἵνα τὸ στόμα Ἰωάννου ἐσιώπησε. Ταῦτά με ἐθορύβησε καὶ ἔθλιψεν, ἐπειδὴ ἔβλεπον πάντας κλαίοντας περὶ ἐμοῦ. Ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων πάντων, ὅσα ἂν συνέβη, φροντίδα οὐκ ἐποίησα. Πάνυ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐδέξατο ὁ ἐπίσκοπος δεξιωσάμενος τῆς πόλεως ταύτης καὶ πολλὴν ἀγάπην ἔδειξεν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ὥστε, εἰ δυνατὸν ἦν, καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὑτοῦ παρεχώρησεν ἡμῖν, εἰ μὴ τὸν ὅρον ἐφυλάττομεν. ∆έομαι οὖν καὶ ἀντιβολῶ καὶ τῶν γονάτων ἅπτομαι τῶν σῶν. Ἀπόρριψον τὸ πένθος τῆς ἀθυμίας σου καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν μνείαν ἔχε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ γράψαι ἡμῖν παρακλήθητι.
2 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν Κυριακὸν ἐπιστολὴ δευτέρα Καὶ τὰ σώματα σφοδροῖς παλαίσαντα πυρετοῖς καὶ πελάγη ἀγρίοις πυκτεύσαντα πνεύμασιν οὐκ ἀθρόον οὔτε ἐκεῖνα τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πυρετῶν βλάβην οὔτε ταῦτα τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν κυμάτων ἀποτίθενται ζάλην, ἀλλ' ἠρέμα καὶ κατὰ μικρόν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ σώματα πλείονος δεῖται χρόνου, ὥστε μετὰ τὴν τῶν πυρετῶν ἀπαλλαγὴν εἰς καθαρὰν