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they despised death, and were found to be above death. And after the resurrection He ate and drank with them as one in the flesh, although spiritually He was united to the Father. These things I exhort you, beloved, knowing that you also hold the same. But I guard you beforehand from the beasts in human form, whom you must not only not receive, but, if possible, not even meet; only pray for them, if somehow they might repent, which is difficult. But Jesus Christ, our true life, has power over this. For if these things were done by our Lord in appearance only, then I am also bound in appearance only. And why have I given myself up to death, to fire, to the sword, to the beasts? But near the sword is near to God; in the midst of the beasts is in the midst of God; only in the name of Jesus Christ. To suffer with Him I endure all things, since He who became the perfect man strengthens me. Whom some, being ignorant, deny, or rather have been denied by Him, being advocates of death rather than of the truth. Whom neither the prophecies, nor the law of Moses, nor even to this day the gospel, nor the sufferings of each of us have persuaded. For they think the same things about us. For what does it profit me, if someone praises me, but blasphemes my Lord, not confessing Him to be a bearer of flesh? He who does not say this has completely denied Him, being a bearer of a corpse. But their names, being unbelieving, I have not thought fit to write. But may I not even be mindful of them, until they repent with respect to the passion, which is our resurrection. Let no one be deceived; even the heavenly beings and the glory of the angels and the rulers, both visible and invisible, if they do not believe in the blood of Christ, judgment is also for them. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it. Let position puff no one up; for the whole is faith and love, than which nothing is preferred. But consider those who hold strange doctrines concerning the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, how contrary they are to the mind of God.

They have no concern for love, none for the widow, none for the orphan, none for the afflicted, none for the one in bonds or the one released, none for the hungry or the thirsty. They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, which the Father raised by His goodness. Those, therefore, who speak against the gift of God perish in their disputing. It were better for them to love, that they also might rise again. It is fitting, therefore, to keep away from such persons and not to speak of them either privately or in public, but to pay attention to the prophets, and especially to the Gospel, in which the passion has been revealed to us and the resurrection has been perfected. Flee divisions as the beginning of evils. Follow the bishop, all of you, as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as the apostles; and respect the deacons as the command of God. Let no one do anything of what belongs to the church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is under the bishop, or one to whom he himself has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop appears, let the congregation be there, just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatever he may approve, that is also well-pleasing to God, so that everything which is done may be secure and valid. It is reasonable, then, to be sober and, while we still have time, to repent towards God. It is good to know God and the bishop. He who honors the bishop is honored by God; he who does anything secretly from the bishop serves the devil. May all things, therefore, abound to you in grace; for you are worthy. In all things you have refreshed me, and may Jesus Christ refresh you. You loved me when absent and when present. May God reward you, for whose sake you endure all things and will attain to Him.

Philo and Rheus Agathopus, who followed me for the word of God, you did well in receiving them as deacons of Christ God; who also give thanks to the Lord

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θανάτου κατεφρόνησαν, ηὑρέθησαν δὲ ὑπὲρ θάνατον. Mετὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν συνέφαγεν αὐτοῖς καὶ συνέπιεν ὡς σαρκικός, καίπερ πνευματικῶς ἡνωμένος τῷ πατρί. Tαῦτα δὲ παραινῶ ὑμῖν, ἀγαπητοί, εἰδὼς ὅτι καὶ ὑμεῖς οὕτως ἔχετε. Προφυλάσσω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἀνθρωπομόρφων, οὓς οὐ μόνον δεῖ ὑμᾶς μὴ παραδέχεσθαι, ἀλλ' εἰ δυνατὸν μηδὲ συναντᾶν, μόνον δὲ προσεύχεσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, ἐάν πως μετανοήσωσιν, ὅπερ δύσκολον. Tούτου δὲ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἡμῶν ζῆν. Eἰ γὰρ τὸ δοκεῖν ταῦτα ἐπράχθη ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, κἀγὼ τὸ δοκεῖν δέδεμαι. Tί δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἔκδοτον δέδωκα τῷ θανάτῳ, πρὸς πῦρ, πρὸς μάχαιραν, πρὸς θηρία; ἀλλ' ἐγγὺς μαχαίρας ἐγγὺς θεοῦ, μεταξὺ θηρίων μεταξὺ θεοῦ· μόνον ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Eἰς τὸ συμπαθεῖν αὐτῷ πάντα ὑπομένω, αὐτοῦ με ἐνδυναμοῦντος τοῦ τελείου ἀνθρώπου γενομένου. Ὅν τινες ἀγνοοῦντες ἀρνοῦνται, μᾶλλον δὲ ἠρνήθησαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ὄντες συνήγοροι τοῦ θανάτου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἀληθεῖας· οὓς οὐκ ἔπεισαν αἱ προφητεῖαι οὐδὲ ὁ νόμος Mωσέως, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μέχρι νῦν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον οὐδὲ τὰ ἡμέτερα τῶν κατ' ἄνδρα παθήματα. Kαὶ γὰρ περὶ ἡμῶν τὸ αὐτὸ φρονοῦσιν. Tί γάρ με ὠφελεῖ τις, εἰ ἐμὲ ἐπαινεῖ, τὸν δὲ κύριόν μου βλασφημεῖ, μὴ ὁμολογῶν αὐτὸν σαρκοφόρον; ὁ δὲ τοῦτο μὴ λέγων τελείως αὐτὸν ἀπήρνηται, ὢν νεκροφόρος. Tὰ δὲ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν, ὄντα ἄπιστα, οὐκ ἔδοξέν μοι ἐγγράψαι. Ἀλλὰ μηδὲ γένοιτό μοι αὐτῶν μνημονεύειν, μέχρις οὗ μετανοήσωσιν εἰς τὸ πάθος, ὅ ἐστιν ἡμῶν ἀνάστασις. Mηδεὶς πλανάσθω· καὶ τὰ ἐπουράνια καὶ ἡ δόξα τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ὁρατοί τε καὶ ἀόρατοι, ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσωσιν εἰς τὸ αἷμα Χριστοῦ, κἀκείνοις κρίσις ἐστίν. Ὁ χωρῶν «χωρείτω». Tόπος μηδένα φυσιούτω· τὸ γὰρ ὅλον ἐστὶν πίστις καὶ ἀγάπη, ὧν οὐδὲν προκέκριται. Kαταμάθετε δὲ τοὺς ἑτεροδοξοῦντας εἰς τὴν χάριν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλθοῦσαν, πῶς ἐναντίοι εἰσὶν τῇ γνώμῃ τοῦ θεοῦ.

Περὶ ἀγάπης οὐ μέλει αὐτοῖς, οὐ περὶ χήρας, οὐ περὶ ὀρφανοῦ, οὐ περὶ θλιβομένου, οὐ περὶ δεδεμένου ἢ λελυμένου, οὐ περὶ πεινῶντος ἢ διψῶντος. Eὐχαριστίας καὶ προσευχῆς ἀπέχονται, διὰ τὸ μὴ ὁμολογεῖν τὴν εὐχαριστίαν σάρκα εἶναι τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν παθοῦσαν, ἣν τῇ χρηστότητι ὁ πατὴρ ἤγειρεν. Oἱ οὖν ἀντιλέγοντες τῇ δωρεᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ συζητοῦντες ἀποθνήσκουσιν. Συνέφερεν δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀγαπᾶν, ἵνα καὶ ἀναστῶσιν. Πρέπον οὖν ἐστὶν ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν τοιούτων καὶ μήτε κατ' ἰδίαν περὶ αὐτῶν λαλεῖν μήτε κοινῇ, προσέχειν δὲ τοῖς προφήταις, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ, ἐν ᾧ τὸ πάθος ἡμῖν δεδήλωται καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις τετελείωται. Tοὺς δὲ μερισμοὺς φεύγετε ὡς ἀρχὴν κακῶν. Πάντες τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ἀκολουθεῖτε, ὡς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τῷ πατρί, καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ ὡς τοῖς ἀποστόλοις· τοὺς δὲ διακόνους ἐντρέπεσθε ὡς θεοῦ ἐντολήν. Mηδεὶς χωρὶς τοῦ ἐπισκόπου τι πρασσέτω τῶν ἀνηκόντων εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. Ἐκείνη βεβαία εὐχαριστία ἡγείσθω, ἡ ὑπὸ ἐπίσκοπον οὖσα ἢ ᾧ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπιτρέψῃ. Ὅπου ἂν φανῇ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος, ἐκεῖ τὸ πλῆθος ἔστω, ὥσπερ ὅπου ἂν ᾖ Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, ἐκεῖ ἡ καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία. Oὐκ ἐξόν ἐστιν χωρὶς τοῦ ἐπισκόπου οὔτε βαπτίζειν οὔτε ἀγάπην ποιεῖν· ἀλλ' ὃ ἂν ἐκεῖνος δοκιμάσῃ, τοῦτο καὶ τῷ θεῷ εὐάρεστον, ἵνα ἀσφαλὲς ᾖ καὶ βέβαιον πᾶν ὃ πράσσεται. Eὔλογόν ἐστιν λοιπὸν ἀνανῆψαι καί, ὡς ἔτι καιρὸν ἔχομεν, εἰς θεὸν μετανοεῖν. Kαλῶς ἔχει θεὸν καὶ ἐπίσκοπον εἰδέναι. Ὁ τιμῶν ἐπίσκοπον ὑπὸ θεοῦ τετίμηται· ὁ λάθρα ἐπισκόπου τι πράσσων τῷ διαβόλῳ λατρεύει. Πάντα οὖν ὑμῖν ἐν χάριτι περισσευέτω· ἄξιοι γάρ ἐστε. Kατὰ πάντα με ἀνεπαύσατε, καὶ ὑμᾶς Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Ἀπόντα με καὶ παρόντα ἠγαπήσατε. Ἀμείβοι ὑμῖν θεός, δι' ὃν πάντα ὑπομένοντες αὐτοῦ τεύξεσθε.

Φίλωνα καὶ Ῥέον Ἀγαθόπουν, οἳ ἐπηκολούθησάν μοι εἰς λόγον θεοῦ, καλῶς ἐποιήσατε ὑποδεξάμενοι ὡς διακόνους Χριστοῦ θεοῦ· οἳ καὶ εὐχαριστοῦσιν τῷ κυρίῳ