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my, having recognized the truth through my humble letter and looked up towards the light and been divinely pierced with compunction and lovingly struck and having recalled and recognized from where you have fallen and in what terrible things you were and where you sojourn, so to speak, with the tents of Kedar, recover and leap up and arise and be renewed and be rekindled, and not for an hour, not a day, not a week, but rather, having bidden farewell to all, come quickly, resolutely and without hesitation to me, your wretched father and to your good brotherhood and to my great father and your father. And for this I was indeed wanting, when I learned that you were driven out from there, to send a brother with the letters, in order to rescue you; but since the letter-carrier and presbyter assured me completely that you would come from the letters alone, for this reason I was content with the letter. And indeed, by all means, my child, as has been said, not only I the wretched one and my father, but also our masters, the Forerunner and the Theologian, command you to depart most quickly, before the end of an unexpected death seizes you. But if still, which I do not suppose, being hardened you are hardened and you act stubbornly, know that you are excommunicated both from all the saints and from us sinners, until you see our face. But if you depart, as we have commanded, as you are coming you are already absolved, both of the divine gifts and of the other foods.

10 {1To Nicholas the disciple}1

Since by the good pleasure of God you have been promoted, spiritual child Nicholas, to the

dignity of the abbacy, it is necessary for you to observe all the things commanded to you in the present letter. You will not, therefore, alter the type and rule which you received from your spiritual monastery in all things without necessity. You will not possess anything of this world nor will you store up for yourself personally even up to a single piece of silver. You will not divide your soul and your heart in relationship and concern away from those entrusted to you by God and who have spiritually become your sons and brothers, neither towards your former kin according to the flesh, nor relatives, nor friends, nor associates. You will not use the things of your own monastery, neither while living nor after death, for alms or as an inheritance for your aforementioned former kin and friends (for you are not of the world, that you should partake of the things of the world, except if some should change from the common life to our order) and thus you will take care in imitation of the holy fathers. You will not possess a slave—a man made in the image of God—neither for your own need, nor for the monastery which was entrusted to you, nor for your fields; for this has been permitted only to those in the world. But it is necessary for you to offer yourself to your like-minded brothers as a slave in purpose, even if in outward appearance you are considered a master and teacher. You should not have an animal of the female gender for the purpose of service, you who have completely renounced the female, neither in the monastery nor in the fields, just as none of our holy and devout fathers made use of one, nor does nature itself permit it. You shall not ride on horses and mules without necessity, but you will travel on foot in imitation of Christ; but if you must, your beast of burden shall be a colt. You will by all means observe that all things in the brotherhood are common and undivided, and that nothing is for the personal authority of each individual, not even a needle; and may your body and your soul, let alone anything else, be divided in equality of love among all your spiritual children and brothers. You will not have authority over your two brothers and my children to do anything for either office or ordination apart from your paternal instruction. You should not enter into blood-brotherhoods or godparenthoods with worldly people, you who are a fugitive from the world and from

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μου, ἐπιγνοὺς τὸ ἀληθὲς διὰ τῆς ταπεινῆς μου ἐπιστολῆς καὶ ἀναβλέψας πρὸς τὸ φῶς καὶ κατανυχθεὶς θεϊκῶς καὶ πληγεὶς φιλικῶς καὶ ἀναπολήσας καὶ ἀναγνωρίσας ὅθεν καὶ ἐξέπεσας καὶ ἐν ποίοις ἦς δεινοῖς καὶ ποῦ παροικεῖς, ὡς εἰπεῖν, μετὰ τῶν σκηνωμάτων Κηδάρ, ἀνάσφηλον καὶ ἀναπήδησον καὶ ἀνεγέρθητι καὶ ἀνανεώθητι καὶ ἀναθερμάνθητι καὶ μὴ ὥραν, μὴ ἡμέραν, μὴ ἑβδομάδα, ἀλλὰ θᾶττον χαίρειν πᾶσιν εἰπὼν ἧκε ἐρρωμένως καὶ ἀνενδοιάστως πρός με τὸν δύστηνόν σου πατέρα καὶ πρὸς τὴν καλήν σου ἀδελφότητα καὶ πρὸς τὸν μέγαν πατέρα μου καὶ πατέρα σου. Καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἐβουλόμην μέν, ἡνίκα ἔμαθον ὅτι αὐτόθι ἐξεπελάσθης, καὶ ἀδελφὸν πέμψαι σὺν τοῖς γράμμασιν, ἵνα σε ἀναρρύσηται· ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ γραμματηφόρος καὶ πρεσβύτερος ἐβεβαιώσατό με πάντως ἐκ μόνων τῶν γραμμάτων ἥκειν σε, διὰ τοῦτο ἠρκέσθην τῇ ἐπιστολῇ. καὶ δὴ πάντως, τέκνον μου, καθὼς εἴρηται, οὐ μόνον ἐγὼ ὁ τάλας καὶ ὁ πατήρ μου, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ δεσπόται ἡμῶν, ὁ Πρόδρομος καὶ ὁ Θεολόγος, ἐγκελεύονταί σοι τάχιστα ἀποκινῆσαι, πρὶν ἀπροσδοκήτου θανάτου καταλάβῃ τέλος. εἰ δ' ἔτι, ὃς οὐχ ὑπολαμβάνω, σκληρυνόμενος σκληρυνθῇς καὶ αὐθαδιάσεις, γίνωσκε ἀκοινώνητόν σε εἶναι καὶ ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἐξ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἕως ἂν ὄψῃ τὸ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν. εἰ δὲ ἀποκινήσεις, καθὼς ἐνετειλάμεθα, ἤδη ἐρχόμενος λελυμένος εἶ καὶ τῶν θείων δώρων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων βρωμάτων.

10 {1Νικολάῳ μαθητῇ}1

Ἐπειδὴ εὐδοκίᾳ θεοῦ προεβιβάσθης, τέκνον πνευματικὸν Νικόλαε, εἰς τὸ τῆς

ἡγουμενείας ἀξίωμα, δέον παραφυλάξαι σε πάντα τὰ ἐντεταλμένα σοι ἐν τῷ παρόντι γραμματίῳ. οὐ διαλλάξεις οὖν ὅνπερ παρέλαβες τύπον καὶ κανόνα παρὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς σου μονῆς ἐν ἅπασιν ἄνευ ἀνάγκης. οὐ κτήσῃ τι τοῦ κόσμου τούτου οὐδὲ ἀποθησαυρίσεις ἰδιορίστως εἰς ἑαυτὸν μέχρι καὶ ἑνὸς ἀργυρίου. οὐ διαμερίσεις τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὴν καρδίαν σου ἐν σχέσει καὶ φροντίδι παρὰ τοὺς πεπιστευμένους σοι ὑπὸ θεοῦ καὶ γενομένους σοι πνευματικῶς υἱοὺς καὶ ἀδελφοὺς οὔτε εἰς τοὺς ποτὲ ἰδίους κατὰ σάρκα ἢ συγγενεῖς ἢ φίλους ἢ συνεταίρους. οὐ χρήσῃ τοῖς τῆς οἰκείας σου μονῆς οὔτε ζῶν οὔτε μετὰ θάνατον ἐλεημονητικῶς ἢ κληρονομικῶς εἰς τοὺς ποτὲ προειρημένους ἰδίους καὶ φίλους (οὐ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου εἶ, ἵνα μετέχῃς τῶν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, πλὴν εἰ μή που μετάβοιέν τινες ἐκ τοῦ κοινωνικοῦ βίου εἰς τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς τάγμα) καὶ οὕτω φροντίσεις κατὰ μίμησιν τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων. οὐ κτήσῃ δοῦλον οὔτε εἰς οἰκείαν χρείαν οὔτε εἰς ἣν ἐπιστεύθης μονὴν οὔτε εἰς ἀγρούς σου τὸν κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ γεγονότα ἄνθρωπον· τοῦτο γὰρ μόνοις τοῖς ἐν τῷ βίῳ συγκεχώρηται. σοὶ δὲ χρεὼν ἑαυτὸν παρασχεῖν τοῖς ὁμοψύχοις σου ἀδελφοῖς δοῦλον τῇ προθέσει, κἂν τῇ ἔξω ἐπιφανείᾳ ὡς δεσπότης λογίζῃ καὶ διδάσκαλος. οὐ σχοίης ζῷον τῶν ἐκ τοῦ θήλεος γένους εἰς χρείαν ὑπουργικήν, ὁ τῷ θήλει παντάπασιν ἀποταξάμενος, οὔτε ἐν τῇ μονῇ οὔτε ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς, καθὼς οὐδεὶς τῶν ὁσίων καὶ ἁγίων πατέρων ἡμῶν ἐχρήσατο οὔτε ἡ φύσις αὐτὴ ἐπιτρέπει. οὐκ ἐποχούμενος ἔσῃ ἵπποις καὶ ἡμιόνοις ἄνευ ἀνάγκης, ἀλλὰ χριστομιμήτως πεζοπορήσεις· εἰ δ' οὖν, πῶλός σοι τὸ ὑποζύγιον ἔσται. παραφυλάξεις πάντως τὸ τὰ πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ ἀδελφότητι κοινὰ εἶναι καὶ ἀμέριστα καὶ μηδὲν κατὰ μέρος τοῦ καθ' ἕκαστον εἰς ἐξαυθέντησιν μέχρι καὶ ῥαφίδος· σοῦ δὲ καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἡ ψυχή, μή τί γε ἄλλο, ἔστωσαν διαμεμερισμένα ἐν ἰσότητι ἀγάπης πᾶσι τοῖς πνευματικοῖς σου τέκνοις καὶ ἀδελφοῖς. οὐκ ἐξουσιάσεις ἐπὶ τοῖς δυσὶν ἀδελφοῖς σου καὶ τέκνοις μου οὔτε πρὸς ἀρχὴν οὔτε πρὸς χειροτονίαν πρᾶξαί τι πάρεξ τῆς πατρικῆς σου ἐντάλσεως. οὐ σχοίης μετὰ κοσμικῶν ἀδελφοποιίας ἤ συντεκνίας, ὁ φυγὰς τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τοῦ