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of Christ, that I have a clear conscience among you and no one can boast, either secretly or openly, that I have burdened anyone in either a small or a great matter. And for all among whom I have spoken, I pray that they may not acquire it for a testimony against them. For if some wished to deceive me according to the flesh, yet my spirit is not deceived; for I have received it from God. For it knows from where it comes and where it goes, and it convicts the hidden things. For I cried out while I was in your midst, I spoke with a loud voice (not my word, but God's): Give heed to the bishop and to the presbytery and to the deacons. But if you suspect me of saying these things because I had foreknowledge of the division of some, He for whom I am in bonds is my witness, that I did not learn it from human lips. But the Spirit proclaimed to me, saying these things: Do nothing without the bishop; guard your flesh as the temple of God, love unity, flee divisions, be imitators of Paul and the other apostles, as they also were of Christ.

I for my part, therefore, was doing my own duty as a man made ready for unity, adding this also, that where there is division of opinion and anger and hatred, there God does not dwell. Therefore, to all who repent God grants forgiveness, if they run together to the unity of Christ and the council of the bishop. I trust in the grace of Jesus Christ, that he will loose from us every bond of iniquity. I exhort you, therefore: do nothing according to selfish ambition, but according to the teaching of Christ. For I heard some saying, "If I do not find it in the archives of the gospel, I do not believe." But to such I say, that for me the archives are Jesus the Christ, to disobey whom is manifest destruction. For me the inviolable archive is his cross and his death and his resurrection and the faith that is concerning these things; in which things I desire through your prayer to be justified. He who disbelieves the gospel disbelieves everything together; for the archives of the spirit are not what is set forth. It is hard to kick against the goads, it is hard to disbelieve Christ, it is hard to reject the preaching of the apostles. Good are the priests and the deacons of the word, but better is the high priest who has been entrusted with the holy of holies, who alone has been entrusted with the secret things of God. Good are the ministering powers of God. Good also is the Holy Spirit, which is most holy above all holy things and a deacon of the Word. But above all holy ones, the most holy is the high priest, who is the messenger and minister of the Father and ruler of the legions of the heavenly host, through whom the Father has made all things and provides for all things. He is the way leading to the Father, the rock, the hedge, the key, the shepherd, the sacrificial victim, the door of knowledge, through which entered Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, Moses and the whole choir of the prophets and the pillars of the world, the apostles, and the bride of Christ, for whom, as a dowry, he poured out his own blood, that he might redeem her. All these things are into the unity of the one and only true God. But the gospel has something pre-eminent, the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, his passion, the resurrection itself. For what the prophets announced, saying: "Until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations," these things have been fulfilled in the gospel. "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." All things, therefore, are good together, the law, the prophets, the apostles, the whole assembly that has believed through them; only if we love one another. Since according to your prayer and the compassion which you have in Christ Jesus, it has been reported to me that the church which is in Antioch of Syria is at peace, it is fitting for you, as a church of God, to appoint a bishop to go there as an ambassador of God, to congratulate them on being gathered together and to glorify the name of God. Blessed in Christ Jesus is he who shall be counted worthy of such a ministry; and you also, if you are zealous in Christ, will be glorified. And for you, if you are willing, it is not at all impossible for the sake of

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Χριστοῦ, ὅτι εὐσυνείδητός εἰμι ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐκ ἔχει τις καυχήσασθαι οὔτε λάθρα οὔτε φανερῶς, ὅτι ἐβάρησά τινα ἢ ἐν μικρῷ ἢ ἐν μεγάλῳ. καὶ πᾶσιν, ἐν οἷς ἐλάλησα, εὔχομαι, ἵνα μὴεἰς μαρτυρίαν αὐτὸ κτήσωνται. Eἰ γὰρ κατὰ σάρκα με ἠθέλησάν τινες πλανῆσαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμά μου οὐ πλανᾶται· παρὰ γὰρ θεοῦ αὐτὸ εἴληφα. οἶδε γὰρ, πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει καὶ τὰ κρυπτὰ ἐλέγχει. ἐκραύγασα γὰρ μεταξὺ ὤν, ἐλάλουν μεγάλῃ φωνῇ (οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ θεοῦ)· Tῷ ἐπισκόπῳ προσέχετε καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ καὶ τοῖς διακόνοις. εἰ δὲ ὑποπτεύετέ με ὡς προμαθόντα τὸν μερισμόν τινων λέγειν ταῦτα, μάρτυς μοι, δι' ὃν δέδεμαι, ὅτι ἀπὸ στόματος ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔγνων. τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ἐκήρυξέ μοι λέγον τάδε· Χωρὶς ἐπισκόπου μηδὲν ποιεῖτε· τὴν σάρκα ὑμῶν ὡς ναὸν θεοῦ τηρεῖτε, τὴν ἕνωσιν ἀγαπᾶτε, τοὺς μερισμοὺς φεύγετε, μιμηταὶ γίνεσθε Παύλου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποστόλων, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ.

Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν τὸ ἴδιον ἐποίουν ὡς ἄνθρωπος εἰς ἕνωσιν κατηρτισμένος, ἐπιλέγων καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι, οὗ διάστασις γνώμης καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ μῖσος, ἐκεῖ θεὸς οὐ κατοικεῖ. πᾶσιν οὖν τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν ἀφίει ὁ θεός, ἐὰν συνδράμωσιν εἰς ἑνότητα Χριστοῦ καὶ συνεδρείαν τοῦ ἐπισκόπου. πιστεύω τῇ χάριτι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι λύσει ἀφ' ἡμῶν πάντα σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας. παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς· μηδὲν κατ' ἐρίθειαν πράσσετε, ἀλλὰ κατὰ χριστομαθίαν· ἤκουσα γάρ τινων λεγόντων, ὅτι, ἐὰν μὴ ἐν τοῖς ἀρχείοις εὕρω τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, οὐ πιστεύω. τοῖς δὲ τοιούτοις ἐγὼ λέγω, ὅτι ἐμοὶ ἀρχεῖά ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός, οὗ παρακοῦσαι πρόδηλος ὄλεθρος. ἄθικτόν μοί ἐστιν ἀρχεῖον ὁ σταυρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ θάνατος καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ πίστις ἡ περὶ τούτων· ἐν οἷς θέλω ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ ὑμῶν δικαιωθῆναι. ὁ ἀπιστῶν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ ἀπιστεῖ· οὐ γὰρ πρόκειται τὰ ἀρχεῖα τοῦ πνεύματος. σκληρὸν τὸ πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν, σκληρὸν τὸ Χριστῷ ἀπιστεῖν, σκληρὸν τὸ ἀθετεῖν τὸ κήρυγμα τῶνἀποστόλων. Kαλοὶ μὲν οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ τοῦ λόγου διάκονοι, κρείσσων δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ὁ πεπιστευμένος τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, ὃς μόνος πεπίστευται τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. καλαὶ αἱ λειτουργικαὶ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεις. καλὸν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὅ ἐστιν ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ἅγια ἁγιώτατον καὶ τοῦ λόγου διάκονος. ὑπὲρ πάντας δὲ τοὺς ἁγίους ὁ ἁγιώτατός ἐστιν ὁ ἀρχιερεύς, ὁ ὢν ἄγγελος καὶ διάκονος τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ ἄρχων τῶν λεγεώνων τῆς στρατιᾶς τῆς ἐπουρανίου, δι' οὗ ὁ πατὴρ τὰ πάντα πεποίηκεν καὶ τῶν ὅλων προνοεῖ· οὗτός ἐστιν ἡ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἄγουσα ὁδός, ἡ πέτρα, ὁ φραγμός, ἡ κλείς, ὁ ποιμήν, τὸ ἱερεῖον, ἡ θύρα τῆς γνώσεως, δι' ἧς εἰσῆλθον Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ, Mωσῆς καὶ ὁ σύμπας τῶν προφητῶν χορὸς καὶ οἱ στῦ- λοι τοῦ κόσμου, οἱ ἀπόστολοι, καὶ ἡ νύμφη τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὑπὲρ ἧς φερνῆς λόγῳ ἐξέχεεν τὸ οἰκεῖον αἷμα, ἵνα αὐτὴν ἐξαγοράσῃ. πάντα ταῦτα εἰς ἑνότητα τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ. ἐξαίρετον δέ τι ἔχει τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὸ πάθος, αὐτὴν τὴν ἀνάστασιν. ἃ γὰρ οἱ προφῆται κατήγγελλον λέγοντες· Ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ, ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν, ταῦτα ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ πεπλήρωται· Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. πάντα οὖν ὁμοῦ καλά, ὁ νόμος, οἱ προφῆται, οἱ ἀπόστολοι, τὸ πᾶν συνάθροισμα τὸ δι' αὐτῶν πιστεῦσαν· μόνον ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους. Ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τὴν προσευχὴν ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα, ἃ ἔχετε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἀπηγγέλη μοι εἰρηνεύειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὴν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τῆς Συρίας, πρέπον ἐστὶν ὑμῖν ὡς ἐκκλησίᾳ θεοῦ, χειροτονῆσαι ἐπίσκοπον εἰς τὸ πρεσβεῦσαι ἐκεῖ θεοῦ πρεσβείαν, εἰς τὸ συγχωρηθῆναι αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ γενομένοις καὶ δοξάσαι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ. μακάριος ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὃς κατηξιώθη τῆς τοιαύτης διακονίας· καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ σπουδάσαντες ἐν Χριστῷ δοξασθήσεσθε. θέλουσιν δὲ ὑμῖν οὐ πᾶσιν ἀδύνατον ὑπὲρ