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that had been dared, followed him to the mountain; and when they arrived there, he begged the man to shut him up in another little house and, having closed the windows of the room, to give him bread and water every few days, and he asked him to tell those who sought him that he had fallen asleep. And having said and persuaded him of these things, he shut himself in, and was there continually, with fastings and prayers and tears, wiping away the stain of sin from his soul. But when not much time had passed, and a drought was scorching the neighboring country and all those in the country were lamenting, someone was commanded through a dream to go and ask that man who was shut up to pray and end the drought. But when he went away, taking companions with him, finding there only the one who had formerly lived with him, they asked about that man and learned that he had died; but thinking they had been deceived, they turned to prayer again, and again through the same vision they heard the same things as before, and then surrounding the one who had truly deceived them, they begged him to show the man to them; for they insisted that he had not died but was alive. When that one heard these things and saw that his agreements were exposed, he led them to that holy man, and breaking down the wall—for he had happened to block up the entrance—and all having entered, rolling at his feet and reporting what had happened, they begged him to relieve the famine. But he at first resisted, saying that he was far from such boldness. For as if the sin had just happened, so he always had it before his eyes; but when they related all the things that had happened to them, then they persuaded him to pray, and having prayed, he ended the drought. And as for the story of that young man, who was first a disciple of John the son of Zebedee, but later was a bandit chief for a long time, and was again hunted down by the holy hands of the blessed one from the dens and caves of the bandits and returned to his former virtue, you yourself are not ignorant, but know it no less than we; and I have often heard you marveling at the condescension of the blessed one and his other kindness, and that he first kissed the blood-stained right hand, embracing the young man, and so brought him back to his former state.

20 And the blessed Paul thus embraces Onesimus, the useless, the runaway, the thief, not only he himself since he had changed, but he also asks the master to hold the penitent one in honor equal to the teacher, saying thus: "I appeal to you," he says, "for my child, whom I have begotten in my chains, Onesimus, who was once useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me, whom I have sent back to you. But you, receive him, that is, my own heart. Whom I wished to keep with me, that in your stead he might minister to me in the chains of the gospel; but without your consent I did not wish to do anything, that your goodness might not be as by compulsion, but voluntary. For perhaps for this reason he was separated for a short time, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved son, especially to me; but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord? If then you consider me a partner, receive him as you would receive me." And writing to the Corinthians, the same one said: "lest when I come I may mourn for many of those who have sinned before and have not repented." And again, "As I have said before, and say again, that if I come again, I will not spare." Do you see whom he mourns, and whom he does not spare? Not those who have sinned, but those who have not repented, and not simply those who have not repented, but those who have been exhorted to this once and a second time and did not wish to be persuaded. For "I have said before and say again," as being present the second time, and being absent I write, hints at nothing other than this, which I fear may also happen in our case. For now, even if Paul is not present, who then threatened the Corinthians, yet Christ is present, who then spoke through him; and if we remain unyielding, he will not spare us, but will strike a great blow both here and there;

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τολμηθεῖσιν, εἵπετο πρὸς τὸ ὄρος αὐτῷ· καὶ ἀφιγμένων ἐκεῖ, δεῖται τἀνδρὸς ἐν οἰκίσκῳ τε αὐτὸν καθεῖρξαι ἑτέρῳ καὶ τὰς θυρίδας ἀποκλείσαντα τοῦ δωματίου ἄρτον αὐτῷ παρέχειν καὶ ὕδωρ δι' ἡμερῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιζήτουσιν αὐτὸν ἠξίου λέγειν ὅτι κεκοίμηται. Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν καὶ πείσας, καθεῖρξεν ἑαυτόν, καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ διαπαντὸς νηστείαις καὶ δεήσεσιν καὶ δάκρυσι τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ῥύπον ἀποσμήχων τῆς ψυχῆς. Χρόνου δὲ παρελθόντος οὐ μακροῦ καὶ αὐχμοῦ τὴν πλησίον χώραν κατακαίοντος καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ πάντων ὀδυρομένων, ἐκελεύσθη τις δι' ὀνείρατος ἀπελθεῖν καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ἐκεῖνον παρακαλέσαι τὸν καθειργμένον, ὥστε εὔξασθαι καὶ λῦσαι τὸν αὐχμόν. Ὡς δὲ ἀπῆλθεν ἑταίρους παραλαβών, τὸν συνοικοῦντα αὐτῷ πρότερον μόνον εὑρόντες ἐκεῖ, περὶ ἐκείνου ἐρωτῶντες ἔμαθον ὅτι τέθνηκεν, νομίσαντες δὲ ἠπατῆσθαι εἰς προσευχὰς αὖθις ἐτρέποντο, καὶ πάλιν διὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ὄψεως τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς προτέροις ἤκουον, καὶ τότε τὸν ἀληθῶς ἀπατήσαντα περιστάντες παρεκάλουν ἐπιδεῖξαι τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτοῖς· οὐδὲ γὰρ τεθνηκέναι αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ ζῆν διισχυρίζοντο. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὰς συνθήκας ἐξεληλεγμένας ἰδὼν ἀπάγει πρὸς τὸν ἅγιον αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖνον καὶ διελόντες τὸν τοῖχον, καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὴν εἴσοδον ἔτυχεν ἀποφράξας, καὶ εἰσελθόντες ἅπαντες τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ προκαλινδούμενοι καὶ τὰ γεγενημένα ἀπαγγέλλοντες παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν ἐπαμῦναι τῷ λιμῷ. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀντέτεινε· πόρρω ταύτης αὐτὸν εἶναι λέγων τῆς παρρησίας. Καὶ γὰρ ὡς εὐθέως γεγενημένην τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, οὕτω πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν εἶχεν ἀεί· ὡς δὲ τὰ συμβάντα αὐτοῖς ἅπαντα διηγήσαντο, τότε ἔπεισαν εὔξασθαι, καὶ εὐξάμενος ἔλυσεν τὸν αὐχμόν. Τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν νέον ἐκεῖνον, τὸν πρότερον μὲν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου γενόμενον μαθητήν, ὕστερον δὲ ἐπὶ πολὺν λῃσταρχήσαντα χρόνον, καὶ πάλιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων τοῦ μακαρίου θηρευθέντα χειρῶν ἀπὸ τῶν καταδύσεων καὶ σπηλαίων τῶν λῃστρικῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν ἐπανελθόντα ἀρετήν, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀγνοεῖς, ἀλλ' οἶσθα ἡμῶν οὐχ ἧττον· καὶ σοῦ πολλάκις θαυμάζοντος ἤκουσα τοῦ μακαρίου τὴν συγκατάβασιν τήν τε ἄλλην ἐπιείκειαν καὶ ὅτι τὴν αἱμαχθεῖσαν πρῶτον ἐφίλησεν δεξίαν τῷ νέῳ περιχυθείς, καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰ πρότερα ἐπανήγαγεν.

20 Καὶ ὁ μακάριος δὲ Παῦλος οὕτω τὸν Ὀνήσιμον, τὸν ἄχρηστον, τὸν δραπέτην, τὸν κλέπτην, τοῦτον οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς περιπλέκεται ἐπειδὴ μετεβάλετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν δεσπότην ἀξιοῖ ἐν ἴσῃ τῷ διδασκάλῳ τὸν μετανοήσαντα ἀγαγεῖν τιμῇ, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· «Παρακαλῶ σε, φησίν, περὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ τέκνου, ὃν ἐγέννησα ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου Ὀνήσιμον, τόν ποτε σοι ἄχρηστον, νῦν δὲ σοὶ καὶ ἐμοὶ εὔχρηστον, ὃν ἀνέπεμψα πρὸς σέ· σὺ δὲ αὐτόν, τουτέστιν τὰ ἐμὰ σπλάγχνα, προσλαβοῦ. Ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου· χωρὶς δὲ τῆς σῆς γνώμης οὐδὲν ἠθέλησα ποιῆσαι, ἵνα μὴ ὡς κατ' ἀνάγκην τὸ ἀγαθόν σου ᾖ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἑκούσιον. Τάχα γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἐχωρίσθη πρὸς ὥραν, ἵνα αἰώνιον αὐτὸν ἀπέχῃς, οὐκέτι ὡς δοῦλον, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ δοῦλον, υἱὸν ἀγαπητόν, μάλιστα ἐμοί· πόσῳ δὲ μάλλον σοί, καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ ἐν Κυρίῳ; Εἰ μὲν οὖν με ἔχεις κοινωνόν, προσλαβοῦ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐμέ.» Καὶ Κορινθίοις δὲ ἐπιστέλλων ὁ αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν· «Μή πως ἐλθὼν πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων.» Καὶ πάλιν «Ὡς προείρηκα καὶ πάλιν λέγω ὅτι ἐὰν ἔλθω εἰς τὸ πάλιν, οὐ φείσομαι.» Ὁρᾷς τίνας πενθεῖ, καὶ τίνων οὐ φείδεται; οὐ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων, ἀλλὰ τῶν μὴ μετανοησάντων, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τῶν μὴ μετανοησάντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δεύτερον ἐπὶ τοῦτο παρακληθέντων καὶ πεισθῆναι μὴ βουληθέντων. Τὸ γὰρ προείρηκα καὶ πάλιν λέγω, ὡς παρὼν τὸ δεύτερον, καὶ ἀπὼν γράφω, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τοῦτο αἰνίττεται, ὅπερ δέος μὴ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν γένηται. Νυνὶ γὰρ εἰ καὶ μὴ Παῦλος πάρεστιν, ὁ τότε Κορινθίοις ἀπειλῶν, ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς πάρεστιν, ὁ τότε δι' ἐκείνου λαλῶν· κἂν ἐπιμένωμεν ἀνενδότως ἔχοντες, οὐ φείσεται ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ πατάξει πληγὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐνταῦθα κἀκεῖ·