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the pleasures of the flesh, and to proceed henceforth on the way that leads to the mansions of the Lord. Since, therefore, it is necessary, if by nature he is established in the desire for the truly blessed life and has possessed in his own soul the good and praiseworthy love, having loved the Lord our God with his whole heart and with his whole strength and with his whole mind, that there be shown to him by your piety the difficult and hard-to-reach parts of the narrow and afflicted way, and that he be established in hope of the things not now seen for a time, but in the promises of good things laid up for those worthy of the Lord; wherefore, writing, I exhort your incomparable perfection in Christ to arrange, if it were possible, and to effect without me both his renunciation according to what is pleasing to God and that he be instructed according to what seemed good to the holy Fathers and has been set forth by them in writing; and that all things which seem right to the ascetic discipline be now set before him, and that he thus be brought to this life, having voluntarily undertaken the struggles for piety and having subjected himself to the good yoke of the Lord, and, in imitation of the One who for our sakes became poor and wore flesh, having lived his life and run according to the goal towards the prize of the upward call, to obtain acceptance from the Lord. For I postponed his eager desire to receive here the crown of love according to God, wishing with your piety to anoint him for such contests and to appoint over him as trainer one whom he himself might seek from among you, training him well and making him an approved wrestler through intense and blessed care, wounding and casting down the world-ruler of this darkness, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness, against which, according to the blessed Apostle, our struggle is. What, therefore, I wished to do with you, let your love in Christ do also without me.

24. To Athanasius, the father of Bishop Athanasius

24.1 That for a man's life to be superior to slanders is one of the most difficult things, if I should not say one of the impossible, I myself am persuaded and I think your goodness does not doubt. However, to offer no handle on our part, neither to those who watch matters closely, nor to those who maliciously lie in wait for our stumblings, this is both possible and characteristic of those who conduct their own life intelligently and according to the aim of piety. But do not think us so easy or so easily misled as to accept accusations from random people without examination. For we remember the spiritual command enjoining that one should not receive a baseless report. But nevertheless, since you yourselves say, you who are diligent concerning discourses, that things that appear are signs of things unseen, we ask this (and do not take it amiss if anything is said by us in the manner of teaching; for God has chosen the weak things of the world and the things that are despised, and through them he often works out the salvation of those who are being saved): what I say and command is this: that every word and every fitting action be performed with circumspection, and according to the apostolic precept to give no cause for stumbling in anything. For I consider it fitting for a man who has toiled much in the learning of discourses, who has directed the governments of peoples and cities, and who has zeal for the great virtue of his ancestors, that his life be set forth as an example of virtue. However, the disposition you have towards your children you ought not to show now by word, you who showed it long ago, from the time you became a father, using not only the natural affection which even the brute beasts provide to their offspring, as you yourself have said and experience shows, but also to intensify your love by choice, inasmuch as you see that they are such as are worthy

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δὲ τὰς τῆς σαρκὸς ἡδονάς, ἐπελθεῖν δὲ λοιπὸν τῇ ὁδῷ τῇ ἀγούσῃ ἐπὶ τὰς μονὰς τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν, εἰ φύσει ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ καθέστηκε τῆς μακαρίας ὄντως δια γωγῆς καὶ τὸν καλὸν καὶ ἐπαινούμενον ἔρωτα ἔσχεν ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῇ, ἀγαπήσας Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας καὶ ἐξ ὅλης ἰσχύος καὶ ἐξ ὅλης διανοίας, ὑποδει χθῆναι αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας θεοσεβείας τὰ δυσχερῆ καὶ δυσάντητα τῆς στενῆς καὶ τεθλιμμένης ὁδοῦ, ἐν ἐλπίδι δὲ αὐτὸν καταστῆναι τῶν νῦν τέως μὴ βλεπομέ νων, ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις δὲ ἀποκειμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀξίοις τοῦ Κυρίου· διὸ γράφων παρακαλῶ τὴν ἀσύγκριτον ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ τελειότητα τυπῶσαι, εἰ οἷόν τε εἴη, καὶ δίχα μου ποιῆσαι τήν τε ἀποταγὴν αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸ ἀρέσκον Θεῷ καὶ στοιχειωθῆναι αὐτὸν κατὰ τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς ἁγίοις Πατράσι καὶ ἐγγράφως ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐκτεθέντα· ἤδη δὲ αὐτῷ προταθῆναι ἅπαντα ὅσα τῇ ἀκριβείᾳ δοκεῖ τῇ ἀσκητικῇ καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸν προσαχθῆναι τῷ βίῳ αὐθαιρέτως ἀνα δεξάμενον τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγῶνας καὶ ὑπαγα γόντα ἑαυτὸν τῷ χρηστῷ τοῦ Κυρίου ζυγῷ, καί, κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντος καὶ σάρκα φορέσαντος πολιτευσάμενον καὶ κατὰ σκοπὸν δραμόντα πρὸς τὸ βρα βεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως, τυχεῖν τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀπο δοχῆς. Ἐγὼ γὰρ σπουδάζοντα αὐτὸν ἐνταῦθα δέξασθαι τὸν τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν ἀγάπης στέφανον ὑπερεθέμην, βουλό μενος μετὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας θεοσεβείας ἀλεῖψαι αὐτὸν πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους ἄθλους καὶ ἕνα ὃν ἂν ὑμῶν αὐτὸς ἐπιζη τήσῃ ἐπιστῆσαι αὐτῷ ἀλείπτην, καλῶς παιδοτριβοῦντα καὶ παλαιστὴν δόκιμον ἀπεργαζόμενον διὰ τῆς συντόνου καὶ μακαρίας ἐπιμελείας, τιτρώσκοντα καὶ καταβάλλοντα τὸν κοσμοκράτορα τοῦ σκότους τούτου, καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ δὲ τῆς πονηρίας, πρὸς ἃ ἡμῖν ἐστι κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Ἀπό στολον ἡ πάλη. Ὃ τοίνυν ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν ἠβουλήθην ποιῆ σαι, ἡ ἐν Χριστῷ ὑμῶν ἀγάπη καὶ δίχα μου ποιησάτω.

24.τ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΩ, ΤΩ ΠΑΤΡΙ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ

24.1 Ὅτι μὲν κρείττονα εἶναι διαβολῶν ἀνθρώπου βίον τῶν χαλεπωτάτων

ἐστίν, ἵνα μὴ τῶν ἀδυνάτων εἴπω, αὐτός τε πέπεισμαι καὶ τὴν σὴν χρηστότητα νομίζω μὴ ἀμφι βάλλειν. Τὸ μέντοι μηδεμίαν παρέχειν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν λαβήν, μήτε τοῖς ἀκριβῶς ἐπιτηροῦσι τὰ πράγματα, μήτε τοῖς κατ' ἐπήρειαν ἐφεδρεύουσιν ἡμῶν τοῖς ὀλισθήμασι, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ δυνατὸν καὶ ἴδιον τῶν συνετῶς καὶ κατὰ τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας σκοπὸν τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον διεξαγόντων. Ἡμᾶς δὲ μὴ οὕτως εὐκόλους οἴου, μηδὲ εὐπαραγώγους εἶναι, ὥστε ἀνεξετάστως τὰς παρὰ τῶν τυχόντων προσίεσθαι καταρρήσεις. Μεμνήμεθα γὰρ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ παραγγέλ ματος μὴ χρῆναι προσδέχεσθαι ἀκοὴν ματαίαν παρεγγυῶντος. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὑμεῖς αὐτοί φατε, οἱ περὶ τοὺς λόγους ἐσπουδακότες, τὰ φαινόμενα τῶν ἀφανῶν εἶναι σημεῖα, τοῦτο ἀξιοῦμεν (καὶ μὴ βαρέως δέξῃ εἴ τι ἐν διδασκαλίας εἴδει λεχθήσεται παρ' ἡμῶν· τὰ γὰρ ἀσθενῆ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὰ ἐξουθενημένα ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεός, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πολλάκις οἰκονομεῖ τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν σωζο μένων)· ὅ γε μὴν λέγω καὶ παραγγέλλω, ἐκεῖνό ἐστι· πάντα μὲν λόγον, πᾶσαν δὲ πρᾶξιν καθήκουσαν περιεσκεμμένως ἐπιτελεῖσθαι, καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἀποστολικὸν παράγγελμα μηδε μίαν ἐν μηδενὶ διδόναι προσκοπήν. Πρέπον γὰρ εἶναι τίθεμαι, ἀνδρὸς πολλὰ μὲν ἐπὶ μαθήσει λόγων ἱδρώσαντος, ἐθνῶν δὲ καὶ πόλεων ἀρχὰς διευθύναντος καὶ πρὸς μεγάλην προγόνων ἀρετὴν τὸν ζῆλον ἔχοντος, τὸν βίον προκεῖσθαι εἰς ὑπόδειγμα ἀρετῆς. Τὴν μέντοι περὶ τὰ τέκνα διάθεσιν οὐχὶ λόγῳ νῦν ὀφείλεις δεικνύναι, ὅς γε πάλαι ἔδειξας, ἀφ' οὗ πατὴρ ἐγένου, οὐ μόνον τῇ φυσικῇ στοργῇ κεχρη μένος ἣν καὶ τὰ ἄλογα παρέχεται τοῖς ἐκγόνοις, ὡς αὐτός τε εἶπας καὶ ἡ πεῖρα δείκνυσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιτείνειν δηλον ότι τὴν ἀγάπην ἐκ προαιρέσεως, ὅσῳ ὁρᾷς τοιαῦτα ὄντα οἷα ἄξια