24

each day; so those who begat those who begat us and their ancestors. And reasoning, retracing its steps, will come to the beginning, and coming down again will arrive at the consummation of this universe. and there is no one who will live, according to what is written, and not see death. But the present is a certain appointed service and a daily business, and immediately a return to one's own, I mean of the transition from things here to things there. Patriarchs, and they passed away, prophets, and they departed, fathers and mothers, and they were gone, brothers and friends and relatives, and they ran by. What of kings? What of satraps? What of rulers? What of every age and every race of man? Have not all gone under the earth and will be so a little later, having sprung from the earth? But here is the sought-after thing, that having exchanged the things here well and having lived our lives according to the will of God who made us, we may find our appearance before that most fearsome judgment seat there uncondemned. which your child has surely and certainly found and obtained; for blessed, it says, is he among those born of women who is short-lived and whom the Lord chose and took to himself in his early youth, not having been tempted by the bitter sins of the life here. The lord Soterichos departed and went away, true to his name in salvation, being deemed worthy of the sound of those who celebrate, of unspeakable exultation, of being numbered with the holy infants resting in the bosom of Abraham, no longer serving corruption and flesh, but dwelling with eternity. From this we wish you to take the occasions for comfort, from this the consolations. Become a creator of gladness and a healer not only of yourself but also of the lady the spatharea, who especially needs healing and much consolation because of her slight emotional state, and then also of the others who belong to you; so that you may be shown to be educated in divine matters and governed by God's law and knowing where the one who departed was going (and especially in the case of your sweet child), that it was not to death nor to non-existence, but to eternal life and to God who made all things, and so that you may be shown to fathers and to all the acquaintances and those gathered at the funeral as a good example, to bear the loss of children with self-control and thanksgiving and not to oppose the commands of God. 19 {1To the community of the people of Antisarxos}1 We received a letter from your honor concerning our disciple, who long ago ran away and was received there I know not how through ignorance and impiety, and in one cave has built not a monastery but a den of passions, that we should deem him worthy of release. And the reply is brief. Marcian our disciple, until he returns to his own monastery, in which he made his vows of renunciation with God as witness, is bound and condemned and unworthy of communion, according to the divinely-commanded canons which he wrote; for the impending threat is not from us, but from the divinely-inspired fathers. Therefore, if you wish to be saved, advise this man to return to his own, whom we are ready to receive with paternal compassion if he repents and returns, and to forgive all his sins; for just as it is not possible for a sheep torn from its own fold and gone astray not to be caught by wild beasts, so it is for one who leaves his monastery lawlessly by his own will and sits in a place which the Lord does not watch over not to be captured by demons. Therefore his cell is a den of demons, a trap for souls, a snare for women, a workshop of all lawlessness, no matter with what words and ways either he or you may try to devise what is said. If therefore he obeys and you obey, it would be well for both, having fled the divine wraths and threats; but if not, you will see before your eyes the fruits of your disobedience. But the most holy bishop is blessed by the Lord, keeping the laws and driving the unholy one far away. for not

24

ἑκάστην ἡμέραν· οὕτως οἱ γεννήσαντες τοὺς ἡμᾶς γεννήσαντας καὶ οἱ ἐκείνων ἀνώτεροι. καὶ ἀναποδίζων ὁ λόγος εἰς τὸ καταρχὴν ἐλεύσεται καὶ κατιὼν πάλιν εἰς τὴν συντέλειαν τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς καταντήσει. καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ζήσεται, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, καὶ οὐκ ὄψεται θάνατον. τὸ δὲ παρὸν λειτουργία τις διωρισμένη καὶ πραγματεία ἡμερήσιος, καὶ αὐτίκα εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἐπανέλευ σις, τῆς τῶν ἐνθένδε λέγω πρὸς τὰ ἐκεῖσε μεταβάσεως. πατριάρχαι, καὶ παρῆλθον, προφῆται, καὶ μετῆλθον, πατέρες καὶ μητέρες, καὶ ἀπεγένοντο, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ φίλοι καὶ συγγενεῖς, καὶ παρέδραμον. τί δὲ βασιλεῖς; τί δὲ σατράπαι; τί δὲ ἄρχοντες; τί δὲ πᾶσα ἡλικία καὶ πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπου; οὐχὶ πάντες ὑπὸ γῆν γεγόνασιν καὶ γενήσονται μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐκ γῆς φύντες; ἀλλ' ὧδε τὸ ζητούμενον, ἵνα καλῶς τὰ ἐνταῦθα ἀμείψαντες καὶ πρὸς τὸ βούλημα τοῦ πεποιηκότος θεοῦ ἐμπολιτευσάμενοι τοῦ ἐκεῖσε φοβερωτάτου κριτηρίου τὴν παράστασιν ἀκατάκριτον εὑρήσομεν. ὅπερ τὸ ὑμέτερον τέκνον ἀσφαλῶς καὶ βεβαίως ηὕρατο καὶ ἐπιτετύχηκεν· μακάριος γάρ, φησίν, ὁ ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν ὀλιγόβιος καὶ ὃν Κύριος ἐξελέξατο καὶ προσελάβετο ἐν πρώτῃ ἡλικίᾳ, μὴ πειραθέντα τῶν πικρῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τοῦ τῇδε βίου. Ἐξῆλθεν καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ὁ κύριος Σωτήριχος φερωνύμως ἐν σωτηρίᾳ, ἤχους ἑορταζόντων καταξιούμενος, ἀγαλλιάσεως ἀνεκλαλήτου, συναριθμήσεως τῶν ἐν κόλποις Ἀβραὰμ ἀναπαυομένων βρεφῶν ἁγίων, μηκέτι δουλεύων φθορᾷ καὶ σαρκί, ἀιδιότητι συνών. ἐντεῦθεν βουλόμεθά σε λαμβάνειν τὰς ἀφορμὰς τῆς παρηγορίας, ἐντεῦθεν τὰς παρακλήσεις. γενοῦ δημιουργὸς εὐφροσύνης καὶ θεραπευτὴς οὐ μόνον σαυτοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς κυρίας τῆς σπαθαρέας, τῆς μάλιστα δεομένης ἰατρείας καὶ παρακλήσεως πολλῆς διὰ τὸ μικρὸν περιπαθές, εἶτα καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν διαφερόντων σοι· ὡς ἂν δειχθείης τὰ θεῖα πεπαιδευμένος καὶ θεοῦ νόμῳ κρατούμενος καὶ εἰδὼς ποῦ ποτε ἀπῄει ὁ μεθιστάμενος (καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ τοῦ σοῦ γλυκείου τέκνου), ὅτι οὐκ εἰς θάνατον οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ μὴ ὄν, ἀλλ' εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ εἰς θεὸν τὸν τὰ πάντα ποιήσαντα, καὶ ὡς ἂν παραδειχθείης πατράσι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς γνωρίμοις καὶ συνειλεγμένοις ἐν τῇ κηδείᾳ ὑπόδειγμα καλόν, μετὰ σωφροσύνης καὶ εὐχαριστίας διαφέρειν τὰς τῶν τέκνων ἀποβολὰς καὶ μὴ ἀντιτείνειν θεοῦ προστάγμασιν. 19 {1Πρὸς τὸ κοινὸν τοῦ λαοῦ Ἀντισάρχου}1 Γράμματα ἐδεξάμεθα παρὰ τῆς τιμιότητος ὑμῶν περὶ τοῦ μαθητοῦ ἡμῶν, τοῦ πάλαι ἀποδράσαντος καὶ ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ἀμαθίᾳ καὶ ἀνοσιότητι προσδεχθέντος, καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ ἄντρῳ οὐχὶ μοναστήριον ἀλλὰ λῃστήριον παθῶν ἀναδειμαμένου, ἵνα τοῦτον λύσεως ἀξιώσωμεν. καὶ σύντομος ἡ ἀπόκρισις. Μαρκιανὸς ὁ μαθητὴς ἡμῶν, ἕως ἂν ὑποστρέψῃ ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ μοναστηρίῳ, ἐν ᾧ τὰς συνθήκας ἔθετο ὑπὸ μάρτυρι θεῷ τῆς ἀποταγῆς αὐτοῦ, ἐστὶ δεδεμένος καὶ κατακεκριμένος καὶ ἀνάξιος τῆς κοινωνίας, καθ' οὓς ἔγραψε θεοκελεύστους κανόνας· οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἡμῶν ἡ ἐπηρτημένη ἀπειλή, ἀλλ' ἐκ θεοπνεύστων πατέρων. Τοῦτον τοίνυν, εἴπερ ἀγαπᾶτε σῴζεσθαι, νουθετήσατε ἀνθυπονοστῆσαι εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα, ὃν ἡμεῖς μεταμελόμενον καὶ ὑποστρέφοντα πατρικοῖς σπλάγχνοις ἕτοιμοί ἐσμεν ὑποδέξασθαι καὶ συγχωρῆσαι πάντα τὰ ἡμαρτημένα αὐτῷ· ὡς γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι πρόβατον ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας μάνδρας ἀποσπασθὲν καὶ ἀποπλανηθὲν μὴ θηριάλωτον γενέσθαι, οὕτως τὸν ἀπὸ μοναστηρίου ἐξερχόμενον ἀνόμως ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ θελήματι καὶ ἐν τόπῳ οὗ οὐκ ἐπισκοπεῖ ὁ Κύριος καθεζόμενον μὴ ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἁλῶναι. τὸ οὖν κελλίον αὐτοῦ φωλεός ἐστι δαιμόνων, ἀγρευτήριον ψυχῶν, παγιδευτήριον γυναικῶν, πάσης ἀνομίας ἐργαστήριον, κἂν ὁποίοις ἂν λόγοις καὶ τρόποις ἢ αὐτὸς ἢ ὑμεῖς μεθοδεύειν πειρᾶσθε τὰ λεγόμενα. Εἰ οὖν ὑπακούει καὶ ὑπακούετε, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι ἀμφοτέροις, φυγοῦσι τὰς θείας ὀργὰς καὶ ἀπειλάς· εἰ δὲ μή γε, ὄψεσθε ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν τοὺς τῆς παρακοῆς ὑμῶν καρπούς. ὁ δὲ ἁγιώτατος ἐπίσκοπος εὐλογημένος ἐστὶν ὑπὸ Κυρίου, τηρῶν τοὺς νόμους καὶ τὸν ἀνόσιον πόρρω που διώκων. οὐ γὰρ