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26. TO CAESARIUS, THE BROTHER OF GREGORY

26.1 Thanks be to God, who shows His wonders to you also and who saved you from so great a death for both your fatherland and for us, your kin. It remains, therefore, that we should not be seen as ungrateful nor unworthy of so great a benefit, but that we should proclaim the wonders of God according to our ability and sing the praises of that loving-kindness which we have experienced in deed; and that we should give thanks not only in word, but also in deed by becoming such a person as we are now persuaded you are, inferring from the wonders that have happened to you. And we urge you to serve God still more greatly, ever increasing your fear with additions and advancing to perfection, so that we may be shown to be prudent stewards of our life, for which the goodness of God has preserved us. For if it is a command for all of us to present ourselves to God as alive from the dead, how much more so for those who have been lifted up from the gates of death? And this, as I persuade myself, would best be achieved if we would wish always to have the same disposition which we had at the time of the dangers. For surely the thought entered our minds of the vanity of life, and how nothing in human affairs is trustworthy or stable, since they are subject to such easy reversals. And surely, in all probability, some repentance for past deeds arose in us, and promises for the future, that if we should be saved, we would serve God and take care of ourselves with all diligence. For if the imminent danger of death gave us any thought, I think you were reflecting at that time on either these things or things very near to them. So we have become responsible for the payment of a necessary debt. These things, being at once overjoyed at the gift of God and also having concern for the future, I have made bold to remind your Perfection. And it is for you to receive our words kindly and gently, as is your custom also in our face-to-face conversations.

27. TO EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF SAMOSATA

27.1 When, by the grace of God and the help of your prayers, I seemed to be recovering a little from my illness and had gathered my strength, then the winter came on, confining us at home and compelling us to remain in our place. For although it has turned out much milder than usual, yet for me at least it has been a sufficient obstacle, so as not only to prevent me from travelling myself, but even from being able to peek out a little from my room. And this is no small thing for me, to be deemed worthy to converse with your Piety through letters and already to find rest beforehand in the hope of a reply. But if the season should allow, and some time of life still be left for us, and the famine not make the road impassable for us, we would quickly obtain our desire through your prayers and, finding you at your hearth, we would at our complete leisure be filled with the great treasures of the wisdom that is in you.

28. TO THE CHURCH OF NEOCAESAREA: A LETTER OF CONSOLATION

28.1 Recent events indeed required our own presence, both to join you, his closest kin, in paying honor to the blessed one, and to share in the sorrow over the affliction from the very sight of those who are most downcast, and also to take part with you in necessary deliberations. But since many things prevent our physical presence, it remained to communicate with you by letter concerning the

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26.τ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΙΩ ΤΩ Α∆ΕΛΦΩ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ

26.1 Χάρις τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ θαυμάσια καὶ σοὶ ἐπιδεικνυ μένῳ καὶ ἐκ

τοσούτου θανάτου διασώσαντί σε τῇ τε πατρίδι καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς προσήκουσι. Λείπεται δὴ οὖν μὴ ἀχαρίσ τους ἡμᾶς ὀφθῆναι μηδ' ἀναξίους τῆς τοσαύτης εὐεργε σίας, ἀλλὰ κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἡμετέραν διαγγέλλειν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ παράδοξα καί, ἧς ἔργῳ πεπειράμεθα φιλανθρω πίας, ταύτην ἀνυμνεῖν· καὶ μὴ λόγῳ μόνον ἀποδιδόναι τὴν χάριν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργῳ τοιοῦτον γενέσθαι οἷον καὶ νῦν εἶναι πειθόμεθα, τεκμαιρόμενοι τοῖς περὶ σὲ θαύμασι. Καὶ ἔτι μειζόνως τῷ Θεῷ δουλεύειν παρακαλοῦμεν, προσθήκαις ἀεὶ τὸν φόβον συναύξοντα καὶ εἰς τὸ τέλειον προκόπτοντα, ἵνα φρόνιμοι οἰκονόμοι τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἀποδειχθῶμεν, εἰς ἣν ἡμᾶς ἡ ἀγαθότης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐταμιεύσατο. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν πρόσταγμά ἐστι παραστῆσαι ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ ὡσεὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας, πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον τοῖς ὑψωθεῖσιν ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου; Τοῦτο δ' ἂν μάλιστα, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν πείθω, κατορθωθείη, εἰ βουληθείημεν ἀεὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχειν διάνοιαν ἣν εἴχομεν ἐπὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τῶν κινδύνων. Πάντως γάρ που εἰσῄει ἡμᾶς τοῦ βίου τὸ μάταιον καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν πιστὸν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων οὔτε πάγιον, οὕτω ῥᾳδίας ἐχόντων τὰς μεταπτώσεις. Καί πού τις μετα μέλεια μὲν ἔκ γε τῶν εἰκότων ἐνεγίνετο ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς φθάσασιν, ὑποσχέσεις δὲ περὶ τῶν ἐφεξῆς, εἰ περισω θείημεν, Θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ ἑαυτῶν ἐπιμέλεσθαι κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀκρίβειαν. Εἰ γάρ τινα ἡμῖν ἔννοιαν ὁ τοῦ θανάτου κίνδυνος ἐπικείμενος ἐνεδίδου, οἶμαί σε ἢ ταῦτα ἢ ἐγγύ τατα τούτων ἀναλογίζεσθαι τηνικαῦτα. Ὥστε ἀναγκαίου ὀφλήματος ἐκτίσει ὑπεύθυνοι καθεστήκαμεν. Ταῦτα, ὁμοῦ μὲν περιχαρὴς ὢν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεᾷ, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ φρον τίδα ἔχων ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων, ἀπεθάρσησα ὑπομνῆσαι τὴν τελειότητά σου. Σὸν δέ ἐστιν εὐμενῶς καὶ ἡμέρως προσέσθαι ἡμῶν τοὺς λόγους, ὡς καὶ ἐν ταῖς κατ' ὀφθαλ μοὺς ὁμιλίαις σοι σύνηθες.

27.τ ΕΥΣΕΒΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ

27.1 Ὅτε, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι καὶ τῇ βοηθείᾳ τῶν σῶν προσευχῶν, μικρὸν

ἀναφέρειν ἐκ τῆς ἀρρωστίας ἔδοξα καὶ ἀνελεξάμην ἐμαυτοῦ τὰς δυνάμεις, τότε ὁ χειμὼν ἐπεγέ νετο, οἴκοι κατείργων ἡμᾶς καὶ κατὰ χώραν μένειν συνα ναγκάζων. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πολλῷ κουφότερος τῆς συνηθείας ἀπήντησεν, ἀλλ' οὖν ἔμοιγε ἱκανὸς εἰς ἐμπόδιον οὐχ ὅπως ὁδοιπορεῖν δι' ἐμαυτοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μικρὸν προκύπτειν τοῦ δωματίου δύνασθαι. Ἔστι δέ μοι οὐδὲ τοῦτο μικρόν, τὸ καταξιοῦσθαι διὰ γραμμάτων ὁμιλεῖν τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ σου καὶ τῇ ἐλπίδι τῶν ἀντιδόσεων ἤδη προαναπαύεσθαι. Εἰ δὲ ὁ καιρὸς ἐνδοίη καὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῖν ἔτι λείποιτο χρόνος καὶ μὴ ἄπορον ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν ὁ λιμὸς ἀπεργάσαιτο, ταχὺ ἂν τύχοιμεν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας διὰ τῶν σῶν προσευχῶν καί, ἐπὶ τῆς ἑστίας σε καταλαβόντες, κατὰ πᾶσαν σχολὴν τῶν μεγάλων θησαυρῶν τῆς ἐν σοὶ σοφίας ἐμφορηθείημεν.

28.τ ΤΗ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΝΕΟΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΙΑΣ ΠΑΡΑΜΥΘΗΤΙΚΗ

28.1 Ἀπῄτει μὲν τὰ συμβάντα τὴν ἡμῶν αὐτῶν παρουσίαν, τοῦ τε τὴν τιμὴν

τῷ μακαρίῳ τοῖς οἰκειοτάτοις ὑμῖν συνεκπληρῶσαι καὶ τοῦ τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει κατηφείας ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς θέας τῶν σκυθρωποτέρων συμμετασχεῖν, καὶ ὥστε τῶν ἀναγκαίων βουλευμάτων ὑμῖν κοινωνῆσαι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν σωματικὴν συνάφειαν πολλὰ τὰ διακωλύοντα, λειπόμενον ἦν διὰ τοῦ γράμματος κοινωνεῖν ὑμῖν τῶν