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TO HERO, DEACON OF ANTIOCH.

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to the God-honored and most longed for, most revered, Christ-bearer, Spirit-bearer, true child in faith and love, Hero, deacon of Christ, servant of God, grace, mercy, and peace from God Almighty and from Christ Jesus our Lord, His only-begotten Son, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from the present evil age, and save us into His heavenly kingdom. I exhort you in God to press forward in your course and to vindicate your office. Take care for harmony with the saints; bear the weaker ones, that you may fulfill the law of Christ. Give yourself to fastings and prayers, but not immoderately, lest you cast yourself down. Do not completely abstain from wine and meats, for they are not abominable. For, 'You shall eat the good things of the earth,' it says, and, 'You shall eat meat like herbs,' and, 'Wine makes glad the heart of man and oil makes it cheerful and bread strengthens it.' But with measure and in an orderly manner, as from God who supplies them. For who shall eat or who shall drink without Him? For if anything is beautiful, it is His, and if anything is good, it is His. Give heed to reading, that you may not only know the laws yourself, but also explain them to others. Be sober as an athlete of God. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the affairs of this life, that he may please the one who enlisted him. And if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. I, the prisoner, am a ransom for you. Everyone who speaks contrary to what is commanded, even if he is worthy of belief, even if he fasts, even if he is a virgin, even if he performs signs, even if he prophesies, let him appear to you as a wolf in sheep's clothing, working the destruction of the sheep. If anyone denies the cross and is ashamed of the passion, let him be to you as the adversary himself. Even if he gives his possessions to feed the poor, even if he moves mountains, even if he gives his body to be burned, let him be abominable to you. If anyone disparages the Law or the Prophets, which Christ fulfilled by his presence, let him be to you as the antichrist. If anyone says the Lord is a mere man, he is a Jew, a Christ-killer. Honor widows, those who are truly widows. Look after orphans; for God is the Father of orphans and a judge of widows. Do nothing without the bishops; for they are priests, and you are a deacon of the priests. They baptize, perform sacred rites, ordain, lay on hands; but you minister to them, as the holy Stephen in Jerusalem did to James and the presbyters. Do not neglect the assemblies; seek out everyone by name. Let no one despise your youth, but be a model for the believers in speech and conduct.

Be not ashamed of household servants; for our nature is common with theirs. Do not abhor women; for they have borne you and nourished you. It is right, therefore, to love the causes of our birth, but only in the Lord. Without a woman a man will not produce a child; it is right, therefore, to honor the co-workers of our birth. Neither is man without woman, nor woman without man, except in the case of the first-created. For the body of Adam was from the four elements, but that of Eve from the rib of Adam. And the paradoxical birth of the Lord was from the Virgin alone, not because lawful union is abominable, but because the birth was befitting of God. For it was fitting for the Creator not to make use of the customary birth, but of the paradoxical and strange one, as a creator. Flee from pride; for the Lord opposes the proud. Abhor falsehood; for you will destroy all who speak lies. Guard against envy; for its author is the devil, and his successor is Cain, who envied his brother and out of envy committed murder. Advise my sisters to love God and to be content with their own husbands alone; likewise, advise my brothers to be content with their own wives. virgins

30

ΠΡOΣ HΡΩNA ∆IAKONON ANTIOΧEIAΣ.

Ἰγνάτιος, ὁ καὶ Θεοφόρος, τῷ θεοτιμήτῳ καὶ ποθεινοτάτῳ, σεμνοτάτῳ,

χριστοφόρῳ, πνευματοφόρῳ, γνησίῳ τέκνῳ ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ, Ἥρωνι διακόνῳ Χριστοῦ, ὑπηρέτῃ θεοῦ, χάρις, ἔλεος καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ τοῦ παντοκράτορος θεοῦ καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ υἱοῦ, τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος αἰῶνος πονηροῦ, καὶ σώσῃ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπουράνιον. Παρακαλῶ σε ἐν θεῷ προσθεῖναι τῷ δρόμῳ σου καὶ ἐκδικεῖν σου τὸ ἀξίωμα. τῆς συμφωνίας τῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους φρόντιζε· τοὺς ἀσθενεστέρους βάσταζε, ἵνα πληρώσῃς τὸν νόμον Χριστοῦ. νηστείαις καὶ δεήσεσι σχόλαζε, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀμέτρως, ἵνα μὴ σαυτὸν καταβάλῃς.οἴνου καὶ κρεῶν μὴ πάντη ἀπέχου· οὐ γάρ ἐστι βδελυκτά· Tὰ γὰρ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς, φησί, φάγεσθε, καί· Ἔδεσθε κρέα ὡς λάχανα, καί· Oἶνος εὐφραίνει καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἔλαιον ἱλαρύνει καὶ ἄρτος στηρίζει· ἀλλὰ μεμετρημένως καὶ εὐτάκτως, ὡς θεοῦ χορηγοῦντος. τίς γὰρ φάγεται ἢ τίς πίεται παρὲξ αὐτοῦ; ὅτι εἴ τι καλόν, αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἴ τι ἀγαθόν, αὐτοῦ. τῇ ἀναγνώσει πρόσεχε, ἵνα μὴ μόνον αὐτὸς εἰδῇς τοὺς νόμους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοις αὐτοὺς ἐξηγῇ. νῆφε ὡς θεοῦ ἀθλητής. οὐδεὶς στρατευόμενος ἐμπλέκεται ταῖς τοῦ βίου πραγματείαις, ἵνα τῷ στρατολογήσαντι ἀρέσῃ· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ἀθλῇτις, οὐ στεφανοῦται, ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως ἀθλήσῃ. ἀντίψυχόν σου ἐγὼ ὁ δέσμιος. Πᾶς ὁ λέγων παρὰ τὰ διατεταγμένα, κἂν ἀξιόπιστος ᾖ, κἂν νηστεύῃ, κἂν παρθενεύῃ, κἂν σημεῖα ποιῇ, κἂν προφητεύῃ, λύκος σοι φαινέσθω ἐν προβάτου δορᾷ, προβάτων φθορὰν κατεργαζόμενος. εἴ τις ἀρνεῖται τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὸ πάθος ἐπαισχύνεται, ἔστω σοι ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ ἀντικείμενος· κἂν ψωμίσῃ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα πτωχοῖς, κἂν ὄρη μεθιστᾷ, κἂν παραδῷ τὸ σῶμα εἰς καῦσιν, ἔστω σοι βδελυκτός. εἴ τις φαυλίζει τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας, οὓς ὁ Χριστὸς παρὼν ἐπλήρωσεν, ἔστω σοι ὡς ὁ ἀντίχριστος. εἴ τις ἄνθρωπον ψιλὸν λέγει τὸν κύριον, Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν χριστοκτόνος. Χήρας τίμα, τὰς ὄντως χήρας. ὀρφανῶν προΐστασο· ὁ θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν πατὴρ τῶν ὀρφανῶν καὶ κριτὴς τῶν χηρῶν. μηδὲν ἄνευ τῶν ἐπισκόπων πρᾶττε· ἱερεῖς γάρ εἰσιν, σὺ δὲ διάκονος τῶν ἱερέων. ἐκεῖνοι βαπτίζουσιν, ἱερουργοῦσιν, χειροτονοῦσιν, χειροθετοῦσιν· σὺ δὲ αὐτοῖς διακόνει, ὡς Στέφανος ὁ ἅγιος ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις Ἰακώβῳ καὶ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις. τῶν συνάξεων μὴ ἀμέλει· ἐξ ὀνόματος πάντας ἐπιζήτει. μηδείς σου τῆς νεότητος καταφρονείτω, ἀλλὰ τύπος γίνου τῶν πιστῶν ἐν λόγῳ καὶ ἀναστροφῇ.

Oἰκέτας μὴ ἐπαισχύνου· κοινὴ γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ αὐτοῖς ἡ φύσις. γυναῖκας μὴ βδελύττου· αὐταί σε γὰρ γεγεννήκασιν καὶ ἐξέθρεψαν. ἀγαπᾶν οὖν χρὴ τὰς αἰτίας τῆς γεννήσεως, μόνον δὲ ἐν κυρίῳ· ἄνευ δὲ γυναικὸς ἀνὴρ οὐ παιδοποιήσει· τιμᾶν οὖν χρὴ τὰς συνεργοὺς τῆς γεννήσεως. οὔτε ἀνὴρ χωρὶς γυναικὸς οὔτε γυνὴ χωρὶς ἀνδρός, εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ τῶν πρωτοπλάστων· τοῦ γὰρ Ἀδὰμ τὸ σῶμα ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων, τῆς δὲ Eὔας ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς τοῦ Ἀδάμ· καὶ ὁ παράδοξος δὲ τοκετὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἐκ μόνης τῆς παρθένου, οὐ βδελυκτῆς οὔσης τῆς νομίμου μίξεως, ἀλλὰ θεοπρεποῦς τῆς γεννήσεως· ἔπρεπε γὰρ τῷ δημιουργῷ μὴ τῇ συνήθει ἀποχρήσασθαι γεννήσει, ἀλλὰ τῇ παραδόξῳ καὶ ξένῃ, ὡς δημιουργῷ.Ὑπερηφανίαν φεῦγε· ὑπερηφάνοις γὰρ ἀντιτάσσεται κύριος. ψευδολογίαν βδελύττου· ἀπολεῖς γὰρ πάντας τοὺς λαλοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος. φθόνον φυλάττου· ἀρχηγὸς γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ὁ διάβολος καὶ διάδοχος ὁ Kάϊν, ἀδελφῷ βασκάνας καὶ ἐκ φθόνου φόνον κατεργασάμενος. ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς μου παραίνει ἀγαπᾶν τὸν θεὸν καὶ μόνον ἀρκεῖσθαι τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν· ὁμοίως καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου παραίνει ἀρκεῖσθαι ταῖς ὁμοζύγοις. παρθένους