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one might find them lacking in perfection. Considering these things, I was troubled and filled with much despondency. For if one member suffers, according to the divine Apostle, all the members suffer with it. And we are members of one another, and we make up one body, having the Lord Christ as our head. Nevertheless, I had one consolation for my suffering, taking your holiness to mind. For having been brought up in the divine oracles, and having learned from the chief shepherd what characterizes the good shepherd, it is very clear that you will lay down your life for the sheep. For the hired hand, when he sees the wolf coming, flees, because he is a hired hand, and does not care about the sheep, according to the voice of the Lord; but the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Thus also an excellent general shows his own courage not in peacetime, but in time of war, both by rousing the others and by facing danger himself before the army. For it is absurd for him to enjoy the honor of a general, but in the time of need to run away from the dangers. These things the thrice-blessed prophets also continued to do; and they neglected their bodily safety; but they undertook every toil and danger on behalf of the Jews who hated and rejected them. Concerning these the divine Apostle says, that They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, mistreated, of whom this world was not worthy; wandering in deserts, and mountains, and caves, and the holes of the earth. Thus the divine apostles, traveling about the whole inhabited world, preached, having no house, no couch, no bedding, no table, nor any other of the necessary things; but being tortured, and racked, and imprisoned, and enduring countless kinds of deaths. And they endured these things, not for the sake of people they knew, but choosing the dangers on behalf of those very ones who were persecuting them. Therefore it is much more just to undertake the present impending danger on behalf of fellow believers and brothers and children. For even the nature of irrational creatures has this affection; for one can see even sparrows defending their young with all their might and contributing what strength they have for their sake; and the other kinds of birds also undertake danger for their offspring. And why do I speak of birds? For even bears and leopards and wolves and lions choose to suffer anything whatsoever for the safety of their offspring; for they do not flee from their attackers, but they receive their assault and fight for their young. But I have recounted these things, not to anoint your love of God for endurance and steadfastness with the image of irrational creatures, but to comfort myself in my despondency, and persuading myself that you will not leave the flock of Christ unshepherded when the wolves attack; but having called upon its Lord for an alliance, you will eagerly undertake the struggle on its behalf. For such a time shows who is a shepherd and who a hired hand, and who shepherds diligently, and who eats the milk and wears the wool, but despises the safety of the sheep. But God is faithful, who will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. But I exhort your piety to this, that you take greater care of the weaker ones; and not only to strengthen those who are shaken, but also to raise up those who have fallen; for shepherds do not neglect sick sheep, but they separate them from the others and offer them every kind of treatment. This we must also do. For it is fitting to raise up those who are slipping, and to extend a hand and encourage them, and to heal the bites that have occurred, and not to despair of them

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εὕροι τις ἂν τῆς τελειότητος ἀπο δέοντας. Ταῦτα λογιζόμενος συνεχύθην καὶ ἀθυμίας ἐνεπλή σθην πολλῆς. Εἰ γὰρ πάσχει ἓν μέλος , κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον, συμπάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη . Μέλη δὲ ἀλλή λων ἐσμέν, καὶ εἰς ἓν σῶμα τελοῦμεν, κεφαλὴν ἔχοντες τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστόν. Μίαν δὲ ὅμως ἔσχον τοῦ πάθους παραψυ χήν, τὴν ὑμετέραν εἰς νοῦν λαμβάνων ὁσιότητα. Τοῖς γὰρ θείοις ἐντραφέντες λογίοις, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ ἀρχιποιμένος μεμα θηκότες τί τὸν ἀγαθὸν χαρακτηρίζει ποιμένα, εὔδηλον ὅτι τὴν ψυχὴν ὑμῶν θήσετε ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων. Ὁ γὰρ μισθωτός, ὅταν ἴδῃ τὸν λύκον ἐρχόμενον, φεύγει, ὅτι μισθω τός ἐστι, καὶ οὐ μέλει αὐτῷ περὶ τῶν προβάτων , κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνήν· ὁ δὲ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων . Οὕτω καὶ στρατη γὸς ἄριστος οὐκ ἐν εἰρήνῃ δείκνυσι τὴν οἰκείαν ἀνδρείαν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ τοῦ πολέμου καιρῷ, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους διεγείρων, καὶ αὐτὸς προκινδυνεύων τῆς στρατιᾶς. Ἄτοπον γὰρ τῆς μὲν στρα τηγικῆς αὐτὸν ἀπολαύειν τιμῆς, ἐν δὲ τῷ τῆς χρείας καιρῷ τοὺς κινδύνους ἀποδιδράσκειν. Ταῦτα καὶ οἱ τρισμακάριοι προφῆται διετέλουν ποιοῦντες· καὶ τῆς μὲν σωματικῆς σωτηρίας ἠμέλουν· πάντα δὲ πόνον καὶ κίνδυνον ὑπὲρ τῶν μισούντων αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀποστρεφομένων Ἰουδαίων ἀνεδέχοντο. Περὶ τούτων φησὶν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι Ἐλιθάσθησαν, ἐπρίσθησαν, ἐπειράσθησαν, ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ἀπέθανον. Περιῆλθον ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι, ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος οὗτος· ἐν ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι, καὶ ὄρεσι, καὶ σπηλαίοις, καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς . Οὕτως οἱ θεῖοι ἀπόστολοι πᾶ σαν περινοστοῦντες τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκήρυττον, οὐκ οἰκίαν ἔχοντες, οὐ κλίνην, οὐ στρωμνήν, οὐ τράπεζαν, οὐκ ἄλλην τινὰ τῶν ἀναγκαίων χρείαν· ἀλλ' αἰκιζόμενοι, καὶ στρεβλούμενοι, καὶ καθειργόμενοι, καὶ μυρία θανάτων ὑπομένοντες εἴδη. Καὶ ταῦτα ὑπέμενον, οὐχ ὑπὲρ γνωρίμων ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐκείνων τῶν διωκόντων αὐτοὺς τοὺς κινδύνους αἱρού μενοι. Πολλῷ τοίνυν δικαιότερον ὑπὲρ ὁμοπίστων καὶ ἀδελφῶν καὶ τέκνων τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος προσβαλόντα κίνδυνον ἀναδέξασθαι. Ταύτην γὰρ τὴν φιλοστοργίαν ἔχει καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ἡ φύσις· ἔστι γὰρ ἰδεῖν καὶ στρουθοὺς τῶν νεοττῶν ὑπερμαχοῦντας εἰς δύναμιν καὶ ἣν ἔχουσιν ἰσχὺν ὑπὲρ τού των εἰσφέροντας· καὶ τἄλλα δὲ τῶν πτηνῶν γένη τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐγγόνων κίνδυνον ἀναδέχεται. Καὶ τί λέγω τὰ πτηνά; Καὶ γὰρ ἄρκτοι καὶ παρδάλεις καὶ λύκοι καὶ λέοντες πᾶν ὁτιοῦν παθεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἐγγόνων σωτηρίας αἱροῦνται· οὐ γὰρ φεύγουσι τοὺς ἐπιόντας, ἀλλὰ τὴν τούτων δέχονται προσβολὴν καὶ τῶν τέκνων ὑπερμαχοῦσι. Ταῦτα δὲ διεξῆλθον, οὐκ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀλόγων εἰκόνος εἰς ὑπομονὴν καὶ καρτερίαν τὴν ὑμετέραν φιλοθεΐαν ἀλείφων, ἀλλ' ἐμαυτὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀθυμίᾳ ψυχαγωγῶν, καὶ πείθων, ὡς οὐ καταλείψετε τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν ποίμνην τῶν λύκων ἐπιόντων ἀποίμαντον· ἀλλὰ τὸν ταύτης Κύριον εἰς συμμαχίαν καλέ σαντες, προθύμως ἀναδέξεσθε τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἀγῶνα. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος καιρὸς δείκνυσι, τίς μὲν ποιμήν, τίς δὲ μισθωτός, καὶ τίς μὲν φιλοπόνως ποιμαίνει, τίς δὲ τὸ μὲν γάλα ἐσθίει, καὶ τὰ ἔρια περιβάλλεται, τῆς δὲ τῶν προβάτων καταφρονεῖ σωτηρίας. Ἀλλὰ πιστὸς ὁ Θεός, ὃς οὐκ ἐάσει ὑμᾶς πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνασθε, ἀλλὰ ποιήσει σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς ὑπ ενεγκεῖν . Ἐκεῖνο δὲ παρακαλῶ τὴν ὑμετέραν θεοσέβειαν, ὥστε τῶν σαθροτέρων πλείονα ποιήσασθαι πρόνοιαν· καὶ μὴ μόνον τοὺς σαλευομένους στηρίσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πεπτωκότας ἐγεῖραι· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ ποιμένες τῶν νενοσηκότων ἀμελοῦσι προβάτων, ἀλλὰ χωρίζουσι μὲν αὐτὰ τῶν ἄλλων, πᾶν δὲ εἶδος αὐτοῖς θεραπείας προσφέρουσι. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡμῖν ποιητέον. Τοὺς γὰρ ὀλισθαίνοντας ἀναστῆσαι προσήκει, καὶ χεῖρα ὀρέξαι καὶ πα ραθαρσῦναι, καὶ τὰ ἐγγενόμενα δήγματα θεραπεῦσαι, καὶ μὴ ἀπαγορεῦσαι αὐτῶν