33

he sets before him; and having given sufficient for his care, he promised also to give whatever more was spent upon his return. For this reason, he says the all-good father inclined towards the return of the prodigal son, and having embraced 0456 him who ran back through repentance, adorned him again with the beauty of the paternal glory, finding no fault at all concerning his former deeds. For this reason, the sheep that wandered away from the divine hundred, when he found it wandering on the mountains and the hills, he did not drive it, nor wear it out with toil, to bring it back to the sheepfold; but placing it on his own shoulders, he compassionately brought it safely to its fellow sheep. For this reason, He cried out, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened in heart, and I will give you rest.” And, “Take my yoke upon you”; and by “yoke,” he means the commandments; that is, the life directed by the Gospel; and by “burden,” that which seems to be the labor of repentance. “For my yoke,” He says, “is easy, and my burden is light.” And again, teaching divine justice and goodness, he exhorts, saying: “Be holy”; and “be perfect”; “be merciful”; “be compassionate, 15Β_148 as your heavenly Father.” And, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” And, “Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do also to them.” And such things. And simply, that I may not lengthen the letter by speaking of each thing, for this reason he justifies repentant harlots, and receives returning tax collectors, and makes them preachers of the Gospel. For this reason, he brings with him confessing thieves, who purchase salvation by death, through fear, and brings them with him into paradise, confirming the promises of the good things to come. For this reason he brings raging persecutors to their senses, on account of their zeal, and having ordained them as apostles to the nations in his place, he puts them forward; so that we might learn philanthropy and gentleness; and that we might neither easily despair of ourselves when we sin, nor remain unsympathetic and unfeeling toward those who sin; having God as an example of these things.

Since, therefore, we have been taught that these things are so in very truth, and that it is the will of God that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth; and we remember that the beginning and sole purpose of his wonderful sojourn with us in the flesh was our salvation; I boldly ask your holiness, putting before you as a supplication the very life-giving sufferings of our God and Savior Christ, by which we were redeemed from the power of darkness. For I believe that you, being a genuine disciple of the Son of God, through your entire conduct of life, bear the teacher living and active within yourself, since indeed you have wholly cleaved to him from childhood; that also through me, a humble 0457 and sinful mediator, and one having nothing worthy of your virtue, you may honor his philanthropic emptying of himself for you, and receive this sister who is repenting and melted in tears. For great and ineffable is the contrition of her heart, and the humility of her spirit, 15Β_150 both for the sin she has committed, and for the separation from you, which they mourn. Therefore, do not despise, O blessed servant of God, a contrite and humbled heart, which God has not despised; but being compassionate and merciful, tenderhearted and sympathetic, imitate the one who for our sake willingly condescended to die for love of mankind; and deign to receive and embrace her, and endure to confirm your love for her. And strengthen her with words and deeds of philanthropy and gentleness, and snatch her from the hands of the tyrant, and compassionately bind up the fractures that have befallen her; lest, being too weighed down by grief, she be pierced by the thorn of despair; and the blood of a soul destroyed by us be required of us; or, to speak more truly, betrayed to the

33

παρατίθεται· καί τά πρός ἐπιμέλειαν ἀρκοῦντα δούς, ἐπηγγείλατο καί τά προσδαπανώμενα δώσειν ἐπανερχόμενος. ∆ιά τοῦτο πρός τήν ἐπιστροφήν τοῦ ἀσώτου υἱοῦ τόν πανάγαθον πατέρα ἐπικλιθῆναί φησι, καί ἀσπασάμενον 0456 τόν αὐτόν διά τῆς μετανοίας ἀνδραμόντα, τῷ κάλλει τῆς πατρικῆς πάλιν κατακοσμῆσαι δόξης, οὐδοτιοῦν περί τῶν προτέρων μεμψάμενον. ∆ιά τοῦτο τό τῆς θείας ἑκατοντάδος ἀποφοιτῆσαν πρόβατον, ἐπί τά ὄρη καί τούς βουνούς πλανώμενον εὑρών, οὐκ ἐλαύνων, οὐδέ μόχθῳ κατατρίβων πρός τήν μάνδραν ἐπανήγαγε τῶν προβάτων· ἀλλά τῶν ὤμων ἐπιθείς τῶν ἰδίων, πρός τά σύννομα συμπαθῶς διεσώσατο. ∆ιά τοῦτο, ∆εῦτε πρός με, πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καί πεφορτισμένοι τῇ καρδίᾳ, κἀγώ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς, ἀνέκραγε. Καί, Ἄρατε τόν ζυγόν μου ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς· ζυγόν δέ λέγων, τάς ἐντολάς· ἤγουν τόν εὐαγγελικῶς εὐθυνόμενον βίον· φορτίον δέ, τό δοκοῦν εἶναι τῆς μετανοίας ἐπίπονον· Ὁ γάρ ζυγός μου, φησί, χρηστός καί τό φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν. Καί πάλιν θείαν δικαιοσύνην καί ἀγαθότητα διδάσκων, παρακελεύεται λέγων· Γίνεσθε ἅγιοι· καί γίνεσθε τέλειοι· γίνεσθε ἐλεήμονες· γίνεσθε οἰκτίρμονες, 15Β_148 ὡς ὁ Πατήρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος. Καί, Ἄφετε , καί ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Καί, Ὅσα θέλετε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ὁμοίως καί ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς. Καί τά τοιαῦτα. Καί ἁπλῶς, ἵνα μή καθ᾿ ἕκαστον λέγων μηκύνω τήν ἐπιστολήν, διά τοῦτο πόρνας δικαιοῖ μετανοούσας, τελώνας τε προσδέχεται ἐπιστρέφοντας, καί τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου καθίστησι κήρυκας. ∆ιά τοῦτο λῃστάς ὁμολογοῦντας, καί τῷ θανάτῳ ὠνουμένους τήν σωτηρίαν, διά τό φόβον συνεπάγεται, καί εἰς τόν παράδεισον ἑαυτῷ συνεισάγει, τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν πιστούμενος τάς ἐπαγγελίας. ∆ιά τοῦτο διώκτας μαινομένους, σωφρονίζει, διά τόν ζῆλον, καί ἐθνῶν ἀποστόλους ἀνθ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ χειροτονήσας, προβάλλεται· ἵνα ἡμεῖς μάθωμεν φιλανθρωπίαν καί ἡμερότητα· καί μήτε ῥᾳδίως ἑαυτῶν ἀπογινώσκωμεν ἁμαρτάνοντες, καί πρός τούς ἁμαρτάνοντας μή μένωμεν ἀσυμπαθεῖς καί ἀνάλγητοι· Θεόν ἔχοντες τῶν γινομένων παράδειγμα.

Ἐπειδή οὖν ταῦθ᾿ οὕτως ἐπ᾿ αὐτῆς ἔχειν τῆς ἀληθείας, καί θέλημα Θεοῦ ὑπάρχειν τό πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι, καί εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἐλθεῖν ἀληθείας, ἐδιδάχθημεν· καί τῆς πρός ἡμᾶς αὐτοῦ θαυμαστῆς διά σαρκός ἐπιδημίας ἀρχήν καί ὑπόθεσιν μόνην τήν ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν εἶναι μεμνήμεθα· θαῤῤῶν αἰτῶ τήν ὑμετέραν ἁγιωσύνην, αὐτά σοι τά ζωοποιά παθήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ, οἷς ἐλυτρώθημεν τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους, ἀνθ᾿ ἱκετηρίας προβαλλόμενος. Πιστεύω γέ σε γνησίαν οὖσαν μαθῆτιν τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, διά πάσης τῆς τοῦ βίου ἀγωγῆς, ζῶντα καί ἔμπρακτον ἐν ἑαυτῇ φέρειν τόν διδάσκαλον, ἅτε δή ἐκ παιδός δι᾿ ὅλου αὐτῷ προσχωρήσασαν· ἵνα καί δι᾿ ἐμοῦ μεσίτου τοῦ ταπεινοῦ 0457 καί ἁμαρτωλοῦ, καί μηδέν ἔχοντος τῆς σῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπάξιον, τιμήσῃς τήν ὑπέρ ὑμῶν αὐτοῦ φιλάνθρωπον κένωσιν, καί προσδέξῃ μετανοοῦσαν, καί τοῖς δάκρυσιν ἐκτακεῖσαν τήνδε τήν ἀδελφήν. Πολλή γάρ ἐστι καί ἄφατος ἡ συντριβή τῆς καρδίας αὐτῆς, καί τοῦ πνεύματος ἡ ταπείνωσις, 15Β_150 ἐπί τε τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ᾗ πέπραχε, καί τῷ ἀφ᾿ ὑμῶν χωρισμῷ, ὅν πένθοθεν. Μή οὖν ἐξουδενώσῃς, δούλη Θεοῦ εὐλογημένην, καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καί τεταπεινωμένην, ἥν ὁ Θεός οὐκ ἐξουδένωσεν· ἀλλ᾿ οἰκτίρμων καί ἐλεήμων, εὔσπλαχνός τε καί συμπαθής γενομένη, μίμησαι τόν δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἑκουσίως ὑπέρ φιλανθρωπίας ἀποθανεῖν καταδεξάμενον· καί προσδέξασθαι αὐτήν καί ἀσπάσασθαι ἀξίωσον, καί κυρῶσαι πρός αὐτήν ἀγάπην ἀνάσχου. Καί στήριξον αὐτήν λόγοις καί ἔργοις φιλανθρωπίας καί ἡμερότητος, καί ἅρπασον τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ τυράννου, καί τά γενόμενα αὐτῇ συντρίμματα κατάδησον συμπαθῶς· ἵνα μή πολύ καταβαρηθεῖσα τῇ λύπῃ, τῷ τῆς ἀπογνώσεως ἐμπαρῇ σκόλοπι· καί ἀπαιτηθῶμεν αἷμα ψυχῆς ἐξ ἡμῶν παραφθείσης· ἤ τόγε ἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν, προδοθείσης τῷ