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to undertake the zeal of a pilot and a general and a shepherd, and to accept every danger with pleasure for the sake of Christ's sheep, and not to leave the flock desolate of a guardian; but also to bind up that which is broken, and to raise up that which has fallen, and to turn back that which is wandering, and to preserve in health that which is healthy, and to imitate the good shepherds, who stand before the flocks, and undertake the war against the wolves. Let us also remember the words of the patriarch Jacob, which he offered when refuting the ungratefulness of his father-in-law. I was consumed by the heat of the day, and by the frost of the night; and sleep departed from my eyes. The rams of your flock I did not eat, that which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you. I made good from my own the thefts of the day and of the night. These are the characteristics of a shepherd, these are the laws for the care of the sheep. And if the wonderful man took such great care of irrational sheep, and offered this defense to the one who had entrusted them to him, what must we not do, having been entrusted with rational sheep, and having received this care from the God of all, and considering that the Master gave His soul for them? Who does not fear and tremble hearing God saying through Ezekiel, that I will judge between shepherd and sheep, because you ate the milk, and clothed yourselves with the wool, and you did not feed the sheep. And again, that I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel, and if you do not warn the lawless, to turn the lawless man from his wicked way, that lawless man will die in his lawlessness, but his blood I will require at your hand. In agreement with these things are also the words spoken parabolically by the Lord: You lazy and slothful servant, you ought to have deposited my money with the banker, and when I came I would have required it with interest. Let us rise up, therefore, I beseech you, and fight for the Master's sheep. The Master of these will surely appear soon, and He will scatter the wolves, and will glorify the shepherds. For the Lord is good to those who wait for Him and to the soul that seeks Him. And let us not be distressed by the winter that has arisen; for the Master of all knows what is profitable. For this reason also, when the Apostle asked for release from his trials, He did not grant his request, but said: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Let us therefore bear nobly the sorrows that befall us. In wars the bravest are shown; in contests the athletes are crowned; the storm of the sea makes manifest the skill of the pilot; fire tests the gold. Let us not only take care of ourselves, I beseech you, but let us take greater care of others, and not only of the healthy, but much more of the weak. For it is an apostolic law that clearly cries out: Encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak. Let us therefore stretch out a hand to those who have fallen, let us heal their wounds, let us set them also in the battle line against the devil; nothing will so distress him as to see these men again fighting and striking. The Master is a lover of mankind, He accepts the repentance of those who have transgressed; let us hear Him saying: As I live, says the Lord, I do not desire the death of the sinner, as much as that he should turn and live. For this reason He has also prefixed an oath to His word, and He who forbids others to swear, has sworn, so that He might persuade us that He desires our repentance and salvation. Of these things the divine books are full, both the old and the new. These things the canons of the holy Fathers also teach. And I have written these things to you not as to those who are ignorant, but I have reminded you as those who know; and I have imitated those standing on the land, and to those who are storm-tossed

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κυβερνήτου καὶ στρατηγοῦ καὶ ποιμένος σπου δὴν ἀναδέξασθαι, καὶ πάντα κίνδυνον ὑπὲρ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ προβάτων μεθ' ἡδονῆς καταδέξασθαι, καὶ μὴ καταλιπεῖν ἔρημα κηδεμόνος τὰ θρέμματα· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ συντετριμμένον κατα δῆσαι, καὶ τὸ πεπτωκὸς ἀνορθῶσαι, καὶ τὸ πλανώμενον ἐπι στρέψαι, καὶ τὸ ὑγιαῖνον τῇ ὑγιείᾳ φυλάξαι, καὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ποιμένας μιμήσασθαι, οἳ πρὸ τῶν ποιμνίων ἑστᾶσι, καὶ τὸν πρὸς τοὺς λύκους ἀναδέχονται πόλεμον. Ἀναμνησθῶμεν δὲ καὶ τῶν τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰακὼβ ῥημάτων, ἃ τοῦ κηδεστοῦ τὴν ἀχαριστίαν διελέγχων προσήνεγκεν. Ἐγὼ ἤμην συγκαιό μενος τῷ καύματι τῆς ἡμέρας, καὶ τῷ παγετῷ τῆς νυκτός· καὶ ἀφίστατο ὁ ὕπνος τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου. Κριοὺς τῶν προβάτων σου οὐ κατέφαγον, θηριάλω τον οὐκ ἐνήνοχά σοι. Ἐγὼ ἀπετίννυον παρ' ἐμαυτῷ ἁρπάγματα τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτός . Οὗτοι ποιμενικοὶ χαρακτῆρες, οὗτοι νόμοι τῆς τῶν προβά των ἐπιμελείας. Εἰ δὲ ἀλόγων προβάτων τοσαύτην ὁ θαυμάσιος ἀνὴρ ἐποιήσατο πρόνοιαν, καὶ ταύτην τῷ πεπιστευκότι τὴν ἀπολογίαν προσήνεγκεν, τί οὐ ποιητέον ἡμῖν, λογικὰ μὲν ἐγχειρισθεῖσιν πρόβατα, παρὰ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ταύτην δεξαμένοις τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ λογιζομένοις ὅτι ὁ ∆εσπότης ὑπὲρ τούτων ἔδωκε τὴν ψυχήν; Τίς δὲ οὐ δέδιέ τε καὶ πέφρι κεν ἀκούων τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ λέγοντος, ὅτι Κρινῶ ἀναμέσον ποιμένος καὶ προβάτου, διότι τὸ γάλα ἠσθίετε, καὶ τὰ ἔρια περιεβάλλεσθε, καὶ τὰ πρό βατα οὐκ ἐβόσκετε . Καὶ πάλιν, ὅτι Σκοπὸν δέδωκά σε τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐὰν μὴ διαστείλῃ τῷ ἀνόμῳ, τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν ἄνομον ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς, ὁ ἄνομος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ ἀνομίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀπο θανεῖται, τὸ δὲ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου ἐκ ζητήσω . Τούτοις συμφωνεῖ καὶ τὰ παραβολικῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰρημένα· ∆οῦλε ἀργὲ καὶ ὀκνηρέ, ἔδει σε τὸ ἀργύριόν μου καταβαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὸν τραπεζίτην, κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν μετὰ τόκου ἀπῄτησα ἂν αὐτό . ∆ιαναστῶμεν τοί νυν, παρακαλῶ, καὶ τῶν τοῦ ∆εσπότου προβάτων ὑπερμαχή σωμεν. Ἐγγὺς ὁ τούτων ∆εσπότης ἐπιφανεῖται πάντως, καὶ τοὺς λύκους ἀποσκεδάσει, καὶ τοὺς ποιμένας δοξάσει. Ἀγα θὸς γὰρ Κύριος τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ ψυχῇ, ἣ ζητήσει αὐτόν . Καὶ μὴ δυσχεράνωμεν τὸν ἐπαναστάντα χειμῶνα· οἶδε γὰρ τὸ συμφέρον ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων ∆εσπότης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ αἰτήσαντι τῶν πειρασμῶν τὴν ἀπαλλαγήν, τὴν αἴτησιν οὐ παρέσχεν, ἀλλ' εἶπεν· Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου, ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τε λειοῦται . Ἐνέγκωμεν τοίνυν γενναίως τὰ προσπίπτοντα λυπηρά. Ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις οἱ ἀριστεύοντες δείκνυνται· ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσιν οἱ ἀθληταὶ στεφανοῦνται· ἡ τῆς θαλάττης ζάλη δήλην ποιεῖ τοῦ κυβερνήτου τὴν τέχνην· τὸ πῦρ τὸν χρυσὸν δοκι μάζει. Μὴ μόνον δὲ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν, παρακαλῶ, φροντίσωμεν, ἀλλὰ πλείονα τῶν ἄλλων ποιησώμεθα πρόνοιαν, καὶ μὴ μόνον τῶν ὑγιαινόντων, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῶν ἀσθενούντων. Ἀποστολι κὸς γάρ ἐστι νόμος διαρρήδην βοῶν· Παρακαλεῖτε τοὺς ὀλιγοψύχους, ἀντέχεσθε τῶν ἀσθενῶν . Ὀρέξωμεν τοίνυν χεῖρα τοῖς κειμένοις, θεραπεύσωμεν αὐτῶν τὰ τραύ ματα, στήσωμεν καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ παρατάξει κατὰ τοῦ διαβό λου· οὐδὲν αὐτὸν οὕτως ἀνιάσει, ὡς τὸ πάλιν τούτους ἰδεῖν πολεμοῦντας καὶ βάλλοντας. Φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ ∆εσπότης, δέχεται τῶν πλημμελούντων τὴν μεταμέλειαν· ἀκούσωμεν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος· εἰ θελήσει θε λήσω τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέ ψαι αὐτὸν καὶ ζῆν . ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὅρκον τῷ λόγῳ προτέ θεικεν, καὶ ὁ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπαγορεύων τοὺς ὅρκους, ὀμώμοκεν, ἵνα πείσῃ ὡς τῆς ἡμετέρας μεταμελείας καὶ σωτηρίας ἐφίε ται. Τούτων αἱ θεῖαι βίβλοι μεσταί, καὶ αἱ παλαιαί, καὶ αἱ καιναί. Ταῦτα καὶ οἱ κανόνες τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων διδάσκου σιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτὰ οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοοῦσιν ὑμῖν γέγραφα, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰδότας ἀνέμνησα· καὶ ἐμιμησάμην τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἑστῶτας, καὶ τοῖς κλυδωνιζομένοις