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of the fearful judgment seat, he himself rendering according to how we have ordered and acted; for the words, "if I were pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ," are not to be uttered by us sinners. We, therefore, commemorate both the most holy patriarch, as is proper, in the divine liturgy, just as we do our pious emperors, and we do not refuse to receive communion from any blameless priest. And we have written to the high priest himself, since it has also become known to our pious emperors, that we differ in nothing except only on account of Joseph, and whenever he is removed from the sacred ministry, we will immediately be in communion with him. And the man is desirable to us, not only because he has become the head of the church among us, but also because he has been revered by us for a long time; and we do not cease to extol all the good things of his life. But if it should happen that he too accepts our zeal (for I omit to mention holy bishops, abbots and monks, and a multitude of lay people), what would your love say? Therefore, know that this is not a schism of the church, but a prevalence of truth and a vindication of the divine laws; otherwise, as your honor has already said, it is a rupture of the truth and a paralysis of the canons. And that might well be said, "the priests violated my law and profaned my holy things; they did not distinguish between the profane and the holy, but all things were common to them." For "not having spot or wrinkle," that we may say it again, should be understood thus: not admitting both impious doctrines and uncanonical undertakings, and not only that but also the forbidden agreements among those who perform them, as the divine Basil says somewhere; in view of which Paul the great does not permit even to eat with such people. since from the apostles and afterwards in many ways many heresies have broken out against her and unlawful and uncanonical pollutions have abounded, just as also now; but yet in the aforementioned manner she herself has remained and will remain undivided and blameless until the end of the age, with all those who have thought or acted wickedly being removed and sent away from her, just as the dashing waves from an unshaken and coastal rock. Let us come to our senses, therefore, O brother, and look to the light of truth, and let us appear to be masters of the holy canons as well as of the dogmas, especially we who are monks, especially we who seem to be something. For if the light in us is darkness, how great is the darkness? And if the salt should lose its savor, with what will the laity be salted? We think and pray that you are a savior and illuminator of those there and a lamp of piety and exactitude, not by becoming all things to all people, but from the height of virtue and from a life lived according to the canons and from a holy way of life. And bear with the reminder of your brother, which is born of love and truth-loving and God-judged. And the desire to say more draws me on, but the immoderate length of the letter, drawing us together, makes us stop here. We have accepted, therefore, your rich blessing; and that you took care for the humility of your monastery, is a sign of your sparing and toiling for it, and your labor is sufficient. But the Lord will reward you with what you need, the repetition of virtues and the enjoyment of his eternal good things. 29 {1To Leo the orphan-guardian}1 We ourselves wished to be present and to share in the misfortune that is upon you concerning your blessed child, my most longed-for lord, and not just to lament the suffering by letter and share with you in your grief. For how is it not pitiful, how is it not astounding, to suffer the loss of child after child and to lose, as it were, the living treasure, the wealth of the parental succession, the much-prayed-for fruit of the mother's breast, the most beautiful eye of the house, the delight of the grandmother, the boast of the whole kinship? The first fruit came, and was snatched untimely from his parents' hands. The second was born, and bitter death destroyed this one. The third shoot has blossomed, a comfort for the previous ones, fair-flowering, most beautiful, bringing its life to the third year,

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φοβεροῦ βήματος, αὐτὸς ἀποδιδοὺς καθὼς διεθέμεθα καὶ πεπράχαμεν· τὸ γάρ, εἰ ἀνθρώποις ἤρεσκον, Χριστοῦ δοῦλος οὐκ ἂν ἤμην, οὐ πρὸς ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν φθέγγεσθαι. Ἡμεῖς τοίνυν καὶ τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου πατριάρχου μνημονεύομεν, ὡς καθήκει, ἐν τῇ μυσταγωγίᾳ, ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἡμῶν βασιλέων, καὶ ἐκ παντὸς ἱερέως ἀδιαβλήτου κοινωνεῖν οὐ παραιτούμεθα. γεγράφαμέν τε αὐτῷ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν ἡμῶν βασιλεῦσιν γνωστὸν γέγονεν, ὅτι ἐν οὐδενὶ διαφερόμεθα ἢ μόνον διὰ τὸν Ἰωσήφ, καὶ ἡνίκα οὗτος ὑποσταλῇ τῆς ἱερουργίας, εὐθὺς συγκοινωνοῦμεν αὐτῷ. καὶ ποθητὸς ἡμῖν ὁ ἀνήρ, οὐ μόνον ὅτι κορυφὴ τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκκλησίας γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ σεβαστὸς ἡμῖν ἦν ἔκπαλαι· καὶ ὅσα τοῦ βίου αὐτοῦ καλά, ἀποσεμνύνειν οὐ παυόμεθα. Εἰ δὲ φθάσει ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποδέχεται τὸν ζῆλον (ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν ἐπισκόπους ἁγίους ἡγουμένους τε καὶ μονάζοντας καὶ πλῆθος λαϊκῶν), τί φαίη ἡ σὴ φιλότης; διὸ ἴσθι μὴ εἶναι σχίσμα τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἀλλ' ἀληθείας ἐπικράτησιν καὶ τῶν θείων νόμων ἐκδίκησιν· ἑτέρως δέ, ὡς ἔφθη εἰποῦσα ἡ τιμιότης σου, τῆς ἀληθείας ῥῆξις καὶ τῶν κανόνων παράλυσις. καὶ ἐκεῖνο ἔχοι καλῶς λέγεσθαι, οἱ ἱερεῖς ἠθέτουν νόμον μου καὶ ἐβεβήλουν τὰ ἅγιά μου· βεβήλοις καὶ ὁσίοις οὐ διέστελλον, ἀλλ' ἦν αὐτοῖς ἅπαντα κοινά. τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἔχειν σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα, ἵνα καὶ πάλιν εἴπωμεν, οὕτω νοείτω, τὸ μὴ προσιεμένην τά τε ἀσεβῆ δόγματα καὶ τὰ ἀκανόνιστα ἐγχειρήματα, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς αὐτουργοῦσι τὰ ἀπηγορευμένα συμφρονήματα, ὥς πού φησιν ὁ θεῖος Βασίλειος· πρὸς ἃ Παῦλος ὁ μέγας οὐδὲ συνεστιᾶσθαι τοῖς τοιούτοις παραχωρεῖ. ἐπεὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ κατόπιν πολλαχῶς πολλαὶ αἱρέσεις προσερράγησαν αὐτῇ καὶ ῥυπάσματα ἄθεσμα καὶ ἀκανόνιστα ἐπεπόλασαν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ νῦν· ἀλλὰ μὴν αὐτὴ τῷ προειρημένῳ τρόπῳ ἄσχιστος καὶ ἀμώμητος διαμεμένηκεν καὶ διαμενεῖ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος, ὑπεξαιρουμένων καὶ ἀποπεμπομένων πάντων ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῶν κακῶς φρονησάντων ἢ πραξάντων, ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀσείστου καὶ παραλίου πέτρας τὰ προσρήσσοντα κύματα. Εἰς ἑαυτοὺς οὖν γενώμεθα, ὦ ἀδελφέ, καὶ ἀπίδωμεν πρὸς τὸ φῶς τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν κανόνων ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν δογμάτων ἐγκρατεῖς φαινοίμεθα μάλιστα ἡμεῖς οἱ μονάζοντες, μάλιστα ἡμεῖς οἱ δοκοῦντες εἶναί τι. εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν φῶς σκότος, τὸ σκότος πόσον; καὶ εἰ τὸ ἅλας μωρανθήσεται, ἐν τίνι ἁλισθήσονται οἱ λαϊκοί; ἡμεῖς οἰόμεθά σε καὶ εὐχόμεθα τῶν αὐτόθι σωτῆρα εἶναι καὶ φωστῆρα καὶ λύχνον εὐσεβείας καὶ ἀκριβείας, οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ πᾶσι τὰ πάντα γίγνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ τῆς ἀρετῆς ὕψους καὶ ἐκ τοῦ κεκανονισμένου βίου καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροπρεποῦς πολιτεύματος. καὶ φέρε ἀδελφοῦ σου ὑπόμνησιν, ἀγαπητικὴν οὖσαν καὶ φιλαλήθη καὶ θεόκριτον. καὶ τὰ πλείω λέγειν ἡ ἐπιθυμία με ἕλκει, ἡ ἀμετρία δὲ τοῦ γράμματος συνέλκουσα ἐνταῦθα ἡμᾶς καταπαύει. ἀπεδεξάμεθά σου τοίνυν τὴν εὐλογίαν τὴν πλουσίαν· καὶ ὅτι ἐφρόντισας περὶ τῆς ταπεινώσεως τοῦ μοναστηρίου σου, δεῖγμα μὲν τοῦ φείδεσθαι καὶ πονεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, κόπος δέ σου ἱκανός. Ἀλλ' ὁ Κύριος ἀνταμείψεταί σε οἷς χρῄζεις, τὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐπανάληψιν καὶ τὴν τῶν αἰωνίων αὐτοῦ ἀγαθῶν ἀπόλαυσιν. 29 {1Λέοντι ὀρφανοτρόφῳ}1 Ἐβουλόμεθα ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ παρεῖναι καὶ κοινωνῆσαι τῆς ἐνούσης ὑμῖν συμφορᾶς περὶ τὸ μακάριον ὑμῶν τέκνον, κύριέ μου ποθεινότατε, οὐχ ὅτι διὰ γράμματος θρηνῳδῆσαι τὸ πάθος καὶ συμμετασχεῖν ὑμῖν τοῦ λυπηροῦ. πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἐλεεινόν, πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἐκστατικόν, παιδὸς ἐπὶ παιδὶ στέρησιν παθεῖν καὶ οἷον ἀπολέσαι τὸν ἔμψυχον θησαυρόν, τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς γονικῆς διαδοχῆς, τὸν πολύευκτον καρπὸν τῆς μητρῴας θηλῆς, τὸν περικαλλῆ ὀφθαλμὸν τῆς οἰκίας, τῆς προμήτορος τὸ ἀγαλλίαμα, τῆς ὅλης συγγενείας τὸ σεμνολόγημα; ἧκεν ὁ πρῶτος καρπός, καὶ ἄωρος ἐκ τῶν γονικῶν χειρῶν ἀνηρπάσθη. ἔφυ ὁ δεύτερος, καὶ τοῦτον ἐλυμήνατο ὁ πικρὸς θάνατος. τέθηλε τὸ τρίτον βλάστημα, παραμυθία τῶν προτέρων, εὐανθές, περικαλλές, ἄγον τὸ βιώσιμον εἰς τριετῆ χρόνον,