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He was spoken of by all from the Scriptures, today his memory has perished with a sound. The sharp-witted one has perished sharply. The man of much mind has wrought a very complex sin. For those who were helped by your teaching have been harmed by your destruction. Those who lent their ears to your discourse have stopped their ears at your destruction. But I, lamenting and being downcast and enfeebled on all sides, and eating ashes as if bread, and having cast sackcloth upon my wound, go through such encomia for you, or rather, composing funeral orations, I remain inconsolable and incurable, because consolation is hidden from my eyes and there is no soothing ointment to apply, nor oil, nor bandages. For my wound is painful. From where shall I be healed? 44.2 If, then, any hope of salvation still remains for you, if any brief remembrance of God, if any desire for the good things to come, if any fear of the treasured-up punishments for the unrepentant, sober up quickly, lift up your eyes to heaven, come to your senses, cease from your wickedness, shake off the drunkenness poured over you, rise up against the one who cast you down. Be strong to rise up from the earth. Remember the good Shepherd, that pursuing you He will deliver you. Even if it be two legs or a piece of an ear, leap away from the one who wounded you. Remember the compassions of God, that He heals with oil and wine. Do not despair of salvation. Recall to mind the things that have been written, that he who falls rises again, and he who turns away returns, he who has been struck is healed, he who is caught by wild beasts survives, he who confesses is not cast out. For the Lord does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live. Do not, as one who has fallen into a depth of evils, become contemptuous. It is a time of forbearance, a time of long-suffering, a time of healing, a time of correction. Have you slipped? Arise. Have you sinned? Be still. Do not stand in the way of sinners, but leap away. For when you turn back and groan, then you will be saved. For from toils comes health, and from sweat salvation. See to it, then, lest wishing to keep the covenants of some, you transgress the covenants with God which you confessed before many witnesses. Therefore, do not, on account of some human reasonings, hesitate to come to me. For I, taking up my dead, will mourn; I will heal; I will weep bitterly over the ruin of the daughter of my people. All receive you, all will suffer with you. Do not fall back, remember the days of old. There is salvation, there is correction. Take courage, do not despair. There is no law condemning to death without compassion, but a grace that postpones punishment, awaiting correction. The doors have not yet been shut, the bridegroom hears, sin does not have dominion. Wrestle again, do not hesitate, and have pity on yourself and on all of us in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power now and forever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

45.t TO A MONK WHO HAS FALLEN AWAY

45.1 A twofold fear has rushed into the recesses of my mind from your situation. For either some unsympathetic manner, taking precedence, casts me into the charge of misanthropy, or again, wishing to sympathize and be softened toward the passions badly changes me. Wherefore, also, being about to compose this letter of mine, I strengthened my hand, numb with reasonings, but my face, perplexed from the dejection over you, I was not strong enough to change, so great a shame having been poured out on me over you that even the closing of my mouth immediately fails, my lips turning to weeping. Woe is me, what shall I write or what shall I consider, being caught at a crossroads if I come to the memory of your former vain conduct when wealth and groveling vainglory flowed around you? I shudder; when multitudes of flatterers followed you, and of luxury

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Γραφῶν ὑπὸ πάντων ἐλαλεῖτο, σήμερον ἀπώλετο τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτοῦ μετ' ἤχου. Ὁ ὀξύνους ὀξέως ἀπώλετο. Ὁ πολύνους πολύπλοκον ἁμαρτίαν εἰργάσατο. Οἱ γὰρ ὠφελημένοι ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς διδασκαλίας ἐβλάβησαν ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς ἀπωλείας. Οἱ τὰς ἀκοὰς παρατιθέντες ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ ὁμιλίᾳ ἔφραξαν τὰ ὦτα ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ ἀπωλείᾳ. Ἐγὼ δὲ θρηνῶν καὶ σκυθρωπάζων καὶ παρειμένος πάντοθεν καὶ σποδὸν ὡσεὶ ἄρτον ἐσθίων καὶ σάκκον ἐπὶ τῇ πληγῇ μου ἐπιρρίψας τοιαῦτά σοι ἐγκώ μια διεξέρχομαι, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπιταφίους λόγους συντάσσων ἀπαράκλητος καὶ ἀθεράπευτος διατελῶ, ὅτι παράκλησις κέκρυπται ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου καὶ οὐκ ἔστι μάλαγμα ἐπιθεῖναι, οὔτε ἔλαιον, οὔτε καταδέσμους. Ἔστι γὰρ ἡ πληγή μου ὀδυνηρά. Πόθεν ἰαθήσομαι; 44.2 Εἴ τις οὖν ἔτι ἐλπὶς ὑπολείπεταί σοι σωτηρίας, εἴ τις βραχεῖα μνήμη περὶ τὸν Θεόν, εἴ τις πόθος τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, εἴ τις φόβος τῶν τεθησαυρισμένων κολάσεων τοῖς ἀμετανοήτοις, ἀνάνηψον ταχέως, ἐπᾶρον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, ἐλθὲ εἰς συναίσθησιν, παῦσαι ἀπὸ τῆς πονηρίας σου, ἀπόσεισαι τὴν περιχυθεῖσάν σοι μέθην, ἐπανάστα τῷ καταβαλόντι σε. Ἴσχυσον ἐκ γῆς ἐπαναστῆ ναι. Μνήσθητι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Ποιμένος ὅτι καταδιώκων ἐξελεῖταί σε. Κἂν ᾖ δύο σκέλη ἢ λοβὸς ὠτίου, ἀπο πήδησον ἀπὸ τοῦ τραυματίσαντός σε. Μνήσθητι τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὅτι θεραπεύει ἐλαίῳ καὶ οἴνῳ. Μὴ ἀπελπίσῃς τὴν σωτηρίαν. Ἀνάλαβε τὴν μνήμην τῶν γε γραμμένων, ὅτι ὁ πίπτων ἀνίσταται καὶ ὁ ἀποστρέφων ἐπι στρέφει, ὁ πεπληγὼς θεραπεύεται, ὁ θηριάλωτος περι γίνεται, ὁ ἐξομολογούμενος οὐκ ἀποβάλλεται. Οὐ θέλει γὰρ ὁ Κύριος τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν. Μὴ ὡς εἰς βάθος κακῶν ἐμπεσὼν κατα φρονήσῃς. Καιρὸς ἀνοχῆς ἐστι, καιρὸς μακροθυμίας, καιρὸς ἰάσεως, καιρὸς διορθώσεως. Ὠλίσθησας; Ἐξεγείρου. Ἥμαρτες; Ἡσύχασον. Μὴ στῇς ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἀλλὰ ἀποπήδησον. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐπιστραφεὶς στενάξῃς, τότε σωθήσῃ. Ἔστι γὰρ ἐκ πόνων ὑγεία καὶ ἐξ ἱδρώτων σωτη ρία. Ὅρα οὖν μήποπε συνθήκας βουλόμενός τινων φυλάτ τειν παραβῇς τὰς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν συνθήκας ἃς ὡμολόγησας ἐπὶ πολλῶν μαρτύρων. Μὴ οὖν διά τινας λογισμοὺς ἀνθρω πίνους ὀκνήσῃς ἐλθεῖν πρός με. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἀναλαβὼν τὸν νεκρόν μου θρηνήσω, ἐγὼ θεραπεύσω, ἐγὼ πικρῶς κλαύ σομαι ἐπὶ τὸ σύντριμμα τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ γένους μου. Πάντες σε δέχονται, πάντες σοι συμπονήσουσι. Μὴ ἀνα πέσῃς, μνήσθητι ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων. Ἔστι σωτηρία, ἔστι διόρθωσις. Θάρσει, μὴ ἀπελπίσῃς. Οὐκ ἔστι νόμος κατα δικάζων τὸν χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν θάνατον, ἀλλὰ χάρις ὑπερτι θεμένη τὴν κόλασιν, ἐκδεχομένη τὴν διόρθωσιν. Οὔπω ἐκλείσθησαν αἱ θύραι, ἀκούει ὁ νυμφίος, οὐ κυριεύει ἁμαρ τία. Ἀναπάλαισον πάλιν, μὴ κατοκνήσῃς καὶ σεαυτὸν οἰκτείρησον καὶ πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

45.τ ΠΡΟΣ ΜΟΝΑΖΟΝΤΑ ΕΚΠΕΣΟΝΤΑ

45.1 ∆ιττός μοι φόβος ἐνέσκηψε τοῖς τῆς διανοίας κόλποις ἐκ τῆς περὶ σὲ

ὑποθέσεως. Ἢ γάρ τις τρόπος ἀσυμπαθὴς προκαταρξάμενος εἰς μισανθρωπίας ἔγκλημά με ῥίπτει, ἢ αὖθις συμπαθεῖν ἐθέλοντα καὶ πρὸς τὰ πάθη καταμαλα κίζεσθαι κακῶς μετατίθησι. ∆ιόπερ καὶ διαχαράττειν μέλ λων τουτί μου τὸ γράμμα, τὴν μὲν χεῖρα ναρκῶσαν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἐνεύρωσα, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπον, ἠπορημένον ἐκ τῆς ἐπὶ σοὶ κατηφείας, ἀλλοιῶσαι οὐκ ἴσχυσα, τοσαύτης μοι ἐπὶ σοὶ κεχυμένης αἰσχύνης ὡς καὶ τὴν τοῦ στόματος σύμπτυξιν παραχρῆμα πίπτειν, τῶν χειλέων μου εἰς κλαυθμὸν ἐκτρεπομένων. Οἴμοι, τί γράψω ἢ τί λογίσωμαι, ἐν τριόδῳ ἀπειλημμένος ἐὰν ἔλθω εἰς μνήμην τῆς προ τέρας σου ματαίας ἀναστροφῆς ὅτε σε περιέρρει πλοῦτος καὶ τὸ χαμερπὲς δοξάριον; Φρίττω· ἡνίκα εἵπετό σοι κολάκων πλήθη, καὶ τρυφῆς