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to bear it nobly and with thanksgiving. This, which I have often said, crowned Lazarus; this, in the contests of Job, put the devil to shame and revealed the athlete of that endurance to be more illustrious. This proclaimed him more than his love for the poor, his contempt for wealth, that sudden loss of his children, and the myriad plots, and it shut the shameless mouth of that wicked demon with great abundance. Therefore, constantly reflecting on these things, you yourself rejoice and be glad, having completed the greatest contest and bearing the chief of temptations meekly, and for these things glorifying the philanthropic God, who is able to destroy everything at once, but allows it to happen so that this good undertaking might become more illustrious for you. For this reason, we do not cease to call you blessed. And we were pleased that, having been freed from lawsuits and affairs, as was fitting for you, you thus put an end to the matter by the settlement, neither giving them up unmanly, nor on the other hand holding on to them again and involving yourself in law-courts and the evils resulting from them, but by having traveled a middle road and having reaped the freedom fitting for you and having shown much intelligence and long-suffering and endurance and patience, and having shown the undeceived nature of your prudence.

15.t EPISTLE XV

15.1 But did you expect, after displaying so much philosophy from your youth and trampling on human pride, to live a certain untroubled and unwarlike life? And how is this possible? For if men boxing with men receive countless wounds both in contests and in wars, how could she who has stripped for the contest against principalities and powers, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual forces of wickedness, and having stripped so nobly and having set up so many trophies and having through so many things grieved that savage and avenging demon, how could you have hoped to live a certain quiet and untroubled life? Therefore, one must not be disturbed for this reason, that the commotions are many from every side and the troubles many; but on the contrary, if none of these things had happened, then one would have had to wonder. For toil and danger have been allotted to virtue. And you yourself know these things even before our letters and will need to learn nothing from others; since we too write these things not teaching one who is ignorant. For we know that neither being cast out of your homeland, nor enduring financial loss—that which is unbearable for many—, not insolence, nor any other such affliction will be able to disturb you. For if those who become sharers with those who suffer these things are enviable, much more are those who are in the midst of them. For this reason Paul proclaims the believers from among the Hebrews on both counts, saying: "Recall the former days in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated." For this reason we do not make the letter long. For no one comes to one who has conquered and set up a splendid trophy bringing an alliance, but only words of praise. Since, therefore, we too have come to know how much philosophy you showed concerning what has happened, we call you blessed, we admire your present patience and the rewards stored up for you from hence. But since I know well that you wish to learn of our affairs too—for I have kept a long silence—, we have been delivered from the most grievous illness, but we still carry about the remnants of the disease. And we have the benefit of the best physicians, but nevertheless even so

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γενναίως καὶ μετὰ εὐχαριστίας ἐνεγκεῖν. Τοῦτο ὃ πολλάκις εἶπον, τὸν Λάζαρον ἐστεφάνωσε, τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τῶν τοῦ Ἰὼβ τὸν διάβολον κατῄσχυνε καὶ τὸν ἀθλητὴν τῆς καρτερίας ἐκείνης λαμπρότερον ἀπέφηνε. Τοῦτο καὶ φιλοπτωχίας καὶ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων ὑπεροψίας καὶ τῆς ἀθρόας ἐκείνης τῶν παίδων ἀποβολῆς καὶ τῶν μυρίων ἐπιβουλῶν μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ἀνεκήρυξε καὶ τὸ ἀναίσχυντον τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος ἐκείνου στόμα ἔφραξε μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἀναλογιζομένη συνεχῶς καὶ αὐτὴ χαῖρε καὶ εὐφραίνου τὸν μέγιστον ἆθλον διανύσασα καὶ κεφάλαιον τῶν πειρασμῶν πρᾴως φέρουσα καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων δοξάζουσα τὸν φιλάνθρωπον Θεὸν τὸν δυνάμενον μὲν ἀθρόον ἀφανίσαι πάντα, ἀφιέντα δὲ γίνεσθαι ὥστε σοι λαμπροτέραν τὴν καλὴν ταύτην γενέσθαι πραγματείαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς σε μακαρίζοντες οὐ παυόμεθα. Ἥσθημεν δὲ ὅτι καὶ δικῶν ἀπαλλαγεῖσα καὶ πραγμάτων, ὥς σοι πρέπον ἦν, οὕτω τῷ πράγματι τέλος ἐπέθηκας τὸ κατὰ τὴν διάλυσιν, οὔτε ἀνάνδρως αὐτὰ προϊεμένη, οὐδ' αὖ κατασχοῦσα πάλιν καὶ ἐμπείρασα σαυτὴν δικαστηρίοις καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τούτων κακοῖς, ἀλλὰ μέσην ὁδεύσασα ὁδὸν καὶ τήν σοι πρέπουσαν ἐλευθερίαν καρπωσαμένη καὶ πολλὴν τὴν σύνεσιν ἐπιδειξαμένη καὶ τὴν μακροθυμίαν καὶ τὴν καρτερίαν καὶ τὴν ὑπομονὴν καὶ τὸ ἀνεξαπάτητον δείξασα τῆς σῆς συνέσεως.

15.t ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΙΕʹ

15.1 Σὺ δέ μοι προσεδόκησας, τοσαύτην ἐκ νεότητός σου ἐπιδειξαμένη φιλοσοφίαν καὶ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον καταπατήσασα τῦφον, ἀτάραχόν τινα καὶ ἀπόλεμον ζήσεσθαι βίον; Καὶ πῶς ἔνι τοῦτο; Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρώποις ἄνθρωποι πυκτεύοντες μυρία καὶ ἐν ἀγῶσι καὶ ἐν πολέμοις δέχονται τραύματα, ἡ πρὸς αὐτὰς ἀποδυσαμένη τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας καὶ ἀποδυσαμένη γενναίως οὕτως καὶ τοσαῦτα στήσασα τρόπαια καὶ διὰ τοσούτων λυπήσασα τὸν ἄγριον ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἀλάστορα δαίμονα, πόθεν ἤλπισας ἡσύχιόν τινα καὶ ἀπράγμονα βιώσεσθαι βίον; Οὐ τοίνυν διὰ τοῦτο θορυβεῖσθαι χρὴ ὅτι πολλοὶ πανταχόθεν οἱ θόρυβοι καὶ πολλαὶ αἱ ταραχαί· ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον, εἰ μηδὲν τούτων συμβεβήκει, τότε θαυμάσαι ἐχρῆν. Τῇ γὰρ ἀρετῇ συγκεκλήρωται πόνος καὶ κίνδυνος. Καὶ ταῦτα οἶσθα καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων γραμμάτων αὐτὴ καὶ οὐδὲν δεήσῃ παρ' ἑτέρων μανθάνειν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἀγνοοῦσαν διδάσκοντες ταῦτα ἐπιστέλλομεν. Ἴσμεν γὰρ ὅτι οὔτε τὸ πατρίδος ἐκπεσεῖν, οὔτε τὸ χρημάτων ὑπομεῖναι ζημίαν-τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πολλοῖς ἀφόρητον-, οὐχ ὕβρις, οὐκ ἄλλη τις τοιαύτη θλῖψις διαταράξαι σε δυνήσεται. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ κοινωνοὶ τῶν ταῦτα πασχόντων γινόμενοι ζηλωτοί, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Παῦλος ἐφ' ἑκατέρῳ τοὺς ἐξ Ἑβραίων πιστεύσαντας ἀνακηρύττει λέγων· «Ἀναμιμνῄσκεσθε τὰς πρότερον ἡμέρας ἐν αἷς φωτισθέντες πολλὴν ἄθλησιν ὑπεμείνατε παθημάτων, τοῦτο μὲν ὀνειδισμοῖς καὶ θλίψεσι θεατριζόμενοι, τοῦτο δὲ κοινωνοὶ τῶν οὕτως πασχόντων γενηθέντες.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς μακρὰν ποιοῦμεν τὴν ἐπιστολήν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῷ νικήσαντι καὶ τρόπαιον στήσαντι λαμπρὸν παραγίνεται συμμαχίαν κομίζων, ἀλλ' εὐφημίας μόνον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔγνωμεν ὅσην περὶ τὰ συμβάντα τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐπεδείξω, μακαρίζομέν σε, θαυμάζομεν τῆς τε εἰς τὸ παρὸν ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῶν ἀντιδόσεων τῶν ἐντεῦθέν σοι ταμιευομένων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι βούλει μανθάνειν -καὶ γὰρ μακρὰν ἐσίγησα σιγήν-, τῆς μὲν χαλεπωτάτης ἀρρωστίας ἀπηλλάγημεν, λείψανα δὲ ἔτι τῆς νόσου περιφέρομεν. Καὶ ἰατρῶν δὲ ἀπολαύομεν ἀρίστων, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὕτω