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105 TO EULOGIUS THE STEWARD. We have learned from many of the struggles of your God-lovingness on behalf of piety. But it is just also to readily advocate for the one slandered on account of this and to expose the falsehood of those who revile him. For you know precisely, most God-loving one, both what we think and what we teach, and that no one has ever heard us proclaiming two sons. Let your God-reverencing self therefore make use of your zeal in this matter as well and shut the mouths of those who speak unjustly. For in such struggles it is fitting to fight not only for friends, but also for those who have caused grief. 106 TO ABRAHAM THE STEWARD. Through the most God-loving bishops I address your God-reverencing self, and I beseech you to take thought for the peace of the Churches and to disperse the waves of slander; For whatever a man sows, this he will also reap, according to the divine Apostle. He, therefore, who fights for the apostolic doctrines, it is clear that he will gather the apostolic blessing and will enjoy their communion. 107 TO THEODOTUS THE PRESBYTER. The struggles of your God-lovingness, which you undertook on behalf of the apostolic doctrines, have not gone unnoticed; but these are sung not only by those who have learned by experience, but also by those who have heard from them. Persevere, therefore, O dear soul, in the struggles and contend for the paternal doctrines. On behalf of which we too are assailed from many quarters, and receiving the mighty waves we entreat the Helmsman either to give a nod and calm the surge, or to grant courage to those who are tempest-tossed. 108 TO ACACIUS THE PRESBYTER. For true is the promise of the Davidic melody; for the Spirit of truth through him offered this to the faithful: Commit your way to the Lord, and hope in him, and he will act, and he will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. This we find has happened also in the case of your God-reverencing self. For how much care your God-reverencing self takes of those lamenting their orphanhood and how you contend for the apostolic doctrines, all men sing, the hidden things having become manifest according to the prophecy. For this reason, I too, having learned of the praiseworthy labors of your God-lovingness, write and address you, most God-loving one, and beseech you to increase your fame by the addition of labors and to fight for the evangelical teaching, so that we may both keep the paternal inheritance inviolate, and may offer the talent to the Master with good work. 109 TO EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF ANCYRA. Many are the things devised against us and through us stitched together against the apostolic faith. But we are encouraged by the sufferings of the holy prophets, apostles, martyrs, and of those who shone in the Churches in the word of grace; and in addition to these, also the promises of our God and Savior. For he promised us nothing pleasant or delightful in the present life, but afflictions and labors and dangers and uprisings of enemies. For in the world, he says, you will have tribulation. And: If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. And: If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much
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105 ΕΥΛΟΓΙΩ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΩ. Τοὺς μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγῶνας τῆς σῆς φιλοθεΐας παρὰ πολλῶν μεμαθήκαμεν. ∆ίκαιον δὲ καὶ τῷ διὰ ταύτην συκοφαντουμένῳ προθύμως συνηγορεῖν καὶ διελέγχειν τῶν λοιδορουμένων τὸ ψεῦδος. Ἀκριβῶς γὰρ οἶσθα, θεοφιλέστατε, καὶ τίνα φρονοῦμεν, καὶ τίνα διδάσκομεν, καὶ ὅτι δύο κηρυτ τόντων υἱοὺς οὐδεὶς ἡμῶν ἀκήκοε πώποτε. Χρησάσθω τοίνυν ἡ σὴ θεοσέβεια κἀνταῦθα τῷ ζήλῳ καὶ ἐμφραξάτω στόματα λαλούντων ἄδικα. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀγῶσιν οὐ μόνον προσήκει τῶν φίλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν λελυπηκότων ὑπερμαχεῖν. 106 ΑΒΡΑΑΜΩ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΩ. Καὶ διὰ τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων ἐπισκόπων προσφθέγγομαί σου τὴν θεοσέβειαν, καὶ παρακαλῶ τῆς τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν φροντίσαι γαλήνης καὶ τῆς συκοφαντίας διαλῦσαι τὰ κύματα· Ὃ γὰρ ἂν σπείρῃ ἄνθρωπος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει , κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον. Ὁ τοίνυν τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ὑπερμαχῶν δογμάτων, δῆλον ὅτι τὴν ἀποστολικὴν εὐλογίαν τρυγήσει καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀπολαύσεται κοινωνίας. 107 ΘΕΟ∆ΟΤΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Οὐκ ἔλαθον οἱ τῆς σῆς φιλοθεΐας ἀγῶνες, οὓς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἀνεδέξω δογμάτων· ἀλλ' ᾄδουσι τούτους οὐ μόνον οἱ πείρᾳ μεμαθηκότες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ παρὰ τούτων ἀκηκοότες. Ἔχου τοίνυν, ὦ φίλη κεφαλή, τῶν ἀγώνων καὶ τῶν πατρῴων ὑπεράθλησον δογμάτων. Ὑπὲρ ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς πολλαχόθεν βαλ λόμεθα, καὶ τὰς τρικυμίας δεχόμενοι τὸν Κυβερνήτην ἀντιβο λοῦμεν ἢ νεῦσαι καὶ τὸν κλύδωνα λῦσαι, ἢ τοῖς κλυδωνιζομέ νοις ἀνδρίαν χαρίσασθαι. 108 ΑΚΑΚΙΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Ἀληθὴς γὰρ ἡ τῆς ∆αυϊτικῆς μελῳδίας ὑπόσχεσις· τὸ γὰρ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας δι' ἐκείνου ταύτην προσενήνοχε τοῖς πιστεύουσιν· Ἀποκάλυψον πρὸς Κύριον τὴν ὁδόν σου, καὶ ἔλπισον ἐπ' αὐτόν, καὶ αὐτὸς ποιήσει, καὶ ἐξ οίσει ὡς φῶς τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου, καὶ τὸ κρῖμά σου ὡς μεσημβρίαν . Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς σῆς θεοσεβείας γεγενημένον εὑρίσκομεν. Ὁπόσην γὰρ τῶν ὀρφανίαν ὀδυρομέ νων ποιεῖται κηδεμονίαν ἡ σὴ θεοσέβεια καὶ ὅπως ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἀγωνίζῃ δογμάτων, ᾄδουσι πάντες, δήλων κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν τῶν κεκρυμμένων γεγενημένων. Τούτου δὴ χάριν κἀγὼ τοὺς ἀξιεπαίνους πόνους τῆς σῆς φιλοθεΐας μεμα θηκὼς γράφω καὶ προσφθεγγόμενός σε, θεοφιλέστατε, καὶ παρακαλῶν αὐξῆσαι τὸ κλέος τῇ προσθήκῃ τῶν πόνων καὶ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ὑπερμαχῆσαι διδασκαλίας, ἵνα καὶ τὸν πατ ρῷον κλῆρον φυλάξωμεν ἄσυλον, καὶ τὸ τάλαντον τῷ ∆εσπότῃ μετὰ τῆς καλῆς προσενέγκωμεν ἐργασίας. 109 ΕΥΣΕΒΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΑΓΚΥΡΑΣ. Πολλὰ μὲν τὰ καθ' ἡμῶν τυρευόμενα καὶ δι' ἡμῶν κατὰ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς καττυόμενα πίστεως. Ψυχαγωγεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς τὰ τῶν ἁγίων παθήματα προφητῶν, ἀποστόλων, μαρτύρων καὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις διαπρεψάντων ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῆς χάριτος· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπαγγε λίαι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ τερπνὸν οὐδὲ θυμῆρες ὑπέσχετο, ἀλλὰ θλίψεις καὶ πόνους καὶ κινδύνους καὶ πολε μίων ἐπαναστάσεις. Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ γάρ, φησί, θλίψιν ἔχετε . Καί· Εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδίωξαν, καὶ ὑμᾶς διώξουσι . Καί· Εἰ τὸν οἰκοδεσπότην Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκάλεσαν, πόσῳ