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he has preserved the character, and the things from the holy and blessed prophets and apostles, and from those who after them preached the Gospel, and indeed from the holy Fathers gathered in Nicaea, we found in the letters; we confess to abide by these, and we charge with impiety those who think anything other than these. And I have appended to these letters of mine one of the epistles sent by him to Ephesus, so that your excellency, upon reading it, might be reminded of the things often said by us in the church, and might know the harmony of the doctrines, and might hate those who speak falsehood, and those who have composed the new heresy against the apostolic doctrines. 122 TO URANIUS, BISHOP OF EMESA. That we, who are joined in disposition, have been joined in letters, we were greatly pleased. But we have not understood that: "Are these not my words?" For if it was said only for the sake of salutation, what was said does not vex us; but if it reminds us of counsel advising silence, and the so-called economy, we are grateful, though we did not accept the suggestion. For the divine Apostle recommends the opposite: "Be instant in season, out of season." And the Master to this same preacher: "Speak, and do not be silent." And to Isaiah: "Cry aloud with your strength, and do not spare." And to Moses: "Go down and testify to this people." And indeed also to Ezekiel: "I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; and it shall be, if you do not warn the lawless," and what follows this; for it is superfluous to elaborate for one who knows. Therefore, not only are we not distressed for having used boldness, but we even exult and rejoice, and we praise Him who deemed us worthy of these sufferings, and indeed we also exhort our friends to the same struggles. For if they know that we do not keep the apostolic canon of faith, but deviate to the right or to the left, let them also hate us, and be on the opposing side, and be ranked with those who make war. But if they bear witness to us of the right teaching of the evangelical preaching, we cry out to them: "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace," and what follows. For they say that virtue has not only temperance, and justice, and prudence, but also courage, and that through this the others are also achieved. For justice in the war against injustice needs courage as an ally; and temperance, using courage as a collaborator, conquers intemperance. For this very reason the God of all said to the prophet: "But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." And he called shrinking back cowardice. Hold fast, therefore, O dear friend, to the apostolic doctrines. For "in a very little while, he who is coming will come, and will not delay;" and: "he will render to each one according to his works." For "the form of this world is passing away," and the truth of things will be revealed. 123 TO THE SAME, The epistle is both long, and graceful, and reveals the warmth and genuineness of love. And it filled me with such gladness, that I in no way regret that I supposed the preface of the former letter to have another meaning. For my ignorance of the meaning of the letter revealed the treasure of fraternal affection, and showed the purity of the faith, and made known the zeal for piety. Yet we have divided the words and trials of the prophet, and your holiness with the words

62

διεφύλαξε χαρακτῆρα, καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ μακαρίων προφητῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων, καὶ τῶν μετ' ἐκείνους κηρυξάντων τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ συναχθέντων ἁγίων Πατέρων, εὕρομεν ἐν τοῖς γράμμασι· τούτοις ἐμμένειν ὁμολογοῦμεν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλο τι παρὰ ταῦτα φρονοῦντας ἀσεβείας γραφόμεθα. Συνέταξα δὲ τοῖσδε μου τοῖς γράμμασιν μίαν τῶν εἰς τὴν Ἔφεσον παρ' αὐτοῦ πεμφθεισῶν ἐπιστολῶν, ἵν' ἐντυχοῦσα ὑμῶν ἡ μεγαλο φυΐα, τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν πολλάκις ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας εἰρημένων ἀνα μνησθῇ, καὶ γνῷ τῶν δογμάτων τὴν συμφωνίαν, καὶ μισήσῃ τοὺς λαλοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος, καὶ τοὺς τὴν καινὴν αἵρεσιν κατὰ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν συντεθεικότας δογμάτων. 122 ΟΥΡΑΝΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΕΜΕΣΗΣ. Ὅτι μὲν συνεζεύχθημεν ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν οἱ τῇ διαθέσει συνεζευγμένοι, λίαν ἥσθημεν. Οὐ νενοήκαμεν δὲ τὸ ὅτι Οὐχ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι μου ; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ προσρήσεως χάριν εἴρηται μόνης, οὐκ ἀνιᾷ τὸ λεχθέν· εἰ δὲ συμβουλῆς ἀναμιμνήσκει σιγὴν παραινεσάσης, καὶ τὴν καλουμένην οἰκονομίαν, χάριν ὁμολογοῦμεν, μὴ δεξάμενοι τὴν εἰσήγησιν. Ὁ γὰρ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος τἀναντία παρεγγυᾷ· Ἐπίστηθι εὐκαίρως, ἀκαί ρως . Καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης αὐτῷ γε τούτῳ τῷ κήρυκι· Λάλει, καὶ μὴ σιωπήσῃς . Καὶ τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ· Ἀναβόησον τῇ ἰσχύϊ σου, καὶ μὴ φείσῃ . Καὶ τῷ Μωϋσεῖ· Καταβὰς διαμάρ τυραι τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ . Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῷ Ἰεζεκιήλ· Σκο πὸν δέδωκά σε τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἔσται, ἐὰν μὴ διαστείλῃ τῷ ἀνόμῳ , καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα· περιττὸν γὰρ πρὸς εἰδότα μηκύνειν. Οὐ μόνον τοίνυν οὐκ ἀλύομεν παρρησίᾳ χρησάμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ γαννύμεθα καὶ γεγήθαμεν, καὶ τὸν τούτων ἡμᾶς ἀξιώσαντα τῶν παθημάτων ὑμνοῦμεν, καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ τοὺς συνήθεις ἐπὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀγῶνας παρακα λοῦμεν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἴσασιν ἡμᾶς τὸν ἀποστολικὸν κανόνα τῆς πίστεως μὴ φυλάττοντας, ἀλλ' ἐκκλίνοντας δεξιὰ ἢ ἀριστερά, καὶ μισησάτωσαν, καὶ τῆς ἐναντίας γενέσθωσαν μοίρας, καὶ μετὰ τῶν πολεμούντων τετάχθωσαν. Εἰ δὲ τὴν ὀρθὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος προσμαρτυροῦσιν ἡμῖν διδασκαλίαν, βοῶμεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Στῆτε καὶ ὑμεῖς περιζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας ὑμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ ὑποδησάμενοι τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρή νης , καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Φασὶ γὰρ τὴν ἀρετήν, οὐ μόνον σωφροσύ νην, καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ φρόνησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνδρίαν ἔχειν, καὶ διὰ ταύτης κατορθοῦσθαι κἀκείνας. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ δικαιοσύνη εἰς τὸν κατὰ τῆς ἀδικίας πόλεμον δεῖται τῆς ἀνδρίας συμμά χου· καὶ ἡ σωφροσύνη συνεργῷ τῇ ἀνδρίᾳ χρωμένη τὴν ἀκολα σίαν νικᾷ. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς πρὸς τὸν προ φήτην ἔφη· Ὁ δὲ δίκαιός μου ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται, καὶ ἐὰν ὑποστείληται, οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ . Ὑποστολὴν δὲ τὴν δειλίαν ὠνόμασε. Ἔχου τοίνυν, ὦ φίλη κεφαλή, τῶν ἀποστολικῶν δογμάτων. Ἥξει γὰρ ὅσον ὅσον ὁ ἐρχόμενος, καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ · καί· ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Παράγει γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου , καὶ φανήσεται ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθεια. 123 ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ, Καὶ μακρὰ ἡ ἐπιστολή, καὶ χαρίεσσα, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης θερμόν τε καὶ γνήσιον ὑποφαίνουσα. Καὶ τοσαύτης με θυμη δίας ἐνέπλησεν, ὥστε ἥκιστα μεταγνῶναι, ὅτι δὴ ἑτέραν ἔχειν ἐτόπασα διάνοιαν τὸ τῆς προτέρας προοίμιον. Τοῦ γὰρ νοῦ τῶν γραμμάτων ἡ ἄγνοια τὸν τῆς ἀδελφικῆς φιλοστοργίας ἀπεκάλυψε θησαυρόν, καὶ τὸ τῆς πίστεως ἐδήλωσεν ἀκραι φνές, καὶ τὸν περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐγνώρισε ζῆλον. Τοῦ μέντοι προφήτου τοὺς λόγους καὶ πειρασμοὺς διενειμάμεθα, καὶ ἡ μὲν ὁσιότης σου τοῖς λόγοις