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I was filled with the greatest possible. For since we, the worshippers of the eternal Trinity, are perfected into one body, it is fitting, of course, that the remaining members rejoice with the healthy members. The divine Apostle also says this: If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Therefore, I rejoice with you who are contending for the apostolic dogmas and imitating that much-celebrated Naboth in better things. For he, on behalf of a vineyard, endured a most unjust slaughter, not giving up his ancestral inheritance. But you contend not for vineyards, but for divine dogmas, and you turn away from this new and counterfeit heresy, as one that muddies the pure teaching of the Gospel, and you do not tolerate either diminishing or increasing the number of the all-holy Trinity. For they diminish it who attach the passion to the divinity of the Only-Begotten; and they increase it who dare to introduce another Son. But you believe in one Only-Begotten, just as in one Father, and in one Holy Spirit. And in the incarnate Only-Begotten you behold the nature that was assumed, which He took from us and offered on our behalf. For the denial of this makes our salvation vanish. For if the divinity of the Only-Begotten is impassible—for the nature of the Trinity is impassible—and that which is by nature capable of suffering is not confessed by us, in vain is the passion that did not happen rumored. For if the one who suffers does not exist, how could a passion occur? For we proclaim the divine nature to be impassible. And they too confess this in like manner to us. How then could a passion occur without a subject who suffers? For the great mystery of the economy will appear to be an illusion instead of the truth, and a fantasy. This myth was brought forth by Valentinus, and Bardesanes, and Marcion, and Mani. But the teaching handed down to the Churches from the beginning knows one Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, even after the incarnation; and confesses the same to be God before the ages, and man who came to be in the last of days; having become man, however, by the assumption of humanity, not by the changing of the divinity. For if the divine nature underwent a change into human nature, it did not remain what it was; and if it is not what it was, those who venerate these things falsely call him God. But we know the only-begotten Son of God to be unchangeable, as God, and Son of the truly existing God. For we have learned from the divine Scripture that, existing in the form of God, he took the form of a servant, and he took hold of the seed of Abraham, he was not changed into the seed of Abraham, and he has shared in flesh and blood in like manner to us, and in an immortal and blameless soul. Preserving these, on behalf of sinful bodies He offered His sinless body, and on behalf of souls, that which is free from every stain. For this very reason we also have the hope of the common resurrection; for the race will surely share in the firstfruits; for just as we shared in death with Adam, so indeed shall we share in life with Christ the Savior. And the divine Apostle clearly taught us this. For now, he says, Christ has been raised from the dead, He became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. I write these things now not teaching, but reminding you, and in my haste to shorten the letter I have, I think, exceeded its limit. The all-most-devout and God-beloved presbyter and archimandrite Mekimas urged me to write, who on account of the law of love completed so great a journey, and who taught us of the zeal of your wonderfulness, and asked that I kindle it with this letter. I therefore both accepted the request, and have written the letter, and I beseech the Master of all to guard you in the faith and to show you to be stronger than the one who sifts.

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ἐνεπλήσθην ὅτι μάλιστα πλείστης. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰς ἓν σῶμα τελοῦμεν οἱ τῆς ἀϊδίου Τριάδος προσκυνηταί, εἰκότως δήπου τοῖς ὑγιαίνουσι τῶν μελῶν τὰ λοιπὰ συναγάλ λεται μέλη. Τοῦτό φησι καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος· Εἰ δοξά ζεται μέλος, συγχαίρει πάντα τὰ μέλη . Συνήδομαι τοίνυν ὑμῖν τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ὑπεραθλοῦσι δογμάτων καὶ τὸν Ναβουθὲ τὸν πολυθρύλητον ἐκεῖνον ἐν τοῖς ἀμείνοσι μιμουμέ νοις. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἀμπελῶνος τὴν ἀδικωτάτην ὑπέστη σφαγήν, τὸν πατρῷον οὐ προέμενος κλῆρον. Ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἀμπελώνων, ἀλλὰ θείων ὑπερμαχεῖτε δογμάτων, καὶ τὴν καινὴν ταύτην καὶ κίβδηλον αἵρεσιν ἀποστρέφεσθε, ὡς τὸ καθαρὸν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς θολοῦσαν διδασκαλίας, καὶ τῆς παναγίας Τριάδος τὸν ἀριθμὸν οὔτε μειοῦν οὔτε αὔξειν ἀνέχεσθε. Μειοῦσι μὲν γὰρ οἱ τῇ θεότητι τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τὸ πάθος προσάπτοντες· αὔξουσι δὲ οἱ ἕτερον Υἱὸν ἐπεισάγειν τολ μῶντες. Ὑμεῖς δὲ εἰς ἕνα Μονογενῆ πιστεύετε, καθάπερ εἰς ἕνα Πατέρα, καὶ εἰς ἓν ἅγιον Πνεῦμα. Ἐν δὲ τῷ σαρκωθέντι Μονογενεῖ τὴν ληφθεῖσαν θεωρεῖτε φύσιν, ἣν ἐξ ἡμῶν λαβὼν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσενήνοχεν. Ἡ γὰρ ταύτης ἄρνησις φροῦδον τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν ποιεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ ἀπαθὴς ἡ τοῦ Μονογε νοῦς θεότης, ἀπαθὴς γὰρ τῆς Τριάδος ἡ φύσις, τὸ δὲ πάσχειν πεφυκὸς μὴ προσομολογηθῇ παρ' ἡμῶν, μάτην θρυλεῖται τὸ μὴ γενόμενον πάθος. Τοῦ γὰρ πάσχοντος οὐκ ὄντος, πῶς ἂν γένοιτο πάθος; Ἀπαθῆ μὲν γὰρ τὴν θείαν φύσιν κηρύττομεν. Συνομολογοῦσι δὲ τοῦτο κἀκεῖνοι παραπλησίως ἡμῖν. Πῶς ἂν οὖν γένοιτο πάθος οὐχ ὑποκειμένου τοῦ πάσχοντος; ∆όκη σις γὰρ ἀντὶ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ φαντασία φανήσεται τὸ μέγα τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν μῦθον Βαλεντῖνος, καὶ Βαρδησάνης, καὶ Μαρκίων, καὶ Μάνης ἐγέννησαν. Ἡ δὲ ἀνέκαθεν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις παραδοθεῖσα διδασκαλία ἕνα μὲν Υἱὸν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν οἶδε τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν· καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὁμολογεῖ Θεὸν προαιώνιον, καὶ ἄνθρω πον ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν γενόμενον· γενόμενον δὲ ἄνθρω πον τῇ προσλήψει τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, οὐ τῇ τροπῇ τῆς θεό τητος. Εἰ γὰρ τὴν εἰς ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν ἡ θεία φύσις ὑπέστη τροπήν, οὐκ ἔμεινεν ὅπερ ἦν· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἔστιν ὅπερ ἦν, ψευδῶς αὐτὸν καλοῦσι Θεὸν οἱ ταῦτα θρησκεύοντες. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ἄτρε πτον ἴσμεν τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱόν, ὡς Θεόν, καὶ τοῦ ὄντως Θεοῦ Υἱόν. Μεμαθήκαμεν γὰρ παρὰ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, ὡς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων ἔλαβε τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν, καὶ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπελάβετο, οὐκ εἰς σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ μετεβλήθη, καὶ κεκοινώνηκε παραπλησίως ἡμῖν σαρκός τε καὶ αἵματος, καὶ ψυχῆς ἀθανάτου καὶ ἀμώμου. Ταῦτα διατηρήσας, ὑπὲρ μὲν τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων σωμάτων τὸ ἀναμάρτητον αὐτοῦ προσενήνοχε σῶμα, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν ψυχῶν τὴν πάσης ἐλευθέραν κηλῖδος. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τῆς κοινῆς ἀναστάσεως ἔχομεν τὴν ἐλπίδα· τῇ γὰρ ἀπαρχῇ δήπουθεν κοινωνήσει τὸ γένος· καθάπερ γὰρ τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἐκοινωνήσαμεν τῆς τελευτῆς, οὕτως δὴ καὶ τῷ Σωτῆρι Χριστῷ κοινωνήσομεν τῆς ζωῆς. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἐξεπαίδευσε. Νυνὶ γάρ , φησί, Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἐγένετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δι' ἀνθρώπου ὁ θάνατος, καὶ δι' ἀνθρώπου ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν. Ὥσ περ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνῄσκουσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ πάντες ζωοποιηθήσονται . Ταῦτα νῦν οὐ διδάσκων, ἀλλ' ἀναμιμνῄσκων γράφω, καὶ συντεμεῖν σπουδάσας τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ὑπερέβην, ὡς οἶμαι, τὸν ὅρον. Ἐπιστεῖλαί με δὲ προὔτρεψεν ὁ πάντα εὐλαβέστατος καὶ θεο φιλέστατος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἀρχιμανδρίτης Μεκίμας, διὰ μὲν τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης νόμον ὁδὸν τοσαύτην ἐξανύσας, διδάξας δὲ ἡμᾶς τὸν τῆς ὑμετέρας θαυμασιότητος ζῆλον, καὶ αἰτήσας πυρσεῦσαι τοῦτον τοῖς γράμμασιν. Ἐγὼ τοίνυν καὶ τὴν αἴτησιν ἐδεξάμην, καὶ γέγραφα τὴν ἐπιστολήν, καὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἱκε τεύω ∆εσπότην φρουρῆσαι ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ πίστει καὶ κρείττους ἀποφῆναι τοῦ σινιάζοντος.