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God granted his favor. It is a fine thing, therefore, a fine thing, both for one man to speak boldly and righteously, and for the unjust agreement of the many to be dissolved. But you, if you please, prefer the submerged multitude to Noah who was saved; but allow me to run with the few to the ark; and again, if you wish, place yourself with the many in Sodom, but I will accompany Lot, even if he alone is advantageously separated from the crowds. Yet for me a multitude is also venerable, not that which flees examination, but that which offers proof; not that which defends itself bitterly, but that which corrects paternally; not that which rejoices in novelty, but that which guards the ancestral inheritance. And what multitude do you speak of to me? The one hired by flattery and gifts? The one stolen by lack of learning and ignorance? The one that has fallen through cowardice and fear? The one that preferred the temporary enjoyment of sin to eternal life? Things which many have openly confessed? You strengthen the falsehood by the multitude; you have shown the intensification of the terrible thing. For the more there are in the evil, the greater the disaster. So much for these things. But to proceed to your other proposals would be superfluous, beloved, because it would exceed the measure of a letter, and also because for those who receive words with good perception, the things said would be easy to answer. 49 {1To Naucratius, my child}1 Speak and recount to me always, my most beloved child, nothing superfluous or of idle talk, but what is timely and fitting and brings profit to the soul, just as now. And I, praising your vigor, accept also your advancing discourse, which you will beautify as much as possible, if you are able to go through the commentaries of grammar; for it is necessary for one who holds to orthodoxy and wishes to oppose the heterodox to partake of the power and experience of speech. For since they, seeming to have something great in this knowledge, boastfully vaunt themselves, tickling those with itching ears, it is best for the right-minded not to be lacking in the strength of speech either, and to cast down their well-aimed siege engines. Thus it is dear to me that you be strengthened, my child. But what I wish for you is not in every case what I wish for everyone, because one person differs from another in disposition and what is profitable. But, you said, the brother Philip and Philo have fallen asleep. And well done, well done, that both met a good end; not that their preliminaries were blameworthy (for how could they be, who renounced for the world flesh and blood and placed upon themselves the light yoke of submission?), but because they have attained the highest blessedness, having been persecuted for the Lord's sake, afflicted and distressed. And against these things no one speaks, except the ill-named Moechians who have set aside the gospel. And for Philo, it is fitting to stop the praise at this point, but as for the good Philip, there are many achievements, which you yourself have previously recounted. But I, in addition to what has been said, also admire his unfeigned and sincere nature, his freedom from anger and resentment, his sympathy and brotherly love, his obedience and attentiveness and, to speak concisely, his dispassion, from which also comes his ready compunction, his hatred of the world and love of God and his lack of outspokenness. You speak, as you also proclaimed, of the man's many tears, his love for his fatherland and his love for the services, and in dangers his combativeness and zeal and complete freedom from murmuring, and the, as it were, ever-flourishing state of the many-flowered virtues of his soul. It is well also with the affairs of the steadfast Gaianus, who has passed through almost every place where the brethren are dispersed. And that they are in good health, thanks be to the Lord God; that they do not collapse in their afflictions, but rather are strengthened, glory to Christ who strengthens them; that they are driven away, not even being deemed worthy of shelter by certain monks, especially since all of them have agreed together on this, do not be surprised. It is written: And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. For did not the wretched ones reject Christ our God who said these things? And so says the son of thunder: He came unto his own, and his own received him not. What then is the difference, if some did not receive Christ, the redeemer of the world, and others those who for His sake and of the same

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θεὸς τὴν εὐμένειαν ἐχαρίσατο. καλὸν οὖν, καλόν, καὶ τὸ ἕνα καὶ δικαίως παρρησιάζεσθαι, καὶ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν συμφωνίαν ἄδικον λύεσθαι. Ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν προτίμησον, εἰ δοκεῖ, τοῦ σῳζομένου Νῶε τὸ ὑποβρύχιον πλῆθος, ἐμοὶ δὲ συγχώρησον τοῖς ὀλίγοις τῇ κιβωτῷ προσδραμεῖν· καὶ πάλιν, εἰ βούλει, τάξον σαυτὸν μετὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἐν Σοδόμοις, ἐγὼ δὲ συνοδεύσω τῷ Λώτ, κἂν μόνος τῶν ὄχλων συμφερόντως χωρίζεται. πλὴν ἐμοὶ καὶ πλῆθος αἰδέσιμον, οὐ τὸ φεῦγον ἐξέτασιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ παρέχον ἀπόδειξιν, οὐ τὸ πικρῶς ἀμυνόμενον, ἀλλὰ τὸ πατρικῶς διορθούμενον, οὐ τὸ χαῖρον καινοτομίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τὸ φυλάσσον πατρῴαν κληρονομίαν. ποῖον δέ μοι καὶ πλῆθος λέγεις; τὸ μιστωθὲν κολακείᾳ καὶ δώροις; τὸ κλαπὲν ἀμαθίᾳ τε καὶ ἀγνοίᾳ; τὸ πεπτωκὸς δειλίᾳ καὶ φόβῳ; τὸ προτιμῆσαν πρόσκαιρον ἁμαρτίας ἀπόλαυσιν τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς; ἃ πολλοὶ φανερῶς ὡμολόγησαν; πλήθει τὸ ψεῦδος κρατύνεις, ἔδειξας τοῦ δεινοῦ τὴν ἐπίτασιν· ὅσῳ γὰρ πλείους ἐν τῷ κακῷ, τοσούτῳ μείζων ἡ συμφορά. Οὕτω μὲν δὴ ταῦτα. ἰέναι δὲ ἐπὶ τὰς ἑτέρας σου προτάσεις παρέλκον ἂν εἴη, ἀγαπητέ, διὰ τὸ ἐκβαίνειν τοῦ μέτρου τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, καὶ ἄλλως ὅτι τοῖς εὐαισθήτως δεχομένοις τοὺς λόγους εὐαπάντητα εἶεν τὰ λεγόμενα. 49 {1Ναυκρατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Φθέγγῃ καὶ διήγησαί μοι ἑκάστοτε, τέκνον μου περιπόθητον, οὐδέν τι περιττὸν καὶ εἰκαιομυθές, ἀλλ' εὔκαιρον καὶ πρεπῶδες καὶ φέρον εἰς ὄνησιν ψυχῆς, ὥσπερ καὶ τανῦν. ἐγὼ δέ σου τὸ εὔτονον ἐπαινῶν ἀποδέχομαι καὶ τὴν προκόπτουσαν διάλεξιν, ἢν ὅτι μάλιστα καλλυνεῖς, ἐὰν τῆς γραμματικῆς σχόλια δυνηθῇς ἐπιέναι· δεῖ γὰρ καὶ τῆς ἐν λόγῳ δυνάμεως καὶ πείρας μετέχειν τὸν ὀρθοδοξίας ἀντεχόμενον καὶ ἀντιφέρεσθαι τοῖς κακοδόξοις βουλόμενον. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τῇ ἐντεῦθεν εἰδήσει δοκοῦντές τι μέγα ἔχειν κατακομπάζουσι, τοὺς κνηθομένους τὰς ἀκοὰς γαργαλίζοντες, κάλλιστον τοῖς ὀρθόφροσι μηδὲ τῇ τοῦ λόγου ἰσχύι ἐλλιπῶς ἔχειν καὶ καταβάλλειν αὐτῶν τὰς εὐθυβόλους ἑλεπόλεις. οὕτω μοι φίλον δυναμοῦσθαί σε, τέκνον. οὐ πάντως δὲ ὃ ἐπὶ σοὶ βούλομαι καὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς διὰ τὸ ἄλλον ἄλλως ἔχειν κατὰ ἕξιν καὶ συμφέρειν. Κεκοίμηται δέ, ἔφης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς Φίλιππος καὶ Φίλων. καὶ εὖγε, εὖγε, ὅτι ἀμφότεροι τέλει ἀγαθῷ, οὐχ ὅτι τὰ προτέλεια ψεκτὰ (πῶς γὰρ οἱ ἀπειπάμενοι κόσμῳ σάρκα καὶ αἷμα καὶ εὐαφῆ τὴν τῆς ὑποταγῆς ζεύγλην ἑαυτοῖς ὑποθέμενοι;), ἀλλ' ὅτι τοῦ ἀκροτάτου μακαρισμοῦ τετυχήκασι, διὰ Κύριον δεδιωγμένοι, θλιβόμενοι καὶ στενοχωρούμενοι. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα οὐδεὶς ὁ ἀντιλέγων ἢ οἱ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἠθετηκότες δυσώνυμοι μοιχειανοί. καὶ τῷ μὲν Φίλωνι φίλον μέχρι τοῦδε στῆσαι τὸν ἔπαινον, τὰ δὲ τοῦ καλοῦ Φιλίππου πολλὰ κατορθώματα, ἃ αὐτὸς προκατέλεξας. ἐγὼ δὲ πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ τὸ ἄπλαστον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκέραιον θαυμάζω, τό τε ἀόργητον καὶ ἀμνησίκακον, φιλοσυμπαθές τε καὶ φιλάδελφον, εὐήκοόν τε καὶ ἀνολίγωρον καί, συντόμως εἰπεῖν, ἀπαθές, ἐξ οὗ καὶ τὸ εὐκατάνυκτον, μισόκοσμόν τε καὶ φιλόθεον καὶ ἀπαρρησίαστον. λέγε σύ, ὡς καὶ προύφηνας, τὸ πολύδακρυ τοῦ ἀνδρός, τὸ φιλοπάτριον καὶ φιλακόλουθον, κἀν τοῖς κινδύνοις τὸ ἀγωνιστικὸν καὶ σπουδαῖον καὶ ἀγόγγυστον καθόλου, καὶ τὸ οἱονεὶ ἀειθαλὲς τῆς πολυανθοῦς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν. Καλῶς ἔχει καὶ τὰ τοῦ στερροῦ Γαϊανοῦ, διελθόντος ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ σχεδόν, ἔνθα ἡ διασπορὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν. καὶ ὅτι ὑγιαίνουσι, χάρις τῷ δεσπότῃ θεῷ· ὅτι οὐ καταπίπτουσιν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἀνδρειοῦνται, δόξα τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντι αὐτοὺς Χριστῷ· ὅτι ἀπελαύνονται μηδὲ σκέπης ἀξιούμενοι παρά τινων μοναστῶν, μάλιστα πανδημινῶν συμπεφωνηκότων ὁμοῦ ἐν τούτῳ, μὴ θαυμάσῃς. γέγραπται· καὶ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἱ οἰκειακοὶ αὐτοῦ. μὴ γὰρ τὸν ταῦτα φήσαντα Χριστὸν τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν οὐκ ἀπώσαντο οἱ τάλανες; καὶ γοῦν φησὶν ὁ τῆς βροντῆς υἱός· εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθε, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ διάφορον, εἰ οἱ μὲν Χριστὸν οὐχ ὑπεδέξαντο, τὸν λυτρωτὴν τοῦ κόσμου, οἱ δὲ τοὺς ἕνεκεν ἐκείνου καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ