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130 TO MAGNUS ANTONINUS, PRESBYTER AND ARCHIMANDRITE. The torches of the harbors encourage those sailing at night; and the zeal of those of the same faith, those who are endangered for the apostolic faith. We have, therefore, sufficient consolation from your love of God, hearing of your struggles for the divine dogmas. For the Giver of great gifts has bestowed this mind on you, and for the sake of guarding them you contribute every labor. But I, being encouraged by your zeal, offer a small return, exhorting you to hold fast to the divine struggles, and to despise your adversaries as easily captured—for what is weaker than those deprived of the truth—and to trust in the one who said: ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’, and: ‘Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’. But also help me with your prayers, that I may say with confidence: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’ 131 TO TIMOTHY, BISHOP. It is not in vain, then, that the Governor of all things allows the contrary winds to stir up the waves of impiety; but that he may test the minds of those who sail, and may lay bare the courage of some, and expose the cowardice of others; and that he may show those who outwardly wear the form of piety to be stripped of their masks, and may proclaim others as champions of the truth. This we have seen happening now as well. For when the storm arose, some laid bare their hidden impiety, while others betrayed the truth they held, and became part of the adversaries' phalanx, and with them they attack those whom they used to call champions. And those who see these things hate the enemies, mourn the deserters, and shrink from assisting those who are warred against for the sake of the apostolic dogmas. And if the betrayers were to attack them even more violently, perhaps they themselves will also become archers, and will not spare those of the same faith, but against them will they thrust their arrows along with those whom they themselves accused; and this, though they have been taught by the divine Scripture that to wrong one's neighbor is liable to punishment, but to be wronged is the cause of great and lasting rewards. But this flood has shown your piety and your zeal for the faith and your good will toward us. For you wrote to us twice, despising those who threatened, and you showed your brotherly affection through your letters, and you informed us of the struggles you are having for the apostolic dogmas. For you sent word for us to write what one must think and preach concerning the saving passion. And I gladly received the request, and what I was taught from the divine Scripture, and from the Fathers who interpreted it, I will eagerly say, not to teach, but to remind a head dear to God. Know then, most God-loving, that it is necessary before all else to know the difference of the names, and in addition to this the cause of the divine incarnation. For when these things have become clear, no doubt about the passion will be left. Therefore we will first ask those who try to contradict, which of the names of the only-begotten Son of God are older than the incarnation, and which in turn are newer, or rather, yoked to the work of the economy. And they will certainly say that ‘God,’ ‘Logos,’ and ‘only-begotten Son,’ and ‘Almighty,’ and ‘Lord of all creation,’ are older; but ‘Jesus Christ’ is proper to the incarnation. For having become incarnate, God the Word, the only-begotten Son of God, was named Jesus Christ; ‘For behold,’ it says, ‘to you is born this day Christ the Lord.’ For since christs

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130 ΜΑΓΝΩ ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ ΚΑΙ ΑΡΧΙΜΑΝ∆ΡΙΤΗ. Τοὺς μὲν νύκτωρ πλέοντας οἱ τῶν λιμένων ψυχαγωγοῦσι πυρσοί· τοὺς δὲ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς προκινδυνεύοντας πίστεως, τῶν ὁμοπίστων ὁ ζῆλος. Ἱκανὴν τοίνυν ἔχομεν παραψυχὴν τῆς ὑμετέρας φιλοθεΐας τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν θείων δογμάτων ἀγῶ νας ἀκούοντες. Καὶ γὰρ ταύτην ὑμῖν τὴν γνώμην ὁ Μεγαλό δωρος ἐδωρήσατο, καὶ τῆς τούτων ἕνεκα φυλακῆς πάντα πόνον εἰσφέρετε. Ἐγὼ δὲ διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας ψυχαγωγούμενος προθυ μίας μικρὰν ἀντίδοσιν εἰσφέρω, τῶν ἀγώνων ὑμᾶς τῶν θείων ἔχεσθαι παρακαλῶν, καὶ τῶν ἀντιπάλων ὡς εὐαλώτων κατα φρονεῖν-τί γὰρ ἀσθενέστερον τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐστερημέ νων-πεποιθέναι δὲ τῷ εἰπόντι· Οὐ μή σε ἀνῶ, οὐδὲ μή σε ἐγκαταλίπω , καί· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος . Ἐπαμύνατε δὲ κἀμοὶ ταῖς προσευχαῖς, ἵνα θαρρῶν ἐπιλέγω· Κύριος ἐμοὶ βοηθός, καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσομαι, τί ποιή σει μοι ἄνθρωπος . 131 ΤΙΜΟΘΕΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ. Οὐ μάτην ἄρα τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κυβερνήτης συγχωρεῖ τοῖς πνεύ μασι τοῖς ἐναντίοις διεγεῖραι τῆς ἀσεβείας τὰ κύματα· ἀλλ' ἵνα τῶν πλεόντων βασανίσῃ τὰς γνώμας, καὶ τῶν μὲν τὴν ἀνδρίαν γυμνώσῃ, τῶν δὲ τὴν δειλίαν ἐλέγξῃ· καὶ τοὺς μὲν τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἔξωθεν περικειμένους μορφὴν γυμνοὺς δείξῃ τῶν προσωπείων, τοὺς δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀνακηρύξῃ προμάχους. Τοῦτο καὶ νῦν γεγενημένον ἐθεασάμεθα. Τοῦ γὰρ χειμῶνος ἐπαναστάντος, οἱ μὲν ἐγύμνωσαν τὴν κεκρυμμένην ἀσέβειαν, οἱ δὲ προὔδοσαν ἣν εἶχον ἀλήθειαν, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀντιπάλων ἐγένοντο φάλαγγος, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνων βάλλουσιν οὓς ἀριστέας ὠνόμαζον. Οἱ δὲ ταῦτα ὁρῶντες τοὺς μὲν πολε μίους μισοῦσι, τοὺς δὲ αὐτομόλους θρηνοῦσι, τοῖς δ' ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν πολεμουμένοις δογμάτων ἐπαρκεῖν ὀρρωδοῦσιν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ βιαιότερον αὐτοῖς οἱ προδεδωκότες ἐπίθοιντο, τάχα δὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν τοξευόντων γενήσονται, καὶ τῶν ὁμοπίστων οὐ φείσονται, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τούτων τοὺς καλάμους μετὰ τῶν ὑπὸ σφῶν κατηγορουμένων ὠθήσουσι· καὶ ταῦτα παρὰ τῆς θείας δεδιδαγμένοι Γραφῆς, ὡς τὸ μὲν ἀδικῆσαι τὸν πέλας τιμωρίας ὑπεύθυνον, τὸ δέ γε ἀδικηθῆναι τῶν μεγάλων καὶ διαρκῶν ἀντιδόσεων πρόξενον. Τῆς δὲ σῆς θεοσεβείας καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς πίστεως ζῆλον καὶ τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς εὔνοιαν οὗτος ὁ κλύ δων ἐπέδειξεν. Καὶ γὰρ δὶς ἡμῖν ἐπέστειλας, τῶν δεδιττο μένων καταφρονήσας, καὶ τὴν ἀδελφικὴν φιλοστοργίαν διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων ἐδήλωσας, καὶ οὓς ἔχεις ἀγῶνας ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν δογμάτων ἐμήνυσας. Γράψαι γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐπέστει λας ἅπερ χρὴ περὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου πάθους καὶ φρονεῖν καὶ κηρύτ τειν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν αἴτησιν ἀσπαστῶς ἐδεξάμην, καὶ ἃ παρὰ τῆς θείας ἐδιδάχθην Γραφῆς, καὶ παρὰ τῶν ταύτην ἡρμηνευ κότων Πατέρων, προθύμως ἐρῶ, οὐχ ἵνα διδάξω, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὴν τῷ Θεῷ φίλην ὑπομνήσω κεφαλήν. Ἴσθι τοίνυν, θεοφιλέστατε, ὡς χρὴ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων εἰδέναι τὴν τῶν ὀνομάτων διαφοράν, καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ τῆς θείας ἐνανθρωπήσεως τὴν αἰτίαν. Τούτων γὰρ εὐκρινῶν γενομένων, οὐδεμία περὶ τοῦ πάθους ἀμφιβολία καταλειφθήσεται. Οὐκοῦν τοὺς ἀντιλέγειν πειρωμένους ἐρωτήσομεν πρότερον, τίνα μὲν τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως πρεσβύτερα τῶν ὀνομάτων τοῦ μονογε νοῦς Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τίνα δὲ αὖ νεώτερα, μᾶλλον δὲ τῷ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἔργῳ συνεζευγμένα. Ἐροῦσι δὲ πάντως, ὡς τὸ Θεὸς, Λόγος , καὶ μονογενὴς Υἱός , καὶ Παντοκρά τωρ , καὶ Κύριος τῆς κτίσεως ἁπάσης , ἐστὶ πρεσβύ τερα· τὸ δὲ Ἰησοῦς Χριστός , τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως ἴδια. Ἐνανθρωπήσας γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὠνομάσθη· Ἰδοὺ γάρ , φησί, τίκτε ται ὑμῖν σήμερον Χριστὸς Κύριος . Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ χριστοὶ