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it is our intention to flee the care of common affairs, and to return to the tranquility so thrice-desired by us. But concerning the enemies of the truth, we cry out with the Prophet: Their memorial has perished with a sound, and the Lord remains forever . But concerning ourselves we sing that psalm: He sent from on high, and took me; he drew me out of many waters, and delivered me from my mighty enemies . I write these things now, having received two letters from your piety; the one through Anastasius the presbyter of Beroea, the other through Theodotus the draconiarius. For no one has delivered to us the other, about which you have made known in your latest letters. But concerning the journey thither, I can write nothing until I know what the most pious emperor has commanded concerning us. For he who is bringing these letters has not yet arrived. 135 TO THEOCTISTUS BISHOP OF BEROEA. Someone asked the Savior, and Lawgiver, and Lord, which commandment is the first. And he said: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind ; and he added: This is the first commandment; and a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself . And he added: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets . He, therefore, who keeps these, clearly fulfills all the law according to the Lord's definition; but he who transgresses, is found a transgressor of the whole law. Let us consider, therefore, with conscience judging rightly and justly, if we have fulfilled the divine commandments. He fulfills the first who keeps the God-given faith inviolate, and abhors those who war against it as enemies of the truth, and fervently hates those who hate the beloved; and the second, he who esteems highly the care of his neighbor, and maintains the bounds of friendship not only in success, but also in apparent misfortunes. But those who care for their own safety, as they suppose, but for this reason neglect the laws of friendship, and overlook their friends when they are warred against, are of the portion of the wicked, and of those without. But the Master of all demands more perfect things from His own disciples. For, He says, love your enemies. For if you love those who love you, what more do you do ? Behold, even the sinners and the publicans do this . But we have not even enjoyed the love of a publican. And why do I say of a publican? We have not even enjoyed the comfort that murderers and sorcerers receive in their prisons. But if all had emulated this cruelty, nothing else would have been left than either to be consumed by want while living, or when dead not even to be given to the tomb, but to become food for dogs and wild beasts. But sufficient for us were those who despise this life, and await the enjoyment of eternal goods, who have deemed us worthy of every kind of consolation. But the philanthropic Lord has hurled judgment from heaven. The earth feared, and was still, when God arose to judgment. But his enemies, at the same time as they were glorified and exalted, failing like smoke they failed . The falsehood of the new heresy has been exposed, and the truth of the divine Gospels is openly preached. And we cry out with the blessed David: Blessed is God, who alone does great wonders, and blessed is the name of his glory, and all the earth shall be filled with his glory. Amen , amen. 136 TO ROMULUS THE BISHOP . Since you reminded us of the ancient history, and said of the king of the Syrians,

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φυγεῖν ἡμῖν πρόκειται τὴν τῶν κοινῶν ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τριπόθητον ἡμῖν ἡσυχίαν παλινδρομῆσαι. Περὶ δέ γε τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθρῶν μετὰ τοῦ Προφήτου βοῶμεν· Ἀπώ λετο τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν μετ' ἤχου, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένει . Περὶ δέ γε ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐκεῖνο ψάλλομεν· Ἐξαπέστειλεν ἐξ ὕψους, καὶ ἔλαβέν με· προσελάβετό με ἐξ ὑδάτων πολλῶν, καὶ ἐρρύσατό με ἐξ ἐχθρῶν μου δυνατῶν . Ταῦτα δὲ νῦν γράφω δύο τῆς σῆς θεοσεβείας δεξάμενος ἐπιστολάς· τὴν μὲν δι' Ἀνα στασίου τοῦ Βεροιαίου πρεσβυτέρου, τὴν δὲ διὰ Θεοδότου τοῦ δρακωναρίου. Τὴν γὰρ ἄλλην οὐδεὶς ἡμῖν ἀπέδωκε, περὶ ἧς ἐν τοῖς τελευταίοις δεδήλωκας γράμμασι. Περὶ δὲ τῆς αὐτόσε πορείας οὐδὲν γράψαι δύναμαι, πρὶν ἂν γνῶ τί περὶ ἡμῶν προσέταξεν ὁ εὐσεβέστατος βασιλεύς. Οὐδέπω γὰρ ἦλθεν ὁ ταῦτα κομίζων τὰ γράμματα. 135 ΘΕΟΚΤΙΣΤΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΒΕΡΟΙΑΣ. Ἤρετό τις τὸν Σωτῆρα, καὶ Νομοθέτην, καὶ Κύριον, ποία ἐντολὴ πρώτη. Ὁ δὲ ἔφησεν· Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου · καὶ ἐπ ήγαγεν· Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη· δευτέρα δὲ ὁμοία αὐτῇ· Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν . Καὶ προσέθηκεν· Ἐν ταύταις ταῖς δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς ὅλος ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται κρέμανται . Ὁ τοίνυν ταύτας φυλάττων, δῆλον ὅτι πάντα πληροῖ τὸν νόμον κατὰ τὸν ∆εσπο τικὸν ὅρον· ὁ δ' αὖ παραβαίνων, παντὸς τοῦ νόμου παραβάτης ἁλίσκεται. Σκοπήσωμεν τοίνυν, τοῦ συνειδότος ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως δικάζοντος, εἰ τὰς θείας πεπληρώκαμεν ἐντολάς. Πληροῖ δὲ τὴν μὲν πρώτην ὁ τὴν θεόσδοτον πίστιν φυλάττων ἀκήρατον, καὶ τοὺς ταύτῃ πολεμοῦντας ὡς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροὺς μυσαττόμενος, καὶ μισῶν ἐκθύμως τοὺς μισοῦντας τὸν ἀγαπώμενον· τὴν δὲ δευτέραν, ὁ τὴν τοῦ πέλας θεραπείαν περὶ πλείστου ποιούμενος, καὶ μὴ μόνον ἐν ταῖς εὐπραξίαις, ἀλλὰ κἀν ταῖς δοκούσαις δυσημερίαις διατηρῶν τῆς φιλίας τοὺς ὅρους. Οἱ δὲ τῆς μὲν οἰκείας, ὡς νομίζουσιν, ἀσφαλείας φροντίζοντες, τῶν δὲ τῆς φιλίας νόμων διὰ ταύτην ὀλιγω ροῦντες, καὶ πολεμουμένους παρορῶντες τοὺς φίλους, τῆς τῶν φαύλων εἰσί, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξω μερίδος. Ὁ δὲ τῶν ὅλων ∆εσπότης τὰ τελεώτερα παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἀπαιτεῖ μαθητῶν. Ἀγαπᾶτε γάρ, φησί, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς ἀγαπᾶτε, τί πλέον ποιεῖτε ; Ἰδοὺ καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ οἱ τελῶναι τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν . Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ τῆς τελωνικῆς ἀπελαύσαμεν ἀγάπης. Καὶ τί λέγω τελωνικῆς; Οὐδὲ ἧς τυγχάνουσιν οἱ ἀνδροφόνοι καὶ γόητες ἐν τοῖς δεσμωτηρίοις παραψυχῆς, ἀπελαύσαμεν. Εἰ δὲ πάντες ταύτην ἐζήλωσαν τὴν ὠμότητα, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ὑπελεί πετο, ἢ ζῶντας μὲν ὑπ' ἐνδείας ἀναλωθῆναι, τελευτήσαντας δὲ μηδὲ τάφῳ παραδοθῆναι, ἀλλὰ κυνῶν καὶ θηρῶν γενέσθαι βοράν. Ἀλλ' ἤρκεσαν ἡμῖν οἱ τοῦδε τοῦ βίου καταφρονοῦντες, καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν προσδεχόμενοι τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν, οἳ παντοδαπῆς ἡμᾶς ψυχαγωγίας ἠξίωσαν. Ὁ δὲ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἠκόντισε κρίσιν. Ἡ δὲ γῆ ἐφοβήθη, καὶ ἡσύχασεν ἐν τῷ ἀναστῆναι εἰς κρίσιν τὸν Θεόν. Οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ ἅμα τῷ δοξασθῆναι αὐτοὺς καὶ ὑψωθῆναι, ἐκλείποντες ὡσεὶ καπνὸς ἐξέλιπον . Ἐστηλίτευται δὲ τὸ τῆς καινῆς αἱρέσεως ψεῦ δος, κηρύττεται δὲ προφανῶς ἡ τῶν θείων Εὐαγγελίων ἀλή θεια. Ἡμεῖς δὲ μετὰ τοῦ μακαρίου βοῶμεν ∆αβίδ· Εὐλογη τὸς ὁ Θεός, ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια μεγάλα μόνος, καὶ εὐλογητὸν τὸ ὄνομα τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, καὶ πληρω θήσεται τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. Γένοιτο , γέ νοιτο. 136 ΡΩΜΥΛΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ . Ἐπειδὴ τῆς παλαιᾶς ἡμᾶς ἀνέμνησας ἱστορίας, καὶ τῶν Σύρων ἔφης τὸν βασιλέα,