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(15Β_372> My God-protected master, having discerned through pious investigation of the mystery of His economy towards us, that God is equal to Himself in height and in depth, and having marveled how the finite with the infinite, opposites and unmixed, being joined together in Him, had their manifestation through one another; the infinity being ineffably co-defined by the finite, and the finite being supernaturally co-extended with the infinity; and He, around whom these things are, in both respects the same with Himself, having in no way diminished from Himself in His infinity, as He is by nature with the indefinite, but in the economy, being and known as incomprehensible; having both the inconceivable height of divine glory and the unencompassable depth of the economic condescension, prudently submitted himself like wax, as to a seal, pliantly to God, and having received Him impressed throughout into his depths, he made himself a very clear imitation of the divine blessedness. For he wisely conformed himself to the divine ways; for to the lowliness of nature, through virtue he mixed the stature of his dignity; and to the height of his dignity, conversely, through knowledge he co-exalted the lowliness of nature; and he made the one to be paradoxically contemplated in the other. For in both respects the same with himself, having diminished nothing of his gravity in either, he preserved himself; showing very clearly, through the things by which he acquired an unadulterated (15Β_374> imitation of God, that God ordained and set forth the priesthood on earth in His own stead. So that even being seen bodily, His mysteries might not cease appearing to those who are able to see.

0605 For this reason, my master, conducting himself in a God-like manner in word and deed, has brought about great salvation for me. For just as the Lord called upon men to be reconciled to God the Father as those who were wronged rather than wrongdoers, as the divine Paul testifies, saying, "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God"; so that He might, by the magnitude of His benefaction, put them to shame and bring them to a sense of their own hardness of heart; so too my master, by a voluntary condescension, skillfully overcoming me, by being willing to seem to learn from me through letters what he has been appointed to teach on account of his dignity, has, though late, made me aware of my own ignorance. I confess, therefore, my gratitude to my master; and I pride myself on the way by which he gently pushed away the cloud of my conceit; and I ask him not to cease ordering his servant with such words and ways.

EPISTLE 22. ... TO AUXENTIUS. 22. The same to Auxentius. (15Β_376> If, trusting in the Spirit, because you have love for one another wrapped around you indissolubly, needing no renewal, you have decided to neglect writing letters to your friends, then I praise the law, and I approve of you; entrusting to Him the treasure of love, from whom and in whom it is its nature both to begin and to rest.

But if, neglecting the proper friendly custom, you decline to write out of laziness, I will not cease to do the opposite; not knowing how to be shy of friends on account of the magnitude of worldly esteem. But if neither of these two is the reason for not writing, receive from the absent, and give readily to the absent, as nature has taught, a meeting through letters; or rather, as God, having made nature wise, has comforted it. For speech, taking form in letters, goads the resting memory, and rouses it when it drowses, to see and re-imprint the faces of those who are loved; through which longing, like a fire that has been extinguished, is fanned again from a small spark.

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(15Β_372> Αὐτόν ἑαυτῷ τόν Θεόν ἴσον ὕψει τε καί βάθει, δι᾿ εὐσεβοῦς

ἐρεύνης τοῦ μυστηρίου τῆς περί ἡμᾶς αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίας διαγνούς ὁ θεοφύλακτός μου δεσπότης, καί θαυμάσας πῶς ὁ ὅρος τῇ ἀοριστίᾳ, τἀναντία καί ἀμιγῆ, περί αὐτόν συναφθέντα, δι᾿ ἀλλήλων ἔσχε τήν δήλωσιν· τῆς μέν ἀπειρίας τῷ ὅρῳ ἀῤῥήτως συνορισθείσης· τοῦ δέ ὅρου ὑπερφυῶς τῇ ἀπειρία συναπλωθέντος· αὐτόν δέ περί ὅν ταῦτα κατ᾿ ἄμφω ταυτόν ἑαυτῷ, μηδέν τό παράπαν ἑαυτοῦ καθυφέντα κατά τό ἄπειρον, ὡς κατά φύσιν μετά ἀόριστον, κατ᾿ οἰκονομίαν δέ, ἀκατάληπτον καί ὄντα καί γινωσκόμενον· τό τε ὕψος τῆς θεϊκῆς δόξης ἀδιανόητον ἔχοντα, καί τό βάθος τῆς οἰκονομικῆς συγκαταβάσεως ἀπερίπληπτον, ἐμφρόνως ἑαυτόν κηροῦ δίκην, ὥσπερ σφραγίδι τῷ Θεῷ εὐείκτως ὑπέθηκεν, ὅν δι᾿ ὅλου εἰς τό βάθος ἐντυπωθέντα δεξάμενος, ἀρίδηλον μίμημα τῆς θείας ἑαυτόν κατέστησε μακαριότητος. Σοφῶς γάρ τοῖς θείοις ἑαυτόν ἐναμείψας τρόποις· τῷ μέν ταπεινῶ τῆς φύσεως, δι᾿ ἀρετῆς ἐκέρασε τό τῆς ἀξίας ἀνάστημα· τῷ δέ ὕψει τῆς ἀξίας ἔμπαλιν, διά γνώσεως τήν τῆς φύσεως συνεπῆρε ταπείνωσιν· καί θάτερον θατέρῳ παραδόξως ἐνθεωρεῖσθαι πεποίηκε. Κατ᾿ ἄμφω γάρ ταυτόν ἑαυτῷ, μηδέν ἐν ἀμφοτέροις καθυφέντα σεμνότητος, ἑαυτόν συνετήρησε· δείξας μάλα σαφῶς, δι᾿ ὧν ἀκίβδηλον (15Β_374> τήν πρός Θεόν ἐκτήσατο μίμησιν, ὡς τήν ἱερωσύνην ὁ Θεός ἐπί γῆς ἀνθ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ χειροτονήσας προὐβάλετο. Ἐφ᾿ ᾧτε καί σωματικῶς ὁρώμενος, καί τά αὐτοῦ μυστήρια τοῖς ὁρᾷν δυναμένοις μή διαλίπῃ φαινόμενα.

0605 ∆ιά τοῦτο θεοειδῶς τῷ λόγῳ μετά τῶν τρόπων φερόμενος ὁ ἐμός δεσπότης, πολλήν μοι σωτηρίαν ἐνετεκτήνατο. Ὡς γάρ τούς ἀνθρώπους καταλλαγῆναι τῷ Θεῷ καί Πατρί ὡς πταισθέντας μᾶλλον ἤ πταίσαντας ὁ Κύριος παρεκάλεσε, καθώς μαρτυρεῖ λέγων ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος, Ὑπέρ Χριστοῦ πρεσβεύομεν, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι᾿ ἡμῶν. ∆εόμεθα ὑπέρ Χριστοῦ, καταλλάγητε τῷ Θεῷ· ἵνα ἐντρέψῃ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς εὐεργεσίας πρός συναίσθησιν ἐλθεῖν τῆς οἰκείας πωρώσεως· οὕτω καί ὁ ἐμός δεσπότης, δι᾿ ἑκουσίου ὑφέσεως, εὐμηχάνως με χειρωσάμενος, τό μαθεῖν δόξαι παρ᾿ ἐμοῦ διά γραμμάτων θελῆσαι, ἅπερ διδάσκειν διά τήν ἀξίαν προβέβληται, κἄν ὀψέ ποτε τῆς οἰκείας ἀμαθίας κατέστησε ἐπιγνώμονα. Ὁμολογῶ οὖν τῷ δεσπότῃ μου τήν χάριν· καί σεμνύνομαι τῷ τρόπῳ δι᾿ οὖ τό νέφος μου τῆς οἰήσεως εὐαφῶς ἀπεώσατο· καί αἰτῶ αὐτόν τοιούτοις καί λόγοις καί τρόποις ῥυθμίζοντα τόν αὐτοῦ δοῦλον μή παύσασθαι.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΚΒ'. ... ΠΡΟΣ ΑΥΞΕΝΤΙΟΝ. ΚΒ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Αὐξέντιον. (15Β_376> Εἰ μέν θαῤῥοῦντες τῷ Πνεύματι, καθά ἀλύτως περικειμένην ὑμῖν

αὐτοῖς ἔχετε τήν ἀγάπην, μηδενός δεομένην πρός καινισμόν, ἀμελεῖν τῶν πρός τούς φίλους διέγνωτε γραμμάτων, ἐπαινῶ τε τόν νόμον, καί ὑμᾶς ἀποδέχομαι· πιστεύοντας ἐκείνῳ τῆς ἀγάπης τόν θησαυρόν, ἐξ οὖ τε καί εἰς ὅν ἄρχεσθαί τε καί ἀναπαύεσθαι πέφυκεν. Εἰ δέ τοῦ καθήκοντος φιλικοῦ τρόπου κατολιγωροῦντες τοῦ γράφειν δι᾿ ὄκνου παραιτεῖσθε, τἀναντία ποιεῖν οὐ παύσομαι· φίλους αἰδεῖσθαι διά μέγεθος τῆς κατά κόσμον προλήψεως οὐκ εἰδώς. Εἰ δέ τῶν δύο τοῦ μή γράφειν οὐδέν καθέστηκεν αἴτιον, δέξασθε ἀπόντων, καί δότε προθύμως ἀποῦσιν, ὡς ἐδίδαξεν ἡ φύσις, διά γραμμάτων τήν ἔντευξιν· μᾶλλον δέ, ὡς Θεός τήν φύσιν σοφίσας παρεμυθήσατο. Κεντρίζει γάρ ἠρεμοῦσαν τήν μνήμην, καί διεγείρει νυστάζουσαν, πρός τό ἰδεῖν καί ἀναμάττεσθαι τῶν φιλουμένων τά πρόσωπα, γράμμασι λόγος μορφούμενος· δι᾿ ὧν ὁ πόθος πυρός δίκην σβεσθέντος, ἐκ μικροῦ σπινθῆρος πάλιν ἀναῤῥιπίζεται.