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do not betray this deposit. The Father, the beginning of all things; the only-begotten Son, born of Him, true God, perfect from perfect, a living image, showing the whole Father in Himself; the Holy Spirit, existing from God, the source of holiness, a power providing life, a perfecting grace, through whom man is adopted as a son and what is mortal is made immortal, joined to the Father and the Son in all things, in glory and in eternity, in power and in kingship, in lordship and in divinity, as also the tradition of saving baptism testifies. But those who call either the Son or the Spirit a creature, or who in any way lower them to the rank of ministering and servile beings, are far from the truth, whose company one must flee and whose words one must shun as being poisons for souls. And if the Lord ever grants us to be in the same place, we will set forth to you more fully the doctrines concerning the faith, so that with scriptural proofs you may recognize both the strength of the truth and the unsoundness of heresy.

106. TO A SOLDIER

106.1 While having many things for which to thank the Lord, which we were also deemed worthy of by Him during our visit, we judged the acquaintance of your honor, granted to us by the good Master, to be the greatest good. For we came to know a man who shows that even in the military life it is possible to preserve the perfection of love for God, and that a Christian ought to be characterized not by the style of his clothing, but by the disposition of his soul. Therefore, we met with you then with all eagerness, and now, as often as we call you to mind, we enjoy the greatest gladness. Be strong, therefore, and of good courage, and always be eager to nourish and multiply your love for God, so that the supply of good things from Him may also advance to a greater degree for you. And that you remember us, we need no other proof, having the testimony from the facts themselves.

107. TO JULITTA, A FREEWOMAN

107.1 I was very disheartened upon reading the letter of your nobility, that the same difficulties again surround you. And what is one to do with people who show such a fickle character, saying one thing at one time and another at another, and not abiding by their own agreements? For if after the promises made in my presence and that of the ex-prefect, he now so constrains the deadline as if nothing had been said, the man seems to have become completely shameless toward us. Nevertheless, I have written to him, shaming him and reminding him of his promises. I have also written to Helladius, the associate of the prefect, so that through him the prefect might be informed of your situation. For I did not think it fitting for me to venture so far with so great a judge myself, because I have not yet written to him about a private matter and I am wary of some condemnation, since, as you know, great men are easily angered by such things. However, if there is to be any benefit, it will be through Helladius, a man both good and well-disposed toward us and God-fearing, and who has unspeakable boldness with the governor. But the Holy One is able to lead you through every affliction, only if we hope in Him with a true and genuine heart.

108. TO THE GUARDIAN OF THE HEIRS OF JULITTA

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προδῶτε ταύτην τὴν παρακαταθήκην. Πατέρα τὴν πάντων ἀρχήν· Υἱὸν Μονογενῆ, ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεννηθέντα, ἀληθινὸν Θεόν, τέλειον ἐκ τελείου, εἰκόνα ζῶσαν, ὅλον δεικνύντα ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Πατέρα· Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον, ἐκ Θεοῦ ὕπαρχον, τὴν πηγὴν τῆς ἁγιότητος, δύνα μιν ζωῆς παρεκτικήν, χάριν τελειοποιόν, δι' οὗ υἱοθε τεῖται ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἀπαθανατίζεται τὸ θνητόν, συνημ μένον Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ κατὰ πάντα, ἐν δόξῃ καὶ ἐν ἀϊδιότητι, ἐν δυνάμει καὶ βασιλείᾳ, ἐν δεσποτείᾳ καὶ θεότητι, ὡς καὶ ἡ τοῦ σωτηρίου βαπτίσματος παράδοσις μαρτυρεῖ. Οἱ δὲ κτίσμα λέγοντες ἢ τὸν Υἱὸν ἢ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἢ ὅλως αὐτὸ εἰς τὴν λειτουργικὴν καὶ δουλικὴν κατάγοντες τάξιν μακράν εἰσι τῆς ἀληθείας, ὧν φεύγειν προσήκει τὰς κοινωνίας καὶ ἐκτρέπεσθαι τοὺς λόγους ὡς δηλητήρια ὄντα ψυχῶν. Ἐὰν δέ ποτε δῷ ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος γενέσθαι κατὰ ταὐτόν, πλατύ τερον ὑμῖν τοὺς περὶ τῆς πίστεως ἐκθησόμεθα λόγους, ὥστε μετ' ἀποδείξεων γραφικῶν καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἰσχυρὸν καὶ τὸ σαθρὸν τῆς αἱρέσεως ὑμᾶς ἐπιγνῶναι.

106.τ ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΗ

106.1 Ὑπὲρ πολλῶν ἔχοντες εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὧν καὶ ἠξιώθημεν παρ'

αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ἡμῶν, μέγιστον ἀγαθὸν ἐκρίναμεν τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος, τὴν παρὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ∆εσπότου παρασχεθεῖσαν ἡμῖν. Ἔγνωμεν γὰρ ἄνδρα δεικνύντα ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῷ στρατιωτικῷ βίῳ δυνα τὸν τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγάπης τὸ τέλειον διασῶσαι, καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῇ περιβολῇ τῆς ἐσθῆτος, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ διαθέσει τῆς ψυχῆς ὁ χριστιανὸς ὀφείλει χαρακτηρίζεσθαι. Καὶ τότε οὖν μετὰ πάσης ἐπιθυμίας συνετύχομέν σοι καὶ νῦν, ὁσάκις ἂν εἰς μνήμην ἔλθωμεν, μεγίστης ἀπολαύομεν εὐφροσύνης. Ἀνδρίζου τοίνυν καὶ ἴσχυε καὶ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγάπην τρέφειν καὶ πολυπλασιάζειν ἀεὶ σπούδαζε, ἵνα σοι καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ χορηγία ἐπὶ μεῖζον προΐῃ. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἡμῶν μέμνησαι οὐδεμιᾶς ἑτέρας ἀπο δείξεως προσδεόμεθα, τὴν ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔχοντες μαρτυρίαν.

107.τ ΙΟΥΛΙΤΤΗ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΑ

107.1 Πάνυ ἠθύμησα τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐντυχὼν τῆς εὐγενείας σου, ὅτι σε πάλιν

αἱ αὐταὶ περιέχουσιν ἀνάγκαι. Καὶ τί δεῖ ποιεῖν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους οὕτω παλίμβουλον ἐπιδεικνυ μένους τὸ ἦθος καὶ ἄλλοτε ἄλλα λέγοντας καὶ ταῖς ἰδίαις ὁμολογίαις μὴ ἐμμένοντας; Εἰ γὰρ μετὰ τὰς ἐπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀπὸ ὑπάρχων ὑποσχέσεις, νῦν, ὡς μηδενὸς εἰρημένου, οὕτω στενοχωρεῖ τὴν προθεσμίαν, ἔοικε παντελῶς ἀπηρυ θριακέναι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ ἀνήρ. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπέστειλα αὐτῷ ἐντρέπων αὐτὸν καὶ ὑπομιμνήσκων τῶν αὐτοῦ ὑποσχέσεων. Ἐπέστειλα δὲ καὶ Ἑλλαδίῳ τῷ οἰκείῳ τοῦ ἐπάρχου, ἵνα δι' αὐτοῦ διδαχθῇ τὰ κατὰ σὲ ὁ ἔπαρχος. Αὐτὸς γὰρ μέχρι τοσούτου θαρρῆσαι δικαστῇ τοσούτῳ οὐκ ἐνόμισα ἐπιβάλλον εἶναί μοι, διὰ τὸ μηδέ πω περὶ ἰδιωτικοῦ πράγματος αὐτῷ ἐπεσταλκέναι καὶ ὑφορᾶσθαι κατάγνωσίν τινα, ὡς οἶδας, εὐκόλως τῶν μεγάλων ἀνδρῶν ἀγριαινόντων πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα. Εἰ μέντοι τι ἔσται ὄφελος, ἔσται τοῦτο διὰ Ἑλλαδίου ἀνθρώπου καὶ χρηστοῦ καὶ περὶ ἡμᾶς διακειμένου καὶ Θεὸν φοβουμένου καὶ παρρησίαν ἀμύθητον ἔχοντος πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα. ∆υνατὸς δὲ ὁ Ἅγιος διαγαγεῖν σε πάσης θλίψεως, μόνον ἐὰν ἀληθινῇ καὶ γνησίᾳ καρδίᾳ ἐπελπίσωμεν ἐπ' αὐτόν.

108.τ ΤΩ ΚΗ∆ΕΜΟΝΙ ΤΩΝ ΚΛΗΡΟΝΟΜΩΝ ΙΟΥΛΙΤΤΗΣ