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is a confession of the life-giving cross, just as, then, its denial is by a similar inversion? The analogy, therefore, must be understood by everyone who has understanding, both for the icon of Christ and for Christ himself. And it is not yet the time for a dogmatic explanation, which would persuade even the very dim-witted person to turn with ease toward the rays of truth. This is our evangelical faith, we who are sinners; this is our apostolic confession, we who are lowly; or rather, our ancestral religion, we who are the least. Contrary to this, not only such and such a person of the present or of the past, but not even if Peter and Paul (for let us speak of the impossible as possible), not even if one should come from heaven itself, teaching dogma and preaching the gospel, could we receive him into communion, as not conforming to the sound teaching of the faith. And in response to these things, whatever may seem good to your authority, our lowliness is ready to endure even unto death rather than become deniers of such a sincere confession of ours. 72 {1To Joseph, brother and archbishop}1 I received the letters of your holiness, in which I learned of your dialogue with the emperor and, in a word, your blessed exile, and I, the humble one, groaned (for how could I not?), but I glorified God, who glorified you in this. I rejoice, therefore, and share in your joy, beloved brother, at your good success, and I glory in your good fortunes, or rather exiles, as much as emperors do in their diadems. And who would grant me to see your longed-for face? For I would have embraced insatiably one who has now been exiled and imprisoned three times for the truth of God. Your virtue was truly being done an injustice and was, as it were, under a bushel while you were sitting in the monastery; now it goes up on the lampstand and shines for the whole church. Thus those who thought to hide it have made your virtue shine forth. The exile of the other most holy bishops is also good and not lacking in praise, but not yet equal to yours; Why? Because it is of a single stem, but not proceeding from strength to strength like yours of a triple stem and triple crown. For this reason your name is praised, your achievement is renowned, your exultation is eternal. We have been alienated and separated from one another, but God is good to unite us and make us dwell together forever; and perhaps even here it will not be impossible for him that we see one another face to face again. We sent ahead the holy fathers and brothers, and indeed the good Kalogeros, whose last breath was in your hands, as if by God's command and not from a mortal emperor having departed from Thessaloniki and gone out to Sakkoudion. We were left, two of us, a matter of talk I know not of what kind to men, but at least good to the pious, even if I am unhonored for my sins. But you, O most blessed one, may you ever advance in the good, praying constantly for my salvation; and that I too remember you—for what else after God than to breathe you? They have torn the brother Athanasios from your side (an addition of pain, but also of crowns), and likewise Nektarios; but if he was unwilling, it is not very grievous, but if by agreement, alas for my misery; however, time will show in which way he was taken. You were left almost alone, having my good Anthos and Epiphanios. May the Lord grant them grace for their service to your reverence, whom I greet most warmly and pray that they may be seen to follow you even unto death. What else? May God look upon his own inheritance and award peace in his church. The brothers with me greet you as befits servants. 73 {1To the same}1 I am now writing for the second time after the arrival of your holiness from Byzantium. But I wished to do this every day, if it were possible; nevertheless, thanks must be given to God that over so great a distance the good one has granted us to converse with each other within a short time through the medium of a letter, beloved. The anxiety, therefore, of the sea journey has ceased for us; for we trust in God that you have been brought safely and without danger to the place where you were confined

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ὁμολογία ἐστὶ τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ σταυροῦ, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἡ ἄρνησις καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ἀντιστροφῆς; τὸ ἀνάλογον οὖν ληπτέον ἐπί τε τῆς εἰκόνος Χριστοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ δὴ Χριστοῦ παντὶ τῷ συνιόντι. καὶ οὔπω καιρὸς δογματικῆς ἐξαπλώσεως, πειθούσης καὶ τὸν ἄγαν ἀμυδρόνουν ἀνανεύειν εὐπετῶς πρὸς τὰς αὐγὰς τῆς ἀληθείας. Αὕτη ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ ἡμῶν πίστις τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, αὕτη ἡ ἀποστολικὴ ἡμῶν ὁμολογία τῶν εὐτελῶν, εἰ δ' οὖν, ἡ πατροπαράδοτος ἡμῶν θρησκεία τῶν ἐλαχίστων. παρὰ ταύτην οὐχ ὅτι ὁ τίσδε καὶ τίσδε τῶν νῦν ἢ τῶν πάλαι, ἀλλ' οὐδ' εἰ Πέτρος καὶ Παῦλος (εἴπωμεν γὰρ τὰ ἀνένδεκτα ὡς ἐνδεχόμενα) οὐδ' ἂν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἥκῃ τῶν οὐρανῶν δογματίζων καὶ εὐαγγελιζόμενος, δυνάμεθα αὐτὸν κοινωνὸν προσήκασθαι, ὡς μὴ στοιχοῦντα τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ τῆς πίστεως διδασκαλίᾳ. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα, ὅ τι ἂν δοκῇ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑμῶν, ἑτοίμη ἡ ταπείνωσις ἡμῶν μέχρι θανάτου ὑποστῆναι ἢ ἐξάρνους ἡμᾶς γενέσθαι τῆς τοιαύτης ἡμῶν εἰλικρινοῦς ὁμολογίας. 72 {1Ἰωσὴφ ἀδελφῷ καὶ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ}1 Ἐδεξάμην τὰ γράμματα τῆς σῆς ἁγιωσύνης, ἐν οἷς μαθὼν τὴν πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα διάλεξιν αὐτῆς καὶ τέλος εἰπεῖν τὴν εὐλογημένην αὐτῆς ἐξορίαν ἐστέναξα μὲν ὁ ταπεινὸς (πῶς γὰρ οὔ;), ἐδόξασα δὲ τὸν θεόν, τὸν δοξάσαντα αὐτὴν ἐν τούτῳ. χαίρω οὖν καὶ συγχαίρω σου, ἀδελφὲ ἠγαπημένε, τῇ εὐδοκιμήσει καὶ ἐγκαλλωπίζομαί σου ταῖς εὐπραγίαις εἴτ' οὖν ἐξορίαις, ὅσον οἱ βασιλεύοντες τοῖς διαδήμασι. καὶ τίς ἄν μοι ἔδωκεν ἰδεῖν σου τὸ ποθούμενον πρόσωπον; περιεπτυξάμην γὰρ ἂν ἀπλήστως, τρὶς ἄρτι ἐξοριζόμενον καὶ φυλακιζόμενον ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας θεοῦ. ἠδικεῖτο ὄντως ἡ ἀρετή σου καὶ οἱονεὶ ὑπὸ μόδιον ἦν ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ καθημένου σου· νῦν ἄνεισιν ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν καὶ λάμπει πάσῃ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. οὕτως οἱ δοκοῦντες κατακρύπτειν ἐξέλαμψάν σου τὴν ἀρετήν. καλὴ μὲν καὶ ἡ τῶν ἄλλων ἁγιωτάτων ἐπισκόπων ἐξορία καὶ οὐκ ἀποδέουσα ἐγκωμίων, οὔπω δὲ τῆς σῆς ἰσοστάσιος· διατί; ὅτι μονοστέλεχός τίς ἐστιν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ ἐκ δυνάμεως εἰς δύναμιν προϊοῦσα κατὰ τὴν σὴν τριστέλεχόν τε καὶ τρικόρυφον. διὰ τοῦτο αἰνετὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου, περίβλεπτον τὸ κατόρθωμά σου, αἰώνιον τὸ ἀγαλλίαμά σου. ἐξενώθημεν ἀλλήλων καὶ ἀπῳκίσθημεν, ἀλλὰ ἀγαθὸς ὁ θεὸς ἑνῶσαι ἡμᾶς καὶ συνοικίσαι ἀιδίως· τάχα δὲ κἀνταῦθα οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει αὐτῷ πάλιν κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ἰδεῖν ἀλλήλους. Προεπέμψαμεν τοὺς ἁγίους πατέρας καὶ ἀδελφούς, καί γε τὸν καλὸν Καλόγηρον, οὗ ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου ἡ ἐναπόψυξις, ὥσπερ ἐκ προστάγματος θεοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐκ βασιλέως φθαρτοῦ μεταστάντος Θεσσαλονίκης καὶ ἐξελθόντος ἐν τῷ Σακκουδίωνι. ἐναπελείφθημεν δυοῖν, λάλημα οὐκ οἶδ' ὁποῖον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλ' οὖν τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν ἀγαθόν, κἂν ἀγέραστός εἰμι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἐγώ. σὺ δέ, ὦ μακαριώτατε, προβαίνοις ἀεὶ τῷ καλῷ, εὐχόμενός μοι ἀενάως τὴν σωτηρίαν· ὅτι δὲ κἀγὼ μνημονεύω σου-καὶ τί γὰρ ἂν ἄλλο μετὰ θεὸν ἢ τὸ σὲ ἀναπνέειν; διέσπασαν ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς σου τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἀθανάσιον (προσθήκη πόνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ στεφάνων), ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸν Νεκτάριον· ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν ἄκοντα, οὐ πολὺ τὸ λυπηρόν, εἰ δὲ ἐκ συνθήματος, φεῦ τῆς ἐμῆς ταλαιπωρίας· πλὴν ὁποτέρως ἤρθη δείξειεν ὁ καιρός. ἐμονώθης σχεδόν, ἔχων τὸν καλόν μου Ἄνθον καὶ Ἐπιφάνιον. χαριτώσειεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος ἐπὶ τῇ ὑπηρεσίᾳ τῆς ὁσιότητός σου, οὓς καὶ προσαγορεύω πλεῖστα καὶ εὔχομαι φανῆναι μέχρι θανάτου συνεπομένους σοι. τί τἆλλα; θεὸς ἐπίδοι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κληρονομίαν καὶ βραβεύσειεν εἰρήνην ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Ἀσπάζονταί σε δουλοπρεπῶς οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφοί. 73 {1Τῷ αὐτῷ}1 ∆ὶς ἄρτι ἐπιστέλλω μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ Βυζαντίου ἄφιξιν τῆς ἁγιωσύνης σου. ἐγὼ δὲ καθ' ἑκάστην ἐβουλόμην τοῦτο ποιεῖν, εἰ οἷόν τε ἦν· ὅμως χάριν τῷ θεῷ ἀναθετέον, ὅτι ἐν τοσούτῳ διαστήματι ἔδωκεν ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἐντὸς ὀλίγου χρόνου τῇ τοῦ γράμματος μεσιτείᾳ ὁμιλῆσαι ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλοις, ἠγαπημένε. Ἡ μὲν οὖν τῆς ποντοπορίας μέριμνα κατέληξεν ἡμῖν· πιστεύομεν γὰρ τῷ θεῷ ἀποσεσῶσθαί σε ἀκινδύνως μέχρις οὗ περιωρίσθης τόπου