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for the sake of truth, the pillar of orthodoxy and the foundation of the church. But what sort of place and the hearth that received you, and its owners, turns about in our mind's contemplation, sketched out in various forms, perhaps unsuitable; in short, whatever they might be, I know that your God-lovingness would bear it, having been accustomed to suffer hardship in the testimonies for Christ. For concerning us sinners, there is nothing newer than what was already known to you, except that a rumor has spread that we are to be transferred elsewhere again. But the earth is the Lord's in any case, wherever we might be cast away, if you would not cease to pray that we conduct ourselves in good things with mind and heart and soul; for we confess to be subject to countless errors. But the affairs of the heresy increase daily according to our sins and as it were boil over with the fire of tortures and exiles, with a very great many abbots resisting by the grace of Christ, not to mention subordinates. And indeed, the one who was once a persecutor of Christ is now suffering for his sake, Joseph, the most pious abbot. See then the loving-kindness of God, brother, how he wishes to save all. But observe again the deceitful enemy; he has taken away the one who was never faithful, but in many ways a traitor, Nectarius, who was once ours, but is now with the impious. And what is more wretched, is that he is one of those demanding the written professions of impiety from the abbots of the countryside. Therefore do not be surprised, O man of God, nor let it grieve you much, although it is by no means without grief that the lawless one has gone out from our bosom; since Judas too was from among the apostles. And may they find mercy, our faithful brothers who are dying with you, whom I also greet most warmly, especially my good Anthos, if he is with you, and my namesake Athanasius. Those with me with reverence kiss your footsteps. 74 {1To Euthymius of Sardis}1 Your holiness was put at a distance from us sinners by authority, on account of the one who has authority over all, but not in the spirit, by which it is rather dear to God to be united; since many of those physically united are not with one another on account of the deprivation of the spirit. So that even if the ruler should strive to separate us to the very ends of the inhabited world, he could not part us from one another, and especially with God being pleased for us to see and speak to one another through letters. This then is my first point. The second is, the remote place to which you were confined, causing anxiety for your preservation on account of the nearby barbarian land. Nevertheless, your affairs are in the Lord's hand, who, protecting you, may keep you safe from every evil. But perhaps God, wishing to set like certain stars his own chosen ones in the firmament of faith, has sent abroad manly men such as you, one here, another there, so that the brilliance of orthodoxy might not pass around one place, but might enlighten many of the uninitiated. Therefore, rise up like the bright morning star with your sun-like teachings and create a day of salvation for those who battle in the night, or also strengthen those who are weak from lack of light. May you be a fellow-prisoner with Paul, or if not, then a fellow-contestant with Athanasius; for his great glory came from the West. Thus we, in our affection, converse as sons with our good father, trying to stir up the holy sparks within your God-lovingness, so that the torch of your teaching might blaze up more. Since, as you know, the night is hard and the darkness deep, much more destructive than the ninth plague in Egypt, carrying along and confusing and darkening not bodies, but the very souls, which is most pitiful. The ruler roars, threats, blows, imprisonments, mistreatments, trials, public mockings, flatteries, exiles, every kind of fear and deceit whatsoever. But who are shining forth and have been strengthened other than our Nazirites, the sinews of the church, the first-fruits of holiness, of whom the world is not worthy? along with the many who are counted is also the most pious abbot of Keramea; for so he must be called who has fought back against his defeat. And blessed is the Lord who has many witnesses in the present persecution for the strengthening of the blameless faith. Therefore let not yours fall silent

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ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας, ὁ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας στῦλος καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἑδραίωμα. ὁποῖος δὲ ὁ χῶρος καὶ ἡ ὑποδεξαμένη σε ἑστία, οἵ τε κτήτορες, ἐνστρέφεται ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ κατὰ νοῦν θεωρίᾳ ποικίλαις μορφαῖς διαζωγραφούμενα, μήπως δύσχρηστα· ὅλως ὁποῖά ποτ' ἂν εἶεν, οἶδ' ὅτι ἐνέγκοι ἡ θεοφιλία σου, ἐνειθισμένη ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρίοις. Περὶ γὰρ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐδέν τι καινότερον τῶν προεγνωσμένων σοι ἢ ὅτι λόγος ἐρρύη μεθορίζεσθαι ἡμᾶς ἀλλαχοῦ πάλιν. τοῦ Κυρίου δὲ ἡ γῆ πάντως, ἐφ' ἣν ἂν παραρριφῶμεν, εἴπερ μὴ διαλείποις προσεύχεσθαι ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἡμᾶς ἀναστρέφεσθαι διανοίᾳ καὶ καρδίᾳ καὶ ψυχῇ· ὁμολογοῦμεν γὰρ μυρίοις σφάλμασιν ὑποκεῖσθαι. τὰ δὲ τῆς αἱρέσεως αὔξει καθ' ἑκάστην κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ οἱονεὶ παφλάζει τῇ πυρᾷ τῶν βασάνων καὶ ἐξοριῶν, ἐνισταμένων χάριτι Χριστοῦ πλείστων ὅτι μάλιστα ἡγουμένων, ἐῶ λέγειν ὑποτακτιτῶν. καί γε ὁ ποτὲ διώκτης Χριστοῦ νῦν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάσχων, Ἰωσὴφ ὁ εὐλαβέστατος ἡγούμενος. ἴδε οὖν θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἀδελφέ, πῶς σῴζειν ἐθέλει πάντας. ἀλλὰ ἄθρει πάλιν τὸν δόλιον ἐχθρόν· ἦρεν τὸν οὐδέποτε πιστόν, ἀλλὰ πολλαχῶς προδότην, Νεκτάριον τὸν ποτὲ ἡμέτερον, νῦν δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν. καὶ τό γε σχετλιώτερον, ὅτι εἷς ἐστι τῶν τὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας χειρόγραφα ἀπαιτούντων παρὰ τῶν καθηγουμένων τῆς ἔξω χώρας. μὴ οὖν θαυμάσῃς, ὦ ἄνθρωπε τοῦ θεοῦ, μηδὲ λυπήσῃ σε πολύ, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ ἄλυπον πάντως τὸ ἐκ τοῦ κόλπου ἡμῶν ἐξελθεῖν τὸν ἄνομον· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐξ ἀποστόλων Ἰούδας. εὕροιεν δὲ ἔλεος οἱ συναποθνῄσκοντές σοι πιστοὶ ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν, οὓς καὶ προσαγορεύω πλεῖστα, ἐξαιρέτως τὸν καλόν μου Ἄνθον, εἰ σύνεστι, καὶ τὸν φερώνυμον Ἀθανάσιόν μου. Οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ μετ' αἰδοῦς κατασπάζονταί σου τὰ ἴχνη. 74 {1Εὐθυμίῳ Σάρδησ}1 Ἐμακρύνθη σου ἡ ὁσιότης ὑπὸ ἐξουσίας διὰ τὴν ἁπάντων ἐξουσίαν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἀλλ' οὐ τῷ πνεύματι, ᾧ μᾶλλον ἑνοῦσθαι φίλον θεῷ· ἐπεὶ πολλοὶ τῶν σωματικῶς ἡνωμένων οὐ σὺν ἀλλήλοις διὰ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος στέρησιν. ὥστε οὐδ' ἂν εἰς αὐτὰ τὰ τέρματα τῆς οἰκουμένης φιλονεικήσοι διάραι ἡμᾶς ὁ κρατῶν, χωρίσειεν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, καὶ μάλιστα εὐδοκοῦντος θεοῦ γράμμασιν ὁρᾶν ἡμᾶς καὶ ὁμιλεῖν ἀλλήλοις. Οὗτος δή μοι ὁ πρῶτος λόγος. δεύτερος, ἡ ἐσχατιὰ εἰς ἣν περιωρίσθης, μέριμναν ἐμποιοῦσα τῆς διαφυλάξεώς σου διὰ τὴν ἐγγύθεν βαρβαρικὴν χώραν. πλὴν ἐν χειρὶ Κυρίου τὰ σά, ὅς σε περιέπων διαφυλάξειεν ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ. τάχα δὲ βουλόμενος ὁ θεὸς διᾴττειν ὥσπερ τινὰς ἀστέρας τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ ἐκλεκτοὺς ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τῆς πίστεως ἄλλον ἀλλαχοῦ τῶν ὡς σὺ ἀνδρικῶν ἀνδρῶν διεπέμψατο, ὡς ἂν μὴ περὶ ἕνα χῶρον ἡ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας λαμπηδὼν διαβαίνοι, πολλοὺς δὲ φωτίζοι τῶν ἀμυήτων. τοιγαροῦν ἀνάτειλον ὡς ὁ λαμπρὸς ἑωσφόρος τὰς ἡλιακάς σου διδασκαλίας καὶ δημιούργησον ἡμέραν σωτηρίας τοῖς νυκτομαχοῦσιν, ἢ καὶ ἐπίρρωσον τοὺς ἐκ φωτολειψίας ἀσθενοῦντας. γένοιο Παύλῳ σύνδεσμος, εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ Ἀθανασίῳ σύναθλος· ἐκ ∆ύσεως γὰρ αὐτῷ τὸ πολὺ κλέος. Οὕτως ἡμεῖς φιλοπαθοῦντες τῷ καλῷ πατρὶ υἱικῶς διαλεγόμεθα, τοὺς ἐν τῇ θεοφιλίᾳ σου ἱεροὺς σπινθῆρας ἀνασκαλεύειν πειρώμενοι, ὡς ἂν πλέον ὁ τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτῆς πυρσὸς ἀναλάμψειεν. ἐπειδή, ὡς οἶσθα, νὺξ χαλεπὴ καὶ σκότος βαθύ, πολὺ τῆς κατ' Αἴγυπτον ἐνάτης πληγῆς ὀλεθριώτερον, συμφέρουσα καὶ συγχέουσα καὶ ζοφοῦσα οὐ σώματα, ἀλλὰ ψυχὰς αὐτὰς τὸ ἐλεεινότατον. βρέμει ὁ κρατῶν, ἀπειλαί, πληγαί, φυλακαί, κακώσεις, δοκιμασίαι, ἐξεγχελήσεις, κολακεῖαι, ἐξορίαι, πᾶν ὁτιοῦν εἶδος φόβου καὶ ἀπάτης. διαλάμπουσι δὲ καὶ κεκραταίωνται τίνες ἄλλοι ἢ οἱ καθ' ἡμᾶς Ναζιραῖοι, τὰ νεῦρα τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τὰ ἀκροθίνια τῆς ὁσιότητος, ὧν οὐκ ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος; σὺν πολλοῖς τοῖς ἀριθμουμένοις καὶ ὁ εὐλαβέστατος ἡγούμενος τῶν Κεραμέα· οὕτω γὰρ κλητέον τὸν τὴν ἧτταν ἀναμαχησάμενον. καὶ εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ πολλοὺς ἔχων μάρτυρας ἐν τῷ νῦν διωγμῷ εἰς στηριγμὸν τῆς πίστεως τῆς ἀμωμήτου. Μὴ οὖν παρασιωπησάτω σου