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of priests. What need is there to say much? Christ is dishonored and persecuted through the rejection of his holy image. If it is so with Christ, what of the Theotokos or any of the servants of God? These things are for lamentations and wailings; these things we used to hear from our own fathers, who knew from experience what had happened then, but now they stand before us humble ones, exceedingly grievous. But lift up, O father, your palms to heaven; but propitiate God; but stretch out a right hand of intercession for me too, the idle and sinful, that we may bear all things with joy, whatever Christ might grant us to suffer for his sake, not fearing, by God's command, those who can kill the body, but him who has power to cast both this and the soul into the unquenchable fire of Gehenna. 90 {1To Hilarion the Archimandrite}1 I found an opportunity late in the day to greet my holy father by letter; for as your honor knows, with the heresy raging and we having been settled far away by exile, it is rare to find a letter-carrier, and especially a faithful one. I desire, therefore, to learn of your paternity, where and how you are and were treated by the lawless ones. In any case, as one who excels the many in virtue, I suspect you have suffered many afflictive and distressing things; for where the strength according to God is deep, there also the war of the adversaries is bitter. But nonetheless it is also for you, O father, to say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." But you know how many of our order have abandoned us, whose names I will willingly pass over, having loved the present age. Alas for the calamity, alas for the defeat! If the light in you, he says, is darkness, how great is the darkness? And if the salt has lost its taste, with what will it be salted? I speak, lamenting and convulsing. These things, father, it is not for me to teach you. The bellows have failed, the prophet says, in vain the refiner refines. How many things our hierarch and true shepherd, how many things the brotherhood to itself? And all in vain; a small assault of the contrary wind and the ship of souls with all hands is in the depth of impiety. To them may it be granted one day to recover and to fight back against the defeat; but may the good God guard you as you contend, toiling for the great benefit of his church, for the boast of Byzantium, for the glory of the monks, but indeed also praying for me, his sinful child, that I may remain safe, following you my holy fathers. 91 {1To the two brothers, the Grammarians}1 My letter has no power to console a soul in pain, such as yours, my revered fathers, from the experience and the imprisonment-torture of those who do evil. But nonetheless, since it brings some relief to speak out and to hear, I thought it good in both respects to write now, showing you that the disposition within me is supremely characterized by love for your reverence, and that I am not a little concerned for your preservation, considering for what reason you alone, among others, are held there by the hands of a lawless man, who makes the saints of the Lord live terribly. O the long-suffering of God, who utterly rejects the things being done, so that the tested character of the faith of those who suffer may be known to be more precious than gold, and that for those who do them a call to repentance may be prepared, or else the judgment for their sins may be fulfilled. You suffer, I know, my fathers, bitter and unbearable things (for how could it be otherwise?), having indeed a terrible tormentor, and one so much so that he surpasses all in impiety, but not having, as many of the contenders do, our own people and acquaintances, which is known to be a great comfort to those who are in misery. What then shall we say to these things? That which is clearly sung to you from apostolic lips, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Therefore share with us, O revered ones, who are unsteadfast, of your manly endurance, strengthen our easily shaken souls with your sacred

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ἱερέων. τί πολυλογεῖν δεῖ; Χριστὸς ἀτιμώμενος καὶ διωκόμενος διὰ τῆς ἀθετήσεως τοῦ ἱεροῦ αὐτοῦ χαρακτῆρος. εἰ δὲ Χριστοῦ οὕτως, τί τῆς Θεοτόκου ἢ οὑτινοσοῦν τῶν θεοῦ θεραπόντων; ταῦτα θρήνων καὶ ὀδυρμῶν· ταῦτα ἠκουτίζετο μὲν ἡμῖν παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων πατέρων, πείρᾳ εἰδότων τὰ τότε συμβεβηκότα, νῦν δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς ταπεινοῖς παρίσταται ἄγαν ἀνιῶντα. Ἀλλὰ ἆρον, ὦ πάτερ, πρὸς τὸν οὐρανόν σου τὰς παλάμας· ἀλλ' ἱλέωσαι θεόν· ἀλλὰ ὄρεξον δεξιὰν πρεσβευτικὴν κἀμοὶ τῷ ἀδρανεῖ καὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ, ἐνεγκεῖν ἡμᾶς πάντα μετὰ χαρᾶς ὅσα καὶ χαρίσοιτο Χριστὸς δι' αὐτὸν παθεῖν, μὴ φοβουμένους θεοκελεύστως τοὺς ἀποκτένειν δυναμένους τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ τὸν καὶ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐμβαλεῖν ἔχοντα ἐξουσίαν ἐν τῷ ἀσβέστῳ πυρὶ τῆς γεέννης. 90 {1Ἱλαρίωνι ἀρχιμανδρίτῃ}1 Εὗρον ὀψὲ τοῦ καιροῦ ἀσπάσασθαι τὸν ἐμὸν ἅγιον πατέρα διὰ γράμματος· ὡς γὰρ γινώσκει σου ἡ τιμιότης, τῆς αἱρέσεως μαινομένης καὶ μακρὰν ἡμῶν ἀπῳκισθέντων διὰ τῆς ἐξορίας, σπάνιον εὑρεῖν γραμματηφόρον καὶ μάλιστα πιστόν. γλίχομαι οὖν μαθεῖν τὰ τῆς πατρότητός σου, ποῦ καὶ πῶς καὶ ἔνεστι καὶ περιενέχθη ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνομούντων. πάντως δέ, ὡς τῶν πολλῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν προύχοντα, πολλά σε παθεῖν ὑποτοπάζω θλιπτικὰ καὶ στενωστικά· οὗ γὰρ ἡ κατὰ θεὸν ἰσχὺς βαθεῖα, ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ τῶν ἐναντίων πόλεμος πικρός. ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ σοῦ ἐστιν, ὦ πάτερ, λέγειν πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστῷ. οἶδας δὲ πῶς ἡμᾶς ἐγκατέλιπον οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ὁμοταγῶν, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα ἑκὼν ὑπερβήσομαι, ἀγαπήσαντες τὸν νῦν αἰῶνα. φεῦ τῆς συμφορᾶς, φεῦ τῆς ἥττης· ἐὰν τὸ φῶς, φησί, τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος, τὸ σκότος πόσον; καὶ ἐὰν τὸ ἅλας μωρανθῇ, ἐν τίνι ἁλισθήσετι; ποτνιώμενος καὶ σφαδάζων φῶ. ταῦτα, πάτερ, ἐπὶ σὲ οὐκ ἔστι διδάξαι. ἐξέλιπεν φυσητήρ, ὁ προφήτης φησίν, εἰς μάτην ἀργυροκόπος ἀργυροκοπεῖ. πόσα ὁ ἱεράρχης ἡμῶν καὶ ἀληθινὸς ποιμήν, πόσας ἡ ἀδελφότης πρὸς ἑαυτήν; καὶ ἕωλα πάντα· μικρὰ προσβολὴ ἐναντίου πνεύματος καὶ αὔτανδρος ἡ ναῦς τῶν ψυχῶν βυθῷ τῆς ἀσεβείας. Ἐκείνοις μὲν δοθείη ὀψέ ποτε ἀνανήξασθαί τε καὶ ἀναμαχήσασθαι τὴν ἧτταν· σὲ δὲ ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς φυλάξειεν ἐναθλοῦντα, κοπιῶντα, εἰς μέγα ὄφελος τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίας, εἰς αὔχημα τῆς Βυζαντίδος, εἰς κλέος τῶν μοναστῶν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ τέκνου αὐτοῦ προσευχόμενον, ἵνα σῶος διαμείνοιμι, ἑπόμενος ὑμῖν τοῖς ἁγίοις μου πατράσι. 91 {1Τοῖς Γραμματικοῖς τοῖς δυσὶν ἀδελφοῖσ}1 Οὐδὲν ἰσχύει τὸ γράμμα τὸ ἐμὸν πρὸς παράκλησιν ὀδυνωμένης ψυχῆς, οἵα ἡ ὑμετέρα τῶν ἐμοὶ σεβασμίων πατέρων ἐκ τῆς πείρας καὶ φρουρητικῆς βασάνου τῶν κακούντων. ἀλλ' ὅμως, ἐπειδὴ ῥᾳστώνην τινὰ φέρει τὸ ἐξειπεῖν καὶ ἀκοῦσαι, κατ' ἀμφότερα καλῶς ἔχειν ἔδοξα καὶ νῦν ἐπιστεῖλαι, ὑποδεικνὺς ὑμῖν τὴν ἐνοῦσάν μοι διάθεσιν τῇ πρὸς τὴν σεμνότητα ὑμῶν ἀγάπῃ ἄκρως κεχαρακτηρίσθαι, ἐμμέριμνόν τε εἶναι οὐκ ὀλίγως εἰς τὴν περιφύλαξιν ὑμῶν, ὑπολογιζομένην δι' ἣν αἰτίαν τῶν ἄλλων μόνον ὑμᾶς κατέχεσθαι ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι ὑπὸ χειρῶν ἀνόμου, δεινὰ ζῆν ποιοῦντος τοὺς τοῦ Κυρίου ὁσίους. ὢ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ μακροθυμίας, ἀναινομένης τῶν πραττομένων πάντως, ἵνα τῶν πασχόντων τὸ δοκίμιον τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν πίστεως χρυσίου τιμαλφέστερον γνωρισθῇ, τῶν δὲ δρώντων ἔκκλησις ὁδοποιηθῇ πρὸς μετάνοιαν, εἴτουν ἀναπληρωθῇ τὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπόκριμα. πάσχοιτε, οἶδ' ὅτι, πατέρες μου, πικρὰ καὶ δύσοιστα (πῶς γὰρ οὔ;), ἔχοντες μὲν δεινὸν τὸν κακοῦντα καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον τῶν πάντων ὑπερβάλλοντα τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ, οὐκ ἔχοντες δὲ ὡς οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀθλούντων τοὺς ἡμεδαποὺς καὶ γνωρίμους, ὅπερ οἶδεν πλεῖστα παραμυθεῖσθαι τοὺς ταλαιπωρουμένους. τί οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα ἐροῦμεν; τὸ ὑμῖν ᾀδόμενον ἐξ ἀποστολικῶν χειλέων ἐναργῶς, οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι δόξαν εἰς ἡμᾶς. ∆ιὸ μετάδοτε ἡμῖν, ὦ σεβαστοί, τοῖς ἀστηρίκτοις τῆς ἀνδρικῆς ὑμῶν καρτερίας, τονώσατε ἡμῶν τὰς εὐσαλεύτους ψυχὰς ταῖς ἱεραῖς