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by your prayers, propitiate God to hasten to compassion for those who have lost their patience and are mindful of the times, but not of their souls; and may the Lord hear, making His visitation swift and not delaying. 92 {1To Stephen my cousin}1 I learned that you too are being held by the ill-named heretics, my most genuine and honored one; and I was grieved that it was from another pretext, but I rejoiced greatly that your imprisonment is for Christ. For those who are now impious grant everything, receiving in return what they seek. But thanks be to Christ who strengthened you to disregard all things for the sake of one thing alone, not to be impious, which will be for you to the glory of your soul, to human honor, to the boast of virtue, to every good thing whatsoever. Let us bear, therefore, brother, the imprisonment for the Lord, the affliction, the distress, in exchange for which eternal gladness will dawn upon you, life without end. And for now, an angel is the one who tends you, becoming your hearth-companion; your acquaintances praise you, the orthodox acclaim you; all things are running together for your good and will run together for you as you complete the race by the strength of Christ. Let me know, if you can, your own situation by letter, praying for me, brother, unceasingly, for I am a sinner beyond every man. 93 {1To the candlemaker}1 In these days, a mere greeting and address to those exiled for Christ is a great sign of friendship and piety, but to also send gifts is a sign of very much longing and divine zeal. Such is my beloved master toward my lowliness, and your dispatchs are sweet, kindlings of light, such symbols of the purity of your soul and of the far-shining orthodoxy of your mind. For now, as you see, the affairs of the church are in night and storm, submerging not bodies, for that is not yet the terrible thing, but that it is immortal souls that are shipwrecked. And oh, the terrible misfortune, of no torch being visible nor, again, a harbor in these parts. Be on guard, therefore, beloved, steering an orthodox course, unsubmerged by the heretical triple waves, raising your eye to heaven, from which we also await a savior, the Lord of glory, whom they dare to dishonor through the dishonor of his holy icon, those who do the same things as the Jews. This is our small address as a return of love to your beloved honor, along with our sinful prayer, having no other gift in reciprocation. 94 {1To Leo the perfume-seller}1 I am writing to you as to a man of God and as a genuine friend and as a pious man and as a fiery zealot. You see what the present circumstances are, O beloved, what a fire is burning the church of God, clearly kindled from previous kindlings. The flame of adultery consumed us, the missile of the adulterous union spent us, and because of them, I say, the persecutions and imprisonments, punishments and exiles and upheavals, and I might add not unreasonably the things before these concerning the Simonians and on account of the Simonians (for the church of God does not know how to avenge its own with scourges, exiles and imprisonments), then in addition to these the things on account of the Paulicians and against the Paulicians. For the ecclesiastical law does not bear a knife and sword and scourges against anyone; for, he says, all who take up the sword will die by the sword. But nevertheless since all these things were put into effect, the very summit of evils has also come forth as from the recesses of Hades, this Christ-fighting heresy, destroying all. Oh, oh, the terrible things, and it is possible for us to say, there is not in this time either sacrifice or offering or incense, no place to bring fruit before you and to find mercy. Therefore I beseech your God-lovingness to guard against the godless communion of the heretics and to extend a hand, as far as is possible, to those who are perishing, but also indeed to the pious, which it is your custom to do always, in deed, in word, because it is for the immortal soul that the danger is run. If you do so, I know that God will also be your helper for safety from danger, giving in return

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προσευχαῖς, ἱλεώσασθε θεὸν ἐπιταχύναι εἰς συμπάθειαν τῶν ἀπολελωκότων τὴν ὑπομονὴν καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ φροντιζόντων, ἀλλ' οὐ ψυχῶν· καί γε εἰσακούσειεν ὁ Κύριος, ταχεῖαν καὶ μὴ βραδύνουσαν ποιούμενος τὴν ἐπισκοπήν. 92 {1Στεφάνῳ ἀνεψιῷ}1 Ἔμαθον ὡς κρατεῖσαι καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ τῶν δυσωνύμων αἱρετικῶν, ὦ γνησιώτατέ μοι καὶ τιμιώτατε· καὶ ἐλυπήθην μὲν ὅτι ἐξ ἀφορμῆς ἄλλης, ἐχάρην δὲ λίαν ὅτι διὰ Χριστὸν ἡ φυλακή σου. πάντα γὰρ χαρίζονται οἱ νῦν ἀσεβοῦντες, ἀντιλαμβάνοντες ὃ ζητοῦσιν. ἀλλὰ χάρις τῷ ἐνδυναμώσαντί σε Χριστῷ πάντα παριδεῖν ὑπὲρ ἑνὸς μόνου, τοῦ μὴ ἀσεβῆσαι, ὃ γενήσεταί σοι εἰς κλέος ψυχῆς, εἰς δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην, εἰς ἀρετῆς αὔχημα, εἰς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Ἐνέγκωμεν οὖν, ἀδελφέ, τὴν διὰ Κύριον φρουράν, τὴν θλῖψιν, τὴν στενοχωρίαν, ἀνθ' ὧν ἀνατελεῖ σοι εὐφροσύνη αἰώνιος, ζωὴ ἀτελεύτητος. καὶ τανῦν δὲ ἄγγελός ἐστιν ὁ περιέπων σε, ὑφέστιός σοι γιγνόμενος· αἰνοῦσίν σε οἱ γνώριμοι, εὐφημοῦσιν οἱ ὀρθόδοξοι· πάντα σοι εἰς καλὸν συντρέχει καὶ συνδραμεῖται τελειοῦντι ἰσχύει Χριστοῦ τὸν δρόμον. σήμανόν μοι, εἰ δύνῃ, καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ σαυτοῦ διὰ γραμμάτων, προσευχόμενός μοι, ἀδελφέ, ἀνεπιλήστως, ὅτι ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι ὑπὲρ πάντα ἄνδρα. 93 {1Κηροπράτῃ}1 Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις μέγα φιλίας καὶ εὐσεβείας δεῖγμα χαιρετισμὸς καὶ προσηγορία ψιλὴ εἰς τοὺς διὰ Χριστὸν ἐξωρισμένους, τὸ δὲ καὶ δωρεὰς ἀποστέλλεσθαι πολλοῦ ὅτι μάλιστα τοῦ πόθου καὶ τοῦ θείου ζήλου. τοιοῦτος ὁ ἠγαπημένος μου δεσπότης πρὸς τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου, καὶ αἱ ἀποστολαί σου ἡδεῖαι, φωτὸς ὑπεκκαύματα, σύμβολα τοιαῦτα τῆς κατὰ ψυχήν σου καθαρότητος καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸ φρόνημα ὀρθοδόξου τηλαυγήσεως. νῦν γάρ, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἐν νυκτὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ ζάλῃ, καταποντιζούσῃ οὐ σώματα, οὔπω γὰρ τὸ δεινόν, ὅσον τὸ ψυχὰς εἶναι τὰς ἀθανάτους τὰς ναυαγούσας. καὶ ὢ τῆς δεινῆς συμφορᾶς, πυρσοῦ μὴ φαινομένου μηδ' αὖ λιμένος ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι. Φυλάττου τοιγαροῦν, ἀγαπητέ, κυβερνώμενος ὀρθοδόξως, ἀκαταβαπτίστως ταῖς αἱρετικαῖς τρικυμίαις, εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνατείνων τὸ ὄμμα, ἐξ οὗ καὶ σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης, ὃν ἀτιμάζειν τολμῶσι δι' ἀτιμίας τῆς ἁγίας αὐτοῦ εἰκόνος οἱ τὰ Ἰουδαίων ἴσα πράττοντες. αὕτη ἡμῶν ἡ μικρὰ προσφώνησις εἰς ἀντίδοσιν ἀγάπης τῇ φιλουμένῃ σου τιμιότητι μετὰ καὶ προσευχῆς ἡμῶν ἁμαρτωλῆς, μὴ ἐχόντων ἄλλο ἀμοιβαῖον δῶρον. 94 {1Λέοντι ἀρωματοπράτῃ}1 Ἐπιστέλλω σοι καὶ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὡς φίλῳ γνησίῳ καὶ ὡς εὐσεβεῖ ἀνδρὶ καὶ ὡς ζηλωτῇ διαπύρῳ. ὁρᾷς οἷα τὰ παρόντα, ὦ φιλότης, οἷον πῦρ ἐμπρῆζον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, δῆλον ὅτι ἐκ τῶν προλαβόντων ὑπεκκαυμάτων ἐξηρτυμένον. ἔφαγεν ἡμᾶς ἡ φλόξ τῆς μοιχείας, ἐδαπάνησεν ἡμᾶς ἡ βολὶς τῆς μοιχοζευξίας, αἱ δι' αὐτάς, φημί, διώξεις καὶ φυλακαί, ποιναί τε καὶ ἐξορίαι καὶ ἀναβρασμοί, προσθείην δ' ἂν οὐκ ἀπεικότως καὶ τὰ πρὸ τούτων ἐπὶ τῶν Σιμωνιανῶν καὶ διὰ τοὺς Σιμωνιανοὺς (οὐ γὰρ ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ μάστιξιν, ἐξορίαις τε καὶ φυλακαῖς τὰ ἑαυτῆς οἶδεν ἐκδικεῖν), εἶτα πρὸς τούτοις τὰ διὰ τοὺς Παυλικιάνους καὶ κατὰ τῶν Παυλικιάνων. οὐ γὰρ μάχαιραν καὶ ξίφος καὶ μάστιγας ὁ νόμος ὁ ἐκκλησιαστικὸς φέρει κατά τινος· πάντες γάρ, φησίν, οἱ λαβόντες μάχαιραν μαχαίρᾳ ἀποθανοῦνται. ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα πάντα ἐνηργήθη, συνεξελήλυθε καὶ ὁ τῶν κακῶν κολοφὼν ὡς ἐκ μυχῶν τοῦ ᾅδου, ἥδε ἡ χριστομάχος αἵρεσις, πάντας ὀλεθριοῦσα. ὢ ὢ τῶν δεινῶν, καὶ ἡμῖν ἔξεστι λέγειν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ οὔτε θυσία οὔτε προσφορὰ οὔτε θυμίαμα, οὐ τόπος τοῦ καρπῶσαι ἐνώπιόν σου καὶ εὑρεῖν ἔλεος. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ σου τὴν θεοφιλίαν φυλάττεσθαι τῆς ἀθέου κοινωνίας τῶν αἱρετιζόντων χεῖράς τε ὀρέγειν, καθ' ὅσον οἷόν τε, τοῖς ἀπολλομένοις, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν, ὅπερ σοι καὶ σύνηθες ποιεῖν πάντοτε, ἔργῳ, λόγῳ, ὅτι περὶ ψυχῆς τῆς ἀθανάτου τὸ κινδυνευόμενον. ἂν οὕτω ποιῇς, οἶδ' ὅτι καὶ θεός σοι εἰς ἀσφάλειαν κινδύνου ἔσται ἐπίκουρος, ἀποδιδούς