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churches were built for a year, and what holy men departed to Phoenicia, and if any further progress has been made. For having found a certain enclosed monk from Nicaea, I persuaded him to come to your Reverence, and to depart to Phoenicia. If therefore he has arrived, be diligent to inform me. Concerning the place of Salamis located in Cyprus, which is besieged by the heresy of the Marcionites, I had spoken with those I ought to, and had accomplished the whole matter, but I was cast out first. If, then, you learn that my lord Cyriacus the bishop is staying in Constantinople, write to him concerning this matter, and he will be able to accomplish the whole thing. And especially exhort those who have confidence before God to use much prayer, much earnestness, so that this shipwreck of the world may cease. For unbearable evils have seized Asia, and other cities and Churches, which things, lest I seem to be troublesome, I will pass over mentioning each one, and this only will I say, that there is need of many prayers, and of earnest supplications. 222. To Castus, Valerius, Diophantus, Cyriacus, presbyters of Antioch. Both the fact that you wrote, and that you were the first to rush to write to us, and that you asked for letters from us, and that you bade us to exceed the measure of a letter, has shown you to be our insatiable and fervent lovers. This does not allow the solitude, in which we are staying, to appear as solitude; this consoles our various and continual trials. For what is 52.734 equal to love? There is nothing. This is the root, and fount, and mother of good things, a virtue that has no toil, a virtue allotted with pleasure, and bringing much gladness to those who genuinely pursue it. For these things we give you much thanks, that you have so genuinely maintained your affection for us; and we, wherever we may be, even if we are carried off to the very ends of the world, even to a place more desolate than this, we will go away carrying you with us, having engraved you on our mind, and stored you in our conscience, and neither the length of the journey, nor the multitude of time, nor the crowd of trials has made us more indifferent concerning your affection, but as if we were with you yesterday and the day before, or rather as being always with you, as indeed we are, so we see you, and picture you with the eyes of love. For such is love; it is not separated by the distance of a journey, it is not withered by a multitude of days, it is not conquered by the occurrence of tribulations, but is always lifted on high, and imitates the course of a flame. And you know this more than all, since you also know how to love more than all; wherefore also we count you exceedingly blessed. For even if we are pitiable and of no account, yet God is able to give you a greater reward for this love, and a much greater one; for from his great abundance he always surpasses in his recompense those who do or say anything good. I for my part, therefore, wished to see you with my own eyes, and to enjoy your company face to face, and to be filled in this way also with your love; but since this is not possible, not through hesitation and sloth, but because I am bound by the necessity of exile, do not at least deprive us of the second voyage, but send us snow-storms of letters, declaring the things concerning your health. For if we were to receive such letters continuously, we will reap much consolation, and that while staying in a foreign land. Knowing therefore how great a favor you will grant us, and in how much gladness you will place us, do not begrudge us so great a pleasure. For in conversing with your letters, we shall consider that you yourselves are present here, and from them we will receive a clearer impression of your presence. 223. To Hesychius. I, for my part, desired, even without having written to your Grace, to receive a letter first; for this is the mark of a most vehement lover; but we did not wait for your letters, but rushed to write first, showing in this also the fervent love which we have for your Grace. But nevertheless for this also to you

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ἐκκλησίαι ἐπ' ἔτος ᾠκοδομήθησαν, καὶ τίνες ἄνδρες ἅγιοι μετέστησαν εἰς τὴν Φοινίκην, καὶ εἴ τις πλέον γέγονε προκοπή. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ Νικαίας εὑρών τινα μονάζοντα ἐγκεκλεισμένον, ἔπεισα αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν, καὶ ἀπελθεῖν εἰς Φοινίκην. Εἰ παραγέγονεν οὖν δηλῶσαί μοι σπούδασον. Τοῦ Σαλαμῖνος ἕνεκεν χωρίου τοῦ κατὰ τὴν Κύπρον κειμένου, τοῦ ὑπὸ τῆς αἱρέσεως τῶν Μαρκιωνιστῶν πολιορκουμένου, ἤμην διειλεγμένος οἷς ἐχρῆν, καὶ κατωρθωκὼς τὸ πᾶν, ἀλλ' ἔφθην ἐκβληθείς. Εἰ τοίνυν μάθοις τὸν κύριόν μου Κυριακὸν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἐπὶ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως διατρίβειν, ἐπίστειλον αὐτῷ ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑποθέσεως, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀνύσαι δυνήσεται. Καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν παῤῥησίαν ἔχοντας παρακάλει πολλῇ κεχρῆσθαι τῇ εὐχῇ, πολλῇ τῇ ἐκτενείᾳ, ὥστε τὸ τῆς οἰκουμένης τοῦτο ναυάγιον παύσασθαι. Ἀφόρητα γὰρ καὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν κατέλαβε κακὰ, καὶ ἑτέρας δὲ πόλεις καὶ Ἐκκλησίας, ἅπερ, ἵνα μὴ δοκῶ διενοχλεῖν, ἀφεὶς τὸ καθ' ἕκαστον λέγειν, ἐκεῖνο μόνον ἐρῶ, ὅτι εὐχῶν πολλῶν χρεία, καὶ δεήσεων ἐκτενῶν. ΣΚΒʹ. Κάστῳ, Οὐαλερίῳ, ∆ιοφάντῳ, Κυριακῷ, πρεσβυτέροις Ἀντιοχείας. Καὶ τὸ γράψαι, καὶ προτέρους ἐπιπηδῆσαι τοῖς πρὸς ἡμᾶς γράμμασι, καὶ τὸ γράμματα παρ' ἡμῶν αἰτῆσαι, καὶ τὸ κελεῦσαι ὑπερβῆναι μέτρον ἐπιστολῆς, ἔδειξε τοὺς ἀκορέστους καὶ μανικοὺς ἡμῶν ἐραστάς. Τοῦτο τὴν ἐρημίαν, ἐν ᾗ διατρίβομεν, οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἐρημίαν φαίνεσθαι· τοῦτο τὰς ποικίλας καὶ συνεχεῖς ἡμῶν περιστάσεις παραμυθεῖται. Τί γὰρ 52.734 ἀγάπης ἴσον; Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδέν. Αὕτη καὶ ῥίζα, καὶ πηγὴ, καὶ μήτηρ ἐστὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀρετὴ πόνον οὐκ ἔχουσα, ἀρετὴ ἡδονῇ συγκεκληρωμένη, καὶ πολλὴν φέρουσα τοῖς γνησίως αὐτὴν μετιοῦσι τὴν εὐφροσύνην. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα χάριν ὑμῖν ἴσμεν πολλὴν, ὅτι οὕτω γνησίως διετηρήσατε τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς διάθεσιν· καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ ὅπουπερ ἂν ὦμεν, κἂν πρὸς αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀπενεχθῶμεν τὰ τέρματα, κἂν εἰς ἐρημότερον τούτου χωρίον, περιφέροντες ὑμᾶς ἄπιμεν, ἐγκολάψαντες ὑμᾶς τῇ διανοίᾳ, καὶ τῷ συνειδότι ἐναποθέμενοι, καὶ οὔτε τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ μῆκος, οὔτε τοῦ χρόνου τὸ πλῆθος, οὔτε ὁ τῶν περιστάσεων ὄχλος ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ἡμᾶς περὶ τὴν ἐμμέλειαν τὴν ὑμετέραν πεποίηκεν, ἀλλ' ὡς χθὲς καὶ πρώην ὑμῖν συγγενόμενοι, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς ἀεὶ μεθ' ὑμῶν ὄντες, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἐσμὲν, οὕτως ὑμᾶς ὁρῶμεν, καὶ φανταζόμεθα τοῖς τῆς ἀγάπης ὀφθαλμοῖς. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸ φιλεῖν· οὐ διείργεται ὁδοῦ διαστήμασιν, οὐ μαραίνεται ἡμερῶν πλήθει, οὐ νικᾶται θλίψεων περιστάσει, ἀλλ' εἰς ὕψος αἴρεται διὰ παντὸς, καὶ φλογὸς μιμεῖται δρόμον. Καὶ τοῦτο ἴστε μάλιστα πάντων, ἐπειδὴ καὶ φιλεῖν μάλιστα πάντων ἐπίστασθε· διὸ καὶ σφόδρα ὑμᾶς μακαρίζομεν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς οἰκτροὶ καὶ εὐτελεῖς, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς ἱκανὸς ὑμῖν δοῦναι τῆς ἀγάπης ταύτης μείζονα τὴν ἀνταμοιβὴν, καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα· καὶ γὰρ ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος ἀεὶ νικᾷ ταῖς ἀντιδόσεσι τοὺς ἀγαθόν τι ποιοῦντας ἢ λέγοντας. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἐβουλόμην καὶ αὐταῖς ὄψεσιν ὑμᾶς ἰδεῖν, καὶ τῆς κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀπολαῦσαι συνουσίας, καὶ ἐμφορηθῆναι καὶ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔνι, οὐ δι' ὄκνον καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ τῇ ἀνάγκῃ τῆς ἐξορίας πεπεδῆσθαι, τὸν γοῦν δεύτερον ἡμᾶς μὴ ἀποστερήσητε πλοῦν, ἀλλὰ πέμπετε ἡμῖν νιφάδας ἐπιστολῶν, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς ὑμετέρας δηλούσας. Εἰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα δεξαίμεθα γράμματα συνεχῶς, πολλὴν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβοντες. Εἰδότες οὖν ἡλίκα ἡμῖν χαριεῖσθε, καὶ ἐν ὅσῃ καταστήσετε ἡμᾶς εὐφροσύνῃ, μὴ φθονήσητε τῆς τοσαύτης ἡμῖν ἡδονῆς. Ὁμιλοῦντες γὰρ ὑμῶν τοῖς γράμμασιν, αὐτοὺς ὑμᾶς ἡγησόμεθα ἐνταῦθα παρεῖναι, καὶ τρανοτέραν ἐντεῦθεν τῆς παρουσίας ὑμῶν ληψόμεθα τὴν φαντασίαν. ΣΚΓʹ. Ἡσυχίῳ. Ἐγὼ μὲν ἐπεθύμουν καὶ μὴ γράψας πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἐμμέλειαν πρότερος δέξασθαι ἐπιστολήν· τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα ἐραστοῦ σφοδροτάτου· οὐκ ἀνεμείναμεν δὲ ἡμεῖς τὰ σὰ γράμματα, ἀλλὰ πρότεροι τῷ γράφειν ἐπεπηδήσαμεν, τὸν θερμὸν ἔρωτα, ὃν περὶ τὴν σὴν ἐμμέλειαν ἔχομεν, κἀν τούτῳ δεικνύντες. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτου σοι