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EPISTLE 44. ... TO JOHN ... CONCERNING A WARD. 44. By the same to John the cubicularius concerning a ward. (15B_438> Through the Law and the Prophets long ago to men, as a good God, having in many ways legislated love for one another, at the end of the ages through Himself He 0644 fulfilled this as one who loves mankind, by becoming man. Not only loving us as Himself, but even more than Himself; just as the power of the mystery also clearly teaches those who have piously received the confession of faith in Him. For if willingly, as if liable, He submitted Himself by His will to suffering and death on behalf of us who, as liable, were obliged to suffer, it is surely clear to anyone who has in any way perceived the grace, that He loved us more than Himself, us for whom He gave Himself over to death by His will, and, as exceedingly good, though the saying be bold, He chose the timely insult on our behalf according to the economy as more honorable than His own glory by nature. For the return to Him of those who have strayed has truly become an exceeding honor and abounding glory of God, and a progress and manifestation more public than His natural glory. And nothing is more proper to Him for the sake of glory than the salvation of men; for which, is every word and every mystery; and indeed the most mysterious mystery of all, God Himself for love's sake truly becoming man by the assumption of flesh animated with a mind and reason, and unchangeably receiving into Himself the (15B_440> passions of nature, in order to save man, and to give us men Himself as an example for virtue, and a living image of goodwill and love toward Him and one another, able to persuade all to a due requital.

Since, therefore, it is a law of God, both old and new, that we love one another as much as we have been loved; and to make one another's misfortunes our own so much, that we even exchange dispositions with one another in requital because of the bond of love, according to the commandment that bids us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep; I beseech my God-guarded and blessed master, who has the one and only purpose of following Jesus, who passed through the heavens, through equal love for mankind, being in no way bound by any family tie to this deceitful world and its ruler; for the present world is truly deceitful, always luring through deceit to the desire of corruptible things, and binding fast in the slavery of material things those who are by nature free and heirs of heavenly goods; to play through pleasure and to steal away those who allow themselves to be held by these things.

Knowing, therefore, as I said, that my blessed master has the one purpose of being saved, I beseech you, upon receiving my master who is with him, the most magnificent Illustrious lord Theocharistus, who brings this my humble letter, to be for him all things in which he needs your assistance, after God, or rather, with God, as much as we wish God, and our neighbor, 0645 to be for us ourselves, in the things for which we pray. For he is truly a good man, and a temple of every work of righteousness, and a genuine protector, after God, of my sojourn; and a ready comforter of my many and frequent and grievous infirmities; and in short, according to the power he possesses, (15B_442> he has assisted both me and many others. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from Him on that day, because he has become a refreshment and consolation to many. Wherefore, if I have found favor in the eyes of my blessed master, and he counts me among those beloved by him according to God, let him by all means take his part with all zeal, nothing unjust, as he has come

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ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Μ∆'. ... ΠΡΟΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ ... ΠΕΡΙ ΘΕΤΙΚΗΣ. Μ∆´. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Ἰωάννην κουβικουλάριον περί θετικῆς. (15Β_438> ∆ιά νόμου καί προφητῶν πάλαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὡς ἀγαθός ὁ

Θεός τήν εἰς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπην πολυτρόπως νομοθετήσας, ἐπί τέλει τῶν χρόνων δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ ταύτην 0644 ἐπλήρωσε ὡς φιλάνθρωπος, γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος. Οὐκ ἀγαπήσας μόνον ἡμᾶς ὡς ἑαυτόν, ἀλλά καί ὑπέρ ἑαυτόν· καθώς καί ἡ τοῦ μυστηρίου δύναμις διδάσκει σαφῶς, τούς εὐσεβῶς τήν εἰς αὐτόν τῆς πίστεως ὁμολογίαν παρειληφότας. Εἰ γάρ ἐκών ὡς ὑπεύθυνος ἑαυτόν κατά θέλησιν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν τῶν παθεῖν ὀφειλόντων ὡς ὑπευθύνων πάθει καί θανάτῳ προΐσχετο, παντί που τῷ κἄν ποσῶς ᾐσθημένῳ τῆς χάριτος δῆλόν ἐστιν, ὡς ὑπέρ ἑαυτόν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς τούς ὑπέρ ὧν ἑαυτόν κατά θέλησιν τῷ θανάτῳ παρέδωκε, καί τῆς ἰδίας κατά φύσιν δόξης ὡς ὑπεράγαθος, κἄν τολμηρός ὁ λόγος, τήν κατ᾿ οἰκονομίαν εὐκαίρως ὑπέρ ἡμῶν ὕβριν ὡς τιμιωτέραν προείλατο. Τιμή γάρ ὑπερβάλλουσα καί δόξα Θεοῦ πλεονάζουσα, καί τῆς φυσικῆς δόξης μᾶλλον εἰς τό φανερόν πρόοδός τε καί ἔνδειξις καθέστηκεν ἀληθῶς, ἡ πρός αὐτόν τῶν πεπλανημένων ἐπάνοδος. Καί οὐδέν αὐτῷ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίας εἰς δόξης λόγον ἐστίν οἰκειότερον· ὑπέρ ἧς, ἅπας λόγος καί ἅπαν μυστήριον· καί τό δή πάντων μυστήριον μυστηριωδέστατον, αὐτός ὁ Θεός ὑπέρ ἀγάπης ἀληθῶς κατά πρόσληψιν σαρκός νοερῶς τε καί λογικῶς ἐψυχωμένης γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος, καί εἰς ἑαυτόν τά (15Β_440> πάθη τῆς φύσεως ἀτρέπτως καταδεξάμενος, ἵνα σώσῃ τόν ἄνθρωπον, καί δῷ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡμῖν ἑαυτόν ὑπέρ ἀρετῆς ὑποτύπωσιν, καί τῆς εἰς αὐτόν τε καί ἀλλήλους εὐνοίας τε καί ἀγάπης εἰκόνα ζῶσαν, δυσωπῆσαι πάντας δυναμένην πρός ὀφειλομένην ἀντίδοσιν.

Ἐπειδή τοίνυν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμος ἐστί παλαιός τε καί νέος ἀλλήλους ἡμᾶς τοσοῦτον ἀγαπᾷν, ὅσον καί ἠγαπήμεθα· καί τοσοῦτον ἀλλήλων οἰκειοῦσθαι τάς συμφοράς, ὥστε καί εἰς ἀλλήλους κατά ἀντίδοσιν διά τήν σχέσιν τῆς ἀγάπης ἀλλήλων ἀμείβεσθαι τάς διαθέσεις, κατά τήν χαίρειν μετά χαιρόντων καί κλαίειν μετά κλαιόντων κελεύουσαν ἐντολήν· παρακαλῶ τόν θεοφύλακτον καί εὐλογημένον μου δεσπότην, ἕνα καί μόνον ἔχοντα σκοπόν ἀκολουθῆσαι διά τῆς ἴσης φιλανθρωπίας τῷ διεληλυθότι τούς οὐρανούς Ἰησοῦ, μηδενί καταδεθέντα τό παράπαν πατριᾶς δεσμῷ πρός τοῦτον τόν πλάνον κόσμον καί κοσμοκράτορα· πλάνος γάρ ὄντως ὁ παρών κόσμος ὑπάρχει, δι᾿ ἀπάτης ἀεί δελεάζων πρός ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν φθειρομένων, καί τῇ δουλείᾳ τῶν ὑλικῶν ἐνδιασφίγγων τούς κατά φύσιν ἐλευθέρους καί τῶν οὐρανίων ἀγαθῶν κληρονόμους· τό παίζειν δι' ἡδονῆς καί ὑποκλέπτειν τούς κρατεῖσθαι τούτοις ἀνεχομένους.

Ἕνα τοίνυν, ὡς ἔφην, τόν τοῦ σωθῆναι σκοπόν ἔχοντα τόν εὐλογημένον μου δεσπότην γινώσκων, παρακαλῶ δεχόμενον τόν σύν αὐτῷ μου δεσπότην τόν μεγαλοπρεπέστατον Ἰλλούστριον κύριον θεοχάριστον, τόν ἐπιφερόμενον τήν παροῦσάν μου μετρίαν συλλαβήν, γενέσθαι αὐτῷ πάντα ἐν οἷς τῆς αὐτοῦ μετά Θεόν, μᾶλλον δέ, σύν Θεῷ, ἐπικουρίας δεῖται, ὅσα τόν Θεόν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι, καί τόν πλησίον, 0645 βουλόμεθα, περί ὧν δεώμεθα. Ἄνθρωπος γάρ ὄντως ἐστίν ἀγαθός, καί παντός ἔργου δικαιοσύνης ναός, καί τῆς ἐμῆς παροικίας προστάτης μετά Θεόν γνήσιος· καί τῶν πολλῶν καί συχνῶν καί χαλεπῶν ἀσθενειῶν παρήγορος πρόθυμος· καί ἁπλῶς, κατά τήν ὑποῦσαν αὐτῶ δύναμιν, (15Β_442> κἀμοί καί πολλοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπήρκεσεν. ∆ῴη αὐτῷ Κύριος εὑρεῖν ἔλεος παρ᾿ αὐτῷ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, διότι πολλῶν γέγονεν ἀνάπαυσις καί παρηγορία. Ὅθεν εἴπερ ηὗρον χάριν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῦ εὐλογημένου μου δεσπότου, καί τοῖς ἠγαπημένοις αὐτῷ κατά Θεόν ἔχει με σύμψηφον, πάντως αὐτοῦ διά πάσης σπουδῆς ἀντιλάβηται, μηδέν ἄδικον, ὡς ἦκεν