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which was implanted in the souls of all from God and from His most beautiful way of life. Then indeed, then 520 those who were subject to his father attached themselves more to him, and, putting away all error, they proclaimed the truth. And the house of Joasaph grew and became strong, but the house of Abenner diminished and grew weak, just as the Book of Kings declares concerning David and Saul. XXXIX Seeing these things, king Abenner, late and with difficulty coming to his senses, condemned the weakness and empty deceit of his falsely-named gods. And having again assembled the chief men of the council, he brought to light the things he was contemplating. And with all confirming the same things (for the dayspring from on high had visited them, the Savior having heard the prayer of his servant Joasaph), it seemed good to the king to make these things known to his son. Therefore, on the next day he writes a letter to Joasaph containing the following: King Abenner to his most longed-for son Joasaph, greetings. Many thoughts, entering into my soul, terribly tyrannize me, dearest son. For seeing all our things failing, in the way that smoke vanishes, but the things of your religion shining brighter than the sun, and coming to my senses, I have recognized that the things always said to me by you are true, and that a deep darkness of sins and of impiety covered us, so that from this we were not even able to look towards the truth and to perceive the 522 Creator of all; but also a light so far-shining revealed to us through you, shutting our eyes, we were unwilling to see, having shown you many evils, and pitiably, alas, having slain not a few of the Christians, who, being strengthened by the invincible power that worked with them, in the end prevailed against our cruelty. But now, having removed that thick mist from our eyes, we see a certain small gleam of the truth, and repentance for our former evils enters in. But another cloud of terrible despair, spreading over, tries to darken even this gleam, setting forth the multitude of my evils, and that I am already abominable to Christ and unacceptable, as having become an apostate and His enemy. What then do you yourself say to these things, sweetest child? Make it clear to me most quickly, and teach me what your father must do, and lead me by the hand to the knowledge of what is expedient. Having received this letter, Joasaph, and having gone through its contents, was filled in his soul with both pleasure and wonder. And entering at once into his own chamber and falling on his face before the image of the Lord, he drenched the ground with tears, at once giving thanks and praise to the Master, and moving his lips of exultation to psalmody: I will exalt you, he said, my God and my king, and I will bless your name for ever and for ever and ever; you are great, Lord, and greatly to be praised, and of your greatness 524 there is no end. And who will tell of your mighty acts, or make all your praises to be heard, you who turned the rock into pools of water and the flint into springs of water? For behold, this flinty and harder-than-rock heart of my father, at Your will, was softened like wax. For You are able even from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. I thank you, merciful Master, God of mercy, that you have been and are long-suffering with our trespasses, and until now have allowed us to be unpunished. For we were long ago worthy to be cast away from your presence and to be made an example in this life, like the lawless inhabitants of the Pentapolis, who were burned up with fire and brimstone; but your incomparable long-suffering has shown kindness to us. I, the humble and unworthy one, thank you, even if not

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ἥτις ἐκ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ καλλίστης πολιτείας ἐνεφυτεύθη ταῖς πάντων ψυχαῖς. τότε δὴ τότε 520 καὶ οἱ τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ ὑποκείμενοι αὐτῷ μᾶλλον προσετίθεντο, καί, τὴν πλάνην πᾶσαν ἀποτιθέμενοι, τὴν ἀλήθειαν εὐηγγελίζοντο. καὶ ὁ μὲν οἶκος τοῦ Ἰωάσαφ ηὔξανε καὶ ἐκραταιοῦτο, ὁ δὲ οἶκος τοῦ Ἀβεννὴρ ἠλαττονοῦτο καὶ ἠσθένει, καθάπερ δὴ περὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ καὶ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν διαγορεύει βίβλος. χχχιῃ Ταῦτα ὁρῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀβεννὴρ, ὀψὲ καὶ μόλις εἰς συναίσθησιν ἐλθών, τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κατεγίνωσκε ψευδωνύμων θεῶν τῆς ἀσθενείας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης. καὶ ἐκκλησιάσας αὖθις τοὺς πρώτους τῆς βουλῆς τὰ μελετώμενα αὐτῷ εἰς φῶς ἐξῆγε. πάντων δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ βεβαιούντων (ἐπεσκέψατο γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀνατολὴ ἐξ ὕψους, ὁ Σωτὴρ τῆς δεήσεως ἀκούσας τοῦ θεράποντος αὐτοῦ Ἰωάσαφ), ἔδοξε τῷ βασιλεῖ δῆλα ταῦτα τῷ υἱῷ ποιῆσαι. γράφει οὖν τῇ ἑξῆς ἐπιστολὴν τῷ Ἰωάσαφ περιέχουσαν οὕτως· Βασιλεὺς Ἀβεννὴρ τῷ ποθεινοτάτῳ υἱῷ Ἰωάσαφ, χαίρειν. Λογισμοὶ πολλοί, εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ὑπεισερχόμενοι ψυχήν, δεινῶς, φίλτατε, τυραννοῦσιν, υἱέ. τὰ γὰρ ἡμέτερα πάντα ἐκλείποντα ὁρῶν, ὃν τρόπον καπνὸς ἐκλείπει, τὰ τῆς σῆς δὲ θρησκείας λάμποντα ὑπὲρ ἥλιον, εἰς αἴσθησιν δὲ ἐλθών, ἀληθῆ τὰ παρὰ σοῦ μοὶ ἀεὶ λεγόμενα ἔγνωκα εἶναι, καὶ ὅτι σκότος ἡμᾶς βαθὺ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐκάλυπτεν, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν διαβλέψαι καὶ τὸν ἁπάντων ∆ημιουργὸν 522 καταμαθεῖν ἠδυνάμεθα· ἀλλὰ καὶ φῶς οὕτω τηλαυγέστερον διὰ σοῦ ἀναδειχθὲν ἡμῖν, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς μύσαντες, ἡμεῖς ὁρᾶν οὐκ ἠθελήσαμεν, πολλὰ μέν σοι κακὰ ἐνδειξάμενοι, ἐλεεινῶς δὲ φεῦ καὶ τῶν Χριστιανῶν οὐκ ὀλίγους ἀνελόντες, οἵτινες, τῇ συνεργούσῃ αὐτοῖς ἀμάχῳ δυνάμει κραταιούμενοι, διὰ τέλους πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν ὠμότητα ὑπερέσχον. νυνὶ δέ, τὴν παχεῖαν ἐκείνην ἀχλὺν τῶν ἡμετέρων ὀμμάτων περιελόντες, αὐγήν τινα μικρὰν τῆς ἀληθείας ὁρῶμεν, καὶ τῶν προτέρων μεταμέλεια εἰσέρχεται κακῶν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτην τὴν αὐγὴν νέφος ἄλλο δεινῆς ἀπογνώσεως ἐπιπολάζον σκοτίζειν πειρᾶται, τὸ πλῆθος προβαλλόμενον τῶν ἐμῶν κακῶν, καὶ ὅτι βδελυκτὸς ἤδη ἐγὼ τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ ἀπρόσδεκτός εἰμι, ὡς ἀποστάτης καὶ πολέμιος αὐτοῦ γεγονώς. τί οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα, τέκνον γλυκύτατον, λέγεις αὐτός, δῆλά μοι τάχιστα ποίησον, καὶ τί δεῖ ποιεῖν με τὸν σὸν πατέρα δίδαξον, καὶ πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν χειραγώγησον τοῦ συμφέροντος. Ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὁ Ἰωάσαφ δεξάμενος, καὶ τὰ ἐμφερόμενα ἐπελθών, ἡδονῆς ὁμοῦ καὶ θαύματος τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπληροῦτο. εἰς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ δὲ ταμιεῖον εἰσελθὼν εὐθὺς καὶ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πεσὼν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ∆εσποτικοῦ χαρακτῆρος, δάκρυσι τὴν γῆν κατέβρεχεν, εὐχαριστῶν ὁμοῦ τῷ δεσπότῃ καὶ ἐξομολογούμενος, καὶ χείλη ἀγαλλιάσεως κινῶν πρὸς ὑμνῳδίαν· Ὑψώσω σε, λέγων, ὁ Θεός μου καὶ βασιλεύς μου, καὶ εὐλογήσω τὸ ὄνομά σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· μέγας εἶ, Κύριε, καὶ αἰνετὸς σφόδρα, καὶ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης σου 524 οὐκ ἔστι πέρας. καὶ τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας σου, ἀκουστὰς ποιήσει πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις σου, τοῦ στρέψαντος τὴν πέτραν εἰς λίμνας ὑδάτων καὶ τὴν ἀκρότομον εἰς πηγὰς ὑδάτων; ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἡ ἀκρότομος αὕτη καὶ πέτρας σκληροτέρα καρδία τοῦ ἐμοῦ πατρός, σοῦ θελήσαντος, ὡσεὶ κηρὸς ἐμαλάχθη. δυνατὸν γάρ σοι καὶ ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ. εὐχαριστῶ σοι, ∆έσποτα φιλάνθρωπε, Θεὲ τοῦ ἐλέους, ὅτι ἐμακροθύμησας καὶ μακροθυμεῖς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἕως τοῦ νῦν ἀτιμωρήτους ἡμᾶς εἴασας εἶναι. ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ἄξιοι ἦμεν πάλαι ἀπορριφθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου καὶ παραδειγματισθῆναι ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ, ὡς οἱ τὴν Πεντάπολιν οἰκοῦντες παράνομοι, πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ κατακαυθέντες· ἡ δὲ ἀνείκαστός σου μακροθυμία ἐφιλανθρωπεύσατο εἰς ἡμᾶς. εὐχαριστῶ σοι ὁ εὐτελὴς ἐγὼ καὶ ἀνάξιος, εἰ καὶ μὴ