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rejoicing at the sight and the news together, we gave thanks to the Lord. But you seemed to think it sufficient that we, having learned from a living voice, did not require a written letter. And it is not so. And yet you did not give us an answer by mouth concerning what we asked, both whether it is possible to write to the exiled bishops and whether it is good to compose in iambic meter against the iconoclasts, not so much for the benefit of others, as for my own, so as to distract my mind which is drawn away by improper things. Therefore write, whenever someone comes, if nothing else, that you are well and the brothers are safe. For I desire your brief address as I do not the long discourses of others; for where do I breathe, if not for you, my heart? But it is necessary for my Proterius to be sent again to those in the city for the examination of our brothers, carrying, as I think is good, also a letter from you to those with Abba Gregory, anointing them for fortitude (for it is necessary for others to do this, let alone us; but I for now have shrunk back in fear of the examination), and to those in the Stoudios, words of encouragement by mouth, and that I am praying for them and am anxious. Do not be afraid, child. Christ is with us, even if we walk in the midst of the shadow of death. Why do you tell me that some are coming here? Those whom you send, I see; who they are, I do not ask, for you take good precautions. See through both brother Adrianos and the chelandion whom you send and when. It is clear that it is both necessary and necessarily so; for for now be content concerning yourself and as the Lord prospers. Read, have work, pray fervently; may the Lord save you. I greet my Kallistos. Those with me greet you. 109 {1To the same}1 From both your first and second letter I was pleased, my child, and overjoyed, both at the steadfastness of your soul and the unwaveringness of your faith and your endurance and readiness for anything whatsoever; and thanks be to the Lord, who strengthens and confirms you in his fear. By His providence, the Lord has arranged for you to be unguarded until the present, so that the necessary services may be accomplished. I also saw the good Gaianus and my soul was nourished by the explanation concerning the ten. I was grieved by one thing, concerning the two brothers once from Pelekete, that they were not managed as our members and brothers. But if it is possible, and as much as the love of God requires, let them be managed. I have accepted everything that was now sent. I took rest in the parchments, in everything whatsoever; may the Lord give you rest in return, my child, in his kingdom. Waiting for the heretics you grow weary, but this too is for your testing. Help brother Tithoios, be contrite (since it is written, let brothers be useful to you in necessities), whom you should also greet on my behalf. And I beseech both him and the other that, as you labor in all things, you also show a fitting disposition towards your brother Abba Peter and give him what is needed as far as possible; for he has indicated to me that you have left him unprovided for. Greet on our behalf, above all and as you command, brother Dometian and the assistant steward; whom also tell that I have received your letters. May God forgive you in all things; Christ be with you all. 110 {1To the same}1 I saw brother Silvanus together with Dorotheus, by the good pleasure of Christ, my beloved child; and I said "by good pleasure," because they have not come for evil or at an inopportune moment, even if I am wicked, having come to their father and at such a time. I saw them in safety, just as they came, having met with me somehow unobserved; to whom I also gave orders nowhere to speak randomly of the meeting, in which circumstances I also sent them away in peace, having found Silvanus as I longed for. And you yourself, receive him in a brotherly way as he comes to you with the good Dorotheus of his own impulse and purpose, loving and revering you greatly; for, as you heard, he did not fake his arrival to you first, but he makes his defense by word of mouth. And I have instructed him according to his station and simply

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θέᾳ ὁμοῦ τε καὶ τῇ ἀγγελίᾳ εὐθυμήσαντες εὐχαριστήσαμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ. ἔδοξας δὲ ἀρκεῖσθαι ζώσῃ φωνῇ μαθόντας ἡμᾶς μὴ χρῄζειν ἐπιστολιμαίου λόγου. καὶ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει. καίτοι οὐδὲ διὰ στόματος ἔδωκας ἡμῖν ἀπόκρισιν περὶ ὧν ἐρωτήσαμεν, τοῦ τε εἰ δυνατὸν ἐπιστεῖλαι τοῖς ἐξορισθεῖσιν ἐπισκόποις καὶ τοῦ εἰ καλὸν διὰ ἰαμβικῶν μέτρων ποιῆσαι κατὰ εἰκονομάχων, οὐ τοσοῦτον δι' ἄλλων ὠφέλειαν, ὅσον δι' οἰκείαν, εἰς τὸ ἀντιπερισπᾶσθαι τὸν νοῦν μου ἐξελκόμενον ἐκ τῶν ἀτόπων. Γράφε τοιγαροῦν, ὁσάκις παραγένηταί τις, κἂν μὴ ἄλλο τι, ὅτι ἔρρωσαι καὶ σῴζονται οἱ ἀδελφοί. θέλω γὰρ τὴν μικράν σου προσηγορίαν ὡς οὐκ ἄλλων τοὺς μακροὺς λόγους· ποῦ γὰρ καὶ ἀναπνέω, ἀλλ' ἢ πλὴν σοῦ, τῆς καρδίας μου; ἀναγκαῖον δέ ἐστιν αὖθις ἀποσταλῆναι τὸν Προτέριόν μου ἐν τοῖς ἐν ἄστει ἐπὶ διαγνώσει τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, κομιζόμενον, ὡς δοκῶ εἶναι καλόν, καὶ γραμματεῖόν σου πρὸς τοὺς περὶ τὸν ἀββᾶν Γρηγόριον, ἐπαλείφων αὐτοὺς εἰς εὐσθένειαν (δέον γὰρ καὶ ἄλλους τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, μή τί γε ἡμᾶς· ἐγὼ δὲ τέως ὑπεστάλην δέει τῆς διαγνώσεως), πρὸς δὲ τοὺς εἰς τὰ Στουδίου ὄντας λόγους παρακλητικοὺς διὰ στόματος καὶ ὡς εὐχόμενός εἰμι ἐγὼ περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ ἀγωνιῶν. Μὴ δείσῃς, τέκνον. ὁ Χριστὸς μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἐὰν καὶ πορευθῶμεν ἐν μέσῳ σκιᾶς θανάτου. ἔρχεσθαι ὧδέ τινας ἐμοὶ τί δηλοῖς; οὓς πέμπεις, ὁρῶ, τίνα, οὐ ζητῶ· καλῶς γὰρ ἀσφαλίζῃ. ὅρα διά τε τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Ἀδριανοῦ καὶ τοῦ χελανδίου τίνα πέμποις καὶ πότε. δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἀναγκαῖον καὶ ἀναγκαίως· περὶ σοῦ γὰρ τέως στέρξον καὶ ὡς ὁ Κύριος εὐοδοῖ. Ἀναγίνωσκε, ἔχε ἔργον, εὔχου θερμῶς· ὁ Κύριός σε σώσοι. προσαγορεύω τὸν Κάλλιστόν μου. προσαγορεύουσίν σε οἱ σὺν ἐμοί. 109 {1Τῷ αὐτῷ}1 Ἀπό τε τῆς πρώτης καὶ δευτέρας σου ἐπιστολῆς ἥσθην, τέκνον μου, καὶ ὑπερήσθην καὶ τὸ σταθερὸν τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ τὸ ἀνενδοίαστον τῆς πίστεώς σου καὶ τὸ πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν καρτερικὸν καὶ εὐπρόθυμόν σου· καὶ χάρις Κυρίῳ, τῷ ὀχυροῦντι καὶ βεβαιοῦντί σε εἰς τὸν φόβον αὐτοῦ. οἰκονομῶν ᾠκονόμησεν ὁ Κύριος ἕως τοῦ παρόντος ἀφύλακτόν σε εἶναι, ἵνα αἱ δέουσαι διακονίαι τελεσθῶσιν. εἶδον καὶ τὸν καλὸν Γαϊανὸν καὶ ἐτράφην τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκ τῆς περὶ τῶν δέκα ἐξηγήσεως. ἓν ἐλυπήθην, περὶ τῶν δύο ἀδελφῶν τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Πελεκητῆς ποτε, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς μέλη ἡμῶν καὶ ἀδελφοὶ ἐδιοικήθησαν. ἀλλ' εἰ δυνατὸν καὶ ὅσον ἀπαιτεῖ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ διοικηθήτωσαν. Ἀπεδεξάμην πάντα καὶ τὰ νῦν σταλέντα. ἀνεπάην εἰς τὰς βεμβράνας, εἰς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν· ἀνταναπαύσειέν σε ὁ Κύριος, τέκνον μου, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ. ἐκδεχόμενοι τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς κάμνετε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο εἰς δοκιμὴν ὑμῶν. συναντιλαβοῦ τῷ ἀδελφῷ Τιθοΐῳ, κατανύγητι (ἐπειδὴ γέγραπται, ἀδελφοὶ ἐν ἀνάγκαις ἔστωσαν ὑμῖν χρήσιμοι), ὃν καὶ ἐξ ἐμοῦ προσαγόρευσον. παρακαλῶ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν κἀκεῖνον ἵνα ὡς ἐν πᾶσιν κοπιᾶτε, ἔτι καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑμῶν τὸν ἀββᾶν Πέτρον ἐνδείξησθε διάθεσιν ἁρμόζουσαν καὶ δοίητε αὐτῷ τὰ πρὸς χρείαν κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν· ἐδήλωσε γάρ μοι ὅτι ἀπρονόητον αὐτὸν ἐάσατε. ὑπὲρ πάντας καὶ ὡς κελεύετε ἐξ ἡμῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ∆ομετιανὸν καὶ τὸν παροικονόμον προσαγόρευσον· ὃν καὶ εἰπὲ ὅτι ἐδεξάμην σου τὰ γράμματα. Ὁ θεὸς συγχωρήσοι σοι ἐν πᾶσιν· ὁ Χριστὸς μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. 110 {1Τῷ αὐτῷ}1 Τὸν ἀδελφὸν Σιλουανὸν ἅμα τῷ ∆ωροθέῳ εὐδοκίᾳ Χριστοῦ, τέκνον μου ἠγαπημένον, εἶδον· εἶπον δὲ εὐδοκίᾳ, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ εἰς κακὸν οὐδ' εἰς ἄκαιρον ἐληλύθασι, κἂν ἐγὼ κακός, πρὸς πατέρα αὐτῶν παραγενόμενοι καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τοιούτῳ. εἶδον μετὰ ἀσφαλείας, ὥσπερ καὶ ἦλθον, ἀσυμφανῶς πως συνοψισθέντες μοι· οἷς καὶ παρήγγειλα μηδαμοῦ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐκφερομυθῆσαι τὴν συνόψισιν, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἀπέστειλα αὐτοὺς μετ' εἰρήνης, εὑρὼν τὸν Σιλουανὸν ὡς ἐπόθουν. ὃν καὶ αὐτός, ἐρχόμενον πρὸς σὲ μετὰ τοῦ καλοῦ ∆ωροθέου ἐξ οἰκείας ὁρμῆς καὶ προθέσεως, ἀδελφικῶς πρόσδεξαι, φιλοῦντά σε λίαν καὶ σεβόμενον· οὐδὲ γάρ, ὡς ἤκουσας, παρεποιήσατο τὴν πρὸς σὲ πρῶτον ἄφιξιν, πλὴν στόματι ἀπολογεῖται. ἐτύπωσα δὲ αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸ κάθισμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἁπλῶς