123

of truth. Therefore I remind you, who are firmly fixed upon the unshakable rock of orthodoxy, not to be turned from your general resistance, nor to become easily frightened and wavering at the falls of certain people, whether laity or monks or those who seem to be something, or simply anyone at all; for such men are false brethren, false apostles, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Many who seemed wise and appeared as high priests and were thought holy have been captured in times past; but a few truly wise men have shone as lights in the world, who live in the fear of God, since the beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord, and who do not think themselves to be of great worth; because man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. I exhort you further, temper yourself with the coal of divine love, cutting off every attachment; for thus you will cut off the assaults that are to come. For do not at all suppose you will remain untried either in word or in deed; for the devil envies you, having received a mortal blow on your account. "that even a woman rises up against me," he says, "and this one under the yoke, and in a conspicuous position," saying something like this; "I cannot bear it, I will set in motion against her still more of my devices: her husband, her child, her whole bloodline, her fellow nobles, her acquaintances, her male servants, her female servants, her property, and in addition to these, pitiful tears, entreaties, promises; but if I fail in this, I will turn to another form, I will bring royal threats, the envy of those of equal rank, saying "4aha!"5, "4shall she alone excel all? who and what is she?"5, still more insults, scoffs, sneers, mockeries, sometimes even spitting, perhaps also slaps, perhaps also blows, perhaps even death." See, sister in the Lord, that you do not give in. These are the marks of Christ, these are heavenly crowns, making you a new martyr; for were not those women too of the same flesh, noble, very wealthy, cut off from their husbands by the sword of the spirit? Thus the word suggests that you be prepared, sister-mother, lest the tempter devil entice you in anything, so that you may strengthen many by your own example, and save them, that you may dance eternally in the kingdom of God. Pray for me; I greet in the Lord your sapling and fellow-contestant. 157 {1To John, Bishop of Sardis}1 I have not yet heard up to now, where your paternal holiness might be confined; therefore I have waited, restraining my hand and not finding a way to fulfill my desire. Therefore, winged by the hope of attaining what is desired, I have sent this present letter and I know that I will not be cheated of my hope in the Lord. But come, tell me, O great father, how is the exile and where, and what sort of place has received you, and the natives and the neighbors? Are they favorable and of the chosen part, both of them, or are both the opposite and perverse? Except that for Christ’s sake even difficult things are easy and sorrowful things are full of joy. Blessed are you, persecuted for the sake of truth from your own church and exiled very far from the one that bore you; blessed are you, mocked for the Lord’s sake and struck with fists by the impious before the Caiaphan sanhedrin. With Christ you were made a spectacle along with your fellow-contestants, with Christ you were condemned; and you did not ascend the cross, because it was not the time, but you went forth bearing the cross, having been insulted and reviled by the lawless; from which also the crown of righteousness is for you from heaven, woven by angels. Come now, crown of fathers, bring your divine struggles into the midst, join to them also those that follow; for it is still a time of witness to the world for the church of Christ. Be unswerving (I remind you with respect, having long ago received permission to speak from your extreme humility) from the good confession, for which you received honorable dishonors as prizes and which you confessed before God and men. to suffer for Christ is to struggle on behalf of his holy icon; for, says Basil the Great, neither is the power over both divided nor is the glory partitioned. But the Christ-fighters not only partition, but also dishonorably

123

ἀληθείας. ∆ιὸ ὑπομνήσκω μὴ τραπῆναι τὸ καθόλου τῆς ἐνστάσεως, ἐπὶ τὴν ἀσάλευτον πέτραν τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ἐρηρεισμένην σε, μηδὲ εὐπτόητον καὶ ἀμφοτερίζουσαν γενέσθαι ταῖς τινων καταπτώσεσιν εἴτε λαϊκῶν εἴτε μοναστῶν καὶ δοκούντων εἶναί τι εἴτε ἁπλῶς οὑτινοσοῦν· οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι ψευδάδελφοι, ψευδαπόστολοι, ἔχοντες μόρφωσιν εὐσεβείας, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἠρνημένοι. πολλοὶ δοκησίσοφοι καὶ ἀρχιεροφανεῖς καὶ ἁγιόδοκοι ἐν τοῖς πάλαι ἑαλώκεσαν· ἔλαμψαν δὲ ὡς φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ ὀλίγοι καὶ ἀληθινοὶ σοφοί, οἵτινές εἰσι φόβῳ θεοῦ διαζῶντες, ἐπείπερ ἀρχὴ σοφίας φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Κύριον, καὶ μὴ οἰηθέντες εἶναι πολλοῦ ἄξιοι· ἐπειδὴ ἄνθρωπος εἰς πρόσωπον, θεὸς δὲ εἰς καρδίαν ὁρᾷ. Παρακαλῶ ἔτι, στόμωσον ἑαυτὴν τῷ ἄνθρακι τῆς θείας ἀγάπης, κόπτουσα πᾶσαν προσπάθειαν· οὕτω γὰρ συγκόψεις τὰς προσβολὰς τὰς μελλούσας. μὴ γὰρ πάντως οἴου ἀβασάνιστος διαμένειν εἴτε λόγῳ ἢ καὶ ἔργῳ· φθονεῖ σε γὰρ ὁ διάβολος, λαβὼν καιρίαν πληγὴν ἐπὶ σοί. "ὅτι καὶ γυνή μου κατεξανίσταται", φησί, "καὶ ταύτη ὑπὸ ζυγόν, καί γε ἐν περιφανείᾳ", τοιαῦτά πως λέγων· "οὐ φέρω, κινῶ κατ' αὐτῆς ἔτι μου πολλὰς μηχανάς, τὸν ἄνδρα, τὸ τέκνον, τὸ αἷμα ὅλον, τὰς ὁμοσυγκλήτους, τὰς γνωρίμους, τοὺς παῖδας, τὰς παιδίσκας, τὴν περιουσίαν, πρὸς τούτοις ἐλεεινὰ δάκρυα, παρακλήσεις, ὑποσχέσεις· εἰ δέ γε ἐντεῦθεν ἀποτύχω, μετέρχομαι ἐπὶ τὸ ἕτερον εἶδος, προσάγω βασιλικὰς ἀπειλάς, φθόνους τῶν ὁμοαξίων, "4οὐά"5, λεγόντων, "4ἐκείνη μόνη ὑπερέξει πάντων; ὅστις καὶ ποία;"5, ὕβρεις ἔτι, χλευασμούς, μυκτηρισμούς, καταγέλωτας, ἐνίοτε καὶ ἐμπτυσμούς, μὴ καὶ ῥαπίσματα, μὴ καὶ κολαφίσματα, μὴ καὶ θάνατον". Ὅρα, ἀδελφὴ ἐν Κυρίῳ, μὴ ἐνδώσῃς. ταῦτα Χριστοῦ στίγματα, ταῦτα στέφανοι οὐράνιοι, νέαν σε μάρτυρα ποιοῦντα· μὴ γὰρ κἀκεῖναι οὐχ ὁμοιόσαρκοι, εὐγενίδες, πολύολβοι, ἐξ ἀνδρὸς τμηθεῖσαι μαχαίρᾳ τοῦ πνεύματος; οὕτως σε ὁ λόγος παρασκευάσθαι ὑποτίθεται, ἀδελφομήτηρ, μή σε δελεάσῃ ἔν τινι ὁ πειραστὴς διάβολος, ἵνα πολλοὺς τῷ οἰκείῳ ὑποδείγματι στερεώσῃς, καὶ σώσῃς, ὅπως χορεύσῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ αἰώνια. Προσεύχου περὶ ἐμοῦ· ἀσπάζομαι ἐν Κυρίῳ τὴν ὅρπηκά σου καὶ σύναθλον. 157 {1Ἰωάννῃ ἐπισκόπῳ Σάρδησ}1 Οὔπω μοι μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο ἤκουσται, ποῦ ποτ' ἂν εἴη περιωρισμένη ἡ πατρική σου ἁγιωσύνη· διὸ ὑπέμεινα συνέχων τὴν χεῖρα καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκων πληρῶσαί μου τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. ἐλπίδι οὖν πτερωθεὶς ἐπιτεύξασθαι τοῦ ποθουμένου ἐπέστειλα τὸ παρὸν καὶ οἶδ' ὅτι οὐ διαψευσθήσομαι τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐν Κυρίῳ. ἀλλά γε δεῦρο φράσον, ὦ μεγαλοπάτορ, πῶς ἡ ἐξορία καὶ ποῦ καὶ οἷος ὁ ὑποδεξάμενός σε χῶρος, οἵ τε αὐτόχθονες καὶ οἱ πλησιάζοντες; ἆρα δεξιοὶ καὶ τῆς ἐκλεκτῆς μερίδος ἑκάτερα ἢ ἄμφω τὰ ἐναντία καὶ σκολιάζοντα; πλὴν ὅτι διὰ Χριστὸν καὶ τὰ δυσχερῆ εὐχερῆ καὶ τὰ λυπηρὰ περιρχαρῆ. μακάριος εἶ, ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας δεδιωγμένος τῆς οἰκείας ἐκκλησίας καὶ ἐξωρισμένος πορρωτέρω τῆς ἐνεγκαμένης· μακάριος εἶ, διὰ Κύριον ἐμπαιχθεὶς καὶ κονδυλισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ καϊαφαϊκοῦ συνεδρίου. μετὰ Χριστοῦ ἐθεατρίσθης σὺν τοῖς ὁμάθλοις, σὺν Χριστῷ κατεδικάσθης· καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν μὲν οὐκ ἀνῆλθες, ὅτι μὴ καιρός, σταυροφορῶν δὲ ἐξῆλθες, προπηλακισθεὶς καὶ διασυρθεὶς παρὰ τῶν παρανόμων· ἐξ οὗ καὶ ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης σοι στέφανος οὐρανόθεν ἀγγελόπλοκος. Ἄγε δή, πατέρων κορωνίς, εἰς μέσον τοὺς θείους σου ἀγῶνας, σύναψον αὐτοῖς καὶ τοὺς ἑξῆς· ἔτι γὰρ καιρὸς μαρτυρίου εἰς κόσμον τῇ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ. ἀπαράτρεπτος ἔσο (μετ' αἰδοῦς ὑπομνήσκω, λαβὼν ἔκπαλαι ἐπιτροπὴν τοῦ λέγειν ἐξ ἄκρας σου ταπεινοφροσύνης) τῆς καλῆς ὁμολογίας, ἧς ἔλαβες ὡς ἔπαθλα τὰς ἐντίμους ἀτιμίας καὶ ἣν ὡμολόγησας ἐνώπιον θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων. διὰ Χριστόν ἐστι παθεῖν τὸ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁγίας αὐτοῦ εἰκόνος ἀθλῆσαι· οὔτε γάρ, φησὶν ὁ Μέγας Βασίλειος, τὸ κράτος ἐπ' ἀμφοῖν σχίζεται οὔτε ἡ δόξα μερίζεται. οἱ δὲ χριστομάχοι οὐ μόνον μερίζουσιν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἀτίμως