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of recurring turmoil upon all the confessors of Christ; therefore, test all things, says the apostle, hold fast to what is good. Therefore do not forget my lowliness, beloved one and namesake of the much-suffering one, to pray without ceasing that I may be delivered from the snares of the devil, both as to the inner and the outer man. 170 {1To the Abbot Panagros}1 Love is not a tolerable thing; for it is neither confined by place nor extinguished by a time of trial, as is the case with those accustomed to love superficially and carnally, who, whenever some cycle of hardship occurs, become distant and opposed to their beloved ones. We, the humble, are not such, even if in other respects we are worthy of groaning on account of our sins, but rather we are accustomed to intensify the bond of love in trials; for which reason, being separated by so great a distance, we could not bear, and this while being in custody, not to fulfill the duty of love and visit your holiness by letter, O honored fathers. For we have learned that you have left the monastery and have gone into hiding on a mountain in obedience to the commanding precept, because of the Christ-fighting persecutors. And blessed are you, who have considered all things secondary for Christ's sake and, to speak in the apostolic manner, wandering on mountains and in caves and in the holes of the earth. But even if such a life is grievous to the flesh, nevertheless, brothers, it is a precursor of eternal life and a rival to the life of the saints; for who from ages past has been shown to have pleased God without trial? And the apostle also bears witness, saying, and all who want to live piously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, but evil men and impostors will proceed to what is worse, deceiving and being deceived. Such are those who now choose heresy and persecute Christ through his holy icon, along with that of his holy mother and of all the saints together, and utterly despise them in all cities and countries, for this is the nature of an icon, to be a likeness of the archetype and of what it is called, says Gregory the Theologian; and again Basil the Great, for the honor of the icon passes over to the prototype. And it is not yet the time to speak at length, both because your own diligence has been sufficiently tested in the things of the truth and because I have exceeded the measure of a letter. I exhort you therefore, holy fathers, to hold fast the confession of the faith, unwavering to the end, and not to grow slack at all from the tripping up of the mind-deceived false brothers; for they have been greatly deceived, having communed against Christ. But pray also for us sinners, to complete the struggle set before us in Christ, who girds even the weak with power. 171 {1To Parthenius, my child}1 O good Parthenius, soldier of God, my own true child, are you too among the athletes of Christ? Are you too a champion of orthodoxy, small in age and great in courage? Come, tell me, my desired son, how did you choose to suffer for Christ? How did you bear to be flogged with the long-lived ones, you young man of Christ, with the first down on your cheek, you rational lamb? Glory to God who strengthened you, praise to Christ who chose you to be shown as one star of piety from your brotherhood of ten. You struggled before the event, as I have heard, and you have come to be called blessed by those who heard you and those who have not heard. I enrolled you among the first, and you became first of the first in virtue. My son, rejoice, praise God who has magnified you, and he will magnify you yet more greatly, if you complete your struggle. Therefore I ask and beseech you, stand fast, be strong in patience, remembering your well-accomplished struggles, yet a little while, and he who is coming will come and will not delay. What joy you are about to possess at the time of the departure from the body or even before the separation. Child, pay heed to yourself, for even within, the tyrant devil is always provoking through the passions. Strive also according to conscience, not being tripped up by sin; be soberly vigilant each day and always suppose the one that has arrived to be the last of your life, so that thus in fear and

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ἀνατρεχούσης ταραχῆς ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ὁμολογητὰς Χριστοῦ· πάντα οὖν δοκιμάζοντες, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε. Μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ τοιγαροῦν τῆς ταπεινώσεώς μου, ἠγαπημένε καὶ τοῦ πολυάθλου συνώνυμε, ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθαι ὅπως ῥυσθείην ἐκ τῶν παγίδων τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἔνδον καὶ ἔξωθεν ἄνθρωπον. 170 {1Ἡγουμένῳ Πανάγρου}1 Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐκ ἀνεκτὸν πρᾶγμα· οὔτε γὰρ τόπῳ περιώρισται οὔτε χρόνῳ πειρασμοῦ ἀποσβέννυται, οἷα τῶν ἐπιπολαίως καὶ σαρκικῶς φιλεῖν εἰωθότων, οἵ, ὁπηνίκα περιφορά τις εἴη δυσχερείας, πόρρωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἐναντίας γίνονται τῶν φιλουμένων. οὔκουν τοιοῦτοι ἡμεῖς οἱ ταπεινοί, εἰ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα στεναγμοῦ ἄξιοι διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς ἐπιτείνειν εἰθίσμεθα τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης φίλτρον· οὗ χάριν τοσούτῳ μήκει διῳκισμένοι οὐκ ἠνέγκαμεν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν φρουρᾷ ὄντες, μὴ τὸ καθῆκον τῆς ἀγάπης πληρῶσαι καὶ γράμμασιν ἐπισκέψασθαι τὴν ὁσιότητα ὑμῶν, ὦ πατέρες τίμιοι. μεμαθήκαμεν γὰρ ἐγκαταλιπεῖν ὑμᾶς τὸ μοναστήριον καὶ ἐν ὄρει προσυποκρυβῆναι πειθαρχίᾳ τῆς κελευούσης ἐντολῆς διὰ τοὺς χριστομάχους διώκτας. καί γε μακάριοι ὑμεῖς, πάντα δεύτερα ἡγησάμενοι διὰ Χριστὸν καί, ἀποστολικῶς εἰπεῖν, ἐν ὄρεσι πλανώμενοι καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ τῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ θλιβερὰ ἡ τοιαύτη ζωὴ τῇ σαρκί, ὅμως, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι πρόξενός ἐστι τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἐφάμιλλός τε τῆς τῶν ἁγίων πολιτείας· τίς γὰρ τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἄτερ πειρασμοῦ εὐηρεστηκέναι θεῷ πεφανέρωται; μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγων, καὶ πάντες οἱ θέλοντες εὐσεβῶς ζῇν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διωχθήσονται, πονηροὶ δὲ ἄνθρωποι καὶ γόητες προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πλανῶντες καὶ πλανώμενοι. οἷοί εἰσιν οἱ νῦν αἱρετίζοντες καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς ἁγίας αὐτοῦ εἰκόνος σὺν τῆς αὐτοῦ ἁγίας μητρὸς καὶ πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν ἁγίων διώκοντες καὶ ἐξουδενώσει ἐξουδενοῦντες ἐν πάσαις πόλεσι καὶ χώραις, αὕτη γὰρ εἰκόνος φύσις, μίμημα εἶναι τοῦ ἀρχετύπου καὶ οὗ λέγεται, φησὶν ὁ Θεολόγος Γρηγόριος· καὶ αὖθις ὁ Μέγας Βασίλειος, ἡ γὰρ τῆς εἰκόνος τιμὴ ἐπὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον διαβαίνει. καὶ οὔπω καιρὸς μακρηγορεῖν διὰ τὸ καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἐμμέλειαν ἱκανῶς πεπειρᾶσθαι τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς μέτρον ὑπερβεβηκέναι. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, πατέρες ἅγιοι, κατέχειν τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς πίστεως ἀκλινῆ μέχρι τέλους μηδ' ὅλως τι ὑποχαυνῶσαι ἐκ τῆς ὑποσκελίσεως τῶν φρεναπατηθέντων ψευδαδέλφων· ἠπάτηνται γὰρ λίαν, κοινωνήσαντες κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ἀλλ' εὔχεσθε καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς τελειῶσαι τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα ἐν Χριστῷ, τῷ περιζωννύντι καὶ τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς δύναμιν. 171 {1Παρθενίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ὦ καλὲ Παρθένιε, θεοῦ στρατιῶτα, ἐμὸν γνήσιον τέκνον, καὶ σὺ ἐν ἀθληταῖς Χριστοῦ; καὶ σὺ ὑπέρμαχος ὀρθοδοξίας, μικρὸς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ καὶ μέγας ἐν εὐψυχίᾳ; δεῦρο φράσον μοι, υἱέ μου ποθητέ, πῶς προείλου παθεῖν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ; πῶς ἤνεγκας μαστιχθῆναι σὺν τοῖς πολυχρονίοις, ὁ νεανίσκος Χριστοῦ, ὁ ἴουλος τὴν ὄψιν, ὁ ἀρνιὸς ὁ λογικός; δόξα τῷ δυναμώσαντί σε θεῷ, αἶνος τῷ ἐκλεξαμένῳ σε Χριστῷ ἕνα τῆς δεκαδικῆς σου ἀδελφότητος ἀστέρα εὐσεβείας διαδειχθῆναι. διηγωνίζου πρὸ πράγματος, ὡς ἤκουσταί μοι, καὶ ἔφθασας μακαρισθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων σε καὶ μὴ ἀκηκοότων. ὑπὸ πρῶτόν σε ἐνέταξα καὶ τῶν πρώτων πρώτιστος ἐν ἀρετῇ ἐγένου. Υἱέ μου, χαῖρε, αἴνει τὸν θεὸν τὸν μεγαλύναντά σε, μεγαλυνεῖ σε δὲ ἔτι μάλα, ἐὰν τελειώσῃς σου τὸν ἀγῶνα. διὸ ἐρωτῶ καὶ παρακαλῶ σε, στῆθι, κραταιοῦ ἐν ὑπομονῇ, μεμνημένος σου τῶν καλῶς διηνυσμένων ἀγώνων, ἔτι μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἥξει καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ. οἵαν χαρὰν μέλλεις κτᾶσθαι ἐν καιρῷ ἀναλύσεως τοῦ σώματος ἢ καὶ πρὸ τῆς διαζεύξεως. τέκνον, πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, ὅτι καὶ ἔνδον ἀεὶ ὁ τύραννος διάβολος ἐρεθίζων ἐστὶ διὰ τῶν παθῶν. ἄθλησον καὶ κατὰ συνείδησιν, μὴ ὑποσκελιζόμενος τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· νῆφε γρηγόρως καθ' ἡμέραν καὶ ὡς τελευταίαν τοῦ βίου σου τὴν φθάσασαν πάντοτε ὑποτίθεσο, ἵνα οὕτως ἐν φόβῳ καὶ