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suffering with you in disposition, since my members are those being pained by the blows, I exhort and implore, I greet and embrace, I extend my hands to you, stand firm, my lords, stand firm; Christ still presides over the contest, still he wishes to multiply your crowns. May the end also be worthy of those whose beginning was wonderful. let us not fear the things to come; he who strengthened you then is also present now, and rather he will welcome and lighten the pains and will raise up your horn. Say also yourselves, their blows have become for us the arrows of infants; you are the seed of those who were cooled in the fire and muzzled lions. Let us not then, having begun well and having been anointed with the blood of martyrs, then become negligent; for it is a fearful thing, O children, to fall into the hands of the living God. human pains are to be compared to a gnat. Thus, therefore, I both believe and I, wretched as I am, will be glorified through you, and indeed I will also be saved. As a conclusion to the speech, consider that as much as you have been famed throughout the world, so great also is your struggle for the good completion, with God, of course, strengthening you. Greet one another with a holy kiss; those with me who already love you, love you. 182 {1To Gennadius, my child}1 Late indeed, nevertheless I received your letter, my longed-for child, and it was a graceful one. But why were you late? Do you not know that in absence, unless a written exchange takes place, the beauty of love and the concord of faith are endangered? And if you were not able to write due to inexperience in letters, it would be pardonable, although even so not beyond blame for not having fulfilled your duty by the hand of another; but since by the grace of Christ you are able and can lend yourself to others, the lateness is not praiseworthy. But let this be forgiven you. But why do you attach to me praises which I do not share? Pray, therefore, that I may attain God through success in every way; and I ask this very thing for you, so that you may be saved, captured neither by unseen enemies nor by those now seen, but may bring your deposit safe to God who gave it. So be it. 183 {1To Thaddaeus, child and confessor}1 How beautiful are your letters, my beloved child Thaddaeus; why is this? Because they have both humility and sincere faith and fervent love, and wonderfully, true knowledge; for your mind has truly grasped, child, the truth concerning the icon of Christ. And hold on to what you have grasped and what God has enlightened; for his icon is inseparable from Christ, wherever it may be represented in matter, since it remains outside of matter in concept, according to which also the honor and the veneration is one in both. So that to deny the icon is to deny Christ, just as conversely to confess it is to confess him. And blessed are you that you have known the truth, which God has hidden from the wise, or rather the fools of this age, and has revealed it to infants, that is, to the innocent, like you. This is our true worship of the orthodox and for this let us struggle unto blood, child, in no way being terrified by our adversaries nor growing slack. I rejoice at your zeal and that, being in prison, you take pride in holding to your work. We, however, have not been deemed worthy to suffer anything for Christ, but pray, child, that we may complete in a manner worthy of God the struggle set before us with you. Your brothers greet you; the Lord be with your spirit. 184 {1To Ignatius, my child}1 I have recognized you now also through your letters that you are my child and my heart. But may you be protected, wherever you may be; for your withdrawal is not to be blamed, especially when you were not even sent by the emperor to Saccudion. But take away, my child, the cowardice and terror from your soul, hearing and believing the one who says, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to cast both soul and body into the hell of fire. So that, where the fear of God is, human fear is banished; for the two cannot be in the same place, just as light and darkness cannot. for who, he says, is able

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συνανιώμενος ὑμῖν τῇ διαθέσει, ἐπεὶ ἐμὰ μέλη τὰ ἀλγυνόμενα ταῖς πληγαῖς, παρακαλῶ καὶ ἀντιβολῶ, ἀσπάζομαι καὶ περιπτύσσομαι, προτείνω ὑμῖν τὰς χεῖρας, στῆτε, κύριοί μου, στῆτε· ἔτι ὁ Χριστὸς ἀγωνοθετεῖ, ἔτι βούλεται πολυπλασιάσαι ὑμῶν τοὺς στεφάνους. ὧν ἡ ἀρχὴ θαυμαστή, τούτων εἴη καὶ τὸ τέλος ἐπάξιον. μὴ δείσωμεν τὰ μέλλοντα· ὁ τότε δυναμώσας καὶ αὐτίκα πάρεστιν, καὶ μᾶλλον ἀσπάσεται καὶ κουφίσει τὰ ἄλγη καὶ ὑψώσει τὸ κέρας ὑμῶν. εἴπατε καὶ αὐτοί, βέλη νηπίων ἐγενήθησαν ἡμῖν αἱ πληγαὶ αὐτῶν· ἐκείνων ἐστὲ σπέρμα, τῶν ἐν πυρὶ δροσισθέντων καὶ λέοντας φιμωσάντων. Μὴ δὴ καλῶς ἐναρξάμενοι καὶ μαρτυρικοῖς αἵμασιν ἀλειψάμενοι ἔπειτα κατολιγωρήσωμεν· φοβερὸν γάρ, ὦ τέκνα, τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας θεοῦ ζῶντος. κώνωψιν παραβλητέα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἄλγη. οὕτω τοιγαροῦν καὶ πιστεύω καὶ ἐγκαλλωπίσομαι κἀγὼ ὁ τάλας δι' ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ σωθήσομαι. τέλος τοῦ λόγου, σκοπήσατε ὅτι ὅσον ἐξεφημίσθητε εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην, τοσοῦτος καὶ ὁ ἀγὼν ὑμῖν τῆς καλῆς τελειώσεως, θεοῦ δηλαδὴ ἐνισχύοντος. Ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ· οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἤδη φιλοῦντες φιλοῦσιν ὑμᾶς. 182 {1Γενναδίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Βραδὺ μέν, ὅμως ἐδεξάμην σου γράμμα, ἐπιπόθητόν μου τέκνον, καὶ τοῦτο ἐμμελές. ἀλλ' ἱνατί ὠψίσθης; οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι ἐν τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐγγράμματος συνοψισμὸς γίνοιτο, κινδυνεύει τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης καλὸν καὶ τὸ τῆς πίστεως ὁμονοητικόν; καὶ εἰ μὲν οὐχ οἷός τε ἦς ἐπιστέλλειν ἀπειρίᾳ γραμμάτων, ἦν ἂν τὸ σύγγνωστον, ὅπου γε καὶ οὕτω οὐκ ἔξω μομφῆς διὰ τὸ χειρὶ ἑτέρου ἐκτελέσαι τὸ καθῆκον· ἐπεὶ δὲ χάριτι Χριστοῦ ἰσχύεις καὶ ἄλλοις κιχρᾶν ἑαυτόν, οὐκ ἐπαινετὴ ἡ βραδυτής. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ἔστω σοι συγχωρητόν. ἱνατί δὲ προσάπτεις μοι ἐπαίνους ὧν ἀμοιρῶ; εὔχου τοίνυν ἐπιτυχεῖν με θεοῦ διὰ τῆς ἐν παντὶ τρόπῳ δεξιοπραγίας· καί γε τοῦτο κἀγὼ ἐπὶ σοὶ αἰτῶ, ὡς ἂν διασωθείης, μήτε ὑπὸ ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν μήτε ὑπὸ τῶν νῦν ὁρωμένων ἁλούς, σῶάν σου δὲ τὴν παρακαταθήκην προσαγάγοις τῷ δεδωκότι θεῷ. εἶεν. 183 {1Θαδδαίῳ τέκνῳ καὶ ὁμολογητῇ}1 Τί καλὰ τὰ γράμματά σου, τέκνον μου ἠγαπημένον Θαδδαῖε· τί τοῦτο; ὅτι καὶ ταπείνωσιν ἔχουσιν καὶ πίστιν εἰλικρινῆ καὶ ἀγάπην θερμήν, τὸ θαυμαστόν, ὅτι καὶ γνῶσιν ἀψευδῆ· ἥψατο γὰρ ἀληθῶς, τέκνον, τῆς περὶ τῆς εἰκόνος Χριστοῦ ἀληθείας ὁ νοῦς σου. καὶ κράτει ὡς ἐδράξω καὶ ἐφώτισεν ὁ θεός· καὶ γὰρ ἀχώριστός ἐστιν ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ ἡ εἰκὼν αὐτοῦ, ὅπουπερ ἂν εἴη ἐν ὕλῃ ἐκτετυπωμένη, ὡς ἔξω τῆς ὕλης μένουσα τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ, καθ' ὃ καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ προσκύνησις μία ἐν ἀμφοτέροις. ὥστε τῇ τῆς εἰκόνος ἀρνήσει ἀρνεῖσθαί ἐστι Χριστόν, ὡς καὶ ἔμπαλιν τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ὁμολογεῖσθαι. καὶ μακάριος εἶ ὅτι ἐπέγνως τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἣν ἀπέκρυψεν τοῖς σοφοῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ μωροῖς τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦδε ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἀπεκάλυψεν αὐτὴν νηπίοις εἴτουν ἀκάκοις καθάπερ σύ. αὕτη ἡ ἀληθὴς ἡμῶν λατρεία τῶν ὀρθοδόξων καὶ ὑπὲρ ταύτης μέχρις αἵματος ἀγωνισώμεθα, τέκνον, μηδαμῶς πτυρόμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων μηδὲ ὑποχαυνούμενοι. χαίρω ἐπὶ τῇ προθυμίᾳ σου καὶ ὅτι, ἐν φυλακῇ ὤν, ἐναβρύνῃ ἐχόμενος τοῦ ἔργου σου. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἠξιώθημεν διὰ Χριστὸν παθεῖν τι, εὔχου δέ, τέκνον, διανύσαι θεοπρεπῶς σὺν ὑμῖν τὸν προκείμενον ἀγῶνα. προσαγορεύουσίν σε οἱ ἀδελφοί σου· ὁ Κύριος μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματός σου. 184 {1Ἰγνατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἐπέγνων σε καὶ νῦν διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων ὅτι ἐμὸν τέκνον εἶ καὶ σπλάγχνον. ἀλλὰ φυλαχθείης, ὅπουπερ ἂν καὶ εἴης· οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸ ὑποχωρῆσαί σε μεμπτέον, ἡνίκα μάλιστα οὐδὲ παρεπέμφθης πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν Σακκουδίωνι. πλὴν ἄφελε, τέκνον μου, τὴν δειλίαν καὶ πτόησιν ἐκ ψυχῆς σου, ἀκούων καὶ πιστεύων τῷ λέγοντι, μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτενόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι· φοβήθητε δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός. ὥστε, ὅπου ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ φόβος, ὁ ἀνθρώπινος ἐξώρισται· οἱ δύο γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ οὐκ ἐγχω ροῦσιν εἶναι ὡς οὐδὲ φῶς ὁμοῦ καὶ σκότος. τίς γάρ, φησίν, δύναται