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the only ruler and the one who empowers the weak? and the martyrs are near at hand; for was he not rescuing out of necessity those who were not yet strong in nature, though not in will? and the martyr Thaddaeus is faithful in heaven. Let us not then, my brothers, be terrified nor become fearful at the fall of the defeated, as if we too will not endure the blows. We will endure by the power of God and we will pass through even fire, even sword; God is the one who goes before and calls us to enter into the kingdom promised to us, as Israel into the land of promise. Do you not know what happened to those who then stirred up the people, saying "4we shall not be able to cross over, because there are cities walled up to heaven and giants, among whom is Anak?"5 And what happened? Is it not for this reason that they themselves were burnt with fire, and the whole murmuring people perished, whose limbs fell in the wilderness? Let no one be such a troublemaker, no one fainthearted, no one despondent. We will cross over then, brothers, we will cross over like Caleb, I say, and Joshua son of Nun, the heirs of the promise. Intelligible walls will be shaken down for us, as then the walls of Jericho, by the trumpet of thanksgiving, which the blessed Thaddaeus sang, singing from the starting-gate of punishments, this is the day which the Lord has made. Thus I exhort, thus I implore; for, he says, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us. we beseech you not to be cowardly in the face of death for him and with him, if it be necessary. The letter is for all, even if addressed to you, good child; wherefore I also greet all and rejoice with all in the sufferings. And who is worthy to fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ in his flesh? And woe to the one who denies and turns aside, even if it is death, because eternal death will shepherd him and the upright will rule over him in the morning. The peace of Christ be with you, power, strength, comfort, praying for all the brothers and for me, that by the mercy of God I might appear as a doer of what I advise. The brothers with me greet you. 187 {1To Cledonius, child}1 You have become anxious at the contest of your brothers, child, and it is not surprising; since we also have suffered the same thing. But do not be afraid; for it is written, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me. so we must be courageous and not be afraid; by this courage those who have contended have conquered. And indeed Thaddaeus the saint, being perfected by his own blood, has gone to be with the Lord. Is it not then the greatest of transactions for a hundred lashes or more, however much reasoning—either from oneself or from a diabolical suggestion which produces cowardice—may suggest, to gain the kingdom of heaven and the exultation in endless ages? And is it not extremely grievous, out of sparing the pains from the lashes, to betray the faith, and to have no relief here because of the shame of the fall and a trembling conscience, and to be punished for unending ages? Thus, my beloved child, steel your heart, and thinking thus you would have Christ as your helper, as he truly is. And if reasoning suggests that even after denial there is again salvation through repentance, as indeed there is, yet who is it that promises that we shall surely find repentance, either when we are snatched away sooner or are with difficulty raised up from the fall? And how many tears and other medicines of repentance shall we bring, in order to reconcile the judge, and so be trembling at death and ever ashamed and without boldness? Ask those with the pitiful Lucian, then those with the blessed Dorotheus, what sort of heart is in both groups; and you will find and hear in the first group pain, darkness, shame, praying for the earth to split open to swallow them up, but in the second, unbearable joy, light, a cheerful countenance, Christ himself, as if they had never from birth had such pleasure. Who then is so foolish, who so hard-hearted, who so mad as not to know that it is good to suffer for Christ? Thus may God perfect you, my child, as you pray for me, that I may also do as I say in

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μόνος δυνάστης καὶ δυναμῶν τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας; καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες ἐγγύθεν· μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐξαιρούμενος ἐξ ἀνάγκης τοὺς ἔτι μὴ ἰσχύοντας τῇ φύσει, οὐ τῇ προθέσει; καὶ ὁ μάρτυς Θαδδαῖος ἐν οὐρανῷ πιστός. Μὴ δὴ οὖν, ἀδελφοί μου, πτοηθῶμεν μηδὲ ἔμφοβοι γενοίμεθα τῇ τῶν ἡττημένων πτώσει ὡς ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐχ ὑποίσομεν τὰς πληγάς. οἴσομεν θεοῦ δυνάμει καὶ διαβησόμεθα κἂν πῦρ, κἂν ξίφος· θεὸς ὁ προηγούμενος καὶ προσκαλούμενος εἰσελθεῖν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην ἡμῖν βασιλείαν, ὡς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. οὐκ ἴστε τί πεπόνθασιν οἱ τότε ἀναστατοῦντες τὸν λαόν, λέγοντες "4οὐ δυνησόμεθα διαβῆναι, ὅτι ἐκεῖ πόλεις τειχήρεις ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γίγαντες, ἐν οἷς ὁ Ἐνάκ;"5 καὶ τί τὸ γεγονός; οὐχὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὶ μὲν πυρίκαυστοι, ὁ δὲ γογγυστὴς λαὸς ἅπας ὤλετο, ὧν τὰ κῶλα ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; μή τις τοιοῦτος ἀναστάτης, μή τις ὀλίγωρος, μή τις δύσελπις. διαβησόμεθα οὖν, ἀδελφοί, διαβησόμεθα ὡς Χαλέβ, λέγω, καὶ Ἰησοῦς τοῦ Ναυῆ, οἱ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας κληρονόμοι. τείχη ἡμῖν κατασεισθήσονται νοητά, ὡς τηνικαῦτα τὰ Ἱεριχούντεια, σάλπιγγι εὐχαριστίας, ἣν ᾖσεν ὁ μακάριος Θαδδαῖος, ψάλας ἐκ βαλβῖδος τῶν ποινῶν, αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος. Οὕτω παρακαλῶ, οὕτω ἀντιβολῶ· ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ γάρ, φησί, πρεσβεύομεν, ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι' ἡμῶν. δεόμεθα μὴ δειλανδρῆσαι πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ θάνατον, ἐὰν δέῃ. πρὸς πάντας ἡ ἐπιστολὴ κἂν εἰς πρόσωπόν σου, τέκνον ἀγαθόν· διὸ καὶ πάντας ἀσπάζομαι καὶ πᾶσι συγχαίρω ἐν τοῖς παθήμασι. καὶ τίς ἄξιος ἀνταναπληρῶσαι τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ; καὶ οὐαὶ τῷ ἐξάρνῳ καὶ ἐκκεκλικότι, κἂν θάνατος, ὅτι ὁ αἰώνιος θάνατος ποιμανεῖ αὐτὸν καὶ κατακυριεύσουσιν αὐτὸν οἱ εὐθεῖς τὸ πρωί. Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν Χριστοῦ, κράτος, ἰσχύς, παράκλησις, προσευχόμενοι περὶ πάντων ἀδελφῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα πληρωτὴς ὧν νουθετῶ ἐλέει θεοῦ φανῶ. οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφοὶ ἀσπάζονται. 187 {1Κληδονίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἐναγώνιος τῇ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου ἀθλήσει γέγονας, τέκνον, καὶ οὐ θαυμαστόν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ αὐτὸ πεπόνθαμεν. ἀλλὰ μὴ δείσῃς· γέγραπται γάρ, Κύριος ἐμοὶ βοηθός, καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι ἄνθρωπος. ὥστε θαρρεῖν ἡμᾶς χρὴ καὶ οὐ δεδοικέναι· τούτῳ τῷ θάρσει νενικήκασιν οἱ ἀθλήσαντες. καί γε τῷ οἰκείῳ αἵματι τελειωθεὶς Θαδδαῖος ὁ ἅγιος ἐνεδήμησε πρὸς Κύριον. οὐκ ἔστιν οὖν πραγματειῶν ἡ μεγίστη ἑκατὸν μάστιξιν ἢ καὶ πρός, ὅσον ἂν καὶ ὑποβάλλῃ ὁ λογισμὸς ἢ οἴκοθεν ἢ ἐκ διαβολικῆς ὑποσπορᾶς, δειλανδρῆσαι ἐμποιούσης, ἀντισχεῖν βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν καὶ τὴν ἐν ἀπείροις αἰῶσιν ἀγαλλίασιν; καὶ οὐκ ἔστι χαλεπὸν σφόδρα φειδοῖ τῶν ἐκ μαστίγων ὀδυνῶν προέσθαι τὴν πίστιν, καὶ μήτε ὧδε ἔχειν ἄνεσιν αἰσχύνῃ τῆς πτώσεως καὶ συνειδότι τρομαλιοῦντι καὶ εἰς αἰῶνας ἀτελευτήτους κολάζεσθαι; Οὕτω, τέκνον μου ἠγαπημένον, στόμωσον τὴν καρδίαν σου, καὶ οὕτω φρονῶν σχοίης τὸν Χριστὸν ἐπίκουρον, ὡς ἀληθῶς ἔχει. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὑποτίθεται ὁ λογισμὸς καὶ μετὰ ἄρνησιν εἶναι πάλιν διὰ μετανοίας σωτηρίαν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ τίς ὁ ὑπισχνούμενος ὅτι πάντως εὕρωμεν μετάνοιαν, ἢ ἁρπαζομένων ἡμῶν θᾶττον ἢ δυσχερῶς ἀνακλινομένων τοῦ πτώματος; πόσον δὲ καὶ εἰσοίσομεν δάκρυον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τῆς μετανοίας φάρμακα, ἵνα διαλλάξωμεν τὸν κριτήν, καὶ οὕτω τρεμόντων τὸν θάνατον καὶ ἀεὶ κατῃσχυμμένων ὄντων καὶ ἀπαρρησιάστων; ἐρώτησον τοὺς περὶ τὸν ἐλεεινὸν Λουκιανόν, εἶτα τοὺς περὶ ∆ωρόθεον τὸν μακάριον, ποταπὴ καρδία ἐν ἀμφοτέροις· καὶ εὑρήσεις καὶ ἀκούσεις ἐν μὲν τοῖς πρώτοις ὀδύνην, σκότος, αἰσχύνην, ῥαγῆναι τὴν γῆν εὐχομένοις εἰς τὸ καταπιεῖν αὐτούς, ἐν δὲ τοῖς δευτέροις χαρὰν ἀβάστακτον, φῶς, εὐπροσωπίαν, αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστόν, ὡς μήποτε ἐσχηκόσιν ἀπὸ γεννήσεως τοιαύτην ἡδονήν. τίς οὖν ἄφρων, τίς λιθοκάρδιος, τίς μεμηνὼς μὴ γνῶναι ὅτι καλὸν τὸ παθεῖν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ; Οὕτως σε θεὸς τελειώσειεν, τέκνον μου, εὐχόμενον ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, καθὰ λέγω καὶ πρᾶξαι ἐν