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of your spirit; for they would have remained with you in the Lord. They became a delight to the devil, whom they welcomed instead of Christ, and to me the sinner, a cause of mourning, and to the whole brotherhood, a cause of stumbling. But may the Lord grant them repentance for their recall, and to you an end worthy of your beginning. Pray, my child, for me the humble one, to find Christ with you. 190 {1To Theodoulos my child}1 See where you have wandered, going from place to place, my child Theodoulos. And the journey is not surprising, but it is most surprising that you contended in Thessaloniki, beaten by the unholy one with two hundred lashes; having heard these things, I glorified God, I loved you more than my own soul, but I also agonized, considering what the judgment of God was that you were so led about in those parts; was it thoughtlessness or divine providence? Therefore, the things that have happened are the good pleasure of God, for whom and because of whom you were wounded, giving your back to the whips and being guarded as a treasure of truth. And blessed are you, my child, for not pitying and sparing your flesh, but glorifying Christ in your members, and bearing away the prize of confession before God and men and not betraying the faith. And Thessaloniki is well-named on your account, having granted you, another besides its own natives, the victory. But see, O my beloved, that we must bear witness until the end. Therefore do not lose heart nor be ashamed of the testimony of Christ, but suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of God, endure him; he is with you in prison, with you in the flaying, if it should happen again, delivering you from every evil. Imitate your brothers, who were scourged in like manner, Bessarion, I mean, Dorotheos, Thaddaeus, who also on the second day departed to the Lord as a martyr, then also James, the disciple of Lucian from the holy martyr Christopher. But the pity of it is that the teacher fell away, not enduring the blows, while the disciple became a prize-winner. And according to my sins four others of the last have also fallen, among whom are Titus with Philon; for Euodios and Hypatios have neither fallen nor stood firm, having become somehow half-dead because, though they fell in word, yet not in deed, they fled the heretical communion. See then, brother, I say again, do not give in, do not lose what you have treasured up, do not become a denier; let your contest be heard everywhere, let the angels rejoice over you, let the demons be put to shame along with their workers, the iconoclasts, and I, the humble one, will be glorified with your brotherhood. Grace be with you, strengthening you to endure all things unto death. Those with me greet you; pray for me as also for all your brothers. 191 {1To Gregory the layman}1 Man of God, today the Lord has raised you up for the help and salvation of many, especially of us the humble; and indeed I hear of the care, which you have undertaken as from God for those who are contending for the Lord, and I am amazed. But nevertheless, since your ministry is appointed by God, it is not strange. And that it is from God, the facts show; for how would you have been preserved until now without being seized, if you were not protected by divine providence? Blessed be God, who raised you up as a trainer for those contending for his name, who guards you under his mighty hand, who gives you fearlessness, guilelessness, readiness to risk danger. Your work shines forth, your deed is proclaimed; and how could it not, since you have undertaken a ministry of God? You contend, you contend with them, and what is more paradoxical, you are not only a martyr, but a martyr of many; for by visiting each one of the contenders, by anointing their wounds, by providing nourishment, by exhortation and encouragement you are reckoned by God as a fellow-martyr and you have not one crown, but as many as you serve. You sent forth the holy Thaddaeus, you have three bearing witness and one not sought from the prison; wait a little while and you will receive others too. But alas for my sin, alas for the defeat of those who have fallen, I mean those around Lucian and the

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πνεύματος ὑμῶν· ἦ γὰρ ἂν μεμενήκασι σὺν ὑμῖν ἐν Κυρίῳ. ἐγένοντο ἐπίχαρμα τῷ διαβόλῳ, ὃν προσήκαντο ἀντὶ Χριστοῦ, ἐμοί τε τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ πένθος καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἀδελφότητι ὄκλασις. Ἀλλὰ δοίη Κύριος αὐτοῖς μετάνοιαν εἰς ἀνάκλησιν, σοὶ δὲ πέρας ἰσάξιον τῆς ἀρχῆς. προσεύχου, τέκνον μου, ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ σὺν ὑμῖν εὑρεῖν τὸν Χριστόν. 190 {1Θεοδούλῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἴδε ποῦ περιῆλθες, τόπον ἐκ τόπου μετερχόμενος, τέκνον μου Θεόδουλε. καὶ ὁ μὲν διοδευμὸς οὐ θαυμαστός, θαυμαστὸν δὲ ἄγαν ὅτι ἐνήθλησας ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνιέρου τυφθεὶς ἐν μάστιξι διακοσίαις· ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐδόξασα τὸν θεόν, ἠράσθην σου πλέον τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀλλ' οὖν γε καὶ ἠγωνίασα, ἀναλογιζόμενος τί τὸ κρίμα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ οὕτως σε περιαχθῆναι ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι· ἆρα ἀβουλία ἢ θεία οἰκονομία; τὰ μὲν οὖν φθάσαντα εὐδοκία θεοῦ, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ δι' ὃν ἐτραυματίσθης, δοὺς τὸν νῶτόν σου εἰς μάστιγας καὶ φρουρούμενος ὡς θησαυρὸς ἀληθείας. καί γε μακάριος σύ, τέκνον μου, μὴ ἐλεήσας καὶ φεισάμενος σάρκας, ἀλλὰ δοξάσας Χριστὸν ἐν τοῖς μέλεσί σου ὁμολογίας τε ἆθλον ἐνώπιον θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀπενεγκάμενος καὶ μὴ προδοὺς τὴν πίστιν. καί γε Θεσσαλονίκη ἐπὶ σοὶ φερώνυμος, θεῖσά σοι ἄλλῳ παρὰ τοὺς ὄντας αὐτόχθονας τὴν νίκην. Βλέπε δέ, ὦ σπλάγχνον μου, ὅτι μέχρι τέλους δεῖ ἡμᾶς μαρτυρῆσαι. μὴ οὖν ὀλιγοψυχήσῃς μηδὲ ἐπαισχυνθῇς τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλὰ συγκακοπάθησον ὡς καλὸς στρατιώτης θεοῦ, ὑπόμεινον αὐτόν· μετὰ σοῦ ἐστιν ἐν φυλακῇ, μετὰ σοῦ ἐν δαρμῷ, εἰ τύχοι πάλιν, ἐξαιρούμενός σε παντὸς κακοῦ. μιμοῦ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου, οἵτινες ἐμαστίχθησαν ὡσαύτως, Βησσαρίων, φημί, ∆ωρόθεος, Θαδδαῖος, ὁ καὶ μετὰ δευτέραν ἡμέραν πρὸς Κύριον ἐκδημήσας ὡς μάρτυς, εἶτα καὶ Ἰάκωβος, ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου μάρτυρος Χριστοφόρου μαθητὴς τοῦ Λουκιανοῦ. ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐλεεινόν, ὅτι ὁ διδάσκαλος ἐξέπεσεν, μὴ ἐνεγκὼν τὰς πληγάς, ὁ δὲ μαθητὴς ἠθλοφόρησεν. πεπτώκασι δὲ κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου καὶ ἄλλοι τέσσαρες τῶν ἐσχάτων, ἐν οἷς ὁ Τίτος μετὰ τοῦ Φίλωνος· ὁ γὰρ Εὐόδιος καὶ Ὑπάτιος οὔτε πεπτώκασιν οὔτε ἔστησαν, ἡμιθνεῖς πως γεγονότες διὰ τὸ λόγῳ μὲν πεσεῖν, οὐ μὴν καὶ ἔργῳ, φυγόντες τὴν αἱρετικὴν κοινωνίαν. Βλέπε οὖν, ἀδελφέ, καὶ πάλιν λέγω, μὴ ἐνδῷς, μὴ ἀπολέσῃς ἃ ἐθησαύρισας, μὴ ἀρνητὴς γίνῃ· ἀκουσθήτω σου ὁ ἀγὼν πανταχοῦ, χαρήτωσαν ἐπὶ σοὶ ἄγγελοι, αἰσχυνθήτωσαν δαίμονες σὺν τοῖς ἐργάταις αὐτῶν εἰκονομάχοις, καί γε ἐνδοξασθήσομαι κἀγὼ μετὰ τῆς ἀδελφότητός σου ὁ ταπεινός. ἡ χάρις μετὰ σοῦ, ἐνισχύουσά σε πάντα ὑπενεγκεῖν μέχρι θανάτου. οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀσπάζονταί σε· προσεύχου περὶ ἐμοῦ ὥσπερ καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου. 191 {1Γρηγορᾷ λαϊκῷ}1 Ἄνθρωπε τοῦ θεοῦ, σήμερον ὁ Κύριός σε ἀνέστησεν εἰς βοήθειαν καὶ σωτηρίαν πολλῶν, μάλιστα ἡμῶν τῶν ταπεινῶν· καὶ γοῦν ἀκούω τὴν φροντίδα, ἣν ἀνεδέξω ὡς ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐν τοῖς διὰ Κύριον ἀθλοῦσι, καὶ ἐξίσταμαι. ἀλλ' ὅμως, ἐπὰν θεοπρόβλητός σου ἡ διακονία, οὐ ξένον. καὶ ὅτι ἐκ θεοῦ, δηλοῖ τὰ πράγματα· πῶς γὰρ ἂν διεσώθης μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο μὴ κρατούμενος, εἰ μὴ ὑπὸ θείας προνοίας σκεπαζόμενος ἦς; εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεός, ὁ ἐξεγείρας σε ἀλείπτην τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ, ὁ φρουρῶν σε ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιὰν αὐτοῦ χεῖραν, ὁ διδοὺς τὸ ἀνολίγωρον, τὸ ἀπερικάκητον, τὸ ῥιψοκίνδυνον. ἐκλάμπει σου τὸ ἔργον, διαβοεῖταί σου τὸ δρᾶμα· καὶ πῶς γὰρ οὔ, θεοῦ διακονίαν ἀναδεδεγμένου; ἀθλεῖς, συναθλεῖς, καί γε τὸ παραδοξότερον, ὅτι οὐ μόνον μάρτυς, ἀλλὰ πολυμάρτυς σύ· ἑνὶ γὰρ ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀθλούντων διὰ τῆς ἐπισκέψεως, διὰ τῆς τῶν τραυμάτων ἀλοιφῆς, διὰ τῆς θρεπτικῆς ἐπιδόσεως, διὰ τῆς προτροπῆς καὶ προθυμοποιήσεως συμμαρτυρῶν λογίζῃ παρὰ θεῷ καὶ ἔχεις οὐχ ἕνα στέφανον, ἀλλὰ τοσούτους, ὅσους καὶ ὑπηρετεῖς. ἐξέπεμψας τὸν ἅγιον Θαδδαῖον, ἔχεις τρεῖς μαρτυροῦντας καὶ ἕνα μὴ ζητηθέντα ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς· μικρὸν ἀνάμεινον καὶ δέξῃ καὶ ἑτέρους. Ἀλλὰ φεῦ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου, φεῦ τῆς ἥττης τῶν πεπτωκότων, τοὺς περὶ Λουκιανὸν λέγω καὶ τοὺς