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the half-dead, those who denied not in deed but in word. Do not turn away from them either, O man of God, as they weep and repent, even if they made themselves unworthy of God and of divine things; how many tears they will shed, how many hardships they will suffer in order to attain salvation. May God strengthen you, O adamantine one; may he himself shelter you and save you for his kingdom. Pray for me, the humble one. 192 {1To Anna the patrician and nun}1 The letter from your holiness is full of grief and, as it were, thorny with reproaches against me, the humble one. And it is not surprising; for a reminder certainly brings such things. But if your honored soul is moved to endure him who said, *the wounds of a friend are more trustworthy than the voluntary kisses of an enemy*, it would rather praise me, who am not only a friend in the Lord, but also a suppliant, and one who spares her as his own soul. Therefore, I will not turn away from your love in God, not even if I were to receive more expressions of indignation; for I am not so untaught as to attach myself during kindnesses, but to stand aloof during rejections (for these are human things), but I abound in affection all the more, whenever I am made an object of aversion. But I, as I think, uttered nothing burdensome, but a small reminder, being concerned for your glory and blamelessness; for those who bless to the face are not to be accepted, as they secretly say the opposite. Accept from me, my lady, I beseech you, if you command it, sometimes even a harsher word; for from this I too will know that you hold me in esteem. For neither a son to a mother, nor a husband to a wife, nor a friend to a friend is always mild-spoken, but there are times when he is even reproachful. Perhaps on account of the flames of the church you may also receive news of my swift departure from here. Grace be with you, blessing and salvation. 193 {1To the Spatharea}1 Your house is a house of piety, a house of hospitality, a house of refuge for those retreating from temptations; for this reason you are blessed and glorified by the Lord. Your achievements have been revealed in an apostolic manner, *if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has devoted herself to every good work*, prefiguring and showing the widow indeed. Such a lady the Lord has shown you to be, proclaimed among many; but may he show you yet more to be so, guarding and protecting you for the glory of the church and choir of widows here, and in the age to come may he lead you into the bridal chamber of immortality with the holy virgins. 194 {1To Athanasius, my child}1 I gladly received your letter now as well, my beloved child. And when I read it, I was even more delighted, finding you to be such as I had known from the beginning, or to speak more intimately, such as I begot in the Holy Spirit. And this indeed is wonderful, that in a long absence the longing of the lover for the beloved is unchanged and that the disciple thirsts to see the face of the teacher, being so joined to the teacher as to keep his affection unquenched; but the cause is unadulterated submission, and being separated from me, the unworthy one, unwillingly and involuntarily for the sake of a better dispensation, which the present time and the past have shown to be good and very well-ordered. Therefore, my child, show affection, laboring and contending with our brother and high priest (for your praise and reward are not small), but also train yourself for the impending contest for Christ; for you see what things are being done. It is a time for martyrdom, as you have heard, in addition to the previous events, also of the affairs of your brothers. Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brother, do not be careless as though you were far from those who punish, but make divine preparation, saying, "My heart is ready, O God," "4for whatever you deem me worthy to come to."5. The brother Thaddeus is a martyr of Christ, perfected in an athlete's blood; since there is also anyone else from our company or even from outside still contending in exiles, in prisons, having been blinded, yet not as Thaddeus the crowned victor. And so let us glorify God for such a one as we have sent forth from our choir into heaven. We must groan over those who

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ἡμιθνεῖς, τοὺς μὴ ἔργῳ ἀλλὰ λόγῳ ἐξάρνους. μηδ' αὐτοὺς ἀποστραφῇς, ἄνθρωπε τοῦ θεοῦ, κλαίοντας καὶ μετανοοῦντας, κἂν ἀναξίους ἑαυτοὺς ἐποίησαν θεοῦ καὶ τῶν θείων· πόσα δακρύσουσι, πόσα κακοπαθήσουσιν ἵνα φθάσωσιν εἰς σωτηρίαν. ὁ θεός σε στερεώσοι, ἀδαμάντινε· αὐτός σε σκεπάσοι καὶ σώσοι εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ. εὔχου περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ. 192 {1Ἄννῃ πατρικίᾳ καὶ μοναζούσῃ}1 Λύπης τὰ γράμματα τῆς ἁγιωσύνης σου καὶ οἱονεὶ ἠκανθωμένα ταῖς κατ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ μέμψεσι. καὶ οὐ θαυμαστόν· φέρει γὰρ πάντως ἡ ὑπόμνησις τοιαῦτα. ἀλλ' ἐὰν κατανυγῇ σου ἡ τιμία ψυχὴ ἀνέχεσθαι τοῦ φήσαντος ἀξιοπιστότερα τραύματα φίλου ἤπερ ἑκούσια φιλήματα ἐχθροῦ, ἐπαινέσειεν μᾶλλον τὸν οὐ μόνον φίλον ἐν Κυρίῳ ἐμέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἱκετευτὴν καὶ φειδόμενον αὐτῆς ὡς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς. οὐ τοίνυν ἀποστραφήσομαι τῆς κατὰ θεὸν ἀγάπης σου οὐδ' ἂν πλείους ἀγανακτήσεις ὑποδέξωμαι· οὐ γὰρ εἰμὶ οὕτως ἀδίδακτος, ὡς ἐν ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις προστίθεσθαι, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἀποστροφαῖς ἀφίστασθαι (ἀνθρώπινα γὰρ ταῦτα), ἀλλὰ τότε μᾶλλον περισσεύω τὴν διάθεσιν, ὁπόταν ἀποτρόπαιος γίνωμαι. Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδέ τι φορτικόν, ὡς οἶμαι, ἐφθεγξάμην ἢ μικρὸν ὑπόμνημα, δόξης σου φροντίζων καὶ ἀμεμψίας· οἱ γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον εὐλογοῦντες οὐκ ἀποδεκτέοι, ὡς κρύβδην τἀναντία λέγοντες. δέχου μοι, κυρία μου, παρακαλῶ σε, εἰ κελεύεις, ποτὲ καὶ τραχύτερον λόγον· ἔνθεν γὰρ γνώσομαι κἀγὼ ὅτι με ἔχεις ἐν μέτρῳ. οὔτε γὰρ υἱὸς πρὸς μητέρα, οὔτε ἀνὴρ πρὸς σύνευνον, οὔτε φίλος πρὸς φίλον ἀεὶ χρηστολόγος, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ καθάπτης. Μήπως διὰ τὰς φλόγας τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ σύντομον δέξῃ μου τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἐνθένδε ἀποβίωσιν. ἡ χάρις μετὰ σοῦ, ἡ εὐλογία καὶ σωτηρία. 193 {1Σπαθαρέᾳ}1 Ὁ οἶκός σου οἶκος εὐσεβείας, οἶκος φιλοξενίας, οἶκος καταφυγῆς τῶν ὑποχωρούντων τῶν πειρασμῶν· διὰ τοῦτο εὐλογημένη καὶ δεδοξασμένη σὺ ὑπὸ Κυρίου. ἀποστολικῶς σου τὰ κατορθώματα πεφανέρωται, εἰ ἐτεκνοτρόφησεν, εἰ ἐξενοδόχησεν, εἰ ἁγίων πόδας ἔνιψεν, εἰ θλιβομένοις ἐπήρκεσεν, εἰ παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ ἐπηκολούθησεν, τὴν ὄντως χήραν ὑποτυπῶν καὶ ὑποδεικνύς. τοιαύτην σε ὁ Κύριος κυρίαν ἀνέδειξε, διαβοουμένην ἐν πολλοῖς· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναδείξειεν ἔτι, φυλάττων καὶ περιέπων σε εἰς κλέος τῆς χηριακῆς ἐκκλησίας τε καὶ χορείας ἐνταῦθα, ἐν δὲ τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι εἰσαγάγοι σε εἰς νυμφῶνα ἀθανασίας σὺν παρθένοις ἁγίαις. 194 {1Ἀθανασίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἡδέως ἐδεξάμην σου καὶ νῦν τὴν ἐπιστολήν, τέκνον μου ἠγαπημένον. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἀνέγνων, περισσοτέρως ἡδύνθην, εὑρών σε τοιοῦτον ὄντα, οἷον καὶ ἐγνώριζον ἐξ ἀρχῆς, οἰκειότερον δὲ εἰπεῖν, οἷον ἔτεκον ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ. καί γε τοῦτο θαυμαστόν, τὸ ἐν ἀπουσίᾳ χρονίᾳ ἀναλλοίωτον τοῦ πόθου εἶναι τὸν στέργοντα τοῦ φιλουμένου καὶ διψαλέως ἔχειν τὸν μαθητὴν τὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου βλέπειν πρόσωπον, οὕτω συνημμένον ὄντα τῷ διδασκάλῳ τὴν στοργὴν φυλάττειν ἄσβεστον· ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀνοθεύτου ὑποταγῆς τὸ αἴτιον καὶ τὸ ἄκοντα καὶ μὴ βουλόμενον διαζευχθῆναί μου τοῦ ἀναξίου δι' οἰκονομίαν κρείττονα, ἣν δέδειχεν ὁ καιρὸς ὅ τε νῦν καὶ ὁ προλαβὼν εὖ γε καὶ πάνυ καλῶς ἔχουσαν. Στέργε οὖν, τέκνον, συγκοπιῶν καὶ συναθλῶν τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀρχιερεῖ (οὐ μικρὸς γάρ σοι ὁ ἔπαινος καὶ ὁ μισθός), οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ γύμναζε πρὸς τὴν ἐνισταμένην ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἀγωνίαν· ὁρᾷς γὰρ οἷα τὰ πραττόμενα. μαρτυρίου καιρός, καθὼς ἤκουσταί σοι πρὸς τοῖς προλαβοῦσι καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου. μὴ δὴ οὖν, ἀδελφέ μου ἀγαπητὲ καὶ ἐπιπόθητε, ἀμερίμνως ἔχε ὡς πορρωτέρω ὢν τῶν κολαζόντων, ἀλλὰ παρασκευὴν ποιοῦ θείαν, ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου ὁ θεός, ἐπιλέγων, "4πρὸς ὅ τι καὶ καταξιώσειας ἐλθεῖν με"5. μάρτυς Χριστοῦ ὁ ἀδελφὸς Θαδδαῖος, τελειωθεὶς ἐν αἵματι ἀθλητικῷ· ἐπεὶ καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος ἡμῶν ἢ καὶ ἔξωθεν ἔτι ἐναθλῶν ἐξορίαις, φυλακαῖς, τυφθείς, οὐ μὴν ὡς Θαδδαῖος ὁ στεφανίτης. καὶ γοῦν δοξάσωμεν τὸν θεὸν οἷον προεπέμψαμεν ἐκ τοῦ χοροῦ ἡμῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. στενακτέον ἐπὶ τοῖς