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your excellence and piety, which you perform for our brothers who are there or are passing through, and I glorify God, because as a father or a guide or some angel sent from God you are practicing these things toward them, admonishing one, reconciling another, and feeding another, escorting another, accompanying another who lives a solitary life, and clothing another, providing for another's journey. And what need is there to say much? I seem to be myself in you or one of those who are as my right eye. Whence to you, O all-revered master, this solicitude, whence this friendship, whence this comfort, but from God, who has his own workers and ministers in every place and region? You yourself also in the former exile did not cease to do likewise, sheltering and caring for us ourselves. For all these things, therefore, you have us indebted for prayers of thanksgiving, or rather, God, who receives to himself the good deeds you do to the brothers; from whom is for you the forgiveness of sins and the kingdom of heaven. 204 {1To my child Naucratius}1 I was babbling with idle talk, about what would become of the brothers; and when through the report of your letter, child, I learned that they were still safe along with Hypatius (for this was the sending back under the previous guards), what need is there to say how much I was cheered, heartened, gave thanks, and rejoiced? For just as the blessed end of my holy Thaddeus has become a strength, not only for me the humble one and for you his brothers, but also for the whole church, so too is the manliness and perseverance of those still contending, just as the opposite is the opposite. It is God, therefore, who gives strength for them to contend most nobly in what follows, and not only them but us with them; for some have run and conquered, even if not forever, because of not knowing what the future will bring forth, but we are only in preparation, not having yet run. Therefore I remind you, I beseech you, I prostrate myself and through you I beseech all to be prepared, to have practiced for the sudden seizure. No one standing at the engagement of battle is careless, is not quarrelsome, is not dissolute, does not play the jester, is not a villain, is not vainglorious; But what? He is vigilant, he prays, he fences himself in, he wrestles even before the engagement, he thrusts away desires, he eats sparingly, he is detached from the world, from life, from his own body, he considers all things to be refuse according to the apostle, for Christ's sake. You know what the humble Lucian has suffered, so that I may omit to speak of the others as not being among those who seem to be something? How has he fallen, how has he come under the hand (alas for me to say) of the emperor, or rather of the devil? I beg you, pray for me that the power of Christ may rest upon me, the prodigal, the feeble, the useless one, in which is the victory; since, he says, without me you can do nothing. These things I also ask for you with tears every day. Yes, I beg you, prepare yourselves, arm yourselves with breastplates, rouse yourselves, having the Lord as your champion and protector, who surely would save the one who believes; do you believe, he says, that I am able to do this? And they said: Yes, Lord. And he said: Go, as you have believed, let it be done for you; and they obtained their request. This also now is for us the humble ones. Show the letter, my brother, to the leaders, and above all be more secure, you who were sent from the inner court by the emperor; and may the Lord be with you. Amen. 205 {1To my child Peter}1 To write is good (for I always love, my beloved child, to converse with you by letter), but why send things, and indeed so many and so great? You have astonished me completely. Was not the care of the brothers enough for you? But desire is a forceful thing. Cease for now, I beg you, from spending so much. Nevertheless I have accepted, nevertheless I have given thanks, that although I am unworthy, such a disposition of yours has been poured out from God. What shall I, wretched one, give in return? For what good thing do I have, or did you or another of your fellow disciples receive from me? The gift is of God, not that you have profited at all from me. Nevertheless for what you have chosen to be from the first day until now

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ἀριστείας σου καὶ θεοσεβείας, ἃς περὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι ὄντας ἢ καὶ διερχομένους ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν ἐργάζῃ, καὶ δοξάζω τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ὡς ἂν πατὴρ ἢ καθηγεμὼν ἤ τις ἄγγελος ἐκ θεοῦ ἀποσταλεὶς πρακτικεύεσαι τὰ πρὸς αὐτούς, ὃν μὲν παραινῶν, ὃν δὲ συμβιβάζων, καὶ ἄλλον μὲν τρέφων, ἄλλον δὲ παραπέμπων, ἕτερον δὲ συμμίγων μονοβιοῦντα, καὶ ἄλλον μὲν ἐνδύων, ἕτερον δὲ ἐφοδιάζων. καὶ τί δεῖ πολλὰ λέγειν; αὐτὸν ἐμὲ δοκῶ εἶναι ἐν σοὶ ἤ τινα τῶν εἰς δεξιόν μου ὀφθαλμὸν τελούντων. πόθεν σοι, ὦ δέσποτα πανσεβέστατε, ἡ φροντὶς αὕτη, πόθεν ἡ φιλία, πόθεν ἡ παράκλησις ἀλλ' ἐκ θεοῦ, τοῦ κατὰ τόπον καὶ χώραν ἔχοντος τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ ἐργάτας καὶ θεραπευτάς; αὐτὸς καὶ ἐν τῇ πάλαι ἐξορίᾳ ὡσαύτως ποιεῖν οὐ διέλιπες, ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς σκεπάσας καὶ θεραπεύσας. ∆ιὰ πάντα τοίνυν ἔχεις ἡμᾶς ὑποχρέους προσευχῶν εὐχαριστηριῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ θεόν, τὸν εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναδεχόμενον τὰς εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς εὐποιΐας σου· παρ' οὗ σοι ἡ ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. 204 {1Ναυκρατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἀδολεσχίᾳ ἠδολέσχουν, τί τὸ ἀποβησόμενον εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφούς· καὶ ὡς διὰ τῆς ἀπαγγελίας τοῦ γράμματός σου, τέκνον, ἔγνων αὐτοὺς διασεσωσμένους ἔτι μετὰ καὶ τοῦ Ὑπατίου (τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων φρουρῶν ἀνάπεμψις), τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν ὅσον εὐθύμησα, εὐθάρσησα, εὐχαρίστησα, ἠγαλλιασάμην; καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ τὸ μακάριον τέλος τοῦ ἁγίου μου Θαδδαίου κράτος γέγονεν, οὐ μόνον ἐμοὶ τῷ ταπεινῷ ὑμῖν τε τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἀδελφοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἔτι ἀθλούντων ἡ εὐανδρία καὶ διακαρτερία, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον ἐναντίως. ἔστιν οὖν ὁ δυναμῶν θεὸς καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς κάλλιστα αὐτοὺς διαγωνίσασθαι, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς σὺν αὐτοῖς· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἔδραμον καὶ ἐνίκησαν, κἂν οὐκ εἰς τὸ ἀεί, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι τί τέξεται τὰ μετέπειτα, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπὶ παρασκευῆς μόνον, οὔπω δεδραμηκότες. ∆ιὸ ὑπομνήσκω, παρακαλῶ, κυλινδοῦμαι καὶ διὰ σοῦ πάντας παρασκευασμένους εἶναι, μεμελετημένους διὰ τὴν αἰφνίδιον ἁρπαγήν. οὐδεὶς ἐπὶ συμβολῇ πολέμου ἱστάμενος ἀμεριμνεῖ, οὐ φιλονεικεῖ, οὐ διακέχυται, οὐ γελωτοποιεῖ, οὐ μισοπονηρεῖ, οὐ κενεμβατεῖ· ἀλλὰ τί; γρηγορεῖ, προσεύχεται, συμφράττεται, συμπλέκεται καὶ πρὸ συμπλοκῆς, διωθεῖται τὰς ἐπιθυμίας, αὐταρκοτροφεῖ, ἀσχετεῖ κόσμου, ζωῆς, οἰκείου σώματος, πάντα κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον σκύβαλα εἶναι νομίζει διὰ Χριστόν. οἴδατε τί πέπονθεν ὁ ταπεινὸς Λουκιανός, ἵνα τοὺς ἄλλους ὡς οὐ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναί τι ἐάσω λέγειν; πῶς πέπτωκεν, πῶς γέγονεν ὑπὸ χεῖρα (φεῦ μοι λέγειν) τοῦ βασιλέως, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ διαβόλου; δέομαι ὑμῶν, προσεύχεσθε περὶ ἐμοῦ ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸν ἄσωτον, τὸν ἀδρανῆ, τὸν ἄχρηστον ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐν ᾗ ἐστι τὸ νικᾶν· ἐπεί, φησίν, χωρὶς ἐμοῦ οὐ δύνασθε ποιεῖν οὐδέν. Ταῦτα κἀγὼ περὶ ὑμῶν αἰτῶ μετὰ δακρύων καθ' ἑκάστην. ναί, δέομαι ὑμῶν, ἑτοιμάζεσθε, θωρακίζεσθε, διανίστασθε, ἔχοντες πρόμαχον καὶ προασπιστὴν τὸν Κύριον, ὃς πάντως τὸν πιστεύοντα σῴζοι· πιστεύετε, φησίν, ὅτι δύναμαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι; οἱ δὲ εἶπον· ναί, Κύριε. καὶ αὐτός· ὑπάγετε, ὡς ἐπιστεύσατε, γενηθήτω ὑμῖν· καὶ ἐπέτυχον τῆς ἐπιζητήσεως. τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ἐφ' ἡμῖν τοῖς ταπεινοῖς. ὑπόδειξον τὸ γράμμα, ἀδελφέ μου, τοῖς προέχουσι, καί γε πρὸ πάντων ἀσφαλέστεροι ἦτε οἱ ἐκ τῶν ἔσω παραπεμφθέντες πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως· καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἔστω μεθ' ὑμῶν. ἀμήν. 205 {1Πέτρῳ τέκνῳ}1 Τὸ μὲν ἐπιστεῖλαι καλῶς (φιλῶ γὰρ ἀεί, τέκνον μου ἠγαπημένον, ὁμιλεῖν σοι διὰ τοῦ γράμματος), τὸ δὲ ἀποστεῖλαι διὰ τί, καί γε τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα; ἐξέστησάς με πᾶσαν τὴν ἔκστασιν ταύτην. οὐκ ἤρκει σοι ἡ φροντὶς τῶν ἀδελφῶν; ἀλλ' ὁ πόθος πρᾶγμα βίαιον. στῆσον ἔτι, παρακαλῶ, τὸ ἐκδαπανᾶσθαί σε. πλὴν ἀπεδεξάμην, πλὴν ἀπευχαρίστησα, ὅτι ἀναξίου μου ὄντος ἡ τοιαύτη σου θεόθεν ἐκκέχυται προαίρεσις. τί ἀνταποδώσω ὁ τάλας; τί γὰρ ἀγαθὸν ἔχω ἢ ἔσχες παρ' ἐμοῦ ἢ αὐτὸς ἢ ἄλλος τῶν συμφοιτητῶν σου; θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον, οὐκ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τι ὠνήσασθαι. ὅμως ἀνθ' ὧν προαιρούμενος εἶ ἐκ πρώτης ἡμέρας ἕως δεῦρο