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towards my humility, O good child, may you find Christ well-disposed, granting you the rewards of your confidence; for it is for his sake that you do what you do. I exhort you to be watchful, to stand firm in the faith, to act like men, to be strong, let all that you do be done in love; for the time is one of struggles. Consider how some who seemed to be standing have fallen, and others in other ways. Let us emulate those who are contending, whose foundation is Christ, of whom may I, the wretched one, be a partaker; with whom you also are numbered in Christ Jesus, who long ago made your way of life glorious, from whom, I dare say, zeal has been kindled also in the present time. I have written to those whom you told me to write to. Greet your good community; those with me greet you warmly. 206 {1To Patricia}1 I have not yet come into the presence, I believe, of your nobility nor into a written correspondence, but I was moved to do so by our spiritual child, Peter I mean, your own; for he strings together many praises for you and would say that many have enjoyed your honor and grace. And this is a mark of a good soul, to do good to all, and especially to one's own and to relatives. The brother also says that you are not stained by the foul heresy of the Christ-fighters. And again, great is your praise from this, for keeping faith with your master Christ, just as with your blessed spouse. But oh, how have I come to the memory of the man? For though I am unknown to your honor, I was not to him, that man of eternal memory; for I was very fond of him on account of his piety and fear of God in all things, and I am persuaded that I was loved in return. But what is done is done, and may God give him rest; for to die in war is not simply evil, but to die in sin, which might befall someone even on a sickbed. For the rest, be of good cheer, my lady, concerning your own head, whom you will see a little later, I hope, in joy, when at the last trumpet all shall rise for the requital of their lives. See how I began one way and ended another; for my letter has turned out to be made as a duty to the spouse of my lord and true friend. May you be granted to me, living piously. 207 {1To another Patricia}1 To write to my lady now has come about on the occasion of our spiritual child Abba Peter, who is also a relative of your godliness. What is there that you have left undone in doing good to him, just as to those around Abba Euodius and to others who happen to be from our humble monastery? For these things and through these persons it is right to give thanks to you, to make an apology, to pray that good things may abound for you. May he therefore who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food supply and multiply the spiritual seed and increase the fruits of your righteousness in everything, you being enriched by divine work; for this is your praise in this life and provision for eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. We enjoy your good things from all sides, and we have before our eyes a kindling of memory also the pillow, on which, as we rest, we pray for you as a duty. What next? That you also guard the faith, as I learn, as your crowning glory, having the wisdom of the serpent according to the Scripture and the innocence of the dove. O your praiseworthy godliness! You know that nothing is more precious than God, you have truly been instructed in divine things, you truly know that human things are passing away. And may the Lord keep you until the end irreproachable, having no part in the God-separating communion of the heretics, you who are in all things all-praised and all-wise. 208 {1To Hilarion my child}1 Greetings, my child, Abba Hilarion; I inquire how you are, how you are getting through the time of persecution. And though for now you are not confined, yet in the past you were not only confined but also suffered blows for Christ's sake; nevertheless even now you are persecuted and the blessing is near. I have prayed both before and now for the same thing, that you may lead your life in the Lord acceptably. Let your community be Christ's community, your fishing be apostolic fishing; for this is the practice of Christ's disciples. Glorify God, then, my children, in your work, because at the doors

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πρὸς τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου, ὦ καλὸν τέκνον, εὕροις τὸν Χριστὸν εὐμενισμένον, τῆς πεποιθήσεώς σου χαριζόμενόν σοι τοὺς μισθούς· δι' αὐτὸν γὰρ πράττεις, ἃ πράττοις. γρηγορεῖν δὲ παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, στήκειν ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀνδρίζεσθαι, κραταιοῦσθαι, πάντα ὑμῶν ἐν ἀγάπῃ γίνεσθαι· ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἀγώνων. σκοπεῖτε πῶς τινες δοκοῦντες ἵστασθαι καταπεπτώκασι, καὶ ἄλλοι ἄλλως. παραζηλοῦμεν ἐν τοῖς ἐναθλοῦσιν, ὧν Χριστὸς στερέωμα, ὧν κἀγὼ ὁ τάλας εἴην κοινωνός· οἷς καὶ ὑμεῖς συναρίθμιοι ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, τῷ λαμπρύναντι τὴν πολιτείαν ὑμῶν ἔκπαλαι, ἀφ' ὧν καὶ ὁ ζῆλος ἀνήφθη ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ τολμῶ λέγειν. Πρὸς οὓς εἴρηκας ἐπιστεῖλαι γέγραφα. προσαγόρευσον τὴν καλήν σου συνοδίαν· οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ θερμῶς σε ἀσπάζονται. 206 {1Πατρικίᾳ}1 Οὔπω οὔτε ἐν ὄψει, ὡς οἶμαι, ἦλθον τῆς εὐγενείας σου οὔτε εἰς λόγον γραμματικῆς προσφωνήσεως, ἤχθην δὲ κινηθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἡμῶν τέκνου, Πέτρου δὴ λέγω, τοῦ ἰδίου σου· πολλά σοι γὰρ τὰ ἐγκώμια συνείρει καὶ πολλούς σου φαίη ἀπολελαυκέναι τιμῆς καὶ χάριτος. καὶ τοῦτο ψυχῆς ἀγαθῆς, ἀγαθοποιεῖν πρὸς πάντας, καὶ μάλιστα πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους καὶ ἀγχιστεύοντας. λέγει δὲ ὁ ἀδελφὸς καὶ μὴ χραίνεσθαί σε τῇ μυσαρᾷ αἱρέσει τῶν χριστομάχων. καί γε πάλιν μέγας σοι ὁ ἔπαινος ἐντεῦθεν, πιστὰ φυλαττούσῃ τῷ δεσπότῃ σου Χριστῷ, καθάπερ καὶ τῷ μακαρίῳ σου ὁμόζυγι. ἀλλ' ὤ, πῶς ἦλθον εἰς μνήμην τοῦ ἀνδρός; κἂν γὰρ τῇ τιμιότητί σου ἀγνώριστος, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκείνῳ τῷ ἀειμνήστῳ· ἐφίλουν γὰρ αὐτὸν πάνυ διὰ τὴν ἐν ἅπασιν εὐσέβειαν αὐτοῦ καὶ θεοφοβίαν, πείθομαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἀντεφιλούμην. γέγονε δὲ ὡς γέγονε, καὶ θεὸς αὐτὸν ἀναπαύσειεν· οὐ γὰρ τὸ θανεῖν ἐν πολέμῳ ἁπλῶς κακόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ, οὗ δ' ἂν φθασθείη τις κἂν ἐπὶ κλίνης. Λοιπὸν εὔθυμος ἔσο, κυρία, περὶ τῆς σῆς κεφαλῆς, ὃν ὄψῃ μικρὸν ὕστερον, ἐλπίζω, ἐν χαρᾷ, ὅτε τῇ ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγγι ἀναστήσονται πάντες εἰς ἄμειψιν τῶν βεβιωμένων. ἴδε πῶς ἀρξάμενος ἑτέρως ἐτελείωσα· εὑρέθη γάρ μοι τὸ γράμμα κατὰ χρέος τῇ τοῦ ἐμοῦ κυρίου καὶ γνησίου φίλου ὁμόζυγι πεποιημένον. χαρισθείης μοι εὐσεβῶς διαβιοῦσα. 207 {1Πατρικίᾳ ἄλλῃ}1 Τανῦν ἐπιστεῖλαι τῇ ἐμῇ κυρίᾳ ἐκ προφάσεως γέγονε τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἡμῶν τέκνου ἀββᾶ Πέτρου, τοῦ καὶ τῆς σῆς θεοσεβείας ἀγχιστέως. τί δὲ ὅ τι οὐκ ἀπέλιπες καὶ αὐτῷ ἀγαθοποιοῦσα, ὥσπερ καὶ τοῖς περὶ τὸν ἀββᾶν Εὐόδιον ἄλλοις τε τοῖς φθάσασι τῆς ἐλαχίστης ἡμῶν μονῆς ὑπάρχειν; ὑπὲρ ὧν καὶ δι' ὧν ἄξιόν ἐστιν εὐχαριστεῖν σοι, ἀπολογεῖσθαι, προσεύχεσθαι τὰ ἀγαθά σοι εὐθηνῆσαι. ὁ οὖν ἐπιχορηγῶν σπέρμα τῷ σπείροντι καὶ ἄρτον εἰς βρῶσιν χορηγήσαι καὶ πληθύναι τὸν πνευματικὸν σπόρον καὶ αὐξήσαι τὰ γεννήματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου ἐν παντί, θείᾳ ἐργασίᾳ πλουτιζομένης· τοῦτο γάρ σοι ἐγκώμιον ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ καὶ ἐφόδιον αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἀπολαύομεν πάντοθεν τῶν ἀγαθῶν σου, ἔχομεν δὲ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν μνήμης ἐμπύρευμα καὶ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον, ἐν ᾧ ἀναπαυόμενοι χρεωστικῶς ὑπερευχόμεθά σοι. τί τὸ ἑξῆς; ὅτι καὶ τὴν πίστιν, ὡς μανθάνω, φυλάττεις ὡς κεφαλίδα σου, τὸ φρόνιμον τοῦ ὄφεως ἔχουσα κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν καὶ τὸ τῆς περιστερᾶς ἀκέραιον. ὢ τῆς ἐπαινετῆς σου θεοσεβείας· οἶδας ὅτι οὐδὲν θεοῦ προτιμότερον, ὄντως πεπαίδευσαι τὰ θεῖα, ἀληθῶς γινώσκεις τὰ ἀνθρώπινα παρερχόμενα. καί γε διαφυλάξειέν σε Κύριος ἕως τέλους ἀκατάγνωστον, ἀμέτοχον τῆς τῶν αἱρετιζόντων θεοχωρίστου κοινωνίας, τὴν ἐν ἅπασιν πανεύφημον καὶ πανσύνετον. 208 {1Ἱλαρίωνι τέκνῳ}1 Χαῖρε τέκνον, ἀββᾶ Ἱλαρίων· πυνθάνομαί σε πῶς ἔχεις, πῶς διεξάγοις τὸν τοῦ διωγμοῦ καιρόν. κἂν ἄρτι ἀπεριόριστος, ἀλλὰ τὰ πάλαι οὐ μόνον περιωρισμένος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν πληγαῖς ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ· ὅμως καὶ τανῦν δεδιωγμένος καὶ ὁ μακαρισμὸς ἐγγύθεν. δεδέημαι καὶ πρὶν καὶ νῦν τὸ αὐτό, εὐαρέστως διεξάγειν τὴν ἐν Κυρίῳ ζωὴν ὑμῶν. ἡ συνοδία σου ἔστω συνοδία Χριστοῦ, ἡ ἁλεία σου ἁλεία ἀποστολική· καὶ γὰρ μαθητῶν Χριστοῦ τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα. δοξάσατε δὴ τὸν θεόν, τέκνα μου, ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἐπὶ θύραις