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saints. Let us too, beloved, taste of the love of Christ, let us walk in the footsteps of saints, let us spurn the passions of this age. We do not have here a lasting city, the Jerusalem above is our homeland and city. O men mighty in spirit, O children of God (for these words are not from me, the humble and sinful one), let us not shrink back even if all should turn away, which may it not happen, but let us, who were of old strengthened by God, now also fight in single combat. With us is God, all the saints from of old, with us are east and west. A small part has broken itself off from the church under heaven, and this out of fear, for the sake of temporary things, for the sake of the flesh, which a little later we will deliver to the eternal fire along with the soul, if we do not hold fast to the truth. Let it be that we are even tempted, and scourged, and this many times, and finally that we even die; then is it not an unspeakable joy for us to attain the kingdom of heaven and from there to carry off immortal glory? Or on the contrary, having fled the aforesaid things, from then on to be mocked until the end and to bear unending shame? Yes, I beseech you, my little children, whom I begot in the Lord, whom Christ raised up in pains and labors not only ascetic, but indeed also athletic; fulfill my joy, that you may be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind, doing nothing through rivalry or conceit, but in humility counting others better than yourselves. The commands are apostolic, even if recalled by me, the wretched one. Pray also for me, I ask, that strength, power, and speech may be given to me for your sake (even if I am unworthy of divine grace), so that with one accord in one spirit God may be glorified in our body and in our spirit. Send to the good archbishop Dionysius. Greet Abba Peter, Abba Ignatius and Abba Tithoes and show them the letter. Still, prepare yourself with the rest, and especially those afore-mentioned, because with those near you having slipped, it is not possible for you to be left alone, being slandered by those very ones. And may the Lord give strength, power, mind, eye, understanding, everything whatsoever for you to do well for the praise and glory of Christ, for my boasting, for your eternal glory. Those with me greet you both; Christ be with you. Amen. 224 {1To the same}1 What is my life and word, that you so wear yourselves out for me, O child, and take such pains, from such a distance and in so great a trial disregarding all toil and danger in visiting my lowliness, and this unceasingly, and this with such a bearing of gifts? You have made what is far near, what is hard to accomplish easy to accomplish, what is deserted easy to traverse, you have astounded those who see, you have opened mouths in praise of the Lord of those who perceive the achievements of your faith and love; for where have any others been so moved to show to their own fathers the signs of sincere friendship? Blessed be God who has thus shown you forth according to your own virtue, but beyond the worth of my wretchedness; for I confess that I am a sinner, less than all men, even though you yourself, moved by love, attempt to crown me with so many praises. I have received then, O longed-for one, your confidence, I have received your care for my old age; as a child you have supported me, as a brother you have tended me, I might add also that as a father you have treasured me up; and if as a co-worker you have toiled with me, and if as a disciple you have filled up what was lacking, may the Lord the God of my father do well by you and add to you spirit upon spirit, power upon power, understanding upon understanding until the end. So be it. For the rest, pray for my lowliness, that I may walk pleasingly to the Lord for what remains of my life. I was very refreshed by the brother Adrian, if indeed it might be granted for me to be with him; refrain from sending here until September for many reasons, unless it is something necessary. Having learned the affairs of certain abbots, I, the wretched one, groaned; may they be strengthened.

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ἅγιοι. γευσώμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀγαπητοί, τῆς ἀγάπης Χριστοῦ, περιπατήσωμεν ἐν ἴχνεσιν ἁγίων ῥέξωμεν τὰς προσπαθείας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. οὐκ ἔχομεν ὧδε μένουσαν πόλιν, ἡ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ πατρὶς καὶ πόλις ἡμῶν. ὦ ἄνδρες δυνατοὶ ἐν πνεύματι, ὦ τέκνα θεοῦ (οὐ γὰρ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῦ), μὴ ὀκλάσωμεν κἂν πάντες τραποῖεν, ὅπερ μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ὡς πάλαι ὑπὸ θεοῦ δυναμωθέντες καὶ τανῦν μονομαχήσωμεν. μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός, πάντες οἱ ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἅγιοι, μεθ' ἡμῶν ἀνατολὴ καὶ δύσις. μικρὰ μερὶς ἡ ἀπορρήξασα ἑαυτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανὸν ἐκκλησίας, καὶ τοῦτο διὰ φόβον, διὰ τὰ πρόσκαιρα, διὰ τὴν σάρκα, ἣν μικρὸν ὕστερον παραδώσομεν τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ σὺν τῇ ψυχῇ, εἰ μὴ ἀντισχώμεθα τῆς ἀληθείας. ἔστω καὶ πειρασθῶμεν, καὶ μαστιχθῶμεν, καὶ τοῦτο πολλάκις, τέλος καὶ ἀποθάνωμεν· εἶται οὐκ ἔστι χαρὰ ἀνεκλάλητος ἐπιτυχεῖν ἡμᾶς βασιλείας οὐρανῶν κἀντεῦθεν ἀπενέγκασθαι κλέος ἀθάνατον; ἢ τοὐναντίον φυγόντας τὰ προειρημένα κἀντεῦθεν κωμῳδισθῆναι μέχρι τέλους καὶ αἰσχύνην ὑποῖσαι ἀτελεύτητον; ναί, δέομαι, τεκνία μου, οὓς ἐγέννησα ἐν Κυρίῳ, οὓς ηὔξησε Χριστὸς ἐν πόνοις καὶ κόποις οὐ μόνον ἀσκητικοῖς, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἀθλητικοῖς· πληρώσατέ μου τὴν χαρὰν ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε, τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες, σύμψυχοι τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες, μηδὲν κατ' ἐριθείαν ἢ κενοδοξίαν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἀλλήλους ἡγούμενοι ὑπερέχοντας ἑαυτῶν. ἀποστολικὰ τὰ παραγγέλματα, κἂν παρ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταλαιπώρου ὑπομιμνησκόμενα. προσεύχεσθε καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ, παρακαλῶ, ἵνα μοι δοθῇ ἰσχύς, κράτος, λόγος δι' ὑμᾶς (κἂν ἐγὼ ἀνάξιος θείας χάριτος), ὅπως ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι δοξασθῇ ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ σώματι καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ἡμῶν. Στεῖλον εἰς τὸν ἀρχιεπίσκοπον τὸν καλὸν ∆ιονύσιον. προσαγόρευσον τὸν ἀββᾶν Πέτρον, τὸν ἀββᾶν Ἰγνάτιον καὶ τὸν ἀββᾶν Τιθόιον καὶ ὑπόδειξον αὐτοῖς τὸ γράμμα. ἔτι ἑτοιμάζου σὺν τοῖς λοιποῖς, καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς προγεγραμμένοις, ὅτι τῶν ἐγγύθεν ὑμῶν ὀλισθησάντων οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμᾶς ἐαθῆναι, ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐκείνων διαβαλλομένους. δοίη δὲ Κύριος σθένος, κράτος, νοῦν, ὀφθαλμόν, σύνεσιν, πᾶν ὁτιοῦν εὖ πρᾶξαι ὑμᾶς εἰς ἔπαινον καὶ δόξαν Χριστοῦ, εἰς καύχημα ἐμόν, εἰς κλέος ὑμῶν αἰώνιον. προσαγορεύουσιν οἱ συνόντες μοι ἀμφοτέρους· ὁ Χριστὸς μεθ' ὑμῶν. ἀμήν. 224 {1Τῷ αὐτῷ}1 Τίς ὁ ἐμὸς βίος καὶ λόγος, ὅτι οὕτω περιτρύζετέ με, ὦ τέκνον, καὶ περιπονεῖσθε, ἐκ τοσούτου μήκους καὶ ἐν τοσούτῳ πειρασμῷ παραλογιζόμενοι πάντα πόνον καὶ κίνδυνον ἐν τῷ ἐπισκέπτεσθαι τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου, καὶ τοῦτο ἀδιαλείπτως, καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ τοσαύτης δωροφορίας; ἐποιήσατε τὰ μακρὰν ἐγγύς, τὰ δυσάνυστα εὐάνυστα, τὰ ἔρημα εὐδιάβατα, ἐξεπλήξατε τοὺς ὁρῶντας, διηνοίξατε στόματα εἰς αἰνέσεις Κυρίου κατανοούντων τῆς πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης ὑμῶν τὰ κατορθώματα· ποῦ γὰρ οὕτω προήχθησάν τινες τῶν ἄλλων ἐνδείξασθαι πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους πατέρας τὰ τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς φιλίας; εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς ὁ οὕτως ὑμᾶς ἀναδείξας κατὰ τὴν ὑμῶν μὲν ἀρετήν, παρ' ἀξίαν δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς ταλαιπωρίας· ὁμολογῶ γὰρ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὑπάρχειν, πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐλαχιστότερος, κἂν αὐτὸς ἀγάπῃ φερόμενος τοσούτοις ἐγκωμίοις με δοκιμάζοις καταστέφειν. ἀπέχω οὖν, ὦ ἐπιπόθητε, τὰ τῆς πεποιθήσεώς σου, ἀπέχω τὰ τῆς γηροκομίας σου· ὡς τέκνον ἐβάστασας, ὡς ἀδελφὸς ἐθεράπευσας, προσθείην καὶ ὡς πατὴρ ἐθησαύρισας· εἰ δὲ καὶ ὡς συνεργὸς συνεκοπίασας, εἴ τε ὡς μαθητὴς τὰ ὑστερήματα ἀνεπλήρωσας, εὖ σε ποιήσαι Κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ προσθείη πνεῦμά σοι ἐπὶ πνεύματι, δύναμιν ἐπὶ δυνάμει, σύνεσιν ἐπὶ συνέσει μέχρι τέλους. Εἶεν. τὸ λοιπὸν προσεύχου περὶ τῆς ταπεινώσεώς μου ἵνα εὐαρέστως Κυρίῳ πορεύσωμαι κἂν πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς τῆς ζωῆς μου. πάνυ ἀνεπάην ἐπὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ Ἀδριανῷ, εἴ γε καὶ παραχωρηθείη μοι συνεῖναι· ἐπίσχες τοῦ ἀποστεῖλαι μέχρι Σεπτεμβρίου ἐνταῦθα διὰ πολλά, οὐκ οἶδα εἰ μή τι ἀναγκαῖον. γνοὺς τὰ τῶν τινων ἡγουμένων ἐστέναξα ὁ τάλας· στηριχθείησαν