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Those outside are not to be forbidden from eating with them, not so that they may also give a blessing until the dismissal. So much has appeared to me concerning these things in the fear of God and in truth. But if anything newer comes from you or from others, let me be taught; for I confess that since I sin in many things, I accept that I am ignorant of many things. Greet your brothers and my children, Abba Peter and Ignatius and Tithoios, my longed-for co-workers in the Lord; greet my beloved ones from your holy company; greet the guardians of the mysteries, my beloved inwards; greet her who labors in the Lord, from whom I am distant and yet abound in good things; greet all the brothers in Christ, even the laity, among whom are Sergius the pious and trustworthy. The brothers with me greet you and the others. The Lord Jesus Christ be with you, ever-longed-for brothers; remember my humility. 226 {1To my child Ignatius}1 From your letters I behold your heart, O my good Ignatius, and I rejoice in your confidence and sincere love, but I am grieved that, being unworthy, I have such sons in the Lord who love me, preferring everything for me, wretched one that I am, because, if it were possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. Who like I is glorious among disciples, and who is less than I because of his sins? No one. But pray, child, and pray earnestly for me to walk aright, so that in me you may have not a reproach, but a boast; and I exhort you, the chief pillars of the brotherhood, through our Lord Jesus Christ, to be steadfast now, immovable in the faith, always abounding in the work of the Lord, from which may straightness come to those under you. May you be examples to all of good works, of strength; see those who fall away into impiety and be fearful, or rather, be attentive, fervent in heart, instructive and rousing toward your neighbors, so that you may be crowned for each one. You have attended to me, child, in the quaternions, but I have sent them back again, so that you might send them to me completed. Your brothers with me greet you. 227 {1To Maria Augusta}1 Now it is possible to glorify God for every person who stands firm for the truth of Christ, inasmuch as nothing on earth is preferred, not even one's own flesh, for the sake of our blameless faith as Christians; but especially is it possible to glorify him, because you, who were thought—on account of your royal dignity, and I might add on account of your womanly nature and all the difficulties arising from both—to shrink back and betray piety, on the contrary have stood nobly, choosing the crown of confession and being overcome by no earthly desire. Truly royal is your spirit, my lady, pre-eminent the dignity of your soul; blessed are you for perfecting your contest. You have given a standard in this generation of your God-honored virtue, your name has become praiseworthy in heaven and on earth. You have appeared to rule in the world more by virtue than when a gold-inlaid diadem was placed upon you. Blessed are you among queens, now the glory of nuns, now a light in the world, since you were before, but not so much. Stand firm still, I beseech you, do not be terrified, you who have God as your helper, because of whom he who thinks to terrify you will be terrified of you. You were wronged before with an incurable injustice by the emperor, who was also your spouse, on account of which the church of God has been disturbed by so many and so great things. Not now too? Then he was able; for the devil prevailed by means of the one in power. But not now; for it is up to you to choose the best things. Faithful is God, in whom you have hoped, to give you the crown of perfection. Only I exhort you for yet a very little while to bear the assaults, the threats, which your firmness will dissolve like sea foam in Christ Jesus your master and bridegroom. Receive my letter out of spiritual love and grant me in return your sacred prayer. 228 {1To a Spatharia}1 Having previously heard from many the excellent things of your life according to God, I have now also learned by experience through what you sent to my lowliness that you have seeds of piety in your heart, being mindful of those who suffer for Christ's sake.

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τοὺς ἔξω συνεστιᾶσθαι αὐτοῖς οὐ κωλυτέον, οὐχ ἵνα καὶ εὐλογῶσιν ἕως λύσεως. Τοσαῦτά μοι ὦπται περὶ τούτων ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. εἰ δέ τι ἐξ ὑμῶν ἢ ἀπ' ἄλλων καινότερον, διδαχθῶ· ὁμολογῶ γὰρ ὡς πολλὰ ἁμαρτάνων καὶ πολλὰ ἀγνοεῖν δέχομαι. ἄσπασαι τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου καὶ τέκνα μου, τὸν ἀββᾶν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰγνάτιον καὶ Τιθόιον, τοὺς ἐν Κυρίῳ ἐπιποθήτους μου καὶ συνεργούς· ἄσπασαι τοὺς ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας σου συνοδίας φιλητούς μου· ἄσπασαι τοὺς μυστηριοφύλακας, τὰ ἐμὰ ἠγαπημένα σπλάγχνα· ἄσπασαι τὴν κοπιῶσαν ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἧς ἀπέχω καὶ περισσεύω ἐν ἀγαθοῖς· ἄσπασαι πάντας τοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ ἀδελφούς, κἂν λαϊκοί, ἐξ ὧν Σέργιος ὁ εὐσεβὴς καὶ ἔγγυος. ἀσπάζονταί σε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφοί. ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς μεθ' ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοὶ ἀειπόθητοι· μνημονεύετέ μου τῆς ταπεινώσεως. 226 {1Ἰγνατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων σου θεωρῶν εἰμι τὴν καρδίαν σου, ὦ καλέ μου Ἰγνάτιε, καὶ χαίρω μὲν τῇ πεποιθήσει καὶ εἰλικρινεῖ ἀγάπῃ σου, λυποῦμαι δέ, ὅτι μὴ ἄξιος ὢν τοιούτους ἔχω τοὺς φιλοῦντάς με υἱοὺς ἐν Κυρίῳ, πάντα προαιρουμένους εἰς ἐμὲ τὸν δύστηνον, ὅτι, εἰ δυνατόν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξορύξαντες ἂν ἐδώκατέ μοι. τίς ὡς ἐγὼ ἐν μαθηταῖς δοξαστός, καὶ τίς ὁ ἐμοῦ ὑποδεέστερος διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας; οὐδείς. Ἀλλ' εὔχου, τέκνον, καὶ ὑπερεύχου κατορθοῦντά με πορεύεσθαι, ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ μὴ ὄνειδος, ἀλλὰ καύχημα ἔχοιτε· κἀγὼ παρακαλῶ διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑμᾶς τοὺς τῆς ἀδελφότητος ἀκρόμονας ἑδραίους εἶναι τανῦν, ἀμετακινήτους τῆς πίστεως, περισσεύοντας ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ Κυρίου πάντοτε, ἀφ' ὧν γίνοιτο εἰς τοὺς ὑφειμένους εὐθύτης. εἴητε ἐξεμπλάρια τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀγαθοεργίας, κραταιότητος· βλέπετε τοὺς καταπίπτοντας ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ καὶ ἔμφοβοί ἐστε, μᾶλλον δὲ προσεκτικοί, θερμοκάρδιοι, διδακτικοὶ καὶ διεγερτικοὶ πρὸς τοὺς πλησίον, ἵνα καθ' ἑκάστην στεφανοῦσθε. Τεθεράπευκάς με, τέκνον, ἐν ταῖς τετράσιν, ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἀνταπέσταλκα αὐτάς, ἵνα μοι συμπληρωθείσας ἀποστείλῃς. ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφοί σου. 227 {1Μαρίᾳ αὐγούστῃ}1 Νῦν δοξάζειν ἔστι τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ ἐνισταμένῳ ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας Χριστοῦ, καθότι οὐ προτιμᾶταί τι τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς οὐδὲ μέχρις οἰκείας σαρκὸς χάριν τῆς ἀμωμήτου πίστες ἡμῶν τῶν χριστιανῶν· μάλιστα δὲ δοξάζειν ἔστιν, ὅτι σὺ ἡ δοκοῦσα διὰ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀξίαν, προσθείην δ' ἂν καὶ διὰ τὴν γυναικείαν φύσιν καὶ ὅσα ἐξ ἀμφοῖν δυσχερῶς ἔχει, ὑποπτήσσειν καὶ προδιδεῖν τὴν εὐσέβειαν τοὐναντίον γενναίως ἔστης, στέφανον ὁμολογίας αἱρουμένη καὶ μηδενὶ τῶν ἐπιγείων ἔρωτι κρατουμένη. ὄντως βασιλικόν σου, δέσποινά μου, τὸ φρόνημα, ὑπερφερὲς τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀξίωμα· μακαρία εἶ τελειοῦσά σου τὸν ἀγῶνα. ἔδωκας σύσσημον ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ ἀρετῆς σου θεοτιμήτου, αἰνετόν σου γέγονε τὸ ὄνομα ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς. ἐφάνης μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ βασιλεύουσα τῇ ἀρετῇ ἢ ὅτε διάδημα περιετίθετό σοι χρυσοκόλλητον. εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν βασιλίσιν, ἄρτι κλέος μοναζουσῶν, ἄρτι φῶς ἐν κόσμῳ, ἐπεὶ καὶ πρότερον, ἀλλ' οὐ τοσοῦτον. στῆθι ἔτι, παρακαλῶ, μὴ πτοηθῇς, ἡ θεὸν ἐπίκουρον ἔχουσα, δι' ὃν πτοηθήσεταί σε ὁ δοκῶν πτοεῖν σε. ἠδίκησαι τὸ πρὶν ἀδικίαν ἀθεράπευτον παρὰ βασιλεῖ, τοῦ καὶ ὁμοζύγου, δι' ἣν καὶ τετάρακται πόσα καὶ πηλίκα ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ. μὴ καὶ ἄρτι; τότε ἠδυνήθη· παρὰ γὰρ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἴσχυσεν ὁ διάβολος. οὐ μὴν ἄρτι· παρὰ σοῦ γὰρ τὸ προαιρεῖσθαι τὰ κράτιστα. πιστὸς ὁ θεός, εἰς ὃν ἤλπισας δοῦναί σοι τῆς τελειώσεως τὸν στέφανον. μόνον παρακαλῶ ἔτι μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον ἐνεγκεῖν σε τὰς προσβολάς, τὰς ἀπειλάς, ἃς ἡ στερρότης σου ὡς ἀφρὸν θαλάττιον διαλύσειεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ δεσπότῃ καὶ νυμφίῳ σου. ∆έξαιό μου τὸ γράμμα ἐξ ἀγάπης πνευματικῆς καὶ ἀντιδοίης μοι τὴν ἱεράν σου προσευχήν. 228 {1Σπαθαρέᾳ}1 Ἐκ πολλῶν προακηκοὼς τῆς κατὰ θεόν σου πολιτείας τὰ ἐξαίρετα ἄρτι καὶ πείρᾳ ἔμαθον δι' ὧν ἀπέστειλας τῇ εὐτελείᾳ μου ὅτι ἔχεις σπέρματα εὐσεβείας ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, μεμνημένη τῶν διὰ Χριστὸν πασχόντων.