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you for the protection of the brethren there through the mediation of our brother and child Theodoulos, he having been sent by the steward, my representative and the brethren under him, all of whom cooperated for this very purpose. And indeed we, the humble, also accepted the vote, sealing what has happened in the Holy Spirit, that you be the abbot of the monastery here as one put forward by us ourselves and given as head of the body of the same brotherhood, having through you accepted all of them. We rejoice therefore in these things and have you there following and being a disciple to us, but leading the rest in the Lord. See, therefore, child, how you are to live, in a manner worthy of God and according to the canons, in imitation of our brotherhood, being guided in every commandment of God. But since the keeping of orthodoxy is what is now sought, guard yourself, child, abstaining completely from communion with heretics, to be ready for every affliction and distress for the sake of Christ, for whom the war of persecution is everywhere. Stand firmly against the attacks of the opponents of the faith, be not terrified, do not betray Christ by betraying the truth; if you must be persecuted, be persecuted rejoicing, it is good to be exiled with Christ; if the time demands something else as well, give your body to scourging, your blood for the witness of Christ, in this stirring up also those under your hand to suffer the same things, teaching, admonishing, exhorting, anointing, arming as a good first soldier of Christ. Please God who has enlisted you in this good warfare, not being bound by the desire for earthly things, because all things are passing and foreign to us, for we are all sojourners and pilgrims. Where is the one who brought you to light? Has he not passed away? Did he not leave everything, taking up only one thing, the burden of his works, whether good or otherwise? If you are thus directed to live, behold, the spirit of my humility is with you. I confess that you are a precious member of me, a true child in the portion of our brotherhood, or to speak more familiarly, in the lot of the saints. You have received the flock of Christ, be vigilant, shepherd, labor like Jacob in the frost of the spiritual night and the heat of the day, strengthening the weak, turning back the wandering, binding up the broken, warding off the spiritual beasts with prayers, showing yourself in all things a model of good works, so that you may be worthy of the kingdom of heaven through your well-pleasing shepherding, praying at the same time also for us, that as we have been entrusted by God to teach, we may also walk by our actions. Farewell, man. 233 {1To Constantine the curator}1 A good report of your honor, having come to my ears, persuaded me to write to you, good man. And what is this? That with your other virtue, which you have from the grace of God, you still hold to guilelessness, guarding the orthodox faith as a treasure in the storeroom of your honorable soul and refraining from communion with the heretics. I gave great thanks in this to my God, that laymen equally with monastics strive to please the Lord, fleeing the pit of heresy; for it is truly a pit, brother, and a snare of the devil, and their communion separates from Christ the one who is caught and carries him far from the flock of the Lord. For as light is separated from darkness, so also is orthodox communion from heretical communion; for the one gives light, but the other darkens, and the one unites with Christ, but the other with the devil, and the one gives life to the soul, but the other puts it to death. You do well, therefore, running to the fount of life and not drawing from the deadly cup of impiety, the end of which is eternal destruction. I bless you greatly; but see that just as you have begun, you may also finish in the power of Christ, who is to receive you into his own kingdom and glory through a good end. Pray for us sinners, brother of one faith. 234 {1To Sisoes the bishop}1 I praised our good God, upon reading the letters of your holiness, my beloved child and brother and

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σε εἰς προστασίαν τῶν ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι ἀδελφῶν μεσιτείᾳ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Θεοδούλου καὶ τέκνου ἡμῶν, ἀποσταλέντος αὐτοῦ παρά τε τοῦ οἰκονόμου, τοῦ τε ἀντιπροσώπου μου καὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῷ ἀδελφῶν, εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο συνεργησάντων πάντων. καί γε ἐδεξάμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ταπεινοὶ τὴν ψῆφον, σφραγισάμενοι ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ τὸ γεγονός, εἶναί σε ἡγούμενον τοῦ τῇδε μοναστηρίου ὡς ὑφ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν προβληθέντα καὶ δοθέντα εἰς κεφαλὴν τοῦ σώματος τῆς αὐτῆς ἀδελφότητος, διὰ σοῦ προσειληφότες τοὺς ἅπαντας. χαίρομεν οὖν ἐν τούτοις καὶ ἔχομέν σε ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι ἑπόμενον καὶ μαθητιοῦντα ἡμῖν, προηγούμενον δὲ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ. βλέπε οὖν, τέκνον, πῶς μέλλεις βιοῦν, θεοπρεπῶς καὶ κεκανονισμένως, τῇ κατὰ τὴν ἀδελφότητα ἡμῶν μιμήσει, εὐθυνόμενος εἰς πᾶσαν ἐντολὴν θεοῦ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ ζητούμενον ἄρτι ἡ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας φυλακή, φύλαξαι, τέκνον, τῆς τῶν αἱρετικῶν κοινωνίας παντάπασιν ἀπεχόμενος, ἕτοιμος εἶναι εἰς πᾶσαν θλῖψιν καὶ στενοχωρίαν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, δι' ὃν καὶ ὁ πόλεμος πανταχοῦ τοῦ διωγμοῦ. στῆθι κραταιῶς πρὸς τὰς προσβολὰς τῶν ὑπεναντίων τῆς πίστεως, μὴ πτοηθῇς, μὴ προδῷς τὸν Χριστὸν προδιδοὺς τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἐὰν δεῖ διωχθῆναι, χαίρων διώχθητι, καλὸν τὸ συμφυγαδευθῆναι Χριστῷ· ἐὰν ἀπαιτοίη καὶ ἄλλο τι ὁ καιρός, δὸς τὸ σῶμά σου εἰς μάστιγας, τὸ αἷμα εἰς μαρτύριον Χριστοῦ, συνδιεγείρων ἐν τούτῳ καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ χεῖρά σου τὰ αὐτὰ παθεῖν, διδάσκων, νουθετῶν, παρακαλῶν, ἀλείφων, ὁπλίζων ὡς καλὸς πρωτοστρατιώτης Χριστοῦ. ἄρεσον τῷ στρατολογήσαντί σε θεῷ εἰς τὴν καλὴν στρατείαν ταύτην, μὴ συνδεόμενος τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῶν γηίνων, ὅτι πάντα παρερχόμενα καὶ ξένα ἡμῶν, διότι πάροικοι πάντες καὶ παρεπίδημοι. ποῦ ὁ ἐνεγκών σε εἰς φῶς; οὐ παρῆλθεν; οὐ πάντα εἴασεν, ἓν μόνον ἀράμενος, τὸ φορτίον τῶν ἔργων, εἴτε καλὸν εἴτε ἄλλως; Ἐὰν οὕτω εὐθυνθῇς πολιτεύσασθαι, ἰδοὺ μετὰ σοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ταπεινώσεώς μου. ὁμολογῶ σε μέλος μου εἶναι τίμιον, τέκνον γνήσιον ἐν μερίδι τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀδελφότητος, οἰκειότερον δὲ εἰπεῖν ἐν κλήρῳ ἁγίων. εἴληφας τὸ ποίμνιον Χριστοῦ, ἀγρύπνησον, ποίμανον, κοπίασον ὡς Ἰακὼβ τῷ παγετῷ τῆς νοητῆς νυκτὸς καὶ τῷ καύσωνι τῆς ἡμέρας, τὸ ἠσθενηκὸς ἐνισχύων, τὸ πλανώμενον ἐπιστρέφων, τὸ συντετριμμένον καταδεσμῶν, τοὺς νοητοὺς θῆρας εὐχαῖς ἀποσοβῶν, σεαυτὸν περὶ πάντα παρεχόμενος τύπον καλῶν ἔργων, ἵνα βασιλείας οὐρανῶν διὰ τῆς εὐαρέστου ποιμνιαρχίας ἄξιος ἔσῃ, προσευχόμενος ἅμα καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν, ἵνα ὡς διδάσκειν ἐπιστεύθημεν ὑπὸ θεοῦ καὶ πράττοντες πορευώμεθα. ἔρρωσο, ἄνερ. 233 {1Κωνσταντίνῳ κουράτορι}1 Ἀκοὴ ἀγαθὴ τῆς τιμιότητός σου ἐλθοῦσα ἐν ὠσί μου ἔπεισέν με ἐπιστεῖλαί σοι, ἄνερ ἀγαθέ. τίς δὲ αὕτη; ὅτι μετὰ τῆς ἄλλης σου ἀρετῆς, ἧς ἔσχες ἀπὸ χάριτος θεοῦ, ἔτι ἔχεσαι ἀκακίας, φυλάττων τὴν ὀρθόδοξον πίστιν ὡς θησαυρὸν ἐν τῷ ταμιείῳ τῆς τιμίας σου ψυχῆς καὶ ἀφιστάμενος τῆς κοινωνίας τῶν αἱρετικῶν. χάριν πολλὴν ἔσχον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ θεῷ μου, ὅτι λαϊκοὶ ἴσα μονάζουσιν ἀγωνίζονται εὐαρεστεῖν Κυρίῳ, φεύγοντες τὸν βόθρον τῆς αἱρέσεως· βόθρος γάρ ἐστιν ὡς ἀληθῶς, ἀδελφέ, καὶ παγὶς διαβόλου, καὶ ἡ κοινωνία αὐτῶν διίστησι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸν ἁλῶντα καὶ μακρὰν τῆς ποίμνης Κυρίου ἀποφέρει. ὡς γὰρ τὸ φῶς ἀπὸ τοῦ σκότους κεχώρισται, οὕτως καὶ ἡ ὀρθόδοξος μετάληψις τῆς αἱρετικῆς κοινωνίας· ἡ μὲν γὰρ φωτίζει, ἡ δὲ σκοτίζει, καὶ ἡ μὲν ἑνοῖ τῷ Χριστῷ, ἡ δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ, καὶ ἡ μὲν ζωοποιεῖ τὴν ψυχήν, ἡ δὲ θανατοῖ. Καλῶς οὖν ποιεῖς, ἐπὶ τὴν πηγὴν τῆς ζωῆς τρέχων καὶ οὐκ ἀρυόμενος τοῦ θανασίμου ποτηρίου τῆς ἀσεβείας, ἧς τὸ τέλος ὄλεθρος αἰώνιος. μακαρίζω σε πάνυ· ἀλλὰ βλέπε ἵνα καθὼς ἐνήρξω καὶ τελειώσῃς ἐν τῇ δυνάμει Χριστοῦ, τοῦ ἔχοντός σε προσλαβέσθαι εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείαν καὶ δόξαν διὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τέλους. προσεύχου περὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἀδελφὲ ὁμόπιστε. 234 {1Σισόῃ ἐπισκόπῳ}1 Ἤινεσα τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν τὸν ἀγαθόν, ἐντυχὼν τοῖς γράμμασι τῆς ἁγιωσύνης σου, ἠγαπημένον μου τέκνον καὶ ἀδελφὲ καὶ