163

father, because both humility is yours and strong faith and fervent zeal and courage of endurance and wisdom of speech, which the son of perdition and the gadfly of irrationality was not able to oppose; and thanks be to God who gave you a well-aimed mouth and a tongue that cuts through heretical chatter. Now therefore, my true son and much-longed-for father, there are still prizes for contests, since I learned that you were transferred to the place of punishment. stand fast, I beseech you, be a man, I pray, be excellent, I entreat, show the works of the power of God in this weak flesh, I supplicate at your feet; may the tormentor give up on the others, having been defeated by your struggles. among bishops, my light, shine, among monks, my life, be pre-eminent, among confessors, my heart and my head, be crowned; let heaven and earth praise you, let priests and hierarchs as well as monks glorify you, each one of them claiming you as an adornment for his own rank. So be it, we suffer hardship, we hunger, we fail from thirst, we are perplexed, we are in utter despair, I would add, we are scourged; the foot in the stocks, the neck in chains, the sword, and lastly, fire. What is this compared to the kingdom of heaven? What is this compared to the good things in the promises? And that it is not possible for one suffering for Christ not to have Christ as a helper, allowing one to be tempted only so much as we are able to bear; for is it another who kills and makes alive? Let us not then, brother, lose heart, hearing the one who says, I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God. Thus I hope for you, so also you yourself pray for me, the sinner, leaving aside the praises which you unworthily attach to me; for I am the least of all men. 235 {1To Bessarion my child}1 I gladly read your letter, my child, in finding your health and zeal, your endurance and comfort; blessed are you, my child Bessarion, because you suffer for Christ, having been condemned to imprisonment by the impious, which is a glory and a crown for you; what do you think the Cretans learn, hearing that you are a confessor of Christ? You have brought renown both to your family and your country and to me the unworthy, and indeed to your brothers. Sharpen yourself in the knowledge of God, silence the heretics who attack you, that Christ is the image of Christ by designation not by nature, in which he is honored (as also the contrary), so too of the Theotokos, so too of each of the saints. In your patience possess your reward, remembering me the sinner also, that I may be saved in all things. 236 {1To Hypatius my child}1 I was pleased by your letter, my child, because you cherish and love those things which I too love in the Lord, so that I approved both your former resolve and your latter humility. Be therefore, child, pleasing to God with brother Lucian; for it is neither holy nor without offense for you to be divided, not only being brothers, but also having been separated from me the humble. Is this not enough for me, but even after a separation, another separation? Alas for this evil; do not, I beseech you. Even if it is from the devil, who envies concord and for this reason contrives either enmities or attachments, so as to work separation from both, yet we, not being ignorant of his designs, should do violence to our nature and draw down the mercy of God through humility so that we are not separated; for may Christ be so with you. Who is greater among the apostles than Peter and John? But Peter is allowed by John to speak publicly, and Peter strikes, while Paul is speaking; for it was not a matter of anyone seizing the first place, but they were considering how the needful and orderly thing might be done. So you also be imitators of the saints. I rejoice that through you the word goes forth to those who seek it, but with counsel. But do not come into the sight of women except out of necessity, lest we might strike or be struck so as to still heal

163

πατήρ, ὅτι καὶ ταπείνωσίς σοι πρόσεστι καὶ πίστις κραταιὰ καὶ προθυμία ζέουσα καὶ εὐψυχία ὑπομονῆς καὶ σοφία λόγου, ᾗ οὐκ ἠδυνήθη ὑπαντῆσαι ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας καὶ μυωξὸς τῆς ἀλογίας· καὶ χάρις θεῷ τῷ εὐθύβολον δόντι σοι στόμα καὶ γλῶσσαν διατέμνουσαν αἱρετικὴν γλωσσαλγίαν. Νῦν οὖν, υἱέ μου γνήσιε καὶ πατὴρ πολυπόθητε, ἔτι ἀγώνων ἔπαθλα, ἐπείπερ ἔμαθον ὅτι μετέστης εἰς τὸ κολαστήριον. στῆθι, παρακαλῶ, ἄνδρισαι, δέομαι, ἀρίστευσον, ἀντιβολῶ, δεῖξον ἔργα δυνάμεως θεοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀσθενεῖ ταύτῃ σαρκί, πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν σου ἱκετεύω· ἀπείποι ὁ κολάζων τῶν ἄλλω, τοῖς σοῖς ἡττηθεὶς ἀγωνίσμασιν. ἐν ἐπισκόποις, φῶς μου, λάμψον, ἐν μονάζουσι, ζωή μου, κορυφώθητι, ἐν ὁμολογηταῖς, σπλάγχνον μου ὁμοῦ καὶ κορυφή, στεφανώθητι· αἰνεσάτωσαν ἐπὶ σοὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, δοξασάτωσαν ἱερεῖς καὶ ἱεράρχαι ὁμοῦ τε καὶ μονασταί, τῶν ἑαυτῶν ἕκαστος εἰσποιούμενος εἰς ἐγκαλλώπισμα διὰ τοῦ οἰκείου ἀξιώματος. ἔστω, ταλαιπωροῦμεν, λιμώττομεν, ἐκλείπομεν δίψει, ἀπορούμεθα, ἐξαπο ρούμεθα, προσθείην, μαστιγούμεθα· ἐπὶ ξύλου ὁ ποῦς, ἐπὶ δεσμοῦ ὁ τράχηλος, μάχαιρα, τὸ τελευταῖον, πῦρ. τί πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν; τί πρὸς τὰ ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις ἀγαθά; καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι διὰ Χριστὸν πάσχοντα μὴ Χριστὸν ἔχειν ἐπικουροῦντα καὶ τοσοῦτον παραχωροῦντα πειρασθῆναι, ὁπόσον καὶ οἷόν τε ἐνεγκεῖν ἡμᾶς· μὴ γὰρ ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ θανατῶν καὶ ζωογονῶν; μὴ δὴ οὖν, ἀδελφέ, ἀτονήσωμεν, ἀκούοντες τοῦ λέγοντος, πέπεισμαι ὅτι οὔτε θάνατος οὔτε ζωὴ οὔτε ἄγγελοι οὔτε ἀρχαὶ οὔτε δυνάμεις οὔτε ἐνεστῶτα οὔτε μέλλοντα οὔτε ὕψωμα οὔτε βάθος οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ θεοῦ. Οὕτως ἐλπίζω τὰ περὶ σοῦ, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς προσεύχου τὰ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἐῶν οὓς ἀναξίως προσάπτεις μοι ἐπαίνους· εἰμὶ γὰρ ἐλαχιστότερος πάντων ἀνθρώπων. 235 {1Βησσαρίωνι τέκνῳ}1 Ἡδέως ἀνέγνων σου τὴν ἐπιστολήν, τέκνον μου, ἐν τῷ εὑρεῖν με τὴν ὑγίειάν σου καὶ προθυμίαν, τὴν ὑπομονὴν καὶ παράκλησιν· μακάριος εἶ, τέκνον μου Βησσαρίων, ὅτι διὰ Χριστὸν πάσχεις, φυλακὴν κατακριθεὶς παρὰ τῶν ἀσεβούντων, ἥτις ἐστὶ δόξα σοι καὶ στέφανος· τί οἴει πανθάνειν τοὺς Κρῆτας, ἀκούοντας ὅτι ὁμολογητὴς Χριστοῦ εἶ; εὐκλέησας καὶ τὸ γένος καὶ τὴν πατρίδα σου κἀμὲ τὸν ἀνάξιον, καὶ μέντοι τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου. ὀξύνου εἰς γνῶσιν θεοῦ, ἐπιστόμιζε τοὺς προσβάλλοντάς σοι αἱρετικούς, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἡ Χριστοῦ εἰκὼν τῇ κλήσει οὐ τῇ φύσει, ἐν ᾗ τιμᾶται (ὡς καὶ τοὐναντίον), οὕτως τῆς Θεοτόκου, οὕτως ἑκάστου ἁγίων. ἐν τῇ ὑπομονῇ σου κτῆσαι τὸν μισθόν σου, μνημονεύων κἀμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἵνα διασῴζωμαι ἐν πᾶσιν. 236 {1Ὑπατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἠρέσθην ἐν τοῖς γράμμασί σου, τέκνον μου, ὅτι ἐκεῖνα στέργεις καὶ ἀγαπᾷς, οἷα καὶ ὅσα φιλῶ ἐν Κυρίῳ, ὥστε ἀποδέξασθαί με καὶ τὴν προτέραν σου πρόθεσιν καὶ τὴν ὑστεραίαν ταπείνωσιν. ἔσο τοίνυν, τέκνον, εὐαρεστῶν τῷ θεῷ μετὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Λουκιανοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ εὐαγὲς οὔτε ἀπρόσκοπον διῃρημένους ὑμᾶς εἶναι, οὐ μόνον ἀδελφοὺς ὄντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ χωρισθέντας. οὐκ ἀρκεῖ μοι τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ χώρισιν πάλιν χώρισις; φεῦ τοῦ κακοῦ· μή, παρακαλῶ. εἰ καὶ παρὰ διαβόλου, βασκαίνοντος τὴν ὁμόνοιαν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἢ ἀπεχθείας ἢ σχέσεις παραρτύοντος, ὡς ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τὸν χωρισμὸν ἐργάσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς γε, τὰ νοήματα αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀγνοοῦντες, βιαζοίμεθα τὴν φύσιν καὶ ἕλκωμεν διὰ ταπεινώσεως τὸν ἔλεον τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὸ μὴ διίστασθαι ἡμᾶς· εἴη γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς οὕτω μεθ' ὑμῶν. τίς Πέτρου καὶ Ἰωάννου μείζων ἐν ἀπο-στόλοις; ἀλλὰ καὶ Πέτρος παραχωρεῖται ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου δημηγορεῖν, παίει καὶ Πέτρος, Παύλου λαλοῦντος· οὐ γὰρ ὅπως τὸ πρωτεῖόν τις ἁρπάσοι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἂν τὸ χρειῶδες γίνοιτο καὶ τὸ τακτικὸν αὐτοῖς ἐσκοπεῖτο. Οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ μιμηταὶ εἴητε τῶν ἁγίων. χαίρω ὅτι διὰ σοῦ προέρχεται λόγος εἰς τοὺς ζητοῦντας, ἀλλὰ μετὰ συμβουλίας. ἀλλὰ μὴ εἰς ὄψεις γυναικείας ἐκτὸς ἀνάγκης ἔρχεσθε, μή που πλήξωμεν ἢ πληγῶμεν ὡς ἔτι ἰάσασθαι