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is softened and is torn apart by your groaning. Bear, therefore, the pain and the time of your suspended priesthood, until Christ might shine forth the spring of orthodoxy, in which you will boast in what you now do for Christ's sake, clearly together with the recovery of your rank. 252 {1To Bessarion, my child}1 Although I did not receive copies of what I wrote to you, my beloved child (for what reason the letter-bearer knows), nevertheless, for me writing is not a burden, although I am securely imprisoned with brother Nicholas. Rejoice, therefore, O witness of the truth, rejoice, O confessor of Christ, rejoice, my own boast and that of the church. You see what words you hear, what your good submission has provided for you, your right faith, your endurance in prison, your courage and fearless resistance, the reception of the scourgings, the scraping of your flesh, the pouring out of your blood, the scars of your bruises? To what heights have they raised you, what have they made of you? And you will be raised yet higher, and you will be magnified yet more, if, my sacred child, you endure to the end whatever may happen to come. For he who endures to the end will be saved, said the Lord. If they strike you again, Christ is your helper; or do you not know that as much as the sufferings of Christ abound, so much also do the glory and the consolation? Bear, my son, the solitude, the imprisonment, the hardship, the despondency; breathe Christ, cut off the reasonings of the adversaries. Take care to get through the day in which you are living, and do not be anxious about tomorrow; may he who has given endurance today also give it for the next, if we reach it. These things are from me to you, do not cease praying these things yourself for us sinners. Peace to you from Christ. 253 {1To John, my child}1 I understood the power of your letter, my child, and I thanked my God that you are being kept safe, delivered from the hand of the persecutors. See to it therefore how you live, so that you are not caught again; but if it should somehow happen, strengthen your soul, my child, to endure all things for the name of God, seeing especially your brothers who have contended and are still contending. He who believes can do all things in Christ who strengthens him, who also called you in the seat of the presbyters to praise him. Live as a priest, be reverent, purifying yourself, so that being pure you might approach the Pure One. Pray also for us that we may be saved, that our deeds may seal our words, since I am a sinful man. The Lord be with your spirit. 254 {1To Euodios, my child}1 Since I received your apology by letter, beloved child, I changed the sorrow of my humble soul, which was grieving over what had happened; for do not think, brother, that it is a small thing to fall in word. What does the Lord say? If anyone acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven. Likewise also the opposite. But since it has happened, God is merciful, forgiving our stumbles. But having reached this point, fear God and do not advance to something worse, but spare your soul and me, the humble one, seeing your brothers who are contending; for those who have fallen are pitiable from every side, unless they repent worthily. As for our affairs, as the letter-bearer will report, upon learning them, pray that we may be saved. 255 {1To Niketas the Hegoumen}1 Even before your letter, having long ago learned of your situation from the voice of the letter-bearer, I, the wretched one, praised you, and now through reading it I sang greatly to the Lord, that the father is among the fathers and the luminary among the luminaries; for it was necessary, it was necessary for one who was led through tested obedience and who had guided others through a lawful life not to remain among those who, because of my sins, were carried away by this age, but rather to be quickly cut by the sword of the spirit and to make the recovery from defeat more conspicuous, running back up to the high place of the confession of Christ and signaling in the world the light of truth. Such are the deeds of your fatherly holiness, which both gladdened the orthodox and struck the adversaries, receiving the wound with what seemed to be their own weapon

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λεαίνεται καὶ τῷ στεναγμῷ σου διαρρήσσεται. φέρε τοίνυν τὸ ἄλγος καὶ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εἰργομένης ἱερατείας, ἕως ἂν ἐπιλάμψειεν Χριστὸς ἔαρ ὀρθοδοξίας, ἐν ᾧ καυχήσῃ ἐν οἷς διὰ Χριστὸν δρᾷς νῦν μετὰ καὶ τῆς ἀπολήψεως τοῦ βαθμοῦ δῆλον ὅτι. 252 {1Βησσαρίωνι τέκνῳ}1 Εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐδεξάμην ἀντίγραφα ὧν ἐπέστειλά σοι, τέκνον μου ἠγαπημένον (δι' ἣν αἰτίαν οἶδεν ὁ γραμματηφόρος), ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐμοὶ τὸ γράφειν οὐκ ὀκνηρόν, καίπερ ὄντι ἐγκεκλεισμένῳ ἀσφαλῶς σὺν τῷ ἀδελφῷ Νικολάῳ. χαίροις οὖν, ὁ μάρτυς τῆς ἀληθείας, χαίροις, ὁ ὁμολογητὴς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, χαίροις, τὸ ἐμὸν καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καύχημα. ὁρᾷς οἵας φωνὰς ἀκούεις, τί σοι παρέσχεν ἡ καλὴ ὑποταγή, ἡ πίστις ἡ ὀρθή, ἡ ὑπομονὴ τῆς φυλακῆς, ἡ ἀδειλία καὶ ἀφόβητος ἔνστασις, ἡ τῶν μαστίγων ὑποδοχή, τῶν σαρκῶν ὁ ξεσμός, τοῦ αἵματος ἡ κένωσις, τῶν μωλώπων αἱ ὠτειλαί; ποῦ σε ἀνύψωσαν, τί σε ἀπειργάσαντο; καὶ ἔτι ὑψωθήσῃ, καὶ ἔτι μεγαλυνθήσῃ, ἐάνπερ, ἱερέ μου παῖ, ὑπομείνῃς τελέως ὅσα ἂν καὶ συμβαίη ἐλθεῖν. ὁ γὰρ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος οὗτος σωθήσεται, εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος. εἰ καὶ πάλιν τύψωσιν, ὁ Χριστὸς βοηθός· ἢ οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι ὅσον περισσεύει τὰ παθήματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοσοῦτον καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ παράκλησις; φέρε, υἱέ μου, τὴν μόνωσιν, τὴν φυλακήν, τὴν στενοχωρίαν, τὴν ἀθυμίαν· ἀνάπνεε Χριστόν, κόπτε τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῶν ἐναντίων. τὴν ἡμέραν μερίμνησον διελθεῖν, ἐν ᾗ ζῇς, καὶ περὶ τῆς αὔριον μὴ φροντίσῃς· ὁ δοὺς σήμερον ὑπομονὴν δοίη καὶ εἰς τὴν ἑξῆς, ἐὰν φθάσωμεν. Ταῦτά σοι παρ' ἐμοῦ, ταῦτα καὶ αὐτὸς περὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εὔχεσθαι μὴ διαλείποις. εἰρήνη σοι παρὰ Χριστοῦ. 253 {1Ἰωάννῃ τέκνῳ}1 Ἐπέγνων τὴν δύναμιν τῶν γραμμάτων σου, τέκνον μου, καὶ ηὐχαρίστησα τῷ θεῷ μου ὅτι διαφυλάττῃ ἀσινής, ῥυσθεὶς ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν διωκτῶν. βλέπε οὖν πῶς καθέζῃ, ἵνα μὴ ἁλῷς πάλιν· εἰ δέ πως καὶ γένηται, στερέωσον τὴν ψυχήν σου, τέκνον μου, ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπομεῖναι πάντα, ὁρῶν μάλιστα τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου ἀθλήσαντας καὶ ἔτι ἀθλοῦντας. πάντα ἰσχύει ὁ πιστεύων ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντι Χριστῷ, ὃς καὶ ἐκάλεσέν σε ἐν καθέδρᾳ πρεσβυτέρων αἰνεῖν αὐτόν. Ἱερατικῶς ζῆθι, εὐλαβῶς ἴσθι καθαίρων σαυτόν, ἵνα καθαρὸς τῷ καθαρῷ προσπελάζοις. προσεύχου καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ἵνα σῳζοίμεθα, ἵνα τοὺς λόγους ἡμῶν ἡ πρᾶξις σφραγίζῃ, ἐπειδὴ ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι ἄνθρωπος. ὁ Κύριος μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματός σου. 254 {1Εὐοδίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἐπεὶ ἐδεξάμην σου τὴν διὰ τοῦ γράμματος ἀπολογίαν, τέκνον ἠγαπημένον, μετέβαλον τὸ λυπηρὸν τῆς ταπεινῆς μου ψυχῆς, ἀλγυ νομένης ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβεβηκόσι· μὴ γὰρ οἴου, ἀδελφέ, μικρὸν εἶναι τὸ ἐν λόγῳ πεσεῖν. τί λέγει ὁ Κύριος; εἴ τις ὁμολογήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. ὁμοίως καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ γέγονεν, ὁ θεὸς ἐλεήμων, συγχωρῶν τὰ ὀλισθήματα ἡμῶν. μέχρι δὲ τούτου φθάσας φοβήθητι τὸν θεὸν καὶ μὴ προβῇς εἰς περισσότερον, ἀλλὰ φεῖσαί σου τῆς ψυχῆς κἀμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ, ὁρῶν σου τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἀθλοῦντας· οἱ γὰρ πεσόντες ἐλεεινοὶ καὶ ἔνθεν κἀκεῖθεν, εἰ μὴ μετανοήσειαν ἀξιολόγως. Τὰ δὲ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὡς ἂν ἀπαγγείλῃ ὁ γραμματηφόρος μανθάνων προσεύχου σῴζεσθαι ἡμᾶς. 255 {1Νικήτᾳ ἡγουμένῳ}1 Καὶ πρὸ τῶν γραμμάτων διὰ φωνῆς τοῦ γραμματηφόρου πάλαι διαγνοὺς τὰ κατὰ τὴν ὁσιότητά σου ᾔνεσα ὁ τάλας, καὶ νῦν διὰ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως ᾖσα τῷ Κυρίῳ μεγάλως, ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ ἐν τοῖς πατράσι καὶ ὁ λαμπτὴρ ἐν τοῖς λαμπτῆρσιν· ἔδει γάρ, ἔδει τὸν δι' ὑποταγῆς δοκίμου ἀχθέντα καὶ διὰ νομίμου βίου καθηγησάμενον μὴ ἐναπομεῖναι τοῖς συναπαχθεῖσι κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ θᾶττον ῥαγῆναι τῇ μαχαίρᾳ τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ περιφανεστέραν ποιήσασθαι τῆς ἥττης τὴν ἀνάκλησιν, ἀναδραμόντα ἐν τῇ περιωπῇ τῆς Χριστοῦ ὁμολογίας καὶ φρυκτωροῦντα ἐν κόσμῳ τὸ φῶς τῆς ἀληθείας. Τοιαῦτα τὰ τῆς πατρικῆς σου ἁγιωσύνης, ἃ καὶ τοὺς ὀρθοδόξους εὔφρανεν καὶ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους ἔπληξεν, ἐν ὅπλῳ δοκοῦντι ἰδίῳ τὴν τρῶσιν