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having received them; for the one who resists does not sting so much as the one who after his capture has wrestled again in the Lord. But my affairs are not as your friendship praises them, by which, as they say, the truth is wont to be stolen away; I, the humble one, am far from every good thing. But it would be of your God-inclined prayer to make me useful for something and in the contest in which we are now present not to fall away from the portion of you, the saints. But the contest is known to your piety, that it is for Christ's sake to struggle on account of his icon; for each is inseparable in the other, both confessed and denied. and the recent confessors more than those of old have been deemed worthy to hear from the Lord, "blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." The one with me greets your holiness just as I also greet the true Arsenios, the one who is manly in prudence and fiery in zeal, your true son, but my beloved brother. 256 {1To Antiochos the silentiary}1 The letter is worthy of your piety, because at a time in which most people flee even from making a simple address to us, you yourself both write and summon us to write, reproaching our silence. you show of what stock you are a shoot, of the golden family, of the pious root; for this reason also you are a friend and to me a friend of friends, the fiery one, so loved as the blessed father. But the wondrous thing is that even in the winter of faithlessness the flower of your virtue did not wither, remaining unstained from heretical communion, as you write. I must pray that it may so remain; for it is truly difficult to escape, and especially in high office, since almost all have been captured by fear of human danger, but with contempt for the God who is set at naught; by whose providence may you be guarded and saved from both, O you who are in all things most beloved to all. 257 {1To Gregory}1 The sendings of letters are paired; but you, O best of friends, and I might add, most excellent of the pious, with some you have cheered me, and especially on account of so many and so great, but others you have begrudged to share, and these things from the inner sanctuary of the treasures of your heart being able to come forth lavishly. So that we might not appear unequally yoked, let us add the second to the first. Do you see how I philosophize to you in a time of philosophy? For philosophy is to flee the destruction of heresy, from which may God keep you without share, rewarding you for having nourished us, the humble ones, with pure goods. 258 {1To Lucian, my child}1 Adam, where are you? This is a voice of God not only to our first father, but indeed also to each one who has fallen from the divine commandment. Where then are you, child and brother? From what glory have we slipped, having put on a covering of shame? I grieve for you, I groan, I weep, seeing in your defeat my own fall. Alas, what have you undergone, what have you suffered? But since God is of those who repent, arise, taking this first and last medicine of repentance, to confess your lawlessness to all, so that the Lord may forgive you the communion of impiety. It is sufficient to say this much; for I think that you are crushed and greatly grieved, but relax, child; the Lord is near to the contrite of heart, and will save the humble in spirit. 259 {1To Myron}1 I was late in writing to your piety, fearing the temptations and not yet, as I think, having been in experience of it; but when I learned more precisely who and what sort my master is, that he is good and pious, I readily wrote the letter, through which I give thanks, and quite reasonably so, because you remembered my lowliness, although having no such clear token of it, and that in such a time, when because of human fear even friends who seemed genuine have stood aloof, caring least for God and his commandment, since some were lost to bearing the fruit of love, while others, what is more grievous, made shipwreck concerning the faith, having been submerged by the wave of heresy even in their reasonings. But well done, that my lord, being steered from both sides, you are bringing safely the vessel of your soul, by the breezes of the Spirit being guided straight into the harbor of salvation. I therefore glorified our good God, because he has secretly even in those places those who have not been swept away,

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δεδεγμένους· οὐ γὰρ οὕτω δάκνει ὁ ἐνιστάμενος ὡς ὁ μετὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν ἀναπαλαίσας ἐν Κυρίῳ. τὰ δὲ ἡμέτερα οὐχ ὡς ἐγκωμιάζει ἡ φιλία σου, ὑφ' ἧς καὶ φιλεῖ κλέπτεσθαι, ὥς φασιν, ἡ ἀλήθεια· πόρρω ἐγὼ ὁ ταπεινὸς καλοῦ παντός. τῆς σῆς δ' ἂν εἴη θεοκλινοῦς προσευχῆς χρησιμεῦσαί με εἴς τι καὶ ἐν ᾧ νῦν πάρεσμεν ἀγῶνι τῆς μερίδος ὑμῶν τῶν ἁγίων μὴ ἀποπεσεῖν. ὁ δὲ ἀγὼν γνωστὸς τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ σου, ὅτι ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἐστι τῆς εἰκόνος αὐτοῦ εἵνεκα ἀθλεῖν· ἑκάτερον γὰρ ἐν ἑκατέρῳ ἀχώριστον καὶ ὁμολογούμενον καὶ ἀρνούμενον. καὶ οἱ ἄρτι ὁμολογηταὶ μᾶλλον τῶν πάλαι ἠξίωνται ἐπαΐειν πρὸς τοῦ Κυρίου, μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες. Ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ προσαγορεύει τὴν ἁγιωσύνην σου ὥσπερ κἀγὼ τὸν ἀληθῶς Ἀρσένιον, τὸν ἄρσενα τῇ φρονήσει καὶ διάπυρον τῷ ζήλῳ, τὸν σὸν μὲν ἀληθινὸν υἱόν, ἐμὸν δὲ ἐραστὸν ἀδελφόν. 256 {1Ἀντιόχῳ σιλεντιαρίῳ}1 Ἄξιον τῆς εὐσεβείας σου τὸ γράμμα, ὅτι ἐν καιρῷ ἐν ᾧ φεύγουσιν οἱ πλεῖστοι καὶ ψιλὴν προσηγορίαν ἡμῖν ποιεῖσθαι αὐτὸς καὶ γράφεις καὶ γράφειν ἡμᾶς ἐκκαλεῖσαι, ἐγκαλῶν τὴν σιωπήν. φαίνῃ τίνος εἶ ὅρπηξ, τοῦ χρυσοῦ γένους, τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ῥίζης· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ φίλοι σοι καὶ φίλων ἐμοὶ ὁ διάπυρος, οὕτως στεργόμενος ὡς ὁ μακάριος γεννήτωρ. ἀλλὰ τὸ θαυμαστὸν ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀπιστίας χειμῶνι οὐκ ἐμαράνθη σου τὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἄνθος, ἄχραντον διαμένον τῆς αἱρετικῆς κοινωνίας, καθὰ γράφεις. ὃ καὶ διαμεμενηκέναι ἔτι προσευκτέον μοι· τῷ ὄντι γὰρ χαλεπὸν διαφυγεῖν καὶ μάλιστα ἐν ἀξιώματι, ἑαλωκότων σχεδὸν ἁπάντων δέει κινδύνου ἀνθρωπίνου, καταφρονήσει δὲ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀθετουμένου· οὗ τῇ προμηθείᾳ φυλάττοιο καὶ σῴζοιο ἀμφοτέρωθεν, ὁ κατὰ πάντα ἐρασμιώτατος ἅπασιν. 257 {1Γρηγορίῳ}1 Αἱ ἀποστολαὶ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν σύζυγοι· σὺ δέ, ὦ φίλων ἄριστε, προσθείην δ' ἂν καὶ εὐσεβῶν κράτιστε, ταῖς μὲν εὔφρανας καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ τοσαύταις καὶ τηλικαύταις, τῶν δὲ ἐφθόνησας μεταδοῦναι, καὶ ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν ἀδύτων θησαυρῶν σου τῆς καρδίας δαψιλῶς δυναμένων προϊέναι. ἵν' οὖν μὴ ἑτεροζυγοῦντες φαινοίμεθα, προσθῶμεν ταῖς πρώταις καὶ τὰς δευτέρας. Ὁρᾷς οἷά σοι φιλοσοφῶ ἐν καιρῷ φιλοσοφίας; φιλοσοφία γάρ ἐστι τὸ φυγεῖν τὸν ὄλεθρον τῆς αἱρέσεως, ἧς σὲ θεὸς ἀμέτοχον διατηρήσειεν, ἀνταμειβόμενος ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔθρεψας ἡμᾶς τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τοῖς ἀκηράτοις ἀγαθοῖς. 258 {1Λουκιανῷ τέκνῳ}1 Ἀδάμ, ποῦ εἶ; φωνή ἐστι θεοῦ οὐ μόνον πρὸς τὸν ἀρχιπάτορα ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πρὸς ἕκαστον τὸν ἐκπεπτωκότα τῆς θείας ἐντολῆς. ποῦ οὖν εἶ, τέκνον καὶ ἀδελφέ; ἐκ ποίας δόξης ὠλισθήσαμεν, περιθέμενοι αἰσχύνης κάλυμμα; ἀλγῶ ἐπὶ σοί, στένω, κλάω, ἐν τῇ ἥττῃ σου τὸ οἰκεῖον πτῶμα ὁρῶν. οἴμοι, τί ὑπέστης, τί πέπονθας; ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ θεὸς τῶν μετανοούντων, ἀνάστα, τοῦτο πρῶτον καὶ τελευταῖον φάρμακον μετανοίας λαμβάνων, τὸ πᾶσιν ἐξαγορεύειν σου τὴν ἀνομίαν, ὅπως ὁ Κύριος ἀφήσῃ σοι τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας κοινωνίαν. Ἀρκεῖ τοσοῦτον εἰπεῖν· οἴομαι γάρ σε συντετριμμένον εἶναι καὶ λίαν λελυπημένον, ἀλλὰ ἄνες, τέκνον· ἐγγὺς Κύριος τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τῷ πνεύματι σώσει. 259 {1Μύρωνι}1 Ὠψίσθην ἐπιστεῖλαι τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ σου, δεδιὼς τοὺς πειρασμοὺς καὶ ἐν πείρᾳ αὐτῆς οὔπω ὡς δοκῶ γεγονώς· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔμαθον ἀκριβέστερον ὅστις καὶ οἷος ὁ δεσπότης μου, ὅτι ἀγαθὸς καὶ εὐσεβής, προθύμως ἐχάραξα τὴν ἐπιστολήν, δι' ἧς ἀπευχαριστῶ, καὶ μάλα γε εἰκότως, ὅτιπερ ἐμνήσθης μου τῆς ταπεινώσεως, καίτοι γνώρισμα αὐτῆς οὕτως ἐναργῶς μὴ ἔχων, καί γε ἐν τοιούτῳ καιρῷ, ὁπότε δέει ἀνθρωπίνῳ καὶ φίλοι τῷ δοκεῖν γνήσιοι ἀποτροπάδην ἔστησαν, ἥκιστα φροντίζοντες θεοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐντολῆς, ἐπειδὴ οἱ μὲν ὤλλυντο τῆς ἀγάπης φέρειν τὸν καρπόν, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὴν πίστιν τὸ χαλεπώτερον ἐναυάγησαν, τῷ κλύδωνι τῆς αἱρέσεως καταβαπτισθέντες καὶ τοὺς λογισμούς. Ἀλλ' εὖγε, ὅτι ὁ κύριός μου ἀμφοτέρωθεν κυβερνώμενος διασῴζεις τὴν ὁλκάδα τῆς ψυχῆς, ταῖς αὔραις τοῦ πνεύματος εἰς λιμένα σωτηρίας ἀπευθυνόμενος. ἐδόξασα οὖν τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἡμῶν θεόν, ὅτι ἔχει καὶ ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι κρύβδην τοὺς μὴ παραρρυέντας,