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from the pious. But I ask by your divine magnanimity that the deficiency be looked upon and corrected, and that I be granted pardon for my offenses, and that I be remembered in its God-inclined prayers as a useless child. 276 {1To the Patriarch of Jerusalem}1 To the all-holy father of fathers, luminary of luminaries, my lord master patriarch of Jerusalem, Theodore the least presbyter and abbot of the Stoudios. ‘Who will tell Abraham that Sarah is nursing?’ says the sacred word somewhere; and who will announce the good news to me, the unworthy one, that my humble letter should reach the sacred hands of your apostolic and most blessed Eminence? Nevertheless, I believe that it will happen; for it was not moved by an irrational desire, but by a necessary matter, that I, a sinner, have dared both to send the letter and to send along with it the letter-bearer Dionysius, our most beloved brother, who is faithful and able to explain on his own whatever is lacking in the letter. Therefore, as one absent in body but present in spirit, I, the humble one, first kiss its God-trodden footsteps (for this is for me both a blessing and a sanctification), then, as if permitted by it, I go away to the venerable places: I embrace the divine ground, where the divine footsteps have walked, the life-giving tomb, in which the all-holy body of our God and Savior Jesus Christ was laid, the place of the holy Skull, in which the Lord of glory was crucified. I go elsewhere; I see holy Bethlehem, I venerate the divine manger above the golden jar, in which not manna, but the bread of life has been placed. And indeed I see the holy mountain, where the most divine transfiguration took place, the Mount of Olives, from which the Lord of all flew up to heaven, the holy Gethsemane, in which is the tomb of our all-venerable lady, the Theotokos, this place and that, so that I may not extend my discourse at length. Oh, how even from the mere remembrance of it there is a partaking of sanctification! Oh, of how great and awesome objects of veneration your Beatitude is the head! You are the first of patriarchs, even if you are the fifth in number; for where the bishop of souls and high priest of all both was born and performed all his divine works and suffered and was buried and rose and lived and was taken up, there clearly is the dignity which surpasses all. But concerning these things so much have I dared to speak with longing and trembling, and I will turn to the other message. A persecution has overtaken us, O most blessed one, and of persecutions the most Hellenic-like; for since Satan perceived that the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ is at the doors, he is kindling the flames of heresies greater, preludes to the coming of the Antichrist. What is this? The impiety formerly stirred up under Leo and Constantine, which raged for a long time and was shattered by a divine rebuke, the present ruler, who is of the same name and synonymous with the impiety, has now renewed, and to such an extent as to hide their madness. He persecutes the Christ depicted with his mother and servants, and wherever he might find one, he purges, he burns; Hence altars have been dug up, holy temples have been darkened, sacred vessels have been set on fire; There is not any part of the kingdom under him left unpurged, but if anyone were somehow found to have hidden a venerable icon or a tablet that had something written about it, he is immediately seized, torn apart by scourges, and subjected to every other terrible thing. Hence fears and tremblings and terrors upon every person, so that brother shuns saying 'hail' to brother, and friend to friend. A synod ratifying the ancient most impious one and anathematizing the orthodox one. Priests have acted foolishly and have not sought out the Lord, but have approved what seemed good to Ahab. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless, except for very few; Who are these? Both bishops and abbots, both monks and nuns, and by the grace of God himself, our most pre-eminent high priest; of whom some were flogged, others were exiled, and some even immediately

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παρὰ εὐσεβῶν. αἰτῶ δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας σου μεγαλονοίας ἐπισκεφθῆναι καὶ τὸ ἐλλιπὲς ἀνορθωθῆναι καὶ συγγνώμην τῶν ἐπωφλημένων δέξασθαί με, λαμβάνεσθαί τε εἰς μνήμην ἐν ταῖς θεοκλινέσιν αὐτῆς προσευχαῖς ὡς ἀχρεῖον τέκνον. 276 {1Πατριάρχῃ Ἱεροσολύμων}1 Τῷ τὰ πάντα ἁγιωτάτῳ πατρὶ πατέρων, φωστῆρι φωστήρων, κυρίῳ μου δεσπότῃ πατριάρχῃ Ἱεροσολύμων, Θεόδωρος ἐλάχιστος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἡγούμενος τῶν Στουδίου. Τίς ἀναγγελεῖ Ἀβραὰμ ὅτι Σάρρα θηλάζει; φησί που ὁ ἱερὸς λόγος· καὶ τίς ἐμοὶ τῷ ἀναξίῳ εὐαγγελίσοιτο, ὅτι μου τὸ ταπεινὸν γράμμα εἰς ἱερὰς χεῖρας φθάσειεν τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ὑμῶν μακαριωτάτης κορυφῆς; ὅμως πιστεύω ὅτι γενήσεται· οὐ γὰρ ἀλόγῳ ἐπιθυμίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαίᾳ ὑποθέσει κινηθεὶς ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐτόλμησα καὶ τὸ γράμμα ἀποστεῖλαι καὶ τὸν ἐπιστοληφόρον ∆ιονύσιον τὸν ποθεινότατον ἀδελφὸν συνεκπέμψασθαι, πιστὸν ὄντα καὶ δυνατὸν ὅσα ἐλλείπει τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐξηγορῆσαι. Τοιγαροῦν ὡς ἀπὼν τῷ σώματι παρὼν δὲ τῷ πνεύματι πρῶτον μὲν ὁ ταπεινὸς κατασπάζομαι τὰ θεοβαδῆ αὐτῆς ἴχνη (τοῦτο γὰρ ἐμοὶ εὐλογία τε καὶ ἁγιασμός), ἔπειτα ὡς πρὸς αὐτῆς ἐπιτραπεὶς ἄπειμι ἐν τοῖς σεβαστοῖς τόποις· προσπτύσσομαι τὸ θεῖον ἔδαφος, οὗ τὰ θεῖα ἴχνη βέβηκεν, τὸ ζωοποιὸν μνῆμα, ἐφ' ᾧ τὸ πανάγιον σῶμα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατετέθη, τὸν χῶρον τοῦ ἁγίου Κρανίου, ἐν ᾧ ἐσταύρωται ὁ Κύριος τῆς δόξης. μέτειμι ἀλλαχοῦ· ὁρῶ τὴν ἁγίαν Βηθλεέμ, προσκυνῶ τὴν θείαν φάτνην ὑπὲρ τὴν στάμνον τὴν χρυσῆν, ἐν ᾗ οὐ μάννα, ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς ζωῆς ἄρτος τέθειται. καὶ μὴν βλέπω τὸ ἅγιον ὄρος, οὗ ἡ θειοτάτη μεταμόρφωσις, τὸ τῶν ἐλαιῶν ὄρος, ἀφ' οὗ ἀνέπτη πρὸς οὐρανοὺς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος, τὴν ἁγίαν Γεσσημανῆ, ἐφ' ᾗ ὁ τάφος τῆς πανσεβάστου δεσποίνης ἡμῶν Θεοτόκου, τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο, ἵνα μὴ μακρὸν ἀποτείνοιμι λόγον. ὤ, πῶς καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς μόνης τῆς ἐπιμνήσεως ἁγιασμοῦ ἐστι μετάληψις· ὤ, πηλίκων καὶ φρικτῶν σεβασμάτων ἡ τῆς σῆς μακαριότητος ὑπάρχει κορυφή. σὺ πρῶτος πατριαρχῶν, κἂν πεντάζοις τῷ ἀριθμῷ· οὗ γὰρ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ τῶν ὅλων ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ ἐγεννήθη καὶ ἔδρασε τὰ θεουργὰ πάντα καὶ ἔπαθεν καὶ τέθαπται καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ ἔζησε καὶ ἀνελήφθη, ἐκεῖ δῆλον ὅτι τὸ ὑπεραῖρον ἁπάντων ἀξίωμα. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων τοσαῦτα πόθῳ καὶ τρόμῳ τετόλμηταί μοι λαλῆσαι, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ ἕτερον τρέψομαι ἀπάγγελμα. διωγμὸς ἡμᾶς κατείληφεν, ὦ μακαριώτατε, καὶ διωγμῶν ὁ ἑλληνοειδέστατος· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ᾔσθετο ὁ σατανᾶς ἐν προθύροις εἶναι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλλου θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μείζους τῶν αἱρέσεων ἀνάπτει τὰς φλόγας, προεισόδια τῆς τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου παρουσίας. τί τοῦτο; τὴν πάλαι ἐπὶ Λέοντος καὶ Κωνσταντίνου διεγερθεῖσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ μανεῖσαν ἐπὶ πολὺ καὶ ῥαγεῖσαν θείᾳ ἐπιτιμήσει, αὖθις ἄρτι ὁ ὁμώνυμος καὶ συνώνυμος τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ κρατῶν ἀνενεώσατο, καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὡς ἀποκρύψαι τὴν ἐκείνων λύτταν. διώκει τὸν Χριστὸν ἐγγεγραμμένον σὺν μητρὶ καὶ θεράπουσι καὶ οὗ ἂν εὕροι καθαίρει, φλέγει· ἐντεῦθεν θυσιαστήρια κατεσκαμμένα, ἱεροὶ ναοὶ ἠμαυρωμένοι, σκεύη ἱερὰ ἐμπεπρησμένα· οὐκ ἔστιν ὅ τι μὴ ἐλλέλειπται μέρος τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν βασιλείας ἐαθὲν ἀκαθαίρετον, ἀλλ' εἴ πως εὑρεθείη τις ἐγκεκρυφὼς σεπτὴν εἰκόνα ἢ δέλτον, περὶ αὐτῆς λεκτόν τι ἔχουσαν, ἀνάρπαστος εὐθύς, μάστιξι καταξαινόμενος καὶ πᾶν ἄλλο δεινὸν ὑφιστάμενος. ἐντεῦθεν δείματα καὶ τρόμοι καὶ ἐκστάσεις περὶ πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ὡς καὶ χαίρειν λέγειν ἀδελφῷ ἀδελφὸν καὶ φίλῳ φίλον ἐκτρέπεσθαι. σύνοδος κυροῦσα τὴν πάλαι ἀσεβεστάτην καὶ καταθεματίζουσα τὴν ὀρθόδοξον. ἱερεῖς ἠφρονεύσαντο καὶ τὸν Κύριον οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῷ Ἀχαὰβ δόξαν συνεκρότησαν. πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν, πλὴν ὀλίγων κομιδῇ· τίνων τούτων; ἐπισκόπων τε καὶ ἡγουμένων, μοναζόντων τε καὶ μοναζουσῶν, αὐτοῦ τε χάριτι θεοῦ τοῦ κορυφαιοτάτου ἡμῶν ἀρχιερέως· ὧν οἱ μὲν ἐμαστίχθησαν, ἄλλοι ὑπερωρίσθησαν, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ παραυτὰ