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of the chapters such is what occurs to me. A presbyter who has signed on to the impiety ought to repent and weep fervently for his impiety to be forgiven him, but to serve at the liturgy, even if he does not commemorate the impious one, by no means, but he should be barred from the sacred ministry until the Lord looks upon him and grants a time of an orthodox synod, in which each matter will be judged according to its worth by the judgment of God. And I advise that if he has partaken of the impious communion in the reception of the Eucharist, he should also abstain from the sanctified gifts for a period of one or two years; for it is written, You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. And the same applies to churches: What agreement has the temple of God with idols? Therefore, we are commanded by the holy synod not to enter the martyria of the heretics, I know not, unless the temple should come completely under the authority of an orthodox person so that it is no longer served by a heretic; for then the orthodox person should both enter and serve at the liturgy, the previous events constituting no prejudice. This is what I, the humble one, think, my father, reviewing the examples handed down by the divine fathers, but it would be for your perfection to consider better things and to show them to my eyes. May you be preserved for me still, being strong and contending for God, you who are renowned among the fathers, and at the same time praying for my unworthiness: the one out of love, the other because of the commanding precept. 295 {1To Gregoras the layman}1 I have read your letter, O man of God; but behold, there are other confessors for you, I mean those around the oikonomos. Hold to your holy work, to your offering in the Lord; minister yourself through service. Even if the undertaking is dangerous, yet God is the one who delivers; for he himself appointed you a servant of his martyrs, an anointer of the confessors, a helper of those who falter. Go through your divine ministry, with Christ going before you, do not be afraid. I received the figs in word but not in deed because of the confinement. I have written to the presbyter, and thanks be to God that he serves with you, having been called by God. Pray for us, brother and partaker of the sufferings. 296 {1To Naucratius, my child}1 Having learned through your letter that you are living in the Lord and remain unchanged from the truth of God in faith, my longed-for child and brother, I gave thanks with exceedingly great joy to our good God; for even if I, a sinner, am anxious about all, yet you are an object of my struggle, being especially longed-for and precious, not simply, but as one preeminent among all in the brotherhood and because you are especially in the snares of the impious. But where God and God's truth are, there human things are weak; for nothing could ever move one so firm in faith, even if the earth were shaken, even if the mountains were moved into the heart of the seas, as holy David sings. Therefore, let us lay aside all double-mindedness and run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith; may he give us strength and power to bear the sufferings for his sake unto blood, that is, death, and blessed is he who will believe that there will be a fulfillment of what has been spoken by him. Time does not permit me to speak at length on any other matter, but I add this, that you should cling more to God in fervent prayer, that I, unworthy because of my sins, might become a partaker of the same portion as you and of those like you. Your brother who is with me greets you. 297 {1To Proterius, my child}1 How heavy was your letter, my child, announcing such and so great things, so that on hearing them I was astounded in my ears and groaned painfully; but nevertheless we must endure and pray intensely that God in his love for mankind may become merciful, and spare his holy churches and not give his inheritance over to reproach. For smoke is the messenger of a great fire; which, if it is not scattered by the breezes of the Holy Spirit, will burn everything. Be watchful, says the apostle, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong; the winds blew, the rains came, in the words of the Gospel,

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κεφαλαίων τοιοῦτον τὸ παριστάμενόν μοι. ὑπογράψας πρεσβύτερος τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ μετανοεῖν ὀφείλει καὶ προσκλαίειν θερμῶς συγχωρηθῆναι αὐτῷ τὸ ἀσέβημα, λειτουργεῖν δέ, κἂν οὐ μνημονεύῃ τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς, οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλ' εἴργεσθαι τῆς ἱερουργίας, ἕως ἂν ἐπίδοι Κύριος καὶ δοίη καιρὸν ὀρθοδόξου συνόδου, ἐν ᾗ λήψεται ἕκαστα τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν θεοκρίτως. ἐγὼ δὲ συμβουλεύω, εἰ μετέσχεν τῆς ἀσεβοῦς κοινωνίας ἐν μεταλήψει, καὶ τῶν ἁγιασμάτων ἀπέχεσθαι μέχρις ἑνὸς ἢ δυοῖν χρόνοιν· γέγραπται γάρ, οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον Κυρίου πίνειν καὶ ποτήριον δαιμονίων, οὐ δύνασθε τραπέζης Κυρίου μετέχειν καὶ τραπέζης δαιμονίων. τὸ δ' αὐτὸ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν· τίς συγκατάθεσις ναῷ θεοῦ μετὰ εἰδώλων; οὐ δεῖ οὖν εἰσιέναι εἰς τὰ μαρτύρια τῶν αἱρετικῶν προστέτακται ἡμῖν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁγίας συνόδου, οὐκ οἶδα, εἰ μὴ ὑπ' ἐξουσίαν τελέως γίνοιτο ὁ ναὸς ὀρθοδόξου τοῦ μηκέτι λειτουργεῖσθαι ὑφ' αἱρετικοῦ· τότε γὰρ καὶ εἰσιτέον καὶ λειτουργητέον τὸν ὀρθόδοξον, οὐκ ὄντος προκρίματος τὰ προλαβόντα. Οὕτω φρονῶ, πάτερ μου, ὁ ταπεινός, ἀναθεωρῶν τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν θείων πατέρων παραδείγματα, τῆς σῆς δ' ἂν εἴη τελειότητος τὰ κρείττονα καὶ θεωρῆσαι καὶ ἐμοῖς ὄμμασιν ὑποδεῖξαι. ἐρρωμένος καὶ ἐναθλῶν ὑπὲρ θεοῦ διαφυλαχθείης μοι ἔτι, ὁ ἐξάκουστος ἐν πατράσιν, ὁμοῦ τε καὶ ὑπερευχόμενός μου τῆς ἀναξιότητος· τὸ μὲν ἀγάπης, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὴν κελεύουσαν ἐντολήν. 295 {1Γρηγορᾷ λαϊκῷ}1 Ἐπέγνων σου, ἄνθρωπε τοῦ θεοῦ, τὴν ἐπιστολήν· ἀλλ' ἰδού σοι καὶ ἕτεροι ὁμολογηταί, τοὺς περὶ τὸν οἰκονόμον λέγω. ἔχου τοῦ ἁγίου ἔργου σου, τῆς ἐν Κυρίῳ προσφορᾶς σου, ἱερούργησον ἑαυτὸν διὰ τῆς ὑπηρεσίας. εἰ καὶ ὑποκίνδυνον τὸ ἐγχείρημα, ἀλλὰ θεὸς ὁ ἐξαιρούμενος· αὐτὸς γάρ σε κατέστησεν ὑπηρέτην τῶν μαρτύρων αὐτοῦ, ἀλείπτην τῶν ὁμολογητῶν, βοηθὸν τῶν ὀκλαζόντων. διέρχου τὴν θείαν διακονίαν σου, Χριστὸς προπορευόμενός σου, μὴ πτοοῦ. Τὰς ἰσχάδας λόγῳ ἐδεξάμην ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔργῳ διὰ τὸν ἐγκλεισμόν. ἐπέστειλα τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ, καὶ χάρις τῷ θεῷ ὅτι συνδιακονεῖ σοι παρὰ θεοῦ κληθείς. προσεύχου περὶ ἡμῶν, ἀδελφὲ καὶ κοινωνὲ τῶν παθημάτων. 296 {1Ναυκρατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ὅτι ζῇς ἐν Κυρίῳ καὶ διαμένεις ἄτρεπτος τῆς ἐν πίστει θεοῦ ἀληθείας μαθὼν διὰ τοῦ γράμματός σου, τέκνον μου καὶ ἀδελφὲ ἐπιπόθητε, ηὐχαρίστησα περιχαρῶς λίαν τῷ ἀγαθῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν· καὶ γάρ, εἰ καὶ περὶ πάντων μοι μέριμνα τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ, ὅμως ἐναγώνιος σὺ ὁ διαφερόντως ποθητός τε καὶ τίμιος, οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ὡς τῶν ἁπάντων προύχων ἐν τῇ ἀδελφότητι καὶ ὅτι ἐν ἄρκυσι μᾶλλον ὑπάρχεις τῶν ἀσεβούντων. Ἀλλ' ὅπῃ θεὸς καὶ θεοῦ ἀλήθεια, ἐκεῖ ἀσθενῆ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὐδαμῶς δύναιτ' ἂν μετακινῆσαι τὸν οὕτως βεβαιόπιστον, κἂν ἡ γῆ ταράσσοιτο, κἂν μετατίθοιντο ὄρη ἐν καρδίαις θαλασσῶν, καθὼς ᾄδει ὁ ἅγιος ∆αυίδ. διὸ διψυχίαν ἀποθέμενοι πᾶσαν δι' ὑπομονῆς τρέχωμεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα, ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν· ὃς δῴη δύναμιν καὶ κραταίωσιν ἐνεγκεῖν ἡμᾶς τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ παθήματα μέχρις αἵματος, ἤγουν θανάτου, καὶ μακάριος ὃς πιστεύσει ὅτι ἔσται τελείωσις τοῖς λελαλημένοις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. οὐκ ἐᾷ με ὁ χρόνος μακρηγορεῖν ἕτερόν τι ἢ τοῦτο προστίθημι, τοῦ ἐπὶ πλέον προσκεῖσθαί σε τῷ θεῷ ἐν θερμῇ δεήσει τῆς αὐτῆς σοι μερίδος καὶ τῶν οἷος σὺ μέτοχόν με τὸν ἀνάξιον διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας γενέσθαι. Ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφός σου προσαγορεύει. 297 {1Προτερίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ὡς βαρεῖα ἡ ἐπιστολή σου, τέκνον, τοιαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα μηνύσασα, ὥστε με ἀκούσαντα καταπλαγῆναι τὰς ἀκοὰς καὶ ὀδυνηρὸν στενάξαι· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐνεκτέον καὶ προσευκτέον σφόδρα ἵλεω θεὸν ἐκ φιλανθρωπίας γενέσθαι, φείσασθαί τε τῶν ἁγίων ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ μὴ δοῦναι τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ εἰς ὄνειδος. ὁ γάρ τοι καπνὸς μεγάλου πυρὸς ἄγγελος· ὅς, εἰ μὴ διασκεδασθείη Πνεύματος Ἁγίου αὔραις, ἐμπρήσειεν ἅπαντα. γρηγορεῖτε, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, στήκετε ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀνδρίζεσθε, κραταιοῦσθε· οἱ ἄνεμοι ἔπνευσαν, ἦλθον αἱ βροχαὶ εὐαγγελικῶς,