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So some contend, being kept in prisons for the word of truth, others having been blinded and tortured, others chose exile, being second in sufferings. Some indeed run about, bringing a word of help, while some secretly minister to those under guard, and others receive along the way those passing through according to the Lord. These are the ways and still more; you therefore, O man of God and faithful servant, as I learn, are one of such men, offering hospitality to our brothers who are traveling in Christ. blessed are you and it will be well with you; you offer this grace to God. Hold fast, I beseech you, to the work which you hold, so that by contending together with those who labor in this you may also receive together the rewards from the God who measures all things that happen. 301 {1Theodore to the beloved brothers kept in various prisons for the Lord's sake, greetings in the Lord}1 What are the present things? Joy and exultation, because we have been deemed worthy to contend in the testimonies for Christ, because we were delivered up to prisons and afflictions for the word of God, because we were subjected to blows and insults for the sake of Christ who for us was scourged and reviled, and then also crucified. Who would not praise? Who would not glorify? The East rejoices, the West is gladdened, every church of the four-cornered creation exults. And why do I speak of the earthly world? Heaven itself is filled with gladness, because not only the chief of our hierarchs, but hierarchs and priests, and abbots and students, but also nuns with their superiors chose the contests of martyrdom, I omit to mention those in deserts and mountains and caves and in the holes of the earth being afflicted, destitute, ill-treated from exile on account of the persecution for Christ. Rightly, therefore, my beloved and longed-for brothers, my joy and my crown, I rejoice and rejoice with you, and you the same rejoice and rejoice with me. These are the words of the blessed Paul, but fitting for the time, since all things were written for our instruction and he implores us to be imitators of him. First of all, it is true to say this, that we are not handed over to afflictions and trials as much as those who harm us choose and wish (for thus the trial would be unbearable, just as also that from the demons invisibly attacking us), but insofar as Christ, who presides over the contest and contends with us, permits, having let loose the contests with measure and weight of each one's strength in righteous judgment either for the paying off of sins (even if we have come to suffer willingly) or for the reward of victorious crowns, for those advancing from glory to glory; for we have not been tortured as Peter or Paul with those of the same rank, or George and Theodore with those of the same fame, or Thekla and Febronia with those of the same glory, to whom, having loved much, the sufferings of Christ also accordingly abounded as a gift? But for whom the love is little, more deficient is also the suffering, so that one should be grieved and vexed that we do not suffer many things, rather than being altered and growing weary in those things for which we are moderately punished. But if we should fall away (which may it be far from us even to think), it is not because of the God-judged trial, but because of the weakness and faintheartedness and godlessness of the one who has grown soft; for He on the one hand has given the ability to be strong against the power of the evil one, wishing the contestant to be victorious, but he on the other hand through neglect, having cast away the weapons of endurance, was destroyed. A witness of the word is he who cries, "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." Here is endurance, O brothers, here are the God-woven crowns of good faith. Let us not therefore be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor let us be left behind Thaddaeus the newly-called martyr and of those who confessed with him and departed with him after him, whose names you indeed know. With the blood of martyrs the church of God has been watered even now, since it is also watered through those still contending and being pressed in many ways by afflictions. empties the blood

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μὲν οὖν ἀθλοῦσιν ἐν φυλακαῖς τηρούμενοι διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, τυφθέντες καὶ ἐτασθέντες ἕτεροι, ἄλλοι τὴν φυγαδείαν εἵλαντο, δευτερεύοντες τοῖς παθήμασι. τινὲς μὲν διατρέχουσι, λόγον ἐπιφερόμενοι βοηθείας, ἔνιοι δὲ κρύβδην διακονοῦσι τοῖς φρουρουμένοις, οἱ δὲ καθ' ὁδὸν ὑποδέχονται τοὺς διερχομένους κατὰ Κύριον. Αὗται αἱ ὁδοὶ καὶ ἔτι πλείους· σὺ οὖν, ὦ ἄνθρωπε τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πιστὲ θεράπων, ὡς μανθάνω, εἷς ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων ὑπάρχεις, ξεναγῶν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν ὁδοιποροῦντας ἐν Χριστῷ. μακάριος εἶ καὶ καλόν σοι ἔσται· θεῷ προσφέρεις τὴν χάριν. ἔχου, παρακαλῶ, τῆς ἐργασίας ἧς κρατεῖς, ὅπως συναθλῶν τοῖς πονοῦσιν ἐν τούτῳ καὶ συναπολήψῃ τοὺς μισθοὺς παρὰ τοῦ πάντα μετροῦντος θεοῦ τὰ γινόμενα. 301 {1Θεόδωρος τοῖς διὰ Κύριον ἐν διαφόροις φυλακαῖς τηρουμένοις ἀδελφοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν}1 Τί τὰ παρόντα; χαρὰ καὶ ἀγαλλίασις, ὅτι ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρίοις ἐναθλεῖν ἠξιώμεθα, ὅτι φυλακαῖς τε καὶ θλίψεσι διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ παρεδόθημεν, ὅτι πληγαῖς τε καὶ ὕβρεσι διὰ Χριστὸν τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν μαστιχθέντα καὶ ὀνειδισθέντα, ἔπειτα καὶ σταυρωθέντα ὑπεβλήθημεν. τίς οὐκ αἰνέσειεν; τίς οὐ δοξάσειεν; ἀνατολὴ ἥδεται, δύσις εὐφραίνεται, πᾶσα ἐκκλησία τῆς τετραπεράτου κτίσεως ἀγάλλεται. καὶ τί λέγω τὸν περίγειον κόσμον; ὁ οὐρανὸς αὐτὸς θυμηδίας πεπλήρωται, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ὁ κορυφαῖος τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἱεραρχῶν, ἱεράρχαι τε καὶ ἱερεῖς, καθηγεμόνες τε καὶ φοιτηταί, ἀλλὰ καὶ μονάζουσαι σὺν προεστώσαις εἵλαντο τὰ τῆς μαρτυρίας σκάμματα, ἐῶ λέγειν τοὺς ἐν ἐρημίαις καὶ ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς ἐκ φυγαδείας θλιβομένους, ὑστερουμένους, κακουχουμένους διὰ τὸν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ διωγμόν. Εἰκότως οὖν, ἀδελφοί μου ἠγαπημένοι καὶ ἐπιπόθητοι, χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου, χαίρω καὶ συγχαίρω ὑμῖν, τὸ δ' αὐτὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετέ μοι. Παύλου μὲν τοῦ μακαρίου αἱ φωναί, τῷ καιρῷ δὲ πρέπουσαι, ἐπειδὴ εἰς ἡμετέραν νουθεσίαν πάντα γέγραπται καὶ μιμητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐκλιπαρεῖ γίνεσθαι ἡμᾶς. πρῶτον μὲν ἐκεῖνο ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ὅτι οὐχ ὅσον προαιροῦνται καὶ βούλονται οἱ κακοῦντες ἡμᾶς ταῖς θλίψεσι καὶ περιστάσεσι παραδιδόμεθα (οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἀνύποιστος ἦν ἡ πεῖρα, καθὰ καὶ ἡ παρὰ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀοράτως ἡμᾶς προσβάλλουσα), ἀλλὰ καθόσον παραχωρεῖ ὁ ἀγωνοθετῶν καὶ συναθλῶν ἡμῖν Χριστός, μέτρῳ καὶ σταθμῷ τῆς ἑκάστου δυνάμεως ἐν κρίσει δικαίᾳ τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐπαφεὶς ἢ εἰς ἔκτισιν ἁμαρτιῶν (εἰ καὶ αὐθαιρέτως ἥκομεν πρὸς τὸ πάσχειν) ἢ ἐπὶ στεφάνων ἀθλοφορικῶν ἀμοιβήν, ἐκ δόξης εἰς δόξαν προερχομένοις· μὴ γὰρ ὡς Πέτρος ἢ Παῦλος σὺν τοῖς ὁμοταγέσιν ἢ Γεώργιος καὶ Θεόδωρος σὺν τοῖς ὁμοκλεέσιν ἢ Θέκλα καὶ Φεβρωνία σὺν τοῖς ὁμοδόξοις βεβασανίσμεθα, οἷς πολὺ ἀγαπήσασιν ἀναλόγως περιέσσευσε καὶ τὰ Χριστοῦ παθήματα δεδωρημένα; οἷς δὲ τὸ τῆς ἀγαπήσεως ὀλίγον, ἐνδεέστερον καὶ τὸ πάσχειν, ὥστε λυπεῖσθαι καὶ δυσφορεῖν ὅτι μὴ πολλὰ πανθάνομεν, οὐκ ἀλλοιοῦσθαι δεῖν καὶ ἀποκάμνειν, ἐν οἷς μετρίως ἐσμὲν τιμωρούμενοι. Εἰ δὲ ἐκπέσοιμεν (ὅπερ ἀπείη καὶ ἐννοεῖν), οὐ παρὰ τὴν θεόκριτον ἐπαφήν, παρὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ καταμαλακισθέντος ἀτονίαν καὶ ἀκαρδίαν καὶ ἀθεΐαν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ δέδωκε τὸ ἰσχύειν κατὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ κράτους, νικηφόρον βουλόμενος τὸν ἀγωνιστὴν ἔσεσθαι, ὁ δὲ ὀλιγωρίᾳ ῥίψας τὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς ὅπλα ὤλετο. μάρτυς τοῦ λόγου ὁ κράζων, πιστὸς ὁ θεός, ὃς οὐκ ἐάσει ὑμᾶς πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνασθε, ἀλλὰ ποιήσει σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς ὑπενεγκεῖν. ὧδε ἡ ὑπομονή, ὦ ἀδελφοί, ὧδε οἱ θεόπλοκοι στέφανοι τῆς εὐπιστίας. μὴ οὖν ἐπαισχυνθῶμεν τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν μηδὲ ἀπολειφθῶμεν Θαδδαίου τοῦ νεοκλήτου μάρτυρος καὶ τῶν συνομολογησάντων καὶ συνεκδημησάντων ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἴστε δὴ τὰ ὀνόματα. αἵματι μαρτύρων ἠρδεύθη καὶ νῦν ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀρδεύεται διὰ τῶν ἔτι ἀθλούντων καὶ πολυτρόπως ἐκπιεζομένων ταῖς θλίψεσιν. αἷμα κενοῖ ὁ