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of Christ,"5 but "4Christ"5. But if the quarrelsome do not tolerate this, first they reject the divine words, then from this they dogmatize that Christ did not become man in deed, even if not in word. For if he is man, it is clear that he is also depicted; for to be depicted is a primary property of man. But if he is not depicted, he is not man but without flesh, and Christ has not yet come, as the Jews are deceived. For this reason they also banish the depicted Theotokos and every saint, as if she were not the mother of God nor they servants of Christ. And the golden-mouthed one cries out, your deeds are more credible to me than your words. It is concluded then that in truth the iconoclasts Judaize, and let him who suffers all things from them for Christ's sake and on behalf of Christ suffer, for the Theotokos's sake and on behalf of the Theotokos, for every saint's sake and on behalf of all the saints; an undeniable martyr and confessor of Christ is the one who struggles and resists. And no argument will contradict this. The Maccabees were martyrs for not enduring to taste swine's flesh unlawfully; the Forerunner was a martyr for the rebuke of truth, and another for not contributing an obol to the building of an idol-temple, and another for another commandment. For why say many things? And here is one who struggles for Christ clearly not a martyr, as some of the wretched say? A true martyr, lacking in nothing compared to those who were martyred under the Greeks or Jews; and the witness in heaven is faithful. Therefore, in sum, if one who rejects the type of the cross refers the rejection to Christ, much more does one who denies the icon of Christ refer the denial to Christ. Thus also one who bears witness in either case is a most true martyr, and more so in the case of the icon, because the one is a sign, but the other is the form of Christ. But I beseech you, my holy brothers, partakers of the heavenly calling, first to make remembrance of me, the humble one, praying that I may be shown in deed what I say, in no way becoming slack from the attacks of both invisible and visible foes, then to attend to yourselves and to the present struggle, but not to be set on fire by thoughts through a poverty of understanding in the evidence of things, which are governed by providence deeply and in a way that is not attainable by the mind of man. And may you not suffer what you chant, "But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish," seeing this and that, but rather to hear the Lord saying, "Wait for me until the day of my resurrection," and "he who endures to the end will be saved." 302 {1To all the absent brothers}1 A Christian must always be disposed to death, and especially when beset by trials that threaten death. Since, therefore, such is our situation because of the throbbing madness of our persecutors for the sake of Christ's love, that is, for the proposed martyrdom of confession in him, and I do not know what will become of me, being suddenly isolated and confined somewhere far from all of you my brothers and fathers, I thought it good to set before you this letter as a kind of final voice, and through you to the entire brotherhood; for it is good to be disposed often and to persist, than in the expectation of life to be suddenly snatched away and left undisposed against one's will. What then is the present matter? Since many times all that needed to be said, whether I was gravely ill or persecutions were at hand, I have both disposed and recorded, and there is no need yet to repeat what has already been said, this first, my brothers, that you would grant me forgiveness for whatever I said or did to you unreasonably through my leadership, in word and in deed; for who can understand his errors? And, we all stumble, and especially I, the most unprofitable of all men. Therefore I also ask your prayer for the attainment of salvation for my wretched soul, then for the brothers who on account of my sins were torn away from our fellowship in the Holy Spirit. There is therefore, it has been declared to all, a just judgment for them from God, but nevertheless, since they are children and members, we must sympathize and still protest to them; I mean, to

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Χριστοῦ"5, ἀλλὰ "4Χριστός"5. εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀνέχονται οἱ δύσερεις, πρῶτον μὲν ἀθετοῦσι τὰς θείας φωνάς, ἔπειτα ἐντεῦθεν μὴ ἄνθρωπον γενέσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν ἔργῳ, κἂν λόγῳ οὔ, δογματίζουσιν. εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ εἰκονίζεται δῆλον ὅτι· ἀνθρώπου γὰρ τὸ εἰκονίζεσθαι πρῶτον ἰδίωμα. εἰ δὲ οὐκ εἰκονίζεται, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος ἀλλὰ ἄσαρκος, καὶ οὔπω ἧκεν Χριστός, ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι φενακίζονται. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν Θεοτόκον εἰκονιζομένην ἐξορίζουσι καὶ πάντα ἅγιον ὡς οὐ μητέρα θεοῦ οὐδὲ θεράποντας ὄντας Χριστοῦ. καὶ βοᾷ ὁ χρυσορρήμων, τῶν λόγων σου τὰ ἔργα ἐμοὶ πιστότερα. Συνῆκται οὖν ἐξ ἀληθείας ἰουδαΐζειν τοὺς εἰκονομάχους, καὶ ὁ πανθάνων ὑπ' αὐτῶν διὰ Χριστὸν καὶ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ πάσχοι, διὰ τὴν Θεοτόκον καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς Θεοτόκου, διὰ πάντα ἅγιον καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἁγίων· μάρτυς ἀπαράγραπτος καὶ ὁμολογητὴς Χριστοῦ ὁ ἐναθλῶν καὶ ἐνιστάμενος. καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀντερήσει λόγος. οἱ Μακκαβαῖοι μάρτυρες, μὴ κρεῶν ὑείων ἀνασχόμενοι παρανόμως γεύσασθαι· ὁ Πρόδρομος μάρτυς ὑπὲρ ἐλεγμοῦ ἀληθείας, καὶ ἄλλος ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ καταβαλέσθαι ὀβολὸν εἰς οἰκοδομὴν εἰδωλείου, καὶ ἕτερος δι' ἕτερον ἔνταλμα. τί γὰρ δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ λέγειν; καὶ ἐνταῦθα προδήλως ὁ διὰ Χριστὸν ἐναθλῶν οὐ μάρτυς, ὥς φασί τινες τῶν δυστήνων; μάρτυς ἀληθής, μηδ' ὁτιοῦν ἐνδέων τῶν ἐφ' Ἑλλήνων ἢ Ἰουδαίων μαρτυρη-σάντων· καὶ ὁ μάρτυς ἐν οὐρανῷ πιστός. ὅλως οὖν, εἰ ὁ τὸν τύπον τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀθετῶν εἰς Χριστὸν ἀναφέρει τὴν ἀθέτησιν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ τὴν εἰκόνα Χριστοῦ ἀρνούμενος εἰς Χριστὸν ἀναπέμπει τὴν ἄρνησιν. οὕτως καὶ ὁ ἐφ' ἑκάτερα μαρτυρῶν μάρτυς ἀληθέστατος, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι, ὅτι ὁ μὲν σημεῖον, ἡ δὲ μορφὴ Χριστοῦ. Παρακαλῶ δέ, ἀδελφοί μου ἅγιοι, κλήσεως ἐπουρανίου μέτοχοι, πρῶτον μὲν μνήμην μου ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ ταπεινοῦ, οἷς λέγω ἔργῳ ἀποδειχθῆναί με εὐχόμενοι, μηδαμῶς ὑποχαυνούμενον ἔκ τε τῶν ἀοράτων καὶ ὁρωμένων προσβολῶν, ἔπειτα προσέχειν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ τῇ ἐνισταμένῃ ἀθλήσει, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἐμπυρίζεσθαι διὰ πτωχείαν συνέσεως ἐν τῇ τῶν πραγμάτων δείξει, ὑπὸ τῆς προνοίας διοικουμένων βαθέως καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἐφικτὸν ἀνθρώπου διανοίᾳ. μηδὲ ὃ ψάλλετε πάθοιτε, ἐμοῦ δὲ παρὰ μικρὸν ἐσαλεύθησαν οἱ πόδες, παρ' ὀλίγον ἐξεχύθη τὰ διαβήματά μου, ὅτι ἐζήλωσα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις, τὸ καὶ τὸ θεωρῶν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἀκούειν τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος, ὑπόμεινόν με εἰς ἡμέραν ἀναστάσεώς μου καὶ ὅτι ὁ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται. 302 {1Τοῖς ἀποῦσι πᾶσιν ἀδελφοῖσ}1 Πάντοτε μὲν διατίθεσθαι τὰ πρὸς θάνατον χρὴ τὸν χριστιανόν, μάλιστα δὲ ὁπόταν πειρασμοῖς περιπαρεὶς θάνατον ἀπειλοῦσιν. ἐπεὶ οὖν τοιοῦτον τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς διὰ τὴν σφύζουσαν τῶν διωκτῶν μανίαν εἵνεκα τῆς Χριστοῦ ἀγάπης, τοῦ προκειμένου δὴ μαρτυρίου τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν ὁμολογίας, καὶ οὐκ οἶδα τί μοι ἀποβήσεται ἀθρόως ὄντι μεμονωμένῳ καὶ περιειργμένῳ μακράν που ἀφ' ὑμῶν τῶν ἁπάντων ἀδελφῶν μου καὶ πατέρων, ἔδοξα καλῶς ἔχειν τελευταίαν οἱονεὶ φωνὴν ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν παραθέσθαι ὑμῖν καὶ δι' ὑμῶν πάσῃ τῇ ἀδελφότητι· καλὸν γὰρ πολλάκις διατίθεσθαι καὶ ἐπιμένειν ἢ προσδοκίᾳ ζωῆς ἐξάπινα ἀνάρπαστον γινόμενον ἀδιάθετον ἀβούλως ἐγκαταλιμπάνεσθαι. τί τοίνυν τὸ παρόν; ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις ὅσα ἔδει εἰπεῖν εἴτε βαρέως νοσήσας εἴτε διωγμῶν προκειμένων καὶ διεθέμην καὶ ὑπεμνημάτισα καὶ οὔπω χρεία περὶ τῶν ἤδη λεχθέντων δευτερολογεῖν, ἐκεῖνο πρῶτον, ἀδελφοί μου, ἵνα μοι συγγνώμην δοίητε ἐφ' οἷς παρὰ λόγον διὰ τῆς καθηγήσεως ἔλεξα ἢ ἔδρασα εἰς ὑμᾶς λογικῶς καὶ πραγματικῶς· ἁμαρτίας γὰρ τίς συνήσει; καί, πταίομεν ἅπαντες, καί γε μάλιστα ἐγὼ ὁ πάντων ἀχρειότερος ἀνθρώπων. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐξαιτοῦμαι ὑμῶν τὴν προσευχὴν εἰς ἐπίτευξιν σωτηρίας τῆς ταλαιπώρου μου ψυχῆς, ἔπειτα διὰ τοὺς κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου ἀπορραγέντας τῆς ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ συναφείας ἡμῶν ἀδελφούς. ἔστι μὲν οὖν, ἔστι δεδηλωμένον ἅπασι τὸ ἔνδικον αὐτοῖς παρὰ θεῷ κρίμα, ἀλλ' ὅμως, ἐπεὶ τέκνα καὶ μέλη, συμπαθητέον καὶ διαμαρτυρητέον αὐτοῖς ἔτι· λέγω δὴ τῷ