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For there were many things that we sought to learn from the one who knew most clearly, because the rumors were coming to us in a distorted way, all of which our most longed-for and most honored brother Theodosios the fellow-presbyter recounted to us with steadiness and skill. What therefore we advise ourselves, this we also write to your Reverence: that these things which have happened to you have also happened to many, and not only in the present time, but also in the past there are countless examples of such things; some the histories have left in writing, and others we have received through unwritten memory from those who know, that both for each individual man and for cities trials have encompassed for the name of the Lord those who have hoped in him. But nevertheless, all things passed away and nothing of the gloomy things had an immortal sorrow. As hailstorms and torrents and whatever evils arise spontaneously easily harmed and ruined soft things, but encountering resistant things, they suffered rather than acted; so also the furious trials stirred up against the Church were shown to be weaker than the firmament of faith in Christ. As, therefore, the cloud of hail passed by and the torrent flowed past the ravine (for the one was dissolved into clear air, and the other disappeared into the abyss, leaving the path through which it flowed dry and without moisture); so also the things now buffeting us like a storm will a little later be no more. Only if we deign not to look at the present, but to gaze with our hopes a little further on. 240.2 If, therefore, the trial is heavy, brothers, let us endure the hardships. For no one is crowned who has not been struck in the contest nor covered in dust. Or if these are light playthings of the devil and those sent against us are troublesome, because they are servants of such a one, but contemptible, because God has joined weakness to their wickedness, let us guard against the condemnation of lamenting greatly over small sufferings. For one thing is worthy of pain: the perdition of that one who, for the sake of temporary glory (if indeed one should call public disgrace glory), deprived himself of the eternal honor of the just. You are children of confessors and children of martyrs, of those who resisted sin even to the point of blood. Let each one use his own examples for the struggle on behalf of piety. None of you has been torn by blows, no one's house has been confiscated; we have not dwelt in exile, we have not known a prison. What terrible thing have we suffered? Unless perhaps this is grievous: that we have suffered nothing, nor were we considered worthy of sufferings for Christ. But if this grieves you, that so-and-so occupies the house of prayer, while you worship the Master of heaven and earth in the open air, remember that the eleven disciples were shut up in the upper room, while those who crucified the Lord were fulfilling the Judaic worship in the famous temple. For Judas, by preferring death by hanging to living with shame, perhaps showed himself more worthy of choice than those now grown shameless toward all condemnation of men and for this reason are shamelessly disposed to shameful things. 240.3 Only do not be deceived by their false words when they profess orthodoxy of faith. For such men are Christ-traffickers and not Christians, preferring what is always profitable to them in this life over living according to the truth. When they thought to acquire this empty office, they attached themselves to the enemies of Christ; when they saw the people growing angry, they feign orthodoxy again. I do not know such a bishop, nor would I number among the priests of Christ one who has been put forward for leadership by profane hands for the destruction of the faith. This is my judgment. But if you have any portion with us, you will clearly think the same things as us; but if you deliberate on your own, each is master of his own opinion; we are innocent of this blood. And I have written these things not distrusting you, but to strengthen the doubt of some by making my own opinion known,

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Πολλὰ γὰρ ἦν ἃ ἐπεζητοῦμεν παρὰ τοῦ σαφέσ τατα ἐπισταμένου μαθεῖν, διὰ τὸ τὰς φήμας πεπλανημένως πρὸς ἡμᾶς διαβαίνειν, ἃ πάντα εὐσταθῶς καὶ ἐμπείρως διηγήσατο ἡμῖν ὁ ποθεινότατος καὶ τιμιώτατος ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Θεοδόσιος ὁ συμπρεσβύτερος. Ἃ τοίνυν ἑαυτοῖς συμ βουλεύομεν, ταῦτα καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν εὐλάβειαν γρά φομεν· ὅτι πολλοῖς συνέβη ταῦτα ἃ καὶ ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ μυρία τῶν τοιούτων τὰ ὑποδείγματα· τὰ μὲν ἐγγρά φως αἱ ἱστορίαι καταλελοίπασι, τὰ δὲ τῇ ἀγράφῳ μνήμῃ παρὰ τῶν εἰδότων διεδεξάμεθα, ὅτι καὶ κατὰ ἄνδρα ἕκασ τον καὶ κατὰ πόλεις πειρασμοὶ περιέσχον ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόμα τος τοῦ Κυρίου τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν ἠλπικότας. Ἀλλ' ὅμως παρῆλθε πάντα καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν σκυθρωπῶν ἀθάνατον ἔσχε τὸ λυπηρόν. Ὡς αἱ χάλαζαι καὶ οἱ χείμαρροι καὶ ὅσα τῶν κακῶν αὐτοσχέδια τὰ μὲν μαλακὰ ῥᾳδίως ἔβλαψε καὶ διελυμήνατο, τοῖς δὲ ἀντιτύποις περιτυχόντα ἔπαθέ τι μᾶλλον ἢ ἔδρασεν· οὕτω καὶ οἱ λάβροι κατὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πειρασμοὶ κινηθέντες ἀσθενέστεροι τοῦ στερεώματος τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως διεδείχθησαν. Ὡς οὖν παρῆλθε τῆς χαλάζης τὸ νέφος καὶ παρερρύη τὴν χαράδραν ὁ χείμαρρος (τὸ μὲν γὰρ εἰς αἰθρίαν διελύθη, ὁ δὲ ἐνηφανίσθη τῷ βυθῷ ξηρὰν καὶ ἄνικμον τὴν ὁδὸν δι' ἧς ἐρρύη καταλιπών)· οὕτω καὶ τὰ νῦν ἡμᾶς χειμάζοντα μικρὸν ὕστερον οὐκ ἔσται. Μόνον ἐὰν καταδεξώμεθα μὴ τὸ παρὸν ὁρᾶν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μικρὸν πορρωτέρω ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἐνατενίζειν. 240.2 Εἴτε οὖν βαρὺς ὁ πειρασμός, ἀδελφοί, ὑπομείνωμεν τὰ ἐπίπονα. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ μὴ πληγεὶς ἐν ἀγῶσι μηδὲ κονισά μενος στεφανοῦται. Εἴτε κοῦφα ταῦτα τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ παίγνια καὶ οἱ ἐπιπεμφθέντες ἡμῖν ὀχληροὶ μέν, διότι τοιούτου εἰσὶν ὑπηρέται, εὐκαταφρόνητοι δέ, ὅτι τῇ πονηρίᾳ αὐτῶν ὁ Θεὸς ἀδυναμίαν συνῆψε, φυλαξώμεθα τὴν κατάγνω σιν ὡς ἐπὶ μικροῖς παθήμασι μεγάλα ὀδυρόμενοι. Ἓν γάρ ἐστιν ὀδύνης ἄξιον, ἡ αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου ἀπώλεια τοῦ, τῆς προσκαίρου ἕνεκεν δόξης (εἴπερ οὖν δόξαν χρὴ λέγειν τὸ δημοσίᾳ ἀσχημονεῖν), τῆς αἰωνίας τῶν δικαίων τιμῆς ἑαυ τὸν ἀποστερήσαντος. Τέκνα ὁμολογητῶν καὶ τέκνα μαρτύ ρων ἐστὲ τῶν μέχρις αἵματος ἀντικαταστάντων πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Τοῖς οἰκείοις ἕκαστος χρησάσθω ὑποδείγμασι πρὸς τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἔνστασιν. Οὐδεὶς ὑμῶν πλη γαῖς κατεξάνθη, οὐδενὸς οἶκος ἐδημεύθη· οὐ τὴν ὑπερορίαν ᾠκήσαμεν, οὐ δεσμωτήριον ἐγνωρίσαμεν. Τί πεπόνθαμεν δεινόν; Εἰ μὴ τάχα τοῦτο λυπηρὸν ὅτι μηδὲν πεπόνθαμεν μηδὲ ἐνομίσθημεν ἄξιοι τῶν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ παθημάτων. Εἰ δὲ ὅτι ὁ δεῖνα τὸν οἶκον κατέχει τῆς προσευχῆς, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ προσκυνεῖτε τὸν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ∆εσπότην, τοῦτο ὑμᾶς ἀνιᾷ, ἐνθυμήθητε ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἕνδεκα μαθηταὶ ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ ἦσαν ἀποκεκλεισμένοι, οἱ δὲ σταυρώσαντες τὸν Κύριον ἐν τῷ περιβοήτῳ ναῷ τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν λατρείαν ἐπλήρουν. Ἰούδας γὰρ τὸν δι' ἀγχόνης θάνατον τοῦ μετ' αἰσχύνης ζῆν προτιμήσας ἔδειξε τάχα τῶν νῦν ἀπερυθριασάντων πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀνθρώπων κατάγνωσιν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀναιδῶς πρὸς τὰ αἰσχρὰ διακειμένων ἑαυτὸν αἱρετώτερον. 240.3 Μόνον μὴ ἐξαπατηθῆτε ταῖς ψευδολογίαις αὐτῶν ἐπαγγελλομένων ὀρθότητα πίστεως. Χριστέμποροι γὰρ οἱ τοιοῦτοι καὶ οὐ χριστιανοί, τὸ ἀεὶ αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον λυσιτελοῦν τοῦ κατ' ἀλήθειαν ζῆν προτιμῶντες. Ὅτε ἐνόμισαν κτᾶσθαι τὴν κενὴν ταύτην ἀρχήν, προσέθεντο τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ὅτε εἶδον τοὺς λαοὺς ἀγριαίνοντας, σχηματίζονται πάλιν τὴν ὀρθότητα. Οὐκ οἶδα ἐπίσκοπον μηδὲ ἀριθμήσαιμι ἐν ἱερεῦσι Χριστοῦ τὸν παρὰ τῶν βεβήλων χειρῶν ἐπὶ καταλύσει τῆς πίστεως εἰς προστασίαν προβε βλημένον. Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐμὴ κρίσις. Ὑμεῖς δὲ εἴ τινα ἔχετε μεθ' ἡμῶν μερίδα, ταὐτὰ ἡμῖν φρονήσετε δηλονότι· εἰ δὲ ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν βουλεύεσθε, τῆς ἰδίας γνώμης ἕκαστός ἐστι κύριος, ἡμεῖς ἀθῷοι ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τούτου. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔγραψα οὐχ ὑμῖν ἀπιστῶν, ἀλλὰ τό τινων ἀμφίβολον στηρίζων ἐκ τοῦ γνωρίσαι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ γνώμην,