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of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"5 than to depart unilluminated. And truly he was baptized; for out of necessity there is also a change of law, as has happened of old and has been accepted. 309 {1To Maria Augusta}1 I have again read the letter of your dignity and athletic endurance and I thanked the Lord, that you remain with the same purpose, the same confession of Christ, having both gracious speech with knowledge and a virtuous life perfected through faith. To her, therefore, is fitting adoration and praise as truly the queen over passions, not to us sinners and nobodies, even if you command us to say so. What I wrote before about the brother was not as if about something improper (may it not be!), but because what is done soundly by some is a cause of scandal for others; for we have been commanded by the apostle not to place a stumbling block or an offense in our neighbor's way. For this reason I did not propose that the brother be released from prison, since, even if he were free, it is not expedient for him to enter convents. And this ought not to grieve you, my lady, knowing that I care for your blamelessness and good repute as for my own mother, which is also the case; for you are my mother, since you belong to the Lord; for if I did not hold you so, I would not have written the former things, I would not have done the things concerning you. Knowing these things, put aside grief and continue to pray for me the humble, as I also for you. 310 {1To my children Euodios and John}1 I was pleased, children, at the address from you both, that being united together you also spoke, which both declared your health and indicated your hiding place and showed your love for us sinners and made clear your preparation for the like-minded confession of the brethren and on the whole revealed you to be disciples of Christ. How then were we not to rejoice and be glad, having heard these things? But may he who embraces you in the shelter of his philanthropic providence, may he also for the future cherish, nourish, and lead you as he might wish, whether unseized or seized by your persecutors. Therefore, if the second should happen, do not be fainthearted; for he who allows you to be caught, may he himself grant the strength to endure the contests on his behalf. And for me the humble, do not cease to make a prayer for salvation. As you asked, I have written to the two. Be saved, most longed-for brethren. 311 {1To my child Anatolios}1 Your slowness in writing, O holy child, led me to thoughts that were not pure, since also your transfer and this release; and insofar as it is possible to understand from both, it is a fall (for how are these things so, when it is not in nature for anyone to be free and to travel wherever he wishes in the present persecution? hence my not insignificant distress), but insofar as I have been taught from your letter, I the humble one was relieved, I leaped for joy, I glorified my God. And indeed may the Lord my God keep you from falling by his providence, having no part in the heretical communion; but see how and where you are settled and teach me more completely by another letter the manner of your release and the saving of your precious soul; and take care and hasten to draw near to God by the removal of passions; for death is near. Behold, child, my honorable godfather has also departed, blessedly perfected in the confession of Christ, a man exiled in a most harsh illness and not caught by the impious. What shall we say? Shall we not be stout-hearted? Shall we not be tempered by fear and love of God to bear all things, just as our brethren also? Yes, I implore you, my beloved son, my glory and boast, let us not be charmed by the things that are seen, because they are passing away, but let us be held fast by heavenly things; for these are eternal. So much for this. Regarding Sabbatios, that he was so led and has become savage, and indeed after a fall, how is it not grievous to me? But what else is there than for you to endure what he did to you, and for us the humble to pray for his recall? 312 {1To John of Chalcedon}1 And as a father you deigned to address a very little child, and as a wise man you taught us who are ignorant divine things, praising the unhonored, as a manifold teacher implanting a goad of love

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υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος"5 ἢ ἀφώτιστον ἐκδημῆσαι. καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐβαπτίσθη· ἐξ ἀνάγκης γὰρ καὶ νόμου μετάθεσις, ὡς γέγονε πάλαι καὶ ἀποδέδεκται. 309 {1Μαρίᾳ αὐγούστῃ}1 Ἐνέτυχον καὶ αὖθις τῇ ἐπιστολῇ τῆς σεμνοπρεπείας σου καὶ ἐναθλητικῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ εὐχαρίστησα τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι διαμένεις τῇ αὐτῇ προθέσει, τῇ αὐτῇ ὁμολογίᾳ Χριστοῦ, ἔχουσα καὶ λόγον εὐπροσήγορον μετὰ γνώσεως καὶ βίον ἐνάρετον κατηρτισμένον διὰ πίστεως. αὐτῇ τοίνυν πρέπει αἶνος καὶ ἔπαινος ὡς ἀληθῶς τῇ βασιλίσσῃ τῶν παθῶν, οὐχ ἡμῖν τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς καὶ οὐδαμινοῖς, εἰ καὶ οὕτω κελεύεις λέγειν. Ἃ δὲ περὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ προέγραψα, οὐχ ὡς ἐπ' ἀτόπῳ τινὶ (μὴ γένοιτο), ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὸ παρ' ἄλλων γινόμενον ὑγιῶς ἑτέροις σκανδάλου ἐστὶν αἴτιον· ἐντετάλμεθα δὲ παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου μὴ τιθέναι τῷ πλησίον πρόσκομμα ἢ σκάνδαλον. διὰ τοῦτο οὐ προϊσχόμην ἐκφυλακίζεσθαι τὸν ἀδελφόν, ὅπου γε, κἂν ἄφετος ἦν, οὐ λυσιτελὲς αὐτῷ ἐν παρθενῶσιν εἰσέρχεσθαι. καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ὀφείλει σε λυπῆσαι, κυρία μου, εἰδυῖαν ὅτι σοῦ φροντίζω τὸ ἄψεκτον καὶ τὸ εὐκλεὲς ὡς μητρὸς οἰκείας, ὅπερ καὶ ἔστι· μήτηρ γάρ μου σύ, ἐπείπερ τοῦ Κυρίου εἶ· εἰ μὴ γὰρ οὕτως εἶχόν σε, οὐκ ἂν τὰ πρότερα ἐπέστελλον, οὐκ ἂν ἐποίουν τὰ κατὰ σέ. Ταῦτα γνοῦσα ἄφες τὴν λύπην καὶ πρόσθες τοῦ προσεύχεσθαι περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ ὡς κἀγὼ ὑπὲρ σοῦ. 310 {1Εὐοδίῳ καὶ Ἰωάννῃ τέκνοισ}1 Ἥσθην, τέκνα, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀμφοτέρων προσφωνήσει, ὅτι συνημμένοι ὄντες ὁμοῦ καὶ ἐφθέγξασθε, ἃ καὶ τὴν ὑγείαν ὑμῶν ἐδήλωσεν καὶ τὴν ὑποκρυβὴν ὑμῶν ἐσήμανεν καὶ τὸν περὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς πόθον ἔδειξεν καὶ τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν ὑμῶν τῆς ὁμοτρόπου τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὁμολογίας διεσάφησεν καὶ τὸ ὅλον μαθητὰς ὑμᾶς εἶναι Χριστοῦ κατεμήνυσε. πῶς οὖν ἡμᾶς ἔμελλεν μὴ χαίρειν καὶ γάνυσθαι ταῦτα ἀκηκοότας; ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν σκέπῃ αὐτοῦ τῆς τοῦ φιλανθρώπου προνοίας περιέχων, αὐτὸς καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς περιθάλψειεν, ἐκθρέψειεν, παραγάγοι ὡς ἂν βούλοιτο, εἴτε ἀπροσλήπτους εἴτε καὶ προσληφθέντας ὑπὸ τῶν διωκόντων. μὴ οὖν, εἰ τὸ δεύτερον γένοιτο, δειλανθῆτε· ὁ γὰρ παραχωρήσας ἐμπαρεῖναι, αὐτὸς παράσχοιεν ἰσχὺν ὑποῖσαι τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀθλήματα. Ἐμοὶ δὲ τῷ ταπεινῷ μὴ διαλείποιτε εὐχὴν σωτηρίας ποιεῖσθαι. καθὰ ᾐτήσασθε, ἐπέστειλα ταῖς δυσί. σωθείητε, ἀδελφοὶ πολυπόθητοι. 311 {1Ἀνατολίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἡ βραδυτής σου τῶν γραμμάτων, ὦ ἱερὸν τέκνον, εἰς λογισμούς με ἤγαγεν οὐκ εὐαγεῖς, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ μετάστασίς σου καὶ ἡ ἄφεσις αὕτη· καὶ ὅσον μὲν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἔστιν ἐννοεῖν, πτῶσις (πῶς γὰρ ταῦτα οὕτως, οὐκ ἐχούσης φύσεως ἄφετόν τινα εἶναι καὶ ὅπῃ θέλοι πορεύεσθαι ἐν τῷ διωγμῷ τῷ παρόντι; ὅθεν μοι οὐχ ἡ τυχοῦσα περιωδυνία), ὅσον δὲ ἐκ τῶν γραμμάτων διδαχθείς, ἀνέθην ὁ ταπεινός, ἐσκίρτησα, ἐδόξασα τὸν θεόν μου. καί γε Κύριος ὁ θεός μου ἄπτωτόν σε τῇ προνοίᾳ αὐτοῦ διαφυλάξοι, ἀμέτοχον τῆς αἱρετικῆς κοινωνίας· βλέπε δὲ πῶς καθέζῃ καὶ ποῦ καὶ δίδαξον δι' ἑτέρας ἐπιστολῆς ἐντελέστερον τὸν τρόπον τῆς ἀφέσεως καὶ τὸ σῶσμα τῆς τιμίας σου ψυχῆς· καὶ φρόντισον καὶ σπούδασον ἐγγίζειν θεῷ τῷ μακρυσμῷ τῶν παθῶν· ὁ θάνατος γὰρ ἐγγύς. ἴδε, τέκνον, ᾤχετο καὶ ὁ τίμιος ἀνάδοχός μου, μακαρίως τελειωθεὶς ἐν τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ Χριστοῦ, ἄνθρωπος ἐν νόσῳ χαλεπωτάτῃ ἐξορισθεὶς καὶ μὴ ἁλοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσεβῶν. τί ἡμεῖς εἴπωμεν; οὐ στερεοκαρδήσομεν; οὐ στομωθησόμεθα φόβῳ καὶ ἀγάπῃ θεοῦ πάντα ἐνεγκεῖν καθὰ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν; ναί, ἀντιβολῶ, υἱέ μου ἠγαπημένε, κλέος μου καὶ αὔχημα, μὴ τοῖς ὁρωμένοις θελχθῶμεν, ὅτι παρερχόμενα, ἀλλὰ τοῖς οὐρανίοις κρατηθῶμεν· ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ αἰώνια. Οὕτω ταῦτα. περὶ τοῦ Σαββατίου, ὅτι οὕτως ἤχθη καὶ ἠγρίωται καί γε μετὰ πτῶσιν, πῶς οὐ λυπηρόν μοι; ἀλλὰ τί ἄλλο ἢ καὶ σὲ ὑπομεῖναι, ἃ σοὶ κατεπράξατο, καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ταπεινοὺς προσεύχεσθαι τὴν ἀνακάλεσιν αὐτοῦ; 312 {1Ἰωάννῃ Καλχηδόνοσ}1 Καὶ ὡς πατὴρ ἠξίωσας τέκνον ἐλάχιστον προσειπεῖν καὶ ὡς σοφὸς τὰ θεῖα ἐδίδαξας τοὺς ἀμαθεῖς ἡμᾶς, ἐπαινέσας τοὺς ἀγεράστους, ὡς διδάσκαλος πολυειδὴς κέντρον ἀγάπης ἐνθεὶς