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abstinence is eternal life; he who lives thus fears nothing, dreads no one. Thus I pray that you may live, likewise you also concerning me, my beloved son, hold fast to the prayer. 325 {1To Callistus, my child}1 Your letter is in few syllables, my child. and well done; for it is enough to indicate that you are well, since you write to us frequently and the letters from the individuals are many. For this reason my letter is also brief. Know that I am well and praying for you. 326 {1To Cledonius, my child}1 Why do you praise me, O child, who am unworthy of praise? And why do you seek a swift deliverance from painful things? The latter is understandable, but still one must be patient, until the Lord looks upon us and heals the affliction of his people. For just as it is not possible for a sick person to recover until the matter underlying in the stomach has been consumed by fever, so indeed it is also impossible for peace to dawn upon the church of God, unless the affliction from our sins is justly worn away by the heresy that scourges us; for it is a scourge from God, disciplining for a short time those who love him, then healing at the proper time. And thus from above and from the beginning have our affairs been ordered. But if the scourge for those who are learners is so great, what is the judgment for those who disobey and persecute? It is clear that it is endless in its punishment. Therefore let us stand firm, brother, and wait for the Lord, that we may be glorified with him. I was pleased that you have not been left alone. But what about Leontius and the two brothers? You have seen the wickedness of both, as you said, of the one who has been completely impious and who presides in a Jewish manner, and of those who seek how they might destroy you with them? But you, O beloved child, remain as a son of light, do not be likened to the lawless, to those who have fallen away from God and sold themselves to Satan. Flee from the city, lest you be captured; you have Christ as your helper, may he save you. Pray earnestly for me. 327 {1To Meletius, my child}1 Since I learned that the wretched Gregory was deceived by the impious signature, I was concerned, child, about how things were with you; and when I received your letter announcing your separation from him, I groaned over him, how he has been destroyed and how both of them seemed to be pious feignedly (for certainly Basil also thinks the same things), but I gave thanks to my God for your deliverance, that the dragon did not swallow you, but you were drawn up as from a sea monster from the corrupting heresy. Remain, therefore, my beloved child, as you have been saved, drawing to yourself also others of the brothers who were led away in ignorance (or rather, disobedience) from me, the humble one, but, to speak truly, from God. For he who irrationally breaks away from his own shepherd, how is he not torn away from the truth? And the truth is God, who may both guard and strengthen you. And if he should be pleased for you to be arrested by the Christ-fighters, may he give you power and strength to bear all things, even to the shedding of blood, of the sufferings for his sake. 328 {1To Jacob, my child}1 You have written to me this and that with many words, praising me, but I am conscious of having nothing good in myself. But I pray for you who have begun, that you may also complete the work of God, the witness of the confession of Christ. Therefore endure, my beloved child, the things of prison, purifying the inner man through the captivity of opposing thoughts; for thus you will always be prepared for death for Christ's sake. Blessed is not simply the one who has begun well, but the one who has completed the work of Christ. I too mourn for brother Lucian, but nevertheless he has been defeated on account of my sins, and to recall a defeat is difficult. Pray for him and for me, the sinner, unceasingly. 329 {1To Euprepianus, my child}1 I, O child, since you, having come to me in Anatolici, reminded me that I love you, I dissuaded you then from being shut up in the persecution, and when you were separated from the brothers, I thought for the most part that you had done this for the sake of quiet, because I love you, and I did not consider it to be a great fault of yours; wherefore I was also inquiring in my mind about the things at Prusa

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ἀποχὴ ἀίδιος ζωή· ὁ οὕτω βιῶν οὐδὲν δέδοικεν, οὐδένα πτοεῖται. Οὕτως εὔχομαί σε διαζῆν, ταὐτῶς καὶ σὺ περὶ ἐμοῦ, ἠγαπημένε υἱέ μου, τὴν εὐχὴν κράτει. 325 {1Καλλίστῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἐν βραχέσι συλλαβαῖς ἡ ἐπιστολή σου, τέκνον. καὶ εὖγε· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ σημᾶναί σε ὅτι ἔρρωσαι, ἐπειδὴ πυκνάζεις ἡμῖν τὸ γράφειν καὶ πολλαὶ αἱ ἐπιστολαὶ τῶν προσώπων. ἔνθεν κἀμοὶ βραχὺ τὸ γράμμα. ὑγιαίνειν με ἴσθι καὶ εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ σοῦ. 326 {1Κληδονίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Τί με ἐγκωμιάζεις, ὦ τέκνον, τὸν ἀνεγκωμίαστον; τί δὲ ἐπιζητεῖς τὴν ταχεῖαν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν λυπηρῶν; εἰκότως μὲν τὸ δεύτερον, ἀλλ' ὅμως μακροθυμητέον, ἕως ἂν ἐπίδοι Κύριος καὶ τὴν κάκωσιν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ ἰάσηται· ὡς γὰρ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται κάμνοντα ἀναρρωσθῆναι, ἕως ἂν ἡ ὑποκειμένη τῷ στομάχῳ ὕλη ὑπὸ πυρετοῦ μὴ ἐκδαπανηθείη, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀμήχανον ἀναλάμψαι, μὴ τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κακώσεως ἐνδίκως ὑπὸ τῆς μαστι γούσης ἡμᾶς αἱρέσεως ἐκτριβείσης· μάστιξ γάρ ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ, μικρὸν παιδεύουσα τοὺς φιλοῦντας αὐτόν, ἔπειτα καιρῷ τῷ καθήκοντι ἰωμένη. καὶ οὕτως ἄνωθεν καὶ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ᾠκονόμηται. εἰ δὲ τοῖς μαθητιῶσι τηλικαύτη ἡ μάστιξ, τί τὸ κρίμα τῶν ἀπειθούντων καὶ διωκόντων; δῆλον ὅτι ἀπέραντον κατὰ τὴν τιμωρίαν. ∆ιὸ στῶμεν, ἀδελφέ, καὶ ὑπομείνωμεν τὸν Κύριον, ἵνα συνδοξασθῶμεν αὐτῷ. ἥσθην ὅτι οὐ μεμόνωσαι. ἀλλὰ τί πρὸς τὸν Λεόντιον καὶ τοὺς δυοῖν ἀδελφούς; εἶδες ἀμφοτέρων, ὡς εἶπας, κακίαν, τοῦ μὲν τέλεον ἠσεβηκότος καὶ ἰουδαϊκῶς προστατεύοντος, τῶν δὲ ζητούντων ὅπως σὺν αὐτοῖς ὀλέσωσίν σε; ἀλλὰ σύ, ὦ τέκνον ἀγαπητόν, ὡς υἱὸς φωτὸς διάμεινον, μὴ ὁμοιωθῇς τοῖς ἀνόμοις, τοῖς ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἀφεστηκόσι καὶ τῷ σατανᾷ ἑαυτοὺς πεπρακόσι. φύγε ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ἐπεὶ ἁλώσῃ· ἔχεις τὸν Χριστὸν ἐπίκουρον, αὐτός σε διασώσειεν. εὔχου μοι πλεῖστα. 327 {1Μελετίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἀφ' οὗ ἔμαθον ἀπατηθῆναι τὸν ἐλεεινὸν Γρηγόριον διὰ τῆς ἀσεβοῦς ὑπογραφῆς, ἐμερίμνων, τέκνον, τὰ κατὰ σὲ πῶς εἴη· καὶ ὡς ἐδεξάμην σου τὸ γράμμα ἀναγγέλλον τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ σου διάζευξιν, ἐστέναξα μὲν ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ πῶς ὄλωλεν καὶ ὅπως ἐπιπλάστως ἐδόκουν θεοσεβεῖν οἱ ἀμφότεροι (πάντως γὰρ καὶ ὁ Βασίλειος ἴσα φρονεῖ), εὐχαρίστησα δὲ τῷ θεῷ μου ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ διασώσει, ὅτι σὲ οὐ κατέπιεν ὁ δράκων, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκ κήτους θαλασσίου ἀνειλκύσθης τῆς φθοροποιοῦ αἱρέσεως. Μένε οὖν, τέκνον μου ἀγαπητόν, καθὰ διεσώθης, ὑφέλκων πρὸς ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἑτέρους τῶν ἀπαχθέντων ἀδελφῶν ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ (μᾶλλον ἀπειθείᾳ) ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ, ἀληθὲς δὲ εἰπεῖν ἀπὸ θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ ἀλόγως τοῦ ἰδίου ποιμένος ἀπορρηγνύμενος πῶς οὐχὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐστὶν ἀποσπώμενος; ἀλήθεια δέ ἐστιν ὁ θεός, ὃς καὶ φυλάξειεν καὶ στηρίξειεν. καὶ εἰ εὐδοκήσειεν συλληφθῆναί σε ὑπὸ τῶν χριστομάχων, δῴη δύναμιν καὶ κραταίωσιν ἐνεγκεῖν πάντα μέχρις αἵματος τῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ παθημάτων. 328 {1Ἰακώβῳ τέκνῳ}1 Γέγραφάς μοι τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο πολλοῖς λόγοις ἐπαινῶν με, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ συνεπίσταμαι ἀγαθὸν ἔχων. σοὶ δὲ ἐγὼ εὔχομαι ἐναρξαμένῳ καὶ τελειῶσαι τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ μαρτύριον τῆς ὁμολογίας Χριστοῦ. διὸ καρτέρει, τέκνον μου ἠγαπημένον, τὰ τῆς φυλακῆς, τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον καθαίρων δι' αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν ἐναντίων λογισμῶν· οὕτω γὰρ ἐμπαράσκευος ἔσῃ ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ θάνατον. μακάριος οὐχ ὁ ἐναρξάμενος καλῶς ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ὁ τελειώσας τὸ ἔργον Χριστοῦ. τὸν ἀδελφὸν Λουκιανὸν κἀγὼ πενθῶ, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἥττηται κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου, καὶ τὸ ἀνακαλέσασθαι ἧτταν δυσχερές. Προσεύχου περί τε αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἀενάως. 329 {1Εὐπρεπιανῷ τέκνῳ}1 Ἐγώ, ὦ τέκνον, ἐπειδὴ ἐλθὼν σὺ πρός με εἰς Ἀνατολικοὺς ὑπέμνησας φιλεῖν σε, ἐγκεκλεῖσθαι μὲν τῷ διωγμῷ ἀπέτρεψα τότε, ἡνίκα δὲ διέστης τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ἐδόκουν τὸ πλεῖστον διὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν σε ἡσυχίαν τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι καὶ οὐκ εἰς πολὺ ἐλάττωμά σου ἡγούμην αὐτὸ εἶναι· διὸ καὶ ἀνιστόρουν κατὰ νοῦν ἐπὶ τὰ Προυσινὰ