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will be dishonored. But why do you undertake such a great fast, brother, lasting three days? you do well, enslaving the flesh and subduing it; but keep a measure, which you can accomplish with the health of your body, and this is best. For the rest, pray for me, the humble, that I may be saved. He who is with me greets you. I greet those with you. 335 {1To Anthos the child}1 Whether writing to you, child, or not writing, I have you unforgotten in my humble soul not only because of your soul's care since childhood, because your thoughts are not childish and infantile, but aged and manly, not being entangled in unrestrained impulses and wicked deeds, but also because you are with my only brother and your father; for it is a sign of your not insignificant virtue, to have been chosen by him from all for sharing in affliction, that is, service. Hold fast to your ministry, as doing and saying all things in the eyes of the Lord, in which your reward is great and your trial golden and your faith pure, and my humble love of Christ for you is more genuine and my esteem truly more precious. These things are brief, but of sufficient power. Pray, beloved child, for me your sinful father, fervently. 336 {1To Eucharistos the child}1 And it is very necessary for me to write to you, O child, even if you yourself did not ask; for are you not praiseworthy and worthy of esteem, that almost alone you endure labors and journeying, dangers and circumstances, serving the holy archbishop? How blessed is your work, how athletic your deed; you have chosen to pass in the midst of snares, to walk on coals of fire; for such are the things of the impious. But be strong still, child, and be courageous; fulfill your ministry, multiply your talent, so that it may be well with you and you will be blessed for ages. For the rest, pray also for me your humble father. 337 {1To Leo}1 You have done well, spiritual child, in writing to us, even if briefly, but having sufficient power of your understanding and showing that, even if in form a sapling towards us, yet not in manner. And you would also otherwise be right to be joined to us in a sonly way, being called child of our brother and most God-beloved archbishop, and a most genuine child; for to become his attendant alone from the entire clerical body and to contend with and be persecuted with the foremost of the brothers holds proof of much genuineness, and indeed a strong love for God. Because of this we the humble both love and care for you and count you in the register of our brotherhood. 338 {1To Constantine}1 What is the reason for my writing to your honor? Your good uprightness concerning the faith, that you were not led astray with the persecutors of Christ, casting your thoughts to be carried wherever they lead, but as a skillful helmsman you sit at the spiritual tillers, guiding the soul's ship into the good harbors of orthodoxy, beating back the heretical tempests with the breezes of the spirit. Since I was taught this by our beloved brother who delivers the letter to you, I thought it well to write, joining myself to your love, which it is necessary for a Christian to do, and especially when, as now, the body of Christ is cut by the sword of heresy by the devil. May you be kept then, O good man, unharmed by the providence of God, building upon the foundation gold, silver, that is, precious stones, so that you may be called a temple of the Lord. Amen. 339 {1To the Presbyter}1 If someone should see a rose in winter, he would rightly run to it as a strange sight and confess gratitude to the one who pointed it out; such are you, O holy man of God, made known to us in the winter of unbelief, and the one who pointed you out, the living and orthodox rose, is the letter-bearer, my beloved son. And I saw not with the senses, but with the contemplation of the mind, and I ran not with feet, but with a letter, and I smelled not with the nostrils, but with the spirit, and the fragrance is very sweet to me, or rather, to the Lord; who may also keep you unplucked from heretical hands, so that

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ἀτιμασθήσεται. Τί δὲ τοσαύτην ἕλκεις νηστείαν, ἀδελφέ, τριημερίζουσαν; εὖ ποιεῖς, δουλαγωγῶν τὴν σάρκα καὶ ὑποπιέζων· ἀλλὰ τήρησον μέτρον, ὃ δύνῃ ἀποπερᾶναι μεθ' ὑγείας τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τοῦτο κράτιστον. τὸ λοιπὸν προσεύχου περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ εἰς τὸ σῴζεσθαι. ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ προσαγορεύει. τοὺς σὺν σοὶ ἀσπάζομαι. 335 {1Ἄνθῳ τέκνῳ}1 Καὶ γράφων σοι, τέκνον, καὶ μὴ γράφων ἀληθάργητόν σε ἔχω ἐν τῇ ταπεινῇ μου ψυχῇ οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν ἐκ παιδὸς ἐπιμέλειάν σου τῆς ψυχῆς, ὅτι οὐ παιδικὰ καὶ νηπιάζοντά σου τὰ φρονήματα, γηράλεα δὲ καὶ ἀνδρικά, οὐκ ἐμπαρέντος ἐν ἀκαθέκτοις ὁρμαῖς καὶ φαύλοις δράμασιν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ διὰ τὸ συνεῖναί σε τῷ ἐμῷ μόνῳ ἀδελφῷ καὶ σοῦ πατρί· ἀρετῆς γάρ σου οὐ τῆς τυχούσης δεῖγμα, ἐκ πάντων εἰλῆφθαι αὐτῷ εἰς συγκακοπάθησιν εἴτουν ὑπηρεσίαν. ἔχου τῆς διακονίας σου, ὡς ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς Κυρίου πάντα ποιῶν καὶ λέγων, ἐν ᾧ ὁ μισθός σου πολὺς καὶ ἡ δοκιμή σου χρυσῆ καὶ ἡ πίστις σου ἀκραιφνής, καὶ ἡ ἐμὴ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ πρὸς σὲ ἀγάπη Χριστοῦ γνησιωτέρα καὶ ἀποδοχὴ τῷ ὄντι πολυτελεστέρα. Βραχέα ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεως ἱκανῆς. προσεύχου, τέκνον ἠγαπημένον, περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ σου πατρὸς θερμῶς. 336 {1Εὐχαρίστῳ τέκνῳ}1 Καὶ πάνυ σοι χρεία ἐπιστεῖλαί με, ὦ τέκνον, κἂν αὐτὸς σὺ οὐκ ἐπεζήτησας· ἆρα γὰρ οὐκ ἐπαινετὸς καὶ ἀξιόδεκτος, ὅτι μόνος σχεδὸν ἀνατλᾷς κόπους καὶ ὁδοιπορίας κινδύνους τε καὶ περιστάσεις, διακονῶν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ; ὡς μακαριστόν σου τὸ ἔργον, ὡς ἀθλητικόν σου τὸ δρᾶμα· ἐν μέσῳ παγίδων εἵλω διαβαίνειν, ἐπ' ἀνθράκων πυρὸς περιπατεῖν· τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ τῶν δυσσεβούντων. Ἀλλ' ἔτι ἴσχυε, τέκνον, καὶ ἀνδρίζου· τὴν διακονίαν σου πληροφόρησον, πολυπλασίασον τὸ τάλαντον, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ μακαριζόμενος εἰς αἰῶνας. τὸ λοιπὸν προσεύχου καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ σου πατρός. 337 {1Λέοντι}1 Εὖ πεποίηκας, τέκνον πνευματικόν, ἐπιστείλας ἡμῖν, εἰ καὶ βραχέα, πλὴν ὅτι ἀρκοῦσαν ἔχοντα δύναμιν τῆς συνέσεώς σου καὶ ὑποδεικνύντα ὅτι, εἰ καὶ τῷ σχήματι πρὸς ἡμᾶς πτόρθος, ἀλλ' οὐ τῷ τρόπῳ. σὺ δὲ καὶ ἄλλως δίκαιος ἂν εἴης συνάπτεσθαι ἡμῖν υἱικῶς, τέκνον χρηματίζων τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ θεοφιλεστάτου ἀρχιεπισκόπου, καὶ τέκνον γνησιώτατον· τὸ γὰρ ὀπαδὸν αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ κληρικοῦ πληρώματος μόνον καὶ συναθλεῖν καὶ συνδιώκεσθαι τοῖς ὑπερέχουσι τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀπόδειξιν πολλῆς γνησιότητος ἔχει, καὶ μὴν πρὸς θεὸν ἀγάπησιν κραταιάν. διὰ τοῦτό σε καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ταπεινοὶ καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν καὶ περιέπομεν καὶ ἐν τῷ καταλόγῳ τῆς ἀδελφότητος ἡμῶν ἀριθμοῦμεν. 338 {1Κωνσταντίνῳ}1 Τίς ἡ αἰτία τοῦ ἐπιστεῖλαί με τῇ τιμιότητί σου; ἡ καλή σου περὶ τὴν πίστιν ὀρθότης, ὅτι οὐ συναπήχθης τοῖς χριστοδιώκταις, ῥίψας τοὺς λογισμοὺς φέρεσθαι ὅπῃ ἄγουσιν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπιστήμων κυβερνήτης καθέζῃ ἐπὶ τῶν νοητῶν οἰάκων, εὐθύνων τὴν ψυχικὴν ὁλκάδα εἰς καλοὺς τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας λιμένας, πρύμναν κρουσάμενος τὰς αἱρετικὰς τρικυμίας αὔραις τοῦ πνεύματος. τοῦτο ἐπεὶ ἐδιδάχθην παρὰ τοῦ ἐπιδιδοῦντός σοι τὰ γράμματα ἀγαπητοῦ ἡμῶν ἀδελφοῦ, καλῶς ἔχειν ἔδοξα ἐπιστεῖλαι, συνάπτων ἐμαυτὸν τῇ ἀγάπῃ σου, ὅπερ ποιεῖν τὸν χριστιανὸν ἀναγκαῖον, μάλιστα δὲ ὅταν τέτμηται αἱρέσεως μαχαίρᾳ ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου ὡς νῦν τὸ σῶμα Χριστοῦ. Φυλάττοιο δὴ οὖν, ὦ ἀγαθὲ ἄνερ, προμηθείᾳ θεοῦ ἀπήμων, ἐποικοδομῶν τῷ θεμελίῳ χρυσόν, ἄργυρον, ἤγουν λίθους τιμίους, ὡς ἂν ναὸς Κυρίου χρηματίσοις. εἶεν. 339 {1Πρεσβυτέρθῳ}1 Ἐν χειμῶνι εἴ τις ἴδοιεν ῥόδον, εἰκότως προστρέχοι ὡς ξένου ὄντος θεάματος καὶ τῷ ὑποδείξαντι χάριν ὁμολογεῖ· τοιοῦτος σύ, ὦ ἱερὲ ἄνθρωπε τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀπιστίας χειμῶνι ἐγνώσθης ἡμῖν, καὶ ὁ ὑποδείξας σέ, τὸ ἔμψυχον ῥόδον καὶ ὀρθόδοξον, ὁ γραμματοδότης, ἐμὸς υἱὸς ἀγαπητός. εἶδον δὲ οὐκ αἰσθητῶς, τῇ τοῦ νοῦ δὲ θεωρίᾳ, καὶ προσέδραμον οὐ ποσίν, ἀλλὰ γράμμασι, καὶ ὠσφράνθην οὐ ῥισίν, ἀλλὰ πνεύματι, καὶ ἡδεῖά μοι ἡ ὀσμὴ μάλα, μᾶλλον δὲ Κυρίῳ· ὃς καὶ διαφυλάξειέν σε ἄδρεπτον ἐξ αἱρετικῶν χειρῶν, ὡς ἂν