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of the uninitiated. Therefore, let him come forward and teach how the argument stands in nature and what is the reason for his being uncircumscribable; is it that he has not been formed in our shape? is it that his body has not been divided by bones? is it that the pupils of his eyes have not been fitted with eyelids and eyebrows? is it that he has not been provided with spiral passages for his ears? is it that he has not been set up with nostrils to perceive smells? is it that he has not been furnished with cheeks that have grown a beard? is it that he has not spoken, eaten, and drunk with a mouth and tongue, lips and teeth? is it that he has not been fashioned with an arrangement of shoulders, forearms, and hands? is it that a chest and back, along with shins and feet, have not been naturally attached to him? is it that he has not undergone a temporal extension through progress and increase of age? is it that walking motion—upward, downward, inward, outward, right, left, circular—has not been manifested with him? is it that he has not shared in toils and distresses and the other blameless passions, having long hair on his head and covering his whole body with tunics? But if he has admittedly been seen in these things, the sum of which is a true man, and his representation according to bodily form is a true picture, without which no composite body can exist at all, since such a thing consists in touch and color, what is this excessive blindness and godless strife, to call Christ uncircumscribable, who has appeared consubstantial and like us in all things? And how, if what can be depicted is gone, will not all the corresponding properties also be gone? For the property, says the Theologian, is unchangeable; or how could a property remain if it were changing and shifting? Let the opponent say. 360 {1To Timothy, my child}1 With patience wait for the Lord, my longed-for child Timothy; for it is written, if we endure, we shall also reign with him. How great is the promise, that you be shown a king in the heavens, completing the witness of his confession. And let what was said not be a strange-sounding thing to you; "He has made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father," says the Theologian and Apostle. And why do I say this? God has commanded man to become a god; "I said, 'You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High.'" So he who does not die to sin nor fall into impiety has received the dignity. Therefore let us stand, brother, and may we never die, so that we may be named gods and kings. To this end, imprisonments, afflictions, distresses, famines, fire, sword, countless deaths, nothing separates from the love of God; let the impious use whatever punishments they wish. For me, there is no strength, but every perplexity from sins, yet the word of truth has shown what is sought; of which you, by the grace of Christ, have both begun and are very zealous, as I hear. But pray also for me, wretched one, that I may be zealous to come after you. He who is with me greets you. 361 {1To Basil the monk}1 Who is this star of piety that has risen for us from the west, whose brilliance of word is conspicuous and whose ray of life is transparent? Your ascents are solar ascents and your confessions are martyr's confessions, even if it was not granted for the time being by the economy of the one confessed for you to partake of the contest of being flayed, perhaps so that by the withholding of the gift the good God might cause a greater desire for its reception to be kindled in your precious soul, like the actions of mothers towards their offspring, by their distributions to others of the same blood kindling the gift-loving spirit of those who were left out; or again, that the blood of martyrs being shed for the future might not be lacking, from which time is made bright and ground is hallowed and the company of the orthodox is strengthened. I rejoice, therefore, and I share your joy at your contribution to the list of confessors and, as if seeing you face to face, embracing I greet you in the spirit and I judge you as like-minded and as a father or brother, not as you yourself say out of great humility. I hold and embrace you and invisibly give my right hand, with God as witness, for like-mindedness and joint confession in the same cause, even unto blood, not just in any way, but so that we do not deny Christ our God who made us, nor indeed the Theotokos, nor any of the saints; for it is clear that

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ἀμυήτων. οὐκοῦν παρελθὼν διδασκέτω ὅπως ἔχει φύσεως ὁ λόγος καὶ τίς ἡ αἰτία τῆς ἀγραφίας· ὅτι τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς εἴδει οὐ μεμόρφωται; ὅτι ὀστέοις τὸ σῶμα οὐ διείληπται; ὅτι βλεφάροις καὶ ὀφρύσι τὰς ὀπτικὰς κόρας οὐκ ἐφήρμοσται; ὅτι ὠσὶ τοὺς ἑλικοειδεῖς πόρους οὐ τετόνωται; ὅτι ῥισὶ τῶν ὀσφραντῶν ἀντιλαμβάνειν οὐκ ηὐθείασται; ὅτι παρειαῖς ἡβώσαις οὐκ ἐξήρτυται; ὅτι στόματι καὶ γλώττῃ χείλεσί τε καὶ ὀδοῦσιν οὐ διείλεκται, βέβρωκέ τε καὶ πέπωκεν; ὅτι ὤμων καὶ ὠλένων καὶ χειρῶν περιθέσει οὐ διέπλασται; ὅτι στέρνα αὐτῷ καὶ νῶτα σὺν κνημῖσι καὶ ποσὶν οὐκ ἐμπέφυκεν; ὅτι παράτασιν χρονικὴν κατὰ προκοπὴν καὶ αὔξησιν ἡλικίας οὐκ εἴληφεν; ὅτι κίνησις αὐτῷ πορευτική, ἡ ἄνω, ἡ κάτω, ἡ ἐντός, ἡ ἐκτός, ἡ δεξιά, ἡ ἀριστερά, ἡ κυκλοφορικὴ οὐ συνεκπέφανται; ὅτι κόποις καὶ ἀχθηδόσι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀδιαβλήτοις πάθεσιν οὐ συνουσίωται, θριξὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν κομῶν καὶ χιτῶσι τὸ ὅλον σῶμα σκεπόμενος; εἰ δὲ ἐν τούτοις ὁμολογουμένως ὦπται, ᾧν ἡ ἄθροισις ἄνθρωπος ἀληθὴς καὶ οὗ ἡ κατὰ τὸν σωματικὸν χαρακτῆρα ἐξεικόνισις γραφὶς ἀψευδὴς καὶ ἧς ἄνευ οὐδὲ συστῆναι πᾶν σῶμα σύνθετον οἷόν τε, εἴπερ ἐν ἁφῇ καὶ χροιᾷ τὸ τοιοῦτον, τίς ἡ ἄγαν τυφλότης καὶ ἄθεος ἔρις, τὸν ἡμῖν ὁμοούσιον καὶ ὅμοιον κατὰ πάντα πεφηνότα ἄγραπτον Χριστὸν λέγειν; πῶς δὲ καὶ τοῦ γραπτοῦ οἰχομένου οὐ συνοιχήσεται ἅπαντα τὰ σύστοιχα ἰδιώματα; ἡ γὰρ ἰδιότης, φησὶν ὁ Θεολόγος, ἀκίνητος· ἢ πῶς μένοι ἰδιότης κινουμένη καὶ μεταπίπτουσα; εἰπάτω ὁ ἀντικείμενος. 360 {1Τιμοθέῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ὑπομένων ὑπόμεινον τὸν Κύριον, τέκνον μου πεποθημένον Τιμόθεε· γέγραπται γάρ, εἰ ὑπομένομεν, καὶ συμβασιλεύσομεν αὐτῷ. ἡλίκη ἡ ἐπαγγελία, βασιλέα σε δειχθῆναι ἐν οὐρανοῖς, συμπληροῦντα τὸ μαρτύριον τῆς ὁμολογίας αὐτοῦ. καὶ μὴ ξενόφωνόν σοι εἴη τὸ λεχθέν· βασιλείαν ἡμᾶς ἐποίησεν, ἱερεῖς τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ, φησὶν ὁ Θεολόγος καὶ ἀπόστολος. καὶ τί λέγω τοῦτο; καὶ θεὸν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ θεὸς κεκέλευκεν γίγνεσθαι· ἐγὼ εἶπα θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ὑψίστου πάντες. ὥστε ὁ μὴ ἀποθνήσκων τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ μηδὲ πίπτων τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ εἴληφεν τὸ ἀξίωμα. ∆ιὸ στῶμεν, ἀδελφέ, καὶ μήποτε ἀποθάνοιμεν, ἵνα θεοὶ καὶ βασιλεῖς χρηματίσωμεν. πρὸς ταῦτα φυλακαί, θλίψεις, στενοχωρίαι, λιμοί, πῦρ, ξίφος, μυρίοι θάνατοι, τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ θεοῦ οὐδὲν τὸ χωρίζον· κεχρήσθωσαν οἱ ἀσεβοῦντες οἵοις βούλοιντο κολαστηρίοις. ἐμοὶ μὲν ἰσχὺς οὐδεμία, ἀλλὰ πᾶσα ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπορία, ὁ δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας λόγος ὑπέδειξε τὸ ζητούμενον· οὗ σὺ χάριτι Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀπήρξω καὶ μάλα προθυμῇ, ὡς ἀκούω. Ἀλλ' εὔχου καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ οἰκτροῦ κατόπιν σου προθυμηθῆναι ἐλθεῖν. ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ προσαγορεύει σε. 361 {1Βασιλείῳ μονάζοντι}1 Τίς οὗτος ὁ ἀπὸ δύσεως ἡμῖν ἀνατείλας ἀστὴρ τῆς εὐσεβείας, οὗ ἡ αὐγὴ τοῦ λόγου περιφαὴς καὶ ἡ ἀκτὶς τοῦ βίου διαγλαής; αἱ ἀναβάσεις σου ἀναβάσεις ἡλιακαὶ καὶ αἱ ὁμολογίαι σου ὁμολογίαι μαρτυρικαί, εἰ καὶ μὴ παρεχωρήθη τῇ τοῦ ὁμολογουμένου οἰκονομίᾳ τῆς δαρτικῆς σε ἀθλήσεως τέως μετασχεῖν, τάχα ἵνα τῇ ὑποκρατήσει τοῦ δώρου πλείονα τὸν πόθον ἀναφθῆναι τῆς λήψεως εὐοδώσειεν ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς ἐν τῇ τιμίᾳ σου ψυχῇ, οἷα τὰ τῶν μητέρων πρὸς τὰ ἔγγονα, ταῖς ἐφ' ἑτέροις τῶν ὁμαιμόνων διαδόσεσιν ἐκκαίοντες τῶν ἐλλειφθέντων τὸ φιλόδωρον· ἢ πάλιν, ἵνα μὴ λείπῃ τὸ τῶν μαρτύρων αἷμα χεόμενον πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ χρόνος λαμπρύνεται καὶ ἔδαφος ἁγιάζεται καὶ ὁ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων θίασος ἐστερέωται. Χαίρω οὖν καὶ συγχαίρω σου τῇ συνεισφορᾷ τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν ὁμολογούντων καί, ὡς ἰδὼν κατ' ὀφθαλμούς, περιφὺς ἀσπάζομαί σε τῷ πνεύματι καὶ ὡς ὁμογνώμονα κρίνω καὶ ὡς πατέρα εἴτουν ἀδελφόν, οὐχ ὡς αὐτὸς ἐκ πολλῆς ταπεινώσεως φῆς. ἔχω καὶ περιέπω καὶ δεξιὰς ὑπὸ μάρτυρι θεῷ ἀοράτως δίδωμι τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συμφρονήσεως καὶ συνομολογήσεως μέχρις αἵματος, οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὴ ἐξαρνήσασθαι ἡμᾶς τὸν ποιήσαντα ἡμᾶς Χριστὸν τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν μήτε μὴν τὴν Θεοτόκον μήτε τινὰ τῶν ἁγίων· δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι