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guards do not allow him to turn anywhere except his own house, until he should go out again. a strict order that nothing be given to us except only water and wood; thus simply placing us as in a tomb and with a view to killing us. But God, by the mercy of his love for mankind, nourishes us through the necessities which we brought in beforehand, and also through the one by whom what was ordered is given to us through an opening in the door, as he ascends a ladder standing at the appointed hour. We do not dare to say that which Daniel says after receiving breakfast from Habakkuk, "for God has remembered me," except that he has remembered us sinners also and has mercy and cares for and protects us. As long, then, as it is possible for us to be fed from what is within, or in some way, with one of the gatekeepers who is also the hebdomadary secretly giving from his own house, he feeds us and we glorify God. And when our necessities fail, by the providence of God, we too will abandon life; and in this we rejoice, and this is from the great gift of God. And who am I, the wretched one, to be seized in such a way for his name and for what follows, as he commands, to deem the unhonored one worthy of more abundant glory, together with the brother? I beseech you, therefore, brothers, strive together with me in prayers on our behalf to God, that I may be delivered in every way, always, from the evil one, and that he who began in us the work of his confession through the bowels of his mercies, not from any works of mine (for I have done nothing good on earth, but the contrary), may himself also bring it to completion in both of us. This we, the humble, do not cease to ask with tears of you who suffer the same things. We greet in the Lord not only the eight, the choice of the Lord, but also Abba Peter and the good Litoius and anyone else. 377 {1To Epiphanius, my child}1 Behold, my beloved child, as you were eager to depart to the West, when I said to take these letters. I have sent two letters, both of the Apostolic See and of lord Methodius; for the party of brother Dionysius, by the good pleasure of God, both arrived safely to those parts and brought good hopes; to whom I thought it well to write again. And I have written not as from myself alone, but, as before, from both abbots, whom the letter indicates, except for the one from Eucairia; for this one, as I have learned, on account of my sins, has fallen. Therefore with the knowledge and common consent, through a secret message and the reading of the letter, we wrote then, as the departing letter also indicated. But now, even if I have not been able to do this because of the security, still this letter is also as if both were already in agreement; and perhaps also after this it is possible for them too to acknowledge it. Go, therefore, O good Epiphanius; appear to the West as a faithful, prudent, long-known messenger, delivering the letter and, according to what has been divinely moved and formulated in the holy apostolic advisory manner and by the word of the holy Methodius and of the holy bishop of Monovasia, yourself also interceding with them and imploring that these things be brought to a conclusion by the good pleasure of God, who is able both to bring you safely and to present you to the holy and blessed Head. Do not fear; great is your reward and great the contest; Christ is with you. Greet all the saints and especially the more well-known ones, particularly my holy father the archimandrite, but also my master the chartophylax, whose love lies in my humble heart. 378 {1To the same}1 And again I heard your voice, beloved child, and I seemed to see you face to face and to embrace you. Are you grieved that you were left to be unbound? thanks be to the Lord who so ordained it, but you are a prisoner in intention and blessed in your confession. Nevertheless, you do not know what tomorrow will bring forth. Be prepared, therefore, and in whatever way is pleasing to God let matters concerning you be led; everyone has need of watchfulness, everywhere the persecutor is an enemy. Take care, my child, of your salvation wherever you may be, praying for your sinful father for your departure to the western parts, when the brothers returned, fulfilling for me through prayer the things dear to God and

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φύλακες οὐκ ἐῶσί που τραπῆναι πάρεξ τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου, ἕως ἂν αὖθις ἐξέλθοι. παραγγελία κραταιὰ μὴ ἐπιδοθῆναι ἡμῖν τι πάρεξ ὕδατος μόνου καὶ ξύλου· οὕτως ἁπλῶς θέμενοι ὡς ἐν τάφῳ καὶ πρὸς τὸ κτεῖναι ἡμᾶς. ὁ δὲ θεὸς ἐλέει φιλανθρωπίας αὐτοῦ δι' ὧν προεισηνέγκαμεν χρειῶν καὶ ἔτι δι' οὗ ἐπιδίδοται ἡμῖν τὸ προσταχθὲν δι' ὀπῆς τῆς θυρός, ἐπὶ κλίμακος ἀνιόντος κατὰ τὴν ὥραν ἑστώσης, διατρέφει. οὐ τολμῶμεν φῆσαι ἐκεῖνο, ὅ φησιν ὁ ∆ανιὴλ δεξάμενος παρὰ τοῦ Ἀμβακοὺμ τὸ ἄριστον, ἐμνήσθη γάρ μου ὁ θεός, πλὴν ὅτι ἐμνήσθη καὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ ἐλεεῖ καὶ περιέπει καὶ σκέπει. ἕως ἂν οὖν πάρεστιν ἡμᾶς τρέφεσθαι ἐκ τῶν ἔνδον ἢ ὅπως ποτέ, ἑνὸς τῶν πορταρίων οἴκοθεν λάθρα ἐπιδιδοῦντος τοῦ καὶ ἑβδομαρησίου, τρέφει ἡμᾶς καὶ δοξάζομεν τὸν θεόν. ἐπιλιπόντων δὲ τῶν χρειῶν οἰκονομίᾳ θεοῦ συγκαταλείψομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν ζωήν· καὶ ἐν τούτῳ χαίρομεν, καὶ τοῦτο τῆς μεγαλοδωρεᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ τίς εἰμι ἐγὼ ὁ τάλας, τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ καταληφθεὶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς, ὡς κελεύει, δόξης περισσοτέρας τὸν ἀγέραστον καταξιῶσαι σὺν τῷ ἀδελφῷ; Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, συναγωνίσασθέ μοι ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἵνα ῥυσθῶ ἐν παντὶ τρόπῳ διὰ παντὸς ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ ἵνα ὁ ἐναρξάμενος ἐν ἡμῖν ἔργον ὁμολογίας αὐτοῦ διὰ σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμῶν οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων μού τινων (οὐ γὰρ ἐποίησά τι ἀγαθὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον) αὐτὸς καὶ ἐπιτελέσειεν ἐν ἀμφοτέροις. τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ταπεινοὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς τοὺς τὰ αὐτὰ πάσχοντας αἰτεῖσθαι οὐ διαλιμπάνομεν μετὰ δακρύων. οὐ μόνον τοὺς ὀκτώ, τὴν ἐκλογὴν τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀββᾶν Πέτρον καὶ τὸν καλὸν Λιτόιον καὶ εἴ τινα ἄλλον ἀσπαζόμεθα ἐν Κυρίῳ. 377 {1Ἐπιφανίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἰδού, τέκνον μου ἠγαπημένον, καθὼς προεθυμήθης ἀπᾶραι ἐν τῇ ∆ύσει, εἰπόντος μου ἆραι γράμματα ταῦτα. ἀπέστειλα δύο ἐπιστολάς, τοῦ τε ἀποστολικοῦ καὶ τοῦ κυροῦ Μεθοδίου· οἱ γὰρ περὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ∆ιονύσιον εὐδοκίᾳ θεοῦ καὶ ἀπεσώθησαν ἕως τῶν ἐκεῖ καὶ χρηστὰς ἐλπίδας ἤνεγκαν· πρὸς οὓς καὶ πάλιν ἐπιστεῖλαι εὖ ἐνόμισα. ἐπέστειλα δὲ οὐχ ὡς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ μόνον, ἀλλ' ὡς τὸ πρότερον, ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ἡγουμένων, οὓς δηλοῖ ἡ ἐπιστολή, πάρεξ τοῦ τῆς Εὐκαιρίας· οὗτος γάρ, ὡς ἔμαθον, κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου κατέπεσεν. γνώσει οὖν καὶ κοινῇ γνώμῃ διὰ μηνύματος λαθραίου καὶ ἀναγνώσεως τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ὡς τότε ἐπεστείλαμεν, ὡς καὶ ἐδήλου τὸ ἀπιὸν γράμμα. νῦν δέ, κἂν οὐ δεδύνημαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι διὰ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἤδη ὁμογνωμονούντων ἀμφοτέρων καὶ αὕτη ἡ ἐπιστολή· ἴσως δὲ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐνδέχεται κἀκείνους ἐπιγνῶναι. Ἄπιθι οὖν, ὦ καλὲ Ἐπιφάνιε· ἐπίφανον τῇ ∆ύσει ἄγγελος πιστός, φρόνιμος, ἀρχαιογνώριστος, ἀποδιδοὺς τὴν ἐπιστολὴν καὶ κατὰ τὰ θεοκινήτως τυπωθέντα ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἀποστολικῷ ὑποθετικῷ τρόπῳ καὶ λόγῳ τοῦ ἱεροῦ Μεθοδίου καὶ τοῦ τῆς Μονοβασίας ἁγίου ἐπισκόπου καὶ αὐτὸς συνεπιπρεσβεύων καὶ ἐκλιπαρῶν εἰς πέρας ἐνεχθῆναι ταῦτα θεοῦ εὐδοκίᾳ, τοῦ ἔχοντός σε καὶ ἀποσῶσαι καὶ παραστῆσαι τῇ ἱερᾷ καὶ μακαρίᾳ κορυφῇ. μὴ δείσῃς· πολύς σοι ὁ μισθὸς καὶ μέγας ὁ ἀγών· Χριστὸς μετὰ σοῦ. προσειπὲ πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς γνωριμωτέρους, ἐξαιρέτως τὸν ἅγιόν μου πατέρα τὸν ἀρχιμανδρίτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν δεσπότην μου τὸν χαρτοφύλακα, οὗ ἡ ἀγάπη ἔγκειται ἐν τῇ ταπεινῇ μου καρδίᾳ. 378 {1Τῷ αὐτῷ}1 Καὶ αὖθις ἤκουσα τῆς φωνῆς σου, τέκνον ἠγαπημένον, καὶ ἔδοξα κατ' ὀφθαλμούς σε ὁρᾶν καὶ περιπτύσσεσθαι. ἀλγεῖς ὅτι ἀφέθης ἄδεσμος εἶναι; χάρις τῷ οὕτως οἰκονομήσαντι Κυρίῳ, σὺ δὲ τῇ προθέσει δέσμιος καὶ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ μακάριος. πλὴν οὐκ οἶδας τί τέξεται ἡ αὔριον. ἔσο τοίνυν παρεσκευασμένος καὶ ὅπῃ τῷ θεῷ φίλον ἀγέσθω τὰ κατὰ σέ· παντὶ φυλακῆς χρεία, ἑκασταχοῦ ὁ διώκτης ἐχθρός. ἔχου, τέκνον μου, τῆς σωτηρίας σου ὅπουπερ ἂν εἴης, προσευχόμενος περὶ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ σου πατρὸς εἰς τὸ ἀπᾶραί σε πρὸς τὰ δυτικά, ἡνίκα ὑπέστρεψαν οἱ ἀδελφοί, δι' εὐχῆς μοι μάλα πληροῦντα τὰ θεοφιλῆ καὶ