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let us cease. Above all, and before all things, let us remember death, and the fearful departure of the soul from the body; and how the principalities and authorities and powers of darkness meet it in this air; each one tearing and rending it for itself, according to the evil kinship formed with it through the medium of passion. Let us remember the bitter pain which comes upon the soul in Hades according to conscience, at the memory of the evil things it has done through the body. Let us remember the final consummation of the whole world, in which this all is consumed by the great and immeasurable fire; the elements being fearfully shaken by the melting of the conflagration; heaven fleeing with its scroll [and] in fear with haste from the face of the fire which purifies creation beforehand for the presence of the Pure One; the sea vanishing, the earth boiling up, even from its depths, and yielding undiminished the countless myriads of human bodies; let us remember the dreadful hour of the defence that will take place before the fearful and dreadful tribunal of Christ; when every power of the heavens, and all of human creation from the foundation of the age, observes what belongs to each, even to a mere thought; when for some, on account of the brilliance of their works, the ineffable light will succeed; and the illumination of the holy and blessed Trinity will shine more clearly upon those who are able, through purity of soul, to see and receive it; but for others, on account of the wickedness of their works, the outer darkness will receive them, and the sleepless worm, and the unquenchable fire of Gehenna; and what is heaviest of all, the shame in the conscience which has no end. Let us remember all these things, so that we may become worthy of the one, and not be condemned to experience the other; and that we may become our own and God's, or rather, of God alone and wholly, and wholly so; bearing nothing earthly in ourselves, so that we may draw near to God, and become gods, having received from God the state of being gods. For thus are the divine gifts honored, and the presence of divine peace is welcomed. And these things concerning these matters. And may the God of peace, who reconciled us to himself through the cross, and purchased us with his own blood from the power of darkness, himself grant his peace, which surpasses all (613) understanding, to my blessed master, and deem him worthy of his heavenly kingdom; where the dwelling place of all who rejoice is, and the choir of those who celebrate.

25. From the same to Konon, presbyter and hegoumen. I believe, as I have received and was taught, that God is love; and that as

he is one, never ceasing to be one, so he makes one those who live according to his love, and grants to them one heart and soul, even if they happen to be many; so that, having as it were one soul, they may know one another’s hearts, and not grow weary in ignorance searching concerning what is unseen, each one conjecturing the disposition of his neighbor towards himself. Therefore, trusting in the grace of Christ that is at work in you, holy Father, that you are not ignorant of anything in my heart, just as perhaps—though it is bold to say—neither am I of the things in you, I dare to decline for the time being at the present moment the visit to you, knowing that you believe the refusal is not from disobedience, but from a bodily ailment violently preventing me from the journey, and not allowing the eagerness of the soul to proceed to action. But even though absent in the body, through this present letter, I, who am always present in spirit and never separated from you in soul, greet you, my father and protector according to God, and the guardian of my salvation, and your holy, and

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παύσωμεν. Ἐπί πᾶσι, καί πρό πάντων μνησθῶμεν τοῦ θανάτου, καί τῆς φοβερᾶς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκ τοῦ σώματος ἐξόδου· καί πῶς ὑπαντῶσιν αὐτῇ κατά τόν ἀέρα τοῦτον αἱ ἀρχαί καί ἐξουσίαι καί δυνάμεις τοῦ σκότους· πᾶσα πρός ἑαυτήν διέλκουσά τε καί κατατέμνουσα, κατ᾿ ἀναλογίαν τῆς σχετικῶς πρός αὐτήν διά τοῦ μέσου πάθους γενομένης κακῆς οἰκειότητος. Μνησθῶμεν τῆς ἐν τῷ ᾅδη κατά συνείδησιν γινομένης τῇ ψυχῇ πικρᾶς ὀδύνης, ἐπί τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν αὐτῇ κακῶς διά τοῦ σώματος πεπραγμένων. Μνησθῶμεν τῆς τελευταίας τοῦ παντός κόσμου συντελείας, καθ᾿ ἥν τῷ πολλῷ καί ἀπλέτῳ πυρί τό πᾶν καταφλέγεται τοῦτο· στοιχείων φοβερῶς κλονουμένων τῇ τήξει τῆς καύσεως· οὐρανοῦ τῇ ἑλίξει [καί] φόβῳ κατ᾿ ἔπειξιν φεύγοντος ἀπό προσώπου πυρός τοῦ προκαθείροντος τήν κτίσιν διά τήν τοῦ Καθαροῦ παρουσίαν· θαλάσσης ἀφανιζομένης, γῆς βρασσομένης, καί ἐκ πυθμένος, καί τάς ἀπείρους τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σωμάτων ἀμειώτως παρεχούσης μυριάδας· μνησθῶμεν τῆς φρικτῆς ὥρας τῆς ἀπολογίας τῆς ἐπί τοῦ φοβεροῦ καί φρικτοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ γενησομένης· ἡνίκα πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις τῶν οὐρανῶν, καί πᾶσα ἡ ἀπό καταβολῆς τοῦ αἰῶνος κτίσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐφορᾷ τά ἑκάστῳ προσόντα, μέχρι καί ψιλοῦ ἐνθυμήματος· ἡνίκα τούς μέν, διά τήν τῶν ἔργων λαμπρότητα τό ἄφραστον φῶς διαδέξηται· καί ἡ τῆς ἁγίας καί μακαρίας Τριάδος ἔλλαμψις τρανώτερον ἐπιλαμπούσης, τοῖς ὁρᾷν καί ὑποδέχεσθαι διά καθαρότητα ψυχῆς δυναμένοις· τούς δέ διά τήν τῶν ἔργων ἀτοπίαν τό σκότος ὑποδέξεται τό ἐξώτερον, καί ὁ ἀκοίμητος σκώληξ, καί τό πῦρ τῆς γεέννης τό ἄσβεστον· καί τό πάντων βαρύτατον, ἡ ἐν τῷ συνειδότι αἰσχύνη πέρας οὐκ ἔχουσα. Μνησθῶμεν τούτων ἁπάντων ἵνα τῶν μέν γενώμεθα ἄξιοι τῶν, δέ πεῖραν λαβεῖν μή κατακριθῶμεν· καί γενώμεθα ἑαυτῶν καί τοῦ Θεοῦ, μᾶλλον δέ μόνου καί ὅλου Θεοῦ, καί ὅλοι· μηδέν ἐπίγειον ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς φέροντες, ἵνα Θεῷ πλησιάσωμεν, καί θεοί γενώμεθα, ἐκ Θεοῦ τό θεοί εἶναι λαβόντες. Οὕτω γάρ τιμᾶται τά θεῖα δωρήματα, καί ἡ τῆς θείας εἰρήνης φιλοφρονεῖται παρουσία. Καί ταῦτα μέν περί τούτων. Ὁ δέ Θεός τῆς εἰρήνης ὁ καταλλάξας ἡμᾶς ἑαυτῷ διά τοῦ σταυροῦ, καί ἐξαγοράσας τῷ ἰδίῳ αἵματι τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους αὐτός τήν εἰρήνην αὐτοῦ τήν ὑπερέχουσαν πάντα (613) νοῦν χαρίσηται τῷ εὐλογημένῳ μου δεσπότῃ, καί ἀξιώσαι αὐτόν τῆς ἐπουρανίου αὐτοῦ βασιλείας· ἔνθα πάντων τῶν εὐφραινομένων ἡ κατοικία, καί ὁ τῶν ἑορταζόντων χορός.

ΚΕ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Κόνωνα πρεσβύτερον καί ἡγούμενον. Πιστεύω καθώς παρέλαβον καί ἐδιδάχθην, ὅτι ὁ Θεός ἀγάπη ἐστί· καί ὅτι καθώς

αὐτός εἷς ἐστι, μηδέποτε τοῦ εἷς εἶναι παυόμενος, οὕτω τούς κατά τήν αὐτοῦ ἀγάπης ζῶντας, ἕνα ποιεῖ, καί μίαν αὐτοῖς χαρίζεται καρδίαν καί ψυχήν, κἄν πολλοί τύχοιεν ὄντες· ἵνα ὡς μίαν ψυχή, ἔχοντες, τάς ἀλλήλων ἐπιγινώσκωσι καρδίας, καί μή κάμνωσι τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ ἐρευνῶντες περί τῶν ἀδήλων, στοχαζόμενος ἕκαστος τήν ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτῷ τοῦ πέλας διάθεσιν. ∆ιά τοῦτο πιστεύων τῇ χάριτι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῇ ἐν σοί κινουμένῃ, ἅγιε Πάτερ, ὅτι οὐδέν ἀγνοεῖς τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐμῇ καρδίᾳ ὥσπερ ἴσως, κἄν τολμηρόν εἰπεῖν, οὔτε ἐγώ τῶν ἐν σοί, θαῤῥῶ παραιτήσασθαι τέως κατά τό παρόν τήν πρός ὑμᾶς ἄφιξιν, εἰδώς ὅτι οὐ παρακοῆς τήν παραίτησιν εἶναι πιστεύετε, ἀλλά πάθους σωματικοῦ βίᾳ με κωλύοντος τῆς ὁδοῦ, καί τό πρόθυμον τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς ἔργον προελθεῖν μή συγχωροῦντος. Ἀλλά καί ἀπών τῷ σώματι διά τοῦ παρόντος γράμματος, ὁ ἀεί παρών τῷ πνεύματι, καί μηδέποτε ὑμῶν κατά ψυχήν χωριζόμενος, ἀσπάζομαί σε τόν ἐμόν κατά Θεόν πατέρα καί προστάτην, καί τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπιμελητήν σωτηρίας, καί τήν ἁγίαν σου, καί