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all things to the one in need of your assistance, so that you might find God becoming such to you, He who condescends through loving-kindness to become all things to all people.

28. By the same, to Cyrisicius the bishop. Of the divine goodness on earth according to the grace (621) of the high priesthood given to you, honored Father,

having been chosen to be an imitator of goodness, you have left unfulfilled none of the ways that characterize it; but having them all following one after another, you have endeavored to adorn the mystery of the high priesthood with the tunic of virtues woven from above by the Spirit; which tunic the demons, crucifying you, are never able to tear, not even by a multitude of temptations. Hasten, therefore, to gather into one the scattered children of God. For this too is a characteristic of the divine goodness; and having become the head of the precious body of the holy Church of God, join the members to one another through the architecture of the Spirit; and call with a loud voice, having become a herald of the divine teachings, both those who are far and those who are near; and bind them in yourself with the unbreakable bond of the love of the Spirit; if indeed the expectation of the enemies has fled and utterly vanished; on account of which they were so greatly estranged from her who bore them; so that you too may be permitted to say in a manner befitting Christ: Behold, I and the children whom God has given me. But deem your humble and unworthy servant and suppliant worthy of your precious communications concerning this, holy Father; and do not refuse to commend him to God through your prayers, offering a sacrifice of praise.

29. By the same, to the same. God, indeed, seeking came down from heaven, and longing for the sheep, He clothed Himself in it; and

thus having saved the straying one, placing it on His shoulders, He compassionately brought it back to the flock. But you, most holy Father and shepherd, having only filled the reed-pipe of teaching with the Holy Spirit, have brought back to yourself, full, the flock of rational sheep that had departed from their homeland unwillingly, but willingly ran to your voice, that of a good and skillful shepherd, as having a perfect discernment of what is expedient. For it was not by straying that it crossed the vast seas, having neglected the divine pasture; but for the sake of the saving security of the divine offerings of the soul. But receive a flock, which not only remained unassailable by wolves, but also became a destroyer of wolves, and abounding in many spiritual goods; And bend your bow, and prosper, and reign, for the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness; as a teacher of the divine doctrines according to piety, and an instructor of a pure life and a venerable (624) conduct, and a lawgiver of right discernment in all things; receiving especially with the said holy flock also the sanctified lord abba George the presbyter, a holy man, who possesses a life equal to his word; and who through both is a destroyer of the evil power. But since I have been swallowed by great sorrow, unable to bear their separation, either receive me also, and give me rest under your wings; or strengthen me through prayers to bear nobly the pain at the separation from my dearest friends.

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πάντα τῷ χρῄζοντι τῆς σῆς ἐπικουρίας, ἵνα τοιοῦτον εὕροις τόν Θεόν σοι γινόμενον, τόν πάντα πᾶσι γίνεσθαι διά φιλανθρωπίαν καταδεχόμενον.

ΚΗ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Κυρισίκιον ἐπίσκοπον. Τῆς θείας ἐπί γῆς κατά τήν δοθεῖσά σοι χάριν (621) τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης, τίμιε Πάτερ,

μιμητής εἶναι λαχών ἀγαθότητος, οὐδένα τῶν χαρακτηριζόντων αὐτήν τρόπων ἀπλήρωτος εἴασας· ἀλλά πάντας ἀλλήλοις ἐφεξῆς συνομαρτοῦντας ἔχων, τῷ ἄνωθεν ἐξυφασμένῳ διά τοῦ Πνεύματος χιτῶνι τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐσπούδασας καλλωπίσαι τό τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης μυστήριον· ὅντινα χιτῶνα σχίσαι οὐδέποτε δύνανται, οὔτε πλήθει πειρασμῶν, ὑμᾶς σταυροῦντες οἱ δαίμονες. Σπούδασον οὖν τά διεσκορπισμένα τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ συναγαγεῖν εἰς ἕν. Χαρακτήρ γάρ καί τοῦτο τῆς θείας ἐστίν ἀγαθότητος· καί ὡς κεφαλή τοῦ τιμίου σώματος τῆς ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίας γενόμενος, τά μέλη συναρμολόγησον ἀλλήλοις διά τῆς ἀρχιτεκτονίας τοῦ Πνεύματος· καί κάλεσον φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ὡς κῆρυξ τῶν θείων διδιαγμάτων καταστάς, τούς τε μακράν, και τούς ἐγγύς· καί ἐν ἑαυτῷ κατάδησον τῷ ἀλύτῳ δεσμῷ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Πνεύματος· εἴπερ μέντοι ἀπέδρα, καί παντελῶς ἐξηφάνισται ἡ τῶν ἐχθρῶν προσδοκία· δι᾿ ἥν τοσοῦτον τῆς ἐνεγκούσης ἀπεξενώθησαν· ἵνα καί σοί ἐξόν ᾖ χριστοπρεπῶς λέγειν· Ἰδού ἐγώ, καί τά παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ᾿ ἀξίωσον τόν σόν ταπεινόν καί ἀνάξιον δοῦλον καί ἱκέτην περί τούτου τιμίων σου συλλαβῶν, ἅγιε Πάτερ· καί δι᾿ εὐχῶν παραθέσθαι τῷ Θεῷ προσφέρων θυσίαν αἰνέσεως μή ἀπαξιώσῃς.

ΚΘ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν. Ὁ μέν Θεός ζητῶν κατῆλθεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καί ποθῶν τό πρόβατον ἐνεδύσατο· καί

οὕτως σώσας τό πλανώμενον, πρός τά σύννομα τῶν ὤμων ἐπιθείς, συμπαθῶς ἐπανήγαγε. Σύ δέ, πανάγιε Πάτερ καί ποιμήν, μόνον Πνεύματος ἁγίου πληρώσας τῆς διδασκαλίας τόν δόνακα, πρός ἑαυτόν ἐπανήγαγες πλήρη, τήν ἀκουσίως μέν τῆς πατρίδος ἀποφοιτήσασαν ἀγέλην τῶν λογικῶν προβάτων, ἑκουσίως δέ προστρέχουσαν τῇ φωνῇ σου τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος καί ἐπιστήμονος, ὡς τελείαν διάγνωσιν ἔχουσαν τοῦ συμφέροντος. Οὐ γάρ πλανηθεῖσα τά μακρά διεπέρασε πελάγη, τῆς θείας κατολιγωρήσασα νομῆς· ἀσφαλείας δέ χάριν σωστικῆς τῶν κατά ψυχήν θείων ἀναθημάτων. Ἀλλά δέξαι ποίμνην, οὐ μόνον ἀνεπίβατον λύκοις διαμείνασαν, ἀλλά καί λύκων ἀναιρετικήν γενομένην, καί πολλοῖς πλουτοῦσαν τοῖς κατά ψυχήν ἀγαθοῖς· Καί ἔντεινον, καί κατευοδοῦ, καί βασίλευε, ἕνεκεν ἀληθείας καί πραότητος καί δικαιοσύνης· ὡς τῶν κατ᾿ εὐσέβειαν θείων δογμάτων διδάσκαλος, καί βίου καθαροῦ, καί σεμνῆς (624) πολιτείας ὑφηγητής, καί τοῖς ἐν πᾶσιν ὀρθῆς διακρίσεως νομοθέτης· προσλαβόμενος μάλιστα μετά τῆς εἰρημένης ἱερᾶς ποίμνης, καί τόν ἡγιασμένος κύριον ἀββᾶν Γεώργιον τόν πρεσβύτερον, ἄνθρωπον ἱερόν, ἴσον τῷ λόγῳ κεκτημένον τόν βίον· καί δι᾿ ἀμφοτέρων ὄντα τῆς πονηρᾶς καθαιρέτην δυνάμεως. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπειδή μεγάλῃ κατεπόθην λύπῃ μή φέρων τήν τούτων διάζευξιν, ἤ κἀμέ προσλάβετε, καί ὑπό τάς ὑμετέρας καταπαύετε πτέρυγας· ἤ στηρίξατε δι᾿ εὐχῶν πρός τό γενναίως φέρειν τήν ἐπί τῷ χωρισμῷ τῶν φιλτάτων ὀδύνην.