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he mentions the heretic publicly, but privately, when invited by an orthodox person in an oratory, he refrains from mentioning the heretic, must the scrupulous one pray in such an oratory? By no means. If someone under his own penance can reasonably take on someone to lighten the penance? In the case of communion, by no means, but in other matters it is not to be rejected. Nor can he by almsgiving subtract anything from the defined rule as if from himself; for the one imposing the penance knows in every case how to judge the person and the time and external circumstances in order to grant a remission. For it is not possible to encompass such things by a fixed rule for canons that are set contingently, as Basil the Great himself has said; for by giving the bishop authority for addition and remission, he did not set the canon out of necessity, that is, indispensably, but contingently. So let the one who gives see how he gives; for I, the humble one, answer the questions proposed to me either by you or by another, not definitively, but under constraint, that is, as counsel, as I have often said. For the rest, pray for my humility, helping as much as you can those who are struggling at Stoudios, and wherever you may have strength in the Lord. Brother Nicholas greets you. 385 {1To Theophilus of Ephesus}1 And I received your sacred letter as a God-inscribed book and I accepted the blessing along with it as an incitement of longing. and who am I, the wretched one, to be praised with such things from your holy mouth, I who am not worthy even to untie the strap of your sandal? Behold the characteristics of God-imitating humility. you, O most blessed forefather, great and renowned, magnified and praised in East and West, who have worthily adorned the throne of the greatest apostle, evangelist, and theologian through the contests you have endured and still endure, having made your life radiant with the blood of your holy flesh and confessing Christ to be depicted as incarnate, and not denying him like the impious, when they do not accept him being depicted in an icon; for what is not depicted in an icon is not incarnate either. I leave aside saying that even an angel, being bodiless, has been handed down by the theologians to be depicted in sensible images. But they have denied that the incarnate master and the bodiless servant, and furthermore the Mother of God along with all the servants of the Lord, be depicted, by means of the icons very clearly denying the prototypes along with them, not even understanding this, that by the acceptance of their own image they hold their power, and when this is taken away or dishonored it is clear that their power is also taken away and dishonored; but nevertheless they do not wish to understand so as to become good. For them, then, it is to kick against the goads; but may the mighty hand guard you for the glory of his church as a pillar, as a foundation, as a champion. And may we the humble see you either returning from here to the land of Asia, as they of old saw the sun of the gospel from his imprisonment on Patmos, or being glorified hierarchically over ten cities in heaven. 386 {1To Thalelaeus, my child}1 The things you indicated in your letter, I have understood, child, and what I shall answer you are these: the holy apostle commands that we keep away from every brother who walks disorderly. How then does Gregory of Adelphioi say that you turn away from him unreasonably, when he himself not simply disorderly, but was in every way led away with the iconoclasts, having subscribed to the heresy, eating and drinking and associating with them? But if he should say that he has repented and is keeping the penances, let him show this through a written confession, anathematizing the heretics along with their heresy and in no way joining with them. But as long as he does not do this, let him be an object of aversion to you, who fear the Lord; for he is deceitful in his pretense of conversion, drawing you away and secretly sowing destructive words as if supposedly from the mouth of his opponents. Hence you, being less perfect and entangled in his discourse, were at a loss about this and that. But, since you asked for a solution, receive it with understanding.

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ἀναφέρῃ τὸν αἱρετικὸν δημοσίᾳ, ἰδίᾳ δὲ προσκαλούμενος ὑπό τινος ὀρθοδόξου ἐν εὐκτηρίῳ στέλλεται ἀναφέρειν τὸν αἱρετικόν, εἰ ἆρα ἐν τῷ τοιούτῳ εὐκτηρίῳ τὸν ἀκριβῆ δεῖ προσεύχεσθαι; οὐδαμῶς. Ἐάν τις ἐπὶ τῷ οἰκείῳ ἐπιτιμίῳ δύναται κατὰ λόγον προσλαβέσθαι τινὰ εἰς ἐπικουφισμὸν τοῦ ἐπιτιμίου; ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς κοινωνίας οὐδαμῶς, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων οὐκ ἀπόβλητον. οὔτε δὲ ἐλεημοσύναις δύναιτ' ἂν ὑφαιρεῖν τι τοῦ ὁρισμοῦ ὡς ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ· ὁ γὰρ ἐπιτιμιάζων οἶδε πάντως καὶ πρόσωπον καὶ χρόνον καὶ τὰ ἐκτὸς δοκιμάζειν πρὸς τὸ ὑφεῖναι. ὅρῳ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐνδεχομένως κειμένων κανόνων περιλαβεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα οὐχ οἷόν τε, καθὼς αὐτὸς ὁ Μέγας Βασίλειος εἴρηκεν· δοὺς γὰρ ἐξουσίαν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ προσθήκης καὶ ὑφέσεως οὐκ ἐξ ἀναγκαίου, ἤγουν ἀπαραιτήτου, τὸν κανόνα ἔθετο, ἀλλ' ἐνδεχομένως. ὥστε ὁ διδοὺς βλεπέτω πῶς δίδοι· κἀγὼ γὰρ ὁ ταπεινὸς οὐχ ὁριστικῶς, ἀλλ' ἐκβιαστῶς, ἤτοι συμβουλευτικῶς, ὡς πολλάκις εἴρηκα, ἀποκρίνομαι πρὸς τὰς προτεινομένας μοι εἴτε ὑπὸ σοῦ εἴτε παρ' ἄλλου πεύσεις. Τὸ λοιπὸν προσεύχου περὶ τῆς ταπεινώσεώς μου, βοηθῶν τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν τοῖς εἰς τὰ Στουδίου ἐναθλοῦσιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὅπουπερ ἂν ἰσχύῃς ἐν Κυρίῳ. ὁ ἀδελφὸς Νικόλαος προσαγορεύει σε. 385 {1Θεοφίλῳ τῆς Ἐφέσου}1 Καὶ τὴν ἱεράν σου συλλαβὴν ἐδεξάμην ὡς βιβλίον θεόγραφον καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν συναπεδεξάμην ὡς πόθου ἐμπύρευμα. καὶ τίς εἰμι ἐγὼ ὁ τάλας, τοιαῦτα παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου σου στόματος εὐφημούμενος, ὁ μηδὲ τοῦ λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματός σου ἐπάξιος; ἴδε ταπεινοφροσύνης θεομιμήτου ἰδιώματα. σύ, ὦ μακαριώτατε προπάτορ, μέγας καὶ λαλούμενος, μεγαλυνόμενός τε καὶ ἐπαινούμενος ἀνατολῇ τε καὶ δύσει, ὁ τοῦ μεγίστου ἀποστόλου, εὐαγγελιστοῦ τε καὶ θεολόγου κοσμήσας τὸν θρόνον ἐπάξια δι' ὧν ἤθληκας καὶ ἔτι ἀθλεῖς, αἵμασι σαρκός σου ἁγίας λαμπρύνας τὸν βίον καὶ Χριστὸν ὁμολογῶν ἐγγράφεσθαι ὡς ἐνσώματον, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ ὡς οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐξαρνούμενος, ἐπὰν οὐ δέχωνται αὐτὸν εἰκονιζόμενον· ὃ γὰρ οὐκ εἰκονίζεται, οὐδὲ ἐνσώματον. ἐῶ λέγειν ὅτιπερ καὶ ἄγγελος, ὢν ἀσώματος, αἰσθηταῖς εἰκόσιν ὑπὸ τῶν θεολόγων ἀναγράφεσθαι παραδέδοται. οἱ δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐνσώματον δεσπότην καὶ τὸν ἀσώματον δοῦλον, προσέτι τήν τε θεοῦ μητέρα σὺν πᾶσι Κυρίου θεράπουσιν ἤρνηνται ἐγγεγράφθαι, διὰ τῶν εἰκόνων ἀριδήλως συναπαρνούμενοι τὰ πρωτότυπα, οὐδ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐννοοῦντες, ὅτι τῇ παραδοχῇ τοῦ οἰκείου χαρακτῆρος τὸ κρατεῖν ἔχουσιν, οὗ ἀφαιρεθέντος ἢ ἀτιμασθέντος ἀφῄρηται δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἠτίμωται αὐτῶν τὸ κράτος· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ βούλονται συνιέναι τοῦ ἀγαθῦναι. Ἐκείνοις μὲν οὖν εἰς κέντρα λακτίζειν ἔστιν· σὲ δὲ ἡ κραταιὰ χεὶρ περιφυλάξειεν εἰς κλέος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐκκλησίας ὡς στῦλον, ὡς ἑδραίωμα, ὡς πρόμαχον. καὶ ἴδοιμέν σε οἱ ταπεινοὶ ἢ ἔνθεν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀσιάτιδα χθόνα ἐπαναστρέφοντα, ὡς οἱ πάλαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν Πάτμῳ φυλακῆς τὸν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἥλιον, ἢ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐπάνω δέκα πόλεων ἱεραρχικῶς δοξαζόμενον. 386 {1Θαλελαίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἃ μὲν οὖν ἐσήμανας διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ἐπέγνων, τέκνον, ἃ δὲ ἐγὼ ἀποκρινοῦμαί σοι, ταῦτά ἐστιν· στέλλεσθαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ ἀτάκτως περιπατοῦντος, διακελεύεται ὁ ἱερὸς ἀπόστολος. πῶς οὖν λέγει Γρηγόριος ὁ τῶν Ἀδελφίων ἀλόγως ὑμᾶς αὐτὸν ἀποστρέφεσθαι, ὁπότε αὐτὸς οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀτάκτως, ὁλοτρόπως δὲ συναπήχθη τοῖς εἰκονομάχοις, ὑπογράψας τῇ αἱρέσει, συνεσθίων τε καὶ συμπίνων καὶ συναναστρεφόμενος αὐτοῖς; εἰ δὲ λέγοι μετανενοηκέναι καὶ ἐπιτίμια κρατεῖν, δειξάτω τοῦτο διὰ ἐγγράφου ὁμολογίας, ἀναθεματίζων τε τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς σὺν τῇ αἱρέσει καὶ μηδαμῶς συναπτόμενος αὐτοῖς. ἕως δ' ἂν τοῦτο οὐ ποιῇ, ἀποτρόπαιος ὑμῖν ἔστω, τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸν Κύριον· δόλιος γάρ ἐστιν ἐν προσποιήσει ἐπιστροφῆς, ὑφελκόμενος ὑμᾶς καὶ ὑποσπείρων λόγους λυμώδεις ὡς ἐκ προσώπου δῆθεν τῶν ἐναντίων. ὅθεν σύ, ὡς ἀτελέστερος ἐμπαρεὶς τῇ διαλέξει αὐτοῦ, ἠπόρηκας εἰς τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο. Ἀλλ', ἐπειδὴ ᾔτησας τὴν λύσιν, δέξαιο συνετῶς.