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a passion, he would observe its power and inactivity and thus administer medicine and heal, using subtractions and additions; which things it is not possible to summarize canonically, as our holy fathers themselves have determined. 394 {1To my child Lucian}1 Our good God, knowing the propensity of human nature to slip and that, even if someone seems to be walking straight, he is tripped up by a little carelessness without knowing it, philanthropically granted repentance, which calls man back from his fall and restores him to health. Since, therefore, you yourself, my brother, have suffered what you have suffered and have completed the period of worthy repentance, propitiating God with much compunction and many tears, as I have heard, and since you are now seeking release, as was made known to me through both the oikonomos and the paroikonomos, may this be yours from the Lord; and may you be healthy from now on, my son, and rejoicing in Christ and prospering in him, no longer giving pledges to the master to fall, but to die for him, as he himself also suffered for you. Previously, therefore, I, the unworthy one, tearfully spoke to you by letter, 'Adam, where are you?', echoing the divine voice, because you had fallen from a high, as it were paradisiacal, life; but now it is necessary for me, the wretched one, to dare and say: peace to you, arise, Christ commands, live forever. 395 {1To Albene, protospatharea}1 The letter from your nobility astonished me not a little, dictated as it was from a God-loving heart and brought forth from a contrite and humbled disposition, so that after reading it twice I would add: who and what kind and how great is this soul, which utters these things to me, the wretched one? And when I was also informed by the letter-carrier of the things which you entrusted to him to speak with a living voice, then I was all the more greatly amazed and glorified our good God, who inspired in you such a thought, and in your desire to bring it to action. Great, therefore, is the work which you have desired, my lady, and one of the most difficult to accomplish, not only because of the exalted and heavenly nature of the life (for renunciation is nothing other than a promise of the cross and of death for the one who has truly become a monk), but also because you are bound to a husband, from whom it is not possible to be separated casually, because it is clear that he is joined to you by God. Who then would separate, if not clearly the one who joined, one who is hastening to advance to a greater way of life? It is necessary, therefore, according to the rule of Saint Basil, first to arrange matters well with your spouse. What is this? To strip the mind of desire, to show the futility and dream-like quality of the world, how nothing in it is permanent, but everything passes by like shadows, whether it be something joyous, or enjoyable, or very wealthy, or pleasant, or even royalty itself; for like a flower of the field all things fly away. And not only this, but also an inescapable judgment upon those who have lived with passion in the present age and not according to the commandments of Christ; which is a laborious thing to fulfill in the common life. Speak these things, exhort, win him over, so that you may persuade him to agree with you on the goal of renunciation (for what do you know, it says, O wife, whether you will save your husband?), and do this for a sufficient time. And if you should come to an agreement, it would be well, but if not, then, if the desire for God so inflames you, you do what seems best to you even if your spouse is unwilling. But, as has been said before, the matter is difficult to accomplish, and especially in the days of the persecution and because you are not an ordinary person, but one of the eminent and indeed of the same blood as the empress; at which it is also to be marveled, how in the exceeding glory of life here, despising it, you desire to put on this humility of Christ. Blessed is the Lord who so persuades; for in relation to the glory of God the glories of this vain life are truly an abomination. Hold, therefore, to your most excellent life; for I hear what good works you do and how, having given up royal pastimes, you are at leisure for yourself and for good things (for it is possible to be saved even in this life and with a husband), and again for what follows, as the Lord may grant success, so

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πάθος, δύναμίν τε καὶ ἀδράνειαν ἐπιτηροίη καὶ οὕτω φαρμακεύοι καὶ ἰᾶται, ἐλλείψεσι καὶ προσθήκαις χρώμενος· ἃ ἐν κεφαλαίῳ περιλαβεῖν οὐχ οἷόν τε κανονικῶς, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἅγιοι πατέρες ἡμῶν ὡρίσαντο. 394 {1Λουκιανῷ τέκνῳ}1 Ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς ἡμῶν, εἰδὼς τὸ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως εὐόλισθον καὶ ὅτι, εἰ καὶ δοκεῖ τις κατ' ὀρθὸν πορεύεσθαι, ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν μικρὸν ῥαθυμήσας ὑποσκελίζεται, φιλανθρώπως ἐδωρήσατο τὴν μετάνοιαν, ἀνακαλουμένην τὸν ἄνθρωπον τῆς πτώσεως καὶ εἰς τὸ ὑγιὲς ἀποκαθιστῶσαν. ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ αὐτός, ἀδελφέ μου, πέπονθας ὃ πέπονθας καὶ τὸν τῆς ἀξιολόγου μετανοίας καιρὸν πεπλήρωκας, πολλῇ κατανύξει καὶ πλείστοις δάκρυσιν, ὡς ἀκήκοα, ἐξιλεωσάμενος τὸν θεόν, ἐπιζη τοίης δὲ ἄρτι λύσιν, καθὰ διά τε τοῦ οἰκονόμου καὶ τοῦ παροικονόμου ἐδηλώθη μοι, εἴη σοι αὕτη παρὰ Κυρίου· καὶ ἔσῃ ὑγιαίνων ἐκ τοῦ δεῦρο, υἱέ μου, καὶ χαίρων ἐν Χριστῷ καὶ κατευοδούμενος ἐν αὐτῷ, μηκέτι συμπίπτειν διδοὺς ἐγγυὰς τῷ δεσπότῃ, ἀλλὰ θνήσκειν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ σοῦ ἔπαθεν. Πρότερον μὲν οὖν διὰ γράμματος ὁ ἀνάξιος κλαυθμυρικῶς ἐφθεγξάμην πρὸς σέ, Ἀδάμ, ποῦ εἶ; τὴν θείαν φωνὴν ὑπειπών, διὰ τὸ ἐξ ὑψηλοῦ σε βίου οἱονεὶ παραδεισιακοῦ ἐκπεπτωκέναι· νῦν δὲ ἀναγκαῖον ἀποτολμῆσαί με τὸν τάλανα καὶ εἰπεῖν· εἰρήνη σοι, ἀνάστα, Χριστὸς κελεύει, ζῆθι εἰς αἰῶνα. 395 {1Ἀλβενέκᾳ πρωτοσπαθαρέᾳ}1 Ἐξένισέν με τὸ γράμμα τῆς εὐγενείας σου οὐκ ὀλίγον, οὕτω μὲν ἐκ φιλοθέου καρδίας ὑπαγορευθέν, οὕτω δὲ ὑπὸ συντετριμμένης καὶ τεταπεινωμένης διαθέσεως προαχθέν, ὥστε δὶς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀναγνόντα με ἐπιλέγειν· τίς καὶ ὁποία καὶ ἡλίκη ἡ ψυχὴ αὕτη, ἡ ταῦτα φθεγγομένη πρός με τὸν ταλαίπωρον; ὡς δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ γραμματηφόρου ἀνηγγέλη μοι ἅπερ ζώσῃ φωνῇ παρέθου αὐτῷ ἐξειπεῖν, τότε καὶ μᾶλλον ἠγάσθην λίαν καὶ ἐδόξασα τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἡμῶν θεόν, ὃς ἐνέπνευσέν σοι τοιοῦτον διαλογισμόν, καὶ εἰς ἔργον αὐτὸν προαγαγεῖν ἐφιεμένην. Μέγα τοιγαροῦν τὸ ἔργον, ὃ ἐπεπόθησας, κυρία, καὶ τῶν δυσανύστων, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ ὑψηλὸν καὶ οὐράνιον τοῦ βίου (οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο ἡ ἀποταγὴ ἢ σταυροῦ καὶ θανάτου ἐπαγγελία τῷ γε ἀληθινῶς μονάσαντι), ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ δεδέσθαι σε ἀνδρί, οὗπερ οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἔστι διαζευχθῆναι, διὰ τὸ θεοσύναπτόν σοι εἶναι δῆλον ὅτι. τίς οὖν ἀποσυνάψειεν ἢ δῆλα δὴ ὁ συνάψας, ἐπὶ μείζονα ἐπειγμένην προελθεῖν πολιτείαν; δεῖ οὖν, καθάπερ ἡ διαταγὴ τοῦ Ἁγίου Βασιλείου, πρῶτον τὰ πρὸς τὸν ὁμόζυγον εὖ διαθέσθαι· τί τοῦτο; ἀπογυμνῶσαι τὸν λογισμὸν τῆς ἐφέσεως, ὑποδεῖξαι τὸ τοῦ κόσμου μάταιον καὶ ὀνειρῶδες, ὡς οὐδὲν μόνιμον ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ παρατρέχον ἴσα καὶ σκιαῖς, κἂν περιχαρές τι, κἂν ἀπολαυστικόν, κἂν πολύολβον, κἂν ἐνήδονον, κἂν βασιλεία αὐτή· ὡσεὶ ἄνθος γὰρ τοῦ ἀγροῦ πάντα ἀφίπταται· καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κρίμα ἀπαραίτητον ἐπὶ τῶν προσπαθῶς ζησάντων ἐν τῷ παρόντι αἰῶνι καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ὅπερ ἐργῶδες ἐκτελέσαι ἐν τῷ κοινῷ βίῳ. Ταῦτα λάλησον, παρακάλεσον, ἐκμείλιξαι, ὡς ἂν πείσειας αὐτὸν συναιρήσασθαί σοι τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς ἀποταγῆς (τί γὰρ οἶδας, φησί, γύναι, εἰ τὸν ἄνδρα σώσεις;), καὶ τοῦτο ἐπὶ χρόνον ἱκανόν. καὶ εἰ μὲν συνέλθοιεν, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι, εἰ δὲ μή, τότε, εἰ τοσοῦτον ἀνάπτει σε ὁ θεοῦ πόθος, πράττεις τὰ δόξαντά σοι καὶ μὴ βουλομένου τοῦ ὁμόζυγος. ἀλλ', ὡς προείρηται, δυσεξάνυστον τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν ταῖς τοῦ διωγμοῦ ἡμέραις καὶ ὅτι οὐχ ἡ τυχοῦσα αὐτή, ἀλλὰ τῶν ὑπερεχουσῶν καί γε τῶν συναίμων τῇ βασιλευούσῃ· ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ θαυμάζειν ἐστί, πῶς ἐν τῇ ἄγαν εὐδοξίᾳ τοῦ τῇδε βίου ταύτην βδελυσσομένη τὴν ταπείνωσιν Χριστοῦ ἐπιποθεῖς ἐνδύσασθαι. εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ οὕτω πείθων· καὶ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δόξαν ὡς ἀληθῶς βδέλυγμά ἐστι τὰ ἔνδοξα τοῦ ματαίου βίου. Ἔχου τοίνυν τοῦ καλλίστου βίου σου· ἀκούω γὰρ οἷα ἀγαθουργεῖς καὶ πῶς ἀφιεμένη τὰς βασιλικὰς διατριβὰς σχολάζοις ἐν ἑαυτῇ καὶ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς (ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῷ βίῳ σωθῆναι καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρός), καὶ πάλιν πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς, ὡς ὁ Κύριος εὐοδώσειεν, οὕτω