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and you may conduct yourself, not grieving your spouse, but rather winning him over through your godly conduct. Concerning the sister, I have made clear to her what seems best to me; concerning my steward and beloved child, I thank you very much, for having compassionately hastened to him. May you find mercy from the Lord. 396 {1To Maria the nun}1 I have read your precious letter and I have come to know your pious thought, that you have the same disposition as that blessed father and consequently are ready to suffer for Christ; and rightly so, so that it may be shown that the one flesh holds also one mind, not being unequally yoked concerning the faith. Thanks therefore to God, who through the fear and love of him has thus separated you from each other bodily with the evangelical sword, and has again joined you spiritually in one spirit and mind. Strive therefore, my lady, to be deemed worthy of the same portion as him, and to meet there and be with him forever, choosing him as he chose you; for indeed with much love he also had great care for your salvation, as I also know, since he would share the things concerning himself with my lowliness, as to a son. Concerning your hypocritical wearing of secular clothes externally, necessitated by the persecution, for a short time and place, it is found among the saints in certain necessary circumstances, but by no means forever. As for the rest, I do not know what to say; if I permit you to cast off the pretense, you might say you cannot bear the martyrdom; for you will be brought even to tortures; and if again I were to permit it thus, I have no scriptural testimony. Therefore, with two evils set before you, it is better to be a secret nun than, not bearing the blows, to have communion with the denying heresy and to fall away from Christ, in whom your portion will always be. 397 {1Exhortation to a nun}1 The present time is such that it compels us to be concerned for one another because of the dignity of our unanimity and shared faith, since God has called together as one church, that is, a company, all who hold to the truth and confess in it. Just as therefore it is not without danger for one who is of the same monastery not to care for his fellow disciples, or for an abbot likewise not to care for his students, so also for all of us, since, as has been said, we are one cenobitic church. I am visiting you by letter and I ask how you are in the Lord, O spiritual sister, if you abide in the good confession of Christ, if you keep the deposit of faith safe through the Holy Spirit, if you are strong in God, not being frightened by the impious. Well done, well done; may you be strengthened still more and to such a degree, that you may sing with holy David: I will not fear when the earth is troubled and mountains are moved into the hearts of the seas. For indeed the one who truly has firm faith is completely immovable from the love of Christ, from which neither tribulation, nor distress, nor famine, nor persecution, nor danger, nor sword can separate. In this confidence all the saints were perfected, in the same may your honor also be; for you are not less noble than Thekla, Febronia and the blessed choir around them. a daughter of God, a bride of Christ just as they were, so are you, for whom also now is the martyrdom just as then. Let us endure therefore, I beseech you, not only in the afflictions in which we are, but even if all the aforementioned things should befall us. God is no respecter of persons, loving us with the same love with which he also loved those of old. These things in brief, knowing that your reverence has exhortations from your own resources and from others; yet also from us, so that you may know that we duly sympathize with you and that you might pray that we sinners also may be strengthened. 398 {1To Basil the Patrician}1 It is a work of your God-honored condescension not only to bring our brother in the spirit into your sacred sight and to speak what seemed good so graciously and moderately, but also that, having brought the lady, the patrician revered by me, along with your most noble offspring, you permitted them to bend not the head, but the knee to him. O your greatest humility; O your God-loving understanding; O your surpassing faith in sinners.

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καὶ διαγίνῃ, μὴ λυποῦσα τὸν ὁμόζυγον, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον κατακάμπτουσα διὰ τῆς ἐνθέου διαγωγῆς. περὶ τῆς ἀδελφῆς, δεδήλωκα αὐτῇ τὸ παριστάμενόν μοι· περὶ τοῦ οἰκονόμου μου καὶ ἀγαπητοῦ τέκνου, πλεῖστά σοι ἀπευχαριστῶ, συμπαθῶς ἐπειχθείσῃ πρὸς αὐτόν. εὕροις ἔλεος παρὰ Κυρίου. 396 {1Μαρίᾳ μοναζούσῃ}1 Ἀνέγνων σου τὴν τιμίαν συλλαβὴν καὶ ἐπέγνων σου τὸν εὐσεβῆ λογισμόν, ὅτι τῆς αὐτῆς τῷ μακαρίῳ ἐκείνῳ πατρὶ διαθέσεως ἀκολούθως ἔχεις ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ πάσχειν· καὶ εἰκότως, ἵνα φανῇ ὅτι ἡ μία σὰρξ ἓν καὶ φρόνημα κρατεῖ, οὐχ ἑτεροζυγοῦσα περὶ τὴν πίστιν. χάρις οὖν θεῷ, τῷ οὕτως ὑμᾶς διὰ τὸν φόβον καὶ πόθον αὐτοῦ διαζεύξαντι ἀπ' ἀλλήλων μαχαίρᾳ εὐαγγελικῇ σωματικῶς καὶ πάλιν τῷ ἑνὶ πνεύματι καὶ φρονήματι συνάψαντι ψυχικῶς. σπούδασον οὖν, κυρία μου, τῆς ἴσης αὐτῷ μερίδος ἀξιωθῆναι καὶ συντεύξασθαι ἐκεῖ καὶ συνεῖναι εἰσαεί, αἱρουμένην αὐτὸν ὡς ᾑρετίσατό σε· καὶ γὰρ πολλῇ ἀγάπῃ πολλὴν καὶ φροντίδα ἔσχεν ἐν τῇ σωτηρίᾳ σου, ὡς οἶδα κἀγώ, καθότι κοινωνῶν ἦν τῇ ταπεινώσει μου τὰ καθ' αὑτὸν ὡς υἱῷ. Περὶ τῆς κατὰ ἀνάγκην τοῦ διωγμοῦ ὑποκριτικῆς σου ἔξωθεν κοσμικοφορήσεως πρὸς μικρὸν χρόνον καὶ τόπον, εὕρηται ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις κατά τινα ἀναγκαίαν ὑπόθεσιν, εἰς δὲ τὸ ἀεὶ οὐδαμῶς. λοιπὸν οὐκ οἶδα τί εἴπω· ἐὰν ἐπιτρέψω ῥῖψαι τὴν ὑπόκρισιν, εἴποις ἂν μὴ φέρειν τὸ μαρτύριον· ἐνεχθήσῃ γὰρ καὶ εἰς βάσανα· ἐάν τε πάλιν ἐπαφήσαιμι οὕτως, οὐκ ἔχω γραφικὴν μαρτυρίαν. δύο τοίνυν κακῶν προκειμένων κρεῖττόν ἐστι κρυπτομόναχον εἶναι ἤ, μὴ φέροντα τὰς πληγάς, κοινωνῆσαι τῇ ἀρνητικῇ αἱρέσει καὶ ἀποστῆναι Χριστοῦ, ἐφ' ᾧ ἔσται ἀεὶ ἡ μερίς σου. 397 {1Μοναζούσῃ παραινετική}1 Ὁ παρὼν καιρὸς τοιοῦτος, ὃς ἀναγκάζει ἡμᾶς μεριμνᾶν ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων διὰ τὸ τῆς ἰσοψυχίας καὶ ὁμοπιστίας ἀξίωμα, ἐπειδὴ ὡς μίαν ἐκκλησίαν, ἤγουν συνοδίαν, συνεκαλέσατο ὁ θεὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς ἀντεχομένους τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ ὁμολογοῦντας. καθάπερ οὖν οὐκ ἀκίνδυνον τῷ τῆς αὐτῆς μονῆς ὄντι μὴ ὑπὲρ τῶν συμμαθητῶν φροντιοῦντι, ἢ καθηγουμένῳ τὸ μὴ περὶ τῶν φοιτητῶν ὡσαύτως φροντίζειν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμῖν πᾶσιν, ἐπειδήπερ, ὡς εἴρηται, μία ἐκκλησία κοινοβιακή ἐσμεν. Ἐπισκέπτομαί σε διὰ τοῦ γράμματος καὶ ἐρωτῶ πῶς δὴ ἔχοις ἐν Κυρίῳ, ὦ ἀδελφὴ πνευματική, εἰ ἐμμένεις ἐν τῇ καλῇ ὁμολογίᾳ Χριστοῦ, εἰ τηρεῖς τὴν παρακαταθήκην τῆς πίστεως διὰ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου ἀσφαλῆ, εἰ κρατύνῃ ἐν θεῷ, μὴ πτυρομένη ἀπὸ τῶν ἀσεβῶν. εὖγε, εὖγε· στηριχθείης ἔτι πλειόνως καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὡς ἂν ᾄδειν σε σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ ∆αυίδ· οὐ φοβηθήσομαι ἐν τῷ ταράσσεσθαι τὴν γῆν καὶ μετατίθεσθαι ὄρη ἐν καρδίαις θαλασσῶν. καὶ γὰρ ὁ ὡς ἀληθῶς βεβαιόπιστος ἀμετακίνητός ἐστι πάμπαν τῆς ἀγάπης Χριστοῦ, ἧς οὐ θλῖψις, οὐ στενοχωρία, οὐ λιμός, οὐ διωγμός, οὐ κίνδυνος, οὐ μάχαιρα χωρίζειν δύναται. ταύτῃ τῇ πεποιθήσει οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες ἐτελειώθησαν, τῇ αὐτῇ καὶ ἡ σὴ τιμιότης εἴη· οὐ γὰρ εἶ ἀγενεστέρα Θέκλης, Φεβρωνίας καὶ τοῦ περὶ αὐτὰς μακαρίου χοροῦ. θυγάτηρ θεοῦ, νύμφη Χριστοῦ ὡς κἀκεῖναι καὶ αὐτή, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ τανῦν τὸ μαρτύριον ὥσπερ τηνικαῦτα. Ὑπομείνωμεν οὖν, παρακαλῶ, οὐχ ὅτι ἐν οἷς ἐσμεν θλιπτικοῖς, ἀλλὰ κἂν τὰ προειρημένα ἅπαντα ἐπιστῇ. ἀπροσωπόληπτος ὁ θεός, τῇ αὐτῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀγαπῶν ἡμᾶς ᾗ ἠγάπησεν καὶ τοὺς πάλαι. ταῦτα ὡς ἐν ὀλίγοις, εἰδὼς ὅτι οἴκοθεν καὶ ἐξ ἄλλων τὰς παρακλήσεις ἔχει σου ἡ σεμνοπρέπεια· ὅμως καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν, ἵνα γνοίης ὅτι οἰκειοπαθοῦμέν σοι ὀφειλομένως καὶ ὅπως προσεύχῃ τοῦ στηρίζεσθαι καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλούς. 398 {1Βασιλείῳ πατρικίῳ}1 Τῆς θεοτιμήτου σου συγκαταβάσεως ἔργον οὐ μόνον εἰς ὄψιν σου ἱερὰν ἐνεγκεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν ἐν πνεύματι ὁμιλῆσαί τε τὰ δόξαντα οὕτω προσηνῶς καὶ μετρίως, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τὴν κυρίαν καὶ ἐμοὶ σεβασμίαν πατρικίαν ἅμα τοῖς εὐγενεστάτοις σου βλαστοῖς ἀγαγὼν κλῖναί τε οὐ κεφαλήν, ἀλλὰ γόνυ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιτέτραπας. ὢ τῆς μεγίστης σου ταπεινοφροσύνης· ὢ τῆς φιλοθέου σου συνέσεως· ὢ τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης σου ἐν ἁμαρτωλοῖς πίστεως.