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a provider; and the wealthy, the steward of their abundance; widows, their protector; orphans, a father; the poor, a lover of the poor, and strangers, a lover of strangers; and brothers, a lover of brothers; the sick, a physician; those in calamities, a consolation; old age, a staff; and simply all, the one who became all things to all people, that he might gain all, and be gained for God on behalf of all? Therefore according to the grace given to you by God, my blessed lord, by the ways and persons you know, if you could make him return again, know that it is a great sacrifice to God, and that you have given genuine goodwill and unbreakable security to our God-supported emperors by his appointment. For no one stands as a more genuine servant of their pious reign than he. Fare you well, greatly beloved and most honored to me, genuine servant of God.

45. From the same to the same. Indeed in every generation from time to time God, providing for human nature,

and caring for the salvation of us all, has revealed one who would live a holy life, flashing like a light with virtues, as one capable by his purpose of receiving the divine laws; having given such strength as the people he led reasonably needed for their conversion; so that the rest of men, paying attention as to some lamp of light of righteous deeds, might also order their own lives according to God, with no passion from ignorance tripping them up. But to us, in our time, there has been revealed a certain lamp and rule of virtue, George the Christ-loving prefect; one so great and eminent in virtue, and who has received from God such power, rich in grace; surpassing by so much those formerly appointed and put forward for this (649) post, as we—that is, our generation, oppressed by a heavy weight of evil—needed for respite from the multitude of those who do us harm. A man if any other of the most God-loving men of old and of now, both good and philanthropic, merciful, gentle, patient, long-suffering, humble-minded, sober, not prone to anger, not a lover of money, affectionate, not holding grudges, beneficent, hospitable, a lover of the poor, sympathetic, sociable, most diligent, vigilant, a lover of the church; and what is indeed more honorable than all, a most zealous devotee of the pious doctrine according to the orthodox faith. And the rest is contained accordingly in the previous letter, in accordance with which, and through another letter, I have in part signified to my blessed lord. For it is among the impossible and impracticable things for all the man's achievements to be comprehended by the power of speech; and I have declared these things so that my God-guarded lord, knowing the man's love for God, that it is from divine grace through his very deeds, might receive and honor him; and might commend him to our pious and all-gentle emperors, who on earth represent the divine power; and might persuade them not to accept the unjust tongues of lawless men, who practice deceit like a sharpened razor, and love evil more than goodness; so that no room may be given to falsehood against truth, and injustice gain boldness against justice; and simply, evil against all virtue, through the interchanging and confusion of these things with one another. For it is written, To punish a just man is not good, nor is it holy to plot against righteous rulers. For it is fitting for my blessed lord to do this, being a lover of wisdom and prudence; which I pray may be preserved always for my God-guarded lord, being a guardian of his soul and of his body. But the one bearing this, the letter of my nothingness, who has a wisdom of soul older than the age of his body, I ask that he be received fittingly for the

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ποριστήν· οἱ δέ, τῆς εὐπορίας τόν οἰκονόμον· αἱ χῆραι, τόν προστάτην· οἱ ὀρφανοί τόν πατέρα· οἱ πτωχοί, τόν φιλόπτωχον, καί τόν φιλόξενον οἱ ξένοι· καί ἀδελφοί, τόν φιλάδελφον· οἱ νοσοῦντες, τόν ἰατρόν· οἱ ἐν συμφοραῖς, τήν παράκλησιν· πολιά, τήν βακτηρίαν· καί ἁπλῶς πάντες, τόν πάντα πᾶσι γενόμενον, ἵνα κερδίσῃ τούς πάντας, καί ὑπέρ πάντων τῷ Θεῷ κερδηθῇ; ∆ιό κατά τήν δοθεῖσάν σοι χάριν παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ, δέσποτά μου εὐλογημένε, δι᾿ ὧν οἶδας τρόπων τε καί προσώπων, εἰ δηνηθείης αὐτόν πάλιν ἐπανελθεῖν ποιῆσαι, μεγάλην θυσίαν γίνωσκε τῷ Θεῷ, καί τοῖς θεοστηρίκτοις ἡμῶν βασιλεῦσιν εὔνοιαν γνησίαν καί ἀσφάλειαν ἀῤῥαγῆ δεδωκώς τήν προβολήν. Οὐδείς γάρ αὐτοῦ καθέστηκε γνησιώτερος δοῦλος τῆς αὐτῶν εὐσεβοῦς βασιλείας. Ἔῤῥωσό μοι, λίαν ἠγαπημένε, καί πάντων μοι τιμιώτατε δοῦλε γνήσιε τοῦ Θεοῦ.

ΜΕ´. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν. Πάσῃ μέν γενεᾷ κατά καιρούς ὁ Θεός, τῆς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων προνοούμενος φύσεως,

καί τῆς ἡμῶν ἁπάντων σωτηρίας ἐπιμελούμενος, φωτός δίκην ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἐξαστράπτοντα τόν ὁσίως πολετευσόμενον, ὡς κατά πρόθεσιν χωρητικόν τῶν θείων νόμων ἀνέδειξε· τοσαύτην ἰσχύν δεδωκώς, ὅσον εἰκός πρός ἐπιστροφήν ἔχρῃζεν, ὁ λαός ὁ ἀγόμενος· ἵνα ὥσπερ λαμπτῆρί τινι φωτός ἔργων δικαιοσύνης οἱ λοιποί τῶν ἀνθρώπων προσέχοντες, κατά Θεόν καί αὐτοί βίον ῥυθμίζωσι· μηδενός αὐτούς ἐξ ἀγνοίας πάθους ὑποσκελίζοντος. Ἡμῖν δέ κατά καιρόν λαμπτήρ τις καί κανών ἀρετῆς ἀναδέδεικται Γεώργιος ὁ φιλόχριστος ἔπαρχος· ὁ πολύς καί τοσοῦτος τήν ἀρετήν, καί τοσαύτην πλουτοῦσαν τῇ χάριτι θεόθεν δεξάμενος δύναμιν· καί τῶν ἐπί (649) τούτῳ πάλαι προκεχειρισμένων, καί προβεβλημένων ὑπεραίρουσαν τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἡμεῖς, ἤγουν ἡ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς γενεά πολλῷ βάρει κακίας καταπεπιεσμένοι ἐδεόμεθα πρός ἀνάνευσιν καί ἐκ τῆς τῶν κακούντων ἡμᾶς πληθύος. Ἀνήρ εἰ καί τις ἄλλος τῶν πάλαι τε καί νῦν φιλοθεωτάτων ἀγαθός τε καί φιλάνθρωπος, ἐλεήμων, πραΰς, ἀνεκτικός, μακρόθυμος, ταπεινόφρων, σώφρων, ἀόργητος, ἀφιλάργυρος, ἀγαπητικός, ἀμνησίκακος, εὐεργετικός, φιλόξενος, φιλόπτωχος, συμπαθής, κοινωνικός, σπουδαιότατος, ἄγρυπνος, φιλεκκλήσιος· καί τό δή πάντων τιμιώτερον, τοῦ κατά τήν ὀρθήν πίστιν εὐσεβοῦς λόγου ζηλωτής ἐκθυμώτατος. Καί τά λοιπά ἀκολούθως ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ περιέχεται ἐπιστολῇ· καθ᾿ ἥν καί δι᾿ ἄλλης τῷ εὐλογημένῳ μου δεσπότῃ συλλαβῆς ἐκ μέρους ἐσήμανα. Πάντα γάρ τά τοῦ ἀνδρός κατορθώματα λόγου δυνάμει περιληφθῆναι τῶν ἀμηχάνων ἐστί καί ἀνεγχωρήτων· καί ταῦτα διά τό μόνον γινώσκοντα τόν θεοφύλακτόν μου δεσπότην τοῦ ἀνδρός τό φιλόθεον, ὡς θείας δι᾿ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων ὑπό τῆς χάριτος ὄντα, δέξασθαί τε καί τιμῆσαι δεδήλωκα· καί παραθέσθαι τοῖς ἐπί γῆς τό θεῖον εἰκονίζουσι κράτος εὐσεβέσι καί πανημέροις ἡμῶν βασιλεῦσι· καί πεῖσαι γλώσσας ἀδίκους ἀνδρῶν παρανόμων μή παραδέχεσθαι, ποιούσας δόλον ὡσεί ξυρόν ἠκονημένον, καί ἀγαπώσας κακίαν ὑπέρ ἀγαθωσύνην· ἵνα μή χώρα τῷ ψεύδει κατά τῆς ἀληθείας δοθῇ, καί παῤῥησίαν λάβῃ κατά τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡ ἀδικία· καί ἁπλῶς κατά πάσης ἀρετῆς ἡ κακία, διά τῆς εἰς ἄλληλα τούτων ἐναλλαγῆς καί συγχύσεως. Γέγραπται γάρ, Ζημιοῦν ἄνδρα δίκαιον, οὐκ ἀγαθόν· οὐδ᾿ ὅσιον ἐπιβουλεύειν δυνάσταις δικαίοις. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐργάζεσθαι τῷ εὐλογημένῳ μου δεσπότῃ πρέπει, ὄντι σοφίας ἐραστῇ καί φρονήσεως· ἥν διά παντός φυλαχθῆναι τῷ θεοφυλάκτῳ μου δεσπότῃ εὔχομαι φύλακα τυγχάνουσαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ καί τοῦ σώματος. Τόν δέ ταύτην ἐπιφερόμενον, τῆς ἐμῆς οὐδενίας συλλαβήν, πρεσβυτέραν ἔχοντα τῆς ἡλικίας τοῦ σώματος τῆς ψυχῆς τήν φρόνησιν, παρακαλῶ δεχθῆναι προσφόρως διά τήν