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you have said, using, how much more eagerly would I, the humble one, write to your unsurpassable Excellency, learning this very thing, of your hoped-for health and seeming to see your beloved face and to hear your most sweet voice in your condescending conversation and meeting with the letter-carrier (for you receive most benevolently for God's sake and speak affably even to the person you happen to meet); who also reported to me how you are saddened by the things that have already been dared because of our sins, groaning and grieving in your heart over each of the things that are happening. And rightly so; for you are a man of God, having a holy mind, a Christ-loving soul, God-perfected knowledge, a harmonious understanding, a sincere opinion in those things for which you struggle, not being able to help in matters as is your custom, but seeing the Church thus endangered, which the Lord acquired through his own blood. O master, into what terrible things have we arrived and what great evils have we witnessed. These are requitals for previous sins; for since we did not see fit to have God in our knowledge through keeping his commandments, but we broke not one but many, both privately and publicly, tearing the gospel of Christ (you know, O wise one, what I am saying), God has handed us over to what we are suffering, so that we may not be condemned with the world, and indeed those who seem to be something. So let not the impious exalt themselves as if they were pious, but rather let them know very well that they deny Christ by the rejection of his venerable icon; who still postpones releasing his vengeance out of sparing mercy, philanthropy, and for repentance, but knows how to avenge himself in the end upon the unrepentant. You, therefore, as one beloved of God, pray for the resolution of these difficulties, but do not entrust it to us, who are not even sufficient to propitiate the good God for our own sins; nevertheless, know that we too are praying. 401 {1To Anastasios the Protospatharios}1 How beautiful friendship is, both in other respects and because, when absent, it is accustomed to benefit the beloved as if present. Such indeed is your renowned love and piety towards me, the wretched one, for a long time and up to now, both when present before my eyes and when separated by such an infinitely vast distance, benefiting me from Sicily while I was in Byzantium, and from Byzantium confined here and there, just as now. And why is this, that you act thus towards a sinful man unworthy of your nobility? Except that I love you greatly for your virtue and love of God in all things, which not only Sicily and this or that country sings of, but indeed the imperial city itself. For this reason you are dear both to emperors and to those in authority, and your dignities come from virtue. Thus, loving God, you are loved both by Him and by His own. But I am at once longed for, and an orphan. My father has left me, having departed to the Lord, as you yourself have surely learned, and likewise Kalogeros. My brother and archbishop alone is left to me; but he too, because of the terrible things that have now befallen us, is separated very far away. Things are difficult for me on both sides, yet because it is for Christ's sake, they are very sweet and spacious. But what of the flood of unbelief, upon which the whole world, as far as it is under our authority, is shipwrecked? See, master, for what evil things we have been stored up, lacking nothing or little of Judaism, when the icon of Christ, and of the holy Theotokos and of every saint is rejected, despised, and insulted; for Christ himself, with his mother and his servants, is the one who endures these things, even if it does not seem so to those who deny it. But may the Lord keep you unsubmerged in right thinking, even if you are sprinkled from without by the heretical waves (since it is not possible for you to escape them completely, moving about in their midst), and may he grant you a manifold reward on behalf of my humble self, both here and in the age to come. 402 {1To the brothers in the Stoudios Monastery}1 Rejoice in the Lord, brothers and fathers, rejoice, soldiers of Christ, rejoice, fraternal triad, who have been enriched with the grace of the Holy Trinity, truly worthy of such greetings, because you bear for Christ's sake

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χρώμενος εἴρηκας, πόσον ἐγὼ ὁ ταπεινὸς προθυμηθείην ἐπιστέλλειν τῇ ἀνυπερβλήτῳ σου ὑπεροχῇ, αὐτὸ τοῦτο μανθάνων τὰς εὐκταίας ὑγείας σου καὶ δοκῶν ὁρᾶν σου τὸ φιλούμενον πρόσωπον καὶ ἀκούειν σου ἡδυτάτης φωνῆς τῇ πρὸς τὸν γραμματηφόρον συγκαταβατικῇ ὁμιλίᾳ καὶ θεωρίᾳ σου (δέχῃ γὰρ διὰ θεὸν εὐμενέστατα καὶ ὁμιλεῖς εὐπρόσιτα καὶ τῷ τυχόντι)· ὃς καὶ ἀπήγγειλέν μοι ὅπως ἐπιστυγνάζεις τοῖς ἤδη κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν τετολμημένοις, στένων καὶ ἀλγῶν τὴν καρδίαν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν γιγνομένων. καὶ εἰκότως· ἄνθρωπος γὰρ εἶ θεοῦ, νοῦν ἔχων ἱερόν, ψυχὴν χριστοφιλῆ, γνῶσιν θεοτελῆ, διάνοιαν ἐμμελῆ, δόξαν εἰλικρινῆ ἐν οἷς σφαδάζεις, μὴ δυνάμενος βοηθῆσαι τοῖς πράγμασι κατὰ τὸ εἰωθός, ἀλλ' ὁρῶν οὕτως κινδυνεύουσαν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἣν περιεποιήσατο Κύριος διὰ τοῦ οἰκείου αἵματος. ὦ δέσποτα, εἰς οἷα δεινὰ ἐφθάσαμεν καὶ ἡλίκα κακὰ τεθεάμεθα. ἀμοιβαὶ ταῦτα προλαβόντων ἁμαρτημάτων· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐδοκιμάσαμεν τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει διὰ φυλακῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐλύσαμεν οὐ μίαν ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὰς καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ σχίσαντες τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ (οἶσθα, ὁ σοφός, ἃ λέγω), παρέδωκεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἐν οἷς πάσχομεν, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν, καί γε οἱ δοκοῦντες εἶναί τι. ὥστε μὴ ὑψούσθωσαν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ ἀσεβοῦντες ὡς ἄρα εὐσεβοῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν γινωσκέτωσαν Χριστὸν ἀρνεῖσθαι τῇ ἀθετήσει τῆς σεπτῆς αὐτοῦ εἰκόνος· ὃς ἔτι ἀναβάλλεται ἐπαφεῖναι τὴν ἐκδίκησιν φειδοῖ καὶ ἐλέῳ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ μετανοίας, οἶδεν δὲ ἐν τέλει ἀμύνασθαι τοὺς ἀνεπιστρόφους. Αὐτὸς οὖν προσεύχου ὡς θεοφιλὴς τὴν τῶν δυσχερῶν λύσιν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἡμῖν ἐπίτρεπε, οἳ οὐκ ἀρκοῦμεν κἂν περὶ τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτιῶν ἐξιλεοῦσθαι τὸν ἀγαθὸν θεόν· ὅμως, ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς αἰτούμεθα. 401 {1Ἀναστασίῳ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ}1 Ὡς καλὴ ἡ φιλία, τά τε ἄλλα καὶ ὅτι ἀποῦσα ὡς παροῦσα τοὺς φιλουμένους εὐεργετεῖν εἴωθεν. τοιαύτη δὴ ἡ περιφανής σου καὶ ἀγάπη καὶ εὐσέβεια πρός με τὸν δύστηνον ἔκπαλαι καὶ μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο καὶ παροῦσα κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ ἐν τοσούτῳ ἀπειροπληθεῖ μήκει διεστῶσα, ἀπὸ Σικελίας με εὐεργετοῦσα ἐν τῷ Βυζαντίῳ ὄντα καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Βυζαντίου ὧδε κἀκεῖ περιωρισμένον, ὥσπερ καὶ τανῦν. καὶ τί τοῦτο, ὅτι εἰς ἄνθρωπον ἁμαρτωλὸν καὶ ἀνάξιον τῆς εὐγενείας σου οὕτω πράττεις; πλὴν ὅτι ἀγαπῶντά σε λίαν διὰ τὴν ἐν ἅπασιν ἀρετὴν καὶ φιλοθεΐαν σου, ἣν ᾄδει οὐ μόνον Σικελία καὶ ἡ τίσδε χώρα καὶ τίς, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ βασιλεύουσα πόλις. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ βασιλεῦσι σὺ φιλητὸς καὶ τοῖς ἐν τέλει, καὶ αἱ ἀξίαι σοὶ ἀπὸ ἀρετῆς. οὕτω φιλῶν τὸν θεὸν πεφίλησαι καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ παρὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὁμοῦ μὲν ἀπόθητος, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ ὀρφανός. ὁ πατήρ μου ἐγκατέλιπέν με χωρήσας πρὸς Κύριον, καθὰ πάντως διέγνως καὶ αὐτός, ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ Καλόγηρος. ὁ ἀδελφὸς καὶ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος μόνος μοι ἐγκαταλέλειπται· ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος διὰ τὰ νῦν κατειληφότα ἡμᾶς δεινὰ διεσπασμένος λίαν πόρρω. στενά μοι ἑκατέρωθεν, ὅμως ὅτι διὰ Χριστὸν καὶ λίαν γλυκεῖα καὶ εὐρύτατα. ἀλλὰ τί πρὸς τὸν κλύδωνα τῆς ἀπιστίας, ἐφ' ᾧ τὸ παγκόσμιον ὅσον τὸ κατὰ τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐξουσίαν ναυάγιον; ἴδε, δέσποτα, εἰς οἷα πονηρὰ ἐταμιεύθημεν, οὐδὲν ἢ μικρόν τι ἀποδέοντα ἰουδαϊσμοῦ, ἡνίκα ἡ εἰκὼν Χριστοῦ, τῆς τε ἁγίας Θεοτόκου καὶ παντὸς ἁγίου ἠθέτηται, ἐξουδένωται, ἐνυβρίζεται· αὐτὸς γὰρ Χριστὸς σὺν μητρὶ καὶ θεράπουσίν ἐστιν ὁ ταῦτα ὑφιστάμενος, κἂν οὐ δοκῇ τοῖς ἀρνουμένοις. Ἀλλὰ σὲ Κύριος φυλάξειεν ἐν τῷ ὀρθῷ φρονήματι ἀκαταβάπτιστον, εἰ καὶ τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς κύμασι καταρραντιζόμενον ἔξωθεν (ἐπεὶ οὐχ οἷόν τε διαφυγεῖν σε παντάπασιν, ἐν μέσῳ ἐνστρεφόμενον), καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐμῆς ταπεινώσεως μισθόν σοι παράσχοι πολυπλασίονα ὧδέ τε καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι. 402 {1Τοῖς εἰς τὰ Στουδίου ἀδελφοῖσ}1 Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες, χαίρετε, στρατιῶται τοῦ Χριστοῦ, χαίρετε, τριὰς ἀδελφική, τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος τὴν χάριν καταπλουτήσαντες, ὄντως ἄξιοι τοιούτων χαιρετισμῶν, ὅτι διὰ Χριστὸν φέρετε