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nobly the most terrible imprisonment, being punished by Leontius the accursed. O, the apostasy of the Judaizer; if he were a wild beast, for so long a time emptying himself in wickedness and drinking your blood, he would have been satisfied. But he remains an insatiable blood-drinker, raging, the demon-possessed one, not having a sense of mercy, nor compassion of love for mankind towards you, the lambs of Christ, but afflicting and by every means contriving with Satan to devour you, so that the dragon might boast, so that through you he might terrify us all as well. But by no means; for God is faithful, who will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Remember the saints from of old, that no one without trials and many afflictions pleased God; one was sawn in two, another was stoned, another was burned, another was beaten to death. And where is there time to recount the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us? Of whom you also are partakers and fellow-contestants, rejoice, my brothers, with inexpressible joy, reigning against heresy, against the passions. You, my Karterios, true to your name, my stout-hearted one, you Aphthonios, most abundantly endowed with patience, you Agapios, most truly strengthened by divine love. The gloom of the prison is for you a cause of eternal and unapproachable light, starvation of the luxury of paradise, nakedness of the garment of immortality, solitude of a life with God, the shearing of the hair of comely God-likeness, so that with unveiled face you reflect the glory of the Lord. Are these things not joy? Is it not exultation, surpassing all exultation? Perhaps we ought even to be vexed, that your foot is not also in the stocks and a chain laid upon you; for as the sufferings abound, so also does the consolation of the glory of God. These things in brief, knowing that you have patience from within yourselves, I have exhorted you, dearest ones; but may you in turn give me, along with Nikolaos who is with me, our brother, who also greets you, your holy prayers for our salvation. 403 {1To the Nuns}1 It is a duty, if anything else, for me the humble one, to exhort you with words and to anoint you with counsel, you who are sisters and mothers of the Lord in truth, as He Himself, the Truth, said, enduring for Christ's sake both the loss of a spiritual mother and separation from one another and the taking away of a holy monastery and indeed imprisonment, having already been scourged beforehand for your confession of the truth. But what can I say of such a thing, raising up a fitting encomium for you; that an entire sisterhood of one monastery, thirty in number, at the present time, when both rulers and ruled together turned aside, deluded by fear of death, setting aside the word of the Lord, and both monks and nuns together, although a few were left behind, should be so of one mind and take up the contest for Christ—this is to be compared to ancient times. a likeness of the Holy Forty, or portrayed as some others of the blessed prize-winners. How blessed you are, each one surpassing the other in fiery zeal and all together sharpening one another for the stadium of confession. a worthy spectacle of an angelic choir, a gathering of martyrs lovely to God, for whom are also the sufferings. Come then, daughters of the Jerusalem above, branches of the true vine, true disciples of the Word, let us exult in a God-pleasing way, let us give thanks to Christ who strengthened us to bear what has come upon us, and then let us also prepare for what is to come. What is this? Even if there are scourgings again, even if bonds, even if fire, even if sword, in no way shrink back, but be eager to bear all things with Christ; for we will be strong. Since He has said: All things are possible for one who believes. Do you see what praises there are? What then are the future rewards, kingdom of heaven, inexpressible joy? Let none therefore fall under Satan's power, let none be a lover of life, like one of the Forty, from among the thirty. they are the image of continence, you of the Holy Trinity the

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γενναίως τὴν δεινοτάτην φυλακήν, ὑπὸ Λεοντίου τοῦ ἀλάστορος κολαζόμενοι. ὢ τῆς ἀποστασίας τοῦ ἰουδαιόφρονος· εἰ θὴρ ἦν ἄγριος, τοσούτοις χρόνοις ἐκκενῶν τῇ κακώσει καὶ πίνων τὸ αἷμα ὑμῶν, ἐκορέσθη ἄν. ὁ δὲ μένει ἀκόρεστος αἱματοπότης, ἀγριούμενος ὁ δαιμονῶν, οὐ λαμβάνων αἴσθησιν ἐλέους, οὐκ οἰκτιρμὸν φιλανθρωπίας εἰς ὑμᾶς τὰ ἀρνία τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐκθλίβων καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ μηχανουργῶν σὺν τῷ σατὰν καταπιεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἐγκαυχήσηται ὁ δράκων, ἵνα πτοήσῃ δι' ὑμῶν καὶ ἡμᾶς πάντας. ἀλλ' οὐδαμῶς· πιστὸς γὰρ ὁ θεός, ὃς οὐκ ἐάσει ὑμᾶς πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνασθε, ἀλλὰ ποιήσει σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ δύνασθαι ὑπενεγκεῖν. ἀναμνήσθητε τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἁγίων, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἄνευ πειρατηρίων καὶ πολλῶν θλίψεων εὐηρέστησε τῷ θεῷ· ὁ μὲν ἐπρίσθη, ὁ δὲ ἐλιθάσθη, ἄλλος πυρίκαυστος γέγονεν, ἕτερος ἀπετυμπανίσθη. καὶ ποῦ καιρὸς ἐξαριθμεῖν τὸ περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος τῶν μαρτύρων; Ὧν ὄντες καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνοὶ καὶ σύναθλοι χαίρετε, ἀδελφοί μου, χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ, βασιλεύοντες κατὰ τῆς αἱρέσεως, κατὰ τῶν παθῶν. σὺ ὁ φερωνύμως καρτερόψυχός μου Καρτέριος, σὺ ὁ ἐν ὑπομονῇ δεδαψιλευμένος ἀφθονώτατα Ἀφθόνιος, σὺ ὁ εὐσθενημένος τῇ θείᾳ ἀγάπῃ ἀληθέστατα Ἀγάπιος. τὸ ζοφῶδες τῆς φρουρᾶς πρόξενον ὑμῖν τοῦ αἰωνίου καὶ ἀπροσίτου φωτός, ἡ λιμοκτόνησις τῆς τρυφῆς τοῦ παραδείσου, ἡ γυμνήτευσις τοῦ τῆς ἀθανασίας περιβολαίου, ἡ μόνωσις τῆς μετὰ θεοῦ διαγωγῆς, ἡ τῆς κόμης ἄκαρσις τῆς εὐπρεποῦς θεομορφίας, εἰς τὸ ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου κατοπτρίζεσθαι. οὐκ ἔνι χαρὰ ταῦτα; οὐκ ἔνι ἀγαλλίασις, πάσης ἀγαλλιάσεως ὑπεραίρουσα; τάχα ὀφείλομεν καὶ ἀνιᾶσθαι, ὅτι μὴ καὶ εἰς ξύλον ὁ ποῦς καὶ ἅλυσις περικειμένη· ὅσον γὰρ πλεονάζει τὰ παθήματα, τοσοῦτον καὶ ἡ παράκλησις τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ. Ταῦτα ἐν ὀλίγοις, εἰδὼς ὅτι οἴκοθεν ἔχετε τὴν ὑπομονήν, παρεκάλεσα ὑμᾶς, φίλτατοι· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀντιδοίητέ μοι σὺν τῷ συνόντι Νικολάῳ, τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἡμῶν, ὃς ὑμᾶς καὶ προσαγορεύει, τὰς ἱερὰς προσευχὰς εἰς τὸ σῴζεσθαι ἡμᾶς. 403 {1Μοναζούσαισ}1 Χρέος, εἴπερ ἄλλο τι, ἐμοὶ τῷ ταπεινῷ ὑμᾶς τὰς τοῦ Κυρίου ἀδελφὰς καὶ μητέρας κατὰ τὸ ἀληθές, ὡς αὐτὸς ἔφησεν, ἡ ἀλήθεια, λόγω παρακαλεῖν καὶ παραινέσει ἀλείφειν, ὑπομενούσας διὰ Χριστὸν καὶ στέρησιν μητρὸς πνευματικῆς καὶ διάζευξιν ἀλλήλων καὶ μονῆς εὐαγοῦς ἀφαίρεσιν καί γε φυλακῆς τήρησιν, ἤδη προμαστιχθείσας ὁμολογίᾳ ἀληθείας. ἀλλά τι τοσοῦτον εἴπω, ἐπαίρων ὑμῶν τὸ ἀξιόχρεων ἐγκώμιον· μιᾶς μονῆς ὅλη ἀδελφότης τριακοντάριθμος ἐν τῷ παρόντι χρόνῳ, ὅτε ἐξετράπησαν ὁμοῦ μὲν ἄρχοντες καὶ ἀρχόμενοι, δέει θανάτου παρακρουσάμενοι τὸν τοῦ Κυρίου λόγον, ὁμοῦ δὲ μονάζοντες καὶ μονάζουσαι, εἰ καί τινες ὀλιγοστοὶ ὑπελείφθησαν, ὁμοψυχῆσαι οὕτως καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἄεθλον ἀναδήσασθαι, τοῦτο τοῖς πάλαι χρόνοις παραβλητέον· τῶν Ἁγίων Τεσσαράκοντα ἡ ὁμοίωσις ἤ τισιν ἄλλοις τῶν μακαρίων ἀθλοφόρων ἐξεικονιζόμενον. ὡς μακάριαι ὑμεῖς, μία τῆς μιᾶς τῷ διαπύρῳ ζήλῳ ὑπερβάλλουσαι καὶ πᾶσαι ὁμοῦ ἀλλήλας παραθήξασαι εἰς τὸ τῆς ὁμολογίας στάδιον. ἄξιον θέαμα ἀγγελικῆς χορείας, μαρτυρικῆς ὁμηγύρεως ἐπέραστον θεῷ, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ τὰ παθήματα. ∆εῦρο δὴ οὖν, θυγατέρες τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλήμ, κλήματα τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀμπέλου, μαθήτριαι ἀψευδῶς τοῦ λόγου, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα θεοπρεπῶς, ἀνθομολογησώμεθα τῷ δυναμέσαντι ἡμᾶς Χριστῷ ὑποῖσαι τὰ φθάσαντα, εἶτα καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα παρασκευασώμεθα. τί τοῦτο; κἂν αὖθις μάστιγες, κἂν δεσμά, κἂν πῦρ, κἂν ξίφος, μηδαμῶς ἀναδυῆναι, ἀλλὰ πάντα προθυμηθῆναι ἐνεγκεῖν σὺν Χριστῷ· ἰσχύσομεν γάρ. ἐπείπερ εἴρηκεν· τῷ πιστεύοντι πάντα δυνατά. ὁρᾶτε οἷα τὰ ἐγκώμια; τί λοιπὸν τὰ μέλλοντα ἀνταποδόματα, βασιλεία οὐρανῶν, χαρὰ ἀνεκλάλητος; μή τις οὖν ὑποπίπτουσα τῷ σατανᾷ, μή τις φιλόζωος, ὡς εἷς τῶν τεσσαράκοντα, ἐκ τῶν τριάκοντα. ἐκεῖνοι τῆς ἐγκρατείας τὸ ἀπεικόνισμα, ὑμεῖς τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος τὸ