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a model, tithed in a Trinitarian way. Such is our paltry exhortation; but you, O thrice-blessed mothers, give me your prayers in return, as provisions for salvation. 404 {1To the Canonesses}1 And from what has preceded we have received sufficient proof of your pious disposition towards our lowliness, and now very much so, that we were truly amazed, seeing your gifts, how many and how great, and then also being informed by the letter-carrier, who has understood by seeing for himself how much thrift and care surrounds you to show mercy, to pity, to feed, to give drink, to clothe, or if there is anything else necessary for life for our humble state, that you are eager to do and seek to learn in order to accomplish it. Is it not right, then, that I give thanks to God in these things, having found mothers and spiritual sisters? Is it not fittingly my duty to dedicate hymns to you, who seek God with your whole heart? Rejoice, mothers and daughters in the Lord, rejoice, diligent workers of the evangelical commands, rejoice, lilies of the spiritual field, settled in the midst of thorns according to place, but in manner running far away from the thorny nature of heresy; rejoice, the beautiful pair, holding to each other and through each other bound together unto God. How great is your concord according to God, your loving union, your monastic way of life. Rejoice, lady of the lady, mother of the mother, abbess of the abbess, at once ruling and being ruled; how good is your work and your practice, that you may both gather the reward from submission and be a security for the one presiding. Rejoice, you who are an abbess and a subordinate, the one to the many, the other to the one; blessed is your understanding, steering and being steered and being guided to the harbor of salvation. The praises are brief, but from the few the many are understood. May the Lord repay you the reward on our behalf, on behalf of the steward, on behalf of any other who is well-treated. Guard yourselves still, I beseech you, from the soul-destroying heresy, communion with which is alienation from Christ. Make your way of life together brighter, the golden chain unentangled also for the many, so that, adorned with both, you may arrive with shining lamps at the bridal chamber of the Lord, enjoying eternal good things. 405 {1To my child Naucratius}1 You have chanced upon such a faithful letter-carrier, through whom I, the humble one, considered it a dispensation of our good God to write to you, holy child. Therefore, the very fact of our learning that you are well, along with all your fellow confessors and brothers, of how much joy would that not be for us sinners, especially with you, the chief, being steadfast and conducting yourself with a word of love and care towards all in a manner befitting God? Then, that our brother Adrianus has also been saved as far as your parts, we were relieved of our anxiety, giving thanks to the Lord, even though, as you previously indicated, on account of our brother Epiphanius we are always anxious and prepared for trial, suspecting the things that are likely brewing. But let these things be and be conducted as is dear to God; for those who love God all things work together for good, as the holy word says. Pray, brother, that we may become such, even if we are far from God in our sins; and we shall not fear what man may do to us. We have endured, therefore, nothing of the sort that you sang to us, crowning us with praises; but if anything was favorable, this too was because of you and by you, being empowered and deemed worthy by your prayers. May the mercy of the Lord be upon us, the unworthy, also for the future. I was pleased that you dealt with the patrician lady in the Lord, and this on our account; for she herself has indicated this very thing to me and was more disposed to do good. You live for our sake, brother, but we also for yours. Do not be surprised that the persecutors of Christ are in a frenzy nor that Christ endures it; all things must be fulfilled, so that the approved may shine forth more brightly and the lawless may pay in full the recompense for what they have done. I have sent you a little book and fourteen quaternions, in which are

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ὑποτύπωμα, τριαδικῶς δεκατούμενον. Τοιαύτη ἡ οὐδαμινὴ ἡμῶν παράκλησις· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀντιδοίητέ μοι τὰς προσευχάς, ὦ μητέρες τρισόλβιοι, εἰς σωτηρίας ἐφόδιον. 404 {1Κανονικαῖσ}1 Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προλαβόντων ἱκανὴν ἀπόδειξιν τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ὑμῶν πρὸς τὴν ταπείνωσιν ἡμῶν διαθέσεως εἰλήφαμεν, νῦν δὲ καὶ μάλα, ὡς ἐκστῆναι ἡμᾶς τῷ ὄντι, διαβλέποντας τὰς δωρεὰς ὑμῶν ὁπόσαι καὶ ἡλίκαι, ἔπειτα καὶ ἐκδιδαχθέντες παρὰ τοῦ γραμματηφόρου, αὐτοψεὶ ὑπειληφότος ὅση ἡ φειδὼ καὶ ἡ φροντὶς περίεστιν ὑμῖν ἐλεεῖν, οἰκτείρειν, τρέφειν, ποτίζειν, ἐνδιδύσκειν, εἴ τι ἄλλο ἐπιτήδειον ζωῆς εἰς τὴν εὐτέλειαν ἡμῶν ἐπειγομέναις ποιεῖν καὶ ἐκζητούσαις μαθεῖν εἰς τὸ τελεῖν. ἆρα οὖν οὐκ εἰκότως εὐχαριστεῖν με ἔστιν ἐν τούτοις τῷ θεῷ, μητέρας εὑρηκότα καὶ ἀδελφὰς πνευματικάς; ἆρα οὐκ ὀφειλομένως πρέπον μοι ὕμνους ὑμῖν ἀναθεῖναι, ἐκζητούσαις θεὸν ὁλοκαρδίως; Χαίρετε, μητέρες καὶ θυγατέρες ἐν Κυρίῳ, χαίρετε, φιλεργάτιδες τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν προσταγμάτων, χαίρετε, κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ τοῦ νοητοῦ, ἐν μέσῳ ἀκανθῶν ἐνειμέναι κατὰ τόπον, κατὰ δὲ τρόπον τῆς αἱρετικῆς ἀκανθώσεως πορρωτέρω θέουσαι· χαίρετε, ἡ καλὴ ξυνωρίς, ἐν ἀλλήλαις ἐχόμεναι καὶ δι' ἀλλήλων πρὸς θεὸν συνδεσμούμεναι. ἡλίκη ὑμῶν ἡ κατὰ θεὸν ὁμόνοια, ἡ ἀγαπητικὴ σύνδεσις, ἡ μοναδικὴ βίωσις. χαῖρε, ἡ κυρία τῆς κυρίας, ἡ μήτηρ τῆς μητρός, ἡ καθηγουμένη τῆς καθηγουμένης, ὁμοῦ μὲν ἄρχουσα, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ ἀρχομένη· ὡς καλή σου ἡ ἐργασία καὶ τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα, ἵνα καὶ τὸν ἐξ ὑποταγῆς μισθὸν ἐρανίζῃ καὶ τῇ προεστώσῃ ἀσφάλεια ὑπάρχῃς. χαῖρε, ἡ καθηγουμένη καὶ ὑποτασσομένη, τὸ μὲν τῶν πολλῶν, τὸ δὲ τῇ μιᾷ· μακαρία σου ἡ σύνεσις, κυβερνῶσα καὶ κυβερνωμένη καὶ εἰς λιμένα σωτηρίας ἀπευθυνομένη. Βραχέα τὰ ἐγκώμια, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὀλίγων τὰ πολλὰ συνεξακούεται. ἀνταποδῴη ὑμῖν Κύριος τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν μισθόν, τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ οἰκονόμου, τὸν ὑπὲρ οὑτινοσοῦν ἄλλου εὖ πανθάνοντος. φυλάξατε ἔτι ἑαυτάς, παρακαλῶ, τῆς ψυχοφθόρου αἱρέσεως, ἧς ἡ κοινωνία ἀλλοτρίωσις Χριστοῦ. τὴν πολιτείαν ὁμοῦ φαιδροτέραν ἀπεργάζοισθε, τὴν χρυσῆν σειρὰν καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἄπλοκον, ἵνα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων κοσμούμεναι λαμπραῖς ταῖς λαμπάσιν εἰς τὸν νυμφῶνα Κυρίου καταντήσοιτε, τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύουσαι. 405 {1Ναυκρατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Τοιούτου πιστοῦ γραμματηφόρου ἐπιτετύχηκας, δι' οὗ οἰκονομίαν ἡγησάμην εἶναι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν κἀγὼ ὁ ταπεινὸς ἐπιστεῖλαί σοι, ἱερὸν τέκνον. αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τὸ μαθεῖν ἡμᾶς ὅτι ὑγιαίνεις σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς ὁμολογηταῖς καὶ ἀδελφοῖς σου, πόσης οὐκ ἂν εἶεν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς χαρᾶς, σοῦ μάλιστα τοῦ κορυφαιοτάτου εὐσταθοῦντος καὶ συμπεριφερομένου τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ φροντίδος πρὸς ἅπαντας θεοπρεπῶς; ἔπειτα, ὅτι τε καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἀδριανὸς ἀποσέσωσται μέχρι τῶν αὐτόθι, ἀνείθημεν τῆς μερίμνης, εὐχαριστήσαντες τῷ Κυρίῳ, εἰ καὶ ὅτι εἰσαεὶ διὰ τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἐπιφάνιον, καθὰ προεδήλωσας, ἐμμέριμνοί ἐσμεν καὶ ἐμπαράσκευοι πρὸς πειρασμόν, ὑπονοούμενοι τὰ ὑφορμῶντα κατὰ τὸ εἰκός. ὅπῃ δὲ τῷ θεῷ φίλον ἐχέτω ταῦτα καὶ ἀγέσθω· τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἱερὸς λόγος. τοιούτους ἡμᾶς, ἀδελφέ, προσεύχου γενέσθαι, κἂν μακράν ἐσμεν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις· καὶ οὐ φοβηθησόμεθα τί ποιήσειεν ἡμῖν ἄνθρωπος. οὐδὲν οὖν τοιοῦτον, οἷον ᾖσας ἡμῖν, καταστέφων τοῖς ἐπαίνοις, ὑπέστημεν· εἰ δὲ καί τι δεξιόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο δι' ὑμᾶς καὶ ὑφ' ὑμῶν ταῖς εὐχαῖς δυναμωθέντες καὶ ἀξιωθέντες. εἴη καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ Κυρίου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀναξίους. Ἥσθην ὅτι συμπεριηνέχθης τῇ πατρικίᾳ ἐν Κυρίῳ, καὶ τοῦτο δι' ἡμᾶς· καὶ γὰρ κἀκείνη αὐτὸ τοῦτό μοι δεδήλωκε καὶ προσετέθη μᾶλλον ἀγαθοποιεῖν. δι' ἡμᾶς ζῇς, ἀδελφέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμεῖς δι' ὑμᾶς. μὴ θαύμαζε ὅτι κορυβαντιῶσιν οἱ χριστοδιῶκται μηδ' ὅτι ἀνέχεται Χριστός· δεῖ πᾶντα τελεσθῆναι, ἵνα καὶ οἱ δόκιμοι φανερώτεροι ἐκλάμψωσι καὶ οἱ ἀνομοῦντες τέλεον ἀποτίσωσιν ὧν εἰργάσαντο τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν. Ἀπέσταλκά σοι βιβλιδάκιον καὶ τετράδας δεκατέσσαρας, ἐφ' οἷς εἰσι