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the words and lives of the brethren in metrical verses; which, having read them yourself and some of the faithful brethren, hide them safely. Therefore I do nothing, brother, worthy of mention; but since I have the opportunity and since I am pricked as if by my holy father, hearing again the divine Paul saying to the holy Timothy, do not neglect the gift that is in you, as unworthy with fear and trembling I do what I do. Greet brother Athanasius along with the assistant steward. Even if I wrote that brother Adrian had entered, I said it in ignorance, learning later that he had not yet arrived when you sent the letter. Brother Nicholas greets you many times, revering your words. The Lord be with your spirit, brother-father. 406 {1Catechesis}1 Having formerly been read to you from the Anatolic theme, I now appear from the Thracian theme; for in Smyrna the rulers of this age have banished us, and it is more secure and more trying than the former imprisonment. But the word of God is not bound, nor is desire at rest, nor does the commandment fall silent; for this reason, I, the humble one, speak again. Rejoice in the Lord, fathers and brothers, rejoice, you who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, rejoice, you who dwell in mountains and caves, but also you who are in hiding in cities and more deserted places; for if it has been enjoined on us by the apostle that we must always rejoice, how much more now, when the sufferings are for the sake of Christ who is inscribed on the panel, who is shown in his own icon, who is honored through it? For are the words of this wretched one mine? Of Dionysius the all-wise and Basil the Great. And it is not yet the time to introduce the sayings of the other God-bearers in this letter. Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth: Moab has transgressed, Byzantium has clearly shaken off the evangelical yoke, like a heifer stung by a gadfly she has become unruly. Your ways I do not wish to know, it has declared both in deed and in word. It is in a Corybantic frenzy, it is mad, it drinks blood like a lioness, like an asp it stops its ears, being reproved it shakes it off. A voice of admonition came to it as if from heaven, from the supreme, from the Roman throne, crying: "4What have you done?"5 "4You have denied Christ, rejecting the icon of Christ, of the Theotokos, of all the saints. Open a hearing ear, give heed to evangelical, apostolic, prophetic, patristic words"5. And it did not attend, it did not accept, but tearing itself away from the five-headed body of the church (since the sacred Nikephoros is still alive) it is stiff-necked against God the almighty, insulting Christ, trampling on the holy things. Such are the things from it, O thrice-longed-for; and with us is God, the east, the west, the north, the sea. In these things is joy; but if also there is lamentation for those who are perishing, come now stand with me nobly, thankfully, snatching up the sufferings for Christ as treasures. Oh, what a good time for those who are struggling, sweet-smelling, perfuming the prizes of victory beyond all spices. Martyrs' blood flows upon the church, watering it, which is being irrigated more than Eden from a four-rivered spring. The choirs of the martyrs from the age of old are being added to, what was long ago blessed among the confessors is now seen with our eyes. Does not, then, the one who hears hasten toward the contest, disdaining the mountains or the wilderness or any kind of life in hiding? But nevertheless remain where you are; you too have such a great blessing. Pray and praise those most blessed, strike down for me the invisible dragon, turn for me the civil war of the flesh. Let the spirit conquer, let it enslave the body, so that the soul may be free, the lady and mistress, having peace with God. If so, martyrdom every day, God-woven crowns. Concerning us sinners, do not be distressed, even if you have heard that we were scourged again. We bore it with your prayers thankfully, with great joy, even if the pain was sharp for a little while. Only do not cease stretching out your holy hands; for we believe, even if we are exceedingly weak, that in this way Amalek

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λόγοι καὶ βίοι τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐμμέτροις στίχοις· ἅπερ ἀναγνοὺς αὐτός τε καί τινες τῶν πιστῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀσφαλῶς κατάκρυψον. οὐδὲν οὖν ποιῶ, ἀδελφέ, ἄξιον λόγου· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ εὐκαιρῶ καὶ ἐπειδὴ νύσσομαι ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου μου πατρός, ἀκούων τε πάλιν τοῦ θείου Παύλου λέγοντος τῷ ἁγίῳ Τιμοθέῳ, μὴ ἀμέλει τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος, ὡς ἀνάξιος μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου ποιῶ ἃ ποιῶ. Τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἀθανάσιον σὺν τῷ παροικονόμῳ ἄσπασαι. εἰ καὶ ἔγραψα ὡς ὅτι εἰσῆλθεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἀδριανός, ἀγνοῶν εἶπον, ὕστερον μαθὼν ὅτι οὔπω ἔφθασεν ἡνίκα ἐπέστειλας. ὁ ἀδελφὸς Νικόλαος πλεῖστά σε προσαγορεύει, αἰδούμενος τοὺς λόγους σου. ὁ Κύριος μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματός σου, ἀδελφόπατερ. 406 {1Κατήχησισ}1 Πρώην ὑμῖν ἐξ Ἀνατολικῶν ἀναγινωσκόμενος νῦν ἀπὸ Θρᾳκησίων ἐπιφαίνομαι· ἐν γὰρ τῇ Σμύρνῃ μεθωρίσαντο ἡμᾶς οἱ ἄρχοντες τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου καὶ μᾶλλον τῆς προτέρας φυλακῆς ἀσφαλέστερόν τε καὶ πειραστικώτερον. ἀλλ' ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ δέδεται οὐδ' ὁ πόθος ἠρεμεῖ οὐδ' ἡ ἐντολὴ παρασιωπᾷ· διὰ τοῦτο πάλιν ὁ ταπεινὸς φθέγγομαι. Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ, πατέρες καὶ ἀδελφοί, χαίρετε, οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, χαίρετε, οἱ ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις ἐνδιαιτώμενοι, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ οἱ ἐν πόλεσι καὶ ἐρημικωτέροις τόποις κρυπταζόμενοι· εἰ γὰρ πάντοτε δεῖν ἡμᾶς χαίρειν ἐπιτέτραπται παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον ἄρτι, ὁπότε ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἐστι τὰ παθήματα τοῦ ἐγγραφομένου τῷ πίνακι, τοῦ ἐμφαινομένου ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ εἰκόνι, τοῦ τιμωμένου δι' αὐτῆς; μὴ γὰρ ἐμὰ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ οἰκτροῦ; ∆ιονυσίου τοῦ πανσόφου καὶ Βασιλείου τοῦ Μεγάλου. καὶ οὔπω καιρὸς τῶν ἄλλων θεοφόρων τὰς χρήσεις ἐπεισάγειν ἐν τῷδε τῷ γράμματι. ἄκουε, οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ· Μωὰβ ἠθέτησεν, ἡ Βυζαντὶς δῆλον ὅτι τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν ζυγὸν ἀπεσείσατο, ὡς δάμαλις παροιστρῶσα ἠφηνίασεν. ὁδούς σου εἰδέναι οὐ βούλομαι, πραγματικῶς τε καὶ λογικῶς ἀπεφθέγξατο. κορυβαντιᾷ, μαίνεται, αἱμοποτεῖ ὡς λέαινα, ὡσεὶ ἀσπὶς βυοῖ τὰς ἀκοάς, ἐλεγχομένη ἀποτινάσσεται. ἧκεν αὐτῇ φωνὴ ὑπομνηστικὴ ὡς ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ, ἐκ τοῦ κορυφαιοτάτου, ἐκ τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ θρόνου, "4τί πέπραχας;"5 βοῶσα· "4Χριστὸν ἤρνησαι, Χριστοῦ τὴν εἰκόνα ἀθετοῦσα, τῆς Θεοτόκου, τῶν πάντων ἁγίων. ἄνοιξον εὐήκοον οὖς, ἐνώτισαι λόγους εὐαγγελικούς, ἀποστολικούς, προφητικούς, πατρικούς"5. καὶ οὐ προσήκατο, οὐκ ἐδέξατο, ἀλλὰ διαρρήξασα ἑαυτὴν τοῦ πεντακορύφου σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας (ἐπειδὴ ἔτι ζῇ καὶ Νικηφόρος ὁ ἱερὸς) τραχηλιᾷ κατὰ θεοῦ παντοκράτορος, ἐνυβρίζουσα Χριστόν, πατοῦσα τὰ ἅγια. Τοιαῦτα τὰ παρ' αὐτῆς, ὦ τριπόθητοι· καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός, ἀνατολή, δύσις, βορρά, θάλασσα. ἐν τούτοις ἡ χαρά· εἰ δὲ καὶ θρῆνος διὰ τοὺς ἀπολλυμένους, δεῦρο δὴ στῆτέ μοι γενναῖοι, εὐχάριστοι, ἁρπάζοντες τὰ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ παθήματα ὡς θησαυρίσματα. οἴ, οἷος ὁ καιρὸς ἀγαθὸς πρὸς τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους, ἡδύπνους, μυρίζων τὰ ἀθλοφορήματα ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ἀρώματα. αἷμα ῥεῖ μαρτυρικὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἄρδον αὐτὴν ὑπὲρ Ἐδὲμ ἐκ τετραποτάμου κρήνης ποτιουμένην. προστίθενται οἱ χοροὶ τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος μαρτύρων, τῶν ὁμολογητῶν τὰ πάλαι μακαριζόμενα ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς νῦν ὁρᾶται. ἆρ' οὖν οὐκ ἐπείγῃ πρὸς τὴν ἄθλησιν ὁ ἀκούων, δυσχεραίνων τὴν ὀρεινὴν ἢ τὴν ἐρημίαν ἢ τὴν ὁπωσοῦν κρυπταδίαν; ἀλλ' ὅμως μένε ἐν οἷς εἶ· ἔχεις καὶ σὺ τὸν μακαρισμὸν ἡλίκον. προσεύχου καὶ ἐπαίνει τοὺς πλεομακαρίστους, βάλλε μοι τὸν ἀόρατον δράκοντα, τρέπε μοι τὸν ἐμφύλιον τῆς σαρκὸς πόλεμον. νικάτω τὸ πνεῦμα, δουλούτω τὸ σῶμα, ὡς ἂν ἡ ψυχὴ ἐλευθεριάζοι, ἡ κυρία καὶ δέσποινα, εἰρήνην ἔχουσα πρὸς τὸν θεόν. ἐὰν οὕτω, μαρτύριον καθ' ἑκάστην, στέφανοι θεόπλοκοι. Περὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν μὴ ἀνιᾶσθε, κἂν ἀκηκόατε ὅτι καὶ αὖθις ἐμαστιγώθημεν. ἠνέγκαμεν εὐχαῖς ὑμῶν εὐχαρίστως, περιχαρῶς, κἂν πρὸς ὀλίγον ἡ δρίμυξις. μόνον μὴ ἀνῆτε τὰς ὁσίας ὑμῶν χεῖρας ἐκτείνοντες· πιστεύομεν γάρ, εἰ καὶ ἀσθενεῖς λίαν, ἐν τούτῳ τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ