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to rout. Nicholas, your brother, greets you warmly. Greet one another with a holy kiss, the communities the communities, the small the great and indeed the neighboring fathers. And when this letter is read among you, do not refuse for it to be read among them also, if only it is worthy, since we are all of one mind and one body, even if different members. The Lord Jesus Christ be with you and with us sinners. Amen. 407 {1To Naucratius, my child}1 My ear will not be filled from hearing your words; for you speak of things necessary and urgent. Having now heard these things, O good child, I the humble one sang hymns of thanksgiving, that the Lord has not completely forsaken his church, but has shown that it still has its strength, having moved our brothers from the West as a refutation of the insolence of those here and an enlightenment for those fighting by night in heresy. Even if the hard-hearted have rejected them, even if they have not opened the eyes of their heart (I now testify before God and men), they have torn themselves away from the body of Christ, from the chief throne, in which Christ placed the keys of the faith, against which the gates of Hades have not prevailed from the beginning of time nor will they prevail until the end, that is, the mouths of the heretics, as is the promise of the one who does not lie. Let therefore the most blessed and apostolic and aptly named Paschal rejoice, because he has fulfilled the work of Peter. Let every company of the orthodox leap for joy, because it has seen with its own eyes the visitation of Christ according to our holy fathers of old; for let the rest be conducted as is pleasing to God. Let the blood of the martyrs water the church, let the choir of confessors increase; this is the good pleasure of God, this is joy and exultation, even if most pitiful on account of those who are perishing. What will the adversaries say? They do not have the East, they are deprived of the West, they have been split off from the five-headed ecclesiastical body (for the holy Nicephorus still lives). Therefore they are alienated from Christ, so they have been put to death, so they journey in darkness. But if they rule over a desert of heresy, so do robbers, since they also kill just as these do, shedding blood, so to speak, every day. Let these things be so. But how great a song shall I sing over the change of Leontius? O the greatest wonders of God! You indeed, my friend, have transformed the wretched one into this and that, but I thought him to be acting like Cyprian in the matter, having been repulsed by the emperor to run to the prize-winners and those contending against the infamous Justina. May the Lord grant that both things be fully revealed in both cases. That your imprisonment became more inward was grievous to me because you are weak; nevertheless, be strong and courageous, confessor of Christ, as we foretold. But so that you may know even more clearly, I add these things also, that the guard commander still secures us. Why and how? For since it is necessary to use economy in necessary matters, when we met with the heresiarch of Chonai (for there we were first led away by those who had taken us from the Anatolics), we also bent the knee, since he also knelt with us, and we greeted him. And since he allowed both me and the lord Athanasius to come to the same place, we also drank with him once and twice, but we did not eat with him, though the serpent entreated and whispered deceitful things. We used this measure when we were led away from there also toward the dragon in whose presence we are. He, having learned beforehand the sequence of events, forced us no further, as not being able to persuade, but nevertheless he initiated discussions upon seeing us about the matter; saying that the disputed matter is nothing and something small. To which I replied that "4It is indeed among the greatest things and, if you command, speak and listen in turn"5. But let us for now leave what has also happened; to speak of the rest would be much, but the account turns to what is more complete, for which I also began. The terrible one thought to draw us in little by little, not by engaging in a discussion about icons, but perhaps by doing good and by speaking friendly things and by referring the matters of the exarchy (for he is placed over the five themes), and indeed also by extolling the deeds of the emperor.

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τροπώσασθαι. ἀσπάζεται πολλὰ Νικόλαος, ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν. ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ, αἱ συνοδίαι τὰς συνοδίας, οἱ μικροὶ τοὺς μεγάλους καὶ μέντοι τοὺς πλησιάζοντας πατέρας. καὶ ὅταν ἀναγνωσθῇ παρ' ὑμῖν ἡ ἐπιστολή, μὴ παραιτήσησθε καὶ παρ' ἐκείνοις ἀναγνωσθῆναι, ἐὰν ᾗ ἀξία μόνον, ἐπειδὴ πάντες ὁμόψυχοι καὶ ἓν σῶμα, κἂν διάφορα μέλη. ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς μεθ' ὑμῶν καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν. ἀμήν. 407 {1Ναυκρατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Οὐ πλησθήσεται τὸ οὖς μου ἀπὸ φωνῶν σου ἀκροάσεως· φωνεῖς γὰρ ἀναγκαῖα καὶ κατεπείγοντα. ἃ καὶ νῦν ἐνωτισθείς, ὦ παῖ καλέ, ᾖσα ὁ ταπεινὸς χαριστήρια, ὡς οὐ καταλέλοιπεν τέλεον Κύριος τὴν ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἔδειξεν ἔτι ἔχειν τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς, κινήσας τοὺς ἀπὸ ∆ύσεως ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν ἔλεγχον τῆς παροινίας τῶν τῇδε καὶ φωτισμὸν τῶν νυκτομαχούντων τῇ αἱρέσει. κἂν ἀπεσείσαντο οἱ ἀτεράμονες, κἂν ὀφθαλμοὺς καρδίας οὐκ ἤνοιξαν (μαρτυριῶ ἄρτι κατενώπιον θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων), ἑαυτοὺς ἀπέρρηξαν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ κορυφιακοῦ θρόνου, ἐν ᾧ Χριστὸς ἔθετο τὰς κλεῖς τῆς πίστεως, ἧς οὐ κατίσχυσαν ἀπ' αἰῶνος οὐδ' ἂν κατισχύσωσι μέχρι συντελείας πύλαι ᾅδου, τὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν δηλαδὴ στόματα, ὡς ἡ τοῦ ἀψευδοῦς ὑπόσχεσις. Χαιρέτω οὖν ὁ μακαριώτατος καὶ ἀποστολικὸς καὶ φερωνύμως Πασχάλιος, ὅτι τὸ ἔργον Πέτρου ἐξεπλήρωσεν. σκιρτάτω πᾶς ὀρθοδόξων θίασος, ὅτι κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς εἶδεν τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν Χριστοῦ κατὰ τοὺς πάλαι ἁγίους πατέρας ἡμῶν· τὰ γὰρ ἄλλα ὅπῃ τῷ θεῷ φίλα ἀγέσθω. ἀρδευέτω τὸ μαρτυρικὸν αἷμα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, αὐξανέσθω ὁ χορὸς τῶν ὁμολογητῶν· τοῦτο εὐδοκία θεοῦ, τοῦτο χαρὰ καὶ ἀγαλλίασις, κἂν διὰ τοὺς ἀπολλυμένους ἐλεεινότατον. τί φήσοιεν οἱ ἐναντίοι; Ἀνατολὴν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, ∆ύσεως ἐστέρηνται, τοῦ πεντακορύφου ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ σώματος (ζῇ γὰρ ἔτι καὶ Νικηφόρος ὁ ἱερὸς) διεσπάσθησαν. οὐκοῦν ἠλλοτρίωνται Χριστοῦ, ἄρα ἐνεκρώθησαν, ἄρα ἐν σκότει διαπορεύονται. εἰ δὲ ὅτι ἄρχουσιν ἐπ' ἐρήμου αἱρέσεως, τοῦτο καὶ λῃσταί, ἐπεὶ καὶ κτείνουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ οὗτοι, αἵματα κενοῦντες ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν καθ' ἑκάστην. Ἐχέτω ταῦτα ὧδε. ἡλίκον δὲ ᾄσομαι ἐπὶ τῇ μεταβολῇ Λεοντίου; ὢ τῶν μεγίστων τοῦ θεοῦ τεραστίων· σὺ μέν, ὦ τᾶν, εἰς τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο μετεσχημάτισας τὸν δύσχριστον, ἐγὼ δὲ κυπριανίζειν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ πράγματι ᾠήθην, ἀποκρουσθέντα παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως προσδραμεῖν τοῖς ἀθλοφοροῦσι καὶ ἐναγωνιζομένοις κατὰ Ἰουστίναν τὴν ἀοίδιμον. δῴη Κύριος τέλεον ἐπ' ἀμφοῖν τὰ ἀμφότερα ἀποφανθῆναι. ἡ φυλακή σου ὅτι ἐνδότερον ἐγένετο λυπηρόν μοι διὰ τὸ ἀσθενεῖν σε· πλὴν ἴσχυε καὶ κραταιοῦ, ὁμολογητὰ Χριστοῦ, ὡς προεσημάναμεν. ἵνα δὲ γνοίης ἔτι λευκότερον, προστίθημι καὶ ταῦτα, ὡς ἔτι ἀσφαλίζεται ἡμᾶς ὁ φρούραρχος. διατί καὶ πῶς; ἐπεὶ γὰρ δεῖ οἰκονομίᾳ κεχρῆσθαι ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις, ὁπηνίκα συνωψίσθημεν τῷ Χωνῶν αἱρεσιάρχῃ (ἐκεῖ γὰρ πρῶτον ἀπήχθημεν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀπὸ Ἀνατολικοὺς ἀράντων ἡμᾶς), καὶ γόνυ ἐκλίναμεν, συγγονυκλιτήσαντος κἀκείνου, καὶ ἠσπασάμεθα αὐτόν. καὶ ἐπειδὴ εἴασεν εἰς ταὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν ἐμέ τε καὶ τὸν κύριον Ἀθανάσιον, καὶ συνεπίομεν αὐτῷ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς, οὐ μέντοι συνεφάγομεν, ἐκλιπαροῦντος τοῦ ὄφεως καὶ ψιθυρίζοντος ἀπατηλά. τούτῳ τῷ μέτρῳ ἐχρησάμεθα ἀπαχθέντες ἔνθεν καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἐν ᾧ ἐσμεν δράκοντα· ὅς, προμαθὼν τὸν εἱρμόν, οὐδὲν πλέον ἠνάγκασεν ὡς μὴ ἰσχύων πεῖσαι, συνεκίνησεν δ' οὖν ὅμως λόγους ἐν τῷ ἰδεῖν ἡμᾶς περὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως· ὡς οὐδέν ἐστι, φησί, καὶ σμικρόν τι τὸ ἀμφισβητούμενον. πρὸς ἃ ἀπεκρινάμην ὅτι "4καὶ τῶν μεγίστων λίαν καί, εἰ κελεύεις, λέγε καὶ ἀντάκουε"5. ἀλλ' ἐάσωμεν τὸ νῦν ὃ καὶ γέγονεν· τἆλλα μὲν πολλοῦ τὸ λέγειν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ τελεώτερον ὁ λόγος, δι' ὃ καὶ ἀπηρξάμην. ᾤετο ὁ δεινὸς κατὰ μικρὸν ἡμᾶς ἕλκειν, οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ συναίρειν λόγον περὶ εἰκόνων, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοποιεῖν τυχὸν τοῦ τε φιλικὰ ὁμιλεῖν καὶ ἀνατίθεσθαι τοὺς τῆς ἐξαρχίας λόγους (ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν πέντε θεμάτων τέθειται), καὶ μὴν καὶ τὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἐκθειάζειν.