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might I despise my own bowels and the confessors of Christ, and not rather pour out my blood instead of ink and offer my flesh instead of paper to write and address you every day, if it were possible? And not because you are not strengthened from within yourselves; for I know and am persuaded how great is the power you have from God), but treating my own longing and fulfilling the debt of the commandment. The cause is the rather greater security of the prison, since we were just now transferred, as you have already heard, from the Anatolikon theme to the Thrakesian theme in Smyrna, and that I have not received copies for some time and otherwise because the same letter would suffice for those who share the same struggle. Come then, my brothers, let us now sing hymns of thanksgiving, because we have been deemed worthy to serve the living and true God, and not only that but also to suffer for him, which is more glorious than all glory and more joyful than all joy. For in what does your suffering consist? Is it not for Christ, confessing that Christ, having truly become man, is circumscribed in the flesh, that is, to be depicted in an icon, and that the acceptance of his icon is a confirmation of his incarnation? When this is done away with and rejected, it is clear that the incarnation is also done away with and rejected. But since the god of this age has blinded the minds of the iconoclasts so that the illumination of his icon does not shine on them, for this reason, walking in darkness, they deny Christ, denying his icon, and they strive contentiously for all to be blinded along with them, persecuting, torturing, imprisoning and, so to speak, always killing. But they will not draw away those who have been confirmed and strengthened in the unshakeable truth, nor indeed did they escape being refuted also by the supreme throne of the church, just as it happened and you know. And we had security and sincerity even before the arrival of those from the West, but it was increased all the more from that, so that we might know that, following the generations of old, God watches over our own generation too, and brought the testimony into view, that the deniers of the icon are alienated from him; for if they are separated from the supreme one and from the other three patriarchs, it is plain indeed that they are separated also from Christ, who is the head of the aforementioned. And it is a time to mourn and be sad for them, but for us a time for great and extraordinary joy. Let us bear, therefore, beloved, the afflictions of the prison, the trials still expected, this very thing, to die daily, to bear witness, to contend, until the time of peace arrives, which the Lord has deemed sufficient for the testing of the confessors and the recompense of the disobedient. Let day pass to day through patience and eagerness, let the hand perform some kind of work, let the mouth sing psalms, let the body be brought into subjection, let the mind take heed to itself not to open a door to the passions, so that the prison might be spacious, pleasant, sweet, a palace of Christ; for the opposite is manifest. Faith from those outside toward you, both men and women, both monastics and laity. And rightly so; since by the grace of God you are the light of Byzantium, not to say of the whole world. But let us watch the devil who sows weeds among the wheat and with the sieve of the mind let us accept their faith, but let us shake off their familiarities, lest the soul’s ground be corrupted. Great Paul also had beloved women; he exhorts Apphia, Persis and Euodia, and he exhorts Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord as those who labored with, contended with, and served with him. And it is altogether necessary to have them, but to have them as he had them; since he says concerning Priscilla and Aquila, who for my life laid down their own necks. Do you see the warmth of their love and the apostolic acceptance? Thus, my brothers, let us, both we and you, both have and greet those who are set in the rank of such women for us, so that God may be glorified and we may give light, but not be troubled and confused. I have heard about you, the

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καταφρονήσαιμι τῶν ἐμῶν σπλάγχνων καὶ ὁμολογητῶν Χριστοῦ, μὴ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου κενοῦν ἀντὶ μέλανος καὶ τὰς σάρκας παρέχειν ἀντὶ χάρτου εἰς τὸ καθ' ἑκάστην, εἰ οἷόν τε ἦν, γράφειν καὶ προσφωνεῖν ὑμᾶς; καὶ οὐχ ὅτι οὐκ ἐστὲ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἐστηριγμένοι· οἶδα γὰρ καὶ πέπεισμαι ὅση ὑμῖν ἡ παρὰ θεοῦ δύναμις), ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ πόθον θεραπεύων καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἀποπληρῶν χρέος. αἴτιον δὲ τὸ τῆς φυλακῆς μᾶλλον ἀσφαλέστερον, μεθορισθέντων ἡμῶν ἄρτι, καθὼς καὶ προηκούσατε, ἐξ Ἀνατολικῶν εἰς Θρᾳκησίους ἐν Σμύρνῃ, τό τε μὴ δέξασθαι ἀντίγραφα ἀπὸ χρόνου καὶ ἄλλως ὅτι τοῖς ἴσοις ἀγωνισταῖς ἡ αὐτὴ ἐπιστολὴ ἀρκέσειεν ἄρα. ∆εῦρο δὴ οὖν, ἀδελφοί μου, ᾄσωμεν καὶ νῦν χαριστήρια, ὅτι ἠξιώθημεν δουλεύειν θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάσχειν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ δόξης ἁπάσης ἐνδοξότερον καὶ χαρᾶς ἁπάσης χαριέστερον. ἐν τίνι γὰρ τὸ πάθος ὑμῖν; ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, Χριστὸν ὁμολογοῦσιν ἄνθρωπον γεγονότα ἀληθινῶς σαρκὶ περιγράφεσθαι, εἴτουν ἐξεικονίζεσθαι, καὶ τὴν τῆς εἰκόνος παραδοχὴν τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως αὐτοῦ εἶναι πίστωσιν; ἧς ἀναιρουμένης καὶ ἀθετουμένης δῆλον ὅτι συνανῄρηται καὶ συνηθέτηται καὶ ἡ ἐνανθρώπησις. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐτύφλωσεν ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τὰ νοήματα τῶν εἰκονομάχων πρὸς τὸ μὴ αὐγάσαι αὐτοῖς τὸν φωτισμὸν τῆς εἰκόνος αὐτοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο ἐν σκότει διαπορευόμενοι ἀρνοῦνται Χριστόν, ἀρνούμενοι αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰκόνα, καὶ φιλονεικοῦσι πάντας συνεκτυφλωθῆναι αὐτοῖς, διώκοντες, αἰκίζοντες, φυλακίζοντες καὶ ὡς εἰπεῖν ἀεὶ ἀποκτένοντες. ἀλλ' οὐχ ἕλξουσι τοὺς βεβαιωθέντας καὶ ἐστηριγμένους τῇ ἀμεταπτώτῳ ἀληθείᾳ οὐδ' οὐ μὴν διέφυγον μὴ οὐχὶ καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ κορυφαίου θρόνου τῆς ἐκκλησίας διελεγχθῆναι, καθὼς καὶ ἐγένετο καὶ οἴδατε. καὶ ἦν μὲν ἡμῖν τὸ ἀσφαλὲς καὶ εἰλικρινὲς καὶ πρὸ τῆς τῶν ∆υτικῶν ἐλεύσεως, προσεγένετο δὲ πλέον ὅτι μάλιστα κἀντεῦθεν, ὡς ἂν γνῶμεν ὅτι ἀκόλουθα ταῖς ἄνω γενεαῖς καὶ τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἐπισκοπῶν ἐπισκοπεῖ καὶ ὑπ' ὄψιν ἤγαγεν τὸ μαρτύριον, ὅτι ἠλλοτρίωνται αὐτοῦ οἱ τῆς εἰκόνος ἀρνηταί· εἰ γὰρ τοῦ κορυφαίου εἰσὶν διερρηγμένοι τῶν τε ἑτέρων τριῶν πατριαρχῶν, δῆλα δὴ καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς κεφαλὴ τῶν προειρημένων. καὶ πενθεῖν ἔστι καὶ σκυθρωπάζειν ἐπ' αὐτούς, ἡμῖν δὲ χαίρειν μέγα καὶ ὑπερφυές. Ἐνέγκωμεν οὖν λοιπόν, ἀγαπητοί, τὰ θλιπτικὰ τῆς φυλακῆς, τὰ προσδοκώμενα ἔτι πειρατήρια, αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ἀποθνήσκειν καθ' ἡμέραν, μαρτυρεῖν, ἀθλεῖν, ἕως ἂν ἐπιστῇ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς εἰρήνης, ὃν ὁ Κύριος δεδοκίμακεν ἀρκούντως ἔχειν εἰς δοκίμιον τῶν ὁμολογούντων καὶ ἀνταπόδομα τῶν ἀπειθούντων. ἡ ἡμέρα τὴν ἡμέραν διαβιβαζέτω δι' ὑπομονῆς καὶ προθυμίας, ἡ χεὶρ ἐργαζέσθω οἱονδηποτοῦν ἔργον, τὸ στόμα ψαλλέτω, τὸ σῶμα δουλαγωγείσθω, ὁ νοῦς προσεχέτω ἑαυτῷ μὴ ἀνοίγειν θύραν τοῖς πάθεσιν, ὡς ἂν ἡ φυλακὴ εὐρύχωρος εἶεν, εὐχάριστος, γλυκεῖα, παλάτιον Χριστοῦ· τὸ γὰρ ἐναντίον πρόδηλον. πίστις παρὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν, μοναζουσῶν τε καὶ μιγάδων. καὶ εἰκότως· ἐπεὶ φῶς ἐστε χάριτι θεοῦ τῆς Βυζαντίδος, ἵνα μὴ εἴπω ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου. ἀλλὰ βλέπωμεν τὸν ἐπισπείροντα τῷ σίτῳ ζιζάνια διάβολον καὶ τῷ διανοητικῷ κοσκίνῳ τὴν μὲν πίστιν προσιέμεθα, τὰς δὲ σχέσεις ἀποσειώμεθα, ἵνα μὴ ἡ ψυχικὴ χώρα λυμαίνηται. εἶχεν καὶ Παῦλος ὁ μέγας ἀγαπητάς· τὴν Ἀπφίαν, τὴν Περσίδα καὶ Εὐοδίαν παρακαλεῖ, καὶ Συντύχην παρακαλεῖ τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν ἐν Κυρίῳ ὡς συγκοπιώσας καὶ συναθλούσας καὶ διακονούσας. καὶ ἀναγκαῖον πάντως ἔχειν, ἀλλ' ἔχειν ὡς εἶχεν ἐκεῖνος· ἐπεί φησι περὶ Πρισκίλλης καὶ Ἀκύλα, οἵτινες ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς μου τὸν ἑαυτῶν τράχηλον ὑπέθηκαν. Ὁρᾷς τὸ θερμὸν τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἀποδοχήν; οὕτω, ἀδελφοί μου, καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ ὑμεῖς καὶ ἔχωμεν καὶ ἀσπαζώμεθα τὰς ἐν τάξει τῶν τοιούτων ἡμῖν καθισταμένας, ὡς ἂν δοξάζηται ὁ θεὸς καὶ φωτίζωμεν, ἀλλὰ μὴ θολούμεθα καὶ συγχεώμεθα. ἤκουσταί μοι περὶ ὑμῶν τῶν