250

of the three, that you were united by the repentance of the wretched Leontius and I, the sinner, glorified God both for his change of heart, if indeed he should persevere, and for your struggle; for like the three holy children from the fiery furnace, you too have come out unharmed from the terrible prisons, having astounded the tyrant. But still, my noble ones, continue to struggle and prepare yourselves to be tested even to the point of blood. For such is the law of martyrdom. Blessed be also your trainers, those within and without. We the wretched were scourged again, but we received it with thanksgiving and are even more well-pleased still. So do not be distressed by our humiliation, but rather rejoice and pray that we may still have the strength in all things to bear what is brought upon us by those in authority and to endure what is inflicted by the invisible war, along with brother Nicholas, who also greets you most warmly. Remember my groanings. Grace be with you. Amen. 411 {1To Naucratius, my child}1 Against hope, yet nevertheless with hope, I received your letter, precious child; first, because of the tightening of the guard by order of the emperor, second, because of the exceedingly great goodness of the man-loving God, who arranges well the affairs of us sinners for your sakes, you the holy ones, even if men try to bring inescapable things to pass. And what shall I, the wretched one, say or think, except that all my bones shall say, Lord, Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from the hand of those stronger than he? This is my first utterance, pitiable one, even though from a Davidic song. second, that I was relieved of my anxiety when I read the letter, since I found your transfer to be as you taught; for I had previously learned only that you had been moved to another prison. Be of good courage, brother, and rejoice, for just as the sufferings of Christ abound in you and in those of like mind and like manner with you, so also does the consolation and the reward and the glory. And how could the vessels of election have come to light, if the scandals were not present, with God permitting it, showing what sort of men they are who cause them, as tares kept for the burning of eternal fire, but testing those who are patient in temptations, who will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, let not the things that happen every day seem strange to you, if one man is taken away, another is bound and scourged elsewhere, yet another is exiled, and whatever other things are so or otherwise; after a little while the time of recompense will come. I read what you sent (and having recognized it and given thanks to the Lord, I sent it back again) concerning Abba Ignatius; alas, that he was captured, since the man is an especially dear friend. But you have done well, giving the remedy to him who repents; what was given by you is sufficient, child, and I the wretched one pray for his restoration, from whom I have also received offerings. I the humble one have compassion for brother Anatolius, since he too is a lover of the brethren. For this reason I dare to say: let another period of time also be lightened for him, so that when the two-year period is completed, he may partake of the holy things. May the departed brothers, sons of light perfected for the sake of light in the persecution, pray for us. Those who died otherwise are wretched in their departure on account of my sins, as you have said; such also above all is Severianus. Nevertheless, even from the crooked comes straightness for the skillful, and let the word be put to the test, as often as it approaches, even from opponents, so that by examination, just as in the striking of stones, the fire of truth may leap forth. And indeed now your proposition is of such a kind. in some histories are found images inscribed with "4divinity"5, "4lordship"5, "4kingship"5; it is clear that you say this in reference to the icon of Christ. And how is this so? Such expressions are understood as common to the Trinity, not distinctly of one person. For even if each person is called God and Lord, yet not simply both divinity and lordship; for example, "I am the God of your father," it says, not the divinity; "I am who am," not beingness, and "the Lord rained fire from the Lord," not lordship from

250

τριῶν ὅτι ἡνώθητε ὑπὸ μεταμελείας τοῦ ἐλεεινοῦ Λεοντίου καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἐδόξασα ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐπί τε τῇ μετοκλάσει ἐκείνου, εἴπερ καὶ διαμείνοι, καὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἐναθλήσει· ὅτι ὡς ἀπὸ καμίνου πυρὸς οἱ ἅγιοι τρεῖς παῖδες καὐτοὶ τῶν δεινῶν φυλακῶν ἀσινεῖς ἐξεληλύθατε, καταπλήξαντες τὸν τύραννον. ἀλλ' ἔτι, γενναῖοί μου, ἐναθλοῖτε καὶ τὸ πειρασθῆναι ἑτοιμάζεσθε μέχρις αἵματος. τοιοῦτος γὰρ ὁ νόμος τῆς μαρτυρίας. εὐλογηθείησαν καὶ οἱ ἀλεῖπται ὑμῶν, οἱ ἔνδοθεν καὶ ἔξωθεν. Ἡμεῖς οἱ ταλαίπωροι καὶ αὖθις ἐμαστιγώθημεν, ἀλλ' εὐχαρίστως ἐδεξάμεθα καὶ εὐδοκοῦμεν μᾶλλον καὶ ἔτι. ὥστε ὑμεῖς μὴ ἀνιᾶσθε ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον χαίρετε καὶ προσεύχεσθε ἰσχύειν ἡμᾶς ἔτι ἐν πᾶσιν οἴσειν τε καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἐξουσιαζόντων ἐπαγόμενα φέρειν τε καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀοράτου πολέμου συμβαλλόμενα σὺν τῷ ἀδελφῷ Νικολάῳ, ὃς καὶ προσαγορεύει ὑμᾶς θερμότατα. μνημονεύετέ μου τῶν στεναγμῶν. ἡ χάρις μεθ' ὑμῶν. ἀμήν. 411 {1Ναυκρατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Παρ' ἐλπίδα μέν, ἐπ' ἐλπίδι δὲ ὅμως ἐδεξάμην σου τὴν ἐπιστολήν, τίμιον τέκνον· τὸ πρῶτον διὰ τὴν ἐπίσφιγξιν τῆς φυλακῆς ἐξ ἐπιτροπῆς τοῦ βασιλέως, τὸ δεύτερον διὰ τὴν ὑπεράπειρον ἀγαθότητα τοῦ φιλανθρώπου θεοῦ, δι' ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ τὰ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εὖ διατιθεμένου, κἂν οἱ ἄνθρωποι δυσδιεξόδευτα πειρῶνται φέρειν. καὶ τί εἴπω ἢ τί διανοηθῶ ὁ τάλας ἢ ὅτι πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐροῦσι Κύριε, Κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι, ῥυόμενος πτωχὸν ἐκ χειρὸς στερεωτέρων αὐτοῦ; Αὕτη μου ἡ πρώτη φωνὴ τοῦ οἰκτροῦ, κἂν ἐκ ∆αυιτικῆς ᾠδῆς. δεύτερον ὅτι καὶ ἀδολεσχίας ἀνέθην ἀναγνοὺς τὸ γράμμα, ἐπεὶ εὗρον τὴν μέθειρξίν σου οὕτως ἔχουσαν, ὡς ἐδίδαξας· ἤμην γὰρ προμαθὼν ὅτι μόνον μετεφρουρήθης. εὐψύχει, ἀδελφέ, καὶ εὐφραίνου, ὅτι καθὼς πλεονάζει τὰ παθήματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς σὲ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ὁμόφρονάς τε καὶ ὁμοτρόπους σοι, οὕτω καὶ ἡ παράκλησις καὶ ὁ μισθὸς καὶ τὸ κλέος. καὶ πῶς ἂν εἶχεν εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἐλθεῖν τὰ σκεύη τῆς ἐκλογῆς, εἰ μὴ παρῆν τὰ σκάνδαλα, παραχωροῦντος θεοῦ, τοὺς μὲν ποιοῦντας αὐτὰ δεικνύντος οἷοι εἶεν, ὡς ζιζάνια τηρούμενα εἰς καῦσιν πυρὸς αἰωνίου, τοὺς δὲ ὑπομονητικοὺς τῶν πειρασμῶν δοκιμάζοντος, ἡλιοειδῶς ἐκλάμψοντας ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν; ὥστε μή σε ξενιζέτω τὰ γιγνόμενα καθ' ἑκάστην, εἰ ὁ μὲν ἤρθη, ὁ δὲ δέδεται καὶ ἄλλῃ τέτυπται, ἑτέρᾳ δὲ ὑπερώρισται καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα οὕτως ἢ ἑτέρως ἔχει· ἥξει μικρὸν ὕστερον ὁ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως καιρός. Ἀνέγνων ὃ πέπομφας (καὶ ἐπιγνοὺς καὶ εὐχαριστήσας τῷ Κυρίῳ αὖθις ἀντέπεμψα) περὶ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ἰγνατίου· οἴμοι, ὅτι ἑάλω, ἐπεὶ φίλος ὁ ἀνὴρ διαφερόντως. ἀλλ' εὖ γε πεποίηκας, δοὺς μετανοοῦντι τὴν ἰατρείαν· ἱκανόν, τέκνον, τὸ παρὰ σοῦ δοθὲν κἀγὼ ὁ τάλας εὔχομαι αὐτῷ τὴν ἀναπάλαισιν, οὗ καὶ δέδεγμαι τὰς προσφοράς. εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἀνατόλιον σπλαγχνίζομαι ὁ ταπεινός, ἐπεὶ φιλαδελφὴς καὶ αὐτός. διὰ τοῦτο τολμῶ καὶ λέγω· κουφισθήτω αὐτῷ καὶ ἕτερος χρόνος, ὥστε πληρουμένης τῆς διετίας μετεχέτω τῶν ἁγιασμάτων. οἱ κοιμηθέντες τῶν ἀδελφῶν, φωτὸς υἱοὶ ὑπὲρ φωτὸς τῷ διωγμῷ τελειωθέντες, προσεύξοιντο περὶ ἡμῶν. οἱ ἄλλως τεθνηκότες ἐλεεινοὶ τῆς ἐκδημίας κατὰ τὰς ἐμὰς ἁμαρτίας, ὡς λέλεχας· τοιοῦτος καὶ ὕπερ ὁ Σευηριανός. Πλὴν καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐνδιαστρόφων εὐστροφία τοῖς ἐμμελέσι καὶ ὁ λόγος βαλλέσθω εἰς ζήτησιν, ὁσάκις προσίοι, κἂν ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων, ὡς ἂν τῇ βασάνῳ καθάπερ ἐν παρατρίψει λίθων τὸ πῦρ ἐξάλλοιτο τῆς ἀληθείας. καὶ δὴ καὶ νῦν τοιαύτη ἡ πρότασίς σου. ἔν τισιν ἱστορίαις εὕρηνται εἰκόνες ἐπιγράφουσαι "4θειότης"5, "4κυριότης"5, "4βασιλεία"5· δῆλον ὅτι ἐπὶ τῆς Χριστοῦ εἰκόνος τοῦτο λέγοις. καὶ πῶς τοῦτο; αἱ τοιαῦται φωναὶ κοινῶς ἐπὶ τῆς Τριάδος, οὐκ ἐφ' ἑνὸς προσώπου διακεκριμένως νενόηνται. εἰ γὰρ καὶ θεὸς καὶ Κύριος ἕκαστον πρόσωπον λέγοιτο, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς καὶ θεότης καὶ κυριότης· οἷον, ἐγὼ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός σου, φησίν, οὐχ ἡ θεότης· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν, οὐχὶ ὀντότης, καὶ ἔβρεξε Κύριος πῦρ παρὰ Κυρίου, οὐχὶ κυριότης παρὰ