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of lordship. If, therefore, it is so in the case of theology, much more so in the case of the economy does it make no sense to inscribe the icon of Christ with "4divinity"5 or "4lordship"5; for he might be called God and Lord or some equivalent of these (but even this homonymously), but not divinity or lordship. As, for example, in the case of a depicted man, he might be called a man, but not humanity, and a king of those on earth, but not a kingdom. The inscription, therefore, as it seems to me, is in error; for it also circumscribes the Father and the Spirit, which is absurd. So much by way of summary. You yourself pray for my lowliness more fervently, and also for the brother, who also greets you most genuinely. I have received the cloak; and until when will you not cease clothing us, beloved? May the Lord warm you in return in spirit. The letter-bearer will report the remaining things. Be well in all things. 412 {1To Irene the patricia}1 Previously, when the lapse occurred, my letter to your honor was sorrowful, but now it is exceedingly joyful on account of your rising up again and the scourgings on your precious flesh for the confession of Christ. And well done, well done, most courageous among women, because you have made your recovery more glorious than your defeat, gladdening God and the angels and the most pious of men. And you are indeed truly noble, hailing from the rising of the sun; you are a lover of God and a lover of virtue, you are a slayer of passions and an enemy of the world. How praiseworthy is your name and how proclaimed your testimony. What are these things? You took up the evangelical sword as a soldier of Christ, you cut in ecstasy the ties of the body, you were cut off from a bowing head, from a single-branched daughter, having said "4farewell"5 to the imperial city, to a distinguished family, to preeminent friends, to a most splendid house, to a most extraordinary rank, to a multitude of earthly servants, to all manner of possessions, to the other things which it is not easy for me to say, and taking up the cross-bearing life you were banished somewhere far away, as I have learned, to an island. Blessed are you and blessed is the fruit of your testimony. And from where came this whole good thing for you, this great glory, this greatest praise, if not from your pre-existing accomplishments, from your much intercession and prayer, from your surpassing philanthropy and heart that loves monastics? The fruits were not destroyed, even if for a short while they were shaken; the opposing serpent did not break down your tower of virtue, even if he has bitten. The envy of those who mocked has been repulsed, the idle talk of those who reproached has fallen. Christ has conquered in you and through you, O most beautiful of women, O lover of martyrs, and thirdly, O my mother; for I call you this in the spirit as a fellow-contestant and closer than the known bowels of the flesh; for thus the Spirit knows how to unite those who are conceived from it. I know your labors, I know the weariness of your soul, all the things that you will endure, having been torn away from the world. But take courage; great is your reward in heaven; you are called a bride of Christ, even though from a man, a fellow citizen of the just and holy, if we remain in the divine confessions until the end. Now I exhort and implore you to bear the exile and desolation from all things with patience, contemplating the things of heaven, knowing that what is on earth is a plaything and short-lived. With you is the angel, the guardian of your life, Christ himself, who said: I and the Father will come and make our home with him. But one thing I remind you: take care of yourself, embracing a more comforting regimen; for now is not the time for so much self-control as before. And finally, pray for me, the sinner, that I might bring my life into harmony with my words. 413 {1To Euphemia the recluse}1 Even if we fail to write to your honor more frequently, we have not at all forgotten to remember you in the Lord because of the fellowship of your purpose and the generosity of your will, which is sufficient. As I learn, from your earliest years you have chosen the cross-bearing life and moreover the life of a recluse. And how great is your praise, bride of Christ. But I remind you, cherishing you

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κυριότητος. εἰ οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς θεολογίας οὕτως, πολλῷ οὖν μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας οὐκ ἔχει λόγον τὴν εἰκόνα Χριστοῦ "4θειότης"5 ἐπιγράφειν ἢ "4κυριότης"5· θεὸς μὲν γὰρ λέγοιτο καὶ Κύριος ἤ τι τῶν ὁμοδυνάμων τούτοις (ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ὁμωνύμως), οὐ μὴν θεότης ἢ κυριότης. ὡς, φέρε εἰπεῖν, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ γεγραμμένου ἀνθρώπου, ἄνθρωπος μὲν λέγοιτο, οὐ μὴν ἀνθρωπότης, καὶ βασιλεὺς τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, οὐ μὴν βασιλεία. ἐσφαλμένως οὖν ἔχει, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἡ ὑπογραφή· συμπεριγράφει γὰρ καὶ τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα, ὅπερ ἄτοπον. Τοσαῦτα μὲν ὡς κατ' ἐπιτομήν. αὐτὸς δὲ προσεύχου περὶ τῆς ταπεινώσεώς μου θερμότερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, ὃς καὶ προσαγορεύει γνησιώτερον. τὸ ἱμάτιον ἐδεξάμην· καὶ ἕως πότε οὐ παύσῃ ἐνδιδύσκων ἡμᾶς, ἀγαπητέ; ἀντιθάλψειέν σε Κύριος ἐν πνεύματι. τὰ ἐλλείποντα ὁ γραμματηφόρος ἀπαγγελεῖ. ἔρρωσο ἐν πᾶσιν. 412 {1Εἰρήνῃ πατρικίᾳ}1 Πρότερον, ἡνίκα ἡ ὑπόπτωσις, λυπηρόν μοι τὸ γράμμα πρὸς τὴν τιμιότητά σου, νῦν δὲ καὶ λίαν περιχαρὲς διὰ τὴν ἐξανάστασιν καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν τιμίων σου σαρκῶν ὑπὲρ ὁμολογίας Χριστοῦ μάστιγας. καὶ εὖγε, εὖγε, ἀνδρειοτάτη ἐν γυναιξίν, ὅτι τῆς ἥττης περιφανεστέραν τὴν ἀναπάλαισιν ἀπειργάσω, εὐφράνασα θεόν τε καὶ ἀγγέλους καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὺς εὐσεβεστάτους. καὶ σὺ ὄντως ἀληθῶς εὐγενής, τῶν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν ὁρμωμένη· σὺ φιλόθεος καὶ φιλάρετος, σὺ παθοκτόνος καὶ ἐχθρόκοσμος. ὡς αἰνετόν σου τὸ ὄνομα καὶ διαλαλητή σου ἡ μαρτυρία. τί ταῦτα; ἔλαβες τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν μάχαιραν ὡς στρατιῶτις Χριστοῦ, διέκοψας ἐν ἐκστάσει τὰς σχέσεις τοῦ σώματος, ἀπετμήθης κεφαλῆς ὑποκυπτούσης, θυγατρὸς μονοκλαδούσης, "4ἔρρωσθε"5 φράσασα πόλει βασιλευούσῃ, γένει περιβλέπτῳ, φίλοις ὑπερέχουσιν, οἰκίᾳ ὑπερλάμπρῳ, ἀξίᾳ ὑπερφυεστάτῃ, τῶν κατὰ χθόνα οἰκετῶν πλήθει, ὑπάρξει παντοδαπῇ, τοῖς ἄλλοις, οἷς οὐκ εὐμαρῶς μοι λέγειν, καὶ ἀραμένη τὸν σταυροφόρον βίον ἀπεωρίσθης που μακράν, ὡς μεμάθηκα, ἐν νήσῳ. εὐλογημένη σὺ καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς μαρτυρίας σου. καὶ πόθεν σοι τοῦτο ὅλον τὸ ἀγαθόν, τὸ μέγα κλέος, ἡ μεγίστη εὐφημία ἀλλ' ἢ ἐκ τῶν προϋπηργμένων σοι κατορθωμάτων, ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς σου ἐντεύξεως καὶ προσευχῆς, ἐκ τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης σου φιλευποιίας καὶ φιλομονάχου καρδίας; οὐκ ὤλλυντο οἱ καρποί, κἂν ἐπὶ μικρὸν διεσείσθησαν, οὐ κατέαξέν σου τὸν ἀρετῆς πύργον ὁ ἀντικείμενος ὄφις, εἰ καὶ δέδακεν· ἀποκέκρουσται φθόνος τῶν ἐπιτωθασάντων, πέπτωκεν ὀνειδιζόντων ὕθλος. νενίκηκε Χριστὸς ἐν σοὶ καὶ διὰ σοῦ, ὦ καλλίγυναι, ὦ φιλομάρτυς καί, τὸ τρίτον, ὦ μῆτερ ἐμή· καλῶ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐν πνεύματι ὡς σύναθλον καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ σαρκὸς γνωριζομένων σπλάγχνων ἐγγύτερον· οὕτω γὰρ οἶδεν τὸ πνεῦμα συνάπτειν τοὺς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κυοφορουμένους. Οἶδά σου τοὺς πόνους, οἶδα τὰς ἰνοκοπίας τῆς ψυχῆς, πάντα, ὅσα ῥαγεῖσα κόσμου ὑποίσω. ἀλλὰ θάρσει· πολύς σου ὁ μισθὸς ἐν οὐρανοῖς· νύμφη Χριστοῦ χρηματίζεις, κἂν ἀπὸ ἀνδρός, συμπολῖτις τῶν δικαίων καὶ ἁγίων, εἴπερ ἐμμενοῦμεν ταῖς θείαις ὁμολογίαις ἕως τέλους. νῦν δὲ παραινῶ καὶ λιπαρῶ ὑπομονητικῶς σε ἐνεγκεῖν τὴν ἐξορίαν καὶ ἐρημίαν πάντων, ἀναθεωροῦσαν τὰ οὐράνια, εἰδυῖαν τὸ ἐπὶ γῆς παίγνιον καὶ ὠκύμορον. μετὰ σοῦ ὁ φύλαξ σου τῆς ζωῆς ἄγγελος, Χριστὸς αὐτός, ὁ εἰπών· ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐλευσόμεθα καὶ μονὴν παρ' αὐτῷ ποιήσομεν. ἓν δὲ ὑπομνήσκω· σεαυτὴν περιποιοῦ, δίαιταν παρακλητικωτέραν ἀσπαζομένη· οὐ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγκρατείας ἄρτι τοσοῦτον, ὅσον τὸ πρότερον. καὶ τέλος προσεύχου περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς ἂν τοῖς λόγοις τὸν βίον συναρμόσοιμι. 413 {1Εὐφημίᾳ ἐγκλειστῇ}1 Εἰ καὶ ἐλλείπομεν συχνότερον τῇ τιμιότητί σου ἐπιστέλλειν, ἀλλ' οὖν τοῦ μεμνῆσθαι αὐτῆς ἐν Κυρίῳ οὐκ ἐπιλελήσμεθα διὰ τὸ κοινωνικὸν τῆς προθέσεως καὶ τὸ ἐπιδοτικὸν τῆς προαιρέσεως, ὃ ἱκανῶς ἔχει. ὡς μανθάνω, ἀπὸ πρώτης ἡλικίας ᾑρετίσω τὸν σταυροφόρον βίον καὶ ἔτι τὴν φρουρητικὴν διαβίωσιν. καὶ ἡλίκον σου τὸ ἐγκώμιον, νύμφη Χριστοῦ. ἀλλ' ὑπομνήσκω περιέπων σε