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you have accomplished and still bear, thrice-blessed fathers, for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; at which news we rejoiced, we praised, we gave thanks, we said that God is truly in you, being well-pleased and served by the confession on behalf of the truth. And it seems to me that your exile was ordained by the all-saving Providence not only for the sake of your bodies, but also for the salvation of those in that place, since having arrived you appeared as luminaries to those in darkness and a life of error, guides of the blind, teachers of virtue, preachers of piety, instructors concerning the terrible deeds committed here against Christ. Thus both there and everywhere on land and sea the Lord has caused the confessors to shine forth as a demonstration of truth, as a deterrent to impiety, just as in times of old; and his name was magnified and the chosen people of Christ were approved and the Christ-hating band was rejected and the great dragon, the Assyrian mind, received an end of life worthy of the audacity he committed against God. But as to how things are here now, it would be superfluous to speak, because the letter-bearer is able, by the grace of Christ, to explain everything in detail; to whom we have also entrusted, along with the letter, a certain distribution, which please deign to receive, granting us your precious prayers for the strengthening of our souls. 436 {1To Eudokia, a consecrated virgin}1 It is not good to forget friendship and benefactions; for if irrational animals, although deprived of reason, know how to preserve their disposition towards their benefactors, how much more fitting it is for us, who have been made in the image of God, to have an irreproachable memory of our friends. For this reason we have undertaken to send to your honor our beloved son Proterius, making this very thing clear, that we have not forgotten, but indeed we remember very much and have it on our tongue and relate to others your sympathy for us sinners, how great and of what sort it is; that in a time of trial, in a time of persecution for Christ's sake, when we were imprisoned in that place, both I and brother Nicholas, at a time when there were guards before the opening of the prison, not allowing anyone to approach the fortress according to the command of the impious, then—to omit speaking of earlier things, although they are sufficient—acting boldly with confidence in God, you sent things, you nursed us as it were, you fed us, you gave us drink, you comforted us, you anointed us, you gave yourself over recklessly to death, a death which you very nearly suffered in reality, if the hand of God, acting first, had not seized you. You know the accusations of the neighbors, the demands of the rulers, that you had received gifts from the condemned man, that you were obeying words of command, this and that. But nevertheless, O what great faith, not even when these things were in turmoil did you give up at all, but as if nothing new had happened you held again to your ministry, propitiating the guards with gifts and, as the saying goes, serving God through us sinners, from which came both your deliverance from dangers and your salvation beyond hope. How is this second to that of Priscilla and Phoebe or of those of equal standing with them in the consideration of ministry, for which they are called blessed by the divine apostle? In no way, as it seems to me at least, except that it was towards unworthy men. But this is even more praiseworthy; for there the nobility of the person would perhaps have moved even unfeeling stones to do good, but here, on the contrary, the contemptibleness of the subjects persuaded even sensitive minds to be numb. But, because you were seen to have done this in such a way and with fellow-feeling, consider the encomium. We have therefore received mercy, O most fair virgin, and we praise you rightly, accepting and praising in addition your other venerable qualities, your self-control, your unkempt hair, your neglected clothing, your almsgiving towards others too, your love of purity, and for this having been in no way criticized by any man whatsoever. O your good work! O the God-loving and aged head! You have flourished in the midst

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ἠνύσατε καὶ ἔτι φέρετε, τρισόλβιοι πατέρες, ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐφ' οἷς ἀκούσαντες ἐχάρημεν, ᾐνέσαμεν, ἀνθωμολογησάμεθα, εἴπομεν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὄντως ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστιν, εὐαρεστούμενος καὶ θεραπευόμενος τῇ ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας ὁμολογίᾳ. Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ, οὐχ εἵνεκα ὑμῶν σώσματος μόνον, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι σωτηρίας τὴν φυγαδείαν οἰκονομηθῆναι παρὰ τῆς τὰ πάντα σῳζούσης προνοίας, ἐπειδήπερ ἐπιστάντες ὤφθητε φωστῆρες τῶν ἐν σκότει καὶ πλάνης βίου, ὁδηγοὶ τυφλῶν, παιδευταὶ ἀρετῆς, κήρυκες εὐσεβείας, διδάσκαλοι τῶν ἐνταῦθα πραχθέντων κατὰ Χριστοῦ φοβερῶν τολμημάτων. οὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι καὶ πανταχοῦ γῆς τε καὶ θαλάσσης ηὔγασε Κύριος τοὺς ὁμολογητὰς εἰς ἔνδειξιν ἀληθείας, εἰς ἀποτροπὴν ἀσεβείας, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄνωθεν χρόνων· καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐδοκιμάσθη ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς λαὸς Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀπεδοκιμάσθη ὁ μισόχριστος θίασος καὶ τέλος ἔλαβεν ὅρον ζωῆς ἐπάξιον τῆς τόλμης ὁ μέγας δράκων, ὁ Ἀσσύριος νοῦς, ἧς ἔδρασε κατὰ θεοῦ. Τὸ δὲ ὅπως νῦν ἔχει τὰ ἐνταῦθα παρέλκον ἂν εἴη λέγειν διὰ τὸ τὸν γραμματηφόρον ἱκανὸν εἶναι χάριτι Χριστοῦ ἕκαστα ἐκδιδάξαι ἐμμελῶς· ᾧ καὶ παρεθέμεθα μετὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς καί τινα διανομήν, ἣν καὶ καταξιώσατε εἰσδέξασθαι, χαριζόμενοι ἡμῖν τὰς τιμίας προσευχὰς εἰς στηριγμὸν ψυχῆς. 436 {1Εὐδοκῷ παρθενευούσῃ}1 Οὐκ ἔστι καλὸν φιλίας καὶ εὐεργεσίας ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι· εἰ γὰρ ἄλογα ζῷα, καίπερ νοῦ ἐστερημένα, οἶδεν ἀποσῴζειν διάθεσιν τοῖς εὐεργέταις, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον προσῆκον ἡμῖν, τοῖς κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ γεγενημένοις, ἀνεπίληπτον ἔχειν τὸ πρὸς τοὺς φίλους μνημονικόν. διὰ τοῦτο ἔργον ἔσχομεν ἀποστεῖλαι πρὸς τὴν τιμιότητά σου τὸν ἠγαπημένον ἡμῶν υἱὸν Προτέριον, αὐτὸ τοῦτο δηλοῦντες ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιλελήσμεθα, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πάνυ μνημονεύομεν καὶ ἐπὶ γλώσσης φέρομεν καὶ ἄλλοις διηγούμεθα τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς συμπάθειάν σου, ὅση δὲ καὶ ἡλίκη αὕτη· ὅτι ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ, ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ κατὰ Χριστὸν διωγμοῦ, ὁπότε ἐφυλακίσθημεν ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι, ἐγώ τε καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς Νικόλαος, ἡνίκα πρὸ τῆς ὀπῆς τῆς φυλακῆς φύλακες, μὴ ἐῶντες θίγειν ὁντιναοῦν κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἀσεβῶν πρόσταξιν τῷ φρουρίῳ, τότε, ἵνα τὰ πρότερα ἐάσω λέγειν, καίπερ ὄντα ἱκανά, παρρησιαζομένη τῇ κατὰ θεὸν πεποιθήσει, ἔπεμπες, ἐγαλούχεις οἱονεί, διέτρεφες, ἐπότιζες, παρεκάλεις, ἤλειφες, σεαυτὴν ἐπεδίδους ῥιψοκινδύνως εἰς θάνατον, ὅπερ μικροῦ δεῖν, εἰ μὴ ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ θεοῦ φθάσασα εἷλέν σε, καὶ ἐνέπιπτες εἰς ἔργον. οἶδας τὰς κατηγορίας τῶν γειτνιαζόντων, τὰς εἰσπράξεις τῶν ἀρχόντων, ὅτι δῶρα εἴληφας παρὰ τοῦ καταδίκου, ὅτι λόγους διαταγῆς ὑπακούεις, τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο. ἀλλ' ὅμως, ὢ τῆς μεγαλοπιστίας, οὐδὲ οὕτω τούτων τυρβασθέντων ὑφῆκας τὸ καθόλου, ἀλλ' ὡς μηδενὸς καινοῦ γεγονότος εἴχου πάλιν τῆς διακονίας, δώροις τοὺς φύλακας ἐξευμενιζομένη καί, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, θεὸν δι' ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν θεραπεύουσα, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ἡ ἁρπαγὴ τῶν κινδύνων καὶ ἡ παρ' ἐλπίδα σωτηρία. Τί τοῦτο δεύτερον Πρισκίλλης καὶ Φοίβης ἐκείνης ἢ τῶν ταύταις ἰσοστασίων κατὰ τὴν τῆς διακονίας θεωρίαν, ἐφ' ᾗ μακαρίζονται ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου ἀποστόλου; οὐδαμῶς, ὡς ἐμοί γε δοκεῖ, εἰ μὴ ὅτι εἰς ἀναξίους. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο μᾶλλον αἰνετώτερον· ἐκεῖ γὰρ τὸ μεγαλοφυὲς τοῦ προσώπου τάχα ἂν καὶ τοὺς ἀναισθήτους λίθους ἐκίνησεν εὐεργετεῖν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τοὐναντίον, καὶ τοὺς εὐαισθήτους νόας ναρκᾶν ἔπεισεν τὸ ἀπόπτυστον τῶν ὑποκειμένων. ἀλλ', ὅτι τοῦτο οὕτως καὶ ἀντιπεπονθότως ὤφθης δράσασα, σκόπησον τὸ ἐγκώμιον. ἀπέχομεν τοίνυν, ὦ καλλιπάρθενε, τὸ ἔλεος καὶ αἰνοῦμέν σε εἰκότως, προσαποδεχόμενοι καὶ συνεπαινοῦντες καὶ τἆλλά σου σεμνολογήματα, τὴν ἐγκράτειαν, τὴν αὐχμηρὰν κόμην, τὴν ἠμελημένην ἐσθῆτα, τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ ἐπ' ἄλλοις, τὴν φιλαγνείαν, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ μηδαμῶς μωμοσκοπηθεῖσαν πρός τινος οὖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ὢ τῆς καλῆς σου ἐργασίας· ὢ τῆς θεοφιλοῦς καὶ γηραλέας κεφαλῆς· ἤνθησας ἐν μέσῳ