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like a rose among thorns, you have given off a sweet fragrance in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation like an upright lily. What remains? For you to remain hereafter without stumbling, saved, purely loving every other commandment of the Lord, so as neither to swear by the name of the Lord at all, nor to neglect anything else of what has been commanded; and I say this not as if I apprehend you to be at fault, but as one who has the desire for you to be perfect in all things and thereby to obtain the good things in the promises. Brother Nicholas greets you, and I your master and nephew. The Lord be with you. 437 {1To Niketas the curator}1 Nothing is more valuable than a faithful friend; but when disagreement concerning the faith comes between those who love one another, then love is naturally torn asunder along with the faith. Why then do we begin thus, master? Surely your wonder knows neither our first friendship nor the subsequent separation; for this reason, at the messages of your most-renowned self, we were immediately dizzy about receiving them. But since our brother Glykerios reported thus and so, that the friendship remains and orthodoxy is strong, and that the submission and the heretical communion is only out of human fear, as with anyone who loves his life, leaning toward the more humane course we accepted both the address and the offering, and loved again, and returned to our former state, especially having heard that your honor is preparing to set up holy icons in the oratory, which is proof of a warmer zeal. And indeed, most honored sir, the error of the iconoclasts is clear; for long ago, when God was without flesh, it was not possible to make a likeness of God; for, he says, "no one has ever seen God," and he who does this is an idolater. But when the Word and God became flesh, being made like us in all things, then He is circumscribed, that is, He is depicted equally with us, if the apostle who says, "God was manifest in the flesh," speaks the truth; and if this is so, He was also depicted in the flesh and whatever other human thing you might say: He ate in the flesh, sweated in the flesh, wept in the flesh, suffered in the flesh. If then you wish to say anything, the phrase "4in the flesh"5 will meet it; and the argument is clearly sound, and overthrowing his depiction in the flesh firmly overthrows along with it all the aforesaid things. and thus it is necessary to say "4God was not manifest in the flesh"5; what could be more Jewish than this? These things have been said within the measure of a letter; but if God should ever grant us to see one another, then so many dogmas of truth will be spoken to you concerning both the depiction and the veneration of the holy icons, that not even your honored ear could bear to hear them. 438 {1To Basil, spiritual son}1 We desired, along with lord Gregory, to see you here as well, beloved child, but since this has not happened, we console ourselves for your absence with a letter, making known to you that we always have you in our humble heart, loving the salvation both of you and of the brothers and children with you; for to a father the glory is the good repute of his son and a sacred boast is the son's gravity. I exhort you, therefore, in the Lord to hold not only to your own stability, but also to the care of the brethren, being yearned for and yearning, being cherished and cherishing; for where there is spiritual love, there Christ is in the midst, as he promised. As a good guide, lead the lambs of Christ with sympathy, with forbearance, consorting with them as your own members; I know who you are, that you are without passion, that you are condescending, but also that you are precise concerning the commandments of God. Let the soul of all be one through all things being common, let there be confession, since everything that is made manifest is light, as is the opposite, let there be obedience, under which the robber finds no entry for deceit, let there be humility, clothed in which God became man, thereby making men gods. O good Basil, guard the deposit, turning away from wicked things, girding yourself with divine things, set before the whole brotherhood as a type of good works; and thus he who rejects you rejects God, and he who submits to you submits to God.

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ἀκανθῶν ὡς ῥόδον, εὐωδίασας ἐν μέσῳ γενεᾶς σκολιᾶς καὶ διεστραμμένης ὡς ὀρθοφυὲς κρίνον. Τί τὸ λοιπόν; διαμένειν σε καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς ἀπρόσκοπον, σεσωσμένην, φιλοκρινοῦσαν πᾶσαν ἄλλην ἐντολὴν Κυρίου, ὥστε μήτε ὀμνύειν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου τὸ παράπαν μήτε τι ἄλλο παραθεωρεῖν τῶν ἐντεταλμένων· τοῦτο δὲ λέγω οὐχ ὡς καταλαμβανόμενός σε ὑπαιτιᾶσθαι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχων ἐν ἐφέσει τοῦ ἐν πᾶσιν ἄρτιον εἶναι κἀντεῦθεν ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶν ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις ἀγαθῶν. ὁ ἀδελφὸς Νικόλαος προσαγορεύει κἀγὼ τὸν κύριον καὶ ἀδελφιδοῦν σου. ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. 437 {1Νικήτᾳ κουράτωρι}1 Οὐδὲν φίλου πιστοῦ ἀξιολογώτερον· ἀλλ' ὅταν μεσολαβῇ ἐν τοῖς φιλουμένοις ἡ περὶ τὴν πίστιν διαφωνία, τότε τῇ πίστει συνδιασχί ζεσθαι καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη πέφυκεν. τί οὖν οὕτω προοιμιασάμεθα, δέσποτα; πάντως οὐκ ἀγνοεῖ ἡ θαυμασιότης σου οὔτε τὴν πρώτην φιλίαν οὔτε τὴν μετέπειτα διάστασιν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ ταῖς τῆς ὑπερευφημότητός σου ἀποστολαῖς ἰλιγγιάσαμεν εὐθὺς πρὸς τὸ δέξασθαι. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Γλυκέριος ἀπήγγειλεν οὕτως καὶ οὕτως, ὅτι καὶ ἡ φιλία μένει καὶ ἡ ὀρθοδοξία ἔρρωται, δέει δὲ μόνον ἀνθρωπίνῳ ἡ ὑπόπτωσις καὶ ἡ ὡς πᾶς φιλόζωος αἱρετικὴ κοινωνία, ἐπὶ τὸ φιλανθρωπότερον ῥέψαντες καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν καὶ τὴν προσφορὰν ἀπεδεξάμεθα καὶ πάλιν ἠγαπήσαμεν καὶ εἰς τὸ πρότερον ἀνεδράμομεν, μάλιστα ἀκηκοότες ὅτι σου παρασκευάζεται ἡ τιμιότης ἱερὰς εἰκόνας ἀναστῆσαι ἐν τῷ εὐκτηρίῳ οἴκῳ, ὅπερ ἀπόδειξις θερμοτέρου ζήλου. Καί γε, τιμαλφέστατε, ἐναργὴς ἡ τῶν εἰκονομάχων πλάνη· πάλαι γάρ, ὅτε θεὸς ἄσαρκος ἦν, οὐκ ἦν ὁμοιοῦν θεόν· θεὸν γάρ, φησίν, οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε, καὶ ὁ τοῦτο ποιῶν εἰδωλολάτρης. ὁπότε δὲ ὁ λόγος καὶ θεὸς σὰρξ ἐγένετο, ὁμοιωθεὶς ἡμῖν κατὰ πάντα, τηνικαῦτα περιγράφεται, ἤγουν ἐφίσης ἡμῖν ἐξεικονίζεται, εἴπερ ἀληθεύει ὁ λέγων ἀπόστολος, θεὸς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, καὶ ἐξεικονίσθη ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ ὅ τι ἂν εἴποις ἕτερον ἀνθρώπινον, ἔφαγεν ἐν σαρκί, ἵδρωσεν ἐν σαρκί, ἔκλαυσεν ἐν σαρκί, ἔπαθεν ἐν σαρκί. εἴ τι οὖν βούλει λέγειν, ὑπαντήσει τὸ "4ἐν σαρκί"5· καὶ ἔρρωται τηλαυγῶς ὁ λόγος καὶ τὸ ἀνατρέψαι τὸ εἰκονίζεσθαι αὐτὸν ἐν σαρκὶ συνανατρέπει πάντα τὰ προειρημένα ἀραρότως. καὶ οὕτως ἀνάγκη λέγειν "4οὐκ ἐφανερώθη θεὸς ἐν σαρκί"5· οὗ τί ἂν γένοιτο ἰουδαϊκώτερον; Ταῦτα ὡς ἐν ἐπιστολῆς μέτρῳ λέλεκται· ἐὰν δὲ δῷ θεὸς ὀψέ ποτε ἰδεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλους, τότε τοσαῦτά σοι λαληθήσεται ἀληθείας δόγματα περί τε γραφῆς καὶ προσκυνήσεως τῶν ἁγίων εἰκόνων, ὅσα οὐδὲ τὸ τίμιόν σου οὖς δυνηθείη ἀκοῦσαι. 438 {1Βασιλείῳ υἱῷ πνευματικῷ}1 Ἐπεθυμοῦμεν σὺν τῷ κυρίῳ Γρηγορίῳ καὶ σὲ ἐνταῦθα θεωρῆσαι, τέκνον ἠγαπημένον, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τοῦτο οὐ γέγονεν, γράμμασι παραμυθούμεθα τὴν ἀπόλειψιν, γνωρίζοντές σοι ὅτι ἔχομέν σε ἀεὶ ἐπὶ καρδίας ἡμῶν ταπεινῆς, φιλοῦντες τὴν σωτηρίαν σοῦ τε καὶ τῶν μετὰ σοῦ ἀδελφῶν καὶ τέκνων· καὶ γὰρ πατρὶ κλέος υἱοῦ εὐδοξία καὶ αὔχημα ἱερὸν τὸ υἱικὸν σεμνολόγημα. παρακαλῶ οὖν σε ἐν Κυρίῳ ἔχεσθαι οὐ μόνον τῆς οἰκείας εὐσταθείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιμελείας, ποθούμενον καὶ ποθοῦντα, στεργόμενον καὶ στέργοντα· ὅπου γὰρ ἀγάπη πνευματική, ἐκεῖ ἐν μέσῳ Χριστός, καθὰ ἐπηγγείλατο. ὡς καλὸς καθηγητὴς ἄγε τοὺς ἄρνας Χριστοῦ συμπαθῶς, πεφεισμένως, ὁμειρόμενος αὐτῶν ὡς οἰκείων μελῶν· οἶδά σε τίς εἶ, ὅτι ἀπροσπαθής, ὅτι συμπεριφερόμενος, ἀλλ' οὖν ὅτι καὶ ἀκριβολογούμενος περὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ. εἶεν ἁπάντων ἡ ψυχὴ μία διὰ τοῦ πάντα εἶναι κοινά, εἶεν ἐξαγόρευσις, ἐπείπερ πᾶν τὸ φανερούμενον φῶς ἐστιν ὡς καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν, εἶεν ὑπακοή, ὑφ' ᾗ ὁ λῃστὴς εἴσοδον ἐξαπάτης οὐχ εὑρίσκει, εἶεν ταπείνωσις, ἣν ἀμπεχόμενος ὁ θεὸς ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν, θεοὺς ἐντεῦθεν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους δημιουργῶν. Ὦ καλὲ Βασίλειε, τὴν παρακαταθήκην φύλαξον, ἐκτρεπόμενος τὰ πονηρά, ἐγκομβούμενος τὰ θεϊκά, τύπος ἀγαθοεργίας πάσῃ προκείμενος τῇ ἀδελφότητι· καὶ οὕτως ὁ σὲ ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ θεὸν καὶ ὁ ὑπείκων σοι ὑπείκει θεῷ.