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And if any man walk according to this rule, says the apostle, peace be on him, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God; For the case of Dianius and of the father of the Theologian, and if there is any other such, was a theft of a technical document subverted by heretics, those holy men having been outwitted by their simplicity and not signing out of any fear (far from it). Therefore, as soon as they realized the deceit, there was for them a retraction and a courageous defense. These things, holy father, if it is permissible for you, report to the man, so that knowing the truth he might reject that unjust document and be ranked with the pious, especially since he is an old man and has been rebuked and for this very reason has left the renowned monastery; but if not, at least pray for us to have no communion in this matter with the man, if indeed he does not repent. 453 {1To Elias the child}1 Who has compelled me to write to you, man? God, clearly, who appointed me over you as shepherd and lawgiver, to whom I shall give an account for all your brothers and also concerning you. So you renounced of your own will, you submitted obediently, then Satan sifted you, tearing you away from the divine company; again by God's mercy you were joined, and again by the working of a demon you leaped away. Then coming again you made your confession, promising security for the future, and, when there was a return from exile in the time of Nicephorus, you did not join the others, but remained by yourself, being lured by the serpent, and this until the present reigning fourth emperor after Nicephorus. How long, wretched man, will you wallow in the mires of sin? Until when will you not cease from behaving shamefully before God and men? Is there no death? Is there no judgment seat? Will you not pay the eternal penalty, the very thought of which sobers a soul and turns it towards repentance? Come to your senses, man, be recalled, I beseech you; cease from building houses in a worldly manner, you who have destroyed the house of your soul; stop being a carpenter like a layman, you who are being crafted by Satan. Do not make this or that excuse, no one will deliver you from the hand of the Lord. Do not say in your sin, "4I will not bear the penances"5. You will bear them, my child; for I, the humble one, call you so in hope of your return; if a father, I will heal you sparingly, sympathetically, with tender affection. Only be willing, only be moved, break the bonds of death that hold you; the help of God is near and your guardian angel of life will go before you; there will be joy in heaven, the devil will lament, I the wretched one will leap for joy, having found my lost sheep, and so indeed will your brotherhood. But if not, you will be prey for the devil, an heir of 'woe'; from which may you be delivered by obeying and coming with your brother Silas. 454 {1To his spouse Democharis}1 From the day the death of the blessed general was announced to us until now, having tried many times, we have not succeeded in writing to your honor; and even now in writing we are able to do nothing to help you nor to lighten the burden of your grief-stricken heart (for what word could be found to heal so great a pain?), but so that we might make it clear that we ourselves also shared in the grief not only for the one who has gone to the Lord, because a good and pious man, a champion of orthodoxy and a fighter for peace has left us (O, the calamity), but also for you who are left desolate of your husband's support, especially as you loved your husband so very much. Thus, therefore, our discourse has shown the suffering to be inconsolable. But since you are not untaught in the divine decree that 'you are earth and to earth you shall return,' and again, 'that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope,' since they will be brought with Jesus by God at the resurrection, we exhort and implore you to empty yourself of the great grief, to take a little comfort, to come to your senses, to cheer your soul, since you also have children and a noble house is yours and, unless your mind recovers from being overcome by suffering, it would never be able to manage and govern rightly. And besides all this, what is said will also be profitable for that blessed one; of whom what could

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καὶ εἴ τις τῷ κανόνι τούτῳ στοιχεῖ, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, εἰρήνη ἐπ' αὐτὸν καὶ ἔλεος καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ θεοῦ· τὸ γὰρ τοῦ ∆ιανίου καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ Θεολόγου, εἴ τι καὶ τοιοῦτον ἕτερον, τεχνικοῦ γράμματος ὑπὸ αἱρετικῶν σκαιωρηθέντος κλοπὴ ἦν, ἁπλότητι κατασοφισθέντων καὶ οὐκ ἐκ φόβου τινὸς (ἄπαγε) ὑπογραψάντων τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων. διόπερ εὐθὺς αὐτοῖς ἅμα τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν δόλον ἡ ἀνάκλησις καὶ ἡ εὔθαρσος ἀπολογία. Ταῦτα, πάτερ ἅγιε, εἴ σοι θεμιτόν, ἐκφερομύθησον τῷ ἀνδρί, ἵνα εἰδὼς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀπορρίψοι τὴν ἄδικον συγγραφὴν ἐκείνην καὶ μετὰ εὐσεβούντων τάττοιτο, ἐπὰν καὶ γέρων καὶ ἐπιτιμηθεὶς καὶ διά τοι τοῦτο ἐάσας τὴν περιβόητον μονήν· εἰ δὲ μή, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν γε εὖξαι μηδεμίαν κοινωνίαν ἔχειν ἐν τῷδε τῷ μέρει μετὰ τοῦ ἀνδρός, εἴπερ καὶ οὐ μεταμελοῖτο. 453 {1Ἠλίᾳ τέκνῳ}1 Τίς ὁ ἀναγκάσας με ἐπιστεῖλαί σοι, ἄνθρωπε; θεὸς δῆλον ὅτι, ὁ καταστήσας με ἐπὶ σὲ ποιμένα καὶ νομοθέτην, ᾧ δώσω ὡς ὑπὲρ πάντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου καὶ περὶ σοῦ λόγον. ἀπετάξω δὴ οὖν αὐθαιρέτως, ὑπετάγης εὐηκόως, εἶτα ἐσινίασέ σε ὁ σατανᾶς, ἀπορρήξας τῆς θείας συναφείας· αὖθις ἐλέει θεοῦ συνήφθης καὶ πάλιν ἐνεργείᾳ δαίμονος ἀπεπήδησας. ἔπειτα πάλιν ἐλθὼν ἐξωμολογήσω, ὑποσχόμενος τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς ἀσφάλειαν, καί, ἐπειδὴ ὑποστροφὴ τῆς ἐξορίας ἐπὶ τοῦ Νικηφόρου, οὐ συνῆλθες τοῖς λοιποῖς, ἀλλ' ἔμεινας ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ, δελεαζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄφεως, καὶ τοῦτο ἕως τοῦ νῦν βασιλεύοντος τετάρτου μετὰ Νικηφόρον. ἕως πότε, ἐλεεινέ, ἐγκυλίῃ τοῖς τῆς ἁμαρτίας τέλμασιν; ἕως τίνος οὐκ ἀνήσεις ἀσχημονεῖν ἐνώπιον θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων; οὐκ ἔνι θάνατος; οὐκ ἔνι κριτήριον; οὐ δώσεις τίσιν αἰώνιον, ἧς καὶ μόνον ἐνθύμησις καταστέλλει ψυχὴν καὶ ἐπιστρέφει πρὸς μετάνοιαν; Ἀνάνηψον, ἄνθρωπε, ἀνακλήθητι, παρακαλῶ· ἄφες οἰκοδομεῖν οἰκίας κοσμικῶς, ὁ τὸν οἶκόν σου τῆς ψυχῆς καταλελυκώς· ἔα τεκτονεῖν ὡς λαϊκός, ὁ τεκταινόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶ. μὴ προφασίσῃ τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο, οὐδείς σε ἐξελεῖται ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου. μὴ εἴπῃς ἡμαρτηκὼς "4οὐκ οἴσω τὰς ἐπιτιμήσεις"5. οἴσεις, τέκνον μου· καλῶ γάρ σε οὕτως ἐλπίδι τῆς ὑποστροφῆς ἐγὼ ὁ ταπεινός· εἰ πατήρ, πεφεισμένως ἰατρεύσω, συμπαθητικῶς, φιλοστόργως. μόνον θέλησον, μόνον κινήθητι, διάρρηξον τὰ κατέχοντά σε δεσμὰ τοῦ θανάτου· ἐγγύθεν θεοῦ βοήθεια καὶ ὁ φύλαξ σου τῆς ζωῆς ἄγγελος προπορεύσεται· χαρὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ γενήσεται, θρηνήσει διάβολος, σκιρτήσω ἐγὼ ὁ τάλας, εὑρηκὼς τὸ ἀπολωλός μου πρόβατον, καί γε ἡ ἀδελφότης σου. εἰ δὲ μή, ἔσῃ θήραμα τῷ διαβόλῳ, τοῦ οὐαὶ κληρονόμος· οὗ ῥυσθείης ὑπακούσας καὶ σὺν τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου Σίλᾳ ἐλευσόμενος. 454 {1Τῇ ὁμόζυγι ∆ημόχαρι}1 Ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἀνηγγέλη ἡμῖν ὁ θάνατος τοῦ μακαρίου στρατηγοῦ μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, πολλὰ δοκιμάσαντες, οὐκ εὐωδώθημεν ἐπιστεῖλαι τῇ τιμιότητί σου· καὶ νῦν δὲ ἐπιστέλλοντες οὐδέν σε ὠφελεῖν οὐδὲ ἐλαφροποιεῖν τοῦ βάρους τῆς ἐνωδύνου καρδίας δυνάμεθα (τίς γὰρ καὶ ἐξευρεθείη λόγος ἄλγος τοσοῦτον θεραπεύειν;), ἀλλ' ἵνα καταδήλους ἑαυτοὺς ποιήσωμεν ὡς μετέσχομεν καὶ αὐτοὶ λύπης οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῷ ἐνδημήσαντι πρὸς Κύριον, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ εὐσεβής, πρόμαχος ὀρθοδοξίας καὶ ἀγωνιστὴς εἰρήνης ἀπολέλοιπεν ἡμᾶς (ὢ τῆς συμφορᾶς), ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ σοὶ τῇ καταλειφθείσῃ ἐρήμῳ τῆς ὁμοζυγικῆς ἐπικουρίας, ἄλλως τε καὶ φιλανδρούσῃ λίαν. Οὕτως οὖν ἀπαραμύθητον τὸ πάθος ἀπέδειξεν ὁ λόγος. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ οὐκ εἶ ἀδίδακτος τοῦ θείου διατάγματος ὅτι γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ, καὶ πάλιν, ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ τοῖς κεκοιμημένοις λυπῆσθε, καθὼς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα, ὡς ἀχθησομένοις σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει, παρακαλοῦμεν καὶ ἀντιβολοῦμεν κενῶσαί σε τὸ πολὺ τῆς λύπης, λαβεῖν παραμύθιον μικρόν, εἰς ἑαυτὴν γενέσθαι, ἱλαρῦναι τὴν ψυχήν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τέκνα ἔχεις καὶ οἰκία σοι πάρεστιν μεγαλοφυὴς καί, εἰ μὴ ὁ νοῦς ἀνενέγκοι τῆς κατακρατήσεως τοῦ πάθους, διοικεῖν καὶ διέπειν ὀρθῶς οὐκ ἄν ποτε δυνηθείη. ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ κἀκείνῳ τῷ μακαρίῳ λυσιτελήσει τὸ λεγόμενον· οὗ τί ἂν