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blessed and so holily did she depart and so we sinners believe her to be. For the rest, the discourse must turn to you, my lady; why is this? in order that, even if the separation is harsh, you may nevertheless bear it with thanksgiving, just as we have also heard and praised you very much, for not giving way to irrational wailings and hopeless lamentations, but fittingly and as a true nun and an excellent teacher, shaping by your own example the souls entrusted to you by the Lord, or rather, that I may speak more familiarly, as the one-souled, like-minded daughter in the Lord of that renowned woman, her daughter-in-law in the flesh, her equal in virtue in way of life; for indeed your state was one soul in two bodies, both praiseworthy and glorious. Therefore the lady was not separated from you completely, my lady, but for a little while, until we too travel the same road; except that she is even now spiritually present and assists your efforts, and what is greater, that having drawn nearer to God she intercedes for you and yours. Do not then henceforth be downcast, we beseech you, as if unprotected nor as if left alone; you have her and before her, God, to whom all things belong, and if you will, you also have us sinners according to her request both before her death and as she was breathing her last, if indeed a sinful man can be of any benefit. This is our funeral address. But you, O blessed soul (for to her I must turn), do not ask of us for God to be merciful to you, but you yourself reconcile him to us by your intercessions (for we are confident that you have this power), nor [ask] that we should have your lady sister-mother-child as a helper, but present yourself both to her and to us and to your whole flock in the Lord, to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 459 {1To Julian the vestiarius}1 Since you greeted us through the brother, good brother, I thought it good to greet you in return by letter, showing thereby how affectionately I feel toward your honor, and not only that, but also with concern for it to be saved from the temptations of the devil; for know, beloved, that like a lion he always goes about seeking whom he may devour. Be attentive, therefore, remember your covenants. It is written: Have you sinned? Do not add to it, and pray concerning your former sins. And again the Lord says: Every branch that does not bear fruit the Father takes away, and it is thrown into the fire and burned. Let us therefore fear the example, let us struggle for our souls before the hour of death arrives, lest we be cut off as fruitless and barren from the good vine, which is Christ. For this I came, says the Lord, not to judge the world, but to save it; and again he says: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin; and again: The word that I have spoken, it will judge him on the last day. Already, beloved, our good God has fulfilled all things for us; he appeared on earth, he took the form of a slave, he became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, and this, though being the Lord of glory and upholding all things by the word of his power, calling us back from the corruption that came upon us through the first-formed man, and not only that, but also deifying us through his holy flesh; whose brothers we have been deemed worthy to be called, and members of the same body and partakers and fellow heirs. We must therefore guard ourselves with all vigilance. You walk in the midst of snares as you pass through the city; see that you are not ensnared. In the fear of the Lord let your conduct be with good men; flee those who live unguardedly, flee childish games and jests, flee corrupting carousing and heavy drinking. Let no corrupting word proceed from your mouth, but only such as is good for building up those who hear. Do not be anxious to be rich, for you entered this world naked, and naked you shall depart. Do not love the glory of this world, for it passes away like smoke. Love one thing only, the good, to have a heart clean from filthy sin, to attain the kingdom of heaven and to flee judgment

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μακαρία καὶ οὕτως ἁγίως ἀπῆρεν καὶ οὕτως πιστεύομεν ἔχειν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί. λοιπὸν ἐπὶ σὲ ὁ λόγος μεθικτέος, δέσποινά μου· τί τοῦτο; ἵνα, εἰ καὶ δριμὺς ὁ χωρισμός, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐνέγκῃς εὐχαρίστως, καθὰ καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν καὶ ἐπαινέσαμέν σε πάνυ, μὴ προϊεμένην κωκυτοὺς ἀλόγους καὶ θρήνους ἀνελπίστους, ἀλλὰ δεόντως καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς μοναζούσης καὶ ἀρίστης διδασκάλου, ὑποτυπούσης τῷ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ὑποδείγματι τὰς πιστευθίας σοι ψυχὰς ὑπὸ Κυρίου, μᾶλλον δέ, ἵνα γνωριμώτερον εἴπω, ὡς ἐκείνης τῆς ἀοιδίμου ὁμοψύχου, ὁμογνώμονος θυγατρὸς ἐν Κυρίῳ, νύμφης ἐν σαρκί, ἰσαρέτου ἐν πολιτείᾳ· καὶ γὰρ μία ψυχὴ ἐν δυσὶ σώμασι τὸ καθ' ὑμᾶς καὶ αἰνετὸν καὶ δεδοξασμένον. οὐ τοίνυν εἰς ἅπαν ἐχωρίσθη σου, κυρία, ἡ κυρία, ἀλλὰ πρὸς μικρόν, ἕως ἂν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδεύσωμεν ὁδόν· πλὴν ὅτι καὶ πνευματικῶς καὶ ἄρτι πάρεστι καὶ συμφέρει σοι τὰ σπουδάσματα, καὶ τὸ μεῖζον, ὅτι καὶ ἐγγυτέρω γεναμένη θεοῦ ἀντιβολεῖ τὰ περὶ σοῦ καὶ τῶν σῶν. μὴ δὴ οὖν λοιπὸν καταπέσοις, παρακαλοῦμεν, ὡς ἀπροστάτευτος μηδὲ ὡς μεμονωμένη· ἔχεις αὐτὴν καὶ πρὸ αὐτῆς τὸν θεόν, οὗ τὰ πάντα, εἰ δέ, καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνης καὶ πρὸ θανάτου καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀποπνεῖν αἴτησιν ἔχεις, εἴπερ τι καὶ λυσιτελεῖν δύναιτο ἄνθρωπος ἁμαρτωλός. Αὕτη ἡμῶν ἡ ἐπιτάφιος προσφώνησις. σὺ δέ, ὦ μακαρία ψυχὴ (πρὸς αὐτὴν γὰρ ἐπιστρεπτέον), μὴ πρὸς ἡμῶν αἰτοῦ τὸν θεόν σοι ἵλεω γενέσθαι, ἀλλ' αὐτὴ αὐτὸν ἡμῖν κατάλλαξον ταῖς πρεσβείαις (θαρροῦμεν γὰρ τοῦτο ἰσχύειν σε), μηδὲ ἡμᾶς ἐπικούρους ἔχειν τὴν κυρίαν ἀδελφομητρότεκνόν σου, ἀλλὰ σαυτὴν πάρεχε καὶ αὐτῇ καὶ ἡμῖν καὶ ὅλῃ τῇ ποίμνῃ σου ἐν Κυρίῳ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ἀμήν. 459 {1Ἰουλιανῷ βεστήτωρι}1 Ἐπειδὴ προσηγόρευσας ἡμᾶς διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, ἀδελφὲ καλέ, καλὸν ἡγησάμην διὰ γράμματος ἀντιπροσαγορεῦσαί σε, δεικνύων ἐντεῦθεν ὡς ἀγαπητῶς ἔχω περὶ τὴν τιμιότητά σου, οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεριμνητικῶς εἰς τὸ σῴζεσθαι αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου πειρατηρίων· ἴσθι γάρ, ἀγαπητέ, ὅτι ὡς λέων ἀεὶ περιέρχεται ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ. ἔχε οὖν προσεκτικῶς, μέμνησο τῶν συνθηκῶν. γέγραπται· ἥμαρτες; μὴ προσθῇς, καὶ περὶ τῶν προτέρων σου δεήθητι. καὶ πάλιν ὁ Κύριος λέγει· πᾶν κλῆμα μὴ φέρον καρπὸν αἴρει αὐτὸ ὁ πατήρ, καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται καὶ καίεται. Φοβηθῶμεν οὖν τὸ ὑπόδειγμα, ἀγωνισώμεθα ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν πρὶν ἢ ἐπιστῆναι τὴν ὥραν τοῦ θανάτου, μὴ ἐκκοφθῶμεν ὡς ἄκαρποι καὶ ἀτελεσφόρητοι τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἀμπέλου, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός. διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον, φησὶν ὁ Κύριος, οὐχ ἵνα κρίνω τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σώσω· καὶ πάλιν λέγει· εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἶχον· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσι περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν· καὶ πάλιν· ὁ λόγος, ὃν ἐλάλησα, ἐκεῖνος κρινεῖ αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. ἤδη, ἀγαπητέ, ὁ καλὸς θεὸς ἡμῶν πάντα τὰ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐπλήρωσεν· ἐπὶ γῆς ὤφθη, δούλου μορφὴν ἀνέλαβεν, ὑπήκοος ἐγένετο μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ, καὶ ταῦτα Κύριος ὢν τῆς δόξης καὶ τὰ πάντα φέρων τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, ἀνακαλούμενος ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐγγινομένης ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου φθορᾶς, καὶ οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ θεώσας ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς ἁγίας αὐτοῦ σαρκός· οὗ καὶ ἀδελφοὶ ἠξιώμεθα καλεῖσθαι καὶ σύσσωμοι καὶ συμμέτοχοι καὶ συγκληρονόμοι. δεῖ οὖν ἡμᾶς πάσῃ φυλακῇ φυλάττειν ἑαυτούς. ἐν μέσῳ παγίδων διαβαίνεις ἐν τῇ πόλει διερχόμενος· ὅρα μὴ ἐμπαρῇς. ἐν φόβῳ Κυρίου ἡ ἀναστροφή σου ἔστω μετὰ ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν· φεῦγε τοὺς ἀφυλάκτως ζῶντας, φεῦγε παίγνια καὶ γελοιάσματα νεωτερικά, φεῦγε κραιπάλας καὶ πολυποσίας φθοροποιούς. πᾶν ῥῆμα σαπρὸν ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου μὴ ἐκπορευέσθω, ἀλλ' εἴ τι καλὸν εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων. μὴ φρόντιζε πλουτεῖν, ὅτι γυμνὸς εἰσῆλθες εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσῃ. μὴ ἀγάπα τὴν δόξαν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ὅτι ὡς καπνὸς παρέρχεται. ἓν φίλει μόνον, τὸ ἀγαθόν, τὸ καθαρὰν ἔχειν τὴν καρδίαν ἀπὸ τῆς ῥυπαρᾶς ἁμαρτίας, τὸ ἐπιτυχεῖν βασιλείας οὐρανῶν καὶ φυγεῖν κρίσεως