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Do you also want to go away? on account of those of the supposed disciples who had already departed from him. And the reply from the great Peter was as follows: to whom shall we go? you have the words of eternal life; and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And again the great Peter in his own epistle: one must shepherd willingly, but not by compulsion. Let them know, therefore, who violently draw the unwilling to their own communion that they do this in a pagan manner, not offering the body of Christ which is a freewill offering, but on the contrary having the appearance of a sacrifice to an idol according to the unwillingness of the one sacrificed in their demon-loving libations. And the argument is true and the proof is clear and there is no one who listens; but spare, O Lord, spare and do not give your inheritance to complete reproach, as one of the prophets said somewhere. But what are we to suffer, O thrice-desired and all-praised one? (for it will be said, even if the word is somewhat harsh out of friendship) shall we still be led away by the times? shall we cringe before authority more than is right? And where is the voice of the Lord, forbidding the fear of man and rather establishing the fear of God alone, upon whom is all authority and the power to cast both soul and body into the hell of fire? Alas for the calamity! Woe to the cringing before any person, and especially one bearing the name of Christian. But nevertheless come again, my good friend and lord, let us be recalled, let us repent, the Lord is near to those who seek him; and he does not want our fall in any of the things we sin, but when we have fallen he loves for us to rise up quickly and when we sin to turn back, and this as often as it might happen through some misadventure of folly. And your honorable soul might perhaps say: "4he who has struck will also heal"5. And what sort of penance! For nothing is incurable when being treated, the word of healing is not heavy for us. 485 {1To Theoctistus the hermit}1 The Lord's commandment, which requires us to love one another, and so much so as to lay down our life for one another, has compelled me, spiritual brother, to write to you again, being pained for your salvation and hearing that there is a schismatic division between you and other brothers, not an ordinary one, but a very grievous one, so that the common people have also been broken apart into two opposing parts, with each adhering to their own side and standing far apart from the communion of one another. And this is entirely the work of Satan, the ancient murderer of man, and this is a great scandal; and it has been said by the Lord: woe to the world because of scandals. And again: it is better for a millstone to be tied around his neck and for him to be thrown into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. And I wonder how your honor, practicing asceticism and devoted to God for so many years, is unconcerned about this danger; which, if it is not corrected through all your diligence and care, will not only make all your ascetic practice void, but will also set you far from God, may it not be so. For this reason, brother, moved by brotherly love three years ago, when I approached those parts returning from Smyrna and had learned of the schism, I wrote to you what I had heard and how you ought to think concerning the truth and how to flee the impending danger of the scandal, and you did not write back to me; and again I made it known and you did not answer me. And this is a clear accusation that you do not wish to serve God nor to walk uprightly concerning the truth. And, forgive me, do not be indignant with me for speaking the truth; it is written: You shall certainly rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. Behold I, wretched one, although I have never seen you, but because you are a brother according to Christ, I could not bear the report for fear of God, but with rebuke I rebuked, with exhortation I exhorted, stripping myself of judgment and loving your salvation. How will you yourself, the one accused and father of the schism, bear the judgment? And how will you defend yourself to Christ, being held accountable for so many people? If you had the work of John the Forerunner, it will send you away from the kingdom empty of the

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μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε ἀπελθεῖν; διὰ τοὺς ἤδη ἀπελθόντας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τῶν δοκούντων μαθητιᾶν. καὶ ἡ παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Πέτρου ἀπόκρισις τοιάδε· πρὸς τίνα ἀπελευσόμεθα; ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις· καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπιστεύκαμεν καὶ ἔγνωμεν ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. καὶ πάλιν ὁ μέγας Πέτρος ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ ἐπιστολῇ· ἑκουσίως ποιμαίνειν δεῖ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀναγκαστικῶς. Γνώτωσαν οὖν λοιπὸν οἱ βιαστικῶς ἕλκοντες πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν κοινωνίαν τοὺς μὴ προαιρουμένους ὡς ἑλληνοειδῶς τοῦτο πράττουσιν, οὐ σῶμα Χριστοῦ τὸ ἐθελόθυτον παρέχοντες, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον εἰδωλοθύτου ἔχον ἔμφασιν κατὰ τὴν ἀκούσιον τοῦ θυομένου ἐν ταῖς κατ' αὐτῶν φιλοδαίμοσι σπονδαῖς. καὶ ὁ λόγος ἀληθὴς καὶ ἡ δεῖξις ἐναργὴς καὶ ὁ ἀκούων οὐδείς· ἀλλὰ φεῖσαι, Κύριε, φεῖσαι καὶ μὴ δῷς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου εἰς ὄνειδος τέλειον, ὥς πού τις ἔφη τῶν προφητῶν. τί δὲ ἡμεῖς πάθωμεν, ὦ τριπόθητε καὶ πανεύφημε; (εἰρήσεται γάρ, εἰ καὶ τραχύτερόν πως φιλίᾳ ὁ λόγος) ἀπαχθείημεν τῷ καιρῷ ἔτι; ὑποπτήξωμεν τὴν ἐξουσίαν πλέον ἢ καλῶς ἔχει; καὶ ποῦ ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀπαγορεύουσα τὸν ἀνθρώπινον φόβον καὶ μᾶλλον καθορίζουσα τὸν θεοῦ μόνον, ἐφ' ᾧ ἡ πᾶσα ἐξουσία καὶ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς γέενναν πυρός; φεῦ τῆς συμπτώσεως· ἀβάλε τῆς ὑποπτήξεως ἐφ' ὁτῳοῦν προσώπῳ καὶ μάλιστά γε χριστιανωνύμῳ. Πλὴν ὅμως δεῦρο πάλιν, φίλε καὶ κύριε καλέ, ἀνακληθῶμεν, μεταμεληθῶμεν, ἐγγὺς Κύριος τοῖς ζητοῦσιν αὐτόν· καὶ οὐ βούλεται μὲν τὴν πτῶσιν ἡμῶν κατά τι τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων, πεσόντας δὲ ἐρᾷ ἀνίστασθαι ἡμᾶς θᾶττον καὶ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐπιστρέφειν, καὶ τοῦτο ὁσάκις ἂν καὶ συμβαίη κατά τινα περιπέτειαν ἀβουλίας. εἴποι δ' ἂν τυχὸν ἡ τιμία σου ψυχή· "4ὁ βαλὼν καὶ ἰάσεται"5. καὶ οἷον τὸ ἐπιτίμιον· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀνιάτρευτον θεραπευόμενον, οὐ βαρὺς ἡμῖν ὁ τῆς ἰατρείας λόγος. 485 {1Θεοκτίστῳ ἐρημίτῃ}1 Ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐντολή, ἡ ἀπαιτοῦσα ἡμᾶς ἀγαπᾶν ἀλλήλους καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον τὴν ψυχὴν τιθέναι ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ἠνάγκασέν με, ἀδελφὲ πνευματικέ, καὶ πάλιν ἐπιστεῖλαί σοι, πονοῦντα περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας σου καὶ ἀκούοντα διαίρεσιν εἶναι σχισματικὴν μεταξὺ ὑμῶν καὶ ἑτέρων ἀδελφῶν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν χαλεπήν, ὥστε καὶ συναπορραγῆναι εἰς δύο μέρη ἀντικείμενα τὸν ἀγελαῖον λαόν, ἑκατέρου ἑκατέροις προσκειμένου καὶ πόρρω ἀφισταμένου τῆς ἀλληλούχου κοινωνίας. καὶ τοῦτο ὅλον ἔργον τοῦ σατανᾶ, τοῦ ἀρχαίου ἀνθρωποκτόνου, καὶ τοῦτο σκάνδαλον μέγα· καὶ λέλεκται παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου· οὐαὶ τῷ κόσμῳ ἀπὸ τῶν σκανδάλων. καὶ πάλιν· συμφέρει ἵνα μύλος ὀνικὸς δεθῇ περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ ῥιφῇ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν ἢ ἵνα σκανδαλίσῃ ἕνα τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων. καὶ θαυμάζω πῶς ἡ τιμιότης σου, ἀσκοῦσα καὶ προσκειμένη θεῷ ἐν τοσούτοις ἔτεσιν, ἀφροντίστως ἔχει περὶ τοῦ κινδύνου τούτου· ὅς, εἰ μὴ διορθωθῇ διὰ πάσης σπουδῆς σου καὶ ἐπιμελείας, οὐ μόνον κενὴν πᾶσάν σου τὴν ἄσκησιν ἐργάσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πόρρω σε θεοῦ ποιήσει, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, ἀδελφέ, φιλαδέλφως κινηθεὶς πρὸ τριῶν ἐτῶν, ἡνίκα ἐπλησίασα τοῖς αὐτόθι ἀπὸ Σμύρνης ἐπανιὼν καὶ τὸ σχίσμα μεμαθηκώς, ἔγραψά σοι ἅπερ ἀκήκοα καὶ ὡς δεῖ σε φρονεῖν περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ὡς φυγεῖν τὸν ἐπηρτημένον κίνδυνον τοῦ σκανδάλου καὶ οὐκ ἀντέγραψάς μοι· καὶ πάλιν δεδήλωκα καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθης μοι. καὶ τοῦτο κατηγορία ἐναργὴς τοῦ μὴ θέλειν σε θεὸν θεραπεύειν μηδὲ ὀρθοποδεῖν περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. καί, συγχώρησον, μὴ καταγανακτήσῃς μου λέγοντος τὸ ἀληθές· γέγραπται· ἐλεγμῷ ἐλέγξεις τὸν πλησίον σου καὶ οὐ λήψῃ δι' αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαν. ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ὁ τάλας, καίπερ μὴ ἰδών σε πώποτε, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀδελφὸς κατὰ Χριστόν, οὐκ ἤνεγκα τὴν ἀκοὴν φόβῳ θεοῦ, ἐλεγμῷ δὲ ἤλεγξα, παρακαλῶν παρε κάλεσα, ἀποδυόμενος τὸ κρίμα καὶ φιλῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν σου. πῶς αὐτὸς ὁ ἐγκληθεὶς καὶ τοῦ σχίσματος πατὴρ οἴσεις τὸ κρίμα; πῶς δὲ ἀπολογήσῃ τῷ Χριστῷ, ὑπὲρ τοσούτου λαοῦ εὐθυνόμενος; Ἰωάννου τοῦ Προδόμου εἰ τὸ ἔργον ἔχοις, κενόν σε τῆς βασιλείας ἀποπέμψει τοῦ