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or rather, a provision for eternal life. For he who eats and drinks unworthily, that is, not as purely as is possible for our humble nature, eats and drinks judgment to himself according to the apostolic decree, not discerning the body of the Lord. Therefore we must strive, my brothers, to keep ourselves pure from improper desire, and from envy which consumes the soul, and from love of money which sinks the mind, and from sloth which darkens the eye of the soul, always awaiting the departure from the body, by which the passions are melted away and the soul is strengthened. Close the entrances of the passions, flee the places of falls, flee conversations and living together with women; for how could a heart not be inflamed, or rather, set on fire, giving and receiving words with a virgin, with a female psalmist, with any woman whatsoever? How, he says, to speak theologically, will the strange woman save him whom his own wife destroyed? For even if one might seem to guard oneself in practice, yet in heart one would not be saved from adultery according to the decree of the Lord. The persecution, therefore, is not for destruction but for salvation, nor is there such a pressing necessity for living together with a woman, as circumstances among the fathers forced the renowned Athanasius to spend seven years with a virgin or this or that saint to be served by a woman. But now both cities and countries have the freedom for hospitality towards women in a way that does not involve living together. But you, supposedly for the sake of confession and persecution for Christ, moving against Christ, do you not perceive that you are frequently speaking with women, perhaps singing psalms with them, and maybe even eating with them or living with them, devouring the appearance of your housemate and being devoured by her ruinously? Flee as from a fire, both men from women and women from men, and if an encounter must take place, only for as long as necessity and need may require, running away also from placing a stumbling block for others. For why, he says, is my freedom judged by another's conscience? And, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to stumble. Live, therefore, without causing scandal, O children, and without offense to Jews and to Greeks and to the church of God, as it is written, considering also the uncertainty of death. Already brother Silas has passed away, and before him Abba Theosostos and brother Procopius, and no one will remain. And blessed is he who understands how to pass through this life without condemnation. Pray for us, the humble, unceasingly, that we may be saved. 504 {1To Demetrius the consul}1 What other consolation can the absence of the body find than connection through a letter? By this, therefore, O best of friends, we the humble are at present joined to you in love, embracing you in the spirit and knowing that absence has not separated our love, but rather calls it forth, thirsting for affection, just as those who are thirsty run to the springs of waters. But so much for the demonstration of our love. But how you yourself are faring in the office entrusted to you by the emperors we do not know, and rather we are anxious, since we also learn that another office has been added to the former one for you, not by your will, but by the command of the ruler, and that, being farther away than the former, it is near the barbarians; on account of which your precious soul has been seized with fear, as they say, being neither willing nor equipped to bear a sword and to make war and be made war upon. All these things have moved us also to make supplications and prayers for you to be kept unharmed in both offices; and indeed we believe that you are being kept safe, having before your eyes the fear of God and calling upon help from there. For where God is a helper, there every evil thing would be out of the way; for an angel of the Lord, it says, will encamp around those who fear him and will deliver them. Be such a one, therefore, yourself, our longed-for master, through your piety and good works, by the guardian of your life

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μᾶλλον δὲ ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἐφόδιον. ὁ γὰρ ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων ἀναξίως, ἤγουν μὴ καθαρῶς ὅσον ἐνδέχεται τῇ ταπεινῇ ἡμῶν φύσει, κρίμα ἑαυτῷ ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἀπόφασιν, μὴ διακρίνων τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Κυρίου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀγωνιστέον, ἀδελφοί μου, καὶ ἀπὸ ἐπιθυμίας ἐκτόπου καὶ ἀπὸ φθόνου κατεσθίοντος ψυχὴν καὶ ἀπὸ φιλαργυρίας βυθιζούσης νοῦν καὶ ἀπὸ ἀκηδίας σκοτιζούσης ὀφθαλμὸν ψυχῆς καθαροὺς ἑαυτοὺς διατηρεῖν, προσδεχομένους ἀεὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἔξοδον, ἐφ' ᾧ τήκεται τὰ πάθη καὶ νευροῦται ψυχή. κλείετε τὰς εἰσόδους τῶν παθῶν, φεύγετε τοὺς τῶν πτωμάτων τόπους, φεύγετε τὰς γυναικείας ὁμιλίας καὶ συνδιαιτήσεις· πῶς γὰρ ἂν καὶ μὴ φλεχθείη καρδία, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐμπυρισθείη, λόγους διδοῦσα καὶ λαμβάνουσα μετὰ παρθένου, μετὰ ψαλλούσης, μεθ' οἱασδήποτε γυναικός; πῶς, φησί, θεολογικῶς εἰπεῖν, σώσει ἡ ἀλλοτρία ὃν ἀπώλεσεν ἡ ἰδία; κἂν γὰρ πρακτικῶς δόξειέν τις φυλάττεσθαι, ἀλλά γε καρδιακῶς ἀμοίχευτος οὐ διασωθῇ κατὰ τὴν ἀπόφασιν τοῦ Κυρίου. Ὁ διωγμὸς οὖν οὐ δι' ἀπώλειαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ σωτηρίαν, οὐδὲ τοσαύτη ἀνάγκη κατεπείγουσα εἰς τὸ συνδιαιτᾶσθαι γυναικί, καθὼς ἐν τοῖς πατράσι τὸ περιστατικὸν ἠνάγκασεν ὑπὸ παρθένῳ τὸν ἀοίδιμον Ἀθανάσιον ἑπταετῆσαι ἢ τόνδε καὶ τόνδε τὸν ἅγιον ὑπὸ γυναικὸς ἐξυπηρετηθῆναι. ἀλλὰ νῦν καὶ πόλεις καὶ χῶραι τὸ ἐλευθέριον ἔχουσι τῆς ἀσυνδυάστῳ τρόπῳ γυναιξὶ ξενίας. σὺ δέ, δῆθεν ὁμολογίας καὶ διωγμοῦ τοῦ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κινούμενος οὐκ ἐπαισθάνῃ γυναιξὶ πυκνῶς ὁμιλῶν, συμψάλλων ἴσως, τάχα δὲ καὶ συνεσθίων ἢ καὶ συνοικῶν, ἐσθίων τὴν ὄψιν τῆς συνοίκου καὶ ἐσθιόμενος ὑπὸ τῆσδε ὀλεθρίως; φύγετε ὡς ἀπὸ πυρὸς καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες ἀπὸ γυναικῶν καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνδρῶν, εἰ δὲ καὶ σύμβασιν δεῖ γενέσθαι, τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἡ ἀνάγκη καὶ ἡ χρεία ἀπαιτοίη, διαδιδράσκοντες καὶ τὸ τιθέναι σκάνδαλον ἄλλοις. ἱνατί γὰρ ἡ ἐλευθερία μου, φησί, κρίνεται ὑπὸ ἄλλης συνειδήσεως; καί, εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω. Ἀσκανδαλίστως οὖν πολιτεύεσθε, ὦ τέκνα, καὶ ἀποσκόπως καὶ Ἰουδαίοις καὶ Ἕλλησι καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ, καθὼς γέγραπται, ἐπινοοῦντες καὶ τὸ ἄδηλον τοῦ θανάτου. ἤδη παρῆλθεν καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίλας, καὶ πρό γε τούτου ὁ ἀββᾶς Θεόσωστος καί γε ὁ ἀδελφὸς Προκόπιος, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπιμενεῖ. καὶ μακάριος ὁ συνιῶν ἀκαταγνώστως παρελθεῖν τὸν τῇδε βίον. προσεύχεσθε περὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ταπεινῶν ἀνεπιλήστως ἵνα σῳζοίμεθα. 504 {1∆ημητρίῳ ὑπάτῳ}1 Ἡ ἀπουσία τοῦ σώματος τίνα ἄλλην εὕροι παραμυθίαν ἢ τὴν διὰ τοῦ γράμματος συνάφειαν; ταύτῃ τοιγαροῦν, ὦ φίλων ἄριστε, συν απτόμεθά σου τῇ ἀγάπῃ οἱ ταπεινοὶ τὸ παρόν, προσπτυσσόμενοί σε τῷ πνεύματι καὶ γνωρίζοντες ὅτι οὐχὶ ἡ ἀπουσία διέζευξεν τὴν ἀγάπην, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκκαλεῖται αὐτὴν διψῶσαν τὸ φίλτρον, καθάπερ οἱ διψαλέως ἔχοντες ἐπιτρέχουσι πρὸς τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων. Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν τῆς ἀγάπης δεικτικὸν τοσοῦτον. πῶς δὲ αὐτὸς διατελοίης ἐν τῇ πιστευθείσῃ σοι παρὰ τῶν βασιλέων ἀρχῇ ἀγνοοῦμεν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐμμερίμνως ἔχομεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ μανθάνομεν τῇ προτέρᾳ ἀρχῇ ἑτέραν ἐπιτεθῆναί σοι, οὐκ ἐθέλοντι, ἀλλὰ προστάσσοντος τοῦ κρατοῦντος, καὶ ὅτι, πορρωτέρω τῆς προτέρας οὖσαν, ἐγγίζει τοῖς βαρβάροις· ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ δέος ἐσχηκέναι τὴν τιμίαν σου ψυχήν, ὥς φασι, μήτε ἐθέλουσαν μήτε ἐξηρτυμένην εἰς τὸ φορεῖν μάχαιραν καὶ πολεμεῖν καὶ πολεμεῖσθαι. ταῦτα ἅπαντα συνεκίνησεν καὶ ἡμᾶς δεήσεις καὶ προσευχὰς ποιεῖσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀπήμονά σε φυλάττεσθαι ἐν ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ἀρχαῖς· καί γε πιστεύομεν διατηρεῖσθαί σε σῶον, ἔχοντα πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκκαλούμενον βοήθειαν. οὗ γὰρ θεὸς ἐπίκουρος, ἐκεῖ ἐκποδὼν πᾶν κακὸν γίνοιτο· παρεμβαλεῖ γὰρ ἄγγελος Κυρίου, φησί, κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτούς. Τοιοῦτος οὖν ἔσο καὶ αὐτός, δέσποτα ἡμῶν ἐπιπόθητε, διὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας σου καὶ ἀγαθοεργίας, ὑπὸ τοῦ φύλακος τῆς ζωῆς σου