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Our brother and archbishop greets you warmly. 512 {1To Sergius the abbot}1 Thanks be to the Lord that your honor is well; for this the letter and the pair of brothers announced. We also accepted the intention of your desire to come to us, although you were prevented by the distress of the civil wars and the trouble along the road; which evils the Lord our God will quickly disperse, restoring his subjects to peace and delivering them from the raid of the Hagarenes; for we were also taught about the sword concerning them, of what sort and how great it was in those parts. And all these things are punishments from God for our unrepentant wickedness. Nevertheless you, good man and most honored brother, stand fast and be courageous in leading the brotherhood, not succumbing to despondency, even if the difficulties are many, not growing weary in perplexities, even if your strength is spent; but first, which is also a matter of primary importance, guard the faith, secure and unshaken, shunning communion with the heterodox in every way. For know that persecution is at hand, and it is not a mark of perfection for you to sit at home and remain unpersecuted, when the zealots of piety have suffered much and some have been crowned with the diadem of martyrdom. Therefore you have need of an exact life, to make up for the deficiency of the lapse into which your predecessor fell, and through him all of you by his acceptance; for as is the head, so also is the whole body. And I say these things not that you should be dissolved, but that you should be carefully preserved and strengthened by non-participation in the heresy. Second, being sober be sober and being watchful be watchful, because many are they who fight against us from on high, because many are the snares of the devil, because as a roaring lion he seeks whom he may devour; and one he tries to swallow with the pleasure of the flesh, another he tries to tear away from the company of the brothers with the disease of unbelief; and another he wounds with the arrows of envy, wishing to show him to be another Cain, while another he casts down with the fall of avarice, longing to make him known as a second Judas. And in a word, his work night and day is our destruction. Take heed, guard in ways and words the sheep of Christ and your reward from God will be great; for He himself said to the chief of the apostles: 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? Feed my sheep.' Therefore, the proof of love for Him is the pastoral staff according to reason. 513 {1To Stephen my son}1 Abba Anthimos also arrived, O good Stephen and beloved son, and, as if seeing you as was my duty, I asked how you are doing; since the principle of leadership demands this, thus I also acted in the case of your brother Anthimos. And I perceived that you have love for one another, but not of the sort that truth seeks in brothers who are genuine according to the Lord. And what is this, that you do not share all things, but you yourself keep your own money and he keeps his own money, which is divisive of love? For where could there be one soul and one heart, where "4that which is mine and that which is yours"5 is said? From this come suspicions, from this come slanders; and third, from this, not Christ is in your midst, who said, 'Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them,' but the enemy of our souls, who cuts apart the members of Christ. For it is clear that where there is private ownership and not community, Christ is absent from there, since it is written of the apostles, 'they had all things in common and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own.' Are we not ashamed now, forgive me, that being two we do not possess our things in common, when among the apostles, being so great a multitude, community existed? For this reason Christ was there, but among you not at all, even if the word is harsh; for you would have been of one soul, of one mind and of one heart, bearing with one another, caring for one another, self-sufficient, obedient, gentle, cheerful, content with what you have, having a sweet life even with only bread and water, such as the saints had. But now it is the opposite according to what has been said before. For this reason you also have distraction, that there may be added

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ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος πλεῖστά σε προσαγορεύει. 512 {1Σεργίῳ ἡγουμένῳ}1 Χάρις Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ὑγιαίνει ἡ τιμιότης σου· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀνήγγειλε τὸ γράμμα καὶ ἡ δυὰς τῶν ἀδελφῶν. ἀπεδεξάμεθα δὲ καὶ τὴν πρόθεσιν τοῦ ἐπιθυμεῖν σε ἀφῖχθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, κωλυθέντα γε μὴν ὑπὸ τῆς συνοχῆς τῶν ἐμφυλίων πολέμων καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐπηρείας· ἅτινα κακὰ Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν διασκεδάσει ἐν τάχει, ἐπανάγων εἰς εἰρήνην τὸ ὑπήκοον καί γε ἀπαλλάττων τῆς τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἐπιδρομῆς· ἐδιδάχθημεν γὰρ καὶ τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν ῥομφαίαν, οἵα καὶ ἡλίκη γένονεν ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα ἐπιτίμιά ἐστι παρὰ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀμετανοήτῳ ἡμῶν κακίᾳ. ὅμως σύ, ἄνερ ἀγαθὲ καὶ ἀδελφὲ τιμιώτατε, στῆθι καὶ ἀνδρίζου ἐν τῷ καθηγεῖσθαι τῆς ἀδελφότητος, μὴ ὑποπίπτων ἀθυμίᾳ, κἂν πολλαὶ αἱ δυσκολίαι, μὴ ἀποκάμνων ταῖς ἀπορίαις, κἂν ἡ ἰσχὺς δαπανᾶται· ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μέν, ὃ καὶ πρώτου λόγου ἐστὶ ζήτημα, τὴν πίστιν φρούρει ἀσφαλῆ καὶ ἀκράδαντον, φεύγων τὴν κοινωνίαν τῶν ἑτεροδόξων παντοίῳ τρόπῳ. ἴσθι γὰρ ὅτι διωγμὸς πάρεστι, καὶ οὐ τελειότητος, τὸ ὑμᾶς οἴκοι καθέζεσθαι καὶ ἀδιώκτους διαμένειν, τῶν ζηλωτῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας πολλὰ πεπονθότων καὶ μαρτυρίου διάδημα στεψαμένων τινῶν. ὥστε ἀκριβοῦς ζωῆς ὑμῖν χρεία, ἀναπληρούσης τὸ ἐλλιπὲς τῆς ὑποπτώσεως, ἣν ὑπέπεσεν ὁ προκαθηγησάμενος ὑμῶν καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ πάντες ὑμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου παραδοχῇ· οἵα γὰρ ἡ κεφαλή, τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ ὅλον σῶμα. καὶ ταῦτα λέγω οὐχ ἵνα διαλυθῆτε, ἀλλ' ἵνα συντηρῆσθε ἀκριβῶς καὶ ἐπιρρώννυσθε τῇ ἀμεθεξίᾳ τῆς αἱρέσεως. δεύτερον, νήφων νῆφε καὶ γρηγορῶν γρηγόρει, ὅτι πολλοὶ οἱ πολεμοῦντες ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ ὕψους, ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ θήρατρα τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος ζητεῖ τίνα καταπίῃ· καὶ ὃν μὲν ἡδονῇ σαρκὸς πειρᾶται ῥοφῆσαι, ὃν δὲ ἀπιστίας νοσήματι διαρρῆξαι τῆς συναφείας τῶν ἀδελφῶν· καὶ ἄλλον φθόνου βέλεσι κατατιτρώσκει, Κάιν ἄλλον ἀποδεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ἕτερον δὲ φιλαργυρίας πτώματι καταβάλλει Ἰούδαν δεύτερον γνωρίσαι γλιχόμενος. καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς, ἔργον αὐτῷ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἡ καθ' ἡμῶν ἀπώλεια. Σκόπει, φυλάττου τρόποις καὶ λόγοις τὰ πρόβατα τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ὁ μισθός σου πολὺς παρὰ θεοῦ· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκε πρὸς τὸν κορυφαῖον τῶν ἀποστόλων· Σίμων Ἰωνᾶ, φιλεῖς με πλέον τούτων; ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. ὥστε ἀπόδειξις τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης ἡ ποιμαντικὴ κατὰ λόγον ῥάβδος. 513 {1Στεφάνῳ τέκνῳ}1 Κατέλαβεν καὶ ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἄνθιμος, ὦ καλὲ Στέφανε καὶ υἱὲ ἠγαπημένε, καί, καθάπερ σε ὀφειλομένως ἰδών, ἀνέκρινα ὅπως διάγοις· ἐπειδὴ ὁ λόγος τῆς προστασίας ἀπαιτεῖ τοῦτο, οὕτως ἐχρησάμην καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου Ἀνθίμου. καὶ ὅτι μὲν ἀγάπην ἔχετε μετ' ἀλλήλων διέγνων, οὐ μὴν οἵαν ἐπιζητεῖ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐπὶ ἀδελφοῖς γνησιεύουσι κατὰ Κύριον. καὶ τί τοῦτο, ὅτι οὐ κοινοποιεῖτε πάντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἰδιοχρυσεῖς καὶ οὗτος ἰδιοχρυσεῖ, ὅπερ ἐστὶ διαιρετικὸν ἀγάπης; ποῦ γὰρ δύναιτ' ἂν μία ψυχὴ καὶ μία καρδία εἶναι, ὅπου "4τὸ ἐμὸν καὶ τὸ σὸν"5 εἴρηται; ἐντεῦθεν αἱ ὑποψίαι, ἐντεῦθεν αἱ καταλαλιαί· καὶ τὸ τρίτον, ἐντεῦθεν οὐχ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν, ὁ εἰπών, ὅπου εἰσὶ δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐχθρὸς τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν, ὁ διατέμνων τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ. δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι, ὅπου ἰδιοκτημοσύνη καὶ οὐ κοινότης, ἄπεστιν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Χριστός, ἐπειδὴ γέγραπται ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων, εἶχον ἅπαντα κοινὰ καὶ οὐδείς τι τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν ἴδιον εἶναι. Οὐκ αἰσχυνόμεθα ἄρτι, σύγγνωτε, δύο ὄντες μὴ κεκτῆσθαι κοινὰ τὰ ὄντα, ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων τοσούτου πλήθους ὄντος τὴν κοινότητα ὑπάρχειν; διὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖ ἦν ὁ Χριστός, ἐν ὑμῖν δὲ οὐδαμῶς, κἂν βαρὺς ὁ λόγος· ἦ γὰρ ἂν καὶ σύμψυχοι ἦτε, σύμφρονές τε καὶ ὁμοκάρδιοι, ἀλλήλους ἀνεχόμενοι, ἀλλήλων φροντίζοντες, αὐτάρκεις, εὐπειθεῖς, εὐμείλικτοι, ἱλαροί, ἀρκούμενοι τοῖς παροῦσι, γλυκεῖαν ζωὴν ἔχοντες καὶ μετὰ μόνου ἄρτου καὶ ὕδατος, οἵαν εἶχον οἱ ἅγιοι. νῦν δὲ τοὐναντίον κατὰ τὰ προειρημένα. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ περισπασμὸς ὑμῖν, ἵνα προστεθῇ