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the will of God condescended to answer Balak, king of the foreigners, how can we, who are established in the rank of the priesthood and will give an account on the day of judgment for the answers we give when we are asked, possibly speak perversely of what is right? So we answered those who asked, not ourselves on our own authority having allowed this or that to happen, as you yourself were led to say. And what do you wish, that we should answer commercially to please each person or that we should rightly divide the word of truth? Therefore, let neither you yourself be struck against us humble ones inappropriately, nor the lady your sister, nor anyone else who chooses to mock and slander us, but know that we do not feel hostile toward the ever-memorable general, but indeed very affectionately, just as also toward his wife. But we are grieved and reasonably counter-charge that you, who are both outstanding in knowledge and claim piety, were not led by true love toward him in the end; since it was necessary before all and above all to strive for the salvation of his soul, for him to partake of the holy things, considering all other things rubbish, so that he might be found in the orthodox communion, since it is written, wherever I find you, there I will judge you. We for our part think and speak thus. But if others think otherwise, they are masters of their own voice, and we for our part are silent. The Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity, as it is written. 540 {1To Hypakoe, a nun}1 Those who have chosen the solitary life and have henceforth been crucified to the world, as having already become superior to fleshly relations and conventions, are not naturally bent down in the conventional circumstances of their relatives nor are they grieved at their deaths. But, since we find that even the saints themselves have been bent by grief for their kinsmen and have shed a warm tear at their deaths, we do not judge it strange that we too have suffered the same things, and especially for a brother, and a most excellent brother both in prudence and distinction and one who, so to speak, held the place of a father in his concern for you. Terrible indeed is the grief, sister in the Lord, and the blow has touched your heart as if cut by a sword. What is this? For the face must be unveiled. The lord your brother, as they say, has fallen asleep; a good man has gone, the eye of the family has been extinguished, your comfort has flown away. Orphans are the children he bore, and an orphan are you yourself with your sisters, having nowhere to rest your hand when weary, nor anywhere to look when beset by troubles. But why do we lament the grief at greater length? Our discourse is to one beloved of God, to one intelligent, to one sensible, to one of much experience, to one filled with divine knowledge, able also to chasten others by her own example. Bring forth from the good treasure of your heart the spiritual wealth, the medicines of comfort, ministering to both yourself and your sisters; for we know that the grief has touched them equally, as also the lady abbess, and indeed also the whole family, and I might add, the senate itself. Who would not groan for him? Who would not shed tears, since grief has touched even us humble ones, though we are so philosophical? But, since we have seen that no one who comes into being will not also depart from here, and this from our forefather Adam until now, we have considered nothing strange in what has happened; but it would be a remarkable thing if your God-wise heart were to bear it thankfully, becoming a model along with the lady abbess for your sisters and cousins and all your kin. Arrange everything with courage as is your custom, magnanimously helping as much as possible the house of your brother so that those who lie in wait in human circumstances do not run it to desolation. Therefore, take care as much as possible also for the precious soul of that good man, because even after death are helped by the living the

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τὸ βούλημα τοῦ θεοῦ ἠνέσχετο ἀποκριθῆναι τῷ Βαλάκ, βασιλεῖ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, πῶς ἡμεῖς, οἱ ἐν βαθμῷ ἱερωσύνης κείμενοι καὶ λόγον ὑφέξοντες ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἀνθ' ὧν ἐρωτώμενοι ἀποκρινούμεθα, δυνατὸν παρατετραμμένως φθέγγεσθαι τοῦ δέοντος; Οὕτως οὖν ἀπεκρίθημεν τοῖς ἐρωτήσασιν, οὐκ αὐτοὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπιτετραπότες τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο γενέσθαι, ὡς αὐτὴ προήχθης εἰπεῖν. καὶ τί βούλει, πρὸς τὸ ἀρέσκον ἑκάστῳ ἐμπορικῶς ἡμᾶς ἀποκρίνεσθαι ἢ ὀρθοτομοῦντας τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας; μὴ τοίνυν μήτε αὐτὴ πλήττου εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ταπεινοὺς ἀκαίρως μήτε ἡ κυρία ἡ ἀδελφὴ μήτ' ἄλλος, ὁ προαιρούμενος σκώπτειν καὶ διασύρειν ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ γίνωσκε ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἀείμνηστον στρατηγὸν οὐκ ἐχθρωδῶς ἔχομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μάλα ἀσπασίως, ὥσπερ καὶ τὴν ὁμόζυγον αὐτοῦ. λυπούμεθα δὲ καὶ ἀντεγκαλοῦμεν εἰκότως ὅτι ὑμεῖς, αἱ καὶ γνώσει διαφέρουσαι καὶ εὐλαβείας ἀντιποιούμεναι, οὐκ ἀληθινῇ ἀγάπῃ ἤχθητε ἐν τέλει πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐπεὶ ἔδει πρὸ πάντων καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὸ σωτηριῶδες τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ μετασχεῖν τῶν ἁγιασμάτων ἀγωνίσασθαι, τὰ ἄλλα πάντα σκύβαλα ἡγούμεναι, ὥστ' ἂν εὑρεθῇ ἐν τῇ ὀρθοδόξῳ κοινωνίᾳ, ἐπειδὴ γέγραπται, ὅπου ἄν εὕρω σε, ἐκεῖ σε κρινῶ. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὕτως φρονοῦμεν καὶ λέγομεν. εἰ δὲ ἄλλοι ἄλλως, αὐτοὶ κύριοι τῆς οἰκείας φωνῆς, καὶ ἡμεῖς γε σιωπῶμεν. οἶδεν Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀποστήτω ἀπὸ ἀδικίας πᾶς ὁ ὀνομάζων τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, καθὰ γέγραπται. 540 {1Ὑπακοῇ μοναζούσῃ}1 Οἱ τὸν μονήρη βίον ἐπανῃρημένοι καὶ τῷ κόσμῳ ἐντεῦθεν ἐσταυρωμένοι, ὡς ἤδη ἀνώτεροι γενόμενοι τῶν σαρκικῶν σχέσεων καὶ συμβάσεων, οὐ πεφύκασι κατακάμπτεσθαι ἐν ταῖς συμβατικαῖς τῶν συγγενῶν περιστάσεσιν οὐδὲ λυπεῖσθαι ἐν ταῖς τούτων ἀποβιώσεσιν. ἀλλ', ἐπειδὴ εὑρίσκομεν καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἁγίων κεκάμφθαι ἐν τῷ τῶν συναίμων πάθει καὶ δάκρυον ἀποστάζειν θερμὸν ἐν ταῖς τούτων ἀποβιώσεσιν, οὐ ξένον τι κρίνομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ αὐτὰ πεπονθέναι, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ ἀδελφῷ, καὶ ἀδελφῷ καλλίστῳ κατά τε φρόνησιν καὶ περιφάνειαν καὶ οἷον ἐν τάξει πατρὸς ἐπέχοντι τῆς καθ' ὑμᾶς φροντίδος τὸν λόγον. ∆εινὸν ὄντως τὸ πάθος, ἀδελφὴ ἐν Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἥψατο ὑμῶν τῆς καρδίας ἡ πληγὴ καθάπερ ὑπὸ μαχαίρας τεμνούσης. τί τοῦτο; ἐκκαλυπτέον γὰρ τὸ πρόσωπον. ὁ κύριος ὁ ἀδελφός, ὥς φασι, κεκοίμηται· ᾤχετο ἀνὴρ ἀγαθός, ἐσβέσθη ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς τοῦ γένους, ἀπέπτη τὸ παραμύθιον ὑμῶν. ὀρφανοὶ μὲν οἱ παῖδες οὓς ἤνεγκεν, ὀρφανὴ δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ σὺν ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς, οὐκ ἔχουσα ποῦ ἐρείσῃ τὴν χεῖρα ὀκλάζουσα ἢ ποῦ ἀποβλέψοις περιστατουμένη. ἀλλ' ἱνατί ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐλεεινολογοῦμεν τὸ πάθος; πρὸς θεοφιλῆ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, πρὸς συνετήν, πρὸς ἐχέφρονα, πρὸς πολύπειρον, πρὸς ἔμπλεων τῇ θείᾳ γνώσει, δυναμένην καὶ ἄλλους σωφρονίζειν τῷ καθ' ἑαυτῆς ὑποδείγματι. ἔκβαλε ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας σου τὸν πνευματικὸν πλοῦτον, τὰ φάρμακα τῆς παραμυθίας, ἐπαρκοῦσα σαυτῇ τε καὶ ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς· ἴσμεν γὰρ ὅτι κἀκείνων ἥψατο ἐξ ἴσου ἡ λύπη, ἐπεὶ καὶ τῆς κυρίας ἡγουμένης, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ὅλου τοῦ γένους, προσθείην δ' ἂν καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς συγκλήτου. τίς ἐπ' αὐτῷ μὴ ἐπιστενάξειε; τίς δὲ μὴ καταγάγοι δάκρυα, ὅπερ καὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ταπεινῶν, καίπερ οὕτω φιλοσοφούντων, ἥψατο ἡ λύπη; Ἀλλ', ἐπειδὴ ἀπεβλέψαμεν ὅτι οὐδεὶς εἰς γέννησιν ἐλθὼν μὴ οὐχὶ καὶ ἐκδημήσειε τῶν ἐνθένδε, καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τοῦ προπάτορος ἡμῶν Ἀδάμ μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, οὐδὲν ξένον ἡγησάμεθα ἐπὶ τῷ συμβεβηκότι· ξένον δ' ἂν εἶεν, εἴπερ ἡ θεοσύνετός σου καρδία ἐνέγκοι εὐχαρίστως, ὑποτύπωσις γενομένη σὺν τῇ κυρίᾳ καθηγουμένῃ ταῖς τε ἀδελφαῖς καὶ ἐξαδέλφαις καὶ πάσῃ τῇ συγγενείᾳ. διάθου κατὰ τὸ εἰωθός σοι εὐψύχως πάντα, μεγαλοβούλως καθ' ὅσον ἐνδέχεται ἐπικουροῦσα καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ εἰς τὸ μὴ ἐρήμην καταδραμεῖν τοὺς ἐφεδρεύοντας ἐν ταῖς περιστάσεσι τῶν ἀνθρώπων. φρόντισον οὖν ὅσον δυνατὸν καὶ τῆς τιμίας ψυχῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκείνου, ὅτι καὶ μετὰ θάνατον βοηθοῦνται παρὰ τῶν ζώντων οἱ