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formed in the character of sincere faith, both brothers and fellow citizens, having Christ as head; of whom, as we are a body and members in part, we are debtors both to rejoice with one another in good fortune and to be grieved in turn at sorrows. But oh, how the rush of the time has forced you, who were eager to travel elsewhere, to fall into the snares of those who hold power here? What then is there to say to these things? Or as the holy scripture says, and the one leading led Jehu? But there it was to become king of Israel, while here it is to bear witness to the truth, so that what has been said might be fulfilled now also, out of Zion shall go forth the word, and the law of the Lord from Jerusalem. Here is the meaning, O blessed one: stand bravely, we remind you; glorify God then in your body and in your spirit, say also yourself with the divine Paul, I know that this will turn out for my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death; for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Behold the sweet contest, behold the blessed exchange, for brief afflictions and tribulations, or rather for blows and drops of blood, to become a god and to attain to the God who truly is. You were isolated, therefore, as we have heard, cut off in spirit from those who have loved the present age, but you were united with all who hold fast to the word of truth. From here the choir of martyrs wishes to receive you whole, from there the company of confessors extends a hand to take you as a fellow-chorister. Let us not then be left behind from the goodly choir, O venerable one, nor in turn put to shame the hopes of all, O thrice-desired one. How many things would you have done, so that your name might become heard for virtue by those here and there? But now, as one who has ascended a mountain of virtues through your confession, you have become manifest to the world and you shine more brightly than the sun with your word and your life, to the glory of our Father who is in heaven; you were confined to an eminent place, you were handed over to a blasphemous tongue, fawning over not a few things, telling lies about not a few things, and attempting to make you bend from your high and divine resolve? But we know from hearing how great you yourself are by the grace of Christ, holding forth the word of life, putting forth a stream of wisdom from your mouth to bring forth fitting responses to their vain propositions. But we the humble say and make this clear, that chosen men of old and now have presided over this hierarchical throne, who with skill in doctrine have formulated and published the teaching and watchword concerning the holy icons, and, if one must speak apostolically, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; for here the iconoclastic heresy, having come forth as from the gates of Hades, has here also been abolished, and shall yet be abolished by the breezes of the Holy Spirit, whenever Christ shall rebuke this wicked, truly, sea, on which there are many shipwrecks concerning the faith, not so much from a perversion of the mind as from fear of the rulers. Nevertheless many have leapt over the surging wave, steered by the Holy Spirit, and many are the testimonies and the writings of piety, refuting all error and revealing the beauty of the truth to all faithful minds; with whom may your blessedness also be kept, fighting the good fight, finishing the race, keeping the faith for the receiving of the crown of righteousness. So be it. 548 {1To the nun Hypakoe}1 And though we are hesitant to write, we are nevertheless compelled to open a thankful and praise-filled mouth to your honor. Until when, then, will you not cease, O beautiful mother, from lending yourself to us? For how long will your gifts not cease, being sent from here and there? and especially now, when many sorrows have surrounded you, for which reasons we were the more moved to write, having learned such and such things concerning the relic

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χαρακτῆρι τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς πίστεως μεμορφωμένοι καὶ ἀδελφοὶ καὶ συμπολῖται, κεφαλὴν ἔχοντες τὸν Χριστόν· οὗπερ ὡς σῶμα τελοῦντες καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους, ὀφειλέται ἐσμὲν καὶ συγχαίρειν ἀλλήλοις ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς καὶ ἀνιᾶσθαι αὖ πάλιν ἐπὶ τοῖς λυπηροῖς. Ἀλλ' ὤ, πῶς ἀλλαχῇ ὡρμημένους ὑμᾶς πορεύεσθαι ἠνάγκασεν ἡ φορὰ τοῦ καιροῦ ἐν ἄρκυσιν ἐμπεσεῖν τῶν τῇδε κρατούντων; τί οὖν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν πρὸς ταῦτα; ἢ ὅπερ φησὶν τὸ ἱερὸν γράμμα, καὶ ὁ ἄγων ἦγεν τὸν Ἠού; ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν εἰς τὸ βασιλεῦσαι τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ἐνταῦθα δὲ εἰς τὸ μαρτυρῆσαι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, ὡς ἂν πληρωθῇ τὸ εἰρημένον καὶ τανῦν, ἐκ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται λόγος, καὶ νόμος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ. ὧδε ὁ νοῦς, ὦ μάκαρ· στῆθι γενναίως, ὑπομνήσκομεν· δόξασον δὴ τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ σώματί σου καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι, εἰπὲ καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου, οἶδα ὅτι τοῦτό μοι ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν δεήσεως καὶ ἐπιχορηγίας τοῦ πνεύματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἀποκαραδοκίαν καὶ ἐλπίδα μου ὅτι ἐν οὐδενὶ αἰσχυνθήσομαι, ἀλλ' ἐν πάσῃ παρρησίᾳ ὡς πάντοτε καὶ νῦν μεγαλυνθήσεται ἐν τῷ σώματί μου εἴτε διὰ ζωῆς εἴτε διὰ θανάτου· ἐμοὶ γὰρ τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος. ἴδε ὁ γλυκὺς ἀγών, ἴδε ὁ μακάριος συναλλαγμός, βραχείαις θλίψεσί τε καὶ περιστάσεσιν, εἴτουν πληγαῖς τε καὶ ῥανίσιν αἵματος θεὸν γενέσθαι καὶ θεοῦ τοῦ ὄντως ὄντος ἐπιτυχεῖν. Ἐμονώθης τοιγαροῦν, ὡς ἀκηκόαμεν, τμηθεὶς τῷ φρονήματι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγαπησάντων τὸν νῦν αἰῶνα, ἀλλὰ συνηνώθης πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας λόγου. ἐντεῦθέν σε ὁ χορὸς τῶν μαρτύρων ὑπολαβεῖν βούλεται ὁλόκληρον, ἐκεῖθεν τῶν ὁμολογητῶν τὸ στῖφος χεῖρα προτείνει ἑλεῖν ὁμόχορον. μὴ δὴ ἀπολειφθῶμεν τῆς καλῆς χορείας, ὦ σεβάσμιε, μηδ' αὖ καταισχύνωμεν τὰς πάντων ἐλπίδας, ὦ τριπόθητε. πόσα ἂν ἔκαμες, ὥστε σου τὸ ὄνομα ἀκουστὸν ἐν ἀρετῇ γενέσθαι τοῖς ὧδε κἀκεῖσε; νῦν δέ, ὡς ἐπ' ὄρους ἀρετῶν διὰ τῆς ὁμολογίας ἀναβεβηκώς, ἐμφανὴς ἐγένου τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ λαμπροφορεῖς ἡλίου φωτεινότερον σὺν τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τὸν βίον εἰς δόξαν τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· εἰς τόπον εἵρχθης ὑπεραίροντα, εἰς γλῶσσαν παρεδόθης βλάσφημον, πόσα μὲν οὐ σαίνουσαν, πόσα δὲ οὐ ψευδολογοῦσαν καὶ πειρωμένην ὑποκλίνειν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ καὶ θείου φρονήματος; ἀλλ' ἴσμεν ἐξ ἀκοῆς ὅσος καὶ αὐτὸς εἶ χάριτι Χριστοῦ, λόγον ἐπέχων ζωῆς, σοφίας ῥεῖθρον ἀπὸ στόματος προβαλλόμενος ἀντεπεξάγειν τὰ εἰκότα ταῖς ματαίαις προτάσεσιν. ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ ταπεινοὶ ἐκεῖνο λέγομέν τε καὶ διασαφοῦμεν, ὅτι λογάδες πάλαι τε καὶ νῦν προέστησαν τοῦδε τοῦ ἱεραρχικοῦ θρόνου, εὐτεχνίᾳ δογ μάτων τὸ περὶ τῶν σεπτῶν εἰκόνων θεώρημά τε καὶ σύνθημα διατυπώσαντές τε καὶ ἐκδώσαντες, καί, εἰ δεῖ ἀποστολικῶς εἰπεῖν, ὅπου ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις· ὧδε γὰρ προελθοῦσα ὡς ἐξ ᾅδου πυλῶν ἡ εἰκονομαχικὴ αἵρεσις ὧδε καὶ κατήργηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔτι καταργηθήσεται ταῖς αὔραις τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ὁπηνίκα ἐπιτιμήσει· Χριστὸς τῇ πονηρᾷ ταύτῃ ὡς ἀληθῶς θαλάσσῃ, περὶ ἣν πολλὰ τὰ περὶ τὴν πίστιν ναυάγια, οὐ τοσοῦτον διαστροφῇ νοός, ὅσον δέει τῶν κρατούντων. Πλὴν ὅτι ὑπερήλαντο πολλοὶ τοῦ κλύδωνος, πηδαλιουχούμενοι Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ, καὶ πολλὰ τὰ μαρτύρια καὶ τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας συγ- γράμματα, πᾶσαν πλάνησιν διελέγχοντα καὶ τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ὡραιότητα πάσαις ταῖς πισταῖς διανοίαις ὑποφαίνοντα· μεθ' ὧν φυλαχθείη καὶ ἡ σὴ μακαριότης, τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἀγωνιζομένη, τὸν δρόμον τελοῦσα, τὴν πίστιν τηροῦσα εἰς ἀπόληψιν τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στεφάνου. εἶεν. 548 {1Ὑπακοῇ μοναζούσῃ}1 Καὶ εὐλαβούμενοι γράφειν, ὅμως ἀναγκαζόμεθα στόμα εὐχάριστον καὶ αἰνέσιμον ἀνοίγειν τῇ τιμιότητί σου. ἕως πότε οὖν οὐκ ἀνήσῃς, καλλιμῆτορ, κιχρᾶν ἡμῖν σεαυτήν; ἕως τίνος τὰ δωρήματά σου οὐκ ἀπολήξωσιν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν παραπεμπόμενα; καὶ μάλιστά γε νῦν, ὅτε πολλά σοι τὰ λυπηρὰ περιεστοίχησαν, ἐφ' οἷς καὶ ἐκινήθημεν μᾶλλον ἐπιστεῖλαι, μαθόντες οὕτως καὶ οὕτως ἐπὶ τῷ λειψάνῳ