書信集 第 1 章 第 31/55 段

But glory to God, who hid them from those in power —

for many would otherwise have been endangered.

But that the iambic verses too were lost along with them — the ones you kindly composed against the icon-fighters (though surely you had not meant to send them without keeping a transcript and a note of them) — this indeed grieved us, as was to be expected.

As for me, in my lowliness, I again greet your holiness, longing for your honored face — for whose face, indeed, do I long before yours, and do I not long for it always? — a longing arising not so much from nature as from our shared labor together, a partnership raised up not from the earth but wrought from heaven, almost from the starting line up to this very day, as all know, and as those who bore us shaped us — I might say, both in body and in spirit.

May it be that we continue thus also in the time to come, and that I not be sundered from your virtue by the multitude of my sins, but be held together with you by divine loving-kindness and by the intercession of those who brought us forth into the light.

Such, then, are the matters of prayer.

As for the rest — how many things worthy of groans and lamentations have occurred in the Church of God — you have surely already heard of them —

these things are now being carried out more madly than ever.

And Christ sleeps, while the salty sea of unbelief has risen to its crest, working utter ruin.

But may the genuine disciples be with you, rousing Christ to rebuke the danger and lay it to rest.

My sponsor in the monastic habit has also departed this life — a good man, who bore away the prize of confession amid so grievous an illness that he lacked even the strength to turn himself on his bed —

How did this come about? He took his stand, was seized, imprisoned, and then exiled as well, and so completed his martyrdom.

The Lord, then, did not overlook his labors of obedience, as many as you know of — even though, on account of my sins, he was for a time caught up among the Moechians, out of a sparing regard for the body, yet without agreeing with their mind, as the outcome showed.

For this reason, having been broken away by God from that faction, he made his victory turn the other way, as did also the man of Medikion, and indeed the man of Nicaea as well, as I was assured by their own letters.

And why do I speak of this one and that one? For indeed I am persuaded that each of those who have stood firm is the same.

For indeed even our true patriarch himself confesses the truth, as I learned from the mouth of one who had heard it from him, and who praised the steadfastness shown at that time.

I have said these things, at once fittingly honoring him who has departed, and at the same time making known to your holiness what is owed to him.

But you know how Leontios — that evil once cherished in our own bosom — was swept along earlier with the Moechians, and is now a champion of the icon-fighters.

For this reason he has both seized the [monastery] of Stoudios and unlawfully rules that of Sakkoudion as well.

From what is unclean, nothing clean can come —

As is he who begot him according to the flesh, such indeed is his offspring.

May God turn him around through your holy prayers, and may he also strengthen me, a sinner, unto fear of him.

I greet those who have been deemed worthy to serve your honored self.

He who is with me venerates you as a servant.

To his son Athanasius: I rejoice, my child, to receive the letter of your graciousness, from which I am delighted not only to hear your voice, but also gladdened to see the progress of your literary skill.

Make use, then, of your writing, since it profits in both respects.

for just as wells, when drawn upon, are enlarged by their flowing veins, so too the tongue, when it works at composing letters.

But I know nothing favorable in myself, even should you go on relating still more praises concerning me;

rather, the more you praise me, the more you make me shrink within myself, since I am aware of my own true condition.

But if anything of what we say should appear to you profitable, the matter must be attributed to God, from whom, for your sake, there comes light even in one who is blind, and speech even in one who is without reason—a small and meager amount indeed.

which must not be held back, brother, but must be put to work, out of fear of the threatened penalty and hope of a favorable reception.

As for your going about here and there, moving from place to place to elude your pursuers, how could this not belong to the character of the present time, which is both painful and grievous? Yet since it is for Christ's sake, let it be a cause for joy and something to be carried through to the end.

May the Lord reward the good spatharios, who receives you as a guest and cares for you for Christ's sake;

who has indeed shown himself kind to me as well in many things.

Now I have written to the archbishop; and my not doing so before was not, as you supposed, because I had failed to receive a reply to my earlier letters;

for who in the world is more esteemed by me than he, in all things, as is right and fitting? But you have seen the demon's malicious scheming, in that the letters were lost;

but glory be to God, who did not allow the letters to be disclosed to those in power.

My spiritual father has fallen asleep, as you indicated.

But read the archbishop's letter, and from it you will learn how much I have grieved and spoken, also concerning other persons.

May the general who bore the same name as me also rest in peace, precisely because he remembered me, unworthy as I am, in his last moments.

How praiseworthy you are, to be called upon by such men, and for such purposes!

May you be seen to be ever more holy, and more esteemed by many, because you serve the one and only Lord of all;

But why, brother, do you undertake such a lengthy fast, extending to three days? You do well to subdue and afflict the flesh;

but keep to a measure that you can carry through without harming your bodily health, and this is best.

For the rest, pray for me, humble as I am, that I may be saved.

To his child Anthos: Whether I write to you or not, child, I hold you unforgotten in my humble soul—not only because of your care for your soul from childhood (for your thoughts are not those of a child, of one still in infancy, but mature and manly, since you have not been caught up in unchecked impulses and base pursuits), but also because you live together with my only brother, who is also your father;

For it is no small proof of your virtue that, out of all others, you have been chosen by him to share his hardships, that is, to serve him.

Hold fast to your ministry, doing and saying all things as in the sight of the Lord; in this your reward is great, your proof is golden, and your faith unalloyed—and my love for you, humble as I am, is thereby more truly of Christ, and my regard for you in truth more precious still.

These words are few, but of sufficient force.

Pray fervently, beloved child, for me, your sinful father.

To his child Eucharistos: There was indeed great need for me to write to you, O child, even though you yourself did not ask for it;

For are you not praiseworthy and deserving of honor, in that you almost alone endure toils, the perils of travel, and hardships, in serving the holy archbishop? How blessed is your work, how worthy of an athlete's contest your undertaking!

You have chosen to pass through the midst of snares, to walk upon burning coals;

for such are the ways of the impious.

But be strong still, child, and be courageous;

Fulfill your ministry, multiply your talent, so that it may go well with you and you may be counted blessed forever.

For the rest, pray also for me, your humble father.

To Leo: You have done well, spiritual child, to write to us, even if briefly; yet your words carry sufficient force of understanding, and show that, even if in outward standing you are but a slip beside us, you are not so in character.

And in any case you would rightly be joined to us as a son, being known as a child of our brother, the most God-beloved archbishop, and indeed a most genuine child;

For to have become his sole attendant out of the whole body of the clergy, and to contend and be persecuted together with the foremost of the brethren, is proof of great sincerity, and indeed of a mighty love toward God.

For this reason we also, humble as we are, both love and cherish you, and count you among the roll of our brotherhood.

To Constantine: What is the reason for my writing to your honor? It is your good rectitude in the faith, in that you were not swept away with the persecutors of Christ, casting your reasoning to be borne wherever they lead, but rather, like a skilled helmsman, you sit at the spiritual tiller, steering the vessel of your soul into the fair harbors of orthodoxy, backing away from the heretical billows by the breezes of the Spirit.

Since I learned this from our beloved brother who is delivering this letter to you, I judged it good to write, joining myself to your love—something necessary for a Christian to do, especially when, as now, the body of Christ has been cut by the sword of heresy at the devil's hand.

May you, then, good man, be kept unharmed by the providence of God, building upon the foundation gold, silver, and precious stones, so that you may be accounted a temple of the Lord.

To a presbyter: If someone should see a rose in winter, he would naturally run to it, since it is a rare sight, and would acknowledge his gratitude to the one who pointed it out;

Such are you, O holy man of God: in the winter of unbelief you have become known to us; and the one who showed you to us—you, the living and orthodox rose—is the bearer of this letter, my beloved son.

I saw you, not with the senses, but by contemplation of the mind; I ran to you, not with my feet, but with letters; I caught your scent, not with nostrils, but in spirit; and the fragrance was very sweet to me—or rather, to the Lord;

May you be found in the spiritual springtime, having ridden past this present bitter frost, unto the weaving of the crown of His glory.

Grant us the best thing you possess: your holy prayers.

To his child Thalelaeus: You did well to write to me, beloved child;

for in this you showed your faith and love.

But why do you sing my praises, when I possess none of these things at all? Do you not know that I am a sinner, unskilled in speech? But love is the greatest of thieves, attaching to the unworthy, on the part of those who love them, things that do not even exist.

So, child, set aside your praises, and pray instead that I may be established in the Lord and saved in every way from the evil one.

May your bodily infirmity be met with thanksgiving toward God, and do not grieve over the manner in which it came upon you.

The Lord knows how to appoint what is beneficial to each; yet I do not know from where it came upon you;

Let blasphemy be treated with contempt, and it will depart the sooner; but if it is feared, it comes upon one all the more.

From which may you be delivered by the strengthening power of God.

Even though there is much affliction from the persecutors, yet the prize is heavenly.

If, then, we suffer together, let us also be glorified together;

for the present time is not for comfortable living, but for martyrdom.

As for the difficulty concerning the presbyter who seems to be orthodox in belief, but who dines together with a bishop, as you have stated: if he ceases from such table-fellowship, under the penance of exclusion from performing the sacred rites for a certain time, so as no longer to fall into the same lapse, he has a remedy that allows him to go on performing the sacred rites to God;

But if he should remain indifferent, let not his own wealth become a man's ransom by which, through some payment, he escapes both heretical communion and any other sinful act; for it is not right, by such an exchange, to give the good and receive the worse—as it were, to give light and receive darkness.

Not even if a man should give all the wealth of the world, and yet still commune with heresy, does he become a friend of God—rather, an enemy.

And why do I speak only of communion? Even if he merely joins with heretics in food, drink, and friendship, he is culpable;

This is the judgment of Chrysostom, as indeed it is of every saint.

But in what sense is it involuntary, and not truly a deed, for one who seems to think rightly, yet still communes with the heresy? It is involuntary when someone forcibly pries open the mouth of an orthodox man and pours in the heretical communion—as the heretics of old used to do, and as, I have learned, the present-day fighters against Christ also do;

But to partake of it of one's own accord is a voluntary act.

But if it is done out of fear (for this is what is in question), not even so will he have any defense;

for we hear it said: 'Do not fear those who kill the body, but rather fear God, who consigns both together to the Gehenna of eternal fire.'

Truly the whole world is not worth as much as a single soul—one that keeps itself untouched by both heretical communion and every evil;

But those who partake of both are of the same worth as grass, wood, and stubble;

which the testing fire of judgment shall burn up; but their perpetrators it shall keep, forever aflame yet never consumed.

To his child Theodoulos: I am glad, my child, to receive your letters, but I was grieved that you are undergoing such hardships, together also with imprisonment;

But because it is for Christ's sake, all things must be endured.

But will the ungrateful disciple and betrayer of the truth, Leontius, leave you the brother who is with you? For he has also taken over Boskoition, having drawn for himself, like Judas, the noose.

He it is who has also oppressed the brothers within, and I suppose he is doing the same thing to you.

But stand firm, my brother, even unto blood, after the example of your blessed brothers, that you may be saved together with them in the Lord.

{To Symeon, his child} I have just now managed to write to you, my beloved child;

The brothers will report to you the reason why I have delayed.

As for what you wrote before, I have learned of it and have approved it in every respect, since all of it proceeds from a good disposition;

and you are to be commended, because you are well settled, both for your own salvation and that of those with you, and for the edification of those outside, neither wandering about nor roaming from place to place, but in quietness and thanksgiving and patience letting the persecution pass by.

For this reason you have also become welcome to those who host you and hear of you.

so that, obtaining Him, you may inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Help, just as I also wrote to you before, if any of the brothers is behaving badly, whether by writing to him or even by going to him.

Acacius, your cousin according to the flesh, is with those who serve me, and he has written to me;

for the steward has been arrested.

Pray for me, a sinner.

The brother who is with me greets you.

{To Euthymius, his child} Rejoice in the Lord, good Euthymius;

I have been granted once again to see you through this letter, and at the same time to embrace you as my very eye, as my inmost affection, as a son of light, as a confessor of Christ.

And as for its being late, the letter-bearer will relate the reasons.

Therefore let us be longsuffering, brother, that we may obtain the promises of God, living becomingly to the glory of God through the complete keeping of His commandments.

Pray for me, a sinner, that I may be saved.

The brother who is with me greets you.

{To Ephraim, his child} Grace to you from the Lord, child Ephraim;

Behold, once again I see you through this letter.

How are you? How is your endurance? How is your labor? I know it is well, since it is for Christ's sake that this exile and confinement are endured.

I have delayed in visiting you, but the brothers will report the reason.

In enduring, endure the Lord; in passing through, pass through every day as a soldier of Christ, purifying your thoughts, illuminating your soul with the remembrance of God and of the eternal goods.

The world is a dream, but virtue is living reality;

let us pursue this, that God may be glorified in us and we ourselves may be saved.

Pray for me, a sinner.

Brother Nicholas greets you.

{To Aphrodisius, his child} Well done, my child Aphrodisius, well done, my beloved child;

Peace to you in the Lord, in whom is your hope, and for whose sake are your exile and confinement.

So then, are you well? Are you steadfastly enduring for the Lord? May He indeed give heed to you and hearken to your supplication, guarding and sheltering you as the apple of His eye.

As for the delay in my visitation, the brother will report it.

Still stand firm, still be longsuffering, still make supplication; the Lord will draw near, He will hasten to visit His people.

Only let us serve Him with fear and trembling.

Show yourself to those who see and hear of you as an angel in the body, a God-manifesting luminary, that God may be glorified through you.

Pray also for me, a sinner, that I may be saved.

The brother who is with me greets you.

{To Hyperechius, his child} Well done, well done, my child Hyperechius;

Bear, bear this harsh season, the exile, the affliction.

Why my visitation is delayed, the brothers will explain to you;

but I have also sent you another letter, in which I granted you forgiveness, and now God will forgive you both that and everything.

Every father both disciplines and again exhorts, and one who is undisciplined and unrebuked is useless.

Do you, then, become useful, approved, even as you have also suffered for Christ.

Watch, child, how you conduct yourself, how you live; flee the occasions of falling, and the manners and places that lead to it, that you may be saved as a son of light.

Pray for me, a sinner.

The one who is with me greets you.

{To Ammonas, his child} Good Ammonas, rejoice with great joy, because your exile and confinement are for Christ's sake.

Behold, I write again; and as for its being somewhat late, the brothers will report the reason.

But indeed I always see you in the spirit and pray that you may be saved;

do this also yourself on behalf of me, a sinner.

Are you alone, or with your brother? I wish for him to be with you, since he is like you, my child.

I learn that you are dwelling and conducting yourself well, and I rejoice.

Continue to be so all the more, as a good example to your brothers;

for our work must shine before all, as befits martyrs of Christ, unto the glory of God.

Strength to you from the Lord, mercy, peace, blessing, eternal salvation.

The one who is with me greets you.

{To Stephen, his child} Rejoice, Stephen, my most honored child;

May grace, mercy, and peace from God be multiplied to you.

And I have delayed in visiting you; the brothers will report the reason.

But even when not writing, I always hold you in my heart.

Be courageous, then, still, and be strong in the Lord, bearing nobly the present griefs for the sake of the good things to come.

Day by day walk cheerfully in the straight way of God;

Chase away the passions, purify your heart, be well-pleasing to God, to whom you have dedicated yourself, for whose sake you were also scourged, and for whom is also this exile.

He Himself, then, will repay you His kingdom as a recompense, if you endure Him unto the end.

The brother who is with me greets you.

{To Symeon, his child} Rejoice, Symeon, my child.

And as for its being late, the brothers will explain.

How are you, how do you live? Watch, child, build further upon the work of God which has been granted to you by Him — the good conduct, the endurance, the longsuffering, the steadfastness in confinement;

Since I heard that you go out on excursions, I was grieved, for it is neither the will of God nor of benefit to your soul.

Christ called you to be His martyr, not to heal bodies; to sit still and cleanse yourself from all evil, not to roam about and be taken up with vain fancies.

Do not be grieved that I remind you of this, but guard yourself, my child, from now on, and be well-pleasing to God, and pray for me, the sinner.

Brother Nicholas greets you.

{To Parthenios, my child} O good Parthenios, rejoice, my beloved child, son of the true light.

Again I speak with you through this letter; again I behold you and embrace you.

As for my delay in writing, the brothers will tell you the reason; nevertheless, know that I keep you unforgotten in my heart, praying that you remain safe and sound, equipped for every good work.

How praiseworthy is your patient endurance!

For it procures the kingdom of heaven.

Do not, then, grow faint-hearted, O my child.

Endure a little while longer with patience; the Lord is near to those who wait upon Him.

What joy you are about to have at your release, whether from this place or from the body!

But who is worthy to attain the second release just yet? Fear God, take heed to yourself, hate pleasure as something exceedingly painful, love God as your only joy.

May He also keep you unharmed until the end.

Pray for me, the sinner.

Your brother, who is with me, greets you.

{To Hegesimos, my child} Grace to you from God, Hegesimos, my beloved child.

I delayed in visiting you by letter, but the brothers will tell you the reason.

I ask and exhort you to persevere and to bear your exile and confinement with patience.

Take heed to the place and the manner of your dwelling, that it may be in the Lord.

Watch out for the unseen enemies, lest they gain ground in you by your entertaining evil thoughts.

Every day there is warfare, but also crowns—provided we do not fall.

Live in this way, as an angel, as a martyr of Christ.

Even if you grow slack and are wounded by the enemy, rise up quickly, be cleansed, be made secure, and so, going forward, be saved—praying also for me, the sinner.

{To Dorotheos, my child} May you be blessed by the Lord, my child Dorotheos.

Grace and mercy to you, strength and might.

The brothers will tell you the reason for the delay of my visit by letter.

Take heed, brother, how you conduct yourself, how you live.

Do not lose heart, but be patient.

Do not be neglectful, but endure.

Do not open the door to evil thoughts, but when they rise up against you, resist them, gnash your teeth at them, and they, in the name of the Lord, will depart, put to flight.

Sing the psalms you know, pray very much.

In your heart, the fear of the Lord; on your lips, the glory of God, that you may be kept unharmed.

Finally, pray for me, the sinner.

The brother who is with me greets you.

{To Peter, my child} You yourself never cease, in every letter, to praise us who deserve no such honor, but we, being conscious of our own true condition, groan rather than rejoice, since we are not as you say.

And it is from this disposition of yours that your words too are of such a kind.

As for the things you asked me to answer, I have set them down for everyone in common, in a separate note.

For there are many who ask the same things, and it is a burden for me to give an answer to everyone individually.

But do you pray the more fervently for my lowliness, that I, the sinner, may be saved in the Lord.

And again I have received the gifts you sent.

And until when will you not cease? Surely the Lord will repay you for the things you love to do.

He who is with me greets you; and I greet those who are with you.

{To the oikonomos of Symbolon} I received the letter of your love, and I read it, and I recognized your humility, through which God exalts those who love Him.

Hence you too have been deemed worthy to become a partaker of His sufferings in this present confession of faith.

And if the enemies of Christ, having been overcome by your steadfast endurance, released you, this is no defeat for you, but a victory.

Be well-pleasing to God, then, in whatever place you dwell.

For it is a daily martyrdom of conscience for the one who struggles and cleanses himself from the demonic thoughts that rise up against him.

May you be kept, for my sake, cheerful, safe, and glorious, praying unceasingly for me, the sinner.

I salute the brothers who are with you.

{To Joseph, brother and archbishop} When I heard your voice, O thrice-longed-for one, my humble spirit leapt for joy, and I seemed to see you with my own eyes, clinging wholly to your sacred face, whose images never cease to be with me, nor ever would cease, even if those who have power to sever us in body should carry you off beyond the pillars of Gades—so compelling is my longing, as is fitting.

But you, most holy father, in loving and praising us as a brother, incur no charge of partiality—for nature allows for this—yet were you to praise us in some other way beyond what is true, you would do wrong to the truth.

For I am, as you know, a sinner, lacking light, not one who enlightens, nor bearing anything greater than your own virtues, nor than those of any other now standing firm for Christ.

But how this present time has dealt with the affairs of our Church, how all are being tested as in a smelting-furnace!

And yet few are those who prove to be as gold, while almost all are turning to lead.

But indeed, a man's enemies are those of his own household.

Take Leontios, for instance, along with the rest.

What a savage beast he is, persecuting his fellow disciples and laying waste to the churches of God!

May the Lord turn him back, and strengthen us for the contest that lies before us, which must be reckoned nothing other than a martyrdom of Christ, equal in weight to those of old.

You were persecuted before for the sake of truth; you were imprisoned; you were held in isolation—suffering greatly, not once but twice.

Now you triple your sufferings, bearing what you bear; a threefold crown from the Holy Trinity awaits you, most holy one.

Let Thessalonica, in addition to those who went before, be adorned forever by your deeds as well; and let Theodore too rejoice and boast in having such a brother, though bringing nothing praiseworthy of his own.

This is nobility of spirit—to live even after death; this is the deed that God requires; this is the pledge of the unending kingdom.

Of that kingdom may I too, wretched as I am, be deemed worthy together with you, following after it in orthodox faith and upright living.

He who is with me greets you most humbly, as I also greet the holy Anthos.

{To Litoios, my child} After I had finished the refutation, I again received the iambic verses, and it became a labor for me; nevertheless, child, you did well in making them known plainly.

So the acrostic running through the middle does not hold together.

For it does not begin, in every line, from the seventh syllable, but now from one syllable, now from another, and it even cuts across the following syllable—and this is not an acrostic.

But see how I have done it, and you will understand it clearly.

Receive, then, the quires, and read them, and immediately copy them out, sending these back again.

But keep this safely, not blabbing it out to the impious;

But if some faithful person, reading it, should find something deficient or discordant — whether in wording or in sense — either let him himself correct it as he goes through it, or rather let him make it known to me;

for I have not written anything at random, but, as I think, much true reasoning flows in these things.

May you always be saved in the Lord, as we too pray concerning you.

{To Theodoulos, my child} Inasmuch as God has so ordained that it should happen this way, you did not sin, child, in withdrawing from the midst, even though this is not a work of perfection;

only cherish the brother with whom you are, whom I also greet — both of you being kept safe, with the fear of God mediating between you, and indeed also kept safe from the heretical beasts, hiding here and there, in mountains, in caves, and completing the course of blessedness, praying also for me the sinner, that I may be saved.

{To Naukratios, my child} Learning that you have recovered, even if not completely, from the most grievous illness with which you wrestled, I gave thanks to the Lord, beloved one;

for illness is a training-ground of the soul, brought upon us profitably by God who orders our affairs, in which we ought to take delight;

for 'when I am weak,' it says, 'then I am powerful.'

But what of the madness of the wretched Leontios against us, so grievously afflicting the brothers, and, without any visible shedding of blood, draining out their blood through the wasting away of their flesh? Yet this happens so that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, that 'a man's enemies are those of his own household';

for was he himself not also betrayed to death by his own disciple? See, then, to whom those who contend are made like — to Christ, the first martyr; and to whom the punisher resembles — not only to the ill-disposed Judas, but also to Pilate and Caiaphas, the god-slayers.

From what preceded, the present events too have come consequently upon dread Leontios, as you know — from the Moechian affair to fighting against icons, or rather fighting against Christ, and into impiety toward the reigning power exactly in proportion as he draws near, even in name, to that title;

for Leo is the primary form, and Leontios the derivative, as flame is from fire and a point from iron;

but the Lord is near to those who wait for him, and will shatter the point, and grind the iron fine as well;

therefore let us not grow faint amid our sufferings, brother, knowing that patient endurance too becomes a work of proof and an abundance of crowns for all who love God, just as it did of old and from the beginning for the saints.

so let time now prevail, let the martyrs be multiplied, let the unadulterated gold be tested;

for no one who has not been purified could be acceptable to God the refiner, unless he demonstrates, by sufficient fiery trials, the proof of his faith.

Concerning Euprepianos, that it is so — this is grievous to me, the sinner; yet one must pray for what concerns him.

But it is not so, I too know, concerning what you asked; nevertheless such persons are secretly holy, always wearing white outwardly, even though inwardly they wear grey, as true monks or nuns.