Letter 9: Concerning the appearances at night.

To Eusebios the Presbyter. That nothing is greater than love, in which he also demonstrates the pairings of brothers among the disciples. Nothing is so zealously sought by God as love — on account of which he became man and was obedient even unto death. For this reason the first calling of his disciples consisted of two brothers, the all-wise Savior showing from the very outset through this beginning that he wishes all his disciples to be joined together in brotherly love. Let us therefore consider nothing more precious than love, which binds all things together and preserves them in beneficial harmony. To Joseph the Presbyter. On virtue. With all your strength, O best of men, you ought to practice virtue, and not think it sufficient merely to appear to practice it. To the same. If, upon observing such persons, you eagerly draw them to yourself through diligence, rushing to follow along with the more moderate ones — while you vainly harass those coming from elsewhere, as though to wrest God's right hand away — you should rather show gratitude toward the good than severity toward the wicked. But these things I write concerning the grave accusation against those companions. To Hierax the Presbyter. No less, or rather even more, than your own magnanimity demanded, we took care — as far as lay in our power — that Chairemon, Zosimos, and Maron might repent, adopt a better disposition, and be freed from their shame. But since, as it seems, having fallen into an unconquerable wickedness, they have not yet wished to recover — on account of which some lament over them as though they had thereby come to their senses, while others have given them up as having run aground upon insensibility — nevertheless we shall leave nothing undone on our part, in hopes that perhaps, even if late, having come to acknowledge their error, they may make peace with virtue, which they are not ashamed to fight without truce. This is the real work; the rest they consider secondary matters. To Eudaimonios the Deacon. Why the youths in the furnace commonly exhorted all to bless God, but addressed Daniel specifically. Why, you asked, did the three youths, after having commonly exhorted all men to bless God, then specifically address Daniel? To the same. One ought not to look to human glory, but to the divine, lest we hear against us what the apostle said: "If I were pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ." To Hierax the Deacon. The one who eats only enough to break hunger, and wears clothing just sufficient to be decently covered, prepares the body as a fine vehicle for the soul — and gives the helmsman manageable rudders, and the soldier well-fitted armor, and the musician a tuneful lyre. But the one who fattens the body with luxury and adorns it with fine garments causes it to frisk about, kindles it toward improper desires, makes it softer, ruins its good health, dissolves it through much laziness, and renders it an enemy of the soul. Cease, therefore, doing both the one and the other. To Photios the Abbot. You will show yourself zealous, I say, by wishing to become better. But you have ample opportunity to flee toward whatever goal you wish to reach. What then must one do, if there is anywhere that is truly free? To Peter. The gatherings of monks must be kept spotless.

Concerning the appearances at night. The appearances at night, as you have written, you who are most fond of learning, are not only echoes of associations and conversations of the day, but also the product of frivolous practice[40]. For when the mind is seized in a stupor from drunkenness, a stimulant of the passions occurs. But when one is wakefully self-controlled and preparedly waiting for the Lord, that person is neither defeated by the belly nor by the passions of the belly[41]. For you see, nothing other than this will prepare someone or bind the strength of the loins.[42]

Γ. – ΕΥΣΕΒΙΟ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ (10). Ὅτι οὐδὲν μεῖζον ἀγάπης· ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἀποδείξεις ἔχει τὰς ἀδελφικὰς ζυγάδας. Οὐδὲν οὕτως Θεῷ περισπούδαστον, ὡς ἀγάπη· δι᾽ ἦν καὶ ἄνθρωπος γέγονε, καὶ μέχρι θανάτου ὑπήκοος. Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ πρώτη κλῆσις τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, ἀδελφοὶ δύο γεγόνασιν, ἐνδειξαμένου διὰ τῶν προοιμίων εὐθὺς τοῦ πανσόφου Σωτῆρος, ὅτι πάντας τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἀδελφικῶς συνάπτεσθαι βούλε- ται. ᾿Αγάπης τοίνυν μηδὲν ἡγώμεθα προτιμότερον, ἤπερ συνδεῖ πάντα, καὶ ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ συμφερούσῃ φυ- λάττει. Θ. – ΙΩΣΗΦ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Περὶ ἀρετῆς. Παντὶ σθένει, ὦ βέλτιστε, προσήκει τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀσκεῖν (95), ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀρκεῖν ἡγεῖσθαι τὸ δοκεῖν ἀσκεῖν. Ε. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΥΤΟΝ. Εἰ κατανοῶν τοὺς τοιούτους εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἐφέλκῃ διὰ σπουδῆς, πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιεικεστέρους ἀθρόως τῷ ὁρμᾷς ἐφομαρτῆσαι, πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλοθεν ὁρμώσι καὶ μάτην αὐτοῖς ἐπηρεάζεστε, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δεξιὰν χειραφετήσαι, μὴ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς χαριστῇ, ἢ τοῖς κακοῖς χαλεπαίνοι. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα γράφω περὶ τοῦ τῶν συνόντων μὴ δεινὴν αἰτίαν ΔΕ΄. – ΙΕΡΑΚΙ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Ἢ (11) μᾶλλον, ἢ οὐχ ἧττον τῆς σῆς μεγαλονοίας έφροντίσαμεν, ὅπως τὸ γε ἡμέτερον μέρος, Χαιρή- μων τε καὶ Ζώσιμος καὶ Μάρων μεταγνοῖεν, καὶ ἀμείνονα γνώμην ἀναλαβόντες, ἀπαλλαγεῖεν τῆς αἰσχύνης. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὡς ἔοικεν, εἰς ἀνανταγώνιστον έκπεπτωκότες κακίαν, οὐδέπω ἀνενεγκεῖν ἡβουλήθη- σαν· διὸ καὶ παρὰ τινων μὲν, ὡς ταύτῃ ἀνανήψαντες, καταθρηνοῦνται, παρά τινων δ᾽ ἀπηγορεύθησαν, ὡς εἰς ἀναλγησίαν ἐξοκείλαντες· ἀλλ᾽ οὖν γε πάλιν οὐ δὲν ἐλλείψει τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἡκόντων, τάχα πως κάν ὀψε ποτε γνωσιμαχήσαντες, σπείσονται πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν, ἢ ἀκηρύκτως πολεμεῖν οὐκ αἰσχύνονται. Τοῦτο μὲν ἔργον, τὰ δ᾽ ἄλλα νομίζοντες εἶναι πάρ εργα Θ. – ΕΥΔΑΙΜΟΝΙΟ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΟ. Διὰ τὸ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ οἱ παῖδες κοινῇ πᾶσι παρ- εκελεύσαντο εὐλογεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, ἰδίως δὲ τῷ Δανιήλ. Διὰ τί, ἔφης, οἱ παῖδες οἱ τρεῖς μετὰ τὸ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις κοινῇ παρακελεύσασθαι, εὐλογεῖν τὸν ``` Θ΄. – ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ Ἐχρῆν μὴ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην δόξαν σκοπεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θεῖον, ἵνα μὴ κατὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἀκοῦσαι ἡμᾶς, ὅτι εἰ ἀνθρώποις ἤρεσκον, Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἂν ἤμην δοῦλος. ΙΕΡΑΚΙ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΩ Ὁ τοσοῦτον ἐσθίων ὅσον λῦσαι λιμὸν, καὶ τοιαῦτα περιβαλλόμενος ὅσον ἐσκεπάσθαι κοσμίως, ὄχημα καλὸν τῇ ψυχῇ παρασκευάζει τὸ σῶμα, καὶ τῷ χυ βερνήτῃ εὐμεταχειρίστους τοὺς οἴακας, καὶ τῷ στρα- τιώτῃ εὐάρμοστα τὰ ὅπλα, καὶ τῷ ἁρμονικῷ μουσι- κὴν τὴν λύραν. Ὁ γὰρ τρυφῇ πιαίνων, καὶ ἱματίοις καλλωπίζων, σκιρτᾷν αὐτὸ παρασκευάζει, καὶ εἰς ἀτόπους ἐπιθυμίας ἐξάπτει, καὶ μαλακώτερον αὐτὸ ποιεῖ, καὶ τὴν εὐεξίαν αὐτοῦ λυμαίνεται, καὶ τῇ πολλῇ βλακείᾳ διαλύει αὐτὸ, καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ πολέμιον κατασκευάζει. Οὐκοῦν πέπαυσο κἀκεῖνο καὶ τοῦτο ποιῶν. ΑΘ΄. – ΦΩΤΙΩ ΗΓΟΥΜΕΝΩ. Σπουδαῖος φανῇ, φημὶ, τῷ βούλεσθαι βελτίονα γί- νεσθαι. Σχολῇ δὲ ἔχεις ἀποδιδράσκειν, ἐφ' ὃν ἂν θέλῃς ἥκειν. Τί οὖν χρὴ ποιεῖν, εἰ ἔστιν ὅπῃ ἐστὶν ἐλεύθερον; ΡΟΣΤ΄. – ΠΕΤΡΩ Τὰς τῶν μοναχῶν συνουσίας φυλακτέον ἀσπίλους. Р. 225. - Liв. И, ЕР. 81. A catenæ auctore omissæ sunt 49 lineæ priores. incipit enim in hunc modum : Ὡς ἄλογον. Cf. p. 158, lit. B, lin. 3; et concludit hisce verbis, ὑπομενοῦσε τὴν τιμωρίαν, lit. C, lin. 10, omissis rursum lineis 9 posterioribus. ΛΖ΄. P. 21, lit. C, lin. 5 seqq. P. οὐκ ἀμέριμνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα βασάνου δεόμενον, προέθηκας ἡμῖν, ἄρι στε των φιλοπόνων, τὸ πρόβλημα, ὁ κ. τ. λ. Cat, νοή- σεις δὲ καὶ οὕτως τὸ, ὁ κ. τ. λ. ibid. 8. Inserit cat. τοῦ inter ἐστὶν εἰ Ιωάννου. ibid. 9. πάντως onmittit cat. auct. ibid. 9. P. ἦν, cat. ἐστι. ibid. 10. Ρ. Χρι- στοῦ, cal. τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ibid. 10. Ρ. ἐστιν Cal. ἐστι. – Lit. D, lin. 1. τὸ συνταφῆναι, ibid. 3. παρ- έχοντι des, in cat. Πύλας ᾄδου ἐκάλεσε τὰς τῶν ἀθέων τιμωρίας, καὶ τῶν αἱρέσεων βλασφη μίας, αἷστισι πάσαις ἀνθ ιστῶσα ἡ Ἐκκλησία τὰς μὲν καταγωνίζεται, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν οὐ κυριεύεται. Εί- ρηται οὖν τὸ· « Πύλαι ᾄδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν LIB. IV, EP. 216. Ἐπειδὴ ἴσως ἐναντιο- λογίαν τινὰ ἐνόμισας κεῖσθαι ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐ- αγγελίοις, γέγραφας, εἰα ρηκέναι τὸν Σωτῆρα, τοῖς μὲν Φαρισαίοις ὡς ἐρή μοις ἀρετῆς· « Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, τοῖς ἀποστό- λοις· · Ἐὰν μὴ περισ- καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βα- σιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν·, χρὴ, πλέον, εἰρῆσθαι τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἧς εἰκὸς, μᾶλ- ἔχειν. Οὐ γὰρ οἱ τῶν τα- βασιλεῦσαι δίκαιοιἂν εἶεν· ἀλλ᾽ οἱ, κ. τ. λ.