I ask you to pray for my salvation in your contrite repentance. Console my holy fathers from among the bishops, whom, according to you, you have seen, and greet them as if from me, the unfortunate one.

Notes

1. Probably, this refers to the agreement not to gather together and not to teach the Orthodox veneration of holy icons, which is mentioned above, in the second letter. The present letter was written in the year 816.

Epistle 7(66). To John the Son

I am comforted, son and brother, by your letters, for they come in order and are devoid of unpleasant verbosity. The merit of writing is that it immediately touches upon the proposed subject and speaks of what is necessary, and does not return to what is not so. Let us go further.

What you have asked is not the time to speculate, and it is not for us to teach you, good son. In addition, I am not initiated into incomprehensible subjects. But in order not to grieve you with silence, I will say about the first that none of the other God-bearing Fathers explained this subject in the same way as Gregory of Nyssa. Let us be content with spiritual contemplation of this on the path to contemplation that has already been opened. For what is far from Gadir is inaccessible, as the proverb says [1].

About the second: the prudent is silent at this time, for this is an evil time (Amos 5:13); This does not seem to me bad or wrong. For we have been ordained by the inspired Scriptures a time to speak and a time to be silent (Ecclesiastes 3:7), according to the demand of need, so that we may observe and improve the word of truth. For is not the command given to us: Do not give holy things to dogs, and do not cast pearls before swine (Matt. 7:6)?

Look at the God-bearing men, and you will see that they either guarded the word under a bushel of silence, when it was useless or even harmful to speak, or put it on a candlestick when the sowing promised good fruit and the field was not stony. Here is what I imagined regarding the proposed questions.

If you find by yourself or with the help of others that which has been more tried, then do not refuse to inform me, your father and brother, who is in need of advice. Be healthy and pray much for me.

Примечания

1. Гадира, или Гадес, нынешний Кадикс в Испании, - отдаленнейший из городов, известных древним.

Послание 8(67). К братиям, находящимся в ссылке и темницах

Феодор всем братствам или общинам, повсюду рассеянным за Христа, с находящимися в темницах и ссылке, желает о Господе радоваться.

Благодать вам и мир, скажу словами апостола, от Бога Отца нашего и Господа Иисуса Христа, Надежды нашей (Гал.1:3), за Которого и ради Которого вы терпите это гонение, скорбь и притеснение, удаление в пустыни и ссылку, заключения под стражу и мучения и все прочие ежедневные бедственные обстоятельства и события. Поэтому, возлюбленные братия мои, желая доставить вам какое-нибудь утешение в связи с отсутствием смиренного лица нашего, мы посылаем это послание, извещая, что мы непрестанно вспоминаем о вас в смиренных молитвах наших (Рим.1:9,10), вспоминая и представляя себе каждого из вас.