9. Cleave, beloved, to humility; its smell is pleasant and its taste is sweet. Humble and great on earth. His heart dwells in the lands below, but it is pleasing to the inhabitants of the heavens. The humble one is not embarrassed if he encounters any trouble here; for he is accustomed to be content with his condition. But how difficult it is for the haughty one, who does not know how to humble himself, when some misfortune befalls him! The humble man has many friends, but no one asks about his health. Many preach his glory, but his own humility reveals to him only the impurities of his sins. What is hidden in his heart, he tells no one. He stands steadfastly on his path and delves into wisdom. His mind is occupied with sublime, heavenly things. One must listen attentively to the word of the humble; for it is weighed in his thoughts. The temple of his heart is full of good treasures; the tongue bears pleasant fruit. Humility is the source of peace; the waters of creation flow from it. Noah loved humility, and it saved him from the flood. Abraham cleaved to him, and became the heir of the world; for in humility he prostrated himself before the Lord God, calling himself dust and ashes. Isaac was brought up in humility, and kings served him, they loved to make treaties with him. The simple-minded Jacob received from his father the blessing of Esau his brother. All our forefathers were meek, humble and peace-loving, and the Most High exalted the humble, despised and shamed the proud. Righteous Job loved humility, and his innocence is attested to by the Lord Himself. The evil Satan hated him, but Job put to shame the enemy and adversary of the righteous. The Lord exalted the champion of righteousness, confirming his innocence with His own testimony.

10. Love the virtue of humility, beloved! It is inherent in man at the beginning of his bodily nature. Justice demands that we humble ourselves, Adam came from the dust of the earth, and the Lord gave him a commandment that he should keep it. If man had kept this commandment; then the Lord would have transferred him to a higher state. But since he began to aspire to heights uncharacteristic of his nature; then the Lord returned him to his former humiliation – to the earth. This is truly indicated by the words of our Saviour: "Whosoever is exalted shall humble himself" (Luke 14:11). Adam ascended, and returned to the ground from which he was taken. Our Saviour humbled Himself, and received His glory, "inherited a name more than any name"; but Adam, deceived by the spirit of pride, was humiliated, and to this humiliation was added a curse.

Thus, beloved, it is necessary and characteristic of man to love humility, to be in that state which is in accordance with his present nature. For the root of humiliation is in the earth, and the abundance of its fruit is commensurate with its deepening. Its fruits are coveted; for he produces calmness and modesty, forms a character that is amiable and serene. The humble can be simple-minded, patient, amiable, innocent, sincere, learned, wise, prudent, prudent, peaceable, merciful, inquisitive, indulgent; their minds penetrate the depths of wisdom, their hearts enjoy tranquility, their souls shine with beauty. Blessed is the soul that is grafted into this fruitful tree; for peace reigns in it, in it dwells He who loves to dwell in the meek and humble.

Letter to St. Gregory, the Enlightener of Armenia, on Fasting.

1. The holy fasts are close to God, hidden like a treasure hidden in heaven, and constitute a weapon against the evil one, and a shield against the sharp, fiery arrows of the enemy. Speaking thus of fasting, I speak not from myself, but from the instructive voice of the Holy Spirit. Scripture, which testifies that fasting has always provided important help to those who piously and holy. But, my beloved, the fasts do not consist only in the use of bread and water, even to the extent necessary for the maintenance of our lives, but are observed in many other ways. For this reason, fasting people are also different. Thus, one limits his fast to abstinence from bread and water only until he feels hunger and thirst, while another brings his fast to complete, perfect purity, and although he hungers, he does not eat, he thirsts, but does not drink; and therefore the latter is incomparably higher than the former. For some, fasting consists in abstaining from meat, wine, and in general from various kinds of food, and for others in abstaining from words, in sealing their lips with silence, so that they do not utter harmful words. Nor can the name of fasting be denied to those who abstain from or from communicating with wicked people, for fear of becoming infected by them; or the possession of property, for this purpose, so that they themselves do not remain idle, do not become corrupted by laziness, do not fall into the vices peculiar to the rich; or from sleeping on a soft bed, with the intention of getting up for prayer more quickly and willingly, and being more cheerful at the very performance of it; or from the joys of the world, replacing them with tears, in order to please the Lord by the feat of self-denial. And there is no doubt that the name of the fasting person should be honored by the one who combines all these types of fasting and makes one fast out of them. However, whoever fasts before feeling the urge to eat, the name of the fasting person belongs to him only as long as he abstains from food and drink; because as soon as he eats and drinks at least a little of something, in such a case he already breaks his fast. But in no way should one call a fasting person who, in any way, begins to use again that from which he has given a vow to abstain. Moreover, he who fasts without a promise to abstain from this or that thing does not commit a great sin by breaking his fast because of hunger; on the contrary, he who has given a vow to abstain from certain things falls into a great and grievous sin when he breaks his fast; because he then betrays the promise he made to God, and therefore departs from God.

2. Howl to you, beloved, examples of holy fasts. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Enoch kept the holy fast because he pleased God; Noah because he preserved purity among his corrupt contemporaries; Abraham because he had faith; Isaac because he kept the commandments of God; Jacob because he was vouchsafed to receive a blessing from Isaac, and saw and knew God; Joseph because he was faithful. The holiness of all these men was their best, perfect fast in the sight of God. Without holiness of the heart, fasting is not pleasing to God. Therefore, beloved, I beseech you, take note and imprint on your memory that inward, heartfelt holiness, bridling the tongue and abstinence from evil deeds are fasts that are far superior to fasting, which consists in abstinence from food. In fact, no one mixes honey with gall. In the same way, he who abstains from bread and water should not mix with this abstinence backbiting, abuse, blasphemy. Again, O man, thy house, which is together the temple of God, has only one door. Wherefore thou wouldst have acted incongruously, impolitely, and impiously, if through the same door through which the King entereth thou didst bring out the dung and other uncleanness. Therefore, when you intend to approach Communion, then purify yourself beforehand, and then receive the body and blood of the Lord, and also after this keep your lips pure; for through them the King has entered into thee. And in general, through your lips, O man, unclean words must never pass; because, according to the immutable word of our Life, the Lord Jesus, it is not that which enters into the mouth that defiles a man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth defiles a man (Matt. 15:11).

Moses, while fasting on Mount Sinai, also kept it together with holiness, and for this he brought the law down from the mountain to his people. Fasting on the mountain twice for forty days, he returned from there and shone with great glory, because the glory of the Lord, so to speak, rested on his face. Having become a friend of God by means of holy fasting, he propitiated God, who in his wrath was ready to destroy the Jews for their wickedness, and thus saved this disobedient people from destruction. Like Moses, the courageous champion of the glory of God, Elijah the Prophet, fasted when Jezebel persecuted him. Escaping the death that threatened him, during his journey to Mount Horeb, in the place where the Lord spoke to Moses, he fasted for forty days. Wherefore, having reached Mount Horeb, he was vouchsafed to see the Lord there, commanding him to return. Go and return in your way, the Lord said to him, and anoint Hazael for the kingdom of Syria, and anoint Jehu the son of Namesiah as king over Israel, and anoint Elisha the son of Shephat as a prophet in your place (1 Kings 19:15-16). Behold, beloved, what power fasting has! Can there be anything higher than that glory, purer than the joy that a person receives, being vouchsafed to see his Lord while still here on earth? But this glory, which surpasses all worldly glory, and this joy, the purest of all earthly joys, Elijah deserved by fasting, just as did Moses, who, having fasted on Sinai twice for forty days, returned from there with the tablets of the covenant inscribed with the finger of God. It is only necessary to remember that both of these great men were holy and perfect during their fasts.

3. And in order to explain the significance of fasting that is not supported by holiness, I will show you the fast that was commanded by Jezebel. "Fast," she commanded the wicked elders of Israel and the inhabitants of Israel, "fast with fasting, and put Naboth at the beginning of the people: and put two men the sons of the transgressors against him, and let them bear witness to him, saying, "Thou shalt not bless God and the King: and they shall bring him out, and stone him, and let him die" (1 Kings 21:9-10). Here, beloved, first of all, the craftiness of Jezebel is revealed, namely: it is decreed in the law: "Death shall be punished according to the testimony of not one, but at least two witnesses" (Deut. 17:6; 19:15); and again: "The hands of the witnesses shall first cast a stone at the condemned, and then the hands of the people" (Deut. 13:9; 17:7). Wherefore Jezebel also commanded that two witnesses should be used against Naboth, and that he should be stoned, which should be thrown at him by the hands of the witnesses, and afterwards by the hands of other men. The law also says: "Whosoever dares to blaspheme the name of the Lord, let him die" (Lev. 21:15-16). Wherefore Jezebel also commanded that Naboth be accused of blasphemy against God, and at the same time against the King. In this way, having ordered Naboth to be made a blasphemer, and an insulter to the king's majesty, Jezebel wanted to show thereby, at least to those who did not know the matter, that she had condemned him to death out of zeal for the glory of God and for the observance of the law. It was with this intention that she commanded fasting. By establishing fasting, she seemed to say: "It is necessary to propitiate God, who is angry with the impudent wickedness of Naboth." In fact, the blood of Naboth was shed by Jezebel because, cherishing his vineyard as the inheritance of his ancestors, he did not want to cede it to Ahab, because Ahab, forgetting the commandment of God, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's being" (Exodus 20:17), was too ardent in wanting to appropriate this vineyard for himself (1 Kings 21:1-6); and therefore the blood of Naboth was shed by Jezebel to please Ahab's covetousness. And the glory, the names of God, and the law, were only words in the language of Jezebel, with which she tried to cover the darkness of her intentions, the iniquity of her action in relation to Naboth. And could she, a servant of Baal, be jealous of the glory of the Lord Almighty? Did she not bear witness to this zeal by breaking down the altars of God and slaying His prophets? O cunning lawyer! You would do much better if, instead of subordinating the law to your passions and making it an instrument for bringing the most lawless desires to fulfillment, you subordinated your passions to the law, made yourself its instrument, and taught your friends not to break it, but to fulfill it. If you had obeyed the law, you would not have bowed your knees to Baal; because the very first commandment of the law says: "Let there be no gods unto thee" (Exodus 20:3), i.e. thou shalt not serve strangers, pagan gods. By submitting to the authority of the law, by respecting its decrees, thou wouldst have refrained from writing the sentence of death against Naboth; because the law forbids the shedding of innocent blood. "Let no blood be shed," he says, "blood is innocent in thy land, which the Lord thy God shall give thee" (Deuteronomy 19:10). If your ears had been opened to the terrible threats of the law, you would have been numb at the thought of shedding Naboth's innocent blood. Then you would hear the menacing, punitive word of the law: "Whoever sheds blood, his own blood will be shed" (Gen. 9:6) You, Ahab, should also remember this word of the law. Then you would not have believed Jezebel's treacherous promise to give you Naboth's vineyard, and you would not have paid for your blind, reckless trust with later repentance (1 Kings 21:7, 16). And you, the wicked elders of Israel, ought to have brought to mind the same lawful threat, when you received the lawless, though law-based, injunction of Jezebel. And why did you put into fulfillment, and did not reject such a commandment, by which a testimony of unrighteousness was required of you, and in which you were commanded to fasting iniquity? When and where have you heard that fasts were instituted for the shedding of righteous blood? But none of you would listen to the saving threats of the law, and therefore its punishment came upon you all, the blood of Nubufeyev fell on you all, and you all paid for it with your blood. Thus the prophecy of the glorious Elijah was fulfilled over Ahab: "Because thou hast slain Naboth, and hast taken his vine for his inheritance: for this reason in the place where the swine licked and sucked his blood, there they shall lick thy blood, and the harlots shall be washed in thy blood" (1 Kings 21:19; 22:38). And Jezebel also received the punishment foretold to her by the mouth of the same champion of the glory of God. Thrown out of the window of her house, she was eaten by the dogs in the same place where she shed, in accordance with the lawless fast established by her, the righteous blood of Naboth, who had never blasphemed, but whom she accused of blasphemy (1 Kings 21:23; 2 Kings 9:30-37). At the same time, the seventy sons of Ahab fell victim to this unlawful act of hers. Finally, the whole house of Ahab, all the nobles close to him, and all the priests became the prey of the sword also for the blood of Naboth (1 Kings 21:22; 2 Kings 10:1-11). Jehu, authorized by God, avenger of the innocent blood of Naboth, approaching to avenge it, said: "Yesterday, saith the Lord, I saw the blood of Naboth and his sons: let vengeance be taken for it" (2 Kings 9:26). And he, having slain Jezebel, destroyed the house of Ahab, smote, destroyed, devoured with the mouth of his sword in the very temple of Baal, all those Israelites who bowed their knees before Baal (2 Kings 9:10). And thus the fast which the Israelites kept by order of Jezebel, which may be called the fast of unrighteousness and the shedding of blood, did not save them from condemnation to perdition and from destruction itself.

4. Not such was the fast which the Ninevites instituted when they learned from the prophet Jonah that the hand of the Lord had already been stretched out to destroy the city. In the book of the prophet Jonah we read: Jonah preached: Three more days, and Nineveh will be changed. And the men of Nineveh believed in God, and commanded fasting, and put on sackcloth from their greatness, even to their little ones. Then it follows that as soon as this came to the knowledge of the king of Nineveh, he rose up from his throne, and cast off his garments, and put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes, and not limiting himself to his own humiliation and repentance before God, but in his own name, and in the name of his nobles, gave this command to the lives of Nineveh: men and beasts, the oxen and the sheep shall not eat anything, nor let them graze, but drink below the water. And let men and beasts put on sackcloth, and let them cry diligently to God. Whosoever shall repent, and beseech God, and turn from the wrath of his wrath, and perish not. And what happened? The Ninevites were not deceived in their hope. God saw their works, as He turned from His evil ways: and God repented of the evil that He had spoken, and did not do it (Jon. ch. 3). But observe, beloved, it is not said, God looked upon the Ninevites, and turned his gracious eye upon their rest, that they abstained from bread and water, that they clothed themselves in sackcloth, and sat on the ashes; but it is said, God saw their works, that He had turned from His wicked ways. And the king of Nineveh, in his commandment, saying, Let men and cattle put on sackcloth, and let them cry diligently to God, added, And let him return from his wicked way, and from iniquity into his hand. This means that the fast of the Ninevites was pleasing to God, because they kept it with holiness, because it was a fast of true, heartfelt repentance, and thus differed from the fast of the Israelites, which was stained with blood, unlawfully shed.

5. In all fasts, beloved, abstinence from bread and water will be of no avail, unless it is accompanied by abstinence from sins: for God thus saith unto the Jews through the mouth of Isaiah: If ye fast in judgment and cooking, and strike with the pasterns of the humble, do ye fast unto me, as this day, when I am heard with the cry of thy voice? I have not chosen this fast, and the day to humble a man's soul. And if thou shalt lay down thy neck like a sickle, and lay sackcloth and ashes, thou shalt call it fasting. Not such a fast have I chosen, saith the Lord: but loose every bond of unrighteousness, destroy the duties of the coercive scriptures, let the brokenhearted go to freedom, and tear apart every unrighteous writing. Crush thy bread to the hungry, and bring the bloodless poor into thy house (Isaiah 58:4-7). Whoever fasts only bodily, without observing the inner fast at the same time, without abstaining from sins, fasts like the hypocrites, who, fasting only outwardly, loved to take on a gloomy appearance and make their faces gloomy, so that all might see that they were fasting (Matt. 6:16).

6. By such fasting, the fast of hypocrites, the leaders of heresies, the evil inventors of evil, fast; because, while observing the fasts, they do not forsake their sins. Yes, however, this is how it should be, because they do not have a God to reward them. Thus, who will reward the followers of the heretic Marcion, when they, following their head, do not recognize our all-good Creator? Who will the sect of Valentinians have as its rewarder, when the founder of their sect asserts that his soul is owed by his being to many creators, that the all-perfect God has never spoken with anyone's lips, and that no one has ever exalted himself to Him with his thoughts? Likewise, whom will the slave sect of the Manichaeans have as their rewarder, who, like vipers and basilisks, love to live in darkness and serve the Chaldean astrology and magic, these ravings of the land of Babylon? After this, can their fasts be pleasing to God?

7. But rather, beloved, I will show you the fast that was pleasing to God, the fast of Mordecai and Esther. The fasting of Mordecai and Esther was the shield of salvation for all the people of Judah. By their fasting the haughty pride of the oppressor Haman was erased, the iniquitous designs of Haman were turned on his own head, — he was measured by the same measure with which he wanted to measure; his cunning did not save him; In spite of his dexterity and skill in evil, he was caught in it; he fell, was broken, lost all his glory and lost all honors, while in his boundless pride he considered himself unshakable and all-powerful; he was struck with the same blows that he wanted to strike, the same wounds were inflicted on him as he was preparing to inflict. He wanted to destroy all the Jews; but the fasting of Mordecai and Esther caused his own sword to enter into his heart, and the bow which he had drawn with wicked intent was broken in his hands. Here the words of the Psalmist involuntarily come to mind: "Let the sword of the wicked enter into their hearts, and let their bows be broken" (Psalm 36:15). All these things were fulfilled in Haman, when he prepared the gallows for Mordecai and his children. On this gallows he himself hung with his children, — he fell into a pit which he himself had dug, — his own feet were stuck in a trap which he himself had secretly set — his own neck fell into the noose prepared by him, — he was punished with an instrument of his own invention, and his destruction is eternal destruction (see Book of Esther).

8. Why, beloved, did Haman ask King Artaxerxes for mercy, permission to destroy all the Jews who were in his kingdom? In order to give a proper answer to this question, it is necessary, in my opinion, to take into account the following circumstances: 1) It is known that Saul, by the command of God, took up arms against the Amalekites, defeated, destroyed, destroyed them, and taking their King Agag captive, gave him to Samuel, and Samuel offered him as a sacrifice to God (1 Samuel 15:2) Haman was an Amalekite; his father, Amadadhui (Est. 3:1), was of the family of Agag; and Mordecai, on the contrary, was related to the family of Saul: both of them came from the same tribe of Benjamin, from the common ancestor Kish (Est. 2:5; 1 Sam. 9:1-2). (3) When Haman was the first person of the King, and was respected and glorified throughout the kingdom, all who served in the king's palace, by order of the King himself, bowed down to him and respected him. Only Mordecai, who was also in the service of the king's court, did not bow down to him. When Haman learned of this, he became angry and made up his mind to destroy all the Jews who were at that time in Persia, under the authority of his Lord, Artaxerxes (Est. 3:1-6; 2:19). Why all of them, and not Mordecai alone? This can only be explained by the fact that Haman had a tribal or popular hatred for the Jews, and had long sought an opportunity to avenge their kindred people and his King's kinsman, who had been destroyed by Saul, and at last he found this case in the disrespect which Mordecai had shown him. Thus it is evident from the consideration of all these circumstances that Haman was compelled to seek the destruction of the Jews and the destruction of Mordecai by the desire of the former to wash away the shame of his ancestors the Amalekites, who had been defeated and destroyed by Saul, and by the death of the latter, as a relative of Saul, to avenge the death of Agag, the desire to eradicate the name of the children of Israel, at least in Persia, just as the memory of Amalek was destroyed in the land under the sun. But apparently he, the mad head, did not know that, long before the very extermination of the Amalekites. their destruction was ordained by God. In ancient times, in holy times, Moses, by the command of God, said to Joshua, "Choose for yourselves mighty men, and go out against Amalek." And Joshua took up arms, and Amalek was vanquished, and destroyed by the sword of the cross, which Moses pictured, praying in battle with outstretched arms: only those of the Amalekites who were not in the war lived; but not one of their soldiers escaped. After this victory of Israel over Amalek, the Lord said to Moses, "Write these things in the books as a memento, and give it into the ears of Jesus, for I will destroy the memory of Amalek from under heaven" (Exodus ch. 17). In spite of this determination, however, God, in His long-suffering, spared the Amalekites, expecting that they, having learned what is written about them in the holy books, would turn to Him and deserve His mercy by true repentance. For the Ninevites repented, and the Lord turned away from them the fury of his wrath, although his hand was already lifted up against their defeat. The Gibeonites asked Joshua for peace in the name of the Lord God of Israel, and peace was granted to them: they were not destroyed along with the other nations that inhabited the land of Canaan (Joshua ch. 9). She believed in the Lord Rahab, and mercy was shown to her (Joshua 2:6). In the same way, the repentance of the Amalekites would have been accepted by God, if they had believed Him. For four hundred years he spared them. And when that time had passed, seeing that they had not turned to him, he said through Samuel the prophet to Saul, who was then king over Israel, "Now will I take vengeance on Israel, which Amalek did to Israel, when you slay them in the way, and go up to them out of Egypt: and now go and smite Amalek." And Saul went, and as I have said before, he smote, and destroyed, and destroyed the Amalekites. In spite of the most devastating destruction that Saul inflicted on the Amalekites, some of them, and among them even the relatives of Agag, remained as ears of grain after a harvest made by an unskilled hand, and were spared by Saul. It was from these Amalekites of the family of Agagov who survived at that time that Haman came. But Saul, for the mercy shown to him, paid dearly: for this very reason the kingdom was taken away from him (1 Sam. ch. 15).

9. Some, in accusation of Mordecai, say: "Why did he not bow down to Haman, while Haman stood above all in the whole kingdom, and enjoyed, according to the will of his king, special glory and special honors? What harm could have come to him from showing due respect to Haman? Even if he had given Haman due honor, Haman would not have plotted evil against him or against his people." "Thus saith he who does not know well the whole matter. Mordecai, being a righteous man, and having a thorough knowledge of the law, behaved in this way and not otherwise towards Haman, because he had in mind his ancestor Saul, who had lost his kingdom, and was subjected to the wrath of God, because he spared Agag, the father of Haman. Therefore Mordecai would have experienced the wrath of God in the likeness of Saul, if he had paid respect to Haman. But in order to properly explain the cause of God's wrath against both Amalek and Saul for their mercy on Amalek, and at the same time the reason for Mordecai's disrespect for Haman, it is necessary, beloved, to turn to History. And Noah, grieved by Ham, pronounced a curse on his son Canaan: "Cursed," said Noah, "cursed be Canaan's child: he shall be a servant to his brethren" (Gen. 9:25). That is why Abraham and Isaac did not take wives for themselves or their children from the tribe of Canaan, fearing to mix the seed of Shem blessed by Noah (Gen. 9:26) with the seed of Canaan cursed from him. But Esau, in spite of this, took wives from the daughters of Canaan for himself (Gen. 36:2), and for this he was deprived of the birthright, given into slavery to his younger brother Jacob. By thy sword, said Isaac, blessing Esau, by thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt work for thy brother: and it shall come to pass (the time) when thou shalt cast him down, and put him off with a yoke from thy neck (Gen. 27:40), that is, when thou shalt turn to God. In the person of Esau, by this sentence, the fate of Amalek was also decided; because Amalek was the grandson of Esau: he was born of the concubine of Eliphaz, the son of Esau (Gen. 36:10, 12). Wherefore, when Israel was coming out of Egypt, Amalek, before all the other nations, met her with an armed hand, having a firm intention to make war with her, and to destroy her at last: having destroyed the children of Jacob, Amalek wanted at the same time to destroy the curses of Noah, and the blessings of Isaac, and consequently to escape the yoke which they had to lay upon him, by the blessing of Isaac; children of Jacob. For the same reason, and in the aftermath, Amalek, especially before all the children of Esau, took up arms against Israel. But Amalek's audacious designs to destroy Israel were clearly contrary to both God's plans and promises concerning God's chosen people. This, then, is the reason why God determined to destroy Amalek, and by the hand of the sons of Rachel, and why Saul, who spared the Amalekites, was deprived of his kingdom because of it. From this also we can see why Mordecai should not have bowed down to Haman: Haman, by the power of Isaac's blessing, was his servant; and as an impious descendant of an impious tribe, always hostile to Israel, clearly going against the intentions of Divine Providence, was also an enemy of the God of Israel; and therefore, indeed, by showing respect to Haman, Mordecai would have incurred the wrath of God. After this, by the way, I will note that the decree of God's will concerning the destruction of Amalek by the hand of the sons of Rachel was fulfilled. Joshua, the descendant of Joseph, was the first to fight with Amalek, and conquered him; And Saul, the descendant of the children of Benjamin, smote him; and the remnant of it was destroyed by his post by Mordecai, also a descendant of Benjamin. And now, at last, we have again come to our main subject. Observe, then, beloved, that the fasting of Mordecai and Esther brought Haman down from the height of his glory and power, destroyed and destroyed the remnant of the Amalekites, gave the glory and honour of Haman to Mordecai, and finally placed a royal crown on the head of Esther, giving her the place of Astini, the former wife of Artaxerxes.