Letters 2.1–2.11

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

Antony to all the most beloved who are in the Arsinoite region and its district, and those who are with them: greeting in the Lord. I greet in the Lord all of you who are ready to go to God, dearest ones, from the least to the greatest, from men to women, O children of Israel, according to your spiritual essence. For truly, little children, great is the promise to you in your generation. It is fitting for you, because of him who has visited you, not to grow weary in the struggle until you offer yourselves as a sacrifice to God in all holiness, without which no one can inherit God. For it is surely a great thing for you to inquire into the knowledge of the spiritual essence, in which there is neither male nor female, but there is only an immortal substance, which has a beginning but no end; and you ought to know about it, how it fell altogether into such great humiliation and extreme confusion, which, passing through, has come upon all of you.

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

Therefore, since the immortal substance exists and is not dissolved with the bodies, for this reason God, because it had become very great, by his kindness visited them out of his own goodness, and after some time gave them a law, and so he worked through Moses by giving the law. Moses laid for them the foundation of the house of truth, wishing to heal that same severe wound; but he could not complete the building of the house. Moreover, the whole choir of the saints, gathered into one, asked the Father's goodness for our Savior, that he might come down to earth for the salvation of us all, since he is our great and faithful high priest and the true physician, who alone could heal this enormous wound. Hence, by the will of the Father, he emptied himself of his own glory, and, being God, took the form of a servant, handing himself over for our sins. Our offenses humbled him, but by his wound we have all been healed.

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

Therefore, most beloved little children in the Lord, I want you to know that for our foolishness he chose foolish things, and for our weakness he took the form of weakness; for our poverty he became poor, and for our death he put on the likeness of death. Since he endured all these things for our sake, I tell you truly, most beloved in the Lord, that we must not give sleep to our eyes or slumber to our eyelids, asking and urging the inestimable goodness of God the Father until he goes forth with us, and in this we may have rest at the coming of Jesus and of his power; so that we may obey the saints who hasten to cultivate us, giving him the eagerness of our souls in the time of our negligence, to help us in the time of our tribulation. For then the one who sows will rejoice together with the one who reaps.

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

I also want you to know, little children, how great is the grief I have for you, seeing the great confusion that has come upon all, and considering the great toil of all the saints and the groaning which they always send up to God for you, seeing the toil of their own Creator and making light of all evils, and also the snares of the devil and his angels, who lie in wait continually for our destruction. For since their portion is to go into hell, they want to draw our zeal along with them. Truly, then, dearest in the Lord, I speak as to wise men, so that you may know all the dispensations of our Maker made for us, which visit us through open and hidden proclamations. We are called rational, but we have an irrational mind, as long as we do not know the hidden cunning and the manifold arts of the devil, what they are and of what kind they are known to be. For when they find that we are trying to know our confusion, and that we seek out the manner of their working in us, and not only so that we may not obey their wickedness or the urgings that they sow …, knowing the kindness of the Creator, that death comes to these on earth, while for those it is prepared that they inherit Gehenna because of their negligence …

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

I want you to know, little children, that I do not cease to beseech God for you night and day, that he may open the eyes of your heart to see more often their hidden malice, which one by one they pour out upon us at this present time. I also ask that he may grant you a heart of knowledge and give you a spirit of discernment, so that you may be able to offer your own heart as a holy sacrifice in the sight of the Father, in great holiness and without blame. For truly, little children, they envy us every hour in their evil counsel, and in very great persecution and their malice, and also by spirits of error, or blasphemous thoughts, and our unbeliefs, which are sown by them in our hearts, and by many griefs which they inflict on us every hour; by faintings of soul, in which one by one they do not cease to shake the soul; by all their angers and detractions, which they teach us to have even against one another; and so that we justify ourselves in what we do, and by the condemnation that is sown by them in our minds, even when we are alone; and when they make us judge our neighbor, even though he is not with us; by the presumptions which they put into our hearts, so that we stand in pride of hard heart, despising one another, full of bitterness, blaming one another every hour and not ourselves, thinking that our labor stands by our own power, judging what is outward, while the thief changes everything inside our house; and by quarrels and rivalries and passions against one another, until we make our own word stand, so that we may appear justified in our own sight, giving us vehemence and making us undertake things that are impossible to do. For they make us give way out of season, since we are from that one; what profit is it to us? For this reason they make us laugh in the time of weeping and weep in the time of laughter … beseeching the kindness of the Father, so that you may always have his help with you, and that he may teach you the knowledge of himself, as is right.

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

For truly I tell you, my children, this vessel in which we dwell is a ruin to us, and the house is full of wars. Certainly, little children, I tell you that every man who is enticed by his own pleasures, and overthrown by his own thoughts, and embraced by the evil one, has sown in his heart; he rejoices in them and receives them in his mind as if they were great mysteries, justifying himself in what he does. Such a soul lives together with the evil spirits, a counsellor for evil, and its body is a storehouse of the horrible things that it hides within itself. They will prevail against such a one, because he has not brought them out before all. Do you not know that they do not have such snares as we, recognizing them, would certainly flee? Moreover, even if you search, you will not find their sin or iniquity bodily manifest. For the body belongs to the soul that receives their malice; and when it has received it, then, if it will, it punishes openly through this body in which we dwell. Now therefore, little children, let us give him no place; otherwise we shall rouse the anger of God against ourselves, and they will mingle in our houses, mocking us, since they know that what belongs to our ruin is near at hand, just as life also is near. For who has ever seen God, so that seeing him he might rejoice in him over so great a thing within himself, and not flee from him, but even make judgment as one dwelling in so great a weight? Or who has ever seen the devil attacking us and preventing us from obtaining blessings, opposing us and standing in a hidden bodily place, so that seeing him beforehand he might flee from him? They dwell in hiding, but we bring them out into the open by better pursuits.

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

Since, then, all are from one Creator according to their spiritual essence, but in their fleeing from God much diversity came about among them because of their different works, therefore all these names were added to them according to the work of each. So now some of them are called archangels, others thrones and dominions, and, to say it once and simply, principalities, powers, and cherubim: these names they have … When they have filled our hearts with all these things and we have become drunk with them, then God is patient as long as our wickedness goes on; and afterwards, visiting us by the dissolution of this most heavy body as we leave it, he reveals to us the evil works that we wickedly did, in the body … which we had put on by the kindness of the Creator; and then our last state becomes worse than the first. … because they kept the will of their own Creator. Again, because of the guilt of other movements, it was necessary that these too be named, for their evil devisings: devil and Satan. Others are called demons and evil and unclean spirits, spirits of error, and princes of this world, and there are very many other hostile powers among them. And again those who withstood them in this most heavy body in which we dwell have also been named: some patriarchs, others prophets and kings and priests, some judges and apostles, and many others chosen because of their excellent movement. All these names were given to them, whether male or female, because of the diversities of their work and according to their rank, because all are from one. Therefore whoever sins against his neighbor sins against himself, and whoever does evil to his neighbor makes himself evil; likewise whoever does good to his neighbor does it to himself. But who could ever sin against God, or who is there who could ever refresh him? Who was there who ever ministered to him, or who ever blesses him, as though he needed his blessing? Who could honor him as he deserves to be honored, or who is able to exalt him as he is exalted? Therefore, while we are clothed with this most heavy body, let us rouse God within us by calling to one another, so that by doing this we may commend the essence of his compassion toward us. Let us not be lovers of ourselves; otherwise we shall have the portion of their inconstancy. For he who knows himself knows all. Therefore it is also written: "He called from nothing, that all things might be." Those who say this mean the spiritual nature which is hidden in this corruptible body, which existed in the beginning … Whoever can love himself loves all.

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

My dearest little children, I beseech you not to grow weary or tire of loving one another. But take the body with which you are clothed and make it an altar, laying upon it all your purposes, and leave every evil device before the Lord. Lift up the hands of your heart to him, that is, the mind of what must be done, and pray to God to give you that great invisible fire, which coming down from heaven may consume the altar and all that is on it; and all the priests of Baal, who are the hostile workings, will fear and flee from before you, as before Elijah the prophet. Then at last you will see the footprint of a man in the sea, bringing the special rain, which is the consolation of the Spirit, the Paraclete. My most beloved children in the Lord, most holy children of Israel, there is no need to bless the passing names of our bodies; for you are not ignorant of the love I have for you, that it is not a bodily love but a spiritual one that loves God. Beloved, I am filled with joy in this, that blessedness has come to you in this time. Let the word, then, be your judge, and do not think your way of life perfect. For what is the service of God, that our own working should be so much? But there is a power that works with you. Striving, then, to offer yourselves as a sacrifice to God, continually give rest to the power that works with you, and to Christ Jesus, since it is united to the whole choir of the saints, and to me too, most wretched, who dwell in this house of clay. … to you, except to give you rest? Therefore I also beseech you that, since we were all created of one invisible substance, which has a beginning without end, we should love one another singly; for all who have known themselves will know that they are of one immortal substance.

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

I also want you to know that Jesus Christ our Lord is himself the true mind of the Father, in whom all the fullness of the whole rational nature has come into being, above all of those who have been made conformed to his image; he is the head of all creation and of the body, the church. For that reason we are all members of one another and the body of Christ, "and the head cannot say to the feet, 'I have no need of you'; but if one member suffers, the whole body is moved with it and suffers." But as for the members estranged from the body, which are not joined to their own head but given over to foulness because of their own passions of lust, their wound has become incurable, because they have forgotten the beginning and the end. Therefore the Father of the creatures, moved with compassion for our wound, which could not be healed except by his goodness alone, sent his Only-begotten to us, so that because of our slavery he might take the form of a slave and hand himself over for our sins. Our sins humbled him, but by his wound we have all been healed. He gathered us from all lands, until he should make the resurrection of our hearts from the earth, teaching us all that we are of one substance and members of one another. Therefore we must love one another earnestly, because whoever loves his neighbor loves his own soul.

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

And let this word be plain to you, dearest children in the Lord, holy children of Israel, who have prepared yourselves to go to God and to offer yourselves as a sacrifice to God in all holiness, since no one can receive the inheritance without holiness. Or do you not know, most beloved, that the adversaries of virtue always lie in wait for the truth? Therefore, dearest ones, take care not to give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids, crying out to your own Creator day and night, that help may perhaps come back to you from the Most High, and under his protection your hearts and thoughts may be in Christ. For truly, little children, we dwell in the house of a robber and are bound in the bonds of death. Certainly I also tell you that our negligence and humiliation, our turning aside, is not harmful to us alone, but is a toil to the angels and to all the saints in Christ Jesus, for they have not yet rested because of us. Truly, my children, this humiliation of ours is a grief to them all, just as again our salvation and glory gives them gladness and rest. And so that you may know that the kindness of the Father has not ceased since the movement took place, supporting us with blessings always until this day … since we were created in our own power: for this reason they always intercede for us, as it is written: "The angel of the Lord will encamp round about those who fear him, and will deliver them." So, little children, I want you to know that from the making of the world until now, all who were outside virtue, their wickedness being complete, also know that they are counted among the children of the devil, because they try to put their own will into each of us. For it is certain that, since the devil knows that he was cast down from heaven through pride and vainglory, he therefore attacks above all those who have come to a great measure, being skilled craftsmen in pride and vainglory, so that they may be against one another, knowing that by these things they separate us from God. And because they know that those who love their neighbor love God, they, being enemies of virtue, sow in our hearts their own kindling of pretenses, so that we may have great enmity against one another and not speak to our neighbor even from afar. Above all, little children, I want you also to know this: there are very many who have endured the greatest contest in a most holy way of life, but lack of discernment killed them. Truly, little children, it is not so much to be wondered at if you neglect yourselves, as if, not discerning your own work, you fall into the measure of the devil, thinking that you have already come near to God, and, expecting a strong light, are overtaken by darkness. For what need was there at all that Jesus should gird himself with a towel, take a basin, and wash the feet of those lower than himself? But he gave this example, signifying something about those who will turn back to their own supreme beginning; for the beginning of the movement is pride, which came first. And even if, after much labor, you … in your heart and in all your soul and in all your spirit, in all your soul and your whole body, you will not be able to inherit the kingdom of God.

Translated by Claude from Valerius de Sarasio (Valerio de Sarasio)'s Latin translation (16th century) of the Latin, Coptic, Georgian, Syriac and Arabic versions (the Greek original is lost); neither is shown

Truly, my little children in the Lord, I beseech my Creator day and night, from whom I have the spirit entrusted to me, that he may open the eyes of your heart to know the love that I have for you, and that the hearing of your soul may be opened to see your own confusion. For whoever has known his disgrace will then seek his chosen glory; and whoever has known his own death will in turn know his eternal life. I speak as to wise men: truly, little children, I fear that hunger may seize us on the way, in the place where we could become rich if we wished. I wished to see you face to face in the body first, but now I await the time which is near, in which we may … sorrow and sighing [flee], and when gladness is upon the head of all. There were many other things I would like to say, but "give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser." I greet all my most longed-for ones and children in the Lord, by name.