Letters 5.1–7.1

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 his most beloved children, sons of Israel according to their spiritual essence; for there is no need to name the names that pass away, since you are sons of Israel. Still, truly, my children, the love I have for you is not a bodily love but the love of the spirit, of the worship of God. For this reason I do not tire of beseeching God day and night for you, that you may be able to know the grace that has been granted you. For he does not visit his creatures at one time only, but from the foundation of the world God governs his own creatures, rousing each one, generation by generation, by certain occasions and by grace. Now therefore, little children, do not neglect to cry out to the Lord day and night, urging the kindness of the Father to give you this help from heaven, teaching you until you know what it holds within itself. For truly, little children, we who stand in our own death, dwelling and remaining in the house of a robber, are we not now bound with the bonds of death? Therefore do not give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids, offering yourselves as a sacrifice to God in all holiness, which no one can inherit without holiness. Truly, dearest in the Lord, let this word be plain to you, and what is good: "No longer will I call you servants, but friends and brothers, for all that my Father has made known to me I have made known to you." Confessing, then, in their mind that they have known themselves according to their spiritual substance, they raised their voice, saying: "Even though we once knew you according to the flesh, now we no longer die." And receiving the spirit of the adoption of sons, they cried out, saying: "For we did not receive the spirit of slavery again to fear, but we received the spirit of adoption, by which we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" "Now, then, O God, we know all that you have given us, and we know that we are sons" … and that you may do these things, in which you will refresh all the saints, giving eagerness of soul, the service of the angels, and the gladness of Jesus, since until this hour they have not had rest because of us; and to me too, the most wretched, who dwell in this house of clay, the same joy in my spirit. For truly, little children, our trouble and unprofitableness give grief to them all; they shed tears and groans for us before the Creator; and because of this the God of all is also angered at our evil works because of the groaning of the saints … gives eagerness to the choir of the saints. And they offer much prayer and joy with exultation before our Creator, and the maker of all himself rejoices in our works, and because of the testimony of the saints he gives us immeasurable gifts.

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

So that you may know that God always loves his own creature, because it is of immortal essence and is not to be dissolved with the bodies: seeing that the spiritual nature had gone down altogether dead into the abyss, and that the law of the covenant had grown cold, the same God in his own goodness visits it from death, wishing to build through Moses and to heal the great wound, longing to turn it back to its first harmony; but he, though powerful, departed from them. Further still, the whole choir of the prophets built upon the foundation of Moses, but neither could they heal the enormous wound of their members; and seeing that their power had come to an end, the whole choir of the saints, gathered again into one, offered prayers before their own Creator, saying: "Is there no balm in Gilead, or is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not gone up?" "Lord, we have healed Babylon, and she has not been healed; now we will flee from her," all of them asking the kindness of the Father for the Only-begotten, because unless he himself healed it on earth, no creature could heal the enormous wound. For this reason, in his own goodness, he gave voice, saying: "Son of man, I make for you the vessels of captivity." So the will of the Father did not spare the Only-begotten, for the salvation of us all, but handed him over for our sins. Our iniquities humbled him, but by his wound we have all been healed; and he gathered us from all lands, from the height of the earth to the farthest part of the world, making the resurrection of our minds from the earth, and teaching that we are members of one another.

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

Take care, then, little children, lest that saying of Paul be fulfilled in you: "Having the form of godliness, but denying its power." Therefore let each of us rend his own heart, weeping before him and saying: "What shall I render to the Lord for all the good things he has rendered to me?" Again I fear, little children, lest that saying be fulfilled in you: "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to corruption?" Truly, little children, I speak as to wise men, so that you may understand what I say to you: unless each of you strips off all the dust of the nature of this kind of matter, and renounces it and all its working with his whole heart, and spreads out the hands of his heart upward to the Father of all, so that he is moved with compassion over his labor and gives him the invisible fire, which burns up all impurity from him and cleanses the governing part itself, then … that he may make his Holy Spirit dwell with us, and so we may be able to … we grow weary in natural matter, we are as enemies of the angels of God and of his saints.

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

Now therefore I beseech you, most beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, do not neglect your own life, and do not let the shortness of time confound that time without end, nor the thin skin of corruptible flesh darken the kingdom of ineffable light, nor the deadly place of condemnation destroy the seats among the angels. Truly, little children, my soul suffers terrors and my spirit is in dread, because we are all as though sunk in a whirlpool, and are like men drunk with new wine, while each of us is drawn away by his own will. For we are subjected to its dominion, unwilling to lift up our eyes to seek the glory of heaven and that illustrious working of all the saints, keeping to their footsteps. So that you may know, then, that the holy angels of heaven, whether thrones or dominions, cherubim or seraphim, or sun or moon or stars, or patriarchs, prophets, or apostles, or the devil, or Satan, or evil spirits, or princes of this air, and (not to say more) whether male or female, according to the beginning of their creation all are from one, except only the perfect and blessed Trinity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But because of the good movement of some, it was necessary that God should call them by these names, and according to their efforts he gave to those who made more progress a surpassing glory of dignity.

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

The rational man must be ready to free himself for the coming of the Son of God, knowing himself according to his spiritual essence. For whoever has known himself will know the dispensation of his own Creator and all that he does in his own creatures. Most beloved to us in the Lord, our members and fellow heirs of the saints, I beseech you in the name of Jesus Christ that he may grant you all a spirit of discernment, to learn and to know the love that I have for you, that it is not a bodily love but the spiritual love of divine worship. As for the names of our bodies, there is no need to name them, for they pass away. But let a man know what his true name is. That is why, when Jacob wrestled with the angel all night, his name was Jacob; but when morning came he called his name Israel, which is "a mind seeing God." For I think you are not unaware that the adversaries of virtue besiege the truth. Hence God visits his own creatures not at one time only, but from the beginning of the world. For some prepared themselves to come to their own Creator through his law of the covenant, taught by him to worship their maker as is fitting. But because, through the passion of weakness and the heaviness of the body, and … they could not search out properly, according to their creation, that the substance was immortal and not to be dissolved with the bodies, it could not free itself from unrighteousness. For this reason God approached them through the written law, to teach them to worship the Father as is fitting. But since God is one, and according to the spiritual essence there is unity in the same, let this word be plain to you: every place in which there is no concord, there they gather wars for themselves and make judgments arise among themselves.

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

Seeing that their wound had grown very great and needed the remedy of Jesus, the true physician (for the Only-begotten himself is their creator, and he heals them), the Creator sent before him the instructor of the house; but he, making no progress, went away. God likewise raised up the choirs of the prophets by his Spirit, who built upon the foundation of Moses; but neither could they, and in the same way they left and went away. And all of them, bearing the Spirit within themselves, saw that the wound was incurable and could be healed by no creature, except by the Only-begotten, who is the mind of the Father and is his image, according to the likeness of whose image the whole creation was made. Recognizing clearly that he was the great Savior and physician, they all gathered together and offered prayers for their fellow members, who are we, crying out and saying: "Is there no balm in Gilead, or is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not gone up?" "For we healed her, and she was not healed; now therefore we will go away from them." But God himself, with surpassing and unfeigned love, came to us through his saints, saying: "Son of man, make for yourself the vessels of captivity." He too, "being in the form of God, did not count it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave; and he became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father."

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

Now therefore, dearest ones, let this word be plain to you: the kindness of the Father did not spare the Only-begotten for our sake, but handed him over for the salvation of us all, he himself handing himself over for our sins. Our iniquities humbled him, but by his wound we have been healed. He also, by the word of his power, gathered us … to the farthest part of the world, making the resurrection of our minds and the remission of sins, teaching us that we are members of one another. Therefore, brothers, I beseech you in the name of Jesus Christ to recognize this great dispensation, that he became like us in all things except sin. Every rational nature, for whose sake above all the Savior came, ought to judge its own condition and the ignorance of its own mind, and to distinguish between evil and good, seeking to be freed through his coming. For as many as have been made free through his dispensation are called servants of God. But this is not yet perfect; it is only righteous in its own time, and will lead to the adoption of sons. For our Savior, knowing that they were drawing near to receive the spirit of the adoption of sons, granted that they should also know him, taught by the Holy Spirit, that the coming of Jesus has become a judgment for men. Therefore you too, most illustrious in the Lord, know yourselves, so that you may know these things and the time, and be ready to offer yourselves as a sacrifice to 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, dearest in the Lord, I write to you as to rational men, who have been able to know yourselves. For I know that whoever has known himself will also know God; and whoever has known God will know his dispensations, which he carries out in his own creatures. Let this word also be plain to you, that I have no bodily love for you, but the love of the spirit, of the worship of God, of that God, namely, who is glorified in the council of the righteous. Prepare yourselves, then, while you have those who pray for you and ask for your salvation, that he may send into your hearts the fire which he came to cast upon the earth, so that you may be able to exercise your habits, and that he may give you the offices of the mind to know how to distinguish the evil from the good, the right from the left, substance from what is without substance. For Jesus, knowing that matter makes the empire of the devil, called his disciples and said to them: "Do not lay up treasures for yourselves on earth," "and do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself." Truly, brothers, you know that in a time of favorable winds every helmsman applauds himself, but in contrary winds every helmsman is revealed. Understand, then, what kind of time it is that we have come to. About the details of the word of freedom there were very many things to be said to you; but "give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser." I greet you from the least to the greatest.

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 brothers in the Lord, greeting. I do not cease remembering you, who … I want you [to know] the love I have for you: that it is not bodily, but the love of the spirit, of the worship of God. For the friendship of our bodies is without substance and without constancy, and is often moved by outside winds. All who fear the Lord and keep his commandments are servants of God. But there is no perfection in that servitude; it only holds to what is just, leading on to the adoption of sons. Therefore the prophets and apostles and the whole choir of the saints, received by God, became prisoners of Christ, so that he might be believed through the apostolic preaching by the will of the Father. Thus Paul says: "A prisoner of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle." So let the written law be a fellow worker with you in this service, until we can master every vice and be made perfect in the best ministry of virtue through the apostolic command. For if we come near to receiving it, then Jesus will say to you: "No longer will I call you my servants, but friends and brothers, for all that my Father has made known to me I have revealed to you." All who have set themselves to this have been taught by the Holy Spirit, and have known themselves according to their spiritual essence; and in that very knowledge of themselves they cried out, saying: ["For we did not receive the spirit of slavery again] to fear, but we received the spirit of the adoption of sons, by which we cry, 'Abba, Father,'" so that we may know how much God has given us, that we are sons and heirs: heirs of God, fellow heirs of the saints. Most beloved brothers and fellow heirs of the saints, no virtue is foreign to you; it is your own, if only you are blameless of an evil life and plain before God. For the Spirit of God will not enter an evil soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins; for virtue is holy, and flees from all deceit. Truly, most beloved, I write to you as to rational men and as those able to know yourselves; for whoever has known himself has known God, and whoever has known God must worship him as is fitting. And, dearest in the Lord, know yourselves; for those who know themselves have also known the time, and those who have known the time will be able to keep themselves unmoved by the variety of tongues. As for Arius, who has arisen in Alexandria and speaks strange words about the Only-begotten: to him who is, and who is without time, he has assigned a time; to him who is unceasing, he has given an end among the creatures; to him who is unmoved, he has attributed movement.