ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΜΟΝΑΧΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΛΑΥΡΑΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΒΒΑ ΣΑΒΑ ΠΡΟΣ ΕΥΣΤΑΘΙΟΝ ΗΓΟΥΜΕΝΟΝ ΜΟΝΗΣ ΑΤΤΑΛΙΝΗΣ, ΠΟΛΕΩΣ ΑΓΚΥΡΑΣ ΤΗΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΙΑΣ, ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΕΚΕΙΣΕ ΑΓΙΩΝ ΠΑΤΕΡΩΝ ΕΝ Ω ΚΑΙ ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΑ ΡΛʹ, ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΣΕΥΧΗ ΕΞΟΜΟΛΟΓΗΣΕΩΣ. 1421Ἐπειδήπερ γεγράφηκάς μοι, τίμιε Πάτερ Εὐστάθιε, πολλὴν θλίψιν ὑπερμεμενηκέναι, τόπον ἐκ τόπου, καὶ χώραν ἐκ χώρας ἀμείβοντα, φόβῳ τοῦ ἐπικρατοῦντος Χαλδαϊκοῦ χειμῶνος, πείνης τε καὶ δίψης πειραθῆναι, οὐκ ἄρτου καὶ ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον Κυρίου· διὰ τὸ μήτε δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς βάρος βιβλίων ἐπιφέρεσθαι, μήτε ἐν τοῖς τόποις ἐν οἷς ἐπιδημεῖτε εὑρίσκειν εὐχερῶς τὰ ἐπιζητούμενα, ἐκελεύσατε τῇ ἐμῇ βραχύτητι ἐν συντόμῳ πᾶσαν συστεῖλαι τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν, Παλαιάν τε καὶ Καινὴν, ὥστε μήτε ἄχθος ἡμῖν γενέσθαι βαστάγματος, μήτε πάλιν ἐλλειφθῆναί τι τῶν τεινόντων ἐπ' ὠφέλειαν καὶ σωτηρίαν ψυχῆς, εἶξα προθύμως τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ κελεύσει, εὐθέως περιστήσας πάντα τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν ἐκ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς ἐπιζητούμενα, εἰς ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα κεφάλαια ἡνωμένα τε καὶ διακεκριμένα ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, ὡς μὴ σύγχυσιν καὶ φυρμὸν ὑπομεῖναι τὸν ἀναγινώσκοντα. Ταῦτα ἔστειλα τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ θεοφιλείᾳ· ἅπερ δεχόμενος, τῷ μὲν Θεῷ τὴν πρέπουσαν δοξολογίαν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν ἀνάπεμψον, τῷ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦντι. Ἡμᾶς δὲ ταῖς εὐπροσδέκτοις σου εὐχαῖς ἀνταμείβου, ὅπως κατὰ τὸ Θεῷ εὐχάριστον τὸν ὑπόλοιπον χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἐκτελέσωμεν. Εἰ δέ τι, ὡς εἰκὸς, εὕροις, συγγνώμην ἀποδοῦναι, καὶ τῇ ἰδιωτείᾳ καὶ τῇ σπουδῇ τοῦ ἐπιτάγματος.
THE LETTER of Antiochus, monk of the Laura of Abba Sabas, to Eustathius, superior of the monastery of Attalina, of the city of Ancyra in Galatia, concerning the holy Fathers there; in which are also one hundred and thirty chapters [the Latin title gives capitula 150, one hundred and fifty], and a prayer of confession.
1421Since you have written to me, honoured Father Eustathius, that you have endured much affliction, exchanging one place for another and one land for another, for fear of the Chaldean storm that prevails; and that you have been put to the trial of hunger and of thirst — not of bread and of water, but, according to that which has been said, of hearing the word of the Lord; and since you are neither able to carry about with you the weight of books, nor, in the places where you sojourn, to find readily the things you seek: you charged my littleness to draw together in brief the whole of the divine Scripture, both Old and New, so that neither should the burden of the carrying become a weight to us, nor again should anything be left out of the things that tend to the profit and salvation of the soul. I yielded readily to your command, and having straightway set in order all the things sought by you out of the divine Scripture, into one hundred and thirty chapters [the Latin gives centum quinquaginta … capita, one hundred and fifty], united to one another and yet distinguished from one another, so that the reader should not undergo confusion and jumbling — these I have sent to your God-loving reverence. Receiving them, send up to God the fitting glory and thanksgiving, to him who perfects his own power in weakness; and requite us with your acceptable prayers, that we may fulfil the remaining time of our life in a manner thankful to God. But if you should find anything, as is likely, grant pardon both to my want of learning and to the haste of the injunction.
Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐστείλας, τίμιε Πάτερ, ὥστε σημᾶναί σοι καὶ περὶ τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς Λαύρας, εἰ ἀληθῆ εἰσιν, ἅπερ εἴπατε ἀκηκοέναι παρὰ πολλῶν, περί τε τῆς πολιτείας καὶ τῆς ἀναιρέσεως αὐτῶν, δύσπιστα ὄντα καὶ ἀκοὴν ὑπερβαίνοντα, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην πρότερον ἐν βραχεῖ σημᾶναι ὑμῖν , instar multarum aquarum eo confluunt.] 1424τὰ περὶ αὐτῶν, εἶθ' οὕτως καθυποτάξαι τὰ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς κεφάλαια. Καὶ περὶ μὲν τῆς ἐναρέτου αὐτῶν πολιτείας οὐ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ οὐδὲ τῆς ἐμῆς γλώττης διηγήσασθαι. Τοῦτο δὲ μόνον λέγω, ὅτι ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄνθρωποι ἦσαν θεῖοι (εἴγε δεῖ ἀνθρώπους αὐτοὺς καλεῖν, καὶ μὴ ἀγγέλους), τῇ τε ἀσκήσει καὶ ἡσυχίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας πόνοις ἐκ νεότητος ἐγγεγηρακότες, γηραλέοι, ἱεροπρεπεῖς, πολιοὶ τὴν τρίχα καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν, ἀγαθοὶ, ταπεινόφρονες, κόσμιοι, σώφρονες, ἀληθινοὶ, ἄμεμπτοι, δίκαιοι, θεοσεβεῖς, ἀπεχόμενοι ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος, ἀνελλιπεῖς πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν, πεπληρωμένοι δὲ τῆς θείας ἀγάπης. Τινὲς αὐτῶν ὑπερβεβηκότες ἀπὸ πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑξήκοντα ἐτῶν, μὴ ἐξερχόμενοι παντοίως τῆς Λαύρας· τινὲς δὲ μήτε ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ προϊόντες, μηδὲ ἑωρακότες τὴν πόλιν, ἀφ' οὗ ἐμόνασαν, ἀρεταῖς παντοίαις κεκοσμημένοι, ἐπίγεια ἄγγελοι, καὶ οὐράνιοι ἄνθρωποι· ὅθεν καὶ τοιοῦτον τέλος ἀπηνέγκαντο, καὶ τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς νίκης ἐκομίσαντο. Ἐπελθόντων γὰρ τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ Λαύρᾳ πρὸ μιᾶς ἑβδομάδος τοῦ παραληφθῆναι τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν, καὶ πάντα τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἱερὰ σκεύη διαρπασάντων, τὸ μὲν πλῆθος τῶν Πατέρων παραχρῆμα ὑπανεχώρησεν· ἀπέμειναν δὲ οἱ καρτερικοὶ δοῦλοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ Λαύρᾳ, μὴ βουλόμενοι καταλιπεῖν τὸν τόπον. Οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι συλλαβόμενοι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀνηλεῶς ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας βασανίζοντες, οἰόμενοι χρήματα εὑρίσκειν, παρ' οἷς μηδὲν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ὑπῆρχεν, τέλος τοῦ σκοποῦ ἐκπεσόντες, ἐμμανεῖς γενόμενοι πάντας μεληδὸν κατέτεμνον. Οἱ δὲ μακάριοι γεγηθότες φαιδρῷ τῷ προσώπῳ, εὐχαρίστως τὰς ψυχὰς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀπέδωκαν, ὡς ἐκ πολλοῦ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχοντες ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι. Ῥιφέντων δὲ τῶν σωμάτων αὐτῶν ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ἀτάφων, ἐπικατελάβομεν ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ Ἀραβίας· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀββᾶς Νικομήδης θεασάμενος τὰ ἐλεεινὰ θεάματα τῶν Πατέρων, λειποθυμήσας σχεδὸν εἰπεῖν ἤρθη νεκρός. Μόδεστος δὲ ὁ ὁσιώτατος προσελθὼν πάντα τὰ σκηνώματα τῶν ἁγίων συστείλας, ἔλουσε πολλά τε ἐπιδακρύσας καὶ περιπτυξάμενος τὰ ἅγια καὶ καρτερικὰ αὐτῶν λείψανα, κατέθετο ἐν ταῖς θήκαις τῶν Πατέρων. Ἐκτελέσας δὲ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὸν συνήθη κανόνα, ἐπεφθέγξατο αὐτοῖς τὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου λόγιον τὸ φάσκον· «Ἄνδρες δίκαιοι αἴρονται, καὶ οὐδεὶς κατανοεῖ· ἀπὸ προσώπου ἀδικίας ἦρται ὁ δίκαιος· ἔσται ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ταφὴ αὐτοῦ.» Καί· «Ψυχαὶ δικαίων ἐν χειρὶ Κυρίου· καὶ οὐ μὴ ἅψηται αὐτῶν βάσανος.
And since you sent this word also, honoured Father, that I should signify to you concerning the holy Fathers of our Laura The moderns among the Greeks call a notable monastery a laura, on account of the great throng of men who, for devotion's sake, flow together there after the manner of many waters. — whether those things be true which you said you had heard from many, both concerning their manner of life and concerning their slaughter, things hard to believe and passing hearing — I judged it necessary first to signify to you in brief 1424the things concerning them, and so thereafter to append the chapters of the divine Scripture.
Now concerning their virtuous manner of life, it belongs neither to the present season nor to my tongue to tell. This only do I say: that they were truly divine men — if indeed one ought to call them men, and not angels — grown old from youth in ascetic discipline and in stillness and in the labours borne for godliness; aged, of priestly bearing, grey in the hair and in the understanding, good, humble-minded, orderly, temperate, true, blameless, just, God-fearing, holding themselves back from every evil thing, lacking in none of the good things, and filled full of the divine love. Some of them had passed beyond fifty and sixty years [the Latin gives centum excesserunt annos et quinquaginta sex, exceeded a hundred years and fifty-six] without going out of the Laura in any way at all; and some neither went forward into the church nor had seen the city from the time they became monks — adorned with virtues of every kind, earthly angels and heavenly men. Whence also they carried off such an end, and bore away the prize of the victory.
For when the Ishmaelites came upon our Laura one week before the holy city was taken, and plundered all the sacred vessels of the church, the multitude of the Fathers withdrew at once; but the steadfast servants of Christ remained behind in the Laura, not willing to leave the place. And the barbarians, having seized them and tortured them pitilessly for many days — supposing that they should find money with men in whose keeping was nothing of this age — at last, failing of their purpose and becoming frenzied, cut them all in pieces limb by limb. But the blessed ones, rejoicing with a bright countenance, gave up their souls to the Lord with thanksgiving, as having long had the desire to depart and to be with Christ. And when their bodies had been flung out unburied for many days, we came upon them from Arabia; and the abba Nicomedes, beholding the piteous spectacle of the Fathers, swooning away, was well-nigh — so to speak — taken up dead. But Modestus the most holy, coming forward and gathering up all the tabernacles of the saints, washed them, and having wept much over them and embraced their holy and steadfast relics, laid them in the tombs of the Fathers. And having performed over them the accustomed rule, he uttered over them the oracle of Isaiah which says: «Just men are taken away, and no one considers; from before the face of iniquity the just man has been taken away; his burial shall be in peace.» Isa. LVII, 1 And: «The souls of the just are in the hand of the Lord, and no torment shall touch them.
Ἔδοξαν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀφρόνων τεθνάναι, οἱ δέ εἰσιν ἐν εἰρήνῃ, καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτῶν ἀθανασίας πλήρης· καὶ ὀλίγα παιδευθέντες μεγάλως εὐεργετηθήσονται, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐπείρασεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ εὗρεν αὐτοὺς ἀξίους ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ὡς ὁλοκάρπωμα θυσίας προσεδέξατο αὐτοὺς, καὶ
1425ἐν καιρῷ ἐπισκοπῆς αὐτῶν ἀναλάμψουσι.» Καὶ ταῦτα περὶ τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων ἡμῶν εἰρηκὼς παρεκάλει πάντας ἡμᾶς μὴ ἐγκαταλεῖψαι τὸν τόπον ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ὑπομένειν γενναίως ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς μνημονεύοντας τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· «Ὅτι στενὴ ἡ πύλη καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν·» καὶ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, ὅτι «Διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Εἴξαντες οὖν τῇ παραινέσει αὐτοῦ ἐμείναμεν ἐν τῇ Λαύρᾳ ὡς ἐπὶ δύο μῆνας. Καὶ πάλιν ἀκοῆς βαρβαρικῆς γενομένης φοβηθέντες κατεφύγομεν εἰς μοναστήριον πλησίον τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως, ὡς ἀπὸ σταδίων εἴκοσι, λεγόμενον τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ἀναστασίου, μηδένα τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἔχον. Καὶ ποιήσαντες ὡς δύο χρόνους ἐν αὐτῷ, πάλιν παρεκαλούμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ εἰρημένου ὁσιωτάτου Μοδέστου ἐπανελθεῖν, καὶ οἰκῆσαι εἰς τὸν τόπον ἡμῶν. Πεισθέντες οὖν τῇ ἀγαθῇ αὐτοῦ συμβουλίᾳ, οἱ μὲν παραχρῆμα ἐπανήλθομεν, καὶ οἰκήσαμεν εἰς τὴν Λαύραν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ μικρὸν βραδύτερον φόβῳ τῶν γειτνιώντων ἡμῖν Σαρακηνῶν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ μοναστηρίῳ ἀπεμείναμεν ἅμα Ἰουστίνῳ τῷ ὁσιωτάτῳ αὐτῶν ἡγουμένῳ, ἀποταξαμένῳ ἐν τῇ Λαύρᾳ, καὶ πλείστους χρόνους ἐν αὐτῇ πεποιηκότι, καὶ ἐν πολλαῖς ἀρεταῖς διαπρέψαντι, ὡς καὶ τῇ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ἀξίᾳ αὐτὸν τιμηθῆναι. Ὅστις θεοσεβέστατος Ἰουστῖνος πολλὴν συνοδίαν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ μοναστηρίῳ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτι περιεποιήσατο κρατῶν τὸν κανόνα ἀπαραλλάκτως τῆς Λαύρας καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν κατάστασιν, καὶ οὐκ ἂν εὕροι τις ἐν ὅλῃ Παλαστίνῃ ἢ ἐν ἄλλῳ κοινοβίῳ τοιαύτην πνευματικὴν κατάστασιν. Ἀνθεῖ δὲ καὶ αὐξάνει καθ' ἑκάστην· καὶ προβαίνων κατὰ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ μέγας γίνεται, ὡς ἐκ τούτου χαίρειν ἡμᾶς στοχαζομένους καλῶς, ὅτι ἐν πάσῃ χώρᾳ διαλάμπει φωστήρων δίκην τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ ἁγίου Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Σάβα. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ ταπεινοὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι καὶ σπουδῇ τοῦ προειρημένου ὁσιωτάτου Μοδέστου ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ καθήμεθα ὑπὲρ τὰ πρώην ἔτη, εὐχαριστοῦντες καὶ δοξάζοντες τὸν Θεὸν τὸν θανατοῦντα καὶ ζωοποιοῦντα, καὶ ποιοῦντα θαυμάσια μεγάλα μόνον. Ἐσπλαγχνίσθη γὰρ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἡ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότης, καὶ εἰς προκοπὴν μεγάλην ἤνεγκε τὸν τόπον ἡμῶν, ὅσον πρὸς τοὺς καιροὺς, διὰ τοὺς προδουλεύσαντας αὐτῷ γνησίως ἐν αὐτῷ ἁγίους δούλους αὐτοῦ. Ἐχαρίσατο δὲ ἡμῖν Πατέρα καὶ ποιμένα ἡ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότης, ἄξιον τῆς αὐ- τοῦ προνοίας, Θωμᾶν τὸν ὁσιώτατον, γνωστικὸν ὄντα καὶ παντοίαις ἀρεταῖς κατακεκοσμημένον, τὸν ἐκ νεαρᾶς ἡλικίας ἡσύχιον ἀσκήσαντα βίον· τὸν πρᾶον καὶ φιλάδελφον καὶ συμπαθέστατον, τὸν ταπεινὸν τῇ καρδίᾳ, τὸν περὶ τὴν εὐχὴν καὶ κανόνα θερμότατον. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τῆς ἡγητηρίας αὐτοῦ εἰς πλατυσμὸν ἤνεγκε τοὺς αὐτοῦ φοιτητάς. Ὁ δὲ ἀριθμὸς τῶν ἀναιρεθέντων Πατέρων ἐστὶν ὀνομάτων τεσσαράκοντα τεσσάρων. Ἐπιτελεῖται δὲ ἡ μνήμη αὐτῶν μηνὶ Μαΐῳ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ.
In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died; but they are in peace, and their hope is full of immortality; and having been chastened a little, they shall be greatly benefited, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself, and received them as a whole burnt offering of sacrifice, and
1425in the time of their visitation they shall shine forth.» Sap. III, 4-6 And having said these things concerning our holy Fathers, he exhorted us all not to forsake our place, but to endure nobly in the trials, remembering the Lord who says: «For strait is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life;» Matth. VII, 14 and the Apostle, that «Through many tribulations must we enter into the kingdom of the heavens.» Act. XIV, 21 [the received text of Acts 14:22 reads τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, "the kingdom of God"]
Yielding therefore to his exhortation, we remained in the Laura about two months. And when a barbarian report arose again, taking fright we fled for refuge to a monastery near the holy city, about twenty stadia off, called that of the abba Anastasius, which had no one in it at that time. And having spent about two years in it, we were again entreated by the aforesaid most holy Modestus to return and to dwell in our own place. Persuaded then by his good counsel, some of us returned at once and settled in the Laura; but some a little more slowly, for fear of the Saracens who neighbour upon us; and some of us remained on in that same monastery, together with Justinus their most holy superior, who had renounced the world in the Laura and had spent very many years in it and had been distinguished in many virtues, so that he was honoured also with the dignity of the presbyterate. And this most God-fearing Justinus gathered to himself a great company in that same monastery by the grace of Christ, keeping the rule unaltered from that of the Laura, and the rest of its constitution; and one would not find in all Palestine, or in any other coenobium Of the coenobitic sort., such a spiritual constitution. And it flourishes and increases day by day; and going forward it becomes great after the manner of Isaac, so that from this we rejoice, conjecturing rightly that in every land the seed of our holy Father Sabas shines out after the manner of luminaries.
But we the lowly, by the grace of God and by the diligence of the aforementioned most holy Modestus, sit in stillness beyond the former years, giving thanks and glorifying God, who kills and makes alive and who alone does great wonders. For his own goodness had compassion upon us, and brought our place unto great advancement, so far as the times allowed, on account of the holy servants of his who had served him genuinely therein. And his goodness bestowed upon us a Father and shepherd worthy of his providence: Thomas the most holy, one gifted with knowledge and adorned with virtues of every kind, who from a youthful age practised a life of stillness; the gentle and brother-loving and most compassionate, the humble in heart, most fervent about prayer and about the rule. Wherefore God also, under his leadership, brought his disciples into a broad place.
And the number of the Fathers who were slain is forty-four by name. And their memory is celebrated in the month of May, on the fifteenth.
Χάριτι δὲ Χριστοῦ καὶ σπουδῇ τοῦ προλεχθέντος ὁσιωτάτου Πατρὸς ἡμῶν 1428Μοδέστου οἰκοῦνται καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς ἐρήμου μοναστήρια. Ἰδοὺ οὖν, τίμιε πάτερ Εὐστάθιε, ἐν συντόμῳ ἃ περὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς Λαύρας ἐσήμανα τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ θεοφιλείᾳ, καὶ ἄλλα δὲ εὐαγγέλια χαροποιοῦντα τὴν ὑμετέραν ψυχὴν, καὶ παντὸς Χριστιανοῦ ἀκούοντος αὐτὰ, εὐαγγελίζομαι ὑμῖν. Ὁ γὰρ προρρηθεὶς ὁσιώτατος Μόδεστος οὐ μόνον προνοεῖται τῶν τῆς ἐρήμου μοναστηρίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς πόλεως καὶ πάσης τῆς περιοικίδος· τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος αὐτῷ ἐν παντί. Οὗτος γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ νέος ἡμῶν Βεσελεὴλ ἢ Ζοροβάβελ πλησθεὶς Πνεύματος ἁγίου, ἀνήγειρε καὶ τοὺς ἐμπρησθέντας σεβασμίους ναοὺς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τό τε ἅγιον κρανίον, καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν αὐτοῦ ἀνάστασιν, καὶ τὸν σεπτὸν οἶκον τοῦ τιμίου σταυροῦ, καὶ τὴν μητέρα τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν αὐτοῦ ἀνάληψιν, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς σεβασμίους οἴκους· ὡς ἐκ τούτου ἀγαθὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχειν ἡμᾶς καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξω χωρῶν ἐρχομένους εἰς προσκύνησιν τῶν ἁγίων τόπων, καὶ πάντας δοξάζειν τὸν Θεὸν, ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
And by the grace of Christ and the diligence of the aforesaid most holy Father of ours 1428Modestus, the remaining monasteries of the desert also are inhabited. Behold then, honoured father Eustathius, in brief the things which I have signified to your God-loving reverence concerning our holy ones and concerning the Laura; and other good tidings also, gladdening your soul and the soul of every Christian who hears them, I bring you. For the aforesaid most holy Modestus takes forethought not only for the monasteries of the desert, but also for the city and for all the country round about, God working with him in everything. For this man, as truly our new Bezalel or Zerubbabel, filled with the Holy Spirit, has raised up again the venerable churches that were burned: those of our Saviour Jesus Christ — both the holy Skull, and his holy Resurrection, and the august house of the precious Cross, and the mother of the churches, and his holy Ascension — and the remaining venerable houses; so that from this we have good hopes also concerning the things to come, and most of all for those who come from the outer lands to the veneration of the holy places; and that all glorify God, to whom belongs all glory, honour and veneration, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.