Letter 61: Spiritual fathers feed beginners until they can receive the bread of knowledge.

It is more fitting for us to seek the offspring of love from you, since you have acquired divine love through freedom from passion. Children do not store up treasure for their fathers; fathers store it up for their children. Since you are fathers, imitate Christ the Father and feed us for a time with barley loaves, through teaching that corrects our habits. Bend down toward our roughness until, after we have thrown off our beastlike habits, we may be judged worthy of the spiritual bread that came down from heaven and nourishes every rational nature according to the measure of its state. The one who descended is also the one who ascended, so that he might fill all things. And if he fills all things, then we all receive from his fullness. The fullness of Christ is spiritual knowledge of the ages that have come to be and those that are to come, together with true faith in the Holy Trinity. Perfect faith is acquired by abstaining from all mental images of bodily things. The Holy Trinity is revealed to the mind when it strips off the passions and the old human being corrupted by deceitful desires. When that old self is broken, it becomes a whole burnt offering to God through upright conduct and true faith.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): γεννηματα της αγαπης μαλλον ημας προσηκει ζητειν παρ' υμων ως δι απαθειας την θειαν αγαπην κεκτημενων, επει ουδε οι υιοι τοις πατρασι αποθησαυριζουσιν αλλ' οι πατερες υιοις. ως δη οντες πατερες υμεις μιμεισθε τον πατερα Χριστον και τρεφετε ημας προς καιρον αρτοις κριθων δια διδαχης κατορθωσεως των εθισμων, προς την ημων ιδιοτητα κατακυπτεσθε εως αποβαλοντες ημων τους θηριωδεις εθισμους του πνευματικου αρτου του εξ ουυρανου καταβαντος και πασας τας λογικας φυσεις κατα της αυτων καταστασεως μετρον τρεφοντος καταξιωθωμεν· ο γαρ καταβας αυτος εστιν και ο αναβας ινα πληρωσηι τα παντα και ει πληροι τα παντα παντες εκ του πληρωματος αυτου λαμβανωμεν· πληρωμα δε Χ. εστι πνευματικη γνωσις των αιωνων των τε γεγονοτων και των μελλοντων μετα αληθινης της αγιας τριαδος πιστεως· τελειος δε πιστις κταται δι’ αποχης πασων των νοησεων των σωματικων πραγματων, αποκαλυπτεται δε τωι νοι η αγια τριας εαν τα τε παθη εκδυσηται και τον παλαιον ανθρωπον δι' επιθυμιων απατης διεφθαρμενον· ουτος δε εαν συντριβηται γινεται ολοκαυτωμα θεωι δι' αναστροφης ορθης και αληθινης πιστεως Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.