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Lkithrstotiie Qataris 57

and may excel in the observance of his commands, and that you
may do, continually through all the days of your lives, that which is
pleasing before him. Amen!

Letter 19: A Second Letter to the People of Qatar124
1’he talc of the evils which have occurred in your region, my
beloved brothers, presses us to write to you a second time, since I
am very troubled by the fear of other evils which are set to
happen125 in your region. For from rhe beginning, when I heard
that your bishops contrived wickedly, wrote and scaled a document
of apostasy126 from the Church of God, 1 realized that they were
prepared to fall into every evil and would cast down the people of
God whose bishops they arc called. I anticipated, and I spoke, and
I wrote, and I cautioned, but I was not believed and behold now
the evil matter is coming to pass with my foreknowledge from the
exhortation of the evil chorepiscopi,127 and if the Lord does not
guard die villages of die Qataris,128 we will mourn once again.
For I heard that Abraham, the (most) excellent, praiseworthy
and distinguished of die bishops dicre, after he gave up hope of the
communion of the Church of God, he immediately began to harm
God’s monks.129 For the brother monks, who had been
consecrated in die monastery130 of your diocese131 like a holy
offering to God who is above all, who in your region guard an
example of heavenly life for the demonstration of Christianity, who
were a place of refuge of the oppressed for the region of the
Qataris,132 who were a censer of spiritual incense for the Church of
the Qataris for the honour of the glory of our Lord, who indeed

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