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Ancoratus

A letter written from Pamphylia, from the city of Syedra, by Tarsinus and Matidius and other presbyters, to Epiphanius

bishop of Constantia, a city of Cyprus, requesting [a statement] concerning the faith of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit and other parts of the same faith.

To the lord bishop Epiphanius, honored by God, Matidius and Tarsinus and Neon and Numerianus, presbyters of the catholic church in Syedra, greetings in the Lord God. Pr1.1 In various ways the enemy of men, the devil, is accustomed to stir up trouble and sow his own seeds against the more simple, who have not yet been perfected and confirmed in the faith of the holy Trinity. "But the firm foundation," as it is written, "stands, having this seal: Pr1.2 'For the Lord knows those who are his.'" But the heretics, reckless in all things, leaving aside the blasphemy against Jesus, are impious toward God in another way, "magnifying" their own "tongue" against the Holy Spirit and Pr1.3 "speaking injustice on high." But nevertheless, although countless things have been stirred up, we ourselves, by the grace of the Lord, stand in the sound faith, having been in no way whatsoever shaken from the orthodox and sound teaching. And many of those who seemed to be deceived were restored to health by the grace of the Lord, through the letters both of the bishop Athanasius, of worthy and blessed memory, and of your most God-fearing fellow minister Pr1.4 Proclianus. But since remnants of the evil teaching still remain among some, and it is necessary that these, through you, the experienced husbandmen, be either grafted into the good olive tree or cut out completely, for this reason we write to your God-fearing piety and beseech you, deign, your Reverence, to compose a letter to our church and to set forth the orthodox and sound faith through a more extensive account, so that both the more simple and those who still doubt concerning the faith may be confirmed through your sacred writings, and that the enemy of the church, the devil, may be put to shame through your holy prayers. We pray to God that you may be well for many years and remember us in your prayers. Pr2.αργ A letter written by Palladius, a magistrate of the same city of Syedra, and sent to the same Epiphanius, bishop of Constantia of the island of Cyprus, he also having requested concerning the same matters.

To my soul's master, the bishop Epiphanius, honored by God, Palladius, a magistrate in Syedra, greetings in the Lord God. Pr2.1 Those who sail across the great and wide sea, as long as a calm wind directs the ship, take little thought for the harbors lying along the shores, Pr2.2 thinking to bring the vessel across unweariedly; but when a contrary and violent wind falls upon it, raising the triple waves on high from all sides and swamping the ship,

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Ancoratus

Ἐπιστολὴ γραφεῖσα ἀπὸ Παμφυλίας ἐκ πόλεως Σουέδρων ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ Ταρσῖνον καὶ Ματίδιον καὶ ἄλλους πρεσβυτέρους πρὸς Ἐπιφάνιον

ἐπίσκοπον Κύπρου πόλεως Κωνσταντίας περὶ πίστεως αἰτησάντων πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος καὶ ἄλλων μερῶν τῆς αὐτῆς πίστεως.

Τῷ κυρίῳ θεοτιμήτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Ἐπιφανίῳ Ματίδιος καὶ Ταρσῖνος καὶ Νέων καὶ Νουμεριανός, πρεσβύτεροι τῆς ἐν Σουέδροις καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἐν κυρίῳ θεῷ χαίρειν. Pr1.1 Ποικίλως ὁ ἐχθρὸς τῶν ἀνθρώπων διάβολος εἴωθε ταράττειν καὶ τὰ ἴδια ἐπισπείρειν σπέρματα κατὰ τῶν ἁπλουστέρων καὶ μηδέπω εἰς τὴν πίστιν τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος τελειωθέντων καὶ βεβαιωθέντων. «ὁ μέντοι στερεὸς θεμέλιος» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον «ἕστηκεν ἔχων τὴν σφραγῖδα Pr1.2 ταύτην· ἔγνω γὰρ κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ.» οἱ δὲ πάντα εὐχερεῖς αἱρετικοὶ παρέντες τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ βλασφημίαν ἑτέρως εἰς τὸν θεὸν ἀσεβοῦσι, κατὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος τὴν ἰδίαν «γλῶσσαν μεγαλύνοντες» καὶ Pr1.3 «ἀδικίαν εἰς τὸ ὕψος λαλοῦντες». ἀλλ' ὅμως καίπερ μυρίων κινηθέντων αὐτοὶ χάριτι κυρίου εἰς τὴν ὑγιῆ ἑστήκαμεν πίστιν, ἐν μηδενὶ ὅλως παρακινηθέντες τῆς ὀρθῆς καὶ ὑγιοῦς διδασκαλίας. καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν δοκούντων ἀπατᾶσθαι ἐπανερρώσθησαν χάριτι κυρίου, διά τε γραμμάτων τοῦ μνήμης ἀξίου καὶ μακαρίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀθανασίου καὶ τοῦ θεοσεβεστάτου συλPr1.4 λειτουργοῦ σου Προκλιανοῦ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ λείψανα τῆς κακῆς διδασκαλίας παρά τισιν ἔτι περιλείπεται καὶ χρὴ ταῦτα δι' ὑμῶν τῶν ἐμπείρων γεωργῶν εἰς καλλιέλαιον ἐγκεντρισθῆναι ἢ τέλεον ἐκκοπῆναι, τούτου χάριν γράφοντες τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ σου παρακαλοῦμεν καταξιῶσαι τὴν εὐλάβειάν σου γράμματα πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐκκλησίαν διαχαράξαι καὶ διὰ πλατυτέρου διηγήματος τὴν ὀρθὴν καὶ ὑγιῆ πίστιν ἐκθέσθαι, πρὸς τὸ δυνηθῆναι καὶ τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους καὶ ἔτι περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐνδοιάζοντας βεβαιωθῆναι διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν σου γραμμάτων καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας διάβολον διὰ τῶν ἁγίων προσευχῶν σου καταισχυνθῆναι. ἐρρῶσθαί σε πολλοῖς χρόνοις καὶ μεμνῆσθαι ἡμῶν ἐν εὐχαῖς θεῷ εὐχόμεθα. Pr2.αργ Ἐπιστολὴ γραφεῖσα παρὰ Παλλαδίου τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως Σουέδρων πολιτευομένου καὶ ἀποσταλεῖσα πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν Ἐπιφάνιον ἐπίσκοπον Κωνσταντίας τῆς Κυπρίων νήσου, αἰτήσαντος καὶ αὐτοῦ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν.

Τῷ δεσπότῃ μου τῆς ψυχῆς θεοτιμήτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Ἐπιφανίῳ Παλλάδιος πολιτευόμενος ἐν Σουέδροις ἐν κυρίῳ θεῷ χαίρειν. Pr2.1 Οἱ τὴν μεγάλην καὶ εὐρύχωρον διαπλέοντες θάλασσαν, ἕως μὲν γαληνὸν πνεῦμα τὴν ναῦν εὐθύνῃ, μικρὰ τῶν παρακειμένων ταῖς ὄχθαις Pr2.2 λιμένων φροντίζουσιν, οἰόμενοι ἀκμητὶ περαιῶσαι τὸ σκάφος· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἐναντίον καὶ σφοδρὸν ἐμπέσῃ πνεῦμα, τὰς τρικυμίας εἰς ὕψος ἐπαῖρον πάντοθεν καὶ περικλύζον τὴν ναῦν,