the flight of concord, most of us who are active and eager for it have become fugitives from the country, being unable to live safely and without trouble in the land that nurtured us, because of our relation to the truth, if somehow, having found you, we may live these few remaining days of our life according to the Gospel. 7 {THE DEACON.} It seems, wonderful father, that you have been sent to us by providence; for I find your pain consonant with our own griefs. For I suppose you are of the synod of John, the bishop of Constantinople. {THE BISHOP.} It is as you have said. {THE DEACON.} Be entreated, therefore, with God as your witness, to relate to us with all truthfulness the things which we are eager to learn in detail; knowing this, that if you report anything to us contrary to the truth, you will have God as judge and arbiter, and you will be refuted by us also, who have learned otherwise. For not one or two or three or ten or just anyone has narrated to us about the events in Constantinople, but even more, and of these some were bishops and presbyters and from the order of monks. And if you wish to learn briefly the affairs of the church of the Romans, I will provide you the knowledge. First of all, an Alexandrian lector came to us with letters from Pope Theophilus, in which he reported that he had deposed John. When the blessed Pope Innocent came upon these letters, he was a little disturbed, condemning the rashness and pride of Theophilus, because he had both written alone and had not sent clear information, either for what reason he deposed him or with whom he deposed him. Perplexed by these things, he remained, not wishing to write back because of the triviality of the matter. At which point a certain Eusebius, a deacon of the church of the Constantinopolitans, who was staying in Rome for ecclesiastical reasons, approaching Pope Innocent, delivered petitionary libelli, adjuring him to wait a short time, to see the uncovering of the plot. At which point, after three days, there arrived four bishops of John's party, devout men, Pansophius of Pisidia, Pappus of Syria, Demetrius of Galatia Secunda, Eugenius of Phrygia, delivering letters, one in addition to two, one from John the bishop, one from forty 8 other bishops in communion with John, and the last from John's clergy, all three in agreement, signifying a disorderly tumult. And the tenor of the letter of Bishop John was as follows: CHAPTER II "To my revered and most holy master, Bishop Innocent, John, greeting in the Lord. "Even before our letters, I think your Reverence has heard of the transgression dared here. For the magnitude of the terrible things has not left a single part of the world unheard of this grievous tragedy, but fame, carrying what has happened even to the very ends of the earth, has wrought much lamentation and wailing everywhere. But since it is necessary not only to lament these things, but also to correct them and to consider how this most grievous storm of the church might cease, we thought it necessary to persuade my most honorable and most reverent lords, the bishops Demetrius, Pansophius, Pappus, and Eugenius, to leave their own churches, and to dare so great a sea, and to undertake a long journey, and to run to your love, and, having clearly taught you everything, to prepare for the swiftest possible correction. With them we have also sent the most honorable and beloved deacons Paul and Cyriacus. And these men, as in the form of a letter, will in brief teach your love what has happened. For Theophilus, who was entrusted with the presidency of the church of Alexandria, when certain persons petitioned the most pious emperor against him, was commanded to arrive alone, but gathering with him a not insignificant multitude of Egyptians, he arrives, as if wishing to show from the very prelude 9 that he is coming for war and battle-array. Then, having set foot in the great and God-beloved Constantinople, he did not come to the church according to the custom that has prevailed from of old, not to us
ὁμονοίας φυγήν, οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν εὐζώνων καὶ γλιχομένων αὐτῆς φυγάδες τῆς χώρας κατέστημεν, ἀκινδύνως καὶ ἀπραγμόνως οἰκεῖν τὴν θρεψαμένην οὐ δυνάμενοι διὰ τὴν σχέσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, εἴ πως ὑμᾶς εὑρόντες, τὰς ὀλίγας ταύτας ἡμέρας τὰς λειπομένας τῷ βίῳ κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ζήσωμεν. 7 {Ο ∆ΙΑΚ.} Ὡς ἔοικε, θαυμάσιε πάτερ, ὑπὸ τῆς προνοίας ἡμῖν ἀπεστάλης· συνᾴδουσαν γὰρ εὑρίσκω ταῖς ἡμετέραις ἀνίαις τὴν σὴν ἀλγηδόνα. οἶμαι γάρ σε τῆς συνόδου εἶναι Ἰωάννου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. {Ο ΕΠΙΣΚ.} Οὕτως ἔχει ὡς εἴρηκας. {Ο ∆ΙΑΚ.} Παρακέκλησο τοίνυν, ἐπὶ Θεοῦ μάρτυρος, μετὰ πάσης ἀληθείας ἡμῖν διηγήσασθαι περὶ ὧν κατὰ μέρος μαθεῖν ἐπειγό μεθα· ὡς εἰδὼς τοῦτο, ὅτι εἴ τι παρὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἡμῖν ἀπαγ γείλῃς, ἕξεις μὲν τὸν Θεὸν δικαστὴν καὶ κριτήν, ἐλεγχθήσῃ δὲ καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν ἑτέρως μαθόντων. οὐ γὰρ εἷς ἢ δύο ἢ τρεῖς ἢ δέκα ἢ οἱ τυχόντες ἡμῖν ἀφηγήσαντο περὶ τῶν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει συμβάντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείους, καὶ τούτων οἱ μὲν ἐπίσκοποι καὶ πρεσβύτεροι καὶ τοῦ τάγματος τῶν μοναχῶν. καὶ εἰ βούλει συντόμως μαθεῖν τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας Ῥωμαίων, παρέχω σοι τὴν γνῶσιν. πρῶτος πάντων παραγέγονε πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀναγνώστης Ἀλεξανδρεὺς μετὰ γραμμάτων Θεοφίλου τοῦ πάπα, ἐν οἷς προσ ανέφερεν καθῃρηκέναι τὸν Ἰωάννην. οἷς γράμμασιν ἐντυχὼν ὁ μακάριος πάπας Ἰννοκέντιος μικρὸν ἀνετράπη, προπετείας καὶ τύφου καταγνοὺς Θεοφίλου, ὅτι καὶ μόνος γεγράφηκε καὶ σαφῆ τὴν γνῶσιν οὐκ ἔπεμψεν, ἢ δι' ὃ καθεῖλεν ἢ μετὰ τίνων καθεῖλεν. ἐπὶ τούτοις διαπορῶν ἔμενεν, ἀντιγράφειν οὐ θέλων διὰ τὸ κοῦφον τοῦ πράγματος. ἐν οἷς Εὐσέβιός τις διάκονος τῆς Κωνσταντινου πολιτῶν ἐκκλησίας, ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ἕνεκεν διατρίβων ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ, προσελθὼν τῷ πάπᾳ Ἰννοκεντίῳ, ἐντευκτικοὺς λιβέλλους ἐπέδωκεν, ὁρκίζων αὐτὸν μικρὸν ἀναμεῖναι χρόνον, ὀψόμενον τῆς συσκευῆς τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν. ἐν οἷς ἐπέστησαν μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐπίσκοποι τέσσαρες τοῦ μέρους Ἰωάννου, ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς, Παν σόφιος Πισιδίας, Πάππος Συρίας, ∆ημήτριος Γαλατίας δευτέρας, Εὐγένιος Φρυγίας, ἀναδόντες ἐπιστολάς, μίαν πρὸς ταῖς δυσί, τὴν μὲν Ἰωάννου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου, τὴν δὲ τεσσαράκοντα ἐπισκόπων 8 ἑτέρων κοινωνικῶν Ἰωάννου, τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν τοῦ κλήρου Ἰωάννου, συμφώνους τὰς τρεῖς ἀπαιδεύτων θόρυβον σημαινούσας. εἶχεν δὲ τὸ ὕφος τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἰωάννου· <ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Βʹ> "Τῷ δεσπότῃ μου αἰδεσίμῳ καὶ ὁσιωτάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Ἰννο κεντίῳ Ἰωάννης ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν. "Καὶ πρὸ τῶν γραμμάτων οἶμαι τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀκηκοέναι τὴν εὐλάβειαν ὑμῶν τὴν παρανομίαν τὴν ἐνταῦθα τολμηθεῖσαν. τὸ γὰρ μέγεθος τῶν δεινῶν οὐδὲ ἓν μέρος τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀφῆκεν ἀνήκοον εἶναι τῆς χαλεπῆς ταύτης τραγῳδίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς τὰς τῆς γῆς ἐσχατιὰς φέρουσα ἡ φήμη τὰ γεγενημένα, πολὺν πανταχοῦ θρῆνον καὶ ὀλοφυρμὸν εἰργάσατο. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐ θρηνεῖν δεῖ ταῦτα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διορθοῦν καὶ σκοπεῖν ὅπως ἂν ὁ χαλεπώτατος οὗτος σταίη χειμὼν τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι ἐνομίσαμεν τοὺς κυρίους μου τοὺς τιμιωτάτους καὶ εὐλαβεστάτους ἐπισκόπους ∆ημήτριον, Πανσόφιον, Πάππον, Εὐγένιον πεῖσαι, τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐκκλησίας ἀφεῖναι, καὶ πελάγους κατατολμῆσαι τοσούτου, καὶ μακρὰν ἀποδημίαν στείλασθαι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν δραμεῖν ἀγάπην, καὶ πάντα σαφῶς ἀνα διδάξαντας ταχίστην παρασκευάσαι γενέσθαι τὴν διόρθωσιν. οἷς καὶ τοὺς τιμιωτάτους <καὶ> ἀγαπητοὺς διακόνους Παῦλον καὶ Κυριακὸν συνεπέμψαμεν. καὶ οὗτοι δέ, ὡς ἐν εἴδει ἐπιστολῆς, ἐν βραχεῖ διδάξουσιν ὑμῶν τὴν ἀγάπην τὰ γεγενημένα. ὁ γὰρ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας τὴν προεδρίαν ἐγχειρισθεὶς Θεόφιλος, ἐντυχόντων τινῶν τῷ εὐσεβεστάτῳ βασιλεῖ κατ' αὐ τοῦ, κελευσθεὶς ἀφικέσθαι μόνος, συναγαγὼν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ πλῆθος Αἰγυπτίων οὐκ ὀλίγων παραγίνεται, καθάπερ ἐκ προοιμίων 9 δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ὅτι εἰς πόλεμον καὶ παράταξιν ἀφικνεῖται. εἶτα τῆς μεγάλης καὶ θεοφιλοῦς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπιβάς, οὐκ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἦλθεν κατὰ τὸν ἄνωθεν κρατήσαντα θεσμόν, οὐχ ἡμῖν