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Make smooth and even out the rough places. And become an arbiter of our peaceful life and a champion of our tranquility, so that, if there is anything useful for us in this, you may arbitrate justly and according to reason.

5 {1To Stephen the asecretis.}

1 Yesterday, since we partook of your glorious presence, after some other conversations, which were also the reason for your arrival here, we somehow came to a discussion of scriptural questions and being held in much doubt, we parted from one another unpersuaded regarding these things. And we, O master, being unlearned, will not in any way respond in a way equal to your present wisdom; but lest by keeping silent about things that ought to be spoken we should bring judgment upon ourselves (for it says, 'you shall certainly rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him'), especially since by rebuking a wise man we shall be loved the more, we thought it necessary to address to you what is fitting. My lord, to speak briefly, cutting short the many questions and objections, you said this: that a leader or chief-shepherd, apart from matters of faith, who does something forbidden by the other commandments of the Lord either through ignorance or willingly, should not be admonished by anyone, while we said that he very much should be, but by those who excel the others in knowledge and understanding. And on this point, from what source shall we not demonstrate to you the absurdity of this statement? First, from the Old Testament. For what do you think of the case of Daniel? Was he not praised for not only admonishing but also condemning the elders who were breaking the law in the condemnation of the divine Susanna, although he was not of the legal age to speak and express himself freely, yes or no? Then do you not accept Joab in the numbering of the people, when the act was provoking God to anger, opposing, beseeching, trying to persuade the divine David not to do this? For you know the story. And I am put to shame also by Jethro reminding the great Moses and advising him not to lead the people in this way and, as it were, instructing and reforming him according to his own counsel. And who was he? A foreigner, even if a kinsman by marriage. And to whom was he speaking? To the one who did everything according to the revelation of God. And these things briefly, so that we may not be long-winded. But we must move on to the New. Let us have regard, if you will, all-praised one, for the utterance of the clear-voiced herald of the world: 'if a revelation is made to the one who is last, let the first be silent'; not, as your friendship contends, is this about faith alone. And how indeed it almost escaped me, the great herald of truth, John, rebukes Herod. I ask, answer me. But I know the laughter is near at hand against me, that I am putting myself on a par with the measure of the prophet. But it is not so, O best of men; but 'these things,' it says, 'were written for our instruction.' And again Paul: 'Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.' And how is it possible for one who acts crookedly to be orthodox, when the divine James objects that faith is shown by works and that those who stumble in one point do not have the other either? Since there are so many and such great testimonies, I do not think your nobility will contradict them; but if so, let him write back to our insignificance with reasoned analyses of the things proposed, and clearer counter-arguments to those which will be constructed by you. Would that they were also present! We for our part will be silent and will ask pardon for our objection, although it was made in zeal. For merely to rebuke is easy and for anyone who wishes, as you read, but to introduce one's own opinion through the testimony of the divinely-inspired Scripture belongs to a man who is truly sound and has sense. But so as not to be brought to excess

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ποίησον λεῖα καὶ τὰ τραχύνοντα καθομάλισον. καὶ γενοῦ τοῦ εἰρηνικοῦ ἡμῶν βίου βραβευτὴς καὶ τῆς ἡσυχίας συνασπιστής, ἵνα, εἰ καί τι ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἐν τούτῳ χρήσιμον, διαιτήσῃ δικαίως καὶ κατὰ λόγον.

5 {1Στεφάνῳ ἀδσηκρῆτις.}

1 Ἐν τῇ χθὲς ἡμέρᾳ, ἐπειδὴ τῆς εὐκλεοῦς σου παρουσίας ἐν μεθέξει

γεγόναμεν, μετά τινας ἄλλας ὁμιλίας, δι' ἃς καὶ ὁ τρόπος τῆς ἐνταῦθά σου ἀφίξεως, εἰς λόγους πως ἐληλύθαμεν γραφικῶν ζητημάτων καὶ ἐν ἀμφιβολίᾳ πολλῇ συσχεθέντες ἀπιθάνως πρὸς ταῦτα διέστημεν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων. καὶ ἡμεῖς μέν, ὦ δέσποτα, ἰδιωτίζοντες οὐ πάντως κατὰ τὴν παροῦσάν σου σοφίαν ὑπαντήσομεν· ἵνα δὲ μὴ τῇ ἐφησυχάσει τῶν ὀφειλομένων λαληθῆναι κρίμα ἑαυτοῖς ἀπενέγκοιμεν (ἐλεγμῷ γάρ, φησίν, ἐλέγξεις τὸν πλησίον σου καὶ οὐ λήψῃ δι' αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαν), ἄλλως τε ὅτι καὶ σοφὸν ἐλέγχοντες μᾶλλον ἀγαπηθησόμεθα, ἀναγκαῖον ᾠήθημεν προσφωνῆσαί σοι τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα. ὁ κύριός μου, ἵνα συντόμως ἐρῶ, τὰς πολλὰς πεύσεις καὶ ἀντιρρήσεις ἐπισυστέλλων, ἔφης τά, ὡς οὐ χρὴ τὸν προεστῶτα εἴτουν ποιμενάρχην ἄτερ πίστεως ἐπὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐντολαῖς τοῦ Κυρίου κατὰ ἄγνοιαν ἢ ἐθελοντὶ πράττοντά τι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων πρός τινος ὑπομνήσκεσθαι, ἡμῶν λεγόντων ὅτι καὶ μάλα, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῶν προεχόντων ἐν γνώσει καὶ συνέσει παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους. καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ὁπόθεν καὶ οὐ παραστησόμεθά σοι τὸ τοῦ λόγου ἄτοπον; πρῶτον μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης. τί γάρ σοι δοκεῖ τὸ τοῦ ∆ανιήλ; ἆρα τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους, καίπερ ὢν οὐ τοῦ ἐννόμου καιροῦ τῆς εἰς τὸ λέγειν καὶ παρρησιάζεσθαι ἡλικίας, παρανομοῦντας πρὸς τὴν τῆς θείας Σωσάννης καταδίκην, ἐπῃνέθη οὐ μόνον ὑπομνήσκων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατακρίνων, ναὶ ἢ οὔ; εἶτα οὐ δέχῃ τὸν Ἰωὰβ ἐν τῇ ἀπαριθμήσει τοῦ λαοῦ, ὄντος τοῦ δράματος εἰς παροργισμὸν θεοῦ, ἀντιβολοῦντα, ἐκλιπαροῦντα, ἀναπείθειν πειρώμενον τὸν θεῖον ∆αυὶδ μὴ τοῦτο δρᾶν; οἶσθα γὰρ τὴν ἱστορίαν. ἐμὲ δὲ δυσωπεῖ καὶ Ἰοθὸρ ὑπομνήσκων τὸν μέγαν Μωσῆν καὶ παρεγγυώμενος μὴ οὕτω διεξάγειν τὸν λαὸν καὶ οἱονεὶ στοιχειῶν καὶ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν βουλὴν μεταρρυθμίζων. καὶ τίς ὤν; ἀλλογενής, εἰ καὶ κηδεστής. καὶ τίνι φῶν; τῷ πάντα κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν θεοῦ διαπραττομένῳ. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπ' ὀλίγον, ἵνα μὴ μακρηγορήσωμεν. μετιτέον δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν νέαν. αἰδεσθῶμεν, εἰ βούλει, πανεύφημε, καὶ τὸ τοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης διαπρυσίου κήρυκος ὑπαγόρευμα, τὸ ἐὰν τῷ ἐσχάτῳ ἀποκαλυφθῇ, ὁ πρῶτος σιγάτω· οὐχ, ὡς ἀντιτείνει ἡ φιλότης σου, τοῦτο περὶ μόνης πίστεως. καὶ οἷον δή μοι παρέλαθεν μικροῦ δεῖν, ὁ μέγας κῆρυξ τῆς ἀληθείας Ἰωάννης ἐλέγχει τὸν Ἡρώδην. ἐρωτῶ, ἀπόκριναί μοι. ἀλλ' ἀγχίθυρος ὁ πρὸς ἐμὲ οἶδ' ὅτι γέλως τοῦ ὅτι ἐν μέτρῳ τοῦ προφήτου ἰσοστατεῖ ἑαυτόν. ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως, ὦ βέλτιστε· ταῦτα δέ, φησίν, ἐγράφη πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμετέραν. καὶ αὖθις ὁ Παῦλος· μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ. πῶς δὲ καὶ οἷόν τε ὀρθοδοξεῖν τὸν λοξοεργοῦντα, τοῦ θείου Ἰακώβου ἐνισταμένου, ἐκ τῶν ἔργων δείκνυσθαι τὴν πίστιν καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸ ἓν σφαλλομένους μηδὲ τὸ θάτερον ἔχειν; Τοσούτων οὖν καὶ τηλικούτων ὄντων μαρτυριῶν οὐκ οἴομαι ἀντιφάσκειν τὴν εὐγένειάν σου· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, ἀντεπεστελλέτω τῇ ἀσυφηλίᾳ ἡμῶν ἀναλύσεις μὲν ἐν λόγῳ τῶν προταθέντων, ἀντεξαγωγὰς δὲ διευκρινεστέρας τῶν συσκευασθησομένων σοι. εἴθε καὶ πάρεισιν· ἡμεῖς γε σιωπήσομεν καὶ συγγνώμην τῆς ἐνστάσεως, καίπερ ἐν ζήλῳ οὔσης, αἰτησόμεθα. τὸ γὰρ ἐπιτιμᾶν μόνον ῥᾷστον καὶ τοῦ βουλομένου παντός, ὡς ἀναγινώσκεις, τὸ δὲ ἀντεισάγειν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γνώμην διὰ μαρτυρίας τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς ἀνδρὸς ὄντως ὑγιοῦς καὶ νοῦν ἔχοντος. Πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ εἰς ἀμετρίαν ἐνεγκεῖν