9

MAX. For the Lord's sake, if you hear 'one and one,' or 'another and another,' or 'twice two,' or 'twice five,' what do you understand them to mean when you answer?

And they said: Since you have put us under oath, 'one and one,' we understand as two; and 'another and another,' we understand as two; and 'twice two,' we understand as four. Likewise 'twice five,' we understand as ten.

And Theodosius, as if put to shame by their answer, said: THEOD. What has not been said by the Fathers, I do not say. And Abba Maximus immediately took the book of the acts of the holy

apostolic council, he showed the holy Fathers explicitly speaking of the two wills and energies of our Savior and God Jesus Christ, and Theodosius the consul, taking this book of the acts from him, also himself read all the passages from the Fathers. And then Theodosius the bishop, answering, said:

THEOD. God knows, if this council had not laid down the anathemas personally, I would have accepted it more than any man; but that we may not waste time here, what the Fathers have said, I say, and I will immediately put it in writing: two natures, and two wills, 15Γ_040 and two energies; and come in with us to receive communion, and let there be union.

17. MAX. My lord, I do not dare to receive a written assent from you

about such a matter, being a mere monk. But if God has moved you to compunction to accept the utterances of the holy Fathers, as the canon requires, send word in writing about this to the one of Rome, that is, the emperor and the patriarch and the synod under him. For I will not receive communion even if these things are done, as long as those who were anathematized are mentioned in the holy anaphora. For I fear the condemnation of the anathema.

THEOD. God knows, I do not condemn you for being afraid, nor does anyone else. But for the Lord's sake, give us counsel, if it is possible for this to happen.

MAX. What counsel have I to give you about this? Go, investigate if such a thing has ever happened, and if anyone after death has been absolved of the charge concerning the faith and of the condemnation pronounced against him, and if the emperor and the patriarch agree to imitate the condescension of God, and make, the one an exhortatory decree, the other a synodal petition to the Pope of Rome, and certainly, if an ecclesiastical way is found permitting this for the sake of the correct confession of the faith, he will come to an agreement with you about this.

18. THEOD. This will certainly be done; but give me your word that, if they send me,

you will come with me. MAX. My lord, it is better for you to take my fellow servant who is in Mesembria

with you, rather than me. For he both knows the language, and they respect him worthily, as he has been punished for so many years, both for God and for the orthodox faith that prevails in their see.

THEOD. We have various disputes with each other, and I am not pleased to go with him.

MAX. My lord, when this has been decided to happen, let what has been decided come to pass, and wherever you wish, I will follow you.

9

ΜΑΞ. ∆ιά τόν Κύριον, ἐάν ἀκούσητε μίαν καί μίαν, ἤ ἄλλην καί ἄλλην, ἤ δίς δύο, ἤ δίς πέντε, τί νοοῦντες τοῖς λέγουσιν ἀποκρίνεσθε;

Καί εἶπαν Ἐπειδή ὥρκισας ἡμᾶς, τό μίαν καί μίαν, δύο νοοῦμεν καί ἄλλην καί ἄλλην, δύο νοοῦμεν καί δίς δύο, τέσσαρα νοοῦμεν. Ὁμοίως καί δίς πέντε, δέκα νοοῦμεν.

Καί ὥσπερ αἰδεσθείς Θεοδόσιος τήν ἀπόκρισιν ἐκείνων, εἶπε· ΘΕΟ∆. Τό μή εἰρημένον τοῖς Πατράσιν, οὐ λέγω. Καί λαβών εὐθέως ὁ ἀββᾶς Μάξιμος τήν βίβλον τῶν πεπραγμένων τῆς ἁγίας

ἀποστολικῆς συνόδου, ἔδειξε τούς ἁγίους Πατέρας τάς δύο θελήσεις καί ἐνεργείας τοῦ Σωτήρος ἡμῶν καί Θεοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ διαρρήδην λέγοντας, ἥν λαβών βίβλον τῶν πεπραγμένων ἐξ αὐτοῦ Θεοδόσιος ὁ ὕπατος, ἀνέγνω καί αὐτός πάσας τάς χρήσεις τῶν Πατέρων. Καί τότε ἀποκριθείς Θεοδόσιος ἐπίσκοπος εἶπεν·

ΘΕΟ∆. Ὁ Θεός οἶδεν, εἰ μή προσωπικῶς τά ἀναθέματα ἔθηκεν ἡ συνοδός αὕτη, πλεῖον παντός ἀνθρώπου ἐδεχόμην αὐτήν ἀλλ' ἵνα μή χρονοτριβῶμεν ἐνταῦθα, εἴ τι εἶπαν οἱ Πατέρες, λέγω, καί ἐγγράφως εὐθέως ποιῶ, δύο φύσεις, καί δύο θέληματα, 15Γ_040 καί δύο ἐνεργείας· καί εἴσελθε μεθ' ἡμῶν κοινωνήσων, καί γενέσθω ἕνωσις.

ΙΖ'. ΜΑΞ. ∆έσποτα, ἐγώ οὐ τολμῶ δέξασθαι συγκατάθεσιν παρ' ὑμῶν ἔγγραφον

περί τοιούτου πράγματος, ψιλός ὑπάρχων μοναχός· ἀλλ' ἐάν κατένυξεν ὑμᾶς ὁ Θεός, τάς τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων δέξασθαι φωνάς, καθώς ἀπαιτεῖ ὁ κανών, πρός τόν Ρώμης περί τούτου ἐγγράφως ἀποστείλατε, ἤγουν ὁ βασιλεύς καί ὁ πατριάρχης καί ἡ κατ' αὐτόν σύνοδος. Ἐγώ γάρ οὐδέ τούτων γινομένων κοινωνῶ, ἀναφερομένων τῶν ἀναθεματισθέντων ἐπί τῆς ἁγίας ἀναφορᾶς. Φοβοῦμαι γάρ τό κατάκριμα τοῦ ἀναθέματος.

ΘΕΟ∆. Ὁ Θεός οἶδεν, οὐ καταγινώσκω σου φοβούμενου, ἀλλ' οὔτε ἄλλος τις. Ἀλλά δός ἡμῖν βουλήν διά τόν Κύριον, ἐάν ἐστι τοῦτο δυνατόν γενέσθαι.

ΜΑΞ. Ποίαν βουλήν ἔχω ὑμῖν περί τούτου δοῦναι; Ὑπάγετε, ψηλαφήσατε ἐάν τι τοιοῦτον γέγονέ ποτε, καί μετά θάνατον ἀπελύθη τις τοῦ περί τήν πίστιν ἐγκλήματος καί τοῦ ἐξενεχθέντος κατ' αὐτοῦ κατακρίματος, καί καταδέξηται ὁ βασιλεύς καί ὁ πατριάρχης μιμήσασθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τήν συγκατάβασιν, καί ποιήσωσιν, ὁ μέν κέλευσιν παρακλητικήν, ὁ δέ συνοδικήν δέησιν πρός τόν πάπαν Ρώμης, καί πάντως, εἴπερ εὑρεθείη τρόπος ἐκκλησιαστικός τοῦτο ἐπιτρέπων διά τήν ὀρθήν ὁμολογίαν τῆς πίστεως, συμβιβάζεται ὑμῖν περί τούτου.

ΙΗ'. ΘΕΟ∆. Τοῦτο πάντως γίνεται· ἀλλά δός μοι λόγον, ὅτι, ἐάν ἐμέ πέμπωσιν,

ἔρχῃ μετ' ἐμοῦ. ΜΑΞ. ∆έσποτα, συμφέρει σοι τόν σύνδουλόν μου τόν ἐν Μεσημβρίᾳ λαβεῖν

μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, εἴπερ ἐμε· ἐκεῖνος γάρ καί τήν γλῶσσαν οἶδε, καί αἰδοῦνται αὐτόν ἀξίως, τοσούτους χρόνους κολαζόμενον, διά τε τόν Θεόν καί τήν κρατοῦσαν ὀρθήν πίστιν ἐν τῷ κατ' αὐτούς θρόνῳ.

ΘΕΟ∆. Ἀψιμαχίας διαφόρους πρός ἀλλήλους ἔχομεν, καί οὐχ ήδέως ἔχω μετ' ἐκείνου ἀπελθεῖν.

ΜΑΞ. ∆έσποτα, ἐπάν ἔδοξε τοῦτο γενέθαι, ἔκβασις γένηται τῶν δοξάντων, καί ὅπου βούλεσθε, ἀκολουθῶ ὑμῖν.