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Presidents and teachers of the people, givers of the Spirit, from whose lofty thrones the saving word is poured forth, who always proclaim peace to all with loud voices in the midst of the churches, raged so bitterly against one another, that shouting out, gathering allies, accusing and being accused, giving, travelling abroad with leaps, snatching whatever they could get first, with a madness for love of rule and sole rule—how shall I cry these things out and with what words?—they have now rent the whole world asunder, as I said before, when I began my discourse. The end of the East and the West is considered more a division of speech than of places and climes. For the one is united, not at the extremes, but at least in the middle; but for them there is nothing by which they are bound, though they are rent apart, not over piety (this anger invents, a ready liar), but over strife for thrones. Why do I say this of the leaders? Not so much the leaders (for I know both to be moderate), as the evil partisans of both, breezes fanning the kindled flame, establishing their own interests well among their friends, if this is indeed well, and not very badly. I too have had some share of these evils. For since he whom I just now praised, {the president of the church of the Antiochenes} full of measured and unmeasured years, after urging many things for reconciliation, as I hear, which he was previously heard to speak to friends, from here departed to the choir of angels, with a divine procession and the outpouring of the city, which was then especially shown, as is the story, he is sent to his own parish, a fine treasure for those who knew him. But a plan was put before us not to be planned, which the seditious and wicked were putting together, being eager to set up some other president against the one who till then had the single throne. And many arguments were set in motion from both sides, both peaceful and leading to evil; then I myself spoke the words which I thought to be both best and a release from evils: «It does not seem to me, friends, that you all think the same thing, nor that you will deem worthy of discussion those things for which we must now deliberate, but that you are erring from what is right by the greatest measure. For you, it is a matter of one city, and that, so that it might fight now and even more—for this is the goal you are zealous for—and you need my hand to help; but for me, it is a matter of greater and fuller things. Do you see this great circle of the earth, which has been sealed by the streams of precious blood, of God suffering in the form of a man and giving Himself as a price of ransom, and by many other and secondary sacrifices. This is shaken, let us suppose, by two angels—but not even they (I will speak the word of one in pain) are worthy of so much honor. On the contrary, inasmuch as they are angels, so much the more are they unworthy of strife and of worse things; if indeed the better is worthy also of better things. As long, then, as there was a divine purpose in the midst—and it was not yet clear how those of the West, being for a time enraged, would receive the man—it was somehow pardonable even to grieve moderately those who are, as they say, »defenders of the laws. «For a gentle man is a medicine for anger, and ignorance is the greatest thing for boldness of speech. But now (for there is not one disturbance, since God has given calm to His own affairs) what do I say ought to be done? And receive my word, a prudent word, wiser than that of the young. For we old men will not persuade the fervent; for he is always less susceptible to empty glory. Let the throne be held for the time being by the one who holds it. What is so terrible, if for a little longer we mourn the man, as has long been the custom? Then old age will give the solution to the matter, the common, necessary, and good appointed time for every race. He who has died will go where he has long desired, giving to God the spirit which He gave. We then at that time, out of unanimity of all the people and of the wise bishops, will give another to the throne with the Spirit. This would be one solution to the evils, either the greater one, to win over also the foreigner (for the West is now a foreigner, as I see), or as a second best, for the city to be of one mind, so great a people and wearied by time. Let it cease at last, let the worldly storm cease. Let us have pity on those now divided, on those who are near to the suffering and on those who will be after. Let no one wish, where will he go,

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πρόεδροι καὶ λαοῦ διδάσκαλοι, οἱ πνεύματος δοτῆρες, ὧν σωτήριος θρόνων ἀπ' ἄκρων ἐξερεύγεται λόγος, οἱ πᾶσι κηρύσσοντες εἰρήνην ἀεί φωναῖς πλατείαις ἐν μέσαις ἐκκλησίαις τοσοῦτον ἐπεμάνησαν ἀλλήλοις πικρῶς, ὥστ' ἐκβοῶντες, συλλέγοντες συμμάχους, κατηγοροῦντες καὶ κατηγορούμενοι, διδόντες, ἐκδημοῦντες ἐν πηδήμασιν, διαρπάζοντες, οὓς τύχοι τις προφθάσας, λύσσῃ φιλαρχίας τε καὶ μοναρχίας- πῶς ἐκβοήσω ταῦτα καὶ τίσιν λόγοις; - ἔρρηξαν ἤδη τὴν ὅλην οἰκουμένην, ὃ πρόσθεν εἶπον, ἡνίκ' ἠρχόμην λόγου. λῆξις δ' ἑῴα καὶ δύσις λόγου πλέον τομὴ νομίζετ' ἢ τόπων καὶ κλιμάτων. τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἥνωτ', οὐκ ἄκροις, ἀλλ' οὖν μέσοις· οἱ δ' οὐδέν ἐστιν, ᾧ δέοντ' ἐρρωγότες, οὐκ εὐσέβειαν (τοῦτ' ἀνευρίσκει χόλος, ψεύστης ἕτοιμος), τὴν δ' ὑπὲρ θρόνων ἔριν. τί τοῦτο φάσκω τοὺς σκοπούς; οὐ τοὺς σκοπούς τοσοῦτον (ἄμφω καὶ γὰρ οἶδα μετρίους), ὅσονπερ ἀμφοῖν τοὺς κακοὺς σκουδαρχίδας, αὔρας φυσώσας τὴν ἀνημμένην φλόγα, τὰ σφῶν τιθέντας εὖ καλῶς ἐν τοῖς φίλοις, εἴπερ καλῶς τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οὐ λίαν κακῶς. Τούτων τι κἀγὼ τῶν κακῶν ἀπωνάμην. ἐπεὶ γάρ, ὃν μὲν ἀρτίως ἐπῄνεσα, {τῆς Ἀντιοχέων προστάτην ἐκκλησίας} πλήρης μετρητῶν τῶν τ' ἀμετρήτων ἐτῶν πόλλ', ὡς ἀκούω, συμβατικὰ παραινέσας, ἃ πρόσθεν ἐξηκούετ' ἐκλαλῶν φίλοις, ἔνθεν μετῆλθε πρὸς χορὸν τῶν ἀγγέλων, πομπῇ τε θείᾳ καὶ χύσει τοῦ ἄστεος τόθ' ὡς μάλιστα δειχθέντος, ὥσπερ λόγος, πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ στέλλεται παροικίαν, καλόν τι θησαύρισμα τοῖς ἐγνωκόσιν. βουλὴ δὲ προύκειθ' ἡμὶν οὐ βουλευτέα, ἣν οἱ στασιώδεις καὶ κακοὶ συνεκρότουν σπουδὴν ἔχοντες ἀνταναστῆσαί τινα πρόεδρον ἄλλον τῷ τέως μονοθρόνῳ. πολλοὶ δ' ἐκινήθησαν ἐξ ἀμφοῖν λόγοι, εἰρηνικοί τε καὶ φέροντες εἰς κακόν· τότ' εἶπον αὐτός, οὕσπερ ᾠόμην λόγους εἶναί τ' ἀρίστους καὶ κακῶν λυτηρίους· «Οὔ μοι δοκεῖτε ταὐτὰ γινώσκειν, φίλοι, ἅπαντες οὔθ', ὧν νῦν χάριν βουλευτέον, ταῦθ' ἡμὶν ἥκειν ἀξιώσοντες λόγου, πλείστῳ δὲ μέτρῳ τοῦ δέοντος ἁμαρτάνειν. ὑμῖν μέν ἐστιν ἄστεως ἑνὸς λόγος, καὶ τοῦθ' ὅπως μάχοιτο νυνὶ καὶ πλέον- ὁ γὰρ σκοπὸς τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὃν σπουδάζετε-, χειρός τε δεῖσθε τῆς ἐμῆς συλλήπτορος· ἐμοὶ δὲ μειζόνων τε καὶ πληρεστέρων. ὁρᾶτε τοῦτον τὸν μέγαν τῆς γῆς κύκλον, ὃς ἐσφράγισται αἵματος τοῦ τιμίου ῥοαῖς, θεοῦ παθόντος ἀνθρώπου τύπον τιμήν θ' ἑαυτὸν ῥύσιον δεδωκότος, ἄλλοις τε πολλοῖς θύμασιν καὶ δευτέροις. οὗτος δύω δονεῖται, θῶμεν, ἀγγέλοις- ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐκεῖνοι (φθέγξομ' ἀλγοῦντος λόγον) τιμῆς τοσαύτης ἄξιοι. τοὐναντίον, ὅσῳπέρ εἰσιν ἄγγελοι, τόσῳ πλέον οὐκ ἄξιοι μάχης τε καὶ τῶν χειρόνων· εἴπερ τὸ κρεῖσσον ἄξιον καὶ κρεισσόνων. Ἕως μὲν οὖν ἦν ἐν μέσῳ θεῖος σκοπός- οὐδ' ἦν σαφές πω, πῶς ποθ' οἱ τῆς ἑσπέρας τὸν ἄνδρα δέξοντ' ἠγριωμένοι τέως-, συγγνωστὸν ἦν πως καὶ τὸ λυπεῖν μετρίως τούς, ὡς λέγουσι, »τῶν νόμων ἀμύντορας. «ἀνήρ τε γὰρ πρᾶός τις ὀργῆς φάρμακον, τό τ' ἀγνοεῖν μέγιστον εἰς παρρησίαν. νῦν δ' (οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οὐδὲ εἷς σάλος θεοῦ δόντος γαλήνην τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ πράγμασιν) τί φημι χρῆναι; καὶ δέξασθέ μου λόγον, λόγον προμηθῆ, τῶν νέων σοφώτερον. οἱ γὰρ γέροντες τὸ ζέον γ' οὐ πείσομεν· κενῆς γάρ ἐστιν ἧττον εὐκλείας ἀεί. θρόνος κρατείσθω τῷ κρατοῦντί νιν τέως. τί δεινόν, ἄν τι καὶ μικρὸν πλείω χρόνον τὸν ἄνδρα πενθήσωμεν, ὡς πάλαι νόμος; ἔπειτα δώσει τὴν λύσιν τοῦ πράγματος τὸ γῆρας ἡ κοινή τε παντὸς τοῦ γένους ἀναγκαία τε καὶ καλὴ προθεσμία. ὁ μὲν θανὼν οἰχήσεθ' οἷ ποθεῖ πάλαι, δώσων θεῷ τὸ πνεῦμα τῷ δεδωκότι. ἡμεῖς δὲ τηνικαῦτα ἐκ συμψυχίας λαοῦ τε παντὸς καὶ σοφῶν ἐπισκόπων θρόνῳ τιν' ἄλλον δώσομεν σὺν πνεύματι. Ἥδ' ἂν γένοιτο τῶν κακῶν λύσις μία, ἢ γὰρ τὸ μεῖζον, προσλαβεῖν καὶ τὸ ξένον (ξένον γάρ ἐστιν, ὡς ὁρῶ, νῦν ἡ δύσις), ἢ δεύτερος πλοῦς, συμφρονῆσαι τὴν πόλιν, λαὸν τοσοῦτον καὶ χρόνῳ κεκμηκότα. στήτω ποτ' ὀψέ, κοσμικὸς στήτω σάλος. οἶκτον λάβωμεν τῶν τε νῦν ἐσχισμένων τῶν τ' ἐγγὺς ὄντων τοῦ πάθους τῶν θ' ὕστερον. μή τις θελήσῃ, ποῖ προβήσεται,