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we follow these, who are acknowledged to be "sick with a grievous error? For we could never tolerate celebrating Passover a second time in one year. But even if these points were not before us, your sagacity should, both with earnestness and with prayer, ever have it that in no respect the purity of your soul should seem to have communion with the customs of most wicked men. "In addition to this, one can see that in a matter of such importance and a festival of such a religion, for there to be a disagreement is unlawful. For our Savior has handed down to us one day for our liberation, that is, the day of His most holy passion, and has willed that His catholic church be one; though its members are indeed scattered in many and various places, yet it is nourished by one Spirit, that is, by the divine will. Let the sagacity of your holiness consider how grievous and unseemly it is that on the same days some should be occupied with fasts, while others are holding banquets, and after the days of Passover some should be engaged in festivities and relaxation, while others are given over to the appointed fasts. For this reason, therefore, divine providence wills that this should receive a fitting correction and be brought to a single form, as I myself believe all perceive. Wherefore, since it was fitting that this should be so corrected, that we should have nothing 45 in common with those parricides and slayers of the Lord, and there is a seemly order, which all the churches of the western and southern and northern parts of the world observe, and some of the places in the East, for which reasons all at present thought it well, and I myself promised that it would be pleasing to your sagacity, that whatever is observed with one and harmonious mind in the city of the Romans and Italy and all of Africa, Egypt, Spain, Gaul, Britain, Libya, all of Greece, and the dioceses of Asia, Pontus, and Cilicia, your understanding may also gladly receive this, considering that not only is the number of the churches in the aforesaid places greater, but also that it is most pious for all to desire in common what sound reason seems to demand, and to have no fellowship with the perjury of the Jews. But that I may state the most important point briefly, it was resolved by the common judgment of all that the most holy feast of Passover should be celebrated on one and the same day. For it is not fitting that there should be any difference in so great a holiness, and it is better to follow that judgment in which there will be no admixture of another's error and sin. "These things being thus arranged, gladly receive the heavenly grace and truly divine commandment. For whatever is done in the holy councils of the bishops, this has reference to the divine 46 will. Therefore, having made plain the things aforesaid to all our beloved brethren, you ought now both to accept the aforesaid reasoning and the observance of the most holy day, and to put it into effect, so that when I come to the long-desired sight of your disposition, I may be able to celebrate the holy feast with you on one and the same day, and in all things rejoice with you, seeing the devilish cruelty destroyed by the divine power through our actions, while our faith and peace and concord flourish everywhere. God will preserve you, beloved brethren." These things, then, he wrote to those who were absent. But those who had assembled (and there were three hundred and eighteen) he honored with many words and gifts, and having ordered many couches to be prepared, he feasted them all at the same time, taking the more honored as his table-companions, and dividing the others among the other tables. And seeing some who had their right eyes gouged out and learning that their steadfastness in piety had been the cause of their suffering, he brought his lips to the wounds, believing he would draw forth a blessing from them by his kiss. But the end of the

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τούτοις ἑπόμεθα, οἳ δεινὴν πλάνην "νοσεῖν ὡμολόγηνται; δεύτερον γὰρ τὸ Πάσχα ἐν ἑνὶ ἐνιαυτῷ οὐκ ἄν "ποτε ποιεῖν ἀνεξόμεθα. ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ταῦτα μὴ προὔκειτο, τὴν ὑμε "τέραν ἀγχίνοιαν ἐχρῆν καὶ διὰ σπουδῆς καὶ δι' εὐχῆς ἔχειν πάντοτε "ἐν μηδενὸς ὁμοιότητι τὸ καθαρὸν τῆς ὑμετέρας ψυχῆς κοινωνεῖν "δοκεῖν ἀνθρώπων ἔθεσι παγκάκων. "Πρὸς τούτοις κἀκεῖνο πάρεστι συνορᾶν, ὡς ἐν τηλικούτῳ πράγ "ματι καὶ τοιαύτης θρησκείας ἑορτῇ διαφωνίαν ὑπάρχειν ἐστὶν ἀθέ "μιτον. μίαν γὰρ ἡμῖν τὴν τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐλευθερίας ἡμέραν, τουτέστι "τὴν τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου πάθους, ὁ ἡμέτερος παρέδωκε σωτήρ, μίαν εἶναι "τὴν καθολικὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίαν βεβούληται· ἧς εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα "εἰς πολλούς τε καὶ διαφόρους τόπους τὰ μέρη διῄρηται, ἀλλ' ὅμως "ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι, τουτέστι τῷ θείῳ βουλήματι, θάλπεται. λογισάσθω "δὲ ἡ τῆς ὑμετέρας ὁσιότητος ἀγχίνοια, ὅπως ἐστὶ δεινόν τε καὶ "ἀπρεπὲς κατὰ τὰς αὐτὰς ἡμέρας ἑτέρους μὲν ταῖς νηστείαις σχολά "ζειν, ἑτέρους δὲ συμπόσια συντελεῖν, καὶ μετὰ τὰς τοῦ Πάσχα ἡμέρας "ἄλλους μὲν ἐν ἑορταῖς καὶ ἀνέσεσιν ἐξετάζεσθαι, ἄλλους δὲ ταῖς "ὡρισμέναις ἐκδεδόσθαι νηστείαις. διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν τῆς προσηκούσης "ἐπανορθώσεως τυχεῖν καὶ πρὸς μίαν διατύπωσιν ἄγεσθαι τοῦτο ἡ "θεία πρόνοια βούλεται, ὡς ἔγωγε ἅπαντας ἡγοῦμαι συνορᾶν. Ὅθεν ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο οὕτως ἐπανορθοῦσθαι προσῆκεν, ὡς μηδὲν 45 "μετὰ τῶν πατροκτόνων τε καὶ κυριοκτόνων ἐκείνων εἶναι κοινόν, "ἔστι τε τάξις εὐπρεπής, ἣν ἅπασαι αἱ τῶν δυτικῶν τε καὶ μεσημ "βρινῶν καὶ ἀρκτῴων τῆς οἰκουμένης μερῶν παραφυλάττουσιν ἐκκλη "σίαι καί τινες τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἑῴαν τόπων, ὧν ἕνεκεν ἐπὶ τοῦ "παρόντος καλῶς ἔχειν ἅπαντες ἡγήσαντο, καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ "ἀγχινοίᾳ ἀρέσειν ὑπεσχόμην, ἵν' ὅπερ δἂν κατὰ τὴν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν "Ἰταλίαν τε καὶ Ἀφρικὴν ἅπασαν. Αἴγυπτον, Σπανίας, Γαλλίας, "Βρεττανίας, Λιβύας, ὅλην Ἑλλάδα, Ἀσιανήν τε διοίκησιν καὶ Ποντικὴν καὶ Κιλικίαν μιᾷ καὶ συμφώνῳ φυλάττηται γνώμῃ, ἀσμένως "τοῦτο καὶ ἡ ὑμετέρα προσδέξηται σύνεσις, λογιζομένη ὡς οὐ μόνον "πλείων ἐστὶν ὁ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς προειρημένους τόπους ἐκκλησιῶν "ἀριθμός, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς τοῦτο μάλιστα κοινῇ πάντας ὁσιώτατόν ἐστι "βούλεσθαι, ὅπερ καὶ ὁ ἀκριβὴς λογισμὸς ἀπαιτεῖν δοκεῖ, καὶ οὐδεμίαν "μετὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίων ἐπιορκίας ἔχειν κοινωνίαν. ἵνα δὲ τὸ κεφαλαιω "δέστατον συντόμως εἴπω, κοινῇ πάντων ἤρεσε κρίσει τὴν ἁγιωτάτην "τοῦ Πάσχα ἑορτὴν μιᾷ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ συντελεῖσθαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ "πρέπει ἐν τοσαύτῃ ἁγιότητι εἶναί τινα διαφοράν, καὶ κάλλιον ἕπε "σθαι τῇ γνώμῃ ταύτῃ ἐν ᾗ οὐδεμία ἔσται ἀλλοτρίας πλάνης καὶ "ἁμαρτήματος ἐπιμιξία. "Τούτων οὕτως στοιχούντων, ἀσμένως δέχεσθε τὴν οὐράνιον "χάριν καὶ θείαν ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐντολήν· πᾶν γὰρ ὅ τι δἂν ἐν τοῖς "ἁγίοις τῶν ἐπισκόπων συνεδρίοις πράττηται, τοῦτο πρὸς τὴν θείαν 46 "βούλησιν ἔχει τὴν ἀναφοράν. διὸ πᾶσι τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς ἡμῶν ἀδελ "φοῖς ἐμφανίσαντες τὰ προγεγραμμένα, ἤδη καὶ τὸν προειρημένον "λόγον καὶ τὴν παρατήρησιν τῆς ἁγιωτάτης ἡμέρας ὑποδέχεσθαί τε "καὶ διατάττειν ὀφείλετε, ἵνα ἐπειδὰν πρὸς τὴν πάλαι μοι ποθουμένην "τῆς ὑμετέρας διαθέσεως ὄψιν ἀφίκωμαι, ἐν μιᾷ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ "τὴν ἁγίαν μεθ' ὑμῶν ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελέσαι δυνηθῶ καὶ πάντων ἕνεκεν "μεθ' ὑμῶν εὐδοκήσω, συνορῶν τὴν διαβολικὴν ὠμότητα ὑπὸ τῆς "θείας δυνάμεως διὰ τῶν ἡμετέρων πράξεων ἀνῃρημένην, ἀκμαζούσης "πανταχοῦ τῆς ἡμετέρας πίστεως καὶ εἰρήνης καὶ ὁμονοίας. ὁ θεὸς "ὑμᾶς διαφυλάξει, ἀδελφοὶ ἀγαπητοί." Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τοῖς ἀπολειφθεῖσιν ἐπέστειλε. τοὺς δὲ συνελη λυθότας (ὀκτωκαίδεκα δὲ ἦσαν καὶ τριακόσιοι) πολλοῖς μὲν ἐφιλο φρονήσατο καὶ λόγοις καὶ δώροις, πολλὰς δὲ στιβάδας εὐτρεπισθῆναι κελεύσας κατὰ ταὐτὸν εἱστίασεν ἅπαντας, τοὺς μὲν ἀξιωτέρους ὁμο τραπέζους λαβών, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους διελὼν εἰς τὰς ἄλλας. θεασάμενος δέ τινας τοὺς δεξιοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐκκεκομμένους καὶ μαθὼν ὡς τὸ περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἑδραῖον τοῦ πάθους ἐγένετο πρόξενον, τὰ χείλη τοῖς τραύμασι προσενήνοχεν, ἑλκύσειν ἐκεῖθεν τῷ φιλήματι τὴν εὐλογίαν πιστεύων. πέρας δὲ τοῦ