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soul. But where there is such understanding and a wealth of piety and a height of philosophy and a soul that has trampled on the vanity of worldly things, the ease of the cure is greater. Show, then, in this too your love for us, that even when writing we have great power with you, and as much as when we are present. And you will show it clearly, if we learn that something more has come to you from our letters, or rather, not only more, but as much as we desire. For we desire you to be now in the same joy in which we saw you when we were staying there. And if we learn this, we ourselves will also reap no small comfort from the wilderness in which we now are. So if you wish to set us also in greater cheerfulness—and I know that you do wish it and are very zealous—, make it known that you have driven away all the rubbish of despondency and that your affairs are in tranquility, and give us this in return for our goodwill and love for you. For you know, you know clearly how you will restore us by accomplishing this and declaring it to us with truth through a letter.

9.t EPISTLE 9

9.1 Why do you lament? Why do you beat yourself and demand penalties which not even your enemies had the strength to demand of you, thus surrendering your soul to the tyranny of despondency? For the letters which you sent to us through Patricius, these revealed the wounds of your mind. For which reason I am also exceedingly grieved and pained that, when you ought to be moving and doing everything to drive despondency from your soul, you go about collecting painful reasonings and fabricating things that are not—for this is what you said—and tormenting yourself rashly and in vain and to your greatest harm. For what grieves you, that you were not strong enough to move us from Cucusus? And yet for your part you did move us, having set everything in motion and taken pains. But if the work did not come to its end, not even for this should you grieve. For perhaps it seemed good to God that the courses of the races be set longer for me, so that the crowns might also become more brilliant. Why, then, do you grieve over these things from which we are being proclaimed, when you ought to be leaping for joy over them and dancing and being crowned, because we have been deemed worthy of so great a matter, far surpassing our own worth? But does the desolation here grieve you? And what is more pleasant than the life here? Quiet, calm, much leisure, health of body. For if the city has neither a market nor provisions, this is nothing to me. For all things flow to me as if from springs. For I have my lord the bishop here and my lord Dioscorus making this their whole work: our repose. And the good Patricius will also tell you how we live in good spirits, in joy, in much comfort, at least as far as concerns our stay here. But if you are lamenting the things in Caesarea, this too you do unworthily of yourself. For there too brilliant crowns were again woven for us, so that all proclaim us, announce us, marvel at us, are astonished at the evils we suffered when we were cast out. But let no one know these things for the time being, even if many are reporting them abroad. For my lord Paeanius has made known to me that the presbyters of Pharetrius himself are present there, who said that they were in communion with us and had nothing in common with our opponents, nor did they associate with them, nor did they have communion. Therefore, that we may not disturb them, let no one know these things; for the things that have happened to us are very grievous. And if I had suffered no other terrible thing, what happened there would have been enough to procure for me countless prizes; so great was the danger that came upon us concerning the ultimate things. But I beseech you, let these things be secret with you and I will recount them to you briefly, not in order to grieve you, but in order to gladden you. For these are the materials of my trade, this is my

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ψυχήν. Ὅπου δὲ σύνεσις τοσαύτη καὶ εὐλαβείας πλοῦτος καὶ φιλοσοφίας ὕψος καὶ ψυχὴ τῶν βιωτικῶν τὴν φαντασίαν καταπατήσασα, πλείων ἡ εὐκολία τῆς θεραπείας. ∆εῖξον δὴ κἂν τούτῳ τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς ὅτι καὶ μεγάλην γράφοντες ἔχομεν παρὰ σοὶ δύναμιν, καὶ τοσαύτην ὅσην παρόντες. ∆είξεις δὲ σαφῶς, ἂν μάθωμεν ὅτι σοι γέγονέ τι πλέον ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων τῶν ἡμετέρων, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχὶ πλέον μόνον, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον ὅσον ἐπιθυμοῦμεν. Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν δὲ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ εὐφροσύνῃ εἶναί σε νῦν ἐν ᾗ καὶ αὐτόθι διατρίβοντες ἑωρῶμεν. Κἂν τοῦτο μάθωμεν, οὐ μικρὰν καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς ἐρημίας ἐν ᾗ νῦν ἐσμεν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. Ὣστε εἰ βούλει καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ καταστῆσαι πλείονι-οἶδα δὲ ὅτι βούλει καὶ σφόδρα ἐσπούδακας-, δήλωσον ὅτι πάντα τῆς ἀθυμίας ἀπήλασας τὸν φορυτὸν καὶ ἐν γαλήνῃ τὰ σὰ καὶ δὸς ἡμῖν ταύτην τῆς περὶ σὲ εὐνοίας καὶ ἀγάπης ἀμοιβήν. Οἶσθα γάρ, οἶσθα σαφῶς ὅπως ἡμᾶς ἀνακτήσῃ κατορθώσασα τοῦτο καὶ μετὰ ἀληθείας δηλώσασα διὰ γραμμάτων ἡμῖν.

9.t ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Θʹ

9.1 Τί θρηνεῖς; Τί κόπτεις σαυτὴν καὶ δίκας ἀπαιτεῖς ἃς οὐδὲ οἱ ἐχθροί σου ἀπαιτῆσαί σε ἴσχυσαν, οὕτως τῇ τυραννίδι τῆς ἀθυμίας ἐκδοῦσά σου τὴν ψυχήν; Τὰ γὰρ γράμματα ἃ διὰ Πατρικίου ἡμῖν διεπέμψω, ταῦτα ἐδήλωσέ σου τὰ τραύματα τῆς διανοίας. ∆ιὸ καὶ σφόδρα ἀλγῶ καὶ ὀδυνῶμαι ὅτι ὀφείλουσα πάντα κινεῖν καὶ πραγματεύεσθαι ὥστε ἀπελαύνειν σου τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἀθυμίαν, περιέρχῃ συνάγουσα λογισμοὺς ὀδυνηροὺς καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα-τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφης-ἀναπλάττουσα καὶ καταξαίνουσα σαυτὴν εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην καὶ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ μεγίστῃ. Τί γάρ σε λυπεῖ ὅτι Κουκουσοῦ οὐκ ἴσχυσας ἡμᾶς μεταστῆσαι; Καίτοι γε τὸ σὸν μέρος μετέστησας πάντα κινήσασα καὶ πραγματευσαμένη. Εἰ δὲ εἰς τέλος τὸ ἔργον οὐκ ἦλθεν, οὐδὲ διὰ τοῦτο ἀλγεῖν δεῖ. Ἴσως γὰρ ἔδοξε τῷ Θεῷ μακροτέρους μοι τεθῆναι τῶν δρόμων τοὺς διαύλους ὥστε καὶ λαμπροτέρους γενέσθαι τοὺς στεφάνους. Τί τοίνυν ἀλγεῖς ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀφ' ὧν ἡμεῖς ἀνακηρυττόμεθα, δέον σε σκιρτᾶν διὰ ταῦτα καὶ χορεύειν καὶ στεφανοῦσθαι, ὅτι τοσούτου κατηξιώθημεν πράγματος σφόδρα ὑπερβαίνοντος ἡμῶν τὴν ἀξίαν; Ἀλλ' ἡ ἐρημία σε λυπεῖ τῶν ἐνταῦθα; Καὶ τί τῆς διατριβῆς τῆς ἐνταῦθα ἥδιον; Ἡσυχία, γαλήνη, ἀπραγμοσύνη πολλή, σώματος εὐρωστία. Εἰ γὰρ μήτε ἀγορὰν μήτε ὤνιον ἔχει ἡ πόλις, οὐδὲν τοῦτο πρὸς ἐμέ. Πάντα γάρ μοι καθάπερ ἐκ πηγῶν ἐπιρρεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τὸν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὸν κύριόν μου ∆ιόσκορον ἔχω ἔργον τοῦτο ποιουμένους διόλου, τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀνάπαυσιν. Ἐρεῖ δέ σοι καὶ ὁ καλὸς Πατρίκιος ὅπως διάγομεν ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ, ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, ἐν θεραπείᾳ πολλῇ, τό γε εἰς τὴν διατριβὴν τὴν ἐνταῦθα ἧκον. Εἰ δὲ τὰ ἐν Καισαρείᾳ θρηνεῖς, καὶ τοῦτο ἀναξίως σου ποιεῖς. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ λαμπροὶ πάλιν ἐπλάκησαν ἡμῖν στέφανοι ὡς πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀνακηρύττειν, ἀναγορεύειν, θαυμάζειν, ἐκπλήττεσθαι ἐφ' οἷς κακῶς παθόντες ἐξεβλήθημεν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μηδεὶς τέως εἰδέτω, εἰ καὶ πολλοὶ αὐτὰ διαθρυλοῦσιν. Ἐδήλωσε γάρ μοι ὁ κύριός μου Παιάνιος ὅτι οἱ πρεσβύτεροι αὐτοῦ τοῦ Φαρετρίου πάρεισιν αὐτόθι οἳ ἔφησαν ἡμῖν κοινωνεῖν καὶ μηδὲν κοινὸν ἔχειν πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους, μηδὲ συγγίνεσθαι αὐτοῖς, μηδὲ κοινωνῆσαι. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ διαταράξωμεν αὐτούς, μηδεὶς ταῦτα εἰδέτω· καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα χαλεπὰ τὰ συμβάντα εἰς ἡμᾶς. Καὶ εἰ μηδὲν ἄλλο ἐπεπόνθειν δεινόν, ἤρκει τὰ ἐκεῖσε γενόμενα μυρία μοι προξενῆσαι βραβεῖα· οὕτως περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἡμῖν ὁ κίνδυνος γέγονε. Παρακαλῶ δέ, ἀπόρρητα ἔστω παρά σοι καὶ ἐν βραχεῖ σοι αὐτὰ διηγήσομαι, οὐχ ἵνα λυπήσω, ἀλλ' ἵνα εὐφρανῶ. Αὗται γάρ μου τῆς ἐμπορίας αἱ ὑποθέσεις, οὗτός μου ὁ