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your sincere disposition towards God and us sinners, so that you might change the temptation as if it were some great storm and bring calm to the disturbance of our pious masters. For our reason for non-communion or the cause of our dispute is not with them (rather, honor and veneration, friendship and petition are due them), but with the one who unlawfully crowned the one who committed adultery according to the word of the Lord, with the one who dared to become the minister and confirmer of so great an evil before the whole world, whom Christ himself deposed for falling under two canons (and others as well), according to the first, because it does not permit a presbyter even to be feasted at the wedding of a digamist (for the canon did not even dare to write ‘of an adulterer’), how much more so to crown him? and according to the second, that for one who has fallen into some fault and for this reason been excommunicated, if he does not contend for his own restoration within a year, it is no longer permitted for his voice to be received; but this man, having passed nine years, has leapt into the church. If, therefore, this man is blameless, much more so is the one who committed adultery. But if that one is guilty of the sin, who doubts concerning the one who joined them and blasphemed against the Holy Spirit that he is not more accursed and more profane? These are the things, holy father, that frighten and constrict our heart. And for these reasons, so as not to have communion with him and with the preceding patriarch, when he gave communion to the adulterer, I was shut up in the place where you sit, while the abbot and the rest were exiled in Thessaloniki. But God has again gathered us together through your prayers; and not even so were we united to the patriarch in a random way, but only when he confessed that we had done well. If, then, when there was adultery and the transgression of the canons, we did not shrink back by the power of God, how then now, when the empire is pious, shall we shrink back for the sake of one presbyter and betray the truth, endangering our souls? By no means, but all things are bearable for us up to death rather than to share in his communion and of those who concelebrate with him, until he ceases from the sacred ministry, just as in the case of the former one. Let him be an oikonomos; why does he also celebrate the liturgy unworthily? Has a presbyter ceased to exist? But if it seems as nothing to those who concelebrate with him, they will see what they are doing. They will spare our lowliness, who are content and have said nothing up to the present, but have managed things with oikonomia in these two years, since he came in, so that we might thus get through more peacefully, our good masters, mediators and judges of what is right, lovers of those who speak freely in truth, as their own precious mouth often proclaims. Let the priests bear things in a priestly manner, either let them persuade or they will be persuaded. But if there is nothing of the sort, but even our merely muttering is not tolerated, God is watching, than whom none is greater, whose fear alone is fearful and his tribunal there, before which we all shall stand to be judged in all things. But we beg your goodness and, as if rolling before your precious footsteps, we entreat and beseech you to show mercy to us and a common benefit to our pious emperors themselves and to the most holy patriarch and to the whole church, not only that among us, but also that throughout the whole world, so that this one man may cease for the glory of God and that His church may not be disturbed. But if not, then at least the second best thing is for us to remain in the same state as in these ten years. For as to the rest, even if there are ten thousand hierarchs and priests and abbots who have communion with him, it is not surprising; since they themselves also came together with the one who committed adultery and no one has said anything. These things God, through us, although it is bold to say, both entreats and utters and as you command. 22 {1To the same}1 And again we have thought it good to exhort your paternal holiness to apply yourself excellently to what is for the common good and advantage. For our reason for non-communion or the cause of our dispute is not with our pious masters, as

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ἡ εἰλικρινής σου πρὸς θεὸν καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς σχέσις, ἵν' ὥσπερ τινὰ τρικυμίαν μεταγάγοις τὸν πειρασμὸν καὶ γαληνιάσῃς τὴν ταραχὴν τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἡμῶν δεσποτῶν. οὐ γὰρ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀκοινωνησίας οὐδὲ ἡ αἰτία τῆς ἀμφισβητήσεως (μᾶλλον δὲ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ προσκύνησις, ἡ φιλία καὶ ἡ ἔντευξις κατὰ τὸ ὀφειλόμενον), πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἀνόμως στεφανώσαντα τὸν μοιχεύσαντα κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, πρὸς τὸν τολμήσαντα τηλικούτου κακοῦ ὑπουργὸν γενέσθαι καὶ βεβαιωτὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ κόσμου παντός, ὃν καθῆρεν αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστὸς δυσὶ κανόσιν ὑποπεσόντα (ἐπεὶ καὶ ἄλλοις), κατὰ μὲν τὸν πρῶτον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἑστιαθῆναι εἰς διγαμοῦντος γάμον παραχωροῦντος τὸν πρεσβύτερον (εἰς γὰρ μοιχοῦ οὐδὲ ἐτόλμησεν ὁ κανὼν γράψαι), πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον στεφανῶσαι; κατὰ δὲ τὸν δεύτερον, ὅτι τὸν ὑποπεσόντα ἔν τινι σφάλματι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀφορισθέντα, εἰ μὴ ἐντὸς ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐπαγωνίσηται τῇ οἰκείᾳ συστάσει, οὐκ ἐξὸν ἔτι φωνὴν αὐτοῦ προσδεχθῆναι· ὁ δὲ ἐννέα χρόνους ὑπερβὰς εἰσεπήδησεν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. εἰ οὖν οὗτος ἀναίτιος, πολλῷ γε μᾶλλον ὁ μοιχεύσας· εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἔνοχος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τίς ἀμφιβάλλει περὶ τοῦ συζεύξαντος καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος δυσφημήσαντος ὡς οὐχὶ ἐναγέστερος καὶ βεβηλότερος; Ταῦτά ἐστι, πάτερ ἅγιε, τὰ φοβοῦντα καὶ συστέλλοντα ἡμῶν τὴν καρδίαν. καὶ διὰ ταῦτα πρὸς τὸ μὴ κοινωνῆσαι αὐτῷ τε καὶ τῷ προηγησαμένῳ πατριάρχῃ, ἐπὰν μετεδίδοι τῷ μοιχεύσαντι, ἀπεκλείσθην ἐγὼ μὲν ἐν ᾧ καθέζῃ τόπῳ, ὁ ἡγούμενος δὲ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ ὑπερορισθέντες. ἀλλ' ὁ θεὸς πάλιν ἐπισυνήγαγεν ἡμᾶς εὐχαῖς σου· καὶ οὐδ' οὕτως ὡς ἔτυχεν ἡνώθημεν τῷ πατριάρχῃ, εἰ μὴ ὡμολόγησεν καλῶς ἡμᾶς πεποιηκέναι. ἐὰν οὖν, ὅτε ἡ μοιχεία ἦν καὶ ἡ τῶν κανόνων παράβασις, οὐχ ὑπεστάλημεν δυνάμει θεοῦ, πῶς οὖν ἄρτι, ὅτε εὐσεβοῦσά ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία, ἕνεκεν ἑνὸς πρεσβυτέρου ὑποσταλησόμεθα καὶ προδώσομεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, κινδυνεύοντες κατὰ ψυχήν; οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἡμῖν φορητὰ μέχρι θανάτου ἢ μετασχεῖν τῆς ἐκείνου κοινωνίας καὶ τῶν ἐκείνῳ συλλειτουργούντων, ἕως ἂν παύσῃ τῆς ἱερουργίας, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ προτέρου. ἔστω οἰκονόμος· τί καὶ ἀναξίως ἱερουργεῖ; ἐξέλιπεν πρεσβύτερος; εἰ δὲ οὐδὲν δοκεῖ τοῖς συλλειτουργοῦσιν αὐτῷ, ὄψονται ἐφ' οἷς πράττουσιν. φείσονται τῆς ἡμῶν ταπεινώσεως, στεργόντων καὶ μηδὲν ἕως τοῦ παρόντος λαλησάντων, ἀλλ' οἰκονομησάντων ἐν τοῖς δυσὶν ἔτεσι τούτοις, ἐξ ὅτε εἰσῆλθεν, ἵνα οὕτως εἰρηνικώτερον διεξέλθωμεν, οἱ δεσπόται ἡμῶν οἱ ἀγαθοί, μεσῖται καὶ κριταὶ τοῦ δικαίου, φιληταὶ τῶν παρρησιαζομένων ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, ὡς αὐτὸ τὸ τίμιον αὐτῶν στόμα πολλάκις διαγορεύει. ἐνέγκωσιν οἱ ἱερεῖς ἱερῶς, ἢ πείσωσιν ἢ πεισθήσονται. εἰ δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ γρύξαι μόνον ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἀνεκτόν, θεὸς ἐφορᾷ, οὗ μείζων οὐδείς, οὗ μόνος ὁ φόβος φοβερὸς καὶ τὸ ἐκεῖ δικαστήριον, ᾧ πάντες παραστησόμεθα εὐθυνόμενοι κατὰ πάντα. Ἀλλὰ δεόμεθά σου τῆς ἀγαθότητος καὶ ὡς προκυλινδούμενοι τοῖς τιμίοις σου ἴχνεσιν παρακαλοῦμεν καὶ ἀντιβολοῦμεν ποιῆσαι ἔλεος μεθ' ἡμῶν καὶ κοινὸν ὄφελος αὐτοῖς τε τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν ἡμῶν βασιλεῦσιν τῷ τε ἁγιωτάτῳ πατριάρχῃ καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, οὐ τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ ἀνὰ πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, ἵνα παύσῃ ὁ εἷς εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ καὶ μὴ ταραχθῇ ἡ αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησία. εἰ δὲ μή γε, ἀλλὰ τό γε δεύτερον τὸ ἐπιμεῖναι ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς δέκα ἔτεσι τούτοις. οἱ γὰρ λοιποὶ κἂν μυρίοι ὦσιν ἱεράρχαι καὶ ἱερεῖς καὶ ἡγούμενοι οἱ κοινωνοῦντες αὐτῷ οὐ θαυμαστόν· ἐπεὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ συνῆλθον τῷ μοιχεύσαντι καὶ οὐδείς τι λελάληκεν. ταῦτα θεὸς δι' ἡμῶν, εἰ καὶ τολμηρὸν εἰπεῖν, καὶ παρακαλεῖ καὶ προσφθέγγεται καὶ ὡς κελεύεις. 22 {1Τῷ αὐτῷ}1 Καὶ πάλιν παρακαλέσαι σου τὴν πατρικὴν ἁγιωσύνην καλὸν ἡγησάμεθα ἐπιβαλέσθαι ἑαυτὴν πρὸς τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον καὶ λυσιτελοῦν κράτιστα. οὐ γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς ἡμῶν δεσπότας ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀκοινωνησίας οὐδὲ ἡ αἰτία τῆς ἀμφισβητήσεως, καθὰ