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life being taken from us he is gone, and there is no small danger that many, with this support having been removed, may collapse along with it and the rottenness of some may become manifest. The mouth is closed that abounded in righteous boldness and in words of grace for the edification of the brotherhood. Gone are the counsels of a mind truly moved in God. Oh how many times has it occurred to me (for I will accuse myself) to be indignant with the man, because, being wholly given to the desire to depart and be with Christ, he did not prefer to remain in the flesh for our sake. To whom, then, shall we defer the cares of the churches? Whom shall we take as a sharer of our sorrows? Whom as a partaker of our joy? O truly terrible and gloomy desolation! How exactly we have become like a pelican in the wilderness! But indeed the joined members of the Church, having been fitted together as if by a certain soul, by his leadership, into one sympathy and exact communion, are both preserved firmly by the bond of peace for spiritual harmony and will be preserved forever, God granting this, that the works of that blessed soul remain firm and unmovable, all that he labored for in the Churches of God. Yet the struggle is not small, lest some new strifes and divisions, springing up over the election of his successor, should overturn all the labor at once from some chance strife.

30.t TO EUSEBIUS BISHOP OF SAMOSATA

30.1 If I were to write in order all the reasons by which I have been detained until the present, though very eager to come to your piety, I would fill a history of endless length. I pass over mentioning successive illnesses and the severity of winter and the pressure of affairs, as these are familiar and have already been declared to your perfection. And now the only consolation of my life that I had, my mother, even this has been taken away from me by my sins. And do not laugh at me as one lamenting an orphan state at this age, but forgive me for not bearing with fortitude separation from a soul, whose equal I see in nothing that is left. Therefore my sicknesses have returned to me again and again I lie on my bed, wavering with very little strength and all but expecting each hour the necessary end of my life. And the Churches are in a condition very nearly like my body, with no good hope appearing, but with affairs always sinking to the worse. For the time being, however, Neocaesarea and Ancyra seem to have successors to those who have departed, and until now they are at peace. But not even have those who plot against us been permitted until now to do anything worthy of their wrath and bitterness. And the reason for this we clearly attribute to your intercessions on behalf of the Churches. So do not grow weary praying on behalf of the Churches and beseeching God. Greet very warmly those who have been deemed worthy to minister to your holiness.

31.t TO BISHOP EUSEBON

31.1 The famine has not yet left us, for which reason our stay in the city is necessary, either for the sake of administration, or of sympathy for the afflicted. Wherefore not even now was I able to share the journey with our most reverend brother Hypatius, whom I have to address as brother not just for the sake of courtesy, but because of the natural kinship that exists between us. For we are of the same blood. And what sort of things he suffers has not escaped even your honour. And it grieves us that all hope of comfort for him has been cut off, with those who have the gifts of healing accomplishing none of the customary things for him.

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ζωὴν ἀρθεὶς ἀφ' ἡμῶν οἴχεται, κίνδυνος δὲ οὐ μικρὸς μὴ πολλοὶ τῷ ἐρείσ ματι τούτῳ ὑπεξαιρεθέντι συγκαταπέσωσι καὶ τὰ σαθρά τινων φανερὰ γένηται. Κέκλεισται στόμα παρρησίας τε δικαίας καὶ λόγοις χάριτος ἐπ' οἰκοδομῇ τῆς ἀδελφότητος βρύον. Οἴχεται δὲ φρενὸς βουλεύματα τῆς ὄντως ἐν Θεῷ κινουμένης Ὢ ποσάκις μοι (κατηγορήσω γὰρ ἐμαυτοῦ) ἐπῆλθεν ἀγανακτῆσαι κατὰ τοῦ ἀνδρός, ὅτι, ὅλος γενό μενος τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι, τὸ ἐπιμεῖναι ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ οὐ προετίμησε δι' ἡμᾶς. Πρὸς τίνα λοιπὸν τὰς φροντίδας τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ὑπερθώ μεθα; Τίνα κοινωνὸν τῶν λυπηρῶν λάβωμεν; Τίνα μερίτην τῆς εὐφροσύνης; Ὢ τῆς δεινῆς ὄντως καὶ σκυθρωπῆς ἐρημίας. Πῶς ἀκριβῶς ὡμοιώθημεν πελεκᾶνι ἐρημικῷ; Ἀλλὰ μὴν τά γε συναφθέντα μέλη τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, οἷον ὑπὸ ψυχῆς τινος, τῆς ἐκείνου προστασίας εἰς μίαν συμπά θειαν καὶ ἀκριβῆ κοινωνίαν συναρμοσθέντα, καὶ φυλάσσε ται διὰ τοῦ συνδέσμου τῆς εἰρήνης πρὸς τὴν πνευματικὴν ἁρμολογίαν παγίως καὶ φυλαχθήσεται εἰς ἀεί, τοῦτο τοῦ Θεοῦ χαριζομένου, ἑδραῖα μένειν καὶ ἀμετακίνητα τῆς μακαρίας ἐκείνης ψυχῆς τὰ ἔργα, ὅσα ἐνήθλησε ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ὁ ἀγὼν οὐ μικρὸς μή τινες πάλιν ἔριδες καὶ διχοστασίαι, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκλογὴν τοῦ μεταστάντος ἀναφυεῖσαι, πάντα ὁμοῦ τὸν κόπον ἐκ τῆς τυχούσης ἔριδος ἀνατρέψωσιν.

30.τ ΕΥΣΕΒΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ

30.1 Εἰ πάσας ἐφεξῆς γράφοιμι τὰς αἰτίας ὑφ' ὧν μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος

κατεσχέθην, καὶ πάνυ ὡρμημένος πρὸς τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν, ἱστορίας ἂν μῆκος ἀπέραντον ἐκπληρώ σαιμι. Νόσους μὲν ἐπαλλήλους καὶ χειμῶνος ἐπάχθειαν καὶ πραγμάτων συνοχὴν παρίημι λέγειν, γνώριμα ὄντα καὶ ἤδη προδεδηλωμένα τῇ τελειότητί σου. Νῦν δὲ καὶ ἣν μόνην εἶχον τοῦ βίου παραμυθίαν τὴν μητέρα, καὶ ταύτην ἀφῃρέθην ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν. Καὶ μὴ καταγελάσῃς μου ὡς ἐν τούτῳ τῆς ἡλικίας ὀρφανίαν ὀδυρομένου, ἀλλὰ σύγ γνωθί μοι ψυχῆς χωρισμὸν ἀνεκτῶς μὴ φέροντι, ἧς οὐδὲν ἀντάξιον ἐν τοῖς λειπομένοις ὁρῶ. Πάλιν οὖν μοι ὑπέσ τρεψε τὰ ἀρρωστήματα καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ κλίνης κατάκειμαι, ἐπὶ μικρᾶς παντελῶς τῆς δυνάμεως σαλεύων καὶ μόνον οὐχὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστης ὥρας τὸ ἀναγκαῖον πέρας τῆς ζωῆς ἐκδεχόμενος. Αἱ δὲ Ἐκκλησίαι σχεδόν τι παραπλησίως τῷ σώματί μου διάκεινται, ἀγαθῆς μὲν ἐλπίδος οὐδεμιᾶς ὑποφαινομένης, ἀεὶ δὲ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον τῶν πραγμάτων ὑπορρεόντων. Τέως δὲ ἡ Νεοκαισάρεια καὶ ἡ Ἄγκυρα ἔδοξαν ἔχειν διαδόχους τῶν ἀπελθόντων, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἡσυχάζουσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἡμῖν οἱ ἐπιβουλεύοντες ποιῆσαί τι τοῦ θυμοῦ καὶ τῆς πικρίας ἄξιον μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος συνεχωρήθησαν. Καὶ τούτου τὴν αἰτίαν ταῖς σαῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν πρεσβείαις προδήλως ἡμεῖς ἀνατίθεμεν. Ὥστε μὴ ἀποκάμῃς προσευχόμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ δυσωπῶν τὸν Θεόν. Τοὺς καταξιωθέντας ἐξυπηρετεῖσθαι τῇ ὁσιότητί σου πάμπολλα πρόσειπε.

31.τ ΕΥΣΕΒΩΝΑ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ

31.1 Οὔπω ἡμᾶς ὁ λιμὸς ἀνῆκε, διόπερ ἀναγκαία ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως

διαγωγή, ἢ οἰκονομίας ἕνεκεν, ἢ συμπα θείας τῶν θλιβομένων. Ὅθεν οὐδὲ νῦν ἠδυνήθην κοινω νῆσαι τῆς ὁδοῦ τῷ αἰδεσιμωτάτῳ ἀδελφῷ Ὑπατίῳ, ὃν οὐκ αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο εὐφημίας ἕνεκεν ἀδελφὸν ἔχω προσαγο ρεύειν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ὑποῦσαν ἡμῖν ἐκ φύσεως οἰκειότητα. Αἵματος γάρ ἐσμεν τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ὃς ὁποῖα μὲν κάμνει οὐδὲ τὴν σὴν ἔλαθε τιμιότητα. Λυπεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς ὅτι πᾶσα παρα μυθίας ἐλπὶς ἐπ' αὐτῷ περικέκοπται, τῶν ἐχόντων τὰ τῆς ἰάσεως χαρίσματα οὐδὲν ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τῶν συνήθων