Gregory of Nazianzus, Letters

we are among those who have been insulted with you and are no less indignant; for this reason it is right for us also to advise that you not be dishonored. 78.3 We have suffered terrible things; and if you wish, add, such as no other of men has. But let us not for this reason wrong ourselves, nor hate piety to an extent that is not expedient for us. 78.4 A wife is a great thing and a daughter is precious, but not yet more precious than the soul. Remember that you were recently deemed worthy of grace and were cleansed of your sins by the font, and the danger is no small one of defiling the gift with blood and needing another cleansing again. 78.5 Let us not therefore plot against ourselves nor cast away our confidence before God, by appearing bitter to those who have wronged us and being indignant beyond measure. Let us leave the man to God and to the punishments from there; but let us acquire for ourselves a benevolent judge, by appearing benevolent ourselves, and let us forgive so that we may be forgiven. 78.6 And let no vain reasoning deceive you, that to prosecute justly is without accountability, and to hand over the transgressor to the laws. There are laws of the Romans, and there are also ours. But theirs are immoderate and bitter and proceed even to blood; but ours are kind and benevolent and do not permit using any anger against those who do wrong. 78.7 Let us abide by these and follow them, so that by granting a small favor (for life here is short and worth nothing), we may receive great things in return from God, his benevolence and the hopes from there. 79.T TO SIMPLICIA 79.1 You praise our holy and common father, the pillar of the faith, the rule of truth and image of piety, the grey hair full of wisdom, him who has surpassed the measures of human life and virtue, the faithful servant and great high priest, the mediator between God and men, the lodging-place of the Spirit; in this you do rightly, since every word is less than that holy and blessed soul, unless my affection deceives me, or my feeling mixed with longing. 79.2 But this about you I have marveled at exceedingly, how you praise him as holy and to this extent pay fitting honor, yet you attempt to undo his work, as if it were the work of unholy men and most worthy of insult, of those who have lived and departed in vain. 79.3 For if you lay claim to our fellow pastor as to your own slave and pursue this small profit, I do not know how I can praise you, to speak moderately, and this is very unworthy of your magnanimity. 79.4 For how is it not absurd, to honor the Divine with gold and silver and the excesses of your possessions, where perhaps there is more for display than for piety, but as for a priest, to wish altogether to harm a Church and despoil the holiest of its offerings? 79.5 But if you are displeased because we have done this on our own authority, and did not bring it to the attention of your nobility nor give an opportunity to your generosity, you might be saying something just, and the feeling is human; but know that there is a greater opportunity for giving for you now than at that time, inasmuch as it is more honorable to acquiesce to those who have taken it than to give it yourself. 79.6 And in that way you seemed to be gratifying God alone, but in this way you gratify us also, his servants and those deemed worthy to bear his name. Therefore, be angry neither with him nor with us; for he has been constrained, he has not done wrong; and as for us, what is surprising, if, trusting in your goodness, we have proceeded to this, and at the same time having put our faith in the common vote of the whole place? 79.7 And if some made this vote to curry favor or with malice, they themselves would know and would be accountable to God; for it is not ours to know this, nor to pry into the opinions of all; but for us, how was it easy to push it aside, or how could we overlook so many tears, or the desolation of the place so long uncared for and without a shepherd, and not having spiritual oversight? 79.8 And this is clear to you above all, that those who then agreed, but now deny it, are doing a thing that is neither pious nor free. And they would have been much better speaking against it then than now flattering and

ἐσμὲν καὶ συνυβρισμένων καὶ οὐχ ἧττον ἀγανακτούντων, διὰ τοῦτό ἐσμεν δίκαιοι καὶ συμβουλεύοντες μὴ ἀτιμασθῆναι. 78.3 ∆εινὰ πεπόνθαμεν· εἰ δὲ βούλει, πρόσθες οἷα μηδεὶς ἄλλος ἀνθρώπων. Ἀλλὰ μὴ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀδικήσωμεν, μηδὲ τοσοῦτον εὐσέβειαν μισήσωμεν ὅσον ἡμῖν οὐ συμφέρει. 78.4 Μέγα ἐστὶ γυνὴ καὶ τίμιον θυγάτηρ, ἀλλ' οὔπω ψυχῆς τιμιώτερον. Ἐνθυμήθητι ὅτι νεωστὶ μὲν τῆς χάριτος ἠξιώθης καὶ τῷ λουτρῷ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐκαθάρθης, κίνδυνος δὲ οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν αἵματι μολῦναι τὴν δωρεὰν καὶ πάλιν ἄλλης δεηθῆναι καθάρσεως. 78.5 Μὴ τοίνυν ἐπιβουλεύσωμεν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς μηδὲ τὴν παρρησίαν τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν ἀποβάλωμεν, πικροὶ τοῖς ἠδικηκόσι φανέντες καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτρον ἀγανακτοῦντες. Ἀφῶμεν τῷ Θεῷ τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖθεν κολαστηρίοις· ἡμεῖς δὲ φιλάνθρωπον κτησώμεθα τὸν κριτήν, αὐτοὶ φανέντες φιλάνθρωποι, καὶ συγχωρή σωμεν ἵνα συγχωρηθῶμεν. 78.6 Καὶ μή σε ἀπατάτω μάταιος λογισμός, ὅτι τὸ δικαίως ἐπεξελθεῖν ἀνεύθυνον καὶ τὸ παραδοῦναι τοῖς νόμοις τὸν παρανομήσαντα. Εἰσὶ νόμοι Ῥωμαίων, εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἡμέτεροι. Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲνἄμετροι καὶ πικροὶ καὶ μέχρις αἵματος προϊόντες· ἡμῖν δὲ χρηστοὶ καὶ φιλάνθρωποι καὶ μὴ συγχωροῦντές τι τῷ θυμῷ χρῆσθαι κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων. 78.7 Τούτοις ἐμμεί νωμεν καὶ τούτους ἀκολουθήσωμεν, ἵνα μικρὰ χαρισάμενοι (μικρὰ γὰρ ἡ ἐνταῦθα ζωὴ καὶ τοῦ μηδενὸς ἀξία), μεγάλα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀντιλάβωμεν, τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἐλπίδας. 79.Τ ΣΙΜΠΛΙΚΙΑΙ 79.1 Ἐπαινεῖς τὸν ἅγιον καὶ κοινὸν ἡμῶν πατέρα, τὸ τῆς πίστεως ἔρεισμα, τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας κανόνα καὶ χαρακτῆρα τῆς εὐσεβείας, τὴν πλήρη φρονήσεως πολιάν, τὸν ζωῆς ἀνθρωπίνης καὶ ἀρετῆς μέτρα νικήσαντα, τὸν πιστὸν θεράποντα καὶ μέγαν ἀρχιερέα, τὸν Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων μεσίτην, τὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος καταγώγιον· τοῦτο μὲν ὀρθῶς ποιεῖς, ἐπεὶ καὶ πᾶς λόγος ἐλάττων ἐστὶ τῆς ἁγίας ἐκείνης καὶ μακαρίας ψυχῆς, εἰ μή με ἀπατᾷ τὸ φίλτρον ἢ καὶ τὸ πάθος τῷ πόθῳ κιρνάμενον. 79.2 Ἐκεῖνο δέ σου καὶ λίαν τεθαύμακα, πῶς ἐπαινεῖς μὲν ὡς ἅγιον καὶ μέχρι τούτου τὰ εἰκότα τιμᾷς, τὸ δὲ ἔργον αὐτοῦ καταλύειν ἐπιχειρεῖς, ὥσπερ τῶν ἀναγίων καὶ μάλιστα ὕβρεως ὄντων ἀξίων, τῶν εἰκῇ ζησάντων καὶ μεταστάντων. 79.3 Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἀνδραπόδου μεταποιῇ ἰδίου τοῦ συμποίμενος καὶ τὸ μικρὸν τοῦτο κέρδος διώκεις, οὐκ ἔχω πῶς ἐπαινέσω, ἵνα μετρίως εἴπω, καὶ σφόδρα τοῦτο τῆς σῆς μεγαλοψυχίας ἀνάξιον. 79.4 Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, χρυσῷ μὲν καὶ ἀργυρίῳ τιμᾶν τὸ Θεῖον καὶ τοῖς περιττοῖς τῆς κτήσεως, ἔνθα καὶ πλεῖον τοῦ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ἴσως τὸ κατ' ἐπίδειξιν, ἱερεῖ δὲ ὅλως βούλεσθαι ζημιοῦν Ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἀποσυλᾶν τῶν ἀναθημάτων τὸ ἁγιώτατον; 79.5 Εἰ δὲ ὅτι κατ' ἐξουσίαν τοῦτο πεποιήκαμεν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τὴν σὴν εὐγένειαν ὑπεμνήσαμεν οὐδὲ τῇ φιλοτιμίᾳ καιρὸν ἐδώκαμεν δυσχεραίνεις, λέγοις μὲν ἄν τι δίκαιον, καὶ τὸ πάθος ἀνθρώπινον· ἴσθι δὲ μείζονος ἐπιδόσεως εἶναί σοι νῦν ἢ τῷ τότε καιρῷ, ὅσῳ τοῦ αὐτὴν ἐπιδοῦναι τὸ λαβοῦσι συγχωρῆσαι φιλοτιμότερον. 79.6 Κἀκείνως μὲν τῷ Θεῷ μόνον ἐδόκεις χαρίζεσθαι, οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐκείνου θεραπευταῖς καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ βαστάζειν ἠξιωμένοις. Μὴ τοίνυν μήτε ἐκείνῳ χαλέπαινε μήτε ἡμῖν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ τετυράννηται, οὐκ ἠδίκηκεν, ἡμεῖς δὲ τί θαυμασ τόν, εἰ τῇ σῇ χρηστότητι θαρροῦντες ἐπὶ τοῦτο προεληλύθαμεν καὶ ἅμα τῇ κοινῇ τοῦ παντὸς χωρίου ψήφῳ πιστεύσαντες; 79.7 Ἣν εἰ μὲν πρὸς χάριν ἐποιή σαντό τινες ἢ κακούργως, αὐτοὶ ἂν εἰδεῖεν καὶ τῷ Θεῷ λόγον ὑπέχοιεν· οὐ γὰρ ἡμέτερον τοῦτο εἰδέναι, οὐδὲ ταῖς πάντων ἐμβατεύειν γνώμαις· ἡμᾶς δέ, πῶς παρώσασ θαι ῥᾴδιον ἦν ἢ πῶς τοσαῦτα δάκρυα παριδεῖν ἢ τοῦ χωρίου τὴν ἐρημίαν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀθεραπεύτου καὶ ἀποιμάντου καὶ τὴν πνευματικὴν ἐπιστασίαν οὐκ ἔχοντος; 79.8 Ἐκεῖνο δέ σοι καὶ πρὸ πάντων δῆλον, ὅτι οἱ τότε μὲν συντιθέμενοι, νῦν δὲ ἀρνούμενοι, πρᾶγμα ποιοῦσιν οὔτε εὐσεβὲς οὔτε ἐλεύθερον. Καὶ πολλῷ βελτίους ἂν ἦσαν τότε ἀντιλέγοντες ἢ νῦν κολακεύοντες καὶ