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to the patriarch, when he alone communicated with him, we endured exile in different ways. except that in many ways their own venerable mouth also examined and judged that these things are so. This is the defense, and as you command, present it to their attentive majesty. 24 {1To Theoctistus the Magister}1 That your great highness is concerned for our affairs out of an exceeding love of God, the words spoken through the most devout abbot have indeed shown, and now the things sent through our brother in response to the missives and replies have also made clear. and for such a good disposition of yours for the common good, God, who determines all things by measure and weight, will surely reckon the rewards for it, even if we say nothing. But what dispensation must there be, O master, on our part, more than what we have done? For up to the present we have restrained ourselves, keeping silent, both I and the archbishop (since there is a time to speak and a time to be silent), contriving in every way so that the matter should not come out into the open. But the examiner has examined and he who spoke has not lied, that there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed; so that even if we do not choose it, things being of such a nature, they cannot for long appear to be something other than what they are. And now, employing dispensation, we say these two things: either the deposed one will cease from the sacred ministry, and we will at once have communion with the most holy patriarch, which is also beneficial for the community, or, if this is not tolerable, we are under the same restraint as before, yielding to the Lord the vindication concerning such a point. But anything more than this is no longer, forgive me, a mode of dispensation, but a debt of illegality and transgression of the divine canons. For the definition of dispensation, as you know, is neither to set aside any of the established rules entirely, nor, where it is possible to yield a little according to circumstance and reason, so as from this to find the object sought for simply, to be drawn to the matter more intensely and to suffer loss in what is more perfect. And this we have been taught among the apostles by Paul, who purified himself and circumcised Timothy, and among the fathers by Basil the Great, who accepted the gift of Valens and for a time kept silent on the plain word "4God"5 for the Spirit. But neither did Paul remain purifying himself nor Basil continue accepting the gift of Valens and not proclaiming the Spirit God; on the contrary, both appear to have chosen death for the sake of these things. Thus one who practices dispensation since the beginning of time has not failed in what is good; for he quickly seized what he had briefly let go, like a helmsman who yields the rudder a little because of a contrary squall. But one who acts otherwise has missed the mark, accomplishing transgression instead of dispensation. And the examples are many, which it is superfluous to write because of the length. As for your lordship saying that in the case of the canon of the apostles concerning those ordaining and being ordained for money, Chrysostom made some concession in the case of the six bishops whom he deposed, it makes no difference, even if it seems to, when having alienated them from all priesthood he conceded to them only communion at the altar. But let us grant that it differs and has a concession. Let those who wish imitate it, and no one will forbid it; for this one is a mouth of God and a fellow-lodger with the apostles, whom many remember up to the present and no one has been at variance about this. But here it is not so; for he who crowned the adulterer, as if he had done nothing wrong, is again performing sacred rites, not entering into some corner, but is set forth in the catholic church itself as a good example to the priests. But what to us is the pagan bigamy of Valentinian? and who that crowned him for this is proclaimed holy and not a transgressor, if indeed he was crowned? and which of the divine fathers then handed it down in writing that Valentinian acted piously in taking two wives and that it is necessary from now on

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πατριάρχῃ, ἡνίκα μόνον μετεδίδοι αὐτῷ, διαφόρως τὴν ἐξορίαν ὑπέστημεν. πλὴν ὅτι πολλαχῶς καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ τίμιον αὐτῶν στόμα ἐπανέκρινεν καὶ διέγνω ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχειν. Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπολογία, καὶ ταύτην ὡς κελεύεις ἀνάγαγε τῷ εὐηκόῳ αὐτῶν κράτει. 24 {1Θεοκτίστῳ μαγίστρῳ}1 Ὅτιπερ πονουμένη ἐστὶν τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἡ μεγίστη σου ὑπεροχὴ ἐξ ὑπερβαλλούσης φιλοθεΐας ἔδειξεν μὲν καὶ τὰ διὰ τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου ἡγουμένου ῥήματα, ἐφανέρωσε δὲ καὶ νῦν τὰ διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν πρὸς τὰ σταλέντα δηλώματά τε καὶ ἀνταποκρίματα. καὶ τῆς ὑπὲρ τηλικαύτης σου ἀγαθῆς διαθέσεως πρὸς τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον τοὺς μισθοὺς λογιεῖται αὐτῇ πάντως καὶ ἡμῶν μὴ λεγόντων ὁ πάντα μέτρῳ καὶ σταθμῷ διορίζων θεός. τίνα δὲ δεῖ οἰκονομίαν γενέσθαι, ὧ δέσποτα, ὅσον τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς πλέον ἧς πεποιήκαμεν; ὅτι ἕως τοῦ παρόντος ὑπεστείλαμεν ἑαυτοὺς σιωπὴν ἄγοντες ἐγώ τε καὶ ὁ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος (ἐπεὶ καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ λαλεῖν καὶ τοῦ σιγᾶν), πάντα τρόπον μεθοδεύοντες εἰς τὸ μὴ εἰς προῦπτον ἐκβεῖν τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. ἀλλ' ὁ ἀνακρίνων ἀνέκρινεν καὶ ὁ εἰπὼν οὐ διέψευσται, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κρυπτὸν ὃ οὐ φανερωθήσεται· ὡς καὶ ἡμῶν μὴ αἱρουμένων οὕτω φύσεως ἐχόντων τῶν πραγμάτων, μὴ ἐπὶ πολὺ παρ' ὅ εἰσιν ἕτερόν τι φαίνεσθαι. Καὶ νῦν δὲ οἰκονομίᾳ χρώμενοι δύο ταῦτα λέγομεν, ὅτι ἢ παύσει ὁ καθῃρημένος τῆς ἱερουργίας, καὶ παραυτὰ κοινωνοῦμεν τῷ ἁγιωτάτῳ πατριάρχῃ, ὃ καὶ λυσιτελὲς κατὰ κοινοῦ, ἤ, εἰ μὴ ἀνεκτόν, καὶ ἐσμὲν ὑπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς συστολῆς κατὰ τὸ πρότερον, τῷ Κυρίῳ τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τοιούτου κεφαλαίου ἐκδίκησιν παραχωροῦντες. τὸ δὲ μεῖζον τούτου, οὐκέτι, σύγγνωθι, οἰκονομίας τρόπος, ἀλλὰ παρανομίας καὶ παραβάσεως τῶν θείων κανόνων ὄφλημα. οἰκονομίας γὰρ ὅρος, ὡς οἶσθα, μήτε τι τῶν κειμένων ἀθετεῖν καθόλου, μήτε ἐφ' ᾧ οἷόν τε μικρὸν ὑφεῖναι κατὰ καιρὸν καὶ λόγον, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν εὑρεῖν τὸ ζητούμενον ἀτεχνῶς, πρὸς τὸ σφοδρότερον ὑπάγεσθαι τῷ πράγματι καὶ ζημιοῦσθαι τὰ τελεώτερα. καὶ τοῦτο δεδιδάγμεθα ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις παρὰ τοῦ Παύλου, ἁγνισαμένου καὶ περιτεμόντος τὸν Τιμόθεον, ἐν δὲ τοῖς πατράσι παρὰ τοῦ Μεγάλου Βασιλείου, προσηκαμένου τὸ λῆμμα τοῦ Οὐάλεντος καὶ ὑποσιωπήσαντος πρὸς καιρὸν τὴν "4θεός"5 φωνὴν γυμνὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος. ἀλλ' οὔτε ὁ Παῦλος ἔμεινεν ἁγνιζόμενος οὔτε Βασίλειος ἔτι προσηκάμενος τὸ τοῦ Οὐάλεντος δῶρον καὶ μὴ κηρύττων θεὸν τὸ Πνεῦμα· τοὐναντίον μὲν ἀμφότεροι ὑπὲρ ἑκατέρων θανάτους αἱρησάμενοι φαίνονται. Οὕτως τις ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος οἰκονομῶν οὐ διέσφαλται τοῦ καλοῦ· θᾶττον γὰρ ἐπεδράξατο, ὃ μικρὸν ἐνέλιπεν, ὡς ἐπὶ οἰακοστρόφου, ὑπανέντος μικρὸν τὸ πηδάλιον διὰ τὴν ἀντιπνεύσασαν καταιγίδα. ἑτέρως δὲ ἐνεχθεὶς διήμαρτεν τοῦ σκοποῦ, ἀντὶ οἰκονομίας παράβασιν τελέσας. καὶ τὰ παραδείγματα πολλά, ἃ παρέλκον ἐστὶ γράφειν διὰ τὸ μακρηγορές. τὸ δὲ τὴν κυριότητά σου φῆσαι ἐπὶ τοῦ κανόνος τῶν ἀποστόλων περὶ τῶν ἐν χρήμασι χειροτονούντων καὶ χειροτονουμένων ὕφεσίν τινα πεποιηκέναι τὸν Χρυσόστομον ἐφ' ὧν καθῆρεν ἓξ ἐπισκόπων, οὐδὲν τὸ παραλλάττον, εἰ καὶ δοκεῖ, ἡνίκα κἀκείνους πάσης ἱερωσύνης ἀλλοτριώσας μόνην τὴν εἰς τὸ θυσιαστήριον μετάληψιν αὐτοῖς παρεχώρησεν. δῶμεν δὲ καὶ παραλλάττειν καὶ ὕφεσιν ἔχειν. μιμείσθωσαν οἱ βουλόμενοι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ κωλύσων· στόμα γὰρ θεοῦ καὶ οὗτος καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁμόσκηνος, ὃν καὶ πολλοὶ μέμνηνται ἕως τοῦ παρόντος καὶ οὐδεὶς περὶ τούτου διήνεκται. ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡδὶ οὕτως ἔχει· ὁ γὰρ τὸν μοιχὸν στεφανώσας, ὡς μηδὲν πεπραχὼς ἄτοπον, ἱερουργῶν πάλιν ἐστὶν καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν ἀποβύστῳ που εἰσερχόμενος, ἀλλ' ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας ὡς εἰς ὑπόδειγμα καλὸν τοῖς ἱερεῦσι προκείμενος. Τίς δὲ ἡμῖν ἡ τοῦ Βαλεντινιανοῦ δυογαμία ἐθνική; καὶ τίς αὐτὸν στεφανώσας ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀνακηρύττεται ἅγιος καὶ οὐχὶ παράνομος, εἴπερ καὶ ἐστεφάνωται; καὶ τίς τηνικαῦτα τῶν θεσπεσίων πατέρων γραφῇ παρέδωκεν ὡς ὁσίως Βαλεντινιανὸς πεποίηκεν δύο γυναῖκας ἀγόμενος καὶ χρεὼν ἐκ τοῦ δεῦρο