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things said 29.9 we have engaged, as far as was possible. And the discourse contains not only a refutation of the heretical assumptions, but also a teaching and exposition of our own doctrines; for we considered it shameful and utterly ignoble that, when our enemies do not hide their absurdity, we should not speak boldly 29.10 for the truth. May the Lord keep you strong in soul and body for the church.

30.τ Of Peter, Bishop of Sebasteia, to Gregory of Nyssa, his

brother 30.1 To the most God-fearing brother Gregory, Peter, greetings in the Lord. Having read

the letters of your holiness and having perceived in your discourse against the heresy the zeal on behalf of the truth and on behalf of our holy father, I thought the discourse to be the work not of your own power, but of Him who 30.2 ordained that the truth be spoken among his own servants; and just as I say it is good to ascribe the advocacy for the truth to the very Spirit of truth, so it seems to me that one must also attribute the zeal against the sound faith not to Eunomius but to the father 30.3 of falsehood himself. And it seems that the murderer from the beginning, who spoke in that man, has diligently sharpened the sword against himself; for if that man had not been so bold against the truth, no one would have moved you to advocate for the doctrines of piety. He therefore who catches the wise in their craftiness has allowed them, so that the unsound and inconsistent nature of their dogma might be especially refuted, both to rage against the truth and to meditate on empty things 30.4 through this empty treatise. Since, therefore, He who began a good work will bring it to completion, do not grow weary in serving the power of the Spirit, nor leave half-finished the great exploit of those who war against the glory of Christ, but imitate your true father who, like the zealous Phinehas, with the single blow of refutation, pierced through the disciple along with the teacher. So you too, with the vigorous hand of your discourse, through both heretical books thrust the sword of the Spirit, so that the serpent, with its head crushed, may not frighten the more simple by thrashing with its tail. For if the first parts of his discourse are refuted, but the last is left unexamined, it will be thought by the many to have some strength against 30.5 the truth. And the anger appearing in your discourse provides the grace of salt to the soul’s senses; for just as, according to Job, bread will not be eaten without salt, so would your discourse have been unstriking and unmoving to desire had it not been seasoned with the sharper 30.6 sayings of God. Take courage, therefore, as you have become a good example for the life hereafter, teaching how good-minded children ought to behave towards good fathers. For if, while the saint was still remaining in human life, you had shown such zeal against those who were insolent toward his reputation, perhaps you would not have escaped the slander of seeming to be a flatterer; but now, the genuine and true disposition of your soul, how you have goodwill toward him who brought you to light through spiritual birth-pangs, your zeal for the departed and your indignation against his enemies clearly demonstrate. Farewell. 5βις.τ A letter to those who disbelieve his orthodox <faith, by those> in Sebasteia requested 5βις.1 Some of our like-minded brothers have made known to us concerning the slander being contrived against us by those who hate peace and speak secretly against their neighbors and do not fear the fearful and great judgment of Him who promised to demand an account even for idle words in the expected examination of our life, saying that the much-talked-about accusations against us are such as these: that we think things contrary to those according to

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εἰρημένοις 29.9 κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν συνεπλάκημεν. ἔχει δὲ ὁ λόγος οὐ μόνον ἀνατροπὴν τῶν αἱρετικῶν ὑπολήψεων, ἀλλὰ καὶ διδασκαλίαν καὶ ἔκθεσιν τῶν ἡμετέρων δογμάτων· αἰσχρὸν γὰρ εἶναι καὶ παντάπασιν ἀγεννὲς ὑπελάβομεν, τῶν ἐχθρῶν οὐκ ἐπικρυπτομένων τὴν ἀτοπίαν, ἡμᾶς μὴ ἐμπαρρησιά29.10 ζεσθαι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. ἐρρωμένον σε ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι φυλάσσοι ὁ κύριος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ.

30.τ Πέτρου ἐπισκόπου Σεβαστείας πρὸς Γρηγόριον Νύσσης τὸν αὐτοῦ

ἀδελφόν 30.1 Τῷ θεοσεβεστάτῳ ἀδελφῷ Γρηγορίῳ Πέτρος ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Ἐντυχὼν

τοῖς γράμμασι τῆς ὁσιότητός σου καὶ κατανοήσας ἐν τῷ κατὰ τῆς αἱρέσεως λόγῳ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἁγίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν ζῆλον, οὐ τῆς σῆς δυνάμεως ἔργον εἶναι τὸν λόγον ᾠήθην, ἀλλὰ τοῦ 30.2 τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δούλοις λαλεῖσθαι οἰκονομή σαντος· ὥσπερ δὲ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας συνηγορίαν αὐτῷ τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἀληθείας ἀναθεῖναι καλῶς ἔχειν φημί, οὕτω μοι δοκεῖ δεῖν καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῆς ὑγιαινούσης πίστεως σπουδὴν οὐκ εἰς Εὐνόμιον ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναφέρειν τὸν πατέρα 30.3 τοῦ ψεύδους. καὶ ἔοικεν ὁ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀνθρωποκτόνος ὁ ἐν ἐκείνῳ φθεγξάμενος καθ' ἑαυτοῦ σπουδαίως ἠκονηκέναι τὸ ξίφος· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐκεῖνος τοσοῦτον κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπεθρασύνετο, οὐδεὶς ἄν σε πρὸς συνηγορίαν τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας δογμάτων ἐκίνησεν· Ὁ οὖν δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἂν μάλιστα τὸ σαθρόν τε καὶ ἀσύστατον τοῦ δόγματος αὐτῶν διελεγχθείη, καὶ φρυάξασθαι κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὰ κενὰ μελετῆσαι 30.4 διὰ τῆς κενῆς ταύτης λογογραφίας. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν Ὁ ἐναρξάμενος ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐπιτελέσει, μὴ ἀποκάμῃς ὑπηρετῶν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος, μηδὲ ἡμιτελῆ ποιήσῃς τὴν ἀριστείαν τῶν κατὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατευομένων, ἀλλὰ μίμησαι τὸν γνήσιόν σου πατέρα, ὃς κατὰ τὸν ζηλωτὴν Φινεὲς τῇ μιᾷ πληγῇ τοῦ ἐλέγχου τὸν μαθητὴν τῷ διδασκάλῳ συναπεκέντησεν· οὕτως καὶ σὺ εὐτόνως τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ λόγου δι' ἀμφοτέρων τῶν αἱρετικῶν βιβλίων ὦσον τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος μάχαιραν, ἵνα μὴ τὴν κεφαλὴν συντεθλασμένος ὁ ὄφις κατὰ τὴν οὐρὰν περισπαίρων τοὺς ἀκεραιοτέρους φοβῇ· τῶν γὰρ πρώτων τοῦ λόγου ἀναιρεθέντων, ἐὰν τὸ τελευταῖον ἀνεξέταστον ἀφεθῇ, ἰσχύν τινα κατὰ 30.5 τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχειν παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς νομισθήσεται. ὁ δὲ ἐμφαινόμενος τῷ λόγῳ θυμὸς τὴν τοῦ ἅλατος χάριν τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς αἰσθητηρίοις παρέχεται· ὡς γὰρ οὐ βρωθήσεται κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ ἄρτος ἄνευ ἁλός, οὕτως ἄπληκτος ἂν ἦν καὶ ἀκίνητος εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ὁ λόγος μὴ τοῖς ἀμυκτικωτέροις 30.6 τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ῥημάτων ἐφηδυνόμενος. θάρσει τοίνυν ὡς καλὸν ὑπόδειγμα τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα βίῳ γενόμενος, διδάσκων ὅπως χρὴ τοὺς εὐγνώμονας παῖδας πρὸς τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἔχειν πατέρας. εἰ μὲν γὰρ περιόντος ἔτι τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ζωῇ τοῦ ἁγίου τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπεδείκνυσο κατὰ τῶν ἀποθρασυνομένων εἰς τὴν ὑπόληψιν ἐκείνου σπουδήν, οὐκ ἂν ἴσως διέφυγες τὴν τοῦ δοκεῖν κόλαξ τις εἶναι διαβολήν· νυνὶ δὲ τὸ γνήσιον καὶ ἀληθὲς τῆς ψυχῆς, ὅπως ἔχεις εὐνοίας περὶ ἐκεῖνον τὸν διὰ τῶν πνευματικῶν σε ὠδίνων εἰς φῶς ἀγαγόντα, ἡ περὶ τὸν κατοιχόμενον σπουδὴ καὶ ἡ κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀγανάκτησις σαφῶς ἐπιδείκνυσιν. ἔρρωσο. 5βις.τ ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπιστοῦντας τῇ ὀρθοδόξῳ <αὐτοῦ πίστει, παρὰ τῶν> κατὰ Σεβάστειαν αἰτηθεῖσα 5βις.1 Ἐγνώρισαν ἡμῖν τινες τῶν ὁμοψύχων ἀδελφῶν περὶ τῆς κατασκευαζομένης καθ' ἡμῶν δυσφημίας παρὰ τῶν μισούντων τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ καταλαλούντων λάθρᾳ τῶν πλησίον αὐτῶν καὶ μὴ φοβουμένων τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ μέγα κριτήριον τοῦ ἐπαγγειλαμένου καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀργῶν ῥημάτων ἀπαιτήσειν τὸν λόγον ἐν τῇ προσδοκωμένῃ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἐξετάσει, λέγοντες τὰ περιθρυλούμενα καθ' ἡμῶν ἐγκλήματα εἶναι τοιαῦτα, ὅτι ἡμεῖς ὑπεναντία φρονοῦμεν τοῖς κατὰ