33

from concelebrating, until the scandal is removed from our midst. This, therefore, we ask and beseech, that your holy soul be persuaded to remove the man, so that your irreproachable holiness may not be blamed, nor the divine altar be defiled by the liturgy of one who has been deposed, nor there be reasonable causes for schisms; for let your blessedness know truly and sincerely that, if this does not happen by the assent also of the God-loving soul of our most pious and gloriously triumphant emperors (for they are zealous), how our own affairs will be, as we resist for the sake of the commandment, is known to God, but a great schism, with God and his elect angels as witness, will arise in our church. But have mercy, O good shepherd, but help, O skillful physician, your flock, your sheep, your churches, by the ways of your wisdom, by the words of your understanding, by the medicines of your healing, to keep the one sheep from the sacred ministry alone and to gain the whole, and let not the church, which our Lord and God purchased with his own blood, be corrupted by the scab of the one. 26 {1To Symeon the hegoumen}1 Your honorable paternity has written us a letter worthy of your sanctified and God-bearing soul, signifying at once your loving disposition toward us sinners, and at the same time showing its balanced and like-minded harmony concerning the divine commandments, and moreover teaching better things and encouraging us to resist unshakably in the present struggles and not be overthrown from any side by the empty talk of the heterodox and conjecturers. And your honorable letter has truly become for us an encouragement of manliness and a bulwark of strength, so that we glorified our good Lord, who has not completely abandoned our humble generation, but has given life-giving sparks to those willing to be rekindled toward the good work of piety. So these things are. And as sinners we pray a prayer that the life of your holiness may persist as a model of salvation for us and for whomever else desires it; for those who twist the canons and pervert the rules do not by any means see uprightness in those who rightly divide the word of truth, but they also incite laughter and attach reproaches. And what else but that we are strengthened all the more from this, learning the rotten and precarious nature of such men? That your lofty mind is not captured by them is admirable and much prayed for by us. But you seek to learn what new thing has happened regarding the present matter; and we have nothing to say because those in power are now on campaign. For what is there even to say to the archbishop, who has neither sent word nor is willing to receive a hearing, reserving everything for Caesar? For the lord Symeon is double-tongued, changing now this way, now that. Except that we again engaged in discussion and did not yield from the truth. And he softens a little, but he remains the same, thinking and seeking those things which are in every way desirable to those in power. And when our pious master was departing, we wrote again, since he himself had requested this; and yet he did not wish us to come into his sight. But we sinners remain, if your prayer keeps watch, in the same way, not wishing to betray the truth nor to partake of their communion, even if exile lies before us, even if a sword is brandished, even if a fire is kindled. But we would not be able to do this, being unworthy even to be called monks, unless the Lord, attending to your sacred prayers, should strengthen our weakness and infirmity. Therefore, keep watch, holy fathers, for this very purpose, considering the problem of common benefit to be yours, which it is. And by God's command, may our most revered brother and oikonomos of our holy monastery, as he departs, bring to your holiness copies of the letters sent to both persons, so that from these you may learn more clearly our affairs, the

33

συλλειτουργούντων, ἕως ἂν ἐκ μέσου γένηται τὸ σκάνδαλον. Τοῦτο τοίνυν παρακαλοῦμεν καὶ δεόμεθα, δυσωπηθῆναί σου τὴν ἁγίαν ψυχὴν παρασταλῆναι τὸν ἄνδρα πρὸς τὸ μὴ μωμεῖσθαί σου τὴν ἄληπτον ὁσιότητα μηδὲ χραίνεσθαι τὸ θεῖον θυσιαστήριον καθηρημένου λειτουργίᾳ μηδὲ εἶναι αἰτίας εὐλόγους σχισμάτων· γινωσκέτω γὰρ ἀψευδῶς καὶ ἀκραιφνῶς ἡ μακαριότης σου ὅτι, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο γένηται νεύσει καὶ τῆς φιλοθέου ψυχῆς τῶν εὐσεβεστάτων καὶ καλλινίκων ἡμῶν βασιλέων (ζηλωταὶ γάρ εἰσιν), τὸ μὲν ἡμέτερον ὅπως ἂν ἕξει, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἐνισταμένων, θεῷ ἐγνωσμένον, σχίσμα δὲ μέγα ὑπὸ μάρτυρι θεῷ καὶ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ ἀγγέλων γενήσεται ἐν τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκκλησίᾳ. ἀλλ' ἐλέησον, ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός, ἀλλὰ βοήθησον, ὁ ἰατρὸς ὁ ἐπιστήμων, τὴν ποίμνην σου, τὰ πρόβατά σου, τὰς ἐκκλησίας σου, τρόποις σοφίας σου, λόγοις συνέσεώς σου, φαρμάκοις ἰατρείας σου τὸ ἓν πρόβατον ἀπεῖρξαι μόνης τῆς ἱερουργίας καὶ τὰ ὅλα κερδῆσαι, καὶ μὴ τῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς ψώρᾳ λυμανθῆναι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἣν περιεποιήσατο ὁ Κύριος καὶ θεὸς ἡμῶν τῷ οἰκείῳ αἵματι. 26 {1Συμεὼν ἡγουμένῳ}1 Ἀξίαν τῆς ἡγιασμένης καὶ θεοφόρου σου ψυχῆς ἐχάραξεν ἡμῖν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἡ τιμία σου πατρότης, ὁμοῦ μὲν σημαίνουσαν τὴν ἀγαπητικὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς διάθεσιν, ὁμοῦ δὲ δηλοῦσαν τὴν ἰσόρροπον καὶ ταὐτόγνωμον αὐτῆς περὶ τῶν θείων ἐντολῶν συμφωνίαν, καὶ μὴν ἐκδιδάσκουσαν τὰ κρείττονα καὶ συμπροθυμοῦσαν εἰς τοὺς προκειμένους ἀγῶνας ἀκλονητὶ ἐνίστασθαι καὶ μηδαμόθεν τῇ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων καὶ εἰκαιολόγων ἀνατρέπεσθαι κενοφωνίᾳ. καὶ γέγονεν ἡμῖν τὸ τίμιόν σου γράμμα ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐμψύχωμα ἀνδρείας καὶ χαράκωμα δυνάμεως, ὡς δοξάσαι ἡμᾶς τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἡμῶν Κύριον, τὸν μὴ τελείως τὴν ταπεινὴν ἡμῶν γενεὰν ἐγκαταλιπόντα, ἀλλὰ δόντα σπινθῆρας ζωτικοὺς τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν ἀναζωπυρεῖσθαι πρὸς τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγαθοεργίαν. Ἔχει μὲν οὕτω ταῦτα. καὶ εὐχὴν εὐχόμεθα ὡς ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐπιμένειν σου τὴν τῆς ἁγιωσύνης ζωὴν εἰς σωτηρίας ὑπόδειγμα ἡμῖν τε καὶ οἷστισιν ἄλλοις βουλομένοις· οὐ γὰρ πάντως οἱ τοὺς κανόνας στρεβλοῦντες καὶ τοὺς γνώμονας σκελίζοντες εὐθύτητα βλέπουσιν ἐν τοῖς ὀρθοτομοῦσι τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ γέλωτα ἀνάπτουσι καὶ ὀνειδισμοὺς προσάπτουσι. καὶ τί ἄλλο ἢ τὸ ἐντεῦθεν μᾶλλον στερεοῦσθαι ἡμᾶς, μανθάνοντας τὸ σαθρὸν καὶ ἐπισφαλὲς τῶν τοιούτων; ὑφ' ὧν ὅτι ἡ σὴ ὑψηλὴ διάνοια οὐχ ἁλίσκεται, ἀξιάγαστον καὶ ἡμῖν πολύευκτον. ζητεῖ δὲ μαθεῖν ὅ τι γέγονε καινότερον πρὸς τὴν ἐνισταμένην ὑπόθεσιν· καὶ οὐκ ἔχομεν λέγειν διὰ τὸ τοὺς κρατοῦντας τὸ νῦν φοσσατεύειν. πρὸς γὰρ τὸν ἀρχιερέα τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν, μήτε λόγον διαπέμψαντα μήτε ἐθέλοντα ἀκοὴν παραδέξασθαι, ταμιευόμενον πάντα Καίσαρι; ὁ γὰρ κύριος Συμεὼν ἀμφοτερόγλωσσος, πῆ μὲν οὕτως, πῆ δὲ ἄλλως μεταβαλλόμενος. πλὴν ὅτι καὶ πάλιν συνήραμεν λόγον καὶ οὐχ ὑφήκαμεν τῆς ἀληθείας. καὶ μικρὸν μὲν μαλάσσεται, μένει δὲ ὁ αὐτός, ἐκεῖνα φρονῶν καὶ ζητῶν, ἃ ἐφετὰ πάντως τοῖς κρατοῦσιν. ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐξέρχεσθαι τὸν εὐσεβῆ ἡμῶν δεσπότην πάλιν γεγράφαμεν, ἐκζητήσαντος αὐτοῦ τοῦτο· καὶ ὅμως οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ἡμᾶς εἰς ὄψιν αὐτοῦ ἐλθεῖν. μένομεν δὲ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί, εἴπερ γρηγορεῖ ἡ εὐχὴ ὑμῶν, ὡσαύτως, μὴ βουλόμενοι προδοῦναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν μηδὲ μετασχεῖν τῆς κοινωνίας αὐτῶν, κἂν ἐξορία πρόκειται, κἂν ξίφος στιλβοῦται, κἂν πῦρ ἀνάπτηται. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο δυνηθείημεν, ἀνάξιοι τυγχάνοντες τοῦ καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι μόνον μοναχοί, εἰ μὴ προσσχὼν Κύριος ταῖς ὑμετέραις ἱεραῖς προσευχαῖς δυναμώσειε τὸ ἡμῶν ἀσθενὲς καὶ σαθρόν. ∆ιὸ γρηγορεῖτε, πατέρες ἅγιοι, εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὑμέτερον ἡγούμενοι, ὅπερ καὶ ἐστί, τὸ κοινωφελὲς πρόβλημα. θεοῦ δὲ κελεύσει ἐξερχόμενος ὁ αἰδεσιμώτατος ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκονόμος τῆς ἁγίας ἡμῶν μονῆς ἀγάγῃ τῇ ἁγιωσύνῃ σου ἀντίγραφα τῶν διαπεμφθέντων ἐπιστολῶν πρὸς ἑκάτερα πρόσωπα, ἵνα κἀντεῦθεν ἐναργέστερον μανθάνουσα τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς τὸ