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one helps with letters, the other assists with supplications. And we entrusted a certain other matter to the brother, and he will certainly report and deliver it, when he manages to see your honorable person. Greeting you with us are also the archbishop, Kalogeros, abba Leontios and the rest of our brotherhood. Deign to greet your holy company on our behalf. 27 {1To Nicetas the Patrician}1 While human favor is wont, perhaps, to raise other men to the height of dignities; you, however, our most pious and all-desired master, virtue in truth and not some favor has led up to the greatness of your dignity, not, indeed, for a certain time and in one office, but always and in many, treating you like some gold and putting you forth for any kind of adornment for our pious empire. And the facts are clear, even if we do not speak, so that even now our Christ-imitating emperors have worthily appointed you as a representative of their own nobility in these days for this reigning city. This is our reply to the address sent now by your piety through the letter-carrier. And may the Lord our God keep you unharmed in soul and body hereafter in ruling and holding authority, as it has been testified through the facts themselves that your authority has been given to you by God. Since your piety spoke to the brother concerning the matter of hair, with forbearance for our lowliness (for so we believe and not otherwise), and since we did this and that, and that it is necessary to consider the right time and to act canonically and to remain within our own boundaries, since also a patriarch presides here, we speak the truth in our defense, first thanking you that you take pains and are concerned for our affairs. And it is necessary; for this itself is a characteristic and a testimony of that nobility of yours which we proclaim, and perhaps also on account of kinship there ought to be a more particular disposition than for the many. Therefore, O master, there are divine laws and canons which guide every pious person, from which it is not possible to make either an addition or a subtraction. They constrain even us, the humble, even if we err ten thousand times in other matters, also in the matter of those with long hair. And just as your authority strives to keep the things ordained by our pious masters, in one place reporting what happens, in another fulfilling what is commanded, restraining and separating and whatever else occurs, not being abashed by any person, neither small nor great (for once what has been heard and commanded is hastened to be fulfilled; for the danger is not a random one in being delayed even for a little), so therefore and much more for us who have been allotted the priesthood, the danger is greater and more destructive not to carry out all the things commanded through the divine canons and inspired fathers by the king of all, God. And that it is a divine command, first the apostle makes clear, then the constitutions, then Chrysostom, establishing that for men to wear long hair is an acknowledged sin, and last the canon of the sixth holy council, commanding also excommunication for those who do not obey; which I also sent, so that having heard it yourself you might know that we sinners do nothing uncanonically. But we have not now become masters of this canon, but long ago, and it has become known also to the preceding patriarch; since he also discussed with us what was fitting, not accusing, but accepting (for how could he, when a canon is established?), and saying that "4a reminder about this came to me too, although we were not listened to"5. But with him we were not scrupulous about the economy, but we have continued so until now, not proclaiming it publicly (since we are not bishops), but observing it in our own church, because we are priests, and to offer the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ to those who are admittedly held by sin is not possible

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μὲν βοηθῇ γράμμασι, τὸ δὲ ἐπικουρῇ ἱκετηρίαις. καὶ ἄλλον δέ τινα παρεθέμεθα τῷ ἀδελφῷ λόγον, καὐτὸν πάντως ἀναγγελεῖ καὶ ἀποδώσει, ὁπηνίκα φθάσει ἰδεῖν τὸν τίμιόν σου χαρακτῆρα. Προσαγορεύει σὺν ἡμῖν καὶ ὁ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος, ὁ Καλόγηρος, ὁ ἀββᾶς Λεόντιος καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ ἡμῶν ἀδελφότης. τὴν ἁγίαν σου συνοδίαν προσειπεῖν ἐξ ἡμῶν καταξίωσον. 27 {1Νικήτᾳ πατρικίῳ}1 Τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους τυχὸν χάρις ἀνθρωπίνη ἀναβιβάζειν πέφυκεν ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος τῶν ἀξιωμάτων· σὲ δὲ τὸν εὐσεβέστατον καὶ παμπόθητον ἡμῶν δεσπότην ἀρετὴ ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ οὐ χάρις τις ἀνήγαγεν ἐν τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ ἀξιώματος, οὐ μὲν οὖν κατά τινα χρόνον καὶ ἐν μιᾷ ἐξουσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ διὰ παντὸς καὶ ἐν πολλαῖς, ὥσπερ τινὰ χρυσὸν μεταχειριζομένη καὶ εἰς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν κόσμον τῇ εὐσεβεῖ ἡμῶν βασιλείᾳ προβαλλομένη. καὶ τὰ πράγματα δῆλα, κἂν ἡμεῖς μὴ λέγωμεν, ὥστε καὶ τὸ νῦν ἀξιολόγως οἱ χριστομίμητοι ἡμῶν βασιλεῖς ἀντιπρόσωπον τῆς ἑαυτῶν καλοκἀγαθίας ἔθεσάν σε ἐν ταύταις ταῖς ἡμέραις τῇδε τῇ βασιλευούσῃ πόλει. αὕτη ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ τῆς πεμφθείσης προσηγορίας παρὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας σου τὸ νῦν διὰ τοῦ γραμματηφόρου ἀντιπροσφώνησις. καί γε Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν διαφυλάξειέν σε ἀπήμονα ψυχῇ τε καὶ σώματι πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς ἐν τῷ ἄρχειν τε καὶ ἐξουσιάζειν, ὡς ἂν ὑπὸ θεοῦ σοι δι' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων μεμαρτύρηται ἡ ἐξουσία δεδόσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ φειδοῖ τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν (οὕτω γὰρ πιστεύομεν καὶ οὐκ ἄλλως) διελέχθη σου ἡ εὐσέβεια τῷ ἀδελφῷ περὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως τῶν τριχῶν, τοῦτο καὶ ἐκεῖνο ποιησάντων ἡμῶν, καὶ ὡς δέον καὶ καιρὸν σκοπεῖσθαι καὶ κανονικῶς πράττειν καὶ ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις ὅροις μένειν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ πατριάρχης προκαθεζόμενος ὧδε, τἀληθῆ ἀπολογούμεθα, πρότερον ἀπευχαριστοῦντες αὐτῇ ὅτι πονοῦσά ἐστι καὶ κηδομένη τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς. καὶ δέον· ἰδίωμα γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ μαρτυρία τῆς ἧσπερ ἀναγγέλλομέν σου καλοκἀγαθίας, τάχα δὲ καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀγχιστείαν ὀφείλει τις εἶναι ἰδικωτέρα παρὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς διάθεσις. Νόμοι τοιγαροῦν, ὦ δέσποτα, θεῖοι καὶ κανόνες εἰσὶν οἱ ἄγοντες πάντα τὸν εὐσεβοῦντα, παρ' οὓς οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε πρόσθεσιν οὔτε ὕφεσιν ποιεῖσθαι. αὐτοὶ καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ταπεινούς, εἰ καὶ μυριάκις σφαλλόμεθα πρὸς ταῖς ἄλλαις ὑποθέσεσι, καὶ εἰς τὸν τῶν κομώντων ἴσχουσιν. καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ ἐξουσία σου τὰ διατεταγμένα πρὸς τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἡμῶν δεσποτῶν φυλάττειν διαγωνίζεται, πῆ μὲν ἀναγγέλλουσα τὰ συμβαίνοντα, πῆ δὲ ἐκπληροῦσα τὰ προστασσόμενα, εἴργουσά τε καὶ ἀφορίζουσα καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἐπισυμβαίνει, οὐ δυσωπουμένη προσ ώπῳ τινὶ οὔτε μικρῷ οὔτε μεγάλῳ (ἅπαξ γὰρ ὃ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐνετάλθη ἐκπληροῦν κατασπεύδεται· κίνδυνος γὰρ οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν κἂν πρὸς μικρὸν ἀναβάλλεσθαι), οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐφ' ἡμῖν τοῖς λαχοῦσι τὸ ἱερατεύειν μείζων καὶ ὀλεθριώτερος ὁ κίνδυνος μὴ ἀποπεραιώσειν πάντα τὰ διὰ τῶν θείων κανόνων καὶ θεσπεσίων πατέρων παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ προστασσόμενα. ὅτι δὲ πρόσταγμα θεῖον, πρῶτον μὲν φανεροῖ ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἔπειτα αἱ διατάξεις, εἶτα ὁ Χρυσόστομος, κατασκευάζων ἁμάρτημα ὁμολογούμενον εἶναι τὸ κομᾶν τοὺς ἄνδρας, τελευταῖον ὁ παρὰ τῇ ἕκτῃ ἁγίᾳ συνόδῳ κανών, προστάσσων καὶ ἀφορισμὸν τοῖς μὴ πειθομένοις· ὃν καὶ ἀπέστειλα, ἵνα αὐτήκοος γενομένη γνοίη μηδὲν ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἀκανονίστως ποιεῖν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τούτου τοῦ κανόνος οὐκ ἐπικρατεῖς νῦν γεγόναμεν, ἀλλὰ πάλαι, καὶ γνωστὸν γέγονε καὶ τῷ προηγησαμένῳ πατριάρχῃ· ἐπεὶ καὶ διελέχθη ἡμῖν τὰ εἰκότα, οὐκ ἐγκαλῶν, ἀλλ' ἀποδεχόμενος (πῶς γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἠδύνατο, κανόνος κειμένου;) λέγων τε ὅτι "4γέγονε κἀμοὶ ὑπόμνησις περὶ τούτου, κἂν οὐκ ἠκούσμεθα"5. ἀλλ' ἐκείνῳ μὲν τὴν οἰκονομίαν οὐκ ἠκριβολογούμεθα, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἕως τοῦ νῦν οὕτω διήλθομεν, οὐ δημοσίως διαγορεύοντες (ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἐπισκοποῦμεν), ἐν δὲ τῇ οἰκείᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ φυλαττόμενοι, διότι ἱερατεύομεν, καὶ προέσθαι τὸ σῶμα καὶ αἷμα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τοῖς ὁμολογουμένως κρατουμένοις ὑφ' ἁμαρτήματος οὐχ οἷόν τέ