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produced an immoderation of the division. And lest anyone should suppose that I say these things now out of fear, it is possible for anyone who wishes to consult my old writings, those before the synod in Ephesus, and those after it, again from twelve years ago. For by the grace of God, we have interpreted all the prophets, and the Psalter, and the Apostle; and long ago we wrote against those who hold the opinions of Arius, and against those who are sick with the disease of Macedonius, and against the trickery of Apollinaris, and against the madness of Marcion; and in each of the writings, by the grace of my God, the ecclesiastical mind shines forth. And a mystical book has been written by us, and another on Providence, and another against the inquiries of the Magi, and the lives of the saints, and besides these many others, that I may not speak of each one. And I have enumerated these things, not using ambition, but offering a challenge, both to the accusers and to those who wish to judge, to examine whichever of the writings they wish. For they will not find us, by the grace of my God, thinking anything other than what we have received from the Holy Scripture. Therefore, let your holiness, having learned these things from us, teach those who are ignorant, and the unbridled tongues that revile us, and persuade the deceived, not to hold such opinions about us as they have learned from the slanderers, but to obey the lawgiver who cries: You shall not accept an idle report , and to await the examination of the facts. And I pray that the Churches may enjoy peace, and that this long and difficult winter may be dissolved. But if the multitude of our sins does not allow it, but for these things we have been handed over to the sifter, we pray to share in the dangers for the faith; so that since we do not have boldness from our life, at least from having kept the faith unadulterated, we may receive pity and pardon on the day of the Lord's epiphany. And we beseech your holiness to pray with us for these things. 83 TO DIOSCORUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA. The narratives of the divine Scripture bring the greatest comfort to the slandered. For whenever someone, struck by the false accusations of an unbridled tongue, receives the sharp darts of despondency, he recalls the story of the admirable Joseph, and seeing the model of chastity and the teacher of every kind of virtue endure a written slander, and as one who had broken into another's marriage, was imprisoned and fettered and spent a very long time in prison, with the medicine of this narrative he heals the pain. So again, finding the most gentle David being pursued as a tyrant by Saul, twice capturing his enemy and releasing him unharmed, from this he again receives an antidote for despondency. And when he sees the master Christ himself, the maker of the ages, the creator of all things, the true God and Son of the true God, called a deceiver by the wicked Jews, he no longer reaps only comfort, but also the greatest cheerfulness, since he is deemed worthy of the master's fellowship. And I was compelled to write these things now, having come across what was written by your holiness to the most God-beloved and most holy archbishop, the lord Domnus. For this was also added to them, that some who had arrived in the greatest city governed by your holiness had written against us, as dividing the one Lord Jesus Christ into two sons, and that we were discoursing on these things in Antioch, where many thousands of hearers fill the assembly. And I lamented for those, as having dared to weave a manifest slander, but I was pained—and forgive me, master, for being forced to speak by pain—that

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τῆς διαιρέσεως ἀμετρίαν εἰργάζετο. Καὶ ἵνα με μή τις ὑπολάβοι δεδιότα νῦν ταῦτα λέγειν, ἔξ εστι τῷ βουλομένῳ τοῖς παλαιοῖς μου συγγράμμασιν ἐντυχεῖν, τοῖς πρὸ τῆς συνόδου τῆς ἐν Ἐφέσῳ, καὶ τοῖς μετ' ἐκείνην τοῖς πάλιν πρὸ δυοκαίδεκα ἐτῶν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν, καὶ τοὺς προφήτας ἅπαντας ἡρμηνεύσαμεν, καὶ τὸ Ψαλτή ριον, καὶ τὸν Ἀπόστολον· καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τὰ Ἀρείου φρονοῦντας, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τὰ Μακεδονίου νοσοῦντας, καὶ πρὸς τὴν Ἀπολιναρίου τερθρείαν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν Μαρκίωνος λύτταν συνεγράψαμεν πάλαι· καὶ ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν συγγραμμάτων, διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μου χάριν, τὸ ἐκκλησιαστικὸν φρόνημα δια λάμπει. Καὶ μυστικὴ δὲ ἡμῖν συγγέγραπται βίβλος, καὶ περὶ Προνοίας ἑτέρα, καὶ πρὸς τὰς πεύσεις τῶν Μάγων ἄλλη, καὶ τῶν ἁγίων οἱ βίοι καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερα πολλά, ἵνα μὴ καθ' ἕκαστον λέγω. Ἀπηρίθμησα δὲ ταῦτα, οὐ φιλοτιμίᾳ χρώμενος, ἀλλὰ πρόκλησιν προσφέρων, καὶ τοῖς κατηγόροις, καὶ τοῖς κρίνειν ἐθέλουσιν, ὁποῖα ἂν ἐθέλωσι βασανίσαι τῶν συγγραμ μάτων. Οὐ γὰρ εὑρήσουσιν ἡμᾶς, διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μου χάριν, ἄλλο τι φρονοῦντας, ἢ ἅπερ παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς παρει λήφαμεν. Ταῦτα τοίνυν μαθοῦσα παρ' ἡμῶν ἡ ἁγιότης σου διδαξάτω τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας, καὶ τὰς λοιδορούσας ἡμᾶς ἀχαλινώτους γλώττας, καὶ τοὺς ἐξηπατημένους πειθέτω, μὴ τοιαῦτα περὶ ἡμῶν δοξάζειν, οἷα παρὰ τῶν συκοφαντούντων ἔμαθον, ἀλλὰ πείθεσθαι τῷ νομοθέτῃ βοῶντι· Ἀκοὴν ματαίαν οὐ παρα δέξῃ , καὶ ἀναμένειν τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἐξέτασιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ εὔχομαι μὲν γαλήνης ἀπολαῦσαι τὰς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ τὸν μακρὸν τοῦτον καὶ χαλεπὸν διαλυθῆναι χειμῶνα. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐᾷ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων τὸ πλῆθος, ἀλλ' ἐξεδόθημεν διὰ ταῦτα τῷ σινιάζοντι, εὐχόμεθα τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς πίστεως κινδύ νων μεταλαχεῖν· ἵν' ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ βίου παρρησίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν, ἀπό γε τοῦ φυλάξαι τὴν πίστιν ἀκίβδηλον, οἴκτου τύχωμεν καὶ συγγνώμης ἐν τῇ τῆς ∆εσποτικῆς ἐπιφανείας ἡμέρᾳ. Ταῦτα δὲ ἡμῖν συνεύξασθαι καὶ τὴν σὴν παρακαλοῦμεν ἁγιωσύνην. 83 ∆ΙΟΣΚΟΡΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ. Μεγίστην φέρει τοῖς συκοφαντουμένοις παραψυχὴν τὰ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς διηγήματα. Ὅταν γάρ τις ὑπὸ γλώττης ἀχαλι νώτου ψευδηγορίαις βληθεὶς τὰς ὀξείας δέξηται τῆς ἀθυμίας ἀκίδας, ἀναμιμνῄσκεται τῆς κατὰ τὸν ἀξιάγαστον Ἰωσὴφ ἱστορίας καὶ ὁρῶν τῆς σωφροσύνης τὸ ἄγαλμα καὶ τῆς παντο δαπῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν διδάσκαλον συκοφαντίας γραφὴν ὑπομεί ναντα καὶ ὡς γάμον ἀλλότριον διορύξαντα καθειρχθέντα καὶ πεδηθέντα καὶ πλεῖστον ὅσον ἐν εἱρκτῇ διατρίψαντα χρόνον, τῷ τούτου τοῦ διηγήματος φαρμάκῳ θεραπεύει τὴν ἀλγηδόνα. Οὕτω πάλιν εὑρίσκων τὸν πραότατον ∆αυὶδ ὡς τύραννον ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἐλαυνόμενον δὶς τὸν πολέμιον καὶ θηρεύσαντα καὶ ἀλώβητον ἀπολύσαντα ἀλεξιφάρμακον πάλιν ἐντεῦθεν τῆς ἀθυμίας λαμβάνει. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν ἴδῃ τὸν δεσπότην Χρισ τόν, τῶν αἰώνων τὸν ποιητήν, τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων δημιουργόν, τὸν ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ υἱὸν πλάνον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλιτηρίων Ἰουδαίων ὠνομασμένον, οὐκέτι μόνον ψυχαγωγίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐθυμίαν καρποῦται μεγίστην, ἅτε δὴ τῆς δεσποτι κῆς ἀξιούμενος κοινωνίας. Ταῦτα δὲ γράψαι νῦν ἠναγκάσθην ἐντυχὼν τοῖς παρὰ τῆς σῆς ἁγιότητος γραφεῖσι τῷ θεοφιλεστάτῳ καὶ ἁγιωτάτῳ ἀρχι επισκόπῳ τῷ κυρίῳ ∆όμνῳ. Προσέκειτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ τόδε ὥς τινες τὴν μεγίστην πόλιν τὴν ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος ἰθυνο μένην κατειληφότες ἐγράψαντο ἡμᾶς, ὡς εἰς δύο υἱοὺς μερί ζοντας τὸν ἕνα Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διαλεγομένους, ἔνθα πολλαὶ μυριάδες τῶν ἀκροατῶν πληροῦσι τὸν σύλλογον. Καὶ ἐκείνους μὲν ἐθρήνησα ὡς προ φανῆ συκοφαντίαν ὑφᾶναι τετολμηκότας, ἤλγησα δὲ-καί μοι σύγγνωθι, δέσποτα, ὑπ' ὀδύνης λέγειν βιαζομένῳ-ὅτι