40

he confessed that they should have no doubt concerning him, that he was orthodox. Having said and deliberately elaborated on these things, while the others stood in silence, he ended his speech.

(9) But Gregory, having taken leave of the emperor and those assembled, and having offered the appropriate greetings, departed from there, and at his leisure on the following day, he composed the document of his resignation, which had the following wording: “Neither my own efforts nor the assistance of my friends promoted me to the patriarchal throne and to the dignity of this high pontificate, but I ascended as God alone knows. But since this has come to pass and I have now continued for a sixth year and more in this ministry, I did and said everything so as to bring to peace and unite 131 to it those who were scandalized and separated from the Church. But this endeavor proceeded in the opposite way than I had wished, so that some even cried out that this desired peace would not come about, unless I left the patriarchate and removed myself from the midst. I could not bear to remain in my position, seeing the affairs of the Church in such opposition, but I preferred to see those who were scandalized making peace with the Church and one another, than to hold such an office myself. Therefore, for the sake of their peace in God and the cessation of soul-harming scandals, I offer my resignation from the patriarchal throne and the patriarchal office and dignity, but not, however, from the priesthood, since by God's mercy upon me I will keep this for myself throughout my entire life, because I am making such a resignation solely for the peace of the many and their union with the Church, and not because I am conscious of having done anything that would exclude me from the priesthood. Henceforth it is permitted, with the good pleasure of God, to elect another patriarch and to elevate him to the patriarchal throne and this high priesthood, who, with God as his ally and helper, as a canonical patriarch and genuine high priest, will be able to gather and reunite into one the separated parts of the Church. And may this come to pass by the mercies of our great God and savior Jesus Christ, who is moved by the intercessions of our all-pure lady the virgin and Theotokos and of all the saints.” Having written 132 these things, but not having signed anything at all, he was clearly securing the throne for himself and providing for his own honor at a future time by neither signing (for it was necessary to write “he who has served”) nor giving any other reason for his resignation than the peace of the schismatics, which peace, should it not openly come about, as he believed, it would consequently follow that he, retaining the high priesthood, would himself be the patriarch once more; for one who is blameless in his priesthood, and resigns his office for a single manifest reason, it is clear that if that reason does not come to pass, he himself would again be the one worthy to take up the office, if he only wishes it. However, those around the emperor, and especially Theoleptos who was stirring up everything, merely because they received a letter of resignation from Gregory, were grateful to him as if they had already obtained everything, and they persuaded the others not to be meddlesome, not to seek more, not to demand a signature, but to be content with the letter alone since it was in his own hand, and they urged them to be content, having thus been delivered. And Gregory, sending forgiveness to those who had long been hostile to him, was reconciled; 133 and to the others he also sent gifts, to as many of the clergy as he had deprived of their stipends because they were separated by the scandal of that time,

(10) but to Germanos of Herakleia and to Neophytos of Prousa, whom indeed he had deposed on certain charges, Germanos, because having been scandalized by him, having accepted his authority at the beginning and having been tonsured a monk by him and holding the position of a father to him, he falsified the confessions, of the penitent not having confessed that he was in communion with the former ones not only in prayers and psalmody, as

40

ἐκείνους μηδένα ἔχειν τὸν δισταγμὸν ἐπ' αὐτῷ τοῦ μὴ ὀρθόδοξον ἔχειν διωμολόγει. ταῦτα λέξας τε καὶ πλα τύνας ἐπίτηδες τῶν ἄλλων ἑστώτων ἐν σιωπῇ καταπαύει τὸν λόγον.

(9) ὁ δέ γε Γρηγόριος βασιλεῖ συνταξάμενος καὶ τοῖς συν ειλεγμένοις, καὶ τὰ εἰκότα δεξιωσάμενος, ἐκεῖθεν ἀπαίρει, καὶ ἐπὶ σχολῆς τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ συντάττει τὸν τῆς αὐτοῦ παραιτήσεως λίβελλον, ἔχοντα ἐπὶ λέξεως οὕτως. "ἐμὲ προυβίβασαν εἰς τὸν θρόνον τὸν πατριαρχικὸν καὶ εἰς τὸ τῆς ὑψηλῆς ταύτης ἀρχιερω σύνης ἀξίωμα οὔτε αἱ ἐμαυτοῦ σπουδαὶ οὔτε τῶν ἐμῶν φίλων συνάρσεις, ἀλλ' ἀνῄειν ὡς οἶδε μόνος θεός. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο γέ γονε καὶ διετέλεσα ἔτος ἕκτον ἤδη καὶ πρὸς εἰς τόδε τὸ λειτούρ γημα, πάντα ἐποίουν καὶ ἔλεγον ὥστε καὶ τοὺς σκανδαλιζομένους καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποδιισταμένους εἰς εἰρήνην ἀγαγεῖν καὶ ἑνῶσαι 131 αὐτῇ. ἀλλὰ τὸ σπούδασμα τοῦτο εἰς τοὐναντίον ἢ ἐγὼ ἐβουλό μην προέβαινεν, ὥστε καὶ ἐβόων τινὲς ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἡ εὐκταία αὕτη εἰρήνη γένοιτο, εἰ μὴ ἐγὼ τὸ πατριαρχεῖον καταλιπὼν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου γενοίμην. οὐκ ἠνεσχόμην ἐπὶ χώρας μένειν, οὕτως ἐναν τίως ὁρῶν τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἔχοντα, ἀλλ' ἠγάπησα μᾶλλον σπεν δομένους τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ ἀλλήλοις τοὺς σκανδαλιζομένους ὁρᾶν ἢ ἐμαυτῷ τὴν τοιαύτην κατέχειν ἀρχήν. ἔνθεν τοι καὶ διὰ τὴν αὐτῶν τούτων ἐν θεῷ εἰρήνην καὶ τὴν τῶν ψυχοβλαβῶν σκανδά λων ἀργίαν παραίτησιν ποιοῦμαι τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ πατριαρχικοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς πατριαρχικῆς καὶ τοῦ ἀξιώματος, οὐ μέντοι γε καὶ τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἐπεὶ ταύτην ἐλεοῦντός με τοῦ θεοῦ φυλά ξω ἐμαυτοῦ διὰ βίου παντός, ὅτι καὶ διὰ μόνην τῶν πολλῶν εἰ ρήνην καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν αὐτῶν ἕνωσιν ποιοῦμαι τὴν τοιαύ την παραίτησιν, οὐ μὴν ὅτι ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδά τι πράξαντι ἀπεῖρ γον τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἐμέ. ἔνθεν τοι καὶ ἔξεστι τοῦ λοιποῦ σὺν εὐ δοκίᾳ θεοῦ ἄλλον ἐκλέξασθαι πατριάρχην καὶ εἰς τὸν θρόνον τὸν πατριαρχικὸν καὶ τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην ταύτην ἀναβιβάσαι, ὃς ἂν καὶ ὑπὸ θεῷ συμμάχῳ καὶ βοηθῷ, ὅσα καὶ κανονικὸς πατριάρ χης καὶ γνήσιος ἀρχιερεύς, εἰς ἓν τὰ διεστῶτα τῆς ἐκκλησίας μέρη συνάγειν καὶ ἐπισυνάπτειν δυνήσεται. καὶ γένοιτο τοῦτο οἰκτιρ μοῖς τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δυ σωπουμένου ταῖς τῆς πανάγνου δεσποίνης ἡμῶν παρθένου καὶ θεομήτορος καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων πρεσβείαις." ταῦτα γρά 132 ψας, οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ ὑπογράψας οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν, δῆλος ἦν συνεστὼς ἑαυτῷ τὸν θρόνον καὶ εἰς καιρὸν τῆς τιμῆς ἑαυτῷ προμηθούμε νος τῷ μήθ' ὑπογράψαι (ἔδει γὰρ τὸ "ὁ χρηματίσας" γράψαι) μήτε μὴν αἰτίαν θεῖναι τῆς παραιτήσεως ἄλλην ἢ τῶν σχιζομέ νων εἰρήνην, ἧς μὴ προβάσης ἄντικρυς, ὡς ἐπίστευεν, αὐτὸν τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην ἔχοντα αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ αὖθις τὸν πατριάρχην ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου ξυνέβαινεν· ὁ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῇ ἱερωσύνῃ ἀκαταιτία τος, ἐπὶ δὲ μόνῃ προφανεῖ αἰτίᾳ τὴν τιμὴν παραιτούμενος, δῆ λον ὡς τῆς αἰτίας μὴ προβάσης αὐτὸς ἂν εἴη καὶ πάλιν, θέλων μόνον, ὁ τὴν τιμὴν ἀναλαμβάνειν ἄξιος. οἱ μέντοι γε περὶ τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ μᾶλλον ὁ τὰ πάντα κυκῶν Θεόληπτος, μόνον ὅτι γράμμα παραιτήσεως παρὰ τοῦ Γρηγορίου ἐδέχοντο, χάριν εἶχον ἐκείνῳ ὡς ἤδη τὸ πᾶν λαβόντες, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἔπειθον μὴ πολυπραγμονεῖν, μὴ ζητεῖν πλέον, μὴ τὴν ὑπογραφὴν ἀπαιτεῖν, ἀρκεῖσθαι δὲ καὶ μόνῳ τῷ γράμματι οἰκειοχείρῳ γε ὄντι, καί γ' ἀπαλλαχθέντας οὕτως ἐκέλευον ἀγαπᾶν. Γρηγόριος δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐκ μακροῦ δυσμεναίνουσιν ἑαυτῷ πέμπων συγχώρησιν διηλλάττε 133 το· καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις καὶ δῶρα προσαπέστελλεν, ὅσους ἄρα τῶν κληρικῶν ἐκ σκανδάλου τοῦ τότε διισταμένους ἀφῃρεῖτο τὰ σιτηρέσια,

(10) τῷ δέ γε Ἡρακλείας Γερμανῷ καὶ τῷ Πρού σης Νεοφύτῳ, οὓς δὴ καὶ καθεῖλεν ἐπ' αἰτίαις, τὸν μὲν Γερμα νόν, ὅτι σκανδαλισθεὶς ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ, τοὺς λογισμοὺς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐκείνου δεξάμενος καὶ τελέσας εἰς μοναχοὺς καὶ πατρὸς ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ τάξιν ἐπέχων, τὰς ἐξαγορείας παρελογίζετο, τοῦ ἐξομολογουμέ νου μὴ ὁμολογήσαντος ὡς ἐκοινώνει τοῖς προτέροις οὐχ ὅπως εὐ χῶν καὶ ψαλμῳδιῶν, ὡς