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before, by the good will of God and of the most holy patriarch and of our pious masters, it is clear that since he is steward and has the honor immediately and at once we concelebrate and have communion and are ordained, seeking nothing further concerning his concelebration in these three years for the sake of economy, not through fear, but for the common good and salvation. For let the false-accusing tongues be silent, which are moved against the peace of God, saying that, when the steward is barred from the sacred ministry, we shall seize upon a reason to bring down our archbishop, as one who has already concelebrated with a deposed man, and then the preceding most holy patriarch. Deceitful lips, speaking such things, the drama of slanderous and envious men who do not wish the offense which has befallen the church to come to a healing. By no means, may it not be so. Both the preceding patriarch we have received and do receive, for which reason we were in communion with him until death, and the present most holy archbishop we have received and do receive; for on his behalf we make our commemoration every day. Let the steward who crowned the adulterer be barred from the sacred ministry and, as we have already made clear, we will concelebrate with him, if he commands, in the catholic church, each according to our own rank. And if this happens, there will be joy in heaven, peace in our church of God; the schism will recede, concord will shine forth clearly, our archbishop will be crowned with praises and so greatly that his encomium will be spread for a generation, our most mighty emperors with their most precious diadems will be crowned with angelic acclamation, the priests will be clothed with righteousness, and even more the holy ones, I mean the monastic order, will rejoice with exultation. What need is there to say what and how great a prize our master will receive? And what more will not happen? What pleasant thing will not be introduced? Let us say this too, that the steward himself will be acclaimed and glorified and will inherit through this great mercy both in the present age and in the age to come; and we sinners will be prostrating ourselves and venerating and giving superabundant thanks, contributing in deed and word what is fitting as to an archbishop above every man according to what is owed. And for assurance of what has been said, we make this written statement at length, that after the cessation of his sacred ministry, as before, if we do not immediately enter and have communion, as has been written above, let the verdict be up to you, whatever you wish, and let it no longer be permitted for us to speak about the matter. And behold, it is not a man, not an angel, but the Lord himself who through us draws and pushes and exhorts you. 33 {1To Leo, Pope of Rome. To the most holy and chief father of fathers, Leo, my lord, apostolic pope, Theodore, least presbyter and abbot of the Stoudios.}1 Since Christ our God has given to Peter the great, after the keys of the kingdom of heaven, also the dignity of chief shepherd, it is necessary to refer to Peter, or to his successor, whatever is being innovated in the catholic church by those who are slipping from the truth. Therefore, having been taught this we too, the humble and least, from our holy fathers of old, since some innovation has now occurred in our church, and previously through the most devout archimandrite, that is, our brother and fellow servant Epiphanius, and now through our humble letter, we have considered it our duty to refer this to the angel of your chief beatitude. Therefore there has taken place, O most divine head of all heads, according to the prophet Jeremiah, a synod, truly, of apostates and a council of adulterers. For what was said there through idolatrous fornication, this has been shown here through the ratification of an adulterous union; for both have set aside the same Lord, the one group through the transgression of the law, the other through that of the gospel. And indeed they did not stop at this,

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πρότερον εὐδοκίᾳ θεοῦ τοῦ τε ἁγιωτάτου πατριάρχου τῶν τε εὐσεβῶν ἡμῶν δεσποτῶν, δῆλον ὅτι ὄντος αὐτοῦ οἰκονόμου καὶ τὴν τιμὴν ἔχοντος εὐθὺς παραυτίκα καὶ συλλειτουργοῦμεν καὶ συγκοινωνοῦμεν καὶ χειροτονούμεθα, μηδὲν ἐπιζητοῦντες περὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς τρισὶ χρόνοις τούτοις συλλειτουργίας αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίας χάριν, οὐ διὰ φόβον, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ κοινωφελὲς καὶ σωτήριον. Σιγάτωσαν γὰρ αἱ ψευδοκατήγοροι γλῶτται, κατὰ τῆς εἰρήνης τοῦ θεοῦ κινούμεναι, ὅτι, ἐπὰν εἰρχθῇ τῆς ἱερουργίας ὁ οἰκονόμος, ἐπιδραξόμεθα αἰτίας κατενεγκεῖν τὸν ἀρχιερέα ἡμῶν, ὡς ἤδη τῷ καθηρημένῳ συλλειτουργήσαντα, ἔπειτα τὸν προηγησάμενον ἁγιώτατον πατριάρχην. χείλη δόλια, τὰ λαλοῦντα τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀνθρώπων συκοφαντῶν καὶ φθονερῶν τὸ δρᾶμα καὶ μὴ θελόντων εἰς ἴασιν ἐλθεῖν τὸ προσπεσὸν ὄφλημα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. οὐδαμῶς, μὴ γένοιτο. καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην τὸν προηγησάμενον καὶ ἐδεξάμεθα καὶ δεχόμεθα, διὸ καὶ ἕως θανάτου συνεκοινωνοῦμεν αὐτῷ, καὶ τὸν νυνὶ ἁγιώτατον ἀρχιερέα καὶ ἐδεξάμεθα καὶ δεχόμεθα· ἐπὶ τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ ἀναφέρομεν καθεκάστην. ὁ οἰκονόμος εἰρχθῇ τῆς ἱερουργίας ὁ τὸν μοιχὸν στεφανώσας καί, ὡς προδεδηλώκαμεν, συλλειτουργοῦμεν αὐτῷ, εἰ κελεύει, ἐπὶ τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἕκαστος κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἡμῶν τάξιν. καὶ εἰ τοῦτο γένηται, χαρὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς, εἰρήνη ἐν τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ· τὸ σχίσμα ὑποχωρεῖ, ἡ ὁμόνοια ἀναλάμψειεν τρανῶς, ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ἡμῶν στεφανωθήσεται τοῖς ἐπαίνοις καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὡς διαδοθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐγκώμιον ἕως γενεᾶς, οἱ κράτιστοι ἡμῶν βασιλεῖς σὺν τοῖς πολυτιμήτοις αὐτῶν διαδήμασι καταστεφανωθήσονται τῇ ἀγγελικῇ εὐφημία, οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐνδύσονται δικαιοσύνην, ἔτι μᾶλλον οἱ ὅσιοι, τὸ μοναδικὸν λέγω τάγμα, ἀγαλλιάσει ἀγαλλιάσονται. ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν οἷον καὶ ἡλίκον λήψῃ τὸ βραβεῖον, τί δεῖ λέγειν; καὶ τί μᾶλλον οὐ γενήσεται; τί τερπνὸν οὐκ εἰσαχθήσεται; εἴπωμεν καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ οἰκονόμος εὐφημηθήσεται καὶ δοξασθήσεται καὶ κληρονομήσει διὰ τοῦτο μέγα ἔλεος καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι· ἡμεῖς τε οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐσόμεθα ὑποπίπτοντες καὶ προσκυνοῦντες καὶ ὑπερευχαριστοῦντες, ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ τὰ δέοντα ὡς ἀρχιερεῖ ὑπὲρ πάντα ἄνθρωπον κατὰ τὸ ὀφειλόμενον συνεισφέροντες. πρὸς δὲ πίστωσιν τῶν εἰρημένων ποιούμεθα τὸν λόγον ἔγγραφον διὰ πλάτους, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν παῦσιν τῆς ἱερουργίας, καθὰ τὸ πρότερον, ἐὰν μὴ εὐθὺς εἰσέλθωμεν καὶ κοινωνήσωμεν, ὡς προγέγραπται, ἔστω ἡ ψῆφος καθ' ὑμᾶς, εἴ τι βούλεσθε, καὶ μὴ ἐξὸν ἔτι λαλεῖν ἡμᾶς περὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως. καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ ἄγγελος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ὁ δι' ἡμῶν ἕλκων καὶ συνωθῶν καὶ παρακαλῶν σε. 33 {1Λέοντι πάπᾳ Ῥώμης Τῷ ἁγιωτάτῳ καὶ κορυφαιοτάτῳ πατρὶ πατέρων Λέοντι τῷ δεσπότῃ μου ἀποστολικῷ πάπᾳ Θεόδωρος ἐλάχιστος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἡγούμενος τῶν Στουδίου.}1 Ἐπειδήπερ Πέτρῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ δέδωκε Χριστὸς ὁ θεὸς μετὰ τὰς κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ τὸ τῆς ποιμνιαρχίας ἀξίωμα, πρὸς Πέτρον ἤτοι τὸν αὐτοῦ διάδοχον ὁτιοῦν καινοτομούμενον ἐν τῇ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ παρὰ τῶν ἀποσφαλλομένων τῆς ἀληθείας ἀναγκαῖον ἀναφέρεσθαι. τοῦτο τοιγαροῦν δεδιδαγμένοι καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ταπεινοὶ καὶ ἐλάχιστοι ἐκ τῶν ἀνέκαθεν ἁγίων πατέρων ἡμῶν, ἐπεὶ ὑπήρχθη τις καὶ νῦν καινοτομία ἐν τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ πρότερον μὲν διὰ μέσου τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου ἀρχιμανδρίτου, ἤγουν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ συνδούλου ἡμῶν Ἐπιφανίου, καὶ νῦν διὰ τοῦ εὐ τελοῦς ἡμῶν γραμματείου ὀφειλόμενον ἡγησάμεθα τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς κορυφαίας σου μακαριότητος ταύτην ἀνενεγκεῖν. Γέγονε τοίνυν, ὦ θειοτάτη τῶν ὅλων κεφαλῶν κεφαλή, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην Ἱερεμίαν σύνοδος ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀθετούντων καὶ συνέδριον μοιχωμένων. ὅπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖσε διὰ τῆς εἰδωλικῆς ἐκπορνεύσεως λέλεκται, τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα διὰ τῆς μοιχοζευκτικῆς ἐπικυρώσεως δέδεικται· ἀμφότεροι γὰρ τὸν αὐτὸν Κύριον ἠθετήκασιν, οἱ μὲν διὰ τῆς νομικῆς, οἱ δὲ διὰ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς παραβάσεως. καί γε οὐ μέχρι τούτου ἔστησαν,