Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

to wear and to have put on sandals that were well-made for no reason and to live in all simplicity. Yet he was not sought for these things. For to shepherd as is necessary was not a matter of garments and sandals and manual labor, but of a soul well-disposed for this, possessing the love of Christ, through which shepherding according to Christ comes to be. For "If you love me, Peter," He says, "feed my sheep." For love for Christ is certainly nothing other than having the very love of Christ in one's soul. And the love of Christ is to give His soul and to die for us while we were still sinners. This in turn demonstrates compassion towards sinners. For who, when treating his own sick limb, does not handle it gently and approach it cheerfully, even if it is teeming with worms? And who would parade his own fault, and not rather defend it all the more when it is being noticed? For "everything one's own is pressing," according to Pindar. And Christ, because we are Christ's alone and we bear the same 141 holy name, considers us members in part, though we are rotten with our transgressions; but shall we be arrogant and condemn men, we who are righteous over sinners and blameless over those who have accusations, and shall we punish one, rebuke another, be suspicious of a third, and often condemn one who is not among the wicked as if he were? And shall we not praise worthily those who succeed, looking to our own high standard, but pursue those who have stumbled as if we were nearly sinless? But Christ allows it, and the first of the disciples falls, and he who was afterwards the light of the world first becomes a persecutor and a punisher of the pious, and fishermen and tax collectors are received into discipleship before they appear entirely wicked, but in Paul's case grace allows and holds back, so that after he had appeared wicked and a persecutor and an inexorable punisher of Christ's disciples, then the light might shine on him, and he might know that he was persecuting in vain the one whom he later worships as God. What then? Does he put on airs before the disciples and hide the good deed of grace? Not at all, but he proclaims and magnifies the mercy. These things Christ did, these things Christ's followers did; He, in order to legislate compassion, and they, in order to show the good deed first in themselves. 142 But the men around him do not say so, but that sinners must be punished, but that those who sympathize with them must be condemned. Then let them be accepted, when they might also impose penalties on the deserving, and as it might seem good to them, punishing bitterly and callously. But let me speak of my own feeling, and if it is praiseworthy, so be it, but if not, let it bear the blame. I perceive the divine love for mankind extending to all the faithful, and I despair of the salvation of no one who has genuinely repented, but for myself alone I restrict the grace of mercy and I tremble at the divine judgment as something that will be justly brought upon me, no matter what I might do. Yet from mercy I again take courage, and I consider it an ocean of love for mankind to belong to Christ and to be punished by Him. I have often prayed for this for myself, despairing of the salvation of no one, even if he has committed the most wicked deeds; only let there be guidance toward the good and repentance for shameful things. But I have said these things because the harsh and unbending character of the men around him later enveloped the church of God in many troubles. But not yet these things. 143

14. But first, when it was heard that he had been elected as patriarch, many men emerged from their own dens, and some testified to many disagreeable things about him, mostly concerning his willfulness and cruelty, that by his command he had imposed the penalty of blinding on a donkey that seemed to the monks to be trespassing in the vegetable garden, while others confessed him as a wonder-worker, because on one occasion, having gathered vegetables, he found a wolf and placed them on it, on the condition that it help with the garden, commanding it to carry them to the monastery (but the wolf was a man, though they reasoned falsely in saying so, as was known later), and that when a honeycomb from a beehive was sent to him by someone, he ate it and his throat was sweetened, and he prayed that the

φέρειν καὶ βλαύτας εἰκαίως ηὐτουργημένας ὑποδεδέσθαι καὶ ἐν παντοίᾳ λιτότητι διαζῆν. πλὴν οὐ διὰ ταῦτ' ἐζητεῖτο. οὐ γὰρ ἐνδυμάτων καὶ βλαυτῶν ἦν καὶ αὐτουργίας τὸ ὡς δεῖ ποιμαίνειν, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς εὖ ἐχούσης πρὸς τοῦτο, ἀγάπην χωρούσης Χριστοῦ, δι' ἧς τὸ κατὰ Χριστὸν ποιμαίνειν ἐγγίνεται. εἰ φιλεῖς με γάρ, Πέτρε, φησί, ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. οὐκ ἄλλο δὴ πάντως ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπη ἢ τὸ αὐτὴν δὴ τὴν Χριστοῦ ἀγάπην ἔχειν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ. ἀγάπη δὲ Χριστοῦ τὸ δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἀπο θανεῖν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ ἔτι μενόντων ἁμαρτωλῶν. τοῦτο δ' αὖ θις τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας συμπάθειαν παριστᾷ. τίς γάρ ποτε τὸ οἰκεῖον μέλος νοσοῦν θεραπεύων οὐκ ἠπίως ἁφεῖται καὶ ἱλαρῶς ἐκείνῳ προσφέρεται, κἂν ζέῃ σκώληκας; τίς δὲ καὶ θριαμ βεύσειε τὸ ἐλάττωμα ἑαυτοῦ, εἰ μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον κατανοουμένου ὑπεραπολογοῖτο; τὸ γὰρ οἰκεῖον πιέζει πᾶν, κατὰ Πίνδαρον. καὶ Χριστὸς μέν, ὅτι καὶ μόνον ἐσμὲν Χριστοῦ καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ φέρομεν 141 ἅγιον ὄνομα, μέλη ἐκ μέρους λογίζεται σαπροὺς τοῖς πλημμελή μασιν ὄντας· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὑπερηφανήσομεν καὶ καταγνωσόμεθα τῶν ἀνθρώπων, δίκαιοι ὄντες ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ ἀνέγκλητοι ἐχόντων ἐγκλήματα, καὶ τὸν μὲν κολάσωμεν, τῷ δ' ἐπιπλήξωμεν, τὸν δ' ὑποπτεύσωμεν, καὶ μὴ ὄντα τῶν κακῶν πολλάκις ὡς ὄντα κα τακρινοῦμεν; καὶ κατορθοῦντας μὲν οὐκ ἀξίως ἐπαινεσώμεθα, ἀποβλέποντες πρὸς τὸ ἡμέτερον ὑψηλόν, σφαλέντας δὲ ὡς μικροῦ μετέλθωμεν ἀναμάρτητοι; Χριστὸς δὲ παραχωρεῖ, καὶ ὁ τῶν μαθητῶν πρῶτος πίπτει, καὶ ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς οἰκουμένης φω στὴρ διώκτης πρότερον γίνεται καὶ κολαστὴς εὐσεβῶν, καὶ ἁλιεῖς μὲν καὶ τελῶναι εἰς μαθητείαν παραλαμβάνονται πρὸ τοῦ φανῆ ναι πάμπαν κακοί, ἐπὶ Παύλῳ δὲ χάρις παραχωρεῖ καὶ ὑποστέλ λεται, ὡς ἂν μετὰ τὸ φανῆναι κακὸς καὶ διώκτης καὶ τιμωρὸς τῶν Χριστοῦ μαθητῶν ἀπαραίτητος τότ' ἐκείνῳ λάμψῃ τὸ φῶς, καὶ γνῷ ματαίως διώκων ὃν ὡς θεὸν ὕστερον προσκυνεῖ. τί δαί; ἀλλὰ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐκεῖνος ἀποσεμνύεται καὶ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν κρύπτει τῆς χάριτος; οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ κηρύττει καὶ μεγαλύνει τὸν ἔλεον. ταῦτα Χριστός, ταῦθ' οἱ Χριστοῦ, ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἵνα νομοθετήσῃ τὸ συμπαθές, οὗτοι δὲ ἵνα τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ἐφ' ἑαυ 142 τοῖς πρώτοις δείξωσιν. ἀλλ' οὔ φασιν οἱ περὶ ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλὰ κολαστέοι οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες, ἀλλὰ καταγνωστέοι οἱ σφίσι συμπα θοῦντες. τότε δέ γε καὶ προσδεχέσθωσαν, ὅτε καὶ τοῖς ἀξίοις προστιμοῖντο, καὶ ὡς ἐκείνοις δοκοίη, πικρῶς καὶ ἀναλγήτως τι μωρουμένοις. τὸ δ' ἐμὸν εἴπω πάθος, καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐπαινετόν, εἰ δ' οὖν, ἔχον φερέτω τὴν μέμψιν. πᾶσι μὲν πιστοῖς τὴν θείαν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐξαπλουμένην κατανοῶ, καὶ οὐδενὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπογιγνώσκω γνησίως μετανοήσαντι, μόνῳ δ' ἐμαυτῷ τὴν τοῦ ἐλέους χάριν συστέλλω καὶ τρέμω τὴν θείαν κρίσιν ὡς ἐπενεχθη σομένην δικαίως, κἂν ὅ τι ποιοίην. πλὴν ἐξ ἐλέους καὶ πάλιν θαρρῶ, καὶ τὸ Χριστοῦ ὄντα παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ κολάζεσθαι φιλαν θρωπίας ἥγημαι πέλαγος. τοῦτο πολλάκις κατ' ἐμαυτὸν ηὐξά μην, οὐδενὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπογινώσκων, κἂν τὰ φαυλότατα δια πράξηται· μόνον ἡ πρὸς τὸ καλὸν ὁδηγία ἔστω καὶ ἡ ἐπὶ τοῖς αἰσχροῖς μετάνοια. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν εἶπον, ὅτι τὸ σκληρὸν τῶν περὶ ἐκεῖνον ἦθος καὶ ἀτενὲς πολλαῖς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαν ταραχαῖς περιέβαλλεν ὕστερον. ἀλλ' οὔπω ταῦτα. 143

14. Ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν ἀκουσθὲν ὡς ἐς πατριάρχην ἐκεῖ νος ἐψήφιστο, πολλοί τινες ἐξαναδύντες τῶν καθ' αὑτοὺς φω λεῶν οἱ μὲν πόλλ' ἄττα τῶν ἀχαρίτων ἐκείνῳ προσεμαρτύρουν, καὶ τὸ πλέον εἰς αὐτονομίαν καὶ ἀσπλαγχνίαν, ὅτι καὶ ἐξ ἐπιτα γῆς ὄνῳ ποινὴν ἐπιθείη τῶν ὀμμάτων τὴν στέρησιν δόξαντι ἀδίκῳ περὶ τὸν τῶν λαχάνων κῆπον τοῖς μοναχοῖς, οἱ δὲ καὶ ὡς θαυμα τουργὸν ὡμολόγουν, ὅτι τε ἐν μιᾷ λάχανα συνάξας, λύκον εὑ ρὼν ἐπιτίθησι ταῦτα, ἐφ' ᾧ οἱ τοῦ κήπου συναίροιτο, ἐπιτάξας ἀπάγειν εἰς τὴν μονὴν (ἦν δὲ ὁ λύκος ἄνθρωπος, εἰ καὶ παρελο γίζοντο λέγοντες, ὡς ὕστερον ἔγνωστο), καὶ ὡς πεμφθέντος ἐκείνῳ παρά τινος ἀπὸ μελισσείου κηρίου αὐτός τε φάγοι καὶ γλυ κανθείη τὸν φάρυγγα, εὔξαιτο δὲ τὸν