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to fight for the canons that have been trampled underfoot. For in that imperial city, the blessed Fathers, having come together in harmony with those who assembled at Nicaea, distinguished the dioceses, and to each diocese they assigned its own affairs, expressly forbidding anyone from one diocese to encroach upon another, but that the bishop of Alexandria should administer only the affairs of Egypt, and each diocese its own. But he does not wish to abide by these boundaries, but puts forward up and down the throne of the blessed Mark; and this, though he knows clearly that the great city of the Antiochenes has the throne of the great Peter, who was also the teacher of the blessed Mark, and the first and leader of the choir of the apostles. But we understand the loftiness of the throne, yet we also know and measure ourselves. For we have learned apostolic humility from above. But we beseech your Holiness neither to overlook the holy canons being trampled, and to fight zealously for the divine faith. For in this we have the hope of salvation and through this we expect to obtain loving-kindness. And lest your Holiness be ignorant of this too, know, master, that he has held a grudge against us, ever since we agreed to the synodical letters issued among you at the time of Proclus of blessed memory, following the canons of the holy Fathers; and concerning this he has accused us once and twice of having betrayed, as he says, the rights both of the Antiochene and of the Alexandrian Church. Remembering these things and having found an opportunity, as he supposed, he showed his enmity. But nothing is stronger than the truth. For she knows how to conquer even with a few. And I beseech your Holiness to remember us in your prayers to the Lord, so that we may be able to withstand the various waves. 87 TO DOMNUS BISHOP OF APAMEA. The law of brotherly love required us at the present time to receive many letters from your God-lovingness. For the divine Apostle exhorts us to weep with those who weep, and to rejoice with those who rejoice. But I have received none, although the most God-revering monks of your monastery, and the most God-revering presbyter Helias, recently came to us. But I write and address your Holiness and make known that the Lord’s encouragement has sufficed for us in place of all things. For in truth, not even if we should have mouths as numerous as the hairs of our heads, are we able to praise him worthily, having been deemed worthy, for our confession in him, of a seeming dishonor, which we consider more venerable than any honor. And if we should be condemned to dwell in the farthest parts of the inhabited world, we will praise him all the more, inasmuch as we are deemed worthy of greater goods. But let your Holiness pray nonetheless and ask for peace for the holy Churches. For on account of the storm concerning these things, we too mourn and groan and lament. For the clergy from Osrhoene, as we have learned, have driven her out, pouring down countless things against us all, although he did not even judge with them, nor did he share in the vote against them, but, as your Holiness knows, even beseeched that communion be given to them at Pascha. But it is easy for slanderers to say what they want. But the blessing of the Lord consoles us. For blessed are you, he says, when they revile you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. 88 TO TAURUS THE PATRICIAN.

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τῶν πατηθέντων ὑπερ αγωνίσασθαι κανόνων. Ἐν ἐκείνῃ γὰρ τῇ βασιλευούσῃ πόλει συνελθόντες οἱ μακάριοι Πατέρες, συμφώνως τοῖς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συναθροισθεῖσι τὰς διοικήσεις διέκριναν, καὶ ἑκάστῃ διοικήσει τὰ ἑαυτῆς ἀπένειμαν, ἄντικρυς ἀπαγορεύσαντες ἐξ ἑτέρας τινὰς διοικήσεως ἑτέρᾳ μὴ ἐπιέναι, ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπον τὰ τῆς Αἰγύπτου μόνα διοικεῖν, καὶ ἑκάστην διοί κησιν τὰ οἰκεῖα. Ὁ δὲ τούτοις ἐμμένειν τοῖς ὅροις οὐ βούλεται, ἀλλ' ἄνω καὶ κάτω τοῦ μακαρίου Μάρκου τὸν θρόνον προβάλ λεται· καὶ ταῦτα σαφῶς εἰδώς, ὡς τοῦ μεγάλου Πέτρου τὸν θρόνον ἡ Ἀντιοχέων μεγαλόπολις ἔχει, ὃς καὶ τοῦ μακαρίου Μάρκου διδάσκαλος ἦν, καὶ τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων πρῶτος καὶ κορυφαῖος. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς τοῦ μὲν θρόνου τὸ ὕψος ἐπιστά μεθα, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ καὶ γινώσκομεν καὶ μετροῦμεν. Τὴν γὰρ ἀποστολικὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην ἄνωθεν μεμαθήκαμεν. Τὴν δὲ σὴν ὁσιότητα παρακαλοῦμεν, μήτε τοὺς ἁγίους κανόνας πατουμένους παριδεῖν, καὶ τῆς θείας πίστεως ὑπερμαχῆσαι προθύμως. Εἰς ταύτην γὰρ ἔχομεν τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας καὶ διὰ ταύτης τυχεῖν προσδοκῶμεν φιλανθρωπίας. Ἵνα δὲ μηδὲ τοῦτο ἀγνοήσῃ σου ἡ ὁσιότης, ἴσθι, δέσποτα, ὡς τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔσχε μικροψυχίαν, ἐξ οὗ τοῖς παρ' ὑμῖν γεγενημένοις συνοδικοῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ τῆς μακαρίας μνήμης Πρόκλου συνεθέμεθα, τοῖς τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων κανόσιν ἀκολουθή σαντες· καὶ περὶ τούτου καὶ ἅπαξ ἡμῖν καὶ δὶς ἐνεκάλεσεν, ὡς προδεδωκόσι καὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων, ὡς λέγει, καὶ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων Ἐκκλησίας τὰ δίκαια. Τούτων μεμνημένος καὶ και ρὸν εὑρών, ὡς ὑπέλαβε, τὴν δυσμένειαν ἔδειξεν. Ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀληθείας οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον. Οἶδε γὰρ αὕτη καὶ δι' ὀλίγων νικᾶν. Παρακαλῶ δέ σου τὴν ἁγιότητα καὶ μνημονεύειν ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον προσευχαῖς, ἵνα ἀντισχεῖν δυνη θῶμεν πρὸς τὰ διάφορα κύματα. 87 ∆ΟΜΝΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΑΠΑΜΕΙΑΣ. Ὁ μὲν τῆς φιλαδελφίας ἀπῄτει νόμος πολλὰς ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ δέξασθαι παρὰ τῆς σῆς φιλοθεΐας ἐπιστολάς. Παρεγγυᾷ γὰρ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος κλαίειν μετὰ κλαιόντων, καὶ χαίρειν μετὰ χαιρόντων . Ἐδεξάμην δὲ οὐδε μίαν, καίτοι παραγενομένων ἔναγχος πρὸς ἡμᾶς τῶν τε θεοσεβεστάτων μοναζόντων τῆς ὑμετέρας μονῆς, καὶ τοῦ θεο σεβεστάτου Ἡλίου τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου. Ἐγὼ δὲ γράφω καὶ προσφθέγγομαί σου τὴν ὁσιότητα καὶ γνωρίζω ὡς ἤρκεσεν ἡμῖν ἀντὶ πάντων ἡ τοῦ ∆εσπότου ψυχαγωγία. Τῷ ὄντι γάρ, οὐδ' εἰ ἰσάριθμα τῶν ἡμετέρων τριχῶν σχοίημεν στόματα, ὑμνῆσαι αὐτὸν ἀξίως ἰσχύομεν, διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁμολογίαν τῆς δοκούσης ἀτιμίας ἀξιωθέντες, ἣν πάσης τιμῆς σεβασμιω τέραν ἡγούμεθα. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης οἰκῆ σαι κατακριθείημεν, πλέον αὐτὸν ἀνυμνήσομεν, ὅσῳ μειζόνων ἀγαθῶν ἀξιούμεθα. Εὐξάσθω δὲ ὅμως ἡ ὁσιότης σου καὶ αἰτη σάτω ταῖς ἁγίαις Ἐκκλησίαις γαλήνην. Τῆς γὰρ τούτων ἕνεκα ζάλης καὶ ἡμεῖς θρηνοῦμεν καὶ στένομεν καὶ ὀλοφυρόμεθα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐξέωσαν, ὡς ἔγνωμεν, ταύτην οἱ ἀπὸ Ὀσροηνῆς κληρικοί, μυρία πάντων ἡμῶν καταχέαντες, καίτοι ὁμοῦ οὐδὲ συνδικάσαντος, οὐδὲ τῆς ἐπ' αὐτοῖς κοινωνήσαντος ψήφου, ἀλλά, ὡς οἶδέ σου ἡ ὁσιότης, καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν αὐτοῖς δοθῆναι τὸ Πάσχα παρακαλέσαντος. Ἀλλὰ ῥᾴδιον τοῖς συκοφάνταις λέγειν ἃ βούλονται. Ἡμᾶς δὲ ὁ τοῦ ∆εσπότου παραμυθεῖται μακαρισμός. Μακάριοι γάρ ἐστε, φησίν, ὅταν ὀνειδί σωσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ διώξωσι, καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ' ὑμῶν ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, ψευδόμενοι. Χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς . 88 ΤΑΥΡΩ ΠΑΤΡΙΚΙΩ.