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having been named a schismatic assembly by a previous assembly for their reception of and co-celebration with the one yoked in adultery, according to the divine Basil, but, so that they might acquire for themselves the name of a complete heresy, through another public synod, those not consenting to their unlawful evil doctrine, or rather the whole catholic church, they have subjected to anathema, having ostracized some of those who already appeared before them to somewhere far away, and holding others in prisons, having again initiated a persecution as is the custom of those here. And the justification for them is the strengthening of an evil word. Therefore, they dogmatize the adulterous union as an "economy"; they decree that in the case of emperors the divine laws do not hold sway; they forbid imitating those who have stood firm for truth and justice unto blood, like the Forerunner and Chrysostom; they declare that each of the hierarchs has authority over the divine canons contrary to what is canonized in them. And for this reason, whenever it happens that one of the clergy is caught, both secretly and openly, by canons of deposition, by the authority of whoever wishes it he remains undeposed. And a witness to this statement is the one yoked in adultery, condemned by various canons along with others, and publicly celebrating the liturgy with them. They name as holy in this both others and themselves who treat transgressions as economies, and they anathematize those who do not accept these things as being alienated from God; and a witness to this statement here too is their persecution. What then is there to say in these matters, O blessed one, other than that apostolic word, that "now many antichrists have come," if indeed we are not all ruled by the divine laws and canons? Since these things have now been truthfully reported by our lowliness, we offer to your Christ-imitating blessedness that voice which the chief apostle, with the rest of the apostles, brought to Christ when the surge of the sea was rising: save us, chief shepherd of the church under heaven, we are perishing. Imitate your teacher Christ and stretch out a hand to our church, as he did to Peter, inasmuch as the one was beginning to be sunk in the sea, while she, on the other hand, has already been sunk in the depth of heresy. emulate, we beseech you, your namesake pope, and as he at that time, when the Eutychian heresy sprang up, was roused in spirit like a lion, as all know, by his dogmatic letters, so you too, I dare to say, true to your name, roar divinely, or rather, thunder what is fitting against the present evil doctrine. For if these men on their own authority did not fear to convene a heretical synod, although not having the authority even for an orthodox one without your knowledge, as is the custom that has prevailed from of old, how much more reasonable and necessary would it be, we suggest with fear, for a lawful synod to be assembled by your divine primacy, so that the orthodox dogma of the church may beat back the heretical one and neither your supremacy along with all the orthodox be anathematized by the new empty-talkers nor, on the other hand, those who wish to, finding the adulterous synod a base for lawlessness, easily slip into sin. Having reported these things as befits our nothingness, as the least members of the church and being subject to your divine pastoral authority, for the rest we ask her holy soul to consider us as her own sheep and with holy prayers to enlighten and strengthen us from afar; and if also with teachings, it would be of your divine condescension. Since Christ also wrote a letter to Abgar and many of the lowly were deemed worthy to receive letters from apostles and saints. But the letter is from me alone, the sinner and the one kept in prison, because my father and fellow-servant, the recluse, and the archbishop of Thessalonica and our brother are likewise being kept on other islands. Nevertheless they also through me and with me both speak and

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παρασυναγωγὴ διὰ προτέρας συνελεύσεως ἐν τῇ τοῦ μοιχοζεύκτου παραδοχῇ καὶ συνιερουργίᾳ κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Βασίλειον χρηματίσαντες, ἀλλ', ὡς ἂν ἑαυτοῖς αἱρέσεως τελείας ὄνομα περιποιήσωνται, δι' ἑτέρας συνόδου δημοσίας τοὺς μὴ τῇ παρανόμῳ αὐτῶν κακοδοξίᾳ συγκαταθεμένους, μᾶλλον δὲ ὅλην τὴν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἀναθεματισμῷ ὑποβεβλήκασι, τοὺς ἤδη φθάσαντας ἐπὶ προσώπου αὐτῶν πόρρω που οὓς μὲν ἐξοστρακίσαντες, οὓς δὲ φυλακαῖς κατέχοντες, διωγμὸν κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες τῶν ἐνταῦθα πάλιν καινουργήσαντες. καὶ τὸ δικαίωμα αὐτοῖς λόγου πονηροῦ κραταίωμα. οἰκονομίαν οὖν τὴν ζευξιμοιχείαν δογματίζουσιν· ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλέων τοὺς θείους νόμους μὴ κρατεῖν διορίζονται· τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας καὶ δικαίου μέχρις αἵματος ἐνστάντας, ὥσπερ τὸν Πρόδρομον καὶ Χρυσόστομον, μιμεῖσθαι ἀπαγορεύουσιν· ἕκαστον τῶν ἱεραρχῶν ἐξουσιάζειν ἐν τοῖς θείοις κανόσι παρὰ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς κεκανονισμένα ἀποφαίνονται. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, ὁπόταν τύχῃ καὶ κρυπτῶς καὶ ἐμφανῶς ἁλῶναί τινα τῶν ἱερωμένων καθαιρετικοῖς κανόσι, τῇ τοῦ βουλομένου ἐξουσίᾳ μένειν ἀκαθαίρετον. καὶ μάρτυς τοῦ λόγου ὁ διαφόροις κανόσι σὺν ἄλλοις κεκρατημένος μοιχοζεύκτης καὶ συλλειτουργῶν αὐτοῖς δημοσίᾳ. τοὺς παρανομίας ὡς οἰκονομίας ποιοῦντας ἄλλους τε καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἁγίους ἐν τούτῳ ὀνομάζουσι καὶ τοὺς μὴ ταύτας προσιεμένους ὡς ἠλλοτριωμένους θεοῦ ἀναθεματίζουσι· μάρτυς δὲ κἀνταῦθα τοῦ λόγου ὧν καὶ ὁ διωγμός. τί οὖν ἔστιν ἐν τούτοις, ὦ μάκαρ, εἰπεῖν ἢ τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο, ὅτι νῦν πολλοὶ ἀντίχριστοι γεγόνασιν, εἴπερ μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν θείων νόμων καὶ κανόνων πάντες ἄνθρωποι ἐξουσιαζόμεθα; Τούτων ἤδη ἀψευδῶς ὑπὸ τῆς εὐτελείας ἡμῶν ἀνενεχθέντων ἐκείνην τὴν φωνήν, ἣν ὁ κορυφαῖος σὺν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀποστόλοις προσήγαγεν Χριστῷ, ἡνίκα ὁ τῆς θαλάσσης κλύδων ἐπεγείρετο, προσφέρομεν τῇ χριστομιμήτῳ σου μακαριότητι· σῶσον ἡμᾶς, ἀρχιποιμὴν τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανὸν ἐκκλησίας, ἀπολλύμεθα. μίμησαί σου τὸν διδάσκαλον Χριστὸν καὶ ὄρεξον χεῖρα τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκκλησίᾳ, ὡς ἐκεῖνος Πέτρῳ, ὅσον ὁ μὲν ἀρχομένῳ καταποντίζεσθαι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, αὐτὸς δ' αὖ καταποντισθείσῃ ἤδη ἐν τῷ τῆς αἱρέσεως βάθει. ζήλωσόν σου, δεόμεθα, τὸν ὁμώνυμον πάπαν, καὶ ὡς ἐκεῖνος τηνικαῦτα τῆς Εὐτυχιανικῆς αἱρέσεως ἀναφυείσης λεόντειόν πως διηγέρθη τῷ πνεύματι, ὡς ἴσασι πάντες, ταῖς δογματικαῖς αὐτοῦ ἀποστολαῖς, οὕτω καὐτός, τολμῶ λέγειν, φερωνύμως βρύξον θείως, μᾶλλον δὲ βρόντησον κατὰ τῆς παρούσης κακοδοξίας τὰ εἰκότα. εἰ γὰρ οὗτοι ἑαυτοῖς ἐξαυθεντήσαντες αἱρετικὴν σύνοδον ἐκπληρῶσαι οὐκ ἔδεισαν καίπερ, εἰ καὶ ὀρθόδοξον, οὐκ ἄνευ τῆς ὑμῶν εἰδήσεως ἐξουσιάζοντες, ὡς τὸ ἄνωθεν κεκρατηκὸς ἔθος, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον εὔλογον καὶ ἀναγκαῖον ἂν εἴη, ὑπομνήσκομεν φόβῳ, ὑπὸ τῆς θείας πρωταρχίας σου ἔννομον κροτηθῆναι σύνοδον, ὡς ἂν τὸ ὀρθόδοξον τῆς ἐκκλησίας δόγμα τὸ αἱρετικὸν ἀποκρούσηται καὶ μήτε ἡ κορυφαιότης σου σὺν ἅπασι τοῖς ὀρθοδόξοις ἀναθεματίζοιτο παρὰ τῶν νέων κενοφώνων μήτ' αὖ ὁρμητήριον ἀνομίας τὴν μοιχοσύνοδον εὑρίσκοντες οἱ βουλόμενοι κατολισθαίνουσιν εὐπετῶς πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ταῦτα ὡς τὸ ἀνῆκον τῇ οὐθενότητι ἡμῶν ἀναγγελκότες ὡς ἐλάχιστα μέλη τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῇ ὑφ' ὑμῶν ὑπείκοντες θείᾳ ποιμεναρ χίᾳ, τὸ λοιπὸν ἐξαιτοῦμεν τὴν ἁγίαν αὐτῆς ψυχὴν λογίζεσθαι ἡμᾶς ὡς οἰκεῖα αὐτῆς πρόβατα καὶ ταῖς ἱεραῖς προσευχαῖς πόρρωθεν φωτίζειν καὶ στηρίζειν· εἰ δὲ καὶ διδαχαῖς, τῆς σῆς ἂν εἴη θείας συγκαταβάσεως. ἐπεὶ καὶ Χριστὸς Αὐγάρῳ ἐπέστειλεν καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ὑφειμένων παρὰ ἀποστόλων καὶ ἁγίων γράμματα δέξασθαι κατηξιώθησαν. παρ' ἐμοῦ δὲ μόνου τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ τηρουμένου ἐν φυλακῇ ἡ ἐπιστολὴ διὰ τὸ τὸν πατέρα καὶ σύνδουλόν μου τὸν ἐγκλειστὸν τόν τε ἀρχιεπίσκοπον Θεσσαλονίκης καὶ ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν εἰς ἑτέρας νήσους ὡσαύτως τηρουμένους. πλὴν καὶ αὐτοὶ δι' ἐμοῦ καὶ σὺν ἐμοὶ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ φθέγγονται καὶ