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93 TO THE PATRICIAN SENATORIUS. And through the most God-beloved and most holy bishops I address your Magnificence, of whom I carry an unquenchable memory. The most holy bishop, the lord Domnus, prepared them to reach the queen of cities, so that they might dispel the falsehood composed against us. For some people have woven a manifest slander against us, and have filled the Churches with a storm, for which the Lord Christ endured the cross, despising its shame, for which the choir of the divine apostles and the companies of the victorious martyrs were delivered over to all manner of death. I entreat your great genius to strive for their peace. For it would have been easy for the God of all to nod and dissolve these troubles; but He postpones it, both to display the courage of those who are being warred against, and to provide you with opportunities for doing good. 94 TO THE PREFECT PROTOGENES. Long ago the philanthropic Lord gave you power sufficient to serve your purpose. But now He has increased it, so that your Greatness may more easily champion the truth when it is assailed, and destroy the falsehood, and bestow the longed-for tranquility upon the Churches. For your great genius has learned from many others with what a great storm the Churches of the East have been filled, and you will learn more precisely from the most God-beloved bishops, who for this reason have endured this long journey in the winter season, trusting, after divine grace, in the providence of your authority. Dispel for us, therefore, O Christ-loving ones, the storm, and change the dark month into clear, bright weather, and bridle the tongues that have been moved against us. For we, through divine grace, continually champion the apostolic doctrines, and we keep inviolate the faith set forth at Nicaea, and we call impious those who dare to corrupt these doctrines. And witnesses of these things are those who are catechized by us, those baptized by us, those who listen to the discourses in the churches. But if they wish to accuse lawfully, they must convict us in person, not slander us in our absence. For thus also your great genius, when judging other matters, casts your votes, discerning what is just from the arguments of the accusation and the defense. 95 TO THE PREFECT ANTIOCHUS. You have laid aside the cares of the highest office, but your renown flourishes among all. For those who have reaped your benefits sing of them continuously—and these are very many and everywhere, offering praises to many, and moving their tongues in turn to praise. And I rejoice, beholding the lovely fruit, which adorns the celebrated root. For this reason I exhort your great genius to greater and more perfect things, and I ask you to take thought for the tranquility of the Churches. For those who have woven slanders against us have filled them with a great storm. For this very reason, the most God-beloved bishops, despising the long journey, and weakness, and old age, and leaving their own flocks without a shepherd, have undertaken this long journey, hastening to refute the falsehood composed against us all. Let your Greatness therefore assist them, both taking care for the slandered East and providing for the apostolic faith. For it is fitting for you to add this glory also to your other achievements.

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93 ΣΕΝΑΤΩΡΙΩ ΠΑΤΡΙΚΙΩ. Καὶ διὰ τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων καὶ ὁσιωτάτων ἐπισκόπων προσφθέγγομαι τὴν ὑμετέραν μεγαλοπρέπειαν, ἧς τὴν μνήμην ἄσβεστον περιφέρω. Καταλαβεῖν δὲ αὐτοὺς τὴν βασιλίδα παρεσκεύασε πόλιν ὁ ὁσιώτατος ἐπίσκοπος ὁ κύριος ∆όμνος, ἵνα τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν συντεθὲν διαλύσωσι ψεῦδος. Προφανῆ γάρ τινες καθ' ἡμῶν συκοφαντίαν ἐξύφηναν, καὶ ζάλης τὰς Ἐκκλησίας ἐνέπλησαν, ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς σταυρὸν ὑπέμεινεν αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ τῶν θείων ἀποστόλων χορὸς καὶ τῶν νικηφόρων μαρτύρων οἱ δῆμοι ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς τοῦ θανάτου παρεδόθησαν ἰδέαις. Ὑπὲρ τῆς τούτων εἰρήνης τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγωνίσασθαι μεγαλοφυΐαν παρακαλῶ. Ῥᾴδιον μὲν γὰρ ἦν τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ νεῦσαι καὶ λῦσαι τὰ σκυθρωπά· ἀλλ' ἀναβάλλεται καὶ τῶν πολεμουμένων τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπιδεικνὺς καὶ ὑμῖν ἀφορμὰς εἰς ὠφέλειαν παρέχων. 94 ΠΡΩΤΟΓΕΝΕΙ ΥΠΑΡΧΩ. Πάλαι μὲν δέδωκεν ὑμῖν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος ∆εσπότης δύναμιν ἀρκοῦσαν ὑπουργῆσαι τῇ γνώμῃ. Ηὔξησε δὲ ταύτην ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος, ἵνα ῥᾷον καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας πολεμουμένης ὑπερμαχήσῃ τὸ ὑμέτερον μέγεθος καὶ καταλύσῃ τὸ ψεῦδος καὶ ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις τὴν ποθουμένην πρυτανεύσῃ γαλήνην. Ὁπόσης γὰρ ἐνεπλήσθησαν ζάλης τῆς ἑῴας αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι, παρὰ πολλῶν μὲν καὶ ἄλλων ἡ ὑμετέρα μεγαλοφυΐα μεμάθηκεν, ἀκριβέστερον δὲ παρὰ τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων ἐπισκόπων μαθήσῃ, οἳ τῆς μακρᾶς ταύτης ἀποδημίας ἐν ὥρᾳ χειμῶνος τούτου χάριν ἠνέσχοντο, μετὰ τὴν θείαν χάριν τῇ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐξουσίας προμηθείᾳ θαρροῦντες. Λύσατε τοίνυν ἡμῖν, ὦ φιλόχριστοι, τὸν χειμῶνα καὶ τὴν σκοτομήνην εἰς αἰθρίαν καθαρὰν μεταβάλετε, καὶ τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν κινηθείσας χαλινώσατε γλώττας. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ διὰ τὴν θείαν χάριν, τῶν ἀποστολικῶν διηνεκῶς ὑπερμαχοῦμεν δογμάτων, καὶ τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν φυλάττομεν ἄσυλον, καὶ τοὺς ταῦτα παραχαράττειν τολμῶντας τὰ δόγματα ἀσεβεῖς ὀνομάζομεν. Καὶ τούτων μάρτυρες οἱ παρ' ἡμῶν κατηχούμενοι, οἱ παρ' ἡμῶν βαπτιζόμενοι, οἱ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις διαλέξεων ἐπαίοντες. Εἰ δὲ κατηγορεῖν ἐννόμως ἐθέλουσι, χρὴ παρόντας ἐλέγχειν, οὐκ ἀπόντας συκοφαντεῖν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἡ ὑμετέρα μεγαλοφυΐα δικάζουσα πράγμασιν ἐκφέρει τὰς ψήφους, ἐκ τῶν τῆς κατηγορίας καὶ ἀπολογίας λόγων συνορῶσα τὸ δίκαιον. 95 ΑΝΤΙΟΧΩ ΥΠΑΡΧΩ. Τῆς μεγίστης ἀρχῆς τὰς μὲν φροντίδας ἀπέθεσθε, τὸ δὲ κλέος ὑμῶν παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθεῖ. Οἱ γὰρ τὰς ὑμετέρας εὐεργεσίας τρυγήσαντες ᾄδουσι ταύτας ἐνδελεχῶς-πλεῖστοι δὲ οὗτοι καὶ πανταχοῦ, καὶ πολλοῖς τὰς εὐφημίας προσφέροντες, καὶ τὰς ἐκείνων γλώττας πάλιν εἰς ἐπαίνους κινοῦντες. Ἐγὼ δὲ γάννυμαι, θεωρῶν τὸν ἀξιέραστον καρπόν, τὴν πολυθρύλητον ὡραίζοντα ῥίζαν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν ἐπὶ τὰ μείζω καὶ τελειότερα τὴν ὑμετέραν μεγαλοφυΐαν παρακαλῶ, καὶ τῆς τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἀξιῶ φροντίσαι γαλήνης. Πολλοῦ γὰρ ταύτας χειμῶνος ἐνέπλησαν οἱ τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν συκοφαντίας ὑφήναντες. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ οἱ θεοφιλέστατοι ἐπίσκοποι καὶ μακρᾶς ὁδοιπορίας καὶ ἀσθενείας καὶ γήρως καταφρονήσαντες καὶ τὰ σφέτερα ποίμνια καταλιπόντες ἀποίμαντα, τὴν μακρὰν ταύτην πορείαν ἐστείλαντο, διελέγξαι τὸ κατὰ πάντων ἡμῶν συντεθὲν ἐπειγόμενοι ψεῦδος. Ἐπαμυνάτω τοίνυν αὐτοῖς τὸ ὑμέτερον μέγεθος καὶ τῆς συκοφαντουμένης ἑῴας κηδόμενον καὶ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς προμηθούμενον πίστεως. Πρέπει γὰρ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἄλλοις κατορθώμασι καὶ τόδε προσθεῖναι τὸ κλέος.