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being entreated to deem us worthy to receive her letters in her own words and divinely inscribed, in imitation of her fellow-zealous saints, just as now her rich gifts and blessings, which are beyond us. And our same brother Epiphanius reported to us, O most divine summit, that he received a complaint from her on account of Barsanuphius, and Isaiah and Dorotheus, the heretics, that we accept them as orthodox; and we were very much astonished, if we the humble who are suffering for orthodoxy are siding with heretics. Let every mouth that makes insinuations and slanders against us be stopped. We are orthodox, even if otherwise sinners, O most blessed one, having no abatement whatsoever in this of the apostolic faith, embracing every synod, both ecumenical and local, approved by the truth, along with the holy canons set forth by them, and abominating and anathematizing every heresy and heretic. And anathema to Barsanuphius, Isaiah, and Dorotheus and Dositheus, those anathematized by Saint Sophronius. But also if anyone else should be a namesake to these, nevertheless a heretic according to their heresy or another, whether a bishop, or an ascetic, or whoever, let him be anathema. But also if anyone does not opportunely, according to what is necessary, anathematize every heretic, may he be of their portion. For we are pure of every heretical opinion by your most sacred prayers, O most holy one. Moreover, we also report this, that, even if in our letter through brother Eustathius it was not stated that we had written to your holy summit through Epiphanius, Epiphanius has not spoken falsely, and the manner is in this. we had in truth given him the letter, and again out of fear of the authorities erased it; but he, having knowledge of the signs, being of sound mind, brought it to her holy footsteps after we were exiled. For he is the mouth of our humility and the word uttered from our heart. And let not your holy soul suppose any scandal in our fellow servant, who is most faithful in all things. Our brother and archbishop of Thessalonica with upraised hands of the heart both received the address from your blessedness and through us reverently embraces your most sacred summit. 35 {1[To Basil the hegumen] To Basil the most devout hegumen and archimandrite of Rome, Plato the humble recluse and Theodore the least presbyter and hegumen of the Stoudites.}1 We the humble were eagerly expecting to receive a letter from your paternal holiness, as a thirsty land its rain; and since we failed in our hope, we were pained, as is likely. however, having learned the reason from Epiphanius our most desired and most faithful son, that it was out of necessity and not out of contempt for us, the worthless and great lovers of your God-belovedness, we changed the pain of our heart, having acquired sufficient joy. For he announced to us that you remain the same in your disposition and love towards us, but also rather adding goodness in various ways. And having explained the up-stirring of your zeal for piety, how great it is in your holy soul, he made both our ears ring. And blessed is the Lord of hosts, who has placed you in the first of cities, a divinely radiant luminary holding forth the word of life with an abundance of good deeds, who has given you a tongue that speaks freely the divine teachings of orthodoxy with a lofty proclamation. In which we also beseech you to help the church among us both by your own strength and by your mediation with the most holy apostolic one. For your manly vindication on behalf of the word of truth is the strengthening of the church under heaven, and the zeal from you is ever wont to kindle the whole world to the fiery confession of our faith in the Holy Spirit. Therefore let your piety conjecture how great the account is for you of the strength of piety and how much the praise from God with the worthy rewards in its defense and

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δυσωπουμένης ἀξιῶσαι ἡμᾶς αὐτόλεκτα καὶ θεοχάρακτα αὐτῆς γράμματα δέξασθαι κατὰ μίμησιν τῶν ὁμοζήλων αὐτῆς ἁγίων, ὥσπερ νῦν τὰς πλουσίας καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς δωρεὰς αὐτῆς καὶ εὐλογίας. Ἀπήγγειλεν δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ αὐτὸς ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Ἐπιφάνιος, θειοτάτη κορυφή, ὡς ἔγκλησιν ἐδέξατο παρ' αὐτῆς ἕνεκα Βαρσανουφίου, Ἠσαΐου τε καὶ ∆ωροθέου τῶν αἱρετικῶν, ὡς δεχομένων ἡμῶν αὐτοὺς ὀρθοδόξους· καὶ πάνυ ἠγάσθημεν, εἰ ἡμεῖς οἱ ταπεινοὶ ὑπὲρ ὀρθοδοξίας πάσχοντες αἱρετικοῖς προσπάσχομεν. ἐμφραγέσθω πᾶν τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν ὑποβάλλον καὶ συκοφαντοῦν στόμα. ὀρθόδοξοί ἐσμεν, κἂν ἄλλως ἁμαρτωλοί, ὦ μακαριώτατε, μηδ' ὁτιοῦν ὕφεσιν ἔχοντες ἐν τούτῳ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς πίστεως, πᾶσαν σύνοδον οἰκουμενικήν τε καὶ τοπικὴν ἐγκεκριμένην τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μετὰ τῶν ἐκτεθέντων αὐταῖς ἁγίων κανόνων ἀσπαζόμενοι καὶ πᾶσαν αἵρεσιν καὶ αἱρετικὸν μυσαττόμενοι καὶ ἀναθεματίζοντες. καὶ ἀνάθεμα Βαρσανουφίῳ, Ἠσαΐᾳ, ∆ωροθέῳ τε καὶ ∆οσιθέῳ, τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἁγίου Σωφρονίου ἀναθεμα τισθεῖσιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλος εἴ τις εἴη τούτοις ὁμώνυμος, ὅμως αἱρετικὸς κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνων αἵρεσιν ἢ ἑτέραν, κἂν ἐπίσκοπος, κἂν ἀσκητής, κἂν ὁστισοῦν, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τις μὴ ἀναθεματίζοι εὐκαίρως κατὰ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον πάντα αἱρετικόν, εἴη τῆς αὐτῶν μερίδος. ἡμεῖς γὰρ καθαροί ἐσμεν παντὸς αἱρετικοῦ φρονήματος εὐχαῖς σου ἱερωτάταις, παναγέστατε. Ἔτι μὴν καὶ τοῦτο ἀναφέρομεν, ὅτι, εἰ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ἡμῶν τῇ διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Εὐσταθίου οὐ δεδήλωται ἐπιστεῖλαι ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁγίᾳ σου κορυφῇ δι' Ἐπιφανίου, οὐ διέψευσται Ἐπιφάνιος, καὶ ὁ τρόπος ἐν τούτῳ. ἦμεν ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐκδώσαντες αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπιστολήν, καὶ πάλιν φόβῳ τῶν κρατούντων ἀπαλείψαντες· ὁ δέ, ἔχων τῶν σημείων τὴν γνῶσιν, ἤγαγεν πρὸς τὰ ἅγια αὐτῆς ἴχνη εὖ φρονῶν μετὰ τὸ ἐξορισθῆναι ἡμᾶς. καὶ γάρ ἐστι στόμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν καὶ λόγος ἐξερευγόμενος τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν. καὶ μή τί γε ὑπολάβοι ἡ ἁγία σου ψυχὴ σκάνδαλον ἐν τῷ συνδούλῳ ἡμῶν, ὄντι πιστοτάτῳ κατὰ πάντα. Ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Θεσσαλονίκης ὑπτίαις καρδίας χερσὶ καὶ ἐδέξατο τὴν τῆς μακαριότητός σου προσηγορίαν καὶ δι' ἡμῶν προσκυνητῶς κατασπαζόμενός ἐστι τὴν ἱερωτάτην σου κορυφήν. 35 {1[Βασιλείῳ ἡγουμένῳ] Βασιλείῳ τῷ εὐλαβεστάτῳ ἡγουμένῳ καὶ ἀρχιμανδρίτῃ Ῥώμης Πλάτων ταπεινὸς ἐγκλειστὸς καὶ Θεόδωρος ἐλάχιστος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἡγούμενος τῶν Στουδίου.}1 Οὕτως ἀπεκαραδοκοῦμεν οἱ ταπεινοὶ δέξασθαι γράμματα τῆς πατρικῆς σου ὁσιότητος, ὡς γῆ διψῶσα τὸν ἑαυτῆς ὑετόν· καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀπετύχομεν τῆς ἐλπίδος, ἠλγήσαμεν, ὡς τὸ εἰκός. ὅμως μαθόντες τὴν αἰτίαν παρὰ Ἐπιφανίου τοῦ ποθεινοτάτου καὶ πιστοτάτου ἡμῶν υἱοῦ, ὅτι ἐξ ἀναγκαίου καὶ οὐκ ἐκ καταφρονήσεως ἡμῶν τῶν εὐτελῶν καὶ λίαν ἐραστῶν τῆς θεοφιλίας σου, μετεβάλομεν τὸ ἄλγος τῆς καρδίας, χαρὰν προσκτησάμενοι ἱκανουμένην. ἀνήγγειλε γὰρ ἡμῖν τὸν αὐτὸν διαμένειν ἐν τῇ πρὸς ἡμᾶς διαθέσει τε καὶ ἀγάπῃ, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ προστιθέμενον μᾶλλον ἀγαθότητος ποικίλοις τρόποις. τὴν δὲ τοῦ ζήλου τῆς εὐσεβείας διανάστασιν, ὅση ἐστὶ τῇ ἁγίᾳ σου ψυχῇ ἐξηγησάμενος, ἤχησεν ἡμῶν ἀμφότερα τὰ ὦτα. καὶ εὐλογητὸς Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ θέμενός σε ἐν τῇ πρωτίστῃ τῶν πόλεων, φωστῆρα θεολαμπῆ λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντα ἀμφιλαφείᾳ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων, ὁ δούς σοι γλῶσσαν ἐλευθεροστομοῦσαν τὰ θεῖα τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας διδάγματα μετὰ ὑψηλοῦ κηρύγματος. ἐν ᾧ καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν βοηθεῖν τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκκλησίᾳ τῇ τε οἰκείᾳ κραταιότητι καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸν ἁγιώτατον ἀποστολικὸν μεσιτείᾳ. ἡ γὰρ ὑμῶν ἀνδρικὴ ὑπὲρ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἀληθείας ἐκδίκησις τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανὸν ἐκκλησίας ὑπάρχει στερέωσις, καὶ ὁ ἀφ' ὑμῶν ζῆλος ἀνάπτειν πέφυκεν ἀεὶ ἅπασαν τὴν οἰκουμένην εἰς τὴν διάπυρον ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν ὁμολογίαν. ὥστε εἰκαζέτω σου ἡ θεοσέβεια, ὅσος ὁ λόγος ὑμῖν τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας κράτους καὶ ὁπόσος ὁ ἔπαινος ἀπὸ θεοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀξίων ἀμοιβῶν ἐν τῇ ταύτης φυλακῇ καὶ