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of the clergy asking not to be overlooked at such a time, looking around in a circle I remembered your love and your right faith and the zeal which you always have for the Churches of God. And for this reason I sent the beloved Eustathius the fellow-deacon to ask your gravity and to entreat you for all the labors on behalf of the Churches, and to add the present one and to give my old age rest by the meeting and for the right Church to set straight its renowned piety by giving to her with us (if indeed we should be deemed worthy to help you in this good work) a shepherd according to the will of the Lord, able to direct his people. For we have before our eyes a man whom you yourselves do not ignore; of whom if we should be deemed worthy to obtain, I know that we will acquire great boldness before God and will bestow a very great benefit on the people who have called us. But I entreat again and often that, putting aside all hesitation, you meet and forestall the difficulties of winter.
48. To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata. 48.1 We have scarcely been able to find a deacon to convey letters to your godliness, since those with us have so cowered at the winter as not to endure to peek out even the smallest bit from their chambers. For we have been snowed under by such a quantity of snow that, being buried in our very houses, we have been lurking in our burrows for two months now. You will therefore surely pardon us, knowing both the lack of boldness of Cappadocian manners and the sluggishness of our bodies, if we have not written sooner, nor brought to the knowledge of your honor the news from Antioch, which is surely stale and cold for you to learn, having learned it long ago, as is likely; nevertheless, thinking it no matter to report even what is known, we sent the letters brought by the reader. And so much for that. But Constantinople has had Demophilus for a long time now, as these men themselves will report and as has surely been proclaimed to your holiness. And some pretense of orthodoxy and piety concerning him is rumored unanimously by all who arrive, so that even the divided parts of the city have come together to the same place and some of the neighboring bishops have accepted the union. But our people have proved no better than our expectations. For having come immediately on the heels of your departure, they said many grievous things, and did many, and finally departed having confirmed the schism for us. Whether, therefore, anything better will happen and if they will cease from their wickedness, is unclear to all except God. The present affairs are such. But the rest of the Church is stable by the grace of God, and prays to see you again in our land come spring and to be renewed by your good teaching. And my body is no better than usual.
49. To Arcadius, Bishop. 49.1 I thanked the holy God upon receiving the letters of your piety, and I pray both to be worthy myself of the hope you have in us, and that you may receive a perfect reward for the honor you pay us, which you pay us in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we were overjoyed that, taking up a concern befitting a Christian, you raised up a house to the glory of the name of Christ and truly loved, as it is written, the beauty of the Lord's house, preparing for yourselves the heavenly mansion, which has been prepared in the rest for those who love the name of Christ. And if we are able to procure relics of martyrs, we pray that we ourselves may contribute to your zeal. For if the righteous man shall be in everlasting remembrance, we shall clearly be partakers of the good memory to be given to you by the Holy One.
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κλήρου παρακαλοῦντα μὴ παροφθῆναι ἐν καιρῷ τοιούτῳ, περιβλεψάμενος ἐν κύκλῳ ἐμνήσθην τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης καὶ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως καὶ τοῦ ζήλου ὃν ἔχετε ἀεὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ τούτου ἕνεκεν ἀπέστειλα τὸν ἀγαπητὸν Εὐστάθιον τὸν συνδιάκονον παρακαλέσαι ὑμῶν τὴν σεμνοπρέπειαν καὶ δυσωπῆσαι πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν καμάτοις, καὶ τὸν παρόντα ἐπιθεῖναι κἀμοῦ τε τὸ γῆρας τῇ συντυχίᾳ ἀναπαῦσαι καὶ τῇ ὀρθῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τὴν περιβόητον εὐσέβειαν διορθώσασθαι δόντας αὐτῇ μεθ' ἡμῶν (εἰ ἄρα καταξιωθείημεν συναντιλαβέσθαι ὑμῖν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἔργου) ποιμένα κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Κυρίου, δυνάμενον διευθῦναι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. Ἔχομεν γὰρ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἄνδρα ὃν οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ ἀγνοεῖτε· οὗ εἰ κατα ξιωθείημεν ἐπιτυχεῖν, οἶδα ὅτι μεγάλην παρρησίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν κτησόμεθα καὶ τῷ ἐπικαλεσαμένῳ ἡμᾶς λαῷ μεγίστην εὐεργεσίαν καταθησόμεθα. Ἀλλὰ παρακαλῶ καὶ πάλιν καὶ πολλάκις πάντα ὄκνον ὑπερθεμένους ἀπαντῆσαι καὶ προλαβεῖν τὰ ἐκ τοῦ χειμῶνος δυσχερῆ.
48.τ ΕΥΣΕΒΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ 48.1 Μόλις ἡμῖν ὑπῆρξεν ἐπιτυχεῖν διακόνου γραμμάτων πρὸς τὴν σὴν
θεοσέβειαν, ἐπεὶ οἵγε παρ' ἡμῖν οὕτω κατέ πτηξαν τὸν χειμῶνα ὡς μηδὲ τὸ μικρότατον προκύπτειν τῶν δωματίων ἀνέχεσθαι. Καὶ γὰρ τοσούτῳ πλήθει χιόνων κατενίφημεν ὡς αὐτοῖς οἴκοις καταχωσθέντες δύο μῆνας ἤδη ταῖς καταδύσεσιν ἐμφωλεύειν. Συγγνώσει οὖν πάντως ἡμῖν τό τε ἄτολμον τῶν Καππαδοκῶν ἠθῶν καὶ τὸ τῶν σωμάτων δυσκίνητον ἐπιστάμενος, εἰ μὴ θᾶττον ἐπεστεί λαμεν, μηδ' εἰς γνῶσιν ἠγάγομεν τῇ τιμιότητί σου τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας, ἃ πάντως γνωρίζειν σοι ἕωλόν ἐστι καὶ ψυχρὸν πάλαι μεμαθηκότι, ὡς τὸ εἰκός· πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἡγούμενοι πρᾶγμα καὶ τὰ ἐγνωσμένα σημαίνειν, ἀπεστεί λαμεν τὰς διὰ τοῦ ἀναγνώστου κομισθείσας ἐπιστολάς. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον. Ἡ δὲ Κωνσταντινούπολις ἔχει τὸν ∆ημόφιλον πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ οὗτοι ἀπαγγελοῦσι καὶ προκεκήρυκται πάντως τῇ ὁσιότητί σου. Καί τι περὶ αὐτὸν πλάσμα ὀρθότητος καὶ εὐλαβείας παρὰ πάντων συμφώνως τῶν ἀφικνουμένων θρυλεῖται, ὡς καὶ τὰ διεστῶτα τῆς πόλεως μέρη εἰς ταὐτὸν συνελθεῖν καὶ τῶν πλησιοχώρων τινὰς ἐπισκόπων τὴν ἕνωσιν καταδέξασθαι. Οἱ δ' ἡμέτεροι οὐδὲν ἀμείνους ἐφάνησαν τῶν ἐλπίδων. Ἐπιστάντες γὰρ εὐθὺς κατὰ πόδας τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐξόδου, πολλὰ μὲν εἶπαν λυπηρά, πολλὰ δὲ ἐποίησαν, καὶ τέλος ἀνεχώρησαν βεβαιώσαντες ἡμῖν τὸ σχίσμα. Εἰ μὲν οὖν τι γενήσεται βέλτιον καὶ εἰ παύσονται τῆς κακίας, ἄδηλον παντὶ πλὴν ἢ τῷ Θεῷ. Τὰ μὲν παρόντα τοιαῦτα. Ἡ δὲ λοιπὴ Ἐκκλησία εὐσταθεῖ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι, καὶ εὔχεται ὁμοῦ τῷ ἦρι ἰδεῖν σε πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας καὶ ἀνανεω θῆναι διὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς σου διδασκαλίας. Κἀμοὶ δὲ τὸ σῶμα οὐδὲν ἄμεινον τῆς συνηθείας ἔχει.
49.τ ΑΡΚΑ∆ΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ 49.1 Ηὐχαρίστησα τῷ ἁγίῳ Θεῷ γράμμασιν ἐντυχὼν τῆς εὐλαβείας ὑμῶν, καὶ
εὔχομαι αὐτός τε τῆς ἐλπίδος ἣν ἔχετε ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἄξιος εἶναι καὶ ὑμᾶς τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ τιμῇ ἡμῶν, ἣν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τιμᾶτε ἡμᾶς, μισθὸν τέλειον κομίσασθαι. Ὑπερήσθημεν δὲ ὅτι καί, μέριμναν πρέπουσαν χριστιανῷ ἀναλαβόντες, εἰς δόξαν τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἶκον ἠγείρατε καὶ ἠγαπήσατε τῷ ὄντι, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, εὐπρέπειαν οἴκου Κυρίου, εὐτρεπίσαντες ἑαυτοῖς τὴν οὐράνιον μονήν, τὴν ἡτοι μασμένην ἐν τῇ ἀναπαύσει τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἐὰν δὲ δυνηθῶμεν περινοῆσαι λείψανα μαρτύρων, εὐχόμεθα καὶ αὐτοὶ συμβαλέσθαι ὑμῶν τῇ σπουδῇ. Εἰ γὰρ εἰς μνημόσυνον αἰώνιον ἔσται δίκαιος, κοινωνοὶ ἐσό μεθα δηλονότι τῆς ἀγαθῆς μνήμης τῆς δοθησομένης ὑμῖν παρὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου.