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the most God-beloved bishops left the Churches shepherded by them, despised the winter season, and endured the toils of the journey, in order that they might quell the storm that had arisen. I know well that your perfection according to God will see them as champions of piety and governors of the Churches. 102 TO BISHOP BASIL. For those who do not know us to listen in silence to the slanders against us, is not at all unlikely; but that your holiness should not refute the falsehood of those who slander, or should do this moderately and not very zealously, no one would believe, knowing our intimacy. Not because friendship must be preferred to the truth, but because to friendship is also added the testimony of the truth. For your God-reverence has often heard us speaking in church, and in other assemblies when dogmatic discussions were raised for us, you heard what was said by us; and I have never known your God-reverence to find fault with us, as though I used incorrect doctrines. What then has happened now? Why, O dear friend, do you not move your tongue against the falsehood, but you overlook both a friend being slandered and the truth being warred against? If you neglect us as being helpless and very small, it is fitting to hearken to the Lord's commandment crying out explicitly: See that you do not despise one of these little ones who believe in me. For amen I say to you, their angels daily see the face of my Father who is in heaven . But if the power of those who accuse us works silence in your love of God, it is necessary to hear the other law which says: You shall not respect the person of the mighty . And: Judge a righteous judgment . And: You shall not be with a multitude for evil . And: Closing his eyes, that he may not see injustice; and stopping his ears, that he may not hear a judgment of unjust blood . And ten thousand other such things can be found in the divine Scripture. Which I considered superfluous to collect when writing to a man brought up in the divine oracles and offering the irrigation of teaching to the Christ-loving peoples. This alone, therefore, I will say, that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and will be held to account for our words and our deeds. But I, fearing this tribunal on account of all other things, in the things said against us draw the occasions for my consolation from the remembrance of it. 103 TO APOLLONIUS THE COUNT. The slander that has arisen against all of us has drawn the most God-beloved bishops to the imperial city; but I through their holiness offer this address to your magnificence and pay the debt of friendship; not so that I may discharge the longed-for debt, but so that I may increase it. For the debts of friendship are increased by their payment. However, that we too should reap the fruits of slander, is not at all unlikely. For being human, one must expect all things. For this reason indeed, to those taught to be philosophers, all such things are bearable; but one thing alone is grievous, that the soul partake of some disgrace. 104 TO FLAVIAN, BISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE. I have already informed your holiness through other letters that those who accuse our teaching openly slander us; and now likewise I do this through the most God-beloved bishops, having them as witnesses of the orthodoxy of the doctrines, and many other myriads of people, who hear our words in the churches throughout the East; and before these, my conscience, and the...

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οἱ θεοφιλέστατοι ἐπίσκοποι καὶ τὰς ὑπ' αὐτῶν ποιμαινομένας κατέλιπον Ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῆς τοῦ χειμῶνος κατεφρόνησαν ὥρας καὶ τῶν τῆς ὁδοιπο ρίας ἠνέσχοντο πόνων, ἵνα τὸν ἐπαναστάντα καταπαύσωσι χειμῶνα. Οὓς εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι ὄψεταί σου ἡ κατὰ Θεὸν τελειότης εὐσεβείας προμάχους καὶ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν κυβερνήτας. 102 ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ. Τὸ μὲν τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας ἡμᾶς σιγῇ τῶν καθ' ἡμῶν ἀκούειν λοιδοριῶν, οὐδὲν ἀπεικός· τὸ δὲ τὴν σὴν ὁσιότητα τῶν λοιδο ρουμένων μὴ διελέγχειν τὸ ψεῦδος ἢ μετρίως τοῦτο ποιεῖν καὶ μὴ λίαν ἐκθύμως, οὐκ ἄν τις πιστεύσοι, τὴν ἡμετέραν συνή θειαν ἐπιστάμενος. Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τῆς ἀληθείας δεῖ τὴν φιλίαν προκρίνειν, ἀλλ' ὅτι τῇ φιλίᾳ καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας πρόσεστι μαρτυρία. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας λεγόντων ἡμῶν πολλάκις ἀκήκοεν ἡ σὴ θεοσέβεια, καὶ ἐν συλλόγοις ἑτέροις δογματικῶν ἡμῖν κινηθέντων λόγων, τοὺς παρ' ἡμῶν εἰρημένους ἐπήκουσε· καὶ οὐκ οἶδα πώποτε μεμψαμένην ἡμῖν, ὡς οὐκ ὀρθοῖς δόγ μασι κέχρημαι, τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν. Τί τοίνυν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρ όντος γεγένηται; Τί δήποτε μὴ κινεῖς, ὦ φίλη κεφαλή, κατὰ τοῦ ψεύδους τὴν γλῶτταν, ἀλλὰ καὶ φίλον συκοφαντούμενον καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν πολεμουμένην ὑπερορᾷς; Εἰ μὲν ὡς ἀπόρων καὶ λίαν σμικρῶν ἀμελῶν, τῆς ∆εσποτικῆς ἐντολῆς ἐπακοῦσαι προσήκει διαρρήδην βοώσης· Ὁρᾶτε μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων τῶν πι στευόντων εἰς ἐμέ. Ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, οἱ ἄγγε λοι αὐτῶν καθ' ἡμέραν ὁρῶσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς . Εἰ δὲ τῶν κατηγορούντων ἡμᾶς ἡ δύναμις τῇ σῇ φιλοθεΐᾳ τὴν σιωπὴν πραγματεύεται, χρὴ τῆς ἑτέρας ἀκοῦσαι νομοθεσίας λεγούσης· Οὐ λήψῃ πρόσωπον δυνάστου . Καί· ∆ικαίαν κρίσιν κρίνατε . Καί· Οὐκ ἔσῃ μετὰ πολλῶν ἐπὶ κακίᾳ . Καί· Καμμύων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἴδῃ ἀδικίαν· καὶ κλείων τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσῃ κρίσιν αἵμα τος ἀδίκου . Καὶ ἕτερα δὲ μυρία τοιαῦτά ἐστιν εὑρεῖν παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. Ἃ περιττὸν ὑπέλαβον συλλέξαι πρὸς ἄνδρα γράφων τοῖς θείοις ἐντεθραμμένον λογίοις καὶ τὴν διδασκα λικὴν ἀρδείαν προσφέροντα τοῖς φιλοχρίστοις λαοῖς. Τοῦτο τοίνυν μόνον ἐρῶ, ὅτι πάντες παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν λόγων καὶ τῶν ἔργων τὰς εὐθύνας ὑφέξομεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἕνεκα πάντων τοῦτο δεδιὼς τὸ κριτήριον, ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἡμῶν λεγομένοις ἐκ τῆς τούτου μνήμης λαμβάνω τῆς ψυχαγωγίας τὰς ἀφορμάς. 103 ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΩ ΚΟΜΗΤΙ. Τοὺς μὲν θεοφιλεστάτους ἐπισκόπους εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν εἵλκυσε πόλιν ἡ κατὰ πάντων ἡμῶν γεγενημένη συκοφαντία· ἐγὼ δὲ διὰ τῆς αὐτῶν ὁσιότητος τῇ σῇ μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ προσ φέρω τὴν πρόσρησιν καὶ τῆς φιλίας ἐκτίνω τὸ χρέος· οὐχ ἵνα τὸ τριπόθητον ὄφλημα διαλύσω, ἀλλ' ἵνα πλέον ἐργάσωμαι. Τὰ γὰρ τῆς φιλίας ὀφλήματα διὰ τῆς ἐκτίσεως αὔξεται. Τὸ μέντοι καὶ ἡμᾶς τῶν τῆς συκοφαντίας ἀπολαῦσαι καρπῶν, οὐδὲν ἀπεικός. Ἄνθρωπον γὰρ ὄντα πάντα δεῖ προσδοκᾶν. Τούτου δὴ χάριν τοῖς φιλοσοφεῖν δεδιδαγμένοις τὰ τοιαῦτα πάντα ἐστὶ φορητά· ἓν δὲ μόνον ἀνιαρόν, τὸ λώβης τινὸς μετα λαχεῖν τὴν ψυχήν. 104 ΦΛΑΒΙΑΝΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΕΩΣ. Καὶ ἤδη σου τὴν ἁγιότητα δι' ἑτέρων ἐδίδαξα γραμμάτων, ὡς ἄντικρυς ἡμᾶς συκοφαντοῦσιν οἱ τῆς ἡμετέρας κατηγο ροῦντες διδασκαλίας· καὶ νῦν δὲ ὡσαύτως διὰ τῶν θεοφιλεσ τάτων ἐπισκόπων τοῦτο ποιῶ καὶ αὐτοὺς μάρτυρας ἔχων τῆς τῶν δογμάτων ὀρθότητος καὶ ἑτέρας πολλὰς μυριάδας ἀνθρώ πων, οἳ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐν ταῖς κατὰ τὴν ἑῴαν ἐκκλησίαις ἐπαίουσι λόγων· καὶ πρὸ τούτων, τὸ συνειδός, καὶ τὸν τοῦ