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to monks, whose names I omit to mention. A condition was given by him for propitiation of the deposition for ages, so that those deposed by God through Peter, the leader of the apostles, might again be ministers of Christ. Then, since the followers of Sabas did not agree on this, but were also at variance with him, what does he do? He gets rid of an evil with a good. He denies that he gave a penance, and that he accepts those who both ordained and were ordained for money; in saying this he is refuted by the empress of that time, by whom he was also compelled to give the lawless penance. The day of the Theophany of Christ was at hand, and on it came those who had been given penance, having completed the penance and seeking absolution; he was refusing, but the queen was pressing for their admission. again the president exchanges the good for an evil; he concelebrates with them on the same feast openly, supposedly not willingly, but willingly. since, being able to not concelebrate with deposed men, he did concelebrate, even if someone might say in any way that he was unable, from this came the disagreement of the followers of Sabas with him, from this the dissolution of the divine canons became more widespread. But Rome did not accept these things (may it not be), nor the synod itself as ecumenical, but as local and as having set right the particular fall of those here; for those who sat were not representatives of the other patriarchs. A lie; for on the one hand, those of the Romans were sent here for another reason, not for a synod (for which reason they were also deposed, as they say, upon their return by the one who sent them, even though they claimed to have been forced), and on the other hand, the others were from the east, but urged and dragged by those here, not sent by the patriarchs, because they did not even return home, or did so later, clearly out of fear of the nation. And those here did this, in order that they might better persuade the heretical people to be orthodox, by a synod having been supposedly gathered as ecumenical. But if you should say, how did we not object at that time and why did we accept ordination after the synod from the lord Tarasios, we answer both you and all that for one thing we were in the position of subjects, not knowing beforehand the things that became known to us later, and for another, having seized a reasonable pretext, namely, that Tarasios said that he had neither given a penance nor, if they knew, would he concelebrate with any such men, but would even depose them. And even if this was not so in truth, because of what was obvious, nevertheless we, desiring harmony, were content with what was said, having judged this: to incline toward the more benevolent side of peace in a doubtful matter, as the Theologian says somewhere; and at the same time, because he had been accepted by the other churches on account of his orthodoxy and his courage and zeal in it. These things I have made known to you, child, for your knowledge of what is proper and because the followers of Sabas, if for this reason and not for some other irrational ones they were at variance with him, had and have a reasonable cause. For just as we, under the cover of his saying that he would not accept such men but even depose them, came to an agreement with the president, so they, having what was openly done as their justification, rightly lay claim to the divine canon. And there is no one who, on account of this point, is able to stand against them, if they should say that Tarasios, by way of economy, accepted those who ordain for money, for not even if Peter and Paul should be present; for they themselves set forth the canon and they themselves say, but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel to you contrary to what we have preached to you, let him be anathema. 39 {1To Theophilus the abbot}1 I wished to write sooner to your holiness, but I was not able, being securely guarded. But when the good God was pleased to grant both the means and the person, then I, the humble one, fulfill my desire and greet and embrace my spiritual father who is truly very beloved. For because the rulers of this age have separated us physically, they have not on that account dissolved our unanimity and relationship toward each other in God, but rather indeed have they even strengthened it. For I am persuaded that your reverence also longs

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μονασταῖς, ὧν ἀφίημι λέγειν τὰ ὀνόματα. ἐδόθη ὅρος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐξιλεώσεως τῆς εἰς αἰῶνας καθαιρέσεως εἰς τὸ εἶναι τοὺς ὑπὸ θεοῦ διὰ Πέτρου τοῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων κορυφαίου καθῃρημένους πάλιν ἱερουργοὺς Χριστοῦ. εἶτα, ἐπεὶ οὐ συνῆλθον οἱ περὶ Σάβαν ἐν τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διηνέχθησαν πρὸς αὐτόν, τί ποιεῖ; κακὸν καλῷ ἀπαλλάττει. ἀρνεῖται μὴ δεδωκέναι ἐπιτίμιον, μηδὲ προσίεσθαι τοὺς ἐν χρήμασι χειροτονήσαντάς τε καὶ χειροτονηθέντας· λέγων διελέγχεται ὑπὸ τῆς τηνικάδε κρατούσης, ἀφ' ἧς καὶ εἱλκύσθη δοῦναι τὸ ἄνομον ἐπιτίμιον. Παρῆν ἡ ἡμέρα τῶν Θεοφανίων Χριστοῦ, ἐληλύθασιν ἐν ταύτῃ οἱ ἐπιτιμιασθέντες, πεπληρωκότες τὸ ἐπιτίμιον καὶ λύσιν ἐπιζητοῦντες· ὁ μὲν ἀπηξίου, ἡ βασίλισσα κατηπείγετο τὴν εἰσδοχήν. πάλιν κακῷ τὸ καλὸν διαμείβει ὁ πρόεδρος· συλλειτουργεῖ αὐτοῖς τῇ αὐτῇ ἑορτῇ εἰς προῦπτον, οὐχ ἑκουσίως δῆθεν, ἀλλ' ἑκουσίως. ἐπὰν δυνάμενος μὴ συλλειτουργεῖν καθῃρημένοις συνελειτούργησε, κἂν ὁπωσοῦν φαίη τις ἀδυνατεῖν αὐτόν, ἐντεῦθεν ἡ πρὸς αὐτὸν διαφορὰ τῶν περὶ Σάβαν, ἐντεῦθεν ἐπεπόλασεν ἡ λύσις πλειόνως τῶν θείων κανόνων. ἡ δὲ Ῥώμη ταῦτα οὐ προσήκατο (μὴ γένοιτο), ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὴν τὴν σύνοδον ὡς οἰκουμενικήν, ἀλλ' ὡς τοπικὴν καὶ τὸ ἴδιον πτῶμα τῶν τῇδε ἀνορθώσασαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ κεκαθικότες ἀντιπρόσωποι τῶν ἄλλων πατριαρχῶν. ψευδές· τοῦ μὲν Ῥωμαίων δι' ἄλλο, οὐ διὰ σύνοδον, παραπεμφθέντων ἐνταῦθα (διὸ καὶ καθῃρέθησαν, ὥς φασι, παλινοστήσαντες ὑπὸ τοῦ πεπομφότος, κἂν ἐπεκαλῶντο βεβιάσθαι), οἱ δ' ἄλλοι ἐκ μὲν ἀνατολῆς, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῶν ἐνταῦθα προτραπέντες καὶ ἑλχθέντες, οὐχ ὑπὸ τῶν πατριαρχῶν ἀποσταλέντες, ὅτι μηδὲ ἐνόστησαν ἢ ὕστερον, διὰ τὸ τοῦ ἔθνους δέος δῆλον ὅτι. τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίουν οἱ ἐνταῦθα, ἵνα τὸν αἱρετίζοντα λαὸν μᾶλλον πείσωσιν ὀρθοδοξεῖν ἐκ τοῦ οἰκουμενικὴν δῆθεν ἀθροισθῆναι σύνοδον. Εἰ δὲ φαίης, πῶς ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐνιστάθημεν τηνικαῦτα καὶ διατί χειροτονίαν ἐδεξάμεθα μετὰ τὴν σύνοδον παρὰ τοῦ κυροῦ Ταρασίου, ἀπολογούμεθα καὶ σοὶ καὶ πᾶσιν ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἐν ὑπηκόοις ἐτελοῦμεν, μὴ τὰ ὕστερον γνωσθέντα ἡμῖν πρότερον εἰδότες, τὸ δέ, δραξάμενοι αἰτίαν εὔλογον, τὸ λέγειν Ταράσιον μήτε ἐπιτίμιον δεδωκέναι μηδ' αὖ, εἰ γνοῖεν, τῶν τοιούτων συνιερουργεῖν τινι, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθαίρειν. κἂν οὐχ οὕτως ἦν τὸ ἀληθές, διὰ τὸ προφανές, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡμεῖς, ὀρεγόμενοι τὴν ὁμόνοιαν, ἠρκέσθημεν τοῖς λεγομένοις, τοῦτο κεκρικότες, ἐπὶ τὸ φιλανθρωπότερον τῆς εἰρήνης νεῦσαι ἐν τῷ ἀμφιβόλῳ πράγματι, καθώς φησί που ὁ Θεολόγος· καὶ ἅμα, ὅτι δεδεγμένος ἦν διὰ τὴν ὀρθοδοξίαν καὶ τὸ κατ' αὐτὴν ἀνδρεῖον καὶ σπουδαῖον γενέσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐκκλησιῶν. Ταῦτά σοι ἐγνώρισα, τέκνον, εἰς εἴδησιν τῶν καθηκόντων καὶ ὅτι οἱ περὶ Σάβαν, εἰ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ οὐκ ἄλλοις τισὶν ἀλόγοις διεφέροντο πρὸς αὐτόν, εἶχον εὔλογον καὶ ἔχουσιν. ὡς γὰρ ὑπὸ παραπετάσματι ἡμεῖς τοῦ λέγειν μὴ δέχεσθαι τοὺς τοιούτους ἀλλὰ καὶ καθαίρειν συνήλθομεν τῷ προέδρῳ, οὕτως ἐκεῖνοι τὸ πραχθὲν ἐμφανῶς ἔχοντες δικαίωμα ἀντιποιοῦνται εἰκότως τοῦ θείου κανόνος. καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ χάριν τούτου τοῦ κεφαλαίου δυνάμενος ἀντιστῆναι αὐτοῖς, εἴ γε λέγοιεν ὅτι Ταράσιος οἰκονομικῶς ἐδέξατο τοὺς χρηματοχειροτονοῦντας, ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐδ' ἂν Πέτρος καὶ Παῦλος ἐπιστῇ· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἐξέθεντο τὸν κανόνα καὶ αὐτοί φασιν, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἡμεῖς ἢ ἄγγελος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εὐαγγελίζηται ὑμῖν παρὸ εὐηγγελισάμεθα, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. 39 {1Θεοφίλῳ ἡγουμένῳ}1 Ἐβουλόμην ταχύτερον ἐπιστεῖλαι τῇ ἁγιωσύνῃ σου, ἀλλ' οὐκ εὐωδούμην, φρουρούμενος ἀσφαλῶς. ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς χαρίσασθαι καὶ τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον, τηνικαῦτα τὸν ἐμὸν πόθον πληρῶ ὁ ταπεινὸς καὶ προσαγορεύω καὶ ἀσπάζομαι τὸν ἐμὸν πνευματικὸν πατέρα καὶ λίαν ὄντως φιλούμενον. οὐ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ διέστησαν ἡμᾶς σωματικῶς οἱ ἄρχοντες τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, ἤδη διέλυσαν καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ θεὸν ἡμῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὁμόνοιάν τε καὶ σχέσιν, μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐβεβαίωσαν. πείθομαι γὰρ καὶ τὴν σὴν ὁσιότητα ποθεῖν