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our unworthiness and to remain steadfast in the orthodox and God-pleasing position, from what she has previously and subsequently shown herself to God and men, so as to take up with us, the humble, also the persecution for the sake of piety, even if the rulers did not wish, out of a desire to spare, to exile and imprison many, and so that they might seem from this to persuade the world that the dispute with them concerns us alone and that there are no others who are resisting; who are so great in number under their authority, even if through fear or by 'economy' they hide themselves, that it is possible to hear the divine David crying out, I will count them, and they shall be more in number than the sand. For the impiety is not something small and hidden, but very great and manifest to those who have understanding. The economy of Christ, O most holy one, they have overthrown to the best of their ability, by dogmatizing the transgression of the Gospel in adulterous marriage and adultery as a saving economy for the Church, under anathema for those not so accepting it; they annulled the Gospel by annulling one commandment, declaring the annulment to be an economy of God. For if, as it is written, whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all, but these men say that the stumbling, or rather the stumblings of both the adulterer and the one who joined in adulterous marriage, of the accomplices in adultery and of all those who cast their lot with the adulterer (for it is not possible for those who committed the act and those who were led away with them to be separated from each other) are not guilty, but are dispensers of God's economy; the one who declared them to be guilty has spoken falsely, and the saints are alienated from the dispensers of God's economy, because no saint has transgressed the law of God, nor can one who has transgressed be called a saint. But those who have set forth a dogma in the transgression, an inviolable one as if a law of God, and who anathematize those who do not agree with them in this (and it is clear that the saints in heaven and on earth do not agree with adultery), it is therefore manifest that by the annulment of one commandment of the Gospel they have not only overthrown the whole Gospel, by defining it synodically as a saving economy for the church, setting down as an inviolable law, so far as it depended on them, that the transgression of every transgressed commandment is and is called an 'economy', but they have also, according to their own principles, anathematized the saints for not accepting it, because God does not accept it either. And in short, why say many things, when the letter does not have room to receive them? A grievous false doctrine has been dogmatized in our church, this Moechian heresy, along with the overthrow of the Gospel, also annulling the divine canons through the acquittal of the one joined in adulterous marriage who was deposed by them; for if they set aside the Gospel, they have little leisure to be concerned about the sacred canons. These things, therefore, along with my salutation, I thought it necessary to remind your Paternity, so that, knowing that it is a heresy, you may flee the heresy, that is, the heretics, by neither having communion with them nor commemorating them in your most pious monastery during the divine liturgy; because the greatest threats have been uttered by the saints against those who condescend to them even as far as sharing a meal. But if your Holiness should say, 'How is it that we did not say this to her before the plundering, but that we ourselves also used to commemorate those in Byzantium?' let her know this, that there had not yet been a synod, nor had the evil dogma and anathema been proclaimed; and before these things it was not safe to separate completely from the transgressors, or only to flee their open communion, but by a fitting economy to commemorate them until the right time. But since the heretical impiety has come out into the open, having been made manifest through a synod, it is necessary now for your Reverence also, along with all the orthodox, to speak boldly by not having communion with the heterodox nor commemorating any of those found at the adulterous synod or who are of one mind with it. And it is indeed just, O holy father, being in all things eponymously a lover of God, to love God in this matter also; for Chrysostom calls enemies of God not only the heretics, but also those who with such people

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τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀναξιότητα καὶ ἀκλινῆ διαμένειν τῆς ὀρθοδόξου καὶ θεαρέστου ἐνστάσεως ἐξ ὧν τε πρότερον καὶ ὕστερον ὑπέδειξεν ἑαυτὴν θεῷ τε καὶ ἀνθρώποις, ὡς συναιρεῖσθαι ἡμῖν τοῖς ταπεινοῖς καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας διωγμόν, κἂν οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν οἱ κρατοῦντες φειδοῖ τοῦ μὴ πολλοὺς ἐξορίζειν καὶ καθείργειν καὶ ὡς ἂν δόξωσιν ἐντεῦθεν πείθειν τὸν κόσμον εἰς ἡμᾶς μόνους περιίστασθαι τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς διαφορὰν καὶ μὴ εἶναι ἄλλους τοὺς ἐνισταμένους· οἳ τοσοῦτοι τῷ πλήθει ἐν τῇ ὑπ' αὐτοὺς ἐξουσίᾳ, κἂν φόβῳ εἴτε καὶ οἰκονομίᾳ ὑποκρύπτωσιν ἑαυτούς, ὡς ἔστιν ἀκούειν τοῦ θείου ∆αυὶδ κράζοντος, ἐξαριθμήσομαι αὐτούς, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἄμμον πληθυνθήσονται. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μικρόν τι καὶ λανθάνον τὸ ἀσεβούμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα μέγα τε καὶ προφανὲς τοῖς νοῦν ἔχουσι. τὴν οἰκονομίαν Χριστοῦ, ὦ ἁγιώτατε, τὸ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἀνέτρεψαν, τὴν παράβασιν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐν τῇ μοιχοζευξίᾳ καὶ μοιχείᾳ οἰκονομίαν σωτήριον τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ δογματίσαντες ὑπ' ἀναθέματι τῶν μὴ οὕτω προσδεχομένων· τὸ εὐαγγέλιον διὰ λύσεως τῆς μιᾶς ἐντολῆς διέλυσαν, τὴν λύσιν οἰκονομίαν θεοῦ ἀποφηνάμενοι. εἰ γάρ, ὡς γέγραπται, ὅστις ὅλον τὸν νόμον πληρώσει, πταίσει δὲ ἐν ἑνί, γέγονε πάντων ἔνοχος, οὗτοι δὲ τὸ πταῖσμα, μᾶλλον δὲ τὰ πταίσματα τοῦ τε μοιχοῦ καὶ τοῦ μοιχοζεύκτου, μοιχοσυνδρόμων τε καὶ ὅλων τῶν μετὰ μοιχοῦ τὴν μερίδα θεμένων (οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἐξ ἀλλήλων χωρισθῆναι τοὺς πράξαντας καὶ τοὺς συναπαχθέντας) οὐκ ἐνόχους φασίν, ἀλλ' οἰκο νόμους θεοῦ, ἔψευσται ὁ ἀποφηνάμενος ἐνόχους εἶναι, ἀλλοτριοῦνται δὲ καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι τῶν οἰκονόμων θεοῦ, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἅγιος τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ νόμον παραβέβηκεν οὐδὲ παραβὰς δύναται καλεῖσθαι ἅγιος. οἱ δὲ δόγμα ἐν τῇ παραβάσει ἐκθέμενοι ἀπαράβατον ὡς νόμον θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς μὴ συναιρομένου αὐτοῖς ἐν τούτῳ ἀναθεματίζοντες (οὐ συναίρονται δὲ δῆλον ὅτι οἱ ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ἅγιοι τῇ μοιχείᾳ) φανερὸν ἄρα ὅτι τῇ λύσει τῆς μιᾶς ἐντολῆς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου οὐ μόνον ὅλον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἀνέτρεψαν, ὁρισάμενοι αὐτὴν συνοδικῶς οἰκονομίαν σωτήριον τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, θέντες νόμον ἀπαράβατον τὸ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐπὶ πάσης ἐντολῆς παραβαινομένης οἰκονομίαν γίνεσθαι τὴν ταύτης παράβασιν ὁμοῦ τε καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους μὴ προσιεμένους, ὅτι μηδὲ θεός, κατ' αὐτοὺς ἀνεθεμάτισαν. καὶ ἁπλῶς τί πολλὰ λέγειν, μὴ ἐγχωρούσης τῆς ἐπιστολῆς δέχεσθαι; χαλεπὴ κακοδοξία ἐδογματίσθη ἐν τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκκλησίᾳ αὕτη ἡ μοιχειανικὴ αἵρεσις, ἅμα τῇ ἀνατροπῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ τοὺς θείους κανόνας διὰ τῆς ἀθωώσεως τοῦ παρ' αὐτῶν καθῃρημένου μοιχοζεύκτου διαλύσασα· εἰ γὰρ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἠθέτησαν, σχολὴ αὐτοῖς περὶ τῶν ἱερῶν κανόνων φροντίζειν. Ταῦτα οὖν σὺν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ ἀναγκαῖον ἐνόμισα ὑπομνῆσαι τὴν πατρωσύνην σου, ὅπως, εἰδυῖα ὅτι αἵρεσις, φεύγῃ τὴν αἵρεσιν, ἤγουν τοὺς αἱρετικούς, τοῦ μήτε κοινωνεῖν αὐτοῖς μήτε ἀναφέρειν ἐν τῇ εὐαγεστάτῃ αὐτῆς μονῇ ἐπὶ τῆς θείας λειτουργίας· ὅτι μέγισται ἀπειλαὶ κεῖνται παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκφωνηθεῖσαι τοῖς συγκαταβαίνουσιν αὐτοῖς μέχρι καὶ ἑστιάσεως. εἰ δὲ λέγοι ἡ ὁσιότης σου, πῶς αὐτῆς πρὸς τῆς λεηλασίας τοῦτο οὐκ εἴπομεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐμνημονεύομεν τῶν ἐν τῇ Βυζαντίδι, ἐκεῖνο γινωσκέτω, ὅτι οὔπω σύνοδος ἦν οὐδὲ ἐκφωνηθὲν ὑπῆρχε τὸ πονηρὸν δόγμα καὶ ἀνάθεμα· καὶ πρὸ τούτων οὐκ ἦν ἀσφαλὲς ἀποστῆναι τῶν παρανομούντων τελείως ἢ τὸ φεύγειν μόνον τὴν προφανῆ κοινωνίαν αὐτῶν, οἰκονομίᾳ δὲ πρεπούσῃ ἀναφέρειν ἕως καιροῦ. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐξῆλθεν εἰς προῦπτον ἡ αἱρετικὴ ἀσέβεια διὰ συνόδου εἰς τοὐμφανές, δεῖ ἄρτι καὶ τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν σὺν πᾶσιν ὀρθοδόξοις παρρησιάζεσθαι διὰ τοῦ μὴ κοινωνεῖν τοῖς κακοδόξοις μηδὲ ἀναφέρειν τινὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ μοιχοσυνόδῳ εὑρεθέντων ἢ ὁμοφρονούντων αὐτῇ. καί γε δίκαιον, ὅσιε πάτερ, κατὰ πάντα σε ὄντα φερωνύμως θεόφιλον, φιλεῖν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὸν θεόν· ἐχθροὺς γὰρ θεοῦ ὁ Χρυσόστομος οὐ μόνον τοὺς αἱρετικούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τοῖς τοιούτοις