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betrayed, or we should be compelled to do anything displeasing to the God of all, or isolated we should become easy prey to our enemies. It is the Faith, I beseech you, in which we have the hopes of our salvation; and it is necessary to move every resource, so that nothing spurious may be introduced into it, nor the apostolic teaching be corrupted. These things I, even from afar, groaning and lamenting, write and I beseech the common Master to dissolve this gloomy cloud and grant us clear weather. 113 TO LEO, BISHOP OF ROME. If Paul, the herald of truth, the trumpet of the all-holy Spirit, ran to the great Peter, in order to bring from him the solution for those in Antioch who were disputing about the life according to the law, how much more do we, who are insignificant and small, run to your apostolic throne, in order to receive from you a cure for the wounds of the Churches. For in all things it is fitting for you to hold the primacy. For your throne is adorned with many advantages. For other cities are adorned either by their size, or beauty, or the multitude of their inhabitants; while some, deprived of these things, certain spiritual gifts make brilliant; but to yours the giver of good things has given an abundance of good things. For it is the greatest and most illustrious of all, and presides over the world, and teems with a multitude of inhabitants. And in addition to these, it has also produced the now ruling empire; and has imparted its own name to its subjects. But faith especially adorns it; and a worthy witness is the divine Apostle, crying out that, *Your faith is proclaimed in all the world*. And if, immediately upon receiving the seeds of the saving proclamation, it was heavy with these praiseworthy fruits, what speech is sufficient to praise the piety that now thrives in it? It also has the tombs of the common fathers and teachers of the truth, Peter and Paul, which illuminate the souls of the faithful. This thrice-blessed and divine pair arose in the east, and sent out their rays everywhere; but in the West they willingly received the setting of their life, and from there they now illuminate the world. These have rendered your throne most illustrious; this is the crown of your goods. And their God has now also made their throne brilliant, by establishing your holiness upon it, sending forth the rays of orthodoxy. And of this it is possible to find many other proofs; but your zeal against the ill-omened Manichaeans is also sufficient, which your holiness formerly laid bare, showing the zeal concerning divine things of your love of God. What has now been written by you is also sufficient to declare your apostolic character. For we have read what was written by your holiness concerning the incarnation of our God and Savior, and we have marveled at the precision of what was written. For it declared both things at the same time: both the eternal divinity of the Only-Begotten from the eternal Father, and his humanity from the seed of Abraham and David; and that the nature which was assumed was like us in all things, but only dissimilar in that it remained uninitiated in all sin; since this does not grow from nature but from choice. The letter also contained this: that the only-begotten Son of God is one, but his divinity is impassible, and immutable, and unchangeable, just as the Father who begot him, and the All-Holy Spirit; and for this reason he took a passible nature, since the divine nature did not admit passion; so that by the passion of his own flesh he might grant impassibility to those who have believed in him. These things, and whatever is related to them, the letter contained. And we, marveling at your spiritual wisdom, which through you

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προδοθέντες, ἢ ἀναγκα σθῶμέν τι πρᾶξαι τῶν ἀπαρεσκόντων τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, ἢ μονωθέντες εὐεπιχείρητοι τοῖς πολεμοῦσι γενώμεθα. Πίστις ἐστί, παρακαλῶ, ἐν ᾗ τὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχομεν τῆς σωτηρίας· καὶ χρὴ πάντα κινῆσαι πόρον, ὥστε μηδὲν αὐτῇ νόθον ἐπεισαχθῆ ναι, μηδὲ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν παραφθαρῆναι διδασκαλίαν. Ταῦτα ἐγὼ καὶ πόρρωθεν ὤν, στένων καὶ θρηνῶν γράφω καὶ τὸν κοινὸν ∆εσπότην ἀντιβολῶ τὸ στυγνὸν τοῦτο διαλῦσαι νέφος καὶ καθαρὰν ἡμῖν αἰθρίαν χαρίσασθαι. 113 ΛΕΟΝΤΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΡΩΜΗΣ. Εἰ Παῦλος, τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ κήρυξ, ἡ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύ ματος σάλπιγξ, πρὸς τὸν μέγαν ἔδραμε Πέτρον, ὥστε τοῖς ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ περὶ τῆς κατὰ νόμον πολιτείας ἀμφισβητοῦσι παρ' αὐτοῦ κομίσαι τὴν λύσιν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς οἱ εὐτελεῖς καὶ σμικροί, πρὸς τὸν ἀποστολικὸν ὑμῶν τρέχομεν θρόνον, ὥστε παρ' ὑμῶν λαβεῖν τοῖς τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἕλκεσι θεραπείαν. ∆ιὰ πάντα γὰρ ὑμῖν τὸ πρωτεύειν ἁρμόττει. Πολλοῖς γὰρ ὁ ὑμέ τερος θρόνος κοσμεῖται πλεονεκτήμασι. Τὰς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλας πόλεις ἢ μέγεθος, ἢ κάλλος, ἢ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν οἰκητόρων κοσμεῖ· ἐνίας δὲ τούτων ἐστερημένας πνευματικά τινα λαμ πρύνει χαρίσματα· τῇ δὲ ὑμετέρᾳ φορὰν ἔδωκεν ἀγαθῶν ὁ τῶν ἀγαθῶν χορηγός. Ἡ γὰρ αὐτὴ πασῶν μεγίστη, καὶ λαμπροτάτη, καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης προκαθημένη, καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν οἰκητό ρων κυμαίνουσα. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, καὶ τὴν νῦν κρατοῦσαν ἡγεμονίαν ἐβλάστησε· καὶ τῆς οἰκείας προσηγορίας τοῖς ἀρχο μένοις μετέδωκε. Κοσμεῖ δὲ αὐτὴν διαφερόντως ἡ πίστις· καὶ μάρτυς ἀξιόχρεως ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, βοῶν ὅτι Ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καταγγέλλεται ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ . Εἰ δὲ εὐθὺς δεξαμένη τὰ τοῦ σωτηρίου κηρύγματος σπέρματα, τοῖς ἀξια γάστοις τούτοις ἐβεβρίθει καρποῖς, τίς ἀπόχρη λόγος τὴν νῦν ἐν αὐτῇ πολιτευομένην εὐσέβειαν εὐφημῆσαι; Ἔχει δὲ καὶ τῶν κοινῶν πατέρων καὶ διδασκάλων τῆς ἀληθείας Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου τὰς θήκας, τῶν πιστῶν τὰς ψυχὰς φωτιζούσας. Ἡ δὲ τρισμακαρία τούτων καὶ θεία ξυνωρὶς ἀνέτειλε μὲν ἐν τῇ ἑῴᾳ, καὶ πάντοσε τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἐξέπεμψεν· ἐν δὲ τῇ ∆ύσει προθύμως ἐδέξατο τὰς τοῦ βίου δυσμάς, κἀκεῖθεν νῦν καταυ γάζει τὴν οἰκουμένην. Οὗτοι τὸν ὑμέτερον περιφανέστερον ἀπέφηναν θρόνον· οὗτος τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῶν ὑμετέρων ὁ κολο φών. Ὁ δ' ἐκείνων Θεὸς καὶ νῦν τὸν ἐκείνων ἐλάμπρυνε θρό νον, τὴν ὑμετέραν ἁγιωσύνην ἱδρύσας ἐν τούτῳ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀφιεῖσαν. Καὶ τούτου πολλὰ μὲν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν καὶ ἄλλα τεκμήρια· ἀρκεῖ δὲ ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ κατὰ τῶν δυσωνύμων Μανιχαίων ζῆλος, ὃν πρώην ὑμῶν ἡ ὁσιότης ἐγύμνωσε, δείξασα τὴν περὶ τὰ θεῖα τῆς ὑμετέρας φιλοθεΐας σπουδήν. Ἀπόχρη καὶ τὰ νῦν παρ' ὑμῶν γραφέντα τὸν ἀποστολικὸν ὑμῶν χαρακτῆρα δηλῶσαι. Ἐντετυχήκαμεν γὰρ τοῖς παρὰ τῆς σῆς γραφεῖσι ὁσιότητος περὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρωπήσεως, καὶ ἐθαυμάσαμεν τὴν τῶν γεγραμμένων ἀκρίβειαν. Ἀμφότερα γὰρ κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἐδήλου, καὶ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἀϊδίου Πατρὸς ἀΐδιον θεό τητα τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, καὶ τὴν ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ∆αβὶδ ἀνθρωπότητα· καὶ ὅτι κατὰ πάντα ἡμῖν ἡ ληφθεῖσα φύσις ἐῴκει, μόνον δὲ ἀνόμοιος ἦν τῷ πάσης ἁμαρτίας ἀμύη τος διαμεῖναι· ἐπειδήπερ οὐκ ἐκ φύσεως ἀλλ' ἐκ προαιρέσεως αὕτη φύεται. Εἶχε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τὰ γράμματα, ὡς εἷς μὲν ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱός, ἀπαθὴς δὲ αὐτοῦ ἡ θεότης, καὶ ἄτρεπτος, καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος, καθάπερ ὁ γεννήσας αὐτὸν Πατήρ, καὶ τὸ Πανάγιον Πνεῦμα· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὴν παθητὴν ἔλαβε φύσιν, ἐπειδήπερ ἡ θεία φύσις οὐκ ἐδέχετο πάθος· ἵνα τῷ πάθει τῆς ἰδίας σαρκὸς τὴν ἀπάθειαν τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπι στευκόσι χαρίσηται. Ταῦτα, καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ἐστὶ συγγενῆ, περιεῖχε τὰ γράμματα. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν πνευματικήν σου σοφίαν θαυμάσαντες, τὴν δι' ὑμῶν