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but, as the Lord God testifies, I care not for honor and glory, but only for the scandal which has occurred; because many of the simpler folk, and especially those captured by us from various heresies, paying attention to the throne of those who condemned us, will perhaps suppose us to be heretics, being unable to perceive the precision of the doctrine. And that, having been a bishop for so long a time, I have not acquired a house, nor a field, nor an obol, nor a tomb, but have embraced voluntary poverty, and that I immediately distributed the things that came to us from our fathers after their death, all who inhabit the East know. But before all things, I beseech your sacred head, beloved by God, to grant me the help of your prayers. I have informed your Holiness of these things through the most devout and most God-beloved presbyters Hypatius and Abramius, the chorepiscopi, and Alypius the exarch of the monks among us, since the bonds of the imperial letters have prevented me from running to you, just as also the others. And I exhort your Piety, both to see them with a father's eye, and to grant them your steadfast and benevolent ears, and to deem my slandered and vainly warred-against old age worthy of your care, and above all, to take thought with all your might for the faith which is being plotted against, and to preserve for the Churches their ancestral inheritance undefiled; so that your Holiness may also receive the rewards for these things from the greatly-giving Lord. 114 TO ANDIBERIS. The most devout presbyter Peter is adorned on the one hand with the dignity of the priesthood, and on the other hand is adorned also with the rational healing of bodies. And having lived among us for a long time, he has won over everyone by the harmony of his character. This man now has decided to leave Cyrrhus, having learned of my departure. For which reason indeed I commend him to your Magnificence and I ask that he obtain your providence, since he is able to be useful to the city. For having lived in Alexandria he practiced this art. 115 TO APELLES. Having been allotted to govern Cyrrhus, I provided for it from all quarters the necessary arts; and in addition to these, I also urged experts in medicine to live there. One of these is the most devout presbyter Peter, on the one hand practicing the art rationally, and on the other adorning it with his character. But now that we are departing, many others have left it, and he himself has also decided to depart. For this very reason I exhort your Magnificence to deem him worthy of your care. For he is able to help those who are sick and to battle diseases. 116 TO RENATUS THE PRESBYTER. We have come to know the fervent and just zeal of your Piety, and the most just and lawful boldness, with which, my lord, having employed it, you rebuked the things dared at Ephesus. And not only we have learned these things, but the sound of your rectitude has gone out into all the earth, and all sing of the justice, the zeal, the boldness, the threats made by you against lawlessness. And your Piety did these things, having witnessed the one slaughter. But if you had also seen the other things that happened after your departure, perhaps you would have emulated that Phinehas. And one of those after these things...
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δέ, ὡς ὁ ∆εσπότης μαρτυρεῖ Θεός, οὐ τιμῆς μέλει καὶ δόξης, ἀλλὰ μόνον τοῦ γεγενημένου σκανδάλου· ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν ἁπλουστέρων, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ ἐκ διαφόρων αἱρέσεων παρ' ἡμῶν ζωγρηθέντες, τῷ θρόνῳ τῶν κατακρινάντων προσέχοντες, αἱρετικοὺς ἴσως ἡμᾶς ὑπολήψονται, τὴν τοῦ δόγματος ἀκρί βειαν κατιδεῖν οὐ δυνάμενοι. Ὅτι δὲ τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἐπισ κοπεύσας, οὐκ οἰκίαν ἐκτησάμην, οὐκ ἀγρόν, οὐκ ὀβολόν, οὐ τάφον, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐθαίρετον ἠσπασάμην πενίαν, καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῶν πατέρων εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλθόντα μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων τελευτὴν εὐθὺς διανείμας, ἴσασιν ἅπαντες οἱ τὴν Ἑῴαν οἰκοῦντες. Πρὸ δὲ πάντων, ἱκετεύω τὴν ἱερὰν ὑμῶν καὶ τῷ Θεῷ φίλην κεφαλὴν παρασχεῖν μοι τῶν προσευχῶν τὴν βοήθειαν. Ταῦτα διὰ τῶν εὐλαβεστάτων καὶ θεοφιλεστάτων πρεσβυτέρων Ὑπα τίου καὶ Ἀβραμίου τῶν χωρεπισκόπων, καὶ Ἀλυπίου τοῦ ἐξάρχου τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν μοναζόντων τὴν ὑμετέραν ἁγιωσύνην ἐδίδαξα, ἐπειδήπερ ἐμὲ δραμεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς τὰ τῶν βασιλικῶν γραμμάτων ἐπέσχε δεσμά, ὡσπεροῦν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους. Καὶ παρακαλῶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ὁσιότητα, καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτοὺς πατρικῶς, καὶ τὰς ἀκλινεῖς ὑμῶν ἀκοὰς εὐμενεῖς αὐτοῖς παρασχεῖν, καὶ τὸ συκοφαντούμενον καὶ μάτην πολεμούμενόν μου γῆρας τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀξιῶσαι κηδεμονίας, καὶ πρὸ πάντων τῆς ἐπιβου λευομένης πίστεως παντὶ σθένει φροντίσαι, καὶ φυλάξαι ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις τὸν πατρῷον κλῆρον ἀκήρατον· ἵνα καὶ τὰς ἀντὶ τούτων ἀντιδόσεις δέξηται ὑμῶν ἡ ἁγιότης παρὰ τοῦ μεγαλο δώρου ∆εσπότου. 114 ΑΝ∆ΙΒΕΡΙ. Ὁ εὐλαβέστατος πρεσβύτερος Πέτρος κοσμεῖται μὲν τῇ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀξίᾳ, κοσμεῖται δὲ καὶ τῇ τῶν σωμάτων λογικῇ θεραπείᾳ. Συχνὸν δὲ παρ' ἡμῖν οἰχήσας χρόνον, εἷλεν ἅπαν τας τῇ τῶν ἠθῶν εὐαρμοστίᾳ. Οὗτος νῦν τὴν Κύρρον καταλι πεῖν ἐδοκίμασε, τὴν ἐμὴν ἐκδημίαν μεμαθηκώς. Οὗ δὴ χάριν αὐτὸν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ συνίστημι καὶ παρακαλῶ τῆς ὑμετέρας αὐτὸν προμηθείας τυχεῖν, χρήσιμον αὐτὸν τῇ πόλει γενέσθαι δυνάμενον. Τὴν γὰρ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν οἰκήσας τὴν τοιαύτην ἤσκησε τέχνην. 115 ΑΠΕΛΛΗ. Τὴν Κύρρον ἰθύνειν λαχὼν τὰς ἀναγκαίας αὐτῇ πάντοθεν ἐπόρισα τέχνας· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ τοὺς τῆς ἰατρικῆς ἐπι στήμονας οἰκῆσαι ταύτην προέτρεψα. Εἷς τούτων ἐστὶν ὁ εὐλαβέστατος πρεσβύτερος Πέτρος, λογικῶς μὲν μεταχειρί ζων τὴν τέχνην, κοσμῶν δὲ ταύτην τοῖς ἤθεσιν. Ἀλλὰ νῦν ἐκδημούντων ἡμῶν πολλοὶ μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι ταύτην ἀπέλιπον, ἐκδημῆσαι δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐδοκίμασε. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τὴν σὴν παρακαλῶ μεγαλοπρέπειαν κηδεμονίας αὐτὸν ἀξιῶσαι. Ἱκανὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἐπικουρῆσαι τοῖς κάμνουσι καὶ πολεμῆσαι ταῖς νόσοις. 116 ΡΕΝΑΤΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Ἔγνωμεν τὸν θερμὸν καὶ δίκαιον τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος ζῆλον, καὶ τὴν δικαιοτάτην καὶ ἔννομον παρρησίαν, ᾗ χρησάμενος, δέσποτα, τὰ ἐν Ἐφέσῳ τολμηθέντα ἤλεγξας. Οὐχ ἡμεῖς δὲ μόνοι μεμαθήκαμεν ταῦτα, ἀλλ' εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν τῆς σῆς ὀρθότητος ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος, καὶ πάντες ᾄδουσι τὴν δικαιο σύνην, τὸν ζῆλον, τὴν παρρησίαν, τὰς κατὰ τῆς παρανομίας παρ' ὑμῶν γεγενημένας ἀπειλάς. Καὶ ταῦτα ἔδρασέ σου ἡ ὁσιότης, τὴν μίαν θεασαμένη σφαγήν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἑωράκεις τὰς μετὰ τὴν σὴν ἐκδημίαν γεγενημένας, τάχα ἂν τὸν Φινεὲς ἐκεῖνον ἐζήλωσας. Εἷς δὲ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα κατα