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dark, the accusers of the saints? Their falsehood has neither been heard nor has it any substance; because he is later than the divine Cyril. How then did the saint himself, having obtained the things beyond the world, receive the one who was recognized as a heretic after the repose of the saint, at the time of the Robber Synod in Ephesus after the third and holy one? Thus they speak falsehoods, spinning tales, so that they may hunt down souls that walk in simplicity. For this reason, be skillful and be made known in all things, that you may flee the serpent and those with serpentine voices, by whom very many were destroyed from generation to generation. Concerning the other questions (if the bishop is not found at the adulterous synod, but calls it a false assembly, but commemorates his metropolitan who was found in it, from the presbyter of the bishop who is orthodox, if it is necessary to be in communion) I have answered also through other letters, those to Evodios, that yes, for the sake of oikonomia, only if he does not concelebrate with heretics. For it is of no account, when the bishop is commemorated as being orthodox, even if out of fear of that one he commemorates his own metropolitan as a heretic. When such a presbyter is also invited to an all-night vigil, one should go, and a church given by him should be accepted, and when he comes to serve in it, it should be permitted, or also to commemorate the dead, provided they are orthodox, it should be allowed, and for the one who has received it to serve in it should not be hindered. But if he commemorates a bishop who is a heretic, even if he blesses, even if he is orthodox, one must abstain from divine communion, but from the common table, when he commemorates there out of fear, here perhaps he is to be accepted, both blessing him and chanting with him, provided he neither celebrates the holy rites with a heretic or with his own bishop or with any other, nor knowingly gives communion. If anyone eats with the adulterer or with another heretic indifferently, one must guard against dining with such men, even if they pretend to be orthodox; for they do not keep the command of the apostle, who says of such men, not even to eat with them. One must not investigate further, whether so-and-so dined with one who dined with the heretic, and another with him, and from there to trace the argument and withdraw from all. This is a self-willed matter and not of the saints; for up to this point, he says, stand and do not go beyond. For did they not know to investigate these things and to report them to us? But not at all. Wherefore it is not good to move the boundaries which our fathers have set. But from one with whom we do not eat, a gift is not to be accepted either, if, having been taught once and twice, he should be indifferent and does not obey us. I do not know, except from the guards to receive things not as blessings but as necessities or for the sake of oikonomia; and from others, who however flee from dining with heretics indifferently, I do not know, unless by chance according to circumstance one may both receive and dine with these too. But to give food and drink to such men and to the guards is not to be judged, because it must be given to every man. But into the church of Lord Gregoras, our child, I do not dare to say that our presbyter may serve, because he was enthroned after the adulterous synod and was consecrated by one who concelebrates and has concelebrated with the adulterer through the chief adulterer. 50 {1To Naukratios, child}1 You are fervent, beloved child, in asking and learning useful things. And while the matter is praiseworthy, I am not able to resolve your difficulties; nevertheless, for the common good, I must contribute now also what is in my power. Your question is concerning the twice-married; for it is disputed concerning their union, whether they are to be crowned as in the case of the once-married, or not? And how, if this happens, would there be a union, if they are not joined by the priest? For it is said that from the days of the impious Constantine the custom of the crowning for a second marriage prevailed, from his own third marriage; since it was not in the times before him. But I do not reject that the account has its credibility from this; but nevertheless for lovers of truth, not

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σκοτεινοί, οἱ κατήγοροι τῶν ἁγίων; οὔτε ἠκούσθη οὔτε φύσιν ἔχει τὸ ψεῦδος αὐτῶν· διότι μεταγενέστερός ἐστι τοῦ θείου Κυρίλλου. πῶς οὖν τὸν μετὰ κοίμησιν τοῦ ἁγίου γνωρισθέντα αἱρετικὸν ἐν καιρῷ τῆς λῃστρικῆς συνόδου ἐν Ἐφέσῳ μετὰ τὴν τρίτην καὶ ἁγίαν αὐτὸς ὁ ἅγιος ἐδέξατο, τὰ ὑπερκόσμια λαχών; οὕτω ψευδοεποῦσι μυθαρευόμενοι, ὅπως θηρεύσωσι ψυχὰς ἀφελότητι πορευομένας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τεχνοῦσθε καὶ γνωσίζεσθε κατὰ πάντα, ἵνα τὸν ὄφιν καὶ τοὺς ὀφιοφώνους φεύγοιτε, ἐφ' οἷς ὠλέκοντο ὅτι μάλιστα πλεῖστοι ἀπὸ γενεῶν εἰς γενεάς. περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων πεύσεων (εἰ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος οὐχ εὕρηται εἰς τὴν μοιχοσύνοδον, καλοίη δὲ αὐτὴν ψευδοσύλλογον, μνημονεύοι δὲ τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ εὑρεθέντα μητροπολίτην αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ὀρθοδοξοῦντος, εἰ χρὴ κοινωνεῖν) ἀπεκρίθην καὶ δι' ἑτέρων, τῶν πρὸς Εὐόδιον γραμμάτων, ὅτι ναί, οἰκονομίας χάριν, μόνον μὴ συλλειτουργοῦντος αὐτοῦ αἱρετικοῖς. εἰς οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστι, μνημονευομένου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ὀρθοδόξου ὄντος, κἂν ἐκείνου φόβῳ αἱρετικὸν ἀναφέροντος τὸν οἰκεῖον μητροπολίτην. τοῦ τοιούτου πρεσβυτέρου καὶ εἰς παννυχίδα προσκαλουμένου, ἰτέον, καὶ ἐκκλησίαν παρ' αὐτοῦ δεδομένην ληπτέον καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν ἐρχομένου αὐτοῦ λειτουργῆσαι παραχωρητέον ἢ καὶ μνημονεῦσαι νεκρόν, ὀρθόδοξον μέντοι, συγχωρητέον καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ λειτουργεῖν τὸν λαβόντα οὐδὲν κωλυτέον. εἰ δὲ αἱρετικὸν ἀναφέρει ὄντα ἐπίσκοπον, κἂν μακαρίζῃ, κἂν ὀρθοδοξῇ, τῆς μὲν θείας κοινωνίας ἀφεκτέον, τῆς δὲ κοινῆς τραπέζης, ἐπὰν ἐκεῖ δέει μνημονεύοι, ὧδε δεκτέον τάχα καὶ εὐλογοῦντα αὐτὸν καὶ συμψάλλοντα, ἐάνπερ μήτε αἱρετικῷ ἢ τῷ οἰκείῳ ἐπισκόπῳ εἴτε τινὶ ἄλλῳ συνιερουργῇ ἢ ἐν γνώσει μεταδίδοι. εἰ ἐσθίει τις μετὰ τοῦ μοιχοζεύκτου ἢ μεθ' ἑτέρου αἱρετικοῦ ἀδιαφόρως, φυλακτέον μὴ συνεστιᾶσθαι τοῖς τοιούτοις, κἂν ὑποκρίνωνται ὀρθοδοξεῖν· οὐ γὰρ φυλάσσουσι τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ ἀποστόλου, τοῖς τοιούτοις, λέγοντος, μηδὲ συνεσθίειν. πλέον οὐκ ἐξερευνητέον, εἰ μετὰ τοῦ συνεστιαθέντος τῷ αἱρετικῷ ὅσδε συνεστιάθη, ζητεῖν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦδε ἕτερος, κἀντεῦθεν ἀνασειράζειν τὸν λόγον καὶ ἀφίστασθαι πάντων. ἐθελόγνωμον τὸ χρῆμα καὶ οὐ τῶν ἁγίων· μέχρι γὰρ τούτου, φησί, στῆθι καὶ οὐχ ὑπερβήσῃ. μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν ταῦτα ἐξερευνᾶν καὶ διαγγέλλεσθαι ἡμῖν; ἀλλ' οὐδαμῶς. διὸ οὐκ ἐσθλὸν μεταβαίνειν ὅρια, ἃ ἔθεντο οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν. μεθ' οὗ δὲ οὐκ ἐσθίομεν, οὐδὲ δῶρον τούτου δεκτέον, εἴπερ διδαχθεὶς ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς ἀδιαφοροίη καὶ οὐ πείθεται ἡμῖν. οὐκ οἶδα, εἰ μὴ παρὰ τῶν φυλάκων τὰς οὐχ ὡς εὐλογίας, ἀλλ' ὡς χρείας λαμβάνειν ἢ οἰκονομίας ἕνεκεν· καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων, φευγόντων μέντοι τὸ συνεστιᾶσθαι αἱρετικοῖς ἀδιαφόρως, οὐκ οἶδα, εἰ μὴ τύχῃ κατὰ περίστασιν καὶ δέξασθαι καὶ συνεστιαθῆναι καὶ τοῖσδε. δοῦναι δὲ τοῖς τοιούτοις καὶ τοῖς φύλαξι βρῶμα καὶ πόμα οὐ διακριτέον, ὅτι καὶ παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ μεταδοτέον. εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ κυρίου Γρηγορᾶ, τοῦ τέκνου ἡμῶν, οὐ τολμῶ εἰπεῖν λειτουργῆσαι πρεσβύτερον ἡμῶν διὰ τὸ μετὰ τὴν μοιχοσύνοδον ἐνθρονιασθῆναι καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ συλλειτουργοῦντος καὶ συλλειτουργήσαντος τῷ μοιχοζεύκτῃ διὰ τοῦ πρωτομοιχειανοῦ καθιερωθῆναι. 50 {1Ναυκρατίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Θερμὸς εἶ, τέκνον ἠγαπημένον, περὶ τοῦ ἐρωτᾶν καὶ μανθάνειν τὰ χρήσιμα. καὶ τὸ μὲν χρῆμα ἐπαινετόν, οὐχ ἱκανὸς δὲ ἐγὼ λύειν τὰς ἀπορίας σου· ὅμως διὰ τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον εἰσενεκτέον καὶ νῦν τὰ κατὰ δύναμιν. Ἡ ἐρώτησίς σου περὶ τῶν διγάμων· ὅτι ἀμφισβητούμενόν ἐστι περὶ τῆς συναφείας αὐτῶν, ἆρα στεφανοῦσθαι αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν μονογάμων ἢ μή; καὶ πῶς, ἐὰν τοῦτο γενήσεται, εἴη συνάφεια, μὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἱερέως ζευγνυμένων αὐτῶν; ὅτι φέρεται λόγος ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς Κωνσταντίνου κρατῆσαι τὴν συνήθειαν τοῦ διγαμικοῦ στεφανώματος ἐκ τοῦ κατ' αὐτὸν τριγαμήματος· ἐπεὶ μὴ εἶναι ἐν τοῖς πρὸ αὐτοῦ χρόνοις. ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχειν μὲν τὸν λόγον τὸ πιστὸν ἐντεῦθεν οὐκ ἀποδοκιμάζω· δεῖ δὲ ὅμως τοῖς ἀληθείας ἐρασταῖς μὴ