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granted to us in our struggles. But let your unsurpassable piety know that up to now certain attacks have been made upon us by the great rulers, and these vehement ones, with both the prefect and the chamberlain speaking with selfish passion and on behalf of our adversaries; but for now, we have steadfastly endured every attack through the mercy of God, who has granted us the cooperation of the Spirit and strengthened our weakness through Him.

80.t TO ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA

80.1 In proportion as the sicknesses of the Churches advance to a worse state, so much do we all turn to your perfection, having trusted that the one consolation left to us for our troubles is your protection, you who, both by the power of your prayers and by your knowledge of how to suggest the best courses of action, are believed capable of saving us from this terrible winter by all alike who know your perfection even a little, whether by hearing or by experience. Therefore do not cease both praying for our souls and rousing us by your letters; for if you knew how beneficial they are, you would never pass over an opportunity that came your way to write to us. And if we should be deemed worthy, by the cooperation of your prayers, to see you and to enjoy the good things in you and to add to the history of our life a meeting with your truly great and apostolic soul, we would certainly have reckoned to ourselves that we have received from the loving-kindness of God a consolation to counterbalance what we have suffered in all our life.

81.t TO BISHOP INNOCENTIUS

81.1 As much as I was cheered upon receiving the letters of your love, so much was I grieved that you laid upon us a burden of care that is beyond us. For how could we, from so great a distance, manage so great an administration? For as long as the Church has you, she rests upon her own supports. But if the Lord should ordain something concerning your life, what men of equal rank to you can I send from here for the care of his brothers? That which you sought through your letters, doing well and wishing wisely to see while alive the one who after you is to govern the chosen flock of the Lord; which the blessed Moses both desired and saw. Since, therefore, the place is great and renowned and your work is famous among many and the times are difficult, having need of a great helmsman, because of the continual squalls and the billows rising against the Church, I did not think it safe for my soul to handle the matter perfunctorily, especially remembering what you wrote, that you will stand against me before the Lord, bringing a case against me for the neglect of the Churches. Therefore, so that I may not enter into judgment with you, but rather may have you as a partner in my defense, which is before Christ, having looked around in the council in the city, I have chosen the most precious vessel, the descendant of the blessed Hermogenes, who wrote down the great and unbreakable faith at the great council, a presbyter of the Church for many years now, steadfast in character, experienced in the canons, precise in faith, living until now in self-control and ascetic practice, even though the vigor of his harsh discipline has now consumed his flesh, poor and having no means of livelihood in this world, so that he does not even have plenty of bread, but weaves out his living with his hands along with the brothers who are with him. This one to me

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ἀγῶσι χαρισάμενον ἡμῖν. Γινωσκέτω δὲ ἡ ἀνυπέρβλητός σου θεοσέβεια μέχρι νῦν προσβολὰς μέν τινας παρὰ τῶν μεγάλων ἀρχόντων ἡμῖν γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ ταύτας σφοδράς, τοῦ τε ἐπάρχου καὶ τοῦ περὶ τὸν κοιτῶνα διαλεχθέντων ἰδιοπαθῶς καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐναντίων· τέως δὲ ἀτρέπτως ἡμᾶς πᾶσαν προσβολὴν ὑπομεῖναι τῷ ἐλέει τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῷ χαριζομένῳ ἡμῖν τὴν συνεργίαν τοῦ Πνεύματος καὶ ἐνδυναμώσαντι ἡμῶν δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀσθένειαν.

80.τ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ

80.1 Ὅσον τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τὰ ἀρρωστήματα ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον πρόεισι, τοσοῦτον

πάντες ἐπὶ τὴν σὴν ἐπιστρεφόμεθα τελειότητα, μίαν ἑαυτοῖς ὑπολείπεσθαι τῶν δεινῶν παρα μυθίαν τὴν σὴν προστασίαν πεπιστευκότες, ὅς, καὶ τῇ δυνάμει τῶν προσευχῶν καὶ τῷ εἰδέναι τὰ βέλτιστα τοῖς πράγμασιν ὑποτίθεσθαι, διασώσασθαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ φοβεροῦ τούτου χειμῶνος παρὰ πάντων ὁμοίως τῶν καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἢ ἀκοῇ ἢ πείρᾳ γνωριζόντων τὴν τελειότητά σου πιστεύῃ. ∆ιὸ μὴ ἀνῇς καὶ προσευχόμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν καὶ διεγείρων τοῖς γράμμασιν· ὧν εἰ ᾔδεις ὁπόσον ἐστὶ τὸ ὠφέλιμον, οὐκ ἄν ποτε παραπεσοῦσάν σοι γραμμάτων ἀφορμὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὑπερέβης. Εἰ δὲ καταξιωθείημεν, τῇ συνεργίᾳ τῶν προσευχῶν σου, ἰδεῖν σε καὶ ἀπολαῦσαι τῶν ἐν σοὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ προσθεῖναι τῇ ἱστορίᾳ τοῦ ἡμετέρου βίου τὴν συντυχίαν τῆς μεγάλης σου ὄντως καὶ ἀποστο λικῆς ψυχῆς, πάντως ἂν ἑαυτοῖς ἐλογισάμεθα ὧν ἐθλίβημεν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ζωῇ ἡμῶν ἀντίρροπον παρὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἐσχηκέναι παραμυθίαν.

81.τ ΙΝΝΟΚΕΝΤΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ

81.1 Ὅσον εὐθύμησα δεξάμενος γράμματα τῆς ἀγάπης σου, τοσοῦτον

ἐλυπήθην ὅτι βάρος ἐπέθηκας ἡμῖν φροντίδος τῆς ὑπερβαινούσης ἡμᾶς. Πῶς γὰρ δυνηθῶμεν ἀπὸ τοσού του διαστήματος τοσαύτης ἡμεῖς οἰκονομίας περιγενέσθαι; Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἔχει ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ὡς ἰδίοις στηρίγμασιν ἐπαναπαύεται. Ἐὰν δέ τι περὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ζωῆς ὁ Κύριος οἰκονομήσῃ, τίνας δύναμαι ὁμοτίμους ἐντεῦθεν ὑμῖν εἰς τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν αὐτοῦ ἀδελφῶν ἐκπέμπειν; Ὅπερ σὺ ἐπεζήτησας διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων, καλῶς ποιῶν καὶ ἐμφρόνως βουλόμενος ζῶν ἰδεῖν τὸν μετὰ σὲ μέλλοντα κυβερνᾶν τὸ ἐκλεκτὸν ποίμνιον τοῦ Κυρίου· ὃ καὶ ὁ μακά ριος Μωσῆς καὶ ἐπεθύμησε καὶ εἶδεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ὁ τόπος μέγας καὶ περιβόητος καὶ τὸ σὸν ἔργον παρὰ πολλοῖς ὀνομαστὸν καὶ οἱ καιροὶ χαλεποί, μεγάλου χρείαν ἔχοντες κυβερνήτου, διὰ τὰς συνεχεῖς ζάλας καὶ τοὺς ἐπανιστα μένους κλύδωνας τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, οὐκ ἐνόμισα ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι τῇ ἐμῇ ψυχῇ ἀφωσιωμένως τῷ πράγματι χρήσασθαι, μάλιστα μεμνημένος ὧν ἔγραψας, ὅτι μέλλεις ἐπὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀντικαθίστασθαί μοι, δικαζόμενος πρός με ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀμελείας τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ εἰσέλθω εἰς κρίσιν μετὰ σοῦ, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον κοινωνόν σε ἕξω τῆς ἀπο λογίας μου, τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, περιβλεψάμενος ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ τῷ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν, ἐξελεξάμην τὸ τιμιώτατον σκεῦος, τὸν ἔκγονον τοῦ μακαρίου Ἑρμογένους, τοῦ τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἄρρηκτον πίστιν γράψαντος ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ, πρεσβύτερον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκ πολλῶν ἤδη ἐτῶν, εὐσταθῆ τὸν τρόπον, ἔμπειρον κανόνων, ἀκριβῆ τὴν πίστιν, ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ καὶ ἀσκήσει μέχρι νῦν διάγοντα, εἰ καὶ ὅτι τὸ εὔτονον αὐτοῦ τῆς σκληραγωγίας λοιπὸν κατεδαπάνησε τὴν σάρκα, πτωχὸν καὶ μηδένα πορισμὸν ἔχοντα ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ, ὡς μηδὲ ἄρτου εὐπορεῖν αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν χειρῶν ἐκπλέκειν τὸν βίον μετὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν συνόν των αὐτῷ. Τοῦτον ἐμοὶ