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it is desirable to send. If therefore you also need such a man, and not just some younger man suitable for being sent and carrying out the needs of life, deign to write to me quickly at the first opportunity, so that I may send you this man, who is chosen of God and suitable for the matter, venerable to those who meet him and in gentleness instructing those who oppose. I could have sent him out immediately, but since you yourself previously sought a man who is in other respects good and dear to us, but falls very far short of the aforementioned man, I wished to make my own opinion clear to you, so that, if you need such a man, you might either send one of the brethren who will take him along around the time of the fasts, or write to us, if you have no one who is able to endure the fatigue of the journey to us.

82.t TO ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA

82.1 When we look at the state of affairs and perceive the difficulties

by which every good work is hindered and held back as by some bond, we come to a complete despair of ourselves; but when again we look to your reverence and consider that our Lord has kept you in store as a physician for the sicknesses in the Churches, we recover our spirits and from the fall of despair we are raised up by the hope of better things. Every Church is dissolved, as your wisdom is not unaware. And you see everything everywhere, as it were from some high watchtower of the mind's contemplation, how, just as on the sea when many are sailing together, by the violence of the surge all are dashed against each other and shipwreck occurs, partly from the external cause violently moving the sea, partly from the confusion of those sailing within, opposing and pushing each other ... It is enough to leave the discussion at this image, since neither does your wisdom seek anything more, nor does the situation permit us plainness of speech. And for these things, who is a sufficient pilot? Who is worthy to rouse the Lord to rebuke the wind and the sea? Who other than he who from a child has contended in the struggles for piety? Since, therefore, all that is sound in the faith among us has now been genuinely moved toward communion and union with those of like doctrine, we have come confidently to the exhortation of your forbearance to write to all of us one letter containing advice on what is to be done. For so they wish the beginning of their communing discussions to come from you. But since perhaps they appear suspicious to you in memory of the past, do this, most God-beloved Father: send the letters to the bishops through me, either through one of the faithful from there or through our brother Dorotheus the fellow-deacon, which when I have received them I will not deliver before I have received their replies; and if not, "I shall be a sinner against you all the days of my life." In any case, this is worthy of no greater fear for the one who originally said it to his father than for me now saying it to you, my spiritual father. But if this is in every way forbidden by you, at least release us from the blame for this service, since we have come to this embassy and mediation without guile and artifice, out of a desire for peace and for our union with one another who are of one mind in things concerning the Lord.

83.t TO CENSITOR

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βουλητόν ἐστιν ἀποστεῖλαι. Εἰ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς τοιούτου χρῄζεις ἀνδρός, ἀλλὰ μὴ αὐτὸ τοῦτο νεωτέρου τινὸς ἐπιτηδείου πρὸς τὸ πέμπεσθαι καὶ τὰς βιωτικὰς ἐξανύειν χρείας, ταχύ μοι διὰ πρώτης ἀφορμῆς ἐπιστεῖλαι καταξίωσον, ἵνα πέμψω σοι τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα, ἐκλεκτὸν ὄντα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῷ πράγματι ἐπιτήδειον, αἰδέσιμον τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι καὶ ἐν πραότητι παιδεύοντα τοὺς ἀντιδιατιθεμένους. Ὃν ἠδυνάμην καὶ εὐθὺς ἐκπέμ ψαι, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς προλαβὼν ἐπεζήτησας ἄνθρωπον τὰ μὲν ἄλλα καλὸν καὶ ἀγαπητὸν ἡμῖν, τοῦ δὲ προειρημένου ἀνδρὸς παραπολὺ ἀποδέοντα, ἠβουλήθην φανερὰν καταστῆσαί σοι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ γνώμην, ἵν', εἰ χρῄζεις ἀνδρὸς τοιούτου, ἢ ἐκπέμψῃς τινὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὸν συμπαραληψόμενον αὐτὸν περὶ τὰς νηστείας ἢ ἐπιστείλῃς ἡμῖν, ἐὰν μηδένα ἔχῃς τὸν δυνάμενον τῆς μέχρις ἡμῶν ὁδοιπορίας τὸν κάματον ὑποστῆναι.

82.τ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ

82.1 Ὅταν μὲν πρὸς τὰ πράγματα βλέψωμεν καὶ τὰς δυσκο λίας κατίδωμεν

ὑφ' ὧν πᾶσα ἀγαθοῦ ἐνέργεια οἷον ὑπό τινος δεσμοῦ ἐμποδιζομένη κατέχεται, εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἑαυτῶν ἐρχόμεθα παντελῆ· ὅταν δὲ πάλιν πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἀπίδωμεν σεμνοπρέπειαν καὶ λογισώμεθα ὅτι σὲ ἰατρὸν τῶν ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἀρρωστημάτων ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἐταμιεύσατο, ἀναλαμβάνομεν ἑαυτῶν τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν πτώματος τῇ ἐλπίδι τῶν χρηστοτέρων διανιστάμεθα. Λέλυται πᾶσα Ἐκκλησία, ὡς οὐδὲ ἡ σὴ φρόνησις ἀγνοεῖ. Καὶ ὁρᾷς πάντως τὰ ἑκαστα χοῦ, οἷον ἀφ' ὑψηλῆς τινος σκοπιᾶς τῆς τοῦ νοῦ θεωρίας, ὅπως, καθάπερ ἐν πελάγει πολλῶν ὁμοῦ συμπλεόντων, ὑπὸ τῆς βίας τοῦ κλύδωνος πάντες ἀλλήλοις προσρήγνυνται καὶ γίνεται τὸ ναυάγιον, πῆ μὲν ἐκ τῆς ἔξωθεν αἰτίας βιαίως κινούσης τὴν θάλατταν, πῆ δὲ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἐμ πλεόντων ταραχῆς ἀντιβαινόντων ἀλλήλοις καὶ διωθου μένων ... Ἀρκεῖ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰκόνος ἐᾶσαι τὸν λόγον, οὔτε τῆς σῆς σοφίας ἐπιζητούσης τι πλέον οὔτε τῆς καταστάσεως ἐπιτρεπούσης ἡμῖν τὴν παρρησίαν. Καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανὸς κυβερνήτης; Τίς ἀξιόπιστος διαναστῆσαι τὸν Κύριον ἐπιτιμῆσαι τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ; Τίς ἕτερος ἢ ὁ ἐκ παιδὸς τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐναθλήσας ἀγῶσιν; Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὥρμηται νῦν γνησίως πᾶν τὸ περὶ ἡμᾶς ὑγιαῖνον κατὰ τὴν πίστιν εἰς τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοδόξους κοινωνίαν καὶ ἕνωσιν, θαρροῦντες ἤλθομεν εἰς τὴν παράκλησίν σου τῆς ἀνεξικακίας ἐπιστεῖλαι πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐπιστολὴν μίαν παραίνεσιν ἔχουσαν τῶν πρακτέων. Οὕτω γὰρ βούλονται παρὰ σοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὑπάρξαι αὐτοῖς τῶν κοινωνικῶν διαλέξεων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἴσως ὕποπτοι καταφαίνονταί σοι τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν παρελθόντων, ἐκεῖνο ποίησον, θεοφιλέστατε Πάτερ· ἐμοὶ τὰς πρὸς τοὺς ἐπισκόπους ἐπιστολὰς διάπεμψαι, ἢ διά τινος τῶν αὐτόθεν πιστῶν ἢ καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ∆ωροθέου τοῦ συνδιακόνου ἡμῶν, ἃς ὑποδεξά μενος οὐ πρότερον δώσω μὴ λαβὼν τὰς παρ' αὐτῶν ἀπο κρίσεις· ἐὰν δὲ μή, «Ἡμαρτηκὼς ἔσομαι εἰς σὲ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μου.» Πάντως δὲ οὐ πλείονος ἄξιον φόβου τοῦτο τῷ ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἰπόντι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἢ ἐμοὶ νῦν πρὸς σὲ τὸν πνευματικὸν πατέρα λέγοντι. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο παντὶ τρόπῳ ἀπηγόρευται παρὰ σοί, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς γε τῆς ἐπὶ τῇ διακονίᾳ αἰτίας ἄφες, ἀδόλως καὶ ἀκατασκεύως, ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἡμῶν συναφείας τῶν ὁμονοούντων εἰς τὰ πρὸς Κύριον, ἐπὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν ταύτην καὶ μεσιτείαν ἀφικομένους.

83.τ ΚΗΝΣΙΤΟΡΙ