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But if his ordination derives from so-and-so, whether from a heretic or from one ordained for money, but he himself is neither a heretic nor knowingly ordained by one who takes money, that is, a Simoniac, and yet he confesses the whole truth, both to guard the faith and the canons inviolate, and rejects those who have gone astray in either respect, we have no reason for separation from him; for such a one is blameless according to the aforementioned saints, and through them, according to all. Thus, therefore, we are in communion, and we advise you to do the same, if indeed we might be heard. Since, if it is investigated further, the commands of the fathers are rejected, as has been shown, and the gift of the priesthood, on which we have our calling as Christians, so fails that we fall into pagan worship (which is absurd), to the point that even by being so scrupulous and arriving neither in the west nor the east can we find what is sought, with everyone being deposed retroactively through mutual concelebration; since obviously the apocrisiaries sent from these parts concelebrated with the president of the Romans in the time of Tarasius, and they perhaps with those of the east, and from this the priesthood is gone; which we, having forbidden it, will by all means accept to stand by the aforementioned measure according to the saints. Because many such transgressions have happened and do happen in the church, which none of the saints has been found to investigate in this way (since it is not even possible), nor has he handed them down for us to guard. These things are so. But concerning the matter of your opposition being more important to us than the adultery-ratifying synod, I was amazed to hear it; for the one is as much more precious as the Lord's voice is than an apostolic one. And I am not saying that Tarasius did not preach against ordination for money, but rather he confessed to not accepting such men, as is apparent. But here a dogma against the Gospel, the Forerunner, and the canons has been proclaimed synodically through the reception of the adulterous couple, confirming the transgression as an economy, and that hierarchs and priests whenever they wish have authority over the canons, anathematizing and casting out those who do not think the same, as you know. This, though second to the iconoclast heresy, is no less so to those who piously examine it. May the Lord, through their prayers, removing the evil from our path, grant peace as from the beginning to His church. Except that, as you have written, the one is struck by the other, and the recognition and dissolution of the lawlessly-bound affair is mutual. May the Lord keep you strong and praying for our lowliness with all your household, first of friends and best of zealots. 54 {1To Anna the Abbess}1 Why did you shrink from writing and making known to us the affairs of your holiness? But we on this account shall all the more not cease, on the one hand because we have once opened our humble mouth, and on the other because of your zeal according to God and fire-breathing piety; for I learn that you have an unceasing kindness toward our brothers, running about here and there and receiving each one who happens by philanthropically and sending him on with prayerful words as a servant of Christ. Oh, this most beautiful occupation of yours! Oh, your sacred soul, watchful concerning divine things! For these are not orphan things, but the offspring of other virtues, that is, the products of your spiritual fruitfulness. Since it is not possible for one who carries spices not to be fragrant, nor for a light-bearer not to give light. Therefore from this are always and in every way made manifest, and especially in the persecutions for Christ, who are the lovers of holiness and blessed by God and who are the worthless and destitute of good, even if by their outward habit they pretend that what is within is well. 55 {1To Irene the Patricia}1 A written address is a love-inducing thing, creating a bond in the souls of lovers, and one so great, the more frequent the communication, as if stirring up the loving affections lying within

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εἰ δὲ ὅτι τὴν χειροτονίαν καταγομένην ἔχει ἀπὸ τοῦ δεῖνος, εἴτε ἐξ αἱρετικοῦ εἴτε ἐκ χρηματοχειροτονήτου, αὐτὸς δὲ οὔτε αἱρετικὸς οὔτε ἐν γνώσει ἐκ χρηματολήπτου εἴτουν Σιμωνιανοῦ κεχειροτονημένος, ὁμολογοίη δὲ ὅμως τὴν πᾶσαν ἀλήθειαν, τήν τε πίστιν φυλάττειν καὶ τοὺς κανόνας ἀπαρατρώτους, τούς τε κατ' ἀμφότερα παρατετραμμένους ἀποβαλλόμενος, οὐδεὶς ἡμῖν λόγος ἀποχῆς πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀκατάγνωστος γὰρ ὁ τοιοῦτος κατὰ τοὺς προδεδηλωμένους ἁγίους, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν κατὰ πάντας. Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ κοινωνοῦμεν, καὶ ὑμῖν ταὐτὸ ποιεῖν συμβεβουλεύμεθα, εἴπερ ἀκουοίμεθα. ἐπεί, εἰ περισσότερον διηρεύνηται, ἀποκρούεται μέν, ὡς δέδεικται, τὰ τῶν πατέρων παραγγέλματα, ἐκλιμπάνει δὲ τοσοῦτον τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης δῶρον, ἐφ' ᾧ τὸ χριστιανοὶ καλεῖσθαι ἔχομεν, ὡς εἰς ἐθνικὴν ἡμᾶς μεταπεσεῖν λατρείαν (ὅπερ ἄτοπον), πρὸς τό γε καὶ ἀκριβευομένους οὕτω μηδὲ ἐν δύσει καὶ ἀνατολῇ ἀφικομένους εὑρίσκειν τὸ ζητούμενον, ἀναδρομάδην καθαιρομένων πάντων διὰ τῆς ἀλληλούχου συλλειτουργήσεως· ἐπειδὴ προφανῶς τῷ Ῥωμαίων προέδρῳ ἐπὶ Ταρασίου συνιεράτευσαν οἱ ἐκ τῶνδε ἀποκρισιάριοι ἀποσταλέντες, κἀκεῖνοι τάχα τοῖς τῆς ἑῴας, καὶ φροῦδα ἐντεῦθεν τὰ τῆς ἱερωσύνης· ὃ ἀπαγορεύσαντες πάντως καταδεξόμεθα ἐν τῷ προειρημένῳ κατὰ τοὺς ἁγίους μέτρῳ στῆναι. διότι πολλὰ συνέβη καὶ συμβαίνει τοιαῦτα παραπτώματα ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἃ οὐδεὶς τῶν ἁγίων ηὕρηται οὕτω διερευνήσας (ὅτι μηδὲ οἷόν τε) οὔτε μὴν ἐκδέδωκεν φυλάττειν ἡμᾶς. Ἔχει μὲν ταῦθ' οὕτως. περὶ δὲ τοῦ προὐργιαίτερον ἡμῖν εἶναι τῆς μοιχοκυρώτου συνόδου τὴν καθ' ὑμᾶς ἔνστασιν, τεθαύμακα ἀκούσας· τοσοῦτον γὰρ προτιμοτέρα, ὅσον ἀποστολικῆς φωνῆς ἡ κυριακή. καὶ οὔπω λέγω ὅτι Ταράσιος οὐκ ἐκήρυξεν ἐν χρήμασι χειροτονεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους ὁμολογῶν μὴ δέχεσθαι κατὰ τὸ προφανές. ὧδε δὲ δόγμα κατά τε τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ τε Προδρόμου τῶν τε κανόνων συνοδικῶς διὰ τῆς τοῦ μοιχοζεύκτου παραδοχῆς ἐκπεφώνηται, βεβαιοῦν τὴν παρανομίαν οἰκονομίαν, τούς τε ἱεράρχας καὶ ἱερεῖς ὁπόταν βούλωνται ἐξουσιάζειν τῶν κανόνων καὶ τοὺς μὴ ταὐτὸ φρονοῦντας ἀναθεματίζον τε καὶ ἐκσκορακίζον, καθάπερ ἴστε. τοῦτο τῆς εἰκονομάχου αἱρέσεως εἰ καὶ δεύτερον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔλαττον τοῖς εὐσεβῶς ἀναθεωροῦσιν. ὧν ὁ Κύριος ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἐκποδὼν τὸ κακὸν ἄρας πρυτανεύσοι εἰρήνην ὡς τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τῇ αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησία. πλὴν ὅτι, καθὰ γέγραφας, θάτερον ὑπὸ θατέρου βάλλεται, καὶ διάλληλος ἡ ἐπίγνωσις καὶ λύσις τῆς ἀνομοδέσμου πράξεως. Ἐρρωμένον καὶ εὐχόμενον ὑπὲρ τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν πανέστιον ὁ Κύριός σε διαφυλάξειεν, φίλων πρώτιστε καὶ ζηλωτῶν κράτιστε. 54 {1Ἄννῃ ἡγουμένῃ}1 Τί ὑπεστείλω τοῦ γράφειν καὶ γνωρίζειν ἡμῖν τὰ τῆς ὁσιότητός σου; ἡμεῖς δὲ διὰ τοῦτο μᾶλλον οὐ διαλείψομεν, τὸ μὲν διὰ τὸ ἅπαξ ἡμᾶς ἀνοῖξαι τὸ ταπεινὸν στόμα, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὸν κατὰ θεόν σου ζῆλον καὶ πυρίπνουν εὐσέβειαν· πυνθάνομαι γάρ σε ἄληκτον ἔχειν τὸ περὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν εὐποιές, ἔνθεν κἀκεῖθεν περιθέουσαν καὶ ἕκαστον τὸν παρατυγχάνοντα δεξιουμένην φιλανθρώπως καὶ τοῖς εὐκταίοις ῥήμασι παραπέμπουσαν ὡς Χριστοῦ διάκονον. Ὢ τῆς καλλίστης σου ταύτης πραγματείας· ὢ τῆς γρηγορούσης σου περὶ τὰ θεῖα ἱερᾶς ψυχῆς· οὐ γὰρ ὀρφανικὰ ταῦτα, ἀποκυήματα δὲ ἑτέρων ἀρετῶν, ἤγουν προβλήματα τῆς πνευματικῆς σου πολυκαρπίας. ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ οἷόν τε μὴ εὐωδεῖν τὸν ἐπιφερόμενον ἀρώματα μηδὲ λαμπαδουχεῖν τὸν φωτοφόρον. διαδείκνυνται τοίνυν ἐντεῦθεν πάντοτε καὶ πάντως, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ διωγμοῖς, τίνες οἱ τῆς ὁσιότητος ἐρασταὶ καὶ θεόλβιοι καὶ τίνες οἱ φαυλότητος καὶ ἀμοιράγαθοι, κἂν τῷ ἔξω σχήματι τὰ ἔνδον καλῶς ἔχειν ὑποπλαττόμενοι. 55 {1Εἰρήνῃ πατρικίᾳ}1 Φιλτροποιόν τι πρᾶγμα ἡ γραμματικὴ προσφώνησις, σχέσιν ἐμποιοῦσα ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν ἐρώντων, καὶ τοσαύτην, ὅσῳπερ ἂν καὶ πυκνάζῃ ἡ ὁμιλία, οἱονεὶ ἀνασκαλεύουσα τοὺς ἐναποκειμένους ἐρωτικοὺς