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an obstacle to your prayers in beseeching the Lord. Then we also remind you to deign to formulate everything through the aforementioned brother, and, if anything needs to be sent to those in the West, because letters must of necessity be brought to them also from us, that he should dictate the letters. For we, having met Sabinus, the deacon sent from them, have written both to the Illyrians and to the bishops throughout Italy and Gaul, and to certain of those who have written to us privately. It is reasonable that someone be sent from the common synod to carry a second letter, which you yourself should order to be drafted. 89.2 And concerning the most reverend bishop Athanasius, we remind your perfect wisdom, which knows precisely, that it is impossible for my letters to deliver or do any of the things that are owed, unless he receives some kind of approach from you, who at that time were putting off communion with him. For he is said to be very eager to be united with us and to contribute according to his ability, but to be grieved that even then he was sent away without communion and that still now the promises remain unfulfilled. How things are in the East has certainly not escaped the hearing of your piety, and the aforementioned brother will narrate everything more accurately in person. Deign to send him immediately after Easter, because we await the replies from Samosata; accept his zeal, and having strengthened him with prayers, send him forth for the tasks at hand.

90.t TO THE MOST HOLY BROTHERS AND BISHOPS IN THE WEST

90.1 The good God, who always joins consolations to afflictions, has given

us now, amid the multitude of our pains, to find some moderate consolation from the letters which our most honorable father and bishop received from your uprightness and forwarded to us, containing a testimony to sound faith and proof of undisturbed harmony and concord, so as to show forth shepherds who follow in the footsteps of the Fathers and who shepherd the people of the Lord with knowledge. All these things have gladdened us so much as to dispel our dejection and to put a brief smile upon our souls, away from this gloomy turn of affairs in which we are now situated. And the Lord increased our consolation through our most devout son and fellow-deacon Sabinus, who, having accurately narrated the good things among you, nourished our souls and, having learned our own affairs by experience, will clearly report them to you, so that, in the first place, you may strive together with us through earnest and diligent prayer to the Lord, and then, that you may not refuse to bring what comfort is possible to the afflicted Churches. For here, most honored brothers, the Church has grown weary and has given up against the continual assaults of the enemies, like a ship in the middle of the sea, tormented by the successive blows of the waves, unless there should be a swift visitation of the Lord's goodness. Just as, therefore, we make your concord and unity with one another our own good, so we also beseech you to sympathize with our divisions and not, because we are separated by the position of our places, to separate us from yourselves, but, because we are united in the communion of the Spirit, to receive us into the harmony of one body. 90.2 The things that afflict us are well-known, even if we do not speak. For they have been poured out over the whole world. The dogmas of the Fathers have been despised, apostolic traditions are set at nought, the inventions of new men are introduced into the Churches; men are now artisans of words, not theologians; the wisdom of the world carries the first prize,

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ἐμπόδιον ταῖς ὑμετέραις εὐχαῖς πρὸς τὸ δυσωπῆσαι τὸν Κύριον. Ἔπειτα καὶ ὑπομιμνήσκομεν καταξιῶσαί σε πάντα τυπῶσαι διὰ τοῦ προειρημένου ἀδελφοῦ, καί, εἴ τι δεῖ ἐπισταλῆναι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ∆ύσιν, διὰ τὸ ὀφείλειν ἀναγκαίως καὶ δι' ἡμετέρου αὐτοῖς ἀπε νεχθῆναι γράμματα, αὐτὸν ὑπαγορεῦσαι τὰς ἐπιστολάς. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐπιτυχόντες Σαβίνου, τοῦ παρ' αὐτῶν ἀπο σταλέντος διακόνου, ἐπεστείλαμεν πρός τε τοὺς Ἰλλυριοὺς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν καὶ Γαλλίαν ἐπισκόπους καί τινας τῶν ἰδίως πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπιστειλάντων. Εὔλογον δὲ ὡς ἀπὸ κοινοῦ τῆς συνόδου ἀποσταλῆναί τινα τὸν κομίζοντα δεύτερα γράμματα, ἅπερ αὐτὸς κέλευσον τυπωθῆναι. 89.2 Καὶ περὶ τοῦ αἰδεσιμωτάτου ἐπισκόπου Ἀθανασίου, ἀκριβῶς γινώσκουσαν τὴν τελείαν σου φρόνησιν ὑπομιμνή σκομεν ὅτι ἀμήχανον τοῖς παρ' ἐμοῦ γράμμασιν ἐπιδοῦναι ἢ ποιῆσαί τι τῶν ὀφειλομένων, ἐὰν μὴ καὶ παρ' ὑμῶν, τῶν τότε τὴν κοινωνίαν αὐτοῦ ἀναβαλλομένων, δέξηταί τινα τρόπον. Αὐτὸς γὰρ λέγεται πάνυ ὡρμῆσθαι πρὸς τὸ συνα φθῆναι ἡμῖν καὶ κατὰ δύναμιν συμβαλέσθαι, λυπεῖσθαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ τότε παρεπέμφθη ἀκοινώνητος καὶ ἔτι νῦν ἀτελεῖς μένουσιν αἱ ὑποσχέσεις. Τάδε κατὰ τὴν Ἀνατολὴν ὅπως διάκειται οὐκ ἔλαθε πάντως τὰς ἀκοὰς τῆς θεοσεβείας σου, καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ δὲ ἀκριβέστερον πάντα ὁ προειρημένος ἀδελφὸς διηγήσεται. Ὃν καταξίωσον εὐθὺς ἐκπέμψαι μετὰ τὸ Πάσχα, διὰ τὸ ἀναμένειν τὰς ἀπὸ Σαμοσάτων ἀποκρί σεις· οὗ καὶ τὴν προθυμίαν ἀπόδεξαι καὶ εὐχαῖς αὐτὸν ἐνισχύσας πρόπεμψον εἰς τὰ προκείμενα.

90.τ ΤΟΙΣ ΑΓΙΩΤΑΤΟΙΣ Α∆ΕΛΦΟΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΙΣ ΤΟΙΣ ΕΝ ΤΗ ∆ΥΣΕΙ

90.1 Ὁ ἀγαθὸς Θεός, ὁ ἀεὶ ταῖς θλίψεσι παραζευγνὺς τὰς παρακλήσεις, ἔδωκε

καὶ νῦν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ὀδυ νῶν εὑρέσθαι τινὰ μετρίαν παράκλησιν ἐκ τῶν γραμμάτων ἃ παρὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας ὀρθότητος ὁ τιμιώτατος ἡμῶν πατὴρ ἐπίσκοπος δεξάμενος διεπέμψατο ἡμῖν, ὑγιοῦς πίστεως μαρτυρίαν καὶ τῆς ἀνεπηρεάστου ὁμονοίας καὶ συμπνοίας ἀπόδειξιν ἔχοντα, ὥστε καὶ ποιμένας ἀναδεικνύναι τοῖς ἴχνεσι τῶν Πατέρων ἀκολουθοῦντας καὶ τὸν λαὸν τοῦ Κυρίου μετ' ἐπιστήμης ποιμαίνοντας. Ταῦτα πάντα ηὔφρα νεν ἡμᾶς τοσοῦτον ὥστε λῦσαι ἡμῶν τὴν κατήφειαν καὶ μειδίαμά τι βραχὺ ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν ἐμποιῆσαι ἀπὸ τῆς σκυθρωπῆς ταύτης τῶν πραγμάτων κινήσεως ἐν ᾗ νῦν καθεστήκαμεν. Ἐπέτεινε δὲ ἡμῖν τὴν παράκλησιν ὁ Κύριος διὰ τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου υἱοῦ καὶ συνδιακόνου Σαβί νου, ὃς καὶ τὰ παρ' ὑμῖν καλὰ διηγησάμενος ἀκριβῶς ἔθρεψεν ἡμῶν τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα δὲ τῇ πείρᾳ μαθὼν ἐναργῶς ὑμῖν ἀναγγελεῖ, ἵνα προηγουμένως μὲν διὰ τῆς ἐκτενοῦς καὶ φιλοπόνου δεήσεως τῆς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον συναγωνίζησθε ἡμῖν, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐνδεχομένην παρα μυθίαν ταῖς καταπονουμέναις Ἐκκλησίαις εἰσενέγκασθαι μὴ παραιτήσησθε. Κέκμηκε γὰρ ἐνταῦθα, ἀδελφοὶ τιμιώτα τοι, καὶ ἀπείρηκε πρὸς τὰς συνεχεῖς προσβολὰς τῶν ἐναν τίων ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ὥσπερ τι πλοῖον ἐν πελάγει μέσῳ ταῖς ἐπαλλήλοις πληγαῖς τῶν κυμάτων βασανιζόμενον, εἰ μή τις γένοιτο ταχεῖα ἐπισκοπὴ τῆς ἀγαθότητος τοῦ Κυρίου. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡμεῖς ἴδιον ἀγαθὸν ἑαυτῶν ποιούμεθα τὴν ὑμετέραν πρὸς ἀλλήλους σύμπνοιάν τε καὶ ἑνότητα, οὕτω καὶ ὑμᾶς παρακαλοῦμεν συμπαθῆσαι ἡμῶν ταῖς διαιρέσεσι καὶ μή, ὅτι τῇ θέσει τῶν τόπων διεστήκαμεν, χωρίζειν ἡμᾶς ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ', ὅτι ἑνούμεθα τῇ κατὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα κοινωνίᾳ, εἰς τὴν ἑνὸς σώματος ἡμᾶς συμφωνίαν ἀνα λαμβάνειν. 90.2 Γνώριμα δὲ τὰ θλίβοντα ἡμᾶς, κἂν ἡμεῖς μὴ λέγωμεν. εἰς πᾶσαν γὰρ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκκέχυται. Καταπεφρόνηται τὰ τῶν Πατέρων δόγματα, ἀποστολικαὶ παραδόσεις ἐξου θένηνται, νεωτέρων ἀνθρώπων ἐφευρέματα ταῖς Ἐκκλη σίαις ἐμπολιτεύεται· τεχνολογοῦσι λοιπόν, οὐ θεολογοῦσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι· ἡ τοῦ κόσμου σοφία τὰ πρωτεῖα φέρεται,