Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

to deem him worthy to absolve, but to others it seemed to be deeming impossible and otherwise discordant things, if indeed, being a private citizen and stripped of the priesthood, he were to absolve the indissoluble; for the deliberation also belonged to the one who had acted. For these reasons it seemed to others, and especially to the scrupulous, not to demand an absolution at all, but to judge how he had done the dreadful things in secret, and to bring him to a defense before all the Romans as to how and 252 by what canons he had excommunicated Christian people who knew nothing, and thus to compel that very man to condemn his own action. When this was indeed condemned by him, it having been entirely condemned beforehand also by the canons of the church, they should not seek another absolution; for it is necessary for those things justly and by canons bound to be absolved, but for things that are invalid from the beginning, it is otherwise a superfluous effort even to seek to have them absolved. But if so, then there was at once both a patriarch and a synod trustworthy for a just absolution according to the canons. but he himself, and rather, having been brought under a just charge, should be held to account canonically. For to establish oneself, when suspected of the worst things, with both oaths and curses against himself, what sense did it make, if this were also sufficient for a complete escape from the accusations? For it is reasonable not to swear, but to refute the accusation through trustworthy proofs. But to subject the accusers or those drawn in with them to curses, where is this just and at all canonical and of the laws of the church? But the emperor, 253 doing something wiser, as it seemed, and always choosing the things that lead to peace, 253 advised to send and ask Athanasius, and, showing him the documents, to inquire if he himself had done it and how he had done it and if he would abide by these things again. So, when the council approved, there were chosen for the mission both Choumnos, the keeper of the imperial inkstand, and Cyprianus the chartophylax, who, having met with him, made the announcement from the emperor and the synod, as was proper. And he at once confessed that he himself had written it and that he had done it then out of faintheartedness, but not, however, that he held them to be indissoluble, but that he would also at once absolve them again. even if it was not possible, he says, to take back the documents from there when the disturbance broke out. He said these things, but he was suspected of saying things that were not true. For he ought to have revealed it, said those who were examining the matter, and to seek pardon, if honesty had accompanied his actions, but not excessive caution and insidious profundity, as if, having previously set forth dreadful and terrible things for the right moment, he might deign to absolve them, having taken back the honor which he had renounced, with the purpose that he might not on this account be brought back into the church again through 254 the very great reverence of the emperor for divine things, whom he also held it impossible to bind, as one supposedly led astray. But then, since he was also ready to inscribe his defense in trustworthy letters, as was also demanded, taking a paper, with his own hand he wrote for the most part these things. "It happened to me, while I was patriarch, to fall into many and various temptations, and for this reason, being moved by the very pain and bitterness that possessed me, I brought forth letters bearing the weight of excommunication and other penances against those very ones who had afflicted and grieved me. But none of those who were thus censured knew either about the said letters or about the penances in them. Then the letters themselves, having been deposited in some secret and completely unknown place of the great church of the Holy Wisdom of God, both remained and were kept in that very place. But I, since I wished to withdraw from the throne and to make a resignation of the entire patriarchal administration and to live in quiet again by myself as before, straightway, having dissolved that entire weight of what had been written from my very soul, I annulled it, imparting all forgiveness to the whole church of God, and to those themselves mentioned above who, as has been said, hastened to afflict and grieve us. For it was not in accordance with the commandment of God nor His 255 laws and precepts, nor of a soul having any fear of God himself at all and a concept of the coming judgment and recompense, to keep enmity irreconcilable and to return evil for evil, nor indeed to curse those who behave insolently,

αὐτὸν ἀξιοῦν λύειν, τοῖς δὲ ἀλλ' ἀδύνατα ἀξιοῦν καὶ ἄλλως ἀπᾴδοντα κατεφαίνετο, εἴπερ ἰδιώτης ὢν καὶ τῆς ἱερατείας γεγυμνωμένος ἄλυτα λύοι· τοῦ γὰρ εἶναι καὶ τὸ σκέμμα τῷ πεπραγότι. διὰ ταῦτα ἑτέροις ἐδόκει, καὶ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἀκριβέσι, μηδ' ἀξιοῦν ὅλως κατὰ λύσιν, ἀλλὰ κρίνειν ὅπως ἐν ἀδήλῳ τὰ φρικτὰ πρά ξειε, καὶ εἰς ἀπολογίαν καθιστᾶν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις πᾶσιν ὅπως καὶ 252 ποίοις κανόσιν ἑπόμενος ἀνθρώπους Χριστιανοὺς ἀφορίσειε μηδὲν γινώσκοντας, καὶ οὕτω συνελᾶν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον καταγινώσκειν τῆς πράξεως. ἧς δὴ καταγνωσθείσης καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου, προκατε γνωσμένον πάντως καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας κανόσι, μὴ λύσιν ἄλ λην ζητεῖν· τὰ γὰρ δικαίως καὶ ὑπὸ κανόσι δεδεμένα, ἐκεῖνα καὶ λύεσθαι εἶναι ἀνάγκην, τὰ δ' ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνυπόστατα μόχθον πε ριττὸν ἄλλως εἶναι καὶ ζητεῖν λύεσθαι. εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' αὐτίκα καὶ πατριάρχην εἶναι καὶ σύνοδον εἰς λύσιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν κανόνων δικαίαν ἀξιοπίστους. αὐτὸν δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον ὑπ' αἰτίας δικαίας ἀχθέντα κανονικῶς εὐθύνεσθαι. τὸ γὰρ ἑαυτὸν συνιστᾶν ὑπο νοηθέντα τὰ χείριστα ἐν ὅρκοις τε καὶ ἀραῖς ταῖς καθ' αὑτοῦ, τίνα λόγον ἔχειν, εἴπερ καὶ τοῦθ' ἱκανὸν εἰς τελείαν τῶν ἐγκλη μάτων ἀποφυγήν; οὐκ ὀμνύειν γάρ, ἀλλ' ἀποτρίβεσθαι τὴν κα τηγορίαν διὰ πιστῶν παραστάσεων εὔλογον. τὸ δὲ τοὺς κατει πόντας ἢ τοὺς συναρπασθέντας ἀραῖς ὑποβάλλειν, ποῦ δίκαιον καὶ ὅλως κανονικὸν καὶ τῶν νόμων τῆς ἐκκλησίας; βασιλεὺς δὲ 253 σοφώτερόν τι ποιῶν, ὡς ἐδόκει, καὶ ἀεὶ τὰς ἐς εἰρήνην αἱρού 253 μενος, συνεβούλευε πέμπειν καὶ ἐρωτᾶν Ἀθανάσιον, καὶ τοὺς χάρτας δεικνύντας πυνθάνεσθαι εἰ αὐτὸς πράξειε καὶ ὅπως πρά ξειε καὶ εἰ τούτοις αὖθις ἐμμένοι. ἐκλέγονται τοίνυν πρὸς τὴν ἀποστολὴν δοξάσης τῆς βουλῆς ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κανικλείου τε Χοῦμνος καὶ ὁ Κυπριανὸς χαρτοφύλαξ, οἳ καὶ συγγεγονότες ἐκείνῳ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῆς συνόδου, ὡς ἐχρῆν, διαμήνυσιν ἐποιή σαντο. ὁ δ' αὐτίκα καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς γράψειεν ὡμολόγει καὶ ὡς ἐκ μικροψυχίας τότε ποιήσειε, μὴ μὴν δὲ καὶ ἄλυτα ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὖθις αὐτίκα λύειν. εἰ καὶ οὐκ ἐξεγένετο, φησί, καὶ τοὺς χάρτας ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανελέσθαι ἐπεισπεσούσης τῆς ταραχῆς. ταῦτ' ἔλεγε μὲν ἐκεῖνος, ὑπενοεῖτο δὲ τὰ μὴ ὄντα λέγων. ἔδει γὰρ ἐμ φανίζειν, οἱ δοκιμάζοντες ἔλεγον, καὶ ζητεῖν συγγνώμην, εἴπερ εὐθύτης ἠκολούθει τοῖς πράγμασιν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐμπερισκεψία καὶ βαθύτης ὕπουλος, ὡς ἂν εἰς καιρὸν τὰ φοβερὰ καὶ φρικώδη προανατετακὼς ἀξιοῖτο λύειν, ἀναλαβὼν τὴν τιμὴν ἣν παρῃτεῖτο, σκοπῷ δὲ εἰ μὴ διὰ ταῦτα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ αὖθις παρεισήχθη διὰ 254 τὴν πλείστην περὶ τὰ θεῖα τοῦ βασιλέως εὐλάβειαν, ὃν καὶ ἄφυ κτον εἶχε δεσμεῖν ὡς δῆθεν παρασυρέντα. τότε δὲ ἐπεὶ καὶ ἕτοι μος ἦν γράμμασι πιστοῖς ἐγχαράξαι τὰ τῆς ἀπολογίας, ὡς καὶ ἀπῄτητο, λαβὼν χάρτην οἰκειοχείρως τὰ πλεῖστα τάδ' ἔγραψεν. "ἐμοὶ συνέβη πατριαρχεύοντι πολλοῖς καὶ πειρασμοῖς ἐμπεσεῖν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς κατασχούσης με ὀδύνης καὶ πικρίας παρακινηθεὶς γράμματα ἐξήνεγκα βάρος ἀφορισμοῦ καὶ λοιπῶν ἐπιτιμίων κατ' αὐτῶν ἔχοντα τῶν θλιψάντων με καὶ λελυπηκό των. ἐγνώρισε δ' ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἐπιτιμηθέντων οὐδεὶς οὔτε περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων γραμμάτων οὔτε περὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιμίων. εἶτα αὐτὰ μὲν τὰ γράμματα ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τινὶ καὶ παντελῶς ἀδή λῳ τόπῳ τοῦ μεγάλου ναοῦ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἁγίας σοφίας ἀποτε θέντα ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τόπῳ καὶ διέμεινε φυλαττόμενα. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπεὶ τοῦ θρόνου ἀναχωρῆσαι καὶ τῆς πατριαρχικῆς πάσης προστασίας παραίτησιν ἠβουλήθην ποιήσασθαι καὶ ἡσυχάζειν πάλιν κατ' ἐ μαυτὸν ὡς καὶ πρότερον, εὐθὺς καὶ τὸ σύμπαν τῶν γεγραμμέ νων ἐκεῖνο βάρος ἐξ αὐτῆς ψυχῆς διαλύσας ἠθέτησα, συγχωρή σεως πάσης τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ πάσῃ μεταδοὺς ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀνωτέρω, ὡς εἴρηται, θλῖψαι ἡμᾶς καὶ παραλυπῆσαι σπου δάσασιν. οὐ γὰρ ἦν οὔτε τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντολῆς οὔτε τῶν ἐκεί 255 νου νόμων καὶ παραγγελμάτων, οὔτε ψυχῆς φόβον ὅλως ἐχού σης αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἔννοιαν τῆς μελλούσης κρίσεως ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀνταποδόσεως, ἀκατάλλακτον τὴν ἔχθραν τηρεῖν καὶ ἀντὶ κακῶν ἀντιδιδόναι κακά, οὔτε μὴν ἐπαρᾶσθαι κατὰ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων,