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92.1 To the most God-beloved and most holy brothers, fellow ministers, the

like-minded bishops throughout Italy and Gaul, Meletius, Eusebius, Basil, Bassus, Gregory, Pelagius, Paul, Anthimus, Theodotus, Vitus, Abraamius, Iovinus, Zeno, Theodoretus, Marcianus, Barachus, Abraamius, Libanius, Thalassius, Joseph, Boethus, Atreius, Theodotus, Eustathius, Barsoumas, John, Chossoroes, Iosakes, Narses, Maris, Gregory, Daphnus, greeting in the Lord. A groan often sent up from the depth of the heart brings some comfort to souls in pain, and perhaps even a tear shed has dispersed the great weight of affliction. For us, however, to declare our sufferings to your charity holds not as much comfort as a groan and a tear, but a better hope also warms us, that perhaps, if we should report to you the things that grieve us, we shall stir you up to our assistance, which we long ago expected from you for the Churches in the East, but have not yet obtained, doubtless because God, who orders our affairs in wisdom, according to the inscrutable judgments of his justice, has ordained for us to be extended for a longer time in these trials. For surely you have not been ignorant of our circumstances, most honored brothers, the report of which has spread even to the ends of the world, nor are you unsympathetic toward your like-minded brothers, being disciples of the Apostle who teaches that love for one's neighbor is the fulfillment of the law. But, as we have said, the just judgment of God has restrained your impulse, measuring out for us the affliction ordained for our sins to be fulfilled. But now at least we beseech you to be roused to zeal for the truth and to sympathy for us, having learned everything, and all that previously escaped your hearing, from our most devout brother and fellow deacon Sabinus, who will be able to relate to you also from himself whatever escapes this letter; through whom we beseech you to put on bowels of compassion and to cast aside all hesitation, to undertake the labor of love, and to take into account neither length of journey nor occupations at home nor anything else of human affairs. 92.2 For the danger is not concerning one Church, nor are two or three those which have fallen into this harsh winter. For the evil of heresy spreads almost from the borders of Illyricum to the Thebaid. The evil seeds of this were formerly sown by the ill-omened Arius; and having been rooted deeply by many who in the meantime diligently cultivated impiety, they have now put forth their destructive fruits. The doctrines of piety have been overturned, the ordinances of the Church have been thrown into confusion. The ambitions of those who do not fear the Lord leap upon the leadership positions and henceforth the presidency is openly set forth as a prize for impiety, so that he who has uttered the harsher blasphemies is preferred for the episcopacy of the people. Priestly dignity is gone, the shepherds who feed the flock of the Lord with knowledge are lacking, with the ambitious always squandering the administration of the poor on their own pleasures and distributions of gifts. The precision of the canons has been obscured, there is much license for sinning. For those who have come to power by human efforts repay the favor for this very effort by yielding everything for pleasure to those who sin. Just judgment has perished, everyone walks according to the will of his own heart. Wickedness is immeasurable, the people are unadmonished, the leaders lack boldness of speech. For those who have acquired power for themselves through men are slaves of those who granted the favor. And now the pretense of vindicating orthodoxy has been devised by some as a weapon for war against one another, and concealing their private enmities they feign hostility for the sake of piety. But others against the

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92.1 Τοῖς θεοφιλεστάτοις καὶ ὁσιωτάτοις ἀδελφοῖς συλλει τουργοῖς, τοῖς

κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν καὶ Γαλλίαν ὁμοψύχοις ἐπισκόποις Μελέτιος, Εὐσέβιος, Βασίλειος, Βάσσος, Γρηγόριος, Πελάγιος, Παῦλος, Ἄνθιμος, Θεόδοτος, Βῖτος, Ἀβραάμιος, Ἰοβῖνος, Ζήνων, Θεοδώρητος, Μαρκιανός, Βάραχος, Ἀβραάμιος, Λιβάνιος, Θαλάσσιος, Ἰωσήφ, Βοηθός, Ἀτρεῖος, Θεόδοτος, Εὐστάθιος, Βαρσούμας, Ἰωάννης, Χοσσορόης, Ἰωσάκης, Νάρσης, Μάρις, Γρηγόριος, ∆αφνὸς ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Φέρει μέν τινα παραμυθίαν ταῖς ὀδυνωμέναις ψυχαῖς καὶ στεναγμὸς πολλάκις ἐκ τοῦ βάθους τῆς καρδίας ἀνα πεμπόμενος, καί που καὶ δάκρυον ἀποστάξαν τὸ πολὺ τῆς θλίψεως διεφόρησεν. Ἡμῖν δὲ οὐχ ὅσην στεναγμὸς καὶ δάκρυον παραμυθίαν ἔχει τὸ ἐξειπεῖν ἡμῶν τὰ πάθη τῇ ἀγάπῃ ὑμῶν, ἀλλά τις ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐλπὶς χρηστοτέρα θάλπει, ὡς τάχα ἄν, εἰ ἐξαγγείλαιμεν ὑμῖν τὰ λυποῦντα, διανα στήσομεν ὑμᾶς πρὸς τὴν ἀντίληψιν ἡμῶν, ἣν πάλαι μὲν προσεδοκήσαμεν παρ' ὑμῶν ταῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἀνατολὴν Ἐκκλησίαις γενήσεσθαι, οὐδέπω δὲ τετυχήκαμεν, πάντως που τοῦ ἐν σοφίᾳ τὰ ἡμέτερα διοικοῦντος Θεοῦ κατὰ τὰ ἀθεώ ρητα αὐτοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης κρίματα πλείονι χρόνῳ παρα ταθῆναι ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς τούτοις οἰκονομήσαντος. Οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἠγνοήσατε τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ τιμιώτατοι, ὧν ἡ ἀκοὴ καὶ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς οἰκουμένης διέδραμεν, οὐδὲ ἀσυμπαθεῖς που ὑμεῖς πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοψύχους τῶν ἀδελφῶν, μαθηταὶ ὑπάρχοντες τοῦ Ἀποστόλου τοῦ πλήρωμα εἶναι τοῦ νόμου τὴν πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπην διδάσκοντος. Ἀλλ', ὅπερ εἴπομεν, ἐπέσχεν ὑμῶν τὴν ὁρμὴν ἡ δικαία τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσις, ἐκπληρωθῆναι ἡμῖν τὴν διατε ταγμένην ἐπὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν θλίψιν ἐπιμετροῦσα. Ἀλλὰ νῦν γοῦν καὶ πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ζῆλον καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν συμπάθειαν διαναστῆναι ὑμᾶς παρακαλοῦμεν, πάντα μαθόντας, καὶ ὅσα πρὸ τούτου τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν διέφυγε, παρὰ τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν τοῦ συν διακόνου Σαβίνου, ὃς δυνήσεται ὑμῖν καὶ ὅσα τὴν ἐπι στολὴν διαφεύγει παρ' ἑαυτοῦ διηγήσασθαι· δι' οὗ παρακα λοῦμεν ὑμᾶς ἐνδύσασθαι σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ καὶ ἀποθέσθαι μὲν πάντα ὄκνον, ἀναλαβεῖν δὲ τὸν κόπον τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ μήτε ὁδοῦ μῆκος μήτε τὰς κατ' οἶκον ἀσχολίας μήτ' ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ὑπολογίσασθαι. 92.2 Οὐ γὰρ περὶ μιᾶς Ἐκκλησίας ὁ κίνδυνος, οὐδὲ δύο ἢ τρεῖς αἱ τῷ χαλεπῷ τούτῳ χειμῶνι περιπεσοῦσαι. Σχεδὸν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ὅρων τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ μέχρι Θηβαΐδος τὸ τῆς αἱρέσεως κακὸν ἐπινέμεται. Ἧς τὰ πονηρὰ σπέρματα πρότερον μὲν ὁ δυσώνυμος Ἄρειος κατεβάλετο· ῥιζωθέντα δὲ διὰ βάθους ὑπὸ πολλῶν τῶν ἐν μέσῳ φιλοπόνως τὴν ἀσέβειαν γεωργησάντων, νῦν τοὺς φθοροποιοὺς καρποὺς ἐξεβλάστησεν. Ἀνατέτραπται μὲν τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας δόγματα, συγκέχυνται δὲ Ἐκκλησίας θεσμοί. Φιλαρχίαι δὲ τῶν μὴ φοβουμένων τὸν Κύριον ταῖς προστασίαις ἐπιπη δῶσι καὶ ἐκ τοῦ προφανοῦς λοιπὸν ἆθλον δυσσεβείας ἡ προεδρία πρόκειται, ὥστε ὁ τὰ χαλεπώτερα βλασφημήσας εἰς ἐπισκοπὴν λαοῦ προτιμότερος. Οἴχεται σεμνότης ἱερα τική, ἐπιλελοίπασιν οἱ ποιμαίνοντες μετ' ἐπιστήμης τὸ ποίμνιον τοῦ Κυρίου, οἰκονομίας πτωχῶν εἰς ἰδίας ἀπο λαύσεις καὶ δώρων διανομὰς παραναλισκόντων ἀεὶ τῶν φιλαρχούντων. Ἠμαύρωται κανόνων ἀκρίβεια, ἐξουσία τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν πολλή. Οἱ γὰρ σπουδαῖς ἀνθρωπίναις παρελθόν τες ἐπὶ τὸ ἄρχειν ἐν αὐτῷ τούτῳ τῆς σπουδῆς τὴν χάριν ἀνταναπληροῦσι τῷ πάντα πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἐνδιδόναι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν. Ἀπόλωλε κρίμα δίκαιον, πᾶς τις τῷ θελή ματι τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ πορεύεται. Ἡ πονηρία ἄμετρος, οἱ λαοὶ ἀνουθέτητοι, οἱ προεστῶτες ἀπαρρησίαστοι. ∆οῦλοι γὰρ τῶν δεδωκότων τὴν χάριν οἱ δι' ἀνθρώπων ἑαυτοῖς τὴν δυναστείαν κατακτησάμενοι. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ ὅπλον τισὶ τοῦ πρὸς ἀλλήλους πολέμου ἡ ἐκδίκησις δῆθεν τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ἐπινενόηται, καὶ τὰς ἰδίας ἔχθρας ἐπικρυψάμενοι ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐχθραίνειν κατασχηματίζονται. Ἄλλοι δὲ τὸν ἐπὶ