Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

to pray for them, as God clearly says and commands. For these reasons, I cast off from my entire soul all those letters of pusillanimity, or rather, all the gravity of the excommunication and of the penances that had been deposited in them, giving a pure pardon to all those who had been penalized; but we neglected to take up and destroy such letters, and we neither took them nor destroyed them. They are therefore now found, and are given into the hands of my most mighty emperor and autocrator. And when a question was put to us by him concerning these very letters, we informed him, saying nothing other than the truth itself, that it is not that we have now for the first time changed our mind and, dissolving the penance, grant a pure pardon to all against whom it was made, but rather even before, from the time, that is, when we wished to withdraw from the patriarchal thrones, we immediately desisted from enmity towards all, holding no open or hidden vengeance against anyone, and having immediately dissolved and annulled the said excommunications and other penances from that time. And in truth, these things were so. And lest at some time there be a pretext for any of those who attack the holy church of God 256 and wish to disturb it, a pretext entirely evil and unjust, but which might nevertheless arise for one who, with the evil one, seeks scandals, for this very reason we have set forth the present letters in the sight of God himself against those former ones which, as we have said, were written. Through which we again not only grant full pardon to all who, as has been said, were censured by certain of our words or letters while we were still patriarch, whether they have become manifest at present or will become known in later times, but we also ratify peace and love according to God with all these people, storing up against no one at all enmity or wrath or any burden whatsoever, as if supposedly wronged by him. And if anyone should ever wish to produce the said letters, which have no weight, or other letters of ours, as a pretext for disturbance against any of those who are in communion with the church, and should produce them while causing disturbance, we wish this person to be accursed and not without responsibility, as one fulfilling his own malice, but putting us forward as a pretext that is not true but utterly false. In the month of September, indiction 11." And there was also this note on the letters: "Athanasius, sinner, who was named patriarch of Constantinople, New Rome." For Athanasius, therefore, this accusation, no less than the others, having befallen him, 257 that he seemed to act no less profoundly than rashly, appeared greater than it was to those watching him, both because he himself confessed what is proper for Christians, namely, not to return evil for evil, according to the command of God, His laws and injunctions, and indeed according to a soul which has any fear of God himself and thought of retribution. But if these excommunications for certain reasons are some other evil greater than separation from Christ, let him who wishes judge. For the time being, however, even in confessing, as it seemed, that not after some time but immediately he repented of these letters and wished to dissolve them and chose to destroy what he had for a time bound and secured.

25. And again, the emperor had no small care for the Tochars, who were stirred up and lay in the northern regions, and on the other hand for the Triballi who followed Kotanitzes, who had fled from there, and attaching himself to the Kral of Serbia, was plundering the bordering lands, running them down in the manner of a robber, and not only this, but also for the affairs in the east, which were not in a good state from that former 258 confusion. Therefore, the emperor, seeing that the time required a zealous man and a general, who was at once intelligent in such matters and also one of his close relatives by blood, overlooking the pettiness of John concerning the schism, and how he himself would least of all cause harm on account of being in schism, but would benefit the common good through his good counsel and in his deeds

εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν θεοῦ σαφῶς καὶ λέγοντος καὶ προστάσσον τος. διὰ ταῦτα καὶ γράμματα μὲν ἐκεῖνα πάντα τὰ τῆς μικρο ψυχίας, μᾶλλον δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν αὐτοῖς ἐγκατατεθεῖσαν βαρύτητα τοῦ ἀφορισμοῦ τε καὶ τῶν ἐπιτιμίων, ἐκ ψυχῆς πάσης ἀπεβαλ λόμην, πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπιτιμηθεῖσι καθαρὰν διδοὺς τὴν συγχώρησιν· ὥστε δὲ καὶ ἀναλαβέσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα γράμματα καὶ ἀφανίσαι ἠμελήθη παρ' ἡμῶν, καὶ οὔτε ἐλάβομεν οὔτε ἠφανίσαμεν. εὑ ρίσκονται οὖν ἀρτίως, καὶ δίδονται εἰς χεῖρας τῷ κρατίστῳ καὶ βασιλεῖ μου καὶ αὐτοκράτορι. παρ' οὗ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐρωτήσεως γενομένης αὐτῶν δὴ τούτων τῶν γραμμάτων ἕνεκεν, οὐδὲν ἕτερος ἢ αὐτὸ τὸ ἀληθὲς εἰπόντες ἐπληροφορήσαμεν οἷον ὅτι οὐ νῦν πρότερον τὴν γνώμην μεταβαλόντες καὶ τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν λύοντες πᾶσι καθαρῶς συγχωροῦμεν καθ' ὧν αὕτη γέγονεν, ἀλλά τοι καὶ πρότερον, ἐξ ὅτου δηλονότι τῶν πατριαρχικῶν θρόνων ἀναχω ρῆσαι ἠβουλήθημεν, εὐθὺς καὶ τῆς πρὸς πάντας ἔχθρας ἀπέστη μεν, μηδεμίαν πρὸς οὐδένα φανερὰν ἢ κεκρυμμένην ἔχοντες ἄμυ ναν, καὶ τοὺς εἰρημένους ἀφορισμοὺς καὶ λοιπὰς ἐπιτιμήσεις ἀπὸ τότε εὐθὺς καταλύσαντες ἠθετήσαμεν. καὶ εἶχε ταῦτα ἐπ' ἀλη θείας οὕτως. ἵνα δὲ μή τινι τῶν κατὰ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἁγίας ἐκ 256 κλησίας ἐπιχειρούντων καὶ ταύτην βουλομένων διαταράττειν πρό φασίς ποτε γένοιτο, κακῶς μὲν παντάπασι καὶ ἀδίκως, γένοιτο γοῦν μετὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ ζητοῦντι τὰ σκάνδαλα, τούτου δὴ χάριν καὶ τὰ παρόντα γράμματα, θεοῦ αὐτοῦ κατενώπιον κατὰ τῶν πρώην ἐκείνων, ὡς ἔφημεν, γεγραμμένων ἐξεθέμεθα. δι' ὧν καὶ πάλιν οὐ συγχώρησιν μόνον πᾶσαν πᾶσιν ἀπονέμομεν τοῖς, ὡς εἴρηται, ἡμῶν ἔτι πατριαρχευόντων ἐπιτιμηθεῖσι λόγοις ἢ γράμμασιν ἡμετέροις τισὶ φανεροῖς ἐν τῷ παρόντι γεγενημένοις ἢ ἐν τοῖς ὕστερον τῶν χρόνων δήλοις ἐσομένοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰρήνην καὶ τὴν κατὰ θεὸν ἀγάπην μετὰ πάντων τούτων κυροῦμεν, οὐ δενί τι τῶν ἁπάντων ὡς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δῆθεν ἠδικημένοι ἔχθραν ἢ ὀργὴν ἢ βάρος τὸ τυχὸν ἀποταμιεύοντες. καὶ εἴ τις δή ποτε τὰ λεχθέντα γράμματα καὶ οὐ βάρους μετέχοντα, ἢ ἕτερα κἀκεῖνα ἡμέτερα, εἰς ταραχῆς πρόφασιν κατά τινων τῶν κοινωνούντων τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ προβαλέσθαι θελήσοι καὶ ταράσσων προβάλλοιτο, τοῦτον ἐπάρατον καὶ μὴ ἀνεύθυνον εἶναι βουλόμεθα, ὡς ἰδίαν μὲν πληροῦντα κακίαν, ἀφορμὴν δ' ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἀληθῆ ψευδῆ δὲ παντελῶς προβαλλόμενον. μηνὶ Σεπτεμβρίῳ, ἰνδ. ιαʹ." ἦν δὲ καὶ τοῖς γράμμασιν ὑποσήμανσις αὕτη "Ἀθανάσιος ἁμαρτω λὸς ὁ χρηματίσας πατριάρχης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως νέας Ῥώμης." Ἀθανασίῳ μὲν οὖν οὐδὲν ἐλάττων τῶν ἄλλων αἰτία καὶ αὕτη 257 προσπεσοῦσα, τοῦ δόξαι οὐχ ἧττον βαθέως ἢ ῥᾳδίως ἐργάζεσθαι, μείζων παρὰ τοῖς κατ' ἐκείνου ἐπιτηροῦσιν ἔδοξεν ἑαυτῆς ἔκ τε τοῦ καὶ αὐτὸν ὁμολογεῖν τὸ προσῆκον Χριστιανοῖς, ὡς οὔτε τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντολῆς οὔτε τῶν ἐκείνου νόμων καὶ παραγγελμάτων, οὔτε μὴν ψυχῆς φόβον ὅλως ἐχούσης αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἔννοιαν τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως, κακὰ ἀντὶ κακῶν ἀποδοῦναι. εἰ δέ τι ἄλλο ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ ἀφορισμῶν μεῖζον κακὸν ταῦτα ἐπ' αἰτίαις τισίν, ὁ θέλων κρινέτω. τέως γε μὴν κἀν τῷ ὁμολογεῖν, ὅσον τὸ δοκεῖν, ὡς οὐκ ἐν χρόνῳ τινὶ ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτίκα ἐπ' αὐτοῖς μεταγνοίη γράμμασι καὶ λύειν ἐθέλοι καὶ ἀφανίζειν αἱροῖτο ἃ τέως ἔδεέ τε καὶ ἠσφαλίζετο.

25. Βασιλεῖ δὲ καὶ αὖθις φροντὶς ἦν οὐ μικρὰ παρακεκι νημένων ἔνθεν μὲν τῶν Τοχάρων, ὅσοι δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ βορείοις τοῖς μέρεσιν ἔκειντο, ἐκεῖθεν δέ γε τῶν Τριβαλλῶν χρωμένων τῷ Κο τανίτζῃ, ὃς δὴ καὶ ἀποδρὰς ἐντεῦθεν, προσρυεὶς τῷ κράλῃ Σερ βίας ληΐστορος τρόπον καταθέων τὰ πρόσχωρα ἐληΐζετο, οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν τῆς ἀνατολῆς οὐ καλῶς ἐχόντων ἐκ τῆς προτέρας 258 ἐκείνης συγχύσεως. ταῦτά τοι καὶ βασιλεὺς ἀνδρὸς σπουδαίου ὁρῶν δεόμενον τὸν καιρὸν καὶ στρατηγοῦ, ἅμα μὲν ξυνετοῦ τῶν τοιούτων ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐγγιζόντων αὐτῷ πρὸς αἵματι, παριδὼν τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ σχίσματι μικρολογίαν τοῦ Ἰωάννου, καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν ἥκιστ' ἂν διὰ τὸ σχίζεσθαι βλάψειεν, ὀνήσειε δὲ τὸ κοινὸν διὰ τὴν εὐβουλίαν καὶ τὸ ἐπ' ἔργοις