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shunning reproof for their most shameful deeds, they madden the people into contention against one another, so that by the common evils they may conceal what concerns themselves. Therefore this war is also without truce, as those who have done evil deeds are suspicious of the common peace as something that reveals the hidden things of their shame. At these things the unbelievers laugh, the little-faithed are shaken; faith is in doubt, ignorance is poured over souls, because those who adulterate the word with malice imitate the truth. For the mouths of the pious are silent, but every blasphemous tongue is let loose; holy things have been profaned, the sound part of the laity flee the houses of prayer as schools of impiety, and in the deserts they raise their hands to the Master in heaven with groanings and tears. Surely the things happening in most of the cities have reached even you, that the people with their wives and children and even the elders, pouring out before the walls, perform their prayers in the open air, bearing all the hardships from the weather with much long-suffering, awaiting help from the Lord. 92.3 What lament is worthy of these disasters? What fountains of tears will suffice for such great evils? Therefore while some still seem to stand, while a trace of the old state is still preserved, before the shipwreck completely overtakes the Churches, hasten to us, hasten now, yes, we beg you, most genuine brethren; give a hand to those who have fallen to their knees. Let your brotherly compassion be moved for us, let tears of sympathy be shed. Do not overlook half the world being swallowed up by error, do not allow the faith to be extinguished among those with whom it first shone forth. What then will you do to help the situation and how will you show your sympathy for the afflicted, you will surely not need to learn from us, but the Holy Spirit himself will suggest it to you. However, there is need of haste in order to rescue those who are left, and of the presence of more brethren, so that those who visit may constitute a full synod, so that, not only from the dignity of those who sent them, but also from their own number, they may have the credibility for correction; who also will renew the faith written at Nicaea by our Fathers and will proclaim the heresy anathema and will speak words of peace to the Churches, bringing those who think the same things together into concord. For this is surely the most pitiable thing of all, that even what seemed to be sound is divided against itself, and sufferings similar to those which once beset Jerusalem during the siege of Vespasian have, it seems, surrounded us. For they were at once afflicted by the war from without, and at the same time were being consumed by the internal strife of their kinsmen. But for us, in addition to the open war of the heretics, the one which has risen up from those who seem to be of the same opinion has brought the Churches to the last degree of weakness. For which things we especially need help from you, so that those who confess the apostolic faith, having dissolved the schisms they devised, may henceforth be subject to the authority of the Church, so that the body of Christ may become complete, with all its members restored to wholeness, and we may not only pronounce the good things of others blessed, which we now do, but may also see our own Churches receive again the ancient boast of orthodoxy. For indeed worthy of the highest blessing is the gift granted by the Lord to your piety, to distinguish the counterfeit from the genuine and pure, and to preach the faith of the Fathers without any reservation, which we also received and recognized as formed from the apostolic marks, agreeing both with it and with all the things decreed canonically and lawfully in the synodical letter.

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τοῖς αἰσχίστοις ἐκκλίνοντες ἔλεγχον τοὺς λαοὺς εἰς τὴν κατ' ἀλλήλων φιλονεικίαν ἐκμαίνουσιν, ἵνα τοῖς κοι νοῖς κακοῖς τὸ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς συσκιάσωσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἄσπονδός ἐστιν ὁ πόλεμος οὗτος, τῶν τὰ πονηρὰ εἰργασμένων τὴν κοινὴν εἰρήνην ὡς ἀποκαλύπτουσαν αὐτῶν τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης ὑφορωμένων. Ἐπὶ τούτοις γελῶσιν οἱ ἄπιστοι, σαλεύονται οἱ ὀλιγόπιστοι· ἀμφίβολος ἡ πίστις, ἄγνοια κατακέχυται τῶν ψυχῶν, διὰ τὸ μιμεῖσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοὺς δολοῦντας τὸν λόγον ἐν κακουργίᾳ. Σιγᾷ μὲν γὰρ τὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων στόματα, ἀνεῖται δὲ πᾶσα βλάσφημος γλῶσσα· ἐβεβηλώθη τὰ ἅγια, φεύγουσι τοὺς εὐκτηρίους οἴκους οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες τῶν λαῶν ὡς ἀσεβείας διδασκαλεῖα, κατὰ δὲ τὰς ἐρημίας πρὸς τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ∆εσπότην μετὰ στεναγμῶν καὶ δακρύων τὰς χεῖρας αἴρουσιν. Ἔφθασε δὲ πάντως καὶ μέχρις ὑμῶν τὰ γινόμενα ἐν ταῖς πλείσταις τῶν πόλεων, ὅτι οἱ λαοὶ σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ παισὶ καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς πρεσβύταις πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἐκχυθέντες ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ τελοῦσι τὰς προσευχάς, φέροντες πάσας τὰς ἐκ τοῦ ἀέρος κακοπαθίας σὺν πολλῇ τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ, τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀντίληψιν ἀναμένοντες. 92.3 Τίς θρῆνος τῶν συμφορῶν τούτων ἄξιος; Ποῖαι πηγαὶ δακρύων κακοῖς τοσούτοις ἐξαρκέσουσιν; Ἕως οὖν ἔτι δοκοῦσιν ἑστάναι τινές, ἕως ἔτι ἴχνος τῆς παλαιᾶς κατα στάσεως διασώζεται, πρὶν τέλεον ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἐπελ θεῖν τὸ ναυάγιον, ἐπείχθητε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἐπείχθητε ἤδη, ναὶ δεόμεθα, ἀδελφοὶ γνησιώτατοι· δότε χεῖρα τοῖς εἰς γόνυ κλιθεῖσι. Συγκινηθήτω ἐφ' ἡμῖν τὰ ἀδελφικὰ ὑμῶν σπλάγχνα, προχυθήτω δάκρυα συμπαθείας. Μὴ παρίδητε τὸ ἥμισυ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὑπὸ τῆς πλάνης καταποθέν, μὴ ἀνάσχησθε ἀποσβεσθῆναι τὴν πίστιν παρ' οἷς πρῶτον ἐξέλαμψε. Τί οὖν ποιήσαντες ἀντιλήψεσθε τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ πῶς τὸ πρὸς τοὺς θλιβομένους συμπα θὲς ἐπιδείξεσθε, οὐ παρ' ἡμῶν πάντως δεήσει μανθάνειν ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον ὑμῖν ὑποθήσεται. Πλήν γε ὅτι τάχους χρεία πρὸς τὸ περισώσασθαι τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας καὶ παρουσίας ἀδελφῶν πλειόνων, ὥστε πλήρωμα εἶναι συνόδου τοὺς ἐπιδημοῦντας, ἵνα, μὴ μόνον ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀποστειλάντων σεμνότητος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἰκείου ἀριθμοῦ, τὸ ἀξιόπιστον ἔχωσιν εἰς διόρθωσιν· οἳ καὶ τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ γραφεῖσαν παρὰ τῶν Πατέρων ἡμῶν πίστιν ἀνανεώσονται καὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν ἐκκηρύξουσι καὶ ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις τὰ εἰρηνικὰ διαλέξονται τοὺς τὰ αὐτὰ φρο νοῦντας συνάγοντες εἰς ὁμόνοιαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ δήπου τὸ πάντων ἐλεεινότατον, ὅτι καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν ὑγιαίνειν ἐφ' ἑαυτὸ ἐμερίσθη, καὶ περιέστηκεν ἡμᾶς, ὡς ἔοικε, παραπλήσια πάθη τοῖς ποτε κατὰ τὴν Οὐεσπασιανοῦ πολιορκίαν τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα περισχοῦσιν. Ἐκεῖνοί τε γὰρ ὁμοῦ μὲν τῷ ἔξωθεν συνείχοντο πολέμῳ, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τῇ ἔνδοθεν στάσει τῶν ὁμοφύλων κατανηλίσκοντο. Ἡμῖν δέ, πρὸς τῷ φανερῷ πολέμῳ τῶν αἱρετικῶν, ἔτι καὶ ὁ παρὰ τῶν δοκούντων ὁμο δοξεῖν ἐπαναστὰς εἰς ἔσχατον ἀσθενείας τὰς Ἐκκλησίας κατήγαγεν. Ἐφ' ἅπερ καὶ μάλιστα τῆς παρ' ὑμῶν χρῄζο μεν βοηθείας, ὥστε τοὺς τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ὁμολογοῦντας πίστιν, ἅπερ ἐπενόησαν σχίσματα διαλύσαντας, ὑποτα γῆναι τοῦ λοιποῦ τῇ αὐθεντίᾳ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἵνα ἄρτιον γένηται τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πᾶσι τοῖς μέλεσιν εἰς ὁλο κληρίαν ἐπανελθόν, καὶ μὴ μόνον τὰ παρ' ἑτέροις μακα ρίζωμεν ἀγαθά, ὅπερ νῦν ποιοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἡμετέρας αὐτῶν Ἐκκλησίας ἐπίδωμεν τὸ ἀρχαῖον καύχημα τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ἀπολαβούσας. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ τοῦ ἀνωτάτου μακα ρισμοῦ ἄξιον τὸ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ θεοσεβείᾳ χαρισθὲν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, τὸ μὲν κίβδηλον ἀπὸ τοῦ δοκίμου καὶ καθαροῦ δια κρίνειν, τὴν δὲ τῶν Πατέρων πίστιν ἄνευ τινὸς ὑποστολῆς κηρύσσειν, ἣν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐδεξάμεθα καὶ ἐπέγνωμεν ἐκ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν χαρακτήρων μεμορφωμένην, συνθέμενοι καὶ αὐτῇ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῷ συνοδικῷ γράμματι κανονικῶς καὶ ἐνθέσμως δεδογματισμένοις.