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through the grace of God we found it to have been falsely stirred up by the slander of those who hate him; which they also openly confessed in our presence. And we decided to moderately tame the people in Satala towards him, so that they might no longer shun his communion. But if these things are small and worthy of nothing, yet nothing more could be done by us because of our own discord with one another, which came from the meddling of the devil. It was necessary to be silent about these things, lest I seem to publicize my own reproaches, but since there was no other way to make my defense to your greatness, I was compelled to relate the entire truth of what happened.

100. TO EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF SAMOSATA

100.1 I saw your letter of love in the neighboring country of the Armenians just as sailors might see a torch beaconed from afar on the sea, especially if the sea happens to be running wild under the winds. For your reverence's letter is by nature sweet and has much comfort, but then the occasion increased the grace from it, and what sort of occasion it was and how it grieved us I would not say, having decided once and for all to forget sorrowful things; our fellow-deacon, however, will relate it to your piety. But my body was completely failing me, so that I could not bear even the slightest movements without pain. But still I pray that my old desire may now at least be fulfilled through the help of your prayers, even though this journey has made great difficulty for me, since the affairs of our church have been neglected for so long. And if God, while we are above the earth, deems us worthy to see your piety in our Church, we will have truly good hopes for the future as well, that we shall not be utterly cast away from the gifts of God. This, at least, if it is possible, we ask to happen at the synod which we hold annually in memory of the most blessed martyr Eupsychius, now approaching on the seventh day of the month of September. For matters worthy of concern also surround us, needing your cooperation, both for the appointment of bishops and for counsel and consideration of the things being plotted against us by the worthiness of Gregory of Nyssa, who is assembling synods in Ancyra and in no way ceases to plot against us.

101. CONSOLATORY

101.1 It would have been worthy of a prayer for us, sending a first letter, to have a more cheerful subject for the writing. For thus things would have been to our liking, because we wish for all who choose to live in piety that their whole life prosper toward the good. But since the Lord who directs our life, according to his ineffable wisdom, has surely ordained these things to happen for the benefit of our souls, through which he has made life painful for you, and has brought us, who are joined in love according to God, to compassion, having learned from our brothers in what circumstances you are, it seemed necessary for us to offer you what comfort is possible. If, then, it were possible also to cross over to the place where your nobility happens to be staying, I would have considered this of the utmost importance. But since both the sickness of the body and the multitude of affairs that press upon us and this very journey which we undertook to the great detriment of our Churches has made it so that we visit by letter, we have been eager to [visit] your reverence, reminding you that tribulations

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διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ εὕρο μεν αὐτὴν ψευδῶς κινηθεῖσαν ἐκ διαβολῆς τῶν μισούντων αὐτόν· ἣν καὶ φανερῶς ὡμολόγησαν ἐφ' ἡμῶν. Καὶ ἐδόξα μεν μετρίως ἡμεροῦν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν ἐν Σατάλοις λαόν, ὥστε μηκέτι αὐτοῦ τὴν κοινωνίαν φεύγειν. Εἰ δὲ μικρὰ ταῦτα καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξια, ἀλλὰ παρ' ἡμῶν οὐδὲν ἦν πλέον δυνατὸν γενέσθαι διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου περιεργίας ἡμῶν αὐτῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀσυμφωνίαν. Ταῦτα ἔδει μὲν σιωπᾶν, ἵνα μὴ δόξω δημοσιεύειν ἐμαυτοῦ τὰ ὀνείδη, ἀλλ', ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἦν ἄλλως ἀπολογήσασθαί σου τῇ μεγαλοφυΐᾳ, εἰς ἀνάγκην ἦλθον πᾶσαν τῶν γεγονότων τὴν ἀλήθειαν διηγήσασθαι.

100.τ ΕΥΣΕΒΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ

100.1 Οὕτως εἶδον τὰ γράμματά σου τῆς ἀγάπης ἐν τῇ γείτονι χώρᾳ τῆς

Ἀρμενίων ὡς ἂν ἴδοιεν οἱ θαλαττεύοντες πυρσὸν ἐν πελάγει πόρρωθεν φρυκτωρούμενον, ἄλλως τε κἂν ἀγριαίνουσά πως τύχῃ ὑπ' ἀνέμων ἡ θάλασσα. Καὶ γὰρ φύσει μὲν ἡδὺ καὶ παρηγορίαν ἔχον πολλὴν τὸ τῆς σῆς σεμνότητος γράμμα, τότε δὲ τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ χάριν ὁ καιρὸς συνηύξησεν, ὃν ὁποῖος ἦν καὶ ὅπως ἡμᾶς λυπήσας ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι, κρίνας ἅπαξ ἐπιλαθέσθαι τῶν λυπηρῶν· ὁ μέντοι συνδιάκονος ἡμῶν διηγήσεταί σου τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ. Ἐμὲ δὲ ἐπέλειπε παντελῶς τὸ σῶμα, ὡς μηδὲ τὰς σμικρο τάτας κινήσεις δύνασθαι ἀλύπως φέρειν. Πλὴν ἀλλ' εὔχο μαι δυνηθῆναί μοι τὴν παλαιὰν ἐπιθυμίαν νῦν γοῦν διὰ τῆς βοηθείας τῶν σῶν προσευχῶν ἐκπληρωθῆναι, εἰ καὶ ὅτι πολλήν μοι πεποίηκε τὴν δυσκολίαν ἡ ἀποδημία αὕτη, τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ἀμεληθέντων τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν Ἐκκλησίαν πραγμάτων. Ἐὰν δὲ ὁ Θεός, ἕως ἐσμὲν ὑπὲρ γῆς, καταξιώσῃ ἡμᾶς ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡμῶν τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν ὄντως ἀγαθὰς ἐλπίδας καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς μέλ λουσιν ἕξομεν ὡς οὐ πάντῃ ἀπόβλητοι τῶν δωρεῶν γενησό μεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τοῦτο γοῦν, ἐὰν ᾖ δυνατόν, παρακαλοῦμεν ἐπὶ τῆς συνόδου γενέσθαι ἣν δι' ἔτους ἄγομεν ἐπὶ τῇ μνήμῃ τοῦ μακαριωτάτου μάρτυρος Εὐψυχίου ἐγγιζούσῃ λοιπὸν κατὰ τὴν ἑβδόμην τοῦ Σεπτεμβρίου μηνὸς ἡμέραν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ φροντίδος ἄξια ἡμῖν περίκειται πράγματα τῆς παρὰ σοῦ δεόμενα συνεργίας, εἴς τε κατάστασιν ἐπι σκόπων καὶ εἰς βουλὴν καὶ σκέψιν τῶν μελετωμένων καθ' ἡμῶν παρὰ τῆς χρηστότητος Γρηγορίου τοῦ Νυσσαέως, ὃς συνόδους συγκροτεῖ κατὰ τὴν Ἀγκύραν καὶ οὐδένα τρόπον ἐπιβουλεύων ἡμῖν ἀφίησιν.

101.τ ΠΑΡΑΜΥΘΗΤΙΚΗ

101.1 Εὐχῆς ἄξιον ἦν πρώτην διαπεμπομένους ἐπιστολὴν εὐθυμοτέραν ἔχειν

τὴν τῶν γραμμάτων ὑπόθεσιν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἡμῖν τὰ κατὰ γνώμην ὑπῆρξε, διότι πᾶσι βουλόμεθα τοῖς ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ ζῆν προαιρουμένοις πάντα τὸν βίον εἰς ἀγαθὸν εὐοδοῦσθαι. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὁ διοικῶν τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν Κύριος κατὰ τὴν ἄρρητον αὐτοῦ σοφίαν πάντως πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον τῶν ψυχῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων ταῦτα ᾠκονόμησε γενέσθαι δι' ὧν σοὶ μὲν ὀδυνηρὰν κατέστησε τὴν ζωήν, ἡμᾶς δὲ τοὺς τῇ κατὰ Θεὸν ἀγάπῃ συνημμένους εἰς συμπάθειαν ἤγαγε, μαθόντας παρὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν ἐν οἷς γέγονας, ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν ἐφάνη τὴν ἐνδεχομένην παράκλησιν προσαγαγεῖν σοι. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἦν δυνατὸν καὶ διαβῆναι μέχρι τοῦ τόπου ἐν ᾧ συμβαίνει διάγειν σου τὴν εὐγένειαν, περὶ παντὸς ἂν τοῦτο ἐποιησάμην. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ σώματος ἀρρωστία καὶ τῶν συνεχόντων ἡμᾶς πραγμάτων τὸ πλῆθος καὶ αὐτὴν ταύτην ἣν ὑπέ στημεν ὁδὸν ἐπὶ πολλῇ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς Ἐκκλησιῶν ζημίᾳ παρεσκεύασε διὰ γραμμάτων ἐπισκέψασθαί, σου τὴν σεμνότητα προεθυμήθημεν, ὑπομιμνήσκοντες ὅτι αἱ θλίψεις