Letter XC.566    Placed in 372.

To the holy brethren the bishops of the West.567    By Newman, who translates the first paragraphs, this letter, as well as xcii., is viewed in close connection with Letter lxx., addressed to Damasus.

1.  The good God Who ever mixes consolation with affliction has, even now in the midst of my pangs, granted me a certain amount of comfort in the letters which our right honourable father bishop Athanasius has received from you and sent on to me.  For they contain evidence of sound faith and proof of your inviolable agreement and concord, showing thus that the shepherds are following in the footsteps of the Fathers and feeding the people of the Lord with knowledge.  All this has so much gladdened my heart as to dispel my despondency and to create something like a smile in my soul in the midst of the distressing state of affairs in which we are now placed.  The Lord has also extended His consolation to me by means of the reverend deacon Sabinus, my son, who has cheered my soul by giving me an exact narrative of your condition; and from personal experience of his own, will give you clear tidings of ours, that you may, in the first place, aid me in my trouble by earnest and constant prayer to God; and next that you may consent to give such consolation as lies in your power to our afflicted Churches.  For here, very honourable brethren, all is in a weak state; the Church has given way before the continuous attacks of her foes, like some bark in mid-ocean buffeted by successive blows of the waves; unless haply there be some quick visitation of the divine mercy.  As then we reckon your mutual sympathy and unity an important blessing to ourselves, so do we implore you to pity our dissensions; and not, because we are separated by a great extent of country, to part us from you, but to admit us to the concord of one body, because we are united in the fellowship of the Spirit.

2.  Our distresses are notorious, even though we leave them untold, for now their sound has gone out into all the world.  The doctrines of the Fathers are despised; apostolic traditions are set at nought; the devices of innovators are in vogue in the Churches; now men are rather contrivers of cunning systems than theologians; the wisdom of this world wins the highest prizes and has rejected the glory of the cross.  Shepherds are banished, and in their places are introduced grievous wolves hurrying the flock of Christ.  Houses of prayer have none to assemble in them; desert places are full of lamenting crowds.  The elders lament when they compare the present with the past.  The younger are yet more to be compassionated, for they do not know of what they have been deprived.  All this is enough to stir the pity of men who have learnt the love of Christ; but, compared with the actual state of things, words fall very far short.  If then there be any consolation of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any bowels of mercy, be stirred to help us.  Be zealous for true religion, and rescue us from this storm.  Ever be spoken among us with boldness that famous dogma568    κήρυγμα.  cf. note on the De Sp. Sancto. p. 41. of the Fathers, which destroys the ill-famed heresy of Arius, and builds up the Churches in the sound doctrine wherein the Son is confessed to be of one substance with the Father, and the Holy Ghost is ranked and worshipped as of equal honour, to the end that through your prayers and co-operation the Lord may grant to us that same boldness for the truth and glorying in the confession of the divine and saving Trinity which He has given you.  But the aforenamed deacon will tell you every thing in detail.  We have welcomed your apostolic zeal for orthodoxy and have agreed to all that has been canonically done by your reverences.

ΤΟΙΣ ΑΓΙΩΤΑΤΟΙΣ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΙΣ ΤΟΙΣ ΕΝ Τῌ ΔΥΣΕΙ

[1] Ὁ ἀγαθὸς Θεός, ὁ ἀεὶ ταῖς θλίψεσι παραζευγνὺς τὰς παρακλήσεις, ἔδωκε καὶ νῦν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ὀδυνῶν εὑρέσθαι τινὰ μετρίαν παράκλησιν ἐκ τῶν γραμμάτων ἃ παρὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας ὀρθότητος ὁ τιμιώτατος ἡμῶν πατὴρ ἐπίσκοπος δεξάμενος διεπέμψατο ἡμῖν, ὑγιοῦς πίστεως μαρτυρίαν καὶ τῆς ἀνεπηρεάστου ὁμονοίας καὶ συμπνοίας ἀπόδειξιν ἔχοντα, ὥστε καὶ ποιμένας ἀναδεικνύναι τοῖς ἴχνεσι τῶν Πατέρων ἀκολουθοῦντας καὶ τὸν λαὸν τοῦ Κυρίου μετ' ἐπιστήμης ποιμαίνοντας. Ταῦτα πάντα ηὔφρανεν ἡμᾶς τοσοῦτον ὥστε λῦσαι ἡμῶν τὴν κατήφειαν καὶ μειδίαμά τι βραχὺ ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν ἐμποιῆσαι ἀπὸ τῆς σκυθρωπῆς ταύτης τῶν πραγμάτων κινήσεως ἐν ᾗ νῦν καθεστήκαμεν. Ἐπέτεινε δὲ ἡμῖν τὴν παράκλησιν ὁ Κύριος διὰ τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου υἱοῦ καὶ συνδιακόνου Σαβίνου, ὃς καὶ τὰ παρ' ὑμῖν καλὰ διηγησάμενος ἀκριβῶς ἔθρεψεν ἡμῶν τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα δὲ τῇ πείρᾳ μαθὼν ἐναργῶς ὑμῖν ἀναγγελεῖ, ἵνα προηγουμένως μὲν διὰ τῆς ἐκτενοῦς καὶ φιλοπόνου δεήσεως τῆς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον συναγωνίζησθε ἡμῖν, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐνδεχομένην παραμυθίαν ταῖς καταπονουμέναις Ἐκκλησίαις εἰσενέγκασθαι μὴ παραιτήσησθε. Κέκμηκε γὰρ ἐνταῦθα, ἀδελφοὶ τιμιώτατοι, καὶ ἀπείρηκε πρὸς τὰς συνεχεῖς προσβολὰς τῶν ἐναντίων ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ὥσπερ τι πλοῖον ἐν πελάγει μέσῳ ταῖς ἐπαλλήλοις πληγαῖς τῶν κυμάτων βασανιζόμενον, εἰ μή τις γένοιτο ταχεῖα ἐπισκοπὴ τῆς ἀγαθότητος τοῦ Κυρίου. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡμεῖς ἴδιον ἀγαθὸν ἑαυτῶν ποιούμεθα τὴν ὑμετέραν πρὸς ἀλλήλους σύμπνοιάν τε καὶ ἑνότητα, οὕτω καὶ ὑμᾶς παρακαλοῦμεν συμπαθῆσαι ἡμῶν ταῖς διαιρέσεσι καὶ μή, ὅτι τῇ θέσει τῶν τόπων διεστήκαμεν, χωρίζειν ἡμᾶς ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ', ὅτι ἑνούμεθα τῇ κατὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα κοινωνίᾳ, εἰς τὴν ἑνὸς σώματος ἡμᾶς συμφωνίαν ἀναλαμβάνειν.

[2] Γνώριμα δὲ τὰ θλίβοντα ἡμᾶς, κἂν ἡμεῖς μὴ λέγωμεν. εἰς πᾶσαν γὰρ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκκέχυται. Καταπεφρόνηται τὰ τῶν Πατέρων δόγματα, ἀποστολικαὶ παραδόσεις ἐξουθένηνται, νεωτέρων ἀνθρώπων ἐφευρέματα ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἐμπολιτεύεται: τεχνολογοῦσι λοιπόν, οὐ θεολογοῦσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι: ἡ τοῦ κόσμου σοφία τὰ πρωτεῖα φέρεται, παρωσαμένη τὸ καύχημα τοῦ σταυροῦ. Ποιμένες ἀπελαύνονται, ἀντεισάγονται δὲ λύκοι βαρεῖς, διασπῶντες τὸ ποίμνιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οἶκοι εὐκτήριοι ἔρημοι τῶν ἐκκλησιαζόντων, αἱ ἐρημίαι πλήρεις τῶν ὀδυρομένων. Οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὀδύρονται, τὰ παλαιὰ συγκρίνοντες τοῖς παροῦσιν: οἱ νέοι ἐλεεινότεροι, μὴ εἰδότες οἵων ἐστέρηνται. Ταῦτα ἱκανὰ μὲν κινῆσαι εἰς συμπάθειαν τοὺς τὴν Χριστοῦ ἀγάπην πεπαιδευμένους, συγκρινόμενος δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τῶν πραγμάτων ὁ λόγος ἀξίας πολὺ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀπολείπεται. Εἴ τι οὖν παραμύθιον ἀγάπης, εἴ τις κοινωνία Πνεύματος, εἴ τι σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί, κινήθητε πρὸς τὴν ἀντίληψιν ἡμῶν. Λάβετε ζῆλον εὐσεβείας, ἐξέλεσθε ἡμᾶς τοῦ χειμῶνος τούτου. Λαλείσθω καὶ παρ' ὑμῖν μετὰ παρρησίας τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐκεῖνο κήρυγμα τῶν Πατέρων, τὸ καταστρέφον μὲν τὴν δυσώνυμον αἵρεσιν τὴν Ἀρείου, οἰκοδομοῦν δὲ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας ἐν τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ ἐν ᾗ ὁ Υἱὸς ὁμοούσιος τῷ Πατρὶ ὁμολογεῖται καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον ὁμοτίμως συναριθμεῖταί τε καὶ συλλατρεύεται, ἵνα ἣν ὑμῖν ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας παρρησίαν καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ τῆς θείας καὶ σωτηρίου Τριάδος καύχημα, τοῦτο καὶ ἡμῖν διὰ τῶν ὑμετέρων εὐχῶν καὶ τῆς συνεργίας ὑμῶν χαρίσηται. Τὸ δὲ καθέκαστον αὐτὸς ὁ προειρημένος συνδιάκονος ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῶν τῇ ἀγάπῃ. Καὶ πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς γενομένοις κανονικῶς παρὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας τιμιότητος συνεθέμεθα, τὸν ἀποστολικὸν ὑμῶν ζῆλον ὑπὲρ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ἀποδεξάμενοι.