Ep. CLXXXIII.

Envy, which no one easily escapes, has got some foothold amongst us.  See, even we Cappadocians are in a state of faction, so to speak—a calamity never heard of before, and not to be believed—so that no flesh may glory82    1 Cor. i. 29. in the sight of God, but that we may be careful, since we are all human, not to condemn each other rashly.  For myself, there is some gain even from the misfortune (if I may speak somewhat paradoxically), and I really gather a rose out of thorns, as the proverb has it.  Hitherto I have never met Your Reverence face to face, nor conversed with you by letter, but have only been illuminated by your reputation; but now I am of necessity compelled to approach you by letter, and I am very grateful to him who has procured me this privilege.  I omit to write to the other Bishops about whom you wrote to me, as the opportunity has not yet arisen.  Moreover my weak health makes me less active in this matter; but what I write to you I write to them also through you.  My Lord the God-beloved Bishop Helladius83    Basil’s successor. must cease to waste his labour on our concerns.  For it is not through spiritual earnestness, but through party zeal, that he is seeking this; and not for the sake of accurate compliance with the canons, but for the satisfaction of anger, as is evident by the time he has chosen, and because many have moved with him unreasonably, for I must say this, and not trouble myself about it.  If I were physically in a condition to govern the Church of Nazianzus, to which I was originally appointed, and not to Sasima as some would falsely persuade you, I should not have been so cowardly or so ignorant of the Divine Constitutions as either to despise that Church, or to seek for an easy life in preference to the prizes which are in store for those who labour according to God’s will, and work with the talent committed to their care.  For what profit should I have from my many labours and my great hopes, if I were ill advised in the most important matters?  But since my bodily health is bad, as everyone can plainly see, and I have not any responsibility to fear on account of this withdrawal, for the reason I have mentioned, and I saw that the Church through cleaving to me was suffering in its best interests and almost being destroyed through my illness, I prayed both before and now again my Lords the God-beloved Bishops (I mean those of our own Province) to give the Church a head, which they have done by God’s Grace, worthy both of my desire and of your prayers.  This I would have you both know yourself, most honourable Lord, and also inform the rest of the Bishops, that they may receive him and support him by their votes, and not bear heavily on my old age by believing the slander.  Let me add this to any letter.  If your examination finds my Lord the God-beloved Priest Bosporius guilty concerning the faith—a thing which it is not lawful even to suggest—(I pass over his age and my personal testimony) judge him so yourselves.  But if the discussion about the dioceses is the cause of this evil report and this novel accusation, do not be led away by the slander, and do not give to falsehoods a greater strength than to the truth, I beg you, lest you should cast into despair those who desire to do what is right.  May you be granted good health and spirits and courage and continual progress in the things of God to us and to the Church, whose common boast you are.

[183] ΘΕΟΔΩΡΩΙ

Ἔσχε τι καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν ὁ φθόνος, ὃν οὐδεὶς ῥᾳδίως διέφυγεν. Ἰδοὺ καὶ Καππαδόκαι στασιάζομεν, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, _τὸ μὴ πρότερον ἀκουσθὲν μηδὲ πιστευθὲν κακόν, « ὅπως μὴ καυχήσηται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ »: _ἀλλ' εἰδῶμεν ἅπαντες ὄντες ἄνθρωποι, καὶ μὴ προχείρως ἑτέρων καταγινώσκωμεν. Ἀλλ' ἐμοί τι κέρδος καὶ παρὰ τῆς συμφορᾶς (εἰ δεῖ παραδόξως εἰπεῖν), καὶ ὄντως ῥόδα ἐξ ἀκανθῶν, ὡς ἡ παροιμία, συλλέγομεν. Ἐγὼ γοῦν οὔπω πρότερον οὔτε κατ' ὄψιν συντετυχηκὼς τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ, οὔτε διὰ γραμμάτων ὡμιληκώς, ἀλλὰ τῇ περὶ σοῦ φήμῃ μόνῃ καταυγαζόμενος, νῦν καὶ εἰς ἀνάγκην ἦλθον τῆς διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων ἐντεύξεως καὶ χάρις πολλὴ τῷ τοῦτο χαρισαμένῳ. Τὸ μὲν οὖν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπισκόποις περὶ ὧν ἐπέστειλας γράφειν, οὔπω γὰρ τούτου καιρός, παραλείψομεν καὶ ἅμα ἡ ἀρρωστία ὀκνηροτέρους ἡμᾶς πρὸς τοῦτο καθίστησιν: ἃ δέ σοι γράφομεν, κἀκείνοις διὰ σοῦ γράφομεν. Παυσάσθω περιεργαζόμενος τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν ὁ κύριός μου καὶ θεοφιλέστατος Ἑλλάδιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος: οὐ πνευματικῇ γάρ, ἀλλὰ ἐριστικῇ ταῦτα ζητεῖ περιόδῳ, οὐδὲ ἀκριβείᾳ κανόνων, ἀλλ' ὀργῆς ἐκπληρώσει, ὡς δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ πολλῶν τῶν σὺν τούτῳ κεκινημένων ἔξω τοῦ λόγου: χρὴ γὰρ οὕτω λέγειν καὶ μὴ λυπεῖν. Ἐγὼ γὰρ εἰ μὲν τοῦ σώματος οὕτως εἶχον ὡς Ἐκκλησίας δύνασθαι προστατεῖν Ναζιανζοῦ, ᾗ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπεκηρύχθην ἀλλὰ μὴ Σασίμοις, ὥς τινες ὑμᾶς πείθουσιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς, οὐχ οὕτως ἤμην ἄθλιος οὐδὲ τῶν θείων διατάξεων ἀμαθὴς ὡς ἢ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπεριδεῖν ἢ τὴν τοῦ βίου ῥᾳστώνην μεταδιώκειν, πρὸ τῶν ἀποκειμένων μισθῶν τοῖς κάμνουσι κατὰ Θεὸν καὶ τὸ πιστευθὲν τάλαντον ἀπεργαζομένοις. Τί γάρ μοι τῶν πολλῶν πόνων ὄφελος καὶ τῶν μεγάλων ἐλπίδων, περὶ τῶν μεγίστων βουλευσαμένῳ κακῶς; Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τὸ σῶμα κακῶς ἔχει μοι, ὃ πᾶσι δῆλόν ἐστι, καὶ βάρος οὐδὲν ἐκ τῆς ὑποχωρήσεως ἔδεισα ταύτης δι' ἣν εἶπον αἰτίαν: καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἑώρων ἐχομένην ἡμῶν, βλαπτομένην δὲ περὶ τὰ καίρια καὶ λελυμένην σχεδὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς λύσεως, ἐδεήθην καὶ πρότερον καὶ νῦν τῶν κυρίων μου τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων ἐπισκόπων, τῶν πατριωτῶν λέγω, δοῦναι τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ κεφαλήν, ἣν σὺν Θεῷ δεδώκασιν, ἀξίαν καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπιθυμίας καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων εὐχῶν. Ταῦτ' οὖν αὐτὸς γίνωσκε, κύριε τιμιώτατε, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐπισκόπους ἀναδίδαξον καὶ ἀποδέχεσθαι καὶ συνεπιψηφίζειν καὶ μὴ βαρεῖν τὸ ἡμέτερον γῆρας ταῖς διαβολαῖς πειθομένους.

Προσκείσθω δὲ κἀκεῖνο τοῖς γράμμασι: τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν θεοφιλέστατον συλλειτουργὸν Βοσπόριον, εἰ μὲν ἡ παρ' ὑμῶν ἐξέτασις εὑρίσκει περὶ τὴν πίστιν κακόν, ὃ μηδὲ λέγειν ἐστὶ θεμιτὸν (ἐῶ γὰρ τὸν μακρὸν χρόνον καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν), αὐτοὶ τοῦτο κρίνατε. Εἰ δὲ ἡ τῶν παροικιῶν ζήτησις τὴν κακοδοξίαν δημιουργεῖ καὶ νέον τὸ ἔγκλημα, μὴ ταῖς διαβολαῖς παρασύρεσθε, μηδὲ ἰσχυροτέρας τῆς ἀληθείας ποιεῖσθε, παρακαλῶ, μὴ πολλοὺς εἰς ἀθυμίαν καταστήσητε τῶν εὖ πράττειν προῃρημένων.

Ἐρρωμένος, εὔθυμος, προκόπτων κατὰ Θεὸν χαρισθείης ἡμῖν καὶ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, τὸ κοινὸν σεμνολόγημα.