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121.1 The winter is severe and has been protracted to the greatest length, so that not even the consolation of letters is easily available to us. Therefore I know that I have both written to your reverence and received letters only a few times. But since our most beloved brother Sanctissimus the fellow presbyter has undertaken the journey to you, through him I greet your modesty and ask you to pray for me and to lend your ear to the aforementioned, so as to be taught by him the affairs of the Churches in which he is and to contribute what zeal you can to the matters at hand. Know that Faustus came to us with letters from Papa, asking that he be made bishop. But when we asked for a testimony from your reverence and from the other bishops, scorning us he went to Anthimus and having received ordination from him without our recommendation, he has returned.

122.τ TO POIMENIUS, BISHOP OF SATALA

122.1 You surely sought a letter from the Armenians when they returned by way of you, and learned the reason why I did not give them the letter. If, then, they spoke truthfully, you have already given us forgiveness; but if they concealed it, which I indeed surmise, then hear it from us. Anthimus, noble in all things, who after a long time made peace with us, when he found an opportunity both to fulfill his own vainglory and to cause us some grief, ordained Faustus on his own authority and with his own hand, not awaiting the vote of any of you and laughing at us who are scrupulous about such matters. Since, therefore, he has confounded the ancient good order, and has scorned even you from whom I was waiting to receive testimony, and has done a thing I know not if it be pleasing to God, for this reason, being grieved with them, I gave no letter to any of the Armenians nor to your reverence. But neither did I receive Faustus into communion, openly protesting that, if he does not bring me letters from you, I myself will be estranged for all time and I will so dispose those of like mind with me to be towards him. If, then, what has been done is curable, be zealous both to write yourself, bearing witness for him, if you see that the man's life is good, and to urge the others. But if it is incurable, make this also clear to me, so that I may no longer pay any attention to them at all, even if, as they have shown, they are now eager to transfer their communion to Anthimus, having scorned our friendship and that of this Church as stale.

123.τ TO URBICIUS THE MONK

123.1 You were about to be with us (and the good was near) to cool us with at least the tip of your finger as we were burning in our temptations. Then what? Our sins rose up and prevented your coming, so that we suffer incurably. For just as with the waves, one ceases, another rises up, and another is already dark with shuddering, so also of our evils, some have ceased, some are present, and some are expected, and for us there is, for the most part, one escape from evils: to yield to the occasion and withdraw from our persecutors. But come to us, though with difficulty, either to console, or to give counsel, or to escort, and in any case you will make things easier by your very appearance. And what is greatest, pray and pray fervently that our thoughts not be submerged by the evil flood, but that in all things we may keep our thankfulness to God, so that we may not be numbered among the wicked servants who confess him when he does good, but when he chastises through adversity, do not

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121.1 Πολὺς ὁ χειμὼν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μακρότατον παραταθείς, ὡς μηδὲ τὰς διὰ γραμμάτων παραμυθίας ῥᾳδίως ἡμῖν ὑπάρχειν. Ὅθεν ὀλιγάκις οἶδα καὶ ἐπιστείλας τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ σου καὶ δεξάμενος γράμματα. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὁ ποθεινότατος ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Σαγκτήσιμος ὁ συμπρεσβύ τερος τὴν μέχρις ὑμῶν ὁδοιπορίαν ὑπέστη, δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ προσφθέγγομαί σου τὴν κοσμιότητα καὶ παρακαλῶ προσ εύχεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ καὶ χρῆσαι τὴν ἀκοὴν τῷ προειρημένῳ, ὥστε παρ' αὐτοῦ διδαχθῆναι τὰ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἐν οἷς ἐστι καὶ τὴν δυνατὴν σπουδὴν εἰσενέγκασθαι εἰς τὰ προ κείμενα. Γίνωσκε δὲ ὅτι Φαῦστος γράμματα ἔχων ἧκε πρὸς ἡμᾶς παρὰ Πάπα ἀξιοῦντα αὐτὸν γενέσθαι ἐπίσκοπον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ᾐτήσαμεν ἡμεῖς μαρτυρίαν τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπισκόπων, καταφρονήσας ἡμῶν πρὸς Ἄνθιμον ᾤχετο καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ λαβὼν τὴν χειροτονίαν χωρὶς ἡμετέρας ὑπομνήσεως ἐπανῆκε.

122.τ ΠΟΙΜΕΝΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΣΑΤΑΛΩΝ

122.1 Πάντως ἐπεζήτησας γράμματα παρὰ τῶν Ἀρμενίων, ὅτε ἐπανῆκαν διὰ

σοῦ, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἔμαθες δι' ἣν οὐκ ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐπιστολήν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν εἶπον φιλαληθῶς, ἔδωκας ἡμῖν αὐτόθεν τὴν συγγνώμην· εἰ δὲ ἀπεκρύψαντο ἐκεῖνοι, ὅπερ οὖν εἰκάζω, ἀλλὰ παρ' ἡμῶν ἄκουε. Ὁ τὰ πάντα γενναῖος Ἄνθιμος ὁ διὰ μακροῦ χρόνου τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰρήνην σπεισάμενος, ἐπειδὴ εὗρε καιρὸν ἑαυτοῦ τε κενοδοξίαν ἐκπληρῶσαι καὶ ἡμῖν λύπην τινὰ προξενῆσαι, ἐχειροτόνησε τὸν Φαῦστον ἰδίᾳ αὐθεντίᾳ καὶ ἰδίᾳ χειρὶ οὐδενὸς ὑμῶν ἀναμείνας ψῆφον καὶ ἡμῶν καταγελάσας ἀκριβολογουμένων περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν συνέχεε μὲν παλαιὰν εὐταξίαν, κατεφρόνησε δὲ καὶ ὑμῶν παρ' ὧν ἀνέ μενον ἐγὼ τὴν μαρτυρίαν δέξασθαι, ἐποίησε δὲ πρᾶγμα οὐκ οἶδα εἰ εὐάρεστον Θεῷ, τούτου ἕνεκεν λυπηθεὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς οὐδεμίαν ἔδωκα ἐπιστολὴν πρὸς οὐδένα τῶν Ἀρμενίων οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἰς κοινωνίαν ἐδεξάμην τὸν Φαῦστον φανερῶς διαμαρτυρό μενος ὅτι, εἰ μὴ ὑμέτερά μοι κομίσειε γράμματα, πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἔσομαι καὶ αὐτὸς ἠλλοτριωμένος καὶ τοὺς ὁμοψύχους μοι οὕτω διαθήσω πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔχειν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἰάσιμα τὰ γενόμενα, σπούδασον αὐτός τε ἐπιστεῖλαι μαρτυρῶν αὐτῷ, εἰ ὁρᾷς ἀγαθὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν ζωήν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους προτρέψασθαι. Εἰ δὲ ἀνίατα, καὶ τοῦτό μοι φανερὸν ποίησον, ὥστε μηκέτι με αὐτοῖς καθόλου προσ έχειν, εἰ καὶ ὅτι, ὡς ἔδειξαν, ὥρμηνται λοιπὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἄνθιμον ἑαυτῶν μεταθεῖναι τὴν κοινωνίαν, ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ταύτης ὡς ἑώλων εἰς φιλίαν καταφρονή σαντες.

123.τ ΟΥΡΒΙΚΙΩ ΜΟΝΑΖΟΝΤΙ

123.1 Ἔμελλες ἡμῖν παρέσεσθαι (καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐγγὺς) ἄκρῳ γοῦν δακτύλῳ

καταψύξων ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς φλεγο μένους. Εἶτα τί; Αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἡμῶν ἀντέβησαν καὶ διεκώ λυσαν τὴν ὁρμήν, ἵν' ἀθεράπευτα κάμνωμεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς κύμασι τὸ μὲν λήγει, τὸ δὲ ἀνίσταται, τὸ δὲ ἤδη φρίκῃ μελαίνεται, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν τὰ μὲν πέπαυται, τὰ δὲ πάρεστι, τὰ δὲ προσδοκᾶται, καὶ μία τῶν κακῶν ἡμῖν, ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον, ἀπαλλαγή, εἶξαι τῷ καιρῷ καὶ ὑπεξελθεῖν τοῖς διώκουσιν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμῖν ἧκε μόλις ἢ παραμυθούμενος ἢ καὶ γνώμην δώσων ἢ καὶ προπέμψων, πάντως δὲ αὐτῷ τῷ ὀφθῆναι ῥᾴους ποιήσων. Καὶ τὸ μέγιστον, εὔχου καὶ ὑπερεύχου μὴ καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἡμῶν βαπτισθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ κλύδωνος ἀλλ' ἐν πᾶσι διαφυλάσσειν τῷ Θεῷ τὸ εὐχάριστον, ἵνα μὴ ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς δούλοις ἀριθμηθῶμεν ἀγαθύνοντι μὲν ἐξομολογούμενοι, παιδεύοντι δὲ διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων μὴ