Letter XCVII.604    Placed in 372.

To the Senate of Tyana.605    On the whole circumstances of the difficulties which arose in consequence of the civil division of Cappadocia, and the claim put forward in consequence by Anthimus, bp. of Tyana, to exercise metropolitan jurisdiction, see the biographical notice in the Prolegomena.

The Lord, Who reveals hidden things, and makes manifest the counsels of men’s hearts, has given even to the lowly knowledge of devices apparently hard to be understood.  Nothing has escaped my notice, nor has any single action been unknown.  Nevertheless I neither see nor hear anything but the peace of God and all that pertains to it.  Others may be great and powerful and self-confident, but I am nothing and worth nothing, and so I could never take upon myself so much as to think myself able to manage matters without support.  I know perfectly well that I stand more in need of the succour of each of the brethren than one hand does of the other.  Truly, from our own bodily constitution, the Lord has taught us the necessity of fellowship.  When I look to these my limbs and see that no out of them is self-sufficient, how can I reckon myself competent to discharge the duties of life?  One foot could not walk securely without the support of the other; one eye could not see well, were it not for the alliance of the other and for its being able to look at objects in conjunction with it.  Hearing is more exact when sound is received through both channels, and the grasp is made firmer by the fellowship of the fingers.  In a word, of all that is done by nature and by the will, I see nothing done without the concord of fellow forces.  Even prayer, when it is not united prayer, loses its natural strength and the Lord has told us that He will be in the midst where two or three call on Him in concord.  The Lord Himself undertook the economy,606    i.e.of the Incarnation.  cf. note on p. 7, and on Theodoret, p. 72. that by the blood of His cross He might make peace between things in earth and things in heaven.  For all these reasons then, I pray that I may for my remaining days remain in peace; in peace I ask that it may be my lot to fall asleep.  For peace’s sake there is no trouble that I will not undertake, no act, no word of humility, that I will shrink from; I will reckon no length of journey, I will undergo any inconvenience, if only I may be rewarded by being able to make peace.  If I am followed by any one in this direction, it is well, and my prayers are answered; but if the result is different I shall not recede from my determination.  Every one will receive the fruit of his own works in the day of retribution.

Τῌ ΒΟΥΛῌ ΤΥΑΝΩΝ

[1] Ὁ ἀνακαλύπτων βαθέα καὶ φανερῶν βουλὰς καρδιῶν Κύριος ἔδωκε καὶ τοῖς ταπεινοῖς σύνεσιν τῶν δυσθεωρήτων, ὥς τινες οἴονται, τεχνασμάτων. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἡμᾶς ἔλαθεν οὐδὲ τῶν πεπραγμένων τι κεκρυμμένον. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡμεῖς οὔτε ὁρῶμεν οὔτε ἀκούομεν ἄλλο τι ἢ τὴν εἰρήνην τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ὅσα πρὸς αὐτὴν φέρει. Εἰ γὰρ ἕτεροι δυνατοὶ καὶ μεγάλοι καὶ ἑαυτοῖς πεποιθότες, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οἱ μηδὲν καὶ τοῦ οὐδενὸς ἄξιοι οὐκ ἄν ποτε τοσοῦτον ἑαυτοὺς ὑπολάβοιμεν ὥστε ἐν τῇ μονώσει δύνασθαι νομίσαι περιέσεσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων, ἀκριβῶς εἰδότες ὅτι πλέον ἡμεῖς τῆς ἑνὸς ἑκάστου τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπικουρίας δεόμεθα ἢ ὅσον ἡ ἑτέρα τῶν χειρῶν τῆς ἑτέρας. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν κατασκευῆς τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τῆς κοινωνίας ὁ Κύριος ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν. Ὅταν γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὰ ταῦτα ἀπίδω τὰ μέλη ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἓν οὐδὲν ἑαυτῷ πρὸς ἐνέργειαν αὔταρκες, πῶς ἐμαυτὸν λογίσομαι ἐξαρκεῖν ἑαυτῷ πρὸς τὰ τοῦ βίου πράγματα; Οὔτε γὰρ ἂν ποῦς ἀσφαλῶς βαδίσειε μὴ συνυποστηρίζοντος τοῦ ἑτέρου, οὔτ' ἂν ὀφθαλμὸς ὑγιῶς ἴδοι μὴ κοινωνὸν ἔχων τὸν ἕτερον καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ συμφώνως προσβάλλων τοῖς ὁρατοῖς. Ἡ ἀκοὴ ἀκριβεστέρα, ἡ δι' ἀμφοῖν τοῖν πόροιν τὴν φωνὴν δεχομένη, καὶ ἀντίληψις κραταιοτέρα τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῶν δακτύλων. Καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς οὐδὲν οὔτε τῶν ἐκ φύσεως οὔτε τῶν ἐκ προαιρέσεως κατορθουμένων ὁρῶ ἄνευ τῆς τῶν ὁμοφύλων συμπνοίας ἐπιτελούμενον, ὅπου γε καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ προσευχὴ μὴ ἔχουσα τοὺς συμφωνοῦντας ἀδρανεστέρα ἐστὶ πολλῷ ἑαυτῆς καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐπηγγείλατο μέσος γενήσεσθαι δύο ἢ τριῶν ἐπικαλουμένων αὐτὸν ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ. Καὶ αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν οἰκονομίαν ὁ Κύριος κατεδέξατο, ἵνα εἰρηνοποιήσῃ διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ὥστε διὰ πάντα ταῦτα ἐν εἰρήνῃ μένειν τὰς λειπομένας ἡμῶν ἡμέρας εὐχόμεθα, ἐν εἰρήνῃ δὲ γενέσθαι τὴν κοίμησιν ἡμῶν αἰτοῦμεν. Ὑπὲρ ταύτης οὐδὲ πόνον ἐλλείπειν ὅντινα οὖν ἔγνωκα, οὐ ταπεινόν τι φθέγξασθαι ἢ ποιῆσαι, οὐχ ὁδοιπορίας μῆκος ὑπολογίσασθαι, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν ὀχληρῶν ὑποστείλασθαι, ὥστε τῶν μισθῶν τῆς εἰρηνοποιΐας ἐπιτυχεῖν. Κἂν μὲν ἕπηταί τις ταῦτα καθηγουμένοις ἡμῖν, τοῦτο ἄριστον καὶ εὐχῆς τυγχάνει πέρας: ἐὰν δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἐναντίαν ἀφέλκῃ, ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲ οὕτω τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ κρίσεως ἀποστήσομαι. Αὐτὸς δὲ ἕκαστος τῆς οἰκείας ἐργασίας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως τοὺς καρποὺς ἐπιγνώσεται.