Letter XCVIII.607    Placed in 372.

To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.608    On a proposed meeting of bishops, with an allusion to the consecration of the younger Gregory.

1.  After receiving the letter of your holiness, in which you said you would not come, I was most anxious to set out for Nicopolis, but I have grown weaker in my wish and have remembered all my infirmity.  I bethought me, too, of the lack of seriousness in the conduct of those who invited me.  They gave me a casual invitation by the hands of our reverend brother Hellenius, the surveyor of customs at Nazianzus, but they never took the trouble to send a messenger to remind me, or any one to escort me.  As, for my sins, I was an object of suspicion to them, I shrank from sullying the brightness of their meeting by my presence.  In company with your excellency I do not shrink from stripping for even serious trials of strength; but apart from you I feel myself hardly equal even to looking at every day troubles.  Since, then, my meeting with them was intended to be about Church affairs, I let the time of the festival go by, and put off the meeting to a period of rest and freedom from distraction, and have decided to go to Nicopolis to discuss the needs of the Churches with the godly bishop Meletius, in case he should decline to go to Samosata.  If he agrees, I shall hasten to meet him, provided this is made clear to me by both of you, by him in reply to me (for I have written), and by your reverence.

2.  We were to have met the bishops of Cappadocia Secunda, who, directly they were ranked under another prefecture, suddenly got the idea that they were made foreigners and strangers to me.  They ignored me, as though they had never been under my jurisdiction, and had nothing to do with me.  I was expecting too a second meeting with the reverend bishop Eustathius, which actually took place.  For on account of the cry raised by many against him that he was injuring the faith, I met him, and found, by God’s grace, that he was heartily following all orthodoxy.  By the fault of the very men who ought to have conveyed my letter, that of the bishop was not transmitted to your excellency, and, harassed as I was by a multitude of cares, it escaped my memory.

I, too, was anxious that our brother Gregory609    Tillemont supposes the reference to be to Gregory of Nyssa.  Maran, however (Vit. Bas. xxiv.), regards this as an error, partly caused by the introduction into the text of the word ἐμόν, which he has eliminated; and he points out the Gregory of Nyssa, however unwilling to accept consecration, never objected after it had taken place, and was indeed sent to Nazianzus to console the younger Gregory of that place in his distress under like circumstances.  Moreover, Gregory of Nyssa was consecrated in the ordinary manner on the demand of the people and clergy with the assent of the bishops of the province.  (cf. Letter ccxxv.)  Gregory the younger, however, was consecrated to Sasima without these formalities. should have the government of a Church commensurate with his abilities; and that would have been the whole Church under the sun gathered into one place.  But, as this is impossible, let him be a bishop, not deriving dignity from his see, but conferring dignity on his see by himself.  For it is the part of a really great man not only to be sufficient for great things, but by his own influence to make small things great.

But what is to be done to Palmatius,610    Maran (Vit. Bas. xxiv.) notes that he knows nothing about Palmatius, and supposes that by “persecutions” are meant not persecutions in the ecclesiastical sense, but severities in the exaction of tribute.  In Letter cxlvii. Basil calls Maximus “a very good man,” praise which he is not likely to have given to a persecutor.  Maximus succeeded Elias, and probably inaugurated a new régime of strict exaction. who, after so many exhortations of the brethren, still helps Maximus in his persecutions?  Even now they do not hesitate to write to him.  They are prevented from coming themselves by bodily weakness and their own occupations.  Believe me, very godly Father, our own affairs are much in need of your presence, and yet once more you must put your honourable old age in motion, that you may give your support to Cappadocia, which is now tottering and in danger of falling.

ΕΥΣΕΒΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ

[1] Πάνυ ὡρμημένος καταλαβεῖν τὴν Νικόπολιν, μετὰ τὸ δέξασθαι τὰ παρὰ τῆς κοσμιότητός σου γράμματα ἄρνησιν ἔχοντα τῆς ἀφίξεως παρείθην ὑπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας καὶ πάσης ὁμοῦ τῆς ἀσθενείας ἀνεμνήσθην. Ἦλθε δέ μοι εἰς ἔννοιαν καὶ ἡ τῶν κεκληκότων ἀφοσίωσις, ὅτι, παροδικὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ποιησάμενοι τὴν κλῆσιν διὰ τοῦ αἰδεσιμωτάτου ἀδελφοῦ Ἑλληνίου τοῦ ἐξισοῦντος Ναζιανζόν, δεύτερον περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ὑπομιμνήσκοντα ἢ ὁδηγοῦντα ἡμᾶς οὐ κατηξίωσαν ἀποστεῖλαι. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὕποπτοι αὐτοῖς ἐσμεν διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, ἐφοβήθημεν μή που τὸ φαιδρὸν αὐτοῖς τῆς πανηγύρεως τῇ παρουσίᾳ ἡμῶν ἐπιθολώσωμεν. Μετὰ μὲν γὰρ τῆς σῆς μεγαλοφυΐας καὶ πρὸς τοὺς μεγάλους ἀποδύσασθαι πειρασμοὺς οὐκ ὀκνοῦμεν, ἄνευ δὲ σοῦ οὐδὲ ταῖς τυχούσαις θλίψεσιν ἀντιβλέπειν αὐτάρκως ἔχομεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ἕνεκεν γίνεσθαι ἡμῶν ἡ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔντευξις ἔμελλε, τὸν μὲν τῆς πανηγύρεως καιρὸν παρελίπομεν, εἰς ἡσυχίαν δὲ καὶ ἀτάραχον διαγωγὴν τὴν συντυχίαν ὑπερεθέμεθα καὶ προῃρήμεθα καταλαβόντες τὴν Νικόπολιν διαλεχθῆναι περὶ τῶν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἀναγκαίων τῷ θεοφιλεστάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Μελετίῳ, εἰ μέλλοι παραιτεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπὶ Σαμόσατα ὁδόν: εἰ δὲ μή, αὐτοῦ συνδραμούμεθα, ἐὰν παρ' ἀμφοτέρων τοῦτο ἡμῖν κατάδηλον γένηται, παρά τε αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου ἀντιγράψαντος ἡμῖν περὶ τούτων (ἐπεστείλαμεν γάρ) καὶ παρὰ τῆς σῆς θεοσεβείας.

[2] Ἐπισκόποις δὲ τοῖς ἐκ τῆς δευτέρας Καππαδοκίας συντυγχάνειν ἐμέλλομεν: οἵ, ἐπειδὴ ἑτέρας ὠνομάσθησαν ἐπαρχίας, ἐνόμισαν ἀθρόως καὶ ἀλλοεθνεῖς καὶ ἀλλόφυλοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς γεγενῆσθαι: οἳ τοσοῦτον ἡμᾶς ἠγνόησαν ὅσον οἱ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν πεπειραμένοι μηδὲ εἰς λόγους ποτὲ ἀφικόμενοι. Προσεδοκᾶτο δὲ καὶ ἑτέρα συντυχία τοῦ αἰδεσιμωτάτου ἐπισκόπου Εὐσταθίου, ἡ καὶ γενομένη ἡμῖν. Διὰ γὰρ τὸ παρὰ πολλῶν καταβοᾶσθαι αὐτὸν ὡς περὶ τὴν πίστιν παραχαράσσοντά τι, ἀφικόμεθα αὐτῷ εἰς λόγους καὶ εὕρομεν σὺν Θεῷ πρὸς πᾶσαν ὀρθότητα εὐγνωμόνως ἀκολουθοῦντα. Τὰ δὲ τῶν ἐπισκόπων γράμματα παρὰ τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτῶν ἐκείνων οὐκ ἐκομίσθη τῇ τιμιότητί σου οὓς ἐχρῆν τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν διαπέμψασθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμὲ παρῆλθε τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῶν φροντίδων ἐκκρουσθέντα τῆς μνήμης. Τὸν δὲ ἀδελφὸν Γρηγόριον κἀγὼ ἠβουλόμην οἰκονομεῖν Ἐκκλησίαν τῇ αὐτοῦ φύσει σύμμετρον. Αὕτη δὲ ἦν πᾶσα εἰς ἓν συναχθεῖσα ἡ ὑφ' ἡλίῳ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο ἀδύνατον, ἔστω ἐπίσκοπος, μὴ ἐκ τοῦ τόπου σεμνυνόμενος, ἀλλὰ τὸν τόπον σεμνύνων ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ. Ὄντως γὰρ μεγάλου ἐστὶν οὐ τοῖς μεγάλοις μόνον ἀρκεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μικρὰ μεγάλα ποιεῖν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμει. Τί δὲ δεῖ ποιῆσαι τῷ Παλματίῳ, μετὰ τοσαύτας παρακλήσεις τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἔτι ὑπηρετοῦντι τῷ Μαξίμῳ πρὸς τοὺς διωγμούς; Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ νῦν ὀκνοῦσιν ἐπιστεῖλαι: παραγενέσθαι γὰρ καὶ ὑπὸ ἀσθενείας σώματος καὶ ὑπὸ ἀσχολιῶν οἰκειακῶν οὐκ ἐπιτρέπονται. Γίνωσκε μέντοι, θεοφιλέστατε Πάτερ, ὅτι πάνυ χρῄζει τῆς παρουσίας σου τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ ἀνάγκη σε τὸ τίμιον γῆρας ἔτι ἅπαξ κινῆσαι, ὑπὲρ τοῦ στῆσαι περιφερομένην λοιπὸν καὶ ἐγγὺς πτώματος οὖσαν τὴν Καππαδοκίαν.