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punishment, if they were willing to believe that they too judged the statement, as they say, to be slander. For this reason, all agreed that the patriarch was seeking just things, but they were divided on the matter of condemning the one who spoke; for neither did that man reveal the statement on his own initiative, nor did he compose it as an accusation, but he entrusted it to the emperor, so that he thought it would remain also among secrets. And so, while the patriarch often summoned the bishops, wishing to convene a synod on these matters, and some of them gathered and were ready to judge and condemn the one who had spoken, as it was not seemly nor otherwise proper to say such things to the emperor, the 341 others, inventing reasons for avoidance, postponed their arrival and held out good hopes for the bishop of Selymbria, and they did this often, giving the impression that they too were distressed that the patriarch was not of one mind with them on the matters of Ephesus, so that they were even in danger of being split, then the patriarch, distressed at what was happening, since indeed having presided synodically until late in the day he had awaited their arrival, immediately withdraws with a vehement disposition of soul and sufficiently impassioned from grief, saying as a last word to the bishops then present that indeed in the future he would not be among them, whatever they might do, and adding an oath, as some heard. And the oath, spoken somewhat in the common tongue, was thus: "May I be a slave of Christ, I am not with you, unless this happens." And this was, unless the bishop of Selymbria were punished. It was then the fifth of the month of Anthesterion, and the day was Friday, the day before the Sabbath, and having rested a little in his cell, toward evening he departs with his own people, and goes to the monastery of the Pammakaristos, where he was accustomed to stay, leaving one or even a second of his own men to hold and manage the affairs of the patriarchate. And he did these things, not however because he had decided to depart once and for all, but as he was often accustomed to do, 342 so it was supposed again. But after some days he drafted a resignation and sends it to the emperor, which was as follows, word for word. 29. "My holy lord Emperor, and you my holy lords, the bishops, I, knowing myself from the first to be a sinner, did everything in order to be delivered from sin. Or rather, I did little, but for the most part I trusted in the inexhaustible sea of the love of God for mankind, which He both poured out richly and continually pours out upon the just and the sinful and upon all creation under Him. And trusting in this alone, I pleasantly passed my life. Then, being compelled as God knows, by judgments which He Himself knows, I was raised to the patriarchal throne. After this, I was insulted in ways that all the people here and abroad know. I was much grieved by these things, not for my own person, God knows, but for the entire fullness of the Church, of which Christ is the head and I, through His grace. Knowing, therefore, that it is not fitting, nor just, for the office of patriarch to be borne while so insulted, being compelled, I swore to lay it aside. And I stand to keep my words, and behold, I pay my vows, which my lips uttered in my affliction. For I resign the patriarchal throne; and so that 343 I may not seem a pretext for scandal in the future, I also resign with it my priesthood, which is truly a great thing for me and worth everything. These things I make known to your God-given empire and to my lords, the bishops of Christ, through this resignation, by which I also grant complete forgiveness to those who insulted me, to those who cooperated in this, and to those who were led to believe these things, and may God be merciful to them for this. And if anything should happen, spiritual or physical, to the holy church of God or to the people of God, I am innocent by the grace of my Christ." It also had this signature: "John the monk, who was named patriarch of Constantinople." Having written and signed these things and sent them to the emperor, and having also divested himself of the very insignia of the high priesthood, he rested, remaining firm in his decisions. But the emperor, having received it

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δίκησιν, εἰ πιστεύειν θέλοιεν ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ συκοφαντίαν τὸν λό γον, ὡς λέγουσι, κρίνουσι. τῷ τοι καὶ τῷ μὲν ζητεῖν πατριάρ χην δίκαια ξύμπαντες ὡμολόγουν, πρὸς δὲ τὸ καταδικάζειν τὸν λέξαντα διαμφιγνωμονοῦντες ἦσαν· μηδὲ γὰρ κἀκεῖνον αὐτόθεν ἐκφῆναι τὸν λόγον, μηδ' ὡς κατηγορίαν συνθεῖναι, ἀλλὰ βασι λεῖ πιστεῦσαι, ὥστε μεῖναι καὶ ἐν ἀπορρήτοις οἴεσθαι. ὡς δὲ πολλάκις ὁ μὲν πατριάρχης συνιστᾶν βουλόμενος σύνοδον ἐπὶ τού τοις τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς μετεπέμπετο, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ οἱ μὲν συνήγοντο καὶ ἕτοιμοι ἦσαν κρῖναι καὶ καταδικάζειν τὸν φάμενον ὡς οὐκ εὔσχη μον ὂν οὐδ' ἄλλως εὐπρεπὲς πρὸς βασιλέα λέγειν τοιαῦτα, οἱ 341 δὲ αἰτίας τῆς ἀποφυγῆς πλαττόμενοι τὴν ἄφιξιν ὑπερετίθεντο καὶ τῷ Σηλυβρίας ἀγαθὰς ὑπερέτεινον τὰς ἐλπίδας, ταῦτα δ' ἐποίουν πολλάκις ἔννοιαν διδόντες ὡς ἐπαλγοῖεν καὶ οὗτοι μὴ καὶ πατριάρ χου σφίσιν ὁμογνωμονοῦντος ἐπὶ τοῖς τοῦ Ἐφέσου πράγμασιν, ὥστε καὶ κινδυνεύειν σχίζεσθαι, τότε πατριάρχης ἀπαλγῶν τοῖς τελουμένοις, ἐπεί γε συνοδικῶς προκαθήμενος μέχρις ὀψὲ τῆς ἡμέρας τὴν ἐκείνων περιέμενεν ἄφιξιν, αὐτίκα συντόνῳ ψυχῆς καταστήματι καὶ ἱκανῶς ἐνθέρμῳ ἐκ λύπης ἀποχωρεῖ, τελευ ταῖον εἰπὼν εἰς τοὺς τότ' ἀρχιερεῖς ἦ μὴν τοῦ λοιποῦ μὴ εἶναι μέσον αὐτῶν, κἂν ὅ τι ποιοῖεν, καὶ ὅρκον ἐπιπροσθείς, ὥς τι νες ἤκουσαν. ὁ δ' ὅρκος ἰδιωτικῶς πως οὕτως ἐξενεχθεὶς "νὰ ἦμαι δοῦλος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐ μὴν εἰμὶ μεθ' ὑμῶν, εἰ μὴ τὰ γένοιτο." τὸ δ' ἦν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Σηλυβρίας κολάζοιτο. πέμπτην μὲν οὖν ἦγε τότε μὴν Ἀνθεστηριών, ἡμέρα δ' ἦν ἡ πρὸ τοῦ σαβ βάτου παρασκευή, καὶ μικρὸν ἐφησυχάσας τῇ κέλλῃ πρὸς ἑσπέ ραν σὺν τοῖς ἰδίοις μεταχωρεῖ, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῆς Παμμακαρί στου μονήν, ὅπου καὶ εἴθιστο καταμένειν, γίνεται, ἀφεὶς ἕνα τῶν αὐτοῦ ἢ καὶ δεύτερον τὰ τοῦ πατριαρχείου κατέχειν καὶ διοι κεῖν. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐκεῖνος ἔπραττεν, οὐ μὴν δ' ὥστε οἱ καὶ καθάπαξ ἀπαλλάττειν ἔγνωστο, ἀλλ' ὡς πολλάκις εἴθιστο πράτ 342 τειν, οὕτω καὶ πάλιν ὑπελαμβάνετο. αὐτὸς δὲ μεθ' ἡμέρας καὶ παραίτησιν σχεδιάσας πέμπει πρὸς βασιλέα οὕτως ἔχουσαν ἐπὶ λέξεων. 29. "∆έσποτά μου ἅγιε βασιλεῦ, καὶ ὑμεῖς δεσπόται μου ἅγιοι ἀρχιερεῖς, ἐγὼ τὸ πρῶτον ἁμαρτωλὸν εἰδὼς ἐμαυτὸν πάντα ἔπραττον ὑπὲρ τοῦ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ῥυσθῆναί με. μᾶλλον δὲ ἔπραττον μὲν ὀλίγα, τὸ πλέον δ' ἐθάρρουν εἰς τὸ ἀνεξάντλητον πέλαγος τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, ὅπερ πλουσίως ἐξέχεέ τε καὶ διηνεκῶς ἐκχέει πρός τε δικαίους καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπ' αὐτὸν κτίσιν. καὶ τούτῳ μόνῳ θαρρῶν διήνυον ἡδέως τὸν ἐμὸν βίον. εἶτα ἀναγκασθεὶς ὅσα οἶδε θεός, κρίμα σιν οἷς οἶδεν αὐτός, ἀνήχθην εἰς τὸν πατριαρχικὸν θρόνον. ὑβρίσθην μετὰ ταῦτα ὅσα οἶδε πᾶς ὁ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐκτὸς λαός. ἐλυπήθην διὰ ταῦτα πολλά, οὐχὶ διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ὑπόστασιν, οἶδε θεός, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἅπαν πλήρωμα, ἧς Χριστὸς καὶ διὰ τῆς χάριτος ἐκείνου ἐγὼ κεφαλή. εἰδὼς τοίνυν ὡς οὐ τῶν πρεπόντων, οὐ τῶν δικαίων ὄν, οὕτως ὑβρισμένον ἀποφέ ρεσθαι πατριάρχου ἀξίωμα, ἀναγκασθεὶς ὤμοσα τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπο βολήν. καὶ ἵστημι τοῦ φυλάξαι τοὺς λόγους μου, καὶ ἀποδί δωμι ἰδοὺ τὰς εὐχάς μου, ἃς διέστειλαν τὰ χείλη μου ἐν τῇ θλί ψει μου. παραιτοῦμαι γὰρ τὸν πατριαρχικὸν θρόνον· ὡς ἂν δὲ 343 καὶ μὴ πρόφασις εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς δόξω σκανδάλου, σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν παραιτοῦμαι ἱερωσύνην, τὸ μέγα ὄντως ἐμοὶ χρῆμα καὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἀντάξιον. ταῦτα τίθημι γνώριμα τῇ ἐκ θεοῦ βασι λείᾳ σου καὶ τοῖς δεσπόταις μου τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι Χριστοῦ διὰ τῆς παραιτήσεως ταύτης, δι' ἧς καὶ τελείαν νέμω συγχώρησιν τοῖς τε ὑβρίσασι τοῖς τε εἰς τοῦτο συνεργήσασι καὶ τοῖς προαχθεῖσι τούτοις πιστεῦσαι, καὶ ἵλεως αὐτοῖς εἴη διὰ τοῦτο θεός. ἂν δέ τι συμβῇ εἰς τὰ ψυχικὰ καὶ εἰς τὰ σωματικὰ εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαν ἢ εἰς τὸν λαὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀθῶός εἰμι τῇ χάριτι τοῦ Χριστοῦ μου." εἶχε καὶ ὑπογραφὴν τήνδε "Ἰωάννης μονα χὸς ὁ χρηματίσας πατριάρχης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως." Ταῦτα γράψας τε καὶ ὑπογράψας καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀποστεί λας, καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἀπαμφιασάμενος, ἀφησύ χαζε τοῖς ἐγνωσμένοις ἐμμένων. βασιλεὺς δὲ δεξάμενος