105

come by the grace of my Christ. Nevertheless, for the confirmation of my words and for a presentation, I had these simple and harmless things, not to be reckoned as an oath, that I may have the mercy of God, that I may be a servant of God, and that I may die in repentance. So that also that which I uttered out of distress from my brothers, I said not reckoning it as an oath, but simply having the habit of saying this. And this was it: may I be a servant of God, if I do not go with you, that is to say, for the present, I am departing from you. I did not reckon this as an oath, having learned these things also from our great father Basil, who says in his moral treatises that where we place 'na', we do not indicate an oath, but where we place 'ma'. 351 But if someone takes me to task for my resignation, as having written there that I was departing on account of the oath, let him first consider that it was written out of extreme distress, as I also indicated there. Besides, I thought I would be released from the church peacefully. But since it happens that the bishops are scandalized by this, as not having proceeded canonically, if all of them, being forty in number, should come together and all accept my resignation, it would be well, and I then will not say what might happen, but will depart from the church, and the Lord will see to a shepherd for himself, with me also, if they should wish, deliberating with them about the one who by God's will is to govern his church. But if some of the bishops should be left, I say up to three, not accepting my resignation, nor approving it as having proceeded canonically, I will clearly be with them and will not step down from the authority given to me by the Holy Spirit, at the same time sparing the souls of those who spoke against me unjustly and unreasonably, and also providing for the churches, so that they may not be utterly destroyed by the departure of those who champion the truth. That I have been wronged both by your holy majesty and by the bishops is quite clear; for with eight months having passed in which I was insulted, your holy majesty 352 took no vengeance for me, nor did the synod. For whatever may befall the church from this point on, it is surely not I who will render an account for it. Having written these things for the sake of security, I send them to your mighty and holy majesty. May it be granted to her, being governed by the hand of God, to manage his church in a way that is secure and untroubled." When the emperor received this letter, it occurred to him to suspect that these things were not from the genuine mind and opinion of the patriarch, but were suggested by certain others, who, being bishops, were disputing with those who were zealous against him; nevertheless, convening a meeting again, he communicates the matters of the defense to the synod, and asks them to deliberate on the fact that the one resigning seems to regret his resignation. Then, therefore, a stubborn contentiousness arose on both sides, with some speaking on his behalf and rather strongly insisting that the resignation was out of distress, not of choice, and that if he is willing to stand his ground even with only three bishops, with so many being devoted to him it is much more just for him to stand his ground, while those opposing them maintained that the statement was an oath, and an oath full of dread, and sufficient to prevent him from the priesthood if it were transgressed. With these the emperor was indeed in reasonable agreement, for the most part, as it seemed, because of extreme piety 353 regarding the oath, but for an unclear reason, I think, also having as his aim the Arsenites, if he could make peace, (for their schism caused the emperor no small pain, as he showed) to win them over. Or else also on account of Athanasius, who was at that time unknown. As these matters were debated for a long time and the bishops did not agree with one another, the matters of the decision were in suspense, and they accomplished nothing by coming together. For this reason John was still commemorated, but his own people administered the patriarchate, holding it, although even before these things were set in motion, he who was still patriarch was sending to the monasteries, and sending also to the church itself, and permitting them to cease his commemoration, as one who had supposedly resigned and been cast off

105

δεῦρο Χριστοῦ μου χάριτι. πλὴν εἶχον εἰς πληροφορίαν τῶν λόγων μου καὶ παράστασιν ἁπλᾶ καὶ μὴ βλάπτοντα, μηδὲ εἰς ὅρκον λογιζόμενα ταῦτα, νὰ ἔχω τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ θεοῦ, νὰ ἦμαι δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ νὰ ἀποθάνω ἐν μετανοίᾳ. ὥστε καὶ ἐκεῖνο, ὅπερ ἐφθεγξά μην ἀπὸ παραλυπήσεως τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου, οὐχ ὡς ὅρκον λογιζό μενος εἶπον, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς ἔχων ἐκ συνηθείας τοῦτο λέγειν. τὸ δὲ ἦν· νὰ ἦμαι δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐ μὴ εἰ μὴ μεθ' ὑμῶν ὑπά γω δηλονότι τό γε νῦν ἔχον, ἀφίσταμαι ἐξ ὑμῶν. οὐχ ὅρκον δὲ τοῦτο ἐλογιζόμην, μαθὼν καὶ ταῦτα παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Βασιλείου, λέγοντος ἐν τοῖς ἠθικοῖς αὐτοῦ λόγοις ὅτι ἔνθα τὸ νὰ τίθεμεν, οὐχ ὅρκον παραδηλοῦμεν, ἀλλ' ἔνθα τὸ μά. 351 εἰ δέ τις ἐπιλαμβάνεταί μου τῆς παραιτήσεως ὡς κἀκεῖσε γράψαν τος διὰ τὸν ὅρκον ἐξέρχεσθαι, πρῶτον μὲν λογιζέσθω ὅτι ἀπὸ ἄκρας παραλυπήσεως γέγραπται, ὡς κἀκεῖ παρεδήλωσα. ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐδόκουν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς ἐκκλησίας εἰρηνικῶς. ἐπεὶ δὲ συμβαίνει σκανδαλίζεσθαι τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς διὰ ταύτην ὡς μὴ κα νονικῶς προβεβηκυῖαν, εἰ μὲν ὁμοῦ γένοιντο ἅπαντες τεσσαρά κοντα τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες καὶ δέξαιντο τὴν παραίτησίν μου ὅλοι, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι, κἀγὼ τότε τὸ τυχὸν οὐκ ἐρῶ, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκστήσομαι, καὶ ὄψεται κύριος ἑαυτῷ ποιμένα, κἀμοῦ, εἴγε βούλοιντο, μετ' αὐτῶν συνδιασκεψαμένου περὶ τοῦ νεύσει θεοῦ τὴν αὐτοῦ κυβερνήσοντος ἐκκλησίαν. εἰ δ' ἀπολειφθεῖέν τινες τῶν ἀρχιερέων, ἄχρι καὶ τριῶν λέγω, μὴ δεχόμενοι τὴν ἐμὴν παραίτησιν, μηδ' ὡς κανονικῶς προβάσης ἀποδεχόμενοι, κἀγὼ μετ' αὐτῶν δηλονότι ἔσομαι καὶ τῆς δεδομένης μοι παρὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου ἐξουσίας οὐκ ἀποστήσομαι, ἅμα μὲν φει δόμενος τῶν ψυχῶν τῶν ἀδίκως καὶ παραλόγως κατειπόντων μου, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προμηθούμενος, ἵνα μὴ τέλεον ἀπό λωνται τῇ τῶν ὑπερμαχούντων τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποχωρήσει. ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἠδικήθην παρά τε τῆς ἁγίας βασιλείας σου καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχιερέων, εὔδηλον· ὀκτὼ γὰρ παραδραμόντων μηνῶν ἐν οἷς ὑβριζόμην, οὐδεμίαν ἐποίησεν ἐκδίκησιν ἡ ἁγία βασιλεία σου 352 εἰς ἐμέ, οὔτε ἡ σύνοδος. ὅσον δ' ἐντεῦθεν ἐπισυμβῇ τῇ ἐκκλη σίᾳ, πάντως οὐκ ἐγὼ τὸν ὑπὲρ τούτου ἀποδώσω λόγον. ταῦτα διὰ τὸ ἀσφαλὲς γεγραφὼς τῇ κραταιᾷ καὶ ἁγίᾳ βασιλείᾳ σου πέμ πω. γένοιτο δὲ αὐτῇ θεοῦ κυβερνωμένῃ χειρί, ὅσον ἀσφαλὲς καὶ ἀτάραχον, τῇ αὐτοῦ πραγματεύσασθαι ἐκκλησίᾳ." Ταῦτα δεξαμένῳ τὰ γράμματα βασιλεῖ ὑπονοεῖν ἐπῄει ὡς οὐ γνησίας φρενὸς καὶ γνώμης τοῦ πατριάρχου ταῦτα, ἀλλά τι νων ἄλλων ὑποβαλλομένων, οἷς ἦν ἀμφισβητεῖν ἀρχιερεῦσιν οὖ σιν πρὸς τοὺς κατ' ἐκείνου σπουδάζοντας· ὅμως δὲ καὶ αὖθις ξύναξιν καθιστὰς τῇ συνόδῳ τὰ τῆς ἀπολογίας κοινοῦται, καὶ ὅτι μεταμέλειν δοκεῖ τῷ παραιτουμένῳ τῆς παραιτήσεως, συν διασκέπτεσθαι ἀξιοῖ. τότε τοίνυν στερρά τις φιλονεικία καὶ ἑκα τέροις τοῖς μέρεσι γίνεται, τῶν μὲν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου λεγόντων καὶ μᾶλλον ἰσχυριζομένων, ὡς παραλυπήσεως, οὐ προαιρέσεως ἡ παραίτησις, καὶ ὅτι εἰ καὶ ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἀρχιερεῦσι καὶ μόνοις ἵστα σθαι βούλεται, τόσων προσκειμένων ἐκείνῳ πολλῷ γε δικαιότε ρον ἵστασθαι, τῶν δὲ τούτοις ἀνθισταμένων ὅρκον εἶναι διατει νομένων τὸν λόγον, καὶ ὅρκον φρίκης μεστόν, καὶ ἱκανὸν κωλύειν ἱερωσύνης παραβαινόμενον. οἷς δὴ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιεικῶς ὁμογνωμονῶν ἦν, τῷ μὲν πλείονι, ὡς ἐῴκει, δι' ἄκραν εὐλά 353 βειαν τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν ὅρκον, τῷ δ' ἀδήλῳ, οἶμαι, καὶ σκοπὸν ἔχων τοὺς Ἀρσενιάτας, εἰ εἰρηνεύειν δύναιτο, (οὐδὲ γὰρ μικρὸν ὠδύνα τὸν βασιλέα τὸ ἐκείνων σχίσμα, ὡς ἔδειξε) προσλαβέσθαι. ἢ μὴν ἄλλως καὶ δι' Ἀθανάσιον, ἄδηλον ὂν ἐς τότε. τούτων ἐπὶ πολὺ τριβομένων καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων μὴ συμβαινόντων ἀλλή λοις μετέωρα τὰ τῆς ἀποφάσεως ἦσαν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἤνυτον συνερ χόμενοι. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἔτι ἐμνημονεύετο μὲν Ἰωάννης, οἱ αὐ τοῦ δὲ τὸ πατριαρχεῖον διῴκουν κατέχοντες, καίτοι γε καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ταῦτα κινεῖσθαι πέμποντος μὲν εἰς μονὰς τοῦ ἔτι πατριαρ χοῦντος, πέμποντος δὲ καὶ εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ παύειν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ μνημόσυνον ἐπιτρέποντος ὡς δῆθεν παραιτησαμένου καὶ ἀποβεβληκότος