107

by an illness, during which our beloved and most excellent brother, our fellow deacon Elpidius, came upon us, much consumed by the fever, which, for lack of matter to feed it, wrapped itself around this dry flesh like a burnt-out wick and brought on a wasting and chronic illness; and then afterwards my old affliction, this liver taking its turn, shut me off from food, and drove sleep from my eyes, and held me on the borderlands of life and death, permitting me to live only enough to be sensible of its pains. So I also used naturally hot waters and accepted some treatments from physicians. But this vigorous evil overcame everything, which, if one is accustomed to it, another might even bear, but when it attacks one who is unpracticed, no one is so adamantine as to resist it. Having been troubled by it for a long time, I have never been so distressed as now, being hindered by it from meeting with your true love. For I myself know what delight I have been deprived of, even if with the tip of my finger I tasted last year the sweetest honey of the Church among you. 138.2 And I, for the sake of other necessary matters, needed to come together with your piety both to communicate about many things, and to learn many things. For not even here is it possible to find true love. But even when one finds someone very loving, there is no one who can, in a like manner to your perfect wisdom and experience, which you have gathered from many labors concerning the Churches, give us an opinion on the matters at hand. So it was not possible to write the other things, but what is safe to report is this. The presbyter Evagrius, the son of Pompeianus of Antioch, who once set out for the West with the blessed man Eusebius, has now returned from Rome demanding from us a letter containing exactly what was written by them word for word (for he brought back to us our letter, as it had not pleased the more scrupulous men there) and that an embassy of worthy men be hastened now, so that the men might have a plausible reason for visiting us. Those in Sebasteia who think as we do, having laid bare the insidious ulcer of Eustathius's evil doctrine, are demanding from us some ecclesiastical care for them. Iconium is a city of Pisidia, in former times the first after the greatest, but now it too presides as first over a part which, having been gathered from various divisions, has received the administration of its own province. This city calls us for a visit, so that we may give it a bishop. For Faustinus had died. Whether, therefore, we ought not to shrink from ordinations beyond the borders, and what sort of answer we must give to the Sebastenians, and how we should be disposed toward the opinions of Evagrius, I needed to be taught by meeting in person with your honor, of all which things I have been deprived on account of my present illness. If, then, it is possible to find someone coming to us quickly, deign to send me the answers concerning all these things; but if not, pray that it may come into my mind what is well-pleasing to the Lord. And in the synod, command that we be remembered, and you yourself pray for us, and take the people with you, so that for the remaining days or hours of our sojourning we may be counted worthy to serve as is well-pleasing to the Lord.

139. To THE ALEXANDRIANS

139.1 The report of the persecutions that have happened in Alexandria and the

rest of Egypt reached us long ago and affected our souls, as was fitting.

For we considered the artfulness of the devil's warfare, how, when he saw in the persecutions from the gentiles the Church increasing and flourishing the more, he changed his plan and no longer wages war openly, but

107

ἀρρωστίᾳ, καθ' ἣν ἐπέστη ἡμῖν ὁ ἀγαπητὸς καὶ σπουδαιότατος ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν συνδιάκονος Ἐλπίδιος, πολλὰ μὲν τῷ πυρετῷ δαπα νηθείς, ὃς ἀπορίᾳ τῆς τρεφούσης αὐτὸν ὕλης τῇ ξηρᾷ ταύτῃ σαρκὶ οἷον θρυαλλίδι κεκαυμένῃ περιειλούμενος μαρασμώδη καὶ χρονίαν ἐπήγαγεν ἀρρωστίαν· τὰ δὲ ἐφεξῆς ἡ ἀρχαία πληγή μου, τὸ ἧπαρ τοῦτο διαδεξάμενον, ἀπέκλεισε μέν με σιτίων, ἀπεδίωξε δὲ τῶν ὀμμάτων τὸν ὕπνον, ἐν μεθορίοις δὲ κατέσχε ζωῆς καὶ θανάτου τοσοῦτον ζῆν ἐπι τρέπον ὅσον τῶν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δυσχερῶν ἐπαισθάνεσθαι. Ὥστε καὶ ὕδασιν ἐχρησάμην αὐτοφυῶς θερμοῖς καί τινας παρ' ἰατρῶν ἐπιμελείας κατεδεξάμην. Ἅπαντα δὲ ἤλεγξε τὸ νεανικὸν τοῦτο κακὸν ὃ τοῦ μὲν ἔθους παρόντος κἂν ἄλ λος ἐνέγκοι, ἀμελετήτως δὲ προσπεσόντος οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἀδαμάντινος ὥστε ἀντισχεῖν. Ὑφ' οὗ πολὺν ὀχληθεὶς χρόνον οὐδέποτε οὕτως ἠνιάθην ὅσον νῦν ἐμποδισθεὶς παρ' αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν συντυχίαν τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀγάπης σου. Οἵας γὰρ ἀπεστερήθην θυμηδίας οἶδα καὶ αὐτός, εἰ καὶ ἄκρῳ δακτύλῳ τοῦ γλυκυτάτου μέλιτος τῆς παρ' ὑμῖν Ἐκκλησίας ἀπεγευσάμεθα πέρυσιν. 138.2 Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἄλλων ἀναγκαίων ἕνεκεν πραγμάτων ἐδεόμην εἰς ταὐτὸν γενέσθαι τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ σου καὶ περὶ πολλῶν μὲν ἀνακοινώσασθαι, πολλὰ δὲ μαθεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ οὐδέ ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα οὐδὲ ἀγάπης ἀληθινῆς ἐπιτυχεῖν. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ πάνυ τις ἀγαπῶντα εὕρῃ, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ δυνά μενος παραπλησίως τῇ τελείᾳ σου φρονήσει καὶ τῇ ἐμπειρίᾳ, ἣν ἐκ πολλῶν τῶν περὶ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας συνελέξω καμά των, δοῦναι γνώμην ἡμῖν περὶ τῶν προκειμένων. Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα οὐκ ἐνῆν γράφειν, ἃ δ' οὖν καὶ ἐξενεγκεῖν ἀσφαλὲς ταῦτά ἐστιν. Ὁ πρεσβύτερος Εὐάγριος, ὁ υἱὸς Πομπηϊανοῦ τοῦ Ἀντιοχέως, ὁ συναπάρας ποτὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ∆ύσιν τῷ μακαρίῳ ἀνδρὶ Εὐσεβίῳ, ἐπανήκει νῦν ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμης ἀπαιτῶν ἡμᾶς ἐπιστολὴν αὐτὰ τὰ παρ' ἐκείνων γεγραμμένα ἔχουσαν αὐτολεξεὶ (ἀνεκόμισε δὲ ἡμῖν εἰς τοὐπίσω τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν, ὡς οὐκ ἀρέσαντα τοῖς ἀκριβεστέροις τῶν ἐκεῖ) καὶ πρεσβείαν τινὰ δι' ἀνδρῶν ἀξιολόγων ἤδη κατεπείγεσθαι, ὑπὲρ τοῦ εὐπρόσωπον ἔχειν ἀφορμὴν τοὺς ἄνδρας τῆς ἐπισκέψεως ἡμῶν. Οἱ κατὰ Σεβάστειαν τὰ ἡμέτερα φρονοῦντες Εὐσταθίου τὸ ὕπουλον τῆς κακοδοξίας ἕλκος ἀπογυμνώσαντες ἀπαιτοῦσί τινα παρ' ἡμῶν ἐκκλησια στικὴν αὐτῶν ἐπιμέλειαν. Ἰκόνιον πόλις ἐστὶ τῆς Πισι δίας, τὸ μὲν παλαιὸν μετὰ τὴν μεγίστην ἡ πρώτη, νῦν δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ πρώτη προκάθηται μέρους ὃ ἐκ διαφόρων τμημάτων συναχθὲν ἐπαρχίας ἰδίας οἰκονομίαν ἐδέξατο. Αὕτη καλεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰς ἐπίσκεψιν, ὥστε αὐτῇ δοῦναι ἐπίσκο πον. Τετελευτήκει γὰρ ὁ Φαυστῖνος. Εἰ οὖν δεῖ μὴ κατ οκνεῖν τὰς ὑπερορίους χειροτονίας καὶ ποίαν τινὰ χρὴ δοῦναι τοῖς Σεβαστηνοῖς ἀπόκρισιν καὶ πῶς πρὸς τὰς τοῦ Εὐαγρίου διατεθῆναι γνώμας, ἐδεόμην διδαχθῆναι αὐτὸς συντυχὼν δι' ἐμαυτοῦ τῇ τιμιότητί σου, ὧν πάντων ἀπεστε ρήθην διὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ἀσθένειαν. Ἐὰν μὲν οὖν ᾖ τινος ἐπιτυχεῖν ταχέως πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφικνουμένου, καταξίωσον περὶ πάντων ἀποστεῖλαί μοι τὰς ἀποκρίσεις· εἰ δὲ μή, εὖξαι ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ νοῦν μοι ὅπερ εὐάρεστον ᾖ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἐν δὲ τῇ συνόδῳ μνήμην ἡμῶν κέλευσον γενέσθαι καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ πρόσευξαι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν λαὸν συμπαράλαβε, ἵνα τὰς λειπομένας ἡμέρας ἢ ὥρας τῆς παροικίας ἡμῶν κατα ξιωθῶμεν δουλεῦσαι ὡς ἔστιν εὐάρεστον τῷ Κυρίῳ.

139.τ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΥΣΙΝ

139.1 Ἡμᾶς μὲν ἡ ἀκοὴ τῶν γεγενημένων κατὰ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν καὶ τὴν

λοιπὴν Αἴγυπτον διωγμῶν πάλαι κατέλαβε καὶ διέθηκε τὰς ψυχάς, ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν. Ἐλογισάμεθα γὰρ τὸ ἔντεχνον τοῦ διαβολικοῦ πολέμου, πῶς, ἐπειδὴ εἶδεν ἐν τοῖς παρὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν διωγμοῖς πληθυνομένην τὴν Ἐκκλη σίαν καὶ μᾶλλον θάλλουσαν, μετέστρεψεν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν βου λὴν καὶ οὐκέτι ἐκ τοῦ προφανοῦς πολεμεῖ, ἀλλὰ