111

he reports for the sake of the poor, deign to your good will to be persuaded as by one who speaks the truth and to provide possible assistance to those who are exhausted. You will certainly deign also to visit the poorhouse of the company under him and entirely to release it from the tax-contribution. For this has already pleased your colleague as well, to make the small property of the poor exempt from public service.

143.τ TO ANOTHER NUMERARIUS

143.1 If it were possible for me myself to be present with your honor, I would by all means have reported in my own person concerning the things I wished and stood up for those who are oppressed. But since bodily illness and the engagements of business keep me away, in my own place I commend to you this brother, the chorepiscopus, so that you, having genuinely attended to him, may use him as a counselor as one who is able to advise truthfully and prudently concerning the matters. For the poorhouse administered by him, when you deign to see it (for you will see it, I know well, and will not pass it by, since you are not inexperienced in the work, but, as so-and-so has reported to me, you support one of the ones in Amasea from the things the Lord has given you), when, therefore, you see this one too, you will provide him with everything that is sought. For your colleague has already promised me some philanthropy concerning the poorhouses. And this I say not so that you yourself may imitate another (for it is fitting for you to be a leader of good things for others), but so that you may know that indeed others have importuned us concerning these very things.

144.τ TO A TRACTATOR OF THE PREFECTS

144.1 You surely know this man from your meeting in the city, but nevertheless we introduce him to you also through this letter, commending that he will be useful to you in many of the things you are concerned with because of being able to suggest what must be done both intelligently and piously. The things which you spoke into my ear, now is the time to show these things, when the aforementioned brother points out to you the matters of the poor.

145.τ TO EUSEBIUS BISHOP OF SAMOSATA

145.1 I know your countless labors, which you have endured on behalf of the Churches of God, and I am not ignorant of the multitude of engagements which you have; managing the stewardship not as a secondary matter, but according to the will of the Lord, and he who from your neighbors sits over you for whom it is necessary for us, like birds cowering under, for each not to run far from the shelter. Nothing of these things has escaped my notice. But longing is a violent thing, both to hope for things not possible and to attempt the impossible, or rather, hope in the Lord is the strongest of all things. For not with irrational desire, but with the strength of faith do I expect that even a way will appear in impossible circumstances and that you will easily overcome all hindrances in order to see the dearest of the Churches and indeed to be seen by her; which is more precious to her than all good things, to look upon your face and to hear your voice. Do not, therefore, make her hopes unfulfilled. For last year too, having returned from Syria, having conveyed this promise which I received, how do you think I raised her up with hopes? Do not, then, postpone your visit to her to another time, O admirable one. If it is possible to see her at some time, but not also with us whom sickness urges to depart at last from this painful life.

111

πτωχῶν ἕνεκεν ἀναφέρῃ σου τῇ ἀγαθῇ προαιρέσει καταξίωσον ὡς ἀλη θεύοντι πείθεσθαι καὶ τὴν δυνατὴν ἐπικουρίαν παρέχεσθαι τοῖς καταπονουμένοις. Καταξιώσεις δὲ δηλονότι καὶ πτω χοτροφίαν τῆς συμμορίας τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐπισκέψασθαι καὶ πάντη ἀνεῖναι τῆς συντελείας. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἤδη καὶ τῷ ἑταίρῳ σου συνήρεσε τὴν μικρὰν κτῆσιν τῶν πενήτων ἀλει τούργητον καταστῆσαι.

143.τ ΕΤΕΡΩ ΝΟΥΜΕΡΑΡΙΩ

143.1 Εἰ μὲν αὐτῷ μοι δυνατὸν ἦν συμπαρεῖναι τῇ τιμιότητί σου, δι' ἐμαυτοῦ

ἂν πάντως ἀνήνεγκα περὶ ὧν ἐβουλόμην καὶ προέστην τῶν καταπονουμένων. Ἐπεὶ δέ με ἀρρωστία σώματος καὶ ἀσχολίαι πραγμάτων ἀφέλκουσιν, ἀντ' ἐμαυ τοῦ σοι τὸν ἀδελφὸν τόνδε τὸν χωρεπίσκοπον συνίστημι, ὥστε σε αὐτῷ γνησίως προσσχόντα χρήσασθαι συμβούλῳ ὡς φιλαλήθως καὶ ἐμφρόνως δυναμένῳ συμβουλεῦσαι περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων. Τὸ γὰρ πτωχοτροφεῖον τὸ παρ' αὐτοῦ οἰκονομούμενον ἐπειδὰν καταξιώσῃς θεάσασθαι (ὄψει γάρ, εὖ οἶδα, καὶ οὐ παραδραμῇ, ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲ ἄπειρος εἶ τοῦ ἔργου, ἀλλ', ὡς ὁ δεῖνά μοι ἀνήνεγκεν, ἓν τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἀμασείᾳ ἐξ ὧν ἔδωκέ σοι ὁ Κύριος διατρέφεις), ἐπειδὰν οὖν ἴδῃς καὶ τοῦτο, πάντα αὐτῷ παρέξῃ τὰ ἐπιζητούμενα. Ἤδη γάρ μοι καὶ ὁ ἑταῖρός σου κατεπηγγείλατο φιλανθρω πίαν τινὰ περὶ τὰ πτωχοτροφεῖα. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω οὐχ ἵνα ἄλλον αὐτὸς μιμήσῃ (σὲ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἑτέροις εἶναι τῶν καλῶν ἡγεμόνα), ἀλλ' ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι δὴ περὶ αὐτῶν τούτων καὶ ἄλλοι ἡμᾶς ἐδυσώπησαν.

144.τ ΤΡΑΚΤΕΥΤΗ ΤΩΝ ΕΠΑΡΧΩΝ

144.1 Γνωρίζεις πάντως τόνδε ἐκ τῆς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν συν τυχίας, ὅμως δέ σοι

αὐτὸν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς προσά γομεν συνιστῶντες ὅτι εἰς πολλά σοι τῶν σπουδαζομένων χρήσιμος ἔσται διὰ τὸ καὶ συνετῶς καὶ εὐλαβῶς δύνασθαι ὑποτίθεσθαι τὰ πρακτέα. Ἃ δὲ ἐμοὶ εἰς τὸ οὖς διελέχθης ταῦτα νῦν ἐστι καιρὸς ἐπιδείξασθαι, ἐπειδάν σοι ὁ προει ρημένος ἀδελφὸς τὰ τῶν πτωχῶν ὑποδείξῃ.

145.τ ΕΥΣΕΒΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ

145.1 Οἶδα τοὺς μυρίους κόπους σου, οὓς ἀνέτλης ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ

Θεοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἀσχολιῶν τὸ πλῆθος οὐκ ἀγνοῶ, ἃς ἔχεις· τὴν οἰκονομίαν οὐ παρέργως, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου διατιθέμενος, καὶ τὸν ἐκ γειτόνων ὑμῖν ἐπικαθήμενον ᾧ ἀνάγκη ἡμᾶς, ὥσπερ ὄρνιθας ὑπο πτήσσοντας, μὴ πόρρω τῆς σκέπης ἕκαστον ἀποτρέχειν. Τούτων με οὐδὲν λέληθεν. Ἀλλ' ὁ πόθος πρᾶγμα βίαιον καὶ ἐλπίσαι τὰ μὴ ἐνδεχόμενα καὶ ἐγχειρῆσαι τοῖς ἀδυ νάτοις, μᾶλλον δὲ ἡ ἐπὶ Κύριον ἐλπὶς ἰσχυρότατον πάν των. Οὐ γὰρ ἀλόγῳ ἐπιθυμίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἰσχύϊ πίστεως προσ δοκῶ καὶ πόρον ἐν ἀμηχάνοις φανήσεσθαι καὶ πάντων ῥᾳδίως σε τῶν κωλυμάτων περιγενέσθαι πρὸς τὸ ἰδεῖν σε τὴν φιλτάτην τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ μέντοι καὶ ὀφθῆναι παρ' αὐτῆς· ὃ πάντων αὐτῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν προτιμότατον, τῷ σῷ προσβλέψαι προσώπῳ καὶ τῆς σῆς ἀκοῦσαι φωνῆς. Μὴ τοίνυν αὐτῇ τὰς ἐλπίδας ἀτελεῖς καταστήσῃς. Καὶ γὰρ πέρυσιν ἀπὸ τῆς Συρίας ἐπανελθών, ἣν ἐδεξάμην ἐπαγγελίαν ταύτην διακομίσας, πῶς οἴει μετέωρον αὐτὴν κατέστησα ταῖς ἐλπίσι; Μὴ οὖν εἰς ἄλλον καιρὸν ὑπέρθῃ τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν αὐτῆς, ὦ θαυμάσιε. Ἐὰν ᾖ δυνατὸν ἰδεῖν αὐτήν ποτε, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν οὓς ἐπείγει ἡ νόσος ἀπᾶραι λοιπὸν τοῦ ὀδυνηροῦ τούτου βίου.