Letter CXIX.659    Placed in the end of 372 or beginning of 373.

To Eustathius, Bishop of Sebasteia.660    On the misconduct of Basilius and Sophronius, two disciples of Eustathius.

I address you by the very honourable and reverend brother Petrus, beseeching you now and ever to pray for me, that I may be changed from ways dangerous and to be shunned, and may be made one day worthy of the name of Christ.  Though I say nothing, you will converse together about my affairs, and he will give you an exact account of what has taken place.  But you admit without due examination, the vile suspicions against me which will probably be raised by men who have insulted me, in violation of the fear of God and the regard of men.  I am ashamed to tell you what treatment I have received from the illustrious Basilius, whom I had accepted at the hands of your reverence as a protection for my life.  But, when you have heard what our brother has to say, you will know every detail.  I do not thus speak to avenge myself upon him, for I pray that it may not be put to his account by the Lord, but in order that your affection to me may remain firm, and because I am afraid lest it be shaken by the monstrous slanders which these men are pretty sure to make up in defence of their fall.  Whatever be the charges they adduce, I hope your intelligence will put these enquiries to them.  Have they formally accused me?  Have they sought for any correction of the error which they bring against me?  Have they made their grievance against me plain?  As matters are, by their ignoble flight they have made it evident that under the cheerfulness of their countenance, and their counterfeit expressions of affection, they are all the while hiding in their heart an immense depth of guile and of gall.  In all this, whether I narrate it or not, your intelligence knows perfectly well what sorrow they have caused me, and what laughter to those who, always expressing their abomination for the pious life in this wretched city, affirm that the pretence of virtue is practised as a mere trick to get credit, a mere assumption to deceive.  So in these days no mode of life is now so suspected of vice by people here as the profession of asceticism.  Your intelligence will consider what is the best cure for all this.

As to the charges patched up against me by Sophronius, far from being a prelude of blessings, they are a beginning of division and separation, and are likely to lead to even my love growing cold.  I implore that by your merciful kindness he may be withheld from his injurious efforts, and that your affection may strive rather to tighten the bonds of what is falling asunder, and not to increase separation by joining with those who are eager for dissent.

ΕΥΣΤΑΘΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΕΙΑΣ

[1] Καὶ διὰ τοῦ αἰδεσιμωτάτου καὶ εὐλαβεστάτου ἀδελφοῦ Πέτρου προσφθέγγομαί σου τὴν ἀγάπην παρακαλῶν σε ὡς διὰ πάσης προφάσεως καὶ νῦν προσεύχεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα μεταβαλλόμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀπευκτοῦ τούτου καὶ βλαβεροῦ τρόπου γένωμαί ποτε ἄξιος τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Πάντως δέ, κἂν ἐγὼ μὴ λέγω, διαλεχθήσεσθε πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς καὶ γνωρισθῆναι ποιήσει σοι τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τῶν πεπραγμένων, ὥστε μὴ παραδεχθῆναι ἀβασανίστως τὰς πονηρὰς καθ' ἡμῶν ὑπονοίας ἃς εἰκὸς κατασκευάζειν τοὺς καὶ παρὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον καὶ παρὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπόληψιν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐξυβρίσαντας. Οἷα γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐνεδείξατο ὁ γενναῖος Βασίλειος ὃν ἀντὶ φυλακτηρίου τῆς ἐμῆς ζωῆς παρὰ τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας ὑπεδεξάμην ἐγὼ μὲν καὶ εἰπεῖν αἰσχύνομαι, εἴσει δὲ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον παρὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν διδαχθείς. Καὶ τοῦτο λέγω οὐκ ἐκεῖνον ἀμυνόμενος (εὔχομαι γὰρ αὐτῷ μὴ λογισθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου), ἀλλὰ βεβαίαν μοι τὴν παρὰ σοῦ ἀγάπην μεῖναι ἡμῖν διοικούμενος, ἣν φοβοῦμαι μὴ διασαλεύσωσι ταῖς ὑπερβολαῖς τῶν διαβολῶν ἃς εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς κατασκευάσαι εἰς ἀπολογίαν τοῦ πταίσματος. Ὅπερ δ' ἂν κατηγορήσωσιν ἡμῶν, ἐκεῖνο παρὰ τῆς σῆς ἀγχινοίας ἐξεταζέσθωσαν εἰ ἐνεκάλεσαν ἡμῖν ἢ τὴν διόρθωσιν τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος οὗ νῦν ἡμῖν ἐπάγουσιν ἐπεζήτησαν ἢ ὅλως φανερὰν ἑαυτῶν τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς λύπην κατέστησαν. Νῦν δὲ ἐν φαιδρῷ τῷ προσώπῳ καὶ τετιμημένοις ἀγάπης ῥήμασιν ἀμύθητόν τινα δόλου καὶ πικρίας βυθὸν τῆς ψυχῆς συγκαλύπτοντες διὰ τῆς ἀνελευθέρου σιωπῆς ἐφανέρωσαν. Ἐφ' ᾧ ὅσον μὲν προξενοῦμεν τὸν γέλωτα τοῖς ἀεὶ τὸν εὐλαβῆ βίον ἐν τῇ ἀθλίᾳ ταύτῃ πόλει βδελυσσομένοις καὶ τέχνην πρὸς τὸ πιστευθῆναι καὶ σχηματισμὸν εἰς ἀπάτην τὸ πλάσμα τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης διαβεβαιουμένοις ἐπιτηδεύεσθαι, πάντως, κἂν ἡμεῖς μὴ διηγησώμεθα, γνώριμον τῇ συνέσει σου: ὡς μηδὲν ἐπιτήδευμα οὕτως ὕποπτον εἶναι πρὸς κακίαν λοιπὸν τοῖς ἐνταῦθα ὡς τὸ ἐπάγγελμα τοῦ ἀσκητικοῦ βίου. Ὅπως δὲ χρὴ θεραπευθῆναι τῆς σῆς ἂν εἴη συνέσεως φροντίσαι. Τὰ γὰρ παρὰ Σωφρονίου συνερραμμένα ἐγκλήματα ἡμῖν οὐκ ἀγαθῶν ἐστι προοίμια, ἀλλ' ἀρχὴ διαιρέσεως καὶ χωρισμοῦ καὶ σπουδὴ τοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγάπην ἀποψυγῆναι. Ὃν ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς εὐσπλαγχνίας παρακαλοῦμεν κατασχεθῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς βλαβερᾶς ταύτης ὁρμῆς καὶ πειραθῆναι τῇ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπῃ κατασφίγγειν μᾶλλον τὰ διιστάμενα ἢ τοῖς πρὸς διάστασιν ὡρμημένοις συνεπιτείνειν τὸν χωρισμόν.