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having an intimacy with God so as to be able to make others intimate both by word and by example.

168. To Antiochus the presbyter, his nephew, who was with him in exile

168.1 As much as I lament the Church, deprived of the oversight of such a pastor, so much do I count you blessed, having been deemed worthy at such a time to be with a man who is contending in the great contest for piety. For I am persuaded that the Lord will deem you also worthy of the same portion, you who are nobly anointing and stirring up his zeal. And what a great gain it is, in deep quiet, to enjoy the company of a man who has gathered so much from learning, and so much from experience of affairs? So that I am persuaded that you have now come to know the man, how great he is in understanding, because in the time past both he himself had his mind divided among many things and you did not have leisure from the affairs of life, so as to devote yourselves wholly to the spiritual stream that pours forth from the pure heart of the man. But may the Lord grant that you be a comfort to him and that you yourselves may not need the consolation of others. And indeed I am persuaded of this concerning your hearts, judging both by my own experience which I had of you for a short time, and by the great teaching of that good master, whose company for a single day is a sufficient provision for salvation.

169. Basil to Gregory

169.1 You have indeed undertaken a reasonable, mild, and humane action in gathering together the captive band of the contemptible Glycerius (for so for the time being we write of him) and in covering up our common disgrace, as far as was possible. But nevertheless your Reverence, having learned the facts about him, must so resolve the dishonor. This Glycerius, who now appears to you so pompous and solemn, was ordained by us deacon of the church at Venesa, to serve the presbyter and to take care of the work of the church. For he is, though the man is difficult in other respects, yet not ungifted in matters of handiwork. But when he was appointed, he neglected his work as if it had never existed in the first place. But gathering together wretched virgins by his own power and authority, some running to him willingly (for you know the readiness of the young in such matters), some unwillingly, he attempted to be their leader, and putting on himself the name and garb of a patriarch, suddenly became pompous, not having come to this from any consistency or piety, but having set this up as a means of livelihood, just as another might choose some other, and he has nearly thrown the whole Church into confusion, despising on the one hand his own presbyter, a man venerable in both life and age, and despising on the other hand the bishop and us as being worthless, and always filling the city and the entire clergy with uproar and disturbances. And finally, so that he might be slightly rebuked in word by us and the chorepiscopus, to stop him from being contemptuous (for he was also training the young men in the same folly), he devises a very rash and inhuman deed. Having carried off as many of the virgins as he could, and waiting for night, he becomes a fugitive. These things will seem very dreadful to you. Consider also the time. A synod was being held there, and, as was likely, a great crowd was flowing in from all directions. But he led out in opposition his own choir, following young men and dancing around, causing great dejection to the devout, but much laughter to the licentious and those whose tongues are too ready. And these things are not enough, although they are so great in magnitude, but still also

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ἔχοντι πρὸς Θεὸν οἰκειότητα ὥστε καὶ ἄλλους οἰκειοῦν δύνασθαι καὶ λόγῳ καὶ ὑποδείγματι.

168.τ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ Α∆ΕΛΦΙ∆Ω ΣΥΝΟΝΤΙ ΕΝ ΤΗ ΕΞΟΡΙΑ

168.1 Ὅσον ὀδύρομαι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τὴν στερηθεῖσαν τῆς τοῦ τοιούτου

ποιμένος ἐπιστασίας, τοσοῦτον μακαρίζω ὑμᾶς καταξιωθέντας ἐν τοιούτῳ καιρῷ συνεῖναι ἀνδρὶ τὸν μέγαν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας διαθλοῦντι ἀγῶνα. Πέπεισμαι γὰρ ὅτι ὁ Κύριος καὶ ὑμᾶς τῆς αὐτῆς μερίδος καταξιώσει τοὺς καλῶς ἀλείφοντας καὶ ἐπεγείροντας αὐτοῦ τὴν προθυμίαν. Ἡλίκον δὲ κέρδος ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ βαθείᾳ ἀπολαύειν ἀνδρὸς τοσαῦτα μὲν ἐκ τῆς μαθήσεως, τοσαῦτα δὲ ἐκ τῆς πείρας τῶν πραγμάτων συνειληχότος; Ὥστε πέπεισμαι ὑμᾶς νῦν ἐγνωκέναι τὸν ἄνδρα ἡλίκος ἐστὶ τὴν σύνεσιν, διότι ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν διάνοιαν εἶχεν εἰς πολλὰ σχιζομένην καὶ ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἤγετε σχολὴν ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ βίου πραγμάτων, ὥστε ὅλοι προσκεῖσθαι τῷ πνευματικῷ νάματι τῷ ἀπὸ καθαρᾶς καρδίας τοῦ ἀνδρὸς προχεομένῳ. Ἀλλὰ παράσχοι ὁ Κύριος ὑμᾶς καὶ αὐτῷ παράκλησιν εἶναι καὶ αὐτοὺς μὴ δεῖσθαι τῆς ἑτέρων παρηγορίας. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ πέπεισμαι περὶ τῶν καρδιῶν ὑμῶν τεκμαιρόμενος τῇ τε ἐμαυτοῦ πείρᾳ ἣν πρὸς ὀλίγον ὑμῶν ἐπειράθην καὶ τῇ μεγάλῃ διδασκαλίᾳ τοῦ καλοῦ καθηγητοῦ οὗ μιᾶς ἡμέρας συνουσία αὔταρκες ἐφόδιον πρὸς σωτηρίαν.

169.τ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΩ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΣ

169.1 Πρᾶγμα μὲν ὑπέστης ἐπιεικὲς καὶ ἥμερον καὶ φιλάν θρωπον τὴν τοῦ

καταφρονητοῦ Γλυκερίου (τέως γὰρ οὕτω γράφομεν) αἰχμαλωσίαν συναγαγὼν καὶ τὴν κοινὴν ἀσχη μοσύνην ἡμῶν, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν, συγκαλύψας. ∆εῖ δὲ ὅμως τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν, μαθοῦσαν τὰ κατ' αὐτόν, οὕτω λῦσαι τὴν ἀτιμίαν. Οὗτος ὁ νῦν σοβαρὸς καὶ σεμνὸς ὑμῖν Γλυ κέριος ἐχειροτονήθη μὲν παρ' ἡμῶν τῆς κατὰ Οὐήνεσαν Ἐκκλησίας διάκονος, ὡς καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ διακονήσων καὶ τοῦ ἔργου τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐπιμελησόμενος. Καὶ γάρ ἐστιν, εἰ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δύστροπος ὁ ἀνήρ, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐπίχειρα οὐκ ἀφυής. Ἐπεὶ δὲ κατέστη, τοῦ μὲν ἔργου ἠμέλησε τοσοῦτον ὅσον οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν γεγονότος. Παρθένους δὲ ἀθλίας συναγαγὼν κατ' ἰδίαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ αὐθεντίαν, τὰς μὲν ἑκούσας προσδραμούσας αὐτῷ (οἶσθα δὲ τὸ τῶν νέων περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πρόχειρον), τὰς δὲ ἀκούσας, ἀγελαρχεῖν ἐπεχείρησε καὶ πατριαρχίας ὄνομα ἑαυτῷ καὶ σχῆμα περιθεὶς ἐξαίφνης ἐσοβαρεύσατο, οὐκ ἔκ τινος ἀκολουθίας καὶ εὐσεβείας ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐλθών, ἀλλ' ἀφορμὴν βίου ταύτην ὥσπερ ἄλλος ἄλλην τινὰ προστησάμενος, καὶ μικροῦ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν πᾶσαν ἀνάστατον πεποίηκε περιφρονῶν μὲν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πρεσβύτερον, ἄνδρα καὶ πολιτείᾳ καὶ ἡλικίᾳ αἰδέσιμον, περιφρονῶν δὲ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον καὶ ἡμᾶς ὡς οὐδενὸς ἀξίους, θορύβων δὲ ἀεὶ καὶ ταραχῶν πληρῶν τὴν πόλιν καὶ σύμπαν τὸ ἱερατεῖον. Καὶ τέλος, ἵνα τι λόγῳ ἐπιτιμηθῇ μικρὸν παρ' ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ χωρεπισκόπου πρὸς τὸ μὴ καταφρονεῖν αὐτὸν (καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς νέους ἐγύ μναζεν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἀπόνοιαν), πρᾶγμα διανοεῖται λίαν τολμηρὸν καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον. Συλήσας τῶν παρθένων ὅσας ἠδύνατο καὶ νύκτα τηρήσας δραπέτης γίνεται. Πάνυ σοι δεινὰ ταῦτα φανεῖται. Σκόπει καὶ τὸν καιρόν. Ἤγετο μὲν ἡ ἐκεῖσε σύνοδος καὶ πολὺ πανταχόθεν, ὡς εἰκός, ἐπέρρει τὸ πλῆθος. Ὁ δὲ ἀντεξῆγε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ χορὸν νέοις ἑπό μενον καὶ περιχορεύοντα καὶ πολλὴν μὲν κατήφειαν κινοῦντα τοῖς εὐλαβέσι, πολὺν δὲ γέλωτα τοῖς ἀκρατέσι καὶ τὴν γλῶσσαν ἑτοιμοτέροις. Καὶ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα, καίπερ τηλικαῦτα ὄντα τὸ μέγεθος, ἀλλ' ἔτι καὶ