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they were, the majority, or even all except for a few—this was Theodore of Heraclea Pontica, Alexios of Euchaita, John of Brysis, and with them others; for Gregory of Mytilene, who for the most part sided with the patriarch, since he saw the trial hanging over him, feigning illness was absent, to whom indeed the emperor with severity, sending me as a notary, ordered him either to appear or to give his verdict, and with difficulty 349 he committed his own verdict to Thomas of Larissa, John of Naupactus and Germanus of Adrianople, so then those besides the ones mentioned immediately voted for the deposition of the patriarch, mostly on the grounds of his evading trial; for the matter of the sultan, whether he was a Christian or not, they left in doubt; and they considered the charge of evading trial alone to be sufficient for the condemnation of the accused, as happens to one who evades trial on criminal charges. But others opposed them competently, saying that if the patriarch were to be held accountable for having communed with those of another faith, first, since it was unclear if they were impious, the charge happened to be weak; and if in truth the sultan was outside the court of Christ, the patriarch would thus be blameless, with the whole matter resting on the one who testified—and he was Macarius of Pisidia; but if so, then the others should also be held accountable with the patriarch, being Christians and ordained in the divine [service], at whatever rank they were found, who indeed had a duty of necessity to remind the patriarch and to prevent the profanation from that quarter; but for these men to overlook this and to bring the case against the patriarch alone was not at all just, nor reasonably fair. So Pisidias, looking to the outcome—for the charge was evidence that he too would be included in the condemnation; for they would not seem to be condemning the patriarch justly in any way, unless they also held him accountable—was sitting in silence. So much did they care about this that they did not even convene at first to learn from him about the sultan. For the time being, however, it was not possible for him to receive those who, on his account, had brought the verdict of the trial against the patriarch; which indeed also happened, when he too was exiled at the same time as he was deposed, or rather convicted in his absence. But when, after many arguments were then put forth, at last these men also, willingly or unwillingly, came together with the others, the vote is ratified, and the patriarch is condemned to deposition. And they broke up the swift 351 assembly, to speak poetically, after the emperors had been acclaimed according to custom. Moreover, two of the hierarchs are appointed to go and signify to the condemned man what had been done by the synod.

7. How three hierarchs went, being sent by the others, and declared the matter of his deposition to the patriarch. So, arriving before him late in the evening, with all the clergy present, they declared the decision and ordered that he should prepare to depart. And he, first giving thanks to God, presented himself as ready to go wherever they wished. Then, turning to the clergy: "How the things concerning me came to pass, with God permitting, you know, my children; but it is necessary nevertheless to obey the divine will, however our affairs may be administered. We then, appointed as shepherds by judgements which the Holy Spirit who called us, though unworthy, knows, how we have shepherded according to our ability and have conducted your affairs, perhaps not well, but sufficiently according to our power, you know. Why do I say what is obvious? Nevertheless we have perhaps grieved many, and by many we have been grieved, bearing with one another the enmities from each other. For such are the bowels of the church, that both, when we were severe as fathers, you endured as children, and, when some were hostile, we in turn, disregarding the hostility, cared for the hostile as genuine members. Now therefore is the time to forgive one another our debts. And so, for my part, I fulfill this and forgive all, and wherever it is pleasing to God, I go eagerly; but you, the vessels of the church

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ἦσαν, οἱ μὲν πλείους, ἢ καὶ πάντες παρά τιναςὁ Ποντοηρακλείας Θεόδωρος οὗτος ἦν, ὁ Εὐχαΐτων Ἀλέξιος, ὁ Βρύσεως Ἰωάννης, καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ἄλλοι· ὁ γὰρ Μιτυλήνης Γρηγόριος, τὰ πολλὰ τῷ πατριάρχῃ προσέχων, ἐπεὶ τὴν δίκην ἀπηρτημένην ἑώρα οἱ, νόσον σκηψάμενος ἀπῆν, ᾧ δὴ καὶ μετ' ἐμβριθείας ὁ κρατῶν, ἐμὲ ὡς νοτάριον ἀποστέλλων, ἢ ἀπαντᾶν ἢ διδόναι τὴν γνώμην ἐκέλευε, καὶ μόλις 349 τὴν οἰκείαν γνώμην τῷ τε Λαρίσσης Θωμᾷ, τῷ Ναυπάκτου Ἰωάννῃ καὶ τῷ Ἀδριανουπόλεως Γερμανῷ προσανετίθετο, οἱ γοῦν παρὰ τοὺς εἰρημένους ἐκ τοῦ παραχρῆμα καθαίρεσιν τοῦ πατριάρχου κατεψηφίζοντο, πλὴν ὡς φυγο δικοῦντος τὸ πλέον· τὸ γὰρ τοῦ σουλτάν, εἴτε χριστιανὸς εἴη εἴτε καὶ μή, ἐπ' ἀμφιβόλοις ἐτίθουν· ἀποχρῶν δὲ πρὸς καταδίκην τῷ κατηγορουμένῳ τὸ τῆς φυγοδικίας καὶ μόνον ἐνόμιζον ἔγκλημα, ὡς ἐπ' ἐγκλήμασι τῷ φυγοδι κοῦντι συμβαῖνον. Οἱ δὲ καὶ σφίσιν ἀντέβαινον ἱκανῶς, ὡς, εἰ μὲν ὡς κοι νωνήσας ἀλλοσεβέσιν ὁ πατριάρχης εὐθύνοιτο, πρῶτον μέν, ἀλλ' ἄδηλον ὂν εἰ ἀσεβεῖς ἐκεῖνοι, τὸ ἔγκλημα συμβαίνειν ἐξασθενεῖν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ταῖς ἀληθείαις ἔξω τῆς αὐλῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ σουλτάν, τὸν μὲν πατριάρχην καὶ οὕτως ἀνεύθυνον εἶναι, τοῦ παντὸς ἐπὶ τῷ μαρτυροῦντι κειμένουὁ δ' ἦν ὁ Πισσιδίας Μακάριος· εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλὰ συνευθύνεσθαι καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τῷ πατριάρχῃ, χριστιανούς γε ὄντας καὶ προσκεκληρωμένους τῷ θείῳ, καθ' ὁνδηποτοῦν εὑρισκομένους βαθμόν, οἷς δὴ καὶ ὠφείλετο ἐξ ἀνάγκης ὑπομιμνῄσκειν τῷ πατριάρχῃ καὶ ἀναστέλλειν τὴν ἐκεῖθεν βεβήλωσιν· τὸ δὲ τούτους παραδραμόντας ἐπὶ μόνῳ τῷ πατριάρχῃ τὴν δίκην ἱστᾶν, μὴ εἶναι τὸ παράπαν δίκαιον, μηδ' ἐπιεικῶς εὔλογον. Ὁ δ' οὖν Πισσιδίας, πρὸς τὸ ἀποβησόμενον ἀφορῶντὸ γὰρ ἔγκλημα μαρτύριον ἦν τοῦ καὶ τοῦτον τῇ καταδίκῃ συνυπάγεσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἂν δόξαιεν πάντως δικαίως τὸν πατριάρχην καταδικάζειν, εἰ μὴ καὶ αὐτὸν εὐθύνοιεν, ἐφ' ἡσυχίας καθήμενος ἦν. Τόσον δ' ἐκείνοις ἔμελε τούτου ὥστε οὐδὲ τὸ πρῶτον συνεκαλέσαντο μαθεῖν ἐξ ἐκείνου τὰ περὶ τοῦ σουλτάν. Τέως δ' ὅμως οὐκ ἦν αὐτὸν δέχεσθαι τοὺς δι' αὐτὸν ἐπενεγκόντας τὴν τῆς δίκης ψῆφον τῷ πατριάρχῃ· ὃ δὴ καὶ συνέβη, ἐξορισθέντος ἅμα τῷ καθαιρεθῆναι, ἢ μᾶλλον καὶ ἐρήμην ἁλῶναι, κἀκείνου. Ὡς δέ, πολλῶν τότε κατατεινομένων λόγων, τέλος καὶ οὗτοι συνῆλθον τοῖς ἄλλοις ἑκόντες ἄκοντες, κυροῦται ἡ ψῆφος, καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει καταδικάζεται. Λῦσαν δ' αἰψηρὰν 351 ἀγορήν, ποιητικῶς φάναι, τῶν βασιλέων εὐφημηθέντων κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες. Πλὴν καὶ δύο τάττονται τῶν ἱεραρχῶν ἀπελθόντας τὰ παρὰ τῆς συνόδου πραχθέντα σημῆναι τῷ καταδίκῳ.

ζʹ. Ὅπως ἀπελθόντες τρεῖς ἀρχιερεῖς ἐξ ἀποστολῆς τῶν ἄλλων τῷ πατριάρχῃ τὰ τῆς καθαιρέσεως παρεδήλωσαν. Ὀψίας γοῦν δείλης πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀπηντηκότες, παρόντος καὶ τοῦ κλήρου παντός, ἐδήλουν τε τὴν ἀπόφασιν καὶ ὡς ἐξελθεῖν ἑτοιμασθείη διεκελεύοντο. Ὁ δέ, πρῶτον μὲν εὐχαριστήσας Θεῷ, ἕτοιμον ἑαυτὸν παρεῖχεν ἀπέρχεσθαι, ὅπῃ καὶ βούλοιντο. Ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸν κλῆρον στραφείς· «Τὰ μὲν κατ' ἐμὲ ὅπως συνέβη, παραχωροῦντος Θεοῦ, οἴδατε, τέκνα· δεῖ δ' ὅμως εὐπειθεῖν τῷ θείῳ θελήματι, κἂν ὅπως οἰκονομηθείη τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν ποιμένες ταχθέντες κρίμασιν οἷς οἶδε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ καλέσαν, εἰ καὶ ἀναξίους, ἡμᾶς, ὅπως κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἐποιμάναμεν καὶ τὰ καθ' ὑμᾶς διεξήγομεν, οὐ καλῶς μὲν ἴσως, ἱκανῶς δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν δύναμιν, οἴδατε. Τί τὰ δῆλα καὶ λέγω; Ὅμως πολλοὺς μὲν ἴσως καὶ ἐλυπήσαμεν, παρὰ πολλῶν δὲ καὶ ἐλυπήθημεν, συνδιαφέροντες ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἀπεχθείας τὰς παρὰ ἀλλήλων. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας σπλάγχνα, ὡς καί, βαρυνομέ νων ἡμῶν ὡς πατέρων, ὑμᾶς ὡς τέκνα ἀνέχεσθαι καί, ἀπεχθανομένων τινῶν, ἡμᾶς αὖθις, ἀλογοῦντας τῆς ἀπεχθείας, ὡς μέλη γνήσια περιέπειν τοὺς ἀπεχθανομένους. Νῦν οὖν καιρὸς ἀλλήλοις ἀφεῖναι τὰ ὀφειλήματα. Καὶ δὴ τὸ μὲν ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ ἐκπληρῶ καὶ συγχωρῶ πᾶσι καὶ ὅπῃ τῷ Θεῷ βουλητὸν προθύμως ἀπέρχομαι· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν σκευῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας