Letter CXXVIII.686    Placed in 373.

To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.687    On the difficulty of reconciliation with Eustathius.

1.  Hitherto I have been unable to give any adequate and practical proof of my earnest desire to pacify the Churches of the Lord.  But in my heart I affirm that I have so great a longing, that I would gladly give up even my life, if thereby the flame of hatred, kindled by the evil one, could be put out.  If it was not for the sake of this longing for peace that I consented to come to Colonia,688    Maran supposes this to be the place referred to in Letter ccxliv. 2. may my life be unblessed by peace.  The peace I seek is the true peace, left us by the Lord Himself; and what I have asked that I may have for my assurance belongs to one who desires nothing but the true peace, although some perversely interpret the truth into another sense.  Let them use their tongues as they will, but assuredly they will one day be sorry for their words.

2.  Now I beseech your holiness to remember the original propositions, and not to be led away by receiving answers that do not fit the questions, nor yet to give practical weight to the quibbles of men who, without any power of argument, very cleverly pervert the truth, from their own ideas alone.  I set out propositions which were perfectly simple, clear and easy to remember; do we decline to receive into communion those who refuse to accept the Nicene Creed?  Do we refuse to have part or lot with those who have the hardihood to assert that the Holy Ghost is a creature?  He, however,689    i.e. Eustathius. instead of answering my questions word for word, has concocted the statement which you have sent me:—and this not from simplemindedness, as might be imagined, nor yet from his inability to see the consequences.  What he reckons is that, by repudiating my proposition, he will expose his true character to the people; while, if he agrees to it, he will depart from that via media which has hitherto seemed to him preferable to any other position.  Let him not try to beguile me, nor, with the rest, deceive your intelligence.  Let him send a concise answer to my question, whether he accepts or repudiates communion with the enemies of the faith.  If you get him to do this and send me such a distinct answer as I pray for, I own myself in error in all that has gone before; I take all the blame upon myself; then ask from me a proof of humility.  But, if nothing of the kind come to pass, pardon me, most God-beloved father, in my inability to approach God’s altar with hypocrisy.  Were it not for this dread, why should I separate myself from Euippius, so learned a man, so advanced in age, and bound to me by so many ties of affection?  If, however, in this case I acted rightly, it would, I am sure, be absurd to appear united with those who maintain the same views as Euippius, through the mediation of these amiable and charming persons.

3.  Not that I think it is absolutely our duty to cut ourselves off from those who do not receive the faith, but rather to have regard to them in accordance with the old law of love, and to write to them with one consent, giving them all exhortation with pity, and to propose to them the faith of the fathers, and invite them to union.  If we succeed we should be united in communion with them; if we fail we must be content with one another and purge our conduct of this uncertain spirit, restoring the evangelical and simple conversation followed by those who accepted the Word from the beginning.  “They,” it is said, “were of one heart and of one soul.”690    Acts iv. 32.  If they obey you, this will be best; if not, recognise the real authors of the war, and, for the future do not write me any more letters about reconciliation.

ΕΥΣΕΒΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ

[1] Ἐγὼ τὴν περὶ τὸ εἰρηνεύεσθαι τὰς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Κυρίου σπουδὴν ἔργῳ μὲν ἐνδείξασθαι ἀξίως οὔπω δεδύνημαι, ἐν δὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ μου τοσαύτην ἔχειν ἐπιθυμίαν φημὶ ὥστε ἡδέως ἂν καὶ τὴν ζωὴν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ προέσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ Πονηροῦ ἐξαφθεῖσαν φλόγα τοῦ μίσους κατασβεσθῆναι. Καὶ εἰ μὴ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἕνεκεν τῆς κατὰ τὴν εἰρήνην ἠνεσχόμην ἐγγίσαι τοῖς κατὰ Κολώνειαν τόποις, μὴ εἰρηνευθείη μοι ἡ ζωή. Εἰρήνην μέντοι τὴν ἀληθινὴν τὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου καταλειφθεῖσαν ἡμῖν ἐπιζητῶ, καὶ ὃ παρεκάλεσά μοι εἰς πληροφορίαν ὑπάρξαι οὐκ ἄλλο τι ἐπιθυμοῦντός ἐστιν ἢ τῆς ἀληθινῆς εἰρήνης, κἂν ἄλλως τινὲς διαστρέφοντες τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐξηγῶνται. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν κεχρήσθωσαν ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐφ' ἃ βούλονται: πάντως γὰρ αὐτοῖς ποτε τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων μεταμελήσει.

[2] Τὴν δὲ σὴν ὁσιότητα παρακαλῶ μεμνῆσθαι τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς προτάσεων καὶ μὴ παράγεσθαι ἄλλας ἀποκρίσεις ἀντ' ἄλλων ἐρωτημάτων δεχομένην, μηδὲ ποιεῖν ἐνεργὰ τὰ σοφίσματα τῶν ἄνευ τῆς περὶ τὸ λέγειν δυνάμεως ἀπ' αὐτῆς μόνης τῆς γνώμης δεινότατα πάντων τὴν ἀλήθειαν κακουργούντων. Προέτεινα γὰρ ἁπλᾶ καὶ σαφῆ καὶ εὐμνημόνευτα ῥήματα: εἰ τοὺς μὴ δεχομένους τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν παραιτούμεθα εἰς κοινωνίαν, καὶ εἰ μετὰ τῶν κτίσμα λέγειν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον ἀποτολμώντων τὸ μέρος ἔχειν οὐκ ἀνεχόμεθα. Ὁ δέ, ἀντὶ τοῦ πρὸς ἔπος ταῖς ἐρωτήσεσιν ἀποκρίνασθαι, ἐκεῖνα ἡμῖν ἐρραψῴδησεν ἅπερ ἐπέστειλας, καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀφελείᾳ γνώμης, ὡς ἄν τῳ δόξαι, οὐδὲ τῷ μὴ δύνασθαι συνορᾶν τὸ ἀκόλουθον. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο λογίζεται ὅτι ἀρνούμενος μὲν ἡμῶν τὴν πρότασιν τοῖς λαοῖς ἑαυτὸν κατάδηλον ποιήσει, συντιθέμενος δὲ ἡμῖν τῆς μεσότητος ἀποστήσεται, ἧς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν γέγονε προτιμότερον. Μὴ τοίνυν ἡμᾶς κατασοφιζέσθω μηδὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τὴν σὴν παρακρουέσθω φρόνησιν, ἀλλὰ σύντομον ἡμῖν λόγον ἀποστειλάτω πρὸς τὸ ἐρώτημα, ἢ ὁμολογῶν τὴν κοινωνίαν πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τῆς πίστεως ἢ ἀρνούμενος. Ἐὰν ταῦτα συμπείσῃς αὐτὸν καὶ πέμψῃς μοι ὀρθὰς καὶ οἵας εὔχομαι τὰς ἀποκρίσεις, ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ τὰ κατόπιν πάντα ἡμαρτηκώς, ἐγὼ δέχομαι πᾶσαν τὴν αἰτίαν ἐκείνην ἐπ' ἐμαυτόν: τότε με ἀπαίτει ταπεινοφροσύνης ἐπίδειξιν. Ἕως δ' ἂν μηδὲν γένηται τούτων, σύγγνωθι, θεοφιλέστατε Πάτερ, μὴ δυναμένῳ μετὰ ὑποκρίσεως θυσιαστηρίῳ Θεοῦ παρεστάναι. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ἐφοβούμην, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐμαυτὸν ἐχώριζον Εὐιππίου, τοιούτου μὲν τὰ περὶ λόγους, τοσοῦτον δὲ χρόνῳ προήκοντος, τοσαῦτα δὲ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλίας δίκαια κεκτημένου; Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνα καλῶς καὶ προσηκόντως ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπράξαμεν, γελοῖον δή που τοῖς τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνῳ λέγουσι, διὰ τῆς τῶν εὐφυῶν τούτων καὶ χαριέντων μεσότητος, συναπτόμενον φαίνεσθαι.

[3] Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ παντελῶς μοι δοκεῖ τῶν μὴ δεχομένων τὴν πίστιν ἀλλοτριοῦν ἑαυτούς, ἀλλὰ ποιήσασθαί τινα τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐπιμέλειαν κατὰ τοὺς παλαιοὺς θεσμοὺς τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ ἐπιστεῖλαι αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ μιᾶς γνώμης πᾶσαν παράκλησιν μετ' εὐσπλαγχνίας προσάγοντας, καὶ τὴν τῶν Πατέρων πίστιν προτεινομένους προκαλεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς εἰς συνάφειαν: κἂν μὲν πείσωμεν, κοινῶς αὐτοῖς ἑνωθῆναι, ἐὰν δὲ ἀποτύχωμεν, ἀρκεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλοις, τὸν δὲ ἐπαμφοτερισμὸν τοῦτον ἐξορίσαι τοῦ ἤθους ἀναλαβόντας τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν καὶ ἄδολον πολιτείαν ᾗ συνέζων οἱ ἐξ ἀρχῆς προσελθόντες τῷ λόγῳ. «Ἦν γάρ, φησί, τῶν πιστευσάντων καρδία καὶ ψυχὴ μία.» Ἐὰν μὲν οὖν πεισθῶσί σοι, ταῦτα ἄριστα. Εἰ δὲ μή, γνωρίσατε τοὺς πολεμοποιοὺς καὶ παύσασθε ἡμῖν τοῦ λοιποῦ περὶ διαλλαγῶν ἐπιστέλλοντες.