Letter CXXXVI.709    Placed in 373.

To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.710    On his own sickness and the troubles of the Church.  On his bad health, cf. Letters ix., xxvii., cxcviii., ccii., cciii., and ccxvi.  The translation of the first section is Newman’s.

1.  In what state the good Isaaces has found me, he himself will best explain to you; though his tongue cannot be tragic enough to describe my sufferings, so great was my illness.  However, any one who knows me ever so little, will be able to conjecture what it was.  For, if when I am called well, I am weaker even than persons who are given over, you may fancy what I was when thus ill.  Yet, since disease is my natural state, it would follow (let a fever have its jest) that in this change of habit, my health became especially flourishing.  But it is the scourge of the Lord which goes on increasing my pain according to my deserts; therefore I have received illness upon illness, so that now even a child may see that this shell of mine must for certain fail, unless perchance, God’s mercy vouchsafe to me, in His long suffering, time for repentance, and now, as often before, extricate me from evils beyond human cure.  This shall be, as it is pleasing to Him and good for myself.

2.  I need hardly tell you how deplorable and hopeless is the condition of the Churches.  Now, for the sake of our own safety, we neglect our neighbour’s, and do not even seem able to see that general disaster involves individual ruin.  Least of all need I say this to one who, like yourself, foresaw the future from afar, and has foretold and proclaimed it and has been among the first to be roused, and to rouse the rest, writing letters, coming yourself in person, leaving no deed undone, no word unspoken.  I remember this in every instance, but yet we are none the better off.  Now, indeed, were not my sins in the way, (first of all, my dear brother the reverend deacon Eustathius fell seriously ill and detained me two whole months, looking day by day for his restoration to health; and then all about me fell sick; brother Isaaces will tell you the rest; then last of all I myself was attacked by this complaint) I should long ago have been to see your excellency, not indeed thereby to try to improve the general state of affairs, but to get some good for myself from your society.  I had made up my mind to get out of the reach of the ecclesiastical artillery, because I am quite unprepared to meet my enemies’ attacks.  May God’s mighty hand preserve you for all of us, as a noble guardian of the faith, and a vigilant champion of the Churches; and grant me, before I die, to meet you for the comfort of my soul.

ΕΥΣΕΒΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ

[1] Ἐν οἵοις ἡμᾶς ὄντας κατέλαβεν ὁ χρηστὸς Ἰωσάκης, αὐτός σοι ἄμεινον διηγήσεται, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀρκοῦσαν ἔχει τὴν γλῶσσαν ὥστε τραγικῶς ἐξαγγεῖλαι τὸ ὑπεραῖρον τῶν παθῶν, τοσοῦτον ἦν τῆς ἀρρωστίας τὸ μέγεθος. Καὶ τὸ εἰκὸς δὲ παντὶ γνώριμον τῷ ἐμὲ καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ ἐπισταμένῳ. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῇ δοκούσῃ εὐεξίᾳ τῶν ἀπεγνωσμένων πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀσθενέστερον διεκείμην, γινώσκειν ἔξεστι τί ἂν ἤμην ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρρωστίας. Καίτοιγε ἐχρῆν (δὸς γὰρ τῷ πυρετῷ συγγνώμην ἐρεσχελοῦντι), ἐπειδή μοι κατὰ φύσιν ἦν τὸ νοσεῖν, ἐν τῇ μεταβολῇ ταύτης τῆς ἕξεως ὑγείας μοι νῦν τὸ κράτιστον περιεῖναι. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡ μάστιξ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστὶ προσθήκαις ταῖς κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀξίαν τὸ ἀλγεινὸν ἐπιτείνουσα, ἀσθένειαν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ προσεκτησάμην, ὥστε τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ παιδὶ φανερὸν εἶναι, ὅτι, πᾶσα ἀνάγκη, οἰχήσεται ἡμῖν τὸ ἔλυτρον τοῦτο, πλὴν εἰ μή που ἄρα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ αὐτοῦ καὶ χρόνους εἰς μετάνοιαν χαριζομένη ποιήσειε καὶ νῦν, ὡς καὶ πολλάκις πρότερον, λύσιν τινὰ καὶ πόρον ἐκ τῶν ἀμηχάνων δεινῶν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἕξει ὡς αὐτῷ φίλον καὶ ἡμῖν συμφέρον.

[2] Τὰ δὲ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ὅπως οἴχεται καὶ προπέποται, ἡμῶν τῆς οἰκείας ἀσφαλείας ἕνεκεν τὰ τῶν πλησίον περιορώντων καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο συνορᾶν δυναμένων ὅτι τῇ τοῦ κοινοῦ κακοπραγίᾳ καὶ τὸ καθ' ἕκαστον συναπόλλυται, τί χρὴ καὶ λέγειν, ἄλλως τε καὶ πρὸς ἄνδρα ὃς πόρρωθεν ἕκαστα προειδὼς καὶ προδιεμαρτύρω καὶ προεκήρυξας καὶ αὐτός τε προεξανέστης καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς συνεπήγειρας, ἐπιστέλλων, αὐτὸς παραγινόμενος, τί οὐ ποιῶν, τίνα φωνὴν οὐκ ἀφιείς; Ὧν μεμνήμεθα μὲν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἐκβαινόντων, ὠφελούμεθα δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῶν οὐκέτι. Καὶ νῦν εἰ μὴ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἀντέστησάν μοι (καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὁ εὐλαβέστατος καὶ ἀγαπητὸς ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Εὐστάθιος ὁ συνδιάκονος, εἰς νόσον χαλεπὴν καταπεσών, εἰς ὅλους με δύο παρέτεινε μῆνας ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτοῦ περιμένοντα: ἔπειτα δὲ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἠσθένησαν, ὧν τὰ μὲν καταλείμματα ἐξαριθμήσεται ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἰωσάκης: τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῇ νόσῳ κατεσχέθην ταύτῃ), ἐπεὶ πάλαι ἂν ἤμην παρὰ τὴν σὴν τιμιότητα, οὐκ ὄφελός τι τοῖς κοινοῖς παρεχόμενος, ἀλλ' ἐμαυτῷ μέγα κέρδος ἐκ τῆς συντυχίας σου κτώμενος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐγνώκειν ἔξω τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν γενέσθαι βελῶν, διὰ τὸ ἀφύλακτον ἡμῶν πρὸς τὰ σκευωρούμενα παρὰ τῶν ἐναντίων. Σώζοι σε τῷ βίῳ παντὶ ἡ μεγάλη τοῦ Θεοῦ χείρ, τὸν γενναῖον φύλακα τῆς πίστεως καὶ νήφοντα τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν προστάτην, καὶ καταξιώσειεν ἡμᾶς πρὸ τῆς ἐξόδου τῆς συντυχίας σου ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν.