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from which it is fitting you should not be torn away. But if you are separated from this, which is catholic, tell us in any case to which one you are united. And not being able to name the head, how is it reasonable to say that you are joined together according to God? And not showing a clear goal, how is it not just to carry away the accusation of error? Would that this were the only thing, and perhaps your situation would have resulted in just mercy. But now it is necessary to fear lest somehow (but the word is not mine, nor is the judgment according to man, but much rather of the Spirit, since whatever saints utter, they utter moved by the Spirit of God) lest somehow, I say, seeming to be worshippers of God and of the most secure things, by being separated from the church and by neglecting the shepherds, you have unwittingly worshipped the opposing 464 spirit, and for this reason you would justly be hated. For is it not so? Does not he who, in addition to being a disciple of the one beloved by Christ, was also honored with martyrdom, the God-bearer, I think, and wise in divine things, Ignatius, say these things very clearly? Or if you wish, you may listen as the text is read. Why then, men consecrated to God and attentive to virtue, and in addition bearing in your flesh certain signs, as it were, of the sufferings of Christ, do you undertake so great a risk? For one of two things alone is necessary and sufficient to save you from such a risk: either to show to which church you have attached yourselves, being separated from us for reasonable and canonical causes, or, having abandoned all quibbling, you wish to be united to this our catholic church. If you do not choose the second, show the first. And if you cannot show a church, at least name a high priest, from whom you claim to construct for yourselves a bond, so that you may not be scattered, having no binding tie. If this has ever happened, then show it with confidence 465. But if you bring forward the great Maximus, as I often hear said, that he also, when the churches were preoccupied by heresy, asserted his position, risking himself for the truth, but first, not all of them were preoccupied even then, but first and before all, the divine shepherd of Aelia, Sophronius, also fought alongside him exceedingly; and if so, yet piety still flourished for a time among those in Rome, and Honorius had not yet been smuggled into the church; to whom the confessor of the truth could rightly refer his opinion, and not seem to be, as it were, a schismatic held accountable by the catholic church. Then again, there is not here a difference of dogmas as there was there, nor does anyone have sufficient cause to justly blame the schism, that one part perhaps thinks differently than the other. For even that apparent thing, which was done yesterday and the day before, not yet well rooted, has been uprooted by our efforts, I might say—it will be said, with God. And he who did those things, even if he were a father or a benefactor or one of the dearest friends, or whatever name one might give of kinship or benefaction, enjoyed no 466 holy remembrance, so far as it was in our power, not even that which any ordinary Christian received, a man and lord, fearsome to his enemies, who toiled and suffered much for his subjects, and to me especially was worthy of all goodwill for a time, inasmuch as he often said, even to many, that he preferred me to himself and was not ashamed to confess his inferiority in comparison. But nevertheless this was decided and this has been done; for dreadful is the command and the threat of Christ that he who loves parents more than him is not worthy to be and to be considered His. But my mother—and what else could one say but mother? And such a mother, and one who was so disposed to us—but not even she received the royal commemoration with us in church until by letters and securities in her own hand she confirmed her renunciation of what was done before, and I might say, of her husband. And my account could extend also to my former wife, who was so vexed by what was then being done that she fervently cursed the then protosebastos Nostongos in the East, who was doing all manner of terrible things to the schismatics on account of what had been done, and she considered it a windfall, even from herself, whatever dreadful thing might befall him from anyone, for doing such things and in such a way. But nevertheless

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ὡς εἰκὸς ἐχούσης ἀπρὶξ ἀπο σχίζεσθαι. εἰ δὲ ταύτης σχίζεσθε καθολικῆς γε οὔσης, εἴπατε πάντως ᾗ τινὶ δὴ καὶ ἑνοῦσθε. μὴ ἔχοντας δὲ λέγειν τὴν κεφα λήν, ὑμᾶς ἁρμολογεῖσθαι κατὰ θεὸν πῶς εἰπεῖν εὔλογον; μηδ' ἀρίζηλον τὸν σκοπὸν δεικνύντας πῶς οὐ δίκαιον πλάνης ἀποί σεσθαι ἔγκλημα; εἴθε δὲ τοῦτ' ἦν καὶ μόνον, καὶ ἴσως τὰ καθ' ὑμᾶς εἰς δίκαιον ἔλεον περιίστατο. νῦν δὲ ἀλλὰ δεδοικέναι ἀνάγκη μή πως (ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ λόγος, οὐδ' ἡ κρίσις κατ' ἄνθρωπον, πολλῷ δὲ μᾶλλον τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὅσα ἅγιοι φθέγγονται, πνεύματι θεοῦ κινούμενοι φθέγγονται) μή πως γοῦν θεοῦ λατρευ ταὶ καὶ τῶν ἀσφαλεστάτων δοκοῦντες τῷ τε τῆς ἐκκλησίας σχί ζεσθαι καὶ τῶν ποιμένων κατολιγωρεῖν λαθόντες τῷ ἀντικειμένῳ 464 λατρεύητε πνεύματι, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο μισοῖσθ' ἂν δικαίως. ἦ γάρ; οὐ λέγει ταυτὶ ἀριδήλως ὁ πρὸς τῇ μαθητείᾳ τοῦ τῷ Χρι στῷ ἠγαπημένου καὶ μαρτυρίῳ τετιμημένος, ὁ θεοφόρος οἶμαι καὶ τὰ θεῖα σοφὸς Ἰγνάτιος; ἢ βούλεσθε, καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένου τοῦ λόγου ἀκούοιτε. ἵνα τί γοῦν ἄνθρωποι θεῷ μὲν καθιερω μένοι ἀρετῇ δὲ προσέχοντες, καὶ προσέτι οἱονεί τινα σύμβολά τι νες τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παθημάτων ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ περιφέροντες, τοσοῦτον κίνδυνον ἀναρρίπτετε; δυοῖν γὰρ ἀνάγκη μόνον θάτε ρον αὔταρκες τοιούτου κινδύνου ὑμᾶς ἐξαιρεῖσθαι, ἢ τὸ δεῖξαι ᾗ δή τινι ἐκκλησίᾳ προσεσχηκότες ἐπ' αἰτίαις εὐλόγοις καὶ κανονι κῶς ἡμῶν σχίζεσθε, ἢ τὸ πᾶσαν εἰακότας σμικρολογίαν τῇ ἡμε τέρᾳ ταύτῃ δὴ καὶ καθολικῇ ἑνοῦσθαι βούλεσθε. εἰ δὲ τὸ δεύ τερον οὐχ αἱρεῖσθε, τὸ πρότερον δείξατε. καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐκκλησίαν ἔχετε δεῖξαι, ἀλλ' ἢ ἀρχιερέα τέως εἴπατε, παρ' οὗ δὴ καὶ συνοχὴν ἑαυτοῖς, ὡς μὴ διαρρυῆτε μὴ δεσμὸν ἔχοντες, ἐπικατα σκευάζειν διισχυρίζεσθε. γέγονέ ποτε τοῦτο, καὶ ἤδη θαρροῦν 465 τες δείξατε. εἰ δὲ τὸν μέγαν προβάλλεσθε Μάξιμον, ὡς πολ λάκις λεγόντων πυνθάνομαι, ὅτι κἀκεῖνος αἱρέσει τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προκατειλημμένων κατ' αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας κινδυνεύων ἀπισχυρίζετο, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν οὐ πάντες οὐδὲ τότε προκατε λήφθησαν, ἀλλὰ πρῶτος καὶ πρὸ πάντων ὁ τῆς Αἰλίας θεῖος ποιμὴν ὁ Σωφρόνιος καὶ λίαν ἐκείνῳ συνηγωνίζετο· εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐν Ῥώμῃ τέως ἐπήνθει τὸ εὐσεβές, καὶ οὔπω τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ παρεισεφθάρη Ὁνώριος· πρὸς οὓς μὲν εἶχε δικαίως ἀνα φέρειν τὴν γνώμην ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁμολογητής, καὶ μὴ ὡς δῆ θεν σχισματικὸς δοκῶν καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας εὐθύνεσθαι. εἶτα ἀλλ' οὐδὲ διαφορὰ ὡς ἐκεῖ δογμάτων ἐνταῦθα, οὐδέ τί τις ἔχει αἰτιᾶσθαι δικαίως τοῦ σχίσματος ἱκανόν, ὅτι θάτερον ἴσως μέ ρος φρονεῖ παρὰ θάτερον. καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν ἐκεῖνο, τὸ χθιζά τε καὶ πρωϊζὰ πραχθέν, οὔπω καλῶς ῥιζωθὲν ἀνέσπασται, ταῖς ἡμετέραις εἴπω, σὺν θεῷ εἰρήσεται, προθυμίαις. καὶ ὁ πράξας ἐκεῖνα, κἂν πατὴρ ἦν κἂν εὐεργέτης κἂν τῶν φιλτάτων, κἂν ὅ τί τις εἴποι εἴτε συγγενείας εἴτ' εὐεργεσίας ὄνομα, οὐδε 466 μιᾶς, ὅσον τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν εἶχεν, ὁσίας μνήμης, καὶ ἧς καὶ ὁ τυ χὼν Χριστιανὸς ἔτυχε, παραπήλαυσεν, ἀνήρ τε καὶ ἄναξ φοβε ρὸς μὲν ἐχθροῖς, πολλὰ δ' ὑπὲρ ὑπηκόων πονήσας τε καὶ πα θών, καὶ διαφερόντως ἐμοὶ τέως ἄξιος ἐς ἅπαν εὐνοίας, ὅσον καὶ ἑαυτοῦ πολλάκις καὶ ἐς πολλοὺς λέγων προυτίμα καὶ τὴν κατὰ σύγκρισιν ἧτταν ὁμολογῶν οὐκ ᾐσχύνετο. ἀλλ' ὅμως τοῦτ' ἔδοξε καὶ τοῦτο γεγόνει· δεινὴ γὰρ ἡ ἐντολὴ καὶ ἡ τοῦ μὴ ἄξιον εἶναί τε καὶ λογίζεσθαι Χριστοῦ ἀπειλὴ τὸν γονεῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ἀγαπή σαντα. ἀλλ' ἡ μήτηρ, καὶ τί γε εἴποι τις ἄλλο ἢ μήτηρ; καὶ μήτηρ τοιαύτη καὶ οὕτως πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔχουσα, ἀλλ' οὐδ' αὐτή γε πρὶν τῆς μεθ' ἡμῶν βασιλικῆς μνήμης ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας ἔτυχε, πρὶν γράμμασι καὶ ἀσφαλείαις οἰκειοχείροις τὴν τῶν πρὶν πραχθέντων, εἴπω δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρός, ἀθέτησιν ἐμπεδῶσαι. ἐξήκοι δ' ὁ λόγος καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν προτέραν σύζυγον, ἥτις ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τοῖς τότε πραττομένοις ἀπήχθετο ὥστε καὶ τῷ πρωτοσεβαστῷ τότε Νοστόγγῳ θερμῶς ἐπαρᾶσθαι κατ' ἀνατολὴν τῶν πραχθέντων χάριν τοὺς σχιζομένους τὰ πάνδεινα δρῶντι, καὶ ἕρμαιον ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ πρὸς αὐτῆς ὅ τι συμβαίνοι παρ' οὑτινοσοῦν ἐκείνῳ δεινὸν τοιαῦτα καὶ οὕτω πράττοντι. ἀλλ' ὅμως