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the former bishop of Marmaritza, even if he is now deceased; concerning whom, upon inquiry, I learned many reprehensible things. And you certainly know it too, having heard from me at that time, when you were insisting that it was not right to pay attention to observations made at such a time, and I myself, I think, was negligent in my examination, considering it a godsend that you too were examining. And perhaps I would have sided with you, with John already renouncing the hierarchy, just as I was trying to heed you, as you know, had not a certain thought, by no means worthy of being overlooked, drawn me to itself and led me away from my purpose. For the thing that immediately happened concerning the one who was then inactive but is now a ruling pastor, being worthy of wonder, made me re 472 consider my thoughts, lest, it being God's will for him to be a hierarch again, with the affairs of the church remaining unshaken, which must necessarily be disturbed if it should happen otherwise, I, overlooking these things, should choose you and thus sin, in addition to the matter not succeeding according to the purpose for which we were striving. Wherefore I return to these things, and him whom you see, as if fulfilling a divine decree, I raise again to the sacred dignity, a man simple in all things and unadorned and a fitting friend of virtue. However, as for his seeming harshness and not being entirely inclined to yielding and forgiving, there was a time when to me also (for I will testify to the truth), beyond all of you, it seemed in no way fitting for a pastor, and a spiritual one at that, and not such as to be appealing to the many and peaceful, so much so that when the monk Menas told me the things from him, I had difficulty believing that being such a man as he then showed himself, unsweetened and unbending, he would be judged worthy of such divine thoughts; and I hesitated to believe the things being said, which suggested to me that the wrath of God lay upon our affairs. But nevertheless, I, who felt this way about him, have been so captured by my disposition towards him, as to think 473 now that something different has happened to me for comprehending as is possible the divine judgments than when I was learning from others, so that I judged what seemed to many to be a fault of the man to be rather an advantage. For what, I said, if God, being a lover of mankind, for the most part justly punishes, since the punishment itself is perhaps also purifying? which one might indeed say is a not insignificant part of philanthropy. And that while man, having free will, is able to use his choice and act according to his judgment, yet a law has also been given, both natural and written, and a judge presides, judging, so that what one will not have from himself, being chastened by conscience and constrained as by a necessary bridle, this he might learn, being disciplined by external authority, and the one who has punished the offense would in truth seem a benefactor even in punishing. And in the holy Gospel, even those who are in the roads and squares and lanes are compelled to enter the king's wedding feast, since this compulsion is a necessary imposition, if one wishes to be saved. What, then, seems to you a sufficient reason for being in schism? And what is it that must be avoi 474 ded by you, considered as not being right, so as to also provide a scandal to others, and to try to tear the one and seamless tunic of the church, and to be neglectful as if no evil had occurred? But if so, behold the patriarch and hierarchs, behold the clergy and senate and people and the chosen of the monks; and whatever you have to present for your defense, say it, and first of all, what sort and who among the hierarchs are there to whom you can refer your affairs, so that when these are led astray, those might be justly approved. For you will not be in schism indefinitely, nor is it right, nor shall we seek another inhabited world from which we might bring hierarchs to establish our church from the beginning, as is fitting. Nor is it reasonable to ask non-existent people about existing ones, but we will examine the differences among ourselves. We will judge and in turn we will be judged, and seeking with God and the fathers we would not err, and with God it will be said, for the common good. These things are from me; but you, even if you were all summoned together, are not all simply permitted to speak. But it is permitted for the 475 most worthy of the others to speak on behalf of all, and

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Μαρμαριτζίων ἐπίσκοπον πρώην, εἰ καὶ νῦν τετελεύτηκε· περὶ οὗγε καὶ ἐρωτήσας πόλλ' ἄττα ἐπιλήψιμα ἔχοντα κατεμάνθανον. οἴδατε δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς πάντως ἀκούσαντες παρ' ἐμοῦ τότε, ὅτε καὶ ταῖς ἐπὶ τοιούτῳ καιρῷ παρατηρήσεσιν οὐ προσέχειν δίκαιον ἰσχυρίζεσθε καὶ ἔγωγε, οἶμαι, δοκιμάζων ἠμέλουν, ἕρμαιον ἔχων ὅτι γε ἄρα καὶ δοκιμάζοιτε. καὶ τάχα ἂν ὑμῖν προσετέθην, τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἤδη τὴν ἱεραρχίαν παραιτου μένου, καθὼς καὶ ὑμῖν ἐπεχείρουν προσέχειν, ὡς ἴστε, εἰ μή μέ τις λογισμὸς ἥκιστ' ἄξιος παρορᾶσθαι πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπισπασάμε νος ἀπῆγέ με τοῦ σκοποῦ. τὸ γὰρ ξυμπεσὸν εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τῷ τότε μὲν ἀργοῦντι νῦν δὲ ποιμεναρχοῦντι, ἄξιον ὂν θαυμάσαι, ἀνα 472 λαμβάνειν ἐποίει τοὺς λογισμούς, μή πως θεῷ δοκοῦν αὐτὸν καὶ πάλιν ἱεραρχεῖν, ἀμετακινήτων μενόντων τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας πραγμάτων, ἃ ἀνάγκη ταράττεσθαι, εἰ ἄλλως γένοιτο, παριδὼν ταῦτα ἕλωμαί τε ὑμᾶς καὶ ἁμαρτάνω, πρὸς τῷ μηδ' εὐοδωθῆναι τὸ πρᾶγμα κατὰ σκοπὸν ὃν ἐτρέχομεν. ὅθεν καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα παλινδρομῶ, καὶ ὃν ὁρᾶτε, ὡς δῆθεν θείαν ψῆφον πληρῶν, ἐπὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς ἀξίας ἀνάγω πάλιν, ἄνδρα λιτὸν τὰ πάντα καὶ ἄσκευον καὶ ἀρετῆς ἐπιεικῶς φίλον. τὸ μέντοι γε δοκοῦν σκλη ρὸν καὶ μὴ ἐς ἅπαν ἐπικλινές τε καὶ συγκεχωρηκὸς ἦν καιρὸς ὅτε κἀμοὶ (μαρτυρήσω γὰρ τἀληθὲς) παρ' ὑμᾶς πάντας οὐδὲν ἐδόκει προσῆκον ἄλλως ποιμένι, καὶ ταῦτα πνευματικῷ, καὶ οὐδ' ὥς γε ἐπαγωγὸν τῶν πολλῶν καὶ εἰρηνικόν, καὶ τοσοῦτον ὅτι καὶ τοῦ μοναχοῦ Μηνᾶ τὰ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἐμὲ λέγοντος δυσχερῶς εἶχον πιστεύειν, εἰ τοιοῦτος ὢν οἷος ἔδειξε τότε, ἀγλευκής τε καὶ ἄτεγ κτος, τοιούτων ἂν κριθείη θείων ἐννοιῶν ἄξιος· καὶ πιστεύειν ἀπώκνουν τοῖς λεγομένοις, οἷς ὀργὴν θεοῦ ἐπικειμένην τοῖς ἡμε τέροις εἰδέναι παρίστα. ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ οὕτως ἔχων περὶ τούτου ἐγὼ τόσον ἑάλωκα τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν διαθέσεως, ὡς ἄλλο τι λογί 473 ζεσθαι νῦν συμβὰν ἐπ' ἐμοὶ εἰς τὸ καταλαμβάνειν ὡς δυνατὸν κρίματα θεῖα ἢ ὅτε παρ' ἄλλοις ἐμάνθανον, ὥστε καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ πολλοῖς δοκοῦν ἐλάττωμα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς προτέρημα μᾶλλον ἔκρινον. τί γάρ, ἔλεγον, εἰ καὶ θεὸς φιλάνθρωπος ὢν τὰ πλεῖστα δικαίως κολάζει, ὡς καθαρτικῆς ἴσως οὔσης καὶ τῆς κολάσεως; ὃ δὴ καὶ φιλανθρωπίας μᾶλλον εἴποι τις μέρος οὐ τὸ τυχόν. καὶ ὅτι μὲν αὐτεξούσιος ἄνθρωπος πάντως ἔχει χρᾶσθαι τῇ προαιρέσει καὶ πράττειν τὰ κατὰ γνώμην, πλὴν καὶ νόμος δέδοται, ὁ μὲν φυσικὸς ὁ δὲ γραπτός, καὶ δικαστὴς προκάθηται κρίνων, ἵν' ὃ μὴ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τις ἕξει τῇ συνειδήσει σωφρονιζόμενος καὶ ὡς ἀναγκαίῳ χαλινῷ καταγχόμενος, τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐξου σίας παιδευθεὶς μάθοι, καὶ ὁ μετελθὼν τὸ πλημμέλημα ταῖς ἀληθείαις εὐεργέτης δόξοι καὶ τιμωρῶν. ἐν δέ γε τῷ ἱερῷ εὐαγ γελίῳ καὶ οἱ ἐν ὁδοῖς καὶ πλατείαις καὶ ῥύμαις κείμενοι εἰς τοὺς γάμους τοῦ βασιλέως εἰσελθεῖν ἀναγκάζονται, ὡς ἀναγκαίως ἐπι κείμενον ὂν τὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης, εἰ βούλοιτό τις σώζεσθαι. τί τοί νυν τὸ ὑμῖν ἱκανὸν δοκοῦν εἰς τὸ σχίζεσθαι; τί τε ὃ ἐκκλιτέον 474 ὑμῖν ὡς μὴ καλῶς ἔχον ἥγηται, ὥστε καὶ ἄλλοις παρέχειν σκάν δαλον, καὶ τὸν ἕνα καὶ ἄσχιστον χιτῶνα τῆς ἐκκλησίας πειρᾶσθαι σχίζειν, καὶ ἀμελεῖν ὡς μή τινος κακοῦ γενομένου; εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ πατριάρχης καὶ ἱεράρχαι, ἰδοὺ κλῆρος καὶ σύγκλητος καὶ λαὸς καὶ μοναχῶν οἱ λογάδες· καὶ ὅσον ὑμῖν εἰς ἀπολογίαν παρίσταται, εἴπατε, καὶ πρῶτον τῶν ἄλλων, ὁποῖοι καὶ τίνες ἐν ἱεράρχαις πρὸς οὓς ἀναφέρειν ἔχετε τὰ ὑμέτερα, ὥστε τούτων ἀποβουκοληθέντων ἐκείνους δικαίως ἐγκρίνεσθαι. οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰς ἀπέραντον σχισθήσεσθε, οὐδὲ δίκαιον, οὐδέ γ' ἑτέραν οἰκου μένην ζητήσομεν, ἐξ ἧς ἐνέγκωμεν ἱεράρχας τοὺς τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀρχῆθεν ἐκκλησίας ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς καταστήσοντας. οὐδ' εὔλογον περὶ τῶν ὄντων ἐρωτᾶν τοὺς μὴ ὄντας, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς καθ' αὑτοὺς τὰς διαφορὰς δοκιμάσομεν. ἡμεῖς κρινοῦμεν καὶ ἐν μέρει ἀντι κριθησόμεθα, καὶ μετὰ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν πατέρων ζητοῦντες οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοιμεν, σὺν θεῷ δ' εἰρήσεται, τοῦ κοινοῦ συνοίσοντος. τὰ μὲν παρ' ἐμαυτοῦ ταῦτα· ὑμεῖς δέ, εἰ καὶ συνεκλήθητε πάν τες, ἀλλ' οὐ λέγειν πάντες ἁπλῶς ἐπιτρέπεσθε. ἔξεστι δὲ τῷ 475 ἀξιωτέρῳ τῶν ἄλλων ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων καὶ λέγειν, καὶ