153

just like that man Didymus, who through sharpness of mind and without eyes had attained the pinnacle of music and geometry, even if after the knowledge of these things he was driven into a strange heresy, having been blinded in his mind by vainglory just as his eyes had been by his affliction. Everyone, therefore, marvels hearing these things; but I have both seen the man and marvelled and have heard him speaking about such things. And I myself, not being entirely unpracticed in such matters, recognized that he had an accurate knowledge of the theorems. 9.10.3 But even if he was occupied with intellectual pursuits, he nevertheless did not desist from his old anger against the emperor, but kept the thought of tyranny smoldering within him constantly. And indeed, he again shared this secret thought with certain people, from whom one of them came forward and reported the plot to the emperor. And having sent for Diogenes, he inquired both about what had been plotted and about those who had shared in the plot with him. And he, having quickly confessed everything, was immediately deemed worthy of sympathy.

10.t.1 ALEXIAD X.

10.1.1 When that man Nilus, like some stream of wickedness, flooding the church, created a great disturbance in the souls of all, appearing not long after the refutation of the dogmas of Italus, and submerged many in the whirlpools of his evil doctrine. This man was skilled at feigning virtue, from where I do not know, but for a time he frequented the great city and, keeping to his corner, ostensibly devoted himself only to God and himself, constantly occupied with the sacred books. But being uninitiated in all Hellenic learning and not having had from the beginning any teacher to unfold for him the depth of the divine scripture, he pored over the writings of the saints, but being untasted of all logical education, he went astray concerning the meaning of the scriptures. 10.1.2 And drawing after him a not ignoble company, he entered into great houses as a self-appointed teacher, partly because of his apparent virtue and that austere character, and partly, perhaps, because of the knowledge that was covertly apparent in him; hence, indeed, being ignorant of the hypostatic union of the mystery concerning us, and being able neither to understand simply what union is nor knowing what hypostasis is at all, nor being able to conceive of hypostasis or union distinctly, nor, again, of union hypostatically united, nor being taught by the saints how the assumed nature was deified, being carried far from the truth, he mistakenly held the opinion that this was deified by nature. 10.1.3 Nor did this escape the emperor's notice; but when he perceived the matter concerning him, he devised a swift remedy and summoning the man, he greatly reproached him for his audacity and ignorance, and having refuted him on many points, he clearly taught the hypostatic union of the God-man Word, and explained the manner of the communication of properties and taught how the assumed nature was deified with grace from above. But he held fast to his own false doctrine and was most ready for any mistreatment, tortures and bonds and scraping of the flesh rather than to cease from teaching that the assumed nature was deified by nature. 10.1.4 At that time the great city also held many of the Armenians, for whom that man Nilus became kindling for their impiety; hence there were frequent discussions with that Tigranes and Arsaces, whom the dogmas of Nilus provoked still more to impiety. What then? The emperor, seeing the impiety spreading over the souls of many, and the doctrines of Nilus and of the Armenians being interwoven with one another, and that "the assumed nature was deified by nature" being proclaimed everywhere with a loud voice, and the doctrines of the holy fathers concerning this being set aside

153

καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος ὁ ∆ίδυμος, ὃς δι' ὀξύτητα νοῦ καὶ ἄνευ ὀμμάτων μουσικῆς καὶ γεωμετρίας εἰς ἄκρον ἐλήλυ θεν, εἰ καὶ μετὰ τὴν γνῶσιν τούτων εἰς αἵρεσιν ἄτοπον συνηλάθη τὸν νοῦν ἐκτυφλωθεὶς ὑπὸ κενοδοξίας καθάπερ ὑπὸ πάθους τὰ ὄμματα. Θαυμάζει μὲν οὖν ἅπας ταῦτα ἀκούων· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τεθέαμαι τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ τεθαύμακα καὶ περὶ τοιούτων λαλοῦντος ἀκήκοα. Μηδ' αὐτὴ δὲ τῶν τοιού των παντάπασιν ἀμελέτητος οὖσα ἐπεγίνωσκον τοῦτον ἀκριβῆ τῶν θεωρημάτων γνῶσιν ἔχοντα. 9.10.3 Εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ λόγους ἠσχόλητο, τῆς παλαιᾶς ὅμως κατὰ τοῦ αὐτο κράτορος οὐκ ἀφίστατο μήνιδος, ἀλλὰ τὸν τῆς τυραννίδος λογισμὸν ὑποτυφόμενον εἶχε διόλου. Καὶ μέντοι καί τισιν αὖθις τοῦ ἀπορρήτου τούτου κεκοινώνηκε λογισμοῦ, ἀφ' ὧν εἷς τις τὰ βεβουλευμένα προσελθὼν προσαγγέλλει τῷ αὐτοκράτορι. Μεταπεμψάμενος δὲ τὸν ∆ιογένην ἐπυνθά νετο περὶ ὧν τε βεβούλευται καὶ περὶ τῶν τῆς βουλῆς αὐτῷ κεκοινωνηκότων. Καὶ ὃς ἅπαντα θᾶττον ἀνομολο γήσας παραχρῆμα συμπαθείας ἠξίωτο.

10.t.1 ΑΛΕΞΙΑΣ Ιʹ.

10.1.1 Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ὥσπερ τι ῥεῦμα κακίας ὁ Νεῖλος ἐκεῖνος

ἐπικλύζων πολὺν τὸν σάλον ταῖς τῶν ἁπάν των ἐνεποίει ψυχαῖς μετ' οὐ πολὺ τῆς τῶν τοῦ Ἰταλοῦ δογμάτων καθαιρέσεως ἀναφανείς, καὶ πολλοὺς ταῖς δίναις τῆς αὐτοῦ κακοδοξίας ἐβύθισεν. Ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος δεξιὸς μὲν τὴν ἀρετὴν ὑποκρίνασθαι οὐκ οἶδα μὲν ὅθεν, τέως δ' οὖν τῇ μεγαλοπόλει ἐφοίτησε καὶ ἐγγωνιάζων Θεῷ μόνῳ δῆθεν καὶ ἑαυτῷ προσανεῖχε διὰ παντὸς ταῖς ἱεραῖς βίβλοις ἐνασχολούμενος. Ἀμύητος δὲ πάσης ἑλληνικῆς παιδείας ὢν καὶ μηδὲ καθηγητήν τινα ἐσχηκὼς ἀρχῆθεν τὸν ὑφαπλοῦντα τούτῳ τὸ τῆς θείας γραφῆς βάθος ἐνεκε κύφει μὲν τοῖς τῶν ἁγίων συγγράμμασιν, ἄγευστος δὲ πάσης λογικῆς παιδείας ὢν ἐπεπλάνητο περὶ τὸν νοῦν τῶν γραφῶν. 10.1.2 Οὐκ ἀγεννῆ δέ τινα χορὸν ὑποσυρόμενος ἐν μεγάλαις οἰκίαις εἰσέδυ διδάσκαλος αὐτοχειροτόνητος, τὸ μέν τι διὰ τὴν ἐπιφαινομένην αὐτῷ ἀρετὴν καὶ τὸ κατε σκληκὸς ἐκεῖνο ἦθος, τὸ δὲ καὶ διὰ τὴν ὑποκεκρυμμένως ἐμφαινομένην αὐτῷ τάχα γνῶσιν· ἔνθεν τοι καὶ τὴν καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἕνωσιν τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀγνοήσας μυστηρίου καὶ μήθ' ὅ τι ἐστὶν ἕνωσις ἁπλῶς συνιέναι δυνάμενος μήθ' ὅ τι ἐστὶν ὅλως ὑπόστασις εἰδὼς οὔτε διακεκριμένως ὑπόστα σιν ἢ ἕνωσιν νοεῖν δυνάμενος μήτ' αὖθις ἡνωμένως καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἕνωσιν μήθ' ὅπως ἐθεώθη τὸ πρόσλημμα παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων διδασκόμενος, πόρρω τοῦ ὄντος ἐξενεχθεὶς φύσει τοῦτο θεωθῆναι ἐδόξαζεν ἀπατώμενος. 10.1.3 Οὐδὲ τοῦτο διέλαθε τὸν αὐτοκράτορα· ἀλλ' ὡς ᾔσθετο τὰ περὶ τούτου ὀξύρροπον ἐπινοεῖ τὴν βοήθειαν καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα μετακαλεσάμενος πολλὰ τοῦ θράσους καὶ τῆς ἀμαθίας ἐμέμφετο καὶ πολλὰ τοῦτον ἐλέγξας τήν τε καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἕνωσιν τοῦ θεανθρώπου λόγου τρανῶς ἐδίδασκε καὶ τὸν τῆς ἀντιδόσεως τρόπον παρίστα καὶ ὅπως ἐθεώθη τὸ πρόσλημμα μετὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἐδίδασκε χάριτος. Ὁ δὲ τῆς ἰδίας ψευδο δοξίας ἀπρὶξ εἴχετο καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν κάκωσιν, στρέβλας τε καὶ δεσμὰ καὶ ξεσμοὺς σαρκὸς ἑτοιμότατος ἦν ἢ ἀποστῆ ναι τοῦ μὴ θεωθῆναι φύσει διδάσκειν τὸ πρόσλημμα. 10.1.4 Εἶχε δὲ τότε καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν Ἀρμενίων ἡ μεγαλόπολις, οἷς τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπέκκαυμα ὁ Νεῖλος ἐκεῖνος ἐγίνετο· ἐντεῦθεν διαλέξεις τε συχναὶ πρὸς τὸν Τικράνην ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὸν Ἀρσάκην, οὓς ἐπὶ πλέον τὰ τοῦ Νείλου δόγματα πρὸς ἀσέβειαν ἠρέθιζε. Τί τὸ ἐντεῦθεν; Τὴν ἀσέβειαν πολλῶν ἐπινεμομένην ψυχὰς ὁρῶν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ καὶ ἀλλή λοις τὰ τοῦ Νείλου καὶ τῶν Ἀρμενίων ἐπιπλεκόμενα καὶ ἁπανταχῇ τὸ φύσει θεωθῆναι τὸ πρόσλημμα λαμπρᾷ φωνῇ κηρυττόμενον ἀθετουμένας τε τὰς τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων περὶ τούτου