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does he do?” And he who pours out slanders upon us without bringing proof for what is said will be seen to have brought upon himself an evil name from the improper use of words. For how else ought we to name a slanderer, if not by giving him the name he earns from the very deed he practices? Therefore, let the one who reviles us not be a “slanderer,” but an accuser; or rather, let him not even accept the name of accuser, but let him be a brother admonishing in love and bringing proof for the purpose of correction; and do not you become hearers of slanders, but testers of proofs, nor let us be left incurable because our sin is not made manifest to us. 203.3 For do not let that thought possess you, that we who inhabit the coast are outside the suffering of the many and need no assistance from others. So what need have we of fellowship with others? For the Lord separated the islands from the mainland by the sea, but He bound the islanders to the mainlanders by love. Nothing separates us from one another, brothers, unless we undergo the separation by our own choice. We have one Lord, one faith, the same hope. If you consider yourselves the head of the whole Church, the head cannot say to the feet: I have no need of you. And if you place yourselves in any other order of the ecclesiastical members, you cannot say to us who are appointed in the same body: We have no need of you. For the hands need each other and the feet support each other and the eyes in their harmony have the clarity of perception. For we confess our own weakness and seek your concord. For we know that, even if you are not present in the body, by the help of your prayers you will provide us great benefit in the most necessary times. But for you it is neither seemly among men nor pleasing to God to use such words as not even the Gentiles who do not know God have used. But we hear that even they, though they inhabit a land self-sufficient in all things, on account of the uncertainty of the future at least, embrace alliance with each other and pursue interaction as having some profit. But we, being of those fathers who legislated that the symbols of fellowship, by means of small tokens, be carried from the ends of the earth to its ends and that all be citizens and kinsmen to all, now cut ourselves off from the inhabited world, and we are neither ashamed of our isolation, nor do we consider that the rupture of concord brings loss, nor do we shudder that the fearful prophecy of our Lord reaches us, who said, “Because lawlessness will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.” 203.4 No, most honored brothers, do not tolerate this, but for what is past, comfort us with letters of peace and addresses of love, soothing the wound of our heart which you have made in us by your past neglect, as if with some gentle touch. And if you yourselves wish to meet with us and to investigate for yourselves our sicknesses, whether they are truly such as you hear or whether our sins are reported to you as more grievous by false additions, let this also be done. We are ready to receive your presence with open hands and to submit ourselves to a precise examination; only let love precede what is done. Or if you wish to designate some place among yourselves where we might come and pay the debt of a visit that is owed to you and offer possible proof of ourselves, so as both to heal what has happened before and for the future to leave no room for slanders, let this also be done. For in any case, although we bear about a weak flesh, yet as long as we breathe we are responsible to omit nothing for the building up of the Churches of Christ. Therefore, do not disregard this our exhortation, do not drive us to the necessity of also telling our pain to others. For until now, know, brothers, in

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ποιεῖ;» Ὅ τε καταχέων ἡμῶν τὰς λοιδορίας τὸν τῶν λεγομένων ἔλεγχον μὴ ἐπάγων, φανήσεται πονηρὰν ἑαυτῷ προσηγορίαν ἐπε νεγκὼν ἐκ τῆς ἀτόπου τῶν λόγων χρήσεως. Τὸν γὰρ διαβάλλοντα πῶς ἄλλως προσῆκεν ὀνομάζειν ἢ οὐχὶ ἣν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος ἐπιτηδεύει προσηγορίαν αὐτῷ τιθεμένους; Μήτε οὖν ὁ λοιδορῶν ἡμᾶς «διάβολος» ἔστω, ἀλλὰ κατήγορος· μᾶλλον δὲ μηδὲ τὸ τοῦ κατηγόρου δεχέσθω ὄνομα, ἀλλ' ἀδελφὸς ἔστω ἐν ἀγάπῃ νουθετῶν καὶ ἐπὶ διορθώσει ἐπάγων τὸν ἔλεγχον· μήτε ὑμεῖς λοιδοριῶν γένησθε ἀκροαταί, ἀλλ' ἐλέγχων δοκιμασταί, μήτε ἡμεῖς ἀνιάτρευτοι καταλειφθῶμεν μὴ φανερουμένης ἡμῖν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. 203.3 Μὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὑμᾶς ὁ λογισμὸς κατεχέτω, ὅτι οἱ τὴν παραλίαν οἰκοῦντες ἔξω ἐσμὲν τοῦ πάθους τῶν πολλῶν καὶ οὐδὲν τῆς παρ' ἑτέρων ἐπικουρίας δεόμεθα· ὥστε τίς ἡμῖν χρεία τῆς πρὸς ἑτέρους κοινωνίας; Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος τὰς μὲν νήσους τῆς ἠπείρου διὰ θαλάσσης διέστησε, τοὺς δὲ νησιώτας τοῖς ἠπειρώταις διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης συνέδησεν. Οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς χωρίζει ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, ἀδελφοί, ἐὰν μὴ τῇ προαιρέσει τὸν χωρισμὸν ὑποστῶμεν. Εἷς ἡμῶν Κύριος, μία πίστις, ἐλπὶς ἡ αὐτή. Εἴτε κεφαλὴν ἑαυτοὺς τῆς καθόλου Ἐκκλησίας λογίζεσθε, οὐ δύναται ἡ κεφαλὴ εἰπεῖν τοῖς ποσί· χρείαν ὑμῶν οὐκ ἔχω. Εἴτε καὶ ἐν ἄλλῃ τάξει τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν μελῶν ἑαυτοὺς τάσσετε, οὐ δύνασθε λέγειν τοῖς ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ σώματι κατατεταγμένοις ἡμῖν τό· χρείαν ὑμῶν οὐκ ἔχομεν. Αἵ τε γὰρ χεῖρες ἀλλήλων δέονται καὶ οἱ πόδες ἀλλήλους στηρίζουσι καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐν τῇ συμφωνίᾳ τὸ ἐναργὲς τῆς καταλήψεως ἔχουσιν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ὁμολογοῦμεν τὸ ἑαυτῶν ἀσθενὲς καὶ ἐπιζητοῦμεν τὴν σύμπνοιαν ὑμῶν. Οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι, κἂν μὴ παρῆτε τῷ σώματι, τῇ διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν βοηθείᾳ μέγα παρέξετε ἡμῖν ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις καιροῖς ὄφελος. Ὑμᾶς δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε παρὰ ἀνθρώποις εὐπρεπὲς οὔτε τῷ Θεῷ εὐάρεστον ταῖς τοιαύταις κεχρῆσθαι φωναῖς αἷς οὐδὲ τὰ ἔθνη κέχρηνται τὰ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν Θεόν. Ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνα ἀκούομεν, κἂν εἰς πάντα αὐτάρκη τὴν χώραν νέμωνται, τῆς γοῦν τῶν μελλόντων ἕνεκεν ἀδηλίας τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους συμμαχίαν ἀσπάζεσθαι καὶ τὴν ἐπιμιξίαν ὡς ἔχουσάν τι κέρδος μεταδιώκειν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐκείνων ὄντες τῶν πατέρων, οἳ ἐνομοθέτησαν διὰ μικρῶν χαρακτήρων τὰ τῆς ἐπιμιξίας σύμβολα ἀπὸ περάτων τῆς γῆς εἰς πέρατα περιφέρεσθαι καὶ πάντας πᾶσι πολίτας καὶ οἰκείους εἶναι, νῦν ἀποτέμνομεν ἑαυτοὺς τῆς οἰκου μένης καὶ οὔτε ἐπαισχυνόμεθα τῇ μονώσει οὔτε ζημίαν φέρειν τὸν διασπασμὸν τῆς ὁμονοίας τιθέμεθα οὔτε φρίσ σομεν ὅτι εἰς ἡμᾶς φθάνει ἡ φοβερὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν προφητεία εἰπόντος ὅτι «∆ιὰ τὸ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν.» 203.4 Μή, ἀδελφοὶ τιμιώτατοι, μὴ ἀνάσχησθε τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς παρελθοῦσι παρακαλέσατε ἡμᾶς γράμμασιν εἰρηνικοῖς καὶ ἀγαπητικαῖς προσφωνήσεσιν, οἱονεὶ πραείᾳ τινὶ ἐπαφῇ τὸ τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν ἕλκος ὃ ἐκ τῆς παρελ θούσης ἀμελείας ἐνεποιήσατε ἡμῖν παραμυθούμενοι. Καὶ εἴτε αὐτοὶ βούλεσθε πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπαντῆσαι καὶ δι' ἑαυτῶν ἐρευνῆσαι τὰ ἀρρωστήματα ἡμῶν, εἰ ὄντως τοιαῦτά ἐστιν οἷα ἀκούετε ἢ ταῖς ἐκ τοῦ ψεύδους προσθήκαις βαρύτερα ὑμῖν ἀπαγγέλλεται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἡμῶν, γενέσθω καὶ τοῦτο. Ἕτοιμοι ἡμεῖς ὑπτίαις χερσὶ τὴν παρουσίαν ὑμῶν ὑποδέξασθαι καὶ προθεῖναι ἑαυτοὺς εἰς ἀκριβῆ βάσανον· μόνον ἀγάπη προηγείσθω τῶν γινομένων. Εἴτε καὶ βούλεσθε παρ' ἑαυτοῖς ὑποδεῖξαί τινα τόπον ἐν ᾧ γενόμενοι καὶ ὑμῖν τὸ ὀφειλόμενον τῆς ἐπισκέψεως χρέος ἀποπληρώσομεν καὶ ἑαυτῶν τὴν ἐνδεχομένην πεῖραν παρέξομεν, ὥστε καὶ τὰ προλαβόντα ἰάσασθαι καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ μηδεμίαν διαβολαῖς χώραν καταλιπεῖν, καὶ τοῦτο γενέσθω. Πάντως γάρ, εἰ καὶ ἀσθενῆ περιφέρομεν σάρκα, ἀλλ' ἕως ἀναπνέομεν ὑπεύ θυνοί ἐσμεν μηδὲν ἐλλιμπάνειν τῶν εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Μὴ οὖν παραλογίσησθε ἡμῶν τὴν παράκλησιν ταύτην, μὴ εἰς ἀνάγκην ἡμᾶς ἀγάγητε καὶ πρὸς ἄλλους ἐξειπεῖν τὴν ὀδύνην ἡμῶν. Μέχρι γὰρ νῦν, γινώσκετε, ἀδελφοί, ἐν