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managing for themselves attention and the undistracted state of their hearts. Then again, entrusting one to lead the melody, the rest sing in response; and so having spent the night in the variety of the psalmody, praying in between, when day is already dawning, all in common, as from one mouth and one heart, they offer up the psalm of confession to the Lord, each making the words of repentance their very own. If for these things you avoid us, you will avoid the Egyptians, you will avoid both Libyas, the Thebans, Palestinians, Arabians, Phoenicians, Syrians, and those settled by the Euphrates, and, in a word, all those among whom vigils and prayers and the common psalmodies are held in honor. 207.4 But these things, he says, were not in the time of the great Gregory. But neither were the litanies which you now practice. And I do not say this to accuse you; for I would have prayed that you all live in tears and continual repentance, since we also do nothing other than make litany for our sins, except that not with human words, as you do, but with the oracles of the Spirit we propitiate our God. But what proofs do you have that these things were not so in the time of the wondrous Gregory? You who have preserved none of his ways up to now. Gregory did not cover his head during prayers. For how could he? He was a genuine disciple of the Apostle who said, "Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head," and "A man indeed ought not to cover his head, for he is the image and glory of God." That pure soul, worthy of communion with the Holy Spirit, fled from oaths, being content with 'yes' and 'no' because of the Lord's command, who said, "But I say to you, do not swear at all." He did not endure to call his brother a fool; for he feared the threat of the Lord. Anger and wrath and bitterness did not proceed from his mouth. He hated reviling, as something that does not lead into the kingdom of heaven. Envy and arrogance were driven away from that guileless soul. He would not have stood at the altar before being reconciled to his brother. A false and artfully contrived word for the slander of someone he so detested, as one who knew that falsehood is born of the devil and that the Lord will destroy all who speak falsehood. If none of these things is in you, but you are pure of them all; you are truly disciples of the disciple of the Lord's commandments. But if not, see that you are not straining out the gnat, being scrupulous about the sound of the voice in the psalmodies, while transgressing the greatest of the commandments. The necessity of my defense has brought me to these words, so that you may be taught to cast the beam out of your own eyes and then to take out the specks of others. Nevertheless, we concede all things, even though nothing is unexamined before God. Only let what is primary be strong and silence the innovations concerning the faith. Do not set aside the hypostases. Do not deny the name of Christ. Do not misinterpret the words of Gregory. But if not, as long as we breathe and are able to speak, it is impossible for us to be silent in the face of so great a ruin of souls.

208. To EULANCIUS 208.1 For a long time you have been silent, and that though you are a most talkative person and have made it your practice and your art always to be saying something and displaying yourself through your words. But it seems Neocaesarea is the cause of your silence toward us. And it seems we are receiving it as a favor to be remembered among its people, since the memory is not a good one, as the report of those who hear it goes. But you have long been one of those hated on our account, not one of those who tolerate hating us on account of others. Therefore be the same man, both in writing wherever you may be and in remembering us as is fitting, if you have any care for what is just. For it is just, I suppose, for love to repay with equal measure those who began it.

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προσοχὴν καὶ τὸ ἀμετεώριστον τῶν καρδιῶν ἑαυτοῖς διοικούμενοι. Ἔπειτα πάλιν ἐπιτρέψαντες ἑνὶ κατάρχειν τοῦ μέλους οἱ λοιποὶ ὑπηχοῦσι· καὶ οὕτως ἐν τῇ ποικιλίᾳ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας τὴν νύκτα διενεγκόντες μεταξὺ προσευχό μενοι, ἡμέρας ἤδη ὑπολαμπούσης πάντες κοινῇ, ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς στόματος καὶ μιᾶς καρδίας, τὸν τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως ψαλμὸν ἀναφέρουσι τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἴδια ἑαυτῶν ἕκαστος τὰ ῥή ματα τῆς μετανοίας ποιούμενοι. Ἐπὶ τούτοις εἰ ἡμᾶς ἀποφεύγετε, φεύξεσθε μὲν Αἰγυπτίους, φεύξεσθε δὲ Λιβύας ἀμφοτέρους, Θηβαίους, Παλαιστίνους, Ἄραβας, Φοίνικας, Σύρους καὶ τοὺς πρὸς τῷ Εὐφράτῃ κατῳκισμέ νους, καὶ πάντας ἁπαξαπλῶς παρ' οἷς ἀγρυπνίαι καὶ προσευχαὶ καὶ αἱ κοιναὶ ψαλμῳδίαι τετίμηνται. 207.4 Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν, φησί, ταῦτα ἐπὶ τοῦ μεγάλου Γρηγορίου. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αἱ λιτανεῖαι ἃς ὑμεῖς νῦν ἐπιτηδεύετε. Καὶ οὐ κατηγορῶν ὑμῶν λέγω· ηὐχόμην γὰρ πάντας ὑμᾶς ἐν δάκρυσι ζῆν καὶ μετανοίᾳ διηνεκεῖ, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ λιτανεύομεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, πλὴν ὅσον οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνοις ῥήμασιν, ὥσπερ ὑμεῖς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς λογίοις τοῦ Πνεύματος τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν ἐξιλεούμεθα. Ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἦν ταῦτα ἐπὶ τοῦ θαυμαστοῦ Γρηγορίου τίνας ἔχετε μαρτυρίας; Οἵ γε οὐδὲν τῶν ἐκείνου μέχρι νῦν διεσώσασθε. Γρηγόριος οὐ κατεκαλύπτετο ἐπὶ τῶν προσ ευχῶν. Πῶς γάρ; Ὅ γε τοῦ Ἀποστόλου μαθητὴς γνήσιος τοῦ εἰπόντος· «Πᾶς ἀνὴρ προσευχόμενος ἢ προφητεύων κατὰ κεφαλῆς ἔχων καταισχύνει τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ», καὶ «Ἀνὴρ μὲν οὐκ ὀφείλει κατακαλύπτεσθαι εἰκὼν καὶ δόξα Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων». Ἔφευγε τοὺς ὅρκους ἡ καθαρὰ ἐκείνη ψυχὴ καὶ ἀξία τῆς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος κοινωνίας, ἀρκουμένη τῷ ναὶ καὶ τῷ οὒ διὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· «Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν μὴ ὀμόσαι ὅλως». Οὐκ ἠνείχετο εἰπεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἑαυτοῦ μωρὸν ἐκεῖνος· ἐφοβεῖτο γὰρ τὴν ἀπειλὴν τοῦ Κυρίου. Θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ πικρία ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἐκείνου οὐκ ἐξεπορεύετο. Λοι δορίαν ἐμίσει ὡς εἰς βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν οὐκ εἰσάγουσαν. Φθόνος καὶ ὑπερηφανία τῆς ἀδόλου ψυχῆς ἐκείνης ἀπε λήλατο. Οὐκ ἂν παρέστη τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ πρὶν καταλλαγῆ ναι τῷ ἀδελφῷ. Ψευδῆ λόγον καὶ τεχνικὸν ἐπὶ διαβολῇ τινων μεμηχανημένον οὕτως ἐβδελύσσετο ὡς εἰδὼς ὅτι τὸ ψεῦδος ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου γεγέννηται καὶ ὅτι Κύριος ἀπολεῖ πάντας τοὺς λαλοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος. Τούτων εἰ μηδέν ἐστιν ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀλλὰ καθαρεύετε πάντων· τῷ ὄντι ἐστὲ μαθηταὶ τοῦ μαθητοῦ τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Κυρίου. Εἰ δὲ μή, σκοπεῖτε μὴ τὸν κώνωπα διυλίζετε, περὶ μὲν ἤχου φωνῆς τοῦ κατὰ τὰς ψαλμῳδίας ἀκριβολογούμενοι, τὰς δὲ μεγίστας τῶν ἐντολῶν παραλύοντες. Εἰς τούτους με τοὺς λόγους ἤγαγεν ἡ ἀνάγκη τῆς ἀπολογίας, ἵνα διδαχθῆτε ἐκβάλλειν τὴν δοκὸν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν καὶ τότε ἐξαίρειν τὰ ἀλλότρια κάρφη. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ πάντα συγχωροῦμεν, εἰ καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀνεξέταστον παρὰ Θεῷ. Μόνον ἐρρώσθω τὰ προηγούμενα καὶ τὰς περὶ τὴν πίστιν καινοτομίας κατασιγάσατε. Τὰς ὑποστάσεις μὴ ἀθετεῖτε. Τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ μὴ ἀπαρνεῖσθε. Τὰς Γρηγορίου φωνὰς μὴ παρεξηγεῖσθε. Εἰ δὲ μή, ἕως ἂν ἐμπνέωμεν καὶ δυνώμεθα φθέγγεσθαι, ἀμήχα νον ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τοσαύτῃ λύμῃ ψυχῶν σιωπᾶν.

208.τ ΕΥΛΑΓΚΙΩ 208.1 Μακρὸν ἀπεσιώπησας χρόνον, καὶ ταῦτα λαλίστατος ὢν καὶ μελέτην

τοῦτο καὶ τέχνην ποιησάμενος, ἀεί τι λαλεῖν καὶ σεαυτὸν δεικνύναι διὰ τῶν λόγων. Ἀλλ' ἔοικεν ἡ Νεοκαισάρεια αἰτία εἶναί σοι τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς σιωπῆς. Καὶ ἐοίκαμεν ἀντὶ χάριτος δέχεσθαι τὸ μνημονεύεσθαι παρὰ τοῖς αὐτοῦ, ἐπειδὴ ἡ μνήμη οὐκ ἀγαθή ἐστιν, ὡς ὁ τῶν ἀκουόντων λόγος. Ἀλλὰ σὺ πάλαι τῶν μισουμένων ἦσθα δι' ἡμᾶς, οὐ τῶν δι' ἑτέρους ἡμᾶς μισεῖν ἀνεχομένων. Ὁ αὐτὸς τοίνυν ἔσο καὶ ἐπιστέλλων οὗπερ ἂν ᾖς καὶ μεμνη μένος ἡμῶν τὰ εἰκότα, εἴ τί σοι μέλει τοῦ δικαίου. ∆ίκαιον δέ που τῆς ἀγάπης τοῖς ἴσοις ἀμείβεσθαι τοὺς ὑπάρξαντας.