Letter CLXVIII.820    Placed in 374.

To Antiochus.821    Nephew of Eusebius.  cf. Letters cxlvi, clvii., and clviii.

I mourn for the Church that is deprived of the guidance of such a shepherd.822    Eusebius was now in exile in Thrace.  On this picturesque scene of his forced departure from his diocese, the agony of his flock at losing him, and his calm submission to the tyranny of Valens, see Theodoret iv. 12 and 13, pp. 115, 116, of this edition.  But I have so much the more ground for congratulating you on being worthy of the privilege of enjoying, at such a moment, the society of one who is fighting such a good fight in the cause of the truth, and I am sure that you, who nobly support and stimulate his zeal, will be thought worthy by the Lord of a lot like his.  What a blessing, to enjoy in unbroken quiet the society of the man so rich in learning and experienced in life!  Now, at least, you must, I am sure, know how wise he is.  In days gone by his mind was necessarily given to many divided cares, and you were too busy a man to give your sole heed to the spiritual fountain which springs from his pure heart.  God grant that you may be a comfort to him, and never yourself want consolation from others.  I am sure of the disposition of your heart, alike from the experience which I, for a short time, have had of you, and from the exalted teaching your illustrious instructor, with whom to pass one single day is a sufficient provision for the journey to salvation.

ΑΝΤΙΟΧῼ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡῼ ΑΔΕΛΦΙΔῼ ΣΥΝΟΝΤΙ ΕΝ Τῌ ΕΞΟΡΙᾼ

[1] Ὅσον ὀδύρομαι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τὴν στερηθεῖσαν τῆς τοῦ τοιούτου ποιμένος ἐπιστασίας, τοσοῦτον μακαρίζω ὑμᾶς καταξιωθέντας ἐν τοιούτῳ καιρῷ συνεῖναι ἀνδρὶ τὸν μέγαν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας διαθλοῦντι ἀγῶνα. Πέπεισμαι γὰρ ὅτι ὁ Κύριος καὶ ὑμᾶς τῆς αὐτῆς μερίδος καταξιώσει τοὺς καλῶς ἀλείφοντας καὶ ἐπεγείροντας αὐτοῦ τὴν προθυμίαν. Ἡλίκον δὲ κέρδος ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ βαθείᾳ ἀπολαύειν ἀνδρὸς τοσαῦτα μὲν ἐκ τῆς μαθήσεως, τοσαῦτα δὲ ἐκ τῆς πείρας τῶν πραγμάτων συνειληχότος; Ὥστε πέπεισμαι ὑμᾶς νῦν ἐγνωκέναι τὸν ἄνδρα ἡλίκος ἐστὶ τὴν σύνεσιν, διότι ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν διάνοιαν εἶχεν εἰς πολλὰ σχιζομένην καὶ ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἤγετε σχολὴν ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ βίου πραγμάτων, ὥστε ὅλοι προσκεῖσθαι τῷ πνευματικῷ νάματι τῷ ἀπὸ καθαρᾶς καρδίας τοῦ ἀνδρὸς προχεομένῳ. Ἀλλὰ παράσχοι ὁ Κύριος ὑμᾶς καὶ αὐτῷ παράκλησιν εἶναι καὶ αὐτοὺς μὴ δεῖσθαι τῆς ἑτέρων παρηγορίας. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ πέπεισμαι περὶ τῶν καρδιῶν ὑμῶν τεκμαιρόμενος τῇ τε ἐμαυτοῦ πείρᾳ ἣν πρὸς ὀλίγον ὑμῶν ἐπειράθην καὶ τῇ μεγάλῃ διδασκαλίᾳ τοῦ καλοῦ καθηγητοῦ οὗ μιᾶς ἡμέρας συνουσία αὔταρκες ἐφόδιον πρὸς σωτηρίαν.