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he wished, as it was not at all seemly for both the one retired from the patriarchate and the one already serving as patriarch to reside in the same monastery. But John, on the one hand knowing the cheerfulness of Joseph and how, with his virtual approval, he took the helm of the church (for indeed the emperor, wishing to receive his counsel, had inquired about a person, and he had chosen this one above the others, as one otherwise learned and experienced in affairs), therefore, on the one hand for these reasons, and on the other hand also trusting in the peacefulness of his own mind, he prevented Joseph from moving, and with him being there, he himself also resided in the monastery and was from this time on both sending messages to Joseph and receiving the responses from him kindly and with all courtesy. For that man was both peaceful and cheerful, and was so displeased with the action of the church that he was not ashamed often to confess that the oath had become an impediment to his also being among them, since nothing more could have come of what was done, as he supposed. While engaged in these things, John was receiving many documents into his hands, which indeed the schismatics were setting forth, showing the action as mistaken and casting it far from God, and at the same time the Italians as liable to 531 heresies, not otherwise obscure and doubtful, but both manifest and clear. And they had their proofs, so to speak, from the scriptures, which they were also setting out quite continuously, and if somewhere something was said by the saints, as a matter of will, one might say, and what presented itself to them in their own way, as concerning peace, for instance, that one must be at peace where we do not suffer loss in God, and again one must be at war where we are in danger of God suffering loss; they, transferring these things to a more universal application and inserting many other such things into their own writings, represented the action as mistaken. And the next thing was necessarily for him also to write and to defend himself on each of the things being said; but knowing that scandals were being raised, as words battled with words, from which it is not possible for the one writing to escape either a real or an apparent accusation for transgression of greater matters, he remained quiet and indeed to Xiphilinos, a venerable man and the great oikonomos of the church, he promised that he would not ever write in refutation, so to speak; "Lest we also seem," he says, "to be tampering with the established things, even if we should say anything. For them, they seem to proceed to engage with ecclesiastical matters with some innovation and try to hold their own, and even if they should say something, even if they should openly clash with the established dogmas, a sufficient escape is to supposedly stand for the church, and they would more easily evade the charge of meddling. But for us, even if we should say the most manifest things, it is to be desired if not only we are not heeded, but also that we may not be accused of overturning the established things." He was saying these things then, as he took into his hands the writings of the schismatics, which had much that was unsound in the many things which they said, and he wished to contradict them, but he restrained himself, although in the end he did not escape the trial. From which indeed he had also fallen into many difficulties. But then, after staying for some days at the Lavra and having completely recovered his health, he was returning to Constantinople, having taken leave of Joseph with cheerfulness. 29. Still concerning the patriarch Joseph. But it was not possible for certain people to remain quiet thereafter, so that Joseph, who was sitting there, could be at rest, but visiting daily they were vexing the man and involving him in frequent troubles, rekindling his zeal, as it were—for it had been growing cold little by little by the simplicity of his ways—and rousing it to a 533 greater heat. For the man was so cheerful and moderate that also, if indeed there was a need for some of those in communion with the church to visit him, and they wished to be blessed, it was only for them to fall down before him and to seek the blessing, and for him immediately to share with them the gifts of the Spirit; which for those around him and for others was not tolerable. For this reason, also visiting daily, they encouraged him more toward being completely in schism. This being heard by the emperor, he, however, abandoning that confidence in him, and the upon

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ἐβούλετο, ὡς οὐκ εὐπρεπὲς ἄλλως ὂν ἐν μιᾷ μονῇ διατρίβειν τόν τε ἀργὸν ἐκ πατριαρχίας καὶ τὸν ἤδη πατριαρχεύοντα. Ἀλλ' ὁ Ἰωάννης, ἅμα μὲν εἰδὼς τὸ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφἱλαρὸν καὶ ὡς, αὐτοῦ σχεδὸν ψηφισαμένου, ἐκεῖνος τὰ πηδάλια τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐλάμβανεκαὶ γὰρ τὴν παρ' ἐκείνου βουλὴν θέλων ὁ κρατῶν λαμβάνειν περὶ προσώπου διεπυνθάνετο, κἀκεῖνος τοῦτον παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐξελέγετο, ὡς ἄλλως λόγιον καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς πράγμασι τρίβωνα, ἅμα μὲν οὖν διὰ ταῦτα, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῷ τῆς σφετέρας γνώμης πιστεύων εἰρηνικῷ, διεκώλυσε μὲν τὸν Ἰωσὴφ μετατίθεσθαι, οὕτω δ' ὄντος ἐκεῖσε, καὶ αὐτὸς τῇ μονῇ ἐνδημεῖ καὶ ἦν τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦδε καὶ προσαποστέλλων πρὸς Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τὰς ἀπ' ἐκείνου ἀπο κρίσεις φιλοφρόνως καὶ μετὰ προσηνείας πάσης δεχόμενος. Ἦν γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐκεῖνος εἰρηνικός τε καὶ ἱλαρὸς καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τῇ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πράξει ἀπήχθετο ὥστε μηδ' αἰσχύνεσθαι πολλάκις ὁμολογεῖν τὸν ὅρκον γενέσθαι κωλύμην τοῦ καὶ αὐτὸν ἐν τούτοις εἶναι, ἐπεὶ πλέον οὐκ ἦν γενέσθαι τῶν πραχθέντων, ὡς ὑπελάμβανεν. Ἐν τούτοις διάγων, ὁ Ἰωάννης πολλὰ μὲν γραμμάτια εἰς χεῖρας εἶχε λαμβάνων, ἃ δὴ καὶ οἱ σχιζόμενοι ἐξετίθουν, δεικνύντες τὴν πρᾶξιν ὡς σφαλερὰν καὶ Θεοῦ πόρρω βάλλουσαν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοὺς Ἰταλοὺς ἐνόχους 531 αἱρέσεσιν, οὐ συνεσκιασμέναις ἄλλως καὶ ἀμφιβόλοις, ἀλλ' ἐμφανέσι τε καὶ λαμπραῖς. Εἶχον δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ γραφῶν ὡς δῆθεν τὰς ἀποδείξεις, ἃς καὶ κατεστρώννυον συνεχέστερον, κἄν πού τι καὶ ἁγίοις ἐρρέθη θεληματικόν, εἴποι τις, καὶ τὸ κατὰ σφᾶς παραστὰν ἰδίως, ὡς περὶ εἰρήνης οἷον, ὡς εἰρη νευτέον μὲν ὅπου μὴ Θεὸν ζημιούμεθα καὶ πολεμητέον αὖθις ὅπου ζημιοῦσθαι Θεὸν κινδυνεύομεν· ταῦτ' ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς τὸ καθολικώτερον μεταφέροντες καὶ ἄλλα πλεῖστα τοιαῦτα παρενείροντες ταῖς σφῶν συγγραφαῖς, παρίστων τὴν πρᾶξιν ὡς σφαλεράν. Ἦν δὲ τὸ ἑπόμενον ἐξ ἀνάγκης γράφειν κἀκεῖνον καὶ ἀπολογεῖσθαι ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν λεγομένων· ἀλλ' εἰδὼς αἰρόμενα σκάνδαλα, ὡς λόγων λόγοις μαχομένων, ἐξ ὧν οὐκ ἔστι διαδιδράσκειν ἢ οὖσαν ἢ δοκοῦσαν κατηγορίαν ἐπὶ παραβάσει τῶν μειζόνων τὸν γράφοντα, ἔμενεν ἠρεμῶν καί γε τῷ Ξιφιλίνῳ, ἀνδρὶ γεραρῷ καὶ μεγάλῳ οἰκονόμῳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὄντι, καθυ πισχνεῖτο μὴ ἂν καὶ γράψαι ποτὲ εἰς ἀντίρρησιν δῆθεν· «Μὴ καὶ δόξωμεν, φησί, τοῖς κειμένοις παρεγχειροῦντες, κἂν εἴ τι λέγοιμεν. Ἐκείνοις μὲν δοκοῦσι νεωτερισμῷ τινι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς ὁμόσε χωρεῖν καὶ ἀνέχειν πειρᾶσθαι, κἂν εἴ τι φαῖεν, κἂν φανερῶς καὶ τοῖς κειμένοις προσκρούοιεν δόγμασιν, αὐτάρκης ἀποφυγὴ τὸ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκκλησίας δῆθεν ἵστασθαι, καὶ τὴν τῆς ἐργολαβείας πεῖραν ῥᾷον ἐκκλίνοιεν ἄν. Ἡμῖν δέ, κἂν τὰ φανότατα λέγοιμεν, ἀγαπητὸν εἰ μὴ προσεχοίμεθα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μὴ περιτροπῆς τῶν κειμένων φεύγοιμεν.» Ταῦτ' ἔλεγεν ἐκεῖνος τότε, τὰς τῶν σχιζομένων λαμβάνων ἀνὰ χεῖρας γραφάς, αἷς πολὺ τὸ σαθρὸν ἐχούσαις ἐπὶ πολλοῖς οἷς ἔλεγον ἐβούλετο μὲν ἀντιλέγειν, ἐπείχετο δέ, κἂν εἰς τέλος τὴν πεῖραν οὐ διέδρα· ὅθεν δὴ καὶ πολλοῖς περιπεπτώκει τοῖς χαλεποῖς. Τότε δ' ἐφ' ἡμέραις τῇ Λαύρᾳ προσκαρτερήσας καὶ καθαρῶς ὑγιάνας, εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐπανέστρεφε, τῷ Ἰωσὴφ μεθ' ἱλαρότητος συνταξάμενος. κθʹ. Ἔτι τὰ κατὰ τὸν πατριάρχην Ἰωσήφ. Οὐκ ἦν δέ τινας ἠρεμεῖν ἐντεῦθεν, ὥστε καὶ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἐκεῖσε καθήμενον ἀναπαύεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὁσημέραι προσφοιτῶντες ἠνώχλουν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ συχναῖς περιέβαλλον ἀσχολίαις, τὸν αὐτοῦ ζῆλονκαὶ γὰρ κατ' ὀλίγον κατέψυκτο τῇ τῶν τρόπων ἁπλότητιἀναζωπυροῦντες οἷον καὶ πρὸς τὸ θερμότερον 533 διεγείροντες. Ἦν γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἱλαρὸς καὶ μέτριος ὥστε καί, εἴπερ χρεία γεγόνει τινὰς τῶν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ κοινωνούντων προσφοιτᾶν ἐκείνῳ, οἱ δ' ἤθελον εὐλογεῖσθαι, μόνον ἦν ἐκείνους προσπίπτειν καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν ἐπιζητεῖν, καὶ αὐτὸν εὐθέως κοινωνεῖν ἐκείνοις τῶν χαρισμάτων τοῦ Πνεύ ματος· ὃ καὶ τοῖς περὶ ἐκεῖνον καὶ λοιποῖς ἄλλοις οὐκ οἰστὸν ἦν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁσημέραι προσφοιτῶντες ἀνεθάρρυνον πλέον πρὸς τὸ τελέως σχίζεσθαι. Τοῦτ' ἀκουσθὲν τῷ κρατοῦντι, ὁ δέ, πληροφορίαν τὴν εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἐκείνην ἀφείς, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ