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they bring forward the letter, written to him twenty-five years ago, from a layman to a layman (and not even this as it was written by me, but altered, and by whom God knows), recognize at once the injustice, that no one serving in the episcopate is accused for anything he wrote unguardedly out of indifference in his lay life; and this about nothing concerning faith, but a simple letter containing a friendly address. Perhaps they too are found to have written to both Greeks and Jews and have no accusations. For to this day no one has been judged for such a matter for which we are condemned by those who strain out gnats. That we neither wrote those things nor agree with them, but we also anathematize those holding that wicked opinion of the confusion of the hypostases, in which the most impious heresy of Sabellius has been revived, this, then, is known to God who knows the hearts, and it is known also to all the brotherhood that has come to experience our humility. And let those very men, who are now our vehement accusers, examine their own conscience and they will know that from childhood we were far from such doctrines. 224.3 But if anyone seeks what our opinion is, he will know it from the very document in which their signature is in their own hand, which they, wishing to annul their own change of mind, hide in their slander against us. For they do not confess that they repented by signing the book presented to them by us, but they bring charges of impiety against us, thinking it is not known that their withdrawal from us is a pretext; but in truth they have withdrawn from the faith which, having often confessed in writing before many, they finally also accepted when presented by us, and they signed what all are able to read, and to be taught the truth from the letters themselves. And their intention will be known, if someone after the signature which they gave to us, reads the faith which they gave to Gelasius, and knows how great the difference is of that confession from this one. Therefore, let those who so easily turn to the opposite not scrutinize the specks in others, but cast out the beam in their own eye. But we both make our defense and teach more completely concerning all things in another letter, which will fully inform those who seek more. But you, for the present, by accepting these letters of ours, have taken away all grief and confirmed your love for us, for which I strongly cling to union with you. And it is a very great grief to us and an inconsolable pain to our heart, if the slanders against us should so prevail over you as to cool your love and alienate us from one another.

225. TO DEMOSTHENES AS FROM THE COMMUNITY

225.1 We always have much gratitude to God and to the emperors who care for

us, whenever we see the governance of our fatherland entrusted to a man who is first a Christian, then upright in character and a strict guardian of the laws by which we conduct our human affairs. And especially upon your arrival we confessed this gratitude to God and to the God-loving Emperor. But perceiving that some of the enemies of peace were about to trouble your august courts against us, we were expecting to be summoned by your magnanimity, so that the truth might be learned from us, if indeed your great wisdom deigned to make the examinations of ecclesiastical matters its own. But since the court overlooked us, but your authority, moved by the insults of Philochares, ordered our brother and fellow-minister Gregory to be seized, and he obeyed the

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προφέρουσι τὴν λοιπὸν πρὸ εἴκοσι πέντε ἐτῶν γραφεῖσαν αὐτῷ, παρὰ λαϊκοῦ πρὸς λαϊκὸν (καὶ οὐδὲ ταύτην ὡς γέγραπται παρ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλὰ μεταποιηθεῖσαν, ὑπὸ τίνων δὲ ὁ Θεὸς οἶδε), γνωρίσατε αὐτόθεν τὴν ἀδικίαν, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἐν ἐπισκοπῇ ὢν ἐγκαλεῖται, εἴ τι κατὰ ἀδιαφορίαν ἐν τῷ λαϊκῷ βίῳ ἀπαρατηρήτως ἔγραψε· καὶ τοῦτο μηδὲν περὶ πίστεως, ἀλλὰ ψιλὸν γράμμα φιλικὴν ἔχον προσηγορίαν. Τάχα δὲ κἀκεῖνοι φαίνονται καὶ Ἕλλησι καὶ Ἰουδαίοιςγράψαντες καὶ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐγκλήματα. Μέχρι γὰρ σήμερον οὐδεὶς ἐκρίθη ἐπὶ τοιούτῳ πράγματι ἐφ' ᾧ ἡμεῖς καταδικα ζόμεθα παρὰ τῶν διυλιζόντων τοὺς κώνωπας. Ὅτι μὲν οὔτε ἐγράψαμεν ἐκεῖνα οὔτε συντιθέμεθα αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναθεματίζομεν τοὺς ἔχοντας ἐκεῖνο τὸ πονηρὸν φρόνημα τὸ τῆς συγχύσεως τῶν ὑποστάσεων, ἐν ᾧ ἡ ἀσεβεστάτη αἵρεσις τοῦ Σαβελλίου ἀνενεώθη, τοῦτο μὲν οὖν γνώριμον τῷ Θεῷ τῷ τὰς καρδίας γινώσκοντι, γνώριμον δὲ καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἀδελφότητι τῇ εἰς πεῖραν ἐλθούσῃ τῆς ἡμετέρας ταπει νώσεως. Καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐκεῖνοι, οἱ νῦν σφοδροὶ κατήγοροι ἡμῶν, ἐρευνησάτωσαν τὸ ἴδιον συνειδὸς καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐκ παιδὸς μακρὰν ἐγενόμεθα τῶν τοιούτων δογμάτων. 224.3 Τί δέ ἐστι τὸ ἡμέτερον φρόνημα, εἴ τις ἐπιζητεῖ, γνώσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ γραμματίου ἐν ᾧ ἡ ὑπογραφὴ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἰδιόχειρος, ἣν ἐκεῖνοι βουλόμενοι ἀθετῆσαι τὴν ἑαυτῶν μεταβολὴν κρύπτουσιν ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ συκοφαν τίᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ ὁμολογοῦσιν ὅτι μετεμελήθησαν τῷ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπιδοθέντι αὐτοῖς βιβλίῳ ὑπογράφοντες, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν ἐπιφέ ρουσιν ἐγκλήματα ἀσεβείας νομίζοντες ἀγνοεῖσθαι ὅτι πρό σχημα μὲν αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ἡ ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἀναχώρησις· τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ τῆς πίστεως ἀνακεχωρήκασιν ἣν πολλάκις ἐπὶ πολλῶν ἐγγράφως ὁμολογήσαντες τὸ τελευταῖον καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπιδοθεῖσαν ἐδέξαντο, καὶ ὑπέγραψαν ἃ πᾶσιν ἔξεσ τιν ἀναγινώσκειν, καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν τῶν γραμμάτων διδάσ κεσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Γνωρίμη δὲ αὐτῶν ἔσται ἡ προαίρεσις, ἐάν τις μετὰ τὴν ὑπογραφὴν ἣν ἡμῖν ἐπέδωκαν ἀναγνῷ τὴν πίστιν ἣν Γελασίῳ ἔδωκαν, καὶ γνῷ πόσον τὸ διάφορον ἐκείνης τῆς ὁμολογίας πρὸς ταύτην. Οἱ τοίνυν οὕτως εὐκόλως πρὸς τὰ ἐναντία μετατρεπόμενοι μὴ τὰ ἀλλότρια κάρφη διερευνάτωσαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν δοκὸν τὴν ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ ὀφθαλμῷ ἐκβαλλέτωσαν. Ἐντελέστερον δὲ δι' ἄλλης ἐπιστο λῆς περὶ πάντων καὶ ἀπολογούμεθα καὶ διδάσκομεν, ἥτις πληροφορήσει τοὺς πλέον ἐπιζητοῦντας. Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐν τῷ παρόντι ταῦτα ἡμῶν δεξάμενοι τὰ γράμματα πᾶσαν ἀφέλετε λύπην καὶ κυρώσατε εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀγάπην, δι' ὃ σφοδρῶς ἀντέ χομαι τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἑνώσεως. Καὶ μεγίστη ἡμῖν ἐστι λύπη καὶ ἀπαραμύθητος ὀδύνη τῇ καρδίᾳ ἡμῶν, ἐὰν τοσοῦ τον κατισχύσωσιν ὑμῶν αἱ καθ' ἡμῶν διαβολαὶ ὥστε ψύξαι τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ ἀπαλλοτριῶσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων.

225.τ ∆ΗΜΟΣΘΕΝΕΙ ΩΣ ΑΠΟ ΚΟΙΝΟΥ

225.1 Πολλὴν χάριν ἔχομεν ἀεὶ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ βασιλεῦσι τοῖς ἐπιμελομένοις

ἡμῶν, ὅταν ποτὲ ἴδωμεν τῆς πατρίδος ἡμῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀνδρὶ πιστευθεῖσαν πρῶτον μὲν χριστιανῷ, ἔπειτα ὀρθῷ τὸν τρόπον καὶ ἀκριβεῖ τῶν νόμων φύλακι καθ' οὓς πολιτευόμεθα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα. ∆ιαφερόντως δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς σῆς ἐπιδημίας ταύτην τὴν χάριν ὡμολογήσαμεν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τῷ θεοφιλεῖ Βασιλεῖ. Αἰσθόμενοι δὲ ὅτι τινὲς τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῆς εἰρήνης ἔμελλον τὰ σεμνά σου δικαστήρια καθ' ἡμῶν διοχλεῖν, ἐξεδεχόμεθα κληθήσεσθαι παρὰ τῆς μεγαλονοίας σου, ὥστε διδαχθῆναι παρ' ἡμῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν εἴπερ ἄρα κατεδέχετό σου ἡ μεγάλη φρόνησις τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν πραγμάτων οἰκειοῦσθαι τὰς ἐξετάσεις. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡμᾶς μὲν παρεῖδε τὸ δικαστήριον, τὸν δὲ ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν καὶ συλ λειτουργὸν Γρηγόριον κινηθεῖσά σου ἡ ἐξουσία ἐπὶ ταῖς Φιλοχάρους λοιδορίαις ἀναρπαγῆναι προσέταξεν, ὁ δὲ ὑπήκουσε μὲν τῷ