Letter CXCI.935    Placed in 374.

To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.936    So the mss. and Editors.  The Ben. note would have it addressed to the recipient of the preceding.  Tillemont thinks it written to one of the Lycian bishops referred to in Letter ccxviii.

On reading the letter of your reverence I heartily thanked God.  I did so because I found in your expressions traces of ancient affection.  You are not like the majority.  You did not persist in refusing to begin an affectionate correspondence.  You have learned the greatness of the prize promised to the saints for humility, and so you have chosen, by taking the second place, to get before me.  Among Christians such are the conditions of victory, and it is he who is content to take the second place who wins a crown.  But I must not be behindhand in this virtuous rivalry, and so I thus salute your reverence in return; and inform you as to how I am minded, in that, since agreement in the faith is established among us,937    ἡμῖν.  Some mss. have ὑμῖν. there is nothing further to prevent our being one body and one spirit, as we have been called in one hope of our calling.938    cf. Eph. iv. 4.  It is for you, then, of your charity to follow up a good beginning to rally men of like mind to stand at your side, and to appoint both time and place for meeting.  Thus, by God’s grace, through mutual accommodation we may govern the Churches by the ancient kind of love; receiving as our own members brothers coming from the other side, sending as to our kin, and in turn receiving as from our own kin.  Such, indeed, was once the boast of the Church.  Brothers from each Church, travelling from one end of the world to the other, were provided with little tokens, and found all men fathers and brothers.  This is a privilege whereof, like all the rest, the enemy of Christ’s Churches has robbed us.  We are confined each in his own city, and every one looks at his neighbour with distrust.  What more is to be said but that our love has grown cold,939    Matt. xxiv. 12. whereby alone our Lord has told us that His disciples are distinguished?940    John xiii. 35.  First of all, if you will, do you become known to one another, that I may know with whom I am to be in agreement.  Thus by common consent we will fix on some place convenient to both, and, at a season suitable for travelling, we will hasten to meet one another; the Lord will direct us in the way.  Farewell.  Be of good cheer.  Pray for me.  May you be granted to me by the grace of the Holy One?941    Whether the proposed meeting took place, and, indeed, what meeting is referred to, cannot be determined.  Basil met Amphilochius and some neighbouring bishops in Pisidia in 375.  But before this he counts the Isaurians as already in communion with him (Letter cciv.).  Perhaps all that the meeting was desired to bring about was effected by correspondence.  This is the explanation of the Ben. Ed.

ΑΜΦΙΛΟΧΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΙΚΟΝΙΟΥ

[1] Ἐντυχόντες τοῖς γράμμασι τῆς εὐλαβείας σου πολλὴν τῷ Θεῷ τὴν χάριν ἔσχομεν, ὅτι ἀρχαίας ἀγάπης ἴχνη εὕρομεν ἐν τοῖς ῥήμασι τῆς ἐπιστολῆς: ὅς γε οὐκ ἔπαθες τὸ τῶν πολλῶν οὐδὲ φιλονείκως ἔσχες πρὸς τὸ μὴ καὶ αὐτὸς κατάρξαι τῆς ἀγαπητικῆς ὁμιλίας, ἀλλ' ὡς πεπαιδευμένος τὸ ἐκ ταπεινοφροσύνης μεγαλεῖον περιγινόμενον τοῖς ἁγίοις, οὕτως εἵλου διὰ τῶν δευτερείων ἔμπροσθεν ἡμῶν ἀποφανθῆναι. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος νόμος τῆς ἐν χριστιανοῖς νίκης καὶ ὁ ἔλαττον ἔχειν καταδεξάμενος στεφανοῦται. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ ἀπολειφθῶμεν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ζήλου, ἰδοὺ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀντιφθεγγόμεθά σου τὴν σεμνότητα καὶ δείκνυμεν τὴν προαίρεσιν ἡμῶν, ὅτι, Θεοῦ χάριτι τῆς κατὰ τὴν πίστιν συμφωνίας ἐρρωμένης ὑμῖν, οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστι τὸ ἐμποδίζον πρὸς τὸ εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἓν σῶμα καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα, καθὼς ἐκλήθημεν ἐν μιᾷ ἐλπίδι διὰ τῆς κλήσεως. Τῆς οὖν σῆς ἐστιν ἀγάπης τῇ ἀγαθῇ ἀρχῇ καὶ τὰ ἐφεξῆς ἀποδοῦναι, συντάττειν μὲν περὶ σεαυτὸν τοὺς ὁμοψύχους, δηλῶσαι δὲ καὶ χρόνον καὶ τόπον τῆς συντυχίας, ἵνα οὕτω τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι ἀπολαβόντες ἀλλήλους τῷ ἀρχαίῳ εἴδει τῆς ἀγάπης τὰς Ἐκκλησίας οἰκονομήσωμεν, τοὺς παρ' ἑκατέρου μέρους βαδίζοντας τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὡς ἴδια μέλη προσιέμενοι, προπέμποντες ὡς ἐπὶ οἰκείους καὶ ὑποδεχόμενοι πάλιν ὡς παρ' οἰκείων. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν ποτὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὸ καύχημα, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐπὶ τὰ πέρατα μικροῖς συμβολαίοις ἐφοδιαζόμενοι οἱ ἐξ ἑκάστης Ἐκκλησίας ἀδελφοὶ πάντας πατέρας καὶ ἀδελφοὺς εὕρισκον: ὃ νῦν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀφῄρηται ἡμῶν ὁ ἐχθρὸς τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ κατὰ πόλεις περιγεγράμμεθα καὶ ἕκαστος δι' ὑποψίας ἔχομεν τὸν πλησίον. Καὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλο ἢ ἐψύξαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην ἀφ' ἧς μόνης τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ μαθητὰς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν εἶπε χαρακτηρίζεσθαι; Καὶ εἰ δοκεῖ, πρότερον αὐτοὶ μετ' ἀλλήλων γνωρίσατε ἑαυτούς, ἵνα γνῶμεν πρὸς τίνας ἡμῖν ἔσται ἡ συμφωνία. Καὶ οὕτως ἐκ κοινῆς συγκαταθέσεως τόπον τινὰ τὸν ἀμφοτέροις ἀνεπαχθῆ καὶ χρόνον ταῖς ὁδοιπορίαις πρέποντα ἐκλεξάμενοι, δραμούμεθα παρ' ἀλλήλους καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμᾶς κατευοδώσει. Ἐρρωμένος καὶ εὔθυμος εἴης ὑπερευχόμενός μου, καὶ χαρισθείης μοι τῇ τοῦ Ἁγίου φιλανθρωπίᾳ.