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For Patriarch John, it was not possible to keep the agreements which he had made with that venerable man, the great oikonomos of the church, Theodore Xiphilinos, that he would not write, that he would not speak against dogmas, no matter what others might say. But daily accepting the arguments of others, who greatly magnified the transgression from what they thought they could show from the writings by which they had made peace with the Italians, and who, secure in their own position, kindled the anger of others, if, being constrained by such difficulties, they were ignorant; for these reasons they induced him also to write and to establish from the writings that they had not erred at all in having brought about the peace of the churches, but that, even apart from its advancing their advantage, it was in itself secure for those who had acted, being supported also by other writings from elsewhere. So there fell into his hands the things written by the most wise Blemmydes, both to the emperor Theodore, having the beginning "He who seeks at the wrong time and receives at the right time," and the things to Jacob of Bulgaria, bearing the introduction "I have a suffering which I shall declare; for it is to a sacred healer." There also fell into his hands another book by Niketas of Maroneia, whom the great church held in honor and as chartophylax, and whom later the great city of Thessalonica was enriched with as archbishop, in five whole discourses unfolding the divine scriptures on behalf of the peace of the churches. And using these as foundations, so to speak, he wove together most of his points, wishing to aim for the purpose of what had been written by them, but nonetheless with eager impulses towards the scriptures he investigated more carefully; and he directed everything toward that first purpose, that the matter had been securely negotiated. But he did not base his arguments on the few very clear points, but delighting also in those that were not fitting, to which a 605 reasonable objection was attached, and he suffered the same thing as those with poor digestion who, having taken in useful and easily digestible food, later gaping at what was not useful, vomited up along with them also what was beneficial. What then? A certain fight and contention arose over inopportune matters; and the main point of the fight was that dogmas were being disturbed. O miserable ones, was it then permitted for you to make whatever use of dogmas, and of the things brought into the house of the Lord—which is to say, of dogmas—no matter what you might say, but it was not for others to mention dogmas, while defending themselves concerning dogmas, and if they should mention them under compulsion, would they be doing wrong? I do not think so. But some brought the accusation even to the imperial ears and they promised to keep the peace, if the emperor would expressly command that no one speak of dogmas, no matter what they were or how one might speak them. The emperor, however, while wanting their peace, was also displeased with the request, and set forth an edict in writing, which seemed to them to be safe for what they were seeking, but in another way it held forth a refutation; for he said that God must be remembered more than one must breathe; and dogma, then, is the remembrance of God. However, he commanded that deviation from the scriptures should be prevented altogether. But the patriarch was not absolved of blame, wishing to soften suddenly a matter that had already been hardened for a long time, and this while the emperor was correcting the apostates with the greatest punishments. It would therefore have been prudent, if he had remained silent and borne the accusation mildly; for the trouble would have been less. But by always providing kindling for the fight with entirely unsafe counter-arguments, he provided handles to them, and caused future harm for himself and his associates. Then, having learned of Joseph's arrival, and moreover regarding the attendance of the bishop of Ephesus on the emperor with no good suspicions, he wrote to the bishop of Ephesus, flatteringly addressing him as 'all-holy'; he asked him to entreat the emperor to kindly assent to the patriarch's arrival to him; and if he should also expressly command this, he would feel 607 no small gratitude to the one who had helped. He, therefore, having received the patriarch's letter, wishing to pretend to be a friend—for his enmity was still twitching on account of the things stirred up yesterday—approa

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πατριαρχεύοντι Ἰωάννῃ οὐκ ἦν τὰς ὁμολογίας φυλάττειν ἃς πρὸς τὸν γεραρὸν ἐκεῖνον ἄνδρα τὸν μέγαν οἰκονόμον τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸν Ξιφιλῖνον ἐποίει Θεόδωρον, ὡς οὐ γράψοι, ὡς οὐκ ἀντείποι περὶ δογμάτων, κἂν ὅ τι λέγοιεν ἄλλοι. Ἀλλ' ὁσημέραι δεχόμενον τὰ τῶν ἄλλων, οἳ δὴ καὶ ἐς μέγα ηὔξανον τὴν παραβασίαν ἐξ ὧν ἀπὸ γραφῶν δεικνύειν ᾤοντο οἷς πρὸς Ἰταλοὺς εἰρήνευσαν, καὶ τῷ κατὰ σφᾶς ἀσφαλεῖ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ὀργὴν ἐξέκαιον, εἰ, τοιούτοις συνισχημένοι τοῖς χαλεποῖς, ἀγνοοῦσι, διὰ ταῦτα παρῆγον κἀκεῖνον γράφειν καὶ ἀπὸ γραφῶν συνιστᾶν ὡσαύτως ὡς οὐκ ἔσφαλται σφίσιν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὴν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν καταπραξαμένοις εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ χωρὶς τοῦ εἰς συμφέρον προβῆναι, αὐτὴν καθ' αὑτὴν ἀσφαλῶς ἔχειν ἐκείνοις πράξασι, συγκροτουμένην καὶ ἀπὸ γραφῶν ἄλλοθεν. Πίπτει γοῦν εἰς χεῖρας ἐκείνῳ τὰ τῷ σοφωτάτῳ Βλεμμίδῃ γραφέντα πρός τε τὸν βασιλέα Θεόδωρον, ἀρχὴν ἔχοντα τὸ Ὁ ζητῶν ἐν οὐ καιρῷ καὶ λαμβάνων ἐν καιρῷ, καὶ τὰ πρὸς τὸν Βουλγαρίας Ἰάκωβον, τὸ Ἔστι μοι πάθος ὅπερ ἐξαγγελῶ· πρὸς ἀκέστορα γὰρ ἱερὸν προοίμιον φέροντα. Ἐμπίπτει καὶ βίβλος ἄλλη τοῦ τοῦ Μαρωνείας Νικήτα, ὃν ἡ μὲν μεγάλη ἐκκλησία ἐν τιμίοις εἶχε καὶ χαρτοφύλακα, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ ἡ μεγαλόπολις Θεσσαλονίκη ἀρχιερέα ἐπλούτησεν, ἐν ὅλοις πέντε λόγοις τὰ τῶν θείων γραφῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰρήνης τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἀνελίττουσα. Καὶ ταύταις οἱονεὶ θεμελίοις χρησάμενος, συνεῖρε τὰ πλεῖστα, κατὰ σκοπὸν μὲν τῶν ἐκείνοις γεγραμμένων βάλλειν ἐθέλων, ὅμως δὲ καὶ λίχναις ταῖς ἐπὶ ταῖς γραφαῖς ὁρμαῖς ἐπιμελέστερον ἀνηρεύνα· καὶ πάντ' ἴθυνε πρὸς τὸν πρῶτον σκοπὸν ἐκεῖνον, ὡς ἐπ' ἀσφαλεῖ πεπραγμάτευται. Πλὴν οὐκ ἐπ' ὀλίγοις ἵστα τοῖς ἀριδήλοις τοὺς λόγους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς μὴ ἁρμόττουσι λιχνευόμενος, οἷς καὶ 605 ἀντιλογία εὔλογος ἐφῆπτο, ταὐτόν τ' ἔπασχεν τοῖς κακοσίτοις οἵ, χρησίμην τροφὴν καὶ τῷ στομάχῳ ῥᾳδίαν κατασχεῖν προσφερόμενοι, ὕστερον καὶ τοῖς μὴ χρησίμοις ἐπιχήναντες, ἐξέμεσαν συνάμ' ἐκείνοις καὶ τὴν συνοίσουσαν. Τί τὸ ἐντεῦθεν; Μάχη τις ἐπ' οὐ καιρίοις καὶ φιλονεικία συνίσταται· τὸ δὲ τῆς μάχης κεφάλαιον, ὅτι κινοῦνται δόγματα. Μέλεοι, εἶτα ὑμῖν μὲν ἐφεῖτο ἐς ὅ τι χρήσασθαι δόγμασι, καὶ εἰσιτὰ τὰ ἐς οἶκον Κυρίου, ταὐτὸν δ' εἰπεῖν καὶ δογμάτων, κἂν ὅ τι λέγοιτε, ἄλλοις δ' οὐκ ἦν μεμνῆσθαι δογμάτων, ἀπολογουμένοις περὶ δογμάτων, κἂν μεμνῶνται ἀναγκαζόμενοι, ἀδικοῖεν ἄν; Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶμαι. Πλὴν μέχρι καὶ αὐτῶν βασιλικῶν ἀκοῶν τινες ἀνῆγον τὸ ἔγκλημα καί γ' εἰρηνεύειν ὑπισχνοῦντο, εἰ βασιλεὺς ῥητῶς προστάσσοι μὴ λαλεῖν τινα δόγματα, κἂν οἷα καὶ ὅπως λέγοι. Ὁ μέντοι γε βασιλεύς, θέλων μὲν καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην ἐκείνων, δυσχεραίνων δὲ καὶ τὴν αἴτησιν, ἐκτίθεται δόγμα γράμμασι, δοκοῦν μὲν ἀσφαλὲς σφίσιν ἐφ' ᾧπερ ζητοῖεν, ἄλλως δ' ἔλεγχον προϊσχόμενον· Θεοῦ γὰρ ἔλεγε μνημονευτέον μᾶλλον ἢ ἀναπνευστέον· δόγμα δ' ἄρα μνήμη Θεοῦ. Τὸ μέντοι γε τῶν γραφῶν παρεκκλίνειν κωλυτέον εἶναι καθάπαξ προσέτασσεν. Οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ αἰτίας ὁ πατριαρχῶν ἀπολέλυτο, πρᾶγμα σκιρρωθὲν ἤδη χρόνοις πλείστοις ἐξαπιναίως μαλάττειν ἐθέλων, καὶ ταῦτα τιμωρίαις μεγίσταις τοῦ βασιλέως τοὺς ἀποστατοῦντας εὐθύνοντος. Σῶφρον οὖν ἦν, εἰ σιγῶν διετέλει καὶ τὴν κατηγορίαν διέφερε πράως· ἧττον γὰρ ἂν ἦν τὸ δεινόν. ∆ιδοὺς δ' αἰὲν ὑπεκκαύματα μάχης οὐκ ἀσφαλέσι πάμπαν ἀντιλογίαις, ἐκείνοις μὲν παρεῖχε λαβάς, ἑαυτῷ δὲ καὶ τοῖς κοι νωνοῦσι τὴν ἐσαῦθις βλάβην προὐξένει. Τότε δέ, τὴν Ἰωσὴφ πυθόμενος ἄφιξιν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἐφέσου τῷ βασιλεῖ προσεδρείαν ἐν οὐ καλαῖς ὑποψίαις ποιούμενος, ἐπιστέλλει τῷ Ἐφέσου, προστιθεὶς τὸ πᾶν τῷ ἱερωτάτῳ κατὰ θωπείαν τῷ γράφειν πανιερώτατον· βασιλεῖ ἐντυγχάνειν ἠξίου τὴν εἰς ἐκεῖνον τοῦ πατριάρχου ἄφιξιν εὐμενῶς κατανεύειν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ῥητῶς προστάσσοι πρὸς τοῦτο, εἴσεσθαι 607 χάριν οὐ μετρίαν τῷ συνεργήσαντι. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν, τὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου δεξάμενος γράμματα, θέλων ὑποκρίνεσθαι τὸν φιλοῦνταἦν γάρ οἱ καὶ ἔτι τῶν χθιζὰ κινηθέντων χάριν παρασπαίρουσα ἡ ἀπέχθεια, βασιλεῖ προσα