Letter CXCVII.948    Placed in 375.

To Ambrose, bishop of Milan.949    Ambrose was placed in the archiepiscopate of Milan in 374.  The letter of Basil is in reply to a request for the restoration to his native city of the relics of St. Dionysius of Milan, who died in Cappadocia in 374.  cf. Ath., Ep. ad Sol.; Amb. iii. 920.

1.  The gifts of the Lord are ever great and many; in greatness beyond measure, in number incalculable.  To those who are not insensible of His mercy one of the greatest of these gifts is that of which I am now availing myself, the opportunity allowed us, far apart in place though we be, of addressing one another by letter.  He grants us two means of becoming acquainted; one by personal intercourse, another by epistolary correspondence.  Now I have become acquainted with you through what you have said.  I do not mean that my memory is impressed with your outward appearance, but that the beauty of the inner man has been brought home to me by the rich variety of your utterances, for each of us “speaketh out of the abundance of the heart.”950    Matt. xii. 34.  I have given glory to God, Who in every generation selects those who are well-pleasing to Him; Who of old indeed chose from the sheepfold a prince for His people;951    Ps. lxxviii. 70. Who through the Spirit gifted Amos the herdman with power and raised him up to be a prophet; Who now has drawn forth for the care of Christ’s flock a man from the imperial city, entrusted with the government of a whole nation, exalted in character, in lineage, in position, in eloquence, in all that this world admires.  This same man has flung away all the advantages of the world, counting them all loss that he may gain Christ,952    Phil. iii. 8. and has taken in his hand the helm of the ship, great and famous for its faith in God, the Church of Christ.  Come, then, O man of God; not from men have you received or been taught the Gospel of Christ; it is the Lord Himself who has transferred you from the judges of the earth to the throne of the Apostles; fight the good fight; heal the infirmity of the people, if any are infected by the disease of Arian madness; renew the ancient footprints of the Fathers.  You have laid the foundation of affection towards me; strive to build upon it by the frequency of your salutations.  Thus shall we be able to be near one another in spirit, although our earthly homes are far apart.

2.  By your earnestness and zeal in the matter of the blessed bishop Dionysius you testify all your love to the Lord, your honour for your predecessors, and your zeal for the faith.  For our disposition towards our faithful fellow-servants is referred to the Lord Whom they have served.  Whoever honours men that have contended for the faith proves that he has like zeal for it.  One single action is proof of much virtue.

I wish to acquaint your love in Christ that the very zealous brethren who have been commissioned by your reverence to act for you in this good work have won praise for all the clergy by the amiability of their manners; for by their individual modesty and conciliatoriness they have shewn the sound condition of all.  Moreover, with all zeal and diligence they have braved an inclement season; and with unbroken perseverance have persuaded the faithful guardians of the blessed body to transmit to them the custody of what they have regarded as the safeguard of their lives.  And you must understand that they are men who would never have been forced by any human authority or sovereignty, had not the perseverance of these brethren moved them to compliance.  No doubt a great aid to the attainment of the object desired was the presence of our well beloved and reverend son Therasius the presbyter.  He voluntarily undertook all the toil of the journey; he moderated the energy of the faithful on the spot; he persuaded opponents by his arguments; in the presence of priests and deacons, and of many others who fear the Lord, he took up the relics with all becoming reverence, and has aided the brethren in their preservation.  These relics do you receive with a joy equivalent to the distress with which their custodians have parted with them and sent them to you.  Let none dispute; let none doubt.  Here you have that unconquered athlete.  These bones, which shared in the conflict with the blessed soul, are known to the Lord.  These bones He will crown, together with that soul, in the righteous day of His requital, as it is written, “we must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may give an account of the deeds he has done in the body.”953    cf. Rom. xiv. 10 and 2 Cor. v. 10.  One coffin held that honoured corpse.  None other lay by his side.  The burial was a noble one; the honours of a martyr were paid him.  Christians who had welcomed him as a guest and then with their own hands laid him in the grave, have now disinterred him.  They have wept as men bereaved of a father and a champion.  But they have sent him to you, for they put your joy before their own consolation.  Pious were the hands that gave; scrupulously careful were the hands that received.  There has been no room for deceit; no room for guile.  I bear witness to this.  Let the untainted truth be accepted by you.

ΑΜΒΡΟΣΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΜΕΔΙΟΛΑΝΟΥ

[1] Μεγάλαι καὶ πολλαὶ τοῦ Δεσπότου ἡμῶν αἱ δωρεαὶ καὶ οὔτε τὸ μέγεθος αὐτῶν μετρητὸν οὔτε τὸ πλῆθος ἀριθμητόν. Μία δὲ τῶν μεγίστων δωρεῶν ἐστι τοῖς εὐαισθήτως δεχομένοις τὰς χάριτας καὶ ἡ παροῦσα αὕτη, ὅτι πλεῖστον ἡμᾶς τῇ θέσει τοῦ τόπου διῃρημένους ἔδωκεν ἀλλήλοις συνάπτεσθαι διὰ τῆς ἐν τοῖς γράμμασι προσφωνήσεως. Καὶ γνώσεως τρόπον διττὸν ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο: ἕνα μὲν διὰ τῆς συντυχίας, ἕτερον δὲ τὸν διὰ τῆς τοῦ γράμματος ὁμιλίας. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐγνωρίσαμέν σε δι' ὧν ἐφθέγξω, καὶ ἐγνωρίσαμεν οὐ τὸν σωματικὸν χαρακτῆρα ταῖς μνήμαις ἡμῶν ἐντυπωσάμενοι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου τὸ κάλλος ποικιλίᾳ λόγων καταμαθόντες, ὅτι ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύματος τῆς καρδίας λαλεῖ, ἐδοξάσαμεν τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν τὸν καθ' ἑκάστην γενεὰν ἐκλεγόμενον τοὺς αὐτῷ εὐαρεστοῦντας: ὃς πρότερον μὲν ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων τῶν προβάτων ἤγειρεν ἄρχοντα τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν Ἀμῶς ἐκ τοῦ αἰπολίου ἐνδυναμώσας διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ὕψωσεν εἰς προφήτην, νῦν δὲ ἄνδρα ἐκ τῆς βασιλευούσης πόλεως, ἀρχὴν ὅλου ἔθνους πεπιστευμένον, ὑψηλὸν τῷ φρονήματι, γένους λαμπρότητι, περιφανείᾳ βίου, λόγων δυνάμει, πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τὸν βίον περίβλεπτον, εἵλκυσεν εἰς τὴν τῶν ποιμνίων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιμέλειαν. Ὅς, πάντα ῥίψας τὰ τοῦ βίου πλεονεκτήματα καὶ ἡγησάμενος αὐτὰ ζημίαν ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσῃ, τοὺς οἴακας ἐπετράπη τῆς μεγάλης καὶ περιβοήτου ἐπὶ τῇ εἰς Θεὸν πίστει τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίας. Ἄγε τοίνυν, ὦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπε, ἐπειδὴ οὐ παρ' ἀνθρώπων παρέλαβες ἢ ἐδιδάχθης τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ' αὐτός σε ὁ Κύριος ἀπὸ τῶν κριτῶν τῆς γῆς ἐπὶ τὴν προεδρίαν τῶν Ἀποστόλων μετέθηκεν, ἀγωνίζου τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα, διόρθωσαι τὰ ἀρρωστήματα τοῦ λαοῦ, εἴ τινος ἄρα τὸ πάθος τῆς Ἀρειανῆς μανίας ἥψατο, ἀνανέωσαι τὰ ἀρχαῖα τῶν Πατέρων ἴχνη, καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀγάπης ὃν κατεβάλου τοῦτον θεμέλιον ἐποικοδομεῖν σπούδαζε τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῶν προσρήσεων. Οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα ἐγγὺς ἀλλήλων εἶναι τῷ πνεύματι, εἰ καὶ τῇ οἰκήσει τῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς παμπληθὲς ἀπῳκίσμεθα.

[2] Ἡ δὲ περὶ τὸν μακαριώτατον Διονύσιον τὸν ἐπίσκοπον φιλοτιμία σου καὶ σπουδὴ πᾶσάν σοι μαρτυρεῖ ἀγάπην πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, τιμὴν εἰς τοὺς προλαβόντας, σπουδὴν περὶ τὴν πίστιν. Ἡ γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς εὔνους τῶν ὁμοδούλων διάθεσις τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἐπὶ τὸν Δεσπότην ἔχει ᾧ δεδουλεύκασι, καὶ ὁ τοὺς διὰ πίστιν ἠθληκότας τιμῶν δῆλός ἐστι τὸν ἴσον ζῆλον ἔχων τῆς πίστεως, ὥστε μία αὕτη πρᾶξις πολλῆς ἀρετῆς ἔχει τὴν μαρτυρίαν. Γνωρίζομεν δέ σου τῇ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀγάπῃ ὅτι οἱ σπουδαιότατοι ἀδελφοί, οἱ παρὰ τῆς εὐλαβείας σου εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἔργου διακονίαν προτιμηθέντες, πρῶτον μὲν παντὶ τῷ κλήρῳ ἔπαινον ἤνεγκαν διὰ τῆς ἐμμελείας τῶν τρόπων: ἐν γὰρ τῇ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς εὐσχημοσύνῃ τὸ κοινὸν πάντων εὐσταθὲς κατεμήνυον. Ἔπειτα πάσῃ σπουδῇ καὶ ἐμμελείᾳ χρησάμενοι κατετόλμησαν μὲν χειμῶνος ἀβάτου, ἔπεισαν δὲ μετὰ πάσης εὐτονίας τοὺς πιστοὺς φύλακας τοῦ μακαρίου σώματος τὰ φυλακτήρια τῆς ἑαυτῶν ζωῆς παραχωρῆσαι τούτοις. Καὶ γίνωσκε ὅτι οὔτε ἀρχαὶ οὔτε δυναστεῖαι ἀνθρώπων ἐξίσχυσαν ἄν ποτε βιάσασθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐκείνους, εἰ μὴ τὸ εὔτονον τῆς προαιρέσεως τῶν ἀδελφῶν τούτων ἐξεδυσώπησεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν συγχώρησιν. Συνήργησε δὲ μάλιστα πρὸς τὸ καταπραχθῆναι τὰ σπουδαζόμενα καὶ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ ποθεινοτάτου καὶ εὐλαβεστάτου υἱοῦ ἡμῶν Θηρασίου τοῦ συμπρεσβυτέρου, ὃς αὐθαιρέτως τὸν κόπον τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ὑποδεξάμενος ἔπαυσε μὲν τὸ σφοδρὸν τῆς ὁρμῆς τῶν ἐκεῖ πιστῶν, λόγῳ δὲ συμπείσας τοὺς ἀντεχομένους, ἐπὶ πρεσβυτέρων καὶ διακόνων καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν Κύριον μετὰ τῆς πρεπούσης εὐλαβείας ἀνελόμενος τὰ λείψανα, συνδιέσωσε τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς: ἃ μετὰ τοσαύτης χαρᾶς ὑποδέξασθε μεθ' ὅσης λύπης προέπεμψαν οἱ φυλάσσοντες. Μηδεὶς διακρινέσθω, μηδεὶς ἀμφιβαλλέτω: οὗτός ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀήττητος ἀθλητής. Ταῦτα γνωρίζει τὰ ὀστᾶ ὁ Κύριος τὰ συνδιαθλήσαντα τῇ μακαρίᾳ ψυχῇ. Ταῦτα μετ' αὐτῆς στεφανώσει ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως αὐτοῦ τῇ δικαίᾳ, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον: ὅτι δεῖ ἡμᾶς παραστῆναι τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξε διὰ τοῦ σώματος. Μία λάρναξ ἦν ἡ ὑποδεξαμένη τὸ τίμιον ἐκεῖνο σῶμα, οὐδεὶς ὁ πλησίον αὐτοῦ κατακείμενος, ἐπίσημος ἡ ταφή, μάρτυρος ἡ τιμή. Χριστιανοί, οἱ ξενίσαντες, ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶ καὶ κατέθεντο τότε καὶ ἀνείλοντο νῦν. Οὗτοι ἔκλαυσαν μὲν ὡς πατέρος καὶ προστάτου στερούμενοι, προέπεμψαν δὲ τὴν ὑμετέραν χαρὰν τῆς ἰδίας παρακλήσεως προτιμοτέραν θέμενοι. Οἱ παραδόντες τοίνυν εὐλαβεῖς, οἱ ὑποδεξάμενοι ἀκριβεῖς. Οὐδαμοῦ ψεῦδος, οὐδαμοῦ δόλος, μαρτυροῦμεν ἡμεῖς: ἀσυκοφάντητος ἔστω παρ' ὑμῶν ἡ ἀλήθεια.