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not consenting to become part of the wicked leaven of Arius. 242.3 How could words clearly represent these things to you, unless experience itself and the sight with your own eyes should move you to sympathy? So we beseech you, now at least, to stretch out a hand to the Churches in the East, which are already brought to their knees, and to send some men to remind us of the rewards laid up for the endurance of sufferings for Christ. For a familiar word is not naturally so effective as a foreign voice is to produce comfort, especially when it comes from men who, by the grace of God, are known for the noblest qualities, such as fame proclaims you to all men to be, who have remained unwounded in the faith, who have preserved inviolate the apostolic deposit. But our affairs are not so; instead we have had some who, through a desire for glory and by that pride which most of all ruins the souls of Christians, have made bold with certain innovations of language, from which the Churches, having been made unsound, like porous vessels, have received the heretical corruption which has flowed into them. But you, our beloved and greatly longed for, become physicians for the wounded and trainers for the healthy; healing what is sick, and anointing what is sound for piety.

243.t TO THE ITALIAN AND GALLICAN BISHOPS CONCERNING THE STATE AND CONFUSION OF THE CHURCHES

243.1 To the truly most God-beloved and most desired brothers and like-minded fellow-ministers, the bishops throughout Gaul and Italy, Basil, bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Our Lord Jesus Christ, having deigned to name the whole Church of God his own body, and having shown us, one by one, to be members of each other, has also granted to us all to have an intimate relation with all, in accordance with the harmony of the members. Wherefore, although we are separated from one another by a very great distance in our dwellings, yet in the principle of our connection we are near to one another. Since, therefore, the head cannot say to the feet, "I have no need of you," surely you too will not endure to cast us off, but you will sympathize with our afflictions to which we have been delivered over for our sins, just as we also rejoice with you who are glorified in the peace which the Lord has graciously given you. Now, we have already at other times called upon your charity for our assistance and sympathy, but surely because our vindication was not to be fulfilled, you were not permitted to rouse yourselves to our aid. For we seek, in the first place, that our confusion should be made known through your piety even to the ruler of your domain; but if this is difficult, then for some of you to come to visit and comfort the afflicted, so that they may set before their eyes the sufferings of the East which it is impossible to grasp by hearing, since no account can be found that clearly represents our situation to you. 243.2 A persecution has seized us, most honored brothers, and the heaviest of persecutions. For shepherds are persecuted, so that the flocks may be scattered. And the heaviest part is, that those who are ill-treated accept their sufferings with the full assurance of martyrdom, but the people do not honor the combatants as martyrs because the name of Christians is attached to their persecutors. One crime is now vigorously punished, the exact observance of the traditions of the fathers. For this reason the pious are driven from their fatherlands, and are made to live in the deserts. Gray hair is not respected by the judges of iniquity, nor ascetic practice of piety, nor a life lived according to the Gospel from youth to old age. But while no evil-doer is condemned without proofs, bishops have been convicted by slander alone and

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τῆς πονηρᾶς ζύμης Ἀρείου γενέσθαι μὴ καταδέχεσθαι. 242.3 Πῶς ἂν ὑμῖν ταῦτα λόγος ἐναργῶς παραστήσειεν, εἰ μὴ αὐτὴ ἡ πεῖρα καὶ ἡ διὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν θέα κινήσειεν ὑμᾶς πρὸς συμπάθειαν; Ὥστε παρακαλοῦμεν ὑμᾶς νῦν γοῦν χεῖρα ὀρέξαι ταῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἀνατολὴν Ἐκκλησίαις εἰς γόνυ κλιθείσαις ἤδη, καὶ ἀποστεῖλαί τινας τοὺς τῶν μισθῶν ὑπομιμνήσκοντας τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἐπὶ τῇ ὑπομονῇ τῶν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ παθημάτων. Οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ὁ συνήθης λόγος ἐνεργεῖν πέφυκεν ὅσον ἡ ξένη φωνὴ ἐμποιεῖν τὴν πα ράκλησιν, καὶ ταῦτα παρὰ ἀνδρῶν γινομένη ἐπὶ τοῖς καλλίσ τοις τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι γνωριζομένων, ὁποίους ὑμᾶς ἡ φήμη πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις περιαγγέλλει, ἀτρώτους κατὰ τὴν πίστιν διαμείναντας, ἄσυλον τὴν ἀποστολικὴν παρακατα θήκην διαφυλάξαντας. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα τοιαῦτα, ἀλλ' ἔσχομέν τινας ἐπιθυμίᾳ δόξης καὶ τῇ μάλιστα κατα στρεφούσῃ χριστιανῶν ψυχὰς φυσιώσει καταθαρσήσαντάς τινων καινοτομίας ῥημάτων, ὅθεν αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι, σαθρω θεῖσαι, ὥσπερ ἀγγεῖα ἀραιωθέντα τὴν αἱρετικὴν διαφθορὰν εἰσρυεῖσαν ἐδέξαντο. Ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς, ὦ ἀγαπητοὶ ἡμῖν καὶ περιπόθητοι, γένεσθε τῶν μὲν τραυματιῶν ἰατροί, τῶν δὲ ὑγιαινόντων παιδοτρίβαι· τὸ μὲν νενοσηκὸς ὑγιάζοντες, τὸ δὲ ὑγιαῖνον ἀλείφοντες εἰς εὐσέβειαν.

243.τ ΠΡΟΣ ΙΤΑΛΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΓΑΛΛΟΥΣ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΤΑΣΤΑΣΕΩΣ ΚΑΙ ΣΥΓΧΥΣΕΩΣ ΤΩΝ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΩΝ

243.1 Τοῖς ὡς ἀληθῶς θεοφιλεστάτοις καὶ ποθεινοτάτοις ἀδελφοῖς καὶ

ὁμοψύχοις συλλειτουργοῖς, τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Γαλλίαν καὶ Ἰταλίαν ἐπισκόποις, Βασίλειος ἐπίσκοπος Καισαρείας τῆς Καππαδοκίας. Ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς σῶμα ἑαυτοῦ καταδεξάμενος ὀνομάσαι τὴν πᾶσαν τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ τοὺς καθ' ἕνα ἡμῶν ἀλλήλων ἀποδείξας μέλη, ἔδωκε καὶ ἡμῖν πᾶσι πρὸς πάντας ἔχειν οἰκείως κατὰ τὴν τῶν μελῶν συμφωνίαν. ∆ιόπερ εἰ καὶ πλεῖ στον ἀλλήλων διωρίσμεθα ταῖς οἰκήσεσιν, ἀλλὰ τῷ γε λόγῳ τῆς συναφείας ἐγγὺς ἀλλήλων ἐσμέν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐ δύναται ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῖς ποσὶν εἰπεῖν· «Χρείαν ὑμῶν οὐκ ἔχω», πάντως οὐδὲ ὑμεῖς ἀνέξεσθε ἀποποιήσασθαι ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον συμπαθήσετε ἡμῶν ταῖς θλίψεσιν αἷς παρεδόθημεν διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, ὅσον καὶ ἡμεῖς συγχαίρομεν ὑμῖν δοξαζο μένοις ἐν τῇ εἰρήνῃ ᾗ ἐχαρίσατο ὑμῖν ὁ Κύριος. Ἤδη μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλοτε ἐπεβοησάμεθα τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην εἰς ἀντίληψιν ἡμῶν καὶ συμπάθειαν, ἀλλὰ πάντως διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀναπληρωθῆναι τὴν ἐκδίκησιν ἡμῶν οὐ συνεχωρήθητε δια ναστῆναι πρὸς τὴν ἀντίληψιν. Ἐπιζητοῦμεν γὰρ μάλιστα μὲν καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ κρατοῦντι τῆς καθ' ὑμᾶς ἀρχομένης φα νερὰν γενέσθαι διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας εὐλαβείας τὴν ἡμετέραν σύγχυσιν· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο δύσκολον, ἀλλ' ἐλθεῖν τινας παρ' ὑμῶν εἰς ἐπίσκεψιν καὶ παραμυθίαν τῶν θλιβομένων, ἵν' ὀφθαλ μοῖς ὑποβάλωσι τὰ πάθη τῆς Ἀνατολῆς ἅπερ ἀκοαῖς ἀδύ νατον παραδέξασθαι τῷ μηδένα λόγον εὑρίσκεσθαι ἐναργῶς παριστῶντα ὑμῖν τὰ ἡμέτερα. 243.2 ∆ιωγμὸς κατείληφεν ἡμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ τιμιώτατοι, καὶ διωγμῶν ὁ βαρύτατος. ∆ιώκονται γὰρ ποιμένες, ἵνα διασ κορπισθῶσι τὰ ποίμνια. Καὶ τὸ βαρύτατον, ὅτι οἱ μὲν κακού μενοι ἐν πληροφορίᾳ μαρτυρίου τὰ πάθη δέχονται, οἱ δὲ λαοὶ οὐκ ἐν μαρτύρων τάξει τοὺς ἀθλητὰς θεραπεύουσι διὰ τὸ Χριστιανῶν ὄνομα τοῖς διώκουσι περικεῖσθαι. Ἕν ἐστιν ἔγκλημα νῦν σφοδρῶς ἐκδικούμενον, ἡ ἀκριβὴς τήρησις τῶν πατρικῶν παραδόσεων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀπελαύνονται μὲν τῶν πατρίδων οἱ εὐσεβεῖς, πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἐρημίας μετοικίζονται. Οὐ πολιὰ παρὰ τοῖς κριταῖς τῆς ἀδικίας αἰδέσιμος, οὐκ ἄσκησις εὐσεβείας, οὐ πολιτεία κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἐκ νεότητος εἰς γῆρας διανυσθεῖσα. Ἀλλὰ κακοῦργος μὲν οὐδεὶς ἄνευ ἐλέγχων καταδικάζεται, ἐπίσκοποι δὲ ὑπὸ μόνης συκο φαντίας ἑάλωσαν καὶ