Letter CC.987    Placed in 375.

To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.

I am attacked by sickness after sickness, and all the work given me, not only by the affairs of the Church, but by those who are troubling the Church, has detained me during the whole winter, and up to the present time.  It has been therefore quite impossible for me to send any one to you or to pay you a visit.  I conjecture that you are similarly situated; not, indeed, as to sickness, God forbid; may the Lord grant you continued health for carrying out His commandments.  But I know that the care of the Churches gives you the same distress as it does me.  I was now about to send some one to get me accurate information about your condition.  But when my well beloved son Meletius, who is moving the newly enlisted troops, reminded me of the opportunity of my saluting you by him, I gladly accepted the occasion to write and had recourse to the kind services of the conveyor of my letter.  He is one who may himself serve instead of a letter, both because of his amiable disposition, and of his being well acquainted with all which concerns me.  By him, then, I beseech your reverence especially to pray for me, that the Lord may grant to me a riddance from this troublesome body of mine; to His Churches, peace; and to you, rest; and, whenever you have settled the affairs of Lycaonia in apostolic fashion, as you have began, an opportunity to visit also this place.  Whether I be sojourning in the flesh, or shall have been already bidden to take my departure to the Lord, I hope that you will interest yourself in our part of the world, as your own, as indeed it is, strengthening all that is weak, rousing all that is slothful and, by the help of the Spirit Which abides in you, transforming everything into a condition well pleasing to the Lord.  My very honourable sons, Meletius and Melitius, whom you have known for some time, and know to be devoted to yourself, keep in your good care and pray for them.  This is enough to keep them in safety.  Salute in my name, I beg you, all who are with your holiness, both all the clergy, and all the laity under your pastoral care, and my very religious brothers and fellow ministers.  Bear in mind the memory of the blessed martyr Eupsychius, and do not wait for me to mention him again.  Do not take pains to come on the exact day, but anticipate it, and so give me joy, if I be yet living on this earth.  Till then may you, by the grace of the Holy One, be preserved for me and for God’s Churches, enjoying health and wealth in the Lord, and praying for me.

ΑΜΦΙΛΟΧΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΙΚΟΝΙΟΥ

[1] Ἡμᾶς ἀρρωστίαι ἐξ ἀρρωστιῶν διαδέχονται, καὶ ἀσχολίαι ἐκκλησιαστικῶν τε ὁμοῦ πραγμάτων καὶ τῶν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἐπηρεαζόντων συνέσχον παρὰ πάντα τὸν χειμῶνα καὶ τὸν μέχρι ταύτης τῆς ἐπιστολῆς χρόνον. Διὸ οὔτε ἀποστεῖλαί τινα οὔτε ἐπισκέψασθαι τὴν εὐλάβειάν σου δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἐγένετο. Εἰκάζομεν δὲ καὶ τὰ σὰ τοιαῦτα ἕτερα εἶναι, οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἀρρωστίαν λέγω, μὴ γένοιτο: παράσχοι γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ὑγείαν τῷ σώματί σου διαρκῆ πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡ μέριμνα τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ σοὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐμβάλλει περισπασμόν. Καὶ νῦν ἔμελλόν τινα ἀποστέλλειν αὐτοῦ τούτου ἕνεκεν, ὥστε γνωρίσαι ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς διαθέσεώς σου. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ ποθεινότατος υἱὸς Μελέτιος παραπέμπων τοὺς νεολέκτους ὑπέμνησεν ἡμᾶς ὅτι εἴη σε δι' αὐτοῦ προσειπεῖν, ἐδεξάμεθα τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τῶν γραμμάτων ἄσμενοι καὶ τῷ διακόνῳ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ἐπεδράμομεν, ἀνδρὶ ἐξαρκοῦντι καὶ ἀντ' ἐπιστολῆς εἶναι διά τε τὸ τοῦ τρόπου φιλάληθες καὶ διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἀγνοεῖν τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς. Δι' οὗ παρακαλοῦμεν τὴν εὐλάβειάν σου προηγουμένως εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα δῷ ὁ Κύριος ἐμοὶ μὲν ἀπαλλαγὴν τοῦ φορτικοῦ τούτου σώματος, ταῖς δὲ Ἐκκλησίαις αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰρήνην, σοὶ δὲ ἡσυχίαν καὶ ἄδειαν τοῦ, ἐπειδὰν διαθῇς τὰ κατὰ τὴν Λυκαονίαν ἀποστολικῶς ὡς ἐνήρξω, ἐπισκέπτεσθαι καὶ τὰ ὧδε, κἄν τε ἐνδημῶμεν τῇ σαρκὶ κἂν ἀποδημῆσαι ἤδη πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἐπιταχθῶμεν, ἵνα αὐτὸς ὡς ἰδίων, ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐστίν, ἀντέχῃ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς τόπων καὶ στηρίζῃς μὲν τὰ σαθρά, ἐπεγείρῃς δὲ τὰ νωθρά, πάντα δὲ τῇ χάριτι τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν σοὶ μετακοσμήσῃς πρὸς τὸ εὐάρεστον τῷ Κυρίῳ. Τοὺς δὲ τιμιωτάτους υἱοὺς ἡμῶν Μελέτιον καὶ Μελίτιον, οὓς πόρρωθεν οἶδας καὶ ἑαυτοῦ κρίνεις, ἔχε ἐν παρακαταθήκῃ εὐχόμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. Αὔταρκες γὰρ αὐτοῖς τοῦτο πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀσφάλειαν. Ὥστε καὶ τοὺς συνόντας τῇ ὁσιότητί σου καὶ πάντα τὸν κλῆρον καὶ τὸν λαὸν τὸν ὑπὸ σοῦ ποιμαινόμενον καὶ τοὺς θεοφιλεστάτους ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν καὶ συλλειτουργοὺς προσειπεῖν παρ' ἡμῶν καταξίωσον. Τῆς μνήμης τοῦ μακαριωτάτου μάρτυρος Εὐψυχίου μέμνησο καὶ μὴ ἀναμείνῃς δευτέραν ὑπόμνησιν, μηδὲ ἐμπρόθεσμον σπουδάσῃς ποιήσασθαι τὴν ἀπάντησιν, ἀλλὰ προλαβεῖν καὶ εὐφρᾶναι ἡμᾶς, ἐὰν ἄρα ἔτι ὦμεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἕως τότε ἐρρωμένος ἐν Κυρίῳ, ὑπερευχόμενος ἡμῶν, διαφυλαχθείης ἡμῖν καὶ ταῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαις χάριτι τοῦ Ἁγίου.