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of God, for which reason days of life in the flesh were again granted to me. But when I knew these things, I reasoned that the Lord wished us to see the Churches having ceased from the agitation which they previously suffered at the separation of those who were believed in all things on account of the feigned gravity about them. Or perhaps the Lord also wished to strengthen my soul and to make it more vigilant for the future, so that I would not pay attention to men, but be perfected through the evangelical commandments, which are not changed with the times or circumstances of human affairs, but remain the same, enduring forever as they were brought forth from the unfailing and blessed mouth. 244.9 But men are like clouds, carried to one part of the air and then another according to the changes of the winds; and especially indeed these men of whom we speak have appeared to be the most changeable of those who have come into our experience. Whether also in the other affairs of life, those who lived with them might say; but what at any rate appeared to me, their changeableness concerning the faith, I have not known to this day in others, neither having experienced it myself nor having heard of it from others. From the beginning they followed Arius; they changed to Hermogenes who was the diametrical enemy of the heresy of Arius, as the Nicene faith itself, proclaimed from the beginning by that man, makes clear. Hermogenes fell asleep, and again they shifted to Eusebius, a leading man of the Arian circle, as those who have experienced it say. Having fallen from there, for whatever reasons, they ran back again to their own country and again concealed their Arian sentiment. Having come to the episcopate, to omit the things in between, how many creeds did they set forth? At Ancyra another, another at Seleucia, at Constantinople the one much talked of, another at Lampsacus, after these the one at Nike in Thrace, now again the one from Cyzicus, of which I do not know the other parts, but I hear this much, that having silenced the "homoousion", they now carry about the "like in essence" and write blasphemies against the Holy Spirit with Eunomius. And of these creeds which I have enumerated, even if they are not all contrary to one another, they nevertheless equally establish the changeableness of their character because they never stand by the same words. These things are true, while countless others are passed over in silence. But since they have now crossed over to you, we ask you to write back through the same man (I mean our fellow presbyter Strategius), whether you have remained the same toward us, or have been changed by the encounter. For it was not likely that they would be silent, nor that you yourself, who wrote such things to us, would not also use frankness toward them. If, then, you remain in communion with us, this is best and worthy of the highest prayer. But if they have brought you over to their side, it is indeed grievous. For how could it not be? The separation from such a brother. Yet if nothing else, we have at least been sufficiently trained to bear such losses from those very men.

245.τ To Theophilus, Bishop

245.1 Having long ago received the letters from your love, I was waiting to write back by a trusted person, so that whatever might escape the letter the bearer of the letters might supply. Since, therefore, our most beloved and most devout brother Strategius has come to us, I thought it was right to use him as a messenger, as he both knows our mind and is able to convey what is from us both faithfully and reverently. Know, therefore, our most beloved and most honored one, that we consider our love for you to be of great worth, for which, on account of the disposition of our soul, we have not forgiven ourselves for being separated for a single day, even though there have been many and great occasions for reasonable grief. But at any rate we have judged this,

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Θεοῦ, δι' ὃ ἐμοὶ πάλιν τῆς ἐν σαρκὶ ζωῆς ἡμέραι συνεχωρήθησαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔγνων ταῦτα, ἐλογισάμην ὅτι ἐβουλήθη ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος ἰδεῖν παυσαμένας τοῦ σάλου τὰς Ἐκκλησίας, ὃν ἔπαθον πρὸ τούτου ἐπὶ τῷ χωρισμῷ τῶν διὰ τὴν περιπεπλα σμένην αὐτοῖς σεμνότητα πάντα πιστευομένων. Ἢ καὶ τάχα τονῶσαί μου τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ νηπτικωτέραν πρός γε τὸ ἐφεξῆς καταστῆσαι ὁ Κύριος ἐβουλήθη, ὡς μὴ προσέχειν ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν ἐντολῶν καταρτίζεσ θαι, αἳ οὔτε καιροῖς οὔτε περιστάσεσιν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγ μάτων συμμεταβάλλονται, ἀλλ' αἱ αὐταὶ διαμένουσιν, ὡς προηνέχθησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀψευδοῦς καὶ μακαρίου στόματος οὕτω διαιωνίζουσαι. 244.9 Ἄνθρωποι δὲ ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐοίκασι, πρὸς τὰς τῶν πνευμάτων μεταβολὰς ἄλλοτε κατ' ἄλλο μέρος τοῦ ἀέρος ἐμφερομέναις· καὶ μάλιστα δὴ οὗτοι περὶ ὧν ὁ λόγος πολυ τροπώτατοι τῶν εἰς ἡμετέραν πεῖραν ἡκόντων ἐφάνησαν. Εἰ μὲν καὶ εἰς τὰ λοιπὰ τοῦ βίου πράγματα, εἴποιεν ἂν οἱ συμβε βιωκότες· ὃ δ' οὖν ἐμοὶ ἐφάνη, τὸ περὶ τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν εὐμε τάθετον, οὐκ οἶδα μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἐν ἄλλοις, οὔτε αὐτὸς ἱστο ρήσας οὔτε ἀκούσας ἑτέρων. Ἀρείῳ κατηκολούθουν τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς· μετέθεντο πρὸς Ἑρμογένην τὸν κατὰ διάμετρον ἐχθρὸν ὄντα τῆς Ἀρείου κακοδοξίας, ὡς δηλοῖ αὐτὴ ἡ πίστις ἡ κατὰ Νίκαιαν παρ' ἐκείνου τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκφωνηθεῖσα ἐξ ἀρχῆς. Ἐκοιμήθη Ἑρμογένης, καὶ πάλιν μετέστησαν πρὸς Εὐσέβιον, ἄνδρα κορυφαῖον τοῦ κατὰ Ἄρειον κύκλου, ὡς οἱ πειραθέντες φασίν. Ἐκεῖθεν ἐκπεσόντες, δι' ἃς δήποτε αἰτίας, πάλιν ἀνέδραμον εἰς τὴν πατρίδα καὶ πάλιν τὸ Ἀρειανὸν ὑπέκρυπτον φρόνημα. Παρελθόντες εἰς τὴν ἐπισκοπήν, ἵνα τὰ ἐν μέσῳ παραλείπω, ὅσας ἐξέθεντο πίστεις; Ἐπ' Ἀγκύρας ἄλλην, ἑτέραν ἐν Σελευκείᾳ, ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει, τὴν πολυθρύλητον, ἐν Λαμψάκῳ ἑτέραν, μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν ἐν Νίκῃ τῆς Θράκης, νῦν πάλιν τὴν ἀπὸ Κυζίκου, ἧς τὰ μὲν ἄλλα οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι, τοσοῦτον δὲ ἀκούω ὅτι τὸ ὁμοούσιον κατασιγάσαντες, τὸ κατ' οὐσίαν ὅμοιον νῦν περιφέρουσι καὶ τὰς εἰς τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα βλασφημίας μετ' Εὐνομίου συγγράφουσι. Τούτων δὲ τῶν πίστεων ἃς ἀπηριθμησάμην, εἰ καὶ μὴ πᾶσαι πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἔχουσιν ἐναντίως, ἀλλ' οὖν τὸ εὐμετάβολον τοῦ τρόπου ὁμοίως συνι στῶσι διὰ τὸ μηδέποτε αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἑστάναι ῥημάτων. Ταῦτά ἐστιν ἀληθῆ μυρίων ἑτέρων ἀποσιωπηθέν των. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς διέβησαν νῦν, ἀξιοῦμεν ἀντιγράψαι διὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀνδρὸς (λέγω δὴ τοῦ συμπρεσβυ τέρου ἡμῶν Στρατηγίου), εἴτε ὁ αὐτὸς διέμεινας πρὸς ἡμᾶς, εἴτε καὶ ἠλλοιώθης ἀπὸ τῆς συντυχίας. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐκείνους εἰκὸς ἦν σιωπῆσαι, οὔτε αὐτὸν σέ, τὸν ἡμῖν τοιαῦτα γράψαντα, μὴ οὐχὶ καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους τῇ παρρησίᾳ χρήσασ θαι. Εἰ μὲν οὖν μένοις ἐν τῇ πρὸς ἡμᾶς κοινωνίᾳ, τοῦτο ἄριστον καὶ εὐχῆς τῆς ἀνωτάτω ἄξιον. Εἰ δέ σε πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς μετέθηκαν, λυπηρὸν μέν. Πῶς γὰρ οὔ; Ἀδελφοῦ τοιούτου χωρισμός. Πλὴν εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἄλλο, τὸ γοῦν φέρειν τὰς τοιαύτας ζημίας παρ' αὐτῶν ἐκείνων ἱκανῶς ἐγυμνάσ θημεν.

245.τ ΘΕΟΦΙΛΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ

245.1 Πάλαι δεξάμενος τὰ παρὰ τῆς ἀγάπης σου γράμματα ἀνέμενον διὰ

γνησίου προσώπου ἀντεπιστεῖλαι, ἵνα καὶ ὅσα τὴν ἐπιστολὴν διαφύγῃ ὁ διάκονος τῶν γραμμάτων ἀναπλη ρώσῃ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν παρεγένετο ἡμῖν ὁ ποθεινότατος καὶ εὐλαβέστατος ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Στρατήγιος, αὐτῷ ἐνόμισα δίκαιον εἶναι χρήσασθαι διακόνῳ, τῷ καὶ εἰδότι τὴν ἡμετέ ραν γνώμην καὶ δυναμένῳ γνησίως τε ἅμα καὶ εὐλαβῶς δια κομίσαι τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν. Γίνωσκε τοίνυν, ποθεινότατε ἡμῖν καὶ τιμιώτατε, πολλοῦ ἀξίαν τίθεσθαι ἡμᾶς τὴν πρὸς σὲ ἀγάπην, ἧς, ἕνεκα μὲν τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν διαθέσεως, οὐδεμίαν ἡμέραν ἀπολειφθεῖσιν ἑαυτοῖς συνεγνώκαμεν, εἰ καὶ ὅτι πολλαὶ καὶ μεγάλαι λύπης εὐλόγου γεγόνασιν ἀφορμαί. Ἀλλ' οὖν ἐκρίναμεν τοῦτο,