207

in fellowship with Doeg, being struck by them with blows, he died among them, or rather, through the blows was transferred to life. And imagine that all the remaining things followed upon that: persecutions of presbyters and teachers, and the other things which men would do who use the power of their office for their own will. But the Lord will grant us release from these things through your prayers, and the endurance, so that we may bear the weight of temptations worthily of the hope in him. But you yourself, deign to write to us continually about your own affairs, and if you find someone who can faithfully deliver to you the book composed by us, deign to send for it, so that, taking courage from your judgment, we may send it into the hands of others too. May you be granted to me and to the Church of the Lord, by the grace of the Holy One, in good health, cheerful in the Lord, and praying for us.

249.τ UNTITLED, TO A PIOUS MAN

249.1 I congratulate this brother, who is both being freed from the disturbances here

and is reaching your piety. For as a good provision for the age to come he has chosen a good life with those who fear the Lord. Whom also we commend to your honor, and I ask you through him to pray for our wretched life, so that, having been delivered from these temptations, we may begin to serve the Lord according to the Gospel.

250.τ TO PATROPHILUS, BISHOP OF AEGAE

250.1 Late, it is true, I received the replies to my former letters;

but I did receive them nevertheless through our most beloved Strategius, and I gave thanks to the Lord that you remain the same in your love towards us. And what you have now deigned to write about the same subject is a proof of your good intention, that you think what is right and advise us what is profitable. But since I see that my discourse is again becoming long, if I were to reply to each of the points sent by your wisdom, I say just this, that the good of peace, if it is confined to the name of peace alone, it is ridiculous for men, choosing so-and-so, to impart the sign of peace to these alone, but to exclude countless others from communion in what is good. But if agreement with the harmful, under the pretext of peace, makes those who accept it do the work of enemies, consider who they are with whom those who hated us with an unjust hatred have mixed themselves, but they are of the party of those who are not in communion with us; for I do not need to mention them by name now. These men were both invited by them to Sebasteia and took over the Church and ministered at the altar and gave of their own bread to all the people, being proclaimed bishops by the clergy there and sent throughout the whole country by them as holy and in communion. If we must choose their party, it is ridiculous to begin with the finger-nails and not to deal with their very heads. If, then, we ought to consider no one a heretic at all, nor to avoid them, for what reason, tell me, do you separate yourself and shrink from the communion of certain persons? But if there are some to be avoided according to the principle of strictness, let them tell us, they who are strict in all things, of what party are those whom they brought to themselves from Galatia. If these things seem to you worthy of grief, reckon the separation to those who are responsible for them; but if you judge them indifferent, you will pardon us for not accepting to taste the leaven of those who teach other doctrines. So, if you please, of the plausible

207

πρὸς τὸν ∆ωὴκ κοινωνίαν τυπτόμενος παρ' αὐτῶν ταῖς πληγαῖς ἐναπέθανεν, μᾶλλον δὲ διὰ τῶν πληγῶν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν μετετέθη. Ἀκόλουθα δὲ ἐκείνῳ πάντα οἴου γίνεσθαι τὰ λοιπά· διωγμοὺς πρεσβυτέρων καὶ διδασκάλων, τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα ἂν ποιήσειαν ἄνθρωποι τῇ ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς δυναστείᾳ πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτῶν βούλημα κεχρημένοι. Ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν τὴν λύσιν ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος ταῖς σαῖς εὐχαῖς δώσει καὶ τὴν ὑπομονήν, ὥστε βαστάσαι ἡμᾶς τὸ βάρος τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀξίως τῆς ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐλπίδος. Αὐτὸς δὲ καταξίου καὶ ἐπιστέλλειν ἡμῖν συνεχῶς περὶ τῶν κατὰ σεαυτόν, κἂν εὕρῃς τινὰ τὸν πιστῶς σοι δυνάμενον διακομίσαι τὸ πονηθὲν ἡμῖν βιβλίον, καταξίωσον μεταστείλασθαι, ἵνα τῇ σῇ ἐπικρίσει θαρρή σαντες καὶ εἰς ἄλλων χεῖρας αὐτὸ διαπεμψώμεθα. Ἐρρω μένος, εὔθυμος τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὑπερευχόμενος χαρισθείης μοι καὶ τῇ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἐκκλησίᾳ χάριτι τοῦ Ἁγίου.

249.τ ΑΝΕΠΙΓΡΑΦΟΣ ΕΠΙ ΑΝ∆ΡΙ ΕΥΛΑΒΕΙ

249.1 Συγχαίρω τῷ ἀδελφῷ τῷδε καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα θορύβων ἀπαλλασσομένῳ

καὶ τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν καταλαμβάνοντι. Ἀγαθὸν γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐφόδιον πρὸς τὸν ἐφεξῆς αἰῶνα τὴν μετὰ τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν Κύριον ἀγαθὴν διαγωγὴν ἐξελέ ξατο. Ὃν καὶ παρατιθέμεθά σου τῇ τιμιότητι καὶ παρακαλῶ δι' αὐτοῦ εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλεεινῆς ἡμῶν ζωῆς, ἵνα ῥυσθέντες τῶν πειρασμῶν τούτων ἀρξώμεθα δουλεύειν τῷ Κυρίῳ κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον.

250.τ ΠΑΤΡΟΦΙΛΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΑΙΓΩΝ

250.1 Ὀψὲ μὲν ἐδεξάμην τὰς ἐπὶ τοῖς προτέροις γράμμασιν ἀποκρίσεις·

ἐδεξάμην δ' οὖν ὅμως διὰ τοῦ ποθεινοτάτου Στρατηγίου, καὶ ηὐχαρίστησα τῷ Κυρίῳ ὅτι διαμένεις ὁ αὐτὸς ἐν τῇ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀγάπῃ. Ἃ δὲ νῦν κατηξίωσας περὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐπιστεῖλαι ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει τῆς ἀγαθῆς σου προαιρέσεως, ὅτι φρονεῖς τὰ δέοντα καὶ συμβουλεύεις ἡμῖν τὰ λυσιτελῆ. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πάλιν ὁρῶ μακρόν μοι τὸν λόγον γινόμενον, εἰ μέλλοιμι πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν ἐπεσταλ μένων παρὰ τῆς σῆς συνέσεως ἀποκρίνεσθαι, τοσοῦτον λέγω ὅτι τὸ τῆς εἰρήνης καλόν, εἰ μὲν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς εἰρήνης περιγράφεται μόνῳ, καταγέλαστόν ἐστι τὸν δεῖνα καὶ τὸν δεῖνα ἐκλεγομένους τούτοις μόνον μεταδιδόναι τοῦ εἰρηναίου, ἑτέρους δὲ μυρίους ἀποκλείειν τῆς πρὸς τὸ καλὸν κοινωνίας. Εἰ δὲ ἡ πρὸς τοὺς βλαβεροὺς συμφωνία ἐν εἰρήνης προσχήματι τὰ τῶν πολεμίων τοὺς προσδεχο μένους ἐργάζεται, σκόπησον τίνες εἰσὶν οἷς ἀνέμιξαν ἑαυτοὺς οἳ τὸ ἄδικον μῖσος ἐμίσησαν ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' οἱ τῆς μερίδος τῶν ἀκοινωνήτων ἡμῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ δέομαι νῦν ὀνο μαστὶ μεμνῆσθαι. Οὗτοι καὶ ἐκλήθησαν παρ' αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν Σεβάστειαν καὶ παρέλαβον τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἐλειτούργησαν ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ τοῦ ἰδίου ἄρτου παντὶ μετέ δωκαν τῷ λαῷ, ἐπίσκοποι κηρυσσόμενοι παρὰ τῷ ἐκεῖ κλήρῳ καὶ διὰ πάσης τῆς χώρας ὡς ἅγιοι παρ' αὐτῶν καὶ κοινωνικοὶ παραπεμπόμενοι. Ὧν εἰ χρὴ ἑλέσθαι τὴν μερίδα, καταγέλαστόν ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν ὀνύχων ἄρχεσθαι καὶ μὴ αὐταῖς αὐτῶν ταῖς κεφαλαῖς προσδιαλέγεσθαι. Εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐδένα δεῖ καθόλου αἱρετικὸν νομίζειν οὐδὲ ἐκτρέπεσθαι, ἀντὶ τίνος, εἰπέ μοι, σεαυτὸν ἀφορίζεις σὺ καὶ ὑποστέλλῃ τήν τινων κοινωνίαν; Εἰ δὲ εἰσί τινες φευκτοὶ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀκριβείας λόγον, εἰπάτωσαν ἡμῖν, οἱ πάντα ἀκριβεῖς, τῆς ποίας εἰσὶ μερίδος οὓς ἐκ τῆς Γαλατίας πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς προσηγάγοντο. Ταῦτα εἰ μὲν ἄξια λύπης σοι καταφαίνεται, τοῖς αἰτίοις τούτων λογίζου τὸν χωρισμόν· εἰ δὲ ἀδιάφορα κρίνεις, συγγνώσει ἡμῖν μὴ καταδεχομένοις τῆς ζύμης γε νέσθαι τῶν ἑτεροδιδασκαλούντων. Ὥστε, εἰ δοκεῖ, τῶν εὐπροσώπων