Letter CCXVIII.1117    Placed in 375.

To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.

BrotherÆlianus has himself completed the business concerning which he came, and has stood in need of no aid from me.  I owe him, however, double thanks, both for bringing me a letter from your reverence and for affording me an opportunity of writing to you.  By him, therefore, I salute your true and unfeigned love, and beseech you to pray for me more than ever now, when I stand in such need of the aid of your prayers.  My health has suffered terribly from the journey to Pontus and my sickness is unendurable.  One thing I have long been anxious to make known to you.  I do not mean to say that I have been so affected by any other cause as to forget it, but now I wish to put you in mind to send some good man into Lycia, to enquire who are of the right faith, for peradventure they ought not to be neglected, if indeed the report is true, which has been brought to me by a pious traveller from thence, that they have become altogether alienated from the opinion of the Asiani1118    i.e.the inhabitants of the Roman province of Asia.  cf. Acts xx. 4. Ασιανοὶ δὲ Τυχικὸς καὶ Τρόφιμος. and wish to embrace communion with us.  If any one is to go let him enquire at Corydala1119    Corydalla, now Hadginella, is on the road between Lystra and Patara.  There are ruins of a theatre.  cf. Plin. v. 25. for Alexander, the late monk, the bishop; at Limyra1120    Now Phineka. for Diotimus, and at Myra1121    So the Ben. ed.  Other readings are ἐν Κύροις and ἐν Νύροις  On Myra cf. Acts xxvii. 5, on which Conybeare and Howson refer to Fellows’ Asia Minor, p. 194 and Spratt and Forbes’s Lycia. for Tatianus, Polemo,1122    Afterwards bishop of Myra, and as such at Constantinople 381, Labbe 1, 665. and Macarius presbyters; at Patara1123    cf. Acts xxi. 1. for Eudemus,1124    At Constantinople in 381. the bishop; at Telmessus1125    Now Macri, where the ruins are remarkable. for Hilarius, the bishop; at Phelus for Lallianus, the bishop.  Of these and of more besides I have been informed that they are sound in the faith, and I have been grateful to God that even any in the Asian region should be clear of the heretic’s pest.  If, then, it be possible, let us in the meanwhile make personal enquiry about them.  When we have obtained information I am for writing a letter, and am anxious to invite one of them to meet me.  God grant that all may go well with that Church at Iconium, which is so dear to me.  Through you I salute all the honourable clergy and all who are associated with your reverence.

ΑΜΦΙΛΟΧΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΙΚΟΝΙΟΥ

[1] Τὴν μὲν χρείαν, ἧς ἕνεκεν παρεγένετο ὁ ἀδελφὸς Αἰλιανός, κατώρθωσεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδεμιᾶς παρ' ἡμῶν συνεργίας προσδεηθείς. Ἡμῖν δὲ διπλῆν ἔδωκε χάριν, κομίσας τε γράμματα τῆς σῆς θεοσεβείας καὶ ἀφορμὴν τῶν πρὸς σὲ γραμμάτων ἡμῖν παρασχόμενος. Καὶ προσαγορεύομεν οὖν δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀληθινήν σου καὶ ἀμίμητον ἀγάπην, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν προσεύχεσθαι περὶ ἡμῶν νῦν, εἴπερ ποτέ, τῆς ἐκ τῶν προσευχῶν σου βοηθείας προσδεομένων. Τὸ γὰρ σῶμά μου ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν Πόντον συντριβὲν ὑπὸ ἀρρωστίας συνέχεται οὐκ ἀνεκτῶς. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ καὶ πάλαι ἐβουλόμην γνώριμον ποιῆσαι τῇ σῇ συνέσει (οὗ ὡς ὑπ' ἄλλης προηγουμένης αἰτίας διακρουσθεὶς ἐξελαθόμην), νῦν δὲ ὑπομιμνήσκω ἵνα καταξιώσῃς ἄνδρα σπουδαῖον πέμψαι εἰς τὴν Λυκίαν καὶ κατασκέψασθαι τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως. Δεῖ γὰρ τάχα μὴ παροφθῆναι αὐτούς, εἴπερ ἀληθῆ ἐστιν ἅ τις τῶν ἐκεῖθεν παραγενομένων πρὸς ἡμᾶς εὐλαβῶν διηγήσατο: ὅτι πάντη πρὸς τὸ Ἀσιανὸν φρόνημα ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι ἡμᾶς καταδέχονται ἐπιγράφεσθαι κοινωνούς. Εἰ δὲ μέλλει τις ἀπιέναι, ἐπιζητησάτω ἐν Κορυδάλοις Ἀλέξανδρον ἀπὸ μοναζόντων ἐπίσκοπον καὶ ἐν Λιμύρᾳ Διάτιμον καὶ ἐν Κύροις Τατιανὸν καὶ Πολέμωνα καὶ Μακάριον πρεσβυτέρους, ἐν Πατάροις ἐπίσκοπον Εὔδημον, ἐν Τελμεσῷ Ἱλάριον ἐπίσκοπον, ἐν Φέλῳ Λολλιανὸν ἐπίσκοπον. Τούτους καὶ ἔτι πλείους ἀνεγνώρισέ τις ἡμῖν ὡς ὑγιαίνοντας περὶ τὴν πίστιν, καὶ πολλὴν ἔσχον χάριν τῷ Θεῷ, εἴ τινες ὅλως ἐν τῷ κλίματι τῷ Ἀσιανῷ ἔξω εἰσὶ τῆς βλάβης τῶν αἱρετικῶν. Ἐὰν μὲν οὖν ᾖ δυνατόν, τέως ἄνευ γραμμάτων αὐτοὺς κατασκεψώμεθα: πεισθέντες δέ, λοιπὸν καὶ ἀποστέλλομεν ἐπιστολὴν καὶ σπουδάζομέν τινα ἐξ αὐτῶν προσκαλέσασθαι εἰς τὴν συντυχίαν ἡμῶν. Γένοιτο δὲ πάντα ἐν καιρῷ περὶ τὴν ποθεινοτάτην ἡμῖν Ἐκκλησίαν τὴν Ἰκονίου. Πάντα τὸν τίμιον κλῆρον καὶ τοὺς συνόντας τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ σου ἀσπαζόμεθα διὰ σοῦ.