Letter CCXIX.1126    Placed in 375.

To the clergy of Samosata.

The Lord ordereth “all things in measure and weight,”1127    Wisd. xi. 20. and brings on us the temptations which do not exceed our power to endure them,1128    cf. Matt. vi. 13. but tests all that fight in the cause of true religion by affliction, not suffering them to be tempted above that they are able to bear.1129    cf. 1 Cor. x. 13.  He gives tears to drink in great measure1130    cf. Ps. lxxx. 5. to all who ought to show whether in their affections they are preserving their gratitude to Him.  Especially in His dispensation concerning you has He shown His loving-kindness, not suffering such a persecution to be brought on you by your enemies as might turn some of you aside, or cause you to swerve from the faith of Christ.  He has matched you with adversaries who are of small importance and easy to be repelled, and has prepared the prize for your patience in your victory over them.  But the common enemy of our life, who, in his wiles, strives against the goodness of God, because he has seen that, like a strong wall, you are despising attack from without, has devised, as I hear, that there should arise among yourselves mutual offences and quarrels.  These indeed, at the outset, are insignificant and easy of cure; as time goes on, however, they are increased by contention and are wont to result in irremediable mischief.1131    cf. Homer of ῎Ερις, Il. iv. 442:   ἥ τ᾽ ὀλίγη μὲν πρῶτα κορύσσεται, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα   οὐρανῷ ἐστήριξε κάρη καὶ ἐπὶ χθονὶ βαίνει  I have, therefore, undertaken to exhort you by this letter.  Had it been possible, I would have come myself and supplicated you in person.  But this is prevented by present circumstances, and so, in lieu of supplication, I hold out this letter to you, that you may respect my entreaty, may put a stop to your mutual rivalries, and may soon send me the good news that all cause of offence among you is at an end.

2.  I am very anxious that you should know that he is great before God who humbly submits to his neighbour and submits to charges against himself, without having cause for shame, even though they are not true, that he may bring the great blessing of peace upon God’s Church.

I hope that there will arise among you a friendly rivalry, as to who shall first be worthy of being called God’s son, after winning this rank for himself because of his being a peacemaker.  A letter has also been written to you by your very God-beloved bishop as to the course which you ought to pursue.  He will write again what it belongs to him to say.  But I too, because of its having been already allowed me to be near you, cannot disregard your position.  So on the arrival of the very devout brother Theodorus the sub-deacon, and his report that your Church is in distress and disturbance, being deeply grieved and much pained at heart, I could not endure to keep silence.  I implore you to fling away all controversy with one another, and to make peace, that you may avoid giving pleasure to you opponents and destroying the boast of the Church, which is now noised abroad throughout the world, that you all, as you are ruled by one soul and heart, so live in one body.  Through your reverences I salute all the people of God, both those in rank and office and the rest of the clergy.  I exhort you to keep your old character.  I can ask for nothing more than this because by the exhibition of your good works you have anticipated and made impossible any improvement on them.

Τῼ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ ΚΛΗΡῼ

[1] Ὁ πάντα μέτρῳ καὶ σταθμῷ ὁρίζων ἡμῖν Κύριος, καὶ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς ἐπάγων μὴ ὑπερβαίνοντας ἡμῶν τὴν δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζων μὲν διὰ τῆς περιστάσεως τοὺς ἀγωνιστὰς τῆς εὐσεβείας, οὐκ ἐῶν δὲ πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνανται ὑπενεγκεῖν, καὶ ποτίζων δάκρυσιν ἐν μέτρῳ τοὺς ὀφείλοντας διαδειχθῆναι εἰ ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσι τὸ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εὐχάριστον διασώζουσι, μάλιστα ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας τῆς καθ' ὑμᾶς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ φιλάνθρωπον ἐφανέρωσε, μὴ συγχωρήσας ὑμῖν τὸν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν διωγμὸν τοιοῦτον ἐπενεχθῆναι οἷον δύνασθαί τινας περιτρέψαι ἢ διασαλεῦσαι ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστόν. Κούφοις γὰρ καὶ εὐκαταγωνίστοις ἀντιπάλοις παραζεύξας ὑμᾶς, ἐν τῇ κατ' αὐτῶν νίκῃ τὸ βραβεῖον ὑμῖν τῆς ὑπομονῆς ηὐτρέπισεν. Ἀλλ' ὁ κοινὸς ἐχθρὸς τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ὁ ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ μεθοδείαις ἀντιμαχόμενος τῇ χρηστότητι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπειδὴ εἶδεν ὑμᾶς ὡς τεῖχος κραταιὸν τῆς ἔξωθεν προσβολῆς καταφρονοῦντας, ἐν ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἀκούω, ἐπενόησε γενέσθαι τινὰς λύπας πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ μικροψυχίας αἳ παρὰ μὲν τὴν πρώτην μικραί εἰσι καὶ εὐθεράπευτοι, προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου ὑπὸ φιλονεικίας αὐξανόμεναι εἰς ἀνίατον παντελῶς ἐκπίπτειν πεφύκασι. Διὸ ὥρμησα πρὸς τὴν διὰ τοῦ γράμματος τοῦδε παράκλησιν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἦν δυνατόν, αὐτὸς ἂν παραγενόμενος δι' ἐμαυτοῦ ἱκέτευσα ὑμᾶς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο οἱ καιροὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέπουσι, τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ταύτην ἀνθ' ἱκετηρίας ὑμῖν προτείνομεν, ἵνα αἰδεσθέντες ἡμῶν τὰς παρακλήσεις καταλύσητε πᾶσαν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλονεικίαν καὶ ταχέως μοι διαπέμψησθε τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἀγγελίαν, ὅτι ἀφήκατε ἀλλήλοις τὰς μέμψεις.

[2] Ἐκεῖνο γὰρ εἰδέναι βούλομαι τὴν σύνεσιν ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος μέγας παρὰ Θεῷ ὁ ταπεινοφρόνως ὑποκατακλιθεὶς τῷ πλησίον, καὶ ἀνεπαισχύντως ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν δεξάμενος τὰ ἐγκλήματα, κἂν μὴ ἀληθῆ ᾖ, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὸ μέγα ὄφελος τὴν εἰρήνην χαρίσασθαι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Γενέσθω οὖν ἐν ὑμῖν ἅμιλλα ἀγαθή, τίς πρῶτος καταξιωθῇ υἱὸς Θεοῦ κληθῆναι, διὰ τῆς εἰρηνοποιίας ἑαυτῷ τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦτο περιποιησάμενος. Ἐπέστειλε δὲ καὶ ὁ θεοφιλέστατος ἐπίσκοπος ὑμῖν τὰ πρέποντα, καὶ ἐπιστέλλει πάλιν τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα αὐτῷ. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τὸ ἔτι συγκεχωρῆσθαι ἐγγύτεροι ὑμῶν εἶναι ἀμελεῖν τῶν καθ' ὑμᾶς οὐ δυνάμεθα. Ὅθεν καὶ παραγενομένου τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου ἀδελφοῦ Θεοδώρου τοῦ ὑποδιακόνου καὶ εἰπόντος τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐν λύπῃ εἶναι καὶ ταραχῇ, σφοδρῶς συντριβέντες καὶ βαθείᾳ ὀδύνῃ τὴν καρδίαν πληγέντες ἡσυχάσαι οὐκ ἠνεσχόμεθα, ἀλλὰ παρεκαλέσαμεν ὑμᾶς πᾶσαν δικαιολογίαν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ῥίψαντας καταπράξασθαι τὴν εἰρήνην, ἵνα μήτε ἡδονὴν τοῖς ἐναντίοις παράσχησθε, μήτε τὸ καύχημα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προδῶτε ὃ νῦν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διαβεβόηται, ὅτι οἱ πάντες ὡς ὑπὸ μιᾶς ψυχῆς καὶ καρδίας οἰκονομούμενοι ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι οὕτω διάγετε. Πάντα τὸν λαὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τούς τε ἐν ἀξιώμασι καὶ δυναστείαις πολιτικαῖς καὶ τοῦ παντὸς κλήρου τὸ πλήρωμα διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας εὐλαβείας κατασπαζόμεθα καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ὁμοίους ἑαυτοῖς διαμεῖναι. Οὐδεμίαν γὰρ προσθήκην ἐπιζητοῦμεν, διὰ τὸ πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν προλαβόντας αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείξεως ἀποκλεῖσαι.