Letter CCXXII.1136    Placed in 375.

To the people of Chalcis.1137    The Syrian Chaecis, now Kinesrin.  Maran Vit. Bas. Chap. xxxiii. supposes this letter to have been probably carried with Letter ccxxi. by Acacius.

The letter of your reverences came upon me in an hour of affliction like water poured into the mouths of racehorses, inhaling dust with each eager breath at high noontide in the middle of the course.  Beset by trial after trial, I breathed again, at once cheered by your words and invigorated by the thought of your struggles to meet that which is before me with unflinching courage.  For the conflagration which has devoured a great part of the East is already advancing by slow degrees into our own neighbourhood, and after burning everything round about us is trying to reach even the Churches in Cappadocia, already moved to tears by the smoke that rises from the ruins of our neighbours’ homes.1138    Maran Vit. Bas. l. c. says that these words cannot refer to the persecution of Valens in Cappadocia in 371, for that persecution went on between Constantinople and Cappadocia, and did not start from the East.  There need be no surprise, he thinks, at the two preceding letters containing no mention of this persecution, because Acacius, who was a native of Bera, would be sure to report all that he had observed in Cappadocia.  I am not sure that the reference to a kind of prairie fire spreading from the East does not rather imply a prevalence of heresy than what is commonly meant by persecution.  Meletius, however, was banished from Antioch in 374 and Eusebius from Samosata in the same year, as graphically described by Theodoret H.E. iv. 13.  The flames have almost reached me.  May the Lord divert them by the breath of His mouth, and stay this wicked fire.  Who is such a coward, so unmanly, so untried in the athlete’s struggles, as not to be nerved to the fight by your cheers, and pray to be hailed victor at your side?  You have been the first to step into the arena of true religion; you have beaten off many an attack in bouts with the heretics; you have borne the strong hot wind1139    καύσωνα.  cf. Matt. xx. 12, Luke xii. 55, and James i. 11. of trial, both you who are leaders of the Church, to whom has been the ministry of the altar, and every individual of the laity, including those of higher rank.  For this in you is specially admirable and worthy of all praise, that you are all one in the Lord, some of you leaders in the march to what is good, others willingly following.  It is for this reason that you are too strong for the attack of your assailants, and allow no hold to your antagonists in any one of your members, wherefore day and night I pray the King of the ages to preserve the people in the integrity of their faith, and for them to preserve the clergy, like a head unharmed at the top, exercising its own watchful forethought for every portion of the body underneath.  For while the eyes discharge their functions, the hands can do their work as they ought, the feet can move without tripping, and no part of the body is deprived of due care.  I beseech you, then, to cling to one another, as you are doing and as you will do.  I beseech you who are entrusted with the care of souls to keep each and all together, and to cherish them like beloved children.  I beseech the people to continue to show you the respect and honour due to fathers, that in the goodly order of your Church you may keep your strength and the foundation of your faith in Christ; that God’s name may be glorified and the good gift of love increase and abound.  May I, as I hear of you, rejoice in your progress in God.  If I am still bidden to sojourn in the flesh in this world, may I one day see you in the peace of God.  If I be now summoned to depart this life, may I see you in the radiant glory of the saints, together with all them who are accounted worthy through patience and showing forth of good works, with crowns upon your heads.

ΠΡΟΣ ΧΑΛΚΙΔΕΑΣ

[1] Τὸ γράμμα τῆς εὐλαβείας ὑμῶν τοιοῦτον γέγονεν ἡμῖν ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως ἐπιφανέν, ὁποῖον γίνεται πολλάκις ἀγωνισταῖς ἵπποις, ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ σταθερᾷ λάβρῳ τῷ ἄσθματι κόνιν σπωμένοις ἐν μέσῳ τῷ σταδίῳ, ὕδωρ τοῖς στόμασι προσχυθέν. Ἀνεπνεύσαμεν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς συνεχείας τῶν πειρασμῶν, καὶ ὁμοῦ τε τοῖς ῥήμασιν ὑμῶν ἐπερρώσθημεν καὶ τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν καθ' ὑμᾶς ἀγωνισμάτων εὐτονώτεροι γεγόναμεν πρὸς τὸ ἀνενδότως ὑπενεγκεῖν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα. Ὁ γὰρ ἐμπρησμὸς ὁ τὰ πολλὰ τῆς Ἀνατολῆς ἐπινειμάμενος ὑφέρπει ἤδη καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν, καὶ τὰ κύκλῳ πάντα περιφλέξας ἅπτεσθαι φιλονεικεῖ καὶ τῶν ἐν Καππαδοκίᾳ Ἐκκλησιῶν ἃς τέως ἐκίνει πρὸς δάκρυον ὁ ἐκ γειτόνων καπνός. Ἅπτεσθαι δ' οὖν λοιπὸν καὶ ἡμῶν ἐπείγεται, ὃν ὁ Κύριος ἀποστρέψειε τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ καὶ διακόψειε τὴν φλόγα τοῦ πονηροῦ τούτου πυρός. Τίς γὰρ οὕτω δειλὸς καὶ ἄνανδρος ἢ πρὸς πόνους ἀθλητικοὺς ἀμελέτητος, ὡς μὴ τοῖς ὑμετέροις ὑποφωνήμασιν ἐπιρρωσθῆναι πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα καὶ εὔχεσθαι μεθ' ὑμῶν στεφανίτης ἀναρρηθῆναι; Προλαβόντες γὰρ ἐναπεδύσασθε τῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας σταδίῳ καὶ πολλὰς μὲν ἀπεκρούσασθε πείρας αἱρετικῶν παλαισμάτων, πολὺν δὲ τὸν καύσωνα τῶν πειρασμῶν ὑπηνέγκατε, οἵ τε κορυφαῖοι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑμεῖς οἷς ἡ θεραπεία τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου πεπίστευται καὶ οἱ καθ' ἕνα τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ οἱ δυνατώτεροι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ μάλιστα θαυμαστὸν ὑμῶν καὶ πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιον, ὅτι πάντες εἷς ἐστε ἐν Κυρίῳ, οἱ μὲν καθηγούμενοι πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθόν, οἱ δὲ ἐφεπόμενοι μετὰ συμπνοίας. Διὸ καὶ κρείττους ἐστὲ τῆς τῶν ἀντιπάλων ἐπιχειρήσεως οὐδεμίαν παρέχοντες ἀπ' οὐδενὸς μέλους λαβὴν τοῖς ἀνταγωνιζομένοις. Τούτου χάριν εὐχόμεθα νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας τῷ Βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων φυλάξαι μὲν τὸν λαὸν ἐν τῇ ὁλοκληρίᾳ τῆς πίστεως, φυλάξαι δὲ αὐτῷ τὸν κλῆρον, ὥσπερ κεφαλὴν ἀκέραιον ἐπὶ τοῦ ὕψους κειμένην καὶ τὴν ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς προμήθειαν τοῖς ὑποκειμένοις τοῦ σώματος μέλεσι παρεχομένην. Ὀφθαλμῶν γὰρ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐνεργούντων, ἔντεχνοι μὲν τῶν χειρῶν αἱ ἐργασίαι, ἀπρόσκοποι δὲ τῶν ποδῶν αἱ κινήσεις, οὐδὲν δὲ μέρος τοῦ σώματος τῆς προσηκούσης προνοίας ἀποστερεῖται. Ὥστε παρακαλοῦμεν ὑμᾶς, ὃ ποιεῖτε καὶ ποιήσετε, ἀντέχεσθαι ἀλλήλων, καὶ ὑμᾶς μὲν τοὺς τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν ἐπιμέλειαν πεπιστευμένους συνέχειν τοὺς καθ' ἕκαστον καὶ θάλπειν ὡς τέκνα ἀγαπητά, τὸν δὲ λαὸν τὴν πατράσιν ὀφειλομένην αἰδὼ καὶ τιμὴν ὑμῖν ἀποσώζειν, ἵνα ἐν τῇ εὐσχημοσύνῃ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας σώζηται μὲν ὑμῶν ἡ ἰσχὺς καὶ τὸ στερέωμα τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως, δοξάζηται δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ, πλεονάζῃ δὲ καὶ πληθύνῃ τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης καλόν. Ἀκούοντες δὲ ἡμεῖς εὐφραινώμεθα ἐπὶ τῇ προκοπῇ ὑμῶν τῇ κατὰ Θεόν, καὶ εἰ μὲν ἔτι διὰ σαρκὸς ἐπιδημεῖν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ κελευόμεθα, καὶ ἴδοιμέν ποτε ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ εἰρήνῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ: ἐὰν δὲ κελευσθῶμεν λοιπὸν ἀπᾶραι τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης, ἴδωμεν ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ λαμπρότητι τῶν ἁγίων, μετὰ τῶν δι' ὑπομονῆς καὶ πάσης ἐπιδείξεως ἀγαθῶν ἔργων εὐδοκιμούντων στεφανωθέντας.