Letter CCXXV.1174    Placed in 375.

To Demosthenes,1175    Vicar of Pontus.  It is doubtful whether he is the same Demosthenes who was at Cæsarea with Valens in 371, of whom the amusing story is told in Theodoret Hist. Ecc. iv. 16, on which see note.  If he is, it is not difficult to understand his looking with no friendly eye on Basil and his brother Gregory.  He summoned a synod to Ancyra in the close of 375 to examine into alleged irregularities in Gregory’s consecration and accusations of embezzlement.  The above letter is to apologize for Gregory’s failing to put in an appearance at Ancyra, and to rebut the charges made against him.  Tillemont would refer Letter xxxiii. to this period.  Maran Vit. Bas. xii. 5 connects it with the troubles following on the death of Cæsarius in 369.as from the synod of bishops.

I am always very thankful to God and to the emperor, under whose rule we live, when I see the government of my country put into the hands of one who is not only a Christian, but is moreover correct in life and a careful guardian of the laws according to which our life in this world is ordered.  I have had special reason for offering this gratitude to God and to our God-beloved emperor on the occasion of your coming among us.  I have been aware that some of the enemies of peace have been about to stir your august tribunal against me, and have been waiting to be summoned by your excellency that you might learn the truth from me; if indeed your high wisdom condescends to consider the examination of ecclesiastical matters to be within your province.1176    Sæpe vicario Basilius in hac epistola leniter insinuat, res ecclesiasticas illius judicii non esse.”  Ben. Note.  The tribunal overlooked me, but your excellency, moved by the reproaches of Philochares, ordered my brother and fellow-minister Gregory to be haled before your judgment seat.  He obeyed your summons; how could he do otherwise?  But he was attacked by pain in the side, and at the same time, in consequence of a chill, was attacked by his old kidney complaint.  He has therefore been compelled, forcibly detained by your soldiers as he was, to be conveyed to some quiet spot, where he could have his maladies attended to, and get some comfort in his intolerable agony.  Under these circumstances we have combined to approach your lordship with the entreaty that you will feel no anger at the postponement of the trial.  The public interests have not in any way suffered through our delay, nor have those of the Church been injured.  If there is any question of the wasteful expenditure of money, the treasurers of the Church funds are there, ready to give an account to any one who likes, and to exhibit the injustice of the charges advanced by men who have braved the careful hearing of the case before you.  For they can have no difficulty in making the truth clear to any one who seeks it from the actual writings of the blessed bishop himself.  If there is any other point of canonical order which requires investigation, and your excellency deigns to undertake to hear and to judge it, it will be necessary for us all to be present, because, if there has been a failure in any point of canonical order, the responsibility lies with the consecrators and not with him who is forcibly compelled to undertake the ministry.  We therefore petition you to reserve the hearing of the case for us in our own country, and not to compel us to travel beyond its borders, nor force us to a meeting with bishops with whom we have not yet come to agreement on ecclesiastical questions.1177    From Letter ccxxxvii. it would appear that Demosthenes was now in Galatia, where he had summoned a heretical synod.  The Ben. note quotes a law of Valens of the year 373 (Cod. Theod. ix. tit. i. 10): Ultra provinciæ terminos accusandi licentia non progrediatur.  Opertet enim illic criminum judicia agitari ubi facinus dicatur admissum.  Peregrina autem judicia præsentibus legibus coercemus.  I beg you also to be merciful to my own old age and ill health.  You will learn by actual investigation, if it please God, that no canonical rule be it small or great was omitted in the appointment of the bishop.  I pray that under your administration unity and peace may be brought about with my brethren; but so long as this does not exist it is difficult for us even to meet, because many of our simpler brethren suffer from our mutual disputes.

ΔΗΜΟΣΘΕΝΕΙ ΩΣ ΑΠΟ ΚΟΙΝΟΥ

[1] Πολλὴν χάριν ἔχομεν ἀεὶ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ βασιλεῦσι τοῖς ἐπιμελομένοις ἡμῶν, ὅταν ποτὲ ἴδωμεν τῆς πατρίδος ἡμῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀνδρὶ πιστευθεῖσαν πρῶτον μὲν χριστιανῷ, ἔπειτα ὀρθῷ τὸν τρόπον καὶ ἀκριβεῖ τῶν νόμων φύλακι καθ' οὓς πολιτευόμεθα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα. Διαφερόντως δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς σῆς ἐπιδημίας ταύτην τὴν χάριν ὡμολογήσαμεν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τῷ θεοφιλεῖ Βασιλεῖ. Αἰσθόμενοι δὲ ὅτι τινὲς τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῆς εἰρήνης ἔμελλον τὰ σεμνά σου δικαστήρια καθ' ἡμῶν διοχλεῖν, ἐξεδεχόμεθα κληθήσεσθαι παρὰ τῆς μεγαλονοίας σου, ὥστε διδαχθῆναι παρ' ἡμῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν εἴπερ ἄρα κατεδέχετό σου ἡ μεγάλη φρόνησις τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν πραγμάτων οἰκειοῦσθαι τὰς ἐξετάσεις. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡμᾶς μὲν παρεῖδε τὸ δικαστήριον, τὸν δὲ ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν καὶ συλλειτουργὸν Γρηγόριον κινηθεῖσά σου ἡ ἐξουσία ἐπὶ ταῖς Φιλοχάρους λοιδορίαις ἀναρπαγῆναι προσέταξεν, ὁ δὲ ὑπήκουσε μὲν τῷ προστάγματι (πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔμελλεν;), ὑπὸ δὲ πλευριτικοῦ πάθους κατασχεθεὶς καὶ ἅμα ἐκ τῆς προσγενομένης αὐτῷ ψύξεως, τῆς τῶν νεφρῶν ἀρρωστίας συνήθως ἐπαναστάσης, ἠναγκάσθη ἀπαραιτήτως ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν κατεχόμενος, ἐπιμελείας ἕνεκεν τοῦ σώματος καὶ παραμυθίας τῶν ἀφορήτων ὀδυνῶν, πρός τι χωρίον ἡσυχίαν ἔχον μετατεθῆναι: τούτου χάριν πάντες ἤλθομεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἱκετεῦσαι τὸ μέγεθός σου μηδὲν ἀγανακτῆσαι τῇ ἀναβολῇ τῆς ἀπαντήσεως. Καὶ γὰρ οὔτε τι τῶν δημοσίων χεῖρον ἔσχεν ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας ὑπερθέσεως, οὔτε τι τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν τούτου ἕνεκεν παρεβλάβη. Ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν περὶ χρημάτων ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος ὡς διαφορηθέντων, αὐτοῦ εἰσιν οἱ ταμίαι τῶν ἱερῶν χρημάτων ἕτοιμοι δοῦναι τὸν λόγον τῷ βουλομένῳ καὶ δεῖξαι τὴν συκοφαντίαν τῶν κατατολμησάντων τῆς ἀκριβοῦς ἀκοῆς σου: ῥᾴδιον γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν γραμμάτων τοῦ μακαρίου ἐπισκόπου φανερὰν τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῖς ἐπιζητοῦσι ποιῆσαι. Εἰ δέ τι ἕτερόν ἐστι κανονικὸν ἐξετάσεως δεόμενον, καὶ τούτου καταδέχεται ὑποδέξασθαι τὴν ἀκρόασιν καὶ τὴν κρίσιν ἡ μεγαλόνοιά σου, πάντων ἡμῶν χρεία, ὅτι, εἴπερ τι ἐλλέλειπται τῶν κανονικῶν, οἱ χειροτονήσαντες αἴτιοι, οὐχ ὁ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀνάγκην ὑποδέξασθαι τὴν λειτουργίαν ἐκβιασθείς. Ὥστε ἱκετεύομέν σε φυλάξαι ἡμῖν τὴν ἀκρόασιν ἐπὶ τῆς πατρίδος καὶ μὴ ἕλκειν εἰς τὴν ὑπερορίαν, μηδὲ εἰς ἀνάγκην ἄγειν συντυχίας ἐπισκόπων πρὸς οὓς οὔπω τὰ περὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ζητημάτων ἀπελυσάμεθα. Ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ φείσασθαι τοῦ γήρως ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας δεόμεθα. Γνώσῃ γὰρ αὐτῇ τῇ πείρᾳ, τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλομένου, ὡς οὔτε μικρὸν οὔτε μεῖζον παρεῖταί τι τῶν κανονικῶν ἐν τῇ καταστάσει τοῦ ἐπισκόπου. Εὐχόμεθα οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν ὁμόνοιαν καὶ εἰρήνην καταπραχθῆναι: ἧς μήπω γενομένης, βαρὺ ἡμῖν ἐστι τὸ τῆς συντυχίας, διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς τῶν ἁπλουστέρων βλάπτεσθαι ἐν τῇ διαστάσει ἡμῶν τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους.