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290.1 May many good things come to those who move your honor to continuous conversation with us through writing. For do not think that such things are said by us for the sake of custom, but that from a true disposition we consider your voice of the greatest worth. For what could be more precious to me than Nectarius, who has been known to us from childhood from the noblest things, but now has risen to so great a prominence from every kind of virtue? So that he who brings me your letters is to me the dearest of all friends. Concerning, however, the election of those who will preside over the company, if I do anything by way of gratifying men, or giving in to entreaties, or yielding to fear, may I do no such thing. For I shall not be a steward, but a huckster, bartering the gift of God for human friendships. But if the votes given are given by men who are able to testify from outward appearance whatever they may testify, while the judgments of the more suitable are entrusted by our humility to Him who knows the secrets of hearts, perhaps it is altogether better, having set aside the testimony, to refrain from all zeal and division as if for one's own candidates, and to pray to God that what is expedient not be hidden. For thus we shall no longer blame a man for the outcome in either case, but we shall give thanks to God for what happens. And yet if these things happen according to man, they do not even happen, but it is an imitation of the truth, and falls entirely short of the truth itself. But consider that no small danger has attached itself to one who contentiously strives in every way to make his own view prevail, lest we ever draw upon ourselves the share of the sins committed. For many sins might be committed even by those from whom one would never have expected it, because of the frailty of human nature. Then, though in private we have often given the best counsel to friends, even if we seem unpersuasive to those being counselled, we are not angry; but in those matters where it is not the counsel of men, but the judgment of God, shall we be vexed if we are not preferred to the judgments of God? If, then, it is given by men, what need is there to ask from us, and not rather for him to take it from himself? But if it is from the Lord, it was fitting to pray, not to be indignant, and in prayer not to ask for one’s own will, but to entrust it to God who ordains what is expedient. May the holy God lead away every trial of grievous matters from your house, and may he measure out to you yourself and to all your relations a life without sickness and without harm in all prosperity.

291.t TO TIMOTHY THE CHOREPISCOPUS

291.1 And to write all that I think I see is neither consistent with the measure of a letter nor otherwise fitting for the form of address, and to pass over it in silence is nearly impossible for me, as my heart is inflamed with righteous anger against you. Therefore I will walk a middle path, writing some things, but omitting others. For I wish to rebuke you, as is right, with friendly frankness. If that Timothy, whom from a boy we have known to use so much intensity for correctness and an ordered life as to be accused of lack of moderation in these things, now turning away from considering in every way what one must do to be reconciled to God, you look to what seems good to so-and-so about you and have your life dependent on the opinion of others, and you consider how not to be useless to friends nor ridiculous to enemies, and you fear disgrace from the many as something dreadful, and you do not perceive that, while you are occupied with these things, you are unconsciously neglecting your primary life? For that it is not possible to excel at both at once, both the affairs of this world and the life according to God, the divine Scripture is full of what it has taught us, and nature itself is also full of such examples. For both in the activity according to the mind

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290.1 Πολλὰ ἀγαθὰ γένοιτο τοῖς κινοῦσι τὴν τιμιότητά σου πρὸς τὴν συνεχῆ ὁμιλίαν ἡμῶν διὰ τοῦ γράμματος. Μὴ γὰρ οἴου συνηθείας ἕνεκεν λέγεσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ ἐκ διαθέσεως ἀληθινῆς πλείστου ἀξίαν τίθεσθαι ἡμᾶς τὴν φωνήν σου. Τί γὰρ ἂν ἐμοὶ Νεκταρίου γένοιτο τιμιώτε ρον, τοῦ ἐκ παιδὸς μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν καλλίστων ἡμῖν γνωρισθέν τος, νῦν δὲ ἐκ παντοίας ἀρετῆς εἰς τοσοῦτον περιφανείας ἀναδραμόντος; Ὥστε μοι φίλων ἁπάντων φίλτατος ὁ σά μοι γράμματα διαφέρων. Περὶ μέντοι τῆς τῶν προστησομέ νων τῆς συμμορίας ἐκλογῆς, εἰ μὲν ἀνθρώποις χαριζόμενος ἢ ἱκεσίαις ἐνδιδοὺς ἢ φόβῳ εἴκων ποιῶ τι, μήτε ταυτὶ ποιήσαιμι. Οὐ γὰρ οἰκονόμος, ἀλλὰ κάπηλος ἔσομαι τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς ἀνθρωπίνας φιλίας διαμειβόμενος. Εἰ δὲ αἱ μὲν διδόμεναι ψῆφοι παρὰ ἀνθρώπων δίδονται ἐκ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπιφανείας μαρτυρεῖν ἐχόντων ἅπερ ἂν μαρτυ ρῶσιν, αἱ δὲ κρίσεις τῶν ἐπιτηδειοτέρων τῷ εἰδότι τὰ ἀπόρρητα τῶν καρδιῶν παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ταπεινώσεως ἐπιτρέπονται, τάχα τῷ παντὶ βέλτιον καταθέμενον τὴν μαρτυρίαν σπουδῆς μὲν καὶ διαστάσεως πάσης ὡς ὑπὲρ οἰκείων τῶν μαρτυρηθέντων ἀφίστασθαι, προσεύχεσθαι δὲ τῷ Θεῷ μὴ λαθεῖν τὸ συμφέρον. Οὕτω γὰρ οὐκέτι ἄνθρωπον τῆς ἐφ' ἑκάτερα ἐκβάσεως αἰτιασόμεθα, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ τὴν χάριν τῶν γινομένων εἰσόμεθα. Καίτοι εἰ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον γίνεται ταῦτα, οὐδὲ γίνεται, ἀλλὰ μίμησις μέν ἐστι τῆς ἀληθείας, αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας πάμπληθες ἀπολείπεται. Σκέψαι δὲ ὅτι οὐδὲ μικρός τις παραπέπηγε κίνδυνος τῷ ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου τὸ ἑαυτοῦ κρατῆσαι φιλονεικοῦντι μή ποτε τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων ἐφ' ἑαυτοὺς ἑλκύσωμεν τὴν μερίδα. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἂν ἁμαρτηθείη καὶ παρὰ τῶν οὐκ ἂν προσδοκη θέντων ποτὲ διὰ τὸ εὔκολον τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως. Εἶτα ἰδίᾳ μὲν τοῖς φίλοις συμβουλεύσαντες πολλάκις τὰ κρά τιστα, κἂν ἀπίθανοι δόξωμεν τοῖς βουλευομένοις, οὐ χαλε παίνομεν· ἐν οἷς δὲ οὐ βουλὴ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ κρίσις ἐστὶ Θεοῦ, μὴ καὶ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων προτιμηθέντες δυσχε ρανοῦμεν; Εἰ μὲν οὖν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων δίδοται, τί χρὴ παρ' ἡμῶν αἰτεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ αὐτὸν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ λαμβάνειν; Εἰ δὲ παρὰ Κυρίου, εὔχεσθαι προσῆκεν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ ἀγανακτεῖν, καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ μὴ τὸ ἴδιον θέλημα αἰτεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐπιτρέπειν τῷ οἰκονομοῦντι τὸ συμφέρον Θεῷ. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ὁ ἅγιος ἀπαγά γοι πᾶσαν πεῖραν λυπηρῶν πραγμάτων ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτῷ τε σοὶ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς προσήκουσί σοι ἄνοσον καὶ ἀβλαβῆ ἐν πάσῃ εὐθηνίᾳ τὸν βίον ἐπιμετρήσειεν.

291.τ ΤΙΜΟΘΕΩ ΧΩΡΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ

291.1 Καὶ τὸ πάντα γράφειν ὅσα φρονῶ οὔτε τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ὁρῶ

συμβαῖνον οὔτε ἄλλως πρέπον τῷ τῆς προσ ηγορίας εἴδει, καὶ τὸ σιωπῇ παρελθεῖν μικροῦ καὶ ἀδύνατόν ἐστί μοι, δικαίῳ θυμῷ τῷ κατὰ σοῦ φλεγμαινούσης μοι τῆς καρδίας. Μέσην οὖν βαδιοῦμαι τὰ μὲν γράφων, τὰ δὲ παρείς. Καθάψασθαι γάρ σου βούλομαι, ᾗ θέμις ἐστίν, ἐν ἰσηγορίᾳ φιλικῇ. Εἰ Τιμόθεος ἐκεῖνος, ὃν ἐκ παιδὸς οἴδαμεν τοσοῦτον πρὸς τὴν ὀρθότητα καὶ τὸν κατησκημένον βίον τῷ τόνῳ χρώμενον ὥστε ἐγκαλεῖσθαι τὴν ἐν τούτοις ἀμετρίαν, ἀποστὰς νῦν τοῦ σκοπεῖν πάντα τρόπον ὅ τι χρὴ ποιοῦντα τῷ Θεῷ προσοικειοῦσθαι ἀποβλέπεις πρὸς τὰ τῷ δεῖνι δοκοῦντα περὶ σοῦ καὶ τῆς ἑτέρων γνώμης τὴν ζωὴν ἔχεις ἐξηρτημένην καὶ ὅπως μὴ φίλοις ἄχρηστος μηδὲ ἐχθροῖς καταγέλαστος ᾖς ἐνθυμῇ καὶ τὴν παρὰ πολλῶν αἰσχύνην ὡς δεινόν τι φοβῇ καὶ οὐκ ἐννοεῖς ὅτι, ἐν ὅσῳ περὶ ταῦτα τρίβῃ, λανθάνεις σεαυτὸν τῆς προηγουμένης ζωῆς ἀμελῶν; Ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ ἀμφοτέρων ὁμοῦ περιγενέσθαι, τῶν τε κατὰ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον πραγμάτων καὶ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτείας, πλήρης μὲν ἡ θεία Γραφὴ ὧν ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς, πλήρης δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ φύσις τῶν τοιούτων ὑποδειγμάτων ἐστίν. Ἔν τε γὰρ τῇ κατὰ νοῦν ἐνεργείᾳ