Letter CCLV.1385    Placed in 376.

To Vitus, bishop of Charræ.1386    cf. Letter xcii. p. 177.  Vitus of Charræ (Haran) was bishop of Constantinople in 381.  (Labbe, ii. 955.)  cf. Sozomen, H.E. vi. 33.

Would that it were possible for me to write to your reverence every day!  For ever since I have had experience of your affection I have had great desire to converse with you, or, if this be impossible, at least to communicate with you by letter, that I may tell you my own news and learn in what state you are.  Yet we have not what we wish but what the Lord gives, and this we ought to receive with gratitude.  I have therefore thanked the holy God for giving me an opportunity for writing to your reverence on the arrival of our very well beloved and reverend brother Sanctissimus, the presbyter.  He has had considerable trouble in accomplishing his journey, and will tell you with accuracy all that he has learnt in the West.  For all these things we ought to thank the Lord and to beseech Him to give us too the same peace and that we may freely receive one another.  Receive all the brethren in Christ in my name.

ΒΙΤῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΚΑΡΡΩΝ

[1] Εἴθε ἦν μοι δυνατὸν καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐπιστέλλειν τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ σου. Ἀφ' οὗ γὰρ εἰς πεῖραν ἦλθον τῆς ἀγάπης σου, πολὺν ἔχω τὸν πόθον μάλιστα μὲν τοῦ συνδιάγειν σοι, εἰ δὲ μή, ἐπιστέλλειν γοῦν καὶ δέχεσθαι γράμματα, ἵνα ἔχω καὶ σημαίνειν τὰ κατ' ἐμαυτὸν καὶ μανθάνειν τὰ περὶ τῆς διαθέσεώς σου. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐχ ὅσα βουλόμεθα ὑπάρχει ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ὅσα ὁ Κύριος δίδωσι, ταῦτα ὀφείλομεν δέχεσθαι μετ' εὐχαριστίας: ηὐχαριστήσαμεν τῷ ἁγίῳ Θεῷ παρασχομένῳ ἡμῖν ὑπόθεσιν γραμμάτων πρὸς τὴν εὐλάβειάν σου τὴν ἄφιξιν τοῦ ποθεινοτάτου καὶ εὐλαβεστάτου ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν Σαγκτησίμου τοῦ συμπρεσβυτέρου, ὃς πολὺν ὑποστὰς ἐν τῇ ὁδοιπορίᾳ τὸν κόπον πάντα διηγήσεταί σοι μετ' ἀκριβείας ὅσα κατέλαβεν ἐν τῇ Δύσει. Ὑπὲρ ὧν καὶ εὐχαριστεῖν ὀφείλομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ προσκυνεῖν αὐτόν, ἵνα δῷ καὶ ἡμῖν τὴν αὐτὴν εἰρήνην καὶ ἀπολάβωμεν ἀλλήλους μετ' ἐλευθερίας. Πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ ἀδελφότητα ἄσπασαι παρ' ἡμῶν.