Letter CCLXVIII.1479    Placed in 378.

To Eusebius, in exile.

Even in our time the Lord has taught us, by protecting with His great and powerful hand the life of your holiness, that He does not abandon His holy ones.  I reckon your case to be almost like that of the saint remaining unhurt in the belly of the monster of the deep, or that of the men who feared the Lord, living unscathed in the fierce fire.  For though the war is round about you on every side, He, as I hear, has kept you unharmed.  May the mighty God keep you, if I live longer, to fulfil my earnest prayer that I may see you!  If not for me, may He keep you for the rest, who wait for your return as they might for their own salvation.  I am persuaded that the Lord in His loving-kindness will give heed to the tears of the Churches, and to the sighs which all are heaving over you, and will preserve you in life until He grant the prayer of all who night and day are praying to Him.  Of all the measures taken against you, up to the arrival of our beloved brother Libanius the deacon,1480    To be distinguished from Libanius the bishop, p. 177, and Libanius the professor, mentioned later. I have been sufficiently informed by him while on his way.  I am anxious to learn what happened afterwards.  I hear that in the meanwhile still greater troubles have occurred where you are; about all this, sooner if possible, but, if not, at least by our reverend brother Paul the presbyter, on his return, may I learn, as I pray that I may, that your life is preserved safe and sound.  But on account of the report that all the roads are infested with thieves and deserters,1481    Δησερόρων, or Δεσερτόρων, the accepted reading, is a curious Latinism for the Greek αὐτόυολοι.  Eusebius was in exile in Thrace, and the now the Goths were closing round Valens. I have been afraid to entrust anything to the brother’s keeping, for fear of causing his death.  If the Lord grant a little quiet, (as I am told of the coming of the army), I will try to send you one of my own men, to visit you, to bring me back news of everything about you.

ΕΥΣΕΒΙῼ ΕΝ ΕΞΟΡΙᾼ ΟΝΤΙ

[1] Ἔδειξε καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν ὁ Κύριος ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψει τοὺς ὁσίους αὐτοῦ τῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ κραταιᾷ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ περισκεπάσας τὴν ζωὴν τῆς ὁσιότητός σου. Σχεδὸν γὰρ παραπλήσιον τοῦτο τιθέμεθα τὸ ἐν κοιλίᾳ κήτους ἀπαθῆ διαμεῖναι τὸν ἅγιον καὶ ἐν πυρὶ λάβρῳ ἀβλαβῶς διαιτᾶσθαι τοὺς φοβουμένους τὸν Κύριον, ὅπου γε καὶ τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν πανταχόθεν ὑμῖν, ὡς ἀκούω, τοῦ πολέμου περιχυθέντος σῶον διεφύλαξε. Καὶ φυλάξειέ γε πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς ὁ δυνατὸς Θεὸς ἡμῖν, ἐὰν ἔτι ζῶμεν, τὸ πολύευκτον θέαμα, ἢ τοῖς γοῦν ἄλλοις οἳ τὴν σὴν ἐπάνοδον οὕτως ἀναμένουσιν ὡς οἰκείαν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν. Πέπεισμαι γὰρ ὅτι τοῖς δάκρυσι τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ τοῖς στεναγμοῖς οἷς ἐπὶ σοὶ πάντες στενάζουσι προσσχὼν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος διαφυλάξει σε τῷ βίῳ, ἕως ἂν δῷ τὴν χάριν τοῖς νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας δεομένοις αὐτοῦ. Τὰ μὲν οὖν μέχρι τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν Λιβανίου τοῦ συνδιακόνου πεπραγμένα καθ' ὑμᾶς δι' αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν πάροδον ἱκανῶς ἐδιδάχθημεν, τὰ δὲ ἀπ' ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου δεόμεθα μαθεῖν. Μείζονα γὰρ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ καὶ χαλεπώτερα ἀκούομεν γεγενῆσθαι πάθη περὶ τοὺς τόπους: ἅπερ, ἐὰν μὲν ᾖ δυνατόν, καὶ θᾶττον, εἰ δὲ μή, διὰ γοῦν τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου ἀδελφοῦ Παύλου τοῦ συμπρεσβυτέρου ἐπανιόντος μάθοιμεν, ὡς εὐχόμεθα, ὅτι ἀβλαβὴς καὶ ἀνεπηρέαστος ὑμῶν φυλάττεται ἡ ζωή. Διὰ δὲ τὸ ἀκοῦσαι πάντα λῃστῶν καὶ δησερτόρων πεπληρῶσθαι τὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐφοβήθημέν τι εἰς χεῖρας ἐμβαλεῖν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, μὴ καὶ αὐτῷ παραίτιοι θανάτου γενώμεθα. Ἐὰν δὲ δῷ ὁ Κύριος μετρίαν γαλήνην, ὡς ἀκούομεν τοῦ στρατοπέδου τὴν πάροδον, σπουδάσομεν καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐκπέμψαι τινά, τὸν καὶ ἐπισκεψόμενον καὶ ἕκαστα ἡμῖν τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν ἀγγέλλοντα.