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lawfully and in an orderly manner, for this reason things are upside down and priest and prophet were astonished according to what is written and a tradition of myriad glories and self-judged legislation not because of love for God, but because of love of money, nor for salvation, but for love of gain. And to these things I, the wretched one, have no answer but to groan and be sullen and to weep for our own sins; may you be saved, beloved child. 490 {1To Theoctistus the hermit}1 Having received the letter of your honor and having read it in the hearing of the most God-loving archbishop and my brother together with the brothers who were with him, I, the humble one, gave thanks to the Lord, who inclined your heart to write correctly the symbol of the faith; for to confess that one accepts the Old and New Testament and all things handed down by the holy fathers to the church of God is in summary the correctness of the faith. But since it is possible for heretics also to say these things, but not, however, to be found according to their words rightly dividing the word of truth, for this reason also from the brothers who were sent, and especially from Abba Sosipater, we sought the precise details, just as you also sought in your letters, because it is not possible for the letter to report everything, and we found by the grace of Christ that they reported with right mind the things entrusted to them by you. And what are these things? For they must be noted in summary. First concerning the holy Theotokos; for they say that you say that the virgin is from before the ages. Since you deny this, neither saying nor thinking it, but confess that she was born from a man and woman, Joachim and Anna, it would be well. Second concerning the Lord, that he was not crucified; but since you confess that he was crucified according to the scriptures, it would be well. Third concerning the angels and demons, that after the judgment there will be a restoration again and there will be one flock, one shepherd. And since you renounce this and confess that both the judgment and the kingdom of heaven are eternal, it would be well. Fourth concerning one monk, that he is able to rescue from punishment one hundred and fifty who are being judged. And since you renounce this and say that there is neither repentance after death nor anyone who is able to rescue from the punishment allotted to each by God, it would be well. Fifth concerning a book called that of Antony, that you say is acceptable, in which are many blasphemies, as we ourselves knew from reading it. And since you confess that this is to be rejected as foreign to the church of God and that no longer should it be either possessed or read by either you or those with you, it would be well. And blessed is God, who made a cleansing among you of the aforementioned scandals, and blessed is the name of his glory, which persuaded you to say that you are a rustic and unlearned and to yield in all things and to be persuaded by the word of my humility. And I shall exhort or prescribe nothing beyond the things divinely declared by the holy apostles and prophets and fathers, but this very thing, as you have written, that you believe in the Holy Trinity, undivided in essence, but divided in characteristics into Father and Son and Holy Spirit, one God, one Lord, just as there is also one faith. And the Father is God and the Son is God and the Spirit is God, not three gods (may it not be), but one God, just as also Lord. This is the dogma of theology; concerning the economy, to believe that the One of the Trinity by the good pleasure of the Father and the cooperation of the Holy Spirit was incarnate from the holy Theotokos, the Holy Spirit having come upon her and the power of the Most High thus overshadowing her according to the gospel; from whom he was also born perfect man, being at the same time also perfect God, one in hypostasis, double in nature, as the God-bearing fathers and the seven holy ecumenical councils set forth, and to confess the virgin Theotokos, being higher and more honorable than all, and able to intercede as a mother to her own Son and Lord for the whole world, to confess

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νομίμως καὶ κατηρτισμένως, διὰ τοῦτο τὰ ἄνω κάτω καὶ ἱερεὺς καὶ προφήτης ἐξέστησαν κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον καὶ μυριόδοξος παράδοσις καὶ αὐτόκριτος νομοθεσία οὐ διὰ θεοφιλίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ φιλαργυρίαν, οὐδὲ διὰ σωτηρίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ φιλοκερδίαν. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα ἐγὼ ὁ τάλας ἀποκρίνεσθαι οὐκ ἔχω ἢ στένειν καὶ σκυθρωπάζειν καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίας ἀποκλαίειν· σὺ δὲ σωθείης, τέκνον ἠγαπημένον. 490 {1Θεοκτίστῳ ἐρημίτῃ}1 ∆εξάμενος τὸ γραμματεῖον τῆς τιμιότητός σου καὶ ἀναγνοὺς εἰς ὑπήκοον τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου ἀρχιεπισκόπου καὶ ἀδελφοῦ μου ἅμα τοῖς συνοῦσιν ἀδελφοῖς εὐχαρίστησα ὁ ταπεινὸς τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὃς ἔκλινεν τὴν καρδίαν σου γράψαι ὀρθῶς τὸ τῆς πίστεως σύμβολον· τὸ γὰρ ὁμολογεῖν δέχεσθαι τὴν παλαιὰν καὶ νέαν διαθήκην καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων παραδεδομένα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ κεφαλαιωδῶς ἡ ὀρθότης ἐστὶ τῆς πίστεως. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ αἱρετικοῖς ἔστι ταῦτα λέγειν, οὐ μὴν εὑρίσκεσθαι κατὰ τοὺς λόγους αὐτῶν ὀρθοτομοῦντας τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ παρὰ τῶν πεμφθέντων ἀδελφῶν, καὶ μάλιστα παρὰ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Σωσιπάτρου, ἐπεζητήσαμεν τὸ ἀκριβές, καθὰ καὶ ἐζήτησας ἐν τοῖς γράμμασι, διὰ τὸ μὴ πάντα ἐγχωρεῖν ἀπαγγέλλειν τὴν ἐπιστολήν, καὶ εὕρομεν χάριτι Χριστοῦ ἀπαγγέλλοντας αὐτοὺς ὀρθοφρόνως τὰ παρὰ σοῦ αὐτοῖς παρατεθέντα. Τίνα δὲ ταῦτα; δεῖν γὰρ ἐν κεφαλαίοις ἐπισημανθῆναι. πρῶτον περὶ τῆς ἁγίας Θεοτόκου· φασὶ γὰρ λέγειν σε ὅτι πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἡ παρθένος. τοῦτο ἐπειδὴ ἀρνεῖσαι μήτε λέγειν μήτε δὲ φρονεῖν, ἀλλ' ὁμολογεῖν ἐξ ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς Ἰωακεὶμ καὶ Ἄννης τετέχθαι αὐτήν, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι. δεύτερον περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅτι οὐκ ἐσταυρώθη· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁμολογεῖς ἐσταυρῶσθαι αὐτὸν κατὰ τὰς γραφάς, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι. τρίτον περὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν κρίσιν ἀποκατάστασις ἔσται πάλιν καὶ γενήσεται μία ποίμνη, εἷς ποιμήν. καὶ ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἀπαρνεῖσαι καὶ ὁμολογεῖς αἰώνιον εἶναι καὶ τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι. τέταρτον περὶ μοναχοῦ ἑνός, ὅτι δύναται τῆς κολάσεως ῥύσασθαι ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα κρινομένους. καὶ ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἀπαρνεῖσαι καὶ λέγεις μήτε μετάνοιαν εἶναι μετὰ θάνατον μήτε τινὰ τὸν δυνάμενον ἐξελέσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς θεοῦ ἀπονεμηθείσης ἑκάστῳ κολάσεως, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι. πέμπτον περὶ βιβλίου τοῦ ἐπιλεγομένου τοῦ Ἀντωνίου, ὅτι λέγεις εὐαπόδεκτον εἶναι, ἐν ᾧ πολλὰ βλάσφημα, ὡς ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ ἀναγνόντες ἔγνωμεν. καὶ τοῦτο ἐπείπερ ὁμολογεῖς ἀποβάλλεσθαι ὡς ἀλλότριον τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μηκέτι μήτε ἔχειν μήτε ἀναγινώσκειν μήτε σὲ μήτε τοὺς μετὰ σοῦ, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι. καὶ εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεός, ὁ ποιησάμενος καθαρισμὸν ἐν ὑμῖν τῶν προειρημένων σκανδάλων, καὶ εὐλογημένον τὸ ὄνομα τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, τὸ πεῖσάν σε εἰπεῖν χωρικὸν εἶναι καὶ ἀμαθῆ καὶ εἴκειν κατὰ πάντα καὶ πείθεσθαι τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ταπεινώσεώς μου. Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδὲν παρὰ τὰ θειωδῶς ἐκπεφασμένα τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις καὶ προφήταις καὶ πατράσι παραινέσω ἢ διατυπώσω, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο, καθὼς γέγραφας, πιστεύειν σε εἰς τὴν Ἁγίαν Τριάδα, τὴν ἀμερῆ κατ' οὐσίαν, διαιρουμένην δὲ τοῖς χαρακτῆρσιν εἰς πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν καὶ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, ἕνα θεόν, ἕνα Κύριον, καθὸ καὶ μία πίστις. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ θεὸς καὶ ὁ υἱὸς θεὸς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα θεός, οὐ τρεῖς θεοὶ (μὴ γένοιτο), ἀλλ' εἷς θεός, ὥσπερ καὶ Κύριος. τοῦτο τῆς θεολογίας τὸ δόγμα περὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας πιστεύειν ὅτι ὁ εἷς τῆς Τριάδος εὐδοκίᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ συνεργίᾳ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐσαρκώθη ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Θεοτόκου, προσεισεληλυθότος τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ οὕτως ἐπισκιάσαντος τῆς τοῦ ὑψίστου δυνάμεως κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον· ἐξ ἧς καὶ ἐτέχθη ἄνθρωπος τέλειος, ὢν ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ θεὸς τέλειος, εἷς τῇ ὑποστάσει, διπλοῦς τῇ φύσει, καθὼς οἱ θεοφόροι πατέρες καὶ αἱ ἑπτὰ ἅγιαι οἰκουμενικαὶ σύνοδοι ἐξέθεντο, ὁμολογεῖν τε τὴν παρθένον Θεοτόκον, πάντων οὖσαν ὑψηλοτέραν καὶ τιμιωτέραν δυναμένην τε πρεσβεύειν μητρικῶς τῷ αὐτῆς υἱῷ καὶ Κυρίῳ ὑπὲρ παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου, ὁμολογεῖν