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more base, to show all diligence concerning these things, so as not to miss the apparent good, but when the discourse is about heavenly things and the unerring dogmas concerning the faith, to take little care of these and to trust in themselves alone to suffice for so great a height of knowledge. For this is what created the division in the churches from the beginning. For if those who first brought forth the dogmas now held by the Roman church had not trusted in them 3.59 selves, nor despised the others, but had set them forth in the midst for the other leaders of the churches to examine, the evil would not have advanced so far, nor would the members of Christ have been divided and waged war with one another. For either, if it were right, it would have been accepted by all and there would have been no dispute about things confessed equally by all, or, if anything appeared to fall away from what is right, it would have been equally by all consigned to oblivion and the depth of silence. And the manner is ancient and honored by the first preachers of the gospel. For even Paul communicated the gospel to the apostles, fearing, he says, lest he should be running in vain, proclaiming things not dear to God, and yet he had been caught up to the third heaven and initiated into the unspeakable mysteries. For this daring thing brought no benefit to Michael, the first emperor of the Palaiologoi, but the schism became worse, and the division more difficult. For which reasons I myself do not think I will ever be persuaded, until an ecumenical council has been gathered and declared what seems safe concerning the faith, to attempt myself both to attend to innovations and to compel others, not only for the sake of the church and the whole body of Christians, but also for my own sake. For I am so disposed, that I will be persuaded by all things, whatever might be decreed concerning the faith by the common opinion of the hierarchs, but in the absence of this, I will pay attention to no innovation. And I think also that all 3.60 the hierarchs and the others who have been nurtured on the dogmas of the church will be most zealous for this; but if they were compelled by authority, stopping their ears, they would not even endure the first word. And yet I do not think that even among you I would be trustworthy for faith concerning future things, if so easily and without examination I should convert to the dogmas that seem right to you. For one who does not pay very secure attention to the things handed down by his ancestors and with which he himself was raised, but readily gives them up, what faith could he have concerning recent things? For which reasons I think it is necessary, if you agree, for an ecumenical council to take place concerning such great matters, at which both the eastern and the western hierarchs will be present. And when this has happened, faithful is God, who will not allow us to wander from the truth. If, then, as before, both Asia and Europe continued under the Roman empire, the council would have had to be gathered among us. But since this is now impossible, for it is impossible for the pope to come here, and it is not easy for me to be so far from my government on account of the continuous wars and the neighboring barbarians and other rulers attacking us from all sides, who, though they do not differ with us at all concerning the faith, are nevertheless enemies, if it should seem good also to father pope, we will come by agreement to one of the coastal places, which would be a middle distance for each from his home. And so we will meet, he 3.61 having the hierarchs from the west, and I the patriarchs and the bishops under them. And I trust in God, that he will not allow us to return having accomplished nothing, but using His own love for mankind, He will guide us into all the truth. And at the end he also added this, that, if it were pleasing to the pope for the council to be convened, he should send a message to him again very quickly, announcing that he had agreed, and the place and the time, at which it was fitting to convene. For he himself would also need no little time, to summon the patriarchs and the other bishops. Such things the emperor answered to the embassy for the pope. And it seemed best to the ambassadors

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φαυλοτέρα, περὶ ταῦτα μὲν πᾶσαν ἐνδείκνυσθαι σπουδὴν, μὴ τοῦ δοκοῦντος ἀγαθοῦ διαμαρτεῖν, περὶ οὐρανίων δὲ τοῦ λόγου ὄντος καὶ τῶν περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἀπλανῶν δογμάτων, τούτων ὀλίγην τινὰ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν φροντίδα καὶ μόνοις ἑαυτοῖς θαῤῥεῖν πρὸς τοσοῦτον γνώσεως ὕψος ἐξαρκέσειν. τοῦτο γὰρ εἶναι τοῦτο, ὃ καὶ τὴν διάστασιν ἐνεποίησε ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἐξαρχῆς. εἰ γὰρ οἱ πρώτως τὰ νῦν ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίας πρεσβευόμενα δόγματα ἐξενεγκόντες μὴ ἐθάῤῥησαν ἑαυ 3.59 τοῖς, μηδὲ τῶν ἄλλων κατεφρόνησαν, ἀλλ' εἰς μέσον προὔθηκαν τοῖς ἄλλοις τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προστάταις ἐξετάζειν, οὐκ ἂν ἄχρι τοσούτου τὸ κακὸν προὐχώρησεν, οὐδὲ τὰ Χριστοῦ διῄρητο μέλη καὶ ἐκπεπολέμωτο ἀλλήλοις. ἢ γὰρ, εἰ καλῶς εἶχεν, ὑπὸ πάντων ἂν ἐστέρχθη καὶ οὐδεμία ἀμφισβήτησις ἐγίνετο περὶ τῶν πᾶσιν ὁμοίως ὡμολογημένων, ἢ, εἴ τι τοῦ καλῶς ἔχοντος ἐφαίνετο ἐκπίπτοντα, πᾶσιν ὁμοίως λήθης παρεπέμφθη καὶ σιγῆς βυθῷ. ἀρχαῖος δὲ ὁ τρόπος καὶ τοῖς πρώτοις τοῦ εὐαγγελίου κήρυξι τετιμημένος. καὶ γὰρ καὶ Παῦλος ἐκοινοῦτο τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, δεδοικώς, φησι, μὴ εἰς κενὸν τρέχει, ἃ μὴ φίλα καταγγέλλων θεῷ, καίτοι γε εἰς τρίτον οὐρανὸν ἁρπαγεὶς καὶ μυσταγωγηθεὶς τὰ ἄῤῥητα. καὶ βασιλεῖ γὰρ τῷ πρώτῳ Παλαιολόγων Μιχαὴλ τοῦτο τετολμημένον οὐ συνήνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ χεῖρον γέγονε τὸ ῥῆγμα, καὶ ἡ διάστασις χαλεπωτέρα. δι' ἃ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς οἴομαι πεισθήσεσθαί ποτε πρὶν οἰκουμενικὴν σύνοδον ἀθροισθεῖσαν τὸ δοκοῦν ἀσφαλὲς ἀποφήνασθαι περὶ τὴν πίστιν, ἐπιχειρήσειν αὐτός τε προσέχειν καινοτομίαις, καὶ βιάζεσθαι τοὺς ἄλλους, οὐ διὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν μόνον καὶ τὸ Χριστιανῶν ἅπαν πλήρωμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἐμὲ αὐτόν. καὶ γὰρ οὕτως ἔχω, ὡς πᾶσι μὲν πεισθησόμενος, ἅττα ἂν ὑπὸ κοινῆς γνώμης τῶν ἀρχιερέων περὶ τῆς πίστεως ἐπιψηφισθείη, τούτου δὲ ἀπόντος, καινοτομίᾳ οὐδεμιᾷ προσέξω. οἴομαι δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀρχιερέας ἅ 3.60 παντας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς δογμάτων τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας τροφίμους πρὸς τοῦτο μὲν ἔσεσθαι προθύμους μάλιστα· ἂν δὲ βιάζοιντο ἀρχικῶς, τὰ ὦτα βύσαντας, μηδὲ τῆς πρώτης ἀνέξεσθαι φωνῆς. καίτοι γε οὐδὲ παρ' ὑμῖν ἐμὲ ἀξιόχρεων ἐγὼ νομίζω ἔσεσθαι πρὸς πίστιν περὶ τῶν μελλόντων, εἰ ῥᾳδίως οὕτω καὶ ἀνεξετάστως ἐπὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα δόγματα ὑμῖν μεταχωρήσω. ὁ γὰρ τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν προγόνων παραδεδομένοις καὶ οἷς συντέθραπτο αὐτὸς, μὴ πάνυ προσέχων ἀσφαλῶς, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἑτοίμου προϊέμενος, τίνα ἂν ἔχοι περὶ τῶν προσφάτων πίστιν; δι' ἃ νομίζω δέον εἶναι, εἴγε καὶ ὑμῖν συνδοκεῖ, περὶ τῶν οὕτω μεγάλων σύνοδον οἰκουμενικὴν, ἐν ᾗ οἵ τε ἑῷοι καὶ οἱ ἑσπέριοι παρέσονται ἀρχιερεῖς, γενέσθαι. τούτου δὲ γεγενημένου, πιστὸς ὁ θεὸς, ὃς ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἐάσει τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποπλανηθῆναι. εἰ μὲν οὖν ὥσπερ πρότερον ὑπὸ τὴν Ῥωμαίων βασιλείαν ἥ τε Ἀσία καὶ Εὐρώπη διετέλει, παρ' ἡμῖν ἔδει τὴν σύνοδον ἀθροισθῆναι. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο νῦν ἀδύνατον, ὅ,τε γὰρ πάπας ἐνταῦθα ἀφικέσθαι ἀδυνάτως ἔχει, ἐμοί τε οὐ ῥᾴδιον τοσοῦτον ἀποστῆναι τῆς ἀρχῆς διὰ τοὺς συνεχεῖς πολέμους καὶ τοὺς πανταχόθεν ἐπιόντας ἡμῖν βαρβάρους τε τοὺς ὁμόρους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους δυνάστας, οἳ περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἡμῖν οὐδὲν διαφερόμενοι, ὅμως πολέμιοί εἰσιν, εἰ καὶ τῷ πατρὶ συνδόξειε πάπᾳ, πρός τι τῶν παραλίων ἀφιξόμεθα χωρίων ἐκ συνθήματος, ὃ μέσως ἂν σχοίη ἑκατέροις πρὸς ἀπόστασιν τῶν οἴκοι. καὶ οὕτω συνελευσόμεθα, ἐκεῖνος μὲν 3.61 τοὺς ἐκ τῆς ἑσπέρας ἔχων ἀρχιερέας, ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς πατριάρχας καὶ τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῖς τελοῦντας ἐπισκόπους. πιστεύω δὲ θεῷ, ὡς ἀπράκτους ἡμᾶς ἐπανελθεῖν οὐκ ἐάσει, ἀλλὰ τῇ σφετέρᾳ χρησάμενος φιλανθρωπίᾳ, ὁδηγήσει ἡμᾶς εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ἐπὶ τέλει δὲ καὶ τοῦτο προσετίθει, ὡς, εἰ ἀρεστὸν εἴη πάπᾳ τὴν σύνοδον συγκροτηθῆναι, τάχιστα αὖθις πέμπειν ἀγγελίαν πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅτι τε συνέθετο μηνύουσαν, καὶ τὸν τόπον καὶ τὸν χρόνον, ἐν ᾧ προσῆκον συνελθεῖν. οὐκ ὀλίγου γὰρ δεήσεσθαι χρόνου καὶ αὐτὸν, τούς τε πατριάρχας μεταπεμπόμενον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπισκόπους. τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὴν πρεσβείαν πάπᾳ ἀπεκρίνατο. καὶ ἐδόκει βέλτιστα τοῖς πρεσβευομένοις