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cause him to receive in the preaching of the true faith, before the unjust teaching spreads widely. And we also ask this, demanding, since he tries to terrify, threatening, driving out, expelling, doing evil, acting unscrupulously, and being wicked, and so that he may strengthen his own madness and impiety, doing all things unsparingly, not fearing God, not being ashamed before men, not revering bishops, nor any priest, nor any of the clergy, nor holy monks, nor the piety of the laity, not the fear hanging over wrongdoers, not the law of those who carry out a ministry for God unto wrath against the worthy, but having clothed himself in arrogance against all, trusting in money, and in the strength of certain corrupt men, or, that we may speak without fear, also in your power, he does these things: we ask that he be permitted to do nothing against anyone, unless first the things concerning the orthodox faith receive correction, so that he may not scatter it, and introduce his own by doing these things. For he knows, as he thinks, that by fear, having blunted many, he may turn them away from the faith; and then, having found those of like mind with him, he may give them courage, so as even to attempt public blows, and to make a persecution. And not only his own so-called clerics, or cell-mates, but he has also taken on some from the outside parishes, for whom it is especially not permitted according to the ecclesiastical canons to be in another bishopric, or in another church, but it is necessary for them to be in their own parishes, or cities, where they were ordained, and there to live in quiet: so that in the long run, through this temporary power, the lawlessness may not creep more and more and be inscribed to your piety. for to this end God appointed you as ministers, for the glory of Him who glorified you, and glorifies you, and repays you the reward with all the saints who have well guarded the ministries entrusted to them. To whom He said: Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the joy of your Lord. Those who are truly Christians believe these words through their works; but the faithless and the rejected, and those living for their own belly, and persevering in this very thing, if they hear anyone confessing that Christ is God, are infuriated, just as the Jews then stopped their ears when the holy Stephen the first martyr was relating that "Behold," he says, "I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of the invisible God." So also these are infuriated against the Christians, and are eager to execute all their wrath.

6. We ask, therefore, by the providence of the most magnificent prefect of New Rome, that those who rise up against the orthodox be hindered, and who on the pretext of justifications, as they say, attack someone, until the matters of the faith receive correction. but if you disobey, having neglected us, we testify to you before the king of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, only wise God, who came and appeared, as he willed, for our salvation, and is coming again to judge the living and the dead, to whom every knee bends of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue will confess to him, that we are innocent. For we have called upon you for an ecumenical council, which is able to precisely strengthen and set aright the things that are shaken, or rather, have been broken down. but the gates of Hades, which are the mouths of the heretics, will not prevail against it to do it harm, through the grace and help of God which is at work in you; so that having obtained this, we may send up the customary prayers in harmony for the common salvation and for your kingdom to God in a well-pleasing and orthodox manner. Amen.

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ἀπολαβεῖν ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀληθινής πίστεως κηρύγματι ποιήσῃ, πρό τοῦ εἰς πλάτος τήν ἄδικον διδασκαλίαν ἐλθεῖν. Κἀκεῖνο δή παρακαλοῦμεν, ἀξιοῦντες, ἐπειδή πειρᾶται πτοεῖν, ἀπειλῶν, ἐλαύνων, ἐξωθῶν, κακουργῶν, ῥαδιουργῶν, καί κακῶν, καί ἵνα τήν αὐτοῦ μανίαν καί ἀσέβειαν κρατύνῃ, πάντα ποιῶν ἀφειδῶς, οὐ Θεόν φοβούμενος, οὐκ ἀνθρώπους αἰσχυνόμενος, οὐκ ἐπισκόπους εὐλαβούμενος, οὔτε ἱερέα τινά, οὐ κλῆρόν τινα, οὐχ ἁγίους μοναχούς, οὐκ εὐλάβειαν λαϊκῶν, οὐ τόν κατά τῶν ἀδικούντων ἐπηρτημένον φόβον, οὐ τόν νόμον τῶν ἐκτελούντων διακονίαν τινά Θεῷ εἰς ὀργήν κατά τῶν ἀξίων, ἀλλ' ἐνδυσάμενος τήν ὑπεροψίαν κατά πάντων, θαῤῥῶν τοῖς χρήμασι, καί τινων διεφθαρμένων τῇ ἰσχύϊ, ἤ ἵνα ἀφόβως εἴπωμεν, καί τῷ ὑμετέρῳ κράτει, ταῦτα ποιεῖ· ἀξιοῦμεν μηδέν αὐτῷ κατά τινων ἐξεῖναι ποιεῖν, ἐάν μή πρῶτον διόρθωσιν λάβῃ τά κατά τήν ὀρθόδοξον πίστιν, ἵνα μή ταύτην διασκεδάσῃ, καί τήν αὐτοῦ παρεισαγάγῃ ταῦτα ποιῶν. Οἶδε γάρ, ὡς οἴεται, ὅτι κἄν τῷ φόβῳ πολλούς ἀμβλύνας ἀποστήσῃ τῆς πίστεως· καί λοιπόν εὑρών ὁμογνώμονας αὐτοῦ, παράσχῃ αὐτοῖς θάρσος, ὥστε καί ἕως πληγῶν δημοσίᾳ ἐπιχειρεῖν, καί διωγμόν ποιεῖν. Οὐ μόνον δέ τούς αὐτοῦ δῆθεν κληρικούς, ἤ συγκέλλους, ἀλλά καί ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν παροικιῶν προσελάβετό τινας, οἷς μάλιστα οὐκ ἔξεστιν εἶναι κατά τούς ἐκκλησιαστικούς κανόνας εἰς ἕτερον ἐπισκοπεῖον, ἤ εἰς ἄλλην ἐκκλησίαν, ἀλλ'ἀνάγκη αὐτούς εἰς τάς ἰδίας παροικίας, ἤ πόλεις, ὅπου ἐχειροτονήθησαν, κἀκεῖ ἡσυσχῆ διάγειν· ἵνα μή τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ διά τῆς προσκαίρου δυναστείας, ἕρψῃ περισσοτέρως ἡ παρανομία καί ἐπιγραφῇ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ εὐσεβείᾳ· καί εἰς τοῦτο γάρ ὑμᾶς ἔθετο ὁ Θεός διακόνους, ὑπέρ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ τοῦ δοξάσαντος ὑμᾶς, καί δοξάζοντος, καί ἀποδιδόντος ὑμῖν τόν μισθόν μετά πάντων τῶν ἁγίων, τῶν καλῶς φυλαξάντων τάς ἐγχειρισθείσας αὐτοῖς διακονίας. Πρός οὕς εἶπεν· Εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθέ καί πιστέ, ἐπί ὀλίγα ἦς πιστός, ἐπί πολλῶν σε καταστήσω· εἴσελθε εἰς τήν χαράν τοῦ Κυρίου σου. Οἱ ὄντως Χριστανοί τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις διά τῶν ἔργων πιστεύουσιν· οἱ δέ ἄπιστοι καί ἀπεῤῥιμμένοι, καί τῇ ἑαυτῶν κοιλίᾳ ζῶντες, καί εἰς αὐτό τοῦτο προσκαρτεροῦντες, ἐάν ἀκούσωσιν ὁμολογοῦντά τινα, τόν Χριστόν εἶναι Θεόν, διαπρίονται, ὡς οἱ τότε Ἰουδαῖοι συνέσχον τά ὦτα αὐτῶν, τοῦ ἁγίου Στεφάνου τοῦ πρωτομάρτυρος διηγουμένου, ὅτι Θεωρῶ, φησί, τούς οὐρανούς ἀνεῳγμένους, καί τόν Υἱόν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτα τοῦ ἀοράτου Θεοῦ. Οὕτω καί οὗτοι διαπρίονται κατά τῶν Χριστιανῶν, καίπάντα θυμόν σπουδάζουσιν ἐκτελεῖν.

ς´. Ἀξιοῦμεν οὖν προνοίᾳ τοῦ μεγαλοπρεπεστάτου ἐπάρχου τῆς νέαςῬώμης, κωλύεσθαι τούς κατά τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ἐπανισταμένους, καί προφάσει δικαιολογιῶν, ὥς φασιν, ἐπιχειροῦντας κατά τινος, ἕως ὅτε τά τῆς πίστεως διόρθωσιν λάβοι· εἰ δέ παρακούσετε, ἡμῶν ἀμελήσαντες, διαμαρτυρόμεθα ὑμῖν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτου, ἀοράτου, μόνου σοφοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ ἐλθόντος καί ἐπιφανέντος, ὡς ἠθέλησε, διά τήν σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν, καί πάλιν ἐρχομένου κρῖναι ζῶντας καί νεκρούς, ᾧ κάμπτει πᾶν γόνυ ἐπουρανίων, καί ἐπιγείων, καί καταχθονίων, καί πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἀθῶοί ἐσμεν. Ἡμεῖς γάρ ὑμᾶς παρεκαλέσαμεν περί συνόδου οἰκουμενικῆς, τῆς δυναμένης ἀκριβῶς κρατῦναι καί ἀνορθῶσαι τά σαλευόμενα, εἴτουν καταῤῥαγέντα· οὐ κατισχύσουσι δέ αὐτῆς διά τῆς χάριτος καί ἀντιλήψεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῆς ἐνεργούσης ἐν ὑμῖν, κακῶσαι πύλαι Öἅδου, ἅτινά ἐστι τά στόματα τῶν αἱρετικῶν· ἵνα τούτου τυχόντες, τάς συνήθεις εὐχάς ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ ὑπέρ τῆς κοινῆς σωτηρίας καί τῆς βασιλείας ὑμῶν, εὐαρέστως καί ὀρθοδόξως τῷ Θεῷ ἀναπέμπωμεν. Ἀμήν.