Athanasius of Alexandria, Letter to Dracontius

Epistula ad Dracontium

LETTER TO DRACONTIUS FROM OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS, ATHANASIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA.

I am at a loss what to write. Shall I blame you as one who refuses, or as one who sees the times, and is hiding for fear of the Jews? But whether one way or the other, what you have done is worthy of blame, beloved Dracontius. For it was not fitting for you, having received the grace, to hide yourself, nor, being a prudent man, to give to others pretexts for flight. For many who hear are scandalized; not as if you are doing this simply, but as one who discerns the times, and the impending afflictions upon the Church. And I fear lest, while fleeing for your own sake, you be found to be in danger before the Lord on account of others. For if he who scandalizes one of these little ones, would choose that a millstone be hung about his neck, and he be drowned; what would you suffer, being a scandal to so many? For the harmony that has unexpectedly come about in the country of the Alexandrians, at your appointment, will of necessity be torn asunder by your withdrawal; and the episcopate of that country itself will be seized by many; and by many who are not orthodox, but of a kind you yourself also know. And the pagans who were professing to become Christians at your appointment will remain Greeks, with your piety scorning the grace that was given. 25.525 What defense, then, for such things will be given by you? With what words will you be able to wash away and wipe off such charges? How will you heal those who have fallen and are scandalized on your account? Or how, after the peace has been torn asunder, will you be able to sew it together? O beloved Dracontius, instead of joy you have made for us grief, instead of comfort a groan. For we were expecting to have you as a comfort with us, and now we see you fleeing, and we see that when judged you will be convicted, and when in danger you will repent. And who will have pity on you, as the prophet has said? Who will turn to you in peace, seeing the brothers, for whom Christ died, harmed by your flight? For you must know and not doubt, that before you were appointed you lived for yourself, but having been appointed, for those over whom you were appointed. And before you received the grace of the episcopate, no one knew you; but having now become one, the people expect you to bring them food, the teaching from the Scriptures; when, therefore, those who expect are starving, while you feed only yourself, and our Lord Jesus Christ comes, and we stand by Him, what defense would you have, when He sees His own sheep starving? For if you had not received the denarii, He would not have blamed you; but having received them and buried and hidden them, He would blame you with reason, saying those words, which may your piety never even hear: You ought to have given my denarii to the bankers, that when I came I might demand it from them. I beseech you, spare yourself and us; yourself, so that you may not be in danger; and us, so that we may not be grieved on your account. Take care for the Church, so that not many of the little ones be harmed on your account, and that others may not take a pretext for withdrawing. If, then, you feared the time, and cowering did this, your disposition is not manly; for it was necessary to show zeal according to Christ in such circumstances, and all the more to speak boldly in adversities, and to say the words of the blessed Paul: In all these things we are more than conquerors; and especially, because it is not fitting to serve the time, but the Lord; but if the ordering of the Churches does not please you, nor do you think that the ministry of the episcopate has a reward, but you have made yourself to despise the Savior who ordained these things; I beseech you, do not think such things, nor tolerate them in these matters

Epistula ad Dracontium

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΠΡΟΣ ∆ΡΑΚΟΝΤΙΟΝ.

Ἀπορῶ τί γράψω. Ἆρα γὰρ ὡς παραιτούμενον μέμψομαί σε, ἢ ὡς τὸν καιρὸν ὁρῶντα, καὶ κρυπτόμενον διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων; Πλὴν εἴτε ἄλλως, εἴτε οὕτως, ἄξιον μέμψεως τὸ παρὰ σοῦ γεγενημένον, ἀγαπητὲ ∆ρακόντιε. Οὐ γὰρ ἔπρεπε λαβόντα σε τὴν χάριν κρύπτεσθαι, οὐδὲ φρόνιμον ὄντα, διδόναι τοῖς ἄλλοις προφάσεις φυγῆς. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἀκούσαντες σκανδαλίζονται· οὐχ ὡς ἁπλῶς τοῦτό σου ποιοῦντος, ἀλλὰ συνορῶντος τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ τὰς ἐπικειμένας θλίψεις τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Καὶ φοβοῦμαι μὴ, διὰ σαυτὸν φεύγων, δι' ἄλλους εὑρεθῇς κινδυνεύων παρὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν σκανδαλίζων, ἕλοιτ' ἂν μύλον ὀνικὸν περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ κρεμασθῆναι, καὶ καταποντισθῆναι· τί ἂν πάθοις σὺ τοσούτοις γινόμενος σκάνδαλον; Καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἐκ παραδόξου γενομένη συμφωνία ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξαν δρέων χώρᾳ, ἐν τῇ σῇ καταστάσει, ἐξ ἀνάγκης σχι σθήσεται διὰ τὴν σὴν ἀναχώρησιν· καὶ ἡ ἐπισκοπὴ δὲ τῆς χώρας αὐτῆς ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἁρπαγήσεται· καὶ πολλῶν οὐκ ὀρθῶν, ἀλλ' ὧν οἶδας καὶ αὐτός. Καὶ ἐθνικοὶ δὲ οἱ ἐπαγγελλόμενοι Χριστιανοὶ γίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ καταστάσει, ἀπομενοῦσιν Ἕλληνες, τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας ἐξουθενούσης τὴν δοθεῖσαν χάριν. 25.525 Ποία οὖν ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀπολογία παρὰ σοῦ δοθήσεται; Ποίοις ἂν ἀπονίψασθαι καὶ ἀπομάξασθαι λόγοις τὰς τοιαύτας αἰτίας δυνήσῃ; Πῶς θεραπεύσεις τοὺς διὰ σὲ πεσόντας καὶ σκανδαλιζομένους; Ἢ πῶς, μετὰ τὸ σχισθῆναι τὴν εἰρήνην, συῤῥάψαι ταύτην δυνήσῃ; Ὦ ἀγαπητὲ ∆ρακόντιε, ἀντὶ χαρᾶς λύπην ἡμῖν πεποίηκας, ἀντὶ παραμυθίας στεναγμόν. Προσεδοκοῦμεν γὰρ παραμυθίαν ἔχειν σε μεθ' ἡμῶν, καὶ νῦν βλέπομεν φεύγοντά σε, καὶ ὁρῶμεν, ὅτι κρι νόμενος μὲν ἐλεγχθήσῃ, κινδυνεύων δὲ μεταμεληθήσῃ. Καὶ τίς φείσεται, ὡς ὁ προφήτης εἴρηκεν, ἐπὶ σοί; Τίς ἀνακάμψει ἐπὶ σὲ εἰς εἰρήνην, ὁρῶν τοὺς ἀδελ φοὺς, δι' οὓς Χριστὸς ἀπέθανε, βλαβέντας ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ φυγῇ; ∆εῖ γὰρ εἰδέναι σε καὶ μὴ ἀμφιβάλλειν, ὅτι πρὶν μὲν κατασταθῇς σαυτῷ ἔζης, κατασταθεὶς δὲ, οἷς κατεστάθης. Καὶ πρὶν μὲν λάβῃς τὴν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς χάριν, οὐδεὶς ἐγίνωσκέ σε· γενόμενον δὲ λοιπὸν, οἱ λαοὶ προσδοκῶσι φέροντά σε τροφὴν αὐτοῖς, τὴν ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν διδασκαλίαν· ὅταν τοίνυν οἱ προσδοκῶντες λιμώττωσι, σὺ δὲ σαυτὸν μόνον τρέφῃς, καὶ ἔλθῃ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ἡμεῖς τε αὐτῷ παραστῶμεν, ποίαν σχοίης ἀπολογίαν, ὁρῶντος αὐτοῦ τὰ ἴδια πρόβατα λιμώττοντα; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ μὴ εἰλήφεις τὰ δηνάρια, οὐκ ἂν ἐμέμψατό σε· λαβόντα δὲ καὶ χώσαντα καὶ κρύψαντα, μέμψαιτ' ἂν εἰκότως, λέγων ἐκεῖνα τὰ ῥήματα, ἃ μὴ γένοιτο, κἂν ἀκοῦσαι τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν· Ἔδει σε βαλεῖν τὰ δηνάριά μου τοῖς τραπεζίταις, ἵνα ἐλθὼν κἀγὼ παρ' ἐκείνων ἀπαιτήσω. Παρακαλῶ φεῖσαι σεαυτοῦ καὶ ἡμῶν· σαυτοῦ μὲν, ἵνα μὴ κινδυνεύσῃς· ἡμῶν δὲ, ἵνα μὴ λυπηθῶ μεν ἐπὶ σοί. Φρόντιζε τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἵνα μὴ διὰ σὲ πολλοὶ τῶν μικρῶν βλαβῶσι, καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι δὲ πρόφα σιν λάβωσιν εἰς τὸ ἀναχωρεῖν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν τὸν και ρὸν ἐφοβήθης, καὶ καταπτήξας τοῦτο ἐποίησας, οὐκ ἀνδρικὸν τὸ φρόνημα· ἔδει γὰρ τὸν κατὰ Χριστὸν ζῆλον ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, καὶ μᾶλ λον ἐν ταῖς περιστάσεσι παῤῥησιάζεσθαι, λέγειν τε τὰ τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου ῥήματα· Ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν· καὶ μάλιστα, ὅτι οὐ πρέπει τῷ καιρῷ δουλεύειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ· εἰ δὲ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἡ διάταξις οὐκ ἀρέσκει σοι, οὐδὲ νομίζεις τὸ τῆς ἐπισκο πῆς λειτούργημα μισθὸν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ καταφρονεῖν τοῦ ταῦτα διαταξαμένου Σωτῆρος πεποίηκας σαυτόν· παρακαλῶ, μὴ τοιαῦτα λογίζου, μηδὲ ἀνέχου τῶν ταῦτα