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Ad Innocentium papam i

TO INNOCENT, BISHOP OF ROME. To my most revered and God-beloved lord, bishop Innocent, John, greetings in the Lord.

52.529 1. And even before our letters, I think that Reverence has heard

of you, of the lawlessness dared here. For the magnitude of the terrible things has left scarcely any part of the world unheard of this grievous tragedy; for rumor, carrying what happened to the very ends of the earth, has produced much lamentation and wailing everywhere. But since we must not only lament, but also set things right and consider how this most grievous storm of the Church might be stayed; we thought it necessary to persuade my most honorable and reverend lords, the bishops Demetrius, Pansophius, Pappus, and Eugenius to leave their own sees, and to dare so great 52.530 a sea-voyage, and undertake a long journey, and run to your Charity, and having clearly informed you of everything, to arrange for the speediest correction to take place, with whom we have also sent the most honorable and beloved deacons, Paul and Cyriacus; and we ourselves too, as in the form of a letter, will briefly inform your Charity of what has happened. For Theophilus, who was entrusted with the presidency of the Church in Alexandria, when certain persons petitioned the most pious emperor against him, having been ordered to come alone, arrived, having gathered with him no small multitude of Egyptian bishops, as if wishing to show from the outset that he had come for war and battle. Then, upon arriving in the great and God-loving Constantinople, he did not enter the church according to custom and the rule which has prevailed from of old, he did not join with us, he imparted no word, no prayer, no communion; but disembarking from the ship, and running past the gates of the church, he went and lodged somewhere outside the city, and though we often 52.531 besought both him and those who arrived with him to lodge with us—for everything had been made ready, both lodgings, and all that was fitting—neither they nor he would consent. Seeing these things, we were in great perplexity, not being able even to find the cause of this unjust aversion; but still we did our part, doing what was fitting for ourselves, and continually exhorting him to meet with us, and to say for what reason he had fanned such a war from the outset, and thrown so great a city into confusion. But since he was not willing to state the cause, and his accusers were pressing, the most pious emperor summoned us and ordered us to go across to where he was staying, and to hear the case against him. For they were accusing him of assault, and murders, and countless other things; but we, knowing the laws of the Fathers, and respecting and honoring the man, and also having his letters which declared that cases ought not to be dragged across borders, but that provincial matters should be tried in the provinces, did not consent to judge, but even refused with great vehemence. But he, as if striving against his former actions, summoned my archdeacon, and with great authority, as if the Church were already widowed and had no bishop, through him he transferred all the clergy to himself; and the churches were thrown into confusion, the clerics in each being carried off, and being prepared to give bills of accusation against us, and being primed for accusation. And having done these things he sent, and summoned us to a tribunal, not yet

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Ad Innocentium papam i

ΙΝΝΟΚΕΝΤΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΡΩΜΗΣ. Τῷ δεσπότῃ μου τῷ αἰδεσιμωτάτῳ, καὶ θεοφιλεστάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Ἰννοκεντίῳ Ἰωάννης ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν.

52.529 αʹ. Καὶ πρὸ τῶν γραμμάτων οἶμαι τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀκηκοέναι τὴν εὐλάβειαν

ὑμῶν τὴν παρανομίαν τὴν ἐνταῦθα τολμηθεῖσαν. Τὸ γὰρ μέγεθος τῶν δεινῶν οὐδὲ ἓν μέρος σχεδὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀφῆκεν ἀνήκοον εἶναι τῆς χαλεπῆς ταύτης τραγῳδίας· καὶ γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὰς τῆς γῆς τὰς ἐσχατιὰς φέρουσα ἡ φήμη τὰ γενόμενα, πολὺν πανταχοῦ θρῆνον καὶ ὀλοφυρμὸν εἰργάσατο. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐ θρηνεῖν δεῖ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διορθοῦν καὶ σκοπεῖν, ὅπως ἂν ὁ χαλεπώτατος οὗτος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας σταίη χειμών· ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι ἐνομίσαμεν τοὺς κυρίους μου τοὺς τιμιωτάτους καὶ εὐλαβεστάτους ἐπισκόπους ∆ημήτριον, Πανσόφιον, Πάππον, καὶ Εὐγένιον πεῖσαι τάς τε ἑαυτῶν ἀφεῖναι, καὶ πελάγους κατατολμῆσαι τοσού 52.530 του, καὶ μακρὰν ἀποδημίαν στείλασθαι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν δραμεῖν ἀγάπην, καὶ πάντα σαφῶς ἀναδιδάξαντας, ταχίστην παρασκευάσαι γενέσθαι τὴν διόρθωσιν, οἷς καὶ τοὺς τιμιωτάτους καὶ ἀγαπητοὺς τῶν διακόνων Παῦλον καὶ Κυριακὸν συνεπέμψαμεν· καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ ὡς ἐν εἴδει ἐπιστολῆς, ἐν βραχεῖ διδάξομεν ὑμῶν τὴν ἀγάπην τὰ γεγενημένα. Ὁ γὰρ τῇς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ τὴν προεδρίαν ἐγχειρισθεὶς Θεόφιλος, ἐντυχόντων τινῶν τῷ εὐσεβεστάτῳ βασιλεῖ κατ' αὐτοῦ, κελευσθεὶς ἀφικέσθαι μόνος, συναγαγὼν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ πλῆθος Αἰγυπτίων ἐπισκόπων οὐκ ὀλίγων παραγίνεται, καθάπερ ἐκ προοιμίων δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ὅτι εἰς πόλεμον καὶ παράταξιν ἀφῖκται· εἶτα τῆς μεγάλης καὶ θεοφιλοῦς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπιβὰς, οὐκ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν εἰσῆλθε κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς καὶ τὸν ἄνωθεν κρατήσαντα θεσμὸν, οὐχ ἡμῖν συνεγένετο, οὐ λόγου μετέδωκεν, οὐκ εὐχῆς, οὐ κοινωνίας· ἀλλ' ἀποβὰς τοῦ πλοίου, καὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τῆς ἐκκλησίας παραδραμὼν, ἔξω που τῆς πόλεως ἀπελθὼν ηὐλίζετο, καὶ πολλὰ παρα 52.531 καλεσάντων ἡμῶν καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ παραγενομένους παρ' ἡμῖν καταχθῆναι καὶ γὰρ ἅπαντα ηὐτρέπιστο, καὶ καταγώγια, καὶ ὅσα εἰκὸς ἦν οὔτε ἐκεῖνοι, οὔτε αὐτὸς ἠνέσχετο. Ταῦτα ὁρῶντες ἡμεῖς, καὶ ἐν ἀπορίᾳ ἦμεν πολλῇ, μηδὲ τὴν αἰτίαν δυνάμενοι τῆς ἀδίκου ταύτης ἀπεχθείας εὑρεῖν· ἀλλ' ὅμως τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπληροῦμεν, τὸ πρέπον ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ποιοῦντες, καὶ συνεχῶς αὐτὸν παρακαλοῦντες συγγενέσθαι τε ἡμῖν, καὶ εἰπεῖν, τίνος ἕνεκεν τοσοῦτον ἐκ προοιμίων ἀνεῤῥίπισε πόλεμον, καὶ τηλικαύτην διεσκέδασε πόλιν. Ὡς δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἠβούλετο λέγειν τὴν αἰτίαν, οἵ τε κατηγοροῦντες αὐτοῦ ἐπέκειντο, καλέσας ἡμᾶς ὁ εὐσεβέστατος βασιλεὺς, ἐκέλευσε πέραν ἔνθα διέτριβεν ἀπιέναι, καὶ τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν ὑποθέσεως. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἔφοδον, καὶ σφαγὰς, καὶ ἕτερα ἐνεκάλουν μυρία· ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς καὶ τοὺς νόμους τῶν πατέρων εἰδότες, καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα αἰδούμενοι καὶ τιμῶντες, καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τὰ γράμματα ἔχοντες τὰ δηλοῦντα μὴ δεῖν ὑπερορίους ἕλκεσθαι τὰς δίκας, ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς ἐπαρχίαις τὰ τῶν ἐπαρχιῶν γυμνάζεσθαι, οὐ κατεδεξάμεθα δικάσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς παρῃτησάμεθα τῆς σφοδρότητος. Ὁ δὲ ὥσπερ τοῖς προτέροις ἐπαγωνιζόμενος, τὸν ἀρχιδιάκονον καλέσας τὸν ἐμὸν, ἐξ αὐθεντίας πολλῆς, ὥσπερ ἤδη χηρευούσης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ οὐκ ἐχούσης ἐπίσκοπον, δι' ἐκείνου τὸν κλῆρον ἅπαντα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν μετέστησε· καὶ ἀνάστατοι αἱ ἐκκλησίαι ἐγένοντο, ἀπαγομένων τῶν ἐν ἑκάστῃ κληρικῶν, καὶ παρασκευαζομένων λιβέλλους διδόναι καθ' ἡμῶν, καὶ πρὸς κατηγορίαν ἀλειφομένων. Καὶ ταῦτα ποιήσας ἔπεμπε, καὶ ἐκάλει ἡμᾶς εἰς δικαστήριον, μηδέπω