Слово 6

About peace, spoken in the presence of the father after the previous silence on the occasion of the reunion of the monastics Jealousy loosens my tongue, and I leave the human law unfulfilled for the spiritual law: I give the world the word, although before I never agreed to begin the word. For as soon as our members rebelled against us, the great and honorable body of Christ began to be divided and dissected, so that our bones were almost “scattered into the jaws of the grave” (Ps. 141:7), just as the depths of the earth are torn apart by a plow and scattered over the surface; how soon the evil one, having torn apart the indestructible, indivisible and entire woven “tunic” (John 19:23), appropriated it all for himself, having managed to do through us what he could not do through the crucifiers of Christ; then I decided that “I will bridle my mouth” (Ps. 39:2) and in other cases not eager for words, reasoning that the spiritual order requires first to purify oneself with active wisdom, then to “open the mouth” of the mind, “to attract the spirit” (Ps. 119:131), and then to “pour out good words” (Ps. 44:2) “and preach wisdom God”, perfect “among the perfect” (1 Cor. 2:6). Moreover, just as there is a “time for every thing,” small and great, according to the just and very reasonable saying of Solomon (Eccl. 3:1), so I, no less than anyone else, knew the time to speak and to remain silent. Therefore, “I was dumb and voiceless” (Ps. 38:3), when nothing good became near me, as if a cloud had come over my heart and hid the ray of the word, and “my illness was renewed” day and night, everything kindled it in me, everything reminded me of the separation of the brethren: vigils, fasting, prayers, tears, calluses on the knees, beating in the chest, sighs from the depths of the heart, all-night standing, migration of the mind to God, quiet weeping among prayers, bringing tenderness to those who listen, also singing, praising, studying day and night in the law of the Lord, carrying “praises to God in their mouths” (Ps. 149:6). These beautiful features and signs of life according to God, these silent preachers reminded me of the same thing - their hair was dry and unclean, their feet were bare and, like the apostles, they did not wear anything dead on them, the cutting of their hair corresponded to the same; clothing that humbles pride, a belt that is beautiful in its unadornment, that picks up a few, but does not in the least raise the clothes, a firm gait, a non-wandering gaze, a pleasant smile, or, better to say, just the appearance of a smile, chastely restraining from immoderate laughter, a word with reason, a silence more precious than the word itself, praise seasoned with salt, but not for caresses, but as a guide to the better, censure more than the very longed for praise, moderation in sorrow and in joy, and the dissolution of one by the other, gentleness combined with courage, and severity with modesty, so that one does not harm the other, but one through the other becomes praiseworthy; moderation in communication with others and in avoidance of communication - communication for the edification of others, and deviation for one's own instruction in the mysteries of the Spirit - communication that preserves solitude in the midst of society itself, and deviation that observes brotherly love and love for mankind in the midst of solitude, and what is even more important and higher than this, wealth consisting in poverty, possession in coming, glory in dishonor, strength in weakness, beauty Childbearing is in celibacy, since that which is born according to God is better than that which is born according to the flesh. Finally, people who consider it a pleasure not to have any pleasures, who humble themselves for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, who have nothing in the world and are above the world, living in the flesh as if outside the flesh, of whom “the Lord is a part” (Num. 18:20), “poor for the sake of the kingdom” (Matt. 5:3), and reigning in poverty. This is who with his presence made me happy, constituted my wealth, my best consolation, and with his absence made me despondent! This is what troubled and outraged my soul; That’s why “I walked around weeping and lamenting”! That is why I rejected the word itself along with other pleasures! For “the beloved have turned away” from me and “turned their backs to me, and not their faces” (Deut. 32:15; Jer. 2:27); the flock became freer (not to say braver) than the shepherd; “The true grapes,” beautifully peeled by the good vinedresser and bearing good fruit in the divine winepress, “turned” for me “to bitterness” (Jer. 2:21), “my friends and sincere ones have retreated from my wound, and my neighbors stand afar off” (Ps. 37:12). Out of strong love for God and for Christ we divided Christ, because of the “Truth” (John 14:6) we began to lie against each other, for the sake of “Love” (John 4:8) we learned to hate, because of the “Rock” (1 Cor. 10:4) we wavered, because of the “cornerstone” (Eph.2:20) we crumbled, we fought beyond the need for The world, were deposed because of the Ascended on the tree, were subjected to death because of the Buried and Resurrected. It was like that before! And why, in the midst of joy, renew displeasure, dwelling on sad events that I would not want not only to experience, but also to bring to memory, about which it is better not to speak, but to remain silent, hiding the misfortune that has befallen us in the depths of oblivion? Unless someone only reminds us of the sorrowful thing in order to enlighten us with this example and, as in illness, avoid the causes that brought us to such a state. But now, when illness, sadness and sighing have left us, when we, who honor the One, have become one; we, who honor the Trinity, have, so to speak, grown together, become unanimous and equal in honor; we, who honor the Word, have abandoned wordlessness; We who honor the Spirit do not burn with zeal against each other, but at one with each other; We, who honor the “Truth,” think one thing and say one thing; we who honor “Wisdom” have become prudent; those who honor the One who is “the Light, the Way, the Door, as in good days we walk,” we all walk the straight path, all within the courtyard; those who honor the “Lamb and Shepherd” have become meek and already belong to the same flock and one shepherd who tends the flock not “with the shells of a foolish shepherd” (Zech. 11:16), who destroys the sheep of his pasture and gives them over to wolves and rapids, but a very tried and experienced shepherd now that we, who honor the One who suffered for us, have become compassionate and ready to relieve hardships to each other, honoring the “Head” we form a harmonious body and held together by every spiritual union (Eph.4:16), when God “creates and transforms all things” into what is most useful (Amos 5:8), “turned our mourning” “into joy” and instead of “sackcloth” gave us “gladness” (Ps.29:12); then I, along with the past sorrows, put aside silence and offer to the present time and to you, or especially to God, the word, the most suitable thanksgiving sacrifice, a gift that is purer than gold, more valuable than precious stones, more valuable than cloth, holier than the legal sacrifice, holier than the firstfruits, more pleasing to God than a young calf, still imperfect in horns and cloven hooves (Ps. 68:32) and thoughtless, more than incense, more than burnt offerings, more than many thousands of fat rams, more than anything else than the Law, which contains only the initial foundations, held the power of still infant Israel, prescribing future sacrifices in bloody sacrifices. I offer this to God, I dedicate this to Him, which is one thing I have kept with me, and this alone is what I am rich in, because I gave up the rest out of obedience to the commandment and the Spirit; everything that I had, I exchanged for a precious “pearl”, I became (or better said, I wish to become that happy “merchant” who for a small, undoubtedly perishable, bought a great and incorruptible thing (Matthew 13:45-46); but I retain one word for myself, as a servant of the word, and voluntarily will never neglect this acquisition, but I appreciate it, I love it, I rejoice in it more than in all that, in the aggregate, that pleases the majority of people; I make him an accomplice throughout my life, a good adviser, interlocutor and leader on the path to heaven and a zealous companion. And since I despise everything that is longer, all my love after God is turned to the word, or, better to say, to God, because the word leads to God when it is united with understanding, by which alone God is truly accepted and preserved and grows in us. “I called wisdom my sister” (Prov. 7:4), “I honored and embraced” her as much as I was allowed, and I long for “a crown of grace and a beautiful crown” (Prov. 4:8–9), that is, the gifts of wisdom and words that illuminate our minds and illuminate our processions to God. Through the word I curb the impulses of anger, with it I lull withering envy, with it I calm the sadness that fetters the heart, with it I curb voluptuousness, with it I set a measure of hatred, but not friendship (for hatred must be pacified, but friendship must know no limits). The Word in abundance makes me humble and generous in poverty; it encourages me to walk with those who walk firmly, to extend a helping hand to those who fall, to have compassion for the weak and to rejoice with those who are strong. For me, both the fatherland and the foreign country are equal to him, and resettlement for me is nothing more than a transition from one foreign place to another, not mine. The word for me separates the worlds, and removes from one, leads to another. It teaches me not to exalt myself “with the weapon of righteousness” (2 Cor. 6:7) and in unhappy and deplorable circumstances it speaks wisdom to me, giving me “unshameable hope” (Rom. 5:5) and making the present easier for the future. In a word, even now I meet my friends and brothers and offer a verbal meal and a spiritual and everlasting cup, and not such as an earthly meal flatters the belly, which cannot be corrected, but “will be destroyed” (1 Cor. 6:13). “I was silent for a long time, I endured” (Is. 42:14), “I held on”; Will I really and always endure? The silence of Zechariah was resolved by the born John (for it was indecent for the father of the “voice” to be silent when the voice had already occurred; but just as disbelief in the voice tied the tongue, so the appearance of the voice should have resolved the father, to whom this “voice and lamp”, the forerunner of the Word and Light, was preached and born), but for me the tongue is resolved and the voice is lifted up, like the voice of a trumpet, this is a beneficial event, this is a beautiful sight that the children of God present before scattered, and now gathered together, resting under the same wings, “in one mind” going “to the house of God” and united among themselves by a single union of virtue and the Spirit. I cannot remain silent when we are no longer rebelling against each other (before our mind was captured by the evil one, or suffered violence from him, or was “shot” by him “in the darkness” (Ps. 10:2), brought on by him, or how else to express it, that we rejoiced at each other’s misfortunes, not thinking that mutual disagreement causes harm to the whole body). I cannot remain silent when Judah and Israel “set themselves one head” (Hos. 1:11), Jerusalem and Samaria gather to the one heavenly Jerusalem, and we are no longer “Paulov’s, Apollo’s and Cephas’s” (because of which and against which there were proud debates), newer – “Christ’s” (1 Cor. 1:12). But since you have now taken possession of me and the word, not without violence, but not involuntarily, but out of love, I will speak (although I can hardly) because you command so, and I will utter words of thanksgiving and admonition. My thanksgiving is this: “Who will declare the power of the Lord?” Who will proclaim “all praises” (Ps. 106:2) in the hearing of all? Now “both are one, and the middle wall of the fence is destroyed” (Eph. 2:14). You made us cease to be a “talk of the town”, a subject of “nodding of the head among foreigners” (Ps. 43:15). You gave us as much evil to endure as was necessary so that during the separation we would know the good of the world, and, having struck us with sorrow, you restored us again. Wonderful healing! Through enmity you taught peace to those who soon hated enmity; He did the opposite to the opposite, and separated you so much that we rushed towards each other all the more willingly: just like the branches of plants, forcibly separated and then left free, again strive for one another, taking on their former natural position, and show in themselves the property that violence can bend them, and not correct them. The “hand” no longer despises the “eye”, and the “eye” no longer despises the hands; the head" does not rebel against the "feet", and the "feet" do not shun the head (1 Cor. 12:21) and do not harm, or, better said, do not suffer harm from disorder and lack of leadership, from which confusion and destruction occurs in everything, but all members, according to the natural order and law by which everything is connected and preserved, equally care for each other - and we now constitute "one body and one spirit, as we were called to one hope of your calling" (Eph.4:4). “Therefore the mighty nations will glorify You” (Is. 25:3), having become rich from the poor. “You have shown us Your mercy” (Ps. 30:22), and something new is added to the ancient legends. “And when sin abounded, grace abounded all the more” (Rom. 5:20). Having thrown the grain, I received an ear; mourning the loss of the sheep, I acquired shepherds and I know for sure that I will acquire the best of shepherds 65, although he, for some spiritual reasons, is slow to accept the flock. This shepherd has already been entrusted with the grace of the Spirit, talents for use, and care for the flock; he is anointed with the anointing of holiness and perfection, but wisdom still holds him back from his leadership, and for the time being he holds “a candle under a bushel,” but soon “he will set it on a candlestick to give light” to every soul in the Church (Matthew 5:15) and be “a light to our paths” (Ps. 119:104). He now surveys the wilds, mountains and streams and prepares nets for wolves - predators of souls, so that at the right time he can take the rod and shepherd the verbal flock, together with the True Shepherd, dwelling “in green places”, among the ever green words of God, and “fed with still waters”, that is, with the Spirit (Ps. 22:2). This is what we hope and pray for. But it’s time for me to add an exhortation to thanksgiving, which I will also offer as much as possible, in short, because for the most part you have been enlightened by the events themselves, and for those who have been taught by experience, lengthy teachings are not needed. Firstly, it was not right for us, brethren, to divide and thereby destroy our ancient dignity and adornment, according to which our small flock, although it cannot be placed along with the numerous flocks, was nevertheless equal to the greatest and most extensive, and even preferred to some by the power of the Spirit. This is how it was before: each flock had its own smaller or greater decoration; The distinctive quality of our flock was steadfastness and serenity, and therefore it was often called Noah’s Ark because it alone escaped the global flood and kept the seeds of piety within itself. Even when it was revealed that we, too, are human beings, when we did not completely escape the envy of the evil one, did not resist the disease that infects everything, but suffered our share in the general misfortune and did not fully observe the wonderful and paternal inheritance, that is, the blessing of like-mindedness: and in this case we had a considerable advantage over others (if only, trusting in Christ, we can boast of something even in our very enmity), - the advantage is that the latter were subjected to evil and the first ones corrected themselves. To fall into illness is the lot of common nature and human weakness, which extends to everyone, even to the strongest in body and spirit, but to rise from illness and return to each other is a matter of reasoning and grace, which beautifully and fairly rewarded you, even better than what we wished and others hoped for. For those who were appointed heads of the 66 separated, as appointed for the sake of piety and as a help to suffering Orthodoxy, we received with love and treated not as enemies, but as brothers, we embraced those who rebelled against us for a short time for their paternal heritage, however, they rebelled fraternally, and not maliciously. We did not praise their enmity, but we approved of their jealousy, for disagreement for piety is much better than agreement for some passion. Thus, we turned the very loss into gain for ourselves, covering with love what they intended against us, and in one thing changing the order, that grace did not follow election, but election followed grace, and that to communicate it we took advantage of an alien ordination, being somewhat forestalled by the Spirit. And you, having abandoned suspicion against writing 67, turned to the spirit and although you did not approve of simplicity with the clarity of speech, you did not suspect wickedness; knowing that with us the Trinity is as firm and unshakable as in our nature, and that to cut off or alienate anything from the Three means for us the same as cutting off everything and brazenly rebelling against the entire Divinity. In this, even during the division itself, we sometimes defended each other in front of famous people. And this serves as the strongest proof that truth is not prompted by time and that enmity has not completely extinguished the spark of love in us. Even with the discord, the most important thing remained in us, that is, unanimity and confidence that we do not waver in the truth and do not contradict it, but are imprinted with the same character of faith and our first hope. For people who sincerely revere God, nothing can so strongly induce unanimity as agreement in the teaching about God, and nothing is more conducive to discord than disagreement in this teaching. The most modest person in other cases becomes the most ardent, “the meek becomes brave” (Joel 3:11), when he sees that through his indifference he is deprived of God, or, better to say, by his fall he causes damage to God, Who honors us with His wealth and enriches us. Thus, in the separation itself, as I said, we were so moderate that our unanimity became more visible than the separation, and the favorable dispositions of both sides almost covered up what happened. Since haste in reconciliation alone is not enough for the stability of peace, if it is not supported by reason, and reason will not be championed by God himself, from whom every good receives its beginning and comes to perfection, then through prayer and meditation we will try to strengthen our reconciliation. Let us think, firstly, about the most excellent and highest of all things, God (unless someone finds it most fitting to place Him above the essence (εσία), or to conclude all being in Him, since being is communicated from Him to the rest); Let us think, secondly, about the first beings from God and around God, that is, about the angelic and heavenly Forces who are the first to drink from the First Light and, enlightened by the word of truth, are themselves light and reflections of the Perfect Light. Nothing is more characteristic of these creatures than peace and serenity. For in the Divinity there is no disagreement, because there is no disunity (since disunion is a consequence of disagreement), but in Him there is so much agreement both with Himself and with secondary beings that, along with others and preferably before other names, whatever God wants to be called, this has primarily become His name. It is called “peace” (Eph. 2:14), “love” (1 John 4:16) and similar names, inspiring us with the names themselves to strive to acquire these perfections. And of the angels, the one who dared to cause indignation and raised his neck against the Lord Almighty above his dignity or, according to the prophetic word, conceived a “throne above the clouds” (Is. 14:13-14), suffered a punishment worthy of arrogance, condemned to be darkness instead of light, or, more correctly, he himself became darkness. Meanwhile, others remain in their dignity, in which the main thing is peace and serenity, because from the All-Praiseable and Holy Trinity, from Whom they have luminosity, they also received the ability to be one. Because the Trinity also exists and the One God is confessed no less by agreement than by identity of essence. Therefore, all those who love the good of the world and, on the contrary, hate discord and avert it, are close to God and the Divine spirits; and those who are abusive in disposition, seek glory in innovations and are vainglorious about what they should be ashamed of, belong to the opposite side. For the devil is not only at odds with himself, due to his diversity and according to his passions, but he also does the same in others, as a murderer from time immemorial and a hater of good, covering himself with the darkness of indignation (in order to “shoot in the darkness” the general body of the Church); With what cunning and slyness, I think, he approaches each of us for the most part and secretly looks for a place in us where he can completely break into, like a brave warrior invades a broken wall or a broken formation. So, the need for goodwill and consent is already sufficiently proven by this alone, that is, by imitation of God and Divine beings, for only looking at them is safe for the soul created in the image of God, so that by striving for the Divine and through feasible assimilation it can preserve its nobility to the greatest extent. In addition, listening to the voice of God, let us “look up” and look at the earth (Is. 8:22), and delve into the laws of creation. Heaven, earth, sea - in a word, the whole world, this great and glorious book of God, in which the preached God is revealed by the very silence, this world, as long as it stands firmly and at peace with itself, without protruding from the limits of its nature, until in it not a single creature rebels against another and does not break those bonds of love with which the Artist - the Creative Word has bound everything, until then corresponds to its name, and truly there is peace and beauty incomparable; Until then, nothing more glorious and majestic can be imagined. But with the cessation of peace, the world will cease to be peace. In fact, don’t you notice that the law of love governs the sky when, in a harmonious order, it imparts light to the air and rain to the earth? But don’t the earth and air imitate parental love when they give all animals one food, another the opportunity to breathe, and thereby support their lives? Isn’t it the world that is governed by the seasons, which, meekly dissolving among themselves, gradually take one place of another and in the middle times soften the severity of the extreme ones, thereby serving at the same time for pleasure and benefit? What can we say about day and night, which are equal to each other, increasing and decreasing evenly, of which one calls us to work, and the other to rest? What can we say about the sun and the moon, about beauty and the multitude of stars that appear and set in order? What can we say about the sea and the land, which, uniting peacefully with each other, favorably and philanthropically transfer man to each other and richly and generously lavish their treasures on him? What can we say about the rivers that flow through mountains and fields and do not overflow their borders, except for good, “and will not return to cover the earth” (Ps. 103:9)? What can we say about the confusion and dissolution of the elements? What can we say about the proportionality and harmony of the members, about food, about birth and dwelling, determined for each animal, of which some dominate, others are subordinate, some are submissive to us, others are free? If all this happens and is ordered and governed according to the original laws of harmony, as if everything flowed together, one had breath, then is it possible to draw another conclusion from this, except that everything preaches to us about friendship and unanimity, that everything is prescribed to us by the law of unanimity? But when matter in the world rebels against itself and, with its confusion, preparing destruction, becomes indomitable, or when God, in fear and punishment of sinners, disrupts a somewhat harmonious order either with a flood, or an earthquake, or unusual rains, or an eclipse of the sun, or the duration of some season, or an eruption of fire, then disorder and fear spill out everywhere, and in the midst of confusion it is revealed how the world is beneficial. I will not talk about the fact that they are supported by peace, but because of disagreement, cities, kingdoms, choirs of singers, armies, houses, societies sailing on the same ship, marriages and friendly alliances come into disarray; I will dwell on Israel, and remind you of her disasters, dispersion and wandering, in which she is now and will be for a long time (in which I believe the prophecies); I will then ask you about the reason for these misfortunes, which is reliably known to you, so that the misfortunes of others will teach us to be like-minded. Isn’t it true that while the Israelites maintained peace among themselves and with God, tormented in Egypt, as in an iron furnace, and united by common oppression (sometimes oppression serves as a saving cure); Until then they were called “a holy nation, a portion of the Lord, and a kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6; Deut. 32:9)? And not only in name were they like this, but in reality they were different. They were governed by leaders led by God; a pillar of fire and cloud guided them day and night; During their flight, the sea parted for them; when they were hungry, the sky gave them food; when they were thirsty, the stone gave them water; when they fought, the raising of their hands replaced thousands of warriors, with the help of prayer they erected victorious monuments and paved the way forward; the rivers retreated in front of them, imitating a homogeneous sea, the elements stopped and the walls fell from the sound of trumpets. What can we say about the plagues of Egypt and about the voices of God heard from the mountain, about the twofold legislation - one written, and the other in the spirit, and about all that the Israelites were once honored beyond their dignity? But when they fell into illness, rebelled against each other with rage, were divided into many parts, being driven to the last extreme by the cross and their stubbornness, with which they rebelled against God and our Savior, not knowing God in man, when they brought upon themselves that “rod of iron” (Ps. 2:9), with which God threatened them from afar (I mean the now dominant Power and the prevailing kingdom), then what happened? What did they not tolerate? Jeremiah weeps about their former misfortunes and laments about the captivity of Babylon: indeed, even that was worthy of weeping and lamentation. How could one not shed bitter tears when the walls are excavated, the city is razed to the ground, the sanctuary is destroyed, the offerings are plundered, unclean feet enter into the inaccessible, foul hands take the inviolable in the service of voluptuousness, the prophets are silent, the priests are taken into captivity, there is no mercy for the elders, virgins are given over to reproach, young men fall, alien fire and the fire of battle, also rivers of blood take their place sacred fire and blood, the Nazarenes are dragged through the streets, songs are replaced by lamentations, and, in the own words of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, “the precious sons of Zion” (Lam. 4:2) and equal to gold, who lived in contentment and have not experienced disasters, follow an extraordinary path, and “the ways of Zion lament, because there are none who go to the festival” (Lam. 1:4)? And a little earlier: “the hands of soft-hearted women” (Lam. 4:10) during an intensifying siege do not serve children food, but they torture children for food and satisfy their hunger with what is most kind to them. Isn’t this terrible, isn’t it the height of horror, not only for those who suffered then, but also for those who hear about it now? Every time I pick up this book and read the Lamentation (and I read it every time I want to cultivate prosperity through reading), my voice breaks, tears flow by themselves, disaster seems to happen before my eyes, and I cry with the weeping prophet. But who among those who know how to compose lamentable songs and fully depict grief in words will adequately mourn the final blow - the resettlement of the Israelites, the yoke of slavery now weighing on them, the humiliation known to everyone under Roman rule, the main fault of which was indignation? What books will accommodate this? For them there is only one monument of disaster - the whole Universe throughout which they are scattered, the ceased Divine Service, the now barely recognizable place of Jerusalem itself, which is accessible to them only to the extent that it only delights them for its former glory that they, having appeared there for one day, can mourn the desolation. If indignation is really so terrible and disastrous in its consequences, as can be seen from what has been said and as many other examples show, then it is much more terrible for people who have already freed themselves from petty attachments and have tasted the blessings of the world to again be subjected to the same disease and, as they say, to return to their vomit, without being enlightened by the experience itself, which is instructive even for the ignorant. For, as I see, those who are not devoted to any vice, but those who, like the fickle winds, or the changes and tides of water in Euripi 68, or the fickle waves of the sea, are easily carried away and go over to one side or the other. I also note that those who remain in discord are made more accessible, at least by the hope of agreement, which alleviates most of their misfortune; because it is a great consolation for the unfortunate to hope for a change and have something better in mind; but those who often approached unanimity and always rushed again to discord, above all else, are deprived of hope for the best, fear agreement no less than discord, and because of their complacency towards both and inconstancy, they do not trust either one or the other. Let them not think, however, that I am claiming that every world must be treasured. For I know that there is wonderful disagreement and the most destructive unanimity; but one must love a good world that has a good goal and unites with God. And if it is necessary to express this briefly, then I will say my thought: it is not good to be both too sluggish and too hot, so that either, out of softness of character, agrees with everyone, or, out of stubbornness, disagrees with everyone. Just as lethargy is inactive, so complaisance to everything is uncommunicative. But when there is a case of obvious wickedness, then one should rather go to fire and sword, not look at the demands of the time and rulers and in general at everything, rather than join in the leaven of wickedness and touch the infected. The most terrible thing is to fear something more than God, and because of this fear, the servant of truth becomes a traitor to the teachings of faith and truth. But when we are upset by suspicion and are afraid without examining the matter, then patience is preferable to haste and forbearance is better than persistence. It is much better and more useful, without separating from the common body, as its members, to correct each other and correct themselves, rather than, having prematurely condemned by excommunication and thereby destroying the trust, then imperiously demand correction, as is characteristic of rulers, and not of brothers. Having recognized this, brethren, let us embrace and kiss each other, we will be sincerely united, we will imitate “He who destroyed the middle wall of the fence” and who gathered and reconciled everything with His blood. Let us say to this common father, the venerable elder, the meek and quiet Shepherd: do you see what the reward is for humility? “Lift up your eyes and look around: they are all gathering, coming towards you” (Is. 60:4). They were collected as you desired, and as you asked for one thing day and night, in order to complete your journey in a good old age. Behold, they have all come to you, resting under your wings and surrounding their altar; They left in tears and returned with joy. Rejoice and be glad, best and most loving of fathers, because you, like a bride, are dressed and clothed with all of them. Tell us too: “Here I am and the children whom the Lord gave me” (Is. 8:18)! Add another word of the Lord, especially appropriate now: “those whom you gave me, I have kept” (John 17:12) and I have not destroyed a single one of them. And oh, if no one had perished, but that we had all remained in one spirit, strived unanimously for the Gospel faith, and thought with one mind; Armed with the shield of faith, having girded their loins with the truth, they knew only one battle - warfare against the evil one and against those militant under his command; they were not afraid of those who can kill the body, but cannot steal the soul; they feared the Lord soul and body; we preserved the precious deposit that we received from our fathers, that is, we worshiped the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in whom we were baptized, in whom we believed, with whom we were united; they knew the Father in the Son and the Son in the Spirit; before they were united they separated, before they were divided they were united; they did not honor the Three as one (because they are not hypostatic and do not constitute one hypostasis, so that our wealth is not in names alone, but in the thing itself), and believed that the Three are one, - one not by hypostasis, but by Divinity - the Unity in the Trinity worshiped and the Trinity in the Unity headed, all venerable, all royal, single-throne, equally glorious, worldly and supreme time, uncreated, invisible, inviolable, incomprehensible, “she herself only knows about herself, what order she has in herself,” and for us equally venerable, worthy of equal service. There is only one who enters into the Holy of Holies, leaving every creature outside and separating some with a first veil and others with a second veil; So the first is separated from the Divinity by heavenly and angelic beings, while the second is our nature from heavenly beings. Thus, brethren, let us act and behave this way, and, while we can, let us accept and heal those who differ in their views as a wound of truth; Let us turn away from those who suffer without healing, so that we ourselves do not become infected with their disease before we give them our health. And the God of peace, who surpasses all understanding, will be with us in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. St. Basil the Great, who was already ordained a presbyter of the Church of Caesarea, but for a time withdrew into the desert. Some of the monks who separated from the Bishop of Nazianza were appointed presbyters by outside bishops, as Elijah of Crete explains. That is, the careless signature of St. Gregory, Bishop of Nazianza, under the semi-Arian symbol. Euripus is the name given to the strait between Attica and the island of Euboea. You might be interested in: