Letters (1912 ed.)

Saint Gregory the Theologian conducted extensive correspondence with bishops, priests, monks, rhetoricians, sophists, military leaders, government officials, and representatives of the provincial nobility. Most of the letters were written during the removal of St. Gregory from business and his lonely life in Arianza (383–389). He was apparently the first Byzantine author to publish a collection of his own letters. The letter to Nikovul (Letter 19, “On how to write letters”) sets out the theory of epistolography: the letter should be short (as necessary), clear (approaching a conversational syllable), pleasant (not devoid of thoughts, witticisms, intricate expressions, but without excess). The saint himself followed these requirements, and his letters are distinguished by clarity, richness of thoughts, and brevity: “Write a few syllables, but enclose a lot in a few syllables” (Letter 18). This laconicism of letters was already noted by St. Basil the Great as a distinctive feature of the letters of St. Gregory. Also in one of his letters to Nikovoul, the saint emphasizes that he considers the letters of St. Vasily is more important than his own, and therefore places them at the beginning of the meeting (Letter 52). In total, under the name of St. 249 letters from Gregory the Theologian are known, but not all of them belong to him. Letter 241 belongs to St. Basil the Great, 249 – St. Gregory of Nyssa. Letters 42, 57, 65, 66, 245-248 are included in the corpus of letters to St. Basil the Great. Letter 243 is attributed in manuscripts to St. Gregory the Theologian, and Saints Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory the Wonderworker. The presented edition contains 238 letters, authenticated by St. Gregory is not subject to doubt. The letters are presented in chronological order. When numbering letters, the number in brackets shows the order of the letter in the Billie edition 1. To Basil the Great (5) In failure to fulfill his promise to live with St. Vasily excuses himself by the need to serve his parents and offers a way to reconcile the demands of promise and duty (358) I confess that I betrayed my promise to live and philosophize (philosophize) with you, which I promised back in Athens, during the friendship there and the merger of hearts there (for I cannot find a more decent expression). But he did not change voluntarily, but because one law prevailed over another - the law commanding to serve parents, over the law of partnership and mutual habit. However, I won’t change this at all, if you agree to the same thing. Sometimes I will be with you, and sometimes you deign to visit me yourself, so that we have everything in common and the rights of friendship remain equal. This way I won’t have to insult my parents and be with you. Since St. Vasily wrote jokingly about the cold and bad weather in Tiberin, the seat of St. Gregory, then speaks with a similar joke about St. himself. Vasily and his place of residence - Kesari It is unbearable to me that you, a great lover of dirt, accustomed to walking on your toes and trampling the smooth pavements, a soaring, pompous man, carried away with the arrow of Avaris, reproach me with Tiberin, the local cold and bad weather, and although you yourself are a Cappadocian, you nevertheless avoid what is in Cappadocia. Do we offend you by the fact that you turn pale, have difficulty catching your breath, and use the sun in moderation, while we grow fat, become satiated and do not enclose ourselves within narrow limits? But the last one belongs to you. You live in luxury, you get rich, you have bazaars. I don't praise it. Therefore, either stop reproaching me for the dirt, for it was not you who built the city, and it was not I who caused the bad weather, or instead of the dirt I will point out to you the innkeepers and everything that is bad in cities. Having visited St. Basil in his Pontic desert, jokingly describes it (after 360) Laugh, denigrate everything that is ours, either as a joke or in truth; That’s not the point, just be cheerful, revel in your learning and enjoy my friendship. But for me, if anything comes from you, whatever it is, and whatever it is, everything is pleasant. And if I only understand you, it seems to me that you are laughing at things here not to ridicule me, but in order to attract me to you, just as rivers are blocked in order to force them to flow differently. You always do this to me. I will marvel at your Pontus and the Pontic gloom, this dwelling worthy of fugitives, this ridge of mountains hanging overhead, and the wild beasts that test your faith, this desert lying below, or wormhole with honorable names: monastery, monastery, school, these forests of wild plants, this crown of steep mountains, with which you are not crowned, but locked. I will be amazed that you have plenty of air, and a rare sun, which you, Pontic Cimmerians, see, as if through smoke, sunless people, not only condemned to a six-month night, as they say about others, but even never in their lives without a shadow, people whose whole life is one long night, and in the full sense (I will say in the words of Scripture) “the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79 ). I also praise this narrow and cramped path, which, I don’t know where it leads, to the kingdom or to hell, but for you let it lead to the kingdom. And what is in the middle, shouldn’t I call it, if you want (but, of course, not in truth), Eden and a source divided into four principles, which quenches the thirst of the universe? Or call it a dry and waterless desert, which some Moses will fertilize, drawing water from a stone with a rod? For what is not covered with stones is dug with ravines, and where there are no ravines, everything is overgrown with thorns, and above the thorns there is a cliff, and on the cliff there is a steep and unreliable path, which accustoms the traveler’s mind to composure and exercises caution. The river roars below; and this is you, the pompously speaking creator of new names, this is the Amphipolis and quiet Strymon, abundant not in fish, but in stones, not pouring into the lake, but being carried into the abyss. The river is great and terrible, drowning out the psalmody of those living above; In comparison, waterfalls and rapids mean nothing, it stuns you so much day and night! It is swift, impassable, muddy and undrinkable; in only one thing is it lenient, which does not carry away your abode when mountain streams and bad weather infuriate it. And that’s all I know about these happy islands, or about you lucky ones. And don’t praise those moon-shaped curves that suppress rather than protect the approach to your foothills; do not praise this peak hanging above your heads, which makes your life like tantalum; do not praise to me these blowing breezes and this earthly coolness that refresh you, tired to the point of darkness; Do not praise the songbirds, which, although they sing, but hunger, although they flutter, are in the desert. No one comes to you, unless, you say, to chase the beast; add to this, and look at you dead men. All this is longer than a letter, perhaps, but shorter than satire. And you, if you accept my joke calmly, will act justly. And if not, I’ll add more to this. Since you accept my joke calmly, I’ll add the rest. And my beginning is from Homer. “So, go on, and sing the beauty within,” this roof without a roof and doors, this hearth without fire and smoke, these walls dried in the fire, so that splashes of dirt do not shower us, which resemble Tantalus and the condemned, thirsty in water, and this poor and innutritious treat, to which, not as to the meager food of lot eaters, but as to the meal of Alcinous, they invited me from Cappadocia, recently shipwrecked and in poverty, because I remember, and will continue to remember, these breads and these, as they were called, jams, I remember how my teeth slid over the pieces, and then they got stuck in them and were pulled out with difficulty, as if from a swamp. You yourself will depict all this more magnificently, having drawn verbosity from your own sufferings, from which, if the great true beggar-lover (I mean your mother) had not soon delivered us, who appeared to us in good time, like a pier to those overwhelmed at sea, we would have long been no longer alive; and we, for our Pontic loyalty, would excite others not so much to praise as to regret. How can I keep silent about these gardens, which do not resemble a garden or vegetable gardens? And about the Augean dung, cleared from the house, with which we filled these gardens, when I, Votrion, and you, Lamir, carried a cart the size of a mountain on these very shoulders and with these very hands, on which traces of those labors remain to this day; and all this (oh earth and sun, oh man and virtue! I will say in the words of a tragedian) not in order to connect the banks of the Hellespont, but in order to level the ravine. If stories about this are not offensive to you, then, of course, they are not offensive to me. And if you are sad to hear, then what is the matter? And I will keep silent about many other things out of respect for many other things that I enjoyed. Having abandoned the joke, he recalls with pleasure the time spent at St. Basil in his Pontic desert What I wrote before about the Pontic way of spending time was a joke, not the truth. And what I’m writing now is already very true. “Who will arrange me according to the months of former days” (Job 29:2), in which I amused myself with suffering, because sorrowful, but voluntary, is preferable to pleasant, but involuntary? Who will give me these psalmody, vigils and prayerful migrations to God? Who will give life as if immaterial and free? Who will give consent and unanimity to the brothers whom you are leading to heights and deification? Who will give competition and encouragement to virtue, which we have protected by written statutes and rules? Who will give diligence in reading God's words, and with the guidance of the Spirit the light found in them? Who will give (I will say about the smallest and most insignificant) daily and manual labor: carrying firewood, cutting stones, planting, watering? Who will give this golden sycamore, which is more expensive than Xerxes’s, under which sat not a satiated king, but an exhausted monk, which I planted, Apollos, or your honor, watered, and God raised to my honor, so that it will be preserved by you as a monument of my hard work, as we read and believe that Aaron’s sprouted rod was kept in the icon case? It is easier to wish for all this, but not so easy to receive it. Come to my aid, join your efforts with me, assist me in virtue, and if we have previously collected something useful, then protect it with your prayers, so that I do not dissipate little by little, as a shadow dissipates with the passing of the day. And I breathe you more than air, and I live only because, whether I am with you or apart, I am always inseparable in my mind. Sending, at his request, rhetorical books, he informs about himself that he has stopped dealing with such subjects, bringing all this as a gift to the Word, and advises him to use it for good, so that the fear of God overcomes vanity You ask me for books because with youthful fervor you are engaged in rhetoric, which I said goodbye to, by God’s admonition and for God, turning my eyes upward, because someday I had to stop playing with toys and babbling like a child, and look into true learning, and together with everything else that only I had, bring words as a gift to the Word. It would be better if you asked for divine books, and not these, because, as I know, the first ones are both more useful and more natural for you. But since the worst takes over you, and it is impossible to change your mind, here are the books you ask me, and how many of them have survived from the moth and smoke over which they smoked, like a sailor’s rudder handle at the end of a voyage and time capable of sailing. And you pay me for sophistry, without being stingy or timid, but showing yourself in all splendor and courage, because you have a great price for both Kinegir and Callimachus, Marathon and Salamis victory monuments, for the sake of which you honor yourself and think of making young people happy. For us, this, although not in time and not according to our rules, but out of old habit, even if it still serves as just amusement; But I wish for you to acquire it and to use what you have acquired for your good. But use it in such a way that the fear of God (and everyone should always honor God) overcomes vanity, as far as possible for us, who are not completely freed from it. And if what has been said seems fair to you, but you do not consider it a matter of wisdom to demand payment for books, then I will say: only money came, and the beggars will decide the objection. Expresses his and all his family's grief that Caesarea remained in the service at court upon Julian's accession to the throne (361) We have had enough of shame for you. For that we are upset, is it necessary to write to you, who is more sure of this than anyone else? Not to mention about myself and how much anxiety, and let me even say, fear, the hearing about you filled us with, I would like you, if it were possible, to listen to what others say about you and about us, both our own and strangers, no matter how many we know, if only they are Christians. And not only do some people say it and others don’t, on the contrary, they repeat it all the same and with one voice, because people find it more pleasant to talk about other people’s affairs. And so it became, as it were, a constant occupation for them to say the following: “And the bishop’s son, now in the service, is striving for worldly ranks and glory, giving up victory over himself to greed, because now everything is inflamed by a passion for money, and for them people do not spare their souls, and do not in the least set for themselves the only glory, and security, and enrichment in courageously confronting time and placing themselves as far as possible from all uncleanness and filth! How can bishops now persuade another not to get carried away by time, not to be defiled by communication with idols; How can we now punish those who have stumbled in something else, if the bishop himself does not dare to say a word because of what happened in his house? This is what we hear, or something much worse, every day, both from those who say this, perhaps out of friendship, and from those who attack out of hostility. With what disposition do you think and with what spirit do we accept this, having decided to serve God and recognizing that the only good is to fix our gaze on future hopes? The Sovereign, our parent, who is very upset by the rumors, and for whom life itself is a burden, I also console and encourage a little, vouching for your way of thinking, and assuring that you will no longer cause us sorrow. And the Empress Mother, if she hears something like that about you (and until now we are hiding this from her with various inventions), you can be sure that she will fall into completely inconsolable grief, because, as a woman, she is less strong in spirit, and, moreover, due to extreme reverence, is not able to observe moderation in such cases. Therefore, if you respect yourself and us at all, come up with something better and more reliable for yourself. For, without a doubt, what we have here is enough to lead a free life for a person who is not too insatiable and immoderate in wanting more. Moreover, I don’t see how much more time we should wait for you to arrange your life if we miss the present. But if you hold on to your previous way of thinking, and in order to satisfy your aspirations, everything is not enough for you, then I do not intend to say anything unpleasant for you; but I will only predict and testify that one of two things is necessary: ​​either, remaining a sincere Christian, accept the most humiliated share of a Christian and act not in accordance with one’s merits and hopes, or, desiring honor, suffer harm in the main thing and participate, if not in fire, then in smoke. He praises him both for other virtues and mainly for the fact that he is not carried away by the spirit of the times, and although he himself is a pagan, he is not hostile to Christians, in imitation of Julian, under whom he served Where are the sophists now? Why are poets silent? What better speeches are sought, or what more brilliant subject? Now it would be necessary that for you, when every musical and harmonic language was set in motion, and every art of oration, something lofty and amazing would sound, not only because to honor a good leader with a speech is the most just duty of all debts, but also because it is most characteristic of both arts to decorate the memory of one who is perfect in both. If I had not stopped my speeches prematurely (I feel it now), and if I had not established (let’s say in another way: more hasty than wise) the intention not to speak any more praiseworthy words, and had not charged myself with the wisdom of not attending public assemblies, then perhaps I would have thundered louder than the Tyrrhenian trumpets (I will say this without being afraid, as Pindar says, of the cruel Momus stone), unless I had condemned my immaturity to silence. And now, what I feel in your reasoning, and what my position is, perhaps you will understand rather from some comparison. Like one of the hottest horses, I cut the platform with my feet, gnaw at the bit, raise my ears up, breathe from my nostrils with rage, look menacingly, spew foam, but I remain behind the barrier, because the law does not give me the freedom to escape. So what? When it’s already necessary, what can I do? Should I stop talking altogether and silently marvel at your prowess, leaving others to praise you? No! But let others be among those who praise other things in you, whatever anyone wants and whatever anyone can. Without a doubt, you will provide a sufficient subject for many speeches and words of praise if everyone begins to praise you, choosing for this part of your virtues. Some will be elected. management of public affairs, and at the same time prudence and at the same time diligence, because will anyone with greater insight than yours invent what is needed, or will what was invented be carried out more actively than you? Others will take upon themselves the scales of justice, just as you, in the clear light, sort out litigation and, with your exaltation, deliver high triumph to Themis. Although your sword is terrible because it can strike, yet, since it does not strike anyone, it is a shrine. You do not possess it in order to punish those who have sinned, but with the intention that no one will even sin, and that everyone will submit to your thoughts more than to the power of others, for whom insolence is the law. Let others be amazed in you at the power of the gift of speech, and, if you like, at all types of this gift, as far as this relates to the ability to evaluate what is said and to the ability to say it yourself; because you are capable of judging the gift of speech, and even more capable of speaking yourself, so that one is likened in you to a golden ball, or Homer’s level, which determines the equal height of the horses of Eumelus, and the other surpasses even the winter snows. Now you are distributing rewards for exploits with the same skill with which you yourself labored before. Let others praise your severity, mixed with meekness, and the fact that in your very pleasantness, as in the lion's leaps, there is nothing humiliating in you. Others will point out how gold, powerful and revered by others, with other honorary titles, was not respected at your court, and fled from there; and this alone is beyond everyone’s hearing and belief. And some poet, free and independent in art, will sing you a rural song, having gathered a round dance of farmers, and having reaped the ripe ears of corn, weaved them into the most pleasant wreath, and placed grape branches intertwined with ivy and curls on the head. “These,” he will say, “are the beginnings of the offerings of agriculture, which you again returned to people. And let the stones give you milk, and the springs give you honey, and let every plant, both carefully raised and wild, be covered with tender fruits!” These are common images used by poets when they want to imagine that the earth is bringing its gifts to someone. When all this, as I said, will be said and invented by others (because everything that is not only delights, as the lyricists believe, but most of all, usually, amuses), then I will say about what I mainly admire and what I kiss about your virtues, namely, that you show yourself to be above the difficulties of the time. Although by faith you are a pagan, and you pay tribute to the true ruler to his power, you nevertheless serve not as flatterers who follow the times serve, but as friends of the beautiful and people of a high way of thinking; and, to the extent that you fulfill your duty, to the extent that you maintain goodwill towards your fatherland, and in a mortal matter you acquire immortal glory. One of your commendable qualities is that, with such a burden of government, you pay some respect to friendship, and with so many things to do, you find leisure not only to remember your friends, but also to honor them with your letters, to testify to them your love and to attract everyone to you. For all this, I wish you not something more for glorification (because, even if your power has received an increase, your virtue cannot receive any increase), but one thing that will replace everything, and what is most important, namely, that you will finally unite with us and with God, and stand on the road of the persecuted, and not the persecutors; because one is carried away by the stream of time, and the other contains immortal salvation. Amphilochius (later, probably, Bishop of Iconium) welcomes this with his assumption of the post of judicial intercessor, and asks, for the first experience, to take over the petition in the case of Euphalios (364). Support your happy palace with golden pillars, as Pindar says, and with a good start in this position, let us know about yourself that you will build a wonderful house, appearing glorious in it. How will you let me know about you? Giving honor to God and the divine, for what is more important and higher for you? How and with what will you honor? The one thing is that you will take care of those standing before God and the servants of the altar. One of them is our co-servant, Euphaly, whom, when he had already entered the highest rank, I don’t know why, the military commanders intended to exclude him from it. Do not tolerate this, and stretch out your hand to the law and to the entire clergy, and most of all to me, for whom you care. Otherwise, this person will suffer the most bitter fate, alone without taking advantage of the philanthropy of the present time and the honor that kings give to sacred persons. But perhaps he is subjected to insult and deprivation for his friendship with me. And it’s a wonderful thing that you don’t allow this to happen, although others want a not-so-wonderful thing. He entrusts the case of his nephew Nukovul, the husband of Alipiana, daughter of Gorgonieva, to his petition. I praise the saying of Theognis, who, while not approving of friendship that lasts only while we drink and are together, praises friendship shown in practice. What is he writing? “There are many friends at the cup, But in important matters there are few of them.” You and I did not drink from the same cup and were not together often (although, of course, this should have been due to our friendship and the friendship of our fathers); We demand goodwill from each other in business. A feat lies ahead, and even a very important one, because our son Nikovul is in unexpected trouble because of those from whom he least thought to have trouble. Therefore, I ask you to come and help, pronouncing judgment as quickly as possible and defending if you find us offended. And if not so, then at least do not go over to the opposite side, giving up your freedom for little gain, which you have always enjoyed, as we know from general evidence. 11. To Basil the Great (11) St. Basil, who against his own desire was ordained to the rank of presbyter, by his example encourages patience and exhorts to zealously fulfill the duties of the new rank (364) I praise the beginning of your letter. And what of yours does not deserve praise? And you are captured, like me, included in the list, because both of us were forcibly elevated to the degree of presbyterate, although this was not what we sought. For we can testify about each other more reliably than anyone else that we like a slow-moving philosophy that stays at the bottom. But although, perhaps, it would have been better if this had not happened to us, or I don’t know what to say until I understand the dispensation of the Spirit, however, since it has already happened, it seems to me at least that we must endure, especially taking into account the time that has loosened the tongues of many heretics, we must endure and not disgrace both the hope of those who have placed their trust in us and our own lives. 12. To Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea (20) Convinces him to change his location towards St. Vasily, against whom he was unfairly indignant (365) Since I am addressing a person who does not like lies and who, more perceptively than anyone, reveals lies in others, no matter how much they are confused by the most cunning and varied twists, besides, I myself (let it be said, although it is not easy to say) do not like cunning - both by my natural disposition and by the inspiration of Scripture, then I write for this reason what is in my heart. Descend to my boldness; otherwise you will offend me, depriving me of freedom and forcing me to hide painful grief within myself, like some kind of purulent and malignant abscess. How I rejoice that you do me honor and invite me to spiritual conferences and meetings, so hard is the insult that the most honorable brother Vasily, who was chosen by me from the very beginning and until now remains for me a companion of life, teaching and the highest wisdom, suffered and still suffers from your reverence; and I don’t condemn myself at all for such an election, because it would be more modest to say so, otherwise they will think that by praising his perfections, I am praising myself. But you, humiliating him and honoring me, in my opinion, act almost the same as if someone began to stroke a person on the head with one hand and hit him on the cheek with the other, or, having broken the foundation of a house, began to paint its walls and decorate the exterior. Therefore, if you are at all convinced by my words, then you will do it my way. And I ask you to make sure, because this is fair. If you treat him as you should, he will serve you. And my job is to follow him, like shadows following a body, because I, a small person, disposed to the world, have not yet reached such a pitiful state that, wanting to be wise in other ways and belong to the better side, I lose sight of what is most important in our teaching - namely, love, especially love for the priest, a revered man, of whom I know that in life, word and rules he is superior to everyone known to me. And sorrow itself will not darken the truth in me. Justified in the courage of the previous letter What I wrote is not so much offensive as you complained about my letter, but rather spiritual, wise, and fair, unless it also insults the most learned Eusebius. But although you are higher in degree, give me a little freedom and just boldness, and therefore be more favorable to us. Tell me to judge my letter as the letter of a minister who is obliged to look you in the eye - then in this case I will accept blows and will not cry. Or will this also be blamed on me? But, rather, it is more fitting for anyone else to do this than for your reverence, because it is more common for a generous person to accept free speech from friends than flattery from enemies. He expresses his readiness to be with him at Caesarea along with St. Vasily And in other cases, I did not act basely before your reverence - do not blame me for this, but, having allowed myself a little freedom and courage, in order to somehow alleviate and heal the grief, I immediately submitted, humbled myself and voluntarily submitted myself to the rule. And how could he not do this, knowing you and the laws of the Spirit? And now, even though I would be extremely low and cowardly, time itself does not allow this, and these beasts attacking the Church, as well as your nobility and courage, which so purely and sincerely fights for the Church. Therefore, if you wish, we will come to unite our prayers with you, to strive and serve you together, and, like children who encourage an excellent fighter to act, to inspire you in the struggle with our exclamations. 15. To Basil the Great (19) Notifying about the change in the bishop's disposition towards him. Eusebius, convinces him to write to him and then go to Caesarea; and he himself volunteers to be his companion Here is an opportunity to show prudence and patience, so that no one turns out to be more courageous than us, and so that so much work and effort is not destroyed in a short time! Why and for what reason am I writing this? Our most God-loving Bishop Eusebius (for this is how we need to think and write about him) is very inclined towards reconciliation and friendship with us and is softened by time, like iron by fire. I think that a letter of petition and invitation will come to you, which he also informed me about, and many of those who know reliably about his location assure me. Let us warn him either by our arrival or by a letter, or better yet, first by a letter and then by our arrival, so that later we do not remain in shame, as if we were defeated, when we ourselves could have won beautifully and wisely by conceding the victory over ourselves, as many are asking us to do. So, listen to me, and come, both for the above reason and for the sake of the present time, because a crowd of heretics is attacking the Church; some have already appeared and are causing disturbances, while others, as is heard, will appear, and there is a danger that the teaching of truth may be perverted if the spirit of Velel, the wise architect of such teachings and dogmas, does not quickly move. If you deem it necessary for me to come and be your assistant and companion, then I will not shy away from this either. 16. Gregory of Nyssa (43) He reprimands him for the fact that, having left the position of reader, he intends to devote himself to rhetoric (366) I have something good in my nature (I myself can boast of one thing out of many). For bad advice I am equally annoyed with myself and with my friends. And since those who live according to God and are guided by the same Gospel are all friends and relatives among themselves, then why not listen from me if I speak openly about what everyone is talking about, but only in a whisper? They do not praise your, in your opinion, inglorious glory, your gradual deviation to the worse and this ambition, which, as Euripides says, is more evil than demons. What happened to you, wise husband? Why were you angry with yourself, throwing away the sacred, edible books that you once read to the people? Aren't you ashamed hearing this? Or did he put them under the smoke, where they put helms and picks for the winter, and took salty and undrinkable books in his hands and wanted to be better called a rhetorician than a Christian? But for me the latter is much better than the former; and all thanks to God for this. And you, excellent one, do not hold on to such thoughts. And if they come, do not indulge in them for a long time, but come to your senses, finally come to your senses, justify yourself before the faithful, justify yourself before God, before the altars, before the sacraments from which you have withdrawn. Don’t tell me these elegant and florid words: “Well, wasn’t I a Christian when I studied rhetoric? Wasn’t he faithful when he studied science with children?” Perhaps you will begin to testify of this to God? No, my wonderful one, this is not entirely fair, although we can cede some of this to you. Is it really unimportant that by your present action you are seducing others who are by nature more prone to evil, and giving them a reason to think and speak ill of you? Let it be a lie, but what is the need for it? Everyone lives not for himself alone, but also for his neighbors; It is not enough to be convinced yourself if you do not convince others. Really, having entered into a fist fight in front of people or in a spectacle, taking and distributing slaps in the face, indecently grimacing and breaking down, can you say that in your soul you are chaste? This is not the reasoning of a chaste person; it is flippant to approve of it. If you change, then I will rejoice now, said one of the Pythagorean philosophers, mourning his friend who had fallen away from him. If not, he wrote, then you are dead to me. But I won’t say this out of love for you. For he, being a friend, became an enemy, although, however, a friend, as the tragedy says. And I will try to heal you if (to put it more modestly) you yourself do not see what is due (which is in the first row of praiseworthy deeds) and do not follow the good word of another (which is in the second row of praiseworthy things). Here is my exhortation! Forgive me for the sake of friendship that I am grieving, I am passionate both for you and for the entire sacred rite, and I will add for all Christians. If you need to pray with you or for you, then may God, who gives life and the dead, help your weakness! In response to the fact that his wife Alipiana, daughter of Gorgonia, sister of St. Gregory, reproached for his short stature You ridicule Alipiana among us, as if she were small and unworthy of your greatness, long and huge and a giant in stature and strength! Now I have only learned that the soul is measured, and virtue is valued by weight, that wild stones are more valuable than pearls, and crows are preferable to nightingales. Take for yourself the size and height of several cubits and in no way be inferior to the reapers of Ceres, because you ride a horse, throw a spear, your concern is chasing animals, but she has no such things to do; It takes a little strength to wield a shuttle, handle a spinning wheel and sit at a loom, and this is an advantage for women. But if you add how she is bowed to the ground in prayer and always converses with God with high movements of her mind, then before that, what do your height and your physical growth mean? Look at her timely silence; listen when he speaks, judge how unattached he is to clothes, how courageous he is as a woman, how he cares about his home, how he loves his husband, and then you will say in the words of this Lacedaemonian: “The soul is truly not measured; and the external man must keep in mind the internal.” If you take this into account, you will stop joking and laughing at her short stature, and call yourself happy because of your marriage to her. What it means to write succinctly Writing succinctly is not how you think about it - not just writing a few syllables, but concluding a lot in a few syllables. So I call Homer the most concise writer, and Antimachus the most verbose. Why? Because I judge the length of a speech by its content, and not by the number of letters. Of those who write letters (you ask me about this too), some write longer than necessary, while others write too short; but both of them sin to a degree, like those who shoot at the target, some of whom do not reach the target with the arrow, while others throw it over the target, in both cases they equally miss the target, although the error occurs from opposite reasons. The measure for writing is necessity. There is no need to write a long letter when there are few items; There is no need to shorten it when there are a lot of objects. Therefore, what? Is it necessary to measure wisdom by a Persian mile or a child's elbows and write so imperfectly that it resembles not a letter, but like midday shadows or like lines laid one on top of the other, the lengths of which coincide, and are more mentally imagined than actually found to be distinguished in some of their limits, and in the proper sense, one might say, are a similarity of similarities? To maintain the measure, it is necessary to avoid disproportionality in both. Here's what I know about brevity; and in reasoning with clarity, it is known that it is necessary, as far as possible, to avoid the bookish syllable, and rather approach the colloquial syllable. In short, the letter is perfect and beautiful, which can please both the unlearned and the scientist - the first because it is adapted to the concepts of the common people, and the other because it is above the common people, because both a solved riddle and a letter requiring interpretation are equally uninteresting. The third property of letters is pleasantness. And we will observe it if we write not completely dry and harsh, not without decorations, not without art, and, as they say, not completely shorn, that is, when the writing is not devoid of thoughts, proverbs, sayings, as well as witticisms and intricate expressions, because all these impart sweetness to speech. However, these decorations should not be used in excess. Without them, the letter is rude, and with their excess, it is inflated. They must be used to the same extent as red threads in fabrics. We allow allegories, but not in large numbers, and, moreover, not taken from shameful objects; and we leave the contrasts, the correspondence of speeches and the uniformity of the parts of speech to the sophists. If we use it somewhere, we will do it as if playing, but not intentionally. And the end of the letter will be what I heard from one eloquent speaker about the eagle. When the birds were arguing about royal power and others came to the meeting in different decorations, then the most beautiful thing about the eagle was that it did not think to be beautiful. The same thing should be observed most of all in letters, that is, that the letter should not have unnecessary decorations and should be more close to naturalness. This is what I am sending you in a letter about letters! Maybe I didn’t take up my own business, because I’m doing something more important. You will complete the rest with your own hard work as an intelligent person, and people experienced in this matter will also teach you this. You run away from those who are chasing you, perhaps according to the rules of the science of love, in order to bring yourself more honor. So come, and now make up for us the loss of so long a time. And if you were delayed by any of the affairs there, you would leave us again, and thereby you would become even more honorable to us, because again you would be the object of our desires. This Alypius, the husband of his sister Gorgonia, invites him to his holiday How rulerly you act with me out of friendship! Our ruling on vows is already wavering, although we have set aside only those who wear robes. It is true that we do not transgress the law to the same extent as the pagans, inventive in matters of love, transgress, because they not only sacrifice to passion as to God, but also resolve oaths given out of love; and even if we break the law somewhat, then, enduring this for the sake of friendship, we no longer sin in this. Therefore, come to us, if you want, in disguise, so that both things will be perfect for us: we have met with you, and we have not violated the regulations. And if you don’t want to, come without a robe at all. Even if someone were to persecute us for breaking the law, we can still defend ourselves by the fact that you are one of those who make a vow, in a good sense called votives. And who among us does not accept this, what will he tell us next? We invite you as an orphan. So, of course, you will rule over me, because now is your time. And thirdly (this is most important), you can participate in the vow and as the one inviting us to the vow. So we will receive you, ready to repel any attack. And no one will blame us for the fact that my sister didn’t come; on the contrary, they would blame both her and me if she came. Therefore, let her go without being called. And allow yourself to beg, and come, partly relying on me, and partly by vow, come to make my holiday brighter; because, with the help of God, enough has been prepared for you that your stomach needs, or rather, our food is orphan food and, I will add, healthy and noble. Having learned about his deliverance from the threat of death during the earthquake that happened in Nicaea, he invites him to his place and convinces him to leave worldly life (368 g) For right-thinking people, fear is not useless; I will even say that it is extremely beautiful and life-saving. Although we do not wish for ourselves that anything terrible should happen to us, we are nevertheless mindful of what has happened; because the suffering soul is close to God, the wonderfully speaking Peter says somewhere, and everyone who has escaped danger has a stronger attachment to the Savior. Therefore, let us not be upset because we participated in the disaster; but, on the contrary, let us give thanks that we have avoided disaster, and we will not be before God alone - during dangers, and others - after dangers. But whether we live on a foreign side, whether we lead a private life, whether we perform public service, we will desire one thing (we must always talk about this, and never stop talking), we will desire that later we will give back to Him by whom we are saved, and belong to His property, not caring much about what is of little value and creeps on the earth. And for those who will live after us, let us leave behind us such a narrative that would greatly serve our glory and spiritual benefit. But this is the most useful lesson for many, that danger is better than safety, and disaster is preferable to prosperity. If before fear we belonged to the world, then after fear we began to belong to God. But perhaps I seem boring to you, talking about the same thing many times and you consider my words not advice, but verbosity. Therefore, enough about this; however, for me, rest assured that I earnestly wish and pray most of all that you and I can be together, arrange what is necessary for your salvation and talk about it finally; and even if this were not possible, then as soon as possible, having met you here, we would organize a thanksgiving holiday together with you. Expresses to him, as a comrade of Caesarea and his own, grief over the death of Caesarea (369) I lost Caesarea. And although passion is not a matter of wisdom, I will nevertheless say that I love everything that is Caesarea; и что ни вижу напоминающее о нем, обнимаю и лобзаю это и как бы представляю себе, что его самого вижу, с ним нахожусь, с ним беседую Так было со мной и теперь, при получении твоего письма Едва прочел я подпись письма, это сладостное для меня имя, этот сладостный предмет- имя Филагрия, вдруг пришло мне на мысль все, что было некогда приятного: образ жизни, общий стол, скудость и, как говорит Гомер, любезного сотоварищества или шутки, или дельные занятия, ученые труды, общие наставники, возвышенность надежд, наконец все, что можно похвалить из тогдашнего и что меня преимущественно радует при одном воспоминании. Потому чтобы еще более побеседовать нам о сем, не оставляй в покое перо свое и сделай мне милость, пиши ко мне Без всякого сомнения, это для меня немаловажно, хотя зависть, так горестно расположив дела мои, лишила меня важнейшего – быть вместе с тобой. 24. To Sophronius Iparkh (18) On the occasion of the death of Caesarea, discussing the vicissitudes of everything human, Sophronius, as a friend of Caesarea, makes a request not to allow the estate left after his brother to be plundered Do you see what our fate is, and how the wheel of human life turns; today some, tomorrow others bloom and fade; what we call success and what we call failure. All this is impermanent, quickly passes and turns; and therefore you can trust the winds and writings on the water more than human well-being. Why is this so? In order, I think, so that, seeing inconstancy and changeability in this, we would strive more towards God and the future, and take some care for ourselves, and care little about shadows and dreams. But why do I say this? It’s not for nothing that I’m philosophical; It is not without purpose that I express myself highly. Your Caesarea was once not one of the last; even if I am not deceived, as a brother, he was a very prominent man, famous for his learning, surpassed many in his truthfulness and was famous for his many friends. And that among them you and your nobility were the first, and he himself thought so, and assured us. Of course, this was the case before; and you will add something and even more from yourself, giving him funeral honor, because all people by their very nature are disposed to give something more as a gift to the deceased. But even now, do not let this word pass without tears, or shed a tear for good and benefit! Here he lies dead, without friends, abandoned by everyone, pitiful, awarded a small amount of myrrh (if only this is true), and meager, inexpensive covers (which also means a lot, because it was given to him out of pity). Meanwhile, as I hear, enemies have attacked, and some are already plundering his property with complete freedom, others intend to plunder it - what insensitivity! What cruelty! And there is no one to stop this; The most philanthropic person shows the only mercy that calls on the laws to help. And in short, we, who were once considered lucky, have now become a byword. Don't be indifferent to this; but, on the contrary, share both our grief and our indignation; show mercy to the dead Caesarea, I ask you for the sake of friendship itself, for the sake of everything dear to you, for the sake of your hopes, which you make favorable for yourself, showing yourself faithful and sincere to the deceased, so that through this you can show mercy to the living and make them trustworthy. Don't you think that we are grieving for property? For us, the most unbearable shame is if they draw the conclusion that only Caesarea did not have friends - Caesarea, who was thought to have many friends. So, this is the request, and this is who it is from, because I, too, may be worth something in your attention. And in what way and how you should help, the deeds themselves will tell you about this, but your prudence will consider this. 25. To him (107) (Seeks his favor to his nephew Nikovul) Gold, although it is altered and transformed in one way or another, converted into various decorations and undergoing many artificial processings, nevertheless remains gold, and does not change in substance, but only in appearance. So, believing that your rightness remains the same for people, even if you constantly ascend higher and higher, I dare to present you with the following request, not so much fearing your rank as having confidence in your morals. Be favorable to my venerable son Nicovul, who is in close connection with me in everything, both by kinship, and by closeness of contact, and, more importantly, by morals. What and how much does he need your favor for? In everything in which he needs your help, and as far as you consider it decent for your great mind. And I will reward you for this with the best of everything I have. I have the gift of speech and the opportunity to become a herald of your virtue, if not to the extent of your dignity, then to the extent of my strength. Asks for his protection to Evdoskiy, son of the rhetorician Eudoxius Honoring your mother is a sacred thing. But everyone has their own mother, and the common mother for all is the homeland. You honored her, however, with the splendor of your life in all respects; but you will honor me even more if you now respect me by heeding my request. What is my request? Without a doubt, you know the most eloquent rhetorician in our fatherland, Eudoxius. It is his son, I will say briefly, another Eudoxius, both in life and in the gift of speech, now appears before you. Therefore, in order to make you even more famous, be favorable to this man in whatever he asks for your protection. For it is a shame for you, when you have become the general patron of your fatherland and have already shown benefits to many, I will add that you will also show many more, not to honor above all the one who surpasses everyone in the gift of speech, not to honor eloquence itself, which, if for no other reason, then because it rightly praises your virtues. Asks for his friendship and patronage of Amazonia I wish my friends that everything will be successful. And when I call someone friends, I mean wonderful, kind people, united with me by bonds of virtue, because I myself strive for virtue. Therefore, now, having looked for the most important thing to give to our venerable brother Amazonius (for I greatly admired him during a recent meeting with him), I decided that instead of everything I should give him one thing - your friendship and your patronage. In a short time he showed great learning, both learning of the kind that I myself yearned for when I still had little sight, and learning of the kind that I care about now that I have seen the heights of virtue. But whether I mean anything to him in relation to virtue, you will see for yourself; For my part, I show my friend that I have the best thing - friends. And since I recognize you as my first and sincere friend, I wish that you appear to him as you should be, both at the request of the common fatherland, and at the request of my word and my love, which promises him your guardianship instead of everything. Intercedes for Amphilochius, who was accused of taking upon himself the defense of a worthless person, deceived by his friendship. Just as we recognize gold and precious stones by their appearance, so it would be appropriate that good and bad could be recognized immediately and without a long trial. Then not many words would be needed for me, who turns to your generosity with a request for our dearest son Amphilochius. I can rather hope for something incredible and extraordinary than think that he will do or think something ignoble for the sake of money. So much everyone, by general agreement, ascribes to him righteousness and prudence, exceeding even his age! But what to do? Nothing escapes envy when ridicule also touched this person, who was accused of simplicity, and not of depravity of morals. But you cannot stand to watch indifferently as they torment him with slander; I ask you this for the sake of your sacred and great soul; almost the fatherland, help virtue, respect me, who was famous for you and glorified by you, and replace everyone else with this person, adding to your power and permission; because, as far as I know, everything is inferior to your virtue. Intercedes for Amphilochius in the same case Do not be surprised if what we ask is important, because we are asking an important person from a person, and the request must be proportionate to the person you are asking. For it is equally indecent to ask for little for something great, and to ask something great for something small; one is inappropriate, the other is petty. With my own hand I bring to you our most honest son Amphilochius, a man very famous for his righteousness, even more than one would expect from his age; That’s why I myself, an elder, a priest and your friend, would like them to think the same about me. If he, caught by the friendship of another, did not foresee slander, is this surprising? Since he himself is not cunning, he did not suspect cunning, thinking about himself that he needs to be more concerned about the correctness of his speech than his character; on this basis entered into cooperation. What's wrong with this for right-thinking people? Therefore, do not place vice above virtue; do not dishonor my gray hair, but, on the contrary, respect my testimony, and lay your love for mankind as the basis for my blessings, which may have some power from God, to whom I stand. Asks to assist his cousins in the sale of the estate, the purchase of which got them into trouble Do both yourself and me one benefit that you will rarely do, because opportunities for such benefits do not arise often. Give your most fair protection to my gentlemen and cousins, who have seen a lot of trouble with the estate, which they bought as convenient for solitude and represented the opportunity to receive some support from it in maintenance, but from which, from the very time they bought it, they have been subjected to many troubles and partly experience displeasure from ill-intentioned sellers, and partly suffer oppression and insults from neighbors; that is why it would be beneficial for them, taking their price with the same costs, however, considerable, which they made after the purchase, to free themselves from this estate. If you wish, transfer the purchase to yourself, revising the condition so that it is as good and safe as possible; and it will be pleasant for them and for me. If you do not want this, show another favor: on your own behalf resist the attachment and ill-intention of this person, so that, due to their inexperience in business, he will not necessarily gain an advantage over them in one thing, either by offending while they own the property, or by causing a loss when they decide to get rid of it. But I am ashamed to write about this, because we are equally obliged to take care of them both by kinship and by choice of life. For who should we care more about if not such people? And what could be more shameful than not trying to provide such a benefit? But whether you are for yourself, for me, for them, or for all of this together, just be sure to do them a favor. Asks him, as the king of eloquence, to stand up for Amphilochius Eloquence and your time are now in danger, if you are our king of eloquence. In addition, my Amphilochius is your friend through your father, and I will also add that he is the kind of person who does not bring shame either to his father’s family or to our friendship, unless I am a bad judge in such things. The most important thing for a wise man, like you especially, is that he is entangled in affairs without having done anything bad. And although all this in itself is very easy, for me the hardest thing is to appear inattentive to the matter. Therefore, I do everything I can, and I can ask those who have the opportunity to do good; because in the situation in which I am now, nothing else is possible for me. And you justify the word of your Plato, who said that evil will cease in cities not before power meets wisdom. You have both. Give your hand to someone in need, advising him what he should do, and providing help. There is no better opportunity for you to develop wisdom than now to embark on a feat for truth; and besides this, you will do good to me, your praiser. Asks for guidance in the education of Eudoxius, the son of the rhetorician Eudoxius A Spartan is distinguished by a spear, Pelopidas by a shoulder, and the great Themistius by learning. For although you surpass everyone else in everything, learning, as far as I know, is the most significant of your virtues. She connected us with each other at the very beginning, if only I mean anything in the sciences; she has now convinced me to embrace courage. But if you recognize the person I’m asking for, then perhaps you will approve of my boldness. I present to you the son of the famous Eudoxius and also my son Eudoxius, who is very worthy of attention both in life and in his gift of speech, as you yourself will find if, according to the proverb, you apply a rope to a stone (what other measure is more accurate than you), and for me, especially kind both because of his father’s friendship, and no less because of his own virtues. Therefore, do this man a favor, as if you were doing me a favor, and to the honor of your learning, deign to help him move forward. He needs to gain fame for himself through sciences and in order to succeed in them in order to earn his own food. And what and how he needs to learn, he himself will explain to you; your learning and your prudence will subject this to their discretion. 33. To Basil the Great (21) Pronouncing St. Vasily, who, under the pretext of his illness, called St. Gregory to Caesarea, when a new bishop was being elected there to replace the deceased Eusebius, explains the reasons why he returned from the road (370) Do not be surprised if it seems that I am saying something terrible and that no one has said before. In my opinion, although you have acquired the reputation of a constant, infallible and firm-minded person, you nevertheless undertake and do many things more simply than infallibly. For he who is free from vice does not suddenly suspect vice. It happened now too. You called me to the metropolis when it was necessary to confer on the election of a bishop. And what a plausible and convincing pretext! You pretended that you were sick, that you were on your last legs, that you wanted to see me and convey to me your last will. I didn’t know where this was going and how my arrival would help the cause; but he set off on his journey, greatly distressed by the news. For what is greater to me than your life, or what is more regrettable than your departure? I shed springs of tears, sobbed, and for the first time I learned about myself that you have not yet established yourself in philosophy. For what is not filled with funeral sobs? When you learned that bishops were going to the city, you stopped on the way and marveled, firstly, at how you did not take care of decency and were not careful about the language of people who are most likely to slander the simple-minded; secondly, do you think that the same thing is not appropriate for both you and me, whom God made such friends in the beginning that life, teaching, and everything we have in common; and thirdly (let this also be said), how did you think that they would present here as reverent people, and not those who were strong in the city and loved by the people? For these reasons, I turned the stern and went back. And for you yourself, if you wish, I wish to avoid real riots and evil suspicions, and then I will see your reverence when things settle down and time allows me; I’ll see you and then I’ll scold you more and harder. 34. To the inhabitants of Caesarea on behalf of the father (22) Parent of St. Gregory the Theologian, explaining to the Caesareans how important the election of a Bishop is, refuses due to illness to be present at this election, and proposes St. Vasily I am a small shepherd, the head of a small flock and the last of the servants of the Spirit. But grace is not constrained, it is not limited by place. Therefore, let the little ones be allowed to be bold, especially when it comes to common and important matters; and the little ones give advice with such gray hair, which, perhaps, will say something smarter than many. Your meeting is not about an unimportant and ordinary matter, but about one that, whether resolved well or badly, will necessarily entail one or the other in society. We have a word about the Church for which Christ died, a word about the one who will represent and lead her to God. “The lamp of the body,” as we hear, “is the eye” (Matthew 6:22), not only the bodily eye, which sees and is visible, but also the spiritual eye, which contemplates and is contemplated. And the lamp of the Church is the bishop, as you yourself know, even if I didn’t write it. Therefore, just as the eye needs to be clean in order for the body to move correctly, and when the eye is not clean and the body does not move correctly, so together with the head of the Church, as he will be, the Church is either endangered or saved. Every Church must be taken care of as the Body of Christ, and even more so about yours, which in the beginning was the mother of almost all Churches, and even now is and is recognized as such and to which everyone is turned, like a circle to its center, not only because of Orthodoxy, preached to everyone from ancient times, but also because of the grace of unanimity obviously granted to it from God. So, since you invited me to discuss this, having acted in this correctly and in accordance with the statutes, and I am held back by old age and infirmity, then, as if I had appeared personally, with the assistance of the strengthening Spirit (for for believers there is nothing incredible), it would have been better for everyone and more pleasant for me, because I would have helped you in some way, and I myself would have shared in the blessing; So, even though I am unable to fulfill this due to the illness that has overcome me, I will help, as much as possible, the absent one. I am sure that there are others worthy to preside over you, because your city is extensive and from ancient times was governed well and by high men; but none of the people you respect can be preferred to our most God-loving son, Presbyter Basil - a man (I say this before God as a witness), both in life and in teaching who has achieved purity more than anyone else (and what is most important), both capable of resisting the present time and the prevailing tongue-lashing of heretics. I am writing this to both priests and monastics, those invested with government and advisory power, as well as to all the people. If there is consent to this and my voice prevails, so sound and right as pronounced in accordance with God himself, then I am spiritually present and will be present with you, or better yet, I will lay my hand and dare in spirit. Otherwise, if there is no consent to this and similar cases will be judged by fraternities and kinships and the hand of the rebellious crowd will again violate the justice of the court, do what you yourself please, and I will stay away from it. 35. To the bishops on behalf of the father (23) He, to the Bishops gathered in Caesarea to elect a Bishop, casts his vote for St. Vasily, let’s make it clear to them that the invitation was made by them after they started the business How affectionate, humane and abundant in love you are! You invite me to the metropolis, as I think, for a conference about the bishop, for I guess your thought. But without notifying me that he should appear, or why or when, you suddenly announce that you have already started something, as if you had the wrong idea to do me honor, or you are not concerned about me being with you, but are trying to reject my presence so that nothing happens against my will. This is your action; and I bear this insult; I’ll explain to you what my opinion is. Others propose, of course, others, each according to their own morals and for their own benefits, which usually happens in such cases. But I cannot (and it would be unfair) to prefer anyone to our most honorable son, co-presbyter Vasily. For who among those known to us will we find either more worthy of approval in life, or in speech more powerful and in all respects adorned with the beauty of virtue? If his physical weakness is an excuse, then you choose not a fighter, but a teacher. And besides, this is already a sign of strength, which strengthens and supports the weak, if they exist. If you accept this voice, then I am ready to be with you and assist you, either spiritually or physically. And if the journey is offered to me with conditions and differences are ready to prevail over the truth, then I am glad that you are despised. This will be your business, pray for me. 36. To Eusebius, Bishop of Somasot, on behalf of his father By this letter and through its bearer, Deacon Eustathius, he invites Eusebius to meet with him and to assist in the election of St. Basil as Bishop of Caesarea “Who will give me a krill like a dove” (Ps. 54:7)? Or how will my old age be renewed, so that I can reach your love, quench the desire I have to see you, describe to you the sadness of my soul and find from you any consolation in sorrows? From the time when the blessed Bishop Eusebius died, I was overcome with considerable fear, lest those who from time to time creep into the Church of our metropolis and want to fill it with heretical tares, taking advantage of the time, with their crafty teachings, would not eradicate piety, sown with great difficulty in the souls of men, and would not dissect the unity of the Church, which they have already done in many Churches. Since a letter came to me from the clergy, in which they beg not to leave them at such a time without care, then, looking around me, I remembered your love, the right faith and zeal that you always have for the Churches of God. Therefore, I sent to you my beloved co-deacon Eustathius to ask for your dignity and to beg that you add the present one to your previous works on the Churches, so that by meeting with me you will calm my old age, and establish the piety known to everyone in the entire Orthodox Church together with me (if I am worthy to be joined to you in this good work) by giving a shepherd, according to the will of the Lord, capable of ruling the people of God. I have a husband in mind, and he is well known to you. If we were worthy to acquire it, then I know that we would have acquired great boldness before God and would have done a great good deed to the people who invited us. But I also repeatedly beg you, putting aside any slowdown, hit the road and prevent the troubles of the winter road. St. Gregory the Theologian, on his own behalf, thanks for the consent to the election of St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea, and notifies about the departure of his parent to Caesarea Where should I start praising you? What word should I use to address you in order to call you more decently? Shall I call you a pillar and foundation of the Church, or a luminary in the world, speaking together with the Apostle? Or a crown of praise for the saved part of Christians? Or a gift from God, the support of the fatherland, the helmsman of faith, the messenger of truth? Or all these names together and many more? And I will confirm such an excess of praise with visible evidence. What timely rain fell on a thirsty land? What plentiful water from a stone is there for those wandering in the desert? What kind of angelic bread has man eaten? To what drowning disciples did the Lord Jesus, common to all, appear at such an opportune time that he could tame the sea and save those overwhelmed, just as you appeared to us, exhausted, saddened and, as it were, subjected to shipwreck? Should we talk about others? With what complacency and pleasure you filled the souls of the Orthodox, and how many you saved from despair! And our mother, the Church (I mean the Church of Caesarea), now, when you see her, truly lays aside the garments of widowhood, puts on the robe of joy, and will rejoice even more when she has a shepherd worthy of herself, and the previous shepherds, and your hands. For you yourself see what our position is, and how many miracles your zeal, your labors and your boldness in God have produced. Old age is renewed, illness is overcome, those lying on their beds rise, and the weak are clothed with strength. Therefore, I conclude that our affairs will end according to our desire: my parent is acting for you and me, who with this present feat for the Church will put a wonderful end to his entire life and honest gray hair. And I know for sure that he will return to us with strengthened and renewed strength, through your prayers, from which we can hope for everything. And if he loses his life amid these worries, then it is not a loss to be honored with such a death in such a matter. I beg your pardon if, yielding somewhat to the language of wicked people, I delay a little in coming to you and hugging you, and personally adding to the praise what has not been said now. 38. To Basil the Great (24) Expresses his joy at his accession to the throne of Caesarea, and explains the reasons why he hesitates to go to him As soon as I learned that you were elevated to a high throne, the Spirit conquered, the lamp, which had not shone darkly before, was placed on a candlestick and in full view of everyone; I admit, I was glad about this. And how could one not be happy, seeing that the common cause of the Church was in a bad situation and needed such leadership? However, I did not suddenly rush to you, and I am not in a hurry, and you yourself do not demand this, firstly, in order to preserve your honor for me and so that they do not think that you are gathering adherents, out of ignorance of decency and out of vehemence, as envious people may say; and secondly, so that I myself could acquire constancy and impeccability. Therefore, perhaps you will say: “When will you come? And until when will you put it off?” Before God commands and the shadows of those who are now malicious and envious disappear. For I know well that the lepers who are blocking David’s entry into Jerusalem will not resist for long. To the reproaches of St. Vasily responds with praises to Vasily for his coldness towards him How? Is anything of yours to me the same as a pickled berry on a grapevine? What word escaped you from the fence of your teeth, O divine and sacred head? Or how did you dare to say this? Is it just so that I can dare a little? How did the idea come about, the ink written, the paper accepted? Sciences, Athens, virtues, works raised for the sciences! You see, what you wrote almost makes me a tragic! Do you not know me, or yourself? How can something of yours, the eye of the universe, the sonorous voice and trumpet, the chamber of learning, be unimportant for Gregory? Why else would anyone on earth marvel if Gregory does not marvel at you? One spring a year, one sun between the stars, one sky embraces everything, one voice above all, and this (if I am only able to judge such matters and love does not deceive me, which I do not think), is your voice. And if you blame me for not praising you as I should, then blame all people for this, because no one else has praised or praises as they should, as you would praise, as your sonorous speech would praise, if you could praise yourself and the law of praiseworthy words allowed this. And if you accuse me of contempt, then why don’t you first accuse me of madness? But if you are indignant at the fact that I am philosophical, then let me say that this is one thing and above your words. An obstacle to meeting St. Vasily indicates his mother’s illness and asks for the Vasilievs’ prayers for her recovery To carry out your order depends partly on me, and partly, I think even more, on your reverence. From me - desire and zeal, because at other times I never shied away from meeting with you, but, on the contrary, I always sought it; Now I wish it even more. It depends on your reverence to put my affairs in order. For I constantly sit at the bedside of the Empress Mother, who has been suffering from illness for a long time. And if I can leave her out of danger, rest assured, I will not deprive myself of your contemplation. Only with your prayers help her to recover and for me to complete my journey. He recounts how one of the monks in some meeting where St. Gregory, reproached St. Basil and himself, one allegedly in an unhealthy teaching about the Holy Spirit, and the other in timidity, and like the saint himself. Gregory tried, however unsuccessfully, to justify St. Vasily (371) I have long revered you as a leader of life, a teacher of dogmas and everything that is beautiful, no matter what anyone says, and now I honor you; and if there is another praiser of your excellences, then, without a doubt, he will stand either next to me or behind me. I am so committed to your reverence, and so completely yours! And this is not surprising. For with whom you deal longer, you see more experience; and where there is more experience, there is more perfect evidence. If there is anything useful for me in life, it is your friendship and the way I treat you. This is how I think about it and would like to always think this way. What am I writing now? I am not writing of my own free will, but I will nevertheless write this. And don't be angry with me; or I myself will be extremely upset if you do not believe me that I am saying and writing this out of goodwill towards you. Many blame us, calling us weak in the faith, namely all those who think that I have everything in common with you, which they do very well. And some of them clearly accuse us of wickedness, and others of timidity, of wickedness - confident that we are not speaking sensibly, and of timidity - attributing evasiveness to us. But what is the need to repeat the speeches of others? So I’ll tell you what happened recently. There was a feast, and at the feast there were many noble people who were well disposed towards us, and among them was someone bearing the name and image of piety. The feasting had not yet begun; the word has spread about us, who, as usually happens at feasts, are brought forward instead of any other interaction. Everyone is amazed at your perfections, they add me to you, as someone who practices equal wisdom with you, they talk about our friendship, about Athens, about our unanimity and like-mindedness in everything; but this wise man finds this offensive and, crying out with great determination, says: “What is it, my lords, that you lie and flatter so much? Let them be praised for other things, if you like, I don’t argue about that, but I disagree on the most important thing: they praise Vasily for Orthodoxy in vain, and Gregory in vain; one betrays the faith by what he says, and the other by tolerating it.” “Where did you get this, empty man, new Dathan and Aviron in arrogance? - I said. – Where did you come to us with such teaching rights? And how dare you make yourself a judge in such matters.” “I am now,” he said, “from the Council that was held by the martyr Eupsychius; and he is a witness that this is indeed so. There I heard how the great Basil theologized about the Father and the Son excellently and very perfectly, and in a way that would be more absurd to say to anyone else; but in the doctrine of the Spirit he deviated from the straight path.” And to this he added one comparison, comparing you to rivers that go around stones and dig up sand. “And you, wonderful one,” he said, looking at me, “are already very clearly blaspheming the Spirit” (and at the same time he recalled one of my expressions, when, while theologizing at a crowded meeting, I then concluded my speech about the Spirit with these often repeated words: “How long should we hide the lamp under a bushel?”), but he does not clearly express the thought, as if casting a shadow on the teaching, does not dare to pronounce the truth, throwing it in our ears expressions more appropriate for a resourceful person than for a pious one, and covering up double-mindedness with the power of words. “This is because,” I said, “I am not in plain sight, I am hated by many; others almost don’t even know what I say, or even whether I speak, and that’s why I speak wisdom safely. There are many speeches about him, as about a person who is known both in himself and in the Church. Everything he says becomes publicly known. There is a fierce battle around him; heretics are trying to catch every bare utterance from the lips of Basil himself, so that after everything around has already been captured, this man, almost the only spark of truth and vitality left for us, can be expelled from the Church, and so that evil takes root in the city and from this Church, as if from some kind of ambush, spreads throughout the entire universe. Therefore, it is better for us to be thrifty in the truth, yielding somewhat to time, which has darkened us like a cloud, rather than by clear preaching cause the truth to decline. For it does no harm for us to know that the Spirit is God from other sayings that lead to the same conclusion, because the truth lies not so much in sound as in thought. But great damage will be done to the Church if the truth is driven out with one person.” Those present did not approve of such frugality, calling it untimely and even a mockery of them; They cried out to us that we protect our timidity more than the teaching of the Church. For it is much better, standing for the truth, to protect one’s own, rather than to render one’s powerless by such frugality, and not to accept someone else’s. But to retell now in all details what I said and what I heard, and how, beyond measure and my own custom, I expressed my indignation at those who contradicted, would be long, and perhaps not necessary. The end of the letter is that at the same time I parted with them. But you, divine and sacred head, teach me to what extent we should extend ourselves in theology about the Spirit, what words to use, and to what extent we should go in our frugality, so that we can have all this ready for our opponents. For if I, who know you and your thoughts better than anyone, and have repeatedly certified and been certified of this, now demanded an explanation of this for myself, I would be the most ignorant, pitiful person. Justifies himself before St. Vasily, who was offended by the previous letter Someone smarter than me might suspect this; and I, an extremely simple and empty person, was not afraid of this when I wrote to you. My letter offended you, but I insist that it was not insulting, not fair, but, on the contrary, quite in vain. It is true that you did not express your grief; but (what he did smartly) hid it, as if with some kind of mask, covering the face of sadness with shame. But if I did this with cunning and malicious intent, I will suffer harm not so much from your sorrow as from the truth; if I acted simply, out of ordinary goodwill, then I will blame my sins, and not your disposition, except that I will only say that it would be better to correct this than to be angry with the advisers. Therefore, you will see for yourself what you should do, being able to give advice on this to others. And I, for my part, am ready, God willing, to be with you, and to strive with you, and to help you to the best of my ability. For under your leadership and with you, who will be unable, and who will not dare to speak and work for the truth? Encourages St. Basil to resist the machinations of the enemies of the Church and not be embarrassed by the fact that Anthimus, Bishop of Tyana, becoming independent from the throne of Caesarea, appropriated to himself many dioceses in the Caesarea Metropolis (372) I hear that you are embarrassed by the recent innovation and are in difficulty due to some sophistry and the usual inquisitiveness prevailing here. This is not surprising, because I know envy, and I also know that many of those around you manage their affairs through you and fan the spark of cowardice. Therefore, I am not afraid that in sorrowful circumstances you will suffer something uncharacteristic of wisdom, unworthy of yourself and me. On the contrary, I think that now my Vasily will especially make himself known, now that wisdom that you have constantly been collecting will appear; now, as if with a high wave, you will defeat intentions, and, when others are confused, you will remain unshakable. And if you wish, I will appear myself, and perhaps give some thought, if only the sea needs water, and you need an adviser. In any case, I will gain benefit for myself and learn wisdom, enduring insults with you. Playfully depicts the Ozizala desert, in which St. Amphilochius, later Bishop of Iconium, pursued asceticism, leaving judicial affairs You're kidding. And I know the danger of Ozizala, which starves when it is most diligently cultivated. One thing that is commendable about it is that although they die of hunger there, they still smell fragrant and have a magnificent coffin ready for themselves. Why is this? Because they are covered in many different colors. Sending the Pamphylian Glaucus to him, he asks to treat him in the Ozizale desert When I visited the mountains and the cities of Pamphylia lying near the mountains, I caught the sea Glaucus there on the mountains, not with linen nets extracting this fish from the depths, but with the love of friends, drawing the prey into the net. As soon as this Glaucus learned to walk on land, I send him with letters to your kindness; Receive him kindly and be rewarded with the green treat praised in Scripture. Doesn't approve of some Armenian being praised by St. Amphilohiem The order of your rightness is not at all barbaric, but Hellenic, or better yet, Christian. But the Armenian, of whom you boast so much, is a complete barbarian and is far from our competition. He asks for some greenery to be sent from Ozizala to treat St. Vasily We did not ask you for bread, just as we did not ask for water from the inhabitants of Ostrakina. And if we ask the inhabitant of Ozizala for greenery, of which you have an abundance and of which we have a great shortage, then this is not surprising and not out of custom. Therefore, deign to send us more and better greens, or as much as you can, and beware of the great Vasily, so that you, having already experienced the wisdom of the well-fed Vasily, do not experience it - the hungry and indignant one. Reprimands for the fact that, instead of the requested greens, only quinoa was sent How sparingly the greenery comes to us from you! And what, besides quinoa? Meanwhile, all your wealth is gardens and rivers, groves and meadows, and your side is also abundant in greenery, like others’ gold-bearing ones, and you feed on meadow flowers. And grains of grain are a fabulous blessing for you, and bread, as they say about the bread of angels, is also desirable, and you are not always sure of receiving it. Therefore, send us more abundant greens, or we will not make other threats, but will hold back our grain reserves; and then we will find out whether grasshoppers really feed on dew alone. 49. To Basil the Great (32) He defends himself that it was not out of laziness or negligence that he renounced the bishopric in Sasima, where St. ordained him. Vasily against his will You reproach me for laziness and negligence, because I did not take your Sasimov, I was not carried away by the episcopal spirit, I do not arm myself with you to fight, as dogs fight among themselves for the piece thrown to them. And for me the most important thing is inaction. And in order to know to you something of my perfections, I boast so much of my carelessness that I consider the greatness of the spirit in this to be a law for everyone; and I think that if everyone imitated me, there would be no worries for the Churches, and faith, which everyone now turns into a weapon of their love of controversy, would not tolerate desecration. Expresses his grief that through his ordination as Bishop of Sasima he was introduced into a relationship that was completely contrary to his spirit Will you really not stop blaspheming me as an uneducated, rude person, unworthy of friendship, and even life itself, because you dared to realize that I have suffered? For I have not done you another insult, you can confirm this yourself; Yes, I don’t realize, and I don’t want to admit to myself, that I acted badly in front of you in anything unimportant or important, except for this one thing: that I recognized myself as deceived, and although it was too late, I nevertheless recognized it, and I blame the throne for this, which suddenly raised you above me. I am tired of listening to reproaches to you and defending you in front of people who are well aware of our previous and current relationship with you. The funniest thing, or, better said, the most regrettable thing is to experience for yourself that one and the same thing is offended and reproached, as it happened to me now. Others reproach both for this and that, each for whatever they please, according to his own disposition or according to the extent of his anger at us; and the most philanthropic - in contempt, in disdain, in the fact that, after being used in business, I am thrown away like the most dishonest and worthless vessel, or like a support under the vaults, which, having folded the vault, is taken out and considered nothing. Therefore, let us give these people complete freedom, let them say what they can say; no one can restrain an unauthorized tongue. And you, as a reward, give me those blessed and empty hopes that you came up with against the detractors, because for my honor you offend me, a frivolous person and capable only of something like that. And I will express what’s on my heart; don't be angry with me; for I will say the same thing that I said during the tribulation itself; and then I was not so inflamed with anger or amazed by what happened that I lost my mind and did not know what I said. I will not look for weapons and learn military cunning, which I had not learned before, when, apparently, there was a special time for this, because everyone was arming themselves, everyone was going berserk (you know the ailments of the weak). I will not expose myself to the attacks of the battle-bearing Anthimus, although not a very dexterous warrior, being myself unarmed, unwarlike and open to wounds. But fight him yourself, if you wish, for need often makes the weak warriors; or look for men who will fight when Anthimus captures your mules, guarding the narrow passages and, like the Amalekites, repelling Israel. And in return give me silence. What need is there to enter into a fight for mammals and birds, and for strangers at that, as if we were dealing with souls and the rules of the Church? Why deprive the metropolis of the glorious Sasimov or expose and reveal the secret of the heart that should be hidden? But you take courage, overcome, and draw everything to your glory, as spring streams are swallowed up by rivers, preferring neither friendship nor habit to virtue and piety, not caring how you will be considered for such an act, but surrendering to the one Spirit, and I will gain one benefit from your friendship, that I will not trust friends and will not prefer anything to God. Describes how he and his parent received Anthimus, Bishop of Tyana, and why they had correspondence with him How ardently and like a young horse you gallop in your letters! And this is not surprising: you, who have recently achieved fame, want to show me what glory you have acquired, in order to make yourself even more venerable through this, like painters who paint only beauties. And if I retell to you all the actions of the bishops and the contents of the letter that worries you, where I started it, where I brought it, and how I ended it, then it seems to me that this exceeds the limits of the letter and is not so much a matter of justification as of history. In short, the most courageous Anthimus came to us with some bishops, either to visit my father (for they thought about it anyway), or to do what he wanted. After many inquiries about many things: about the parishes, about the Sasima swamps, about my ordination; after he caressed, begged, threatened, laid out his rights, condemned, praised, drew circles for himself as proof that we should look at him alone and at the new metropolis, which is more important, after all this I said: “Why do you include our city in your circle, when we constitute the Church, this in the true sense and, moreover, from ancient times the mother of churches?” Finally, having failed to do anything and with great arrogance reproaching us for our adherence to Vasily, as if to some Philip, he left. Do you really think that we have offended you by this? I don't think so. Consider the contents of the letter, is it really written to offend you? A cathedral invitation was drawn up in our name. I argued, said that this was an insult; but for the second time they demanded that you be invited through me for a meeting about this; and I agreed to this; but so that the former does not happen, I leave everything to your will; Will it please you to gather them, where and when? And this showed me as a respectful person, not an offender. When I did this without any offense, then tell me the rest. If you need to know something from me, I will read you the very letter that Anthimus, when he, despite our prohibitions and threats, seized the swamps into his power, sent a letter to us, both insulting and blaspheming us, and as if singing a victory song over us, who had suffered defeat from him. What is this reason? And we are exposed to his wrath because of you and you are not liked as pleasing to him? But it was necessary to know about this first, wonderful man, and then not to offend, if not for another reason, then at least as elders. And if you have a great desire to show yourself and ambition, and you extend your speech to us from on high as a citizen of the metropolis to the citizens of a small city or even those who do not have a city, then we also have pride that we can contrast with yours. This is not difficult for anyone, and perhaps even more decent. He testifies to him of his respect for St. Vasily I always preferred the great Vasily to myself, although he had a contrary opinion about this, and I still prefer it now, both out of friendship and for the sake of the truth itself. That’s why I put his letters in front, and mine behind them. For I really wish that I had a mutual connection with him in everything, and at the same time I want to show them and others an example of modesty and subordination. 53. To Aeria and Alypius (80) Convinces them to fulfill the will of their mother, who gave up part of her estate to the Nazianian Church It is fair and holy that true lovers of children should bring as a gift to God, from Whom we ourselves and all ours are, like the firstfruits, the threshing floor, the grindstone, and the children themselves, as well as new inheritances, so that the part brought diligently as a gift will lead to security for the rest. Therefore, do not allow your mercy to reach us after everyone else, but first of all, be zealous for God, and through Him for everyone, and having rejected worldly laws, enslave yourself to our laws, bearing fruit from yourself with zeal. For although what is left behind by others is offered, we will accept your diligence, and God will reward you many times more than what you give now, and not only in this temporary and transitory life, but also in the eternal and permanent life, which alone is to be kept in mind and to which to direct all one’s hopes is a safe thing. Since God will be the same towards you as you yourself will be towards the poor, then without petty calculations and stinginess, but with all generosity and zeal, fulfill the will of the deceased. Imagining that she is with you and sees your deeds, reassure her with your generosity, so that you receive from her not just an opinion, but also a mother’s blessing that confirms the children’s homes. Having considered that, according to what is written, a small share with truth is better than a huge share with avarice (Sir. 14:3) - just so as not to say anything offensive - and that many did not prevent entire houses from being donated to the Church, while others sacrificed all their property from themselves, and made this wonderful exchange - they became beggars for the sake of the wealth there - do not sow sparingly in order to reap richly (see 2 Cor. 9:6); but bring this good inheritance as a gift to yourself and to those whom you love most, not subtracting anything from what was written in the will, but giving it away with pleasure and with a bright face, or better yet, returning everything to God as His property, and acquiring for yourself that one thing that can be spent for your souls. For why collect for robbers and thieves, for the vicissitudes of time, which from one to another transfers and transfers fickle wealth, and not invest your property in safe treasuries, inaccessible to those who are malicious? In others and for others, show your frugality (for I would like you, with your kindness, to be powerful), but for us, fight the good fight, that is, let one overcome the other with reverence and blessings that God gives to the grateful. So, assure us that you are sincere Christians. It is better to say: having laid such a wonderful, so pious and righteous beginning, agree with it and everything else, so that both you and we may rejoice in each other, both for other reasons, and because by your gratitude in this you have shown a good example for the whole Church. The reason for his rare meeting with Vitalian is that he is surrounded by bad people We don’t talk to you often, and the reason is that you are surrounded by many people, whom I am always less happy about. If you free yourself from crowds and give shelter to virtue in your home, you will see that, according to the proverb, even the lame will run. This is what I promise, with God’s help, and I will fulfill it. This Amphilochius, saddened by the separation from his son, Amphilochius, who was appointed Bishop of Iconium, announces the death of his parent (374) Are you grieving? And of course I’m happy! Are you shedding tears? And I, as you can see, celebrate and boast about the present circumstances! It saddens you that your son has been kidnapped and honored for his virtue; Is it unbearable for you that he will not be with you, that he will not look after you in your old age and, according to custom, serve you in what he should? But I’m not sad that my father left me on his last journey, from which he will never return to me, and I will never see him again! After this I don’t complain at all, I don’t demand proper consolation, knowing that my own misfortunes do not allow me time to take care of others; but there is no person so friendly and wise that he would be above suffering and begin to console another when he himself needs consolation. But you add blow to blow, accusing us, as I hear, and thinking that you did not take care of your son and our brother or (what is most difficult) betrayed him, we do not even realize the loss that everyone, friends and relatives, suffered, especially you, who most of all believed in him the hope of life, saw in him the only support, the only good adviser, the only accomplice in piety. On what do you base your guesses? If it’s the same, then remember that, alarmed by the rumor, I came to you with the intention and was ready to communicate my opinion when there was still time to consult about it; but you talked to me about everything except this, I don’t know whether because of the same grief or for some other purpose. If you conclude according to the latter, then what prevented me from seeing you another time most of all was my grief, due honor to my father and burial, to which I could not prefer anything else, especially when the grief was so fresh that to philosophize untimely would have been above human nature, and not only impious, but also indecent in other respects. I also thought that the matter itself had warned me, having already reached its end, as it pleased the Ruler of our affairs. And enough about that. Now curb your grief, as I assure myself, it is the most unreasonable thing. If anything else presents itself to you, let me know, so that you do not upset me in part, and yourself, and so as not to tolerate something that is very unworthy of your nobility, blaming me instead of others, who did not offend you in any way, but, if the truth must be told, experienced the same coercion from our mutual friends, whom you considered your only benefactors. Reminds Julian of his promise to be philanthropic when taxing the inhabitants of Nazianz I have your promise; and judging by your disposition, I boldly hope that I will receive a gift. Although the great Debt Resolver knows best the measure of retribution, yet if it is in our will to make similar conditions, then we will measure the retribution; from me - sacrifice, and from you - love for humanity. He asks that the displeasures that happened between Julian and Nicobulus not be imputed to him, and intercedes for the Nazianzian clergy And I have many rights to friendship with you; besides everything else, there is a common love for science, which for many deserves respect more than anything else and is conducive to friendship; There is not a single pretext for hostility, and God forbid that there is not one. For what you have with your brother Nicobulus or what you are upset about from Nicobulus, this concerns me no more than what is happening in India; I only know that I did not give my approval to anything that happened between you. Therefore, do not impute this to me and for the sake of such a reason do not plot anything bad against yourself, but complete the philanthropic deed that you promised to the poor; and also my clergy, for whom I asked, were exempted from the census, judging that it is extremely incredible that when others sacrifice all their property to God, you do not want to do good for free, and when all those who serve the altar are given as gifts to other cities, I will not receive as a gift those who are with me and serve me, and, moreover, I will not receive from you, a person very close to me, to whom I myself, perhaps, do not do shame. I should have written to you about this, but I was not able to meet with you, because my illness drove me to Tiana, to seek a cure there while there was time. Sorry about that; instead of me you have God, who is always with the poor and helps them, and whom you must respect more than my presence. Due to illness, he refuses to meet with Julian for meetings on tax equalization, but gives him the necessary advice He did well to invite me to the monastery with you to think about equalizing taxes; this matter is worth a lot of care. I would very willingly meet you if I were healthy; and I will come if God wills and makes this possible. And now I’m replacing a personal date with a letter. I know that you came from sacred parents and grew up in the fear of God from childhood. Therefore, whatever you recognize as useful both for your good glory and for the salvation of your soul, then, of course, you will do, even if I did not write about it. And if I should add something from myself, then I bring to your attention that instead of any other kind of life chosen by Christian souls to serve God, you will now have this service, and you will acquire for yourself a great treasure by taking care of the common cause, correcting what was previously poorly distributed. To carry out your business safely, the only and most important means that you first of all need to think about is to choose as employees people whom you know to be distinguished by prudence and good morals, for what is the use if the helmsman is good and the rowers are bad? 59. To Eusebius Bishop of Samosata (28) He asks for the prayers of this bishop, who was sent into captivity by Emperor Valens in Thrace, and with whom St. Gregory, due to his illness, could not see each other during his passage through Cappadocia (374). When your piety passed through our fatherland, I could not look out of the upper room, being in the highest degree of illness. But it was not so much the illness that brought mortal fear that upset me, but the fact that I was deprived of your sacred and kind conversation. I have such a desire to see your venerable face, which is characteristic of a person who needs healing of spiritual wounds, and who hopes to receive it from your perfection. But if the consequence of my sins was that I could not then have a meeting with you, now, through your kindness, there may be some consolation for me in grief. For if you deign to remember me in your prayers available to God, then this will be a parting word for me to every blessing of God, both in this life of mine and in the next century. The fact that such a man, who struggled so much for the faith of the Gospel, who endured so much persecution and through patience in tribulation prepared for himself such boldness before the just God, deigns to be my representative in prayers, has, I am sure, the same power for me as the intercession of one of the holy martyrs. Why I pray: to constantly remember your Gregory by what I myself wish to become worthy of your memory. He praises Eupraxius, who volunteered to serve Eusebius, pleases Eusebius himself, as a sufferer for the Church of Christ, and, thanks for the news about himself, asks to be notified in the future Precious to us all, one of our sincere friends, our most venerable brother Eupraxius, turned out to be even more precious and sincere in his disposition towards you. Even now he has rushed to serve you with such zeal, just as a thirsty tree (I will say in the words of David) quenches its unbearable thirst in a pleasant and pure source. For the patience of sorrows and for our sake, deign to become this drink for him. Blessed is the one who is worthy to be near you. And even more blessed is he who, through suffering for Christ and deeds for the truth, acquires for himself a similar crown, which few of those who fear God have been granted. For you showed in yourself a virtue that was not without trials: not only during good weather did you sail straight and rule the souls of others, but you also shone in the midst of severe temptations, becoming higher than your persecutors by courageously leaving your homeland. Others have their own land, but we have the Heavenly City; others may have begun to own our throne, but we have Christ. What a purchase! What we left and what we received! “We will pass through fire and water,” but I am sure that “we will enter into peace” (Ps. 65:12), because God will not completely abandon us and will not abandon the persecuted right teaching with His care, but because of the multitude of our illnesses, His consolations will make us glad. This is what we believe and pray for. And I ask you to pray for our humility. And if the time comes, do not be lazy to bless me with your writing and give me complacency with news about yourself, which you have now honored. Thanks for the letter and asks not to forget about it It makes me happy that you write to me and remember me, and what’s more important than this is that you bless me in your letters. I would like (which is what your suffering, your feat for Christ and for Christ deserve) to be worthy of being with you, to kiss your godliness and in your suffering to find for myself a model of patience. But since I am unworthy of this, I am bothered by many sorrows and idle time, then I do the second, that is, I salute your perfection and ask you not to put your memory of me into trouble. For it is not only useful for me to be rewarded with your writings, but even to serve as praise and adornment in front of many, which draws the attention of a man who has such high virtue, who has such access to God, that by word and example he can lead others to God. Let someone else praise something else about you; without a doubt, you will be enough for many lips; but I will say what I am most amazed at. There is so much rightness and learning in you that this alone makes your friends everyone who is considered your friend. At least before all those who were honored by you (no matter how many there were), when you held the highest position, which had hitherto been the subject of harassment, having met me in Asia, if you remember something about this (and I know that you remember, while being perfect in everything, being just as constant in friendship), you, as in other things, turned your favorable attention to me, and, honoring your learning, you convinced me to write to you, and not only convinced, but he was the first to deign to write to me, imitating good painters who teach students by showing them many examples. You did the same (and quite well) now. But do not be lazy to reward me with the same things later, although you will again be exalted with honors, because they will bring you leadership, and not virtue, in which, having reached the very top, you will have nowhere to rise. While engaged in public affairs, do not cease to take care of your friends, following the example of Homer’s heroes, who even in the midst of war take care of the duties of friendship. For your Homer also makes his creation more diverse. He rejoices that Eutropius has become a Christian, and at the same time regrets that his illness prevents him from seeing him What does it mean? The Great Eutropius is among us! And we hear, but we do not enjoy. What else, if not the same thing, happened to the famous Tantalus, who was thirsty among the streams? You, as you write, wish to meet with me; and you are doing well. A person like you should not have despised his friends, but also do good to me in passing and honor me in the same way after leaving the title of ruler, with which he was honored to honor his superiors. But what kind of disposition do you think I am in, and what is in my heart, wanting to see you no less, if not more than you (which is natural, because what is worthy of respect is coveted), but bound by illness? Be for me that Egyptian medicine (whether it is a word or something else) with which Otar heals souls in sorrow. But how will you take this medicine? First, by excusing me, because good nature is ready to apologize, and then by admonishing me with your letters, because even when you were a boss, we marveled more at your virtue than at your power. 64. To Gregory of Nyssa (35) He asks not to mourn his exile, predicting that the triumph of the heretics will not last long (376) Do not be too distressed in sorrows. For the less we grieve, the easier the grief becomes. There is no problem if the heretics have warmed up and with spring dare to crawl out of their holes, as you yourself write. I know very well that they will hiss for a short time, then they will hide, overthrown by both truth and time, and the sooner, the more we leave everything to God with greater hope. Similar to previous content What you wrote about, I reason like this. Despised, we do not grieve, and honored, we do not rejoice. For we are worthy of one thing, and the other is a matter of our curiosity. Pray for me. Sorry for the brevity; although it is short, it is, without a doubt, longer than silence. 66. To Bishop Gregory (142) Accompanying him with her love, she reassures him that the rising storm will soon end, wishes him a quick return and asks him to inform him about himself And sitting at home, I accompany you with love, because love makes everything common to us; Trusting in God’s love for mankind and in your prayers, I have great hope that everything will happen according to our wishes. The storm will turn into a quiet breeze, and God, as a reward for Orthodoxy, will allow you to overcome those who do evil to you. Most of all, it is most desirable to see and host you soon, as we pray for. If you slow down in the course of affairs, then do not refuse, at least, to please us with letters informing us about the progress of your affairs, and, according to custom, to pray for us. And may the good God keep you, as the common support of the Church, healthy and filled with all joy! 67. To Bosporius, Bishop of Colonia (141) Humbly refuses Vosporiev's offer to take over the leadership of the Church I am ashamed of the difficulties of your invitation; but I would have become even more ashamed of myself if I had not written the truth. I'm afraid that my business will end in nothing; I am so ashamed of my gray hairs, and the common meal, and the labors incurred since my youth - I am ashamed, because before you I am lower than the most worthless people and despised by those from whom I would least expect this. Upon urgent demands, Vosporia agrees to devote himself to the service of the Church I thought, however, that I had the right to your apology for the previous one; I'm so simple and narrow-minded. But since you do not stop reprimanding me, you still attack me for the past and come up with new ones to add to the old insults, I don’t know for what reason, whether out of hatred for me, or to please others by dishonoring me, I leave it to God to find out and judge about it, from Whom, as the Divine Scripture says, nothing is hidden. Although we wear the mask of truth out of decency before people, I now inform your reverence that I am defeated and will not be lazy, to the best of my ability, as God wills, to take care of the Church, because you insist on this, and especially, as you yourself write, due to the need of circumstances, due to the expected attack of opponents. Yes, and this humble body, as long as it lasts and as long as I have the strength, I will devote to the service of God, so that I too will not have a burden on myself when you condemn, and the entire clergy cries out, showering me with all sorts of complaints, and I myself see that the Church is left without care, and many scold me as a person who does not value church affairs, and you should not work any longer, humiliating me. And I will do this through your prayers, if you yourself, as you say and as you say, find it difficult to take upon yourself the care of the Church. For it is better to die for those worries than for these, when it is necessary to be in poverty, because this is how God disposes of my affairs. 69. To Gregory of Nyssa (34) This bishop, who, upon returning from exile, was entrusted with inspecting individual Churches, asks not to be bored by frequent travel You get bored with moving from one place to another, and it seems to you that your life is as impermanent as trees carried on water. No, wonderful husband, don’t think that. Trees do not fly of their own accord; and your journeys from place to place are done for God; and doing good to many is the most constant thing, although you yourself do not stand still. Would anyone blame the sun for walking around, pouring out its rays and reviving everything that it illuminates on its way; or, while praising the fixed stars, will he condemn the planets, whose very deviations from the correct course are so harmonious? He expresses his grief over the death of St. Vasily and at the same time regret that it could not be at his burial (379)) And this was left to my disastrous life - to hear about the death of Vasily, about the departure of the holy soul, by which she moved from us and moved into the Lord, spending her whole life caring for this! And I, since I am still ill in body, and extremely dangerously, am, among other things, deprived of the opportunity to embrace the sacred ashes, to come to you, who are wise as you should be, and to console our mutual friends. For to see the loneliness of the Church, which has lost such glory and laid aside such a crown, is both inconceivable to the eye and inappropriate to the ear, especially for those with intelligence. But you, it seems to me, although you have many friends and words of consolation, cannot be consoled by anything so much as by yourself and the memory of him. You and him were for all others an example of philosophy (philosophy) and, as it were, some kind of spiritual level of decency in happy cases and patience in unfortunate cases, because wisdom knows how to do both - to use happiness in moderation, and to maintain decency in disasters. And this from me to your honour. And for me, who writes this, what time or word will bring consolation, besides your friendship and conversation, which the blessed one left me in return for everything, so that in you, as in a beautiful and transparent mirror, seeing his features, I can remain in the thought that he is still with us? 71. To Eudoxius the rhetorician (39) What are we doing, you ask? Extremely bitter. I lost Vasily, I lost Caesarea, I lost both my spiritual and my physical brother. “My father and my mother have abandoned me,” I will say with David (Ps. 26:10). I am sick in body, old age is over my head, a lot of worries have accumulated, things have been crushed, there is no loyalty in friends, the Church is without shepherds, the good is dying, the evil is outside; you have to sail at night, there are no guiding lights shining anywhere, Christ is sleeping. What do I need to endure? For me, there is only one way out of evil: death. But things there are also scary, if you think about it in the local way. He earnestly asks her to stop her lawsuit, which began during the life of St. Basil, on the appointment as bishop of one of the slaves of Simplicia Do you praise our holy and common father, this support of faith, this guide of truth and model of the Church, this gray haired man full of prudence, this man who surpassed the measure of both human life and virtues, this faithful servant and great bishop, mediator between God and man, this abode of the Spirit? In this you act justly, because every word is beneath this holy and blessed soul, unless love or sorrow combined with love deceive me. But I was extremely surprised in you that although you praise him as a saint and have hitherto honored him as much as he should, you nevertheless intend to destroy his work, as if it had been done by one of the unsanctified, such a person who is most worthy of reproach, as someone who lived and ended his life without the intended purpose. For if you appropriate his fellow shepherd to yourself as your own slave and pursue this petty gain, then this is very unworthy of your generosity. Is it not reckless to honor God with the offering of gold, and silver, and the excesses of one’s property (in which, perhaps, there is more desire to show oneself than piety), and to want the Church to completely lose its priest, and to steal from it the most sacred of all offerings? If you are indignant that we did this autocratically, and did not remind your nobility and did not give time to your generosity, then you will say some truth in this, and your weakness will be human, at least human. But know that your alms are now more important than in those days, since it is greater generosity to allow one to take than to give. By giving yourself, apparently, you bring a gift to God alone, and by allowing you to take, you also bring it to us, His servants, who are honored to bear His name. So don't be angry with him and me. He acted, it is true, autocratically, but did not do any offense, and was it surprising to me that it came to this, relying on your kindness and at the same time believing the general voice of the whole country, which others gave either out of zeal or maliciously - let it be known to them themselves, and let them give an account of this to God, because it is not our business to know this and enter into the favor of everyone; How easy would it have been for me to refuse, and how would I have despised so many tears or the orphanhood of the country, which had been left for so long without care for it, without a shepherd, without spiritual governance? But you know better than anyone that those who consented then, and now renounce, are acting impiously and ignoble. It would have been much better for them to argue then than to flatter and destroy their own work now, fearing people more than God. And I think that, due to their evasiveness, they will again say that they changed their thoughts, being afraid of you; and this is much more true, because they need to be always hasty, but also to grasp at false and cunningly invented excuses. And if, in your opinion, this is said fairly, but respect for economic calculations is required (because I hear this too, although you did not show this in your letters), then let this demand be made fairly and philanthropically. We do not reproach them for this, because it is unpleasant for us to lose the favor of the owners. What else remains? They will perhaps resort to the fact that the person is unworthy, and therefore they will attack the fact that he has been appointed, because such a complaint is somewhat more plausible. But the answer to this is simple and easy for me. We do not leave anyone accused of anything without examining the case; at least he was one of close friends or noble by birth, because God and the law are most honorable. And we will not leave this without research. But if anyone can accuse you of anything, then whenever you want, in your presence and according to your common reasoning with us, and otherwise, even in your absence, after the investigation, if it turns out to be innocent, although a slave, he will be acquitted, because slaves and masters have the same Father and God, and truth is not determined by rank. If he is caught, then he will be condemned by his own sin. Thus, the rule will not be broken, and the one who leaves us will not suffer dishonor; for I, as a person worth nothing, perhaps should not be taken into account. And you yourself will avoid the evil suspicion that, alienating us and sound faith, you started this case, acting cunningly, but not nobly, and, being accused of one thing, you yourself attack another. I advise you not to subject yourself to this (which is both unfair and indecent) and to disparage our laws, not to resort to worldly laws, not to enter into an argument with us, but to forgive if you have done something in simplicity, in the freedom of grace, and to agree that it is better to concede a wonderful victory over yourself than to win a bad victory by resisting the Spirit. 73. To Theodore, Bishop of Tyana (81) Explains the reasons for meek rather than strict measures with heretics, who, when committing St. Gregory of the priesthood in the Constantinople church of Anastasia, they dared to make a violent attack on him (380) I hear that you are indignant at the insults inflicted on me by the monks and the poor. And it is not surprising that to you, who have never suffered blows or experienced disasters before, such things seem intolerable. And I, as someone who has experienced many calamities and suffered insults, will rightly consider myself worthy of trust if I advise your reverence what my gray hair teaches me and what reason prescribes. What happened is disastrous and the height of disaster. Who will dispute this? The altars were desecrated, the Sacrament was interrupted; I stood in the midst of the celebrants who were throwing stones at me and used prayers to protect myself from the stones; the modesty of virgins, the modesty of monks, the misery of the beggars, whose cruelty deprived them of mercy, are forgotten. But, of course, it is better to be generous and, by tolerating, to show the people an example of generosity; for the common people are not so much convinced by word as by deed - by this silent exhortation. I think it is important to punish those who have offended us; I say important, because this is also useful for correcting others; but much higher and more divine than this is to patiently endure an insult. The first stops the mouth of vice, and the second convinces people to become good, which is much better and more perfect than just not being evil. Let us imagine that we have a great exercise in philanthropy ahead of us, and let us forgive what has been done against us, so that we ourselves may be worthy of forgiveness, and let us add goodness to goodness. Phinehas is called a zealot because he pierced the Midianite woman along with the adulterer with a sword and took away the reproach of the children of Israel. But he is even more commendable for praying for a fallen people. Therefore, we too will stand and “let us appease, and let us stop flogging,” according to what is written, and “this will be counted to us as righteousness” (see Ps. 105:30–31). Moses is also praised for the fact that, being offended on behalf of the Israeli, he killed the Egyptian; but what is more worthy of surprise is that he healed his sister Mariam, who was stricken with leprosy for murmuring, through prayers. Note also the following: the Ninevites are threatened with destruction, but with their tears they buy salvation. Manasseh was the most lawless of kings, but for his tears he became famous among the saved. How will I deal with you, Ephraim? - says God (Hos. 11:8). What an angry word! But at the same time, protection is promised. What is more hasty than love of humanity? The disciples ask for the fire of Sodom to lead Jesus, but He rejects vengeance. Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus, one of the offenders; but Jesus heals. And the one who asked: should one forgive a brother who has sinned seven times in a row, is he not condemned for stinginess? Instead of seven times it is said: “Seven times seventy” (Matthew 18:22). Isn’t the debtor mentioned in the Gospel who has not forgiven what was forgiven him subject to the strictest punishment (ibid., Art. 34)? And in the model of prayer, isn’t it required that we gain forgiveness for ourselves through forgiveness? Having so many examples, let us imitate God’s love for mankind and do not want to experience for ourselves how heavy the reward for sin is. You see the order in which goodness acts. First it legitimizes, then it wins, it promises, it threatens, it reproaches, it fights, it takes possession, it threatens again when it is forced to do so, it strikes, but gradually gives room for correction. Therefore, we ourselves will not strike suddenly; for it is not safe; but admonishing with fear, we will overcome with love for mankind and oblige to reverence, torturing more with conscience than with anger; Let us not dry up a fig tree that may still bear fruit; let us not condemn as useless and taking up space in vain a fig tree which, perhaps, can be healed by the supervision and care of a skilled farmer; We will not destroy such a great and glorious cause in a short time through slander, perhaps even through the envy of the evil one, but we will wish to appear more philanthropic than perfect, more lovers of the poor than lovers of truth. Let us no longer listen to those who incite us to this, and do not keep us from this, meaning, if nothing else; at the very least, it is a shame to arouse the opinion of ourselves that we are in conflict with the poor, who have the great advantage that although they cause offense, yet through their misfortune they arouse pity for themselves. Imagine now that all the poor and the breadwinners of the poor are coming to you, that all the monks and virgins are asking for them. Instead of them, show mercy to everyone, because they have already been sufficiently brought to their senses, as this can be seen from the fact that they needed me, and first of all, show mercy to me, who asks for them. If it seems cruel to you that I suffered dishonor from them, then let it seem even more cruel that you do not listen to me giving such advice. And may God forgive the beautiful Pluto all the insults that he inflicted on me! He asks this ruler of Cappadocia to protect his house, about which a case was being carried out in court, from the theft of some Palladius I am writing my first letter to you and my first request is: why and for this one reason it would be fair to receive from you what I am informing you about. What am I informing you about? The beautiful Palladium is attacking and plundering, as I hear, our house, which is yours, but there is no one to help. Therefore, it is an excellent thing for you to take into your special care a person who is present, and even more so one who is absent, and not allow everything to be completely lost, being broken and torn apart, because no one is preventing this at all; it is also lost for the litigants themselves, for whom there will be nothing left as a reward except litigation. Thanks for his participation in the matter, he asks to complete the good deed, and entrusts Euthymia to his mercy I praise you for taking care of our business; and then I praise you for the written notice that you are doing this. You bring one as a gift to truth, and the other as a gift to me. But do not refuse to complete your good deed for me and constantly show yourself to be increasing in zeal, so that I will be more and more amazed at you. Son Euthymius has not yet appeared to you, but is expected; and I think if he appears, it won’t cost you much effort. Entrusts his deacon Fortunatus to his mercy The bearer of this letter, Fortunatus, is my friend and family man, and if anything else needs to be added, one of the venerable deacons. You needed to know this from me. And I know that you will add the rest from yourself, that is, you will turn a friendly and caring gaze on this person, if he needs anything from your reverence. Whatever good you do for him will be a good deed for me. Asks to be guided by the advice of Presbyter Lucian in the case of the house of the Grigoriev relatives Take upon yourself my cause, as you did before and have proven it through experiments. Receive my beloved brother and co-presbyter, Lucian, both by honoring him with a favorable view in everything, and by giving him advice to take care of the house of my relatives, which is with you, because with God’s help my affairs received a successful ending, both according to your judgment and through the philanthropy of the most truthful Judge. Asks for attention and protection to his relative Euthymius If someone asked me what is the best thing in life, I would answer. Friends. And among them, who should be more revered? I would answer: good ones. And among the good ones, who do you name first? I know that I will not put anyone above your valor. And I write this, not flattering power, but respecting morals, for which I, perhaps, am no small herald, at least not silent as long as I have strength, and even not only a herald, but also a companion, giving you new strength through prayers. With this I wanted to end the letter. But since we not only honor God, but also pray for good deeds, then listen, not being burdened by me (and that my requests are not a burden for you, I can conclude this from what has gone before), but remembering me. Again I present to you petitioner Euthymius and again I ask you not only to kindly accept this young man, but also to excuse his slowness, because, in charge of the affairs of orphans, he was, of necessity, detained at home. But try to give it a good run, both to my honor and to the glory of your rightness. Although there are many people to whom you have done good, this good deed will serve to your honor no less than any other, as I myself heard from you personally, and I want you to now assure me of this. This man, as worthy of regret as an orphan, is loved by me for his character, not to mention his blood relationship. He thanks for the invitation to the holiday, assuring that for him, as a preacher of the Trinity, it is most desirable to celebrate with the readers of the Trinity. I am glad to be invited, even more glad; what are you writing? I am glad not because we are praised (this is unimportant), but because you reason sensibly; and the bonds of love for me are for you the same hope and true worship of the Trinity, about which I speak more often than I breathe, I speak even in the midst of dangers, and when there are no dangers, leaving everything else to time to revolve as it pleases, having unshakable in my soul this one inexhaustible treasure, and in the true sense, mine. Why, when I imagine everything else in my mind, how many sorrows surrounded me and now surrounds me, I will imagine this inconstancy of evils that throw me up and down, this battle that everyone raises against me, who has not done any harm to anyone, and, moreover, I will turn my attention to the one thing that I have been honored to become a preacher of the truth, rejected and despised in the wilderness of sound teaching, according to what is written, and “impossible and more waterless" (Ps. 63:2); Then (I’ll say briefly) I stop all anxiety, but, on the contrary, I rejoice greatly, as one who has been awarded more than I deserve. Therefore, I am writing this to you, letting you know that my friendship and intimacy are firm only with those who adhere to such rules. What kind of right-thinking person would voluntarily leave such people? And what holiday is more important than the one celebrated by people like you? If illness or bad weather prevents diligence, then I myself will suffer a loss, and you will excuse me and pray that another opportunity will open for a meeting with you. 80. To Bosporius, Bishop of Colonia (148) Expresses to him his decisive intention to relinquish the rule of the Church of Constantinople (381) Another time I’ll fall into your network and be deceived. You know what I’m saying, and if it’s true, may the Lord “smell” your “pleasant aroma” (Gen. 8:21). And if it is unfair, may the Lord forgive. For this is how I should speak about you, because we are commanded to endure when we are offended. However, just as you are free in your opinion, so am I free in mine. Heavy Gregory will no longer be heavy for you. I will retire to God, Who alone is pure and insidious. I'll go deeper into myself. This is what I came up with about myself. For, according to the proverb, stumbling over the same stone twice is characteristic of some crazy people. Upon returning to Nazians from Constantinople, he expresses his joy at being freed from the troubles there Thanks to the timely illness and slander of the enemies, which made me free, placed me outside the fire of Sodom and the episcopal darkness! How is your work of faith going? It would be good; and everything else, whatever it may be, does not concern us. A little more, and I will see my offenders, when our deeds will be searched by fire. We greet you, and through you, mutual friends. Remember the stones they threw at me. Testifies that his removal from Constantinople saddens him only by separation from friends If one of our mutual friends (and I am sure there are many of them) asks you: where is Gregory now? What does it do? Answer boldly that he philosophizes in silence, thinking as much about the offenders as about those about whom he does not know whether they once existed. So he is irresistible! And if the same person asks you: how does he tolerate separation from friends? Then don’t boldly answer that he is being philosophical, but say that he is very cowardly in this. For everyone has their own weakness; and I am weak in relation to friendship and friends, including the amazing Amazon. There is only one way, perhaps, that you will serve me and make me grieve less for you, namely, if you begin to remember me and assure me with letters that this is really so. Expresses regret that upon Hypatius’s arrival in Constantinople, he did not enjoy seeing him for long, being forced to leave there himself For a long time we suffered deprivation, because the first of the cities did not have the first of the people. But it was necessary, I think, for good things to be spread everywhere and useful things to be made common to everyone, so that you would sow justice from on high, as, according to fables and fiction, the seeds were sowed by those who wanted to improve what we eat. But I have more reasons to grieve, because I enjoyed you as much as one can enjoy lightning that briefly illuminates the eye, and then I gave in to the victory of envy and closed in on myself, leaving to others the government of the church, this glorious spectacle (I will say this) for those who, without difficulty, make jokes that are not worth a joke. And you, most excellent of all, retain your former disposition towards me, which, like a magnet, attracts iron to itself. Complaining about an illness that does not allow him to be with Philagrius, he justifies himself in leaving the rule of the Church We both have the same reason why we can’t see each other. The body treats you as it always has; I won't say anything more. Know also that I am extremely unwell; otherwise (believe this), returning from absence, I would not be too lazy first of all to come to you and embrace you, and to use in real affairs such an adviser and friend, prudent and high in piety. What remained for us, that is, to talk with each other through letters, you have already done, having done very well; and I do the same. What you write about is important to me and requires a lot of attention; That’s why I, not lightly and not somehow, but with great care, having considered this, began to resolve the matter. I was tired of fighting with envy and with sacred bishops who violate the general unanimity and place the cause of faith below private strife, so I decided, according to the proverb, not to give the stern any more speed, to cower, as they say about a ship-fish when it senses a storm, and to watch from afar as others suffer defeat and amazement, and to prepare myself for what will happen there. You write that it is dangerous to leave the Church, but which one? If it’s mine, then I confirm the same, and what you say is true. If the Church does not belong to me and is not assigned to me, then I am not subject to responsibility. But I had to stick to the Church, because for some time I had care about it. Therefore, many others should adhere to someone else’s, since they had something alien in their care. Perhaps labor is worthy of reward; but refusal is not subject to liability. Therefore do not fear for me in this regard; but beware, moreover, that no harm is done to me. Greets him on his accession to the throne of the Church of Constantinople, and asks a certain Pankratius to help in finding a place in the service Whatever happens to me will happen. I sit without war and without work, preferring the comfortable reward of silence to everything, and I derive some benefit from silence, having, by the grace of God, recovered sufficiently from my illness. And you succeed and reign, as the divine David says (Ps. 44:5), and God, who has honored you with it, co-rules with you in your priesthood, granting it to be above all slander! And in order to prove to us mutual trust and, standing before God, not to experience anything human, I ask you, and you willingly bow to my request. I worry about Pankratiya, who is very devoted to me, doing this out of necessity, for many reasons. Deign to graciously admit him to yourself and introduce him to the most zealous of friends in order to achieve his goal. His goal is to acquire a comfortable position for himself through any military position, because no kind of life, as you yourself know, is free from the attacks of evil people. 86. To Saphronius Iparchus (59) Expressing grief over separation from him, asks not to forget him My removal gives me some benefit, peace and silence. But the advantage is not the same as the disadvantage of being removed from your friendship and from the treatment of you, which means so much to me. Others enjoy your perfections, but for me it is great if I have even the shadow of a conversation with you through letters. Will I see you again? Will I ever hug you, my decoration? Will this be the case for the rest of my life? If it is given, all thanks be to God! And if not, then for the most part I have already died. But remember your Gregory and do not remain silent about my affairs. Asks him to use his efforts for mutual agreement and reconciliation of the Bishops at the Council I philander in silence; This is what an insult my haters did to me! Oh, that they would offend me and others like that, so that I would recognize them even more as my benefactors. For there are many cases in which, apparently, those who are offended receive a benefit, and those who receive a benefit suffer an insult. This is my position. And if I cannot convince others of this, then I want you to know this for everyone, to whom I gladly give an account of my affairs. It’s better to say, I’m sure that you know and will assure those who don’t know. But I ask you to use every effort so that now, at least, if not before, you come to agreement and unity of the part of the universe, to the detriment of the divided one, especially if you learn that their discord is not over the word of faith, but over private petty claims, as I noted. And success in this will not be without reward for you; and my departure will be more carefree if it turns out that I did not love it in vain, involuntarily throwing myself into the sea, like Jonah, so that the storm would stop and the swimmers would be saved safely. If they are nevertheless overwhelmed, then at least my job is done. Saying about himself that his work is already over, he asks Timothy to strive for the Trinity I am always a wonderful catcher of wonderful people (I dare say this somewhat); here is your hidden learning, which is where wisdom was placed in order to remain secret, and I discovered it with my suggestive reasoning and made it known to others; and to put it in our own way, he made that light that was hidden under a bushel, placing it on a candlestick, common to everyone. For I will not talk about your other perfections: about learning, about piety, about meekness and moderation of character, which are all very difficult for one to have. But this is your real action! And you remember me, and treat me with letters, and add praise, not to praise (I understand your wisdom), but to make me better and move me forward, shaming me because I turn out to be not what you expect. But my work is over, I have given in to envy, I philosophize about God in silence, I offer prayers in solitude, I have gotten rid of worldly worries and rebellions. And you, take heart, be strong and strive for the Trinity to the best of your ability, and be a meek warrior, as you saw me do; for I do not want the monkeys to be in glory and the lions to rest. Pray also for me, who is very weak, in order to be granted a peaceful outcome, for I am already heading towards this. Asks Iraklian to write to him You are always in my memory, wonderful Heraklian, both telling and listening to some lesson; I also remember the city of Konstantinov, beautiful for your sake, although short-lived for me, because envy wanted it so much. And if Gregory is in your memory, then it’s better for both of us. Show this in the letters you write to me; this is one thing that is possible for us. 90. To Bishop Theodore (222) Expresses his agreement, forced by circumstances, to assume the reign of Nazianza until the time comes. Who elevated His servant David from being a shepherd to a kingdom, and your reverence from the flock to being a shepherd; Who, according to His will, arranges our affairs and the affairs of all those who hope in Him, He Himself will now instruct your perfection in thought, to find out with what dishonor the sovereign bishops dishonored me, when they cast their votes, agreeing to my elevation, and then rejecting me. I will not blame your reverence, because you have recently begun work and, as is natural, you do not know most of my history. So that's enough about this. I don’t want to bother you any longer, so as not to seem unbearable at the very beginning of friendship. But what is possible, with the help of God, according to your desire, I bring to your attention. I left the Church of Nazianza not out of forgetfulness of God, not out of contempt for the little flock; my wise soul would not have allowed this; but, firstly, I did this because I was not restrained by any determination, and secondly, because I was crushed by illness and thought about myself that my strength would not be enough to bear such worries. Since you also expressed your displeasure, decrying my removal, and I myself could not bear the reproaches that everyone made to me, the time was difficult, we were threatened with an invasion of enemies to the general harm of the entire Church, then I am finally defeated and recognize a victory over myself, painful for the body, but not bad, perhaps, for the soul. I give this humble body to the Church as long as it is able, recognizing that it is better for myself to suffer something in the flesh rather than suffer in spirit and bring into suffering many who have a bad opinion of me because they themselves suffer. So, knowing this, pray for me, agree with my thought, and not worse, perhaps, say: take root in yourself reverence. On imposing a vow of silence on oneself on Holy Pentecost (382) Your wisdom is a desert and such immeasurable fasting, and mine is silence. Let us share our gifts among ourselves. And when we come into unity, we will sing to God together, bearing fruit both in rational silence and in the divinely inspired word. 92. To Keleusius Archon (1) Before this Nazianzian leader he justifies himself in accepting him silently; and on this occasion retells the fable of swallows and swans Since you, kind and polite, accuse me of silence and discourtesy, then if you please, I will compose for you a not entirely incoherent fable. Won't I use it to wean you from talkativeness? The swallows laughed at the swans because they did not want to live with people and show others their skill in singing, but spend their lives in meadows and rivers, love solitude, and although they sing occasionally, however, no matter what they sing, they sing to themselves, and as if ashamed of their singing. “And we,” said the swallows, “love cities, people, houses; we chat with people, we tell them this and that about ourselves, what happened in the old days in Attica, about Pandion, about Athens, about Tyreus, about Thrace, about departure, wedding, desecration, cutting of the language, writing, and above all about Itis, and how from people we became birds.” The swans, not liking to speak, did not deign to speak to them for a long time, but when they deigned to give an answer, they said: “And we reason that another will come for us into the desert to listen to singing, when we lend our wings to the zephyr for sweet and euphonious inspirations. That’s why we don’t eat much and not in front of many people. But this is what constitutes perfection for us, that we present our songs in a measured manner and do not merge our singing with any noise. And you are a burden to those people with whom you live in the house; they turn away when you sing; and they act justly; when you cannot remain silent, although your tongue has been cut out, but you yourself, complaining about your voicelessness and such loss, are more talkative than any other vocal and songbird.” Understand what I’m saying, says Pindar, and if you find that my voicelessness is better than your eloquence, then stop reproaching my silence. Or I’ll tell you a proverb that is as fair as it is short: swans will sing when the jackdaws are silent. Convicts him of violating his fast by allowing indecent spectacles I received you silently, so that you would understand the word of silence that speaks through the pen. I will say what is appropriate for friendship and the present circumstances. You are a judge, but you break the law by not maintaining your post. And how will you protect human laws while neglecting God’s law? Clear your judgment seat so that one of two things doesn’t happen, that is, you either really become bad, or you don’t get made to think bad about yourself. Offering shameful spectacles means exposing yourself to shame. The main rule: know, judge, that you yourself will be judged; and you will sin less. I can't offer you anything better than this. Reprimands for reinterpreting the words of the Apostle Paul about those who eat and those who do not eat Do not judge me, who maintains silence, just as I do not judge you, who speak about what Paul laid down regarding food (see: Rom. 14:3). If you judge, then be afraid that my tongue will not move against you for the first time, if it does not find you worthy of silence. Explains the purpose of his self-imposed silence You ask what my silence requires? It requires moderation in speech and in silence, because he who overcomes in general will easily overcome in part; and moreover, it will tame irritability, which does not express itself, but is absorbed in itself. Shows the benefits for himself from silence I will remain silent in words, learning to say what is necessary and will practice overcoming passions. If anyone accepts this, great; and if not, then silence is beneficial for me because I do not answer others. Allows you to come to him during silence I don't interfere with the date. Although the tongue is silent, the ears are ready to listen with pleasure, because hearing what is needed is just as valuable as saying what is needed. With Christ I killed my tongue when I fasted, and I resolved it with the Risen One. Such is the secret of my silence, so that just as I sacrifice the innermost mind, so I sacrifice the purified word. A new way of teaching! Since I could not hold my tongue while speaking, I taught him silence through silence, instructing him in similar ways. Such is Christ’s law! Since Christ, while speaking the law to us, did not cleanse us, he subjects man to human law. Son Euthymius has not yet arrived for Great Week, but he hopes and I think that it will not cost much effort when he appears. Reproaches for disrespectful acceptance of his advice From one law I transfer the matter to another law: from the law commanding the teaching of children to the law commanding to honor the father. Now I am leading you to the most perfect, accept this letter as a hand of friendship. And if you begin to attack and decide to repeat this often, then you will turn the old man into a warrior, not inferior in courage to Nestor. On ending his vow of silence “There is a time for every thing,” says Ecclesiastes (Eccl. 3:1). Therefore I put guard in my mouth when there was time; and “I will not forbid what I say” (Ps. 39:10), when 2 and this time has come. “I was silent,” says Scripture, “I endured, I held back” (Is. 42:14). I was silent for myself, but I will speak to others; If they also say that it is necessary, all thanks be to God! And if not, we'll block your ears. After leaving Lamis, where a vow of silence was fulfilled, he wants to talk with Eulalia through letters Something strange happened to me: being silent in your presence, I want to speak with the absent one, so that I can convey the word to you, and use the word from you. For it is wonderful, as the beginning of everything else, to dedicate words first to the Word, and then to those who fear the Lord. Promises to be in Lamisa again Lamis was for me both a place of silence and a school of wisdom; As I looked at him during silence, so I want to see him when I begin to speak, so that I can both fulfill the desire of the brethren and punish you, bad interpreters of my words, for your affection. For I will come to you myself, who I say, I will come not allegorically, not guessed, but purely understood. About the virgin Alipiana, who during interrogation showed St. Gregory and ardor and senile prudence in his desire to preserve virginity The truth is strongest, as Ezra thinks (see: 2Ezra 3:12) and as I think. For the maiden Alipiana, when with all severity we demanded from her a word about her own way of thinking, as you ordered, she dared to speak the pure truth, confessing her intention to preserve her virginity and holding on to this intention more ardently, it is true than we expected, however, with more firmness than ardor, I will even say: not with girlish ardor, but with senile prudence. And the severity of my interrogation, in its consequences, turned out to be useful, because that she best discovered the firmness of disposition. Having learned about this, pray for this virgin, and cultivate the beginning of salvation she has received to the glory of God and to the glory of both mine and the entire rank of reverent ones. 105. To Helladius, Bishop of Caesarea (53) Thanks for the letters and for the holiday symbols sent, also asks for his prayers for himself Am I glad to see your letter? How could you not be happy when you remember the dead? And even greater gratitude for the attached holiday symbols. But to what you give, add what you ask. Pray for me, so that if it is useful, you will again receive a reminder for me and remember the holiday yourself, and if it is not useful, move there and meet, or see, the true holiday where “the dwelling of all who rejoice” (Ps. 86:7), because I am already fed up with the vicissitudes of this life. Thanks for the congratulations on Easter, and asks to give the bishop of the Nazianzi Church Having learned to see the expected from afar (I will use your beginning), we already enjoy the present. For the holy day of Easter, which we celebrated, as far as I know, is a secret guide to the blessings there, as one of the passing holidays. And you did well to remind me of this with both your parcel and your letter. And I have already experienced many Easters, and this is one of the acquisitions of my long life. But now, having left this Egypt, this difficult and illusory life, and having freed myself from the clay and bricks to which we are tied, I more often wish to move to the land of promise. Pray that I may be worthy of this, if you are concerned about providing me with the greatest benefit. And during your long life, may the Lord grant you to celebrate many times with the entire Church. If you allow me to calmly end my old age, giving this Church a bishop whom the Holy Spirit will indicate, then you will do a good deed and, I will say, you will be worthy of fatherly blessings. The invitation of Emperor Theodosius, made through Procopius, to attend the Council in Constantinople, is decisively refused. If it is necessary to write the truth, then my thought is to avoid any meeting of bishops, because I have not yet seen a single meeting that would have a beneficial end in all respects and would relieve evils more than increase them. The love of controversy and arrogance (don’t think me impolite for writing like this) are beyond all description, and whoever judges the vice of others is more likely to be accused himself than to put an end to the vice. Therefore, I closed myself off and recognized silence as the only security for my soul. And now I am prompted to such a decision by illness, from which I am always almost on my last legs and cannot use myself for anything. Therefore, may your lofty mind forgive me, and through you may the most pious king be convinced not to condemn my laziness, but to forgive my weakness, for which he allowed me to leave, which I asked for myself as a benefit. When asked about his situation, he answers with the words of the Athenian ambassadors who returned from Lacedaemon You ask, what are my affairs? I will answer you by telling you a story. They say that the Athenians, when they were oppressed by tyrants, sent an embassy to the Lacedaemonians, and the purpose of the embassy was to arouse some philanthropy there. Then, when the ambassadors returned and someone asked: what kind of Lacedaemonians are towards us? They answered: they are merciful as towards slaves, but as towards freemen they are very arrogant. This is what I have to write. They treat me more humanely than as outcast people, but more contemptuously than as people preparing to stand before God. The illness still torments me, but my friends do not stop doing evil to me and doing as much harm as possible. But pray that God will be merciful to me and give me one of two things: either to avoid disasters altogether, or to endure them patiently. And this already quite reduces the unhappiness. Asks for the protection of Anfim, who upset his health by participating in one famous military case I greet you from afar, who replaces everyone and is higher than everyone for me. And you personally honored me with your great favor, and in absentia, as I know, you honor me with the same. And for this great thing, let a great reward be given to the bearer of this letter, my son Anfim. What kind of reward is this? Take advantage of your patronage in everything he needs. My request is given special strength both by this man himself, who participated in a famous military affair and, perhaps, known to important people, and by the disaster that upset his physical composition, which clearly speaks of itself, and what would be difficult for anyone is, naturally, more painful for him, who suffered it not according to his deserts. Added to this, my petition, as I am sure, will even more help the success of what we are striving for. Greets him on taking over the administration of the second Cappadocia and asks him to write to Constantinople about the reality of his illness This is more painful for me than illness: they don’t believe me that I’m sick, but they prescribe such a long journey and force me to rush into the middle of riots, from which I like to avoid, almost giving thanks for this to bodily disorder. For carefree silence is preferable to the celebrity of public officials. I wrote about this before to the venerable Icarius, having received the same order. And now may your generosity deign to write for me, because I have in you a reliable witness of my illness. You are confirmed in it by the very loss that I now bear, not being able to come and enjoy the sight of such a leader, so amazing in his virtues that your very accession to leadership is worthy of the glory that others acquire throughout their service. Entrusts his love for humanity to the widow Philomena Other mercies that you have honored, as far as I know, I received from your condescension; May God reward you with His blessings, and among these blessings is that your leadership will be accomplished with praise and glory for you. But the mercy that I ask now is such that (if this is not said arrogantly) I intend to show it to you rather than receive it from you. I present to you, on my behalf, the unfortunate Philumena, so that she may fall before your justice and, through your mediation, dry the tears with which she is crushing my soul. She will explain herself what kind of grievances she suffers and from whom, because it is not safe for me to blame anyone. I myself need to say one thing: that widowhood and orphanhood have the right to help, both in general, of any prudent person, and especially of those who have a wife and children - this great guarantee of mercy; because we pronounce judgment on people, being the same people ourselves. Forgive me for asking this in a letter; illness deprives me of the opportunity to see a ruler so benevolent and amazing in his virtues that the beginning of your reign is more worthy than others’ glory acquired at the end of the reign. He asks to take action against the Apollinarians, who installed their bishop in Nazianza when St. Gregory was treated in the warm waters of Xanxarides And gray hair learns differently, and old age is not always, apparently, a reliable evidence of prudence. Especially knowing the thoughts and wickedness of all the Apollinarians and seeing their intolerable arrogance, I thought that with my generosity I would make them meek and soften them little by little, which, apparently, was what they promised to my hopes. But in an imperceptible way, as it turned out, I made them even worse and, with untimely wisdom, harmed the Church, for meekness does not bring worthless people to shame. And now, if I could personally prove this to myself, be sure that, even having risen beyond my strength, I would not be too lazy to fall for your honesty. But since the illness has taken me far, and on the advice of doctors it became necessary to take advantage of the warm waters of Xanxarides, I replace myself with writing. These evil people who perished in evil, above all else, recognized or (I can’t say this exactly) used the passing bishops who were deposed at the Ecumenical Eastern and Western Council, and opposing all the royal decrees and your orders, they assigned the name of bishop to one person among them, wicked and suspicious, nothing, I think, was so much encouraging as (it must be said) my immobility. If this is bearable, may your firmness endure it, so will I, just as I have endured it many times. And if it is difficult and unbearable for the most pious kings themselves, deign to punish them for what they have done, although not as severely as their arrogance would deserve. 113. To him (176 and 211) About the divorce from the husband of Virian's daughter Haste is not commendable everywhere. That is why I have delayed hitherto in answering about the daughter of the most venerable Virian, giving me some time to correct other things, and at the same time because you entrusted me with the investigation of the matter, about which you know how slow and prudent I am in such cases, guessing that your kindness does not approve of this divorce. That’s why I held out until now, and I think not without reason. Since the circumstances have reached the extreme and it is necessary to make known what was revealed during the research and what I found out, I inform you that the daughter, apparently, vacillates between one side and the other, is divided between respect for her parents and the habit of her husband, in words she is at one with her parents, but in her heart, I don’t know, almost on the side of her husband, as her tears show. You, of course, will act as your justice decides, and as it pleases God, who controls you in everything. I, for my part, would with great pleasure advise my son Virian to ignore many things, if only a divorce would not be approved, which is completely contrary to our laws, although Roman laws define otherwise. For it is necessary to maintain justice, which I wish you to always preserve both in words and in deeds. The executioners are not doing evil, because they are serving the laws; The sword with which we execute the wicked is not lawless. But, however, they do not praise the executioner and greet the murderous sword not without pleasure. Likewise, I do not want to become hated by confirming divorce with my own hand and my word, because it is better to be a mediator of union and friendship than of discord and severance of worldly ties. It seems to me that the amazing city governor, having this same idea, instructed me to interrogate your daughter, because I am unable to proceed with the dissolution of the marriage in all severity and without heartfelt participation; and of course, not as an investigator, but as a bishop, he appointed me to this and made me a mediator in what happened between you. Therefore, I ask you to entrust the matter to me, a servant of your will, and although I am glad that I have such an assignment, however, if you entrust me with something worse and more unpleasant, which I have never touched and will not touch now, look for someone else who is more capable of this. But I (although I know that you are very dear to me in everything) do not have the courage, to please your friendship, to offend God, to whom I give an account of every movement and thought. I will believe your daughter (to tell the truth) when, having ceased to be ashamed of you, she is able to tell the truth, because now she is in a pitiful situation, and devotes words to you, and tears to her husband. Asks for mercy to the city of Diocaesarea, in which the disturbance occurred Another opportunity for philanthropy, and again I boldly entrust to the letter my request for something so important. For what makes me brave is illness, which does not allow me to go out and does not allow me to appear to you in decent form. What kind of request? Accept it from me on this day kindly. Sad (and how could it not be sad) is the death of one person who is with us now, but tomorrow will not be and will not return to us. But it is much more terrible for an entire city to die, which was founded by a king, equipped by time and preserved for many years. I have a word about Diocaesarea, until now a city, but now it is no longer a city, if there is not your meek wave. Imagine that he, in my face, falls at your feet. Let him raise his voice, put on mourning clothes, cut off his hair, as if acting in a theater, and say to you the following words: “Give your hand to me, prostrate, help the weak, do not attack me along with time, do not destroy what is left after the Persians: it is more fitting for you to build cities, and not to destroy those already ready for destruction. Become a city planner, either by adding something to what is in it, or by preserving it as it is. Do not allow a city to exist before your reign and then no longer exist after you; do not leave time a bad legend that, having accepted you as ruler, I was among the cities, and after you, in the place of the city, an uninhabited country remained, recognized only by mountains, cliffs and ruins.” This is what the city personified by me will do and say to your love for mankind. And from me, as from a friend, take advice. Suppose you want to punish those who have violated the command of your authority; I don’t dare say anything against this, although, as they say, this insolence is not from a general intention, but only a reckless impulse of some young people. However, put aside most of the anger, use more reasoning. They grieved over their dying mother, could not bear to be called citizens and not have a city, they became very agitated, acted illegally, and despaired of their salvation; the extraordinary grief drove them to madness. Doesn’t a city need to be a city for this? No! Wonderful husband, don’t write such a definition. Respect the requests of all citizens, all city employees and senior officials; think that this disaster affects everyone equally, and if others remain silent before your greatness, they groan in the depths of their hearts. Respect my gray hair too; It is bitter for me if, having hitherto had a great city, from now on I will not have any city, and the church of God, built by me, with all its splendor, after your leadership will turn into the dwelling of animals. It is not that it is bitter that several statues will be crushed, although this in other cases is regrettable; and don’t think that we, who care about the best, will start talking about this. But the bitter thing is that with them an entire city will be overthrown, having produced something famous, it will be overthrown while we are alive and see it, who are honored by you and think of ourselves that we have some strength from you. But I’ll finish the word about this, because if I say more, I won’t find anything stronger than your reason, which governs so many people and is governed even more and more fully at the highest levels of management. But even then, it is necessary for your great mind to know about those who come to you, that these people are completely pitiful, abandoned and did not participate with the criminals in any disorder, as many of the eyewitnesses assure us. Give in this matter such a definition as you can recognize as useful both for the local glory and for the hopes there. And we will endure everything that comes to your mind, although we will not endure it without sorrow, nevertheless, we will endure it. For what else can we do? And if the worst prevails over you, then we will be the only ones upset and we will shed a tear over the city that was before. He apologizes that due to illness he cannot see him and asks that his petition for the citizens of Naziania be respected And the desire to see you is ardent, and the need of the petitioners is great, but the illness is insurmountable; Therefore, I dared to express this request in a letter. Respect my gray hair, which you (which is wonderful) have already respected, and even often; respect this illness, which was partly (if it is necessary to boast) produced by the labors raised for the sake of God, and therefore have mercy on the citizens who look at me as a person who can boldly speak to you; spare also others under my care. For there will be no harm from philanthropy; You can do more with fear than others can do with punishment. And in return for everything I wish you to have the same Judge as you yourself will be to the petitioners and to me, who intercedes for them. Praises his selflessness, impartiality and mercy, and intercedes for the warrior Aurelius Again I write when I should have come myself. But I have this courage from you, how you resolve private disputes (what comes first, I will say first) and direct public affairs for the better, and you do both divinely, having received as a reward for piety that everything goes according to your desire, and you alone have access to what is inaccessible to others; because wisdom and courage co-rule with you, and one invents what needs to be done, and the other easily carries out what is invented, but the most important thing is the purity of the hand with which everything is put in order. Where is your unrighteous gold? It never existed; it is first of all condemned to exile as a low tormentor. Where is the enmity? Also convicted. Where is the mercy? Here you bow somewhat (I will blame you for this a little), but you bow, imitating God’s love for mankind, which one of your soldiers, Aurelius, is now asking of you through me, whom I call a foolish fugitive, but a prudent petitioner, because he put himself into my hands, and through mine into yours. Like a certain royal image, pointing out to you my gray hair and my priesthood, which, as you have repeatedly admitted, you respect, here this sacrificial and bloodless hand brings him to you, which has written you many praises and, as far as I know, is ready to write even more if God prolongs our leadership, I mean yours and your collaborator in justice. Time is short; the subject of debate is important, but the illness is serious and has made me almost immobile. What remains but to ask God and implore your love for mankind? Ask God to put better thoughts into your mind. I beg your love for mankind not to reject my request without pity, but with meekness to accept the unfortunate Paul, whom justice delivered into your hands, perhaps in order to glorify you even more with the greatness of meekness, and to attract my prayers, if they mean anything, to your love for mankind. Asks for leniency towards Leontius, deprived of the priesthood To experience many things for yourself and to experience benefits from others - does it bring any benefit to people? This teaches humanity and makes one lenient towards those in need, because taking advantage of mercy first is the best lesson of mercy. This happened to me too. What I have experienced in life has taught me compassion, and do you see my generosity? Having my own affairs in need of your condescension, I intercede for others and am not afraid to deplete your philanthropy through the affairs of others. I am writing this about Leontius the presbyter, or better to say, who was once a presbyter. If he has already suffered everything that his deeds were worth, then let’s stop there, so that excess does not become injustice. And if something else needs to be added to the punishment, and his crimes require greater humiliation, then give it up to me, and to God, and to the altar, and to the general council of priests, to which he was once numbered, although now he has shown himself unworthy both by what he did and by what he suffered. If I have convinced you, this is wonderful, but if not, then I leave you, a more worthy mentor, to your partner both in rule and in good glory. Intercedes for his relative Eustratius Here is another pretext for the letter, to which, if it is necessary to tell the truth, you yourself challenge me with the honor you show me. Here is another petitioner for you - this prisoner of fear, my relative Evstratiy, who with me and through me falls to your goodness. He is unable to remain forever stubborn against your power, although just fear has driven him crazy, and he decides to fall to you not through someone else, but only through me, in order to make your love for mankind more honorable for yourself, by using such an intercessor, whom, if nothing else, you yourself make great, so willingly accepting requests from him. I will say in one word and briefly: you did the previous favors for me, you will do this same favor according to your own judgment, since you once decided to console my old age and infirmity with such honors. But I will add that through this you will gain God’s favor towards you. Fulfills his request to collect and send his letters to him You especially demand flowers from the meadow; You force the elderly Nestor to put on weapons, demanding some kind of processing in speeches from me, who has long put aside the desire for differences in any word and in life. In other matters, you are not imposing on me some feat of Hercules or Eurystheus, but, on the contrary, a very easy task that is within my power - to collect for you as much as I can of my letters. Therefore, put this strap in your books - not a love one, but a learned one, and one that serves not so much for guidance as it is useful for our pipes. For just as every thing has its own greater or lesser distinctive feature, so my speeches, wherever necessary, have the distinctive property of edification in thoughts and dogmas; and in them, as in a noble offspring, the father is always visible no less than in the physical features of the children the features of those who gave birth are preserved. So, for my part, I did my part, and you reward me both with the writing itself and with benefiting yourself from what I wrote. I can neither ask nor demand another reward that would be better than this, more useful for the one asking and more decent for the rewarder. 122. To Theodore, Bishop of Tyana (90) Invites him to Arians for the celebration of the Martyrs and for the consideration of common affairs And to me, as a sick person, you are obliged to provide your services, because one of the commandments is to visit the sick, and you also owe the holy martyrs an annual honor, which we perform in your Arians on the twenty-second day of our month of Dafus (September 29). At the same time, there are many church matters that require general consideration. For all these reasons, deign to be with us without any delay. Although the work is great, the reward is equal. Asks to consider the case of women oppressed by a powerful man What was written to your reverence by the most honorable bishops, then on my own behalf, recognizing the need to write, I ask you: give your hand to noble women and do not allow them to be oppressed and persecuted by the power of the person with whom they entered into business, but help them as they should. If you know that they are suffering, help for the sake of what they are suffering for. And if you don’t know what they are suffering, help them for the reason that not knowing this and not believing it is injustice. If anyone thinks that I am not taking on my own business and am touching on a lawsuit that has nothing to do with me, then let him prove this, and I will calm down. But now I’m afraid that things are different, especially because Christ and Christ are not divided, and love for mankind has no limits. But if anyone would allow such a division, then I know that for two, for your reverence and for me, it would be regrettable if justice in this matter remains neglected, because the defendants are under the supervision of both of us. And it is dangerous that the truth should not be distorted by the plausibility of arguments. Therefore, sort out the matter with me, even precede your judgment and intercede for my weakness, so that I do not reach the point of necessity, and in this state of the body, with great zeal, embark on a feat for the truth, with God’s help and with the help of your prayers. Convincingly asks to elect a bishop in Nazianza, due to his illness and attack on the Apollinarian Church By the way, should I say in the words of Scripture: to whom shall I call, being offended? Who will stretch out his hand to me, the oppressed? To whom will the burden of the Church, brought to such a bad state and disorder, pass? I testify before God and before the chosen angels that this flock of God unjustly suffers, being left without a shepherd and without a bishop, due to my mortification, because I am held by an illness that suddenly removed me from church affairs, and now I am useless for anything, constantly being at my last breath, I am even more burdened with affairs. Therefore, if the diocese had someone else as its head, it should appeal to him and ask for his help; but since your reverence is highest above all, it is necessary to turn to you. Take care of your Church as you judge, and do not despise it in a disordered state that it does not deserve. Not to mention the other things that the Apollinarians who have now rebelled have done to her and are threatening her, inquire about this from my masters, my co-presbyters, from the chorebishop Eulalia and from Keleusius, whom I sent with this intention to your reverence. Stopping this is not due to my years or my weakness, but is possible only with your skill and your strength, because, among other things, God has given you a fortress for the general defense of the Church. And if I am not heard, no matter what I say or write, let it be done that there is only one thing left to do, that is, it is publicly proclaimed and made known to everyone that the Church needs a bishop, so as not to suffer harm from my illness; and you will learn about what follows. 125. To the unknown (119) Entrusts him with Nikovul the younger, son of Nikovulov What are your achievements in virtue, and have we succeeded in any way for God? I reason that it is most decent to ask you about this, because it pleases me to both ask about this and hear it; and the rest, for me, let it be as it is. Even though I would wish that this too would be successful for you, I would wish it solely so that you would have something to despise, and so that it would be possible to show you more wisdom in what is more important. Let this be said from me instead of a greeting; and you - for the beautiful. Nikovula be as we hope for it. If we demand more, satisfy our gluttony as one who loves generously. Requests supervision over the same Nikovul Here is a reminder of our friendship - dear son Nikovul, whom I care about above all my relatives! You will do me a great favor by presenting him as the most zealous of mentors; and you will show even greater mercy by accustoming his character to virtue. And this will happen if you force him to be near you often, especially if he knows that you do not leave him without attention, because the eye of a mentor is already a silent lesson. You are not in my debt (if there is too much to say) both spiritually, like a bishop to a priest, and academically, like a wordsmith to a lover. Congratulates him on taking office, and asks him to take into account Nikovul the Younger Who enjoys horses the most? Without a doubt, the horses. And the eagles? - None other than the eagles. And the jackdaw sits next to the jackdaw, as you know from the proverb. So believe that the speaker who speaks poetically is happy with those who know this adverb, and those who have a claim to being right are a lover and patron of rightness. To be a boss, it seems to me, means the same thing as to be a helper of virtue and an opponent of vice, whether someone has a bloodless boss, like us, or leads with a sword. and a military belt. I will not force you to shed blood, knowing that you overcome with virtue, and do not force with violence, you punish the evil more with fear than with deeds, which is the law of the best leadership. Therefore, although I strongly sought a meeting with you, and now I still seek, however, due to illness, not being able to fulfill this, I, of necessity, get down to business and, best of all, I greet you through a person close to me, and a friend, and a relative, in all respects very dear to me Nikovol, who will justify me before you. This is a man, as far as I know, worthy of trust no less than anyone else; and for my sake he will show himself to your superiority. He praises him for his learning, and entrusts him to the care of the same Nikovul You have reached Attic perfection in learning; Yes, me too. You represent young people, and I represent people of all ages. You formulate in words, and I - in morals. I have a lot in common with you, but one thing replaces everything and is higher than everything else - this is our dearest son Nikovul, who is placed between us. By doing good to him, you will prove both your learning and our friendship, if only you care about it, but I think that you do, because the old fighters are honored by the young, and in such honor that the young, if they present them with their victorious awards, then, according to the laws of wrestling, are then recognized as grateful. 129. To Eustochius the Sophist (61) He is justified in the fact that Nikovol was entrusted not to him, but to Stagirius, by the will of his father, and attacks Eustochius for engaging in sophistry until old age You greatly struck me, Ulysses, by reproaching me for my adherence to Stagyria and using every effort to overthrow me with sophisms. I praise your freedom with which you write your letter. It is better to express what upsets you than to remain silent, so that later you can exact punishment from those who do not know. However, I also have something to accuse; but in order to comply with the law of legal proceedings, I will first justify myself and then accuse, and I will do both with equal favor. My Nicobulus did not become an apprentice to the excellent Stagirius at all on my advice: do not suspect it; I have not yet forgotten to this extent Athens, your friendship and your camaraderie; on the contrary, he acted in this of his own free will, and because his father wanted it; and with my letters I conveyed it only from hand to hand. What is unfriendly and inhumane about this? But since you have my justification, then listen to the accusation. I do not praise your Puppeteers and Telkhins, with which you attack your opponent evilly, because I have overcome the custom of calling those engaged in the same art rivals. How long will we have this? Will we stop at anything in our sophistical battles? When will it end? Isn't it; when will death separate us from this vice? While a person is still young, enslaved by ambition, chasing benefits, it is still excusable for him to do this, but even then with moderation, I will say, for your convenience, somewhat in Demosthenian style; and at such an age and with such activities, butting and butting is completely untimely and pure stubbornness, not only because it is obscene and ignoble, but also because the matter is very easy. Whatever word you utter, you will hear in response, like a returning wave, because (I will also use Homer’s expression) “to shave off the shaven” is not at all reprehensible. What kind of wisdom is this when you can excel in virtue and then be defeated by vice, or even conquer in vice, which is much worse? I don’t praise judges either (the truth must be told) because they punish the same thing when pronouncing a decision, and praise it when listening, and not only praise it themselves, but find many others who praise it in the same way, and incite them to vice, and challenge each other’s zeal for it. You need to do either this: if it is incredible, do not praise, but if it is reliable, judge publicly; or this way: if the accusation is false, convict the accusers, and if it is true, convict those on whom the accusation fell, but do not joke so frivolously about a very important matter - the opinion of noble people. Therefore, if you listen to me (I say to both), then leave such speeches and squabbles, if for no other reason, then you are ashamed of your gray hair or tired of engaging in such a shameful business. Give yourself good advice - to respect the ancient admonition, which commands, when there is something to live for, to practice virtue, and do not deceive both yourself and the hope of young people, who, of course, will suffer very cruelly if, while practicing the sciences, they learn vice, and not for nothing; because you have teachers not of virtue, but of vice. If I seem unbearable to you when I write this, then take revenge on me in the same way, that is, give me some useful advice yourself, so that you can either praise me if I obey, or blame me if I resist. Since the sophist was offended by the previous letter, he expresses his regret for irritating him And I didn’t know that I was extremely rudely and ignorantly giving advice to a highly learned man! What arrogance! You can’t even understand the popular proverb: “You who are bald, don’t lean your forehead towards the ram and don’t tease the wasps,” that is, a tongue that is ready to speak badly. It’s true that I’m not very upset about this, because, as I hear, I’m placed on an equal footing with many, and if you live, I’ll stand ahead of many; but what saddens me most of all is your distrust that I am doing this with a friendly disposition. At least be healthy in body and soul, and in the future, if possible, hold your tongue; and this time we will endure our fate. Entrusts him with a young man, Pronoius, to arouse in him a zeal for eloquence. Imitate Alexander, wonderful husband; and just as he made every effort to please the Athenians, and to this end he always called Athens the theater of his kingdom, so you, considering me to mean something, although I mean nothing at all, both for the sake of eloquence, and for the sake of Athens itself, and, moreover, having respected the common parents of our eloquence, take care to double your zeal for eloquence in the beautiful Pronoia. Whatever you do for this young man, you will, without a doubt, do for me, who is worth it to receive a benefit from you, and may not be a bad praiser of your speeches, although I sit lower than the sophists, having assigned myself the safe reward of silence. 132. To Eudoxius the rhetorician (115) He begins correspondence with him because Nikovulov’s children came to study with him I prevail over you in the matter of friendship, because, as you see, I write first. And be sure that I would not boast (this is not my custom) if I did not value your friendship highly and if it did not seem necessary to me, like a young horse with a whip, to induce you to correspond with me. It will especially incite you to this if you think about who, to whom, and about what matter is writing to you, who has not yet written; You will also think that it is fitting for children to inherit both their father’s estate and, of course, their father’s friendship. Beyond this, it is not bad to judge that the time has just come for you to be wise, and I am already the father of the wise; and therefore you must show your valor before me, as brave fighters show before their mentors. I will say something that is more important than what has been said so far. You have an important pledge of wisdom for me. You teach my blood and the blood of those closest to me; You know who I’m talking about, that is, about the children of my most sincere and honorable son Nikovul. If you help them in any way, it (rest assured) will not leave the memory of me, who, no worse than anyone else (if my words are to be believed in anything), can judge the sciences, and evaluate diligence, and with my praise elevate the mentors themselves. He asks him to encourage Nikovul the Younger to study, who, despite his happy talents, is sometimes lazy Again, my Nikovul, to you, and I bother you again with my excess, urging you on, when you yourself are really running. But since this young man has naturally happy talents, unless I am deceived by the desire to see him like this, but, as often happens with gifted people, he is somewhat negligent and needs encouragement, then replace this with your own efforts, and (I will say in your way) imitating the grasshopper mentioned in the fable, instead of the broken string, resorting to your voice, finish the song. Thus, I think, you will gain fame through this young man and show the greatest favor to me, who does not much prefer you and your learning. Reproaches him for his silence and again asks him to look after Nikovul Jr. What should I call your disposition towards me, O wonderful one? What is the reason for not writing? I will not blame you for arrogance, or laziness, or for the fact that you have nothing to write about. It’s not for you to reach such poverty. Do you remember the evil for those iambs that Valentin, worthy of evil to perish, spewed out, and did it at your request? For was it not required of a rhetorician, a skilled man, to reprimand the one who first dared to write about such a subject in iambic? “But tame the great anger, Achilles,” and again move your pen for us, this spear of yours, so that they don’t think that, having suffered something unimportant, I am going against the most important thing, that is, the episcopal throne. Scour on horses, chase animals, behave as you want in my opinion, I will neither write nor joke anymore. And that's enough. I value your friendship so much. So, as far as jokes go, they had their place and they are over. And what comes next is a serious matter, but extremely important. Again I entrust you with my dearest son Nikovul. And I would like you to accept it from me, just as you bestowed the rhetorical fleece from me and your father, and gave me the sophistic fleece. Because I know that if you want, it is available to you. The only thing left to the wonderful sophists is arrogance and the desire to achieve great benefits. Convinces him to a wise life The Athenians had an ancient, and, in my opinion, beautiful law - to send children, as soon as they reached adolescence, to study the arts, and to do it in this way: openly lay out the tools of each art and bring young people to them; What kind of tool will someone look at with pleasure and run up to it - that tool in the art and teach it; because most often we succeed in what is in our nature, and we fail in what is not in our nature. Where is my story going? So that you also use the same means, and, having the ability for wisdom, do not leave it in negligence, and do not get used to anything else that is unusual for you, but rather engage more in philosophy, to which you are inclined, not only because of its own superiority, but also because of its affinity for you. And the proverb teaches not to block the flow of the river. And poetry requires that those learning to ride not sing. To prevent what? So that you don’t become a bad rider and singer. But what is your ability? As it seems to me, firstly, you have your own rules of life, a quiet and ingenuous disposition, incapable of this resourcefulness in the world; then, a gifted and sublime soul, easily given to speculation; thirdly, soreness and bodily weakness; and this seems important to Plato in the matter of philosophy. Moreover, you are already at an age when passions begin to be subdued; and it seems to me that you are not burdened with poverty, but rather boast. And this is no longer a rhetorical custom, that you know shame, that your tongue is not evil, that your birth is not bad, and that you are not at all a person for the public square. Let me put it briefly, you do not have any of those qualities that Aristophanes endows Democritus with in order to control the people in the squares. On the contrary, if you call yourself a rhetorician, you are more likely to be a rhetorician in every way, just not in your morals. Therefore, in your wisdom, do not stop at what you have already acquired, and do not prefer being second in a secondary matter to being first in a most important matter. And if we concede primacy to you in this, then do not agree to have superiority among the jackdaws when you are able to be an eagle. How long can we boast about something that is unimportant and creeps on the ground? How long does it take to play with dolls with children? And be delighted by applause? Let's move on from here, become men, give up dreams, let's not dwell on the shadows, let's leave to others the pleasures or, more often, the sorrows of life. Let others be mocked, others play and be tossed about by envy, time and chance, as they call the impermanence and irregularity of everything human. Away from us, high ranks, power, wealth, splendor, exaltation, fall - this worthless and despised glory, the one extolled by which suffers more disgrace than the one ridiculed! Away from us these children's games and acting in this great theater! We will adhere to the Word and in return for everything we will wish to have God - the only eternal good that is characteristic of us, in order to earn us approval even here for the fact that, while still so small, we are looking for something so great, or certainly there. Since the reward of virtue is to become god, to be illuminated by the purest light contemplated in the Trinity Unit, from which we now have barely a few rays, then move towards this, succeed in this, be inspired by thought, pray for eternal life. Do not stop your hopes at anything until you reach the desired and blissful peak. And I know very well that you will praise me a little now, and soon incomparably more, when you see yourself in the state that I promise, and you find that this is not empty bliss, not fictions of the mind, but reality itself. Convinces him to abandon the usual exercise of sophists, to fight with the tongue I will speak to you somewhat boldly; That’s how I’m used to it and that’s how I want it. And if you don’t allow me this, then you will offend both me and Nikovul, because I will annoy my friend, and I won’t get anything more from you. If you allow it, as I hope, then you will show a noble way of thinking, and both of us will work out as best as possible, because I will justify myself to him and I will praise you. But if you allow me to give you fatherly advice, then, out of habit of ruling, do not ignore the proposal that a person ignorant of such things makes to you. Finally, put down your weapons, and slings, and these terrible spears, I mean your tongues, with which you strike and wound each other, and, moreover, resound with the praises of your followers; put in more of everything because of all the tools this is the most readily available, put in so that you don’t lead young people to vice rather than to virtue, if not in words, then in deeds; because whatever deeds someone admires, he gives his advice to such, albeit silently. If you do this, then you will benefit yourself and you will have me as a friend, and you will not deceive the hopes of those who have trusted you. And all this will be my reward for my work about Nikovul. But if I see more perfect experiments, then I will reward them with the most perfect praise. Advises him to endure his suffering wisely I hear that you do not behave wisely in suffering, and I do not praise this; for one must write the truth, especially to a friend and a person who is distinguished by righteousness. About this, as I assure myself, I reason very correctly, I do not praise either extreme insensibility or strong sensitivity to suffering; the former is inhuman, the latter is not wise. But you must go in the middle and show that you are more wise than those who are very impatient, and closer to humanity than those who are too wise. And if I had written to someone else, then perhaps a longer word would have been required; in other things one should express one’s compassion, give advice about another, and perhaps reprimand for another, because condolences can be a sufficient means of consolation; and the sick person needs the services of the healthy person. But since I am speaking with an educated person, it will be enough to say the following. Take care of yourself and the books with which you are familiar, in which many lives are copied, many ways of life, many pleasures and softening remedies; because God connects all this with one another so that, as it seems to me, sorrow does not remain unhealed and joy unintelligible, and so that we, seeing in this inconstancy and deviation from order, turn our gaze to Him alone. Therefore, I offer this to your suffering, as a rule and a pointer. And if you know that someone who has fallen deeply under the burden of sorrow is praised or has gained something through lamentation, then take advantage of the sorrow and enjoy the tears. No one will envy the fact that misfortune is mourned. And if you know that such people are blamed and condemned, then, as the proverb says: “He who is wounded will heal,” but now it would be great to say, “He who is wounded will heal.” But for us, both due to other motives and according to our law, it is a shame to imitate many in such matters, because the word of God elevates us above the present and convinces us, having mercy on all this, like shadows and riddles, not to consider either the sorrowful or the joyful reality, but to live in another world and direct our gaze there, to call, both the only sorrowful thing - sin, and the only pleasant thing - virtue, and close communication with it. This is a wonderful healing that can be used to satisfy your sorrows, and it will be easier for you. But I think that you have already satisfied, and will satisfy, even if I had not written. Continuation of the same subject From my letter, wonderful one, I see some benefit, perhaps even considerable, as a powerful healer of such ailments. My reprimand drove sorrow out of you, and the place of this weakness was taken by shame and the desire to rebuff me in a very witty and courageous manner. And it seems to me that you, like Achilles’ horses at Omir, when the days of mourning for Patroclus are over, raising your head and shaking off the dust, again long for the plains, weapons and opportunities to distinguish yourself. So your letter to me is both brilliant and noble, although somewhat caustic, if I understand you at all. But just take courage and wisely overcome suffering; I agree that it is not an important matter to judge those who swim from the shore, but it is much more important to be in the fight yourself than to encourage another to fight against disasters, unless someone will say that there was no need for you to either enter into the fight or go to sea, especially if your wisdom is, although a little higher than what was now with you. I have been fighting with many and many times, even, I think, my whole life, in which, to be sure, but quite unskillfully and not without courage, I encourage others, and I struggle myself, and many can appreciate this. 139. To Theodore the Bishop (225) He complains about Helladius, Bishop of Caesarea, presents the reasons why he himself refused to rule the Nazianzi Church, and wanted the election of a bishop to Nazianzu (who had already been elected), and asks not to believe the slander against Bosporius, Bishop of Colonium (383). And among us, envy has found something for itself, which no one avoids without difficulty. So we, the Cappadocians, rebelled, so to speak, - an evil hitherto unheard of and incredible. “Let not all flesh boast before God” (1 Cor. 1:29); but let us know that we are all human, and we will not be quick to judge others. But for me there is some benefit from misfortune (if it is necessary to say something strange); and truly, according to the proverb, I gather roses from thorns. I, who had not previously met personally with your reverence and did not talk with you through letters, but was only illuminated by hearing about you, am now forced to communicate in writing; and great thanks to Him who granted this! I will not write about this to other bishops, not having time for that; and at the same time the illness makes me lazy. But what I write to you, through you I write to them. May my most God-loving lord, Bishop Helladius, stop interrogating my affairs; for he seeks this not by spiritual means, but by circumlocutions that show quarrelsomeness, not by the strictness of church rules, but in satisfaction of anger, which time reveals, and many things, together with time, are brought into action without any reason. Because it is necessary to say so and not to upset. If I had such physical health that I could rule the Church in Nazianza, where it was originally proclaimed, and not in Sasima, as some incorrectly assure you, then I am not so pathetic and ignorant of Divine decrees that I would either despise the Church or pursue the conveniences of life, having in mind the rewards that are prepared for those who work for God and use the talent entrusted to them. For what good will my great labors and great hopes be to me if I mismanage the most important things? But since I am sick in body, as everyone knows, and for the reason I have said, I am not afraid of the important consequences of this removal, but I see that the Church under my rule is suffering harm in the most important way and, due to the disruption of my health, is almost in disorder, I asked for this before, and now I ask the most God-loving bishops, I mean domestic ones, to give the Church a head (as with God’s help they have given), worthy of both my desire and your prayers. And so let this be known to you, my most honorable lord; and inspire the other bishops to do the same, so that they agree, cast their votes and not burden my old age by believing slander. But I will add to the letter the following about my sovereign, Bishop Vosporius. If your research finds him to be bad in faith (which is not permissible to say; not to mention the longevity and my testimony), then judge about it for yourself. And if the investigation of those living nearby produces a bad reputation about him and there is a new accusation, then do not get carried away with slander, and I ask you not to give it more power than the truth, so as not to dishearten many who have decided to do well. Be healthy, complacent, prosper according to God, to the pleasure of me and the entire Church, as our common adornment! 140. To Theodore, Bishop of Tyana (83) Asks for the continuation of friendly relations and cessation of spiritual relations, as well as for the placement of the Nikovulov children near the Church The spiritual relationship is over; I won't bother you anymore. Unite, defend yourself, hold meetings against me. May my haters win; let the rules that began with me be strictly observed, ignorant in this; I don't envy your accuracy. But friendly relations should not find obstacles in this. The children of my most venerable son Nikovul arrived in the city to learn cursive writing; deign, above all else, to look at them favorably and fatherly (the rules do not prohibit this); also make sure that they live closer to the Church. I would like their morals to improve in virtue when they have the opportunity to constantly see your perfection. Intercedes for his relative the virgin Amazonia I present to your reverence my blood, and your pet, a treasure precious to God, our most honorable daughter, the virgin Amazonia. By respecting her faith, by helping her with her bodily illness, and for this reason by extending your hand to her in everything, and by taking care of her, you will do a noble deed and worthy of your reverence, and I will add, of our friendship. Promises to be with him, but not at the Council You call me to you, and I hurry; but I’m in a hurry alone, and to get closer to you alone. And I bow to councils and interviews from afar since I experienced a lot (to put it more modestly) of bad things. What else remains? Help my just desire with prayers, so that I may be worthy of what I care about. He asks for Evgenia so that she does not suffer damage to the estate left with her grandmother You want, and therefore I also want, that justice be done by your reverence to our daughter Eugenia. But it seems to me that it is not necessary to allow her to lose anything of what the grandmother left to her granddaughter, whom she raised with all her zeal and whom she left with little, instead of the much that she promised and that she then hoped to leave. Requests satisfaction from the court for those whom he represents in writing I wrote what I thought was fair. If something else is on your mind, I am sure that your thought is correct, and I am ready to accept it. Otherwise I would have offended piety itself and acted unlawfully against it. But although I present those who come to me to you as a truthful judge; however, I do not agree that you should judge them in the way that many people, extremely pitiful and ignorant, are wont to do. Sends a book as a gift: The Philokalia of Origen, his common work with Basil the Great A holiday for me is your letter. And it’s even better that with your diligence you anticipate the time of the holiday, providing me with the pre-festival. Such is the gift of your reverence; and I repay you with the most important thing I have - prayers. But so that you have something to remember us, I am sending you my and St. Basil’s book of Origen’s Philokalia, which contains a selection of things useful for lovers of love. Deign to accept this and present me with proof of the benefit, aided by diligence and spirit. 146. To Gregory of Nyssa (42) Notifies that Eulalia, in whose arms he would like to die, has been elected bishop of Nazianza, and explains that his election is not contrary to the Church statutes “Woe is me, for my coming will continue!” (Ps. 119:5) And the main disaster we have is war and rebellion! We have not kept the peace that we inherited from the holy fathers. Therefore, knowing that you yourself will restore this world by the power of the Spirit, which rules you and your affairs, I ask you not to slander me and the sovereign bishops, as if another bishop was proclaimed among us without my will. For I am not in such contempt with them, and they are not so hostile to me. On the contrary, begging a lot for the sake of my deadness and at the same time being afraid to take on the burden of governing the Church, which was left without supervision, I asked them for this mercy, which did not contradict the rules and was reassuring for me - to give the Church a shepherd; and through your prayers a shepherd has been given worthy of your piety, whom I place in your hands: this is the venerable Eulalia, the God-loving bishop, in whose arms I would like to die. And if anyone thinks that during the life of a bishop there is no need to ordain another, then let him know that this will not overcome me. For everyone knows that I was appointed bishop not of Nazianza, but of Sasimov; although not for long, out of respect for my father and those who asked me, I took over the rule of the Nazianz Church as an outsider. Asks not to believe the slander against Bishop Vosporius When everyone praises something about you, and everyone, as in a marketplace, spreads good fame about you, I add something from myself, and no less than anyone else, because you honor me and, like a beloved son, you console your father’s old age. Therefore, now I have dared to bring you my request for the venerable Bishop of Vosporia. It is a shame to have the need for my letter to such a husband, for whom the respect and life of him and the summer are strengthened. But it is no less shameful to remain silent and not say a word about him to someone who has a voice, honors the faith and knows this man more than anyone else. Of course, you yourself will resolve any confusion regarding your neighbors, by the grace of the Spirit dwelling in you, and on the basis of church rules. But let not your reverence suffer to be exposed to shame in the courts of the people; for although even there the judges will be Christians, as indeed by the goodness of God they are Christians, what is the common thing between the sword and the spirit? If this is allowed, then how and in what respect is it fair to confuse the word about faith with other perplexities? Now our most God-loving Bishop Bosporius has become unorthodox! Nowadays the gray hair of a man who distracted so many from error, who presented such proof of his Orthodoxy, who was a teacher to all of us, has no weight among us! No, I beg you, do not give space to such slander. But if it is possible to reconcile what is divided, then add this to your glory. And if this is impossible, then at least do not allow all of us, with whom he lived and grew old, to be offended by such an insult; we, as you know, are strict preachers of the Divine, both in danger and without danger, who did not allow anything to be taken away from the One and Unapproachable Divinity. I ask you to pray for me, who is very weak from illness. Both I and all of mine welcome the brotherhood that is with you. May God grant us that you, the common support of the Church, will be healthy, complacent and glorified in the Lord! Asks to petition Comita Domestik for leniency for some George Many people are wonderfully guessing about your intelligence, or better yet, they don’t guess, but they believe me, who boasts of this, they believe because you honor me with considerable respect and respect. One of these is my most honorable son George, who, having suffered many losses and having taken enough care of his affairs, sees for himself one haven of salvation - to turn through me to you and find some kind of leniency from the most honorable Comita Domestik. Therefore, show mercy, if you want, to him and his need, and if you wish, to me, to whom, as far as I know, you decided to do everything you please, as you confirm with your very deeds. Thanks for the journey to Parnassus and for discovering the slander against the bishop; also asks to go further, testify to this to the bishops and sort out with them the remaining perplexities in this matter “The Lord will fulfill all your requests” (Ps. 19:6), and do not despise your father’s prayer. You have quite reassured our old age by the fact that you even went to Parnassus when you were invited, and that you exposed the slander leveled against the most honorable and most God-loving bishop. Vicious people love to place their blame on those who accuse them. It is true that every accusation was refuted by the years and life of this man, I was also refuted by me, who often heard and retold about his deeds to others, and equally refuted by those who were removed from error by him and joined to the common Body of the Church, however, the current evil time, due to slanderers and evil people, required more accurate proof, and you presented this proof to us, or better yet, to frivolous people who are not difficult to deceive such slander. If you deign to take on the labor of the further journey to personally testify to this and with the other bishops you will sort out what is perplexing, then you will do a spiritual work worthy of your perfection. I and everyone who is with me welcome your brotherhood. As soon as I freed myself from the labors with which illness burdened me, I flow to you, the provider of healing. For the tongue of a priest, philosophizing about the Lord, lifts up the sick. Therefore, perform the best sacred act and resolve my great sins by touching the sacrifices of the Resurrection. For whether I am awake or asleep, I am concerned about your affairs, and you have become for me a kind bow and a harmonious lyre, settling in my soul, after sending me thousands of letters, you have improved in the knowledge of my soul. But, most pious, do not be lazy to pray and intercede for me, when you attract the Word with a word, when you cut through the Sovereign Body and Blood with a bloodless section, using your voice instead of a sword. As a strong man at the Court, he asks him to pacify the Church during the proposed Council of Bishops You are great in learning, and in whatever kind of science you want, in whatever kind of science you want. I know about one of these only by hearsay, because I am not familiar with the Roman language, and I am not strong in Italian teachings; and I have experienced other things, so I can bring them to the attention of others, if only I have the right to judge such things in any way, and there are many people who say that they have the right. You have risen to considerable honors, or, if it is necessary to use a more correct expression, you have received considerable honors upon yourself. You have reached the extreme limit of power, having received this not as a gift of happiness, as many would like to say, but as a reward for virtue, so that it would become more honorable, and the king would gain praise for such a judgment about you. Even this is not enough; I'll add some of my own. Having been first instructed in piety, you later accepted it. For I remember your words, and my ears are still filled with wonder. If you add to this the memory of friends (I know that you will add it, and I guess this from what happened before), then we will marvel at you even more. This is the final limit of human well-being or bliss. What is beyond Hades is impassable for people, as we believe in the wise Pindar. But since you have achieved great things, you are committed to great things. The merciful God first made you ours, and then made you a leader over us; and it would be inappropriate not to demand the most from such a husband; Therefore, take the following advice from me: since now again the Council of Bishops, I don’t know why and how they were assembled, did not consider anything so befitting of your leadership as this one thing, so that under your leadership and your labors the Churches should be reconciled, even if for this it was necessary to punish the rebellious ones with special severity. And if it seems strange that, having retired from business, I do not abandon my worries, do not be surprised at this. Although I gave up the throne and the height of the rank to those who wished, I did not give up my piety with this, but I think that now I will seem worthy of trust to you, even more than before, as serving not my own, but the common good. Similar with the same content I know very well that you demand from me what is characteristic of friendship, otherwise you would not have dared to write. For you will give power to the worldly, but to me, who is worthy to approach God as a good fellow worker, boldness. Therefore, I greet you and, at your request, I will state my affairs. With God’s help, everything is going well for me, except for one thing: I’m worried about the Churches, which are in such turmoil. And if you can help them in any way, do not be lazy in both word and deed to restore general harmony; because again there is a Council of Bishops, and there is a danger that even now we will not remain in shame if this Council has almost the same end as the previous one. For I left my business to be examined and judged by the omniscient God, although I willingly gave in to envy, giving way to those who wanted it and refusing not something, as many people think, useful, but, on the contrary, extremely dangerous and, as if after a terrible and cruel storm, having met a calm and safe haven. Entrusts it to the patronage of one scientist - Eudoxia Although the height of superior power is unapproachable, friendship is philanthropic; It is for this reason that I dared to present this request to you. To all the good things you have done for me, add this too. Our most learned son, Eudoxius, a man worthy of your valor both in life and in mind, just as in other matters do not deprive him of your pleasant attention, and also honor him with patronage if he needs your rightness in anything. And I will reward for this with prayers, which is the only way I can reward benefactors. From solitude, where he is improving his health, he asks to try to pacify the Church at the opening Council If I write now, it does not mean that I am impudent; and if you haven’t written before, it means you’re lazy. It’s better to say, it doesn’t even mean that, because there was no one to send me a letter with, although (as you yourself believe) I wanted it. I spend time in the middle of the field, away from residential areas, and there I improve my physical health. But now, when there is an opportunity, I greet you and ask you to honor me, who is absent, with the same honor that you did when I was with you, and was not too lazy to console me with letters, who was greatly distressed by the separation. And since there is again a Council and again a struggle, moreover, among enemies who are carefully watching everything that concerns us, then give your hand to the general meeting, being yourself not the last member of the Church, and do not allow everyone to be destroyed by the fire that has now spread in the Church; but as many fire-extinguishing shells as you can find, use them in your work, encourage others to do the same, so that your business too will be successful, then the common cause will go better. Hiperechia represents him Truly you are a winner, my wonderful one, and a valiant winner in everything; for while it was possible, you defeated your enemies with weapons, but now you conquer everyone with kindness. That is why I dared to present this greeting to you, and with the greeting also the most honest son of Iperechius, whom, as I know, you will honor for his character, when you recognize this man, you will honor him for my sake, as one who decided to do everything to please me. Tell him to rely on you in memory of our friendship, which, I am sure, you respect very much. 156. To Mardarius the Military Leader (135) Asks to try to pacify the Church at the Council of Bishops You are my relative, and your own, and everything that can be called in a similar meaning; because we were united by piety and the glory of virtue, which we recognized in you, who clearly showed that to be a Hellenic and to be a barbarian have differences in the body, and not in the soul, and the distance is in place, and not in morals and will. If many of our kind began to imitate your rightness, then, I very much know, everything would be fine with us - both public and private. I ask you, just as you stop the battle with external enemies with your hand and your prudence, so stop our battle; and as much as you have the strength, try to ensure that the matter ends peacefully among the bishops gathered today; because, as you yourself know, it is very shameful to gather together many times and not find a limit to the disasters, but to constantly add new turmoil to the previous turmoil. Presents the warrior Theodore to his gracious attention I have long wanted to greet your honorability and thanks to God, who gave the occasion! Considering how to reward the person who handed you this letter, I decided that it would be best to hand it over to your authority. Partly for my sake, honor him with favorable attention, because he is both mine and yours; as he who lives with me is mine, and as a warrior is yours, I mean Theodore, who now comes to you from me. Let him know what honor I have always enjoyed from you and still do. Replies to a letter in which Photius praised Nikovulus for his successes You ask why I don’t write? And it seems to me that you yourself have sent no more letters (unless illness drives me crazy and makes me forget even the kindness shown to me), although you, who master the art of both speaking and writing, if not in other ways, then at least as a deceased person, owes me a funeral oration. So, here is my denunciation, because whoever accuses in a friendly way does not need to go beyond the limits of friendship. And what you write about your dearest son Nikovul is very important, surprising and enough to captivate the good nature of the father, who is ready to believe everything that is desirable for him. But then I will accept this as truth when the young man, having presented me with experiments, turns out to be worthy of either your promises or our hopes. Asks to give Nikovul the elder peace from business And it is pleasant for others to greet your reverence, but it is even more pleasant for me in my present position. Since I am losing hope almost every day, this makes me more attached to you as the recipient of my last acquisition. But as soon as I realize this acquisition, I owe the reward to my venerable son Nikobul, from whom I acquired it; and as the poor do when, seeing the rich in front of them, they wish to receive a benefit from them, so do I, paying him the debt through you. But he needs rest from business, like a person who is constantly accustomed to it; therefore, deign to provide him with an opportunity for such reassurance. He informs about himself that, hurrying to meet with him, he is detained by illness in one monastery, and asks for Nikovul My joy passed away like a dream. When I was brought to the monastery to get some relief from the bath there, then, nurturing the hope of meeting you, I already had this benefit in my hands and spent several days in the monastery, suddenly an illness befell me, which partly already worries me, and partly threatens me. If you need to find some kind of comparison for my illness, then I suffer the same thing as polyps, which are forcibly torn from stones and who are often in danger of either giving way to the stones or taking something from the stones with them. This is my position. But what I needed to ask your rightness personally, I dared to ask for in absentia. I found that son Nikovul was very worried about both the continuation of the journey and his constant stay in the monastery, like a weak man, not accustomed to this and bored from loneliness. Deign to use it for any other purpose you please; because he is ready to serve your power in everything; but spare me, if possible, from this concern, if for nothing else, then out of respect for the fact that he follows me, the sick one. Just as I asked you for many things and for many and received what I asked, so I need your condescension towards me. Asks for Nikovul, who is involved in the case of indignant slaves What I spoke about, as if prophetically, is what happened. Namely, finding you ready to do everything for me and taking advantage of your condescension without satiety, I was afraid so as not to exhaust your philanthropy with other people's affairs. For this is my own business, if only what concerns my loved ones is already mine. And I do not speak with the same courage as before; firstly, because it’s my business, and asking for yourself, even if it’s more profitable, is more humiliating; secondly, I suspect in you satiety, which destroys pleasantness and opposes everything beautiful. Although this is true, and my guess is fair; However, in my trust in God, before whom I stand, and in your generosity to do good, I dare to make this request. Let us suppose that the worst of all is Nikovul, guilty of the one crime that for my sake he arouses envy of himself and behaves more freely than he should; Let us assume that the person who is now arguing with us is the most truthful person; because I am ashamed before your love of truth to accuse someone whom I myself recently defended; but I don’t know whether it will seem fair to you to punish others for the sins of some, and to punish others for the sins of others and involuntary ones, who did not even encourage the slaves to do so and were so indignant at them that they handed them over to the accuser more readily than he himself wanted? Is it necessary for Nicobulus or his children to go into slavery, whatever his enemies want? Does he need to increase the number of those having cases in court right now, when his home affairs upset him? No, wonderful husband, let this not occur to your pure mind! On the contrary, in a quick flight of thought, having penetrated into the malice from which this comes, and having respected me, who is zealous in praising you, show yourself to be a humane judge of the indignant, now pronouncing judgment not only on people, but on virtue and on vice, which, more than about private individuals, should be taken care of by those who are like you in virtue and active leaders. From me you will be rewarded for this not only with prayers, which, as I know, you do not despise, like many, but also by the fact that your reign will become glorious for everyone who knows me. Nikovulu, calling him the support of his old age, asks this official Olimpiev for the same thing. Who is fairer than God? But He, the Creator and Lord of everything, is not ashamed that this will be considered unfair. Therefore, is it surprising if I, having care for everyone who is in my arms and under my care, love my son Nicobulus more than others, whom I consider to be my guardian in old age and illness and use instead of a support and a rod of my weakness? I give it into your hands, and through you into the hands of the mayor, recognizing it as very painful for myself that others have been freed through you from the greatest troubles, and now the first have become cruel accusers, but I cannot free this one from violence and for myself I do not seek the honor that I sought for strangers; but I endure the same thing that happens to eyes that, seeing everything else, do not see themselves, or to springs located in the depths, which, without irrigating places close to them, water distant places. Let us assume that it is terrible, and even more than terrible, what the slaves dared to do, so that nothing, or little will be revealed, if severity is not applied to them during interrogation. But what does this have to do with the gentlemen who did not participate in the matter at all? And what is the basis for being punished for the crimes of others and now caring about public affairs when one is upsetting one’s own? What is this? You say maybe. Gregory writes to us again, more letters, more requests? What gluttony, which I myself am the cause of! No, wonderful husband, don't say that. For whom is medicine if not for the sick? May we not be deprived of them, and all the more so the more we are confident that we have strength from you. I no longer ask, but I demand, because mercy calls for mercy. Nikovul is subjected to violence, and this is the same as what I myself am subjected to, because he is my resting place. How is it possible to remain silent and not be annoying even with all the wisdom? Give your hand to those who are oppressed, so that you yourself may be rewarded with the same from God, which, of course, you need as a man. Use your friendship, wisdom, and power with God in favor of our cause. It is not necessary to hit red-hot iron much with flint to reveal the fire hidden in it; but as soon as you strike, the fire already sparkles. Likewise, you will not require me to beg you for a long time, and, moreover, for myself, so strong in conviction and such a sincere accomplice in power. I will say one thing briefly: others have received other mercies through me, but I have need of this mercy for myself. This will put your learning to shame most of all! Asks for his colleague Georgiy I am glad that I am writing to you, and I am also glad that you reproach me for not writing, if this sometimes happens. And your reproaches are filled with kindness. But I know that I wrote to you often and about many things and received from you everything I asked for. And if nothing else, then the very multitude of blessings you have received testifies to my letters. But if you are more generous than we would even like from you, and I am more timid about requests, then let the primacy in virtue remain with you, but let me also be given an excuse for refusing to be burdensome; because the word of the wise is to recognize the best in everything. However, thanks be to God for giving you the opportunity to do good, making you our common benefactor and co-leader. Therefore, now, through this letter of mine, I entrust you with my brother - our co-servant George, a man who is both distinguished and very useful for the Church, recognizing him as worthy to have the right to trust, even if he does not agree with some, and not to be oppressed along with others. Praises him for his like-mindedness and friendship with Olympius Great of men, as they say, is Hercules (as a learned man, I will remind you of something of yours), but he would not have been so if he had not had Iolaus as his companion, especially in the battle with the Hydra, that evil and many-headed beast, one of whom cut off the heads and burned the other, as you destroy vices. The sons of Actor, as Homer likes to assure, overtook many in chariots, because they were twins both in physical birth and in art, one wielded the bit, and the other the whip, and helped each other in victory. The helmsman saves many swimmers; but he would not have saved him if he had not been helped by a good helmsman who watches the winds, points out pitfalls and serves as an eye for the ship. This, in my opinion, is your business. The mayor, who is famous in himself, is made even more famous by your assistance. And while I praise you for many things, I marvel at this most of all. While maintaining such zeal for public benefits, you give place to the duties of friendship, not showing your severity in the cruelty of your character, following the example of many who do not observe measures, but, on the contrary, softening the severity of the authorities with meekness. Expresses regret that Asterius is leaving his position and Cappadocia What have I suffered! You move away, leaving us, and I was sick. Envy did not allow me to say a farewell word to you. What a loss! What a shame! I'm afraid to say something bold. What was the point of receiving a benefit if it was not meant to stay with us forever? Everything pleasant does not so much amuse when it is with us, but saddens it when it moves away from us. I was honored and glorified by you, I enjoyed your leadership, I was satisfied with your love for mankind. I have not forgotten and will not forget this; I would rather forget myself than you. How will I repay you for all this? What else, except that we have the best? These are prayers by which may you be preserved and glorified and returned to us again, if only the duration of my life lasts until then! Expresses regret that this ruler of Cappadocia leaves his position You are our boss even after you leave your leadership, because you have in yourself all the virtues of leadership. And we judge things differently than the common people judge. For many of those who sit high stand low for me, and such are those whom their own hand makes humiliated and slaves of subordinates. Many are exalted and exceed everyone, although they are also below, and such are those whom virtue places high and makes worthy of the highest degrees of authority. But what do I care about that? The great Olympius is no longer with us, he no longer holds our helm. We were destroyed, betrayed, and became for the future the second Cappadocia, whereas under you we were the first. Do I need to say something else? But who will cherish the old age of your Gregory, who will heal his weakness with respect and make me even more honorable for the fact that I could intercede for many of your philanthropy? Now go on your way from us, with the best guidance and accompaniment, leaving us with many tears, and taking with you great wealth - good fame, which few of the rulers carried away, and the fact that you are written on everyone’s soul - on this unshakable pillar. And if you return to us again at the highest and most brilliant level of leadership, which our love prophesies for us, then, without a doubt, we will bring the most perfect gratitude to God. 168. To Gregory the Archon (44) Olimpiev greets this successor on his assumption of office, and asks for his mercy to Nikovul the younger with his brothers and mother, who remained a widow after the death of Nikovul the elder (384) I do not praise Hesiod for calling those engaged in the same craft opponents in the craft, saying: “And the potter looks askance at the potter, and the carpenter at the carpenter.” For, in my opinion, they do not hate each other so much as they run to each other, kiss each other and embrace each other, like relatives. And the singer runs to the singer all the more because they are occupied by one object - the word. I feel the same attraction to your scholarship. If my body were in such a state that it could serve my spiritual aspirations, then no one would have warned me to come, hug you and welcome you to take office. But a cloud casts a shadow on the sun, and on me is illness, and this envious flesh, and my prison. Instead of visiting me, will you accept this letter from me? Of course, you will accept it as an educated and forgiving person; I know this for sure, and I’m not judging by guesswork. And so that you know how I rely on your rightness, I offer you a very necessary request for me, and I ask your friendship for help to my friends. I hand over to you my Nikovul and his brothers, not so that he will be put on trial, but so that he will receive satisfaction at the trial. I hand over their mother, an elderly widow, and a house that was once glorious and prominent while Nikovol, who meant a lot to you, was alive, but now has no freedom to cry, due to the disasters that have already befallen and are expected, if it is not pleasing to you and your justice to stand in defiance of the evil demon, to honor me, to respect humanity and to make a brilliant beginning for yourself with the benefit shown to us. This official Grigoriev asks the same thing It is pardonable for the one who complains to say what is characteristic of those who complain; and I will cry out to myself: “Oh, evil and malicious flesh, what are you doing to me, how much trouble are you causing me! Near is a man whom, even if he were far away, it would be necessary to follow, for the sake of his commanding valor and in all other respects his meekness. And you are sick, almost immobile and do not take into account that others enjoy the benefit that I am deprived of.” This is my complaint. But since it is not enough for me to mourn only my suffering, but I also need some kind of healing for my wounds; then I invent this too, I dare to write this letter, and with it I partially replace a date with you. And if you, who abundantly exude goodness, are looking for an opportunity to show me a benefit, then I boldly present to you a house worthy of pity and philanthropy, a widow and orphans with tears still wet in their eyes, I mean my sister and her children; they had a good father who served the kings a lot with arms in hand, and not ingloriously, but with great honor, and also provided many services to you, the commanders, if you know the name of Nicobulus. But now he is in danger of being exposed to the most difficult circumstances. For after the announcement of their friends and after the oaths they made during interrogation, they now again intend to harm the orphans. Asks for a speedy end to his niece's case What would you do if I personally had to deal with it? As is obvious, he would have made every effort to save me from offence, if we conclude this from what has gone before. Show me the same mercy now in the person of my most well-behaved niece, who, through my mediation, herself falls to you; respect the age of the petitioner, respect her morals and reverence, how she is unlike many women; Besides this, respect her womanly inexperience in business and the fact that she is now dealing with her own, and most of all, respect my request. The greatest mercy for her is the speed of the benefit I ask for. For the unjust judge mentioned in the Gospel showed kindness to the widow, but he showed it after a long and persistent request. And she asks you for speed, so as not to languish her for a long time with the worries and disadvantages of life on someone else’s side, although most of all I clearly know that your godliness will make the other side her own for her. Apologizes why he wasn’t at the wedding of Olympiada, Prokopieva’s daughter I know your accusations, although you are silent. You say correctly: “So we celebrated the marriage (the marriage of the golden one and your Olympias), we had many bishops, but you, valiant man, were not with us, either without honoring us with your presence, or because you were lazy.” Neither one nor the other, my wonderful one. But I think that those whose affairs are in a sad state cannot celebrate cheerfully; and, moreover, it is completely inappropriate to carry two sick legs at a wedding feast and see them laughing among those jumping, so that you can joke a little in a wedding way. And with my desire I am with you, and I celebrate with you; I unite your young hands one with the other and place both in the hand of God, so that this marriage will lead to all the best and correspond to our common desires. Congratulates him on the marriage of his other daughter Now you have another son-in-law, and you are doing a great job of laying aside this pleasant burden. And I’m lazy (you might say that about me to yourself); It would be fairer to say: I am sick, not lazy. At least we have in a good state that which is from God (i.e. the soul, which is the breath of God). Therefore, let us give in to rebellion to others, and we ourselves will enjoy wisdom when you close yourself in God and completely move upward, not held back by any bonds. Now, if the best gift should be given to a marriage, I offer my prayers. Due to a serious illness, not being able to see him in person, he asks through a letter to show generosity to Deacon Eugene If my physical health were not so bad, and I was not in danger of despairing in life itself, then I would consider it my first and most important benefit to see you, to be with you, to personally present this request. But since, without raising my head, completely bound by illness and against my will, deprived of the opportunity to fulfill my desire, I take up the second means and turn to you with a letter, with it I greet and kiss you, with it I dare to ask for our deacon Eugene, for whom I appeal to your generosity. If acquaintance with the objectionable Rigian is not yet a crime, and it seems that he is not guilty of anything else, then for the sake of justice itself, of which you are the support and protector, and if you consider this a crime, then for the sake of God, before Whom he stands, and for the sake of my gray hair, which, as you know, is respected by many who fear the Lord, I beg you, show this mercy to me and the entire clergy and, having freed this man from misfortune, do so that you may have good hope from God. In return for what you have done, you will receive no less (if not much, so to speak) - my prayers How does a person, tested in patience by bodily illnesses, submit his own health to judgment? How is your physical health? Or, of course, is it not of great importance to you, whatever it may be? I won’t ask about my soul, is it healthy? For I know that her health is excellent, because through bodily illnesses you are accustomed to noble wisdom, accepting them as a test of virtue, and not as a material disorder, why is it greater bliss for you to suffer than for others to enjoy health? Give this also sufficient proof of your wisdom, command me to be the same in the same circumstances. Although I dare to write to others about this, I still consider it unsafe to subject myself to your judgment, however, I will try not to contradict if you order. Praises him for his patience, and presents examples of patience among the pagans It is good that you are wise in suffering and for many you serve as an example of patience in sorrow. Just as you used bodily tools for all the best when you were healthy, so now you use them perfectly, although you have become sick, and I will say this: even in inaction you do not remain inactive, because you are wise, and what, as they say, Diogenes called by this name, once suffering from a fever and patiently enduring an illness, you yourself allow us to see, that is, the struggle of the soul with the body. So it was fitting for my Philagrius - not to weaken and not become exhausted in suffering, but to despise the flesh and allow the body to endure, which is certainly characteristic of it, according to the law of nature, either now or later, destined to be destroyed, because it will die exhausted either by illness or by time, but to elevate oneself in soul, to ascend in thoughts to God and to know that it would be inappropriate for us to philosophize without danger, but to be not wise in need and unfaithful to your promise. You have exhausted everything with your mind, everything that is ours and everything that is alien, as a man who has studied both, and as a teacher of others, from everything he has collected for himself a medicine for humanity. But if you order me to be a little more sophisticated with you, then I do not praise the limited concept of Aristotle, who defined our bliss and follows the straight path when he claims that it is an action of the soul consistent with virtue, and even when he adds action in a perfect life (and in this he acts very wisely due to the vicissitudes and variability of our nature), but already ceases to be sublime and becomes extremely low when he adds that bliss is and external abundance. Therefore, if anyone is poor, or sick, or homeless, or expelled from the fatherland, bliss is already forbidden to him. I praise the nobility and lofty thoughts of the Stoics, who say that external things do not in the least hinder bliss and that a valiant man is blessed, even if it burns him like the centaur Philiridas. And therefore, just as I marvel at those among us who went into danger for a wonderful cause or bravely endured disasters, I also marvel at those from outside who came close to ours, such as, not to mention many, Anaxarchus, Epictetus, Socrates. Anaxarchus, when, at the order of the tormentor, his hands were pounded in a mortar, he ordered the performers to beat out Anaxarchus’s bag, calling our pitiful flesh by this name, as if the blows did not touch Anaxarchus himself, that is, the soul of the philosopher (and in our country this is distinguished by the names of the external and internal man). Epictetus, when they stretched and twisted his leg, philosophized as if he were in someone else's body, and they rather broke his leg than noticed that he felt the violence. And Socrates, condemned to death by the Athenians and living, as we know, in prison, first talked with his disciples about the body as about another prison, and when he could escape, he refused it; and then, when the hemlock was brought to him, he took the poison with great pleasure, as if not a mortal drink, but a healthy cup. I would add our Job to them if I didn’t know that you yourself, with God’s help, are not far from his suffering now, and will not be far from now on. This is how I think, calming and healing myself, O divine and sacred head, and you yourself alleviate suffering for yourself, and cheer us, filled with surprise and love for you, without weakening in illness and without being tempted, as the divine David says, by “the world of sinners” (cf. Ps. 73:3) and the happy course of their present life, but being cleansed by suffering, if I may say this about you, and turning weakness into a remedy to virtue. She recalls her meeting with him in Mataz and the conversation while reading the 72nd Psalm I remember our meeting with you, the last time we were together in my Mataz - for I call you and honor you as mine - I also remember your wisdom, to which you indulged then, remembering which, even now I come into awe. I (as you yourself ordered, and it was impossible to contradict you) explained to you the seventy-second psalm, in which David becomes perplexed and indignant, seeing the prosperity of evil people, and then, turning his thoughts to the judgment courts there and to the awaiting reward for the deeds of this life, thus stopping in his confusion and curing his grief. As much as possible, I inclined my interpretation to your suffering, borrowing thoughts both from ours and from modern writings, because I was talking with a learned and experienced person; Moreover, such reasoning was inspired by the Spirit and encouraged by grief, which is the most inventive. Our speech flowed; suddenly, in the middle of a conversation, as if having received a blow, you stand up, raise your hands to the sky, and, turning your gaze to the east, because there was a view there, you cry out: “I thank You, Father and Creator of Your people, that against our will you do good to us, through the external person you cleanse the internal and through misfortunes you bring us to a blissful end by means known to You alone!” And should I repeat all those wise reasonings that you led me to and that I did myself, as if rejoicing in my illness? Then the teacher became your student. But why did I mention this? One thing I cry out to everyone and preach through you, namely: we should mourn wicked people more for their internal illness than they should mourn us when our outer man is sick; and wise illness is better than unbridled prosperity. He asked not to pay attention to those who reproached him, that despite the disorder of his physical health he remained hardworking Others reproach you, as I guess that you love to decorate your only property, and with such a bodily state you do not leave your work. There is nothing surprising in this, because it is easier to philosophize about other people’s affairs than about your own. And I, if I saw that you were exceeding the limit in this, indulging in hard work either out of self-interest, or by force, then, to tell the truth; I would scold you, not being ashamed of either friendship or learning. If you love work, but not beyond measure, and what you work on, you use as it should, and added to this is illness, which does not give you rest even in the midst of worries and assures you that the physical is higher than the body, then I cannot help but scold those who scold you, but I cannot free you from accusation. And besides, I assure myself that just as no one judges your affairs better than you - because everyone, both in their affairs, both privately and publicly, takes you as their teacher and adviser - so no one will take care of the soul with greater wisdom. If protecting and restoring bodily health is a matter of medical art alone, then who would be so impudent and ignorant as to prescribe rules for you in this? Therefore, do not pay attention to people and let them be jackdaws who judge the flight of eagles, and have yourself and God as an adviser in illness and in matters related to illness, and you will not sin against duty. Notifies about extreme health problems Previously, I wrote letters of comfort to you in your illness, because you were the first to fall into illness; and now, it seems, you already need to console me, who suffers almost equally with you, because we, being friends, should not disagree on this. But, better to say, you have already provided consolation with your patience and exhorting me to be patient. About what consoles one who suffers from illness I suffer from illness and rejoice not because I suffer, but because I can be a teacher of patience for others. For when I cannot do so as not to suffer, then I gain from suffering the fact that I endure it and give thanks both in joys and in sorrows, being confident that everything that happens to us is not without a reasonable reason in the Word, although it seems to us that there is no such reason. He strengthens with his advice the feat of patience, sending one of the two requested books - Dimosthenes, but refuses the other - the Iliad, because he did not find it at home. What is regrettable for you is, of course, regrettable for me too, because as the rules of friendship require, we make common everything that friends have, whether it is good or bad. However, if I think a little about this and talk with you as I should, which, of course, the very law of friendship inspires, then I do not want and do not consider it good that you, being a Philagrius and having studied the Divine well, should suffer in this the same thing that many suffer, that is, become exhausted along with your body and begin to mourn your suffering as inconsolable. On the contrary, I want you to be wise even in suffering, now especially to purify your thoughts, to show that you are above the bonds and consider illness to be an instruction in useful things, and this means that you despise the body and everything corporeal, everything that is fleeting, impermanent and perishable, you completely surrender to the highest, instead of the present you live in the future, turning this life here, as Plato says, into the thought of death, and to the best of your ability detaching the soul from the body, or, according to Plato, from the tomb. If you are so wise and have such a disposition of spirit, my excellent one, then you will do yourself a very great benefit, and you will take away from us the reason to grieve for you, and you will teach many to be wise in suffering, and moreover, you will receive considerable benefit (if you care about it at all), making everyone wonder at you. Of the books you asked for, I found one and gladly sent it to you; namely the works of Demosthenov, but the other one you demanded, that is, the Iliad, I could not send, not having it with me. For be sure that this is the only thing I can enjoy, and I consider this one thing to be a wonderful property for myself, in which you can also participate and use it as your property. Greets him on his return, and asks for a friendly disposition towards Elladius and Eulalia, nephews of St. Gregory It’s good that you are returning to us, albeit after a long time; however, it’s even better that your affairs flow according to your desire, and you saved me from worries about you, because you and I have everything in common, both sorrow and joy; such is the nature of friendship. And since you have returned, give your friends your happiness, as someone says; You will give, if, as in everything else, you deign to look at the sovereigns, my cousins, Helladius and Eulalia, with a friendly view (I call this a friendly view when you do not consider us strangers to you, because I can’t say anything more than that), so you will not tolerate them having a need for other patrons, then you yourself will be everything to them: a good friend, an honest neighbor, and a courageous intercessor, and without listing everything separately, by the noble Lollian, known for being right. I promise that if you talk with them longer and see the height of their wisdom, then you yourself will begin to intercede for them before others. I rely so much on your character and have so many hopes that what I asked for will not remain unfulfilled! 182. To Gregory of Nyssa (95) He condoles the death of Theosevia, whom he calls the sister of Nyssa and the priest’s wife; he informs about himself that he was traveling to meet him, but was detained in Euthymiada by a festival in honor of the martyrs (385) Having hurried to you with all diligence and having already reached the Euthymiades, I was delayed by the meeting that you are holding at this time in honor of the holy martyrs; because just as I couldn’t participate in it due to illness, I didn’t want to be a burden to you with my timely arrival. I hurried to you to see you after such a long time and to marvel together at your patience and wisdom, which, I hear, after the death of your holy and blessed sister you observe, like a good, perfect husband, standing before God, more knowledgeable than anyone else about both the Divine and the human, and recognizing as very easy that which is most difficult for others in similar cases, that is, to live together with such a sister and send her away from you, to accommodate to safe abodes, I will say in the words of Divine Scripture, “like a stack of threshing floor brought in time” (Job 5:26), when she, although she tasted the pleasures of life, however, by her very age, avoided sorrows and before she mourned you, she was honored by you with a wonderful burial, which should be like that of wives. But I myself, believe me on this, desire death, if not in the same measure as you (to say a lot about myself), then I am not a little less than you. But what should we do against God’s law, which has prevailed since ancient times, which stole my Theosevia, - for I call the one who lived according to God my own, because spiritual kinship is higher than the physical - Theosevia, the praise of the Church, the adornment of Christ, the need of our age, the boldness of women, - Theosevia, and with such beauty of her brothers, distinguished by her beauty and beauty - Theosevia, truly sacred, cohabitant priest, equal to him and worthy of the great Mysteries - Theosevia, about whom the memory and future time will find preserved on immortal pillars, that is, in the souls of all those who knew her until now and who will recognize her later? And don’t be surprised if I repeat her name many times; because I enjoy the memory of the blessed one. And this is my funeral message for her, and my comforting word for you, a word that contains a lot in a little! This is comforting to you, although you yourself, in your wisdom, can give advice to others in similar cases. And now I am deprived of the meeting with you that I wanted for the reason stated above. But let us unite our prayers while we still remain on earth, and may the common end to which we are approaching unite us. That’s why we need to endure everything, since we don’t have long left to both rejoice and grieve. He complains about his illness and asks that their common sister be returned to him as soon as possible. A foreign country, apparently, is kinder to me than my fatherland. For one gave me the pleasure of your friendship, while the other did not endow me with anything like that. And the reason for this is illness, which keeps me on a leash and for many reasons makes me immobile or, to tell the truth, completely immobile. Therefore, I will bear this loss, although with sorrow. And why can’t a person endure sorrow? Just be healthy and successful in your affairs; and in God's hand may all yours be preserved; and it will be observed if you sincerely embrace God. But deign to send our common mistress, sister, to me as quickly as possible, as a common support for both the pious and my weakness. Otherwise I will complain a lot about your Secerdotis, from whom I am suffering this loss and will call her by her own name; and you’ll find out which one by asking her herself. He asks this ruler of Cappadocia to relieve one of his relatives, Valentinian, from a penalty (386) Others praise Pythagoras of Samos that when he needed to make a sacrifice, he sacrificed a clay bull, because he did not approve of other sacrifices and said that it is not necessary to cleanse the dead with the dead - by calling His bodies that way, you, wonderful one, perfectly imitate. Since it is forbidden for you to impose penalties, and you, alone or with very few of the bosses, have instilled uneven fear in your subordinates, then do not make yours and mine Valentinian at a loss, because I ask for a relative; but having verbally threatened with penalties, do not allow him to actually suffer a loss, because he is being punished, if one dares to say so, not for his own carelessness. Therefore, if I convince you as a judge, then this is best. And if not, then I will resort to you as a friend. And I will tell your learning the same thing that they say someone wrote to his friend: “Forgive such and such, if he did nothing wrong, for the sake of the truth itself, and if he did, forgive for the sake of our friendship.” But in any case, forgive me, considering, among other things, that the collection of two horses will not add much to the public property, but this mercy will be written on our hearts. I will also add this: help in misfortune a person who is greatly distressed by this incident. Expresses a desire to have a date with him in order to continue the previous conversation about Christianity Although you have made sure that your very rule over us is wisdom, and I know that you will continue to do so if God cares about us in any way, it was best for me to meet with you now, when you are free from public affairs and when in silence I can enjoy your mind, of which I have few traces, like lightning, uncontrollable by my gaze, and most of which I have not yet experienced. But as important as it is to wish for this, it is so difficult to obtain it in such a state of the body as mine is. Therefore, if I am worthy of this, I will have everything, because you still owe me one date, on the promise to continue the conversation about our teaching, which you once left unfinished. And if I fail in this, then I myself will suffer a loss against my will. However, know that you are always with us, wherever you are; and we wish that our prayers guide you! Know also that as long as we breathe, you will always be with us, because you yourself have inscribed yourself in us, which are no less valuable than some pillar, and you will inscribe it even more deeply when you become God’s and clearly ours, or, if it is more pleasant for you to say this, when we become yours. Expresses regret that he did not see him during his visit What does it mean? You are passing by, but I did not know and could not catch you, just as an echo is elusive for those who think that it is close to them and are deceived by the echoes. Otherwise, in this one thing I would have treated you like a ruler. But at least, my wonderful one, send me a letter, at least I will have this instead of you, that is, as they say, instead of a body, a shadow. Intercedes for some Theodosius If I seem discourteous to you because I write often, then do not be surprised if I cry out to the righteous Judge against you, and I know that you will forgive my guilt. You yourself are to blame for my courage, by diligently fulfilling my requests, inviting new requests. And this is not at all surprising. For there are many things in me for which you are willing to do mercy: my old age, illness, general studies in science (if I know anything in science), even the fact that my desire to meet with you meets an obstacle due to illness and does not succeed in such an important matter. But what is my request? If she were unjust, then I would be ashamed of such a husband, but if she is fair, willingly bow to her. Again our most venerable son Theodosius comes to you, at the same time mine and yours - mine by intention, and yours as a petitioner - comes to you with a request for a deed worthy of regret. Orphans are in poverty; and since we don’t know about human affairs in the midst of their course how they will end, and we are afraid that the father who alleviated the orphanhood of many will not be expelled, then show one mercy to everyone. Extend a helping hand to a misfortune that you yourself would respect. Although your reign does not need any increase in good glory, like the morning dawn in the light, however, if you wished for any increase, then be sure that nothing can be greater and more glorious than for many who love to speak the truth to know that you are right. 188. To Adelphius (128 and 223) Encourages him to have an inner life So be it! We have done the first, and very well, we both praise virtue, strive for God, do not become attached to earthly things, because there is no absolute need for them, we kiss the best and most divine friendship, we gave each other hands and trust one another. And now I will ask you about what constitutes the second condition of friendship, having preceded the word with God and, with His help, getting down to business, since we have chosen Him for ourselves as the Patron of every word and deed. If I entrust such an important subject to a letter, then do not marvel at this; because your rightness, the simplicity and nobility of your morals, which are rare and can be found in few people, most of all encouraged me to dare to do a good deed. Moreover, I don’t trust everything to writing; I am not so ignorant, I do not do great things lightly and those requiring attention - somehow. But now, as Pindar says, let us place golden pillars in the well-appointed vestibule of the palace, and later, if God willing, we will build with our own hands a palace worthy of astonishment, and by the way, as they say, let’s put the work to work. Many noble people come to you. For I am sure that there are many who come. Who doesn't love you and your company? Many very arrogant people come, showing off money, kinship, friends, their power in the cities, their power at court, and everything that serves as the playground of bizarre vicissitudes and time and falls out now one way or another, like the different positions of grain, now this way, now that way, and thrown over, and turned over. Instead of all this, I offer you one thing - myself, and in return I demand everything from you, one thing - yourself. Therefore, although you are the best of the best (I concede this to you, because this too is our business); but (let it be said with God) you will not surpass me in one thing - in loyalty and sincerity of friendship. And a reasonable person needs to respect this more than everything else in the aggregate; this is enough for your perfection. And this, perhaps, exceeds the measure of writing. Finally, I wish something for myself and you. God, Who arranges this and everything else for those who love Him, will Himself put into your mind what is best and most useful for you and for me, especially when we reason with ourselves about such subjects! He apologizes for not being in Navila and at the Council The son is not dishonored, but the father is not deprived of his trust either. Therefore, do not deprive me of confidence, who justifies me that it was lack of time and mental weakness that prevented me from being in Navila and participating in the Council, despite the fact that I was invited with such zeal, and not some kind of laziness or contempt, as perhaps you suspected. Therefore, although I am still overcome by weakness, as soon as God allows me to recover, I will try to be justified by the deed itself; I will come to your honor and give complete blessing to my house. For I pray and desire that yours be mine. Reproaches him for unclean treatment of wives who have taken a vow of virginity to God Until now I call you honorable, although you are planning dishonorable things. Accept generously the boldness of a man who is driven by paternal compassion and who cannot be patient out of goodwill. For it is much better when someone who saddens for a short time brings great benefit, than when someone who laughs in order to give pleasure causes major harm. Eli was a priest, and although he reprimanded his ungodly sons, saying: “It is not good to hear, children, what I hear about you” (1 Samuel 2:23), but since he did not give strong reprimands, he himself fell under strong accusations, and the pious father was punished for the iniquity of his children. Frightened by this example, I began this exhortation. I don’t know what happened to you, what kind of darkness has taken over you? How you shame your family, you shame my gray hair and the hopes that I had about you when I was in Navila, talked with you about all the good things and, as I thought, convinced you of this! How can you not hear what Scripture says: “Do not give to your wives your wealth and your... life at the last council” (Proverbs 31:3)? Believe that you will soon “repent” of this, “when,” as it is written, “the flesh of your body will shed away” (Proverbs 5:11), and the mind, as if breaking through a cloud, will be able to look to God and purely think about what is useful. Beware of the snare “so that your eyes are not caught” (Proverbs 6:25); and if caught, wake up; and do not confirm what is being said, that your mind has been darkened by some kind of drugs, because depravity is skilled at inventing evil. It is also regrettable that such a house, enriched by so many labors, was upset and ruined by you in such a short time, and especially at the beginning of life, when everyone lays the foundation for good or bad fame about themselves. But it is much more terrible that you sacrilegiously take and kidnap virgin wives, whom your parents and yourself, as you assured, are dedicated to God, and some have already become yours, and others you bring into fear that they will suffer the same. Fear God Whom you serve, be ashamed of me, and finally refrain from all evil will. If you could, by taking a closer look, find out the rumor for which you are giving rise to about all of us, then perhaps you would not need that admonition, but you would use shame itself as an adviser on what should be done. I would find something more pleasant to write to you than this, but I would not find anything more useful; I won’t write much, knowing that if the fear of God does not enlighten you, then words will do little or nothing at all. Because it’s easy to draw features on wax with iron, but it’s difficult to draw on iron, and you can’t draw on a diamond with anything very hard, because of the hardness of its composition. 191. To Eusebius friend (171) He blesses his marriage with Evopia in absentia, apologizing for his illness that he could not be there Ebopia is your beloved; The time has come for marriage, the foundation of life has been laid, parental vows have been fulfilled. But I am not with you, who especially should have been with you and united my prayers with yours, as I promised, because hope followed desire, and desire is enough to deceive oneself. And repeatedly getting ready to set off and repeatedly postponing the journey until the time was right, I was finally overcome by illness. So, let others call upon you Eros, because at a wedding it is customary to joke; let others depict the beauty of the maiden, magnify the courtesy of the groom and shower the wedding bed with flowers and words of greetings. And I will sing you a wedding song: “The Lord will bless you from Zion,” He Himself combines your marriage, “and the sons will see your sons” (Ps. 127: 6-7), there will not be much to say, even better than you. This is what I would wish for you if I were with you; I wish this now too. Let the rest be left to your care, may your father place crowns on you, as he wished: I prescribed this, as if I myself were at the wedding. Their crowns will be, and my prayers, which, as far as I know, are not limited to place. On the occasion of his daughter's marriage, how Christian marriages should be celebrated I was not invited to our daughter’s wedding, but I showed up, and I celebrate together, and take part, and wish you all the best. And one of the best things is for Christ himself to be present at the wedding, because where Christ is, there is decency, and for water to become wine, that is, everything turns into the best; and therefore the incompatible would not be confused with each other, and bishops and laughers, prayers and clapping, psalmody and the sounds of pipes would not be brought together; because, like everything else, Christian weddings should have decency, and sedateness makes them decency. This is what we bring as a gift to the wedding; and you reward us with humility. And if this is followed, we will have a son as a son-in-law, and if not, a warrior. Upon his assumption of office as ruler of Cappadocia, he asks to intercede for Simplicia, the widow of Alypius (387) Although I only know your honorability from hearing, I still marvel at you, like few who have lived with you for a long time. Everyone has so many things to say about your kindness! Therefore, I myself dared to make this request. The wonderful Alypius, the common protector of the wise and guardian of orphans, has left us; This is no small misfortune for you; and to this was added another misfortune - his most honorable wife takes care of the orphans. Comfort her with your love for humanity in this case, bring safety to your children, prove to orphans that your own are better than strangers. And to this will be added the fact that you will please me; If you honor me in any way, you will honor God Himself, for Whom I was honored to be an abbot and minister, although I am not worthy of such a rank. If I had so much bodily strength that I could take on the work, I would come to you myself and satisfy my desire to see you and talk about what I wanted, because we are not talking about unimportant things. But since illness is holding me back, out of necessity I resorted to writing. And our most venerable mother Simplicia, the former wife of the beautiful and kind Alypius, this adornment of our entire homeland, I present to your nobility under the pitiful names of widowhood and orphanhood; I imagine so that she can find justice from you, whatever she needs. Pay attention to the greatness of the disaster: she has not yet dried her tears, worries about orphans, undertakes long journeys with such a weak body, with such inexperience in business, without the habit of leaving home. What's worse than this? There is no place for tears; suffering forces one to put aside the shame of nobility. Therefore, having considered all this and respected my request, do not wait for another judge to become over you, the great and good Jacob, do not put her in the need to undertake a further journey, because she relies heavily on the justice of her case, as she assures many and me. On the contrary, after reading the letter and truthfully examining her rights, return her to us with a calmer spirit. And first of all, think that God has given you great power, property, glory, a free path to even greater happiness. Protect all this for yourself with real love for humanity; and, like a father to children, who has freed himself from some dangers and goes to meet others halfway, keep this in mind and take advantage of this opportunity to make your hopes in God successful. 195. To the Sannavadain brotherhood (180) This brotherhood, saddened by the death of the abbot Leucadius, consoles To the most reverent and all-embellished brotherhood of blessed Leucadius in Christ in Sannavadain, to the monastics and virgins sanctified in Christ Jesus, Gregory wishes to rejoice in the Lord! For those who have intelligence, there is no reason to speak about what happened at the discretion of God; namely, that the ascetic, after the good deed that he accomplished, left his field and was taken by the Ascetic to accept the crown of righteousness and multiply the face of the Angels. All this and similar things are the cause of joy and gladness for those who, according to the Gospel, begin to see the truth. But since the custom of lamenting the death of saints and desiring consolation from those who love has prevailed, although I myself do not undertake to tell you anything sad and depressing, and I do not advise you to incline your ears to such speeches, I nevertheless fulfill my duty and give you consolation, I advise your splendor, looking at each other, to always have it before your eyes; for this I wish that each and every one of you imprints in yourself the life of the blessed one, and therefore that, looking at each other, you make sure that you are fixing your gaze on his features. May his purity, non-anger, humility, active wisdom, the incessant striving of the soul for God, the unentertainment of the delights of this world be imprinted in your life, so that you, seeing this in each other, depict a monument to him in yourself and so that neither he nor you become the prey of death; because he will always appear alive in your life, and by your good life you will make yourself alien to communication with death. May the Lord cover you who are mentally healthy and prosperous with the physical power of the Holy Spirit, who also remember me in your prayers! Presents him with Presbyter Sacerdote If I dare to write so often, the reason for this is not my insolence, but your meekness. I don’t even know enough to talk with you through letters, because I can’t do otherwise when God has arranged my affairs this way. To my most venerable son and co-presbyter Sacerdotus, whom I especially loved and love, sincerely wise and living in unity with God, now going on household chores to the city, which became great for your sake, I don’t know what greater service to render than by making him known to your kindness. Oh, how we have become divided among ourselves, because God wants to arrange things this way! O holy house, and common dwelling, and common haven of all who fear the Lord! Others enjoy our benefits. But I was left with only one memory and jealousy for those who joined. But in order for you to have a share in your benefits, I introduce you to our most honest brother and co-presbyter Sacerdote, when you see him, I know this very well, you will say: Gregory is truly a lover of all that is beautiful. Sends Sacerdote to him for common wisdom with him Oh, how autocratic and violent you are! Your letter has barely appeared, and I am despised. But here is the valuable Sacerdote, your brother, and my son and accomplice of suffering. But so that I may not be imperfectly overcome, provide this consolation of life as quickly as possible, so that I can be wise both to the one being taught and to the one teaching. For just as unanimity is most conducive to the fact that we suffer together, so for consultation, unanimity is most important. The same Sacerdote entrusts to his care Everything you have is mine, - I will begin my speech with God’s word - I say: mine, not because of the communion of the spirit alone, but also because I contributed a lot to the present state of the Church, while I was still in charge of affairs and controlled the course of circumstances. For now I have one thing to worry about – the departure for which I am gathering and preparing. Let mine also be about yours, in the fellowship of love; and the best of my acquisitions is my most honest co-presbyter Sacerdote, through whom I greet you and, as it were, see you myself. He asks this Bishop of Caesarea to return to Sacerdotus the position of caretaker of almshouses, given to him by Basil the Great, or at least not to deprive him of another position - caretaker of monasteries (388) Whatever I tell you, I will say it out of good will; and therefore it would be fairest for you to listen to my advice, or at least forgive me for giving advice. Not many approve of our action with our venerable brother and co-presbyter Sacerdote, as based more on some kind of slander, and not on a fair trial. And it is precisely those who praise who, although perhaps they do not know the matter completely, nevertheless see the end as it is in itself. Perhaps you will see this yourself, because it is not my business to enter into your affairs, since you yourself have the right to prescribe to others what to do. But I beg your kindness, firstly, that you provide this man with all the care of the matters that he has hitherto taken care of. For, no matter how patient or firm one is in wisdom, it is still not easy for him to extend his wisdom to the point of being able to endure generously when he is deprived of so much work and activities so familiar to him. If this is impossible, then, secondly, I ask that you dispose of the care of the poor as you please, entrusting it to people whom you yourself recognize as suitable, but leave the care of the monasteries and the brothers to him, so as not to upset him with a new order, and even more not to upset the brothers who are tied to him by habit and for whom its removal is as painful as the dissolution of a single body or member. For some of them have already come to me and mourned this. If you find that this person in himself has something worthy of respect, which is fair, then respect him for his own sake, for the sake of his gray hair and for the sake of his labors, both those that he undertook for God, showing in himself reverence above his age, and those that he bore, being the breadwinner of the poor and the representative of the brothers. And if this seems small to you, of course, you will not leave me and my request without respect. And first of all, I ask you, put aside your anger and grief towards him; and I beg you to bring him closer to you, like a father to his son. If he upset you in any way, which, however, I don’t think, then forgive him for me. Do not write or say anything about him that is unworthy of both his and your meekness. And if something is written, having erased it, do not bring out your grief, which is better to hide than to announce to strangers; for by such an example, among other things, you will teach him generosity. Having not received what he asked for in the previous letter, he sends Sacerdote himself to him for personal justification. Your message is partly very humane and meek, and partly, I don’t know how to say, at least for me, it’s upsetting; and not without reason, as I assure myself of this. For, either justly (which, however, I don’t think) our brother and co-presbyter Sacerdote is accused - and this is regrettable (and how can one not grieve when such reverence and so much work are destroyed in such a short time?), or this is slander, set up by envious people - and in this case, it is bitter to see that because of slander, a person so close to you in life is alienated by you. Therefore, accept my reasoning, which in the present circumstances I recognize as the best and most useful. I sent my brother himself to you, or better yet, I accompanied you when he himself was already on his way to you, in order to heal the sorrow himself and reveal everything to you in the very truth. He claims that he is ready to justify himself in one thing, and to prove about another that it was reported falsely. He assured me of this, as a man who speaks with the fear of God. Congratulations to this priest Congratulations to you, my new hope, adorned with gray hair in your youth; I wish and pray all the best for you. And you are well aware of the first of the blessings - to always acquire God and through approaching and ascending to Him to become His acquisition. As far as I know, you will make this a law to yourself. He consoles him in the fact that Bishop Elladius took away from him the position of caretaker of almshouses What is scary for us? Nothing but deviation from God and from the Divine. And the rest, as God directs, so be it! Does He arrange our affairs with “weapons of righteousness on the right hand” and merciful, or “with violence” (2 Cor. 6:7) and hard for us; The Master of our life knows the reasons for this. And we will be afraid only of not tolerating something contrary to wisdom. We fed the poor, practiced brotherly love, and enjoyed psalmody while we could. And if this opportunity is taken away, let us devote ourselves to another kind of wisdom. Grace is not scarce. Let us choose solitude, a contemplative life, and begin to purify the mind with Divine visions; and this may be even higher than what was listed before. But that's not how we do it; As soon as one thing fails, we think that we have already lost everything. No, let's take a closer look to see if there is still any good hope left for us. And we will not allow the same thing to happen to us as happens to young horses, who, not accustomed to fear, become furious at any noise and throw off their riders. Encourages one to be patient If you did not expect any troubles for yourself when you began a wise life, then the beginning was not wise, and I blame your teachers. If you were expecting trouble, but haven’t encountered it yet, then thank God! And when you meet it, either endure it with patience, or you will become a violator of your vow. He also convinces by his own example. What has not been tested cannot be assigned a price, but what has actually been tested has a completely determined price, like gold in a crucible. And if you are sufficiently established in this wisdom, then thanks be to God for this! And if it’s not perfect yet, then I present you with myself and my position as an example. I was insulted, I was hated; for what misfortunes did I not suffer, how much did it depend on those who were evil? And then I got rid of those who grieved me, and who could have shown me a greater benefit than they? Imagining this, give thanks for the temptation, if not to those who caused you the temptation, then to God. Calls him to her place for personal reconciliation with Sacerdote Like-minded and compassionate; and compassion is sincere; sincerity, if it gives advice, is worthy of trust. Therefore, since I am older than you in piety, I have learned from experience many people and their morals (and experience is the mother of prudence); you are like young horses who have recently learned the harness, and are just beginning your exploits for God (and everything that begins is ardent, and just as through the ardor of the spirit it is able to successfully fulfill many of its duties, so through ignorance it may not achieve success in many ways), then deign to come to me, honor me as an elder, respect me as a father and use me as a mediator in a quarrel with my venerable brother and co-presbyter Sacerdote (because I have him too) so that, having settled the matter between you and the bishop, I can serve you and stop the temptation of many, and most importantly, appease God and resolve a matter so important and glorious - I mean your unanimity and your mutual conditions to live according to God - in such a short time. Justifying himself for the cruelty of the previous letter, he asks to fulfill his promise to meet with Sacerdote I confess that the wonderful and kind co-presbyter Sacerdote is my friend, and let him be a friend, especially since he is attached to you. For even in accusing you, he did not put aside his affection, but made a brotherly reproach rather than a hostile accusation. However, I am not so simple and rash as to pronounce judgment before I have heard both; and don't suspect it. And in the letter itself, which you condemned for insolence (if only you read it not without attention), I was not so much concerned with you as with those who set you on fire and benefit from our cowardice because they have something to amuse themselves. In what mood I wrote to you, you can find out this way: those who ride around young horses practice their riding in places where there are bright colors, something scary, steepness and slopes, and this is not necessary to frighten them, but to teach them not to be frightened. And with the same thing in mind, I made my letter somewhat harsh. For there are many ways to practice wisdom. And thanks be to God that I found you not alien to wisdom and not attached to substance, but meek and belonging to our court; why do you write modestly and wish us a date! Therefore, if you give us this, you will do well, and rest assured, we will receive you with a fatherly eye. And if winter is still holding you back, then for now we will treat you with this admonition: do not prefer anything, even now, to friendship and like-mindedness with brother Sacerdote and, believe me in this, recognize what happened between you as nothing other than the temptation of the evil one, who envies your wisdom. But you must behave boldly and courageously at the first temptation, so that he does not make a second, then a third, and after that many temptations; on the contrary, he withdraws from you defeated and ashamed. For I know what battles he raises; I learned this both by long-term and by fighting it. Reproaches for failure to fulfill a promise, but does not refuse to accept if he comes After the war, help! And although we should first think and then do, we have changed the order: having done, we think; therefore, if you need to flatter and do something bad, then I have found many ways of flattery, and this matter is easy and many people now succeed. But since it is not my business to cause harm, especially to cause harm to a soul that is still newly sanctified and just approaching virtue, then listen to the truth. A wise man does not seek leadership. And your servants showed you bad love, ridiculing their own deeds under a different face. Therefore, if you change now and heal the sin, then perhaps the wound will heal, although not without difficulty; If you remain the same and begin to boast of a bad victory, then the painful “ulcer is mine,” says Scripture, “from which I will be healed” (Jer. 15:18), because I consider yours to be mine. But although I think so and write so, however, if you want a meeting with me, then I will renounce this. He apologizes for not being at his party, as promised, and asks to strengthen Sacerdote in patience You invite me to the Council. I would like to have so much bodily strength that I could come to you without being called and see your sacred home - this shelter of Christ, the root of the holy branches - truly - “like a mother I rejoice over her children” (Po 112.9); also having fun. I know this, having believed in the Lord, and therefore, even if something sad has happened to you today, I boldly say that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished, although it is extinguished by the breath of the evil one, and the goodness of God will no longer be hidden, although the Lord, according to the ineffable laws of His economy, hides it from those who fear Him, but on the contrary, it will be more glorified and will arouse wonder at your patience and unashamedness. hope. Instill this same message in my most honorable son Sacerdote, that is, not to lose heart and not expose yourself to anything unworthy, but to manage circumstances in such a way as to turn even sorrowful things into an object of wisdom. Let him still serve our most honorable bishop, let him still strengthen the brothers, so that above all, my work, which I have proposed for the sake of the Lord and which is so important and glorious, will not be disrupted. And if this is impossible, then let us show ourselves to be moderate and overcome envy, so as not to give any reason against ourselves to the evil ones who are in vain harboring hostility towards us. Rejoices at his ascetic life I hear that you live as a hermit; Oh, that you would become with us John the Baptist or Elijah the Carmelite! And, oh, if only the haters would cause the only offense that they would bring us to God and force those freed from work and rebellion to sincerely devote themselves to the highest, thus involuntarily doing good to us when they cannot do it of their own free will! She asks him for the almshouse where Sacerdote was the caretaker, to strengthen the land donated to her I know that you honor the reverent and do good to the poor. Now you have a case for both. Because here's the thing. My most honorable and most God-loving son, co-presbyter Sacerdote, for his piety and zeal for his work, was made the caretaker of a well-known populous almshouse. And among those helping the almshouse with money is Lyriand. And the Kiverins, adjacent to the place where the house is from the contribution of the most honest Castor, help somewhat the almshouse. Having freed all this from any claim, you will also contribute an important part of both helping the poor and the reward for yourself, which, as you know, awaits the pious. But, once you have been inspired to do good, it goes without saying that in the future, so that no one, even if they wish, can do anything bad in relation to these places, you will take care to protect them in such a way as your prudence will come up with. 212. To Valentinian (196) Complains of having to leave Carvala, the monastery dedicated to the Martyrs, because Valentinian has placed some women against her They are driving us out of Karvala in the most wicked way (I use the word tragedy, changing it a little), not in word, but in deed, and very cruelly. For it would be much better to declare the order of removal as an explicit command, rather than to violate the sanctity of our life by settling women directly opposite us and adding daily shame and blasphemy from those who freely abuse those who have chosen such a life as ours. If it is not bold to say, then through Eve you cast us out of paradise. Truly, it is not difficult to find some plausible excuse and say, apparently, something similar to the case, namely, that you are not persecuting us, but are also showing us the honor of desiring our neighborhood; or perhaps you will add to this that you wish to receive us in a friendly and kindred manner and to enjoy our friendship to some extent; however, words are not deeds. When you come to this place, we accept you and kiss you; but we also hasten to get away from the management of women’s households, as well as from the raid of echidnas. Therefore our matter is over. We were outwitted, gave ourselves up to flight, subjected ourselves to punishment, abandoning both the work of our hands and our hopes, bringing many justifications before the holy martyrs. Although, of course, this is difficult and inconvenient, however, it is part of the wisdom of our chosen life and is no more painful than what we are commanded to endure, that is, to move from city to city. And you inhabit this further than those who lived before you, and more chastely than we hope, so as not to offend you holy martyrs and not to suffer anything from living close to you. First of all, use that caution so as to spare what is dedicated to the martyrs and not to do anything bad both for yourself and for yours by introducing aphids into your property through unrighteous appropriation. Assures her of his devotion and consoles her in her sorrows (389) I received your small note like a big letter. And you are mine, and I am yours - this is how the Spirit unites us! Knowing this, pray for me, and rely on me in everything with the confidence that you do not have a person who would be sincere with you and care as much about you as about himself, if our long-standing acquaintance and actual experience have not yet convinced you of this. Should you write to me about your sorrows? Unless I express the desire that you, taking this as an opportunity to show high love for wisdom, would be patient in suffering, and thereby resist those who cause you sorrow; because it is both impossible and not pious to do otherwise. In response to her invitation to the monastery, he replies that he has a desire to visit her and sees the patience with which he endures the death of brother Sacerdote, and consoles her with the general reasoning that one should not grieve for deceased relatives I myself was eager for your reverence, despite the ailments of my body, wanting to visit you and at the same time praise you for the patience with which you are wise, having lost your most blessed brother, because this is certain. But since I was delayed by one circumstance, it became necessary to write to you; and now I’m going to have a little chat with you about your loss. From whom was the good Sacerdote given to us - this, now and before, the true representative of God? From God. Where is Sacerdote now? With God; and not without desire, as far as I know, he yielded to the envy and struggles of the evil one. Who are we from? Is it not from the same God? And where will we move? Isn’t that the same for the Lord? And, oh, if, with different boldness, worshipers of the same Lord, we were recalled from here and resettled there, in comparison with the future hope, having endured a few sufferings here, and, perhaps, in order to know grace through the very local suffering! What are father, mother, brother who went before us? They make up the number of praiseworthy travelers, who will soon be followed by Thekla, O servant of God and the beginning of perfections; will follow after a short wait, which is necessary in order to honor them with patience and for many to serve as an example of wisdom in the same thing. Therefore let us praise the same dominion, and let us understand the economy higher than others. Accept this in exchange for a date with me, and constantly hold on to these thoughts, although you will invent better ones yourself. And if I am worthy to see you personally and everyone who is with you and around you, then greater thanksgiving to the Benefactor! Upon returning from her, he admonishes that her grief will be a violation of the vow of wisdom given to God You complain, as probably, about my removal; but for me the separation from your reverence is even more regrettable. However, I thank God that I could reach you, and I do not complain about the extra work. For I saw the firmness of your faith in Christ, and your praiseworthy solitude, and your wise hermitage; I saw that you, having withdrawn from all the joys of the world, lead a reclusive life with the one God and with the holy martyrs, with whom you settled, and offered yourself, and offer your beloved children to God as a living, acceptable sacrifice. Let this be a consolation for you in your sorrows. For the great David, in the future blessings to which he raises his thoughts, hides the local sorrows when he says, “For he hid me in his village in the day of evil” (Ps. 26:5). And sorrow only postpones when I “remember” from God, “and they rejoiced” (Ps. 76:4). Those who are devoted to the world also complain, even much more than those who work for God. But their lamentation remains without reward, while we are promised a reward for suffering when we endure for the sake of God. For let us weigh sorrows and pleasures, both the present and the future, then we will find that the former do not constitute the slightest part in comparison with the latter - so much is what is best for us! Therefore, when we are sick, a wonderful healing for us is to remember God, about future hopes and to come to David’s disposition of spirit - “to spread out in sorrow” (see: Ps. 4:1), and not to be “cold” with thoughts (2 Cor. 4:8), not to be covered with sadness like a cloud, but then, most importantly, to hold on to hope and keep in mind the bliss prepared for there patient. It will not be especially difficult for us to endure adversity with patience and to rise above many during the time of trouble; if we think about what we promised God and what we hoped for when we entered into a wise life. Is it wealth? Is it fun? Is there prosperity in this life? Or the opposite of this: sorrows, suffering, hardship, enduring everything, enduring everything in the hope of future blessings? I know that this, and not the first, was what we expected. Therefore, I am afraid that we are breaking our covenants with God, when we strive to have one thing and hope for another. Let us not give up our purchase; let us bear one thing in order to be worthy of another. Did the haters cause us grief? And we will protect the soul from servility to the passions. Through this, I gain the upper hand over those who offend. Consider also those for whom we grieve—is it not those who have passed away? But how can we please them? Is it not our patience? Therefore, we will bring this as a gift. For I am sure that the souls of the saints see our deeds. And most of all and first of all, let us consider that it is inappropriate both to be wise without need, and to appear unwise in suffering and not serve as an example for others of both gratitude in complacency and patience in grief. I am writing this not to teach you as one who does not know, but to remind you as one who is knowledgeable. And may the God of consolation keep you invulnerable in suffering and grant me to see your reverence and be convinced by my very deeds that my labor was not in vain, but that I mean a little more to you than others, and that just as we had common sorrow, so in wisdom you will be my accomplice, which perhaps our gray hair and our labors for the sake of God require. He expresses his pleasure for the approval of his son Evagrius, who studied under the supervision of St. Gregory It was pleasant for me to hear praise about myself, because approval of my son Evagrius is approval of myself; Every valor of the children is glory to the father. As for the sciences, for my part I was of no use, or perhaps of little value, to your son, because my learning is not great; instead of everything (I won’t deny this), he instilled in him one thing, and most importantly, the fear of God, and also convinced him to despise the present. And so I wished, and I wish him all the best, so that he grows the beginnings from me into ripe fruits, and that my efforts also remain fruitless. All my thanks to your honesty for deigning to remember me and honoring me with monuments of your friendship, which are important in themselves, but have been accepted by me for even more. He rejoices at the success of Evagrius in philosophy, and that this brings him Pansophius’s friendship Who doesn’t praise a plant that has just been showered with flowers? Who is not pleased by the harvest that is just starting and promising a timely harvest? Who is not pleased by the newborn soul, as soon as it is prepared for God, which begins to cast off its earthly shackles in order to enter into unity with God and see the very truth of what only shadows now see? That is why I especially rejoice, looking at my beloved brother and co-servant Evagrius, who is not weakly successful in philosophy, because the business of philosophy is to love wisdom. But I also rejoice in the fact that your friendship brings me this. And I will rejoice even more if you write to me more often and reward me with even greater evidence of friendship. Thank you for sending holiday symbols, for the invitation and the desire to see each other The distance between the Ivirs and us is a journey of a considerable number of days. But friendship makes even distant things close. How pleasant are the holiday symbols you sent, how pleasant is your invitation and desire to meet me! What can I wish you in return that is equally significant? Be kind as well. And if you need to say something even more, then surpass yourself. 219. To Theodosius or Theodore (114) About the proposed marriage of his daughter with Euthymius We imitate painters who first sketch out outlines of what they are depicting, and then, with the second and third hand, they finally finish them and apply paint. What is my point with this example? Moreover, there was already a pure and unfeigned friendship between us, which is especially rare now, and not many people have it, and this friendship was produced in us not so much by kinship, and a common homeland, and, as Homer says, “amiable companionship,” but by similarity in morals and the fact that we liked the same things. This is what strengthens friendship most of all and makes it firm. And now our families are being united (God bless this word!) so that our friendship will increase and we will belong to each other more. And God arranges this, promoting righteous love. Therefore, you also consider me yours for the sake of our dearest son Euthymius, and I appropriate you to myself through your dearest daughter. And then I don’t know whose benefit is more and to whom to speak: whether it is your honorability towards this young man or him about you, because fatherly goodwill towards children is equal. At the very least, I wish you that this marriage will be most prosperous in everything and the way it should be when God Himself combines. In the case of the oath taken by Georgy Paspasinsky, he expresses his opinion about oaths May God grant you to the Churches for our glory and for the benefit of many! You are so prudent and firm in spiritual things that you make more firm everyone who thinks about themselves, that in years they have some advantage. So, since you have deigned to accept me as a participant in spiritual research, I mean the matter of the oath that George Paspasinsky apparently took, then I declare to your reverence what is on my mind. Many, in my opinion, deceive themselves, considering as oaths only those that are given with spells, and those written, but without strong expressions, although they are observed in good conscience, however, they do not recognize them as an oath. For just as any promissory note is more binding than a simple condition, so we will recognize a written oath as something else, and not just an oath. In short, an oath, in my opinion, is a certificate of the one who asked and trusted. He does not justify what Nicanor coerced, because the coercion was the very law that bound him; or that he subsequently prevailed in court, because prosecution itself was already a crime of perjury. I also convinced Brother George of this, so as not to invent pretexts for crimes and not to look for reasons justifying misdeeds, but to know that what is written is an oath, and to cry before God and before your reverence for sin, although he thought otherwise before, is to deceive himself. I myself talked to him about this; and it is obvious that if you talk, you will bring him into greater contrition, like a great physician of souls, and by subordinating him to some rule, for how long you decide for yourself, thus showing him humanity in time. The measure of time will be the measure of repentance. Expresses his good wishes I welcome counselors of love, especially at such a time, and in the reasoning of a person who has recently been joined and at the same time baptized and, to treat you with the words of Scripture, “armed in youth” (Ps. 143:12). For this is what it calls the superiority of understanding over age. Because the ancient fathers, by the way, wished for their children the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth (Gen. 27, 28), unless anyone wants to understand this in a higher sense; so I will reward you spiritually for everything. “The Lord will fulfill all your requests” (Ps. 19:6), and you will be the father of such children (if you should already express your desire both more briefly and more closely) as you yourself showed yourself to your parents, so that, above all else, I may be glorified by you. Due to the desire to philosophize in silence, poor health and the fickle weather, he refuses the invitation to participate in general prayers I am glad of your arrival, I love to be with you; however, he thought differently about himself, that is, to sit at home and philosophize in silence. Because I found this most useful for myself. Since the weather is still unstable, and the illness has not left me, I ask you, be a little generous, pray for my health; over time, I am ready to be present at your prayers. 223. To the unknown (120) That he who wishes not to sin in his duties must consult with God in everything What are you saying? Do I convince you with these words, and will you change the subject of study, will you become at one with me, who was once on a par with you, and now, if I may say so, has become higher than you? Or should I hum to you much longer? No, wonderful, don't wait for that. For it is a shame for the one who has most of it not to acquire everything; the beginning is already half of the whole thing, and where there is more than half, what else can there be if not the whole? Therefore, if my advice is enough, then great; nothing more is required. If you still need an adviser, and the best one at that, and as Solomon tells you to drink wine “with advice” (see Proverbs 31:4) so ​​as not to fall from drunkenness and dizziness, then I, changing the advice a little, say: consult with God, and you will not sin in your duties. 224. To the unknown (121) That hiding one’s wisdom is the highest degree of wisdom You, dear son, had a kind father, as I hear about you. Just rise up, succeed and reign; we are ready to praise you, although you have not yet admitted your wisdom. For we no longer look at what you say, but at what you do. And this very thing is very wise not to admit your wisdom, as the critic Dionysius says about the rhetorician Lysias, that his artlessness was extremely artificial. Explains the reasons why he cannot have It's nice to greet friends; and even more pleasant is to greet through friends, among whom is the most honorable son Anisius. He will also inform you about my health; if you just call health a short-term change for the better. He will also tell me what I asked him for, namely, that although being with you, what you demand in a friendly and sincere manner, and enjoying your love is very pleasant for me and even, rest assured, pleasant no less than anything else that constitutes the object of my desires, as this is known to those to whom I describe your cordial treat; however, let your prudence judge whether this is possible, and, moreover, whether it is decent, and whether they will accuse me of untimeliness, whether I will not seem burdensome to others, as if I appeared without reason and without any apparent reason; because it is impossible to convince many that I am unfeignedly wise and give everything I have to God? Asks him, as a military commander, to dismiss the reader Mamant from military service What losses I suffer from illness! It was necessary to come to you, hug you, remember the old friendship and secret friendship; but this is not the state of my body. That’s why I write to you and greet you with greetings. And since it is necessary to give something, here is my gift - the reader Mamant, whose father is a warrior, but who is dedicated to God for his character. Give him over to God and me, and do not count him among the fugitives. Give him a written dismissal so that others will not be disturbed; and thereby you will give yourself successful hopes both in war and in military leadership. Yes, I beg you, take care of this. Those who hold the most important things in their hands and on whom everything depends should especially care about God and His help. In gratitude for his good deeds, he sends him the promised singer I am not such as not to know satiety, receiving good deeds from friends, although you are generous with good deeds; and therefore he sent to you, according to the condition, a singer, a man and in other respects, as much as could be learned in a short time, very good, and for you, perhaps, pleasant and because of his psalmody, constantly reminding of God and salvation. If you also do me a favor, whenever you please and when the opportunity presents itself, then you will do a good deed, especially since it will be a sign of your friendship. Convicts him of excessive attachment to sophistry I hear that you fell in love with the art of sophistry, and for you it has become a wonderful thing to do, for example: to speak haughtily, to look significantly, to speak with your head raised and arrogantly. I hear that your desire is directed there - to Marathon and Salamis, these decorations of yours, and that you are not thinking about anything more than to equip the Miltiades and Cynogirs, Callimachus and Telemachus - all according to the rules of sophistry and as close to your goal as possible. If at the same time you place virtue in something, you are already ours, and what serves your glorification, then let him go forward in his own way. But if you are a complete sophist and forget about my friendship and what we have repeatedly said among ourselves about the beautiful, then I will not say anything else unpleasant, but to say the following, perhaps, will not be immodest: know that, having amused yourself for a short time in front of young people, you will laugh a lot at yourself when the time comes to come to your senses, but it will be too late. Likening the long-standing cessation of correspondence with him to a dream, he compares himself to Achilles’ horses shaking off their ashes It’s been so long now, and I haven’t received a single letter from you yet, no matter how desirable it was, and I haven’t written one myself, although I think you were also waiting for letters from me. What inactivity! Not to mention, what insensitivity! As for sleep, Arganphonius can hardly compare with us, so we fell asleep. Where is our old camaraderie? Where are these general speeches and conversations? Where is that sweet inexhaustible source from which they drew? Therefore, although it is late, I get up, shake off the dust from myself, following the example of Achilles’ horses, however, I will wait a while to say: I shake off my mane too, so that you do not take this for a joke. And whether you care about our friendship will become clear when you write. He thanks God that Anisiev’s trip was successful and wishes the same for himself Your letter came to me with news of your health and that your trip was successful. And for all this thanks be to God! And if I could write something similar about myself, then I would be even more grateful! He demands the book “Aristotle’s Letters” back, noting that he could have given it as a gift if he had not been afraid that he, as an incorruptible judge, would take it for bribery The book that you took from me, namely “The Letters of Aristotle,” I could not have demanded back, but left with you as a gift characteristic of a scientist, and as a decent monument of friendship. But so that you, as a terrible leader and an excellent judge, do not bring a complaint against me about a crime against the authorities and about insulting them by intending to bribe a judge who is so incorruptible and above any gift, then let what was given to you by me be returned. As a reward from your learning, I ask not for anything else (for what can you give me, who is of such wisdom as to have nothing?), but one letter from you, so that this is literally a reward when you pay for the loan of letters with letters. He asks for an explanation in the case of Deacon Euphalia, who imprisoned and beat some Philadelphian; demands the culprit himself to answer The sick are healed, not crushed. Therefore, how did our co-deacon Euphalius, without respecting his rank or honoring his property, subject poor Philadelphia to both chains and beatings, as the signs of beatings show? I marvel at this. Therefore, do not ignore this incident, but when you come yourself, explain to me what happened. Let the deacon also appear to answer the accusation and bear an exemplary punishment for the life of the one he oppressed. For I will not tolerate such indecencies being dared almost before my eyes. Asks for his prayers for himself, depressed by old age and illness We became very distant from each other, having neither personal meetings nor written communications. However, I hope that we are separated from each other in body and not in spirit. And now, when an opportunity has opened, I greet your reverence and ask for prayers for me, burdened by old age, illness and the struggle between life and migration from life. He exhorts him, as if he had recently been granted the grace not to take revenge on those who offended him in the person of his wife and daughter. I know that it is difficult not to be embarrassed by thoughts when the resentment is still alive and the anger has not cooled down; because both irritation and sadness can be blind, especially when you can be indignant rightfully. But since I myself am among those offended and insulted, and even indignant no less, I therefore have the right to demand that my advice not be left without respect. What is unbearable is what we have suffered, and if you like, we have added that we have suffered, which no other person has ever suffered. But for the sake of this, we will not cause offense to ourselves, and you will not hate piety to your own detriment. A wife, a road and a daughter mean a lot, but not more than a soul. Think that you have recently been awarded grace; and there is no small danger in desecrating the gift with blood and again having a need for new cleansing. Therefore, let us not think evil of ourselves, nor lose our boldness before God, finding ourselves grieved and overly indignant at those who have offended us. Let us leave man to God and the punishments there, and we will acquire for ourselves a humane Judge, turning out to be humane ourselves; let us make leniency so that leniency may be made to us. Do not be deceived by the vain thought that there is no guilt, it is fair to take revenge and hand over the criminal to the laws. The Romans have their own laws, and we have ours, but they are immoderate, cruel, and do not even spare blood; Our laws are merciful, humane and do not allow one to indulge in anger at offenders. We will hold on to them, we will begin to follow them, so that, having shown small mercy, because life here is of little importance and has no price, we will receive in return great things from God Himself, that is, His love for mankind and the hopes there. 235. To civil superiors (197) He reprimands them that Deacon Theoteknos was taxed like a craftsman. It seems to me that you would not have spared the scrip of Diogenes of Sinope if he had lived with you, but you would have laid hands on him, blaming him for his way of life, his philosophical cloak, his staff, and the fact that, according to his wisdom, he has nothing, but walks from door to door, living in vain; and how it happened when you intend to impose a tax on brother Theoteknos, which is taken from those engaged in crafts. What is the first and most important of his rights to point out to me? Is it because he is a deacon? Or that he is poor? Or that he is a wanderer and belongs more to others than to us? Or what deserves respect in life, as a priest and cohabitant of martyrs? But you also know that it feeds the wanderers, even beyond their strength, and perhaps the only reason is that one of those living there is trying to be beneficent. Which of these is most important, judge for yourself; for all this, show leniency to the person and do not give yourself the idea that, while delivering little benefit to society, you yourself are causing great harm, as they say, not by clothing, but by undressing. Reprimands him for not writing for a long time For a long time you were silent, although you are the most talkative person, that’s what you care about, and that’s where you practice your art, so that you can always speak and express yourself in speeches. But, probably, Neocaesarea is the reason for your silence in front of me, and, therefore, I should take it as a mercy that you still remember about your fatherland, because there is nothing good and you are remembered, so say those who hear. But in the old days you were among those who were hated because of me, and not among those who suffered others to hate me. Therefore, be the same towards me, and write wherever you are, and remember me as you should, if only I mean something to you. But there is also some right to demand equal love as a reward for the one who was the first to love. Asks to send wine for the builders of the church fence Last year there was a severe cold in the homeland, and the tendrils on the grape vines were killed, which had already branched out to form clusters; remaining fruitless, they also made our cups waterless and dry. But what made me describe to you the sterility of plants so pitifully? So that you yourself, according to the word of Solomon, become for us ripening grapes (see: Song 2:13), and a fruitful summer plant, which is not decorated with clusters, but has already exuded moisture from the clusters for those who are thirsty. Who are these thirsty people? Builders of the church fence. Not being able to give them a mountain drink to drink, I resort to your abundant hand, so that you command your springs to pour out on us like a river. Having done this soon, you will revive the dry lips of many, and above all, you will please me as much as possible, who is begging for his poverty. 238. To Libanius the Sophist (203) On behalf of the mother sending her son to Lebanon I, a mother, sent my child to my father - a mother by nature - to my father for lessons in eloquence. Because if I take care of him, you should take care of him. You might be interested in: