Letter Cxxviii
LETTER CXXVIII
success.as far as his love towards us is concerned, and especially and with great vigour so far as the exact observance of the canons is concerned—give him praise, and thank the Lord, that your disciples everywhere display the character of your Holiness.
LETTER CXXVIII
To Eusesius, BisHop or Samosata?
I HAveE not yet been able in a worthy manner to give practical proof of my zeal for establishing peace among the churches of the Lord, but in my heart I cherish, I affirm, so great a desire that I would gladly even lay down my life to extinguish this flame of hatred that has been stirred up by the evil one.
And if it was not on account of this desire of peace that I consented to visit the region of Colonia,? may my life enjoy no peace.
But it is the true peace left us by the Lord Himself that I am seeking ; and what I demanded should be put into my hands as a guarantee,' is the act of one who desires nothing other than the true peace, even though certain persons? distort the truth and 2 Letters CCXXVII and CCXXVIII are addressed to the clergy and magistrates of Colonia in Armenia,
This was probably the place at which, in the presence of Basil and others, EKustathius was to subscribe to the Creed as defined in Letter CXXV.
3 2,6. of the orthodoxy of Eustathius of Sebaste.
4 Probably the two monks, Basil and EKuphronius, who had been recommended to St. Basil's service by Eustathius, and who had busied themselves spreading calumnies about St. Basil.
Cf. Letter CXIX.
VOL, Il.
COLLECTED LETTERS OF SAINT BASIL
σαν ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐφ᾽ ἃ βούλονται" πάντως γὰρ αὐτοῖς ποτὲ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων μεταμελήσει.
Τὴν δὲ σὴν ὁσιότητα παρακαλῶ μεμνῆσθαι τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς προτάσεων, καὶ μὴ παράγεσθαι ἄλλας ἀποκρίσεις ἀντ᾽ ἄλλων ἐρωτημάτων δεχόμενον, 1 μηδὲ ποιεῖν ἐνεργὰ τὰ σοφίσματα τῶν ἄνευ τῆς περὶ τὸ λέγειν δυνάμεως ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς μόνης τῆς γνώμης δεινότατα πάντων τὴν ἀλήθειαν κακουργούντων. προέτεινα γὰρ ἁπλᾶ, καὶ σαφῆ καὶ εὐμνημόνευτα ῥήματα" εἰ τοὺς μὴ δεχομένους τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν παραιτούμεθα εἰς κοινωνίαν, καὶ εἰ μετὰ τῶν κτίσμα λέγειν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἀποτολμώντων τὸ μέρος ἔχειν οὐκ ἀνεχόμεθα. ὁ δέ, ἀντὶ τοῦ πρὸς ἔπος ταῖς ἐρωτήσεσιν ἀποκρίνασθαι, ἐκεῖνα ἡμῖν ἐρραψῴδησεν ἅπερ ἀπέστειλας" καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀφελείᾳ 8 γνώμης, ὡς ἄν τῳ δόξαι,. οὐδὲ τῷ μὴ δύνασθαι συνορᾷν τὸ ἀκόλουθον. ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνο λογίξεται, ὅ ὅτι ἀρνούμενος μὲν ἡμῶν τὴν πρότασιν, τοῖς λαοῖς ἑαυτὸν κατάδηλον ποιήσει, συντιθέμενος δὲ ἡμῖν, τῆς μεσότητος ἀποστήσεται, ἧς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ > μέχρι τοῦ νῦν γέγονε προτιμότερον. μὴ τοίνυν ἡμᾶς κατασοφιζέσθω, μηδὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄχλων καὶ τὴν σὴν παρακρουέσθω φρόνησιν' ἀλλὰ ,»σύντομον ἡμῖν λόγον ἀποστειλάτω πρὸς τὸ ἐρώτημα, ἢ ὁμολογῶν τὴν κοινωνίαν πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τῆς πίστεως, ἢ ἀρνούμενος. ἐὰν ταῦτα ,"συμπείσῃς αὐτὸν καὶ πέμψῃς μοι ὀρθὰς καὶ οἵας εὔχομαι τὰς ἀποκρίσεις, ἐγώ εἰμι
1 A as editi antiqi.
LETTER CXXVIII
interpret it otherwise.
So let them employ their tongues as they will, for assuredly they will some day regret such words.
But I urge your Holiness! to be mindful of the primary propositions, and not to be led astray by accepting answers which do not correspond to the questions, and not to render effective the quibbles of men who, lacking all ability to speak on the strength of their mere opinions, corrupt the truth most dreadfully of all men.
For I set forth propositions in terms which were simple, clear, and easily remembered :—whether we shall forbid the admission to our communion of those who do not accept the Nicaean Creed, and whether we shall refuse to have any participation with those who dare to call the Holy Spirit a creature.
But he, instead of answering my questions word for word, recited the very same statements that you have written us; and this he did with no simplicity of mind, as one might think, nor through any inability to realize the outcome.
On the contrary, he has this in mind,—that if he denies our proposition, he will make his true self clear to the people, but that if he agrees with us, he will be withdrawing from the middle course, which has thus far been decidedly preferable to him.
So donot let him outwit us,and do not let him deceive your wisdom as he has done with the rest; but let him send us a succinct answer to the question, either confessing communion with the enemies of the faith or denying it.
If you win him over to this and the answers you send me are direct and such as I pray for, I am the one who 1 A title given in Byzantine times to bishops and monks, and sometimes to emperors.
COLLECTED LETTERS OF SAINT BASIL
ὁ τὰ κατόπιν πάντα ἡμαρτηκώς" ἐγὼ δέχομα πᾶσαν τὴν αἰτίαν ἐκείνην ἐπ᾽ ἐμαυτόν' τότε με ἀπαίτει "ταπεινοφροσύνης ἐπίδειξιν. ἕως δ᾽ ἂν μηδὲν γένηται τούτων, σύγγνωθι, θεοφιλέστατε πάτερ, μὴ δυναμένῳ μετὰ ὑποκρίσεως θυσιαστηρίῳ Θεοῦ παρεστάναιἶ εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ἐφοβούμην, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐμαυτὸν ἐχώριξον. Εὐϊππίου, τοιούτου μὲν τὰ περὶ λόγους, τοσοῦτον δὲ χρόνῳ " προήκοντος, τοσαῦτα δὲ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλίας δίκαια κεκτημένου ; εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνα καλῶς καὶ προσηκόντως ὑπὲρ τῆς inet eee ἐπράξαμεν, γελοῖον 6 που τοῖς τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνῳ Δέγουσι διὰ τῆς τῶν εὐφυῶν τούτων καὶ χαριέντων μεσότητος συναπτόμενον φαίνεσθαι.
Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ παντελῶς μοι δοκεῖ τῶν μὴ δεχομένων τὴν πίστιν ἀλλοτριοῦν ἑαυτούς, ἀλλὰ ποιήσασθαί τινα τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐπιμέλειαν κατὰ τοὺς παλαιοὺς θεσμοὺς τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ ἐπιστεῖλαι αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ μιᾶς γνώμης, πᾶσαν παράκλησιν μετ᾽ εὐσπλαγχνίας προσάγοντας, καὶ τὴν τῶν πατέρων πίστιν προτεινομένους προκαλεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς εἰς συνάφειαν' κἂν μὲν πείσωμεν, κοινῶς αὐτοῖς ἑνωθῆναι" ἐὰν δὲ ἀποτύχωμεν, ἀρκεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς ἀχλήλοις, τὸν δὲ ἐπαμφοτερισμὸν τοῦτον ἐξορίσαι τοῦ ἤθους, ἀναλαβόντας τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν καὶ ἄδολον πολιτείαν, ἣ συνέζων οἱ ἐξ
1 παριστάναι editi antiqi.
2 χρόνον editi antiqi.
1 The superlative form of this adjective was used in Christian times as a title applied to bishops, monks, deacons, and emperors.
LETTER CXXVIII
have been utterly at fault inthe past; I take all the blame upon myself; then you may demand of me a proof of humility.
But as long as none of these things comes to pass, forgive me, most godbeloved } father, if I cannot as a hypocrite stand at God's altar.
For if it were not for my fear of hypocrisy, why did I separate myself from Euippius,? so eminent in letters, so advanced in years, possessing so many claims to friendship with us?
And if on that occasion we acted nobly and properly in support of the truth, surely it would be ridiculous for me to appear to be united with those who, through the mediation of these clever and charming persons, make the same assertions as he made.
And yet it does not seem best to me to estrange ourselves entirely from those who do not accept the faith, but we should show some concern for these men according to the old laws of charity and should with one accord write letters to them, offering every exhortation with kindliness, and proffering to them the faith of the Fathers we should invite them to join us; and if we convince them, we should be united with them in communion; but if we fail, we should ourselves be content with one another, and should remove this present uncertainty from our way of life, taking up again that evangelical and guileless polity in which they lived who from the 2 Huippius: a bishop of Arianizing doctrines, from whom
Basil felt it necessary for the cause of truth to separate altogether.
Cf, Letter LVI.
LEustathius of Sebaste, in A.D. 360, violently declaimed against Euippius as not deserving the name of bishop, but in A.D. 376, Eustathius united with him and recognized the bishops and _presbyters he had ordained.
Cf. Letters
CCXXVI, CCXXXIX,
CCXLIV, CCLI.
COLLECTED LETTERS OF SAINT BASIL
Hv γάρ, φησί, τῶν πιστευσάντων καρδία καὶ ψυχὴ μία. ἐὰν μὲν οὖν πεισθῶσί σοι, ταῦτα ἄριστα. εἰ δὲ μή, γνωρίσατε τοὺς πολεμοποιούς, καὶ παύσασθε ἡμῖν τοῦ λοιποῦ περὶ διαλλαγῶν ἐπιστέλλοντες.
CXXIX Μελετίῳ, ἐπισκόπῳ ᾿Αντιοχείας "Hide ὅτι ξενίσει τὴν ἀκοὴν τῆς τελειότητός σου τὸ νῦν ἐπιφυὲν ἔγκλημα τῷ πάντα εἰπεῖν εὐκόλῳ ᾿Απολιναρίῳ. καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς τὸν πρὸ τούτου χρόνον ἤμην ἐπιστάμενος ἔχειν" ἀλλὰ νῦν οἱ Σεβαστηνοὶ διερευνησάμενοί ποθεν αὐτὰ εἰς τὸ μέσον ἤνεγκαν, καὶ περιφέρουσι σύνταγμα, ἐξ οὗ μάλιστα καὶ ἡμᾶς καταδικάζουσιν, ὡς τὰ αὐτὰ φρονοῦντας, ἔχον ῥήσεις
'* And the multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul."
2 The Benedictine edition has assigned the composition of this letter to a.p. 373. | Loofs presents rather unconvincing arguments for both this letter and the following (CXXX) being written in the summer of 375.
The addressee of this letter, St. Meletius, Bishop of Antioch, was born in Melitene, Lesser Armenia, and died at Antioch in 381.
He apparently believed that truth lay in delicate distinctions, but his formula was so indefinite that it is difficult even to-day to grasp it clearly.
He was neithera thorough Nicene nor a decided Arian, and he passed alternately as an Anomean, a Homoiousian, a Homoian, or a Neo-Nicene, seeking always to remain outside any inflexible classification, After his death his name long remained for the