Letter 89 (372)
Glimpses of Daily Life
I would have liked, had it been possible, to let you know what happened to us every day, for there were so many extraordinary things that it would take a journal. I would have written it, know it well, if the succession of events had not put off my plans for the future.
BASIL TO MELETIOS, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH IN SYRIA,
LETTER 89 (372)
The good God, who procures us occasions to address Your Merit, appeases the excess of our yearning, for He is witness of our desire to contemplate your face and to enjoy your teaching, so good and profitable to the souls, right now, through the very pious and zealous brother, our fellowservant at the altar [ouvcllaK6vou], who is leaving; we beg you to pray especially for us, that we be not a stumbling block to the people or hinder your prayers from moving the Lord. Furthermore we remind you to deign making arrangements for everything through the brother we have just mentioned, and, since we must write to the Westerners, because letters have to be carried by one of our people, to dictate those letters yourself. Having met Sabinos, the deacon they sent, we have written to the Illyrians, the bishops of Italy and Gaul, and to some of those who had written to Us on their own. But it is advisable that someone be sent as from a common assembly and that he would carry a second letter, which you shall order to be written. With regard to the most venerable bishop Athanasius of Alexandria [295-373J, we would remind you-your perfect wisdom understands this very wellthat I cannot engage myself by letter or do anything useful if he does not accept your communion in some way, seeing that you declined to accept his own. He is said to be very amenable to unite with us and to cooperate as far as possible, but he deplores that he has been dismissed with-