Basil of Caesarea → destinatário desconhecido

[Πρός: Πρὸς Ἰταλοὺς καὶ Γάλλους ἐπισκόπους, περὶ] τῆς καταστάσεως καὶ συγχύσεως τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν. Τοῖς ὡς ἀληθῶς θεοφιλεστάτοις καὶ ποθεινοτάτοις ἀδελφοῖς καὶ ὁμοψύχοις συλλειτουργοῖς, τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Γαλλίαν καὶ Ἰταλίαν ἐπισκόποις, Βασίλειος ἐπίσκοπος Καισαρείας τῆς Καππαδοκίας. Ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς σῶμα ἑαυτοῦ καταδεξάμενος ὀνομάσαι τὴν πᾶσαν τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ τοὺς καθʼ ἕνα ἡμῶν ἀλλήλων ἀποδείξας μέλη, ἔδωκε καὶ ἡμῖν πᾶσι πρὸς πάντας ἔχειν οἰκείως, κατὰ τὴν τῶν μελῶν συμφωνίαν. διόπερ εἰ καὶ πλεῖστον ἀλλήλων διωρίσμεθα ταῖς οἰκήσεσιν, ἀλλὰ τῷ γε λόγῳ τῆς συναφείας ἐγγὺς ἀλλήλων ἐσμέν. ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐ δύναται ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῖς ποσὶν εἰπεῖν, χρείαν ὑμῶν οὐκ ἔχω, πάντως οὐδὲ ὑμεῖς ἀνέξεσθε ἀποποιήσασθαι ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον συμπαθήσετε ἡμῶν ταῖς θλίψεσιν αἷς παρεδόθημεν διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, ὅσον καὶ ἡμεῖς συγχαίρομεν ὑμῖν τοῖς δοξαζομένοις ἐν τῇ εἰρήνῃ, ᾗ ἐχαρίσατο ὑμῖν ὁ Κύριος. ἤδη μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλοτε ἐπεβοησάμεθα τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην εἰς ἀντίληψιν ἡμῶν καὶ συμπάθειαν· ἀλλὰ πάντως διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀναπληρωθῆναι τὴν ἐκδίκησιν, οὐ συνεχωρήθητε διαναστῆναι πρὸς τὴν ἀντίληψιν ἐπιζητοῦμεν γὰρ μάλιστα μὲν καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ κρατοῦντι τῆς καθʼ ὑμᾶς οἰκουμένης φανερὰν γενέσθαι διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας εὐλαβείας τὴν ἡμετέραν σύγχυσιν· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο δύσκολον, ἀλλʼ ἐλθεῖν τινας παρʼ ὑμῶν εἰς ἐπίσκεψιν καὶ παραμυθίαν τῶν θλιβομένων, ἵνʼ ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑποβάλωσι τὰ πάθη τῆς ἀνατολῆς, ἅπερ ἀκοαῖς ἀδύνατον παραδέξασθαι, τῷ μηδένα λόγον εὑρίσκεσθαι ἐναργῶς παριστῶντα ὑμῖν τὰ ἡμέτερα. Διωγμὸς κατείληφεν ἡμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ τιμιώτατοι, καὶ διωγμῶν ὁ βαρύτατος. διώκονται γὰρ ποιμένες, ἵνα διασκορπισθῶσι τὰ ποίμνια. καὶ τὸ βαρύτατον, ὅτι οὔτε οἱ μὲν κακούμενοι ἐν πληροφορίᾳ μαρτυρίου τὰ πάθη δέχονται, οὔτε οἱ λαοὶ ἐν μαρτύρων τάξει τοὺς ἀθλητὰς θεραπεύουσι, διὰ τὸ Χριστιανῶν ὄνομα τοῖς διώκουσι περικεῖσθαι. ἕν ἐστιν ἔγκλημα νῦν σφοδρῶς ἐκδικούμενον, ἡ ἀκριβὴς τήρησις τῶν πατρικῶν παραδόσεων. διὰ τοῦτο ἀπελαύνονται μὲν τῶν πατρίδων οἱ εὐσεβεῖς, πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἐρημίας μετοικίζονται. οὐ πολιὰ τοῖς κριταῖς τῆς ἀδικίας αἰδέσιμος, οὐκ ἄσκησις εὐσεβείας, οὐ πολιτεία κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἐκ νεότητος εἰς γῆρας διανυσθεῖσα. ἀλλὰ κακοῦργος μὲν οὐδεὶς ἄνευ ἐλέγχων καταδικάζεται, ἐπίσκοποι δὲ ἀπὸ μόνης συκοφαντίας ἑάλωσαν, καὶ μηδεμιᾶς ἀποδείξεως τοῖς ἐγκλήμασιν ἐπενεχθείσης ταῖς τιμωρίαις ἐκδίδονται. τινὲς δὲ οὔτε ἐγνώρισαν κατηγόρους, οὔτε εἶδον δικαστήρια, οὔτε ἐσυκοφαντήθησαν τὴν ἀρχήν, ἀλλʼ ἀωρὶ τῶν νυκτῶν βιαίως ἀναρπασθέντες εἰς τὴν ὑπερορίαν ἐφυγαδεύθησαν, ταῖς ἐκ τῆς ἐρημίας κακοπαθείαις παραδοθέντες εἰς θάνατον. τὰ δὲ τούτοις ἑπόμενα γνώριμα παντί, κἂν ἡμεῖς σιωπήσωμεν· φυγαὶ πρεσβυτέρων, φυγαὶ διακόνων, καὶ παντὸς τοῦ κλήρου λεηλασία. ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἢ προσκυνῆσαι τῇ εἰκόνι, ἢ τῇ πονηρᾷ φλογὶ τῶν μαστίγων παραδοθῆναι. στεναγμοὶ λαῶν, δάκρυον διηνεκὲς καὶ κατʼ οἴκους καὶ δημοσίᾳ, πάντων πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὀδυρομένων ἃ πάσχουσιν. οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὕτω λίθινος τὴν καρδίαν, ὥστε πατρὸς στερηθείς, πράως φέρειν τὴν ὀρφανίαν. ἦχος θρηνούντων ἐν πόλει, ἦχος ἐν ἀγροῖς, ἐν ὁδοῖς, ἐν ἐρημίαις. μία φωνὴ ἐλεεινὰ π̣̣̔̓ντων καὶ σκυθρωπὰ φθεγγομένων. ἐξῇρται χαρὰ καὶ εὐφροσύνη πνευματική. εἰς πένθος ἐστράφησαν ἡμῶν αἱ ἑορταί· οἶκοι προσευχῶν ἀπεκλείσθησαν· ἀργὰ τὰ θυσιαστήρια τῆς πνευματικῆς λατρείας. οὐκέτι σύλλογοι Χριστιανῶν, οὐκέτι διδασκάλων προεδρίαι, οὐ διδάγματα σωτήρια, οὐ πανηγύρεις, οὐχ ὑμνῳδίαι νυκτεριναί, οὐ τὸ μακάριον ἐκεῖνο τῶν ψυχῶν ἀγαλλίαμα, τὸ ἐπὶ ταῖς συνάξεσι καὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῶν πνευματικῶν χαρισμάτων ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐγγινόμενον τῶν πιστευόντων εἰς Κύριον. ἡμῖν πρέπει λέγειν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ ἄρχων, οὔτε προφήτης, οὔτε ἡγούμενος, οὔτε προσφορά, οὔτε θυμίαμα, οὐ τόπος τοῦ καρπῶσαι ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ εὑρεῖν ἔλεος. Ταῦτα εἰδόσιν ἐπιστέλλομεν, διότι οὐδὲν μέρος ἐστὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης, ὃ τὰς ἡμετέρας λοιπὸν ἠγνόησε συμφοράς. ὥστε οὐ διδασκαλίας ἕνεκεν τοὺς λόγους τούτους ποιεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς νομίζειν προσῆκεν, οὐδὲ τοῦ ὑπομνῆσαι ὑμῶν τὴν ἐμμέλειαν. οἴδαμεν γάρ, ὅτι οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἐπιλάθοισθε ἡμῶν, οὐ μᾶλλόν γε ἢ ἡ μήτηρ τῶν ἐκγόνων τῆς κοιλίας αὐτῆς. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ οἱ περιωδυνίᾳ τινὶ κατεχόμενοι διὰ τῶν στεναγμῶν κουφίζειν πως τὰς ἀλγηδόνας πεφύκασι, τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν· οἷον ἀποσκευαζόμεθα τῆς λύπης τὸ βάρος, δι’ ὧν πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην τὰς πολυειδεῖς ἡμῶν συμφορὰς ἐξαγγέλλομεν, εἴ πως ἄν, σφοδρότερον εἰς τὰς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσευχὰς κινηθέντες, δυσωπήσητε τὸν Κύριον διαλλαγῆναι ἡμῖν. εἰ μὲν οὖν αἱ θλίψεις ἦσαν μόναι αἱ καταπονοῦσαι ἡμᾶς, κἂν συνεβουλεύσαμεν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν, καὶ χαίρειν τοῖς ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ παθήμασιν, ἐπειδὴ Οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλυφθῆσεσθαι εἰς ἡμᾶς. νῦν δὲ φοβούμεθα, μήποτε αὐξανόμενον τὸ κακόν, ὥσπερ τις φλὸξ διὰ τῆς καιομένης ὕλης βαδίζουσα, ἐπειδὰν καταναλώσῃ τὰ πλησίον, ἅψηται καὶ τῶν πόρρω. ἐπινέμεται γὰρ τὸ κακὸν τῆς αἱρέσεως· καὶ δέος ἐστί, μὴ τὰς ἡμετέρας ἐκκλησίας καταφαγοῦσα, ἕρψῃ λοιπὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ὑγιαῖνον μέρος τῆς καθʼ ὑμᾶς παροικίας. τάχα μὲν οὖν διὰ τὸ παρʼ ἡμῖν πλεονάσαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, πρῶτοι παρεδόθημεν εἰς κατάβρωσιν τοῖς ὠμοφάγοις ὀδοῦσι τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ· τάχα δέ, ὃ καὶ μᾶλλόν ἐστιν εἰκάσαι, ὅτι ἐπειδὴ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων τόπων ἀρξάμενον εἰς πᾶσαν ἐξῆλθε τὴν οἰκουμένην, διὰ τοῦτο ὁ κοινὸς τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν ἐχθρός, τὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας σπέρματα, ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν τόπων τὴν ἀρχὴν λαβόντα, εἰς πᾶσαν οἰκουμένην διαδοθῆναι φιλονεικεῖ. ἐφʼ οὓς γὰρ ἔλαμψεν ὁ φωτισμὸς τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐπὶ τούτους ἐλθεῖν καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας σκότος ἐπινοεῖ. Ὑμέτερα οὖν λογίσασθε τὰ πάθη ἡμῶν, ὡς γνήσιοι μαθηταὶ τοῦ Κυρίου. οὐχ ὑπὲρ χρημάτων, οὐχ ὑπὲρ δόξης, οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν προσκαίρων καταπολεμούμεθα, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ κτήματος, τοῦ πατρικοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς ὑγιαινούσης πίστεως, ἑστήκαμεν ἀγωνιζόμενοι. συναλγήσατε ἡμῖν, ὦ φιλάδελφοι, ὅτι ἀποκέκλεισται μὲν παρʼ ἡμῖν τῶν εὐσεβούντων τὰ στόματα, ἤνοικται δὲ πᾶσα θρασεῖα καὶ βλάσφημος γλῶσσα τῶν λαλούντων κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀδικίαν. οἱ στῦλοι καὶ τὸ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας ἐν διασπορᾷ, ἡμεῖς δέ, οἱ διὰ σμικρότητα παροφθέντες, ἀπαρρησίαστοι. ἀγωνιάσατε ὑπὲρ τῶν λαῶν· καὶ μὴ τὸ καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς σκοπεῖτε μόνον, ὅτι ἐν λιμέσιν εὐδίοις ὁρμίζεσθε, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος πᾶσαν ὑμῖν σκέπην χαρισαμένης ἀπὸ τῆς ζάλης τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας. ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς χειμαζομέναις τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν χεῖρα ὀρέξατε, μήποτε ἐγκαταλειφθεῖσαι, παντελῶς ὑπομείνωσι τῆς πίστεως τὸ ναυάγιον. στενάξατε ἐφʼ ἡμῖν ὅτι ὁ Μονογενὴς βλασφημεῖται, καὶ ὁ ἀντιλέγων οὐκ ἔστι. τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἀθετεῖται, καὶ ὁ δυνάμενος ἐλέγχειν ἀποδιώκεται. πολυθεΐα κεκράτηκε. μέγας Θεὸς παρʼ αὐτοῖς καὶ μικρός. Υἱὸς οὐχὶ φύσεως ὄνομα, ἀλλὰ τιμῆς τινος εἶναι προσηγορία νενόμισται· τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, οὐ συμπληρωτικὸν εἶναι τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος, οὐδὲ κοινωνὸν τῆς θείας καὶ μακαρίας φύσεως, ἀλλʼ ἕν τι τῶν ἐκ τῆς κτίσεως, εἰκῆ καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε, Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ προσερρῖφθαι. τίς δώσει τῇ κεφαλῇ μου ὕδωρ, καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου πηγὴν δακρύων; καὶ κλαύσομαι τὸν λαὸν ἡμέρας πολλάς, τὸν ταῖς πονηραῖς ταύταις διδασκαλίαις πρὸς τὴν ἀπώλειαν συνωθούμενον. παρασύρονται τῶν ἀκεραιοτέρων αἱ ἀκοαί· εἰς συνήθειαν λοιπὸν ἦλθον τῆς αἱρετικῆς δυσσεβείας. συνεκτρέφεται τὰ νήπια τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῖς λόγοις τῆς ἀσεβείας. τί γὰρ καὶ ποιήσουσι; βαπτίσματα παρʼ ἐκείνοις, προπομπαὶ τῶν ἐξοδευόντων, ἐπισκέψεις τῶν ἀσθενούντων, παρακλήσεις τῶν λυπουμένων, βοήθειαι τῶν καταπονουμένων, ἀντιλήψεις παντοδαπαί, μυστηρίων κοινωνίαι· ἃ πάντα, δι’ ἐκείνων ἐπιτελούμενα, σύνδεσμος γίνεται τοῖς λαοῖς τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁμονοίας· ὥστε μικροῦ χρόνου προελθόντος, μηδʼ εἰ γένοιτό τις ἄδεια, ἐλπίδα λοιπὸν εἶναι τοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς χρονίας ἀπάτης κατασχεθέντας, πάλιν πρὸς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀνακληθῆναι. Τούτων ἕνεκεν πολλοὺς ἡμᾶς ἐχρῆν συνδραμεῖν πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν σεμνότητα, καὶ ἕκαστον τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πραγμάτων ἐξηγητὴν γενέσθαι. νῦν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο δεῖγμα γενέσθω ὑμῖν τῆς κακοπαθείας, ἐν ᾗ διάγομεν, ὅτι οὐδʼ ἀποδημίας ἐσμὲν κύριοι. εἰ γάρ τις καὶ πρὸς τὸ βραχύτατον τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἑαυτοῦ ἀποσταίη, ἐκδότους ἀφήσει τοὺς λαοὺς τοῖς ἐφεδρεύουσιν. ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι ἕνα ἀπεστείλαμεν ἀντὶ πολλῶν, τὸν εὐλαβέστατον καὶ ἀγαπητὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν Δωρόθεον τὸν συμπρεσβύτερον· ὃς καὶ ὅσα διαπέφευγεν ἡμῶν τὰ γράμματα τῇ παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ διηγήσει δυνατός ἐστιν ἀναπληρῶσαι, παρηκολουθηκὼς πᾶσι μετὰ ἀκριβείας, καὶ ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως. ὃν προσδεξάμενοι ἐν εἰρήνῃ διὰ ταχέων ἡμῖν ἀποπέμψατε, ἀγαθὰ ἡμῖν εὐαγγέλια φέροντα τῆς σπουδῆς ὑμῶν, ἣν ἔχετε πρὸς τὸ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τῆς ἀδελφότητος.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To the bishops of Italy and Gaul concerning the condition and confusion of the Churches. 1. To his brethren truly God-beloved and very dear, and fellow ministers of like mind, the bishops of Gaul and Italy, Basil, bishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has deigned to style the universal Church of God His body, and has made us individually members one of another, has moreover granted to all of us to live in intimate association with one another, as befits the agreement of the members. Wherefore, although we dwell far away from one another, yet, as regards our close conjunction, we are very near. Since, then, the head cannot say to the feet, I have no need of you, 1 Corinthians 12:21 you will not, I am sure, endure to reject us; you will, on the contrary, sympathize with us in the troubles to which, for our sins, we have been given over, in proportion as we rejoice together with you in your glorying in the peace which the Lord has bestowed on you. Ere now we have also at another time invoked your charity to send us succour and sympathy; but our punishment was not full, and you were not suffered to rise up to succour us. One chief object of our desire is that through you the state of confusion in which we are situated should be made known to the emperor of your part of the world. If this is difficult, we beseech you to send envoys to visit and comfort us in our affliction, that you may have the evidence of eyewitnesses of those sufferings of the East which cannot be told by word of mouth, because language is inadequate to give a clear report of our condition. 2. Persecution has come upon us, right honourable brethren, and persecution in the severest form. Shepherds are persecuted that their flocks may be scattered. And the worst of all is that those who are being treated ill cannot accept their sufferings in proof of their testimony, nor can the people reverence the athletes as in the army of martyrs, because the name of Christians is applied to the persecutors. The one charge which is now sure to secure severe punishment is the careful keeping of the traditions of the Fathers. For this the pious are exiled from their homes, and are sent away to dwell in distant regions. No reverence is shown by the judges of iniquity to the hoary head, to practical piety, to the life lived from boyhood to old age according to the Gospel. No malefactor is doomed without proof, but bishops have been convicted on calumny alone, and are consigned to penalties on charges wholly unsupported by evidence. Some have not even known who has accused them, nor been brought before any tribunal, nor even been falsely accused at all. They have been apprehended with violence late at night, have been exiled to distant places, and, through the hardships of these remote wastes, have been given over to death. The rest is notorious, though I make no mention of it — the flight of priests; the flight of deacons; the foraying of all the clergy. Either the image must be worshipped, or we are delivered to the wicked flame of whips. The laity groan; tears are falling without ceasing in public and in private; all are mutually lamenting their woes. No one's heart is so hard as to lose a father, and bear the bereavement meekly. There is a sound of them that mourn in the city — a sound in the fields, in the roads, in the deserts. But one voice is heard from all that utter sad and piteous words. Joy and spiritual gladness are taken away. Our feasts are turned into mourning. Amos 8:10 Our houses of prayer are shut. The altars of the spiritual service are lying idle. Christians no longer assemble together; teachers no longer preside. The doctrines of salvation are no longer taught. We have no more solemn assemblies, no more evening hymns, no more of that blessed joy of souls which arises in the souls of all that believe in the Lord at communions, and the imparting of spiritual boons. We may well say, Neither is there at this time prince, or prophet, or reader, or offering, or incense, or place to sacrifice before you, and to find mercy. 3. We are writing to those who know these things, for there is not a region of the world which is ignorant of our calamities. Do not suppose that we are using these words as though to give information, or to recall ourselves to your recollection. We know that you could no more forget us than a mother forget the sons of her womb. Isaiah 49:15 But all who are crushed by any weight of agony find some natural alleviation for their pain in uttering groans of distress, and it is for this that we are doing as we do. We get rid of the load of our grief in telling you of our manifold misfortunes, and in expressing the hope that you may haply be the more moved to pray for us, and may prevail on the Lord to be reconciled to us. And if these afflictions had been confined to ourselves, we might even have determined to keep silence, and to rejoice in our sufferings for Christ's sake, since the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18 But at the present time we are alarmed, lest the mischief growing day by day, like a flame spreading through some burning wood, when it has consumed what is close at hand, may catch distant objects too. The plague of heresy is spreading, and there is ground of apprehension lest, when it has devoured our Churches, it may afterwards creep on even so far as to the sound portion of your district. Peradventure it is because with us iniquity has abounded that we have been first delivered to be devoured by the cruel teeth of the enemies of God. But the gospel of the kingdom began in our regions, and then went forth over all the world. So, perhaps — and this is most probable — the common enemy of our souls, is striving to bring it about that the seeds of apostasy, originating in the same quarter, should be distributed throughout the world. For the darkness of impiety plots to come upon the very hearts whereon the light of the knowledge of Christ has shone. 4. Reckon then, as true disciples of the Lord, that our sufferings are yours. We are not being attacked for the sake of riches, or glory, or any temporal advantages. We stand in the arena to fight for our common heritage, for the treasure of the sound faith, derived from our Fathers. Grieve with us, all you who love the brethren, at the shutting of the mouths of our men of true religion, and at the opening of the bold and blasphemous lips of all that utter unrighteousness against God. The pillars and foundation of the truth are scattered abroad. We, whose insignificance has allowed of our being overlooked, are deprived of our right of free speech. Join the struggle, for the people's sake. Do not think only of your being yourselves moored in a safe haven, where the grace of God gives you shelter from the tempest of the winds of wickedness. Reach out a helping hand to the Churches that are being buffeted by the storm, lest, if they be abandoned, they suffer complete shipwreck of the faith. Lament for us, in that the Only-begotten is being blasphemed, and there is none to offer contradiction. The Holy Ghost is being set at nought and he who is able to confute the error has been sent into exile. Polytheism has prevailed. Our opponents own a great God and a small God. Son is no longer a name of nature, but is looked upon as a title of some kind of honour. The Holy Ghost is regarded not as complemental of the Holy Trinity, nor as participating in the divine and blessed Nature, but as in some sort one of the number of created beings, and attached to Father and Son, at mere haphazard and as occasion may require. Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, Jeremiah 9:1 and I will weep many days for the people who are being driven to destruction by these vile doctrines. The ears of the simple are being led astray, and have now got used to heretical impiety. The nurslings of the Church are being brought up in the doctrines of iniquity. What are they to do? Our opponents have the command of baptisms; they speed the dying on their way; they visit the sick; they console the sorrowful; they aid the distressed; they give succour of various kinds; they communicate the mysteries. All these things, as long as the performance of them is in their hands, are so many ties to bind the people to their views. The result will be that in a little time, even if some liberty be conceded to us, there is small hope that they who have been long under the influence of error will be recalled to recognition of the truth. 5. Under these circumstances it would have been well for many of us to have travelled to your reverences, and to have individually reported each his own position. You may now take as a proof of the sore straits in which we are placed the fact that we are not even free to travel abroad. For if any one leaves his Church, even for a very brief space, he will leave his people at the mercy of those who are plotting their ruin. By God's mercy instead of many we have sent one, our very reverend and beloved brother the presbyter Dorotheus. He is fully able to supply by his personal report whatever has been omitted in our letter, for he has carefully followed all that has occurred, and is jealous of the right faith. Receive him in peace, and speedily send him back to us, bringing us good news of your readiness to succour the brotherhood.