Letter 239: 1. The Lord has granted me the privilege of now saluting your holiness by our beloved and very reverend brother, the presbyter Antiochus, of exhorting you to pray for me as you are wont, and offering in our communication by letter some consolation for our long separation. And, when you pray, I ask you to beg from the Lord this as the first and g...

The Lord has granted me the privilege of greeting you through our beloved brother, the presbyter Antiochus, and of urging you to pray for me as you always have. This letter offers what consolation it can for our long separation. When you pray, I ask you to beg the Lord for this above all: that I may be delivered from vile and wicked men who have gained such power over the people that I seem to be witnessing a repetition of the fall of Jerusalem. The weaker the churches grow, the stronger men's lust for power becomes. The very title of bishop is now being bestowed on wretched lackeys -- no genuine servant of God would come forward to claim a see in opposition to the truth. Only miserable creatures like the agents of Anysius (the tool of Euippius) and Ecdicius of Parnassus: whoever appointed him has sent into the churches a fine means of securing his own damnation. They have expelled my brother from Nyssa and replaced him with barely a man -- a worthless nobody, valued at an obol or two, but perfectly suited, in terms of destroying the faith, to the men who installed him. At Doara they have disgraced the very name of bishop by sending a wretch there -- a former domestic of an orphanage, a runaway from his own masters -- to flatter a godless woman who formerly manipulated George as she pleased and has now secured this fellow as his successor. And who could adequately mourn what has happened at Nicopolis? That unhappy Fronto pretended for a while to stand with the truth, but he has now shamefully betrayed both the faith and himself. In exchange for his betrayal he imagines he has received the rank of bishop. In reality, he has become, by God's own judgment, the object of contempt throughout all Armenia. There is nothing these people will not dare, and no shortage of accomplices willing to join them. But the news from Syria my brother knows better than I do and can tell you in person. As for the news from the West, you already know it from brother Dorotheus. The question now is: what sort of letters should we give him for his departure? He may travel with the excellent Sanctissimus, who is enthusiastically making his way through the East, collecting letters and signatures from every prominent figure. What we ought to write, and to whom, requires careful thought.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata. 1. The Lord has granted me the privilege of now saluting your holiness by our beloved and very reverend brother, the presbyter Antiochus, of exhorting you to pray for me as you are wont, and offering in our communication by letter some consolation for our long separation. And, when you pray, I ask you to beg from the Lord this as the first and greatest boon, that I may be delivered from vile and wicked men, who have gained such power over the people that now I seem to see, indeed, a repetition of the events of the taking of Jerusalem. For the weaker grow the Churches the more does men's lust for power increase. And now the very title of bishop has been conferred on wretched slaves, for no servant of God would choose to come forward in opposition to claim the see — no one but miserable fellows like the emissaries of Anysius the creature of Euippius, and of Ecdicius of Parnassus: whoever has appointed him has sent into the Churches a poor means of aiding his own entry into the life to come. They have expelled my brother from Nyssa, and into his place have introduced hardly a man — a mere scamp worth only an obol or two, but, so far as regards the ruin of the faith, a match for those who have put him where he is. At the town of Doara they have brought shame upon the poor name of bishop, and have sent there a wretch, an orphans' domestic, a runaway from his own masters, to flatter a godless woman, who formerly used George as she liked, and now has got this fellow to succeed him. And who could properly lament the occurrences at Nicopolis? That unhappy Fronto did, indeed, for a while pretend to be on the side of the truth, but now he has shamefully betrayed both the faith and himself, and for the price of his betrayal has got a name of disgrace. He imagines that he has obtained from these men the rank of bishop; in reality he has become, by God's grace, the abomination of all Armenia. But there is nothing that they will not dare; nothing wherein they are at a loss for worthy accomplices. But the rest of the news of Syria my brother knows better, and can tell you better, than I. 2. The news of the West you know already, on the recital of brother Dorotheus. What sort of letters are to be given him on his departure? Perhaps he will travel with the excellent Sanctissimus, who is full of enthusiasm, journeying through the East, and collecting letters and signatures from all the men of mark. What ought to be written by them, or how I can come to an agreement with those who are writing, I do not know. If you hear of any one soon travelling my way, be so good as to let me know. I am moved to say, as Diomede said, Would God, Atrides, your request were yet to undertake; ...he's proud enough. Really lofty souls, when they are courted, get haughtier than ever. If the Lord be propitious to us, what other thing do we need? If the anger of the Lord lasts on, what help can come to us from the frown of the West? Men who do not know the truth, and do not wish to learn it, but are prejudiced by false suspicions, are doing now as they did in the case of Marcellus, when they quarrelled with men who told them the truth, and by their own action strengthened the cause of heresy. Apart from the common document, I should like to have written to their Coryphæus — nothing, indeed, about ecclesiastical affairs except gently to suggest that they know nothing of what is going on here, and will not accept the only means whereby they might learn it. I would say, generally, that they ought not to press hard on men who are crushed by trials. They must not take dignity for pride. Sin only avails to produce enmity against God.

[Πρός: Εὐσεβίῳ, ἐπισκόπῳ Σαμοσάτων.] Ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῖν καὶ νῦν διὰ τοῦ ποθεινοτάτου καὶ εὐλαβεστάτου ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν Ἀντιόχου τοῦ συμπρεσβυτέρου προσφθέγξασθαί σου τὴν ὁσιότητα, καὶ σὲ μὲν παρακαλέσαι τὰ συνήθη ποιεῖν, προσεύχεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἑαυτοῖς δὲ εὑρεῖν τινα τῆς μακρᾶς ἀπολείψεως παραμυθίαν ἐκ τῆς διὰ τοῦ γράμματος ὁμιλίας. προσευχόμενος δὲ τοῦτο πρῶτον καὶ μέγιστον παρακαλοῦμεν αἰτεῖν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ῥυσθῆναι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀτόπων καὶ πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἳ τοσοῦτον κατεκράτησαν τῶν λαῶν, ὥστε οὐδὲν ἕτερον νῦν ἢ τὰ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἁλώσεως ἡμᾶς ἐνεικονίζεσθαι πράγματα. ὅσῳ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ ἀσθενέστερον ὑπορρέουσιν αἱ ἐκκλησίαι, τοσοῦτον ἐπακμάζουσιν αἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φιλαρχίαι. καὶ εἰς δυστήνους ἀνθρώπους οἰκότριβας περιέστη νῦν τὸ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ὄνομα, οὐδενὸς αἱρουμένου ἀντεισάγειν ἑαυτὸν τῶν δούλων τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ τῶν ἀπεγνωσμένων, ὁποῖοί εἰσιν οἱ νῦν ἐπιπεμφθέντες παρʼ Ἀνυσίου τοῦ θρέμματος Εὐιππίου, καὶ Ἐκδικίου τοῦ Παρνασσηνοῦ· ὃν κακὸν ἑαυτῷ τῆς μελλούσης ζωῆς ἐφόδιον ἐναφῆκε ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ὁ καταστήσας. οὗτοι νῦν ἐξήλασαν μὲν τῆς Νύσσης τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν ἐμόν, καὶ ἀντεισήγαγον ἄνδρα, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀνδράποδον ὀλίγων ὀβολῶν ἄξιον, τὴν δὲ τῆς πίστεως διαφθορὰν ἐφάμιλλον τοῖς καταστήσασι. Δοάροις δὲ τῇ κώμῃ φθορὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὀρφανῶν οἰκέτην, ἀποδράντα μὲν τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ δεσπότας, διὰ δὲ κολακείας ἀθέου γυναίου ἣ πρότερον μὲν Γεωργίῳ ἐκέχρητο πρὸς τὸ ἴδιον θέλημα, νῦν δὲ τούτον ἔσχε διάδοχον ἐκείνου, ἔπεμψαν, τὸ ἐλεεινὸν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς καθυβρίζοντες ὄνομα. τὰ δὲ Νικοπολιτῶν τίς ἂν πρὸς ἀξίαν ὀδύραιτο, τοῦ ἀθλίου Φρόντωνος πρότερον μὲν δῆθεν τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας συνηγορίαν σχηματιζομένου, τελευταῖον δὲ αἰσχρῶς προδόντος καὶ τὴν πίστιν καὶ ἑαυτόν, καὶ μισθὸν τῆς προδοσίας λαβόντος ὄνομα ἀτιμίας; ἐδέξατο μὲν γὰρ παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐπισκοπῆς ἀξίωμα, ὡς οἴεται, γέγονε δὲ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι κοινὸν βδέλυγμα πάσης τῆς Ἀρμενίας. πλὴν ὅτι οὔτε αὐτοῖς ἀτόλμητόν τι, οὔτε ἀποροῦσι τῶν ἀξίων αὐτοῖς συνεργῶν. τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τῆς Συρίας ἄμεινον ἡμῶν καὶ οἶδε καὶ διηγήσεται ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἀντίοχος. Τοῖς δὲ ἐκ τῆς δύσεως αὐτὸς προενέτυχες, διηγησαμένου πάντα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Δωροθέου· ᾧ ποταπὰς χρὴ δοῦναι πάλιν ἐπιστολὰς ἀπιόντι; ἴσως γὰρ κοινωνήσει τῆς ὁδοῦ τῷ καλῷ Σαγκτισσίμῳ, πολλὴν ἔχοντι σπουδήν, καὶ περιιόντι τὴν ἀνατολήν, καὶ παρʼ ἑκάστου τῶν ἐπισήμων ὑπογραφὰς καὶ ἐπιστολὰς κομιζομένῳ. τίνα οὖν δεῖ ἐπιστεῖλαι δι’ αὐτῶν, ἢ τοῖς ἐπιστέλλουσι πῶς συνθέσθαι, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀπορῶ· ἐὰν δὲ εὕρῃς ἐν τάχει τοὺς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφικνουμένους, καταξίωσον ἡμῖν γνωρίσαι. ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ τὸ τοῦ Διομήδους ἐπέρχεται λέγειν· μὴ ὄφελες λίσσεσθαι· διότι, φησίν, ἀγήνωρ ἐστὶν ὁ ἀνήρ. τῷ ὄντι γὰρ θεραπευόμενα τὰ ὑπερήφανα ἤθη ἑαυτῶν ὑπεροπτικώτερα γίνεσθαι πέφυκε. καὶ γὰρ ἐὰν μὲν ἱλασθῇ ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος, ποίας ἑτέρας προσθήκης δεόμεθα· ἐὰν δὲ ἐπιμείνῃ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ποία βοήθεια ἡμῖν τῆς δυτικῆς ὀφρύος; οἳ τὸ ἀληθὲς οὔτε ἴσασιν, οὔτε μαθεῖν ἀνέχονται, ψευδέσι δὲ ὑπονοίαις προειλημμένοι, ἐκεῖνα ποιοῦσι νῦν, ἃ πρότερον ἐπὶ Μαρκέλλῳ, πρὸς μὲν τοὺς τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῖς ἀπαγγέλλοντας φιλονεικήσαντες, τὴν δὲ αἵρεσιν δι’ ἑαυτῶν βεβαιώσαντας. ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸς ἄνευ τοῦ κοινοῦ σχήματος ἐβουλόμην αὐτῶν ἐπιστεῖλαι τῷ κορυφαίῳ· περὶ μὲν τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν οὐδέν, εἰ μὴ ὅσον παραινίξασθαι, ὅτι οὔτε ἴσασι τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὔτε τὴν ὁδὸν δι’ ἧς ἂν μανθάνοιεν καταδέχονται· καθόλου δὲ περὶ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν πειρασμῶν ταπεινωθεῖσιν ἐπιτίθεσθαι, μηδὲ ἀξίωμα κρίνειν ὑπερηφάνιαν, ἁμάρτημα καὶ μόνον ἀρκοῦν ἔχθραν ποιῆσαι εἰς Θεόν.