Petition of Basil the Deacon to the emperors (CPG 5774)
| Reference: | CPG 5774 |
| Incipit: | Ἡ ϕιλανθρωπία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ἀναριθμήτων |
| Date: | fall, 430 |
| Greek Text: | ACO 1.1.5:7-10 |
| English Translation: | FCC (below) CE #27 |
The Greek text provided below is taken from the ACO. The English translation was done for FCC by L. Rogotzke. For information about the historical context of this letter and its connection to the escalating Christological controversy of the time, click here.
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
| Δέησις Βασιλείου διακόνου καὶ λοιπῶν μοναχῶν | The petition of Basil the deacon and the other monks |
| Τοῖς εὐσεβεστάτοις καὶ τιμηθεῖσι καὶ τιμωμένοις παρὰ θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις Χριστιανοῖς βασιλεῦσι Φλαυίοις Θεοδοσίῳ καὶ Οὐαλεντινιανῷ δέησις εἴτ’ οὖν παράκλησις παρὰ Βασιλείου διακόνου καὶ ἀρχιμανδρίτου καὶ Θαλασσίου ἀναγνώστου καὶ μονάζοντος καὶ λοιπῶν Χριστιανῶν μοναχῶν. | To the most pious Christian emperors who have been honored and are being honored by God and by men, Flavius Theodosius and Valentinian, a petition then, or an appeal, from Basil, deacon and archimandrite, and Thalassius, lector and monk, and the other Christian monks. |
| Ἡ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ἀναριθμήτων παρὰ ἀνθρώποις καλῶν μετουσίαν δωρησαμένη τε καὶ δωρουμένη τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν πᾶσι καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσίν ἐστιν. | The loving kindness of God, which he has given and is giving to the race of men a communion of uncountable goodness among men, is in all and on all. |
| ἐν τούτοις δὲ τοῖς ἀπὸ θεοῦ δώροις ἐστὶν ἡ ἀληθινὴ γνῶσις καὶ τὸ μῖσος τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως, ὥστε εἰδέναι ἡμᾶς τὴν ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ μαρτύρων καὶ ὁμολογητῶν καὶ ἐπισκόπων ἁγίων, συνεργούντων καὶ εὐσεβεστάτων βασιλέων, παραδοθεῖσαν τῇ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ πίστιν, πρῶτον ὑπὸ Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου τοῦ πρωτοστάτου εἰπόντος κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ ὁμολογίαν καὶ παράδοσιν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος Ἰακώβου ἀποστόλου καὶ ἀρχιεπισκόπου, Ἰωάννου ἀποστόλου καὶ εὐαγγελιστοῦ καὶ λοιπῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν μαρτύρων ὁμολογητῶν ἐπισκόπων καὶ πάντων τῶν πιστευσάντων καὶ πιστευόντων τῇ ὁμοούσιῳ τριάδι, Εἰρηναίου, Γρηγορίου τοῦ μεγάλου ἐπισκόπου Νεοκαισαρείας, τῆς ἁγίας συνόδου τῶν | But in these gifts from God is the true knowledge and the hatred of what is falsely called knowledge, so that we might know from above and from the beginning from the apostles and martyrs and confessors and holy bisops, working together also with the most pious emperors, the faith handed over to the catholic church, first from Peter the foremost apostle who spoke according to revelation and knowledge and confession and tradition to the ones after these things that “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God [Matt 16:16];” James the apostle and archbishop; John the apostle and evangelist; and the rest of the evangelists, martyrs, confessors, bishops, and all those who had believed and are believing the like essence of the Trinity—Irenaeus; Gregory the Great, bishop of Neocaesarea; the holy synod of 180 bishops in Antioch assembled against Paul of Samosata, which drove him down on account of his impiety because he did not confess Christ by nature as God and the Son of God the Father; the great and holy synod of the 318 bishops in Nicaea, which also confirmed the ruling of those in Antioch; Basil and Gregory, brothers and bishops; Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria; Ephrem of Syria; Bishop Gregory, Bishop Ammon, Bishop Vitalius; Amphilocus, Paul, Antiochus, Eustathius, Methodius, Optimus, Leporius; Ambrose of Milan; the whole synod in Africa; the bishops John, Severianus, and Atticus; and Cyril, the bishop of Alexandria, who is now also living by the law of your piety and is following it. |
| οὐδεὶς μὲν οὖν ἀνθρώπων δύναται πάντας τοὺς πιστοὺς ἐξαριθμήσασθαι τοὺς πιστεύσαντας καὶ πιστεύοντας εἰς Χριστὸν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι ὄντως θεὸς ἀληθινός ἐστιν. | Therefore, no one among men is able to count all the faithful who believed and who continue to believe in Christ, the Son of God, that he really is the true God. |
| οὐ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ δι’ ἡμᾶς ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος, μείνας ὃ ἦν, θεός, ὡς καὶ ἡ ὑμετέρα εὐσέβεια διέμαθεν, ἤδη καὶ τὸ ἦν ἀρνησόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμεῖς πιστεύομεν καὶ ὁμολογοῦμεν καὶ κηρύττομεν ὅτι ὁ πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων θεὸς λόγος ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων διὰ τὴν πολλὴν αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς οὖσαν γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος τέλειος ὡς εἷς ἐξ ἡμῶν κατὰ πάντα χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, μείνας ὃ ἦν, θεός, διὰ τὴν τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου Μαρίας, ὡς αὐτὸς οἶδε. | Since for us he became man, though he remained as he was, God, as also your piety learned, indeed we will not now deny what he was, but we ourselves also believe and confess and preach that God the Word from before the ages, being the Only-Begotten Son of God, through his great loving kindness for us, he became a perfect man as one of us in all aspects except sin, though he remained as he was, God, for the salvation of our race he was born from the holy virgin Mary, as he himself knows. |
| Τούτου ἕνεκα τοῦ ἀληθοῦς δόγματος τοῦ ἐν τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀκριβῶς κηρυττομένου καὶ τοῦ αἱρετικοῦ Παύλου δικαίως ἐξωσθέντος, ἐγένοντο σχίσματα λαῶν, ἀκαταστασίαι ἱερέων, ταραχὴ ποιμένων. | Because of this true doctrine in the holy church which was accurately preached, and the heretic Paul rightly being driven out, there was a schism among the people, disturbances among priests, turmoil among shepherds. |
| ὅθεν καὶ νῦν κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἐγχειρισθέντος τὸν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς θρόνον Νεστορίου, εἰ δεῖ εἰπεῖν ἐπισκόπου, ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ πολλάκις τινὲς τῶν εὐλαβεστάτων πρεσβυτέρων ἤλεγξαν αὐτὸν καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀπείθειαν αὐτοῦ, τὸ μὴ λέγειν θεοτόκον τὴν ἁγίαν παρθένον καὶ θεὸν ὄντως φύσει ἀληθινὸν τὸν Χριστόν, τῆς αὐτοῦ κοινωνίας ἑαυτοὺς ἐξέβαλον καὶ κατέχουσιν ἕως ἄρτι· τινὲς δὲ λάθρα ὁμοίως τῆς αύτοῦ κοινωνίας στέλλονται. | From which now, too, in the presence of Nestorius, who was entrusted with the throne of the bishop, if it is necessary to say ‘bishop,’ at the assembly many times some of the most pious elders refuted him, and because of his unbelief, that he did not say that the holy virgin is the Theotokos and that the Christ really is by nature truly God, they cast themselves out of fellowship with him and they maintain it up to the present; but some secretly withdraw from fellowship with him in the same way. |
| ἄλλοι δὲ τῶν εὐλαβεστάτων πρεσβυτέρων διὰ τὸ λέγειν ἐν τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ Εἰρήνῃ τῇ παραθαλασσίᾳ κατὰ τοῦ ἀνανεωθέντος κακῶς δόγματος τοῦ λέγειν ἐκωλύθησαν, ὅθεν ἐπεβόα ὁ λαὸς ζητῶν <τὴν> τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας συνήθη διδασκαλίαν, λέγων· βασιλέα ἔχομεν, ἐπίσκοπον οὐκ ἔχομεν. | But others of the most pious elders, because of what they said in the holy church Irene By the Sea against the wrongly renewed doctrine, were forbidden from speaking, from which the people were speaking out, seeking the usual teaching of orthodoxy, saying, “We have an emperor, but we do not have a bishop.” |
| καὶ τέως μὲν ἀνεκδίκητον ἔμεινε τὸ τοῦ λαοῦ πειρατήριον τοῦ συλληφθέντος ἐκ μέρους παρὰ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν καὶ ἐν τῷ δεκανικῷ τυπτηθέντος διαφόρως ἐν πόλει βασιλευούσῃ, ἃ οὔτε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοῖς βαρβαρικοῖς ἐγένετο. | And for a time the harsh ordeal of the people remained unavenged, when they were arrested by some from the servants and in the deacon’s guardhouse were beaten distinctly in the ruling city, things which never happened among the heathens, the barbarians. |
| τινὲς καὶ κατὰ πρόσωπον ἐν τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπὶ τοῦ λαοῦ ἤλεγξαν καὶ θλῖψιν οὐ μικρὰν ὑπέμειναν. | Some even refuted him to his face in the holy church before the people and endured no small affliction. |
| τῶν δὲ ἀφελεστέρων τις μοναζόντων ἠναγκάσθη κατὰ ζῆλον ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸν κήρυκα τῆς ἀνομίας ἐπισχεῖν τοῦ μὴ εἰσελθεῖν συνάξεως οὔσης, αἱρετικοῦ ὄντος αὐτοῦ· τοῦτον δὲ τυπτήσας τοῖς μεγαλοπρεπεστάτοις ἐπάρχοις παρέδωκεν, ἔτι δὲ τυπτηθέντα καὶ πομπευθέντα δημοσίᾳ, τοῦ κήρυκος βοῶντος ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, τῇ ἐξορίᾳ παρέπεμψεν, οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ μετὰ τὴν ἀθέμιτον αὐτοῦ ὁμιλίαν οἱ τῆς φατρίας αὐτοῦ τοῦ κατέχοντος φόνον ἤμελλον ποιεῖν, εἰ μὴ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ βοήθεια κατέλαβεν. | But a certain one of the simpler monks was compelled by zeal in the middle of the church to stop the preaching of the lawless one from entering while there was an assembly, since he was a heretic. But he beat this one and handed him over to the most magnificent prefects, and still, when he had been beaten and paraded in public, with the herald calling before him, he sent him into exile; and not only this, but also in the holy church after his abominable sermon, those who held to his faction were intending to commit murder, except that the help of God came down. |
| Περὶ δὲ ἡμῶν, δύσπιστά ἐστι τάχα πολλοῖς τοῖς ἀκούουσι. | And concerning us, it is perhaps hard to believe for many who hear. |
| κατὰ γὰρ κέλευσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ προτροπὴν ἀνήλθομεν ἐν τῷ ἐπισκοπείῳ πληροφορηθῆναι εἰ καθὼς ἐνοήσαμεν, ἃ παρ’ αὐτοῦ ἠκούσαμεν, ἐστὶν ἢ οὔ, καὶ εἰς ὑπέρθεσιν δεύτερον καὶ τρίτον ἡμᾶς ἔβαλεν. καὶ τότε μόλις ἐκέλευσεν ἡμῖν εἰπεῖν τί ἐστιν ὃ βουλόμεθα. | For by his command and urging we went up to the bishop’s palace to be fully informed if it was just as we thought, which we heard concerning him, or not, and into a second and third delay he kept pushing us out. And then barely did he command us to say what it was that we wished. |
| ὡς δὲ ἤκουσε παρ’ ἡμῶν ὅτι ταῦτα τὰ παρ’ αὐτοῦ λεχθέντα, τὸ οὐκ ἔτεκε, φησί, Μαρία, εἰ μὴ ἄνθρωπον ὁμοούσιον ἑαυτῆς καὶ τὸ γεγεννημένον έκ σαρκὸς σάρξ έστιν οὔκ έστιν ὀρθοδόξων, παραχρῆμα ἐκέλευσε συλληφθῆναι ἡμᾶς παρὰ τοῦ ὄχλου τῶν δεκανῶν κἀκεῖθεν τυπτόμενοι ἀπηγόμεθα ἐν τῷ δεκανικῷ κἀκεῖ γυμνοὺς ἡμᾶς δεσμίους ὡς καὶ ὑπευθύνους τιμωρίᾳ ἐστύλισαν ἐκραββάτισαν καὶ ἐπτέρνισαν, ὅπερ οὐ πάσχουσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔξω δικαστηρίοις, οὐ λέγομεν ὅτι κληρικοὶ καὶ ἀρχιμανδρῖται ἢ μονάζοντες, ἀλλ’ οὔτε οἱ τυχόντες κοσμικοὶ ὃ ἡμεῖς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ παρὰ τοῦ ἀνόμου παρανόμως πεπόνθαμεν, θλιβόμενοι ἐν τῷ δεκανικῷ, λιμώττοντες, ἐν οἰκετίᾳ φυλαττόμενοι ἐπὶ χρόνον πολὺν διετελέσαμεν. | But when he heard from us that these things had been said about him, that what he declared—“Mary did not give birth, except to a man of like essence with her and that born of flesh is flesh”—were not orthodox, he immediately commanded that we be seized by the crowd of deacons and from there we were beaten and lead away to the deacon’s guardhouse and there, naked and in chains as though liable to punishment, they mocked us, stretched us on a mat, and kicked us—which things they do not suffer in outside courts, and we neither say that clergy and archimandrites or monks, nor the laypeople experience what we had suffered in the church from the lawless one illegally: we were afflicted in the deacon’s guardhouse, famished, and guarded under house arrest for a long time. |
| καὶ οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τούτοις ἡ αὐτοῦ μανία, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τῷ μεγαλοπρεπεστάτῳ ἐπάρχῳ τῆσδε τῆς μεγαλωνύμου πόλεως κατὰ ἀπάτην τινὰ παρεδόθημεν καὶ σιδηρωθέντες ἀπήχθημεν ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνήχθημεν ἐν τῷ πραιτωρίῳ τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ μετὰ τῶν δεσμῶν. | And his madness was not satisfied by these things, but also, after these things we were handed over to the most magnificent prefect of this renowned city by some sort of deception and bound in chains we were led to the prison and after these things we were led to the praetorium in the same way with the chains. |
| καὶ ἐπειδὴ οὐδεὶς ἦν ὁ κατηγορῶν, ἐν τῷ δεκανικῷ πάλιν διὰ τῆς τάξεως ἤχθημεν. | And since no one was bringing charges, to the deacon’s guardhouse again we were led through the ranks. |
| καὶ οὕτως πάλιν ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς κατὰ πρόσωπον καὶ τυπτήσας καὶ διαλεχθεὶς καὶ συνθέμενος κατὰ ἀπάτην, ὡς τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ἔδειξε, περὶ τοῦ φύσει υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι ἐτέχθη ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας Μαρίας τῆς θεοτόκου, λέγων <ἐπεὶ ἔνι ἄλλος υἱός>, οὕτως ἀπέλυσεν ἡμᾶς. | And so again he called us before him and he beat us and reasoned and agreed with us deceptively, as he showed after these things, concerning the Son of God by nature, that he was born of the holy Mary the Theotokos, saying, “Since there is another Son.” He then released us. |
| Παρακαλοῦμεν οὖν τὴν ἀθάνατον ὑμῶν καὶ εὐσεβεστάτην πίστιν ὥστε μὴ παριδεῖν ἐκ τοῦ λοιποῦ τὴν τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ἐκκλησίαν μοιχευομένην παρὰ αἱρετικῶν ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς ὑμῶν τῶν ὀρθοδόξων καὶ εὐσεβεστάτων βασιλέων, οὐχ ὡς διὰ τούτου τὰς ἡμετέρας ὕβρεις βουλόμενοι ἐκδικεῖν (ὁ θεὸς οἶδεν), ἀλλ’ ὡς θέλοντες τὸ στερέωμα τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως ἀσάλευτον μένειν. | Therefore, we urge your immortal and most pious faith not to overlook, among the rest, the church of orthodoxy being adulterated by heretics in the times of you, the orthodox and most pious emperors, not because we want to avenge on account of our poor treatment (God knows), but because we want the immovable foundation of faith in Christ to remain. |
| καὶ κελεύσει τὸ ὑμέτερον κράτος τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ οἰκουμενικὴν σύνοδον παραγενέσθαι ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη, ἵνα τῆς συνόδου παραγενομένης τὴν ἁγιωτάτην ἐκκλησίαν ὁ Χριστὸς ἑνώσῃ καὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ συνάξῃ καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας ἀπολαβεῖν ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀληθινῆς πίστεως κηρύγματι ποιήσῃ πρὸ τοῦ εἰς πλάτος τὴν ἄδικον διδασκαλίαν ἐλθεῖν. | And your power will command the holy and ecumenical synod to be held from here now, in order that, when the synod has convened, Christ will unite the most holy church and assemble his people and and make the priests to holdfast by the proclamation of the true faith before the unjust teaching enters widely. |
| κἀκεῖνο δὴ παρακαλοῦμεν ἀξιοῦντες, ἐπειδὴ πειρᾶται πτοεῖν ἀπειλῶν ἐλαύνων ἐξωθῶν κακουργῶν ῥαιδιουργῶν καὶ κακῶν καὶ ἵνα τὴν αὐτοῦ μανίαν καὶ ἀσέβειαν κρατύνῃ, πάντα ποιῶν ἀφειδῶς, οὐ θεὸν φοβούμενος, οὐκ ἀνθρώπους αἰσχυνόμενος, οὐκ ἐπισκόπους εὐλαβούμενος οὔτε ἱερέα τινά, οὐ κλῆρόν τινων, οὐχ ἁγίους μοναχούς, οὐκ εὐλάβειαν λαικῶν, οὐ τὸν κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων ἐπηρτημένον φόβον, οὐ τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐκτελούντων διακονίαν τινὰ θεῷ εἰς ὀργὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀξίων, ἀλλ’ ἐνδυσάμενος τὴν ὑπεροψίαν κατὰ πάντων, θαρρῶν τοῖς χρήμασι καί τινων διεφθαρμένων τῇ ἰσχύι ἢ ἵνα ἀφόβως εἴπωμεν, καὶ τῷ ὑμετέρῳ κράτει ταῦτα ποιεῖ, ἀξιοῦμεν μηδὲν αὐτὸν κατά τινων ἐξεῖναι ποιεῖν, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον διόρθωσιν λάβῃ τὰ κατὰ τὴν ὀρθόδοξον πίστιν, ἵνα μὴ ταύτην διασκεδάσῃ καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ παρεισαγάγῃ ταῦτα ποιῶν. | And that indeed we urge you pleadingly, since he is trying to terrify by threatening, banishing, driving out, acting wickedly, practicing deceit, and doing evil, that he might also establish his madness and impiety, doing everything lavishly, neither fearing God nor ashamed before men, not respecting bishops or priests, or the clerical office of any, neither the holy monks nor the devout laypeople, not for fear hanging over the unrighteous ones, not for the deacon’s law of those who carry something out for God for the wrath against those who deserve it, but having clothed himself with disdain against all, and boldly acting with riches he does these things by the strength of corrupted ones or, if we might speak without fear, even your power. We request that he be permitted to do nothing against anyone, unless first the items against the orthodox faith receive a correction, lest he scatter this and secretly introduce his own teaching by doing this. |
| οἶδε γάρ, ὡς οἴεται, ὅτι κἂν τῷ φόβῳ πολλοὺς ἀμβλύνας ἀποστήσει τῆς πίστεως καὶ λοιπὸν εὑρὼν ὁμογνώμονας αὐτοῦ παράσχῃ αὐτοῖς θράσος, ὥστε καὶ ἕως πληγῶν δημοσίᾳ ἐπιχειρεῖν καὶ διωγμὸν ποιεῖν. | For he knows, as he thinks, that indeed with fear he has weakened many and will lead them from the faith, and finally, having found those of like mind with him, he will provide them the audacity so that they would attack publicly to the point of floggings and to perform persecution. |
| οὐ μόνον δὲ τοὺς αὐτοῦ δῆθεν κληρικοὺς ἢ συγκέλλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν παροικιῶν προσελάβετό τινας, οἷς μάλιστα οὐκ ἔξεστιν εἶναι κατὰ τοὺς ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς κανόνας εἰς ἕτερον ἐπισκοπεῖον ἢ εἰς ἄλλην ἐκκλησίαν, ἀλλὰ ἀνάγκη αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰς ἰδίας παροικίας ἢ πόλεις ὅπου ἐχειροτονήθησαν, κἀκεῖ ἡσυχῇ διάγειν, ἵνα μὴ τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ διὰ τῆς προσκαίρου δυναστείας ἕρψῃ περισσοτέρως ἡ παρανομία καὶ ἐπιγραφῇ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ εὐσεβείᾳ. | But not only his own supposed clergy or syncelli, but also from outside parishes he received some for whom it was certainly not permitted according to the ecclesiastical canons to be in another bishopric or another church, but it was necessary for them at their own parishes or cities where they were appointed, and to live there quietly, lest for a long time, because of the temporary power the lawlessness spread more abundantly and under the title of your piety. |
| εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ἔθετο ὑμᾶς ὁ θεὸς διακόνους ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ τοῦ δοξάσαντος ὑμᾶς καὶ δοξάζοντος καὶ ἀποδιδόντος ὑμῖν τὸν μισθὸν μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων τῶν καλῶς φυλαξάντων τὰς ἐγχειρισθείσας αὐτοῖς διακονίας, πρὸς οὓς εἶπεν· εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστέ, ἐπὶ ὀλίγα ἧς πιστός, ἐπὶ πολλῶν σε καταστήσω· εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ κυρίου σου. | For this God made you servants for the sake of his glory because he glorified you and is glorifying and paying back your reward with all the saints who are keeping well the ministries appointed to them, to whom he said, “Well done, good and faithful servant, over a little you were faithful, over much I will put you in charge. Come to the joy of your Lord [Matt. 25:21].” |
| οἱ ὄντως Χριστιανοὶ τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις διὰ τῶν ἔργων πιστεύουσιν· οἱ δὲ ἄπιστοι καὶ ἀπερριμμένοι καὶ τῇ ἑαυτῶν κοιλίᾳ ζῶντες καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο προσκαρτεροῦντες, ἐὰν ἀκούσωσιν ὁμολογοῦντά τινα τὸν Χριστὸν εἶναι θεόν, διαπρίονται, ὡς οἱ τότε Ἰουδαῖοι συνέσχον τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν τοῦ ἁγίου Στεφάνου τοῦ πρωτομάρτυρος διηγουμένου ὅτι θεωρῶ, φησί, τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνεῳγμένους καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτα τοῦ θεοῦ· οὕτως καὶ οὗτοι διαπρίονται κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν καὶ πάντα θυμὸν σπουδάζουσιν ἐκτελεῖν. | Those who are Christians believe these words on account of works. But the faithless and rejected, who live by their stomach and and to this itself devote themselves—if they hear someone confessing Christ to be God, they are cut through, as the Jews then covered their ears when Saint Stephen the first martyr was saying, “I see,” he declared, “the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God [Acts 7:56].” So also these are cut through against the Christians and they hasten to completely carry out their rage. |
| ἀξιοῦμεν οὖν προνοίᾳ τοῦ μεγαλοπρεπεστάτου ἐπάρχου τῆσδε τῆς νέας Ῥώμης κωλύεσθαι τοὺς κατὰ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ἐπανισταμένους καὶ προφάσει δικαιολογιῶν, ὥς φασιν, ἐπιχειροῦντας κατά τινος, ἕως ὅτε τὰ τῆς πίστεως διόρθωσιν λάβῃ. εἰ δὲ παρακούσετε ἡμῶν ἀμελήσαντες, διαμαρτυρόμεθα ὑμῖν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτου ἀοράτου μόνου σοφοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἐλθόντος καὶ ἐπιφανέντος, ὡς ἠθέλησε, διὰ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν καὶ πάλιν ἐρχομένου κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς, ᾧ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἀθῷοι ἐσμέν. | Therefore, we request by the providence of the most magnificent prefect of this new Rome to prevent those rebelling against orthodoxy and, under the pretext of justifications, as they say, attacking against anyone, until the time they receive a correction of faith. And if you disregard and neglect us, we testify to you before the king of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, only wise God, who came and appeared, as he willed, for our salvation and again will come to judge the living and the dead, to whom every knee of heaven and earth and under the earth will bow and every tongue will confess him, that we are innocent. |
| ἡμεῖς γὰρ ὑμᾶς παρεκαλέσαμεν περὶ συνόδου οἰκουμενικῆς τῆς δυναμένης ἀκριβῶς κρατῦναι καὶ ἀνορθῶσαι τὰ σαλευόμενα εἴτ’ οὖν καταρραγέντα, οὐ κατισχύσουσι δὲ αὐτὴν διὰ τῆς χάριτος καὶ ἀντιλήψεως τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς ἐνεργούσης ἐν ὑμῖν κακῶσαι πύλαι ἅιδου, ἅτινά ἐστι τὰ στόματα τῶν αἱρετικῶν, ἵνα τούτου τυχόντες τὰς συνήθεις εὐχὰς ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς σωτηρίας καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ὑμῶν εὐαρέστως καὶ ὀρθοδόξως τῷ θεῷ ἀναπέμψωμεν. ἀμήν. | For we urged you concering an ecumenical synod of the ability to thoroughly establish and to restore the things shaken or even broken down, but the gates of hell (which are the mouths of heretics) will not prevail to do wrong to it, thanks to the grace and help of God who worked in you, so that, when we receive this, we will offer up the usual prayers in harmony for the universal salvation and for your empire acceptably and rightly to God. Amen. |
Last updated 9/14/2026 by JSW
No Responses yet
