書信集 第 1 章 第 18/32 段

Therefore, if they do not dispute that the Holy Spirit shares with the Son and the Father in those names which are used, in a special sense, piously and exclusively of the divine nature, what reason is there to maintain that the Spirit alone has no share in that name which even the demons and the idols have been shown to partake of, by a certain use of homonymy? But they say that this appellation is indicative of nature, and that the nature of the Spirit has no fellowship with the Father and the Son, and that for this reason it does not even share in the fellowship signified by this name.

Let them, then, show by what means they have discerned this variation of nature.

For if it were possible for the divine nature itself to be contemplated in itself, and for what belongs to it properly and what is alien to it to be discovered through visible things, we would have no need at all of arguments or other evidences for grasping the matter in question.

But since that nature is too exalted for the comprehension we seek, and since it is from certain evidences that we reason about things that escape our knowledge, it is altogether necessary for us to be guided by the operations toward our inquiry into the divine nature.

Therefore, if we should see that the operations effected by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit differ from one another, we would infer, from the difference of the operations, that the natures effecting them are also different.

For it is not possible that things which are distinct from one another in respect of the principle of nature should coincide with one another in the form of their operations;

fire does not chill, nor does ice give warmth, but by the difference of natures the operations proceeding from them are likewise divided off from one another.

But if we conceive the operation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to be one, differing or varying in no respect, it is necessary to conclude, from the identity of the operation, the oneness of the nature.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit alike sanctify, and give life, and enlighten, and console, and do all such things.

And let no one, upon hearing the Savior in the Gospel say to the Father concerning his disciples, ascribe the power to sanctify as a special prerogative to the operation of the Spirit alone:

"Father, sanctify them in your name."

Likewise, all other things too are wrought equally for the worthy by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:

all grace and power, guidance, life, consolation, the transformation into immortality, the passage into freedom, and whatever other good thing descends even to us.

And the economy that is above us, both in the intelligible creation and in the sensible—if indeed we ought to conjecture anything about the things above us from the things known to us—is likewise not outside the operation and power of the Holy Spirit, each being granted a share of the benefit according to its own worth and need.

...the discourse and governance of nature; nevertheless, by reasoning from what follows, one might more reasonably conclude, through what is known to us, that the power of the Spirit is active in those higher realms as well, rather than that it is estranged from the economy at work among the things above us.

For he who asserts the former puts forward a bare and unsubstantiated blasphemy, supporting the absurdity by no reasoning at all.

But he who agrees that even the things above us are governed, together with the Father and the Son, by the power of the Spirit, firmly maintains this, resting on the clear evidence found in his own life.

Therefore the identity of operation in the case of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit clearly demonstrates the unvarying sameness of nature.

So then, even if the name "Godhead" signifies nature, the commonality of substance concurs that this appellation applies properly to the Holy Spirit as well.

But I do not know how those who contrive everything apply the appellation "Godhead" to signify nature, as though they had not heard from Scripture that nature does not come about by appointment.

But Moses was appointed god of the Egyptians, since he who spoke the oracle to him said, "I have given you as god to Pharaoh."

Therefore the appellation conveys an indication of a certain authority, whether supervisory or active.

But the divine nature, in all the names conceived of it, remains, as regards what it is in itself, unsignified—so our argument holds.

For in learning of him as benefactor and judge, as good and just, and whatever else of this kind, we have been taught the differences of operations;

but we are no more able to know the nature of him who works, through comprehending his operations.

For when someone gives an account of each of these names and also of the very nature to which the names refer, he will not give the same account for both.

But things whose defining account differs also differ in nature.

Therefore the substance—for which no defining formula has yet been discovered—is one thing, while the signification of the names applied to it, given from some operation or dignity, is another.

That there is, then, no difference in the operations, we discover from the commonality of the names;

but of any variation according to nature we grasp no clear proof, since, as has been said, the identity of the operations indicates the commonality of the nature.

Whether, then, "Godhead" is a name of operation—just as we say the operation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is one, so too we say the Godhead is one;

or whether, according to the opinions of the majority, the name "Godhead" is indicative of nature—since we find no variation in that nature, it is not unreasonable that we define the Holy Trinity as of one Godhead.

TO AMPHILOCHIUS, BISHOP OF ICONIUM. In keeping with your own diligence and zeal, of which I have always been an admirer, you have taken thought for the affairs of the Church of the Isaurians.

That it would be far more advantageous for the whole that the pastoral care be divided among a greater number of bishops is, I think, evident even to any ordinary person.

Nor indeed has this escaped your own good sense; rather, you have rightly noted the matter as it stands and made it known to us.

But since it is not easy to find worthy men, may it not be that, while we wish to have the credibility that comes from numbers and to have the Church of God administered more precisely by a greater number, we unwittingly, on account of the unworthiness of those called to office, bring the office down into cheapness and instil in the people a habit of indifference? For you yourself know that whatever sort the leaders happen to be, such, for the most part, are wont to become the characters of those who are led.

So perhaps it would be better, if indeed this too is feasible, to put forward one man of proven worth as patron of the city, and to entrust the administration of individual matters to his own responsibility—provided only that he be a servant of God, a workman unashamed, not seeking his own advantage but that of the many, that they may be saved;

...that concern, and he will add workers for the harvest.

If, then, we should find such a man, I confess that this one is worth as much as many, and that it would be both more advantageous for the churches and safer for us to administer the care of souls in this way.

But if this is not easy, let it be our concern first to give presiding leaders to the small townships, or rather to the mother-villages that have of old possessed an episcopal see, and only then let us set up the bishop of the city; lest the one we have put forward become an obstacle to us for the subsequent administration, and we at once find ourselves at war within our own household, on account of his wanting to rule over more places, and refusing to accept the ordinations of the other bishops.

But if this is burdensome and the time does not allow it, let your prudence be zealous to do this: to mark out for Isaurus his own district, so that he may ordain some neighboring bishops.

What comes next will remain reserved for us, so that at the proper time we may give to all the remaining bishops whom we ourselves, after testing them through much examination, judge to be more fitting.

We questioned George, as your piety instructed, and he said what your reverence had also already reported; concerning these things we must keep quiet, casting upon the Lord the care of the household.

For I believe in the holy God that he will give understanding to deliver us from these difficulties by some other way, and to procure for us an untroubled life.

If then this does not seem good, do you yourself deign to send me a memorandum as to what office we ought to make effort for, so that we may begin to ask each of our influential friends for this favor, whether free of charge or at a moderate price, as the Lord may prosper us.

I have written to brother Valerius, as you instructed.

The affairs of Nyssa are like those left by your piety, and are progressing for the better through the cooperation of your prayers.

As for those who then broke away from us, some went off to the camp, while others remain, awaiting the report from there.

Scripture knows chariots that have riders called "tristatai" (third officers), because in the rest of the chariots there are two riders, the charioteer and the soldier;

but Pharaoh's chariots had two who fought, and one who held the reins of the horses.

Sympius wrote us a letter of courtesy and communion, to which we, having written in reply, have sent the letter to your reverence, so that, approving it fully, you might order it to be sent on to him, evidently with the addition of your own letters as well.

May you be strong and of good cheer in the Lord, praying earnestly for me; may you be granted to me and to the Church of God through the loving-kindness of the Holy One.

TO AMPHILOCHIUS, BISHOP OF ICONIUM. Having read the letter of your reverence, we gave great thanks to God, because we found traces of ancient love in the words of the letter;

you did not fall into the common failing, nor were you reluctant to be the one who first began this loving correspondence yourself; rather, as one schooled in the greatness that humility confers upon the saints, you chose to present yourself before us as though in second place.

having accepted this, he is thereby crowned.

So then, that we might not fall short of this good zeal, behold, we too respond to your dignity and show forth our own resolve: that, by God's grace, since agreement in the faith is firm among you, nothing else stands in the way of our being one body and one Spirit, just as we were called in one hope through our calling.

It is then for your love, following this good beginning, to carry out also what comes next: to gather about yourself the like-minded, and to declare both the time and the place of the meeting, so that thus, by the grace of God, having recovered one another in the ancient form of love, we may administer the churches, receiving as our own members the brothers who travel from either side, sending them forth as to our own kin and receiving them back again as from our own kin.

For this was once the boast of the Church, that, furnished with small letters of introduction, the brothers from each Church, traveling from one end of the inhabited world to the other, found everyone to be fathers and brothers;

which now, along with other things, the enemy of the Churches of Christ has taken from us, and we have been confined city by city, and each of us regards his neighbor with suspicion.

And what else is this than that we have grown cold in the love by which alone our Lord said his own disciples would be recognized? And if it seems good, first make yourselves known to one another, so that we may know with whom our agreement will be.

And thus, by common consent, having chosen some place convenient for both and a time suitable for the journeys, we shall hasten to one another, and the Lord will prosper us.

May you be strong and of good cheer, praying earnestly for me, and may you be granted to me through the loving-kindness of the Holy One.

TO SOPHRONIUS, MAGISTER. If you yourself received a double favor, in that you, with unsurpassable eagerness for good works, wrote to us — one, by receiving letters, and a second, by ministering to our need — how great, then, must we consider the favor we have, who both received letters of the sweetest voice, and see the need we sought fulfilled with such speed? So that, having gladly received what was sent because of its own nature, we welcomed it far more gladly still, since you were the one presiding over its preparation.

May the Lord grant us to see you soon, so that we may confess our gratitude by word of mouth, and enjoy at once all the good things that are in you.

TO MELETIUS, CHIEF PHYSICIAN. We do not even have as much ability as the cranes have to escape the hardships of winter; yet as regards foreseeing what is to come, we are perhaps no worse than the cranes, but in respect of the freedom of action proper to life we fall as far short of the birds as we do of being able to fly, well-nigh.

For first, certain preoccupations with the affairs of life held me back; and then continuous and violent fevers so consumed my body that something even thinner than myself appeared — I myself, thinner than my own self.

Then attacks of quartan fever, lasting through more than twenty cycles.

But now, when I think I have been freed from the fevers, I am in such a state of weakness that in this respect I fall short in nothing of a spider's web.

Hence every road is impassable for me, and every gust of wind brings greater danger than towering waves bring to sailors.

It is necessary, then, to be hidden away in a small chamber and to await the spring, if indeed we shall be able to hold out until it, and not perish beforehand from the evil lodged in my entrails.

But if the Lord preserves us by his own great hand, we shall most gladly reach your farthest region, and most gladly embrace you, our beloved head.

TO ZOILUS. What are you doing, wondrous man, outdoing us in the measure of humility? You, who are of such education and know so well how to write letters, as your letter shows, yet you ask, as if for some rather bold undertaking exceeding your worth, to obtain pardon from us.

But, laying aside this irony, write to us on every occasion.

For whether we have some share in eloquence, we shall most gladly read the letters of a learned man;

or whether we have been instructed by Scripture as to how great a good love is, we consider conversation with a man who loves us to be worth everything.

May it be that you write to us of the good things we pray for you: health of body and prosperity of your whole household.

But know that our own affairs are nothing more tolerable than what is usual.

It is enough to say only this much, and thereby to show you the weakness of our body.

For the excess of suffering that now holds us in sickness is neither easy to express in words nor easy to believe as fact, if indeed anything greater than what you yourself already knew has been found in us with respect to illness.

But it is the work of the good God to give us strength to bear with patience the blows brought upon the body, for our own benefit, by the Lord who does us good.

But now, whether expecting that you yourself will be present, or that this letter will be forwarded to you by the bishops to whom we wrote, we nevertheless write to your reverence and greet you by letter, at once signifying that we still seem to be above ground, and at the same time asking you to pray for us, that the Lord may lessen our afflictions and take from us this great weight of sorrow that now lies upon our hearts like a cloud.

And this will be, if he grants a speedy return to the most God-beloved bishops who are now in dispersion, paying the penalty for their piety.

And we pray to God that your undertaking may proceed according to reason, that you may advance to greatness, and that you may at some time appear again to your homeland, while we are still above the earth and still draw this common air.

For we have no more share in life than merely to breathe.

And this present gift too is one of the greatest gifts, for those who receive graces with fine perception: that, though we are separated from one another by a great distance in the location of our places, it has granted us to be joined to one another through the address made in letters.

And he has granted us a twofold manner of knowledge;

one through personal meeting, and the other through the converse made by letter.

...having been impressed by it, but rather, having come to know well the beauty of the inner man through the variety of his words — since each of us speaks out of the abundance of the heart — we glorified our God, who in every generation chooses out those who are well-pleasing to him;

who formerly raised up a ruler for his people from the flocks of sheep, and who, by the Spirit strengthening Amos from the herd of goats, exalted him to be a prophet; and now has drawn to the care of Christ's flocks a man from the ruling city, entrusted with the government of a whole nation, lofty in mind, in the splendor of his lineage, in the distinction of his life, in the power of his words, conspicuous to all in every aspect of life.

He, having cast away all the advantages of his worldly life and having counted them as loss that he might gain Christ, has been entrusted with the helm of the great and renowned Church of Christ, renowned for its faith toward God.

Come then, O man of God, since you did not receive or were taught the Gospel of Christ from men, but the Lord himself has transferred you from the judges of the earth to the presidency of the Apostles: contend the good contest, correct the maladies of the people, if indeed the affliction of Arian madness has touched anyone; renew the ancient traces of the Fathers, and strive to build, through the continuance of your addresses, upon the foundation of love toward us which you have laid.

For thus we shall be able to be near one another in spirit, even though in our dwelling upon the earth we are separated by a vast distance.

We make known to your love in Christ that the most zealous brothers, who were chosen by your reverence for the ministry of this good work, first brought praise to the whole clergy through the harmoniousness of their conduct;

for by their own personal decorum they made known the common steadiness of all.

Then, employing all diligence and orderliness, they dared to face the impassable winter, and with all vigor persuaded the faithful guardians of the blessed body to yield up to them the safeguards of their own life.

And know that neither the authorities nor the powers of men could ever have prevailed to compel those men, had not the firmness of the resolve of these brothers moved them by earnest entreaty to grant the concession.

And what contributed most to the accomplishment of the matters undertaken with zeal was also the presence of our most beloved and most devout son Therasius, our fellow-presbyter, who, having voluntarily undertaken the labor of the journey, both restrained the vehemence of the impulse of the faithful there, and by argument persuaded those who resisted; and, having with fitting reverence taken up the relics in the presence of presbyters and deacons and many others who fear the Lord, he helped bring them safely along with the brothers;

which you should receive with as great joy as the sorrow with which those who guarded them sent them forth.

Let no one doubt, let no one hesitate;

this is that unconquered athlete.

The Lord knows these bones, which contended together with that blessed soul.

These he will crown together with it on the day of his righteous recompense, according to what is written:

that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what he has done through the body.

There was a single coffin that received that precious body; no one lay beside it; the burial was distinguished; the honor was that of a martyr.

Christians, those who had given him hospitality, both laid him to rest then with their own hands, and have now taken him up again.

These wept as being deprived of a father and protector, but they sent the relics forth, esteeming your joy more precious than their own consolation.

Be devout, then, you who received them with such exactness.

Nowhere is there falsehood, nowhere deceit; we testify to this;

let the truth remain unmaligned among you.

TO EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF SAMOSATA. After the letter that was brought to us by the officials, I received afterward another one sent to us.

We ourselves have sent letters — not many indeed, because we have not even chanced upon those who were coming to you — yet more than four; among them we sent, sealed, to the most reverend brother Leontius, the assessor of Nicaea, the letters brought to us from Samosata in answer to the first letter of your piety, asking through him that they be conveyed to the one who oversees the household of the most reverend brother Sophronius, so that he might take charge of their delivery to you.

Since, then, letters pass through many hands, it is likely that the preoccupation or negligence of one person has been the cause of your reverence's not receiving them.

Wherefore we beg you, forgive the scarcity of our letters.

But as to the fact that we did not, as was fitting, send someone of our own number, you yourself, with your own good sense, rightly raised the question and reproached us for it.

But know that the winter with us was so severe that all the roads were closed until the days of Pascha, and we had no one disposed to face bravely the hardships of the journey.

For even though our clergy seems to be somewhat numerous, its members are unpracticed in travel, since they neither engage in trade nor choose a life abroad, but the majority pursue settled trades, deriving from these their means of daily livelihood.

Indeed, this very brother whom we have now sent to your reverence — having summoned him from the countryside — we have employed as the bearer of the letters to your holiness, so that he might both clearly report our affairs and, by the grace of God, bring back to us plainly and swiftly what concerns you there.

And the most beloved brother Eusebius the reader, who has long been eager to come to your piety, we have detained, awaiting the mildness of the weather.

And even now, indeed, I am in no small anxiety, lest his unfamiliarity with travel produce in him some shock and become a cause of sickness to a body prone to illness.

As for the innovations that have occurred in the East, it is superfluous for us to indicate them by letter, since the brothers themselves are able to report them accurately of their own accord.

But know, O head most honored by me, that when I was writing these things, I was in so wretched a state that all hope of living had by then left me.

For it is not even possible to enumerate the multitude of symptoms that befell me — the weakness, the intensity of the fevers, and how malignant they were;

except that from all of them one conclusion is drawn: that we have at last completed the time of our sojourn in this wretched and painful life.

TO AMPHILOCHIUS, ON THE CANONS. Having long ago composed a reply to the questions proposed to us by your reverence, I did not send the letter — occupied, on the one hand, by my long and dangerous illness, and, on the other, by the lack of those who could carry it.

For few among us are both experienced in travel and prepared for such services.

Therefore, having learned the causes of the delay, grant us your forgiveness.

matters to which nothing of great importance for knowledge attaches.

But nevertheless, since out of fear of God you undertake to do a thing not easily done by another, we too must contribute to your zeal and good diligence, even beyond our power.

You asked us concerning Bianor the presbyter, whether he is to be admitted to the clergy despite his oath.

Now I know that I have already set forth a certain common rule concerning all those together who took the oath along with him, for the clergy of Antioch:

namely, that they should abstain from public assemblies, but privately perform the functions of presbyters.

And this same thing grants him freedom also with respect to his own ministry, because his priesthood is not at Antioch but at Iconium, which, as you yourself wrote to us, he exchanged for residence there instead of Antioch.

That man, then, is to be admitted, being required by your reverence to repent of the readiness with which he swore the oath — an oath he swore on account of the unbelieving man — being unable to bear the vexation of that small danger.

Concerning virgins who have fallen — those who had professed to the Lord a life of chastity and then, through succumbing to the passions of the flesh, have set aside their own covenants — our fathers, dealing gently and mildly with the weaknesses of those who slip, decreed that they should be received back after a year, ordaining this in likeness to the rule for the twice-married.

But it seems to me, since the Church, advancing by the grace of God, becomes stronger, and the order of virgins is now increasing, that we should attend closely both to the matter as it appears to reason, and to the sense of Scripture, which it is possible to discover from what follows.

For widowhood is less than virginity;

therefore the sin of widows is much less than that of virgins.

Let us then see what is written to Timothy by Paul:

"But refuse younger widows;"

"for when they have grown wanton against Christ, they wish to marry, having condemnation because they have set aside their first pledge."

But surely it is far more grievous for the bride to become an adulteress, and, having dishonored her union with the bridegroom, to give herself over to unbridled pleasures.

Therefore the widow, as a corrupted slave, is condemned;

but the virgin is subject to the judgment of the adulteress.

Just as, then, we call an adulterer the man who consorts with another's wife, not admitting him to communion before he ceases from his sin;

so, evidently, we shall be disposed likewise toward him who has violated the virgin.

But this we must now first establish: that she is called a virgin who has voluntarily presented herself to the Lord, renounced marriage, and preferred a life of sanctification.

We approve professions only from that age at which reason has reached its fullness.

For it is not fitting to regard childish words as authoritative in such matters, but rather the words of one who has passed beyond sixteen or seventeen years, being mistress of her own reasoning — having been examined at length, and then having persevered and earnestly entreated with supplications to be admitted. Then she should be enrolled among the virgins, her profession confirmed, and its violation punished without excuse.

For many are brought forward by parents, and brothers, and some relatives, before the proper age — women not moved from within themselves toward the unmarried life, but whose relatives are managing some worldly matter of their own.

These we ought not readily to accept, until we have clearly examined their own personal resolve.

But we have not recognized professions of men, except where some have enrolled themselves in the order of monastics;

who, by their silence, seem to have accepted the unmarried state.

A clear profession must be required from them, so that whenever they turn back to a fleshly and pleasure-loving life, they may be made subject to the penalty for fornicators.

As for all the women who, being in heresy, professed virginity and then afterward chose marriage instead, I do not think that these ought to be condemned.

Therefore they are to be received by the Church, together with all others, having forgiveness for these things through faith in Christ.

And in general, things done during catechumen life are not brought to account.