Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| To Epiphanius the bishop.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Letter
CCLVIII.3131
To Epiphanius the bishop.3132
| 3132 The learned
and saintly bishop of Salamis in Cyprus. About this time he
published his great work against heresy, the Πανάριον, and also travelled to Antioch to reconcile the Apollinarian Vitalis
to Paulinus. On the failure of his efforts, and the complicated
state of parties at Antioch at this time, cf. Epiphan., lxxvii.
20–23; Jerome, Epp. 57, 58, and Soz., H.E.
vi. 25. |
1. It has long been
expected that, in accordance with the prediction of our Lord, because
of iniquity abounding, the love of the majority would wax
cold.3133
Now
experience has confirmed this expectation. But though this
condition of things has already obtained among us here, it seems to
be contradicted by the letter brought from your holiness. For
verily it is no mere ordinary proof of love, first that you should
remember an unworthy and insignificant person like myself; and
secondly, that you should send to visit me brethren who are fit and
proper ministers of a correspondence of peace. For now, when
every man is viewing every one else with suspicion, no spectacle is
rarer than that which you are presenting. Nowhere is pity to
be seen; nowhere sympathy; nowhere a brotherly tear for a brother in
distress. Not persecutions for the truth’s sake, not
Churches with all their people in tears; not this great tale of
troubles closing round us, are enough to stir us to anxiety for the
welfare of one another. We jump on them that are fallen; we
scratch and tear at wounded places; we who are supposed to agree
with one another launch the curses that are uttered by the heretics;
men who are in agreement on the most important matters are
wholly severed from one another
on some one single point. How, then, can I do otherwise than
admire him who in such circumstances shews that his love to his
neighbour is pure and guileless, and, though separated from me by so
great a distance of sea and land, gives my soul all the care he
can?
2. I have been specially struck with
admiration at your having been distressed even by the dispute of the
monks on the Mount of Olives, and at your expressing a wish that some
means might be found of reconciling them to one another. I have
further been glad to hear that you have not been unaware of the
unfortunate steps, taken by certain persons, which have caused
disturbance among the brethren, and that you have keenly interested
yourself even in these matters. But I have deemed it hardly
worthy of your wisdom that you should entrust the rectification of
matters of such importance to me: for I am not guided by the
grace of God, because of my living in sin; I have no power of
eloquence, because I have cheerfully withdrawn from vain studies; and I
am not yet sufficiently versed in the doctrines of the truth. I
have therefore already written to my beloved brethren at the Mount of
Olives, our own Palladius,3134
| 3134 This Palladius
may possibly be identified with the Palladius of Cæsarea of
Athanasius, Ep. ad Pall. Migne, Pat.
xxvi. 1167, and in the Ath. of this series, p. 580. | and Innocent the
Italian, in answer to their letters to me, that it is impossible for me
to make even the slightest addition to the Nicene Creed, except the
ascription of Glory to the Holy Ghost, because our Fathers treated this
point cursorily, no question having at that time arisen concerning the
Spirit. As to the additions it is proposed to make to that Creed,
concerning the incarnation of our Lord, I have neither tested nor
accepted them, as being beyond my comprehension.3135
| 3135 The Ben. note
remarks “Cum nonnulli formulæ Nicenæ aliquid de
Incarnatione adderent ad comprimendos Apollinaristas, id Basilius
nec examinaverat,” etc. I rather understand the
present προσυφαίνομενα
to refer to the proposals of Innocent to Palladius. | I know well that, if once we begin
to interfere with the simplicity of the Creed, we shall embark on
interminable discussion, contradiction ever leading us on and on,
and shall but disturb the souls of simpler folk by the introduction
of new phrases.3136
| 3136 Yet Basil will
admit an addition which he holds warranted, in the case of the
glorification of the Spirit, and would doubtless have acquiesced in
the necessity of the additions finally victorious in 451. |
3. As to the Church at Antioch (I mean that
which is in agreement in the same doctrine), may the Lord grant that
one day we may see it united. It is in peril of being specially
open to the attacks of the enemy, who is angry with it because there
the name of Christian first obtained.3137
| 3137 cf.
note on Theodoret in this series, p. 320. | There heresy is divided against
orthodoxy, and orthodoxy is divided against herself.3138
| 3138 In 377
Meletius was in exile, and Paulinus the bishop of the “old
Catholics,” or Eustathians (Soc., H.E. iv. 2, v. 5)
opposing Vitalius, who was consecrated to the episcopate by
Apollinaris. On the confusion resulting from these three
nominally orthodox claimants, vide Jerome’s
Letter xvi. in this series, p. 20. | My position, however, is this.
The right reverend bishop Meletius was the first to speak boldly for
the truth, and fought that good fight in the days of Constantine.
Therefore my Church has felt strong affection towards him, for the sake
of that brave and firm stand, and has held communion with him. I,
therefore, by God’s grace, have held him to be in communion up to
this time; and, if God will, I shall continue to do so. Moreover
the very blessed Pope Athanasius came from Alexandria, and was most
anxious that communion should be established between Meletius and
himself; but by the malice of counsellors their conjunction was put off
to another season. Would that this had not been so! I have
never accepted communion with any one of those who have since been
introduced into the see, not because I count them unworthy, but because
I see no ground for the condemnation of Meletius. Nevertheless I
have heard many things about the brethren, without giving heed to them,
because the accused were not brought face to face with their accusers,
according to that which is written, “Doth our law judge any man,
before it hear him, and know what he doeth?”3139
I cannot therefore at present write to
them, right honourable brother, and I ought not to be forced to do
so. It will be becoming to your peaceful disposition not to cause
union in one direction and disunion in another, but to restore the
severed member to the original union. First, then, pray; next, to
the utmost of your ability, exhort, that ambition may be driven from
their hearts, and that reconciliation may be effected between them both
to restore strength to the Church, and to destroy the rage of our
foes. It has given great comfort to my soul that, in addition to
your other right and accurate statements in theology, you should
acknowledge the necessity of stating that the hypostases are
three. Let the brethren at Antioch be instructed by you after
this manner. Indeed I am confident that they have been so
instructed; for I am sure you would never have accepted communion with
them unless you had carefully made sure of this point in
them.
4. The Magusæans,3140
| 3140 From
Magusa in Arabia, cf. Plin., Nat. Hist. vi.
32. | as you were good enough to point out to me in your other
letter, are here in considerable numbers, scattered all over the
country, settlers having long ago been introduced into these parts from
Babylon. Their manners are peculiar, as they do not mix with
other men. It is quite impossible to converse with them, inasmuch
as they have been made the prey of the devil to do his will. They
have no books; no instructors in doctrine. They are brought up in
senseless institutions, piety being handed down from father to
son. In addition to the characteristics which are open to general
observation, they object to the slaying of animals as defilement, and
they cause the animals they want for their own use to be slaughtered by
other people. They are wild after illicit marriages; they
consider fire divine, and so on.3141
| 3141 With the
statements of Basil may be compared those of Bardesanes in Eusebius,
Præp. Evan. vi. 275, and of Epiphanius in his Exp.
Cathol. Fid. | No one
hitherto has told me any fables about the descent of the Magi from
Abraham: they name a certain Zarnuas as the founder of their
race. I have nothing more to write to your excellency about
them.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
