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| To the very well beloved and reverend brethren the presbyters Acacius, Aetius, Paulus, and Silvanus; the deacons Silvinus and Lucius, and the rest of the brethren the monks, Basil, the bishop.
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Letter CCLVI.3123
To the very well beloved and reverend brethren the
presbyters Acacius, Aetius, Paulus, and Silvanus; the deacons Silvinus
and Lucius, and the rest of the brethren the monks, Basil, the
bishop.3124
| 3124 Maran (Vit.
Bas. xxxvi. 5) remarks that the Acacius heading this list
is probably the Acacius who in 375 had invited Basil in the name of
the Church of Berœa, and was afterwards famous alike for his
episcopate at Berœa and his hostility to St. Chrysostom.
cf. Letter ccxx. p. 260. |
News has reached me of
the severe persecution carried on against you, and how directly after
Easter the men who fast for strife and debate3125
attacked your homes, and gave your
labours to the flames, preparing for you indeed a house in the
heavens, not made with hands,3126
but for
themselves laying up in store the fire which they had used to your
hurt. I no sooner heard of this than I groaned over what had
happened; pitying not you, my brethren, (God forbid!) but the men
who are so sunk in wickedness as to carry their evil deeds to such
an extent. I expected you all to hurry at once to the refuge
prepared for you in my humble self; and I hoped that the Lord would
give me refreshment in the midst of my continual troubles in
embracing you, and in receiving on this inactive body of mine the
noble sweat which you are dropping for the truth’s sake, and
so having some share in the prizes laid up for you by the Judge of
truth. But this did not enter into your minds, and you did not
even expect any relief at my hands. I was therefore at least
anxious to find frequent opportunities of writing to you, to the end
that like those who cheer on combatants in the arena, I might myself
by letter give you some encouragement in your good fight. For
two reasons, however, I have not found this easy. In the first
place, I did not know where you were residing. And, secondly,
but few of our people travel in your direction. Now the Lord
has brought us the very well beloved and reverend brother
Sanctissimus, the presbyter. By him I am able to salute you,
and I beseech you to pray for me, rejoicing and exulting that your
reward is great in heaven,3127
and that you
have freedom with the Lord to cease not day and night calling on Him
to put an end to this storm of the Churches; to grant the shepherds to their
flocks, and that the Church may return to her proper dignity.
I am persuaded that if a voice be found to move our good God, He
will not make His mercy afar off, but will now “with the
temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear
it.”3128
Salute all
the brethren in Christ in any name.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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