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| To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata.
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Letter
XLVIII.2163
| 2163 Placed at the
beginning of the episcopate. |
To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata2164
| 2164 cf.
Letters xxxi., xxxiv. | .
I have had considerable
difficulty in finding a messenger to convey a letter to your reverence,
for our men are so afraid of the winter that they can hardly bear even
to put their heads outside their houses. We have suffered from
such a very heavy fall of snow that we have been buried, houses and
all, beneath it, and now for two months have been living in dens and
caves. You know the Cappadocian character and how hard it is to
get us to move.2165
| 2165 The
Cappadocians were of notoriously bad character, and shared with the
Cretans and Cilicians the discredit of illustrating τρία
κάππα
κάκιστα.
cf. note on Theodoret, Ecc. Hist. II. xi.
p. 75. It was Phrygians, however, who were specially notorious
for cowardice. cf. the proverb: “More
cowardly than a Phrygian hare.” cf.
Lightfoot, Coloss., etc., p 378 n. But
Cappadocia may claim the counter credit of having given birth to
three of the most famous divines, Basil and the two
Gregorys. | Forgive me
then for not writing sooner and bringing to the knowledge of your
excellency the latest news from Antioch. To tell you all this
now, when it is probable that you learnt it long ago, is stale and
uninteresting. But as I do not reckon it any trouble to tell you
even what you know, I have sent you the letters conveyed by the
reader. On this point I shall say no more. Constantinople
has now for some time had Demophilus,2166
| 2166 On the death
of Eudoxius, in 370, Demophilus was elected by the Arians to fill
the vacant see. Eustathius, the deposed bishop of Antioch,
ordained Evagrius. Eustathius and Evagrius were both banished
by Valens, and their adherents cruelly treated. Soc., Ecc.
Hist. iv. 14, 16; Soz., Ecc. Hist. vi. 13, 14, and
Philost., Ecc. Hist. ix. 10. | as
the bearers of this letter will themselves tell you, and as has
doubtless been reported to your holiness. From all who come to us
from that city there is unanimously reported about him a certain
counterfeit of orthodoxy and sound religion, to such an extent that
even the divided portions of the city have been brought to agreement,
and some of the neighbouring bishops have accepted the
reconciliation. Our men here have not turned out better than I
expected. They came directly you were gone,2167
| 2167 After the
departure of Eusebius at the close of the visit which he had
undertaken, in accordance with the request of the previous letter,
in order to secure Basil’s consecration to the vacant
see. | said and did many painful things, and at
last went home again, after making their separation from me
wider.2168
| 2168 On the
difficulties thrown in Basil’s way by the bishops who had
opposed his election, cf. Letters xcviii., cxli., and
cclxxxii. | Whether
anything better will happen in the future, and whether they will
give up their evil ways, is unknown to all but God. So much
for our present condition. The rest of the Church, by
God’s grace, stands sound, and prays that in the spring we
may have you with us again, and be renewed by your good
counsel. My health is no better than it ever
is.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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