Letter 122: When the Armenians returned by your way you no doubt asked for a letter from them, and you learned why I had not given the letter to them. If they spoke as truth lovers should, you forgave me on the spot; if they kept anything back (which I do not suppose), at all events hear it from me. The most illustrious Anthimus, who long ago made peace wit...

To Pœmenius, Bishop of Satala [a city in the Armenian province of the Roman Empire, in modern northeastern Turkey], When the Armenian delegation passed through your area on their way back, you probably asked them for a letter from me — and learned why they didn't have one. If they told you the truth, you've already forgiven me. If they held anything back (which I doubt), let me explain. Anthimus [bishop of Tyana, a rival who had clashed with Basil over jurisdictional territory] — who supposedly made peace with me some time ago — saw a chance to feed his own ego and irritate me at the same time. He went ahead and consecrated Faustus as bishop on his own authority, with his own hands, without waiting for your people to hold a proper election. He completely ignored the established process and made a mockery of my insistence on doing things correctly. So here's what happened and why: Anthimus threw out the proper order. He disregarded you — whose election I was waiting for. And in my view, he acted against God's will. Because of all this, I was upset with the whole Armenian party and refused to send a letter with any of them — not even one for you. As for Faustus, I wouldn't even receive him into communion. I made it clear that unless he brought me a letter from you personally, I would cut ties with him permanently and urge everyone who shares my position to do the same. If this situation can still be fixed, write to me yourself. Vouch for Faustus if you believe his character deserves it, and encourage the others to do the same. But if the damage is beyond repair, tell me plainly so I can stop wasting my energy on them. Honestly, from what I've seen, they've already decided to shift their allegiance to Anthimus going forward — treating me and my church as though our friendship no longer matters.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To Pœmenius, bishop of Satala. When the Armenians returned by your way you no doubt asked for a letter from them, and you learned why I had not given the letter to them. If they spoke as truth lovers should, you forgave me on the spot; if they kept anything back (which I do not suppose), at all events hear it from me. The most illustrious Anthimus, who long ago made peace with me, when he found an opportunity of satisfying his own vain gloriousness, and of causing me some vexation, consecrated Faustus, by his own authority and with his own hand, without waiting for any election from you, and ridiculing my punctiliousness in such matters. Inasmuch, then, as he has confounded ancient order and has made light of you, for whose election I was waiting, and has acted in a manner, as I view it, displeasing to God, for these reasons I felt pained with them, and gave no letter for any of the Armenians, not even for your reverence. Faustus I would not even receive into communion, thereby plainly testifying that, unless he brought me a letter from you, I should be permanently alienated from him, and should influence those of the same mind with me to treat him in the same manner. If there is any remedy for these things, be sure to write to me yourself, giving your testimony to him, if you see that his life is good; and exhort the rest. If on the other hand the mischief is incurable, let me perfectly understand it to be so, that I may no longer take them into account; although really, as they have proved, they have agreed, for the future, to transfer their communion to Anthimus, in contempt of me and of my Church, as though my friendship were no longer worth having.

[Πρός: Ποιμενίῳ, ἐπισκόπῳ Σατάλων] Πάντως ἐπεζήτησας γράμματα παρὰ τῶν Ἀρμενίων, ὅτε ἐπανῆκαν διὰ σοῦ, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἔμαθες, δι’ ἣν οὐκ ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐπιστολήν. εἰ μὲν οὖν εἶπον φιλαλήθως, ἔδωκας ἡμῖν αὐτόθεν τὴν συγγνώμην· εἰ δὲ ἀπεκρύψαντο ἐκεῖνοι, ὅπερ οὐκ εἰκάζω—ἀλλὰ παρʼ ἡμῶν ἄκουε. Ὁ τὰ πάντα γενναῖος Ἄνθιμος, ὁ διὰ μακροῦ χρόνου τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰρήνην σπεισάμενος, ἐπειδὴ εὗρε καιρὸν ἑαυτοῦ τε κενοδοξίαν ἐκπληρῶσαι καὶ ἡμῖν λύπην τινὰ προξενῆσαι, ἐχειροτόνησε τὸν Φαῦστον ἰδίᾳ αὐθεντίᾳ καὶ ἰδίᾳ χειρί, οὐδενὸς ὑμῶν ἀναμείνας ψῆφον καὶ ἡμῶν καταγελάσας ἀκριβολογουμένων περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα. ἐπεὶ οὖν συνέχεε μὲν παλαιὰν εὐταξίαν, κατεφρόνησε δὲ καὶ ὑμῶν, παρʼ ὧν ἀνέμενον ἐγὼ τὴν μαρτυρίαν δέξασθαι, ἐποίησε δὲ πρᾶγμα οὐκ οἶδα εἰ εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ, τούτου ἕνεκεν λυπηθεὶς πρὸς αὐτούς, οὐδεμίαν ἔδωκα ἐπιστολὴν πρὸς οὐδένα τῶν Ἀρμενίων, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ εἰς κοινωνίαν ἐδεξάμην τὸν Φαῦστον, φανερῶς διαμαρτυρόμενος, ὅτι εἰ μὴ ὑμέτερά μοι κομίσειε γράμματα, πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἔσομαι καὶ αὐτὸς ἠλλοτριωμένος καὶ τοὺς ὁμοψύχους μοι οὕτω διαθήσω πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔχειν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἰάσιμα τὰ γενόμενα, σπούδασον αὐτός τε ἐπιστεῖλαι μαρτυρῶν αὐτῷ, εἰ ὁρᾷς ἀγαθὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν ζωήν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους προτρέψασθαι· εἰ δὲ ἀνίατα, καὶ τοῦτό μοι φανερὸν ποίησον, ὥστε μηκέτι με αὐτοῖς καθόλου προσέχειν, εἰ καὶ ὅτι, ὡς ἔδειξαν, ὥρμηνται λοιπὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἄνθιμον ἑαυτῶν μεταθεῖναι τὴν κοινωνίαν, ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ταύτης, ὡς ἑώλων εἰς φιλίαν, καταφρονήσαντες.