Letter 228: I have received your lordships' letter, and offered thanks to God most holy, that you, occupied as you are with affairs of state, should not put those of the Church in the second place. I am grateful to think that every one of you has shown anxiety as though he were acting in his own private interest, nay, in defense of his own life, and that yo...

I have received your letter and I thank God that you, occupied as you are with affairs of state, do not put the concerns of the Church second. I am grateful that every one of you has shown as much anxiety over this matter as if it were a personal crisis -- indeed, as if your very lives were at stake. You write in distress at the removal of your beloved Bishop Euphronius. But Nicopolis has not really stolen him from you. If she were making her case before a judge, she could fairly claim that she was simply recovering what was hers. If treated honorably, she will tell you, as a loving mother should, that she intends to share him with you. He will give a portion of his care to each: he will not let Nicopolis be harmed by their adversaries, and he will not deprive you of the oversight to which you are accustomed. Consider the emergency of the time. Apply your intelligence to understanding why good governance sometimes requires difficult decisions. Then pardon the bishops who made this choice for the sake of establishing the churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know what is right; your intelligence needs no instruction from me. You know how to follow the counsel of those who love you. It is natural that you should be unaware of many of the issues being debated, since you are far away in Armenia. But we who are in the middle of things, with our ears assaulted daily from every direction by news of churches being overthrown, are deeply anxious. We fear that the common enemy, envious of the long peace you have enjoyed, may sow his weeds in your field too, and that Armenia may be given over to our adversaries along with everyone else. For now, be patient. Do not refuse to share with your neighbors the service of a worthy man. Before long, if the Lord permits me to visit you, you will receive whatever further consolation may be needed.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To the magistrates of Colonia. I have received your lordships' letter, and offered thanks to God most holy, that you, occupied as you are with affairs of state, should not put those of the Church in the second place. I am grateful to think that every one of you has shown anxiety as though he were acting in his own private interest, nay, in defense of his own life, and that you have written to me in your distress at the removal of your very God-beloved bishop Euphronius. Nicopolis has not really stolen him from you; were she pleading her cause before a judge she might say that she was recovering what is her own. If honourably treated she will tell you, as becomes an affectionate mother, that she will share with you the Father who will give a portion of his grace to each of you: he will not suffer the one to be in any way harmed by the invasion of their adversaries, and at the same time will not deprive you, the other, of the care to which you have been accustomed. Bethink you then of the emergency of the time; apply your best intelligence to understand how good government necessitates a certain course of action; and then pardon the bishops who have adopted this course for the establishment of the Churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. Suggest to yourselves what is becoming you. Your own intelligence needs no instruction. You know how to adopt the counsels of those who love you. It is only natural that you should be unaware of many of the questions that are being agitated, because of our being situated far away in Armenia; but we who are in the midst of affairs and have our ears dinned every day on all sides with news of Churches that are being overthrown, are in deep anxiety lest the common enemy, in envy at the protracted peace of our life, should be able to sow his tares in your ground too, and Armenia, as well as other places, be given over to our adversaries to devour. For the present be still, as not refusing to allow your neighbours to share with you the use of a goodly vessel. Ere long, if the Lord allow me to come to you, you shall, if it seem necessary to you, receive yet greater consolation for what has come to pass. About this page Source. Translated by Blomfield Jackson. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 8. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202228.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.