Letter 21: Abraham's statement to the rich man — "Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed" — reveals something crucial...

To Ammonios the Scholastikos. On reading against the Greeks. On the grace of the divinely-inspired Scriptures and the benefit derived from them. The deifications of the Greeks, and what they call theogonies — that is, the births of the gods — Orpheus and Homer and Hesiod, and all who followed after them, taught, having stitched together many books and opinions. But our religion two volumes will teach, which we have sent to you, of which the one is called the Old, and the other the New Testament. Whether these are more inclined to truth than those others, both in names and in facts, you yourself will discover, I am persuaded, and you will hold fast to what is better. To Eusebios the Bishop. On bribery: that it is exceedingly dreadful to sell the priesthood, or to buy it. Many mock you for ordaining by means of money rather than merit. Know therefore that you shall pay a greater penalty, because you yourself have done the very thing you were appointed to prevent others from doing. To Hermogenes the Bishop. Your piety, as I have learned, made a terrible outcry against us before certain friends, saying that we ought to have come with more outspoken letters — since gracious exhortations had availed nothing — letters that could have corrected Bishop Eusebios even against his will. Know therefore, O sacred head — for I must defend myself — that I set in motion every path of healing that I could, both the gentler and the harsher; and I left nothing undone of what ought to have pried loose the disease, yet I was unable, since the illness was found to be stronger than the remedies and had fallen into insensibility. To make public what deserves oblivion and deep silence is not right; nevertheless I shall reveal a few of the things privately written to him with boldness, so that you may know that he despised even this measure, and so that you may cease blaming us. For I wrote to him many things that I ought — though I write few things now without tears, for I shall abridge most of them, being careful not to seem long-winded. The whole city, dramatizing your conspicuous deeds, says: For what reason do you sell ordinations? Why do you drink to the priesthood? For what reason do you traffic in the divine? Why do you defile the sanctuaries? For what reason do you enrich yourself by appropriating the property of the poor? Why at the threshold of old age do you innovate in wrongdoing? Why did you not remain a ruler, but were discovered to be ruled by vice? Know therefore that you shall pay a greater penalty, because you yourself — the very one appointed to prevent others — have done these things. To the same. Since he was not compelled by force to accept those things with which he persisted... Having learned of the journey to Alexandria, he set out, having unlawfully purchased his position and resolving to use what he had acquired even more unlawfully, hastening to cure one evil with another. For having pocketed all the ecclesiastical funds — or, as he himself said, having divided them with the one who entrusted the administration to him and who provided the occasion for so great a scandal — he first sent gold to Alexandria, hunting for a bishopric, he who could not even govern himself. When your holiness learned this, instead of defrocking him outright you merely threatened by letter, and warned that if he should attempt the same things again, you would proclaim him excommunicated throughout the entire Egyptian diocese — him who brought such disgrace upon the most divine religion. But now, despising both the letters and the threats, upon learning the way he set out for Alexandria, courting a bishopric for himself while ruining your reputation, as one who ordains for money. It belongs therefore to your magnanimity — what worthy title shall I call you? — to reserve the exact punishment for his offenses for the incorruptible tribunal (for it is not possible for him to receive fitting punishment here), but to be moved to action, first to defend the Church that has been violated, and second to safeguard your own reputation, by carrying out the threats and excommunicating him. For if — which I do not believe — in addition to suffering no such consequence he should even be ordained, the rumored secret will be found to be true. Then send here, with certain devout bishops for whom profit is an enemy, one who will give an account of the ecclesiastical revenues and repay what he owes. And if he gave anything to the bishop — for he says he was not received but was deceived — let him be exposed. For that you would render the bishopric inaccessible to the protagonist of this drama, the one who either stole in collusion or signed without careful examination — or that, having pardoned him, you would ordain an overseer who would not allow him to sin beyond forgiveness — and that you would show the third actor's clever trick to be foolish and would invalidate what he says is owed to him (for whence such great wealth to one who suffered the utmost poverty and enriched himself from the revenues of the Church?) — this is beyond doubt.

Τῷ Ἀμμωνίῳ Σχολαστικῷ Περὶ ἀναγνώσεως κατὰ Ἑλλήνων. Περὶ τῆς χάριτος τῶν θεοπνεύστων Γραφῶν, καὶ τῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν ὠφελείας. Τὰς [μὲν] Ἑλλήνων θεοποιίας, καὶ ἂς καλοῦσι θεογονίας, Ὀρφεύς τε καὶ Ὅμηρος καὶ Ἡσίοδος, καὶ ὅσοι κατ᾿ ἐκείνους, ἐδίδαξαν, πολλὰς καὶ βίβλους καὶ δόξας συνείραντες. Τὴν ἡμετέραν δὲ θρησκείαν δύο πυκταὶ διδάξουσιν, ἃς ἐπέμψαμεν, ὧν ἡ μὲν Πρεσβυτέρα, ἡ δὲ Νέα Διαθήκη προσαγορεύεται. Εἰ δὲ ἀληθεύουσιν αὗται μᾶλλον ἐκείνων καὶ τοῖς ὀνό- μασι καὶ τοῖς πράγμασιν, [αὐτὸς ] εὑρήσειας, πέ- πεισμαι, καὶ κρατήσειας τί ἅμεινον. Τῷ Ἀμμωνίῳ Σχολαστικῷ De lectione contra Gentiles. De gratia sacrarum Scri- pturarum et earum utilitate. Deorum, quos Gentiles colunt, effectiones, et, ut vocant, theogonias, hoc est deorum ortus, Orpheus et Homerus, et Hesiodus, aliique omnes iis similes tradiderunt, multis et libris, et sententiis collectis atque compactis. Nostram autem religionem duo codices, quos ad te misimus, docebunt : quorum alter Vetus, alter Novum Testamentum nuncupa- tur. An autem bi libri, tum nominibus, tum rebus, ad veritatem propensiores, quam illi, sint: ipse, ut mihi persuadeo, reperies, atque id, quod melius erit, amplecteris. ΚΑ. – ΕΥΣΕΒΙΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟρ. Περὶ δωροληψίας, ὅτι φρικτὸν εἰς ὑπερβολήν πιπράσκειν τὴν ἱερωσύνην, ἢ έξω. Πολλοί σε κωμῳδοῦσιν, ὡς χρήμασιν (26), ἀλλ' οὐ ΚΑ΄. – ΕΡΜΟΓΕΝΕΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ. · Δεινὴν ἡμῶν, ὡς ἐπυθόμην, ἡ σὴ θεοσέβεια ἐπὶ φίλων ἐποιήσατό [τινων | τὴν καταβοὴν, ὡς [ἔδει] διὰ γραμμάτων παῤῥησιαστικωτέρων ἐλθεῖν (αἱ γὰρ χρησταὶ παραινέσεις, ἴσχυσαν οὐδὲν), δυναμέ νων διορθώσασθαι Εὐσέβιον τὸν ἐπίσκοπον, καὶ μὴ βουλόμενον. Ἴσθι τοίνυν, ὦ ἱερὰ κεφαλὴ (χρὴ γὰρ ἀπολογήσασθαι), ὅτι πᾶσαν κεκίνηκα, ὡς οἷός τε ἦν, ἰατρείας ὁδὸν, καὶ προσηνεστέραν καὶ τραχυ τέραν· καὶ οὐδὲν παραλέλοιπα τῶν ὀφειλόντων ἀναμοχλεῦσαι τὴν νόσον, καὶ οὐ δεδύνημαι, τοῦ πάθους κρείττονος τῶν βοηθημάτων εὑρεθέντος, καὶ εἰς ἀναλγησίαν ἐκπεπτωκότος. Δημοσιεῦσαι μὲν [οὖν] οὐ χρὴ τὰ λήθης ἄξια καὶ βαθείας σιγῆς· ὅμως δὲ ὀλίγα τῶν ἰδικῶς αὐτῷ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐπεσταλμένων δηλῶ, ἵν᾽ εἰδείης ὅτι καὶ τούτου τοῦ μέρους κατεφρόνησε, καὶ παύσαιο ἡμᾶς αἰτιώμενος, Γέγραφα μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ πολλὰ μὲν ὁ ἐχρῆν, ὀλίγα δὲ δακρύων γράφω· ἐπιτεμοῦμαι γὰρ τὰ πλεῖστα, μακρηγορεῖν δόξαι φυλαττόμενος. Ἡ πόλις πᾶσα (7) τὰ περιφανῆ σου τραγῳδοῦσα δράματα, φησί, Δι' ἣν αἰτίαν πιπράσκεις τὰς χειροτονίας; Τίνος ἕνε κεν προπίνεις τὴν ἱερωσύνην; Τοῦ χάριν καπη λεύεις τὸ θεῖον; Δι᾿ ἣν αἰτίαν μιαίνεις τὰ ἀνάκτορα; Τίνος χάριν τὰ τῶν πενήτων σφετεριζόμενος χρη ματίζῃ; Διὰ τί ἐπὶ γήρως οὐδῷ (8) νεωτερίζεις τοῖς ἀδικήμασι; Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἔμεινας ἄρχων, ἀλλ᾽ ἀρχόμενος ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας ἐφωράθης; Ἴσθι τοίνυν ὅτι μείζονα δίκην δοίης ἂν, ὅτι δέδρακας αὐτὸς ὁ κωλύειν ἑτέρους ἐτάχθης (9). Α. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΥΤΟΝ. Ἐπειδὴ οὐ βίᾳ ἀναγκάζετο στέρξαι, οἷσπερ δια τελέσαι, μὴ δεινότερον ἐστὶ καὶ οἱ τὸ εὐθετ κρεῖττον δόξασιν ὕστερον τῶν χαλεπωτέρω. (21) Τὴν ᾿Αλεξάνδρειων μαθὼν ἐξώρμησεν. ---LETTER --- A παρανόμως πριάμενος, παρανομώτερον τοῖς κτηθεῖσ· χρήσασθαι διέγνω, κακῷ τὸ κακὸν ἰάσασθαι σπεύδων. Πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἐκκλησιαστικὰ χρήματα ἐγκολπωσά- μενος, ἢ, ὡς αὐτὸς ἔφη, μερισάμενος μετὰ τοῦ ἐγχειρίσαντος αὐτῷ τὴν οἰκονομίαν, καὶ τῇ τοσαύτῃ τραγῳδίᾳ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν δεδωκότος, πρώην μὲν εἰς τὴν ᾿Αλεξάνδρειαν χρυσίον προέπεμψεν, ἐπισκοπὴν, ὁ μηδὲ ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιτροπεῦσαι δυνηθεὶς, θηρώμενος. Ὅπερ μαθοῦσα ἡ σὴ ἁγιωσύνη, ὀφείλουσα αὐτὸν ἀποκηρύξαι, διὰ γραμμάτων ἠπείλησε, καὶ διεδε- βαιώσατο, εἰ τοῖς αὐτοῖς αὖθις ἐπιχειρήσειεν, ἀπο- κήρυκτον τὸν τοσαύτην ἀδοξίαν τῇ θειοτάτῃ θρη- σκείᾳ προστριβόμενον ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Αἰγυπτιακῇ διοικήσει. Νῦν δὲ καὶ τῶν γραμμάτων, καὶ τῶν ἀπειλῶν καταφρονήσας, τὴν ᾿Αλεξάνδρειαν μαθὼν Β ἐξώρμησεν (21), ἑαυτῷ μὲν ἐπισκοπὴν μνηστευό- μενος, τὴν δὲ σὴν λυμαινόμενος δόξαν, ὡς ἐπὶ χρήμασι χειροτονοῦσαν. Τῆς σῆς τοίνυν ἐστὶν, ὦ τί σε καλέσας ἀξίως προσείπω, μεγαλονοίας, τὴν μὲν ἀκριβῆ τῶν πλημμελημάτων αὐτοῦ δίκην τῷ ἀδε κάστῳ δικαστηρίῳ τηρῆσαι (οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε αὐτὸν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀξίαν τιμωρίαν δοῦναι), κινηθῆναι δὲ, καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τῇ παρανομηθείσῃ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀμῦναι, δεύτερον δὲ τῇ οἰκείᾳ ὑπολήψει βοηθῆσαι, τῷ τὰς ἀπειλὰς εἰς ἔργον ἀγαγεῖν καὶ ἀποκηρύξας τοῦτον. Εἰ γὰρ, ὅπερ οὐ πιστέυω, πρὸς τῷ μηδὲν τοιοῦτον παθεῖν, καὶ χειροτονηθείη, τὸ θρυλλούμε νον ἀπόῤῥητον ἀληθὲς ὂν εὑρεθήσεται· ἔπειτα μετά τινων ἐπισκόπων εὐλαβῶν, οἷς τὸ κέρδος πολέμιον καθέστηκεν, ἐνταῦθα ἐκπέμψαι, λόγον τῶν C ἐκκλησιαστικῶν προσόδων δώσοντα, καὶ ἃ χρεωστεῖ ἀποδώσοντα. Καὶ εἰ δέδωκέ τι τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ (λέγει γὰρ μὴ δεδέχθαι μὲν, ἡπατῆσθαι δὲ), ἐλέγξοντα. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ τῷ (22) μὲν πρωτοστάτῃ τοῦ δράμα- τος, τῷ ἡ συγκεκλοφότι, ἢ ἀπερισκέπτως ὑπογε- γραφότι, ἄβατον τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν καταστήσειας, ἤγουν συγγνοὺς ἐπίτροπον χειροτονήσειας, τὸν οὐκ ἐπιτρέψοντα αὐτῷ μείζονα συγγνώμης ἁμαρτάνειν· τῷ δὲ τριταγωνιστῇ τὸ σοφὸν σκαιώρημα ἠλίθιον δείξας, ἄκυρα ποιήσειας, ἃ λέγει ἑαυτῷ χρεωστεί σθαι (πόθεν γὰρ τοσοῦτος πλοῦτος τῷ πενίαν ἐσχά- την νοσήσαντι, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας χρημα τισαμένῳ προσόδων;), οὐκ ἔστιν ἀμφίβολον. Σ΄. – ΘΕΟΔΟΣΙΟ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Ὅτι χρὴ τοὺς ἱερεῖς παντοίαις κομᾷν ἀρεταῖς, καὶ ἀνδρείους εἶναι εἰς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας κινδύνους. Τοὺς τὸν τῆς ἱερωσύνης τιμαλφέστατον στέφανον περικειμένους ἀρεταῖς μᾶλλον ἢ χρήμασι δίκαιόν ἐστι κομᾷν, καὶ ἡδονὴν πρέπουσαν ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν σωφροσύνην, μήτε γαστρὶ, μήτε τοῖς μετὰ γαστέρα εἶκοντας πάθεσιν. Οὐ γὰρ χορηγὸν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν ἐπιθυμῶν χρὴ νομίζειν, ἀλλὰ τὴν καρτερίαν ἐξουσίαν ἡγεῖσθαι. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς ἢ εὐσεβείας κίνδυνος προκέοιτό, μὴ φεύγειν τὸν θάνατον (85). Γέλωτα γὰρ ἂν ἀποδειλιάσαντες ὀφλήσοιεν, εἰ μὴ ἄσμένοι ἐκεῖσε ἴοιεν, οἱ ἀφικομένοις ἐλπὶς ἐστιν, οὗ διὰ βίου ἥρων τυχεῖν, ἥρων δὲ θείας συνουσίας. ΚΑ΄. – ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ. Οἱ ἅγιοι, ὦ σοφώτατε, τὰς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς τῶν κινδύνων ὑπερβολὰς, ἐφόδιον μείζονος εὐδοκιμήσεως ἔχουσιν. ΣΑ΄. – ΜΑΡΩΝΙ, ΠΑΛΛΑΔΙΟ, ΖΩΣΙΜΟ, ΕΥ- ΣΤΑΔΙΩ. Πολλοὶ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι δόξης μόνης ἀντιποιησα μένων, μηδὲν ἴσως προσδοκήσαντες μετὰ τὴν ἐνα θένδε ἀποδημίαν· μᾶλλον δὲ καταγνόντες τῆς κακίας, καὶ τὸ μηδὲν εἶναι νομίσαντες τὰ βιωτικὰ πράγματα, ἀρετὴν ἀσκήσαντες, ἀοίδιμοι γεγόνασι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἁπάντων περιφέρονται στόμασιν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ δι' ἣν αἰτίαν οὔτε δόξης ἕνεκεν, οὔτε κρίσεως, οὔτε ὑπο λήψεως, οὔτ᾽ ἀμοιβῆς, οὔτ᾽ ἄλλου οὐδενὸς, τῶν τοὺς σφόδρα ἀναλγήτως διακειμένους εἰς τὸ ποιῆσαί τι χρηστὸν ἐκβιαζομένων, προτρέπεσθε ἀποστῆναι τῆς κακίας, λίαν τεθαύμακα. ΚΑ΄. – ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ Δέον τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιδείξασθαι τοῖς εἰδόσιν σαφῶς τοῦτον διακονεῖν, ἵνα μὴ φαίνωνται αὐτοῖς εἰκῆ τὴν σπουδὴν πᾶσαν ἔχοντες. ΛΕΟΝΤΙΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟ Όντως, καθὼς γέγραφας, πολλαὶ εἰς τὰς Ἐκκλη»σίας ἐπεκώμασαν ταραχαί. Ὅπου γὰρ τὸ τῆς εἰρήνης ὄνομα, ἐκεῖσὲ τὰ τοῦ πολέμου ἔργα χορεύει. Ταῦτα δὲ συμβαίνει ἐκ τοῦ πολλὰ καὶ παντοδαπὰ ἡμαρτῆσθαι τοῖς τὸ διδασκαλικὸν ἀξίωμα ἐγκεχειρισμένοις· ὧν τὸ καθ᾽ ἐν ἑᾶσας, ἐν εἰς ὁ πάντα βλέπει γράψω, πρᾶγμα ἔντιμον καὶ μέγα καὶ λαμπρόν · καὶ ὁ τοὺς ἀποστόλων (43) συλλόγους, ὡς φωστῆρας πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης εἶναι πεποίηκε· νῦν ῥαθυμηθὲν συγχύσεως ἐνέπλησε τὰς Ἐκκλησίας· τἱ δὲ ἐστι τοῦτο; φράσω μετὰ παῤῥησίας, καὶ γὰρ οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἄλλως δυναίμην· ὅτι τότε μὲν οἱ φιλάρετοι εἰς ἱερωσύνην προήγοντο, νυνὶ δὲ οἱ φιλάργυροι· τότε οἱ φεύγοντες τὸ πρᾶγμα διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀρχῆς, νῦν δὲ δὲ οἱ ἐπιπηδῶντες τῷ πράγματι, διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς τρυφῆς. Τότε οἱ ἀκτημοσύνῃ ἑκουσίῳ ἐναβρυνόμενοι, νυνὶ δὲ οἱ πλεονεξίᾳ ἑκουσίῳ χρηματιζόμενοι· τότε οἱ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχοντες τὸ θεῖον δικαστήριον, νυνὶ δὲ οἱ μηδὲ ἔννοιαν τούτου ἔχοντες · τότε οἱ τύπτεσθαι· νῦν δὲ οἱ τύπτειν ἕτοιμοι · καὶ τὸ δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ λέγειν; μεταπεπτωκέναι λοιπὸν τὸ ἀξίωμα ἔδοξεν ἀπὸ ἱερωσύνης εἰς τυραννίδα· ἀπὸ ταπεινοφροσύνης εἰς ὑπερηφανίαν· ἀπὸ νηστείας εἰς τρυφὴν, ἀπὸ οἰκονομίας εἰς δεσποτείαν · οὐ γὰρ ὡς οἰκονόμοι ἀξιοῦσι διοικεῖν, ἀλλ' ὡς δεσπόται σφετερίζεσθαι. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ κατὰ πάντων εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τῶν ἐνόχων· εἰσὶ γὰρ εἰσιν οἱ κατὰ τὸν ἀποστολικὸν μὲν ζῶσι χαρακτήρα, ῥῆξαι δὲ φωνὴν μὴ τολμῶντες· εἰ καὶ λίαν εἰσὶ κατὰ τοῦτο μόνον μεμπτοὶ, ὅτι δεδοικότες τῶν ἀκολάστων τὸ πλῆθος, τὸ γε εἰς αὐτοὺς ἧκον, τῆς τηλικαύτης διορθώσεως ἀμελοῦσι.. ΡΛΗ΄. – ΣΑΒΙΝΩ ΚΟΜΙΤΙ Κρεῖττον παθεῖν τὸ δεινὸν, ἢ δράσαντας αὐτὸ [...] κακόνους. Catenæ auctor omisit lineas 27. Incipit enim hisce verbis: Οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐμεμψ., κ. τ. λ. P. 285, lit. C, lin. 9. Ρ. ηναγκάσθη κάκεῖνος, και. κάκ. ήναγκ. - Lit. D, lin. 1, post σύνευνον hæc exstant in cat.: ῎Αμεινον ἡγησάμενος ἀπολῦσαι αὐ τὴν ἔξω, ἢ σφαγήναι Ενδον. Μείζον καὶ ἀργαλεών τερον ἀναστείλαι κακὸν βουλόμενος τὸν φόβον, φημὶ τὸ ἔλαττον οὐκ ἐθέσπισεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπέστρεψεν, τὴν τῆς γυναικὸς λέγω διάζευξιν.