Letter 50: Severus tells John and John to preserve peace by limiting Epimachus without turning discipline into an incurable wound.

Severus praises John, John, and the others because their patience has made peace where there had been disturbance. People like them are rightly called seers, he says, because they quiet the inner person and bring peace to those who come near them. The praise is not ornamental. It prepares the ground for a practical decision: now that peace has been restored, they must not reopen wounds by pushing discipline beyond what healing requires. The immediate case concerns Epimachus. Severus had previously urged stricter canonical action, and the correspondents responded with real seriousness. But now he asks whether scratching the wound more violently will only turn an inconsiderate act into an incurable ulcer. His answer is no. Epimachus should keep the title and privileges of a presbyter because of his long service, but he should be limited to conducting prayers and should not offer the sacred sacrifice. This is mercy with boundaries, not simple restoration. Severus then applies the same pastoral prudence to communion in Egypt. A young person connected with the correspondents has begun in a public way to receive or seek communion from the church in Alexandria and Egypt, a church Severus now regards as free from communion with doctrinal opponents. Once the matter has become public, Severus asks what good would come from further harm. The boy must not be pushed back into the hands of enemies or taught that communion is a weapon in family pressure. The final rule is generous but not lax. Those in the land of the Philistines, including Anastasius and others zealous for piety, should not be denied the communion or oblation when they ask for it. The grace was freely given and should be given without calculation to those who need it. Severus therefore teaches John and John how to hold together discipline, public perception, and the free gift of the mysteries. Their task is to guard the church without making strictness itself the source of damage. Peace, for Severus, is not passivity. It is the difficult art of refusing to let a solved fault become a new battle.

If those who were enlightened in their under- standing like you, and for this reason were properly called seers, were a cause of peace to others also by giving the inner man peace from warring passions, and heard from those who approached them the words, "Thy coming, seer, is peace,"" what wonder if you also by the long - suffering and humility implanted ' Zeph. i. 8. 2 I R xvi. 4. in you have brought about a serene and peaceful P- 'S^- state of affairs ^ in place of the disturbance which had arisen? Wherefore we must also for everything praise and laud our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, our peace and tranquillity; who said to His disciples, " My peace I give unto you, my peace I leave unto you," ■' and ordered them, to whomsoever they went, to say, "Peace to this house." ^ Pray therefore that we may be men worthy of this peace, in order that it may also abide with us and never leave us, now that we have once recgived it, as in fact it wishes, provided of course that we do not do anything contrary to it. As to the religious Epimachus, because you the holy old man have, as you write, stretched the sinews of your mind and had recourse to the harshness of the strict execution of the canons owing to the admonitions that we gave,* ought we also to extend this matter further with them, and ourselves also to scratch (?) in a more violent manner that which has once been done, even though^h in an inconsiderate manner, and make it come to an ulcer and end by being incurable? By no means. But on the contrary, we ought to devise some remedy and carry it out, by some kind of healing friction and humane refreshment. It does not seem that we are running counter to the intention of the canons in allowing him to conduct the prayers only and so forth, but not to offer the sacred sacrifice. KaTacrrarrt?. "' John xiv. 27. •' Lu. x. 5. ^ i. 49. 142. 50. Accordingly let him have both the title and the privileges of a presbyter, on account of his long continuance in the monastic life, and on account of the fact that he thereby as far as possible purihed his previous life, and on account of the man's attested - devoutness, and because neither did he himself seek to be raised to this position, but was raised against his will and submitted to the decision and nomination of others. In fact even on the former occasion I did not write to you as a lawgiver, but rather as performing a service. And I did not do this of my own accord, but because some ggreat "necessity is laid upon me," as the Apostle says, and because " woe is unto me if I do not" serve necessity and so "preach the gospel." ^ Indeed, although the burden is heavy, yet still " I am entrusted with a stewardship," - and, bowed down though I am, I must execute this with all fear and trembling. Still it would have been unjust that, because you " fear everything through devoutness," as it is written," while I submit to the necessity of the laws, the man who came to ordination against his will as we have said should be injured and not recgive refreshment. Whence under compulsion and as a consequence we have, as is possible, been brouoht to these second thoughts, seeino- that we too are bowed down by the weight of many sins, and stand in need, if any man else besides, of the clemency of God. But may you, sacred man, be ' I Co. ix. 16. " /i>i(i., 17. '^ Pr. xxviii. 14. 1. 50. preserved for us in health and youthful vigour, being more powerfully strengthened with spiritual sinews, and correcting our paralysis, and putting forth wings and being renewed like the eagles.^ and singing with the prophet David and saying, " And I will go in unto the altar of God, unto God that reneweth my youth! " -: and there offering prayers on our p* '5^- behalf. As to the holy communion or oblation which is being sent to Alypius the poor child (so you often termed j him in your letter) I have this much to say: that, if you had previously told his father also the very thing which you have often said, I mean that he ought not to be in doubt as to the existing state of things ^ in the holy churches in Alexandria and in Egypt, since it is now (to speak with God's permission) free from association and communion with heretics, you would perhaps now have had the courage to say that the revered and sacred communion or oblation must not be sent to him. But, since the thing has been thus begun and has become known to the adversaries, what necessity is there for us to do further harm, and go on to ruin the boy who is about as your sanctity says to yield to his grand- father? Let the child therefore be refreshed with the usual refreshment from you on account of his believing father, and not be neglected on account of his unbe- lieving grandfather. For it is written, " The thoughts of the righteous are judgments."* And henceforth for ^ Ps. cii. 5. " Id., xlii. 4, ^ Karao-Tacrts. "* Pr. xii. 5. the future let us not turn aside to similar thinofs, nor give occasion to those who seek occasion, nor in order to content one person disturb the whole church. Know well that I was loth to write that the believing^ Mitra ought to have sent his son to communicate with the p- '59- church which by God's grace is clean and pure, the church which now looks to our banished self, and does not acquiesce in any cunning fraud. For, even though it had been right to send the often mentioned holy communion to the boy, how can it be anything but unreasonable that this boy should live with enemies, ^, f / who reveal without shame even that which is thought to be ineffable? And after othei' things. As to those who like the magnificent Anastasius are zealous for piety, and all who are settled in the land of the Philistines, who is there who is so wrathful and alien to the divine laws as to say that the communion or oblation ought not to be given them when they ask, to any extent that they wish and without stint } Our whole argument with you related to those who are residing in Alexandria and show doubts that are superfluous and intolerable because they inflicted injury on many. Do not there- fore omit to give at the due time and to those who require it the indestructible grace, which as it is written was oiven for nothino-/ and is being asked for for nothing. You know, even if we do not write it, how ggreat punishment ■^ and reproof from God is caused by 1 Mt. X. 8. - ^77/;lta. neglect to give readily and without any hesitation.