Letter 65: Severus urges John and John to pass over human weakness and focus on faithful struggles, using examples from Basil's successors, Liberius, Hosius, and Athanasius.

Your letter, brought to me by the devout deacon Zenobius, refreshed me like the proverb's cool water to a thirsty soul. You ask about those living in Constantinople and the report that they were contending over precedence. The report is true. They had discussed the same doubtful point earlier, and a proper ruling was given. Now, however, when they ought to be awake from the dreamlike unreality of worldly status, they have behaved as if fighting over shadows. May the hateful passion of jealousy perish from among human beings. Wrath and anger can be softened by time, treatment, and gifts; jealousy has only one relief, the destruction of the person envied, and finally the ruin of the jealous person himself. That is what I suffered from the two men in question. But Christ, who came down from above and humbled himself for us, breathed peace on them and extinguished their bitterness. Do not be surprised that they struggled over rank. Such things happened even among great men before us. After Basil, Helladius held Caesarea, while Theodore held Tyana when Cappadocia had been divided, and Bosporius, holy as he was, belonged under Theodore. Yet even men of such virtue fell into rivalry over a miserable claim of right. The two Gregories, Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus, were drawn to opposite sides, and even Bosporius was caught in the division. If those towers of the church sometimes walked on the earth, what can be said of us, who are like small insects flying over the mire of passions? Nor should it astonish us that someone now speaks humbly, saying that the anathema should be directed against the acts of Chalcedon and not against the council itself. Liberius of Rome resisted Constantius for Athanasius and went into exile, but after a long exile he bent under pressure. Hosius of Corduba, long a defender of the orthodox, was overcome in extreme old age at Nice in Thrace. Athanasius, champion of the truth, still honored Hosius for his age and praised Liberius for his struggles, passing quickly over what violence had wrung from them. We should do the same. In the sacred contests before us, let us follow the spiritual captains and build one another up by what they did rightly. Human weakness we should pass over quickly. We are mortal and frail, driven and pressured by evil spirits. Let us pray that the details of our weakness are not laid too bare. As for you, you have power to share in everyone's struggle through your prayers.

Your holinesses' letter, which was brought me by Zenobius the deyout deacon, has refreshed me greatly, and has been to me, as in the words of the proverb, "as cool water that relieveth a thirsty soul." As to what you say about those who are residing in the royal city, the report that has been received is true, that they contended about precedence. In fact at an earlier time also thev discussed this doubtful point, and the proper regulation - was given. Now however, when they are outside the phantasy^ of worldly sleep, they ought not to have contended as with a shadow and seen dreams. But may the hateful passion of jealousy and envy perish from among men, a passion that goes down with a man even to Hades itself and is a thing unendurable! For this reason the God-inspired scripture says, " Wrath is merciless and anger sharp, but nothing endureth jealousy.""* For both the merciless wrath and the sharp anger eat away and destroy those against whom they are whetted: but still it is sometimes possible for us to assuage them and turn them aside, by lapse of time and by methods of treatment and by gifts. But jealousy there is nothing than can endure. This passion knows one relief, the destruction of the man ' Pr. XXV, 25. * Pr. xxvii. 4. who is its object, and his ruin: and in the same fashion also the death of the man hiniself who is jealous: especially that of the soul before that of the body. For the very wise book of Job says. " Jealousy slayeth him that is in error." ^ Such annoyances I received from the two aforesaid men: and He who came down from on high and humbled Himself for our sake and said, '' My peace I give unto you, my tranquillity I leave unto you,"' - breathed upon them and extinguished their gall, and even caused them wholly to disappear. Do not wonder if these strove about precedence. Such things indeed happened even in former times. When in old days Helladius succeeded to the see of the men of Caesarea after the great and renowned Basil, a man who lived a virtuous life and was worthy of such a succession, and was one of the holy men of the synod of the hundred and fifty, Cappadocia having been divided into two, Theodore, a man praiseworthy both for faith and for character, was bishop of the other metropolis (this was Tyana): and under him among others was Bosporius, a good man and one who had reached such a high standard of holiness that even his grave performs miracles down to the present day. But, though they were both of such a character and so highly exalted in virtue, thev strove with one another about some contemptible claim of right in their parish, and fell into great and long rivalry: and they had the two Gregories, he of Nyssa siding w 5. -John xiv. 27. he of Nazianzus with Theodore, and Bosporius the renowned, divided in sympathies, and like armed men bringing help to the generals when they engaged in battle, and writing letters in opposition to one another. If then those towers of the church and men of heavenly minds were convicted of sometimes walking upon earth, what will a man say of ourselves the gnats, who are ever flying over the sores and mire of passions and feeding on them? Nor yet at this must one wonder, I mean that one of the very men who have been mentioned now uses humble words, saying, "It is against the things done at Chalcedon, not against the actual synod itself, that we must put forth a sentence and anathema." For Liberius, the bishop of Rome, resisted Constantius even to blood, on behalf of Athanasius the apostolic preacher of the orthodox faith, and went out to the figurative stadiiuii, and readily allowed himself to be carried into exile: and at last, bent bv the long continuance of the sojourn in the place of exile, he gave way, and yielded to the violence of the time. Hosius also the bishop of Corduba (a little city so named), who had always been arrayed on the side of the orthodox, owing to his extreme old age and advanced time of life, was overcome at Nice in Thrace, and submitted to compulsion. And Athanasius the champion^ of the truth in word and in deed, a man of practised skill in doing service, who discharges the rational shafts against enemies with understanding,?. both in epistles and in treatises against the Arians calls Hosius "of honourable old age,"^ and mentions him with distinction: while in respect of the contests undergone by Liberius he praises and extols the man; saying not a word of what happened to them under violence, but like a wise man passing rapidly over it;'. 231 with closed eyes, as the saying is. Let us also therefore, inasmuch as sacred contests lie before us, follow the spiritual captains, and in respect of actions on the right side, both be ourselves edified and edify others thereby, in order that the others also may be strengthened: but human actions let us pass rapidly over. For we are mortal and weak, and we are put under compulsion and led by force by spirits of wickedness. Let us pray therefore that the details of our weakness be not greatly exposed. But you for your part have the power of sharing the contest with everyone through your prayers.