Theodoret of Cyrrhus→Anatolius, Constantinopolitan|c. 440 AD|theodoret cyrrhus
grief deathhumorimperial politics
From: Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus
To: Anatolius, Patrician at Constantinople [a powerful court official and ally]
Date: ~449 AD
Context: Theodoret defends himself against slanders arising from the trial of Bishop Ibas of Edessa, insisting he played no part in the proceedings yet is being attacked for them.
To Anatolius the Patrician,
God will repay your excellency for the kindness you have shown me -- everything done for His sake carries its reward. As for my slanderers, I laugh at them. When a man has been beaten badly enough, the flesh goes numb and the pain stops. But I do grieve for them -- people whose mouths run so freely with lies.
What have the accusers of the godly bishop Ibas suffered at my hands that they should heap such false charges on me? To begin with, I was not even one of the judges. I was living in Cyrrhus in obedience to the imperial decree. In fact, as I have heard from many people, they actually resented my absence. I had arranged for them to receive Holy Communion at the Easter celebration, and since they often expressed a wish to see me, I welcomed them warmly and advised them on the proper course of action.
And let me speak also in defense of the godly bishop Domnus. What was he supposed to do? He was being openly attacked. He saw men who had been deposed by a synodical sentence show up in another diocese and resume their priestly duties in flagrant violation of church law. He saw sacred things mocked and ridiculed by enemies of the Church. So what did he do? He handed the case over to others -- not only to the godly lord Ibas, but also to the holy bishop Symeon of Amida, so that the metropolitans of both provinces could hear the charges together.
How is it fair to accuse the same people of being both too harsh and too lenient? If we excommunicate, we face danger. If we do not excommunicate, we still face danger. We alone in all the world are singled out for attack. Other dioceses enjoy peace. We alone are exposed to accusers -- and I most of all, though I took no part in the trial and bear absolutely no responsibility for it.
I write all this because your lordship's letter tells me a great commotion has been stirred up against me -- a man confined to his own diocese, a man of peace, one who does not even deliberate with the bishops of his province. There have already been two episcopal ordinations in our province, and I participated in neither. If I were not restrained by the imperial decree, I would have left long ago and spent my remaining days in some remote place. I am worn out by the plots against me. I am certain those Edessenes did not invent their slander on their own -- their truly "truthful" neighbors put them up to it.
I thank our Savior that He has deemed me worthy of the beatitudes of the Gospel, unworthy though I am. For this reason I have gladly accepted the sentence of relegation. I am ready for exile. For the sake of the hope that awaits me, I welcome whatever they may inflict. I pray constantly for your excellency, and I beg all the saints to join in my petitions.
Letter 111
Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — all for only $19.99...
To Anatolius the Patrician.
Your excellency will be recompensed for the kindness you have shown me by the God of all, for all that is done for His sake has its reward. I laugh at all my slanderers. The bodies of them who are most severely scourged do not feel the pain, because the scourged flesh is deadened. Still I lament over them whose unrestrained mouths utter such lies. In what way have the accusers of the godly bishop Ibas been wronged by me that they should utter such calumnies against me? To begin with, I was not even one of the judges, for in obedience to the imperial decree I was living at Cyrus. Moreover, as I have heard from many, they all along treated my absence as a grievance, for I had arranged for their partaking of the Holy Communion at the Easter feast of salvation, and as they often expressed a wish to meet me, I received them with kindness and advised them as to the proper course to take. But that I may also speak in the defense of the very godly bishop the lord Domnus, what was the proper course for him to take? He was openly attacked; he saw men deposed by a synodical sentence sent into another diocese, and resuming their priestly functions in violation of the laws of the Church; he saw things holy and divine laughed at and turned into ridicule by the enemies of the Church; what was he to do? When he knew this he handed over the case to others, and not only to the very godly lord Ibas, but also to the holy lord bishop Symeon of Amida, that the metropolitans of the two provinces might hear the charges. What fairness is there in charging the same persons with cruelty and kindness? If we excommunicate, we run into danger; if we do not excommunicate, we do not escape it. We alone of all the world are objects of attack. Other dioceses are at peace. We alone are exposed to calumniators — specially I myself, though I took no part in the trial, and am absolutely without responsibility in the matter.
Thus have I been forced to write on reading your lordship's letter, and on learning from it how for these reasons a great commotion has been made against me, a man confined to my diocese; a man of peace; one not even deliberating with the godly bishops of the province. As a matter of fact, although there have been already two episcopal ordinations in our province, I took part in neither. Were I not restrained by the imperial decree I would have gone away, and spent the remainder of my days in some remote spot. I am faint for the plots hatched against me. I am sure those Edessenes never put together their slander against me of their own accord. They were prompted to these attacks on me by their truly truthful neighbours. I thank our Saviour that he has deemed me worthy of the beatitudes of the Gospel, all unworthy though I be. For this reason I have gladly accepted the sentence of relegation. I am ready for exile, and, for the sake of the hope laid up for me, welcome whatever fate they may inflict. I pray without ceasing for your excellency, and beseech all the saints to share in my petitions.
◆
From:Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus
To:Anatolius, Patrician at Constantinople [a powerful court official and ally]
Date:~449 AD
Context:Theodoret defends himself against slanders arising from the trial of Bishop Ibas of Edessa, insisting he played no part in the proceedings yet is being attacked for them.
To Anatolius the Patrician,
God will repay your excellency for the kindness you have shown me -- everything done for His sake carries its reward. As for my slanderers, I laugh at them. When a man has been beaten badly enough, the flesh goes numb and the pain stops. But I do grieve for them -- people whose mouths run so freely with lies.
What have the accusers of the godly bishop Ibas suffered at my hands that they should heap such false charges on me? To begin with, I was not even one of the judges. I was living in Cyrrhus in obedience to the imperial decree. In fact, as I have heard from many people, they actually resented my absence. I had arranged for them to receive Holy Communion at the Easter celebration, and since they often expressed a wish to see me, I welcomed them warmly and advised them on the proper course of action.
And let me speak also in defense of the godly bishop Domnus. What was he supposed to do? He was being openly attacked. He saw men who had been deposed by a synodical sentence show up in another diocese and resume their priestly duties in flagrant violation of church law. He saw sacred things mocked and ridiculed by enemies of the Church. So what did he do? He handed the case over to others -- not only to the godly lord Ibas, but also to the holy bishop Symeon of Amida, so that the metropolitans of both provinces could hear the charges together.
How is it fair to accuse the same people of being both too harsh and too lenient? If we excommunicate, we face danger. If we do not excommunicate, we still face danger. We alone in all the world are singled out for attack. Other dioceses enjoy peace. We alone are exposed to accusers -- and I most of all, though I took no part in the trial and bear absolutely no responsibility for it.
I write all this because your lordship's letter tells me a great commotion has been stirred up against me -- a man confined to his own diocese, a man of peace, one who does not even deliberate with the bishops of his province. There have already been two episcopal ordinations in our province, and I participated in neither. If I were not restrained by the imperial decree, I would have left long ago and spent my remaining days in some remote place. I am worn out by the plots against me. I am certain those Edessenes did not invent their slander on their own -- their truly "truthful" neighbors put them up to it.
I thank our Savior that He has deemed me worthy of the beatitudes of the Gospel, unworthy though I am. For this reason I have gladly accepted the sentence of relegation. I am ready for exile. For the sake of the hope that awaits me, I welcome whatever they may inflict. I pray constantly for your excellency, and I beg all the saints to join in my petitions.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.