Letter 90: I have passed through the contests of my prime.

To Lupicinus the Master. I have passed through the contests of my prime. I see the borders of old age ahead of me, and I had expected that age would bring me more honor, not less. Instead I find myself a target of slander and compelled to defend myself against accusations leveled in my absence. Under these circumstances I beg your Excellency not to believe the lies of my accusers. Had I been living in silence, there might have been room for suspicion of unorthodoxy. But I preach continually in the churches, and therefore have — by God's grace — innumerable witnesses to the soundness of my teaching. I follow the laws and rules of the Apostles. I test my teaching against the faith set down by the holy and blessed Fathers at Nicaea, as one applies a rule and measure. If anyone maintains that I hold a contrary opinion, let him accuse me face to face. Let him not slander me behind my back. It is fair that even the accused should have an opportunity to speak — to meet the charges against him with his defense — and that only then should the judges lawfully deliver their sentence. This is the one favor I ask through your assistance. If some men wish to condemn me without a hearing, I accept their unjust sentence willingly. I wait for the judgment of the Master, before whom neither witnesses nor advocates are needed. Before him, as the divine Apostle says, "all things are naked and open."

Letter 90