St Basil the Great LETTERS, First Part

Translated by Bl. Jackson.

St Basil the Great Resources Online and in Print

This Part: 128 Pages

Page 124

Letter XCII. [2309]

To the Italians and Gauls.

1. To our right godly and holy brethren who are ministering in Italy and Gaul, bishops of like mind with us, we, Meletius, [2310] Eusebius, [2311] Basil, [2312] Bassus, [2313] Gregory, [2314] Pelagius, [2315] Paul, Anthimus, [2316] Theodotus, [2317] Bithus, [2318] Abraamius, [2319] Jobinus, Zeno, [2320] Theodoretus, Marcianus, Barachus, Abraamius, [2321] Libanius, Thalassius, Joseph, Boethus, Iatrius, [2322] Theodotus, Eustathius, [2323] Barsumas, John, Chosroes, Iosaces, [2324] Narses, Maris, Gregory, [2325] and Daphnus, send greeting in the Lord. Souls in anguish find some consolation in sending sigh after sigh from the bottom of the heart, and even a tear shed breaks the force of affliction. But sighs and tears give us less consolation than the opportunity of telling our troubles to your love. We are moreover cheered by the better hope that, peradventure, if we announce our troubles to you, we may move you to give us that succour which we have long hoped you would give the Churches in the East, but which we have not yet received; God, Who in His wisdom arranges all things, must have ordained according to the hidden judgments of His righteousness, that we should be tried for a longer time in these temptations. The fame of our condition has travelled to the ends of the earth, and you are not ignorant of it; nor are you without sympathy with brethren of like mind with yourselves, for you are disciples of the apostle, who teaches us that love for our neighbour is the fulfilling of the law. [2326] But, as we have said, the just judgment of God, which has ordained that the affliction due to our sins must be fulfilled, has held you back. But when you have learnt all, specially what has not hitherto reached your ears, from our reverend brother the deacon Sabinus, who will be able to narrate in person what is omitted in our letter, we do beseech you to be roused both to zeal for the truth and sympathy for us. We implore you to put on bowels of mercy, to lay aside all hesitation, and to undertake the labour of love, without counting length of way, your own occupations, or any other human interests.

[2309] Placed in 372.

[2310] Of Antioch.

[2311] Of Samosata.

[2312] Of Caesarea.

[2313] Tillemont conjectures Barses of Edessa.

[2314] Of Nazianzus, the elder.

[2315] Of Laodicea.

[2316] Of Tyana.

[2317] Of Nicopolis.

[2318] Vitus of Carrhae.

[2319] Of Batnae. cf. Letter cxxxii.

[2320] Of Tyre.

[2321] Of Urimi in Syria.

[2322] For Iatrius, Maran would read Otreius of Melitine.

[2323] Of Sebasteia.

[2324] Maran would read Isaaces, and identify him with the Isacoces of Armenia Major.

[2325] Probably of Nyssa, lately consecrated.

[2326] cf. Rom. xiii. 10.

Previous Page / First / Next Page of St Basil - Letters

St Basil the Great Home Page / Works ||| More Church Fathers

Elpenor's Free Greek Lessons

Reference address : https://www.elpenor.org/basil/letters.asp?pg=124