Letter 122

122. To Poemenius, Bishop of Satala

You surely asked the Armenians for letters, when they returned by way of you, and learned the reason why I did not give them the letter. If, then, they spoke truthfully, you granted us pardon at once. But if they concealed it — which I do not suppose — then hear it from us.

The wholly noble Anthimus, who long ago concluded peace with us, when he found an opportunity both to gratify his own vainglory and to procure some grief for us, ordained Faustus on his own authority and by his own hand, without waiting for the vote of any of you, and laughing at us for being scrupulous about such matters. Since, then, he both confounded the ancient good order and despised you also — from whom I was waiting to receive the testimony — and did a thing which I do not know whether it is pleasing to God, for this reason, being grieved at them, I gave no letter to any of the Armenians, nor to your reverence. Nor indeed did I receive Faustus into communion, openly protesting that, unless he brought me letters from you, I would for all time remain estranged from him, and would dispose those of one mind with me to be so disposed toward him.

If, then, what has happened is curable, take pains both to write yourself, bearing witness to him — if you see that the man's life is good — and to urge on the others; but if it is incurable, make this too plain to me, so that I may no longer pay any attention to them at all — even because, as they have shown, they are now bent on transferring their own communion to Anthimus, despising us and this church as worthless for friendship.