Letter 207

207. To the Clergy of Neocaesarea.

The harmony of the hatred against us, and the fact that all to the last man follow the leader of the war against us, would have persuaded me to keep silence alike toward all, and to begin neither a friendly letter nor any conversation, but to digest my grief in quiet. But since one must not keep silence in the face of slanders — not that we may avenge ourselves by contradiction, but that we may not allow the falsehood to prosper, nor leave those who have been deceived in their harm — it seemed necessary to me to set this too before all, and to write to your good sense, even though, when lately I wrote in common to the whole presbytery, I was not thought worthy of any answer from you. Do not flatter, O brethren, those who bring evil doctrines upon your souls; nor consent to look on, with your knowledge, while the people of God is overthrown by impious teachings. Sabellius the Libyan and Marcellus the Galatian alone of all men dared both to teach and to write these things, which now among you those who lead the people attempt to bring forward as their own discoveries, stammering with their tongue, and not even capable of leading these sophisms and false reasonings into a plausible construction. These men declaim against us, things speakable and unspeakable, and avoid in every way meeting us. For what reason? Is it not because they suspect the proof against their wicked doctrines? They who have been so shameless toward us as even to fabricate certain dreams against us, slandering our teachings as harmful. But even if they take upon their own heads all the phantoms of the leaf-shedding months, they will not be able to fasten any blasphemy upon us, since there are many in every church who bear witness to the truth.

And if they are asked the cause of this truceless and implacable war, they speak of psalms and a manner of singing that differs from the custom prevailing among you, and such things, for which they ought rather to hide their faces. And we are accused because we have men who are ascetics of piety, who have renounced the world and all the cares of life — which the Lord likens to thorns that do not allow the word to come to fruit. Such men carry about the dying of Jesus in the body, and taking up their own cross they follow God. For my part, I would prize above my whole life that these wrongdoings were mine, and that I had with me men who under my teaching had chosen this ascetic discipline. But now I hear that in Egypt there is such virtue among men; and perhaps some in Palestine too are accomplishing the gospel way of life; and I hear that there are certain perfect and blessed men also in Mesopotamia. But we are children in comparison with the perfect. And if there are also women who have chosen to live according to the gospel, preferring virginity to marriage, bringing into bondage the mind of the flesh, and living in the mourning that is called blessed — they are blessed in their choice, wherever on earth they may be. But among us these things are small, with men still being trained and led toward piety. And if they bring some charge of unseemliness against the life of the women, I do not undertake to make a defense for them; but this I solemnly testify to you, that the things which up to now Satan, the father of lies, has not consented to utter, these the fearless hearts and unbridled mouths are forever speaking without dread. But I wish you to know that we pray to have companies of men and of women whose citizenship is in the heavens, who have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, who are not anxious about food and clothing, but, being undistracted and well attendant upon the Lord, continue night and day in their prayers; whose mouth does not speak the works of men, but they sing hymns to our God without ceasing, working with their own hands, that they may have to share with those in need.

As to the charge concerning the psalmody, by which especially those who slander us frighten the simpler folk, this I have to say: that the customs now prevailing are in accord and agreement with all the churches of God. For with us the people rise while it is still night and go to the house of prayer, and in labor and affliction and contraction of tears making confession to God, at last they rise from their prayers and pass over to psalmody. And now, divided into two parts, they sing in answer to one another, thereby at once strengthening the study of the oracles, and at the same time securing for themselves attention and the undistractedness of their hearts. Then again, entrusting to one the leading of the chant, the rest sing the response; and so, having spent the night in the variety of psalmody, praying in between, as day now begins to dawn, all in common, as from one mouth and one heart, offer up the psalm of confession to the Lord, each making the words of repentance his own. If for these things, then, you shun us, you will shun the Egyptians, you will shun both the Libyans, the Thebans, the Palestinians, the Arabs, the Phoenicians, the Syrians, and those settled by the Euphrates, and in short all among whom vigils and prayers and common psalmody are held in honor.

But, he says, these things were not so in the time of the great Gregory. No — neither were the litanies which you now practice. And I do not say this to accuse you; for I would wish that all of you lived in tears and continual repentance. For we too do nothing but pray earnestly for our sins; only not with human words, as you do, but with the oracles of the Spirit we propitiate our God. And that these things were not so in the time of the wonderful Gregory, what witnesses have you, who have preserved nothing of his down to now? Gregory did not veil his head at prayer. How should he, the genuine disciple of the Apostle who said, "Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered dishonors his head," and, "A man ought not to cover his head, being the image and glory of God"? That pure soul, worthy of fellowship with the Holy Spirit, shunned oaths, content with the Yes and the No, because of the command of the Lord who said, "But I say to you, do not swear at all." He could not bear to call his brother a fool, for he feared the threat of the Lord. Wrath and anger and bitterness did not go forth from that mouth. He hated reviling as a thing that does not bring a man into the kingdom of heaven. Envy and arrogance were driven far from that guileless soul. He would not have stood at the altar before being reconciled with his brother. A false and artful word, contrived for the slander of someone, he so abhorred, knowing that falsehood comes from the devil, and that "the Lord will destroy all who speak lies." If none of these things is in you, but you are pure of them all, you are in truth disciples of the disciple of the Lord's commandments. But if not, take care that you are not straining out the gnat, being exact about the sound of the voice in psalmody, while loosening the greatest of the commandments. The necessity of self-defense has brought me to these words, that you may be taught to cast out the beam from your own eyes, and then to remove the motes of others. Yet we forgive everything, even though nothing is unexamined with God. Only let the chief things be sound, and silence your innovations concerning the faith. Do not set aside the hypostases. Do not deny the name of Christ. Do not misinterpret the words of Gregory. But if not, then as long as we breathe and are able to speak, it is impossible for us to keep silence over so great a destruction of souls.