Letter 89

89. To Meletius, bishop of Antioch.

The good God, by affording us pretexts for addressing your honour, soothes the vehemence of our longing. For He Himself is witness of the desire we have to behold your face, and to enjoy your good and soul-profiting teaching. And now, by the most reverent and most diligent brother Dorotheus, our fellow deacon, who is coming to you, we beg you first of all to pray for us, that we may not be a stumbling-block to the people, nor a hindrance to your prayers in moving the Lord. Next, we remind you to be willing to set in order everything through the aforesaid brother; and if anything must be written to those in the West — since letters must of necessity be carried to them by one of our own people also — to dictate the letters yourself. For we, having met with Sabinus, the deacon sent by them, wrote to the Illyrians and to the bishops in Italy and Gaul, and to certain of those who had written to us privately. And it is reasonable that someone be sent, as from the common body of the synod, to carry a second set of letters, which you yourself should order to be drawn up.

And concerning the most reverend bishop Athanasius we remind your perfect wisdom, which knows it exactly, that it is impossible by my letters to make any progress, or to do any of the things that are owed, unless he receives some treatment also from you — from those who at that time deferred his communion. For he himself is said to be very eager to be joined to us, and to contribute what is in his power, but to be grieved that even then he was sent away without communion, and that still now the promises remain unfulfilled.

As for how things stand in the East, this has surely not escaped the ears of your godliness, and the aforesaid brother will himself relate everything more exactly in person. Be so good as to send him off at once after Easter, since he must await the replies from Samosata; welcome his eagerness, and, having strengthened him with prayers, send him forward to the tasks before him.