Epistle 130 (Summer 382 A.D.)
To Procopius,
If I must write the truth, here’s
how I’m doing: I’m staying away from every convention of bishops because I
don’t see any happy ending to a synod that leans toward an increase in vices rather
than a decrease. Yes, the contentious and power hungry will always be around,
along with – don’t assume I’m being petulant when I write like this! – those
who are [supposedly] superior to reasonable discourse. Anyone who passes
judgment on vice in others is prosecuted for it no sooner than he puts an end
to theirs. Therefore, I’ve contracted into myself and come to think of tranquility
of soul as the only sure thing. And now I have an illness that protects my
decision; I’m nearly always breathing my last and unable to make myself of any
use. Therefore, let Your Magnanimity agree with me, and let the most pious
emperor be persuaded by you not to condemn me as indifferent but to recognize
the infirmity for which I need retreat before any other benefaction – something
which he knew and conceded to me.
Source: Gregory of Nazianzus’s
Letter Collection: The Complete Translation, Bradley K. Storin (Oakland:
University of California Press, 2019), pp. 159-160.
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