To Acacius of Beroea
To my lord, my beloved brother and fellow minister Acacius, Cyril sends greetings in the Lord. Once again your holiness has taken on a task worthy of you. Your aim, in keeping with the good will of God, the Savior of us all, is to unite the churches. You want to remove the pettiness that keeps people who ought to agree from agreeing. You want to take away everything that causes grief and to bind together with the bonds of love what has been torn apart. But it seems that some people there are, naturally enough, afraid of being seen to oppose your perfection's aim openly. So they oppose it quietly, trying, as it were, not to be noticed. To act this way, and to demand things that cannot be done, what is that but to announce by their actions that they do not want peace?
Κυρίωι μου ἀγαπητῶι ἀδελφῶι καὶ συλλειτουργῶι Ἀκακίωι Κύριλλος ἐν κυρίωι χαίρειν. Πρέπουσαν ἑαυτῆι φροντίδα καὶ νῦν ἡ σὴ ὁσιότης ἀνεδέξατο· σκοπὸς γὰρ αὐτῆι κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν θέλημα τοῦ πάντων ἡμῶν σωτῆρος θεοῦ συνάψαι τὰς ἐκκλησίας καὶ ποιῆσαι μὲν ἐκ μέσου τὸ μικροψυχεῖν ἀναπεῖθον τοὺς ὀφείλοντας ὁμογνωμονεῖν, ἅπαν δὲ περιελεῖν τὸ λυποῦν καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἀγάπης περισφίγξαι δεσμοῖς τὰ διεσπασμένα. ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἔοικε, τῶν αὐτόθι τινὲς δεδίασι μὲν κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς τὸ δοκεῖν ἐναργῶς ἀντανίστασθαι τῶι τῆς σῆς τελειότητος σκοπῶι, δρῶσι δὲ τοῦτο ἀσυμφανῶς καὶ οἷον λανθάνειν σπουδάζοντες. τὸ γὰρ τοιαῦτα πράττειν καὶ ἀπαιτεῖν ἃ μὴ γενέσθαι δύναται, τί ἕτερόν ἐστιν εἰ μὴ αὐτοῖς πράγμασιν ἀναφωνεῖν ὡς ἀβούλητον αὐτοῖς τὸ τῆς εἰρήνης χρῆμά ἐστι;
I say this after reading the letter your perfection sent. From it I learned what they demand: that we condemn and reject every treatise and every letter we wrote before the synod, and that we simply agree to the Creed (symbolon) of the right faith, defined long ago by the holy Fathers at the great synod of Nicaea.
καὶ ταῦτα φημὶ τὴν διαπεμφθεῖσαν παρὰ τῆς σῆς τελειότητος ἐπιστολὴν ἀναγνούς, δι᾿ ἧς ἐμάνθανον ἀπαιτεῖν αὐτοὺς πᾶν σύγγραμμα καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπιστολὴν τὴν πρὸ τῆς συνόδου καταγινώσκεσθαι καὶ ἀθετεῖσθαι χρῆναι παρ᾽ ἡμῶν, συναινέσαι δὲ τῶι συμβόλωι τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως τῶι ὁρισθέντι κατὰ καιροὺς παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων ἐν τῆι κατὰ Νίκαιαν μεγάληι συνόδωι.
For my part, I would say, and I readily agree, that this venerable Creed of the faith is enough for all good knowledge and lacks nothing at all, even if some others do not think or say so. But one thing astonishes me greatly. Nestorius belched out those blasphemous and utterly loathsome words against Christ, the Savior of us all, and did it in church. So we wrote what we wrote. We spoke against him, and we set the truth against his profane novelties of speech (kainophōniai).
ἐγὼ δὲ ὅτι μὲν τὸ σεπτὸν ἐκεῖνο τῆς πίστεως σύμβολον ἀπόχρη πρὸς πᾶσαν εἴδησιν ἀγαθήν, ἐνδεῖ δὲ αὐτῶι παντελῶς οὐδέν, φαίην ‹ἂν› καὶ συνθήσομαι κἂν εἰ μὴ ἑτέροις δοκεῖ τισι τοῦτο φρονεῖν ἢ λέγειν· τεθαύμακα δὲ λίαν ἐκεῖνο. Νεστορίου γὰρ τὰς παλιμφήμους ἐκείνας καὶ βδελυρωτάτας ἐρευγομένου φωνὰς κατὰ τοῦ πάντων ἡμῶν σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ καὶ τοῦτο ἐπ᾿ ἐκκλησίας, ἐγράψαμεν ἃ γεγράφαμεν, ἀντιλέγοντες αὐτῶι καὶ ταῖς βεβήλοις αὐτοῦ καινοφωνίαις ἀντεξάγοντες τὴν ἀλήθειαν,
By the grace of God, many who read those volumes have benefited, and with right understanding they have valued what we said against him. Yet now, somehow, the very people who ought to anathematize his foul doctrines and distance themselves from his impiety have turned their effort completely the other way. They are trying to make what was written against him disappear. What sense does that make? Let your holiness consider how absurd this is. Shall we, who wrote in defense of the right faith, deny our own writings, or rather accuse our own faith? If what was written against Nestorius, that is, against his unholy doctrines, is not right, then he was deposed for nothing. Perhaps he thinks correctly after all,
καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ χάριν καὶ τοῖς τόμοις ἐντυχόντες ὠφέληνται πολλοὶ καὶ ὀρθῆι συνέσει τετιμήκασι τὰ κατ᾿ ἐκείνου παρ᾽ ἡμῶν εἰρημένα. ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅπως οἱ νῦν ὀφείλοντες τὰ ἐκείνου ἀναθεματίζειν μιαρὰ δόγματα καὶ ἀλλοτριοῦν ἑαυτοὺς τῆς δυσσεβείας αὐτοῦ πρὸς πᾶν τοὐναντίον περιτρέποντες τὴν σπουδὴν ἀφανίζεσθαι ζητοῦσι τὰ κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένα. ποῖον ἔχει τοῦτο λόγον; ἐννοείτω γὰρ ἡ σὴ ὁσιότης ὅσην ἔχει τὸ πρᾶγμα τὴν ἀτοπίαν, ‹εἰ› οἱ ὑπὲρ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως γεγραφότες ἀρνησόμεθα τὰ ἑαυτῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ κατηγορήσομεν τῆς ἑαυτῶν πίστεως; οὐκοῦν εἰ μὴ ὀρθῶς ἔχει τὰ κατὰ Νεστορίου ἤτοι τῶν ἀνοσίων αὐτοῦ δογμάτων γεγραμμένα, μάτην καθήιρηται καὶ τάχα που φρονεῖ μὲν ἐκεῖνος ὀρθῶς,
and we went wrong by not agreeing with him and by writing the opposite of what he said! Meanwhile, many books of Nestorius are going around, stirring everything up and throwing the churches into confusion. How, then, could we make what was written against him disappear, when it brings at least some small benefit to some people? Your all-wise perfection sees that they are asking for something impossible. They are so far from wanting to settle the division between us that they are stretching it out into the beginning of a quarrel without end. Why else, when they arrived at the metropolis of Ephesus, did they not vote with the holy synod against the man who had blasphemed so impiously, so much and so badly? Even if they arrived a little late, what kept them from reading the minutes of the proceedings, satisfying themselves that everything had been done lawfully, and agreeing, as I said, with the right and blameless vote of everyone? Instead, they did the opposite. They gave no thought to God or to the zeal of those assembled, though the issue was not some ordinary matter but the faith through which God the Father has saved the world in Christ. They showed us every kind of cruelty and every form of hatred for their brothers. On one hand, they insulted the holy and ecumenical synod by breaking communion with it, and did so without a trial. On the other hand, as if with a savage right hand, they brought down the sword of their fury on me and on the most devout bishop Memnon. Suppose it were true that we had slipped on some point of right doctrine,1
πεπλανήμεθα δὲ ἡμεῖς οὐ συνενεχθέντες αὐτῶι, γεγραφότες δὲ μᾶλλον οἷς ἔφη τὰ ἐναντία, καίτοι Νεστορίου πολλαὶ περιφέρονται βίβλοι διακυκῶσαι τὸ πᾶν καὶ διαθορυβοῦσαι τὰς ἐκκλησίας. εἶτα πῶς ἡμεῖς ἀφανίσομεν τὰ κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ κἂν γοῦν ἔσθ᾽ ὅτε βραχεῖαν τὴν ὄνησιν ἐμποιοῦντα τισί; ὁρᾶι τοίνυν ἡ σὴ πανσύνετος τελειότης ὅτι πρᾶγμα ζητοῦσιν ἀμήχανον καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀφεστήκασι τοῦ κατευνάζειν βούλεσθαι τὴν μεταξὺ κειμένην διχόνοιαν, ὥστε καὶ εἰς ἀρχὰς ἀνατείνειν αὐτὴν ἀκαταλήκτου φιλονεικίας. διὰ τί γὰρ μᾶλλον ἐν τῆι Ἐφεσίων μητροπόλει ἀφιγμένοι οὐ γεγόνασι σύμψηφοι τῆι ἁγίαι συνόδωι κατὰ τοῦ τοσαῦτα καὶ τοιαῦτα δυσσεβῶς δυσφημήσαντος; εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὑστέρησαν βραχύ, τί τὸ κωλύον ἦν ἐντυχόντας τοῖς πεπραγμένοις ὑπομνήμασι πληροφορηθῆναι μὲν ὅτι γεγόνασιν ἐνθέσμως, συναινέσαι δέ, ὡς ἔφην, ὀρθῆι καὶ ἀνεπιπλήκτωι τῆι παρὰ πάντων ψήφωι; ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων οὔτε θεὸν ἐννοήσαντες οὔτε τὸν ζῆλον τῶν συνειλεγμένων (οὐ γὰρ περὶ κοινοῦ τινος πράγματος ὁ λόγος ἦν, ἀλλὰ περὶ πίστεως δι᾿ ἧς σέσωκε τὴν οἰκουμένην ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ ἐν Χριστῶι), πᾶσαν ὠμότητα καὶ πάντα μισαδελφίας τρόπον εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐνεδείξαντο, τοῦτο μὲν τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ οἰκουμενικὴν σύνοδον ἀκοινωνησίαι περιυβρίσαντες καὶ τοῦτο ἀκρίτως, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ οἷον ἀνημέρωι δεξιᾶι τὸ τῆς ἀγριότητος κατωθήσαντες ξίφος ἐμοῦ τε καὶ τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου ἐπισκόπου Μέμνονος. ὑποκείσθω γὰρ ὅτι κατ᾿ ἀλήθειαν καὶ παρῆλθέ τι τῶν εἰς ὀρθότητα δογμάτων ἡμᾶς1
or had in some other way become guilty of some faults. Should we not have been given a hearing first? A meeting? A rebuke? Nestorius spent three years in blasphemy, and we all put up with him. Your holiness, together with us and everyone else, advised him to give up those views and to take up instead the doctrines that lead to right belief and truth. But he persisted, and in the very metropolis of Ephesus he talked even worse nonsense against the glory of Christ. In the end, since his disease was incurable, the holy synod removed him from the priesthood.
ἢ καθ᾽ ἑτέρους τρόπους ἔνοχοι τισὶ γεγόναμεν τῶν πταισμάτων· οὐκ ἐχρῆν ἀξιωθῆναι λόγου; συντυχίας; μέμψεως; καίτοι Νεστορίου τριετῆ δαπανήσαντος χρόνον ἐν τῶι δυσφημεῖν πάντες ἠνεσχόμεθα, καὶ ἡ σὴ δὲ μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν ὁσιότης καὶ πάντες συνεβουλεύσαμεν ἀποσχέσθαι μὲν αὐτὸν ἐκείνων, μεταποιεῖσθαι δὲ μᾶλλον τῶν εἰς ὀρθότητα καὶ ἀλήθειαν δρώντων δογμάτων. ἐμμείναντα δὲ καὶ τὰ ἔτι πολλῶι χείρονα τῆς Χριστοῦ δόξης καταφλυαρήσαντα καὶ ἐν αὐτῆι τῆι Ἐφεσίων μητροπόλει, λοιπὸν ὡς ἀνίατον ἐσχηκότα τὴν νόσον ἡ ἁγία σύνοδος μετέστησε τῆς ἱερωσύνης.
I would like to remind your holiness of something useful for the present situation. When your holy synod met at great Constantinople, John was the accused at that time. Many people had drawn up records against him, and the verdict against him was about to be given. I happened to be one of those standing there. I know I heard your holiness say to the holy synod: 'If I knew that John, once pardoned, would become a better man and give up the perversity that is in him, I would have pleaded with all of you on his behalf.' Your holiness was admired for this, because what you said was true. So what should the holy synod have done when it found the man fighting against the right faith unrepentant and so stubborn? They say we should agree only to the Creed, that is, the statement of faith of the 318 Fathers. I answer that the holy and ecumenical synod gathered at the metropolis of Ephesus had one aim: to uphold the Creed, so that everyone would confess, believe, and teach it as it stands, with nothing added and nothing taken away. Nothing may be added to it and nothing may be removed from it. That is exactly why the synod condemned Nestorius. He did not keep the Creed. He tampered with it and distorted it and did not follow it in any way. Instead, he wickedly sowed in the ears of the people other doctrines that are foreign to the Church. So a special record on this matter was drawn up at Ephesus, in which the synod confirmed the faith set out long ago by our holy Fathers gathered at Nicaea. I have sent it to your holiness for your information. Reading it will clearly show that it is right and beyond reproach.23
βούλομαι δέ τι τὴν σὴν ὁσιότητα χρησίμως εἰς τὸ παρὸν ὑπομνῆσαι. ὅτε γὰρ κατὰ τὴν μεγάλην Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἡ ἁγία ὑμῶν σύνοδος συνεκροτήθη, Ἰωάννου τὸ τηνικάδε κατηγορουμένου, εἶτα πέπρακτο τὰ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶι παρὰ πολλῶν ὑπομνήματα, μελλούσης ἐκφέρεσθαι τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ ψήφου, κἀγὼ ἐτύγχανον τῶν ἑστηκότων εἷς, οἶδα τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος ἀκούσας τῆι ἁγίαι συνόδωι λεγούσης ὅτι εἰ ἤιδειν ὅτι συγγνωσθεὶς Ἰωάννης ἀμείνων ἑαυτοῦ γενήσεται καὶ τῆς ἐνούσης αὐτῶι δυστροπίας ἀποστήσεται, πάντας ἂν ὑμᾶς παρεκάλεσα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. τεθαύμασται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτωι πάλιν ἡ σὴ ὁσιότης ὡς εἰποῦσα τὸ ἀληθές. τί τοίνυν ἔδει τὴν ἁγίαν ποιῆσαι σύνοδον, ἀμετανόητον εὑροῦσαν καὶ οὕτως ἐνστατικὸν τὸν τῆι ὀρθῆι πίστει μαχόμενον; ἐπειδὴ δέ φασιν ὅτι χρὴ μόνωι συνθέσθαι τῶι συμβόλωι ἤτοι τῆι ἐκθέσει τῆς πίστεως τῶν τιη´, κἀγὼ πρὸς τοῦτο ἐρῶ ὅτι σκοπὸς γέγονεν εἷς τῆι ἁγίαι καὶ οἰκουμενικῆι συνόδωι τῆι συναχθείσηι κατὰ τὴν Ἐφεσίων μητρόπολιν τοῦ στῆσαι τὸ σύμβολον, ὥστε καὶ πάντας ὁμολογεῖν τε καὶ πιστεύειν οὕτω καὶ διδάσκειν, μήτε προστεθέντος τινὸς μήτε μὴν ὑφηιρημένου. οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶι προσθεῖναι καὶ ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν· διὰ γάρτοι τοῦτο καὶ Νεστορίου κατεψηφίσατο ὡς μὴ τηρήσαντος αὐτό, παρακεκινηκότος δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ παρασημήναντος καὶ κατ᾿ οὐδένα μὲν τρόπον ἀκολουθήσαντος αὐτῶι, ἕτερα δέ τινα καὶ ξένα τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας δογμάτων ταῖς τῶν λαῶν ἀκοαῖς ἀνοσίως ἐνσπείραντος. πέπρακται τοίνυν ἐν τῆι Ἐφέσωι περὶ τούτου ἰδικὸν ὑπόμνημα, βεβαιούσης τῆς συνόδου τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν πίστιν παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἡμῶν πατέρων τῶν ἐν Νικαίαι συνειλεγμένων κατὰ καιρούς, καὶ πέπομφα τοῦτο πρὸς εὐμάθειαν τῆι σῆι ὁσιότητι· ὅτι γὰρ ὀρθῶς καὶ ἀνεπιπλήκτως ἔχει, διδάξει σαφῶς ἡ ἀνάγνωσις.23
We have also attached passages from the holy and blessed Fathers, so that readers may know how they understood the Creed of the faith. These Fathers were our own teachers in the mysteries (mystagōgoi). Since everyone has now done this, why do these people not agree as well? If what pleases all is upheld by all, peace will certainly prevail, with no one at all speaking against it. They have done us very many grievous wrongs and attempted every kind of inhumanity. Even so, we keep in mind what seems good to God and pleases the most pious and Christ-loving emperor. We also consider the good of the Church itself, and we treat the advice of your holiness with all respect. So we rightly forgive them, as brothers, what they did to us. We seek instead what everyone agrees is good and right, and what also pleases the most God-loving emperor. Let them agree to the deposition of Nestorius and anathematize his blasphemies and profane doctrines. Then nothing will remain to keep the division from being removed. The churches will receive one another again, with Christ awarding them peace.
παρεθήκαμεν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ μακαρίων πατέρων χρήσεις, ἵν᾽ εἰδεῖεν οἱ ἐντυγχάνοντες τίνα τρόπον ἐκεῖνοι νενοήκασι τὸ τῆς πίστεως σύμβολον, οἳ καὶ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν γεγόνασι μυσταγωγοί. ἤδη τοίνυν τούτου γεγονότος παρὰ πάντων, διὰ τί μὴ μᾶλλον συναινοῦσι καὶ αὐτοί; ἐὰν γὰρ τὸ πᾶσιν ἀρέσαν παρὰ πάντων κρατύνηται, κρατήσει πάντως ἡ εἰρήνη, ὑπ᾽ οὐδενὸς τὸ σύμπαν ἀντιλεγομένη. οὐκοῦν εἰ καὶ πλεῖστα καὶ παγχάλεπα ‹τὰ› παρ᾽ αὐτῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγονότα καὶ πᾶν εἶδος ἀπανθρωπίας ἐπεχειρήθη, ἀλλ᾽ ἐννοοῦντες τὸ τῶι θεῶι δοκοῦν καὶ ἀρέσκον τῶι εὐσεβεστάτωι καὶ φιλοχρίστωι βασιλεῖ, καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας χρήσιμον καὶ τὰς τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος συμβουλὰς ἁπάσης αἰδοῦς ἀξιοῦντες, εἰκότως ἀφίεμεν ὡς ἀδελφοῖς τὰ εἰς ἡμᾶς, ζητοῦμεν δὲ μᾶλλον ὃ πᾶσι δοκεῖ καλῶς καὶ ὀρθῶς ἔχειν, συναρέσκει δὲ καὶ τῶι θεοφιλεστάτωι βασιλεῖ. συναινείτωσαν τῆι καθαιρέσει Νεστορίου, ἀναθεματίζοντες αὐτοῦ τὰς δυσφημίας καὶ τὰ βέβηλα δόγματα, καὶ λοιπὸν ἔτι τὸ κωλύον οὐδὲν ἐκ μέσου γενέσθαι τὴν διχόνοιαν· ἀπολήψονται γὰρ ἀλλήλας αἱ ἐκκλησίαι, Χριστοῦ τὴν εἰρήνην αὐταῖς βραβεύοντος.
Let no one spew out strange accusations against us, claiming that I hold the views of Apollinarius, or of Arius or Eunomius, as they wrote at Ephesus. By the grace of the Savior I have always been Orthodox. I was also brought up in the hands of an Orthodox father. I have never held the views of Apollinarius, God forbid, nor those of Arius or Eunomius, nor those of any other heretic. On the contrary, I anathematize them.4
Μὴ γὰρ δὴ τινὲς ἁπλῶς ἀλλοκότους ἐμείτωσαν καθ᾽ ἡμῶν λόγους, τὰ Ἀπολιναρίου με φρονεῖν ἐπιφημίζοντες ἢ γοῦν τὰ Ἀρείου ἢ Εὐνομίου, καθὰ γεγράφασιν ἐν τῆι Ἐφεσίων. ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος χάριν ἀεὶ γέγονα καὶ ὀρθόδοξος, ἐτράφην δὲ καὶ εἰς χεῖρας ὀρθοδόξου πατρὸς καὶ οὔτε τὰ Ἀπολιναρίου πεφρόνηκα πώποτε, μὴ γένοιτο, οὔτε τὰ Ἀρείου ἢ Εὐνομίου οὔτε μὴν τὰ ἑτέρου τινὸς τῶν αἱρετικῶν, ἀναθεματίζω δὲ μᾶλλον αὐτούς.4
I do not say that the body of Christ was without a soul. I confess that it was given life by a rational soul (psychē logikē). I do not claim that any confusion (synchysis), mixing (phyrmos), or blending (anakrasis) took place, as some say. I know that the Word of God is unchangeable and unalterable by nature (kata physin), and that in his own nature (physis) he cannot receive any suffering. For the divine cannot suffer (apathes); not even 'the shadow of turning' (Jas 1:17) can touch it. It stands firm in its own goods and remains unshaken in what it is. But I say that the one Christ and Lord, the only-begotten Son of God, suffered for us in the flesh, according to the Scriptures, that is, in the words of the blessed Peter (1 Pet 4:1). As for the chapters (kephalaia), their force was written against the doctrines of Nestorius alone. They throw out what he said and thought wrongly. Those who anathematize and reject his false teaching will stop attacking what we wrote, because they will see that the meaning of the chapters is aimed only at his blasphemies. Once communion is restored and peace is made between the churches, the people there will be free to write to us without fear, and we to them. Then, very easily, if anything we have written has not been rightly understood by some, it will be made perfectly clear. With God's help we will show them, no longer as opponents but as brothers, that everything is in order. Nothing we wrote in fighting the doctrines of Nestorius is out of tune with the holy and God-inspired Scriptures, or with the definition (horos) of faith set out by the holy Fathers, I mean those who met at Nicaea long ago.5
οὐ γὰρ ἄψυχον λέγω τὸ σῶμα Χριστοῦ, ὁμολογῶ δὲ ὅτι ἐψύχωτο ψυχῆι λογικῆι, καὶ οὔτε σύγχυσιν ἢ φυρμὸν ἢ ἀνάκρασιν γεγενῆσθαι διισχυρίζομαι, καθά φασί τινες, ἄτρεπτον δὲ καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον ὑπάρχοντα κατὰ φύσιν τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον ἐπίσταμαι καὶ παντὸς ἀνεπίδεκτον πάθους κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν φύσιν. ἀπαθὲς γὰρ τὸ θεῖον καὶ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα παθεῖν οὐκ ἀνέχεται, ἐρήρεισται δὲ μᾶλλον ἐν ἰδίοις ἀγαθοῖς, ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἀκράδαντον τὴν ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἐστι διαμονήν. ἕνα δὲ ὄντα Χριστὸν καὶ κύριον τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱόν, τοῦτον λέγω παθεῖν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σαρκὶ κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς ἤτοι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ μακαρίου Πέτρου φωνήν. ἡ δέ γε τῶν κεφαλαίων δύναμις κατὰ τῶν Νεστορίου δογμάτων γέγραπται μόνων· ἃ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος εἴρηκέ τε καὶ πεφρόνηκεν οὐκ ὀρθῶς, ταῦτα ἐκβάλλει. οἱ δὲ ἀναθεματίζοντες καὶ ἀρνούμενοι τὴν κακοδοξίαν αὐτοῦ παύσονται τοῖς παρ᾽ ἡμῶν ἐπιπλήττοντες· ὄψονται γὰρ τὰς τῶν κεφαλαίων ἐννοίας κατὰ μόνων τῶν ἐκείνου χωρούσας δυσφημιῶν. ἀποδοθείσης δὲ τῆς κοινωνίας καὶ γενομένης εἰρήνης μεταξὺ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, ὅτε καὶ γράφειν ἀδεῶς ἐξέσται τοῖς μὲν αὐτόθι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἡμῖν δὲ πάλιν αὐτοῖς, τότε καὶ μάλα ῥαιδίως, εἴ τί περ ὅλως οὐ νενόηται τισὶν ὀρθῶς τῶν παρ᾽ ἡμῶν γεγραμμένων, τοῦτο καταλευκανθήσεται. πληροφορήσομεν γὰρ σὺν θεῶι οὐχ ὡς ἔτι μαχομένους, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἀδελφούς, ὅτι πάντα ὀρθῶς ἔχει, καὶ ὧν γεγράφαμεν ἡμεῖς τοῖς Νεστορίου μαχόμενοι δόγμασιν, ἀπᾶιδον οὐδὲν ὅλως ἐστὶν ἢ ταῖς ἁγίαις καὶ θεοπνεύστοις γραφαῖς ἢ γοῦν τῶι ἐκτεθέντι τῆς πίστεως ὅρωι παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων, τῶν ἐν Νικαίαι φημὶ συνεδρευσάντων κατὰ καιρούς.5
Our aim, then, is peace. We are ready to follow what the most pious and God-loving emperor has decreed: that is, to enter into communion and agreement with those who are willing to accept the deposition of Nestorius and who anathematize his foul doctrines. Christ is bringing this about, for 'he is our peace' (Eph 2:14), according to the Scriptures. But no one would tolerate those who say that what we wrote against the profane doctrines of Nestorius must be thrown out. They plainly want us to be speechless before his blasphemies, and they are working to silence everyone. Or perhaps they think they can someday persuade us too to hold his views, if we deny our own writings, which are right, blameless, and opposed to his novelties of speech? And if some people there, as it suits them, are tearing certain statements apart and twisting their meaning in the wrong direction, let them know that in doing this they are setting themselves against all the most God-fearing bishops throughout the world. All of them have agreed, and still agree, that what we said is right and correctly stated, and they are careful examiners of the divine doctrines. Your piety should also consider this: the peace must be made in such a way that it does not displease any of the most God-loving bishops throughout the whole Roman Empire. That way it will be truly universal (oikoumenikē), and we will not mend one schism only to create many others. They will certainly not agree if anything unreasonable is done, and this must be our special concern. At Ephesus everyone held firm and refused communion with those from the East. They insisted that it would not happen until the Easterners accepted the deposition of Nestorius and joined us in anathematizing his doctrines. If that does not happen, how will communion stand? And who will not cry out against us, as men who have betrayed their own souls and denied the right faith, if we throw out as wrongly stated what pleased everyone?
ἡμεῖς τοίνυν εἰς εἰρήνην ἔχομεν τὸν σκοπὸν ηὐτρεπίσμεθά τε κατακολουθεῖν τοῖς ὁρισθεῖσι παρὰ τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου καὶ θεοφιλεστάτου βασιλέως, οὕτω δηλονότι ὡς τῆι Νεστορίου καθαιρέσει συναινεῖν ἐθέλουσι καὶ ἀναθεματίζουσιν αὐτοῦ τὰ μιαρὰ δόγματα κοινωνῆσαί τε καὶ εἰς ὁμόνοιαν ἐλθεῖν, Χριστοῦ πρὸς τοῦτο συνείροντος· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς γραφάς. τῶν δὲ λεγόντων ἐκβάλλεσθαι δεῖν ἃ κατὰ τῶν βεβήλων Νεστορίου δογμάτων ἐγράψαμεν, ἀνάσχοιτο ἂν οὐδείς· ἐναργέστατα γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἀγλώττους εἶναι βούλονται ταῖς ἐκείνου δυσφημίαις τὴν παρὰ πάντων πραγματευόμενοι σιωπήν. ἢ τάχα ποτὲ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀναπείσειν οἴονται τὰ ἐκείνου φρονεῖν, εἰ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἀρνούμεθα ὀρθῶς τε καὶ ἀμωμήτως ἔχοντα καὶ ταῖς ἐκείνου καινοφωνίαις ἀντανιστάμενα; εἰ δέ τινες τῶν αὐτόθι κατὰ τὸ αὐτοῖς δοκοῦν διασύρουσί τινα, παρατρέποντες αὐτῶν ἐφ᾽ ἃ μὴ δεῖ τὰς ἐννοίας, ἀλλ᾽ ἴστωσαν ὅτι παρὰ πάντας τοὺς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ὄντας θεοσεβεστάτους ἐπισκόπους τοῦτο δρῶντες ἁλίσκονται. συνήινεσάν τε γὰρ καὶ συναινοῦσιν ἅπαντες τοῖς παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ὡς ὀρθῶς ἔχουσί τε καὶ εἰρημένοις, καίτοι τῶν θείων δογμάτων ἀκριβεῖς ὄντες ἐρευνηταί. κἀκεῖνο δὲ πρὸς τούτοις ἡ σὴ θεοσέβεια ἐννοείτω ὅτι χρὴ τὴν εἰρήνην οὕτω συντεθῆναι, ὥστε μηδενὶ ἀπαρέσαι τῶν κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν θεοφιλεστάτων ἐπισκόπων, ἵνα καὶ οἰκουμενικὴ γένηται καὶ μὴ σχίσμα συνάψαντες ἓν ἕτερα πολλὰ ποιήσωμεν. οὐ γὰρ συναινέσουσι πάντως, εἴ τι γένοιτο παρὰ τὸ εἰκός, καὶ μάλιστα τούτου φροντίσαι χρή. πάντων γὰρ ἐνστάντων ἐν τῆι Ἐφέσωι καὶ οὐκ ἀνασχομένων κοινωνῆσαι τοῖς ἐκ τῆς Ἀνατολῆς, προτεινόντων δὲ ὅτι οὐ πρότερον ἔσται τοῦτο, εἰ μὴ καταδέξαιντο τὴν καθαίρεσιν Νεστορίου καὶ ἀναθεματίσουσιν αὐτοῦ τὰ δόγματα μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν, πῶς τούτου μὴ γεγονότος τὰ τῆς κοινωνίας στήσεται; τίς δὲ ἡμῶν οὐ καταβοήσεται τὰς ἑαυτῶν προδεδωκότων ψυχὰς καὶ ἀρνησαμένων τὴν ὀρθὴν πίστιν καὶ ἃ πᾶσιν ἤρεσεν, ἡμῶν ἐκβαλόντων ὡς οὐκ ὀρθῶς εἰρημένα;
Once peace is made, must we not write to the leading bishops everywhere, the most prominent of the other God-fearing bishops, so that they too may agree and restore communion with the Easterners? And then who could persuade them, if anything were done against what all have decided, and against everyone's insistence that Nestorius must remain deposed and that his utterly outlandish teaching, or rather nonsense, against Christ the Savior of us all must be anathematized? The clergy of Alexandria, and all the most God-fearing bishops of the Egyptian diocese, were deeply grieved and could not bear what the Easterners had done against me. But my lord, the most admirable tribune Aristolaus, calmed them so well that he made the road to peace very smooth for me and brought everyone around to this view. I owe his excellency the deepest gratitude. He worked with me in everything and, by sound reasoning, removed what was causing grief.6
ἢ οὐ δεῖ πάντως ἡμᾶς γενομένης εἰρήνης ἐπιστεῖλαι τοῖς ἁπανταχοῦ ἐπισημοτέροις τῶν ἄλλων θεοσεβεστάτων ἐπισκόπων, ὥστε καὶ αὐτοὺς ὁμογνωμονήσαντας ἀποδοῦναι τὴν κοινωνίαν αὐτοῖς; εἶτα τίς ὁ ἀναπείθων αὐτούς, εἴ τι γένοιτο παρὰ τὸ πᾶσι δοκοῦν καὶ τὴν εἰς τοῦτο παρὰ πάντων ἔνστασιν εἰς τὸ χρῆναι καθηιρημένον ἔχειν Νεστόριον ἀναθεματίσαι τε τὴν ἐκτοπωτάτην αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ φλυαρίαν κατὰ τοῦ πάντων ἡμῶν σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ; λυπουμένους δὲ σφόδρα καὶ ἀφορήτως ἔχοντας διὰ τὰ κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ πεπραγμένα παρὰ τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἀνατολῆς τούς τε ἀπὸ τοῦ κλήρου τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας, καὶ πάντας δὲ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Αἰγυπτιακὴν διοίκησιν θεοσεβεστάτους ἐπισκόπους κατεπράυνεν οὕτως ὁ κύριός μου ὁ θαυμασιώτατος τριβοῦνος Ἀριστόλαος, ὥστε μοι καὶ λειοτάτην ἀπεργάσασθαι τὴν εἰς τὴν εἰρήνην ὁδὸν καὶ εἰς τοῦτο γνώμης ἐλθεῖν ἅπαντας. καὶ πλείστην ὅσην ὁμολογῶ τῆι θαυμασιότητι αὐτοῦ τὴν χάριν, συνεργασαμένωι πρὸς ἅπαντα καὶ τοῖς καθήκουσι λογισμοῖς ἀφανίσαντι τὸ λυποῦν.6
Greet the brothers who are with you. The brothers who are with us greet you in the Lord.
Πρόσειπε τὴν παρὰ σοὶ ἀδελφότητα· σὲ ἡ σὺν ἡμῖν ἐν κυρίωι προσαγορεύει.