Letter
CXXII.
2402
To Pœmenius
,
2403
bishop of Satala
.
When
the Armenians returned by
your way you no doubt asked for a letter from them, and you learnt why
I had not given the letter to them. If they spoke as truth lovers
should, you forgave me on the spot; if they kept anything back (which I
do not suppose), at all events hear it from me.
The most illustrious Anthimus, who long ago made peace
with me, when he found an opportunity of satisfying his own vain
gloriousness, and of causing me some vexation, consecrated Faustus, by
his own authority and with his own hand, without waiting for any
election from you, and ridiculing my punctiliousness in such
matters. Inasmuch, then, as he has confounded ancient order and
has made light of you, for whose election I was waiting, and has acted
in a manner, as I view it, displeasing to God, for these reasons I felt
pained with them, and gave no letter for any of the Armenians, not even
for your reverence. Faustus I would not even receive into
communion, thereby plainly testifying that, unless he brought me a
letter from you, I should be permanently alienated from him, and should
influence those of the same mind with me to treat him in the same
manner. If there is any remedy for these things, be sure to write
to me yourself, giving your testimony to him, if you see that his life
is good; and exhort the rest. If on the other hand the mischief
is incurable, let me perfectly understand it to be so, that I may no
longer take them into account; although really, as they have proved,
they have agreed, for the future, to transfer their communion to
Anthimus, in contempt of me and of my Church, as though my friendship
were no longer worth having.
2402
Placed in
373.
2403
On the
same subject as the preceding.
cf. Letters
cii.,
ccxxvii., ccxxviii., ccxxix., and cxxx.