Letter
CCXVIII.
2853
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
Brother
Ælianus
has himself completed
the business concerning which he came, and has stood in need of
no aid from me. I owe him, however, double thanks, both for
bringing me a letter from your reverence and for affording me an
opportunity of writing to you. By him, therefore, I salute
your true and unfeigned love, and beseech you to pray for me more
than ever now, when I stand in such need of the aid of your
prayers. My health has suffered terribly from the journey
to Pontus and my sickness is unendurable. One thing I have
long been anxious to make known to you. I do not mean to
say that I have been so affected by any other cause as to forget
it, but now I wish to put you in mind to send some good man into
Lycia, to enquire who are of the right faith, for peradventure
they ought not to be neglected, if indeed the report is true,
which has been brought to me by a pious traveller from thence,
that they have become altogether alienated from the opinion of
the Asiani
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and wish to
embrace communion with us. If any one is to go let him
enquire at Corydala
2855
for
Alexander, the late monk, the bishop; at Limyra
2856
for Diotimus, and at Myra
2857
for Tatianus, Polemo,
2858
and Macarius presbyters; at
Patara
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for
Eudemus,
2860
the bishop;
at Telmessus
2861
for Hilarius,
the bishop; at Phelus for Lallianus, the bishop. Of these
and of more besides I have been informed that they are sound in
the faith, and
I have
been grateful to God that even any in the Asian region should be
clear of the heretic’s pest. If, then, it be
possible, let us in the meanwhile make personal enquiry about
them. When we have obtained information I am for writing a
letter, and am anxious to invite one of them to meet me.
God grant that all may go well with that Church at Iconium, which
is so dear to me. Through you I salute all the honourable
clergy and all who are associated with your
reverence.
2853
Placed in
375.
2854
i.e.
the inhabitants of the Roman province of
Asia.
cf
.
Acts xx. 4
.
Ασιανοὶ δὲ
Τυχικὸς καὶ
Τρόφιμος
.
2855
Corydalla, now Hadginella, is on the road between Lystra and
Patara. There are ruins of a theatre.
cf
. Plin.
v. 25.
2856
Now
Phineka.
2857
So the Ben.
ed. Other readings are
ἐν
Κύροις
and
ἐν
Νύροις
On Myra
cf
.
Acts xxvii.
5
, on which
Conybeare and Howson refer to Fellows’
Asia Minor
,
p. 194 and Spratt and Forbes’s
Lycia
.
2858
Afterwards
bishop of Myra, and as such at Constantinople 381, Labbe 1,
665.
2859
cf
.
Acts xxi. 1
.
2860
At
Constantinople in 381.
2861
Now Macri,
where the ruins are remarkable.