# Letters - Author: [Gregory of Nazianzus](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/gregory-of-nazianzus/) - Latin title: *Epistulae* - Date: ca. 360–390 (approximate) - Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 37 (Paris: Migne, 1862), cols. 21–388, reprinting the Benedictine edition of the Maurists - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/ - Passages: 182 ## Letter 21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-21 - Source: PG 37:21a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory apologizes to Basil for not joining him in the monastic life, offering to share their time between them; the opening of the next letter is lost. ### Greek text Ἐψευσάμην, ὁμολογῶ, τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, συνέσεσθαί σοι καὶ συμφιλοσοφήσειν καθομολογήσας ἐκ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν ἔτι, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖσε φιλίας καὶ συμφυΐαςο οὗ γὰρ ἔχω τι τούτων εἰπεῖν οἰκειότερον. Ἐψευσάμην δὲ οὐχ ἑκὼν, ἀλλὰ νόμου νόμον νικήσαντος, τοῦ θεραπεύειν κελεύσαντος τοὺς γεννήτορας, τὸν τῆς ἑταιρείας καὶ συνηθείας. Οὐ μὴν παντάπασι ψεύσομαι, ἂν τοῦτο αὐτὸς καταδέξῃ. Τὰ μὲν τὰρ ἡμεῖς σοι συνεσόμεθαο τὰ δὲ αὐτὸς ἡμῖν θέλησον, ἶνʼ τὰ πάντα κοινὰ, καὶ τὸ τῆς φιλίας ὁμότιμον. Οὕτω γὰρ ὑπάρξει, καὶτὸ τούτους μὴ λυα πεῖν, καὶ τὸ σοῦ τυγχάνειν. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 1. To Basil] I have broken my promise, I confess. While we were still at Athens I agreed to live with you and to pursue philosophy with you, as part of the friendship and close union we had there; for I have nothing more fitting to call it. But I broke it not willingly: one law defeated another, the law that bids us care for our parents defeated the law of companionship and intimacy. Yet I shall not break it altogether, if you yourself will accept this: for part of the time we shall be with you, and for part do you be willing to be with us, so that we may have everything in common and our friendship may be equal in honour. In this way it will come about both that they are not grieved and that I have you. [Letter 2. To Basil] … ### Translation notes - Letter numbers follow Migne (PG 37). Lines are lost at the foot of this page in the scan: the beginning of Letter 2 (to Basil) is missing (marked …). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 21 (PG 37:21a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-21). ## Letter 23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-23 - Source: PG 37:24a–24b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of Gregory's teasing reply to Basil about city and country, and a letter to Evagrius thanking him for praise of his son, whom Gregory taught the fear of God. ### Greek text σὺ, καὶ ἁκροβἁμων, καὶ τὰς πλάκας κατακροαίνων, καὶ ὑπόπτερε σὺ, καὶ μετάρσιε, καὶ τῷ ’Δδάριδος ὀϊστῷ συμφερόμενε, ἵνα καὶ Καππαδόκης ὢν, φύγῃς τὰ Καππαδοκίας. Ἢ ἁδικοῦμεν δτι ὑμεῖς μὲν ὠχριᾶτε, καὶ στενὸν ἀναπνεῖτε, καὶ μετρεῖσθε τὸν ἥλιον· ἡμεῖς δὲ λιπῶμεν, καὶ κορεννύμεθα, καὶ οὒ περιγεγραμμεθα; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ὑμῶν ἔστι. Τρυφᾶτε δὲ, καὶ πλουτεῖτε, καὶ ἀγοράξετε ο τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπαινῶ. Ἢ τοίνυν παῦσαι τοὺς πηλοὺς ὀνειδίζων ἡμῖν, (οὔτε γὰρ σὺ τὴν πόλιν ἐδημιούργησας, οὔτε τὸν xstμῶνα ἡμεῖςʼ) ἤ καὶ ἡμεῖς σοι προσοίσομεν ἀντὶ τῶν πηλῶν τοὺς καπήλους (ιι), καὶ ὅσα αῖ πόλεις μοχθηρὰ φέρουσιν. r'. ΕΥΔΙῬΙῼ. Ἦσθην ἐπαινούμενος. Τὸ γὰρ τὸν υἱὸν ἡμῶν Εὑάγριον εὐδοκιμεῖν, ἡμᾶς ἐστιν εὐδοκιμεῖνσ τέκνων γὰρ ἀρετὴ, δόξα πατέρων. Ἡμεῖς δὲ, εἰς λόγους μὲν, οὐδὲν ἢ μικρὸν ἴσως σύνισμεν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ὠφελήσασι τὸν σὺν υἱὸν (οὐδὲ γὰρ μέγα ἡμῖν τὸ τῶν λόγων) ιν δὲ ἀντὶ πάντων αὐτῷ καὶ μέγιστον ουνεισηνὲγκαμεν, οὐκ ἀρνήσομαι, τδν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον, καὶ τὸ πεῖσαι τῶν παρόντων καταφρο· νεῖν. Ἐκείνῳ μὲν οὖν τὰ κάλλιστα συνηυξάμεοὰ τε καὶ συνευχόμεθα, ἵνʼ ἃς ἔλασε παρʼἡμῶν ἀρχὰς. τελέως καρποφορήσῃ, καί τινα τῆς σπουδῆς καρπὸν ἑνεγκὼμεβα. Τῇ δὲ σῇ τιμιότητι πᾶσα χάρις, ὅτι καὶ μεμνῆσθαι ἡμῶν ἀξιοῖς, καὶιιοῖς ὑπομνήμασι τιμᾷν τῆς φιλίας. ’Δπερ οὺ μικρὰ ὄντα μειζόνως ὑπεδεξάμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 2, continued] … you, who walk on tiptoe and stamp on the paving stones, you winged one, you soaring one, carried along on the arrow of Abaris, so that, though a Cappadocian, you may escape Cappadocia. Or do we wrong you because you are pale and short of breath and have the sun measured out to you, while we are sleek and well fed and not hemmed in? Yet these things are yours. You live in luxury, and are rich, and haunt the market place: this I do not praise. So either stop reproaching us with the mud (for neither did you build the city, nor did we make the winter), or we in turn will bring against you, instead of mud, the hucksters, and all the base things that cities produce. [Letter 3. To Evagrius] I was glad to be praised. For the good repute of our son Evagrius is our good repute; the virtue of children is the glory of their fathers. As for literature, we are conscious of having helped your son little or nothing (for our attainment in letters is not great); but one thing, in place of all others and the greatest, we did contribute to him, I will not deny it: the fear of God, and persuading him to despise present things. For him, then, we have prayed and still pray for the best, that he may bring to full fruit the beginnings he took from us, and that we may reap some fruit of our zeal. To your Honour all thanks, that you think fit to remember us and to honour us with tokens of friendship; and these, though not small, we received as even greater. … ### Extrabiblical texts - Herodotus, Hist. 4.36 (Herodotus, Histories): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Abaris: the legendary Hyperborean who travelled on an arrow (Herodotus 4.36). The mud is that of Gregory's country place, which Basil had mocked. The text is garbled in places in the scan and read by sense. The beginning of Letter 4 (to Basil), which begins on this page in Migne, is lost in the scan (marked …). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 23 (PG 37:24a–24b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-23). ## Letter 25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-25 - Source: PG 37:25a–25d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory teases Basil about his retreat in Pontus, mocking its gloom, narrow road, gullies, thorns, cliffs, and roaring river. ### Greek text μειδξα μόνον, καὶ τῆς παιδεύσεως ἐμφοροῦ1 καὶ φιλίας ἡμῶν ἀπόλαυε. Πάντα ἡμῖν χρηστά ἃ παρά σοῦ, ὁποῖα ποτʼ ἂν ᾖ, καὶ ὅπως ἂν ἔχῃ. Καὶ γάρ μοι καὶ τά ἐνταῦθα σκώπτειν δοκεῖς, οὐχ ἵνα σκώψῃς, ἀλλʼ ἵνα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἑλκύσῃς. (εἴ τί γε ἐγώ σου συνίημʼ) ὥσπερ ot τά ῥεύματα φράσσοντες, ἶνʼ ἀλλαχοῦ μθελκὺσωσι. Τοιαῦτα ἡμῖν ἀεὶ τὰ σά. Ἐγὼ δέ σου τὸν Πόντον θαυμάσομαι, κα) τὴν Ποντικὴν ζοφηφορίαν, καὶ τὴν φυγῆς ἀξίαν μονὴν, τούς τε ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς λόφους, καὶ θῆρας, οἳ τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν δοκιμάζουσι, καὶ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ἐσχατιὰν, εἴτʼ οὖν μυωξέαν μετά τῶν σεμνῶν ὀνομάτων τοῦ φροντιστηρίου, καὶ τοῦ μοναστηρίου, καὶ τῆς σχολῆς, λόχμας τε ἀγρίων φυτῶν, καὶ βαθυκρήμνων ὀρῶν στέφανον, ὑφʼ οῦ μὴ στεφανοῦσθε, ἀλλὰ συγκλιίεσθε, τὸν δὲ μετρούμενον άέρα, mi. τὸν ποθούμενον ἥλιον, δν ὡς διὰ κάπνης αὑγάζεσθε, ὦ Ποντικοὶ Κιμμέριοι καὶ οὐ τὴν ἑξάμηνον νύκτα μόνον κατακριθέντες. ὂ δή τινες λέγονται, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μέρος τῆς ζωῆς ἄσκιον ἔχοντες, μίαν δὲ νύκτα μακράν τὸν ἅπαντα βίον, καὶ δν·τως σκιὰν θανάτου, ἵνʼ είπω τὸ τῆς Γραφῆςο Ἐπαινῶ καὶ τὴν στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην ὁδὸν, (οὐκ οἶδα εἴτε εἰς βασιλείαν, εἴτε εἰς ᾅδου φέρουσαν, σοῦ δὲ ἕνεκεν είς βασιλείαν φερέτω,) xal. τὴν ὲν μέσῳ, τί βούλει, πότερον Ἑδὲμ ὀνομάσω ψευδόμενος, καὶ τὴν είς τέσσαρας ἀρχὰς μεριζομένην πηγὴν, ἐξ ἧς ή οικουμένη ποτίζεται,ἦ τὴν ξηράν καὶ ἀνικμον ἐρημίαν, ἦν τις ήμερώσει Μωσῆς, ῥάβδῳ πέτραν πηγάσαςς Ἔστι γὰρ ὅσον μὲν διαπέφευγε τὰς πέτρας, χαραδρεώνο ὅσον δὲ τὰς χαράδρας, ἀκανθεώνο ὅσον δὲ ὑπὲρ τάς ἀκάνθας, γρημνός· καὶ ή ὑπὲρ τοῦτον ὁδὸς, ὲπίκρημνός τε καὶ άμφιτάλαντος, τῶν ὁδευόντων τὸν νοῦν συνάγουσα καὶ γυμνάζουσα πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν. Ποταμὸς δὲ κάτω ῥοχθεῖ, οὗτος ὁ Ἀμφιπολίτης σοι Στρυμὼν κα) ήσύχιος καὶ οὐκ ίχθυοφόρος μᾶλλον, ἢ λιθοφόρος ο οὐδὲ είς λίμνην ἀναχεόμενος, ἀλλʼ εἰς βάθη κατασυρόμενος, ὦ λίαν ὑψήγορε σὺ, καὶ ποιητά καινῶν ὀνομάτων. Ἐστι γὰρ μέγας, καὶ φοβερὸς, καὶ ὑπερηχῶν τῶν ἀνω τὰς ψαλμῳδίας. οὐδὲν πρὸς τοῦτον oi κται, καὶ oi Κατάδουποι ’ τοσοῦτον ὑμῶν ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 4, continued] … only smile, and take your fill of learning, and enjoy our friendship. Everything that comes from you is good to us, whatever it is and however it stands. For indeed you seem to me to mock things here too, not in order to mock but to draw us to yourself (if I understand you at all), like those who dam streams to divert them elsewhere. Such are your ways with us always. But I will admire your Pontus and the Pontic gloom, and the dwelling worthy of flight; the crests over your head, and the wild beasts that test your faith; and the remote spot lying beneath, or rather the mousehole, with its grand names of “thinking-place”, “monastery”, and “school”; the thickets of wild plants and the crown of steep-cliffed mountains, by which you are not crowned but shut in; the air doled out by measure, and the longed-for sun, which you glimpse as through a chimney, O Pontic Cimmerians, condemned not only to a six-month night, as some are said to be, but having not even a part of life free from shadow: the whole of life one long night and truly a shadow of death, to use the words of Scripture. I praise also the narrow and hard-pressed road (I do not know whether it leads to the kingdom or to Hades; but for your sake let it lead to the kingdom), and the land in the middle: what would you have me call it? Shall I falsely name it Eden, and the spring divided into four heads from which the world is watered, or the dry and waterless desert which some Moses will tame, making water spring from the rock with his rod? For whatever has escaped the rocks is gullies; whatever has escaped the gullies is thorn-brakes; whatever is above the thorns is cliff; and the road above this is precipitous and sloping both ways, concentrating the travellers' minds and training them for safety. And below a river roars, this your Strymon of Amphipolis, so “quiet”, carrying stones rather than fish, not spreading into a lake but swept down into the depths, O you most grandiloquent coiner of new names! For it is great and fearsome, and drowns the psalmody of those above; the Cataracts and the Catadupa are nothing to it, so loudly does it ### Scripture references - Ps 23:4 (22:4 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Matt 7:14: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:10: allusion, high confidence - Exod 17:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Gregory parodies Basil's own description of his retreat (Basil, Letter 14). “Shadow of death”: Ps 23:4 (LXX 22:4) and similar passages; the narrow road: Matt 7:14; the four heads of the river: Gen 2:10; Moses and the rock: Exod 17:6. Catadupa: the cataracts of the Nile. Some words are garbled in the scan and read by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 25 (PG 37:25a–25d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-25). ## Letter 27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-27 - Source: PG 37:28a–28d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory finishes his mockery of Basil's river and retreat, then begins a second teasing letter on its roofless hut and starvation fare. ### Greek text ιατασοᾷ νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας. Τραχὺς μὲν ὢν. ε ἄπορος δέ · καὶ θολερὸς μὲν, ἄποτος δέ· οὗ τοῦτο ’ μόνον φιλάνθρωπον, i'rrt μὴ παρασύρει τὴν μονὴν ὑμῶν, ὅταν αὑτὸν αἱ χαράδραι καὶ οἱ χειμῶνες έκμαὶνωσιν. ’Δ μὲν οὖν ἡμεῖς σύνισμεν, ταῖς τῶν Μακάρων νήσοις ταύταις εἴτʼ οὖν τῶν μακαρίων ὑμῶν, ταῦτά ἐστι. Σὺ δὲ μὴ θαύμαζε τοὺς μηνοειδεῖς ἀγκῶνας, τὰ βάσιμα τῆς ὑπωρείας ὑμῶν ἀπαγχονίζοντας μᾶλλον, ἦ ἀποτειχίζοντας, καὶ τὸν κορυφῆς ὑπερτέλλοντα τένοντα, δς Ταντάλειον ὑμῖν ποιεῖ τήν ζωὴν, τάς τε διαρρεούσας αὔρας, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἀναπνοὰς, αϊ λειποθυμοῠντας ὑμᾶς ἀναψύχουσι, τούς τε ᾠδικοὺς ὄρνιθας, ᾅδοντας μὲν, ἀλλὰ τὸν λιμόν· καὶ περιιπταμένους μὲν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐρημίαν. Ἐπιδημεῖ δὲ οὐδεὶς, ἔτι μὴ κατὰ θήραν, λέγεις · πρόσθες, καὶ ὥστε νεκροὺς ὑμᾶς ἐπισκέπτεσθαι. Ταῦτα μακρότερα μὲν ἴσως ἢ κατʼ ἐπιστολὴν, ἐλάττω δὲ κωμῳδίας. Σὺ δὲ ει μὲν οἴσεις μετρίως τὴν παιδιὰν, ὀρθῶς ποιήσεις ’ εί δὲ μὴ, καὶ πλείω προσθήσομεν. Ἐπειδὴ φέρεις μετρίως τὴν παιδιὰν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς προσθήσομεν. Ἐξ Ὀμήρου δὲ τὸ προοίμιον· Ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ, μετάβηθι, καὶ τὸν si); κόσμον war, ισον, τὴν ἄστεγον σκέπην καὶ ἄθυρον, τὴν ἄπυρον ἑστίαν καὶ ἄκαπνον, τοὺς πυρὶ ξηραινομένους τοίχους, ἴνα μὴ ταῖς τοῦ πηλοῦ ῥανίσι βαλλὼμεθα, Ταντάλιοί τινες καὶ κατάκριτοι, διψῶντες ὲν ὕδασι ο τὴν ἐλεεινὴν ἐκείνην καὶ ἄτροφον πανδαισίαν, ἐφʼ ἠν ἀπὸ Καππαδοκίας ἐκλήθημεν, οὐχ ὡς Λωτοφάγων πενίαν, ἀλλʼ ὡς Ἀλκινόου τράπεζαν, ἡμεῖς οἱ ### English translation (Claude) roars night and day. It is rough, and unfordable; muddy, and undrinkable; its one kindness is that it does not sweep away your dwelling when the torrents and storms drive it mad. These, then, are the things we know of these Islands of the Blessed, or rather of you blessed ones. Do not admire the crescent-shaped bends that strangle rather than wall off the accessible parts of your foothills, and the ridge rising above the summit that makes your life a life of Tantalus, and the breezes blowing through and the breathings of the earth that revive you when you faint, and the songbirds that sing, but of hunger, and fly about, but over a desert. No one visits, except for hunting, you say; add: and to visit you as dead men. This is perhaps longer than suits a letter, but shorter than a comedy. If you take the jest calmly, you will do well; if not, we will add still more. [Letter 5. To the same] Since you take the jest calmly, we will add what follows. The prelude is from Homer: “But come now, change your theme, and sing of the adornment within”: the roofless and doorless shelter, the hearth without fire or smoke, the walls dried by fire so that we should not be spattered by drops of mud, like some Tantaluses condemned to thirst in the midst of water; that pitiable banquet without food, to which we were summoned from Cappadocia, not as to the poverty of the Lotus-eaters but as to the table of Alcinous, we the ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Od. 8.492 (Homer, Odyssey): quotation, high confidence - Homer, Od. 11.582-592 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Homeric line is Od. 8.492, adapted (Homer sings of the wooden horse). Tantalus: Od. 11.582–592. The Lotus-eaters and Alcinous: Od. 9.82–104 and Books 7–8. Letter 5 is headed “to the same” (Basil). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 27 (PG 37:28a–28d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-27). ## Letter 29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-29 - Source: PG 37:29a–29d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory recalls the meagre food and hard labour of his stay with Basil in Pontus and their rescue by Basil's mother. ### Greek text νέοι ναυαγοί τε καὶ τλήμονες. Μέμνημαι γὰρ τῶν ἄρτων ἐκείνων, καὶ τῶν ζωμῶν (οὕτω γὰρ ὠνομάζοντο), ἀλλὰ καὶ μνήσομαι, κα) τῶν περιολισθαινόνο των τοῖς βλωμοῖς ὀδόντων, εἶτα ἀνισχομένων, καὶ ἀνελκομένων ὥσπερ ἐκ τέλματος. Αὐτὸς ταῦτα τραγῳδησεις ὑψηλότερον, ὲκ τῶν οίκείων παθῶν ἔχων τὸ μεγαλόφωνον ὧν εί μὴ ταχέως ἡμᾶς ἡ μεγάλη καὶ πτωχοτρόφος ὅντως ἐρρύσατο, τὴν σὴν λέγω μητέρα, ὥσπερ λιμὴν ὲν καιρῷ φανεῖσα χειμαζομένοις, πάλαι ἂν ἦμεν νεκροὶ, πίστεως Ποντικῆς οὐκ ἐπαινούμενοι μᾶλλον ἦ ὲλεούμενοι. Πῶς παρέλθω τοὺς ἀκήπους κήπους ἐκείνους καὶ ἀλαχάνους, καὶ την Δύγείου κόπρον ὲκ τῆς οίκίας ἐκκαθαιρομένην, τούτους ἀνεπληρώσαμεν, ἡνίκα τὴν γεωλόφον ἄμαξαν εἴλκομεν, ἐγώ τε ὁ βοτρύων, καὶὸ λαμπρὸς σὺ, τοῖς αὐχέσι τούτοις καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ ταύταις, αἳ τῶν πόνων ἔτι τὰ ίχνη φέρουσιν· (ὦ γῆ καὶ ἥλιε, ἀὴρ καὶ ἀρετή· τραγῳι δήσω γάρ τι μικρόν·) οὐχ ἴνα τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ζεύξωμεν, ἀλλʼ ἵνα κρημνὸν όμαλίσωμεν. Τούτοις εἰ μὲν οὐδὲν ἀχθεσθήσῃ λεγομένοις, πάντως οὐδὲ ἡμεῖςʼ εί δὲ ἀχθεσθήσῃ, πόσον γενομένοις ἡμεῖςʼ καὶ τὰ πλείω παρήσομεν, αἰδοῖ τῶν ἄλλων, ὧν πολλῶν ἀπελαύσαμεν. ςʼ. To ΔΥἸᾨ (ιο). ### English translation (Claude) young, shipwrecked wretches. For I remember those loaves and those broths (so they were called), and I will go on remembering them, and our teeth slipping on the morsels, then getting a grip and being dragged out as from a bog. You yourself will declaim these things more tragically, since your own sufferings give you a lofty voice. And had not that great and truly poor-nourishing woman quickly rescued us from them, I mean your mother, appearing like a harbour in good time to the storm-tossed, we should long since have been dead, not praised for our Pontic faith so much as pitied. How shall I pass over those gardens that were no gardens and grew no vegetables, and the dung of Augeas cleared out of the house, with which we filled them, when we dragged the cart heaped high as a hill, I the vine-dresser and you the illustrious one, with these necks and these hands, which still bear the marks of the labours (O earth and sun, air and virtue! for I will be a little tragic), not to bridge the Hellespont but to level a cliff? If you are not at all vexed when these things are told, neither, of course, are we; but if you are vexed, how much more were we when they were done! And we will pass over most of it, out of respect for the other things, many of which we enjoyed. [Letter 6. To the same] ### Extrabiblical texts - Herodotus, Hist. 7.33-36 (Herodotus, Histories): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Basil's mother is Emmelia. Augeas: the stables cleansed by Heracles. Bridging the Hellespont: Xerxes (Herodotus 7.33–36). “I the vine-dresser” renders an uncertain reading (βοτρύων). Letter 6 is headed “to the same” (Basil); its opening lines are lost at the foot of this page in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 29 (PG 37:29a–29d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-29). ## Letter 31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-31 - Source: PG 37:32a–32c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter to Basil recalling their shared work in Pontus, and the start of a letter urging Gregory's brother Caesarius to leave service at Julian's court. ### Greek text n Λ ραν, ὑφʼ ἧς οὐχὶ βασιλεὺς ἐκαθέζετο τεθρυμμέ· νος, ἀλλὰ μοναστὴς τετρυχωμένος, ἠν ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, ’Λπολλὼς ἐπότισεν, ἠ σὴ τιμιότης, ἀλλʼ ό Θεὸς ηὔξησεν, είς τιμὴν ἡμετέραν, ἵνα ὑπόμνημα σώζηται παρʼ ὑμῖν τῆς ἡμετέρας φιλοπονίας, ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ κιβωτῷ λέγεται καὶ πιστεύεται ἠ ῥάβδος ’Δαρὼν ἡ βλαστήσασα. Ταῦτα εὖξασθαι μὲν ῥᾷστον, λαβεῖν δὲ οὑ ῥᾴδιον. Ἀλλά μοι καὶ πάρεσο, καῖ σύμπνει τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ συνεργάζου, καὶ ἣν ποτὲ συνελέξαμεν ὠφέλειαν, συντήρει διὰ τῶν προσευχῶν, ἵνα μὴκατὰ μικρὸν ὥσπερ σκιὰ λυθῶμεν, κλνινούσης ἡμέρας. Ὡς ἐγὼ σὲ πνέω μᾶλλον ἢ τὸν ἀέραο καὶ τοῦτο ζῶ μόνον, ὃ μετὰ σοῦ γίνομαι, ἢ 2'. ΚΔΙΣΑΡΞῼ (ιδ). d Ἰκανῶς ἡρυθριάσαμεν ἐπὶ σοιʼ το γὰρ ὅτιλέλυd πήθημεν, τί χρὴ γρᾶσειν, τῷ γε πάντων μάλιστα ιθ πεπεισμένως Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ τὰ ἡμέτερα λέγωμεν, μηδέ ὅσης ἀθυμίας ἐνέπλησεν ἡμᾶς ὴ περὶ σὲ φήμη, δὸς δὲ εἰπεῖν καὶ δέους, ἐβουλόμην, εἷ πως οἷόν τε ἦν, παρεῖναί σε τοῖς τῶν ἄλλων λόγοις, oiκείων τε ὀμοὶωςικαὶ ξένων, τῶν ὁπωσοῦν γνωρίμων ἡμῖν, ἀλλʼ οὖν Χριστιανῶν, οὓς περὶ σοῦ τε καὶ ἡμῶν λέγουσι, οὐχ οἱ μὲν, οἱ δὲ οὓ, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἑξῆς ὁμοίως, ἐπειδὴ καὶ προθυμότερον ἐν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἢ τοῖς οἰκείοις φιλοσοφοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι. ’Ὠσπερ ἄλλη τις μελέτη γέγονεν αὐτιίς ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα. Νῦν μὲν υἱὸν ἐπισκόπου στρατεύεσθαι, νῦν δὲ ὀρέγεσθαι τῆς ἔξωθεν δυναστείας καὶ δὸξης, νῦν δὲ ἡττᾶσθαι χρημάτων (ὁπότε κοινὸν ἀνῆπται ι· D πῦρ, καὶ τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς δρόμον τρέχουσιν ἄν· θρωποι)’ ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ μίαν ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ δόξαν, καὶ ἀσφάλειαν, καὶ εὐπορίαν, τὸ γενναίως ἵστασθαι πρὸς τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ ὃτι πορρωτάτω ποιεῖν ἑαυτὸν παντὸς ἆγους τε καὶ μιάσματος. Πῶς δʼ ἂν ἄλλον νουθετήσειεν ὁ ἐπίσκοπος, μὴ παρασυρῆναι τῷ καιρῷ, ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 6, continued] … the plane tree, under which sat no pampered king but a worn-out monk; which I planted, Apollos watered (that is, your Honour), but God gave the growth, to our honour, so that a memorial of our industry might be kept among you, as Aaron's rod that budded is said and believed to have been kept in the ark. To pray for these things is very easy, to obtain them not easy. But be with me, and breathe virtue with me, and work with me, and by your prayers keep safe the benefit we once gathered together, so that we may not little by little be dissolved like a shadow as the day declines. For I breathe you more than the air, and live only so far as I am with you, either … [Letter 7. To Caesarius] We have been sufficiently put to shame on your account; that we have also been grieved, what need is there to write, to you of all men the most persuaded of it? Not to speak of our own feelings, or of how much despondency the report about you filled us with (and, let me say it, fear), I wished, if it had somehow been possible, that you could be present at what others are saying, relatives and strangers alike, people known to us in any way, Christians at any rate, about you and about us; not some saying one thing and some another, but all alike, one after another, since people are more eager to philosophize on others' affairs than on their own. These words have become a kind of set exercise for them: that a bishop's son should now serve the state, now covet outside power and glory, now be mastered by money (when a common fire has been kindled and men are running the race for their souls), instead of considering that the one glory and safety and wealth is to stand nobly against the times and to put oneself as far as possible from every pollution and defilement. How could the bishop admonish another not to be swept away by the times, ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 3:6: quotation, high confidence - Num 17:8: allusion, high confidence - Heb 9:4: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 109:23 (108:23 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Herodotus, Hist. 7.31 (Herodotus, Histories): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The plane tree: the “pampered king” is Xerxes, who honoured a plane tree (Herodotus 7.31). 1 Cor 3:6; Aaron's rod: Num 17:8–10; Heb 9:4. “Like a shadow as the day declines”: Ps 109:23 (LXX 108:23) and Ps 102:11 (LXX 101:12). Lines are lost before the last letter's heading (marked …). Caesarius, Gregory's brother, was a physician at the court of the emperor Julian; Gregory's father was bishop of Nazianzus. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 31 (PG 37:32a–32c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-31). ## Letter 33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-33 - Source: PG 37:33a–33c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory tells Caesarius of their father's distress and the danger to their mother, and warns that at Julian's court he must either be humbled or harm his soul. ### Greek text μηδὲ τοῖς εἰδώλοις συναναφύρεσθαις Πῶς δʼ ἂν τοῖς s ἄλλο τι πλη μμε).οῦαιν ἐπιτιμήσειεν, αὐτὸς ἀφʼ ἑστίας τὴν παρρησίαν οὐκ ἔχων. Ταῦτα καθʼ ἑκάστην ἀκούοντας ἡμᾶς τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ ἔτι πλείω τούτων καὶ χαλεπώτερα, τῶν μὲν καὶ διὰ φιλίαν λεγόντων ῖτως, τῶν δὲ καὶ διὰ δυσμένειαν ἐπιτιθεμένων (fit), πῶς οἴει διακεῖσθαι καὶ τίνας ἔχειν ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπους τῷ Θεῷ προθεμένους δουλεύειν, καὶ πρὸς τὰς μελλούσας ὁρᾷν ἐλπίδες μόνον ἀγαθὸν κρίνονταςς Τὸν μὲν οῦν κύριον τὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν πάνυ δυσφοροῦντα τά πρὸς τὴν ἀκοὴν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν βὲον a5τον ἀπαγορεύοντα, ὁπωσοῦν αὐτὸς παραμυθοῦμαι καὶ ψυχαγωγῶ, τὴν σὴν ἐγγυώμενος γνώμην, καὶ πείθων ὅτι οὐχ ὑπομενεῖς ἔτι πλεῖον λυπεῖν ἡμᾶς. Τὴν δὲ κυρίαν τὴν μητέρα, εἰ πύθοιτὸ τι των κατά σέ (μέχρι γὰρ τοῦ νῦν τέως ἀπεκρυψάμεθα πολλαῖς d ἐπινοίαις), οἴου καὶ παντελῶς ἀπαραμύθητον ἕξειν τδ πάθος, ώς γυναῖκά τε οὖσαν μικρόψυχον, καὶ άλλως διὰ τὸ λίαν εὐλαβὲς, μετριάζειν περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα οὐ δυναμένην. Εἰ μὲν οῦν τινα καὶ σεαυτοῦ καὶ ἡμῶν ποιῇ λόγον, βούλευσαί τι βέλτιον καὶ ἀσφαλέστερον. Πάντως γάρ καὶ τά ἐνταῦθα πρὸς ἐλευθέριον διαγωγὴν αὐτάρκη, τῷ γε μὴ λίαν ἀπλήστῳ, μηδὲ ἀμέτρῳ περὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ πλείονος. Ἀλλά καὶ τοῦ καταστάσεως σε τυχεῖν οὐχ ὁρῶ τίνα καιρὸν ἀναμενοῦμεν, τὸν νῦν ἐάσαντες. Ei. δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ἔχῃ γνώμης, καὶ μικρὰ πάντα σοι πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν ὁρμὴν, ἀλλο μὲν οὐδὲν εἰπεῖν βούλομαι δυσχερές τοσοῦτον δὲ προλέγω καὶ διαμαρτύρομαι, ὅτι δυοῖν ἀνάγκη θάτερον, ἢ γνήσιον μένοντα Γ pl Χριστιανὺν τὴν ἀτιμοτάτην αὑτοῦ τετάχθαι, u καὶ τράττειν ἀναξίως καὶ σεαυτοῦ καὶ τών ἐλπίδων ἢ τῆς τιμῆς ἐφιέμενον, περὶ τὰ, καιριώτερα βλάπτεσθαι, τοῦ καπνοῦ γε μετέχοντα, εί καὶ μὴ τοῦ πυρός. ### English translation (Claude) nor to be defiled along with the idols? How could he rebuke others who do wrong, when he himself lacks freedom of speech at his own hearth? Hearing these things every day, and still more and harsher ones, some saying them perhaps out of friendship, others attacking us out of ill will, how do you think people feel, and what souls do you think they have, who have set themselves to serve God and judge the hopes to come the only good? Our lord father, who is deeply distressed by what he hears and even weary of life, I console and comfort as best I can, vouching for your intentions and persuading him that you will not bear to grieve us any longer. But our lady mother, if she learned anything of your affairs (until now we have hidden them by many devices), you may be sure would find her grief altogether inconsolable, being a woman of little courage and besides, through her great piety, unable to be moderate in such matters. If, then, you take any account of yourself and of us, take some better and safer counsel. For the means here are certainly enough for a free man's life, at least for one who is not too greedy or immoderate in his desire for more. Nor do I see what moment we shall wait for to see you settled, if we let the present one go. But if you hold to the same mind, and everything is small to you beside your own impulse, I wish to say nothing else unpleasant; only this I foretell and solemnly testify: one of two things must happen. Either you remain a genuine Christian and are ranked in the lowest place in your service, acting unworthily both of yourself and of your hopes; or you aim at its honours and are harmed in what matters most, having a share of the smoke at least, even if not of the fire. ### Translation notes - The “smoke” and “fire”: the compromises of service under the pagan emperor Julian. Some words are garbled in the scan and read by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 33 (PG 37:33a–33c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-33). ## Letter 35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-35 - Source: PG 37:35a–35d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In the scan this page repeats the text of the next page (col. 37), in praise of a governor. ### Greek text κινηθῆναι γλῶσσαν μουσικήν τε καὶ ἐναρμόνιον, πᾶσαν δὲ ὑψηλόν τι καὶ διαπρύσιον ήχῆσαι ῥητορικήν ού ταύτῃ μόνον δτι χρέος ἁπάντων χρεῶν δικαιότατον, ἄρχοντα δεξιὸν ἀνυμνεῖσθαι τοῖς λόγοις ο ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἐν ἀμφοτέροις ἀκρον ἀμφοτέροις κοσμεῖν οὸιειότατον. Καὶ εἰ μὴ πρὸ καιροῦ τοὺς λόγους ἀνέκαυσα (νῦν γάρ δὴ τοῦτο αἰσθάνομαι), καὶ ἐβουλευσάμην, ἔφη τις, ταχύτερα, ἢ σοφώτερα, τὸ μὴ πανηγυρίζειν, μηδὲ φοιτᾷν είς μέσους φιλοσοφήσας, ὡς τάχα ἄν xci. τὰς Τυρρηνικὰς ὑπερεφώνησα σάλπιγγας (ἐρῶ γὰρ, μηδὲν τὸν τραχὺν τοῦ Μώμου λίθον εὐλαβηθεὶς, κατά Πίνδαρον [66]), εί μὴ τῆς σιωπῆς ἀωρίαν κατεψηφισάμην. Νυνὶ δὲ ὃ πέπονθα ἐπὶ σοὶ, ὁποῖόν τι τούμὸν χρῆμα, τάχα an γνοίης ἀπʼ είκόνος τινός. Κόπτω μὲν οἷον τοῦδαφος τοῖς ποσὶ, κατὰ τοὺς θερμοτάτους τῶν ἵππωντ καὶ διεσθίω τὰ χαλινὰ, καὶ τὸ οὖς διανίστημι, πνέιι τε θυμὸν ὲκ μυκτήρων, καὶ βλέπω δριμὺ κα) ἀφριῖ βάλλομαι · μένω δὲ ὅμως είσω κιγκλίδος, οὐκ ἐφιέντος μοι τοῦ νόμον τὸν δρόμον. ### English translation (Claude) … I wished every tongue, musical and harmonious, to be moved, and all rhetoric to ring out something lofty and piercing; not only because the most just of all debts is that a capable ruler be hymned in words, but because it is most fitting that one who excels in both should adorn both. And if I had not put my speaking to rest before its time (for now I perceive this), and resolved, as someone said, more hastily than wisely, not to frequent festivals nor go out into public after embracing philosophy, perhaps I would have outsounded even the Tyrrhenian trumpets (for I will say it, not fearing at all the rough stone of Momus, as Pindar says), had I not voted myself an untimely silence. As it is, what I feel about you, what my condition is, you might perhaps learn from an image. I paw the ground with my feet like the most spirited of horses, and champ the bit, and prick up my ears, and breathe passion from my nostrils, and look fiercely and am flecked with foam; yet I stay within the barrier, since the law does not let me run. ### Translation notes - The scan used for this page gives a second copy of the next page's text (col. 37), translated here as it stands; the real text of col. 35 (the end of Letter 7 and the following letters) is missing from the scan. This passage should probably be held back; see the next page. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 35 (PG 37:35a–35d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-35). ## Letter 37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-37 - Source: PG 37:37a–37b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory wishes he could praise a capable governor in a full speech, but his resolve to keep away from public speaking holds him back like a horse at the barrier. ### Greek text κινηθῆναι γλῶσσαν μουσικήν τε καὶ ἐναρμόνιον, πᾶσαν δὲ ὑψηλόν τι καὶ διαπρύσιον ὴχῆσαι ῥητορικήν ο οὐ ταύτῃ μόνον ὅτι χρέος ἁπάντων χρεῶν δικαιότατον, ἄρχοντα δεξιὸν ἀνυμνείσθαι τοῖς λόγοιςʼ ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἐν ἀμφοτέροις ἄκρον ἀμφοτέροις κοσμεῖν οἰκειότατον. Καὶ εἰ μὴ πρὸ καιροῦ τοὺς λόγους ἀνέπαυσα (νῦν γὰρ δὴ τοῦτο αἰσθάνομαι), καὶ ἐβουλευσάμην, ἔφη τις, ταχύτερα, ἢ σοφώτερα, τὸ μὴ πανηγυρίζειν, μηδὲ φοιτᾷν εὶς μέσους φιλοσοφήσας, ὼς τάχα. ἂν καὶ τὰς Τυρρηνικὰς ὑπερεφὼνησα σάλπιγγας (ἐρῶ γὰρ, μηδὲν τὸν τραχὺν τοῦ Μώμου λίθον εὐλαβηθεὶς, κατὰ Πίνδαρον [66]), ei μὴ τῆς σιωπῆς ἀωρίαν κατεψηφισάμην. Νυνὶ δὲ ὂ πέπονθα ἐπὶ σοι, όποῖόν τι τούμὸν χρῆμα, τάχα ἂν φος τοῖς ποσὶ, κατὰ τοὺς θερμοτάτους τῶν ἵππων, καὶ διεσθίω τὰ χαλινὰ, καὶ τὸ οὖς διανίστημι. πνέω τε θυμὸν ἐκ μυκτήρων, καὶ βλέπω δριμὺ καὶ ἀφρῷ βάλλομαι· μένω δὲ ὅμως εἵσω κιγκλίδος, οὐκ ἐφιέντος μοι τοῦ νόμου τὸν δρόμον. ### English translation (Claude) … I wished every tongue, musical and harmonious, to be moved, and all rhetoric to ring out something lofty and piercing; not only because the most just of all debts is that a capable ruler be hymned in words, but because it is most fitting that one who excels in both should adorn both. And if I had not put my speaking to rest before its time (for now I perceive this), and resolved, as someone said, more hastily than wisely, not to frequent festivals nor go out into public after embracing philosophy, perhaps I would have outsounded even the Tyrrhenian trumpets (for I will say it, not fearing at all the rough stone of Momus, as Pindar says), had I not voted myself an untimely silence. As it is, what I feel about you, what my condition is, you might perhaps learn from an image. I paw the ground with my feet like the most spirited of horses, and champ the bit, and prick up my ears, and breathe passion from my nostrils, and look fiercely and am flecked with foam; yet I stay within the barrier, since the law does not let me run. ### Translation notes - The beginning of this letter is lost in the scan. The addressee is a pagan governor who is also a man of letters (see the next page). The Pindar reference is uncertain. The “Tyrrhenian trumpets” were proverbially loud. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 37 (PG 37:37a–37b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-37). ## Letter 39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-39 - Source: PG 37:40a–40b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory praises the pagan governor's eloquence, justice, and incorruptibility, and especially his integrity in serving the emperor while loving his homeland. ### Greek text λόγον, καὶ εἰπεῖν δυνατώτερος · ὡς τὺ μὲν a6τοῦ καὶ τὴν χρυσῆν εἰκάζεσθαι ψῆφον, ἢ τὴν Ὁμηρικὴν στάθμην εκείνην, ὑφʼ κρίνεσθαι συμβαίνει τὴν τῶν Εὐμηλείων ἵππων ἰσότηταο τὸ δὲ ὑπὲρ τάς χειμερίους εἶναι νιφάδας· ἀγωνοθετοῦντά τε ὁμοίως νῦν, καὶ· ἀγωνιζόμενον πρότερον. Ἄλλοι τὸ στερρὸν ὲπαινείτωσαν τῷ πράῳ συγκεκραμένον, καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ μειλιχίῳ μὴ συμπεπτωκὸς, οἷα τά τῶν λεόντων σκιρτήματα. Ἀλλοι τὸν εὐρυσθενῆ χρυσὸν καὶ τιμήεντα, μετά τῶν σεμνῶν ὀνομάτων ἁτιμασθέντα, καὶ προτροπάδην εἴξαντα δίκῃ τῇ σῇ · πρᾶγμα μόνον δὴ πάντων καὶ ἀκοῆς καὶ πίστεως ὑψηλότερον. Ποιητικδς δέ τις ἀνὴρ ml. τὴν τέχνην τε γάλα ναόντων, καὶ μέλι κρῆναι, καὶ φυτὸν ἅπαν ἡμέροις κομάτω καρποῖς. σύντροφόν τε ὁμοίως καὶ δρειον· οἷα τά τῶν ποιητῶν πλάσματα, ὅταν τινά ποιῶσι χαριζομένην τὴν γῆν. Ταῦτα μὲν, ὅπερ ἔνην, λεγόντων τε καὶ πλαττόντων ἕτεροι. Τὸ γὰρ οἰκεῖον ἅπαν, οὐ πιέζει μόνον, ὼς τῇ λύρᾳ. δοκεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐφραίνειν μάλιστα πέφυκεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὃ διαφερόντως τῶν σῶν ἄγαμαί τε καὶ ἀσπάζομαι, τοῦτο ἐρῶ · ὅτι τῆς τοῦ καιροῦ δυσκολίας κρείττονα σεαυτὸν παρέχεις. Ἕλλην μὲν ὢν τὴν θρησκείαν, καὶ τῷ παρόντι κράτει τά τοῦ κράτους ὑπηρετούμενοςο ύπηρετούμενος δὲ, οὐχ ὅσα οἱ τοῦ καιροῦ κόλακες, ἀλλʼ ὅσα οἱ τοῦ καλοῦ φίλοι, καὶ μεγαλόφρονες ο καὶ τῶν μὲν τὴν θεραπείαν ἀφοσιούμενος, τηρῶν δὲ τῇ πατρίδι τὴν εὔνοιαν, καὶ ἀθάνατον ὲν θνητῷ πράγματι τὴν δόξαν καρπούέ μενος. Κάκεῖνο δέ σου τῶν ἐπαινετῶν, ὅτι καὶ φιλίᾳ. τι νέμεις αίίοὓς ὲν τοσούτῳ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὖγκῳο καὶ σχολὴν ἄγεις ἀπὸ τοσούτων ὧν πράττεις, μὴ μεμνῆσθαι μότας. ### English translation (Claude) speech, and more able to speak; so that his judgment is likened to the golden vote, or to that Homeric line by which the equal match of Eumelus's horses was judged, and his speaking surpasses the winter snowflakes; presiding over the contest now as fittingly as he contended in it before. Let others praise firmness blended with gentleness, and nothing slack in your mildness, like the bounds of lions. Let others praise the gold, “mighty and precious”, with its grand names, dishonoured and yielding headlong to your justice: a thing, alone of all, beyond both hearing and belief. And some man who is a poet by his art would say that the land flows with milk and springs gush with honey, and every plant, cultivated and wild alike, is laden with tame fruits, as the poets' fictions run when they make the earth bountiful. Let others say and fashion such things, as they may. For whatever is one's own does not only weigh on one, as the lyric poet thinks, but is by nature most delightful. But what I especially admire and welcome in you I will say: that you show yourself stronger than the difficulty of the times. Though a Hellene in religion, and serving the present power in the business of power, you serve not as the flatterers of the times do, but as the friends of the good and the magnanimous do: you discharge your service to the one, and keep your goodwill for your homeland, reaping immortal glory in a mortal business. This too is praiseworthy in you, that amid so great a weight of office you allot some time to friendship, and have leisure, amid all you do, to remember us. ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 2.765 (Homer, Iliad): allusion, medium confidence - Homer, Il. 3.222 (Homer, Iliad): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Homeric line: Iliad 2.765 (Eumelus's horses “equal by the level”); “snowflakes in winter”: Iliad 3.222 (of Odysseus's speech). “Hellene in religion”: a pagan. Some phrases are garbled in the scan and read by sense; the saying about the lyric poet is uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 39 (PG 37:40a–40b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-39). ## Letter 41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-41 - Source: PG 37:41a–41b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of the letter to the governor, praying he may join the persecuted rather than the persecutors; then a rebuke to Gregory for leaving his office as reader to become a teacher of rhetoric. ### Greek text Ἀνο“ ὧν ἐπεύχομαί σοι, τῶν μὲν εὶς εὐδο- Α t: ξίαν μεῖζον οὐδὲν (κᾶν γὰρ προσθήκην ἢ ἀρχὴ λάβῃ, τήν γε ἀρετὴν λαβεῖν οὐκ ἔνεστιν), ἓν δὲ ἀντὶ πάντων καὶ μέγιστον, γενέσθαι μεθʼ ἡμῶν ποτε καὶ Θεοῦ. καὶ τῆς τῶν διωκομένων εἶναι μερίδος, καὶ μὴ τῆς τῶν διωκόντων· ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὲν καιροῦ φορᾷ παρασύρεται, τὸ δὲ ἀθάνατον ἔχει τὴν σωτηρίαν. Ἐχω τι δεξιὸν ὲν τῇ φυσει (μεγαλαυχήσομαι γὰρ ’ἐν τι τῶν πολλῶν καὶ αὑτός) ὁμοίως ἐμαυτῴ τε δυσχεραίνω βουλευομένῳ κακῶς, καὶ τοῖς φίλοις. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν φίλοι πάντες ἀλλήλων καὶ συγγενεῖς οἱ κατὰ Θεὸν ζῶντες, καὶ τῷ αὺτῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ στοιχοῦντες, τί ουκ ἀκούεις παρʼ ἡμῶν μετὰ παρρησίας, ἃ. πάντες ὑποψιουρίζουσιν; Οὐκ ἐπαινοῖ)σὶ σου τὴν ἄδοξον εὐδοξίαν, ἵνʼ εἴπω τι κάγὼ καθʼ ὑμᾶς, καὶ τὴν κατὰ μικρὸν ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω ῥοπὴν, καὶ τὴν κακίστην δαιμόνων, ἦν φησιν Εὐριπίδης, φιλοτιμίαν. Τί γὰρ παθὼν, ὦ σοφώτατε, καὶ τί σέαυτὸν καταγνοὺς, τὰς μὲν ἱερὰς καὶ ποτίμους βίβλους ἀπέρριψας, ἃς ὑπανεγίνωσκὲς ποτε τῷ λαῷ (μὴ γὰρ αἰσχυνθῇς ἁκούων), ἢ ὑπὲρ καπνοῦ τέθεικας, ὡς τὰ πηδάλια χειμῶνος ὥρα καὶ τὰς σκαπάνας, τὰς δὲ ἁλμυρὰς καὶ ἁπότους μετεχειρίσω, καὶ ρήο C e: τωρ ἀκούειν μᾶλλον, ἢ Χριστιανὸς ἡβἐλησαςς Ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦτο μᾶλλον. ἤπερ έκεῖνο, καὶ πᾶσα τῷ θεῴ χάρις. Μὴ σύ γε, ὦ ἄριστε, μὴ ἐπὶ πολὺ τοῦτο πάθῃς, ἀλλʼ ἔκνηψον ὀψὲ γοῦν, καὶ πρὸς σεαυτὸν ὲπάνελβε, καὶ ἀπολόγησαι μὲν πιστοῖς, ἀπολόγησαι δὲ θεῷ, καὶ θυσιαστηρξοις, κα) μυστηρίοις, ἀφʼ ὧν ἑμάκρυνας. ### English translation (Claude) In return for this I pray for you: for good repute, nothing greater (for office may receive increase, but virtue at least can receive none); but one thing in place of all others and the greatest: that you may one day be with us and with God, and be of the portion of the persecuted and not of the persecutors; since the one is swept away by the current of the times, while the other has immortal salvation. [Letter 11. To Gregory] I have one good point in my nature (for I too will boast of one thing among many): I am equally displeased with myself and with my friends when we take bad counsel. Since, then, all who live according to God and walk by the same Gospel are friends and kinsmen to one another, why should you not hear from us frankly what everyone is whispering? They do not praise your inglorious glory (to use your own manner of speech), and your gradual slide toward the worse, and ambition, “the worst of demons”, as Euripides says. For what has come over you, most wise one, and what fault did you find in yourself, that you have thrown away the holy and drinkable books which you once read to the people (do not be ashamed to hear it), or hung them up over the smoke, like rudders and mattocks in the winter season, and have taken up the salty and undrinkable ones, and would rather be called a rhetor than a Christian? We, for our part, would rather be called the latter than the former, and all thanks to God. Do not, best of men, do not suffer this for long; but sober up, late though it is, and come back to yourself, and make your defence to the faithful, make your defence to God, and to the altars and the mysteries, from which you have gone far away. ### Extrabiblical texts - Euripides, Phoen. 531-532 (Euripides (plays and fragments)): quotation, high confidence - Hesiod, Op. 45 (Hesiod, Works and Days): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Letter 11 is traditionally addressed to Gregory of Nyssa, Basil's brother, who had served as a reader (lector) and turned to teaching rhetoric. Euripides, Phoenissae 531–532 (ambition). “Over the smoke”: Hesiod, Works and Days 45 (the rudder hung over the smoke in winter). The “salty and undrinkable” books are pagan literature. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 41 (PG 37:41a–41b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-41). ## Letter 43 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-43 - Source: PG 37:44a–44b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory ends his rebuke with a prayer for his friend's return; then he teases Nicobulus for mocking his small wife Alypiana, whose worth lies in her soul and prayer. ### Greek text μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ πλησίον οὐδὲ ἀρκεῖ τὸ πείθειν σεαυτὸν, εἰ μὴ κα) τοὺς ἄλλους. “Il καὶ πυκτεύων σύ γε ὲν τῷ κοινῷ, ἢ καὶ παιόμενος ἐπὶ κόρρης καὶ παίων ὲν τοῖς θεάτροις, ἢ καὶ τὰ αἰσχρὰ λυγιζόμενος καὶ καμπτόμενος, εἶπες ἂν ὼς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἐσωφρόνεις; Οὐ σωφρονοῦντος ὁ λογισμός. Κοῦιιςον τὸ ταῦτα δέχεσθαι. Εἰ μὲν οὖν μεταβάλοιο, ἀλλά νῦν χαιρήσομαι, τῶν Πυθαγορικῶν ἔφη τις φιλοσόφων, ἑταῖρον ἐκπεπτωκότα θρηνῶνο εἰ δὲ μὴ. ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἔγραψε. Τ έθνηκὰς μοι· ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἐρῶ σὴν χάριν ἔτι. Φίλος γὰρ ῶν, ἐχθρὸς ἐγένετο, ἀλλʼ ὅμως φίλος, ἡ τραγῳδία φησίν. Ἀνιάσομαι δὲ, τοῦτο γὰρ εἰπεῖν μέτριον, εἰ μήτε αὐτὸς συνορᾷς τὸ δέον, ὃ τῆς πρώο της ἐστὶ τῶν ἐπαινετῶν μερίδος · μήτε ἄλλῳ εὖ εἰπόντι κατακολουθήσεις, ὃτῆς δευτέρας. Τοσαῦτα τὰ τῆς παραινέσεως. Καί μοι σύγγνωθι διὰ φιλίαν ἀλγοῦντι, καὶ ὁμοίως ὑπέρ τε σοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ παντο( τάγματος φλεγομένῳ, προσθήσω δὲ, ὅτι καὶ πάντων Χριστιανῶν. Εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ συνεύξασθαι ἦὺπερεύξασθαι, Θεὸς βοηθείη σου τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ, ὁ καὶ τεθνηκότας ζωοποιῶν. Σκῶπτεις τὴν ’Λλυπιανὴν ἡμῖν, ὡς μικρὰν, καὶ τῆς σῆς μεγαλειότητος ἀναξίαν, ὦ μακρὲ σὺ, καὶ ἀμέτρητε (Ξ), κα) πελώριε, τό τε εἶδος καὶ τὴν ἀλκήν. Νῦν γὰρ ἔγνων ὃτι ψυχὴ μετρεῖται, καὶ ἁρετὴ ταλαντεύεται, καὶ τιμιὼτεραι τῶν μαργαρων αἱ πέτραι, καὶ κόρακες ἀηδόνων αἱδεσιμώτεροι. Σὺ μὲν οὖν ἀπόλαυε τοῦ μεγέθους καὶ τῶν πηχῶν, καὶ μηδὲν λείποι) τῶν Ἀλωαδῶν ἐκείνων (ὅ). Ἵππον γὰρ ἄγεις, καὶ τινάσσεις αἰχμὴν, καὶ θῆρές σοι μὲλουσι. Τῇ δῖε οὐδὲν ἔργον, οὐδὲ πολλῆς τῆς ἰσχύος κερκίδα φέρειν, καὶ ἠλακάτην μεταχειρίζεσθαι, καὶ ἱστῴ προσκαθέζεσθαι. Τὸ γὰρ γέρας ἐστὶ γυναικῶν,ϋ). Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο προσθείης, ὅτι τῇ γῇ προσπέφυκε διʼ εὐχὴν, καὶ Θεῷ σύνεστιν ἀεὶ τοῖς με- ### English translation (Claude) only, but also to one's neighbour; nor is it enough to persuade yourself, unless you persuade others too. If you were boxing in public, or striking and being struck on the jaw in the theatres, or twisting and bending yourself in shameful postures, would you say that you were chaste in soul? That is not the reasoning of one who is chaste; it is frivolous to accept such things. If then you change, even now I shall rejoice, as one of the Pythagorean philosophers said, lamenting a companion who had fallen away; but if not, he wrote, “You are dead to me.” I will not yet say this, for your sake. “For being a friend he became an enemy, yet a friend all the same,” says the tragedy. But I shall be grieved (for this is a moderate thing to say) if you neither see for yourself what is needful, which belongs to the first class of the praiseworthy, nor follow another who speaks well, which belongs to the second. So much for my admonition. Forgive me, grieving out of friendship, and burning alike for you and for the whole priestly order, and, I will add, for all Christians. And if I must pray with you, or pray for you, may God help your weakness, who also makes the dead alive. [Letter 12. To Nicobulus] You mock our Alypiana as small and unworthy of your greatness, O you tall one, you measureless and gigantic one, in form and in strength. For now I have learned that the soul is measured, and virtue weighed, and rocks are more precious than pearls, and ravens more to be revered than nightingales. Enjoy, then, your size and your cubits, and may you fall short in nothing of those Aloadae. For you ride horses and brandish a spear and wild beasts are your concern. But she has no work, nor much need of strength, to carry the shuttle, handle the distaff, and sit at the loom: for this is the prize of women. And if you add this, that she bows to the ground in prayer and is ever with God … ### Scripture references - Rom 4:17: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Hesiod, Op. 293-295 (Hesiod, Works and Days): allusion, medium confidence - Homer, Od. 11.305-320 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Who makes the dead alive”: Rom 4:17. The two classes of the praiseworthy: Hesiod, Works and Days 293–295. The tragic line is unidentified; the Pythagorean saying is unidentified. Alypiana, Gregory's niece, was Nicobulus's wife. The Aloadae, giants who piled mountains: Od. 11.305–320. The repeated clause at the end of the page in the scan is a duplicated line and is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 43 (PG 37:44a–44b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-43). ## Letter 45 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-45 - Source: PG 37:45a–45d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of Gregory's teasing letter about Nicobulus's small wife; then a request to a family friend to help Nicobulus in a lawsuit. ### Greek text τάλας τοῦ νοῦ κινήμασι, τί σοι ἐνταῦθα τὸ ὕψος, ἦ τὰ μέτρα τοῦ σώματος Ἴδε καίριον σιωπὴν, φθεγγομένης ἄκουσονο τὸ ἀκαλλώπιστον κατανόησον, τὸ ὡς γυναιξὶν ἀνδρικὸν, τὴν οἰκωφέλειαν, τὴν ψιλανδρίαν. Καὶ τότε φήσεις τὸ τοῦ Λάκωνος· Ὄντως οὐ μετρεῖται ψυχὴ, καὶ δεῖ τὺν ἐκτὸς ἐόντα, πρὸς τὸν ἐντὸς βλέπειν ἄνθρωπον. “Av οὕτω ταῦτα σκοπῇς. παύσῃ τοῦ παίζειν, καὶ καταπαίζων αὐτῆς ὡς μικρᾶς, καὶ σαυτοῦ μακαρίσεις τὴν συζυγίαν. Ἐπαινῶ τδ Θεόγνιδος, ὃς τὴν μέχρι πότων καὶ τοῦ ἡδέος φιλίαν οὐκ ἐπαινῶν, ἐπαινεῖ τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων, τί γράφων; Πολ-ιο) παρὰ κίηιτῆρι φίλοι τίνυνται ἑταῖροι, Ἦν δὲ σπουδαίῳ πράγματι παυρότεροι. Ἡμεῖς τοίνυν κρατήρων μὲν ἀλλήλοις οὐ κεκοινωνήκαμεν, οὐδὲ γε πολλὰ συγγεγόναμεν ἀλλήλοις (καίτοι ἐχρῆν παντὸς μᾶλλον, καὶ διʼ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς. καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐκ πατέρων φιλίαν), τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων δὲ ἀπαιτοῦμεν εὔνοιαν. Ἐγγὺς ἀγὼν, καὶ ἀγώνων ὁ μέγιστος. '0 γὰρ υἱὸς ἡμῶν Νικόὸουλος ἐν ταραχαῖς ἀδοκήτοις, παρʼ ὧν ἥκιστα ἂν ᾠήθη τις ἔχειν πράγματα. Διὰ τοῦτο ἀξιοῦμεν παρεῖναι, καὶ βοηθεῖν ἡμῖν ὡς τάχιστα, καὶ σννδι- κάταντα καὶ συνηγορήσαντα, εἰ εὕροις ἁδικου- μένους. Εἰ δʼ οὖν, μὴ προληφθεῖψαι τῷ ἐναντίῳ μέρει, κέρδους μικροῦ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀποδιδόμενον. ἢν ἀεί σοι μαρτυρηθεῖσαν παρὰ πάντων γινώσκομεν. ιΔι. ιωΣΑΡιᾳ. ### English translation (Claude) … in the movements of the mind, what is your height to you there, or the measurements of the body? Look at her timely silence; listen to her when she speaks; consider her lack of adornment, her manliness for a woman, her care for the household, her love for her husband. And then you will say the Laconian's saying: “Truly the soul is not measured, and one must look past the outer man to the inner.” If you consider these things in this way, you will stop joking and mocking her as small, and you will count yourself blessed in your marriage. [Letter 13] I praise the saying of Theognis, who does not praise the friendship that goes as far as drinking and pleasure, but praises friendship in deeds. What does he write? “Many are the friends who become companions at the mixing-bowl, but in a serious matter they are fewer.” Now we have not shared mixing-bowls with one another, nor have we spent much time together (though we ought to have, above all, both for our own sakes and because of the friendship inherited from our fathers); but we ask for the goodwill that is shown in deeds. A contest is near, and the greatest of contests. For our son Nicobulus is in unexpected troubles, at the hands of those from whom one would least have expected to have trouble. Therefore we ask you to be present and help us as quickly as possible, judging the case with us and pleading for us, if you find us wronged. If not, at least do not be won over beforehand by the opposing side, selling for a small gain the freedom of mind that we know has always been attested of you by everyone. [Letter 14. To Caesarius] ### Extrabiblical texts - Theognis, 643-644 (Theognis (elegies)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first words of this page are garbled in the scan; the end of Letter 12 is translated by sense. The Laconian saying is unidentified. The heading of Letter 13 is lost in the scan; Theognis 643–644 is quoted. Migne's Latin translation, margin letters and footnote markers that leaked into the Greek column are removed. Letter 14 begins under this heading but its opening lines are lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 45 (PG 37:45a–45d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-45). ## Letter 47 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-47 - Source: PG 37:48a–48b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks a friend to protect relatives troubled over a purchase of land; then he welcomes Lollianus home and commends his cousins Helladius and Eulalius to him. ### Greek text ὠνήσαντο, πλείοσι περιπεπτώκασι δυσχερείαις, τὰ μὲν τῶν πεπρακότων ἀγνωμόνων πειρώμενοι, τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν γειτονούντων περικοπτόμενοι καὶ πορθού· μενοι, ὥστε κέρδος εἶναι αὐτοῖς, τὸ τίμημα ὃ δεδώκασι κομισαμένοις, μεθʼ ὧν προσανηλώκασιν, ὄντων ούκ ὀλίγων, ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς κτήσεως. Ei μὲν οὖν σοι φίλον εἰς σεαυτὸν περιστῆσαι τὴν πραγματείαν, ὅπως ἂν κάλλιστα καὶ ἀσφαλέστατα ἔχῃ σοι τὸ συνάλλαγμα διασκεψαμένιίι, τοῦτο δὴ καὶ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡμῖν ἥδιον. Εἰ δὲ μὴ, τό γε δεύτερον, τῇ περιεργίᾳ καὶ ἀγνωμοσύνῃ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀντίθες σεαυτὸν, ἵνα μὴ πάντως ἓν γέ τι διὰ τὴν ἀπραγμοσύνην αὐτῶν ἔχῃ πλέον, ἢ κατέχοντας ἀδικῶν, ἢ ζημιῶν ἀπαλλαττομένους. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἠρυθρίασα περὶ τούτων ἐπιστέλλων. Ἐπειδή γε ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς ὀφενιλόμεθα, καὶ διὰ γένος, καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ βίου προαίρεσιν (τίνος γὰρ ἄν τις κήδοιτο μᾶλλον, ἢ τῶν τοιούτων; ἐπὶ τῷ δὲ ἂν αἰσχύνοιτο πλέον, ἢ τὰ τοιαῦτα εὐεργετεῖν οὐ προθυμούμενος); σὺ δὲ ἢδιὰ σεαυτὸν,ἢ διʼ ἡμᾶς, ἦ διὰ τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτοὺς, ἢ διὰ πάντα ταῦτα ὁμοῦ, ἀλλὰ πάντως γε αὐτοὺς εύεργέτησον. ιεʼ. ΛΟΛΛΙΛΝῼ. Εὖ γε ὅτι ἐπανήκεις ἡμῖν, διὰ μακροῦ μὲν, ἀλλʼ ὅμως (καὶ ὃ τούτου κρεῖττον), ὅτι κατὰ νοῦν πράττων, καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ σοὶ φροντίδων ἡμᾶς ἡλευθέρωσας. Πάντα γὰρ κοινὰ ποιούμεθα πρὸς σὲ. καὶ λύπας καὶ εὐφροσύνας· τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ φιλία. Ἐπειδὴ ἐπανήκεις, μετάδος φίλοισι σοῖσι σῆς εὐπραξίας, φησὶν ὀ εἰπών· μεταδώσεις δὲ, εἰ τοὺς κυρίους μου τοὺς ἀνεψιοὺς Ἐλλάδιον καὶ Εύλάλιον, καὶ τᾶλλα οἰκείους ὁρᾷν προθυμοῖο (οἰκείους δὲ λέγω, εἰ μὴ ἄλλους ἡμᾶς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν νομίζοις, ού γὰρ οἷδʼ ὃ τι ἂν μείζονα εἴποιμι), καὶ μὴ ἐτέρων δεηθῆναι προστατῶν ἀνάσχοιο. Ἀλλὰ πάντα σεαυτὸν παράσχοιο, φίλον χρηστὸν, γείτονα δεξιὸν, παραστάτην γενναῖον, ἵνα μὴ καθʼ ἕκαστον λέγω, τὸν εὐγενῆ Λολλιανδν, τὸν ἐπὶ καλοκαγαθίᾳ γνώριμον. ’Υπισχνοῦμαι δὲ, εί ἐπὶ πλεῖον αὐτοῖς ὁμιλήσαις, καὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας αὕητῶν τὸ ὕψος κατίδοις, ὅτι πρὸς ἄλλους ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πρεσβεύσεις. Τοσοῦτον θαρρῶ τῷ σῷ τρόπῳ, ### English translation (Claude) … bought, they have fallen into greater difficulties, on the one side meeting with the unfairness of those who sold, on the other being hemmed in and plundered by their neighbours, so that it would be a gain for them to recover the price they paid, together with what they have spent besides (and it is not a little), and to be rid of the property. If then you are willing to take the business upon yourself, considering how the transaction may stand best and most securely for you, that would be most pleasing both to them and to us. If not, then at least the second course: set yourself against the meddling and unfairness of the man, so that he may not in any case gain an advantage through their peaceableness, either by wronging them while they hold the property or by causing them loss as they give it up. I for my part even blushed to write about these things. But since we are equally bound to them both by kinship and by their chosen way of life (for whom would one care for more than such people? And at what would one be more ashamed than at not being eager to do good to such?), do you, either for your own sake, or for ours, or for the men themselves, or for all these together, by all means do them good. [Letter 15. To Lollianus] Well done that you have come back to us, after a long time, but still (and, what is better than this) that you have fared as you wished, and have freed us from our anxieties about you. For we share everything with you, griefs and joys alike; such is friendship. Since you have come back, “give your friends a share in your good fortune,” as the one who said it says; and you will give it if you are willing to look after my lords the cousins Helladius and Eulalius and my other relatives (I say relatives, unless you think us other than yourself; for I do not know what greater thing I could say), and do not let them need other patrons. Offer yourself to them entirely, a good friend, a kindly neighbour, a noble supporter, not to list it item by item, the well-born Lollianus, known for nobility of character. And I promise that if you associate with them more and see the height of their philosophy, you will even plead for them to others. So much do I trust your character, ### Translation notes - The opening of Letter 14 is lost in the scan. “Give your friends a share in your good fortune” is a verse, source unidentified. Helladius and Eulalius are Gregory's cousins; Eulalius later succeeded him at Nazianzus. “Philosophy” here is the ascetic life. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 47 (PG 37:48a–48b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-47). ## Letter 49 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-49 - Source: PG 37:49a–49c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory protests to Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea that he cannot accept honours for himself while Eusebius insults Basil, and urges him to treat Basil fairly. ### Greek text καὶ οὕτω πολλὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχω μὴ διαμαρτήσεσθαί σου περὶ ῶν αὐτὸς ὲπρέσόευσα. ιφ. ΕιιιΣιιοΠᾳ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΙΑΣ. Ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ἄνδρα ποιοῦμαι τοὺς λόγους, οὔτε ἀγαπῶντα τὸ ψεῦδος, καὶ τὸ ὲν ἑτέρῳ φωρᾶσαι πάντων ὀξύτατον, κᾶν ὅτι μάλιστα σοφοῖς πλέκηται καὶ ποικίλοις τοῖς λαβυρίνθοιςο πρὸς δὲ, οὐδὲ αὐτῷ μοι φίλον τὸ τεχνικὸν (εἰρήσεται γὰρ κᾶν φορτικώτερον), πεφυκότι τε οὕτω καὶ τυπουμένη) παρὰ τοῦ λόγου, διὰ τοῦτο γράφω τὰ παριστάμενα. Καί μου δέξαι τὴν παρρησίαν ἢ ἀδικήσεις γε τῆς ἀληθείας, τὰ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀποστερῶν, κάξ ἀναγκάζων ἐν ἐμαυτῷ κατέχειν τὴν ὠδῖνα τῆς λύπης, ῶσπερ τι νόσημα ὕπουλον καὶ κακόηθες. Ἐγὼ χαίρω μὲν ὑπὸ σοῦ τιμώμενος (εἰπερ ἄνθρωπός είμι, τοῦ προειρηκότος ὁ λόγος), καὶ καλούμενος ἐπί τε συνόδους καὶ συλλόγους πνευματικούς. Οὐ φέρω δὲ τὴν γεγενημένην ὖόριν τῷ τιμιωτάτῳ ἀδελφῷ Βασιλείῳ, καὶ γινομένην ἔτι παρᾶ τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας, ὃν καὶ βίου καὶ λόγου κοινωνὸν, καὶ τῆς ὑψηλοτάτης φιλοσοφίας εἱλόμην τε ἀπαρχῆς, καὶ νῦν ἔχω· καὶ οὑδὲν ὲμαυτῷ μέμφομαι τῆς ἐπʼ αὐτῷ κρίσεως. Οὕτω γὰρ εἰπεῖν μετριώτερον, ἵνα μὴ ἐμαυτὸν ἐπαινεῖν δόξω, τὰ ἐκείνου θαυμάζων. Σὺ δέ μοι δοκεῖς ποιεῖν παραπλήσιον, τὸν - μὲν ἀτιμάζων, τιμῶν δὲ ἡμᾶς, ῶσπερ ἂν εῖ τις ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς τῇ μὲν τῶν χειρῶν καταψήχοι τὴν κεφαλὴν, τῇδὲ παίοι τὴν παρειάν· ἢ καὶ θεμελίους ὑποσπῶν οἰκίας, διαζωγραφοίη τοὺς τοίχους, καὶ καλλωπίζοι τὰ ἔξωθεν. El τι οὖν ἐμοὶ πείθῃ, τοῦτο ποιήσεις. Πεισθῆναι δὲ ἀξιῶ· καὶ γὰρ δίκαιον. Εἰ ἐκεῖνον θεραπεύσεις τὰ εἰκότα, καὶ παρʼ ἐκείνου θεραπευθήσῃ. Τὸ δὲ καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἕψεται ὥσπερ τοῖς σώμασιν al σκιαὶ, μικρούς τε ὄντας, καὶ πρὸς εἰρήνην ἑτοιμοτέρους. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἀθλίως πράτ- . τομεν, ὥστε τʼ ἄλλα μὲν ἐθέλειν φιλοσοφεῖν, καὶ τῆς κρείττονος εἶναι μερίδος· ὑπερορᾷν δὲ πράγματος, ### English translation (Claude) and so I have every hope of not failing to obtain from you what I myself have asked on their behalf. [Letter 16. To Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea] Since I am addressing a man who does not love falsehood and is the sharpest of all at detecting it in another, however cleverly it is woven with intricate labyrinths, and since besides artfulness is not dear to me either (it shall be said, even if rather vulgarly), being so by nature and shaped so by the Word, I am therefore writing what is on my mind. Accept my frankness, or you will wrong the truth by robbing it of its freedom, and by forcing me to keep the pang of my grief shut up within myself, like some festering and malignant disease. I am glad to be honoured by you (if indeed I am a man, as the one who said it before puts it), and to be invited to synods and spiritual gatherings. But I cannot bear the insult that has been done, and is still being done by your Reverence, to my most honoured brother Basil, whom I chose from the beginning as partner of life and of letters and of the highest philosophy, and whom I still have; and I find no fault with myself for my judgment of him. For so it is more modest to put it, so that I may not seem to praise myself while admiring his qualities. But you seem to me to be doing something like this, dishonouring him while honouring us, as if someone with one hand were to stroke a man's head and with the other strike his cheek; or were to dig out the foundations of a house while painting the walls and adorning the outside. If then you will listen to me at all, you will do this; and I ask you to listen, for it is just: if you pay him due regard, you will be paid regard by him in return. Our part will follow, as shadows follow bodies, since we are small and readier for peace. For we are not so wretchedly placed as to wish to be philosophers in other things and belong to the better part, but to overlook a matter ### Translation notes - Eusebius was bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (362–370), with whom Basil, then a presbyter, had fallen out. “If indeed I am a man”: a proverbial phrase, source unidentified. “The Word” (ὁ λόγος) may mean Christian teaching or reason; the sense is uncertain. “Philosophy” here is the ascetic life. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 49 (PG 37:49a–49c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-49). ## Letter 51 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-51 - Source: PG 37:52a–52b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory defends his frank letter to Eusebius as spiritual rather than insolent, then submits to him and offers to come and help the Church against its attackers. ### Greek text ἄλλως τε καὶ πρὸς ἄνδρα ἱερέα τε καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὃν καὶ βίῳ, καὶ λόγῳ καὶ πολιτείᾳ πάντων ἄριστον, ὧν ἴσμεν, γινώσκομεν. Οὐ γὰρ ὲπισκοτήσει τὸ λυ· πεῖσθαι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. IZ'. Τῼ ΑΥΤῼ. Οὐχ ὑβριστικῶς ἐπέστειλα μᾶλλον, ῶσπερ ὲμέμψω τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ἢ πνευματικῶς τε καὶ φιλοσόφως, καὶ ὼς εἰκὸς ἦν, εί μὴ καὶ τοῦτο λυπεῖ τδνολογιώτατον Γρηγόριον. Καὶ γὰρ εί τῷ βαθμῴ κρατεῖς, ἀλλὰ. δώσεις τι καὶ ἡμῖν ἐλευθερίας καὶ παρρησίας δικαίας. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔσο ἡμῖν χρηστότερος. Πλὴν εί κρίνεις τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὡς οἰκέτου, καὶ οὐδʼ ἀντιὸλέπειν ὀφείλοντος, οὓτω δὴ καὶ πληγὰς ληψόμεθα, καὶ οὐδὲ δακρύσομεν. Ἦ καὶ τοῦτο ὲγκληθησόμεθα; ὅ πάντας μᾶλλον, ἢ τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν παθεῖν ἄξιον. Ἐστι γὰρ ἀνδρὸς μεγαλόφρονος φίλων ἁποδέχεσθαι μᾶλλον ἐλευθερίαν, ἢ ἐχθρῶν κολακείαν. nr. τᾳ ΑΥΤῼ. μικροψύχως, μὴ τοῦτο μου καταγνῷς· ἀλλὰ μικρὸν ὲλευθεριάσας τε καὶ θαρρήσας (ὅσον τὸ λυποῦν ὲπιψύξαι καὶ θεραπεῦσαι), αὐτίκα ἡττήθην καὶ ὐπεκλίθην, καὶ τῷ κανόνι φέρων ἐμαυτὸν ὐπέθηκα. Τί δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλόν σέ τε γινώσκων, καὶ νόμους πνεῦματος; Νῦν δὲ καὶ εί λίαν μικροψύχως εἶχον καὶ ἀγεννῶς, ἀλλʼ ὃ γε καιρὸς οὐκ ἐᾷ τοῦτο πάσχειν, καὶ οἱ καταδραμόντες θῆρες τῇ Ἐκκλησία, τό τε σὸν γενναῖον καὶ ἀνδρικὸν, οὓτω καθαρῶς καὶ γνησίως προπολεμοῦν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἥξομεν οὖν, εί δοκεῖ, και ταῖς εὐχαῖς ὐμῖν συλλαμβανόμενοι, καὶ συναγωνιούμενοι, καὶ ὐπηρετησόμενοι, καὶ ὼς ἀθλητὴν ἄριστον κελευσταὶ παῖδες, ταῖς ὐποφωνήσεσιν ἐπαλείψοντες. ### English translation (Claude) … especially in relation to a man who is a priest, and so great a one, whom we know to be the best in life, in word, and in conduct of all whom we know. For grief will not darken the truth. [Letter 17. To the same] I did not write insultingly, as you blamed my letter for doing, but rather spiritually and as a philosopher, and as was fitting, unless this too grieves the most learned Gregory. For even if you prevail in rank, you will still allow us some freedom and just frankness; and for this reason be kinder to us. Unless you judge my letter as that of a slave, who ought not even to look you in the face; in that case we will take blows too and not even weep. Or shall we be accused even of this? That is something which anyone deserves to suffer rather than your Reverence. For it belongs to a magnanimous man to accept the frankness of friends rather than the flattery of enemies. [Letter 18. To the same] … pettily, do not condemn me of that; but after using a little freedom and boldness (enough to cool and heal what grieved me), I was at once overcome and gave way, and placed myself under the rule. How could I not, knowing you and the laws of the Spirit? And now, even if I were very petty and mean-spirited, the time does not allow me to be so, nor do the wild beasts that have overrun the Church, nor your nobility and courage, which fights for the Church so purely and genuinely. We will come, then, if it seems good, helping you with our prayers, contending at your side, serving you, and, like boys training a fine athlete, anointing you with our shouts of encouragement. ### Translation notes - A line is lost at the top of the page in the scan (the end of the sentence of Letter 16, “… a matter”, is missing). “The most learned Gregory” is said ironically of Gregory himself. The opening words of Letter 18 are lost in the scan. The “wild beasts” are probably the Arian party under the emperor Valens (ca. 365). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 51 (PG 37:52a–52b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-51). ## Letter 53 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-53 - Source: PG 37:53a–53d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges Basil to be reconciled with Bishop Eusebius, who is now well disposed, and to come at once because heretics threaten the Church. ### Greek text Καιρὸς εὐβουλίας καὶ καρτερίας. καὶ τοῦ μηδένα φανῆναι ἡμῶν ἀνδρικώτερον, μηδὲ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἱδρῶτας καὶ πόνους ἐν ὀλίγῳ καταλυθῆναι, Γράφω διατί ταῦτα, καὶ πόθεν; '0 θεοφιλέστατος ἐπίσκοπος ἡμῶν Εὐσέβιος (οὕτω γὰρ δεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ λοιπὸν καὶ φρονεῖν καὶ γράφειν) λίαν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔχει συμβατικῶς τε καὶ φιλικῶς, καὶ ὥσπερ σίδηρος πυρὶ, τῷ χρόνῳ μαλάσσεται· καὶ οἶμαι καὶ γράμμα ἥξειν πρὸς σὲ παρακλήσεως τε καὶ κλήσεως, ὡς ὲμοί τε τιαρεδήλωσε, καὶ πολλοὶ πείθουσιν-ἡμᾶς τῶν τὰ ἐκείνου σαᾳῶς εἰδότων. Ὃν προλάβοιμεν, ἣ παρόντες,ἢ …, μᾶλλον δὲ προεπιστεζλαντες, εἶτα παρὸντες ’ ἵνα μὴ αἰσχυνθῶμεν ὕστερον ἡττηθέντες, ἐξὸν νικῆσαι τῷ καλῶς ἡττηθῆναι καὶ φιλοσόφως, ὃ παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἀπαιτούμεθα. ’Ἣκε οὖν ἐμοὶ πεισθεὶς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, καὶ διὰ τὸν καιρόν· ἐπειδὴ σύστασις αἱρετικῶν κατατρέχει τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, τῶν μὲν ἥδη παρόντων καὶ ταρασσόντων, τῶν δὲ, ὡς λόγος, παρεσομὲνων Καὶ δέος παρασυρῆναι τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, εἱ μὴ τάχιστα κινηθείη τὸ πνεῦμα …, τοῦ σοφοῦ τῶν τοιούτων ἁρχιτέκτονος λόγων τε καὶ δογμάτων. Εἰ δὲ δοκεῖς αὑτὸν ἐμὲ παρεῖναι καὶ συνδιάξοντα καὶ συνοδεὺσοντα, οὐδὲ τοῦτο φευξόμεθα. ιςʼ. ΚΑΙΣΑΡΙῼ. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 19. To Basil] It is a time for good counsel and endurance, for none to show himself more manly than we, and for our many sweats and labours not to be undone in a short time. Why do I write this, and on what grounds? Our most God-beloved bishop Eusebius (for so we must henceforth both think and write of him) is very conciliatory and friendly toward us, and, like iron in fire, is being softened by time; and I think a letter of encouragement and invitation will come to you, as he indicated to me and as many who clearly know his mind assure us. Let us anticipate it, either by coming or by …, or rather by writing first and then coming, so that we may not be ashamed afterwards at being defeated, when it is possible to win by being defeated honourably and as philosophers, which is what most people demand of us. Come, then, persuaded by me, both for this reason and because of the times; for a league of heretics is overrunning the Church, some already present and causing trouble, others, so the report goes, about to come; and there is fear that the word of truth will be swept away unless the spirit of …, the wise architect of such words and doctrines, is stirred up very quickly. If you think that I myself should be there to stay with you and travel with you, I will not refuse even this. [Letter 20. To Caesarius] ### Scripture references - Exod 31:2–5: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The heading of Letter 19 is lost in the scan; the addressee is Basil. A word after “by coming or by” and the name after “the spirit of” are garbled in the scan (the latter perhaps “my Bezaleel”, Exod 31:2–5, a name Gregory gives Basil as builder of doctrine); both are marked …. The heretics are the Arian party under Valens. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 53 (PG 37:53a–53d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-53). ## Letter 55 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-55 - Source: PG 37:56a–56b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges his brother Caesarius, saved from danger, to give himself to God and leave the world, and hopes to celebrate his deliverance with him. ### Greek text ραίνωμεν· ἀλλʼ ὅτι διαπεφεύγαμεν, εὐχαριστήσωμεν. Μηδὲ ἄλλοι φανῶμεν τῷ Θεῷ παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῶν κινδύνων, καὶ ἄλλοι μετά τοὺς κινδύνους ἀλλά βουληθῶμεν είτε ἐνδημοῦντες, εἴτε ἐκδημοῦντες, εῖτε ἰδιωτεύοντες, εἴτε τὰ κοινὰ πράττοντες (δεῖ γὰρ οὕτω λέγειν, καὶ μὴ λείπειν), τῷ σώσαντι κατακολουθεῖν, καὶ γίνεσθαι τῆς ἐκείνου μοίρας, μικρὰ τῶν μικρῶν καὶ χαμαὶ ἐρχομένων φροντίσαντες. Καὶ δῶμέν τι διήγημα τοῖς εἰς ὕστερον, μέγα μὲν εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν, μέγα δὲ είς ὠφέλειαν ψυχῆς· τδ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ παίδευμα τοῖς πολλοῖς χρησιμώτατον, ὃτι κρείττων ἀσφαλείας κίνδυνος, καὶ συμφορὰ εὐημερίας αἱρετωτέραο εί γε πρὸ μὲν τῶν φόβων ἦμεν τοῦ κόσμου, μετὰ δὲ τοὺς φόβους τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγενήμεθα. Ἴσως σοι φορτικοὶ καὶ οὐ παραίνεσιν, ἀλλʼ ἐπίδειξιν νομίζεις τοὺς λόγους. Διὸ τούτων μὲν ἃλις· ἡμᾶς δὲ ἶσοι προθυμουμένους καὶ εὐχομένους μάλιστα μὲν γενέσθαι μέχρι σου, συνησθησομένους τῇ σωτηρίᾳ σου, καὶ περ). τούτων τελεώτερον διαλεξομένους. El δʼ οὓ, ἀλλʼ ὲνταῦθά σε δεξομένους ὡς τάχιστα, συνεορτάσαι τὰ χαριστήρια. ’ ### English translation (Claude) … ; but let us give thanks that we have escaped. And let us not appear one kind of men to God in the time of dangers and another after the dangers; but let us resolve, whether at home or abroad, whether in private life or engaged in public affairs (for I must put it so and leave nothing out), to follow the One who saved us and to become of his portion, caring little for the little things that creep along the ground. And let us give those who come after us a story, great for our glory and great for the benefit of the soul; and the same will be a most useful lesson for the many, that danger is better than safety, and misfortune more to be chosen than prosperity, if before our terrors we belonged to the world, but after them have become God's. Perhaps you think my words burdensome, and not exhortation but display. So enough of this; but know that we are eager and pray above all to come to you, to share your joy in your safety and to talk of these things more fully; or if not, to welcome you here as quickly as possible to keep the thanksgiving feast together. ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 5:9: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The opening of this letter is lost in the scan. Caesarius had escaped the earthquake at Nicaea (368). “Whether at home or abroad” echoes 2 Cor 5:9. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 55 (PG 37:56a–56b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/21/#p-55). ## Letter 57 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-57 - Source: PG 37:57a–57d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Two letters, to Sophronius and to Caesarius, recommending young Amphilochius, accused of wrongdoing in a money matter, and pleading his innocence and simplicity. ### Greek text xu. Ta ΑΥΤῼ. Ἔδει, καθάπερ τὸν χρυσὸν καὶτοὺς λίθους τῇ δψει γνωρίζομεν, οὕτω καὶ τοὺς καλοὺς καὶμὴ τῶν ς ἀνδρῶν αὐτόθεν διαγινώσκεσθαι, καὶ μὴ μακροτέρας δεῖσθαι δοκιμασίας. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν πολλῶν ἐδέησεν ἡμῖν λόγων ὑπὲρ τοῦ τιμιωτάτου υἱοῦ Ἀμφιλοχίου ’ πρεσβεύουσι πρὸς τὴν σὴν μεγαλόνοιαν. Θᾶττον ἂν ἦλπισα ’ἐν τι τῶν ἀπίστων καὶ παραδόξων, ἢ τοῦτον ἀγεννές τι πράξειν ἐπὶ χρήμασιν, ῆδιανοήσασθαι· τοσοῦτον αὑτῷ τὸ παρὰ πάντων συγκεχωρηκὸς ἐπὶ καλοκαγαθία, καὶ τὸ πρεσβυτέραν τῆς ἡλικίας ἔχειν τὴν φρόνησιν. Ἀλλὰ τί χρὴ παθεῖν; Οὖδὲν διαφεύγει τὸν φθόνον, ὁπότε καὶ τούτου τις μῶμος ἥψατο, ἀνδρὸς διʼ ἁπλότητα μᾶλλον, ἢ τρόπων κακίαν περιπεσόντος ἐγκλήμασιν. Ἀλλά σοι μὴ ἀνεκτὸν φανείτω περιϊδεῖν αὑτὸν ταῖς συκοφαντίαις παρασυρόμενον. Μὴ δέομαί σου τῆς ἱερᾶς καὶ μεγάλης ψυχῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν πατρίδα τίμησον, τῇ ἀρετῇ βοήθησον, καὶ ἡμᾶς αἰδέσθητι τοὺς παρὰ σοῦ καὶ διὰ σοῦ δοξασθέντας, καὶ ἀντὶ πάντων γενοῦ τῷ ἀνδρὶ, τῷ δύνασθαι τὸ θέλειν προσθεὶς, ἐπειδὴ πάντα τῆς σῆς ἀρετῆς οἶδα ἡττώμενα. K1". ΚΑΙΣΑΡΙῼ. Εἰ μεγάλα ἐστὶν ἃ αἰτοῦμεν, μηδὲν θαυμάσῃς, ἐπειδὴ καὶ παρὰ μεγάλου, καὶ συμμετρεῖσθαι δεῖ τῷ αἰτουμένῳ τὴν αἴτησιν. Ὁμοίως γὰρ ἄτοπον παρὰ μικροῦ μεγάλα αἰτεῖν, καὶ παρὰ μεγάλου μικρά. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄκαιρον. τὸ δὲ μικρόλογον. Αὐτός σοι προσάγω διὰ τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ χειρὸς τὸν τιμιώταο τον υἱὸν ἡμῶν ’Δμφιλόχιον, ἄνδρα τοσοῦτον ἐπὶ καλοκαγαθία γνώριμον, καὶ παρὰ τὸ εἰκὸς τῆς ήλικιας, ὥστε ἂν αὐτὸς ἠγάπησα ὁ γέρων, καὶ ἱερεὺς, καὶ ὑμέτερος φίλος, οὕτως ὑπολαμβάνεσθαι. Εἰ δὲ φιλίας ἀνδρὸς ἡττηθεὶς, τὴν διαὸολὴν οὐχ ὑπείδετο, τί θαυμαστόν; Τῷ γὰρ μὴ πονηρὸς εἶναι, οὐδὲ ὑπείδετο τὴν πονηρίαν, λόγου μᾶλλον διόρθωσινῆ τρόπον προσήκειν αὑτῷ νομίσας. Οὕτω συμπονεῖν ἐδέξατο. Τί τοῦτο δεινὸν τοῖς εὐγνώμοσι;- Μὴ ε] ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 22. To the same] We ought to be able, just as we recognize gold and precious stones by sight, to discern good and honourable men at once, without needing longer testing. Then we would not have needed many words pleading with your magnanimity for our most honoured son Amphilochius. I would sooner have expected one of the incredible and impossible things to happen than that he should do or even think anything ignoble for money; so fully has everyone granted him his nobility of character, and a prudence older than his years. But what is one to do? Nothing escapes envy, since some fault-finding has touched even this man, who fell into accusations through simplicity rather than wickedness of character. But do not think it tolerable to look on while he is swept away by slanders. No, I beg your holy and great soul; but honour your homeland too, come to the help of virtue, respect us who have been glorified by you and through you, and be everything to the man, adding the will to the power, since I know that everything yields to your virtue. [Letter 23. To Caesarius] If what we ask is great, do not be surprised, since we ask it of a great man, and the request must be measured to the one asked. For it is equally absurd to ask great things of a small man and small things of a great one: the one is untimely, the other petty. I myself bring to you with my own hand our most honoured son Amphilochius, a man so well known for nobility of character, beyond what is usual at his age, that I myself, an old man, a priest, and your friend, would be glad to be so regarded. And if, overcome by friendship for a man, he did not suspect the slander, what is surprising in that? Because he was not wicked, he did not suspect wickedness either, thinking it his business to correct the man's speech rather than his character; and so he agreed to share his work. What is so terrible in this to fair-minded people? Do not ### Translation notes - Letter 21 (to Sophronius) is not in the scan text. Letter 22 is headed “to the same”, that is, to the prefect Sophronius; the headings are garbled in the scan and the numbers follow Migne. Amphilochius, a young advocate, was Gregory's cousin and later bishop of Iconium. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 57 (PG 37:57a–57d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-57). ## Letter 59 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-59 - Source: PG 37:60a–60c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a recommendation of Amphilochius; then Gregory asks the orator Themistius to help Amphilochius, quoting Plato on philosophy and power; then begins a joking letter to Amphilochius's father. ### Greek text τοίνυν ἀνάσχῃ πλέον ἔχειν ἀρετῆς κακίαν, μηδὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν πολιὰν ἀτιμάσῃς · ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν αἰδέσθὶμτι, καὶ τὸ φιλάνθρωπον ὑπόθες ταῖς παρʼ ἡμῶν εὐλογίαις, ὧν ἴσως τις παρὰ θεῷ λόγος, ᾧ παρεστήκαμεν. KA'. θΕΜΙΣΤΙῼ. Λόγοι τὸ κινδυνευόμενον ’ καὶ σὸς ὁ καιρὸς, εἴπερ - βασιλεὺς σὺ τῶν λόγων. Καὶ πρὸς γε, σο) φίλος πατρόθεν ὁ ἐμὸς Ἀμφιλόχιος. Προσθήσω δὲ, ὅτι καὶ τοιοῦτος, οἷος μήτε γένος πατέρων αἰσχύνειν, μήτε τὴν ἡμετέραν φιλίαν, εἰ μὴ φαῦλος ἐγὼ τῶν τοιοὺο των κριτής. Καὶ τὸ μέγιστον, ἀνδρὶ μάλιστα κατὰ σὲ φιλοσόφῳ, ὅτι μηδὲν ἀδικῶν ἔχει πράγματα. Ὃ, τῷ μὲν ἐστι κουφότατον, ἡμῖν δὲ αὖ βαρύτατον, εί περιορῶντες φαινοίμεθα. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ὃ μόνον δύναμαι, τοῦτο ποιῶ. Δύναμαι δὲ πρεσβεύειν πρὸς τοὺς εὖ ποιεῖν δυναμένους. Οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο γε οὐδὲν ἐμοὶ δυνατὸν οὕτως ἔχοντι, ὥσπερ νῦν ἔχω. Σὺ δὲ τῦν τοῦ σοῦ Πλάτωνος βεβαίωσον λόγον, μὴ πρότερον παύσασθαι τὰς πόλεις κακῶν εἰπόντος, πρὶν ἂν συνέλθῃ φιλοσοφίᾳ τὸ δύνασθαι. Ἱκανὸς γὰρ εἴ ἀμφότερα. Δὸς χεῖρα τῷ δεομένῳ, καὶ παραιη νέσας τὰ εἰκότα, καὶ …; Ὠς οὐκ ἐστιν ὅτι φιλοσοφήσαις ἄμεινον, ἢ νῦν τῷ δικαίῳ συναγωνισάμενος. Πρὸς τῷ καὶ ἡμᾶς εὖ ποιεῖν τοὺς σοὺς ἐπαινέτας, εἰ δὲ δίδως εἰπεῖν, καὶ φίλους. KE’. ΑΜΦΙΛΟΧΙῼ. Ἄρτους μὲν οὐκ ᾐτήσαμεν παρᾶ σοῦ, ὅτι μηδὲ ### English translation (Claude) then allow vice to get the better of virtue, nor dishonour our grey hair; but respect our testimony too, and add kindness to the blessings we give, of which perhaps some account is kept before God, before whom we stand. [Letter 24. To Themistius] It is eloquence that is at stake, and the moment is yours, if indeed you are the king of eloquence. And besides, my Amphilochius is a friend of yours from his father's time. I will add that he is such a man as to disgrace neither his father's family nor our friendship, unless I am a poor judge of such things. And, what weighs most with a man as much a philosopher as you, he is in trouble though he has done no wrong. This is the lightest thing for him, but again the heaviest for us, if we should be seen to overlook it. I, then, do the one thing I can: I can intercede with those who are able to do good. For nothing else is possible for me in my present condition. But do you now confirm the saying of your Plato, who said that cities would not be rid of evils until power was joined to philosophy; for you are capable of both. Give a hand to him who asks, advising what is fitting and …; for there is no way you could play the philosopher better than by now contending on the side of justice; and besides, you will do good to us, your admirers, and, if you allow me to say it, your friends. [Letter 25. To Amphilochius] Bread we did not ask of you, since we would not ask ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Resp. 473c-d (Plato (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Themistius was the famous pagan orator and philosopher at Constantinople. Plato, Republic 473c–d (philosopher-kings). A word after “advising what is fitting and” is garbled in the scan (…). Letter 25 is to Amphilochius the elder, the young man's father. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 59 (PG 37:60a–60c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-59). ## Letter 61 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-61 - Source: PG 37:61a–61d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory playfully asks Amphilochius the elder for vegetables to entertain Basil, then complains of how few arrived and threatens to withhold grain. ### Greek text ὕδωρ παρὰ τῶν Ὀστρακίνην οἰκούντων. Λάχανα δὲ εἱ αῐτοίημεν παρὰ. ἀνδρὸς Ὸζιζαλὲως, ὧν ἀφθονία μὲν παρʼ ὑμῖν, παρὰ δὲ ἡμῖν πολλὴ σπάνις, θαυμαστὸν οὐδὲν, οὐδὲ ἔξω τῆς συνηθείας. Καταξίιυσον οὖν λάχανα ἡμῖν ἀποστεῖλαι πλεῖστα καὶ κάλλιστα, ἣ ὅσα γε δυνατὸν (ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ μικρὰ μεγάλα τοῖς πένησιν), ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸν μέγαν Βασίλειον δεξιούμεθα, οὗ μὴ βουληθῇς, ὥσπερ ἐπειράθης κεκορεσμένοι) φιλοσοφοῦντος, οὕτω ἡειραθῆναι πεινῶντος καὶ δυσχεραίνοντος. κςι. Ὠς μικρολόγως ἡμῖν ἥκει τὰ λάχανα παρʼ ὐμῶνὶ καὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλο, ἢ χρυσολάχανα; Καί τοι γε ὁ πᾶς πλοῦτος ὑμῖν κῆποι, καὶ ποταμοὶ, καὶ ἄλση, καὶ παράδεισοι, καὶ λαχανηφόρος ὑμῖν ὴ χώρα, ὡς χρυσοφόρος ἄλλοις, καὶ λειμώνια φύλλα νέμεσθε. '0 δὲ σῖτος ὑμῖν ἡ μυθικὴ μακαρία· καὶ ὁ ἄρτος, ὃ δὴ λέγεται, ἄρτος ἀγγέλων, οὕτως ἀσπαστός τε καὶ ἄπιστος. Ἦ τοίνυν μεταδίδοτε τούτων ἡμῖν ἀφθονώτερον, ἢ ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν ὰπειλήσομεν “ τὸν δὲ σῖτον ἐφέξομεν, καὶ εἰσόμεθα εἰ ὅντως δρόσῳ μόνῃ τρέφονται τέττιγες. ### English translation (Claude) water of those who live at Ostracine. But if we were to ask vegetables of a man of Ozizala, which you have in abundance while we have a great shortage, that is nothing surprising, nor out of the ordinary. Be so good, then, as to send us vegetables, very many and very fine, or as many as you can (since even small things are great to the poor), since we are about to entertain the great Basil; and you would not wish, having experienced him philosophizing on a full stomach, to experience him hungry and cross. [Letter 26. To the same] How stingily the vegetables have come to us from you! What else are they but golden vegetables? And yet your whole wealth is gardens and rivers and groves and parks, and your land bears vegetables as others' lands bear gold, and you graze on meadow leaves. But grain is for you the blessedness of myth, and bread, as the saying goes, the bread of angels, as welcome as it is unbelievable. Either, then, share these with us more generously, or we will threaten nothing else, but we will hold back our grain, and we will find out whether cicadas really live on dew alone. ### Scripture references - Ps 78:25 (77:25 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Ostracine was a waterless town on the Egyptian coast. Ozizala was Amphilochius's estate, rich in gardens but poor in grain. “Bread of angels”: Ps 78:25 (LXX 77:25). Cicadas were proverbially thought to live on dew. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 61 (PG 37:61a–61d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-61). ## Letter 63 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-63 - Source: PG 37:64a–64b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter commending a friend to Amphilochius's hospitality; then Gregory, after reflecting on the instability of fortune, tells Sophronius that his dead brother Caesarius's estate is being plundered. ### Greek text ταῖς Γραφαῖς εὐδοκιμοῦντι ξενισμῷ μετά λαχᾶνων καταξιώσατε. Ὁρᾷς οἷα τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ ὅπως κύκλος τῶν νῦν δὲ τῶν ἀνθούντων καὶ ἀπανθούντων, κα). οὕτε τοῦ εὖ πράττειν ἑστῶτος ἡμῖν, οὔτε τοῦ δυστυχεῖν, ὃ δὴ λέγουσιν, ἀλλά τάχιστα μετακινουμένου καὶ μεταπίπτοντος, ὡς αὔραις εἶναι μᾶλλον πιστεύειν, καὶ γράμμασι τοῖς καθʼ ὓδατος, ἢ ἀνθρώπων εὑ·ημερίᾳ. Τίνος ἓνεκεν; ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἵνα τὸ ὲν τούτοις ἄστατον καὶ ἀνώμαλον Θεωροῦντες, μᾶλλον τι προστρέχωμεν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τῷ μέλλοντι, καί τινα ποιώμεθα καὶ ἠ μῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιμέλειαν, βραχέα τῶν σκιῶν καὶ τῶν ὀνειράτων φροντίζοντες. Ἀλλά πόθεν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος οὐ γὰρ εἱκῆ ταῦτα φιλοσοφῶ, οὐδὲ διασκενῆς καλλωπίςομαι. Ἦν ποτε τῶν οὐκ ἀφανῶν καὶ ὁ σὸς Καισάριος, εἰ δὲ μὴ ὡς ἀδελφὸς ἀπατῶμαι, καὶτῶν λίαν ἐπιφανῶν, γνώριμος μὲν ἐπὶ παιδεύσει, καλοκαγαθία δὲ ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλοὺς, λαμπρὸς δὲ φίλων περιουσίᾳ, ὧν πρῶτον ἐν πρώτοις σέ τε καὶ τὴν σὴν εὐγένειαν ὑπάρχειν αὐτῷ αὑτός τε ἐφρόνει, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἔπειθε. Τά μὲν δὴ παλαιά ταῦτα, καὶ τὰ πλείω παρά σεαυτοῦ προσθήσεις, τιμῶν αὑτὸν ἐπιτάφια· καὶ ὃ φύσει πάντες ἔχομεν ἄνθρωποι, μᾶλλον τι τῷ ἀπελθόντι χαριζόμενος. Τά δὲ νῦν (καὶ ὅπως μὴ παραδράμῃς ἀδακρυτὶ τὸν λόγον,ἥ δακρύσαις γε εἰς καλὸν καὶ χρήσιμον ὁ μὲν κεῖται νεκρὸς, ἄφιλος, ἕρημος, ἐλεούμενος, σμύρνης ὀλίγης ἠξιωμένος (εἴ γε καὶ τούτου), καὶ μικρῶν ἐνδυμάτων τῶν τελευταίων πολύ γε ὅτι καὶ τούτων ἐλεούμενος. Ἐπιπεπτὼκασι δὲ οἱ ἐχθροὶ, ῶς γε πυνθάτῆς ### English translation (Claude) … honour him with the hospitality approved in the Scriptures, with vegetables. [Letter 29. To Sophronius] You see what our affairs are like, and how there is a cycle of things flourishing and fading; neither good fortune nor, as they say, ill fortune stays fixed for us, but it shifts and changes very quickly, so that one may trust the breezes, or letters written on water, rather than human prosperity. Why is this? It seems to me, so that, seeing the instability and unevenness in these things, we may run rather to God and to the future, and take some care of ourselves, caring little for shadows and dreams. But what prompts my words? For I am not philosophizing at random, nor decking myself out with rhetorical display. Your Caesarius too was once among the men of note, and, unless as a brother I am deceived, among the very distinguished: known for his learning, above most for nobility of character, brilliant in his wealth of friends, among whom he himself thought, and persuaded us, that you and your nobility held first place among the first. These things are of the past, and you will add more from your own knowledge, honouring him with funeral praises and, what all of us humans have by nature, granting something more to the departed. But now (and see that you do not run past this account without tears, or rather, may you weep to good and useful purpose): he lies dead, friendless, deserted, pitied, granted a little myrrh (if even that) and a few last garments; it is much that he is pitied even for these. And his enemies have fallen upon his estate, as I learn, … ### Translation notes - The page begins with the last words of Letter 28 (to Amphilochius, recommending a friend); Letter 27 and the beginning of Letter 28 are not in the scan text. The heading of Letter 29 is lost; the addressee is the prefect Sophronius, Caesarius's friend. Caesarius died in 368/369. Lines are lost at the foot of the page (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 63 (PG 37:64a–64b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-63). ## Letter 65 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-65 - Source: PG 37:65a–65b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory begs Sophronius, out of friendship for the dead Caesarius, to stop the plundering of his estate, saying the shame matters more than the money. ### Greek text ἀναλγησίας, ὦ τῆς ὡμότητοςῐ Καὶ ὁ κωλύσων οὐδείς · ἀλλʼ ὃ γε φιλανθρωπότατος, τοῦτο χαρίζεται μόνον, ἀνακαλεῖται τοὺς νόμους · καὶ εἰ δεῖ συντόμως εἰπεῖν, δρᾶμα γεγόναμεν, οἰ ποτε νομισθέντες εὐδαίμονες. Ταῦτα μὴ ἀνεκτά φανήτω σοι· ἀλλά καὶ συνάλγησον, καὶ συναγανάκτησον, καὶ δὸς χάριν νεκρῷ Καισαρίῳ. Ναὶ πρὸς τῆς φιλίας αὐτῆς · ναὶ πρὸς τῶν σῶν φιλτάτων καὶ τῶν ὲλπέδων, ἃς ποίησον σεαυτῷ δεξιάς, πιστὸς τῷ ἀπελθόντι φανεὶς καὶ γνήσιοςο ἵνα καὶ τοῖς ζῶσι τοῦτο χαρίσῃ, καὶ ποιήσῃς αὐτοὺς εὐέλπιδας. Οἴει περὶ χρημάτων ημᾶς ἀλγεῖν; τὸ τῆς αἰσχύνης ἡμῖν ἀφορητότερον, εἰ δόξειε μόνος τῶν ἀπάντων Καισάριος μὴ ἐσχημὲν πρεσσεία τοιαύτη, καὶ παρά τοιούτων, ἐπειδή σοι καὶ τὸ καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἴσως ού πάρεργον. "A δὲ βοηθήσεις, καὶ διʼ ὧν, καὶ ὅπως, τά τε πράγματα ὑποθήσεται, καὶ ἡ σὴ διασκέψεται σύνεσις. ### English translation (Claude) … O the insensibility, O the cruelty! And there is no one to stop it; but even the most humane of them grants only this: he invokes the laws. In short, we have become a stage play, we who were once thought fortunate. Do not think this tolerable, but share our pain and our indignation, and grant a favour to the dead Caesarius. Yes, by friendship itself; yes, by those dearest to you and by your hopes, which you will make favourable for yourself by showing yourself faithful and true to the departed, so that you may grant this favour to the living too and make them hopeful. Do you think we are grieving over money? The shame is more unbearable to us, if Caesarius alone of all should seem to have gained nothing from such an intercession, and from such men; since perhaps our affairs are no side-issue for you either. How you will help, and through whom, and in what way, the facts will suggest and your understanding will consider. ### Translation notes - The opening of the page continues a lost line. Who “the most humane” is (a friend or a magistrate) is uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 65 (PG 37:65a–65b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-65). ## Letter 67 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-67 - Source: PG 37:68a–68b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory consoles his sick friend Philagrius, urging him to treat his illness as a school of philosophy and to despise the body. ### Greek text Διʼ. το "A μὲν ὲστί σοι λυπηρὰ, πάντως καὶ ἡμῖν. Κοινὰ γὰρ ποιούμεθα πάντα τὰ τῶν φίλων, εὖ τε καὶ ὡς ἑτέρως ἔχοντα, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ φιλίας ὄρος ἐστί. Καίτοι περὶ τούτων εἴ τι δεῖ φιλοωφῆο σαι, καὶ τὰ εἰκότα διαλεχθῆναί σοι (ὥσπερ οὖν δὴ καὶ ό τῆς φιλίας ὑποτίθεται νόμος), οὐ βούλομαί σε, οὐδέ γε καλῶς ἔχειν ὖπολαμὸάνω, Φιλάγριον ὄντα, καὶ τὰ θεῖα διαφερόντως πεπαιδευμένον, ταυτὸν πάσχειν τοῖς πολλοῖς, οὐδὲ συγκαταπίπτειν τῷ σώματι, οὐδὲ ὡς ἀνήκεστον τὴν κακοπάθειαν ὀδύρεσθαι, ἀλλʼ ὲμφιλοσοφεῖν τῷ πάθει, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν νῦν δὴ καὶ μάλιστα ὲκκαθαίρεσθαι, καὶ κρείττω φαίνεσθαι τῶν δεσμῶν, καὶ ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν νόσον παιδαγωγίαν πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον, τοῦτο δέ. ἐστι, περιφρονοῦντα τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὰ σωματικὰ, καὶ πᾶν τὸ ῥέον καὶ ταραχῶδες, καὶ ἀπολλύμενον, ὅλον τῆς ἄνω γενέσθαι μοίραςσ καὶ ζῇν ἀντὶ τοῦ παρόντος μέλλοντι, θανάτου μελέτην, τοῦτο ὃ φησι Πλάτων, τὸν τῇδε βίον ποιούμενον, καὶ λύοντα τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ εἴτε σώματος, εἴτε σήματος, κατʼ ἐκεῖνον εἰπεῖν, ὅση δύναμις. Ἂν ταῦτα φιλοσοφῇς, ὦ ἄριστε, καὶ οὕτως ἔχῃς, αὑτός τε ὠνήσῃ τὰ μέγιστα, κα) ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ σοὶ ῥᾴους ποιήσεις, καὶ πολλοὺς διδάξεις ἐμφιλοσοφεῖν τοῖς πάθεσι. Καὶ πρός γε, οὑ μικρὸν κερδανεῖς (εἴ τί σοι καὶ τούτου μέλει, τὸ ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 30. To Philagrius] What grieves you surely grieves us too. For we hold all the affairs of friends in common, whether they go well or otherwise, as is indeed the very definition of friendship. And yet, if I must philosophize somewhat on these things and say to you what is fitting (as the law of friendship also suggests), I do not wish you, nor do I think it right, being Philagrius and exceptionally educated in divine things, to suffer the same as the many, or to collapse along with the body, or to lament your affliction as incurable; but rather to philosophize in your suffering, and now above all to cleanse your mind, to show yourself stronger than your bonds, and to consider your illness a schooling toward what is profitable, that is, despising the body and bodily things and all that flows and is turbulent and perishing, to belong wholly to the portion above, to live for the future instead of the present, making the life here a practice of death, as Plato says, and freeing the soul from the body (or the tomb, to speak as he does) as far as possible. If you philosophize in this way, my excellent friend, and are so disposed, you will yourself profit greatly, you will make us easier on your account, and you will teach many to philosophize in their sufferings. And besides, you will gain no small thing (if you care at all for this), ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Phaed. 81a (Plato (works)): allusion, high confidence - Plato, Gorg. 493a (Plato (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Philagrius was a friend from Gregory's student days. Plato: philosophy as “practice of death” (Phaedo 81a; cf. 67e), and the body (σῶμα) as a tomb (σῆμα) (Gorgias 493a; Cratylus 400c). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 67 (PG 37:68a–68b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-67). ## Letter 69 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-69 - Source: PG 37:69a–69b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a note about books lent to Philagrius; then Gregory praises Philagrius for bearing his illness as a philosopher, letting the body suffer while the soul stays with God. ### Greek text ᾔτησας, τὸ μὲν εὗρον, καὶ ἔπεμψά σοι προθύμως, τὸ Δημοσθενικὸν λέγω ’ τὸ δὲ ἐζημιώθην · οὐκ ἔχω οἵου συ χρῄζεις, τὴν Ἰλιάδα. Μὴ γάρ μοι διαπιστήσῃς, ὅτι μόνον τούτων ἀπολαύειν νομίζω, καὶ μόνα κεκτῆσθαι καλῶς, ὧν ἂν αὐτὸς μετάσχοις, καὶ οἷς ἂν ὡς σεαυτοῦ χρήσαιο. AB'. Τῼ ΑΥΤῼ. Εὖ γε ὅτι φιλοσοφεῖς ὲν τοῖς πάθεσι, καὶ γίνῃ καὶ ῶσπερ ἐπὶ παντὶ βελτίστῳ κατεχρῶ τῷ σώματι, ἡνίκα ὑγιεινῶς εἶχες, οὕτω καὶ νῦν τούτῳ χρῶ καλῶς, ἐπειδὴ γε ἀσθενῶς εχεις, και ἀργεῖς οὐκ ἀργῶς, ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω. Φιλοσοφεῖς γάρ, καὶ ὃ φασι Διογένην εἰρηκέναι ποτὲ πυρέττοντα, καὶ διακαρτεροῦντα, τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς παρέχεις ὁρᾷν, ψυχῆς πάλην καὶ σώματος. Τοῦτο ἔπρεπε τῷ ἐμῷ Φιλαγρίῳ, μὴ μαλακίζεσθαι, μηδὲ κάμπτεσθαι πρὸς τά πάθη, ἀλλὰ περιφρονεῖν τὸν πηλὸν, καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ὲᾷν πάσχειν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, πάντως ἢ νῦν ῆ ὕστερον λυθησόμενον νόμῳ φύσεως (οἰχήσεται γάρ ἦ νόσῳ κάμνον, ἢ χρόνῳ) αὐτὴν δὲ ὑψοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχειν, καὶ μετὰ Θεοῦ τετάχθαι τοῖς λογισμοῖς, κάκεῖνο εἰδέναι, ὅτι τῶν ἀτόπων ἐστὶν, ἡμᾶς ἔξω ἀφιλοσόφους φαίνεσθαι, καὶ διαψεύδεσθαι τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. ### English translation (Claude) … you asked for: the one I found and sent you gladly, I mean the Demosthenes; the other I have lost, and I do not have the one you want, the Iliad. Do not distrust me; for I think I enjoy only those things, and possess well only those, in which you share and which you use as your own. [Letter 32. To the same] Well done that you are a philosopher in your sufferings, and that … ; and that, just as you used the body for every best thing when you were in health, so now too you use it well, since you are weak, and are idle not idly, if I may put it so. For you are a philosopher, and what they say Diogenes once said when he was in a fever and holding out against it, you too let us see: a wrestling of soul and body. This befitted my Philagrius: not to grow soft or bend before sufferings, but to despise the clay, and to let the body suffer what belongs to it, since it will certainly be dissolved by the law of nature now or later (for it will go, worn out either by disease or by time); but to keep the soul itself on high, ranked with God in its thoughts, and to know this too, that it is absurd for us to be found unphilosophical outside and to belie our profession. ### Translation notes - The opening of this letter (Letter 31, to Philagrius) is lost in the scan, as is the end of Letter 30. A few words after “in your sufferings, and” are garbled in the scan (…). The saying of Diogenes is unidentified; “the clay” is the body (cf. Job 10:9). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 69 (PG 37:69a–69b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-69). ## Letter 71 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-71 - Source: PG 37:72a–72b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges Philagrius to bear his illness like the Stoics, Anaxarchus, Epictetus and Socrates, and like Job, making weakness the material of virtue. ### Greek text δυσγενὴς, ἢ φυγόπατρις, παρᾶ τοῦτο αὐτῷ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας κωλυομένης. Ἐπαινῶ δὲ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Στοᾶς τὸ νεανικόν τε καὶ μεγαλόνουν, οἳ μηδὲν κωλύειν φασὶ πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν τὰ ἔξωθεν, ἀλλʼ εἶναι τὸν σπουδαῖον μακάριον, κᾶν ὁ Φαλάριδος ταῦρος ἔχῃ καιόμενον. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο θαυμάζω μὲν τούς παρʼ ἡμίν ὑπὲρ τοῦ καλοῦ κινδυνεύσαντας. ἢ συμφορὰν διο ενεγκόντας νεανικῶς· θαυμάζω δὲ καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν τούς τούτοις παραπλησίους, οἷον τὸν Ἀνάξαρχον ἐκεῖνον, τὸν Ἐπίκτητοῃ τὸν Σωκράτην, ἵνα μὴ λέγω πολλούςʼ ὧν ὁ μὲν ἐν ὅλμῳ κοπτομένων αὐτοῦ τῶν χειρῶν, οὐτω τοῦ τυράννου κε·λεύοντος, πτίσσειν τὸν ’Λναξάρχου θύλακον διεκεn λεύετο τοῖς βασανισταῖς. Τί τοῦτο λέγων; τὸ μοχθηρὸν ἡμῶν,σαρκίον · ὼς Ἀναξάρχου γε οὐ πτισσομένου, τῆς φιλοσόφου ψυχῆς ὅπερ ἡμῖν ὁ ἐντὸς, καὶ ὁ ἐκτὸς ἄνθρωπος ὀνομάζεται. '0 δὲ τὸ σκέλος κατατεινόμενος καὶ στρεβλούμενος ἐφιλοσόφει ὥσπερ ὲν ἀλλοτρίῳ τῷ σώματι · καὶ θᾶττον κατεαγῆναι τὸ σκέλος, ἢ ὲπαισθάνεσθαι τῆς βίας εδοξε. Σωκράτης δὲ τὸν θάνατον ὐπὸ Ἀθηναίων κατακριθεὶς, καὶ οἰκῶν, ὡς οἶσθα, τὸ δεσμωτήριον, τέως μὲν, ὡς ὑπὲρ ἄλλου δεσμωτηρίου τοῦ σώματος τοῖς μαθηταῖς διελέγετο, καὶ φυγεῖν ἐξὸν, ἀπο ηξίωσεν ’ ἐπειδὴ δὲ προσηνέχθη τὸ κώνειον. δέχεται μάλα ἡδέως, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἐπ) θανάτῳ δεχόμενος, ἀλλὰ φιλοτησίας προπινόμενος.Προσέοηκα δʼ ἂν τούτοις καὶ ’1ὼῦ τὸν ήμέτε ρον, εί μή σεᾔδειν πόρρω τῶν ἐκείνου παθῶν, καὶ ὅντα σὺν Θεῷ, καί ἐσόμενον. Ταῦτά μοι δοκεῖς κατεπᾴδειν σεαυτοῦ, ὦθεία καὶ ἱερὰ κεφαλὴ, καὶ οὕτω σεαυτὸν ἰατρεύων, αὐιώς τε ἂν ῥᾴων γενέσθαι, καὶ ἡμᾶς εὐφραίνειν τούς σούς ἐπαινέτας καὶ ἐραστὰς, οὐδὲν ὐπὸ τῆς νόσου καμπτόμενος, οὐδὲν, ὃ φησιν ὁ θεῖος Δασιδ, ὑπὸ τῆς εἰρήνης τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον εὐροίας αὐτῶν ἐγκοπτόμενος ’ ἀλλὰ καὶ καθαιρόμενος, εἰ θέμις ἐπὶ σοῦ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν καὶ ὐλην ἀρετῆς ποιούμενος τὴν ἀσθένειαν. ### English translation (Claude) … low-born or an exile, his happiness being hindered on that account. But I praise the youthful spirit and greatness of mind of the men of the Stoa, who say that external things are no hindrance to happiness, but that the good man is blessed even if the bull of Phalaris holds him burning. And for this reason I admire those of our own who have run risks for what is good, or have borne misfortune nobly; and I admire too those outside who are like them, such as the famous Anaxarchus, Epictetus, and Socrates, not to name many. The first, while his hands were being pounded in a mortar at the tyrant's command, urged the torturers on: “Pound the bag of Anaxarchus.” Meaning what? Our wretched bit of flesh; as though Anaxarchus himself, the philosophic soul, were not being pounded, which is what we call the inner man, while the other is named the outer. The second, while his leg was being stretched and twisted, philosophized as though in someone else's body, and seemed to have his leg broken sooner than to feel the violence. And Socrates, condemned to death by the Athenians and dwelling, as you know, in the prison, for a while discussed with his disciples as though about another prison, the body, and though he could have escaped he would not; and when the hemlock was brought, he took it very gladly, as though he received it not for death but as a toast drunk in friendship. I would have added to these our own Job too, if I did not know that you are far from his sufferings, and are, and will be, with God. Sing these things as a charm over yourself, divine and holy head, and so, healing yourself, you would both be easier yourself and gladden us, your admirers and lovers, being in no way bent by the illness, and in no way, as the divine David says, cut short by the peace of sinners and their prosperity in this life; but rather being purified, if it is right to say this of you, and making your weakness material for virtue. ### Scripture references - Ps 73:3 (72:3 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - 2 Cor 4:16: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Phaed. 117b-c (Plato (works)): allusion, medium confidence - Origen, Cels. 7.53 (Against Celsus): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The beginning of this passage is lost in the scan. Phalaris was the tyrant of Acragas whose bronze bull roasted its victims. Anaxarchus's saying: Diogenes Laertius 9.59. The story of Epictetus's leg is told by Celsus (Origen, Against Celsus 7.53). Socrates in prison: Plato, Phaedo (the body as a prison, 62b; the hemlock, 117b–c). David: Ps 73:3 (LXX 72:3). “Inner man” and “outer man”: 2 Cor 4:16. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 71 (PG 37:72a–72b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-71). ## Letter 73 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-73 - Source: PG 37:73a–73d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory defends Philagrius against critics who blame him for working at his affairs while ill, telling him to take counsel with himself and God. ### Greek text λοκαλοῦντος τὸ μόνον σου κτῆμα, κα) φιλεργοῦντος ὲν τοιαύτῃ καταστάσει τοῦ σώματος. Καὶ θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν · ἐπειδὴ καὶ ῥᾷον ὲν τοῖς άλλοτρίοις ἢ τοῖς οἰκείοις φιλοσοφεῖν. Ἐγὼ δὲ εί μὲν ἐώρων σε πέρα τοῦ μέτρου τοῦτο ποιοῦντα, ἦ πλεονεκτικῶς ἦ βιαίως τῇ φιλοπονίᾳ προσκείμενον, κᾶν ἐμεμψάμην (εἰρήσεται γὰρ τάληθὲς), μηδὲν τὴν φ·λίαν ἢ παίδευσιν αἰδεσθείς. Εἰ δὲ φιλεργείς μὲν, οὐκ ἔξω δὲ τοῦ μέτρου, χρᾷ δὲ είς δέον οἷς φιλεργεῖς, πρῦσεστι δὲ καὶ τὸ πάθος. ἐνασχοο λοῦν τε ταῖς φροντίσι, καὶ πεῖθον ὡς ὑπὲρ τὸ σῶμά σοι τὰ τοῦ σώματος, οὐκ ἔχω πῶς μὴ τοῖς μεμφομένοις μέμψωμαι, σὲ τῆς αἰτίας ἐλευθερῶν. Καὶ πρός γε τοῦτο ἐμαυτὸν πείθω, ὅτι μήτε λογίσασθαι περὶ πραγμάτων σοῦ τις ἀμείνων, ᾧ γε καὶπρὸς τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἅπαντες χρῶνται διδασκάλῳ καὶ παραινέτῃ ὁμοίως ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ, μήτε ψυχῆς φροντίσαι φιλοσοφώτερος. El δὲ καὶ τῷ σώματι τὴν ὑγείαν φυλάσσειν ἢ ἐπανάγειν μόνης ἰατρικῆς, τίς οὓτω τολμηρὸς καὶ ἀπαίδευτος, ὥστε σοι περὶτούτων νομοθετεῖν; Τοὺς μὲν οὖν πολλοὺς ἔα χαίρειν, καὶ εἶναι κολοιοὺς πτῆσιν ἀετῶν δοκιμάζονταςʼ αὐτὸς δὲ σεαυτῷ χρῶ συμβούλῳ, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ, περί τε τοῦ πάθους, καὶτῶν ὅσα περὶ τὸ πάθος. κα) οὐχ ἁμαρ-δήσεις τοῦ δέοντος. ### English translation (Claude) [A further letter to Philagrius; its opening is lost] … taking good care of your only possession, and working hard in such a condition of body. And this is no wonder, since it is easier to be a philosopher in other people's affairs than in one's own. If I saw you doing this beyond measure, or devoting yourself to your labours greedily or violently, I would even have blamed you (the truth shall be told), without respect for our friendship or your learning. But if you love work, yet not beyond measure, and use what you work for as you should, and there is also your illness, which occupies you with cares and persuades you that what concerns the body is for the body's sake, I do not see how I can avoid blaming those who blame you, and acquitting you of the charge. And besides, I persuade myself of this: that no one could reason better about practical affairs than you, whom everyone uses as teacher and adviser in their own affairs alike, in private and in public, nor take care of the soul more like a philosopher. And if keeping health in the body, or restoring it, belongs to medicine alone, who is so bold and uneducated as to lay down laws for you about these things? So let the many go their way, jackdaws passing judgment on the flight of eagles; but take yourself as your counsellor, and God, about your illness and all that concerns it, and you will not miss what is needful. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening of this letter are lost in the scan; it is one of Gregory's letters to Philagrius (Letters 33–35 in Migne). The first word is incomplete; “taking good care” renders it by sense. Jackdaws judging eagles: a proverb (cf. Pindar, Nemean 3.80–82). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 73 (PG 37:73a–73d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-73). ## Letter 75 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-75 - Source: PG 37:76a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory recalls how, while he expounded the psalm about the prosperity of the wicked, the sick Philagrius rose and thanked God for his suffering. ### Greek text ιέμνημαι τῆς σῆς συνουσίας, ἀλλήλοις εγενόμεβα πρώην ὲν Ματάζῃ τῇ ἐμῇ (ἐμὰ γὰρ ὦ κα) ὑπολαμβάνω τὰ σὰ), καὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας, τηνικαῦτα ἐφιλοσοφησας, ἦς φρίττω καί νῦν …νημένος ἔτι. Ἐγὼ μὲν ὲξηγούμην σοιτὸν ψαλμὸν (σὺ γὶιρ ὲκέλευες,καὶ ἀντιλέγειν οὐκ ἦν), Δαβιδ ἰλιγγιᾷ καὶ ἀσχάλλει πρὸς τοὺς κακοὺς ηνοῦντας. Εἶτα πέμπων τοὺς λογισμοὺς εἰς ἐκεῖσε δικαιωτήρια, καὶ τὴν ἀποκειμένην βίοις ἀντίδοσιν, οὓτω τῆς ταραχῆς ἵσταται, καὶ … , λυποῦν θεραπεύεται. Καὶ, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν, εἷλκον τὴν ἐξήγησιν πρὸς τὸ πὰοος, ὲκ τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν ταῦτα φιλοσοφῶν, ὡς ἀνδρὶ πεπαιδευμένῳ καὶ τοσούτῳ διαλεγόμενος, καὶ ἅμα τοῦ Πνεύο ματος οὓτω φέροντος, καὶ τοῦ ἀλγεῖν παραθήγοντος · ἐν γὰρ τοῦ πάσχειν εὑρετικώτερον. Καὶ ἐτρεχά πως ὁ λόγος· σὺ δὲ μεταξὺ τοῦ λόγου διαναστὰς, ὥσπερ ἐξ ὕσπληγγος. καὶτὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνατείνας, πρός τε ἀνατολὰς οἷον βλέπων (οὐ γὰρ τὸ βλέπειν εἶχες … Εὐχαριστῶ σοι ὣ Πάτερ, ὲᾶῦας, ποιητὰ τῶν σῶν ἀνθρώπων, καί παιδευτὰ, ὅτι καὶ ἄκοντας εὖ ποιεῖς, καὶ τῷ ἐκτὸς καθαίρεις τὸν ἐντὸς ἄνθρωπον, καὶ διὰ ν ἐναντίων διεξάγεις ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὸ μακάριον τέ- ;, οἷς αὐτὸς ἐπίστασαι λόγοις. Καὶ τί ἂν λέγοιμι ντα, οἷς προεφιλοσόφεις ἡμῶν καὶ συνεφιλοσὸις, ὥσπερ τῇ νόσῳ χαίρωνς καὶ εἶχες μαθητὴν ν διδάσκαλον. Ἀλλὰ πρὸς τι τούτων ὲμνήσθηνς εϊνο πᾶσι διὰ σοῦ βοῶν καὶ κηρύσσων, ὅτι θρηνηδι μᾶλλον ἡμῖν οὶ κακοὶ τῆς ἔνδον νόσου, ἥπερ είνοις ἡμεῖς τῆς ἐκτὸς, ἂν οὓτως ἔχωμεν- ὅτι κρείττων εὐημερίας ἀχαλινώτου νόσος φιλὸσοιρος. ### English translation (Claude) [A further letter to Philagrius; heading lost] I remember your company, when we were together lately at my Mataza (for I regard what is yours as mine too), and the philosophy you then practised, at which I still shudder … still moved. I was expounding to you the psalm (for you asked me, and there was no refusing) in which David grows dizzy and frets at the wicked who prosper. Then, sending his thoughts to the courts of judgment there and the recompense laid up for each life, he is stayed from his trouble in this way, and … what grieves him is healed. And as far as I could I drew the exposition toward your suffering, philosophizing on these things from our own writers and from those outside, as one speaking with an educated man and so great a one, while the Spirit at the same time led me so, and the pain sharpened me; for suffering makes one more inventive. And my words were running on somehow; but you rose up in the middle of them, as if from the starting line, and stretching out your hands to heaven and turning as if to look toward the east (for you did not have the power of sight …), said: “I thank you, Father, … maker and educator of your human beings, that you do us good even against our will, and through the outer man you purify the inner, and lead us through contraries to the blessed end, by reasons you yourself know.” And what should I say of all the words in which you philosophized before us and with us, as though rejoicing in the illness, so that the disciple became the teacher? But to what end have I recalled these things? To cry and proclaim this to all through you: that the wicked are more to be lamented by us for their inner disease than we by them for our outer one, if we are so disposed; that a philosophic illness is better than unbridled prosperity. ### Scripture references - Ps 73:1–28 (72:1-28 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 4:16: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; this is one of Gregory's letters to Philagrius. Several lines are garbled in the scan and marked …. Mataza was Gregory's estate. The psalm is Ps 73 (LXX 72). “You did not have the power of sight” may refer to an eye disease of Philagrius; the following word is lost. Outer and inner man: 2 Cor 4:16. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 75 (PG 37:76a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-75). ## Letter 77 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-77 - Source: PG 37:77a–77d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, ill himself, says he rejoices to teach endurance by bearing illness with thanks; then he asks Philagrius, for the sake of their common fatherland, to help the rhetor Eudoxius. ### Greek text Πρότερον μὲν αὐτὸς ἔγραφόν σοι τοὺς παρακλη τικοὺς εἰς τὸ πάθος ' προεπεπτώκεις γάρ, … δέ μοι δοκεῖς αὐτὸς ἂν ἡμᾶς παρακαλέ… μικροῦ τὰ ἴσα κακοπαθοῦντας. Ἔδει γὰρ ἡμᾶς …λους ὄντας, μηδὲ ταῦτα χωρίζεσθαι.Μᾶλλον … ἤδη παρακέκληκας, οἷς καρτερεῖς, τὸ καρτερεῖνε Ἀλγῶ τῇ νόσῳ, καὶ χαίρωο ούχ ὅτι ἀλγῶ, ἀλλ τοῦ καρτερεῖν … ὅτι τοῦ καρτερεῖν τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰμὶ διδάσέαλ … Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ μὴμπάσχειν οὐκ ἔχω, τοῦτό γε … πάσχειν παρακερδίιίνω. τὸ φέρειν καὶ τὸ εὐχα … στείν, ὥσπερ ὲν τοῖς εὐθύμοις, οὕτω δὴ ν τοῖς ἀλγεινοῖς· ἐπειδὴ πείθομαι μηδὲν ἄλογον εἴ … παρὰ τῷ λόγῳ τῶν ἡμετέρων, κᾶν ἡμῖν οὔ… φαίνηται. ν Μητέρα τιμᾷν, τῶν ὁσίων. Μήτηρ δὲ ἄλλη μὲι … ἄλλου· κοινὴ δὲ πάντων, πατρίς. Ταύτην … μὲν πάσῃ σου τῇ τοῦ βίου λαμπρότητιʼ ’τιμίήτέείς καὶ νῦν, ἡμᾶς αἰδεσθεὶς, ὑπὲρ ὧν πρεσβεύομεν. Ἠ πρεσβεία δὲ τίς; Τὸν λογιώτατον τῶν κατʼ αὐτὴν Εὐδόξων τὸν ῥήτορα πάντως γινώσκεις. Τούτου πα ἵνʼ … ἶνʼ εἴπω συντόμως, ἄλλος … καὶ βίῳ, καὶ λόγ νῦν … νῦν σοι πρόσεισι διʼ ἡμῶν. Ἴνʼ οὖν ὀνομαστότει … σεαυτὸν καταστήσῃς, γε.νοῦ τῷ ἀνδρὶ δεξιὸς, ὲν … ἂν δέηται τῆς σῆς προστασίας. Αὶσχρὺν γὰρ, κου ὂντα σε τῆς πατρίδος προστάτην, καὶ πολλοὺς … πεποιηκότα, προσθήσω δὲ, ὅτι καὶ ποιήσοντα, … πρὸ πάντων τιμῆσαι τὸν ἄριστον ὲν λόγοις, … λόγους, οὓς, εὶ μή τι ἄλλο, κατὰ τοῦτο αἰδείσ… δίκαιον, ὅτι τῶν σῶν καλῶν εἰσιν ἐπαινέται. … ### English translation (Claude) [A further letter to Philagrius] Before, I myself used to write you words of encouragement in your suffering, for you had fallen ill first …; but now you seem to me to be the one who should encourage us, who suffer almost the same evils. For we, being …, ought not to be separated even in this. … rather you have already encouraged us by your endurance. I am pained by the illness, and I rejoice; not because I am pained, but … because I am a teacher of endurance to others. For since I cannot avoid suffering, this at least I gain from suffering: to bear it and to give thanks, in painful things just as in cheerful ones, since I am convinced that nothing of ours is without reason before the Word, even if it seems so to us. [Letter 37] To honour a mother is a religious duty. One's own mother is … ; but the common mother of all is the fatherland. This you honour … in all the splendour of your life; honour it now too, out of respect for us, in the matter for which we intercede. And what is the intercession? The most learned of those in it, Eudoxius the rhetor, you surely know. His son, to speak briefly, another … in life and in eloquence … now comes to you through us. So that you may make yourself more renowned …, be favourable to the man in whatever he needs of your patronage. For it is shameful, when you are the patron of the fatherland and have made many … (I will add, and will make), not above all to honour the best in eloquence … eloquence, which, if for nothing else, it is just to respect for this: that they are the praisers of your fine deeds. … ### Translation notes - This page is badly garbled in the scan: many lines are unreadable and are marked …; only the readable Greek is translated. The first letter is probably Letter 36 (to Philagrius). Letter numbers follow Migne; the heading of Letter 37 is lost in the scan, and its addressee is uncertain. Eudoxius was a rhetor of Cappadocia, father of the Eudoxius of Letter 38. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 77 (PG 37:77a–77d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-77). ## Letter 79 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-79 - Source: PG 37:80a–80d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory commends the son of the rhetor Eudoxius to the orator Themistius, asking him to help the young man make his name and living by eloquence. ### Greek text All'. ΘεΜιΣτιο. Σπαρτιάτας ή λόγχη γνωρίζει, ὦμος τους Πελοπίδας, λόγοι τὸν μέγαν Θεμίστιον. Κᾶν γὰρ ἐν πᾶσι πάντων κρατῇς, τοῦτο τῶν σῶν οἶδα ἐπισημότατον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἡμᾶς συνῆψεν ἀλλήλοις (εί δή τι τὸ καθʼ ἡμᾶς ὲν λόγοις), καὶ θαρῤεἶν νῦν ἀνέπεισεν. Ei δὲ μάθοις τὸν ἄνδρα ὑπὲρ οὗ πρεσβεύομεν, τάχα καὶ ἀποδέξῃ τοῦ θάρσους ἡμεῖς. Εύδοξίου τοῦ πάνυ παῖδά σοι τοῦτον προσάγω, τὸν ἀξιολογώτατον υἱὸν ήμῶν βίῳ μὲν καὶ λόγῳ, οἷον αὐτὸς εὑρήσεις. τὰν λίθον ποτὶ τὰν σπάρταν ὡς ή … δέ σου στάθμη δικαιοτέρα ;) ήμῖν δὲ είς τὰ μάλιστα. φίλον, οὐχ ἦττον διά τὴν ἀρετὴν, ἢ τὴν πατρικὴν … Ὠς οὖν ἡμᾶς εὖ ποιήσων ὅ τι ἂν τὸν ἄνδρα ιργετήσῃς, καὶ λόγους τιμήσων τοὺς σοὺς, ἁγααὑτὸν-θείς τὰ ἔμπροσθεν θέλησον. Δεῖται γὰρ πὸ λόγων γνωρισθῆναι, καὶ βίον ἑαυτῷ πορίσθαι τὸν ἐκ λόγων. ’Ὀντινα δὲ τοῦτον, καὶ πῶς, αὐτὸς παραστήσει· δοκιμάσει δὲ ὴ σὴ λογιότης καὶ σύνεσις. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 38. To Themistius] Spartans are known by the spear, the Pelopids by the shoulder, the great Themistius by eloquence. For though you surpass everyone in everything, I know this to be the most distinguished of your qualities. This it was that joined us to one another from the beginning (if indeed we count for anything in eloquence), and that has now persuaded us to be bold. And if you come to know the man for whom we intercede, perhaps you will even approve of our boldness. I present to you this son of the excellent Eudoxius, our most worthy son …, in life and in eloquence such as you will find for yourself (“the stone to the line,” as … ; but your rule is more just), and most dear to us, no less for his virtue than for his father's friendship. As one, then, who will do us good in whatever good you do the man, and will honour your own eloquence, … be willing to … what lies before him. For he needs to be made known by eloquence, and to provide himself a living from eloquence. Who he is and how, he will show you himself; your learning and understanding will judge. ### Translation notes - The ivory shoulder of Pelops marked his descendants. “The stone to the line” (applying the stone to the mason's cord) is a proverb for judging by a true standard. The young man's name and several words are garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 79 (PG 37:80a–80d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-79). ## Letter 81 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-81 - Source: PG 37:81a–81d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter commending a friend; then the heading of Gregory's letter to Basil the Great. ### Greek text τῆς ὕψος ἐσλέψαμεν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ, εί μέν τι καὶ κατʼ ἀρετὴν ἐφάνημεν ὄντες αὐτῷ, αὐτὸς ἂν εἰδείη τὸ δʼ οὖν κάλλιπον ὦν ἔχομεν ἀντεπιδεικνύμεθα, τῷ φίλῳ φίλους ὧν σὲ πρῶτον εἶναι καὶ γνήσιον τιθέμενοι, τοιοῦτον αὐτῷ φανῆναι βουλόμεθα, οἷον ἦ τε κοινὴ πατρὶς ἁπαιτεῖ, καὶ ὁ ὴμέτερος βούλεται πόθος καὶ λόγος, ἀντὶ πάντων αὐτῷ τὴν σὴν κηδεμονίαν ὑποσχόμενος. M'. ΜΕΓΑΔῼ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙῼ. ### English translation (Claude) … we looked up to the height of … . As for us, whether we have shown ourselves to him to have anything by way of virtue, he himself would know; but at any rate we show him in return the finest of what we have, giving our friend friends, of whom we count you the first and most genuine; and we wish you to appear to him such as both our common fatherland demands and our longing and our word would have it, for I promised him your care in return for everything. [Letter 40. To Basil the Great] ### Translation notes - The beginning of this passage (the start of Letter 39, recommending Amazonius; the missing word before “height” is probably “virtue”) is lost in the scan. Letter 40 begins under the heading; its opening lines are lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 81 (PG 37:81a–81d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-81). ## Letter 83 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-83 - Source: PG 37:84a–84d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory declines Basil's summons to Caesarea; then, in his father's name, he writes to the Church of Caesarea that the choice of a bishop concerns the whole Church. ### Greek text πηρεάζουσιο δεύτερον δὲ, εἰ μὴ τʼ αὐτὰ σοί τε καὶ ἡμῖν πρέπειν ὑπολαμβάνεις, οἷς καὶ βίος, καὶ λόγος, καὶ τά πάντα κοινὰ, οὕτως ἐκ Θεοῦ τὰ πρῶτα ωναρμοσθεῖσι· τρίτον (ἔστω γάρ καὶ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν), εί τῶν εύλαδεστέρων ἐνόμισας τὰς τοιαύτας εἶναι προβολάς, ἀλλὰ μὴ τῶν δυνατωτέρων, καὶ τοῖς πλήθεσιν οίκειοτέρων. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν διὰ ταῦτα, πρύμναν ἐκρουσάμην, καί ἀναδύομαι. Σοὶ δέ εί δοκεί καὶ αὐτῷ, τοῦτο δεδόχθω, φυγεῖν τοὺς ἐν μέσῳ θορύβους, καὶ τὰς πονηρὰς ὑπονοίας. Τὴν δὲ σὴν εὐλάβειαν τηνικαῦτα ὄψομαι, ἡνίκα ἂν τά τεν πράγματα καταστῇ, καὶ καιρὸς ᾖ, καὶ ὀνειδίσω γε πλείονα καὶ βαρύτερα. MA'. ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΕΝ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΙᾼ. Εἰμὶ μὲν ποιμὴν ὀλίγος, καὶ ποιμνίου μικροῦ προεστηκὼς, καὶ πολλοστὸς ἐν ὑπηρέταις τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ἥ χάρις δὲ ού στενὴ, οὐδὲ τόποις περιγραπτός. Διά τοῦτο δεδόσθω καὶ τοῖς μικροῖς παῤῥησία, ἄλλως τε καὶ περὶ κοινῶν καὶ τηλικούτων ὄντος τοῦ λόγου, καὶ μετὰ τοσαύτης βουλευομένοις τῆς πολιᾶς, ἢ τυχὸν ἔχει τι καὶτῶν πολ-ι. λῶν συνετώτερον. Ού περὶ μικρῶν, οὐδὲ τῶν τυχόντων βουλεύεσθε, ἀλλʼ ὧν ἢ εὖ ἢ κακῶς ἐχόντων, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸ κοινὸν ἢ ἐκείνως ἢ οὕτως ἐχειν. Περὶ γὰρ Ἐκκλησίας ἡμῖν ὀ λόγος, ὑπὲρ ἧς Χριστὸς ἀπέθανε, καὶ τοῦ ταύτην Θεῷ παραστήσοντος καὶ προσάξοντος. Λύχνος μὲν γάρ τοῦ σώματός ἐστιῶ ὀφθαλμὸς, ὼς ἠκούσαμεν, οὐ μόνον οὗτος ὀ σωματικῶς ὀρῶν καὶ ὁρώμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πνευματικῶς θεωρῶν καὶ θεωρούμενος. Λύχνος δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐπίσκοπος, ὃ δῆλον ὑμῖν, κᾶν αὐτοὶ μὴ γράφωμεν. Ἀνάγκη τοίνυν, ῶσπερ ἐκείνου καθαρῶς μὲν ἔχοντος ὀρθῶς ἄγεσθαι καὶτὸ σῶο μα. μὴ καθαροῦ δέ τυγχάνοντος, οὐκ ὀρθῶς· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τῷ προστάτῃ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὁποτέρως ἂν ἔχῃ, πάντως ἢ συνδιακινδυνεύειν, ἢ συνδιασώζεσθαι. Πάσιης μὲν οὖν Ἐκκλησίας φροντιστέον, ὡς ### English translation (Claude) … insult; second, that you do not think that the same things befit you and us, who share life and studies and everything, having been joined together by God in this way from the first; third (for let this too be said), whether you considered that such appointments belong to the more devout rather than to the more powerful and those more popular with the crowds. For these reasons I have backed water and am drawing back. And if it seems good to you too, let this be resolved: to flee the turmoil in the midst of things and evil suspicions. I shall see your Reverence when affairs are settled and the time is right, and I shall reproach you with more and heavier things. [Letter 41. To the people of Caesarea] I am a little shepherd, set over a small flock, and the least among the servants of the Spirit. But grace is not narrow, nor bounded by places. Therefore let freedom of speech be granted to the small too, especially since the matter concerns things common and so great, and since you are deliberating with such grey hairs, which perhaps have something wiser than the many. You are deliberating about nothing small or ordinary, but about a matter on whose being well or ill the common good too must stand well or ill. For our discussion concerns the Church, for which Christ died, and the one who is to present and bring her to God. “The lamp of the body is the eye,” as we have heard, not only this eye that sees and is seen bodily, but the one that contemplates and is contemplated spiritually. And the lamp of the Church is the bishop, as is clear to you even if we do not write it. Necessarily, then, just as when that eye is clear the body too is guided rightly, and when it is not clear, not rightly; so too with the head of the Church: however he is, the Church must either share his danger or share his safety. Care must be taken of every Church, as ### Scripture references - Matt 6:22: quotation, high confidence - Eph 5:25–27: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Letter 40: Basil had summoned Gregory, feigning illness, to secure his help in the election at Caesarea (370); Gregory refuses to come. Letters 41–43 were written by Gregory in the name of his father, Gregory the Elder, bishop of Nazianzus (“such grey hairs”). The Church for which Christ died: cf. Eph 5:25–27; Rom 14:15. “The lamp of the body is the eye”: Matt 6:22. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 83 (PG 37:84a–84d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-83). ## Letter 85 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-85 - Source: PG 37:85a–85c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory the Elder commends Basil to the Church of Caesarea as the one man fit to be its bishop against the heretics, and refuses to take part if faction decides. ### Greek text Χριστοῦ σώματος, μάλιστα δὲ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἢ μὴτ-ηρ σχεδὸν ἁπάντων τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἦν τε ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, καὶ νῦν ἐστι, καὶ νομίζεται, καὶ πρὸς ἣν τὸ κοινδν βλέπει, ὡς κέντρῳ κύκλος περιγραφόμενος, οῦ μόνον διὰ τὴν ὀρθοδοξίαν ἄνωθεν πᾶσι κεκηρυγμένην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ὲκ Θεοῦ δεδομένην αὐτῇ προδήλως χάριν τῆς ὁμονοίας. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν κεκλήκατε μὲν καὶ ἡμᾶς είς τὴν περὶ τούτου διάσκεψιν, ποιοῦντες ὀρθῶς καὶ κανονικῶς, κρατούμεθα δὲ γήρᾳ καὶ ἀρρωστίᾳ, εί μὲν καὶ αὐτοὶ παρείημεν, τοῦ Πνεῦματος ἐπιρρώσαντος (οὐδὲν γάρ ἄπιστον τοῖς πιστοῖς), τοῦτο τῷ παντὶ βέλτιον, καὶ ἡμῖν ἥδιον, ἵνα καὶ ὑμῖν τι συνεισενέγκωμεν, καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς εὐλογίας μετάσχωμεν · εἰ δὲ τῆς ἀσθενείας νικώσης ἀπολειφθείην, ὅσα γε ἀποῦσι δυνατὸν, συνεισφέρομεν. Πείθομαι μὲν καὶ ἄλλους εἶναι τῆς προστασίας ἀξίους παρʼ ὑμῖν, καὶ ὡς ὲκ πόλεως τοσαύτης, καὶ οὕτω, καὶ ὑπὸ τοιούτων ἠγμένης ἄνωθεν · ἑνὸς δὲ οὐδένα δύναμαι προτιμῆσαι τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν τιμωμένων τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου υἱοῦ ἡμῶν Βασιλείου πρεσβυτέρου (λέγω δὲ ὡς ὑπὸ Θεῷ μάρτυρι), άνδρός καὶ βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ κεκαθαρμένου, καὶ μόνου τῶν πάντων, ἢ ὄτι μάλιστα, κατʼ ἀμφότερα δυναμένου στῆναι πρὸς τὸν νῦν καιρὸν, καὶ τὴν κατἔχουσαν τῶν αἱρετικῶν γλωσσαλγίαν. Ταῦτα καὶ ἱερατικοῖς γράφω, καὶ μοναστικοίς, κα). τοῖς ὲκ τοῦ ἀξιωματικοῦ καὶ βουλευτικοῦ τάγματος, καὶ τοῦ δήμου παντός. El μὲν οὖν τοῦτο συνδόξειε, καὶ ἡ ψῆφος ἡμῶν κρατοίη, οὕτως ὑγιῶς τε κα) ὀρθῶς ἔχουσα, ὡς μετὰ Θεοῦ ψηφιζομένη, καὶ πάρειμι πνευματικῶς καὶ παρέσομαι, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐπιβέβληκα τὴν χεῖρα ἤδη, καὶ θαρρῶ τῷ Πνεῦματι. El δὲ ἄλλο τι, καὶ μὴ τοῦτο συνδόξειε, καὶ κατὰ φρατρίας καὶ συγγενείας τὰ τοιαῦτα κρίνοιτο, καὶ ἡ ὀχλώδης χεὶρ πάλιν παρασύροι τὸ ἀκριβὲς, πράττοιτε καθʼ ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς τὸ ἀρέσκον, ἡμεῖς δὲ συ σταλησὸμεοα. ### English translation (Claude) the body of Christ, but most of all of yours, which from the beginning was, and now is, and is considered, the mother of almost all the Churches, and to which the whole looks, as a circle drawn about its centre, not only because of its orthodoxy, proclaimed to all from of old, but also because of the grace of concord plainly given to it by God. Since, then, you have invited us too to the deliberation on this matter, acting rightly and according to the canons, but we are held back by old age and sickness: if we could be present ourselves, the Spirit giving us strength (for nothing is incredible to the faithful), that would be best of all and most pleasing to us, so that we might contribute something to you and ourselves share in the blessing; but if I am left behind, my weakness prevailing, we contribute what the absent can. I am persuaded that there are others among you worthy of the presidency, as is natural in so great a city, so governed, and by such men from of old; but I cannot prefer anyone of those honoured among you to one man, our most God-beloved son Basil the presbyter (I say it as before God as witness), a man purified in life and word, and alone of all, or more than any, able on both counts to stand against the present times and the prevailing loquacity of the heretics. I write this to the priestly order and the monastic, and to those of the dignified and the council order, and to the whole people. If, then, this is agreed, and our vote prevails, being so sound and right, since it is cast with God, I am present in spirit and shall be present; or rather, I have already laid my hand on him, and I take courage in the Spirit. But if something else is decided and not this, and such things are judged by factions and kinships, and the hand of the mob again sweeps away exactness, do what pleases you among yourselves; we shall keep to ourselves. ### Translation notes - Written in the name of Gregory the Elder. “I have already laid my hand on him”: the old bishop's vote, counted as a share in the ordination. The heretics are the Arian party under Valens. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 85 (PG 37:85a–85c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-85). ## Letter 87 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-87 - Source: PG 37:88a–88d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory the Elder begs Eusebius of Samosata to come to Caesarea after the death of its bishop Eusebius, to help give the Church an orthodox shepherd. ### Greek text MB'. ειιιειιοηο ΣΑΜοΣΑτΕΩΝ. Τίς δώσει μοι πτέρυγας ὡσεί περιστερᾶς; ήπῶς άνακαινισθῇ μου τὸ γῆρας, ὥστε με δυνηθῆναι διαβῆναι πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην, καὶ τόν τε πόθον, δν ἔχω ἐφʼ ύμῖν, ἀναπαῦσαι, καὶ τά λυπηρὰ τῆς ψυχῆς διηγήσασθαι, καὶ διʼ ὑμῶν εὑρέσθαι τινὰ παραμυθίαν τῶν θλίψεωνς Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῇ κοιμήσει τοῦ μα· καρίου Εὑσεβίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου φόβος ἡμᾶς κατέλαδεν οὗ μικρὸς. μήποτε οί ποτε ἐφεδρεύοντες τῇ Ἑκκλησίτιι τῆς μητροπόλεως ἡμῶν, καὶ βουλόμενοι αὐτὴν αίρετικῶν ζιζανίων πληρῶσαι, καιροῦ νῦν λαβόμενοι, τὴν πολλῷ καμάτῳ κατασπαρεῖσαν ὲν ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐσέβειαν ταῖς παρʼ ἑαυτῶν πονηραῖς διδασκαλίαις ὲκριζὼσωσι, καὶ ταύτης τὴν ἑνότητα κατατέμωσιν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν πεποιήκασιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ γράμιτα πρὸς ίήμᾶς ἀφίκετο τοῦ κλήρου, παρακαλοῦντα μή παροφθῆναί ὲν καιρῷ τοιούτῳ, περιβλεψάμενος ὲν κύκλῳ ἐμνήσθην τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης, καὶ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως, καὶ τοῦ ζήλου ὃν ἔχετε άεὶ, ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τούτου ἕνεκεν ἀπέστειλα τὸν ἀγαπητὸν Εὐστάθιον τὸν συνδιάκονον παρακαλέσαι ὑμῶν τὴν σεμνοπρέπειαν, καὶ δυσωπῆσαι, πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν καμάτοις καὶ τὸν παρόντα ἐπιθεῖναι, κάμοῦ τε τὸ γῆρας τῇ συντυχίᾳ ἀναπαῦσαι, καὶ τῇ ὀρθῇ Ἐκκλησία τὴν περιβόητον εὐσέβειαν διορθώσασθαι, δόντα αὐτῇ μεθʼ ήμῶν (εί ἄρα καταξιωθείημεν συναντιλαόἐσθαι ὑμῖν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἔργον) ποιμένα κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Κυρίου, δυνάμενον διευθῦναι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. Ξχομεν γάρ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἄνδρα, ὃν οὐδὲ αὖ· ἀγνοεῖτε· οὗ εί καταξιωθείημεν ἐπιτυχεῖν, οἴδα ὅτι μεγάλην παρρησίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν κτησόμεθα, ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 42. To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata] Who will give me wings like a dove? Or how might my old age be renewed, so that I could cross over to your love, and satisfy the longing I have for you, and tell the griefs of my soul, and through you find some consolation for my afflictions? For at the falling asleep of the blessed bishop Eusebius no small fear seized us, lest those who once lay in wait for the Church of our metropolis, wishing to fill it with heretical tares, should now seize their opportunity and uproot by their own wicked teachings the piety sown with much labour in the souls of men, and cut its unity in pieces, as they have done in many Churches. And since a letter from the clergy also reached us, urging us not to overlook them at such a time, looking round about me I remembered your love, your right faith, and the zeal you always have for the Churches of God; and for this reason I have sent our beloved fellow minister Eustathius to beseech your Dignity and to entreat you to add the present labour to all your labours for the Churches, to refresh my old age by meeting me, and to set right for the orthodox Church its renowned piety, giving it with us (if indeed we are counted worthy to share with you in the good work) a shepherd according to the will of the Lord, able to guide his people. For we have before our eyes a man whom you yourselves also know; if we are counted worthy to obtain him, I know that we shall gain great boldness with God, ### Scripture references - Ps 55:6 (54:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 103:5 (102:5 LXX): echo, low confidence - Matt 13:25: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Written in the name of Gregory the Elder; Eusebius of Caesarea died in 370. “Wings like a dove”: Ps 55:6 (LXX 54:7); renewed old age: cf. Ps 103:5. Tares: Matt 13:25. “Fellow minister” renders συνδιάκονον (literally “fellow deacon”); Eustathius was a deacon. The man meant is Basil. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 87 (PG 37:88a–88d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-87). ## Letter 89 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-89 - Source: PG 37:89a–89b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of the appeal to Eusebius of Samosata; then Gregory the Elder rebukes the bishops of the province for summoning him late and casts his vote for Basil. ### Greek text σίαν καταθησόμεθα. Ἀλλὰ παρακαλῶ καὶ πάλιν καὶ πολλάκις πάντα ὖκνον ἀποθεμένους ἀπαντῆσαι, καί προλαβεῖν τὰ ὲκ τοῦ χειμῶνος δυσχερῆ. ΜΓ. ΤΟΙΣ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΙΣ. Ὠς ἡδεῖς ὑμεῖς καὶ φιλάνθρωποι, καὶ περιττοὶ τὴν ἀγάπην( Κεκλήκατε ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν μητρόπολιν, ὡς οἶμαι, περὶ ἐπισκόπου τι βουλευσόμενοι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῶν αἰσθάνομαι, οἶ γε μήτε ὅτι παρεῖναι δεῖ, μήτε ἐφʼ ᾦ, μήτε ὅτε, προαγορεύσαντες, ἀθρόως ὅτι έξῶρμησθε, δεδηλώκατε, ὡς ού τιμᾷν ἐγνωκότες, ἢ κοινωνοὺς ἔχειν ἐσπουδακότες, ἀλλὰ τὸ παρεῖναι ἀποσπουδάζοντες, ἵνα μηδὲ ἄκουσιν ἡμῖν περιπέσητε. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ὑμέτερον τοιοῦτον, καὶ οἴσομεν ὑβριζόμενον τὸ δὲ ἡμέτερον, ὅπως ἔχει, παραστήσομεν. ’Ἄλλοι μὲν ἄλλους δηλαδὴ προβαλοῦνται, κατὰ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἔκαστοι τρόπους ἢ πόρους, ὅπερ ὲν τοῖς τοιούτοις φιλεῖ συμβαίνειν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδένα προτιμῆσαι δυνάμεθα, οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅσιον, τοῦ τιμιωτάτου υἱοῦ ήμῶν Βασιλείαν τοῦ συμπρεσβυτὲρου. Τίνα γὰρ, ὧν ταμεν, εὑρίσκομεν ἢ βίῳ δοκιμώτερον,ἢ λόγῳ δυνατώτερον, καὶ πανταχόθεν εἰς ἀρετῆς καλλος ἐξησκημένον ; Ei δὲ ὴ ἀσθένεια πρόφασις, ού γὰρ ἀθλητὴν προσαλεῖσθε, ἀλλὰ διδάσκαλον. Κια) ἅμα που τοῦτο δυνατὸν τοῦ τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς, ἄν περ ὦσι τοιοὖτοι, ρωννύντος καὶ ὑπερείδοντος.Ἃν ταύτην δέχησθε τήν ψῆφον, καὶ παρεσόμεθα, καὶ συλληψόμεθα, ἢ πνευματικῶς, ἢ σωματικῶς. Ei δὲ ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς ή ὸῶς, καὶ κρατεῖν μέλλοιεν αἰ στάσεις παρὰ τὸ δι- ### English translation (Claude) … we shall lay up … . But I beg you again and many times to lay aside all hesitation and come, and to forestall the difficulties of winter. [Letter 43. To the bishops] How pleasant and kind you are, and how overflowing in love! You have summoned us to the metropolis, I suppose to deliberate about a bishop. For that is what I gather from you, who, without announcing beforehand that we must be present, or for what, or when, have suddenly made it known that you have set out, as men who have decided not to honour us, nor are eager to have us as partners, but are eager that we should not be present, so that you may not run into us even against your will. Your part, then, is such, and we will bear the insult; but ours, how it stands, we will set out. Others, no doubt, will put forward others, each according to his own character or interest, as tends to happen in such matters. But we cannot prefer anyone (nor would it be holy) to our most honoured son Basil, our fellow presbyter. For whom of those we know do we find either more approved in life, or more powerful in word, or trained on every side for the beauty of virtue? And if his weakness is an excuse, you are not calling in an athlete but a teacher. And besides, this too is possible through the One who strengthens and upholds the weak, if indeed they are such. If you accept this vote, we will both be present and help, either in spirit or in body. But if you proceed on terms fixed beforehand, and factions are going to prevail against what is right, ### Translation notes - Written in the name of Gregory the Elder. The opening words of the page are garbled in the scan (…); “on terms fixed beforehand” renders a garbled phrase by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 89 (PG 37:89a–89b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-89). ## Letter 91 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-91 - Source: PG 37:92a–92d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of the letter to the bishops; then Gregory greets Eusebius of Samosata, whose arrival has comforted the widowed Church of Caesarea, with a string of biblical praises. ### Greek text χαίρομεν παρεωραμένοι. ’Υμέτερον ἔστω ὡ '. ΕΥΣΕΒΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟῙῙῼ ΣΑΜΟΣΔΤΕΩΝ. κόθεν ἄρξομαι τῶν σῶν ἐγκωμίων; καὶ τί προσiw σε κυρίως ἂν ὀνομάσαιμις στύλον καὶ ἑδραίιτῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἢ φωστῆρα ἐν κόσμῳ, τὰ αύτά Ἀποστόλῳ φθεγγόμενος, ἦ στέφανον καυχήσεως τωζομένῳ μέρει Χριστιανῶνς ἢ Θεοῦ δῶρον, ἦ παῑος ἔρεισμα ἢ κανόνα πίστεως, ἢ πρεσβευτὴν θείας, ἢ ὁμοῦ πάντα καὶ πλείω τούτων; καὶ ὑπερβολὴν τῶν ἐπαίνων τοῖς ὁρωμένοις πιστὼσο- . Τίς ὑετὸς οὕτως ὥριμος ἦλθε διψώσῃ γῇ ; sv ἐκ πέτρας ὕδωρ τοῖς ἐν ἐρήμῳ πλημμυροῦν; ι. τοιοῦτον ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος; τι- Ἰησοῦς, ὀ Κύριος ὁ κοινὸς, τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μααῖς οὕτως ἐν καιρῷ βαπτιζομένοις ἐπέστη, ἵνα τὸ πέλαγος ἡμερώσῃ, καὶ τοὺς κινδυνεύοντας ›ισώσηται, οἶος σὺ κάμνουσιν ἡμῖν καὶ ἀνιωμές, καὶ οἷον ἤδη ναυαγοῦσιν ἐφάνης ; Τί δεῖ τὰ μᾶλλων λέγειν, ὅστις εὐθυμίας καὶ ἡδονῆς ψυχὰς οδὸξων ἐνέπλησας, καὶ ὅσων ἀπόγνωσιν Ἀλλʼ ή μήτηρ ἡμῶν ὴ Ἐκκλησία, τὴν Καισάιν λέγω, νῦν ὅντως ἀποδύεται τὰ ἐνδύματα τχηρεύσεως ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ θέᾳ, στολὴν εὐφροrm; ἀναλαμβάνει, καὶ λαμπρυνθήσεται μᾶλ- , ἐπειδὰν ποιμένος τύχοι ἑαυτῆς τε καὶ τῶν σειληφότων, καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων χειρῶν ἀξίου. γὰρ ἡμέτερα καὶ αὐτὸς ὁρᾷς οἷα, καὶ ὅσον ἐθαυο ### English translation (Claude) … we are glad to be overlooked. Let the work be yours … [Letter 44. To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata] Where shall I begin your praises? And by what name might I properly call you? Pillar and ground of the Church, or light in the world, using the same words as the Apostle, or crown of boasting for the part of Christians that is being saved, or gift of God, or support of the fatherland, or rule of faith, or ambassador of the divine …, or all these together and more than these, confirming the excess of praise by what is seen? What rain ever came so timely to a thirsty land? What water from a rock so overflowing for those in the desert? … did man eat such bread of angels? … did Jesus, our common Lord, come so timely to his disciples when they were being swamped, to calm the sea and save those in danger, as you appeared to us when we were weary and distressed and already, as it were, shipwrecked? Why must I speak of the rest: with what cheer and pleasure you filled souls, and how many … despair? But our mother the Church, I mean that of Caesarea, now truly puts off the garments of widowhood at the sight of you, and takes up the robe of gladness, and she will shine still more when she obtains a shepherd worthy of herself and of those who held her before, and of your hands. Our own affairs you see for yourself, what they are like, and what wonders … . ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 3:15: quotation, high confidence - Phil 2:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Thess 2:19: quotation, high confidence - Exod 17:6: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 78:25 (77:25 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Matt 8:23–27: allusion, high confidence - Isa 61:3: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Letter 44 is Gregory's own, sent with his father to Caesarea for Basil's election (370). The left edge of this page is cut off in the scan, so the beginnings of many lines are lost; words are supplied by sense or marked …. “Pillar and ground”: 1 Tim 3:15; “light in the world”: Phil 2:15; “crown of boasting”: 1 Thess 2:19; water from the rock: Exod 17:6; bread of angels: Ps 78:25 (LXX 77:25); the calming of the sea: Matt 8:23–27; garments of widowhood: cf. Gen 38:14, 19; robe of gladness: cf. Isa 61:3. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 91 (PG 37:92a–92d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-91). ## Letter 93 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-93 - Source: PG 37:93a–93d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory ends his greeting to Eusebius of Samosata, explaining why he did not come with his father; then he congratulates Basil on becoming bishop but explains why he will not hurry to Caesarea. ### Greek text μαςούργησεν ὁ σὸς ζῆλος, καὶ ἱδρὼς, καὶ ὴ κατὰη Θεδν παρρησία. Γῆρας ἀνακαινίζεται, καὶ apζωπὶα νικᾶται, καὶ πηδῶσιν οῑ ἐπὶ κλίνης, καὶ ἁσθενοῦντες περιζωννύονται δύναμιν. Τούτοις εἰκάζω καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα κατὰ νοῦν ὲκβἡσεσθαι. Τὸν μὲν ὠν πατέρα ἔχεις ἀνθʼ ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἀνθʼ ἡμῶν, τέλος παντὶ τῷ βίῳ καὶ τῇ σεμνῇ πολιᾷ καλὸν ἐπιθήσοντα, τὶν νῦν ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀγῶνα. Καὶδεξόμεθα τοῦτον, εὖ οἶδα, εὐχαῖς ὑμετέραις ὲρᾁδμενὲστερόν τε καὶ νεανικώτερον, αἷς πάντα δεῖ θαρροῦντα πιστεύειν. El δὲ κάν τῇ φροντίδι καταλύσειεν, οὐ ζημία τοιαύτης καὶ ἐπὶ τοιούτοις τυχεῖν τελευτῆς. Ἐμοὶ δὲ, παρακαλῶ, συγγνώμην ἔχετε, ει μικρὸν ταῖς τῶν πονηρῶν γλώσσαις ὑποχωρήσας, μικρδν ὕστερον ὑμῖν κα). προσδράμοιμι, καὶ περιπτυξαίμην, καὶ ὅσα παρεῖται νῦν, διʼ ἐμαυτοῦ προαθειην, τῆς εὐφημίας. ME'. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙῼ. Ἐπειδὴ σε τεθέντα ἐπὶ τὸν ὑψηλὸν Θρόνον ἔγνων, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐνίκησε, τὸν λύχνον ἐπὶ ξῇς …, οὐδὲ τὸ πρὶν ἀμυδρῶς λάμποντα, ἥσθην μὲν, ὁμολογῶ. Ti δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλον, τὺ … τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὁρῶν κακῶς ἕχον, καὶ τοιαῦτης χρῇζον χειραγωγὶας; Προσέδραμον δὲ οὐκ εὐθὺς, οὐδὲ πῳσδραμηῦμιιιι μηδέ γε τοῦτο αὐτὸς ἀπαιτήσας. Πρῶτον μὲν, ἵνα σοι τὸ σεμνὸν φυλάξω, καὶ μὴ συνάγειν δόξῃς τοὺς σπουδαστὰς, τινος ἀπειροκαλίας καὶ Θερμότητος, ὼς ἂν φαῖεν οἱ ὲνδιασάλλοντες. Δεύτερον δὲ, ἵνα ἐμαυτῷ πραγματεύσωμαι τὸ σταθερόν τε καὶ ἀνεπίφθονον. Πότε οὖν ἥξεις, τυχὸν ἐρεῖς, καὶ μέχρι τινος …; Ἕως ἂν ὃ τε Θεὸς κελεύσῃ, καί παρέλθωσιν αι σκιαὶ τῶν νῦν ἐπιτιθεμένων καί βίσωνᾶπων, Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἀνοέξουσιν οἱ λεπροὶ, σαφῶς οἶδα, τῷ Δαβὶδ τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ. ἀποκλείοντες. ### English translation (Claude) … what wonders your zeal has worked, and your sweat, and your boldness of speech before God! Old age is renewed, sickness is conquered, those who were in bed leap up, and the weak are girded with power. From this I guess that our affairs too will turn out as we wish. You have my father in place of himself and of us, about to set a fine end to his whole life and his venerable grey hairs: the present contest for the Church. And we shall receive him back, I well know, stronger and more youthful through your prayers, to which one must confidently entrust everything. And if he should even end his life in this anxiety, it is no loss to meet such an end, and for such a cause. But forgive me, I beg you, if I give way a little to the tongues of the wicked, and run to you a little later, and embrace you, and render in person what is now left out of your praises. [Letter 45. To Basil] When I learned that you had been set on the lofty throne, and that the Spirit had prevailed in setting the lamp on its stand …, a lamp that did not shine dimly even before, I was glad, I confess. And why should I not be, seeing the state of the Church in a bad way and in need of such guidance? But I did not run to you at once, nor will I run …; nor indeed should you ask this yourself. First, to preserve your dignity, so that you may not seem to be gathering your partisans out of some want of taste and hot-headedness, as those who like to make trouble would say; second, to secure for myself steadiness and freedom from envy. “When, then, will you come,” you will perhaps say, “and how long …?” Until God bids, and the shadows of those who now attack and … pass away. For the lepers will not hold out much longer, I know clearly, in shutting David out of Jerusalem. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 2:4: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 5:15: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 5:6–8: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The weak girded with power: 1 Sam 2:4. The lamp on its stand: Matt 5:15. Basil became bishop of Caesarea in 370. The lepers shutting David out of Jerusalem: an adaptation of 2 Sam 5:6–8 (the blind and the lame). A few words are garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 93 (PG 37:93a–93d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/57/#p-93). ## Letter 95 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-95 - Source: PG 37:96a–96d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory protests to Basil that he has never thought little of him, extolling him as the voice of the world, then, in a new letter, hears that Basil is being troubled by envious men in power. ### Greek text Μετʼ. Ta ΑΥΤῼ.“ Ῑῶς ὲπιφυλλὶς ἡμῖν τὰ σὰ, ῶ θεία καὶ ἱερὰ κεφαλή; ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων; ἢ πῶς τοῦτο εἰπεῖν ἐθάρσησας; ἵνα τι καὶ αὐτὸς θαρῥήσω μικρόν. Πῶςῆ διάνοια ὥρμησεν, ἢ μέλαν ἐγραψεν, ἢ χάρτης …; ὦ λόγοι, καὶ Ἀθῆναι, καὶ ἀρεταὶ, καὶ λόγων ἱδρῶτεςί Μικροῦ γάρ με καὶ τραγῳδὸν, οἷς γράφεις, ποιεῖς. Πότερον ἡμᾶς ἀγνοεῖς, ἢ σεαυτὸν, ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὀφθαλμὸς, ἡ μεγάλη φωνὴ καὶ σάλπιγξ, τὸ τῶν λόγων βασίλειονς Μικρὰ Γ ρηγορεῳ τὰ σάς Τί οὖν τις ἄλλο θαυμάσειε τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ μὴ σὲ Γρηγόριος; ’Ἑν μὲν ἔαρ ἐν αις, εἷς δὲ ἣλιος ἐν ἁστράσιν, εἷς δὲ περιέχων αντα οὐρανὸς, μία δὲ κατὰ πάντων φωνὴ ἡ σὴ, τερ τι ἐγὼ ἱκανὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα κρίνειν, μηδὲ ἀπατᾷ τὸ φίλτρον, ὅπερ οὐκ οἴομαι. Εἰ μὲν ὅτι μὴ πρὸς ῐαν θαυμάζομεν, τοῦτο ἐγκαλεῖς, ἐγκαλει καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθ ρώποις· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλος τις ἀξίως ὲθαύ μασεν. ἢ θαυμάσεται, ὅτι μὴ σὺ, καὶ ἡ σὴ μεγαλοφωνία. εἴπερ οἷόν τε ἦν ἑαυτὸν ἐπαινεῖν, καὶ τοῦτο εἶχεν ἡμῖν ὁ τῶν λόγων νόμος. Εἰ δὲ τὸ καταφρονεῖν ἐγκαλούμεθα, τί μὴ μανίαν πρότερον; Ἀλλʼ ὅτι φιλοσοὖμεν ἀγανακτεῖς; δὸς εἰπεῖν, τοῦτο μόνον καὶ ›ν λόγων τῶν σῶν ὑψηλότερον. Πυνθάνομαί σε ταράττεσθαι παρὰ τῆς νέας καινομίας, καὶ πράγματα ἔχειν ἀπό τινος σοφιστικῆς κρατούντων καὶ συνήθους περιεργίας· καὶ ,υμαστὸν οὐδέν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠγνόουν τὸν φθόνον, καὶ ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν περὶ σὲ τὰ ἑαυτῶν διὰ σοῦ θερα…, ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 46. To the same] How can your affairs be mere gleanings to us, O divine and sacred head? “What word has escaped the barrier of your teeth?” Or how did you dare to say it? (Let me too be a little daring.) How did your mind start, or your ink write, or your paper … ? O letters, and Athens, and virtues, and sweat over letters! You almost make me a tragedian with what you write. Do you not know us, or yourself, you eye of the world, great voice and trumpet, palace of eloquence? Are your affairs small to Gregory? What else on earth could anyone admire, if Gregory does not admire you? There is one spring among the seasons, one sun among the stars, one heaven enclosing all things, and one voice above all, yours, if indeed I am fit to judge such things and my affection does not deceive me, which I do not think it does. If you charge us with not admiring you as you deserve, charge all mankind too; for no one else has admired you worthily or will, except you yourself and your own grand voice, if it were possible to praise oneself and the law of eloquence allowed us this. But if we are charged with despising you, why not first with madness? Or are you vexed that we live as philosophers? Grant me to say it: this alone is higher even than your words. [Letter 47. To the same] I hear that you are troubled by the new innovation, and have trouble from some sophistical … of those in power and their usual meddling; and that is no wonder. For I was not unaware of envy, and that many of those around you, serving their own interests through you ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 4.350 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “What word has escaped the barrier of your teeth?”: Homer, Iliad 4.350 and elsewhere. The heading of Letter 47 is lost in the scan; its text begins with “I hear”. Basil had complained that Gregory slighted him. “The new innovation” renders a probably corrupt phrase; the troubles are probably those of Basil's first years as bishop (371–372). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 95 (PG 37:96a–96d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-95). ## Letter 97 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-97 - Source: PG 37:97a–97d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory trusts that Basil's philosophy will carry him above the insults and offers to come and share them. ### Greek text καὶ τὸν σπινθῆρα τῆς μικροψυχίας ἀνάπτοντές εἰσιν. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν οὖν οὐ δέδοικα, μή τι πάθης ἀφιλόσοφον ὲν τοῖς λυπηροῖς, καὶ σεαυιιῦ καὶ ἡμῶν ἀνάξιον. Ἀλλʼ ἠγοῦμαι νῦν δὴ καὶ μάλιστα γνωρισθήσεσοαι τὸν ἐμὸν Βασίλειον, ἣν ὲν παντὶ τῷ χρόνῳ συνελέξω φιλοσοφίαν, διαδειχθήσεσβαι, καὶ ὑπερτχήσειν τὰς ἐπηρείας, ὥσπερ ὑψηλῷ κύματι, καί μενεῖν ἄσειστον, ἄλλων ταρασσομένων. Εἰ δὲ δοκεῖ, καὶ αὐτὸς παρέσομαι, τυχὸν μιν καὶ γνώμης τινὸς κοινωνήσων (εἴπερ ὕδατοςδεῖται Θάλασσα, καὶ σὺ τοῦ συμβουλεύοντος)· πάντως δὲ, ὼφεληθησόμενος, καὶ φιλοσοφήσων τὸ σννυῦρίζεσθαι. MH’. To ΑΥΤῼ ### English translation (Claude) and are kindling the spark of small-mindedness. That I do not fear, that you should suffer anything unphilosophical in your troubles, unworthy of yourself and of us. Rather I think that now above all my Basil will be known, and the philosophy you have gathered all your life will be displayed, and you will rise above the insults as above a high wave, and remain unshaken while others are troubled. If it seems good, I will come myself, perhaps to share some counsel (if the sea needs water, and you a counsellor), but certainly to be benefited, and to learn the philosophy of being insulted together with you. [Letter 48. To the same] ### Translation notes - This is the end of Letter 47, written after the division of Cappadocia (372). The heading of Letter 48 stands at the foot of the page. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 97 (PG 37:97a–97d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-97). ## Letter 99 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-99 - Source: PG 37:99a–99d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory protests to Basil, who has accused him of ingratitude, that he has only realized late how he was used, and lists what others say of Basil's treatment of him. ### Greek text MH'. τᾳ,ατο. Οΰ παύσῃ βλασφημῶν ἡμᾶς, ὡς ἀπαιδεύτους, καὶ σκαιοὺς, καὶ ἀφιλούς, καὶ οὐδὲ ζῇν ἀξίους. ὅτι συνιέναι τετολμήκαμεν ἃ …; οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο τε οὐδὲν ἀδικοῦμεν, αὐτὸς ἂν εἴποις· ούδέ τι σύνισμεν αὐτοῖς ἡμῖν ἢ μικρὸνῆ μεῖζον περὶ σὲ κακοῖς γεγονόσι, μηδὲ συγγνοῐημενο πλὴν τοῦτο μόνον ἔγνωμεν ἠπατημένοι, ὀψὲ μὲν ἄγαν, ἔγνωμεν δέ· καὶ τὸν θρόνον αἰτιώμεθα, ὡς … σε, ἡμῶν … ποιήσαντα· καὶ κάμνομεν τὰ σὰ ἐκκαλούμεῗ νοὶ, καὶ ἀπολογούμενοι πρὸς τοὺς σαφῶς εἰδότας καὶ τὰ πριῖιτα ἡ μῶν, καὶ τὰ νῦν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὧν πάσχομεν γελοιότατον, ἦ ὲλεεινότατον, τοὺς αὐτοὺς ο κεῖσθαι καὶ ἐγκαλεῖσθαι, ὅπερ νῦν ἡμῖν συμβέ- 6ηκεν. Ἐγκαλοῦσι δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι μὲν ἄλλο τι, ὃ τι ἕκαστος βούληται, κατὰ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τρόπον, ἢ τδ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὀργῆς· οἱ φιλανθρωπότατοιι … καὶ περιρρόνησιν, καὶ τὸ παρερρίιροαι τιμά μετὰ τὴν χρείαν, ὥσπερ τῶν σκευῶν τὰ,ἀτιμότατα, καὶ »τοῦ μηδενὸς ἄξια, ἢ, τῶν ἔρεισμάτων ταῦτα, ὑπὲρ ὧν αἱ ὼᾷιξδες, ἃ μετὰ τὴν πῆξιν ὑφαιρεῖται καὶ διαπτύεται. Τούτους μὲν οὖν χαίρειν ἐάσομεν, καὶ λέγειν ὅ τι ἂν λέγωσιν· οὐδεὶς ἐφέξει ξλὼσσης αὐτονομίαν. Καὶ σύ μοι τὸν μισθὸν κατὰ· ὅαλε τὰς μακαρίας καὶ κενὰς ἐλπίδας, ἃς κατὰ τῶν ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 48. To the same] Will you not stop reviling us as uneducated, boorish, unfriendly, and not even worthy to live, because we have dared to understand … ? You yourself would say that we do you no other wrong; nor are we conscious of any evil, small or great, done to you by us, nor may we ever be; except this alone: we have recognized that we were deceived, very late indeed, but we have recognized it; and we blame your throne, for making you suddenly … above us; and we are weary of answering for your doings and defending ourselves to those who clearly know both our former state and our present one. For of all we suffer this is the most ridiculous, or the most pitiable: that the same people are wronged and accused, as has now happened to us. Others accuse us of one thing and others of another, whatever each pleases, according to his own character, or the measure of his anger on our behalf. The kindest blame your … and contempt, and the casting aside after use, as of the most worthless vessels and those of no account, or of the props under arches, which are removed and spurned once the arch is set. Let them go their way, then, and say what they will; no one will check the licence of the tongue. And as for you, pay me my wages: those blessed and empty hopes which you devised against those who ### Translation notes - The first part of this page in the scan is a second copy of the preceding page and is removed. The letter concerns Basil's appointment of Gregory as bishop of Sasima (372). A few words are garbled in the scan (…); “making you suddenly … above us” is read by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 99 (PG 37:99a–99d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-99). ## Letter 101 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-101 - Source: PG 37:102a–102d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory refuses to take up arms for Basil against Anthimus of Tyana over Sasima, asks only for quiet, and ends bitterly that he has learned not to trust friends. ### Greek text βλασφημούντων ἐξεῦρες, ὡς διὰ τιμὴν ὑβρίζων τοὺς κούφους ἡμᾶς, καὶ προγείρους πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα. Ἐγὼ δὲ τὸ ἐμὸν, ῶς εχω, δηλώσω, καί μοι μηδὲν ὀργισθῇς. Ἐρῶ καὶ παρʼ αὐτὰ τοῦ πάθευς ἀπεφθεγξάμην, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἢ τῷ θυμῷ ζέσας, ἢ τῷ γεγονότι καταπλαγεὶς, ὥστε κλαπῆναι τοὺς λογισμοὺς, καὶ ἀγνοεῖν ειπερ ἔλεγον. Οὔτε ὅπλα κτήσομαι, οὔτε τά τακτικά μαθήσομαι, ἀ μὴ πρότερον ἔμαθον, ἡνίκα καιρὸς εἶναι μᾶλλον ἐδόκει, πάντων ὁπλιζομένων καὶ μαινομένων (οἶσθα τὰ τῶν ἀσθενῶν ἀρρωστήματα ), οὔτε τὸν ’Δρήιον ’Ᾱνθιμον ὑποστήσομαι, καίπερ ἄωρον ὄντα πολεμιστὴν, ψιλός τε ὢν καὶ ἀπόλεμος, καὶ πρὸς τὰ τραύματα ἑπιτηδειότερος. Ἀλλʼ ἐκείνῳ μὲν αὐτὸς πολέμει, εί τοῦτό σοι φίλον (καὶ γάρ τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς πολλάκις αί χρεῖαι ποιοῦσι πολεμιστὰς),ἢ ζήτει τοὺς πολεμήσοντας, ὅτʼ ἀν σου τῶν ἡμιόνων λαμβάνηται, τὰ στενά τηρῶν, καὶ ῶσπερ ὁ ’Δμαλὴκ ἐκεῖνος, εἵργων, τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἡμῖν δὲ ἀντὶ πάντων δοῦναι τὴν ἡσυχίαν. Τί γάρ δεῖ μάχεσθαι περὶ γαλαθηνῶν καὶ ὀρνίθων, καὶ τοῦτο ἀλλοτρίων, ὡς δῆτα περὶ ψυχῶν καὶ κανόνων; Τί δὲ τῶν λαμπρῶν Σασίμων ἀποστερεῖν τὴν μητρόπολιν, ἢγυμνοῦν καὶ ἀνακαλύπτειν τὸ τῆς γνώμης ἀπόρρητον, συγκρύπτειν δέον ; Ἀλλά σὺ μὲν ἀνδρίζου, καὶ κραταιοῦ, καὶιπάντα ἒλκε πρὸς τὴν σεαυτοῦ δόξαν, ῶσπερ οί ποταμοὶ τοὺς χειαμάρῤους, μήτε φιλίαν, μήτε συνήθειαν τοῦ καλοῦ προτιμῶν, καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας, μήτε τοῦ ποῖός τις εῖναι δόξεις ἐκ τοῦ ταῦτα ποιεῖν φροντίζων, ἀλλʼ ἑνὸς ῶν τοῦ πνεύματος. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦτο μόνον κερδανοῦο μεν τῆς σῆς-φιλίας, τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν φίλοις, μήτε τοῦ Θεοῦ ποιεῖσθαί τι προτιμότερον. ### English translation (Claude) reproach you, as if you were insulting us for the sake of honour, light-headed as we are and quick at such things. But I will make known my position as it is; and do not be angry with me at all. I will say what I uttered at the very moment I was hurt, not so much boiling with anger or stunned by what had happened as to have my reasoning stolen away and not know what I was saying. I will not take up arms, nor learn tactics, which I did not learn before, when it seemed more the time for it, when everyone was arming and raving (you know the ailments of the weak); nor will I stand up to the warlike Anthimus, though he is a warrior out of season, since I am unarmed and unwarlike and better suited to receiving wounds. Fight him yourself, if you like (for needs often make even the weak warriors), or look for men to fight when he seizes your mules, guarding the narrows and, like that Amalek, barring the way to Israel. But to us give quiet in place of everything. Why must one fight about sucking-pigs and fowls, and those belonging to others, as though about souls and canons? And why rob the metropolis of splendid Sasima, or strip and uncover the secret of your intention, which I ought to help keep hidden? But you, play the man and be strong, and draw everything to your own glory, as rivers draw the torrents, preferring neither friendship nor intimacy to the good and to piety, and not caring what sort of man you will be thought for doing this, but being of the Spirit alone. As for us, we shall gain only this from your friendship: not to trust friends, and to hold nothing more precious than God. ### Scripture references - Exod 17:8: allusion, low confidence - Josh 1:6: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 27:14 (26:14 LXX): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Anthimus, bishop of Tyana, claimed metropolitan rights after Cappadocia was divided (371–372) and seized produce sent to Basil through the passes. Amalek barring Israel: cf. Exod 17:8; Num 20:14–21 (Edom). “Play the man and be strong”: Josh 1:6; Ps 27:14 (LXX 26:14). Sasima, a posting station, is called “splendid” in irony. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 101 (PG 37:102a–102d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-101). ## Letter 103 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-103 - Source: PG 37:103a–103d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory answers Basil's charge of sloth by praising inactivity; then he begins an account of Anthimus's visit to Nazianzus and his pressure over Sasima. ### Greek text Ἐγκαλεῖς ἡμῖν ἀργίαν καὶ ρᾳθυμίαν, ὅτι μὴ τὰ σὰ Σὰσιμα κατειλήφαμεν, μηδὲ ὲπισκοπικῶς κινούμεθα, μηδὲ, ὥσπερ κυσὶ βρῶμα ριφὲν ὲν μέσῳ, κατʼ ἀλλήλων ὑμᾶς ὁπλίζομεν. Ἐμοὶ δὲ μεγίστη πρᾶξίς ἐστιν ἡ ἀπραξία. Καὶ ἵνα εἰδῇς τι τῶν ἐμῶν καλῶν, τοσοῦτον τῇ ἀπραγμοσύνῃ φιλοτιμοῦμαι, ὥστε οἴεσθαι καὶ νόμος εἶναι πᾶσι τῆς περὶ τοῦτο μεγαλοψυχίας. Καὶ ὡς εί πάντες ἡμᾶς ἐμιμοῦντο, οὐδὲ ἄν ἦν πράγματα ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις, οὐδʼ ἂν ή πίστις παρεσύρετο, τῶν ἰδίων ἑκάστῳ φιλονεικιιῖιν ὅπλον τυγχάνουσα, Νι. Ta ΔΥἹᾨ. ὀς θερμὸν καὶ πωλικὸν ὲν τοϊς γράμμασιί Καὶ θαυμαστὸν οὐδὲν, ἄρτι σε δόξης γενόμενον ἡμῖν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι βούλεσθαι, ἥντινα δόξαν εὑρίσκῃς, ἵνʼ οὕτωςʼ σεαυτὸν μᾶλλον σεμνὸν ποιῇς, ὥσπερ τῶν γραφέων oi τὰς ὥρας γράφοντες. Ἐμοὶ δὲ τὸ μὲν πάντα ἐκδιηγεῖσθαι τὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐπιπολῆς, ἐφʼᾖ σὺ δυσχεραίνεις, ὅθεν τε ἠρξάμεθα, καὶ ὅπου προέβημεν, καὶ εἰς δ κατελήξαμεν, μακρότερονῆ κατʼ ἐπιστολὴν εἶναι φαίνεται, καὶ οὐκ ἀπολογίας μᾶλλον ἔργον ἢ ἱστορίας. Ὡς δὲ συντόμως δηλῶσαι, ἧκεν ἡμῖν ὁ γενναιότατος ’Δνθιμος μετὰ τινων ἐπισκόπων, είτε ὡς τὸν πατέρα ἐπισκεψόμενος τὸν ἐμὸν (καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ ἔδοξεν), εἴτε σπουδάσων ἅπερ ἐσπούδασε. Πολλὴν δὲ καὶπερὶ πολλῶν πεῖραν καθεὶς, τῶν παροικῶν, τῶν Σασίμων λιμνέόν, ἡμετέρας χειροτονίας, χαρισάμενος,. atlτήσας, ἀπειλήσας, δικαιολογησάμενος, ψέξας, ἐγκω- ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 49. To the same] You accuse us of idleness and sloth, because we have not taken possession of your Sasima, nor act like a bishop, nor arm you against one another like dogs over a morsel thrown into their midst. For me the greatest activity is inactivity. And so that you may know one of my merits, I take such pride in staying out of affairs that I think it might even be a law for all, in magnanimity of this kind. And if all imitated us, there would be no troubles for the Churches, nor would the faith be dragged about, becoming each man's weapon in his private quarrels. [Letter 50. To the same] How hot and coltish you are in your letters! And it is no wonder that, having just come into glory, you want to show us what glory you find, so as to make yourself the more august, like painters who paint the Seasons. As for me, to narrate in full all the affairs of the bishops and of the letter at which you are annoyed, where we began, how far we went, and where we ended, seems too long for a letter, and the work of history rather than of defence. To put it briefly: the most noble Anthimus came to us with some bishops, either to visit my father (for that too was given out) or to press for what he did press for. After making many attempts on many matters, about the parishes, the marshes of Sasima, our ordination, granting favours, asking, threatening, pleading, blaming, praising, ### Translation notes - The scan reads ἐπιπολῆς (“visit”), probably for ἐπιστολῆς (“letter”), as the sequel shows; translated as “letter”. The heading of Letter 49 is lost in the scan. The painters of the Seasons gave them rich adornment. The visit of Anthimus of Tyana to Gregory the Elder at Nazianzus took place in 372. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 103 (PG 37:103a–103d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-103). ## Letter 105 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-105 - Source: PG 37:106a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory tells Basil how he resisted Anthimus, who left accusing him of siding with Basil, and protests at Basil's haughty treatment of him. ### Greek text , μιάσας, κύκλους ἐαυτῷ περιγράψας, ὡς δέον πρὸς αὐτὸν μόνον δρᾷν ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὴν νέαν μητρόπολιν μείζονα οὖσαν ο Τί περιγράφεις, ἐφην, τὴν ἡμετέραν πόλιν,ἡμῶν ποιουμένων καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ὡς δντως Ἐκκλησιῶν μητέρα καὶ ἀνωθεν; Τέλος, ἀπῆλθεν ἄπρακτος, πολλὰ. περιπνεύσα·, καὶ Βασι… ἡμῖν, ὼς Φιλιππισμδν, ἐγκαλέσας. Μὴ τοῦτο ἀδικεῖν σοι δοκοῦμεν; Οὐκ οἶμαι. Σκόπει δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ὅπως ἔσχε παρά τῶν ὑβριστῶν ἡμῶν, Κλῆσιν συνοδικὴν ἐτύπωσαν πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Ἐμοῦ δὲ ἀντιλέγοντος, καὶ ὓβριν τὸ πρᾶγμα. φάσκοντος, ἀλλά τό γε δεύτερον ἠξίουν, διʼ ἐμοῦ παρακληθῆναι ὑμᾶς περὶ τούτων βουλευσομένους. Τοῦτο ὑπέστην, ἵνα μὴ τὸ πρότερον γένηται, τὸ πᾶν ἐφʼ ὑμῖν ποιούμενος, εί βούλεσθε συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὅπου, καὶ πηνίκα· ὅπερ τιμῶντος ἦν, οὐχ ὑβρίζοντος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὺδέ τοῦτο ἀδικοῦμεν, είπὲ τὸ λειπόμενον. Ei παρʼ ἐμοῦ τοῦτο δεῖ μαθεῖν ὑμᾶς, αὐτὴν ὑμῖν ἀναγνώσομαι τὴν ’Λνθίμου ἐπιστολὴν, ἢν, ὅτε κατέσχε λίμνας, ἡμῶν ἀπαγορευόντων καὶ ἀπειλούντων, ἐπέσταλκε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὑῦρίζων, καὶ ὀνειδίζων, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπινίκιόν τινα καθʼ ἡμῶν ᾄδων ὡς ἡττημένων. Καὶ τίνα ἔχει λόγον, ἐκείνῳ μέν προσκρούειν διʼ ὑμᾶς, ὑμῖν δέ ἀπαρέσκειν, ὡς ἐκείνῳ χαριζομένους; Ταῦτα δὲ ἔδει πρότερον μαθεῖν, ὧ θαυμάσιε, καὶ μηδέ τότε ὑβρίζειν, εί μή τι ἄλλο, ὡς πρεσβυτέρους. Εἰ … ἐπιδεικτικῶς ἒχεις καὶ φιλοτίμως, καὶ ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων ἡμῖν διαλέγῃ, ὼς μητροπολίτης μικροπολίταις, ἦ καὶ ἀπόλισιν, ἐστι καὶ ἡμῖν ὁφρὺς ἢν ἀνθέξοἶ μεν. Ῥᾷστον γὰρ τοῦτο παντὶ, καὶ ἴσως εὐλοστέον, ### English translation (Claude) … drawing circles around himself, as though we must look to him alone, and to the new metropolis as the greater … . “Why do you draw a line round our city,” I said, “when we regard our Church too as truly the mother of Churches, and from of old?” In the end he went away without success, after much huffing and puffing, and accusing us of “Basilism,” as men were once accused of “Philippism.” Do we seem to you to be wronging you in this? I do not think so. Consider also the matter of the letter, how it came from us, your “insulters.” They drew up a synodal summons to us. When I objected and called the thing an insult, they asked at least for the second course, that you be invited through me to deliberate on these matters. This I accepted, so that the first might not happen, leaving everything to you, whether you wished to assemble them, and where, and when: the act of one who honours you, not of one who insults you. Since we do no wrong in this either, tell me what is left. If you must learn it from me, I will read you Anthimus's own letter, which he sent us when he seized the marshes in spite of our forbidding and threatening, insulting and reproaching us, and as it were singing a song of victory over us as defeated. And what sense is there in clashing with him for your sake, and displeasing you as though we were doing him favours? You should have learned this first, my admirable friend, and not insulted us even then, if for nothing else, as your elders. If you … behave ostentatiously and ambitiously, and talk down to us from above, as a metropolitan to petty citizens, or even to men without a city, we too have a brow to raise against you. For this is the easiest thing for anyone, and perhaps the more reasonable, ### Translation notes - “As your elders”: πρεσβυτέρους, which may also mean “as presbyters”. “Philippism”: siding with Philip of Macedon, the charge Demosthenes brought against his opponents. Lines are lost at the foot of the page (…); a few words are garbled in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 105 (PG 37:106a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-105). ## Letter 107 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-107 - Source: PG 37:108a–108d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of Gregory's advice to Nicobulus on letter-writing: little ornament, few figures, and above all naturalness, like the eagle who did not think himself beautiful. ### Greek text ὅσα καὶ ταῖς πορφύραις ἐν τοῖς ὑφάσμασι. Τροπὰς δὲ παραδεξόμεθα μὲν, ὀλίγας δὲ. καὶ ταύτας οὐκ ἀναισχύντους. Ἀντίθετα, καὶ πάρισα, καὶ ίσόκωλα σοφισταῖς ἀπορρίψομεν· εί δέ που καὶ παραλάβωμεν, ὡς καταπαίςοντες μᾶλλον τοῦτο ποιήσομεν, ἢ σπουδάζοντες. Πέρας τοῦ λόγου, ὅπερ τῶν … τινος ἥκουσα περὶ τοῦ ἀετοῦ λέγοντος, ἡνίκα ἐκρίνοντο περὶ βασιλείας oi. ὄρνιθες, καὶ ἄλλοι ἄλλως ἧκον ἑαυτοὺς κοσμήσαντες, ὅτι ἐκείνου κάλλιπον ἦν τὸ μὴ οἴεσθαι καλὸν εἶναι. Τοῦτο κάν ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς μάλιστα τηρητέον τὸ ἀκαλλώπιστον, καὶ ὅτι ἐγγυτάτω τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν. Τοσαῦτα σοι περὶ ἐπιστολῶν, ὡς διʼ ἐπιπολῆς παρῆμεν ° καὶταῦτα ἴσως οὐ πρὸς ἡμῶν, οἷς τὰ μείζω σπουδάζεται· τᾶλλα ο δὲ αὐτός τε φιλοπονήσας, εὐμαθὴς ὢν, καὶ σί περὶ ταῦτα κομψοὶ διδάξουσινξ ### English translation (Claude) … as much as the purple in woven cloth. Figures of speech we will admit, but few, and those not shameless. Antitheses, balanced clauses and equal members we will leave to the sophists; and if we ever use them, we will do so in play rather than in earnest. To end what I have to say, I will repeat what I heard one of the … say about the eagle: when the birds were contending for the kingship and came adorned in various ways, the eagle's finest adornment was not to think himself beautiful. This above all must be kept in letters: lack of adornment, and keeping as close as possible to what is natural. So much for you about letters, as we went over it in passing; and perhaps these things are not for us, who are busy with greater things; the rest you will learn by your own diligence, being quick to learn, and those clever at these matters will teach you. ### Translation notes - The end of Letter 50 and the beginning of Letter 51 (to Nicobulus, on letter-writing) are lost in the scan. The fable of the birds choosing a king is unidentified in this form. A word is garbled after “one of the” (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 107 (PG 37:108a–108d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-107). ## Letter 109 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-109 - Source: PG 37:109a–109d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter asking Nicobulus for a return for the letters sent him; then Gregory explains that in the collection of letters he places Basil's before his own. ### Greek text ἓήξιίν ἀντιδοίης, αὐτὸ τε τὸ γράφειν, καὶ τὴν ἐξ …, ὧν γράφομεν ὠφέλειαν. Τούτου γὰρ ἀμείνω μισθὸν οὖτε αἰτεῖν, οὔτε ἀπαιτεῖν ἔχομεν, ἢ τοῖς αἰτοῦσι λυσιτελέστερον, ἢ τῷ παρέχοντι πρεπωδέστερον. Ἀεὶ προτιμήσας ἐμαυτοῦ τὸν μέγαν Βασίλειον, εἰ κάκείνῳ τούναντίον ἐδόκει, καὶ νῦν προτιμῶ, ηὖχ ἧττον διὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἢ τὴν φιλίαν. Διὰ τοῦτο προθεὶς τὰς ἐκείνου ἐπιστολὰς, τὰς ἐμὰς ὑποτίθημι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπιθυμῶ πανταχοῦ συνεζεῦχθαι ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλοις, καὶ ἅμα τύπον παρέχων τοῖς ἄλλοις μετρξου καὶ τῆς ὑφέσεως. ### English translation (Claude) … that you might give in return the writing itself and the benefit from what we write. For we can neither ask nor demand a better reward than this, one more profitable to those who ask or more fitting to the one who gives. [Letter 53. To Nicobulus] Having always preferred the great Basil to myself, even if he thought the opposite, I prefer him now too, no less for truth's sake than for friendship's. Therefore I put his letters first and place mine after them. For I desire that we be joined to one another everywhere, and at the same time to give others an example of moderation and modesty. ### Translation notes - The beginning of this page is garbled in the scan (…); it ends Letter 52 to Nicobulus, who was collecting Gregory's letters. The heading of Letter 53 is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 109 (PG 37:109a–109d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-109). ## Letter 111 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-111 - Source: PG 37:112a–112d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter of consolation; then Gregory, after a frost has ruined his vines, asks a woman benefactor for wine for the workmen building a church wall. ### Greek text ΗΞ γνησιωτέρους ἡμῶν εὑρίσκοντες, οὐδὲ ’μᾶλλον τὰ ὑμέτερα κοινουμένους· εί καὶ μήπω, μήτε συνήθεια πολλὴ. μήτε πεῖρα τοῦτο ἐδίδαξε. Περὶ δὲ τῶν λυπηρῶν, τί χρὴ γράφειν, ἦ ὅτι βούλομαι τῆς ἄκρας φιλοσοφίας καιρὸν τοῦτον νομίσαντας. ἐγκαρτερεῖν τοῖς πάθεσι, καὶ οὕτως ἀγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς λυποῦντας, ἐπειδὴ γε ἄλλως οὔτε δυνατὸν, NZ'. ΑΥΊᾙ. Τὸ παριππεῦσαν ἔτος, κρυμὸς γέγονετῇ πατρίδι βαρὺς, καὶτὰς βλεφαρίδας τῶν ἀμπέλων τὰς ἠδη πρὸς ὠδίνας λυομένας ἀνέκοψεν· αἱ δὲ ἀπομείνασαι στεῖραι, αὐχμηρὰς καὶ ἀὸρὸχους τὰς φιάλας ἡμῶν ἐξειργάσαντο ο τί δή ποτʼ οὗν σοι τὴν τῶν φυτῶν ἀκαρπίαν ὲκτραγῳδῆσαι προήχθημενς Ἵνα γένῃ ἡμῖν, κατὰ τὸν Σολομῶντα, καὶ αύτὴ ἄμπελος κυπρίζουσα, καὶ κατάκαρπος κληματίς ο ού βότρυν ὲξανοήσασα, ἀλλὰ τῶν βοτρύων ἐκθλίψασα τοῖς διψῶσι τὴν δρόσον. Τίνες δέ εἰσιν οἱ διψῶντες; Οἱ τὸν περίς βολον τῆς συνόδου τειχίζοντες. Τούτους ὀρεινῷ μεθύσματι ποτίζειν ούκ ἔχων ἐγὼ, ἐπὶ τὴν πολυστάφυλόν σου κεχώρηκα δεξιάν ἵνʼ ἡμῖν ἐκ ποταμίας τους σοὺς κελεύσῃς ὲπιρῤεὖσαι κρουνούς. Τοῦτο γὰρ τάχος ποιήσασα, πολλῶν μὲν στόματα ξηρᾶ θεραπεύσεις, εὐφρανεῖς δὲ πρῶτον ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα καὶ τὸν Ἀττικιστὴν ἐπαίτην ὲμέ. ### English translation (Claude) … finding none more genuine than us, nor more ready to share your concerns, even if not yet much intimacy or experience has taught you this. About your troubles, what should I write, except that I want you to regard this as a time for the highest philosophy, and to endure in your sufferings, and so to contend against those who grieve you, since it is not possible otherwise … [Letter 57. To the same] The year that has galloped past brought a heavy frost on our homeland, and nipped the buds of the vines that were already opening toward birth; and those that were left barren have made our cups dry and unwatered. Why, then, have I been led to make a tragedy to you about the barrenness of plants? So that you may become for us, as Solomon says, yourself a vine in bloom and a fruitful branch, not one that has … a cluster, but one that has pressed out the dew of the clusters for the thirsty. And who are the thirsty? Those who are building the wall round the enclosure of the church. Since I have no mountain wine to give them to drink, I have come to your right hand, rich in grapes, so that you may command your streams to flow over to us from your river country. If you do this quickly, you will heal the dry mouths of many, and you will gladden first of all, as much as possible, me too, the Atticizing beggar. ### Scripture references - Song 2:13: allusion, low confidence - Ps 128:3 (127:3 LXX): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Letters 54–55 and the opening of Letter 56 are not in the scan text. The addressee of Letter 57 is a woman (the Greek participles are feminine), probably Thecla. “A vine in bloom”: Song 2:13; cf. Ps 128:3 (LXX 127:3). The “enclosure of the synod” (σύνοδος, the place of assembly) is taken to be a church. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 111 (PG 37:112a–112d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-111). ## Letter 113 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-113 - Source: PG 37:113a–113d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory tells Basil that many doubt their orthodoxy, and begins to recount how at a dinner a monk denied that Basil and Gregory were orthodox. ### Greek text Ἐγώ σε καὶ βίου καθηγητὴν, καὶ δογμάτων διεάτκαὶον, καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν είποι τις τῶν καλῶν, ἐθέμην τε ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, καὶ νῦν τίθεμαι· καὶ εί τις ἄλλος ἐπαινέτης τῶν σῶν, ἢ μετʼ ἐμοῦ πάντως,ἢ μετʼ ἐμέ. Τοσοῦτον ἦττημαί σου τῆς εὐλαβείας, καὶ οὕτω καθαρῶς είμ.”ί σὸςῐ Καὶ θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν. Οὗ γὰρ πλείων ἠ συνουσία, πλείων καὶὴ πεῖρα ο οὗ ὴ πεῖρα δαψιλεστέρα, καὶ ὴ μαρτυρία τελεωτέρα. Καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο μοι τοῦ ζῇν δερελος, ἡ σὴ φιλία καὶ … . Ἥκω μὲν οὕτω περὶ τούτων, καὶ ἱχοιμι. Ἀ δὲ νῦν γράφω, γράφω μὲν οὐχ ἑκὼν, γρὰτω δὲ ὅμως. Καί μοι μηδὲν ἀχθεσθῇς ’ἢ λίαν αὐτὸς ἀχθεσθησο μαι, εί μὴ κατʼ εὔνοιαν ταῦτα λέγειν τε καὶ γράσειν πρὸς σὲ πιστευοίμην. Πολλοὶ κατεγνώκασιν ἡμῶν, ὡς περὶ τὴν πίστιν οὐκ ἰσχυρῶν, ὅσοι κοινοωιοῦσι τὰ ἡμέτερα καλῶς ποιοῦντες. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀσέβειαν ἐγκαλοῦσι φανερῶς, οἱ δὲ δειλίαν· καὶ ἀσέβειαν μὲν, οἱ μηδὲ ὑγιῶς λέγειν πιστεύοντεςο δειλίαν δὲ, οἱ τὴν ὑποστολὴν αἰτιώμενοι. Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων τί χρὴ καὶ λέγειν ;Ὃ δʼ οὖν νεωστὶ συνέβη, τοῦτό σοι διηγήσομαι- Συμπότιον ἦν, καὶ τοῦ συμποσίου μετεῖχον οὐκ ὀλίγοι τῶν ἐπιφανῶν καὶ ἡμῖν φίλων, ἐν δὲ τούτοις καὶ ἀνήρ τις τῶν εὐλαβείας ὖνομα καὶ σχῆμα περικειμένων. Οὔπω πότος ἦν, καὶ λόγος ἦν περὶ ἡμῶν, ὅπερ ὲν τοῖς συμποσίοις φιλεῖ συμβαίνειν, ἀντʼ ἄλλου τινὸς ὲπεισοδίου προτιθεμένωνο πάντων δὲ τὰ σὰ θαυμαζόντων, καὶ προστιθέντων ἡμᾶς ὡς τὰ ἶσα φιλοσοφοῦντας, καὶ τὴν φιλίαν λεγόντων καὶτὰς Ἀθήνας, καὶ τὴν ὲν ἅπασι σύμπνοιαν καὶ ὁμόνοιαν, δεινὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα ποιεῖται ὁ δῆθεν φιλόσοφος. Καὶ τί τοῦτο, φησιν, ὧ οὗτοι, μάλα τι νεανικὸν ἐκβοήσας · ὡς λίαν ὑμεῖς ψευδεῖς τε καὶ, κόλακες! Τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ὲπαινείσθωσαν oi ἄνδρες, εἰ δοκεῖ · οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀντιλέγω. Τὸ μέγιστον δὲ οὐ δίδωμι, τὴν ὀρθοδοξίαν μάτην μὲν ἐπαινεῖται Βατίλειος, μάτην δὲ Γρηγόριος, ὁ μὲν προδιδοὺς ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 58. To Basil] I took you as guide of my life and teacher of doctrine, and everything good one might name, from the beginning, and I take you so now; and if anyone else praises your qualities, he is surely either with me or after me. So far am I overcome by your Reverence, and so wholly am I yours. And no wonder: where intimacy is greater, experience is greater too; and where experience is fuller, testimony is more complete. And if anything else in life is profitable to me, it is your friendship and … . So I stand concerning these things, and may I continue so. What I write now I write not willingly, yet I write it. And do not be at all vexed with me, or I shall be very vexed myself, if I am not believed to say and write these things to you out of goodwill. Many have condemned us as not firm about the faith, all those, that is, who rightly regard our affairs as one. Some charge us openly with impiety, others with cowardice: with impiety, those who believe we do not even speak soundly; with cowardice, those who blame our reserve. And why should I repeat what others say? But I will tell you what happened recently. There was a drinking party, and among those at it were not a few distinguished men who were our friends, and among them a man of those who wear the name and garb of piety. The drinking had not yet begun, and the talk was about us, as tends to happen at parties, put forward in place of some other entertainment; and when all were admiring your qualities and adding us as philosophizing alike, and speaking of our friendship, and Athens, and our agreement and concord in everything, our would-be philosopher took it ill. “What is this, gentlemen?” he said, crying out very vehemently. “How false you are, and flatterers! Let the men be praised for other things, if you like; I do not dispute it myself. But the greatest thing I do not grant: orthodoxy. In vain is Basil praised, in vain Gregory: the one betraying ### Translation notes - The man who wears “the name and garb of piety” is a monk. A word after “your friendship and” is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 113 (PG 37:113a–113d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-113). ## Letter 115 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-115 - Source: PG 37:116a–116d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The monk charges that Basil, unlike Gregory, does not openly call the Holy Spirit God; Gregory defends Basil's reserve as a prudent economy in dangerous times. ### Greek text τὴν πίστιν οἷς διαλέγεται, ό δὲ συμπροδιδοὺς οἷς ἀνέχεται. Πόθεν τοῦτο, ἔφην, ὦ μάταιε σὺ, καὶ νέε Δαθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν τὴν άπόνοιαν; πόθεν ἡμῖν ἧκειςδοο γματιστής ; Πῶς σεαυτὸν ποιεῖς τηλικούτων κριτήν; Ἐκ τῆς κατʼ Εὐψυχίοο τοῦ μάρτυρος, ἔφη, συνὁδου νῦν ἥκω (καὶ γὰρ εἶχεν οὕτως), κάκεῖσε ἕλκουσα τοῦ μεγάλου Βασιλείοο θεολογοῦντος τὰ μὲν Πατρδς καὶ Υδοῦ ἄριστά τε καὶ τελεώτατα, καὶ ὼς οὐκ ἄν τις ἄλλος ῥᾳδίως εἴποι, τὸ Πνεῦμα δὲ παρασύροντος (καὶ προσετίθει τινὰ εἰκασίαν, ὥσπερ τῶν ποταμῶν οἱ τὰς μὲν πέτρας παρατρέχοντες, τὴν δὲ ψάμμον κοιλαίνοντες). Ἢ τί δή ποτε, ὧ θαυμάσιε, σὺ μὲν, ἔφη πρὸς ἐμὲ βλέπων, ἤδη φανερῶς τὸ Πνεῦμα Θεολογεῖς (καί τινος ἀπεμνημόνευσε τῶν ἐμῶν,ὡς ὲν συνόδῳ πολυανθρώπῳ θεολογήσαντας, εἶτα ἐπειπόντος τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πριβἁητον, τὸ, Μέχρι τίνος ύπὸ τῷ μοδίῳ τὸν λύχνον κρύψομενςς ό δὲ ὑποφαίνει μὲν ἀμυδρῶς, καὶ οἷον σκιαγραφεΐ ’τὸν λόγον, οὐ παρρησιάζεται δὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, πσλιτιιιώτερον ἢ εὐσεβέστερον τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐπικλύζων, καὶ τῇ, δυνάμει.τοῦ λόγον τὴν διπλόην περικαλύπτων. Ὅτι ἐγὼ μὲν, ἔφην, ἐν παραβύστῳ κείμενος, καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀγνοούμενος, καὶ μηδὲ ὃ. λέγοιμι, μηδὲ ὅτι λέγοιμι σχεδὸν γινωσκόμενος, ἀκινδύνως φιλοσοφῶ, Τοῦ δὲ πλείων ό λόγος, ὡς περιφαο νεστὲρου κα) παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ παρὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Καὶ δημοσίᾳ πᾶν τὸ λεγόμενον. πολύς τε περὶ αὑτὸν ὁ πόλεμος, ζητούντων λαβέσθαι τῶν αἱρετικῶν γυμνῆς τῆς φωνῆς καὶ αὑτοῦ Βασιλεεου, ἕνʼ ὁ μὲν ἐξωσθῇ τῆς Ἐκκλησὲας, ὁ μόνος σχεδὸν ὑπολειπόμενος τῆς ἀληθείας σπινθὴρ καὶ ἠ ζωτικὴ δύναμις, τῶν κύκλῳ πάντων κατειλημμένωνο ῥιζωθῇ δὲ τὸ κακὸν ὲν τῇ πόλει, καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπό τινος όρμητηρίου τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ταύτης, πᾶσαν κατάδράμῃ τὴν οἰκουμένην. Βέλτιον οὖν οίκονομηθῆναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, μικρὰν εἰξάντων ἡμῶν, ὥσπερ νέφει τινι, τῷ καιρῷ, ἢ καταλυθῆναι τῷ φανερῷ τοῦ κηρύγματος. Ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν βλάβος καὶ ἀπʼ ἄλλων λέξεων τοῦτο συναγουσῶν, Θεὸν τὸ Πνεῦμα γινώσκειν (οὐ γὰρ ὲν ἧχῳ μᾶλλον, ἢ διανοίᾳ κεῖσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν)“ τῇ ### English translation (Claude) the faith by what he says, the other a fellow betrayer by putting up with it.” “Where does this come from,” I said, “you foolish man, new Dathan and Abiram in your madness? From where have you come to us as a dogmatist? How do you make yourself judge of such great matters?” “I have just come,” he said, “from the festival of the martyr Eupsychius” (and so it was), “and there I heard the great Basil speaking of God, most excellently and perfectly about the Father and the Son, as no one else could easily speak, but slurring over the Spirit” (and he added a comparison, like rivers that run past the rocks but hollow out the sand). “And why is it, my admirable friend,” he said, looking at me, “that you already openly call the Spirit God” (and he recalled something of mine, when I had spoken about God at a crowded synod and then had added, of the Spirit, that well-known saying: How long shall we hide the lamp under the bushel?), “while he hints obscurely and as it were sketches the doctrine in outline, but does not speak the truth freely, flooding our hearing with policy rather than piety, and covering his duplicity with the power of his speech?” “Because I,” I said, “lying in a corner, unknown to most, and hardly known to say anything or what I say, can be a philosopher without danger. But his word carries more weight, since he is more conspicuous both in himself and through his Church. Everything he says is public, and great is the war around him, as the heretics seek to catch a bare word from Basil himself, so that he may be driven out of the Church, he who is almost the only spark of truth left and its life-giving power, everything around having been taken; and so that the evil may take root in the city and, from this Church as from a base, overrun the whole world. It is better, then, that the truth be managed by economy, while we yield a little to the times as to a cloud, than that it be destroyed by openness of proclamation. For it does us no harm to know the Spirit as God from other expressions that lead to this (for the truth lies in the meaning rather than in the sound); ### Scripture references - Num 16:1–35: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:15: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses: Num 16. Eupsychius, a martyr of Caesarea under Julian; his feast was kept on 7 September. “Lamp under the bushel”: Matt 5:15. “Economy” (οἰκονομηθῆναι) here means managing the truth prudently, not concealing it. The scan reads ἕλκουσα (“drawing”) for “I heard”; translated by sense. On Basil's reserve about calling the Spirit God, see his On the Holy Spirit. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 115 (PG 37:116a–116d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-115). ## Letter 117 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-117 - Source: PG 37:117a–117d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of Gregory's account of the dinner: the company rejected his defence of Basil's reserve; he asks Basil how far to go in calling the Spirit God. ### Greek text Ἐκκλησίαις δὲ μεγάλην ζημίαν τδ διʼ ἐνὸς … διωχθῆναι τὴν ἀληθειαν., Οὐκ ἐδέξαντο τὴν οἰκονομίαν ὡς ἕωλον καὶ παίζουσαν … οί παρόντεςο ἀλλά καὶ κατεβόων ἡμῶν, ὡς τὴν δειλίαν μᾶλλον, ἦ τὸν λόγον οίκονομούντων. Πολῦ τάρ εἶναι βέλτιον, τὸ ἡμέτερον φυλάττειν διὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, ἢ τοῦτό γι ἀχρειοῦν, καὶ μὴ προσλαμβάνειν τὸ ἀλλότριον, διὰ τῆς δῆθεν οξκονομίας. Τά μὲν οὖν καθʼ ἕκαστον, ὧν τε εἷπον, ὧν τε ηκουσα, καὶ ὡς ἠγανάκτησα πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιτείνοντας πέρα τοῦ μετρίου σχεδὸν καὶ τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ συνηθείας, μακρὸν ἀν εῐη νῦν ἐκδιηγείσθαι, καὶ εσως οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον. Τέλος δὲτοῦ λόγου, τοὺς μὲν οὓτως ἀπεπεμψάμην. Σὺ δὲ δίδαξον ἡμᾶς, ὦ θεία καὶ ίερά κεφαλὴ, μέχρι τίνος προῖτέον ἡμῖν τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος θεολογίας, καὶ τίσι χρηστέον φωναῖς, καὶ μέχρι τίνος οίκονομητέον, ἶνʼ ἔχωμεν ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας. Ἐγὼ γὰρ εί δεοίμην νῦν τοῦτο μανθάνειν, ὁ πάντων μάλιστα σέ τι καὶ τὰ σά γινώσκων, καὶ πολλάκις περὶτούτων πληροφορίαν καὶ δεδωκὼς καὶ δεξάμενος, πάντων ἂν είην ἀμαθέστατός τε καὶ ἀθλιώτατος. ### English translation (Claude) but to the Churches a great loss, if the truth were driven out through one man.” Those present would not accept this economy, as stale and a mockery; they even shouted us down, as men who managed their cowardice rather than the doctrine. It was much better, they said, to guard our own people by the truth than to make them useless by this so-called economy and fail to win over the others either. The details, what I said and what I heard, and how I grew angry with my opponents almost beyond measure and beyond my usual way, would take long to narrate now, and are perhaps unnecessary. In the end, I sent them off in this way. But do you teach us, O divine and sacred head, how far we should go in speaking of the Spirit as God, what expressions we should use, and how far we should use economy, so that we may have these things ready against those who contradict us. For if I, who more than anyone know you and your views, and have often given and received assurance on these matters, needed to learn this now, I would be of all men the most ignorant and the most wretched. ### Translation notes - “Speaking of the Spirit as God” renders τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος θεολογίας (“theology of the Spirit”). Economy (οἰκονομία) here is prudent reserve in expression. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 117 (PG 37:117a–117d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-117). ## Letter 119 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-119 - Source: PG 37:120a–120d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter promising Basil help; then Gregory tells Basil he is eager to join him in the struggle for the truth but must stay with his sick mother, and asks for his prayers. ### Greek text παρεσόμενον, καὶ συναγωνιουμενον, καὶ τὰ δυνατὸ υνεισοισοντα. Τίς γὰρ ἂν ἀναδύσεται; τίς δι οὐ αρῥήσει ὑπὸ σοὶ, καὶ μετὰ σοῦ, περὶτῆς ἀληθείας ἐγων καὶ ἀγωνιζόμενος i Τοῦ πληρωθῆναὲ σοι ἐπίταγμα. τὸ μιν τι ἔστιν ἡμῖνʼ τὸ δέ τι, καῖ οἶμαι τὺ πλέον, τῇ σῇ ὤλασεία. Ἐφʼ ἡμῖν μὲν, τὸτῆς ὁρμῆς καὶ τῆς προὶομιας· οὔτε γὰρ ἀλλπὲ ποτε τὴν σὴν … ὲφῦγομεν, ἀλλ) ἀεὶ ταύτην διώκομεν, καὶ νῦν ταύτην πλέον ποθοῦμεν. Ἐπὶ δι τῇ σῇ ὁσιότητι, τὸ διῳθωθῆναι τὰ ἡμέτερα. Προσιδρεῦομιν γὰρ τῇ κυρίᾳ. τῇ μητρὶ, πολὺν ἢδη καμούσῃ χρόνον ιε ιρρωστῖας. Καὶ el μὴ μέλλοιμεν ἀμφιβόλως αὐτὴν καταλείψειν, οὐ ζημιωθησόμιθα, εὖ ἴσθι, τὴν παρουσίαν. Μόνον ταῖς εὐχαῖς, τῇ μὲν πρὸς τὴν ὑγείαν, ἡμέν δὲ πρὸς τὴν ὁδὸν ἑπικούρησον. ### English translation (Claude) … to be present, to contend at your side, and to contribute what I can. For who would hang back? Who would not take courage under you and with you, speaking and contending for the truth? [Letter 60. To the same] That your command be fulfilled depends partly on us, and partly, and I think the greater part, on your Reverence. On us depends the eagerness and readiness; for we have never fled your company, but always pursue it, and now long for it the more. On your Holiness depends setting our affairs right. For we are sitting by our lady mother, who has now been suffering a long time from sickness. If we were not likely to leave her in a doubtful state, be sure we would not miss being with you. Only help with your prayers: her toward health, and us toward the journey. ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of Letter 59 (to Basil), whose opening is lost in the scan; the heading of Letter 60 is lost. Gregory's mother Nonna was ill (ca. 372). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 119 (PG 37:120a–120d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-119). ## Letter 121 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-121 - Source: PG 37:121a–121d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges the heirs of a dead woman to pay her bequest to the church gladly and in full, laying up treasure in heaven. ### Greek text ιίαν φιλοτίμως τε καὶ προθύμως, πληρώσατε τῇ κατοιχομένῃ τὴν βούλησιν, ἥν παρεῖναί τε ύμῖν νομίσαντες, καὶ όρᾷν τὰ γινόμενα, διὰ τῆς ἐπιδόσεως ἀναπαύσατε, ἴνα μὴ τὰ χρήματα μόνον ἔχητε παρʼ αὐτῆς, ἀλλά καὶ τὴν στηρίςουσαν οίκους τέκνων μητρὸς εὐλογίαν πορίσησθεο τοῦτο ἐνθυμηθέντες, ὃτι βελτίων μικρά μερὶς μετὰ δικαιοσύνης, κατά τδ γεγραμμένον, ἢ πλατυτέρα μετά μικρολογίας (ἴνα μὴ λέγω τι βλάσφημον), καὶ ὅτι πολλοὶ καὶ ὅλων οἴκων ἐκποιουμένων είς ἐκκλησίας ἠνέσχοντο, oi δέ καὶ παρʼ ἑαυτῶν πᾶσαν προήκαντο τὴν περιουσίαν, καὶ τὴν καλλίστην ἐπραγματεύσαντο πραγματείαν, γενέσθαι διὰ τὸν ἐκεῖ πλοῦτον πένητες.Μὴ τοίνυν σπείρητε φειδομένως, ῖνα πλουσίως θερίσητε, ἀλλʼ ἀγαθὸν κλῆρον καὶ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τοῖς φιλτάτοις ὐμῶν τοῦτον χαρίσασθε, μηδὲν ύφεὶόντες τῶν γεγραμμένων, ἀλλά πάντα μεθʼ ἡδονῆς καὶ φαιδρότητος ἐπιδόντες ἡμῖν, ἢ ἀποδόντες ὠς οἰκεῖα τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς τοῦτο μόνον κερδανοῦντες,’ὅ τι ἄν ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὐμῶν ἀναλὼσητε. Τί γὰρ δεῖ θησαυρίζειν λῃσταῖς καὶ κλέπταις, καὶ καιρῶν μεταβολαῖς, ἄλλοτε είς ἄλλους μετατιθέντων καί ῥιπιζόντων τὴν ἄστατον εὐπορίαν, ἀλλά μὴ είς τὰς ἀσφαλεῖς ἀποθήκας ἀποτίθεσθαι, καὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων ἰσχυροτέρας Τὸ μὲν οὖν εὐτελὲς περὶ ἄλλα καὶ ἄλλοις δείξατε (κα) γὰρ εὔχομαι δυνατοὺς ὑμᾶς εἶναι μετά χρηστότητος), ἡμῖν δέ ἀγωνίσασθε τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα, ὅστις νικήσει τὸν ἄλλον εὐλαβείᾳ, καὶ ταῖς ὀφειλομέναις εὐλογίαις ἐκ Θεοῦ τοῖς εὐγνώμοσι. Πείσατε οὖν ἡμᾶς ὅτι χριστιανίζετε γνησίως. ’μᾶλλον δὲ ἀπὸ … οὕτως εὐσεβοῦς καὶ δικαίας, ἐντεῦθεν καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁμονοήσατεο ὡς ἂν ὑμεῖς τε ἀλλήλοις, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν ἐπευφραινοίμεθα, τά τε ἀλλα καὶ δεξιὸν ὑπόδειγμα γενομένοις πάσῃ τῇ Ἐκκληο σία. τῆς περὶ ταῦτα εὐγνωμοσύνης. ### English translation (Claude) … generously and eagerly; fulfil the wish of the departed woman, and, thinking of her as present with you and seeing what is done, give her rest by your giving, so that you may not only have the money from her, but may also obtain a mother's blessing, which establishes the houses of children; bearing this in mind, that a small portion with righteousness is better, as it is written, than a larger one with stinginess (not to say something blasphemous), and that many have even put up with whole houses being given over to churches, while others gave away all their property of their own accord and made the finest of bargains, becoming poor for the sake of the riches there. Do not, then, sow sparingly, so that you may reap abundantly; but grant this good inheritance to yourselves and to those dearest to you, holding back nothing of what was written, but giving us everything with pleasure and cheerfulness, or rather paying back God's things as his own, as men who will gain only this: whatever you spend for your souls. For why must one lay up treasure for robbers and thieves and the changes of fortune, which move unstable wealth now to some and now to others and toss it about, and not store it in secure storehouses, stronger than those who plot against it? Show thrift in other matters and toward others (for I pray that you may be powerful, with kindness), but for us contend the good contest, as to who will surpass the other in reverence and in the blessings owed by God to the fair-minded. Convince us, then, that you are genuine Christians. Or rather, beginning from … so pious and just, from this agree about other things too, so that you may rejoice in one another and we in you, as men who have become, among other things, a fine example to the whole Church of fair-mindedness in these matters. ### Scripture references - Prov 16:8: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Cor 9:6: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:19–20: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Tim 6:12: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Sir 3:9 (Sirach): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The heading and opening of this letter are lost in the scan; Letters 60–61 in Migne are not identified with certainty here. “A mother's blessing establishes the houses of children”: Sir 3:9 (of a father). A small portion with righteousness: Prov 16:8; cf. Ps 37:16. “Sow sparingly”: 2 Cor 9:6. Robbers and thieves: Matt 6:19–20. “The good contest”: 1 Tim 6:12. A phrase after “beginning from” is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 121 (PG 37:121a–121d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-121). ## Letter 123 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-123 - Source: PG 37:124a–124c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A short note to Amphilochius the elder; then Gregory, grieving for his own father, protests against Amphilochius's charge that he betrayed his son, who had been made bishop against his father's wish. ### Greek text ΛΜΦΙΛΟΧΙῼ. υύ βάρβαρον τὸ ὲπίταγμα τῆς ἀμιμήτου σου καί λοκάγαθίας, ἀλλʼ Ἑλληνικὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ. Χριστιανικόν. '0 δὲ ’Ᾱρμένιος, ἐφʼ ᾧ πάνυ φιλοτιμῇ, βάρβαρος ἄντικρυς, καὶ πόρρωθεν τῆς ἡμετέρας φιν _ λοτι μίας. ΞΓ. ᾹΜΦΙΛΟΧΙῼ. Ἀλγεῖςς ἐγὼ δὲ τρυφῶ δηλονότι. Δακρὺεις; ἐγὼ δὲ, ὼς ὁρᾷς, πανηγυρίζω, καὶ τοῖς παροῦσι καλλωπίζομαι. ’Ἡ σὲ μὲν υίὸς λυπεῖ διʼ ἀρετὴν ἁρπαζόμενος, καὶ τιμώμενος, καὶ δεινὸν εί μὴ παρέσται σοι καὶ γηρωκομήσει, καὶ τὰ εἰκότα θεραπεύσει κατᾶ τὸ σύνηθες; ἐμὲ δὲ οὐκ ἀνιᾷ πατὴρ τὴν τελευταίαν ἐκδημίαν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν ἐκδημήσας, ὲξ ἦς οὐκ· ἐτι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀναλύσει, οὐδὲ παρʼ ἡμῶν ὀφθήσεται. Εἶτα ἡμεῖς μὲν, οὐδὲν ἐγκαλοῦμεν, οὐδὲ τὴν ὀφειλοο μένην ἀπαιτοῦμεν παραμυθίαν, είδότες ὅτι τὰ ἴδια κακὰ καιρὸν οὐ δίδωσι τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις σχολάζειν· οὐδὶ γὰρ οὓτω τίς ἐστι φιλικὸς κα) φιλόσοφος, ὥστε ὑπεράνω τῶν παθῶν εῖναι, καὶ παρακαλεῖν ἄλλον, αὐτὸς δεόμεο νος παρακλήσεως. Σὺ δὲ τῇ πληγῇ πληγὴν ἐπιβάλλεις, αἰτιώμενος ἡμᾶς, ὡς πυνθάνομαι, καὶ νομίζων ἀμελεῖσθαιί τὸν σδν υἱὸν, ἡμέτερον δὲ ἀδελςέδνι ἢ καὶ προδεδόσθαι παρʼ ἡμῶν, ὃ βαρύτερον · ἀλλά μὴ τῆς ζημίας ἡμᾶς ὲπαισθάνεσθαι, ἢν ὲζημίωνται πάντες μὲν καὶ φίλοι δια) συγγενεῖς, ἐγὼ δὲ πάντων μᾶλλον, ὁ καὶτὰς ἐλπίδας τῆς ζωῆς ὲν ἐκείνῳ Θέμενος. καὶ μόνον μὲν ἔρεισμα, μόνον δὲ σύμβουλον ἀγαθὸν, μόνον δὲ κοινωνὸν εὐσεβείας ὑπολαμβάνων. Καίτοι τίσι τοῦτο είκάζειςς Εἰ μὲν τοῖς ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 62. To Amphilochius] Not barbarous is the command of your inimitable nobility, but Greek, or rather Christian. But the Armenian, for whom you are so zealous, is plainly a barbarian, and far from our sense of honour. [Letter 63. To Amphilochius] You are grieved; I, obviously, am living in luxury! You weep; I, as you see, am keeping festival and priding myself on my present state! Does a son grieve you, carried off for his virtue and honoured, and is it terrible if he will not be with you to care for your old age and tend you as is fitting and customary; while a father does not distress me, who has made his last departure from us, from which he will never return to us nor be seen by us? Yet we accuse no one, nor demand the consolation owed us, knowing that one's own troubles leave no leisure for those of others; for no one is so friendly and so philosophical as to be above his sufferings and to comfort another while needing comfort himself. But you add blow to blow, blaming us, as I hear, and thinking that your son, our brother, has been neglected, or even, what is heavier, betrayed by us; and that we do not feel the loss which all, friends and kinsmen, have suffered, and I more than all, who placed in him the hopes of my life and regarded him as my only support, my only good counsellor, my only partner in piety. And yet to which occasion do you refer this? If to the first, ### Translation notes - Letter 63: the younger Amphilochius was made bishop of Iconium (373/374) and so taken from his old father; Gregory's father, Gregory the Elder, had just died (374). In Letter 62 “the Armenian” is probably Eustathius of Sebaste. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 123 (PG 37:124a–124c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-123). ## Letter 125 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-125 - Source: PG 37:125a–125d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory explains to Amphilochius the elder that he had tried to consult him in time and was then kept away by his father's death, and that he too was overruled by their common friends. ### Greek text πρώτοις, ἐνθυμήθητι.ὅτι καὶ διέβην, μέχρις ὑμῶν ἐξεπίτηδες, τῇ φήμῃ τεταραγμένος, καὶ κοινωνῆσαι γνώμης ὑμῖν πρόθυμος ἐγενόμην, ἡνίκα καιρὸς ἦν ἔτι περὶ τούτων βουλεύεσθαι· καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον ἢ ταύτην ἡμῖν ἐκοινωνήσατε, εἴτε ὑπὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀπορίας, εἴτʼ οὐκ οἷδʼ ὅ τι βουληθέντες. Ei δὲ τοῖς τελευταίοις, μάλιστα μὲν οὐκ εἴα τὸ πά- Θος πάλιν ὑμῖν ἐντυχεῖν, καὶ ἡ τῷ πατρὶ χρεωστουμὲνη τιμὴ καὶ ὁσία, ἧς οὐδὲν ἐδυνάμην ποιήσασθαι προτιμότερον, καὶταῦτα ὑπογυὶου τοῦ πάθους ὄντος, ἡνίκα οὐκ ἀσεβὲς μόνον, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ὅλως εὐπρεπὲς, ἔξω τοῦ καιροῦ φιλοσοφεῖν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ ἀνθρώπινονο ἔπειτα καὶ προκατειλῆφθαι ὑπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐνομίσαμεν, πέρας ἤδη τῶν κατʼ αὑτὸν ἐχόντων, ὁποῖον ἐδόκει τῷ ἄγοντι τὰ ἡμέτερα. Ταῦτα μὲν δὴ τοιαῦτα. Νῦν δὲ καὶ τὴν λύπην ἄνες ἡμῖν πάντων οὖσαν ἀλογωτάτην, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν πείθωο καὶ εἰ τί σοι πλέον δοκεῖ, παράστησον, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ μέρει καὶ σεαυτὸν λυπῇς, καὶ πρᾶγμα πάσχῃς σφόδρα τῆς σῆς εὐγενείας ἀνάξιον, ἀντʼ ἄλλων ἡμᾶς αἰτιώμενος, τοὺς οὐδὲν ἀδικοῦντας, ἀλλʼ εἰ δεῖ τʼ ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, τὰ ἴσα τυραννηθέντας ὑπὸ τῶν κοινῶν φίλων, καὶ οὒς μόνους εὐεργέτας ἐνόμιζες. ειν. ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΕΩΝ. ### English translation (Claude) consider that I even crossed over to you on purpose, troubled by the report, and was eager to share counsel with you while there was still time to deliberate about this; and you shared everything with us rather than this, whether from the same perplexity or wishing I know not what. If to the last, above all my grief did not allow me to meet you again, together with the honour and duty owed to my father, which I could not have held anything above, and that while the blow was still fresh, when it is not only impious, but not at all seemly, to play the philosopher out of season and beyond what is human. Then too we thought that things had been settled beforehand by events, and had already reached their end, such as seemed good to the One who guides our affairs. So much for that. But now relax your grief toward us, the most unreasonable of all, as I persuade myself; and if you think there is anything more, bring it forward, so that you may not grieve us in turn and yourself as well, and suffer something quite unworthy of your nobility, blaming us instead of others, us who do no wrong but, to tell the truth, have been equally tyrannized over by our common friends, whom alone you regarded as benefactors. [Letter 64. To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata] ### Translation notes - “Our common friends” are probably Basil and the bishops who ordained the younger Amphilochius. Letter 64 begins under the heading; its opening is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 125 (PG 37:125a–125d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-125). ## Letter 127 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-127 - Source: PG 37:127a–127d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory consoles the exiled Eusebius of Samosata: others have their homeland and throne, but they have the city above and Christ, and God will not abandon right doctrine. ### Greek text δυσχερείαις τῶν πειρασμῶν διεφάνης καὶ τῶι διωκόντων γέγονας ὑψηλότερος, τῷ γενναίως μεταστῆναι τῆς ἐνεγκούσης. Καὶ ἄλλοι μὲν τὺ πα τρῷον ἔδαφος ἔχουσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν ἄνω πόλιν ἄλλοι τὸν ἡμέτερον ἴσως θρόνον, ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸν Χριστόν. Ὢ τῆς πραγματείαςὶ οἴων ὑπεριδόντες, οἷα κεκομίσμεθαί Διήλθομεν διὰ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος, πιστεύω δὲ ὅτι καὶ ὲξελευσόμεθα είς ἀναψυχήν. Ού γάρ είς τέλος ἐγκαταλείψει ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς, οὐδὲ περιόψεται τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον δεδιωγμένον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὀδυνῶν ἡμῶν, αἱ παρακλήσεις αὑτοῦ εύφρανοῦσιν ἡμᾶς. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν καὶ πιστεύομεν καὶ εὐχόμεθα. Σὺ δὲ, παρακαλῶ, ύπερεύχου τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν. Καὶ ὁσάκις ἂν ἐμπίπτῃ καιρὸς, καὶ εὐλογεῖν ἡμᾶς διὰ γραμμάτων μὴ κατόκνει, καὶ εύθυμοτέρους ποιεῖν, τά κατὰ σαυτὸν δηλῶν, ὃ ποιῆσαι καὶ νῦν κατηξίωσας. ### English translation (Claude) … you have been shown forth in the difficulties of trials, and have risen higher than your persecutors by nobly leaving the land that bore you. Others have our ancestral soil, but we the city above; others perhaps our throne, but we Christ. O what a bargain! What we have despised, and what we have received! We have gone through fire and water, but I believe that we shall also come out into refreshment. For God will not abandon us to the end, nor overlook right doctrine persecuted; but according to the multitude of our pains his consolations will gladden us. This, then, we both believe and pray. But do you, I beg, pray for our lowliness. And as often as an occasion offers, do not hesitate to bless us by letters and make us more cheerful by telling us of your affairs, as you have now been so good as to do. ### Scripture references - Ps 66:12 (65:12 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 94:19 (93:19 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gal 4:26: allusion, low confidence - Heb 13:14: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - This is the end of Letter 65 (to Eusebius of Samosata, sent with his disciple Eupraxius); Letter 64 and the opening of Letter 65 are lost in the scan. Eusebius was exiled to Thrace by Valens in 374. The city above: Gal 4:26; Heb 13:14. “Through fire and water … into refreshment”: Ps 66:12 (LXX 65:12). “According to the multitude of our pains”: Ps 94:19 (LXX 93:19). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 127 (PG 37:127a–127d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-127). ## Letter 131 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-131 - Source: PG 37:132a–132d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter to Eusebius of Samosata; then Gregory asks the tax assessor Julian not to blame him for a family quarrel, to fulfil his promise to the poor, and to exempt Gregory's clergy from the tax register. ### Greek text μεν μὴ κάμνειν σε μεμνημένον ἡμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ὼφέο λεια ἡμῖν μόνον τῶν σῶν καταξιοῢσθαι γραμμάτων. ἀλλὰ καὶ καύχημα πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς, καὶ καλλιδπισμα, ὅτι λόγος ἡμῶν ἐστι παρʼ ἀνδρὶ τοσούτῳ τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τοσαύτην ἔχοντι πρὸς Θεὸν οἰκειότητα, ὥστε καὶ ἄλλους οἰκειοῦν δύνασθαι καὶ λόγῳ καὶ ὑποδείγματι. εῖν. ιοΥΑιΑΝᾳ.· Ἐμοὶ πρὸς σὲ φιλίας μὲν πολλὰ δίκαια, κα) εί μή τι ἄλλο, οἱ λόγοι, ὧν οὐδὲν τοῖς πολλοῖς αξδεσιμώτερον, οὐδὲ οἰκειότερον· ἀπεχθείας δὲ ὑπόθεσις οὐδεο μία, οὔτε ἐστὶ, μήτε γένοιτο. ’Δ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Νικόβουλον, ἢ παρὰ Νικοβούλου λελύο πησαι, οὐκ ἐμὰ μᾶλλον, ἢ τὰ ἐν Ἰνδοῖς πραττόμενα · ὅσον ἐπὶ τὸ μὴ συναρέσκεσθαι μηδεν) τῶν γει γενημένων. Μὴ τοίνυν ἐμοὶ ταῦτα λογίσῃ, μηδὲ διὰ τοῦτο χεῖρόν τι βουλεύσῃ περὶ σεαυτοῦ ’ ἀλλʼ ἣν ὑπέσχου τοῖς πτωχοῖς φιλανθρωπίαν, ταύτην ἑπιτελῆ ποίησον. Καὶ μέν τοι καὶτοὺς περὶ ἐμὲ κληριο κοὺς, ὅσους παρῃτησάμην, τῆς ἀπογραφῆς ἐλευθέρωσον, ἐκεῖνο ἐνθυμηθεὶς, ὅτι λίαν τῶν ἀτόπων ἐστὶν, ἄλλους μὲν καὶ οὐσίαν ὅλην καθιεροῦν τῷ Θεῷ, σὲ δὲ μηδὲ προῖκα βούλεσθαι εἶναι χρηστόν καὶ ἄλλαις μὲν πόλεσι πάντας τοὺς περὶ τὸ βῆμα δοθῆναι, ἡμῖν δὲ μηδὲ τοὺς συνόντας καὶ θεραπεύοντας, καὶ ταῦτα παρʼ ὑμῶν τῶν οἰκειοτάτων, οὓς τυχὸν ούκ αίσχυνοῦμεν. Ταῦτα ὲπισταλῆναί σοι παρʼ ἡμῶν καλῶς εἶχε. Συντυχεῖν δὲ οὐκ ἐξεγένετο, ἐπειδή με ἡ νόσος ἐξώρμησε πρὸς τά Τύανα θεραπείας τευξόμενον, ἕως καιρός. Καὶ συγγίνωσκε. ’Δντὶ δὲ ἡμῶν ἔχεις Θεὸν παρόντα, καὶ βοηθοῦντα τοῖς πένησι, τὸν πολὺ τῆς παρουσίας ἡμῶν αἱδεσιμώτερον. ### English translation (Claude) … that you do not weary of remembering us. For it is not only a benefit to us to be thought worthy of your letters, but also a boast before the many and an ornament, that we are held in account by a man so great in virtue and so close to God that he can bring others close to him too, by word and by example. [Letter 67. To Julian] I have many claims to your friendship, and, if nothing else, our studies, than which nothing is more venerable or closer to most people; but of enmity there is no ground at all, nor is there, nor may there be. For what has given you offence in your dealings with your brother Nicobulus, or from Nicobulus, is no more mine than what is done in India, as far as approving any of what has happened is concerned. Do not, then, reckon these things against me, nor on this account take worse counsel for yourself; but carry out the kindness you promised the poor. And free from the register the clergy around me whom I asked to be excused, bearing in mind that it is very absurd that others should consecrate their whole property to God, while you will not even be good at no cost to yourself; and that other cities should be granted all who serve at the altar, while we are not granted even those who live with us and serve us, and that by you, our closest friends, whom we would perhaps not disgrace. It was right that this should be written to you by us. It was not possible to meet you, since illness drove me off to Tyana for treatment while there was time. Forgive me. In place of us you have God present, helping the poor, who is far more to be revered than our presence. ### Translation notes - This page begins with the end of Letter 66 (to Eusebius of Samosata), whose opening is lost in the scan. Julian was assessing taxes at Nazianzus (ca. 374–375). “Our studies” renders οἱ λόγοι (literature, letters). Clergy were normally exempt from certain public burdens. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 131 (PG 37:132a–132d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-131). ## Letter 133 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-133 - Source: PG 37:133a–133d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, too ill to come, urges the assessor Julian to treat the tax equalization as his service to God and to choose honest fellow workers. ### Greek text Ἐκάλεσας ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν μονὴν. καλῶς γε ποιῶν, ὡς κοινωνοὺς τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐπανίσωσιν σκέμματος· καὶ γάρ ἐστιν οὐ μικρᾶς τὺ πρᾶγμα φροντίδος. Ἐγὼ δὲ, εί μὲν ὑγιαίνων ἐτύγχανον, σφόδρα ἂν ἀπήντησα προθύμως ο καὶ ἥξω δὲ, ὅταν οἷόν τεῇ, Θεοῦ θέλοντος. Νῦν δὲ διὰ γραμμάτων πληρῶ τὰ τῆς παρουσίας. Οἶδά σε καὶ γονέων ’ὄντα ἱερῶν, καὶ τῷ θείῳ φόβῳ συνηυξημένον ἄνω- . θεν. Ἀ οὖν ἐπίστασαι συμφέρειν σοι, καὶ πρὸς εὖ· δοξξαν, καὶ πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν ψυχῆς, ταῦτα δηλονότι ποιήσεις, κᾶν ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ μὴ γράφωμεν. Εί δέ τι καὶ ἡμᾶς συνεισενεγκεῖν δεῖ, τοῦτο γνωρίζοο μεν, ὅτι ἀντʼ ἄλλης τινὸς πολιτείας, ἢν εἰσφέρουσι τῷ θεῷ Χριστιαναῖ ψυχαὶ, τοῦτό σοι πρόκειται νῦψ καὶ μεγάλα σεαυτῷ Θησαυρίσεις τοῦ κοινοῦ φροντίσας, καὶ εἴ τι πρὸ τούτου διετέθη κακῶς, καὶ τοῦτο ὲπανορθωσάμενος. Ἓν δὲ καὶ μέγιστον εἰς ἀσφάλειαν (ὃ καὶ πρῶτόν σοι φυλακτέον), συνεργοὺς λαβεῖν, οὓς καὶ συνέσει καὶ τρόπῳ διαφέρειν τῶν ἄλλων γινώσκεις. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος κυβερνή την εἶναι χρηστὸν, πονηροῖς χρώμενον ἑρέταις; ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 68. To the same] You have invited us to the lodging, and rightly, as partners in the deliberation on the equalization of taxes; for the matter calls for no small care. If I were in health, I would have come very eagerly; and I will come when it is possible, God willing. For now I make up for my presence by letter. I know that you come of holy parents and have been raised from the first in the fear of God. What you know to be profitable to you, for good repute and for the safety of the soul, you will plainly do, even if we do not write. But if we too must contribute something, we make this known: that, in place of any other way of life that Christian souls offer to God, this is now set before you; and you will lay up great treasure for yourself by caring for the common good, and by setting right anything that was badly arranged before. One thing, and the greatest for safety (which you must guard first of all): take as fellow workers those whom you know to excel others in understanding and character. For what use is it to be a good helmsman with bad rowers? ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; the letter is probably to Julian (Letter 68 in Migne). The μονή (“lodging”) is the place where the assessment was held. The ἐπανίσωσις is the equalization (reassessment) of taxes. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 133 (PG 37:133a–133d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-133). ## Letter 135 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-135 - Source: PG 37:136a–136b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, prevented by illness from meeting the former governor Eutropius, asks him to forgive him and to console him by letters. ### Greek text Τί τοῦτο; Εὐτρόπιος ὁ μέγας ὲν ἡμετέροις; καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀκούομεν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀπολαύομεν. '0 δὲ Τάνταλος ἐκεῖνος τι ποτʼ ἄλλο, ἢ τοῦτο ἦν, ἐν μέσαις πηγαῖς δίψει τηκόμενοςς σὺ μὲν οὖν ποθεῖς τὴν ἡμετέραν συντυχίαν, ὡς γράτεις καὶ καλῶς ποιεῖς. Ἔδει γὰρ ὄντα σε ὅπερ εἶ, μὴ περιφρονεῖν τοὺς φίλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁδοῦ πάρεργον εὖ ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ταῦτα τιμᾷν μετὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἃ καὶ ἄρχων τιμᾷν ἠξίους. Ἐμὲ δὲ πῶς οἴει διακεῖσθαι, καὶ τίνα ἔχειν ψυχὴν, ποθοῦντα μὲν οὐχ ἦττον, εἰ μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον, ὼς τὺ εἰκὸς (τὸ γὰρ αἰδεσιμώτερον, ποθεινότερονβς Τῇ δὲ ἀρρωστίᾳ πεπεδημέο νῳ, σύ μοι γενοῦ τὸ Αἰγύπτιον φάρμακον, εἴτε λόγος τοῦτο ἦν, εἴτε τι ἕτερον, ᾧ φαρμακεύει τὰς ψυχὰς Ὄμηρος ὲν ταῖς λύπαις. Γ ενὴσῃ δὲ πῶςς Πρῶτον μὲν, συγγινώσκων ἕτοιμον γὰρ τὸ χρηστὸν εἰς συγγνώμην. Ἔπειτα παιδεύων ἡμᾶς, ἐξ ὧν ἂν ἐπιστέλλῃς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἄρχοντά σε τῆς ἀρετῆς μᾶλλον ἦ τῆξ ἐξουσίας θαυμάζειν εἴχομεν. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter to Eutropius] What is this? Eutropius the great is in our country, and we hear of him but do not enjoy him. What else was the famous Tantalus but this, wasting with thirst in the midst of springs? You long to meet us, as you write, and you do well. For being what you are, you ought not to despise your friends, but to do us good even on your way, and to honour after your term of office what you thought worthy of honour while you were in office. But how do you think I feel, and what spirit do you think I have, longing for you no less, if not more, as is natural (for what is more to be revered is more longed for), but fettered by illness? Become for me the Egyptian drug, whether that was a word or something else, with which Homer drugs souls in their griefs. How will you become it? First, by forgiving; for goodness is ready to forgive. Then, by instructing us with whatever you write. Since we had reason to admire you as a governor more for your virtue than for your power. ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Od. 4.219-232 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, high confidence - Homer, Od. 11.582-592 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; the letter is to Eutropius, a former governor (Letters 70–71 in Migne are to him). Tantalus: Odyssey 11.582–592. The Egyptian drug: Helen's drug in Odyssey 4.219–232. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 135 (PG 37:136a–136b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-135). ## Letter 137 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-137 - Source: PG 37:137a–137d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory thanks a friend in high office for his instructive letter and asks him not to neglect his friends even amid public affairs. ### Greek text ἀγαθοὺς τῶν γραφέων μιμούμενος, οἳ τῷ παρ ραδεικνύναι, πολλὰ, τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐκπαιδβιῖουσι. Τοῦτο οὖν νῦν πεποίηκας εὗ ποιῶν. Καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ χαρίσασθαι μὴ κατόκνει, κᾶν σε ὑψηλὸν αὖθις οἱ θρόνοι φέρωσιν (οἴσουσι γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν, οὗ τὴν ἀρετήνʼ οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχεις ὃ τι ὑψωθῇς κατὰ ταύτην, ἥκων πρὸς τὸ ἀκρότατον ). Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κοινὰ πράττων, μὴ ἀμέλει τῶν φίλων κατὰ τοὺς Ὁμηρικοὺς νεανίας, ὲν μέσῳ πολέμῳ τὰ φιλικὰ σπουδάζοντας. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ τούτῳ ποικίλλει τὴν ποίησιν ὁ σὸς Ὅμηρος. ### English translation (Claude) … imitating the good painters, who train their pupils by showing them many things. This, then, you have now done, and done well. And in future do not hesitate to do us this favour, even if thrones carry you on high again (they will carry your office, not your virtue; for in virtue you have nothing to be raised by, having reached the very top). Even while managing public affairs, do not neglect your friends, like the young men in Homer who attend to the duties of friendship in the midst of war; for your Homer too adorns his poetry with this. ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 6.119-236 (Homer, Iliad): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The opening of this letter is lost in the scan; it is probably the end of a letter to Eutropius. The young men in Homer are probably Glaucus and Diomedes, who exchanged gifts in battle (Iliad 6.119–236). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 137 (PG 37:137a–137d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-137). ## Letter 139 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-139 - Source: PG 37:140a–140d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter of encouragement to the exiled Gregory of Nyssa; then a short note telling Vitalian that Gregory will write more often if he rids himself of bad company. ### Greek text ρὦ, καὶ ταῖς ὑμετέραις εὐχαῖς, ὅτι πάντα και τὰ νοῦν ύμῖν ὲκόήσεται, καὶ ἡ καταιγὶς εἰς αὖ· ραν λυθήσεται, καὶ τοῦτον ύμῖν ὁ Θεὸς τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας δώσει μισθὸν, τδ τοὺς ὲπηρεάζοντας ὑπερἐχειν. Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν ἴδοιμεν ὑμᾶς ὲν τάχει, καὶ ἀπολαύοιμεν, ὼς εὐχόμεθα. El δὲ χρονίξοιτε, τῶν πραγμάτων οὕτως ἑχόντων, γράμμασι γοῦν εὐφραίνειν ἡμᾶς μὴ ἀπαξιοῦτε δηλοῦσι τὰ ὑμέ· τερα, καὶ προσεύχεσθαι τὰ συνήθη ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Ἐρῤωμένους- ὑμᾶς, καὶτοῖς πᾶσιν εύούμους ὁ ἁγαοδς Θεὸς χαρίσηται, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὸ κοινὸν ἔρεισμα. oe. ΒΙΤΛΛΙΔΝῼ υύ συνεχῶςʼὁμιλοῦμὲν σοι. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ὅτι πολλοὶ περὶ σὲ, καὶ οἷς ἥκιστα χαίρομεν. ει δὲ ἀνακαθάροις σεαυτὸν τῶν πολλῶν, καὶ σύνοικον ἔχοις τὴν ἀρετὴν, ὕψει καὶ χωλῶν δρόμον, ὡς ἢ παροιμία. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὑπισχνούμεθα σύν θεῷ, καὶ πράξομεν. ### English translation (Claude) … and in your prayers, that everything will turn out for you as you wish, and the storm will be stilled into a breeze, and God will give you this reward for your orthodoxy: to rise above those who abuse you. Above all, may we see you soon and enjoy your company, as we pray. But if you are delayed, things being as they are, do not disdain at least to gladden us by letters telling us of your affairs, and to pray for us as usual. May the good God grant you health and cheer in all things, you the common support of the Church. [Letter 75. To Vitalian] We do not converse with you often. The reason is that there are many around you, and those in whom we least rejoice. But if you would clear yourself of the many and have virtue as your housemate, you will see even the lame run, as the proverb says. This we promise, with God, and will do. ### Scripture references - Ps 107:29 (106:29 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of Letter 74, to Gregory of Nyssa in exile (376); Letters 72–73 and the opening of Letter 74 are not in the scan text. The storm stilled into a breeze: Ps 107:29 (LXX 106:29). Vitalian was a family friend; the proverb about the lame running is unidentified. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 139 (PG 37:140a–140d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/95/#p-139). ## Letter 141 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-141 - Source: PG 37:141a–141d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of Gregory's consolation to Gregory of Nyssa on Basil's death: only his friend's company, in which Basil is seen as in a mirror, can console him. ### Greek text ἔχουσι. Σὺ δέ μοι δοκεῖς πολλῶν ὅντων καὶ φίλων καὶ λόγων τῶν εις παράκλησιν, ὐπʼ οὐδενὸς ἂν οὕτω παρακληθῆναι, ὼς ὑπὸ σεαυτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου μνήμηςο οἶ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πᾶσι γεγόνατε φιλοσοφίας ὑπόδειγμα, καὶ οἷόν τις στάθμη πνευματικὴ τῆς τε ὲν τοῖς χρηστοῖς εὐταξίας, καὶ τῆς ᾲὲν τοῖς ἀνιαροῖς καρτερίας. Ἐπειδὴ δύο ταῦτα οἶδε φιλοσοφία, εὐπραξίαν τε διαθέσθαι μετρίως, καὶ συμφορὰν εὐσχημόνως. Ταῦτα παρʼ ήμῶν πρὸς τὴν σὴν τιμιότητα. Ἐμὲ δὲ τίς παραμυθήσεται χρόνος, ἦ λόγος, τδν ταῦτα γράφοντα, πλὴν τῆς σῆς συνο θυσίας καὶ ὁμιλίας, ἢν ἀντὶ πάντων ἡμῖν ό μακάριος καταλέλοιπεν, ἴνα έν σο). τὰ ἐκείνου καθορῶντες, ὥσπερ ὲν ἐσόπτρῳ καλῷ τε καὶ διαυγεῖ, κάκεῖνον ἔχειν νομίζωμεν; ### English translation (Claude) … have. But you, it seems to me, though there are many friends and many words of consolation, could be consoled by none so well as by yourself and by his memory; for the two of you have become for all others an example of philosophy, and a kind of spiritual rule, both of good order in prosperity and of endurance in sorrow. For philosophy knows these two things: to bear good fortune with moderation and misfortune with dignity. This is what we have to say to your Honour. But as for me who write this, what time or what word will console me, except your company and conversation, which the blessed one has left us in place of everything, so that, seeing his features in you as in a fine, clear mirror, we may think that we have him too? ### Translation notes - This is the end of Letter 76 (to Gregory of Nyssa, on the death of Basil, 379); its heading and opening are lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 141 (PG 37:141a–141d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-141). ## Letter 143 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-143 - Source: PG 37:144a–144d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges a bishop to forgive those who wronged them, citing Phinehas, Moses, Nineveh, Manasseh, and Christ's refusal of vengeance. ### Greek text των ὲκ τῆς τραχύτητος καὶ τὸν ἔλεον. Ἀλλʼ ἴσως μακροθυμεῖν ἄμεινον, καὶ πολλοῖς ἐξ ὧν πάσχομεν διδόναι μακροθυμίας ὑπόδειγμα. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ὁ λόγος πείθει τοὺςιπολλοὺς, ὼς ἡ πρᾶξις, ᾖ σιωπῶσα παραίνεσις. ’Μέγα νομίζομεν εἶναι τὸ δίκας παρὰ τῶν ἠδικηκότων λαβεῖνʼ μέγα φημὶ (καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο χρήσιμον είς τὴν τῶν ἄλλων διόρθωσιν), ἀλλὰ πολλῷ τούτου μεῖζον καὶ θεῖκώτερον, τὺ καρτερεῖν πάσχοντας. Ἐκεῖνο ’μὲν γὰρ τήν κακίαν ὲπιστομίξει, τοῦτο δὲ χρηστοὺς εἶναι πείθευ ὃ τοῦ μὴ κακοὺς εἶναι, πολὺ κρεῖττόν ἐστι καὶ τελεώτερον. Μεγάληνήμῖν νομίσωμεν προκεῖσθαι πραγματείαν φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ συγχωρήσωμεν τὰ είς ἡμᾶς, ῐνα καὶ,αὐτοὶ τύχωμεν τῆς συγχωρήσεως καὶ προεισενέγκωμεν χρηστότητα τῇ χρηστότητι. Ζηλωτὴς ήκουσε Φινεὲς, ὅτι τὴν Μαδιανῖτιν. πόρνῳ συνεξεκέντησε, καὶ ἐξεῖλεν δνειδοξ ἒξ υίῶν Ἰσραήλ· ἀλλʼ ἐπῃνέθη πλέον, ὅτι τοῦ λᾷοῦ προσ-ηὐξατο πταίσαντος. Στῶμεν οὖν καὶ λήμεῖς, καὶ ὲξιλασὼμεθα, καὶ κοπασάτω ·ή θραῦσιςί κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον ο καὶ λογισθήτω τοῦτο ἡμῖν είς ’δικαιοσύνην. Ἐπῃνέθη καὶ Μωσῆς, ὅτι τὸν Αίγύπτιον ἀνεῖλε, τῷ Ἰσραηλίτῃ περιαλγήσας ° ἀλλʼ ἐθαυμάσθη πλέον, ὅτι Μαριὰμ τὴν ἀδελφὴν διὰ τὸ γογγῦσαι λεπρωθεῖσαν, διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς- ἐθεράπευσε. Σκόπει καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἀπειλοῦυται Νινευῖται καταστροφὴν, ἀλλὰ δάκρυσιν ἐξωνοῦνται τήν ἁμαρ τίαν. Μανασσῆς ὲν βασιὶεῦσι παρανομώτατος, ἀλλʼ ὲν τοῖς σωθεῖσι διὰ θρῆνον περιφανέστατος. Τί σε διαθώ, Ἐρριιῒμ, παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ …; Ὅσης ὀργῆς ὁ λόγος1 καὶ ὑπερασπισμὺς. ἐπάγεται. Τί τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ταχύτερον; Πῦρ Σοδομιτικὸν αίτοῢσιν oi ’μαθηταὶ κατὰ τῶν ἀγόντωνλ τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ὁ δὲ ἀπαξιοῖ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν. Τέμνει Μάλχου τὸ ὠτίον Πέτρος, ἑνὸς τῶν ὐὸριστῶν, Ἰησοῦς δὲ ἀποκαθίστησι. Τί δὲ ὁ ἐρωτήσας, εἰ ἑπτάκις τῷ ἀδελφῷ συγχωρητέον πταίσαντις οὐ μικρολογίαν καταγινώσκεταις τῷ γὰρ ἑπτάκις, τὸ ἑβδομηκον- ### English translation (Claude) … the mercy too, from the harshness. But perhaps it is better to be long-suffering, and to give many an example of long-suffering from what we suffer. For words do not persuade the many as action does, which is silent exhortation. We think it a great thing to obtain justice from those who have wronged us; great, I say (for this too is useful for the correction of others); but much greater and more godlike than this is to endure when we suffer. For the one muzzles wickedness, but the other persuades men to be good, which is much better and more perfect than not being wicked. Let us consider that a great task of kindness lies before us, and let us forgive what was done against us, so that we too may obtain forgiveness, and let us bring kindness beforehand in return for kindness. Phinehas was called zealous because he ran the Midianite woman through together with the fornicator and took away reproach from the sons of Israel; but he was praised more because he prayed for the people when they had fallen. Let us too stand and make atonement, and let the plague be stayed, as it is written; and let this be reckoned to us as righteousness. Moses too was praised because he killed the Egyptian, grieving for the Israelite; but he was admired more because by his prayer he healed his sister Miriam when she was struck with leprosy for murmuring. Consider also what follows. The Ninevites are threatened with destruction, but they buy off their sin with tears. Manasseh was the most lawless of kings, but by his lament became the most famous of the saved. “What shall I do with you, Ephraim?” says God. How much wrath is in the word! And yet protection is added. What is swifter than kindness? The disciples ask for the fire of Sodom against those who would not receive Jesus, but he refuses the vengeance. Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus, one of those who were insulting him, but Jesus restores it. And what of the one who asked whether a brother who sins should be forgiven seven times? Is he not condemned for pettiness? For to the seven times, seventy ### Scripture references - Num 25:7–13: allusion, high confidence - Ps 106:30–31 (105:30-31 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Exod 2:12: allusion, high confidence - Num 12:10–13: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 3:1–10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:12–13: allusion, medium confidence - Hos 11:8: quotation, high confidence - Luke 9:54: allusion, high confidence - John 18:10: allusion, high confidence - Luke 22:51: allusion, high confidence - Matt 18:21–22: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Pr Man (Prayer of Manasseh): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - This is Letter 77 (to Theodore, probably bishop of Tyana, after an attack on Gregory's congregation at Constantinople, 379); its heading and opening are lost in the scan. Phinehas: Num 25:7–13; Ps 106:30–31 (LXX 105:30–31) is quoted. Moses and the Egyptian: Exod 2:12; Miriam: Num 12:10–13. Nineveh: Jonah 3. Manasseh's repentance: 2 Chr 33:12–13 (cf. the Prayer of Manasseh). “What shall I do with you, Ephraim?”: Hos 11:8. The fire of Sodom: Luke 9:54 (the scan reads “those who were leading Jesus”; translated by the sense of the Gospel). Malchus: John 18:10; Luke 22:51. Seventy times seven: Matt 18:21–22. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 143 (PG 37:144a–144d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-143). ## Letter 145 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-145 - Source: PG 37:145a–145b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory continues: God himself punishes slowly and gives room for amendment, so the bishop should pardon the offenders for the sake of the poor, the monks and the virgins who plead for them. ### Greek text ςάιις ἑπτὰ προστίθεται. Τί δὲ ό χρεωφειλέτης ὲν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, ό μὴ συγχωρήσας ἃ συγκεχώρηο; οῦ πικρότερον διὰ τοῦτο είσπράττεται; τί δὲ ἠ τύπωσις τῆς εύχῆς; ούκ ἀφέσει βούλεται τὴν ἄφεσιν πραγματεύεσθαις Τοσαῦτα ἔχοντες ὑποδείγματα, μιμησώμεθα Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, καὶ μὴ βουληθῶμεν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν μαθεῖν αὐτῶν, ὅσον κακὸν ἁμαρτίας ἀντίδοσις. Ὁρᾷς ἀκολουθίαν χρηστότητος. Νομοθετεῖ πρῶτον, εἶτα διακελεύεται, ὑπισχνεῖται, ἀπειλεῖ, ὀνειδίζει, ἀνατείνεται, κατέχει ἀπειλεῖ πάλιν · ὅταν ἐκβιασθῇ, πληγὴν ἐπάγει, καὶ ταύτην κατὰ μικρὸν, χώραν ὑπανοίγων ταῖς διορθώσεσι. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ πλήξωμεν ἀθρόως (οὐ γὰρ ἀσφαλὲς ), ἀλλὰ τῷ φόβῳ σιηρονίσαντες, τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ νικήσωμεν, καὶ λάβωμεν ὑποχρέους εὐλαβείας τῷ συνειδότι· πλέον, ἦ“ τῇ ὀργῇ βασανίσαντες. Μὴ ξηράνωμεν συκῆν ἔτι καρποφορεῖν δυναμένην, μὴ ὼς ἀχρήστου καταγνῶμεν, καὶ καταργούσης τὸν τόπον, ἢν θεραπεύσει τυχὸν τεχνίτου γεωργοῦ προστασία καὶ ὲπιμέλεια Μηδὲ τοσοῦτον ἔργον καὶ περιβόητον διʼ ἐπα ήρειαν ἴσως τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ φθόνον, οὕτως ἔψ βραχεῖ καταλύσωμεν, ἀλλὰ βουληθῶμεν φιλάνθρωποι φανῆναι μᾶλλον ἐντελεῖς, καὶ φιλόπτωχοι πλέον, ἢφιλοδίκαιογ μηδὲ“τῶν ύπεκκαιόντων ἡμᾶς εἰς τοῦτο πλέον, ἢ τῶν κατεχόντων ἀνεχώμεθα · καῖʼ τὸ αἰσχρὸν, εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, ἐνθυμηθέντες, εί δόξαιμεν πρὸς πτωχοὺς ἀγωνίζεσθαι, οἳ τοῦτο μέγα πλεονεκτοῦσι, τὸ, κᾶν ἀδικῶσι, ἐλεεῖσθαι διὰ τὴν συμφοράν. Νῦν οἴου πάντας μέν σοι προσπίπτειν πτωχούς τε· καὶ πτωχοτρόφους, πάντας δὲ μοναστάς καὶ παρθένους ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἱκετεύοντας. Δὸς τοῖς πᾶσιν ’ἀντι τούτων τὴν χάριν (ἐπειδὴ καὶ συνετρίβησαν ἱκανῶς, ὡς δῆλον ἐξ ὧν ἡμῶν ἐδεήθησαν), καὶ πρὸ πάντων ἡμῖν τοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πρεσβεύουσιν. Οὓς εῐ σοι δεινὸν εἶναι φαίνεται τὸ παρʼ αὐτῶν ἀτιμασθῆναι, πολλῷ φανείτω δεινότερον τό σοι παραινοῦντας ταῦτα μῆάκουσθῆναι. Τῷ δὲ καλῷ Παύλῳ συγχωρήισειεν ὅ Θεδς, διʼ είς ἡμᾶς ἐξύβρισεν.. ### English translation (Claude) times seven are added. And what of the debtor in the Gospels, who did not forgive what he had been forgiven: is he not made to pay more bitterly for it? And what of the form of the prayer: does it not wish us to obtain forgiveness by forgiving? Having so many examples, let us imitate God's kindness, and not wish to learn from our own case how great an evil is the requital of sin. You see the order of goodness. He first gives a law, then commands, promises, threatens, reproaches, raises his hand, holds back, threatens again; when he is forced, he brings a blow, and that little by little, opening room for amendment. Let us not, then, strike all at once (for it is not safe), but bringing them to their senses by fear, let us conquer by kindness, and keep them bound to reverence by their conscience rather than tormented by our wrath. Let us not wither a fig tree that can still bear fruit, nor condemn it as useless and cumbering the ground, when the care and attention of a skilled farmer may perhaps heal it. Nor let us so quickly destroy so great and famous a work because of an attack, perhaps, of the evil one and his envy; but let us wish rather to appear perfect in kindness, and lovers of the poor more than lovers of strict justice; and let us not listen to those who inflame us to this more than to those who restrain us, considering, if nothing else, the shame, if we should seem to be fighting against the poor, who have this great advantage, that even when they do wrong they are pitied for their misfortune. Imagine now that all the poor and those who feed the poor are falling at your feet, and all the monks and virgins supplicating for them. Grant the favour to them all in return for this (since they have been crushed enough, as is clear from what they begged of us), and above all to us who intercede for them. If it seems terrible to you to be dishonoured by them, let it seem much more terrible that we who advise you thus should not be heard. And may God forgive the good Paul for the insults he committed against us. ### Scripture references - Matt 18:23–35: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:12: allusion, high confidence - Luke 13:6–9: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The unforgiving debtor: Matt 18:23–35. The Lord's Prayer: Matt 6:12. The barren fig tree: Luke 13:6–9. Paul is unidentified. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 145 (PG 37:145a–145b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-145). ## Letter 147 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-147 - Source: PG 37:148a–148d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges a newly baptized man whose wife and daughter were wronged not to seek the offender's blood under Roman law but to forgive, leaving him to God. ### Greek text Οἴδαμεν ὅτι χαλεπόν ἐστι, προσφάτου τῆς ἀδικίας , καὶ τοῦ θυμοῦ ζέοντος ἔτι, παραδεχθῆναι τοὺς λογισμούς. Τυφλῦν γὰρ ὁ θυμὸς καὶ ἡ λύπη, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν τὸ δικαίως ἀγανακτεῖν παρῇ. Ὅμως ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν συνηδικημένων ἐσμὲν καὶ συνυβρισμένων, καὶ οὐχ ἦττον ἀγανακτοόνο των, διὰ τοῦτό ἐσμεν δίκαιοι καὶ συμβουλεύοντες μὴ ἀτιμασθῆναι. Δεινὰ πεπόνθαμεν εἰ δὲ βούλει, πρόσθες οἷα μηδεὶς ἄλλος ἀνθ ρώπων. ’Δλλὰ μὴ διὰ τουτο καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀδικήσωμεν, μηδὲ τοσοῦτον εὐσέβειαν μισήσωμεν, ὅσον ἡμῖν οὐ συμφέρει. Μέγα ἐστὶ γυνὴ, καὶ τίμιον θυγάτηρ· ἀλλʼ οὔπω ψυχῆς τιμιώτερον. Ἐνθυμήθητι ὅτι νεωστὶ μὲν τῆς χάριτος ὴξιὼθης. καὶ τῷ λουτρῷ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὲκαθάροης κίνδυνος δὲ οὐχ ὸ τυχὼν, αἵματι μολῦναι τὴν δωρεὰν, καὶ πάλιν ἄλλης δεηθῆναι καθάρσεως. Μὴ τοίνυν ὲπιβουλεύσωμεν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, μηδὲ τὴν παρρησίαν τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν ἀποβάλωμεν, πικροὶ τοῖς ἠδικηκόσι φανέντες, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτρον ἀγανακτοῦντες. Ἀφῶμεν τῷ Θεῷ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖθεν κολαστηρίοις ο ἡμεῖς δὲ φιλάνθρωπον κτησώε μεθα τὸν κριτὴν, αὐτοὶ φανέντες φιλάνθρωποι, καὶ συγχωρήσωμεν, ἴνα ωγχωρηθῶμεν. Καὶ μή σε ἀπα· τάτω μάταιος λογισμὸς, ὄτι τὸ δικαίως ἐπεξελθεῖν ἀνεύθυνον, καὶ τὸ παραδοῦναι τοῖς νόμοις τὸν παραο νομήσαντα. Εἰσὶ νόμοι Ῥωμαίων, εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἡμέτεροι. Ἀλλʼ οι μὲν ἄμετροι, καὶ πικροὶ, καὶ μέχρις αἵματος προϊόντες ο ἡμῖν δὲ χρηστοὶ καὶ φιλάνθρωποι, καὶ μὴ συγχωροῦντές τι τῷ θυμῷ χρῆσθαι κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων. Τούτοις ἐμμείνωμεν, τούτοις ἀκολουθήσωμεν · ἵνα μικρὰ χαρισάμενοι (μισ κρὰ γὰρ ἡ ἐνταῦθα ζωὴ καὶ τοῦ μηδενὸς ἀξία), μεγάλα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀντιλάβωμεν, τὴν παρʼ αὑτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἐλπίδας. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 78. To Theotecnus] We know that it is hard, while the injustice is fresh and the anger still boiling, to accept reasoning. For anger and grief blind us, especially when there is ground for just indignation. Yet since we too are among those wronged and insulted with you, and are no less indignant, we have the right also to advise you against dishonour. We have suffered terrible things; add, if you like, such as no other man has. But let us not on this account wrong ourselves too, nor hate piety more than is good for us. A wife is a great thing, and a daughter precious; but not more precious than the soul. Remember that you were lately counted worthy of grace and cleansed by the washing of sins; and the danger is no ordinary one, of staining the gift with blood and needing another cleansing. Let us not, then, plot against ourselves, nor throw away our freedom of speech before God by showing ourselves bitter to those who wronged us and indignant beyond measure. Let us leave the man to God and to the punishments there; and let us make the Judge kind to us by showing ourselves kind, and let us forgive, so that we may be forgiven. And let no vain reasoning deceive you, that to prosecute justly and to hand over the lawbreaker to the laws incurs no guilt. There are laws of the Romans, and there are ours too. But theirs are immoderate and harsh, going as far as blood; ours are kind and humane, and do not allow us to give rein to anger against those who wrong us. Let us abide by these, and follow these, so that by granting small things (for life here is small and worth nothing) we may receive great things from God in return: his kindness and the hopes of the world to come. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; this is Letter 78 in Migne (to Theotecnus). “The washing of sins” is baptism. Forgiving to be forgiven: Matt 6:14. Migne's textual notes printed at the foot of the page and read into the text by the scan are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 147 (PG 37:148a–148d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-147). ## Letter 149 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-149 - Source: PG 37:149a–149d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory rebukes the noblewoman Simplicia, who praises his dead father but claims as her slave the man his father ordained bishop. ### Greek text Ἐπαινείς τὸν ἅγιον καὶ κοινὸν ἡμῶν πατέρα, τὸ τῆς πίστεως ἔρεισμα, τὸν τῆς ἀληθείαςκαο νάνα. καὶ χαρακτῆρα τῆς εὐσεβείας, τὴν πλήρη φρονήσεως πολιὰν, τὸν ζωῆς ἀνθρωπίνης καὶ ἀρετῆς μέτρα νικήσαντα, τὸνυπιστὺν Θεράποντα, κα) μέγαν ἁρχιερὲα, τον Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων μεσίτην, τὸ Πνεύματος καταγώγιον· τοῦτο μὲν ὀρθῶς ποιεῖς ἐπεὶ καὶ πᾶς λόγος ἐλάττων ἐστὶ τῆς ἁγίας ἐκείνης μαααρίας ψυχῆς, εί μή με ἀπατᾷ τὸ φίλτρον, ἦ καὶ τὸ πάθος τῷ πόθῳ κιρνάμενον. Ἐκεῖνο δέ λίαν τεθαύμακα, πῶς ἐπαινεῖς μὲν ὡς ἅγιον, καὶ μέχρι τούτου τὰ εἰκότα τιμᾷς, τὸ δὲ ἔργον αὺτοῦ καταλύεινέπιχειρείς, ὥσπερ. τῶν ἁναγίων, καὶ μάλιστα ὕβρεως ὄντων ἀξίων, τῶν εικῆ ζησάντων καὶ μεταστάντων. El μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἀνδραπόδου μεταποιῇ ίδίου τοῦ συμποιμένος. τὸ μικρὸν τοῦτο κέρδος διώκεις, οὐκ ἔχω πῶς ἐπαινέσω, ἴνα μετρίως εἴπω, καὶ σφόδρα τοῦτο τῆς σῆς μεγαλαιιυχίας ἀνάξιον. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, χρυσῷ μὲν καὶ ἀργύρῳ τιμᾷν τὸ Θεῑον, καὶ τοῖς περιττοῖς τῆς κτήσεως, ἔνθα καὶ πλεῖον τοῦ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ἴσως τὺ κατʼ ἐπίδειξιν, ἱερεῖ δὲ ὅλως βούλεσθαι ζημιοῦν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἁποσυλᾷν τῶν ἀναθημάτων τὸ ἁγιώτατον;. ' Ei δὲ ὅτι κατʼ ἐξουσίαν τοῦτο πεποιήκαμεν, ἀλλʼ οὑχὶ τὴν σὴν εὐγένειαν ὑπεμνήσαμεν, οὐδὲ τῇ φιλοτιμία καιρὸν ἐδώκαμεν, δυσχεραίνεις, λέγοις μνᾶν τι δίκαιον, καὶτὸ πάθος ἀνθρώπινονʼ [σοι 6ὲ, μείζονος ἐπιδόσεως εἷναί σοι. νῦν, … τότε. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 79. To Simplicia] You praise our holy and common father, the support of the faith, the rule of truth and stamp of piety, the grey hair full of wisdom, the man who surpassed the measures of human life and virtue, the faithful servant and great high priest, the mediator between God and men, the dwelling-place of the Spirit; in this you do rightly, since every word falls short of that holy and blessed soul, unless my affection deceives me, or my grief mingled with longing. But this I wonder at very much: how you praise him as holy and so far honour him fittingly, and yet try to undo his work, as though it were that of the unholy, of those who most deserve insult, who lived and died at random. For if you are claiming his fellow shepherd as a slave of your own, or are pursuing this little gain, I cannot see how I can praise it, to put it mildly, and it is quite unworthy of your magnanimity. For how is it not absurd to honour the Divine with gold and silver and the superfluities of property, where display perhaps counts for more than piety, but to wish to deprive the Church of a priest altogether, and to rob it of the holiest of its offerings? But if you are vexed because we did this by our own authority, and did not remind your nobility or give your generosity room to act, you would be saying something just, and the feeling is human; but know that the gift is greater for you now than it would have been then, at that ### Scripture references - Heb 3:5: echo, low confidence - 1 Tim 2:5: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Gregory's father, Gregory the Elder (d. 374), had consecrated as bishop a man who had been Simplicia's slave; she was claiming him back. The titles “faithful servant”, “high priest” and “mediator between God and men” are applied to the dead bishop (cf. Heb 3:5; 1 Tim 2:5). The end of the page is garbled in the scan and translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 149 (PG 37:149a–149d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-149). ## Letter 151 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-151 - Source: PG 37:152a–152d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory explains that the ordination was made at the people's unanimous request for a neglected district, and offers a fair settlement of Simplicia's claim. ### Greek text καιρῷ, ὅσῳ τοῦ αὐτὴν ιπιδοῦναι τδ λαβοῦσι συγχωρῆσαι φιλοτιμότερον. Κάκείνως μὲν, τῷ Θεῷ μόνον ἐδόκεις χαρίζεσθαι· οὕτω δὲ καὶ ήμῐν τοῖς ἐκείνου θεραπευταῖς, καὶ τὸ όνομα αὑτοῦ βαστάζεινίιξιωμένοις. Μὴ τοίνυν μήτε ἐκείνῳ χαλέπαινε, μήτε ἡμῖν. Ὀ μὲν γὰρ τετυράννηται, οὐκ ἠδίκηκενο ἡμεῖς δὲ τί θαυμαστὸν, εί τῇ σῇ χρηστότητι θαρροῦντες, ἐπὶ τοῦτο προεληλύθαμεν, καὶ ἀμα τῇ κοινῇ τοῦ παντὸς χωρίου ψήφῳ πιρ στεύσαντεςς ἠν εί μὲν πρὸς χάριν ἐποιήσαντό τινες ἢ κακούργως, αὐτοὶ ἂν είδοῖεν, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ λόγον ὑπέχοιεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἡμέτερον τοῦτο είδὲναι, οὐδὲ ταῖς πάντων ἐμβατεύειν γνώμαις. Ἦμᾶς δὲ, πῶς παρώσασθαι ῥᾴδιον ἦν, ἢ πῶς τοσαῦτα δάκρυα παριδεῖν, ἢ τοῦ χωρίου τὴν ἐρημίαν· ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον καὶ ἀθεραπεύτου, καὶ ἀποιμάντου, καὶ τὴν πνευματικην ἐπιστασίαν οὐκ ἔχοντοςς Ἐκεῖνο δέ οσοι καὶ πρὸ πάντων δῆλον, ὅτι οί τότε μὲν συντιθέμενοι, νῦν δέ ἀρνούμενοι, πρᾶγμα ποιοὖσιν οὔτε εὐσεβὲς, οὔτε ἐλεύθερον. Καὶ πολλῷ βελ τίους ἂν ἦσαν, τότε ἀντιλέγοντες, ἢ νῦν κολακεύονο τες, καὶ τὰ ἑαυτῶν καταλύοντες, καὶ ἀνθρώπους μᾶλλον ἢ Θεὸν φοβούμενοι. Οὓς πάλιν ἐρεῖν οίου διὰ τὴν εὐκολίαν, ὅτι φόβῳ τῷ πρὸς σέ μετέστησαν, καὶ πολλῷ γε ἀληθέστερον · ἐπειδὴ δεῖ πταίειν μὲν αὐτοὺς ἀεὶ, θηρᾶσθαι δέ ψευδεῖς καὶ σεσοφισμέ νας ἀπολογίας. El δέ σοι ταῦτα μὲν ὀρθῶς δοκεῖ λέγεσθαι, οἰκονομίας δὲ ἀπαιτεῖτε λόγον (ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο ἀκούω, οὐ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐνεκάλεσας), δικαίως τοῦτον ἀπαιτείσθω καὶ φιλανθρώπωςʼ καὶ οὐδὲν μεμψόμεθα · οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἀρέσκει ζημιοῦσθαι δεσποτῶν ἐπιείκειαν. Τί λοιπὸν; ὡς ἀναξίου τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἴσως ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι, καὶ διά τοῦτο ἐπισκήπτειν τῇ καταστάσει. ### English translation (Claude) time, by as much as it is more generous to pardon those who took than to give oneself. In that way you would have seemed to grant a favour to God alone; but in this way you grant it to us too, his servants, who have been counted worthy to bear his name. Do not, then, be angry either with him or with us. For he has been compelled by force, not done wrong; and as for us, what is surprising if, trusting in your kindness, we went so far, trusting also the common vote of the whole district? Whether some gave it to win favour or with evil intent, they themselves would know, and they will answer to God. It is not ours to know this, or to pry into everyone's mind. But how was it easy for us to repel them, or to overlook so many tears, or the desolation of the district, so long without care, without a shepherd, without spiritual oversight? And this should be clear to you before all: that those who agreed then and deny it now are doing a thing neither pious nor honourable. They would have been much better speaking against it then than flattering now, undoing their own acts, and fearing men rather than God. Imagine them saying again, in their fickleness, that they changed out of fear of you; and that much more truly, since they must always go wrong and hunt for false and sophistical excuses. If you think this rightly said, but you demand a settlement (for I hear this too, though you made no charge in your letter), let it be demanded justly and humanely, and we will find no fault; for we too do not like masters' fair claims to suffer loss. What is left? Perhaps to lay hold of the man as unworthy, and on this ground to attack the appointment. ### Translation notes - “Compelled by force”: the man was ordained against his will. “A settlement” renders οἰκονομίας λόγον, probably compensation for the loss of the slave. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 151 (PG 37:152a–152d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-151). ## Letter 153 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-153 - Source: PG 37:153a–153d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory offers to try the bishop on any charge, slave or not, and warns Simplicia not to appeal to the civil courts or to oppose the Spirit. ### Greek text Τοῦτο γάρ πως καὶ ἐγκαλεῖν εὐπρεπέστερον.,0 δέ μοι πρὸς τοῦτο λόγος, ἁπλοῦς καὶ ῥᾴδιος. Ἦ μείς οὐδʼ ἄλλον τινὰ τῶν ὲν αίτίαις ἀφίεμεν ἅνεξὲταστον, οὐδʼ ἃν πάνυ τῶν φίλων ᾖ, καὶτῶν εὖ γεγονότων (οὐδὲν γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦ κανόνος αἱδεσιμὼτερον), οὐδὲ τοῦτον ἀφήσομεν. Ἀλλʼ εῐ τις ἔχοι τι κατηγορεῖν, εί μὲν βούλει, παρούσης σου καὶ συνὸικαζούσης εί δὲ μὴ, καὶ ἀπούσης, ἐφʼ ήμῶν ὲξετασθεὶς, εί μὲν ἀθῶος εὑρίσκοιτο, κᾶνῇ δοῦλος, ἀποφευγέτω. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ δούλων καὶ δεσποτῶν ὁ αὐτὸς πατῆρ καὶ Θεὸς, καὶ οὐ ταῖς ἀξίαις τὸ δίκαιον διορίζεται. El δὲ ἁλίσκοιτο, τηνικαῦτα ὑπὸ τῆς ιδίας ἁμαρτίας κατακριθήσεται. Καὶ οὕτως οὔτε ὸ κανὼν ὑβρισθήσεται, οὔτε δ ἀπελθὼν ἁτιμασθήσεται (τὸ γὰρ καθʼ ἡμᾶς ίσως καὶ παροπτέον, ὡς … ). και αὐτὴ φεύξῂ πονηρὰν teνοιαν, ὡς διὰ τὸ ἀλλοτρίως ἔχειν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὴν ὑγιῆ πίστιν, ταῦτα τεχνάζουσα σοφιστικῶς, ἀλλʼ οὐκ εὐγενῶςο καὶ ὑπʼ ἄλλου μὲν κινουμένη, είς ἄλλο δὲ ἁποσκήπτουσα. ‘0 συμβουλεύω σοι μὴ παθεῖν, ὡς οὔτε ὅσιον, οὔτε εύπρεπέςʼ μηδὲ τοὺς ήμετέρους νόμους ἀτιμάσασαν, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἔξωθεν κατα- - φεύγειν, μηδὲ προσφιλονεικεῖν ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ συγγινώαο σκειν, εί τι ἁπλούστερον πεποιήκαμεν διὰ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς χάριτος, καὶ δέξασθαι νικηθῆναι μᾶλλον καλῶς, ἢ νικῆσαι κακῶς, τῷ ἀντιβῆναι τῷ Πνεύματι. ### English translation (Claude) For this is a somewhat more seemly way of making a charge. My answer to this is simple and easy. Just as we leave no one else under accusation unexamined, not even if he is one of our close friends and well-born (for nothing is more to be revered than God and the canon), so we will not let this man go either. But if anyone has any charge to bring, let him be examined before us, in your presence and with you sitting in judgment with us, if you wish, or otherwise in your absence; and if he is found innocent, let him be acquitted, even if he is a slave; since slaves and masters have the same Father and God, and justice is not defined by rank. But if he is convicted, then he will be condemned by his own sin. In this way neither will the canon be insulted nor the departed be dishonoured (our own part may perhaps be overlooked, as of no account); and you yourself will escape an evil suspicion: that because you are estranged from us and from the sound faith you are contriving this sophistically and not nobly, moved by one thing but striking at another. This I advise you not to incur, as neither holy nor seemly; nor, dishonouring our laws, to take refuge in those outside, nor to keep quarrelling with us, but to forgive us if we acted too simply out of the freedom of grace, and to accept being nobly defeated rather than winning badly by opposing the Spirit. ### Scripture references - Eph 6:9: echo, low confidence - Gal 3:28: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Simplicia is hinted to be estranged from “the sound faith” (perhaps an Arian). “Those outside”: the civil courts. One Father of slaves and masters: cf. Eph 6:9; Gal 3:28. A few words are garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 153 (PG 37:153a–153d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-153). ## Letter 155 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-155 - Source: PG 37:156a–156d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory comforts Gregory of Nyssa, distressed by his constant travels: like the sun and the planets, his movement is for the good of many. ### Greek text ΠΝ. ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙῼ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ. Δυσχεραῐνεις τῇ περιόδῳ, καὶ ἁστατεῖν σεαυτῷ φαίνῃ, καθάπερ τῶν ξύλωννᾶ καθʼ ὑδάτων φέρεται. Μηδαμῶς, ὦ Θαυμάσιε, μὴ οὕτως ἔχε. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἀκούσιος φορὰ, σοῦ δὲ κατὰ Θεὸν ἡ περίοδος, καὶ πάγων τὸ τοὺς πολλοὺς εὖ ποιεῖν, κᾶν εἰ μὴ τόπῳ πεπήγοις. Εἰ μὴ καὶ τδν ἥλιον αἰτιῷτο τις, ὅτι περιτρέχει σπείρων τὴν ἀκτῖνα, καῖ πάντα ζωογονῶν ὅσα ἐπέρχεται ο καὶτῶν ἀστέρων τοὺς ἀπλανεῖς ἐπαινῶν, κακίζῃ, τοὺς πλάνητας, ὧν καὶ τδ πλάνον ἐναρμόνιονδ ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 81. To Gregory of Nyssa] You are distressed at your travels, and you seem to yourself unstable, like pieces of wood carried along on the waters. By no means, my admirable friend; do not feel like this. Their motion is involuntary, but your going about is according to God, and doing good to many is your stability, even if you are not fixed in one place. Unless one would also blame the sun because it runs round sowing its rays and giving life to everything it passes over; and, praising the fixed stars, find fault with the planets, whose very wandering is harmonious. ### Translation notes - Gregory of Nyssa travelled widely after 379 on church business. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 155 (PG 37:156a–156d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-155). ## Letter 157 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-157 - Source: PG 37:157a–157d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter thanking an official for a favour, commending young Euphemius and the deacon Fortunatus, who carries the letter. ### Greek text τὸ καὶ γνωρίσαι διʼ ἐπιστολῆς ἡμῖν, ὅτι τοῦτο ποιεῖς. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῷ δικαίῳ χαρίζῃ, τὸ δὲ ἡμῖν. Ἀλλʼ ὅπως μὴ ἁποκάμνῃς ἡμῖν καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς εὖ ποιῶν · ἀεὶ δέ τι φαίνοιο τῇ σπουδῇ προστιθεὶς, ῖνα σε καὶ πλέον θαυμάζωμεν. Ὀ δὲ υίὸς Εὐφήμιος, οὖπω … ὲλπίζεται δὲ, καὶ οἶμαί σοι μὴ πολλοῦ πόνου δεήσειν, ει παραγίνοιτο. Φουρντουνάτος, ὁ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐγχειρίζων σοι, καὶ οἰκεῖός ἐστιν ἡμέτερος ’ εἰδὲ δεῖ προσθήκης τινὸς, καὶ διάκονος τῶν ἐπαινουμένων. Ταῦτα ἔδει σε μαθεῖν παρʼ ἡμῶν. ’τᾶλλα δὲ οἷδʼ ὅτι παρὰ σεαυτοῦ προσθήσεις, τὺ οἰκείως ὁρᾷν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ κηδεμονικῶς, ἐν οἷς ἄν δέηται τῆς σῆς εὐλαειίας. Ὠς ὃ τι ἂν τοῦτον εὖ ποιήσῃς, εὐεργετήσων ει ἡμᾶς. ### English translation (Claude) … and also to let us know by letter that you are doing this. For the one is a favour to justice, the other to us. But see that you do not grow weary of doing us good in future too; and may you always be seen to add something to your zeal, so that we may admire you even more. As for our son Euphemius, he is not yet …, but it is hoped, and I think he will not need much effort from you, if he comes. Fortunatus, who hands you this letter, is … our relative too, and, if I must add something, a deacon of those who are well spoken of. This you had to learn from us. The rest I know you will add of yourself: to regard the man as one of your own and with care, in whatever he needs of your Reverence. Whatever good you do him, you will be doing us a kindness. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the addressee is unidentified. A few words are garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 157 (PG 37:157a–157d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-157). ## Letter 159 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-159 - Source: PG 37:160a–160d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A playful invitation to a festival of prayer, finding ways to admit a guest whose status or dress might otherwise exclude him. ### Greek text οὖν, εί μὲν βούλει μεταμφιασάμενος, ἶνʼ ἀμφότερα ἡμῖν ὡς κάλλιστα ἔχῃ, καὶ τδ σοῦ τυχεῖν, καὶ τὸ τοῦ δόγματος μὴ διαμαρτεῖν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χλανίδος πάντως. Κᾶν τις ἡμᾶς διώκῃ παρανομίας, ἄχρι τούτου γε ῥητορεύωμεν, ὅτι τῶν ἐπιτελούντων εἷ τὴν εὐχὴν, οὐ τῶν καλουμένων. Ἐὰν δὲ τοῦτό τις ἐξ ἡμῶν μὴ προσδέξηται, τί πρὸς ἐκεῖνο ἐρεῖς ὼς ὀρφανὸν καλοῦμεν σε. Οὕτω μὲν δὴ καὶ τυραννήσας, ἐπειδὴ σὸς ὁ καιρός» Τρίτον δὲ · ὃ καὶ μέγιστοντ ἔξεστί σοι καῖ ὧς ἐπʼ εὐχὴν ἡμᾶς καλοῦντι, μετασχεῖν τῆς εὐχῆς. Σὲ μὲν οὖν οὕτως είσδεξόμεθα ρητορεύοντες. Ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς ἀδελφῆς ἡμᾶς οὐδεϊς εὐσυνεῖ παραγενομένης,, ἀλλʼ ὲκ τοῦ- ἐναντίου κάκείνην καὶ ἡμᾶς, εί μὴ, παρατῶ νοιτο. Ὥστε ήί μὲν αὐτόκλητος ἡκέτω* σὺ δι παρακέκλησο καὶ ἁπάντησον, es μέν τοιὴμῖν οαρῥήσας. τδ δε τῇ εὐχῇ, ἴνα καὶ φαιδροτέραν. ποιήσῃς ἡμῖν τὴν πανήγυριν ἐπειδή σοι σὺν Θεῷ ἱκανῶς τὰ περὶ τὴν γαστέρα ᾠκονόμηται, μᾶλλον δὲ δρφανικῶς, καὶ ἵνʼ οὕτως είπω, λίαν εὑκπκῶς καὶ γενναίως. ### English translation (Claude) … then, if you wish, changing your dress, so that both may go as well as possible for us: having you, and not failing of our principle. If not, then at any rate even in your fine cloak. And if anyone prosecutes us for breaking the rule, let us plead at least this far: that you are among those who perform the prayer, not among those invited. But if one of us does not accept this, what will you say to that? That we invite you as an orphan. In this way, then, even playing the tyrant, since the occasion is yours. Third, and greatest: you may, as one who invites us to prayer, share in the prayer. So we will receive you, pleading in this way. As for your sister, no one of us … if she came, but on the contrary would excuse both her and us if she did not. So let her come unbidden; but you are invited, and come, trusting partly in us and partly in the prayer, so that you may make our festival brighter, since by God's grace your belly has been well enough managed, or rather in an orphan's fashion and, if I may put it so, very … and nobly. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan, and the text is garbled in places; the circumstances (who is invited, and what rule is at issue) are obscure. The χλανίς is a fine cloak, the dress of a man of the world. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 159 (PG 37:160a–160d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-159). ## Letter 161 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-161 - Source: PG 37:161a–161d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory tells a friend that, weary of quarrelling bishops, he is withdrawing, and that he is not bound to a Church that was never his. ### Greek text ἦν, τὸ διΞι γραμμάτων ὁμιλεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλοις, τοῦτο δποίησας μὲν αὐτὸς εὖ ποιῶν, ποιοῦμεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς. Οὐ μικρά ἡμῖν εστιν οὐδὲ μικροῦ λόγου περὶ ῶν ἑπιστέλλειςο ὅθεν ούδὲ αὐτοὶ παρέργως ούδὶ jaθύμως ταῦτα διασκεψάμενοι, ἀλλὰ κα) λίαν ἐπιμελῶς ἐπὶ τὴν κρίσιν ταύτην προεληλύθαμεν. Κεκμήκαμεν ἀγωνιζόμενοι πρὸς τδν φθόνον, καὶ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἐπισκόπους τὴν κοινὴν ὁμόνοιαν διαλύοντας, καὶ τῶν ἰδίων φιλονεικιῶν τὸ τῆς πίστεως πάρεργον ποιουμένους. Διά τοῦτο ἔγνωμεν πρύμναν κρούσασθαι,τοῦ λόγου, καὶ είς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς συστα· λῆναι, ῶσπερ τὸν ναυτῖλόν φασιν ῖχθξιν, ὅταν χειμῶνος αἰσθάνηται, καὶτοὺς μὶν ἄλλους δρᾷν πόρρωθεν βαλλομένους καὶ βάλλοντας. αὐτοὶ δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἐκεῖσε μετασκευάζεσθαι. Εἰ δὲ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν καταλιπεῖν ἐπικίνδυνον, ὼς γράφεις, ποίανς εἰ μὲν τὴν ἡμετέραν, κάγὼ φημι, καὶ ὀρθῶς λέγετε· εί δὲ τὴν μηδὲν προσήκουσαν, μηδʼ επικηρυχθεῖσαν ἡμῖν, ἀνεύθυνοι. Ἀλλʼ ὅτι ἐπεμελήθημεν χρόνον τινὰ, τούτῳ κρατούμεθα; πολλοὶ καὶ ἄλλοι κρατηθεῖεν ἀν, ὅσοι ξένων ἐπεμελήθησαν. Καὶ τάχα τὸ μὲν καμεῖν ἔμμισθον, τὺ δὲ ἀπειπεῖν οὐχ ὑπεύθυνον. Μηδὲν οὖν δείσῃς περὶ ἡμῶν τούτου γε ἕνεκενο ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνο μᾶλλον, μή τι βλαπτώμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) … that we should converse with one another by letter; this you yourself have done, and done well, and we are doing it too. The matters you write about are not small to us, nor of small account; and so we too, having considered them not in passing nor carelessly but very carefully, have come to this decision. We are weary of contending against envy and against the holy bishops who dissolve the common concord and make the faith a side-issue of their private quarrels. Therefore we have decided to back water, as the saying goes, and to draw into ourselves, as they say the nautilus does when it senses a storm, and to watch others from afar striking and being struck, while we ourselves make ready for the things there. And if it is dangerous to leave the Church, as you write, which Church? If ours, I say so too, and you are right; but if one that does not belong to us at all, nor was proclaimed for us, we are not accountable. But because we took care of it for some time, are we bound by this? Many others too would be bound, who have taken care of churches not their own. And perhaps the labour earns a reward, while giving it up is not liable to account. So fear nothing about us on this score; but rather fear this, lest we be harmed. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan. The Church that was not “proclaimed for” Gregory is probably Nazianzus, which he had administered after his father's death without being its bishop. The nautilus was believed to draw in at the approach of a storm. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 161 (PG 37:161a–161d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-161). ## Letter 163 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-163 - Source: PG 37:164a–164d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter asking a prosperous friend to share his friends' burdens; then Gregory complains to Bishop Bosporius of Colonia that he has been slighted. ### Greek text μετασχεῖν ἠγοῦμαι, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης εὐημερίας. Κοινώνει δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς, ὡς δεῖ, τῶν ἐνταῦθα φροντίδων καὶ περιστάσεων τοῖς σοῖς ἀποδήμοιςο καὶ μὴ μόνος τὸ χρηστὸν ἀπολαβὼν ἔχε, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ τῶν τραγῳ- Βῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πόνων ὲν μέρει συναντιλαμῶ νου τῷ φίλῳο ἵνα καθόλου δίκαιος ᾗς, δικαίως καὶ ίσως διαιτῶν φιλίᾳ καὶ φίλοις. Καί σοι παραμένοι τὸ εὐπραγεῖν χρονιώτερον, ὡς καὶ εὖ δράσῃς πλεῖον, μᾶλλον δὲ ὰναφαίρετόν σοι προσείη καὶ ἀΐδιον, μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν εὐημερίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ διάβασιν. ne. ιιοΑοΝιΑΣ. Αἰδοῦμαι σου τῆς κλήσεως τὸ φιλόπονον. ,Αἰσχυνοίμην δʼ ἂν ἐμαυτὸν πλέον, μὴ τʼ ἀληθῆ γράφων. Δέδοικα μὴ πέρας ἡμῖν ἔχῃ τὰ πράγματαʼ οὕτως αίσχύνομαι τὴν ἐμὴν πολιὰν, καὶ τὴν κοινὴν τράπεζαν, καὶ τοὺς εκ νεότητος πόνους, ἔλαττον παρʼ ὑμῖν ἔχων καὶ τῶν κακίστων, καὶ ὑφʼ ὧν ἥκιστα ἂν ᾠήθην ἀτιμαζόμενος. ### English translation (Claude) … I think, to share also in the rest of your prosperity. And do you yourself share, as you should, in the cares and difficulties here with your friends who are away; and do not keep the good to yourself alone, as the tragedians' saying goes, but help your friend in his labours in turn, so that you may be just in every way, dealing justly and equally with friendship and with friends. And may your good fortune stay with you a long time, so that you may do more good; or rather, may it be yours inalienably and eternally, when after prosperity here you cross over to the life there. [Letter to Bosporius, bishop of Colonia] I respect the diligence of your summons. But I would be more ashamed of myself if I did not write the truth. I fear our affairs are at an end; so ashamed am I of my grey hair, our common table, and our labours from youth, now that I count for less with you than the worst of men, and am dishonoured by those from whom I would least have expected it. ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of Letter 88 (to a friend at the court in Constantinople), whose opening is lost in the scan; “your friends who are away” are the exiles, Gregory among them. The tragic saying is unidentified. The number of the letter to Bosporius is garbled in the scan; it is one of Gregory's letters to him in Migne (Letters 89, 153). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 163 (PG 37:164a–164d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-163). ## Letter 165 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-165 - Source: PG 37:165a–165b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter; then Gregory, at peace in retirement, commends Pancratius to Nectarius, his successor at Constantinople. ### Greek text σορεν. ΙἘστι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο επιεικῶς συμφορᾶς ἐλάττωσις. ιμιν. ΝΕΚΤΑΡΙῼ μΑιτΧιεηιξκοηῼ ΚΩΝΣΤΛΝΤΙ- Τὸ μὲν καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἔχει, ὡς ἔχει· ἄνευ πολέμου καὶ πραγμάτων καθήμεθα, σιωπῆς ἀκίνδυνον γέρας ἀντί πάντων τιμήσαντες. Καί τι καὶ ὠνάμεθα τῆς ἡσυχίας, ἐλέῳ Θεοῦ ίκανῶς τῆς άρῤωστίας ἀνενεγκόντες. Σὺ δὲ κατευοδοῦ …, ὡς ὁ θεῖος Δαὸίδ φησι· καί σοι συνδιέποι τὴν ίερωσύνην ὁ τιμήσας Θεὸς, πάσης ἐπηρείας ὑψηλοτέραν ταύτην χαριζόμενος. Ἵνα δὲ τοῦ θαρρεῖν ἀλλήλοις ἁπὶδειξιν δῶμεν, καὶ μή τι πάσχωμεν ἀνθρώπινον Θεῷ παριστάμενοι, ἐγὼ μὲν ταῦτα πρεσβεύω πρὸς οὲ, σὺ δέ. μοι προθύμως ἐπίνευσον. Τοῦ γνησιωτάτου ἡμῶν Παγκρατίου κηδόμεθα, πολλῶν ἕνεκεν ἀναγκαίως τοῦτο ποιοῦντες. Τοῦτον καὶ προσίεσθαι θέληο σον εὐμενῶς, καὶ συστῆσαι τῶν φίλων τοῖς σπουδαιοτέροις, ὥστε τοῦ σκοποῦ τυχεῖν. '0 δὲ σκοπὸς, στρατείᾳ τινὶ τὴν ἀπραγμοσύνην λαβεῖν· ἐπεὶ μηδὲ εἷς βίος ἀνεπηρέαστος τοῖς πονηροῖς,,ὃ καὶ αὐτὸς γινώσκεις. ### English translation (Claude) … . This too is a fair lessening of misfortune. [Letter 91. To Nectarius, archbishop of Constantinople] Our affairs are as they are: we sit without war or trouble, valuing above everything the riskless prize of silence. And we have gained something from our quiet, having by God's mercy fairly recovered from our illness. Prosper …, as the divine David says; and may God, who has honoured you, help you administer the priesthood, granting it to be above all abuse. And so that we may give proof of our confidence in one another, and suffer nothing merely human as we stand before God, I make this request of you; and do you readily nod assent. We are concerned for our most genuine Pancratius, of necessity, for many reasons. Be willing to receive him kindly, and to commend him to the more serious of your friends, so that he may attain his aim. His aim is to obtain freedom from public burdens through some military service; since not a single way of life is free from the abuse of the wicked, as you yourself know. ### Scripture references - Ps 45:4 (44:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The page begins with the last words of Letter 90. Nectarius succeeded Gregory as bishop of Constantinople (381). “Prosper”: Ps 45:4 (LXX 44:5), “prosper and reign”; the second verb is garbled in the scan (…). (The public-domain translation of this letter was seen before translating it; the translation was made from the Greek.) ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 165 (PG 37:165a–165b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-165). ## Letter 167 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-167 - Source: PG 37:168a–168d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter; then Gregory longs to see Sophronius again, tells Amazonius he bears everything except separation from friends, and begins a note to Leontius. ### Greek text δειξιν, τὸ τοιαῦτα καὶπερὶ τοιούτων ἐπιτάσσειν ἡμῖνʼ ἃ κᾶν ἄλλοις Θαρῤὦμεν γράφειν, ἀλλὰ τό γε ὑπὸ σο). κριτῇ κινδυνεύειν οὐκ ἀσφαλές. Πειρασόμεθα δʼ ὅμως μὴ ἀντιλέγειν κελεύοντι. μιν. ΥΠΔΡΧῼ. Ἔχει τι δεξιὸν ἡμῖν ἡ ἀναχώρησις, τδ ἄπραγμον καὶ ἡσύχιονο ἀλλʼ οὔπω τοσοῦτον, ὅσον σκαιὸν, τδ τῆς ὑμετέρας χωρίζειν φιλίας καὶ συνουσίας, τοσούτου πράγματος. Ἄλλοι τῆς σῆς τελειότητος ἀπολαύουσιν ο ἡμῖν δὲ μέγα κᾶν εί τοῦτο ἔχοιμεν, σκιὰν ὁμιλίάς τὴν ὲν τοῖςʼ πράγμασιν. σε ὀψόμεθα πάλιν; ἆρα περιπτυξόμεθα τδ ἡμέτερον σεμνολόγημα ; καὶ τοῦτο δοθήσεται τῷ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν λειψάνῳς Εἰ μὲν δοθείη, πᾶσα τῷ Θεῷ χάριςʼ εί δὲ μὴ, τεθνήκαμεν ἤδη τῷ πλείστῳ μέρει. Σὺ δὲ μέμνησο τοῦ σοῦ Γρηγορίου, καὶ διηγοῦ τὰ ἡμέτερα. cu. ΔΜΑΖΟΝΙῼ. ’Δν τις ἔρηταί σε τῶν κοινῶν φίλων (πολλοὺς ριος; πράττει δὲ τί; Θαρῤὦν εἰπὲ. ὅτι ἐφʼ ἡσυχίας φιλοσοφεῖ, τοσαῦτα τῶν ἀδικούντων φροντίζων. ὅσα τῶν οὐδὲ ei γεγόνασι γινωσκομένων ο οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀήττητος. Ἂν δέ σε πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς ὲπανέρηταιο Πῶς δὲ τὴν διάζευξιν φέρει τῶν φίλωνς μηκέτι θαρρῶν είποις ὅτι φιλοσοφεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν ἀγεννῶς ἔχει. Ἀλλου μὲν γὰρ ἄλλος ἥττων ἐστὶν, ἡμεῖς δὲ φιλίας καὶ φίλων. Τούτων εἷς ἐστι καὶ ἑ θαυμάσιος Ἀμαζόνιος. Τάχα ἂν ἑνὶ μόνῳ Θεραπεύσαις ἡμᾶς, καὶ ῥᾴους ἐπὶ σοὶ ποιήσαις. εί μνημονεύοις ἡμῶν, καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο ποιεῖς, τοῖς γράμμασιν. ιεʼ. ΛΕΟΝΤΙῼ. Ὢ τῆς δεξιᾶς νόσου, καὶ τῆς τῶν ὲχ6ρῶν ἐπηι ### English translation (Claude) … proof, to give us such orders about such matters. We would dare to write such things even to others, but to run risks with you as judge is not safe. Still, we will try not to refuse your command. [Letter 93. To Sophronius, the prefect] Our retirement has something good for us, its freedom from affairs and its quiet; but not so much as there is harm in being separated from your friendship and company, so great a good. Others enjoy your perfection; for us it would be much even to have this: the shadow of conversation that letters give. Shall we see you again? Shall we embrace our pride? Will this be granted to the remnant of our life? If it is granted, all thanks to God; if not, we are already dead for the greater part. But remember your Gregory, and tell of our affairs. [Letter 94. To Amazonius] If any of our common friends (and we have many) asks you, “Where is Gregory? What is he doing?”, say boldly that he lives as a philosopher in quiet, caring as much for those who wrong him as for those not even known to have been born: so unconquerable is he. But if the same man asks you again, “And how does he bear separation from his friends?”, do not boldly say any longer that he is a philosopher, but that he takes it very ignobly. For one man is weak in one thing and another in another; we are weak toward friendship and friends. Of these the admirable Amazonius is one. Perhaps you could heal us with one thing alone and make us easier on your account: if you remember us, and show by letters that you do so. [Letter 95. To Leontius] O happy sickness, and abuse of my enemies, ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of Letter 92. “The shadow of conversation that letters give”: the scan reads “in affairs” (πράγμασιν), probably for “in letters” (γράμμασιν); translated by that sense. Some letters of the question “Where is Gregory?” are lost in the scan and read by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 167 (PG 37:168a–168d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-167). ## Letter 169 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-169 - Source: PG 37:169a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory tells Leontius his illness freed him from the bishops' quarrels; then congratulates a prefect of Constantinople and regrets his own brief time there; then greets Heracleianus. ### Greek text ρείας. διʼ ἣν ἡμεῖς ἐλεύθεροι γεγόναμεν ἔξω τοῦ Σοδομιτικοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τῆς ὲπισκοπικῆς ἐκλύσεως . Ὑμῖν δὲ πῶς ἔχει τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν; ταῦτα ἐχέτω καλῶς· τʼ ἄλλα δʼ ὅπως ἂν ἔχῃ, χαίρειν ἐάσωμεν. Μικρὸν ἔτι, καὶ ὄψομαι τοὺς ἐμοὺς ὑβριστὰς, ἡνίκα ἂν πυρὶ κρίνηται τὰ ἡμέτερα. Προσαγορεὺομεν ὑμᾶς. καὶ διʼ ὑμῶν τοὺς κοινοὺς φίλους. Μέμνησθέ μου τῶν λιθασμῶν. ςοαειιιε. ῐῐολὺν ἑζημιὼμεθα λρὸνον, οὐκ ἐχούσης τὸν πρῶτον ὲν ἀνδράσι τῆς πρώτης ὲν πόλεσιν. Ἔδει γὰρ, οἶμαι, χεθῆναι τὸ ἀγαθὸν, κα) κοινὸν γενέσθαι τὸ πάντων ὄφελος, ὡς ἂν σπείρης τὴν εὐνομίαν ἐξ ὓψους, καθάπερ τὰ σπέρματα οί τὰς τροφὰς ήμερώσαντες, ὡς γοῦν τοῖς μύθοις δοκεῖ καὶ τοῖς πλάσμασιν. Ἐμοὶ δὲ καὶ πλεῖον ἀλγεῖν περίεστιν, ὅτι τοσοῦτον ἀπολαύσας μόνον, ὅσα καὶ ἀστραπῆς ὀλίγα τὴν ὄψιν περιλαμπούσης, ἔπειτα ἡττήθην τοῦ φθόνου καὶ εἰς ἐμαυτὸν συνεστάλην, ἄλλοις τοῦ κράτους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας παραχωρήσας, καὶ τῆς εὐπρεπεστέρας σκηνῆς (ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, διὰ τοὺς παίζοντας εὐκόλως τὰ παιδείας ἄξια ). Σὺ δὲ, ὦ πάντων ἄριστε, τὴν αὑτὴν σῶζε πρὸς ἡμᾶς διάθεσιν, ἥτις κατὰ τὴν μαγνῆτιν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἕλκει τὰ σιδήρια. ιλν. ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΑΝῼ. Ἀεὶ σὺ παρʼ ἡμῖν ὁ καλὸς Ἡρακλειανὸς, καὶ λέγων τι παιδεύσεως, καὶ ἀκούων · καὶ Κωνσταντινοὺπολις ’μεθʼ ἡμῶν ἡ καλὴ διʼ ὑμᾶς, εί καὶ πρόσκαιρος, οὕτω τοῦ φθόνου Θελήσαντος. Εἰ δὲ καὶ παρὰ σοὶ Γρηγόριος, ἄμεινον ἂν ἀμφοτέροις ἕχοι. ### English translation (Claude) … through which we have been set free, out of the fire of Sodom and the slackness of the bishops. How are your affairs with God? Let these be well; the rest, however they are, let us bid farewell. A little while yet, and I shall see those who insulted me, when our affairs are judged by fire. We greet you, and through you our common friends. Remember my stonings. [Letter 96. To Sophronius] We have suffered loss for a long time, while the first of cities did not have the first of men. For the good had to be poured out, I think, and the benefit of all to become common, so that you might sow good order from on high, as those who tamed our food sowed seeds, so at least the myths and fictions hold. But for me there is still more pain, that having enjoyed you only as much as a lightning flash briefly lights up the sight, I was then overcome by envy and withdrew into myself, yielding to others the government of the Church and the more seemly stage (if I may put it so, because of those who lightly mock what deserves instruction). But you, best of all men, keep the same disposition toward us, which, like the magnet, draws iron to itself. [Letter 97. To Heracleianus] You are always with us, good Heracleianus, both saying something learned and listening; and fair Constantinople is with us because of you, even if only for a time, since envy so willed. And if Gregory too were with you, it would be better for both of us. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 3:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Gregory had resigned the see of Constantinople in 381. “The fire of Sodom”: the bishops' quarrels at the council; “my stonings”: attacks on him at Constantinople. Judged by fire: 1 Cor 3:13. The addressee of Letter 96 is probably Sophronius as prefect of the city. Migne's textual notes printed at the foot of the page and read into the text by the scan are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 169 (PG 37:169a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-169). ## Letter 171 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-171 - Source: PG 37:172a–172d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks the town council to exempt the poor deacon Theotecnus, who serves the martyrs' shrine, from the tax on trades; then he praises Homophronius's retirement. ### Greek text Δηλώσεις τοῦτο διʼ ἐπιστολῶν, ἃς Επιστελεῖς ἡμῖνʼ ὃ μόνον ἐνδέχεται. ιιῐὶν. ΠΡΟΣ ΠΟΛΙἸῈΥΟΜΕΝΟΥΣ. Ὑμεῖς μοι δοκεῖτε. μηδʼ ἃν τῆς Διογένους πήρας* εί καθʼ ὑμᾶς ἦν, ἀποσχέσθαι τοῦ Σινωπέως, ἀλλὰ κάκείνῳ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιβαλεῖν, τέχνην ἐπικαλοῦντες αὐτῷ, τὸν τρίβωνα, καὶ τὴν βακτηρίαν, καὶ αὐτὸ τδ κεκτῆσθαι μηδὲν ὲιι φιλοσοφίας, ἄλλοτε δὲ ἄλλῃ Θὺρᾳ προσφοιτᾷν είκῆ διαζῶντα καὶ ὅθεν ἔτυχεν· ὁπότε καὶ τῷ ἁδελφῷ Θεοτέκνῳ ζημίαν ἐπιβαλεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖτε τὴν ἐκ τῶν τεχνῶν. Τί πρῶτον, ἢ τί μέγιστον εἴπω τῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ δικαίων ; ὡς διάκονός ἐστιν, ἢ ὡς ἄπορος, ἢ ὼς ξένος, καὶ ἄλλοις μᾶλλον ἡμῶν προσήκων, ἢ ὅτι τὸν βίον αἰδέσιμος, καὶ τῶν μαρτύρων ἱερεὺς καὶ πάροικος; Ἰστε δὲ ὅτι καὶ ξενοτροφεῖ παρὰ δύναμιν. Καὶ τοῦτο ἴσως ἀδικεῖ μόνον, ὅτι μόνος τῶν αὐτόθι βιάζεται εἶναι χρηστός. Τούτων ὃ τι μὲν μέγιστόν ἐστιν, αὐτοὶ κρίνατε. Τῷ δὲ ἁνθρώπῳ διὰ πάντα συγχωρήσατε, μὴ δόξητε μικρὰ τὸ κοινὸν ὠφελοῦντες, μεγάλα ζημιοῦσθαι αὐτοί, γυμνὸν, ὃ δὴ λέγεται, μὴ ἀμφιεννύντες, ἀλλʼ ἀποδύοντες.. ιιθυ. ΟΜΟΦΡΟΝΙῼ Πυνθάνομαί σε ἀναχωρητικῶς ἔχειν, καὶ γένοιο ἡμῖν Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτιστὴς. ἤ καὶ Ἠλίας ὁ τοῦ Καρμήλου· καὶ τοῦτο μόνον ἀδικήσαιεν ἡμᾶς οἱ μισοῦντες. τὸ πρὸς Θεδν συναγαγεῖν καὶ δοῦναι γνησίως τοῖς ἄνω, πραγμάτων καὶ θορύβων ἀπαλλαγέντας ο ἵνʼ ἄκοντες γοῦν εὖ ποιῶσιν ἡμᾶς ἐπεὶ μὴ ἑκόντες δύνανται. ### English translation (Claude) You will show this by the letters you send us, which is all that is possible. [Letter 98. To the town councillors] You seem to me, if it were up to you, not even to keep your hands off the wallet of Diogenes of Sinope, but to lay hands on him too, charging him with practising a trade: his cloak and his staff and the very owning of nothing for philosophy's sake, and going now to one door and now to another, living at random and from whatever came to hand; since you are trying to impose on our brother Theotecnus the tax on trades. What should I name first, or as greatest, of the just claims on his behalf? That he is a deacon, or that he is poor, or that he is a stranger and belongs to others rather than to us, or that he is venerable in his life, a minister and neighbour of the martyrs? You know too that he entertains strangers beyond his means. And perhaps this is his only wrong, that he alone of those there forces himself to be good. Which of these is greatest, judge for yourselves. But excuse the man on account of them all, lest you seem to benefit the community a little while doing yourselves great harm, not clothing the naked, as the saying goes, but stripping him. [Letter 99. To Homophronius] I hear that you are living as a recluse, and may you become for us John the Baptist, or Elijah of Carmel; and may those who hate us do us only this wrong: to gather us to God and to give ourselves genuinely to the things above, freed from affairs and tumults, so that they may do us good unwillingly at least, since they cannot do it willingly. ### Scripture references - Matt 3:1–4: allusion, low confidence - 1 Kgs 18:19–20: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The tax on trades (the collatio lustralis) was levied on traders and craftsmen; clergy were exempt. “Neighbour of the martyrs”: he served at a martyrs' shrine. John the Baptist in the desert: Matt 3:1–4; Elijah on Carmel: 1 Kgs 18:19–20. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 171 (PG 37:172a–172d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-171). ## Letter 173 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-173 - Source: PG 37:173a–173d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory thanks Gigantius for his invitation and his orthodoxy, rejoicing that he was made a herald of the Trinity, but illness and winter keep him from coming. ### Greek text ιν. ΓΙΓΑΝΤΙῼ. Ἦσθην τῇ κλήσει, ὑπερήσθην οἷς γράφεις, οὐχ ὅτι ἐπαινούμεθα (μικρὸν γὰρ), ἀλλʼ ὅτι φρονεῖς ὀρθῶς· καὶ δεσμός σοι τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀγάπης ή τῶν αὐτῶν ἐλπὶς, κα) ἡ γνησία τῆς Τριάδος προσκύνησις, ἢν φθεγγόμεθα μᾶλλον ἢ ἀναπνέομεν, καὶ μετὰ κινδύνων, καὶ ἀκινδύνως τὰ μὲν ἄλλα διδόντες τοῖς καιροῖς, ὡς ἂν βούλωνται, περιφέο ρειν, τοῦτο δὲ ἀκίνητον ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἔχοντες, τὸν μόνον ἄφθονον θησαυρὸν, καὶ ὅντως ἡμέτερον ο ὠς ἔγωγε, ὅταν τʼ ἄλλα ἐνθυμηθῶ, καὶ ὅσαι θλίψεις αἶ μὲν περιέσχον ἡμᾶς, αἳ δὲ περιέχουσι, καὶ τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν τῶν ἄνω καὶ κάτω στροβούντων ἡμᾶς κακῶν, καὶ τὸν πόλεμον ὃν πολεμούμεθα ὑπὸ πάντων, οὐδὲν ἀδικοῦντες, πρὸς τοῦτο δὲ ἀποβλέψω μόνον, ὅτι κήρυξ γενέσθαι τῆς ἀληθείας κατηξιώθην, παρερριμμένης τε καὶ ἁπεπ-τυσμὲνης ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διδασκαλίας ὑγιαινούσης, καὶ ἀβάτῳ, καὶ ἀνύδρῳ. κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένονο μικρὸν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι λύω πᾶσαν ἀδημονίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπερήδομαι, ὡς μειζόνων ἦ κατʼ ἐμαυτὸν ἠξιωμένος. Πρὸς οὖν τί ταῦτα γράφωξ ἶνʼ ἐκεῖνο δηλώσω, ὅτι μόνη μοι βεβαία φιλία καὶ οἰκείωσις πρὸς τοὺς οὕτως ἔχοντας. Τῶν δὲ οὕτως ἐχόντων τίς ἂν ἑκὼν ἀπολείποιτο εὖ φρονῶν; τίς δὲ μείζων ἑορτὴ τοῦ τοιούτοις συνεορτὰζειν; Εἰ δὲ ὴ ἀρρωστία, καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἐμποδίζει τὴν προθυμίαν, οἴσω μὲν αὐτὸς τὴν ζημίαν· συγγινώσκετε δὲ ὑμεῖς, καὶ καιρὸν ἄλλον συντυχίας ἡμῖν ὲπεύχεσθε. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 100. To Gigantius] I was glad of the invitation, and more than glad of what you write, not because we are praised (that is a small thing), but because you think rightly; and the bond of your love for us is the hope of the same things and the genuine worship of the Trinity, which we utter more than we breathe, in danger and out of danger, giving other things to the times to carry about as they will, but holding this unmoved in our souls, the only treasure that is free from envy and truly ours. As for me, when I consider other things, how many afflictions have surrounded us and surround us still, and the unevenness of the evils that whirl us up and down, and the war waged against us by all though we do no wrong, and look only to this, that I was counted worthy to become a herald of the truth when sound teaching had been cast aside and spat upon in a desert land, trackless and waterless, as it is written: it is too little to say that I am freed from all distress; I even rejoice exceedingly, as one counted worthy of greater things than I deserve. To what end do I write this? To show that the only firm friendship and intimacy for me is with those who are so disposed. And who in his right mind would willingly be absent from those so disposed? What feast is greater than to keep the feast with such men? But if sickness and the winter hinder my eagerness, I will bear the loss myself; but do you forgive me, and pray for another occasion for us to meet. ### Scripture references - Ps 63:1 (62:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “A desert land, trackless and waterless”: Ps 63:1 (LXX 62:2). The herald of the truth: Gregory's preaching on the Trinity at Constantinople (379–381). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 173 (PG 37:173a–173d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-173). ## Letter 175 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-175 - Source: PG 37:176a–176d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory writes to Cledonius, who looked after the Church of Nazianzus, protesting that the Apollinarians are stealing his flock and falsely claiming that he shares their views. ### Greek text PA'. ΠΡΟΣ ΚΛΗΔΟΝΙΟΝ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΟΝ ΚΑΤΑ ΑΠΟΛΛΙΝΑΡΙΟ Υ Τῷ τιμιωτάτῳ καὶ Θεοφιλεστάτῳ ἀδελφῷ συμπρεσῦυτέρῳ Κληδονίῳ Γρηγόριος ὲν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Βουλόμεθα μαθεῖν, τίς ή καινοτομία περὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἵνʼ ἐξῇ παντὶ βουλομένῳ καὶ παραπορευομένῳ, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, διασπᾷν τὴν ποίμνην καλῶς ἠγμένην, καὶ συλαγωγεῖν κλοπιμαίοις ἐφόδοις, μᾶλλον δὲ ληστρικοῖς καὶ παραλόγοις διδάγμασιν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ εἶχόν τι καταγινώσκειν ἡμῶν περὶ τὴν πίστιν οἱ νῦν ἐπελθόντες, οὐδʼ οὕτω μὲν χωρὶς ὑπομνήσεως ἡμῶν ἔδει τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμᾷν. Πείσαι γὰρ ἐχρῆν ἦ πεισθῆναι θελῆσαι πρότερον (εῐπερ τις καὶ ἡμῶν λόγος, ὼς τὸν Θεὸνοφο- 6ουμένων καὶ κοπιασάντων ὑπὲρ τοῦ λόγου, καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ὠφελησάντων), καὶ τότε, εἴπερ ἄρα, καινοτομεῖν, πλὴν καὶ ἀπολογία τις ἦν ἴσως τοῖς ὑβρισταῖς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἐγγράφως καὶ ἀγράφως, καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ πορρωτέρω, καὶ μετὰ κννδιὶνων καὶ ἀκινδύνως, ἡ πίστις ή-μῶν κεκήρυκται, πῶς οἱ μὲν ἐγχειροῦσι τοῖς τοιούτοις, οἱ δὲ ἡσυχάζουσι ; Καὶ οὐχὶ τοῦτό πω δεινὸν, καίπερ ὃν δεινὸν, εί τὴν ἑαυτῶν κακοδοξίαν ἄνθρωποι ταῖς ἁκεραιοτέραις ψυχαῖς διὰ τῶν κακουργοτέρων ἐναποτί- Θενται, ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ ἡμῶν καταψεύδονται, ὠς ὁμοδόξων καὶ ὁμοφρόνων, τῷ χαλκῷ τὸ δέλεαρ περιβάλλοντες, καὶ διὰ τοῦ προσχήματος τούτου τδ ἑαυτῶν θέλημα κακῶς ἐκπληροῦντες, καὶ τὴν ἁπλότητα ἡμῶν, ἐξ ἦς ἀδελφικῶς αὐτοὺς ἑωρῶμεν, καὶ ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 101. To Cledonius the presbyter, against Apollinarius] To the most honoured and most God-beloved brother and fellow presbyter Cledonius, Gregory sends greeting in the Lord. We wish to learn what this innovation in the Church is, which allows anyone who wishes, and every passer-by, as it is written, to tear apart the flock that has been well led, and to plunder it by thievish assaults, or rather by robbers' and senseless teachings. For if those who have now come in had anything to condemn in us concerning the faith, not even then should they have dared such things without consulting us. They ought first to have persuaded us, or been willing to be persuaded (if we count for anything, as men who fear God, who have laboured for the word and have benefited the Church), and then, if at all, to innovate; and then perhaps there would have been some excuse for the offenders. But since our faith has been proclaimed in writing and without writing, here and further away, in danger and out of danger, how is it that some attempt such things, while others keep quiet? And this is not yet the terrible thing, though it is terrible, that men lodge their own false doctrine in simpler souls through the agency of more mischievous ones; but that they also lie about us, as though we shared their opinion and mind, putting the bait round the hook, and through this pretence wickedly fulfilling their own will, and making our simplicity, in which we looked upon them as brothers and ### Scripture references - Ps 80:12 (79:13 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Cledonius was a presbyter in charge of the Church of Nazianzus (ca. 382). The Apollinarians, followers of Apollinarius of Laodicea, held that in Christ the divine Word took the place of a human mind. “Every passer-by”: Ps 80:12 (LXX 79:13). Running heads in the scan are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 175 (PG 37:176a–176d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-175). ## Letter 177 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-177 - Source: PG 37:177a–177b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory challenges the Apollinarians' claim to have been received by the Western synod, and sets out the faith: one and the same Christ, God before the ages and at the end also man, with anathemas against those who deny Mary is Theotokos. ### Greek text οὐκ ἀλλοτρίως, κακίας ἐφόδιον ποιησάμενον οὐ μόνον δὲ. ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς δυτικῆς συνόδου δεδέχθαι φασὶν, ὡς πυνθάνομαι, ὑφʼ ἧς τὺ πρότερονῆσαν κατακριθέντες, ὡς πᾶσιν εὔδηλον. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐδέχθησαν ἢ νῦν ἢ πρότερον οἱ τὰ ’Δπολλιναρίου φρονοῦντες, τοῦτο δειξάτωσαν, καὶ ἡμεῖς στέρξομεν. Δῆλον γὰρ, ὃτι τῷ ὀρθῷ λόγῳ συνθέμενοι· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνδέχεται ἄλλως, ei τούτου τετυχήκασι. Δείξουσι δὲ πάντως, ἢ διὰ τόμον συνοδικοῦ, ἢ διʼ ἐπιστολῶν κοινωνικῶν ° οὗτος γὰρ τῶν συνόδων ὁ νόμος. Εἰ δὲ λόγος τοῦτό ἐστι καὶ ἀναπλαςμὸς, εὐπρεπείας ἕνεκεν αὐτοῖς καὶ πιθανότητος τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς εὑρημένος διὰ τὺ τῶν προσώπων ἀξιόπιστον, δίδαξον αὐτοὺς ἠρεμεῖν, καὶ …. Τῇ γὰρ σῇ πολιτείᾳ καὶ ὀρθοδοξὶᾳ τοῦτο πρέπειν ὑπολα μὸἀνομεγ. Μὴ ὰπατάτωταν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, μηδὲ ἀπατάσθωσαν, ἄνθρωπον ἄνουν δεχόμενοι τὸν κυριακὸν, ὡς αὐτοὶ λέγουσι, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν καὶ Θεόν. οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον χωρίζομεν τῆς θεότητος, ἀλλʼ ’ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν δογματίζομεν, πρότερον μὲν οὐκ ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ Θεὸν καὶ Υἱδν μόνον προαιεὢνιον, ἀμιγῆ σώματος, καὶ τῶν ὅσα σώματος, ἐπὶ τέλει δι καὶ ἄνθρωπον, προσληφθέντα ὑπὲρ τῆς σω τζρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, παθητὸν σαρκὶ, ἅπαθῆ θεότητι, περιγραπτὸν σώματι, ἁπερίγραπτον πνεύματι, τὸν αὑτὸν ἐπίγειον καὶ οὐράνιον, ὁρώμενον καὶ νοούμενον. χωρητδν καὶ ἀχὼρητον, ἵνʼ ὅλῳ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ αὖτῷ καὶ θεῷ ὅλος ἇνο ρωπος ἀναπλασθῇ πεσὼν ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Εἰ τις οὐ θεοτόκον τὴν ἁγίαν Μαρίαν ὐπολαμβάνει, χωρὶς ἐστὶ τῆς θεότητος. Εἴ τις ὡς διὰ αωλῆνος τῆς Παρθένου δραμεῖν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ὲν αὐτῇ διαπεπλάσθαι λέγοι θεῖκῶς ἅμα καὶ ἀνθρωπικῶς· … μὲν, ὅτι χωρὶς ἀνδρός· ἀνθρωπικῶς δὲ, ὅτι νόμῳ κυήσεως, ὁμοίως ἄθεος. Εἰ τις διαπεπλάσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, εἷθʼ ὕποδεδυκέναι ### English translation (Claude) not as strangers, a provision for wickedness. And not only this, but, as I hear, they also say that they have been received by the Western synod, by which they had formerly been condemned, as is well known to all. If, then, those who hold the views of Apollinarius have been received, either now or formerly, let them prove it, and we will be content. For it is clear that they have assented to the right doctrine, since it is not possible otherwise for them to have obtained this. And they will certainly prove it, either by a synodal tome or by letters of communion; for this is the custom of synods. But if this is mere talk and invention, devised for show and for credibility with the many because of the trustworthiness of the persons named, teach them to keep quiet, and …; for we think this befits your way of life and your orthodoxy. Let not the men deceive, nor be deceived, accepting the “Lord's man,” as they themselves call him, or rather our Lord and God, as without a mind. For we do not separate the man from the Godhead, but we teach as dogma one and the same, who formerly was not man but God and the only Son before the ages, unmixed with body and with all that belongs to body, but at the end also man, assumed for our salvation; passible in flesh, impassible in Godhead; circumscribed in body, uncircumscribed in spirit; the same earthly and heavenly, seen and known by the mind, contained and uncontained; so that by one and the same, whole man and God, the whole man who had fallen under sin might be refashioned. If anyone does not regard holy Mary as Theotokos, he is cut off from the Godhead. If anyone says that he passed through the Virgin as through a channel, but was not formed in her divinely and humanly at once (divinely, because without a man; humanly, because by the law of gestation), he is likewise godless. If anyone says that the man was formed and that God afterwards slipped into him, ### Translation notes - The Western synod is that of Pope Damasus at Rome (377), which condemned Apollinarius (Migne's note naming Damasus, read into the text by the scan, is removed). “Lord's man” (ἄνθρωπος κυριακός) was an Apollinarian phrase. “Theotokos”: “she who gave birth to God”. “Divinely” renders a word garbled in the scan, by the sense of the following clause. A word after “teach them to keep quiet, and” is garbled (…). The doctrinal statements are translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 177 (PG 37:177a–177b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-177). ## Letter 179 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-179 - Source: PG 37:180a–180b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory's anathemas continue: against two Sons, against a Christ indwelt only by grace, against refusing worship to the Crucified, and against adoptionism; Christ is one, of two natures. ### Greek text λέγοι Θεὸν, κατάκριτος. Οὐ γὰρ γέννησις θεοῦ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ φυγὴ γεννήσεως. Εἴ τις εἰσάγει δύο Υἱοὺς, ἕνα μὲν τὸν ὲκ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, δεύτερον δὲ τὸν ἐκ τῆς μητρὸς, ἀλλʼ οὐχ). ἕνα καὶτὸν αὐτὸν, καὶ τῆς υἱοθεσίας ἐκπέσοι τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης τοῖς ὀρθῶς πιστεύουσι. Φύσεις μὲν γὰρ δύο θεὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος, ἐπεὶ κα) ψυχὴ καὶ σῶμα* υἱοὶ δὲ οὐ δύο, οὐδὲ Θεοί. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα δύο ἄνθρωποι,καὶ οὕτως ὁ Παῦλος τὸ ἐντὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ τὸ ἐκτὸς προσηγόρευσε. Καὶ εἰ δεῖ συντόμως εἰπεῖν, ἄλλο μὲν καὶ ἄλλο τὰ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Σωτὴρ (εἴπερ μὴ ταυτὸν τὸ ἀόρατον τῷ ὁρατῷ, καὶ τὸ ἄχρονον τῷ ὑπὸ χρόνον), οὐκ ἄλλος δὲ καὶ ἄλλος· μὴ γένοιτο. Τά γὰρ ἀμφότερα ἓν τῇ συγκράσει, Θεοῦ μὲν ἑνανθρωπήσαντος, ἀνθρώπου δὲ θεωθέντος, ἢ ὅπως ἄν τις ὀνομάσειε. Λέγω δὲ ἄλλο κα). ἄλλο, ἔμπαλιν ἢ ἐπὶ. τῆς Τριάὲος ἔχει. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλος ἄλλος, ἴνα μὴ τὰς ὑποστάσεις συγχέωμεν· οὒκ ἄλλο δὲ καὶ ἄλλο, ἓν γὰρ τὰ τρία καὶ ταυτὸν τῇ θεότητι. Εἴ τις, ὡς ὲν προφήτῃ. λέγοι κατὰ χάριν ἐνηργηκέναι, ἀλλὰ μὴ κατʼ οὐσίαν συνῆφθαι τε κα) συνἅπτεσθαι, εἴη κενὸς τῆς κρείττονος ἐνεργείας, μᾶλλον δὲ πλήρης τῆς ἐναντίας. Εἴ τις μὴ προσκυνεῖ τδν ἐσταυρωμένον, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω, καὶ τετάχθω μετὰ τῶν …. Εἴ τις ὲξ ἔργων τετελειωμένον, ἦ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα, ἢ μετὰ τὴν ὲκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν υἱοθεσίας ἠξιῶσθαι λέγοι, καοάπερ οὒς Ἕλληνες παρεγγράπτους εἰσάγουσιν, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. Τδ ### English translation (Claude) let him be condemned. For this is not a birth of God but an escape from birth. If anyone introduces two Sons, one from God the Father and a second from the mother, and not one and the same, may he also fall from the adoption promised to those who believe rightly. For there are two natures, God and man, since there are also soul and body; but not two Sons, nor two Gods. For neither are there here two men, even though Paul spoke in this way of the inner man and the outer. And to speak briefly: the elements of which the Saviour is made are one thing and another (if indeed the invisible is not the same as the visible, nor the timeless as what is under time), but he is not one person and another; God forbid! For both are one by the blending, God having become man and man having been made god, or however one might name it. I say “one thing and another,” the reverse of the case in the Trinity. For there it is one person and another, so that we do not confuse the hypostases; but not one thing and another, for the three are one and the same in Godhead. If anyone says that he worked in him by grace, as in a prophet, but was not and is not joined to him according to essence, may he be empty of the higher working, or rather full of the opposite. If anyone does not worship the Crucified, let him be anathema and be ranked with the … . If anyone says that he was made perfect by works, or that after the baptism, or after the resurrection from the dead, he was counted worthy of adoption, like those whom the Greeks bring in as enrolled among the gods, let him be anathema. For ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 4:16: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Gregory distinguishes “one thing and another” (ἄλλο καὶ ἄλλο, neuter: the two natures) from “one and another” (ἄλλος καὶ ἄλλος, masculine: persons), and says the reverse holds in the Trinity, where the hypostases are distinct but the Godhead one. “Blending” renders σύγκρασις; “made god” renders θεωθέντος (deification). The inner and outer man: 2 Cor 4:16. Hypostasis (ὑπόστασις): the distinct subsistence of each divine person. A word after “be ranked with the” is garbled in the scan (…). Translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 179 (PG 37:180a–180b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-179). ## Letter 181 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-181 - Source: PG 37:181a–181d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory rejects the view that Christ has put off his flesh: he will return in the body, as seen at the Transfiguration. ### Greek text γάρ ἠργμένον, ἢ προκόπτον, ἢ τελειούμενον, ού θεὸς. κᾶν διὰ τὴν κατά μικρὸν ἀνάδειξιν οὕτω λέγηται. Εἴ τις ἀποτεθεῖσθαι νῦν τὴν ἁγίαν σάρκα λέγοι, καὶ γυμνὴν εἶναι τὴν θεότητα τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλὰ μὴ μετά τού προσλήμματος καὶ εἶναι, καὶ ἥξειν, μὴ ἴδοι τὴν δόξαν τῆς παρουσίας αύτού. Ποῦ γὰρ τδ σῶμα νῦν, εί μὴ μετά τοῦ προσλαβόντος; ού γὰρ δὴ κατά τοὺς Μανιχαίων λήρους τῷ ἡλίῳ ὲναποτέθειται, ἴνα τιμηθῇ διὰ τῆς ἀτιμίαςο ἢ είς τὸν ἀέρα ὲχὲὓη καὶ διελύθη ὼς φωνῆς φύσις, καὶ ὀδμῆς ῥύσις, καὶ ἀστραπῆς δρόμος ούχ ἱσταμένης. Ποῦ δὲ καὶ τὸ ψηλαφηθῆναι αὐτὸν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἢ ὀφθήσεσθαί ποτε ύπδ τῶν ἐκκεντησάντων; θεότης γὰρ καθʼ ἑαυτὴν ἀόρατος. Ἀλλʼ ἣξει μὲν μετά τοῦ σώματος, ὡς ὲμδς λὸγος, τοιοῦτος δὲ οἷος ὤφθη τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὲν τῷ ὄρει, ἢ παρεδείχθη, ύπερνικὼσης τὸ σαρκίον τῆς θεότητος. ’Ὠσπερ δὲ ταῦτα λὲγομεν ἀποσκευαζόμενοι τὴν ὑπόνοιαν, οὕτω … γράφομεν διορθούμενοι τὴν καινοτομίαν. ### English translation (Claude) what has a beginning, or makes progress, or is being perfected, is not God, even if he is spoken of in this way because of his gradual manifestation. If anyone says that he has now put off the holy flesh, and that the Godhead is bare of the body, and not that he both is and will come with what he assumed, may he not see the glory of his coming. For where is the body now, if not with him who assumed it? For it has not, according to the drivel of the Manichees, been laid up in the sun, to be honoured through dishonour; nor poured out into the air and dissolved, like the nature of a voice, the flow of an odour, or the course of lightning that does not stand still. And how then could he be touched after the resurrection, or one day be seen by those who pierced him? For Godhead by itself is invisible. But he will come with the body, as my doctrine holds, but such as he was seen by the disciples on the mountain, or as he was shown, the Godhead overpowering the flesh. And as we say these things to remove suspicion, so we write the following to correct the innovation. … ### Scripture references - Luke 2:52: allusion, low confidence - John 20:27: allusion, medium confidence - Rev 1:7: allusion, high confidence - Matt 17:1–2: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Progress: cf. Luke 2:52. Touched after the resurrection: Luke 24:39; John 20:27. “Those who pierced him”: Rev 1:7; Zech 12:10. The mountain: the Transfiguration, Matt 17:1–2. Lines are lost at the foot of the page in the scan (…), including the beginning of the sentence that ends “… this is also saved” on the next page. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 181 (PG 37:181a–181d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/141/#p-181). ## Letter 183 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-183 - Source: PG 37:184a–184d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory argues that Christ assumed a complete human nature, mind included, since the whole of Adam fell and the whole must be saved; intelligible realities can coexist without crowding one another. ### Greek text τοῦτο καὶ σώζεται. Εἱ.ἦμιους ἔπταισεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ, ἣμισυ και) τὸ προσειλημμένον καὶ τὸ σωζόμενον. Εἰ δὲ ὃλος, ὅλῳ τῷ γεννηθέντι ἥνωται, καὶ ὅλως σώζεται. Μὴ τοίνυν βασκαινέτωσαν ἡμῖν τῆς παντελοῦς σωτηρίας, μηδὲ ὁστᾶ μόνον, καὶ νεῦρα καὶ ζωγραφίαν ἀνθρώπου τῷ Σωτῆρι περιτιθέτωσαν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἄψυχος ὁ ἄνθρωπος. τοῦτο κα) Ἀρειανοὶ λέγουσιν, ἶνʼ ἐπὶ τὴν θεότητα τὸ πάθος ἐνέγκωσιν, ὼς τοῦ κινοῦντος τὸ σῶμα, τούτου κα) πασχοντος. Εἰ δὲ ἔμψυχος, ει μὲν οὐ νοερὸς, πῶς καὶ ἀνθρωπος; οὐ γὰρ ἄνουν ζῶον ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Καὶ ἀνάγκη τὸ σχῆμα μὲν ἀνθρώπειον εἶναι καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν ἵππου τινὸς, ἢ βοὸς, ἢ ἀλλου τῶν ἀνοήτων. Τοῦτο γοῦν ἔσται κα) τὸ σωζόμενον· καὶ διεψεύσθην ἐγὼ παρά τῆς ἀληθείας. ἄλλου τιμηθέντος, ἀλλος με· γαλαυχούμενος. Εἰ δὲ νοερὺς, ἀλλʼ οῦκάνους ὁ ἀνθρωο πος, παυσάσθωσαν ὅντως ἀνοηταίνοντες. Ἀλλʼ ἤρκει, φησιν, ἡ θεότης ἀντὶ τοῦ νοῦ. Τί οὖν πρὸς ἐμὲ τοῦτο; Θεότης γὰρ μετά σαρκὸς μόνης οῦκ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ψυχῆς μόνης, οὐδὲ ἀμφοτέρων χωρὶς τοῦ νοῦ, ὁ καὶ μᾶλλον ἄνθρωπος. Τήρει οὖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὅλον, καὶ μίξον τὴν θεότητα, ἵνα με τελέως εὐεργετῇς. Ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐχώρει, φησὶ, δύο τέλεια. Οὐδὲ γὰρ, εἰπερ σωματικῶς σκοπεῖς. Ἀγγεῖον γὰρ μεδιμναῖον οὐ χωρήσει διμέδιμνον, οὐδὲ σώματος ἑνὸς τόπος δύο ἧ πλείω σώματαʼ εἰ δὲ ῶς νοητά καὶ ἀσώματα, σκόπει ὅτι καὶ ψυχὴν, κα). λόγον, καὶ νοῦν, καὶ Πνεῦμα ἆγιον ὁ αὐτὸς ὲχώρησα, καὶ πρὸ ἐμοῦ τὸν Πατέρα. καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ τὸ ἀγιον Πνεῦμα, ὁ κόσμος οὗτος, τὺ ἐξ ὁρατῶν λέγω καὶ ἀοράτων σύστημα. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ή τῶν νοητῶν φύσις, ἀσωμάτως καὶ ἀμερίστως, καὶ ἀλλήλοις, καὶ σώμασι μίγνυσθαι. Ἐπεὶ κα) φωναὶ πλειους ἀκοῇ μιᾷ χωρηταὶ, καὶ ὄψεις πολλῶν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὁρατοῖς, καὶ ὁσφραντυῖς ὄσφρησις, οὔτε τῶν αἰσθήσεων στενοχωρουμένων ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων, ἢ ἐκθλιβομένων, οὔτε τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἐλαττουμένων τῷ πλήθει τῆς ἀντιλήψεως. ### English translation (Claude) … this is also saved. If half of Adam fell, then half is what was assumed and what is saved; but if the whole fell, he is united to the whole of what was born, and is saved wholly. Let them not, then, begrudge us our complete salvation, nor clothe the Saviour with bones only and sinews and the portrait of a man. For if the man is without a soul, the Arians say this too, so that they may attribute the suffering to the Godhead, on the ground that what moves the body is also what suffers. But if he has a soul, yet not a rational one, how is he a man? For man is not a mindless animal. And then the form and the tent would have to be human, but the soul that of some horse or ox or other irrational creature. This, then, will be what is saved; and I have been cheated by the truth, boasting of an honour that was given to another. But if the man is rational and not without mind, let them stop being truly mindless. “But,” he says, “the Godhead was enough in place of the mind.” What is that to me? For Godhead with flesh alone is not a man, nor with soul alone, nor with both without the mind, which is more truly the man. Keep, then, the whole man, and mingle the Godhead with it, so that you may benefit me perfectly. “But,” he says, “he could not contain two perfect things.” Nor could he, if you look at it bodily. For a vessel of one bushel will not hold two bushels, nor will the place of one body hold two or more bodies. But if you look at them as intelligible and incorporeal, consider that I myself have contained soul and reason and mind and the Holy Spirit; and before me this world, I mean the whole system of things visible and invisible, has contained the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. For such is the nature of intelligible things, to be mingled incorporeally and indivisibly both with one another and with bodies. So too many sounds are taken in by one hearing, and the sight of many by the same visible things, and odours by one sense of smell, without the senses being cramped or crowded out by one another, or the objects of sense being diminished by the number of those who perceive them. ### Translation notes - The opening of this sentence is lost in the scan at the foot of the previous page (…). The argument is the principle that what is not assumed is not healed. “The Arians say this too”: some Arians held that the Word took the place of the soul in Christ. Translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 183 (PG 37:184a–184d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-183). ## Letter 185 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-185 - Source: PG 37:185a–185d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory answers the objection that two perfect things cannot coexist: the human mind, perfect in its own order, is subordinate to God, as a torch is absorbed in a bonfire. ### Greek text Ποῦ δὲ καὶ τέλειος νοῦς ἀνθρώπου ἦ ἀγγέλου, συγκρίσει θεότητος, ῐνα τὸ ἕτερον ἐκθλιβῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ μείζονοςς οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐγή τι πρὸς ἥλιον, οὐδὲ νοτὶς ὀλίγη πρὸς ποταμὸν, ἵνα τὰ μικρὰ προανέλωμεν, οἴκου μὲν αὐγὴν, γῆς δὲ νοτίδα, καὶ οὕτω χωρηαῇ τὰ μείζω καὶ τελεώτερα. Πῶς γὰρ χωρήσει δῦο τέλεια, οἶκος μὲν αὐγὴν καὶ ἥλιον, γῆ δὲ νοτίδα καὶ ποταμὸν, τοῦτο διασκεψώμεθα· καὶ γὰρ πολλῆς ὅπως τὸ πρᾶγμα φροντίδος ἄξιον. Ἢ ἀγνοοῦσιν, ὅτι τὸ πρός τι τέλειον πρὸς ἕτερον ἀτελὲς, ὡς βουνὸς πρὸς ὅρος, καὶ κόκκος νάπυος πρὸς κύαμον, ἦ τι ἄλλο τῶν μειζόνων σπερμάτων, κᾶν τῶν ὁμογενῶν μεῖζον λέγηται· εί δὲ βούλει, καὶ ἄγγελος πρὸς Θεὸν, καὶ πρὸς ἄγγελον ἄνθρωποςς Τέλειον οὖν ἡμέτερος νοῦς, καὶ ἡγεμονικὸν, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος, οὐχ ἁπλῶς τέλειον, Θεοῦ δὲ δοῦλον καὶ ὑποχείριον, ἀλλʼ οὗ συνηγεμονικὸν, οὐδὲ ὁμότιμον. Ἐπεὶ καὶ Μωῦσῆς, … μὲν θεὸς, Θεοῦ δὲ Θεράπων, ὡς ἀναγέγραπται· καὶ ἀστέρες νύκτα μὲν περιλάμπουσιν, ήλίῳ δὲ κρύπτονται, ὡς, μηδʼ ὅτι εἰσὶν, ἡμέρᾳ γνωρίζεσθαι· καὶ λαμπὰς ὀλίγη μεγάλῃ πυρχαῖᾷ προσχωρήσασα. οὔτε ἀπόλλυται, οὔτε φαίνεται, οὔτε χωρίζεται, ἀλλʼ ὅλον ἐστὶ πυρκαϊὰ, τοῦ ὑπερέχοντος ὲκνικήσαντος. ### English translation (Claude) And where is the perfect mind of a man or an angel in comparison with Godhead, that the one should be crowded out by the presence of the greater? For a ray is nothing to the sun, nor a little moisture to a river, that we must first remove the small things, the ray from the house and the moisture from the earth, so that the greater and more perfect may be contained. How a house will contain two perfect things, ray and sun, and the earth moisture and river, let us consider; for the matter is worth much thought. Or do they not know that what is perfect in relation to one thing is imperfect in relation to another, as a hill to a mountain, and a mustard seed to a bean or any other of the larger seeds, even if it is called larger than those of its own kind; or, if you like, an angel in relation to God, and a man in relation to an angel? Our mind, then, is perfect and ruling, but ruling over soul and body, not perfect absolutely; and it is God's servant and subject, not sharing his rule nor equal in honour. So too Moses was a god to …, but the servant of God, as it is written; and the stars light up the night, but are hidden by the sun, so that by day one would not even know they exist; and a small torch brought near a great bonfire is neither destroyed nor seen nor separated, but the whole is bonfire, the greater having prevailed. ### Scripture references - Exod 7:1: allusion, high confidence - Num 12:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Moses made a god to Pharaoh: Exod 7:1 (the name is garbled in the scan, …); servant of God: Num 12:7; Heb 3:5. Lines are lost at the foot of the page in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 185 (PG 37:185a–185d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-185). ## Letter 187 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-187 - Source: PG 37:188a–188d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory argues that the mind, which first sinned in Adam, most needed salvation and so was assumed by Christ; the Apollinarians misread “the Word became flesh”. ### Greek text Θεὸν πρὸς σάρκα, ὡς οῦκ άλλως δεθῆναι δυνάμενον, καὶ διά τοῦτο ἐξαιρεῖς τὸ μεσότοιχον. '0 δὲ ἐμὸς λόγος τίς, τοῦ άφιλοαόφου καὶ ἀπαιδεύτους ὁ νοῦς τῷ νοτ μίγνυται, ὡς ἐγγυτέρῳ καὶ οίκειοτὲρῳ. καὶ διά τούτου σαρκὶ μεσιτεύοντος θεότιπτι καὶ παχυτητι. Τίς δὲ καὶ ὀ λόγος αὐτοῖς τῆς ὲνανθρωπήσεως, ἴδωμεν, είτουν σαρκώσεως, αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν. Εἰ μὲν ἵνα χωρηθῇ Θεὸς, άλλως άχώρητος ὢν, καὶ ὡς ὑπὸ παραπετάσματι τῇ σαρκὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις προσομιλήσῃ, κομψὸν τὸ προσωπεῖον αὐτοῖς, καὶ τδ δράμα τῆς ὑποκρίσεως ο ἵνα μὴ λέγω ὅτι καὶ ἄλλως ὁμιλῆσαι ἡμῖν οἷον τε ἦν, ὥσπερ ὲν βάτῳ πυρὸς καὶ ἀνθρωπίνῳ εῖδει τὸ πρότερον. Εἰ δὲ ἵνα λύσῃ τὸ κατάκριμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῷ ὁμοίῳ τὸ ὅμοιον ἁγιάσας, ὥσπερ σαρκὸς ἐδέησε διὰ τὴν σάρκα κατακριθεῖσαν, καὶ ψυχῆς διὰ τὴν ψυχὴν, οὕτω καὶ νοῦ διὰ τὸν νοῦν, οῦ πταίσαντα μόνον ὲν τῷ Ἀδάμ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρωτοπαθήσαντα, ὥσπερ οί ἰατροὶ λέγουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀρρωστημάτων. Ὅ γὰρ τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐδέξατο, τοῦτο καὶ τὴν ἐντολὴν οῦκ ἐφύλαξεν· ὃ δὲ οὐκ ἐφύλαξε, τοῦτο καὶ τὴν παράβασιν ἐτόλμησενο ὅ δὲ παρέβη, τοῦτο καὶ σωτηρίας ἐδεῖτο μάλιστα; δ δὲ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐδεῖτο, τοῦτο καὶ προσελήφθη · ὁ νοῦς ἄρα προσείληπται. Τοῦτο νῦν ἀποδέδεικται, κᾶν μὴ βούλωνται, γεωμετρικαίς, ὥς φασιν αὐτοὶ. καὶ ἀναγκαίαις αποδείξεσι. Σὺ δὲ ποιεῖς παραπλήσιον, ὥσπερ ἂν εί ὀφθαλμοῦ ἀνθρώπου πταίσαντος καὶ ποδὸς προσπταίσαντος, τὸν πόδα μὲν ἐθεράπευες, τὸν δὲ ὀφθαλμὸν ἀθεράπευτον είαςο ἢ ζωγράφου τι μὴ καλῶς γράψαντος, τὸ μὲν γραφὲν μετεποίεις, τὸν δὲ ζωγράφον ὡς κατορθοῦντα παρέτρεχες. Εἰ δὲ ὑπὸ τούτων ἐξειργόμενοι τῶν λογισμῶν, καταφεύγουσιν ἐπὶ τδ δυνατὸν εἶναι Θεῷ, καὶ χωρὶς νοῦ, σῶσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, δυνατὸν δή που καὶ χωρὶς σαρκὸς, μάγῳ τῷ βούλεσθαι, ὥσπερ καὶ τά ἄλλα πάντα ὲνεργεῖ, καὶ ἐνήργηκεν άσωμάτως. Ἀνελε οὖν μετὰ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ τὴν σάρκα, ἵνʼᾖ σοι τέλειον τὺ τῆς ἀπονοίας. Ἀλλʼ άπατῶνται ὑπὸ τοῦ γράμματος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῇ σαρκὶ προστρέχουσι, τὴν συνήθειαν τῆς Γραφῆς ### English translation (Claude) … God to flesh, as though he could not be bound otherwise, and for this reason you take away the middle wall. But my doctrine, that of an unphilosophical and uneducated man, is that mind is mingled with mind, as nearer and more akin, and through it with flesh, mind mediating between Godhead and grossness. And let us see what their account is of the becoming man, or the enfleshment, as they themselves say. If it is so that God, otherwise uncontainable, might be contained, and might converse with men through the flesh as behind a veil, then an elegant mask is theirs and a drama of play-acting; not to say that it was possible for him to converse with us in other ways too, as formerly in the bush of fire and in human form. But if it was to undo the condemnation of sin by sanctifying like by like, then just as flesh was needed for the flesh that had been condemned, and soul for the soul, so also mind for the mind, which not only fell in Adam but was the first to be affected, as doctors say of illnesses. For what received the commandment, that also did not keep the commandment; what did not keep it, that also dared the transgression; what transgressed, that most needed salvation; and what needed salvation, that also was assumed. Therefore the mind was assumed. This has now been demonstrated, whether they like it or not, by geometrical and necessary demonstrations, as they themselves say. But you are doing something like this: as if, when a man's eye had erred and his foot had stumbled as a result, you were to heal the foot and leave the eye unhealed; or when a painter had painted something badly, you were to alter the picture and pass over the painter as though he had done well. But if, shut out by these reasonings, they take refuge in the claim that it was possible for God to save man even without a mind, then it was possible, I suppose, without flesh too, by his will alone, just as he works and has worked everything else without a body. Take away, then, the flesh along with the mind, so that your madness may be complete. But they are deceived by the letter, and for this reason they run to the flesh, not knowing the usage of Scripture. ### Scripture references - Eph 2:14: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 3:2: allusion, high confidence - Gen 18:1–2: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The beginning of this page continues lost lines (…). The middle wall: Eph 2:14. The bush of fire: Exod 3:2; the human form: probably the appearances to Abraham (Gen 18). “Enfleshment” (σάρκωσις) was the Apollinarians' preferred term. “Not knowing” renders a word half lost at the foot of the page. Translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 187 (PG 37:188a–188d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-187). ## Letter 189 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-189 - Source: PG 37:189a–189d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory explains that “the Word became flesh” names the whole man by a part, as Scripture often does, and means that Christ took up our condition, as he is said to have become sin and a curse. ### Greek text ἁῄπῦντες. Ἡμεῖς αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῦτο διδάξομεν. ὀτι μὲν γὰρ πανταχοῦ τῆς Γραφῆς ἄνθρωπος καὶ Υὶᾲάνθρώπου προσαγορεύεται, τί δεῖ πρὸς εἰδότας καὶ λέγειν; Εἰ δὲ διισχυρίζονται τῷ, '0 Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο περιξέουσι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ κάλλιστον, ῶσπερ οἱ σκυτεῖς τα παχύτερα τῶν δερμάτων, ἵνα Θεὸν σαρκὶ συγκολλήσωσιν, ῶρα λέγειν αὐτοὺς καὶ σαρκῶν μόνων τὸν Θεὸν εἶναι θεὸν, ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ καὶ ψυχῶν, διὰ τὸ γεγράφθαι, Καθὼς ἔδωκας αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν πάσης σαρκὸς, καὶ, Πρὸς σὲ πᾶσα σὰρξ ἥξει, καὶ Εὑλογείτω πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ ὄνομα τό ἄτιον αὐτοῦ, τοῦτʼ ἔστι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος · ἢ πάλιν ἀσωμάτους, καὶ ἀοράτους καταβεδηκὲναι τοὺς πατέραςἡμῶν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ δεδέσθαι μόνην ὑπὸ τοῦ Φαραὼ, διὰ τὸ γεγράσ φθαι, Ἐν ἐόὃίλιμήκοιοτα πέντε ψυχαῖς κατέβησαν ειςΛτγιγπτοικ καὶ, Σίδιιρον διῆλθεν ἠ ψυχὴ αὑτοῦ πρᾶγμα δεθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενον. Ἀγνοοῦσι γὰρ οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες, ὅτι συνεκδοχικῶς τὰ τοιαῦτα ὀνομάζεται, ἀπὸ μέρους τοῦ παντὸς δηλουμένου ο ὥσπερ καὶ, Νεοσσοὶ τῶν κοράκων ἐπικαλοῦνται τὸν Θεὸν, ἴνʼἠ πτηνὴ δηλωθῇ φύσις, καὶ Πλειὰς καὶ Ἕσπερος καὶ Ἀρκτοῦρος μνημονεύονται ἀντὶ πάντων ἀστέρων, καὶ τῆς περὶ τούτους οἰκονομιας. Καὶ ἅμα οὐκ ἄλλως οἶόν τε ἦν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δη· λωτιῆναι περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀγάπην, ἢ ὲνκ τού μνημονεοδβἧλ ναι τὴν σάρκα, καὶ δτι διʼ ἡμᾶς κατέβη καὶ μέχρι τοῦ χείρονος. Σάρκα γὰρ εἶναι ψυχῆς είδτῦ λέστερον, πᾶς τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ὁμολογήσει. Τὸ οὖν, ’0 Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, ἴσον δοκεῖ μοι δύνασθαι τῷ καὶ ἁμαρτίαν αὐτὸν γεγονέναι λέγεσθαι καὶ κατάραν · οὐκ εἰς ταῦτα τοῦ Κυρίου μεταποιηθέντος, πῶς γάρ; ἀλλʼ ὼς διὰ τοῦ ταῦτα δέξασθαι τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν ἀναλαβόντος, καὶ τὰς νόσους βαστάσαντος. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἱκανῶς ἐν τῷ παρόντι διὰ τὸ σαφὲς καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς εῦληπτον. Οὐ γὰρ λογογραφεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐπισχεῖν τὴν ἀπάτην βουλόμενοι, ταῦτα γράφομεν, τὸν δὲ τελεώτερον περὶ τούτων λόγον, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ διὰ μακροτέρων ἀποδώσομεν. ### English translation (Claude) We will teach them this too. That everywhere in Scripture he is called man and Son of Man, what need is there to say to those who know it? But if they insist on “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” and for this reason shave off the noblest part of man, as cobblers do the thicker parts of hides, so as to glue God to flesh, it is time for them to say that God is God of flesh only and not of souls too, because it is written, “As you have given him authority over all flesh,” and “To you all flesh shall come,” and “Let all flesh bless his holy name,” that is, every man; or again, that our fathers went down into Egypt bodiless and invisible, and that only the soul of Joseph was bound by Pharaoh, because it is written, “With seventy-five souls they went down into Egypt,” and “The iron passed through his soul,” a thing that cannot be bound. For those who say these things do not know that such things are named by synecdoche, the whole being indicated by the part; as also “The young ravens call upon God,” to indicate the whole nature of birds, and the Pleiades and Hesperus and Arcturus are mentioned in place of all the stars and their ordering. And at the same time God's love for us could not be shown otherwise than by mentioning the flesh, and that for our sake he came down even to what is lower. For that flesh is less honourable than soul every sensible person will confess. So “The Word became flesh” seems to me to mean the same as his being said to have become sin and a curse; not that the Lord was changed into these (how could he be?), but that by accepting them he took up our iniquities and bore our diseases. This is enough for the present, for clearness and so as to be easily grasped by the many. For we write these things not to compose a treatise but to check the deception; and if it seems good, we will give a more complete account of these matters at greater length. ### Scripture references - John 1:14: quotation, high confidence - John 17:2: quotation, high confidence - Ps 65:2 (64:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 145:21 (144:21 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Acts 7:14: quotation, high confidence - Gen 46:27: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 105:18 (104:18 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 147:9 (146:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Job 38:31–32: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Cor 5:21: allusion, high confidence - Gal 3:13: allusion, high confidence - Isa 53:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - John 1:14; John 17:2; Ps 65:2 (LXX 64:3); Ps 145:21 (LXX 144:21); seventy-five souls: Gen 46:27 LXX; Acts 7:14 (the number is garbled in the scan and read by sense); Ps 105:18 (LXX 104:18); Ps 147:9 (LXX 146:9); the stars: Job 9:9; 38:31–32 (LXX); sin and a curse: 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; Isa 53:4; Matt 8:17. Translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 189 (PG 37:189a–189d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-189). ## Letter 191 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-191 - Source: PG 37:192a–192d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory rejects the Apollinarians' expectation of a restored Judaism and their graded Trinity (great, greater, greatest), confessing Father, Son and Spirit as one in nature, essence and power. ### Greek text ιαλιπεϊν ἀναγκαῖον. Ὄφελον καί ἀποκόψονται οι ἀναστατοῦντες ὑμᾶς, καὶ δεύτερον Ἰουδαϊσμὺν, καὶ … περιτομὴν, καὶ θυσίας δευτέρας εἰσάγοντες· εί γὰρ τοῦτο, τί κωλύει καὶ πάλιν γεννηθῆναι Χριπὸν εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῶν αὐτῶν. καὶ προδοθῆναι πάλιν ὑπὸ Ἰούδα, καὶ σταυρωθῆναι, καὶ ταφῆναι, καὶ ἀναστῆναι, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὰ πάντα τὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ικολουθίας, κατὰ τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν ἀνακύκλωσιν, αὐτὰ περιφερούσης τῆς αὐτῆς τῶν ἄστρων κινήσεωςς τίς γὰρ ἡ ἀποκλήρωσις, τὸ μὲν τι γενέσθαι τῶν τότε συμβάντων, τὸ δὲ παρεθῆναις τοῦτο δειξάτωσαν οἱ σοφοὶ, καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν βιβλίων φιλοτιμοὺ μενοι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῷπερὶ Τριάδος φυσιούμενοι λόγῳ, καο ταψεύδονται μὲν ἡμῶν, ὡς οὐχ ὑγιῶς ἑχόντων περὶ τὴν πίστιν, δελεάζουσι δὲ τοὺς πολλοὺς, ἐκεῖνο γι· νὼσκειν ἀναγκαῖον, ὅτι Ἀπολλινάριος μὲν τὸ τῆς θεότητος ὄνομα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δοὺς, τὴν δύναμιν τῆς θεότητος οὐκ ἐφύλαξε. Τὸ γὰρ ὲκ μεγάλου, καὶ μείζονος, καὶ μεγίστου συνιστᾷν τὴν Τριάδα, ὥσπερ ἐξ αὐγῆς, καὶ ἀκτῖνος, καὶ ἡλίου, τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς (ὅπερ σαφῶς ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνου γέγραπται λόγοις), κλίμαξ ἐστὶ θεότητος, οὐκ είς οὐρανὸν ἄγουσα, ἀλλʼ ἐξ οὖα ρανοῦ κατάγουσα Ἡμεῖς δὲ Θεὸν μὲν γινώσκομεν τὸν Πατέρα, καὶτὸν Υίδν, καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα · ταῦτα δὲ οὐ κλήσεις ψιλὰς, τεμνούσας ἀξιωμάτων ἢ δυνάμεων ἁνισότητας. ἀλλὰ μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ὥσπερ προσηγορίαν, οὕτω καὶ θεότητος φύσιν, καὶ οὐσίαν, καὶ δύναμιν. Εἰ δέ τις ταῦτα μὲν ὀρθῶς οτεται λέγεσθαι, ἔγκαλεϊ δὲ τὴν τῶν αίρετικῶν κοινωνίαν, δειξάτω τις τοῦτο τῶν ἡμετέρων · καὶ ἢ πείσομεν,ἦ ἁναχωρήσομεν. Πρὸ κρίσεως δὲ οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι καινοτομεῖν ἁσφαλὲς, μὴ ὅτι πρᾶγμα τοσοῦτον, κα). περὶ τηλικούτων. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν ταῦτα καὶ διεμαρτυράμεθα Θεὸν κα) ἀνθρώπους, καὶ διαμαρτυρόμεθα. Καὶ οὐδὲ νῦν, εὖ ῑσθι, ταῦτʼ ἂν ἐγράψαμεν. εί μὴ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἑωρῶμεν διασπωμένην, καὶ τεμνομένην, καὶ ταῖς ἄλλως τερατείαις. καὶ τῷ νῦν συνεδρίῳ τῆς ματαιότητος. Εἰ δέ τις ταῦτα λεγόντων ἡμῶν καὶ διαμαρτυρομένων, ἢ διὰ χρείας τινὰς, ### English translation (Claude) … which it is necessary not to pass over. Would that those who unsettle you would even cut themselves off, bringing in a second Judaism and a second circumcision and second sacrifices! For if so, what prevents Christ from being born again to set aside the same things, and from being betrayed again by Judas, and crucified, and buried, and rising again, so that everything may be fulfilled in the same sequence, according to the Greek doctrine of recurrence, the same motion of the stars bringing the same things round? For what is the principle of choice, that some of the things that happened then should come about and others be passed over? Let the wise men show this, who pride themselves on the number of their books. And since, puffed up by their teaching on the Trinity, they lie about us as not sound in the faith, and entice the many, it is necessary to know this: that Apollinarius, while granting the name of Godhead to the Holy Spirit, did not preserve the power of Godhead. For to make up the Trinity of great, greater and greatest, as of light, ray and sun, the Spirit, the Son and the Father (as is clearly written in his works), is a ladder of Godhead that does not lead up to heaven but leads down from heaven. But we know God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these not as bare names, dividing inequalities of rank or power, but, just as there is one and the same title, so one and the same nature, essence and power of Godhead. And if anyone thinks this rightly said, but charges us with communion with heretics, let any of our people show it; and we will either persuade him or withdraw. But before judgment it is not safe to innovate in anything else, let alone in so great a matter and about such great things. These things we have solemnly testified, and do testify, before God and men. And not even now, be well assured, would we have written this, if we had not seen the Church being torn apart and divided, both by their other prodigies and by the present council of vanity. But if anyone, while we say and testify these things, either for certain needs, ### Scripture references - Gal 5:12: quotation, high confidence - Gen 28:12: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The page begins after lost lines (…); Letter 101 continues. “Would that those who unsettle you would cut themselves off”: Gal 5:12. The “second Judaism” is the Apollinarian expectation of a restored temple, circumcision and sacrifices in a thousand-year kingdom. The ladder: cf. Gen 28:12. Running heads and a footnote marker in the scan are removed. The doctrinal statements are translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 191 (PG 37:192a–192d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-191). ## Letter 193 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-193 - Source: PG 37:193a–193d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory ends his first letter to Cledonius, mocking the Apollinarians' new psalms; in a second letter he declares he holds the faith of Nicaea, adding that the Holy Spirit is God. ### Greek text ἢ διὰ φόβον ἀνθρώπινον, ἦ διὰ μικροψυχίας ἀτόπους, ἦ διὰ τὸ ἀποίμαντον τέως καὶ ἀκυβέρνητον. ἦ διὰ τὸ ξενοχαρὲς, καὶ πρὸς τὰς καινοτομίας ἕτοιμον, διαπτύει μὲν ἡμᾶς, ὡς οὐδενὸς λόγου ἀξίους, προστρέχει δὲ τοῖς τοιούτοις, καὶ διαιρεῖ τὸ καλὸν σῶμα τῆς Ἕκκὶησὶας, αὐτὸς βαστάσει τὸ κρῖμα, ὅστις ἐὰν ᾗ, καὶ ὑφέξει τῷ Θεῷ λόγον ὲν ἡμέρα κρίσεως. Εἰ δὲ οἱ μακροὶ λόγοι, καὶ νέα ψαλτήρια, καὶ ἀντίφθογγα τῷ Δαβὶδ, καὶ ἡ τῶν μέτρων χάρις, ἡ τρῑτη διαθήκη νομίζεται, καὶ ἡμεῖς ψαλμοὶογήσομεν, καὶ πολλὰ γράψομεν καὶ μετρήσομεν. Ἐπειδὴ δοκοῦμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἔχεινʼ εἴπερ Πνεῦματος χάρις τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀνθρωπίνη καινοτομία. Ταῦτά σε βούλομαι διαμαρτύρασθαι τοὺς πολλοὺς, ἵνα μὴ βάρος ἔχωμεν, ὼς τοιοῦτο κα·κὸν παρορῶντες, καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ρᾳθυμίαν, πονηροῦ δόγματος νομὴν καὶ ἰσχὺν λαμβάνοντος. PB'. ΚΑΤΑ ΑΠΟΛΛΙΙΖξῗὲζΥΟΥ ΠΡΟΣ ΚΑΠΔΟ- ' ι τιυι ΕΠιΣΤΟΛΗ B'. Ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ, προσελθόντες τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ, πληροιρορίαν ζητοῦσι περὶ πίστεως, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπῄτησας ἡμᾶς ἁγαπητικῶς σύντομον ὅρον τινὰ καὶ κανόνα τοῦ ἡμετέρου φρονήματος, διὰ τοῦτο ἐγράψαμεν τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ (ὃ καὶ πρὸ τῶν γραμμάτων ἐγνώριζες), ὅτι ἡμεῖς τῆς κατὰ Νίκαιαν πίστεως, τῆς τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων τῶν ὲκεί συνελθόντων ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῆς Ἀρειανῆς αἱρέσεως, οὐδὲν οὔτε προετιμήσαμεν πώποτε, οὔτε προ· τιμᾷν δυνάμεθα, ἀλλʼ ἐκείνης ἐσμὲν τῆς πίστεως σὺν Θεῷ καὶ ἐσόμεθα, προσδιαρθροῦντες τὸ ἰλλιπῶς εἰρημένον ἐκείνοις περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος (διὰ τὸ μηδὲ κεκινῆσθαι τηνικαῦτα τοῦτο τὸ ζήτημα ). ὅτι μιᾶς θεότητος εἰδέναι χρὴ τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ τὸ ᾶγιον Πνεῦμα, Θεὸν καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα γινώσκοντας. Τοὺς οὖν οὕτω φρονοῦντας ### English translation (Claude) or from human fear, or from unseemly pettiness, or because they have so far been without shepherd and pilot, or from a love of novelty and readiness for innovation, spits upon us as worthy of no account and runs to such men, and divides the fair body of the Church, he will bear the judgment, whoever he may be, and will give account to God on the day of judgment. And if long discourses, and new psalters contrary to David, and the charm of metre are thought to be a third testament, we too will compose psalms, and write much, and put it into metre. For we too think that we have the Spirit of God, if indeed this is a grace of the Spirit and not a human innovation. These things I want you to testify to the many, so that we may not bear the blame, as though we overlooked such an evil, and a wicked doctrine gained pasture and strength through our negligence. [Letter 102. Against Apollinarius, to Cledonius: second letter] Since many have come to your Reverence seeking assurance about the faith, and you have therefore lovingly asked us for a brief definition and rule of our mind, we have therefore written to your Reverence (what you knew even before the letter) that we have never preferred anything, nor can prefer anything, to the faith of Nicaea, that of the holy fathers who met there to destroy the Arian heresy; but we are, and with God will be, of that faith, articulating further what they said incompletely about the Holy Spirit (because that question had not then been raised): that one must know the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit to be of one Godhead, knowing the Spirit also as God. Those, then, who think ### Scripture references - Gal 5:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 7:40: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “He will bear the judgment, whoever he may be”: Gal 5:10. “We too think that we have the Spirit of God”: 1 Cor 7:40. Apollinarius composed psalms and metrical works for use in worship. The Nicene creed (325) said only “and in the Holy Spirit”. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 193 (PG 37:193a–193d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-193). ## Letter 195 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-195 - Source: PG 37:196a–196d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory tells Cledonius to hold communion only with those who confess the Spirit as God and one Son, not two, and explains how the Apollinarians use orthodox words with a different sense. ### Greek text καὶ διδάσκοντας ἔχε κοινωνικοὺς, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς· τοὺς δὲ ἐτέρως ἔχοντας ἀποστρέφου, καὶ ἀλλοτρίους ἡγοῦ καὶτοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς θείας …ήσεως, εῖτουν σαρκώσεως κινεῖταί τι ζήτημα, καὶ τοῦτο διορίζου πᾶσι περ). ἡμῶν, ὅτι τὸν Υἱδν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸν γεννηθέντα ἐκ τοῦ Πατρδς, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου Μαρίας, είς ἐν ἄγομεν, καὶ οὑ δύο υἱοὺς ὀνομάζομεν, ἀλλʼ ἕνα καὶτὸν αὑτὸν ἐν ἀδιαιρέτῳ θεότητι καὶ τιμῇ προσκυνοῦμεν. Εἰ δέ τις οὐ συντίθεται τούτοιςὴ νῦν ἡ ὕστερον, αὐτὸς ὑφέξει τῷ Θεῷ λόγον ἐν ἡμέρα κρίσεως. Ἦ μὲν οὖν πρὸς τὴν ἀνόητον αὐτῶν περὶ τοῦ νοῦ δόξαν ἔνστασις ἡμῶν καὶ ἀντίθεσις, ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ, τοιαύτη καὶ οὕτως ἔχουσα· μόνοι γὰρ σχεδὸν ὃ δογματίζουσιν, ὅντως καὶ πάσχουσιν, ἀνοίᾳ τὸν νοῦν περικόπτοντες. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ κατηγορῶσιν ἡμῶν ὡς τὴν τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ Οὐῖταλίου πίστιν, ἡν ἀπαιτηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίου Δαμάσου τοῦ τῆς Ῥώμης ἐπισκόπου, ἔγγραφον ἐπιδέδωκε, πρότερον μὲν ἀποδεχομένων, νῦν δὲ ἀναινομένων, καὶ περὶ τούτου βραχέα δηλώσωμεν. Οὗτοι γὰρ ἡνίκα μὲν ἂν τοῖς γνησίοις αὐτῶν μαθηταῖς, καὶ μύσταις τῶν ἀπορρήτων θεολογῶσιν, ὥσπερ οἱ Μανιχαῖοι τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς λεγομένοις, ὃλην τὴν νόσον αὐτῶν ὲκκαλύπτοντες, μόλις καὶ τὴν σάρκα τῷ Σωτῆρι διδόασιν. Ὅταν δὲ ταῖς κοιναῖς ὑπολήψεσι περὶ τῆς ἐνανθρωπὴσεως, ἀς ἡ Γραφὴ παρίστησιν, ἐλέγχωνται καὶ πιέζωνται, τὰς μὲν εὐσεβεῖς λέξεις ὁμολογοῦσι, περὶ δέ τὸν νοῦν κακουργοῦσιν, οὐκ ἄψυχον μὲν, οὐδὲ ἄλογον, οὐδὲ ἄνουν, οὐδὲ ἀτελῆ ὁμολογοῦντες τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ψυχὴν δὲ καὶ λόγον, καὶ νοῦν, αὐτὴν εἰσάγοντες τὴν θεότητα, ὡς αὐτῆς τῇ σαρκὶ συγκραθείσης μόνης, ἀλλʼ οὐχ). καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων, εί καὶ τὸ ἀναμάρτητον κρεῖττον ἡ καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἦν, καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων παθῶν καθάρσιον. ### English translation (Claude) and teach so, hold in communion, as we too do; but turn away from those otherwise minded, and regard them as strangers to God and to the catholic Church. And since a question is also being raised about the divine becoming man, or enfleshment, make this clear to all on our behalf: that we bring into one the Son of God, begotten of the Father and afterwards of the holy Virgin Mary, and do not name two sons, but worship one and the same in undivided Godhead and honour. If anyone does not assent to this, now or later, he will give account to God on the day of judgment. This, then, in brief, is our objection and opposition to their senseless opinion about the mind; for they are almost the only people who really suffer what they teach, cutting off the mind by mindlessness. But so that they may not accuse us of having first accepted and now rejecting the faith of the beloved Vitalius, which he handed in in writing when asked for it by the blessed Damasus, bishop of Rome, let us say a few words about this too. When these men speak about God to their genuine disciples and the initiates of their secrets, like the Manichees to those they call the elect, they uncover their whole disease and scarcely allow the Saviour even flesh. But when they are refuted and pressed by the common understanding of the incarnation that Scripture presents, they confess the pious words but distort the sense, confessing the man to be not without soul, nor without reason, nor without mind, nor imperfect, but bringing in the Godhead itself as his soul and reason and mind, as though it alone were blended with the flesh, and not also what is ours and human, even though his sinlessness was above our condition and a cleansing of our passions. ### Translation notes - Vitalius, an Apollinarian bishop at Antioch, had submitted a confession of faith to Pope Damasus. “Enfleshment” (σάρκωσις) was the Apollinarians' preferred term. The doctrinal statements are translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 195 (PG 37:196a–196d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-195). ## Letter 197 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-197 - Source: PG 37:197a–197b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory shows how the Apollinarians misread “the mind of Christ”, “he became man” and “in the likeness of men”, at times making Christ's flesh gross and carnal, at times a mere appearance. ### Greek text Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ τὸ, Ἡμεῖς δέ γοῦν Χριστοῦ ἐχομεν, παρεξηγοῦνται κακῶς καὶ λίαν εὐήθως, νοῦν Χριστοῦ τὴν θεότητα λέγοντες, οὐχ, ὅπερ ἡμεῖς, ὑπολαμβάνοντες, ὅτι οἱ τὸν ἑαυτῶν νοῦν καθήραντες μιμήσει τοῦ νοὸς ἐκείνου, ὅνπερ ἡμῶν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἀνεδέξατο, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ρυθμίζοντες, ὡς ἐφικτὸν, οὗτοι νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχειν λέγονται· ὡς καὶ σάρκα Χριστοῦ μαρωρηθείεν ἂν ἔχειν ἐκεῖνοι οι τὴν σάρκα παιδαγωγήσαντες, καὶ σύσσωμοι καὶ συμμέτοχοι Χριστοῦ κατὰ τοῦτο γενόμενοι ’ καὶ, Ὠς ἐφορέσαμεν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ, οὕτω, φησι, φορέσομεν καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἐπουρανίου. υῦτω δὲ καὶ τέλειος αὐτοῖς ἄνθρωπος, οὐχ ὁ πεπειρασμένος κατὰ πάντα τὰ ἡμέτερα χωρὶς ἀμαρτῗας, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὲκ Θεοῦ καὶ σαρκὸς σύγκραμα δογμα- τῖζεται. Τούτου γὰρ, φασὶ, τί τελειότερον; Τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ περὶ τὴν τῆς ὲνανΘρωπήσεως κακουργοῦσι φωνὴν, τὸ ὲνηνθρώπησεν, ούκ ὲν ἀνθρώπῳ γέγονεν, ὃν ἑαυτῷ περιέπηξεν, ὲξηγούμενοι, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐγίνωσκε τί ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ἀλλʼ ἀνθρώποις ὡμίλησε, καὶ συνεπολιτεύσατο, λέγοντες καὶ διδάσκοντες, καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνην καταφεύγοντες τὴν φωνὴν, τήν · Μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνεστράρη, λέγουσαν. Καὶ τί ἄν τις ἀγωνίζοιτο ἐπὶ …; Οἱ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποσκευαζόμενοι, καὶ τὴν ἐντὸς εἰκόνα, τὸ ἐκτὸς ἡμῶν καθαρίζουσι μόνον διὰ τοῦ καινοῦ προσωπείου, καὶ τοῦ ὁρωμένου, τοσοῦτον ἑαυτοῖς μαχόμενοι, ὡς ποτὲ μὲν διὰ τὴν σάρκα καὶτὰ ἄλλα παχέως καὶ σαρκικῶς ἐξηγεῖσθαι (ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὁ δεύτερος ’1ουδαῑσμὸς ὥρμηται, καὶ ἡ χὰιοὲτης καὶ ληρώδης ὲν τῷ παραδείσῳ τρυφὴ, καὶ σχεδὸν τὸ τὰ αὐτὰ πάλιν ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀναλαμβάνειν ἡμᾶς), ποτὲ δὲ δόκησιν μᾶλλον ἢάλήθειαν τῆς σαρκὸς είσάγειν, ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν ἡμετέρων παθούσης. οὐδὲ ὅσα τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐστὶν ἐλεύθερα, καὶ κεχρῆσθαι πρὸς τοῦτο τῇ ἁποστολικῇ φωνῇ, οὐκ ἀποστολικῶς νοουμένῃ, ἢ λεγομένῃ, ὲν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων τὸν Σωτῆρα ἡμῶν γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ σχήματι εὑρῆσθαι ὡς ἄνθρωπον, ὡς ούχῖ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου εἴδους ὲν τούτοις δηλουμένου, ### English translation (Claude) So too they misinterpret, badly and very simple-mindedly, “But we have the mind of Christ,” saying that the mind of Christ is the Godhead; not understanding, as we do, that those who have purified their own mind by imitating that mind which the Saviour took from us, and shape it to his as far as is possible, are said to have the mind of Christ; just as those who have disciplined the flesh might be attested to have the flesh of Christ, becoming of one body and partakers with Christ in this respect; and, “As we have borne the image of the earthly,” he says, “so we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” So too for them the perfect man is not the one who was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin; but they teach as dogma the blend of God and flesh. “For what,” they say, “is more perfect than this?” The same trick they play on the word for the incarnation: “he became man” they explain not as “he was in the man whom he fixed around himself,” according to the saying “For he himself knew what was in man,” but as “he associated and lived with men,” speaking and teaching; and they take refuge in that saying, “After this he appeared on earth and lived among men.” And why should one contend over … ? They discard the man and the inner image, and cleanse only our outer part by their new mask, the visible one, so much at war with themselves that at one time, because of the flesh, they interpret everything else grossly and carnally (from this their second Judaism started, and their foolish and drivelling thousand-year luxury in paradise, and almost our taking up the same things again on the same terms), and at another time they bring in a seeming rather than a reality of flesh, as though it suffered nothing of ours, not even what is free from sin; and for this they use the apostolic saying, not understood or spoken apostolically, that our Saviour came to be in the likeness of men and was found in fashion as a man, as though the human form were not meant by these words, ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 2:16: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:49: quotation, high confidence - Heb 4:15: allusion, high confidence - John 2:25: quotation, high confidence - Phil 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Rev 20:4–6: allusion, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Bar 3:38 (Baruch): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “We have the mind of Christ”: 1 Cor 2:16. “As we have borne the image of the earthly”: 1 Cor 15:49. Tempted in all things yet without sin: Heb 4:15. “He himself knew what was in man”: John 2:25. “After this he appeared on earth and lived among men”: Bar 3:38, read by the Fathers of Christ. The likeness of men: Phil 2:7. The thousand-year kingdom: cf. Rev 20:4–6. A word after “contend over” is garbled in the scan (…). Translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 197 (PG 37:197a–197b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-197). ## Letter 199 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-199 - Source: PG 37:200a–200d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory explains why Damasus condemned Vitalius's confession, and ridicules the Apollinarian slogan “not a God-bearing man but a flesh-bearing God”, as if the faith were only thirty years old. ### Greek text φαντασίας δέ τινος ἀπατηλῆς κα) δοκήσεως. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν αἱ φωναὶ αὗται, καλῶς μὲν νοούμεναι, μετὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας εἰσὶ, κακῶς δὲ ἐξ. ηγούμεναι, τὸ δυσσεὸὲς ἔχουσι, τί θαυμαστὸν, εί καὶ τοὺς Οὐῖταλίου λόγους, ἡμεῖς μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ εὐσεβέστερον ἐδεξάμεθα, οῦτω τοῦ θέλειν πείθοντος, ἄλλοι δὲ πρὸς τὸν τῶν γεγραμμένων νοῦν άγριαίνουσιν; ὃ μοι δοκεῖ, καὶ Δάμασος αὐτὸς μεταδιδαχθεὶς. καὶ ἅμα πυθόμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων μένειν αὐτοὺς ἐξηγήσεων. ἁποκηρύκτους αὐτοὺς πεποιῆσθαι. καὶ τὸ γραμματεῖον ἀνατετραφέναι τῆς πίστεως σὺν άναΟεματισμῷ· καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν ἀπάτην αὐτῶν δυσχεράνας, ἡν ἔπαθεν ἐξ ἁπλότητος. Ταῦτʼ οὖν ἑληλεγμένοι σαφῶς, μὴ χαλεπαινέτωσαν, ἀλλʼ ὲντρεπέσθωσαν, μηδὲ καταψευδέσθωσαν, ἀλλὰ συστελλέσθωσαν, καὶ τῶν πυλώνων ἐξαλειφέτωσαν τὸ μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν αὐτῶν ὲκεῖνο πρόγραμμά τε καὶ κήρυγμα τῆς όρθοδοξίας, μετὰ ζητήματος εὐθὺς ἀπαντῶντες τοῖς εἰσιοῦσι καὶ διακρίσεως, τὸ δεῖν προσκυνεῖν μὴ ἄνθρωπον θεοφόρον, ἀλλὰ Θεὸν σαρκοφόρον. Οὗ τί γένοιτʼ ἂν ἀλογώτερον, κᾶν τῷ ῥήματι τούτῳ μέγα φρονῶσιν οί νέοι τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκες; χάριν μὲν γὰρ ἔχει τινὰ σοφιστικὴν τῷ τάχει τῆς ἀντιστῳφῆς, καὶ ψηφολογικὴν τερατείαν, τοὺς ἀπαιδεύτους τέρπουσαν ο ἔστι δὲ τῶν γελοίων γελοιότερον, καὶ τῶν ἀσυνέτων άσυνετώτερον. Εἰ γάρ τις μεταβαλὼν τὴν, ἄνθρωπος, φωνὴν, καὶ τὴν, σὰρξ, είς Θεὸν (ὧν τὸ μὲν ἡμῖν ἀρέσκει, τὸ δὲ αὐτοῖς), ἔπειτα τῇ ἀντι· ’ στροφῇ χρήσαιτο τῇ θαυμασία ταύτῃ καὶ θεογνώστῳ, τί συναχθήσεταις τὸ δεῖν προσκυνεῖν μὴ σάρκα θεοφόρον, ἀλλὰ Θεὸν ἀνθρωποφόρον. Ὢ τῆς ἀτοπίαςί τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην μετὰ Χριστὸν σοφίαν σήμερον ἡμῖν καταγγέλλουσιν, ἐφʼ ᾧ καὶ δακρύειν ἄξιον. Εἰ γάρ πρὸ τριάκοντα τούτων ἑτῶν ἡ πίστις μήρξατο. τετρακοσίων σχεδὸν ἐτῶν γεγονότων ἀφʼ οὗ Χριστὸς πεφανέρωται, κενὸν ἒν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ τὸ Εὑαγγέλιον ἡμῶν, κενὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν, καί μάτην οἱ μὲν μαρτυρήσαντες ἐμαρτύρησαν, μάτην δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ προέστησαν οἱ τοιοῦτοι καὶ τηλικοῦτοι προστάται. καὶτῶν μέ·τρων ἡ χάρις, ἀλλʼ οὺ τῆς πίστεως. ### English translation (Claude) but some deceptive appearance and seeming. Since, then, these expressions, rightly understood, are in accord with piety, but wrongly interpreted contain impiety, what is surprising if we took the words of Vitalius in the more pious sense, our wish persuading us so, while others are infuriated at the meaning of what was written? This, it seems to me, is why Damasus himself, when he had been better informed and at the same time had learned that they held to their former interpretations, disowned them and overturned the written statement of faith with an anathema, vexed at the very deception he had suffered through simplicity. Since they have been clearly refuted in this, let them not be angry but ashamed; let them not lie but be humbled; and let them erase from their gateways that great and wonderful proclamation and announcement of their orthodoxy, with which they meet those who come in, at once with a question and a test: that one must worship not a God-bearing man but a flesh-bearing God. What could be more senseless than this, even if these new heralds of the truth pride themselves on the phrase? It has a certain sophistical charm from the quickness of its inversion, and a juggler's trickery that delights the uneducated; but it is more ridiculous than the ridiculous and more foolish than the foolish. For if one changed the words “man” and “flesh” into “God” (the one is our choice, the other theirs), and then used this wonderful and God-taught inversion, what will follow? That one must worship not a God-bearing flesh but a man-bearing God. O the absurdity! They proclaim to us today a wisdom hidden since Christ, which is worth weeping over. For if the faith began thirty years ago, when nearly four hundred years have passed since Christ was made manifest, our gospel has been empty for so long a time, and empty our faith, and in vain have the martyrs borne witness, and in vain have such and so great leaders presided over the people. … and the charm is that of metre, not of faith. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 15:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The slogan contrasted ἄνθρωπος θεοφόρος (“God-bearing man”) with Θεὸς σαρκοφόρος (“flesh-bearing God”). Empty gospel and faith: cf. 1 Cor 15:14. The last phrase of the page seems to belong to lines partly lost in the scan (…). Translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 199 (PG 37:200a–200d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-199). ## Letter 201 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-201 - Source: PG 37:201a–201c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory turns the Apollinarians' charge back on them: they themselves divide Christ's human and divine acts, yet accuse him of dividing the union; he insists he longs for peace. ### Greek text τίς δὲ οὔκ ἂν αὐτοὺς ἀγάσαιτο τῆς παιδεύσεως, οῖ σαφῶς αὐτοὶ τά Χριστοῦ διαιροῦντες, καὶ τὸ μὲν, ἐγεννήθη, καὶ ὲπειράσθη, καὶ ὲπείνησε, καὶ ἐδίψησεν, ἐκοπίασὲ τε καὶ ὕπνωσε, τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ προσ· νέμοντες, τὺ δὲ, ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων ἐδοξάσθη, καὶ τὸν πειραστὴν ἐνίκησε, καὶ ἔθρεψε λαὸν ἐν ἐρήμῳ, καὶ ἔθρεψεν οὓτω, καὶ ὕπερθεν θαλάσσης ἐπέζωσε, τῇ θεότητι λογιζόμενον καὶ τὸ μὲν, Ποῦ τεθείκατε Λάζαρον, ἡμέτερον εἶναι λέγοντες, τὸ δὲ, Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω, βοᾷν, καὶ τὸν τετραήμερον νεκρὸν ἐγείρειν, ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς · καὶ τὸ μὲν, ὴγωνίασε, καὶ ἐσταυρώθη, καὶ ἐτάφη, τοῦ προκαλύμματος, τὸ δὲ, ἐθάρσησε, καὶ ἀνέστη, καὶ ἀνέὄη, τοῦ θησαυρίσματοςςἚπειτα κατηγοροῦσιν ήμῶν, ὡς δύο φύσεις είσαγόντων ἀπηρτημένας, ἢ μαχομένας, καὶ μεριζόντων τὴν … καὶ θαυμασίαν ἕνωσινο δέον ή μὴ ποιεῖν ὃ κατηγοροῦσιν, ἢ μὴ κατηγορεῖν ὃ πράττουσιν, εἴπερ ἑαυτοῖς γοῦν ἀκολουθεῖν ἐγνώκεισαν, ἀλλὰ μὴ καὶ τά ῐδια λέγειν, καὶ τά τῶν ἀντιπάλων. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ή ἀλογία· καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀπομάχεται, ὼς μηδὲ περι·πξπτοντας αὐτοὺς ἑαυτοῖς ἢ νοεῖν, ή αἰσχύνεσθαι. Καὶ εί τις οῖεται ταῦτα γράφειν ἡμᾶς ἢ λέγειν ἑκόντας, ἀλλʼ οὐ τυραννουμένους, καὶ τὴν ἕνωσιν ἀποσπεύδοντας, ἀλλʼ οὐχ). καὶ λίαν σπουδάζοντας, ἴστω κακῶς φρονῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἐστοχασμένως τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπιθυμίας, οἷς οὐδὲν εἰρήνης ἐστὶν, γέγονε προτιμότερον, ὡς αὐτὰ πείθει τά πράγματαʼ κᾶν ά ποιοῦσί τε καὶ νεανιεύονται καθʼ ἡμῶν ἀποκλείει παντάπασι τήν ὁμόνοιαν. ιιῐν. ΠΔΛΛΑΔΙῼ. ### English translation (Claude) And who would not admire their learning, when they themselves clearly divide the things of Christ, assigning “he was born, and was tempted, and hungered and thirsted, and was weary and slept” to the human element, but reckoning “he was glorified by angels, and conquered the tempter, and fed a people in the desert, and fed them in such a way, and walked upon the sea” to the Godhead; and saying that “Where have you laid Lazarus?” is ours, but to cry “Lazarus, come out!” and raise the man four days dead is above us; and that “he was in agony, and was crucified, and was buried” belongs to the veil, but “he took courage, and rose, and ascended” to the treasure within; and then they accuse us of bringing in two natures, separated or at war, and of dividing the … and wonderful union! They should either not do what they accuse, or not accuse what they do, if they had decided at least to be consistent with themselves, and not to say both their own things and their opponents'. Such is unreason: it fights both against itself and against the truth, so that they neither notice nor are ashamed when they collide with themselves. And if anyone thinks that we write or say these things willingly and not under compulsion, and that we are eager to escape union rather than very eager for it, let him know that he thinks wrongly and has not guessed our desire; for nothing has been more precious to us than peace, as the facts themselves show, even if what they do, and their swaggering against us, shuts out concord altogether. [Letter 103. To Palladius] ### Scripture references - Matt 4:1–11: allusion, high confidence - Matt 14:13–21: allusion, high confidence - Matt 14:25: allusion, high confidence - John 11:34: quotation, high confidence - John 11:43: quotation, high confidence - Luke 22:44: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Gregory lists acts commonly assigned to Christ's humanity and to his divinity: Luke 2:7; Matt 4:1–11; John 4:6; Matt 8:24; Matt 14:13–21; 14:25; John 11:34, 43; Luke 22:44. The “veil” is the flesh, the “treasure” the Godhead. A word before “and wonderful union” is garbled in the scan (…). Translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 201 (PG 37:201a–201c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-201). ## Letter 203 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-203 - Source: PG 37:204a–204d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory again commends young Euphemius to Palladius; then he brings the widow Philumena before the governor Olympius, asking him to help widows and orphans. ### Greek text οὐ τὴν δυναστείαν θεραπεύων, ἀλλὰ τὸν τρόπον τιμῶν, οὐ μικροί μὲν κήρυκες ῐσως ἡμεῖς, πλὴν τὸ εἰς δύναμιν οὐκ ἐλλείποντεςο καὶ οὐ κήρυκες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ συναγωνισταὶ, ταῖς εὐχαῖς τὸ δύνασθαι συνεισφέροντες. Μέχρι τούτου στῆσαι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐβουλόμην ° ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τὸ Θεῖον οὐ σέβομεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὺ εὐεργετεῖν ἀπαιτοῦμεν ο δέξαι καὶ αὐτὸς οὐ διοχλούμενος παρʼ ἡμῶν (οὐ γὰρ δχλος σοι τὰ ὴμέτεραʼ τοῖς προλαβοῦσι, τοῦτο εἰκάζειν ἔχω), ἀλλʼ ὑπομιμνησκόμενος παρʼ ἡμῶν · τὸν σὺν ίκέτην Εὐφήμιον πάλιν προσάγω σοι, καὶ πάλιν καθικετεύω, μὴ μόνον φιλανθρώπως δέξασθαι τὸν νέον, καὶ συγγνῶναι τῆς βραδυτῆτος, ἐπειδὰν όρφανικοῖς πράγμασιν ἐπιστὰς ἀναγκαίως ὴσχολήθη περὶ τὸ οἰκίδιον ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ πρόσω ἀγαγεῖν προθυμήθητι, είς τιμήν τε ἡμετέραν, καὶδόξαν τῆς σῆς καλοκαγαθίας. Πολλῶν γὰρ δντων οὓς εὖ πεποίηκας καὶ ποιεῖς, οὐδενός σοι τοῦτο εἰς ’φιλοτιμίαν ἔλαττον, ὡς παρὼν ἐδίδαξα. Καὶ νῦν ἀξιῶ πιστευθῆναγ ὀ γὰρ αὐτὸς καὶ διὰ τὴν ὀρφανίαν ἐλεεινὸς, καὶ διὰ τὸν τρόπον ἀγαπητὸς ἡμῖν, ῖνα μὴ λέγω διὰ τὴν ἀγχιστείαν τοῦ αἵματος. PA'. ΟΛΥΜΠΙῼ Τὰς μὲν ἄλλας χάριτας, ὅσων ἔτυχον, εἰληφὼς οἶδα παρὰ τῆς σῆς ἡμερότητος* καὶ σὲ ἀντὶ τούτων ἀμείψαιτο τοῖς παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ χρηστοῖς ό Θεὸς. ἓν δὲ τῶν χρηστῶν εὐδόκιμον καὶ λαμπρὸν διεξελθεῖν τὴν ἀρχήν. Ἢν δὲ νῦν αἰτῶ, δώσων ἔρχομαι μᾶλλον, ἢπερ ληψόμενος, εἰ μὴ φορτικὸν εἰπεῖν. Τὴν ἀθλίαν Φιλουμένην διʼ ἐμαυτοῦ προσάγω σοι, καὶ τῇ σῇ δίκῃ προσπεσουμένην, καὶ ὑμῖν τὰ δάκρυα στήσουσαν, οἷς συντρίβει τὴν ἡμετέραν ψυχήν. Ἀ μὲν οὖν ἠδίκηται, καὶ παρʼ ὧν, αὐτὴ δηλώσει. Οὐ γὰρ ήμῖν γε κατηγορεῖν οὐδενὸς ἀσφαλές. Αὐτοὺς δὲ τοσοῦτον εἰπεῖν ἀναγκαῖον, ὅτι χηρεία καὶ ὀρφανία, πᾶσι μὲν βοηθητέα τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι, μάλιστα δὲ, οἷς γυνὴ καί τέκνα ὲν μέσῳ, τὰ μεγάλα ### English translation (Claude) … not courting power, but honouring character. We are perhaps not small heralds, but we do not fall short as far as we are able; and not heralds only, but also fellow contenders, contributing what power we have by our prayers. I wanted to end the letter at this point; but since we do not only revere what is divine but also ask it for benefits, accept this too, not as being troubled by us (for our affairs are no trouble to you, as I can guess from what went before), but as being reminded by us: I again present to you your suppliant Euphemius, and again beseech you not only to receive the young man kindly and forgive his slowness, since, having taken charge of the affairs of orphans, he was necessarily busy with his little house; but also be eager to advance him, for our honour and the glory of your goodness. For of the many whom you have benefited and benefit, none will bring you less credit than he, as I explained when I was with you. And now I ask to be believed; for he is pitiable for his orphanhood and dear to us for his character, not to mention the closeness of blood. [Letter 104. To Olympius] All the other favours I have obtained I know I have received from your gentleness; and may God repay you for them with his own good things, one of which is to complete your term of office with good repute and splendour. What I now ask, I come to give rather than to receive, if it is not too bold to say so. I myself bring to you the wretched Philumena, who will fall at the feet of your justice and set before you the tears with which she crushes our soul. In what she has been wronged, and by whom, she herself will make known; for it is not safe for us to accuse anyone. But this much it is necessary to say: that widowhood and orphanhood must be helped by all who have sense, and especially by those who have a wife and children in their midst, those great ### Translation notes - The opening of Letter 103 (to Palladius) is lost in the scan. Olympius was governor of Cappadocia Secunda (382). (The public-domain translation of Letter 104 was seen before translating it; the translation was made from the Greek.) ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 203 (PG 37:204a–204d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-203). ## Letter 205 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-205 - Source: PG 37:205a–205d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory ends his plea for Philumena; then, too ill to come, he asks Olympius to deal gently with a man named Paul who has been brought before him. ### Greek text τοῦ ἐλεεῖν ἐνέχυρα ο ἐπειδή γε ἀνθρώποις δικὲζομεν, ὄντες ἄνθρωποι. Ἡμῖν δὲ συγγνώμη τοῦ διʼ ἐπιστολῶν ταῦτα πρεσβεύειν, ἐπειδή γε τῷ ἀρρωστεῖν ζημιούμεθα ἄρχοντος οὕτω δεξιοῦ, καὶ οὕτω θαυμαστοῦ τὴν ἀρετὴν, ὡς καὶ τά προοίμια τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς εἶναι τιμιώτερα τῆς διὰ τέλους ἑτέρων εὐδοκιμή σεως. · '0 μὲν καιρὸς ὀξὺς, ὁ δὲ ἀγὼν πολὺς, ἡ δὲ νόσος βαρεῖα, μικροῦ καὶ ἀκινήτους ἡμᾶς ποιήσασα. Τι λοιπὸν, ἢ Θεοῦ δεηθῆναι, καὶ τὴν σὴν ἱκετεῦσαι φιλεινθρωπίανο τοῦ μὲν, ἐπὶ νοῦν ἀγαγεῖν σοι τὰ χρηστότεραο τὴν δὲ. μὴ τραχέως ἀποπέμψασθαι τὴν ἡμετέραν πρεσβείαν, ἀλλʼ ἡμέρως δέξασθαι τὸν ἄθλιον Παῦλον, ὃν ὑπὸ χεῖρας ἢγαγεν ἠ δίκη τὰς σὰς, ἴσως τνα σε λαμπρότερον ἐργάσηται τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ἡμερότητος, καὶ τὰς ἡμετέρας εὐχὰς, εἴ τινές εἰσι, τῇ σῇ προξενήσῃ φιλανθρωπίας ### English translation (Claude) pledges of pity, since we who judge men are men ourselves. Forgive us for interceding for these things by letter, since through our sickness we are deprived of so excellent a governor, so admirable in virtue that the beginnings of your office are more honourable than the good repute others win at the end. [Letter 105. To the same] The occasion is urgent, the contest great, and the sickness heavy, having made us almost unable to move. What remains, but to pray to God and beseech your kindness: God, to bring better counsels to your mind; you, not to dismiss our intercession harshly, but to receive gently the wretched Paul, whom justice has brought under your hands, perhaps so as to make you more brilliant by the greatness of your gentleness, and to commend our prayers, if they are worth anything, to your kindness. ### Translation notes - The heading of Letter 105 is lost in the scan; it is addressed to Olympius. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 205 (PG 37:205a–205d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-205). ## Letter 207 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-207 - Source: PG 37:208a–208b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory explains to friends the Lenten silence he has undertaken: it teaches measure in speech, tames anger, and teaches silence by example. ### Greek text PZ'. ΚΔΗΔΟΝΙῼ Ἐρωτᾷς τί βούλεται ἡμῖν ὴ σιγής Βούλεται λόγου μέτρα καὶ σιωπῆς. '0 γὰρ τοῦ παντὸς κρατήσας, ῥᾷον κρατήσει τοῦ μέρους · πρὸς δὲ καὶ θυμὸν ήμεροῖ, μὴ λαλούμενον, ἀλλʼ ὲν ἐαυτῷ δαπανώο Σιωπῶμεν τῷ λόγῳ, ’τδ λαλεῖν ἃ. εχρὴ διδασκόμενοι, »καὶ τῶν παθῶν ἐπικρατεῖν γυμναζόμεθι. El μέν τις δέχεται τοῦτο, καλῶς ο εί δὲ μὴ, καὶ τοῦτο κέρδος τῆς σιωπῆς, τὸ τοῖς πολλοῖς μηδὲν ἀπτοκρίνεσθαι. pe. Tn Αγτᾳ. Οὐ κωλύω τὴν συντυχίαν ο εί γὰρ καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα σιγᾷ, τά γε ὦτα ἡδέως τοῖς σοῖς λόγοις παρἕξομεν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ λαλεῖν ἃ χρὴ, τὸ ἀκούειν οὐκ ἀτιμότερον. ’ Pl'. ΠΑΔΛΑΔΙῼ. Καινδς τῆς νουθεσίας ὁ τρόπος* ἐπειδὴ γὰρ λα. λῶνοῠκ ἐπεῖχον τὰς γλώσσας, τῇ σιωπῇ τὸ σιγᾷν ἐδίδαξα, τῷ ὁμοίῳ τὸ ὅμοιον ἑκπαιδεύων. οὗτος καὶ Χριστοῦ νόμος· ἐπειδὴ νομοθετῶν ἡμῖν, οὐκ ἐκάθηρεν ο ἡμεροῖ τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, κατὰ τὴν μεγάλην αὑτοῦ τῆς περὶ ἡμᾶς οἰκονομίας φιλανθρωπίαν. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 107. To Cledonius] You ask what our silence means. It means measure in speech and in silence. For he who has mastered the whole will more easily master the part; besides, it tames anger, which, when it is not spoken out, is spent within itself. We keep silence in speech, learning to say what we ought, and we train ourselves to master the passions. If anyone accepts this, well; if not, this too is a gain of silence, to make no answer to the many. [Letter 108. To the same] I do not forbid a meeting; for even if my tongue is silent, we will gladly lend our ears to your words, since hearing is no less honourable than saying what one ought. [Letter 109. To Palladius] The manner of my admonition is new: since by speaking I could not restrain tongues, I have taught silence by silence, training like by like. This is also the law of Christ; for in giving us his law he did not … ; he tames man by what is human, according to the great kindness of his economy toward us. ### Translation notes - Gregory kept silence during Lent of 382. A verb after “he did not” is probably corrupt in the scan (it reads “cleanse”); the sense is uncertain (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 207 (PG 37:208a–208b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-207). ## Letter 209 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-209 - Source: PG 37:209a–209d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, keeping his Lenten silence, invites Eulalius to share their disciplines; then he writes to the judge Celeusius, rebuking him for not fasting and for putting on shameful shows. ### Greek text PfA'. ΕΥΛΛΔῙῼ. Σὺ φιλοσοφεῖς τὴν ὲρημίαν, καὶ τὴν ἄμετρον οὕτω νηστείαν, ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν σιωπήν. Μεταδῶμεν ἀλλήλοις τοῦ χαρίσματοςο ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἐίς ἓν γενώμεθα, ιιοινῇ τὸν … ᾀσόμεθα, καρποφοροῦντες ὥσπερ εὔλογον σιωπὴν, οὕτω καὶ λόγον ἔνθεον. ΚΕΛΕΥΣΙῼ. ' Εἰσεδεξάμην σε καὶ σιωπῶν. ἵνα μάθῃς καὶ σιωπῆς λόγον τῇ γραφίδι λαλούμενον. Λαλήσω δὲ ἆ πρέπὲιφιλίᾳ καὶ τοιούτῳ καιρῷ. Παρανομεῖς, ὁ δικαστὴς ού νηστεύων· καὶ πῶς φυλάξεις τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους νόμους, τοὺς θείους περιφρονῶν; καθαρόν σου τὸ δικαστήριον, ἵνα μὴ δυοῖν ἓν,ἢ γίνῃ κακὸς, ἦ νομίζῃ. Τὸ προτιθέναι θέας αἰσχρὰς, ἑαυτὸν ἐστὶ θεατρίζειν. Κεφάλαιον τοῦ λόγου, ῐσθι κρινόμενος, ὁ κριτης, διαὶ ἦττον ἁμαρτήσεις. Τούτων οὐδὲν εἶχόν σοι παρασχεῖν ἄμεινον. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 110. To Eulalius] You practise philosophy in solitude and in fasting so beyond measure; I in silence. Let us share the gift with one another; and when we come together, we will sing … in common, bearing the fruit of inspired speech as of reasonable silence. [Letter 112. To Celeusius] I received you even while silent, so that you may learn that silence too has a speech, spoken by the pen. I will speak what befits friendship and such a season. You break the law, judge, by not fasting; and how will you keep human laws while despising the divine? Keep your court pure, lest one of two things happen: either you become bad or you are thought so. To put on shameful spectacles is to make a spectacle of oneself. The sum of what I say: know that you are being judged, judge, and you will sin less. I had nothing better than this to give you. ### Translation notes - Letter numbers follow the readable headings; Letter 111 is not in the scan text. The object of “we will sing” is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 209 (PG 37:209a–209d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-209). ## Letter 211 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-211 - Source: PG 37:212a–212d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory tells the fable of the chattering swallows rebuked by the silent swans, to answer a critic of his Lenten silence: swans sing when jackdaws are silent. ### Greek text ὢν Πανδίωνα,τάς τΑθήνας, τὸν Τηρέα, τὴν Θρᾴκην,τὴν“ἀποδη μίαν, τὸ κῆδος, τὴν ὓόριν, τὴν ἐκτομὴν τῆς γλώττης, τά γράμματα, καὶέπὶ πᾶσι τὸνἽτυν, καὶ ὡς ἐγενόμεθα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὄρνιθες. Οἱ δὲ μόλις μὲν αὐτάς ἠξίωσαν καὶ λόγου, τῆς ἀδολεσχίας μισήσαντες ο ἐπεὶ δὲ ἠξίωσαν, Ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς μὲν ἕνεκεν ὧν, ὦ αὗται, κᾶν είς τὴν ἐρημίαν ἀφίκοιτό τις, ὥστε ἀκοῦσαι τῆς μουσικῆς, ὅταν ἀνῶμεν τῷ Ζεφύρῳ τὰς πτέρυγας, ἐμπνεῖν ἡδύ τι καὶ ἐναρμόνιονο ὥστʼ εἰ μὴπολλά καὶ ὲν πολλοῖς ᾄδομεν, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο κάλλιστόν ἐστιν ἡμῶν, ὅτι μέτρῳ φιλοσοφοῠμεν τὸ μέλος, καί οὐκ ἀναμίγνυμεν θορύβοις τὴν μουσικήν. ’Υμᾶς δὲ καὶ είσοικιζομένας οἱ ἄνθρωποι δυσχεο ραίνουσι, καὶ ᾀδούσας ἀποστρέφονται* καὶ μάλα ἐν δίκῃ, αἵγε ούδέ ὲκτμηθεϊσαι τὴν γλῶτταν δύνασθε σιωπᾷν, ἀλλʼ αὑταὶ τὴν ἀφωνίαν ὑμῶν ὀδυρόμεναι, καὶ τδ ἐφʼ ὑμῖν πάθος, ἔπειτά ὲστε λαλίστεραι τίνος οὐχὶ τῶν εὐγλὼττων καὶ μουσικῶν. Σύνες ὅ τι λέγω, φησιν ὁ Πίνδαρος· κᾶν εὕρῃς τὴν ὲμὴν ἀφωνίαν ἀμείνω τῆς σῆς εὐγλωττίας,παῦσαιδοιαταφλυαρῶν Ἴ ἡμῶν τῆς σιωπῆς· ἦ σοι παροιμίαν ἐρῶ, μάλιστα μὲν ἀληθῆ, μάλιστα δὲ σύντομον, ὅτι τότε ᾄσονται κύκνοι, ὅταν κολοιοὶ σιωπήσωσιν. ### English translation (Claude) … Pandion, Athens, Tereus, Thrace, the journey abroad, the marriage, the outrage, the cutting out of the tongue, the letters woven in the cloth, and above all Itys, and how from human beings we became birds. The swans scarcely thought them worth a word, hating their chatter; but when they did, they said: “But we, ladies, for whose sake one would even come into the desert to hear our music, when we give our wings to the West Wind to breathe something sweet and harmonious through them; even if we do not sing much nor before many, this very thing is our finest quality, that we practise our song with measure, like philosophers, and do not mix our music with noise. But you, even when you settle in their houses, men dislike, and turn away from when you sing; and very justly, since even with your tongues cut out you cannot keep silent, but you lament your own speechlessness and your misfortune, and so are more talkative than any of the eloquent and musical.” “Understand what I say,” says Pindar; and if you find my speechlessness better than your eloquence, stop chattering against our silence; or I will tell you a proverb, very true and very short: swans will sing when jackdaws fall silent. ### Extrabiblical texts - Pindar, fr. 105 (Pindar (odes and fragments)): quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The beginning of the fable (Letter 114, to Celeusius) is lost in the scan; the swallows are telling the swans the myth of Procne and Philomela, daughters of Pandion king of Athens, whom Tereus of Thrace outraged, cutting out Philomela's tongue; she told her story by weaving letters into cloth, and Procne killed their son Itys; the sisters became swallow and nightingale. “Understand what I say”: Pindar, fragment 105 (Snell). The swan and jackdaw proverb is unidentified. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 211 (PG 37:212a–212d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-211). ## Letter 213 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-213 - Source: PG 37:213a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, ending his silence, plans to visit a community and answer those who misread him; then he tells a friend he longs to speak with him, offering his first words to the Word. ### Greek text φιλοσοφίας ὲγγυμναστήριον, ἢν ὡς σιγῶν ἐθεασάμην, ἰδεῖν ἐπιθυμῶ καὶ φθεγγόμενος, ἴνα τοῖς τε ἀδελφοῖς πληρὼσω τὸν πόθον, καὶ ὑμᾶς ἁμύνωμαι τῆς μικρολογίας, τοὺς κακοὺς τῶν ἐμῶν φθεγμάτων ἐξ· ηγητάς. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ λαλῶν παρέσομαι, οὐκέτʼ ἀλληγορούμενος, οὐδὲ είκαζόμενος, ἀλλά καθαρῶς νοού- Καινόν τι πέπονθα παρόντι σιγήσας, ἀπόντα ποθῶ, ἵνα καὶ μεταδῶ λόγου καὶ μεταλάσω. Καλὸν γὰρ ὥσπερ ἄλλου παντὸς, οὔτω δὴ καὶ λόγων ἀπαρχάς ἀνατιθέναι τῷ Λόγῳ πρῶτον, εἶτα τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸν Κύριον. ### English translation (Claude) … training ground of philosophy, which I beheld while silent, I desire to see while speaking too, so that I may satisfy the longing of the brothers and pay you back for your pettiness, you bad interpreters of my utterances. For I will be there myself, the one who speaks, no longer in allegory or in likenesses, but understood plainly. … [Another letter] A strange thing has happened to me: having been silent when you were present, I long for you now you are absent, so that I may give and receive speech. For it is good, as with everything else, so with words too, to dedicate the first fruits first to the Word, and then to those who fear the Lord. ### Translation notes - The headings and openings of these short letters of the end of Gregory's Lenten silence are lost in the scan, and lines are lost between them (…). Letter numbers are uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 213 (PG 37:213a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-213). ## Letter 215 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-215 - Source: PG 37:216a–216d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, after many Easters, longs to leave the Egypt of this life for the promised land, and asks his correspondents to give his Church a bishop chosen by the Spirit. ### Greek text εις ἀπέσταλκας καὶ οἷς γράφεις. Ἐγὼ δὲ πολλὰ μὲν ἢδη Πάσχα διῆλθον, καὶτοῦτο ὠνάμην τῆς μακροτέρας ζωῆς, Νῦν δὲ καθαρότερον ἐπιθυμῶ, τὴν Αἴγυπτον ταύτην ἐξελθὼν, τοῦ βίου τὴν βαρεῖαν καὶ σκοτεινὴν, καὶ τοῦ πηλοῦ καὶ τῆς πλινθείας ἐλευθερωθεὶς, συνδεδέμεθα, πρὸς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας μεταναστῆναι. Ταύτην ἡμῖν προσεύχου, εἴ τί σοι μέλει τοῦ τὰ μέγιστα εὐποιεϊν ἡμᾶς. Σὲ δὲ πολλάκις γένοιτο συνεορτάσαιτῷ κοινῷ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας βιωσίμως ἔχοντα. Εἰ δέ μοι δοίητε καὶτὸ γῆρας ὲν καλῷ καταλῦσαι, τῇ Ἐκκλησία ταύτῃ δόντες ἐπίσκοπον, δν ἀναδείξει τδʼ Πνεῦμα τδ ἅγιον, ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐργασάμενοι ἔσεσθε, καὶ ἶνʼ εῐπω πατρικῶν εὐλογιῶν ἄξιον. ### English translation (Claude) … you have sent, and in what you write. I have already passed many Easters, and this is what I have gained from a longer life. But now I long more purely, having come out of this Egypt, the heavy and dark life here, and been freed from the clay and the brickmaking to which we are bound, to move to the land of promise. Pray for this for us, if you care at all to do us the greatest good. And may it often be granted to you to keep the feast with the common body of the Church, in good health. And if you grant me to end my old age well, by giving this Church a bishop whom the Holy Spirit shall make known, you will have done a good work and one, if I may say so, worthy of a father's blessings. ### Scripture references - Exod 1:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the addressees are uncertain (the letter turns from one person to several). The Church is Nazianzus, for which Gregory sought a bishop (ca. 382–383). Clay and brickmaking: Exod 1:14. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 215 (PG 37:216a–216d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-215). ## Letter 217 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-217 - Source: PG 37:217a–217b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of an invitation to a church festival, and a note excusing Gregory, ill in stormy weather, from attending. ### Greek text … τῇ εἰκάδι δευτέρα τιεῦ καθʼ ’ἡμᾶς μηνὸς Δαθοῦ- σα . Καὶ ἅμα οὐκ ὀλίγα ἐκκλησιαστικιῗνθ δεῖται δε κοινῆς διασκέψεως. Πάντων οὖν ἕνεκεν, ἀόκνως παραγενέσθαι καταξέωσον καὶ γὰρ εἰ πολὺς ὀ κά· ματος, ἀλλʼ ἁειτίρροπος ὁ μισθός. ᾘδέσθην σου τὴν παρουσίαν, καὶ στέργω τὴν συνουσίαν, καίτοιγε άλλως ἐμαυτὸν νουθετήσας οἴκοι μένειν, καὶ καθʼ ἡσυχίαν φιλοσοφεῖν · τοῦτο γὰρ εὗρον ἐμαυτῷ ἐκ πάντων λυσιτελέστερον . … Ἐπεὶ δὲ οῖ τε άὲρες ἔτι ταραχώδεις, καὶ οὐκ ἁνῆκενή ἀρρωστία, παρακαλῶ, μικρὸν μακροθύμησον, συνεύχου δὲ τὴν ὑγίειαν · καὶ … ἂν καιρὸς, ἐπιστησόμεθα σαῖς εὐχαῖς. ΡΚΔ. re ΑΥΤῃ ### English translation (Claude) … on the twenty-second of our month Dathusa. And at the same time not a few Church matters need common deliberation. For all these reasons, be so good as to come without hesitation; for even if the labour is great, the reward balances it. … I respected your presence, and I love your company, although I had otherwise admonished myself to stay at home and philosophize in quiet; for I have found this the most profitable course of all for myself. … But since the weather is still stormy and the sickness has not let go, I beg you, be patient a little, and pray with me for health; and when the time comes, we will attend upon your prayers. [Letter 124. To the same] ### Translation notes - The headings and openings of these notes are lost in the scan, and lines are garbled between them (…). Dathusa is a Cappadocian month name (the reading is uncertain in the scan). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 217 (PG 37:217a–217b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-217). ## Letter 219 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-219 - Source: PG 37:220a–220d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, ill and at the hot springs, asks the governor Olympius to punish the Apollinarians, who have set up a bishop of their own at Nazianzus in defiance of the imperial laws. ### Greek text δὲ, ὡς ἔοικε, κάκείνους χείρους ποιήσας. καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν βλάψας, τῇ ἀκαίρῳ φιλοσοφίᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ δυσωπεῖ τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐπιείκεια, Καὶ νῦν, εί μὲν αὑτῷ μοι δυνατὸν ἦν διʼ ἐμαυτοῦ ταῦτα διδάξαι, οὐκ ἂν ὤκνησα, εὖ ῐσθι, καὶ παρὰ δύναμιν κινηθεὶς προσπεσεῖν τῇ σῇ τιμιότητι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ περαιτέρω προήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ἀρρωστία, καὶ τοῖς Ξανξαρίδος θερμοῖς χρήσασθαι ἀναγκαῖον ἐγένετο, τῶν ἰατρῶν τοῦτο συμβουλευσάντων, ἀντʼ ἐμαυτοῦ ποιοῦμαι τὰ γράμματα. Ἐτόλμησαν οἱ κακοὶ καὶ κακῶς ἀπολούμενοι πρὸς πᾶσι τοῖς ἀλλοις, καὶ καθῃρημένους ἐπισκόπους ὑπὸ πάσης ἀναο τολικῆς καὶ δυτικῆς συνόδου καλέσαντες, ἢ παριοῦσι καταχρησάμενοι (οὐ γὰρ ἔχω τοῦτο εἰπεῖν ἀκριβῶς), καὶ πασῶν κατεξαναστάντες βασιλικῶν διατάξεων, καὶ ὑμετέρων προσταγμάτων, ἐπισκόπου ὄνομα ἐπιθεῖναί τινι τῶν παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἀσεβῶν καὶ κιδδήλων, οὐδενί τοσοῦτον, ὡς οἶμαι, ὅσον τῇ ἐμῇ νεκρώσει (τοῦτο γὰρ δεῖ λέγειν) θαρρήσαντες. Ταῦτα εί μὲν ἀνεκτὰ, ἐνεγκάτω μὲν ἡ σὴ στερρότηςʼ οἴσομεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὥσπερ οὖν πολλάκις ἠνέγκαμεν. Εί δὲ βαρέα, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῖς εὐ· λαὸεστάτοις βασιλεῦσιν αὐτοῖς φορητὰ, ἐπεξελο θεῖν τοῖς γεγενημένοις, εί καὶ τῆς ἀπονοίας ἐλαττον, καταξίωσον. ’, ### English translation (Claude) …, but, as it seems, having made them worse too and harmed the Church by my untimely philosophy. For gentleness does not shame the wicked. And now, if I could have taught you these things in person, I would not have hesitated, be well assured, to set out even beyond my strength and fall at your Honour's feet. But since my sickness has advanced further, and it has become necessary to use the hot springs of Xanxaris on the doctors' advice, I make this letter take my place. The wicked men, who will perish wickedly, have dared, in addition to everything else, having either summoned bishops deposed by every synod of East and West, or made use of them as they passed through (for I cannot say which precisely), and rising up against all the imperial ordinances and your commands, to give the name of bishop to one of their impious and counterfeit men, emboldened by nothing so much, I think, as by my deadness (for so I must call it). If these things are tolerable, let your firmness bear them, and we too will bear them, as we have often borne them. But if they are grievous, and not to be borne by the most pious emperors themselves, be so good as to punish what has been done, even if less than their madness deserves. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; this is Letter 125, to Olympius (382). The Apollinarians had consecrated a bishop for their community at Nazianzus. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 219 (PG 37:220a–220d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/183/#p-219). ## Letter 221 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-221 - Source: PG 37:221a–221d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks the governor to release his nephew Nicobulus, who is in poor health and nurses Gregory, from the burden of running a station of the public post. ### Greek text … πολλάκις, ῶν τι προσαφιᾶσι ταῖς πέτραις, ἧ τι παρʼ αὐτῶν προσλαμβάνουσι. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἡμέτερον τοιοῦτον. ’Δ δʼ ἂν παρὼν ἐδεήθην τῆς σῆς καλοκαγαθίας, ταῦτα. καὶ ἀπὼν ἐθάρρησα. Τὸν υίὸν Νικόβουλον σφόδρα εὗρον τῇ τοῦ δρόμου φροντίδι, καὶ τῇ τῆς μονῆς προσεδρείᾳ στενοχωρούμενον, ἄνθρωπον κοιλ ἀσθενῆ καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀήθη, καὶ τὴν ἐρημίαν οὐ φέροντα. Τούτῳ, πρὸς ἄλλο μὲν πᾶν ὅ τι ἂνῇ σοι φίλον, χρήσασθαι θέλησον καὶ γὰρ πρόθυμος ιίς πάντα ὑπηρετεῖν τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ · ταύτης δὲ, εί δυνατὸν, ἐλευθέρωσον τῆς φροντίδος· εί μή τι ἄλλο, καὶ ὡς ἡμέτερον τιμῶν νοσοκόμον, ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ καὶ περὶ πολλῶν δεηθέντες, καὶ τυχόντες, χρῄζομεν καὶ είς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς τῆς σῆς ἡμερότοῖς ### English translation (Claude) … often, of which they leave something on the rocks or take something from them. Such is our state. What I would have asked of your goodness in person, I have dared to ask in absence too. I have found our son Nicobulus much distressed by the care of the public post and attendance at the posting station, a man who is in poor health, unused to such things, and unable to bear the solitude. Use him for anything else you like (for he is eager to serve your authority in everything); but free him, if possible, from this care, if for no other reason, then out of regard for him as our nurse; since, having asked much about many things and obtained it, we need your gentleness for ourselves too. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the letter is probably to Olympius (Letter 126). The “post” (δρόμος) is the imperial courier service; running a station was a compulsory public burden. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 221 (PG 37:221a–221d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-221). ## Letter 223 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-223 - Source: PG 37:224a–224d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter commending a disabled man; then Gregory, bedridden, begs a governor to release the deacon Eugenius, accused because of his connection with one Rhegianus. ### Greek text μεγάλοις ὑμῖν γνώριμος, καὶ ἡ συμφορὰ τοῦ σώματος αὐτόθεν τὴν ὄψιν πείθουσα. Βαρεῖα μὲν καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὴν, τῷ παρʼ ἀξίαν δὲ, ὡς εἰκὸς, βαρυτέρα. Τούτοις προστεθεῖσα καὶ ἡ παρʼ ἡμῶν παράκλησις. οἶδα ὅτι κατορθώσει μᾶλλον τὸ σπουδαζόμενον. Εἰ μὲν μὴ πονηρῶς ἡμῖν ἔχρητο τὸ σῶμα, μηδὲ περὶ τοῦ ζῇν αὐτοῦ πονηρὰς εἴχομεν τὰς ἐλπίδας, πρῶτον μὲν ἂν καὶ μέγιστον ὲκερδάναμεν τὴν σὴν συντυχίαν καὶ συνουσίαν, ἡ σοι παρʼ ἡμῶν πάντως ὠφείλετο· δεύτερον δὲ διʼ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ταύτην ἂν ὲπληρώσαμεν τὴν πρεσβείαν. Ἐπεεῖ δὲ κείμεθα παντελῶς τῇ ἀρρωστίᾳ. πεπεδημένοι, καὶ οὐχ ἑκόντες ὲζημιώμεθα, ὃ δεύτερον ἦν ποιοῦμεν, πρόσειμέν σοι διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων, καὶ δεξιούμεοα, καὶ κατασπαζόμεθα, καὶ Θαρῤοὖμεν δεηθῆναι περὶ τοῦ συνδιακόνου ἡμῶν Εὑγενίου, ὃν ἐξαιτούμεθα παρὰ τῆς σῆς μεγαλονοίας. Ei μὲν οὖν οὐδέν ἐστιν ἀδίκημα ἡ πρὸς τὸν ἀνόσιον Ῥηγιανὺν οἰκειότης (οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο γε οὐδὲν ἀδικῶν φαίνεται), διʼ αὐτὸ τὸ δίκαιον, οὗ σὺ βραβευτὴς καὶ προστάτης εί δὲ ἀδίκημα τοῦτο κρίνεις, διά γε τῦν Θεὸν, ᾧ παρέστηκε, καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν πολιὰν, ἢν αέδὲσιμον οἶδας πολλοῖς τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν Κύριον, δὺς οὖν, παρακαλῶ, καὶ ἡμῖν καὶ τῷ κλήρῳ παντὶ ταύτην τὴν χάριν · καὶ δεξιὰς σεαυτῷ ποίησον τὰς κατὰ Θεὸν ἐλπίδας, ὲλευθερὼσας,τῆς ἐπηρείας τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἀντιλήψῃ δὲ, ὧν δίδως, οὐκ ἐλάττονα (εἰ μὴ μέγα τοῦτο εἰπεῖν), τὰς παρʼ ὴ μῶν εὐχάς. ### English translation (Claude) … known to you great men, and the misfortune of his body, which at once convinces the eye. It is heavy in itself, but heavier, naturally, because undeserved. With our appeal added to these, I know he will the more surely gain what he seeks. … If our body were not in a bad way, and we had not poor hopes even of its life, we would have gained first and above all a meeting and time with you, which we certainly owed you; and second we would have carried out this intercession in person. But since we lie wholly fettered by sickness and have unwillingly suffered this loss, we do what was second best: we approach you by letter, greet and embrace you, and dare to ask concerning our fellow deacon Eugenius, whom we beg of your magnanimity. If his connection with the unholy Rhegianus is no crime (for he appears to do no other wrong), grant him for justice's own sake, of which you are the arbiter and guardian; but if you judge this a crime, then at least for the sake of God, before whom he stands, and of our grey hair, which you know is venerable to many who fear the Lord: grant, then, I beg you, this favour to us and to the whole clergy, and make your hopes in God favourable for yourself by freeing the man from harassment. You will receive in return for what you give no less (if it is not too much to say so): our prayers. ### Translation notes - The headings and openings are lost in the scan; the addressees are probably governors. Rhegianus is unidentified. Migne's textual notes read into the end of the page by the scan are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 223 (PG 37:224a–224d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-223). ## Letter 225 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-225 - Source: PG 37:225a–225d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory declines the emperor's summons to a synod: he has never seen a synod end well, and his illness keeps him at home. ### Greek text Ἐχω μὲν οὕτως, εί δεῖ τάληθὲς γράφειν, ὥστε πάντα σύλλογον φεύγειν ἐπισκόπων, ὅτι μηδεμιᾶς συνόδου τέλος εἶδον χρηστὸν, μηδὲ λύσιν κακῶν μᾶλλον ἐσχηκυῖαν ἢ προσθήκην. ’Δεὶ γὰρ φιλονεικίαι καὶ φιλαρχίαι (ἀλλʼ ὅπως μή με φορτικὸν ὑπολάβῃς οὕτω γράφοντα), καὶ λόγου κρείττονες · καὶ θᾶττον ἄν τις ἐγκληθείη κακίαν ἑτέροις δικάζων, ἢ τὴν ἐκείνων λύσειε. Διὰ τοῦτο είς ἐμαυτὸν συνεστάλην, καὶ μόνην ἀσφάλειαν ψυχῆς τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἐνόμισα. Νῦν δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀρρωστίαν ἔχω προστατοῦσαν τῆς κρίσεως, ἀεὶ σχεδὸν τὰ τελευταῖα πνέων, καὶ είς οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ χρῆσθαι δυνάμενος. Διὰ τοῦτο συγγινωσκέτω μὲν ἡμῖν ἡ σὴ μεγαλόνοια, πεισθήτω δὲ διὰ σοῦ καὶό εὐσεβέστατος βασιλεὺς, μὴ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἡμῶν καταγινώσκειν, ἀλλὰ συγγινώσκειν τῇ ἀσθενεία, διʼ ἦν οἵδε καὶ συγχωρήσας ἡμῖν, δεηθεῖσιν ἀντʼ ἄλλης εὐεργεσίας, τὴν ἀναχώρησιν. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 130. To Procopius] I am so disposed, if I must write the truth, as to flee every gathering of bishops, because I have never seen a good end to any synod, nor one that brought a release from evils rather than an addition to them. For there are always rivalries and ambitions (but do not think me tiresome for writing so) beyond words; and one would sooner be charged with wickedness himself while judging others than put an end to theirs. For this reason I have withdrawn into myself, and have held quiet to be the only safety of the soul. And now I also have my sickness to support my judgment, being almost always at my last breath and unable to use myself for anything. For this reason let your magnanimity forgive us, and through you let the most pious emperor too be persuaded not to condemn us for slackness, but to pardon our weakness, on account of which, he knows, he also granted us our retirement at our request, in place of any other favour. ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; this is Letter 130, to Procopius, an official at the court, declining the synod of 382 at Constantinople. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 225 (PG 37:225a–225d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-225). ## Letter 227 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-227 - Source: PG 37:228a–228d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter asking an official to confirm to the emperor that Gregory is too ill to attend the synod. ### Greek text …, τδ αὐτὸ δεξάμενος πρόσταγμα · ἐπιστεῖλαι δὲ καὶ νῦν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἠ σὴ μεγαλόνοια καταξιωτάτω, ὃν ἀξιόπιστον μάρτυρα τῆς ἡμετέρας ἔχομεν ἀρρωστίας. Πείθει δὲ καὶ ἡ ζημία, ἢν ἐζημιώθημεν νῦν, μηδὲ προσδραμεῖν καὶ ἀπολαῦσαί σου δυνηθέντες, ἄρχοντος οὕτω δεξιοῦ, καὶ οὕτω θαυο μασίου τὴν ἀρετὴν, ὡς καὶ τὰ προοίμια τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς εἶναι τιμιώτερα τῆς διὰ τέλους ἑτέρων εὐδοκιμήσεως. PAB'. ΣΔΤΟΥΡΝΙΝῼ. ### English translation (Claude) …, having received the same command; and let your magnanimity be so good as to write now too on our behalf, since we have you as a trustworthy witness of our sickness. The loss we have now suffered, being unable even to hasten to you and enjoy the company of a governor so excellent and so admirable in virtue that the beginnings of your office are more honourable than the good repute others win at the end, also bears witness to it. [Letter 132. To Saturninus] ### Translation notes - The opening of this letter (Letter 131, to Olympius) is lost in the scan. Gregory had received “the same command” (to attend the synod) through Icarius. The phrase about the beginnings of his office is also used in Letter 104. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 227 (PG 37:228a–228d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-227). ## Letter 229 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-229 - Source: PG 37:229a–229d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks Saturninus, a Christian official, to write to him and to help bring the new synod to a peaceful settlement. ### Greek text τάχιον, ὀκνηροί. Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο. Οὐ γὰρ εὐποροῦμεν διʼ ὧν ἐπιστελοῦμεν. Καί τοί γε πῶς οῐει τοῦτο ποθοῦντες, ὲν ἀγρῷ πόρρω που τῆς μονῆς διατρίβοντες, κάκεῖ τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν ἐπιμελούμενοιι Νῦν δὲ, ἡνίκα καιρὸς, καὶ προσφθεγγόμεθα σε, καὶ ἀξιοῦμεν ἣν παροῦσιν ἡμῖν τιμὴν ὲχαρίξου, ταύτην καὶ ἀποῦσι χαρίζεσθαι, καὶ μὴ διὰ γραμμάτων ὀκνεῖν παραμυθεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς σφόδρα τῷ χωρισμῷ κάμνοντας. Ἐπειδὴ δι πάλιν σύνοδος, ἁγὼν πάλιν, καὶ τοῦτο ὲν μέσοις ἐχθροῖς πάντα τηροῦσιν ἐπιμελῶς τὰ ἡμέτερα, δὺς χεῖρα τῇ κοινῇ καταστάσει, ὡς μέρος ὢν τῆς Ἑκκλησίας οὐ τὸ φαυλότατον, καὶ μὴ περιίδῃς πάντα καταν· αλωθῆναι τῷ ἐμπρησμῷ τῷνῦν περιέχοντι τὴν Ἐκο κλησίαν. Ἀλλʼ ὂ τι ἂν δυνηθῇς τῶν σβεστηρίων ὀργάνων, τοῦτο προσένεγκε, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις διακελεύου, ἵνα κα) τὸ σὺν εὖ ἔχοι τοῦ κοινοῦ πράττοντος ἄμεινον. ΡΛΔʼ. To ΔΥΤῼ. ### English translation (Claude) … quicker; we were hesitant. Or rather not even that; for we have no means of sending letters. And yet how much do you think we long for it, living in the country somewhere far from the station and looking after our body there? But now, when there is an opportunity, we both address you and ask you to grant us in absence the honour you granted us when present, and not to hesitate to console us by letters, as we suffer greatly from the separation. And since again there is a synod, again a contest, and that in the midst of enemies who carefully watch all our affairs, give a hand to the common settlement, as being not the least part of the Church, and do not look on while everything is consumed by the fire that now surrounds the Church. Whatever means of quenching it you can, bring them, and exhort the others, so that the common good may fare better through your action. [Letter 134. To the same] ### Translation notes - The opening of Letter 132 is lost in the scan. Saturninus was a general and consul (383). The synod is that of 382 at Constantinople. Letter 133 is not in the scan text. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 229 (PG 37:229a–229d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-229). ## Letter 231 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-231 - Source: PG 37:232a–232d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges an official to reconcile the divided Churches, having himself withdrawn like Jonah to calm the storm; then he asks the Gothic general Modarius to work for peace at the synod. ### Greek text γάρ ὲστι καὶ ἀδικουμένους εἷ πάσχειν, καὶ καλῶς πάσχοντας ἀδικεῖσθαι. Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἡμέτερα τοιαῦτα. Καὶ εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἄλλους πείθομεν, αὐτόν γέ σε ἀντὶ πάντων εἰδέναι βουλόμεθα, ᾦ λόγον ὑπέχομεν ἡδέως τῶν ἡμετέρων, μᾶλλον δὲ, ειδέναι πεπείσμεθα, καὶ πείθειν τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας. Ὑμῖν δὲ, παρακαλῶ, πᾶσα σπουδὴ γενέσθω νῦν γοῦν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, συμφωνῆσαι καὶ εἰς ἓν ἐλθεῖν τὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τμήματα κακῶς διο εστῶτα, καὶ μάλιστα, εἰ λάβοιτε αὐτοὺς οὐχ ὑπὲρ τοῦ λόγου τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων μικροψυχιῶν διεστῶτας, ὅπερ ἐγὼ τετήρηκα. Τοῦτο καὶ ὑμῖν ἔμμισθον, ἂν εἴη τὸ δύνασθαι· καὶ ἡμῖν ἡὰναχώρησις ἀλυποτέρα, εἰ φανείημεν μὴ κενῶς ταύτην ἁρπάσαντες, ἀλλʼ ἑκοντί ῥίψαντες ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς κατὰ πελάγους, ῶσπερ όΊωνᾶς ἐκεῖνος, ἵνʼ ό κλύδων παύσηται, καὶ σωθῶσιν ἀσφαλῶς οἰ ἐμπλέοντες. Εἰ δὲ οὐδὲν ἧττον χειμάζονται, τόγε ἡμέτερον εἰσενήνεκται. ΡΛςῖο. ΜυΔΑΡΙῼ Ἡμῖν σὺ καὶ συγγενὴς καί οἰκεῖος, καὶ πᾶν ὃ τι οὖν ἂν εἴποι τοιοῦτόν τις. Ἠ γάρ εὐσέβεια συνῆψεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς εὐδόκιμον, ἢν ὲν σοὶ κατεμάθομεν, δείξαντι σαφῶς, ὃτι τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν καὶ τὸ βάρβαρον, σωμάτων, οὑ ψυχῶν ἐστι διαφορὰ, καί τόπων διάστασις, ἀλλʼ οὺ τρόπων, οὐδὲ προαιρέσεων. Εἰ γένοιτο πολλοὺς τῶν ἡμετέρων τὸ γένος, τὴν σὴν μιμήσασθαι καλοκάγαθίαν, καὶ πάντα ἡμῖν οἰδ* ὅτι ἔξει καλῶς, τά τε κοινὰ καὶ τά ἴδια. Παρακαλῶ δὲ, ὥσπερ τὺν ἔξωθεν πόλεμον τῇ σεαυτοῦ δεξιᾷ καὶ συνέσει καταλύεις, γενναίως ὑπερήμῶν ἱστάμενος, οὕτω λῦσον καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερονο ὅσα γέ ἐστιν ἐπὶ σοὶ, εἰρηνικὸν γενέσθαι τὸ τέλος τοῖς συνελθοῦσι νῦν ἐπισκόποις ἀγωνισάμενος. Τὸ γὰρ συνιέναι μὲν πολλάκις, μηδὲν δὲ πέρας εὑρίσκεσθαι τῶν κακῶν, ἀλλʼ ἀεὶ προστιθέναι ταραχαῖς ταραχὰς, μείζονος τῆς αἰσχύνης, δ καὶ αὐτὸς γινώσκεις. ### English translation (Claude) … For it often happens that those who are wronged are benefited, and those who are well treated are wronged. Such are our affairs. And even if we do not persuade the others, we want you yourself at least, in place of all, to know, you to whom we gladly give account of our affairs; or rather, we are confident that you know, and that you persuade those who do not. But let all your zeal be now at least, if not before, to bring the sections of the world that are wrongly divided into harmony and unity, especially if you find them divided not over the doctrine of the faith but over their own petty grievances, as I have observed. This would bring you a reward too, if it can be done; and our retirement would be less painful, if we should be seen not to have seized it idly but to have thrown ourselves willingly into the sea, like Jonah of old, so that the storm might cease and those on board be brought safely through. But if they are no less storm-tossed, at least our part has been contributed. [Letter 136. To Modarius] You are both kinsman and friend to us, and anything else of that kind one might say. For piety has joined us, and the good repute of the virtue we have come to know in you, who have shown clearly that Greek and barbarian are a difference of bodies, not of souls, and a distance of places, not of characters or choices. Would that many of our own race might imitate your nobility, and I know that everything would go well for us, public and private. I beg you: as you put an end to the war outside by your own right hand and understanding, standing nobly for us, so put an end to ours too, contending, as far as is in your power, that the bishops now assembled may reach a peaceful end. For to meet often and find no end to evils, but always to add troubles to troubles, brings the greater shame, as you yourself know. ### Scripture references - Jonah 1:12–15: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of Letter 135, to a friend at the court. Jonah thrown into the sea: Jonah 1:12–15. Modarius was a Gothic general in Roman service who fought the Goths (379–382). A stray phrase at the end of the page in the scan is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 231 (PG 37:232a–232d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-231). ## Letter 233 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-233 - Source: PG 37:233a–233d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory commends the soldier Theodore, the bearer of the letter, to the general Modarius. ### Greek text mz'. Ta ΔΥΤῼ . Ἐπάθονν διὰ πολλοῦ προσειπεῖν σου τὴν τιμιότητα, καὶ χάρις τῷ Θεῷ. δεδωκότι τὴν ἀφορμήν. Ζητῶν δὲ ὅπως ἂν ἀμειψαίμην τὸν ἐγχειρίζοντά σοι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, κάλλιστον τοῦτο εὗρον παραθέσθαι αὐτὸν τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ.. ’ον μέρος τι καὶ διʼ ἡμᾶς ἡδέως ὁρᾷν ἀξίου, ἐμόν τε ὅντα καὶ σόν σύνοικον μὲν, ἡμέτερον, στρατιώτην δὲ σὺν (λέγω δὲ τὸν νῦν προσιόντα σοι διʼ ἡμῶν θεόδωρον), ὅπως ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς αἴσθηται τῆς τιμῆς, ἣν ἀεὶ τετιμήμεθα σοῦ, καὶ νῦν ἐτι τιμώμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 137. To the same] I have long wanted to address your Honour, and thanks be to God, who has given the occasion. Seeking how I might reward the man who hands you this letter, I found it best to commend him to your authority. Be so good as to regard him with favour partly for our sake too, since he is both mine and yours: our neighbour, but your soldier (I mean Theodore, who now comes to you through us), so that he too may feel the honour with which we have always been honoured by you and still are. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 233 (PG 37:233a–233d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-233). ## Letter 235 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-235 - Source: PG 37:236a–236d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter about the neglected Church of Nazianzus; then Gregory writes to a newly appointed bishop, explaining that he had left Nazianzus because he was never its bishop and was ill. ### Greek text εἷς βάρος ἔχωμεν, οὕτω κατακρινόμενοι παρʼ ὑμῶν, καὶ παρὰ παντὸς τοῦ κλήρου καταδοώμενοι παντοίοις ὀδυρμοῖς ἐκθλίὸοντοςἡμᾶς, καὶ τὴν Ἐκ. κλησίαν ὁρῶντες ἀμελουμένην, καὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς πλήσσοντες, ὥσπε ρ ὑπερορῶντες τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ο μήτε ὑμεῖς μακρότερα κάμνητε άτιρῶντις ἡμᾶς, Καὶ τοῦτο πράξομεν ταῖς ὑμετέραις εὐχαῖς, εί αὐτὸς ὀκνεῖς καὶτῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὴν προστασίαν, ὡς αὑτός τε λέγεις, καὶ πείθει τὰ πράγματα. …τιον γὰρ ἐκείναις ἐναποθανεῖν ταῖς φροντίσιν, ἢ ταύταις, ἐπειδὴ δεῖ πάντως ταλαιπωρεῖν, οὕτω … τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἡμέτερα. ἀναλαβὼν μὲν Δαβὶδ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ δοῦλον ἐκ ποιντικῆς εἰς βασιλείαν, τὴν δὲ σὴν εὐλάβειαν εἰς μαντικὴν ἀπὸ ποίμνηςʼ ὁ οἰκονομῶν κατὰ τὸ τοῦ θέλημα τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ πάντων τῶν τιζόντων ἐπʼ αὐτὸν, αὑτδς καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ νοῦν ἀγάγοι σῇ τελειότητι γνῶναι τὴν ἀτιμίαν ἣν ἡτιμάσμεθα παρὰ τῶν κυρίων τῶν ἐπισκόπων περὶ τὰς ψήφους, τῇ μὲν καταστάσει συντιθεμένων, ἡμᾶς δι παρωθουμένων. Οὐ γὰρ· δὴ τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν αἰτιάσομαι, νεωστί τε ἐπιστᾶσαν τοῖς πράγμασι, καὶ ἀγνοοῦσαν τὰ πλείστα, ὡς είκδς, τῆς καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἱστορίας. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἱκανῶς ' οῦδὲ γὰρ βούλου μαι διοχλεῖν σοι μακρότερον, ἵνα μὴ φαίνωμαι φορτικὸς, άρτι τῆς φιλίας ἀρχόμενος. Ἀ δὲ πάρεστι μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ’βουλευομένοις ἡμῖν, ταῦτα γνωο ρίζομεν. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ὑπεχώρησα μὲν τῆς κατὰ Naζιανζδν οἚκκλησίας, οὔτε ὡς καταφρονῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ. οὔτε ὡς περιορῶν τοῦ μικροῦ ποιμνίου (μηδὲ γὰρ πάθοι τοῦτο ψυχὴ φιλόσοφος), ἀλλὰ πρῶτον ὡς οὐδενὶ κηρύγματι τοιούτῳ κρατούμενος· τερον δὲ διὰ συντετρίφθαι τῇ ἀρρωστίᾳ, καὶ ### English translation (Claude) … that we may not bear the burden, being so condemned by you and cried down by the whole clergy with lamentations of every kind, which crush us, seeing the Church neglected and wounding the many, as though we were overlooking the affairs of the Church; and that you may not labour longer in … us. And this we will do by your prayers, if you yourself shrink from the presidency of the Church, as you yourself say and the facts persuade. For it is better to die in those cares than in these, since one must in any case suffer, God so ordering our affairs. … He who took up his servant David from the sheepfold to the kingdom, and your Reverence to the pastoral office from the flock; who orders our affairs according to his will, and those of all who hope in him: may he now too bring it to the mind of your Perfection to know the dishonour with which we have been dishonoured by my lords the bishops concerning the votes, agreeing to the appointment but pushing us aside. For I will not blame your Reverence, who have only recently taken charge of affairs and naturally do not know most of our history. Enough of this; for I do not wish to trouble you longer, lest I seem tiresome when our friendship is just beginning. What occurs to us as we deliberate with God, we make known. I withdrew from the Church at Nazianzus, neither as despising God nor as overlooking the little flock (may a philosophic soul never suffer that!), but first because I was bound by no proclamation to it, and second because I was crushed by sickness and ### Scripture references - Ps 78:70–71 (77:70-71 LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The headings are lost in the scan; the second letter (Letter 139) is to a newly appointed bishop, whose identity is uncertain. David taken from the sheepfold: Ps 78:70–71 (LXX 77:70–71). “The pastoral office” renders a word garbled in the scan (…μαντικήν, probably ποιμαντικήν); a word after “labour longer in” is garbled (…). Gregory had been consecrated for Sasima and had only assisted his father at Nazianzus. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 235 (PG 37:236a–236d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-235). ## Letter 237 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-237 - Source: PG 37:237a–237d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory explains that, under pressure and with the Church in danger, he has given way and will care for Nazianzus for the present. ### Greek text νομίζειν μὴ ἐξαρκεῖν πρὸς τὰς τοιαύτας φροντίδας. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔσαρεῖτε, τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ὀνειδίζοντες, καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔφερον τὰς παρὰ πάντων μοι γινομένας καταβοήσεις, ὃ τε καιρὸς χαλεπὸς, ἀπειλῶν ἡμῖν ἐχθρῶν ἔφοδον ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τοῦ κοινοῦ πάσης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας· τέλος ἡττήθην ἧτταν τῷ σώματι μὲν ὀδυνηρὰν, τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ ἴσως οὐ πονηράν. Ἐπιδίδωμι τὸ ταπεινὸν τοῦτο σῶμα τῇίεκκλησία, μέχρις ἄν δυνατὸν, αίρετώτερον εἶναι νομίζων ὁτιοῦν παθεῖν σαρκικῶς μᾶλλον, ἢ πνευματικῶς πλὴσσεσθαι καὶ πλήσσειν τοὺς πολλοὺς, τὰ χείρω περ) ἡμῶν ὑπειληφότας, ἐξ ὧν αὐτοὶ πάσχουσι. Ταῦτʼ οὖν εἰδὼς καὶ συνεύχου, καὶ τὴν γνώο μην ἡμῶν ἀποδέχουο οὐ χεῖρον δʼ ἴσως εἰπεῖν, καὶ τυποῦ πρδς εὐλάβειαν. ### English translation (Claude) thinking that I was not equal to such cares. But since you too were pressing me, reproaching my withdrawal, and I myself could not bear the outcries raised against me by everyone, and the time was hard, threatening an attack of enemies to the harm of the whole Church in common, I was at last defeated, a defeat painful to the body but perhaps not bad for the soul. I give this lowly body to the Church as long as it is able, thinking it more desirable to suffer anything in the flesh than in the spirit to be wounded and to wound the many, who have formed worse opinions of us from what they themselves suffer. Knowing this, then, pray with us and accept our decision; and it may not be worse to add: and shape it toward piety. ### Translation notes - Gregory took charge of Nazianzus again for a time (382–383), until Eulalius was appointed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 237 (PG 37:237a–237d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-237). ## Letter 239 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-239 - Source: PG 37:240a–240d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a plea for a deserter; then Gregory pleads with the governor Olympius not to strip Diocaesarea of its rank as a city after a riot, letting the city itself beg for its life. ### Greek text αἰδεῖσθαι πολλάκις καθωμολόγησας. Ἰδού σοι προσἀγει τοῦτον ἡ θυοφόρος αὕτη χεὶρ καὶ ἀναίμακτος, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ἐπαίνους σου γράψασα, γράψουσα δὲ, οἶδʼ ὅτι καὶ πλείους, εί Θεδς παρατείνοιεν ὑμῖν τὴν ἀρχὴν, τὴν τε σὴν λέγω, καὶτῆς συνεργοῦ τῆς σῆς Θέμιδος Πάλιν φιλανθρωπίας καιρὸς, καὶ πάλιν ἐγὼ τολμηρδς γράμμασι πιστεύων περὶ τοσούτου παράκλησιν πράγματος. Ποιεῖ γάρ με θρασὺν ή νόσος, οὐδὲ προϊέναι συγχωροῦσιν ού γὰρ εὐπρεπῆ παρέχει τὴν εἴσοδον, Τίς οὖν ἡ πρεσβεία; καί μου δέξαι ταύτην ἡμέρως καὶ φιλανθρώπως. Δεινδν μὲν καὶ ἀν· δρδς θάνατος (πῶς γὰρ οὖ ;) τοῦ σήμερον ὄντος, καὶ αὔριον ούκ ἐσομένου, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀναλύσονο τος. Πολλῷ δὲ δεινότερον πόλιν ἀποθανεῖν, ἧν βασιλεῖς ἱδρύσαντο, καὶ χρόνοι συνεστήσαντο, και ἀκολουθία μακρὰ διεφύλαξεν. Ὑπὲρ τῆς Διοκαισαρέων ό λόγος. τῆς ποτὲ πόλεως, νῦν δὲ ού πόλεως, εί μὴ σὺ νεύσειας ἥμερον. Ταύτην, σοι προσπίπτειν νόμισον διʼ ἡμῶν, καὶ φωνὴν ἐχέτω, καὶ σχῆμα πενθικδν περικείσθω, καί κειράσθω κόμας, ὥσπερ ὲν δράματι, καὶ τούτους ποιείσθω πρὸς σὲ τοὺς λόγους · Δός μοι χεῖρα χαμαὶ κειμένη, βοήθησον ἀσθενούσῃ. Μὴ συνεπιθῇ τῷ χρόνῳ. μηδὲ διαφθείρῃς τὰ Περσῶν λείψανα. Πόλεις ἐγείρειν σοι πρεπωο δέστερον, ἢ καταλύειν τὰς κεκμηκυίας. Γενοῦ πολιστὴς ἢ τῷ προσθεῖναί τι τοῖς οὖσιν, ἢ τῷ φυλάξαι ### English translation (Claude) … you agreed many times to respect. See, this hand presents him to you, the hand that offers sacrifice, bloodless sacrifice, and that has written many praises of you and will write, I know, still more, if God prolongs your office, I mean yours and that of your fellow worker Themis. [Letter 141. To the same] Again it is a time for kindness, and again I am bold, entrusting to a letter an appeal about so great a matter. For my sickness makes me bold, since it does not allow me to go out; for it would not make my entrance seemly. What, then, is my intercession? Receive it from me gently and humanely. Terrible is the death even of a man (how could it not be?), who is today and tomorrow will not be, and will not return to us. But much more terrible for a city to die, which kings founded, ages built up, and a long succession preserved. My plea is for Diocaesarea, once a city and now no city, unless you nod in mercy. Imagine that she falls at your feet through us; let her have a voice, let her put on mourning, and let her shear her locks, as in a drama, and say these words to you: “Give me a hand as I lie on the ground; help me in my weakness. Do not join with time in attacking me, nor destroy the remnants left by the Persians. It befits you better to raise up cities than to destroy those that are worn out. Become a founder of cities, either by adding something to those that exist, or by preserving ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of Letter 140 (to Olympius, commending the soldier Aurelius, who had taken refuge with Gregory); the heading of Letter 141, also to Olympius, is lost in the scan. Themis, goddess of justice, is the governor's “fellow worker”. “The remnants left by the Persians”: perhaps the city's earlier sufferings (the sense is uncertain). Bloodless sacrifice: the Eucharist. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 239 (PG 37:240a–240d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-239). ## Letter 241 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-241 - Source: PG 37:241a–241d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks the governor to punish the guilty but pardon the city of Diocaesarea, whose citizens rioted in grief at losing its status, for the sake of all its people and its church. ### Greek text τὴν οὖσαν. Μὴ ἀνάσχῃ μέχρι τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς εἶναι πόλιν, καὶ μετὰ σὲ μηκέτʼ εἶναι · μηδὲ δοῦναι πονηρὸν τῷ χρόνῳ διήγημα, λαβεῖν ἀριθμουμένην ὲν πόλεσιν, καὶ καταλιπεῖν χωρίον ἀοίκητον τὴν ποτὲ πόλιν ὄρεσι, καὶ κρημνοῖς, καὶ ὕλαις μόναις γνωριζομένην. Ταῦτα μὲν ποιείτω καὶ λεγέτω πρὸς τὴν σὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ πλάσματος πόλις. Ἰίμῶν δὲ ὡς φίλων δέξαι παραίνεσιν· σωφρονίσαι μὲν θέλησον τοὺς ἐξημαρτηκότας είς τὸ πρόσταγμα τῆς σῆς ἐξουσίας. ’Υπὲρ γὰρ τούτου οὐδὲν θαρροῦμεν, εί καὶ μὴ ἀπὸ κοινοῦ σκέμματός φασιν εἶναι τὸ θράσος, ἀλλὰ μειρακίσκων τινῶν ὁρμὴν ἀλόγιστον. Τὸ πλεῖον δὲ τῆς ὀργῆς συγχωρῆσαι, καὶ λογισμῷ χρήσασθαι μείζονι. Μητρὸς ὑπερήλγησαν νεκρουμένης, οὐκ ἤνεγκαν πολῖται καλεῖσθαι, καὶ εἶναι ἀπόλιδες, ἐμάνησαν, παρενόμησαν, ἀπέγνωσαν τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαςο ἔκφρονας αὐτοὺς τὸ παράδοξον τοῦ πάθους ἐποίησεν. Ἆρʼ οὖν διὰ τοῦτο χρὴ μηδὲ εἶναι πόλιν τὴν πόλιν; Μηδαμῶς, ὦ θαυμάσιε, μὴ τοῦτο ὲπιγράφῃς. Ἀλλὰ τίμησόν πάντας πολίτας, καὶ πολιτευτὰς, καὶ ἀξιωματικοὺς ίκετεύονυ ταςο πάντων γάρ οἴου τὴν συμφορὰν ὁμοίως ἅπτεσθαι, καὶ εί τῷ μεγέθει τῆς σῆς ἐξουσίας ἔφη συχάζουσιν, οἷον ὐποδρύχια στένοντες. Τίμησον δὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν πολιὰν, οἷς δεινὸν εί ποτὲ τὴν μεγάλην πόλιν ἔχοντες, νῦν μηδὲ πόλιν ἔχοιμεν, καὶ θηρίων οίκητήριον γένοιτο μετὰ τὴν σὴν ἀρχὴν, ὃ τε ναὸς δν ἠγείραμεν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ὴ περὶ τοῦτον ἡμῶν φιλοκαλία. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εί ἀνδριάντες κατενεχθήσονται, τοῦτο δεινὸν, εί καὶ ἄλλως δεινόν ι μηδὲ περὶ τούτων νομίσῃς ἡμῖν εῖναι τὸν λόγον, οἷς περὶ τὰ κρείττονα ἠ σπουδὴ, ἀλλʼ εἰ συγκατενεχθήσεται τούτοις πόλις ἀρχαία, καί τι λαμπρὸν ὶνεγκοῦσα, ζώντων ἡμῶν καὶ ὁρώντων τῶνε παρὰ σοι τιμωμένων, καί τινα ἰσχὺν ἔχειν νομιζομένων. Ἀλλʼ ό μὲν περ). τούτων λόγος τοσοῦτος. ### English translation (Claude) the one that exists. Do not allow it to be a city until your term of office and then no longer after you; nor to give time a wretched story, that you received it numbered among cities and left an uninhabited place, the one-time city known only by mountains and cliffs and woods.” Let the city of our fiction do and say these things to your kindness. But receive our advice as from friends: be willing to correct those who have sinned against the command of your authority. For on their behalf we are not at all confident, even if they say the rash act was not a common decision but the unreasoning impulse of some youths. But forgive the greater part of your anger, and use a larger reasoning. They grieved exceedingly for their mother being put to death; they could not bear to be called citizens and be without a city; they went mad, broke the law, despaired of their own safety; the strangeness of their suffering drove them out of their minds. Must the city, then, for this reason not even be a city? By no means, my admirable friend; do not write this. But honour all who supplicate: citizens, councillors, and men of rank; for imagine that the misfortune touches all alike, even if they keep quiet before the greatness of your authority, groaning as it were under water. Honour also our grey hair, for whom it is terrible if, having once had the great city, we should now not even have a city, and if after your term of office the church we built for God, and our loving care for it, should become a lair of wild beasts. For it is not this that is terrible, that statues will be thrown down, even if it is terrible in other ways (and do not think that we, whose zeal is for better things, are speaking about these), but that an ancient city, which has produced something brilliant, will be thrown down along with them, while we are alive and looking on, we who are honoured by you and are thought to have some influence. So much, then, about these things. ### Translation notes - The citizens had thrown down the governor's statues after their city lost its civic status (382). “Their mother” is the city herself. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 241 (PG 37:241a–241d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-241). ## Letter 243 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-243 - Source: PG 37:244a–244d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of Gregory's plea for Diocaesarea; then a further letter begging Olympius to spare the town councillors and others implicated in the riot. ### Greek text … ταῖς ἀρχαῖς. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ ἀναγκαῖον γνῶναι τὴν σὴν μεγαλόνοιαν πε ρὶ τῶν προσεμπεπτωκότων,ὅτι αντελῶς εἰσιν ἄθλιοι, ἀπερριμμένοι, καὶ μηδεμιᾶς … ταξίας τοῖς ἡμαρτηκόσι κοινωνήσαντες, ὡς πολλοὶ … πείθουσιν ἡμᾶς τῶν τότε παρόντων. Πρὸς ταῦτα βούλευσαι ὅυτι ἂν συμφέρειν νομίσῃς, καὶ πρὸς -τὴν ὲνσεεῦθεκ δόξαν, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἐλπίδαςι ’ἡμεῖς δὲτδ παραστὰν οἴσομεν, οὐκ ἀλύπως μὲνο οἴσομεν δέ. Τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ πράξαιμεν ἓτερονς Ei δὲ, τὰ έείρω νικήσειε, χαλεπανοῦμεν, καὶ τῇ ποτε πόλει ὲπιδαλοῦ μεν δάκρυον. PMB'. Τῼ ΔΥΤῼ Εἰ καὶ ό πόθος τῆς σῆς … τʼ ἠχρεία τῶν δεομένων μεγάλη· … . Διὰ τοῦτο γράμμασι πιστεῦσαι ταύτην τήν πρεσβείαν ἐθάρρησα. ᾼίδέσθητι μὲν … ἢδη καλῶς ποιῶν και πολλάκιςέ λίδέσθιλτί δὲ ιιαισιτῆν ἀρρωστίαν ταύτην, μέρος τὶ καὶ οἱ κατὰ Θεὸν ἱδρῶτες συνεισήνεγκαν, εἰ τι δεῖ καὶ νεανιεύσασθαι. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φεῖσαι μὲν τῶν πολιτευομένων πρὸς ἡμᾶς βλεπόπωνʼ trav. των ἡμῶν ἐπὶ σοῦ παρρησίαν. Φεῖσαι δὲ τιῖἷν ἄλλιονΙτῶν ἀπὸ* τὴν ἡμετέραν φροντίδα. Καὶ γὰρ (οὑδεμία ζημία τοῖς πράγμασιν ὲκ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, ἐπεὶ τῷίφόδῳ πλείονα κατορθοῖς, ἢ ταῖς τιμωρίαις ιτεροιξΣοὶ δὲ ἀντὶ τούτων γένοιτο, τδ τοιούτου *τυχεῖν τοῦ κριτοῦ, οἷός περ ἂν αὐτὸς γένῃ τοῖς δεομένοις, καὶἡμῖν τοῖς πρεσβεύουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) … to the authorities. But this your magnanimity must know about those who have fallen at your feet: that they are utterly wretched and cast off, and shared in no disorder with those who sinned, as many of those then present assure us. In view of this, consider whatever you think advantageous, both for your glory here and for your hopes there; we will bear what is decided, not without grief, but we will bear it. For what else could we do? But if the worse prevails, we will be grieved, and shed a tear over the city that once was. [Letter 142. To the same] Even if my longing for your company is warm …, yet the need of those who ask is great … . Therefore I have dared to entrust this intercession to a letter. Respect … , as you have already done, rightly and often; and respect this sickness, to which perhaps our sweat for God has contributed some part, if I must boast a little. And therefore spare the councillors, who look to us and to our freedom of speech with you. Spare also the others, … to our care. For no harm comes to affairs from kindness, since you accomplish more by fear than by punishments. And in return for this may it be yours to find such a judge as you yourself are to those who ask, and to us who intercede. ### Translation notes - Several lines are garbled in the scan (…). Letter 142 continues the plea for Diocaesarea (Nazianzus). (The public-domain translation of the end of Letter 141 was seen before this page was translated; the translation was made from the Greek.) ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 243 (PG 37:244a–244d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-243). ## Letter 245 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-245 - Source: PG 37:245a–245d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks a governor to remit the rest of the punishment of Leontius, a former presbyter, for the sake of God and the clergy. ### Greek text πρὸς τὸ ἐλεεῖν, … τὸ προλαβεῖν χρηστότητα. Τοῦτο ξαὶ αὐτῷ μοι συμβέβηκεν· ἔμαθον τὸ συμπαθὲς ἐξ ὧν ἔπαθον. Καὶ ὁρᾷς τὸ ἡμέτερον μεγαλόψυχονς αὐτὸς χρῄζων τῆς σῆς ἡμερότητος ἓν τοῖς ἐμοῖς πράγμασιν, ὑπὲρ ἄλλων πρεσῆεύω, καὶ οὐ δέδοικα μή δαπανήσω σου τὺ φιλάνθρωπον ἐν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις. Γράφω δὲ ταῦτα ὑπὲρ τοῦ πρεσδὲτέρου Λεοντίου, εὖτʼ οὖν ποτὲ πρεσδυτέρουί ὂς ἃ μὲν πέπονθεν ὧν πεποίηκεν, ἐνταῦθα στῶμεν, μὴ τὸ ὕπερὸάλλσν … γένηται. Εἰ δέ τι τῇ τιμωρίᾳ προσχρεωστεῑται, καὶ οὔπω τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι τὰ τῆς ὕβρεως ἀντισώθη, τοῦτο ἡμῖν συγχώρησον, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τῷ βήματι, καὶ τῷ κοινῷ συλλόγῳ τῶν ἱερέων, οἷς ποτὲ σονηρίθμηται, καὶ εὶ νῦν ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν ἀπέφηνεν, οἷς τε πεποίηκεν, οἷς τε πέπονθεν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν πείθομεν, τοῦτο ἄριστονο ει δὲ μὴ, προσάγομεν σοι πρεσβευτὴν αἰδεσιμώτερον, ἰηέίακοινωνόν σοι καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς εὐ- ρ ς. ### English translation (Claude) … toward pity as having first received kindness. This has happened to me too: I have learned sympathy from what I suffered. And you see our magnanimity: needing your gentleness myself in my own affairs, I intercede for others, and am not afraid of spending your kindness on the affairs of others. I write this on behalf of the presbyter Leontius, or rather the one-time presbyter. As for what he has suffered for what he did, let us stop there, lest the excess become … But if anything is still owed to the punishment, and the disgrace has not yet been made equal to his sins, grant this to us, and to God, and to the altar, and to the common assembly of the priests, among whom he was once numbered, even if he has now shown himself unworthy by what he did and by what he suffered. If, then, we persuade you, that is best; if not, we bring you a more venerable intercessor, the partner of your office and of your … ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; this is Letter 143, probably to Olympius. The “more venerable intercessor” at the end is probably the governor's wife; the last word is lost. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 245 (PG 37:245a–245d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-245). ## Letter 247 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-247 - Source: PG 37:248a–248d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory tells the governor he opposes the divorce; then he writes to the father, refusing to help ratify the divorce sought by a father for his daughter: the Church's law forbids it, and he will believe the daughter only when she can speak freely. ### Greek text τῶν ὲν μέσῳ παραδραμεῖν, ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ κυρῶσαι τὸ ἀποστάσιον, ὃ τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἀπαρέσκει πάντως νόμοις, κᾶν οἱ Ῥωμαίων ἑτέρως κρίνωσι. Τὸ δίκαιον γὰρ φυλαχθῆναι ἐπάναγκες, ὂ καὶ ἡμεῖς σοι εὐχόμεθα ἀενλὲγειν τε καὶ ποιεῖν. Οὐδὲν δεινὸν ποιοῦσιν οί δήμιοι· καὶ γὰρ ὑπηρετοῦνται νόμοις· οὐδὲ τὸ ξίφος παράνομον, ᾧ τοὺς πονηροὺς κολάζομεν. Ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὐκ ἐπαινεῖται δήμιος, οὐδὲ ἀσμενίζεται φονικὸν ξίφος. Οὕτως οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς ἀνεχόμεθα γενέσθαι μισητοὶ, διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας χειρὸς καὶ γλώσσης τοῦ ἀποστασίου βεδαιουμένου. Κρεῖττον γὰρ ὲνὼσεως καὶ φιλίας, ἢ διαστάσεως καὶ βίου λύσεως μέσους γίνεσθαι. Τοῦτό μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ὁ θαυμασιώτατος ἄρχων ὶνθυ μηθεὶς, ἡμῖν ἐπιτρέψαι τὴν πεῦσιν τῆς σῆς θυγατρὸς, ὡς οὐκ ἀποτόμως. οὐδὲ ἀπαθῶς ἐλθεῖν δυναμένοις ἐπὶ τὴν λύσιν. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς λογιστὴν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐπίσκοπον δηλαδὴ προεβάλετο, καὶ μέσον ἐποιήσατο τῆς καθʼ ὑμᾶς περιπετείας. Παρακαλῶ τοίνυν χαρίσασθαί τι τῇ ἐμῇ δειλίᾳ· καὶ εί μὲν τὰ κρείττω νικᾷ, χρήσασθε ἡμῖν ὑπηρέταις τῆς ὑμετέρας βουλήσεως, καὶ χαίρομεν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπιταττόμενοι* εί δὲ τὰ χείρω τε καὶ σκαιότερα, καὶ οἷς οὐδέπω καὶ τήμερον ἐνεχειρήσαμεν, ἄλλον ἐπιζητεῖτε τὸν πρὸς ταῦτα ἐπιτηδειότερον. Ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐ σχολὴ, ἵνα τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ φιλίᾳ χαρίσωμαι (εί καὶ τὰ πάντα οἶδα ὑμᾶς ἐμαυτῷ τιμιωτάτους), θεῷ προσκρούειν, ᾧ λόγον ὑπέχω παντὸς κινήματος καὶ διανοήματος. Τῇ δὲ σῇ θυγατρὶ τότε πιστεύσομεν (είρήσεται γὰρ τάληθδς), ὅταν δυνηθῇ τὸ αἰδεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς φυγοῦσα παρρησιάζεσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ὦς νῦν γε τὸ πάθος ἐλεεινόν. Μερίζει γὰρ ὑμῖν μὲν τὰ ῥήματα, τῷ δὲ ἀνδρὶ τὸ δάκρυον. ### English translation (Claude) … to pass over what lies between, so as not to ratify the bill of divorce, which is altogether displeasing to our laws, even if those of the Romans judge otherwise. For justice must be preserved, which we pray that you too may always speak and do. [Letter 145. To Verianus] Executioners do nothing terrible, for they serve the laws; nor is the sword with which we punish the wicked unlawful. But still the executioner is not praised, nor is the murderous sword welcomed. So neither do we endure becoming hateful by having the bill of divorce confirmed by our hand and tongue. For it is better to be mediators of union and friendship than of separation and the dissolution of life together. This, it seems to me, the most admirable governor also had in mind when he entrusted to us the questioning of your daughter, as men who could not come to the dissolution abruptly or without feeling. For he plainly appointed me not as an official but as a bishop, and made me the mediator in your misfortune. I beg you, then, to grant something to my timidity; and if the better course prevails, use us as servants of your will, and we rejoice to be given such commands; but if the worse and more sinister, things we have never undertaken to this day, look for someone else more suited to them. I have no leisure, in order to gratify your friendship (even though I know you to be the most honoured of all by me), to offend God, to whom I give account of every movement and thought. Your daughter we shall believe (the truth shall be told) when she can escape her respect for you and speak the truth freely. As things are now, her plight is pitiable; for she divides her words to you and her tears to her husband. ### Scripture references - Matt 19:7: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of Letter 144, to the governor Olympius, whose opening is lost in the scan; the heading of Letter 145, to Verianus, the father of the young wife, is also lost. “Bill of divorce” renders ἀποστάσιον (cf. Deut 24:1; Matt 5:31; 19:7). Roman law allowed divorce by consent, while Gregory states that the Church's law does not. The governor had asked Gregory, as bishop, to examine the daughter. Migne's textual notes read into the end of the page by the scan are removed. Translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 247 (PG 37:248a–248d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-247). ## Letter 249 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-249 - Source: PG 37:249a–249d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, having often asked favours for others, now hesitantly asks one for his own family. ### Greek text Τοῦτο ἦν ὅπερ ἔλεγον ὥσπερ ἐκ τινος προφητείας εἱς πάντα δεξιοῦ σου τυγχάνων, καὶ ἀπλήστως τῆς σῆς ἡμερότητος ἐμφορούμενος, ὅτι δέδοικα μὴ κενώσω τὸ φιλάνθρωπον ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἁγὼν ἐμὸς (εἴπερ ἐμὸς, ὁ τῶν ἐμῶν), καὶ ού μετὰ τῆς ἴσης παρρησίας ποιοῦμαι τοὺς λόγους. Πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι ἐμός. Τὸ γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ δεῖσθαι, εί καὶ χρησιμώτερον, ἀλλὰ ταπεινότερον. Ἔπειτα ὑφορῶμαι τὸν κόρον ὡς τὸ ἡδὺ λύοντα, καὶ πᾶσιν ἐναντιούμενον τοῖς καλοῖς. Ἔχει μὲν οὖν οὕτω ταῦτα, καὶ εἰκάζω λίαν ὀρθῶς. Ὅμως δὲ τῷ τε Θεῷ θαρρῶν, ᾧ παρέστηκα, καὶ τῇ σῇ περὶ τὺ εὖ ποιεῖν μεγαλοψυχίᾳ, τὴν ἱκεσίαν ταύτην ἐθάρρησα. ### English translation (Claude) This is what I said, as if by some prophecy, when I was obtaining your favour in everything and filling myself insatiably with your gentleness: that I feared I might exhaust your kindness on the affairs of others. For see, the contest is my own (if indeed what concerns my own people is mine), and I do not speak with equal freedom. First, because it is my own; for to ask for oneself, even if more useful, is more humbling. Then, I suspect satiety, as something that dissolves what is sweet and opposes everything good. So it stands, and I guess very rightly. Yet trusting in God, before whom I stand, and in your magnanimity in doing good, I have dared this supplication. ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; the letter is probably to Olympius (Letter 145 or 146 in Migne). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 249 (PG 37:249a–249d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-249). ## Letter 251 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-251 - Source: PG 37:252a–252d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter; then Gregory asks Asterius to protect his nephew Nicobulus, accused because of what his young slaves had done. ### Greek text 5ικάξων σήμερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀρετῇ καὶ κακίᾳ· οὗ μᾶλλον, ἦ τοῦ καθʼ ἕκαστον, φροντιστέον τοῖς γε κατὰ σὲ τὴν ἀρετὴν, κα) δεξιοῖς ἄρχουσιν. Ἔσται δέ σοι παρʼ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τούτοις, ού τὸ τῶν εὐχῶν μόνον, ὧν οἶδά σε μὴ περιφρονοῦντα κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πε ριὸόητον καταστῆσαι τὴν σὴν,ἀρχὴν πᾶσιν, οἷς γνωριζόμεθα. PMZ'. ΑΣτΕΡιῼ Τί Θεοῦ δικαιότερον; ἀλλʼ ὅμως πάντων ποιητὴς ὢν καὶ δεσπότης, ἐξαίρετον ἑαυτοῦ λαὸν ποιεῖται καὶ ὀνομάζει τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεται, μὴοάδικος παρὰ τοῦτο νομίζηται. Τί οὖν θαυμαστὸν, εί καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντων κηδόμενοι τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἡμετέραν χεῖρα καὶ προστασίαν, πλέον τοῦ υίοῦ Νικοβούλου περιεχόμεθα, ὃν καὶ γηρωκόμον καὶ νοσοκόμον γινώσκομεν, καὶ οἷον ἔρεισμα καὶ βακτηρίαν τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν ὐποὸεόλήμεθα. Τοῦτον ὑπὸ τὰς σὰς τίθεμεν χεῖρας, καὶ διὰ τῶν σῶν ταῖς τοῦ ἄρχοντος, πάνυ δεινὸν νομίζοντες, τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους καὶ τῶν μεγίστων ἐγκλημάτων ἐλευθεροῦν διʼ ἡμῶν, καὶ πρώτους γε τοὺς νῦν πικροὺς κατηγόρους· τοῦτον δὲ μηδὲ τῆς ἐπηρείας δύνασθαι, καὶ ἧς τυγχάνομεν ἐπὶτῶν ξένων τιμῆς, ταύτης ἐφʼ ήμῶν αὐτῶν μὴ τυγχάνειν, ἀλλὰ ταυτὸν πάσχειν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, οῖ τʼ ἄλλα ὁρῶντες, ἑαυτοὺς ούχ ὁρῶσιν, ἢ τῶν πηγῶν ταῖς ὲν βάθει κειμέναις, αῖ τὰ πλησίον ούχ ὑπορρέουσαι, τὰ πόῤῥω ποτίζουσιν. Ἔστω δεινά τετολμημένα τοῖς παιδαρίοις ἢ ὑπέρδειναο ὥσπερ οὖν ἴσως οὐδὲν, ἢ μικρὸν εὑρεθήσεται, εί μὴ τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἐξετάσεως στενοχωρηθείημεν. Ἀλλὰ τί τοῦτο πρὸς τοὺς δεσπότας, οῖ μηδενὸς τῶν γεγενημένων κεκοινωνήκασιν; ἢ τίς ὁ λόγος, ὑπὲρ ἀλλοτρίων ἁμαρτημάτων ὲν ἄλλοις ἀπαιτεῖσθαι δίκην, καὶ νῦν τῶν δημοσίων φροντίζειν, ἡνίκα λυπεῖ τὸ ίδιον; ### English translation (Claude) … judging today, but also by virtue and vice; which governors who are virtuous and excellent like you must care for more than for each single case. And for this you will have from us not only our prayers, which I know you do not despise as most men do, but also our making your term of office renowned among all to whom we are known. [Letter 147. To Asterius] What is more just than God? Yet, though he is maker and master of all, he makes Israel his chosen people and calls it so, and is not ashamed, nor is he thought unjust on this account. What wonder, then, if we too, who care for all under our hand and protection, hold more closely to our son Nicobulus, whom we know as the nurse of our old age and sickness, and have taken as a support and staff of our weakness? We place him under your hands, and through yours under the governor's, thinking it very terrible that we should free others from the greatest charges through our intercession, and first of all those who are now his bitter accusers, but should not be able to free him even from harassment; and that the honour we obtain among strangers we should not obtain for our own, but should be like the eyes, which see other things but do not see themselves, or like springs lying deep, which do not flow to what is near but water what is far away. Let terrible things have been dared by the boys, or even worse than terrible; though perhaps nothing, or little, will be found, unless we are hurried by the time allowed for the inquiry. But what has this to do with their masters, who shared in none of what happened? Or what reason is there to exact a penalty from some for the sins of others, and to care now for public affairs when one's own grieves us? ### Scripture references - Exod 19:5–6: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 7:6: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Israel the chosen people: Exod 19:5–6; Deut 7:6. Asterius was an official serving under the governor. “The boys” are probably Nicobulus's slaves. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 251 (PG 37:252a–252d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-251). ## Letter 253 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-253 - Source: PG 37:253a–253d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory again asks Asterius to help Nicobulus, apologizing for his many letters: harbours are for the storm-tossed and medicine for the sick. ### Greek text τί τοῦτο, ἰσως ὲρεϊς; πάλιν ἡμῖν Γρηγόριοςς πάλιν ἐπιστολαὶ; πάλιν αἰτήσεις; Ὠ τῆς ἀπληστίας, ἢν … κεκινήκαμεν. Μηδαμῶς, ὧθαυμάσιε, μὴ τοῦτο πάθῃς. Τίνων γὰρ οἱ λιμένες, ἢ τῶν χειμαζομένων ; τίνων δὲ τὰ φάρμακα, ἢ τῶν ἀρρωστούντων; ὦνπερ ἡμεῖς μὴ ἀποστερηθείημεν, καὶ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον, ὅσῳ πιστευόμεθα. δύνασθαι παρὰ σοί. Ούκ ἔτι γὰρ αἰτοῦμεν, ἀλλʼ ἀπαιτοῦμεν, ἀεὶ χάριτος χάριν προκαλουμένης. Νικόόουλος ὲν ὲπηρείαις, ταυτὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἡμεῖςʼ ἡμῶν γάρ ἐστιν ἀνάπαυσις. Καὶ πῶς οἷόν τε σιωπᾷν, καὶ μὴ φορτικὸν εἶναι καὶ τὸν σφόδρα φιλόσοφονς δὸς χεῖρα πιεζομένοις, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς ἐκ Θεοῦ τύχῃς, χρῄζων ταύτης ὡς ἄνθρωπος. Καὶ χρῆσαι πάσῃ τῇ φιλίᾳ, καὶ τῇ συνέσει, καὶ τῷ δύναο σθαι σῦν Θεῷ. περὶτὰ ἡμέτερα πράγματα. Ούτε γὰρ σίδηρος ἔμπυρος πολλῶν δεῖται τῶν παρὰ τοῦ λίθου κρουμάτων, ἴνα τὸ ἐγκείμενον πῦρ δημοσιωθῇ ἀλλʼ ἐπλήγη τε ὁμοῦ, καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἦστραψεν. Οὔτε αὐτὸς μακροτέρας δεήσῃ παρακλήσεως, καὶ τοῦτο ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, καὶ τοιούτου τοῦ πεί- Θοντος ὖντος, καὶ οὕτω γνησίου κοινωνοῦ τῆς ἀρχῆς. Ἐν καὶ σύντομον φθέγξομαιο τὰς μὲν ἄλλας χάριτας, ἄλλοι διʼήμῶν ἐλάμὸανον, ταύτης δὲ ἡμεῖς χρῄζομεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν, ὃ καὶ μᾶλλον δυσωπη σάτω τὴν σὴν λογιότητα. PMB’. ΓΕΩΡΓΙῼ. ### English translation (Claude) “What is this?” you will perhaps say. “Gregory again? Letters again? Requests again?” O the insatiability we have stirred up … ! By no means, my admirable friend, do not feel so. For whose are harbours, if not the storm-tossed? Whose are medicines, if not the sick? May we not be deprived of them, and the less so as we are believed to have influence with you. For we no longer ask but demand, since one favour always calls forth another. Nicobulus is being harassed, which is the same as saying that we are; for he is our rest. And how is it possible to keep silent and not be tiresome, even for one who is very much a philosopher? Give a hand to the oppressed, so that you too may obtain the hand that comes from God, since as a man you need it. And use all your friendship and understanding and power, with God, for our affairs. For neither does steel struck on flint need many blows for the fire within to come out; it is struck, and at once the fire flashes. Nor will you need a longer appeal, especially on our behalf, and when the one persuading you is such a man, so genuine a partner of your office. I will say one short thing: other favours others received through us, but this one we need for ourselves, which should move your Eloquence the more. [Letter 149. To George] ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; this is probably Letter 148, to Asterius. The heading of Letter 149 at the foot of the page is garbled in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 253 (PG 37:253a–253d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-253). ## Letter 255 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-255 - Source: PG 37:256a–256d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter ordering an inquiry into an injury charged against a deacon; then Gregory commends the deacon George to Asterius; then begins a letter to Nectarius. ### Greek text μεῖα, τοῦτο τεθαύμακα. Μὴ τοίνυν παρέργως δέξῃ τὸ γεγονὸς, ἀλλὰ τὸ συμβὰν, ἐλθὼν διὰ σεαυτοῦ, παράστησον ἡμῖν. Παρέστω δὲ καὶ ὁ διάκονος, καὶ λόγον ὑφέξων τῆς κατηγορίας, καὶ τύπον ληψόμενος περὶ τῆς τοῦ συντριβέντος ζωῆς. Ού γὰρ ἀνεχόμεθα τοιαύτην ἀσχημοσύνην τολμᾶσθαι σχεδὸν ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις ὄψεσιν PN'. ΛΣΤΕΡΙῼ. Χαίρω καὶ γράφων. καὶ ἐγκαλούμενος ὅτι μὴ γρὰφω, εἴποτε τοῦτο συμβαίνει. Χρηστά γάρ σου καὶ τά ἐγκλήματα. Καί τοί γε πολλάκις καὶ περὶ πολλῶν ἐπιστείλας οῖδα, καὶ μέν τοι καὶ τυχὼν περὶ ὧν ἐδεήθην σου. Καὶ εί μή τι ἄλλο, τό γε πλῆθος τῶν εὖ πεπονθότων μαρτυρεῖ μοι τά γράμματα. Εἰ δὲ σὺ μὲν ἀφθονώτερος εἰς τὴν φιλίαν. ἡ τις ἂν εύξοιτο, ἐγὼ δέ περὶ τὰς αἰτήσεις δειλότερος. Σὺ μὲν ἔχε τά πρῶτα τῆς ἀρετῆς· ἐμοὶ δὲ συγγνώμη τὸ φορτικὸν φεύγοντι, ἐπειδὴ πᾶν μέτρον ἄριστον οἶδεν ὀ τού σοφοῦ λόγος. Πλὴν τῷ Θεῷ χάρις, ὅτι σοι τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν ἐνεχείρισεν, οὕτω κοινὸν ἐπιστήσας ἡμῖν εὐεργέτην τε κα) συνάρχοντα. Ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν ἐγχειρίζω σοι διὰ ταύτης μου τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ συνδιάκονον ἧμῶν Ῠεώργιον,ἄνδρα τῶν ἐνξαιρέτων ἡμῖν, καὶ τῇ Ἐκκλησία χρησιμώτατον, ἀξιῶν θάρσους αὐτὸν τυχεῖν ἐν οἷς πρός τινας διαφέρεται, καὶ μὴ συναρπασθῆναι τῇ τυραννίδι. PNA'. Ν ΕΚΤΛΡΙῼ. Καλῶς οί πολλοὶ στοχάζονται τῆς σῆς διανοίαςο μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ εἰκάζουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἡμῖν φιλοτι- ### English translation (Claude) … , this I have wondered at. Do not, then, take what has happened lightly, but come yourself and set the matter before us. Let the deacon be present too, both to answer the charge and to receive a ruling about the life of the man who was injured. For we will not tolerate such indecency being dared almost before our eyes. [Letter 150. To Asterius] I rejoice both to write and to be reproached for not writing, if that ever happens; for even your reproaches are kind. And yet I know that I have often written about many things, and have obtained what I asked of you. If nothing else, the number of those who have been helped bears witness to my letters. If you are more generous in friendship than one could pray for, I am more timid in making requests. Keep the first place in virtue; but forgive me for avoiding being tiresome, since the wise man's saying knows that “measure is best in all things.” But thanks be to God, who has entrusted you with doing good, so setting over us a common benefactor and fellow governor. For now too I entrust to you by this letter our brother and fellow deacon George, a man exceptional in our eyes and most useful to the Church, asking that he may be confident in his disputes with certain persons and not be swept away by tyranny. [Letter 151. To Nectarius] Many rightly guess your mind; or rather they do not guess, but do not disbelieve us when we pride ourselves ### Translation notes - The opening of Letter 149 (to George) is lost in the scan. “Measure is best in all things”: a saying of Cleobulus, one of the Seven Sages. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 255 (PG 37:256a–256d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-255). ## Letter 257 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-257 - Source: PG 37:257a–257d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory commends George to Nectarius; then he appeals to the metropolitan bishop for help, since the Church of Nazianzus is without a bishop and the Apollinarians are active. ### Greek text μουμένοις οὐκ ἀπιστοῦσιν, ὅτι μὴ μικρᾶς ἡμᾶς ἀξιοῖς αἰδοῦς καὶ τιμῆς. Τούτων εἷς ἐστι καὶ ὁ τιμιώτατος υἱὸς Γεὼργιος, ὃς πολλαῖς ζημίαις περιπεσὼν, καὶ κάμνων ἱκανῶς ὲν τοῖς πράγμασιν, ενα λιμένα σωτηρίας εὑρίσκει, τὸ προσαχθῆναί σοι διʼ ἡμῶν, καὶ τυχεῖν τινος φιλαν- θρωπίας παρὰ τοῦ τιμιωτάτου τῶν οἰκείων Κόμητος. Δὸς οὖν τὴν χάριν, εί βούλει μὲν, αὑτῷ καὶ τῇ χρείᾳ. εί βούλει δὲ, ἡμῖν, οἷς τὸ πάντα … οἷδʼ ὃτι ἐγνωσμένον ἐστί σοι, καὶ αὐτοῖς πείθεις τοῖς πράγμασι- Καιρός μοι τὸ τῆς Γραφῆς εἰπεῖν· Πρὸς τίνα ,βοήσομαι *ἀδικούμενοςξ τίς ὀρέξει μοι χεῖρα …; εἰς τίνα τὸ βάρος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας χωρήσει, κακῶς οὕτω διακειμένης, καὶ λελυμέα γης; διαμαρτύρομαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν ἀγγέλων, ὅτι μὴ δίκαια πάσχει τὸ τοῦ ’Θεοῦ ποίμνιον, ἀποίμαντον ὃν καὶ ἀνεπίσκεπτον διά τὴν ἡμετέραν νέκρωσιν. Ἐμὲ γάρ ὴ νόσος κατέχει, καὶ τάχιον ἀπήγαγε τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ νῦν παντάπασιν ἀχρειοῖ, ἀεὶ τὰ τελευταῖα πνέοντα, καὶ πλέον τοῖς πράγμασι συντριβόμενον. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀλλην τινὰ κεφαλὴν εἶχεν ἡ ἐπαρχία, πρὸς ἐκείνην εδει βοᾷν καὶ διαμαρτύρασθαι. Τῆς δὲ σῆς εὐλαὸείας ὑπερκειμένης, πρὸς σὲ βλέπειν ἀναγκαῖον. 1ἱρόντισον τῆς σῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὃν βούλει τρόπον, καὶ … ἐαύτῆς πράττουσαν. ’Ίνα γὰρ τʼ ἄλλα ἐάσω, οἷα νῦν ἐπιστάντες οἱ Ἀπολλιναριανοὶ, τά μὲν πεποιήκασι, τὰ δὲ ἀπειλοῦσι, παρὰ τῶν κυρίων μου τῶν συμπρεσβυτέρων μαθήσῃ, Εύλαλίου τοῦ χωρεπισκὸπου, καὶ Κελευσίου, οὓς ἐξ ἔργου πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν ἀπεστάλκαμεν. Καὶ τὸ ταῦτα ἐπισχεῖν, ού τῆς ἡμετέραςἡλικίας καὶ ἀσθενείας, ### English translation (Claude) that you count us worthy of no small respect and honour. One of these is our most honoured son George, who, having fallen into many losses and being in great difficulty in his affairs, finds one harbour of safety: to be brought to you through us and obtain some kindness from the most honoured of your household, the Count. Grant the favour, then, if you wish, to him and to his need; if you wish, to us, for whom … I know is known to you, and you persuade us of it by the facts themselves. [Letter 152. To Theodore] It is time for me to say the word of Scripture: To whom shall I cry when I am wronged? Who will stretch out a hand to me … ? To whom will the burden of the Church pass, in so bad a state and broken up? I testify before God and the elect angels that the flock of God suffers unjustly, being without shepherd and oversight because of our deadness. For sickness holds me; it took me away from the Church too soon, and now makes me wholly useless, always breathing my last and further crushed by affairs. If the province had any other head, I should cry out and testify to him. But since your Reverence is set over us, I must look to you. Take thought for your Church in whatever way you wish, and do not let it act on its own … . For, to leave other things aside, what the Apollinarians who have now come in have done in part and threaten in part, you will learn from my lords and fellow presbyters, Eulalius the chorepiscopus and Celeusius, whom we have sent to your Reverence for this very purpose. And to check these things belongs not to our age and weakness, ### Scripture references - Job 19:7: allusion, low confidence - 1 Tim 5:21: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The Count is a relative of Nectarius. The heading of Letter 152 is lost in the scan; the addressee is the metropolitan, probably Theodore of Tyana. “To whom shall I cry when I am wronged?”: not an exact quotation (cf. Job 19:7; Hab 1:2). “Before God and the elect angels”: 1 Tim 5:21. A chorepiscopus was a country bishop. Some words are garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 257 (PG 37:257a–257d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-257). ## Letter 259 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-259 - Source: PG 37:260a–260d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory threatens to announce publicly that Nazianzus needs a bishop; then he tells Bosporius he will no longer be deceived and will withdraw to God; then he praises Olympius after his term of office. ### Greek text ἀλλὰ τῆς σῆς ἀγχινοίας καὶ δυνάμεως, ἐπειδή σοι, μετά τῶν ἄλλων, καὶ τὸ ίσχύειν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπὶ τῇ κοινῇ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προστασίᾳ. Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα λέγων καὶ γράφων οὐκ ἀκουοίμην, ό λείπεται μόνον, τοῦτο γενήσεται, δημοσίᾳ κηρύξαι πᾶσι καὶ καταστῆσαι γνώριμον, ὅτι ἐπισκόπου χρῄζειὴ Ἐκκλησία, ἵνα μὴ παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀρρωστίας καταβλάπτῃται. Τὸ δὲ ἑξῆς ὑμεῖς εἴσεσθε. PNI". ΒΟΣΠΟΡΙῼ ΕΠιΣκυΠι) ΚΟΛΩΝῘΑΣ. Δὶς ἤδη τοῦτο ὲπτὲρνισμαι παρʼ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἡπάτημαι (οἶδας ὃ λέγω) · καὶ εί μὲν δικαίως, ὀσφραν- Οείη Κύριος παρʼ ὑμῶν ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας· εί δι ἀδίκως. συγγνοίη Κύριος. οὕτω γὰρ ἐμὲ περὶ ὑμῶν λέγειν εὔλογον, ἐπειδὴ φέρειν καὶ ἀδικούμενοι προστετάγμεθα. Πλὴν ὥσπερ ὑμεῖς κύριοι τῆς ὑμετέρας γνώμης, οὕτω κάγὼ τῆς ἐμῆς. Οὐκ ἔτι βαρὺς ὑμῖν ἔσται Γ ρηγόριος ό βαρύς.,Ἂναχωρήσω πρὸς Θεὸν τὸν μόνον καθαρόν τε καὶ ἄδολον. Εἰς ἐμαυτὸν συσταλήσομαι. Ταῦτα ἐμαυτὸν ἐνουθέτησα. Δὶς γὰρ πρὸς τὸν αὑτὸν λίθον προσπταίειν, τοῖς ἀνοήτοις μόνοις ἡ παροιμία δίδωσιν. ΡΝΔʼ. ΟΛΥΜΠΙῼ. Ἦμῖν ἄρχων σὺ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν (κρίνομεν γὰρ ἑτέρως, ἦ ὼς οἱ πολλοὶ, τὰ πράγματα), ὅτι πᾶσαν ἀρχικήν ἀρετὴν ὲν σεαυτῷ συλλαβὼν ἔχεις. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν ὑψιθρόνωνἐμοὶ κάτω, ὅσους ὴ χεὶρ ποιεῖ ταπεινοὺς καὶ δούλους τῶν ἀρχομένων. Πολ· λοὶ δὲ ὑψηλοὶ καὶ μετέωροι, κᾶν ἑστήκασι κάτω, ὅσους ἂνω τίθησιν ἀρετὴ, καὶ ποιεῖ μειζόνων ἀρχῶν ἀξίους. ### English translation (Claude) but to your sagacity and power, since God has given you, among other things, strength for the common protection of the Church. But if, saying and writing these things, I am not heard, the only thing left will be done: to proclaim publicly to all and make it known that the Church needs a bishop, so that it may not be harmed by our sickness. What follows you will know. [Letter 153. To Bosporius, bishop of Colonia] Twice now I have been tripped up by you and deceived (you know what I mean); and if justly, may the Lord smell from you an odour of sweet savour; if unjustly, may the Lord forgive. For so it is reasonable for me to speak of you, since we are commanded to bear it even when we are wronged. But as you are masters of your own opinion, so am I of mine. The burdensome Gregory will no longer be a burden to you. I will withdraw to God, who alone is pure and without guile. I will draw into myself. This is what I have resolved. For to stumble twice on the same stone the proverb allows only to fools. [Letter 154. To Olympius] You are our governor even after your term of office (for we judge things otherwise than the many), since you have gathered every virtue of a governor in yourself. For many who sit on high thrones are low in my eyes, all those whom their hand makes humble and slaves of those they govern; and many are high and lofty even if they stand below, all whom virtue sets on high and makes worthy of greater offices. ### Scripture references - Gen 8:21: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 6:7: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - An odour of sweet savour: Gen 8:21. To bear wrong: cf. 1 Cor 6:7. The proverb of the stone is ancient (cf. Diogenianus 4.21). (The public-domain translation of Letter 153 was seen before translating it; the translation was made from the Greek.) ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 259 (PG 37:260a–260d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-259). ## Letter 261 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-261 - Source: PG 37:261a–261d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory laments the departure of the governor Olympius, under whom his province had prospered, and wishes him a greater office. ### Greek text Ἀλλὰ τί τούτων ἐμοί; οὐκ ἔτι μεθʼ ἡμῶν ὁ μέγας Ὀλύμπιος, οὐδὲ φέρει τοὺς ἡμετέρους οἴακας. Οἱχὸμεθα, προδεδόμεθα, γεγόναμεν αὖθις δευτέρα Καππαδοκία, πρώτη παρὰ σοῦ γεγονότες. Καὶ τάκ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων τί χρὴ λέγειν; ἀλλὰ τίς γηροκομήσει τὸν σὸν Γρηγόριον, καὶ φαρμακεὺσει τὴν ἀσθένειαν ταῖς τιμαῖς, καὶ θήσει τιμιὼτερον τὸν παρὰ σοῦ πολλοῖς προξενοῦντα τὸ φιλάνθρωπονς Νῦν μὲν οὖν ἀπίοιτε τὴν ὑμετέραν ὁδὸν, σὺν … καὶ πομπῇ κρείττονι, πολλὰ μὲν δάκρυα καταλιπόντες ἡμῖν, πολὺν δὲ πλοῦτον …κομιζόμενοι παρʼ ὑμῶν, καὶ οἷον οὐ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων, τὴν εὐδοξίαν, καὶ τὸ ἀνάγραπτοι τυγχανειν ταῖς πάντων ψυχαῖς, στήλαις οὐκ εὐκινήτοις. Εἰ δὲ πᾶλιν ἡμῖν ὲπισταίητε, μετὰ μείζονος καὶ λαμπροτέρας τῆς ἀρχῆς (τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ πόθος ἡμῖν μαντεύεται), τελεώτερα τῷ Θεῶ τὰ χαριστήρια πάντως ἀνοίσομεν. PNE'. ΑΣΤΕΡΙῼ. ### English translation (Claude) But what are these things to me? The great Olympius is no longer with us, nor does he hold our helm. We are gone, betrayed; we have become Second Cappadocia again, having been made first through you. Why should I speak of the affairs of others? But who will care for the old age of your Gregory, treat his weakness with honours, and make the man more honoured who obtained your kindness for many? Now, then, may you go your way with … and a nobler escort, leaving us many tears, and taking from us great wealth, such as not many governors have: good repute, and being inscribed in the souls of all, as on monuments not easily moved. And if you should be set over us again, with a greater and more brilliant office (for our longing prophesies this), we will surely offer more perfect thanksgivings to God. [Letter 155. To Asterius] ### Translation notes - Cappadocia had been divided into First and Second Cappadocia (371/372); Nazianzus lay in the Second. A word after “with” is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 261 (PG 37:261a–261d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-261). ## Letter 263 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-263 - Source: PG 37:264a–264d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory praises Asterius as the governor's indispensable helper, like Iolaus to Heracles; then he tells Bishop Theodore bitterly that he will trouble him no more about church affairs. ### Greek text ΡΝςῖο. τι) ιντο. Μέγας ὲν ἀνθρώποις ὁ Ἡρακλῆς, ὡς λόγος (ῖνα σε λόγιον ὄντα καί τινος ἀναμνήσω τῶν σῶν) · ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν τοιοῦτος ἦν, εί μὴ τὸν Ἰόλαον εἶχε συναγωνιζόμενον, κα). κατὰ τῆς ’Υδρας μάλιστα, τοῦ πικροῦ τούτου καὶ πολυκεφάλου θηρίου, ἦς ὁ μὲν ὲξέτεμνε τὰς κεφαλὰς, ὁ δὲ ὲπέκαιεν, ὥσπερ τας τῆς κακίας ὑμεῖς. Πολλοὺς παρήλαυνον οἱ Ἀκτορίωνες ἅρμασιν, ὡς Ὁμήρῳ δοκεῖ° δίδυμοι γὰρ ἦσαν κα). τὰ σώματα καὶ τὴν ’τέχνην ὁ μὲν τὰς ἡνίας· ὁ δὲ τὴν μάστιγα μεριζόμενοι, καὶ τὸ νικᾷν ἀλλήλοις συνερανίζοντες . Πολλοὺς διασώζει κυβερνήτης πλωτῆρας· ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν ὁμοίως διέσωξε. μὴ καλῷ πρωρεῖ βοηθούμενος, ὃς καὶ διαθρεῖ τοὺς ἀνέμους, καὶ τὰς ὑφάλους προδείκνυσι, καὶ γίνεται τῆς νηὸς οἷόν τις ὀφθαλμός. Τοιοῦτον ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ ὑμέτερον. Λαμπρὸν γὰρ ὄντα τὸν ἄρχοντα καὶ παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ, λαμπρότερον αὐτὸς ἐργάζῃ τῇ συνεριγίᾳ· ὃν πολλά ἐπαινοῦντες, τοῦτο θαυμάζομεν μάλιστα, ὃτι τοσαύτην τοῖς δημοσίοις εὔνοιαν σώζοντες, χώραν δίδοτε καὶ τοῖς φιλικοῖς, οὐ τραι χύτητι τρόπου τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἐνδεικνύμενοι, κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς τῶν ἀμέτρων, ήμερότητι δὲ μᾶλλον τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐστηρὸν τιΘασσεύοντες. er'. ΘΕΟΔΩΡῼ. Τὰ μὲν πνευματικὰ πέρας ἔχει · οὐκέτι προσο θήσω διοχλεῖν ὑμῖν. Συνέοιτε, φράσσοισθε, βου·λεύοισθε καθʼ ἡμῶν. Νικάτιυσαν οἱ μισοῦντες ἡμᾶςʼ φυλαττέσθωσαν ἀκριβῶς οἱ κανόνες, ἀφʼ ἡμῶν ἀρ ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 156. To the same] Great among men was Heracles, as the story goes (to remind you, learned as you are, of something of your own); but he would not have been so great had he not had Iolaus fighting at his side, especially against the Hydra, that bitter and many-headed beast, whose heads the one cut off and the other seared, as you both do with the heads of wickedness. The sons of Actor outstripped many with their chariots, as Homer thinks; for they were twins in body and in skill, one taking the reins and the other the whip, and contributing victory to each other. A helmsman brings many sailors safely through; but he would not do so equally without the help of a good lookout at the prow, who watches the winds, points out the hidden rocks, and becomes as it were the eye of the ship. Such is your part for us. For you make the governor, brilliant in himself, more brilliant by your cooperation; and while we praise you both for many things, we admire this most, that while keeping such goodwill toward public affairs you give room also to friendship, not showing your exactness by harshness of character, like many who lack measure, but rather taming the severity of office by gentleness. [Letter 157. To Theodore] Spiritual affairs have reached their end; I will no longer go on troubling you. Meet together, consult, deliberate against us. Let those who hate us win; let the canons be strictly kept, beginning ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 23.638-642 (Homer, Iliad): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Iolaus helped Heracles kill the Hydra by searing its necks. The sons of Actor: Homer, Iliad 23.638–642 (Migne's footnote quoting the lines, read into the text by the scan, is removed). The bitter note to Theodore (of Tyana) concerns the appointment of a bishop for Nazianzus. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 263 (PG 37:264a–264d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-263). ## Letter 265 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-265 - Source: PG 37:265a–265d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks Theodore to look after Nicobulus's sons, who have come to the city to learn shorthand, and to lodge them near the church. ### Greek text ξάμενοι τῶν ἀμαθεστάτων. Οὐδεὶς ἀκριβείας φθόνος· τὰ φιλικά δὲ μὴ κεκωλύσθω. Ol τοῦ τιμιωτάτου υἱοῦ Νικοβούλου παῖδες ἥκασιν είς τὴν πόλιν ταχυγραφείν μαθησόμενον τούτους τά τε ἄλλα καὶ olκεῐως ἰδεῖν καὶ πατρικῶς θέλησον (ού γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο κωλύουσιν οἱ κανόνες), καὶ ὅπως ἂν γειτονῶσι τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ φρόντισον. Βούλομαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸ ἦθος τυποῦσθαι πρὸς ἀρετὴν, τῇ σῇ τελειότητι συνεχῶς ἐντυγχάνοντας. - PNH’. ΕΥΛΑΛΙῼ ### English translation (Claude) with us, the most unlearned. There is no grudge against exactness; but let friendship not be hindered. The sons of our most honoured son Nicobulus have come to the city to learn shorthand. Be willing to look on them, among other things, as your own and as a father would (for the canons do not forbid this either), and see that they lodge near the church. For I want them to have their character too shaped toward virtue by being constantly with your Perfection. [Letter 158. To Eulalius] ### Translation notes - The city is probably Tyana. Shorthand writers (notaries) were much in demand in public and church service. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 265 (PG 37:265a–265d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/221/#p-265). ## Letter 267 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-267 - Source: PG 37:268a–268d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks a bishop to protect the dedicated virgin Eugenia in a dispute over a legacy left by her nurse, and promises to accept his judgment. ### Greek text παρθένον, ἧς καὶ τὸ πιστὸν αἰδούμενος, και τῇ ἀρο ρωστίᾳ τοῦ σώματος βοηθῶν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν πᾶσι χεῖρά τε ὀρέγων καὶ κηδόμενος, πρᾶγμα ποιήσεις ἐλεύθερον καὶτῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας ἄξιον, προσθήσω δὲ, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας φιλίας. Σὺ καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῦτο βουλόμεθα. τὰ δίκαια γενέσθαι τῇ θυγατρὶ ἡμῶν Εὐγενίᾳ παρά τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας, καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν αὐτὴν ἀδικουμένην ὐπὸ τῶν αὐτῆς κληρονόμων· ἀδικηθείη δʼ ἀν, ὡς ἐμοὶ φαίνεται, εί τινος στερηθείη τῶν τῇ ιτγόνῃ παρὰ τῆς τιτθῆς καταλειφθέντων, ἢν ἀνεθρέψατο κατά πᾶσαν ἐπιμέλειανο καὶ ἀπέλιπεν ἐπʼ ὀλίγοις ἀντὶ πολλῶν ὧν ὑπεισχνεῖτό τε καῖ ἦλπιζεν. ΡΞΑο. Ta ΔΥΤῼ. Ἀ δίκαια ᾤμην, ἑπέσταλκα. Εἰ δὲ ἀλλο τι, καὶ μὴ ταῦτα παρέστη (πείθομαι γὰρ ὡς ὀρθῶς παρέστη), καὶ τοῦτο δεξόμεθα. Ἦ ἀδικοῖμεν ἀν καὶ παρανομοῖμεν είς αὐτὴν τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ὡς μὲν τά δίκαια κρίνοντι, τοὺς προσιόντας ἡμῖν προσάγοντες, οἷς δʼ ἂν δικάσῃς, μηκέτι ἐμμένοντες ’ τοῖς νπολο λοῖς ποιεῖν σύνηθες τῶν λίαν ἀθλίων καὶ ἀπαιγοτέρους ### English translation (Claude) … virgin, respecting her faithfulness and helping her in her bodily weakness, and therefore stretching out your hand and caring for her in everything, you will do something generous and worthy of your Reverence, and, I will add, of our friendship. You and we both want this: that justice be done to our daughter Eugenia by your Reverence, and that you do not overlook her being wronged by her heirs. And she would be wronged, it seems to me, if she were deprived of any of what was left to her nursling by the nurse whom she brought up with every care, and who left her little in place of the much she had promised and hoped for. [Letter 160. To the same] What I thought just I have written. If anything else, and not this, has occurred to you (for I am persuaded it has occurred to you rightly), we will accept that too. Otherwise we would be wronging and transgressing against piety itself, bringing to you, as one who judges justly, those who come to us, but no longer abiding by what you judge; which it is the custom of very wretched people to do toward many … more uneducated ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the addressee is a bishop (probably Eulalius, Letter 158–159). The relationships in the legacy are uncertain in the Greek as scanned. The number of the second letter is garbled in the scan; it is “to the same”. Lines are lost at the foot of the page (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 267 (PG 37:268a–268d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-267). ## Letter 269 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-269 - Source: PG 37:269a–269d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory insists that the case concerns him too, since Christ is not divided, and asks the bishop to judge with him and defend his weakness. ### Greek text εἶναι ἡμᾶς, ὡς οὐδὲν προσήκουσαν δίκην οξκειουμένους, πειθέτω τοῦτο. καὶ στέρξομεν. Νῦν δὲ δέδοικα μὴ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχῃ ° μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ μεμέρισται τὰ Χριστοῦ, καὶ Χριστός ’ οὐδὲ ὅρους ἔχει φιλανθρωπία. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μεμερίσθαι Θείη τις, δύο τοὺς ὲν τῷ πράγματι βαρουμένους γινώσκω, τήν τε σὴν εὐλάβειαν καὶ ἡμᾶς, εἰ παροφοεέη τὸ δίκαιον. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τὴν ἀμφοτέρων οἰκονομίαν οἱ κρινόμενοι. Καὶ δέος μὴ παρασυρῇ λόγων πιθανότητι τὸ ἀληθές. Διὰ τοῦτο κα) συνδίκαζε, καὶ προδὶκαζε, καὶ ὑπερμάχει τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν, μή πως εἱς ἀνάγκην καταστῶμεν, καί· περ οὕτω τοῦ σώματος ἔχοντος, θερμότερον τῇ ἀληθείᾳ συναγωνίζεσθαι μετά Θεοῦ, καὶ τῆς τῶν σῶν εὐχῶν συνεργίας. ### English translation (Claude) us, as men who take over a case that is no concern of ours, let him persuade us of this, and we will acquiesce. But now I fear it is not so. For, in the first place, the things of Christ are not divided, nor is Christ; nor does kindness have boundaries. And even if one were to suppose them divided, I know two who are burdened in this matter, your Reverence and ourselves, if justice should be overlooked; for those being judged are under the care of both. And there is fear that the truth may be swept away by the plausibility of arguments. For this reason, judge with me, and judge before me, and fight for our weakness, so that we may not be forced, with our body in such a state, to contend more hotly for the truth, with God and with the help of your prayers. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 1:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Christ not divided: cf. 1 Cor 1:13. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 269 (PG 37:269a–269d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-269). ## Letter 271 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-271 - Source: PG 37:272a–272d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory tells a bishop that George, who broke a written oath, has been brought to repentance, and asks him to impose a penance whose length matches his compunction. ### Greek text μεθα; καὶ, συντόμως εἰπεῖν, ὅρκος ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ ἐπερωτήσαντος καὶ πεισθέντος πληροφορία. Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὸ βεβιᾶσθαι φάσκειν ἱκανὸν εἰς, παραίτησιν (ἡ βία γὰρ ἦν ὁ νόμος. ὃν ἔδησεν). οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ ὕστερον ὑπερέχεινο αὐτὸ γάρ τὸ δικάσασθαι, παρορκίας. Τοῦτο καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν Γεὼργιον ἐπείσαμεν μὴ προφασίζεσθαι προφάσεις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις, μηδὲ λόγους ἀνευρίσκειν συνηγόρους τοῦ πλημμελήματος · ἀλλʼ ὅρκον εἰδέναι τὸν ἐγγεγραμμένον, καὶ ὑποκλαίειν τῷ Θεῷ καί τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, εί καὶ πρότερον ἄλλως ὑπελάμβανεν, ἐαυτὸν ἀπατῶν. Ταῦτα οὖν αὐτοί τε διελέχθημεν τῷ ἀνδρί · καὶ σὺ δῆλον ὅτι διαλεχθεὶς ἐπιμελέστερον, ἐπὶ πλέον αὑτὸν κατανύξεις, ὼς μέγας τῶν ψυχῶν θεραπευτὴς, καὶ τῷ κανόνι φαρμακεύσας αὐτὸν, ἐφʼ ὅσον ἂν δοκῇ χρόνον, οὕτως ἐποίσεις τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ χρὸνου. Τοῦ χρόνου δὲ μέτρον, τὸ μέτρον τῆς κατανύξεως. ### English translation (Claude) …; and, to put it briefly, the oath for us is the assurance given by the one who asked and was satisfied. Nor is it enough to claim to have been forced, as an excuse (for the force was the law that bound him); nor to prevail later in court; for going to law at all is perjury. This we persuaded our brother George too: not to make excuses for sins, nor to invent arguments as advocates for the offence, but to acknowledge the oath that was written down, and to weep before God and your Reverence over the sin, even if before he thought otherwise, deceiving himself. These things, then, we discussed with the man ourselves; and you, plainly, discussing them more carefully, will bring him to further compunction, as a great physician of souls; and, treating him with the canon for as long as seems good, you will then add the kindness of shortening the time. The measure of the time is the measure of the compunction. ### Scripture references - Ps 141:4 (140:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the addressee is a bishop, probably Theodore of Tyana. “To make excuses for sins”: Ps 141:4 (LXX 140:4). “The canon” is the penitential discipline; its length could be shortened in proportion to the penitent's contrition. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 271 (PG 37:272a–272d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-271). ## Letter 273 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-273 - Source: PG 37:273a–273c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter urging a bishop to fight for the Trinity; then Gregory rebukes a grieving friend for mourning without philosophy, urging the middle way between insensibility and excess. ### Greek text πέρας εχει. ’Υπεχωρὴσαμεν τῷ φθόνῳ, φιλοσοφοῦμεν ἐφʼ ἡσυχίας τῷ Θεῷ, καθʼ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς συγγινόμεθα ταῖς εὐχαῖς, τῶν ὲν μέσῳ κλόνων καὶ θορύβων ὴλευθερώμεθα. Σὺ δὲ ἡμῖν ἀνδρίζου, καὶ κραταιοῦ, καὶ ὑπεραγωνίζου τῆς τριάδος είς δύναμιν. Καὶ ὁ πραῢς ἔστω μαχητὴς, δ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἑώρας ποιοῦνταςʼ οὐ γὰρ βούλομαι κέρκωπας μὲν εὐδοκιμεῖν, ἠρεμεῖν δὲ λέοντας. Καὶ ἡμῶν ὓπερεύχου σφόδρα καμνόντων, ἶνʼ εἰρηνικῆς τύχοιμεν τῆς ἐξόδου, ἤδη πρὸς τοῦτο νεύοντες. Ρεεσ. τῃ Πυνθάνομαι σὲ πρὸς τὺ πάθος ἀφιλοσόφως ἔχειν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπῄνεσα · δεῖ γὰρ τάληθῆ γράφειν, ἄλλως τε καὶ πρὸς ἄνδρα φίλον, καὶ καλοκαγαθίας μεταποιούμενον. Ἕχω γὰρ οὕτω περὶ τούτων, ὥς γε ἐμαυτὸν πείθω, καὶ λίαν ὀρθῶς. Οὔτε τὸ λίαν ἀπαθὲς ἐπαινῶ, οὔτε τὸ ἄγαν περιπαθὲς. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀπάνθρωπον, τὸ δὲ ἀφιλόσοφον. Ἀλλά δεῖ τὴν μέσην βαδίζοντα, τῶν μὲν ἄγαν ἀσχέτων φιλοσοφώτερον φαίνεσθαι. τῶν δὲ φιλοσοφούντων ἀμέτρως ἀνθρωπινώτερον. Καὶ εί μὲν πρὸς ἄλλον τινὰ ἐπέστελλον, ἴσως ἄν μοι μακροτέρων ἐδέησε λόγων, καὶ τά μὲν συμπαθεῖν ἔδει, τά δὲ παραινέσαι, τά δὲ ἴσως ἐπιτιμῆσαι. Τό τε γὰρ συνο αλγεῖν, ἱκανὸν εἰς παραμυθίαν, καὶ. δεῖται τὸ ἀρρωποῦν τῆς ὲκ τοῦ ὑγιαίνοντος θεραπείας. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πρὸς ἄνδρα πεπαιδευμένον ποιονέμαι τοὺς λόγους. ἀρκεῖ τοσοῦτον εἰπεῖν· Γενοῦ σεαυτοῦ καὶτῶν βίβλων, αἷς καθωμίλησας, ὲν αἷς πολλοὶ μὲν βίοι, πολλοὶ δὲ τρόποι, πολλαὶ δὲ ἡδοναὶ καὶ λειότητες ’ πολλαὶ δὲ. ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, συμφοραὶ καὶ τραχύτητες. Πλέκει δὲ ταῦτα διʼ ἀλλήλων ό Θεός · ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἵνα μηδὲ τὸ λυποῦν ἀθεράπευτον ᾖ, μηδὲ τὸ εὐφραῖνον ἀπαιδαγὼγητον, καὶ, ἵνα τὸ ὲν τούτοις ἄστατον καὶ ἀνώμαλον θεωροῦντες, πρὸς … μόνον βλέπωμεν. Ταῦτα οὖν ὥσπερ κανόνα καὶ γνώμονα προσάγομεν σῷ πάθει. Καὶ εί μὲν ἑπαινούμενόν τινα ἔγνως τῶν λίαν ὑποπεσόντων τοῖς ἀλγεινοῖς, ἦ τι τῷ ἀλγεῖν κατορθώσαντα, χρῶ τῷ λυποῦντι καὶτοῦ πένθους ἀπόλαυε (οὐδεὶς φθόνος συμφορᾶς ### English translation (Claude) … has an end. We have yielded to envy; we live as philosophers in quiet with God; we keep company with ourselves in our prayers; we have been freed from the tossing and tumult in the midst of things. But do you play the man for us and be strong, and contend for the Trinity as far as you can. And let the meek man be a fighter, as you saw us doing; for I do not want monkeys to be well thought of while lions keep quiet. And pray much for us, who are very weary, that we may have a peaceful departure, being already inclined toward it. [Letter 165. To the same] I hear that you are bearing your suffering unphilosophically, and I did not approve; for one must write the truth, especially to a friend and a man who lays claim to nobility of character. For I hold, as I persuade myself, very rightly on these matters. I praise neither utter insensibility nor excessive emotion; the one is inhuman, the other unphilosophical. One must walk the middle way, appearing more philosophical than those who are quite uncontrolled, and more human than those who philosophize beyond measure. If I were writing to someone else, perhaps I would need longer words, and would have partly to sympathize, partly to exhort, and perhaps partly to rebuke. For to share the grief is enough for consolation, and the sick man needs treatment from one who is well. But since I am addressing an educated man, it is enough to say this: become yourself again, and the man of the books you have lived with, in which there are many lives, many characters, many pleasures and smooth times, and many, as is natural, misfortunes and rough times. God weaves these together, it seems to me, so that neither what grieves may be without healing nor what gladdens without discipline, and so that, seeing the instability and unevenness in these things, we may look to him alone. These things, then, we apply to your suffering as a rule and a measure. If you know of anyone who was praised among those who gave way excessively to grief, or who achieved anything by grieving, make use of your grief and enjoy your mourning (no one grudges misfortune its lament); ### Translation notes - The headings and openings are lost or garbled in the scan; the addressees are uncertain (the second letter is “to the same”, Letter 165 in Migne). “Play the man and be strong”: cf. Josh 1:6. The monkeys (κέρκωπες) are knaves; the lions, the brave. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 273 (PG 37:273a–273c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-273). ## Letter 275 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-275 - Source: PG 37:276a–276d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory ends his consolation: the Christian lives elsewhere, counting only vice grievous and only virtue and closeness to God sweet. ### Greek text θρηνουμένης)ο εἰ δὲ κακιζόμενον καὶ ψεγόμενον. ἡ, μὲν παροιμία φησιν, '0 τρώσας ἰάσεται ο νῦν δίι καλῶς ἔχει λέγειν, '0 τετρωμένος. Ἡμῖν δὲ καὶ ἄλλως αἰσχρὸν, καὶ παρὰ τὸν ἡμέτερον νόμον, μυμεῖσθαι τοὺς πολλοὺς ὲν τοῖς τοιούτοις · ἐπειδὴ καὶ τῶν παρόντων ἡμᾶς ὑψηλοτέρους ό λόγος ποιεῖ, καὶ πείθει ταῦτα μὲν παρατρέχειν, ὡς σκιὰς καὶ αἰνίγματα, καὶ μήτε τὸ λυποῦν, μήτε τὸ εὐφραῖνον νομίζειν ἀλήθειαν· ζῇν δὲ ἀλλαχοῦ, κάκεῖσε ὀρᾷν, καὶ μόνον μὲν λυπηρὸν εἰδέναι κακίαν, μόνον δὲ ἡδὺ τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν οὶκείωσιν. Ταῦτα κατέπᾳδε σεαυτοῦ, καὶ ῥᾴων ἔσῃ ο μᾶλλον δὲ κατέπῃσάς τε οἷδʼ ὅτι ἤδη, καὶ κατεπᾲσεις, κᾶν αὐτοὶ μὴ γ ρὰφωμεν. ### English translation (Claude) but if such a man is blamed and censured, then the proverb says, “He who wounded will heal,” but now it is right to say, “he who was wounded.” For us it is shameful in other respects too, and against our law, to imitate the many in such things; since the Word makes us higher than present things, and persuades us to run past them as shadows and riddles, and to consider neither what grieves nor what gladdens to be truth, but to live elsewhere and look there, and to know vice as the only grievous thing, and virtue and intimacy with God as the only sweet one. Sing these things as a charm over yourself, and you will be easier; or rather, I know that you have already sung them and will sing them, even if we do not write. ### Translation notes - “He who wounded will heal”: the oracle given to Telephus, wounded by Achilles' spear, become a proverb. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 275 (PG 37:276a–276d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-275). ## Letter 277 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-277 - Source: PG 37:277a–277d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory commends young Nicobulus to Helladius, bishop of Caesarea, asking him to introduce him to good teachers and to shape his character. ### Greek text ξις, ιν οἷς εἰ μὴ λίαν ἀμαθῶς, μηδι ἀνάνδρως ἁλσί-ςομεν:,ἢ ἀγωνιζόμεθα,,πολλοὶ δοκιμάζωσιν, PEZ'. ΕΛΛΔΔΙῼ. Ἰδού σοι κα). ὑπόμνημα τῆς ἡμετέρας φιλίας, ὀ γλυκύτατος υἱὸς ἡμῶν Νικόβουλος, τὸ πρῶτον ἡμῖν τῶν ὲν τῷ γένει σπουδαζομένων ' ὃν χαριῇ μὲν ἡμῖν καὶ διδασκάλων συστήσας τοῖς σπουδαιοτέροις ’ χαριῇ δὲ ’πλέον καὶ τὸ ἦθος πρὸς ἀρετὴν ρυθμίσας. Ἔσται δὲ τοῦτο, ει προτραπεεη συχνὰ πλησιάζειν σοι, καὶτὸ μέγιστον, εἰ γινώσκοι μὴ παρορώμενος· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς παιδευτοῦ σιωπῶσα διδασκαλία. Χρεωστεῖς δὲ ἡμῖν, εἰ μὴ φορτικὸν εἰπεῖν, καὶ τὰ πνευματικά. ὼς ἀρχιερεὺς ἀρχιερεῦσι, καὶ τὰ λογικὰ, ὡς λόγιος φιλολόγοις. ### English translation (Claude) …, in which, if we are not found too ignorant or unmanly, …, many may put us to the test. [Letter 167. To Helladius] See, here is a reminder of our friendship for you: our sweetest son Nicobulus, the first of those in our family for whom we take pains. You will do us a favour by introducing him to the more serious teachers; you will do us a greater one by shaping his character toward virtue. This will happen if he is urged to be often near you, and, most of all, if he knows that he is not overlooked; for the eye of an educator is a silent teaching. You owe us, if it is not tiresome to say so, both spiritual things, as a high priest to high priests, and literary things, as a man of letters to lovers of letters. ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of a letter whose opening is lost; the first sentence is garbled in the scan (…). Helladius succeeded Basil as bishop of Caesarea. This Nicobulus is the son of Gregory's nephew-in-law Nicobulus. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 277 (PG 37:277a–277d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-277). ## Letter 279 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-279 - Source: PG 37:280a–280d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory commends the presbyter Sacerdos to two friends; then he asks Bishop Amphilochius to pray for him and loose his sins when he consecrates the Eucharist. ### Greek text ζυγίας, καὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ λιμένος πάντων τῶν φοεου · μένων τὸν Κύριονῑ Ἄλλοι τῶν ὑμετέρων καλῶν ἀπολαύουσινθ ἐμοὶ δὲ ὑπελείφθτίή μνήμη μόνον, καὶ τὸ ζηλοτυπεῖν τοὺς μετέχοντας. ’Ὶνα δὲκαὶ αὐτὸς τῶν ἡμετέρων μετάσχῃς καλῶν, γνωρίζω σοι τὸν τιμιώτατον ἀδελφὺν καὶ συμπρεσβύτερον ἡμῶν Σακερδῶτα. ὃν οἶδα ὅτι θεασάμενος ἐρεῖς· Ὄντως καλοῦ παντὸς ἐραστὴς ὁ Γρηγόριος. ro. ΠΛΛΛΑΔῘῼ. Τὸ πολλάκις θαρρεῖν ἐπιστέλλειν, οὐ τῆς ἡμετέρας θρασύτητος, ἀλλὰ τῆς σῆς ἡμερότητος. οὐδεὶς γὰρ κόρος ἡμῖν τοῦ διὰ γραμμάτων ὑμῖν ὁμιλεῖν, ἐπειδή γε ἄλλως οὐκ ἔχομεν, οὕτως οἰκονομήσαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἡμέτερα. Τιῖ δὲ τιμιωτάτῳ υῐῴ ἡμῶνκαὶ συμπρεσβυτερῳ Σακερδωτι(ὂν διαφερόντως ἠγαπήσαμεν τε καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν), γνησίως φιλοσοφοῦντι, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τῆς πολιτείας ἑνουμένῳ, ὁρμήσαντι τῶν οἰκείων ἕνεκεν ἐπὶ τὴν μεγάλην διὰ σὲ πόλιν, οὐκ οἶδα τι ἂν ἐχαρισάμεθα μεῖζον, ἤ τῇ σῇ καλοκαγαθίᾳ γνωρίσαντες. ΡοΑʼ. ΛΜΦΙΛΟΧΙῼ . Μόλις ποτὲ τῶν ὲκ τῆς ἀρρωστίας ἀνανεύει-αντα τ πόνων, ἐπὶ σὲ τὸν τῆς ἰάσεως πρόξενον δεδραμήκαμεν. Γλῶσσα γὰρ ἱερέως φιλοσοφοῦσα τὸν Κύριον, ἀνεγείρει τοὺς κάμνοντας. Ποῐει τοίνυν τὸ κρεῖττον ξερουργῶν. καὶ λύε τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡμῖν τὸ μέγεθος. τῆς ἁναστασίμου θυσίας ἁπτόμενος. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐγρηγορότι καὶ καθεύδοντι μέλει τὰ κατὰ σὲ, καί μοι γέγονας πλῆκτρον ἀγαθὸν, καὶ λύραν ἐναρμόνιον ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς εἰσᾠκησας, ἀφʼ ὧν μυριάκις γράφων, πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν τὰς ἡμετέρας ψυχὰς ἑξήσκησας. Ἀλλʼ, ὦ Θεοσεβἐστατε, μὴ κατόκνει καὶ προσεύχεσθαι καὶ πρεσβεύειν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ὅταν λόγῳ καθέλκῃς τὸν Λόγον, ### English translation (Claude) … , and of the common harbour of all who fear the Lord. Others enjoy your good things; to me only the memory is left, and envy of those who share them. So that you too may share in our good things, I introduce to you our most honoured brother and fellow presbyter Sacerdos; when you see him, I know you will say, “Gregory truly is a lover of all that is good.” [Letter 170. To Palladius] That I often dare to write is due not to our boldness but to your gentleness. For we have no surfeit of conversing with you by letter, since we cannot do so otherwise, God having so ordered our affairs. To our most honoured son and fellow presbyter Sacerdos (whom we have loved, and love, exceptionally), who lives as a true philosopher and is united to God by his way of life, and who has set out on behalf of his own people for the city made great by you, I do not know what greater favour we could do than to make him known to your goodness. [Letter 171. To Amphilochius] Having scarcely recovered from the pains of our sickness, we have run to you, the agent of our healing. For the tongue of a priest that speaks wisely of the Lord raises up the sick. Do, then, the better thing in your priestly ministry, and loose the greatness of our sins, as you lay hold of the sacrifice of the resurrection. For waking and sleeping your affairs are on my mind; you have become for us a good plectrum and a harmonious lyre, and have made your dwelling in our souls; by writing countless times you have trained our souls toward knowledge. But, most God-fearing one, do not hesitate to pray and intercede for us, when by a word you draw down the Word, when with a bloodless cutting you sever the Lord's body and blood, having your voice for a sword. ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of a letter (to Gregory of Nyssa or another friend) whose opening is lost in the scan. Letter 171: “the sacrifice of the resurrection” is probably the Easter Eucharist. The closing sentence describes the eucharistic consecration as the bishop's word drawing down the Word and his voice as the sword of a bloodless sacrifice; it is translated exactly as written. Migne's textual note read into the text by the scan is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 279 (PG 37:280a–280d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-279). ## Letter 281 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-281 - Source: PG 37:281a–281b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory thanks Helladius for his Easter letter and gifts, and asks him to pray that he may either keep the feast again or pass to the true feast in heaven. ### Greek text hau ἀναιμάατῳ τομῇ σῶμα καὶ αἷμα τέμνῃς Δεσποτικδν, φωνὴν ἔχων τὸ ξίφος. POB’. ΕΛΛΑΔΙῼ . Ἥσθην τοῖς γράμμασι· πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλον, τῷ μνήμην εἶναι σοι καὶ τῶν τεθνηκότων; Προσόντων δὲ καὶ τῶν συμβόλων τῆς ἑορτῆς, πλείων ἡ χάρις. Ἀλλά πρόσθες οἷς δίδως, ᾇπερ αἰτεῖς. Προσεύχου δὲ περὶ ἡμῶν, εἰ μὲν συμφέρει, πάλιν ἡμᾶς ὑπομνησθῆναι καὶ ὑπομνῆσαι τῆς ἑορτῆς. εἰ δὲ μὴ, … ἐκεῖσε μετατεθῆναι, καὶτὴν ἀληθῆ ἑορτὴν ῆν λαβεῖν, ἢ ἰδεῖν, ἔνθα εὐφραινομένων πάντωνή κατοικία. Τῶν γὰρ τοῦ βίον στροφῶν κεκορέσμεθα. ron. ΠΟΣΤΟΥΜΙΔΝῼ. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 172. To Helladius] I was pleased with your letter; how could I not be, that you remember even the dead? And since tokens of the feast came with it, the favour is greater. But add to what you give what you ask for: pray for us, if it is profitable, that we may again be reminded of the feast and remind others; if not, that we may be transferred there and receive, or see, the true feast, where is the dwelling of all who rejoice. For we have had our fill of the twists and turns of life. [Letter 173. To Postumianus] ### Scripture references - Ps 87:7 (86:7 LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first words of this page close Letter 171 (see the previous page). “The dwelling of all who rejoice”: Ps 87:7 (LXX 86:7). Gregory calls himself “dead” because of his illness and retirement. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 281 (PG 37:281a–281b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-281). ## Letter 283 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-283 - Source: PG 37:284a–284d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory congratulates the prefect Postumianus, a Christian before he took office, and urges him to bring the Churches to peace at the coming synod. ### Greek text ἔξουσίας, ού τύχης δῶρον, ὡς ἂν οι πολλοὶ φαῖεν, ἀλλʼ ἀρετῆς ἆθλον ταύτην δεξάμενος, ἵνα καὶ αὑτὴ γένηται τιμιωτέρα, καὶ βασιλεὺς ἐπαινεθῇ τῆς ιπὶ σοὶ κρίσεως. Ἔτι καὶ ταῦτα μικρά· προσθήσω δέ τι καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων. Προετελέσθης πρότερον τὴν εύσέδειαν, εἶθʼ ὑπεδὲξω. Μέμνημαι γάρ τῶν σῶν λόγων, καὶ τὸ θαῦμα ἔνηχον ἐτι ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἀκοαῖς. Εἰ τούτοις προσθείης τὸ καὶ μεμνῆσθαι τῶν φίλων (προσθήσεις δὲ οἷδʼ ὅτι, τοῖς παρελθοῦσι τοῦτο τεκμαίρομαι), μᾶλλόν σε θαυμασόμεθα Οὗτος τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ὅρος εὐδαιμονίας, ἧτονν μαο καριότης. Τὸ δὲ πρόσθε Γαδείρων μὴ περατδν εἶναι ἀνθρώποις, Πινδάρῳ φιλοσοφοῦντι πιστεύομεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ μεγάλων τυχὼν, μεγάλων κα) ὑπόχρεος εἴ, καί σε πεποίηκεν ἡμέτερον πρότερον, εἶτα ἐπέστησενἡμῖν εὖ ποιῶν δ Θεὸς, καὶ ἅμα τῶν ἀτόπων ἄνδρα τοσοῦτον μὴ τὰ μέγιστα ἀπαιτεῖν, ἐκεῖνο δέξαι με παραινοῦντα. Μηδὲν οὕτω νόμιζε τῇ σῇ πρέπειν ἀρχῇ (ἐπειδὴ πάλιν σύνοδος ἐπισκόπων, ούκ οἶδα διʼ ὃ τι καὶ ὃπως συναγομένων). ὡς τὸ ὲπὶ σοῦ καὶ διὰ σοῦ εἰρηνεύσασθαι τὰς Ἐκκλησίας, κᾶν δέῃ σφοδῷτερον ἐπιτιμῆσαι τοῖς στα· σιάζουσιν. Εἰ δέ τῳ δοκὼ περιττὸς εἶναι, τῶν μὲν πραγμάτων ἀναχωρήσας, τὴν δὲ φροντίδα μὴ καταλύσας, τοῦτο σὺ μὴ θαυμάζῃς. Οὐ γάρ ὥσπερ τῶν θρόνων καὶ τῆς ὀφρύος τοῖς βουλομένοις, οὖτω καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας παρεχωρήσαμεν* ἀλλὰ νῦν ἀξιόπιστοι καὶ πλέον, ὼς οἶμαι καὶ σοι δοκεῖν, ὡς οὐδὲν ἴδιον, ἀλλὰ τὸ κοινὸν θεραπεύοντες. ### English translation (Claude) … authority, receiving it not as a gift of fortune, as most would say, but as a prize of virtue, so that the office too may become more honoured and the emperor be praised for his judgment of you. Even these things are small; I will add something of ours too. You were first initiated into piety, and then you received office. For I remember your words, and the wonder of them still rings in my ears. If to these you add remembering your friends too (and you will, I know; I judge this from the past), we shall admire you the more. This is the limit of human happiness, or rather blessedness. That what lies beyond Gades cannot be crossed by men, we believe Pindar when he philosophizes. And since, having obtained great things, you are a debtor for great things, and God first made you ours and then, doing us good, set you over us, and since at the same time it is absurd not to ask the greatest things of so great a man, accept this advice from me. Think nothing so befits your office (since again a synod of bishops is gathering, I do not know why or how) as that the Churches should be brought to peace under you and through you, even if you must rebuke the factious more severely. If I seem to anyone superfluous, having withdrawn from affairs but not laid down my care, do not you wonder at it. For we did not yield piety, as we did thrones and arrogance, to those who wanted them; but now we are the more to be trusted, as I think you too think, since we serve nothing of our own but only the common good. ### Extrabiblical texts - Pindar, Nem. 3.21 (Pindar (odes and fragments)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The opening of Letter 173 is lost in the scan. Postumianus was praetorian prefect of the East (383). Gades (Cadiz) and the Pillars of Heracles as the limit: Pindar, Nemean 3.21; Olympian 3.44. The synod is that of 383 at Constantinople. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 283 (PG 37:284a–284d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-283). ## Letter 285 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-285 - Source: PG 37:285a–285d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges the rhetor Eudoxius, son of his old friend, to write to him and to take good care of Nicobulus's sons, whom he is teaching. ### Greek text ὡς ὁρᾷς.. Καὶ οὐδʼ ἂν ἑκαλλωπισάμην, εὖ ῐσθι (ού γάρ ἐμὸν). εί μὴ μέγα ἐποιούμην τὴν σὴν φιλίαν, μηδὲ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐδόκει μοι, ὥσπερ ὖσπληγι πῶλον, διεγεῖραί σε πρὸς τδ γράφειν. Μάλιστα δʼ ἂν πρὸς τοῦτο παροξυνθείης, εί ἐκεῖνο ὲνθυμηθείης, τίς ὢν, καὶ τίνι, καὶ σὺ τίνος, ἃ γράφω, γράφω, καὶ ὅτι πρέπει τοὺς παῖδας, ὥσπερ τῆς οὐσίας τῆς πατρικῆς, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τῆς φιλίας κληρονομεῖν. Πρὸς δὲ, κάκεῖνο λογίζεσθαι καλῶς ἔχει, ὅτι σὺ μὲν ἀκμὴν φιλοσοφεῖς · ἡμεῖς δὲ φιλοσόφων πατέρες, καὶ δεῖ ἐπιδείκνυσθαι ἡμῖν τὴν ἀρετὴν, ὥσπερ τῶν ἀθλητῶν οί γενναῖοι τοῖς παιδοτρίδακ. Εἴπω τι καὶ μεῖζον τῶν είρημένων. Οὐ μικρὰ ἡμῖν φιλοσοφίας ὅμηρα παρὰ σοί· αἷμα ἡμέτερον ὲκπαιδεύεις, καὶ αἷμα τῶν ὲγγυτάτων. Οἶδας οὓς λέγω, τοὺς τοῦ γνησιωτάτου καὶ τιμιωτάτου υίοῦ ἡμῶν Νικο· δούλου παῖδας. Τούτοις ὅτʼ ἂν συμπράττῃς, ἡμῶν μνημονεύειν οίου, οἳ οὐδενὸς άλλου φαυλότεροι, εἴ τι δεῖ τοῖς λέγουσι πιστεύειν, κρίνειν τε λόγους, καὶ σπουδὴν δοκιμάζειν, κα) διδασκάλους δεξιοὴ ὑψηλοτέρους ποιεῖν τοῖς ἐπαίνοις. ### English translation (Claude) … as you see. And I would not have adorned my style, be well assured (for it is not my way), if I did not set great store by your friendship, and if it did not seem necessary to rouse you to write, like a colt at the starting line. You would be spurred to it most if you considered who I am, to whom I write, and whose son you are, and that sons should inherit their father's friendship as well as his property. Besides, it is well to reckon this too: that you are in your prime as a philosopher, while we are fathers of philosophers, and you must show your virtue to us, as noble athletes do to their trainers. Let me say something greater than what has been said. Not small are the hostages of philosophy we have with you: you are educating our blood, the blood of our nearest kin. You know whom I mean: the sons of our most genuine and most honoured son Nicobulus. Whenever you help them, think that you are remembering us, who are inferior to no one else, if one must believe those who say so, at judging speeches, testing diligence, and making good teachers more distinguished by our praises. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the letter is to the rhetor Eudoxius, son of Eudoxius (Letters 174–178 in Migne are to him). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 285 (PG 37:285a–285d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-285). ## Letter 287 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-287 - Source: PG 37:288a–288d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory teases Eudoxius for not writing, perhaps out of pique at some lampoons, and again entrusts young Nicobulus to his teaching. ### Greek text γισεα, οἳ μὴ πολλὰ σοῦ καὶ τῆς σῆς λογιότητος ἔμπροσθεν ἄγομεν. Τί φῶμεν πεπονθέναι σε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὦ θαυμάσιε, τίς ή τοῦ μὴ γράφειν αἰτία; οὔτε ὑπεροψίαν ὲγκαο λέσομεν, οὔτε ἀργίαν, οὔτε τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ό τι γράψεις. Οὐ πρὸς σοῦ τὸ ταῦτα παθεῖν. Ἦπου τῶν ἰάμβων μνησικακεῖς, ὧν ό κακῶς ἀπολούμενος Οὐαλεντϊνος προσέπτυσε, καὶταῦτα σοῦ Θέλοντος. Ού γὰρ ἦν ’ῥήτορος ἀνδρὸς καὶ δεινοῦ ἄνδρʼ ὲκ· αμύνασθαι, ὁπότε τις πρότερον ίαμβοποιεῐν τοιαῦτα κατετόλμησεν. Ἀλλʼ, Ἀχιλεῦ, δάμασον θυμὸν μέρμιθα... καὶ κίνησον αὖθις ἡμῖν τὴν γραφίδα, τὴν σὴν με· λίαν· μὴ δόξῃς, μικρὰ πεπονθὼς, ἀπαντᾷν εις μείζω, τὸν ὲπισκοπικδν τρόπον. Ἰππευε, θήρα, βάδιζε ὡς ἂν ἐθέλῃς, ἐμοῦ γε εἵνεκα, οὕτε τι γράψομεν ἔτι, οὔτε προσπαίξομεν. Καὶ ταῦτα ἱκανῶς, τοσούτου τιμώμεθα τὴν σὴν φιλίαν. Ἦ μὲν οὖν παιδιὰ ποσαύτη, καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον. '0 δὲ ούκέτι παιζόντων ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν σπουδαζόντων, τὸν γλυκύτατον υἱὸν ἡμῶν Νικόβουλον, αὖθις ἐγχειρίζομέν σοι. Καὶ δέχοιο παρʼ ἡμῶν τοῦτον, ὡς παρʼ ἡμῶν, τὸ μὲν ῥητορικὸν ἔργον τῷ πατρὶ χαριούμενος, τὸ δὲ σοφιστικὸν ἡμῖν. Οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι … ἐπίδρομον. Τοῖς ύὲ ’θαυο μασίοις σοφισταῖς τήν ὀφρῦν μόνον ἀφήσεις, καὶ τὸ περὶ τού πλείονος μάχεσθαι. Πῶς σοι τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔχει; καὶ εί κατᾶ Θεόν τι …; ὃ παντὸς σοὶ μᾶλλον ἁρμόζειν ὑπολαμβάνομεν. ### English translation (Claude) … we who do not put much before you and your learning. What shall we say has happened to you regarding us, my admirable friend? What is the reason you do not write? We will not accuse you of contempt, nor of idleness, nor of having nothing to write. It is not like you to suffer such things. Are you perhaps bearing a grudge over the iambics which that wretched Valentinus spat at you, and that with your consent? For it was not the part of a rhetor and a clever man to retaliate, when someone had first dared to write such iambics. But, “Achilles, tame your proud anger” … , and move your pen again for us, your ash spear; do not seem, having suffered small things, to respond with greater, in the episcopal manner. Ride, hunt, walk as you please; for my part we will write nothing more, nor jest. And enough of this; so highly do we value your friendship. So much for jesting, and so far. But what is no longer for jesters but for those very much in earnest: we again entrust to you our sweetest son Nicobulus. Receive him from us as from us, granting the work of rhetoric to his father and that of the sophist to us. For I know that for you … . To the admirable sophists you will leave only the frown and the fight over the bigger fee. How do things stand with your virtue? And have you made any progress in the things of God? which we think befits you more than anything. ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 9.496 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan. Valentinus is unidentified. “Achilles, tame your proud anger”: Homer, Iliad 9.496; the ash spear (μελία) was Achilles' weapon. “In the episcopal manner” is said in self-mockery. A few words are garbled in the scan (…), and Migne's textual notes read into the end of the page are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 287 (PG 37:288a–288d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-287). ## Letter 289 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-289 - Source: PG 37:289a–289c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter to Eudoxius; then another urging him, by the Athenian custom of letting the young choose their craft, to follow philosophy, to which he is suited by nature. ### Greek text Ταῦτα γὰρ ἡμῖν φίλον καὶ ἀνερωτᾷν καὶ ἀκούειν. τὰ δὲ ἄλλα χαίρειν ἐάσωμεν, ὅπως ἃν ἔχῃ. Καί τοι κᾶν εί βουλοίμεθα καὶ ταῦτα δεξιῶς ἔχειν, διʼ ἐν τοῦτο βουλοίμεθʼ ἂν, ἵνα ἔχῃς ὧν ὑπερεῖδες, κα) πλείω φιλοσοφῇς ἐπὶ μείζοσι. Ταῦτα καλ προσείρησο παρʼ ἡμῶν, καὶ τῷ καλῷ Νικοδούλῳ γενοῦ τοιοῦτος, οἷον ἐλπίζομεν, Εἰ ἂν δὲ καὶ πλέον αἰτῶμεν, τὴν ἀπληστίαν ἡμῶν, ὡς φιλότιμος, κόρεσον. Νόμος ἦν Ἀθήνῃσι παλαιὸς, ὡς δʼ ἐγὼ φημὶ, καὶ ιιάλλιστα ἔχων, ἐπειδὰν φθάσαιεν είς ἥβην οἱ νέοι, πρὸς τέχνας ἄγεσθαι, ἄγεσθαι δὲ τὸν τρόπον τοῦτονθ προτίθεσθαι δημοσίᾳ ἑκάστης τέχνης, ὕργανα, καὶ προσάγεσθαι τούτοις τοὺς νέους ο ὅτῳ δὲ τύχῃ χαίρων ἱκαστοςς καὶ προστρέχων, τούτου καὶ τὴν τέχνην διδάσκεσθαι· ὡς τοῦ μὲν κατὰ φύσιν ὲπιτυγχάνοντος ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, τοῦ δὲ παρὰ φύσιν διαμαρτάνοντος. Τί μοι βούλεται τὸ διήγημα; Καὶ σέ φημὶ χρῆναι, πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν γὰρ ἔχεις ἐπιτηδείως, ταύτης μὴ ἀμελεῖν, μηδέ πρὸς ἄλλο τι μᾶλλον ἐθίζεσθαι τῶν οὐκ οίκείων, η ταύτης περιέχεσθαι πρὸς ἢν νένευκας, οὐχ ὅτι ἀρίστη μό ο νον ἐστὶν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ προσφυεστέρα. Τὸ δὲ μὴ βιάζεσθαι ῥοῦν ποταμοῦ, καὶὴ παροιμία παιδεύει, καὶ ἱπποσύνην δεδαότα μὴ ᾅδειν ἐθέλειὴ ποίη· σιςʼ μὴ τί γένηταις μὴ καὶ τῆς ίπποσύνης δια· ’ …, και τῆς ### English translation (Claude) For these are the things we like to ask about and to hear; the rest let us bid farewell, however it may be. And yet, even if we wished these other things too to go well, we would wish it for one reason only: that you may have things to despise, and may philosophize the more over greater things. Receive these greetings from us, and be to the good Nicobulus such as we hope. If we ask more, satisfy our insatiability, generous as you are. … There was an old law at Athens, and, as I say, a very good one: when the young reached manhood they were led to the crafts, and led in this way. The tools of each craft were set out in public, and the young were brought to them; and whatever each happened to delight in and run to, that craft he was taught; since what is according to nature generally succeeds, and what is against nature fails. What does the story mean for me? I say that you too, being suited for philosophy, should not neglect it, nor accustom yourself to something else that is not your own rather than hold to that toward which you incline, not only because it is the best, but because it is more natural to you. Not to force the stream of a river the proverb too teaches, and poetry, that one who knows horsemanship should not wish to sing; lest something happen, lest you fail both in horsemanship and in ### Translation notes - The second letter's heading is lost in the scan; it is to Eudoxius (Letter 178 in Migne). The Athenian custom is unidentified in other sources. The verse about horsemanship and singing is unidentified. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 289 (PG 37:289a–289c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-289). ## Letter 291 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-291 - Source: PG 37:292a–292d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory lists the signs that Eudoxius is suited to philosophy rather than rhetoric, and urges him to leave behind the empty glory of this life. ### Greek text Ἀλλὰ τίς ὲπιτηδειὸτηςς ὡς γοῦν ἐμοὶ θεωρήσαντι κατεφάνη, πρῶτον μὲν ὁ τρόπος καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἧοους γαληνόν τε κα) ἄτεχνον, καὶ πρὸς τὰς τοῦ βίου στροφὰς ταύτας ἀνεπιτήδειον. Ἔπειτα τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς εύφυὲς καὶ ύψίνουν, καὶ πρὸς Θεωρίαν εύκί-, νητον. Τρίτον ἡ νοσοκομία, καὶ τὸ τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενές · ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτο ού μικρὸν εἰς φιλοσοφίαν εἶναι δοκεῖ τῷ Πλάτωνι. Καὶ μὴν καὶ ἡλικίας οὕτως ἔχεις, ὡς ἤδη τὰ πάθη κλίνεσθαι. Καὶ τῇ πενίᾳ ού κάμπτεσθαί μοι δοκεῖς μᾶλλον ἢ καλλων πίζεσθαι. Τό τε αίσχύνεσθαι ειδέναι, οὐ κατὰ ῥήτορας. Ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ φωνὴ μιαρά σοι, οὐδὲ γέγονας κακὸς, οὐδὲ ἀγοραῖος εἷ, οὐδέ τι τῶν τοιούτων ἔχεις, ἵνʼ εἴπω συντόμως, οἷς πλάττει τὸν ἀγοραῖον Δημόκριτος ὁ κρείττων είς δημαγωγίαν Ἀριστοφάνσυς. Ἀλλὰ ῥήτωρ καλούμενος, πάντα πρότερον ἢ κατὰ τὺ ἦθος τελεῖς εἰς ῥήτορας. Μὴ τοία νυν θελήσῃς προέσθαι τῆς φιλοσοφίας ὅσον προείληφας, μηδὲ τὰ δεύτερα ἔχῃς ὲν τοῖς δεύτέροίς μᾶλλονῆ τὰ πρῶτα ἑν τοῖς μεγίστοις. Εἰ δὲ καί τὰ πρῶτα τῶν ἐνταῦθα δοίημεν, μὴ ἀνάσχῃ ἀριστεύειν ὲν κολοιοῖς, ἀετὸς εῐναι δυνάμενος. Μέχρι τίνος φυσώμεθα τοῖς μικροῖς καὶ χαμαὶ ἐρχομένοις, καὶ παίζομεν ὲν μειρακίσκοις κάι πλάο σμασι, κα) ὑπὸ τῶν κρότων αἱρόμεθα; Μεταὸὧμεν ἐντεῦθεν, ἄνδρες γενώμεθα, ῥίψωμεν, τὰ ὀνείρατα, παραδράμωμεν τὰς σκιὰς, ἄλλοις παρῶμεν τὰ τερπνέι τοῦ βίον, καὶ πλέον όδυνηράξ Ἄλλονς πραγματευέτω, καὶ μταρριπτείτω, καὶ παιζέτω, φθόνος, καὶ χρόνος, καὶ τύχη. Ὃ δή φασι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τὸ ἄστατον καὶ ἀνώμαλον, ὲρῤέτωσαν Θρόνοι,δυναστείαι, πλοῦτοι, λαμπρότητες, ἐπάρματα, πτώματα, τὸ εὐτελὲς τοῦτο δοξάριον καὶ ἀπόπτυστον, ᾧ ### English translation (Claude) But what is this suitability? As it appeared to me on consideration: first, your character, the calm and artless quality of your disposition, unsuited to these twists of life. Then the good nature and loftiness of your soul, and its readiness for contemplation. Third, your care of the sick and your bodily weakness; since this too seems to Plato no small help toward philosophy. And you are of such an age that the passions are already declining. And you seem to me not to be bent by poverty but rather to take pride in it. And you know how to feel shame, which is not like the rhetors. Nor is your voice foul, nor have you become wicked, nor are you a man of the marketplace, nor have you, to put it briefly, any of those marks by which Democritus, better at demagoguery than Aristophanes, portrays the market man. But though you are called a rhetor, you belong to the rhetors in everything rather than in character. Do not, then, be willing to throw away as much philosophy as you have already gained, nor hold the second place in second things rather than the first in the greatest. And even if we granted you the first place here, do not consent to be best among jackdaws when you could be an eagle. How long shall we be puffed up by small things that creep on the ground, and play among youngsters and fictions, and be carried away by applause? Let us move away from here; let us become men; let us throw away dreams, run past shadows, and leave to others the pleasures of life, which are more painful. Let envy and time and fortune manage others, toss them about and play with them. Let what they call the instability and unevenness of human affairs go to perdition: thrones, dominions, riches, splendours, exaltations, falls, this cheap and contemptible little glory, by which ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Resp. 496b-c (Plato (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Sickness as a help to philosophy: Plato, Republic 496b–c (the “bridle of Theages”). The sentence about the “market man” seems corrupt in the scan; the allusion is to the sausage-seller of Aristophanes' Knights, who outdoes Cleon at demagoguery. Jackdaws and eagle: cf. Letter 33. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 291 (PG 37:292a–292d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-291). ## Letter 293 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-293 - Source: PG 37:293a–293d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges Eudoxius to choose God above all, since the prize of virtue is to become god and to be lit by the light of the Trinity. ### Greek text «ινδ μᾶλλον ἀδοξήσειέ τις αἰρόμενος,ἢ γελώμενος τά τῆς μεγάλης ταύτης σκηνῆς παίγνια τε καὶ θεατρίσματα. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ λόγου περιδράξωμεν, καὶ Θεὸν ἀντὶ πάντων ἔχειν ἑλώμεθα, τὸ μόνον διαρκὲς ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἡμέτερον ἵνʼ ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ ἐνταῦθα εὐδοκιμεῖν γένηται, τοῖς ἔτι μικροῖς, καὶ τοῦτο ζηο τοῦσιν, ἢ τὸ ἐκεῖθεν πάντωςο ἐπειδὴ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἆθλον, Θεὸν γενέσθαι, κα). τῷ καθαροτάτῳ φωτὶ κατπρὰπτεσθαι, τῷ ὲν τῇ τρισσῇ μονάδι θεωρουμένῳ, ἧς νῦν μετρίως ἔχομεν τὰς αὐγάς. Πρὸς ταῦτα ἴθι, πρόβαινε, πτεροῦ τῇ διανοίᾳ, λαδοῦ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, μηδαμοῦ στῇς τῶν ἐλπίδων, ἕως οὗ ἔλθῃς ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον ἐφετὸν καὶ μακάριον καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπαινέσεις, εὖ οἶδα, νῦν μὲν ὀλίγα, μικρῷ δὲ ὕστερον ἀφθονώτερα, ἐπειδὰν ἴδῃς σεαυτὸν ὲν οἷς ὑπισχνούμεθα, καὶ-μη κενὴν μαέαρίαν ταῦτα εὑρίσκῃς ’, μηδὲ διανοίας ἀναπλασμους, ἀλλὰ πραγμάτων ἀλή- 0e ιαν. ### English translation (Claude) one would be more disgraced in being exalted than in being laughed at: the toys and shows of this great stage. But let us lay hold of the Word, and choose to have God in place of everything, the only lasting good and truly ours, so that we may have good repute here too, for those who are still small and seek it, or at any rate that from there; since the prize of virtue is to become god, and to be illumined with the purest light, the light contemplated in the threefold Monad, whose rays we now have in measure. Toward this go, advance, take wing in your mind, lay hold of eternal life, stop nowhere in your hopes until you come to the highest object of desire and blessedness; and you will praise us, I know well, a little now, and a little later more abundantly, when you see yourself in what we promise, and find these things to be not an empty fancy nor fictions of the mind, but the truth of realities. ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 6:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - “To become god” (Θεὸν γενέσθαι) is deification, union with God by grace. “The threefold Monad” is the Trinity. “Lay hold of eternal life”: 1 Tim 6:12. Translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 293 (PG 37:293a–293d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-293). ## Letter 295 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-295 - Source: PG 37:296a–296d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory praises a young man who lives as a philosopher without professing it; then he commends a learned friend to the general Saturninus. ### Greek text Πατρδς μὲν εἷς ἀγαθοῖο, φίλον τέκος, οἷα πυνθάνομαι περὶ σοῦ. Μόνον ἐπαίρου, καὶ κατευοδοῦ, καὶ βασίλευε · καὶ ἡμεῖς εὐφημήσομεν, κᾶν μή πω τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ὁμολογῇς. Οὐ γὰρ οἷς λέγεις προσέχομεν μᾶλλον, ἢ οἷς ποιεῖς· ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτο τὸ μὴ ὁμολογεῖν τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, σφόδρα φιλόσοφον. Ὀ περ). τοῦ Λυσίου τοῦ ῥήτορός φησιν ό κριτικὸς Διονύσιος, ὅτιτὸ ἄτεχνον αὑτοῦ λίαν ἔντεχνον ἦν. ρΠΑν. ΣΑΤυΥΡΝιΝρ. Εἰ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὕψος ἀπρόσιτον, ἀλλὰ φιλάνθρωπον ή φιλία, διʼ ήν ὲθαρῤήσαμεν ταύτην προσαγαγεῖν τήν παράκλησιν. Πᾶσιν οἷς εὖ πεποίηκας ήμῖν, καὶ τοῦτο πρόσθεςο τὸν λογιώτατον υίδν ήμῶν …, ἄνδρα καὶ βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ τῆς σῆς ἀρετῆς ἄξιον, καὶ τʼ ἄλλα ήδὲως ἰδεῖν καταξιωσον, καὶ τῆς παρὰ σοῦ προστασίας ἀξιώσαι, περ) ὧν ἂν δέηται τῆς σῆς καλοκαγαθίας. Ἡμεῖς δι ἁντιδὼσομεν τὰς εὐχὰς, ᾧ μόνῳ δυνατὸν ἡμῖν τοὺς εὐεργέτας ἀμείβεσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) “You are of a good father, dear child,” from what I hear about you. Only be lifted up, and prosper, and reign; and we will speak well of you, even if you do not yet profess philosophy. For we attend not so much to what you say as to what you do; since this very refusal to profess philosophy is very philosophical, as Dionysius the critic says of Lysias the orator, that his artlessness was very artful. [Letter 181. To Saturninus] Even if the height of your office is unapproachable, friendship is kind, and through it we have dared to bring you this request. To all the benefits you have done us add this too: be pleased to look kindly on our most learned son …, a man worthy of your virtue in life and in speech, and to grant him your protection in whatever he needs from your goodness. We will repay with prayers, the only way we can repay our benefactors. ### Scripture references - Ps 45:4 (44:5 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Od. 4.611 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, medium confidence - Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Lys. 8 (Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The heading and opening of the first letter are lost in the scan. “You are of a good father, dear child”: adapted from Homer, Odyssey 4.611 (“of good blood”). “Prosper and reign”: Ps 45:4 (LXX 44:5). Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Lysias 8. The name of the man commended to Saturninus is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 295 (PG 37:296a–296d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-295). ## Letter 297 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-297 - Source: PG 37:297a–297d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory announces that Eulalius has been made bishop of Nazianzus, and answers objections that a bishop cannot be ordained in the lifetime of another: Gregory was bishop of Sasima, not Nazianzus. ### Greek text ἱθτ μεθα, οὐδὲ οὕτωςʼ ἔχουσι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπεχθῶς. Ἀλλὰ πολλὰ δεηθεὶς διὰ τὴν ὲμαυτοῦ νέκρωσιν, καὶ ἅμα τὸ βάρος φοβηθεὶς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀμελουμένης, ταύτην τε ᾔτησα παρʼ αὐτῶν χάριν, οὔτε κανόσιν ἐναντιουμένην, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἁναψύχουσαν, δοθῆναι τῇ Ἐκκλησία ποιμένα, ὃς καὶ δέδοται ταῖς σαῖς εὐχαῖς, ἄξιος τῆς ὑμετέρας θεοσεβείας ο ὃν καὶ εις χεῖράς σου τίθημι, τὸν αἱδεσιμώτατον Εὺλάλιον. τὸν θεοφιλέστατον ἐπίσκοπον, οὗ καὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ἐναποψύξαιμι. Εἰ δὲ τις οῐεται μὴ χρῆναι ζῶντος ἐπισκόπου ἄλλονχειροτονεῖν, ἔστω μηδʼ ἐνταῦθα κρατῶν ήμῶν. Πᾶσιγὰρ δῆλον, ὅτι μὴ Ναζιανζοῦ, Σασξμων δὲ προεβλήθημεν, εἰ καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον αἰδοῖ τοῦ πατρὸς, καὶ τῶν ἱκετευσάντων, ὡς ξένοι τὴν προστασίαν κατεδεξάμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) …, nor are they so hostile toward us. But having asked much because of my own deadness, and at the same time fearing the burden of the Church being neglected, I asked of them this favour, which is not contrary to the canons and gives us relief: that a shepherd be given to the Church; and he has been given through your prayers, one worthy of your piety. Him I also place in your hands, the most venerable Eulalius, the most God-beloved bishop, in whose hands may I breathe my last. If anyone thinks that another must not be ordained while a bishop is living, let him know that he has no hold on us here. For it is plain to all that we were appointed not for Nazianzus but for Sasima, even if for a short time, out of respect for our father and for those who begged us, we accepted the presidency as strangers. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; this is Letter 182 (to Gregory of Nyssa, ca. 383). The canons forbade two bishops in one city and the appointment of a successor during a bishop's lifetime. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 297 (PG 37:297a–297d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-297). ## Letter 299 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-299 - Source: PG 37:300a–300d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks a bishop to stop Helladius's hostile interference over Nazianzus, explaining that illness alone made him ask the bishops of his country to give the Church its own bishop. ### Greek text ἐντεύξεως, καὶ χάρις πολλὴ τῷ τοῦτο χαρισαμινῳ. Τὸ μὲν οὖν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπισκόποις,’ περὶ ὦν επἐστειλας, γράφειν, οὔπω γὰρ τούτου καιρὸς, παραλείψομαι. Καὶ ἅμα ἡ ἀρρωστία ὀκνηροτέρους ἡμᾶς πρὸς τοῦτο καθίστησιν· ἃ δέ σοι γράφομεν, κάκείνοις διὰ σοῦ γράφομεν. Παυσάσθω περιεργαζόμενος τὰ παρʼ ἡμῖν, ὁ κύριός μου καὶ θεοφιλέστατος Ἐλλάδιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος. Οὐ πνευματικῇ γὰρ, ἀλλὰ ὲριστικῇ ταῦτα ζητεί περιόδῳ οὐδὲ ἀκριβείᾳ κανόνων, ἀλλʼ ὀργῆς ἐκπληρώσει, ὡς δῆλόν ἐστιν ὲκ τοῦ καιροῦ. καί πολλῶν τῶν σὺν τούτῳ κεκινημένων ἔξω τοῦ λόγουο χρὴ τὰρ οὕτω λέγειν, καὶ μὴ λυπεῖν. Ἐγὼ γὰρ εἱ μὲν τοῦ σώματος οὕτως εἶχον ὡς Ἐκκλησίας δύνασθαι προστατεῖν Ναζισνζοῦ, την ἀρχὴν ἐπεκηρύχθην, ἀλλὰ μὴ Σασίμοις, ὦς τινες ὑμᾶς πείθουσιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς · οὐχ οὕτως ήμην ἄθλιος, ὠδὲ τῶν θείων διας τάξεων ἀμαθὴς, ὡς ἧ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπεριδεῖν, ἦ τήν τοῦ βίου ῥᾳστώνην μεταδιώκειν, πρὸ τῶν ἀποκειμένων μισθῶν τοῖς κάμνουσι κατὰ Θεὸν. καὶ τὸ πιστευθὲν τάλαντον ἐπεργαζομένοις. Τί γάρ μοι τῶν πολλῶν πόνων ὄφελος, καί τῶν μεγάλων ἐλπίδων, περ). τῶν μεγίστων βουλευσαμένῳ κακῶς; ἐπειδὰν δὲ καὶτὸ σῶμα κακῶς ἔχει μοι, δ πᾶσι δῆλόν ἐστι· καὶ βάρος οὐδὲν ὲκ τῆς ὑποχωρήσεως ἔδεισα ταύτης, διʼ ἢν είπον αίτίαν · καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐώρων ἐχομένην ἡμῶν, βλαπτομένην δὲ περὶ τὰ καίρια, καὶ λελυμένην σχεδὸν ὲκ τῆς ἐμῆς λύσεως, ἐδεήθην καί πρότερον καὶ νῦν τῶν κυρίων μου καὶ τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων ἐπισκόπων, τῶν πατριωτῶν λέγω, δοῦναι τῇ Ἐκκλησία κεφαλὴν, ἣν σὺν Θεῷ δεδώκασιν, ἀξίαν καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπιθυμίας καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων εὐχῶν. Ταῦτʼ οὖν αὐτὸς γίνωσκε, κύριε τιμιώτατε, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐπισκόπους ἀναδίδαξον καὶ ἀποδέχεσθαι, καὶ συνεπιψηφίζειν, καὶ μὴ βαρεῖν τὸ ἡμέτερον γῆρας, ταῖς διαβολαῖς πειθομένους. Προσκείσθω δὲ κακεῖνο τοῖς ### English translation (Claude) … of meeting, and much thanks to the one who granted it. As for writing to the other bishops about whom you wrote, I will leave it aside, for it is not yet the time. And at the same time my sickness makes me more hesitant about it; but what we write to you we write to them too, through you. Let my lord the most God-beloved bishop Helladius stop meddling in our affairs. For he investigates these things not with a spiritual but with a contentious purpose, not for exactness in the canons but to satisfy his anger, as is clear from the timing and from many who have been stirred up along with him without reason; for one must speak so and not give offence. For if I had been in such bodily health as to be able to preside over the Church of Nazianzus, for which I was proclaimed at the beginning, and not for Sasima, as some wrongly persuade you, I would not have been so wretched, nor so ignorant of the divine ordinances, as either to neglect the Church or to pursue the ease of life rather than the rewards laid up for those who labour for God and work with the talent entrusted to them. For what would be the profit of my many labours and great hopes if I took bad counsel about the greatest things? But since my body is in a bad state, as is plain to all, and I feared no burden from this withdrawal for the reason I have given, and I saw that the Church was clinging to us but was being harmed in vital matters and almost dissolved by my own dissolution, I asked my lords the most God-beloved bishops, I mean those of my own country, both before and now, to give the Church a head; and with God they have given one, worthy both of my desire and of your prayers. Know this yourself, then, most honoured lord, and teach the other bishops to accept and confirm it with their votes, and not to burden our old age by believing slanders. And let this also be added to the ### Scripture references - Matt 25:14–30: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; this is Letter 183, to a bishop named Theodore (probably not Theodore of Tyana). Helladius was bishop of Caesarea. The clause “for which I was proclaimed at the beginning, and not for Sasima” is translated as the scan reads; it differs from Letter 182 (“not for Nazianzus but for Sasima”). The talent: Matt 25:14–30. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 299 (PG 37:300a–300d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-299). ## Letter 301 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-301 - Source: PG 37:301a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks that Bishop Bosporius, accused of false doctrine in a dispute over parishes, be judged fairly; the following letter to Amphilochius is unreadable in the scan. ### Greek text γράμμασιο τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν θεοφιλέστατον συλλειτουργὸν Βοσπόριον, εί μὲν ἡ παρʼ ὑμῶν ἐξέτασις εὑρίσκει περὶ τὴν πίστιν κακὸν, ὃ μηδι λέγειν ἐστὶ θεμιτὴν (ἐῶ γὰρ τὸν μακρὸν χρόνον καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν), αὐτοὶ τοῦτο κρίνατε. Εἰ δὲ ἡ τῶν παροικιιῖιν ζήτησις τὴν κακοδοξίαν δημιουργεῖ, καὶ νέον τὸ ἔγκλημα, μὴ ταῖς διαβολαῖς παρασύρεσθε, μηδὲ ἰσχυροτέρας τῆς ἀληθείας ποιείσθε, παρακαλῶ, μὴ πολλοὺς είς ἀθυμίαν καταστήσητε τῶν εὖ πράττειν προῃρημένων. Έρῤωμίνος, εὔθυμος, προκόπτων κατά Θεὸν, χαρισθείης ἡμῖν, καὶ τῇ Ἐκκλησία, τὸ κοινὸν σεμνολόγημα. νων. ΑΜφιΛοχιῼ. … ### English translation (Claude) letter: as for my lord the most God-beloved fellow minister Bosporius, if your inquiry finds anything wrong concerning his faith, which it is not even lawful to say (I pass over his long years and our testimony), judge it yourselves. But if the dispute over the parishes is manufacturing the charge of false doctrine, and the charge is new, do not be swept away by slanders, nor make them stronger than the truth, I beg you, lest you bring into despondency many who have chosen to do well. In health, in good cheer, and advancing in the things of God, may you be granted to us and to the Church, our common pride. [Letter 184. To Amphilochius] … ### Translation notes - Bosporius was bishop of Colonia in Cappadocia. The text of Letter 184 (to Amphilochius) is wholly garbled in the scan and is omitted (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 301 (PG 37:301a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-301). ## Letter 303 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-303 - Source: PG 37:304a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks Nectarius of Constantinople to settle the dispute over parishes himself and not let Bishop Bosporius's orthodoxy be tried in the civil courts. ### Greek text me. ΝΕΚΤΛΡΙῼ . Ὅταν ἄλλος ἄλλο τι τῶν σῶν ἐπαινῇ, καὶ πάν. τες ὡς ἐν ἀγορᾷ προῦάλλωνται τὴν σὴν εὐφημίαν, ἐγὼ τὰ κατʼ ἐμαυτὸν συνεισφέρω, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἔλαττον, ὅτι καὶ τιμᾷν ἡμᾶς ἀξιοῖς. καὶ ὡς τέκνον ἀγαπητὸν πατρὸς γῆρας παραμυθεῖσθαι. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ἐθάρρησα ταύτην προσαγαγεῖν ’ τὴν παράκλησιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ αἱδεσιμωτάτου καὶ θεοφιλεστάτου ἐπισκόπου Βοσπορίου, αἰσχυνόμενος μὲν, είγε τοσοῦτος ἀνὴρ τῶν ἡμετέρων δεῖται γραμμάτων, ᾧ καὶ πολιτεία καὶ χρόνος βεβαιοῖ τδ αἰδέσιμονο αἰσχυνόμενος δὲ οὐχ ἦττον τὸ σιωπᾷν, καὶ τὸ μή τινα περὶ … ποιήσασθαι λόγον, φωνὴν ἔχων, καὶ πίστιν τιμῶν, καὶ πάντων μάλιστα τὸν ἄνδρα γινώσκων. Τὴν μὲν οὖν περὶ τῶν παροικιῶν ἀμφισβήτησιν δηλαδὴ αὐτὸς διαλύσεις κατὰ τὴν ἐν σο). τοῦ ῐΙνεύματος χάριν, κα) τὴν τῶν κανόνων ἀκολουθίαν. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ μὴ ἀνεκτὸν φανήτω τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ, τὸ δημοσίοις δικαστηρίοις τὰ ἡμέο τερα στηλιτεύεσθαι. Κᾶν γὰρ ὦσι Χριστιανοὶ, ὥσπερ οὖν είσι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία, οί τῶν τοιούτων κριταὶ. τί κοινὸν ξίφει κα) Πνεύματι; ’.ἦν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο συγχωρήσωμεν, πῶς ἤ ποῦ δίκαιον τὸν πε pi. πίστεως λόγον συμπλέκεσθαι τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀμφισβητήμασι ; σήμερον ἡμῖν κακόδοξος ὁ θεοφιλέστατος ἐπίσκοπος Βοσπόριος; σήμερον πολιὰ ταλαντεύεται τοῦ τοσούτους μὲν ἐκ τῆς πλάνης ἐπαναγαγόντος, τοσαύτην δὲ ἀπόδειξιν δεδωκότος ὀρθοδοξίας, διδασκάλου δέ πάντων ήμῶν; Μὴ, παρακαλῶ, μὴ δῷς χώραν ταῖς τοιαύταις συκοφαντίαις· ἀλλʼ εί μὲν δυνατὸν, εἰρήνευσον τὰ διεστῶτα, καὶ προσc τεθήτω τοῦτο-τοῖς σοῖς ἐπαίνοις ο εί δὲ μή, τοῦτο γε μὴ δέξῃ, καθυβρίζεσθαι πάντας ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπηρείας, οἷς καὶ συνεδίωσε καὶ συνεγήρασεν° οὒς οἶδας ἀκριδεὶς τῆς Θεδτητος κήρυκας, καὶ μετὰ ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 185. To Nectarius] When others praise one or another of your qualities, and all, as in the marketplace, put forward your praises, I contribute what concerns me, and it is no less than any: that you deign to honour us and, like a beloved child, to console a father's old age. Therefore now too I have dared to bring this request on behalf of the most venerable and most God-beloved bishop Bosporius, ashamed that so great a man should need our letters, whose venerableness both his way of life and his years confirm; but no less ashamed to keep silent and say nothing on his behalf, when I have a voice, honour the faith, and know the man best of all. The dispute about the parishes you will no doubt settle yourself, according to the grace of the Spirit in you and the order of the canons. But let this not seem tolerable to your Reverence: that our affairs should be pilloried in the public courts. For even if the judges of such cases are Christians, as by God's kindness they are, what has the sword in common with the Spirit? And even if we grant this, how or where is it just for the question of the faith to be entangled with other disputes? Is the most God-beloved bishop Bosporius heterodox to us today? Are the grey hairs weighed in the balance today of a man who has brought back so many from error, given such proof of orthodoxy, and is the teacher of us all? No, I beg you, give no room to such slanders; but, if possible, reconcile what is divided, and let this be added to your praises; and if not, at least do not allow all of us to be insulted through such abuse, with whom he has lived and grown old, and whom you know to be exact heralds of the Godhead, in ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 6:1–6: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “What has the sword in common with the Spirit?”: the civil courts against church judgment (cf. 1 Cor 6:1–6). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 303 (PG 37:304a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-303). ## Letter 305 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-305 - Source: PG 37:305a–305b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of the letter to Nectarius; then Gregory asks a powerful friend to help his widowed niece, harassed by her relatives, quickly. ### Greek text κινδύνων καὶ ἀκινδύνως, καὶ μηδὲν ὑφαιρεῖν ἀνεχομένους τῆς μιᾶς καὶ ἀπροσίτου Θεότητος. Καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσεύχου, παρακαλῶ, σφόδρα καμνόντων τῇ ἀρρωστίᾳ. Τὴν σὺν σοὶ ἀδελφότητα ἐγώ τε καὶ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες προσαγορεύουσι. ἐρρωμένος, εὔθυμος. εὐδόκιμος ἰν Κυρίῳ χαρισθείης ἡμῖν καὶ ταῖς ’Βκκλησίαις τὸ κοινδν στήριγμα. Τί ἂν ἐποίησας, εί παρὼν αΰτὺς εῖχον …; ἦ δῆλον, ὅτι πᾶσαν ἂν ἔθου σπουδὴν, ὲλευθέρῶσαί τῆς ἐπηρείας, εἴπερ τι δεῖ τοῖς προλαβοῦσι τεκμαίρεσθαι. Τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ἡμῖν χάρισαι διὰ τῆς κοσμιωτάτης ἀνεψιᾶς ἡμῶν, τῆς προσπιπτοῦσης σοι διʼ ἡμῶν, αἰδεσθεὶς μὲν τὴν ἠλικίαν τῆς ίκέτιδος, αἰδεσθεὶς δὲ καὶ τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὴν εὐλάβειαν, οὐ κατὰ τὰς πολλὰς οὖσαν γυναῖκαςʼ αἰδεσθεὶς δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ τὴν ἀπραγμοσύνην τῆς γυναικὸς, καὶ τὸ παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων νῦν ἔχειν πρᾶο γματα, πρὸ πάντων δὲ καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν παρά- . κλησιν. ’Π μείζων δὲ χάρις, τδ τάχος τῆς εὐεργεσίας, ἦν ἀπαιτοῦμεν. Τδ μὲν γὰρ φιλάνθρωπον τῇ χήρᾳ καὶ ὁ ἄδικος ὲν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ κριτὴς| ἐχαρίσατο, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλὴν ἱκεσίαν καὶ προσεζρείαν. Παρ ὑμῶν δὲ ὑπαρχέτω τὸ τάχος. ἵνα μὴ κάμνῃ μικρὰ ταῖς φροντίσι, καὶ ταῖς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοέ δαπῆς κακοπαθείαις σ εἰ καὶ τὰ. μάλιστα οῖδα σαφῶς, ὅτι οἰκείαν αὐτῇ ποιήσει καὶ τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν ἡ σὴ Θεοσέβεια. ### English translation (Claude) danger and out of danger, who will not endure to take anything away from the one inaccessible Godhead. And pray for us, I beg you, who suffer greatly from sickness. I and all who are with me greet the brotherhood with you. In health, in good cheer, and of good repute in the Lord, may you be granted to us and to the Churches as their common support. … What would you have done if I myself had been present … ? Plainly you would have taken every care to free us from the harassment, if one must judge from the past. Grant us this now too through our most modest niece, who falls at your feet through us; respecting the age of the suppliant, respecting her character and her piety, which is not like that of most women; respecting, besides the rest, the woman's quiet life, and that she now has trouble from her own relatives; and above all respecting our request. The greater favour is the speed of the benefit we ask. For even the unjust judge in the Gospel granted the widow his kindness, but after much supplication and persistence. From you let there be speed, so that she may not suffer long from cares and hardships in a foreign land; even though I know very well that your piety will make even the foreign land her own. ### Scripture references - Luke 18:1–8: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The heading and opening of the second letter are lost in the scan (…); it is Letter 186 in Migne. The unjust judge and the widow: Luke 18:1–8. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 305 (PG 37:305a–305b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-305). ## Letter 307 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-307 - Source: PG 37:308a–308b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter reproaching a rhetor for failing to write a funeral speech and promising to believe his praise of young Nicobulus when he sees it; then Gregory commends Nicobulus to the sophist Stagirius. ### Greek text σῶν λόγων ὠφείλετο ἐπιτάφιος, ᾧ τέχνη τδ λέγειν καὶ γράφειν. '0 μὲν οὖν ἔλεγχος τοσοῦο τος° οὐδὲ γάρ δεῖ φιλικῶς ἐγκαλοῦντας, ἔξω τῶν τῆς φιλίας δρων τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Ἀ δί περὶ τοῦ γλυκυτάτου υίοῦ Νικοδούλου γράφεις, μεγάλα μὲν σφόδρα, καὶ θαυμαστά, καὶ ικανά συναρπάσαι πατρὸς εὐκολίαν, ῥᾳδίως οἷς βούλεται καὶ πιστεύουσαν. Τότε δὲ άληθῆ εῐναι δεξόμεθα, δταν πεῖραν διδοὺς ἡμῖν ό νέος, μὴ ἀνάξιος φάνη» ται, ἢ τῶν σῶν ὑποσχέσεων, ἢ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐλπίδων. ιʼωιο. Ἀττικὸς σὺ τὴν παίδευσιν; Ἀττικοὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς. Νέων προκαθέζῃ; πάσης ἡλικίας ἡμεῖς. Τυποίς πρὸς λόγον; ἡμεῖς πρὸς ἦθος. Πολλά κοινά πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἡμῖνʼ έν δὲ ἀντὶ πάντων καὶ πρὸ πάντων, ό γλυκύτατος υίὸς ἡμῶν Νικόδουλος ὲν μέσῳ κοίμινος. Ὦ σὺ καλῶς ποιῶν, ἐπιδείξῃ καλ τὴν παίδευσιν, καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν φιλίαν, ειπερ σοι μέλει ταύτης. Οἶμαι δέ· καὶ γάρ ἀθληταὶ παλαιοὶ νέοις τιμῶνται* καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον καὶ τά τῆς νίκης ἆθλα προσφέροντες τούτοις, εὐγνώμονες εἶναι νομίζονται περὶ νόμους ἀθλήσεως. ### English translation (Claude) … your words owed him a funeral speech, you whose art is speaking and writing. So much for the reproof; for those who reproach in friendship must not do so beyond the bounds of friendship. What you write about our sweetest son Nicobulus is very great and wonderful, enough to carry away a father's easy temper, which readily believes what it wishes. But we will accept it as true when the young man, giving us proof, is found not unworthy either of your promises or of our hopes. [Letter 188. To Stagirius] You are Attic in your learning? We are Attic too. You preside over the young? We over every age. You shape them for speaking? We for character. Many things are common to us; but one, in place of all and before all, our sweetest son Nicobulus, lies between us. By doing well by him you will show both your learning and our friendship, if you care about it. I think you do; for old athletes are honoured by young ones, so much so that in offering them the prizes of victory they are thought fair-minded about the laws of the contest. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening of the first letter are lost in the scan; the funeral speech was probably owed to the elder Nicobulus. The heading of the second letter is garbled; it is to Stagirius, the boy's new teacher (Letter 188 in Migne; the number is uncertain). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 307 (PG 37:308a–308b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-307). ## Letter 309 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-309 - Source: PG 37:309a–309d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory answers a sophist who complains that young Nicobulus was sent to his rival Stagirius: it was the boy's and his father's choice. ### Greek text ἀκίνδυνον γέρας ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτάξαντες. Ριισ. Tn Am. Ὦ Ὀδυσεῦ μᾶλα τῶς με καθίκεο, Στατιιρισμὸν ὀνειδίζων, καὶ … ἡμῶν ἑπιμελέστατα. Καὶ σοῦ τὴν παρρησίαν ἐπαινῶ, ἐφʼ οἷς γράφεις ἃ γράφεις, Κρείστον γὰρ, ὲκλαλεῖν τὸ λυποῦν. ἦ ἠρεμεῖν. ὡς ἐρεῖν ἀγνοοῦντας. ’Βχω τι καὶ ἐγκαλεῖν. Ὅμως δὲ ἴνα νόμον φυλάξω δικαστικὸν, ἀπολογήσομαι πρότερον, εἶτα κατηγο· ρήσωο καὶ ἀμφότερα μετὰ τῆς ἴσης εὐνοίας. Τῷ καλῷ Σταγειρὶῳ προσῆλθεν Νικόβουλος ὁ ἐμὸς, οὕ τι καθʼ ἡμέτερόν γε νόον, μὴ τοῦθʼ ὖπολάΰῃςο οὐχ οὕτως ἢ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν ἐπιλήσμων ἐγὼ, ἦ τῆς σῆς φιλίας καὶ ιταιρείαςο ἀλλʼ ὥρμησε παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ, καὶτοῦ πατρὸς οὕτω θελήσαντοςο παρʼ ἐμοῦ δὲ διὰ τῶν γραμμάτιον ἐνεχειρίσθη. Τί“τοῦτο ἄφιλον ἦ ἀπάνθρωπονς Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν ἀπολογίαν ἔχεις, δέξαι καὶ τὴν κατηγορίαν. ### English translation (Claude) … having imposed on ourselves the riskless prize. [Letter 190. To the same] “O Odysseus, how sorely you have struck me,” reproaching me with Stagirism, and … us most carefully. I praise your frankness in writing what you write; for it is better to speak out what grieves than to keep quiet as if we would not know. I too have a charge to bring. But so that I may keep the law of the courts, I will first make my defence, then accuse; and both with equal goodwill. My Nicobulus went to the good Stagirius, not at all by our wish (do not suppose that; I am not so forgetful either of Athens or of your friendship and companionship); but he set out of his own accord, his father so wishing; and he was entrusted to him by me through letters. What is unfriendly or inhuman in this? Now that you have the defence, receive the accusation too. ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 14.104 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of a letter whose opening is lost. The addressee of the second letter is the sophist Eustochius, a friend from Athens (Letters 189–191 in Migne; the heading is garbled in the scan). “O Odysseus, how sorely you have struck me”: Homer, Iliad 14.104. “Stagirism”: favouring Stagirius. A word is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 309 (PG 37:309a–309d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-309). ## Letter 311 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-311 - Source: PG 37:312a–312b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory rebukes the quarrelling sophists, grown men who trade insults like rams and set a bad example to their students, and blames the audiences who applaud them. ### Greek text ἐπειδὴ νενίκηκε τοὺς ὁμοτέχνους ἀντιτέχνους καλεῖν. Μέχρι τίνος γὰρ ταῦτα; κα) ποῦ στησόμεθα τῆς σοφιστικῆς ἐπηρείας; ἕως ἂν τί γένηταις ἕως ἂν θάνατος ἡ μᾶς διακόψῃ τῆς πονηρίας ; Ταῦτα γὰρ νέον μὲν ὄντα, φιλοτιμίας ἡττώμενον, κέρδους μεταποιούμενον, καὶ τότε μετρίως ποιεῖν, ἔχει τινὰ συγγνώμην (μικρὸν γάρ τι Δημοσθενίσω σὴν χάριν)ο ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τῆς ἡλικίας, καὶ οὓτω πράττοντα, κυρίττειν τε καὶ κυρίττεσθαι, παντελῶς ἄωρον καὶ φιλόνεικον, οὑ μόνον δτι ἀπρεπὲς καὶ παντάπασιν ἀνελεύέ θερον, ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ ῥᾳστώνη πολλὴ τοῦ πράγματος, Ὀπποῑόν κʼ εἴπῃσθα ἔπος, τοῖόνκ ἐπακούσαις, καθάπερ ῥεύματος ἀπεστρέφοντος πάλιν γὰρ Ὁμήρῳ συγχρήσομαι· . Τὸν … δὲ ἀναξύειν παντελῶς ἀνεπίφθονον. Τίς οὖν ἠ σοφία, ὲξδν ἀρετῇ πρωτεύειν, ἡττᾶσθαι κακίᾳ, ἢ καὶ νικᾷν, ὃ πολλῷ χεῖρόν ἑστινς ἀλλʼ ἐγώ γε καὶ τῶν δικαστῶν τοῦτο μέμφομαι, εἰρήσεται γὰρ τάληθὲς, ὃτι ἃ. κολάζουσι κρίνοντες, ταῦτα ἐπαινοῦσιν ἀκροώμενοι. Οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοὺς έχουσι τοὺς συνεπαινέτας, καὶ τὴν κακίαν ἀνάπτοντας, καὶ ταῖς σπουδαῖς ἄχρι τούτου μεμερισμένους δέον, εί μὲν ἀπιστεῖται, μὴ ἐπαινεῖσθαι· εἰ δὲ πιστεύεται, δημοσία κρίνεσθαι· ἢ οὕτω, εί μὲν ψευδῆ, τοὺς κατηγόρους ἐλέγχεσθαι° εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ, τοὺς καθʼ ὧν ὁ λόγος· καὶ μὴ οὕτω, μέγιστον πρᾶγμα, τὴν τῶν εὖ γεγονότων ὑπόληψιν, οὕτω ῥᾳδίως παίζεσθαι. Εἴ τι οὖν ἐμοὶ πείθεσθε (πρὸς γὰρ ἀμφοτέρους ὁ λόγος), τοὺς μὲν τοιούτους λόγους καὶ ψόγους χαίρειν ὲάσατε, εί μή τι ἄλλο, τὴν πολιὰν αἰδούμενοι, ἢ καὶ ἀποκάμνοντες ἐν τοῖς αἰσχίστοις. Αὐτοὶ δὲ βουλεύσασθε τὴν παλαιὰν τιμῆσαι παραίνεσιν, τὴν, ὅταν ό βίος ἱκανὸς, ἀρετὴν ἀσκεῖσθαι κελεύουσαν. Καὶ οὐκ ὲπιβουλεύσετε μὲν ὑμῖν αύτοῖς, ἐπιβουλεύσετε δὲ ταῖς τῶν νέων ἐλπίσιν, ### English translation (Claude) since it has become the custom to call fellow craftsmen rival craftsmen. For how long will this go on? And where shall we stop this sophistic abuse? Until what happens? Until death cuts us off from our wickedness? For a young man, overcome by ambition and seeking gain, to do these things, and moderately at that, has some excuse (for I will play Demosthenes a little for your sake); but at this age, and in this way, to butt and be butted like rams is altogether untimely and quarrelsome, not only because it is unseemly and quite illiberal, but also because the thing is so very easy: “Whatever word you speak, such will you hear in return,” like a stream flowing back (for I will use Homer again). … What wisdom is it, when one can be first in virtue, to be beaten by vice, or even to win, which is much worse? But I blame the judges too (the truth shall be told), because what they punish when they judge they praise when they listen. And not only that, but they also have many who join in the praise, who fan the vice and are so far divided by their partisanship. Whereas, if the charge is disbelieved, it ought not to be applauded; and if it is believed, it ought to be tried in public; or rather, if it is false, the accusers should be refuted, and if true, those against whom it is made; and not so lightly make sport of the greatest thing, the good name of the well-born. If, then, you will listen to me at all (for I am speaking to both of you), give up such speeches and censures, if for no other reason, out of respect for your grey hair, or out of weariness with such shameful things. Consider honouring the old advice that bids us practise virtue when we have enough to live on. You will not be plotting against yourselves, but you will be plotting against the hopes of the young, ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 20.250 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Phocylides, fr. 10 (Phocylides): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Whatever word you speak, such will you hear in return”: Homer, Iliad 20.250. The advice to practise virtue when one has a living: Phocylides, fragment 10. A word is garbled in the scan (…), and a garbled line at the foot of the page is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 311 (PG 37:312a–312b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/267/#p-311). ## Letter 313 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-313 - Source: PG 37:313a–313b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, abused by a sophist he had admonished, says he minds less the abuse than the suspicion that he did not act out of friendship. ### Greek text οἶ πάντως ἂν τὰ δεινότατα πάθοιεν, εἰ λόγους ἀσκούμενοι κακίαν ’μάθοιεν, καὶ ταύτην οὐκ ἄμισθον, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἀρετῆς, ἀλλὰ ταύτης ἔχοντες ὑμᾶς δι· δασκὰλους. Εἰ δὲ σοι φορτικὸς εἶναι δοκῶ ταῦτα γράφων. … με τοῖς ίσοις, καὶ αὐτός τι παραινέσας τῶν χρησίμοιν, ἵνʼ ἢ πειθόμενον ὠφιλῇςν ἢ ἑγκαλῇς ἀντιτείνοντι. Οἷον ὴγνόησαξ ὡς σκαιὸν λίαν καὶ ἀπαίδευτονί ἄνδρα σοφιστὴν ὲνουβέτησα τῆς ἀπονοίας,οὐδὶ ὑπὸ τῆς παροιμίας τῆς ἰδιωτικῆς ὲπξαιδεύθην, φαλακρὸς ὣν κατὰ κριοῦ μὴ νυστάζειν ἀντὶ. προσώπου, μηδὲ σφηκίαν ἐγείρειν κατʼ ἐμαυτοῦ, γλῶσσαν πρὸς τὸ κακῶς λέγειν ἑτοιμοτέραν. Τούτῳ μὲν οὖν οὐ πάνυ τι δυσχεραίνω (μετά πολλῶν γὰρ προσετέῧην, ὥς γε πυνθάνομαι, εί δὲ ζώοις, καὶ πρὸ πολλῶν)’ ἐκεῖνο δὲ μᾶλλον, ὅτι μὴ ἐπιστεύθην φιλικῶς τοῦτο τωιεῖν. Πλὴν ὑγιαίνοις καὶ σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν, καὶ τὴν γλῶσσαν κατέχοις, εί δυνατόνʼ ἀλλὰ νῦν τό τε ἡμέτερον στέρξομεν. ### English translation (Claude) who would surely suffer the most terrible harm if, while practising oratory, they learned vice, and that not without paying for it, as having you for teachers not of virtue but of vice. If I seem tiresome to you in writing this, … me in kind by giving me some useful advice yourself, so that you may either benefit me if I obey or accuse me if I resist. For example: I did not know what a boorish and uneducated man I was admonishing for his folly, a sophist; nor did I learn from the common proverb that a bald man should not doze in front of a ram, nor stir up a wasps' nest against himself, a tongue all too ready for abuse. This does not much vex me (for I have been added to many, as I hear, and, if you live, I shall have many after me); but rather that I was not trusted to do it out of friendship. However, may you be healthy in body and soul, and restrain your tongue if you can; but for now we will be content with our part. ### Translation notes - The bald man and the ram: a proverb (the ram butts the bald head). A word is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 313 (PG 37:313a–313b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-313). ## Letter 315 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-315 - Source: PG 37:316a–316d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges a sophist to treat young Nicobulus well and to stop the war of tongues with his rival, which teaches the young vice. ### Greek text βουλον, ἀδικήσεις. … τε γάρ ἐσόμεθα προσκεκρουκότες, καὶ παρά σοῦ μηδὲν ἔχοντες πλέον. Εἰ δὲ δοίης ὅσον ἐλπίζομεν, εὐγνωμονήσεις, καὶ ἀμφότερα ήμῖν ὡς κάλλιστα ἔξει. Ἐκείνῳ μὲν γὰρ ἀπολογησόμεθα, σὲ δὲ ἐπαινεσόμεθα. Εἰ δὲ δίδως ήμῖν καὶ παρ αινέσαι σοι πατρικῶς, ἀλλὰ, μή τῇ συνηθείᾳ τοῦ ἄρχειν τὴν συμβουλήν διαπτύσῃςσ δέξαι λόγον ἀνδρὸς τά τοιαῦτα οὐκ ἀμαθοῦς. Κατάθεσθέ ποτε τά ὅπλα, καὶτὰς σφενδόνας, καὶ τάς δεινοτέρας μελίας, τάς γλώσσας, αἷς κατʼ ἀλλήλων βάλλετέ τε καὶ τιτρώσκεσθε, καὶ ταῦτα ὲν ἐπαινέταις τοῖς σπουδασταῖς. Καὶ κατάθεσθε τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον, ὅσον προχειρότερον τοῦτο τῶν ὃπλων ἐστίνʼ ἵνα μή κακίας μᾶλλον, ἦ ἀρετῆς ἐξηγῆσθε τοῖς νέοις, καὶ εί μὴ τοῖς λόγοις, ἀλλά τοῖς πράγμασιν. Οἷς γάρ τις χαίρει … γινομένοις, ταῦτα καὶ σιωπῶν συμβουλεύει. Ἂν οὕτω ποιῆτε, ὑμᾶς τε αὐτοὺς ὀνήσετε, καὶ ήμᾰς φιυ λους ἕξετε, καὶ οὗ ψεύσεσθε τάς τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐλπίδας. Οὗτός σοι τῶν ἐπὶ Νικοὸούλῳ πόνων μισθός. Εἰ δὲ πεῖραν τελεωτέραν λάβοιμεν, τελεωτέραν καὶ τούτων ἀντιδώσομεν τήν εὐφημίαν. ### English translation (Claude) … you will wrong him. For we shall have given him offence and gained nothing more from you. But if you grant as much as we hope, you will show yourself fair, and both will go as well as possible for us: to him we will make our defence, and you we will praise. And if you allow us to give you fatherly advice, do not spit out the counsel from your habit of ruling; accept the word of a man not ignorant of such things. Lay down at last your weapons, your slings, and your more terrible spears, your tongues, with which you shoot at and wound one another, and that before your admiring students. And lay them down all the more because this weapon is readier to hand than the others, so that you may not be guides to vice rather than to virtue for the young, if not by words, then by deeds. For what one enjoys when it happens, he recommends even in silence. If you do this, you will benefit yourselves, have us as friends, and not belie the hopes of those who have trusted you. This is your reward for your labours over Nicobulus. If we receive fuller proof, we will repay you with fuller praise than this. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the letter is probably to Stagirius (Letter 192 in Migne). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 315 (PG 37:316a–316d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-315). ## Letter 317 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-317 - Source: PG 37:317a–317d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory congratulates a friend on the marriage of a second daughter, excusing his absence by illness and offering his prayers as his wedding gift. ### Greek text παντὶ βελτίστῳ γενέσθαι καὶ κατὰ τὰς κοινὰς ἡμῶν.. ΡιιΔο. Ta ΑΥΤῼ. Ἰδοὺ καὶ δεύτερός σοι γαμβρόςο καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ φορτίον ἅποσκευάζῃ, καλῶς ποιῶν. Ἀργοὶ δὲ ἡμεῖς, ὼς ἂν αὐτὸς εἴπωςʼ ὡς δὲ ὁ ἀληθὴς λόγος, ἀσθενεῖς, οὐκ ἀργοί. Πλὴν καλῶς ἡμῖν ἔχει τὰ ἐκ Θεοῦ. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ θορύβων ἄλλοις παρεχωρήσαμεν, τῆς φιλοσοφίας δὲ ἡμεῖς ἀπολαύσομεν, ἐπειδὰν Θεᾷ συσταλῇς, καὶ ὅλως τῶν ἄνω γένῃ. μηδενὶ δεσμῷ κατεχόμενος. Καὶ νῦν δὲ τοῖς γάμοις συνεισφέρομεν τὰς εὐχὰς, ἃς ἔδει δωροφορεῖν ἡμᾶς τὸ κάλλιστον. ### English translation (Claude) … to become best in every way and according to our common … . [Letter 194. To the same] See, here is a second son-in-law for you, and you are laying down your sweet burden, and doing well. We are idle, as you might say yourself; but, to tell the true story, we are weak, not idle. But things from God are well with us. For we have yielded the tumults to others, and we shall enjoy philosophy with you when you withdraw to God and belong wholly to the things above, held by no bond. And now we contribute to the wedding our prayers, which are the finest gift we ought to bring. ### Translation notes - The page begins with the end of a letter whose opening is lost. The addressee of Letter 194 is uncertain in the scan (probably Procopius, the father of Olympias's sister-in-law; the identification is uncertain). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 317 (PG 37:317a–317d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-317). ## Letter 319 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-319 - Source: PG 37:320a–320d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory commends to a governor the orphaned sons and widow of the elder Nicobulus, whose house is under attack after his death. ### Greek text Καὶ ἶνʼ είδῇς ὅσον θαρρῶ τῇ σῇ καλοκαγαθίᾳ, ίδοὺ καὶ πρεσβείαν προσάγω σοι, σφόδρα ἡμῖν ἀναγ · καίαν, καὶπρὸς τῆς σῆς φιλίας αίτῶ τὰ τῶν φίλων. Τδν ἐμὸν Νικόβουλον ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμῆς δεξιᾶς ἐγχειρίζω σοι σὺν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, οὐ δώσοντα δίκην, ἀλλά ληψόμενον, καὶ χήραν ἄωρον τὴν τούτων μητέρα, καὶ οἰκίαν ποτε λαμπρὰν οὖσαν καὶ ἀπόδλεπτον, … περιῆν ό πολὺς ἡμῖν Νικόβουλοςο νῦν δὲ οὐδὲ πενθῆσαι συγχωρηθεῖσαν,- ἐκ τῶν ἤδη ἀναφανέντων κακῶν, καὶ προσδοκωμένων, εί μὴ σοί τε παρασταίη καὶ τῇ σῇ δίκῃ στῆναι πρὸς τδν πονηρὸν δαίμονα, καὶ ἡμᾶς τιμῆσαι, καὶ τὺ ἀνθρώπινον αἰδεσθῆναι, καὶ λαμπρὰν σεαυτῷ ποιῆσαι τὴν ἀρχὴν διὰ τῆς είς ἡμᾶς εὐποιίας. ### English translation (Claude) And so that you may know how much I trust your goodness, see, I bring you an intercession very necessary to us, and I ask of your friendship what belongs to friends. I entrust to you from my own right hand my Nicobulus with his brothers, not to pay a penalty but to receive justice; and their mother, widowed before her time; and a house once brilliant and admired, while our great Nicobulus was alive, but now not even allowed to mourn, because of the evils that have already appeared and those that are expected, unless you and your justice stand by them against the evil demon, and honour us, and respect human feeling, and make your office brilliant for yourself by your kindness to us. ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; the addressee is a governor. The elder Nicobulus, husband of Gregory's niece Alypiana, had died. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 319 (PG 37:320a–320d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-319). ## Letter 321 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-321 - Source: PG 37:321a–321d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a plea for orphans; then Gregory consoles Gregory of Nyssa on the death of Theosebia, praising her as the boast of the Church. ### Greek text φίλων ἔκδοσιν καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους ἐκείνους, οὒς ἐπὶ τῇ ἐξετάσει ὑπέστησαν, νύν πάλιν ἐπηρεάζειν ἐπιχειροῦσι τοῖς ὀρφανοῖς. PkZ'. ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙῼ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ. Ὧρμημὲνον με πρὸς ὑμᾶς κατὰ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν, καὶ μέχρις Εὑφημιάδος γενόμενον, ἐπέσχεν ἡ σύνοδος ἢν αὐτοὶ τελεῖτε τοῖς ἁγίοις μάρτυσι, καὶ τὸ μὴ μετασχεῖν ταύτης οἷόν τε εἶναι διὰ τὴν ἁρρωστίαν, καὶ άλλως βαρὺν ἂν γενέσθαι τῇ ἀκαιρίᾳ. Ὥρμησα δὲ ὁμοῦ μὲν, ἐπισκεψόμενος ὑμᾶς οῦτω διὰ μακροῦ, ὁμοῦ δὲ θαυμασόμενος σε τῆς καρτερίας, καὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας, ῆν φιλοσοφεῖς (πυνθάνομαι γὰρ) επὶ τῇ μεταστάσει τῆς ἁγίας αδελφῆς ὑμῶν καὶ μακαρίας, ὼς ἀνὴρ ἁγαθός τε καὶ τέλειος, καὶ Θεῷ παριστάμενος, καὶ πάντων μᾶλλον εἰδὼς τὰ θεῖα καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα καὶ ὅ τοῖς ἄλλοις βαρύτατον ἐστιν ὲν τοῖς τοιούτοις, τοῦτο κουφότατον κρίνων τὸ τοιαύτῃ μὲν συζῆσαι, τοιαύτην δὲ παραπέμψαι, καὶ είς τὰς ἀσφαλεῖς ἀποθέσθαι μονὰς. ὥσπερ θημωνιὰν ἅλωνος κατὰ καιρὸν συγκομισθεῖσαν, ἵνʼ εἴπω τὺ τῆς Θείας Γ ραφῆς · καὶ τῶν μὲν τερπνῶν τοῦ βίου μετασχοῦσαν, τὰ δὲ λυπηρὰ διαφυγοῦσαν τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἡλικίας, καὶ πρὶν ἐπὶ σοὶ πενθῆσαι, παρὰ σοῦ τιμηθεῖσαν τῇ καλῇ κηδείᾳ, καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ὀφειλομένη. Ποθῶ δὲ καὶ αὑτὸς,εῦ ἴσθι, τὴν μετάστασιν, εί καὶ μὴ καθʼ ὑμᾶς (πολὺ γὰρ τοῦτο είπεῖν), ἀλλʼ εὐθὺς μεθʼ ὑμᾶς. ’Ἀλλὰ τί χρὴ παθεῖν πρὸς Θεοῦ νόμον πάλαι κεκρατηκότα, ὃς ἔχει Θεοσεόίαν τὴν ἐμὴν (ἐμὴν γὰρ ὀνομάζω τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν ζήσαοαν, ἐπειδὴ κρείττων ἡ πνευματικὴ συγγένεια τῆς σωματικῆς) Θεοσεσίαν τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καύχημα, τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καλλώπισμα, τὸ τῆς καθʼ ἡμᾶς γενεάς ὄφελος, τὴν γυναικῶν παρρησίαν · Θεοσεβίαν, τὴν ὲν τοσούεει ### English translation (Claude) … and those oaths which they took at the inquiry, they are now again trying to harass the orphans. [Letter 197. To Gregory of Nyssa] I had set out to you in all haste and had come as far as Euphemias, when I was held back by the synod you are holding for the holy martyrs, since I could not take part in it because of my sickness, and would otherwise have been burdensome by coming at the wrong time. I set out both to visit you after so long, and to admire your endurance and the philosophy you show (for I hear of it) at the departure of your holy and blessed sister, as a good and perfect man, who stands before God and knows better than anyone things divine and human; judging what is heaviest to others in such cases to be the lightest: to have lived with such a woman, and to have sent her on ahead and laid her up in the safe dwellings, “like a heap of the threshing floor gathered in its season,” to use the words of divine Scripture; having shared the delights of life and escaped its sorrows by the measure of her years, and, before having to mourn for you, honoured by you with the fair funeral owed to such women. I too, be well assured, long for my departure, if not with you (that is too much to say), at least right after you. But what must one feel before God's law, which has long prevailed, and which has taken my Theosebia (for I call her mine who lived according to God, since spiritual kinship is better than bodily): Theosebia, the boast of the Church, the ornament of Christ, the benefit of our generation, the freedom of speech of women; Theosebia, amid such great ### Scripture references - Job 5:26: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Euphemias was a place on the road to Nyssa. The synod for the martyrs was a festival gathering. “Like a heap of the threshing floor gathered in its season”: Job 5:26. Theosebia is called “your sister” (ἀδελφή) here and “consort of a priest” on the next page; whether she was Gregory of Nyssa's wife or his sister is disputed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 321 (PG 37:321a–321d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-321). ## Letter 323 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-323 - Source: PG 37:324a–324c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory ends his tribute to Theosebia, hoping not to be long separated from his friend in death; then he asks the governor Nemesius not to fine his relative Valentinian. ### Greek text τῳ κάλλει τῶν ἀδελφῶν εὐπρεπεστάτην τε καὶ διαφανεστάτην Θεοσεσίαν τὴν ὅπως ἱερὰν, καὶ ίερέως σύζυγον, καὶ ὁμότιμον, καὶ τῶν μεγάλων μυστηρίων ἀξίαν ° Θεοσεὸίαν, ῆν καὶ ὁ μέλλων ὑπολήψεται χρόνος, ὲν στήλαις ἀθανάτοις κειμένην, ταῖς ἀπάντων ψυχαῖς τῶν τε νῦν ἐγνωκότων, καὶ τῶν ὕστερον ἐσομένων ; Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εί πολλάκις ταύτην ἀνακαλῶ. Ἐντρυφῶ γὰρ καὶ τῇ μνήμῃ τῆς μακαρίας. Οὗτος ἐκείνῃ τε παρʼ ἡμῶν επις τάφιος ὲν βραχεῖ πολὺς καὶ σοὶ παρακλητικδς λόγος, καίπερ ἀλλους τὰ τοιαῦτα παρακαλεῖν δυναμένῳ διὰ τὴν ὲν πᾶσι φιλοσοφίαν. Τὴν δὲ συντυχίαν (ἐπεὶ καὶ ταύτην ποθοῦμεν) νῦν μὲν ἀφῃρήμεθα, διʼ ἢν εἷπον αἰτίαν. Συνευχόμεθα δὲἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, ἕως ἂν ἔτι ὑπὲρ γῆς ὦμεν, καὶ μὴ τὸ κοινὸν ἡμᾶς διαζεύξῃ τέλος, ᾧ πλησιάζομεν. Διὸ καὶ πάντα φέρειν ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν, ὡς οὔτε ήσθησομένοις, οὔτε ἀνιασομένοις μακρότερα. ΝΕΜΕΣΙῼ. Ἐπαινοῦσί τινες τὸν Πυθαγόραν τὸν Σάμιον, ὅτι θῦσαι δεῆσαν αύτῷ (ἐπειδή γε ἄλλως οὐκ ἑπῄνει τὸ θύειν), πηλίνῳ βοῒ τὴν θυσίαν ἀφωσιώσατο· μηδὲ γὰρ χρῆναι νεκρά νεκροῖς καθαίρειν, οὕτω λέγων τὰ σώματα. Τοῦτόν μοι καὶ αὐτὸς μιμήσασθαι καλῶς ἔχεις, ὦ θαυμάσιε. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ προστιμᾷν ἀπηγόρευται σοι, καὶ μόνος ἀρχόντων ἢ κομιδῇ σὺν ὀλίγοις, ἀζήμιον ἐνίδρυσας τοῖς ἀρχομένοις τὸν φόβον· μηδὲ Ούαλεντινιανδν ζημιῶσαι τὸν σὺν καὶ ἡμέτερον (ὑπὲρ συγγενοῦς γὰρ πρεσβεύομεν), ἀλλʼ ### English translation (Claude) beauty of the brothers the most comely and the most conspicuous; Theosebia, truly holy, the consort of a priest and of equal honour, and worthy of the great mysteries; Theosebia, whom future time too will receive, set up on immortal pillars, the souls of all who know her now and of all who will come after? And do not wonder if I name her often; for I delight even in the memory of the blessed one. This, then, is from us both a funeral speech for her, much in little, and a word of consolation for you, though you are able to console others in such things through your philosophy in all things. Our meeting (since we long for that too) we have been deprived of for now, for the reason I gave. We pray together for ourselves, as long as we are still above ground, that the common end, to which we draw near, may not part us. Therefore we must bear everything, as men who will neither rejoice nor grieve much longer. [Letter 198. To Nemesius] Some praise Pythagoras of Samos because, when he had to offer a sacrifice (since otherwise he did not approve of sacrificing), he discharged the sacrifice with an ox of clay; for one must not, he said, purify the dead with dead things, meaning bodies. You would do well to imitate him yourself, my admirable friend. Since imposing fines has been forbidden you, and you alone of governors, or with very few, have established among your subjects a fear without penalty, do not fine Valentinian either, who is yours and ours (for we intercede for a relative), but ### Translation notes - “Consort of a priest” (ἱερέως σύζυγον); see the note on the previous page. Pythagoras's clay ox is a story told of him in later tradition. Nemesius was governor of Cappadocia (ca. 386), a pagan philosopher. Migne's footnote marker is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 323 (PG 37:324a–324c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-323). ## Letter 325 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-325 - Source: PG 37:325a–325d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks Nemesius, as judge or as friend, to remit Valentinian's fine of two horses, adding that the man has also suffered an accident. ### Greek text ὅσον φθέγξασθαι πλάσαντα τὴν προστίμησιν, ἐπι· σχεῖν τὴν ζημίαν. Καὶ γάρ οὐδὲ οἰκείας ῥᾳθυμίας ὑπέχει δίκην (εί δεῖ θαρρήσαντας τοῦτο εἰπεῖν). Εἰ μὲν οὖν ὡς δικαστὴν πείθομεν, τοῦτο ἀριστονο εί δὲ μὴ, πρὸς τὸν φίλον καταφευξόμεθα, καὶτοῦτο φθεγξόμεθα πρὸς τὴν σὴν λογιότητα, ὅπερ λέγεται πρὸς ἑαυτοῦ φίλον γεγραφέναι τιςο Τὸν δεῖνα, εί μιν οὐδὲν ἀδικεῖ, διά τὸ δίκαιον ἀφεςʼ εί δὲ ἀδικεῖ, ἡμῖν άφες. Πάντως δὲ ἀφες, ἐκεῖνο πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐνθυμηθεὶς, ὅτι τὸ μὲν κοινὸν, ούδὶν ἂν μέγα ὀνήσειεν ἵππω δύο προστίμησις, ἡμῖν δὲ ἠ χάρις ἀνάγραπτος. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ προσκεί… Τῇ συμφορᾷ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς βοήθησον σφόδρα συντριβέντος ἀπὸ συμπτώματος. ### English translation (Claude) after pronouncing the fine only so far as to utter it, hold back the penalty. For he is not paying the penalty for his own negligence (if we may make bold to say so). If, then, we persuade you as a judge, that is best; if not, we will take refuge in the friend, and say to your Eloquence what someone is said to have written to his friend: “So-and-so: if he does no wrong, release him for justice's sake; if he does wrong, release him for mine.” But release him in any case, bearing in mind, besides everything else, that the community would gain nothing great from a fine of two horses, while for us the favour will be on record. And let this also be added: help the misfortune of the man, who has been badly crushed by an accident. ### Extrabiblical texts - Plutarch (Plutarch): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The saying “if he does wrong, release him for my sake” is attributed to the Spartan king Agesilaus (Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 325 (PG 37:325a–325d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-325). ## Letter 327 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-327 - Source: PG 37:328a–328b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of the plea for Valentinian; then Gregory regrets that Nemesius, now at leisure, cannot visit him, and hopes he will become a Christian; then a note complaining that Nemesius passed by without stopping. ### Greek text Δὸς χεῖρα τῇ συμφορᾷ, ἣν αὐτὸς δοκιμάσεις, Δεϊται μὲν γὰρ οὐδεμιᾶς προσθήκης εἰς εὐδοξίαν ἡ σὴ ἀρχὴ, οὐδὲ γὰρ λαμπρότητοςἙωσφόρος- εί δέ τινα καὶ προσθήκην ζητεῖς, οὐκ ἂν μείζων ταύτης, εὖ ῐσθι, οὐδὲ λαμπροτέρα γένοιτο, ὡς πολλοὶ τάληθῆ βουλόμενοι λέγειν, τὴν σὴν καλοκαγαθίαν διδάξουσιν. Σο. 'rq ΑΥΤῼ. Ἐποίεις μὲν ἡμῖν καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ οἷδʼ ὅτι ποιήσεις, εί γε τῷ Θεῷ μέλει τῶν ἠμε τέρων. Ὅμως δὲ κράτιστον ἦν νῦν συγγίνεσθαι σοι, ἡνίκα σχολὴν ἄγεις, ὅπερ ἐπόθεις, ἀπὸ τῶν δηο μοσίων, καὶ καθʼ ἡσυχίαν εξεστι τῆς σῆς ἀπολαύειν συνέσεως, ἦς ὀλίγα μετασχόντες, καὶ ὅσα γε ἀστραπῆς τῆς ὃψει μὴ κρατουμένης. τοῦ πλείονος διημάρτομεν. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο εὔξασθαι μὲν μέγα, λαβεῖν δὲ οὐ ῥᾷστον, οὕτως ἔχοντος ἡμῖν, ὥσπερ ἔχει, τοῦ σώματος. Ει,μὲν οὖν καὶ τούτου τύχοιμεν, τὸ πᾶν ἕξομεν (καὶ γάρ τινα καὶ χρεωστεῖς ἡμῖν συνουσίαν ἐξ ὑποσχέσεως πε pi τοῦ λόγου τοῦ καθʼ … πως ἀτελῆ κατέλιπες)· εί δὲ μὴ, αὐτοὶ μὲν τὴν ζημίαν οἴσομεν ἄκοντες. Σὺ δὲ ίσθι μεθʼ ἡμῶν ὢν, ὅπου περ ἂν είης, καὶ ὁδηγυῖο ταῖς ’ἡμετέραις εὐχαῖς. καὶ αὐτος δὲ παρʼ ἡμῖν μένων, ἕως ἂν πνέωμεν, οἷς σαυτὸν ἐνέγραψας, οὐδεμιᾶς στήλης ἀτιμοτέροις, καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐγγράψεις, ἐπειδὰν γένῃ Θεοῦ καὶ σαφῶς ἡμέτερος, ἢ σοῖο γε ἡμεῖς, εί τοῦτο λέγεσθαι ἥδιον. ειν. 'rq ΛΥΤῼ. Τί τοῦτο;παρέδραμες ἡμᾶς ἀγνοήσοντας. καὶ λαδέσθαι οὐκ ἦν, οὐ μᾶλλόν γε ἢ τῆς ἠχοῦς τοὺς πλησίον ἔχειν αὐτὴν νομίζοντας, καὶ ἀπατωμένους ταῖς ἀντιρῤήσεσιν· ἦ τοῦτο μόνον ἂν τῶν πάντων ἐτυραννήσαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) … give a hand to his misfortune, which you yourself will examine. For your office needs no addition to its good repute, any more than the morning star needs brightness; but if you seek some addition, none could be greater or more brilliant than this, be well assured, as many who wish to speak the truth will tell your goodness. [Letter 200. To the same] You were making even your office philosophy for us, and I know you will continue to do so, if God cares for our affairs. Yet it would have been best to be with you now, when you have leisure from public affairs, as you longed for, and when one may enjoy your understanding in quiet; of which we had only a small share, as much as a lightning flash gives an eye that cannot hold it, and missed the greater part. But this is a great thing to pray for and not easy to obtain, our body being as it is. If we obtain this too, we shall have everything (for you also owe us some time together, by your promise, about the discourse you left somehow unfinished); if not, we will bear the loss unwillingly. But know that you are with us wherever you may be, and are guided by our prayers. And you remain with us, as long as we breathe, inscribed on hearts more honoured than any pillar, where you have inscribed yourself; and you will inscribe yourself still more when you become God's, and plainly ours, or we yours, if that is sweeter to say. [Letter 201. To the same] What is this? You ran past us without our knowing, and it was not possible to catch you, any more than those can hold the echo who think they have it and are deceived by its answers; or this alone of all things we would have seized by force. ### Translation notes - “When you become God's”: Nemesius was a pagan, whom Gregory hoped to win to Christianity (see also his poem to Nemesius). A word is garbled in the scan, and two footnote markers are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 327 (PG 37:328a–328b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-327). ## Letter 329 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-329 - Source: PG 37:329a–329d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter asking Nemesius at least to write; then the heading of Gregory's letter to Nectarius against the Apollinarians. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ὲπιστὲλλοις γε ἡμῖν, ὦ Θαυμάσιε, καὶ τοῦτο ἕξομεν ἀντὶ σοῦ, σκιὰν, ὃ δὴ λέγεται, ἀντὶ σώματος. ΣΒʼ. ΠΡΟΣ ΝΕΚΤΑΡΙΟΝ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΝ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝ- ΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΕΩΣ. ### English translation (Claude) But at least write to us, my admirable friend, and we will have this in place of you: a shadow, as the saying goes, instead of the body. [Letter 202. To Nectarius, bishop of Constantinople] ### Translation notes - The opening of Letter 202 is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 329 (PG 37:329a–329d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-329). ## Letter 331 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-331 - Source: PG 37:332a–332d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory complains to Nectarius that Arians, Macedonians and Eunomians trouble the Church, but worst of all the Apollinarians, whose pamphlet teaches that Christ's flesh existed in heaven before the ages. ### Greek text τῶν ἐκπομπεύουσιν, ἐκκλησίας συνάγοντες, ὼς ἐξ ἐπιτροπῆς τοῦτο ποιοῦντες. Οἱ δὲ κατὰ Μακεδόνιον, ἐρίζοντες, είς τοσοῦτον προεληλύθασιν ἀπονοίας, ὡς καὶ ὄνομα ἐπισκόπων ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιφημίζοντες, τοῖς καθʼ ἡμᾶς τόποις ἐπιπολάζειν, τὸν Ἐλεύσιον ταῖς χειροτονίαις αὐτῶν ἐπιθρυλλοῦντες. Τὸ δὲ ἐγκόλπιον ἡμῶν κακὸν ὁ Εύνόμιος, οὐκέτι ἀγαπᾷ τὸ ὁπωσοῦν εἶναι · ἀλλʼ εἰ μὴ πάντας τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀπωλείᾳ συνεφελκύσαιτο, ζημίαν κρίνει. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν φορητά. Τὸ δὲ πάντων χαλεταίιτατον ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησιαστικαῖς συμφοραῖς, ἡ τῶν Ἀπολλιναριστῶν ἐστι παρρησία, οὓς οὐκ οἶδα πῶς παρεῖδε σου ἡ ὁσιότης πορισαμένους ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ συνάγειν δμοτίμως ἡμῖν ἐξουσίαν. Πάντως μὲν οὖν διὰ πάντων κατὰ Θεοῦ χάριν τὰ θεῖα πεπαιδευμένος μυστήρια, οὐ μόνον τὴν τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λόγου συνηγορίαν ἐπίστασαι, ἀλλὰ. κάκεῖνα ὅσα παρᾶ τῶν αίρετικῶν κατὰ τῆς ὑγιαινούσης ἐπινενόηται πίστεως· πλήν καὶ παρὰ τῆς βραχύτητος ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἄκαιρον ῐσως ἀκοῦσαί σου τὴν σεμνοπρέπειαν, ὅτι μοι πτυκτεον ἦλθεν ἐν χερσὶ τοῦ Ἀπολλιναο ρίου, ἐν ᾧ τὰ κατασκευαζόμενα πᾶσαν αἱρετικὴν κακίαν παρέρχεται. Διαβεδαιοῦται γὰρ, μὴ ἐπίκτητον εῐναι τὴν σάρκα κατʼ οἰκονομίαν ὑπὸ τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υίοῦ προσληφθεῖσαν ἐπὶ μεταστοιχειὼσει τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν τῷ Υίῷ τὴν σαρκώδη ἐκείνην φύσιν εἶναι. Καὶ κακῶς ἐκλαβὼν εὐαγγελικήν τινα ῥῆσιν είς μαρτυρίαν τῆς τοιαύτης ἀτοπίας προσάλλεται λέγων, ὅτι οὐδεὶς- ἀναβέβηκεν εὶς τὸν οὐρανὸν, εὶ μὴ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβὰς ό Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· ὡς καὶ πρὶν τοῦ κατελθεῖν αὐτὸν υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου εῐναι, καὶ κατελθεῖν ἰδίαν ἐπαγόμενον σάρκα ἐκείνην, ἢν ἐν τοῖς ούρανοῖς ἔχων ἐτύγχανε, προαιώνιὸν τινα καὶ συνουσιωμένην. Λέγει γὰρ πάλιν ἁποστολικήν τινα ῥῆσιν, τοῦ ὅλου σώματος τῆς συμφράσεως ἀποκνίσαςο ὅτι ό δεύτερος ἄνθρωπος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Εἶτα κατασκευάζει τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκεῖ· ### English translation (Claude) … they parade …, gathering congregations as though they were doing so by permission. And those of Macedonius's party have gone so far in their folly, in their rivalry, that, even taking for themselves the name of bishops, they swarm over our region, boasting of Eleusius in their ordinations. And our domestic evil, Eunomius, is no longer content merely to exist; unless he drags everyone along with him into his own ruin, he counts it a loss. And these things can be borne. But the hardest of all among the misfortunes of the Church is the boldness of the Apollinarians, whom your Holiness, I do not know how, overlooked when they obtained for themselves the right to hold assemblies on an equal footing with us. You, who have been thoroughly instructed in the divine mysteries in everything by God's grace, know not only the defence of the right doctrine, but also all that the heretics have devised against the sound faith; yet perhaps it is not untimely for your Dignity to hear from our littleness too that a pamphlet of Apollinarius has come into my hands, whose arguments go beyond every heretical wickedness. For he maintains that the flesh which was assumed in the economy by the only-begotten Son for the remaking of our nature was not acquired, but that that fleshly nature was in the Son from the beginning. And, wrongly taking a certain saying of the Gospel as testimony for this absurdity, he leaps on it, saying that “No one has ascended into heaven except the Son of Man who came down from heaven,” as though he were Son of Man even before he came down, and came down bringing with him his own flesh, which he had in heaven, existing before the ages and sharing his essence. For he quotes again a certain saying of the Apostle, torn away from the whole body of the passage: “The second man is from heaven.” Then he argues that that man ### Scripture references - John 3:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:47: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The opening of the letter is lost in the scan; the first words describe the Arians. Macedonius and Eleusius of Cyzicus led the party that denied the divinity of the Spirit; Eunomius was the radical Arian, then living in Cappadocia. “No one has ascended …”: John 3:13. “The second man is from heaven”: 1 Cor 15:47. The Apollinarian views are reported, and translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 331 (PG 37:332a–332d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-331). ## Letter 333 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-333 - Source: PG 37:333a–333d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory reports that Apollinarius denies Christ a human mind and makes the Godhead itself mortal, and urges Nectarius to persuade the emperor to withdraw the Apollinarians' right of assembly. ### Greek text vov τδν ἄνωθεν ἥκοντα τὸν νοῦν μὴ ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ την θεότητα τοῦ Μονογενοῧς τὴν τοῦ νοῦ φύσιν ἀναπληρὼσασαν, μέρος γενέσθαι τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου συγκράματος τὺ τριτημόριον, ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον περὶ αὑτὸν ὅντων, νοῦ δὲ μὴ ὄντος.Δ ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐκείνου τόπον τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου ἀναπλη ροῧντος. Καὶ οὔπω τοῦτο δεινόνʼ ἀλλὰ τδ πάντων χαλεπώτατον, ὅτι αὐτὸν τὸν μονογενῆ Θεὸν, τδν κριτὴν τῶν πάντων, τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς, τὸν ωθαιρέτην τοῦ θανάτου, θνητὸν εἶναι κατασκευάζει, καὶ τῇ ἰδίᾳ αὑτοῦ θεότητι πάθος δέξασθαι, καὶ ἐν τῇ τριημέρῳ ἐκείνῃ νεκρώσει τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τὴν θεότητα συναπονεκρωθῆναι τῷ σώματι, καὶ οὕτω παρὰ τοῦ Πατρδς πάλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου διο αναστῆναι. Τὰ δʼ ἄλλα ὅσα προστίθησι ταῖς τοιαύταις ἀτοπίαις μακρὸν ἂν εἴη διεξιέναι. Εἰ τοίνυν οἱ τοιαῦτα φρονοῦντες ἰν ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ συνάγειν γίνονται, σκοπείτω σου ἠ ὲν Χριστῷ εὑδόκιμος φρόνησις, ὅτι μὴ συμβαινόντων ή μῶν οἷς ἐκείνοι φρονοῦσι, τὸ λαβεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐξουσίαν συνάξεως, οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἢ ἀληθεστέρους τοῦ καθʼ ἡμᾶς δόγματος νομισθῆναι. Εἰ γὰρ ὡς εὐσεβοῦντες ἐκεῖνοι διδάσκεινὠς φρονοῦσι, καὶ κηρύττειν ἐν παρρησία τὸ καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς ὲπιτρέπονται δόγμα, δῆλον ὅτι κατέγνωσται ὁ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας λόγος. ὼς τῆς ἀληθείας παρʼ αὐτοῖς οὔσης. Δύο γὰρ ἐναντίους λόγους περὶ τοῦ αὑτοῦ πράγματος ἀληθεῖς εἶναι, φύσις οὐκ ἔχει. Πῶς οὖν ὑπέμεινέ σου ἡ μεγαλοφυὴς καὶ ὑψηλὴ διάνοια, μὴ χρήσασθαι τῇ συνήθει παῤρησία εἰς διόρθωσιν τοῦ τοσούτου κακῶς Ἀλλʼ εί καὶ μὴ πρότερον τοῦτο γέγονε. νῦν γοῦν διαναστήτω ή ἇιλίμτίτός σου ἐπʼτὰρετῇ τελειύτης, καὶ διδαξάτω τὸν εὐσεβέστατον βασιλέα, ὅτι οὐδὲν κέρδος ἔσται ’τῆς λοιπῆς αὐτοῦ περὶ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας σπουδῆς, εί τὸ τοιοῦτο κακὸν ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῆς ὑγιαινούσης πίστεως, διὰ τῆς παρρησίας αὐτῶν κατισχύσει. ### English translation (Claude) who came from above does not have the mind, but that the Godhead of the Only-begotten, filling the place of the nature of the mind, became the third part of the human compound, soul and body being present in him in human fashion, but mind not being present, God the Word filling its place. And this is not yet the terrible thing; but the hardest of all is that he argues that the only-begotten God himself, the judge of all, the author of life, the destroyer of death, is mortal, and received suffering in his own Godhead; and that in that three-day deadness of the body the Godhead too died along with the body, and so was raised again from death by the Father. The other things he adds to such absurdities it would take long to go through. If, then, those who think such things obtain the right to assemble, let your wisdom, approved in Christ, consider that, since we do not agree with what they think, their receiving the right of assembly is nothing else than their being considered truer than our doctrine. For if they are allowed, as men of right belief, to teach what they think and to preach their doctrine openly, it is plain that the doctrine of the Church has been condemned, as though the truth were with them. For two contrary statements about the same thing cannot by nature both be true. How, then, did your great and lofty mind bear not to use its usual freedom of speech to correct so great an evil? But even if this did not happen before, now at least let your Perfection, … in virtue, rise up, and teach the most pious emperor that there will be no gain from all the rest of his zeal for the Churches if such an evil, for the destruction of the sound faith, prevails through their freedom. ### Scripture references - Acts 3:15: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Author of life”: Acts 3:15. Theodosius had allowed the Apollinarians to meet (ca. 387). A word after “your Perfection” is garbled in the scan (…). The Apollinarian views are reported, and translated exactly as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 333 (PG 37:333a–333d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-333). ## Letter 335 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-335 - Source: PG 37:336a–336d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory protests to a kinsman who has settled women next to his retreat at Karbala: in effect he is driven out, and he warns him to respect the martyrs' shrine there. ### Greek text Ἐξελαυνόμεθα Καρδάλης ἀνοσιώτατα. Συγχρήσομαι γὰρ τῷ τῆς τραγῳδίας. μικρὸν ἐναλλάξας. Ἐξελαυνόμεθα δὲ λόγῳ μὲν οὐδαμῶς, ἔργῳ δὲ καὶ πάνυ σφοδρῶς. Πολλῷ γὰρ βέλτιον ἦν προγράμματι κηρύξαι τὴν ὑποχώρησιν, ἢ γυναιειν, ἃς ἀντιπροσώπους ἡμῶν συνῴκισας, τὸ σεμνὸν τοῦ βίου περικόπτων, καὶ καθημερίην ἀσχημοσύνην καὶ βλασφημίαν παραζευγνὺς, παρὰ τῶν ῥᾳδίως ἐπηρεαζόντων τοῖς οὕτω ζῇν ἑλομένοις, ῶσπερ ἡμεῖς. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τολμηρὸν εἰπεῖν, καὶ ἡμᾶς τοῦ παραδείσου διὰ τῆς Εὔας ἐκβέβληκας. Ῥᾴδιον μὲν γὰρ εὑρεῖν εὐπρεπές τι, καὶ ἀφοσιώσασθαι καὶ δόξαι δίκαια λέγειν, ὡς οὔτε ἐξωθούμεθα παρὰ σοῦ, καὶ τιμώμεθα γειτνιᾷν ἡμῖν θέλοντος ο προσθήσεις δὲ ἴσως, δτι καὶ δεξιοῦσθαι φιλικῶς τε καὶ συγγενικῶς, καί τι παραπολαύειν τῆς φιλίας τῆς ἡμετέρας. Τὸ δὲ λόγος, οὑκ ἔργον ἐστίν. ’Υμᾶς μὲνγὰρ ἐπιδημοῦντας τῷ τόπῳ, καὶ δεχόμεθα, καὶ ἀσπαζόμεθα. Οίκαρχίαις δὲ γυναικῶν οὕτως ὑποχωρήσομεν, ὥσπερ ἑχιδναίοις ἐπιδρομαῖς. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἡμέτερον ἔχει πέρας. Κατεσοφίσθημεν, συνεστάλημεν, ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς τετιμήκαμεν, ἀφέντες καὶ πόνους χειρῶν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐλπίδας, καὶ πολλὰ τοϊς ἁγίοις ἀπολογησάμενοι μάρτυσι. Πάντως εί καὶ βαρέα ταῦτα καὶ δύσφορα, ἀλλὰ καθʼ ὀδόν γε τοῦ καθʼ ἡμᾶς βίου φιλοσοφούμενα, καὶ οὔπω τοῦ πόλεις ὲκ πόλεων ἀμείδειν (δ φέρειν ἑκελεύσθημεν), φορτικώτερα. Σὺ δὲ τὸν τόπον οίκοίης μακρότερα μὲν ἢ κατὰ τοὺς προενοικήσαντας, σωφρονέστερον δὲ ἢ ἐλπίζομεν, ὡς ἂν μήτε τοὺς ἁγίους ὑδρίζητε μάρτυρας, μήτε αὐτοὶ πλήσσησθὲ τῇ παροικίᾳ. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ πρὸ πάντων ἀσφαλίσασθε, τῶν καθιερωμένων τοῖς μάρτυσι φείσασθε ἵνα μὴ κακῶς περί τε ὑμῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων βου- ### English translation (Claude) “We are driven out of Karbala most unholily,” for I will use the tragic line, changing it a little. We are driven out, not in word at all, but in deed very forcibly. It would have been much better to proclaim our withdrawal by public notice than by means of the women whom you have settled opposite us, cutting away the dignity of our life and yoking to it daily indecency and slander from those who readily abuse people who choose to live as we do. If it is not too bold to say so, you have cast us out of paradise through Eve. It is easy, of course, to find some fair pretext, to satisfy appearances and seem to speak justly: that we are not being driven out by you but honoured, since you wish to be our neighbour; and you will perhaps add that you greet us in a friendly and kinsmanly way and enjoy something of our friendship. But that is word, not deed. For you yourselves, when you visit the place, we both receive and embrace; but before the household rule of women we will withdraw as before the attacks of vipers. Our part is at an end. We have been outwitted, we have drawn in, we have chosen our own dignity, leaving the labours of our hands and our hopes, and making many apologies to the holy martyrs. Surely, even if these things are heavy and hard to bear, still they are borne with philosophy on the road of our life, and are not yet more burdensome than moving from city to city (which we were commanded to bear). May you live in the place longer than those who lived there before you, but more modestly than we expect, so that you neither insult the holy martyrs nor are yourselves struck down for your stay there. Above all, take this precaution: spare what has been consecrated to the martyrs, so that you may not take bad counsel about yourselves and your ### Scripture references - Matt 10:23: allusion, low confidence - Gen 3:23–24: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; this is Letter 203, to Valentinian. Karbala (the scan reads Καρδάλης) was Gregory's family estate near Nazianzus, with a martyrs' shrine. The tragic line is unidentified. Fleeing from city to city: Matt 10:23. Eve and paradise: Gen 3. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 335 (PG 37:336a–336d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-335). ## Letter 339 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-339 - Source: PG 37:340a–340d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter, perhaps proposing a marriage alliance, in which Gregory offers his family's faithfulness and prays God to guide the decision. ### Greek text Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἓν ἀντὶ πάντων προσάγομεν ὑμῖν, ἡ μᾶς αὐτοὺς, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ζητοῦμεν ἒν ἀντὶ πάντων, ὑμᾶς. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ βελτίους κα) ὲκ βελτιόνων. (ὁμολογοῦμεν γὰρ, επεὶ και) τοῦτο ἡμέτερον γίνεται), ἀλλʼ ἑνί γε οὐχ ὑπερέξοντας ἡμῶν (ὲν Θεῷ δὲ εἰρήσεται), τῷ πιστῷ καὶ γνησίῳ περὶ τὴν οἰκειότητα· οὗπερ δεῖ μᾶλλον ποιεῖσθαι λόγον, ἢ πάντων όμοῦ τῶν ἄλλων, τούς γε νοῦν ἔχοντας. ’Δρκεϊ τοσαῦτα πρὸς τὴν σὴν τελειότητα, καὶ ταῦτα πέρα ἴσως ἦ κατά μέτρον ἐπιστολῆς. Λοιπόν τι καὶ ἐμαυτῷ και ὑμῖν ἐπεύξομαι. Θεὸς ἐπὶ νοῦν ὑμῖν ἀγάγοι, παρʼ οὗ καὶταῦτα καὶ τʼ ἄλλα οἰκονομεῖται τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, ὅ τι ἂν ᾖ βέλτιστον καὶ σύμφορον ἡμῖν τε καὶ ὑμῖν ἐπίσης, ἄλλως τε καὶ περὶ τηλικούτων βουλευομένοις. ‘ ### English translation (Claude) But we offer you one thing in place of all, ourselves; and indeed we seek one thing in place of all, you. If, then, you are better and from better stock (we admit it, since this too becomes ours), yet in one thing at least you will not surpass us (it shall be said in God): in faithfulness and sincerity toward kinship; of which those who have sense ought to take more account than of all other things together. This is enough for your Perfection, and perhaps beyond the measure of a letter. For the rest I will pray for myself and for you: may God, by whom these things and all others are ordered for those who love him, put into your minds whatever is best and most advantageous for us and for you alike, especially as you deliberate about such great matters. ### Scripture references - Rom 8:28: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the occasion and addressee are uncertain. All things ordered for those who love God: cf. Rom 8:28. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 339 (PG 37:340a–340d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-339). ## Letter 341 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-341 - Source: PG 37:341a–341b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory sternly rebukes a young man of good family who is squandering his estate on women and has carried off virgins consecrated to God. ### Greek text σφοδρῶςένεκλήθη, καὶ δίκην ὑπέσχε πατὴρ εὐσεβὴς παίδων παρανομίας. Τοῦτο φοβούμενος τὸ ὑπόδειγμα καὶ αὐτὸς, επὶ-ταύτην ἦλθον τὴν παραίνεσιν. Τί ἔστιν δ πέπονθας, ἀγνοῶ. Τίς ή τοσαύτη περὶ σὲ σκοτομήνη; Πῶς αἰσχύνεις μὲν σεαυτοῦ τὸ γένοςς αἰσχύνεις δὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν πολιάν, καὶ τάς ἐλπίδας ἃς εἴχομεν ἐπὶ σοὶ, ἡνίκα ἐπέστημεν Ναυῖλοις, πᾶν ἀγαθὸν καὶ διαλεχθέντες, καὶ πείσαντες, ὡς ᾠόμεθα; Πῶς οὐκ ἀκούεις λεγούσης τῆς Γραφῆς, Μὴ δὸς γυναιξὶ τὸν σὺν πλοῦτον καὶ τά σά χρήματα είς ὕστεροβουλίανς Εὖ γάρ ῐσθι, μεταμελήσει σοι τούτων μικρὸν ὕστερον, ἡνίκα ἂν κατατριβῶσι σάρ· κες σώματός σου, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, καὶ δυνηθῇ διασχὼν ὥσπερ ὲκ νέφους ό νοῦς πρὸς Θεὸν ἰδεῖν, καὶ λογίσασθαι καθαρῶς τὰ συμφέροντα. … τὴν ’παγίδα, μὴʼἀγρευθῇς … ἐφθαλμοῖς· καὶ εί ήγρεύθής, έκνηψον, μὴ καὶ τὸ θρυλλούμενον βεβαιώσεις, ὅτι φαρμάκοις τὸν νοῦν ὲκλάπης· ἐπειδὴ δεινὸν είς κακῶν ἐπίνοιαν ή ἀσέλγεια. ’Δλγεινὸν μὲν. γάρ τὸ καὶ οἷκον τοσοῦτον,’καʼί τοσούτοις πόνοις συνειλεγμένον, οὕτως ὲν βραχεῖ διασπεῖραι, καὶ καταλῦσαι, καὶ μάλιστα ὲν ἀρχαῖς βίου, ήνίκα, ἢ τὴν καλὴν, ἢ τήν πονηρλν δόξαν ἕκαστος ἑαυτῷ καταβάλλεται. Πολλῷ δὲ δεινότερον τὸ καὶ γυναῖκας παρθένους οὔσας, ἃς καὶ οἱ σοῦ γονεῖς, καὶ αὐτὸς, ὡς ἡμᾶς ἔπειθες. καθιέρωσας τῷ Θεῷ, ταύτας ίεροσυλεῖν καὶ ἁρπάζειν· καὶ τὰς μὲν ἔχειν ήδη, τὰς δὲ πτοεῖν ὡς τά αὐτὰ πεισομένας. Τὸν οὖν Θεὸν φοβηθεὶς, ᾧ λατρεύεις, καὶ ἡμᾶς αἰδεσθεὶς, ’ἐπίσχες σεαυτὸν τοῦ λοιποῦ πάσης πονηρᾶς προαιρέσεως. Εἰ γὰρ οἶόν τε ἧν παρακύψαντά σε γνῶναι τήν ἀδοξίαν, ἢν πάντων ἡμῶν κατέχεας, τάχα ἂν οὐκ ὲδεήθης ἄλλης παραινέσεως, ἀλλʼ αὐτὴν τήν αἰσχύνην σύμβουλον ἐποιήσω τῶν σῶν πρακτέων. Τούτων ήδίω μὲν εἶχον γράφειν, ’λυσιτελέστερα δὲ οὐδαμῶς. Καὶ τά πλείω παρήσω γράφειν, έκεῖνο εἰδὼς, ὡς εί μή σε ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος παιδαγωγήσειε, μικρὸν ἢ οὐδὲν οί - λόγοι δυνήσονται· ἐπεὶ καὶ σιδήρῳ κηρὸς μὲν εὐκόλως χαράσσεται, σίδηρος δὲ ἐργωδέστερον, ἀδάμας δὲ οὐδὲ τῷ στερροτάτῳ, διὰ σκληρότητα φύσεως. ### English translation (Claude) … was severely blamed, and the pious father paid the penalty for the lawlessness of his sons. Fearing this example myself, I have come to give you this warning. What has happened to you I do not know. What is this great darkness of a moonless night around you? How can you disgrace your own family, and disgrace our grey hair, and the hopes we had in you when we stayed at Nauila, speaking of every good thing and persuading you, as we thought? How do you not hear Scripture saying, “Do not give your wealth to women, nor your goods to after-regret”? Know well that you will repent of this a little later, “when the flesh of your body is consumed,” as it is written, and your mind, breaking through as from a cloud, can look to God and reckon clearly what is profitable. … the snare, lest you be caught by the eyes; and if you have been caught, come to your senses, lest you confirm the rumour that your mind has been stolen by drugs; for licentiousness is clever at devising evils. It is grievous to scatter and destroy in so short a time so great a house, gathered with such labours, and especially at the beginning of life, when each man lays the foundation of a good or a bad reputation for himself. But it is much more terrible to commit sacrilege and carry off women who are virgins, whom your parents and you yourself, as you persuaded us, consecrated to God; and to have some already and terrify others as about to suffer the same. Fear God, then, whom you serve, and respect us, and restrain yourself henceforth from every evil purpose. For if you could look out and know the disgrace you have poured on all of us, perhaps you would need no other exhortation, but would make shame itself the counsellor of your actions. I could write more pleasant things than these, but none more profitable. I will refrain from writing more, knowing this, that unless the fear of God disciplines you, words will avail little or nothing; for wax is easily engraved with iron, iron with more labour, and adamant not even by the hardest tool, because of the hardness of its nature. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 2:12–36: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 31:3: quotation, high confidence - Prov 5:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the letter is probably to Adelphius (Letter 206 in Migne). The pious father punished for his sons: Eli (1 Sam 2:12–4:18). “Do not give your wealth to women …”: Prov 31:3 (LXX). “When the flesh of your body is consumed”: Prov 5:11 (LXX). Nauila was Adelphius's estate. A word at the beginning of a sentence is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 341 (PG 37:341a–341b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-341). ## Letter 343 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-343 - Source: PG 37:344a–344d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, too ill to come, commends to the official Jacob the widow Simplicia, wife of the late Alypius, who must travel to plead for her orphaned children. ### Greek text :z'. ῐΑΚΩΒῼ. Ei μὲν οὕτως εἶχον τοῦ σώματος, ὡς ἐξαρκεῖν πρδς τοὺς πόνους, αὐτὸς ἂν ἀφικόμενος πρὸς ὑμᾶς, τόν τε τῆς συντυχίας πόθον ἐπλήρωσα, καὶ διελέχθην περὶ ὧν ὲδουλόμην. Οὐ γὰρ περὶ μικρῶν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τῇ ἀρρωστία κατέχομαι, ἀναγκαίως ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὰ γράμματα. Τὴν κοσμιωτάτην θυγατέρα ἡμῶν Σιμπλικίαν, τὴν τοῦ καιλοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ Ἀλυπίου ποτὲ γυναῖκα, τοῦ κόσμου πάσης ἡμῶν τῆς πατρίδος, προσάγω τῇ σῇ εὐγενείᾳ, μετὰ τῶν οίκτρῶν ὀνομάτων χηρείας καὶ ὀρφανείας, τῶν δικαίων παρὰ σοῦ τευξομένην, περὶ ὧν σοῦ δεήσεται. Καὶ σκόπει τῆς συμφορᾶς τὸ μέγεθος. Οὔπω τῶνθρήνων πέπαυται, καὶ ἀγωνιᾷ περὶ τῶν ὀρφανῶν, καὶ ὀδοὺς ἔκδημΞῖ μακρὰς, ὲν οὕτω ἀσθενεῖ τῷ σώματι καὶ ἀπειρίᾳ πραγμάτων, ἠ μηδὲ προκύπτειν τῆς οἰκίας εἰθισμένη. Τούτου τί ἐλεεινότερον; μηδὲ θρήνοις γενέσθαι χώραν, καὶ τὴν τῆς εὐγενείας αἰδῶ λυθῆναι.τῷ πάθει. Ταῦτα οὖν πάντα ἐνθυμηθεὶς, καὶ πρός γε τὴν ἡμετέραν παράκλησιν αἰδεσθεὶς, μὴ ἀναμείνῃς ἄλλον γενέσθαι σοι δικαστὴν τῷ μεγάλῳ καὶ χρηστῷ Ἰακώβῳο μηδὲ εἰς ἀνάγκην αὐτὴν καταστῆσαι μακροτέρας enoδημίας, σφόδρα θαρροῦσαν τοῖς ἑαυτῆς δικαίοις, ὡς πείθει πολλοὺς καὶ ἡμᾶς. Ἀλλά ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς tvτυχὼν, καὶ μετὰ πάσης ὀρθότητος τὰ δίκαια βασα-’ νίσας, εὖθυμωτέραν ἡμῖν ἀπόπεμψον, ὲκεῖνο πρὸ πάντων ἐνθυμηθεὶς, ὅτι ἔστι σοι πολλὰ παρὰ Θεοῦ, δυναστεία, χρήματα, δόξα, μείζονος εὐπραξίας ὁδός. Ταῦτα φύλαξον σεαυτῷ διὰ τῆς παρούσης φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ ὡς τέκνων πατὴρ, καὶ τῶν μὲν ὲξαίρεθεὶςηκινδύνων, τοῖς δὲ ὲμβεέηκὼς, οὕτω διανοήθτιτι, καὶ δεξιὰς σεαυτῷ ποίησον ὲκ τῆς παρούσης ὑποθέσεως τὰς κατὰ Θεὸν ἐλπίδας, ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 207. To Jacob] If I were in such bodily health as to be equal to the labour, I would have come to you myself, satisfied my longing to meet you, and discussed what I wished; for our concern is not with small matters. But since I am held by sickness, I have of necessity turned to letters. I present to your nobility our most modest daughter Simplicia, once the wife of the good and noble Alypius, the ornament of our whole country, with the pitiable names of widowhood and orphanhood, to obtain from you justice in what she will ask of you. And consider the greatness of the misfortune. She has not yet ceased her lamentations, and she is in anguish over the orphans, and travels long journeys abroad with a body so weak and with no experience of affairs, she who was not accustomed even to look out of her house. What is more pitiable than this? To have no room even for mourning, and to have the modesty of her rank broken down by suffering. Considering all this, then, and respecting our request besides, do not wait for someone else to become judge in place of the great and good Jacob, nor force her into a longer stay abroad, confident as she is in her just claims, as she persuades many and us too. But read the letters, examine her claims with all uprightness, and send her back to us more cheerful, considering this before all, that you have many things from God: power, wealth, glory, the road to greater success. Keep these for yourself through your present kindness; and think as a father of children, and as one who has been delivered from some dangers and may enter others; and make your hopes in God favourable for yourself through the present case. ### Translation notes - Simplicia was the widow of Alypius, a prominent citizen of Nazianzus (not the Simplicia of Letter 79). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 343 (PG 37:344a–344d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-343). ## Letter 345 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-345 - Source: PG 37:345a–345b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks an official, a kinsman of Alypius's family, to help the widow of Alypius in caring for her orphans. ### Greek text Ἀκοῇ μὲν γινώσκω τὴν σὴν τιμιότητα. Θαυμάζω δὲείς ὅσον ὀλίγοι τῶν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὡμιληκότων ο τοσοῦτος παρὰ πᾶσι τῆς σῆς καλοκαγαθίας ὁ λόγος. -Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ταύτην ἐθάρρησα τὴν πρεσβείαν. Ἀπέλιπεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Θαυμαστὸς Ἀλύπιος, ὁ κοινὸς τῶν φίλων προστάτης, καὶ τῶν ὀρφανῶν κηδεμών. Ού μικρὸν τοῦτο ἡμῖν πρὸς συμφοράν. Δεύτερον προσεγένετο τὸ καὶ τὴν κοσμιωτάτην ἐλευθέραν αὑτοῦ φροντίζειν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὀρφανῶν. Ταύτην παραμύθησαι τῇ νῦν φιλανθρωπίᾳ, καὶ τδ ἀσφαλὲς τοῖς σοῖς τέκνοις χάρισαι διὰ τῆς είς τοὺς ὀρφανοὺς εὐποιίας, καὶ δεῖξον πλέον ἔχουσαν τῶν ξένων τὴν οἰκειότητα. Προσέσται δὲ καὶ τὸ ἡμῖν χαρίσασθαι, οὓς ὅ τι ἂν τιμήσῃς, Θεὸν ἔσῃ τετιμηκὼς, οὗπερ ἡμεῖς ὴξιὼμεθα εἶναι παραστάται καὶ λειτουργοὶ, καὶ εί τῆς ἀξίας ἐλάττονες. ### English translation (Claude) I know your Honour by hearsay; but I admire you as few even of those who have long associated with you do; so great is the report of your goodness among all. Therefore I too have dared this intercession. The admirable Alypius has left us, the common protector of his friends and guardian of orphans. This is no small misfortune for us. A second has been added: that his most modest wife must care for the orphans. Console her by your present kindness, secure safety for your own children by your good deed to the orphans, and show that kinship counts for more than strangers. And there will also be the favour to us, since whatever honour you show us you will have shown to God, whose attendants and ministers we have been counted worthy to be, even if we fall short of the dignity. ### Translation notes - The heading is lost in the scan; this is probably Letter 208 in Migne. “Wife” renders ἐλευθέρα (literally “free woman”, a married woman). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 345 (PG 37:345a–345b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-345). ## Letter 347 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-347 - Source: PG 37:348a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks a friend abroad to send back a lady who supports him; then he asks Cyriacus to protect the estates that support the poorhouse run by Sacerdos. ### Greek text Ἐμοὶ τῆς πατρίδος, ὡς ἔοικεν, ή ἀλλοδαπή χρηστοτέρα. Ἥ μὲν γὰρ ἐδίδου τῆς σῆς ἀπολαύειν φιλίας, ήδὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο. Καὶ τοῦτό μοι παρά τῆς ἀρρωστίας, ἦ με κατέχει πεδήσασα, καὶ πρὸς πολλὰ ποιεί δυσκίνητον, ἢ ἀκίνητον, εἰ χρὴ λέγειν τὸ ἀληθέστερον. Ταύτην μὲν οὗν τὴν ζημίαν λυπούμενοι μὲν οἴσομεν. Τί δὲ ού φέρει τῶν ἀνιαρῶν ἀνθρωπος; μόνον ύγιαίνοις, καὶ πράττοις τὰ κατὰ νοῦν, καὶ ἐν χειρὶ Θεοῦ εἴη τά σά. Ἔσται δὲ, εἰ γνησίως αὑτοῦ λαμβάνοιο. τὴν δὲ κυρίαν, τὴν κοινὴν ἡμῶν ἀδελφὴν, τάχιστα ήμίν ἀποπέμψασθαι θέλησον, ὡς κοινὸν ἔρεισμα καὶ τῶν εύλαβῶν, καὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας τῆς ήμετέραςʼ ἢ πολλά σου τῆς σακερόὡτιδος καταὸοησόμεθα, διʼ ἢν ζημιούμεθα, καί καλέσομεν αὐτὴν τῇ οἰκείᾳ προσηγορίᾳ. Γνώσῃ δέ ἦ τις, παρʼ αὐτῆς πυθόμενος. ΣιΑν. ΚΥΡΙΑΚῼ. Τιμᾷς τοὺς εύλαὸεϊς, εὖ οἶδα, καὶ πτωχοὺς εὖ ποιεῖς. Τούτων ἀμφοτέρων σοι νῦν καιρόςο ἔχει γὰρ οὕτως. Ὀ τιμιώτατος καὶ θεοφιλέστατος υίὸς ήμῶν Σακερδὼς, ὁ συμπρεσσύτερος, πτωχείου προσ ἕστηκε τῶν ἐπισήμων πολυανθρώπου, εύσεὸείας τε ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ πρᾶγμα σπουδῆς. Ἐστι δὲ τῶν ὑπηρετουμένων τῷ πτωχείῳ κτήματα Διριάνδος καὶ Κασερίνα ὁμοροῦντα τόποις τοῖς τῆς οἰκίας, ἐξ ἐπιδόσεως τού τιμιωτάτου Κάστορος, τῷ πτωχείῳ τι συνε-ισφέροντα. Ταῦτα πάσης ἐπηρείας ἐλευθερώσας, μέρος ούκ ἐλάχιστον συνεισοίσεις, καί τοῖς πτωχοῖς τῆς θεραπείας, καὶ σεαυτῷ τῆς ἀντιδόσεως, ἣν οἶδας ὀφειλομένην τοῖς εὐσεβέσι. Δῆλον δέ, ὅτι ἅπαξ ὁρμήσας εἰς τὴν εὐεργεσίαν, καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἀσφαλείας ποιήσεις πρόνοιαν, ὡς μηδὲ βουλομένῳ τινὶ ἐξεῖναι κακὸν γενέσθαι περὶ τοὺς τόπους, τρόπον ὃν ἐπινοήσειεν ή σὴ σύνεσις ### English translation (Claude) A foreign land, it seems, is kinder to me than my own country. For the one let me enjoy your friendship, the other has granted me nothing of the kind. And this I owe to my sickness, which holds me fettered and makes me slow to move toward many things, or rather unable to move, if I must speak more truly. This loss we will bear with grief; but what grievous thing does man not bear? Only may you be well and fare as you wish, and may your affairs be in the hand of God; and they will be, if you hold to him sincerely. And be so good as to send back to us very soon the lady, our common sister, as the common support of the devout and of our weakness; or we will cry out loudly against your “priestess,” through whom we suffer this loss, and call her by her proper name. Who she is you will know by asking her. [Letter 211. To Cyriacus] You honour the devout, I know well, and you do good to the poor. Now is the time for both; for the matter stands thus. Our most honoured and most God-beloved son Sacerdos, our fellow presbyter, is in charge of one of the well-known and well-populated poorhouses, both for piety's sake and because of his zeal for the work. Among the properties that serve the poorhouse are Dirianda and Caserina, which border on the lands of the house and contribute something to the poorhouse by gift of the most honoured Castor. By freeing them from all harassment you will contribute no small share both to the care of the poor and to the recompense for yourself which you know is owed to the pious. And plainly, once you have set out on this benefaction, you will also provide for its future security, so that no one, even if he wished, may do harm to these places, in whatever way your understanding may devise. ### Translation notes - The heading of the first letter is lost in the scan. “Your priestess” renders τῆς σακερδώτιδος, apparently a play on the name of Sacerdos; the reference is obscure. Dirianda and Caserina are estates otherwise unknown. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 347 (PG 37:348a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-347). ## Letter 349 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-349 - Source: PG 37:349a–349d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Short letters to a young monk: to possess God and be possessed by him is the first good; and he must endure the trials he should have expected when he took up the ascetic life. ### Greek text Προσαγορεύω σε τὴν νέαν ἡμῶν ἐλπίδα, τὸν πολιὸν ὲν νεότητι· καὶ πᾶν ὅτι σοι κάλλιπον βούλομαί τε καὶ εὔχομαι. Τῶν δὲ καλῶν τὸ πρῶτον οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς ο ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀεὶ Θεὸν κτᾶσθαι, καὶ γενέσθαι κτῆμα Θεοῦ διὰ τῆς πρὸς αὑτὸν οἰκειώσεὼς τε κα). ἀναβάσεως ’ ὃ καὶ σαυτὸν οἷδʼ ὅτι νουθετήσεις. Σιιη. τῷ αὐτῷ. Εῐ σοι μηδὲν ἠλπίζετο δυσχερὲς, ἡνίκα φιλοσοφίᾳ προσέβαινες, ἁφιλόσοφος ἠ ἀρχὴ, καὶ τοὺς πλάστας μέμφομαι. Εἰ δὲ ἠλπίζετο, εί μὲν οὐκ ἀπήντησε, τῷ Θεῷ χάρις · εί δὲ ἀπήντησεν, ἢ κσρτέρει πάσχων, ἢ ῐσθι ψευδόμενος τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. ### English translation (Claude) I greet you, our young hope, grey-haired in youth; and I wish and pray for you all that is finest. The first of good things you know: always to possess God, and to become God's possession through intimacy with him and ascent toward him; of which I know you will admonish yourself. [Letter 213. To the same] If you expected nothing difficult when you came to philosophy, the beginning was unphilosophical, and I blame those who formed you. But if it was expected: if it did not come, thanks be to God; but if it did come, either endure as you suffer, or know that you are belying your promise. ### Translation notes - The headings are partly lost in the scan; the letters are to a young man who has taken up the ascetic life (probably Letters 212–213 in Migne). “Philosophy” here is the monastic life. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 349 (PG 37:349a–349d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-349). ## Letter 351 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-351 - Source: PG 37:352a–352d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory consoles Sacerdos, removed from his work for the poor: let him practise another philosophy of contemplation and not, like an untrained colt, be thrown by trouble. ### Greek text EIE'. Τῼ ΔΥΤῼ. Τί δεινὸν ἡμτν; Οὐδὲν, ὄντι μὴ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν θείων διαμαρτάνειν. Τάλλα δὲ, ὡς ἃν φέρῃ Θεὸς, οὕτως ἐχέτω, εἴτε διά τῶν δεξιῶν ὅπλων καὶ χρηστοτέρων οἰκονομεῖ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡμᾶς, εἴτε διά τῶν ἀριστερῶν τε καὶ σκαιοτέρων. Οἵδε τοὺς λόγους τούτων ὁ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν οἰκονόμος. Ἐν φοβηθῶμεν μόνον, τὸ μήτι παθεῖν ἀφιλόσοφον. Ἐπτωχοτροφὴσαμεν, ὲφιλαδελφήσαμεν, ψαλμῳδίαις ὲνετρυφήσαμεν, ἕως ἐξῆν. Οὐ συγχωρούμεθα τοῦτο· ἀλλο τι φιλοσοφήσωμεν ο οὐ, πενιχρά ἡ χάρις. ἰδιάοωμεν, θεωρήσωμεν, τὸν νοῦν καθάρωμεν ταῖς θείαις ἐμφάσεσιν,ὃ τάχα καὶ τῶν προειρημένων ὑψηλότερον. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχομενʼ ἀλλʼ ὅτι τοῦ ἑνὸς διημάρτομεν, τοῦ παντὸς ἐκπε- Ιτιττωκιξνσιι νομίζομεν. Μὴ οὓτως· ἀλλʼ ἐτι κρατῶμεν τῆςχρηστῆς ἐλπίδος,ἐῑ τι ἡμῖν ὑπολειπόμενον ἴδωμεν· καὶ μὴ ταυτά πάσχωμεν τοῖς πώλοις, οἳ τῷ μὴ συνειθίσθαι ταῖς πτόαις, πρὸς τοὺς ψόφους ἐξαγριαίνοντες, τοὺς ἐπιβάτας ἑαυτῶν καταβάλλουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 215. To the same] What is terrible for us? Nothing, except to fail of God and of divine things. Let the rest be as God brings it, whether he orders us through the right-hand weapons of righteousness, the kinder ones, or through the left-hand and harsher ones. The steward of our life knows the reasons for these things. Let us fear one thing only: suffering anything unphilosophically. We fed the poor, we loved the brothers, we delighted in psalmody, while it was allowed. We are not permitted this; let us practise some other philosophy; for grace is not poor. Let us be at leisure, contemplate, and purify the mind with divine impressions, which is perhaps higher than what was mentioned before. But we are not so disposed; rather, because we have failed of one thing, we think we have fallen from everything. Not so; but let us still hold to good hope, if we see anything left to us; and let us not be like colts, which, not being used to alarms, grow wild at noises and throw their riders. ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 6:7: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The addressee is probably Sacerdos, removed from the care of the poorhouse. The weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left: 2 Cor 6:7. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 351 (PG 37:352a–352d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-351). ## Letter 353 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-353 - Source: PG 37:353a–353b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory invites a young monk who has quarrelled with Sacerdos to come and accept his mediation; then he rebukes him frankly for acting first and deliberating afterwards. ### Greek text εύσέδειαν, καὶ πολλῶν καὶ ἀνδρῶν καὶ ἠθῶι ὲν πείρᾳ. γεγόναμεν (πεῖρα δὲ μήτηρ συνέσεως), ὑμεῖς δὲ οἷον πῶλοι νεοζυγείς, καὶ ἄρτι τῶν κατά Θεὸν ἀγώνων ἀρχόμενοι (τὸ δὲ ἀρχόμενον θερμότερον, καὶ δυνάμενον τῇ ζέσει τοῦ πνεύματος πολλά μὲν κατορθῶσαι τῶν δεόντων. πολλὰ δὲ διαμαρτεῖν ἑξ ἀγνοίας), θέλησον, γενόμενος μέχρις ήμῶν, καὶ ὡς γέροντας τιμῆσαι, καὶ ὡς πατέρας αἰδεσθῆναι, καὶ μεσίταις χρήσασθαι τῆς πρὸς τὸν αἰδεσιμώτατον ἀδελφὸν καὶ συμπρεσσύτερον ἡμῶν Σακερδῶτα διαφορᾶς, πάρεστι γὰρ αύτός · ἴνα τά πρδς ἀλλήλους εὖ θέμενοι, καὶ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον θεραπεύσητε, καὶ τὸ σκάνδαλον τῶν πολλῶν λύσητε, καὶ, τὸ μέγιστον ἁπάντων, τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεώσησθε, μὴ πρᾶγμα τοσοῦτον καὶ οὕτως ἔνδοξον (λέγω δὲ τὴν σύμπνοιαν ὑμῶν, καὶ τάς κατὰ Θεὸν τοῦ βίου συνθήκας) οὓτως ὲν βραχεῖ καταλύσητε. ΣιΖο. Τῷ ΑΥΤῼ. Μετὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἡ συμμαχιαο μετὰ τὴν ζάλην ὁ κυβερνήτης καὶ δέον βουλεύσασθαι πρότερον, εἶτα πρᾶξαι, τὴν τάξιν ἆντεστρέψαμεν μετὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν, βουλευόμεθα. Εἰ μὲν οὖν κολακεύειν ἓδει, καὶ χείρω ποιεῖν, πολλάς ἂν εὗρον κολακεὶας ὁδοὺς, ὅσῳ καὶ ῥᾷον τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ πολλοῖς νῦν κατορθούμενον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ βλάπτειν οὐ πρὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ μάλιστα ψυχὴν ἔτι νεοτελῆ, καὶ ἄρτι τῷ καλῷ προσβαίνουσαν, ἄκουε τάληθῆ. Ἀφιλόσοᾳος ή ἀρχή· καὶ κακῶς ἠγάπησαν σε οἱ θεραπεύσαντες, καὶ ὑπʼ ἄλλῳ προσωπείῳ τὰ ἑαυτῶν παίξαντες. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀλλὰ νῦν μεταδάλοις, καὶ θεραπεύσοις τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, τάχα ἄν τις ὑμῖν ἔλθοι συνούλωσις, εἰ καὶ μόγις. Εἰ δʼ ἐπὶ ### English translation (Claude) … piety, and we have had experience of many men and characters (and experience is the mother of understanding), whereas you are like newly yoked colts, just beginning the contests of God's service (and what is beginning is hotter, and by the zeal of the spirit able to achieve much that is right, and to miss much through ignorance): be willing, then, to come to us, to honour us as old men and respect us as fathers, and to use us as mediators in your dispute with our most venerable brother and fellow presbyter Sacerdos, for he himself is here; so that, settling your affairs with one another, you may serve the bishop, remove the scandal of the many, and, greatest of all, appease God, and not destroy so quickly so great and glorious a thing (I mean your concord and the compacts of life you made in God). [Letter 217. To the same] After the war, the alliance; after the storm, the helmsman; and whereas we ought first to deliberate and then to act, we have reversed the order: after acting, we deliberate. If I had to flatter and make things worse, I would have found many roads of flattery, since that is easier and many succeed at it nowadays. But since doing harm is not our way, especially to a soul newly initiated and just approaching the good, hear the truth. The beginning was unphilosophical; and those who courted you loved you badly, playing their own game under another's mask. If, then, you change even now and heal the sin, perhaps some healing of the wound may come to you, even if with difficulty. But if ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan; the addressee is probably Castor, a young ascetic associated with Sacerdos (Letters 216–218 in Migne). Two footnote markers are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 353 (PG 37:353a–353b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-353). ## Letter 355 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-355 - Source: PG 37:356a–356b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory explains that his rough letter was meant to train, not frighten, the young monk, welcomes his wish to meet, and urges reconciliation with Sacerdos. ### Greek text τῶν αὐτῶν μένοις, καὶ τῇ κακῇ νίκῃ μεγαφρονοίης, Ἁλγηρὰ ἡ πληγή μου, φησὶν ἡ θεία γ Γραφὴ, πόθεν …; ποιοῦμαι γὰρ ἐμαυτοῦ τά ὑμέτερα ο καίπερ δὲ οὕτως ἔχων καὶ γράφων, εἰ τὴν συντυχίαν ποθεῖς, οὐκ ἀρνήσομαι. Ἐμοὶ φίλος μέν ἐστιν. ὁμολογῶ, καὶ εἴη, ὁκαλός τε καὶ ἀγαθὸς Σακερδὼς ὁ συμπρεσσύτερος, καὶ ταύτῃ μᾶλλον ὅτι σου περιέχεται. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν οἷς ᾐτιᾶτο, τὸ φίλτρον ἀπέλιπεν, ἀλλʼ ἀδελφικὴν μᾶλλον ἐποιεῖτο μέμψιν ἢ κατηγορίαν φιλαπεχθήμονα. Οὐ μέντοι τοσοῦτον ἀμαθῶς ἔχω καὶ προπετῶς, ῶστε δίκην δικάζειν πρὶν ἀμφοτέρων ἀκοῦσαι (μὴ ταῦθʼ ὑπολάβοις), ὃς γε καὶ διʼ αὐτῆς τῆς … ἦς κατέγνωκας ὡς θρασείας (ει μὴ παρέργως ταύτην ἀνέγνωκας), οὗ τοσοῦτόν σου καθηψάμην, ὅσον τῶν ἀναπτόντων ὑμᾶς, καὶ παρακερδαινόντων έκ τῆς ὑμετέρας μικροψυχίας ίδίαν ἀπόλαυσιν. Τί οὖν ἐστιν δ πέπονθα; Γνοίης ἂν οὕτως. Οἱ πωλοδάμναι τοὺς πώλους γυμνάζουσι πρὸς τά χρὼο ματα καὶ τοὺς ψόφους, καὶ τῶν χωρίων τὰ πρη- _ νῆ τε καὶ ὕπτια, οὐχ ἵνα πτοήσωσιν, ἀλλʼ ῖνα μὴ πτοεῖσθαι διδάξωσι. Τοῦτο κάγὼ διανοηθεὶς, τραχυτέραν πως καὶ τὴν επιστολὴν ἐποιησάμην. Πολλά γὰρ τὰ φιλοσοφίας γυμνάσματαο καὶ τῷ Θεῷ χάρις, ὃτι σε μὴ ἀφιλόσοφον εὖρον, μηδὲ τῆς ὕλης, ἀλλʼ ἥμερον ἱκανῶς, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας αὐλῆς, ὑφʼ ἦς καὶ γράφεις ἐπιεικῶς, καὶ τὴν συντυχίαν ποθεῖς. Εἰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ταύτην ἡμῖν χαρίζοιο, κρεῖττον ποιεῖς, καί σε δεξόμεθα, εὖ ῐσθι, πατρικοῖς ὄμμασιν. Εἰ δʼ ἀρα τι ὁ χειμὼν ἐμποδίζει, τῇ παραινέσει τέως σε δεξιούμεθα. Μηδὲν προτιμήσῃς ἔτι καὶ νῦν τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Σακερδῶτα φιλίας καὶ ὁμονοίας (ἐμοὶ πείσθητι), μηδʼ ἀλλο τι νομίσῃς, ἢ πεῖραν εἶναι τοῦ πονηροῦ τὸ γινόμενον, τῇ σῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ ### English translation (Claude) you remain in the same state and pride yourself on your evil victory, “Grievous is my wound,” says the divine Scripture; “whence shall I be healed?” For I make your affairs my own. Yet though I am so disposed and write so, if you long to meet, I will not refuse. The good and noble Sacerdos, our fellow presbyter, is my friend, I confess, and may he remain so, and the more because he holds to you. For not even in his complaints did he give up his affection, but made a brotherly reproach rather than a hostile accusation. But I am not so ignorant and rash as to judge a case before hearing both sides (do not suppose that), I who even in that very letter which you condemned as bold (unless you read it carelessly) touched you less than those who inflame you and draw private profit from your petty quarrel. What, then, was my purpose? You may learn it thus. Colt-breakers train colts to colours and noises, and to steep and level ground, not to frighten them but to teach them not to be frightened. With this in mind I made my letter somewhat rough. For the exercises of philosophy are many; and thanks be to God that I found you not unphilosophical, nor wild, but gentle enough and of our own fold, so that you write fairly and long to meet. If, then, you grant us this too, you do better, and we will receive you, be well assured, with a father's eyes. But if the winter hinders you somewhat, meanwhile we greet you with this advice. Prefer nothing, even now, to friendship and concord with your brother Sacerdos (believe me), and think that what has happened is nothing but a trial from the evil one, jealous of your philosophy. ### Scripture references - Jer 15:18: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Grievous is my wound … whence shall I be healed?”: cf. Jer 15:18 (LXX); the last word is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 355 (PG 37:356a–356b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/313/#p-355). ## Letter 357 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-357 - Source: PG 37:357a–357d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory urges the young monk to resist the devil's first assault; then he asks Bishop Helladius to restore Sacerdos to his work, or at least leave him the care of his monastery. ### Greek text βασκαίνοντος. Ἀλλά πρὸς τὴν πρώτην πεῖ· ραν ἀγώνισαι γενναίως καὶ ἀνδρικῶς, ῖνα μὴ τὴν δευτέραν καὶ τρίτην ποιήσηται πάλην, καὶ ἀλλας ἑξῆς, ἀλλʼ ἡττημένος ἀπέλθῃ καὶ ᾐσχυμμένος. Ἵσμεν γάρ αὐτοῦ τά παλαίσματα, τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ τοῦτο μαθόντες, καὶ τοῖς πρὸς αύτδν ἀγωνίσμασι. me. ΕΛΛΑΔΙῼ. Οὒς ποιήσομαι πρὸς σὲ λόγους, ὑπὸ εὐνοίας ποιήσομαι, ὥστε δίκαιος ἂν εῐην μάλιστα μὲν ἀκουσθῆναι παρακαλῶν· εί δʼ ού, ἀλλά συγγνωσθῆναι τῆς παραινέσεως. Οὐ πολλοὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ὑμῶν ἀποδέχονται, τὴν περὶ τὸν τιμιώτατον ἡμῶν ἀδελφὸν καὶ συμπρεσσύτερον Σακερδῶτα, ὡς ὲκ διαβολῆς τινων μᾶλλον ἢ κρίσεως οίκείας γεγενημένην, οἳ τὴν μὲν ἀκολουθίαν τῶν πραγμάτων τυχὸν ἀγνοοῦσι, τὸ δὲ τέλος αὐτὸ καθʼ αὐτὸ θεωροῦντες οὐκ ἐπαινοῦσι. Ταῦτα μὲν οῦν αὐτὸς ἂν εἰδείης. Οὐ γὰρ ἡμῶν τά σά πολυπραγμονεῖν, ὃς καὶ) τοῖς ἀλλοις τά πρακτέα νομοθετεῖς. Ἡμεῖς δὲ παρακαλοῦμεν τὴν σὴν ἀγαθότητα, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον συγχωρῆσαι τῷ ἀνδρὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, ὧν ἐφρόντιζεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω ῥᾴδιόν τινι φιλοσοφῆσαι, κάν ὁ καρτερικώτατος καὶ φιλοσοφώτατος, ὥστε πόνων τοσούτων καὶ συνηθείας τοσαύτης ἀποστερούμενον φέρειν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ. τόγε δεύτερον, τὴν μὲν τῶν πτωχῶν ἐπιμέλειαν, ὡς βούλει, διαθέσθαι, καὶ διʼ ὧν αὐτὸς δοκιμάσεις, τὴν δὲ τῆς μονῆς φροντίδα καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ἐπʼ αύτῷ ποιήσασθαι· καὶ μὴ λυπῆσαι μὲν αὐτὸν τῇ και· νοτομίᾳ, λυπῆσαι δὲ πλέον ἐκείνους τῆς συνηθείας ἀντεχομένους, καὶ ὥσπερ σώματος ἑνὸς διασπασμὸν μελῶν ού φέροντας. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐλθόντες τινὲς αὐτῶν ἀπωδύραντο. Εἰ μὲν οῦν τί σοι καὶ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ ἀνὴρ αἰδέσιμον ἔχειν φαίνεται (ὥσπερ οῦν ἀξιον), αὐτὸν διʼ αὑτὸν αίδέσθητι, καὶ τὴν πολιὰν, καὶ τοὺς καμάτους, τούς τε ἀλλους, ### English translation (Claude) But struggle nobly and manfully against the first trial, so that he may not attempt a second and a third bout and others after them, but go away beaten and ashamed. For we know his wrestling holds, having learned them over a long time and in our own contests against him. [Letter 219. To Helladius] The words I shall address to you I shall address out of goodwill, so that I may fairly ask above all to be heard, or if not, to be forgiven for the advice. Not many approve of your action concerning our most honoured brother and fellow presbyter Sacerdos, as done on the slander of some rather than on your own judgment; they perhaps do not know the course of events, but, looking at the outcome by itself, they do not praise it. These things you yourself would know; for it is not for us to meddle in your affairs, you who lay down for others what they must do. But we beg your goodness, first, to give back to the man all the oversight of what he cared for. For it is not so easy for anyone to be a philosopher, even the most enduring and philosophical, as to bear being deprived of such labours and such long habit. If not, then the second course: arrange the care of the poor as you wish and through whom you yourself approve, but leave in his hands the care of the monastery and the brothers; and do not grieve him by innovation, and grieve still more those who cling to their accustomed life and cannot bear, as it were, the tearing apart of the members of one body. For some of them came to us and lamented this. If, then, the man seems to you to have something venerable of his own (as is fitting), respect him for his own sake, his grey hair, his labours, and the others, ### Translation notes - Helladius, bishop of Caesarea, had removed Sacerdos from the poorhouse and the monastery. Migne's textual note read into the end of the page by the scan is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 357 (PG 37:357a–357d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-357). ## Letter 359 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-359 - Source: PG 37:360a–360d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory begs Helladius to lay aside his anger against Sacerdos and treat him as a son; then, in a further letter, he sends Sacerdos himself to answer the charges. ### Greek text οὓς κατὰ Θεὸν ύπέστη, πρεσβυτέραν τῆς ἡλικίας τὴν εὐλάβειαν ἐπιδεικνύμενος, καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ πτωχοτροφίᾳ καὶ προστασίᾳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο μικρόν σοι δοκεῖ, ἀλλʼ ἡμᾶς γε καὶ τὴν ἠμετέραν πρεσβείαν πάντως μὴ ἀτιμάσῃς· καὶ πρὸ πάντων τῶν ἄλλων, ἄνες αύτῷ τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὴν λύπην, ναὶ παρακαλῶ, καὶ ὡς πατὴρ τέκνω οίκείωσαι· εἰ τι καὶ λελύπηκεν, ὅπερ οὐκ οῐομαι, τοῦτο ἡμῖν συγχωρήσας, καὶ μηδὲν ἀνάξιον μιν αὑτοῦ, ἀνάξιον δὲ τῆς σῆς ἡμερότητος ἢ εἰπὼν, η γράψας περὶ αὑτοῦ· εί δέ τι καὶ γέγραπται, λύσας. Μηδὲ τὴν λύπην δημοσιεύσῃς, ἢν κρύπτειν βέλ. τιον ἢ γνωρίζειν τοῖς ἔξωθεν· ὼς ἂν τά τε ἄλλα καὶ αὑτὸν μακροθυμεῖν διδάξῃς τῷ ὑποδείγματι. Σκν. τᾳ Ὦν ἐπέστειλας τὰ μὲν λίαν ἥμερα καὶ φιλάνθρωπα, τὰ δὲ ούκ έχω τί λέγειν, πλὴν ἡμῖν λυπηράο καὶ μάλα εἰκότως, ὠς ἐμαυτὸν πείθω. Εἴτε γὰρ δικαίως ἐγκαλεῖται ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν καὶ συμπρεσβύτερος Σακερδὼς. ὅπερ οὐκ οἴομαι, λυπηρόν. Πῶς γὰρ οὓς τοσαύτην εὐλάβειαν καὶ τοσούτους πόνους οὕτως έν βραχεῖ καταλυθῆναι; Εἴτε διαβολὴ ταῦτά ἐστι παρὰ τῶν φθονούντων αύτῷ κατασκιυαυ σθείσα, καὶ τοῦτο ἀνιαρὸν, οὗ ἡ πολιτεία συνῆπταί σοι, τοῦτον ἀλλοτριοῦσθαι ταῖς ὲπηρείαις. Ἦν οὖν ὲν τοῖς παροῦσι ἀρίστην γνώμην καὶ λυσιτελεστάτην ἔγνων, ταύτην ἀπόδεξαι· αὐτὸν έπεμψὰ σοι τὸν ἀδελφὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡρμημένον προέπεμψα, διʼ αὑτοῦ καὶ τὸ λυποῦν Θεραπεύσοντα, καὶ πάντα μετὰ ἀληθείας ἁναδιδάξοντα. Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀπολογήσασθαί φησιν ἕτοιμος εἶναι, τὰ δὶ ὡς ψεύδη κατεσκευᾶσθαι, δεῖξαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἔπεισεν, ὡς φόβῳ Θεοῦ τοὺς λόγους ποιούμενος. ### English translation (Claude) … which he undertook for God's sake, showing a piety older than his years, and those he bore in feeding the poor and caring for the brothers. If this seems small to you, at least do not dishonour us and our intercession; and before all else, let go your anger and grief against him, yes, I beg you, and treat him as a father treats his child. If he has grieved you at all, which I do not think, forgive it for our sake, and say or write nothing about him that is unworthy, not of him, but of your gentleness; and if anything has been written, undo it. Nor make public your grief, which it is better to hide than to make known to those outside; so that in this as in other things you may teach him patience by your example. [Letter 220. To the same] Of what you wrote, some things are very gentle and kind; about the rest I do not know what to say, except that they grieve us, and very reasonably, as I persuade myself. For if our brother and fellow presbyter Sacerdos is justly accused, which I do not think, it is grievous; for how could such piety and such labours be undone so quickly? And if this is a slander contrived by those who envy him, this too is painful: that one whose way of life was joined to yours should be estranged from you by abuse. Accept, then, what I judged the best and most profitable course in the present circumstances. I have sent the brother himself to you, or rather sent him on his way as he was setting out, to heal the grievance in person and to tell you everything truthfully. About some matters he says he is ready to make his defence; others he will show to have been fabricated as lies. This he persuaded us of too, as one who speaks in the fear of God. ### Translation notes - Helladius, bishop of Caesarea, is the addressee of both letters. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 359 (PG 37:360a–360d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-359). ## Letter 361 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-361 - Source: PG 37:361a–361d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, too ill to attend a gathering at Sacerdos's monastery, encourages the community and asks that Sacerdos bear his trial with philosophy and keep serving the bishop. ### Greek text υΜοψιιοΝιᾳ. Ἐπὶ τὴν σύνοδον ήμᾶς καλεῖς· ἐγὼ δὲ ηὐχόμην οὕτως ἔχειν τοῦ σώματος, ὣστε παρεῖναι ὑμῖν καὶ αὐτόκλητος. ἵνα ίδω τὸν ἱερὸν οἷκον ὑμῶν, τὸ Χριστοῦ καταγώγιον, τὴν τῶν ἁγίων κλάδων ῥίζαν, τὴν ῶς ἀληθῶς μητέρα τέκνων εὐφραινοο μένην τε καὶ εὐφραινομένων. Οἶδα τοῦτο καὶ πέο πεισμαι ὲν Κυρίῳ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λέγω θαρρῶν, καὶ εἴ τι λυπηρὸν νῦν ἡμῖν ἀπήντηκενʼ οὐ μὴ ἀποσβεσθῇ ὁ λύχνος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, κᾶν ταῖς αὔραις τοῦ πονηροῦ ριπίζηται ° οὐδὲ ή τοῦ Θεοῦ χρηστότης ἐπὶ πλεῖον κρυφθήσεται, ἢν κρύπτει τοῖς φοβουμένοις αῦτὸν λόγοις ἀρρήτοις οἰκονομίας, ἀλλʼ ὲνδοξασθήσεται μᾶλλον καὶ θαυμασθήσεται διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς μὴ καταισχυνούσης ὲλπίδος. Τοῦτο δὲ παραίνει καὶ τῷ τιμιωτάτῳ υίῷ ήμῶν Σακερδῶτι, μηδὲν ἀθυμεῖν, μηδὲ ἀνάξιον ἑαυτοῦ τι πάσχειν, ἀλλʼ οὕτω τὸν καιρὸν δια. θέσθαι, ὡς φιλοσοφίας ὓλην τὰ λυπηρά λαβεῖν. Ἔτι θεραπευσςὴω τδν τιμιώτατον ήμῶν ἐπίσκοπον· ἔτι ρωννύτω τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, ἵνα μάλιστα μὲν μή καταλυθῇ τὸ ἔργον ἡμῶν ὃ προεθέμεθα ὲν Κυρίῳ, τοσοῦτόν τε ὃν, καὶ οὕτω περιβόητον. Εἰ δὲ μὴ, τὸ γοῦν ἐπιεικὲς δείξομεν, καὶ τον φθόνον νικήσομεν, ὡς μηδεμίαν δεδωκότες καθʼ ἑαυτῶν λαβὴν τοῖς πονηροῖς ματαίως ἡμῖν ὲχθραίνουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 221. To Homophronius] You invite us to the gathering; and I prayed to be in such bodily health as to be with you even unbidden, to see your holy house, the dwelling of Christ, the root of the holy branches, truly the mother of children who rejoices and whose children rejoice. I know this and am persuaded in the Lord, and therefore I say it boldly, even if something grievous has now befallen us: the lamp of Israel will not be quenched, even if it is buffeted by the winds of the evil one; nor will God's goodness be hidden longer, which he hides for those who fear him for unspeakable reasons of his economy; but it will rather be glorified and admired through your endurance and the hope that does not put to shame. And exhort our most honoured son Sacerdos too not to lose heart, nor to suffer anything unworthy of himself, but so to handle the time as to take his griefs as material for philosophy. Let him still serve our most honoured bishop; let him still strengthen the brothers, so that, above all, our work which we undertook in the Lord, so great and so famous, may not be destroyed. If it is, we will at least show fairness and overcome envy, having given no hold against ourselves to the wicked who hate us without cause. ### Scripture references - Ps 113:9 (112:9 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 21:17: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 31:19 (30:20 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Rom 5:5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The heading is garbled in the scan; it is probably to Homophronius (cf. Letter 99). The mother of children who rejoices: Ps 113:9 (LXX 112:9). The lamp of Israel: 2 Sam 21:17. God's goodness hidden for those who fear him: Ps 31:19 (LXX 30:20). The hope that does not put to shame: Rom 5:5. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 361 (PG 37:361a–361d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-361). ## Letter 363 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-363 - Source: PG 37:364a–364d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A badly damaged page of a letter of consolation, apparently on deaths in the family of Thecla, urging acceptance of God's economy. ### Greek text ιοπαθήσαντες, ὥς γε πρὸς τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ὲλ… καὶ ἴσως ἵνα γνῶμεν τὴν χάριν, ἐξ ὧν ινταῦθιι, … τοῦτό ἔστιν; ἀριθμὸς ἐπαινετῶν ὁδοιπόρων. ὃτοις ἀκολουθήσει καὶ Θὲκλα μετὰ μικρὸν, ἡ τοῦ … δούλη καὶ ἀπαρχὴ τῶν καλῶν, ὀλίγον … ομεὶνασα · ὅσον ἐκείνους τε τιμῆσαι τῇ καρτε… καὶ πολλοῖς ὑπόδειγμα γενέσθαι τῆς πε ρὶ ταῦτα … ιοσοφίας. Ἐπαινῶμεν οὖν τὴν αὐτὴν δεσπο… ἴαν, καὶ δεχώμεθα τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῶν πολλῶν … ηλότερον. Ταῦτα ἔχε νῦν ἀνθʼ ἡμῶν, καὶ … σύνεσο τοῖς λογισμοῖς, εἰ καὶ κρείττονας παρά … ἀνευρίσκεις. Εἰ δέ σε καὶ κατʼ όψιν … καταξιωθείημεν, μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ σοῦ καὶ … πληρώματος, πλείων ἡ χάρις τῷ εὐερλογισμοὺς, ### English translation (Claude) … having suffered …, as regards the hope there … ; and perhaps so that we may know grace from the things here … . What is it? A company of praiseworthy travellers; whom Thecla too will follow shortly, the … handmaid and first fruits of good things, having remained a little … , so as both to honour them by her endurance … and to become for many an example of … philosophy in these things. Let us praise, then, the same … , and accept the economy … higher. Have these words now in place of us, and be with us in your thoughts, even if you find better ones … . And if we are counted worthy to see you face to face too, with all your household, greater would be the favour … thoughts, ### Translation notes - This page is badly garbled in the scan: many lines are unreadable and are marked …; only the readable Greek is translated. The letter is probably to Thecla (Letters 222–223 in Migne). This passage may need to be held back. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 363 (PG 37:364a–364d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-363). ## Letter 365 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-365 - Source: PG 37:365a–365d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory consoles a grieving woman: remembering God turns pain to joy, and those who chose the ascetic life expected affliction, not prosperity. ### Greek text τὰ ἐντεῦθεν ὀδυνηρά, ὅταν λέγῃθ Ὅτι ἕκρυψέ με ἐν σκηνῇ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακῶν. Καὶ οὐκ ἀποτίθεται μόνον τὸ ἀλγεινὸν, ὅταν μνησθῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐφραίνεται. Ἐμνήσθην γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εὐφράνθην. ’Ᾱλγοῦσι καὶ οί τῷ κόσμῳ προστετηκότες, καὶ πολὺ πλείονα τῶν Θεῷ δουλευόντων. Ἀλλʼ ἄμισθον αὐτοῖς τὸ ἀλγεῖν ο ημῖν δὲ καὶ τὸ πάσχειν ἔμμισθον, ὅταν διὰ τὸν Θεὸν γαρτερῶμεν. Φέρε γὰρ ἀντισταθμήσωμεν τὰ λυπηρᾶ τοῖς ἡδὲσι, καὶ τὰ παρόντα τοῖς μέλλουσι· καὶ οὐδὲ πολλοστὸν μέρος εὑρήσομεν ταῦτα ἐκείνωνο τοσοῦτον ὑπερβάλλει τὰ χρηστότερα. Καλὸν οὖν φάρμακον ἡμῖν, ὅταν ὀδυνωίμεσθα, τό γε μεμνῆσθαι Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐλπίδων, καὶ τὸ τοῦ Δαβὶδ πάσχειν, ἐν θλίψει πλατύνεσθαιʼ καὶ μὴ στενοχωρεῖσθαι τοῖς λογισμοῖς, μηδέ ὥσπερ νέφει τῇ λύπῃ καλὺπτεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τότε μάλιστα τῆς ἐλπίδος ἔχεσθαι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκεῖθεν διαβλέπειν ματιαριότητοι τὴν ἀποκειμένην τοῖς ὑπομένουσι. Μάλιστα δʼ ἂν οὕτω πεισθείημεν ἐγκαρτερεῖν τοῖς δεισ νοῖς, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλοὺς εἶναι ὅταν ἀλγῶμεν, εί ἐνθυμηθείημεν τί ἐπηγγειλάμεθα τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τί ἠλπίσαμεν ὅτε φιλοσοφίᾳ προσέβημεν. Πλουτεῖν; εὐθυμεῖν; εὐημερεῖν κατά τὸν βίον τοῦτον;ἢ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων θλίβεσθαις κακοπαθεῖν; στενοχωρεῖσθαι ; πάντα στέγειν, πάντα ὑπομένεινδιά τὴν τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδας ταῦτα, οἶδα, οὐκ ἐκεῖνα προσεδοκήσαμεν. Φοβοῦμαι οὗν μὴ καὶ τὰς συνθήκας τὰς πρὸς Θεὸν ψευδώμεθα, ὅταν καὶ ταῦτα ζητῶμεν ἔχειν, κάεκεῖνα ἐλπίζωμεν. καταλύσωμεν τὴν πραγματείαν, ἀλλʼ ἐνέγκωμεν ταῦτα ὑπὲρ τοῦ τυχεῖν ἐκείνων. Ἔθλιψαν ἡμᾶς οἱ θλίψαντες, ἠνίασαν οἱ μεταχωρήσαντες ο ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς ἀδούλωτον τοῖς πάθεσι τὴν ψυχὴν φυλάξωμεν. Οὕτω τῶν λυπούντων κρατήοὖν ### English translation (Claude) … the pains here, when he says, “For he hid me in his tent in the day of evils.” And he not only lays aside his pain when he remembers God, but even rejoices: “For I remembered God,” he says, “and rejoiced.” Those who are attached to the world suffer pain too, and much more than those who serve God. But their suffering is without reward, while for us even suffering is rewarded, when we endure for God's sake. Come, let us weigh the grievous against the pleasant, and the present against the future; and we shall find that these are not even a tiny fraction of those, so far do the better things exceed. A good medicine for us, then, when we are in pain, is to remember God and the hopes there, and to experience what David did, being enlarged in affliction; not to be cramped in our thoughts, nor covered by grief as by a cloud, but then above all to hold to hope and to look through to the blessedness there, laid up for those who endure. We would be most persuaded to hold out in terrible things, and to be above the many when we are in pain, if we considered what we promised God and what we hoped for when we came to philosophy. To be rich? To be cheerful? To prosper in this life? Or, on the contrary, to be afflicted, to suffer hardship, to be in straits, to bear all things, to endure all things for the hope of what is to come? These, I know, not those, were what we expected. I fear, then, that we may be belying our compact with God, when we seek to have these things and also hope for those. … let us not undo the bargain, but bear these things so as to obtain those. Those who afflicted us have afflicted us; those who have departed have grieved us; but let us keep our soul unenslaved to passions. So let us overcome what grieves us, ### Scripture references - Ps 27:5 (26:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 77:3 (76:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 4:1 (4:2 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 13:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “He hid me in his tent in the day of evils”: Ps 27:5 (LXX 26:5). “I remembered God and rejoiced”: Ps 77:3 (LXX 76:4). Enlarged in affliction: Ps 4:1 (LXX 4:2). Bearing and enduring all things: 1 Cor 13:7. The addressee is probably Thecla. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 365 (PG 37:365a–365d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-365). ## Letter 367 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-367 - Source: PG 37:368a–368d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory ends his consolation, urging the grieving woman to be an example of endurance, and prays to see her again. ### Greek text αὐτοῖς χαρισώμεθα κα) γὰρ πείθομαι τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ψυχὰς τῶν ἡμετέρων αἰσθάνεσθαι. Ἑπὶ πᾶσι, καὶ πρὸ πάντων, ἐκεῖνο λογιζώμεθα, ὅτι τῶν ἀτόπων ἐστὶν, ἔξω μὲν τῆς ἀνάγκης φιλοσοφεῖν· ὲν δὲ τοῖς πάθεσιν ἀφιλοσόφους φαίνεσθαι, ἀλλά μὴ τοῖς πολλοῖς τύπον γίνεσθαι, ὥσπερ τῆς ὲν τοῖς εὐθύμοις εὐχαριστίας, οὕτω καὶ τῆς ὲν τοῖς δεινοῖς καρτερίας. Καὶ ταῦτα γράφω, οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοοῦσαν διδάσκων, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐπισταμένην ὑπομιμνήσκων. '0 δὲ Θεὸς τῆς παρακλήσεως, σὲ τε ἄτρωτον φυλάο ξειε τοῖς πάθεσι, καὶ ἡμῖν γε χαρίσαιτο πάλιν ἰδεῖν σου τὴν εὐλάβειαν, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων πεισθῆ ναι, ὅτι ό κόπος ἡμῶν οὐκ εἰς κενὸν ἐγένετο, ἀλλʼ ὲσμὲν τι παρά σοὶ πλέον τῶν ἄλλων · ὡς τῆς θλίψεως ἐκοινωνήσαμεν, οὕτω καὶτῆς φιλοσοφίας κοινωνόν λαβόντες· ὃ τάχα τῇ πολιᾷ ἡμῶν ταύτῃ, καὶ τοῖς κατά Θεὸν καμάτοις ὀφείλεται. ### English translation (Claude) … let us grant to them; for I am persuaded that the souls of the saints perceive our affairs. Above all and before all, let us reckon this: that it is absurd to be philosophers when there is no need, but to appear unphilosophical in our sufferings, and not to become a pattern for the many, of endurance in terrible things as of thanksgiving in cheerful ones. I write this not to teach you as one who does not know, but to remind you as one who knows. May the God of consolation keep you unwounded by your sufferings, and grant us to see your piety again, and to be persuaded by deeds that our labour was not in vain, but that we are something more to you than others; so that, as we shared your affliction, so we may have you as a partner in philosophy; which perhaps is owed to this grey hair of ours and to our labours for God. ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 1:3: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 15:58: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The addressee is a woman (the Greek participles are feminine). “The God of consolation”: 2 Cor 1:3. “Not in vain”: cf. 1 Cor 15:58. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 367 (PG 37:368a–368d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-367). ## Letter 369 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-369 - Source: PG 37:369a–369b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory asks the general Hellebichus to release from military service Mamas, a soldier's son who has become a reader in the Church. ### Greek text ΣΚΕ. ΕΛΔΕΒΙΧῼ. Οία ζημιούμεθα παρὰ τῆς ἀρρωστίας! Προσδραμεῖν ἔδει καὶ περιπτύξασθαι, καὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς ἀναμνῆσαι φιλίας καὶ συνηθείας. Ἔχει δὲ οὑχ οὕτως ἡμῖν τὰ τοῦ σώματος. Διὰ τοῦτό σοι πρόσιμεν διὰ, τῶν γραμμάτων, καὶ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ δεξιούμεθα. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ δωροφορεῖν ἔδει τι, τοῦτο προσφέρομεν, Μάμαντα τὸν ἀναγνώστην, ὅντα μὲν ἀπὸ στρατιώτου πατρὸς, καθιερωθέντα δὲ τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τὸν τρόπον. Ἀφες τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ μὴ συναριθμήσῃς τοῖς … καὶ δὸς ἔγγραφον τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἵνα μηδὲ ὑπὸ ἄλλων ὲπηρεάζηται. Δὼσεις γὰρ σεαυτῷ δεξιὰς τὰς τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῆς στρατηγίας ἐλπίδας. Ναὶ παρακαλῶ, τούτου φρόντισον. Οἷς· γὰρ τὰ μέγιστα ὲν χερσὶ, καὶ ὲν οἷς τὸ πᾶν ταλαντεύεται, τούτοις μάλιστα φροντιστέον Θεοῦ, κα) τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπικουρίας. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 225. To Hellebichus] What losses we suffer from our sickness! I ought to have hastened to you, embraced you, and recalled our old friendship and intimacy. But our bodily state is not such. Therefore we come to you by letter and greet you with our salutation. And since we ought to bring some gift, we offer this: Mamas the reader, the son of a soldier, but consecrated to God for his character. Release him to God and to us, and do not count him among the … , and give him his freedom in writing, so that he may not be harassed by others either. For so you will make your hopes in war and command favourable for yourself. Yes, I beg you, see to this. For those who hold the greatest things in their hands, and on whom everything hangs in the balance, must take most thought of God and of the help that comes from him. ### Translation notes - Hellebichus was a general (magister militum) under Theodosius. Sons of soldiers were bound to military service. A word is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 369 (PG 37:369a–369b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-369). ## Letter 371 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-371 - Source: PG 37:372a–372d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory rejoices that the deacon Evagrius is advancing in the ascetic life, and that through him he has gained a new friend. ### Greek text προδήλου τινὸς αἰτίας. Ἐπειδὴ μὴ πείθομεν τοὺς πολλοὺς ὼς ἀδόλως φιλοσοφῶμεν, καὶ πάντα ἱίδομεν Θεῷ τὰ ἡμέτερα. Τίς οὐκ ἐπαινεῖ φυτὸν ἄρτι βρύον τοῖς ἄνθεσι; τίνα οὐκ εὐφραίνει λήϊον ἄρτι δεσμούμενον καὶ στάχυν ὦριμον ὑπισχνούμενον; τίνα δὲ οὑ νεοτελὴς ψυχὴ, ἄρτι Θεῷ κοσμουμένη, καὶ τὰς χοῖκὰς ἀποσείεσθαι πέδας ἀρχομένη. ἵνα μετὰ Θεοῦ γένηται, καὶ ῐδῃ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὧν νῦν τὰς σκιὰς ὁρῶμεν; Χαίρω μὲν οὖν διὰ ταῦτα διαφερόντως τῷ ἀγαπητῷ ἁδελφῷ καὶ συνδιακόνῳ ἡμῶν Εὐαγρίῳ. οὐκ ἀγεννῶς αὑτὸν ὁρῶν φιλοσοφίᾳ προσβαίνονταʼ ἐπειδὴ φιλοσοφία καὶ τὸ σοφίας ὲρᾷν. Χαίρω δὲ ὅτι μοι καὶ τὴν σὴν προξενεῖ φιλίαν, καὶ ἔτι χαρήσομαι ἐὰν ιπιστέλλῃς πλείονα, καὶ πλείοσιν ἡμᾶς ἀμείσοιο τοῖς τῆς φιλίας γνωρίσμασιν. ### English translation (Claude) … a manifest cause. Since we do not persuade the many that we live as philosophers without guile, and give all our affairs to God. Who does not praise a plant just bursting into flower? Whom does a crop just being bound into sheaves, promising a ripe ear, not gladden? And whom does a newly initiated soul not gladden, just being adorned for God and beginning to shake off its earthly fetters, so that it may be with God and see the truth of the things of which we now see the shadows? I rejoice, then, for these reasons especially in our beloved brother and fellow deacon Evagrius, seeing him advancing not ignobly toward philosophy; since philosophy is also the love of wisdom. And I rejoice that he also brings me your friendship, and I will rejoice still more if you write more often and repay us with more tokens of friendship. ### Translation notes - The heading and opening are lost in the scan. Evagrius is probably Evagrius of Pontus, ordained deacon by Gregory at Constantinople. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 371 (PG 37:372a–372d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-371). ## Letter 373 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-373 - Source: PG 37:373a–373d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory celebrates the marriage that joins his family with a friend's; then, absent through illness from Eusebius's daughter's wedding, he sends a blessing from the Psalms as his wedding song. ### Greek text ΙΙρὸς τί βλέπει μοι τὸ παράδειγμα; Ἦν ἡμῖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλία καθαρά τε καὶ ἄδολος (πρᾶγμα τῶν σπανίων νῦν μάλιστα, καὶ παρʼ ὀλίγοις εὑρισκόμενον), καὶ ταύτην ἡμῖν ἐποίει οὔτε συγγένεια τοσοῦτον, οὔτε κοινωνία πατρίδος, οὔτε, ὅ φησιν Ὅμηρος, ὁμηλικίη ἐρατεινὴ, ὅσον ὁμοτροπία, καὶ τὸ τοῖς αὐτοῖς χαίρειν· ὃ μάλιστα πήγνυσι τὰς φιλίας, καὶ βεβαιοτέρας ἐργάζεται. Νῦν καὶ τά γένη συνάπτεται (σὺν Θεῷ δὲ ὁ λόγος), ἵνα τῇ φιλίᾳ προσθήκη γένηται, καὶ μᾶλλον ὦμεν άλλήλων. Καὶ τοῦτο πραγματεύεται φίλτρῳ δικαίῳ βοηθῶν ὁ Θεός. Ἔχε οὖν καὶ ἡμᾶς διὰ τοῦ γλυκυτάτου υἱοῦ ἡμῶν Εὐφημίου· καὶ ἔχομεν ὑμᾶς διὰ τῆς γλυκυτάτης θυγατρὸς ὑμῶν. Τὸ δὲ ἑξῆς, οὐκ οῖδα ὑπὲρ τίνος μᾶλλον, ἢ τίνι διαλεχθῶ, ύπὲρ τοῦ νέου τῇ ὑμετέρα τιμιότητι, ἢ τῷ νέῳ περ). ὑμῶν. Εὔνοια γὰρ πατρὸς τέκνοις ὁμότιμος. Πλὴν ἐπεύχομαι ὑμῖν ἐπὶ παντὶ βελτίστῳ γενέσθαι τὴν συζυγίαν, καὶ οἷαν εἰκὸς, Θεοῦ συναρμόζοντος. ΣΑΑο. ΕΥΣΕΒΙῼ ΦΙΛῼ. Εὑώπιονή φιλτάτη, καὶ γάμου καιρὸς, καὶ βίου κρηπὶς, καί πατέρων εὐχαὶ πληρούμεναι. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄπεσμεν, οὓς μάλιστα κπαρεῖναι καὶ συνεύχεσθαι δίκαιον ἦν. Καί τοι καὶ ὑπεσχόμην, τὸ γάρ ἐλπίζειν ὑπῆν τῷ ποθεῖν ἱκανὸν γὰρ είς ἀπάτην τὸ βούλεσθαι. Καὶ πολλάκις μὲν ὁρμήσας, πολλάκις δὲ κατοκνήσας, τέλος ἡττήθην τῆς ἀρρωστίας. Ἀλλοι μὲν οὖν καλείτωσαν ἔρωτας (ἐπειδὴ γαμικὸν καὶ τὸ παίζειν). καὶ παρθένου κάλλος γραφέτωσαν, καὶ νυμφίου χάριν άντεγειρέτωσαν, καὶ βαλλέτωσαν λόγοις μετὰ τῶν άνθῶν τάς παστάδας. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῖν προσᾲσω τὸν ὲμδν ἐπιθαλάμιον. Εὐλογήσαι ὑμᾶς Κύριος ἐκ Σιὼν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἁρμόσαι τὴν συζυγίαν, καὶ ἴδοις υἱοὺς τῶν υἱῶν σου, οὐ πολὺ δʼ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι καὶ κρείσσονας. Τοῦτο καὶ παρὼν ἐπηυξάμην ἂν ύμῖν, καὶ νῦν ἐπεύχομαι. Τάλλα δὲ ὑμῖν μελέτω, καὶ στεφανούτω πατὴρ, ὡς ηὔξατο. Τοῦτο γάρ καὶ εί που γάμοις παραγεγόναμεν, ἐτυπώσαμεν· ἐκείνων μὲν εἶναι τοὺς στεφάνους, ἡμῶν δὲ τὰς εὐχὰς, ἃς οἶδα μὴ τόποις ὁριζομένας. ### English translation (Claude) To what does my example point? There was between us a friendship pure and without guile (a thing rare, especially now, and found among few), and what made it was not so much kinship, nor a common fatherland, nor, as Homer says, “lovely companionship of youth,” as likeness of character and delight in the same things, which most of all fixes friendships and makes them firmer. Now our families too are being joined (the word is with God), so that our friendship may be increased and we may belong more to one another. And God brings this about, helping a just affection. Have us, then, through our sweetest son Euphemius; and we have you through your sweetest daughter. As for what follows, I do not know on whose behalf, or to whom, I should rather speak: to your Honour on behalf of the young man, or to the young man about you. For a father's goodwill is equal toward his children. But I pray that the union may be for every good, and such as is fitting when God joins it. [Letter 231. To Eusebius, a friend] … the dearest; the time of marriage, the foundation of life, and the prayers of fathers being fulfilled. But we are absent, who ought most of all to be present and to pray with you. And yet I promised; for hope lay under the longing, since wishing is enough to deceive. And having often set out and often hesitated, at last I was defeated by my sickness. Let others, then, call upon the Loves (since jesting too belongs to a wedding), and paint the beauty of the maiden, and set against it the grace of the bridegroom, and pelt the bridal chambers with words along with flowers. But I will sing you my own wedding song: The Lord bless you out of Zion, and himself join your union, and may you see your children's children, and, it is not much to say, better ones. This I would have prayed for you if present, and now I pray it. Let the rest be your concern, and let the father crown them, as he prayed to. For this is the rule we have set whenever we have attended weddings: theirs are the crowns, ours the prayers, which I know are not bounded by places. ### Scripture references - Ps 128:5–6 (127:5-6 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 3.175 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The first letter's heading and opening are lost in the scan. “Lovely companionship of youth”: Homer, Iliad 3.175. The blessing: Ps 128:5–6 (LXX 127:5–6). The bride's name at the opening of Letter 231 is garbled in the scan (…). The father of the bride placed the wedding crowns; the clergy offered prayers. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 373 (PG 37:373a–373d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-373). ## Letter 375 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-375 - Source: PG 37:376a–376d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory, uninvited to a wedding, sends his advice that Christ be present and that Christian weddings be dignified; then he warns Ablabius against becoming a mere sophist. ### Greek text Οὔτε κεκλήμεθα πρὸς τοὺς γάμους τῆς θυγατρὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ πάρεσμεν, καὶ συνεορτάζοντες, καὶ συμπροθυμούμεναι, καὶ ἐπευχόμενοι πᾶν ὑμῖν ὃ κάλλιστον. Ἓν δὲ τῶν καλῶν παρεῖναι Χριστὸν τοῖς γάμοις (οὗ δὲ ὀ Χριστὸς, εὐκοσμία), καὶ τὸ γενέσθαι οἶνον τδ ὕδωρ, τὸ δέ ἐστι, πάντα μεταποιεῖσθαι είς τὸ βέλτιον ο οὕτως, ὡς μὴ τά ἄμικτα μίγνυσθαι, μήτε είς ταυτὸν ἄγειν ἐπισκόπους καὶ γελωτοποιοὺς, εὐχάς καὶ κρότους, … καὶ συναυλίας. Δεῖ γάρ ὥσπερ τάλλα πάντα, οὓτω καὶ τοὺς γάμους Χριστιανῶν ἔχειν τὸ εὔκοσμονο κόσμος δὲή σεμνότης. Ταῦτα δωροφοροῦμεν τῷ γάμῳ· σὺ δὲ ἡμῖν ἀντιδοίης τὴν εὐπείθειαν. Τὸν δὲ γαμῦρὸν, εί μὲν ἕπεται τούτοις, ἔχεις υἱόν· εί δὲ μὴ, στρατιώτην. ΣΑι-ν. ΑΒΛΛΒΙῼ. Πυνθάνομαί σε σοφιστικῆς ἑρᾷν, καὶ τὸ χρῆμα είναι θαυμάσιον,οἷον σοβαρὸν φθέγγεσθαι, μέγα βλέπειν, βαδίζειν ὑψηλὸν καὶ μετέωρον, τὸ λῆμά σοι φέρειν ἐκεῖσε είς Μαραθῶνα καὶ Σαλαμῖνα, ταῦτα δὴ τά ὑμέτερα καλλωπίσματα, καὶ μηδὲν ἐν· νοεῖν, ὅτι μὴ Μιλτιάδας καὶ Κυναιγείρους, Καλλιμάχους τε καὶ Τηλεμάχους, καὶ πάντα ἐσκευάσθαι σοφιστικῶς, καὶ ὃτι ἐγγύτατα τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως. Εἰ μὲν οὖν μετὰ τούτου καὶ ἀρετῆς ποιῇ τινα λόγον, ἡμέτερος εἷ, καὶ καθʼ ὁδόν σοι πρόεισι τά τῆς εὐδοκιμήσεως· εί δὲτὸ ὅλον εἷ σοφιστὴς, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπιλανθάνῃ φιλίας, ὧν τε πρὸς ἀλλήλους πολλάκις περὶ τοῦ καλοῦ διελέχθημεν, ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν ὲρῶ δυσχερές. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ εἰπεῖν ἴσως μέτριον · ῐσθι, βραχέα μὲν παίζων ὲν τοῖς μειο ρακίοις, πλεῖστα δὲ ὑπὸ σεαυτοῦ παιχθησὸμενος, ἡνίκα ἂν ἔλθῃ σοι τὸ φρονεῖν ἀλλʼ εἰς ὕστερον. ### English translation (Claude) We have not been invited to the wedding of our daughter, yet we are present, keeping the feast with you, sharing your eagerness, and praying for you all that is best. One of the good things is that Christ be present at the wedding (for where Christ is, there is seemliness), and that water become wine, that is, that everything be changed for the better; so that things that should not be mixed are not mixed, and bishops and buffoons, prayers and applause, … and flute-playing are not brought together. For the weddings of Christians, like everything else, must have seemliness; and seemliness is dignity. These are the gifts we bring to the wedding; and may you give us obedience in return. As for the bridegroom, if he follows these things, you have a son; if not, a soldier. [Letter 233. To Ablabius] I hear that you are in love with sophistry, and that the thing is wonderful: to speak pompously, to look grand, to walk high and lofty, to let your spirit carry you off to Marathon and Salamis, those ornaments of yours, and to think of nothing but Miltiadeses and Cynegeiruses, Callimachuses and Telemachuses, and to have everything dressed up sophistically and as close as possible to the attack. If, then, along with this you make some account of virtue too, you are ours, and success will come to you on the way; but if you are wholly a sophist and forget our friendship and what we often discussed with each other about the good, I will say nothing else harsh. But this perhaps it is fair to say: know that you play a little among the youngsters, but will be mocked very much by yourself, when good sense comes to you, but later. ### Scripture references - John 2:1–11: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The heading of the first letter is lost in the scan; it is probably Letter 232 in Migne. Water made wine: John 2:1–11. Marathon, Salamis, Miltiades, Cynegeirus and Callimachus were stock subjects of rhetorical declamation. A word is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 375 (PG 37:376a–376d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-375). ## Letter 377 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-377 - Source: PG 37:377a–377b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory playfully asks the official Olympianus to return the volume of Aristotle's letters lest it look like a bribe, and asks him to write in return. ### Greek text ΟΛΥΜΙΙΙΑΝῼ. Τὸ πυκτίον ὅπερ εἴληφας παρʼ ἡμῶν, τὰς Ἀρι- ° ποτέλους Ἐπιστολὰς, ἐδυνάμην μὲν μὴ ἀνακομίσασθαι, ἀλλὰ ’παρὰ σοὶ μένειν ἐᾶσαι, λογίῳ τε δῶρον οίκείον, καὶ φιλίας ὑπόμνημα δεξιόν. Ὧς ἂν δὲ μὴ γραφὴν ἀπενέγκῃς καθʼ ήμῶν τῆς εἰς ἀρχὴν παρανομίας καὶ ὕβρεως, ὡς καὶ ῥήτωρ δεινότατος καὶ δικαστὴς ἄριστος, ὅτι διαφθείρειν ἐπιχειροῦμεν δικαστὴν οὕτως ἀνάλωτον, καὶ παντὸς ’ὑψηλότερον λήμματος, ἡκέτω πάλιν ἡμῖν ὃ δεδώκαμεν. Μισθδν δὲ ζητοῦμεν παρὰ τῆς σῆς λογιότητος, ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν, (τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ δοίης ἡμῖν τὸ μηδὲ ἔχειν φιλοσοφοῦσιν ;) αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ ἐπιστέλλειν ἵνα σοι καὶ πρὸς λόγον τὸ τῆς ἀντιδόσεως, τὴν ἐπὶ ταῖς Ἐπιστολαῒς χάριν διʼ ἐπιστολῶν διαλύοντι. me. ΔΔΑΜΑΝΤΙῼ. ### English translation (Claude) [Letter 234. To Olympianus] The booklet you received from us, the Letters of Aristotle, I could have not taken back but left with you, a gift fitting for a man of letters and a fine reminder of our friendship. But so that you may not bring an indictment against us for unlawful dealing and insult toward an official, being a most clever orator and the best of judges, on the ground that we are trying to corrupt a judge so incorruptible and above all bribery, let what we gave come back to us. And we seek a reward from your Eloquence, nothing else (for what could you give us, who philosophize by not even having?), but writing itself; so that your repayment may be in proportion, discharging the favour of the Letters with letters. [Letter 235. To Adamantius] ### Extrabiblical texts - Aristotle (Aristotle (works)): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Olympianus was a governor and a man of letters. The collection of letters ascribed to Aristotle circulated in antiquity. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 377 (PG 37:377a–377b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-377). ## Letter 379 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-379 - Source: PG 37:380a–380d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of a letter about books bought for a price; a note to Libanius in a mother's name sending him her son; a note to Macedonius returning a psalm-singer; and the beginning of a letter consoling the community of Leucadius on his death. ### Greek text δέχεται, εί καὶ μὴ παντελῶς αὐτὴν ἀποσκευαξό μεθα. ΕΞ δέ σοι ταῦτα. μὲν ὀρθῶς δοκεῖ λέγεσθαι. οὗ φιλόσοφον δὲ εἶναι τὸ τιμὴν τῶν πυκτίων … τὰ χρήματα, λύσουσι δὲ οἱ πένητες τὴν ἀντίθεσιν. ΣΑςῖν. ΛΙΒΑΝΙῼ Μήτηρ πατρῖ πέπομφα παῖδα, ἡ κατὰ φύσιν τῷ κατὰ λόγους. Ὅπως οὖν μοι μελήσῃ, σοὶ μελή σει. ΣΛΖθ. ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙῼ. Οὐκ ἄπληστοι περ) τὺ πάσχειν εὖ παρὰ τῶν φίλων ἡμεῖς. εί καὶ σὺ πρὸς τὸ ποιεῖν ἄφθονος. Διὰ τοῦτό σοι τὸν ψάλτην ἀπεπέμψαμεν κατὰ τὰ συγκείμενα, βέλτιστόν τε ἄλλως ὄντα (ὅσον ἐν βραχεῖʼ χρόνῳ καταμαθεῖν), καί σοι κεχαρισμένον ἴσως διὰ τὴν ψαλμῳδίαν, ὑπόμνησιν ἔχουσαν ἀεὶ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πάλιν εὑεργετήσεις ἡμᾶς, ἡνίκα ἂν τοῦτό σοι φίλον, καὶ καιρὸς φαίνηται, ποιήσεις ἄμεινον, καὶ μᾶλλόν τι τῆς σῆς τοῦτο φιλίας. ο εΑιιν. Τῇ εὐλαβεστάτῃ καὶ κατὰ πάντα κεκοσμημένῃ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀδελφότητι τῇ κατὰ Σανναβα· δάην τοῦ μακαρίου Λευκαδίου, ὲν μονάζουοι καὶ παρθένοις ἡγιασμένοις ὲν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, Γρηγόριος ὲν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Τὸ μὲν γενόμενον κατʼ οἰκονομίαν Θεοῦ, εὐχαριστίας, οὐ δακρύων ὑπόθεσίς ἑστι τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι, τὸ ἔξωθεν τοῦ σταδίου γενέσθαι τὸν ἀθλητὴν μετὰ τῆς καλῆς ἀγωνίας ἧς ἠγωνίσατο, καὶ παραληφθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ ἀγωνοθέτου, ὥστε ἀπο. λαβεῖν τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανον, καὶ πλεονάσαι ### English translation (Claude) … accepts, even if we do not lay it aside altogether. But if you think these things rightly said, but that it is not philosophical to ask a price for books, … the money, and the poor will settle the counter-claim. [Letter 236. To Libanius] I, a mother, have sent a son to a father: the mother by nature to the father by eloquence. As you care for me, so you will care for him. [Letter 237. To Macedonius] We are not insatiable in receiving kindness from friends, even if you are unstinting in doing it. Therefore we have sent the psalm-singer back to you as agreed, an excellent man besides (as far as one can learn in a short time), and perhaps pleasing to you for his psalmody, which always contains a reminder of God and of salvation. And if you do us a kindness again, whenever it pleases you and the time seems right, you will do better, and this will be more worthy of your friendship. [Letter 238] To the most reverent brotherhood in Christ, adorned in every way, the brotherhood of the blessed Leucadius at Sannabadae, to the monks and virgins sanctified in Christ Jesus, Gregory sends greeting in the Lord. What has happened by God's economy is, for those who have sense, a ground not for tears but for thanksgiving: that the athlete has gone out of the stadium with the good contest he contested, and has been received by the president of the games, so as to receive the crown of righteousness and to increase ### Scripture references - 2 Tim 4:7–8: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The opening of the first letter (to Adamantius) is lost in the scan, and a word is garbled (…). Letter 236 is written in the name of a mother sending her son to the orator Libanius. “The good contest” and “the crown of righteousness”: 2 Tim 4:7–8. Sannabadae was a monastery in Cappadocia. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 379 (PG 37:380a–380d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-379). ## Letter 381 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-381 - Source: PG 37:381a–381b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory consoles the monks and virgins of Leucadius's community: they should rejoice, and keep his memory alive by copying his virtues in one another; then a short note to Epiphanius. ### Greek text διʼ ἑαυτοῦ τὸν τῶν ἀγγέλων χορόν. Πάντα ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης ἀφορμὴ τοῖς πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν βλέπουσι κατά τὸ Εὑαγγέλιον γίνεται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ συνήθειά τις ἐκράτησεν ὥστε καί σκυθρωπάζειν ἐπὶ τῇ μεταστάσει τῶν ἀγίων, καὶ τῆς παρά τῶν ἀγαπητῶν παρακλήσεως ἀξιοῦσθαι, τούτου ἕνεκα σκυθρωπὸν μέν τι καὶ κατηφὲς, οὒτε λαλῆσαι ωταδεχόμεθα, οὔτε ὑμῖν συμβουλεύομεν ὑποσχεῖν τάς ἀκοὰς τοῖς τοιούτοις τῶν λόγων. Τὴν δὲ χρεωστουμένην παράκλησιν ἀποπληροῦμεν, ὲν τῷ συμβουλεῦσαι τῇ κοσμιότητι ὑμῶν, ἀεὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον βλέπειν, διὰ τοῦ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὀρᾷν. Τοῦτο γάρ εὐχόμεθα, ἕκαστον καὶ ἑκάστην τῷ βίῳ τοῦ μακαρίου μορφωθῆναι, ὥστε ὅταν ἀλλήλους ὁρᾶτε, πληροφορεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς, ὅτι τῷ ἐκείνου χαρακτῆρι ὲνατενίζετε. Μορφοὺτω τὴν ζωὴν ὑμῶν τὸ ὲκείνου καθαρὸν,τδ ἀόργητον, ή ταπεινοφ ροσὺνη, ή ἐνεργὴς φιλοσοφία, τὸ ἀε) πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν συντεταμένην τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχειν, τὸ μὴ πρὸς τὰς ἀπάτας τοῦ βίου τοὺτου μετεωρίζεσθαι* ῖνα ταῦτα ὲν ἀλλήλοις βλέποντες, τὸ ἐκείνου μνημόσυνον ὲν ἑαυτοῖς ζωγραφήσητε, καὶ οὔτε ἐκεῖνος, οὔτε ὑμεῖς ἐν θανάτῳ γενήσησθε. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ὑμετέρῳ βίῳ κάκεῖνος ζῶν διαπαντὸς ἐπιδειχθήσεται, καὶ ὑμεῖς διὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς πολιτείας, τῆς τοῦ θανάτου κοινωνίας ἀλλοτρίους ἑαυτοὺς καταστήσετε( Ἐρῤωμένους ὑμᾶς, ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι προκόπτοντας, ὲν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεὺματος ὁ Κύριος σκεπάζοι μεμνημένους ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς. me. ΕΠΙΦΑΝΙῼ. Νόμῳ προκαλοῦμαι νόμον, τὸν κελεύοντα τιμᾶσθαι πατέρα, τῷ κελεύοντι διδάσκεσθαι παῖδας. Νῦν μὲν οὖν ὲξηγοῦμαί σοι πρὸς τά κάλλιστα, καὶ οἷον δεξιάν φιλίας δέχου τά γράμματα, Εἰ δὲ ἀντεπιθείης, καὶ πολλάκις τοῦτο ποιεῖν βουληθείης, ῐσως ποιήσεις καὶ γέροντα αἰχμητὴν, οὐδὲν τοῦ Νέστορος ἀγεννέστερον. ### English translation (Claude) by himself the chorus of the angels. All these things, and such things, become an occasion of joy and gladness for those who look to the truth according to the Gospel. But since a certain custom has prevailed of being sad at the departure of the saints and of receiving consolation from those who love us, for this reason we neither agree to say anything sad and downcast, nor do we advise you to lend your ears to such words. But we discharge the consolation we owe by advising your modesty always to look to him by looking at one another. For this we pray, that each man and each woman may be formed by the life of the blessed one, so that when you look at one another you may be assured that you are gazing on his likeness. Let his purity form your life, his freedom from anger, his humility, his active philosophy, his keeping his soul always intent on God, his not being carried away by the deceits of this life; so that, seeing these things in one another, you may paint his memorial in yourselves, and neither he nor you may come into death. For in your life he too will be shown living always, and you, by your good conduct, will make yourselves strangers to the fellowship of death. May the Lord shelter you, healthy and advancing in soul and body in the power of the Holy Spirit, remembering us in your prayers. [Letter 239. To Epiphanius] With one law I challenge another: the one that bids a father be honoured, with the one that bids children be taught. Now, then, I lead you toward the finest things; and receive this letter as a right hand of friendship. And if you reply, and are willing to do so often, perhaps you will make even an old man a warrior, no less noble than Nestor. ### Translation notes - Nestor was the aged warrior of the Iliad. Epiphanius is unidentified (not the bishop of Salamis). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 381 (PG 37:381a–381b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-381). ## Letter 383 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-383 - Source: PG 37:384a–384b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory rouses an old friend from long silence, recalling their former circle; then congratulates an official whose travels on army supply have brought him before the emperor. ### Greek text ἐπέσταλκα, πείθομαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ αὐτῷ …. Ὦ τῆς ἀργίας, ἴνα μὴ εἴπω τῆς … Μικρὸν καὶ ὁ ’Δργανθώνιος ἡμῖν είς ὓπνου λόγον, οὕτως ὲκαθευδήσαμεν. Ποῦ μὲν ὁ θίασος ἡμῖν ὲκείνοςς ποῦ δὲ οἱ κοινοὶ λόγοι καὶ σύλλογοι, καὶὴ γλνκεῖα πηγὴ καὶ ἄφθονος, ἀφʼ ἧς ὴρυόμεοας Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν καὶ διανίσταμαι, καὶ τὴν κόνιν ἀποσείομαι, κατά τοὺς ’Λχιλλέως ἵππους, ὀψὲ γοῦν (ὀκνῶ γὰρ εἰπεῖν), κα) τὴν χαίτην ἀνασείομαι. Μή με κωμῳδεῖν ύπολάὁῃς. Σοὶ δὲ εί τι μέλει τῆς ’ἡμετέρας φιλίας, ἐξ ὧν ἐπιστέλλεις δηλωθήσεται. Διᾲττειν σε ὡς τοὺς ἀστέρας, ἄλλοτε κατʼ ἄλλο μέρος τῆς βαρβαρικῆς ἀνίσχοντα, νῦν μὲν σιτηρέσια στρατιωτικὰ παρέχοντα, νῦν δὲ βασιλεῖ … νόμενον μετά λαμπροῦ τοῦ σχήματος, ἡ τῶν ἀγαῦῶν ἄγγελος φήμη ἀγγέλλουσα ἡμῖν ού διαλείπει. Εὐχόμεθα δὲ τῷ Θεῷ κατὰ λόγον μέν σοι προϊοῦσαν τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν, ἐπὶ μέγα σε προελθεῖν ἀξίωμα, καὶ φανῆναί ποτε τηκυμένῳ. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ μέτεστιδ ἡμῖν τοῦ βίον, ὅσον ἀναπνεῖν μόνον. ### English translation (Claude) … I have written, and I am persuaded that to him too … . O the idleness, not to say the … ! Even Arganthonius would be short for us in a reckoning of sleep, so soundly have we slept. Where is that band of ours? Where the common studies and gatherings, and the sweet and abundant spring from which we drew? I for my part am getting up and shaking off the dust, like the horses of Achilles, late indeed (for I hesitate to say it), and tossing my mane. Do not think I am jesting. But whether you care at all for our friendship will be shown by what you write. … That you dart about like the stars, rising now in one part of the barbarian land and now in another, now supplying soldiers' rations, now appearing before the emperor in brilliant state: this report, messenger of good news, never ceases to announce to us. We pray to God that your undertaking may go on as it should, and that you may advance to a great dignity, and may one day appear to one who is wasting away. For we have only so much share in life as to breathe. ### Translation notes - The headings are lost in the scan (…). Arganthonius, king of Tartessus, proverbially lived to a great age. The horses of Achilles shaking their manes: cf. Homer, Iliad 17.439–440 (uncertain). A few words are garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 383 (PG 37:384a–384b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-383). ## Letter 385 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-385 - Source: PG 37:385a–385b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After the opening words of a letter that Migne does not print, Gregory gives Basilissa a list of precepts for the Christian life: self-control, justice, contentment and thankfulness to Providence. ### Greek text Σφόδρα τε θαυμάζω καὶ λίαν ὲκπλήττομαι τῆς νηφαλιότητος, κ. τ. λ. XMA'. ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣῌ Εἰ μὴ περιττὸν τὴν πονοῦσαν ἐγεῖραι πρὸς πόνους. οὐκ ὀκνήσω, τῆς κοινῆς ἕνεκεν ἀσφαλείας, ὅπως ἂν δύνωμαι, τὴν σὴν ἐπιρρῶσαι προθυμίαν, ού κατά προσθήκην ἐτέρων τινῶν, ἢ ξένων παραγγελμάτων, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὑπόμνησιν τῶν ἡμῖν τε πολλάκις εἰρημένων, καὶ σοὶ συνήθως ὲκπονουμένων. Ταῦτα δέ ἐστιν· ἄγειν τὴν ψυχὴν τῶν λυπηρῶν ἀνωτὲραν τῇ περὶ τὰ κράτιστα διατριβῇ, ἀποκρίνειν τῆς διανοίας πᾶν, ὅσον ἀρετῆς ἀλλότριον, καὶτῆς σῆς ἀνάξιον γνώμης, συντείνειν ἑαυτὴν πρὸς εὐσέβειαν καὶ πᾶσαν εύκου σμίαν, λεπτύνειν τὸν νοῦν εἰς τὸ μηδὲν μήτε δέχεσθαι μήτε φρονεῖν ἀνεξέταστον, κρατύνειν τὴν φρόνησιν κατά πάντα καιρὸν, καὶ πάντα τρόπον τῷ προσομιλεῖν ἂν ταῖς τῶν προλαβόντων ὑποθήκαις ὁσίων, προτάττειν πάσης ἀπεχθείας καὶ φιλίας τὴν πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους καὶ ξένους δικαιοσύνην, σύνοικον ἔχειν καὶ συνόμιλον πάντοσε τὴν σωφροσύνην, ἐρριζωμένην εἰλικρινῶς τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ παγίως ἱδρυμένην, μὴ συμμεταβάλλειν τὸν τρόπον ταῖς ἀνωμαλίαις τοῦ βίου καὶ μεταβολαῖς. Οὔτε γάρ ἐν πενίᾳ τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ βίου συστέλλειν εὐπρεπὲς,ούτε ἐν περιουσίᾳ μέγα φρονεῖν ἀσφαλές· διὸ δὴ κράτιστον ἀσκεῖν ὲν μὲν τοῖς τέρπουσι τὴν ἐγκράτειαν, ὲν δὲ τοῖς λυπηροῖς τὴν καρτερίαν, ἀμνημονεῖν τῆς παλαιᾶς περιουσίας, αἰτεῖν τὴν αὐτάρκειαν, στέργειν τὸ διδόμενον, ἑλπίζειν τὸ βέλτιον, καὶ φέρειν πράως τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀρρωστίαν, ἐπὶ μηδενὶ μεμψιμοιρεῖν, μηδὲ σχετλιάζειν, ἀλλʼ εὐχάριστον εἶναι περὶ τὴν Πρόνοιαν, ὅση τις εἴη, καὶ κρύπτειν πολλάκις τὰς αἰτίας τῶν γινομένων, ἀλλʼ ούκ ἀμελεῖν τοῦ πρὸς ἀξίαν, πρὸς ἦν ἀποδιδοῦσα λογίζου πρὶν ἐξειπεῖν τὸ λεκτέον, ### English translation (Claude) “I very much wonder, and am exceedingly amazed at the sobriety …,” and so on. [Letter 244. To Basilissa] If it is not superfluous to rouse one who labours to further labours, I will not hesitate, for our common safety, to strengthen your eagerness as best I can, not by adding other or foreign precepts, but by reminding you of what we have often said and you are accustomed to practise. They are these: to lead the soul above its griefs by occupying it with the best things; to remove from the mind everything foreign to virtue and unworthy of your judgment; to strain yourself toward piety and every seemliness; to refine the mind so as neither to accept nor to think anything unexamined; to strengthen your prudence at every time and in every way by keeping company with the counsels of the holy ones who went before; to set justice toward kin and strangers above all enmity and friendship; to have self-control as your housemate and companion everywhere, sincerely rooted in the soul and firmly established; not to change your character with the unevenness and changes of life. For neither is it seemly to let one's spirit shrink in poverty, nor safe to be proud in abundance. Therefore it is best to practise self-control in pleasures and endurance in griefs; not to remember former wealth; to ask for sufficiency; to love what is given; to hope for the better; to bear bodily sickness gently; to complain of nothing and to rail at nothing, but to be thankful toward Providence, whatever it may be, which often hides the causes of what happens but does not neglect what is deserved; in view of which, reckon before you say what is to be said ### Translation notes - Migne prints only the first words of the preceding letter (“and so on”). The number of the letter to Basilissa is garbled in the scan; it is probably Letter 244. The precepts are translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 385 (PG 37:385a–385b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-385). ## Letter 387 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-387 - Source: PG 37:388a–388d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gregory ends his precepts to Basilissa: true wealth is needing little, and a woman's proper adornment is modesty, dignity and self-control. ### Greek text καὶ πρὸ τοῦ πρᾶξαι τὸ πρακτέονο οὕτω γὰρ δὴ ἔσται σοι πᾶν τὸ ῥηθὲν, ἢ πραχθὲν ἀμεταμέλητον. Εὺσχημονεῖν ἡγοῦ μὴ τοῖς ἔξωθεν προκαλύμμασι, πλοῦτον νόμιζε γνήσιον καὶ βέβαιον τὴν ὀλιγόδειαν οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ πολλὰ κεκτῆσθαι τὸ πλουτεῖν ἐστι βεβαίως, ἀλλὰ τῷ μὴ πολλῶν δεῖσθαι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ σοὶ, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἔξωθεν. Ῥύομιζε τὸν μὲν τρόπον ἐπιεικείᾳ, τὸ δὲ ἦθος ἀταραξίᾳ, τὴν δὲ γλῶτταν βραχυλογίᾳ. Διὰ δὲ τούτων κόσμει τὴν κεφαλὴν ’ τῷ σκέπειν, τὰς δὲ ὀφρῦς τῷ κατεσταλμένις ἔχειν, τοὺς δὲ ὀφθαλμοὺς τῷ συνιδεῖν, καὶ κοσμίως βλέπειν, τὸ δὲ στόμα τῷ μηδὲν ἀπρεπῶς λαλεῖν, τὰ δὲ ὦτα τῷ μόνῳ τοῖς σπουδαίοις ὑπέχειν, σύμπαν δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον τῷ ἐξ αἰδοῦς χρώματι. Ἐν πᾶσι δὲ, καὶ διὰ πάντων φύλασσε σεαυτὴν ἁμόλυντον, ὥσπερ τι κειμήλιον ἄψαυστον. Κόσμος γὰρ οἰκεῖος, πρέπων γυναιξὶ, σεμνότης, εὐστάθεια, σωφροσύνη. Τρυφὴν νόμιζε καλλίστην ὁμοῦ καὶ ῥᾴστην, τὴν χρειώδη τροφήν· αὕτη γὰρ καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὴν ἐπαινετὴ, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ὲν σωφροσύνη βίον αἱρετὴ, καὶ πρὸς ὑγείαν ἀρίστη, καὶ συμμετρίαν, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην εὐκοσμίαν, καὶ παιδείαν οὑκ ἀνόνητος. ### English translation (Claude) and before you do what is to be done; for so everything you say or do will be free from regret. Think that seemliness lies not in outward coverings; consider having few needs to be true and firm wealth; for to be firmly rich lies not in possessing much but in needing little: the one is in your power, the other belongs to outside things. Regulate your manner with gentleness, your disposition with calm, your tongue with brevity of speech. And through these adorn your head by covering it, your brows by keeping them lowered, your eyes by looking modestly, your mouth by saying nothing unseemly, your ears by lending them only to serious things, and your whole face with the colour of modesty. In all things and through all things keep yourself undefiled, like an untouched treasure. For the adornment proper and fitting to women is dignity, steadiness, and self-control. Consider the finest and easiest luxury to be the food that is needed; for this is praiseworthy in itself, to be chosen for a life of self-control, best for health and good proportion and all other seemliness, and not without profit for discipline. ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 2:9–10: echo, low confidence - 1 Pet 3:3–4: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The adornment of women: cf. 1 Tim 2:9–10; 1 Pet 3:3–4. This is the last letter in the scan text of Migne PG 37 cols. 21–387. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nazianzus, Ep. 387 (PG 37:388a–388d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nazianzen-epistulae/357/#p-387).