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Epistle of Phileas

Phileas

The Beginning of the Epistle of the Bishops.

About this work

Author: Phileas

The Beginning of the Epistle of the Bishops.

Hesychius, Pachomius, Theodorus, and Phileas, to Meletius, our friend

and

fellow

-

minister

in

the

Lord

,

greeting

.

Some

reports

having

reached

us

concerning

thee

,

which

,

on

the

testimony

of

certain

individuals

who

came

to

us

,

spake

of

certain

things

foreign

to

divine

order

and

ecclesiastical

rule

which

are

being

attempted

,

yea

,

rather

which

are

being

done

by

thee

,

we

,

in

an

ingenuous

manner

held

them

to

be

untrustworthy

,

regarding

them

to

be

such

as

we

would

not

willingly

credit

,

when

we

thought

of

the

audacity

implied

in

their

magnitude

and

their

uncertain

attempts

.

But

since

many

who

are

visiting

us

at

the

present

time

have

lent

some

credibility

to

these

reports

,

and

have

not

hesitated

to

attest

them

as

facts

,

we

,

to

our

exceeding

surprise

,

have

been

compelled

to

indite

this

letter

to

thee

.

And

what

agitation

and

sadness

have

been

caused

to

us

all

in

common

and

to

each

of

us

individually

by

(

the

report

of

)

the

ordination

carried

through

by

thee

in

parishes

having

no

manner

of

connection

with

thee

,

we

are

unable

sufficiently

to

express

.

We

have

not

delayed

,

however

,

by

a

short

statement

to

prove

your

practice

wrong

.

There

is

the

law

of

our

fathers

and

forefathers

,

of

which

neither

art

thou

thyself

ignorant

,

established

according

to

divine

and

ecclesiastical

order

;

for

it

is

all

for

the

good

pleasure

of

God

and

the

zealous

regard

of

better

things

.

By

them

it

has

been

established

and

settled

that

it

is

not

lawful

for

any

bishop

to

celebrate

ordinations

in

other

parishes

than

his

own

;

a

law

which

is

exceedingly

important

and

wisely

devised

.

For

,

in

the

first

place

,

it

is

but

right

that

the

conversation

and

life

of

those

who

are

ordained

should

be

examined

with

great

care

;

and

in

the

second

place

,

that

all

confusion

and

turbulence

should

be

done

away

with

.

For

every

one

shall

have

enough

to

do

in

managing

his

own

parish

,

and

in

finding

with

great

care

and

many

anxieties

suitable

subordinates

among

these

with

whom

he

has

passed

his

whole

life

,

and

who

have

been

trained

under

his

hands

.

But

thou

,

neither

making

any

account

of

these

things

,

nor

regarding

the

future

,

nor

considering

the

law

of

our

sainted

fathers

and

those

who

have

been

taken

to

Christ

time

after

time

,

nor

the

honour

of

our

great

bishop

and

father

,

Peter

,

on

whom

we

all

depend

in

the

hope

which

we

have

in

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

,

nor

softened

by

our

imprisonments

and

trials

,

and

daily

and

multiplied

reproach

,

hast

ventured

on

subverting

all

things

at

once

.

And

what

means

will

be

left

thee

for

justifying

thyself

with

respect

to

these

things

?

But

perhaps

thou

wilt

say

:

I

did

this

to

prevent

many

being

drawn

away

with

the

unbelief

of

many

,

because

the

flocks

were

in

need

and

forsaken

,

there

being

no

pastor

with

them

.

Well

,

but

it

is

most

certain

that

they

are

not

in

such

destitution

:

in

the

first

place

,

because

there

are

many

going

about

them

and

in

a

position

to

act

as

visitors

;

and

in

the

second

place

,

even

if

there

was

some

measure

of

neglect

on

their

side

,

then

the

proper

way

would

have

been

for

the

representation

to

be

made

promptly

by

the

people

,

and

for

us

to

take

account

of

them

according

to

their

desert

.

But

they

knew

that

they

were

in

no

want

of

ministers

,

and

therefore

they

did

not

come

to

seek

them

.

They

knew

that

we

were

wont

to

discharge

them

with

an

admonition

from

such

inquisition

for

matter

of

complaint

,

or

that

everything

was

done

with

all

carefulness

which

seemed

to

be

for

their

profit

;

for

all

was

done

under

correction

,

and

all

was

considered

with

well

-

approved

honesty

.

Thou

,

however

,

giving

such

strenuous

attention

to

the

deceits

of

certain

parties

and

their

vain

words

,

hast

made

a

stealthy

leap

to

the

celebrating

of

ordinations

.

For

if

,

indeed

,

those

with

thee

were

constraining

thee

to

this

,

and

in

their

ignorance

were

doing

violence

to

ecclesiastical

order

,

thou

oughtest

to

have

followed

the

common

rule

and

have

informed

us

by

letter

;

and

in

that

way

what

seemed

expedient

would

have

been

done

.

And

if

perchance

some

persuaded

you

to

credit

their

story

that

it

was

all

over

with

us

,

—

a

thing

of

which

thou

couldest

not

have

been

ignorant

,

because

there

were

many

passing

and

repassing

by

us

who

might

visit

you

,

—

even

although

,

I

say

,

this

had

been

the

case

,

yet

thou

oughtest

to

have

waited

for

the

judgment

of

the

superior

father

and

for

his

allowance

of

this

practice

.

But

without

giving

any

heed

to

these

matters

,

but

indulging

a

different

expectation

,

yea

rather

,

indeed

,

denying

all

respect

to

us

,

thou

hast

provided

certain

rulers

for

the

people

.

For

now

we

have

learned

,

too

,

that

there

were

also

divisions

,

because

thy

unwarrantable

exercise

of

the

right

of

ordination

displeased

many

.

And

thou

wert

not

persuaded

to

delay

such

procedure

or

restrain

thy

purpose

readily

even

by

the

word

of

the

Apostle

Paul

,

the

most

blessed

seer

,

and

the

man

who

put

on

Christ

,

who

is

the

Christ

of

all

of

us

no

less

;

for

he

,

in

writing

to

his

dearly

-

beloved

son

Timothy

,

says

:

“

Lay

hands

suddenly

on

no

man

,

neither

be

partaker

of

other

men’s

sins

.

”

And

thus

he

at

once

shows

his

own

anxious

consideration

for

him

,

and

gives

him

his

example

and

exhibits

the

law

according

to

which

,

with

all

carefulness

and

caution

,

parties

are

to

be

chosen

for

the

honour

of

ordination

.

We

make

this

declaration

to

thee

,

that

in

future

thou

mayest

study

to

keep

within

the

safe

and

salutary

limits

of

the

law

.

The Conclusion of the Epistle of the Bishops.

After receiving and perusing this epistle, he neither wrote any reply nor repaired to them in the prison, nor went to the blessed Peter. But when all these bishops and presbyters and deacons had suffered martyrdom in the prison at Alexandria, he at once entered Alexandria. Now in that city there was a certain person, by name Isidorus, turbulent in character, and possessed with the ambition of being a teacher. And there was also a certain Arius, who wore the habit of piety, and was in like manner possessed with the ambition to be a teacher. And when they discovered the object of Meletius’s passion and what it was that he sought, hastening to him, and looking with an evil eye on the episcopal authority of the blessed Peter, that the aim and desire of Meletius might be made patent, they discovered to Meletius certain presbyters, then in hiding, to whom the blessed Peter had given power to act as parish-visitors. And Meletius recommending them to improve the opportunity given them for rectifying their error, suspended them for the time, and by his own authority ordained two persons in their place, namely, one in prison and another in the mines. On learning these things the blessed Peter, with much endurance, wrote to the people of Alexandria an epistle in the following terms.

Notes

2
Zelo meliorum.
3
[Parishes = dioceses (so called now); but they were very small territorially, and every city had its “bishop.” See Bingham, book ix. cap. 2, and Euseb., book v. cap. 23. Comp. note 1, p. 106, supra.]
4
Bene nimis magna.
5
[The bishops of Alexandria are called popes to this day, and were so from the beginning. See vol. v. p. 154.]
6
[Peter succeeded Theonas as sixteenth bishop and primate of Alexandria. See vol. iv. p. 384; also Neale, Pat of Alex., i. p. 90.]
7
Oportuerat ex populo properare ac nos exigere pro merito.
8
Sub arguente.
9
The manuscript reads chrismata, for which schismata is proposed.
10
Provisoris—perhaps rather, The Provider—the saint who with careful forethought has mapped out our proper course in such matters.
11
1 Tim. v. 22.
12
Erga illum providentiam.
13
The manuscript gives ordinando adnuntias, for which is proposed ordinandi. Adnuntiamus.

14

Reading studeas for studetur.

1

Cupiditatem.

2

Ut cogniscatur concupiscentia Meletii.

3

The text is—Commendans ei occasionem Meletius, separavit eos, &c.; on which see especially Neander, iii. p. 311 (Bohn).

4

This epistle is given elsewhere. [This volume, infra.]