Letter 85

To Bishop Basil. The divine Paul names love as the chief of all goods, and commands that the children of the faith be nourished by it. Your piety possesses great wealth of this love, and so has shared with me what was fitting — and brought me welcome news. For to those who fear the Lord, what news is more welcome than the health and harmony of the doctrines of truth? Be well assured, most godly friend, that we were greatly delighted to hear the intelligence about our common acquaintance. In proportion to our earlier distress — when we heard that he was describing the natures of flesh and Godhead as one, and openly attributing the passion of salvation to the impassible Godhead — so was all our joy when we read your holiness's letters and learned that he now preserves intact the distinct properties of the two natures: that he denies both the transformation of God the Word into flesh and the transformation of flesh into the nature of Godhead, and affirms instead that in the one Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Word made man, the properties of each nature remain without confusion. We praise the God of all for this harmony in the divine faith. We have, moreover, written to both Cilicias — though our information is incomplete — to ask whether there really are any in those regions who oppose the truth. We have charged the godly bishops there to investigate whether any are dividing the one Lord Jesus Christ into two sons, and either to bring them to their senses by admonition, or to cut them off from the roll of the brethren. For we equally reject both those who dare to assert one nature of flesh and Godhead, and those who divide the one Lord Christ into two sons and venture beyond the definitions of the Apostles. Let your holiness be assured: we are disposed to peace. It is the enemies of peace who have forced this controversy upon us.

Letter 85 Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — all for only $19.99... To the Bishop Basil. The chief good is said by the divine Paul to be love, and by love he ordered the nurslings of the faith to be fed. Of this love your piety possesses great wealth, and so has told me what was befitting and given me pleasant news. For to them that fear the Lord what can be pleasanter than the health and harmony of the doctrines of the truth? Be well assured, most godly sir, that we were much delighted to hear the intelligence of our common friend; and in proportion to our previous distress at hearing that he described the nature of flesh and of Godhead as one, and openly attributed the passion of salvation to the impassible Godhead, so were all rejoiced to read the letters of your holiness, and to learn that he maintains in their integrity the properties of the natures and denies both the change of God the Word into flesh, and the mutation of the flesh into the nature of Godhead, maintaining on the contrary that in the one Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Word made man, the properties of either nature abide unconfounded. We praise the God of all for the harmony of divine faith. We have however written to either Cilicia, although our intelligence is imperfect, as to whether there are really any opponents of the truth, and have charged the godly bishops to search and examine if there are any who divide the one Lord Jesus Christ into two sons, and either to bring them to their senses by admonition, or cut them off from the roll of the brethren. For in fact we equally repudiate both those who dare to assert one nature of flesh and Godhead, and those who divide the one Lord Jesus Christ into two sons and strive to go beyond the definitions of the Apostles. But let your holiness be well assured that we are disposed to peace. For if the prophet says, With them that hate peace I was peaceful, much more readily do we welcome the peace of God. Some of those men who have been fed on lies have hurried to Alexandria and patched up calumnies against me, with the result that the godly bishop of that city, led away by their statements, although he had been fully informed by my letters, has sent a pious bishop to the imperial city. I beg you therefore to show your accustomed kindness to him, and to confront falsehood with the truth.