To Alexander of Hierapolis, from Chalcedon

We have left no means untried: courtesy, sternness, pleading, and eloquent argument before the most pious emperor and the illustrious assembly. We have borne witness before God, who sees all things, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the world in justice, and the Holy Spirit and his chosen angels. We have urged that the faith not be despised, which is now being corrupted by those who uphold heretical doctrines and boldly sign them, and that orders be given for it to be laid down in the same terms as at Nicaea and for the heresy brought in to the loss and ruin of true religion to be rejected. Up to now, however, we have not had the slightest effect, since our hearers are carried first one way and then another. [a] Even so, all these difficulties have not been able to stop me from pressing my point, and by God’s grace I have kept on. I have even told our pious emperor on oath that it is utterly impossible for Cyril and Memnon to be reconciled with me, and that we can never be in communion with anyone who has not first repudiated the heretical Chapters. This, then, is our mind. The aim of men who “seek their own interests, not the things of Jesus Christ” is to be reconciled with them against our will. But that is no business of mine, for God weighs our motives and tests our character, and he does not punish us for what is done against our will. Let your holiness know that whenever I said a word about our friend, whether before the most pious emperor or before the illustrious assembly, I was at once branded a rebel. So intensely is he hated by the court party. This is most distressing. The most pious emperor, above all, cannot bear to hear his name mentioned, and says openly, “Let no one speak to me about this man.” On one occasion he showed me as much. Nevertheless, as long as I am here I will not stop serving the interests of this father of ours, knowing that the impious have wronged him. [c] My wish is that both your piety and I may be rid of this business. No good is to be hoped for from it, since all the judges put their trust in gold and insist that the nature of the Godhead and of the manhood is one. [e]

All the people, however, by God’s grace, are in good heart and keep coming out to us. I have begun to preach to them, and I have celebrated very large communions. On the fourth occasion I spoke at length about the faith, and they listened with such delight that they did not leave until the seventh hour, but held out even through the midday heat. An enormous crowd had gathered in a great courtyard with four colonnades, and I preached to them from above, from a platform near the roof. [f] All the clergy, on the other hand, together with the excellent monks, are utterly opposed to me. So when we came back from the Rufinianum after the most pious emperor’s visit, stone-throwing began, and many of my companions were wounded, by the people and by false monks. [g]

The most pious emperor knew that the mob had gathered against me, and coming up to me alone he said, “I know that you are holding assemblies improperly.” Then I said, “Since you have allowed me to speak, hear me kindly. Is it fair that excommunicated heretics should be officiating in churches, while I, who am fighting for the faith and for that reason am shut out of communion by others, am not allowed to enter a church?” He replied, “What am I to do?” I said, “What your count of the sacred largesses did at Ephesus. When he found that some were holding assemblies while we were not, he stopped them, saying, ‘If you will not keep the peace, I will allow neither party to assemble.’ It would have been fitting for your piety too to have instructed the bishop here to forbid both the opposite party and ourselves to assemble before we meet together to make your righteous sentence known to all.” To this he replied, “It is not for me to give orders to the bishop.” And I answered, “Then you will not give orders to us either, and we will take a church and assemble. Your piety will find that there are many more on our side than on theirs.” Besides this, I pointed out that we had neither the reading of holy Scripture nor the offering, but only “prayer for the faith and for your majesty, and godly conversation.” So he approved and forbade nothing further. The result is that larger crowds than ever flock to us and gladly listen to our teaching. So I beg your piety to pray that our case may have an outcome pleasing to God. I am in danger every day, as I suspect the schemes of both monks and clergy, seeing both their influence and their carelessness. [h]