6. Even if they did come forward to accuse me, because they had been deceived, and thought that I was associated with the writers of those words of Sabellius which they are carrying about, they were guilty of unpardonable conduct in straightway attacking and wounding me, when I had done them no wrong, before they had obtained plain proof. I do not like to speak of myself as bound to them in the closest intimacy; or of them as being evidently not led by the Holy Spirit, because of their cherishing false suspicions. Much anxious thought must be taken, and many sleepless nights must be passed, and with many tears must the truth be sought from God, by him who is on the point of cutting himself off from a brother's friendship. Even the rulers of this world, when they are on the point of sentencing some evil doer to death, draw the veil aside, [2899] and call in experts for the examination of the case, and consume considerable time in weighing the severity of the law against the common fault of humanity, and with many a sigh and many a lament for the stern necessity of the case, proclaim before all the people that they are obeying the law from necessity, and not passing sentence to gratify their own wishes. [2900] How much greater care and diligence, how much more counsel, ought to be taken by one who is on the point of breaking off from long established friendship with a brother! In this case there is only a single letter and that of doubtful genuineness. It would be quite impossible to argue that it is known by the signature, for they possess not the original, but only a copy. They depend on one single document and that an old one. It is now twenty years since anything has been written to that person. [2901] Of my opinions and conduct in the intervening time I can adduce no better witnesses than the very men who attack and accuse me.
7. But the real reason of separation is not this letter. There is another cause of alienation. I am ashamed to mention it; and I would have been for ever silent about it had not recent events compelled me to publish all their mind for the sake of the good of the mass of the people. Good men have thought that communion with me was a bar to the recovery of their authority. Some have been influenced by the signature of a certain creed which I proposed to them, not that I distrusted their sentiments, I confess, but because I wished to do away with the suspicions which the more part of the brethren who agree with me entertained of them. Accordingly, to avoid anything arising from that confession to prevent their being accepted by the present authorities, [2902] they have renounced communion with me. This letter was devised by an after-thought as a pretext for the separation. A very plain proof of what I say is, that after they had denounced me, and composed such complaints against me as suited them, they sent round their letters in all directions before communicating with me. Their letter was in the possession of others who had received it in the course of transmission and who were on the point of sending it on seven days before it had reached my hands. The idea was that it would be handed from one to another and so would be quickly distributed over the whole country. This was reported to me at the time by those who were giving me clear information of all their proceedings. But I determined to hold my tongue until the Revealer of all secrets should publish their doings by plain and incontrovertible demonstration.
[2876] Placed in 375.
[2877] On the mutual relations of Basil and Eustathius up to this time, cf. Prolegomena.
[2878] Eccles. iii. 7.
[2879] Job iii. 1, seqq.
[2880] Ps. xxxviii. 14.
[2881] cf. he sukophantia peripherei sophon. Eccles. vii. 8, LXX. Calumnia conturbat sapientem et perdet robur cordis illius. Vulg.
[2882] Jer. iv. 5, LXX.
[2883] Isa. xlii. 14, LXX.
[2884] Ps. cxxiv. 5, LXX.
[2885] Ps. cxxiv. 3, 4, LXX.
[2886] 1 Cor. ii. 6.
[2887] Al. deep.
[2888] 2 Cor. xi. 27.
[2889] cf. Heb. xi. 13.
[2890] cf. Phil. iii. 20.
[2891] 2 Cor. iv. 10.
[2892] With St. Basil's too great readiness to believe in Eustathius because of his mean garb contrast Augustine De Serm. Dom. "Animadvertendum est non in solo rerum corporearum nitore atque pompa, sed etiam in ipsis sordibus lutosis esse posse jactantiam, et eo periculosiorem quo sub nomine servitutis Dei decipit."
[2893] i.e.Apollinarius. cf. Letters cxxx. p. 198, and ccxxiv.
[2894] i.e.Silvanus of Tarsus. cf. Letters xxxiv. p. 136, and lxvii. p. 164.
[2895] I have not been able to identify Eusinoe. There was an Eusene on the north coast of Pontus.
[2896] i.e. in 364, the year after St. Basil's ordination as presbyter, and the publication of his work against Eunomius. The Council of Lampsacus, at which Basil was not present, repudiated the Creeds of Ariminum and Constantinople (359 and 360), and reasserted the 2d Dedication Creed of Antioch of 341. Maran dates it 364 (Vit. Bas. x.).
[2897] cf. Ezek. xviii. 20.
[2898] cf. p. 3, n.
[2899] aphelkontai . So the Harl. ms. for ephelkontai. On the sense which may be applied to either verb cf. Valesius on Am. Marcellinus xviii. 2, whom the Ben. Ed. point out to be in error in thinking that Basil's idea is of drawing a curtain or veil over the proceedings, and Chrysostom Hom. liv. in Matt. 'Epi tois dikastais, hotan demosi& 139; krinosi, ta parapetasmata sunelkusantes hoi parestotes pasin autous deiknuousi. This meaning of drawing so as to disclose is confirmed by Basil's pandemoi pasi gignontai in this passage and in Hom. in Ps. xxxii.
[2900] The Ben. note compares the praise bestowed on Candidianus by Gregory of Nazianzus for trying cases in the light of day (Ep. cxciv) and Am. Marcellinus xvii. 1, who says of Julian, Numerium Narconensis paulo ante rectorem, accusatum ut furem, inusitato censorio vigore pro tribunali palam admissis volentibus audiebat.
[2901] i.e. Apollinarius.
[2902] Though this phrase commonly means the reigning emperor, as in Letter lxvi., the Ben. note has no doubt that in this instance the reference is to Euzoius. In Letter ccxxvi. § 3. q.v., Basil mentions reconciliation with Euzoius as the real object of Eustathius's hostility. Euzoius was now in high favour with Valens.