Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VI/Anatolius and Minor Writers/Alexander of Cappadocia/From the Epistles of Alexander/From an Epistle to Demetrius, Bishop of Alexandria

IV. From an Epistle to Demetrius, Bishop of Alexandria.

And he &#8212;i.e., Demetrius&#8212;has added to his letter that this is a matter that was never heard of before, and has never been done now,&#8212;namely, that laymen should take part in public speaking, when there are bishops present. But in this assertion he has departed evidently far from the truth by some means. For, indeed, wherever there are found persons capable of profiting the brethren, such persons are exhorted by the holy bishops to address the people. Such was the case at Laranda, where Evelpis was thus exhorted by Neon; and at Iconium, Paulinus was thus exhorted by Celsus; and at Synada, Theodorus also by Atticus, our blessed brethren. And it is probable that this is done in other places also, although we know not the fact.