Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume VII/Letters of Gregory Nazianzen/Letters on the Apollinarian Controversy/Letter 4

Ep. CXXV.&#160; To Olympius.

Even hoar hairs have something to learn; and old age, it would seem, cannot in all respects be trusted for wisdom.&#160; I at any rate, knowing better than anyone, as I did, the thoughts and the heresy of the Apollinarians, and seeing that their folly was intolerable; yet thinking that I could tame them by patience and soften them by degrees, I let my hopes make me eager to attain this object.&#160; But, as it seems, I overlooked the fact that I was making them worse, and injuring the Church by my untimely philosophy.&#160; For gentleness does not put bad men out of countenance.&#160; And now if it had been possible for me to teach you this myself, I should not have hesitated, you may be sure, even to undertake a journey beyond my strength to throw myself at the feet of your Excellency.&#160; But since my illness has brought me too far, and it has become necessary for me to try the hot baths of Xanxaris at the advice of my medical men, I send a letter to represent me.&#160; These wicked and utterly abandoned men have dared, in addition to all their other misdeeds, either to summon, or to make a bad use of the passage (I am not prepared to say precisely which) of certain Bishops, deprived by the whole Synod of the Eastern and Western Church; and, in violation of all Imperial Ordinances, and of your commands, to confer the name of Bishop on a certain individual of their own misbelieving and deceitful crew; encouraged to do so, as I believe, by nothing so much as my great infirmity; for I must mention this.&#160; If this is to be tolerated, your Excellency will tolerate it, and I too will bear it, as I have often before.&#160; But if it is serious, and not to be endured by our most august Emperors, pray punish what has been done&#8212;though more mildly than such madness merits.