E01304: Gregory of Nyssa, in his Letter 1 of the 380s or 390s, mentions festivals of a certain *Petros (bishop of Sebasteia, S01124 or S01125) and unnamed martyrs (perhaps *Athenogenes of Pedachthoe, S00065) at Sebasteia/Sebaste (eastern Asia Minor), and a festival of martyrs in the village of Andaëmona in Cappadocia (central Asia Minor). Probably written in Greek at Nyssa (central Asia Minor).

Gregory of Nyssa, Letters (CPG 3167), Letter 1

Letter 1, 'to Bishop Flavianos'

Gregory deplores an unexpected conflict between him and the bishop of Caesarea, Helladios. He received surprising news that the latter was angry with him, which he first did not believe, but later were confirmed by many. There follows an account of their meeting.

5-10
καὶ τέλος, τὴν μνήμην τοῦ μακαριωτάτου Πέτρου παρὰ Σεβαστηνοῖς πρώτως ἀγομένην ἐπιτελέσας, καὶ τὰς συνήθως παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐπιτελουμένας τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων μνήμας κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον συνδιαγαγὼν ἐκείνοις, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πάλιν ἐκκλησίαν ὑπέστρεφον. καί τινος μηνύσαντος κατὰ τὴν ὀρεινὴν αὐτὸν ἐνορίαν διάγειν μαρτύρων ἐπιτελοῦντα μνήμας, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα τῆς ὁδοῦ εἰχόμην, εὐπρεπέστερον εἶναι κρίνων ἐπὶ τῆς μητροπόλεως γενέσθαι τὴν συντυχίαν· ὡς δέ τις τῶν γνησίων κατὰ σπουδήν μοι συντετυχηκὼς ἀρρωστεῖν αὐτὸν διεβεβαιώσατο, καταλιπὼν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τὸ ὄχημα, ἐν ᾧ παρὰ τῆς τοιαύτης κατελήφθην φήμης, ἵππῳ τὸ μεταξὺ διῆλθον διάστημα, κρημνῶδες καὶ ὀλίγου ἀπόρευτον ταῖς τραχυτάταις ἀνόδοις. ἦν δὲ πεντεκαίδεκα σημεῖα, ὡς παρὰ τῶν ἐγχωρίων ἠκούσαμεν, οἷς τὸ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ διεμετρεῖτο διάστημα. τούτων τὰ μὲν ἐκ ποδὸς τὰ δὲ διὰ τοῦ ἵππου μόλις διελθών, ὄρθριος, μέρει τινὶ καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς συγχρησάμενος, κατὰ τὴν πρώτην τῆς ἡμέρας ὥραν ἐφίσταμαι τοῖς Ἀνδαημονοῖς· οὕτω γὰρ ὀνομάζεται τὸ χωρίον, ἐν ᾧ ἦν ἐκκλησιάζων ἐκεῖνος μετὰ ἄλλων ἐπισκόπων δύο. ἄποθεν δὲ κατιδόντες ἐξ αὐχένος τινὸς ὑπερκειμένου τῆς κώμης τὴν ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας συνδρομήν, βάδην τὸν μεταξὺ διήλθομεν τόπον, ἐκ ποδός τε προϊόντες αὐτός τε καὶ ἡ μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ συνοδία καὶ τοὺς ἵππους διὰ χειρὸς ἐφελκόμενοι· ὥστε φθάσαι ὁμοῦ τὰ δύο γενέσθαι, ἐκεῖνόν τε ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ὑποστρέψαι καὶ ἡμᾶς πλησιάσαι τῷ μαρτυρίῳ. μηδεμιᾶς δὲ γενομένης ἀναβολῆς ἐπέμφθη παρ’ ἡμῶν ὁ μηνύσων αὐτῷ τὴν παρουσίαν· καὶ μικροῦ διαγεγονότος διαστήματος ὁ ὑπηρετούμενος αὐτῷ διάκονος συνέτυχεν ἡμῖν, ὃν παρεκαλέσαμεν διὰ τάχους μηνῦσαι, ὥστε ἐπὶ πλεῖον αὐτῷ συνδιαγαγεῖν, ἐφ’ ᾧ τε καιρὸν εὑρεῖν πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν περιοφθῆναι τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἀθεράπευτον. μετὰ τοῦτο ἐγὼ μὲν ἐκαθήμην κατὰ τὸ ὕπαιθρον ἀναμένων τὸν εἰσκαλοῦντα καὶ προεκείμην ἄκαιρον θέαμα τοῖς ἐπιδημοῦσι κατὰ τὴν σύνοδον. (……)

‘So, finally, having celebrated the memory of the most blessed Petros, which was held for the first time in Sebasteia, and, in the same period, having spent with the Sebasteians the feasts of the holy martyrs, held by them according to custom, I was on my way back to my own church. When someone informed me that he [Helladios] was visiting the mountain district, celebrating the feasts of the martyrs, at first, I continued my journey, deeming it more appropriate that a meeting should take place at the metropolis [i.e. at Caesarea]. But when one of his associates met me urgently and assured me that he was unwell, I left my carriage at the spot where this news overtook me, and covered on horseback the remaining distance which was steep and almost impassable, with the roughest of ascents. It was fifteen milestones that measured the intervening distance from the point when we heard from the locals. I covered them with difficulty, partly on foot, partly on horseback, and early in the morning, having travelled even during some of the night, I arrived in the first hour of the day at Andaëmona – that is the name of the place where he was holding church with two other bishops. At a distance, from a height overlooking the village, we saw the congregation gathered outside, and we walked through the intervening area, proceeding on foot, both I and my company, and leading our horses by hand. It thus happened that two things took place simultaneously, namely he retired from the church to the house, while we were approaching the shrine of the martyrs [martyrion]. Without delay we sent a messenger to inform him of our coming. After a little while, the deacon who attended him came to meet us. We asked him to inform him [Helladius] quickly, so that we might spend as much time as possible with him, and take the opportunity in order to leave nothing between us unresolved. After that, I sat down in the open air, waiting to be invited in, and providing a bizarre spectacle for the people attending the festival [synodos]. (……)

After being left to wait for several hours outside in the heat of noon, Gregory is granted a very unfriendly reception by Helladios who refuses to listen to Gregory’s apology and explanations. He dismisses him, refusing to admit him and his company to the festal meal prepared for the day:

(24-25.) Ὥρα ἦν πλείων ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἕκτην, καὶ τὸ λουτρὸν εὐτρεπὲς καὶ ἐν παρασκευῇ ἡ ἑστίασις καὶ σάββατον ἡ ἡμέρα καὶ μαρτύρων τιμή· καὶ πάλιν ὁ μαθητὴς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου πῶς μιμεῖται τὸν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου δεσπότην; ὁ μὲν μετὰ τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων ἀπελογεῖτο τοῖς ὀνειδίζουσιν ὡς κατὰ φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦτο ποιῶν, ὁ δὲ ἄγος κρίνει καὶ μίασμα τὴν ἐπὶ τραπέζης κοινωνίαν.

‘It was now long past the sixth hour, the bath was well primed, the banquet was in preparation, and the day was a Sabbath and a feast of martyrs. Again how did the disciple of the Gospel [Helladios] imitate the Master of the Gospel? The latter, when eating and drinking with publicans and sinners, defended Himself against those who reproached Him, by saying that He did so out of love for man [cf. Mt 9.10– 12]; the former regarded our company at the table as a disgrace and defilement.’

Gregory and his company leave the village, and, on their way back, they are caught by a thunderstorm.

Text: Maraval 1990.
Translation: E. Rizos.