E00818: Basil of Caesarea, in his Letter 100 of 372, invites Eusebios, bishop of Samosata, to attend the festival of *Eupsychios (martyr of Kaisareia, S00470) in Kaisareia/Caesarea of Cappadocia (central Asia Minor), on 7 September. Basil hopes to hold an episcopal council during the festival, which will elect new bishops. Written in Greek at Kaisareia.

Basil of Caesarea, Letters (CPG 2900), Letter 100

ΕΥΣΕΒΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ

(…………) Ἐμὲ δὲ ἐπέλειπε παντελῶς τὸ σῶμα, ὡς μηδὲ τὰς σμικροτάτας κινήσεις δύνασθαι ἀλύπως φέρειν. Πλὴν ἀλλ’ εὔχομαι δυνηθῆναί μοι τὴν παλαιὰν ἐπιθυμίαν νῦν γοῦν διὰ τῆς βοηθείας τῶν σῶν προσευχῶν ἐκπληρωθῆναι, εἰ καὶ ὅτι πολλήν μοι πεποίηκε τὴν δυσκολίαν ἡ ἀποδημία αὕτη, τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ἀμεληθέντων τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν Ἐκκλησίαν πραγμάτων. Ἐὰν δὲ ὁ Θεός, ἕως ἐσμὲν ὑπὲρ γῆς, καταξιώσῃ ἡμᾶς ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡμῶν τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν ὄντως ἀγαθὰς ἐλπίδας καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἕξομεν ὡς οὐ πάντῃ ἀπόβλητοι τῶν δωρεῶν γενησόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τοῦτο γοῦν, ἐὰν ᾖ δυνατόν, παρακαλοῦμεν ἐπὶ τῆς συνόδου γενέσθαι ἣν δι’ ἔτους ἄγομεν ἐπὶ τῇ μνήμῃ τοῦ μακαριωτάτου μάρτυρος Εὐψυχίου ἐγγιζούσῃ λοιπὸν κατὰ τὴν ἑβδόμην τοῦ Σεπτεμβρίου μηνὸς ἡμέραν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ φροντίδος ἄξια ἡμῖν περίκειται πράγματα τῆς παρὰ σοῦ δεόμενα συνεργίας, εἴς τε κατάστασιν ἐπισκόπων καὶ εἰς βουλὴν καὶ σκέψιν τῶν μελετωμένων καθ’ ἡμῶν παρὰ τῆς χρηστότητος Γρηγορίου τοῦ Νυσσαέως, ὃς συνόδους συγκροτεῖ κατὰ τὴν Ἄγκυραν καὶ οὐδένα τρόπον ἐπιβουλεύων ἡμῖν ἀφίησιν.

‘To Eusebios, Bishop of Samosata

(…………) My body has failed me so completely that I am unable to make even the slightest movement without pain. However, I pray that now, at any rate, my old desire can be fulfilled through the assistance of your prayers; although it is true that this absence abroad has caused me great difficulties, since the affairs of our own church have been neglected for so long a time. Yet if God, while we are still on earth, will deem us worthy to see your Piety in our church, we shall have truly bright hopes for the future also, that we shall not be wholly excluded from the gifts of God. This, then, if it be possible, we beg you to take place during the festival we celebrate every year on the seventh of September in memory of the blessed Eupsychios, an event which is now approaching. Moreover, we are encompassed by matters worthy of serious attention which stand in need of your assistance, namely, the question of appointing bishops, and the matter of investigating and deliberating about the actions meditated against us by Gregory of Nyssa in his simplicity, who convenes assemblies according to Ancyra, and misses no way to plot against us.’

Text: Courtonne, vol. 1, 218-219.
Translation: Deferrari, vol. 2, p. 185-187 (modified).