E00824: Basil of Caesarea, in his Letter 169 of 374, to Gregory of Nazianzus, reports on the scandal caused by a deacon during an ecclesiastical festival held at the village of Ouēnesa near Kaisareia/Caesarea of Cappadocia (central Asia Minor). Written in Greek at Kaisareia.

Basil of Caesarea, Letters (CPG 2900), Letter 169

ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙῼ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΣ
‘Basil to Gregory’

Basil warns Gregory about the conduct of an unruly deacon, Glykerios, who had fled to Gregory’s see. Glykerios was a peasant ordained by Basil to the diaconate in the village of Ouēnesa (Venesa) near Kaisareia/Caesarea. Disobeying both the local priest and the bishops over him (Basil and the local chorepiscopos), Glykerios apparently set up some kind of a female monastery directed by himself, and caused a scandal by joining a dancing party with some of his virgins, which took place during a local festival:

(………..) Καὶ τέλος, ἵνα τι λόγῳ ἐπιτιμηθῇ μικρὸν παρ’ ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ χωρεπισκόπου πρὸς τὸ μὴ καταφρονεῖν αὐτὸν (καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς νέους ἐγύμναζεν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἀπόνοιαν), πρᾶγμα διανοεῖται λίαν τολμηρὸν καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον. Συλήσας τῶν παρθένων ὅσας ἠδύνατο καὶ νύκτα τηρήσας δραπέτης γίνεται. Πάνυ σοι δεινὰ ταῦτα φανεῖται. Σκόπει καὶ τὸν καιρόν. Ἤγετο μὲν ἡ ἐκεῖσε σύνοδος καὶ πολὺ πανταχόθεν, ὡς εἰκός, ἐπέρρει τὸ πλῆθος. Ὁ δὲ ἀντεξῆγε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ χορὸν νέοις ἑπόμενον καὶ περιχορεύοντα καὶ πολλὴν μὲν κατήφειαν κινοῦντα τοῖς εὐλαβέσι, πολὺν δὲ γέλωτα τοῖς ἀκρατέσι καὶ τὴν γλῶσσαν ἑτοιμοτέροις. (…………)

(………..) And at last, in order to avoid receiving some slight verbal rebuke from us and from his chorepiscopos so that he should cease treating us with contempt (for he proceeded to train the young men also to the same folly), he is now planning an exceedingly daring and abominable thing. Having stolen from us two as many of the virgins as he could, and having watched for a night, he has become a fugitive. These things will seem quite dreadful to you. Consider also the occasion he chose. The local festival was being held, and a great crowd from all sides, as was natural, was gathering. And he led out his own troop in turn, following young men and dancing about them, and causing great shame to the pious, but much laughter to the boisterous and the more glib-tongued. (…………)’

Text: Courtonne II, 1961, 104-105.
Translation: Deferrari, vol. 2, p. 438-443 (modified).