nor will it end with me. The Apostles and the Prophets have suffered far greater persecutions."
As a conclusion, he exhorted the bishops to obey whoever should be put in his place, and only begged them not to sign his condemnation if they did not believe him guilty.
Photius must have considered this custom, and looked upon his predecessor as having fallen from his dignity, seeing that all the clergy except five votes[1] had elected him to succeed Ignatius. But he could not write to the Pope that Ignatius had been deposed, since he had not been canonically condemned.
He was therefore neither a hypocrite nor a liar in writing to the Pope, as we have seen. He thus continues:
"The opportunity for entreaty being taken from me, I burst into tears. The sorrow which seemed like a cloud within me and filled me with anxiety and darkness, broke at once into a torrent of tears which overflowed from my eyes. To see our words unavailing to obtain safety, impels us naturally to prayers and tears; we hope for some aid from them even though we can no longer expect it. Those who thus did violence to my feelings left me no peace until they had obtained what they desired, although against my will. Thus here I am, exposed to storms and judgments that only God knows of, who knows all things. But enough of this, as the phrase is."
"Now as communion of faith is the best of all, and as it is preëminently the source of true love, in order to contract with your Holiness a pure and indissoluble bond, we have resolved to briefly engrave, as upon marble, our faith, which is yours also. By that means we shall more promptly obtain the aid of your fervent prayers, and give you the best evidence of our affection."
- ↑ Those historians who are enemies to Photius acknowledge this.
