135 - c. To Cyril Lucaris

Summary

Τῷ θϵοϕιƛέστατῳ, ΚΥΡΙΛΛΩ, ἐƛέϵι Θϵοῦ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόƛϵως νέας Ρώμης Επίσκόπῳ, ὑπϵρτίμῳ Εζάρχῳ, οἰκουμένικῷ Πατριάρχη, καὶ τῷ κοινῷ τῆς καθοƛικῆς Εκκƛησίας ϵὐϵργέτη.

Τοῦ ποƛυταƛάντου ἐκϵίνου δώρου, καὶ τιμαƛϕϵστάτου κϵιμηƛίου, πρὸ ὀƛίγων ἐτῶν, παρὰ τῆς σῆς Αγιωσύνης πρὸς τὸν γαƛηνότατον καὶ σϵβασμιώτατον βασιƛέα ἡμῶν διαπϵμϕθέντος, ταυτην τὴν μϵρίδα, τὸ κϵίμϵνον, δηƛαδὴ, τοῦ ποƛυάθƛου Ἰὼβ, ὡς πρόδρομον ἐπίδϵιγμα τῶν ƛοιπῶν τῆς παƛαιᾶς διαθήκης βιβƛίων, πάƛαι μϵν, ἐπι Πτοƛϵμαίου τοῦ Φιƛαδέƛϕου ἐν Αιγύπτῷ βασιƛϵύσαντος, διὰ τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα ἑρμηνϵυτῶν ἐκ τῶν Εβραϊκῶν ϵἰς τὴν Εƛƛάδα γƛώσσην μϵταβƛηθέντων, νῦν δὲ ἐζ αἰχμαƛωσίας τῆς Αἰγυπτίας, ἢ Βαβυƛωνίας, ποƛὺ χαƛϵπωτέρας, καὶ μακροχρονιωτέρας ἐƛϵυθϵρωθέντων, καὶ μϵτα ποƛƛὰς ἀγώνων πϵριόδους, ἐκ τῆς σκιᾶς τῆς ƛήθης δϵύτϵρον τῇ ἐκκƛησίᾳ, διὰ τῆς ἀζιϵπαινέτου τῆς Αγιωσύνης σου ἐπιμϵƛϵίας, καὶ κηδϵμονίας ἀποδϵδομένων, καὶ ἐν βραχϵῖ, σὺν Θϵῷ, ϵἰς ϕως καὶ ἡμέραν ἐκδοθησομένων. ϵἰς τὸ ἀδιάƛϵιπτον, διὰ τοσαύτην καὶ τηƛικαύτην ϵὐϵργϵσίαν, ϵὐχαριστίας μνημόσυνον, καὶ τῆς ἀϵὶ καὶ ἀνυποκρίτου ϕιƛίας, καὶ ϕιƛαδϵƛϕίας τϵκμήριον, σὺν ἀσπασμῷ ϵν ϕιƛήματι ἀγάπης, ασμένως πέμπϵι

ΙΛΕΡΜΟΣ τῷ αὐτῷ ἐƛέϵι Καντουαρίας Αρχιϵπίσκοπος, Εζαρχος καὶ Μητροποƛίτης πάσης τῆς Αγγƛίας, καὶ τῆς ἐν τῆ Ὀζονία Ακαδημίας, Καγκϵƛƛάριος.

Translation:

To Cyril, most beloved of God, by the grace of God bishop of Constantinople, the New Rome, right honourable primate, ecumenical patriarch and benefactor to the community of the Church universal.

In return for the costly gift and invaluable treasure which, a few years ago, Your Holiness sent to our most serene and venerable king – this portion, the text, indeed, of the long-suffering Iob as a forerunner and sample of the remaining books of the Old Testament, which once, when Ptolemy Philadelphus reigned in Egypt, were translated from Hebrew into the Greek tongue by the seventy interpreters, but now have been freed from captivity, much more grievous and longer-lasting than the Egyptian or Babylonian one, and after many periods of trial were returned to the Church for a second time from the shadow of oblivion through the praiseworthy diligence and care of Your Holiness and shortly, with the help of God, will be brought out into the light of day. <This> sends you gladly, to be an enduring memorial of gratitude, for so enormously great a service, and as proof of our eternal and sincere friendship and brotherly love, with an embrace in the holy kiss of charity,

William, by the same grace archbishop of Canterbury, primate and metropolitan of the whole of England and chancellor of the University of Oxford.