ADMONITION TO THE ENCYCLICAL OR CIRCULAR EPISTLE TO THE BISHOPS OF EGYPT AND LIBYA AGAINST THE ARIANS
A I. In some Greek manuscripts, as well as in printed Latin editions, this epistle is inscribed *First Oration against the Arians*; but erroneously, as is now apparent to all learned men. For this is distinct and separate from the four *Orations against the Arians*, and there is no connection between it and them; moreover, this epistle is entirely complete in itself, whereas those four *Orations* so cohere with one another that the first does not imply any preceding work, but is the beginning of a new one, and only the fourth is the end and conclusion of the other three. But this will be discussed more fully in the *Admonition* concerning those same four *Orations*.
B II. As to the time when this epistle was written, there is absolutely no room for doubt. For it is certain from section 7 that it was sent when George the Cappadocian was just about to be intruded into the see of Alexandria, which happened in the year 356, during Lent, and therefore before the 7th of April, on which day Easter fell in that year. It is likewise established that it was written after the 9th day of the month of February, after St. Athanasius, when Syrianus had hostilely broken into the church of St. Theonas, had divinely escaped the hands and snares of the Arians and had withdrawn from Alexandria, and was already wandering in foreign regions, as he himself writes in sections 5 and 20.
C III. Nor are we unaware that Baronius, at the year of Christ 306, number 44, traces the Meletian schism from this epistle to the year 306, and concludes that it was written in the year 361 from these words of St. Athanasius, section 22: *Οἱ μὲν (Μελετιανοὶ) πρὸ πεντήκοντα καὶ πέντε ἐτῶν σχισματικοὶ γεγόνασιν· οἱ δὲ (Αρειανοὶ) πρὸ τριάκοντα καὶ ἓξ ἐτῶν ἀπεδείχθησαν αἱρετικοί, καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀπεβλήθησαν ἐκ κρίσεως πάσης τῆς οἰκουμενικῆς συνόδου.* That is: "The Meletians became schismatics fifty-five years ago; and the Arians were declared heretics thirty-six years ago, and were rejected from the Church by the judgment of the entire universal synod." But since Baronius himself, from the *Testimony of the Alexandrian people*, which was issued the day before the Ides of February after the consulship of Arbæthion and Lollianus, that is, after the year 355, rightly gathers that George was intruded in the year 356; and since, as we have already said, it is most certain from section 7 that this epistle was written when George had not yet occupied the see of Alexandria, but was shortly to invade it, it must necessarily be admitted that it was composed in this very year 356.
D IV. There is no doubt, however, that the cause of error for Baronius was this translation by Nannius: "They (the Meletians) became schismatics fifty-five years ago: these (the Arians) indeed were declared heretics thirty-six years ago, and removed from the Church, and that by the judgment of a universal synod." For from this, Baronius concludes that thirty-six years had passed since the Nicene council when Athanasius wrote these things, and therefore that this epistle is of the year 361. But it is right to distinguish this passage in such a way that the word *ἀπεδείχθησαν* (were declared) is referred to Alexander of Alexandria, who, of course, was the first to declare Arius a heretic in the Alexandrian synod; but the rest that follows is attributed to the Nicene synod. Thus, indeed, in sections 12 and 13, Arius, uttering blasphemies, is said to have been declared a heretic by Alexander (*αἱρετικὸς ἀπεδείχθη*). Likewise, in the first *Oration against the Arians*, section 3, the holy prelate testifies that after Arius was condemned by Alexander, his followers were no longer called Christians, but Arians.
V. Furthermore, this is the argument of the epistle. St. Athanasius vehemently beseeches the bishops of Egypt and Libya to resist the attempts and deceits of the Arians most validly and courageously, especially when he heard that some of them had met together to write about the faith, with the intention of sending letters to them, to which, if they wished to subscribe, they might live in safety; but if they dared to contradict, they would be sent into exile. He also marvelously exposes the inconstancy of the Arians, who, in fact, met every year to determine the faith, and yet nonetheless rescinded what they had previously defined. He also refutes and repels their impiety, as well as that of the Meletians, and their trickery and violence with various arguments. He also warns that one must be most careful against their writings, which they were accustomed to adorn with the words of Scripture so as to deceive the unwary more easily. Shortly before the end, he recounts the death of Arius; and lastly, with truly apostolic ardor, he exhorts those bishops to unconquerable strength of mind, and to endure anything whatsoever rather than desist from the Nicene faith and the defense of the truth.
OF OUR HOLY FATHER ATHANASIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, ENCYCLICAL EPISTLE TO THE BISHOPS OF EGYPT AND LIBYA AGAINST THE ARIANS
1. All the things which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as Luke wrote, both did and taught, He performed for the sake of our salvation, which was the purpose of His coming. For, as John says, He came not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Yet, among all the things which He accomplished, His goodness is especially to be admired in this: that He did not keep silent even concerning those who were to wage war against us, but most clearly foretold them, so that when those things should come to pass, we might be found with our minds fortified by His teaching, seeing that He has warned us in these words: "There shall arise false"
prophets and false Christs, and shall show great signs and wonders, so that they might lead into error, if possible, even the elect: behold, I have foretold you." A For the teachings and gifts deposited in us by Him are many and surpass human nature; for they are a pattern of heavenly life, and power against demons, and adoption B as sons, and what surpasses every gift and is peerless, the knowledge of the Father and of the Word Himself, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. But the mind of man is strongly inclined toward evil; and indeed our adversary the devil, envying us because such great goods have come to us, goes about seeking to snatch away the seeds of the Word that are in us. For this reason, then, just as if sealing in us our teachings like private treasures through B prophecy, the Lord said: "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying: I am he; and the time has drawn near; go ye not therefore after them." The Word has granted us a great gift, that we should not be deceived by the very appearance of things, but rather, even if these things happen to be covered, we might be able by the grace of the Spirit to discern them. For because C the inventor of wickedness and the great demon, the devil, is altogether detestable in himself, and is driven off by all as soon as he appears—as a serpent, as a dragon, as a lion seeking whom he may snatch and devour—for this reason he hides and conceals what he truly is; but he cunningly puts forward the name which all desire, so that when he has deluded men with a false appearance, he may then bind those who have been deceived with his own chains. And just as if someone, wishing to drag the children of others into captivity, were to put on the appearance D of their absent parents, and by that artifice were to lure and carry far away the children, as they burn with longing for their parents, and then destroy them: in the same way, the wretched and crooked devil, not daring to show himself as he is, and knowing how much men are lovers of the truth, feigns this merely in appearance, and in this manner spreads his own venom into those who follow him.
2. Thus he once deceived Eve [(2)]
A by speaking, but faking the words of God, and corrupting their true meaning. In this way he also suborned the wife of Job, persuading her to feign love for her husband, while in reality teaching her to utter blasphemies against God himself. Thus, the crafty one deludes and deceives men by outward appearances, stealing them away and dragging each one into his own pit of wickedness. Long ago, having deceived the first man, Adam, and having thought that through him he had secured everyone in his power, he leaped up in his arrogance and said, "I will take hold of the whole world by my hand like a nest, and as eggs that have been abandoned I will gather them, and there is no one who shall escape me or gainsay me." But when the Lord appeared and the enemy had proof B of His human dispensation, as he was unable to deceive the flesh which Christ bore, then he who had promised to take hold of the whole world began from that time, on account of Christ, to be a laughingstock even to children, like a sparrow, in his pride. For now a young infant, putting his hand into the hole of asps, mocks him who deceived Eve; and all those who rightly believe in the Lord trample upon him who said, "I will place my throne above the clouds, I will ascend, I will be like the Most High." C Thus, then, that one suffers with shame; yet even if the shameless one dares again to reshape himself, nevertheless, miserable as he is, he is known even now all the more by those who wear the sign on their foreheads, and is rebuffed all the more bitterly, humbled and put to shame. For even if, creeping now as a serpent, he should transform himself into an angel of light, he will have no advantage from this, since he is not hidden; for we have been instructed that even if an angel from heaven should evangelize us differently from what we have received, he is to be anathema.
3. But if, again, he wishes to hide his own lie and simulates D the truth by speaking through his lips, yet we, not being ignorant of his designs, are able to say, as the Spirit has spoken against him: But to the sinner
B God said: Why do you declare my statutes? And: Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner. For not even if the deceiver speaks the truth is he worthy of belief, as we learn from Scripture, which commemorates the perversity he employed against Eve. The Lord also repressed his boldness, and first of all on the mountain, where he revealed the various folds of his breast and showed who that crafty one was—namely, not one of the saints, but Satan the tempter—and hence said: Get behind me, Satan; for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve; and again, when he commanded the demons crying out from the tombs to be silent. For it was indeed true what they were crying out, and they did not lie then when they said: You are the Son of God, and the Holy One of God; but He did not wish the truth to be proclaimed through an unclean mouth, and especially through them, lest, by using this as a pretext for mixing in the peculiar will of their own malice, they might sow it upon sleeping men. For this reason neither did He Himself endure them speaking such things, nor, wishing us to tolerate such like, did He warn us by His own lips, saying: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. And by the holy apostles: Do not believe every spirit. For such is the character of the countervailing operation, C and such are the fabrications of the heresies: for each of them has the lying demon—who from the beginning was perverse and became a murderer—as the father and author of its own conceit; and being ashamed to utter his loathsome name, they falsely adorn themselves with the name of the Savior, which is illustrious and more excellent than all, and they dare to adorn themselves with the words of the Scriptures. But while they utter the words, they conceal the true meaning, and in this way each one, with its own conceit insidiously cloaked, becomes a murderer of those whom they lead into error.
4. But what will the Gospel profit those who deny the law, especially when from the old the new things have arisen, and in turn the new bear witness to the old? For those who reject the old, how will they acknowledge those things which have flowed from them? For the apostle Paul D
A became a minister of the Gospel of God, which He had promised before by His prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Lord Himself also said: *Search the Scriptures, for they are they which testify of me.* How then will they be able to confess the Lord, if they do not first search the Scriptures which are concerning Him? For the disciples claim to have found Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote. And again, why do the Sadducees hold to the Law, when they themselves reject the prophets? For God, who gave the Law, Himself promised to raise up prophets in the Law, so that He might be the same Lord of both the Law and the prophets; and thus, whoever rejects one of these must of necessity reject the other also. And again, what profit can the Old Testament be to the Jews, who have not recognized the Lord whose advent is predicted therein? For if they believed the writings of Moses, they would have believed the words of the Lord. *For He wrote of me,* He says. And again, what profit does the Samosatene receive B from the Scriptures, he who does not fear to deny the Word of God, and the bodily advent of the Word, which is signified and indicated in both the Old and New Testaments? And finally, what do the Scriptures profit the Arians, and why do they put them forward—they who assert that the Son of God is a created thing, and who, just like the Gentiles, serve the created thing rather than God the Creator? For each of these heresies has nothing in common with the Scriptures regarding its own peculiar impiety; and the patrons of these heresies know this, that the Scriptures occupy a position that is not merely significantly, but in fact entirely, opposed to the doctrine of each of their heresies. Nevertheless, in order to lead the simpler sort into error—such persons as are described in the Proverbs, where it is written, *The innocent believeth every word*—they feign to meditate upon and use the words of Scripture, not unlike their father the devil, so that from the sound of the words they may appear to have the correct belief C and, subsequently, persuade pitiable men to think contrary to the Scriptures. Truly, in each of the heresies the devil, having fashioned himself in this way, has himself supplied words full of deceit; for regarding these the Lord has said, *There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, so as to deceive many.* Therefore the devil has come, saying through each of them: "I am Christ, and the truth is with me," and the slanderer has caused all of them, both individually and collectively, to lie. And the D
A paradox is that all the heresies fight against one another regarding the evils which each one has invented, yet they are bound together only in lying; for they all have one father who has sown the lie in all of them. The believer, therefore, and disciple of the Gospel, having the gift 43 to discern spiritual things, and having built for himself the house of faith upon the rock, stands firm and remains safe from their deception; but the simple man, as I said before 44, and one not instructed strongly, such a person looking only at the words and not perceiving the meaning, is immediately dragged away by their wiles. For this reason, it is good and necessary to pray to receive the gift of discernment of spirits, so that each one may know, according to the commandment of John, whom he ought to reject, and whom he ought to receive as friends and B as being of the same faith. One could indeed write much if one had the mind to treat these matters thoroughly; for the impiety and perversity of heresies will appear to be great and varied, and the craftiness of those who deceive to be very terrible. But since the divine Scripture is more sufficient than all else, for this reason, having advised those who wish to know much about these matters to have recourse to the divine words 47, I myself have hastened to indicate what is now pressing, and this is why I particularly wrote in this way.
5. In these regions, C true and orthodox brothers 48 have reported that certain members of the sect of Arius have gathered together and written, as they wished, about the faith, and desire to send a letter to you, so that you may either subscribe, as it pleases them—or rather as the devil has suggested to them 50—or else whoever opposes 51 them is sent into exile. For they are already beginning to harass 52 the bishops of these regions. From this, then, the manner of those writing becomes clear. For those who write in such a way, so that the end of their letters 53
contain exile and other punishments, what could such men be if not enemies of Christians, and friends of the devil and his demons? Especially since, while the most God-fearing emperor Constantius is a man of philanthropy, they proclaim against his will what they themselves desire. For indeed they do this with much cunning, and for two reasons, as it appears to me. One, so that with your signatures, they may seem to put an end to the notoriety of Arius, while they themselves go unnoticed as not thinking the thoughts of Arius; and, secondly, that by writing these things, they may seem to obscure the synod that took place at Nicaea, B and the faith that was set forth in it against the Arian heresy. But this, rather, proves more clearly their malice and their heterodoxy; for if they believed rightly, they would be content with the faith set forth at Nicaea by the whole ecumenical synod. And if they thought that they were being slandered and were called Arians in vain, they ought not to be eager to change the things written against Arius, so that the things written against him might not be judged as being against themselves. But now they do not act in this way, but as if they themselves were Arius, they fight on their own behalf. For mark, I ask you, C how they care nothing for the truth, but say and do everything for the sake of defending the Arian heresy. For those who dare to calumniate what has been rightly defined, and attempt to write other things besides them, what else are they doing but accusing the Fathers themselves, and standing in defense of the heresy against which they had stood and pronounced a just judgment? For indeed, the things that they write now, they do not write out of concern for the truth, as I said before, but rather they act playfully and do this with artifice, for the deception of men, so that in the sending of letters, they might cause the ears of the common people to be occupied with these matters, and gain time for themselves before they are accused; and thus, through this delay, hiding their impiety, they may have a place to spread the heresy, which, like a gangrene, consumes everything everywhere.
6. Therefore, they move and disturb everything, and even so D they are not content with their own decrees; for every year, as those who write up contracts, they gather together and they, too, pretend to write about the faith, so that from this also they may reap more laughter and disgrace, inasmuch as
those decrees are rescinded, not by others, but by themselves. A For if they had confidence in what they had formerly written, they would not have sought to write a second time; nor, having abandoned those, would they be writing these now, which, in any case, they intend to change again, in a very short time, if they should find an opportunity, as is their habit, to plot against someone. For when they plot against anyone, they especially pretend to be writing about the faith, so that, just as Pilate washed his hands, so too these—these dragons—might slay those who worship Christ, B and so that, by defining things as if they were concerning the faith, they might appear, as I have often said, to avoid the charge of heterodoxy. But they will be able to neither hide nor escape; for as long as they provide a defense only for themselves, they are always their own accusers, and justly so; for they do not answer those who convict them, but, as they wish, they persuade only themselves. When, therefore, the accused judges himself, what acquittal can there be for the crime? This is why they are always writing, and, by always altering the same things, they have an uncertain faith, or rather, they have a manifest lack of faith C and a perverse mind. And it seems to me that they suffer this quite deservedly. For since they have departed from the truth and desire to overturn the faith that was rightly drawn up at Nicaea, they have loved, as it is written, to move their feet; for this reason, they too, like Jerusalem of old, toil and labor, making changes, writing different things at different times, only that they may buy time and remain enemies of Christ, leading men astray from the truth.
7. Who then, for whom the truth is of the greatest importance, will be able to endure such men any longer? Who will not rightly turn away from them as they write? Who will not condemn their rashness? D For they, being few in number, wish their own opinion to prevail over all others; desiring their own gatherings—held in corners and held in suspicion—to have authority, they strain every nerve to dissolve the general, sincere, and pure synod, and to render it invalid; they, I say,
A who have been led on by the Eusebians to support the heresy that fights against Christ, dare to make decrees concerning the faith. And although they ought to be judged themselves as culprits, they set themselves up to judge, like the followers of Caiaphas; and they want the Thalia to be believed, even though they themselves do not know how they believe. For who does not know that, because of the madness of Arius, Secundus of Pentapolis, who was deposed many times in the past, was received by them? And that George, who is now in Laodicea, and Leontius the eunuch, and before him Stephanus, and Theodorus B of Heraclea, were promoted? For indeed, Ursacius and Valens, having been deposed earlier from the presbyterate, were later called bishops because of their impiety—the very men who at the beginning, being younger, were instructed by Arius; as were Acacius, Patrophilus, and Narcissus, men most bold in every kind of impiety. These, therefore, were all deposed at the great synod held at Sardica. Eustathius, who is now bishop in Sebaste, Demophilus, Germinius, C Eudoxius, and Basil, advocates of impiety, were promoted to the same office. As for the present Cecropius, the one called Auxentius, and Epictetus the performer, it is superfluous even to speak, since it is known to all how and for what reasons and by which enemies these men were promoted—namely, to frame calumnies against the orthodox bishops, against whom they lay snares. For although these men are from eighty households and are not known by the people, yet because of their impiety they have negotiated for themselves the name of bishop. Because of this, at least, having hired a certain individual D from Cappadocia, George, they wish now to send him to you. But no account should be taken of this man; for the report in these parts is that he is not even a Christian, but rather is addicted to idolatry and has the character of a barbarian and a public executioner.
A For this reason they took him on, being such as he was, so that he might act unjustly, plunder, and be able to commit murder. For in these things he has practiced more than anyone else, and he is in no way acquainted with those things that belong to the faith in Christ.
8. Those men, then, devise such things against the truth; but their intention will be clear to all, even if a thousand times over they attempt, like eels, to slip away B and to remain hidden as enemies of Christ. For this reason I exhort you: let no one among you be deceived, let no one among you be subverted; but rather, as if a Judaic impiety were attacking the faith in Christ, let all of you be zealous for the Lord. And let each one, holding fast to the faith from the Fathers, which also those who assembled at Nicaea brought to mind by writing, not tolerate those who attempt to introduce innovations against it. For even if they write words from the Scriptures, do not tolerate those who write them; and even if they utter the words of orthodoxy, do not heed those who speak them either. For they do not speak with an upright mind, but, putting on the words like a sheep’s skin, C inwardly they think the thoughts of Arius, just as does the devil, the leader of heresies. For indeed, even he once spoke the things from the Scriptures, but he was silenced by the Savior. For if he had felt as he said, and had understood, he would not have fallen from the heavens; but as it is, having fallen in his mind, that crafty one pretends with his words. And often the malevolent one also tries to deceive through Greek elegance and its sophistries. If, therefore, what was written were from the orthodox, such as would have been written by the great and confessor Hosius, and Maximinus of Gaul, or he who succeeded him, or by Philogonius and Eustathius of the East, or by Julius and Liberius, bishops of Rome, or by Cyriacus of Mysia, or by Pistus and Aristaeus, bishops from Greece, or by Sylvester and Protogenes of Dacia, or by Leontius and Eupsychius of the D
A Cappadocia, or Cecilianus of Africa, or Eustorgius of Italy, or Capito of Sicily, or Macarius of Jerusalem, or Alexander of Constantinople, or Paderos of Heraclea, or the great Meletius and Basilius, and Longianus, and those with them from Armenia and Pontus, or Lupus and Amphio of Cilicia, or Jacobus and those with him from Mesopotamia, or our own blessed B Alexander, and those who share the same faith with them, there would be no reason to suspect anything in their writings; for the character of apostolic men is guileless and simple.
9. But because those things which have been written are by those hired to support the heresy, according to the divine proverb, "The words of the ungodly are deceitful," and, "The mouth of the ungodly answers evil things," and, "The ungodly govern deceits," one must watch and be wary, brethren, as the Lord said, lest any deception arise from their elegance of speech and craftiness; lest, I say, one come, saying on the mere name of it, "I announce Christ," and a little later be recognized as an Antichrist. Those who come to you on account of the madness of Arius are indeed to be considered Antichrists. For what is lacking among you, that one should come to you from elsewhere? Or of what do the churches of Egypt, Libya, and Alexandria have need, that those who trade the episcopate for wood and bundles should invade C churches that do not concern them? Who does not know, who does not clearly see, that they do all these things to establish their impiety? Therefore, even if they feign themselves to be mute, even if they bind onto themselves fringes larger than those of the Pharisees, and expand themselves with their speech, and labor to intensify their voices, they should not be believed; for it is not the word, but the mind and the manner of life led in piety that commends the faithful man. For this reason the Sadducees and the Herodians,
A though they had the law upon their lips, were rebuked by the Savior when He said: "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God." And it is demonstrated to all that even those who appear to speak the law were convicted of being heretical in their understanding and enemies of God. Others, certainly, they led astray by saying such things; but the Lord, who became man, they could not deceive; for the Word became flesh, He who knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain; for thus He also rebuked the Jews who were plotting against Him, saying: "If God were your Father, you would love me; for I have come forth from the Father, and I come to you." Thus, to me, these men also seem to act now; for they conceal what they think, and then, in order to write, they craftily borrow expressions from the Scriptures, so that by these means they may lure the B ignorant into their own wickedness.
10. Consider, I pray, whether the matter is not so. For if, with no cause impelling them, they write concerning the faith, they are certainly doing a useless and perhaps dangerous thing, since, with no question having been raised, they themselves provide an occasion for contention, and thus disturb the innocent hearts of the brethren, and disseminate things that never entered their minds. But if they wished to write in order to clear themselves of the Arian heresy, they ought truly to have first extirpated the seeds of the evils that have sprung up, and to have condemned those who supplied such seeds; and therefore it would have been permissible in this way to write rightly against them: or at any rate it would have been better to state the opinion of Arius openly, so that it might appear that they themselves are, not secretly but openly, enemies of Christ, and that all might flee from them no otherwise than from the sight of a serpent. But now, they conceal even these things, and pretending to write about other matters—just as if a physician, having been summoned to someone wounded and sick, were to say nothing about the wounds, but were to discourse about the healthy limbs, he would surely be judged to be of great stupidity, inasmuch as he keeps silent about those things for whose sake he had come, and discourses preposterously about other things that have no need of him: so also do these men act, who indeed leave their own heresy aside, and attempt to write about other things. Yet it behooved them, C if they were concerned about the faith and loved Christ, to first—
suppress the impious terms used against Him, and then in their place to introduce sound words for speaking and writing. But they do neither this themselves nor do they allow others to do it, whether out of ignorance or because they use artifice and cunning. B
11. A Now if they are accused of acting out of ignorance, they are to be held guilty for their rashness and thoughtlessness in asserting things of which they are ignorant. But if they are pretending while they know [the truth], their condemnation is greater, because when they deliberate about their own affairs, they consider nothing to be superfluous; but when they write about the faith in our Lord, they trifle, and do everything rather than speak the truth; and they hide [the matters] for which their heresy is condemned, while speaking words taken from the Scriptures. This is clearly a theft of the truth, and is full of every kind of iniquity; and I know well that your piety will be able to discern this clearly from these examples. For no one accused of adultery defends himself by [pleading] theft, nor does one who is accusing others of murder allow the accused to respond in their own defense by saying, "We have not perjured ourselves, but have even kept the deposit." Indeed, this is more of a game than an exoneration of a crime or a demonstration of truth. For what does murder have to do with a deposit, or adultery with theft? For even if vices, springing from the same heart, may be related to one another, nevertheless for the purpose of clearing a committed crime they have nothing in common. Therefore, Achar, as it is written in the book of Joshua the son of Nun, when accused of theft, did not attempt to defend himself by offering [as an excuse] his zeal in the wars, but, being convicted of the theft, he was stoned by all. And Saul also, when rebuked for negligence and for having violated the law, gained nothing by making excuses about other things. For an excuse concerning other matters does not effect an acquittal for other crimes; but if, indeed, one must do all things lawfully and justly, it is fitting for one who is accused of a matter to respond regarding that same matter, and either to prove that he did not do it, or, if he is convicted, to promise that he will no longer look upon or do [such things]. But if he has done the thing of which he is accused, and yet is unwilling to confess it, but in order to conceal the deed responds with other things instead; persistent...
it is manifest that he has not acted rightly, but is himself conscious that he has transgressed A. But what need is there of long speeches, when even these men themselves are the accusers of the Arian heresy? For if they dare not speak out, but rather conceal the blasphemous language of those men, they clearly know that this heresy is estranged and alien from the truth. And since they themselves conceal it and are afraid to speak, it is necessary for us to strip off the veil 35 of impiety and to expose the heresy, knowing what those around Arius then said, and how they were cast out from the Church and expelled from the clergy. We ask your indulgence beforehand, however, if we are about to utter foul words; for we do not publish these things because we hold such opinions, but only so that we may refute the heretics B.
12. Therefore, Bishop Alexander of blessed memory cast Arius out of the Church, as he both held and maintained the following: “God was not always Father, the Son was not always; but all things being from nothing, the Son of God is also from nothing; and all things being creatures, he also is a creature and as a work; and all things not existing before, but coming into being later, the Word of God himself was at one time when he was not, before he was begotten 39, but has a beginning of existence. For then he came into being, when God wished to create him; for he too is one of all the works 40. And that he is by nature mutable, but by his own free will, as he wishes, he remains 41 good; yet when he wishes, he is able to change, just as all things. For this reason God—foreseeing that he would be good—bestowed upon him this glory in advance, which he would have attained from virtue later on; so that from his works 42 which God foreknew, he has now become such.” They say, then, 43 that “Christ is not the true God, but even he is called God by participation, just as all the others 44.” And they add this also, that “He is not the Word by nature in the Father, and his own proper Word of his substance, and his own Wisdom, in which he also made this world 45; but there is another in the
A Father who is his own proper Word, and another specific Wisdom of his in the Father, in which Wisdom he also made this Word. But this Lord himself is called Word by a mental conception because of things endowed with reason, and is called Wisdom by a mental conception because of things adorned with wisdom.” Indeed, they say that “just as all things are by nature alien and diverse from the Father, so he too is in all respects alien and estranged from the essence of the Father, and he belongs to originated things and creatures; for he is a creature and a product and a work.” Again they say B that “He did not build us for his sake, but him for our sake. For God was alone, they say, and the Word was not with him; then, wishing to create us, he then made him, and from the time he came into being, he called him Word, and Son, and Wisdom, that he might create us through him; and just as all things 50 came into existence by the will of God, not having existed before, so he too came into being by the will of God, not having existed before 51. For the Word is not a proper and natural offspring of the Father, but he also came into being by grace. For God, who is, made the non-existent Son by a command, by which he also made, and fashioned, and created all things, and willed them to come into being.” For they even say C this: that “Christ 52 is not the natural and true power of God; but just as the caterpillar and the locust are called power, so he too is called the power of the Father.” In addition to these things he said 53 that “the Father is ineffable to the Son; and the Son is not able to see, nor to know the Father perfectly and accurately. For having a beginning of existence, he cannot know the One who is without beginning; but even what he knows and sees, he knows and sees according to his own measures, just as we 53’ know and see according to our own power.” He added also this, that “the Son does not only not know the Father accurately, but he does not even know his own 54 nature.”
13. By saying these things and others like them, Arius was proven D a heretic. But I, even just by writing them, was purging myself, reflecting upon the things against this
A nature, and holding fast the mind of piety. A For indeed, all the bishops who came together from everywhere to the council at Nicaea were stopping their ears at these words; and with one vote all condemned this heresy for these very reasons, and anathematized it, declaring it to be foreign and alien to the ecclesiastical faith. No necessity drove the judges to this opinion, but all of their own accord defended the truth, and they did this justly and rightly. For godlessness is introduced by these views, and rather it is a Judaism going against the Scriptures, having Hellenism closely following it, so that he who thinks these things should no longer be called a Christian; for all these things are contrary to the Scriptures. For John indeed says: *In the beginning was the Word;* but these men say: *He was not before He was begotten.* And he himself also wrote again: *And we are in the true One, in His Son Jesus Christ; this is the true God and eternal life.* But these men, as if contending against Him, say that Christ is not the true God, but that He is called God only by participation, just as all things are called god. And the Apostle indeed blames the Gentiles because they worship created things, saying: *They served the creature rather than the Creator God.* But these men, contending that the Lord is a creature, and serving Him as a creature, how, I ask, do they differ from the Gentiles? For if they hold such views, do not these words and the rebuke of the blessed Paul pertain to them? Furthermore, the Lord says: *I and the Father are one;* and, *He who has seen me has seen the Father.* And the Apostle, who was sent by Him to preach, writes: *Who being the radiance of the glory and the stamp of His substance.* But these impious men dare to divide Him and to call Him alien to the substance and eternity of the Father, and to introduce Him as mutable, C failing to perceive that by saying these things, they make Him not one with the Father, but with created things. For who does not see that the radiance is not separable from the light, but exists simultaneously with it as its own proper nature, and did not come into being later, as is the case with all things? D
[GREEK COLUMN] ρον (67) ; Εἶτα τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγοντος, Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, καὶ τῶν Γραφῶν λεγουσῶν τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν τοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγον, ἐν ᾧ καὶ οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν, καὶ ἁπλῶς πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο· οὗτοι, A καινῶν ἐφευρεταὶ δογμάτων καὶ πλασμάτων γενόμενοι (68), ἕτερον ἐπεισάγουσι λόγον, καὶ ἄλλην σοφίαν τοῦ Πατρὸς εἶναι, τοῦτον δὲ κατ' ἐπίνοιαν διὰ τὰ λογικὰ λέγεσθαι Λόγον (69) καὶ Σοφίαν, οὐχ ὁρῶντες ἐκ τούτου τὸ ἄτοπον.
14. Εἰ γὰρ δι' ἡμᾶς λέγεται κατ' ἐπίνοιαν (70) Λόγος καὶ Σοφία, τί ἂν εἴη αὐτὸς, οὐκ ἂν εἴποιεν. Εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα αὐτὸν λέγουσιν εἶναι αἱ Γραφαὶ, οὗτοι δὲ (71) ταῦτα εἶναι τὸν Κύριον οὐ θέλουσι, φανερῶς οὐδὲ ὑπάρχειν αὐτὸν θέλουσιν οἱ ἄθεοι καὶ τῶν Γραφῶν ἐναντίοι. Καὶ τοῦτο οἱ μὲν πιστοὶ δύνανται παρ' αὐτῆς τε τῆς πατρικῆς φωνῆς (72), καὶ παρὰ τῶν προσκυνούντων αὐτὸν ἀγγέλων, καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ γραψάντων ἁγίων μαθεῖν· οὗτοι δὲ, ἐπεὶ τὴν διάνοιαν οὐκ ἔχουσι καθαράν, οὐδὲ δύνανται θείων ἐπακούειν καὶ θεολόγων ἀνδρῶν, δύνανται κἂν παρὰ (73) τῶν ὁμοίων αὐτοῖς δαιμόνων μαθεῖν, ὅτι μὴ ὡς πολλῶν ὄντων ἀνεφώνουν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτον μόνον εἰδότες ἔλεγον· Σὺ εἶ ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ τὴν αἵρεσιν αὐτοῖς ὑποβαλὼν (74), B πειράζων ἐν τῷ ὄρει, οὐκ ἔλεγεν· Εἰ καὶ σὺ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς ἔντων ἄλλων· ἀλλ', Εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ (75), ὡς μόνου ὄντος αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλ' οἱ θαυμαστοὶ, ὥσπερ Ἕλληνες, ἐκπεσόντες τῆς περὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ ἐννοίας, εἰς πολυθεότητα κατῆλθον, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι, μὴ πιστεύοντες ἕνα εἶναι τὸν τοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγον, εἰς πολλῶν ἐπίνοιαν πεπτώκασι· καὶ τὸν μὲν ὄντως ὄντα Θεὸν καὶ ἀληθινὸν (76) Λόγον ἀρνοῦνται, κτίσμα δὲ αὐτὸν κἂν ἐνθυμεῖσθαι τετολμήκασιν, οὐ βλέποντες ὅσης ἀσεβείας μεστόν ἐστι τὸ φρόνημα. Εἰ γὰρ κτίσμα ἐστὶ, πῶς αὐτὸς τῶν κτισμάτων ἐστὶ
[LATIN COLUMN] Patris verbum in quo et cœli firmati sunt, omniaque prorsus per ipsum facta sunt; illi novorum dogmatum et commentorum inventores aliud inducunt verbum aliamque fingunt esse sapientiam Patris; illum vero nonnisi cogitatione, rerum scilicet ratione præditarum causa, Verbum sive Rationem et Sapientiam appellari. Verum quæ inde oriantur absurda, profecto non perspiciunt.
14. Si enim nostri causa, Verbum et Sapientia cogitatione dicitur, quidnam ipse fuerit, nunquam utique sunt dicturi. Nam si hæc illum esse testantur Scripturæ, illi vero hæc eadem Dominum esse nolunt; certe ne exsistere quidem eum manifeste volunt impii Scripturarumve adversarii. Sane fideles id possunt discere tum ex ipsa paterna voce, tum ex angelis qui illum adorant, tum etiam ex sanctis qui de eo scripsere. Verum illi quandoquidem puram non habent mentem, nec divinos et theologos viros queunt audire, possunt saltem idem ipsum a sui similibus dæmonibus edoceri, qui nimirum non quasi multi essent filii, sed solum hunc agnoscentes exclamabant: Tu es sanctus Dei et Filius Dei. Is enim qui hanc hæresim ipsis suggessit, cum eum in monte tentaret, non dixit: Si et tu Filius Dei es, quasi nempe alii essent filii: sed, Si tu es Filius Dei, utpote quem solum esse constaret. Verum egregii illi viri, non secus ac gentiles qui ab unius Dei notitia aberrantes, in deorum multitudinem sunt delapsi, sic et ipsi, dum unum Patris C Verbum nolunt credere, in hunc errorem ceciderunt, multa scilicet esse Verba. Eum itaque qui vere Deus et verum Verbum est negant, ipsumque rem creatam esse audent cogitare; quæ sententia quanta sit impietate plena, omnino non at-
attendunt. Nam si creatus ipse est, quomodo rerum A creatarum opifex est? vel quomodo ipse Filius et Sapientia et Verbum est? Nam Verbum non creatur, sed gignitur; quodque creatum est, non filius est, sed opus. Insuper, si res creatæ per ipsum factæ sunt, ipse autem creatus quoque est: per quem, quæso, factus est? Siquidem necesse est ut res creatæ per aliquem fiant, quemadmodum utique per Verbum factæ sunt, quia scilicet non opus sed Verbum Patris est. Præterea, si sapientia quæ in Patre est, alia est præter Dominum, certe Sapientia in sapientia facta est; ac proinde si Sapientia Dei, Verbum est, sequetur Verbum in verbo factum esse; et rursus, si Verbum Dei, Filius est, Filium in filio factum esse intelligetur.
15. Quomodo ergo Dominus dixit: Ego in Patre, et Pater in me est, cum in Patre sit alius, B in quo et ipse Dominus factus est? Qui vero Joannes, illo dimisso, de isto ita loquitur: Omnia per ipsum facta sunt, et sine ipso factum est nihil? Si porro omnia, quæ voluntate sunt facta, per eum facta sunt, quomodo ipse unus est e rebus factis? Quomodo item Apostolo dicente: Propter quem omnia et per quem omnia, ipsi non verentur dicere: Non nos propter ipsum, sed ille propter nos factus est? Si enim ita esset, prorsus illi dicendum fuisset: Propter quos factum est Verbum. Cum autem id minime dicat, sed: Propter quem omnia et per quem omnia, illos hæreticos et sycophantas esse ostendit. Alioqui si aliud in Deo Verbum esse audeant asseverare; cum clara ex Scripturis argumenta C nulla ipsis suppetant, saltem unum ejus opus, vel Patris opus aliquod sine hoc Verbo factum indicent, ut aliqua ratione suum commentum defendere posse videantur. Opera quidem veri Verbi omnibus sunt manifesta, adeo ut ex ipsis ipsemet analogice contemplari possit; sicut D [original-script column: see facsimile]
attingunt. A For, when we look upon creation, we contemplate the God who created it; and seeing that there is nothing disordered in the things that have come to be, but that all things move and abide by order and providence, we contemplate that there is a Word of God who is over all things and rules over them. The divine Scriptures also bear witness to this, saying that he himself is the Word of God, and that through him all things were made, and without him not even one thing was made. Yet neither any word nor any work of that word of whom they speak can be demonstrated by them. For even the Father himself, [Matth. xvii, 5] when he says, "This is my beloved Son," signifies that there is no other beside him.
16. Hence, these "extraordinary" men have finally been added to the Manichaeans. For even they call God good on the level of the name alone, but they can show no work of his, whether visible or invisible; and by denying the true and truly existing God, the Maker of heaven and earth and of all things invisible, they are entirely tellers of myths. And these evil-minded men seem to me to suffer from the same thing. For they see the works of the true Word, who is and is one in the Father, B yet they deny him, and fashion for themselves another word, which they can demonstrate neither from works nor from hearsay; unless, perhaps, by thinking of God as composite, like a man, speaking and changing his words, and again, by conceiving of him as thinking and becoming wise in this way, they talk in myths, not seeing into what folly they have fallen by saying these things. For if he has words that occur subsequently, they think of him as all too human; but if they are even brought forth from him and thereafter vanish, their impiety is greater, C because they resolve into nothingness that which comes from the One who is. For if they suppose that he is indeed begotten of God, it is better and more pious to say that God is the begetter of one Word, which is the fullness of his divinity, in whom also are the treasures of all knowledge hidden, and...
A to say the same thing, that he is and exists simultaneously with his Father, through whom also all things were made; rather than to imagine him to be the Father of many things that nowhere appear, or to invent that he who is by nature simple is, as if composed of many things, varied and like to men. Furthermore, when the Apostle says: Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God; they enumerate him along with many other powers, and what is worse, these wicked men do not fear to compare him with the caterpillar and other beasts, which he himself sent to punish men. Moreover, when the Lord says: No one knows the Father, except the Son; and again, Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from the Father: how can it be that those enemies of God are not judged to be such, who say that the Father is neither seen nor known perfectly by the Son? For if the Lord says: As the Father knows me, and I know the Father: if not even the Father knows the Son only in part; must they not be considered insane when they blather that the Father is not fully, but only in part, known by the Son? Then, if the Son has a principle of existence: if likewise all things have a beginning of their origin; let them say what existed first. But there is truly nothing they can say: nor can these B wicked old sophists point to such a beginning of the Word. For he is the true and proper offspring of the Father, and In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. For as to their saying that the Son does not know his own nature, it is certainly unworthy of a response, but it will be enough to condemn them for insanity. For does the Word not know himself, he who imparts the knowledge of the Father and of himself to all, and rebukes those who do not know them?
17. But it is written, they say, The Lord created me the beginning of his ways for his works. Unlearned and truly stupid men! Of course, a servant is also spoken of in the Scriptures, and the son of a handmaid, and a lamb and a sheep C.
17. But it has been said, they say: The Lord created me the beginning of his ways for his works; unlearned men and thunderstruck in their minds! And a servant was spoken of in the D Scriptures, and the son of a handmaid, and a lamb and a sheep.
οἷς. A And that He has labored, and thirsted, and was scourged, and has suffered. But this A has a reasonable excuse and cause, since such things are again signified in the Scriptures. It is for this reason, that He became man and Son of man, having taken the form of a servant, which is human flesh. For the Word, says John, became flesh. A But if He has become man, one should not be scandalized by such expressions; for it is proper to man to be created, to come to be, to be formed, to labor, to suffer, to die, and to be raised from the dead. And just as, being the Word and Wisdom of the Father, He has all that the Father has—eternity, immutability, and the most perfect likeness to Him in all things and in all respects, so that there is nothing before or after in Him, but He exists together with the Father, and is Himself the form of the Divinity, and is likewise endowed with the power of creating, B and cannot be created—for being like the Father in essence, He would not be a creature, but a Creator, as He Himself has said: "My Father works up to now, and I work"; B so, having become man and having put on flesh, He is of necessity said to be created and to come to be, as are all things proper to the flesh, even if these men, like Jewish innkeepers, mix wine with water, abasing the Word and subjecting His divinity to the concepts of created things. For this reason the Fathers justly and deservedly were indignant and anathematized this most impious C heresy, while these men, as it is easily refuted and thoroughly rotten, fear it and hide it. For as concerns their refutation, we have written these few things; but if anyone wishes to use a more extensive refutation against them, he will find this heresy not far from the Greeks, and as the dregs and the last of all other heresies. For the others err in various ways either concerning the body and the human nature assumed by the Lord, as some offer one falsehood and others another, or they completely deny that the Lord has come, who...
having A been misled just as the Jews were. But this one party alone, with greater madness, has dared to attack the very Divinity, saying that the Word does not exist at all, and that the Father was not always Father. Wherefore one might reasonably say that the psalm was written gainst them: The fool said in his heart, There is no God; they were corrupted and became abominable in their works.
18. Yet, they say, we are able to defend our heresy. But it would be better for them to defend themselves, if they were able to support it, not with some artifice nor with pagan sophisms, but with simple faith. Therefore, if they are confident and believe this to be ecclesiastical, let them declare their opinion openly. For no one who has lit a lamp puts it under a bushel, but upon a lampstand, and it gives light to all who enter. If, therefore, they are able to support their heresy, let them write down what has been said above, and display their heresy naked to all, like a lamp; let them openly denounce Alexander of blessed B memory, the bishop, for having unjustly cast out Arius for saying these things; and let them find fault with the Nicene synod, which, having rejected impiety, instituted and published piety. But they will not do this, I well know, because they are not so ignorant of the evils they have devised and are striving to disseminate; but they know full well that, even if in the beginning they deceive the innocent with empty artifice, their opinion is immediately extinguished like the light of the wicked, and they are branded everywhere as enemies of the truth. Therefore, doing everything foolishly and speaking as fools, they have acted prudently in this one thing only, as sons of this age, in that they hide their lamp under a bushel, so that it may be thought to shine, and may not, by being revealed, be extinguished as having been condemned. For indeed even Arius himself, the C leader of this heresy, and the companion of Eusebius, by the efforts of the Eusebians, now at the instance of the blessed memory of Constantine Au-
Augustus, and being required to set forth his faith in writing, the deceiver wrote it down, A concealing the words of his own impiety, and feigning, even as the devil does, the simple words of the Scriptures, just as they are written. Then when the blessed memory of Constantine said: "If you have nothing else in your mind besides these things, give the truth as your witness; for the Lord will avenge you if you have perjured yourself," the wretch swore that he had nothing else in his mind, nor had he ever said or thought anything other than what he had now written. But, immediately upon going out, he burst asunder in the midst, as if paying the penalty, and falling headlong he passed away. 46
19. Death is the common end of life for all men, and it is not permitted for anyone to speak evil, even if the one who has departed was an enemy, since it is uncertain whether B we shall be alive even until evening. But since the death of Arius did not occur in the usual manner, it is for that reason worthy of being recounted. For while those around Eusebius were threatening to bring him into the Church, the bishop of Constantinople, Alexander, was speaking against them, while Arius was emboldened C by the violence and threats of Eusebius; for it was the Sabbath, and he expected to be admitted to communion on the following day. There was, therefore, a great struggle, as they were making threats and Alexander was praying; but the Lord, having become judge, gave sentence against the unrighteous. For the sun had not yet set, when necessity having drawn him to a place, he fell there, and was immediately deprived of both communion and life. And the blessed memory of Constantine, having heard it, wondered immediately, seeing D that this man had been convicted of perjury; and it then became manifest to all that the threats of those around Eusebius had proven weak, and the hope of Arius had become vain. It was shown again,
A that the Arian madness has been excluded from the Church of the firstborn in the heavens, just as it was by the Savior. Who, then, would not marvel at seeing these men striving unjustly, those whom the Lord has condemned, and seeing them defending the heresy which the Lord proved to be excommunicate, not permitting its author to enter into the Church, and not fearing what is written, but attempting the impossible? For what the holy God has purposed, who shall scatter? And whom God has condemned, who shall justify? Let them write what they will, since they delight in defending their own opinions. But you, brothers, you who bear the vessels of the Lord and defend the dogmas of the Church, I exhort you to weigh the matter; and if they write other words of Arius besides those already mentioned, condemn them from this as hypocrites, hiding the venom of their thought, but fawning like the serpent with words from their lips. B For even while writing these things, they have with them those who were cast out then with Arius, namely Secundus the Pentapolitan, and the clerics who were once convicted in the church of Alexandria, and to these they write at Alexandria; and what is very wondrous, they have caused us and those with us to be harassed, although the most pious Emperor Constantine had ordered us to return in peace to our country and the Church, and had the concord of the peoples at heart. These same men have now also caused the churches to be handed over to those others, and have shown to all that for their sake the whole conspiracy that has existed from the beginning against us and against others, came to be.
20. Who, then, among those who act in this way, can be deemed to have faith in writing these things? C For if they had written rightly, they would have long ago blotted out the *Thalia* which Arius composed,
A nor would they have been casting about the offshoots of this heresy. For these people are disciples and partners both in the impiety and in the condemnation of Arius. Therefore, not casting them out, it is manifest to all that they do not hold the right opinion, even if they write ten thousand times. For this reason, it is necessary to be vigilant, lest by the embellishment of letters some deception occur, and they carry some away from the pious faith. But if, having dared to write the things of Arius, and seeing themselves B prospering and thriving, there is nothing left but to use much boldness, remembering the apostolic warnings which he wrote, foretelling such heresies, and it is proper for us also to say: We know that, as it is written, *In the last times some will depart from the sound faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils,* turning away from the truth; and: *As many as wish to live piously in Christ will be persecuted; but evil men and impostors will grow worse, deceiving and being deceived.* But nothing of these things will persuade us, nor separate us from the love of Christ, even if the heretics threaten us with death; for we are Christians, and not Arians. And would that those who wrote these things did not hold the opinions of Arius! Yes, brothers, such boldness is needed now. For *we have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but God has called us unto liberty*; and it is truly shameful, and very shameful, if we should lose the faith which we received from the Savior through the apostles, on account of Arius or those who hold and advocate the things of Arius. C Already, indeed, most of those in these regions, having learned the cunning of those who write, are prepared to withstand their stratagems even unto blood, especially hearings of your steadfastness; and since the refutation of the heresy has been sounded forth from you, and the heresy has been brought out, like a serpent, from its lair, you have preserved the infant whom Herod sought to kill, and the truth lives in you, and the faith remains sound among you. D
A 21. Wherefore I beseech you, having the faith written at Nicaea by the Fathers in your hands, and defending it with much zeal, and with confidence in the Lord, become an example to all everywhere, showing that the struggle set before us now is for the truth, and that the devices of the enemy are manifold. For it is not only refusing to offer incense to idols that makes martyrs; but also not denying the faith makes the martyrdom of conscience illustrious. And not only those who bowed B to idols were condemned as aliens, but also those who betrayed the truth. Judas, at any rate, was cast out of his apostolic dignity, not because he sacrificed, but because he became a traitor. And Hymenæus and Alexander did not fall away 52 by turning to idols, but because they made shipwreck of the faith. Likewise, Abraham the patriarch, although not slain, was nonetheless crowned, because he was faithful to God. Likewise other holy men, of whom Paul speaks, Gedeon 53 namely, Barac, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel, and those with them, did not die by the shedding of their blood, but were made just through faith, and to this very time are wondered at, because they were ready to endure even death for their piety toward the Lord. If, however, it is permitted to add what has happened in our own time, you know how the blessed Alexander fought against this heresy even unto death, and how many afflictions and how great labors, though an old man, he endured, having performed which, he was in his extreme old age gathered also to his fathers. How many also have others labored, opposing themselves to this same impiety, who indeed have the boast of their confession in Christ. C We therefore likewise, since the matter concerns our highest interests, and the faith is now proposed either to be denied or to be preserved, let us be of this mind and will, that we guard what we have received, and hold as a monument of them the faith written at Nicaea: so that, having repudiated innovations, we may teach the people not to give attention to spirits of error, but that they should altogether decline from the impiety of the Arianomaniacs and the conspiracy the Meletians have entered into with them. D
A 22. For perceive, I pray you, how they who formerly fought against one another now, like Herod and Pontius, have conspired together for blasphemy against our Lord Jesus Christ. On account of which one might justly loathe them, because for the sake of their own private interests they were at enmity with each other, but for the sake of hatred against the truth and impiety toward God they have become friends and welcome one another, and endure to suffer everything contrary to their own judgment, each for the sake of the pleasure of his own desire. The Meletians indeed are led by a desire for preeminence and a frantic avarice; the Arians, however, are driven by their own impiety alone. Hence it comes about that in such a conspiracy they can mutually lend each other their wickedness; B so that the Meletians simulate the impiety of the Arians, while the Arians protect the depravity of the Meletians with their iniquity; and finally, mixing their own proper flagrant deeds together, like the cup of Babylon, they lay snares for those who worship our Lord Jesus Christ with true piety. Indeed, the perversity and calumny of the Meletians was already known to all, and the impious and God-opposing heresy of the Arians has long been manifest to all everywhere. For the time is not short; but they have been schismatics for fifty-five years, while the others were declared heretics thirty-six years ago, and were cast out of the Church by the judgment of the entire oecumenical synod. From the things they have now done, it C is manifest even to those who seem to be their abettors, that for no other reason from the beginning did they devise plots against us and against all orthodox bishops, than for the sake of their own impious heresy. For behold, that which was long ago sought by the party of Eusebius has now come to pass; for they have caused the churches to be snatched from us, and have exiled bishops and presbyters who do not communicate with them, just as they wished, and have [driven out] the peoples.
who flee from them, and have handed them over to the Arians, who have been condemned for so long a time; so that, with the Meletian simulation conspiring with them, they might be able in safety to vomit forth there the words of their impiety, and, as they think, to prepare for the Antichrist, who has sown this heresy in them, the way of error.
23. Therefore let them think these things in vain while they sleep. For we do not doubt that the kind-hearted emperor, once he has heard the matter, will prohibit their impieties; and consequently they will not persist for long, but, as it is written, the hearts of the impious will quickly fail. But we, clothed, as it is written, with the words of divine Scripture, should resist them just as we would apostates who desire to plant madness in the house of the Lord; and let us neither fear bodily death, nor B emulate their ways: but rather, above all things, let the word of truth prevail. For we too—as you all know—when we were asked by those around Eusebius either to simulate an embrace of their impiety along with them, or to expect snares from them, were unwilling to agree with them. We chose rather to be vexed by them than to imitate the way of Judas. They indeed performed what they had threatened, and, imitating Jezebel, they prepared for themselves the Meletians, whose fraud they might use: not being ignorant, clearly, of how they had behaved themselves against the blessed Peter the martyr, and after him against the great Achillas, and finally against Alexander of happy memory, so that even in this way, just as they had meditated, they might behave against us; C so that these men, on the one hand, might feign whatever might be suggested to them, and those men, on the other, might take an occasion from it to pursue us and seek to put us to death. For this is what they thirst for, nor have they to this day abandoned the desire to shed our blood. But for these things I have no concern; for I know and am persuaded that there shall be a reward from the Savior for those who endure, and that you also, having endured, like the fathers,
being types for the people, and overthrowing this strange and alien A device of the impious, you shall have the boast, saying: We have kept the faith; and you shall receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. And may it be that I too, with you, may inherit the promises, which were spoken not only to Paul, but also to all those who have loved the appearing of our Lord, and Savior, and God, and supreme King, Jesus Christ, through whom to the Father be the glory and the power in the Holy Spirit, both now and unto all ages of ages. Amen.
ADMONITION CONCERNING THE FOLLOWING APOLOGY
I. The *Apology to the Emperor Constantius*, if you look at the strength of its arguments, is most powerful; if at its wit and grace, most elegant; if at the variety of its contents, most delightful, and it is rightfully deemed to be among the chief works of Athanasius. For because Athanasius was about to recite it before Constantius, as is evident from many passages in it, he elaborated it with great care. However, because all access to Constantius had been cut off by the stratagems of the Arians, it was not granted to Athanasius, although he made the journey several times, to meet the Emperor, as he himself testifies toward the end of this Apology. Wherefore, since it was sent to Constantius himself, it is unknown whether it ever reached him or was intercepted by the Arians. Furthermore, it is most certain that it was written at the beginning of the last persecution by Constantius, shortly after the flight of Athanasius; and therefore we refer it without doubt to the year 356. Moreover, the first part of it was written before the Paschal feast of that same year, as is evident from Athanasius’s own words, and the latter part after that solemnity.
II. Athanasius wrote it to repel the various calumnies of the Arians, which had been brought to Constantius by them. For those implacable adversaries of Athanasius had fabricated these accusations: 1° That Athanasius had incited the Emperor Constans against his brother Constantius; 2° that he had sent letters to the tyrant Magnentius, to whom, they claimed, he was very much devoted; 3° that he had held assemblies in the church called the *Kyriakon*, or Lord’s house, before the building was completed and before the dedication of that temple had been celebrated; 4° that when granted leave by Constantius to approach him, he had not complied, and had refused to depart from Alexandria. Athanasius most powerfully refutes all these calumnies, often bringing forward eyewitnesses as testimony to his innocence, so that no suspicion of the crimes imputed to him might remain.
III. We refrain, moreover, both in this admonition and in the notes, from those serious and complicated questions that concern the deeds and chronology of Athanasius: for they are more conveniently investigated in the *Life of Athanasius*.