ADMONITION
To the Apology of Saint Athanasius concerning his flight
I. This Apology is very famous among ecclesiastical historians, who have incorporated no small part of it into their own writings; especially Theodoret in his second book, in which excerpts from this work appear throughout as fragments. It was also cited at the First Council of Duzy, but it is erroneously referred to there as the Epistle of Julius, as we shall observe below.
II. Athanasius narrates the occasion for the writing of this work at the very beginning of the Apology: namely, that Leontius of Antioch, Narcissus of Neronias, and George of Laodicea, the leaders of the Arians, since they could not bear that Athanasius—whom they earnestly desired to have removed from their midst—had spirited himself away and evaded the bloody hands of Duke Syrianus, undertook to criticize his flight and accused him of cowardice, reproaching him for having a spirit base in undergoing dangers for his own people. In order to repel this insult, Athanasius, after first stating some things concerning the persecution against Liberius, Hosius, and others, brings forth the example of the ancient Fathers, the prophets, and also the apostles, and indeed of Christ Himself, who not only taught by word that one should flee from one city to another during persecution, but who Himself, when sought unto death, more than once withdrew. Finally, the holy doctor concludes the letter by narrating how, when the church in which he was then staying was besieged by Duke Syrianus, he escaped such great danger with God’s help.
III. Furthermore, we judge that it was written in the year 357 or 358: for it could not have been published before the year 357, since the fall of Hosius, which is mentioned in this work, occurred in that very year. Nor can it be deferred beyond the year 358, since Leontius, who is believed to have died in that year, is mentioned here more than once as being alive. On this matter, more fully in the Epistle to the Solitaries.
OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS, ATHANASIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, APOLOGY CONCERNING HIS FLIGHT WHEN HE WAS PERSECUTED BY DUKE SYRIANUS
1. Having heard that Leontius is now bishop of Antioch, and Narcissus of Neronias, and George now of Laodicea, A
and those who are with them, A sowing many things about me and insulting me, and accusing me of cowardice, because, when I was being sought by them to be put to death, I did not deliver myself into their hands. For my part, as for their insults and calumnies, although I could write much, which even they themselves cannot deny, and which 41 all who hear of them recognize, nevertheless, I shall not be led to say anything against them save only the word of the Lord and the saying of the Apostle, that: "Lying is from the devil" 42; and, "Neither shall revilers inherit the kingdom of God." It is sufficient, indeed, that they be shown from this to neither think nor act anything in accordance with the Gospel, but to deem that only to be good, according to their own pleasures, which they themselves desire.
2. Since they B profess to accuse me of cowardice 43, it is necessary to write a few things concerning this matter; for they will be shown, even by this, to be of evil character, and to have never frequented the divine Scriptures; or, if they have frequented them, not to believe that the words therein are divinely inspired. For if they believed, they would never have dared to do such things against their teaching, nor would they have emulated the wickedness of the Christ-killing Jews. For, indeed, when God gave the commandment: "Honor your father and your mother" 7; and, "He that curses father or mother, let him die the death" 8; they, on the contrary, established a law 45, turning honor into dishonor, and exchanging for their own profit the money due from children to their parents; and although they read the deeds of David, they perverted them 46, and blamed the innocent for plucking ears of corn and rubbing them in their hands on the day of the Sabbath 9. Yet they cared neither for the laws, nor for the Sabbath; for they transgressed even more on that day. But because they were as to their character wicked, they envied the disciples who were being saved, and desired only 47 to prevail with their own opinion. They, indeed, received the rewards of their own lawlessness, having become unholy, and henceforth being called "rulers of Sodom and folk of Gomorrah" 10. And these 48 also appear to me to have incurred no less a penalty than those, by their own senseless ignorance. For they do not even understand what they say, but also think they know what they are ignorant of; their only knowledge is how to do evil, and day by day to devise worse things than the worse. For indeed, even in my present flight, they do not wish me to have acted bravely for virtue C D
for whence would such a wish exist in enemies regarding those who do not run with them in their wickedness? But being wicked by nature, they pretend to buzz such things about, thinking—they themselves being truly foolish A—that we shall one day present ourselves to them for fear of their reviling. They desire this, and for this reason they run about everywhere; and they feign themselves to be friends—while being the enemies they are—in order to search out and, having been sated with the blood of others, to make away with us too, because we have always thought, and still think, against their impiety, and in refuting their heresy, we hold them up to public shame.
3. For whom among those they have pursued and overtaken B have they not loaded with insults? Whom, when they have sought him out and found him, have they not treated in such a way that he either perished miserably or was afflicted on every side? For what is generally thought to be done by the judges, these are their own C works; nay, the judges themselves are the ministers of their counsel and malice. What place, then, does not have a memorial of their wickedness? Against whom that has thoughts contrary to them have they not conspired, fabricating pretexts after the manner of Jezebel? What Church is there now that does not mourn because of their plots against its own bishops? Antioch, on account of Eustathius, the confessor and orthodox man; Balanae, on account of Euphration, a most wonderful man; Paltus and Antaradus, on account of Cymatius and Carterius; Adrianople, on account of Eutropius, who loved Christ, and after him, Lucius, who, by their agency, often wore chains and thus died; Ancyra, on account of Marcellus; Beroea, on account of Cyrus; and Gaza, on account of Asclepas. These men, indeed, being the fraudulent D creatures they are, they first afflicted with insults and then took care to have them sent into exile; but as for Theodulus and Olympius, the bishops from Thrace, and us, and our presbyters, they gave orders that we should be sought for everywhere, with the intention, of course, that if found, we should undergo capital punishment. And perhaps we would have died in this way, had we not, contrary to their expectations, fled at that time. For such were the letters sent against Olympius to the proconsul Donatus, and likewise the letters sent against me to Philagrius. For they pursued and found Paul, the bishop of Constantinople, and openly took care that he should be strangled in the place called Cucusus in Cappadocia, having used as their executioner...
A Philip, who had been prefect; for he was both a patron of their heresy and a servant of their evil designs. B 4. Have they, therefore, because of such and so many crimes, become satiated and finally quiet? By no means. For they did not cease, but like the leech in the Proverbs, they rave all the more fiercely in their wickedness, fastening themselves upon the great dioceses. For who could worthily recount their deeds? Who can record all that they have done? For just now, while the Churches were at peace and the people were praying in their assemblies, Liberius, the bishop of Rome, and Paulinus, the bishop of the metropolis of the Gauls, and Dionysius, the bishop of the metropolis of Italy, and Lucifer, the bishop of the metropolis of the islands of Sardinia, and Eusebius from Italy—all of them good bishops and heralds of the truth—are snatched away and sent into exile, having no cause whatsoever, other than that they did not agree with the Arian heresy, nor did they subscribe to the calumnies and slanders which they fabricated against us.
5. Now, to speak of the great and truly aged confessor Hosius is superfluous; for it is perhaps known to everyone that he too was driven into exile by these same authors. For that old man is not obscure, but is most illustrious of all. For what synod did he not preside over? And when speaking of orthodox things, did he not convince everyone? What Church does not preserve the most beautiful monuments of his patronage? Who ever approached him in sorrow and did not depart from him rejoicing? Who ever asked of him, being in need, and did not depart having obtained what he desired? And yet, they dared even against him, because he too, knowing the calumnies which they invent for the sake of their own impiety, would not subscribe to the deceitful plots against us. C For even if later, due to the many blows inflicted upon him beyond measure, and the conspiracies formed against his kinsfolk, he yielded to them for a time, being an old man and infirm of body; nevertheless, their wickedness is demonstrated even by these events, as they strove everywhere to show themselves not to be true Christians.
A For from there, they again set upon Alexandria, seeking once more to put us to death; and the present evils have become worse than the former. For soldiers suddenly surrounded the church, and the din of war took the place of prayers. Then George, who had been sent from Cappadocia, increased the evils he had learned from those masters. For after the week of Pentecost, virgins were cast into prison, bishops were led away in chains by soldiers, the homes of orphans and widows were plundered and their bread seized, houses were raided, Christians were cast out by night, houses were sealed, and the brothers of the clergy were endangered on behalf of their brothers. These things, indeed, were terrible, but those that followed were more terrible still; for in the week following the holy Pentecost, the people, having finished their fast, went out to the cemetery to pray, because all were avoiding communion with George. But when that utterly depraved man learned of this, he incited the commander Sebastian—who was a Manichaean—and the latter, with a troop of soldiers carrying weapons, drawn swords, bows, and arrows, rushed upon the crowds on that very Lord's Day. Finding few there praying (for most had already departed because of the hour), he committed such deeds as befitted one who followed the Arians. For he kindled a fire, and placing virgins by the fire, he forced them to say that they belonged to the Arian faith. But when he perceived that they overcame the violence and cared nothing for the fire, he had them stripped, and then he beat them on their faces so severely that, for a long time, they could scarcely be recognized.
C He also beat the forty men he had arrested in a more cruel manner: for having freshly cut branches from palm trees, which still retained their thorns, he so shredded their backs with them that some required medical attention many times to remove the thorns embedded in them, and some, unable to endure the force of the blows, died. All of those arrested, together with the virgins, were summarily deported to the Great Oasis. Nor did they grant at first that the bodies of the deceased might be handed over to their relatives; but they hid them as they pleased and cast them away unburied, thinking that in this way their cruelty might remain hidden. In this, those demented men were held by a great error of mind: for while the relatives of the dead rejoiced at their confession, yet they mourned on account of the bodies being taken away. These things are narrated here; you may also find more at the end of the preceding Apology, and in the Epistle to the Solitaries. D
A ...and as they did so, the proof of their impiety and cruelty became even greater. For immediately from Egypt and the regions of Libya, they sent into exile the bishops Ammonius, Muius, Gaius, Philo, Hermes, Plenius, Psenosiris, Nilammon, Agathus, Anagamphus, Marcus, Ammonius, another Marcus, Dracontius, Adelphius, and Athenodorus; and the presbyters Hierax and Dioscorus. And they drove them away with such bitterness that some of them died on the road, and some in the very place of their exile. They also forced into flight more than thirty bishops; for their zeal was like that of Ahab, if it were possible, to wipe out the truth. Lo, these are the wicked deeds of the impious.
8. Not only do they not feel shame for the evils they previously plotted against us, but they still now accuse us, since we were able to escape their murderous hands; or rather, they mourn bitterly because they did not make an end of us entirely; and subsequently they feign to taunt us for cowardice, not understanding that while they murmur such things, they turn the accusation rather upon themselves. For if it is base to flee, it is much worse to pursue. For he who flees, retreats in order not to die; but he who pursues, does so seeking to kill. And while flight is written of, he who seeks to destroy transgresses the law, and he himself provides the cause for flight. B If, therefore, they reproach us with flight, they should be more ashamed of their own pursuing. Let them cease their plotting, and those who flee will stop at once. But they do not cease from their own wickedness, but do everything in order to capture us; not knowing that the flight of those who are persecuted is a great proof against the persecutors. For no one flees from a man who is gentle and humane, but rather from one who is savage and evil in his habits. Everyone, then, who was in distress and in debt, used to flee from Saul and take refuge with David. C For this reason, these people also are eager to destroy those who hide from them, so that they may not seem to have a proof of their own wickedness. But even in this do they appear to be struck blind…
for the clearer the flight, the more plainly will the slaughter and exile inflicted by their treachery be exposed. For if they kill, that very death will cry out more loudly against the executioners; and if they banish them, they are but sending forth monuments of their own iniquity in every direction.
9. If they were of sound mind, they would realize that they are entangling themselves in such evils and striking against their own counsels. But because they are bereft of their senses, they are carried away by the impulse to persecute, and while they are eager to commit slaughter, they do not see their own impiety. Indeed, they might perhaps even dare to blame Providence itself (for nothing is too bold for them) if it does not deliver into their hands the men they are seeking; although it is plain, as the Savior testifies, that not even a sparrow can fall into a trap without our Father who is in heaven. But when these most wicked men have apprehended someone, they immediately forget both others and themselves first of all; and with their eyebrows lifted high by nothing but arrogance, they neither recognize the opportunity of time, nor are they restrained by even the least reverence of nature from inflicting injuries. Rather, they rise up more fiercely than the Babylonian tyrant, showing no mercy to anyone; but they lay a heavier yoke upon the old man, and to the pain of wounds, as it is written, these merciless men add more. Now, if they had not committed such deeds, if they had not banished those who were refuting the calumnies they had concocted against us, perhaps some might have lent credence to their words. But since they have laid snares for so many and such great bishops, and have spared neither the great Hosius the confessor, nor the bishop of Rome, nor so many bishops of the Spains, of the Gauls, of Egypt, of Libya, and of the other regions, but have visited such evils upon those who in any way stood up for us; is it not obvious that they would have attacked us with their snares even before the others? And must one not think that they are already eagerly desiring to butcher us with a savage death after the others? For they are indeed watchful for this, and they deem that they are being treated unjustly if they see any surviving whom they do not wish to live.
10. Who, therefore, does not clearly perceive their vanity? To whom is it not plain that they do not reproach us with cowardice out of a zeal for virtue, but, thirsting for blood, they use their own wicked arts as dragnets, thinking that they can capture in them those whom they seek to destroy? That such is their intention in this is proven by their own deeds, and their way of life is convicted as being wilder than that of wild beasts.
A And though this is sufficient to refute them, yet because after the manner of their father the devil they offer feigned, soft little words, in order to accuse us of timidity while they themselves are meanwhile more cowardly than hares; come, let us consider what is written in the divine Scriptures regarding such matters. For it will be shown that they fight no less against these than against us, and that they slander the very virtues of the saints. B For if they reproach those who hide themselves from those seeking to slay them, and slander those who flee from their pursuers, what will they do when they see Jacob fleeing from his brother Esau, and Moses withdrawing into Midian because of the fear of Pharaoh? And what answer, as they blather such things, will they give concerning David, fleeing from Saul out of his house when he sent men to slay him, and hiding himself in the cave, and changing his appearance until he had passed by Abimelech and avoided his plot? What would they, men always reckless with their words, say if they beheld the great Elijah, while indeed calling upon God and raising the dead, yet hiding himself because of Ahab, and fleeing because of the threats of Jezebel? For at that time, when they were being sought out, the sons of the prophets also were hiding, remaining unnoticed in the caves through the help of Obadiah.
11. C Perhaps they have never met with these examples, nor do they have any recollection of those things which are read in the Gospel. For even the disciples, because of the fear of the Jews, were departing and hiding; and Paul, when sought in Damascus by the ethnarch, was let down in a basket through the wall and escaped the hands of him who was seeking him. Since, therefore, Scripture speaks such things concerning the saints, what excuse for their own rashness will they be able to find? For if they reproach them with timidity, that daring is surely the act of madmen; but if they accuse them of having acted against the will of God, they will show themselves to be entirely ignorant of the holy Scriptures. For in the Law there was a commandment that cities of refuge should be appointed, so that for those who were being sought for death, some refuge of safety at least might be left. D But at the consummation of the ages, when the Word of the Father Himself, who had once spoken to Moses, appeared, He gave again this command, saying: *When they persecute you in this city, flee into the other*. And a little later He says: *When therefore you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let him who reads understand: then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains*, and let him who is on the housetop not descend.
A Since the saints knew this, they followed a way of life of this sort. For the things which the Lord now commanded, these same things He also spoke through the saints before His advent in the flesh; and this is the rule which leads men to perfection, that is, to fulfill the commands of God.
12. Therefore, the Word Himself, having become man for our sake, when He was sought after—as we now do—willed to hide Himself, and also to flee from persecutors and to avoid their snares. For it was fitting that, even as by hungering, thirsting, and suffering, so also by hiding and fleeing, He should demonstrate that He bore flesh and had become man. For from the very beginning, when He had become man, while He was still a child, He Himself commanded Joseph through an angel: "Arise, take the child and His mother, and flee into Egypt; for it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child's life." B And when Herod had died, in order to avoid Archelaus, his son, he withdrew into Nazareth. But in later time, when He revealed Himself as God and healed the withered hand, the Pharisees went out and took counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him; but Jesus, knowing it, withdrew from there. And indeed, when He raised Lazarus from the dead, "From that day," C it says, "they took counsel that they might kill Him." Jesus, therefore, no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went away from there into the region near the desert. Then, after the Savior had said, "Before Abraham was, I am," the Jews took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple; and, "passing through the midst of them, He went His way," and thus He withdrew Himself.
13. Therefore, since they see—or rather hear, for they truly see nothing—how is it that, as it is written, they do not desire to be consumed by fire, seeing that they devise counsels and pour forth words contrary to the things the Lord does and teaches? D For when John had undergone martyrdom, and his disciples had buried his body, Jesus, having heard this, withdrew from there in a boat to a desert place apart. Such, then, were the deeds of the Lord; such was His teaching. Would that they might at least in this way be ashamed, and attack only men with their rashness, and not, led by greater madness, accuse the Savior Himself of cowardice! For they have reached such a point that they dare to blaspheme against Him. But no one should tolerate such furious men. Indeed, from this it is proven that they do not understand the Gospels at all. For the reason for such withdrawal and flight of the Savior, which the evangelists record, is reasonable and true, which He...
A accommodated to all the saints (for what is written concerning the Savior according to His humanity, it is proper to relate to the common race of men: for He bore our body, and displayed human infirmity); and this reason John described thus: *They sought to take Him, and no man laid hands on Him, because His hour had not yet come.* For even before that hour came, He Himself said to His mother: *My hour has not yet come*; and to those who were called His brothers: *My time is not yet here.* And again, when the time had arrived, He said to the disciples: *Sleep on now, and take your rest; for behold, the hour has drawn near, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.*
B 14. But indeed, as God and the Word of the Father, He had no time; for He Himself is the creator of times. But when He had become man and said this, He shows that for each of individual men time is measured out; and time not by fate, as is the opinion of certain of the Greeks who weave myths, but as He Himself, being the creator, defined for each one according to the Father's pleasure. And this is written, and has become plain to all. For if it is hidden, and escapes the notice of all men how, and how much has been measured out to each one, yet nevertheless everyone knows that C as there is a time of spring, and summer, and autumn, and winter, so also, according to what is written, a time to die and a time to live has been allotted. And as if the time of all were present, the years were contracted. And to Hezekiah were added fifteen years. But when God promised to those who worship Him genuinely that *I will fill up the number of thy days*, Abraham dies full of days; and David made this entreaty, saying: *Do not take me away in the midst of my days*; and one of the friends of Job, Eliphaz, since he knew this well, said: *Thou shalt come to the grave as ripe corn harvested in its time, or as a heap of the threshing floor gathered in its hour*; and Solomon, confirming his word, says: *Untimely the souls of the wicked are taken away.* Therefore D he admonishes in Ecclesiastes saying: *Do not act wickedly much, and do not be hard, lest thou die in a time not thine.*
15. Since these things are written, reason shows that
the saints know that a time is measured out to every man. A And the mark that no one knows the end of this time is what David says: *Make known to me the scarcity of my days*; for he asked to learn that fact of which he was ignorant. Wherefore that rich man, who thought he would live for a long time, heard these words: *Fool, this night they shall demand thy soul from thee; and whose shall those things be which thou hast prepared?* B But Ecclesiastes, trusting in the Holy Spirit, brought forth this sentiment, saying: *And man knows not his time.* For this reason also the patriarch Isaac said to his son Esau: *Behold, I have grown old, and I know not the day of my death.*
The Lord, therefore, although He was God and the Word of the Father, and knew the time measured out to all by Himself, and knew what time He had foreordained for His own body in which to suffer—since for our sake He had become man—during the days preceding that time, He would conceal Himself, just as we do, when He was being sought; and fleeing from those who were pursuing Him, and avoiding their plots, He would pass by and go through the midst of them. But when He Himself brought about the time He had ordained, in which He willed to suffer bodily for all, He addresses the Father concerning this very time, in these words: *Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son.* And He no longer hid Himself from those seeking Him, but stood waiting to be seized. For the Gospel says that He said to those who came to Him: *Whom do you seek?* And when they answered: *Jesus of Nazareth*, He said to them: *I am He whom you seek*; and He did this not once, but also a second time; and so they finally led Him away to Pilate. C Nor did He allow Himself to be seized before the time had come, nor did He hide Himself when the time was present; but He offered Himself to those plotting against Him, so that He might openly show to all that the life and death of men depend upon the judgment from above, and that without our Father who is in heaven, not even a hair of a man becomes white or black, nor does a sparrow ever fall into a snare.
16. The Lord, then, thus offered Himself for all, as has been said before. But the saints, having learned this pattern from the Savior (for from Him, both before this and always, all have been taught), when they strove against persecutors, used to flee, as was right; and when they were being sought by them, they would hide themselves. D And as humans, not knowing the end of the time determined for them by Providence, they did not wish to simply offer themselves as captives to those plotting against them; but knowing again what is written, namely, that *the lots of men are in the hands of God*, and that *the Lord kills and the Lord gives life*, they waited until the end, as it says
A in the words of the Apostle, "They went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, wandering in deserts, and in dens and caves of the earth," until either the appointed time of death should arrive, or God who set that time should speak to them and silence those who plotted against them, or clearly deliver those who were persecuted to their persecutors, as it might seem good to Him. And this can be learned well from all of them, beginning from David; for when Joab stirred him up against Saul, he himself said: "The Lord lives, unless the Lord shall strike him, or his day of death shall come, or he shall descend into battle and perish among his adversaries, I will not lay my hand upon the Lord's anointed."
17. But even if when they fled they offered themselves to those who sought them, they did not do this rashly; for as they were religious and the Spirit spoke to them, they answered those who sought them thus, being God-loving, and in this way they displayed again their obedience and zeal. B Such was Elias, hearing from the Spirit and appearing before Achab; and Micheas the prophet, coming to the same Achab; and the prophet who called out to the altar of Samaria and shamed Jeroboam; and Paul appealing to Caesar. For they did not flee out of cowardice—far be it!—but rather they regarded their flight as a struggle and a meditation upon death. But they wisely observed and deliberated on these two things: that they should neither simply deliver up themselves—for that would have been to kill themselves and to become responsible for their own death, and to act against the Lord who says, "What God has joined, let no man put asunder"—nor did they wish to suffer the blame of negligence, as if they had grown faint under the afflictions of flight, which have a greater and more terrible pain than death. For he who is dead has ceased to suffer; C but he who flees, expecting the outrages of his enemies from day to day, considers death to be lighter. So that even those who were perfected in flight do not die ingloriously, but they also possess the boast of martyrdom. For this reason Job was recognized as great in fortitude, because while living he endured so many and such great afflictions, of which he would have felt not the slightest sensation if he had been dead. For this reason also those blessed Fathers practiced such a conduct of life; for when pursued, they were not cowardly, D but rather displayed the fortitude of their own souls, shutting themselves away in stifling and dark places and living in a harsh manner; yet, when the time of death arrived, they did not refuse it. For it was their concern not to fear death when it was present, nor
A to anticipate the judgment appointed by Providence, nor to oppose its dispensation, for which they knew they were being preserved; lest, by acting precipitously, they should become the authors of their own terror. For thus it is written: "A hasty man will terrify himself with his lips."
18. Indeed, they were so prepared in the virtue of courage that no one, whoever he might be, could have any doubt on this matter. For the patriarch Jacob, who before had fled from the face of Esau, did not fear death when it was present; rather, at that very time, he bestowed a blessing upon each of the patriarchs according to their merits. Again, the great Moses, who had previously hidden himself from Pharaoh and, by reason of his fear, had withdrawn to the land of Midian, upon hearing, "Go into Egypt," fulfilled the command without fear. And when he was again ordered to ascend Mount Abarim and die there, he did not hesitate through fear, but joyfully hastened thither. And David, who had previously fled from Saul, did not out of fear refuse to offer himself among the first to encounter the dangers of war for the sake of the people; but when he heard that the option of death or flight was given to him, though it was permitted to him either to flee or to die, that wise man chose death. Moreover, the great Elias, who had once hidden himself from Jezebel, did not turn back B when ordered by the Holy Spirit to meet Ahab and rebuke Ochozias. And Peter, who had hidden himself for fear of the Jews, and Paul the Apostle, who had been let down in a basket and so escaped—these, having heard the words, "You must bear witness in Rome," did not delay their journey. Rather, they departed rejoicing; and the one, as if hastening to his own, rejoiced at his slaughter, while the other, when the time arrived, was not at all dismayed, but boasted, saying: "For I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand."
19. But these things demonstrate that their former flight did not occur out of cowardice, nor does the action which they were performing at the present time testify to some vulgar crime, but rather it proclaims it to be a great argument of their virtue, namely, of their fortitude. For they did not withdraw out of sloth, but at that time they even increased the intensity of their asceticism. Nor were they reproved for their flight, nor accused of cowardice by men of this kind—such as those who are now prompt to accuse; nay, they were even called blessed by the Lord himself, with these words: "Blessed are they who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake." Nor was this labor without fruit for them: for as gold in a furnace, as Wisdom says, the Lord found them worthy of himself. C And then they themselves shone D forth all the more like sparks, being saved from the...
persecutors, liberated from their snares, and preserved by this means so that they might instruct the people. Therefore, that they fled and that they escaped the fury of those seeking them, this happened by the dispensation of the Lord; for in this way they were rendered dear to God and obtained the most beautiful testimony to their fortitude.
20. The patriarch Jacob, indeed, while he was fleeing, was deemed worthy of many A visions, and these divine ones; and, living in greater tranquility, he had the Lord as his helper, who put Laban to shame and restrained Esau. And after these things he became the father of Judah, from whom the Lord according to the flesh arose, and he himself ministered the blessings to the patriarchs. Moses also, who was dear to God, when he was fleeing, it was then that he saw the great vision, and having been delivered from those pursuing him, he was sent as a prophet into Egypt, and having become a minister of such great signs and of the Law, he led such a great people in the wilderness. And David, when he was being persecuted, taught, saying: *My heart has brought forth a good word*; and, *Our God shall come manifestly; our God shall not keep silence* (Ps. XLIX, 3; Ps. XLIX, 1-3). And he was even more strengthened, saying: *My eye has looked down upon my enemies*; and again: *In God I have hoped, I will not fear what man shall do to me* (Ps. XCI, 12; Ps. LV, 4-5). Fleeing and escaping from the face of Saul into the cave, he said: *He sent from heaven and saved me; he has given those trampling me into reproach. God sent his mercy and his truth, and he snatched my soul from the midst of the lion's whelps* (Ps. LVI, 4-5). And thus, having been saved by Providence, he himself became king after these things, and he had the promise that the Lord our B Christ would arise from his seed.
The great Elias, while withdrawing to Mount Carmel, called upon God. And he himself destroyed the prophets of Baal, being four hundred in number, and even more, all at once; and as for the two captains of fifty sent to him with their hundred men, he punished them—saying, *Let fire descend from heaven* (IV Reg. I, 10)—and he was preserved so that he might anoint Elisha in his stead, and offer himself as an example for the exercise of virtue to the sons of the prophets.
The blessed Paul, when writing, *What persecutions I endured, and out of all the Lord delivered me, and he will deliver me* (II Cor. I, 10), was all the more strengthened, saying: *But in all these things we are more than conquerors; for nothing will separate us from the love of Christ* (Rom. VIII, 35, 37). For at that time he was caught up even to the third heaven and carried into Paradise, where he heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter. For this reason he was preserved at that time, so that he might fulfill the preaching of the Gospel C from Jerusalem even unto Illyricum.
21. The flight of the saints is by no means to be blamed, nor is it useless; for if they had not turned aside from those who were pursuing them, how would it have come to pass that the Christ should arise from the seed of David to fulfill the Gospel?
A Or who would have been about to preach the word of truth? For the persecutors were seeking the saints for this very reason, that no teacher of the truth might remain, just as the Jews commanded the apostles: nevertheless, they endured everything, that the Gospel might be proclaimed. See, then, even while struggling in this way, they did not spend the time of their flight to no purpose; nor, while being pursued, did they forget the profit of others; but, being ministers of the good word, they did not grudge sharing it with all. On the contrary, even while fleeing, they preached the Gospel, and foretold the crafty schemes of the plotters, and secured the faithful with their exhortations. The blessed Paul, having learned this by experience, foretold: "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution"; and he immediately encouraged those who were fleeing, saying: "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us." For even if the tribulations are continuous, yet "tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed." B The prophet Isaiah, too, when such disasters were expected, exhorted them in a loud voice, saying: "Go, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, shut thy doors, hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast." And Ecclesiastes, being not ignorant of the snares which are accustomed to be set against the pious, says: "If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they, and the abundance of the earth." He had for a father David, who had learned by experience the miseries of persecutions, and who comforts the afflicted with these words: "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." For as for those who suffer such things, not man, he says, but the Lord himself will help and deliver them, because they have hoped in Him. C And indeed: "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay." The flight of the saints is therefore shown to be useful to the peoples and not unfruitful, even if it does not seem so to the Arians.
22. Therefore, the saints, as has been said, when they fled, were preserved with the greatest providence and care, as physicians for the sake of those in need. But to others, and to all of us men, this law is laid down: that we should flee from persecutors and hide ourselves when searched for; and that we should not be so headlong and rash as to tempt the Lord, but wait, as I said above, until the appointed time of death arrives, or the Judge himself decides concerning them what seems good to him.
A Be it known, however, that they are prepared, that when the time calls, if seized, they may contend for the truth even unto death. This the blessed martyrs also observed in the persecutions that occurred in their own times; for in persecution they were accustomed to flee and to remain in hiding, but if discovered, they bravely underwent martyrdom. But if any of them offered themselves to the persecutors, they did not do this rashly; for they immediately suffered martyrdom, and it was manifest to all that this alacrity and this approach to the persecutors had the Holy Spirit as its author.
23. Since, therefore, such are the Lord’s commandments, and such are the deeds of the saints, let them tell me, those whom we cannot even address as they deserve for their actions, from whence they learned to persecute? Assuredly they will not attribute this to the saints; it remains, therefore, that they received it from the devil, who says, "I will pursue B and overtake (Exod. xv, 9)." For the Lord commanded to flee, and the saints themselves took to flight; but to persecute is a diabolical enterprise, and he seeks this against all men. To whom, then, should we yield, let them answer again, to the words of the Lord, or to their own idle tales? And whose deeds should we imitate? Those of the saints, or those which they themselves devise? But since perhaps they are not even able to discern these things C (for they are blinded in their understanding and conscience, as Isaiah said, and they think the bitter to be sweet, and the light to be darkness), let any Christian among us pass by and put them to shame with a loud voice, saying: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to attend to their foolish prattle (Isa. v, 20)." For the words of the Lord have eternal life, but the words brought forward by them are full of craftiness and blood.
24. These things are enough to overthrow the madness of the impious, and to show that they are concerned with nothing else than to contend with revilings and blasphemies. But because they have once dared to be enemies of Christ, they have furthermore become busybodies; D yet let them examine the manner of my withdrawal, and let them learn from their own people. For the Arians had joined themselves to the soldiers, in order to incite them and to point us out to them, though we were unknown to them. And if they are indeed so devoid of all compassion, at least let them be quiet when they hear this, moved by shame. For it was already night, and some of the people were keeping vigil for the following assembly; when the military commander Syrianus suddenly broke in with more than five thousand soldiers, who were equipped with arms, drawn swords, bows, arrows, and clubs, as has been said above; and he surrounded the church—
that the densely posted soldiers surrounded it, so that no one could escape after leaving the church. I, however, judging it unreasonable to abandon the people in such great turmoil, and considering it better to offer myself first to the risk, sat upon the throne and ordered the deacon to read a psalm, and the people to respond, "For his mercy endureth for ever," and for all to withdraw in this manner and depart to their homes. But when the commander had violently forced his way into the temple, and the soldiers had surrounded the sanctuary in order to seize us, those of the clergy and the people who were there present cried out and implored me to withdraw. I, on the contrary, refused to depart unless everyone, one by one, had gone out. Rising, therefore, and having enjoined prayer, I B thus earnestly begged that all might depart first, saying that it was better that I should run the risk than that any of you should suffer harm. When most had departed, and the rest were following, the monks who were with us there and some of the clergy came up and dragged us away; and so, I call the truth itself to witness, although some of the soldiers were surrounding the sanctuary and others were patrolling the church, we passed through, with the Lord for our guide and His protection, and escaped them unobserved, greatly glorifying God that we had not betrayed the people, but that, having sent them on ahead, we had been able to escape the hands of those who were seeking us.
25. Since the Divine Providence has so and C miraculously delivered us, who could justly lay to our charge that we did not voluntarily deliver ourselves to those seeking us, or that we did not return and present ourselves before them? For that would be, clearly, to show ingratitude to the Lord, to act contrary to His command, and to fight against the deeds of the saints. Or if there is anyone who makes this a crime, let him dare also to accuse the great apostle Peter, because, although shut up and guarded by soldiers, he followed the angel who called him; and having departed from the prison and been delivered, he did not return and surrender D himself, even though he had heard of the things Herod had done. Let the furious Arian also lay to the charge of the apostle Paul that, having been let down from the wall and delivered, he did not change his mind, nor did he return and surrender himself; nor that Moses did not return from the land of Midian to Egypt so that he might be apprehended by those seeking him; nor that David, while he was in the cave, did not come to meet Saul; but that also the sons of the prophets remained in the caves.
A And they did not surrender themselves to Ahab; for that would have been to act against the commandment, since Scripture says: *Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.*
26. I, having learned this, have thus conducted myself, and I do not reject the grace and help granted to me by the Lord, even if these men, in their madness, gnash their teeth against us. For such has been the reason for our withdrawal, and I do not think it holds any blame in the eyes of those whose judgment is sound; especially since this pattern was handed down to us by the saints for our instruction according to divine Scripture. But to these men, it seems, nothing is too daring, nothing left untried, nor do they leave any means of demonstrating their own malice and cruelty. For their life is of the same sort as their opinions and their chatter; and it is impossible for anyone to say as many and as grievous things against them as they themselves, without any shame, commit in their actions. For Leontius, having been accused of associating with a certain young woman named Eustolium, and being forbidden to live with her, castrated himself so that he might have the opportunity to live with her. Yet he did not thereby remove the suspicion; for this very reason, being a presbyter, he was condemned and deposed, even though Constantius the heretic used his power to ensure he was named a bishop. Narcissus, B burdened with many other evils, was deposed three times in different synods, yet he still dwells among them, the most wicked of all. Georgius, too, while he was a presbyter, was deposed on account of his wickedness, and when he had nevertheless named himself bishop, he was again deposed in the great synod of Sardica. There is this further evil in him, that as he lives intemperately, and his doing so is not hidden, he is condemned even by his own people, measuring the end of life and tranquility of soul by the most shameful things.
27. Each of them outdoes the other in his own evils; but there is a common stain upon them, that for the sake of their heresy they contend against Christ, and are no longer called Christians, but rather Arians. Behold, these are the things that ought to be exposed; for they are foreign to the faith in Christ. But they conceal these things where their own people are concerned; and it is no wonder if, being of such a mind and involved in such evils, they pursue and seek out those who do not agree with their most impious heresy; and if they have removed them, they rejoice, but if they do not succeed C in what they desire, they grieve, and D imagine they are being treated unjustly, to such an extent that they themselves grow weak.