Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine

XXVIII. That God chose Constantine as a minister of good things. XXIX. The pious words of Constantine towards God, and the praise of the confessors. XXX. A law releasing those in exile and from the curia, and remitting the proscription of property. XXXI. Likewise, those who had been relegated to islands. XXXII. Likewise, those who had been ignominiously condemned to the mines and public works. XXXIII. On the confessors who had served as soldiers. XXXIV. On the liberation of those who had been given over to the women’s quarters or into slavery. XXXV. On the succession of the property of martyrs and confessors, and of those who had been relegated, and whose property had been taken into the treasury. XXXVI. That if there were no relatives, the Church should receive the inheritance, and that legacies should remain firm. XXXVII. That those who had seized such places, houses, and gardens should restore them, excluding the fruits. ^B XXXVIII. How petitions were to be presented regarding these matters. XXXIX. That the treasury should restore lands, houses, and gardens to the churches. XL. That martyrdoms and cemeteries should be returned to the churches. XLI. That those who had bought or received as a gift the property of the Church should restore them. XLII. Diligent exhortation to worship God. XLIII. How Constantine confirmed by his very deeds that which he had ordained by laws. XLIV. How he promoted Christians to govern provinces, and forbade pagans to sacrifice. XLV. Concerning the laws by which sacrifices were forbidden, while churches were commanded to be built. XLVI. Constantine's epistle to Eusebius and other bishops regarding the building of churches through the agency of the governors, and that the old ones should be repaired and larger ones constructed. XLVII. That he wrote against the worship of idols. XLVIII. Constantine's edict to the provincials regarding the false worship of many gods. Exordium on virtue and vice. XLIX. On the pious and God-loving father of Constantine, and on the persecutors Diocletian and Maximian. L. That the oracle of Apollo, no longer able to give responses on account of the righteous men, became the cause of the persecution. ^C LI. How Constantine, while still a young man, heard that Christians were righteous. LII. How many types of torments and punishments were devised against the Christians. LIII. How the barbarians received the Christians. LIV. How those who had instigated the persecution on account of an oracle were punished by divine vengeance. LV. Constantine attributes glory to God, confesses the sign of the cross, and prays for the Church. LVI. How he desired all to be Christians, yet compelled no one. LVII. He attributes glory to God, who illuminated those who were wandering through His Son. LVIII. Again he attributes glory to God from the ministry of the whole world. LIX. He praises God, who always teaches what is good and honest. LX. Exhortation at the end of the edict that no one should cause annoyance to another. LXI. How questions were stirred up in the city of Alexandria on account of Arius. LXII. On Arius and the Meletians. LXIII. How he sent a legate with letters to compose the peace. LXIV. Constantine's epistle to Alexander the bishop and Arius the presbyter. LXV. That he was constantly concerned for peace. LXVI. How he suppressed the questions stirred up in Africa. LXVII. That religion began from the regions of the East. LXVIII. How, bearing the sedition with uneasiness, he urged peace. LXIX. Whence the controversy between Arius and Alexander arose, and that such things ought not to have been investigated. LXX. Exhortation to concord. LXXI. That one ought not to have struggled obstinately over certain slight words. LXXII. How, affected by sorrow, out of piety he shed tears; and the journey he was about to make to the East, he repressed on account of this cause. LXXIII. That even after these letters of the emperor, the contention persisted.

THE WORKS OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILI REGARDING THE LIFE OF THE BLESSED CONSTANTINE THE EMPEROR: BOOK II

EUSEBIUS PAMPHILI DE VITA BEATISSIMI IMPERATORIS CONSTANTINI BOOK SECOND

CHAPTER I

^A perish from their impiety, he emulated their zeal for his own destruction; he rekindled the persecution against the Christians like a flame long since quenched, kindling a fire of impiety even more grievous than the former ones. And indeed, like some terrible beast or a crooked serpent coiling upon itself, breathing rage and god-opposing threats, he did not yet dare to war openly against the Churches of God because of his fear of Constantine. But hiding the venom of his wickedness, he prepared secret and partial traps against the bishops; and through the plots of the governors of the provinces, he killed the most approved of them; and the manner of their slaughter was strange, such as had never before been known. These things, then, ^B done in the neighborhood of Amasia in Pontus, surpassed every excess of cruelty.

CHAPTER II. The destruction of churches and the slaughter of bishops.

In this city, the churches of God, after that first assault, were for a second time razed to the ground; others were closed by the governors of the provinces, so that none of those who were accustomed to attend them might gather there, nor render to God the prescribed acts of worship ^C. For he who ordered such things did not believe that these prayers were being offered on his own behalf, being led to this opinion by his own evil conscience. Rather, he was persuaded that we were doing everything on behalf of Constantine and suppliant to the Divine Power. But his governors, being sycophants and flatterers, believing that they were doing something pleasing to the Emperor, subjected the most approved leaders of the churches to capital punishment. And so, men who had committed no evil were led away without any cause and punished just like murderers. Some suffered a certain new kind of death, their bodies being hewn into many pieces and, after this cruel spectacle, more horrible than any tragic fiction, they were cast into the depths of the sea to be food for fish. ^D Thereupon, the worshippers of God again began to take to flight; once more the fields and once more the deserts received the servants of God. And since these things were succeeding in this way for the tyrant, he thereafter inclined his mind to stir up the persecution against all Christians. And without doubt he would have attained his wish, nor would anything have hindered him from bringing the matter to its end, had not the Defender of his servants, God, as in darkness and the gloomiest night, sent forth a great light.

and, anticipating what was to come with the utmost swiftness, ^A shown forth his servant Constantine as a brilliant ray of light, and brought him into these parts as if leading him by the hand.

CHAPTER III

How Constantine was moved on behalf of the Christians whom Licinius was preparing to persecute.

When he heard news of this kind, he understood that he must no longer dissimulate; he summoned the strength of his sober mind and, combining severity of character with his innate clemency, made haste to carry aid to those who were being oppressed. He judged it to be a pious and holy deed that, by removing one man from the midst, almost the entire human race might be preserved. For thus he reasoned with himself: if he were to exercise supreme clemency and show mercy to a man unworthy of any pity, it would profit that man nothing, since he would in no way depart from his depraved morals and customs, but would rather direct his rage against his subjects, while for the oppressed, ^B no further hope of salvation would remain. When the emperor had reflected upon these things, he resolved to stretch out a saving right hand without any delay to those who had fallen into extreme calamities. And so, indeed, he made the customary preparations for military equipment, and a whole phalanx of infantry and cavalry was gathered for him. But over all of them marched the emblems of his good hope in God, by means of the aforementioned sign.

CHAPTER IV

That Constantine prepared himself for war with prayers, but Licinius with divinations.

Knowing well that he had need of prayers then, if ever before, he brought with him the priests of God, intending that they should be with him and stay by his side at all times, ^C esteeming them to be, as it were, good guardians of the soul. Hence, when the tyrant had heard that Constantine did not obtain his victories over his enemies otherwise than by the cooperation of God, and that those whom I have mentioned were always with him and stayed by his side, and that the sign of the salutary passion marked the way before both him and his entire army, he regarded these things as worthy of laughter, mocking him all the while and attacking him with contemptuous words. But he himself gathered to his side the diviners and soothsayers of the Egyptians, sorcerers and witch-doctors, and the sacrificers and prophets of the gods whom he worshipped. And then, appeasing with sacrifices those whom he imagined to be gods, he would inquire of them what the outcome of the war would be.

^A And they, without controversy, answered that he would be the victor over his enemies and prevail in the war, all the oracles everywhere promising this to him with one consent in long and elegant verses. Furthermore, interpreters of dreams predicted good omens for him through the flight of birds, and sacrificers indicated that the movement of the entrails boded the same. Elated, indeed, by these deceitful promises, he advanced to the camp with great boldness and prepared himself for battle, as best he could, by drawing up his ^B ranks.

CHAPTER V

What Licinius said about the idols and Christ while sacrificing in the grove.

When he was now about to enter upon the war, he gathered together the most select of his guards and most honored friends into a place which was held by them as sacred. This grove was well-watered and shady, and in it were set up statues of every kind, sculpted in stone, of those whom he considered to be gods. Having lit wax candles ^C for them and performed the customary rites, he is said to have spoken the following words: "My friends and fellow soldiers, these are our ancestral gods, whom we have received from our ancestors of old to worship and honor; but he who leads the opposing side against us, having violated the customs and institutions of our forefathers, has chosen for himself a godless opinion, and, I know not from whence, has blindly embraced a strange and new-fangled God, and even disgraces his own army with the mark of that thing, putting his trust in it, and proceeds armed, not so much against us as against those gods whom he has dishonored. The present day, therefore, will clearly prove which of us is led by blind error, and will pass judgment ^D concerning the gods who are worshipped by us or by the men of the opposing party. For either the victory granted to us will justly declare our gods to be truly our saviors and helpers; or, if that one God of Constantine, who I know not whence has sprouted, should gain the upper hand over our gods—who are so numerous and currently excel so greatly in multitude—let no one henceforth have any doubt as to which God one ought to worship, but let him cross over to the victor and bestow the prizes of victory upon him. And if that stranger, who is even now ridiculed by us, should prove stronger

^A than our own—a thing which is beyond doubt—then after our victory here, we shall set out for the war against the godless. Such were the things he had spoken to those present; but as for us who were called to this record, those who heard his words communicated the knowledge of them to us a little later. And having finished a discourse of this kind, he gave orders for the military forces to join battle.

CHAPTER VI.

Apparitions seen in the cities under Licinius, as if the troops of Constantine were passing through.

While these things were being done, they say that a spectacle, ^B truly more wonderful than words can describe, appeared in the cities subject to that tyrant. For they thought they saw various battalions of Constantine's soldiers passing through the heart of the cities at mid-day, as though they had already won the battle. And these things were seen, although in reality no one was anywhere to be found, but a divine power by means of that vision which was presented to the eyes was foreshadowing what was to come. But when the military forces were about to join battle, the one who had broken the treaties of friendship began the war. Then indeed did Constantine, having called upon the Savior God who is over all, and having given this as a watchword to the soldiers around him, prevail in the first encounter; and it was not long before he was stronger ^C than in the second battle.

(The editorial notes and the apparatus here follow, detailing the terminology and historical dates concerning the battle at Cibalae and the subsequent struggle, but as they constitute the secondary critical commentary typically omitted in the flow of the text, they do not interrupt the continuity of the narrative translated above.)

^D

^A again superior, and achieved an even greater victory, with the saving trophy of the cross advancing before his phalanx.

CHAPTER VII.

Certainly, wherever this sign was observed, a rout of the enemy immediately followed, with the victors pressing upon their backs. When the emperor learned of this, if he ever noticed any detachment of his own army being hard-pressed, he would give orders for the saving trophy to be brought forward as a most effective amulet for securing victory; and when this was done, victory followed immediately, as divine power strengthened the spirit and vigor of the combatants.

CHAPTER VIII.

Therefore, from the number of his guards, he selected those who appeared to excel in strength of body, fortitude of soul, and the ways of true piety, and assigned to them this one duty: to attend assiduously to the care of this sign. There were fifty men in number, whose only other duty was to surround and guard the sign with their escort, each taking turns to carry it upon their shoulders. The emperor himself narrated this to us—those of us writing this history—while he was at rest, a long time after these events had occurred, and at the same time he added a detail most worthy of being remembered in the narrative.

CHAPTER IX.

For he said that once, in the heat of battle, when a loud uproar and sudden turmoil had thrown the army into confusion, the man who was carrying the sign on his shoulders was seized by fear and handed it to another to carry, so that he might escape the danger of the battle. But scarcely had the other received the sign to carry, when lo, he who by stealth had ^C deserted his watch over the sign was struck in the belly by a weapon and fell down dead. And he indeed, paying the penalty for his cowardice and faithlessness, lay there lifeless. But the saving trophy of the cross granted safety to him who was carrying it on high. While weapons were being cast at him from every side, the standard-bearer himself escaped safe; but the shaft of the saving trophy took the missiles upon itself. That sight was greater than any miracle, as all the enemy's weapons fell ^D into that very narrow circumference of the shaft. And as they were struck and embedded into the shaft, the standard-bearer remained unharmed.

^A And this is not our own account, but that of the Emperor himself, who, among other things, related this also to us. Having achieved his previous victories with the help of Almighty God, he thereafter moved his army with the ranks drawn up, and proceeded further.

CHAPTER X. Diverse battles and the victories of Constantine.

^B The foremost of the adverse parties, being unable to withstand his first assault, threw down their arms and prostrated themselves at the Emperor's feet. But he received them all unharmed, deriving great pleasure from the safety of these men. Others, however, who remained under arms, prepared themselves for battle. When the Emperor tried to persuade them to surrender, but saw that they were in no wise moved by kindly appeals, he directed his army against them. They immediately turned their backs and fled. As they fled, some were captured and executed in accordance with the laws of war, while others, stumbling against one another, were cut down by the swords of their own men.

CHAPTER XI. The flight of Licinius and his magical arts.

When their leader saw that he was deprived of the help of his servants, and that the multitude of the troops and allies he had gathered had vanished, and that his hope in the gods whom he worshipped had been proven by experience to be utterly vain, he undertook a shameful flight. Indeed, he fled and made his escape, and reached safety, because the God-beloved Emperor had forbidden his own men to pursue him closely, in order that he might have a chance to escape. For he hoped that Licinius, at length perceiving the misery of his situation, would cease from his mad insolence and turn his mind to better judgment. But while the Emperor was contemplating these things out of an excess of humanity, wishing to be patient and to grant pardon to one who did not deserve it, Licinius did not refrain from wickedness; rather, heaving evil upon evil, he engaged in worse atrocities. And indeed, once again, he began to brazenly employ the wicked practices of magicians; and it was said of him, just as of the ancient tyrant, that ^C God had hardened his heart. ^D

CHAPTER XII. How Constantine was victorious while praying in his tent.

But while he was entangling himself in such things, he was casting himself into the abyss of destruction. Constantine, however, seeing that a second battle was required for him...

^A to be fought to the end, dedicated his leisure to the Savior, having pitched the tabernacle of the cross far away from the camp; there, living purely and chastely, he offered up prayers to God, after the example of that ancient prophet of God who, as the divine oracles testify, was accustomed to pitch his tabernacle outside the camp. A few men, clearly tested in faith and in the sincerity of their piety ^B, remained with him constantly. This was his habitual practice, whenever he was about to engage in a battle. For he was not rash, since he always chose the safer course; moreover, he was accustomed to doing all things by the counsel of God. And because he would supplicate his God diligently and earnestly, God always deigned to show him his presence. Then, as if moved by a more divine impulse, he would hasten out of the tabernacle, and once the signal for departure was given, he would immediately command ^C the soldiers to draw their swords without delay. They, making a sudden assault upon the enemy, would strike down all they encountered without distinction of age, until in a brief moment of time victory was obtained and they raised trophies over the defeated enemies.

Chapter XIII. The humanity of Constantine toward captured soldiers.

In this manner the emperor, before the conflict of battle, was accustomed to conduct himself and to instruct his army, just as he had been wont to do in the past: for he always set his God before his own life, and strove to do all things by His nod and counsel, and deemed the slaughter of many men to be contrary to religion. Therefore he took no less thought for the safety of the enemy than for his own soldiers. And so, he would instruct his own men, once they had gained the victory, to spare the vanquished and to remember that they were born men, and of the common nature of mankind. But if he happened to see the spirits of his soldiers set upon slaughter, he would restrain them with the gift of gold, ordering that whoever captured a living enemy should be rewarded with a certain weight of gold. And this allurement for the preservation of human life the emperor's ingenuity devised: so much so that very many even of the barbarians themselves were saved, since the emperor’s gold had ransomed their lives.

Chapter XIV. Again on prayer in the tabernacle.

These and many other things similar to these the emperor was accustomed to do at other times as well. At the present time, however, before he engaged in battle, he withdrew and stayed in his tabernacle ^D, devoting himself to prayers, as was his custom; abstaining from every jest and from a more delicate manner of living, he wore down his body with fasts and other exercises of this kind; and by supplications and prayers he so placated God, that he might have Him as a benign and propitious helper for his side, and that he might do those things which God impressed upon his mind. But he was sleepless in his...

^A care, praying for the salvation not so much of his own people as of his enemies.

Chapter XV. Licinius’s feigned friendship and his idol worship.

Since he who had a little before been a fugitive was now, by means of hypocrisy, feigning friendship and begging again for the right hand of alliance, the Emperor considered it a matter of public interest and beneficial to the human race, and did not refuse to grant him peace under certain conditions. Licinius, however, in his outward appearance, was merely pretending to embrace these terms, and was confirming his pledge with an oath, while in secret he was once again gathering military equipment and meditating on how to wage war and renew the battle. He was recruiting barbarian auxiliaries from all sides and searching out others, as one who had been deceived by his previous gods. He did not retain in his mind any of the things he had spoken about the gods just a little before, nor did he wish to recognize the God who defended Constantine; rather, many more and newer gods were being ridiculously sought out by him.

Chapter XVI. How Licinius commanded his soldiers not to make an assault against the sign of the cross.

Afterwards, when he learned by the reality of events how great a divine and unspeakable power resided in the ^B saving trophy, through which the army of Constantine was accustomed to conquer, he advised the soldiers around him not to engage it head-on, and not to gaze upon it rashly or at random. He said that this sign possessed incredible force, and was personally hostile and adverse to him, and that therefore they must be on their guard against joining battle against it. Having thus arranged these matters, he set out to wage battle against the one who, out of benevolence, was hesitating and delaying the destruction that hung over him. They, indeed, emboldened by the multitude of their gods, advanced with a large force of military might, carrying before them the images of the dead, projected as lifeless statues. But ^C he, girded with the breastplate of piety, set firmly against the multitude of his enemies the saving and life-giving sign, as if it were some terror and a defense against evils. And for a while he held back, at first making use of restraint, so that he might not be the prompter of the start of the struggle, on account of the treaties he had made.

Chapter XVII. Constantine’s victory.

But when he saw that the enemies were persistent in their resolve, and were already ^D drawing their swords, he was then moved with indignation, and with a single cry and impetus he turned the entire force of the enemy.

^A And he bore away the victory over the demons as well as over his enemies.

CHAPTER XVIII. The death of Licinius and the triumphs celebrated over him.

^B After this, he judged that enemy of God and his associates by the laws of war, and delivered them to the fitting punishment. And so, the tyrant himself and those who had been his counselors in the war against God were led away and perished, paying the penalty they deserved; and those who, a little later, ^C had been puffed up by the hope of vain things, came in deed to acknowledge the God of Constantine, and at last confessed Him to be the one true and everlasting God.

CHAPTER XIX. Public rejoicing and festivals.

Now that the ungodly men had been removed from the way, pure and clear rays of the sun were seen, as if the cloud of tyrannical dominion had been dispelled. All the parts of the Roman Empire were knit together into one body, the Eastern provinces being joined with the Western; and by one ruler, as by a head, the whole body was adorned, as monarchy held sway on every side. Splendid beams of light and piety provided glad days for those who had previously sat in darkness and the shadow of death. No memory of past evils remained, as men everywhere sang the praises of the victor, and acknowledged that they recognized only the God of his Savior. And the victorious emperor, who excelled in every virtue of piety (for he himself [held] this title as his most proper ^D designation...

because of the victory over all enemies and foes given to him by God), received the East, and restored the Roman empire, solid as it once had been, and united it under his own single power. And while he was the first to proclaim to all the sovereignty of the one God, he himself, holding the singular rule of the Roman world, governed the entire human race. All fear of the evils by which all men had been oppressed had now utterly vanished. And those who had previously been downcast now looked upon one another with cheerful countenances and joyous eyes. ^A With choral dances and hymns they celebrated, first of all, the King of all, God, as they had been taught; and then his victorious Augustus, and his most modest and God-beloved children, the Caesars, without any intermission. No memory of past calamities, no memory of impiety now remained; but the fruit of present goods was enjoyed with hope and expectation of those to come.

CHAPTER XX. How Constantine made laws on behalf of confessors.

^B Then also among us, just as had previously been the case for those who inhabit the other part of the world, edicts of the emperor full of humanity were set forth; and laws that breathed a sincere and religious observance of God promised various goods of every kind with no doubtful hope; as he bestowed upon the provincials what pertained to their own advantage, and established what was suitable and appropriate for the Churches of God. ^C And first of all, he recalled home those who, because they had refused to sacrifice to idols, had been relegated by the provincial governors and compelled to migrate from their own country. Then, those who had been assigned to the curiae for the same reason, he freed from [public] duties; and for those who had been despoiled of their property, he ordered that their goods be restored. Furthermore, those who, fortified by divine power at the time of the persecution, had given an illustrious specimen of fortitude and constancy—whether they had been condemned to the mines to be harassed there with continuous labor, or had been deported to an island, or had been condemned to public works—all these were suddenly loosed from their troubles and obtained their liberty. But also, whosoever on account of their outstanding ^D [constancy] regarding the fear of God had been deprived of their military rank, the imperial bounty recalled them from such injury, offering the choice of resuming their [former] rank or leading a life of ease.

And those who had been condemned to serve in the workshops, ^A unto their injury and disgrace, he likewise set at liberty.

CHAPTER XXI. How he also legislated concerning martyrs and ecclesiastical estates.

These things, then, the emperor ordained by written law concerning those who had suffered such things. But concerning their property, caution was most fully provided by the emperor’s law. For the goods of the holy martyrs of God who had died in the very act of confession, he ordered to be restored to their next of kin; and if no one of their lineage were found, he ordered their houses and lands to be granted to the churches. ^B Properties also, which had been transferred from the royal treasury to others either by sale or by gift, or which had remained within the treasury, the letter of the imperial indulgence commanded to be restored to their original owners. Such benefits as these did the benignity of the prince confer upon the Church of God, by laws sent through all the provinces.

CHAPTER XXII. How he also restored the peoples.

But to the peoples outside the faith and to all the provinces, the munificence of the prince granted much more and greater things. Wherefore all those among us who live in these parts, who formerly having heard the things done in the other part of the Roman Empire, called blessed those who were affected by such great benefits, and who with burning prayers desired that they themselves might ^C also sometime enjoy the same goods: now seeing these things with their own eyes, did not hesitate to declare themselves happy, testifying that it was a new kind of miracle and such as no age under the sun had ever seen, that such an emperor had shone upon the human race. And these certainly felt so.

CHAPTER XXIII. That he proclaimed God as the author of all good things: and concerning his laws.

Now the emperor himself, when he brought all things under his dominion by the power of God the Savior, made manifest to all who had granted these good things to him; and he professed that He was the author of his victories, and not himself. And this he did by letters written in both the Latin ^D and Greek language, and sent throughout every province.

^A You may understand the excellence of this discourse by perusing the letters themselves. There were two of these: one sent to the Churches of God, and the other to the provincial populations of the cities, who were strangers to our religion. This latter, as being most appropriate to my present subject, I have thought fit to insert here, that a copy of this document might be preserved in history for those who come after us, as well as to confirm the truth of our narrative. It is taken from an authentic copy of the imperial decree which is preserved among us; and the subscription added by the emperor's own hand confirms the truth of our narrative as if by a seal.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Lex Constantini de pietate in Deum, et de Christiana religione.

^B Victor Constantinus Maximus Augustus, to the provincials of Palestine.

It has long since been evident to those who think rightly and wisely of God, by a clear distinction which removes all doubt, how great is the difference between those who are diligent observers of the most holy Christian religion, and its antagonists and despisers. But now, it is demonstrated by more evident arguments and far more illustrious achievements, not only how absurd such doubt is, but also how great is the power of the Highest God. For to those who faithfully worship ^C this most holy law, and dare not violate any of its precepts, there is at hand an abundance of all good things, and strength suitable for the completion of their undertakings, along with good hope and confidence. But to those who have embraced an impious opinion, corresponding events in their affairs have befallen them. For who is there, who, not acknowledging God as the author of all good things, and refusing to honor Him with the prescribed worship, can ever obtain anything good? The facts themselves certainly give credence to our words.

CHAPTER XXV.

An example from ancient times.

If anyone should cast his mind back to the times from of old ^D and down to the present day, to the truth of our account.

^A If anyone were to trace back in his mind the times that have passed before, and contemplate the deeds done of old, he would find that all who truly established justice and goodness as the foundation of their undertakings have brought their enterprises to a good and successful end, and have gathered the sweetest fruit, as if from some pleasant root. But as for those who have attempted unjust deeds with reckless daring, and have either been foolishly enraged against the Highest, or have lacked any holy sense of regard for the human race—for whom exile, infamy, confiscations of property, slaughter, and many such things have been dared, and who have never repented nor ever turned their minds to better things—he would find that they have received a corresponding reward. And these things come to pass not absurdly nor without reason. ^B

CAPUT XXVI. On those who have suffered persecution, and on the persecutors.

For whoever approaches their deeds with a righteous purpose, and constantly holds the fear of the Highest before their eyes, keeping firm their faith in Him, and does not prefer the threats and dangers of the present life to the hope of those future blessings—these, although they have experienced many bitter and troublesome things in a short span of time, nevertheless, through their firm belief in the greater rewards stored up for them, have not borne the impending evils with an aggrieved spirit; but the more severe the calamities they have experienced, the more glorious the fame they have brought back. But those who have contemptuously disregarded justice and equity, and who have neither acknowledged God themselves nor hesitated to subject those who faithfully worship God to insults and most bitter punishments; and who did not judge themselves miserable in that they subjected men to judgment and punishment for such a cause, nor deemed those happy and blessed who preserved their piety toward the Highest amid such evils—of these, many armies have fallen, many have been turned to flight, and their entire military array has ended in utter defeat. ^C

CAPUT XXVII. That persecution became the cause of evils for those who waged war.

From such-like crimes have arisen grievous wars and destructive devastations. Hence came a scarcity of things necessary for the daily use of life, and an abundance of impending evils. Hence it is that the authors of such great impiety have fallen into the most extreme ^D

^A miseries, or have utterly perished by an unhappy end, or, dragging out a life of the utmost disgrace, have confessed it to be more bitter than any death, and have in a manner rendered back the penalty for their unjust deeds with equivalent punishments. For each one of them was affected by evils the more grievous in proportion to the vehemence with which he had, in supreme madness, set himself to withstand the law of God, as he thought. So that not only did the evils of the present life seem burdensome to them, but the fear and expectation of the punishments in the world below tormented them even more bitterly. ^B

CHAPTER XXVIII.

That God chose Constantine as a minister of good things.

• Now when so great and heavy an impiety was taking hold of the human race, and the state was, as it were, perishing under a deadly pestilence and was in extreme peril of its salvation, and therefore stood in need of great cure and saving help, what solace, what remedy did God then devise to deliver us from these evils? But when I say God, it must be understood of Him who alone is truly God, and who possesses power everlasting throughout all time. Nor indeed would it be arrogance for one who confesses the benefits granted by God to speak in grand terms. For in truth God sought out my service, as being suitable for the fulfilling of His will, and decided to employ our work: He who, starting from that British ^C sea and those regions where the sun is by some necessity ordered to set, by a certain higher power thrust back and scattered all the evils that had taken hold, so that at once the human race might be recalled to the treatment of the most holy law, being instructed by the service rendered through me, and at the same time the most blessed faith might increase under the guidance of the Higher Power. ^D

CHAPTER XXIX.

Constantine’s pious words to God, and praise of the confessors.

• For never, indeed, would I be ungrateful regarding the favor owed for this most excellent ministry, believing this to be a gift graciously bestowed upon myself.

^A I have come even to the regions of the East, which, being oppressed by heavier calamities, cried out for a greater remedy from us. I have most firmly believed that my whole soul, and all I breathe, and in short whatever stirs in the innermost recesses of my mind, is owed by me to the most high God. I know well then, in truth, that those who have correctly and sincerely pursued the hope of heavenly things, and have securely ^B established this, both as excellent and as a queen, in divine places, would have no need of the goodwill of men; for they obtain greater honors in proportion to how far they have separated themselves from the vices and evils of mortality. Nevertheless, I believe it is my duty to ward off, as far as I can, from those who are entirely without blame and fault, the most bitter necessities that were temporarily laid upon them, and the tortures that in no way befitted them. Otherwise, it would be most absurd if, while those who had resolved to persecute them on account of their worship of God were reigning, the fortitude and constancy of their souls were clearly witnessed and known; yet, when the servant of God administers the empire, their glory should not be raised to a more brilliant ^C and more blessed height. »

CHAPTER XXX

• All therefore, whether those who exchanged their homeland for a foreign soil because they would not betray the worship of God and the faith to which they had dedicated themselves with their whole heart, having been condemned by the cruel sentences of judges whenever it may have been, or those who were registered in the white list of the curia, although they were not previously of the number of curiales; now that they are restored to their paternal lands and accustomed leisure, let them give thanks to God, the liberator of all. Whoever likewise have been despoiled of their goods and struck by the forfeiture of all their faculties, and have lived a most miserable life up to this point: these too, being restored to their original homes, families, and faculties, may they happily enjoy the beneficence of God. »

CHAPTER XXXI

• But also, as many as are held against their will in the islands, we command that they enjoy ^D the benefit of this provision, as those who have up to now...

we appoint, that those who until now ^A have been confined by the roughness of the mountains and the circumfused sea, and have been liberated from that sad and inhuman solitude, may restore themselves to their loved ones, and fulfill their desired longing. And those who for a long time lived a life of poverty in some loathsome squalor, ^B as if having obtained their return as a prize, and now delivered from anxieties, may live with us without fear. For that anyone should live in fear under us—we who boast and believe that we are servants of God—is a thing most absurd even to hear of, much less to be believed. Indeed, we are so constituted that we make amends for the sins of others.

CHAPTER XXXII. Regarding those who were dishonourably condemned to the mines and public works.

Whoever has been condemned to toil in the grievous mines, or to perform duties in public works, by exchanging their constant toils for sweet leisure, may lead a lighter life, according to their own choice, and bring the hardships of immoderate labour to a conclusion in soft and peaceful rest. And even though some of them have lost their common liberty and been marked with infamy, let them hasten to return to their own countries, recovering their former dignity, as if it had been sequestered from them by a long period of exile, with the joy that is fitting.

CHAPTER XXXIII. Regarding confessors who had served in the army.

Furthermore, to those who were once adorned with military rank, but ^C fell away from these due to a cruel and unjust pretext—because they preferred the acknowledgement of the Supreme Being to the status they held—let it be open to them to choose according to their will, either to remain in the status in which they previously were by returning to military service, or to live in free leisure with an honourable discharge. For it would be equitable and consistent with reason that he who has displayed such greatness of soul and endurance in bearing the torments inflicted upon him, should enjoy either leisure or dignity according to his own preference. ^D

^A

CHAPTER XXXIV. On those who were given to the gynaecea or into slavery, to be liberated.

Whoever has been despoiled of their nobility by force and has suffered such a judgment from those judges as to be thrust into gynæcea or linen-works, there to endure hard and miserable labor, or to be held as slaves of the treasury, gaining nothing from the former splendor of their birth—let them, enjoying the honors they formerly possessed and the blessings of liberty, and having recovered their former dignity, live henceforth with all joy. And whoever has exchanged freedom for slavery through some unlawful and inhuman audacity of a seller, and has often lamented the unaccustomed services, realizing as if by a sudden change that he has been made a slave from being free, let him now, by our command, recover his former liberty, restore himself to his parents, and pursue labors worthy of a free man, with the memory of the services not at all convenient to him, which he previously performed, utterly cast out from his mind. ^B

Chapter XXXV. On the succession of the good martyrs and confessors, and of those who had been exiled, and whose goods were confiscated by the treasury.

But we must not be silent concerning the possessions of which individuals have been deprived for various reasons. Therefore, if any, having undergone the excellent and divine contest of martyrdom with an intrepid and confident spirit, have been despoiled of their goods, or, having become confessors, have prepared for themselves the hope of eternal goods; or if any who have been compelled to migrate from their country ^C because they would not yield to the persecutors by betraying their faith, have been stripped of their possessions—likewise, if any—

have been compelled to migrate from their country, their property being lost. We decree that the inheritances of all these be bestowed upon their next of kin. And since the laws expressly command that the nearest of kin should receive the inheritance, it is easy to distinguish to whom the inheritance is due; and it is consonant with reason that those should come into the succession who would have been the next of kin had they departed this life by a natural death. ^B

CHAPTER XXXVI. That if there be no relatives, the Church shall take the inheritance, and that gifts shall remain valid.

But if there remain no relative of any of those whom I have mentioned above, who might rightfully become their heir—I speak not only of the martyrs, but of the confessors, and of those who have migrated from their country on account of such a pretext—we decree that the Church of each respective place shall receive the inheritance. And this shall in no wise be grievous to those who have departed, if the Church, for whose sake they endured all their toils, happens to be their heir. It is necessary, however, to add this too: that if any of those aforementioned have bestowed any of their property upon whomsoever they wished, the ownership of these [gifts] shall remain secure and valid ^C as is equitable.

CHAPTER XXXVII. That those who have occupied such lands, gardens, and houses shall restore them, except for the fruits.

Furthermore, that there may be no ambiguity in our command, but that it may be easy for everyone to recognize what is the law, let all men know—whether they possess a field, or a house, or a garden, or any other thing from the property of those whom I have mentioned above—that it is right and beneficial for them to restore these, ^D and we command that they do so, [as] the fruits [already gathered] remain their own.

^A

CHAPTER XXXVIII

How petitions ought to be submitted regarding these matters.

But let them, in all honesty, make a full declaration of how much they have collected and from what source, and let them petition us for pardon for this transgression, so that, by such restitution, their past greed may be healed, ^B and the most high God—as if accepting this in place of true repentance—may become favorable toward their transgressions. For those who have been established as masters of such properties—if indeed this title can be applied to them or if they even deserve it—will perhaps put forward, in their own defense, the plea that it was utterly impossible for them to abstain from such things at that time, when a multifaceted spectacle of every kind of evil was held before their eyes: when men were cruelly driven out and slaughtered without any mercy; when property, ruined and scattered here and there, lay open; when there were frequent proscriptions of the innocent, an insatiable fury of persecutions, and sales of goods to be seen. Surely, if some venture to persist in such arguments and abide by their insatiable intentions, they will find that such conduct will not go unpunished, especially since it is in this way precisely that we offer our service and ministry to the most high God. Whatever, therefore, a fatal necessity has compelled them to accept, it is now perilous to retain. Add to this that insatiable desires must be curtailed, partly by reason, and partly by examples.

CHAPTER XXXIX

That the treasury restore lands, houses, and gardens to the Churches.

For it shall not be granted even to the treasury, if it possesses any of the things I have mentioned above, to retain them firmly. But, not daring to speak aught against the most sacred Churches, [the treasury] shall justly restore to the Churches those things which it has held unjustly for a time. Therefore, everything which would rightly seem to pertain to the Churches, whether it be a house and property, or fields, or gardens, or whatever ^C

it may be, without any infringement of the right of ownership, but with all things remaining whole and intact, we command to be restored. ^A

CHAPTER XL.

That the shrines of martyrs and cemeteries be returned to the Churches.

CHAPTER XLI.

That those who bought ecclesiastical property, or received it as a gift, must return it.

CHAPTER XLII.

An earnest exhortation to worship God.

partly by those exhortations and aids which He frequently desires to be provided by me, that the sadness and bitterness which previously occupied human affairs have now been dispelled from the entire world, you all, both individually and collectively, perceive by diligent meditation ^A how great is that power and that grace which has utterly destroyed and removed the very stock of most wicked and base men; yet, by restoring the hilarity and joy of the good, it diffuses them far and wide through all regions; and which permits to all the free opportunity, both that they might again venerate the divine law with due worship, and that they might follow with fitting honor those who have consecrated themselves to the ministry of this law. These, indeed, as if emerging from a certain deep darkness, and imbibing a bright knowledge of affairs, will hereafter exhibit towards this law the due observance, and a pious and consistent reverence. Let this be posted in our Eastern parts. ^B

CHAPTER XLIII.

And this indeed formed the first letter of the emperor sent to us. But those things which had been sanctioned by law immediately went into execution, as did those things which were declared by the law, and ^C the copy of the decree of the God-beloved emperor, which he sent after he had overthrown the tyrants, ordering and dispatching it to the nations under him in the Greek tongue, regarding these matters. ^D

Everything was done in opposition to what had been dared a short time before by the cruelty of the tyrants, and those to whom these things had been decreed enjoyed the imperial benefactions.

CHAPTER XLIV. How he promoted Christians to govern provinces, and forbade pagans to sacrifice.

After this, the emperor set his hand to the work in earnest. And first of all, he sent into the individual provinces governors, most of whom were devoted to the saving faith; and as for those who were thought to be given to Greek superstition, it was forbidden to them to sacrifice. The same law was imposed also upon those who exceeded the governors in dignity, as well as upon those who held the highest stations and the power of the praetorian prefecture. For it allowed those who were Christians to act in a manner befitting their name, or if they were otherwise inclined, it strictly forbade them to practice idolatry.

CHAPTER XLV. Concerning the laws which prohibited sacrifices, and commanded churches to be built.

Subsequently, two laws were issued at the same time: one, which prohibited the abominable sacrifices of the idolatry that had been performed of old throughout the cities and countrysides, so that no one should henceforth dare to erect statues of idols, nor to attempt divinations and other such vain curiosities, nor indeed to sacrifice at all; the other, which commanded that the buildings of the houses of prayer be raised, and that the churches of God be increased in both breadth and length; just as if, once the insane observance of many gods had been removed, almost the entire human race were henceforth to be brought to God. The religious observance of the divine Power in the emperor prompted him to think and to write such things to the governors of each place; and the law contained a provision that they should not spare the expenditure of money, but that expenses for the construction of the sacred buildings should be furnished from the imperial treasuries. Furthermore, such letters were written to the prelates of the churches in every place, and he deigned to write to me as well, having sent this first letter to my person.

CHAPTER XLVI. The letter of Constantine to Eusebius and the other bishops concerning the building of churches by the aid of the governors, and that the old ones should be repaired and larger ones built.

"Victor Constantinus Maximus Augustus, to Eusebius. Until the present time, the impious presumption and tyr[anny]

anny, which has persecuted the ministers of our Saviour, has lead me to believe, and I have fully persuaded myself, that the buildings of all the churches have either been neglected or, through fear of the impending injustice, have not been maintained as befits their dignity, most beloved brother. But now that liberty has been restored, and that dragon has been driven from the administration of public affairs by the providence of the greatest God, and by our own ministry, I consider that the divine power has become manifest to all, and that those who, by fear or by unbelief, had fallen into certain sins, will, upon recognizing Him who truly is, return to the true and upright manner of life. Therefore, concerning all the churches over which you preside, or any others which you know to have bishops, presbyters, or deacons presiding over them in the region, admonish all that they strive to attend to the works of the churches, either by repairing those that are still standing, or by extending them, or, where necessity requires, by building new ones. You yourself, and through you, the others, shall also request the necessary funds from the governors (proconsuls) and the provincial administration. For it has been commanded to them that they serve with all diligence those things which are spoken by your Holiness. May God preserve you, most beloved brother." ^B Such letters were sent throughout every province to those presiding over the Churches, and the governors of the provinces were commanded to act in accordance with these instructions, and with great speed the things that had been ordained proceeded into effect.

CHAPTER XLVII.

That he wrote against the worship of idols.

He sent an address to the provincials of every nation, ^A exhorting his subjects with admirable eloquence to acknowledge the supreme God over all, and to openly invoke his Son, Christ, as their Savior. I have judged it necessary for the present work to take this document, which was written by his own hand, from the Latin tongue and translate it into Greek, and to insert it into this present account, so that we may, in a manner, seem to hear the Emperor himself proclaiming these words to the ears of all mankind.

Chapter XLVIII. Constantine’s edict to the provincials concerning the false worship of many gods. An introduction regarding virtue and vice.

^B “Victor Constantine Maximus Augustus to the provincials of the East.

“Everything that is contained within the firmest laws of nature provides a sufficient knowledge to all men concerning the providence and wisdom in the ordering of all things that follow from divine arrangement. Nor does there exist any doubt among those whose minds are carried along the straight path of knowledge toward that goal, but that a sound mind and an accurate perception of sight itself, as natural inclination tends toward true virtue, leads to the knowledge of God. Therefore, no man of prudence will ever be troubled when he sees the multitude of men following contrary ways of life. For the grace of virtue would remain utterly useless and hidden, unless wickedness ^C had arrayed against it a perverse and desperate manner of living. For this reason, a crown is proposed for virtue, but the most high God stands as the judge by whom wickedness is to be condemned and punished. As for myself, I shall attempt to speak to all of you as clearly as possible concerning the hope and expectation that I hold regarding future things.”

Chapter XLIX. Regarding the pious and God-loving father of Constantine, and regarding Diocletian and Maximian, the persecutors.

“For my part, I have always regarded the emperors who preceded me as strangers and aliens, due to the savage and inhuman nature of their characters. My father alone cultivated gentleness and mildness, calling upon God the Father in all his actions with admirable piety. But the others, being not of sound mind, and ^D choosing savagery ra"

rather than gentleness, nourished it abundantly, subverting the true doctrine through their own times; and the fervor of their wickedness was inflamed to such a degree that, while all divine and human affairs were settled in supreme peace, they themselves stirred up civil wars. ^A

CHAPTER L.

For it was reported that Apollo at that time had uttered his oracle from a certain cavern and dark lair, not from the mouth of a man, saying that the just on earth were an obstacle to his telling the truth, and that for this reason he was rendering false oracles from his tripod. For this cause, it was said, he let his hair grow unkempt and, having been expelled from his art of divination, could only lament the evil among men. But let us see to what end these things issued. ^B

CHAPTER LI.

"I call upon you now, O most high God. You know how I, at that time still a mere youth, heard how he who then held the preeminent place among the Roman emperors—a miserable, truly miserable [man], deceived by a false error of mind—inquisitively asked those who guarded him who the just people living on the earth might be; and one of the sacrificers who was about him answered that they were, of course, the Christians. He, having swallowed this response as if it were some honey, drew the swords that were readied for the punishment of crimes against a holiness that was free from all reproach. ^C Accordingly, he immediately wrote bloodthirsty edicts with cruel swords, so to speak, and instructed the judges to apply the natural ingenuity inherent in them to the devising of harsher tortures."

CHAPTER LII.

*It was then—it was, I say—possible to see with what liberty the venerable worshippers of God, because of their constant cruelty, endured most grievous insults daily, ^D while this [persecutor] was present. For he had been delivered by his father Constantius to Diocletian in the year of Christ 291, when Constantius had been made Caesar by Diocletian. At that very time, Constantine was passing his fifteenth year of age. For he died in the year of Christ 357, in his sixty-second year of age.

^A For the modesty which not even enemies had ever harmed was made a side-product of the insolence of angry citizens. What fire, what tortures, what kind of rack was not applied without distinction to every body and every age? At that time the earth itself wept without a doubt, and the sky which encompasses all things groaned, stained with gore. Even the light of day itself was obscured by the grief and horror of so great a prodigy.

CHAPTER LIII.

How the Barbarians received the Christians.

^B But why recall these things? The Barbarians now glory in them—those who in that time received the refugees from our regions and treated the captives humanely; for they allowed them not only their safety, but even to keep the practice of their religion intact among them. And so the Roman race now bears this perpetual mark of infamy, which the Christians, exiled from the Roman world at that time and fleeing to the Barbarians, inflicted upon them.

CHAPTER LIV.

How those who had stirred up persecution by an oracle were punished by divine vengeance.

^C But what need is there for me to commemorate those lamentations and the common mourning of the whole world with more words? Those authors of such a great crime have since perished by a shameful end, thrust down into the abyss of Acheron for perpetual tortures. For, having clashed among themselves in civil wars, they have left behind no memory of their name or kin. And this would certainly never have happened to them, had not that impious prophecy of the Pythian oracles possessed a false and adulterated power.

CHAPTER LV.

Constantine ascribes glory to God, confesses the sign of the cross, and prays for the Churches and peoples.

Now I beseech you, O greatest God, be mild and propitious towards your people in the East; be so towards all those provincials who have been ^D worn down by long-standing calamities, and be willing to bring them salvation through me, your servant. And I do not ask this of you, O Lord of all and holy God, without reason. For under your guidance and auspices I have undertaken and achieved salutary deeds. Everywhere displaying your sign, I led a victorious army. And whenever public necessity demands, following the insignia of your virtue, I advance against the enemy. For these reasons I have dedicated my soul to you, properly tempered by both love and fear; for I sincerely love your name, but I religiously dread the power which you have declared by many documents, and by which you have confirmed my faith. I hasten, therefore, placing my own shoulders to the task, to renew your most holy house, which those nefarious men...

and most ungodly, by the crime of their demolition, have laid waste. ^A

CHAPTER LVI.

How he desired that all should indeed be Christians, but compelled no one.

« I desire that your people should live in peace and free from sedition, for the common benefit of the whole world and of all mankind. Let those who are led astray receive, with the same joy as the believers, the enjoyment of peace and quiet. For this restoration of communion and mutual society avails much for leading men into the right way. Let no one molest another; let each do what his soul desires. That, however, ought to be held fixed and confirmed among those who think rightly, that only those are holy and pure who have been called by yourself to this, that they may acquiesce in your most holy laws. But let those who withdraw themselves have their own shrines of lies, since they so wish. We retain the most splendid house of your ^B truth, which you gave to us at our birth. We desire this same thing for them also, that indeed through common consensus and concord they might receive the greatest pleasure. »

CHAPTER LVII.

He attributes glory to God who has illuminated those who are wandering through His Son.

« For neither is our religion new or recent; but from the time when we believe the fabric of this world to have been established in an orderly manner, you instituted this religion with the due observance of your divinity. Furthermore, the human race, seduced by various errors, has stumbled. ^C But you, lest this evil should increase further, by raising up the most splendid torch of your Son, have admonished all people concerning the worship of your divinity. »

CHAPTER LVIII.

He again attributes glory to God from the ministry of the whole world.

« Your works are the proof of this. Your power makes us innocent and faithful. The sun and moon are carried along by fixed and definite courses; nor do the stars revolve without order around the axis of the whole world. The changes of the times recur by a certain law. By your word the firm solidity of the earth stands, and the winds move at a prescribed time, and the impetus of the waters flows in an unceasing ^D current. The sea is contained by fixed boundaries. And whatever is spread across the lands and through the ocean, this has been fashioned for the greatest and most wonderful uses. Which, indeed, if it were not carried on by the judgment of your will, would—far from having been established—have been utterly dissolved. »

For if such great diversity and the manifold distinction of power ^A had been allowed to harm all life and human affairs, those who have fought against each other would surely have fought more fiercely against the human race; which, indeed, they do, even if they are not seen by the eyes. »

CHAPTER LIX.

CHAPTER LX.

CHAPTER LXI.

How questions were stirred up from the city of Alexandria on account of Arius.

^A The emperor, as a most powerful herald of God, proclaimed this to all the provincials by his own letter, seeking to recall his subjects from the error of the demons and exhorting them to embrace the true worship of God. While he was rejoicing over these things, a report reached him of a great tumult that had seized the Churches. Struck by this, he began to devise a remedy. The origin of the tumult was this: The people of God were flourishing and applying themselves to noble deeds with a certain alacrity and joy. There was no overwhelming fear to cause disturbance, for by the grace of God, the greatest of benefactors, a pleasant and most profound peace was guarding the Church on all sides. But envy, ^B lurking and plotting against our blessings, first crept inside, and later danced in the midst of the assembly of the saints. Finally, it pitted the bishops against one another, stirring up among them a tumult and altercation under the pretext of divine dogmas. Then, just as from a small spark a great fire blazed up, which, having begun in a manner of speaking from the head, the Church of Alexandria, spread thereafter through all of Egypt and Libya, and the further Thebaid; and it had already begun to infect the remaining provinces and cities as well, so that one could see not only the leaders of the Churches clashing with one another in words, but also the multitudes themselves divided, some siding with these, others with those. Moreover, the spectacle of what was happening proceeded to such a degree of indignity that, in the very midst of the theaters of the infidels, the venerable doctrine of divine preaching was exposed to the foulest derision. ^C

CHAPTER LXII.

On Arius and the Meletians.

These men, in the city of Alexandria itself, were stubbornly contending about the most sublime matters. Others, meanwhile, throughout all of Egypt and the upper Thebaid, were at variance on account of a certain controversy that had been stirred up earlier, so that the Churches were torn apart everywhere. And since the body of the Church was suffering from this sort of disease, all of Libya fell ill along with it, and the remaining parts of the outer provinces were gripped by the same sickness. For those who were at Alexandria sent legates to the bishops of the individual provinces; and the latter, divided into one party or the other, were also drawn into the sedition.

CHAPTER LXIII.

Quomodo legatum cum litteris misit ad pacem componendam.

Upon hearing these things, the emperor was struck with the deepest grief, and viewing the matter as ^D a domestic calamity

he immediately sent for a man ^A from among the worshippers of God, whom he well knew to be a man proved by the virtue of a sober faith, and one who had been distinguished in time past by his confessions on behalf of piety. Him, he dispatched to Alexandria to compose the peace among those who were at variance there; and by him he sent a most necessary letter to those who were the authors of the contention, which indeed also contains in itself a proof of his concern for the people of God, and which it is fitting to include in the narrative being told of him, and it is as follows.

CHAPTER LXIV.

CHAPTER LXV.

CHAPTER LXVI.

^A that I might send some of you as assistants for the concord of those discordant among you.

CHAPTER LXVII.

That religion began from the parts of the East.

For since the power of the true light, and the law of the most holy religion, by the benefit of the Better One, had been issued as if from certain bosoms of the East, and had illuminated the whole world at once with its sacred rays; not without cause, confident that you would be the authors and leaders of the salvation of all nations, I labored to seek you out both with the affection of my mind and the focus of my eyes. Immediately, therefore, after that great victory and the most certain triumph over the enemies, I had decided before all things to scrutinize that again, which I judged to be of primary and greatest importance.

CHAPTER LXVIII.

How, being troubled because of the sedition, he counsels concerning peace.

But, O most excellent and divine Providence! what and what kind of message has most bitingly wounded my ears, or rather my heart itself, when it was signaled to me that much more serious dissensions have arisen among you than are those that have remained in Africa: so much so that your regions, from which I hoped that healing could be supplied to others, now stand in need of greater cure. And indeed, as I pondered the start and the origin of these things more accurately, the cause appeared to be very slight and by no means worthy of such contention of minds. Therefore, being pressed on by the necessity of writing this letter, and writing to your like-minded sagacity, ^B I was hurried—while I was considering what came first, ^C what indeed was this [cause] before the heart—that I might seek out the common enemy of the world and remove him.

having called upon divine Providence to assist in the matter, I quite rightly introduce myself as an arbiter of your dissension, one who is, as it were, a moderator of peace. For if I could, with God’s help, by insinuating an argument into the pious minds of my hearers, without difficulty bring individuals to more salutary counsels, even if a graver cause of discord existed, why should I not promise myself a far easier and more ready correction of this matter, now that the cause which stands in the way of the harmony of the whole body is quite light and trivial? ^A

CHAPTER LXIX. Whence the controversy between Alexander and Arius arose, and that such matters ought not to have been investigated.

I discover, then, that the initiation of the present controversy arose from this: for when you, Alexander, were asking of your presbyters what each of them might think concerning a certain place of the Law, or rather were questioning them about a certain part of a vain inquiry; and when you, Arius, had imprudently brought forward that which you ought never to have thought of, or, having thought of it, ought to have passed over in silence, a discord was excited between you, communion was indeed denied, and the most holy people, split into two parts, departed from the harmony of the whole body. Wherefore, let each of you, by granting reciprocal pardon to the other, embrace that which your fellow-servant justly advises you. And what is this? It was not proper from the beginning to ask about such matters, nor to answer when asked. For such questions, which the necessity of no law prescribes, but which the contention of useless leisure proposes, even if they are instituted for the sake of exercising one’s talent, we ought nevertheless to keep confined within the penetralia of our mind, and not to bring them easily into public assemblies, nor to entrust them inconsiderately to the ears of the common people. For how many are there who are capable of accurately understanding the force and nature of such great and highly difficult matters, or of explaining them as their dignity requires? But if one should be thought to be able to attain this easily, to how large a part of the multitude will he be able to persuade it? Or who, in such a subtle and accurate disputation of questions, without ^{B C D}

^A falling into the most dangerous slip, could stand firm? Wherefore, one must refrain from wordiness in such matters, so that we may not, either through the weakness of our own nature being unable to interpret what has been proposed, or through the slower understanding of the hearers being unable to reach an accurate grasp of what has been said, cause the people—from either of these—to fall into the necessity of blasphemy or schism.

CHAPTER LXX. Exhortation to concord.

Therefore, let both an unguarded question and an inconsiderate answer grant mutual pardon to one another. For it is not about the chief and greatest commandment of our law that a contention has arisen among you: nor has any new dogma in regard to the worship of God been introduced by you. But you hold one and the same opinion, so that you might easily be able to come together into the fellowship of communion.

CHAPTER LXXI. That one ought not to persist obstinately in strife over certain light words.

^B For while you persist in contending among yourselves over small and very trifling matters, it is not fitting that so large a multitude of God's people should be governed by your counsel, especially during so great a dissension of minds: and not only is this considered indecorous, but it is esteemed as an absolute impiety. And that I may remind your prudence with a smaller example, you know that even philosophers themselves are all bound together by the profession of one sect; yet for all that, they sometimes disagree in some parts of their assertions. ^C But although they may dissent in the perfection of the science itself, nevertheless, because of the communion of the sect, they conspire again into one. If this be so, how much more justly should you, who have been appointed ministers of the great God, remain unanimous in the profession of the same religion? But let us weigh more accurately and attentively, if you please, that which I have spoken: is it equitable that, on account of contentions between you over light and empty words, brothers should stand against brothers as if in battle array; and that the venerable assembly, through you who, concerning ^D matters...