Epistula encyclica

Encyclical Letter of the blessed Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria

1.1 To the fellow-ministers in every place, beloved lords, Athanasius, greeting in the Lord. The things which we have suffered are terrible and unbearable, and it is not possible to recount them worthily; but so that the terribleness of the events may be known more quickly, I thought it good 1.2 to recall a story from the Scriptures. A certain Levite man once, having been wronged with respect to his wife and having seen the excess of the abomination (for the woman was a Hebrew and happened to be from the tribe of Judah), and being astounded at the lawless deeds dared against him, as the divine scripture of Judges relates, having divided the woman, sent her to every tribe of Israel, so that such an injustice might be credited not to him alone, but to all in common, and so that, if they should sympathize, they might take vengeance, but if they should disregard it, as 1.3 having themselves then done wrong, they might be ashamed. And those who were sent announced what had happened, and those who heard and saw said that such things had never happened, from the day that the sons of Israel came up out of Egypt. Therefore every tribe of Israel was stirred and all, as if they themselves had suffered, came together against those who had transgressed, and in the end those who did the lawless deeds were warred down and became an anathema from all. For 1.4 those who came together did not look to their kinship, but they looked to what had been transgressed. But you know the story, brothers, and the things precisely signified from Scripture concerning it, for I do not wish to elaborate further about it, writing to those who know and being eager to signify to your reverence things now greater than those. For on this account also I have recalled this story, so that, comparing the things of then with what is happening now and knowing that these things have surpassed their cruelty, you might be more indignant than those were against those who transgressed 1.5 then. For it has surpassed even the bitter persecutions that took place against us, and small is the Levite's misfortune compared to the things now dared against the Church; and moreover these things were never heard of in the world nor has anyone experienced such 1.6 evils. For then it was one woman who was wronged and one Levite who suffered the violence, but now the whole Church has been wronged and the priesthood has been outraged, and what is more, piety is being persecuted by impiety. And then indeed each tribe, seeing a part of one woman, was astounded, but now you see members of the whole Church divided and some sent to you, and others to others, announcing the outrage and injustice which they have suffered. 1.7 Be stirred then, you also, I beseech you, not as if we alone, but as if you too have been wronged, and let each man help as if he himself had suffered, so that not after a little while the ecclesiastical canons and the faith of the Church be corrupted. For both are in danger, unless quickly God through you should correct the transgressions and the Church should obtain vindication. For 1.8 not now were canons and forms given to the Churches, but from our fathers they were well and securely handed down. Nor did the faith begin now, but from the Lord through the disciples it has passed down to us. So that, therefore, the things preserved in the Churches from ancient times until us may not be lost in these present days and the things entrusted to us be required from us, be stirred, brothers, as you are "stewards of the mysteries of God" and see these things being plundered by others. 1.9 The more numerous things, therefore, you will hear from the letter-bearers, but I also hastened to signify briefly, so that in reality you may know that such things have never happened against the Church from the day that "having been taken up

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Epistula encyclica

Ἐπιστολὴ ἐγκύκλιος τοῦ μακαρίου Ἀθανασίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας

1.1 Τοῖς κατὰ τόπον συλλειτουργοῖς, κυρίοις ἀγαπητοῖς, Ἀθανάσιος ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Ἃ μὲν πεπόνθαμεν δεινὰ καὶ ἀφόρητά ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπαξίως αὐτῶν μνημονεῦσαι· ἵνα δὲ ταχύτερον τὸ δεινὸν τῶν συμβεβηκότων γνωσθῆναι δυνηθῇ, καλὸν ἡγησάμην 1.2 ἱστορίας ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν μνημονεῦσαι. ἀνήρ ποτε Λευίτης ἀδικηθεὶς εἰς τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ μύσους ἑωρακώς (Ἑβραία γὰρ ἦν ἡ γυνὴ καὶ ἐκ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς ἐτύγχανε) καὶ καταπλαγεὶς ἐπὶ τοῖς τολμηθεῖσιν εἰς αὐτὸν παρανομήμασιν, ὡς ἡ θεία τῶν Κριτῶν διαγορεύει γραφή, διελὼν τὴν γυναῖκα ἀπέστειλε κατὰ πᾶσαν φυλὴν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ἵνα μὴ εἰς αὐτὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς πάντας κοινὸν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἀδίκημα πιστευθῇ, καὶ ἵνα, ἐὰν μὲν συμπαθῶσιν, ἐκδικήσωσιν, ἐὰν δὲ παρίδωσιν, ὡς 1.3 αὐτοὶ λοιπὸν ἀδικήσαντες αἰσχυνθῶσι. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀποσταλέντες τὸ γεγονὸς ἀπήγγελον, οἱ δὲ ἀκούοντες καὶ ὁρῶντες ἔλεγον μηδέποτε τὰ τοιαῦτα γεγενῆσθαι, ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἀνέβησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. πᾶσα γοῦν φυλὴ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κεκίνητο καὶ πάντες ὡς αὐτοὶ παθόντες κατὰ τῶν πλημμελησάντων συνῆλθον καὶ τέλος κατεπο λεμήθησαν οἱ τὰ παράνομα δράσαντες καὶ ἀνάθεμα παρὰ πάντων γεγόνασιν. οὐ γὰρ 1.4 εἰς τὴν συγγένειαν οἱ συνελθόντες ἐσκόπουν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ πλημμεληθὲν ἀπέβλεπον. οἴ δατε δὲ τὴν ἱστορίαν, ἀδελφοί, καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῆς γραφῆς ἀκριβῶς περὶ ταύτης σημαινόμενα, ἐπεξεργάσασθαι γὰρ πλείονα περὶ αὐτῆς οὐ βούλομαι πρὸς εἰδότας γράφων καὶ ἐπειγόμενος τὰ νῦν ἐκείνων πλείονα σημᾶναι τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ εὐλαβείᾳ. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τῆς ἱστορίας ταύτης ἐμνήσθην, ἵνα τὰ τότε τοῖς νῦν γινομένοις συμβαλόντες καὶ γνόντες, ὡς ταῦτα νενίκηκε τὴν ἐκείνων ὠμότητα, πλεῖον ὑμεῖς ἀγανακτήσητε ἢ οἱ κατὰ τῶν 1.5 τότε παρανομησάντων. καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὰ πικρὰ τῶν διωγμῶν τὰ γενόμενα καθ' ἡμῶν ὑπερβέβηκε, καὶ μικρὰ ἡ τοῦ Λευίτου συμφορὰ πρὸς τὰ νῦν κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τολμη θέντα· καὶ μᾶλλον ταῦτα οὔτε ἠκούσθη ποτὲ ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ οὔτε τοιούτων τις πεπείραται 1.6 κακῶν. τότε μὲν γὰρ γυνὴ μία ἦν ἡ ἀδικηθεῖσα καὶ εἷς Λευίτης ὁ τὴν βίαν παθών, νῦν δὲ ὅλη ἡ ἐκκλησία ἠδικήθη καὶ ἱερατεῖον ὑβρίσθη, καὶ τό γε μεῖζον, εὐσέβεια ὑπὸ ἀσεβείας διώκεται. καὶ τότε μὲν μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἑκάστη φυλὴ μέρος ὁρῶσα κατεπλήττετο, ἄρτι δὲ ὅλης ἐκκλησίας ὁρᾶτε μέλη διῃρημένα καὶ τοὺς μὲν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, τοὺς δὲ πρὸς ἄλλους ἀποσταλέντας τὴν ὕβριν καὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν ἣν πεπόνθασιν ἀπαγγέλλοντας. 1.7 κινήθητε δὴ οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς, παρακαλῶ, μὴ ὡς ἡμῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς ὑμῶν ἀδικηθέντων καὶ ἕκαστος ὡς αὐτὸς παθὼν βοηθησάτω, ἵνα μὴ δι' ὀλίγου οἱ ἐκκλησιαστικοὶ κανόνες καὶ ἡ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πίστις παραφθαρῇ. κινδυνεύει γὰρ ἀμφότερα, ἐὰν μὴ ταχέως ὁ θεὸς δι' ὑμῶν τὰ πλημμεληθέντα διορθώσηται καὶ ἐκδικίας ἡ ἐκκλησία τύχῃ. οὐ γὰρ 1.8 νῦν κανόνες καὶ τύποι ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἐδόθησαν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν καλῶς καὶ βεβαίως παρεδόθησαν. οὐδὲ νῦν ἡ πίστις ἤρξατο, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ κυρίου διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς διαβέβηκεν. ἵν' οὖν μὴ τὰ ἐξ ἀρχαίων μέχρις ἡμῶν τηρηθέντα ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἐν ταῖς νῦν ἡμέραις παραπόληται καὶ τὰ πιστευθέντα ἡμῖν ζητηθῇ παρ' ἡμῶν, κινήθητε, ἀδελφοί, ὡς «οἰκονόμοι μυστηρίων θεοῦ» τυγχάνοντες καὶ ταῦτα ὑφ' ἑτέρων ἁρπαζό 1.9 μενα θεωροῦντες. τὰ μὲν οὖν πλείονα παρὰ τῶν γραμματηφόρων ἀκούσεσθε, συντόμως δὲ κἀγὼ σημᾶναι ἠπείχθην, ἵνα τῷ ὄντι γνῶτε ὅτι οὐδέποτε τοιαῦτα γέγονε κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας «ἀναληφθεὶς

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