The Savior commanded his disciples, saying: "Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

2.1 The lawless acts committed against us and against the church happened thus. While we were gathered as usual in peace, and the people were rejoicing in the assemblies and advancing in the godly way of life, and the fellow ministers throughout Egypt, Thebaid, and Libya had love and peace toward one another and toward us, suddenly the prefect of Egypt publicly posted letters having the 2.2 form of an edict, that a certain Gregory from Cappadocia was coming as my successor from the comitatus. And such a report troubled everyone; for such a thing was new and now heard for the first time; and the people gathered even more in the churches, because they especially saw that neither they themselves nor a bishop nor a presbyter nor anyone at all had ever found fault with us. But they saw only Arians with him and recognized him as an Arian 2.3 sent by the party of Eusebius to the Arians. And you know, brethren, that the party of Eusebius have always been protectors and partners of the impious heresy of the Ariomanites, and through them they have always plotted against us and were the cause of our journey to Gaul. For these reasons, the people were rightly indignant and cried out, appealing to the other magistrates and the whole city, that since no censure had been made by the ecclesiastics, but only the heretical Arians having played these games against us, such an innovation and lawlessness has been committed against the church. For even if there had been any valid censure against us at all, it should not have been by Arians nor by those who hold the opinions of 2.4 Arius, but according to the ecclesiastical canons and according to the saying of Paul, "when the people are gathered together, and the spirit" of those who appoint, "with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ," everything should have been examined and done canonically in the presence of the people and clergy who requested it, and not that he should cast himself from outside, at the hands of Arians, as if the title of bishop were for sale, upon those who had not requested, nor desired, nor even knew what had happened, with the patronage and force of outside magistrates. This both breaks the ecclesiastical canons and forces the Gentiles to blaspheme and to suspect that appointments are not made according to divine ordinance, but through trafficking and patronage.

3.1 So the marvelous appointment of Gregory was made by Arians and had such a beginning. But what lawless acts his entry into Alexandria wrought, and of how great evils it was the cause, you may inquire and learn from what is written and from those who are 3.2 visiting. For as the people were discontented and for this reason were gathered in the churches on account of such an innovation, so that the impiety of the Arians might not be mixed with the faith of the church, Philagrius, who had formerly wronged the church and its virgins and is now prefect of Egypt, having become a transgressor, but being a fellow countryman of Gregory and not having a respectable character, but also having the party of Eusebius as his patrons and for this reason acting zealously against the church, persuades the gentile populace, both Jews and disorderly persons, with promises, which he also later delivered, and provokes them and suddenly lets them loose with swords and clubs 3.3 against the people in the churches. And what resulted from these things is no longer simple to say; for it is not possible to describe it worthily, nor could anyone recall even a few things without tears and lamentations. For what such things have been dramatized among the ancients? Or what such thing has ever happened in persecution and war? The church and the holy baptistery are set on fire, and immediately there was wailing and shrieks and lamentation throughout the city, with the citizens also being indignant at what was happening and crying out against the

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ὁ σωτὴρ ἐνετείλατο τοῖς μαθηταῖς λέγων· πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος».

2.1 Τὰ μὲν οὖν καθ' ἡμῶν καὶ κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας παρανομηθέντα οὕτως γέγονε. συναγόντων ἡμῶν συνήθως ἐν εἰρήνῃ τῶν τε λαῶν εὐφραινομένων ἐπὶ ταῖς συνάξεσι καὶ προκοπτόντων τῇ κατὰ θεὸν πολιτείᾳ τῶν τε συλλειτουργῶν τῶν κατ' Αἴγυπτον καὶ Θηβαίδα καὶ Λιβύην ἀγάπην καὶ εἰρήνην ἐχόντων πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἐξαίφνης ὁ ἔπαρχος τῆς Αἰγύπτου γράμματα προτίθησι δημοσίᾳ διατάγματος ἔχοντα 2.2 τύπον, ὡς Γρηγορίου τινὸς ἐκ Καππαδοκίας εἰσερχομένου διαδόχου μου ἀπὸ τοῦ κομι τάτου. καὶ ἡ μὲν τοιαύτη ἀκοὴ τοὺς πάντας ἐτάραξε· καινὸν γὰρ ἦν καὶ ἄρτι πρώτως ἀκουσθὲν τὸ τοιοῦτον· οἱ δὲ λαοὶ καὶ μᾶλλον εἰς τὰς ἐκκλησίας συνήρχοντο, ὅτι μάλιστα συνεώρων μήτε ἑαυτοὺς μήτε ἐπίσκοπον μήτε πρεσβύτερον μήτε ὅλως τινὰς μεμψα μένους ἡμᾶς ποτε. μόνους δὲ Ἀρειανοὺς ἑώρων σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ Ἀρειανὸν αὐτὸν ἐπεγί2.3 νωσκον ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον τοῖς Ἀρειανοῖς ἀποσταλέντα. οἴδατε δέ, ἀδελφοί, ἀεὶ τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον προστάτας καὶ κοινωνοὺς τῆς ἀσεβοῦς αἱρέσεως τῶν Ἀρειο μανιτῶν γενομένους καὶ δι' αὐτῶν ἀεὶ ἡμῖν ἐπιβουλεύσαντας καὶ τῆς εἰς τὰς Γαλλίας ἀποδημίας αἰτίους ἡμῖν γενομένους. διὰ ταῦτα γὰρ εἰκότως καὶ οἱ λαοὶ ἠγανάκτουν καὶ κατεβόων μαρτυρόμενοι τοὺς ἄλλους δικαστὰς καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν, ὅτι μηδεμιᾶς μέμψεως ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν γενομένης, ἀλλὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν Ἀρειανῶν μόνων αὐτὰ καθ' ἡμῶν παιξάντων καινοτομία τις καὶ παρανομία τοιαύτη κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας γεγένηται. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὅλως ἦν τις καθ' ἡμῶν μέμψις κρατήσασα, ἔδει μὴ Ἀρειανῶν μηδὲ τῶν τὰ 2.4 Ἀρείου φρονούντων, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς κανόνας καὶ κατὰ τὸ τοῦ Παύλου ῥῆμα «συναχθέντων» τῶν λαῶν «καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος» τῶν καθιστανόντων «σὺν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ» πάντα κανονικῶς ἐξετασθῆναί τε καὶ πραχ θῆναι παρόντων τῶν αἰτουμένων λαῶν καὶ κληρικῶν καὶ μὴ ἔξωθεν ὑπὸ Ἀρειανῶν ὥσπερ ἐμπορευόμενον τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἐπισκόπου παρὰ τοὺς μὴ αἰτήσαντας μηδὲ βουλο μένους μηδὲ ὅλως γινώσκοντας τὸ γεγονὸς μετὰ προστασίας καὶ βίας τῶν ἔξωθεν δι καστῶν ἐπιρρῖψαι ἑαυτόν. τοῦτο δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς κανόνας παραλύει, τὰ δὲ ἔθνη βλασφημεῖν ἀναγκάζει καὶ ὑπονοεῖν, ὅτι μὴ κατὰ θεῖον θεσμόν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐμπορίας καὶ προστασίας αἱ καταστάσεις γίνονται.

3.1 Ἡ μὲν οὖν κατάστασις ἡ θαυμαστὴ Γρηγορίου ὑπὸ Ἀρειανῶν γέγονε καὶ τοιαύτην ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχήν. ἡ δὲ εἴσοδος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν οἷα παράνομα κατειργάσατο καὶ ἡλίκων κακῶν αἰτία γέγονεν, ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν ἐκ τῶν γραφομένων καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐπι 3.2 δημούντων ἐπερωτῆσαι καὶ μαθεῖν. τῶν γὰρ λαῶν δυσανασχετούντων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις συναχθέντων ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ καινοτομίᾳ, ἵνα μὴ ἡ τῶν Ἀρειανῶν ἀσέβεια καταμιγῇ τῇ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πίστει, Φιλάγριος ὁ καὶ πάλαι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ τὰς ταύτης παρθένους ἀδικήσας καὶ νῦν ἔπαρχος Αἰγύπτου τυγχάνων, παραβάτης μὲν γενόμενος, πατριώτης δὲ ὢν τοῦ Γρηγορίου καὶ οὐ σεμνὸν ἔχων τὸν τρόπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ προστάτας ἔχων τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σπουδάζων κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλη σίας πείθει τοὺς ἐθνικοὺς δήμους τούς τε Ἰουδαίους καὶ τοὺς ἀτάκτους ἐπαγγελίαις, ἃς καὶ ὕστερον ἐπεδίδου, καὶ παροξύνει καὶ ἀθρόως αὐτοὺς μετὰ ξιφῶν καὶ ῥοπάλων ἀφίησι 3.3 κατὰ τῶν λαῶν εἰς τὰς ἐκκλησίας. καὶ τί γέγονεν ἐκ τούτων οὐκέτι λοιπὸν ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν· οὔτε γὰρ ἀξίως σημᾶναι δυνατὸν οὔτε χωρὶς δακρύων καὶ θρήνων μνημονεύσειεν ἄν τις κἂν τῶν ὀλίγων. ποῖα γὰρ παρὰ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις τετραγῴδηται τοιαῦτα; ἢ τί τοιοῦτον ἐν διωγμῷ καὶ πολέμῳ γέγονέ ποτε; ἡ μὲν ἐκκλησία καὶ τὸ ἅγιον βαπτιστήριον πυρπολεῖται, εὐθέως δὲ οἰμωγαὶ καὶ ὀλολυγαὶ καὶ θρῆνος ἦν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν, ἀγανακ τούντων καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς γιγνομένοις καὶ καταβοώντων τοῦ

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