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being much talked of and 96.1256 circulated, and with everyone acknowledging him as a distinguished and renowned man, I did not think it right to bury these things in the depths of oblivion, but to bring them to light, and to set them before your ears as those who are lovers of Christ and lovers of martyrs; so that the great merits of the divine martyr might not be overshadowed in a few syllables; and at the same time hastening to delight your ears, both from the narratives of the history, and from the recently revealed valiant deeds of the martyr. 4. Many, therefore, of those who have written histories have made mention of this celebrated man: Eusebius, called the son of Pamphilus, and Socrates of the Novatian heresy, and Philostorgius, who himself also belonged to the Eunomian heresy, and Theodoret and many others. Of these, Eusebius, living and being known in the times of the great Constantine, and being the most learned of the bishops of that time, introduces the martyr as being one of the senatorial council, and well-known in the emperor's court, and a most zealous devotee of the companionship, or rather friendship, with Constantius his son. For the blessed one appears never to have detached himself from his friendship with Constantius, revealing the glorious and magnanimous quality of his nature; and Philostorgius, although he is an ardent lover of the Eunomian heresy, yet extols the martyr above all, having made a great insistence and detailed account of his deeds, pointing out the nobility inherent in the martyr from earlier times, even before he undertook the contests of martyrdom. Therefore, I too shall begin the history concerning him, as the ancient books declare. 5. Idolatry having just been brought to an end, and the deceit of demons having been extinguished, through the philanthropy shown by our great God and Savior Jesus Christ toward the blessed and celebrated Constantine, the most brilliant and pious emperor, the son of Constans and of the blessed Helen, how He called him back from the vain error of idols, and by the manifestation of the life-giving cross in heaven, and how he prevailed over the enemy and lawless emperors through the efficacy and power of the precious cross, and how the God-beloved horn of the Christians was exalted, being established and increased by his zeal and faith, so that the preaching of Christ filled the whole world, and all the altars of the idols and carved images and all their temples were torn down, wherever on earth they were, and the churches of God were rebuilt, which the Christ-hating and impious emperors had destroyed. 6. When these things were happening, the devil, who envies good things, did not bear such a change, but stirred up a storm and confusion through his own shield-bearers. For Arius, named for his madness, being a presbyter of the Church in Alexandria, terribly disturbed it, setting in motion a lawless doctrine full of all blasphemy. For he asserted that the only-begotten Son of God, the pre-eternal, was a creature, and alien to the substance of God the Father. For these reasons the council of the three hundred and eighteen holy Fathers was gathered in Nicaea, and deposing Arius, it proclaimed the Son of God and our Lord Jesus Christ to be consubstantial with the Father. But these things both secular histories declare, and not a few of our own have examined and clarified them; but for me to dwell on these things is not fitting at the present time, since another, more exact study and discussion is needed for them.

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διαθρυλλούμενόν τε καὶ 96.1256 περιφερόμενον, καὶ ἄνδρα περιφανῆ τε καὶ διαβόητον πάντων αὐτὸν ὁμολογούντων, οὐκ ᾠήθην ταῦτα τῆς λήθης ἐνθάψαι βυθοῖς, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ φανερὸν ἀγαγεῖν, καὶ ὑμῶν προθῆναι ταῖς ἀκοαῖς ὡς φιλοχρίστοις τε οὖσι καὶ φιλομάρτυσιν· ἵνα μὴ ἐν ὀλίγαις τισὶ συλλαβαῖς τὰ τηλικαῦτα ἐπηλυγάζωνται τοῦ θείου μάρτυρος πλεονεκτήματα· ἅμα τε καὶ ὑμῶν κατευφράναι σπεύδων τᾶς ἀκοὰς, ἔκ τε τῶν τῆς ἱστορίας διηγημάτων, καὶ τῶν ἀρτίως ἀναφανέντων τοῦ μάρτυρος ἀνδραγαθημάτων. δʹ. Πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν τὰς ἱστορίας γραψάντων τοῦ ἀοιδίμου τούτου ἀνδρὸς ἐμνημόνευσαν, Εὐσέβιός τε ὁ Παμφίλου ὀνομαζόμενος, καὶ Σωκράτης ὁ τῆς Ναυάτου αἱρέσεως, καὶ Φιλοστόργιος ὁ τῆς Εὐνομίου καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπάρχων αἱρέσεως, Θεοδώρητός τε καὶ ἄλλοι πλείονες. Ὧν ὁ μὲν Εὐσέβιος ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου ὤν τε καὶ γνωριζόμενος, καὶ τῶν τότε ἐπισκόπων ὑπάρχων ὁ λογιώτατος, παρεισάγει τὸν μάρτυρα τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς ἕνα τυγχάνοντα, καὶ γνώριμον ἐς τὰ βασιλέως ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸν Κωνστάντιον τὸν αὐτοῦ υἱὸν ἑταιρίας, εἴτ' οὖν φιλίας, σπουδαστὴν ἀκριβέστατον. Φαίνεται γὰρ ὁ Μακάριος μηδὲ πώποτε τῆς πρὸς τὸν Κωνστάντιον φιλίας ἀποσπασάμενος, τὸ ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ καὶ μεγαλουργὸν ὑποφαίνων τῆς φύσεως· ὁ δέ γε Φιλοστόργιος, εἰ καὶ διάπυρος ἐραστὴς τῆς Εὐνομίου ὑπάρχει αἱρέσεως, ἀλλ' ὅμως ὑπὲρ πάντας ἐκθειάζει τὸν μάρτυρα, πολλήν τινα τὴν ἔνστασιν καὶ ἀκρίβειαν τῶν αὐτοῦ πράξεων ποιησάμενος, ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν χρόνων τὴν τῷ μάρτυρι προσοῦσαν εὐγένειαν ὑποσημηνάμενος, καὶ πρὶν ἢ τῶν τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἀγώνων ἐφάψασθαι. Ἄρξομαι τοίνυν κἀγὼ τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν ἱστορίας, ὡς αἱ παλαιῶν διαγορεύουσιν δέλτοι. εʹ. Τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἄρτι καταπαυθείσης, καὶ τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπάτης κατασβεσθείσης, ἐκ τῆς γενομένης φιλανθρωπίας παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ περὶ τὸν μακάριον καὶ ἀοίδιμον Κωνσταντῖνον, τὸν ὑπέρλαμπρον καὶ εὐσεβῆ βασιλέα, τὸν τοῦ Κώνσταντος υἱὸν καὶ τῆς μακαρίας Ἑλένης, ὅπως τε αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς ματαίας τῶν εἰδώλων πλάνης ἀνεκαλέσατο, καὶ τῆς τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ σταυροῦ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἐπιδείξεως, πῶς τε τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ παρανόμων βασιλέων περιεγένετο διὰ τῆς τοῦ τιμίου σταυροῦ ἐνεργείας τε καὶ δυνάμεως, καὶ πῶς τὸ Χριστιανῶν θεοφιλὲς ὑψώθη κέρας, ὑπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ προθυμίας καὶ πίστεως, συγκροτούμενόν τε καὶ συναυξανόμενον, ὥστε τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κήρυγμα πᾶσαν πληρῶσαι τὴν οἰκουμένην, καθαιρεθῆναι δὲ πάντας τοὺς βωμοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων καὶ ξόανα καὶ ναοὺς ἅπαντας, ὅποι ποτὲ γῆς ἐτύγχανον, ἀνοικοδομεῖσθαι δὲ τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας, ἃς οἱ μισόχριστοι καὶ δυσσεβεῖς βασιλεῖς κατηνάλωσαν. ϛʹ· Τούτων οὖν γινομένων, οὐκ ἤνεγκεν τὴν τοσαύτην μεταβολὴν ὁ τοῖς καλοῖς βασκαίνων διάβολος, ἀλλ' ἤγειρε ζάλην καὶ τάραχον διὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ οἰκείων ὑπασπιστῶν. Ἄρειος γὰρ ὁ τῆς μανίας ἐπώνυμος, τῆς ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ Ἐκκλησίας ὑπάρχων πρεσβύτερος, δεινῶς τε ταύτην ἐτάραξε, δόγμα κινήσας παράνομον καὶ πάσης βλασφημίας ἀνάμεστον. Ἔφασκε γὰρ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν προαιώνιον, κτίσμα εἶναι, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς οὐσίας ἀλλότριον. ∆ιά τοι ταῦτα ἡ ἐν Νικαίᾳ τῶν ἁγίων τριακοσίων δεκαοκτὼ Πατέρων ἀθροίζεται σύνοδος, καὶ τὸν Ἄρειον καθελοῦσα, τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κηρύττει τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁμοούσιον. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν αἵ τε τῶν ἔξωθεν ἱστορίαι διαγορεύουσιν, οὐκ ὀλίγοι δὲ τῶν ἡμετέρων διηκρίβωσάν τε καὶ κατετράνωσαν ἐμοὶ δὲ περὶ ταῦτα διατρίβειν ὁ νῦν οὐχ ἁρμόσει καιρὸς, ἄλλης περὶ τούτων δεομένης ἀκριβεστέρας σχολῆς τε καὶ διασκέψεως.