1. Your sacred Kindness’s letter was delivered to me in the desert. Though the persecution directed against us was indeed bitter, and a great search made by those who sought to slay us, yet ‘the Father of mercies and God of all comfort’ used even this to comfort us. As I remembered your Kindness and all my friends, I imagined that you were with me at that moment. I was indeed very glad to have your letter. But when I read it, I began again to be despondent because of those who once before set themselves to make war against the truth. You write, beloved and truly longed for, yourself also in distress, that certain persons, having forsaken the Arians on account of their blasphemy against the Son of God, yet oppose the Holy Spirit, saying that He is not only a creature, but actually one of the ministering spirits, and differs from the angels only in degree. In this they pretend to be fighting against the Arians; in reality they are controverting the holy faith. For as the Arians in denying the Son deny also the Father, so also these men in speaking evil of the Holy Spirit speak evil also of the Son. The two parties have divided between them the offensive against the truth; so that, with the one opposing the Son and the other the Spirit, they both maintain the same blasphemy against the holy Triad. As I regarded these things and reflected deeply upon them, I grew despondent because the devil had got another chance to make game of those who are acting his folly; and I had decided to keep silence at this juncture. But because of your Holiness’s entreaty, and on account, of the spirit of innovation and the diabolical impetuosity displayed by these people, I write this letter in brief, though I am scarce able to do this much; only that you, making these facts your excuse, may supply what it lacks in the light of your own understanding, and the argument against this unholy heresy may be complete.

Τὰ γράμματα τῆς σῆς ἱερᾶς διαθέσεως ἀπεδόθη μοι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Καὶ εἰ καὶ πικρός τις ἦν ὁ καθ' ἡμῶν διωγμὸς ἐπικείμενος, καὶ πολλὴ ἔρευνα τῶν ζητούντων ἡμᾶς ἀνελεῖν· ἀλλ' «ὁ Πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν καὶ Θεὸς πάσης παρακλήσεως,» παρεκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐν τοῖς γράμμασί σου. Ἀναμιμνησκόμενος γὰρ τῆς σῆς διαθέσεως καὶ πάντων τῶν γνησίων, ἔδοξα τούτους σὺν ἐμοὶ τότε παρεῖναι. Ἐπιπολὺ μὲν οὖν ἔχαιρον κατέχων τὰ γράμματα· ὡς δὲ τούτοις ἐνέτυχον, ἠρξάμην πάλιν ἀθυμεῖν διὰ τοὺς ἅπαξ μελετήσαντας μάχεσθαι πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἔγραφες γὰρ, ἀγαπητὲ καὶ ἀληθῶς ποθεινότατε, λυπούμενος καὶ αὐτὸς, ὡς ἐξελθόντων μέν τι νων ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀρειανῶν διὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ βλασφημίαν, φρονούντων δὲ κατὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, καὶ λεγόντων αὐτὸ μὴ μόνον κτίσμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν λειτουργικῶν πνευμάτων ἓν αὐτὸ εἶναι, καὶ βαθμῷ μόνον αὐτὸ διαφέρειν τῶν ἀγγέλων. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστι πρὸς μὲν τοὺς Ἀρειανοὺς προσποιητὸς μάχη· ἀληθὴς δὲ ἀντιλογία πρὸς τὴν εὐσεβῆ πίστιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, ἀρνούμενοι τὸν Υἱὸν, ἀρνοῦνται καὶ τὸν Πατέρα· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι, δυσφημοῦντες εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, δυσφημοῦσι καὶ εἰς τὸν Υἱόν. Καὶ ἀμφότερα τὰ μέρη διείλοντο τὴν πρὸς τὴν ἀλή θειαν ἀντίστασιν, ἵν' οἱ μὲν κατὰ τοῦ Λόγου, οἱ δὲ κατὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος φρονοῦντες, τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχωσιν εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν Τριάδα βλασφημίαν. Ταῦτ' οὖν συνορῶν καὶ πολλὰ λογιζόμενος, ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ γέγονα, ὅτι πάλιν εὗρε παίζειν ὁ διάβολος ἐν τοῖς ὑποκρινομένοις τὴν μανίαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ κρίνας μὲν ἤμην σιωπᾷν ἐν τοιούτῳ καιρῷ· διὰ δὲ τὴν προτροπὴν τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος, ἕνεκά τε τῆς ἐκείνων ἀλλοδοξίας καὶ σατανικῆς προπετείας, δι' ὀλίγων ἔγραψα τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, μόγις καὶ ταῦτα δυνηθεὶς, ἵνα μόνον καὶ σὺ, πρόφασιν ἐκ τούτων λαβὼν, κατὰ τὴν προσοῦσάν σοι σύνεσιν τὰ λείποντα προσθῇς, καὶ πλήρης ὁ κατὰ τῆς δυσσεβοῦς αἱρέσεως ἔλεγχος γένηται.