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the adversary through him stirs up and moves the storm of the church; for he persuaded [men] to openly oppose the apostolic teachings of Alexander. And he [Alexander], following the divine oracles, said the Son was of equal honor with the Father and had the same substance as the 7 God who begat him; but Arius, fighting directly against the truth, called him a creature and a thing made, and added "there was a time when he was not," and the other things which we will more clearly learn from his writings. And he continued saying these things not only in the church, but also in outside meetings and councils, and going about to houses he enslaved as many as he could. But Alexander, the champion of the apostolic doctrines, first tried to change his mind with exhortations and advice; but when he saw him in a frenzy and openly preaching his impiety, he expelled him from the priestly rolls. For he had heard the divine law crying out: " if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you ". And at this time of the Roman church, Silvester held the reins, having succeeded Miltiades who after Marcellinus, the one who was distinguished in the persecution, received the ordination of the high priesthood; and in Antioch after Tyrannus, when the peace of the churches began, Vitalius took over the leadership, who also built the church in the Palaia which had been destroyed by the tyrants; and Philogonius after him, having taken the presidency, both added what was lacking to the building and demonstrated zeal for piety in the times of Licinius. And the see in Jerusalem after Hermon was entrusted to Macarius, a man true to his name and adorned with all kinds of good things. And of the city of Constantinople at this very time, Alexander was deemed worthy of the high priestly ministry, being resplendent with apostolic gifts. Then 8 therefore Alexander of Alexandria, seeing that Arius was possessed by the gadfly of ambition and was gathering those who had been taken captive by his blasphemy and forming his own assemblies, made known his blasphemy to the leaders of the churches by means of letters. And I will include in my history the letter written to his namesake, which clearly teaches everything concerning him, so that no one may suppose that I am fabricating these things as I write; and after this one, that of Arius himself, and after that one the others which the narrative of the history requires, so that they may bear witness to the truth of the writing and teach more clearly what has happened. And Alexander of Alexandria writes these things to his namesake: "To the most honored brother and like-minded Alexander, Alexander "in the Lord, greeting. "The ambitious and avaricious purpose of wicked men "is always disposed to plot against the seemingly greater dioceses, on "various pretexts such men attack the ecclesiastical "piety. For driven mad by the devil working in them, "leaping away from all reverence toward their proposed pleasure, "they trample on the fear of the judgment of God. Concerning whom "it was necessary for me, the one suffering, to declare to your reverence, so that "you may be on your guard against such men, lest any of them dare to set foot in your "dioceses, either by themselves (for the impostors are capable of playing a role 9 "for deceit), or through falsely embellished letters, "able to snatch away one who adheres to a simple and sincere faith. "Arius, then, and Achillas, having recently formed a conspiracy, have "emulated the ambition of Colluthus much more wickedly than he did. For he, by "accusing these very men, found a pretext for his own wicked purpose; but they, observing his Christ-trafficking, no longer endured to remain subject to the "church, but having built for themselves dens of thieves "they hold unceasing councils in them, by night "and by day being engaged in slanders against Christ and us. who, accusing all the pious apostolic doctrine "under a Jewish pretext

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ἀντίπαλος δι' αὐτοῦ κυκᾷ καὶ κινεῖ τῆς ἐκ κλησίας τὴν ζάλην· ταῖς γὰρ ἀποστολικαῖς Ἀλεξάνδρου διδασκαλίαις προφανῶς ἀντιτείνειν ἀνέπειθε. καὶ ὁ μὲν τοῖς θείοις λογίοις ἑπόμενος ὁμότιμον ἔλεγε τοῦ πατρὸς τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν οὐσίαν ἔχειν τῷ 7 γεγεννηκότι θεῷ· ὁ δὲ Ἄρειος ἄντικρυς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μαχόμενος κτίσμα καὶ ποίημα προσηγόρευεν, καὶ τὸ ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν προσε τίθει καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα ἐκ τῶν ἐκείνου γραμμάτων σαφέστερον μα θησόμεθα. καὶ ταῦτα οὐ μόνον ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ διετέλει λέγων, ἀλλὰ κἀν τοῖς ἔξω συλλόγοις καὶ συνεδρίοις, καὶ τὰς οἰκίας περινοστῶν ἐξηνδραπόδιζεν ὅσους ἴσχυεν. Ἀλέξανδρος δέ, ὁ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν δογμάτων συνήγορος, πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὸν παραινέσεσι μεταπείθειν ἐπειρᾶτο καὶ συμβουλαῖς· ἐπειδὴ δὲ κορυβαντιῶντα εἶδε καὶ ἀναφαν δὸν κηρύττοντα τὴν ἀσέβειαν, τῶν ἱερατικῶν ἐξήλασε καταλόγων. ἤκουσε γὰρ τοῦ θείου νόμου βοῶντος· " ἐὰν ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ὁ δεξιὸς σκανδαλίζῃ σε, ἔκκοψον αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ ". Κατὰ τοῦτον δὲ τὸν χρόνον τῆς μὲν Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίας Σίλ βεστρος κατεῖχε τὰς ἡνίας, Μιλτιάδην διαδεξάμενος ὃς μετὰ Μαρκελ λῖνον τὸν ἐν τῷ διωγμῷ διαπρέψαντα τὴν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης χειρο τονίαν ἐδέξατο· ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ δὲ μετὰ Τύραννον, τῆς τῶν ἐκκλη σιῶν ἀρξαμένης εἰρήνης, Βιτάλιος τὴν ἡγεμονίαν παρέλαβεν, ὃς καὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ καταλυθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν τυράννων ᾠκο δόμησεν ἐκκλησίαν· Φιλογόνιος δὲ μετὰ τοῦτον τὴν προεδρίαν λαβὼν τά τε λειπόμενα τῇ οἰκοδομίᾳ προστέθεικε καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐν τοῖς Λικιννίου καιροῖς ἐπεδείξατο ζῆλον. τὴν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις δὲ μετὰ Ἑρμωνᾶν Μακάριος ἐπιστεύθη, φερώνυμος ἀνὴρ καὶ παντοδαποῖς κοσμούμενος ἀγαθοῖς. τῆς δὲ Κωνσταντινου πόλεως κατὰ τοῦτον αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν Ἀλέξανδρος τῆς ἀρχιερατικῆς ἠξιοῦτο λειτουργίας, ἀποστολικοῖς χαρίσμασι λαμπρυνόμενος. τότε 8 τοίνυν ὁ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων Ἀλέξανδρος, ὁρῶν τὸν Ἄρειον τῷ τῆςφιλαρχίας κατεχόμενον οἴστρῳ καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς βλασφημίας ἐζω γρημένους ἀγείροντα καὶ συλλόγους ἰδίους ποιούμενον, τοῖς τῶν ἐκ κλησιῶν ἡγεμόσι τὴν τούτου βλασφημίαν διὰ γραμμάτων ἐδήλωσεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ὁμώνυμον αὐτῷ γραφεῖσαν ἐπιστολὴν ἐνθήσω τῇ συγγραφῇ, σαφῶς ἅπαντα τὰ κατ' ἐκεῖνον διδάσκουσαν, ὡς ἂν μή τις ὑπολάβοι πλάττοντά με ταῦτα συγγράφειν· καὶ μετὰ τήνδε, τὴν αὐτοῦ γε Ἀρείου, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνην τὰς ἄλλας ὧν ἡ τῆς ἱστορίας δεῖται διήγησις, ἵνα μαρτυρῶσι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τῆς συγγραφῆς καὶ σαφέστερον τὰ γεγενημένα διδάσκωσιν. γράφει δὲ ὁ τῆς Ἀλεξαν δρέων Ἀλέξανδρος πρὸς τὸν ὁμώνυμον ταῦτα· "Τῷ τιμιωτάτῳ ἀδελφῷ καὶ ὁμοψύχῳ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ Ἀλέξανδρος "ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. "Ἡ φίλαρχος τῶν μοχθηρῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ φιλάργυρος πρόθεσις "ταῖς δοκούσαις ἀεὶ μείζοσι παροικίαις πέφυκεν ἐπιβουλεύειν, διὰ ποι "κίλων προφάσεων τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιτιθεμένων τῇ ἐκκλησιαστικῇ "εὐσεβείᾳ. οἰστρηλατούμενοι γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν αὐτοῖς δια "βόλου, εἰς τὴν προκειμένην αὐτοῖς ἡδονὴν πάσης εὐλαβείας ἀπο "σκιρτήσαντες, πατοῦσι τὸν τῆς κρίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ φόβον. περὶ ὧν "ἀναγκαῖον ἦν μοι τῷ πάσχοντι δηλῶσαι τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ εὐλαβείᾳ, ἵνα "φυλάττησθε τοὺς τοιούτους μή τις αὐτῶν τολμήσῃ καὶ ταῖς ὑμετέ "ραις παροικίαις ἐπιβῆναι, ἤτοι δι' ἑαυτῶν (ἱκανοὶ γὰρ ὑποκρίνασθαι 9 "πρὸς ἀπάτην οἱ γόητες), ἢ διὰ γραμμάτων ψευδῶς κεκομψευμένων, "δυναμένων ὑφαρπάσαι τὸν ἁπλῇ πίστει καὶ ἀκεραίῳ προσεσχηκότα. "Ἄρειος γοῦν καὶ Ἀχιλλᾶς, συνωμοσίαν ἔναγχος ποιησάμενοι, τὴν "Κολλούθου φιλαρχίαν πολὺ χεῖρον ἢ ἐκεῖνος ἐζήλωσαν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ "αὐτοῖς τούτοις ἐγκαλῶν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μοχθηρᾶς προαιρέσεως εὗρε "πρόφασιν· οἱ δὲ τὴν ἐκείνου χριστεμπορίαν θεωροῦντες οὐκ ἔτι τῆς "ἐκκλησίας ὑποχείριοι μένειν ἐκαρτέρησαν, ἀλλ' ἑαυτοῖς σπήλαια λῃστῶν "οἰκοδομήσαντες ἀδιαλείπτους ἐν αὐτοῖς ποιοῦνται συνόδους, νύκτωρ "τε καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἐν ταῖς κατὰ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἡμῶν διαβολαῖς ἀσκού "μενοι. οἳ πάσης τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ἀποστολικῆς δόξης κατηγοροῦντες "Ἰουδαϊκῷ προσχήματι