4

they have formed a Christ-fighting workshop, "denying the divinity of our Savior and "preaching that He is equal to all men, and selecting every "expression of His saving dispensation and humiliation for our sakes, they attempt "to gather from them the proclamation of their own impiety, turning away "from the words concerning His divinity from the beginning and His ineffable glory "with the Father. "Therefore, strengthening the impious opinion of both Greeks and Jews concerning Christ, "they hunt for praise from them as much as possible, contriving all "things which are laughed at among them against us, and stirring up "seditions and persecutions against us daily; and this they do, on the one hand, by "setting up law-courts through the petitions of disorderly women whom they have "deceived, and on the other hand, by disparaging Christianity because "their young women indecently run about every street. But also the 10 "seamless tunic of Christ, which the executioners did not decide "to divide, they themselves have dared to tear. We, therefore, having slowly given heed to those things which "befit both their life and their unholy enterprise, because they were hidden, "by unanimous vote have driven them out from the church "that worships the divinity of Christ. "But by running about they have attempted to go over against us "to our like-minded fellow ministers, feigning a claim for peace and "unity, but in truth being eager to snatch some of them away "to their own disease by plausible words, and asking for more "verbose letters from them, so that by reading them aloud to those "deceived by them, they might make them impenitent for the things in which they have erred, "being worn down into impiety, as if having bishops who vote with them "and are of like mind. For they do not confess to them the wicked "things which they taught and practiced among us, for which they were also cast "out; but either they pass these things over in silence, or they deceive by "overshadowing them with fabricated words and documents. For by more plausible and "scurrilous speeches, concealing their own destructive teaching, "they snatch away the one who is inclined to deceit, not refraining "also from slandering our piety among all; whence it also "happens that some, signing their letters, are received into the church, "while the greatest slander, I think, lies upon the fellow ministers who "dare this, because neither does the apostolic canon permit this, 11 "but it also kindles the diabolical energy against Christ "that is in them. "For which reasons indeed, without any delay, beloved, I have roused myself "to declare to you the faithlessness of such men, who say that 'there was a time "when the Son of God was not,' and 'he came to be afterwards who previously was not,' "becoming such when he also at some time came to be, as every man "is by nature. "'For all things'," they say, "'God made from things that were not'," "including with all creation, both rational and irrational, "also the Son of God. Consistently with which they also say that He is of a mutable "nature, capable of both virtue and vice, and by the hypothesis 'from things that "were not' they also do away with the divine Scriptures that declare He always is, "which signify the immutability of the Word and the divinity of the Wisdom of the "Word, which things are Christ. "'For we also are able'," say "these accursed ones, "'to become sons of God, just as He did'. For it is written: "'I have begotten and exalted sons'." But when the saying that follows is brought against them, "'but they have rejected me'," which is not natural "to the Savior, who is of an immutable nature, having stripped "themselves of all reverence, they say this: that God, knowing by foreknowledge and prevision "concerning Him that He would not reject Him, chose Him out of all. For not "by nature and as having something exceptional beyond the other sons (for He is not by "nature a son of God, they say, nor has He any particular relationship to Him), "but being Himself also of a mutable nature, He chose Him because by "diligence of habits and practice He did not turn to what is worse; as if even 12 "Paul and Peter should strive for this, his sonship would differ in no way "from theirs; and for the presentation of this mind-injuring "teaching

4

χριστομάχον συνεκρότησαν ἐργαστήριον, τὴν "θεότητα τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀρνούμενοι καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἴσον εἶναι "κηρύττοντες, πᾶσάν τε αὐτοῦ τῆς σωτηρίου οἰκονομίας καὶ δι' ἡμᾶς "ταπεινώσεως φωνὴν ἐκλεξάμενοι ἐξ αὐτῶν συναγείρειν πειρῶνται "τῆς ἀσεβείας ἑαυτῶν τὸ κήρυγμα, τῆς ἀρχῆθεν θεότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ "παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ δόξης ἀλέκτου τοὺς λόγους ἀποστρεφόμενοι. τὴν "γοῦν Ἑλλήνων τε καὶ Ἰουδαίων ἀσεβῆ περὶ Χριστοῦ δόξαν κρατύνοντες, τὸν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἔπαινον ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα θηρῶνται, πάντα "μὲν ὅσα καθ' ἡμῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς γελᾶται πραγματευόμενοι, στάσεις "δὲ ἡμῖν καθ' ἡμέραν καὶ διωγμοὺς ἐπεγείροντες· καὶ τοῦτο μὲν δι "καστήρια συγκροτοῦντες δι' ἐντυχίας γυναικαρίων ἀτάκτων ἃ ἠπά "τησαν, τοῦτο δὲ τὸν χριστιανισμὸν διασύροντες ἐκ τοῦ περιτροχάζειν "πᾶσαν ἀγυιὰν ἀσέμνως τὰς παρ' αὐτοῖς νεωτέρας. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν 10 "ἄρρηκτον τοῦ Χριστοῦ χιτῶνα, ὃν οἱ δήμιοι διελεῖν οὐκ ἐβουλεύ "σαντο, αὐτοὶ σχίσαι ἐτόλμησαν. ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν ἃ καὶ τῷ βίῳ αὐτῶν "καὶ τῇ ἀνοσίῳ ἐπιχειρήσει πρέπει διὰ τὸ λανθάνειν βραδέως ἐπιστή "σαντες, παμψηφὶ τῆς προσκυνούσης Χριστοῦ τὴν θεότητα ἐκκλησίας "ἐξηλάσαμεν. "Ἐπεχείρησαν δὲ περιδρομαῖς χρώμενοι καθ' ἡμῶν παρεκβαίνειν "πρὸς τοὺς ὁμόφρονας συλλειτουργούς, σχήματι μὲν εἰρήνης καὶ ἑνώ "σεως ἀξίωσιν ὑποκρινόμενοι, τὸ δ' ἀληθὲς συναρπάσαι τινὰς αὐτῶν "εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν νόσον διὰ χρηστολογίας σπουδάζοντες καὶ στωμυλώ "τερα γράμματα παρ' αὐτῶν αἰτοῦντες, ἵνα παραναγιγνώσκοντες αὐτὰ "τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἠπατημένοις ἀμετανοήτους ἐφ' οἷς ἐσφάλησαν κατα "σκευάσωσιν, ἐπιτριβομένους εἰς ἀσέβειαν, ὡς ἂν συμψήφους αὐτοῖς "καὶ ὁμόφρονας ἔχοντες ἐπισκόπους. οὐχ ἅπερ γοῦν παρ' ἡμῖν πονη "ρῶς ἐδίδαξάν τε καὶ διεπράξαντο ὁμολογοῦσιν αὐτοῖς, δι' ἃ καὶ ἐξώ "σθησαν· ἀλλ' ἢ σιωπῇ ταῦτα παραδιδόασιν, ἢ πεπλασμένοις λόγοις "καὶ ἐγγράφοις ἐπισκιάζοντες ἀπατῶσιν. πιθανωτέραις γοῦν καὶ "βωμολόχοις ὁμιλίαις τὴν φθοροποιὸν ἑαυτῶν διδασκαλίαν ἐπικρύ "πτοντες συναρπάζουσι τὸν εἰς ἀπάτην ἐγκείμενον, οὐκ ἀπεχόμενοι "καὶ τοῦ παρὰ πᾶσι συκοφαντεῖν τὴν ἡμετέραν εὐσέβειαν· ὅθεν καὶ "συμβαίνει τινὰς τοῖς γράμμασιν αὐτῶν ὑπογράφοντας εἰς ἐκκλησίαν "εἰσδέχεσθαι, μεγίστης ὡς οἶμαι διαβολῆς ἐπικειμένης τοῖς τοῦτο τολ "μῶσι συλλειτουργοῖς τῷ μήτε τὸν ἀποστολικὸν κανόνα τοῦτο συγχω 11 "ρεῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπεκκαίειν τὴν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς διαβολικὴν κατὰ Χριστοῦ "ἐνέργειαν. "∆ι' ἃ δὴ καὶ οὐδὲν μελλήσας, ἀγαπητοί, δηλῶσαι ὑμῖν τὴν τῶν "τοιούτων ἀπιστίαν ἐμαυτὸν διανέστησα, λεγόντων ὅτι ἦν ποτε ὅτε "οὐκ ἦν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ γέγονεν ὕστερον ὁ πρότερον μὴ ὑπάρχων, "τοιοῦτος γενόμενος ὅτε καί ποτε γέγονεν, οἷος καὶ πᾶς πέφυκεν "ἄνθρωπος. "πάντα γάρ", φασίν, "ὁ θεὸς ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐποίησε", "συναναλαμβάνοντες τῇ τῶν ἁπάντων λογικῶν τε καὶ ἀλόγων κτίσει "καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ. οἷς ἀκολούθως καί φασιν αὐτὸν τρεπτῆς "εἶναι φύσεως, ἀρετῆς τε καὶ κακίας ἐπιδεκτικόν, καὶ τῇ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων "ὑποθέσει καὶ τὰς θείας τοῦ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἀεὶ συναναιροῦντες γραφάς, "αἳ τὸ ἄτρεπτον τοῦ λόγου καὶ τὴν θεότητα τῆς σοφίας τοῦ λόγου "σημαίνουσιν, ἅ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός. "δυνάμεθα γοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς", φασὶν "οἱ ἀλάστορες, "υἱοὶ γενέσθαι θεοῦ, ὥσπερ κἀκεῖνος". γέγραπται γάρ· " υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα ". Ἐπιφερομένου δὲ αὐτοῖς τοῦ λέ "γοντος ἑξῆς ῥητοῦ " αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν ", ὅπερ οὐ φυσικόν ἐστι "τῷ σωτῆρι ὄντι φύσεως ἀτρέπτου, πάσης εὐλαβείας ἑαυτοὺς ἐρημώ "σαντες, τοῦτό φασι προγνώσει καὶ προθεωρίᾳ περὶ αὐτοῦ εἰδότα "τὸν θεὸν ὅτι οὐκ ἀθετήσει ἐξειλέχθαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ πάντων. οὐ γὰρ "φύσει καὶ κατ' ἐξαίρετον τῶν ἄλλων υἱῶν ἔχοντά τι (οὔτε γὰρ φύσει "υἱός τίς ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ, φασίν, οὔτε τινὰ ἔχων ἰδιότητα πρὸς αὐτόν), "ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν τρεπτῆς τυγχάνοντα φύσεως, διὰ τρόπων ἐπιμέλειαν "καὶ ἄσκησιν μὴ τρεπόμενον ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, ἐξελέξατο· ὡς εἰ καὶ 12 "Παῦλος τοῦτο βιάσαιτο καὶ Πέτρος, μηδὲν διαφέρειν τούτων τὴν "ἐκείνου υἱότητα· εἰς παράστασιν δὲ τῆς φρενοβλαβοῦς ταύτης διδα "σκαλίας