you deemed them worthy to have communion from them, they were not worthy of blows; but if you were beating them as wicked men, why were you summoning them as saints? But nothing was set before him except to fulfill the will of those who sent him and to establish the heresy. On account of this he became both a murderer and an executioner and 13.2 insolent and deceitful and profane and, on the whole, an enemy of Christ, the senseless one. Indeed, he so persecuted the venerable kinswoman of the bishop, that he did not even allow her to be buried after she died. And this would have happened, and she would have been cast out unburied, if those who had taken her in had not carried her out as their own dead. 13.3 so also in these things he had an unholy disposition. For indeed, when widows and other poor persons had received alms, he ordered what had been given to be seized and the vessels, in which they carried the oil and the wine, to be broken, in order that he might not only commit impiety by taking, but also dishonor the Lord by his deeds, about to hear from Him very soon: 'inasmuch as you have dishonored these, you have dishonored Me.' 14.1 And he did many other things, which also exceed the expression of words and which anyone hearing might consider unbelievable. And he did these things in this way for this reason, since he held his position neither by ecclesiastical canon nor had he been called as bishop by apostolic tradition; but he had been sent from the palace with military authority and pomp, as one entrusted with a secular office. 14.2 For this reason he preferred to be a friend of rulers rather than of bishops and monks. Therefore whenever Father Antony wrote from the mountain, just as godliness is an abomination to a sinner, 14.3 so he detested the letters of the holy man. But whenever an emperor or a general or another magistrate sent a letter, he became so exceedingly joyful, like those in the Proverbs, as the Word said in indignation: 'O you who forsake the straight paths, who rejoice 14.4 in evil things and delight in the perversity of the wicked.' Indeed, he honored those who brought these letters with money, but when Antony once wrote, he made the duke Balacius spit upon the letter and throw it away. But divine justice did not overlook it, for not long after, while the said duke was sitting on a horse and going to the first station, the horse turned around and, biting him on the thigh, threw him down, and in three days he died. 15.1 They, therefore, were acting in this way against everyone, but in Rome, about fifty bishops having assembled did not receive the party of Eusebius, as they were suspect and had been afraid to come, but they also invalidated the things written by them, while they received us and cherished 15.2 communion with us. And while these things were happening, both the synod that took place in Rome and the things that had been done against the churches in Alexandria and in all the East came to the knowledge of the Emperor Constans, and he wrote to his brother Constantius, and consequently it pleased them both that a synod should be held and the matters be investigated, so that on the one hand those who had been wronged might suffer no longer, and on the other hand the wrongdoers might no longer be able to dare such things. 15.3 Therefore, bishops came together from both the East and the West in the city of Serdica, more or less 170 in number. And those from the West were only bishops, having Hosius as their father, but those from the East brought with them instructors and advocates, Count Musonianus and Hesychius the Castrensian, on account of whom they also came eagerly, thinking that with their authority everything would again be accomplished. For thus always through these men they showed themselves to be fearsome to whomever they wished and plotted against whomever 15.4 it seemed good to them. But when, having met, they saw that only an ecclesiastical trial was taking place, as they saw the accusers from each church and city and the proofs against them, as they saw Arius and Asterius, honorable bishops, who had come up with them, but had leapt away from them and come with us, and related the villainy of those men, that they were suspect in the matters and feared that a judgment would be held, lest they be convicted by us as slanderers, and by those of whom they fabricated

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κοινωνίαν ἠξίους παρ' αὐτῶν ἔχειν, οὐκ ἦσαν ἄξιοι πληγῶν, εἰ δὲ ὡς φαύλους ἔκοπτες, τί ὡς ἁγίους παρεκάλεις; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἦν αὐτῷ προκείμενον ἢ τὰ τῶν ἀποστειλάντων πληρῶσαι καὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν συστῆσαι. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀνδροφόνος γέγονε καὶ δήμιος καὶ 13.2 ὑβριστὴς καὶ δόλιος καὶ βέβηλος καὶ τὸ ὅλον χριστομάχος ὁ ἀνόητος. τὴν γοῦν τοῦ ἐπισκόπου θείαν οὕτως ἐδίωξεν, ὡς μηδὲ ἀποθανοῦσαν ἀφεῖναι ταφῆναι. καὶ τοῦτ' ἂν ἐγεγόνει καὶ ἄταφος ἐρρίφη, εἰ μὴ οἱ ὑποδεξάμενοι αὐτὴν ὡς ἴδιον νεκρὸν ἐξήνεγκαν· 13.3 οὕτω καὶ ἐν τούτοις εἶχεν ἀνόσιον τὸν τρόπον. καὶ γὰρ καὶ χηρῶν καὶ ἄλλων ἀνεξόδων λαβόντων ἐλεημοσύνην ἐκέλευε τὰ δεδομένα διαρπάζεσθαι καὶ τὰ ἀγγεῖα, ἐν οἷς ἔφερον τὸ ἔλαιον καὶ τὸν οἶνον, κατεάσσασθαι, ἵνα μὴ μόνον λαβὼν ἀσεβήσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργοις ἀτιμάζῃ τὸν κύριον ἀκουσόμενος ὅσον οὐδέπω παρ' αὐτοῦ· «ἐφ' ὅσον ἠτίμασας τούτους, ἐμὲ ἠτίμασας». 14.1 Πολλά τε ἕτερα ἐποίει, ἃ καὶ λόγου φράσιν ὑπεραίρει καὶ ἀκούσας τις ἄπιστα νομίσειε. ταῦτα δὲ διὰ τοῦθ' οὕτως ἔπραττεν, ἐπεὶ μήτε ἐκκλησιαστικῷ κανόνι τὴν κατά στασιν εἶχε μήτε ἀποστολικῇ παραδόσει κληθεὶς ἦν ἐπίσκοπος· ἀλλ' ἐκ παλατίου μετὰ στρατιωτικῆς ἐξουσίας καὶ φαντασίας ἀπέσταλτο ὥσπερ ἀρχὴν κοσμικὴν ἐγκεχειρισμένος. 14.2 διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀρχόντων μᾶλλον ηὔχετο φίλος εἶναι ἢ ἐπισκόπων καὶ μοναζόντων. εἴ ποτε οὖν καὶ ὁ πατὴρ Ἀντώνιος ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους ἔγραφεν, ὥσπερ βδέλυγμα ἁμαρτωλῷ 14.3 θεοσέβεια οὕτως ἐβδελύσσετο τὰ τοῦ ἁγίου γράμματα. εἴ ποτε δὲ βασιλεὺς ἢ στρα τηλάτης ἢ ἄλλος δικαστὴς ἐπέστελλεν, οὕτω περιχαρὴς ἐγίγνετο ὡς οἱ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις, καθὼς σχετλιάζων ἔλεγεν ὁ λόγος· «ὦ οἱ ἐγκαταλείποντες ὁδοὺς εὐθείας, οἱ εὐφραι 14.4 νόμενοι ἐπὶ κακοῖς καὶ χαίροντες ἐπὶ διαστροφῇ κακῶν». ἀμέλει τοὺς μὲν ταῦτα κομίζοντας ἐτίμα χρήμασιν, Ἀντωνίου δέ ποτε γράψαντος πεποίηκε τὸν δοῦκα Βαλάκιον καταπτῦσαι τῆς ἐπιστολῆς καὶ ταύτην ἀπορρίψαι. ἀλλ' οὐ παρεῖδεν ἡ θεία δίκη, μετ' οὐ πολὺ γὰρ τὸν λεγόμενον δοῦκα ἐπικαθήμενον ἵππῳ καὶ ἀπερχόμενον εἰς τὴν πρώτην μονὴν ἐπιστραφεὶς ὁ ἵππος καὶ δακὼν εἰς τὸν μηρὸν κατέβαλε καὶ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἀπέθανεν. 15.1 Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἔπραττον κατὰ πάντων, ἐν δὲ τῇ Ῥώμῃ συνελθόντες ἐπίσκοποί που πεντήκοντα τοὺς μὲν περὶ Εὐσέβιον ὡς ὑπόπτους καὶ φοβηθέντας ἐλθεῖν οὐκ ἀπε δέξαντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ γραφέντα παρ' αὐτῶν ἠκύρωσαν, ἡμᾶς δὲ ἀπεδέξαντο καὶ τὴν 15.2 πρὸς ἡμᾶς κοινωνίαν ἠγάπησαν. ἕως δὲ ταῦτα ἐγίγνετο, ἦλθεν εἰς γνῶσιν τοῦ βασιλέως Κώνσταντος ἥ τε ἐν Ῥώμῃ γενομένη σύνοδος καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἀνατολῇ κατὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν γεγενημένα, καὶ γράφει τῷ ἀδελφῷ Κωνσταντίῳ καὶ λοιπὸν ἀμφοτέροις ἀρέσκει σύνοδον γενέσθαι καὶ διαγνωσθῆναι τὰ πράγματα, ἵν' οἱ μὲν ἀδικηθέντες μηκέτι πάσχωσιν, οἱ δὲ ἀδικοῦντες μηκέτι τοιαῦτα τολμᾶν δύνωνται. 15.3 συνέρχονται τοίνυν ἀπό τε τῆς ἀνατολῆς καὶ τῆς δύσεως ἐν τῇ Σερδῶν πόλει πλέον ἢ ἔλαττον ροʹ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἐπίσκοποι. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς δύσεως μόνοι ἦσαν ἐπίσκοποι ἔχοντες πατέρα τὸν Ὅσιον, οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνατολῆς ἐπήγοντο μεθ' ἑαυτῶν παιδαγωγοὺς καὶ συνηγόρους Μουσουνιανὸν κόμητα καὶ Ἡσύχιον τὸν καστρήσιον, δι' οὓς καὶ προ θύμως ἦλθον νομίζοντες μετ' ἐξουσίας αὐτῶν πάλιν πάντα πράττεσθαι. οὕτω γὰρ ἀεὶ διὰ τούτων φοβεροὺς ἑαυτοὺς ἐδείκνυον οἷς ἐβούλοντο καὶ ἐπεβούλευον οἷς ἂν αὐτοῖς 15.4 ἐδόκει. ὡς δὲ ἀπαντήσαντες ἑωράκασιν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν δίκην μόνην γενομένην, ὡς ἑωράκασι τοὺς ἀφ' ἑκάστης ἐκκλησίας καὶ πόλεως κατηγόρους καὶ τοὺς κατ' αὐτῶν ἐλέγχους, ὡς ἑωράκασιν Ἄρειον καὶ Ἀστέριον, τιμίους ἐπισκόπους, ἀνελθόντας μὲν σὺν αὐτοῖς, ἀποπηδήσαντας δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῶν καὶ ἐλθόντας μεθ' ἡμῶν διηγουμένους τε τὴν πανουργίαν ἐκείνων, ὡς ὕποπτοι εἶεν ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι καὶ φοβοῦνται κρίσιν γενέσθαι, μὴ ἐλεγχθῶσι παρ' ἡμῶν μὲν συκοφάνται, παρὰ δὲ τῶν ἐπλάσαντο

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