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are preserved in palaces and the 1.1.14 churches, but others are circulated sporadically among the learned. And having often considered including their exact words in my writing, I thought it better, on account of the bulk of the work, to report their meaning concisely, unless we should find some of the disputed points, on which there is a different opinion among the many; for then if I should have access to some document, I will quote it as proof of the truth. 1.1.15 But lest anyone, through ignorance of the facts, condemn the work as false, having perhaps encountered contrary documents, it must be known that, on the pretext of the dogmas of Arius and of those which arose later, the rulers of the churches, differing with one another, each wrote to those of the same opinion concerning the things they were zealous for, and assembling by themselves in synods, they voted for whatever they wished, and they often condemned in their absence those who held contrary opinions, and by cultivating the reigning emperors and the powerful men around them as they were able, they persuaded them and made them of one mind with themselves, and as proof of seeming to worship correctly, some siding with these, others with those, made a collection of the letters circulating in favor of their own sect 1.1.16 and they omitted the contrary ones. which indeed has made the discovery of the events concerning these things very difficult for us. But since it is necessary to take special care for the truth for the sake of the unadulterated character of history, it seemed necessary to me, as far as was possible, to investigate carefully also such documents. If, therefore, I should also recount the contentions of ecclesiastics against each other concerning primacy or preference for their own sect, let it not seem to anyone burdensome or to be of a malicious 1.1.17 disposition that I record such things. For in the first place, as has been said, it befits the writer to hold everything as secondary to the truth; and then the doctrine of the catholic church will appear most genuine indeed, having been often tested by the plots of those who hold contrary opinions, and as having been allotted from God to prevail, having again returned to its own strength and having drawn all the churches and the multitudes to its own truth. 1.1.18 And as I was considering whether it was fitting to write down only what I knew of the things that happened concerning the church throughout the Roman empire, it seemed good, as far as I shall be able to reach, to record also the things that happened among the Persians and barbarians in regard to religion, and that it would not be foreign to ecclesiastical history to relate in this work also who were those who became, as it were, fathers and founders of the so-called monks and those after them in 1.1.1 succession whom we know or have heard of as having been renowned. For neither shall we seem to be ungrateful to them, having consigned their virtue to oblivion, nor to be ignorant of the history in this respect, besides also leaving for those who have chosen to live as philosophers in this way an example of conduct, by following which they will partake of a most blessed and happy 1.1. end. But the narrative as it proceeds will observe these things as far as possible. But now I turn to the narration of the events, having called upon God as helper and propitious. And the present writing will have its beginning from this point. 1.2.1 When Crispus and Constantine the Caesars were consuls, Silvester was leading the church of the Romans, and Alexander that of the Alexandrians, and Macarius that of Jerusalem. But no one had yet been entrusted with the church of the Antiochians on the Orontes after Romanus, since the persecutions, as is likely, did not permit 1.2.2 the ordination to take place. And not long after, those who had assembled at Nicaea, having admired the life and the words of Eustathius, deemed him worthy to lead the apostolic throne, and being bishop of neighboring Beroea, they transferred him to Antioch. But of the Christians, those in the East as far as the Libyans bordering Egypt did not then dare to assemble openly for worship, as Licinius had changed his goodwill toward them; while those in the West, both Greeks and Macedonians and Illyrians, worshipped without fear because of Constantine, who was ruler of the Romans there.

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βασιλείοις καὶ ταῖς 1.1.14 ἐκκλησίαις σῴζονται, αἱ δὲ σποράδην παρὰ τοῖς φιλολόγοις φέρονται. τούτων δὲ τὰ ῥητὰ περιλαβεῖν τῇ γραφῇ πολλάκις ἐννοηθεὶς ἄμεινον ἐδοκίμασα διὰ τὸν ὄγκον τῆς πραγματείας τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς διάνοιαν συντόμως ἀπαγγεῖλαι, πλὴν εἰ μή τι τῶν ἀμφιλόγων εὑρήσομεν, ἐφ' ὧν διάφορός ἐστι τοῖς πολλοῖς δόξα· τηνικαῦτα γὰρ εἰ εὐπορήσω τινὸς γραφῆς, παραθήσομαι ταύτην εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τῆς ἀληθείας. 1.1.15 ῞Ινα δὲ μή τις ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν ὄντων καταψηφίσηται ψεῦδος τῆς πραγματείας, ἐναντίαις ἴσως ἐντυχὼν γραφαῖς, ἰστέον, ὡς προφάσει τῶν ᾿Αρείου δογμάτων καὶ τῶν ὕστερον ἀναφυέντων διαφερόμενοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἄρχοντες ἕκαστοι περὶ ὧν ἐσπούδαζον πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοδόξους ἔγραφον, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς συνιστάμενοι κατὰ συνόδους ἐψηφίζοντο ἅπερ ἠβούλοντο, καὶ τῶν τἀναντία δοξαζόντων πολλάκις ἐρήμην κατεδίκαζον, καὶ τοὺς κατὰ καιρὸν βασιλέας καὶ τοὺς ἀμφ' αὐτοὺς δυναμένους περιέποντες ὡς εἶχον δυνάμεως ἔπειθον καὶ ὁμόφρονας αὐτοῖς κατεσκεύαζον, εἰς ἀπόδειξίν τε τοῦ δόξαι σέβειν ὀρθῶς οἱ μὲν τοῖς, οἱ δὲ ἐκείνοις προστιθέμενοι συναγωγὴν ἐποιήσαντο τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς οἰκείας αἱρέσεως φερομένων ἐπιστο1.1.16 λῶν καὶ τὰς ἐναντίας παρέλιπον. ὃ δὴ σκολιὰν ἡμῖν λίαν κατεσκεύασε τὴν εὕρεσιν τῶν περὶ ταῦτα συμβάντων. ἐπεὶ δὲ μάλιστα τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπιμελεῖσθαι χρεὼν διὰ τὸ τῆς ἱστορίας ἀκίβδηλον, ἀναγκαῖον ἐφάνη μοι, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν, πολυπραγμονῆσαι καὶ τὰς τοιαύτας γραφάς. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ στάσεις ἐκκλησιαστικῶν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς περὶ προεδρίας ἢ προτιμήσεως τῆς οἰκείας αἱρέσεως διεξέλθω, μή τῳ φορτικὸν ἢ ἐθελο1.1.17 κάκου προαιρέσεως εἶναι δόξῃ τοιαῦτά με ἱστορεῖν. πρῶτον μὲν γάρ, ὡς εἴρηται, πάντα δεύτερα ποιεῖσθαι τῆς ἀληθείας τὸν συγγραφέα προσῆκεν· ἔπειτα δὲ τὸ δόγμα τῆς καθόλου ἐκκλησίας γνησιώτατον ὅτι μάλιστα φανεῖται πολλάκις μὲν ταῖς ἐπιβουλαῖς τῶν ἐναντία δοξαζόντων δοκιμασθέν, οἷα δὲ θειόθεν τὸ κρατεῖν λαχὸν αὖθις εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανελθὸν δύναμιν καὶ πάσας τὰς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τὰ πλήθη πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀλήθειαν ἐπισπασάμενον. 1.1.18 Βουλευομένῳ δέ μοι, εἰ ὧν ἔγνων μόνα προσῆκεν ἀναγράψαι τὰ γενόμενα περὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀνὰ τὴν ῾Ρωμαίων ἀρχήν, ἔδοξεν εὖ ἔχειν, ἐφ' ὅσον ἐφικέσθαι δυνήσομαι, καὶ τὰ παρὰ Πέρσαις καὶ βαρβάροις συμβάντα ἐπὶ τῇ θρησκείᾳ ἱστορῆσαι, οὐκ ἀνοίκειον δὲ εἶναι τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς ἱστορίας ἐν τῇδε τῇ πραγματείᾳ διεξελθεῖν καὶ τίνες ποτὲ ἦσαν οἱ ὥσπερ πατέρες καὶ εἰσηγηταὶ γενόμενοι τῶν καλουμένων μοναχῶν καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοὺς κατὰ δια1.1.1 δοχὰς ὧν ἴσμεν ἢ ἀκηκόαμεν εὐδοκιμήσαντες. οὔτε γὰρ ἀχάριστοι δόξομεν εἶναι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀμνηστίᾳ παραδεδωκότες τὴν αὐτῶν ἀρετήν, οὔτε ἀπείρως ἔχειν τῆς κατὰ τοῦτο ἱστορίας, μετὰ τοῦ καὶ τοῖς προῃρημένοις ὧδε φιλοσοφεῖν ὑπόδειγμα καταλιπεῖν ἀγωγῆς, ᾗ χρώμενοι μακαριωτάτου καὶ εὐδαί1.1. μονος μεθέξουσι τέλους. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν προϊὼν ὁ λόγος ὡς οἷόν τε παραφυλάξει. τρέπομαι δὲ ἤδη ἐπὶ τὴν ἀφήγησιν τῶν πραγμάτων, συνεργὸν καὶ ἵλεων τὸν θεὸν ἐπικαλεσάμενος. ἕξει δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἡ παροῦσα γραφὴ ἐνθένδε. 1.2.1 Κρίσπου καὶ Κωνσταντίνου τῶν Καισάρων ὑπατευόντων ἡγεῖτο μὲν τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων ἐκκλησίας Σίλβεστρος, τῆς δὲ ᾿Αλεξανδρέων ᾿Αλέξανδρος καὶ Μακάριος τῆς ῾Ιεροσολύμων. τῆς δὲ ᾿Αντιοχέων τῶν πρὸς τῷ ᾿Ορόντῃ μετα῾Ρωμανὸν οὔπω τις ἐπετέτραπτο, τῶν διωγμῶν, ὡς εἰκός, μὴ συγχωρούν1.2.2 των γενέσθαι τὴν χειροτονίαν. οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ οἱ εἰς Νίκαιαν συνεληλυθότες, θαυμάσαντες τοῦ βίου καὶ τῶν λόγων Εὐστάθιον, ἄξιον ἐδοκίμασαν τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ θρόνου ἡγεῖσθαι, καὶ ἐπίσκοπον ὄντα τῆς γείτονος Βεροίας εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν μετέστησαν. τῶν δὲ Χριστιανῶν οἱ μὲν πρὸς ἕω μέχρι τῶν ὁμόρων Αἰγυπτίοις Λιβύων οὐκ ἐθάρρουν τότε εἰς τὸ φανερὸν ἐκκλησιάζειν μεταβαλομένου Λικινίου τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εὐνοίας· οἱ δὲ ἀνὰ τὴν δύσιν ῞Ελληνές τε καὶ Μακεδόνες καὶ ᾿Ιλλυριοὶ ἀδεῶς ἐθρήσκευον διὰ Κωνσταντῖνον, ὃς ἡγεῖτο τῶν τῇδε ῾Ρωμαίων.