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with their mask changed, they seized the great James, and lamenting, and rolling at his feet, and saying that poverty was the cause of the audacious drama, they begged him to remit for them their offense and to restore to the one lying there the soul that had been taken away. Imitating, therefore, the Master's love for humanity, he both accepted the supplication and displayed his wonder-working, restoring through prayer to the one lying there the life that had been taken away by prayer. 1.9 And this seems to me to resemble the wonder-working of the great Peter, who sent to death Ananias and Sapphira for having stolen and lied. For he likewise took away the life of the one who had stolen the truth and used falsehood. But the one, knowing the theft—for the grace of the Spirit revealed it—brought on the punishment; while the other, ignorant of the drama's plot, offered the prayer, and stopped the life's course for the one who feigned it. And the divine apostle did not remit the calamity for the dead; for the beginnings of the saving proclamation required fear; but this one, being full of apostolic grace, both punished for a time and quickly remitted the punishment; for by this he knew that the offenders would profit. But we must proceed to the other matters and narrate them briefly. 1.10 For when Arius, the father and creator of the blasphemy against the Only-begotten and the all-holy Spirit, having moved his tongue against its Maker, had filled Egypt with uproar and confusion, and Constantine the greatest emperor, the Zerubbabel of our flock—for like him he brought back all the captivity of the pious from exile, and raised on high the divine temples which had been thrown to the ground—when, therefore, this man gathered all the presidents of the churches at that time to Nicaea, the great James also arrived with the others, to fight for the orthodox doctrines as a champion and foremost fighter of the whole phalanx—for Nisibis at that time was under Roman dominion. In the great council, therefore, while many things were said well and finely, and many things otherwise—for there were a few who held contrary opinions, but did not dare to lay bare their own impiety, but covered it up with certain baits, not known to all, but very clear to the precise initiates of the truth—the confession of faith which at present prevails and is preached throughout the whole world was dictated, and all signed it, and with hand and pen they confessed to believe and think thus; but while the majority did this gladly, some seven advocates of the Arian blasphemy confessed with their tongue and hand, but held an opinion that spoke against their tongue, according to the prophecy which says: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me," and according to the voice of Jeremiah which clearly cries: "You are near in their mouth, and far from their kidneys." And in agreement with these things concerning these men the blessed David said: "With their mouth they blessed, but with their heart they cursed." And again: "Their words were smoother than oil, yet they are darts." These men called upon the bishop of the Alexandrians, the great Alexander, to pity Arius, who had been renounced by that whole phalanx; but since he knew their treachery and was suspicious of that man's wickedness, and for this reason did not accept their request, some others who lived in simplicity recounted many praises of philanthropy, saying that the God of all also rejoices in this. But when the great Alexander called the unjust philanthropy towards one man inhumanity, being destructive to many, and an outrage

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προσωπεῖον μεταβληθέν, κατα λαμβάνουσι μὲν τὸν μέγαν Ἰάκωβον, ποτνιώμενοι δέ, καὶ τῶν ποδῶν προκαλινδούμενοι, καὶ τοῦ τολμηθέντος δράματος αἰτίαν εἶναι λέγοντες τὴν πενίαν, ἱκέτευον λῦσαι σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τὴν πλημμέλειαν καὶ ἀποδοῦναι τῷ κειμένῳ τὴν ἀφαιρεθεῖσαν ψυχήν. Τὴν δεσποτικὴν τοίνυν φιλανθρωπίαν μιμούμενος, καὶ τὴν ἱκετείαν ἐδέξατο, καὶ τὴν θαυματουργίαν ἐπεδείξατο, τὴν ὑπὸ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀφαιρεθεῖσαν ζωὴν διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀποδοὺς τῷ κειμένῳ. 1.9 Τοῦτο δὲ ἐμοίγε δοκεῖ τῇ τοῦ μεγάλου Πέτρου ἐοικέναι θαυματουργίᾳ, ὃς τὸν Ἀνανίαν καὶ τὴν Σάπφειραν κεκλοφότας καὶ ψευσαμένους θανάτῳ παρέπεμψεν. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ὡσαύτως τὸν τὴν ἀλήθειαν κεκλοφότα, καὶ τῷ ψεύδει χρησάμενον ἀφείλετο τὴν ζωήν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν γνοὺς τὴν κλοπήν-ἀπεκάλυψε γὰρ ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος χάρις- τὴν δίκην ἐπήγαγεν· ὁ δὲ τοῦ δράματος ἀγνοῶν τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, προσήνεγκε μὲν τὴν εὐχήν, ἔστησε δὲ τῷ πλα σαμένῳ τοῦ βίου τὸν δρόμον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν θεῖος ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἔλυσε τοῖς τεθνηκόσι τὴν συμφοράν· δέους γὰρ ἔχρῃζε τοῦ σωτηρίου κηρύγματος τὰ προοίμια· ὁ δὲ τῆς ἀποστο λικῆς ὑπάρχων ἀνάπλεως χάριτος καὶ ἐκόλασεν εἰς καιρὸν καὶ ἔλυσε ταχέως τὴν κόλασιν· τούτῳ γὰρ ᾔδει κερδανοῦντας τοὺς πταίσαντας. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἰτέον καὶ συντόμως κἀκεῖνα ἐξηγητέον. 1.10 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Ἄρειος, ὁ τῆς κατὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς καὶ τοῦ παναγίου πνεύματος βλασφημίας πατὴρ καὶ δημιουρ γός, κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος τὴν γλῶτταν κεκινηκώς, ἐνέπλησε τὴν Αἴγυπτον θορύβου καὶ ταραχῆς, Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ ὁ μέγιστος βασιλεύς, ὁ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀγέλης Ζοροβάβελ -κατ' ἐκεῖνον γὰρ τὴν τῶν εὐσεβῶν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐκ τῆς ὑπερορίας ἅπασαν ἐπανήγαγε, καὶ τοὺς θείους νεὼς εἰς ἔδαφος ἐρριμμένους εἰς ὕψος ἀνήγειρεν-, ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν οὗτος πάντας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τοὺς προέδρους κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν συνήγειρεν εἰς τὴν Νίκαιαν, ἀφίκετο μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἰάκωβος, τῶν ὀρθῶν ὑπερμαχήσων δογμάτων οἷά τις ἀριστεὺς καὶ πρόμαχος ἁπάσης τῆς φάλαγγος-τῆς Ῥωμαίων γὰρ ἡγεμονίας τηνικαῦτα ὑπῆρχεν ἡ Νίσιβις. Ἐν τοίνυν τῇ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ πολλῶν μὲν εὖ καὶ καλῶς, πολλῶν δὲ καὶ ἄλλως εἰρημένων-ἦσαν γὰρ ὀλίγοι τινὲς οἳ τἀναντία μὲν ἐφρόνουν, γυμνοῦν δὲ τὴν σφῶν οὐκ ἐθάρρουν ἀσέβειαν, ἀλλὰ δελεάσμασί τισι συνεκάλυπτον, οὐ πᾶσι μὲν γνωρίμοις, τοῖς δὲ ἀκριβέσι τῆς ἀληθείας μύσταις καὶ μάλα δήλοις-, ὑπαγορεύεται μὲν ἡ κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπὶ τοῦ πάροντος κρατοῦσά τε καὶ κηρυττομένη τῆς πίστεως ὁμολογία, ὑπεσημήναντο δὲ ἅπαντες, καὶ τῇ χειρὶ καὶ τῷ καλάμῳ οὕτω πιστεύειν καὶ φρονεῖν ὡμολόγησαν· ἀλλ' οἱ πλείους μὲν ἄσμενοι τοῦτο ἐποίουν, ἑπτὰ δέ τινες τῆς Ἀρείου βλασφημίας συνήγοροι τῇ μὲν γλώττῃ καὶ τῇ χειρὶ συνωμολόγησαν, ἀντιφθεγγο μένην δὲ τῇ γλώττῃ τὴν γνώμην ἐπέκτηντο κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν τὴν λέγουσαν· "Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσί με τιμᾷ, τῇ δὲ καρδίᾳ πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ' ἐμοῦ" καὶ κατὰ τὴν Ἱερεμίου φωνὴν τὴν διαρ ρήδην βοῶσαν· "Ἐγγὺς εἶ σὺ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν, καὶ πόρρω ἀπὸ τῶν νεφρῶν αὐτῶν". Σύμφωνα δὲ τούτοις περὶ τούτων καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη ∆αβίδ· "Τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν εὐλόγουν, καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν κατηρῶντο." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἠπαλύνθησαν οἱ λόγοι αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ ἔλαιον καὶ αὐτοί εἰσι βολίδες." Οὗτοι τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων ἐπίσκοπον τὸν μέγαν Ἀλέξανδρον παρεκάλουν οἰκτεῖραι τὸν Ἄρειον ὑπὸ πάσης ἐκείνης ἀποκηρυχθέντα τῆς φάλαγγος· τοῦ δὲ καὶ τὸ τούτων ὕπουλον εἰδότος καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου πονηρίαν ὑφορωμένου καὶ τούτου χάριν οὐ δεχομένου τὴν αἴτησιν, ἄλλοι τινὲς τῶν ἁπλότητι συνεζηκότων πολλὰς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας διεξῄεσαν εὐφημίας, ταύτῃ χαίρειν λέγοντες καὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεόν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος τὴν ἄδικον περὶ ἕνα φιλανθρωπίαν ἀπανθρωπίαν ὠνόμαζε, πολλῶν οὖσαν λυμαντικήν, καὶ λώβης