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nor have we learned or believed that he has suffered anything "corporeal, my lord, but one is "the unbegotten, and one is he who was truly brought into being by him and not from his substance, "in no way partaking of the nature of the unbegotten or "being from his substance, but brought into being as wholly other in nature "and in power, made to a perfect likeness of disposition and of power "of the one who made him; whose beginning we have believed to be not only ineffable in word, "but also incomprehensible to the mind not only of men but also of all who are "above men. "And we say these things not by positing our own reasonings, but having learned them from "holy scripture; we have learned that he is created and founded "and begotten in substance and in his unchangeable and ineffable nature and "in his likeness to the one who made him, as the "Lord himself says: "God created me as the beginning of his ways, and before "the age he founded me; and before all hills he begets "me." For if he were from him, that is, from him, as a part of him "or from an emanation of his substance, he would no longer be said to be created nor founded; "nor are you yourself ignorant of this, my lord, truly. For that which exists from the "unbegotten could not be created by another or by him, nor founded, "since it exists from the beginning as unbegotten. But if his being called begotten 29 "provides some pretext, as though he came to be from the substance of the "Father and has from this an identity of "nature, we know that scripture says he is begotten "not only concerning him, but also concerning those unlike him in every way in "nature. For indeed it also says concerning men: "I have begotten and "exalted sons, but they have rejected me," and "you have forsaken God who begot "you," and in other places: "Who," it says, "has begotten the drops "of dew?" not describing a nature from a nature, but "the coming-to-be of each of the things that have been made from his will. "For nothing is from his substance, but all things, having come to be by his will, "each one is as it came to be. For he is God, and they are things "that will be similar to him in likeness by the Word, and things that came to be by choice; "but all things came to be through him by God, and all things are "from God. Having received and worked these things out according to the grace given "to you from God, be eager to write to my lord Alexander; "for I have believed that if you should write to him, you would turn him. Greet "all those in the Lord. May the divine grace keep you well and praying for us, "my lord." Such things these men also wrote to one another, arming themselves for the war against the truth. And so, when the blasphemy had been sown in the churches throughout Egypt and the East, quarrels and 30 fights about divine doctrines arose in every city and village. The rest of the crowd was a spectator of what was happening and a judge of what was being said, and some praised the positions of these men, and others those of those men; and the things being done were a tragedy and worthy of laments. For it was not foreigners and enemies, as of old, who were besieging the churches, but fellow countrymen and men of the same roof and table who were moving their tongues against one another instead of spears; or rather, being members of one another and belonging to one body, they were arming themselves against one another. The events of the great synod in Nicaea. When the all-wise emperor learned these things, he first tried to block up the very source of the evils and sent one of those famous for their sagacity to Alexandria with letters, attempting to quench the strife and expecting to bring the rebellious faction into concord. But when he was disappointed in his hope, he convened that celebrated synod in Nicaea, having commanded the bishops and those arriving with them to make use of public asses and half-mules and mules and horses. And when as many as were able to bear the toil of the journey had been gathered, he himself also arrived in Nicaea, desiring to see the multitude of the high priests and longing to bestow concord upon them; and straightway he ordered that all things be supplied to them abundantly. And three hundred and eighteen came together

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οὐδὲ σωματικόν "τι πεπονθὸς μεμαθήκαμεν ἢ πεπιστεύκαμεν, δέσποτα, ἀλλ' ἓν μὲν "τὸ ἀγέννητον, ἓν δὲ τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀληθῶς καὶ οὐκ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας "αὐτοῦ γεγονός, καθόλου τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἀγεννήτου μὴ μετέχον ἢ "ὂν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ γεγονὸς ὁλοσχερῶς ἕτερον τῇ φύσει "καὶ τῇ δυνάμει, πρὸς τελείαν ὁμοιότητα διαθέσεώς τε καὶ δυνάμεως "τοῦ πεποιηκότος γενόμενον· οὗ τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐ λόγῳ μόνον ἀδιήγητον, "ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐννοίᾳ οὐκ ἀνθρώπων μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώ "πους πάντων εἶναι ἀκατάληπτον πεπιστεύκαμεν. "Καὶ ταῦτα οὐχὶ λογισμοὺς ἑαυτῶν ὑποθέμενοι, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς "ἁγίας γραφῆς μεμαθηκότες λέγομεν· κτιστὸν εἶναι καὶ θεμελιωτὸν "καὶ γεννητὸν τῇ οὐσίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀναλλοιώτῳ καὶ ἀρρήτῳ φύσει καὶ "τῇ ὁμοιότητι τῇ πρὸς τὸν πεποιηκότα μεμαθήκαμεν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ "κύριός φησιν· " ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πρὸ "τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέ με· πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ "με ". εἰ δὲ ἐξ αὐτοῦ, τουτέστιν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἦν, ὡς ἂν μέρος αὐτοῦ "ἢ ἐξ ἀπορροίας τῆς οὐσίας, οὐκ ἂν ἔτι κτιστὸν οὐδὲ θεμελιωτὸν "εἶναι ἐλέγετο· οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀγνοεῖς, κύριε, ἀληθῶς. τὸ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ "ἀγεννήτου ὑπάρχον κτιστὸν ἔτι ὑφ' ἑτέρου ἢ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἢ θεμελιω "τὸν οὐκ ἂν εἴη, ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀγέννητον ὑπάρχον. εἰ δὲ τὸ γεννητὸν 29 "αὐτὸν λέγεσθαι ὑπόφασίν τινα παρέχει, ὡς ἂν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τῆς "πατρικῆς αὐτὸν γεγονότα καὶ ἔχειν ἐκ τούτου τὴν ταυτότητα τῆς "φύσεως, γιγνώσκομεν ὡς οὐ περὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου τὸ γεννητὸν εἶναί "φησιν ἡ γραφή, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνομοίων αὐτῷ κατὰ πάντα τῇ "φύσει. καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων φησίν· " υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ "ὕψωσα, αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν ", καὶ " θεὸν τὸν γεννήσαντά "σε ἐγκατέλιπες ", καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις· " τίς ", φησί, " ὁ τετοκὼς βώ "λους δρόσου ;" οὐ τὴν φύσιν ἐκ τῆς φύσεως διηγούμενος, ἀλλὰ "τὴν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν γενομένων ἐκ τοῦ βουλήματος αὐτοῦ γένεσιν. "οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ, πάντα δὲ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ "γενόμενα ἕκαστον, ὡς καὶ ἐγένετο, ἐστίν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ θεός, τὰ δὲ "πρὸς ὁμοιότητα αὐτοῦ λόγῳ ὅμοια ἐσόμενα, τὰ δὲ καθ' ἑκουσιασμὸν "γενόμενα· τὰ δὲ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ γενόμενα, πάντα δὲ "ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ. ἅπερ λαβὼν καὶ ἐξεργασάμενος κατὰ τὴν προσοῦσάν "σοι θεόθεν χάριν, γράψαι τῷ δεσπότῃ μου Ἀλεξάνδρῳ σπούδασον· "πεπίστευκα γὰρ ὡς εἰ γράψειας αὐτῷ, ἐντρέψειας αὐτόν. πρόσειπε "πάντας τοὺς ἐν κυρίῳ. ἐρρωμένον σε καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εὐχόμενον ἡ "θεία χάρις διαφυλάττοι, δέσποτα." Τοιαῦτα καὶ οὗτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπέστελλον, εἰς τὸν κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας καθοπλιζόμενοι πόλεμον. Οὕτω δὲ τῆς βλασφημίας ἐν ταῖς κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὴν Ἑῴαν ἐκκλησίαις διασπαρείσης, ἔριδες ἐν ἑκάστῃ πόλει καὶ κώμῃ καὶ 30 μάχαι περὶ τῶν θείων δογμάτων ἐγίγνοντο. ὁ δὲ λοιπὸς ὅμιλος θεατὴς ἦν τῶν γιγνομένων καὶ τῶν λεγομένων κριτής, καὶ οἱ μὲν τὰ τούτων, οἱ δὲ τὰ ἐκείνων ἐπῄνουν· καὶ τραγῳδίας τὰ δρώμενα καὶ θρήνων ἄξια ἦν. οὐ γὰρ ἀλλόφυλοι καὶ πολέμιοι, καθάπερ πάλαι, τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἐπολιόρκουν, ἀλλ' ὁμόφυλοι καὶ ὁμορρόφιοι καὶ ὁμοτράπεζοι κατ' ἀλλήλων ἀντὶ δοράτων ἐκίνουν τὰς γλώσσας· μᾶλ λον δέ, μέλη ἀλλήλων ὄντες καὶ εἰς ἓν τελοῦντες σῶμα, κατ' ἀλλήλων ὡπλίζοντο. Τὰ κατὰ τὴν μεγάλην σύνοδον τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ . Ταῦτα μαθὼν ὁ πάνσοφος βασιλεὺς πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὴν ἐπειράθη τὴν τῶν κακῶν ἐμφράξαι πηγὴν καί τινα τῶν ἐπ' ἀγχινοίᾳ περι βοήτων εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν μετὰ γραμμάτων ἀπέστειλε, σβέσαι τὴν ἔριν πειρώμενος καὶ τὸ στασιάζον συναγαγεῖν εἰς ὁμόνοιαν προσ δοκῶν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐψεύσθη, τὴν πολυθρύλητον ἐκείνην εἰς τὴν Νικαέων συνήγειρε σύνοδον, δημοσίοις ὄνοις καὶ ἡμιόνοις καὶ ὀρεῦσι καὶ ἵπποις χρήσασθαι τοὺς ἐπισκόπους καὶ τοὺς σὺν τού τοις ἀφικνουμένους παρεγγυήσας. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἠθροίσθησαν ὅσοι τῆς ὁδοιπορίας τὸν πόνον ἐνεγκεῖν ἠδυνήθησαν, ἀφίκετο καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς τὴν Νίκαιαν, ἰδεῖν τε τὴν τῶν ἀρχιερέων πληθὺν ἐφιέμενος καὶ τὴν ὁμόνοιαν αὐτοῖς πρυτανεῦσαι ποθῶν· καὶ παραχρῆμα πάντα αὐτοῖς ἀφθόνως χορηγεῖσθαι προσέταξεν. ὀκτωκαίδεκα δὲ καὶ τριακόσιοι συνῆλθον