this he says he has done) on account of acknowledging one God. 129 To the most blessed fellow-minister Julius, Marcellus in Christ, greetings. Since some of those formerly condemned for not believing rightly, whom I refuted at the synod of Nicaea, have dared to write against me to your Piety, as if I do not think rightly nor in an ecclesiastical manner, being eager to transfer their own accusation to me, for this reason I thought it necessary, having come to Rome, to remind you to summon those who have written against me, so that when they have come they might be refuted by me on both counts: both that the things they have written against me happen to be false, and that even now they persist in their former error and have dared terrible things against the churches of God and us who preside over them. Since, therefore, they were unwilling to come when you sent presbyters to them, and this when I had spent a year and three whole months in Rome, I thought it necessary, as I am about to depart from here, to submit to you in writing my own faith with all truth, written with my own hand, which I learned and was taught from the divine scriptures, and to remind you of the things that are badly said by them, so that you may know by what sort of arguments they use to deceive their hearers, wishing to hide the truth. For they say that the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, is not the proper and true Word of God Almighty, but that there is another Word of His and another wisdom and power. And that this one, having been made by Him, was named Word and wisdom and power, and because they think this way, they say He is another hypostasis, distinct from the Father. Moreover, by what they write they declare that the Father pre-existed the Son and that He is not truly Son from God; but even if they say "from God," they say it in the same way as all things are. Furthermore, they dare to say that "there was a time when he was not" and that he is a creature and a thing made, separating him from the Father. I am convinced, therefore, that those who say these things are foreign to the catholic church. But following the divine scriptures, I believe that there is one God and His only-begotten Son, the Word, who always co-exists with the Father and has never had a beginning of being, truly existing from God, not created, not made, but always being, always reigning together "with God and the Father," of whose "kingdom," according to the testimony of the apostle, "there will be no end." This one is Son, this one is power, this one is wisdom. This is the proper and true Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, the indivisible power of God, through whom all things that have been made were made, as the Gospel testifies, saying, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." This is the Word concerning whom Luke the evangelist also testifies, saying, "as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us." Concerning this one David also said, "My heart has brought forth a good word." Thus also our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us through the Gospel, saying, "I came from the Father and have come." This one, "in these last days," came down for our salvation and, being born of the virgin Mary, took on the human being. I believe therefore in God the Almighty; and in Christ Jesus his only-begotten Son, our Lord, who was born of the Holy Spirit and Mary the virgin, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and buried, and on the third day rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, from whence he is to come to judge the living and the dead; and in the Holy Spirit, the holy church, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the flesh, eternal life. We have learned from the divine scriptures that the divinity of the Father and of the Son is indivisible. For if someone separates the Son, that is the Word, from God the Almighty, it is necessary for him either to think there are two gods (which has been judged foreign to the divine teaching) or that the Word is not God

τοῦτό φησιν πεποιηκέναι) διὰ τὸ ἕνα γνωρίζειν θεόν. 129 Τῷ μακαριωτάτῳ συλλειτουργῷ Ἰουλίῳ Μάρκελλος ἐν Χριστῷ χαίρειν. Ἐπειδή τινες τῶν καταγνωσθέντων πρότερον ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ ὀρθῶς πιστεύειν, οὓς ἐγὼ ἐν τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν συνόδῳ διήλεγξα, κατ' ἐμοῦ γράψαι τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ σου ἐτόλμησαν ὡς ἂν ἐμοῦ μὴ ὀρθῶς μηδὲ ἐκκλησιαστικῶς φρονοῦντος, τὸ ἑαυτῶν ἔγκλημα εἰς ἐμὲ μετατεθῆναι σπουδάζοντες, τούτου ἕνεκεν ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην ἀπαντήσας εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ὑπομνῆσαί σε, ἵνα τοὺς κατ' ἐμοῦ γράψαντας μεταστείλῃ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀπαντήσαντας αὐτοὺς ἐπ' ἀμφοτέροις ἐλεγχθῆναι ὑπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι τε καὶ ἃ γεγράφασι κατ' ἐμοῦ ψευδῆ ὄντα τυγχάνει, καὶ ὅτι ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐπιμένουσι τῇ ἑαυτῶν προτέρᾳ πλάνῃ καὶ δεινὰ κατά τε τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ ἡμῶν τῶν προεστώτων αὐτῶν τετολμήκασιν. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἀπαντῆσαι οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν ἀποστείλαντός σου πρεσβυτέρους πρὸς αὐτούς, καὶ ταῦτα ἐμοῦ ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ τρεῖς ὅλους μῆνας ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ πεποιηκότος, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην, μέλλων ἐντεῦθεν ἐξιέναι, ἔγγραφόν σοι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πίστιν μετὰ πάσης ἀληθείας τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ χειρὶ γράψας ἐπιδοῦναι ἣν ἔμαθον ἔκ τε τῶν θείων γραφῶν ἐδιδάχθην, καὶ τῶν κακῶς ὑπ' αὐτῶν λεγομένων ὑπομνῆσαί σε, ἵνα γνῷς οἷς χρώμενοι πρὸς ἀπάτην τῶν ἀκουόντων λόγοις τὴν ἀλήθειαν κρύπτειν βούλονται. φασὶ γὰρ μὴ ἴδιον καὶ ἀληθινὸν λόγον εἶναι τοῦ παντοκράτορος θεοῦ τὸν υἱόν, τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, ἀλλ' ἕτερον αὐτοῦ λόγον εἶναι καὶ ἑτέραν σοφίαν καὶ δύναμιν. τοῦτον γενόμενον ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ὠνομάσθαι λόγον καὶ σοφίαν καὶ δύναμιν, καὶ διὰ τὸ οὕτως αὐτοὺς φρονεῖν ἄλλην ὑπόστασιν διεστῶσαν τοῦ πατρὸς εἶναί φασιν. ἔτι μέντοι καὶ προϋπάρχειν τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸν πατέρα δι' ὧν γράφουσιν ἀποφαίνονται καὶ μὴ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἀληθῶς υἱὸν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ· ἀλλὰ κἂν λέγωσιν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ οὕτως λέγουσιν ὡς καὶ τὰ πάντα. ἔτι μὴν καὶ ὅτι ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν λέγειν τολμῶσι καὶ κτίσμα αὐτὸν καὶ ποίημα εἶναι, διορίζοντες αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρός. τοὺς οὖν ταῦτα λέγοντας ἀλλοτρίους τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας εἶναι πεπίστευμαι. πιστεύω δὲ ἑπόμενος ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ὅτι εἷς θεὸς καὶ ὁ τούτου μονογενὴς υἱὸς λόγος, ὁ ἀεὶ συνυπάρχων τῷ πατρὶ καὶ μηδεπώποτε ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἶναι ἐσχηκώς, ἀληθῶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐ κτισθείς, οὐ ποιηθείς, ἀλλὰ ἀεὶ ὤν, ἀεὶ συμβασιλεύων "τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί", οὗ "τῆς βασιλείας" κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀποστόλου μαρτυρίαν "οὐκ ἔσται τέλος". οὗτος υἱός, οὗτος δύναμις, οὗτος σοφία. οὗτος ἴδιος καὶ ἀληθὴς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος, ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ἀδιαίρετος δύναμις τοῦ θεοῦ, δι' οὗ [τὰ] πάντα τὰ γενόμενα γέγονε καθὼς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον μαρτυρεῖ λέγον "ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν". οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος περὶ οὗ καὶ Λουκᾶς ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς μαρτυρεῖ λέγων "καθὼς παρέδωκαν ἡμῖν οἱ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς αὐτόπται καὶ ὑπηρέται γενόμενοι τοῦ λόγου". περὶ τούτου καὶ ∆αυὶδ ἔφη "ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου λόγον ἀγαθόν". οὕτω καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς διδάσκει διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου λέγων "ἐγὼ ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐξῆλθον καὶ ἥκω". οὗτος "ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν" κατελθὼν διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν καὶ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου Μαρίας γεννηθεὶς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔλαβε. πιστεύω οὖν εἰς θεὸν παντοκράτορα· καὶ εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν, τὸν γεννηθέντα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου, τὸν ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου σταυρωθέντα καὶ ταφέντα καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστάντα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἀναβάντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ καθήμενον ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ πατρός, ὅθεν ἔρχεται κρίνειν ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς· καὶ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν, ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν, ζωὴν αἰώνιον. ἀδιαίρετον εἶναι τὴν θεότητα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ παρὰ τῶν θείων μεμαθήκαμεν γραφῶν. εἰ γάρ τις χωρίζει τὸν υἱόν, τουτέστι τὸν λόγον, τοῦ παντοκράτορος θεοῦ, ἀνάγκη αὐτὸν ἢ δύο θεοὺς εἶναι νομίζειν (ὅπερ ἀλλότριον τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας εἶναι νενόμισται) ἢ τὸν λόγον μὴ εἶναι θεὸν