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when a banquet had been held, he again brought them other gifts. And indeed he also gave letters to the rulers governing the provinces, ordering to be supplied in each city 47 to the perpetual virgins and widows and to those consecrated to the divine service annual allowances of grain, having measured these out by generosity rather than by need. Of these, a third part is supplied even to this day, since the impious Julian took it all away, while the one after him commanded that what is now supplied should be provided. For the famine at that time made the contribution small. But if what was then provided was three times what is now supplied, it is easy for anyone who wishes to perceive the king's magnanimity. And indeed I do not think it right to pass that over in silence; for contentious men brought indictments against some of the bishops and delivered the written accusations to the emperor. And he, having received these before the harmony that had been achieved, then put a band around them and sealed it with his ring, and ordered them to be kept. Then, having worked out the agreement, he brought them and burned them in their presence, swearing that he had surely read none of what was written. For he said it was not right for the sins of priests to be made public to the many, lest they take from this an occasion for scandal and sin without fear. And they say that he also added this, that if he were an eyewitness to a bishop committing adultery, he would cover the unlawful act with his purple robe, so that the sight of what was done might not harm the onlookers. Having thus exhorted them and deemed the priests worthy of so much honor, he urged each to take up his own flock. 48 But I, on account of the abomination of the Arians, who not only despise our common fathers but also deny their own, wish to insert into this history the letter which Eusebius of Caesarea wrote concerning the faith, which contains a clear refutation of their madness. For while they honor him as being of one mind with them, they openly contradict what was written by him. He wrote the letter to certain people who held the views of Arius, who were, as is likely, accusing him of betrayal. But what was written better reveals the purpose of the one who wrote it. The letter of Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, which he sent from Nicaea when the great council was convened. It is likely that you have learned from other sources the things concerning the ecclesiastical faith that were dealt with at the great council convened in Nicaea, since rumor is accustomed to run ahead of the accurate account of what has been done. But lest from such a report the matters of the truth be announced to you in another way, we have of necessity sent to you, first, the document concerning the faith proposed by us, then the second, which they have published, having imposed additions to our own words. Our own letter, therefore, having been read in the presence of our most God-beloved emperor and declared to be well-stated and sound, is as follows: 49 The faith set forth by us. Just as we received from the bishops before us, both in our initial instruction and when we received baptism, and as we have learned from the divine scriptures, and as in the presbyterate itself and in the episcopate itself we have both believed and taught, so also now believing we present our faith. And it is this: We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the maker of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God from God, Light from Light, Life from Life, the only-begotten Son, firstborn of all creation, begotten from the Father before all ages, through whom also all things were made, who for our salvation was incarnate and lived among men, and suffered, and rose on the third day, and ascended to the Father, and will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We believe also in one Holy Spirit. Believing each of these to be and to exist, the Father, tru

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συμποσίου λαβόντος, ἕτερα πάλιν αὐτοῖς προσενήνοχε δῶρα. καὶ μέντοι καὶ γράμματα πρὸς τοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν προστατεύοντας δέδωκεν ἄρχοντας, καθ' ἑκάστην πόλιν χορη 47 γεῖσθαι παρεγγυῶν ταῖς ἀειπαρθένοις καὶ χήραις καὶ τοῖς ἀφιερω μένοις τῇ θείᾳ λειτουργίᾳ ἐτήσια σιτηρέσια, φιλοτιμίᾳ μᾶλλον ἢ χρείᾳ ταῦτα μετρήσας. τούτων τὸ τριτημόριον μέχρι καὶ τήμερον χορη γεῖται, Ἰουλιανοῦ μὲν τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς πάντα καθάπαξ ἀφελομένου, τοῦ δὲ μετ' ἐκεῖνον τὰ νῦν χορηγούμενα παρασχεθῆναι προστεταχότος. ὁ γὰρ λιμὸς ὀλίγην ἐποίει τότε τὴν εἰσφοράν. εἰ δὲ τοῦ νῦν χορη γουμένου τριπλάσιον ἦν τὸ τηνικαῦτα παρασχεθέν, ῥᾴδιον τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως μεγαλοψυχίαν τῷ βουλομένῳ καταμαθεῖν. Οὐ μὴν δὲ οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνο δίκαιον ἡγοῦμαι παραδοῦναι σιγῇ· φιλαπε χθήμονες γὰρ ἄνδρες ἐγράψαντο τῶν ἐπισκόπων τινὰς καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰς ἐγγράφους κατηγορίας ἐπέδοσαν. ὁ δὲ πρὸ τῆς γεγε νημένης ὁμονοίας ταύτας δεξάμενος, εἶτα δεσμὸν ἐπιθεὶς καὶ τῷ δακτυλίῳ σημηνάμενος, φυλαχθῆναι προσέταξεν. ἔπειτα τὴν σύμ βασιν ἐργασάμενος, ταύτας κομίσας παρόντων αὐτῶν κατέκαυσεν, ὀμωμοκὼς ἦ μὴν μηδὲν τῶν ἐγγεγραμμένων ἀνεγνωκέναι. οὐ γὰρ ἔφη χρῆναι τῶν ἱερέων τὰ πλημμελήματα δῆλα γίνεσθαι τοῖς πολ λοῖς, ἵνα μὴ σκανδάλου πρόφασιν ἐντεῦθεν λαμβάνοντες ἀδεῶς ἁμαρ τάνωσιν. φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ τόδε προσθεῖναι, ὡς εἰ αὐτόπτης ἐπι σκόπου γάμον ἀλλότριον διορύττοντος γένοιτο, συγκαλύψαι ἂν τῇ πορφυρίδι τὸ παρανόμως γινόμενον, ὡς ἂν μὴ βλάψῃ τοὺς θεω μένους τῶν δρωμένων ἡ ὄψις. οὕτω παραινέσας καὶ τοσαύτης ἀξιώσας τοὺς ἱερέας τιμῆς, καταλαβεῖν ἕκαστον τὴν οἰκείαν παρηγ γύησε ποίμνην. 48 Ἐγὼ δὲ τῆς τῶν Ἀρειανῶν ἕνεκα βδελυρίας, οἳ οὐ μόνον τῶν κοινῶν ἡμῖν καταφρονοῦσι πατέρων ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς σφετέρους ἀρ νοῦνται, τὴν Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Καισαρέως ἐπιστολὴν ἣν περὶ τῆς πίστεως ἔγραψεν ἐνθεῖναι βούλομαι τῇ συγγραφῇ, τῆς τούτων λύττης ἔλεγχον ἔχουσαν ἐναργῆ. τοῦτον γὰρ γεραίροντες ὡς ὁμόφρονα, τοῖς ὑπὸ τούτου γραφεῖσιν ἄντικρυς ἀντιλέγουσιν. γέγραφε δὲ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν πρός τινας τὰ Ἀρείου φρονοῦντας, προδοσίαν, ὡς εἰκός, ἐγκαλοῦντας αὐτῷ. δηλοῖ δὲ ἄμεινον τὰ γεγραμμένα τὸν τοῦ γεγραφότος σκοπόν. "Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστίνης ἐπισκόπου ἐπι "στολὴ ἣν ἀπὸ τῆς Νικαίας ἀπέστειλεν ὅτε ἡ μεγάλη σύνο "δος συνεκροτήθη. "Τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς πίστεως πραγματευθέντα κατὰ τὴν "μεγάλην σύνοδον τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ συγκροτηθεῖσαν εἰκὸς μὲν ὑμᾶς καὶ "ἄλλοθεν μεμαθηκέναι, τῆς φήμης προτρέχειν εἰωθυίας τὸν περὶ τῶν "πραττομένων ἀκριβῆ λόγον. ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἐκ τοιαύτης ἀκοῆς τὰ τῆς "ἀληθείας ἑτεροίως ὑμῖν ἀπαγγέλληται, ἀναγκαίως διεπεμψάμεθα ὑμῖν "πρῶτον μὲν τὴν ὑφ' ἡμῶν προταθεῖσαν περὶ τῆς πίστεως γραφήν, "ἔπειτα τὴν δευτέραν, ἣν ταῖς ἡμετέραις φωναῖς προσθήκας ἐπιβα "λόντες ἐκδεδώκασι. τὸ μὲν οὖν παρ' ἡμῶν γράμμα, ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ "τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου ἡμῶν βασιλέως ἀναγνωσθὲν εὖ τε ἔχειν καὶ δο "κίμως ἀποφανθέν, τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον· 49 "Ἡ ὑφ' ἡμῶν ἐκτεθεῖσα πίστις. καθὼς παρελάβομεν παρὰ τῶν "πρὸ ἡμῶν ἐπισκόπων, καὶ ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ κατηχήσει καὶ ὅτε τὸ λου "τρὸν ἐλαμβάνομεν, καὶ καθὼς ἀπὸ τῶν θείων γραφῶν μεμαθήκαμεν, "καὶ ὡς ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἐπισκοπῇ ἐπιστεύ "ομέν τε καὶ ἐδιδάσκομεν, οὕτω καὶ νῦν πιστεύοντες τὴν ἡμετέραν "πίστιν προσαναφέρομεν. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη· "Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα θεόν, πατέρα παντοκράτορα, τὸν τῶν ἁπάν "των ὁρατῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων ποιητήν, καὶ εἰς ἕνα κύριον Ἰησοῦν "Χριστόν, τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον, θεὸν ἐκ θεοῦ, φῶς ἐκ φωτός, ζωὴν "ἐκ ζωῆς, υἱὸν μονογενῆ, πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως, πρὸ πάντων "τῶν αἰώνων ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς γεγεννημένον, δι' οὗ καὶ ἐγένετο πάντα, "τὸν διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν σαρκωθέντα καὶ ἐν ἀνθρώποις "πολιτευσάμενον καὶ παθόντα καὶ ἀναστάντα τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ "ἀνελθόντα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἥξοντα πάλιν ἐν δόξῃ κρῖναι ζῶν "τας καὶ νεκρούς. πιστεύομεν καὶ εἰς ἓν πνεῦμα ἅγιον. "Τούτων ἕκαστον εἶναι καὶ ὑπάρχειν πιστεύοντες, πατέρα, ἀλη