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"the argument establishes, not in the manner of bodies nor "similarly to mortal animals; for neither by division of the sub "stance nor by separation, nor indeed by any passion or change or "alteration of the Father's power; for the unbegotten nature of the Father is alien "to all these things; and "homoousios" with the Father is indicative "of the Son of God bearing no resemblance to begotten "creatures, but of being made like in every way only to the Father who begot "him, and of not being from any other "hypostasis and substance but from the Father. And to this, interpreted "in this manner, it seemed right to assent, since "we know that some of the ancient and learned and eminent bishops and writers "used the name "homoousios" in the theology of the Father and the Son. "Let these things be said concerning the faith that was set forth; "to which we all agreed, not without examination, "but according to the meanings given, having been examined in the presence of the most God-beloved 53 "emperor himself, and having been agreed upon by the aforesaid reasonings. "And the anathema which was set forth by them after the creed "we considered to be acceptable, because it forbade the use of unscriptural "terms, from which has arisen almost all the confusion and disorder of the "Church. Since, at any rate, no divinely-inspired scripture has used "from things that are not" "and "there was a time when he was not" and the other phrases that follow, "it did not seem reasonable to say and teach these things. To this sound "decision we also gave our assent, since we had not been accustomed to use "these terms in former times either. "Furthermore, to anathematize "before he was begotten he was not" "was not considered absurd, because it is confessed by all that he is the Son "of God even before his birth according to the flesh. And already our most God-beloved "emperor was establishing by reason that he exists before all ages "even according to his divine generation, since even before "he was begotten in actuality, he was in the Father potentially, unbegottenly, "the Father being always Father, as also always King and Savior and being "all things potentially, and always existing in the same state and in the same way. We have "of necessity sent these things to you, beloved, making clear the decisions of our "examination and assent, showing how reasonably "at that time and until the last hour we held our ground, when the things written differently "were an offense to us, and how then without contention we accepted 54 "the things that did not offend, when, upon candidly examining the meaning of the words, "it seemed to us to have a clear agreement with what had been confessed "by us in the creed previously set forth." That, therefore, the term "homoousios" is not some new thing, nor was it invented by the fathers then assembled, but handed down from above from ancestors to their descendants, Eusebius has clearly testified; and that all who were then assembled unanimously accepted the faith that had been set forth, he has stated here and again testifies in another work, honoring with praises the life of the great Constantine. And he speaks thus: "Having said these things in the Roman tongue, with another interpreting, "he handed over the discourse to the presidents of the synod. From there, some "began to accuse their neighbors, while others defended themselves and "brought counter-charges. As very many points were being proposed by each side "and much controversy was arising at first, the emperor listened to all "with forbearance and with patient attention received the propositions, "and taking up in turn the points spoken by each side, "he gently brought together those who were contentiously resisting, addressing each one "mildly and speaking in the Greek tongue, for "he was not ignorant of this either, he was sweet and pleasant, persuading some, "shaming others by his speech, praising those who spoke well, "and urging all to harmony, until he had made them of one mind and 55 "one opinion on all the disputed matters, so "that the faith prevailed with one voice, and of the salutary feast the

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"μενος ὁ λόγος συνίστησιν, οὐ κατὰ τὸν τῶν σωμάτων τρόπον οὐδὲ "τοῖς θνητοῖς ζῴοις παραπλησίως· οὔτε γὰρ κατὰ διαίρεσιν τῆς οὐ "σίας οὔτε κατὰ ἀποτομήν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κατά τι πάθος ἢ τροπὴν ἢ "ἀλλοίωσιν τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς δυνάμεως· τούτων γὰρ ἁπάντων ἀλλό "τριον εἶναι τὴν ἀγέννητον τοῦ πατρὸς φύσιν· παραστατικὸν δ' εἶναι "τὸ ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρὶ τοῦ μηδεμίαν ἐμφέρειαν πρὸς τὰ γενητὰ "κτίσματα τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φέρειν, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ πατρὶ τῷ γεγεννη "κότι κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ἀφωμοιῶσθαι καὶ μὴ εἶναι ἐξ ἑτέρας τινὸς "ὑποστάσεώς τε καὶ οὐσίας ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ πατρός. ᾧ καὶ αὐτῷ, τοῦτον "ἑρμηνευθέντι τὸν τρόπον, καλῶς ἔχειν ἐφάνη συγκατατίθεσθαι, ἐπεὶ "καὶ τῶν παλαιῶν λογίους τινὰς καὶ ἐπιφανεῖς ἐπισκόπους καὶ συγ "γραφέας ἔγνωμεν ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ θεολογίας τῷ τοῦ "ὁμοουσίου συγχρησαμένους ὀνόματι. ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τῆς ἐκτεθείσης "εἰρήσθω πίστεως· ᾗ συνεφωνήσαμεν οἱ πάντες, οὐκ ἀνεξετάστως "ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰς ἀποδοθείσας διανοίας ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου 53 "βασιλέως ἐξετασθείσας καὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις λογισμοῖς συνομολογη "θείσας. "Καὶ τὸν ἀναθεματισμὸν δὲ τὸν μετὰ τὴν πίστιν πρὸς αὐτῶν "τεθέντα δεκτὸν εἶναι ἡγησάμεθα, διὰ τὸ ἀπείργειν ἀγράφοις χρῆσθαι "φωναῖς, δι' ἃς σχεδὸν ἡ πᾶσα γέγονε σύγχυσις καὶ ἀκαταστασία τῆς "ἐκκλησίας. μηδεμιᾶς γοῦν θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς τῷ "ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων" "καὶ τῷ "ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὖκ ἦν" καὶ τοῖς ἑξῆς ἐπιλεγομένοις κεχρημένης, "οὐκ εὔλογον ἐφάνη ταῦτα λέγειν καὶ διδάσκειν. ᾧ καὶ αὐτῷ καλῶς "δόξαντι συνεθέμεθα, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου χρόνῳ τούτοις "εἰώθειμεν συγχρῆσθαι τοῖς ῥήμασιν. "Ἔτι μὴν τὸ ἀναθεματίζεσθαι τὸ "πρὸ τοῦ γεννηθῆναι οὐκ ἦν" "οὐκ ἄτοπον ἐνομίσθη, τῷ παρὰ πᾶσιν ὁμολογεῖσθαι εἶναι αὐτὸν υἱὸν "τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πρὸ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γεννήσεως. Ἤδη δὲ ὁ θεοφιλέ "στατος ἡμῶν βασιλεὺς τῷ λόγῳ κατεσκεύαζε καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἔνθεον "αὐτοῦ γέννησιν τὸ πρὸ πάντων αἰώνων εἶναι αὐτόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ πρὶν "ἐνεργείᾳ γεννηθῆναι δυνάμει ἦν ἐν τῷ πατρὶ ἀγεννήτως, ὄντος τοῦ "πατρὸς ἀεὶ πατρός, ὡς καὶ βασιλέως ἀεὶ καὶ σωτῆρος καὶ δυνάμει "πάντα ὄντος, ἀεί τε καὶ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχοντος. ταῦτα "ὑμῖν ἀναγκαίως διεπεμψάμεθα, ἀγαπητοί, τὰ κεκριμένα τῆς ἡμετέρας "ἐξετάσεώς τε καὶ συγκαταθέσεως φανερὰ καθιστῶντες, ὡς εὐλόγως "τότε μὲν καὶ μέχρις ὑστάτης ὥρας ἱστάμεθα, ὅθ' ἡμῖν τὰ ἑτεροίως "γραφέντα προσέκοπτε, τότε δὲ ἀφιλονείκως τὰ μὴ λυποῦντα κατε 54 "δεξάμεθα, ὅθ' ἡμῖν εὐγνωμόνως τῶν λόγων ἐξετάζουσι τὴν διάνοιαν "ἐμφανῆ σύμπραξιν ἔχειν ἔδοξε τοῖς ὑφ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ προεκτε "θείσῃ πίστει ὡμολογημένοις." Ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐ καινή τις ἡ τοῦ ὁμοουσίου πρόσρησις οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τῶν τότε συναθροισθέντων πατέρων ἐξευρεθεῖσα, ἀλλ' ἄνωθεν ἐκ προγόνων εἰς ἐγγόνους καταγομένη, σαφῶς μεμαρτύρηκεν ὁ Εὐσέβιος· ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἅπαντες οἱ τηνικαῦτα συναθροισθέντες συμφώνως τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν κατεδέξαντο πίστιν, κἀνταῦθα ἔφη καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ συγγράμματι μαρτυρεῖ, τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου τὴν πολιτείαν εὐφημίαις γεραίρων. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Ὁ μὲν δὴ ταῦτ' εἰπὼν Ῥωμαίᾳ γλώττῃ, ὑφερμηνεύοντος ἑτέρου, "παρεδίδου τὸν λόγον τοῖς τῆς συνόδου προέδροις. ἐντεῦθεν δ' οἱ "μὲν ἀρξάμενοι κατῃτιῶντο τοὺς πέλας, οἱ δ' ἀπελογοῦντό τε καὶ "ἀντεμέμφοντο. πλείστων δῆτα ὑφ' ἑκατέρου τάγματος προτεινο "μένων πολλῆς τε ἀμφιλογίας τὰ πρῶτα συνισταμένης, ἀνεξικάκως "ἐπηκροᾶτο ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν πάντων σχολῇ τε εὐτόνῳ τὰς προτάσεις "ὑπεδέχετο, ἐν μέρει τε ἀντιλαμβανόμενος τῶν παρ' ἑκάστου τάγματος "λεγομένων, ἠρέμα συνῆγε τοὺς φιλονείκως ἐνισταμένους, πράως τε "ποιούμενος τὰς πρὸς ἕκαστον ὁμιλίας ἑλληνίζων τε τῇ φωνῇ, ὅτι "μηδὲ ταύτης ἀμαθῶς εἶχε, γλυκερός τις ἦν καὶ ἡδύς, τοὺς μὲν συμ "πείθων, τοὺς δὲ καταδυσωπῶν τῷ λόγῳ, τοὺς δ' εὖ λέγοντας ἐπαι "νῶν, πάντας δὲ εἰς ὁμόνοιαν ἐλαύνων, ἕως ὅτε ὁμογνώμονας καὶ 55 "ὁμοδόξους αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀμφισβητουμένοις ἅπασι κατεστήσατο, ὡς "ὁμόφωνον μὲν κρατῆσαι τὴν πίστιν, τῆς δὲ σωτηρίου ἑορτῆς τὸν