21

"a time for him to be confessed by all. And what had been commonly decided was already being ratified also in writing by the signature of each." And after a little, he again added this as well: "Having thus arranged matters, he dismissed all to return to their own homes. And they returned with gladness, and from then on one opinion prevailed among all, having been agreed upon in the presence of the emperor himself, those who had long been divided being joined together as if in one body. The emperor, then, rejoicing at this success, bestowed a flourishing fruit by letters upon those who had not been present at the synod, and he exhorted that abundant distributions of money be made to all the peoples, both in the country and around the cities, thus in some way honoring the festival of his twentieth year of reign." Therefore, those who held the opinions of Arius ought, even if they did not think it impious to contradict the other fathers, at least to have believed this man whom they are accustomed to admire, as he taught that that confession had become harmonious. But since they also contend against the opinions of their own fathers, it was necessary for them, having learned of the most shameful and horror-filled end of Arius, to flee with all their strength the impiety produced by him. But since it is likely that not everyone knows the manner of his death, I will also narrate this as it happened. This man, having spent a very long time in Alexandria, wished again 56 to join the ecclesiastical assemblies, denying his impiety and promising to accept the confession set forth by the fathers. But when he persuaded neither the divine Alexander, nor indeed Athanasius, the successor to his presidency and piety, he ran again to Constantinople through the efforts of Eusebius of Nicomedia. But the things contrived by him and decreed by the just judge, the all-excellent Athanasius has narrated better in his letters to Apion. And I will include this part in my writing. "I was not present in Constantinople when that man died, but Macarius the presbyter was present, and I heard it from him as he spoke. Arius had been summoned by Constantine the emperor at the insistence of the party of Eusebius. And when Arius entered, the emperor questioned him whether he held the faith of the catholic church. He therefore swore that he believed rightly and presented a written statement of faith, concealing the points for which he was expelled from the church by Alexander the bishop, while feigning the words from the scriptures. Therefore, when he swore that he did not believe the things for which Alexander had expelled him, he dismissed him, saying: 'If your faith is orthodox, you have sworn well; but if your faith is impious, and you have sworn, may God from heaven judge your case'. So when he had thus departed from the emperor, the party of Eusebius wished to bring him into the church with their usual force. But the bishop of Constantinople, the blessed 57 Alexander, spoke against it, saying that the originator of the heresy ought not to be received into communion. And then the party of Eusebius threatened, saying: 'Just as we had him summoned by the emperor against your will, so tomorrow, even if it is not according to your mind, Arius shall be gathered with us in this church'. And it was a Saturday when he said these things. "The bishop Alexander, therefore, hearing these things and being very distressed, entered the church, lifted his hands to God and lamented; and casting himself on his face in the sanctuary, lying on the ground, he prayed. And Macarius was also present, praying with him and hearing his voice. And he besought these two things, saying: 'If Arius is to be gathered tomorrow, release me, your servant, and do not destroy a pious man with an impious one; but if you spare your church (and I know that you do spare it), look upon the words of the party of Eusebius and do not give your inheritance to destruction and reproach, and take away Arius, so that when he enters the church, the heresy may not seem to enter with him and so that impiety may not henceforth be regarded as piety.' Having prayed these things, the bishop departed very

21

"αὐτὸν παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁμολογηθῆναι καιρόν. ἐκυροῦτο δὲ ἤδη καὶ "ἐν γραφῇ δι' ὑποσημειώσεως ἑκάστου τὰ κοινῇ δεδογμένα." Καὶ μετὰ βραχέα πάλιν καὶ ταῦτα προστέθεικεν· "Οὕτω δὴ συνταξάμενος ἐπὶ τὰ σφῶν οἰκεῖα τοὺς πάντας ἐπανι "έναι ἠφίει. οἱ δὲ ἐπανῄεσαν σὺν εὐφροσύνῃ, ἐκράτει τε λοιπὸν "παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσι μία γνώμη, παρ' αὐτῷ βασιλεῖ συμφωνηθεῖσα, συνα "πτομένων ὥσπερ ὑφ' ἑνὶ σώματι τῶν ἐκ μακροῦ διῃρημένων. χαίρων "δῆτα βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τῷ κατορθώματι τοῖς μὴ παρατυχοῦσι τῇ συνόδῳ "καρπὸν εὐθαλῆ δι' ἐπιστολῶν ἐδωρεῖτο, λαοῖς τε ἅπασι τοῖς τε κατ' "ἀγροὺς καὶ τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὰς πόλεις χρημάτων ἀφθόνους διαδόσεις "ποιεῖσθαι παρεκελεύετο, ὧδέ πη γεραίρων τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς εἰκοσα "ετοῦς βασιλείας." Ἔδει μὲν οὖν τοὺς τὰ Ἀρείου φρονοῦντας, εἰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πατράσιν ἀντιλέγειν οὐκ ἐνόμιζον δυσσεβές, τούτῳ γοῦν πιστεύειν ὃν θαυμάζειν εἰώθασι, σύμφωνον γεγενῆσθαι τὴν ὁμολογίαν ἐκείνην διδάσκοντι. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰς τῶν οἰκείων πατέρων διαμά χονται δόξας, ἐχρῆν τοῦ Ἀρείου τὴν αἰσχίστην μεμαθηκότας καὶ φρίκης γέμουσαν τελευτὴν φυγεῖν παντὶ σθένει τὴν ὑπ' ἐκείνου τεχθεῖσαν ἀσέβειαν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰκὸς μὴ πάντας εἰδέναι τοῦ θανάτου τὸν τρόπον, ἐγὼ καὶ τοῦτον ὡς ἐγένετο διηγήσομαι. Πλεῖστον οὗτος ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ διατρίψας χρόνον ἐπικωμάσαι 56 πάλιν τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς συλλόγοις ἐβούλετο, ἀρνούμενος τὴν ἀσέ βειαν καὶ τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν πατέρων ὁμολογίαν ὑπισχνούμενος δέχεσθαι. ὡς δὲ οὔτε τὸν θεῖον Ἀλέξανδρον ἔπεισεν, οὔτε μὴν Ἀθανάσιον τὸν τῆς ἐκείνου καὶ προεδρίας καὶ εὐσεβείας διάδοχον, πάλιν διὰ τῆς Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Νικομηδέως σπουδῆς εἰς τὴν Κωνσταν τινούπολιν ἔδραμεν. τὰ δ' ὑπ' ἐκείνου τυρευθέντα καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ δικαίου ψηφισθέντα κριτοῦ, ἄμεινον ὁ πάντα ἄριστος Ἀθανάσιος ἐν τοῖς πρὸς Ἀπίωνα διηγήσατο γράμμασιν. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἐντάξω τῇ συγγραφῇ. "Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐ παρήμην ἐν. τῇ Κωνσταντινουπόλει ὅτε τετελεύ "τηκεν ἐκεῖνος, Μακάριος δὲ ὁ πρεσβύτερος παρῆν κἀκείνου λέγοντος "ἤκουσα. ἐκέκλητο μὲν παρὰ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ βασιλέως Ἄρειος ἐκ "σπουδῆς τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον. εἰσελθόντα δὲ τὸν Ἄρειον ἀνέκρινεν "ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰ τὴν πίστιν τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας ἔχοι. αὐτός τε "οὖν ὤμοσε πιστεύειν ὀρθῶς καὶ ἔγγραφον ἐπιδέδωκε πίστεως, κρύψας "μὲν ἐφ' οἷς ἐξεβλήθη τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὑπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου, "ὑποκρινόμενος δὲ τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν λέξεις. ὀμόσαντα τοίνυν "αὐτὸν μὴ πεφρονηκέναι ἐφ' οἷς ἐξέβαλεν αὐτὸν Ἀλέξανδρος, ἀπέ "λυσεν εἰρηκώς· "εἰ ὀρθή σού ἐστιν ἡ πίστις, καλῶς ὤμοσας· εἰ δὲ "ἀσεβής ἐστιν ἡ πίστις σου καὶ ὤμοσας, ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κρίναι "τὰ κατὰ σέ". οὕτω δὴ οὖν αὐτὸν ἐξελθόντα παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως "ἠθέλησαν εἰσαγαγεῖν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον τῇ συνήθει "αὐτῶν βίᾳ. ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος, ὁ μακα 57 "ρίτης Ἀλέξανδρος, ἀντέλεγε φάσκων μὴ δεῖν εἰς κοινωνίαν δεχθῆναι "τὸν τῆς αἱρέσεως εὑρετήν. καὶ λοιπὸν οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἠπείλησαν "ὅτι· "ὥσπερ μὴ θελόντων ὑμῶν ἐποιήσαμεν αὐτὸν κληθῆναι παρὰ "βασιλέως, οὕτως αὔριον, κἂν μὴ κατὰ γνώμην σου τυγχάνῃ, συνα "χθήσεται Ἄρειος μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ταύτῃ". Σάββατον δὲ "ἦν ὅτε ταῦτα ἔλεγεν. "Ὁ τοίνυν ἐπίσκοπος Ἀλέξανδρος, ἀκούσας ταῦτα καὶ πάνυ λυπη"θεὶς εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, τὰς χεῖρας ἄρας πρὸς τὸν θεὸν "ἀπωδύρετο, καὶ ῥίψας ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐν τῷ ἱερατείῳ, κείμενος "ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους ηὔχετο. παρῆν δὲ καὶ Μακάριος εὐχόμενος σὺν "αὐτῷ καὶ ἀκούων τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ. παρεκάλει δὲ δύο ταῦτα λέγων· ""εἰ Ἄρειος αὔριον συνάγεται, ἀπόλυσον ἐμὲ τὸν δοῦλόν σου καὶ μὴ "συναπολέσῃς εὐσεβῆ μετὰ ἀσεβοῦς· εἰ δὲ φείδῃ τῆς ἐκκλησίας σου "(οἶδα δὲ ὅτι φείδῃ), ἔπιδε ἐπὶ τὰ ῥήματα τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον καὶ μὴ " δῷς εἰς ἀφανισμὸν καὶ ὄνειδος τὴν κληρονομίαν σου καὶ ἆρον "Ἄρειον, ἵνα μὴ εἰσελθόντος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν δόξῃ καὶ ἡ "αἵρεσις συνεισέρχεσθαι αὐτῷ καὶ λοιπὸν ἡ ἀσέβεια νομισθῇ ὡς εὐσέ "βεια". ταῦτα εὐξάμενος, ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἀνεχώρησε πάνυ