30

to those who had sinned. 2.38.1 For perhaps those who became masters of such properties will say, putting it forth as a defense—if indeed it is worthy or possible for this title to hold for them—that it was not possible to put it aside at that time, when there was a manifold spectacle of all dreadful things, being cruelly driven away, unsparingly destroyed, carelessly cast aside, frequent confiscations of those who were in no way at fault, insatiable persecutions, sales of their possessions; but if any should insist on such arguments and persist in their insatiable intentions, they will feel that such a thing will not go unpunished for them, and especially when our affairs are thus ministered to the greatest God. Whatever the destructive necessity formerly compelled them to take, it is now perilous to possess; and besides, it is necessary in every way to diminish greed by reasoning and examples. Nor will the treasury, if it holds any of the aforementioned things, be permitted to hold it securely, but as if not even daring to speak against the holy churches, from those things which for a time it unjustly possessed, it will rightly be removed for the churches *** And all things that might rightly appear to belong to the churches, whether the property happens to be houses or certain fields and gardens or whatever other things, with no right of ownership being diminished but all remaining intact, we command to be restored. And indeed, the places themselves, which have been honored by the bodies of the martyrs and stand as memorials of their glorious departure, who could doubt that they belong to the churches, or who would not command it? Since neither a better gift nor a more gratifying labor, and one having great benefit, could there be, than to show diligence concerning such things at the prompting of the divine will, and that what was taken away with wicked pretexts by unjust and most evil men, being justly restored, should be saved again for the holy churches. And since it would be a mark of complete foresight not to pass over in silence those who either bought something from the treasury by right of purchase or held it as a gift that was granted, vainly and for such things stretching out their insatiable desires, let them know that such men, even if by what they dared to buy they tried to make our philanthropy alien to them, nevertheless will not fail to obtain it in a possible and fitting manner. Let these things, then, be brought to this point. And since it has been shown by the most evident and clearest proofs, by the virtue of the all-powerful God and at the same time by the exhortations and aids which He deigns to provide frequently on my behalf, that the difficulty formerly holding all human affairs has been driven out from all that is under the sun, you, both individually and all together, see with earnest cares what power and what grace that is, which has both destroyed and annihilated the seed, so to speak, of the most wicked and evil men, and extends the recalled gladness of the good abundantly to all lands, and again gives all authority for the divine law itself to be observed with all reverence as is fitting, and for those who have consecrated themselves to it to revere what is proper. Who, as if emerging from some deepest darkness and having received a brilliant knowledge of affairs, will for the future show fitting service toward him and harmonious honor. Let it be posted in our eastern parts. The first letter of the emperor, then, sent down to us, ordained these things. And immediately the things declared by the law proceeded in deeds, and everything was done contrary to what had been dared a little before by the tyrannical cruelty, and those for whom these things were legislated enjoyed the imperial gifts. But the emperor, moving on from these things, took up active affairs. And first he sent down governors to the nations divided by province, the majority of whom were devoted to the saving faith, but as many as seemed to be Hellenists, to these it was forbidden to sacrifice. And the same law was also for those holding authority over the

30

ἁμαρτηθεῖσι γένοιτο. 2.38.1 ἐροῦσι μὲν γὰρ ἴσως ἀντ' ἀπολογίας προϊσχόμενοι οἱ τῶν τοιούτων οὐσιῶν καταστάντες δεσπόται, εἴ γε τοῦτο κρατεῖν ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἄξιον ἢ δυνατὸν τὸ πρόσρημα, ὡς οὐκ ἦν οἷόν τε ἀποθέσθαι τὸ τηνικαῦτα, ἡνίκα πολύτροπος ἁπάντων τῶν δεινῶν ἦν θέα, ὠμῶς ἀπελαυνόμενοι, ἀφειδῶς ἀπολλύμενοι, ἀμελῶς ἐρριμμένοι, δημεύσεις τῶν οὐδὲν αἰτίων συχναί, διώξεις ἀκόρεστοι, τῶν ὄντων διαπράσεις· εἰ δὲ τοῖς τοιούτοις διισχυρίζοιντο λόγοις τινὲς καὶ ταῖς ἀπλήστοις ἐπιμένοιεν προαιρέσεσιν, οὐκ ἀτιμώρητον ἑαυτοῖς τὸ τοιοῦτον αἰσθήσονται, καὶ μάλιστα ὁπότε οὕτω τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν τῷ μεγίστῳ διακονεῖται θεῷ. ὅσα πρότερον ἡ ὀλέθριος ἀνάγκη συνηνάγκαζε λαμβάνειν, νῦν κατέχειν ἐπισφαλὲς ὑπάρχει· ἄλλως τε παντὶ τρόπῳ τὰς ἀπληστίας λογισμοῖς καὶ παραδείγμασιν ἐλαττοῦν ἀναγκαῖον. Οὐδὲ τὸ ταμιεῖον, εἴ τι κατέχοι τῶν προειρημένων, βεβαίως κατέχειν συγχωρηθήσεται, ἀλλ' οἷον οὐδὲ ἀντιφθέγξασθαι πρὸς τὰς ἱερὰς ἐκκλησίας τολμῆσαν, ὧν ἐπὶ χρόνον οὐ δικαίως κατέσχεν, τούτων ἐκστήσεται δικαίως ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις *** ἅπαντα δ' ὅσα ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις προσήκειν ὀρθῶς ἂν φανείη, εἴτε οἰκίαι τὸ κτῆμα τυγχάνοιεν εἴτε ἀγροί τινες καὶ κῆποι εἴτε ὁποῖα δή ποτε ἕτερά τινα, οὐδενὸς τῶν εἰς τὴν δεσποτείαν ἐλαττουμένου δικαίου ἀλλ' ἀκεραίων πάντων μενόντων, ἀποκαθίστασθαι προστάττομεν. Καὶ μὴν καὶ τοὺς τόπους αὐτούς, οἳ τοῖς σώμασι τῶν μαρτύρων τετίμηνται καὶ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως τῆς ἐνδόξου ὑπομνήματα καθεστᾶσιν, τίς ἂν ἀμφιβάλοι μὴ οὐχὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις προσήκειν, ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ προστάξειεν ἄν; ἡνίκα μήτε δῶρον ἄμεινον μήτε κάματος χαριέστερος καὶ πολλὴν ἔχων τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἕτερος ἂν γένοιτο, ἢ τοῦ θείου προτρέποντος νεύματος τὴν περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ποιεῖσθαι σπουδήν, καὶ ἃ μετὰ πονηρῶν ἐξῃρέθη προφάσεων τῶν ἀδίκων καὶ μοχθηροτάτων ἀνδρῶν, ἀποκατασταθέντα δικαίως ταῖς εὐαγέσιν αὖθις ἐκκλησίαις ἀποσωθῆναι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁλοκλήρου προνοίας ἂν εἴη μηδὲ τούτους σιωπῇ παρελθεῖν, ὅσοιπερ ἢ ὠνῆς δικαίῳ ἐπρίαντό τι παρὰ τοῦ ταμιείου ἢ κατὰ δωρεὰν κατέσχον συγχωρηθέν, μάτην καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τὰς ἀπλήστους ἐπιθυμίας ἐκτείνοντες, γινωσκέτωσαν, ὡς οἱ τοιοῦτοι, εἰ καὶ ὅτι μάλιστα οἷς ἐτόλμησαν πρίασθαι ἀλλοτρίαν τὴν παρ' ἡμῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐπειράθησαν καταστῆσαι φιλανθρωπίαν, ὅμως ταύτης εἰς τὸν δυνατὸν καὶ πρέποντα τρόπον οὐκ ἀτυχήσουσιν. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰς τοσοῦτον ἀνήχθω. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀποδείξεσιν ἐναργεστάταις καὶ σαφεστάταις ἐξεφάνη ἀρετῇ τε τοῦ πάντα δυνατοῦ θεοῦ καὶ παραινέσεσιν ἅμα καὶ βοηθείαις, ἃς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ συχνὰς ἀξιοῖ ποιεῖσθαι, τὴν πρότερον κατέχουσαν πάντα τὰ ἀνθρώπεια δυσχέρειαν ἐκ πάσης ἐληλάσθαι τῆς ὑφ' ἡλίῳ, οἱ καθ' ἕνα τε καὶ σύμπαντες ἐσπουδασμέναις καθορᾶτε φροντίσιν, τίς ἐκείνη καθέστηκεν ἐξουσία, τίς χάρις, ἣ τῶν μὲν πονηροτάτων καὶ μοχθηροτάτων τὸ ὡς εἰπεῖν σπέρμα ἠφάνισέν τε καὶ διέφθειρεν, τῶν δὲ ἀγαθῶν τὴν εὐφροσύνην ἀνακληθεῖσαν ἐπὶ πάσας ἐκτείνει τὰς χώρας ἀφθόνως, καὶ αὖθις αὐτόν τε τὸν θεῖον νόμον τὰ εἰκότα μετὰ παντὸς σεβάσματος θεραπεύεσθαι, τούς τε τούτῳ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καθιερώσαντας τὰ προσήκοντα σέβειν, ἐξουσίαν δίδωσιν ἅπασαν. οἳ καθάπερ ἔκ τινος σκότους βαθυτάτου ἀνακύψαντες καὶ λαμπρὰν τῶν πραγμάτων λαβόντες γνῶσιν, θεραπείαν τε τὴν προσήκουσαν τοῦ λοιποῦ περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τιμὴν σύμφωνον ἐπιδείξονται. Προτεθήτω ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἀνατολικοῖς μέρεσιν. Τὸ μὲν δὴ πρῶτον ὡς ἡμᾶς καταπεμφθὲν βασιλέως γράμμα ταῦτα διετάττετο. αὐτίκα δὲ δι' ἔργων ἐχώρει τὰ πρὸς τοῦ νόμου διηγορευμένα, καὶ πάντ' ἐπράττετο τἀναντία τοῖς μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν ὑπὸ τῆς τυραννικῆς ὠμότητος τετολμημένοις, ἀπήλαυόν τε βασιλικῶν δωρεῶν οἷς ταῦτα νενομοθέτητο. Μεταβὰς δ' ἐκ τούτων βασιλεὺς πραγμάτων ἐνεργῶν ἥπτετο. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν τοῖς κατ' ἐπαρχίας διῃρημένοις ἔθνεσιν ἡγεμόνας κατέπεμπε, τῇ σωτηρίῳ πίστει καθωσιωμένους τοὺς πλείους, ὅσοι δ' ἑλληνίζειν ἐδόκουν, τούτοις θύειν ἀπείρητο. ὁ δ' αὐτὸς ἦν νόμος καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπερκειμένων τὰς