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desiring to destroy grace, and looking to God, 'love one another. For I gladly received your bishop Athanasius and so addressed him, as one convinced that he was a man of God.' But not even so were the impious men turned to shame, but they wove another drama, the like of which no tragedian or comedian of old ever fashioned. For having again hired accusers from the same gang, they bring them before the king, shouting that the champion of virtue had dared many unspeakable impieties. And their leaders were Eusebius and Theogonius and Theodore of Perinthus (they now call Perinthus Heraclea), saying that these things were not tolerable nor to be borne by the ears. So they persuade the king to assemble a synod in Caesarea of Palestine, where his enemies were more numerous, and to order Athanasius to be judged there. And the king, being persuaded as by priests—for he was completely ignorant of the plots being hatched—ordered this to be done. But the divine Athanasius, knowing the hostility of the judges, did not come to the council. Thence taking a greater pretext for slander and having undertaken the war against 83 the truth, in addition to their other iniquities they accused him before the king of tyranny and audacity; and they were not entirely deceived in their hope. For the most gentle king, angered by what was said, wrote to him, betraying his anger and commanding him to go to Tyre. For he ordered the synod to be assembled there, suspecting, as I think, that Athanasius distrusted the Caesareans on account of their leader. And he also wrote to the synod what it was fitting for one adorned with piety to write. And it is this: 'Constantine Augustus to the holy synod at Tyre. 'It was perhaps consistent and most fitting to the opportunity of the times that the catholic church be free from faction and the servants of Christ now be delivered from all reproach. But since some, driven by the sting of an unhealthy contentiousness (for I would not say living unworthily of themselves), are attempting to throw all things into confusion, which seems to me to have gone beyond all calamity, for this reason I urge you, running, so to speak, without any delay to rush together to the same place and to complete the synod, to defend those in need of assistance, to heal the brethren who are in danger, to bring back to concord the divided members, to correct what has been done amiss as the opportunity allows, so that you may restore fitting harmony to so many provinces, which, alas for the absurdity, the arrogance of a very few men has destroyed. 84 And that this is pleasing to the Lord of all, God, and to us beyond all prayer, and for you yourselves, if you should recall peace, worthy of no common glory, I think all men agree. Therefore, delay no longer, but from now on intensifying your zeal, hasten to put a fitting end to the matters before you, coming together, of course, with all sincerity and faith, which that Savior whom we serve, all but crying aloud everywhere, especially demands from us. And nothing of what pertains to my own reverence will be lacking. All things that you made known in writing have been done by me. I have sent to those of the bishops whom you wished, so that they may come and share in your deliberations; I have sent Dionysius, the ex-consul, who will both remind those who ought to come to the synod with you, and will be present as an observer of the proceedings and especially of good order. For if anyone, as I do not think will happen, attempting even now to evade our command, should be unwilling to attend, from here one will be sent by us who, casting him out by royal decree, will teach him that it is not proper to oppose the decrees of an emperor issued on behalf of the truth. It will remain the task of your holiness, with a unanimous judgment, neither with hostility nor with favor, following

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χάριν ἀφανίζειν ἐπιθυμοῦντας, καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀπιδόντες "ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀγαπᾶτε. ἐγὼ γὰρ τὸν ὑμέτερον ἐπίσκοπον Ἀθανάσιον "ἀσμένως προσηκάμην οὕτω τε προσεφθεγξάμην ὡς ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν "εἶναι θεοῦ πεπεισμένος." Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως οἱ δυσσεβεῖς ἐνετράπησαν, ἀλλ' ἕτερον ἐξύφηναν δρᾶμα, ᾧ προσόμοιον οὐδεὶς τῶν πάλαι γεγενημένων τραγῳδοποιῶν ἢ κωμῳδοποιῶν διέπλασε πώποτε. κατηγόρους γὰρ πάλιν ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς συμμορίας μισθωσάμενοι προσάγουσι βασιλεῖ, βοῶντας ἀνο σιουργίας ἀρρήτους τετολμηκέναι πολλὰς τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθλητήν. ἡγεῖτο δὲ τούτων Εὐσέβιός τε καὶ Θεογόνιος καὶ Θεόδωρος ὁ Περίν θιος (Ἡράκλειαν δὲ νυνὶ τὴν Πέρινθον ὀνομάζουσιν), οὐκ ἀνεκτὰ ταῦτα εἶναι λέγοντες οὐδὲ ἀκοαῖς φορητά. πείθουσι δὴ οὖν τὸν βασιλέα σύνοδον ἐν Καισαρείᾳ τῆς Παλαιστίνης ἀθροῖσαι, ἔνθα δὴ πλείους ἦσαν οἱ δυσμενεῖς, κἀκεῖσε κριθῆναι κελεῦσαι τὸν Ἀθανάσιον. πεισθεὶς δὲ ὡς ἱερεῦσιν ὁ βασιλεύς, παντάπασι γὰρ ἠγνόει τὰ τυρευό μενα, τοῦτο γενέσθαι προσέταξεν. ἀλλ' ὁ θεῖος Ἀθανάσιος, τὴν τῶν δικαζόντων δυσμένειαν ἐπιστάμενος, οὐχ ἧκεν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον. ἐν τεῦθεν δὴ πλείονα πρόφασιν εἰς συκοφαντίαν λαβόντες καὶ τὸν κατὰ 83 τῆς ἀληθείας ἀναδεξάμενοι πόλεμον, πρὸς ταῖς ἄλλαις παρανομίαις τυραννίδος αὐτὸν καὶ θρασύτητος ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγράψαντο· καὶ οὐ πάμπαν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐψεύσθησαν. ἐκ γὰρ δὴ τῶν εἰρημένων θυμωθεὶς ὁ πραότατος βασιλεὺς ἐπέστειλεν αὐτῷ τὴν ὀργὴν ὑπο φαίνων καὶ καταλαβεῖν τὴν Τύρον παρεγγυῶν. ἐκεῖσε γὰρ προσέ ταξεν ἀθροισθῆναι τὴν σύνοδον, ὑποπτεύσας, ὡς οἶμαι, τὸν Ἀθανά σιον ὑφορᾶσθαι τὴν Καισαρέων διὰ τὸν ἐκείνης ἡγούμενον. ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ τῇ συνόδῳ ἅπερ ἐχρῆν ἐπιστεῖλαι τὸν εὐσεβείᾳ κοσμούμενον. ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα· "Κωνσταντῖνος Σεβαστὸς τῇ ἁγίᾳ συνόδῳ τῇ κατὰ Τύρον. "Ἦν μὲν ἴσως ἀκόλουθον καὶ τῇ τῶν καιρῶν εὐκαιρίᾳ μάλιστα "πρέπον ἀστασίαστον εἶναι τὴν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ πάσης λοι "δορίας τοὺς τοῦ Χριστοῦ νῦν ἀπηλλάχθαι θεράποντας. ἐπειδὴ δὲ "οὐχ ὑγιοῦς φιλονεικίας οἴστρῳ τινὲς ἐλαυνόμενοι (οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴποιμι "βιοῦντες ἑαυτῶν ἀναξίως) τὰ πάντα συγχέειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν, ὅπερ "πάσης συμφορᾶς ἐπέκεινα κεχωρηκέναι μοι δοκεῖ, τούτου χάριν θέ "οντας ὑμᾶς, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, προτρέπομαι χωρίς τινος ὑπερθέσεως εἰς "ταὐτὸ συνδραμεῖν καὶ πληρῶσαι τὴν σύνοδον, ἐπαμῦναι τοῖς χρῄ "ζουσιν ἐπικουρίας, τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἰατρεῦσαι κινδυνεύοντας, εἰς ὁμό "νοιαν ἐπαναγαγεῖν τὰ διεστῶτα τῶν μελῶν, διορθώσασθαι τὰ πλημ "μελούμενα ὡς καιρὸς ἐπιτρέπει, ἵνα ταῖς τοσαύταις ἐπαρχίαις τὴν "πρέπουσαν ἀποδῶτε συμφωνίαν, ἥν, φεῦ τῆς ἀτοπίας, ἐλαχίστων "ἀνθρώπων ἀπώλεσεν ὑπεροψία. 84 Ὅτι δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τῷ δεσπότῃ τῶν ὅλων θεῷ ἐστιν ἀρεστόν, καὶ "ἡμῖν πάσης εὐχῆς ὑπέρτερον, καὶ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, ἐάν γε τὴν εἰρήνην "ἀνακαλέσησθε, οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἄξιον εὐδοξίας, πάντας ἀνθρώπους "συνομολογεῖν ἡγοῦμαι. μὴ τοίνυν μέλλετε λοιπόν, ἀλλ' ἐπιτείναντες "ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τὰ τῆς προθυμίας, τοῖς προκειμένοις ὅρον ἐπιθεῖναι "σπουδάσατε τὸν προσήκοντα, μετὰ πάσης εἰλικρινείας δηλαδὴ καὶ "πίστεως συνελθόντες, ἣν ἑκασταχοῦ μόνον οὐχὶ φωνὴν ἀφιεὶς ὁ σωτὴρ "ἐκεῖνος ᾧ λατρεύομεν ἀπαιτεῖ μάλιστα παρ' ἡμῶν. οὐδὲν δὲ τῶν "εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν εὐλάβειαν ἡκόντων ἐνδεήσει. πάντα μοι πέπρακται "ὅσα γράφοντες ἐδηλώσατε. ἀπέστειλα πρὸς οὓς ἐβουλήθητε τῶν "ἐπισκόπων, ἵνα παραγενόμενοι κοινωνήσωσιν ὑμῖν τῶν φροντισμά "των· ἀπέστειλα ∆ιονύσιον τὸν ἀπὸ ὑπατικῶν, ὃς καὶ τοὺς ὀφείλον "τας εἰς τὴν σύνοδον ἀφικέσθαι μεθ' ὑμῶν ὑπομνήσει, καὶ τῶν πρατ "τομένων ἐξαιρέτως δὲ τῆς εὐταξίας κατάσκοπος παρέσται. ἐὰν γάρ "τις, ὡς ἔγωγε οὐκ οἴομαι, τὴν ἡμετέραν κέλευσιν καὶ νῦν διακρού "σασθαι πειρώμενος μὴ βουληθῇ παραγενέσθαι, ἐντεῦθεν παρ' ἡμῶν "ἀποσταλήσεται ὃς ἐκ βασιλικοῦ προστάγματος αὐτὸν ἐκβάλλων, ὡς "οὐ προσῆκεν ὅροις αὐτοκράτορος ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐξενεχθεῖσιν "ἀντιτείνειν διδάξει. λοιπὸν ἔσται τῆς ὑμετέρας ὁσιότητος ἔργον "ὁμογνώμονι κρίσει, μήτε πρὸς ἀπέχθειαν μήτε πρὸς χάριν, ἀκολού