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to the Christ of God. For some will obtain eternal, immortal, and endless life, living for all ages in the proclaimed kingdom of heaven and enjoying good things “which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man”; but the Christ of God himself, the common savior of all, “the firstborn of the dead,” the hope of the resurrection of the saints, will then alone be left behind, his kingdom having ceased and his life-giving flesh being left desolate and without reason, so that he neither pre-existed as Son of God nor will he continue for eternity 2.4.29 according to the teaching of Marcellus. Therefore, these things rightly moved the truly God-loving and thrice-blessed emperor against the man, although he had flattered him immensely and had included many praises of the emperor in his writing. And these things compelled the holy synod, which had assembled in the imperial city from the various provinces of Pontus and Cappadocia, Asia and Phrygia, and Bithynia, Thrace and the regions beyond, to denounce the man through the writing against him, even against its will. These things have also compelled us to proceed to the present examination, both standing by the decisions of the holy synod, and satisfying our fellow ministers who have ordered 2.4.30 us to do this. But I consider it especially necessary that this writing has come to be because of those who have considered the man to have been wronged. For it is necessary to cure the suspicion of our brothers by making manifest the disbelief in the Son of God that has long lurked within him, but has now been refuted by his own writing, which he, as a volunteer, brought and presented when no one summoned him, and giving it into the hand of the emperor, he demanded that its contents be examined; perhaps hoping that on account of the praises of himself he might obtain privilege from the emperor himself, and that the bishops slandered by him might be subjected to punishment. The outcome, however, did not proceed according to his hopes. For God was the judge of these things, and Christ Jesus himself, who was being set aside by the writer, who, perceiving the man’s secret things, prepared him to become his own accuser and refutation with no one compelling him. Wherefore, the one, priding himself on his writing, approached the emperor, but the other handed over the judgment of its contents to the synod, and the holy synod of God rejected the writing, rightly, because it confesses neither a pious beginning nor end for the Son of God. To the most honorable and beloved fellow minister Flacillus, Eusebius, greetings in the Lord. If our brief response to the garrulous and verbose writing of Marcellus was sufficient, one should not be surprised; for indeed many words were not needed for the refutation of things that were immediately condemned even by ordinary people. Therefore, in the first two [books], by using only the citation of the man's words, without any rebuttal, I made the refutation of them clear from the words themselves. But now, in addition to that discovery, I have added the refutation of the same things through the three [books] at hand. For he, having composed one long and very rambling work, says he did this in order to know one God, lest he might inadvertently give a place of hypostasis to the Son of God by dividing the Scripture. But we, honoring the all-holy and thrice-blessed Trinity, have comprehended the entire subject in these few works, avoiding much talking, and presenting the true theology in concise and brief terms. If, then, what has been written is sufficient, you yourself might judge upon reading it; but if anything is lacking, you might also fill these things in, that is, as a brother heals a brother's deficiencies, if they should need any cure, by means of correction. I pray that you may be well and always remember me in the Lord.

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Χριστῷ τοῦ θεοῦ. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἀθανάτου τε καὶ ἀτελευτήτου τεύξονται, εἰς τοὺς ἅπαντας αἰῶνας ἐν τῇ κατηγγελμένῃ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείᾳ βιωσόμενοι ἀγαθῶν τε ἀπολαύσοντες «ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη»· ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτὸς ὁ κοινὸς ἁπάντων σωτήρ, «ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν», ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ἀναστάσεως, μόνος ἄρα τότε ἀπολειφθήσεται, παυθησομένης αὐτοῦ τῆς βασιλείας καὶ τῆς ζωοποιοῦ σαρκὸς ἐρήμου καὶ ἀλόγου καταλειφθησομένης, ὡς μήτε προϋπάρχειν αὐτὸν υἱὸν θεοῦ ὄντα μήτε διαρκεῖν εἰς ἄπειρον 2.4.29 κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Μαρκέλλου διδασκαλίαν. εἰκότως ἄρα ταῦτα βασιλέα τὸν ὡς ἀληθῶς θεοφιλῆ καὶ τρισμακάριον κατὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκίνει, καίτοι μυρία κολακεύσαντος καὶ πολλὰ βασιλέως ἐγκώμια αὐτοῦ ἐν συγγράμματι διελθόντος. ταῦτα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν σύνοδον ἐν τῇ βασιλικῇ συνελθοῦσαν πόλει ἐξ ἐπαρχιῶν διαφόρων Πόντου καὶ Καππαδοκίας Ἀσίας τε καὶ Φρυγίας καὶ Βιθυνίας Θρᾴκης τε καὶ τῶν ἐπέκεινα μερῶν στηλιτεύειν τὸν ἄνδρα διὰ τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ γραφῆς καὶ μὴ θέλουσαν ἐξεβιάζετο. ταῦτα καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν μετὰ χεῖρα ἐξέτασιν προελθεῖν κατηνάγκασεν, ὁμοῦ καὶ τοῖς δόξασιν τῇ ἁγίᾳ συνόδῳ παρισταμένους, ὁμοῦ καὶ τοῖς συλλειτουργοῖς προστάξασιν 2.4.30 τοῦτο πρᾶξαι τὸ ἱκανὸν ποιουμένους. μάλιστα δέ μοι ἀναγκαῖον ἡγοῦμαι γεγενῆσθαι τὸ γράμμα διὰ τοὺς ἠδικῆσθαι τὸν ἄνδρα νενομικότας. χρὴ γὰρ ἀποθεραπεῦσαι τὴν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀδελφῶν ὑπόνοιαν διὰ τοῦ φανερὰν καταστῆσαι τὴν μακροῖς μὲν χρόνοις ἐμφωλεύσασαν αὐτῷ εἰς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπιστίαν, νυνὶ δὲ ἐληλεγμένην διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ γραφῆς, ἣν μηδενὸς καλοῦντος αὐτόμολος φέρων παρῆν, βασιλεῖ τε ἐπὶ χεῖρα δοὺς ἠξίου διαγνῶναι τὰ ἐγγεγραμμένα· τάχα που ἐλπίσας τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐγκωμίων χάριν αὐτὸς μὲν τυχεῖν προνομίας τῆς παρ' αὐτῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ, τοὺς δ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κακηγορηθέντας ἐπισκόπους ὑποβληθῆναι τιμωρίᾳ. οὐ μὴν κατ' ἐλπίδας αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ἐκβάσεως προὐχώρει. θεὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁ τούτων κριτὴς καὶ αὐτὸς Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, ὁ πρὸς τοῦ συγγραφέως ἀθετούμενος, ὃς δὴ τὰ κρύφια τοῦ ἀνδρὸς συνορῶν, αὐτὸν αὑτοῦ κατήγορον ἅμα καὶ ἔλεγχον μηδενὸς συνελαύνοντος γίγνεσθαι παρεσκεύαζεν. ὅθεν ὁ μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ συγγράμματι καλλωπιζόμενος βασιλεῖ προσῄει, ὁ δὲ τῇ συνόδῳ παρεδίδου τὴν διάκρισιν τῶν ἐγγεγραμμένων, ἡ δ' ἁγία τοῦ θεοῦ σύνοδος ἀπεδοκίμαζε τὸ γράμμα, εἰκότως, ὅτι μήτε ἀρχὴν μήτε τέλος εὐσεβὲς ὁμολογεῖ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. Τῷ τιμιωτάτῳ καὶ ἀγαπητῷ συλλειτουργῷ Φλακίλλῳ Εὐσέβιος ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν Εἰ πρὸς τὴν ἀδόλεσχον καὶ πολυεπῆ Μαρκέλλου γραφὴν τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐν βραχέσιν ἤρκεσεν, οὐ χρὴ θαυμάζειν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ πολλῶν ἔδει λόγων πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν τῶν αὐτόθεν καὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν κατεγνωσμένων. διὸ δὴ ἐν δυσὶ τοῖς πρώτοις μόνῃ τῇ παραθέσει τῶν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ῥημάτων χρησάμενος δίχα πάσης ἀντιρρήσεως ἐξ αὐτῶν τὸν κατ' αὐτῶν ἔλεγχον φανερὸν ἐποιούμην. νυνὶ δὲ πρὸς ἐκείνῃ τῇ φώρᾳ καὶ τὴν ἀνατροπὴν τῶν αὐτῶν διὰ τριῶν τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας προσήγαγον. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἕν τι διωλύγιον καὶ πολυπλανὲς σύγγραμμα συντάξας τοῦτό φησιν πεποιηκέναι διὰ τὸ ἕνα γνωρίζειν θεόν, μή πη λάθῃ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ χώραν διδοὺς ὑποστάσεως διελὼν τὴν γραφήν. ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν παναγίαν καὶ τρισμακαρίαν τιμῶντες τριάδα ἐν τοσούτοις τὴν πᾶσαν ὑπόθεσιν συνειλήφαμεν, φεισάμενοι μὲν πολυλογίας, ἐν ἐπιτόμοις δὲ καὶ βραχέσιν τὴν ἀληθῆ παραστήσαντες θεολογίαν. εἰ μὲν οὖν αὐτάρκως ἔχει τὰ γραφέντα, κρίνειας ἂν αὐτὸς ἐντυγχάνων· εἰ δέ τινα λείποι, καὶ ταῦτα ἂν ἀναπληρώσειας, δηλαδὴ ἃ δὴ ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφοῦ τὰ ὑστερήματα, εἴ που καὶ θεραπείας δέοιτο, δι' ἐπανορθώσεως ἐξιώμενος. Ἔρρωσθαί σε καὶ μνημονεύειν μου τῷ κυρίῳ διὰ παντὸς εὔχομαι.