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"according to the ecclesiastical and apostolic rule, to devise a fitting remedy for those who have sinned or rather erred by a slip, 85 so that you may both free the church from all blasphemy and lighten my cares and, by restoring the grace of peace to those now in discord, procure for yourselves the greatest renown. May God keep you, beloved brothers." Thus, when the bishops were assembled at Tyre, some others also arrived who were accused of corruption of doctrine, one of whom was Asclepas of Gaza; and the admirable Athanasius also arrived. But I wish first to narrate the tragedy of the accusation, and then to write down the events of the notorious tribunal. A certain Arsenius was a bishop of the Meletian communion. The men of his faction, having hidden him, determined that he should remain concealed for a very long time. Then, having cut off a right hand from a certain dead body and having placed it embalmed in a wooden box, they carried it about everywhere, saying that Arsenius had been cut to pieces and calling Athanasius a murderer. But the all-seeing eye did not permit Arsenius to remain hidden for very long. But first it became known in Egypt and the Thebaid that he was alive, and then he was brought to Tyre where the hand of the tragedy was brought before the judges. The companions of Athanasius, having hunted him down, brought him and for the time being forced him to stay hidden in his lodging; but the great Athanasius himself appeared before the council at dawn. And first they brought in a woman who lived in licentiousness. 86 And she cried out shamelessly, saying that she had professed virginity, but that Athanasius, when he was her guest, had violated her and defiled her against her will. When these things had been said by her, the accused entered. And with him was a praiseworthy presbyter; Timothy was his name. When the judges ordered Athanasius to defend himself against the charge, he remained silent, as if he were not Athanasius. But Timothy said to the woman: "Woman, have I ever met with you, or have I entered your house?" But she cried out more shamelessly, contending with Timothy and stretching out her hand and pointing with her finger and saying: "You took away my virginity, you stripped me of my chastity" and the other things that women who have no shame on account of their extreme licentiousness are accustomed to say. Thus, when those who had composed the drama were put to shame, and those of the judges who were privy to it blushed, the woman was led out. Then the great Athanasius said that the woman ought not to be let go, but be examined to find out who had composed these things. But they cried out that there were other, more serious accusations, which could in no way be refuted by any artifice or cleverness. For sight, not hearing, will judge what is shown. Having said these things, they showed that much-talked-of box and laid bare the embalmed hand. And each of those who saw it cried out, some supposing the abomination to be true, others knowing it to be false, but believing that Arsenius was still hidden. When a brief silence with difficulty occurred, the accused asked the judges if there was anyone among them who knew Arsenius. When many said that they knew the man well, he ordered him to be brought in. And again he asked if this was that Arsenius, who was murdered by me, sought after by these men, and after his slaughter was outraged and deprived of his right 87 hand. When they acknowledged it was he, Athanasius, stripping him of his cloak, showed both his hands, both the right and the left. "Let no one," he said, "look for another; for each of us has received two hands from the creator of all." But even when these things were thus shown, though the accusers and the judges who were privy to it ought to have sunk down and prayed for the earth to open for them, they filled the council with uproar and sedition, calling Athanasius a sorcerer and saying that he was deceiving the sight of men by some magic arts. And those of the murder a little before attempted to tear apart and to slaughter

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"θως δὲ τῷ ἐκκλησιαστικῷ καὶ ἀποστολικῷ κανόνι, τοῖς πλημμελη "θεῖσιν εἴτ' οὖν κατὰ σφάλμα συμβεβηκόσι τὴν ἁρμόττουσαν θεραπείαν 85 "ἐπινοῆσαι, ἵνα καὶ πάσης βλασφημίας ἐλευθερώσητε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν "καὶ τὰς ἐμὰς ἐπικουφίσητε φροντίδας καὶ τὴν τῆς εἰρήνης χάριν "τοῖς νῦν στασιαζομένοις ἀποδόντες μεγίστην εὔκλειαν ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς "προξενήσητε. ὁ θεὸς ὑμᾶς διαφυλάττοι, ἀδελφοὶ ἀγαπητοί." Οὕτω δὴ τῶν ἐπισκόπων εἰς τὴν Τύρον συναλισθέντων, ἀφί κοντο μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς δογμάτων διαφθορὰν ἐγκαλούμενοι, ὧν εἷς ἦν καὶ Ἀσκληπᾶς ὁ Γαζαῖος· ἀφίκετο δὲ καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος Ἀθανάσιος. βούλομαι δὲ πρῶτον τὴν τῆς κατηγορίας διηγήσασθαι τραγῳδίαν, εἶθ' οὕτως συγγράψαι τὰ κατὰ τὸ πολυθρύλητον δι καστήριον. Ἀρσένιός τις τῶν Μελιτίου κοινωνικῶν ἐπίσκοπος ἦν. τοῦτον οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου συμμορίας κατακρύψαντες λαθεῖν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἠξίωσαν. εἶτα χεῖρα δεξιὰν ἀπό τινος σώματος ἐκτεμόντες νεκροῦ καὶ ταύτην ἐν λάρνακι ξυλίνῃ τεταριχευμένην ἐνθέντες, πάντοσε περιέφερον, κατατετμῆσθαι λέγοντες τὸν Ἀρσένιον καὶ μιαιφόνον ἀποκαλοῦντες τὸν Ἀθανάσιον. ἀλλ' ὁ πάντα ἐφορῶν ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἴασεν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον λαθεῖν τὸν Ἀρσένιον. ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ Θηβαΐδι δῆλος γέγονεν ὅτι ζῇ, ἔπειτα δὲ αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Τύρον ἤγαγεν ἔνθα ἡ τραγῳδουμένη χεὶρ ἐπὶ τῶν κριτῶν προεφέρετο. τοῦτον οἱ Ἀθανασίου θηρεύσαντες σύνοικοι ἤγαγόν τε καὶ ἐν τῇ καταγωγῇ τέως λαθεῖν ἠνάγκασαν· αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ μέγας Ἀθανάσιος ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω κατέ λαβε τὸ συνέδριον. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν γύναιον εἰσήγαγον ἀκολασίᾳ 86 συνεζηκός. ἡ δὲ ἀναίδην ἐβόα, παρθενίαν μὲν ἐπηγγέλθαι λέγουσα, τὸν δὲ Ἀθανάσιον ἐπιξενωθέντα βιάσασθαι καὶ ἄκουσαν διαφθεῖραι. τούτων ὑπ' ἐκείνης εἰρημένων, εἰσῆλθε μὲν ὁ κατηγορούμενος. συνῆν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ πρεσβύτερος ἀξιέπαινος· Τιμόθεος τούτῳ ὄνομα ἦν. τῶν δὲ δικαστῶν ἀπολογήσασθαι πρὸς τὴν γραφὴν προστεταχότων τὸν Ἀθανάσιον, ὁ μὲν ἐσίγησεν, ὡς δῆθεν οὐκ ὢν Ἀθανάσιος. ὁ δὲ Τιμόθεος ἔφη πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα· "ἐγώ σοι, ὦ γύναι, συνέτυχον πώ ποτε, εἰς δὲ τὴν σὴν εἰσελήλυθα οἰκίαν;" ἡ δὲ ἀναιδέστερον ἐβόα, τῷ Τιμοθέῳ διαμαχομένη καὶ τὴν χεῖρα ἐξάγουσα καὶ τῷ δακτύλῳ δεικνῦσα καὶ λέγουσα· "σύ μου τὴν παρθενίαν ἀφείλου, σύ με τῆς σωφροσύνης ἐγύμνωσας" καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα λέγειν εἰώθασιν αἱ δι' ἀκο λασίας ὑπερβολὴν οὐκ ἔχουσαι τὴν αἰδῶ. οὕτω δὴ τῶν τὸ δρᾶμα συντεθεικότων καταισχυνθέντων, ἐρυθριασάντων δὲ καὶ τῶν δι καστῶν ὅσοι συνίστορες ἦσαν, ἐξήγετο ἡ γυνή. τότε δὴ ὁ μέγας Ἀθανάσιος ἔλεγε μὴ χρῆναι ἀφεθῆναι τὸ γύναιον, ἀλλ' ἐξετάσαι καὶ μαθεῖν τὸν ταῦτα συντεθεικότα. οἱ δὲ ἐβόων ἕτερα εἶναι κατηγορή ματα χαλεπώτερα, οὐδαμῶς τέχνῃ τινὶ καὶ δεινότητι διαλυθῆναι δυνάμενα. ὄψις γάρ, οὐκ ἀκοή, δικάσει τοῖς δεικνυμένοις. ταῦτα εἰπόντες τὴν πολυθρύλητον ἐκείνην ὑπέδειξαν λάρνακα καὶ τὴν τεταριχευμένην ἐγύμνωσαν χεῖρα. τῶν δὲ θεασαμένων ἕκαστος ἀνε βόησεν, οἱ μὲν ἀληθὲς εἶναι τὸ μύσος ὑπειληφότες, οἱ δὲ τὸ μὲν ψεῦδος εἰδότες, κεκρύφθαι δὲ τὸν Ἀρσένιον ἔτι νομίζοντες. μόλις δὲ βραχείας γενομένης σιγῆς, ἤρετο τοὺς δικάζοντας ὁ κατηγορούμενος εἴ τις ἐν αὐτοῖς εἴη τὸν Ἀρσένιον ἐπιστάμενος. πολλῶν δὲ εἰρηκότων ἀκριβῶς εἰδέναι τὸν ἄνδρα, ἐκέλευσε τοῦτον ἀχθῆναι. καὶ πάλιν ἤρετο εἰ οὗτος ἐκεῖνος εἴη Ἀρσένιος, ὁ παρ' ἐμοῦ μὲν ἀνῃρημένος, παρὰ δὲ τούτων ἐπιζητούμενος, μετὰ σφαγὴν δὲ ὑβρισμένος καὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς 87 ἐστερημένος. συνομολογησάντων δὲ αὐτὸν εἶναι, τῆς ἐφεστρίδος αὐ τὸν γυμνώσας ὁ Ἀθανάσιος ὑπέδειξεν ἄμφω τὼ χεῖρε, καὶ τὴν δεξιὰν καὶ τὴν εὐώνυμον. "ἄλλην δέ", ἔφη, "ζητείτω μηδείς· δύο γὰρ ἀνθρώ πων ἕκαστος παρὰ τοῦ ποιητοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐδέξατο χεῖρας". ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων οὕτω δειχθέντων, καταδύεσθαι δέον τοὺς κατηγοροῦντας καὶ τῶν δικαζόντων τοὺς συνειδότας καὶ εὔχεσθαι χῆναι σφίσι τὴν γῆν, θορύβου καὶ στάσεως ἐνέπλησαν τὸ συνέδριον, γόητα καλοῦντες τὸν Ἀθανάσιον καί τισι μαγγανείαις ἐξαπατᾶν αὐτὸν λέγοντες τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς ὄψεις. καὶ διασπᾶν ἐπεχείρουν καὶ κατασφάττειν οἱ τῆς μιαιφονίας πρὸ βραχέος