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36

other neighboring nations. Having besieged his very fickle mind with these and similar arguments, they persuaded him to drive Athanasius from the church; but he, having learned of the plot beforehand, withdrew and made his way to the West. For the party of Eusebius sent the slanders they had composed against Athanasius to the bishop of Rome (Julius was at that time shepherding that church). And he, following the law of the 98 church, both ordered them to come to Rome and summoned the divine Athanasius to the trial. And the latter set out at once upon receiving the summons; but those who had contrived the drama did not go to Rome, knowing that their lie was easily detectable, and seeing the sheep deprived of their shepherd, they set a wolf over them instead of a pastor; Gregory was his name. And having for six years treated the flock more cruelly than wild beasts, he paid the penalty for his wickedness, being bitterly destroyed by the sheep themselves. But Athanasius, arriving before Constans (for Constantine the eldest had died in battle), lamented the plots of the Arian phalanx and bewailed the war against the apostolic faith, and he reminded him of his father and of the great synod which he had convened, and how he had confirmed by law the writings of those who shared in that council. By lamenting such things, he stirred up the emperor to his father's zeal. For upon hearing these things, he immediately wrote to his brother, advising him to preserve the inheritance of their father's piety inviolate; for he, having strengthened his empire through piety, had both overthrown the tyrants of the Romans and subjugated the barbarians round about. Persuaded by these letters, Constantius ordered the bishops of both the East and the West to assemble at Sardica (this is an Illyrian city, the metropolis of the Dacian nation) 99. For many other sufferings of the church also required synodical healing. For those who partook of the Arian disease accused Paul (he was the bishop of Constantinople, who risked all for the orthodox doctrines) as a leader of sedition, adding certain other things that they are accustomed to slanderously allege against the heralds of piety. But at that time the people did not permit him to be led away to Sardica, fearing the plots of his opponents. But a little later, having persuaded the emperor's very fickle mind, they ostracized him from the imperial city and transported him to Cucusus; this is a small town, formerly belonging to the nation of the Cappadocians, but now numbered with Second Armenia. But the sojourn of the admirable Paul in the wilderness was not enough for those who threw everything into confusion; for having sent the ministers of their bloodthirsty opinion, they delivered him to a violent death. And the divine Athanasius has taught us this, having added these things also in his Apology concerning his own flight: "For having pursued and found Paul, the bishop of Constantinople, they "had him manifestly strangled in the "so-called Cucusus of Cappadocia, having as their executioner for this purpose 100 "Philip, who had been prefect; for he was both a patron of their heresy "and a servant of their wicked counsels." Such murders has the blasphemy of Arius spawned. For with the madness against the Only-begotten correspond the outrages against His servants. But having thus consigned him to death, or rather to the kingdom of heaven, they put forward Macedonius in his place, supposing him to be of one mind, since he blasphemed the all-holy Spirit in a similar way to them. But a little later they drove him out also, since he could not bear to say that He whom the divine Scripture calls Son was a creature. For which reason, he, having separated from them, has become the leader of his own heresy; for he too does not say that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, but teaches that he is like in all respects to the one who begot him, while openly calling the Spirit a creature. These things, then, happened thus not long afterward, as

36

ἄλλα ὅμορα ἔθνη. Τούτοις καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις τὴν κουφοτάτην αὐτοῦ πολι ορκήσαντες γνώμην, ἔπεισαν αὐτὸν ἐξελάσαι τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸν Ἀθανάσιον· ὁ δὲ προμαθὼν τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ὑπεχώρησε καὶ τὴν Ἑσπέραν κατείληφε. καὶ γὰρ τῷ Ῥώμης ἐπισκόπῳ (Ἰούλιος δὲ τηνικαῦτα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐκείνην ἐποίμαινεν) οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον τὰς κατὰ Ἀθανασίου συντεθείσας συκοφαντίας ἐξέπεμψαν. ὁ δὲ τῷ τῆς ἐκ 98 κλησίας ἑπόμενος νόμῳ, καὶ αὐτοὺς καταλαβεῖν τὴν Ῥώμην ἐκέλευσε καὶ τὸν θεῖον Ἀθανάσιον εἰς τὴν δίκην ἐκάλεσε. καὶ οὗτος μὲν ἐξώρμησεν εὐθὺς τὴν κλῆσιν δεξάμενος· οἱ δὲ τὸ δρᾶμα συντεθεικότες εἰς μὲν τὴν Ῥώμην οὐκ ἀπῆλθον, εὐφώρατον εἰδότες τὸ ψεῦδος, ἔρημα δὲ τοῦ νομέως τὰ πρόβατα θεασάμενοι λύκον αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ ποιμένος ἐπέστησαν· Γρηγόριος δὲ τούτῳ ὄνομα ἦν. ἓξ δὲ ἔτη θηρίων ἀγρίων ὠμότερον τῇ ποίμνῃ χρησάμενος, δίκας ἔτισε τῆς πονηρίας, ὑπ' αὐτῶν πικρῶς διαφθαρεὶς τῶν προβάτων. Ἀθανάσιος δὲ πρὸς Κώνσταντα ἀφικόμενος (Κωνσταντῖνος γὰρ ὁ πρεσβύτατος πολεμῶν ἐτεθνήκει), τῆς Ἀρειανικῆς φάλαγγος τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς ἀπωδύρετο καὶ τὸν κατὰ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς πίστεως ὠλο φύρατο πόλεμον, καὶ τοῦ τε πατρὸς ἀνέμνησε καὶ τῆς συνόδου τῆς μεγίστης ἣν ἐκεῖνος συνήλισε, καὶ ὡς τὰ παρ' ἐκείνων γραφέντα τοῦ συνεδρίου κοινωνῶν ἐκράτυνε νόμῳ. τοιαῦτα ποτνιώμενος εἰς τὸν πατρῷον ζῆλον τὸν βασιλέα διήγειρεν. παραυτίκα γὰρ τούτων ἀκούσας ἐπέστειλε τῷ ἀδελφῷ, παραινῶν τῆς πατρῴας εὐσεβείας ἄσυλον φυλάξαι τὸν κλῆρον· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος εὐσεβείᾳ τὴν βασιλείαν κρατύνας καὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίων τυράννους κατέλυσε καὶ τοὺς ἐν κύκλῳ βαρβάρους ὑπέταξε. Τούτοις πεισθεὶς τοῖς γράμμασιν ὁ Κωνστάντιος προσέταξεν εἰς τὴν Σαρδικὴν (Ἰλλυρικὴ δὲ αὕτη πόλις, τοῦ ∆ακῶν ἔθνους μητρό πολις) καὶ τοὺς τῆς Ἑῴας καὶ τοὺς τῆς Ἑσπέρας συνδραμεῖν ἐπισκό 99 πους. πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἕτερα τῆς ἐκκλησίας παθήματα τῆς συνοδικῆς θεραπείας ἐδεῖτο. Καὶ γὰρ Παῦλον (Κωνσταντινουπόλεως δὲ ἐπίσκοπος οὗτος ἦν, τῶν ὀρθῶν προκινδυνεύων δογμάτων) οἱ τῆς Ἀρειανικῆς μετειληχό τες νόσου ἐγράψαντο ὡς στάσεως ἀρχηγόν, καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ προσθέν τες ἃ συκοφαντεῖν εἰώθασι τῆς εὐσεβείας τοὺς κήρυκας. ἀλλὰ τοῦτον τηνικαῦτα οὐκ εἴασεν ὁ λεὼς εἰς τὴν Σαρδικὴν ἀπαχθῆναι, τὰς τῶν ἐναντίων ὀρρωδήσας ἐπιβουλάς. μικρὸν δὲ ὕστερον τὴν κουφοτάτην τοῦ βασιλέως παραπείσαντες γνώμην, τῆς μὲν βασιλευούσης ἐξωστρά κισαν πόλεως, μετῴκισαν δὲ εἰς Κουκουσόν· πόλισμα δὲ αὕτη σμικρόν, πάλαι μὲν εἰς τὸ Καππαδοκῶν ἔθνος τελοῦν, νῦν δέ γε τῇ Ἀρμενίᾳ τῇ δευτέρᾳ συναριθμούμενον. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπέχρησε τοῖς πάντα κυκῶσιν ἡ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ τοῦ θαυμασίου Παύλου διατριβή· πέμψαντες γὰρ τῆς μιαιφόνου γνώμης τοὺς ὑπουργοὺς βιαίῳ θανάτῳ παρέδοσαν. καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ὁ θεῖος ἐδίδαξεν Ἀθανάσιος, ἐν τῇ περὶ τῆς οἰκείας φυγῆς Ἀπολογίᾳ καὶ ταῦτα προστεθεικώς· "Τὸν γὰρ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Παῦλον τὸν ἐπίσκοπον διώ "ξαντες καὶ εὑρόντες, προφανῶς ἀποπνιγῆναι πεποιήκασιν ἐν τῇ "λεγομένῃ Κουκουσῷ τῆς Καππαδοκίας, δήμιον ἐσχηκότες εἰς τοῦτο 100 "Φίλιππον τὸν γενόμενον ἔπαρχον· ἦν γὰρ καὶ τῆς αἱρέσεως αὐτῶν "προστάτης καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν βουλευμάτων ὑπηρέτης." Τοιαύτας μιαιφονίας ἡ Ἀρείου βεβλάστηκε βλασφημία. τῇ γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς λύττῃ συμβαίνει τὰ κατὰ τῶν ἐκείνου θερα πόντων τολμήματα. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτον οὕτω τῷ θανάτῳ, μᾶλλον δὲ τῇ τῶν οὐρανῶν παραπέμψαντες βασιλείᾳ, Μακεδόνιον ἀντὶ τούτου προὐβάλοντο, ὁμογνώμονα τοῦτον ὑπειληφότες ἐπειδὴ παραπλησίως αὐτοῖς ἐβλα σφήμει τὸ πανάγιον πνεῦμα. ἀλλὰ μικρὸν ὕστερον καὶ τοῦτον ἐξή λασαν, κτίσμα λέγειν οὐκ ἀνασχόμενον ὃν υἱὸν ἡ θεία προσαγορεύει γραφή. οὗ δὴ χάριν οὗτος ἐκείνων ἀποκριθεὶς ἰδίας αἱρέσεως προ στάτης γεγένηται· ὁμοούσιον μὲν οὐδὲ οὗτος τῷ πατρὶ τὸν υἱὸν εἶναι λέγων, ὅμοιον δὲ εἶναι κατὰ πάντα τῷ γεγεννηκότι διδάσκων, κτιστὸν δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα προφανῶς ὀνομάζων. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οὐ πολλῷ χρόνῳ ὕστερον οὕτω γέγονεν ὡς