38

they were afraid to come to judgment. And not "once nor twice but even many times having been summoned, they did not obey "the summonses; although all the assembled bishops, especially "the most venerable Hosius, who on account of his age and his confession "and for having endured so much labor is worthy of all honor "and reverence, were waiting and urging 104 "them to enter into the judgment, so that what they had rumored and written "against their fellow-ministers in their absence, they might be able to prove these things in their presence. "But they did not come when summoned, as we said before, showing "by these actions their calumny and all but shouting out the conspiracy "and the plot which they have contrived by their refusal. "For those who have confidence in what they say are able to confront these things face to face. "But since they did not appear, we think henceforth "no one is ignorant, even if they should wish to work evil again, that having nothing "to prove against our fellow-ministers, they slander them in their absence, "but flee from them in their presence. "For they fled, beloved brethren, not only because of the slander against these men, "but also because they saw that those who were accusing "them on various charges had appeared. For there were bonds and irons being brought "forward; and men returned from exile, and fellow-ministers had come from those "still being held in exile; and relatives "and friends of those who had died on account of them were present; and "greatest of all, bishops were present, of whom one brought forward the irons and the chains 105 "which he wore on account of them, while others testified to the death resulting from their slander. "For they reached such a point of desperation as to "attempt even to kill a bishop; and they would have killed him if he had not escaped their "hands. For our fellow-minister, the blessed Theodulus, "rose up, fleeing their slander; for he had been ordered to die as a result of their slander. "And others showed wounds from swords, others "lamented having endured famine at their hands. And it was not "chance individuals who testified to these things, but whole churches, on whose behalf "those who had come as envoys were teaching about soldiers with swords, "mobs with clubs, threats of judges, the production of forged letters "(for letters of Theogonius and his party against our "fellow-ministers, Athanasius and Marcellus and Asclepas, were read out, in order that "they might also move the emperors against them; and these things were proved by those who were "then deacons of Theogonius), and besides these things, the stripping of virgins, the burning "of churches, imprisonments against the fellow-ministers; and all "these things for no other reason than for the ill-omened heresy of the Ario-maniacs. "For those who refused ordination from and "communion with them were forced to suffer these things. "Therefore, considering these things, they were in a tight spot regarding their intentions. "For being ashamed of what they had done, because they could no longer hide "these things, they came to the city of Sardica, so that by their arrival "they might seem to carry away the suspicion that they had not done wrong. Therefore, seeing 106 "those who had been slandered by them and those who had suffered at their hands, "having the accusers, the proofs, before their eyes, they were unable to "enter when summoned, although our fellow-ministers Athanasius "and Marcellus and Asclepas acted with great boldness and "lamented and insisted and challenged them, and "promised not only to disprove the slander but also to show "how many wrongs they had committed against their churches. But they were seized by such a "great fear of their conscience that they fled, and through their "flight they confirmed their slander and confessed by their "escape the wrongs they had committed. "And although especially not only from the former things, but also from "these things their wickedness and their slander is shown, nevertheless, so that "they might not be able to procure from their flight some pretext for other villainy, "we considered it in accordance with the word of truth to examine the things "dramatized by them. And having set this before us, we found "them from the

38

ἐφοβήθησαν εἰς κρίσιν ἐλθεῖν. καὶ οὐχ "ἅπαξ οὐδὲ δεύτερον ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις κληθέντες, οὐχ ὑπήκουσαν "ταῖς κλήσεσι· καίτοι πάντων τῶν συνελθόντων ἐπισκόπων, μάλιστα "τοῦ εὐγηροτάτου Ὁσίου τοῦ καὶ διὰ τὸν χρόνον καὶ διὰ τὴν ὁμο "λογίαν καὶ διὰ τὸ τοσοῦτον κάματον ὑπομεμενηκέναι πάσης τιμῆς "τε καὶ αἰδοῦς τυγχάνοντος ἀξίου, ἀναμενόντων καὶ προτρεπομένων 104 "αὐτοὺς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν κρίσιν, ἵνα ἅπερ ἀπόντων τῶν συλλειτουρ "γῶν ἐθρύλησαν καὶ ἔγραψαν κατ' αὐτῶν, ταῦτα παρόντες ἐλέγξαι "δυνηθῶσιν. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦλθον κληθέντες, καθὼς προείπομεν, δεικνύντες "καὶ ἐκ τούτων τὴν συκοφαντίαν αὐτῶν καὶ μόνον οὐχὶ τὴν ἐπι "βουλὴν καὶ τὴν συσκευὴν ἣν πεποιήκασι βοῶντες διὰ τῆς παραιτή "σεως. οἱ γὰρ θαρροῦντες οἷς λέγουσι, τούτοις καὶ εἰς πρόσωπον "συστῆναι δύνανται. ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἀπήντησαν, νομίζομεν λοιπὸν "μηδένα ἀγνοεῖν, κἂν ἐκεῖνοι πάλιν κακουργεῖν ἐθελήσωσιν, ὅτι μηδὲν "ἔχοντες κατὰ τῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν ἐλέγξαι, τούτους μὲν διαβάλ "λουσιν ἀπόντας, παρόντας δὲ διαφεύγουσιν. "Ἔφυγον γάρ, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοί, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν κατὰ τούτων "συκοφαντίαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ διαφόροις ἐγκλήμασιν ἐγκαλοῦν "τας αὐτοῖς ἐθεώρουν ἀπαντήσαντας. δεσμὰ γὰρ ἦν καὶ σίδηρα προ "φερόμενα· καὶ ἀπ' ἐξορίας ἐπανελθόντες ἄνθρωποι, καὶ παρὰ τῶν "ἔτι κατεχομένων ἐν ἐξορίαις ἐλθόντες ἦσαν συλλειτουργοί· συγγενεῖς "καὶ φίλοι δὲ τῶν δι' αὐτοὺς ἀποθανόντων παρεγένοντο· καὶ τὸ "μέγιστον, ἐπίσκοποι παρῆσαν, ὧν ὁ μὲν τὰ σίδηρα καὶ τὰς κατήνας 105 "προέφερεν ἃ δι' αὐτοὺς ἐφόρεσεν, οἱ δὲ τὸν ἐκ τῆς διαβολῆς αὐτῶν "θάνατον ἐμαρτύραντο. εἰς τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἔφθασαν ἀπονοίας ὡς καὶ "ἐπίσκοπον ἐπιχειρεῖν ἀνελεῖν· καὶ ἀνεῖλον ἂν εἰ μὴ ἐξέφυγε τὰς "χεῖρας αὐτῶν. ἀνέστη γοῦν ὁ συλλειτουργὸς ἡμῶν ὁ μακαρίτης Θεό "δουλος, φεύγων αὐτῶν τὴν διαβολήν· κεκέλευστο γὰρ ἐκ διαβολῆς "αὐτῶν ἀποθανεῖν. ἄλλοι δὲ ξιφῶν πληγὰς ἐπεδείκνυντο, ἄλλοι "λιμὸν ὑπομεμενηκέναι παρ' αὐτῶν ἀπωδύροντο. καὶ ταῦτα οὐχ οἱ "τυχόντες ἐμαρτύρουν ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλ' ἐκκλησίαι ὅλαι ἦσαν, ὑπὲρ ὧν "οἱ ἀπαντήσαντες καὶ πρεσβεύοντες ἐδίδασκον, στρατιώτας ξιφήρεις, "ὄχλους μετὰ ῥοπάλων, δικαστῶν ἀπειλάς, πλαστῶν γραμμάτων ὑπο "βολάς (ἀνεγνώσθη γὰρ γράμματα τῶν περὶ Θεογόνιον κατὰ τῶν "συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν, Ἀθανασίου καὶ Μαρκέλλου καὶ Ἀσκληπᾶ, ἵνα "καὶ βασιλέας κατ' αὐτῶν κινήσωσι· καὶ ταῦτα ἤλεγξαν οἱ γενόμενοι "τότε διάκονοι Θεογονίου), πρὸς τούτοις παρθένων γυμνώσεις, ἐμ "πρησμοὺς ἐκκλησιῶν, φυλακὰς κατὰ τῶν συλλειτουργῶν· καὶ ταῦτα "πάντα δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ διὰ τὴν δυσώνυμον αἵρεσιν τῶν Ἀρειο "μανιτῶν. οἱ γὰρ παραιτούμενοι τὴν πρὸς τούτους χειροτονίαν καὶ "κοινωνίαν ἀνάγκην εἶχον πειραθῆναι τούτων. "Ταῦτα τοίνυν συνορῶντες, εἰς στενὸν εἶχον τὰ τῆς προαιρέσεως. "αἰσχυνόμενοι γὰρ ἃ δεδράκασι, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἔτι ταῦτα κρύ "πτεσθαι ἀπήντησαν εἰς τὴν Σαρδέων πόλιν, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ἀφίξεως "ὑπόνοιαν ὡς μὴ πλημμελήσαντες δόξωσιν ἀποφέρεσθαι. ἰδόντες οὖν 106 "τοὺς παρ' αὐτῶν συκοφαντηθέντας καὶ τοὺς παρ' αὐτῶν παθόντας, "τοὺς κατηγόρους, τοὺς ἐλέγχους πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχοντες, εἰσελθεῖν "οὐκ ἐδύναντο κληθέντες, καίτοι τῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου "καὶ Μαρκέλλου καὶ Ἀσκληπᾶ πολλῇ τῇ παρρησίᾳ χρωμένων καὶ "ἀποδυρομένων καὶ ἐπικειμένων καὶ προκαλουμένων αὐτούς, καὶ "ἐπαγγελλομένων μὴ μόνον ἐλέγχειν τὴν συκοφαντίαν ἀλλὰ καὶ δει "κνύναι ὅσα κατὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν αὐτῶν ἐπλημμέλησαν. οἱ δὲ τοσούτῳ "φόβῳ τοῦ συνειδότος κατεσχέθησαν ὡς φυγεῖν αὐτούς, καὶ διὰ τῆς "φυγῆς τὴν συκοφαντίαν αὐτῶν ἐλέγξαι καὶ ἅπερ ἐπλημμέλησαν διὰ "τῶν δρασμῶν ὁμολογῆσαι. "Εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα οὐ μόνον ἐκ τῶν προτέρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ "τούτων ἡ κακοτροπία καὶ ἡ συκοφαντία αὐτῶν δείκνυται, ὅμως ἵνα "μηδὲ ἐκ τῆς φυγῆς πρόφασίν τινα ἑτέρας κακουργίας πορίσασθαι "δυνηθῶσιν, ἐσκεψάμεθα κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον τὰ παρ' "ἐκείνων δραματουργηθέντα ἐξετάσαι. καὶ τοῦτο προθέμενοι, εὑρή "καμεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν