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of what was done, and as nothing other than "having plotted against our fellow ministers. For Arsenius, "whom they said was murdered by Athanasius, this man is alive and is "numbered among the living. From this, the things rumored by "them about the others also appear to be fabrications. "And since they were also spreading rumors about a chalice, as having been broken "by Macarius the presbyter of Athanasius, those who "came from Alexandria and Mareotis and the other 107 "places testified to them that none of these things was done; and the bishops writing "from Egypt to Julius our fellow minister sufficiently "affirmed that not even a suspicion of such a thing had ever arisen. Moreover, "they say they have records against him, which were established "as having been made ex parte. And yet even in these records, pagans and "catechumens were questioned; of whom one catechumen, when questioned, said "he was inside when Macarius arrived at the place, and another, when questioned, "said that Ischyras, who was rumored about by them, was lying sick "in a cell, so that from this it appears that none of the "entire mysteries had taken place at all, because the catechumens were inside and "Ischyras was not present, but was lying sick. For even "the all-wicked Ischyras himself, having lied in saying that Athanasius had burned "some of the divine books and † having proved false, "confessed that he was sick at the time when Macarius was present and "was lying down, so that from this he is also shown to be a slanderer. Indeed, "for this slander they have given to Ischyras himself the reward of the name "of bishop, to one who is not even a presbyter. For two "presbyters who met them, who had once been with Melitius, but were later by the "blessed Alexander, the former bishop of Alexandria, re- 108 "ceived, [who] also being with Athanasius testified that this man had never "been a presbyter of Melitius, nor had Melitius ever had "a church or a minister in Mareotis. And yet him "who was not even a presbyter they have now promoted as a bishop, so that "by this name they might seem to strike terror into their hearers "concerning the slander. "And the writing of our fellow minister Marcellus "was also read, and the malicious artifice of Eusebius and his party was discovered; for what Marcellus "said as matters of inquiry, these they have misrepresented as his declared opinions. "So these things were read, both what followed and what preceded the points of inquiry, "and the faith of the man was found to be orthodox. For neither from the holy "Mary, as they themselves affirmed, did he give a beginning to the Word of God, "nor that his kingdom has an end, but he wrote that this man's "kingdom is both without beginning and without end. "And Asclepas the fellow minister also brought forward records "made in Antioch, in the presence of his accusers and of Eusebius "of Caesarea; and from the decisions of the bishops who judged "he showed himself to be innocent. "Rightly, therefore, beloved brethren, though often summoned, they did not obey; 109 "rightly they fled. For, being driven by their conscience, "by their flight they confirmed their own slanders, and have made it so that the things which "their accusers said and demonstrated in their presence "are believed against them. Therefore, in addition to all these things, those who were long ago "accused and cast out on account of the Arian heresy they not only "received, but also promoted to a higher rank, deacons to the "presbyterate, and from presbyters to the episcopate, for no other reason "than that they might be able to spread and broaden their impiety and corrupt the pious "faith. "And after Eusebius and his party, the leaders of these are now Theodore "from Heraclea, Narcissus from Neroniados in Cilicia, Stephen "from Antioch, George from Laodicea, Acacius from Caesarea "in Palestine, Menophantus from Ephesus in Asia, Ursacius "from Singidunum in Moesia, Valens from Mursa in Pannonia. "For these men did not permit those who came with them from the East

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πραχθέντων συκοφάντας καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον ἢ "ἐπιβουλὴν κατὰ τῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν πεποιηκότας. ὃν γὰρ "ἔλεγον παρὰ Ἀθανασίου πεφονεῦσθαι Ἀρσένιον, οὗτος ζῇ καὶ ἐν "τοῖς ζῶσιν ἐξετάζεται. ἀπὸ δὲ τούτου καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων "θρυληθέντα παρ' αὐτῶν φαίνεται πλάσματα. "Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ περὶ ποτηρίου ἐθρύλουν ὡς κλασθέντος παρὰ "Μακαρίου τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου Ἀθανασίου, ἐμαρτύρησαν μὲν αὐτοῖς οἱ "παραγενόμενοι ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ Μαρεώτου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν 107 "τόπων, ὅτι μηδὲν τούτων πέπρακται· καὶ οἱ ἐπίσκοποι δὲ γράψαντες "οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου πρὸς Ἰούλιον τὸν συλλειτουργὸν ἡμῶν ἱκανῶς "διεβεβαιοῦντο μηδὲ ὑπόνοιαν ὅλως τοιαύτην γεγενῆσθαι. ἄλλως τε "λέγουσιν ὑπομνήματα ἔχειν κατ' αὐτοῦ, ἃ κατὰ μονομέρειαν συνέστη "γεγενῆσθαι. καὶ ὅμως καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασι τούτοις ἐθνικοὶ καὶ "κατηχούμενοι ἠρωτῶντο· ἐξ ὧν εἷς κατηχούμενος ἐρωτώμενος ἔφασκεν "ἔνδον εἶναι ὅτε Μακάριος ἐπέστη τῷ τόπῳ, καὶ ἕτερος ἐρωτώμενος "ἔλεγε τὸν θρυλούμενον παρ' αὐτῶν Ἰσχύραν νοσοῦντα κατακεῖσθαι "ἐν κελλίῳ, ὡς ἀπὸ τούτου φαίνεσθαι μηδ' ὅλως γεγενῆσθαί τι τῶν "ὅλων μυστηρίων, διὰ τὸ τοὺς κατηχουμένους ἔνδον εἶναι καὶ τὸν "Ἰσχύραν μὴ παρεῖναι, ἀλλὰ νοσοῦντα κατακεῖσθαι. καὶ γὰρ καὶ "αὐτὸς ὁ παμπόνηρος Ἰσχύρας, ψευσάμενος ἐπὶ τῷ εἰρηκέναι κεκαυ "κέναι τὸν Ἀθανάσιόν τινα τῶν θείων βιβλίων καὶ † διαψεύσασθαι, "ὡμολόγησε κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ νοσεῖν ὅτε Μακάριος παρῆν καὶ "κατακεῖσθαι, ὡς καὶ ἐκ τούτου συκοφάντην αὐτὸν δείκνυσθαι. ἀμέλει "τῆς συκοφαντίας ταύτης μισθὸν αὐτῷ τῷ Ἰσχύρᾳ δεδώκασιν ἐπι "σκόπου ὄνομα, τῷ μηδὲ πρεσβυτέρῳ τυγχάνοντι. ἀπαντήσαντες γὰρ "δύο πρεσβύτεροι, σὺν Μελιτίῳ ποτὲ γενόμενοι, ὕστερον δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ "μακαρίου Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ γενομένου ἐπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας δε 108 "χθέντες, [οἳ] καὶ σὺν Ἀθανασίῳ ὄντες ἐμαρτύρησαν μηδὲ πώποτε "τοῦτον πρεσβύτερον Μελιτίου γεγενῆσθαι, μηδ' ὅλως ἐσχηκέναι "Μελίτιον εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην ἐκκλησίαν ἢ λειτουργόν. καὶ ὅμως τὸν "μηδὲ πρεσβύτερον τυγχάνοντα νῦν ὡς ἐπίσκοπον προήγαγον, ἵνα "τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ δόξωσιν ἐπὶ τῇ συκοφαντίᾳ καταπλήττειν τοὺς "ἀκούοντας. "Ἀνεγνώσθη δὲ καὶ τὸ σύγγραμμα τοῦ συλλειτουργοῦ ἡμῶν Μαρ "κέλλου καὶ εὑρέθη τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἡ κακοτεχνία· ἃ γὰρ ὡς ζητῶν "ὁ Μάρκελλος εἴρηκεν, ταῦτα ὡς ὡμολογημένα διαβεβλήκασιν. ἀνε "γνώσθη γοῦν ταῦτα καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς καὶ τὰ πρὸ αὐτῶν τῶν ζητημάτων, "καὶ ὀρθὴ ἡ πίστις τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εὑρέθη. οὔτε γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας "Μαρίας, ὡς αὐτοὶ διεβεβαιώσαντο, ἀρχὴν ἐδίδου τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγῳ, "οὔτε τέλος ἔχειν τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἄν "αρχον καὶ ἀκατάπαυστον εἶναι τὴν τούτου ἔγραψεν. "Καὶ Ἀσκληπᾶς δὲ ὁ συλλειτουργὸς προσήνεγκεν ὑπομνήματα "γεγενημένα ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, παρόντων τῶν κατηγόρων καὶ Εὐσεβίου "τοῦ ἀπὸ Καισαρείας· καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀποφάσεων τῶν δικασάντων ἐπι "σκόπων ἔδειξεν ἑαυτὸν ἀθῶον εἶναι. "Εἰκότως οὖν, ἀδελφοὶ ἀγαπητοί, καλούμενοι πολλάκις οὐχ ὑπα 109 "κούουσιν, εἰκότως ἔφυγον. ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῦ συνειδότος ἐλαυνόμενοι, "φυγῇ τὰς συκοφαντίας ἑαυτῶν ἐβεβαίωσαν, καὶ πιστευθῆναι κατ' "αὐτῶν πεποιήκασιν ἅπερ παρόντες οἱ κατηγοροῦντες ἔλεγον καὶ "ἐπεδείκνυντο. ἔτι τοίνυν πρὸς τούτοις πᾶσι καὶ τοὺς πάλαι κατη "γορηθέντας καὶ ἐκβληθέντας διὰ τὴν Ἀρείου αἵρεσιν οὐ μόνον "ἐδέξαντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς μείζονα βαθμὸν προήγαγον, διακόνους μὲν εἰς "πρεσβυτέριον, ἀπὸ δὲ πρεσβυτέρων εἰς ἐπισκοπήν, δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον "ἢ ἵνα τὴν ἀσέβειαν διασπεῖραι καὶ πλατῦναι δυνηθῶσι καὶ τὴν εὐσεβῆ "διαφθείρωσι πίστιν. "Εἰσὶ δὲ τούτων μετὰ τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον νῦν ἔξαρχοι Θεόδωρος "ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείας, Νάρκισσος ἀπὸ Νερωνιάδος τῆς Κιλικίας, Στέφανος "ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας, Γεώργιος ἀπὸ Λαοδικείας, Ἀκάκιος ἀπὸ Καισαρείας "τῆς Παλαιστίνης, Μηνόφαντος ἀπὸ Ἐφέσου τῆς Ἀσίας, Οὐρσάκιος "ἀπὸ Σιγγιδούνου τῆς Μυσίας, Οὐάλης ἀπὸ Μυρσοῦ τῆς Παννονίας. "καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι τοῖς σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐλθοῦσιν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑῴας οὐκ ἐπέ "τρεπον