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they permitted them neither to enter the holy synod nor to approach the "church of God" at all. And as they were coming to "Sardica, they held synods among themselves in various places and "made pacts with threats, so that when they came to Sardica "they would not come to the judgment at all, nor gather together with the "holy and great synod, but only come and, having made a show of their "presence perfunctorily, would flee quickly. For we have been able "to learn these things from our fellow-ministers Macarius from Palae- "stine and Asterius from Arabia, who came with them and "withdrew from their faithlessness. For these men, having come to "the holy synod, lamented the violence they had suffered, and said that nothing "right was being done among them, adding also that "they were adherents of the right faith and were prevented by them "from coming here, because they threatened and gave orders against those "wishing to withdraw from them. For this reason, indeed, they made every effort for all to remain in one "house, not permitting them to be by themselves even for the "shortest time. "Since, therefore, it was not right to pass over in silence nor to leave unavenged the "slanders, the imprisonments, the murders, the beatings, the conspiracies concerning the "forged letters, the outrages, the stripping of vir- "gins, the exiles, the destruction of churches, the arsons, "the translations from small cities to larger dioceses, and above "all the ill- "omened Arian heresy now risen up through them against the right faith, for this reason, indeed, we have declared our "beloved brothers and fellow-ministers, Athanasius the "bishop of Alexandria and Marcellus of Ancyrogalatia "and Asclepas of Gaza and those ministering "to the Lord with them, to be innocent and pure, writing also "to the diocese of each one so that the "peoples of each church might know the purity of their own bishop and that they should have "and expect him as bishop, but as for those who invaded their churches "like wolves, Gregory in Alexandria, Basil in "Ancyra, and Quintianus in Gaza, that they should neither call these men bishops, "nor Christians, nor have any fellowship at all with them, "nor receive any letters from them, nor write to "them. "As for Theodore from Heraclea in Europe and "Narcissus from Neroniados in Cilicia and Acacius from "Caesarea in Palestine and Stephen from Antioch and "Ursacius from Singidunum in Moesia and Valens from "Mursa in Pannonia and Menophantus from Ephesus and "George from Laodicea, although he, being afraid, was not present from "the East, nevertheless because he was deposed by the blessed Alexander, the "former bishop of Alexandria, and because "these men also share with him in the Arian madness, and because of the "accusations brought against them, the "holy synod has unanimously deposed these men from the episcopate; and we judged not only that they "are not bishops, but that they are not even worthy of fellowship with the faithful. For those who separate the Son from the essence "and divinity of the Father and who alienate the Word from the "Father ought to be separated from the catholic church and to be "alien to the name of Christians. Let them be, therefore, anathema both to us "and to all, because they have corrupted the word "of truth. For it is an apostolic command: "If anyone preaches to you a gospel "contrary to what you received, let him be anathema." Command that no one "have fellowship with these men; "for what fellowship has light "with darkness?" Keep all these men far away; "for what "accord has Christ with Beliar?" And take care, "beloved brothers, neither to write to them nor to receive letters from them. And be zealous, you also, beloved brothers and fellow- "ministers, as being present in spirit with our synod to assent "and to vote by your own signature, in order that by all "the

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οὔτε εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν σύνοδον εἰσελθεῖν οὔτε ὅλως εἰς τὴν "ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ παραβαλεῖν συνεχώρησαν. καὶ ἐρχόμενοι δὲ εἰς "τὴν Σαρδικὴν κατὰ τόπους συνόδους ἐποιοῦντο πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς καὶ "συνθήκας μετὰ ἀπειλῶν, ὥστε ἐλθόντας αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν Σαρδικὴν "μηδ' ὅλως εἰς τὴν κρίσιν ἐλθεῖν, μήτε ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνελθεῖν τῇ "ἁγίᾳ καὶ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἐλθόντας καὶ ἀφοσιώσει τὴν "ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδημίαν ἐπιδειξαμένους ταχέως φυγεῖν. ταῦτα γὰρ γνῶναι "δεδυνήμεθα παρὰ τῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν Μακαρίου ἀπὸ Παλαι 110 "στίνης καὶ Ἀστερίου ἀπὸ Ἀραβίας, τῶν ἐλθόντων σὺν αὐτοῖς καὶ "ἀναχωρησάντων ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπιστίας αὐτῶν. οὗτοι γὰρ ἐλθόντες εἰς "τὴν ἁγίαν σύνοδον, τὴν μὲν βίαν ἣν ἔπαθον ἀπωδύραντο, οὐδὲν δὲ "παρ' αὐτοῖς ὀρθὸν ἔλεγον πράττεσθαι, προστιθέντες καὶ τοῦτο ὡς "ἄρα εἶεν τῆς ὀρθῆς ἀντιποιούμενοι δόξης καὶ κωλυόμενοι ἐξ αὐτῶν "ἐλθεῖν ἐνταῦθα καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀπειλεῖν καὶ ἐντέλλεσθαι κατὰ τῶν "βουλομένων ἀναχωρεῖν ἀπ' αὐτῶν. τούτου γοῦν ἕνεκα καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ "οἴκῳ πάντες μεῖναι ἐσπούδασαν, μηδὲ τὸ βραχύτατον ἰδιάζειν αὐτοῖς "ἐπιτρέψαντες. "Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἔδει παρασιωπῆσαι οὐδὲ ἀνεκδικήτους ἐᾶσαι τὰς "συκοφαντίας, τὰ δεσμά, τοὺς φόνους, τὰς πληγάς, τὰς περὶ τῶν "πλαστῶν ἐπιστολῶν συσκευάς, τὰς αἰκίας, τὰς γυμνώσεις τῶν παρ "θένων, τὰς ἐξορίας, τὰς καταλύσεις τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, τοὺς ἐμπρησμούς, "τὰς μεταθέσεις ἀπὸ μικρῶν πόλεων εἰς μείζονας παροικίας, καὶ πρό "γε πάντων τὴν κατὰ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως νῦν ἐπαναστᾶσαν δυσώ "νυμον Ἀρειανὴν αἵρεσιν δι' αὐτῶν, τούτου γοῦν ἕνεκεν τοὺς μὲν "ἀγαπητοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν καὶ συλλειτουργούς, Ἀθανάσιον τὸν τῆς "Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπον καὶ Μάρκελλον τὸν τῆς Ἀγκυρογαλατίας "καὶ Ἀσκληπᾶν τὸν Γάζης καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς συλλειτουργοῦντας "τῷ κυρίῳ, ἀθώους καὶ καθαροὺς εἶναι ἀπεφηνάμεθα, γράψαντες καὶ 111 "εἰς τὴν ἑκάστου παροικίαν ὥστε γιγνώσκειν ἑκάστης ἐκκλησίας τοὺς "λαοὺς τοῦ ἰδίου ἐπισκόπου τὴν καθαρότητα καὶ τοῦτον μὲν ἔχειν "ἐπίσκοπον καὶ προσδοκᾶν, τοὺς δὲ εἰς τὰς ἐκκλησίας αὐτῶν ἐπελ "θόντας δίκην λύκων, Γρηγόριον τὸν ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ, Βασίλειον τὸν "ἐν Ἀγκύρᾳ, καὶ Κυντιανὸν τὸν ἐν Γάζῃ, τούτους μηδὲ ἐπισκόπους "ὀνομάζειν μηδὲ Χριστιανοὺς μηδὲ ὅλως κοινωνίαν τινὰ πρὸς αὐτοὺς "ἔχειν μηδὲ δέχεσθαί τινα παρ' αὐτῶν γράμματα μήτε γράφειν πρὸς "αὐτούς. "Τοὺς δὲ περὶ Θεόδωρον τὸν ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείας τῆς Εὐρώπης καὶ "Νάρκισσον τὸν ἀπὸ Νερωνιάδος τῆς Κιλικίας καὶ Ἀκάκιον τὸν ἀπὸ "Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστίνης καὶ Στέφανον ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας καὶ "Οὐρσάκιον ἀπὸ Σιγγιδούνου τῆς Μυσίας καὶ Οὐάλεντα τὸν ἀπὸ "Μυρσῶν τῆς Παννονίας καὶ Μηνόφαντον τὸν ἀπὸ Ἐφέσου καὶ "Γεώργιον τὸν ἀπὸ Λαοδικείας, εἰ καὶ φοβηθεὶς μὴ παρεγένετο ἀπὸ "τῆς Ἑῴας, ὅμως διὰ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ μακαρίου Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ "γενομένου ἐπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας καθῃρῆσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ διὰ "τὸ καὶ τούτους σὺν αὐτῷ τῆς Ἀρείου μανίας εἶναι καὶ διὰ τὰ "ἐπενεχθέντα αὐτοῖς ἐγκλήματα, τούτους παμψηφεὶ καθεῖλεν ἡ "ἁγία σύνοδος ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς· καὶ ἐκρίναμεν μὴ μόνον αὐτοὺς "ἐπισκόπους μὴ εἶναι, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ κοινωνίας μετὰ τῶν πιστῶν 112 "αὐτοὺς καταξιοῦσθαι. τοὺς γὰρ χωρίζοντας τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίας "καὶ θεότητος τὸν υἱὸν καὶ ἀπαλλοτριοῦντας τὸν λόγον ἀπὸ τοῦ "πατρὸς χωρίζεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας προσήκει καὶ ἀλ "λοτρίους εἶναι τοῦ Χριστιανῶν ὀνόματος. ἔστωσαν τοίνυν καὶ ἡμῖν "καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνάθεμα, διὰ τὸ κεκαπηλευκέναι αὐτοὺς τὸν λόγον "τῆς ἀληθείας. ἀποστολικὸν γάρ ἐστι παράγγελμα· "εἴ τις ὑμᾶς "εὐαγγελίζεται παρ' ὃ παρελάβετε, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω". τούτοις "μηδένα κοινωνεῖν παραγγείλατε· "οὐδεμία γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ "πρὸς σκότος". τούτους πάντας μακρὰν ποιεῖτε· " οὐδεμία γὰρ "συμφωνία Χριστῷ πρὸς Βελίαρ". καὶ φυλάξασθε, ἀδελφοὶ "ἀγαπητοί, μήτε γράφειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς μήτε γράμματα παρ' αὐτῶν "δέχεσθαι. σπουδάσατε δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ καὶ συλ "λειτουργοί, ὡς τῷ πνεύματι παρόντες τῇ συνόδῳ ἡμῶν συναινέσαι "καὶ ψηφίσασθαι δι' ὑπογραφῆς ὑμετέρας, ὑπὲρ τοῦ παρὰ πάντων "τῶν