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42

seeming, as if transferring from a command, in order that they might establish their own things, forsooth, by perversion.

Concerning the sent quaternions, although not going through them at leisure, I mean those concerning the soul and the remaining chapters, I make known what seems right about them. For the haste of the one departing did not allow me to go through them; for also after several days of arriving in Byzacium, it came to my nothingness in Carthage. Furthermore, being hindered also by the existing, so to speak, weakness of my eyes; since I wished to fulfill your command concerning these things as quickly as possible, I have sent it. The arrangement decided upon for the sake of the transcription of the text, of the one who has the interpretation of the evangelist John, has appeared very pleasing to you most holy, and to me, your servant, so that it might not become a cause of condemnation against the one who set it forth, by those who wrongly attempt to alter all things according to what seems right to them.

FROM THE LETTER WRITTEN IN ROME From the letter written in Rome. 15Α_186 For these ends of the inhabited world, and those the Lord

confessing sincerely and orthodoxly everywhere on earth, look intently, as to a sun of eternal light, to the most holy Church of the Romans and to her confession and faith, receiving from her the flashing splendor of the patristic and holy dogmas, just as the six holy councils, inspired by God and divinely speaking, sincerely and most piously set them forth, most manifestly declaring the symbol of the faith. For from the beginning of the descent to us of the incarnate God 0140 the Word, all the Churches of the Christians everywhere have acquired and possess the greatest one there as the only base and foundation; as being in no way overcome, according to the promise of the Savior Himself, by the gates of Hades; but having the keys of the orthodox faith and confession in Him; and opening to those who piously approach the truly natural and only piety; but closing and stopping every heretical mouth that speaks unrighteousness on high. For what things the Creator and Master of all Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His disciples and apostles, and the succeeding holy Fathers and teachers and martyrs, consecrated by their own works and words, and by struggles and sweat, and by toils and blood, and finally by extraordinary deaths, founded and built for our catholic and apostolic Church of those who believe in Him, they are eager to destroy through two words, without toil and without death (toil), O, the long-suffering and forbearance of God! and to nullify the great and all-luminous and all-praised mystery of the orthodox religion of the Christians.

CONCERNING THE TWO NATURES OF CHRIST Concerning the two natures of Christ. 15Α_188 1. Arius confesses the three hypostases; but the Monad

he denies; and does not say the holy Trinity is consubstantial. But Sabellius, confesses the Monad; but denies the Trinity; for he says the same is Father and Son and holy Spirit; but the Church of God, both confesses the Monad, and proclaims the Trinity. Macedonius holds similar things to Arius; for he supposes the holy Spirit to be a creature; but the Church, proclaims the holy Spirit consubstantial with the Father and the Son, and affirms Him as God. Likewise also concerning the one of the holy Trinity,

42

δοκοῦν, ὥσπερ ἐξ ἐπιτάγματος μεταφέροντες, ἵνα τά οἰκεῖα δῆθεν ἐκ παρατροπῆς ὑποστήσωσι.

Τάς σταλείσας τετράδας, καίτοι μή κατά σχολήν μετιών, λέγω δή τάς περί ψυχῆς καί τῶν λοιπῶν κεφαλαίων, τό δοκοῦν περί αὐτῶν γνωρίζω. Τό γάρ τάχος τοῦ ἐξορμῶντος, οὐ συνεχώρει ταύτας διελθεῖν· ὅτι καί μετά πλείους ἡμέρας τοῦ καταλαβεῖν ἐν τῷ Βυζακίῳ, πρός τήν ἐμήν γέγονεν οὐδενίαν ἐν Καρθαγένῃ. Λοιπόν δέ καί εἰργομένῳ μοι κἀκ τῆς προσούσης μοι τῶν ὀμμάτων ὡς εἰπεῖν ἀδρανείας· ἐπεί καί τήν περί τούτων κέλευσιν ὑμῶν, ὡς τάχος ἠβουλόμην πληρῶσαι, πέπομφα. Ἡ κριθεῖσα τῆς μεταγραφῆς χάριν τοῦ τείχους οἰκονομία, τοῖς ἁγιωτάτοις ὑμῖν, τοῦ τήν ἑρμηνείαν ἔχοντος τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ Ἰωάννου, κἀμοί τῷ ἡμετέρῳ λίαν πέφανται προσηνής, ὡς μή καταδρομῆς αἰτία γένηται κατά τοῦ ἐκθεμένου, τοῖς πάντα κατά τό δοκοῦν μεταλλεύειν οὐ καλῶς πειρωμένοις.

ΕΚ ΤΗΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΝ ΡΩΜΗ ΓΡΑΦΕΙΣΗΣ Ἐκ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τῆς ἐνῬώμῃ γραφείσης. 15Α_186 Ταῦτα γάρ τά πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης, καί οἱ τόν Κύριον

εἰλικρινῶς καί ὀρθοδόξως πανταχοῦ γῆς ὀμολογοῦντες, ὥσπερ εἰς ἥλιον φωτός ἀϊδίου εἰς τήνῬωμαίων ἁγιωτάτην Ἐκκλησίαν καί τήν αὐτῆς ὁμολογίαν καί πίστιν, ἰθυτενῶς ἀποβλέπουσιν, ἐξ αὐτῆς τήν ἀπαστράπτουσαν αἴγλην προσδεχόμενοι, τῶν πατρικῶν καί ἁγίων δογμάτων, καθώς αἱ θεόληπτοι καί θεσπέσιοι εἰλικρινῶς καί πανευσεβῶς ἐξέθεντο ἅγιαι ἕξ σύνοδοι, ἐκφαντερικώτατα φάσκοντες τό σύμβολον τῆς πίστεως. Ἀπαρχῆς γάρ τῆς πρός ἡμᾶς καταβάσεως τοῦ σαρκωθέντος Θεοῦ 0140 Λόγου, μόνην κρηπῖδα καί θεμέλιον αἱ πᾶσαι πανταχοῦ τῶν Χριστιανῶν Ἐκκλησίαι, τήν αὐτόθι μεγίστην ἐκτήσαντό τε καί ἔχουσιν· ὡς οὐδαμῶς μέν κατισχυομένην κατά τήν αὐτήν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπαγγελίαν, ὑπό ᾅδου πυλῶν· ἀλλ᾿ ἔχουσαν τάς κλεῖς τῆς εἰς αὐτόν ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως καί ὁμολογίας· καί τοῖς εὐσεβῶς προσερχομένοις ἀνοίγουσαν τήν ὄντως φύσει καί μόνην εὐσέβειαν· ἀποκλείουσαν δέ καί ἐμφράττουσαν πᾶν αἱρετικόν στόμα, λαλοῦν ἀδικίαν εἰς τό ὕψος. Καί γάρ ἅπερ αὐτός ὁ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργός καί ∆εσπότης Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, οἵ τε τούτου μαθηταί καί ἀπόστολοι, καί οἱ καθεξῆς ἅγιοι Πατέρες τε καί διδάσκαλοι καί μάρτυρες, ἱερουργηθέντες οἰκείοις ἔργοις τε καί λόγοις, ἀγῶσί τε καί ἱδρῶσι, καί πόνοις καί αἵμασι, καί τελευταῖον ἐξαισίοις θανάτοις διά τήν ἡμῶν τῶν εἰς αὐτόν πιστευόντων καθολικήν καί ἀποστολικήν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐθεμελίωσαν καί ᾠκοδόμησαν, διά δύο ῥημάτων ἀπονητί καί δίχα θανάτου (καμάτου), ὤ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμίας καί ἀνοχῆς! καταλῦσαι σπουδάζουσι, καί ἀκυρῶσαι τό μέγα καί πάμφωτον καί πανύμνητον τῆς Χριστιανῶν ὀρθοδόξου θρησκείας μυστήριον.

ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ∆ΥΟ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ ΦΥΣΕΩΝ Περί τῶν δύο τοῦ Χριστοῦ φύσεων. 15Α_188 α´. Ὁ Ἄρειος τάς τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις ὁμολογεῖ· ἀλλά τήν Μονάδα

ἀρνεῖται· καί οὐ λέγει ὁμοούσιον τήν ἁγίαν Τριάδα. Ὁ δέ Σαβέλλιος, τήν Μονάδα ὁμολογεῖ· ἀλλά τήν Τριάδα ἀρνεῖται· τόν γάρ αὐτόν λέγει Πατέρα καί Υἱόν καί ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· ἡ δέ Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί τήν Μονάδα ὁμολογεῖ, καί τήν Τριάδα κηρύττει. Ὁ Μακεδόνιος ὅμοια τῷ Ἀρείῳ πρεσβεύει· τό γάρ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, κτίσμα ὑποτίθησιν· ἡ δέ Ἐκκλησία, ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί καί τῷ Υἱῷ τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον ἀνακηρύττει, καί Θεόν πῶς διαβεβαιοῖ. Ὁμοίως καί ἐπί τοῦ ἑνός τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος,