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to correct them with exhortation, or to separate them from the list of the brethren. For in truth we alike turn away from those who dare to say that there is one nature of flesh and divinity, and those who divide our one Lord Jesus Christ into two sons, and those who attempt to go outside the apostolic definitions. But let your holiness be assured that we are also ready for peace. For if the Prophet says: 'I was peaceable with those who hate peace', much more do we gladly accept the peace which is according to God. But since some of those nurtured on falsehood ran to Alexandria, and stitched together slanders against us, and the most God-beloved bishop of that city was influenced by such words, although he had been fully informed by our letters, he sent some of the most devout bishops to the imperial city; may your piety deign to show its accustomed good will and to set truth against falsehood. 86 TO FLAVIAN, BISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE. At the present time, O most God-beloved in all things, we have received the assaults of many raging waves, and having called upon the Governor of all, we were able to withstand the surge; but the things now attempted against us surpass every tragic tale. For thinking that we would have as an ally and fellow worker in the things being devised against the apostolic faith, the most God-beloved bishop of Alexandria, the lord Dioscorus, we sent one of the most reverend presbyters among us, adorned with intelligence, with synodical letters, instructing his piety that we abide by the agreements made in the time of Cyril of blessed memory, and that we love the letter written by him, and that we gladly receive that of the most blessed and holy Athanasius, which he wrote to the blessed Epictetus; and before all these, the faith set forth in Nicaea of Bithynia by the holy and blessed Fathers. And we exhorted that those who are not willing to abide by these things be prepared to abide. But someone from here who thinks the opposite and is working up these disturbances, ran there, deceiving some of those there, and weaving countless slanders against us, he arranged for unlawful outcries to be made against us. But the most God-beloved bishop Dioscorus has written us a letter, which he who has learned from the God of all not to accept a baseless report ought not to have written. For having believed what was said against us, as if he had examined each of these things precisely, and had learned from the inquiry the truth, he thus voted against us. But we bore the slander nobly and replied with kind letters and have persuaded his piety, that all these things are false and that none of the most God-beloved bishops of the East thinks contrary to the apostolic doctrines. And the most reverend clergy sent by him were also persuaded by the very experience of the facts. But he, having bid farewell to all and given ear to the slanderers, has done a thing that could in no way be believed, unless he had the whole Church bearing witness. For he tolerated those who were anathematizing us; and rising and addressing them, he confirmed their cries. And in addition to this he also sent some of the most God-beloved bishops to the imperial city, as we have learned, hoping to increase the tumult against us. But we have, first of all, the Overseer of all as our champion; for we are fighting on behalf of his divine doctrines. Then, we also beseech your holiness to fight for the faith which is under attack and

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παραινετικῶς σωφρο νίσαι, ἢ τοῦ καταλόγου χωρίσαι τῶν ἀδελφῶν. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ ὁμοίως ἀποστρεφόμεθα καὶ τοὺς μίαν φύσιν σαρκὸς καὶ θεό τητος εἶναι λέγειν τολμῶντας, καὶ τοὺς εἰς δύο υἱοὺς μερί ζοντας τὸν ἕνα Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, καὶ τῶν ἀποσ τολικῶν ὅρων ἔξω βαίνειν ἐπιχειροῦντας. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ πρὸς εἰρήνην ἐσμὲν εὐτρεπεῖς, θαρρείτω σου ἡ ὁσιότης. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Προφήτης φησίν· Μετὰ τῶν μισούντων τὴν εἰρήνην ἤμην εἰρηνικός , πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν εἰρή νην ἀσπαστῶς προσδεχόμεθα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειάν τινες ἔδραμον τῶν τῷ ψεύδει συντεθραμμένων, καὶ συκοφαντίας ἔρραψαν καθ' ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις ὑπαχθεὶς ὁ θεοφιλέστατος τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης ἐπίσκοπος, καί τοι πληροφορηθεὶς δι' ἡμετέρων γραμμάτων, τινὰ τῶν θεοσεβεστάτων ἐπισκόπων εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἀπέστειλε πόλιν· καταξιωσάτω σου ἡ θεοσέβεια τὴν οἰκείαν εὔνοιαν δεῖξαι συνήθως καὶ ἀντιτάξαι τῷ ψεύδει τὴν ἀλήθειαν. 86 ΦΛΑΒΙΑΝΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΕΩΣ. Πολλὰς μὲν ἐν τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ, τὰ πάντα θεοφιλέστατε, τρικυμιῶν ἐδεξάμεθα προσβολάς, καὶ τὸν τοῦ παντὸς ἐπικα λεσάμενοι Κυβερνήτην, ἀντισχεῖν ἠδυνήθημεν πρὸς τὸν κλύ δωνα· τὰ δὲ νῦν καθ' ἡμῶν ἐπιχειρηθέντα πᾶσαν τραγικὴν ὑπερβαίνει διήγησιν. Νομίσαντες γὰρ σύμμαχον σχήσειν καὶ συνεργὸν εἰς τὰ κατὰ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς πίστεως τυρευόμενα, τὸν θεοφιλέστατον τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπον, τὸν κύριον ∆ιόσκορον, ἀπεστείλαμεν ἕνα τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν εὐλαβεστάτων πρεσβυτέρων, συνέσει κοσμούμενον, μετὰ συνοδικῶν γραμμά των, διδάξαντες αὐτοῦ τὴν θεοσέβειαν, ὡς ταῖς γεγενημέναις ἐπὶ τοῦ τῆς μακαρίας μνήμης Κυρίλλου συνθήκαις ἐμμένομεν, καὶ τήν τε παρ' αὐτοῦ γραφεῖσαν στέργομεν ἐπιστολήν, τήν τε τοῦ μακαριωτάτου καὶ ἐν ἁγίοις Ἀθανασίου, ἣν πρὸς τὸν μακάριον Ἐπίκτητον ἔγραψεν, ἀσπασίως δεχόμεθα· καὶ πρό γε τούτων, τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ τῆς Βιθυνίας ἐκτεθεῖσαν πίστιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ μακαρίων Πατέρων. Καὶ παρεκαλέσαμεν τοὺς τούτοις ἐμμένειν οὐ βουλομένους ἐμμεῖναι παρασκευάσαι. Ἀλλά τις ἐντεῦθεν δραμὼν τῶν τἀναντία φρονούντων καὶ τοὺς θορύβους τούτους ἐργαζομένων, ἐξαπατήσας τῶν αὐτόθι τινάς, καὶ μυρίας καθ' ἡμῶν συκοφαντίας ὑφήνας, παρεσ κεύασεν ἀθέσμους καθ' ἡμῶν ἐκβοήσεις γενέσθαι. Ὁ δὲ θεοφιλέστατος ἐπίσκοπος ∆ιόσκορος γέγραφεν ἡμῖν ἐπιστολήν, ἣν οὐκ ἔδει γράψαι τὸν παρὰ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ μεμαθηκότα ἀκοὴν ματαίαν οὐ παραδέχεσθαι. Πιστεύσας γὰρ τοῖς καθ' ἡμῶν εἰρημένοις, ὡς ἀκριβῶς τούτων ἕκαστον ἐξ ετάσας, καὶ ἐκ τῆς βασάνου μεμαθηκὼς <τ>ἀληθές, οὕτως ἡμῶν κατεψηφίσατο. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς γενναίως τὴν συκοφαντίαν ἠνέγ καμεν καὶ χρηστοῖς γράμμασιν ἠμειψάμεθα καὶ πεπείκαμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν θεοσέβειαν, ὡς πάντα ταῦτα ψευδῆ καὶ ὡς οὐδεὶς τῶν τῆς Ἀνατολῆς θεοφιλεστάτων ἐπισκόπων ἐναντία τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς φρονεῖ δόγμασιν. Ἐπείσθησαν δὲ καὶ δι' αὐτῆς τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς πείρας καὶ οἱ ἀποσταλέντες παρ' αὐτοῦ εὐλαβέστατοι κληρικοί. Ὁ δὲ πᾶσιν ἐρρῶσθαι φράσας καὶ τοῖς συκοφαντοῦσι τὰς ἀκοὰς ἐκδοὺς πρᾶγμα πεποίηκεν οὐδαμῶς πιστευθῆναι δυνάμενον, εἰ μὴ πᾶσαν εἶχε μαρτυροῦσαν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Ἠνέσχετο μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀναθεματιζόντων ἡμᾶς· ἀναστὰς δὲ καὶ προσφωνήσας τὰς ἐκείνων φωνὰς ἐπεβε βαίωσε. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καί τινας τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων ἐπισ κόπων εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἀπέστειλεν, ὡς ἔγνωμεν, πόλιν, αὐξῆσαι τοὺς καθ' ἡμῶν θορύβους ἐλπίζων. Ἡμεῖς δὲ πρῶτον μὲν τὸν τῶν ὅλων Ἐπόπτην πρόμαχον ἔχομεν· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τῶν θείων αὐτοῦ δογμάτων ἀγωνιζόμεθα. Ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὴν σὴν ἁγιωσύνην παρακαλοῦμεν τῆς πολε μουμένης πίστεως ὑπερμαχῆσαι καὶ