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Constantia, having been persuaded of these things, while she was still alive, did not manage to innovate anything against the decrees of Nicaea; but when she fell ill, she perceived she was dying; and when her brother came to her, she bade him to grant her one last favor, whatever she might ask. She asked to have the aforementioned presbyter as an intimate and to trust him as one who held right opinions concerning the divine; for she herself, she said, was departing and no longer cared for this life here; but she feared for him, lest he should suffer anything from divine wrath, either by his own wrongdoing or by shamefully losing his sovereignty, since, she said, having been unjustly persuaded by 2.27.4 certain people, he had punished just and good men with perpetual exile. From that time, the emperor became most intimately disposed towards this presbyter; and granting him freedom of speech and consulting with him about what his sister had enjoined, he thought it necessary to re-examine the case of Arius, supposing, as was likely, that the slanders were not true, or gratifying his sister. Not long after, he recalled Arius from 2.27.5 exile, and ordered him to issue a written statement of what he believed about God. But he, avoiding the novelty of the terms he had previously devised, wove together another exposition, using simple expressions well known in the sacred books, and swore an oath that he truly believed thus and held these things in his mind, and thought nothing else besides these things. It is as follows: 2.27.6 "To our most pious and most God-beloved master, Emperor Constantine, Arius and Euzoius, presbyters. "7Just as your God-beloved piety commanded, lord emperor, we set"7forth our own faith and in writing confess before God that we so "7believe, both we ourselves and all those with us, as is written below. 2.27.7 "7We believe in one God, the Father almighty, and in the Lord Jesus "7Christ his Son, God the Word, begotten of him before all ages, "7through whom all things were made, both things in heaven and things on "7earth, who came and took on flesh and suffered and rose again and "7ascended into the heavens and is coming again to judge the living and "7the dead. And in the Holy Spirit, and the resurrection of the flesh, and in the life of the "7age to come, and in the kingdom of the heavens, and in one catho"7lic church of God, from one end to the other. 2.27.8 "7This faith we have received from the holy Gospels, as the "7Lord said to his own disciples, 'Go and make disciples of all "7nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and 2.27. "7of the Holy Spirit.' If we do not so believe these things and truly accept "7Father and Son and Holy Spirit, as the whole catholic "7church and the holy scriptures teach, in which we believe in all things, 2.27.10 "7God will be our judge both now and on the coming day. Wherefore "7we beseech your piety, our most God-beloved emperor, since we are "7churchmen and hold the faith and mind of the church and "7of the holy scriptures, that we may be united by your peace-making and "7God-fearing piety to our mother, that is, the church, after the "7questions and superfluous arguments arising from them have been set aside, so that both we "7and the church, having made peace with one another, may make the customary prayers for your "7peaceful and pious reign and for your whole family all "7together." 2.27.11 Some said that this written statement of faith was artfully composed and, while seeming to differ in its expressions, yet it agreed with the doctrines of Arius in its interpretation of the terms, which allowed 2.27.12 for ambiguity and for these things to be taken in either sense. But the emperor, supposing that Arius and Euzoius held opinions similar to those of the men assembled at Nicaea, was pleased with the matter. However, he did not permit himself to receive them into communion before a judgment and examination by those in authority over this, 2.27.13 according to the law of the church. But he sends them to those then in Jerusalem

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ταῦτα πεισθεῖσα Κωνσταντία, ἐν ᾧ μὲν περιῆν, οὐδὲν ἔφθασε νεωτερίσαι τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ δοξάντων· ἐπεὶ δὲ νόσῳ περιέπεσε, καθυφωρᾶτο τελευτᾶν· καὶ παραγενόμενον ὡς αὐτὴν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐκέλευσε τελευταίαν αὐτῇ δοῦναι χάριν, ἣν ἂν αἰτήσειεν. ἐδεῖτο δὲ οἰκεῖον ἔχειν τὸν εἰρημένον πρεσβύτερον καὶ ὡς ὀρθῶς δοξάζοντι περὶ τὸ θεῖον πείθεσθαι· ἑαυτὴν μὲν γάρ, ἔφη, οἴχεσθαι καὶ λοιπὸν τῆς ἐνταῦθα βιοτῆς μηδὲν φροντίζειν· περὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ ὀρρωδεῖν, μή τι πάθοι ὑπὸ θεομηνίας ἢ αὐτὸς κακῶς πράξας ἢ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν αἰσχρῶς ἀποβαλών, ἐπεὶ δικαίους, ἔφη, καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας ἀδίκως πεισθείς 2.27.4 τισιν ἀιδίῳ φυγῇ ἐζημίωσεν. ἐντεῦθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς οἰκειότατα διετέθη περὶ τὸν πρεσβύτερον τοῦτον· καὶ παρρησίας αὐτῷ μεταδοὺς καὶ κοινωσάμενος περὶ ὧν ἐνετείλατο ἡ ἀδελφή, ᾠήθη χρῆναι πάλιν πειραθῆναι τῶν κατὰ τὸν ῎Αρειον, ὡς εἰκὸς ὑποτοπήσας ἀληθεῖς εἶναι τὰς διαβολὰς ἢ τῇ ἀδελφῇ χαριζόμενος. οὐκ εἰς μακράν τε μετεκαλέσατο ῎Αρειον ἀπὸ τῆς 2.27.5 φυγῆς, καὶ γραφὴν ἐκέλευσεν ἐκδοῦναι ὧν πιστεύει περὶ θεοῦ. ὁ δὲ τὸ καινὸν ἐκκλίνας ὧν πρότερον εὗρεν ὀνομάτων, ἑτέραν ὕφανεν ἔκθεσιν ἁπλοῖς ῥητοῖς καὶ ἐγνωσμένοις ταῖς ἱεραῖς βίβλοις χρησάμενος, καὶ ὅρκον ὤμοσεν ἦ μὴν ὧδε πιστεύειν καὶ κατὰ νοῦν ταῦτα φρονεῖν καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον ἐννοεῖν παρὰ ταῦτα. ἔχει δὲ ὧδε· 2.27.6 «Τῷ εὐσεβεστάτῳ καὶ θεοφιλεστάτῳ δεσπότῃ ἡμῶν βασιλεῖ Κωνσταντίνῳ ῎Αρειος καὶ Εὐζώιος πρεσβύτεροι. "7Καθὼς προσέταξεν ἡ θεοφιλής σου εὐσέβεια, δέσποτα βασιλεῦ, ἐκτι"7θέμεθα τὴν ἑαυτῶν πίστιν <καὶ> ἐγγράφως ὁμολογοῦμεν ἐπὶ θεοῦ οὕτως "7πιστεύειν, καὶ αὐτοὶ <καὶ> πάντες οἱ σὺν ἡμῖν, ὡς ὑποτέτακται. 2.27.7 "7Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα θεὸν πατέρα παντοκράτορα καὶ εἰς κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν "7Χριστὸν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ πρὸ πάντων τῶν αἰώνων γεγεννη"7μένον θεὸν λόγον, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο, τά τε ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς "7γῆς, τὸν ἐλθόντα καὶ σάρκα ἀναλαβόντα καὶ παθόντα καὶ ἀναστάντα καὶ "7ἀνελθόντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ πάλιν ἐρχόμενον κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ "7νεκρούς. καὶ εἰς ἅγιον πνεῦμα καὶ σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν, καὶ εἰς ζωὴν τοῦ "7μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, καὶ εἰς βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν, καὶ εἰς μίαν ἐκκλησίαν καθο"7λικὴν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἀπὸ περάτων ἕως περάτων. 2.27.8 "7Ταύτην δὲ τὴν πίστιν παρειλήφαμεν ἐκ τῶν ἁγίων εὐαγγελίων λέ"7γοντος τοῦ κυρίου τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς «πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα "7τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ 2.27. "7τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος.» εἰ δὲ μὴ ταῦτα οὕτως πιστεύομεν καὶ ἀποδεχό"7μεθα ἀληθῶς πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ὡς πᾶσα ἡ καθολικὴ "7ἐκκλησία καὶ αἱ ἅγιαι γραφαὶ διδάσκουσιν, αἷς κατὰ πάντα πιστεύομεν, 2.27.10 "7κριτὴς ἡμῶν ἔσται ὁ θεὸς καὶ νῦν καὶ ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ. διὸ "7παρακαλοῦμέν σου τὴν εὐσέβειαν, θεοφιλέστατε ἡμῶν βασιλεῦ, ἐκκλη"7σιαστικοὺς ἡμᾶς ὄντας καὶ τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ "7τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν ἔχοντας ἑνοῦσθαι ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς εἰρηνοποιοῦ σου καὶ "7θεοσεβοῦς εὐσεβείας τῇ μητρὶ ἡμῶν, τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ δηλαδή, περιῃρημένων "7τῶν ζητημάτων καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῶν ζητημάτων περισσολογιῶν, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς "7καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία μετ' ἀλλήλων εἰρηνεύσαντες τὰς συνήθεις εὐχὰς ὑπὲρ τῆς "7εἰρηνικῆς σου καὶ εὐσεβοῦς βασιλείας καὶ παντὸς τοῦ γένους σου κοινῇ "7πάντες ποιώμεθα.» 2.27.11 Ταύτης τῆς πίστεως τὴν γραφὴν οἱ μὲν ἔλεγον τεχνικῶς συγκεῖσθαι καὶ τῷ δοκεῖν τοῖς ῥητοῖς διαλλάσσειν, συμφέρεσθαι δὲ καὶ οὕτως τοῖς ᾿Αρείου δόγμασι κατὰ τὴν ἐκδοχὴν τῶν ὀνομάτων, ἄδειαν παρεχόντων 2.27.12 ἐπαμφοτερίζειν καὶ πρὸς ἑκατέραν διάνοιαν ταῦτα ἐκλαμβάνειν. ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς παραπλήσια δοξάζειν ῎Αρειόν τε καὶ Εὐζώιον τοῖς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνεληλυθόσιν ἥσθη τῷ πράγματι. οὐ μὴν ἑαυτῷ ἐπέτρεψεν εἰς κοινωνίαν αὐτοὺς δέξασθαι πρὸ κρίσεως καὶ δοκιμασίας τῶν τούτου κυρίων 2.27.13 κατὰ τὸν νόμον τῆς ἐκκλησίας. πέμπει δὲ αὐτοὺς πρὸς τοὺς ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις τότε