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the bishops who had assembled, writing that their exposition of the faith should be examined, and that the synod should pass a merciful vote upon them, whether they should appear to hold correct opinions and to have been plotted against out of envy, or whether, having nothing to find fault with in the decisions already made against them, they should repent. 2.27.14 And seizing the opportunity, those who had long been eager for these things, on the pretext of the emperor's letters, received them into communion. And when they had done this, they wrote both to the emperor himself and to the church of Alexandria and to the bishops and clergy throughout Egypt, the Thebaid, and Libya, exhorting them to receive them readily, as the emperor had also testified that their faith was orthodox, which they also subjoined to their own letter, and as the synod had voted in accordance with the emperor's judgment. And so these things were eagerly pursued in Jerusalem. 2.28.1 But Athanasius, fleeing from Tyre, came to Constantinople, and approaching Constantine the emperor, he lamented what he had suffered in the presence of the bishops who had condemned him, and he begged that the investigation of the judgments made in Tyre should take place before the emperor himself. And Constantine, judging the request to be reasonable, wrote the following to the bishops assembled in Tyre: 2.28.2 "I do not know what has been decided by your synod with tumult "7and storm, but it seems that the truth has somehow been perverted by a certain tumultuous disorder, "7that is, on account of your contentiousness toward your neighbors, 2.28.3 "7which you wish to be invincible, while not perceiving the things that are pleasing to God. But "7it will be the work of divine providence both to scatter the evils of this contentiousness, once they are clearly "7detected, and to show plainly to us whether you, having assembled there, took any care for the "7truth, and whether you decided what was judged without 2.28.4 "7any favor or enmity. Therefore, I wish all of you to come with haste "7to my Piety, so that of the things done 2.28.5 "7by you an exact account in our own presence you may render. For what reason "7I have thought it right to write these things to you and summon you to me by "7letter, you will learn from what follows. As I was entering our "7eponymous and all-blessed fatherland of Constantinople "7(for it happened that I was riding on horseback at the time), suddenly Athanasius the "7bishop, in the middle of the highway, with certain others whom he had with him, "7approached so unexpectedly as to provide cause for astonishment. 2.28.6 "7For God, the overseer of all, is my witness, that I was not even able to recognize who he "7was at first sight, until some of our men, both who "7he was and what injustice he had suffered, upon our inquiry, as was natural, informed 2.28.7 "7us. Therefore, I did not converse with him at that time nor did I have "7any communication with him. And while he was asking, and I was refusing and "7very nearly ordered him to be driven away, with greater boldness he asked nothing "7else from us than your arrival, which he demanded should happen, "7so that in your presence he might be able, as a matter of necessity, to lament what he has suffered. 2.28.8 "7Since this appeared to be reasonable and fitting for the times, I gladly "7ordered these things to be written to you, so that all of you who constituted the synod "7held in Tyre may hasten without delay to the camp of "7our Clemency, to demonstrate by your very actions that your "7judgment was pure and incorruptible, before me, whom of God 2.28. "7you would not deny to be a genuine servant. Therefore, through my "7service to God, peace is established everywhere, and even the barbarians "7themselves genuinely bless the name of God, who until now were ignorant of the truth; "7and it is clear that he who is ignorant of the truth does not know God either. 2.28.10 "7Nevertheless, as has been said before, even the barbarians have now, through me, the "7genuine servant of God, come to know God and have learned to revere him, whom "7to defend me everywhere

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συνελθόντας ἐπισκόπους, γράψας σκοπηθῆναι αὐτῶν τὴν ἔκθεσιν τῆς πίστεως, φιλάνθρωπον δὲ ψῆφον ἐνεγκεῖν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὴν σύνοδον, ἤν τε ὀρθῶς φανεῖεν δοξάζοντες καὶ φθόνου χάριν ἐπιβουλευθέντες ἤν τε μηδὲν ἔχοντες μέμφεσθαι τοῖς ἤδη ἐπ' αὐτοῖς κεκριμένοις μεταμεληθεῖεν. 2.27.14 καιροῦ δὲ λαβόμενοι οἱ ταῦτα πάλαι σπουδάζοντες προφάσει τῶν βασιλέως γραμμάτων ἐδέξαντο αὐτοὺς εἰς κοινωνίαν. καὶ ὅτε τοῦτο ἐποίησαν, αὐτῷ τε τῷ βασιλεῖ ἔγραψαν καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ᾿Αλεξανδρείας καὶ τοῖς ἀνὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ Θηβαΐδα καὶ Λιβύην ἐπισκόποις καὶ κληρικοῖς, παρακελευσάμενοι προθύμως αὐτοὺς δέξασθαι, ὡς καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως μαρτυρήσαντος ὀρθὴν εἶναι τὴν αὐτῶν πίστιν, ἣν καὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ ἐπιστολῇ ὑπέταξαν, καὶ τῆς συνόδου ἐπιψηφισαμένης τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως κρίσει. καὶ τὰ μὲν ὧδε ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις ἐσπουδάζετο. 2.28.1 ᾿Αθανάσιος δὲ φεύγων ἐκ Τύρου εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἦλθε, καὶ προσελθὼν Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἃ πέπονθεν ἀπωδύρετο παρόντων τῶν καταδικασάντων αὐτοῦ ἐπισκόπων, καὶ ἐδεῖτο τῶν ἐν Τύρῳ κεκριμένων γενέσθαι τὴν ἐξέτασιν ἐπὶ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως. Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ εὔλογον εἶναι δοκιμάσας τὴν αἴτησιν τάδε ἔγραψε τοῖς ἐν Τύρῳ συνελθοῦσιν ἐπισκόποις· 2.28.2 «᾿Εγὼ μὲν ἀγνοῶ, τίνα ἐστὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας συνόδου μετὰ θορύβου "7καὶ χειμῶνος κριθέντα, δοκεῖ δέ πως ὑπό τινος ταραχώδους ἀταξίας ἡ "7ἀλήθεια διεστράφθαι, ὑμῶν δηλαδὴ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς πέλας ἐρεσχελίαν, 2.28.3 "7ἣν ἀήττητον εἶναι βούλεσθε, τὰ τῷ θεῷ ἀρέσκοντα μὴ συνορώντων. ἀλλὰ "7ἔσται τῆς θείας προνοίας ἔργον καὶ τὰ τῆς φιλονικίας ταύτης κακὰ φανε"7ρῶς ἁλόντα διασκεδάσαι καὶ ἡμῖν διαρρήδην ἐπιδεῖξαι, εἴ τινα τῆς ἀλη"7θείας αὐτόθι συνελθόντες ἐποιήσασθε φροντίδα καὶ εἰ τὰ κεκριμένα χωρίς 2.28.4 "7τινος χάριτος καὶ ἀπεχθείας ἐκρίνατε. τοιγαροῦν ἠπειγμένως πάντας "7ὑμᾶς πρὸς τὴν ἐμὴν ἐλθεῖν εὐλάβειαν βούλομαι, ἵνα τὴν τῶν πεπραγμένων 2.28.5 "7ὑμῖν ἀκρίβειαν καὶ <ἐφ'> ἡμῶν αὐτῶν παραστήσητε. τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν "7ταῦτα γράψαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐδικαίωσα καὶ ὑμᾶς πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν διὰ τοῦ γράμ"7ματος καλῶ, ἐκ τῶν ἑπομένων γνώσεσθε. ἐπιβαίνοντί μοι λοιπὸν τῆς "7ἐπωνύμου ἡμῶν καὶ πανευδαίμονος πατρίδος τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως "7(συνέβαινε δέ με τηνικαῦτα ἐφ' ἵππου ὀχεῖσθαι) ἐξαίφνης ᾿Αθανάσιος ὁ "7ἐπίσκοπος ἐν μέσῳ τῆς λεωφόρου μετὰ ἑτέρων τινῶν, οὓς περὶ αὐτὸν εἶχεν, "7ἀπροσδοκήτως οὕτω προσῆλθεν, ὡς καὶ παρασχεῖν ἐκπλήξεως ἀφορμήν. 2.28.6 "7μαρτυρεῖ μοι γὰρ ὁ πάντων ἔφορος θεός, ὡς οὐδὲ ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτὸν ὅστις "7ἦν <παρὰ τὴν πρώτην ὄψιν ἠδυνήθην, εἰ μὴ τῶν ἡμετέρων τινές, καὶ "7ὅστις ἦν> καὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν ἣν πέπονθε, πυνθανομένοις, ὥσπερ εἰκός, ἀπήγ2.28.7 "7γειλαν ἡμῖν. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὐ διειλέχθην αὐτῷ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ οὔτε "7ὁμιλίας ἐκοινώνησα. ὡς δὲ ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἠξίου, ἐγὼ δὲ παρῃτούμην καὶ "7μικροῦ δεῖν ἀπελαύνεσθαι αὐτὸν ἐκέλευον, μετὰ πλείονος παρρησίας οὐδὲν "7ἕτερον παρ' ἡμῶν ᾔτει ἢ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἄφιξιν, <ἣν> ἠξίωσεν ὑπάρξαι, "7ἵν' ὑμῶν παρόντων, ἃ πέπονθεν, ἀναγκαίως ἀποδύρασθαι δυνηθείη. 2.28.8 "7ὅπερ ἐπειδὴ εὔλογον εἶναι καὶ τοῖς καιροῖς πρέπον κατεφαίνετο, ἀσμένως "7ταῦτα γραφῆναι πρὸς ὑμᾶς προσέταξα, ἵνα πάντες, ὅσοι τὴν σύνοδον τὴν "7ἐν Τύρῳ γενομένην ἐπληρώσατε, ἀνυπερθέτως εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον τῆς "7ἡμετέρας ἡμερότητος ἐπειχθῆτε τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῖς ἐπιδείξοντες τὸ τῆς "7ὑμετέρας κρίσεως καθαρόν τε καὶ ἀδιάστροφον, ἐπ' ἐμοῦ, ὃν τοῦ θεοῦ 2.28. "7γνήσιον εἶναι θεράποντα οὐκ ἂν ἀρνηθείητε. τοιγαροῦν διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς "7πρὸς τὸν θεὸν λατρείας τὰ πανταχοῦ εἰρηνεύεται, καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων "7αὐτῶν τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ὄνομα γνησίως εὐλογούντων, οἳ μέχρι νῦν τὴν ἀλήθειαν "7ἠγνόουν· δῆλον δὲ ὅτι ὁ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀγνοῶν οὐδὲ τὸν θεὸν ἐπιγινώσκει. 2.28.10 "7πλὴν ὅμως, καθὰ προείρηται, καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι νῦν δι' ἐμὲ τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ "7θεράποντα γνήσιον ἐπέγνωσαν τὸν θεὸν καὶ εὐλαβεῖσθαι μεμάθηκαν, ὃν "7ὑπερασπίζειν μου πανταχοῦ