46
be set aside for those who are absent." George, therefore, was perpetrating these and similar things in Alexandria. But the divine Athanasius considered no place secure for his safety, since the emperor had commanded that he be brought alive or that his head be brought to him dead, and promised the largest possible reward to the one who did this. But Constantius himself, after Magnentius had seized the West after the death of Constans, set out for Europe, campaigning against his tyranny. But not even this difficult war put an end to the war against the churches; for they persuaded him who was easily persuaded in everything and had accepted the Arian disease, to convene a synod at Milan (this is a city of Italy), and first to compel all who had assembled to agree to the deposition which had taken place at Tyre by those unjust judges, and then, after Athanasius had thus been driven from the churches, to set forth another doctrine of faith. But though they assembled, having received the imperial letters, they refused to do either of the things that had been said, but openly rebuked the emperor who was present for commanding what was unjust and impious, and they were driven from the churches and condemned to live in the farthest parts of the world. And this again the wonderful Athanasius wrote in that Apology. "Who can recall as much as they have done? 129 "For while the churches were just now at peace and the people were praying "in their congregations, the bishop of Rome, Liberius, and Paulinus "the metropolitan of Gaul, and Dionysius the metropolitan "of Italy, and Lucifer the metropolitan of the islands of Sardinia, "and Eusebius from Italy, all good bishops "and heralds of the truth, are seized and exiled; having no "pretext other than that they did not assent to the Arian heresy nor "subscribe to the slanders they practiced against us. For concerning "the great and most venerable and true confessor Hosius, it is superfluous "for me even to speak; for perhaps it is known to all that they caused him too to be "exiled, for the old man is not obscure but rather most "illustrious of all. For what synod did he not preside over, and in speaking "rightly did not persuade all? What church does not have the "fairest memorials of his presidency? What grieving person ever approached him and did not "depart from him rejoicing? Who asked in need and did not depart "having obtained what he wished? And yet they have dared even against this man, because "he too, knowing the slanders they make on account of their impiety, "did not subscribe to their plots against us." What things were dared against those holy men, his writings teach; and how many things the leaders of the Arian phalanx plotted against many others, this divine man again related in this treatise. "For whom did they ever pursue and, having caught, not insult as 130 "they wished? Whom did they seek and, having found, not treat in such a way that they either "died miserably or were maimed in every way? For what the judges "seem to do, these are their deeds; and these men are rather "servants of their purpose and wickedness. What place, therefore, "does not have a memorial of their evil? Against whom who thought contrary "to them did they not conspire, fabricating pretexts after the manner of Jezebel? "What church now does not mourn because of their plots? Antioch "on account of Eustathius the confessor and orthodox, Balaneae on account of "Euphration, and Paltus and Antaradus on account of Cymatius and Car"terius, and Adrianople on account of Eutropius the Christ-loving and after "him Lucius, who often wore chains from them "and so died, and Ancyra on account of Marcellus, Beroea "on account of Cyrus, and Gaza on account of Asclepas. For after insulting these men "greatly before, the deceitful ones also had them exiled. And Theodulus and "Olympius, being from Thrace, and us and our presbyters "they caused to be sought in such a way, that if we were found
46
ἀπογενομένων ἀποτεθῇ." Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰ προσόμοια τούτοις ὁ Γεώργιος ἐν Ἀλεξαν δρείᾳ εἰργάζετο. ὁ δὲ θεῖος Ἀθανάσιος οὐδὲν χωρίον ὀχυρὸν ἐνόμιζεν εἰς ἀσφάλειαν, τοῦ βασιλέως ἢ ζῶντα ἀχθῆναι προστεταχότος ἢ τε θνεῶτος κομισθῆναί οἱ τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ μισθὸν τῷ τοῦτο δρῶντι ὑπισχνουμένου ὅτι μάλιστα πλεῖστον. Αὐτὸς δὲ δὴ ὁ Κωνστάντιος, Μαγνεντίου μετὰ τὴν Κώνσταντος τελευτὴν τῆς Ἑσπέρας κεκρατηκότος, ἐπὶ τὴν Εὐρώπην ἐξώρμησε, κατὰ τῆς ἐκείνου τυραννίδος στρατεύων. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὁ χαλεπὸς οὗτος πόλεμος τὸν κατὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν κατέλυσε πόλεμον· πείθουσι γὰρ δὴ τὸν πάντα ῥᾳδίως πειθόμενον καὶ τὴν αἱρετικὴν εἰσδεξάμενον νόσον, εἰς Μεδιόλανον (πόλις δὲ αὕτη τῆς Ἰταλίας) σύνοδον συνα γεῖραι, καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τοὺς συνεληλυθότας ἅπαντας ἀναγκάσαι τῇ παρὰ τῶν ἀδίκων ἐκείνων δικαστῶν ἐν Τύρῳ γεγενημένῃ καθαιρέσει συνθέσθαι, εἶθ' οὕτως Ἀθανασίου τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐξελαθέντος ἑτέραν πίστεως ἐκθέσθαι διδασκαλίαν. ἀλλὰ συνῆλθον μὲν τὰ βασιλικὰ δεξά μενοι γράμματα, οὐδέτερον δὲ δρᾶσαι τῶν εἰρημένων ἠνέσχοντο, ἀλλ' ἄντικρυς παρόντα τὸν βασιλέα διελέγξαντες ὡς ἄδικα παρεγ γυῶντα καὶ δυσσεβῆ, καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐξηλάθησαν καὶ τὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐσχατιὰς οἰκεῖν κατεκρίθησαν. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ πάλιν Ἀθανά σιος ὁ θαυμάσιος ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ Ἀπολογίᾳ συγγέγραφε. "Τίς τοσοῦτον δύναται μνημονεῦσαι ὅσον ἐκεῖνοι πεποιήκασιν; 129 "ἄρτι γὰρ εἰρήνην ἐχουσῶν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ τῶν λαῶν εὐχομένων "ἐν ταῖς συνάξεσιν, ὁ μὲν ἐπίσκοπος τῆς Ῥώμης Λιβέριος καὶ Παυλῖνος "ὁ τῆς μητροπόλεως τῶν Γαλλίων καὶ ∆ιονύσιος ὁ τῆς μητροπόλεως "τῆς Ἰταλίας καὶ Λουκίφερ ὁ τῆς μητροπόλεως τῶν κατὰ Σαρδανίαν "νήσων καὶ Εὐσέβιος ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰταλίας, οἱ πάντες ἐπίσκοποι ἀγαθοὶ "καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκες, ἁρπάζονται καὶ ἐξορίζονται· πρόφασιν "οὐδεμίαν ἔχοντες ἢ ὅτι μὴ συνέθεντο τῇ Ἀρειανῇ αἱρέσει μηδὲ ὑπέ "γραψαν αὐτοῖς καθ' ἡμῶν ἐν αἷς ἔπραξαν συκοφαντίαις. περὶ γὰρ "τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ εὐγηροτάτου καὶ ὁμολογητοῦ ἀληθῶς Ὁσίου περιττόν "ἐστιν ἐμὲ καὶ λέγειν· ἴσως γὰρ ἐγνώσθη πᾶσιν ὅτι καὶ τοῦτον ἐξο "ρισθῆναι πεποιήκασιν, οὐ γὰρ ἄσημος ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων μάλιστα "περιφανὴς ὁ γέρων. ποίας γὰρ οὐχ ἡγήσατο συνόδου καὶ λέγων "ὀρθῶς οὐ πάντας ἔπεισε; ποία ἐκκλησία τῆς τούτου προστασίας οὐκ "ἔχει μνήματα κάλλιστα; τίς ὀδυρόμενός ποτε προσελθὼν αὐτῷ οὐ "χαίρων ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ; τίς ᾔτησε δεόμενος καὶ οὐκ ἀνεχώρησε "τυχὼν ὧν ἠθέλησεν; καὶ ὅμως καὶ κατὰ τούτου τετολμήκασιν, ὅτι "καὶ οὗτος εἰδὼς ἃς ποιοῦσι διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν αὐτῶν συκοφαντίας "οὐχ ὑπέγραψε ταῖς καθ' ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλαῖς." Ὁποῖα μὲν δὴ κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων ἀνδρῶν ἐτολμήθη, τὰ συγγεγραμμένα διδάσκει· ὁπόσα δὲ καὶ ἄλλοις ἐπεβούλευσαν πλείστοις οἱ τῆς Ἀρειανικῆς φάλαγγος προστατεύοντες, πάλιν ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνὴρ ἐν τῷδε διηγήσατο τῷ συγγράμματι. "Τίνα γάρ ποτε διώκοντες καὶ καταλαβόντες οὐχ ὕβρισαν ὡς 130 "ἠθέλησαν; τίνα ζητοῦντες καὶ εὑρόντες οὐχ οὕτως διέθηκαν ὡς ἢ "τελευτῆσαι κακῶς ἢ λωβηθῆναι πανταχόθεν; ἃ γὰρ οἱ δικασταὶ "δοκοῦσι ποιεῖν, ταῦτα ἐκείνων ἐστὶν ἐνεργήματα· καὶ μᾶλλον οὗτοι "τῆς ἐκείνων προαιρέσεως καὶ πονηρίας εἰσὶν ὑπηρέται. ποῖος τοίνυν "τόπος οὐκ ἔχει τῆς κακίας αὐτῶν ὑπόμνημα; τίνα φρονοῦντα κατ' "αὐτῶν οὐ συνεσκευάσαντο, πλασάμενοι προφάσεις κατὰ τὴν Ἰεζάβελ; "ποία νῦν ἐκκλησία οὐ θρηνεῖ διὰ τὰς ἐκείνων ἐπιβουλάς; Ἀντιόχεια "μὲν δι' Εὐστάθιον τὸν ὁμολογητὴν καὶ ὀρθόδοξον, Βαλανέαι δὲ δι' "Εὐφρατίωνα, καὶ Πάλτος μὲν καὶ Ἀντάραδος διὰ Κυμάτιον καὶ Καρ "τέριον, ἡ δὲ Ἀδριανούπολις δι' Εὐτρόπιον τὸν φιλόχριστον καὶ τὸν "μετ' αὐτὸν Λούκιον, τὸν πολλάκις παρ' αὐτῶν καὶ ἁλύσεις φορέ "σαντα καὶ οὕτως ἀποθανόντα, καὶ Ἄγκυρα μὲν διὰ Μάρκελλον, Βέροια "δὲ διὰ Κῦρον καὶ Γάζα δι' Ἀσκληπᾶν. τούτους γὰρ πολλὰ πρότερον "ὑβρίσαντες, καὶ ἐξορισθῆναι πεποιήκασιν οἱ δόλιοι. Θεόδουλον δὲ καὶ "Ὀλύμπιον ἀπὸ τῆς Θρᾴκης ὄντας καὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ πρεσβυτέρους ἡμετέ "ρους οὕτως ἐποίησαν ζητηθῆναι, ὡς εἰ εὑρεθείημεν