50

and the prophets and the gospels and the "apostles have preached through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is both "the guardian of your kingdom and the protector of your strength, so that "holding this we may guard it and guarding it we may keep it to the end. "For it seemed absurd and unlawful to change anything of what has been rightly and justly "defined and of what was decided at Nicaea in common with the most glorious "Constantine, your father and emperor; whose "teaching and thought has both gone out and been preached to all human "ears and minds, which alone was the adversary and destroyer of the Arian "heresy, through which not only this, but also the other heresies "were overthrown, in which indeed to add anything is fallacious and to "take anything away is dangerous, so that if either of these should happen, "the enemies will have license to do whatever they wish. 140 "Wherefore Ursacius and Valens, since they had been established as partakers and sympathizers "of the Arian dogma, were declared "separated from our communion. So that in order to partake of this, for the offenses they had "acknowledged in themselves, they asked to receive both repentance and pardon, "as also the documents produced by them testify, through "which forbearance for all and pardon for their crimes has been granted (and the "time at which these things were done was when the council "of the synod was being held in Milan, with the presbyters of the "church of the Romans also being present), and having known at the same time also that Constantine of worthy memory "after his death had set forth the written faith with all accuracy "and examination, and since, as he was of men, "he was baptized and departed to his due peace, it is absurd "to innovate anything after him and to overlook so many holy confessors "and martyrs who were both authors and discoverers of this doctrine, "who have remained thinking all things according to the ancient ordinance "of the church. Whose faith God has also transmitted into "the times of your reign through our master "Jesus Christ, through whom it has been granted to you to reign in such a way "as also to rule over our world. 141 "Again, therefore, those pitiful and wretched in mind, with unlawful "audacity, have announced themselves as heralds of impious thought "and are attempting to overturn every ordinance of truth. For when, according to "your command, the council of the synod was convened, those men too "laid bare the thought of their own deceit. For they tried with some craftiness "and confusion, by bringing something forward, to innovate, having found as accomplices "of such a faction one Germanus and Auxentius and Gaius, "men who cause heresy and division; whose teaching, "though one, has surpassed every multitude of blasphemies. But when they perceived that "we were not of the same persuasion nor of one mind regarding the things they wrongly "thought, they transferred themselves to our council as if to write "<something different>. But the time was short that also exposed their opinions. "Therefore, so that the affairs of the church might not always fall into the same things "and rolling confusion and tumult confound all things, it seemed firm to "guard the things formerly defined as lawful and unmovable, and that the "aforementioned men be separated from our communion; for which reason "we have sent ambassadors to your clemency to inform you, "to report the opinion of the council through this letter. And we have charged the "ambassadors, above all else, to confirm the truth, "proceeding from the ancient and just things of old; who will also 142 "inform your holiness that it will not be peace as Ursacius "and Valens have said, if anything of what is just should be overturned. For how "is it possible for those who destroy the peace to bring peace? For rather "strife and confusion will arise from these men along with the other cities and "the church of the Romans. Wherefore indeed we beseech your clemency, "that you might look upon our ambassadors with gracious ears and a serene gaze, "and not, to the insult of those who have passed away, change anything "new

50

καὶ οἱ προφῆται καὶ τὰ εὐαγγέλια καὶ οἱ "ἀπόστολοι διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ἐκήρυξαν, τοῦ καὶ "τῆς σῆς βασιλείας φρουροῦ καὶ τῆς σῆς ῥώσεως προστάτου, ἵνα "ταύτην κατέχοντες φυλάξωμεν καὶ φυλάττοντες μέχρι τέλους διατη "ρήσωμεν. ἄτοπον γὰρ καὶ ἀθέμιτον ἐφάνη τῶν ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως "ὡρισμένων τι μεταλλάξαι καὶ τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ κοινῇ μετὰ τοῦ ἐνδοξοτάτου "Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ σοῦ πατρὸς καὶ βασιλέως ἐσκεμμένων· ὧν ἡ διδα "σκαλία καὶ τὸ φρόνημα διῆλθέ τε καὶ ἐκηρύχθη εἰς πάσας ἀνθρώπων "ἀκοάς τε καὶ διανοίας, ἥτις ἀντίπαλος μόνη καὶ ὀλετὴρ τῆς Ἀρείου "αἱρέσεως ὑπῆρξε, δι' ἧς οὐ μόνον αὕτη, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ αἱρέσεις "καθῃρέθησαν, ἐν ᾗ ὄντως καὶ τὸ προσθεῖναί τι σφαλερὸν καὶ τὸ "ἀφελέσθαι ἐπικίνδυνον ὑπάρχει, ὡς εἴπερ θάτερον γένοιτο, ἔσται τοῖς "ἐχθροῖς ἄδεια τοῦ ποιεῖν ἅπερ βούλονται. 140 "Ὅθεν Οὐρσάκιός τε καὶ Οὐάλης, ἐπειδὴ μέτοχοί τε καὶ σύμφωνοι "τοῦ Ἀρειανοῦ δόγματος ἦσαν καθεστηκότες, τῆς ἡμετέρας κοινωνίας "χωρισθέντες ἀπεφάνθησαν. ἧς ἵνα μετάσχωσιν, ἐφ' οἷς ἑαυτοῖς συνε "γνώκεισαν πλημμελήσαντες, μετανοίας τε καὶ συγγνώμης ἠξίουν "τυχεῖν, ὡς καὶ τὰ ἀντίγραφα τὰ ὑπ' ἐκείνων γεγενημένα μαρτυρεῖ, δι' "ὧν ἁπάντων φειδὼ γεγένηται καὶ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων συγγνώμη (ἦν δὲ "ὁ καιρὸς καθ' ὃν ταῦτα ἐπράττετο ὅτε ἐν Μεδιολάνῳ τὸ συνέδριον "τῆς συνόδου συνεκροτεῖτο, συμπαρόντων δὲ καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τῆς "τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίας), ἐγνωκότες δὲ ἅμα καὶ τὸν μετὰ τελευτὴν "ἄξιον μνήμης Κωνσταντῖνον μετὰ πάσης ἀκριβείας καὶ ἐξετάσεως τὴν "συγγραφεῖσαν πίστιν ἐκτεθεικότα, ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὡς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο "βαπτισθεὶς καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὀφειλομένην εἰρήνην ἀνεχώρησεν, ἄτοπον "εἶναι μετ' ἐκεῖνόν τι καινοτομεῖν καὶ τοσούτους ἁγίους ὁμολογητὰς "καὶ μάρτυρας τοὺς καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ δόγματος συγγραφεῖς τε καὶ ἐφευ "ρετὰς παριδεῖν, οἵτινες κατὰ τὸν παλαιὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας θεσμὸν "ἅπαντα φρονοῦντες διαμεμενήκασιν. ὧν ὁ θεὸς τὴν πίστιν καὶ εἰς "τοὺς σοὺς χρόνους τῆς βασιλείας μετέδωκε διὰ τοῦ δεσπότου ἡμῶν "Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ σοι καὶ τὸ βασιλεύειν οὕτως ὑπῆρξεν ὡς καὶ "τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης κρατεῖν. 141 "Πάλιν γοῦν οἱ ἐλεεινοὶ καὶ οἰκτροὶ τῷ φρονήματι ἀθεμίτῳ τολ "μήματι τῆς δυσσεβοῦς φρονήσεως κήρυκας ἑαυτοὺς ἀνήγγειλαν καὶ "ἐπιχειροῦσιν ἀνατρέπειν πᾶν ἀληθείας σύνταγμα. ὡς γὰρ κατὰ τὸ "σὸν πρόσταγμα συνέδριον τῆς συνόδου συνεκροτεῖτο, κἀκεῖνοι τῆς "ἰδίας ἀπάτης ἐγύμνουν τὴν σκέψιν. ἐπειρῶντο γὰρ πανουργίᾳ τινὶ "καὶ ταραχῇ προσφέροντές τι καινοτομεῖν, τῆς τοιαύτης ἑταιρίας συνα "λισκομένους εὑρόντες Γερμάνιόν τινα καὶ Αὐξέντιον καὶ Γάϊον, "τοὺς τὴν αἵρεσιν καὶ διχοστασίαν ἐμποιοῦντας· ὧν ἡ διδασκαλία "μία μὲν οὖσα πᾶν πλῆθος βλασφημιῶν ὑπερβέβηκεν. ὡς δὲ συνεῖδον "οὐχὶ τῆς αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως ὄντας οὔτε ὁμογνωμονοῦντας ἐφ' οἷς κακῶς "ἐφρόνουν, εἰς τὸ συμβούλιον ἡμῶν μετήγαγον ἑαυτοὺς ὡς δοκεῖν "<ἕτερόν> τι γράφειν. ἦν δὲ ὁ καιρὸς βραχὺς ὁ καὶ τὰς γνώμας αὐτῶν "ἐξελέγχων. "Ἵν' οὖν μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀεὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας περιπίπτῃ καὶ τα "ραχὴ καὶ θόρυβος καλινδούμενος ἅπαντα συγχέῃ, βέβαιον ἐφάνη τὰ "πάλαι ὡρισμένα ἔννομα καὶ ἀμετακίνητα διαφυλάττειν, τοὺς δὲ προ "ειρημένους τῆς ἡμετέρας κοινωνίας ἀποκεχωρίσθαι· δι' ἣν αἰτίαν "τοὺς ἀναδιδάξοντας πρέσβεις πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἐπιείκειαν ἀπεστάλκαμεν, "τὴν γνώμην τοῦ συνεδρίου διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς μηνύσοντας. τοῖς δὲ "πρέσβεσι πρό γε πάντων τοῦτο παρεκελευσάμεθα τὸ τὴν ἀλήθειαν "πιστώσασθαι ἐκ τῶν πάλαι ἀρχαίων καὶ δικαίων ὁρμωμένους· οἳ καὶ 142 "τὴν σὴν ὁσιότητα ἀναδιδάξουσιν ὅτι οὐχ ὥσπερ ἔφησεν Οὐρσάκιός "τε καὶ Οὐάλης ἔσται εἰρήνη, εἴπερ τι τῶν δικαίων ἀνατραπείη. πῶς "γὰρ εἰρήνην οἷόν τε ἄγειν τοὺς τὴν εἰρήνην καταλύοντας; μᾶλλον "γὰρ ἔρις καὶ ταραχὴ ἐκ τούτων σὺν ταῖς λοιπαῖς πόλεσι καὶ τῇ "Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίᾳ γενήσεται. διὸ δὴ ἱκετεύομεν τὴν σὴν ἐπιείκειαν, "ἵνα προσηνέσιν ἀκοαῖς καὶ γαληνῷ βλέμματι τοὺς ἡμετέρους πρέσβεις "ἀθρήσειας μήτε πρὸς ὕβριν τῶν τετελευτηκότων καινόν τι μεταλ "λάττειν