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true God, Father almighty, "from whom are all things," and in the only-begotten Son of God, begotten from God before all "ages and before every beginning, through whom all things "came to be, both visible and invisible, begotten as only-begotten, alone from "the Father alone, God from God, like to the Father who begot him, "according to the Scriptures, whose generation no one knows except only the Father "who begot him. We know this only-begotten Son of God, at the sending of the Father, "to have come from the heavens, as it is written, for the removal of sin "and of death, and begotten from the Holy Spirit and Mary the "Virgin, as it is written, according to the flesh, and who conversed with the "disciples, and when the whole economy was fulfilled according to the will "of the Father, was crucified, died and was buried and into the "nethermost parts descended, at whom Hades itself trembled, and who rose from "the dead on the third day, conversed with the disciples for "forty days being fulfilled, and was taken up into the heavens "and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and is coming on the last day "of the resurrection with paternal glory to render to each according to his "works; and in the Holy Spirit, which the only-begotten "Son of God himself, Jesus Christ, God and Lord, promised to send to the "race of men, the Paraclete, as it is written, the Spirit "of truth, which he himself also sent after ascending into the heav 146 "ens and sitting at the right hand of the Father, and from there he comes to judge "the living and the dead. But the name of 'ousia' (substance), which was more simply "inserted by the fathers, but being unknown to the peoples, brought "scandal because it is not contained in the scriptures, it has been decided to remove it "and that absolutely no mention of 'ousia' should be made for the future, because "especially the divine scriptures make no mention of the 'ousia' of the Father and the Son, "nor indeed that one 'hypostasis' ought to be named for the person of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy "Spirit. But we say the Son is like the Father, "as the divine scriptures also say and teach. All "the heresies that have already been previously condemned, or if any have newly "arisen contrary to this scripture which has been set forth, let them be "anathema." These things, then, some through fear and others being deceived, subscribed; but those who were unwilling to agree were sent away to the ends of the earth. That, however, all the champions of the truth denounce this exposition, and especially those who inhabit the West, is testified by the writings sent from them to the Illyrians. The leader of those who wrote was Damasus, who obtained the presidency of the church of the Romans after Liberius, and was adorned with very many forms of virtue. He had ninety associates in the letters, from Italy and Galatia, now called Gaul, who had assembled in Rome. I would have inserted their names too, had I not considered it superfluous. And they wrote as follows: 147 "The bishops assembled at Rome in the sacred synod, "Damasus and Valerianus and the rest, to our beloved "brethren the bishops established in Illyricum, greeting in God. "We believe that you hold this our holy faith, founded on the teaching of the "apostles, and that you guide the people with this, which in no "way disagrees with what was defined by the fathers, priests of God, by whom it is right for the rest to be "instructed. But through a report from our brethren in Gaul and Venetia, "we have learned that certain men are zealous for heresy, an evil which bishops ought not only to "guard against, but also, whatever arises from the inexperience of some or "the simplicity of those using perverse interpretations † to resist from "now on those who intend to teach differently, that they may not slip at all, but "rather should hold to the opinion of our fathers, whenever "different counsels are brought to their ears. Therefore Auxentius "of Milan has been especially condemned in this matter

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ἀληθινὸν θεὸν πατέρα παντοκράτορα, "ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ εἰς τὸν μονογενῆ υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸν πρὸ πάντων "αἰώνων καὶ πρὸ πάσης ἀρχῆς γεννηθέντα ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα "ἐγένετο, τά τε ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, γεννηθέντα δὲ μονογενῆ, μόνον ἐκ "μόνου τοῦ πατρός, θεὸν ἐκ θεοῦ, ὅμοιον τῷ γεγεννηκότι αὐτὸν πατρί, κα "τὰ τὰς γραφάς, οὗ τὴν γέννησιν οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ γεννήσας αὐτὸν "πατήρ. τοῦτον οἴδαμεν μονογενῆ θεοῦ υἱὸν πέμποντος τοῦ πατρὸς παρα "γεγενῆσθαι ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, καθὼς γέγραπται, εἰς καθαίρεσιν ἁμαρτίας "καὶ θανάτου, καὶ γεννηθέντα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ Μαρίας τῆς παρ "θένου, καθὼς γέγραπται, κατὰ σάρκα, καὶ συναναστραφέντα μετὰ τῶν "μαθητῶν, καὶ πάσης τῆς οἰκονομίας πληρωθείσης κατὰ τὴν βούλησιν "τοῦ πατρὸς σταυρῷ προσηλωθέντα, ἀποθανόντα καὶ ταφέντα καὶ εἰς τὰ "καταχθόνια κατελθόντα, ὃν αὐτὸς ὁ ᾅδης ἐτρόμασε, καὶ ἀνελθόντα ἀπὸ "τῶν νεκρῶν τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, συναναστραφέντα μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν τεσ "σαράκοντα ἡμερῶν πληρουμένων καὶ ἀναληφθέντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς "καὶ καθεζόμενον ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ πατρός, ἐρχόμενον δὲ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ "τῆς ἀναστάσεως μετὰ δόξης πατρικῆς ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ "ἔργα αὐτοῦ· καὶ εἰς πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ὅπερ αὐτὸς ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ θεοῦ "υἱὸς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς θεὸς καὶ κύριος ἐπηγγείλατο ἀποστεῖλαι τῷ "γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὸν παράκλητον, καθὼς γέγραπται, τὸ πνεῦμα "τῆς ἀληθείας, ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπέστειλεν ἀνελθὼν εἰς τοὺς οὐρα 146 "νοὺς καὶ καθίσας ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ πατρός, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἐρχόμενος κρῖναι "ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς. τὸ δὲ ὄνομα τῆς οὐσίας, ὅπερ ἁπλούστερον "ἐνετέθη ὑπὸ τῶν πατέρων, ἀγνοούμενον δὲ τοῖς λαοῖς σκάνδαλον "ἔφερε διὰ τὸ ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς τοῦτο μὴ ἐμφέρεσθαι, ἤρεσε περιαιρεθῆναι "καὶ παντελῶς μηδεμίαν μνήμην οὐσίας τοῦ λοιποῦ γίνεσθαι, διὰ τὸ "μάλιστα τὰς θείας γραφὰς μηδαμοῦ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ οὐσίας "μεμνῆσθαι, μήτε μὴν δεῖν ἐπὶ προσώπου πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου "πνεύματος μίαν ὑπόστασιν ὀνομάζεσθαι. ὅμοιον δὲ λέγομεν τῷ πατρὶ "τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς καὶ αἱ θεῖαι γραφαὶ λέγουσι καὶ διδάσκουσι. πάσας "δὲ τὰς αἱρέσεις τὰς ἤδη πρότερον καθαιρεθείσας, ἢ καὶ εἴ τινες νεωστὶ "ἀνεφύησαν ὑπεναντίαι ταύτης τῆς γραφῆς τῆς ἐκτεθείσης, ἀνάθεμα "ἔστωσαν." Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οἱ μὲν δείσαντες οἱ δὲ φενακισθέντες συνυπέ γραψαν· οἱ δὲ συνθέσθαι μὴ βουληθέντες εἰς τὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐσχατιὰς ἐξεπέμφθησαν. Ὅτι μέντοι τῆσδε τῆς ἐκθέσεως ἅπαντες κατηγοροῦσιν οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀγωνισταὶ καὶ διαφερόντως οἱ τὴν Ἑσπέραν οἰκοῦντες, μαρ τυρεῖ τὰ πρὸς Ἰλλυρίους παρ' ἐκείνων γραφέντα. ἐξῆρχε δὲ τῶν γεγραφότων ∆άμασος, τῆς μὲν Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίας μετὰ Λιβέριον τὴν προεδρίαν λαχών, παμπόλλοις δὲ ἀρετῆς κοσμούμενος εἴδεσιν. ἐνενήκοντα δὲ κοινωνοὺς ἔσχε τῶν γραμμάτων, ἐξ Ἰταλίας καὶ Γαλα τίας, τῆς νῦν Γαλλίας ὀνομαζομένης, εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην συνεληλυθότας. ἐνέθηκα δ' ἂν καὶ τὰ τούτων ὀνόματα, εἰ μὴ παρέλκον ὑπέλαβον. ἔγραψαν δὲ τάδε· 147 "Οἱ ἐπίσκοποι οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν συνέδριον συνελθόντες, "∆άμασος καὶ Οὐαλεριανὸς καὶ οἱ λοιποί, τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς ἀδελ "φοῖς τοῖς ἐν τῷ Ἰλλυρικῷ καθεστῶσιν ἐπισκόποις, ἐν θεῷ χαίρειν. "Πιστεύομεν τὴν ἁγίαν πίστιν ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τῶν ἀπο "στόλων θεμελιωθεῖσαν ταύτην ὑμᾶς κατέχειν καὶ ταύτην τῷ λαῷ "ὑφηγεῖσθαι, ἥτις ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρισθέντων παρὰ τῶν πατέρων οὐδενὶ "λόγῳ διαφωνεῖ, θεοῦ ἱερεῖς, ὑφ' ὧν δίκαιόν ἐστι τοὺς λοιποὺς παι "δεύεσθαι. ἀλλὰ δι' ἀναφορᾶς τῶν ἐν Γαλλίᾳ καὶ Βενετίᾳ ἀδελφῶν "ἔγνωμέν τινας αἵρεσιν σπουδάζειν, ὅπερ κακὸν οὐ μόνον παραφυ "λάττεσθαι ὀφείλουσιν οἱ ἐπίσκοποι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα ἀπειρίᾳ τινῶν ἢ "ἁπλότητι τῶν σκαιαῖς κεχρημένων ἑρμηνείαις † ἀνθίστασθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ "νῦν διαφόροις διδασκαλίαις διανοουμένους μὴ πάνυ ὀλισθαίνειν, ἀλλὰ "μᾶλλον τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν κατέχειν τὴν γνώμην, ὁσάκις ἂν διά "φοροι βουλαὶ ταῖς ἀκοαῖς αὐτῶν ἐπεισφέρωνται. τοιγαροῦν Αὐξέν "τιον τὸν Μεδιολάνου ἐξαιρέτως ἐν τούτῳ τῷ πράγματι κατακεκρί