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"to be is added in writing. It is therefore right for all the teachers of the law in the Roman world to think according to the law, and not 148 to defile the faith with various teachings. For when the wickedness of the heretics first began to flourish, just as the blasphemy of the Arians is now especially creeping in, our fathers, three hundred and eighteen bishops, and the chosen delegates from the most holy bishop of the Romans, when the council was held at Nicaea, established this wall against the weapons of the devil, and with this antidote they repelled the deadly poisons; so that it is necessary to believe that the Father and the Son are of one substance, one divinity, one excellence, one power, and one character, and the Holy Spirit of the same hypostasis, judging that one who thinks otherwise is a stranger to our communion; this saving definition and venerable council certain men afterwards wished to corrupt and defile with other councils. But at the very beginning by these very men, who were forced at Ariminum to innovate or tamper, it was corrected to this extent, that they confessed 149 they had been carried away by another wording, or that they had not understood it to be contrary to the decision of the fathers which was approved at Nicaea. For no prejudice could be created by the number of those gathered at Ariminum, since it is established that neither the bishop of the Romans, whose opinion ought to have been awaited before all others, nor Vincentius, who for so many years blamelessly kept his episcopate, nor the others consented to such things, especially when, as we have said before, these very men who seemed to have yielded through conspiracy, having adopted a better judgment, testified that these things were displeasing to them. "Your Purity therefore perceives that this faith alone, which was founded at Nicaea according to the authority of the apostles, must be held with perpetual firmness, and with us the Easterners, who acknowledge themselves to be of the Catholic church, and the Westerners, boast; but we believe that before long those who hold other sick doctrines will by this very attempt be separated from our communion 150 and that the name of bishop will be taken from them, so that the people, freed from their error, may breathe again. For in no way will they be able to correct the error of the multitudes, when they themselves are held by error. Let your opinion therefore be in harmony with that of all the priests of God and of your Honor, in which we believe you to be steadfast and firm; thus we also ought to believe rightly with you. Make us glad by the reciprocation of your love. Farewell, most honored brothers." And the great Athanasius also, in his Letter to the Africans, relates such things about the synod at Ariminum: "Since these things are thus proven, who will accept those who name Ariminum or any other synod besides the one in Nicaea? Or who would not hate those who set aside the things of the fathers, but prefer the newer things composed at Ariminum through contentiousness and violence? Who would wish to assemble with these men, men who do not even accept their own things? For in their own ten or more synods, as we said before, they write different things at different times, and are clearly themselves accusers of each. They suffer this, just as the traitors of the 151 Jews then suffered. For as they, having forsaken the "only fountain of living water," "dug for themselves cisterns which cannot hold water" (for this is written in the prophet Jeremiah), so these men, fighting against the ecumenical synod, have dug for themselves many synods, and all of them have appeared empty among them like "a handful that has no strength." Let us not, therefore, tolerate those who name Ariminum or any other synod besides the one held at Nicaea. For even those who name Ariminum seem not to know the things that were done in it, or else they would have been silent. "For you know, beloved, having also learned from those who came from

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"σθαι προσγέγραπται. δίκαιον οὖν ἐστι πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῷ Ῥωμαίων "κόσμῳ διδασκάλους τοῦ νόμου τὰ περὶ τοῦ νόμου φρονεῖν, καὶ μὴ 148 "διαφόροις διδασκαλίαις τὴν πίστιν μιαίνειν. καὶ γὰρ ἡνίκα πρῶτον ἡ "κακία τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἀκμάζειν ἤρξατο, ὡς καὶ νῦν μάλιστα ὑφέρπει τῶν "Ἀρειανῶν ἡ βλασφημία, οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν τριακόσιοι δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἐπί "σκοποι καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῆς Ῥωμαίων <τοῦ> ἁγιωτάτου ἐπισκόπου ἐπίλεκτοι, "εἰς Νίκαιαν γενομένου τοῦ σκέμματος, τοῦτο τὸ τεῖχος ὑπεναντίον τῶν "ὅπλων τοῦ διαβόλου ὥρισαν καὶ ταύτῃ τῇ ἀντιδότῳ τὰ θανάσιμα φάρ "μακα ἀπεώσαντο· ὥστε τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν μιᾶς οὐσίας, μιᾶς "θεότητος, μιᾶς ἀρετῆς, μιᾶς δυνάμεως καὶ ἑνὸς χαρακτῆρος πιστεύ "εσθαι χρῆναι, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποστάσεως καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, "τὸν δὲ ἄλλως φρονοῦντα ἀλλότριον εἶναι τῆς ἡμετέρας κοινωνίας "κρίναντες· ὅνπερ σωτηριώδη ὅρον καὶ τὴν προσκυνητὴν σκέψιν δια "φθεῖραι μετὰ ταῦτα ἄλλαις σκέψεσί τινες καὶ μιᾶναι ἠθέλησαν. ἀλλ' "ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἀρχῇ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τούτων, οἵτινες ἐν Ἀριμήνῳ ἀνανεώ "σασθαι ἢ ψηλαφῆσαι ἠναγκάζοντο, μέχρι τούτου διωρθώθη, ὡς ὁμο 149 "λογεῖν αὐτοὺς ἑτέρᾳ διαλέξει ὑφηρπάσθαι, ἢ ὅτι οὐκ ἐνενόησαν τῇ "τῶν πατέρων γνώμῃ τῇ ἐν Νικαίᾳ ἀρεσάσῃ ἐναντίον εἶναι. οὐδὲ "γὰρ πρόκριμά τι ἠδυνήθη γενέσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τῶν ἐν Ἀριμήνῳ "συναχθέντων, ὁπότε συνέστηκε μήτε τὸν Ῥωμαίων ἐπίσκοπον, οὗ "πρὸ πάντων ἔδει τὴν γνώμην ἐκδέξασθαι, οὔτε Οὐικεντίου, ὃς ἐπὶ "τοσούτοις ἔτεσι τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἀσπίλως ἐφύλαξεν, οὔτε τῶν ἄλλων "τοῖς τοιούτοις συγκαταθεμένων, ὁπότε μάλιστα, καθὰ προειρήκαμεν, "αὐτοὶ οὗτοι οἵτινες κατὰ συσκευὴν ὑποκλίνεσθαι ἔδοξαν, οἱ αὐτοὶ "καλλίονι γνώμῃ χρησάμενοι ἀπαρέσκειν αὐτοῖς ταῦτα ἐμαρτύραντο. "Συνορᾷ οὖν ἡ ὑμετέρα καθαρότης ταύτην μόνην τὴν πίστιν, "ἥτις ἐν Νικαίᾳ κατὰ τὴν αὐθεντίαν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐθεμελιώθη, "διηνεκεῖ βεβαιότητι καθεκτέαν εἶναι, καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν τοὺς Ἀνατολι "κούς, οἵτινες ἑαυτοὺς τῆς καθολικῆς ἐπιγινώσκουσι, τοὺς δὲ ∆υτι "κοὺς καυχᾶσθαι· πιστεύομεν δὲ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν τοὺς ἄλλα νοσοῦντας "αὐτῇ τῇ ἐπιχειρήσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας κοινωνίας χωρισθήσεσθαι 150 "καὶ περιαιρεθήσεσθαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν τὸ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ὄνομα, ὥστε τοὺς "λαοὺς τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν ἐλευθερωθέντας ἀναπνεῦσαι. οὐδενὶ γὰρ "τρόπῳ διορθοῦσθαι δυνήσονται τὴν πλάνην τῶν ὄχλων, ὁπότε αὐτοὶ "ὑπὸ τῆς πλάνης κατέχονται. συμφωνείτω τοίνυν μετὰ πάντων τῶν "τοῦ θεοῦ ἱερέων καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας τιμιότητος ἡ γνώμη, ἐν ᾗ ὑμᾶς "παγίους καὶ βεβαίους εἶναι πιστεύομεν· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς μεθ' ὑμῶν "ὀρθῶς πιστεύειν ὀφείλομεν. τοῖς ἀμοιβαίοις τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης "εὐφράνατε ἡμᾶς. ἔρρωσθε, ἀδελφοὶ τιμιώτατοι." Καὶ Ἀθανάσιος δὲ ὁ μέγας ἐν τῇ πρὸς τοὺς Ἄφρους Ἐπιστολῇτοιαῦτα περὶ τῆς ἐν Ἀριμήνῳ συνόδου διέξεισι· "Τούτων δὲ οὕτως δεικνυμένων, τίς ἀποδέξεται τοὺς τὴν Ἀρίμη "νον ἢ ἄλλην σύνοδον παρὰ τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ ὀνομάζοντας; ἢ τίς οὐκ ἂν "μισήσειε τοὺς ἀθετοῦντας μὲν τὰ τῶν πατέρων, τὰ δὲ νεώτερα ἐν "τῇ Ἀριμήνῳ κατὰ φιλονεικίαν καὶ βίαν συντεθέντα προκρίνοντας; "τίς δὲ τούτοις συνελθεῖν ἐθελήσει, ἀνθρώποις μηδὲ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἀπο "δεχομένοις; οἱ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν δέκα που καὶ πλέον, καθὰ προ "είπαμεν, συνόδοις ἄλλοτε ἄλλα γράφοντες, δῆλοί εἰσιν ἑκάστης αὐτοὶ "κατήγοροι γινόμενοι. πάσχουσι δὲ τοῦτο, οἷον καὶ οἱ τότε τῶν 151 "Ἰουδαίων προδόται πεπόνθασιν. ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι καταλείψαντες τὴν "μόνην πηγὴν τοῦ ζῶντος ὕδατος " ὤρυξαν ἑαυτοῖς λάκκους οἳ "οὐ δυνήσονται ὕδωρ συνέχειν " (γέγραπται δὲ τοῦτο παρὰ τῷ "προφήτῃ Ἱερεμίᾳ), οὕτως οὗτοι μαχόμενοι πρὸς τὴν οἰκουμενικὴν "σύνοδον ὤρυξαν ἑαυτοῖς συνόδους πολλὰς καὶ πᾶσαι κεναὶ παρ' αὐ "τοῖς ὡς " δράγμα μὴ ἔχον ἰσχὺν " ἐφάνησαν. μὴ τοίνυν ἀνεχώμεθα "τῶν τὴν Ἀρίμηνον ἢ ἄλλην ὀνομαζόντων σύνοδον παρὰ τὴν ἐν "Νικαίᾳ γενομένην. καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ τὴν Ἀρίμηνον ὀνομάζοντες "ἐοίκασι μὴ εἰδέναι τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ πραχθέντα, ἢ γὰρ ἂν ἐσιώπησαν. "Οἴδατε γάρ, ἀγαπητοί, μαθόντες καὶ ὑμεῖς παρὰ τῶν ἐλθόντων "ἐξ