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to speak with testimony you were judged worthy to be bishop of the entire church; for if they all long for you to be with them, they will indisputably increase this happiness for you. But your understanding, which has known to keep both the commandments of God and the apostolic canon and that of the church, has done exceedingly well in declining the episcopacy of the church in Antioch, and in hastening to remain in that one, into which from the first by God's will you received the episcopacy. Concerning this, then, I composed a letter to the people, and to your other fellow ministers, who themselves also had happened to write to me about these things which your purity upon reading will easily recognize, since justice cried out against them, by divine exhortation I wrote to them, at whose council your understanding will also need to be present, so that this might be established for the church of the Antiochenes which would be deemed most fitting both to God himself and to the church. May God keep you, beloved brother. Victor Constantinus Maximus Augustus to Theodotus, Theodorus, Narcissus, Aetius, Alpheius and the other bishops who are in Antioch. I have read the things written by your understanding, and I have accepted the prudent proposal of Eusebius, who is consecrated together with you, and having learned all that has been done, both from your letters and from those of Acacius and Strategius, the most illustrious counts, and having made the necessary deliberation, I have written to the people of Antioch that which was both pleasing to God and fitting for the church, and I have ordered a copy of the letter to be subjoined to these writings, so that you yourselves may know what, prompted by the word of righteousness, I chose to write to the people, since this was contained in your letters, that according to the understanding and will of the people and of your choice, Eusebius the most holy bishop of the church of Caesarea should preside over the church of the Antiochenes and undertake the care for it. But the letters of Eusebius, which appeared to especially guard the ordinance of the church, introduced the contrary opinion, that he should in no way abandon the church entrusted to him by God; it seemed good, therefore, to ratify this so just a proposal, which must be kept by all of you, and not to tear him away from his own church. But it was necessary that my own opinion also become manifest to your understanding. For there have come to me both Euphronius the presbyter, being a citizen of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and likewise George the Arethusian, a presbyter, whom Alexander had appointed to this rank in Alexandria, being most approved in the faith. It would be well, therefore, to declare to your understanding those who are nominated and others, whom you might deem worthy of the office of the episcopate, to determine those things which would be in harmony with the tradition of the apostles. For when such men have been prepared, your understanding will be able, according to the canon of the church and the apostolic tradition, so to regulate the ordination, as the word of ecclesiastical knowledge may direct. May God keep you, beloved brothers. By commanding such things to the rulers of the churches, the emperor advised them to do all things for the honor of the divine word. And when, having removed the divisions, he had brought the church of God under a concordant harmony, moving on from there, he thought it necessary to destroy another kind of godless men, as if it were an unseen poison of human life. And these were certain corruptors, who under a solemn pretext were ruining the cities; the saving voice called them false prophets or ravenous wolves, somewhere decreeing thus: "6Beware of false prophets, who will come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves; by their fruits you will know them."6 And a certain command having been sent down to the governors of each province drove out the whole tribe of such men, and in addition to the law, also a life-giving teaching into

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εἰπεῖν μαρτυρίᾳ ἄξιος ἐκρίθης πάσης ἐκκλησίας ἐπίσκοπος εἶναι· εἰ γὰρ ποθοῦσιν ἅπαντες εἶναί σε παρ' αὐτοῖς, ταύτην σοι τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν ἀναμφισβητήτως συναύ3.61.2 ξουσιν. ἀλλ' ἡ σὴ σύνεσις, ἣ τάς τε ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸν ἀποστολικὸν κανόνα καὶ τὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας φυλάττειν ἔγνωκεν, ὑπέρευγε πεποίηκε παραιτουμένη τὴν ἐπισκοπίαν τῆς κατὰ τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν ἐκκλησίας, ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ διαμεῖναι σπουδάζουσα, εἰς ἣν ἐκ πρώτης θεοῦ βουλήσει 3.61.3 τὴν ἐπισκοπίαν ὑπεδέξατο. περὶ δὴ τούτου πρὸς τὸν λαὸν ἐπιστολὴν ἐποιησάμην, πρός τε τοὺς ἄλλους σου συλλειτουργούς, οἳ καὶ αὐτοὶ περὶ τούτων ἐτύγχανόν μοι γεγραφότες ἅπερ ἡ σὴ καθαρότης ἀναγνοῦσα ῥᾳδίως ἐπιγνώσεται, τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀντιφθεγγομένης αὐτοῖς προτροπῇ τοῦ θείου πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔγραψα, ὧν τῷ συμβουλίῳ καὶ τὴν σὴν σύνεσιν παρεῖναι δεήσει, ὡς ἂν τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας τυπωθείη ὃ καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ θεῷ καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρεπωδέστατον νομισθείη. Ὁ θεός σε διαφυλάξοι, ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ. 3.62.1 Νικητὴς Κωνσταντῖνος Μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς Θεοδότῳ, Θεοδώρῳ, Ναρκίσσῳ, Ἀετίῳ, Ἀλφειῷ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἐπισκόποις τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ. Ἀνέγνων τὰ γραφέντα παρὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας συνέσεως, Εὐσεβίου τε τοῦ ἅμα ὑμῖν ἱερωμένου τὴν ἔμφρονα πρόθεσιν ἀπεδεξάμην, ἐπιγνούς τε τὰ πεπραγμένα σύμπαντα τοῦτο μὲν τοῖς ὑμετέροις γράμμασιν τοῦτο δὲ τοῖς Ἀκακίου καὶ Στρατηγίου τῶν διασημοτάτων κομήτων, διάσκεψίν τε τὴν δέουσαν ποιησάμενος, πρὸς τὸν Ἀντιοχέων λαὸν ἔγραψα ὅπερ ἀρεστόν τε τῷ θεῷ ἦν καὶ ἁρμόζον τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἀντίγραφόν τε τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ὑποταχθῆναι τοῖς γράμμασι τούτοις ἐνετειλάμην, ὡς ἂν καὶ αὐτοὶ γινώσκοιτε ὅ τί ποτε τῷ τοῦ δικαίου λόγῳ προκληθεὶς πρὸς τὸν λαὸν γράψαι προειλόμην, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο τοῖς γράμμασιν ὑμῶν περιείχετο, ὥστε κατά γε τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τὴν τῆς ὑμετέρας προαιρέσεως σύνεσίν τε καὶ βούλησιν Εὐσέβιον τὸν ἱερώτατον ἐπίσκοπον τῆς Καισαρέων ἐκκλησίας ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων προκαθέζεσθαι καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ ταύτης 3.62.2 ἀναδέξασθαι φροντίδα. τά γε μὴν Εὐσεβίου γράμματα, ἃ τὸν θεσμὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας μάλιστα φυλάττοντα ἐφαίνετο, τὴν ἐναντίαν εἰσηγεῖτο γνώμην, μηδαμῶς αὐτὸν τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐμπιστευθεῖσαν ἐκκλησίαν ἀπολιπεῖν· ἔδοξεν οὖν τὴν οὕτω δικαίαν πρόθεσιν καὶ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν φυλακτέαν κυρίαν μᾶλλον ποιήσασθαι μηδ' ἀποσπάσαι αὐτὸν τῆς ἰδίας ἐκκλησίας. Ἐχρῆν δ' ὑμῶν τῇ συνέσει καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν γνώμην ἐμφανῆ γενέσθαι. ἀφῖκται γὰρ εἰς ἐμὲ Εὐφρόνιόν τε τὸν πρεσβύτερον πολίτην ὄντα τῆς κατὰ Καππαδοκίαν Καισαρείας καὶ Γεώργιον τὸν Ἀρεθούσιον πρεσβύτερον ὡσαύτως, ὃν ἐπὶ τῆς τάξεως ταύτης Ἀλέξανδρος ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ 3.62.3 κατεστήσατο, εἶναι τὴν πίστιν δοκιμωτάτους. καλῶς οὖν εἶχεν δηλῶσαι τῇ συνέσει ὑμῶν τούς τε προχειρισαμένους καὶ ἑτέρους, οὓς ἂν ἀξίους ἡγήσησθε πρὸς τὸ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἀξίωμα, ὁρίσαι ταῦτα ἃ τῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων παραδόσει σύμφωνα ἂν εἴη. τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων εὐτρεπισθέντων δυνήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ σύνεσις κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας κανόνα καὶ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν παράδοσιν οὕτω ῥυθμίσαι τὴν χειροτονίαν, ὡς ἂν ὁ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς ἐπιστήμης ὑφηγῆται λόγος. Ὁ θεὸς ὑμᾶς διαφυλάξοι, ἀδελφοὶ ἀγαπητοί. 3.63.1 Τοιαῦτα τοῖς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἄρχουσι διαταττόμενος βασιλεὺς πάντα πράττειν ἐπ' εὐφημίᾳ τοῦ θείου λόγου παρῄνει. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰς διαστάσεις ἐκποδὼν ποιησάμενος ὑπὸ σύμφωνον ἁρμονίαν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ κατεστήσατο, ἔνθεν μεταβὰς ἄλλο τι γένος ἀθέων ἀνδρῶν ᾠήθη δεῖν ὥσπερ δηλητήριον 3.63.2 τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀφανὲς καταστῆσαι βίου. φθόροι δέ τινες ὑπῆρχον οὗτοι, προσχήματι σεμνῷ λυμαινόμενοι τὰς πόλεις· ψευδοπροφήτας αὐτοὺς ἢ λύκους ἅρπαγας σωτήριος ἀπεκάλει ὧδέ που θεσπίζουσα φωνή· "6προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἵτινες ἐλεύσονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασι προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσι λύκοι ἅρπαγες· ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε 3.63.3 αὐτούς."6 καταπεμφθὲν δέ τι κέλευσμα τοῖς κατ' ἔθνος ἡγεμόσι πᾶν τὸ τῶν τοιούτων φῦλον ἤλαυνε, πρὸς δὲ τῷ νόμῳ καὶ ζωοποιὸν διδασκαλίαν εἰς