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I received kindly those who wished to meet with us, and I proposed what was necessary. But that I might also make a defense for the most God-beloved bishop, the lord Domnus, what was one to do who was so openly warred against, and who saw those deposed by a synodical vote being sent into another diocese, and, contrary to the ecclesiastical canons, receiving back their priesthood, and the sacred and divine things being laughed at and mocked by the enemies of the truth? For this reason, as he decided, he referred the judgment to others, and not only to the most God-beloved lord Ibas, but also to the most holy bishop the lord Symeon of Amida, so that the metropolitans of the two provinces might hear the cases. But how is it just for the same people to be accused of both cruelty and philanthropy? For we are in danger when we cast them out, and we do not escape the dangers when we do not cast them out; and we alone are warred against throughout the whole world. And while the other dioceses live in peace, we alone are exposed to slanderers; and I especially, although I have not judged with them and am entirely without responsibility. I was compelled to write these things after reading the letters of your greatness and learning through them that also on account of these things a very great commotion has arisen against us, against men who have been confined, and are living in peace, and are not even sitting in council with the most God-beloved bishops of the province. For indeed, although an episcopal ordination has already taken place twice in our province, I have taken part in neither. And if I were not restrained by the imperial law, I would have departed, and having taken some remote place, I would have spent my remaining days there. For I am weary of the things being devised against me. For I do not think that these Edessenes themselves have woven this slander against us on their own, but that they were taught these things against us by the "truth-loving" people there. And thanks be to the Savior of all, because He deemed me, though unworthy, worthy of the evangelical beatitudes. For this very reason I both accepted my confinement with pleasure and I await exile; and whatever they may wish to inflict, I receive gladly on account of the hope that is laid up. And I pray continuously for your magnanimity and I beseech all the saints to share with me in their prayers. 112 TO DOMNUS, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH. We had hoped that the gloomy things had ceased, since some had reported to us that the pusillanimity of the victorious emperor had been extinguished, and that reconciliations had taken place between him and the most God-beloved bishop, and that the summons for the synod had ceased, and the peace of the Churches had returned. But the things now written by your holiness have greatly distressed us. For it is not possible to expect anything good from the much-talked-of synod, unless perhaps the philanthropic Lord, using his accustomed care, shall undo the machinations of the turbulent demons. For even in the great synod, I mean the one gathered at Nicaea, those of the Arian faction voted with the orthodox and agreed to the apostolic exposition through the show of hands. But they continued to war against the truth, until they tore asunder the body of the Church. And for thirty years they continued in communion with one another, both those holding to the apostolic doctrines and those sick with the Arian blasphemy. And when the last synod was held in Antioch, when they installed that man of God, the great Meletius, on those apostolic thrones, then after a few days they cast him out through the imperial power, Euzoius was put forward, openly bearing the Arian pestilence, and immediately those who defended the evangelical doctrines withdrew, and from that time

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ἡμῖν συντυχεῖν ἐθελήσαντας εὐμενῶς ἐδεξάμην, καὶ εἰσηγησάμην ἅπερ ἐχρῆν. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου ἐπισκόπου τοῦ κυρίου ∆όμνου ἀπολογήσωμαι, τί ἔδει πρᾶξαι τὸν οὕτω φανερῶς πολεμούμενον, καὶ θεώμενον τοὺς ψήφῳ συνοδικῇ καθαιρουμένους εἰς ἑτέραν διοίκησιν πεμπομένους, καὶ παρὰ τοὺς ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς θεσμοὺς τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἀπολαμβάνον τας, καὶ τὰ σεπτὰ καὶ θεῖα παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῆς ἀληθείας γελώμενά τε καὶ κωμῳδούμενα; Τούτου χάριν, ὡς ἔγνω, τὴν κρίσιν ἑτέροις παρέπεμψε, καὶ οὐ μόνον τῷ θεοφιλεστάτῳ τῷ κυρίῳ Ἴβᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἁγιωτάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ τῷ κυρίῳ Συμεῶνι τῷ Ἀμίδης, ὥστε τῶν δύο ἐπαρχιῶν τοὺς μητροπολίτας δια κοῦσαι τῶν ὑποθέσεων. Πῶς δὲ δίκαιον τοὺς αὐτοὺς ὠμότητα καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν κατηγορεῖσθαι; Καὶ γὰρ ἐκβάλλοντες κινδυ νεύομεν, καὶ μὴ ἐκβάλλοντες τοὺς κινδύνους οὐ διαφεύγομεν· καὶ μόνοι πολεμούμεθα παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. Καὶ αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι διοικήσεις ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ διάγουσιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ μόνοι τοῖς συκοφάνταις προκείμεθα· ἐγὼ δὲ διαφερόντως, καίτοι μήτε συνδικάσας, καὶ παντελῶς ἀνεύθυνος ὤν. Ταῦτα ἠναγκάσθην γράψαι τοῖς τοῦ ὑμετέρου μεγέθους γράμμασιν ἐντυχὼν καὶ μαθὼν δι' αὐτῶν, ὡς καὶ διὰ ταῦτα κίνησις μεγίστη γέγονε καθ' ἡμῶν, ἀνδρῶν περιορισθέντων, καὶ ἡσυχίαν ἀγόντων, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῖς τῆς ἐπαρχίας θεοφιλεστά τοις ἐπισκόποις συνεδρευόντων. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ δὶς ἤδη χειρο τονίας ἐπισκοπικῆς ἐν τῇ ἐπαρχίᾳ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ γεγενημένης, οὐδεμιᾶς ἐκοινώνησα. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τῷ βασιλικῷ κατειχόμην νόμῳ, ἄρα ἂν ἀπέστην, καί τινα καταλαβὼν ἐσχατίαν, ἐκεῖ τὰς λει πομένας ἡμέρας διήγαγον. Ἀπείρηκα γὰρ πρὸς τὰ κατ' ἐμοῦ τυρευόμενα. Καὶ γὰρ τούτους αὐτοὺς τοὺς Ἐδεσηνοὺς οὐκ οἶμαι αὐτομάτους ταύτην καθ' ἡμῶν τὴν συκοφαντίαν ὑφῆναι, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτόθι φιλαλήθων ἀνθρώπων ταῦτα καθ' ἡμῶν διδαχθῆναι. Καὶ χάρις τῷ Σωτῆρι τῶν ὅλων, ὅτι με ἀνάξιον ὄντα τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν ἠξίωσε μακαρισμῶν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τὸν περιορισμὸν μεθ' ἡδονῆς ἐδεξάμην καὶ τὴν ἐξορίαν προσ δέχομαι· καὶ πᾶν ὅπερ ἂν ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐθέλωσιν, ἀσπαστῶς δέχομαι διὰ τὴν ἀποκειμένην ἐλπίδα. Τῆς δὲ ὑμετέρας μεγα λοφυΐας διηνεκῶς ὑπερεύχομαι καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους ἅπαντας κοινωνεῖν μοι τῶν εὐχῶν ἱκετεύω. 112 ∆ΟΜΝΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΙΑΣ. Ἠλπίσαμεν πεπαῦσθαι τὰ σκυθρωπά, τινῶν ἡμῖν μεμηνυ κότων ὡς ἐσβέσθη μὲν ἡ τοῦ καλλινίκου βασιλέως μικροψυχία, καταλλαγαὶ δὲ μεταξὺ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου ἐπισκό που γεγένηνται, καὶ πέπαυται μὲν ἡ τῆς συνόδου κλῆσις, ἡ δὲ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἐπανῆλθεν εἰρήνη. Τὰ δὲ νῦν παρὰ τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος γραφέντα σφόδρα ἡμᾶς ἠνίασεν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς θρυλουμένης συνόδου προσδοκῆσαι χρηστόν, εἰ μὴ ἄρα ὁ φιλάνθρωπος ∆εσπότης, τῇ συνήθει κηδεμονίᾳ χρησάμενος, τῶν ταραχωδῶν δαιμόνων διαλύσει τὰς μηχανάς. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ, τῇ ἐν Νικαίᾳ συναθροισθείσῃ φημί, συνε ψηφίσαντο μὲν τοῖς ὀρθοδόξοις οἱ τῆς Ἀρείου συμμορίας καὶ τῇ ἀποστολικῇ διὰ τῶν χειρῶν ἐκθέσει συνέθεντο. ∆ιετέλεσαν δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πολεμοῦντες, ἕως τὸ σῶμα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διέρρηξαν. Καὶ τριάκοντα μὲν ἔτη διετέλεσαν κοινωνοῦντες ἀλλήλοις, οἵ τε τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἀντεχόμενοι δογμάτων καὶ οἱ τὴν Ἀρείου βλασφημίαν νοσοῦντες. Ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ δὲ τῆςἐσχάτης συνόδου γεγενημένης, ὅτε τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον τὸν μέγαν Μελέτιον τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς ἐκείνοις ἐνίδρυσαν θώκοις, εἶτα μετ' ὀλίγας αὐτὸν ἡμέρας διὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐξέβαλον δυναστείας, προεβλήθη μὲν Εὐζώιος προφανῆ τὴν Ἀρείου περικείμενος λύμην, ἀπέστησαν δὲ παραυτίκα οἱ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν δογμάτων ὑπερασπίζοντες, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου