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he delineated their character, urging the men to hasten to repentance; for the church of God would be for them a harbor of salvation. But hear how he also addressed these through the letter to them. 3.64.1 Victor Constantinus, Maximus Augustus, to the heretics. Understand now through this legislation, O Novatians, Valentinians, Marcionites, Paulianists, and you who are called after the Phrygians, and, to speak simply, all who establish heresies through your own assemblies, with how many falsehoods your vanity is entangled, and by what venomous poisons your doctrine is held together, so that through you the healthy are led into sickness and the living into perpetual death. 3.64.2 O enemies of the truth, foes of life, and counselors of destruction; all things among you are contrary to the truth, consonant with shameful evils, useful for absurdities and fictions, by which you construct falsehoods, oppress the innocent, and deny the light to believers. Under a pretext of godliness, then, you always transgress and defile everything, you wound innocent and pure consciences with deadly blows, and you snatch away, so to speak, the very daylight from human eyes. 3.64.3 And why must I speak of each point, when to speak worthily of your evils is a task for neither a short time nor for our occupations. For so long and immeasurable are your absurdities, so hideous and full of all cruelty, that not even a whole day would suffice for their expression. Besides, it is fitting to turn away one's ears and avert one's eyes from such things, so as not to pollute the sincere and pure devotion of our faith with the narration of each one. 3.64.4 Why then shall we tolerate such evils any further? But long indulgence, like a pestilential disease, causes even the healthy to be infected. Why then do we not most speedily cut out, so to speak, the roots of so great a wickedness by a public animadversion? 3.65.1 Therefore, since it is no longer possible to bear this bane of your destructiveness, we proclaim through this law that none of you shall dare to assemble henceforth. Wherefore we have also commanded that all your houses, in which you hold these assemblies, be taken away, this provision extending so far as to forbid the assemblies of your superstitious folly from convening, not only in a public place, but not even in a private house or in any private places. 3.65.2 But, what is better, all you who care for the true and pure religion, come to the catholic church and have fellowship in its sanctity, through which you will be able to attain to the truth. But let the deceit of your perverted mind be completely separated from the prosperity of our times; I mean the accursed and destructive dissension of heretics and schismatics. For it is fitting for our blessedness, which we enjoy with God, that those who live in good hopes be led from all disorderly error to the straight path, from darkness to light, from vanity to truth, 3.65.3 from death to salvation. And in order that this remedy might have compelling force, we have commanded, as has been said before, that all the meeting-places of your superstition, I mean all the oratories of the heretics, if it is proper to call them oratories, be taken away and without any dispute be handed over to the catholic church without any delay, and that the remaining places be assigned to the public treasury, and that no opportunity be left for you henceforth for assembling, so that from this present day your unlawful assemblies may not dare to gather in any place, either public or private. Let it be published. 3.66.1 In this way, then, the dens of the heretics were broken up by the imperial command, and the beasts, the leaders of their impiety, were driven out. But of those who had been deceived by them, some with a spurious sentiment, by the imperial threat

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αὐτῶν πρόσωπον διετύπου, σπεύδειν ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν παρορμῶν τοὺς ἄνδρας· σωτηρίας γὰρ ὅρμον αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐπάκουσον δ' ὅπως καὶ τούτοις διὰ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὡμίλει γράμματος. 3.64.1 Νικητὴς Κωνσταντῖνος Μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς αἱρετικοῖς. Ἐπίγνωτε νῦν διὰ τῆς νομοθεσίας ταύτης, ὦ Ναυατιανοί, Οὐαλεντῖνοι, Μαρκιωνισταί, Παυλιανοί, οἵ τε κατὰ Φρύγας ἐπικεκλημένοι, καὶ πάντες ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν οἱ τὰς αἱρέσεις διὰ τῶν οἰκείων πληροῦντες συστημάτων, ὅσοις ψεύδεσιν ἡ παρ' ὑμῖν ματαιότης ἐμπέπλεκται, καὶ ὅπως ἰοβόλοις τισὶ φαρμάκοις ἡ ὑμετέρα συνέχεται διδασκαλία, ὡς τοὺς μὲν ὑγιαίνοντας εἰς ἀσθένειαν τοὺς δὲ ζῶντας εἰς διηνεκῆ θάνατον ἀπάγεσθαι δι' ὑμῶν. 3.64.2 ὦ τῆς μὲν ἀληθείας ἐχθροί, τῆς δὲ ζωῆς πολέμιοι καὶ ἀπωλείας σύμβουλοι· πάντα παρ' ὑμῖν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐστὶν ἐναντία, αἰσχροῖς πονηρεύμασι συνᾴδοντα, ἀτοπίαις καὶ δράμασι χρήσιμα, δι' ὧν ὑμεῖς τὰ μὲν ψευδῆ κατασκευάζετε, τοὺς δ' ἀναμαρτήτους θλίβετε, τὸ φῶς τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἀρνεῖσθε. ἐπὶ προσχήματι γοῦν θειότητος ἀεὶ πλημμελοῦντες πάντα μιαίνετε, τὰς ἀθῴους καὶ καθαρὰς συνειδήσεις θανατηφόροις πληγαῖς τραυματίζετε, αὐτὴν δὲ σχεδὸν εἰπεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν τῶν ἀνθρωπείων ὀφθαλμῶν 3.64.3 καθαρπάζετε. καὶ τί δεῖ καθ' ἕκαστον λέγειν, ὅπου γε περὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων κακῶν εἰπεῖν τι κατ' ἀξίαν οὔτε βραχέος ἐστὶ χρόνου οὔτε τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀσχολιῶν. οὕτω γάρ ἐστι μακρὰ καὶ ἄμετρα τὰ παρ' ὑμῖν ἀτοπήματα, οὕτως εἰδεχθῆ καὶ πάσης ἀπηνείας πλήρη, ὡς μηδ' ὁλόκληρον ἡμέραν πρὸς ἔκφρασιν τούτων ἀρκεῖν. ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐκκλίνειν τῶν τοιούτων προσήκει τὰς ἀκοὰς τούς τ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀποστρέφειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ χραίνεσθαι τῇ καθ' ἕκαστον διηγήσει τὴν τῆς ἡμετέρας πίστεως εἰλικρινῆ καὶ 3.64.4 καθαρὰν προθυμίαν. τί οὖν ἀνεξόμεθα περαιτέρω τῶν τοιούτων κακῶν; ἀλλ' ἡ μακρὰ παρεπιθύμησις ὥσπερ λοιμικῷ νοσήματι καὶ τοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας χραίνεσθαι ποιεῖ. τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὴν ταχίστην τὰς ῥίζας ὡς εἰπεῖν τῆς τοσαύτης κακίας οὐ διὰ δημοσίας ἐπιστρεφείας ἐκκόπτομεν; 3.65.1 Τοιγάρτοι ἐπειδὴ τὸν ὄλεθρον τοῦτον τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐξωλείας ἐπὶ πλεῖον φέρειν οὔκ ἐστιν οἷόν τε, διὰ τοῦ νόμου τούτου προαγορεύομεν, μή τις ὑμῶν συνάγειν ἐκ τοῦ λοιποῦ τολμήσῃ. διὸ καὶ πάντας ὑμῶν τοὺς οἴκους, ἐν οἷς τὰ συνέδρια ταῦτα πληροῦτε, ἀφαιρεθῆναι προσετάξαμεν, μέχρι τοσούτου τῆς φροντίδος ταύτης προχωρούσης, ὡς μὴ ἐν τῷ δημοσίῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἐν οἰκίᾳ ἰδιωτικῇ ἢ τόποις τισὶν ἰδιάζουσι τὰ τῆς 3.65.2 δεισιδαίμονος ὑμῶν ἀνοίας συστήματα συντρέχειν. πλὴν ὅπερ ἔστι κάλλιον, ὅσοι τῆς ἀληθινῆς καὶ καθαρᾶς ἐπιμελεῖσθε θρησκείας, εἰς τὴν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἔλθετε καὶ τῇ ταύτης ἁγιότητι κοινωνεῖτε, δι' ἧς καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐφικέσθαι δυνήσεσθε· κεχωρίσθω δὲ παντελῶς τῆς τῶν ἡμετέρων καιρῶν εὐκληρίας ἡ τῆς διεστραμμένης διανοίας ὑμῶν ἀπάτη, λέγω δὲ ἡ τῶν αἱρετικῶν καὶ σχισματικῶν ἐναγής τε καὶ ἐξώλης διχόνοια. πρέπει γὰρ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ μακαριότητι, ἧς ἀπολαύομεν σὺν θεῷ, τὸ τοὺς ἐπ' ἐλπίσιν ἀγαθαῖς βιοῦντας ἀπὸ πάσης ἀτάκτου πλάνης εἰς τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδόν, ἀπὸ τοῦ σκότους ἐπὶ τὸ φῶς, ἀπὸ ματαιότητος εἰς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, 3.65.3 ἀπὸ θανάτου πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἄγεσθαι. ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ τῆς θεραπείας ταύτης καὶ ἀναγκαίαν γενέσθαι τὴν ἰσχὺν προσετάξαμεν, καθὼς προείρηται, ἅπαντα τὰ τῆς δεισιδαιμονίας ὑμῶν συνέδρια, πάντων φημὶ τῶν αἱρετικῶν τοὺς εὐκτηρίους, εἴ γε εὐκτηρίους ὀνομάζειν οἴκους προσήκει, ἀφαιρεθέντας ἀναντιρρήτως τῇ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ χωρίς τινος ὑπερθέσεως παραδοθῆναι, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς τόπους τοῖς δημοσίοις προσκριθῆναι, καὶ μηδεμίαν ὑμῖν εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς τοῦ συνάγειν εὐμάρειαν περιλειφθῆναι, ὅπως ἐκ τῆς ἐνεστώσης ἡμέρας ἐν μηδενὶ τόπῳ μήτε δημοσίῳ μήτ' ἰδιωτικῷ τὰ ἀθέμιτα ὑμῶν συστήματα ἀθροισθῆναι τολμήσῃ. Προτεθήτω. 3.66.1 Οὕτω μὲν τὰ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων ἐγκρύμματα βασιλικῷ προστάγματι διελύετο, ἠλαύνοντό τε οἱ θῆρες οἱ τε τῆς τούτων δυσσεβείας ἔξαρχοι. τῶν δ' ὑπὸ τούτων ἠπατημένων οἱ μὲν νόθῳ φρονήματι βασιλικῆς ἀπειλῆς