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58

Hosius and Protogenes, who were then the leaders of those from the West who had gathered in Sardica, fearing perhaps that they might seem to some to be innovating on the decrees of the council of Nicaea, wrote to Julius and testified that they considered these things authoritative, but that for the sake of clarity they had expanded the same meaning, so that it would not be possible for those who held the opinions of Arius, taking advantage of the brevity of the writing, to draw those inexperienced in debate into absurdity. 3.12.7 Having done these things, both parties dissolved the assembly and each returned to his own home. This synod was convened during the consulship of Rufinus and Eusebius; and this was the eleventh year since the death of Constantine. About three hundred bishops assembled from the cities of the West, and from the East, seventy-six; and with these also was Ischyrion, who had been entrusted with the episcopate of Mareotis by those who detested Athanasius. 3.13.1 After this synod, they no longer mingled with one another as being of the same opinion, nor did they hold communion, those in the West separating themselves as far as Thrace, and those in the East as far as Illyricum; and the affairs of the churches, as was to be expected, were thrown into confusion by dissensions 3.13.2 and were subject to slanders. For even if they had differed before concerning dogma, yet by holding communion with one another they did not cause great harm and were thought to hold similar opinions; for, on the whole, the church throughout the entire West, being purely governed by ancestral doctrines, was free from contention 3.13.3 and the sophistry concerning these things. For although Auxentius, who became bishop of Milan, and Valens and Ursacius from the Pannonian provinces, were zealous to convert the flock here to the opinion of Arius, their zeal by no means proceeded according to their plan, as <the> prelate of the Roman throne and the other priests diligently anticipated them and cut out the offshoots 3.13.4 of such a heresy. But the East, although it was in a state of sedition after the synod of Antioch and now openly differed from the faith of Nicaea, in truth, I think, according to the opinion of the majority, it concurred in the same meaning and confessed the Son to be of the substance of the Father, but some contentiously 3.13.5 fought against the term homoousios. For some, having opposed the name from the beginning, as I conjecture, experienced that which happens to many: they considered it a shame to appear to have been defeated. Others, turned by the habit of frequent debates on these subjects to think thus about God, remained unchangeable thereafter. And others, knowing that they were contending improperly, submitted to what was pleasing to both sides because of power or familiarity or other causes, by which men are led to grant what is not fitting or not to speak freely on matters where they ought to refute. But many considered it nonsense to be worn out by such contentions of words, and quietly held to the opinion of those who had assembled at Nicaea. 3.13.6 Paul, the bishop of Constantinople, and Athanasius of Alexandria, and the entire monastic multitude seemed, beyond all others in the East, to hold fast openly to the doctrines of Nicaea, both Antony the Great, who was still living, and those who were with him, and very many others throughout Egypt and elsewhere in Roman territory. And since I have made mention of these men, I will briefly recount in my narrative as many as I have learned were conspicuous during his reign. 3.14.1 I shall begin with Egypt and the two Macarii, the most celebrated leaders of Scetis and of the mountain there. Of these, the one was an Egyptian, and the other was called the Politic, as being a citizen; for he was by race an Alexandrian. Both became most divine in both divine foreknowledge and philosophy, and were fearsome to demons, and doers of many and extraordinary deeds and healings. 3.14.2 And there is a story about the Egyptian that he even made a dead man live, in order to convince a heretic that there will be a resurrection of the dead. He lived for about ninety years, and sixty of these he spent in the deserts. And from the moment he began to practice philosophy while still a youth, he so excelled, that he was called "the young-old man" by the monks and

58

῞Οσιος καὶ Πρωτογένης, οἳ τότε ὑπῆρχον ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς δύσεως ἐν Σαρδικῇ συνεληλυθότων, δείσαντες ἴσως, μὴ νομισθεῖέν τισι καινοτομεῖν τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς ἐν Νικαίᾳ, ἔγραψαν ᾿Ιουλίῳ καὶ ἐμαρτύραντο κύρια τάδε ἡγεῖσθαι, κατὰ χρείαν δὲ σαφηνείας τὴν αὐτὴν διάνοιαν πλατῦναι, ὥστε μὴ ἐγγενέσθαι τοῖς τὰ ᾿Αρείου φρονοῦσιν ἀποκεχρημένοις τῇ συντομίᾳ τῆς γραφῆς εἰς ἄτοπον 3.12.7 ἕλκειν τοὺς ἀπείρους διαλέξεως. ταῦτα πράξαντες ἑκάτεροι διέλυσαν τὸν σύλλογον καὶ εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἕκαστος ἐπανῆλθε. συνέστη δὲ αὕτη ἡ σύνοδος ῾Ρουφίνου καὶ Εὐσεβίου ὑπατευόντων· ἑνδέκατον δὲ τοῦτο ἔτος ἦν ἀπὸ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου τελευτῆς. συνῆλθον δὲ ἐκ μὲν τῶν πρὸς δύσιν πόλεων ἀμφὶ τριακόσιοι ἐπίσκοποι, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἕω ἓξ καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα· σὺν τούτοις δὲ καὶ ᾿Ισχυρίων, ἐπιτραπεὶς τὴν τοῦ Μαρεώτου ἐπισκοπὴν πρὸς τῶν ᾿Αθανασίῳ ἀπεχθανομένων. 3.13.1 Μετὰ ταύτην δὲ τὴν σύνοδον οὐκέτι ἀλλήλοις ὡς ὁμοδόξοις ἐπεμίγνυντο οὐδὲ ἐκοινώνουν, οἱ μὲν ἀνὰ τὴν δύσιν μέχρι Θρᾳκῶν σφᾶς χωρίσαντες, οἱ δὲ ἀνὰ τὴν ἕω μέχρις ᾿Ιλλυριῶν· τὰ δὲ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ὡς εἰκὸς ἐν διχονοίαις 3.13.2 συγκέχυτο καὶ ἐν διαβολαῖς ἦν. εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρότερον περὶ τὸ δόγμα διεφέροντο, ἀλλ' οὖν ἀλλήλοις συγκοινωνοῦντες οὐ μέγα τὸ κακὸν ἐποίουν καὶ παραπλησίως φρονεῖν ἐνομίζοντο· ὡς ἐπίπαν γὰρ ἡ μὲν ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν δύσιν ἐκκλησία καθαρῶς διὰ τῶν πατρίων ἰθυνομένη δογμάτων ἔριδός τε 3.13.3 καὶ τῆς περὶ ταῦτα τερθρείας ἀπήλλακτο. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῇδε ὑπήκοον πρὸς τὴν ᾿Αρείου δόξαν μετάγειν ἐσπούδαζον Αὐξέντιος ὁ Μεδιολάνου ἐπίσκοπος γενόμενος καὶ Οὐάλης καὶ Οὐρσάκιος οἱ ἐκ Παννονίων, οὐ δή που κατὰ γνώμην αὐτοῖς ἡ σπουδὴ προὐχώρει, <τοῦ> προϊσταμένου τοῦ ῾Ρωμαίων θρόνου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἱερέων ἐπιμελῶς φθανόντων καὶ τὰς βλάστας ἐκκο3.13.4 πτόντων τῆς τοιαύτης αἱρέσεως. τὸ δὲ ἑῷον, εἰ καὶ ἐστασίαζε μετὰ τὴν ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ σύνοδον καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν περιφανῶς ἤδη διεφέρετο, τὸ μὲν ἀληθές, οἶμαι, κατὰ τὴν τῶν πλειόνων γνώμην εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν συνέτρεχε διάνοιαν καὶ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίας τὸν υἱὸν συνωμολόγει, ἐριστικῶς δὲ 3.13.5 πρὸς τὴν ὁμοούσιον λέξιν τινὲς ἀπεμάχοντο. οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῷ ὀνόματι ἐναντιωθέντες, ὡς συμβάλλω, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πολλοῖς συμβαῖνον, αἰσχύνην ἡγοῦντο δόξαι νενικῆσθαι. οἱ δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ ἕξεως τῶν περὶ ταῦτα συχνῶν διαλέξεων ἐπὶ τὸ ὧδε δοξάζειν περὶ θεοῦ τραπέντες ἀμεταθέτως λοιπὸν εἶχον. οἱ δέ, εἰδότες ὡς οὐ δέον φιλονικοῦσι, πρὸς τὸ κεχαρισμένον ἑκατέροις ὑπεκλίνοντο διὰ δύναμιν ἢ οἰκειότητα ἢ ἄλλας αἰτίας, ὑφ' ὧν ἄνθρωποι προάγονται τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα χαρίζεσθαι ἢ παρρησίαν μὴ ἄγειν ἐφ' οἷς χρὴ διελέγχειν. πολλοὶ δὲ λῆρον ἡγοῦντο τρίβεσθαι περὶ τὰς τοιαύτας ἔριδας τῶν λόγων, ἡσυχῇ δὲ τῆς γνώμης εἴχοντο τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνελθόντων. 3.13.6 ἐῴκεσαν δὲ παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ἀνὰ τὴν ἕω εἰς τὸ φανερὸν ἀπρὶξ ἔχεσθαι τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ δοξάντων Παῦλος ὁ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος καὶ ᾿Αθανάσιος ὁ ᾿Αλεξανδρείας καὶ σύμπαν τὸ μοναχικὸν πλῆθος, ᾿Αντώνιόςτε ὁ μέγας ἔτι περιὼν καὶ οἱ συγγενόμενοι αὐτῷ καὶ ἄλλοι πλεῖστοι ἀνὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἀλλαχῇ τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων γῆς. τούτων δὲ ἐπείπερ ἐπεμνήσθην, ὅσους περιφανεῖς κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἡγεμονίαν παρείληφα ἐπιδραμοῦμαι τῷ λόγῳ. 3.14.1 ῎Αρξομαι δὲ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου καὶ Μακαρίων τῶν δύο, τῶν ἀοιδιμωτάτων ἡγεμόνων τῆς Σκήτεως καὶ τοῦ τῇδε ὄρους. τούτοιν δὲ ὁ μὲν Αἰγύπτιος, ὁ δὲ πολιτικὸς ὡς ἀστὸς ὠνομάζετο· ἦν γὰρ τῷ γένει ᾿Αλεξανδρεύς. ἄμφω δὲ ὅτι μάλιστα θεσπεσίω ἐγενέσθην καὶ θείαν πρόγνωσιν καὶ φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ δαίμοσι φοβερὼ πολλῶν τε καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων καὶ ἰαμάτων 3.14.2 δημιουργώ. τὸν δὲ Αἰγύπτιον λόγος, ὡς καὶ νεκρὸν ζῆν ἐποίησεν, ἵν' ἑτερόδοξον πείσῃ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν ἔσεσθαι. διεβίω δὲ ἀμφὶ τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτη, ἑξήκοντα δὲ ἐκ τούτων ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις διέτριβεν. αὐτίκα τε φιλοσοφεῖν ἀρχόμενος ἔτι νέος ὢν διέπρεπεν, ὡς παιδαριογέροντα παρὰ τῶν μοναχῶν ὀνομάζεσθαι καὶ