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59

of Serras, who was also accusing the "aforementioned Aetius of another mad arrogance. For he was saying that he, leaping "forth with a more audacious boldness, said that the very things which God had hidden from the apostles until 164 "now, he affirmed were revealed to him. And after these "mad and arrogant words testified by Serras "about Aetius, the aforementioned judges were not shamed "nor were they persuaded to vote with all of us concerning him. "Nevertheless, being patient for a long time, we voted along "with them, partly being indignant, partly exhorting, partly "rebuking, and partly shaming them to understand and to declare "things in harmony with the whole synod; and we persevered in case "they might perhaps listen, in case they might perhaps understand and yield . But when, having "persevered for a long time, we could not shame them into following "the decisions concerning the aforementioned man, holding the canon of the "church more honorable than the friendship of men, we decreed "excommunication against them, giving them for this a period of "six whole months for turning back and repentance and for the desire of unity "and agreement with the synod; if within the deadline "given to them they should turn back and choose concord with their brothers "and agree with the decrees concerning him, we decided that "they should be acceptable to the church and to the synods and should receive "back their own boldness of speech and love towards us. But if they should persist "in their unrepented darings and prefer the friendship of men to the canons of the "church and to agreement with us, then we consider "them foreign to the episcopal dignity. And as they undergo deposition, 165 "it is necessary for other bishops to be appointed "in their places, so that the lawful church, having received its proper order, "may be in agreement with itself, with the bishops from everywhere guarding "the bond of love, by 'saying the same things, "being perfected in the same mind and in the same judgment' . Therefore, so that "you may know the things decided by the synod, we have sent these things to "your reverence; which we pray that you, preserving them by the grace of Christ, may "govern the churches under you peacefully and lawfully." Eunomius extols this man in his writings and calls him a man of God and honors him with very many praises. But at that time he was with those who renounced him and received episcopal ordination from them. But the party of Eudoxius and Acacius, agreeing with the things set forth in Nice of Thrace, which we mentioned in the writings before, ordained others in the churches of the party of Basil and Eleusius in their place. And I think it superfluous to mention the others, but I will relate only the things concerning Eunomius. For since, while Eleusius was alive, Eunomius took Cyzicus, and Eudoxius, seeing the health of the congregation and observing the emperor being angry against those who say the only-begotten Son of God was created, he advised Eunomius to hide his opinion and not to reveal it to those who were hunting for pretexts for accusation. "For," he said, "having obtained the opportune moment, we will preach what we now hide, and we will teach the 166 ignorant, and we will either persuade or compel or punish those who speak against it." Eunomius, persuaded by these suggestions, put forward his impiety in a veiled manner. But those nourished in the divine oracles, seeing the deceitfulness of what was being said, were displeased, but they considered openly contradicting it to be the work of rashness, not of shrewdness. Therefore, putting on masks of heretical evil opinion, they came to his house and entreated him to openly set forth to them the truth of his doctrine and not to overlook them being carried about here and there by various teachings. But he, taking courage, revealed the opinion which he was hiding. But they said it was unjust and very unholy for not all those under his authority to partake of the truth. And he, being induced by these and such words, laid bare his blasphemy in the assemblies of the church. But they, with zeal

59

Σέρρα καὶ ἄλλην ἀλαζονίαν μανιώδη κατηγοροῦντος τοῦ "προειρημένου Ἀετίου. ἔφασκε γὰρ αὐτὸν θρασυτέρᾳ τόλμῃ προπη "δῶντα λέγειν ὡς ἅπερ ὁ θεὸς ἀπέκρυψεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων μέχρι 164 "νῦν, ταῦτα ἀποκεκαλύφθαι αὐτῷ διαβεβαιοῦσθαι. καὶ μετὰ τοὺς "μανιώδεις καὶ ἀλαζονικοὺς τούτους λόγους ὑπὸ τοῦ Σέρρα μεμαρτυρη "μένους περὶ τοῦ Ἀετίου οὐκ ἐδυσωποῦντο οὐδὲ παρεκαλοῦντο συμ "ψηφίσασθαι πᾶσιν ἡμῖν περὶ αὐτοῦ οἱ προειρημένοι κρίνειν. "Ὅμως δὲ ἡμεῖς μακροθυμοῦντες ἐπὶ πλείονα χρόνον συμπερι "εψηφίσθημεν αὐτοῖς, τὰ μὲν ἀγανακτοῦντες, τὰ δὲ παρακαλοῦντες, τὰ "δὲ ἐπιτιμῶντες, τὰ δὲ καὶ δυσωποῦντες συνήκειν αὐτοὺς καὶ σύμφωνα "ἀποφήνασθαι τῇ συνόδῳ πάσῃ· προσεκαρτεροῦμεν δὲ ἐὰν ἄρα "ἀκούσωσιν, ἐὰν ἄρα συνῶσι καὶ ἐνδῶσιν . ὡς δὲ ἐπὶ πολλῷ τῷ "χρόνῳ προσκαρτερήσαντες ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐδυσωποῦμεν αὐτοὺς ἀκολουθεῖν "ταῖς περὶ τοῦ προειρημένου ἀνδρὸς ἀποφάσεσι, τὸν κανόνα τῆς "ἐκκλησίας τιμιώτερον ἡγούμενοι τῆς φιλίας τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ὡρίσαμεν "κατ' αὐτῶν ἀκοινωνησίαν, χρόνον εἰς τοῦτο διδόντες αὐτοῖς μῆνας "ὅλους ἓξ πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν καὶ μετάνοιαν καὶ πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν ἑνώ "σεως καὶ συμφωνίας τῆς πρὸς τὴν σύνοδον· ἐὰν εἴσω τῆς δοθείσης "αὐτοῖς προθεσμίας ἐπιστρέψαντες ἕλωνται τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς "αὐτῶν ὁμόνοιαν καὶ συνθῶνται τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁρισθεῖσι, δεκτοὺς "αὐτοὺς εἶναι τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐδοκιμάσαμεν καὶ ταῖς συνόδοις καὶ τὴν οἰ "κείαν παρρησίαν καὶ ἀγάπην πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπολαμβάνειν. εἰ δὲ ἐπιμένοιεν "ἀμεταμέλητα τολμῶντες καὶ φιλίαν ἀνθρώπων τῶν κανόνων τῆς "ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς συμφωνίας προτιμήσαντες, τότε ἀλλο "τρίους αὐτοὺς ἡγούμεθα τῆς ἐπισκοπικῆς ἀξίας. καθαίρεσιν δὲ αὐ 165 "τῶν ὑπομενόντων, ἀναγκαῖον εἰς τόπους αὐτῶν ἑτέρους καθίστα "σθαι ἐπισκόπους, ἵνα ἡ ἔνθεσμος ἐκκλησία τὴν προσήκουσαν τάξιν "λαβοῦσα συμφωνῇ πρὸς ἑαυτήν, τῶν πανταχόθεν ἐπισκόπων τὸν "σύνδεσμον τῆς ἀγάπης φυλαττόντων, διὰ τοῦ "λέγειν τὰ αὐτά, "κατηρτισμένους τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ" . ἵνα οὖν "γινώσκῃς τὰ τῇ συνόδῳ δόξαντα, ταῦτα πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν "ἀπεστείλαμεν· ἅπερ εὐχόμεθά σε διαφυλάττοντα χάριτι Χριστοῦ εἰρη "νικῶς καὶ ἐνθέσμως κυβερνᾶν τὰς ὑπὸ σὲ ἐκκλησίας." Τοῦτον Εὐνόμιος ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἐξαίρει καὶ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον ὀνομάζει καὶ παμπόλλαις εὐφημίαις γεραίρει. ἀλλὰ τότε καὶ τοῖς ἀποκηρύττουσι συνῆν καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπισκοπικὴν χειροτονίαν ἐδέξατο. οἱ δὲ περὶ Εὐδόξιον καὶ Ἀκάκιον τοῖς ἐκτεθεῖσιν ἐν Νίκῃ τῆς Θρᾴκης συνθέμενοι, ὧν ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν συγγραφεῖσιν ἐμνή σθημεν, ἀντὶ τῶν περὶ Βασίλειον καὶ Ἐλεύσιον ἑτέρους ἐν ταῖς ἐκείνων ἐκκλησίαις ἐχειροτόνησαν. καὶ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων περιττὸν ἡγοῦμαι μνησθῆναι, μόνα δὲ τὰ κατὰ Εὐνόμιον διηγήσομαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ζῶντος Ἐλευσίου τὴν Κύζικον ἔλαβεν ὁ Εὐνόμιος καὶ τοῦ πλήθους τὴν ὑγείαν ὁρῶν ὁ Εὐδόξιος καὶ τὸν βασιλέα θεώ μενος χαλεπαίνοντα κατὰ τῶν κεκτίσθαι λεγόντων τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱόν, τῷ Εὐνομίῳ παρῄνεσε κατακρύψαι τὸ φρόνημα καὶ μὴ δηλῶσαι τοῦτο τοῖς θηρωμένοις κατηγορίας προφάσεις. "καιροῦ γάρ", ἔφη, "τετυχηκότες κηρύξομεν ἃ νῦν κατακρύπτομεν καὶ τοὺς ἀ 166 γνοοῦντας διδάξομεν καὶ τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ἢ πείσομεν ἢ καταναγ κάσομεν ἢ κολάσομεν." ταύταις πειθόμενος ταῖς ὑποθήκαις Εὐνόμιος συνεσκιασμένην προὔφερε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. ἀλλ' οἱ τοῖς θείοις ἐντρα φέντες λογίοις, τῶν λεγομένων ὁρῶντες τὸ ὕπουλον, ἐδυσχέραινον μέν, ἀντιλέγειν δὲ προφανῶς θρασύτητος ἔργον, οὐκ ἀγχινοίας, ἐνό μιζον. τῆς οὖν αἱρετικῆς κακοδοξίας περιθέμενοι προσωπεῖα, οἴκοι προσελθόντες ἱκέτευον προφανῶς σφίσιν ἐκθέσθαι τοῦ δόγματος τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν τῇδε κἀκεῖσε ταῖς διαφόροις περιφερομένους διδασκαλίαις. ὁ δὲ θαρρήσας ἐξέφηνεν ὃ κατέκρυπτε φρόνημα. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἄδικον ἔλεγον ἐκεῖνοι καὶ λίαν ἀνόσιον μὴ ἅπαντας τοὺς ὑπ' αὐ τὸν τελοῦντας τῆς ἀληθείας μεταλαχεῖν. ὁ δὲ τούτοις καὶ τοῖς τοι ούτοις ὑπαχθεὶς λόγοις ἐν τοῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας συλλόγοις τὴν βλα σφημίαν ἐγύμνωσεν. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τῷ ζήλῳ