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churches were held by the followers of Arius. Indeed, they also brought this charge against him, that he dared to ordain in cities that in no way belonged to him. 3.21.5 But since he had accomplished his return even against the will of his opponents and, through the friendship of the emperor Constans, did not seem to be someone to be despised, he was held in greater honor than before. And many of the bishops changed their hostility toward him and gave him communion, such as those of Palestine; for they received him kindly when he was passing through their region at that time; and after holding a synod in Jerusalem, Maximus and others wrote the following concerning him: 3.22.1 “The holy synod assembled in Jerusalem, to the presbyters and deacons and people in Egypt and "7Libya and in Alexandria, "7beloved and most desired brethren, greeting in the Lord. 3.22.2 "7We are not sufficient to give thanks worthily to the God of all, beloved, "7for the wondrous things which he has always done, and has now done with your "7church, by restoring to you your pastor and lord and our fellow-minister, "7Athanasius. For who ever hoped to see with their eyes these things which now "7you receive in fact? But truly your prayers were heard "7by the God of all, who cares for His own church and "7looked upon your tears and laments and for this reason hearkened "7to your requests. 3.22.3 For you were ‘as sheep scattered and harassed, not "7having a shepherd.’ For this reason the true shepherd visited you from heaven, 3.22.4 "7he who cares for his own sheep, restoring to you the one you desired. For behold, "7we too, doing everything for the sake of ecclesiastical peace and being in accord with your "7love, have anticipated and welcomed him; and having entered into communion "7through him, we send these salutations to you and your prayers of "7thanksgiving, so that you may know that we also are united to him by the bond of love. 3.22.5 "7And you ought to pray for the piety of the most God-beloved "7emperors, who, themselves recognizing your desire for "7him and his purity, have deemed it worthy to restore him to you with all "7honor. 3.22.6 Therefore, receiving him with outstretched hands, be diligent "7to send up the due prayers of thanksgiving for him to God who has granted these things to you, "7so that you may always rejoice with God and "7glorify the Lord in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom be glory to the Father "7forever and ever. Amen.” 3.23.1 Thus wrote the synod of Palestine. And in addition to these things, a most important event occurred for Athanasius, manifestly refuting those who had assembled at Tyre for having unjustly condemned him. For Valens and Ursacius, who with the party of Theognius, as was previously said, had gone to the Mareotis to investigate whether he had broken a sacred chalice according to the indictment of Ischyrion, repented and wrote the following to Julius, the bishop of the Romans: 3.23.2 “To the lord most blessed pope Julius, Ursacius and Valens. "7Since it is established that we have previously put forward many and terrible things about "7Athanasius the bishop through our letters, and by the letters <te> "7of your excellency we were called to account concerning the matter which we "7reported we were not able to give a reason, we confess to your "7excellency in the presence of all our brethren the presbyters, that all "7things which previously came to our ears concerning the name of the "7aforementioned Athanasius are false and fabricated, and in every way are foreign "7to him. For this reason we gladly lay claim to the communion of the "7aforementioned Athanasius, especially since your piety, according to its "7innate goodness, has deemed it worthy to grant forgiveness for our error. 3.23.3 "7We also confess this, that if ever the Orientals should wish, or even "7Athanasius himself, to call us to judgment maliciously concerning this, we will not "7go against the judgment of your disposition. 3.23.4 But the heretic Arius and

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ἐκκλησίαις ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Αρείου κατέχεσθαι. ἀμέλει τοι καὶ τοῦτο ἔγκλημα αὐτῷ ἐπῆγον, ὡς ἐν πόλεσι μηδὲν αὐτῷ προσηκούσαις χειροτονεῖν 3.21.5 ἐτόλμησεν. οἷα δὲ καὶ ἀκόντων τῶν ἐναντίων κατωρθωκὼς τὴν ἐπάνοδον καὶ διὰ τὴν φιλίαν Κώνσταντος τοῦ βασιλέως οὐ δοκῶν εὐκαταφρόνητος εἶναι, μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον ἐν τιμῇ ἦν. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐπισκόπων τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπεχθείας μετέθεντο καὶ κοινωνίας μετέδοσαν, ὡς Παλαιστῖνοι· παριόντα γὰρ αὐτὸν τότε δι' αὐτῶν εὐμενῶς προσεδέξαντο· καὶ σύνοδον ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις ἐπιτελέσαντες Μάξιμός τε καὶ ἕτεροι ἔγραψαν περὶ αὐτοῦ τάδε· 3.22.1 «῾Η ἁγία σύνοδος ἡ ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις συναχθεῖσα τοῖς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ "7Λιβύῃ καὶ τοῖς ἐν ᾿Αλεξανδρείᾳ πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις καὶ λαῷ, "7ἀγαπητοῖς καὶ ποθεινοτάτοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. 3.22.2 "7Κατ' ἀξίαν τῷ τῶν ὅλων θεῷ εὐχαριστεῖν οὐκ ἀρκοῦμεν, ἀγαπητοί, "7ἐφ' οἷς θαυμασίοις ἐποίησε πάντοτε, ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ νῦν μετὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας "7ἐκκλησίας, τὸν ποιμένα ὑμῶν καὶ κύριον καὶ συλλειτουργὸν ἡμῶν ᾿Αθα"7νάσιον ἀποδοὺς ὑμῖν. τίς γὰρ ἤλπισέ ποτε ταῦτα ὀφθαλμοῖς ἰδεῖν, ἃ νῦν "7ὑμεῖς ἔργῳ ἀπολαμβάνετε; ἀλλ' ἀληθῶς αἱ προσευχαὶ ὑμῶν εἰσηκούσθη"7σαν παρὰ τῷ τῶν ὅλων θεῷ τῷ κηδομένῳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ "7ἐπιδόντι ὑμῶν τὰ δάκρυα καὶ τοὺς ὀδυρμοὺς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῶν δεήσεων 3.22.3 "7ὑμῶν ἐπακούσαντι. ἦτε γὰρ «ὡς πρόβατα ἐρριμμένα καὶ ἐσκυλμένα μὴ "7ἔχοντα ποιμένα». διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεσκέψατο ὑμᾶς ὁ ἀληθινὸς ποιμὴν οὐρανόθεν, 3.22.4 "7ὁ τῶν ἰδίων προβάτων κηδόμενος, ἀποδοὺς ὑμῖν ὃν ἐποθεῖτε. ἰδοὺ γὰρ "7καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντα ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς εἰρήνης πράττοντες καὶ τῇ ὑμε"7τέρᾳ συμπνέοντες ἀγάπῃ προλαβόντες αὐτὸν ἠσπασάμεθα· καὶ κοινωνήσαν"7τες δι' αὐτοῦ ὑμῖν ταύτας τὰς προσρήσεις διαπεμπόμεθα καὶ τὰς εὐχαριστη"7ρίους ὑμῶν εὐχάς, ἵν' εἰδῆτε τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς ἀγάπης πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ 3.22.5 "7ἡμᾶς ἡνῶσθαι. ὀφείλετε δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων "7βασιλέων εὔχεσθαι, οἵτινες καὶ αὐτοὶ γνόντες τὸν πόθον ὑμῶν τὸν περὶ "7αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ καθαρότητα ἀποκαταστῆσαι ὑμῖν αὐτὸν μετὰ πάσης 3.22.6 "7τιμῆς κατηξίωσαν. ὑπτίαις οὖν ὑποδεξάμενοι αὐτὸν χερσὶ καὶ τὰς ὀφει"7λομένας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ εὐχαριστηρίους εὐχὰς ἀναπέμψαι τῷ ταῦτα ὑμῖν χαρι"7σαμένῳ θεῷ σπουδάσατε, ὑπὲρ τοῦ διὰ παντὸς ὑμᾶς χαίρειν σὺν θεῷ καὶ "7δοξάζειν τὸν κύριον ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, δι' οὗ τῷ πατρὶ ἡ "7δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ἀμήν.» 3.23.1 Καὶ τὰ μὲν ὧδε ἔγραψεν ἡ ἐκ Παλαιστίνης σύνοδος. μέγιστον δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις ᾿Αθανασίῳ συνεκύρησε περιφανῶς ἐλέγχον ἀδίκως αὐτοῦ καταδικάσαι τοὺς ἐν Τύρῳ συνεληλυθότας. Οὐάλης γὰρ καὶ Οὐρσάκιος, οἳ σὺν τοῖς ἀμφὶ Θεόγνιον, ὡς πρόσθεν εἴρηται, εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην παρεγένοντο ἐρευνῆσαι, εἰ κατὰ τὴν ᾿Ισχυρίωνος γραφὴν ποτήριον ἱερὸν συνέτριψε, μεταμεληθέντες τάδε ἔγραψαν ᾿Ιουλίῳ τῷ ῾Ρωμαίων ἐπισκόπῳ· 3.23.2 «Κυρίῳ μακαριωτάτῳ πάπᾳ ᾿Ιουλίῳ Οὐρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης. "7᾿Επειδὴ συνέστηκεν ἡμᾶς πρὸ τούτου πολλά τε καὶ δεινὰ περὶ ᾿Αθα-"7νασίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου διὰ γραμμάτων ἡμῶν ὑποβεβληκέναι, γράμμασί <τε> "7τῆς σῆς χρηστότητος μεθοδευθέντες τοῦ πράγματος χάριν περὶ οὗ ἐδη"7λώσαμεν οὐκ ἠδυνήθημεν λόγον ἀποδοῦναι, ὁμολογοῦμεν παρὰ τῇ σῇ χρη"7στότητι παρόντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν πάντων τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ὅτι πάντα "7τὰ πρὸ τούτου ἐλθόντα εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς ἡμῶν περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ προει"7ρημένου ᾿Αθανασίου ψευδῆ καὶ πλαστά ἐστι, πάσῃ τε δυνάμει ἀλλότρια "7αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει· διά τοι τοῦτο ἡδέως ἀντιποιούμεθα τῆς κοινωνίας τοῦ προ"7ειρημένου ᾿Αθανασίου, μάλιστα ὅτι ἡ θεοσέβειά σου κατὰ τὴν ἔμφυτον "7αὐτῆς καλοκἀγαθίαν τῇ πλάνῃ ἡμῶν συγγνώμην κατηξίωσε δοῦναι. 3.23.3 "7ὁμολογοῦμεν καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἐάν ποτε ἡμᾶς οἱ ἀνατολικοὶ θελήσωσιν ἢ καὶ "7αὐτὸς ᾿Αθανάσιος κακοτρόπως περὶ τούτου εἰς κρίσιν καλέσαι, μὴ ἀπέρχε3.23.4 "7σθαι παρὰ γνώμην τῆς σῆς διαθέσεως. τὸν δὲ αἱρετικὸν ῎Αρειον καὶ