74

of the kingdom has brought the calm to the storm-tossed Churches, the strength to the embattled faith, the victory to the evangelical doctrines. And to these things it has added the healing of our injustice. For who has ever heard of such or so great an injustice? What murderer has been condemned in his absence? What adulterer has been judged while not present? What burglar, or tomb-robber, or sorcerer, or temple-robber, or anyone else who has dared to do something forbidden by the laws, was prevented from hurrying to the court, and was instead condemned from afar by the vote of the judge? But in their cases, nothing of the sort has happened. For the laws command that both the pursuer and the pursued stand near one another before the judge, and that the judge await clear proofs, and then at last either release him as innocent or punish him as liable to the charges. But in our case, the very opposite occurred. For the imperial letters prevented us from reaching that much-talked-of synod; and the most just judges condemned the absent man, without a trial, or rather, even greatly praising the documents allegedly submitted for our accusation. And neither divine law nor respect for men prevented the slaughter. But the president gave the order, having betrayed the truth and serving the temporal power; and those who thought the same as we did, and shared in our doctrines, and had for a long time admired our teachings, obeyed. But nevertheless, that difficult time exposed the betrayal of some and the cowardice of others; but to us, the sufferings for the sake of truth provided an occasion for boldness. And the Lord Christ has granted to us not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake; for suffering for the Lord's sake is a very great gift. And the divine Apostle places this even before great miracles. Taking pride in these things, I, who am lowly and small and have no other reason for boasting, beseech your genius to offer words of thanksgiving on behalf of my lowliness to the Christ-loving emperor, and to the most pious and most God-loving Augusta, the teacher of good things, because with such gifts they have requited the great-giving Lord, and have made their zeal for piety the foundation and basis of their kingdom. And in addition to this, supplicate their God-loving Majesties to put an end to what has been well decreed, and to convene a synod, not again filled with troublemakers and tumultuous men, but separated from all these, with judges who hold divine matters in high esteem and who prefer the truth above all human things. And if their power wishes to preside over the ancient peace for the Churches, beseech their piety to be present at the proceedings, so that by their presence they may frighten those who choose the opposite, and so that the truth may have no opponent; but that it itself, on its own, may examine the nature of the matters, and the character of the apostolic doctrines. And I ask these things of your genius, not as one longing to see Cyrrhus again—for your greatness knows the desolation of the little city, whose ugliness we have somehow concealed with the splendors of all kinds of buildings—, but so that what is preached by us may be shown to agree with the apostolic doctrines, and that the inventions of our opponents may be found to be illegitimate and counterfeit. For when this has been done—and may it be said with God's help—we shall live out our remaining days with cheerfulness wherever the Lord may command us to spend them. And it is fitting for you, who have been nurtured in piety and possess the wealth of virtue, to take up this zeal, and having enthusiasm, to make the most pious emperor and the Christ-loving Augusta more eager with your entreaties, so that the

74

βασιλείας προσήνεγκεν τῶν χειμαζομένων Ἐκκλησιῶν τὴν γαλήνην, τὸ τῆς πολεμηθείσης πίστεως κράτος, τῶν εὐαγγε λικῶν δογμάτων τὴν νίκην. Προστέθεικε δὲ τούτοις τῆς ἡμε τέρας ἀδικίας τὴν ἴασιν. Τίς γὰρ τοιαύτην ἢ τοσαύτην ἀδι κίαν ἀκήκοε πώποτε; Τίς ἀπὼν ἀνδροφόνος κατεδικάσθη; Τίς γάμων ἐπίβουλος μὴ παρὼν κατεκρίθη; Τίς τοιχωρύχος, ἢ τυμβωρύχος, ἢ γόης, ἢ ἱερόσυλος, ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοῖς νόμοις ἀπειρημένων τολμήσας, δραμεῖν μὲν εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον ἐπει γόμενος ἐκωλύθη, ἀνῃρέθη δὲ πόρρωθεν ὢν τῇ τοῦ δικάζοντος ψήφῳ; Ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἐκείνων μὲν γέγονε τοιοῦτον οὐδέν· οἱ γὰρ νόμοι κελεύουσι πλησίον ἀλλήλων πρὸ τοῦ δικάζοντος ἑστάναι καὶ τὸν διώκοντα καὶ τὸν φεύγοντα, καὶ τοὺς προφανεῖς ἐλέγχους ἀναμένειν τὸν δικαστήν, καὶ τηνικαῦτα λοιπὸν ἢ ὡς ἀθῷον ἀφιέναι, ἢ κολάζειν ὡς ὑπεύθυνον ταῖς γραφαῖς. Ἐφ' ἡμῶν δὲ πᾶν τοὐναντίον συνέβῃ. Τὰ βασιλικὰ μὲν γὰρ ἡμᾶς γράμματα καταλαβεῖν τὴν πολυθρύλητον ἐκείνην ἐκώλυσε σύν οδον· οἱ δὲ δικαιότατοι δικασταὶ τὸν ἀπόντα κατέκριναν, οὐ δικάσαντες, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ λίαν ἐπαινέσαντες τὰ δῆθεν εἰς κατηγορίαν ἡμῶν ἐπιδοθέντα συγγράμματα. Καὶ οὔτε θεῖος νόμος, οὔτε ἀνθρώπων αἰδὼς διεκώλυσε τὴν σφαγήν. Ἀλλὰ προσέταττε μὲν ὁ πρόεδρος, προέμενος τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ τὴν δυναστείαν θεραπεύων τὴν πρόσκαιρον· ὑπήκουον δὲ οἱ ταὐτὰ ἡμῖν φρονοῦντες, καὶ τῶν δογμάτων κοινωνοῦντες, καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐπὶ πλεῖστον θαυμάσαντες. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ χαλεπὸς ἐκεῖνος καιρὸς τῶν μὲν τὴν προδοσίαν, τῶν δὲ τὴν δειλίαν διήλεγξεν· ἡμῖν δὲ παρέσχεν ἀφορμὴν παρρησίας τὰ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας παθήματα. Καὶ κεχάρισται ἡμῖν ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς οὐ μόνον τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάσχειν · χάρισμα γάρ ἐστι μέγιστον, τὰ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ∆εσπότου παθήματα. Ὁ δὲ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος καὶ τῶν μεγάλων ταῦτα θαυμάτων προτίθησιν. Ἐπὶ τούτοις κἀγὼ σεμνυνόμενος ὁ χαμαιπετής, καὶ σμικρός, καὶ μηδεμίαν ἔχων ἄλλην καυχήματος ἀφορμήν, τὴν ὑμετέραν μεγαλοφυΐαν παρακαλῶ, τὰς εὐχαριστηρίους φωνὰς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐμῆς εὐτελείας τῷ φιλοχρίστῳ προσενεγκεῖν βασιλεῖ, καὶ τῇ εὐσεβεστάτῃ καὶ θεοφιλεστάτῃ Αὐγούστῃ, τῇ τῶν καλῶν διδασ κάλῳ, ὅτι τοιούτοις δώροις τὸν μεγαλόδωρον ∆εσπότην ἠμεί ψαντο, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ὑποβάθραν καὶ κρηπῖδα τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐποιήσαντο ζῆλον. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ ἱκε τεύσατε αὐτῶν τὴν θεοφιλῆ κορυφήν, τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι τοῖς ὁρισθεῖσι καλῶς, καὶ συναγαγεῖν σύνοδον, μὴ πάλιν ταραχο ποιῶν καὶ συγκλύδων ἀνθρώπων πεπληρωμένην, ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν πάντων κεχωρισμένην, κρινόντων δὲ τῶν τὰ θεῖα περὶ πολλοῦ ποιουμένων καὶ πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τὴν ἀλήθειαν προτιμώντων. Εἰ δὲ βούλεται αὐτῶν τὸ κράτος τὴν παλαιὰν πρυτανεῦσαι ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις εἰρήνην, ἀντιβολήσατε αὐτῶν τὴν εὐσέβειαν παρεῖναι τοῖς πραττομένοις, ἵνα τοὺς τἀναντία προαιρουμένους τῇ παρουσίᾳ δεδίξηται, καὶ μηδὲν ἀντίπαλον ἡ ἀλήθεια ἔχῃ· ἀλλ' αὐτὴ καθ' αὑτὴν ἐξετάζῃ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν φύσιν, καὶ τὸν τῶν ἀποστολικῶν δογμάτων χαρακτῆρα. Ταῦτα δὲ ἐξαιτῶ παρὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας μεγαλοφυΐας, οὐχ ὡς τὴν Κύρρον πάλιν ἰδεῖν ποθῶν-οἶδε γὰρ ὑμῶν τὸ μέγεθος τῆς πολίχνης τὴν ἐρημίαν, ἧς ἀμηγέπη τὸ εἰδεχθὲς κατεκρύψαμεν ταῖς τῶν παντοδαπῶν οἰκοδομημάτων πολυτελείαις-, ἀλλ' ἵνα δειχθῇ καὶ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν κηρυττόμενα τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς συμβαίνοντα δόγμασι, καὶ νόθα καὶ κίβδηλα τὰ τῶν ἐναντίων εὑρέματα. Τούτου γὰρ γενομένου-σὺν Θεῷ δὲ εἰρήσθω- τὰς λειπομένας ἡμέρας σὺν εὐθυμίᾳ βιώσομεν ἔνθα ἂν ἡμᾶς διάγειν ὁ ∆εσπότης κελεύσῃ. Πρέπει δὲ ὑμῖν εὐσεβείᾳ συντε θραμμένοις, καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς κεκτημένοις τὸν πλοῦτον, τόνδε τὸν ζῆλον ἀναλαβεῖν, καὶ προθυμίαν ἔχοντας, καὶ τὸν εὐσε βέστατον βασιλέα, καὶ τὴν φιλόχριστον Αὐγούσταν, ταῖς παρακλήσεσι προθυμοτέρους ἐργάσασθαι, ἵνα τῷ