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stripped of divine providence, are both easily captured and very easy to attack, and will become a cause of rejoicing for our enemies." Having heard these words, the soldiers raised a common cry: "Do not doubt, O Emperor, nor flee from our command as if it were wicked. For you will be emperor of Christians, and of those who have been brought up in pious doctrines. For the older men among us both enjoyed the teaching of Constantine, and those after them partook of the instruction of Constantius. But as for this dead man, the time of his reign was short, and not long enough even for those who were deceived to establish the contagion." The emperor, pleased at these words, then began to deliberate concerning the common safety, and how he might lead the army away unharmed from enemy territory. But he did not need much deliberation, but reaped the fruits from the seeds of piety. For immediately the God of all showed His own providence and solved the apparent difficulty. For the king of the Persians, having learned of his accession, sent ambassadors to sue for peace. Then he sent out provisions for the soldiers, and ordered a market to be set up for them in the desert. So, having made a thirty-year truce, he led the strengthened army out of the enemy's land. 212 But immediately upon setting foot on the land ruled by him, first he wrote a law both decreeing that the bishops should return from exile and commanding that the churches be restored to those who had kept inviolate the faith set forth in Nicaea. And he also sent to that Athanasius, the champion of these doctrines, asking that the exact teaching concerning divine things be written for him. And he, having gathered the more eminent of the bishops, wrote back, urging him to keep the faith set forth in Nicaea, as it was in agreement with the apostolic doctrines. And I shall also insert the letter, providing for the benefit of those who will read it. "To the most pious and most humane Victor Augustus "Jovian, Athanasius and the other bishops who have come on behalf "of all the bishops from Egypt and the Thebaid and Libya. "A disposition eager for learning and a desire for heavenly things is "befitting a God-loving emperor. For thus truly you both have your heart in the hand "of God and you will fulfill your reign with peace for many cycles "of years. Since, therefore, your Piety has wished to learn from us "the faith of the catholic church, having given thanks for this to the 213 "Lord, we have resolved above all things to remind your Godliness "of the faith confessed by the fathers in Nicaea. For some, having set this "aside, have plotted against us in various ways because we do not "obey the Arian heresy, and they have become the cause of heresy and "schisms for the catholic church. The true and pious faith in our "Lord Jesus Christ has been made manifest to all, and "is both known and read from the divine scriptures. For in this "the saints also, having been perfected, bore their witness, and now, having departed, "are in the Lord. And the faith has always remained unharmed in every way, except that the "wickedness of certain heretics has dared to corrupt it. For a certain Arius "and those with him attempted to corrupt this and to introduce impiety against it, "saying that the Son of God is from non-existence and a creature and a thing "made and mutable, and in these things they deceived "many, so that even those who seemed to be something were led away by "their blasphemy. And our holy fathers, having come first and "assembled, as I said before, in the synod at Nicaea, on the one hand "anathematized the Arian heresy, and on the other hand confessed in writing "the faith of the catholic church, so that, this being preached everywhere, "the heresy kindled by the heretics might be extinguished. This therefore was "both known and preached throughout every church. But since, wishing to renew the Arian heresy, some indeed 214 "have dared to set aside the faith itself confessed by the fathers in Nicaea, "while others

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θείας προμηθείας γεγυμνωμένοι, εὐάλωτοί τέ εἰσιν καὶ λίαν εὐεπιχείρητοι, καὶ ἐπίχαρτοι τοῖς πολε μίοις γενήσονται". τούτων ἀκούσαντες τῶν λόγων οἱ στρατιῶται κοινὴν ἀφῆκαν φωνήν· "μὴ ἐνδοιάσῃς, ὦ βασιλεῦ, μηδὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν ὡς πονηρὰν φύγῃς ἡγεμονίαν· Χριστιανῶν γὰρ βασιλεύσεις καὶ μαθή μασιν εὐσεβέσι συντεθραμμένων. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἡμῖν γεραίτεροι καὶ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου διδασκαλίας ἀπήλαυσαν, οἱ δὲ μετ' ἐκείνους τῶν Κωνσταντίου μετέλαχον παιδευμάτων· τούτου δὲ τοῦ τεθνεῶτος ὀλίγος τῆς ἡγεμονίας ὁ χρόνος καὶ οὐχ ἱκανὸς οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐξηπατη μένοις ἐνιδρῦσαι τὴν λώβην". Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἡσθεὶς τοῖς λόγοις ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐβουλεύετο λοιπὸν περὶ τῆς τῶν κοινῶν σωτηρίας καὶ ὅπως ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας ἀπήμαντον ἀπαγάγοι τὴν στρατιάν. οὐκ ἐδεήθη δὲ βουλευμάτων πολλῶν, ἀλλὰ τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας σπερμάτων ἐτρύγησε τοὺς καρπούς. παραυτίκα γὰρ τὴν οἰκείαν ἔδειξε προμήθειαν ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς καὶ τὴν φαινο μένην ἔλυσεν ἀπορίαν. τὴν γὰρ τούτου βασιλείαν ὁ Περσῶν μεμαθη κὼς βασιλεὺς πρέσβεις ἀπέστειλεν ὑπὲρ εἰρήνης πρεσβευσομένους· εἶτα τροφὰς τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐξέπεμψε, καὶ ἀγορὰν αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ γενέσθαι προσέταξε. τριακοντούτεις δὴ οὖν σπονδὰς ποιησάμενος ἐρρωμένην τὴν στρατιὰν τῆς πολεμίας ἐξέβαλε. 212 Παραυτίκα δὲ τῆς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ βασιλευομένης γῆς ἐπιβάς, πρῶτον μὲν ἔγραψε νόμον καὶ τοὺς ἐπισκόπους ἐπανελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς ἐξορίας διαγορεύοντα καὶ τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἀποδοθῆναι παρεγγυῶντα τοῖς τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν διατετηρηκόσιν ἀκήρατον. ἐπέστειλε δὲ καὶ πρὸς Ἀθανάσιον ἐκεῖνον τὸν τούτων πρόμαχον τῶν δογμά των, γραφῆναί οἱ παρακαλῶν τὴν ἀκριβῆ περὶ τῶν θείων διδασκα λίαν. ὁ δὲ τοὺς λογιμωτέρους τῶν ἐπισκόπων ἀγείρας ἀντέγραψε τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ ἐκτεθεῖσαν πίστιν φυλάττειν παρακαλῶν, ὡς τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς συμβαίνουσαν δόγμασιν. ἐνθήσω δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολήν, τῆς τῶν ἐντευξομένων προμηθούμενος ὠφελείας. "Τῷ εὐλαβεστάτῳ καὶ φιλανθρωποτάτῳ Νικητῇ Αὐγούστῳ "Ἰοβιανῷ Ἀθανάσιος καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἐπίσκοποι οἱ ἐλθόντες ἐκ προσώ"που πάντων τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ Θηβαΐδος καὶ Λιβύων "ἐπισκόπων. "Πρέπουσα θεοφιλεῖ βασιλεῖ φιλομαθὴς προαίρεσις καὶ πόθος "τῶν οὐρανίων· οὕτως γὰρ ἀληθῶς καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχεις ἐν χειρὶ "θεοῦκαὶ τὴν βασιλείαν μετ' εἰρήνης πολλαῖς ἐτῶν περιόδοις ἐπι "τελέσεις. θελησάσης τοίνυν τῆς σῆς εὐσεβείας μαθεῖν παρ' ἡμῶν "τὴν τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας πίστιν, εὐχαριστήσαντες ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῷ 213 "κυρίῳ ἐβουλευσάμεθα πάντων μᾶλλον τὴν παρὰ τῶν πατέρων ὁμο "λογηθεῖσαν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν ὑπομνῆσαι τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν. ταύτην "γὰρ ἀθετήσαντές τινες ἡμῖν μὲν ποικίλως ἐπεβούλευσαν ὅτι μὴ πει "θόμεθα τῇ Ἀρειανῇ αἱρέσει, αἴτιοι δὲ γεγόνασιν αἱρέσεως καὶ σχι "σμάτων τῇ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. ἡ μὲν ἀληθὴς καὶ εὐσεβὴς εἰς τὸν "κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν πίστις φανερὰ πᾶσι καθέστηκε καὶ "ἐκ τῶν θείων γραφῶν γιγνωσκομένη τε καὶ ἀναγιγνωσκομένη. ἐν ταύτῃ "γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι τελειωθέντες ἐμαρτυρήθησαν καὶ νῦν ἀναλύσαντές "εἰσιν ἐν κυρίῳ. ἔμεινε δὲ ἀεὶ ἡ πίστις διὰ παντὸς ἀβλαβής, εἰ μὴ "πονηρία τινῶν αἱρετικῶν παραποιῆσαι ταύτην ἐτόλμησεν. Ἄρειος "γάρ τις καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ διαφθεῖραι ταύτην καὶ ἀσέβειαν κατ' αὐτῆς "ἐπεισαγαγεῖν ἐπεχείρησαν, φάσκοντες ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων καὶ κτίσμα καὶ "ποίημα καὶ τρεπτὸν εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, πολλούς τε ἐν τούτοις "ἠπάτησαν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς δοκοῦντας εἶναί τι συναπαχθῆναι αὐτῶν "τῇ δυσφημίᾳ. καὶ φθάσαντες μὲν οἱ ἅγιοι πατέρες ἡμῶν, συνελθόν "τες ὡς προεῖπον ἐν τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν συνόδῳ, τὴν μὲν Ἀρειανὴν "αἵρεσιν ἀνεθεμάτισαν, τὴν δὲ τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας πίστιν ὡμο "λόγησαν ἐγγράφως, ὥστε ταύτης πανταχοῦ κηρυττομένης ἀποσβε "σθῆναι τὴν ἀναφθεῖσαν αἵρεσιν παρὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν. ἦν μὲν οὖν "αὕτη κατὰ πᾶσαν ἐκκλησίαν γιγνωσκομένη τε καὶ κηρυττομένη. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὴν Ἀρειανὴν αἵρεσιν ἀνανεῶσαι βουλόμενοι τινὲς μὲν 214 "αὐτὴν τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ παρὰ τῶν πατέρων ὁμολογηθεῖσαν πίστιν "τετολμήκασιν ἀθετῆσαι, τινὲς δὲ