77

they sent a letter, acknowledging thanks to Valens and Ursacius and Germanius and attributing to them the grounds for the orthodox doctrine of those in the West. 4.13.1 But since Eudoxius was making these innovations and many from the church of Antioch who opposed him were driven out, taking a letter from George, the bishop of Laodicea, they went to Ancyra of Galatia. For Basil happened to have called together many of the neighboring bishops for the consecration of the church which he had built, to whom he delivered George's letter; and it is as follows: 4.13.2 "To the most honored lords Macedonius, Basil, Cecropius, Eugenius, "7George sends greetings in the Lord. "7The shipwreck of Aetius has seized nearly all of Antioch. "7For Eudoxius, having found all the disciples of the ill-omened Aetius who were held in dishonor among you, "7is promoting them to be clerics, having the heretic Aetius among his most honored men. "7Take hold of, therefore, so great a city, 4.13.3 "7lest the whole world be swept away by its shipwreck. And coming "7together, as many as it is possible to gather, demand subscriptions from the other bishops, "7so that Eudoxius might both cast Aetius out of the church of Antioch "7and cut off his disciples, who have been appointed to the clergy list. Or if "7he persists with Aetius, calling [the Son] unlike [the Father] and preferring those who dare to say this "7over those who do not, it is lost to us, as I said before, for the time being, the "7church of Antioch." 4.13.4 This is what George's letter contained. But the bishops in Ancyra, since the innovation of Eudoxius was demonstrated from what he had decreed in writing concerning the dogma with those with whom he had gathered in Antioch, reported these things to the emperor; and they requested that some provision be made, so that the decrees of Sardica and Sirmium and the other synods might prevail, in which it was agreed that the Son is 4.13.5 like the Father in substance. And they choose to be ambassadors to the emperor concerning this: Basil himself, the bishop of Ancyra, and Eustathius of Sebasteia and Eleusius of Cyzicus and Leontius, a presbyter from the imperial 4.13.6 bedchamber. When they arrived at the palace, they came upon a certain Asphalius, a presbyter from Antioch, an exceedingly zealous partisan of the heresy of Aetius, who had already accomplished that for which he came and, having received a letter from the emperor, was about to depart. But when the heresy was reported by the ambassadors from Ancyra, Constantius condemned those around Eudoxius and took back his own letter from Asphalius; and he wrote as follows: 4.14.1 "Victor Constantius Maximus Augustus to the holy church "7in Antioch. "7Eudoxius did not come from us; let no one think so. We are far from "7associating with such men. But if they invent this along with their other schemes, "7they are clearly putting on a fine appearance for their own advantage. For from what would those men willingly "7abstain, who go about the cities for the sake of power, jumping from one to another "7like certain migrants, meddling in every corner 4.14.2 "7out of a desire for more? And there is a report that about them are certain charlatans and sophists, "7whom it is not even lawful to name, a wicked and most impious workshop. "7Surely you yourselves understand the system. Surely from their words you "7recognize the originator and those who have devoted themselves to this heresy, for whom this one 4.14.3 "7and only task is to corrupt the multitudes. But the elegant and toward "7everything audacious men have already boasted some such thing to some people, that we rejoice "7in their ordination, which they ordained for themselves. These things are indeed repeated over and over "7by those who are accustomed to babble such things, but there is no truth in it whatever, not even 4.14.4 "7close. And recall my first words, when concerning the faith "7we were deliberating, in which our Savior was shown to be Son of God and "7like the Father in substance. But these noble men, speaking also concerning what is better, "7glibly saying what comes to mind, have progressed to such a degree of atheism, that they "7think certain new things contrary to what exists and try to persuade others

77

ἐπιστολὴν διεπέμψαντο, Οὐάλεντι καὶ Οὐρσακίῳ καὶ Γερμανίῳ χάριν ὁμολογοῦντες καὶ τοῦ ὀρθῶς δοξάζειν τοὺς ἐν τῇ δύσει τὰς ἀφορμὰς αὐτοῖς ἀνατιθέντες. 4.13.1 ᾿Επεὶ δὲ ὧδε ἐνεωτέριζεν Εὐδόξιος καὶ πολλοὶ τῆς ᾿Αντιοχέων ἐκκλη-σίας ἐναντιούμενοι αὐτῷ ἐξηλάθησαν, γράμματα λαβόντες Γεωργίου τοῦ Λαοδικείας ἐπισκόπου παρεγένοντο εἰς ῎Αγκυραν τῆς Γαλατίας. ἔτυχε γὰρ Βασίλειος ἐπὶ καθιερώσει ἧς ἐδείματο ἐκκλησίας συγκαλέσας πολλοὺς τῶν πλησιοχώρων ἐπισκόπων, οἷς ἀπέδωκεν τὴν Γεωργίου ἐπιστολήν· ἔχει δὲ ὧδε· 4.13.2 «Κυρίοις τιμιωτάτοις Μακεδονίῳ, Βασιλείῳ, Κεκροπίῳ, Εὐγενίῳ "7Γεώργιος ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. "7Τὸ ᾿Αετίου ναυάγιον σχεδόν που πᾶσαν κατείληφε τὴν ᾿Αντιοχέων. "7τοὺς γὰρ παρ' ὑμῖν ἀτιμαζομένους μαθητὰς τοῦ δυσωνύμου ᾿Αετίου πάντας "7καταλαβὼν Εὐδόξιος εἰς κληρικοὺς προβάλλεται, ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα τετιμη"7μένοις ἔχων τὸν αἱρετικὸν ᾿Αέτιον. καταλάβετε οὖν τὴν τηλικαύτην πόλιν, 4.13.3 "7μὴ τῷ ναυαγίῳ αὐτῆς καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη παρασυρῇ. καὶ εἰς ταὐτὸν γενό"7μενοι, ὅσους καὶ γενέσθαι ἐγχωρεῖ, παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπισκόπων ὑπογραφὰς "7ἀπαιτήσατε, ἵνα καὶ ᾿Αέτιον ἐκβάλῃ τῆς ᾿Αντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας Εὐδόξιος "7καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ μαθητὰς ὄντας, προχειρισθέντας εἰς κανόνα, ἐκκόψῃ. ἢ ἐὰν "7ἐπιμείνῃ μετὰ ᾿Αετίου ἀνόμοιον καλῶν καὶ τοὺς τοῦτο τολμῶντας λέγειν "7τῶν μὴ λεγόντων προτιμῶν, οἴχεται ἡμῖν, ὡς φθάσας ἔφην, τέως ἡ ᾿Αν"7τιοχέων.» 4.13.4 Τάδε μὲν περιεῖχεν ἡ Γεωργίου ἐπιστολή. οἱ δὲ ἐν ᾿Αγκύρᾳ ἐπίσκοποι, ἐπειδὴ ἀπεδείχθη ὁ Εὐδοξίου νεωτερισμὸς ἐξ ὧν περὶ τοῦ δόγματος ἐγγράφως ἐψηφίσατο μεθ' ὧν ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ συνῆλθε, δηλοῦσι ταῦτα τῷ βασιλεῖ· καὶ ἐξαιτοῦσι γενέσθαι τινὰ πρόνοιαν, ὥστε κρατεῖν τὰ ἐν Σαρδικῇ καὶ ἐν Σιρμίῳ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις συνόδοις κεκριμένα, ἐν αἷς συνεδόκει ὅμοιον 4.13.5 εἶναι κατ' οὐσίαν τῷ πατρὶ τὸν υἱόν. καὶ αἱροῦνται περὶ τούτου πρεσβεύειν πρὸς βασιλέα αὐτός τε Βασίλειος ὁ ᾿Αγκύρας ἐπίσκοπος καὶ Εὐστάθιος ὁ Σεβαστείας καὶ ᾿Ελεύσιος ὁ Κυζίκου καὶ Λεόντιος πρεσβύτερος ἐκ θαλαμη-4.13.6 πόλου βασιλικοῦ. ὡς δὲ ἀφίκοντο εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, καταλαμβάνουσιν ᾿Ασφάλιόν τινα πρεσβύτερον ἐξ ᾿Αντιοχείας, εἰσάγαν σπουδαστὴν τῆς ᾿Αετίουαἱρέσεως, ἤδη πράξαντα ἐφ' ᾧ παρεγένετο καὶ γράμματα παρὰ βασιλέως κομισάμενον ἐκδημεῖν μέλλοντα. καταμηνυθείσης δὲ τῆς αἱρέσεως διὰ τῶν ἐξ ᾿Αγκύρας πρέσβεων καταψηφίζεται Κωνστάντιος τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν Εὐδόξιον καὶ ἀνακομίζεται παρὰ ᾿Ασφαλίου τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπιστολήν· γράφει δὲ τάδε· 4.14.1 «Νικητὴς Κωνστάντιος μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς τῇ κατὰ ᾿Αντιόχειαν ἁγίᾳ "7ἐκκλησίᾳ. "7Εὐδόξιος οὐ παρ' ἡμῶν ἧκε· μηδεὶς οὕτως οἰέσθω. πόρρω τοῦ προστί"7θεσθαι τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐσμέν. εἰ δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦτο σοφίζονται, "7εὔδηλοι δήπουθέν εἰσιν εἰς τὸ κρεῖττον κομψευόμενοι. τίνων γὰρ ἂν ἑκόντες "7ἀπόσχοιντο οἱ δυναστειῶν ἕνεκεν τὰς πόλεις ἐπιόντες, ἀπ' ἄλλης εἰς ἄλλην "7μεταπηδῶντες ὥσπερ τινὲς μετανάσται, πάντα μυχὸν πολυπραγμονοῦντες 4.14.2 "7ἐπιθυμίᾳ τοῦ πλείονος; εἶναι δὲ λόγος περὶ αὐτοὺς ἀγύρτας τινὰς καὶ σοφι"7στάς, οὓς οὐδὲ ὀνομάζειν θέμις, ἐργαστήριον πονηρόν τε καὶ δυσσεβέστατον. "7πάντως που καὶ αὐτοὶ συνίετε τὸ σύστημα. πάντως ἐκ τῶν λόγων τὸν "7αἴτιον γνωρίζετε καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν ταύτην ἐσχολακότας, οἷς ἓν 4.14.3 "7τοῦτο μόνον ἔργον ἐστὶ τὸ διαφθείρειν τὰ πλήθη. ἀλλ' οἱ κομψοὶ καὶ πρὸς "7πάντα εὔτολμοι ἤδη τι τοιοῦτον πρός τινας ἐνεανιεύσαντο, ὅτι χαίροιμεν "7αὐτῶν τῇ χειροτονίᾳ, ἣν ἑαυτοὺς ἐχειροτόνησαν. ταῦτα παρ' ἐκείνων μὲν "7ᾄδεται τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα θρυλεῖν εἰωθότων, ἔστι δ' οὐδ' ὅλως ποθὲν οὐδ' 4.14.4 "7ἐγγύς. καί μοι τῶν πρώτων ἀναμνήσθητε λόγων, ὅτε περὶ τῆς πίστεως "7ἐσκοποῦμεν, ἐν οἷς ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ἀπεδείκνυτο υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ κατ' "7οὐσίαν ὅμοιος τῷ πατρί. ἀλλ' οἱ γενναῖοι καὶ περὶ τοῦ κρείττονος λέγοντες "7εὐχερῶς τὰ παριστάμενα εἰς τοσοῦτον προῆλθον ἀθεΐας, ὥστε καινά τινα 4.14.5 "7παρὰ τὰ ὄντα νομίζειν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους πειρᾶσθαι