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And he supposed the vote to be divine, inferring this from the agreement of those who held opposite opinions. And when he had also enjoyed the divine gift of all-holy baptism and had received the high-priestly grace, this most excellent emperor is said to have offered this hymn to the Savior and Master (for he was present at the events): "Thanks to you, Master Almighty and our Savior, because to this man I entrusted bodies, but you souls, and you have shown my votes to be just." But when, after a few days had passed, the divine Ambrose, speaking with the greatest boldness to the emperor, found fault with certain things as having been done not well by the rulers; "This boldness of yours," said the emperor, "I have known for a long time, and knowing it well, not only did I not oppose it, but I also voted for your ordination. Heal, therefore, as the divine law prescribes, the failings of our souls." These things, then, he both said and did in Milan. But learning that some in Asia and in Phrygia were disputing about the divine doctrines, he ordered a synod to be held in Illyricum, and he sent what was both decreed and ratified by them to the disputants. Those who had assembled decreed that the faith set forth in Nicaea should prevail. And he himself also wrote, making his brother a partner 220 in the letter, urging them to abide by what had been decreed. I will also read the law, which clearly proclaims his piety, and likewise shows the soundness of Valens at that time concerning the divine doctrines. "The Emperors, Greatest, Ever-August, Victors, Augusti, Valen "tinian and Valens and Gratian to the bishops of the diocese of Asia, "of Phrygia, of Carophrygia, of Pacatiana, in the Lord greeting. "A synod of such size having been convened in Illyricum and much "inquiry having taken place concerning the word of salvation, the "thrice-blessed bishops have demonstrated the Trinity to be consubstantial, of the Father and of the Son "and of the Holy Spirit; which, in no way shirking the liturgies "justly incumbent upon them, they worship as the religion "of the great King. And to preach this has our "majesty commanded, yet in such a way that no one may say that we belong to "the religion of the emperor who governs this land, not tolerating "the one who commanded us concerning salvation. For as says the 221 "gospel of our Christ, which has this judgment: "Render "unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's." "What say you, O bishops and presidents of the saving "word? If the matter of your demonstration is so, then "loving one another, cease to abuse the authority of the emperor "and do not persecute those who minister diligently to God, by whose "prayers even wars upon the earth are stopped and the assaults of apostate "angels are turned back. And they silence all destructive "demons through supplication, and they know how to pay public taxes according to the "laws, and they do not speak against the "authority of the ruler, but sincerely both the command of the God and king above "they keep and to our laws they are subject. But you "have been shown to be disobedient. We for our part have used the Alpha even to "the Omega; but you have rendered to yourselves. We, however, wanting to be innocent "of you, just as Pilate at the trial "of Christ who lived among us, not wanting to kill him, 222 and on behalf of the one who was called to suffer, turned to the "parts of the East and asked for water for his hands, he washed his "hands, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just "man," so also our majesty has always commanded "not to persecute nor to overwhelm nor to be zealous against those who work the "field of Christ, nor to drive out the administrators of the great "King, lest today under our majesty "you seem to prosper, and in the meantime the one who has been called suffer the things of his "testament, as in the case of the blood of Zechariah. But those with him "between the

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ὑπέλαβε δὲ καὶ θείαν εἶναι τὴν ψῆφον, ἐκ τῆς τῶν τἀναντία φρονούντων τεκμαιρόμενος συμφωνίας. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῆς θείας τοῦ παναγίου βαπτίσματος ἀπήλαυσε δωρεᾶς καὶ τὴν ἀρχιερατικὴν ἐδέξατο χάριν, τοῦτον ὁ πάντα ἄριστος βασιλεὺς προσενηνοχέναι λέγεται τῷ σωτῆρι καὶ δεσπότῃ τὸν ὕμνον (καὶ γὰρ τοῖς γεγενημένοις παρῆν)· "χάρις σοι, δέσποτα παντοκράτορ καὶ σῶτερ ἡμέτερε, ὅτι τῷδε τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐγὼ μὲν ἐνεχείρισα σώματα, σὺ δὲ ψυχάς, καὶ τὰς ἐμὰς ψήφους δικαίας ἀπέφηνας". ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὀλίγων διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν ὁ θεῖος Ἀμβρόσιος σὺν παρρησίᾳ πλείστῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ διαλεγόμενος ἐπεμέμψατό τισιν ὡς οὐκ εὖ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων γεγενημένοις· "ταύτην σου", ἔφη ὁ βασιλεύς, "καὶ πάλαι ᾔδειν τὴν παρρησίαν καὶ σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενος οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀντεῖπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σύμψηφος τῆς χειροτονίας γεγένημαι. ἰάτρευε οὖν, ὡς ὁ θεῖος ὑπαγορεύει νόμος, τὰ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν πλημμελήματα". ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν Μεδιολάνῳ καὶ εἶπε καὶ δέδρακε. Μαθὼν δέ τινας ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ καὶ ἐν τῇ Φρυγίᾳ περὶ τῶν θείων ἀμφισβητοῦντας δογμάτων, ἐν μὲν τῷ Ἰλλυρικῷ σύνοδον γενέσθαι προσέταξε, τὰ δὲ παρ' ἐκείνων καὶ ψηφισθέντα καὶ κυρωθέντα τοῖς ἀμφισβητοῦσιν ἐξέπεμψεν. ἐψηφίσαντο δὲ οἱ συνελθόντες τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ ἐκτεθεῖσαν πίστιν κρατεῖν. ἐπέστειλε δὲ καὶ αὐτός, κοινωνὸν 220 τῶν γραμμάτων τὸν ἀδελφὸν ποιησάμενος, ἐμμένειν τοῖς δεδογμένοις παρεγγυῶν. ἀναγνώσομαι δὲ καὶ τὸν νόμον, σαφῶς αὐτοῦ κηρύττοντα τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὴν τηνικαῦτα τοῦ Βάλεντος περὶ τὰ θεῖα δόγματα ὑγείαν δηλοῦντα. "Αὐτοκράτορες Μέγιστοι Ἀεισέβαστοι Νικηταὶ Αὔγουστοι Οὐαλεν "τινιανὸς καὶ Οὐάλης καὶ Γρατιανὸς ἐπισκόποις διοικήσεως Ἀσιανῆς, "Φρυγίας, Καροφρυγίας, Πακατιανῆς, ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. "Συνόδου τηλικαύτης συγκροτηθείσης ἐν τῷ Ἰλλυρικῷ καὶ ζητή "σεως πολλῆς γενομένης περὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου λόγου, ἀπέδειξαν οἱ "τρισμακαριώτατοι ἐπίσκοποι τὴν τριάδα ὁμοούσιον πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ "καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος· ἥν, οὐδ' ὅλως ἐκκλίνοντες λειτουργίας τὰς "κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον ἐπιβαλλούσας αὐτοῖς, θρησκεύουσι τὴν θρησκείαν " τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως . κηρύττειν δὲ ταύτην προσέταξε τὸ "ἡμέτερον κράτος, οὕτως μέντοι ἵνα μὴ λέγωσί τινες ὅτι ἀνήκαμεν "θρησκείᾳ βασιλέως τοῦ διέποντος τὴν γῆν ταύτην, μὴ ἀνεχόμενοι "τοῦ ἐντειλαμένου ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας. ὡς γάρ φησι τὸ 221 "εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡμῶν, ὅπερ ἐπίκρισιν ταύτην ἔχει· " ἀπόδοτε "τὰ τοῦ Καίσαρος τῷ Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ θεῷ ". "τί λέγετε ὑμεῖς, οἱ ἐπίσκοποι καὶ προεστῶτες τοῦ σωτηρίου "λόγου; εἰ οὕτως ἔχει τὰ τῆς ἀποδείξεως ὑμῶν, οὕτω μέντοι "ἀγαπῶντες ἀλλήλους παύσασθε ἀποχρᾶσθαι ἀξιώματι βασιλέως "καὶ μὴ διώκετε τοὺς ἀκριβῶς τῷ θεῷ λειτουργοῦντας, ὧν ταῖς "εὐχαῖς καὶ πόλεμοι καταπαύονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀγγέλων ἀπο "στατῶν ἐπιβάσεις ἀποστρέφονται. καὶ πάντας δαίμονας φθορι "μαίους διὰ δεήσεως ἐπιστομίζουσιν, καὶ τὰ δημόσια κατὰ τοὺς "νόμους εἰσκομίζειν ἴσασιν, καὶ οὐκ ἀντιλέγουσι τῇ τοῦ κρατοῦντος "ἐξουσίᾳ, ἀλλ' εἰλικρινῶς καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἄνω θεοῦ βασιλέως ἐντο "λὴν φυλάττουσι καὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις νόμοις ὑποτάσσονται. ὑμεῖς "δὲ ἀπειθεῖς ἐδείχθητε εἶναι. ἡμεῖς μὲν ἐχρησάμεθα τῷ Ἄλφα ἕως "τοῦ Ω· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἑαυτοῖς ἀπεδώκατε. ἡμεῖς μέντοι καθαροὺς ἑαυτοὺς "ἀφ' ὑμῶν εἶναι θέλοντες, ὡς καὶ Πιλᾶτος ἐπὶ τῆς ἐξετάσεως "τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν πολιτευομένου Χριστοῦ, μὴ θέλοντος αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν, 222 "καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ παθεῖν τὸν παρακληθέντα ἐπιστραφεὶς ἐπὶ τὰ τῆς "Ἀνατολῆς μέρη καὶ αἰτήσας ὕδωρ ἐπὶ χειρῶν, ἐνίψατο αὐτοῦ τὰς "χεῖρας λέγων· " ἀθῶός εἰμι ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ δικαίου "τούτου ", οὕτως καὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον κράτος διὰ παντὸς ἐνετείλατο "μὴ διώκειν μήτε ἐπικλύζειν μήτε ζηλοῦν τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὸ "χωρίον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μήτε τοὺς διοικητὰς ἀπελαύνειν τοῦ μεγά "λου βασιλέως , ἵνα μὴ σήμερον μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου κράτους "αὔξειν δόξητε, καὶ μεταξὺ τοῦ παρακεκλημένου παθεῖν τὰ τῆς δια "θήκης αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἐπὶ Ζαχαρίου τοῦ αἵματος . ἀλλ' οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ "μεταξὺ τῆς