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of one city "them asking that this final comfort be given to them. but "O the great inhumanity of the one who judged, or rather of the one who condem 259 ned, those who contended for piety were not compared with murderers, their bodies remaining unburied; those who fought the good fight were cast out to be devoured by wild beasts and birds; those who wished to sympathize with their fathers for conscience' sake were beheaded, as if they had committed unlawful acts. "What law of the Romans, what opinion of barbarians, ever punished those who sympathized with their fathers? Where did any of the ancients ever do such an unlawful thing? Pharaoh once commanded the male children of the Hebrews to be destroyed; but envy and fear prompted this command. How much more humane were the things of that time than those of now? How much more desirable in choosing an injustice? How much better in comparison of lawlessness, even if the evils cannot be separated from each other? The things being said are unbelievable, inhuman and terrible, cruel and barbarous, merciless and bitter. But in these things the subjects of the Arian madness, dancing, exulted. "And while the whole city was lamenting, " for there was not a house in which there was not one dead ", as it is written in Exodus, those who had practiced an insatiable habit for lawlessness did not rest again. For training their purpose toward worse things, extending the peculiar poison of their wickedness even to the bishops of the province, using the aforementioned Magnus, the count of the largesses, as a spear-bearer for their injustices, they handed some over to the senate-house, and they ambushed others in whatever way they wished, wishing to hunt down everyone everywhere for impiety, leaving nothing undared; but indeed also going about everywhere, according to the proper father of their heresy, the devil, "seeking whom they might devour". Being at a loss therefore among all, eleven bishops from Egypt in number, 260 men who from childhood to old age had inhabited the desert for the sake of ascetic discipline and had subdued their passions in word and deed, and who proclaimed the pious faith without shame and had been nurtured in the doctrines of piety, and who had often raised a victory over demons, putting the adversary to shame by their virtue, and who denounced the Arian heresy with the wisest speech, having the aforementioned man as an instrument of cruelty, they made them exiles in a city inhabited by the Lord-killing Jews, Diocaesarea by name. And yet, like Hades not being filled by the death of the brothers, the senseless and foolish men dared everywhere on earth to leave memorials of their own cruelty, wishing to have their distinguishing mark from evil deeds. For behold, again, clerics of the catholic church staying in Antioch together with zealous monks, who had proposed to protest against their dramatic doings, having sounded royal reports against them, they caused them to inhabit Neocaesarea of Pontus, who perhaps were even deprived of life because of the wildness of the place." That time received such tragedies, worthy indeed of silence and oblivion, but being placed in writings for the refutation of those who moved their tongues against the only-begotten; who, having received the madness of blasphemy, not only attempt to shoot at the master of all, but also undertook an implacable war against his loyal servants. 261 At that time the tribes of the Ishmaelites were plundering the neighboring lands of the Roman dominion. Mavia was their leader, not seeing indeed the nature she had received, but employing a manly spirit. She, after very many engagements made a truce, then having received the light of the knowledge of God, asked that a certain Moses, who was living as a hermit on the border of Egypt and Palestine, be appointed as bishop for the nation. Valens, having accepted this request, ordered the divine man to be brought to Alexandria, and from there to receive the episcopal grace; for that city was nearer. But when he was brought and saw Lucius attempting to lay his hand upon him; "May it not be," he said, "that I be ordained by your hand; for grace does not come at your summons

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πόλεως μίαν "αὐτοῖς αἰτούντων δοθῆναι τὴν ὑστάτην ταύτην παράκλησιν. ἀλλ' "ὢ πολλῆς ἀπανθρωπίας τοῦ δικάσαντος, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ κατακρί 259 "ναντος, οἱ δι' εὐσέβειαν ἀθλήσαντες φονεῦσιν οὐ συνεκρίνοντο, ἄτα "φοι μένοντες τὰ σώματα· οἱ καλῶς ἀγωνιζόμενοι θηρίοις καὶ πτη "νοῖς πρὸς βορὰν ἐρρίπτοντο· οἱ συμπαθῆσαι βεβουλημένοι πατράσι "διὰ τὴν συνείδησιν τὴν κεφαλὴν ὡς παράνομα δράσαντες ἀπετέμνοντο. "ποῖος νόμος Ῥωμαίων, ποία δὲ γνώμη βαρβάρων τοὺς πατράσι συμ "παθοῦντας ἠμύνατο; ποῦ τις τῶν παλαιῶν ποτε ἔδρασέ τι τοιοῦτον "παράνομον; ἐκέλευσέ ποτε Φαραὼ ἀναιρεῖσθαι τῶν Ἑβραίων τὰ "ἄρρενα· ἀλλὰ φθόνος καὶ δέος ὑπέβαλε τοῦτο τὸ πρόσταγμα. πόσῳ "τὰ τότε τῶν νῦν φιλανθρωπότερα; πόσῳ ποθεινὰ πρὸς αἵρεσιν "ἀδικήματος; πόσῳ βελτίονα πρὸς σύγκρισιν ἀνομήματος, κἂν ἀλλήλων "αἱ κακίαι μὴ χωρίζωνται; ἄπιστα τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀπάνθρωπα καὶ δεινά, "ὠμὰ καὶ βάρβαρα, ἀνελεῆ καὶ πικρά. ἀλλ' ἐν τούτοις ἐγαυρίων οἱ "τῆς Ἀρείου μανίας ὑπήκοοι χορεύοντες. "Τῆς δὲ πόλεως πάσης ὀλοφυρομένης, " οὐκ ἦν γὰρ οἰκία ἐν ᾗ οὐκ "ἦν τεθνηκώς ", ὡς ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ γέγραπται, οὐκ ἠρέμησαν πάλιν οἱ τὴν "ἕξιν ἀκόρεστον πρὸς παρανομίαν ἀσκήσαντες. ἐπὶ γὰρ τὰ χείρω τὴν προ "αίρεσιν γυμνάζοντες, μέχρι τῶν τῆς ἐπαρχίας ἐπισκόπων τὸν ἴδιον τῆς "κακίας ἰὸν ἐπεκτείνοντες, δορυφόρῳ πρὸς ἀδικίας τῷ τῶν λαργιτιόνων "χρώμενοι κόμητι τῷ προειρημένῳ Μάγνῳ, τοὺς μὲν βουλευτηρίῳ παρέ "δοσαν, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ὃν ἐβούλοντο τρόπον ἐνήδρευον, πανταχόθεν πρὸς "ἀσέβειαν τοὺς πάντας θηρεῦσαι βουλόμενοι, οὐδὲν ἀφέντες ἀτόλμητον· "ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πάντα περιερχόμενοι, κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον τῆς αἱρέσεως πα "τέρα διάβολον, "ζητοῦντες τίνα καταπιεῖν". καθόλου τοίνυν παρὰ "πάντων ἀπορούμενοι, ἕνδεκα τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὸν ἀριθμὸν 260 "ἐπισκόπων, ἄνδρας ἐκ παιδίου μέχρι γήρως τὴν ἔρημον ἀσκήσεως χάριν "οἰκήσαντας καὶ λόγῳ καὶ πράξει τὰς ἡδονὰς ὑποτάξαντας, καὶ τὴν εὐ "σεβῆ πίστιν ἀνεπαισχύντως κηρύττοντας καὶ τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας γαλουχη "θέντας δόγματα, καὶ νίκην πολλάκις κατὰ δαιμόνων ἐπάραντας ἀρετῇ "δυσωποῦντας τὸν ἀντίπαλον, καὶ τὴν Ἀρειανὴν σοφωτάτῳ λόγῳ "στηλιτεύοντας αἵρεσιν, ὄργανον ὠμότητος τὸν προειρημένον ἔχοντες, "ὑπερορίους πεποιήκασιν ἐν οἰκουμένῃ παρὰ τῶν κυριοκτόνων Ἰου "δαίων πόλει, τοὔνομα ∆ιοκαισαρείᾳ. καὶ ὅμως, ὡς ὁ ᾅδης ἐπὶ θα "νάτῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν οὐκ ἐμπιπλάμενοι, ἁπανταχοῦ γῆς ἐτόλμησαν οἱ "παράφρονες καὶ ἀβέλτεροι τῆς οἰκείας ὠμότητος καταλεῖψαι μνημό "συνα, ἐκ κακῶν ἔχειν τὸ γνώρισμα βουλόμενοι. ἰδοὺ γὰρ πάλιν κλη "ρικοὺς τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διατρίβοντας ἅμα σπου "δαίοις μονάζουσι τὰ τῆς δραματουργίας αὐτῶν διαμαρτύρασθαι "προθεμένους, βασιλικὰς ἠχήσαντες κατ' αὐτῶν ἀκοάς, τὴν Νεοκαι "σάρειαν τοῦ Πόντου οἰκεῖν παρεσκεύασαν, οἳ τάχα καὶ τοῦ ζῆν ἐστε "ρήθησαν διὰ τὴν τῶν τόπων ἀγριότητα." Τοιαύτας ὁ καιρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐδέξατο τραγῳδίας, σιγῆς μὲν καὶ λήθης ἀξίας, ἐν συγγράμμασι δὲ τιθεμένας εἰς ἔλεγχον τῶν κατὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς κινησάντων τὰς γλώττας· οἳ τὴν τῆς βλασφημίας εἰσδεξά μενοι λύτταν, οὐ μόνον τὸν τῶν ὅλων δεσπότην τοξεύειν ἐπιχειροῦ σιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τῶν εὔνων αὐτοῦ θεραπόντων τὸν ἄσπονδον ἀνεδέξαντο πόλεμον. 261 Κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν τὰ φῦλα τὰς πελαζού σας τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἐληΐζετο χώρας. Μαβία δὲ τούτων ἡγεῖτο, οὐχ ὁρῶσα μὲν ἣν ἔλαχε φύσιν, ἀνδρείῳ δὲ φρονήματι κεχρημένη. αὕτη μετὰ παμπόλλας συμπλοκὰς σπεισαμένη, εἶτα τῆς θεογνωσίας εἰσδε ξαμένη τὸ φῶς, ᾔτησεν ἀρχιερέα προβληθῆναι τῷ ἔθνει Μωϋσῆν τινα ἐν μεθορίῳ τῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ Παλαιστίνης ἐσκηνημένον. ταύτην δεξά μενος ὁ Βάλης τὴν αἴτησιν, εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἀπαχθῆναι τὸν θεῖον ἄνδρα προσέταξε, κἀκεῖθεν αὐτὸν τὴν ἀρχιερατικὴν ὑποδέ ξασθαι χάριν· ἐκείνη γὰρ μᾶλλον ἐπέλαζεν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπήχθη καὶ τὸν Λούκιον εἶδεν ἐπιθεῖναί οἱ τὴν χεῖρα πειρώμενον· "μὴ γένοιτο", ἔφη, "παρὰ τῆς σῆς με χειροτονηθῆναι χειρός· οὐκ ἐπιφοιτᾷ γὰρ σοῦ καλοῦντος ἡ χάρις