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For Scripture has delivered to us the ministering spirits as created things, saying that "They are all ministering spirits sent forth to minister." But on account of those who confuse everything and do not keep the teaching in the Gospels, it is necessary to make this further distinction: that one must flee also from those who reverse the order which the Lord delivered to us, as men who openly fight against piety, placing the Son before the Father, and preferring the Holy Spirit to the Son. For it is fitting to keep unmoved and inviolate the order which we received from the very voice of the Lord when He said: "Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Subscription of Eustathius, bishop. I, Eustathius, bishop, have read this to you, Basil, and have acknowledged and consented to what has been written above. And I have subscribed in the presence of my brethren, our Fronto and the chorepiscopus Severus and certain other clerics.

126. To Atarbius

126.1 Having come as far as Nicopolis in the hope of also the

setting right the disturbances that had arisen and of bringing possible comfort to those who had acted in a disorderly way and contrary to the ecclesiastical rule, we were greatly disheartened at not finding your goodness, but learning that you had departed in all haste, and this when the synod being held by you was almost in the middle of its session. Therefore we have necessarily resorted to a letter, through which we remind you to meet with us, that you yourself in person may comfort our grief with which we have been grieved even unto death on hearing that things have been dared in the midst of the Church which have never until this day come to our ears. And these things, although grievous and heavy, are yet bearable because they have been done to a man who, having entrusted to God the vengeance for what he has suffered, is wholly for peace and for nothing harmful happening to the people of God through his fault. But since some of the honorable brethren, worthy of all confidence, have reported to us that certain innovations are being made and things are being said by you concerning the faith contrary to the sound doctrine, we, being the more moved at this and having contended a great struggle lest, in addition to the countless wounds which the Church has suffered from those who sin against the truth of the Gospel, still another evil spring up, the old heresy of Sabellius, the enemy of the Church, being renewed (for the brethren reported to us that the things said were akin to these), for this reason we have written, that you may not hesitate, after travelling a short distance, to come to us and, by providing full assurance on these matters, both soothe our pain and comfort the Churches of God, which are now intolerably and grievously pained both at the things that have been done and at the things that are rumored to have been said by you.

127. To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata

127.1 The benevolent God who makes the consolations commensurate with the afflictions

joins together and comforts the lowly, that they may not be swallowed up by excessive sorrow, brought a comfort equal to the disturbances that befell us at Nicopolis, by sending at the right time the most God-beloved bishop Jovinus; let him himself relate how opportunely he appeared to us. For we, sparing the length of the letter, shall be silent and that we may not seem to be those from

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Τὰ γὰρ λειτουρ γικὰ πνεύματα κτίσματα ἡμῖν ἡ Γραφὴ παρέδωκεν εἰποῦσα ὅτι «Πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα.» ∆ιὰ δὲ τοὺς πάντα φύροντας καὶ μὴ φυ λάσσοντας τὴν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις διδασκαλίαν ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι καὶ τοῦτο προσδιαστείλασθαι ὅτι φεύγειν δεῖ καὶ τοὺς τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἣν παρέδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος ἐναμείβοντας, ὡς φανερῶς μαχομένους τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ, καὶ Υἱὸν μὲν προ τάσσοντας τοῦ Πατρός, Υἱοῦ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον προτιθέντας. Ἀκίνητον γὰρ καὶ ἀπαρεγχείρητον φυλάσσειν προσήκει τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἣν ἐξ αὐτῆς τοῦ Κυρίου τῆς φωνῆς παρελάβομεν εἰπόντος· «Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη βαπτίζοντες εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος.» Ὑπογραφὴ Εὐσταθίου ἐπισκόπου. Εὐστάθιος ἐπίσκοπος σοὶ Βασιλείῳ ἀναγνοὺς ἐγνώρισα καὶ συνῄνεσα τοῖς προγεγραμμένοις. Ὑπέγραψα δὲ συμπαρ όντων μοι τῶν ἀδελφῶν, τοῦ ἡμετέρου Φρόντωνος καὶ τοῦ χωρεπισκόπου Σεβήρου καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν κληρικῶν.

126.τ ΑΤΑΡΒΙΩ

126.1 Παραγενόμενοι μέχρι τῆς Νικοπόλεως ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τοῦ καὶ τὰς

κινηθείσας ταραχὰς ἐπανορθώσασθαι καὶ τὴν ἐνδεχομένην ἐπαγαγεῖν παραμυθίαν τοῖς ἀτάκτως καὶ παρὰ τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν θεσμὸν γενομένοις, σφόδρα ἠθυμή σαμεν μὴ καταλαβόντες σου τὴν χρηστότητα, ἀλλὰ μα θόντες ἐξεληλακέναι σε πρὸς πᾶσαν ἔπειξιν καὶ ταῦτα μεσούσης σχεδὸν τῆς συνόδου τῆς παρ' ὑμῶν τελουμένης. ∆ιὸ ἀναγκαίως ἐπὶ τὸ γράμμα ἤλθομεν δι' οὗ ὑπομιμνή σκομεν ἀπαντῆσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἵνα αὐτὸς διὰ σαυτοῦ παραμυθήσῃ ἡμῶν τὴν λύπην ἣν μέχρι θανάτου λελυπή μεθα ἀκούσαντες ἐπὶ μέσης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τετολμῆσθαι πράγματα οὔπω μέχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης εἰς ἀκοὴν ἡμετέραν ἐλθόντα. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰ καὶ λυπηρὰ καὶ βαρέα, ἀλλ' ἔτι φορητὰ διὰ τὸ εἰς ἄνθρωπον γεγενῆσθαι ὅς, τὴν ὑπὲρ ὧν πέπονθεν ἐκδίκησιν τῷ Θεῷ ἐπιτρέψας, ὅλος ἐστὶ τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ τοῦ μηδὲν παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ αἰτίαν βλαβερὸν γίνεσθαι τῷ λαῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ δέ τινες τῶν τιμίων καὶ πάσης πίστεως ἀξίων ἀδελφῶν ἀπήγγειλαν ἡμῖν ὡς περὶ τὴν πίστιν καινοτομουμένων τινῶν καὶ λαλουμένων παρὰ σοῦ ὑπεναντίως τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ, ἐπὶ τούτοις πλέον συγκινηθέντες καὶ πολὺν ἀγῶνα ἀγωνιά σαντες μή πού τι πρὸς τοῖς μυρίοις τραύμασιν οἷς πέπονθεν ἡ Ἐκκλησία παρὰ τῶν εἰς τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἐξαμαρτόντων ἔτι καὶ ἄλλο ἀναφυῇ κακόν, ἀνανεωθείσης τῆς παλαιᾶς τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας Σαβελλίου αἱρέσεως (τούτοις γὰρ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἀπήγγελον ἡμῖν συγ γενῆ εἶναι τὰ εἰρημένα), τούτου ἕνεκεν ἐπεστείλαμεν, ἵνα μὴ ὀκνήσῃς μικρὸν διάστημα κινηθεὶς καταλαβεῖν ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις πληροφορίαν παρασχόμενος ἡμῶν τε τὴν ὀδύνην καταπραῧναι καὶ τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίας παραμυθήσασθαι τὰς νῦν ἀφορήτως καὶ βαρέως ἐπί τε τοῖς πεπραγμένοις καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς θρυλουμένοις εἰρῆσθαι παρὰ σοῦ λυπουμένας.

127.τ ΕΥΣΕΒΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ

127.1 Ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς ὁ συμμέτρους ταῖς θλίψεσι τὰς παρακλήσεις

συνάπτων καὶ παρακαλῶν τοὺς ταπεινούς, ἵνα μὴ λάθωσιν ὑπὸ τῆς περισσοτέρας λύπης καταποθέντες, ἴσην ταῖς ἐπιγενομέναις ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν Νικόπολιν ταρα χαῖς τὴν παραμυθίαν ἐπήγαγε τὸν θεοφιλέστατον ἐπί σκοπον Ἰουβῖνον ἐν καιρῷ ἐπιστήσας· ὃς ὅπως εὐκαίρως ἡμῖν ἐπεφάνη, αὐτὸς διηγησάσθω. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ φειδόμενοι τοῦ μήκους τῆς ἐπιστολῆς σιωπήσομεν καὶ ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν τοὺς ἐκ