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If anyone does not say that "the Father has made all things through the Son and the Holy Spirit, that is, things visible and invisible, let him be anathema. "If anyone does not say that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have one Godhead, authority, divinity, dominion, one glory, "lordship, one kingdom, one will and truth, let him be anathema. "If anyone does not say there are three true persons, of the Father and of the "Son and of the Holy Spirit, equal, ever-living, possessing all things "visible and invisible, all-powerful, judging all things, "giving life to all things, creating all things, saving all things, let him be anathema. "If anyone does not say the Holy Spirit is to be worshipped by all "creation, just as the Son and the Father, let him be anathema. "If anyone thinks rightly concerning the Father and the Son, but "does not hold correctly concerning the Holy Spirit, he is a heretic, because all the "heretics, thinking wrongly concerning the Son of God and concerning the Holy Spirit, "are convicted of being in the unbelief of the Jews and of the pagans. "But if anyone divides, saying God the Father and God the Son and "God the Holy Spirit, and should insist that they be called gods and not 302 "God because of the one Godhead and dominion, which we believe "and know to be, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "one God, but excepting the Son and the Holy Spirit, so as "to suppose that only the Father is called God or believed to be one God, "let him be anathema. "For the name of gods has been both given and granted by God to the angels and to all the saints; "but concerning the Father and the Son and "the Holy Spirit, because of the one and equal Godhead, not the names "of gods but of our God is indicated and signified, so that we may believe "that we are baptized into the Father and Son and Holy Spirit alone, and "not into the names of archangels and angels, as heretics or "as Jews or pagans rave. This, then, is the salvation of Christians: "that believing in the Trinity, that is in the Father and "in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, and being baptized into it, one Godhead "and dominion and divinity and essence, we believe in Him." These things, then, happened while Gratian was still living. But since he, 303 excelling in wars and governing the cities temperately and justly, died by a plot, leaving behind no children as heirs of the empire, but a very young brother with the same name as his father, a certain Maximus, despising Valentinian's youth, seized the rule of the West. And at that time Justina, the wife of Valentinian the Great, and mother of the young emperor, made clear to her son the seeds of the Arian teaching which she had long ago received. For knowing the fervent faith of her husband, she had been careful to conceal it all the time; but seeing the tender and pliable mind of her son, she dared to bring forward the deceit. And he, supposing his mother's suggestions to be beneficial (for looking at the bait of nature he did not see the death-bearing hook), first brought his arguments on these matters to Ambrose, thinking that if he could persuade him, he would easily overcome the others and that no one would be an opponent. But he reminded him of his father's piety and exhorted him to guard inviolate the inheritance which he had received; and he also taught the difference between the doctrines, and how some agree with the teaching of the Lord and the preaching of the apostles, while others are directly contrary and in conflict with the spiritual law. But the youth, as being a youth and sharpened by a deluded mother, not only did not accept what was said, but also became full of anger and surrounded the church precincts with companies of hoplites and peltasts. 304 But since that greatest champion was in no way frightened by his actions (for he considered these things to be bugbears brought forward by some against mere boys), then, being openly enraged, he ordered him to go outside the sacred portals. But he said: "I will not do this willingly.
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τις μὴ εἴπῃ πάντα διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος "τὸν πατέρα πεποιηκέναι, τουτέστι τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, ἀνά "θεμα ἔστω. "Εἴ τις μὴ εἴπῃ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύμα "τος μίαν θεότητα, ἐξουσίαν, θειότητα, δυναστείαν, μίαν δόξαν, "κυριότητα, μίαν βασιλείαν, μίαν θέλησιν καὶ ἀλήθειαν, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. "Εἴ τις τρία πρόσωπα μὴ εἴπῃ ἀληθινά, τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ "υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἴσα, ἀεὶ ζῶντα, τὰ πάντα κατέχοντα "τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, πάντα δυνάμενα, πάντα κρίνοντα, πάντα "ζωοποιοῦντα, πάντα δημιουργοῦντα, πάντα σώζοντα, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. "Εἴ τις μὴ εἴπῃ προσκυνητὸν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον παρὰ πάσης "τῆς κτίσεως, ὡς καὶ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸν πατέρα, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. "Εἴ τις περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καλῶς φρονήσει, περὶ δὲ "τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἔχει, αἱρετικός ἐστιν ὅτι πάντες οἱ "αἱρετικοί, περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος "κακῶς φρονοῦντες, ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τῶν ἐθνικῶν ἀπιστίᾳ "τυγχάνειν ἐλέγχονται. "Εἴ τις δὲ μερίσῃ θεὸν τὸν πατέρα λέγων καὶ θεὸν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ "θεὸν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ διισχυρίσαιτο θεοὺς λέγεσθαι καὶ οὐχὶ 302 "θεὸν διὰ τὴν μίαν θεότητα καὶ δυναστείαν, ἥνπερ εἶναι πιστεύομεν "καὶ οἴδαμεν, τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, "θεὸν ἕνα, ὑπεξελόμενος δὲ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὡς "μόνον ὑπονοήσει τὸν πατέρα θεὸν λέγεσθαι ἢ πιστεύεσθαι ἕνα θεόν, "ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. "Τὸ γὰρ ὄνομα τῶν θεῶν καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἁγίοις "παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐτέθη καὶ ἐχαρίσθη· περὶ δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ "τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, διὰ τὴν μίαν καὶ ἴσην θεότητα, οὐχὶ τῶν θεῶν "ὀνόματα ἀλλὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐνδείκνυται καὶ σημαίνεται, ἵνα πιστεύω "μεν ὅτι εἰς πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα μόνον βαπτιζόμεθα, καὶ "οὐχὶ εἰς τὰ τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων καὶ ἀγγέλων ὀνόματα, ὡς αἱρετικοὶ ἢ "ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι ἢ ἐθνικοὶ παραφρονοῦντες. αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ τῶν Χριστια "νῶν σωτηρία ἐστὶν ὥστε πιστεύοντες τῇ τριάδι, τουτέστι τῷ πατρὶ καὶ "τῷ υἱῷ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, καὶ βαπτιζόμενοι εἰς αὐτήν, μίαν θεό "τητα καὶ δυναστείαν καὶ θειότητα καὶ οὐσίαν, εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύομεν." Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν Γρατιανοῦ περιόντος ἐγένετο. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκεῖνος 303 ἔν τε πολέμοις ἀριστεύων καὶ τὰς πόλεις σωφρόνως τε καὶ δικαίως ἰθύνων ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς ἐτελεύτησε, παῖδας μὲν οὐ καταλιπὼν κλη ρονόμους τῆς βασιλείας, ἀδελφὸν δὲ κομιδῇ νέον ὁμώνυμον τοῦ πατρός, Μάξιμός τις τῆς Βαλεντινιανοῦ καταφρονήσας νεότητος ἥρπασε τὴν τῆς Ἑσπέρας ἡγεμονίαν. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν χρόνον Ἰουστίνα, ἡ Βαλεντινιανοῦ μὲν τοῦ μεγάλου γαμετή, τοῦ δὲ νέου μήτηρ, ἃ πάλαι τῆς Ἀρειανικῆς διδα σκαλίας ἐδέξατο σπέρματα δῆλα πεποίηκε τῷ παιδί. τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ὁμόζυγος τὸ θερμὸν ἐπισταμένη τῆς πίστεως, λαθεῖν ἅπαντα τὸν χρόνον ἐσπούδασε· τοῦ δὲ παιδὸς τὸ τῶν φρενῶν ἁπαλὸν καὶ εὔει κτον θεωμένη προσενεγκεῖν τὴν ἐξαπάτην ἐθάρρησεν. ὁ δὲ τῆς μητρὸς τὰς ὑποθήκας ὀνησιφόρους ὑπολαβὼν (εἰς γὰρ τὸ τῆς φύσεως δέλεαρ ἀποβλέπων τὸ θανατηφόρον ἄγκιστρον οὐχ ἑώρα), Ἀμβροσίῳ πρώτῳ τοὺς περὶ τούτων προσενήνοχε λόγους, ἡγούμενος, εἰ τοῦτον μετα πείσοι, τῶν ἄλλων ῥᾳδίως ἂν περιέσεσθαι καὶ οὐδένα ἀντίπαλον ἔσεσθαι. ὁ δὲ τῆς τε τοῦ πατρὸς ἀνεμίμνησκεν εὐσεβείας καὶ τὸν κλῆρον παρεκάλει φυλάττειν ὃν παρέλαβεν ἄσυλον· ἐδίδασκε δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν δογμάτων διαφοράν, καὶ ὅπως τὰ μὲν τῇ τοῦ κυρίου διδα σκαλίᾳ καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων συμβαίνει κηρύγμασι, τὰ δὲ ἄντικρύς ἐστιν ἐναντία καὶ τῇ πνευματικῇ νομοθεσίᾳ μαχόμενα. ὁ δὲ νέος, οἷα δὴ νέος καὶ παρὰ μητρὸς ἠπατημένης θηγόμενος, οὐ μόνον οὐ προσίετο τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ θυμοῦ πλήρης ἐγίγνετο καὶ λόχοις ὁπλιτῶν τε καὶ πελταστῶν τοὺς ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς περιβόλους ἐκύκλου. 304 ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸν μέγιστον ἐκεῖνον ἀριστέα οὐδὲν ἐδεδίξατο τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενομένων (μορμολύκεια γὰρ ὑπέλαβε ταῦτα, μειρακυλλίοις ὑπό τινων προσφερόμενα), τότε δὴ χαλεπήνας προφανῶς αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσε τῶν ἱερῶν ἔξω βῆναι προθύρων. ὁ δέ· "ἑκὼν εἶναι τοῦτο", ἔφη, "οὐ.