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since the schism which existed in the churches before the synods remained, that the bishops everywhere be permitted to meet by themselves wherever they wished, with no one else communicating, and that the undertakings of those wishing to act in part should not proceed according to their purpose 6.4.5 or to deceive, as under the emperor Constantius. They declared that they had not come to the camp, so as not to seem troublesome; but if they were permitted, they would gladly do this, using their own beasts of burden and at their own expense. 6.4.6 And they wrote such things to the emperor Jovian. Meanwhile, a synod having been held in Antioch of Syria, the faith of those who had assembled at Nicaea was confirmed, and it prevails so that without dispute the Son is held to be homoousios with the Father. And they participated in this synod: Meletius, who at that time was in charge of the church of Antioch itself, and Eusebius of Samosata, and Pelagius of Laodicea in Syria, and Acacius of Caesarea in Palestine 6.4.7 and Eirenion of Gaza, and Athanasius of Ancyra. And having done these things, they made known the decisions to the emperor, writing as follows: "To our most pious and most God-beloved sovereign Jovian, Victor, "7Augustus, the synod of the bishops present in Antioch from various provinces. "7We ourselves know well, most God-beloved emperor, that your piety has been zealous to give first place to ecclesiastical peace and concord. "7Nor are we ignorant that you have rightly understood the mark of the true and orthodox faith 6.4.8 "7to be the chief point of such unity. Therefore, so that we may not be thought to be ranked with those who corrupt the doctrines of the truth, "7we report to your piety, that we both accept and hold to the faith of the holy synod formerly assembled long ago at Nicaea, 6.4. "7at which time even the name which seemed strange to some in it, that of homoousios we mean, "7obtained a secure interpretation from the fathers, signifying that the Son was begotten from the substance of the Father and that he is like in substance to the Father; "7neither as if some passion were conceived concerning the ineffable generation, nor "7is the name of substance taken by the fathers according to some Hellenic usage, "7but for the overthrow of that which was impiously dared by Arius concerning the Son, that he is from things that are not. 6.4.10 "7which the Anomoeans who have now appeared, even more rashly and "7more daringly, to the ruin of ecclesiastical concord, shamelessly proclaim. "7And we have attached to this our report also the copy of the "7same faith set forth at Nicaea by the assembled bishops, "7which we also cherish." 6.4.11 And the priests then present at Antioch thus decreed, annexing to their own letter in the very same words the faith set forth by those assembled at Nicaea. 6.5.1 Meanwhile Athanasius, who administered the throne of the Alexandrians, after communicating with a few of his associates, thought it necessary to see the emperor, being a Christian; and having come to Antioch, he informed the ruler concerning the things he needed. But some say that the emperor himself summoned the man 6.5.2 to propose what should be done concerning religion and the orthodox faith. And having arranged the affairs of the church as was possible, he began to think of his return. But Euzoius, the bishop of the Arian heresy in Antioch, was eager for Probatius, a eunuch, to preside over the same doctrine in Alexandria; and when those around Euzoius proposed this, a certain Lucius, an Alexandrian by birth, a presbyter 6.5.3 ordained by George, approached the emperor. And he slandered Athanasius, as having always endured accusations during the time of his episcopate and having often been condemned to live in exile by the emperors before him, and having become a cause of dissension concerning the divine and of disturbance, he requested 6.5.4 that another should oversee the church of the Alexandrians instead of him. But the emperor (for he knew the plots that had happened against Athanasius at that time) did not heed the slanders against him, but

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σχίσματος τοῦ πρὸ τῶν συνόδων ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις μένοντος συγχωρηθῆναι τοὺς πανταχῇ ἐπισκόπους αὐτοὺς καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ὅποι βούλονται συνελθεῖν μηδενὸς ἄλλου κοινωνοῦντος, μὴ προχωρεῖν δὲ κατὰ σκοπὸν τὰ ἐπιχειρούμενα τοῖς ἐν μέρει τι βουλομένοις πράττειν 6.4.5 ἢ ἐξαπατᾶν ὡς ἐπὶ Κωνσταντίου τοῦ βασιλέως. ἐδήλουν δὲ μὴ παραγενέσθαι σφᾶς εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον, ὥστε μὴ ὀχληροὺς εἶναι δοκεῖν· εἰ δὲ ἐπιτραπεῖεν, ἀσμένως τοῦτο ποιήσειν ὑποζυγίοις ἰδίοις καὶ δαπάνῃ χρω6.4.6 μένους. καὶ οἱ μὲν τοιάδε ᾿Ιοβιανῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἔγραψαν. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ συνόδου γενομένης ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ τῆς Συρίας βεβαιοῦται τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνεληλυθότων ἡ πίστις καὶ κρατεῖ ὥστε ἀναμφηρίστως τὸν υἱὸν τῷ πατρὶ δοξάζειν ὁμοούσιον. ἐκοινώνησαν δὲ ταύτης τῆς συνόδου Μελέτιος, ὃς τότε αὐτῆς τῆς ᾿Αντιοχείας τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπετρόπευε, καὶ Εὐσέβιος ὁ Σαμοσάτων καὶ Πελάγιος ὁ Λαοδικείας τῆς Σύρων καὶ ᾿Ακάκιος ὁ Καισαρείας τῆς Πα6.4.7 λαιστίνης καὶ Εἰρηνίων ὁ Γαζαῖος καὶ ᾿Αθανάσιος ὁ ᾿Αγκύρας. ταῦτα δὲ πράξαντες ἐδήλωσαν τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ δόξαντα γράψαντες ὧδε· «Τῷ εὐσεβεστάτῳ καὶ θεοφιλεστάτῳ δεσπότῃ ἡμῶν ᾿Ιοβιανῷ Νικητῇ "7Αὐγούστῳ ἡ τῶν ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ παρόντων ἐπισκόπων ἐκ διαφόρων ἐπαρχιῶν "7σύνοδος. "7Τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν εἰρήνην τε καὶ ὁμόνοιαν ὅτι σοῦ καὶ πρώτη πρεσ"7βεύειν ἐσπούδακεν ἡ εὐσέβεια, εὖ ἴσμεν καὶ αὐτοί, θεοφιλέστατε βασιλεῦ. "7ὅτι δὲ κεφάλαιον τῆς τοιαύτης ἑνότητος τῆς ἀληθοῦς καὶ ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως 6.4.8 "7καλῶς ὑπείληφας τὸν χαρακτῆρα, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀγνοοῦμεν. ἵνα τοίνυν μὴ "7μετὰ τῶν παραχαρασσόντων τὰ δόγματα τῆς ἀληθείας τετάχθαι νομιζώ"7μεθα, ἀναφέρομεν τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ, ὅτι τῆς ἁγίας συνόδου τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ πάλαι "7πρότερον συγκροτηθείσης τὴν πίστιν καὶ ἀποδεχόμεθα καὶ κατέχομεν, 6.4. "7ὁπότε καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν ἐν αὐτῇ τισι ξένον ὄνομα, τὸ τοῦ ὁμοουσίου φαμέν, "7ἀσφαλοῦς τετύχηκε παρὰ τοῖς πατράσιν ἑρμηνείας, σημαινούσης ὅτι ἐκ τῆς "7οὐσίας τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ υἱὸς ἐγεννήθη καὶ ὅτι ὅμοιος κατ' οὐσίαν τῷ πατρί· "7οὔτε δὲ ὡς πάθους τινὸς περὶ τὴν ἄρρητον γέννησιν ἐπινοουμένου, οὔτε "7κατά τινα χρῆσιν ῾Ελληνικὴν λαμβάνεται τοῖς πατράσι τὸ ὄνομα τῆς οὐσίας, "7εἰς ἀνατροπὴν δὲ τοῦ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀσεβῶς τολμηθέντος 6.4.10 "7᾿Αρείῳ. ὅπερ καὶ οἱ νῦν ἐπιφοιτήσαντες ᾿Ανόμοιοι ἔτι θρασύτερον καὶ "7τολμηρότερον ἐπὶ λύμῃ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς ὁμονοίας ἀναισχύντως παρρη"7σιάζονται. συνετάξαμεν δὲ τῇδε ἡμῶν τῇ ἀναφορᾷ καὶ τὸ ἀντίγραφον τῆς "7αὐτῆς πίστεως τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ ὑπὸ τῶν συγκροτηθέντων ἐπισκόπων τεθεί"7σης, ἥντινα καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν.» 6.4.11 Καὶ τὰ μὲν ὧδε ἐψηφίσαντο οἱ τότε τῇ ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ ἐνδημοῦντες ἱερεῖς, αὐτοῖς ῥητοῖς τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνεληλυθότων ἐκτεθεῖσαν πίστιν τῇ ἰδίᾳ γραφῇ ὑποτάξαντες. 6.5.1 ᾿Εν τούτῳ δὲ ᾿Αθανάσιος ὁ τὸν ᾿Αλεξανδρέων θρόνον ἐπιτροπεύωνὀλίγοις τῶν ἐπιτηδείων κοινωσάμενος ἀναγκαῖον ᾠήθη Χριστιανὸν ὄντα τὸν βασιλέα ἰδεῖν· καὶ παραγενόμενος εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν περὶ ὧν ἐδεῖτο τὸν κρατοῦντα διδάσκει. οἱ δέ φασιν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν ἄνδρα μετεκαλέσατο 6.5.2 τὰ πρακτέα περὶ τὴν θρησκείαν καὶ τὴν ὀρθὴν δόξαν εἰσηγησόμενον. διαθείς τε τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν, ἐφρόντιζε τῆς ἐπανόδου. Εὐζώιος δὲ ὁ ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ ἐπίσκοπος τῆς ᾿Αρειανῆς αἱρέσεως ἐσπούδαζε προεστάναι τῆς αὐτῆς δόξης ἐν ᾿Αλεξανδρείᾳ Προβάτιον εὐνοῦχον· εἰσηγησαμένων τε τοῦτο τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν Εὐζώιον Λούκιός τις ᾿Αλεξανδρεὺς τὸ γένος, πρεσβύτερος 6.5.3 τῶν παρὰ Γεωργίου χειροτονηθέντων, πρόσεισι τῷ βασιλεῖ. καὶ βλασφημήσας ᾿Αθανάσιον ὡς ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἀεὶ γραφὰς ὑπομείναντα καὶ πολλάκις ὑπερορίαν οἰκεῖν καταδικασθέντα παρὰ τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέων, διχονοίας τε περὶ τὸ θεῖον καὶ ταραχῆς παραίτιον γενόμενον, ἐδεῖτο 6.5.4 ἕτερον ἀντ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ᾿Αλεξανδρέων ἐκκλησίαν ἐπισκοπεῖν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς (ᾔδει γὰρ τὰς ᾿Αθανασίῳ τότε συμβάσας ἐπιβουλάς) οὐκ ἔθετο ταῖς κατ' αὐτοῦ διαβολαῖς, ἀλλὰ