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for this very reason enumerating those who assembled in the aforementioned city, but of these, the most distinguished were as follows. 7.28.2 Therefore, with all coming together at different times and often for the same purpose, discussions and investigations were started at each synod, with the party of the Samosatene still trying to hide and conceal their heterodoxy, and the others being zealous to expose and bring to light his heresy and his blasphemy against Christ. 7.28.3 In the meantime Dionysius died in the twelfth year of the reign of Gallienus, having presided over the episcopate of Alexandria for seventeen years, and Maximus succeeded him. 7.28.4 Gallienus having held power for fifteen full years, Claudius was established as his successor. After this one had passed his second year, he handed over the rule to Aurelian. 7.29.1 During his reign, when a final synod of a great many 7.29.1 bishops was assembled, having been detected and now clearly convicted of heterodoxy by all, the leader of the heresy in Antioch is excommunicated from the catholic church under heaven. 7.29.2 But Malchion especially refuted him as he concealed his errors, a man eloquent in other respects and head of the school of Greek rhetoric in Antioch, but also for the exceeding genuineness of his faith in Christ having been deemed worthy of the presbyterate of the parish there. This man indeed, having initiated an inquiry against him with stenographers taking notes, which we know is extant to this day, was able, alone of all the others, to detect the man who was cunning and deceitful. 7.30.1 Therefore indeed, by common consent, the pastors who had assembled for this purpose, having composed a single letter addressed to both Dionysius, bishop of the Romans, and Maximus of Alexandria, send it out to all the provinces, making their own zeal manifest to all, and the perverse heterodoxy of Paul, and the refutations and questions which they had raised against him, and furthermore narrating the entire life and character of the man. From which, for the sake of memory, it would be well to go through these words of theirs at the present moment: 7.30.2 “To Dionysius and Maximus and to all our fellow-ministers throughout the world, bishops and presbyters and deacons, and to the whole catholic church under heaven, Helenus and Hymenaeus and Theophilus and Theotecnus and Maximus, Proclus, Nicomas, and Aelianus and Paul and Bolanus and Protogenes and Hierax and Eutychius and Theodorus and Malchion and Lucius and all the rest who with us dwell in the neighboring cities and nations, bishops and presbyters and deacons and the churches of God, to the beloved brethren in the Lord, greeting.” 7.30.3 After a short introduction, they add these words: “We wrote at the same time and exhorted many, even of the bishops afar off, to the cure of this deadly teaching, such as Dionysius of Alexandria and Firmilian of Cappadocia, those blessed men. Of whom, the one wrote to Antioch, not even deigning to address the leader of the error, nor writing to him personally, but to the entire parish, a copy of which we have also subjoined. 7.30.4 But Firmilian, having come twice, condemned the innovations made by him, as we who were present know and testify, and many others are aware. But when he promised to change his mind, believing and hoping that the matter would be settled as it ought without any reproach to the Word, he postponed it, being deceived by him who denies even his own God and Lord, and has not kept the faith which he himself formerly held. 7.30.5 And now Firmilian was about to cross over to Antioch and had come as far as Tarsus, since he had experienced his God-denying wickedness. But in the meantime, as we were gathered together and calling for him and awaiting his arrival, he came to the end of his life.” 7.30.6 After

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αὐτῆς ἕνεκεν αἰτίας ἐν τῇ προειρημένῃ πόλει συγκροτηθέντας ἀπαριθμούμενος, ἀλλὰ τούτων γε οἱ μάλιστα ἐπιφανεῖς οἵδε ἦσαν. 7.28.2 πάντων οὖν κατὰ καιροὺς διαφόρως καὶ πολλάκις ἐπὶ ταὐτὸν συνιόντων, λόγοι καὶ ζητήσεις καθ' ἑκάστην ἀνεκινοῦντο σύνοδον, τῶν μὲν ἀμφὶ τὸν Σαμοσατέα τὰ τῆς ἑτεροδοξίας ἐπικρύπτειν ἔτι καὶ παρακαλύπτεσθαι πειρωμένων, τῶν δὲ ἀπογυμνοῦν καὶ εἰς φανερὸν ἄγειν τὴν αἵρεσιν καὶ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν βλασφημίαν αὐτοῦ διὰ σπουδῆς ποιουμένων. 7.28.3 ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ∆ιονύσιος τελευτᾷ κατὰ τὸ δωδέκατον τῆς Γαλλιηνοῦ βασιλείας, προστὰς τῆς κατ' Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἐπισκοπῆς ἔτεσιν ἑπτακαίδεκα, διαδέχεται δ' αὐτὸν Μάξιμος. 7.28.4 Γαλλιηνοῦ δ' ἐφ' ὅλοις ἐνιαυτοῖς πεντεκαίδεκα τὴν ἀρχὴν κεκρατηκότος, Κλαύδιος κατέστη διάδοχος. δεύτερον οὗτος διελθὼν ἔτος Αὐρηλιανῷ μεταδίδωσι τὴν ἡγεμονίαν· 7.29.1 καθ' ὃν τελευταίας συγκροτηθείσης πλείστων ὅσων 7.29.1 ἐπισκόπων συνόδου, φωραθεὶς καὶ πρὸς ἁπάντων ἤδη σαφῶς καταγνωσθεὶς ἑτεροδοξίαν ὁ τῆς κατὰ Ἀντιόχειαν αἱρέσεως ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποκηρύττεται. 7.29.2 μάλιστα δ' αὐτὸν εὐθύνας ἐπικρυπτόμενον διήλεγξεν Μαλχίων, ἀνὴρ τά τε ἄλλα λόγιος καὶ σοφιστοῦ τῶν ἐπ' Ἀντιοχείας Ἑλληνικῶν παιδευτηρίων διατριβῆς προεστώς, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως γνησιότητα πρεσβυτερίου τῆς αὐτόθι παροικίας ἠξιωμένος· οὗτός γέ τοι ἐπισημειουμένων ταχυγράφων ζήτησιν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐνστησάμενος, ἣν καὶ εἰς δεῦρο φερομένην ἴσμεν, μόνος ἴσχυσεν τῶν ἄλλων κρυψίνουν ὄντα καὶ ἀπατηλὸν φωρᾶσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον. 7.30.1 Μίαν δὴ οὖν ἐκ κοινῆς γνώμης οἱ ἐπὶ ταὐτὸν συγκεκροτημένοι ποιμένες διαχαράξαντες ἐπιστολὴν εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ τε Ῥωμαίων ἐπισκόπου ∆ιονυσίου καὶ Μαξίμου τοῦ κατ' Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἐπὶ πάσας διαπέμπονται τὰς ἐπαρχίας, τὴν αὐτῶν τε σπουδὴν τοῖς πᾶσιν φανερὰν καθιστάντες καὶ τοῦ Παύλου τὴν διάστροφον ἑτεροδοξίαν, ἐλέγχους τε καὶ ἐρωτήσεις ἃς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνακεκινήκασιν, καὶ ἔτι τὸν πάντα βίον τε καὶ τρόπον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς διηγούμενοι· ἐξ ὧν μνήμης ἕνεκεν καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι ταύτας αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος διελθεῖν τὰς φωνάς· 7.30.2 «∆ιονυσίῳ καὶ Μαξίμῳ καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην πᾶσιν συλλειτουργοῖς ἡμῶν ἐπισκόποις καὶ πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Ἕλενος καὶ Ὑμέναιος καὶ Θεόφιλος καὶ Θεότεκνος καὶ Μάξιμος Πρόκλος Νικομᾶς καὶ Αἰλιανὸς καὶ Παῦλος καὶ Βωλανὸς καὶ Πρωτογένης καὶ Ἱέραξ καὶ Εὐτύχιος καὶ Θεόδωρος καὶ Μαλχίων καὶ Λούκιος καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ πάντες οἱ σὺν ἡμῖν παροικοῦντες τὰς ἐγγὺς πόλεις καὶ ἔθνη ἐπίσκοποι καὶ πρεσβύτεροι καὶ διάκονοι καὶ αἱ ἐκκλησίαι τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγαπητοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν». 7.30.3 τούτοις μετὰ βραχέα ἐπιλέγουσιν ταῦτα· «ἐπεστέλλομεν δὲ ἅμα καὶ παρεκαλοῦμεν πολλοὺς καὶ τῶν μακρὰν ἐπισκόπων ἐπὶ τὴν θεραπείαν τῆς θανατηφόρου διδασκαλίας, ὥσπερ καὶ ∆ιονύσιον τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ Φιρμιλιανὸν τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Καππαδοκίας, τοὺς μακαρίτας· ὧν ὃ μὲν καὶ ἐπέστειλεν εἰς τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν, τὸν ἡγεμόνα τῆς πλάνης οὐδὲ προσρήσεως ἀξιώσας οὐδὲ πρὸς πρόσωπον γράψας αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ τῇ παροικίᾳ πάσῃ, ἧς καὶ τὸ ἀντίγραφον ὑπετάξαμεν. 7.30.4 ὁ δὲ Φιρμιλιανός, καὶ δὶς ἀφικόμενος, κατέγνω μὲν τῶν ὑπ' ἐκείνου καινοτομουμένων, ὡς ἴσμεν καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν οἱ παραγενόμενοι καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοὶ συνίσασιν, ἐπαγγειλαμένου δὲ μεταθήσεσθαι, πιστεύσας καὶ ἐλπίσας ἄνευ τινὸς περὶ τὸν λόγον λοιδορίας τὸ πρᾶγμα εἰς δέον καταστήσεσθαι, ἀνεβάλετο, παρακρουσθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ καὶ τὸν θεὸν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ κύριον ἀρνουμένου καὶ τὴν πίστιν, ἣν καὶ αὐτὸς πρότερον εἶχεν, μὴ φυλάξαντος. 7.30.5 ἔμελλεν δὲ καὶ νῦν ὁ Φιρμιλιανὸς εἰς τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν διαβήσεσθαι καὶ μέχρι γε Ταρσῶν ἧκεν, ἅτε τῆς ἀρνησιθέου κακίας αὐτοῦ πεῖραν εἰληφώς· ἀλλὰ γὰρ μεταξύ, συνεληλυθότων ἡμῶν καὶ καλούντων καὶ ἀναμενόντων, ἄχρι ἂν ἔλθῃ, τέλος ἔσχεν τοῦ βίου». 7.30.6 μεθ'