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For that holy and God-loving synod did not understand this, but rather that what the Father is according to substance, this the Son must also be understood to be. For they themselves interpreted this for us, saying 'light from light'. And the faith of Nicaea is that which was brought by them from the West, which they presented to the synod in Tyana, by which they were also accepted. But they have a certain clever doctrine for such changes of their own: that they use the words of the faith, like doctors, according to the occasion, adapting them differently at different times to the underlying passions. But it is not for me to expose the unsoundness of this sophism, but for you to understand it. For the Lord will give you understanding to know what is the straight word, and what is the crooked and perverse. For if it is necessary to write different creeds at different times and to be changed with the times, false is the declaration of him who said: One Lord, one faith, one baptism. But if those things are true, let no one deceive you with these empty words. They slander us as innovators concerning the Holy Spirit. Ask, therefore, what the innovation is. For we confess what we also received, that the Paraclete is ranked with the Father and the Son, not numbered with creation. For we have believed in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. For this reason we never separate the Paraclete from his connection with the Father and the Son. For our mind, being enlightened by the Spirit, looks up to the Son and in him, as in an image, beholds the Father. Therefore, we do not invent names from ourselves, but we call him Holy Spirit and Paraclete, nor do we consent to deny him the glory that is due. These are our beliefs, with all truth. On these grounds, let him who accuses, accuse; let him who persecutes us, persecute; let him who believes the slanders against us prepare himself for the judgment. The Lord is near, let us be anxious for nothing. 226.4 If someone in Syria is writing, this has nothing to do with us. 'For by your words you will be justified,' he says, 'and by your words you will be condemned'. Let my words judge me; but let no one condemn us for the errors of others, nor let letters written by us twenty years ago be brought forward as proof that we are now in communion with those who wrote those things. For before these writings, being laymen, we wrote to laymen, before any such suspicion was stirred up against them; and we wrote nothing about the faith, nor such things as they now circulate in their slander against us, but mere greetings fulfilling an affectionate address. For we equally avoid and anathematize as impious both those who are sick with the doctrines of Sabellius and those who vindicate the dogmas of Arius. If anyone says the Father is the same as the Son and the Holy Spirit, and supposes one thing with many names and one hypostasis expressed by three appellations, such a one we place in the portion of the Jews. Likewise also if anyone says the Son is unlike the Father according to substance or reduces the Holy Spirit to a creature, we anathematize and consider him to be near to the Hellenic error. But it is impossible for the mouths of those who speak evil of us to be stopped by our letters; rather it is likely that they will even be provoked by our defenses, and will contrive greater and more grievous things against us. However, it is not difficult for your ears to be guarded. Therefore, what is in your power, do this. Keep your heart for us sincere and unprejudiced by slanders, and for the charges brought forward, demand of us an accounting. And if you find the truth with us, do not give place to falsehood; but if you perceive us failing in our defense, then believe our accusers as telling the truth. They are vigilant to do us harm; this we do not seek from you. Pursuing a life of commerce, they make a side-business of our

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γὰρ τοῦτο ἐνόη σεν ἡ ἁγία ἐκείνη καὶ θεοφιλὴς σύνοδος, ἀλλ' ὡς, ὅπερ ἐστὶ κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν ὁ Πατήρ, τοῦτο ὀφείλοντος νοεῖσθαι καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν αὐτοὶ ἐκεῖνοι ἡρμήνευσαν εἰπόντες φῶς ἐκ φωτός. Ἔστι δὲ ἡ ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστις, ἡ παρ' αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ∆ύσεως κομισθεῖσα, ἣν ἐπέδωκαν τῇ συνόδῳ τῇ ἐν Τυάνοις, ὑφ' ἧς καὶ παρεδέχθησαν. Ἀλλ' ἔχουσί τι σοφὸν δόγμα εἰς τὰς τοιαύτας ἑαυτῶν μεταβολάς· ὅτι τοῖς ῥήμασι τῆς πίστεως, ὡς ἰατροί, κέχρηνται κατὰ καιρόν, ἄλλοτε ἄλλως πρὸς τὰ ὑποκείμενα πάθη μεθαρμο ζόμενοι. Τούτου δὲ τοῦ σοφίσματος τὸ σαθρὸν οὐκ ἐμὲ ἐλέγχειν προσῆκεν, ἀλλ' ὑμᾶς νοεῖν. ∆ώσει γὰρ ὑμῖν ὁ Κύριος σύνεσιν πρὸς τὸ γνωρίζειν τίς μὲν ὁ εὐθὴς λόγος, τίς δὲ ὁ σκολιὸς καὶ διεστραμμένος. Εἰ γὰρ ἄλλοτε ἄλλας πίστεις δεῖ συγγράφειν καὶ μετὰ τῶν καιρῶν ἀλλοιοῦσθαι, ψευδὴς ἡ ἀπόφασις τοῦ εἰπόντος· Εἷς Κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτι σμα. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνα ἀληθῆ, μηδεὶς ὑμᾶς ἐξαπατάτω τοῖς κενοῖς τούτοις λόγοις. ∆ιαβάλλουσιν ἡμᾶς ὡς καινοτο μοῦντας περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ Ἁγίου. Ἐρωτήσατε οὖν τίς ἡ καινοτομία. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ὁμολογοῦμεν ὃ καὶ παρελάβομεν, μετὰ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ τετάχθαι τὸν Παράκλητον, οὐ μετὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἀριθμεῖσθαι. Εἰς γὰρ Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα πεπιστεύκαμεν, καὶ βαπτιζόμεθα εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδέποτε τῆς πρὸς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν συναφείας τὸν Παράκλητον ἀποσπῶμεν. Ὁ γὰρ νοῦς ἡμῶν φωτιζό μενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος πρὸς Υἱὸν ἀναβλέπει καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι θεωρεῖ τὸν Πατέρα. Οὔτε οὖν ὀνόματα παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπινοοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον καὶ Παρά κλητον ὀνομάζομεν, οὔτε τὴν ὀφειλομένην αὐτῷ δόξαν ἀθετεῖν καταδεχόμεθα. Ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ ἡμέτερα μετὰ πάσης ἀληθείας. Ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ κατηγορῶν κατηγορείτω· ὁ διώκων ἡμᾶς διωκέτω· ὁ πιστεύων ταῖς καθ' ἡμῶν διαβολαῖς ἑτοι μαζέσθω πρὸς τὴν διαδικασίαν. Ὁ Κύριος ἐγγύς, μηδὲν μεριμνῶμεν. 226.4 Εἴ τις ἐν Συρίᾳ συγγράφει, τοῦτο οὐδὲν πρὸς ἡμᾶς. «Ἐκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ, φησί, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ». Οἱ ἐμοὶ λόγοι ἐμὲ κρινέτωσαν· ὑπὲρ δὲ ἀλλοτρίων ἡμᾶς σφαλμάτων μηδεὶς καταδικαζέτω, μηδὲ τὰς πρὸ εἴκοσιν ἐτῶν γραφείσας παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπιστολὰς εἰς ἀπόδειξιν προβαλλέσθω τοῦ νῦν κοινωνικοὺς ἡμᾶς εἶναι τοῖς ἐκεῖνα συγγράψασιν. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ πρὸ τῶν συγγραμμά των λαϊκοὶ ὄντες πρὸς λαϊκοὺς ἐπεστέλλομεν, πρὸ τοῦ τινα καὶ ὑπόνοιαν τοιαύτην κατ' αὐτῶν κινεῖσθαι· καὶ ἐπεστέλ λομεν οὐδὲν περὶ τῆς πίστεως, οὐδ' οἷα νῦν ἐπὶ τῇ καθ' ἡμῶν διαβολῇ περιφέρουσιν οὗτοι, ἀλλὰ ψιλὰς προσηγορίας ἀγαπητικὴν προσφώνησιν ἀποπληρούσας. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ὁμοίως καὶ τοὺς τὰ Σαβελλίου νοσοῦντας καὶ τοὺς τὰ Ἀρείου δόγ ματα ἐκδικοῦντας ὡς ἀσεβεῖς ἀποφεύγομεν καὶ ἀναθεματί ζομεν. Εἴ τις τὸν αὐτὸν Πατέρα λέγει καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, καὶ ἓν πρᾶγμα πολυώνυμον ὑποτιθέμενος καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν ὑπὸ τριῶν προσηγοριῶν ἐκφωνουμένην, τὸν τοι οῦτον ἡμεῖς ἐν τῇ μερίδι τῶν Ἰουδαίων τάσσομεν. Ὁμοίως καὶ εἴ τις ἀνόμοιον λέγει κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν τὸν Υἱὸν τῷ Πατρὶ ἢ εἰς κτίσμα κατάγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον, ἀναθεματίζομεν καὶ ἐγγὺς εἶναι τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς τιθέμεθα πλάνης. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν στόματα τῶν κακηγορούντων ἡμᾶς ἐπισχεθῆ ναι διὰ τῶν ἡμετέρων γραμμάτων ἀμήχανον· μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν εἰκὸς καὶ ἐρεθίζεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀπολογίαις ἡμῶν, καὶ μείζονα καὶ χαλεπώτερα καθ' ἡμῶν κατασκευά ζειν. Τὰς μέντοι ὑμετέρας ἀκοὰς φυλαχθῆναι οὐ χαλεπόν. Ὥστε ὅ ἐστιν ἐφ' ὑμῖν, τοῦτο ποιήσατε. Ἀκεραίαν ἡμῖν καὶ ἀπρόληπτον διαβολαῖς τὴν καρδίαν ὑμῶν φυλάξατε, καὶ πρὸς τὰ προβαλλόμενα ἐγκλήματα ἀπαιτεῖτε ἡμᾶς τὰς εὐθύνας. Καὶ εἰ μὲν εὕρητε παρ' ἡμῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, μὴ δῶτε χώραν τῷ ψεύδει· ἐὰν δὲ ἀτονούντων ἡμῶν πρὸς τὴν ἀπολογίαν αἴσθησθε, τότε πιστεύσατε τοῖς κατηγόροις ἡμῶν ὡς ἀληθεύουσιν. Ἀγρυπνοῦσιν ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς τὸ ἡμᾶς κακο ποιῆσαι· τοῦτο παρ' ὑμῶν οὐκ ἐπιζητοῦμεν. Ἐμπορικὸν βίον μεταχειριζόμενοι παρεμπόρευμα ποιοῦνται τὴν ἡμετέ