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having thought it worthy, he urged each one to take up his own flock. He also decreed that we celebrate holy Pascha according to the now prevailing custom; for some of the former ones celebrated it on the 14th day of the moon. But after some time, having been urged by his daughter Constantia, he recalled Arius from exile as if he had supposedly repented. When he arrived, and was asked by the emperor if he agreed with the definitions and the exposition of the council in Nicaea, he immediately declared that he believed so. But the emperor, surprised, administered an oath that he did not hold views contrary to the council; and having done this, he dismissed him, saying to him, "If your faith is orthodox, you have sworn well; but if it is impious and perverse, may the Lord God judge your case quickly." For this reason indeed he exhorted the great Athanasius to receive him into communion, as one who had repented. But when he did not accept, knowing precisely the wickedness of Arius, he exiled the saint from his throne, believing also the slanders made against him by the Arians. And no wonder; for often even divine men, having uncritically accepted slander against certain pious men, have been turned aside from the truth and have both harmed and grieved the pious, just as indeed the inspired David, having been deceived by the servant Ziba, who lied against his master Mephibosheth that he favored the side of the tyrant Absalom, harmed him and, having deprived him of his own property, assigned it to the servant. Therefore it is necessary to investigate accusations with much precision 1.506 and scrutiny, and not to believe accusers at random, even if they are exceedingly trustworthy. For this reason indeed Nicodemus said to the lawless Jews emphatically and persuasively, "Does our law judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing?" Indeed, to be sure, the wise men of the gentiles, clearly implying this, say thus: if a dispute judges, let it be suspended; if a judgment, let it examine the proofs; if an examination, let it determine what is right; let the determination be written down, let the written things be ratified, let the ratified things be confirmed by deeds, and let all skirmishing be gone, and let friendship dance again. And in the Apostolic Constitutions the divine word says thus. Let the judge be impartial, neither respecting nor flattering the rich man beyond what is proper, nor sparing the poor man. For it says, "You shall not accept the person of a powerful man, nor shall you pity a poor man in judgment." Because the judgment of God will justly pursue what is just, and nothing unjust will please the just man. Therefore one must not believe accusers at random, uncritically and without examination. For it is possible for some, out of zeal or envy, to bring a false charge against a brother, as did the two elders against Susanna and the Egyptian woman against Joseph. You therefore, as a man of God, do not readily accept such things, and do not destroy the innocent, and do not kill the righteous, nor take gifts to strike a soul; for gifts blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt 1.507 righteous words. If, therefore, you judge impartially, you will recognize the one who testifies falsely against his neighbor; and having proven him a slanderer, do to him in the manner he wickedly contrived to do to his neighbor, and you will remove the evil one from your midst. For as far as it was in his power, he murdered his brother, having preoccupied the ears of the judge. For it is written, "He who sheds a man's blood, in return for his blood his own blood shall be shed." But let not even one testifying against someone be accepted, even if he is exceedingly trustworthy. For on the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter shall be established, said the Lord. If, then, finding what is just is a task, but not corrupting it when it is found is a greater task, one must not throw oneself into judging. For then indeed the rule of justice is correctly preserved, when the judgment follows the cause, the proof follows the judgment, and the verdict follows the proof, defining the punishment according to the quality of the sin. It must be known, therefore, that in the old

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ἀξιώσας, ἕκαστον παρηγγύησε καταλαβεῖν τὴν ἰδίαν ποίμνην. ἐτύπωσε δὲ καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πάσχα ἑορτάζειν ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὴν νῦν κρατοῦσαν συνήθειαν· τινὲς γὰρ τῶν πρῴην κατὰ τὴν ιδʹ τῆς σελήνης ἑώρταζον. Μετὰ δέ τινα χρόνον ὑπὸ τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ Κωνσταντίας παρακληθεὶς ἀνῆκε τὸν Ἄρειον ἀπὸ τῆς ἐξορίας ὡς δῆθεν μετα νοήσαντα. οὗ παραγενομένου, καὶ ἐρωτηθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ βασι λέως εἰ στοιχεῖ τοῖς ὅροις καὶ τῂ ἐκθέσει τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου, παρευθὺ κατέθετο πιστεύειν οὕτως. ὁ δὲ θαυμάσας ὅρκον ἐπή νεγκε μὴ φρονεῖν ἐναντία τῇ συνόδῳ· καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσας ἀπέλυσεν αὐτὸν εἰρηκὼς αὐτῷ "εἰ μὲν ὀρθή σού ἐστιν ἡ πίστις, καλῶς ὤμοσας· εἰ δὲ ἀσεβὴς καὶ διεστραμμένη, κρίναι κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὰ κατά σε θᾶττον." ταύτῃ τοι καὶ τὸν μέγαν Ἀθανάσιον εἰς κοινωνίαν αὐτὸν δέξασθαι παρεκελεύσατο ὡς ἅτε μετανοήσαντα. τοῦ δὲ μὴ καταδεχομένου, γινώσκοντος ἀκριβῶς τὴν Ἀρείου δυσ τροπίαν, ἐξορίζει τοῦ θρόνου τὸν ἅγιον, πιστεύσας καὶ τὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ γενομένας ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀρειανῶν λοιδορίας. καὶ οὐ θαῦμα· πολλάκις γὰρ καὶ θεῖοι ἄνδρες κατά τινων εὐσεβῶν διαβολὴν ἀκρίτως παραδεξάμενοι παρετράπησαν τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς παρέβλαψάν τε καὶ παρελύπησαν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ θε σπέσιος ∆αβὶδ ἐξαπατηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ οἰκέτου Σιβά, κατὰ τοῦ δε σπότου Μεμφιβοσθὲ ψευδηγοροῦντος ὡς ὅτι τὰ τοῦ τυράννου Ἀβεσαλὼμ φρονεῖ, τοῦτον παρέβλαψε καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἀποστερή σας τῷ οἰκέτῃ προσεκλήρωσεν. ὅθεν χρὴ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀκριβείας 1.506 τε καὶ σκέψεως ἐρευνᾶν τὰς κατηγορίας, καὶ μὴ ὡς ἔτυχε πιστεύειν τοῖς κατηγοροῦσι, κἂν ἄγαν ὦσιν ἀξιόπιστοι. διὸ δὴ καὶ Νικό δημος πρὸς τοὺς παρανόμους Ἰουδαίους καταφορικῶς τε καὶ ἐν τρεπτικῶς ἔφη "μὴ ὁ νόμος ὑμῶν κρίνει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ πρῶτον καὶ γνῷ τί ποιεῖ; ἀμέλει γέ τοι καὶ οἱ τῶν ἔξω σοφοὶ τοῦτο προδήλως ὑπεμφαίνοντες οὕτω φασίν· εἰ μὲν ἀμφισβήτησις κρίνει, ἀναρτάσθω, εἰ δὲ κρίσις, τοὺς ἐλέγχους βασανιζέτω, εἰ δὲ βάσανος, τὸ δέον ὁριζέτω· ὁ δὲ ὅρος γεγρά φθω, τὰ δὲ γεγραμμένα κυρούσθω, τὰ δὲ κυρωθέντα βεβαιού σθω τοῖς ἔργοις, καὶ πᾶσα ἁψιμαχία οἰχέσθω, καὶ πάλιν φιλία χορευέτω. καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀποστολικαῖς διατάξεσιν ὁ θεῖος λόγος οὕτως φησίν. ἔστω δὲ ὁ κριτὴς ἀπροσωπόληπτος, μήτε πλούσιον ἐντρεπόμενος ἢ κολακεύων παρὰ τὸ προσῆκον, μήτε πένητος φει δόμενος. «οὐ λήψῃ» γάρ φησι «πρόσωπον δυνάστου, καὶ πένητα οὐκ ἐλεήσεις ἐν κρίσει.» ὅτι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ κρίσις δικαίως τὸ δί καιον διώξεται, καὶ οὐκ ἀρέσῃ τῷ δικαίῳ οὐδὲν ἄδικον. ὅθεν οὐ δεῖ πιστεύειν ὡς ἔτυχε τοῖς κατηγοροῦσιν ἀκρίτως καὶ ἀβασανί στως. ἐγχωρεῖ γάρ τινας καὶ διὰ ζῆλον ἢ φθόνον κατά τινος ἀδελφοῦ ἐνστήσασθαι ψευδηγορίαν, ὡς οἱ δύο πρεσβύτεροι κατὰ Σωσάννης καὶ ἡ Αἰγυπτία ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰωσήφ. σὺ οὖν ὡς θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος τὰ τοιαῦτα μὴ προχείρως παραδέχου, καὶ μὴ ἀνέλῃς τὸν ἀθῶον, καὶ μὴ ἀποκτείνῃς τὸν δίκαιον, οὐδὲ λήψῃ δῶρα ψυχὴν πατάξαι· τὰ γὰρ δῶρα ἐκτυφλοῦσιν ὀφθαλμοὺς σοφῶν καὶ λυμαί 1.507 νονται ῥήματα δίκαια. εἰ οὖν ἀπροσωπολήπτως κρίνετε, ἐπιγνώ σεσθε τὸν κατηγοροῦντα κατὰ τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ μαρτυρίαν ψευ δῆ· καὶ ἀποδείξαντες αὐτὸν συκοφάντην, ποιήσατε αὐτῷ καθ' ὃν τρόπον ἐπονηρεύσατο ποιῆσαι τῷ πλησίον, καὶ ἐξαρεῖτε τὸν πονη ρὸν ἐκ μέσου ὑμῶν. ὅσον γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ἐφόνευσε τὸν ἀδελφόν, προκαταλαβὼν τὰ ὦτα τοῦ κριτοῦ. γέγραπται γάρ «ὁ ἐκχέων αἷμα ἀνθρώπου, ἀντὶ τοῦ αἵματος ἐκείνου ἐκχυθήσεται τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ.» ἀλλὰ μηδὲ εἷς παραδεχέσθω μαρτυρῶν κατά τινος, κἂν λίαν ᾖ ἀξιόπιστος. ἐπὶ στόματος γὰρ δύο ἢ τριῶν μαρτύρων πᾶν ῥῆμα βεβαιωθήσεται, εἶπεν ὁ κύριος. εἰ τοίνυν τὸ μὲν εὑρεῖν τὸ δίκαιον ἔργον, τὸ δὲ μὴ διαφθείρειν ἐργωδέστερον ἐπειδὰν εὑρεθῇ, οὐ δεῖ ἐπιρρίπτειν ἑαυτόν τινα τῷ κρίνειν. τότε γοῦν ὀρθῶς ὅρος τῆς δικαιοσύνης σώζεται, ὅταν τῇ μὲν αἰτίᾳ ἡ κρίσις, τῇ δὲ κρίσει ὁ ἔλεγχος, τῷ δὲ ἐλέγχῳ ἡ ψῆφος ἡ πρὸς ποιότητα τοῦ ἁμαρτή ματος τὴν τιμωρίαν ὁρίζουσα. Ἰστέον τοίνυν ὡς ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ