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Urbanus twice having reaped the excellent glory of confession, and Sidonius and Celerinus, a man who most steadfastly endured all tortures for the mercy of God and strengthening the weakness of the 454 flesh by the strength of his faith, has utterly vanquished the adversary; these men, therefore, having observed him and detected his craftiness and treachery, and his perjuries and falsehoods, and his unsociable nature and wolfish friendship, returned to the holy church, and all his devices and wickednesses, which he for a long time had concealed, they declared in the presence of bishops, presbyters, and a great multitude of laity, lamenting and repenting that, persuaded by the crafty and malicious beast, they had for a short time departed from the church. And a little later: it is incredible, beloved brother, how great a turn and change we have seen come upon them in a short time. For he who was most illustrious and who affirmed with certain dreadful oaths that he did not in the least desire the episcopate, suddenly appears as a bishop, as if thrown into the midst by some contrivance. For this dogmatist, this defender of ecclesiastical knowledge, when he attempted to drag away and snatch for himself the episcopate not given to him from above, chose for himself two associates who were desperate of their own salvation, so that he might send them to some small and insignificant part of Italy and from there attempt to deceive three rustic and very simple bishops with some fabrication, asserting and insisting that they must come quickly to Rome, as if some entire division that had arisen might be resolved through their mediation along with other bishops; who, when they had arrived, being, as we have already said, men too simple for the devices and villainies of the wicked, being shut up by some disorderly men like himself, at the tenth hour, when they were drunk and surfeited, he compelled them by force to give him the episcopate by a counterfeit and vain and empty laying on of hands, which, not belonging to him, he vindicates for himself by ambush and craft. One of these, not long after, returned to the church, lamenting and confessing his sin, and we admitted him to communion as a layman, as all the 455 people present pleaded for him. And we ordained and sent successors for the other bishops to the places where they were. This vindicator of the Gospel, therefore, did not know that there ought to be one bishop in a catholic church, in which he was not ignorant (for how could he be?) that there were 46 presbyters, 7 deacons, 7 sub-deacons, 42 acolytes, and 52 exorcists, readers, and doorkeepers together, widows with the afflicted, over 1500, all of whom the grace and loving-kindness of the Master nourishes; but not even so great and necessary a multitude in the church, a number wealthy and populous through the providence of God, together with a very great and innumerable laity, turned him back from such desperation and prohibition and recalled him to the church. Adding to this, after other things he says: Come now, let us say next by what works or by what conduct he was emboldened to lay claim to the episcopate. Was it because from the beginning he had been conversant in the church and had endured many conflicts on its behalf and had been in many great dangers for the sake of piety? But it is not so; for the occasion of his believing was Satan, who came upon him and dwelt in him for a considerable time. He, being helped by the exorcists, fell into a severe sickness and was thought to be on the very point of death, and on the very bed where he lay, he received it by affusion, if indeed one ought to say that such a one has received it. Nor indeed, when he had recovered from the sickness, did he receive the other things which one ought to receive according to the canon of the church, namely, to be sealed by the bishop. But not having received these, how could he of the Holy Spirit

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Οὐρβανὸς δὶς τὴν ἐξ ὁμολογίας δόξαν ἀρίστην καρπωσάμενοι, Σιδώνιός τε καὶ Κελερῖνος, ἀνὴρ ὃς πάσας βασάνους διὰ τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἔλεον καρ τερικώτατα διενεγκὼν καὶ τῇ ῥώμῃ τῆς αὐτοῦ πίστεως τὸ ἀσθενὲς τῆς 454 σαρκὸς ἐπιρρώσας, κατὰ κράτος νενίκηκε τὸν ἀντικείμενον· οὗτοι δὴ οὖν οἱ ἄνδρες κατανοήσαντες αὐτὸν καὶ καταφωράσαντες τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ πανουρ γίαν τε καὶ παλιμβουλίαν τάς τε ἐπιορκίας καὶ τὰς ψευδολογίας καὶ τὴν ἀκοινωνησίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ λυκοφιλίαν ἐπανῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἅπαντα αὐτοῦ τὰ τεχνάσματα καὶ πονηρεύματα, ἃ ἐκ πολλοῦ ἔχων ὑπεστέλλετο, παρόντων τοῦτο μὲν ἐπισκόπων, τοῦτο δὲ πρεσβυτέρων καὶ λαϊκῶν παμπόλλων, ἐξήγγειλαν, ἀποδυρόμενοι καὶ μεταγινώσκοντες ἐφ' οἷς πεισθέντες τῷ δολερῷ καὶ κακοήθει θηρίῳ πρὸς ὀλίγον χρόνον τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀπελείφθησαν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· ἀμήχανον ὅσην, ἀγαπητὲ ἀδελφέ, τροπὴν καὶ μεταβολὴν ἐν βραχεῖ καιρῷ ἐθεασάμεθα ἐπ' αὐτοὺς γενομένην. ὁ γάρ τοι λαμπρότα τος καὶ δι' ὅρκων φοβερῶν τινων πιστούμενος μηδ' ὅλως ἐπισκοπῆς ὀρέγεσθαι, αἰφνίδιον ἐπίσκοπος ὥσπερ ἐκ μαγγάνου τινὸς εἰς τὸ μέσον ῥιφεὶς ἀναφαίνεται. οὗτος γάρ τοι ὁ δογματιστής, ὁ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς ἐπιστήμης ὑπερασπιστής, ὁπηνίκα παρασπάσασθαί τε καὶ ὑφαρπάζειν τὴν μὴ δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ ἄνωθεν ἐπισκοπὴν ἐπεχείρει, δύο ἑαυτῷ κοινωνοὺς ἀπεγνωκότας τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν ἐπελέξατο, ὡς ἂν εἰς βραχύ τι μέρος καὶ ἐλάχιστον τῆς Ἰταλίας ἀποστείλῃ κἀκεῖθεν ἐπισκόπους τρεῖς ἀγροί κους καὶ ἁπλουστάτους πλαστῇ τινι ἐξαπατῆσαι ἐπιχειρήσει, διαβεβαιού μενος καὶ διισχυριζόμενος δεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐν τάχει παραγενέσθαι εἰς Ῥώμην, ὡς δή τις πᾶσα διχοστασία γεγονυῖα σὺν καὶ ἑτέροις ἐπισκόποις μεσιτευόν των διαλυθῇ· οὓς παραγενομένους, ἅτε δή, ὡς ἔφθημεν λέγοντες, ἀνθρώ πους ἁπλουστέρους περὶ τὰς τῶν πονηρῶν μηχανίας καὶ ῥᾳδιουργίας, συγκλεισθέντας ὑπό τινων ὁμοίων αὐτῷ τεταραγμένων ἀνθρώπων, ὥρᾳ ιʹ μεθύοντας καὶ κραιπαλῶντας μετὰ βίας ἠνάγκασεν εἰκονικῇ τινι καὶ ματαιότητι καὶ ματαίᾳ χειρεπιθεσίᾳ ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτῷ δοῦναι, ἣν ἐνέδρᾳ καὶ πανουργίᾳ μὴ ἐπιβάλλουσαν αὐτῷ ἐκδικεῖ. ἐξ ὧν εἷς μετ' οὐ πολὺ ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀποδυρόμενος καὶ ἐξομολογούμενος τὸ ἑαυ τοῦ ἁμάρτημα, ᾧ καὶ ἐκοινωνήσαμεν λαϊκῷ, ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ δεηθέντος παντὸς 455 τοῦ παρόντος λαοῦ. καὶ τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν ἐπισκόπων διαδόχους εἰς τοὺς τόπους ἐν οἷς ἦσαν χειροτονήσαντες ἀπεστάλκαμεν. ὁ ἐκδικητὴς οὖν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου οὐκ ἠπίστατο ἕνα ἐπίσκοπον δεῖν εἶναι ἐν καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἐν ᾗ οὐκ ἠγνόει (πῶς γάρ;) πρεσβυτέρους εἶναι μςʹ, διακόνους ζʹ, ὑπο διακόνους ζʹ, ἀκολούθους δύο καὶ μʹ, ἐξορκιστὰς δὲ καὶ ἀναγνώστας ἅμα πυλωροῖς δυσὶ καὶ νʹ, χήρας σὺν θλιβομένοις ὑπὲρ αφʹ, οὓς πάντας ἡ τοῦ δεσπότου χάρις καὶ φιλανθρωπία διατρέφει· ὧν οὐδὲ τοσοῦτον πλῆθος καὶ οὕτως ἀναγκαῖον ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ διὰ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας πλούσιός τε καὶ πληθύων ἀριθμὸς μετὰ μεγίστου καὶ ἀναριθμήτου λαοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπογνώσεώς τε καὶ ἀπαγορεύσεως ἐπέστρεψέ τε καὶ ἀνεκαλέ σατο εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. Τούτοις ἐπάγων μεθ' ἕτερά φησι· φέρε δὴ ἑξῆς εἴπωμεν τίσιν ἔργοις ἢ τίσι πολιτείαις τεθαρρηκὼς ἀντεποιήθη τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς. ἆρά γε διὰ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀνεστράφθαι καὶ πολλοὺς ἀγῶνας ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἠγωνίσθαι καὶ ἐν κινδύνοις πολλοῖς τε καὶ μεγάλοις ἕνεκα τῆς θεοσεβείας γεγονέναι; ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ᾧ γε ἀφορμὴ τοῦ πιστεῦσαι γέγονεν ὁ σατανᾶς φοιτήσας εἰς αὐτὸν καὶ οἰκήσας ἐν αὐτῷ χρόνον ἱκανόν· ὃς βοηθούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπορκιστῶν νόσῳ περιπεσὼν χαλεπῇ καὶ ἀποθανεῖσθαι ὅσον οὐδέπω νομιζόμενος ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ κλίνῃ οὗ ἔκειτο περιχυθεὶς ἔλαβεν, εἴ γε χρὴ λέγειν τὸν τοιοῦτον εἰληφέναι. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τῶν λοιπῶν ἔτυχε διαφυ γὼν τὴν νόσον ὧν χρὴ μεταλαμβάνειν κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας κανόνα, τοῦ τε σφραγισθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου. τούτων δὲ μὴ τυχὼν πῶς ἂν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος