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of the confession, and John bishop of the same, a man also most honorable, and Callinicus the bishop in Pelusium, and some others who had done this; who, having gone and met with the emperor, were turned away and cast out. For those in the palace, having heard the name of Meletians, and not knowing what such a thing might be, did not permit them to meet with the emperor. 6. And in this it happened that those with Paphnutius and John and the rest spent time in the regions of Constantinople and Nicomedia. Then they are befriended by the bishop of Nicomedia, Eusebius, and they report to him the matters concerning the same affair; for they knew him 3.146 to have freedom of speech with the emperor Constantine, and they asked that through him they might be made known to the emperor. And he, after promising to bring them to the emperor and to grant them the matter of their petition, asks from them this request: that they receive Arius with them into communion, as he feignedly and with irony was supposedly repenting. And they promise him; and from there he brings them to the emperor, and Eusebius explains their situation, and it is granted to the Meletians from then on to gather by themselves and not be troubled by anyone. If only these same Meletians, who had undertaken the strict justice of the truth, had communed with those who had fallen after repentance, rather than with Arius and those with him. For it happened to them according to the proverb, that fleeing the smoke, they fell into the fire. For Arius could not have had a position and freedom of speech, except through such an affair, which has become for them, even to this day, an evil association. For the Meletians, once pure and strict in the faith, were mixed with the disciples of Arius. And most indeed were already stained by the evil belief of Arius, having been turned away from the faith in these times; but some, even if they remained holding the true faith, they hold it, but they are not free from the filthy mire because of their communion with Arius and the Arians. And from the aforementioned affair, the association of Meletius and the Meletians with them had its pretexts. But in a short time—for as I promised to tell the story, I will relate it here—when Alexander, the bishop of Constantinople, was being forced to receive Arius, and he was praying and groaning and bending his knees about the ninth hour on the sabbath before the altar, and Eusebius was saying that if you would not willingly receive him yourself, he will enter with me against your will on the next day—and Sunday was dawning—as I said, when Alexander prayed and besought our Lord either to take him up, so that he might not be defiled with Arius who had blasphemed against the Lord, or to do something extraordinary, as He is accustomed to do wonders in generation and generation, the prayer of the holy man was fulfilled not long after. During the night Arius, having entered a latrine to 3.147 relieve his needs, burst asunder, just as Judas once did. And thus his end occurred in a foul-smelling place of uncleanness. 7. After this time, then, the plots against the church were stitched together by his disciples. And Alexander of Alexandria died after the council in Nicaea. But Athanasius was not present after the death of Alexander; for he was a deacon at that time under Alexander and had been sent by him to the imperial court. And since Alexander had commanded that no one be appointed except Athanasius, as he himself and those of the canon and the whole church testified, those with Meletius bishop of Egypt, seizing the opportunity when the bishop of Alexandria was not present—for Alexandria never had two bishops, as the other cities do—they therefore appoint in place of Alexander one named Theonas, who for three months

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τῆς ὁμολογίας, Ἰωάννης τε ἐπίσκοπος τῶν αὐτῶν, ἀνὴρ καὶ αὐτὸς τιμιώτατος, Καλλίνικός τε ὁ ἐν Πηλουσίῳ ἐπίσκοπος καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς οἱ τοῦτο ποιησάμενοι· οἵτινες ἀπελθόντες καὶ ἐντυχόντες τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀπετρέποντο καὶ ἐξεβάλοντο. οἱ γὰρ ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ ἀκούσαντες Μελιτιανῶν ὄνομα, καὶ ἀγνοοῦντες τί ἂν εἴη τὸ τοιοῦτον, οὐ συνεχώρουν αὐτοῖς ἐντυχεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ. 6. Καὶ ἐν τούτῳ συμβέβηκε χρονοτριβῆσαι τοὺς περὶ Παφνούτιον καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐπὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως καὶ Νικομηδείας. τότε δὲ φιλιοῦνται ἐπισκόπῳ Νικομηδείας τῷ Εὐσεβίῳ καὶ ἀναφέρουσιν αὐτῷ τὰ κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ὑπόθεσιν ᾔδεισαν γὰρ αὐτὸν 3.146 πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Κωνσταντῖνον παρρησίαν ἔχειν ἀξιοῦσί τε αὐτὸν δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ γνωρισθῆναι. ὁ δὲ μετὰ τὸ ὑποσχέσθαι αὐτοὺς ἀνοίσειν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς τὸ πρᾶγμα τῆς δεήσεως, αἰτεῖται παρ' αὐτῶν τὸ αἴτημα τοῦτο, ὅπως δέξωνται Ἄρειον μετ' αὐτῶν εἰς κοινωνίαν, δῆθεν προσποιητῶς αὐτὸν καὶ εἰρωνείᾳ μετανοοῦντα. οἱ δὲ ὑπισχνοῦνται αὐτῷ· καὶ ἐντεῦθεν προσφέρει αὐτοὺς τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς Εὐσέβιος ἀναδιδάσκει καὶ συγχωρεῖται τοῖς Μελιτιανοῖς ἔκτοτε καθ' ἑαυτοὺς συνάγειν καὶ μὴ ὑπό τινων ὀχλεῖσθαι. ὡς εἴθε μᾶλλον οἱ αὐτοὶ οἱ τὴν ἀκροδικαιοσύνην τῆς ἀληθείας ἀναδεδεγμένοι Μελιτιανοὶ μετὰ τῶν παραπεσόντων μετὰ μετάνοιαν ἐκοινώνησαν ἤπερ Ἀρείῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. γέγονε γὰρ αὐτοῖς τοῦτο κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν ὅτι φεύγοντες τὸν καπνὸν εἰς πῦρ ἐνέπεσον. οὔτε γὰρ Ἄρειος ἠδύνατο ἔχειν στάσιν καὶ παρρησίαν, εἰ μὴ διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης ὑποθέσεως, ἥτις γέγονεν αὐτοῖς καὶ εἰς δεῦρο κακὴ συνάφεια. συνεμίγησαν γὰρ οἱ καθαρεύοντές ποτε καὶ ἀκροδίκαιοι τῇ πίστει Μελιτιανοὶ μετὰ τῶν τοῦ Ἀρείου μαθητῶν. καὶ οἱ πλείους μὲν ἤδη ἐχράνθησαν τῇ τοῦ Ἀρείου κακοπιστίᾳ, ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως ἐκτραπέντες ἐν τούτοις τοῖς χρόνοις· τινὲς δὲ εἰ καὶ ἔμειναν ἔχοντες τὴν ἀληθινὴν πίστιν, ἔχουσι μέν, οὐ μὴν δέ εἰσιν ἀπηλλαγμένοι τῆς βορβορώδους ῥυπαρίας διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἄρειον καὶ Ἀρειανοὺς κοινωνίαν. ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς προειρημένης ὑποθέσεως ἔσχεν ἡ πρὸς τούτους συνάφεια Μελιτίου τε καὶ Μελιτιανῶν προφάσεις. Ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ ὀλίγου χρόνου καθὼς γὰρ ὑπεσχόμην εἰπεῖν τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἐνταῦθα διηγήσομαι ἀναγκαζομένου Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπισκόπου συνάξαι τὸν Ἄρειον καὶ αὐτοῦ εὐχομένου καὶ στενάξαντος καὶ κλίναντος τὰ γόνατα περὶ ὥραν ἐνάτην τῷ σαββάτῳ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, τοῦ Εὐσεβίου λέγοντος ὅτι εἰ μὴ βουληθείης ἑκὼν τοῦτον αὐτὸς συνάξαι, ἄκοντός σου σὺν ἐμοὶ εἰσελεύσεται τῇ αὔριον ἡμέρᾳ, κυριακὴ δὲ ἐπέφωσκεν-ὡς δὲ ἔφην εὐξαμένου τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ δεηθέντος τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ἢ αὐτὸν ἐπᾶραι, ἵνα μὴ συμμολυνθῇ τῷ Ἀρείῳ τῷ κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου βλασφημήσαντι, ἢ ποιῆσαι παράδοξόν τι, ὡς εἴωθεν ἐν γενεᾷ καὶ γενεᾷ παραδοξοποιεῖν, οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἡ εὐχὴ τοῦ ἁγίου ἐπληροῦτο. κατὰ τὰς νύκτας εἰσελθὼν ὁ Ἄρειος εἰς θᾶκον πρὸς τὸ 3.147 τὰς αὐτοῦ χρείας παρασκευασθῆναι, ἐλάκησε, καθάπερ καὶ Ἰούδας ποτέ. καὶ οὕτως τὸ τέλος αὐτοῦ γέγονεν ἐν τόπῳ δυσώδει τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας. 7. Μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον λοιπὸν ἐκαττύετο παρὰ τῶν τούτου μαθητῶν τὰ κατὰ τὴν συσκευὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας. ἐτελεύτα δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Ἀλεξανδρείας μετὰ τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ σύνοδον. οὐ παρῆν δὲ Ἀθανάσιος μετὰ τὸν θάνατον Ἀλεξάνδρου· διάκονος γὰρ ἦν κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ὑπὸ Ἀλέξανδρον καὶ ἀπεστάλη ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ κομητάτον. Ἀλεξάνδρου δὲ ἐντειλαμένου μηδένα κατασταθῆναι, εἰ μὴ Ἀθανάσιον, ὡς αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ τοῦ κανόνος ἐμαρτύρουν καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία, λαβόμενοι καιροῦ οἱ κατὰ Μελίτιον ἐπίσκοπον τῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἐπισκόπου μὴ παρόντος τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας οὐ γάρ ποτε ἡ Ἀλεξάνδρεια δύο ἐπισκόπους ἔσχεν, ὡς αἱ ἄλλαι πόλεις, καθιστῶσι τοίνυν ἀντὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου Θεωνᾶν τινα ὀνόματι, ὃς μῆνας τρεῖς