405

having done this, died. And Athanasius arrived not long after the death of Theonas. And from everywhere a synod of the orthodox was assembled. And thus his establishment took place and the throne was given to him, the worthy one and for whom it had been prepared according to the will of God and according to the testimony and command of the blessed Alexander. From this point Athanasius began to be harassed and grieved on account of the division of the church, of both the Meletians and the catholic church. He persuaded, he exhorted, and they did not endure it; he compelled, he forced *. And visiting often he went to the nearby churches, especially those around Mareotis. And once when the Meletians were gathering, it happened that from the crowd with Athanasius a certain deacon entered, with some of the laity as well, and broke a lamp, as the story goes, and a fight occurred. From this the plot against Athanasius arose, with the Meletians accusing and slandering him, saying one thing for another 3.148, while the Arians plotted and joined in because of their envy toward the holy faith of God and orthodoxy. And they reported to the emperor Constantine. And Eusebius was, the aforementioned of Nicomedia, the agent of their whole system and the contriver of the harm against the church and Pope Athanasius. The accusers therefore came before the emperor, saying it was some vessel of the mysteries, which some said was a lamp as I said before. And they accused him of certain other things, alleging that a certain presbyter of Mareotis, Arsenius, had been beaten, and that this man's hand had been cut off with a sword by the people of Athanasius or even by Athanasius himself. For they also brought a hand to the imperial court and displayed it, which was in a small box. 8. When the emperor heard these things, he was aroused to anger. For the blessed man had a divine zeal; however, he did not know that they were slanderers, because of the aforementioned zeal of the Arians against orthodoxy. And he commands that a synod be convened in Phoenicia in the city of Tyre. And he ordered Eusebius of Caesarea and certain others to judge; and these were inclined somewhat more to the vulgarities of the Arians; and bishops of the catholic church of Egypt who were under Athanasius were summoned, certain uncorrupted and greater men who had a transparent life in God, among whom was the blessed Potamon the great, the bishop of Heraclea and a confessor; but also those of the Meletians, especially those accusing Athanasius. And being a zealot for truth and orthodoxy, the aforementioned blessed Potamon, speaking freely, who never showed partiality to anyone—for his eye was put out in the persecution for the sake of the truth—having seen Eusebius sitting and judging and Athanasius standing, being overcome with grief and weeping, as happens with truthful men, addressed 3.149 Eusebius in a loud voice, saying, “You are sitting, Eusebius, and Athanasius, being innocent, is judged by you? Who could bear such things? And tell me this: were you not with me in prison during the persecution? And I for my part lost an eye for the sake of truth, but you neither appear to have any injury on your body nor did you bear witness, but you stand alive with no mutilation. How did you get out of the prison, unless you promised to those who brought the necessity of persecution upon us to do the unlawful thing, or you did it?” Hearing these things, Eusebius was roused to indignation and standing up, he dissolved the court, saying that, “If you have come here and contradict us in such a manner, then your accusers are telling the truth. For if you tyrannize here, how much more so in your own country.” 9. Then Eusebius and those with him undertook, and they send two of the bishops from the Pannonias who held the opinions of Arius, both Ursacius and Valens, to both Alexandria and Mareotis, where they said the aforementioned things had happened, concerning both the vessel

405

ποιήσας ἐτελεύτα. καὶ παρεγένετο Ἀθανάσιος μετ' οὐ πολὺ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν Θεωνᾶ. καὶ ἐκ πανταχόθεν συνεκροτήθη ὀρθοδόξων σύνοδος. καὶ οὕτως κατάστασις γέγονεν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπεδόθη αὐτῷ ὁ θρόνος τῷ ἀξίῳ καὶ ᾧ ἦν ἡτοιμασμένος κατὰ τὴν θεοῦ βούλησιν καὶ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ μακαρίου Ἀλεξάνδρου μαρτυρίαν τε καὶ ἐντολήν. Ἐντεῦθεν ἄρχεται Ἀθανάσιος βιοφορεῖσθαί τε καὶ λυπεῖσθαι διὰ τὸν μερισμὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τῶν τε Μελιτιανῶν καὶ τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας. ἔπειθε, παρεκάλει, καὶ οὐκ ἠνείχοντο· ἠνάγκαζεν, ἐβιάζετο *. ἐπισκεπτόμενος δὲ πολλάκις ἐγίνετο τὰς σύνεγγυς ἐκκλησίας, μάλιστα τὰς κατὰ τὸν Μαρεώτην. καὶ ποτὲ Μελιτιανῶν συναγόντων γέγονεν ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους τοῦ μετὰ Ἀθανασίου διάκονόν τινα ἐπεισελθόντα, μετὰ καί τινων τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ, κατεᾶξαι κανδήλαν ὡς ἔχει ὁ λόγος καὶ μάχην γενέσθαι. ἐντεῦθεν ἡ κατὰ Ἀθανασίου συσκευὴ γέγονε, τῶν Μελιτιανῶν κατηγορησάντων καὶ συκοφαντησάντων αὐτόν, ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων 3.148 λέγοντες, Ἀρειανῶν δὲ συσκευαζομένων καὶ συνεπιδόντων ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὸν πρὸς τὴν ἁγίαν θεοῦ πίστιν καὶ ὀρθοδοξίαν φθόνον. καὶ ἀνακοινοῦνται τῷ βασιλεῖ Κωνσταντίνῳ. Εὐσέβιος δὲ ἦν, ὁ προειρημένος τῆς Νικομηδείας, ὁ ὑπουργὸς τοῦ παντὸς αὐτῶν συστήματος καὶ συσκευαστὴς τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τε καὶ τὸν πάπαν Ἀθανάσιον βλάβης. οἱ κατήγοροι οὖν προσῆλθον τῷ βασιλεῖ, σκεῦός τι μυστηρίων λέγοντες εἶναι, ὅπερ κανδήλαν τινὲς ἔφασαν ὡς προεῖπον. ἄλλα τέ τινα κατηγόρουν, φάσκοντες πρεσβύτερόν τινα τοῦ Μαρεώτου Ἀρσένιον τετυπτῆσθαι, τούτου τε τὴν χεῖρα μαχαίρᾳ ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ Ἀθανασίου λαῶν εἴτ' οὖν αὐτοῦ Ἀθανασίου τετμῆσθαι. ἐπεφέροντο γὰρ καὶ χεῖρα ἐν τῷ κομητάτῳ καὶ ἐπεδείκνυον, ἥτις ἦν ἐν γλωσσοκόμῳ. 8. Ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀκούσας αἴρεται μὲν θυμῷ. εἶχε γὰρ ζῆλον θεϊκὸν ὁ μακαρίτης· οὐ μὴν ᾔδει ὅτι συκοφάνται ἦσαν, δι' ὃν προεῖπον ζῆλον τῶν Ἀρειανῶν κατὰ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας. κελεύει δὲ συγκροτηθῆναι σύνοδον κατὰ τὴν Φοινίκην ἐν Τύρῳ τῇ πόλει. ἐκέλευσε δὲ δικάζειν Εὐσέβιον τὸν Καισαρείας καὶ ἄλλους τινάς· ἦσαν δὲ προσκεκλιμένοι οὗτοι ποσῶς μᾶλλον τῇ τῶν Ἀρειανῶν χυδαιολογίᾳ· καὶ ἐκλήθησαν ἐπίσκοποι τῆς Αἰγύπτου τῆς καθολικῆς καὶ ὑπὸ Ἀθανάσιον ὄντες, ἀκραίμονές τινες ἄνδρες καὶ μείζους καὶ ἐν θεῷ ἔχοντες διαφανῆ τὸν βίον, ἐν οἷς ἦν ὁ μακαρίτης Ποτάμων ὁ μέγας, ὁ τῆς Ἡρακλέους ἐπίσκοπος καὶ ὁμολογητής· ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τῶν Μελιτιανῶν, μάλιστα οἱ τοῦ Ἀθανασίου κατηγοροῦντες. ζηλωτὴς δὲ ὢν ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας καὶ ὀρθοδοξίας ὁ προειρημένος Ποτάμων ὁ μακαρίτης, ἐλευθεροστομῶν, ὃς οὐδέποτε εἴληφε πρόσωπόν τινος τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν γὰρ ἐν τῷ διωγμῷ διὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐτυφλώθη, ἑωρακὼς τὸν Εὐσέβιον καθεζόμενον καὶ δικάζοντα καὶ Ἀθανάσιον ἑστῶτα, καταπονηθεὶς τῇ λύπῃ καὶ δακρύσας, οἷα γίνεται παρὰ τοῖς ἀληθέσιν, ἀπετεί3.149 νατο φωνῇ μεγάλῃ Εὐσεβίῳ λέγων «σὺ καθέζῃ, Εὐσέβιε, καὶ Ἀθανάσιος ἀθῷος ὢν παρὰ σοῦ κρίνεται; τίς ἐνέγκοι τὰ τοιαῦτα; λέγε δέ μοι σύ· οὐ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἦσθα ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ ἐπὶ τοῦ διωγμοῦ; κἀγὼ μὲν ὀφθαλμὸν ἀπεβαλόμην ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας, σὺ δὲ οὔτε φαίνῃ λελωβημένον τι ἔχων ἐν τῷ σώματι οὔτε ἐμαρτύρησας, ἀλλὰ ἕστηκας ζῶν μηδὲν ἠκρωτηριασμένος. πῶς ἀνεχώρησας ἀπὸ τῆς φυλακῆς, εἰ μὴ ὅτι ὑπέσχου τοῖς τὴν ἀνάγκην τοῦ διωγμοῦ ἡμῖν ἐπενέγκασι τὸ ἀθέμιτον πρᾶξαι ἢ ἔπραξας;» ταῦτα ἀκούσας Εὐσέβιος αἴρεται μὲν εἰς ἀγανάκτησιν καὶ ἀναστὰς διέλυσε τὸ δικαστήριον λέγων ὅτι «εἰ ἐνταῦθα ἤλθετε καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀντιλέγετε, ἄρα οὖν ἀληθεύουσιν οἱ κατήγοροι ὑμῶν. εἰ γὰρ ὧδε τυραννεῖτε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ὑμῶν πατρίδι». 9. Εἶτα ἐπεχείρησεν Εὐσέβιος καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀποστέλλουσι δύο τινὰς τῶν ἀπὸ Παννωνίων ἐπισκόπων τὰ Ἀρείου φρονοῦντας, Οὐρσάκιόν τε καὶ Οὐάλεντα, εἴς τε τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν καὶ Μαρεώτην, ἔνθα ἔλεγον γεγενῆσθαι τὰ προειρημένα, τοῦ τε σκεύους