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and for no ordinary fire to be kindled from it, which took hold of almost all of Romania, especially the parts of the east, so that his heresy, warring against the true faith and the church, has not ceased even to this day. At that time Arius was considered a presbyter and there were many fellow presbyters of his in each church; there are therefore more in number in Alexandria, including the one now built called the Caesareum, which formerly happened to be the Hadrianum, and later became the Licinian gymnasium or else a palace. But afterwards in the times of Constantius it was decided to build it as a church, with Gregory the Meletian and Arian beginning it, but with Athanasius the blessed and father of orthodoxy completing it, it having been burned down under Julian and built again by the blessed Athanasius the bishop himself. But there are more others, as I said, the church called of Dionysius and that of Theonas and of Pierius and of Serapion and that of Persaea and that of Dizyas and that of Mendidius and of Annianus and that of Baucalis and others. In one of these was a certain Colluthus, in another 3.154 Carpones, in another Sarmatas, and this aforementioned Arius, occupying one of the aforementioned churches. Each of these, of course, teaching the people entrusted to him during the customary gathering, cast some strife among the people in their exegeses. And some were inclined to Arius, others to Colluthus, others to Carpones, others to Sarmatas. So as each one expounded one thing and another in his own church, from their inclination and praise, some named themselves Colluthians, others Arians. For Colluthus also taught certain perverted things, but his heresy did not last, but was immediately scattered; would that the thunder-struck faith of Arius had also, or rather unbelief, or even more, evil-belief. 3. For the old man, lifted up by arrogance, departed from what was set before him. He was exceedingly tall in stature, downcast in appearance, fashioned like a cunning serpent, able to steal away every innocent heart through his crafty pretense. For such a man, always putting on a half-cloak and a sleeveless tunic, was sweet in his address, always persuading souls and flattering them. Wherefore right away—what else but?—he drew aside seven hundred virgins in number from the church under one banner, and the story goes that he tore away seven presbyters and twelve deacons. And his poison immediately reached even to bishops; for he persuaded Secundus of Pentapolis and others to be led away with him. And these things were happening in the church without the knowledge of the blessed bishop Alexander, until Meletius of Egypt, from the Thebaid, who considered himself also an archbishop, whom I have already mentioned—for the affairs concerning Meletius had not yet driven to the enmity of absurdity—Meletius, therefore, carried away by zeal—for he was in no way different in faith, but only 3.155 by a pretense of self-willed righteousness, on account of which he himself also wrought something terrible in his life, as we have already said about him—therefore brought to the ears of Archbishop Alexander the archbishop Meletius of Egypt, who considered himself under the authority of Alexander; and this Meletius was a contemporary of Peter the blessed bishop and martyr, as I have said. So when he indicated all the things concerning Arius, how he had stepped outside the truth and how he had stained and destroyed many, corrupting those persuaded by him from the orthodox faith, then the bishop, having summoned Arius himself, asked concerning the things that had been reported, if these things were so. But he neither hesitated nor was cowardly, but from the start hardening his brow he vomited forth all his evil doctrine, as his letters and the examination then held concerning him show. Alexander therefore convenes the presbytery and some other bishops

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καὶ ἐξαφθῆναι ἐξ αὐτοῦ πῦρ οὐ τὸ τυχόν, ὃ κατείληφε πᾶσαν τὴν Ῥωμανίαν σχεδόν, μάλιστα τῆς ἀνατολῆς τὰ μέρη, ὡς ἔτι καὶ δεῦρο πολεμοῦσα ἡ αὐτοῦ αἵρεσις τὴν ἀληθινὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οὐ διέλιπε. κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐδόκει πρεσβύτερος εἶναι ὁ Ἄρειος καὶ γεγόνασι πολλοὶ αὐτοῦ συμπρεσβύτεροι καθ' ἑκάστην ἐκκλησίαν· εἰσὶ τοίνυν πλείους τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ σὺν τῇ νῦν κτισθείσῃ τῇ Καισαρίῳ καλουμένῃ, ὃ πρότερον Ἀδριανὸν ἐτύγχανεν, ὕστερον Λικινιανὸν γέγονε γυμνάσιον εἴτ' οὖν βασίλειον. μετέπειτα δὲ ἐν χρόνοις Κωνσταντίου ἔδοξεν αὐτὸ οἰκοδομηθῆναι ἐκκλησίαν, Γρηγορίου τοῦ Μελιτιανοῦ καὶ Ἀρειανοῦ ἀρξαμένου, τελειώσαντος δὲ Ἀθανασίου τοῦ μακαρίου καὶ πατρὸς τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας, καυθείσης δὲ ἐπὶ Ἰουλιανοῦ καὶ αὖθις ἀνακτισθείσης ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ μακαρίτου Ἀθανασίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου. ἄλλαι δέ εἰσι πλείους, ὡς ἔφην, ∆ιονυσίου καλουμένη ἐκκλησία καὶ ἡ τοῦ Θεωνᾶ καὶ ἡ Πιερίου καὶ Σεραπίωνος καὶ ἡ τῆς Περσαίας καὶ ἡ τοῦ ∆ιζύας καὶ ἡ τοῦ Μενδιδίου καὶ ἡ Ἀννιανοῦ καὶ ἡ τῆς Βαυκάλεως καὶ ἄλλαι. ἐν μιᾷ δὲ τούτων Κόλλουθός τις ὑπῆρχεν, ἐν ἑτέρᾳ 3.154 δὲ Καρπώνης, ἐν ἄλλῃ δὲ Σαρματᾶς, καὶ Ἄρειος οὗτος ὁ προειρημένος, μίαν τῶν προειρημένων κατέχων ἐκκλησίαν. ἕκαστος δὲ τούτων δῆλον κατὰ τὴν εἰθισμένην σύναξιν τὸν αὐτῷ πεπιστευμένον λαὸν διδάσκων, ἐν ταῖς ἐξηγήσεσιν ἔριν τινὰ ἐνέβαλον ἐν τῷ λαῷ. καὶ οἱ μὲν προσεκλίθησαν Ἀρείῳ, ἕτεροι δὲ Κολλούθῳ, ἄλλοι δὲ Καρπώνῃ, ἕτεροι δὲ Σαρματᾷ. ὡς οὖν ἐξηγεῖτο ἕκαστος ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἄλλος ἄλλο τι καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλο, ἐκ τῆς προσκλίσεως καὶ ἐπαίνου δὲ τοῦ παρ' αὐτῶν οἱ μὲν Κολλουθιανοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ὠνόμασαν, ἄλλοι δὲ Ἀρειανούς. καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κόλλουθός τινα παρατετραμμένα ἐδίδαξεν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐνέμεινεν ἡ τούτου αἵρεσις, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς διεσκορπίσθη· ὡς εἴθε καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἀρείου ἐμβεβροντημένη πίστις, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀπιστία, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον κακοπιστία. 3. Ἐπάρματι γὰρ ἀρθεὶς ὁ γέρων τοῦ προκειμένου ἐξέστη. ἦν δὲ τὴν ἡλικίαν ὑπερμήκης, κατηφὴς τὸ εἶδος, ἐσχηματισμένος ὡς δόλιος ὄφις, ὑποκλέψαι δυνάμενος πᾶσαν ἄκακον καρδίαν διὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πανούργου προσχήματος. ἡμιφόριον γὰρ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀεὶ καὶ κολοβίωνα ἐνδιδυσκόμενος, γλυκὺς ἦν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ, πείθων ἀεὶ ψυχὰς καὶ θωπεύων. διόπερ αὐτίκα μάλα, τί γὰρ ἀλλ' ἢ ἑπτακοσίας παρθενευούσας τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὑπὸ ἓν παρείλκυσε καὶ ἀποσπάσαι τὸν αὐτὸν ἔχει λόγος πρεσβυτέρους τε ἑπτὰ καὶ διακόνους δώδεκα. ἄχρι δὲ καὶ ἐπισκόπων εὐθὺς ἔφθασε τὸ αὐτοῦ δηλητήριον· Σεκοῦνδον γὰρ τὸν Πενταπόλεως καὶ ἄλλους ἔπεισεν ἅμα αὐτῷ συναπαχθῆναι. ἐγίνετο δὲ ταῦτα ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀγνοοῦντος τοῦ μακαρίου Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου, ἕως ὅτε Μελίτιος ὁ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἀπὸ Θηβαΐδος, δοκῶν εἶναι καὶ αὐτὸς ἀρχιεπίσκοπος, ὁ ἤδη μοι προειρημένος οὔπω γὰρ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Μελίτιον εἰς ἔχθραν ἀτοπίας ἐλήλακε-ζήλῳ τοίνυν ἐνεχθεὶς ὁ Μελίτιος οὐδὲν γὰρ ἦν διηλλαγμένος τῇ πίστει ἢ μό3.155 νον προσχήματι ἐθελοδικαιοσύνης, δι' ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸς δεινόν τι ἐπειργάσατο τῷ βίῳ, ὡς ἤδη καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ εἴπομεν-ἀνήνεγκε τοίνυν εἰς τὰ ὦτα τοῦ ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἀλεξάνδρου ὁ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Μελίτιος ὁ κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ὑπὸ δὲ χεῖρα Ἀλεξάνδρου δοκῶν εἶναι· σύγχρονος δὲ οὗτος ὁ Μελίτιος γέγονε Πέτρου τοῦ μακαρίτου ἐπισκόπου καὶ μάρτυρος, ὡς ἔφην. ὡς οὖν ἐσήμανε τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἄρειον πάντα, ὡς ἐκτὸς βέβηκε τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ὡς πολλοὺς ἔχρανε καὶ ἠφάνισεν, ὑποφθείρας ἀπὸ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως τοὺς αὐτῷ πεισθέντας, τότε μεταστειλάμενος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος αὐτὸν τὸν Ἄρειον, ἠρώτα περὶ τῶν ἐνηχηθέντων εἰ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει. ὁ δὲ οὔτε ἐδίστασεν οὔτε ἐδειλίασεν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς παρατρίψας τὸ μέτωπον τὴν πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ ἐξήμεσε κακοδοξίαν, ὡς αἱ αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολαὶ δεικνύουσι καὶ ἡ κατ' αὐτὸν γενομένη τότε ἐξέτασις. συγκαλεῖται τοίνυν τὸ πρεσβυτέριον ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος καὶ ἄλλους τινὰς ἐπισκόπους