411

O blessed pope. Arius, Aeithales, Achillas, Carpones, Sarmatas, Arius, presbyters; deacons Euzoïus, Lucius, Julius, Menas, Helladius, Gaius; bishops Secundus of Pentapolis, Theonas the Libyan, Pistus; whom the Arians appointed to Alexandria. 9. As matters were thus being disturbed, Alexander writes to Constantine the emperor. But the blessed emperor, having summoned Arius and certain bishops, questioned him. But he, having his fellow-initiates as collaborators, at first denied it to the emperor's face, but inwardly he was working the conspiracy of the church. When, therefore, the blessed Constantine summoned him, as he was inspired in part by the Holy Spirit, he addressed a word to him, saying that I have trusted in God, if you deceitfully have something hidden and deny it, the Lord of all will soon convict you, especially concerning that by which you have sworn. Wherefore he was also caught holding the same opinions, and was convicted to the emperor's face. But again he likewise denied it, and many of his defenders interceded for him through Eusebius of Nicomedia. At the same time the emperor, roused by zeal, also wrote a great encyclical letter to all of Romania against Arius and his faith, full of all wisdom and true words; which is also preserved to this day among lovers of beauty, containing the beginning: “Constantine Augustus Maximus to Arius and the Arians. An evil inter3.160preter is in very deed both an image and a statue of the devil.” Then, after other things, and after setting forth much refutation against him from the divine oracles, he also cited a verse from Homer, addressing it to him for the sake of reproach, which I also thought it necessary to set down here; and it is: “Come now, Ares, Arius, there is need of shields; do not do this, we beseech you; at least let the company of Aphrodite restrain you.” 10. When Arius therefore wished to assemble together in Constantinople, and Eusebius was compelling him and, being very powerful with the emperor, was troubling the bishop in Constantinople at that time, and that bishop was unwilling to assemble with him nor to come into his communion, and was distressed and groaning, while Eusebius was saying: “If you are not willing of your own accord, tomorrow, at the dawning of the Lord's day, he will enter with me, and what can you do?” But the most pious and God-fearing bishop Alexander, the bishop of the same most excellent city—for this man was also the namesake of the one in Alexandria—all day from the time he heard and through the night, continued groaning and being downcast, praying and beseeching God either to take his soul, so that he might not be defiled by the communion of Arius, or to do something extraordinary; which also happened to him. For when Arius, having gone out during the night, hurried to relieve himself, he passes by to the latrine and, sitting down within the private parts, was found having burst asunder and become breathless. He who was thus overtaken in the foul-smelling place, having paid his final dues, just as he had vomited out his unclean misbelief. 11. When these things were thus accomplished, the emperor, taking thought for the church, because many were already often at variance with one another and there were many schisms, convened an ecumenical synod of three hundred and eighteen bishops, whose names are preserved to this day; and they anathematize the faith of Arius in the city of the Nicaeans and confess the orthodox and unwavering faith of the fathers, handed down from the apostles and prophets. And when the bishops had subscribed to this and anathematized the Arianomaniac heresy, thus * it came to be. And at the same time they also laid down certain ecclesiastical canons in the 3.161 synod; and at the same time they also decreed concerning Easter that there be one unity and concord on God's holy and all-virtuous day, since it was observed differently by some; the

411

μακάριε πάπα. Ἄρειος, Ἀειθάλης, Ἀχιλλᾶς, Καρπώνης, Σαρματᾶς, Ἄρειος, πρεσβύτεροι· διάκονοι Εὐζώϊος, Λούκιος, Ἰούλιος, Μηνᾶς, Ἑλλάδιος, Γάϊος· ἐπίσκοποι Σεκοῦνδος Πενταπόλεως, Θεωνᾶς Λίβυς, Πιστός· ὃν κατέστησαν εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν οἱ Ἀρειανοί. 9. Ὡς οὖν οὕτω παρεκινεῖτο τὰ πράγματα, Ἀλέξανδρος Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ γράφει. ὁ δὲ μακαρίτης βασιλεὺς συγκαλεσάμενος τὸν Ἄρειον καί τινας ἐπισκόπους ἀνέκρινεν. ὁ δὲ τοὺς συμμύστας συνεργοὺς ἔχων τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἠρνεῖτο εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως, ἔσωθεν δὲ εἰργάζετο τὴν συσκευὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας. ὡς οὖν συνεκαλέσατο αὐτὸν ὁ μακάριος Κωνσταντῖνος, ὡς καὶ ἐκ μέρους ἀπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐνεπνεύσθη, λόγον αὐτῷ προσεφθέγξατο λέγων ὅτι πεπίστευκα τῷ θεῷ, εἰ δολίως ἔχεις τι κεκρυμμένον καὶ ἀρνῆσαι, τάχιον ὁ πάντων δεσπότης ἐλέγξαι σε ἔχει, μάλιστα καθ' οὗ ὤμοσας. ὅθεν καὶ ἐφωράθη τὰ αὐτὰ φρονῶν, καὶ εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως ἠλέγχθη. πάλιν δὲ ὡσαύτως ἠρνεῖτο, καὶ πολλοὶ αὐτοῦ ὑπερασπισταὶ ὑπερεδέοντο διὰ Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Νικομηδείας. ὁμοῦ δὲ ζήλῳ ἐπαρθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἐπιστολὴν μεγάλην ἐγκύκλιον ὅλῃ τῇ Ῥωμανίᾳ γέγραφε κατὰ Ἀρείου καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ πίστεως, πάσης σοφίας ἔμπλεων καὶ ἀληθινῶν ῥημάτων· ὡς καὶ αὕτη εἰς ἔτι δεῦρο παρὰ φιλοκάλοις σῴζεται, περιέχουσα τὴν ἀρχήν· «Κωνσταντῖνος σεβαστὸς μέγιστος Ἀρείῳ καὶ Ἀρειανοῖς. Κακὸς ἑρ3.160 μηνεὺς αὐτόχρημα εἰκών τε καὶ ἀνδριάς ἐστι τοῦ διαβόλου.» εἶτα μεθ' ἕτερα καὶ μετὰ τὸ πολλὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκθέσθαι ἐκ θείων λογίων ἀντιλογίαν, καὶ ἔπος ἀπὸ τῶν Ὁμήρου πρὸς αὐτὸν σχετλιασμοῦ ἕνεκα ἀποτεινόμενος παρέθετο, ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ ἀναγκαῖον ἐνταῦθα παραθέσθαι ἡγησάμην· καὶ ἔστιν· «ἄγε δή, Ἄρες Ἄρειε, ἀσπίδων χρεία, μή γε σὺ τοῦτο ποιήσῃς, ἱκετεύομεν· ἐπισχέτω δέ σε γοῦν ἡ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης ὁμιλία.» 10. Βουλομένου τοίνυν τοῦ Ἀρείου ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντινουπόλει ὁμοῦ συναχθῆναι, Εὐσεβίου ἀναγκάζοντος καὶ τὰ μεγάλα παρὰ βασιλεῖ ἰσχύοντος καὶ παρενοχλοῦντος τῷ ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἐπισκόπῳ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ, κἀκείνου μὴ βουλομένου μετ' αὐτοῦ συναχθῆναι μηδὲ εἰς κοινωνίαν αὐτοῦ ἐλθεῖν καὶ βιοφορουμένου καὶ στένοντος, τοῦ δὲ Εὐσεβίου λέγοντος· εἰ μὴ βούλει ἰδίᾳ τῇ προαιρέσει, τῇ αὔριον ἡμέρᾳ κυριακῆς ἐπιφωσκούσης σὺν ἐμοὶ εἰσελεύσεται, καὶ τί δύνασαι ποιῆσαι; ὁ δὲ εὐλαβέστατος ἐπίσκοπος καὶ θεὸν φοβούμενος Ἀλέξανδρος, ὁ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀρίστης πόλεως ἐπίσκοπος ὁμώνυμος γὰρ ἦν καὶ οὗτος τῷ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ δι' ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας ἐξότου ἤκουσε καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς στενάζων καὶ στυγνάζων διετέλεσεν εὐχόμενος καὶ παρακαλῶν τὸν θεὸν ἢ αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν παραλαβεῖν, ἵνα μὴ συμμιανθῇ τῇ τοῦ Ἀρείου κοινωνίᾳ, ἢ ποιῆσαί τι παράδοξον· ὅπερ καὶ ἐγένετο τούτῳ. τοῦ γὰρ Ἀρείου προελθεῖν κατὰ τὰς νύκτας ἐπειχθέντος ἐπὶ τὸ τὰς χρείας παρασκευασθῆναι, διέρχεται μέχρι τοῦ ἀφεδρῶνος καὶ ἔνδον ἐν τοῖς ἀβάτοις καθεζόμενος εὑρέθη λακήσας καὶ ἔκπνους γεγονώς. ὃς δὲ οὕτω κατείληπται ἐν τῷ δυσώδει τόπῳ ἀποδοὺς αὐτοῦ τὰ τέλη, καθάπερ καὶ ἐξήμεσεν ἀκάθαρτον κακοπιστίαν. 11. Ὡς οὖν ταῦτα ἐτελέσθη, ὁ βασιλεὺς μέριμναν συνενεγκάμενος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, διὰ τὸ ἤδη πολλάκις πολλοὺς εἰς ἀλλήλους διαφέρεσθαί τε καὶ σχίσματα πολλὰ εἶναι, συνεκρότησεν οἰκουμενικὴν σύνοδον ὧν καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα εἰς ἔτι δεῦρο σῴζεται τριακοσίων δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἐπισκόπων· καὶ ἀναθεματίζουσι τὴν Ἀρείου πίστιν ἐν τῇ Νικαέων πόλει καὶ ὁμολογοῦσι τὴν τῶν πατέρων ὀρθόδοξον πίστιν καὶ ἀκλινῆ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν παραδοθεῖσαν. ὑπογραψάντων δὲ τῶν ἐπισκόπων εἰς ταύτην καὶ ἀναθεματισάντων τὴν Ἀρειομανίτιδα αἵρεσιν, οὕτω * γεγένηται. ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κανόνας τινὰς ἔθηκαν ἐν τῇ 3.161 συνόδῳ ἐκκλησιαστικούς· ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ πάσχα ὥρισαν μίαν ἕνωσιν καὶ ὁμόνοιαν κατὰ τὴν ἁγίαν θεοῦ πανάρετον ἡμέραν γίνεσθαι, ἐπειδὴ διαφόρως παρά τισιν ἐφυλάττετο· οἱ