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in the council, several times some of the most devout presbyters rebuked him both for his disobedience, for not calling the holy Virgin Theotokos, and Christ true God by nature, they cast themselves out of his communion, and remain so until now; but some secretly likewise withdraw from his communion.And others of the most devout presbyters, for speaking in this holy Church, Irene by the Sea, against the wickedly renewed dogma, were forbidden to speak.Whence the people cried out, seeking the customary teaching of orthodoxy, saying: We have an emperor, we have no bishop. And for a time the trial of the people remained unavenged, some of whom were arrested by the officers, and variously beaten in the court in the imperial city; things which did not happen even among the barbarian nations.Some rebuked him to his face in the most holy church before the people, and endured no small affliction. And one of the simpler monks was compelled by zeal, in the midst of the church, to prevent the herald of iniquity from entering, while a service was being held, since he was a heretic. But having beaten this man, he handed him over to the most magnificent prefects; and further, having had him beaten and paraded publicly with the herald crying out before him, he sent him into exile. And not only this, but also in the most holy church itself, after his illicit sermon, those of his holding faction, were about to commit murder, had not the help of God intervened.

Γ´. What concerns us is perhaps unbelievable to many who hear it. For according to his command and exhortation we went up to the episcopal palace to be informed, if what we had heard about him was as we understood it, or not. And he put us off a second and a third time. And then he barely bade us to say what it was we wanted.But when he heard from us that these things said by him, namely, "Mary," he says, "did not bear, except a man consubstantial with herself; and that which is born of the flesh is flesh," are not orthodox, he immediately ordered us to be arrested; and from there, being beaten by the crowd of court officials, we were led away to the court; and there, naked, they bound us to a pillar as liable to punishment, stretched us on the rack, and kicked us with their heels. Which things, we do not say clergy and archimandrites or monks, but not even any ordinary laymen suffer in the secular courts, such as we suffered unlawfully from the lawless one in the church. Afflicted in the court, starving, we remained guarded in servitude for a long time. And his madness was not satisfied with these things; but also after this we were handed over to the most magnificent prefect of this renowned city by some deceit, and having been put in irons we were led away to the prison, and after this we were brought up to the praetorium in the same manner with our bonds. And since there was no one to accuse us, we were brought again to the court by the official staff; and so he punished us again, striking us in the face. And having discussed and agreed deceitfully, as subsequent events showed, concerning the Son of God by nature, that he was born of the holy Mary the Theotokos, saying: since there is another son; thus he released us.

∆´. We beseech, therefore, your immortal and most pious faith, not to overlook henceforth the orthodox Church being adulterated by heretics in the times of you, the orthodox and most pious emperors; not as wishing on this account to avenge our own insults; God knows; but as wanting the foundation of the faith in Christ to remain unshaken; and may your majesty command the holy and ecumenical council to convene here now, so that when the council has convened, God may unite the most holy Church, and gather the people, and the priests

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συνεδρίῳ, πολλάκις τινές τῶν εὐλαβεστάτων πρεσβυτέρων ἤλεγξαν αὐτόν καί διά τήν ἀπείθειαν αὐτοῦ, τό μή λέγειν Θεοτόκον τήν ἁγίαν Παρθένον, καί Θεόν ὄντα φύσει ἀληθινόν τόν Χριστόν, τῆς αὐτοῦ κοινωνίας ἑαυτούς ἐξέβαλον, καί κατέχουσιν ἕως ἄρτι· τινές δέ λάθρα ὁμοίως τῆς αὐτοῦ κοινωνίας στέλλονται.Ἄλλοι δέ τῶν εὐλαβεστάτων πρεσβυτέρων, διά τό λέγειν ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ ταύτῃ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, Εἰρήνῃ τῇ παραθαλασσίᾳ, κατά τοῦ ἀνανεωθέντος κακῶς δόγματος, τοῦ λέγειν ἐκωλύθησαν.Ὅθεν ἐπεβόα ὁ λαός, ζητῶν τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας συνήθη διδασκαλίαν, λέγων· Βασιλέα ἔχομεν, ἐπίσκοπον οὐκ ἔχομεν. Καί τέως μέν ἀνεκδίκητον ἔμεινε τό τοῦ λαοῦ πειρατήριον, τοῦ συλληφθέντος ἐκ μέρους παρά τῶν ὑπερετῶν, καί ἐν τῷ δικανικῷ τυπτηθέντος διαφόρως ἐν πόλει βασιλευούσῃ· ἅ οὔτε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοῖς βαρβαρικοῖς ἐγένετο.Τινές κατά πρόσωπον ἐν τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπί λαοῦ ἤλεγξαν, καί θλῖψιν οὐ μικράν ὑπέμειναν. Τῶν δέ ἀφελεστέρων τις μοναζόντων ἠναγκάσθη κατά ζῆλον , ἀνά μέσον τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τόν κήρυκα τῆς ἀνομίας ἐπισχεῖν τοῦ μή εἰσελθεῖν, συνάξεως οὔσης, αἱρετικοῦ αὐτοῦ ὄντος. Τοῦτον δέ τυπτήσας, τοῖς μεγαλοπρεπεστάτοις ἐπάρχοις παρέδωκεν· ἔτι δέ τυπτηθέντα, καί πομπευθέντα δημοσία τοῦ κήρυκος βοῶντος ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, τῇ ἐξορίᾳ παρέπεμψεν. Οὐ μόνον δέ τοῦτο, ἀλλά καί ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ, μετά τήν ἀθέμιτον αὐτοῦ ὁμιλίαν, οἱ τῆς φατρίας αὐτοῦ τοῦ κατέχοντος, φόνον ἔμελλον ποιεῖν, εἰ μή ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοήθεια κατέλαβε.

Γ´. Τά περί ἡμῶν δύσπιστά ἐστι τάχα πολλοῖς τοῖς ἀκούουσι. Κατά γάρ κέλευσιν αὐτοῦ καί προτροπήν ἀνήλθομεν ἐν τῷ ἐπισκοπείῳ πληροφορηθῆναι, εἰ καθώς ἐνοήσαμεν, ἅ περί αὐτοῦ ἠκούσαμεν, ἔστιν, ἤ οὔ. Καί εἰς ὑπέρθεσιν δεύτερον καί τρίτον ἡμᾶς ἔβαλε. Καί τότε μόλις ἐκέλευσεν ἡμῖν εἰπεῖν, τί ἐστιν ὅ βουλόμεθα.Ὡς δέ ἤκουσε παρ' ἡμῶν, ὅτι ταῦτα τά παρ' αὐτοῦ λεχθέντα, τό, Οὐκ ἔτεκε, φησί, Μαρία, εἰ μή ἄνθρωπον ὁμοούσιον ἑαυτῆς· καί τό γεγεννημένον ἐκ τῆς σαρκός, σάρξ ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ὀρθοδόξων· παραχρῆμα ἐκέλευσε συλληφθῆναι ἡμᾶς· κἀκεῖθεν τυπτόμενοι παρά τοῦ ὄχλου τῶν δικανῶν, ἀπηγόμεθα ἐν τῷ δικανικῷ· κακεῖ γυμνούς ἡμᾶς δεσμίους, ὡς καί ὑπευθύνους τῇ τιμωρίᾳ ἐστύλισαν, ἐκρεβάτισαν, καί ἐπτέρνισαν. Ὅπερ οὐ πάσχουσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔξω δικαστηρίοις, οὐ λέγομεν ὅτι κληρικοί καί ἀρχιμανδρῖται, ἤ μονάζοντες, ἀλλ' οὔτε οἱ τυχόντες κοσμικοί, ὅ ἡμεῖς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ παρά τοῦ παρανόμου παρανόμως πεπόνθαμεν. Θλιβόμενοι ἐν τῷ δικανικῷ, λιμώττοντες, ἐν οἰκετίᾳ φυλαττόμενοι ἐπί χρόνον πολύν διετελέσαμεν. Καί οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τούτοις ἡ αὐτοῦ μανία· ἀλλά καί μετά ταῦτα τῷ μεγαλοπρεπεστάτῳ ἐπάρχῳ τῆσδε τῆς μεγαλωνύμου πόλεως κατ' ἀπάτην τινά παρεδόθημεν, καί σιδηρωθέντες ἀπήχθημεν ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ, καί μετά ταῦτα ἀνήχθημεν ἐν τῷ πραιτωρίῳ τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ μετά τῶν δεσμῶν. Καί ἐπειδή οὐδείς ἦν ὁ κατηγορῶν, ἐν τῷ δικανικῷ πάλιν διά τῆς τάξεως ἤχθημεν· καί οὕτω πάλιν ἐκόλασεν ἡμᾶς κατά πρόσωπον τυπτήσας. Καί διαλεχθείς, καί συνθέμενος κατ' ἀπάτην, ὡς τά μετά ταῦτα ἔδειξε, περί τοῦ φύσει Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι ἐτέχθη ἀπό τῆς ἁγίας Μαρίας τῆς Θεοτόκου λέγων· ἐπεί ἔνι ἄλλος υἱός· οὕτως ἀπέλυσεν ἡμᾶς.

∆´. Παρακαλοῦμεν οὖν τήν ἀθάνατον ὑμῶν καί εὐσεβεστάτην πίστιν, ὥστε μή παριδεῖν ἐκ τοῦ λοιποῦ τήν ὀρθόδοξον Ἐκκλησίαν μοιχευομένην παρά αἱρετικῶν ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς ὑμῶν τῶν ὀρθοδόξων καί εὐσεβεστάτων βασιλέων· οὐχ ὡς διά τοῦτο τάς ἡμετέρας ὕβρεις βουλόμενοι ἐκδικεῖν· ὁ Θεός οἶδεν· ἀλλ' ὡς θέλοντες τό στερέωμα τῆς εἰς Χριστόν πίστεως ἀσάλευτον μένειν· καί κελεύσει τό ὑμέτερον κράτος, τήν ἁγίαν καί οἰκουμενικήν σύνοδον παραγενέσθαι ἐνταῦθα ἤδη, ἵνα τῆς συνόδου παραγενομένης, τήν ἁγιωτάτην Ἐκκλησίαν ὁ Θεός ἑνώσῃ, καί τόν λαόν συνάξῃ, καί τούς ἱερέας