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Apologia contra Arianos

His Second Defense

1.1 I indeed thought that after so many proofs made in our favor, our enemies would at last shrink away, and rather from these things condemn themselves for those matters in which they slandered others as well; but since, not even when thus condemned do they blush, but in their shamelessness creep about with their slanders, thinking that all things are done without justice, not that they may be judged (for they flee from it), but that they may harass us and the souls of the innocent, I considered it necessary to make a defense to you, so that you may no longer put up with their murmuring, but may condemn their wickedness and their calumny. For to you who are genuine I make my defense, but to 1.2 the contentious I speak boldly with the refutations against them. For our case no longer needs a trial, for it has been judged not once, not twice, but many times. First, in the synod assembled in our own country by nearly a hundred bishops, second, in Rome, when Eusebius had written and both they and we had been summoned, and more than fifty bishops had been gathered there as well, and third, in the great synod assembled at Sardica by order of the most God-beloved emperors Constantius and Constans; in which those who were against us were deposed as slanderers, and more than three hundred bishops voted with those who had judged in our favor, from the provinces of Egypt, Libya and Pentapolis, Palestine, Arabia, Isauria, Cyprus, Pamphylia, Lycia, Galatia, Dacia, Moesia, Thrace, Dardania, Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, Achaia, Crete, Dalmatia, Siscia, the Pannonias, Noricum, Italy, Picenum, Tuscia, Campania, Calabria, Apulia, Bruttium, Sicily, all of Africa, Sar- 1.3 -dinia, the Spains, the Gauls, the Britains. And to these things Ursacius and Valens bore witness, who formerly slandered us, but afterwards repented. For not only did they accept the judgments in our favor, but they also confessed that they themselves and the others who acted against us were slanderers. For those who so repented and so wrote are clearly refuting Eusebius and his party as well; for with them they jointly 1.4 devised the plot against us. Therefore, everyone would agree that it is superfluous for matters that have been examined and judged and clearly demonstrated by so many and such great bishops to be investigated again, lest, if it should be examined now, it should be investigated again and examined yet again, and thus the business of meddlers should become endless.

2.1 For the vote of so many bishops was sufficient to put to shame those who still wish even to pretend to be against us; but when even enemies bear witness both in our favor and against themselves, declaring that the case against us was a plot, who that still doubts 2.2 is not ashamed? For since the law commands that judgments be established "at the mouth of two and three witnesses," behold, there is such a great multitude of witnesses for us, having in addition also the proof from our enemies, so that even those who remain should no longer pay attention to the judgments they passed as they pleased, but are henceforth compelled, instead of using reason, to wrong those who refute them. For this especially grieves them, that the very things they did and hid, and contrived among themselves in a corner, these things Valens and Ursacius brought forth and revealed. And they know well, that the repentance of these men 2.3 condemns them, but justifies those who were wronged by them. For this reason, therefore, they were also deposed in the synod at Sardica, as I said before, and rightly so; for thus also those at that time

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Apologia contra Arianos

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀπολογητικὸς δεύτερος

1.1 Ἐγὼ μὲν ᾤμην μετὰ τὰς τοσαύτας ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γενομένας ἀποδείξεις καταδύεσθαι λοιπὸν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκ τούτων καταγινώσκειν ἑαυτῶν, ἐφ' οἷς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐσυκοφάντησαν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐδ' οὕτω καταγνωσθέντες ἐρυθριῶσιν, ἀλλ' ὑπ' ἀναισθησίας ἕρπουσι ταῖς καταλαλιαῖς νομίζοντες ἀνάδικα πάντα γίνεσθαι, οὐχ ἵνα κριθῶσι (φεύγουσι γάρ), ἀλλ' ἵν' ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἀκεραίων σκύλλωσιν, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην ὑμῖν ἀπολογήσασθαι, ἵνα μηκέτι μὲν αὐτῶν ἀνάσχησθε γογγυζόντων, καταγνῶτε δὲ τῆς πονηρίας καὶ τῆς συκοφαντίας αὐτῶν. ὑμῖν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς γνησίοις ἀπολογοῦμαι, πρὸς 1.2 δὲ τοὺς φιλονεικοῦντας παρρησιάζομαι τοῖς κατ' αὐτῶν ἐλέγχοις. οὐκέτι γὰρ κρί σεως δεῖται τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς, κέκριται γὰρ οὐχ ἅπαξ, οὐ δεύτερον ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις. πρῶ τον μὲν ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ τῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ χώρᾳ συναγομένῃ ὑπὸ ἐπισκόπων ἐγγὺς ἑκατόν, δεύτερον δὲ ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ γράψαντος Εὐσεβίου καὶ κληθέντων αὐτῶν τε καὶ ἡμῶν καὶ συναχθέντων ἐπισκόπων κἀκεῖ πλέον πεντήκοντα, καὶ τρίτον ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ τῇ ἐν Σαρδικῇ συναχθείσῃ κατὰ πρόσταξιν τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων βασιλέων Κωνσταντίου καὶ Κώνσταντος· ἐν ᾗ καὶ οἱ καθ' ἡμῶν γενόμενοι καθῃρέθησαν ὡς συκοφάνται τοῖς τε κριθεῖσιν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν συνεψηφίσαντο μὲν ἐπίσκοποι πλείους τριακοσίων ἐξ ἐπαρχιῶν Αἰγύπτου Λιβύης καὶ Πενταπόλεως Παλαιστίνης Ἀραβίας Ἰσαυρίας Κύπρου Παμφυλίας Λυκίας Γαλατίας ∆ακίας Μυσίας Θρᾴκης ∆αρδανίας Μακεδονίας Ἠπείρων Θεσσαλίας Ἀχαίας Κρήτης ∆αλματίας Σισκίας Παννονίων Νωρικοῦ Ἰταλίας Πικηνοῦ Τουσκίας Καμπανίας Καλαβρίας Ἀπουλίας Βριττίας Σικελίας Ἀφρικῆς πάσης Σερ 1.3 δανίας Σπανίων Γαλλίων Βρεττανίων. ἐπεμαρτύρησαν δὲ τούτοις Οὐρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης οἱ πρότερον μὲν διαβάλλοντες, ὕστερον δὲ μεταγνόντες. οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀπε δέξαντο τὰ κριθέντα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συκοφάντας ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς καθ' ἡμῶν γενομένους ὡμολόγησαν. οἱ γὰρ οὕτως μεταγνόντες καὶ οὕτως γράψαντες δῆλοί εἰσι καὶ τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἐλέγχοντες· μετὰ γὰρ αὐτῶν κοινῇ τὴν καθ' ἡμῶν 1.4 ἐμηχανήσαντο συσκευήν. τὰ τοίνυν ὑπὸ τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων ἐπισκόπων δοκιμασθέντα καὶ κριθέντα ἀποδειχθέντα τε λευκῶς περιττὸν εἶναι πάλιν ἀνακρίνεσθαι πᾶς ὁστισοῦν ὁμολογήσειεν, ἵνα μή, κἂν νῦν ἐξετασθῇ, πάλιν ἀνακριθῇ καὶ αὖθις ἐξετασθῇ καὶ οὕτως εἰς ἀπέραντον τὰ τῶν περιεργαζομένων γένηται.

2.1 Ἤρκει μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἡ τῶν τοσούτων ἐπισκόπων ψῆφος δυσωπῆσαι τοὺς ἔτι κἂν προσποιεῖσθαι καθ' ἡμῶν βουλομένους· ὅτε δὲ καὶ ἐχθροὶ μαρτυροῦσιν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τε καὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν φάσκοντες τὰ καθ' ἡμῶν εἶναι συσκευήν, τίς ἔτι λοιπὸν ἀμφιβάλλων 2.2 οὐκ αἰσχύνεται; τοῦ γὰρ νόμου κελεύοντος «ἐπὶ στόματος δύο καὶ τριῶν μαρτύρων» ἵστασθαι τὰς κρίσεις ἰδοὺ τοσοῦτον πλῆθος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐστι μαρτύρων ἔχον προσθήκην καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀπόδειξιν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ὑπολειπομένους μηκέτι προσέχειν οἷς, ὡς ἠθέλησαν, ἐδίκασαν, ἀλλὰ βιάζεσθαι λοιπὸν καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν εὐλόγων ἀδικεῖν τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας αὐτούς. τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοὺς μάλιστα λυπεῖ, ἐπειδήπερ ἅπερ ἔκρυψαν αὐτοὶ πράξαντες καὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐν γωνίᾳ συνέθεντο, ταῦτα Οὐάλης καὶ Οὐρσάκιος ἐξήγαγον καὶ ἀπεκάλυψαν. καὶ ἴσασιν ἀκριβῶς, ὡς ἡ τούτων μετάνοια κατακρίνει μὲν 2.3 ἐκείνους, δικαιοῖ δὲ τοὺς ἀδικηθέντας παρ' αὐτῶν. διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ἐν τῇ κατὰ Σαρδικὴν συνόδῳ καθῃρέθησαν, ὥσπερ ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον, καὶ εἰκότως γε· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ οἱ τότε