Athanasius of Alexandria, Letter to Rufinianum

LETTER OF THE SAME TO RUFINIANUS THE BISHOP

3 Concerning those who were dragged away by necessity, but were not corrupted in the evil faith. To my lord son and most beloved fellow minister Rufinianus, Athanasius in the Lord, greeting. 77 You indeed write to a father things befitting a beloved son; at any rate I embraced you as you drew near through your letter, O Rufinianus, most longed-for of all men to me. And I too, though I could write to you as a son in the introduction, middle, and conclusion, refrained, so that our commendation and testimony might not be known from letters; ‘for you are my letter, as it is written, being known and read in my heart’. Being so disposed, therefore, yes, believe me, I greet you and urge you to write; for not a little, but greatly, do you gladden me by doing this. But since, with love for what is good and in an ecclesiastical manner—for this again befits your piety—you asked concerning those who were dragged away by necessity, but were not corrupted in the evil faith, and wished that I write what has been decided about them in the synods and everywhere, know, my most beloved lord, that in the beginning, when 78 the violence that had occurred had ceased, a synod was held with bishops present from foreign parts; and one was also held by our fellow ministers dwelling in Greece, and no less also by those in Spain and Gaul. And what was decided here and everywhere was approved, that for those who had fallen and were leaders of the impiety, to grant forgiveness upon their repentance, but not to give them a place in the clergy; but for those who were not authors of the impiety, but were dragged away by necessity and violence, it was decided to grant forgiveness, and for them to have their place in the clergy, especially since they offered a plausible defense, and it seemed that this had happened in a way for the sake of good order; for they affirmed that they had not changed over to impiety, but, so that some most impious men might not be appointed and corrupt the churches, they chose rather to yield to the violence and bear the weight, than for the people to be destroyed. And in saying this they seemed to us 79 to speak plausibly, because they also cited as a precedent Aaron, the brother of Moses, who in the desert yielded to the transgression of the people, but had a defense, so that the people might not return to Egypt and persist in idolatry; for indeed it seemed reasonable, that while remaining in the desert they could cease from their impiety, but if they entered into Egypt they would be confirmed in it and the impiety would increase among them. For this reason, therefore, forgiveness was granted with respect to the clergy. But to those who were deceived and suffered violence, pardon is given. These things I also declare to your Piety, being confident that your Godliness will also accept what has been decided, and will not condemn the leniency of those who so assembled. And deign to read these things to the presbytery and the people under you, so that they too, knowing, may not blame you for being so disposed toward such men; for it would be unfitting for me to write, when your Piety is able both to report 80 our disposition towards them and to supply all that is lacking. Thanks be to the Lord who has filled you with all speech and all knowledge. Therefore let those who are repenting openly anathematize by name the evil faith of Eudoxius and Euzoius; for they at last, blaspheming Him as a creature, have enrolled themselves as leaders of the Arian heresy; and let them confess the faith confessed at Nicaea by the fathers, and prefer no other synod to this synod. Greet the brotherhood with you; the brotherhood with us greets you in the Lord.

Epistula ad Rufinianum

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΠΡΟΣ ΡΟΥΦΙΝΙΑΝΟΝ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΝ

Γ Περὶ τῶν δι' ἀνάγκην ὑποσυρέντων μέν, μὴ φθαρέντων δὲ ἐν τῇ κακοπιστίᾳ. Κυρίῳ υἱῷ καὶ ποθεινοτάτῳ συλλειτουργῷ Ῥουφινιανῷ, Ἀθανάσιος ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. 77 Σὺ μὲν τὰ υἱῷ ἠγαπημένῳ πρέποντα πρὸς πατέρα γράφεις· ἐγγίσαντα γοῦν σε διὰ τοῦ γράμματος περιεπτυξάμην, πάντων ἐμοὶ ποθεινότατε Ῥουφινιανέ. Κἀγὼ δὲ ὡς υἱῷ δυνάμενος γράφειν ἔν τε προοιμίοις καὶ μέσοις καὶ τελευταίοις, ἐπέσχον, ἵνα μὴ ἐκ γραμμάτων ἡ σύστασις καὶ ἡ μαρτυρία γνωρίζηται· «σὺ γὰρ ἐμοὶ ἐπιστολή, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ἐπιγινωσκομένη καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένη ἐν καρδίᾳ». Οὕτω τοίνυν διακείμενος, ναί, πίστευε, προσαγορεύω σε καὶ προτρέπω γράφειν· οὐ γὰρ ὀλίγως, ἀλλὰ μεγάλως εὐφραίνεις τοῦτο ποιῶν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ φιλοκάλως καὶ ἐκκλησιαστικῶς, τοῦτο γὰρ πάλιν πρέπει τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ, ἠρώτησας περὶ τῶν δι' ἀνάγκην ὑποσυρέντων μέν, μὴ φθαρέντων δὲ ἐν τῇ κακοπιστίᾳ, καὶ ἠθέλησας γράψαι με τὰ δόξαντα περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς συνόδοις καὶ πανταχοῦ, γίνωσκε, κύριέ μου ποθεινότατε, ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν παυσαμένης 78 τῆς γενομένης βίας, γέγονε σύνοδος παρόντων ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξω μερῶν ἐπισκόπων· γέγονε δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς τὴν Ἑλλάδα κατοικοῦσι συλλειτουργοῖς, οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον καὶ τοῖς ἐν Σπανίᾳ καὶ Γαλλίᾳ. Καὶ ἤρεσεν ὅπερ ὧδε καὶ πανταχοῦ, ὥστε τοῖς μὲν καταπεπτωκόσι καὶ προϊσταμένοις τῆς ἀσεβείας συγγινώσκειν μὲν μετανοοῦσι, μὴ διδόναι δὲ αὐτοῖς τόπον κλήρου· τοῖς δὲ μὴ αὐθεντοῦσι μὲν τῆς ἀσεβείας, παρασυρεῖσι δὲ δι' ἀνάγκην καὶ βίαν, ἔδοξε δίδοσθαι μὲν συγγνώμην, ἔχειν δὲ καὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦ κλήρου, μάλιστα ὅτι ἀπολογίαν πιθανὴν ἐκομίσαντο, καὶ ἔδοξε τοῦτό πως οἰκονομικῶς γεγενῆσθαι· διεβεβαιώσαντο γὰρ μὴ μεταβεβλῆσθαι εἰς ἀσέβειαν, ἵνα δὲ μὴ κατασταθέντες τινὲς ἀσεβέστατοι διαφθείρωσι τὰς ἐκκλησίας, εἵλοντο μᾶλλον συνδραμεῖν τῇ βίᾳ καὶ βαστάσαι τὸ βάρος, ἢ λαοὺς ἀπολέσθαι. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγοντες ἔδοξαν καὶ ἡμῖν 79 πιθανῶς λέγειν, διὰ τὸ καὶ προφασίζεσθαι αὐτοὺς τὸν Ἀαρών, τὸν Μωσέως ἀδελφόν, ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ συνδραμεῖν μὲν τῇ τοῦ λαοῦ παραβάσει, ἀπολογίαν δὲ ἐσχηκέναι, ἵνα μὴ ὁ λαὸς ὑποστρέψας εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐπιμείνῃ τῇ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ· καὶ γὰρ ἦν φαινόμενον εὔλογον, ὅτι μένοντες μὲν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ δύνανται παύσασθαι τῆς ἀσεβείας, εἰσελθόντες δὲ εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐπετρίβοντο καὶ ηὔξανον ἐν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Τούτου τοίνυν ἕνεκα σύγγνωστον πρὸς τὸν κλῆρον γέγονε. Τοῖς δὲ ἀπατηθεῖσι καὶ βίαν παθοῦσι συγγνώμη δίδοται. Ταῦτα καὶ τῇ σῇ εὐλαβείᾳ δηλῶ θαρρῶν, ὅτι καὶ τὰ δόξαντα ὑποδέξεταί σου ἡ θεοσέβεια, καὶ οὐ καταγνώσεται ἐκκεχειρίας τῶν συνελθόντων οὕτω. Καταξίωσον δὲ αὐτὰ ἀναγνῶναι τῷ ἱερατείῳ καὶ τῷ λαῷ τῷ ὑπὸ σέ, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ γινώσκοντες μὴ μέμφωνται οὕτω σὲ διακείμενον περὶ τοὺς τοιούτους· ἀπρεπὲς γὰρ ἦν ἐμὲ γράφειν, δυναμένης τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας καὶ τὴν ἡμῶν περὶ αὐτοὺς διάθεσιν ἀπαγ 80 γεῖλαι καὶ πάντα τὰ λείποντα ἀποπληρῶσαι. Χάρις τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ πληρώσαντί σε ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει. Οἱ μὲν οὖν μετανοοῦντες φανερῶς ἀναθεματιζέτωσαν ὀνομάζοντες Εὐδοξίου καὶ Εὐζωΐου τὴν κακοπιστίαν· αὐτοὶ γὰρ λοιπὸν βλασφημοῦντες αὐτὸν κτίσμα, ἀπεγράψαντο τῆς ἀρειανῆς αἱρέσεως προστάται· ὁμολογείτωσαν δὲ τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ παρὰ τῶν πατέρων ὁμολογηθεῖσαν πίστιν, καὶ μηδεμίαν ἄλλην σύνοδον προκρίνειν ταύτης τῆς συνόδου. Πρόσειπε τὴν παρὰ σοὶ ἀδελφότητα· σὲ ἡ σὺν ἡμῖν ἐν κυρίῳ προσαγορεύει.