History of the Arians
By the same author, to the monks everywhere, concerning the things done by the Arians under Constantius.
1.1 ... but they did not delay long in accomplishing the purpose for which they had contrived these things. For as soon as they had plotted, they immediately received Arius and his party into communion. And they have disregarded the many judgments against them, but have again alleged royal authority on their behalf; and in writing they were not ashamed to say, ‘Now that Athanasius has suffered, the envy has ceased; let us henceforth receive Arius and his party,’ adding, to frighten their hearers, that ‘for this 1.2 the emperor has commanded.’ Then they were not ashamed to add that the men think rightly, not fearing what is written: ‘Woe to those who call bitter sweet, who put darkness for light.’ For they are ready to endure all things for the sake of their heresy. Is it not then from this also plainly shown to all, that it was not by an ecclesiastical judgment, but by the emperor's threat on account of our piety toward Christ that we both suffered then and are now persecuted? For they also plotted thus against other bishops, fabricating pretexts against them too, some of whom fell asleep in their exiles, having the boast of their confession in Christ, while others are still in exile even now, behaving more courageously against their heresy and saying, ‘Nothing will separate us from the love of Christ.’ 2.1 And from this again it is possible to understand it and to condemn it the more. For a friend and fellow-impious person of theirs, even if he happens to be liable for other faults and countless charges, even if he has the clearest refutations and proofs against him, this one is approved among them and immediately becomes a friend of the emperor, having his recommendation from his impiety; and having been bribed, he receives a great deal and freedom to do what he wishes before the judges. 2.2 But the one who refutes their impiety and genuinely upholds the cause of Christ, this one, even if he is pure in all things, even if he has nothing to reproach himself with, even if he has no accuser, yet upon their fabricating pretexts is immediately seized and by the emperor's judgment he himself is exiled 2.3 as liable for whatever they may wish, or as having insulted the emperor, like Naboth. But the one who champions their heresy is sought out and immediately is sent to the other man's church, 2.4 and then come confiscations and insults and all dreadful things against those who do not receive him. And most paradoxical of all, the one whom the people want and know to be blameless, this one the emperor removes and exiles, but the one whom they neither want nor know, this one he sends from afar with soldiers and his own letters. And then there is great compulsion to hate the one they love, who catechized them and became their father in piety, and to love the one they do not want and to entrust their own children to him, whose life and conduct and who he is they do not know, or else, obviously, to suffer punishment if they do not obey the emperor. 3.1 These things the impious ones do now and have done long ago against the orthodox, furnishing everywhere and among all a mark of their own malevolence and impiety. 3.2 For let it be so, they accused Athanasius; what have the other bishops done? What pretexts, then, did they have, or what dead Arsenius, then, was found there? What presbyter Macarius and what chalice was fabricated among them? What Melitian played the hypocrite? But as it seems, from their cases the charges against Athanasius also are shown to be false. And from what they attempted against Athanasius, 3.3 it is also clear that the charges against them are fabricated. something great
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Historia Arianorum
Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἁπανταχοῦ μοναχοὺς περὶ τῶν γεγενημένων παρὰ τῶν Ἀρειανῶν ἐπὶ Κωνσταντίου.
1.1 ... αὐτοὶ δὲ ὧν ταῦτα ἐμηχανήσαντο χάριν, οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἐπλήρωσαν. ἅμα γὰρ ἐπεβούλευσαν καὶ εὐθὺς τοὺς περὶ Ἄρειον εἰς κοινωνίαν ἐδέξαντο. καὶ τὰς μὲν τοσαύτας κατ' αὐτῶν κρίσεις παρεωράκασι, βασιλικὴν δὲ πάλιν ἐξουσίαν ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν προεφασίσαντο· γράφοντές τε οὐκ ᾐσχύνθησαν εἰπεῖν ὅτι «Ἀθανασίου παθόντος ὁ μὲν φθόνος πέπαυται, τοὺς δὲ περὶ Ἄρειον λοιπὸν δεξώμεθα», προστιθέντες πρὸς φόβον τῶν ἀκουόντων ὅτι «τοῦ 1.2 το γὰρ βασιλεὺς προσέταξεν». εἶτα οὐκ ᾐσχύνθησαν προσθεῖναι, ὅτι καὶ ὀρθῶς φρονοῦ σιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, μὴ φοβηθέντες τὸ γεγραμμένον· «οὐαὶ οἱ λέγοντες τὸ πικρὸν γλυκύ, οἱ τιθέντες τὸ σκότος φῶς». πάντα γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῆς αἱρέσεως ὑπομένειν εἰσὶν ἕτοιμοι. ἆρ' οὖν οὐχὶ καὶ ἐκ τούτου πᾶσιν ἄντικρυς δείκνυται, ὡς οὐκ ἐκκλησιαστικῇ κρίσει, ἀλλ' ἐκ βασιλέως ἀπειλῆς διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν εὐσέβειαν καὶ τότε πεπόνθαμεν καὶ νῦν διωκόμεθα; καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἑτέροις οὕτως ἐπεβούλευσαν ἐπισκόποις πλασάμενοι καὶ κατ' ἐκείνων πάλιν προφάσεις, ὧν οἱ μὲν ἐν τοῖς ἐξορισμοῖς ἐκοιμήθησαν ἔχοντες τὸ καύχημα τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ὁμολογίας, οἱ δὲ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ὑπερόριοι τυγχάνουσιν, ἀνδριζόμενοι μᾶλλον κατὰ τῆς αἱρέσεως ἐκείνων καὶ λέγοντες· «οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ ». 2.1 Ἔξεστι δὲ καὶ ἐκ τούτου πάλιν αὐτὴν καταμαθεῖν καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτῆς καταγνῶναι. ὁ μὲν γὰρ φίλος καὶ συνασεβῶν ἐκείνοις, κἂν ἐν ἄλλοις πλημμελήμασι καὶ μυρίοις ἐγκλήμασιν ὑπεύθυνος τυγχάνῃ, κἂν ἔχῃ τοὺς ἐλέγχους καὶ τὰς ἀποδείξεις λευκοτάτας, οὗτος δόκιμος παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ βασιλέως εὐθὺς γίνεται φίλος ἔχων τὴν σύστασιν ἐκ τῆς ἀσεβείας, χρηματισθείς τε πλεῖστα λαμβάνει καὶ παρρησίαν ποιεῖν, ἃ βούλεται, παρὰ τοῖς δικασταῖς. 2.2 ὁ δὲ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐκείνων ἐλέγχων καὶ τὰ Χριστοῦ γνησίως πρεσβεύων, οὗτος, κἂν καθαρὸς ἐν πᾶσιν ὑπάρχῃ, κἂν μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ συγγινώσκῃ, κἂν μὴ κατήγορον ἔχῃ, ἀλλ' ἐκείνων προφάσεις πλασαμένων εὐθὺς ἁρπάζεται καὶ κρίσει βασιλέως αὐτὸς μὲν ὑπερόριος γίνεται 2.3 ὡς ὑπεύθυνος, οἷς ἂν ἐκεῖνοι θελήσωσιν, ἢ ὡς βασιλέα ὑβρίσας ὡς ὁ Ναβουθέ. ὁ δὲ πρεσ βεύων τὰ τῆς αἱρέσεως ἐκείνων ζητεῖται καὶ εὐθὺς ἀποστέλλεται εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐκείνου 2.4 καὶ λοιπὸν δημεύσεις καὶ ὕβρεις καὶ πάντα τὰ δεινὰ κατὰ τῶν μὴ δεχομένων ἐκεῖνον. καὶ τὸ παραδοξότατον, ὃν μὲν οἱ λαοὶ βούλονται καὶ γινώσκουσιν ἀνεπίληπτον, τοῦτον ἀφαιρεῖται καὶ ἐξορίζει βασιλεύς, ὃν δὲ μήτε βούλονται μήτε γινώσκουσι, τοῦτον μακρόθεν μετὰ στρατιωτῶν ἀποστέλλει καὶ γραμμάτων ἑαυτοῦ. καὶ λοιπὸν ἀνάγκη πολλὴ μισεῖν μὲν ὃν ἀγαπῶσι τὸν κατηχήσαντα καὶ πατέρα γενόμενον ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ, ἀγαπᾶν δὲ ὃν οὐ βούλονται καὶ πιστεύειν ἑαυτῶν τὰ τέκνα, οὗ τὸν βίον καὶ τὴν ἀναστροφὴν καὶ τίς ἐστιν οὐ γινώσκουσιν, ἢ δηλονότι τιμωρίαν ὑπομένειν, ἢν μὴ πείθωνται βασιλεῖ. 3.1 Ταῦτα καὶ νῦν δρῶσι καὶ πάλαι πεποιήκασιν οἱ δυσσεβεῖς κατὰ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων γνώρισμα τῆς ἑαυτῶν κακοηθείας καὶ ἀσεβείας πανταχοῦ παρὰ πᾶσι παρασχόντες. 3.2 ἔστω γάρ, Ἀθανάσιον ᾐτιάσαντο· τί καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πεποιήκασιν ἐπίσκοποι; ποίας ἄρα προφάσεις εἶχον ἢ ποῖος ἄρα κἀκεῖ νεκρὸς Ἀρσένιος εὑρέθη; ποῖος παρ' αὐτοῖς Μακάριος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ποτήριον πέπλασται; ποῖος Μελιτιανὸς ὑπεκρίνετο; ἀλλ' ὡς ἔοικεν ἐξ ἐκείνων καὶ τὰ κατὰ Ἀθανάσιον δείκνυται ψευδῆ. καὶ ἐξ ὧν δὲ Ἀθανασίῳ ἐπεχείρησαν, 3.3 δῆλα καὶ τὰ κατ' ἐκείνων ἐστὶ πεπλασμένα. μέγα τι
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