Tome to the Antiochenes

THE TOME TO THE ANTIOCHENES OF ATHANASIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA.

To the beloved and most longed-for fellow-ministers Eusebius, Lucifer, Asterius, Cymatius, and Anatolius, Athanasius and the bishops present in Alexandria from Italy and Arabia, Egypt and Libya, Eusebius, Asterius, Gaius, Agathus, Ammonius, Agathodaemon, Dracontius, Adelphius, Hermaeon, Marcus, Theodorus, Andreas, Paphnutius, another Marcus, Zoilus, Menas, Georgius, Lucius, Macarius, and the rest, very many greetings in Christ. We are persuaded, indeed, that being ministers of God and good stewards, you are able to order all things pertaining to the Church; but since it has also come to our attention that very many who were formerly separated from us through contentiousness now wish to be at peace, and many, having departed from their connection with the Ariomanites, are claiming communion with us; we thought it necessary to write these things to your goodness, which we and our beloved Eusebius and Asterius have written, we ourselves, beloved and truly most longed-for fellow-ministers, rejoicing at such a report, and praying that if any still remains far from us, and if any still seems to be assembling with the Arians, 26.797 he may leap away from their madness; so that henceforth all everywhere may say: "One Lord, one faith." For what is so "good," as the Psalmist said, or what is so "pleasant" as for "brethren to dwell together in unity?" For our house is the Church; and it is fitting that our mind be the same; for thus we believe that the Lord will also dwell with us, who says: "I will dwell in them and walk among them," and, "Here I will dwell, for I have chosen it." But where is 'here,' if not where one faith and piety are preached? We truly wished, therefore, we from Egypt, along with our beloved brothers Eusebius and Asterius, to come for many reasons, but especially for this, that we might embrace your disposition together, and together enjoy such peace and harmony; but since, as we also declared in our other letters, and you can learn from our same fellow-ministers, ecclesiastical needs detain us; we were grieved, yet we asked our same fellow-ministers Eusebius and Asterius to come to you in our stead; and thanks to their piety, that, although they were able to hasten to their own dioceses, they preferred before all else the journey to you on account of the pressing ecclesiastical need. Since they agreed, therefore, we consoled ourselves, that with both them and you being there, we all consider ourselves to be with you. Therefore, summon to you all those who wish to be at peace with us, and especially those who assemble in the Old [Church], and those who are turning away from the Arians, and receive them as fathers receive sons, and welcome them as teachers and guardians, and having joined them with our beloved friends of Paulinus's party, demand nothing more of them than to anathematize the 26.800 Arian heresy, and to confess the faith confessed at Nicaea by the holy Fathers, and also to anathematize those who say that the Holy Spirit is a creature, and separated from the substance of Christ. For this is truly to leap away from the abominable heresy of the Arians, not to

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Tomus ad Antiochenos

Ο ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΙΣ ΤΟΜΟΣ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ.

Τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς καὶ ποθεινοτάτοις συλλειτουργοῖς Εὐσεβίῳ, Λουκίφερι, Ἀστερίῳ, Κυματίῳ καὶ Ἀνατολίῳ, Ἀθανάσιος καὶ οἱ παρατυχόντες ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ ἐπίσκοποι ἀπό τε τῆς Ἰταλίας καὶ Ἀραβίας, Αἰγύπτου καὶ Λιβύης, Εὐσέβιος, Ἀστέριος, Γάϊος, Ἀγαθὸς, Ἀμμώνιος, Ἀγαθοδαίμων, ∆ρακότιος, Ἀδέλφιος, Ἑρμαίων, Μάρκος, Θεόδωρος, Ἀνδρέας, Παφνούτιος, ἄλλος Μάρκος, Ζώϊλος, Μη νᾶς, Γεώργιος, Λούκιος, Μακάριος, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ, ἐν Χριστῷ πλεῖστα χαίρειν. Πεπείσμεθα μὲν, ὅτι, λειτουργοὶ Θεοῦ καὶ οἰκο νόμοι καλοὶ τυγχάνοντες, ἱκανοί ἐστε πρὸς ἅπαντα τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἁρμόζεσθαι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἦλθεν, ὅτι πλεῖστοι πρότερον διὰ φιλονεικίαν διαιρεθέντες ἀφ' ἡμῶν, νῦν εἰρηνεύειν βούλονται, πολλοὶ δὲ, καὶ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς Ἀρειομανίτας σχέσεως ἀποστάντες, ἀντιποιοῦνται τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς κοινω νίας· ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμεθα ταῦθ' ἅπερ ἐγράψαμεν ἡμεῖς τε καὶ οἱ ἀγαπητοὶ ἡμῶν Εὐσέβιός τε καὶ Ἀστέριος, γράψαι τῇ ὑμῶν χρηστότητι, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀγαπητοὶ καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς ποθεινότατοι συλλειτουρ γοὶ, χαίροντες μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ ἀκοῇ, εὐχόμενοι δὲ ἵνα καὶ, εἴ τις ἔτι περιλείπεται μακρὰν ἀφ' ἡμῶν, καὶ εἴ τις ἔτι τοῖς Ἀρειανοῖς συνερχόμενος φαίνεται, 26.797 οὗτος ἀποπηδήσῃ τῆς ἐκείνων μανίας· ὥστε πάντας πανταχοῦ λοιπὸν λέγειν· «Εἷς Κύριος, μία πίστις.» Τί γὰρ οὕτω «καλὸν,» ὡς ὁ Ὑμνῳδὸς εἶπεν, ἢ τί «τερπνὸν» ἀλλ' ἢ «τὸ κατοικεῖν ἀδελφοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό;» Οἶκος δὲ ἡμῶν ἡ Ἐκκλησία· καὶ φρόνημα εἶναι πρέπει τὸ αὐτό· οὕτω γὰρ πιστεύομεν καὶ τὸν Κύριον μεθ' ἡμῶν κατοικήσειν λέγοντα· «Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐ τοῖς καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω,» καὶ, «Ὧδε κατοικήσω, ὅτι ᾑρετισάμην αὐτήν.» Ὧδε δὲ ποῦ, ἢ ἔνθα μία πί στις καὶ εὐσέβεια κηρύσσεται; Ἐβουλόμεθα μὲν οὖν ἀληθῶς καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἅμα τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς ἡμῶν ἀδελφοῖς Εὐσεβίῳ καὶ Ἀστερίῳ διὰ πολλὰ μὲν, μάλιστα δὲ τούτου χάριν ἐλθεῖν, ἵν' ἅμα τὴν ὑμετέραν περι πτυξώμεθα διάθεσιν, καὶ κοινῇ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπολαύ σωμεν εἰρήνης τε καὶ ὁμονοίας· ἐπειδὴ δὲ, καθὼς καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐπιστολαῖς ἐδηλώσαμεν, καὶ δύνασθε μαθεῖν παρὰ τῶν αὐτῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν, αἱ ἐκκλησιαστικαὶ χρεῖαι κατέχουσιν ἡμᾶς· ἐλυ πήθημεν μὲν, ὅμως δὲ ἠξιώσαμεν τοὺς αὐτοὺς συλλει τουργοὺς ἡμῶν Εὐσέβιον καὶ Ἀστέριον ἐλθεῖν ἀνθ' ἡμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς· καὶ χάρις αὐτῶν τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ, ὅτι, καίπερ αὐτοὶ δυνάμενοι σπεύδειν εἰς τὰς παροι κίας ἑαυτῶν, προέκριναν πάντων τὴν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὁδὸν ἕνεκα τῆς κατεπειγούσης ἐκκλησιαστικῆς χρείας. Συνθεμένων οὖν αὐτῶν, παρεμυθησάμεθα ἑαυτοὺς, ὅτι, αὐτῶν τε καὶ ὑμῶν ἐκεῖ τυγχανόντων, πάντες ἑαυτοὺς ἡγούμεθα συνεῖναι ὑμῖν. Πάντας τοίνυν τοὺς βουλομένους εἰρηνεύειν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ συναγομέ νους, καὶ τοὺς ἀποτρέχοντας δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀρεια νῶν προσκαλέσασθε παρ' ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ὡς μὲν πατέ ρες υἱοὺς προσλάβεσθε, ὡς δὲ διδάσκαλοι καὶ κηδε μόνες ἀποδέξασθε, καὶ συνάψαντες αὐτοὺς τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς ἡμῶν τοῖς περὶ Παυλῖνον, μηδὲν πλέον ἀπαιτήσητε παρ' αὐτῶν ἢ ἀναθεματίζειν μὲν τὴν 26.800 Ἀρειανὴν αἵρεσιν, ὁμολογεῖν δὲ τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων ὁμολογηθεῖσαν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν, ἀναθεμα τίζειν δὲ καὶ τοὺς λέγοντας κτίσμα εἶναι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ διῃρημένον ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ἀποπηδᾷν ἀπὸ τῆς μυ σαρᾶς αἱρέσεως τῶν Ἀρειανῶν, τὸ μὴ

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