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Contra Marcellum

OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILI AGAINST MARCELLUS BISHOP OF ANCYRA

Book I

a. From what motive Marcellus wrote this treatise. b. That he did not accurately examine the divine Scriptures. c. Of Marcellus concerning the proverbs among the Greeks. d. That he slandered both the ecclesiastical teaching and its leaders. 1.1.1 The hypothesis for his writing was hatred of the brethren, and the cause of this was zeal and envy, which indeed have cast countless others down to the extremities of evil; for zeal and envy from the beginning wrought fratricide. Impelled from this source, the man, having written this one and only treatise which he never should have, immediately from the start set out to make war on the holy ministers of God, refraining from speaking and writing against the great and numerous throng of heretics ravaging his own country, which indeed he especially ought to have done if he had any power of saving doctrine, driving out like a good shepherd, as it were, certain wolves and beasts, the enemies of the church of God, from the 1.1.2 nation of the Galatians. But he, overlooking his own country as if it were a land full of venomous creeping things, boiled up rashly and in vain and let loose his anger on the ministers of God. And these were not ordinary men, but those who are distinguished among all by the grace of God in both life and philosophical conduct; and not only against the living, but also against those who have fallen asleep in Christ; and of these, against those whose fame for virtue of piety and practice of the divine words is sung, so to speak, throughout the whole world. And he mentioned them with ill-will not once, but many times and in various ways, having unsparingly made slanders 1.1.3 and calumnies against them. And he has already even used curses against them, like women in a fight, reviling and cursing those who had wronged him in no way. Wherefore also his writing has fallen into a long and immoderate length beyond what is necessary, so that the one discourse has been completed in nearly ten thousand 1.1.4 lines. Naturally, therefore, having sharpened an evil-speaking tongue against the holy ministers of God and having practiced irreverence and fearlessness in these matters, he then proceeded to advance to the very summit of everything, subjecting the only-begotten and beloved Son of God to such godless blasphemies, which it is better to hear a little later from his own mouth, and not from mine. 1.1.5 But having used the citation of his words, I will for the present stop at this point, not bringing forth long arguments for their opposition and refutation, since neither are the men who were blasphemed by him unknown and obscure, but are recognized by 1.1.6 all even if one is silent, nor is the blasphemy against the Christ of God something disputed or unknown, so as to require much effort of a more logical kind for its refutation; thus to all who have partaken of ecclesiastical grace, small and great alike, the empty talk of this strange theologian has become manifest just by being uttered. Wherefore I shall use only brief annotations, giving body to the argument with connection and order, indicating 1.1.7 only the irrationality of the things alleged. But before proceeding to his words, I would necessarily advise those who encounter this man's treatise, especially if they should be any of the Galatians, not to be unmindful of

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Contra Marcellum

ΕΥΣΕΒΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΜΦΙΛΟΥ ΤΩΝ ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΡΚΕΛΛΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΚΥΡΑΣ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ

Λόγος Αʹ

αʹ πόθεν ὁρμώμενος ὁ Μάρκελλος τουτὶ τὸ σύγγραμμα ἔγραψεν. βʹ ὅτι οὐδὲ τὰς θείας ἐξηκρίβου γραφάς. γʹ Μαρκέλλου περὶ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησιν παροιμιῶν. δʹ ὅτι τήν τε ἐκκλησιαστικὴν διδασκαλίαν καὶ τοὺς προεστῶτας αὐτῆς διέβαλλεν. 1.1.1 Ἡ ὑπόθεσις αὐτῷ τῆς γραφῆς μισαδελφία κατέστη, τὸ δὲ ταύτης αἴτιον ζῆλος καὶ φθόνος, ἃ δὴ καὶ ἄλλους μυρίους εἰς κακῶν ἔσχατα κατεκρήμνισεν· ζῆλος γοῦν καὶ φθόνος ἀρχῆθεν ἀδελφοκτονίαν εἰργάσαντο. ἔνθεν ὁρμηθεὶς ὁ ἀνήρ, ἓν τουτὶ γράψας καὶ μόνον ὡς μήποτ' ὤφελεν σύγγραμμα, εὐθὺς ἀρχόμενος ἀφ' ἑστίας τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῦ θεοῦ λειτουργοῖς πολεμεῖν προὔθετο, ἀφέμενος τοῦ λέγειν τε καὶ γράφειν πρὸς τὸ μέγα καὶ πολὺ στῖφος τῶν τὴν αὐτοῦ χώραν λυμαινομένων αἱρεσιωτῶν, ὃ δὴ καὶ μάλιστα πράττειν ἐχρῆν εἴπερ τις αὐτῷ παρῆν σωτηρίου λόγου δύναμις ποιμένος ἀγαθοῦ δίκην ὥσπερ τινὰς λύκους καὶ θῆρας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ 1.1.2 Γαλατῶν ἔθνους ἀπελαύνοντα. ὁ δ' ὥσπερ τινὰ χέρσον ἑρπυστικῶν ἰοβόλων ἔμπλεω παριδὼν τὴν αὐτοῦ χώραν, τοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ λειτουργοῖς, εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην ἀναζέσας, ἐπαφῆκε τὸν θυμόν. καὶ τούτοις οὐ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς καὶ πάνυ θεοῦ χάριτι βίῳ τε καὶ φιλοσόφῳ πολιτείᾳ παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐμπρέπουσιν· καὶ οὐ τοῖς ζῶσιν μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ κεκοιμημένοις· καὶ τούτων ἐκείνοις, ὧν μάλιστα δι' ἀρετὴν θεοσεβείας λόγων τε θείων ἀσκήσεως ἡ φήμη καθ' ὅλης ὡς εἰπεῖν ᾄδεται τῆς οἰκουμένης. τούτων δὲ αὐτῶν οὐχ ἅπαξ ἐμνήσθη κακῶς, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ διαφόρως, τὰς κατ' αὐτῶν διαβολάς 1.1.3 τε καὶ συκοφαντίας ἀφειδῶς πεποιημένος. ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἀραῖς κέχρηται κατ' αὐτῶν, οἷα γυναικῶν ἐν μάχῃ, λοιδορούμενος καὶ ἐπαρώμενος τοῖς μηδὲν αὐτὸν ἠδικηκόσιν. διὸ καὶ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος εἰς μακρὸν αὐτῷ καὶ ἄμετρον μῆκος ἐξέπεσεν ἡ γραφή, ὡς ὅλον ἐπῶν 1.1.4 ἐγγύς που μυρίων τὸν ἕνα λόγον ἀπαρτισθῆναι. εἰκότως οὖν κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων τοῦ θεοῦ λειτουργῶν κακήγορον γλῶτταν ὀξύνας καὶ τὸ ἀνευλαβὲς καὶ ἄφοβον προγυμνάσας ἐν τούτοις, προϊὼν ἑξῆς προὔκοψεν ἐπ' αὐτὸ τὸ κορυφαιότατον τοῦ παντός, τὸν μονογενῆ καὶ ἀγαπητὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τοιαύταις ἀθέοις ὑποβαλὼν βλασφημίαις, οἵας μικρὸν ὕστερον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐμοῦ, βέλτιον ἀκούειν. 1.1.5 τῇ δέ γε παραθέσει τῶν αὐτοῦ ῥημάτων χρησάμενος μέχρι τούτου στήσομαι τέως πρὸς ἐναντίωσιν καὶ ἀνατροπὴν αὐτῶν οὐ μακροὺς ἐπάγων λόγους, τῷ μήτε τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ βλασφημηθέντας ἀγνῶτάς τινας εἶναι καὶ ἀφανεῖς, γνωρίζεσθαι δὲ παρὰ τοῖς 1.1.6 πᾶσιν καὶ σιωπῶντος, μήτε τὴν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ βλασφημίαν ἀμφήριστόν τινα καὶ ἀγνοουμένην ὑπάρχειν, ὡς πολλῆς τινος καὶ λογικωτέρας πρὸς ἔλεγχον δεηθῆναι σπουδῆς· οὕτως πᾶσιν τοῖς τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς χάριτος μετειληχόσιν, μικροῖς ὁμοῦ καὶ μεγάλοις, καὶ αὐτὸ μόνον λεχθεῖσα πρόδηλος καθέστηκεν ἡ τοῦ ξένου τούτου καὶ θεολόγου κενοφωνία. διὸ βραχέσιν αὐτὸ μόνον παρασημειώσεσιν χρήσομαι, εἱρμῷ καὶ τάξει σωματοποιῶν τὸν λόγον, ὑποσημαινόμενός 1.1.7 τε αὐτὸ μόνον τὸ παράλογον τῶν ἐμφερομένων. πρὶν δ' ἐπὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ χωρῆσαι φωνὰς ἀναγκαίως τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι τῷ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς συγγράμματι συμβουλεύσαιμ' ἄν, εἰ δὴ μάλιστα Γαλατῶν εἶέν τινες, μὴ ἀμνημονεῖν