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having spoken against those who hold the opinions of Arius at the council of Nicaea, but Athanasius was testified not to have been condemned even at Tyre, and not to have been present in the Mareotis, where the records against him are said to have been made. But you know, 23.4 beloved, that ex parte proceedings have no force, but are suspect. And yet, this being the case, we, for the sake of accuracy, making no prejudgment either against you or against those who wrote on their behalf, urged those who wrote to come, so that, since there are many who wrote on their behalf, everything might be examined at a synod, so that neither the innocent might be condemned nor the guilty be accounted as pure. Therefore it is not by us that “a synod is dishonored,” but by those who simply and at random received the Arians who were condemned by all, and against the judgment of those who condemned them. For the majority have already departed to be with Christ, and others are still even now being tested in this life, being indignant that some have annulled their judgment.

24.1 We learned this also from the things that happened in Alexandria (for a certain Carpones, who was expelled by Alexander on account of the Arian heresy, along with some others who were also expelled for the same heresy, have come here, having been sent by a certain Gregory), but we also learned it from Macarius the presbyter and Martyrius and Hesychius the deacons. For before the presbyters of Athanasius arrived, they urged us to write in Alexandria to a certain Pistus, at the time when Athanasius the bishop was also in Alex24.2 andria. But this Pistus, the presbyters of Bishop Athanasius, when they arrived, proved to be an Arian, expelled by Bishop Alexander and the council of Nicaea, but appointed by a certain Secundus, whom the great synod expelled for being an Arian. And even Martyrius and his companions did not contradict this, nor did they deny that Pistus had received his appointment from Secundus. Consider therefore from these things, who would rightly fall under censure: we who were not persuaded to write to Pistus the Arian, or those who advise “to dishonor” the great synod and to write to the impious as if they were 24.3 pious? For indeed Macarius the presbyter, who was sent by Eusebius with Martyrius and his companions, when he heard that the presbyters of Athanasius had arrived, while we were awaiting his presence with Martyrius and Hesychius, departed by night, although he was sick in body, so that from this we accordingly conjec24.4 ture that he withdrew because he was ashamed of the refutation concerning Pistus. For it is impossible for the appointment of Secundus the Arian to have force in the catholic church. For this is truly a “dishonor” against the synod and the bishops who gathered in it, if the things done with such great zeal and reverence as in the presence of God are annulled for nothing.

25.1 If therefore, as you write, “it is necessary for the decrees of synods to be valid, from the example of the cases against Novatus and Paul of Samosata,” it was all the more necessary that the vote of the three hundred not be annulled, it was necessary that the catholic synod not be dishonored by the few. For the Arians are heretics just like them, and the votes against these are similar to those against them. But when these things were dared, who are the ones who “kindled the flame of discord”? For you wrote and censured us for having done this. Are we, then, the ones who have worked discord, we who suffer with our suffering brothers and have done everything according to the canon? Or those who contentiously and contrary to the canon annulled the vote of the three hundred and in every way “dishonored the synod”? 25.2 For not only were the Arians received, but bishops have also made a practice of passing from place to place. If therefore you truly “consider the honor of bishops to be equal and the same, and do not judge bishops by the size of their cities,” as you write, it was necessary for the one entrusted with a small one to remain in the one with which he was entrusted and not to despise the

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Νίκαιαν συνόδῳ τοῖς τὰ Ἀρείου φρονοῦσιν ἀντειρηκώς, Ἀθανάσιος δὲ ἐμαρτυρήθη μηδὲ ἐν Τύρῳ καταγνωσθείς, ἐν δὲ τῷ Μαρεώτῃ μὴ παρεῖναι, ἔνθα τὰ ὑπομνήματα κατ' αὐτοῦ γεγενῆσθαι λέγεται. οἴδατε 23.4 δέ, ἀγαπητοί, ὅτι τὰ κατὰ μονομέρειαν ἰσχὺν οὐκ ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὕποπτα τυγχάνει. καὶ ὅμως τούτων ὄντων ἡμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἀκριβείας οὔτε ὑμῖν οὔτε τοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν γράψασι πρό κριμα ποιοῦντες προετρεψάμεθα τοὺς γράψαντας ἐλθεῖν, ἵν' ἐπειδὴ πλείους εἰσὶν οἱ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν γράψαντες, ἐπὶ συνόδου πάντα ἐξετασθῇ πρὸς τὸ μηδὲ τὸν ἀναίτιον κατα κριθῆναι μήτε τὸν ὑπεύθυνον ὡς καθαρὸν λογισθῆναι. οὐκοῦν οὐ παρ' ἡμῶν «ἀτιμάζεται σύνοδος», ἀλλὰ παρ' ἐκείνων τῶν ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε τοὺς παρὰ πάντων κατακριθέντας Ἀρειανοὺς καὶ παρὰ γνώμην τῶν κρινάντων δεξαμένων. οἱ γὰρ πλείονες ἤδη ἀναλύσαντές εἰσι σὺν Χριστῷ, οἱ δὲ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ ἐξετάζονται ἀγανακτοῦντες ὅτι τὴν αὐτῶν κρίσιν ἔλυσάν τινες.

24.1 Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενομένων μὲν ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ ἔγνωμεν (καὶ γὰρ καὶ Καρπώνης τις ἐκβληθεὶς ὑπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου διὰ τὴν Ἀρείου αἵρεσιν μετά τινων καὶ αὐτῶνἐκβληθέντων διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἵρεσιν ἐληλύθασιν ἐνταῦθα ἀποσταλέντες παρὰ Γρηγορίου τινός), ὅμως δὲ ἐμάθομεν καὶ παρὰ Μακαρίου τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου καὶ Μαρτυρίου καὶ Ἡσυχίου τῶν διακόνων. πρὸ τοῦ γὰρ ἀπαντῆσαι τοὺς Ἀθανασίου πρεσβυτέρους προετρέποντο ἡμᾶς γράφειν ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ Πιστῷ τινι, ἡνίκα καὶ Ἀθανάσιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐν Ἀλεξ24.2 ανδρείᾳ ἦν. τοῦτον δὲ τὸν Πιστὸν οἱ Ἀθανασίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου πρεσβύτεροι παρα γενόμενοι ἀπέδειξαν εἶναι Ἀρειανὸν ἐκβληθέντα μὲν ὑπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου καὶ τῆς κατὰ Νίκαιαν συνόδου, κατασταθέντα δὲ ὑπὸ Σεκούνδου τινός, ὃν ἡ μεγάλη σύνοδος Ἀρειανὸν ὄντα ἐξέβαλε. τοῦτο δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ οἱ περὶ Μαρτύριον ἀντέλεγον οὐδὲ ἠρνοῦντο τὸν Πιστὸν ὑπὸ Σεκούνδου ἐσχηκέναι τὴν κατάστασιν. σκοπεῖτε τοίνυν καὶ ἐκ τούτων, τίνες ἂν ὑπὸ μέμψιν δικαίως γένοιντο, οἱ μὴ πεισθέντες ἡμεῖς, ὥστε Πιστῷ τῷ Ἀρειανῷ γράψαι, ἢ οἱ συμβουλεύοντες «ἀτιμάσαι» τὴν μεγάλην σύνοδον καὶ τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ὡς 24.3 εὐσεβέσι γράψαι; καὶ γὰρ καὶ Μακάριος ὁ πρεσβύτερος ὁ παρὰ Εὐσεβίου μετὰ τῶν περὶ Μαρτύριον ἀποσταλεὶς ὡς ἤκουσεν ἐπιστάντας τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους Ἀθανασίου, ἐκδεχομένων ἡμῶν τὴν παρουσίαν αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν περὶ Μαρτύριον καὶ Ἡσύχιον, ἀπε δήμησε νυκτὸς καίτοι νοσῶν τῷ σώματι, ὡς ἐκ τούτου λοιπὸν ἡμᾶς ἀκολούθως στοχά 24.4 ζεσθαι ὅτι αἰσχυνόμενος τὸν κατὰ Πιστοῦ ἔλεγχον ἀνεχώρησεν. ἀδύνατον γὰρ τὴν κατάστασιν Σεκούνδου τοῦ Ἀρειανοῦ ἐν τῇ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἰσχύσαι. «ἀτιμία» γὰρ ἀληθῶς αὕτη κατὰ τῆς συνόδου καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ συνελθόντων ἐπισκόπων, ἐὰν τὰ μετὰ τοσαύτης σπουδῆς καὶ εὐλαβείας ὡς θεοῦ παρόντος γενόμενα ἀντὶ μηδενὸς λυθῇ.

25.1 Εἴπερ οὖν, ὡς γράφετε, «ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Νοβάτον καὶ τὸν Σαμοσατέα Παῦλον παρα δείγματος τὰ τῶν συνόδων ἰσχύειν δόγματα χρή», ἔδει μᾶλλον μὴ λυθῆναι τῶν τρια κοσίων τὴν ψῆφον, ἔδει τὴν καθολικὴν σύνοδον ὑπὸ τῶν ὀλίγων μὴ ἀτιμασθῆναι. αἱρετι κοὶ γὰρ οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ ὥσπερ κἀκεῖνοι καὶ ὅμοιαι αἱ κατὰ τούτων ψῆφοι ταῖς κατ' ἐκείνων. τούτων δὲ τολμηθέντων τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ «φλόγα διχονοίας ἀνάψαντες»; ἡμᾶς γὰρ τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι γράψαντες ἐμέμψασθε. ἆρ' οὖν ἡμεῖς διχονοίας εἰργασάμεθα οἱ συναλγοῦντες τοῖς πάσχουσιν ἀδελφοῖς καὶ κατὰ κανόνα πάντα πεποιηκότες; ἢ οἱ φιλονείκως καὶ παρὰ κανόνα τῶν τριακοσίων τὴν ψῆφον λύσαντες καὶ κατὰ πάντα «τὴν σύνοδον ἀτιμά 25.2 σαντες»; οὐ γὰρ μόνον οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ ἐδέχθησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τόπου εἰς τόπον μεμελε τήκασιν ἐπίσκοποι διαβαίνειν. εἰ οὖν ἀληθῶς «ἴσην καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡγεῖσθε τιμὴν τῶν ἐπι σκόπων καὶ μὴ ἐκ τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν πόλεων», ὡς γράφετε, «κρίνετε τοὺς ἐπισκόπους», ἔδει τὸν πεπιστευμένον μικρὰν μένειν ἐν τῇ πιστευθείσῃ καὶ μὴ ἐξουθενεῖν μὲν τὸ