33

address. May divine providence guard you, my lord and beloved brother. 58.6 These then are the things written, and this is the vote and judgment of the bishops on our behalf. But that they did not do these things as a favor, nor under compulsion from anyone, I wish, with your permission, to narrate the matter from the beginning, so that you may know that the bishops wrote such things with right and just intentions, and that Valens and Ursacius, though late, at last confessed the truth.

59.1 Peter became bishop among us before the persecution, and in the persecution he also was martyred. He deposed Meletius, said to be a bishop from Egypt, in a common synod of bishops, after he had been convicted of many illegal acts and of sacrificing. But Meletius did not take refuge in another synod nor did he hasten to defend himself to those after this, but he made a schism, and instead of Christians, those of his party are called Meletians to this day. 59.2 And immediately he began to revile the bishops, and he first slandered Peter himself, and after him Achillas, and after Achillas, Alexander. And he did this craftily, having learned it also from Absalom, so that, since he was ashamed on account of his deposition, 59.3 he might be able by his slanders to deceive the simple in some way. And while Meletius was doing these things, the Arian heresy also arose. But in the synod at Nicaea, the heresy was anathematized and the Arians were expelled, but the Meletians were somehow received; for it is not necessary now to name the reason. For not yet five months had passed, and the blessed Alexander died, and the Meletians, who ought to have kept quiet and been grateful that they were received at all, like dogs not forgetting what they had vomited, were again troubling the churches. 59.4 Eusebius, therefore, learning this and being the head of the Arian heresy, sends and buys the Meletians with many promises. And he became their secret friend, and made an agreement with them for a time he desired. In the beginning, therefore, he sent, urging me to receive Arius and his followers, and he threatened unwrittenly, but in writing he requested it. 59.5 But when I spoke against it, saying that "it was not right to receive those who had invented a heresy against the truth and had been anathematized by the ecumenical synod," he caused the emperor, the blessed Constantine, to write to me, containing a threat that if I did not receive Arius and his followers, I would suffer these things 59.6 which I have suffered before and now. Therefore, this is the part of the letter, and the palace officials Synclitius and Gaudentius were the ones who brought the letters: Part of a letter from the Emperor Constantine ... Having, therefore, the knowledge of my will, provide unhindered entrance to all those who wish to enter the church. For if I learn that you have hindered any of them from belonging to the church or have barred them from entrance, I will immediately send someone who will both depose you by my command and remove you from your place ...

60.1 Therefore, since I was persuading the emperor by writing that "there is no fellowship for the Christ-fighting heresy with the catholic church," then at last Eusebius, bringing forward the time he had agreed upon with the Meletians, writes and persuades them to invent a pretext, so that, just as they had practiced against Peter and Achillas and Alexander, so also they might devise and spread rumors against us. 60.2 Therefore, after searching for many things and not finding anything, they later, with the consent of Eusebius's party, concoct and invent a first accusation through Ision and Eudaemon and Callinicus concerning linen vestments, as if I had imposed a tax on the Egyptians 60.3 and demanded it from them first. But when our presbyters were found there and the emperor was listening, they were condemned. The presbyters, then, were Apis and Macarius, and the emperor wrote, condemning Ision, and commanding me to go to

33

προσηγορία. ἡ θεία πρόνοιά σε διαφυλάττοι, κύριε ἀγαπητὲ ἀδελφέ. 58.6 Τὰ μὲν οὖν γραφέντα ταῦτα, καὶ αὕτη τῶν ἐπισκόπων ἡ ψῆφος καὶ κρίσις ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. ὅτι δὲ οὐ κεχαρισμένα πεποιήκασιν οὐδὲ ἀναγκαζόμενοι παρά τινος, βούλομαι συγ χωρούντων ὑμῶν ἄνωθεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς διηγήσασθαι τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἵνα γνῶτε ὡς οἱ μὲν ἐπίσκοποι ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως βουλόμενοι τοιαῦτα ἔγραψαν, ὁ δὲ Οὐάλης καὶ Οὐρσάκιος κἂν ὀψέ ποτε τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὡμολόγησαν.

59.1 Πέτρος παρ' ἡμῖν πρὸ μὲν τοῦ διωγμοῦ γέγονεν ἐπίσκοπος, ἐν δὲ τῷ διωγμῷ καὶ ἐμαρτύρησεν. οὗτος Μελίτιον ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου λεγόμενον ἐπίσκοπον ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ἐλεγχ θέντα παρανομίαις καὶ θυσίᾳ ἐν κοινῇ συνόδῳ τῶν ἐπισκόπων καθεῖλεν. ἀλλὰ Μελίτιος οὐ πρὸς ἑτέραν σύνοδον κατέφυγεν οὐδὲ ἐσπούδασεν ἀπολογήσασθαι τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα, σχίσμα δὲ πεποίηκε καὶ ἀντὶ Χριστιανῶν Μελιτιανοὶ μέχρι νῦν οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου μερίδος 59.2 ὀνομάζονται. εὐθύς τε τοὺς ἐπισκόπους λοιδορεῖν ἤρξατο καὶ πρῶτον αὐτὸν Πέτρον καὶ τὸν μετ' αὐτὸν Ἀχιλλᾶν διέβαλε καὶ μετὰ Ἀχιλλᾶν Ἀλέξανδρον. τοῦτο δὲ πανούργωςἔπραττε μαθὼν καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλώμ, ἵν', ἐπειδὴ διὰ τὴν καθαίρεσιν ᾐσχύνετο, 59.3 κἂν ταῖς διαβολαῖς ἀπατῆσαί πως τοὺς ἀκεραίους δυνηθῇ. ταῦτα δὲ πράττοντος τοῦ Μελιτίου γέγονε καὶ ἡ ἀρειανὴ αἵρεσις. ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν ἡ μὲν αἵρεσις ἀνεθεματίσθη καὶ οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ ἐξεβλήθησαν, οἱ δὲ Μελιτιανοὶ ὁπωσδήποτε ἐδέχθησαν· οὐ γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον νῦν τὴν αἰτίαν ὀνομάζειν. οὔπω γὰρ πέντε μῆνες παρῆλθον, καὶ ὁ μὲν μακαρίτης Ἀλέξανδρος τετελεύτηκεν, οἱ δὲ Μελιτιανοὶ δέον ἠρεμεῖν καὶ χάριν ἔχειν, ὅτι κἂν ὅλως ἐδέχθησαν, οἱ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς κύνας οὐκ ἐπιλαθόμενοι ὧν ἐξήρασαν πάλιν τὰς ἐκκλη 59.4 σίας ἐτάραττον. Εὐσέβιος τοίνυν τοῦτο μαθὼν καὶ προιστάμενος τῆς ἀρειανῆς αἱρέσεως πέμπει καὶ ὠνεῖται τοὺς Μελιτιανοὺς ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ἐπαγγελίαις. καὶ γίνεται μὲν αὐτῶν κρύφα φίλος, συντάττεται δὲ αὐτοῖς εἰς ὃν ἐβούλετο καιρόν. τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀρχὴν προσέπεμπε προτρέπων δέξασθαί με τοὺς περὶ Ἄρειον, καὶ ἀγράφως μὲν ἠπείλει, γράφων δὲ ἠξίου. 59.5 ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀντέλεγον· «μὴ χρῆναι» φάσκων «δεχθῆναι τοὺς αἵρεσιν ἐφευρόντας κατὰ τῆς ἀλη θείας καὶ ἀναθεματισθέντας παρὰ τῆς οἰκουμενικῆς συνόδου», ποιεῖ καὶ βασιλέα μοι γράψαι τὸν μακαρίτην Κωνσταντῖνον ἀπειλὴν ἔχοντα, εἰ μὴ λάβοιμι τοὺς περὶ Ἄρειον, ταῦτά 59.6 με παθεῖν, ἃ πρότερον καὶ νῦν πέπονθα. τὸ τοίνυν μέρος τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἐστι τοῦτο, καὶ παλατῖνοι Συγκλήτιος καὶ Γαυδέντιος ἦσαν οἱ κομίσαντες τὰ γράμματα· Μέρος ἐπιστολῆς τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου ... Ἔχων τοίνυν τῆς ἐμῆς βουλήσεως τὸ γνώρισμα ἅπασι τοῖς βουλομένοις εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἰσελθεῖν ἀκώλυτον παράσχου τὴν εἴσοδον. ἐὰν γὰρ γνῶ ὡς κεκώλυκάς τινας αὐτῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας μεταποιουμένους ἢ ἀπεῖρξας τῆς εἰσόδου, ἀποστελῶ παρα χρῆμα τὸν καὶ καθαιρήσοντά σε ἐξ ἐμῆς κελεύσεως καὶ τῶν τόπων μεταστήσοντα ...

60.1 Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ βασιλέα γράφων ἔπειθον «μηδεμίαν εἶναι κοινωνίαν τῇ χριστο μάχῳ αἱρέσει πρὸς τὴν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν», τότε λοιπὸν Εὐσέβιος τὸν καιρὸν ὃν συνεφώ νησε μετὰ τῶν Μελιτιανῶν προφέρων γράφει καὶ πείθει τούτους πλάσασθαι πρόφασιν, ἵν', ὥσπερ κατὰ Πέτρου καὶ Ἀχιλλᾶ καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου μεμελετήκασιν, οὕτω καὶ καθ' ἡμῶν 60.2 ἐπινοήσωσι καὶ θρυλήσωσι. πολλὰ μὲν οὖν ζητήσαντες καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες ὕστερον μετὰ γνώμης τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον συντιθέασι καὶ πλάττονται πρώτην κατηγορίαν διὰ Ἰσίωνος καὶ Εὐδαίμονος καὶ Καλλινίκου περὶ στιχαρίων λινῶν, ὡς ἐμοῦ κανόνα τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις 60.3 ἐπιβαλόντος καὶ πρώτους αὐτοὺς ἀπαιτήσαντος. ἀλλὰ πρεσβυτέρων ἡμετέρων εὑρε θέντων ἐκεῖ καὶ βασιλέως ἀκούοντος κατεγνώσθησαν. οἱ μὲν οὖν πρεσβύτεροι ἦσαν Ἄπις καὶ Μακάριος, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς γράφει καταγινώσκων μὲν Ἰσίωνος, κελεύων δὲ ἐμὲ ἀπαντῆσαι πρὸς