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that what is spoken by us directly in word, has been spoken in the deed of truth. Since, therefore, in this matter there is so great an absurdity, let them know that I have so judged and am of this purpose: if they should attempt anything of the sort, no longer hereafter according to the laws of the church but according to the public laws, I myself will hear the case in person and will hereafter find them to be not only certain robbers against the human race, but indeed also to appear as such against the divine teaching itself. God keep you, beloved brother.

69.1 And that the wickedness of the slanderers might be shown even more, behold Arsenius also wrote after he was found in hiding. For just as Ischyras wrote confessing the slander, so Arsenius, by writing, exposes their malevolence even more. 69.2 To the blessed Pope Athanasius, Arsenius, bishop [of those formerly under Meletius] of the city of the Hypselites, together with the presbyters and deacons, many greetings in the Lord. ... And we, embracing the peace and unity with the Catholic Church, over which you, by the grace of God, preside, and having chosen to submit to the ecclesiastical canon according to the ancient custom, we write to you, beloved Pope, confessing in the name of the Lord that for the future we will not have communion with the bishops, presbyters, and deacons who are still in schism and not yet at peace with the Catholic Church, nor agree with them if they wish anything in a synod, nor send letters of peace, nor receive them from them, nor again, without the judgment of you the bishop of the metropolis, to issue any decree concerning bishops or concerning any other common ecclesiastical doctrine, but to yield to all the canons previously established, after the likeness of the bishops Ammonianus and Tyrannus and Plousianus 69.3 and the other bishops. In view of these things, therefore, we ask your goodness to write back to us quickly and likewise to our fellow ministers concerning us, that we have now, on the aforementioned terms, made peace with the Catholic Church and have been united with our fellow ministers in the regions; and we believe that your prayers, being well-pleasing, will be effective, so that such peace may be firm and indissoluble until the end, according to the will of the Lord of all, God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 69.4 We and those with us greet the clergy under you. And as soon as God permits, we shall come to your goodness. I, Arsenius, pray that you may be well in the Lord for many years, most blessed Pope.

70.1 A greater and more manifest refutation of the slander against us is the repentance of John, and of this the most God-beloved Emperor Constantine of blessed memory is a witness. For knowing what John had accused him of, and having received letters from him repenting, he wrote these things: 70.2 Constantine Maximus Augustus to John. The letters from your prudence have been very pleasing to me. For I have learned from them what I most desired to learn, that you have put away all small-mindedness, and have entered into communion with the Church, as was fitting, and have come into full concord with the most reverend bishop Athanasius. Know well, therefore, that for these reasons I have greatly praised you, because, having abandoned all contention, you have done what was pleasing to God by taking hold of unity with the Church. In order, therefore, that you may seem to have obtained also what you desire, I thought it necessary to permit you to mount a public vehicle and to hasten to the camp of my Clemency. Let it be your part, then, to delay no longer, but, as this letter grants you authority for a public vehicle, to come to us at once, so that you may both fulfill your own desire and, upon seeing us, enjoy the appropriate gladness. God keep you, beloved brother.

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ἅπερ παρ' ἡμῶν δι' εὐθείας λέγεται λόγῳ, τῇ τῆς ἀληθείας εἰρῆσθαι πράξει. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ πράγματι τηλικοῦτόν ἐστιν ἀτόπημα, γινωσκέτωσαν οὕτω με κεκρικέναι καὶ ταύτης εἶναι τῆς προαιρέσεως· εἴ τι τοιοῦτον κινοῖεν, μηκέτι λοιπὸν κατὰ τοὺς τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀλλὰ κατὰ τοὺς δημοσίους νόμους αὐτόν με δι' ἐμαυτοῦ τῶν πραγ μάτων ἀκροασόμενον καὶ λοιπὸν εὑρήσοντα αὐτοὺς ὅτι μὴ μόνον κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους λῃσταί τινες ὄντες, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ κατ' αὐτῆς τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας φαίνονται. ὁ θεός σε διαφυλάξει, ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ.

69.1 Ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ καὶ πλέον δειχθῆναι τὴν πονηρίαν τῶν συκοφαντῶν, ἰδοὺ καὶ ἔγραψεν Ἀρσένιος μετὰ τὸ εὑρεθῆναι κρυπτόμενον αὐτόν. ὡς γὰρ Ἰσχύρας ἔγραψεν ὁμολογῶν τὴν συκοφαντίαν, οὕτως Ἀρσένιος γράφων ἐλέγχει πλέον ἐκείνων τὴν κακοήθειαν. 69.2 Ἀθανασίῳ μακαρίῳ πάπᾳ Ἀρσένιος ἐπίσκοπος [τῶν ποτε ὑπὸ Μελίτιον] τῆς Ὑψηλιτῶν πόλεως ἅμα πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις ἐν κυρίῳ πλεῖστα χαίρειν. ... Καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀσπαζόμενοι τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ ἕνωσιν πρὸς τὴν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἧς σὺ κατὰ χάριν θεοῦ προίστασαι, προῃρημένοι τε τῷ ἐκκλησιαστικῷ κανόνι κατὰ τὸν παλαιὸν τύπον ὑποτάσσεσθαι, γράφομέν σοι, ἀγαπητὲ πάπα, ὁμολογοῦντες ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ λοιποῦ μὴ κοινωνήσειν τοῖς ἔτι σχίζουσι καὶ μηδέπω εἰρηνεύουσι πρὸς τὴν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπισκόποις τε καὶ πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις μήτε συνθέσθαι αὐτοῖς βουλομένοις τι ἐν συνόδῳ μήτε γράμματα εἰρηνικὰ ἀποστέλλειν μήτε δέξασθαι παρ' αὐτῶν μηδ' αὖ δίχα γνώμης σου τοῦ τῆς μητροπόλεως ἐπισκόπου ὅρον τινὰ ἐκφέρειν περὶ ἐπι σκόπων ἢ περὶ δόγματος ἑτέρου κοινοῦ ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ, ἀλλ' εἴκειν πᾶσι τοῖς προτετυπω μένοις κανόσι καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἐπισκόπων Ἀμμωνιανοῦ καὶ Τυράννου καὶ Πλουσιανοῦ 69.3 καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπισκόπων. πρὸς ταῦτα οὖν ἀξιοῦμεν τὴν σὴν χρηστότητα ἀντι γράψαι μὲν ἡμῖν διὰ τάχους ὡσαύτως τε καὶ τοῖς συλλειτουργοῖς περὶ ἡμῶν ὅτι εἴημεν ἤδη ἐπὶ τοῖς προειρημένοις ὅροις εἰρηνεύσαντες πρὸς τὴν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἑνω θέντες τοῖς συλλειτουργοῖς ἐπὶ τῶν τόπων· πιστεύομεν δέ, ὡς αἱ εὐχαί σου ἐνεργήσουσιν εὐπρόσδεκτοι οὖσαι, ὥστε τὴν τοιαύτην εἰρήνην βεβαίαν καὶ ἀδιάλυτον εἶναι μέχρι τέλους κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ δεσπότου τῶν ἁπάντων θεοῦ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου 69.4 ἡμῶν. τὸ ὑπὸ σὲ ἱερατεῖον ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ σὺν ἡμῖν προσαγορεύομεν. ὅσον δὲ οὐδέπω θεοῦ ἐπιτρέποντος ἀπαντήσομεν πρὸς τὴν σὴν χρηστότητα. Ἀρσένιος ἐρρῶσθαί σε εὔχομαι ἐν κυρίῳ πολλοῖς χρόνοις, μακαριώτατε πάπα.

70.1 Μείζων δὲ καὶ φανερώτερος ἔλεγχος τῆς καθ' ἡμῶν συκοφαντίας ἡ μετάνοια Ἰω άννου, καὶ τούτου μάρτυς ὁ θεοφιλέστατος καὶ μακαρίας μνήμης βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος. εἰδὼς γάρ, ἅπερ Ἰωάννης κατ' αὐτοῦ κατηγόρησε, καὶ δεξάμενος γράμματα μεταγινώ σκοντος αὐτοῦ ἔγραψε ταῦτα· 70.2 Κωνσταντῖνος Μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς Ἰωάννῃ. Πάνυ μοι καταθύμια γέγονε τὰ παρὰ τῆς σῆς φρονήσεως γράμματα. ἔγνων γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἃ μάλιστα γνῶναι ἐπόθουν, πᾶσαν μὲν μικροψυχίαν ἀποτεθεῖσθαί σε, τῇ δὲ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ὡς προσῆκον ἦν, κεκοινωνηκέναι καὶ Ἀθανασίῳ τῷ αἰδεσιμωτάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα εἰς ὁμόνοιαν ἐλθεῖν. εὖ ἴσθι τοίνυν, ὡς ἕνεκά γε τούτων πάνυ σε ἐπαινέσας ἔχω, ὅτι πᾶσαν ἀφεὶς ἁψιμαχίαν, ὃ τῷ θεῷ φίλον ἦν, πεποίηκας τῆς πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἑνώσεως ἀντιλαμβανόμενος. ἵνα τοίνυν καὶ ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖς τετυχηκέναι δοκοίης, ἐπιτρέψαι σοι δεῖν ᾠήθην ὀχήματος ἐπιβῆναι δημοσίου καὶ εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον τῆς ἐμῆς ἡμερότητος σπουδάσαι. σὸν λοιπὸν ἔστω μηδὲν μελλῆσαι, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς σοι ταύτης ὀχήματος δημοσίου ἐξουσίαν χορηγούσης εὐθέως πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφικέσθαι, ἵνα καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμπλήσῃς τὴν σαυτοῦ καὶ θεασάμενος ἡμᾶς τῆς προσηκούσης ἀπολαύσῃς εὐφροσύνης. ὁ θεός σε διαφυλάξει, ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ.