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they have done, he said: “It is not the custom for Romans to grant favor to any man, before the accused should have 82.3 his accusers face to face and be given an opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge.” But Eusebius and his party dared to pervert even the law, and have become more unjust than the unjust. For they did not act by themselves from the beginning, but when they were weak in our presence, then at last going out like the Jews they took counsel by themselves, so that they might destroy us, and bring in the heresy, as those men asked for Barabbas. For this reason they themselves confessed to have done all these things by themselves.

83.1 And if these things are sufficient for a complete defense, nevertheless, for the sake of showing still more their wickedness, and the freedom of the truth, it was no trouble to again remind and show how they acted contrary to themselves, and how, taking counsel in darkness, they stumbled against their own people, and wishing to destroy us, wounded themselves like madmen. 83.2 For inquiring concerning the mysteries, they questioned Jews and examined catechumens: “Where were you, when Macarius came and overturned the table?” And they answered that “we happened to be inside.” Therefore there was no offering, if catechumens were inside. Then, having written everywhere that “while the presbyter was standing and celebrating, Macarius entered and overturned everything,” they questioned whomever they wished, where Ischyras was, when Macarius arrived. And they again answered that he was lying sick in his cell. Therefore 83.3 he who was lying down was not standing, nor was he who was sick and lying in his cell making an offering. Besides this, when Ischyras said that books had been burnt by Macarius, the suborned witnesses said that nothing of the kind had happened, but that Ischyras was lying. And the amazing thing, having written again everywhere that those able to testify had been made to disappear by us, they questioned these men when they appeared, and were not ashamed seeing themselves shown to be slanderers from every side, and doing these things by themselves as they wished. For they were nodding to the witnesses, and the prefect was threatening, and the soldiers were prodding, but the Lord was uncovering the truth and showing them to be slanderers. 83.4 For this reason they also hid the records, and they themselves had them, but ordered those who wrote them to make them disappear and to give them out to no one at all. But they were mistaken in this also; for the one who wrote them is Rufus, who is now a speculator in Augustamnica and is able to testify, and Eusebius and his party sent them to Rome through their own people, and Julius the bishop sent them to me. And they are mad now, because what they wanted to hide, we have received and read.

84.1 Having composed these and such things, they immediately also revealed the reason for which they did them. For as they were departing they took the Arians with them to Jerusalem, and there they received them into communion, having written a letter about them, of which this is the beginning and a part. 84.2 The holy synod assembled in Jerusalem by the grace of God, to the church of God in Alexandria and to the bishops, presbyters, and deacons throughout all Egypt and Thebais and Libya and Pentapolis and throughout the world, greeting in the Lord. 84.3 To all of us who have come together for the same purpose from different provinces for the great festival, which we have celebrated at the dedication of the saving testimony built by the zeal of the most God-beloved Emperor Constantine to the God who is king of all and to his Christ, the grace of God has provided greater joy, which the most God-beloved emperor himself has brought about through his own letters, urging, as was fitting, that all envy be banished from the church of God and all malice be driven far away, through which the members of God had long ago been divided, and to receive with an open and peaceful soul Arius and his followers, whom for a time the

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πεποιήκασιν, ἔλεγεν· «οὐκ ἔστιν ἔθος Ῥωμαίοις χαρίζεσθαί τινα ἄνθρωπον, πρὶν ἢ ὁ κατηγορούμενος κατὰ πρόσωπον ἔχοι 82.3 τοὺς κατηγόρους τόπον τε ἀπολογίας λάβοι περὶ τοῦ ἐγκλήματος». ἀλλ' οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον καὶ τὸν νόμον παραποιεῖν ἐτόλμησαν καὶ πλέον τῶν ἀδικούντων ἀδικώτεροι γεγόνασιν. οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς κατὰ μόνας ἔπραξαν, ἀλλ' ὅτε παρόντων ἡμῶν ἠσθένησαν, τότε λοιπὸν ἐξελθόντες ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι συμβούλιον ἔλαβον κατὰ μόνας, ὅπως ἡμᾶς μὲν ἀπολέσωσι, τὴν δὲ αἵρεσιν εἰσαγάγωσιν, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι τὸν Βαραββᾶν ᾐτήσαντο. τούτου χάριν αὐτοὶ ταῦτα πάντα πεποιηκέναι δι' ἑαυτῶν ὡμολόγησαν.

83.1 Καὶ εἰ ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀπολογίαν, ὅμως ὑπὲρ τοῦ καὶ πλέον τούτων μὲν τὴν πονηρίαν δειχθῆναι, τῆς δὲ ἀληθείας τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, οὐδὲν ἐλύπει καὶ πάλιν ὑπομνῆσαι καὶ δεῖξαι ὡς αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοῖς ἐναντία ἔπραξαν καὶ ὡς ἐν σκότῳ βουλευόμενοι τοῖς ἑαυτῶν προσέκοπτον καὶ θέλοντες ἡμᾶς ἀνελεῖν ἑαυτοὺς ἔτρωσαν ὡς μαινόμενοι. 83.2 περὶ μυστηρίων γὰρ ἐρευνῶντες Ἰουδαίους ἀνέκρινον καὶ κατηχουμένους ἐξήταζον· «ποῦ ἦτε, ὅτε Μακάριος ἦλθε καὶ ἀνέτρεψε τὴν τράπεζαν;» κἀκεῖνοι ἀπεκρίναντο ὅτι «ἔνδον ὄντες ἐτυγχάνομεν». οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἦν προσφορά, εἰ κατηχούμενοι ἔνδον ἦσαν. ἔπειτα γράψαντες πανταχοῦ ὡς «ἑστῶτος τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου καὶ ἐπιτελοῦντος εἰσελθὼν Μακάριος ἀνέτρεψε πάντα», ἀνέκρινον οὓς ἠβούλοντο, ποῦ ἦν Ἰσχύρας, ὅτε Μακάριος ἐπέστη. κἀκεῖνοι πάλιν ἀπεκρίναντο ὅτι ἐν κελλίῳ νοσῶν κατακείμενος ἦν. οὐκοῦν 83.3 οὐχ εἱστήκει ὁ κατακείμενος οὐδὲ προσέφερεν ὁ ἐν κελλίῳ νοσῶν καὶ κατακείμενος. πρὸς τούτοις λέγοντος τοῦ Ἰσχύρα κεκαῦσθαι βιβλία παρὰ Μακαρίου οἱ ὑποβληθέντες μάρτυρες ἔλεγον μηδέν τι τοιοῦτον γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ ψεύδεσθαι τὸν Ἰσχύραν. καὶ τὸ θαυμαστόν, γράψαντες πάλιν πανταχοῦ ἠφανίσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν τοὺς δυναμένους μαρτυρεῖν, τούτους φαινομένους ἀνέκρινον καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχύνοντο βλέποντες ἑαυτοὺς συκοφάντας πανταχόθεν δεικνυμένους καὶ ταῦτα κατὰ μόνας πράττοντας ὡς ἠβούλοντο. ἔνευον μὲν γὰρ τοῖς μάρ τυσι, καὶ ὁ ἔπαρχος ἠπείλει, καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται ἔνυττον, ὁ δὲ κύριος τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐξε 83.4 κάλυπτε καὶ συκοφάντας αὐτοὺς ἐδείκνυε. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ ὑπομνήματα ἔκρυψαν, καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἔσχον αὐτά, παρήγγειλαν δὲ τοῖς γράψασιν ἀφανίσαι καὶ μηδενὶ τὸ σύν ολον ἐκδοῦναι. ἀλλ' ἐσφάλησαν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ· ὁ μὲν γὰρ γράψας αὐτὰ Ῥοῦφός ἐστιν ὁ νῦν ἐν τῇ Αὐγουσταμνικῇ σπεκουλάτωρ καὶ δύναται μαρτυρῆσαι, οἱ δὲ περὶ Εὐσέβιον εἰς Ῥώμην αὐτὰ διὰ τῶν ἰδίων ἀπέστειλαν, καὶ Ἰούλιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος αὐτά μοι διεπέμψατο. καὶ μαίνονται νῦν, ὅτι ἃ ἐκεῖνοι ἀποκρύπτειν ἐβούλοντο, ἡμεῖς ἔσχομεν καὶ ἀνέγνωμεν.

84.1 Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα συνθέντες εὐθὺς καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν ταῦτα ἔπραξαν, ἐφανέρωσαν. ἀπερχόμενοι γὰρ ἀπήγαγον μεθ' ἑαυτῶν τοὺς Ἀρειανοὺς εἰς τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, κἀκεῖ τούτους εἰς κοινωνίαν ἐδέξαντο γράψαντες ἐπιστολὴν περὶ αὐτῶν, ἧς ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ μέρος ἐστὶ τοῦτο. 84.2 Ἡ ἁγία σύνοδος ἡ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις θεοῦ χάριτι συναχθεῖσα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ τοῖς κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ Θηβαίδα καὶ Λιβύην καὶ Πεντάπολιν καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπισκόποις καὶ πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. 84.3 Πᾶσι μὲν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνελθοῦσιν ἐξ ἐπαρχιῶν διαφόρων πρὸς τῇ μεγάλῃ πανηγύρει, ἣν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀφιερώσει τοῦ σωτηρίου μαρτυρίου σπουδῇ τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου τῷ πάντων βασιλεῖ θεῷ καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ αὐτοῦ κατασκευασθέντος ἐπετελέσαμεν, πλείονα θυμηδίαν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ χάρις πάρεσχεν, ἣν ἐποίησεν αὐτός τε ὁ θεοφιλέστατος βασιλεὺς διὰ γραμμάτων οἰκείων τοῦθ', ὅπερ ἐχρῆν, παρορμήσας πάντα μὲν ἐξορίσαι τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ φθόνον καὶ πᾶσαν μακρὰν ἀπελάσαι βασκανίαν, δι' ἧς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ μέλη πάλαι πρότερον διειστήκει, ἡπλωμένῃ δὲ καὶ εἰρηναίᾳ ψυχῇ δέξασθαι τοὺς περὶ Ἄρειον, οὓς πρός τινα καιρὸν ὁ