Defence Against the Arians 1 part 5/7

Observing, then, both things together — our judgment together with that of the Better One, and the argument on behalf of your concord, and the punishment against the disorderly — be eager, preserving what is fitting and befitting the ordinance of the sacred religion, to hold the aforesaid man in all reverence and honor, and to offer up prayers together with him, both for yourselves and for the good order of all of life, to God the Father of all.

Having written these things, he further commanded that the things formerly written against me by him, through the slander of those around Eusebius, should be destroyed and removed from the records both of the dux and of the prefect of Egypt; and Eusebius the decurion was sent and took them from the records.

And what was written is this:

Constantius Augustus the Victor, to Nestorius.

In the same form of rescript, also to the governors in Augustamnica, the Thebaid, and the Libyas.

If anything is found to have been ordered before this to the injury and insult of those who are in communion with Athanasius the bishop, we wish this now to be annulled.

For indeed, as to the exemption from public burdens which his clergy formerly enjoyed, we wish the same men again to have the same exemption.

And we wish this our command to be observed: that, Athanasius the bishop having been restored to the church, those who are in communion with him should have the exemption which they always had, which the rest of the clergy also have, so that thus possessing it they too may rejoice.

Having thus been sent forward on my way, and passing through Syria, I met with the bishops throughout Palestine.

And having held a synod at Jerusalem, they genuinely received us, and themselves sent us forward in peace, and wrote the following to the church and the bishops:

The holy synod assembled at Jerusalem, to our fellow ministers in Egypt and the Libyas, and to the presbyters, deacons, and people at Alexandria, beloved and most longed-for brethren: greeting in the Lord.

We are not able worthily to give thanks to the God of all, beloved, for the wonders he has ever wrought, and which he has now again wrought with your church, in restoring to you your shepherd and lord and our fellow minister Athanasius.

For you were like sheep cast down and harassed, having no shepherd;

for this reason the true shepherd visited you from heaven, he who cares for his own sheep, restoring to you him whom you desire.

For behold, we too, doing everything for the sake of the peace of the church and being of one mind with your love, went before and embraced him; and having through him entered into communion with you, we send you these greetings and our thanksgiving prayers, that you may know that we too are united with him and with you by the bond of love.

You ought also to pray for the piety of the most God-beloved emperors, who, themselves knowing your longing for him and his purity, saw fit to restore him to you with all honor.

Receiving him, then, with open hands, be diligent to send up to God, who has granted you these things, the thanksgiving prayers that are owed for this, that you may forever rejoice with God and glorify our Lord in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom be glory to the Father unto the ages.

As for the names of those who subscribed, although I had already made them known, yet I have written them again now:

They are: Maximus, Aetius, Arius, Theodore, Germanus, Silvanus, Paul, Patricius, Elpidius, Germanus, Eusebius, Zenobius, Paul, Macrinus, Peter, Claudius.

Seeing these things, Ursacius and Valens at last condemned themselves; and going up to Rome, they made confession, and, themselves repenting, asked pardon, and wrote the following to Julius, bishop of elder Rome, and to us:

The copies, however, were sent to me by Paulinus, bishop of Trier.

Translation from the Latin of the letter to Julius concerning the repentance of Ursacius and Valens. To the lord, most blessed pope Julius: Ursacius and Valens.

Since it has been established that we previously submitted many grave charges concerning Athanasius the bishop by letters, and having been confuted by the letters of your Goodness concerning the matter about which we had made report, we were unable to render an account, we confess before your Goodness, in the presence of all our brethren the presbyters, that everything that had previously come to our ears concerning the name of the aforesaid Athanasius is false and fabricated, and is in every way foreign to him.

For this reason we gladly seek again the communion of the aforesaid Athanasius, especially because your Piety, according to its innate goodness, has seen fit to grant pardon to our error.

We also confess this: that if ever the Easterns should wish, or Athanasius himself should maliciously wish, to summon us to trial concerning this matter, we will not proceed apart from the judgment of your disposition.

And as for the heretic Arius and those who defend him, who say

'There was a time when the Son was not,' and that the Son is from that which is not, and who deny that Christ is God, the Son of God before the ages — as we also stated in our former petition which we submitted at Milan — both now and always we anathematize them.

And having written these things with our own hand, we again confess that we have condemned the Arian heresy, as we said before, and its authors, for ever.

I, Ursacius, being present, have subscribed this my confession.

To our lord brother Athanasius, bishop: Ursacius and Valens, bishops.

Having found occasion through our brother and fellow-presbyter Musaeus, who is coming to your Charity, beloved brother, we greet you most heartily through him from Aquileia, and we pray that you may read our letter in good health.

For you will also give us confidence, if you too, in writing, return to us the recompense.

May divine providence keep you safe, lord and beloved brother.

These, then, are the things that were written; and this is the vote and judgment of the bishops on our behalf.

But that they did not do this out of favor, nor under compulsion from anyone, I wish, with your leave, to relate the matter from the very beginning, so that you may know that the bishops, wishing rightly and justly, wrote such things, and that Valens and Ursacius, even though late, at last confessed the truth.

Peter, among us, became bishop before the persecution, and in the persecution he also was martyred.

He, having convicted Meletius, who was said to be a bishop from Egypt, of many transgressions and of sacrificing to idols, deposed him in a common synod of the bishops.

But Meletius did not take refuge with another synod, nor did he take pains to defend himself afterward; instead he made a schism, and, instead of Christians, those of his party are called Melitians even until now.

And he immediately began to revile the bishops, and first slandered Peter himself, and after him Achillas, and after Achillas, Alexander.

This he did craftily, having also learned it from Absalom, so that, since he was ashamed on account of his deposition, he might somehow, by his slanders, be able to deceive the guileless.

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 cast out, while the Melitians were in some fashion received.

For it is not necessary now to name the reason.

For not yet five months had passed, and the blessed Alexander died; and though the Melitians ought to have kept quiet and been grateful that they had been received at all, instead, like dogs not forgetting what they had vomited, they again threw the churches into turmoil.

Eusebius, then, learning of this, and being at the head of the Arian heresy, sent and bought over the Melitians with many promises.

And he secretly became their friend, and allied himself with them for whatever occasion he wished.

At first, then, he kept sending to me, urging me to receive Arius and his party; and unwritten he made threats, while in writing he made requests.

But I, saying that it was not right to receive those who had devised a heresy against the truth and had been anathematized by the ecumenical synod, he caused the blessed emperor Constantine to write to me as well, containing a threat: that if I did not receive Arius and his party, I should suffer these things which I both suffered before and am suffering now.

This, then, is the portion of the letter; and the palace officials Syncletius and Gaudentius were the ones who brought the letter.

Portion of a letter of the emperor Constantine.

Having, then, this token of my will, grant unhindered entrance to all who wish to enter the church.

For if I learn that you have hindered any of them who seek to claim the church, or have barred them from entrance, I will immediately send one who, by my command, will both depose you and remove you from your place.

Since, then, I too, by writing to the emperor, kept persuading him that there could be no communion between the catholic church and the Christ-warring heresy, then Eusebius, at last seizing the occasion on which he had come to agreement with the Melitians, wrote and persuaded them to fabricate a pretext, so that, just as they had contrived against Peter, Achillas, and Alexander, so also they might devise and noise abroad charges against us.

After searching for many things, then, and finding nothing, they afterward, with the counsel of Eusebius' party, concocted and fabricated their first accusation, through Ision, Eudaemon, and Callinicus, concerning linen tunics, alleging that I had imposed a levy upon the Egyptians and had demanded it from them first.

But when our presbyters were found to be present there, and the emperor gave hearing, they were condemned.

And these are the things that were written:

But Eusebius, learning of this, persuaded them to wait.

And when I arrived, they again brought accusations — concerning Macarius, over a cup, and against me, not some ordinary slander, but the gravest of all: that, having turned against the emperor, I had sent a coffer of gold to a certain Philumenus.

The emperor, then, heard us also concerning this matter at Psamathia, and they, being condemned as usual, were cast out.

And as we were returning, he wrote the following to the people:

Constantine, Greatest Augustus, to the people of the catholic church at Alexandria.

Beloved brethren, I greet you, calling to witness God, the greatest witness of my will, and the only-begotten framer of our law, who both presides over the life of all and hates discord.

Yet what should I say — that we are in good health? But it would have been possible to enjoy a still finer vigor, if you yourselves had loved one another in return, having shaken off the hatreds through which, amid the surging billows of the contentious, we have forsaken the harbor of love.

How many mishaps of confounded envy arise every day!

Thus have the evil rumors migrated to the people of God.

Where, then, has the trust of justice withdrawn to? — seeing that we are wrapped in so great a mist of darkness, not only through manifold error, but also through the failings of the ungrateful.

We bear with those who award the prize to folly, and, perceiving those who thrust aside fairness and truth, we are grieved in heart.

What is this terrible thing, our wickedness? We do not refute our enemies, but follow after the band of robbers, through whom, so to speak, the deceit of destruction has easily made a way for itself, with none opposing.

Is there then no perception at all, not even by grace of our common nature, seeing that we have neglected the ordinances of the law? But someone will say:

'Love is found according to nature.'

Why then, though we possess the law of God in addition to natural disposition, do we tolerate the harassment and tumult of enemies who are, it seems, kindled by certain firebrands? And though we have eyes, we do not see, nor do we perceive, even though we are fortified by the perceptions of the law?

How great, then, is the consternation that has seized our life, seeing that we so neglect ourselves, and this while God reminds us of these things! Is not this evil, then, unbearable? Is it not fitting to regard these men as enemies — enemies of the house and people of God? Those utterly accursed men insult us with drunken outrage, bring accusations against us, and will rebuke us out of their own contrary conduct toward us.

With how much senselessness they do this, I ask you yourselves to consider.

For fools carry their malice on the very tip of their tongue.

These men, then, bring against us certain leaden darts of wrath, so that in requital they wound themselves, while they lead us on toward the gain that comes of their own chastisement.

And he who has taught rightly is judged an enemy, while that man who has put envy's malice in the forefront wrongly seizes upon the gentleness of the people, ravages it, and consumes it; he adorns and composes himself with a self-serving eulogy, but overturns the truth and deceives the faith, until, seeking a den and a hiding-place for his own conscience, he finds one.

This perversity, then, makes them wretched, whenever they rashly lay claim to themselves as worthy, though they are unworthy, saying:

"That man is a presbyter, and that one a mere youth; the honor belongs to me, it is owed to me — let it be taken away from him, since, having seized everything for myself, I shall try by my own authority to destroy them all."

Brilliant indeed is this outcry of madness — to behold companies and assemblies, or, so to speak, an election of officers belonging to these absurd factions!

O the absurdity of us — if I may so put it — this is, upon the Church of God, a display of folly!

It is [the cry] of envy, propped up by its own poisons.

The wicked have accomplished nothing against your bishop; believe me, brothers.

They have been eager for nothing else than this: that, having worn away our time, they might leave themselves no room for repentance in this life.

Help yourselves, then, I beseech you; love that affection of ours, and with all your strength drive out those who desire to make the grace of our concord vanish; and looking to God, love one another.

For I gladly received your bishop Athanasius, and I addressed him as I did, being persuaded that he is a man of God.

It is for you to understand these things, not for me to judge.

For I judged it necessary that Athanasius himself, the most reverend, should convey my greeting to you, bearing in mind the diligence of his fairness — which, not unworthily of my own peaceable faith, is ever maintained toward the good of a salutary purpose, and will always have cause for encouragement.

God will keep you safe, beloved brothers.

These things having thus been done, the Melitians, after a brief period of quiet, are provoked again, and afterwards they adopt this plan, being eager to please those who had hired them.

The Mareotis is a district belonging to Alexandria:

in it Melitius was unable to create a schism.

Since, then, the churches are established in fixed places, and all the presbyters gather together in them, and the people are at peace, a certain man called Ischyras — not a cleric, but also wicked in character — attempted to deceive those in his own village, claiming that he was some sort of cleric.

Learning of this, the presbyter of that district reported it to me while I was making the rounds of the churches.

And I sent, together with him, the presbyter Macarius, to summon Ischyras.

But finding him ill and lying in his cell, they instructed his father to charge his son to attempt nothing of the kind that had been alleged against him.

Yet, having risen from his illness, and being restrained by his own people and his father, he fled instead to the Melitians.

And they communicated with the followers of Eusebius, and thereupon the slander was fabricated by them: that Macarius had broken a chalice, and that a certain bishop Arsenius had been murdered by us.

And Arsenius they hid, so that, not appearing, he might be supposed to have been slain; and a hand, they said, they carried about, as though it had been cut from him when he was hewn to pieces. Ischyras, whom they had not even known, they began to noise abroad as a presbyter, so that, speaking also of a chalice, he might be able to deceive people.

Ischyras, then, since his own people were reproaching him, came to us lamenting, and said that nothing at all had happened at the hands of Macarius such as they had noised abroad, but that he had been suborned by the Melitians to fabricate such a slander.

To the blessed Pope Athanasius, Ischyras, greeting in the Lord.

Since I came to you, lord bishop, desiring to belong to the Church, and you charged me concerning the things I had formerly spoken, as though I had come to this of my own free choice — for this reason I hereby deliver to you in writing this my defence, that you may know that violence was done to me, and blows were inflicted upon me, by Isaac and Heraclides and Isaac of Letopolis, and by those who were with them;

and I, taking God as my witness in this matter, declare in my defence that there is nothing of what they have said which I know you to have done.

For neither did the breaking of a chalice take place, nor was there any overturning of the holy table; but all these things — it was they who, having laid violence upon me, drove me on to say.

These things I have set forth to you in my defence, and have delivered them to you in writing, choosing and claiming to be numbered among those who are gathered together under you.

I pray that you fare well in the Lord.

Although Ischyras had written this, they nevertheless again noised abroad this same accusation everywhere, and even brought it before the emperor Constantine.

The censor, accordingly, wrote instructing me to prepare a defence against the charge.

And I, upon receiving such a letter — though at first I paid it no heed at all, knowing that they were speaking nothing true — nevertheless, since the emperor had been stirred to concern, wrote to my fellow-ministers in Egypt, and sent a deacon, wishing to learn about Arsenius:

for I had not seen the man for about five or six years.

And what then? Not to relate all their doings in full — Arsenius was discovered to be hiding, at first in Egypt; and afterwards our people found him hiding again in Tyre as well.

And, what is astonishing, even when found, he himself would not admit that he was Arsenius, until he was convicted in a court before Paul, then bishop of Tyre; and, being put to shame, he thereafter did not deny it.

And he did this in order to keep his agreement with the followers of Eusebius, lest, once he was found, their whole drama should be dissolved — which is indeed what happened.

For when I had written to the emperor that Arsenius had been found, and had reminded him of what he had heard at Psamathia concerning the presbyter Macarius, he put a stop to the censor's tribunal, and wrote condemning the calumny that had been raised against us, and commanded the followers of Eusebius, who were then on their way into the East against us, to turn back.

That they indeed accused us on the ground that Arsenius had been slain — not to make use of the letters written by many — it will suffice merely to cite that of Alexander, bishop of Thessalonica:

for from this one letter it is possible to know the content of the others as well.

That man, then, knowing all that Archaph, also called John, had noised abroad against us concerning the murder, and having learned that Arsenius was alive, writes as follows:

To my lord, beloved son and fellow-minister of one accord, Athanasius: Alexander, bishop, greeting in the Lord.

I rejoice with the most excellent Sarapion, who strives thus to adorn himself with sacred conduct, and who the more praiseworthily increases the memory of his father.

For his father died, as sacred Scripture somewhere says, and yet is as though he had not died, for he left behind a memorial in this life.

Now how we were disposed toward Sozon, worthy of remembrance, you yourself are not ignorant, my lord — the sacred remembrance we hold of him, and the fairness present in the younger man.

I received but a single letter from your reverence, through this young man.

I have therefore made this very fact known to you, that you may be aware of it, my lord.

Our beloved fellow-deacon Macarius gladdened me by writing from Constantinople, [telling] how Archaph the calumniator disgraced himself by proclaiming before all that the living man had been murdered.

For that he shall receive from the righteous Judge, together with the band of like character, the recompense due to what he has dared to do — this the unerring Scriptures loudly proclaim.

May the Master of all things preserve you for the longest of days, my lord, most gracious in every kindness.

And that Arsenius was hiding for this very reason — that these men might fabricate his death — is testified by those who spent time with him:

for, seeking him, we found this man; and Pinnes wrote the following to John, who was playing the part in such a calumny:

To the beloved brother John, Pinnes, presbyter of the monastery of Ptemencyrcis in the Antaeopolite nome, greeting.

I want you to know that Athanasius sent his own deacon into the Thebaid to search out everything concerning Arsenius.

Tapenakerameus and Paul, a monk from Hypsele, confessed that Arsenius was with us; and we, upon learning of this, had him put on board a boat and sent downstream to the lower parts with Elias the monk.

And suddenly, after this, the deacon came up again with some men, and arriving at our monastery on account of that same Arsenius, did not find him, because we had sent him away, as we said before, to the lower parts; but they carried me down to Alexandria, together with the monk Elias who had escorted him, and brought me before the dux, and I was not able to deny it, but confessed that he is alive and has not been killed.

And the monk who had escorted him confessed the same things.

For this reason I make these things known to you, father, lest it should seem to you that I have accused Athanasius:

for I have said [only] that he is alive and was hiding among us.

And all these things have become known throughout Egypt, and this can no longer be concealed.

Paphnutius, monk of the same monastery, who wrote this letter, greets you warmly; I pray that you fare well.

And what the emperor also wrote, upon learning that Arsenius had been found alive, is as follows:

Victor Constantine, Maximus, Augustus, to Pope Athanasius.

Upon reading the letter from your prudence, I came to this very resolve: to write back to your firmness and exhort you to be zealous in leading the people of God toward good order and compassion.

For these things above all I hold as foremost in my own soul: to practice truth, and always to guard righteousness in my mind, and to take my chief delight in those who walk the upright path of life.

But concerning those men worthy of every curse — namely the Melitians, most perverse and lawless, who by now have grown benumbed through folly, and stir up absurdities merely through envy, tumult, and disturbance, thereby displaying their lawless mind — this is what I shall declare:

For you see how the men whom they claimed had been slain by the sword are now in the midst of us, and are enjoying life.

In view of this, then, what worse prejudgment could there be, so openly and plainly telling against their own case, than this — that those whom they said had been slain are both alive and enjoying life, men who, plainly, will be able to speak even on their own behalf? And this too has been added against those charges brought by those Melitians.

For they kept asserting that you, having rushed in with unlawful violence and having seized a cup that was laid up in the most holy place, had broken it — a matter than which, in truth, no greater charge existed, nor so monstrous an outrage, if indeed this had actually been done and committed as alleged.

But indeed, what is this accusation? And what is this shifting and variation of the matter, that they should now transfer the accusation of this charge to another person? Which fact, evidently, is, so to speak, clearer than the light itself: that they were eager to plot against your understanding.

After this, then, who would wish to follow those men who have fabricated so much for the sake of harm? Especially when they themselves are leading themselves to ruin, and perceive that they are accusers of fabricated and false matters? As I said, then, who would follow after them and go headlong into the way of destruction — into that way, evidently, in which they alone suppose they have the hope of salvation and of help?

For if they should wish to come to a pure conscience, and to be reminded of the best resolve, and to come to a sound mind, they will easily know that no help whatsoever exists for them from providence, since they are such zealots for these things and are being tempted unto their own ruin.

This, then, I would rightly call not a kind of harshness, but truth.

What is said by us plainly, in word, is spoken also by the very deed of truth.

Since, then, in this matter there is so great an outrage, let them know that I have judged thus, and that this is my resolve:

if they should stir up any such thing again, that I myself will no longer hear the matter according to the laws of the Church, but according to the public laws, giving ear to the matter in person, and will henceforth find them to be not only a kind of robbers against the human race, but indeed appearing to be robbers also against the divine teaching itself.

God will preserve you, beloved brother.

And in order that the wickedness of the false accusers might be shown still further, behold, Arsenius also wrote a letter after he was found hiding.

For as Ischyras wrote confessing the false accusation, so Arsenius, in writing, exposes their malice all the more.

To Athanasius, the blessed pope, Arsenius, bishop [of those formerly under Meletius] of the city of the Hypselites, together with the presbyters and deacons, very many greetings in the Lord.

We too, embracing peace and union with the catholic Church, over which you, by the grace of God, preside, and having resolved to submit ourselves to the ecclesiastical canon according to the ancient pattern, write to you, beloved pope, confessing in the name of the Lord that henceforth we will not hold communion with those bishops, presbyters, and deacons who still create schism and are not yet at peace with the catholic Church; nor agree with them when they wish anything in synod; nor send them letters of peace, nor receive any from them; nor again, apart from your judgment as bishop of the metropolis, put forth any decree concerning bishops or concerning any other common ecclesiastical doctrine; but that we will yield to all the canons formerly laid down, after the likeness of the bishops Ammonianus and Tyrannus and Plousianus and the rest of the bishops.

In view of this, then, we request your kindness to write back to us speedily, and likewise to our fellow-ministers concerning us, that we have already made peace with the catholic Church on the aforesaid terms, and have been united with the fellow-ministers in our districts;

and we believe that your prayers, being acceptable, will be effectual, so that this peace may be firm and unbroken until the end, according to the will of God, the Master of all, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We, and those with us, salute the priesthood under you.

And as soon as God permits, we will come to meet your kindness in person.

I, Arsenius, pray that you fare well in the Lord for many years, most blessed pope.

But a greater and more manifest proof of the false accusation against us is the repentance of John; and of this the God-beloved emperor Constantine, of blessed memory, is witness.