# Synodal Letter

- Author: [Amphilochius of Iconium](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/amphilochius-of-iconium/)
- Latin title: *Epistula synodica*
- Date: ca. 376 (approximate)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, series Graeca, vol. 39 (Paris, 1858), cols. 93-98 (Greek text: Migne, PG 39, read from library scans of the printed pages (Tesseract) and the 2014 OCRopus run)

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Editions and translations: Amphilochii Iconiensis Opera, ed. C. Datema, CCSG 3 (Turnhout: Brepols, 1978) (cited only)
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/amphilochius-epistula-synodica/
- Passages: 3

## Synodal Letter 94

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/amphilochius-epistula-synodica/94/#p-94
- Source: PG 39:94a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23

Summary: Amphilochius and his synod praise the faith and concord of the bishops who wrote to them, and regret that Basil of Caesarea could not attend because of illness.

### Greek text

Καὶ πρὶν κομίζεσθαι τὰ παρὰ τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν γράμματα, περιήγγειλεν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἡ φήμη, καὶ τὸ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν ἀκραιφνές, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους παρατεταμένον, καὶ πρὸς τὰ παθήματα τὰ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ καρτερικόν, καὶ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἀγάπης, καὶ τὸ τῆς μελλούσης ἐλπίδος ἐν ὑμῖν βέβαιον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τοῖς γράμμασι τῆς εὐλαβείας ὑμῶν ἐντετυχήκαμεν, εἴδομεν ὄντως Ἐκκλησίας ἀποστολικῆς χαρακτῆρα, καὶ ποιμένων ἀγαθῶν ζῆλον, καὶ σπουδὴν ἄοκνον ἀληθινοῖς Χριστιανοῖς πρέπουσαν. Τὸ γὰρ μήτε τῆς ὁδοῦ μῆκος ὑπολογίσασθαι, μήτε διεσπασμένως τὰς πεύσεις προσαγαγεῖν, ἀλλὰ κοινῇ διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων ποιήσασθαι τὴν ἐρώτησιν, λίαν ἡμᾶς εὐέλπιδας πεποίηκεν, ὅτι συμφώνως ἐπιστείλαντες, συμφώνως καὶ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις παρ᾿ ἡμῶν δέξασθε, καὶ οἷόν τι προοίμιον τῆς τελειοτέρας ὁμονοίας τὴν ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν ὑμῶν ὁμόνοιαν ἐδεξάμεθα. Καὶ δι᾿ εὐχῆς μὲν ἦν ἡμῖν, καὶ τὸν θαυμασιώτατον καὶ μετὰ πάσης αἰδοῦς ὀνομαζόμενον ἐπίσκοπον Βασίλειον, καὶ παρόντα δέξασθαι τῇ συνόδῳ, καὶ κοινωνὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἔξαρχον τῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς γραμμάτων ἔχειν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐκεῖνον ἀῤῥωστία σώματος ὑπερβάλλουσα, πρὸς τὴν ἄφιξιν διεκώλυσεν, τελείας μέν ἐστιν ἀγάπης ὑμῶν, μήτε τὰ τῆς ἡμε

### English translation (Claude)

Even before the letter from your love was brought to us, report had announced to us both the purity of your faith, braced against dangers and steadfast in the sufferings endured for Christ, and your love for God, and the firmness in you of the hope to come. And when we had also read the letter of your piety, we saw truly the stamp of an apostolic church, the zeal of good shepherds, and an unflagging earnestness befitting true Christians. For your not counting the length of the journey, and not presenting your questions piecemeal, but making the inquiry jointly by letter, has made us very hopeful that, having written in agreement, you will also receive the answers from us in agreement; and we have received the agreement in your letter as a kind of prelude to a more perfect concord. And it was our prayer both to receive in the synod, present in person, the most admirable bishop Basil, whose name is spoken with all reverence, and to have him as partner, or rather as leader, of the letter to you. But since an excessive weakness of body prevented him from coming, it belongs to your perfect love not to disregard the letter of our

### Scripture references

- Phil 1:29: echo, low confidence

### Translation notes

- The synodical letter of the council of Iconium (376), presided over by Amphilochius, answers bishops (probably of Lycia or the region of Side) who had asked about the Holy Spirit. The sentence continues in the next passage (PG 39:96).
- The Greek of these columns was keyed from a weak OCR of an interleaved Greek–Latin page; lines may be lost, though no gap is evident in this passage.

### Citation (SBL)

Amphilochius, Ep. syn. 94 (PG 39:94a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/amphilochius-epistula-synodica/94).

## Synodal Letter 96

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/amphilochius-epistula-synodica/94/#p-96
- Source: PG 39:96a–96d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23

Summary: The synod upholds Nicaea, whose creed suffices on the Spirit for careful readers; the baptismal command of Matt 28:19 shows three hypostases and one nature against Sabellius, the Anomoeans, Arians and Pneumatomachi.

### Greek text

τέρας βραχύτητος παριδεῖν γράμματα. Οὐ μέν τὴν ἁγίαν ὑμῶν Ἐκκλησίαν ἄμοιρον καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου φωνῆς περιείδομεν· ἀλλʼ ἔχοντες αὑτοῦ σύγγραμμα περὶ ταύτης ίδικῶς αὐτῷ τῆς ὑποθέσεως πεπονημένον, κάκεῖνον διὰ τοῦ γράμματος ἔχομεν ἡμῖν συμφθεγγόμενον. Τίς οῦν ὴ πρὸς τὴν πεῦσιν ἀπόκρισις; Τὴν ἁγίαν σύνοδον τῶν Πατέρων τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ, σύνοδον ὅντως καθολικὴν καὶ ἀποστολικὴν γνωρίζομεν, καὶ πίστιν τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν Πατέρων τηνικαῦτα, φυλάττομεν ἀκίνητον, καὶ πρὸς τὸ διηνεκὲς ἀσπάρακτον μένειν εύχομαι. Γέγονε δὲ τότε τοῖς Πατράσιν ἀναγκαιότερον, πλατύτερον ἐξηγήσασθαι περὶ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἐπειδὴ τότε νεωστὶ φυομένην τὴν αἵρεσιν τοῦ Ἀρείου διὰ σπουδῆς ἔσχον ἐκκόψαι, τὰ πρῶτα αὐτῆς προαναιροῦντες σπέρματα, πρὶν τελέως ἐκτραχυνθῆναι τὴν ἄκανθαν. Σεσιγημένου δὲ τηνικαῦτα τοῦ κατὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα ζητήματος, διὰ τοῦτο πλατύτερον μὲν οὐδὲν προσέθεσαν· τοῖς μέντοι γε συνετῶς ἀναγινώσκουσιν, αὐτάρκης καὶ ἡ περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ πίστει διδασκαλία. Ὥσπερ είς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν πιστεύειν, οὕτω καὶ είς τὸ Πνεῦμα πιστεύειν ἐδογμάτισανο μήτε ἑτέραν τινὰ φύσιν ἐπεισάγοντες τῇ θείᾳ καὶ μακαρίᾳ. Τριάδι ο μήτε τι τῶν ἐκ τῆς Τριάδος ἀποτέμνοντες, είς τὴν τῆς πίστεως ἔκθεσιν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πρόσφατον ό Σατανᾶς διασαλεύειν τὰς Ἐκκλησίας ἐπιχειρῶν, ἐνέβαλέ τισι περ). τοῦ Πνεύματος δισταγμὸν, ἀναγκαῖον ἐπὶ τὴν πηγὴν ἀνατρέχειν τῆς πίστεως, ἐξ ἦς καὶ οί κατὰ Νίκαιαν Πατέρες ἀναρυσάμενοι,’την ἔκθεσιν τῆς πίστεως ἐποίησαν. Τίς οὖν ὴμῶν ἡ τῆς πίστεως τελειότης; Ἦ τοῦ Κυρίου παράδοσις, ἢν μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὑτοῦ μαθηταῖς ἐνετείλατο, προστάξας ο Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εὶς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρός, καὶ τοῦ Υὶοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος Δῆλον ὅτι τὴν ἐν· τολὴν ἐδεξάμεθα, ού μόνον εἰς τὸ βαπτίζειν οὓτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ είς τὸ μαθητεύειν οὕτως. Ὠς διὰ ταύτης τῆς ἐντολῆς, κα). τὴν Σαδελλίου νόσον ἁποκλεισθῆ· ναι, τῶν τριῶν ύποστάσεων καθαρῶς ἡμῖν παραδοθεισῶν ' καὶ τῶν Ἀνομοίων καὶ τῶν ’Δρειανῶν καὶ τῶν Πνευματομάχων ἐμφραγῆναι τὰ στόματα· τῶν προσώπων καὶτῶν ὑποστάσεων τριῶν δηλουμένων, τῆς δὲ φύσεως καὶ τῆς θεότητος μιᾶς ὀμολογηθείσης. Ἀνάγκη τοίνυν οὕτως ἡμᾶς βαπτίζειν, ὼς ἐδιδάχθη· ν μένʼ καὶ οὕτω πιστεύειν, ὡς ἐβαπτίσθημεν, καὶ οῦτωιδοξάζειν, ὡς ἐπιστεύσαμεν. Πολλὰ γὰρ τῇ διανοίᾳ περισκοποῦντες, καὶ πανταχοῦ στραφέντες τοῖς λογισμοῖς, οὐδὲν ἐπινοῆσαι δυνάμεθα μεταξὺ τοῦ Κτίστου καὶ τῆς κτίσεωςο ὥστε εἰ τῆς θεότητος τὸ

### English translation (Claude)

littleness. Nor have we let your holy church go without a share in his voice too; but having a treatise of his worked out by him specially on this very subject, we have him too, through the writing, speaking with us in unison. What, then, is the answer to the question? We recognize the holy synod of the fathers at Nicaea as a synod truly catholic and apostolic, and we keep the faith set forth by the fathers at that time unmoved, and I pray that it may remain for ever unrent. It became more necessary for the fathers at that time to explain more broadly the glory of the Only-begotten, since they were eager to cut out the heresy of Arius, then newly sprouting, destroying its first seeds before the thorn should grow fully rough. But since the question concerning the Spirit was not raised at that time, for this reason they added nothing more broadly; yet to those who read with understanding, the teaching about the Spirit in that creed is sufficient. As they decreed that we believe in the Father and the Son, so they decreed that we believe also in the Spirit, neither bringing any other nature into the divine and blessed Trinity, nor cutting off anything of the Trinity in the exposition of the faith. But since Satan, recently attempting to shake the churches, has cast into some people a doubt about the Spirit, it is necessary to run back to the source of the faith, from which the fathers at Nicaea also drew when they made their exposition of the faith. What, then, is the perfection of our faith? The tradition of the Lord, which after the resurrection from the dead he commanded his holy disciples, ordering: "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." It is plain that we received the commandment not only to baptize so, but also to make disciples so. So that through this commandment the disease of Sabellius is shut out, the three hypostases having been purely handed down to us; and the mouths of the Anomoeans and the Arians and the Pneumatomachi are stopped, the persons and the hypostases being declared three, while the nature and the Godhead are confessed one. We must therefore baptize as we were taught, believe as we were baptized, and glorify as we have believed. For when we survey many things with our mind and turn our reasonings in every direction, we can conceive of nothing between the Creator and the creation; so that if we separate the Spirit from the Godhead,

### Scripture references

- Matt 28:19: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 13:7: echo, low confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Basil, Spir. (On the Holy Spirit): allusion, high confidence
- Conc. Nic. (Creed and Canons of the Council of Nicaea (325)): allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The 'treatise' of Basil is his On the Holy Spirit (375), which he had dedicated to Amphilochius. 'Hypostases' and 'persons' are kept distinct as in the Greek. The rule 'baptize as we were taught, believe as we were baptized, glorify as we have believed' closely follows Basil (Letter 159.2; On the Holy Spirit 10.26, 27.68).
- The sentence continues in the next passage (PG 39:97). The digital text has OCR slips (stray parentheses, joined and split words); they are translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Amphilochius, Ep. syn. 96 (PG 39:96a–96d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/amphilochius-epistula-synodica/96).

## Synodal Letter 98

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/amphilochius-epistula-synodica/94/#p-98
- Source: PG 39:98a–98d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23

Summary: The Spirit is not a creature but is named in baptism; the synod confesses one principle and three hypostases, urges peace and unity, and requires the Spirit to be glorified with the Father and the Son.

### Greek text

Πνεῦμα χωρίζομεν, ἀνάγκη μετὰ τῶν κτισμάτων αὐτὸ καταριθμεῖν. Εἰ δὲ κτίσμα τολμήσοιμεν εἰπεῖν, πῶς δυνατὸν ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι μιχθῆναι; Τὴν πολυθεῒαν οὕτως ὡς καὶ τὴν ἀθεῖαν κακίζομενʼ καὶ οὒτε τρεῖς ἀρχὰς, οὔτε τρεῖς θεοὺς, οὔτε τρεῖς διατόρους καταγγέλλομεν φύσεις · ἀλλά ἀρχὴν τῶν ὅλων τὶν “stipa. γινώσκοντες, οὔτε τινὰ τῶν τριῶν ὑποστάσεων ἀθετοῦμεν, καὶ τὸ σεμνὸν τῶν τριῶν Γρασῶθ, καὶ τὰς ἐφʼ ἕκαστον μαρτυρίας σέβοντες. Ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ καὶ μέτρον ἐπιστολῆς ἐκφεύγει τὸ περ) τούτων λεπτολογεῖν, καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην ἐπιστεὺσαμεν ἀρκεσθήσεσθαι τῷ κεφαλαίῳ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐκθέσεως, καὶ τὰ λοιπά προσθήσειν οἴκοθεν· Aidan γὰρ, φησὶ, σοφῷ ἀφορμὴν, καὶ σοφώτερος ἔσται· καὶ ταῦτα ἀποχρώντως γεγραφέναι νομίζομεν. Οἷς ἀρκεῖ βραχεῖαν προσθεῖναι παράκλησιν.Ῐ Παρακαλοῦμεν γὰρ μένειν ὑμᾶς υἱοὺς εἰρήνης · ἵνα πληρὼσητε τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἐντολὴν. σύμψυχοι, τὸ ἐν· φρονοῦντες, καὶ τῶν παθημάτων τῶν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ κεκοινωνηκότες. Μὴ δῶτε τῷ πονηρῷ διαζεῦξαι τὲ καλῶς συνημμένα, μήτε τοῖς λύκοις ἑαυτοὺς εὐαλωτοτέρους ποιήσητε τῇ διχοστασίᾳ, τὰς ἐκείνων βεβαιοῦντες εὐχάς. Ἐμάθομεν γὰρ ὅσους ἄθλους ὑπὲρ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ὑπέστητε. Τάς οὖν ἀπειλὰς καὶ τὰς ἀνάγκας τὰς παρά τῶν ὑπεναντίων νικήσαντες, μηδένα δῶτε διαστάσει καιρόν ο μήποτε κατά βραχὺ ταιρεισρυόμενον μῖσος, ἐάν olm τόπον, μεγάλους ὑμῖν κρημνοὺς ὑποθήσει. Ἀλλά καὶ ἐν ταῖς δοξολογίαις τὸ Πνεῦμα Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ συνδοξάζειν, καὶ εἰδέναι τοῦτο, ὅτι ot τὴν ἀσυγχώρητον ἁμαρτίαν, διὰ τῆς είς ( τό Πνεῦμα βλασφημίας ἐξαμαρτάνοντες, εἰκῆ παραιτοῦνται τὴν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀρειανοὺς κοινωνίαν. Μετὰ γὰρ ἐκείνων κατακριθήσονται. Εὑχόμεθα δὲ ὗμᾶς ἄτμητον τὸ σῶμα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀφιλονείκως φυλάξαντας, εἰρηνικῶς μὲν ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι τὸν λειπόμενον διάγειν χρόνον, ἐνδόξως δὲ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως παραστῆναι τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ βήματι.

### English translation (Claude)

we must of necessity count it with the creatures. But if we should dare to call it a creature, how can it be mingled in baptism? We condemn polytheism as we do atheism; and we proclaim neither three principles, nor three gods, nor three different natures; but, knowing the one principle of all things, we set aside none of the three hypostases, revering both the dignity of the three [names] and the testimonies concerning each. But since it is beyond the measure of a letter to discuss these things in detail, and we trust that your love will be content with the main point of our exposition and will add the rest from its own resources (for "give," it says, "an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser"), we think that we have written these things sufficiently. To them it is enough to add a brief exhortation. For we exhort you to remain sons of peace, so that you may fulfil the apostolic commandment, being of one soul, thinking one thing, and having shared in the sufferings for Christ. Do not give the evil one leave to disjoin what is well joined, nor make yourselves easier prey for the wolves by dissension, confirming their prayers. For we have learned how many contests you have endured for orthodoxy. Having overcome, then, the threats and constraints of your opponents, give no opportunity to division, lest a hatred flowing in little by little, if it finds room, should set great precipices beneath you. But also in the doxologies glorify the Spirit together with the Father and the Son, and know this: that those who commit the unforgivable sin through blasphemy against the Spirit refuse communion with the Arians in vain; for they will be condemned with them. We pray that you, having guarded without contention the body of the church undivided, may spend the time that remains in the present age peacefully, and stand gloriously at the judgment seat of Christ on the day of judgment.

### Scripture references

- Prov 9:9: quotation, high confidence
- Luke 10:6: allusion, medium confidence
- Phil 2:2: allusion, high confidence
- Phil 3:10: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 10:16: echo, low confidence
- Matt 12:31–32: allusion, high confidence
- 2 Cor 5:10: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The digital text of this column is badly damaged (keyed from a weak OCR; the source flags wide gaps where a line or two may be lost). Garbled words are translated by sense: 'διατόρους' as διαφόρους ('different'); 'τὶν “stipa.' as τὴν μίαν ('the one'); 'Γρασῶθ' is unreadable, rendered '[names]' by conjecture; 'Aidan' as δίδου ('give'). A line may be missing after 'one principle of all things'; no words are supplied.
- Those 'who commit the unforgivable sin through blasphemy against the Spirit' are the Pneumatomachi, who deny the Spirit's divinity while rejecting the Arians. Quotations: Prov 9:9; Phil 2:2; Phil 3:10 (sharing Christ's sufferings); Matt 10:16 (wolves); Matt 12:31–32; 2 Cor 5:10; Luke 10:6 ('sons of peace').

### Citation (SBL)

Amphilochius, Ep. syn. 98 (PG 39:98a–98d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/amphilochius-epistula-synodica/98).