# Defence against the Arians

- Author: [Athanasius of Alexandria](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/athanasius/)
- Latin title: *Apologia contra Arianos (Apologia secunda)*
- Date: ca. 349–357 (approximate)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 25 (Paris: Migne, 1857), Apologia contra Arianos (Apologia secunda) (reprinting the Benedictine edition of B. de Montfaucon, Paris, 1698)

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Editions and translations: Hans-Georg Opitz et al., eds., Athanasius Werke, vol. 2 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1935–)
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/
- Passages: 78

## Defence against the Arians 1

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-1
- Source: PG 25:248a–249b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius explains that his case has already been judged in his favor many times, at Alexandria, Rome, and Sardica, and even by his former accusers Ursacius and Valens.

### Greek text

Ἐγὼ μὲν ᾤμην μετᾶ τὰς τοσαύτας ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γενομένας ἀποδείξεις καταδύεσθαι λοιπὸν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκ τούτων καταγινώσκειν έαυτῶν, ἐφʼ οἷς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους έσυκοφάντησαν · ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐδʼ οὕτω καταγνωσθέντες έρυθριῶσιν, ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ ἀναισθησίας ἓρπουσι ταῖς καταλαλιαῖς, νομίζοντες ἀνάδικα πάντα γίνεσθαι, οὐχ ἵνα κριθῶσι (φεύγουσι γάρ), ἀλλʼ ἵνʼ ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἀκεραίων σκύλλωσιν, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην ὑμῖν ἀπολογήσασθαι, ἵνα μηκέτι μὲν αὐτῶν ἀνέχησθε γογγυζόντων, καταγνῶτε δὲ τῆς πονηρίας καὶ συκοφαντίας αὐτῶν. Ὑμῖν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς γνησίοις ἀπολογοῦμαι πρὸς δὲ τοὺς φιλονεικοῦντας παῤῥησιάζομαι τοῖς κατʼ αὐτῶν ἐλέγχοις. Οὐκέτι γὰρ κρίσεως δεῖται τὰ καθʼ ἡμᾶςʼ κέκριται γὰρ οὐχ ἅπαξ, οὐδὲ δεύτερον, ἀλλά καὶ πολλάκις· πρῶτον μὲν, ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ χώρᾳ συναγομένῃ ὑπὸ ἐπισκόπων ἐγγὺς ἑκατόν· δεύτερον δὲ ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ, γράψαντος Εὐσεβίου, καὶ κληθέντων αὐτῶν τε καὶ ἡμῶν, καὶ συναχθέντων ἐπισκόπων, κάκεῖ πλέον πεντήκοντα· καὶ τρίτον έν τῇ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ τῇ έν Σαρδικῇ συναχθείσῃ κατὰ πρόσταξιν τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων βασιλέων Κωνσταντίου καὶ Κώνσταντοςο ἐν καὶ οἱ καθʼ ἡμῶν γενόμενοι καθῃρέθησαν ὡς συκοφάνται, τοῖς τε κριθεῖσιν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν συνεψηφίσαντο μὲν ἐπίσκοποι πλείους τριακοσίων, ἐξ ἐπαρχιῶν Αἰγύπτου, Λιβύης, καὶ Πενταπόλεως, Παλαιστίνης, Ἀραβίας, Ἰσαυρίας, Κύπρου, Παμφυλίας, Λυκίας, Γαλατίας, Δακίας, Μυσίας, Θρᾴκης, Δαρδανίας, Μακεδονίας, Ἠπείρων, Θεσσαλίας, Ἀχαίας, Κρήτης, Δαλματίας, Σισκίας, Παννονίων, Νωρικοῦ, Ἰταλίας, Πικηνοῦ, Τουσκίας, Καμπανίας, Καλαβρίας, Ἀπουλίας, Βρουττίας, Σικελίας, Ἀφρικῆς πάσης, Σαρδανίας, Σπανιῶν, Γαλλιῶν, Βρεττανιῶν. Ἐπεμαρτύρησαν δὲ τούτοις Ούρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης, οὶ πρότερον μὲν διαβάλλοντες, ὕστερον δὲ μεταγνόντες· οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀπεδέξαντο τὰ κριθέντα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἀλλά καὶ συκοφάντας ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς καθʼ ἡμῶν γενομένους ὡμολόγησαν. Ol γὰρ οὕτως μεταγνόντες καῖ οὕτως γράψαντες, δῆλοι εἶσι καὶ τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἐλέγχοντες, μετὰ γὰρ αὐτῶν κοινῇ τὴν καθʼ ἡμῶν ἐμηχανήσαντο συσκευήν. Τὰ τοίνυν ὑπὸ τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων ἐπισκόπων δοκιμασθέντα καὶ κριθέντα, ἀποδειχθέντα τε λευκῶς, περιττὸν εἶναι πάλιν ἀνακρίνεσθαι π”άς ὁστισοῦν ὁμολογήσειεν, *ίνα μὴ, κᾶν νῦν ἐξετασσθῇ, πάλιν ἀνακριθῇ, καί αὖθις ἐξετασθῇ, καὶ οὕτως εἷς ἀπέραντον τὰ τῶν περιεργαζομένων γένηται.

### English translation (Claude)

I had supposed that after so many proofs given on our behalf our enemies would at last hide themselves away, and would rather condemn themselves on account of these for the false charges they had brought against others as well. But since, even when condemned, they do not blush, but in their insensibility creep about with their slanders, thinking that everything can be tried over again—not in order to be judged (for they run from that), but to trouble us and the souls of the simple—I thought it necessary to make my defense to you, so that you may no longer put up with their murmuring, but may condemn their wickedness and false accusation. To you, who are sincere, I make my defense; but toward the contentious I speak boldly, with the proofs against them. For our case no longer needs a trial: it has been judged not once, nor twice, but many times. First, in our own country, at a synod of nearly a hundred bishops; second, at Rome, when Eusebius wrote and both they and we were summoned, and bishops assembled, there too more than fifty; and third, at the great synod assembled at Sardica by order of the most God-loving emperors Constantius and Constans, at which those who had acted against us were deposed as false accusers, while more than three hundred bishops voted for the judgment given in our favor, from the provinces of Egypt, Libya, and Pentapolis, Palestine, Arabia, Isauria, Cyprus, Pamphylia, Lycia, Galatia, Dacia, Moesia, Thrace, Dardania, Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, Achaia, Crete, Dalmatia, Siscia, Pannonia, Noricum, Italy, Picenum, Tuscia, Campania, Calabria, Apulia, Bruttium, Sicily, the whole of Africa, Sardinia, the Spains, the Gauls, and the Britains. To these were added the testimony of Ursacius and Valens, who formerly slandered us but afterwards changed their minds: for they not only accepted the judgment given in our favor, but confessed that both they themselves and the others who had acted against us were false accusers. Men who changed their minds and wrote in this way plainly convict Eusebius and his party as well, for it was together with them that they contrived the plot against us. Anyone at all, then, would admit that what has been examined and judged by so many and such great bishops, and clearly proved, it is superfluous to examine again; otherwise, if it were examined now, it would be reopened again and examined yet again, and so the meddling of busybodies would go on without end.

### Translation notes

- The three verdicts are the Alexandrian synod of about 338, the Roman synod under Julius (341), to which Eusebius of Nicomedia had appealed by letter, and the Council of Sardica (343).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 1 (PG 25:248a–249b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-1).

## Defence against the Arians 2

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-2
- Source: PG 25:249c–252b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius points to the recantation of Valens and Ursacius as proof of the plot against him and introduces the letter of the Egyptian synod.

### Greek text

Ἤρκει μὲν γὰρκαὶ ἡ τῶν τοσούτων ἐπισκόπων ψῆφος δυσωπῆσαι τοὺς ἔτι κᾶν προσποιεῖσθαι καθʼ ἡμῶν βουλομένους· ὅτε δὲ καὶ ἐχθροὶ μαρτυροῦσιν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τε καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτῶν, φάσκοντες τὰ καθʼ ἡμῶν εἶναι συσκευὴν, τίς ἔτι λοιπὸν ἀμφιβάλλων οὐκ αἰσχύνεται; Τοῦ γὰρ νόμου κελεύοντος ἐπὶ στόματος δύο καὶ τριῶν μαρτύρων ’ίστασθαι τὰς κρίσεις, ἰδοὺ τοσοῦτον πλῆθος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐστι μαρτύρων, ἔχον προσθήκην καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀπόδειξινο ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ὑπολειπομένους μηκέτι προσέχειν οἷς, ὡς ἠθέλησαν, ἐδίκασαν, ἀλλὰ βιάζεσθαι λοιπόν, καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν εὐλόγων ἀδικεῖν τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας αὐτούς. Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοὺς μάλιστα λυπεῖ, ἐπειδήπερ ἅπερ ἔκρυψαν αὐτοὶ πράξαντες, καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς ἐν γωνίᾳ συνέθεντο, ταῦτα Οὐάλης καὶ Οὗρσάκιος ἐξήγαγον, καὶ ἀπεκάλυψαν ο καὶ ἴσασιν ἀκριβῶς, ὡς ἡ τούτων μετάνοια κατακρίνει μὲν ἐκείνους, δικαιοῖ δὲ τοὺς ἀδικηθέντας παρʼ αὐτῶν. Διὰ τούτο γοῦν καὶ ἐν τῇ κατά Σαρδικήν συνόδῳ καθῃρέθησαν, ὥσπερ ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον, καὶ εἰκότως γεʼ οὕτω γὰρ καὶ οἱ τότε Φαρισαῖοι, ἀπολογούμενοι ὑπὲρ τοῦ Παύλου, διήλεγχον τὴν ἑαυτῶν καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατʼ αὐτοῦ γενομένην συνωμοσίαν · οὕτως ὁ μακάριος Δαβἱδ ἐδείχθη μάτην διωκόμενος, ὁπηνίκα ὁ διώκων ὦμολόγησε λέγωνʼ ’Ἠμαρτον, τέκνον Δαβίδ · οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι νικηθέντες ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἠξίωσαν, καὶ γράψαντες ἐπιδεδώκασιν Ἰουλίῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ Ῥώμης. ’Ἑγραψαν δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν ἀξιοῦντες ἔχειν τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰρήνην, οἱ τοσαῦτα θρυλλήσαντες ° καὶ τάχα καὶ νῦν ἐρυθριῶντες διότι οὓς ἐζήτησαν ἀνελεῖν, τούτους τῇ χάριτι τοῦ Κυρίου ζῶντας ὁρῶσι. Καὶ ’Ἄρειον δὲ καὶ τήν αἵρεσιν ἀνεθεμάτισαν, ἀκολούθως τοῦτο ποιοῦντεςο εἰδότες γὰρ, ὡς διʼ οὐδὲν ἕτερον οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἡμῖν ἐπεβούλευον ἢ διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἑαυτῶν ἀσέβειαν · ἅπαξ κρίναντες ὁμολογῆσαι τὴν καθʼ ἡμῶν συκοφαντίαν, εὐθὺς ἠρνήσαντο καὶ τήν Χριστομάχον αἰρεσιν διʼ ἢν καὶ τὰ καθʼ ἡμῶν ὑπεκρίναντο. Τὰ μὲν οὖν γραφέντα παρᾶ τῶν ἐπισκόπων ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατὰ διαφόρους συνόδους, καὶ πρῶτα τὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, ἔστι τάδε. Ἡ ἉΓΙΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ ἡ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ συναχθεῖσα ἀπό τε τῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ τῆς Θηβαΐδος, καὶ Λιβύης, καὶ Πενταπόλεως, τοῖς ἅπανταχοῦ τῆς καθολικῆς,Ἐκκλησίας ἐπισκόποις, ἀγαπητοῖς καὶ ποθεινοτάτοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐν Κυρίῳ, χαίρειν ’

### English translation (Claude)

The vote of so many bishops was indeed enough to shame those who would still pretend to act against us. But when even enemies bear witness for us and against themselves, saying that the proceedings against us were a plot, who that still doubts is not ashamed? For the law commands that judgments stand on the mouth of two or three witnesses; and see, here is so great a multitude of witnesses for us, with the proof supplied by our enemies besides, so that those who are left no longer rely on the judgments they gave as they pleased, but now resort to force, and instead of reasonable arguments wrong those who convict them. For this grieves them most: what they did and hid, and arranged among themselves in a corner, Valens and Ursacius have brought out and disclosed; and they know well that the repentance of these men condemns them and justifies those whom they wronged. It was for this reason, indeed, that they were deposed at the synod of Sardica, as I said before, and rightly. For in the same way the Pharisees of that day, by speaking in Paul’s defense, exposed the conspiracy that they and the Jews had formed against him; in the same way the blessed David was shown to have been persecuted without cause when his persecutor confessed, saying, “I have sinned, my son David.” So these men too, overcome by the truth, made their request, put it in writing, and presented it to Julius, bishop of Rome. They also wrote to us, asking to be at peace with us—they who had spread so many tales!—and perhaps even now they blush, seeing alive by the grace of the Lord those whom they sought to destroy. They also anathematized Arius and his heresy, and in this they were consistent: knowing that Eusebius and his party had plotted against us for no other reason than their own impiety, once they had decided to confess the false accusation against us, they at once renounced also the Christ-fighting heresy for whose sake they had feigned the charges against us. Now the letters written in our favor by the bishops at various synods—first that of the Egyptians—are as follows. “The holy synod assembled at Alexandria from Egypt, the Thebaid, Libya, and Pentapolis, to the bishops of the catholic Church everywhere, beloved and most longed-for brothers in the Lord, greeting.

### Scripture references

- Deut 19:15: allusion, high confidence
- Acts 23:9: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Sam 26:21: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “Two or three witnesses”: Deut 19:15 (cf. Matt 18:16). The Pharisees defending Paul: Acts 23:9. “I have sinned, my son David”: 1 Sam 26:21 (1 Kgdms 26:21 LXX). The letter of Valens and Ursacius to Julius is quoted in ch. 58.
- The heading of the synodal letter is garbled in the scan, which repeats it in damaged form; the debris is removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 2 (PG 25:249c–252b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-2).

## Defence against the Arians 3

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-3
- Source: PG 25:252b–253c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The Egyptian bishops explain why they now break their silence: Athanasius’s enemies are again accusing him before the emperors of murders that never happened.

### Greek text

Ἦδυνάμεθα μὲν, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἅμα τῷ συσκευασθῆναι τὸν συλλειτουργὸν ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσιον, ἢ καὶ μετά τδ εἰσελθεῖν αὐτὸν εἷς τήν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, ἀπολογήσασθαι περὶ ὧν συνεσκευάσαντο αὐτῷ οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον, καὶ αἰτιάσασθαι περὶ ὧν πέπονθε παρʼ αὐτῶν, καὶ δεῖξαι πάσας τὰς γεγενημένας κατʼ αὐτοῦ συκοφαντίας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τότε μὲν οὐκ ἐπέτρεπε τὰ πράγματα, ὡς ἷʼστε καὶ ὑμεῖς· νῦν δὲ νομίζομεν μετὰ τήν ἐπάνοδον Ἀθανασίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου δυσωπεῖσθαι, καὶ ἐρυθριᾷν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ οὕτω φανεροῖς αὐτῶν ἀδικήμασι, τούτου ἕνεκεν σιγᾷν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπείσαμεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν τοσαῦτα τὸν ἄνδρα, μετά τὴν εἰς Γαλλίας ἀποδημίαν, μετὰ τὴν ἐπὶ ξένης ἀντὶ τῆς οἰκείας καὶ ποῤῥωτάτω διατριβὴν, μετὰ τὸ ὀλίγου δεῖν αὐτὸν ἀποθανεῖν ἐκ τῶν διαβολῶν αὐτῶν, εἰ μὴ βασιλέως ἔτυχε φιλανθρώπου, ἐφʼ ὀἶς ἂν καὶ πᾶς ἐχθρὸς ἐκορέσθη κᾶν τὸν θυμὸν ὠμότατος, οὐκ ἐρυ- >ριῶσιν, ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἐπινεανιεύονται κατὰ τῆς Ἐκιλησίας καὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄφεσιν ιγανακτοῦντες αότοῦ,χείροσιν ἐπιτολμῶσι δευτέροις· ιαὶ κατηγοροῦσι μὶν εὐχερῶς, οὗ φοβοῦνται δὲ τὰ ἐν ἀῖς ἁγίαις Γραφαῖς γεγραμμένον. Μάρτυς ’ψευδὴς ιύκ ἀτιμώρητος ἔσται, καὶ Στόμα καταψευδόμενον ὶναιρεῖ ψυχὴν διά τοι τοῦτο οὐκέτι μὶν δυνάμεθα τιγᾷν, θαυμάζομεν δὲ τήν πονηρίαν αὐτῶν καὶ τήν ικόρεστον ἐπὶ συσκευαῖς φιλονεικίαν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ οὐ παύονται πάλιν βασιλικὰς ἀκοὰς κινοῦντες καθʼ ἡμῶν, οὐ παύονται γράφοντες ὀλέθρου γράμματα, πρὸς ἀναίρεσιν ἐπισκόπου τοῦ τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν ἐχθροῦ. Πάλιν γὰρ ἔγραψαν τοῖς βασιλεῦςι κατʼ αὐτοῦ, πάλιν αὐτὸν συσκευάσασθαι βούλονται, σφαγὰς αἰτιώμενοι μή γενομένας. πάλιν αὐτὸν φονεῦσαι βούλονται, φόνους αἰτιώμενοι μὴ γενομένους· καὶ τότε γὰρ ἂν ἐφόνευσαν διαβάλλοντες, εἰ μὴ φιλανθρώπου βασιλέως ἐτύχομεν· πάλιν αὐτὸν, τίνα τὸ ἔλαττον εἷʼπωμεν, ἐπʼ ἐξοριστίαν ἀπελθεῖν ἐπείγονται, συμφορὰς ἐξορίστων ὡς παρʼ αὑτοῦ γενομένων προσποιούμενοι θρηνεῖν. Καὶ θρηνοῦσι μὲν παρʼ ἡμῖν τὰ μὴ γενόμενα, οὐκ ἀρκοῦνται δὲ τοῖς γενομένοις κατʼ αὐτοῦ· ἀλλά καὶ δεύτερα καὶ χείρονα προσάψαι βούλονται, οὕτως εἰσὶ πρᾶοι καὶ φιλάνθρωποι, καὶ τὸν τρόπον ἐπιεικεῖςʼ μᾶλλον δὲ (εἰρήσεται γὰρ τάληθές) πονηροὶ καὶ πικροὶ, καὶ ἐκ φόβων καὶ ἀπειλῶν, ἢ ἐξ εὐσεβείας καὶ ἐπιεικείας, ἃτοῖς ἐπισκόποις πρέπει, τιμώμενοι. Οἴα γάρ μηδέ τῶν ἔξω τις φιλοπραγμόνων φθέγξαιτο, τοιαῦτα ῥήματα καταχέαι τετολμήκασιν, ῶν πρὸς τοὺς βασιλέας ἔγραψαν. Καὶ τοσούτων φόνων καὶ σφαγῶν κατηγόρησαν οὐκ ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνος, ούκ ἐπʼ ἄλλου τινὸς μείζονος, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τῶν Αύγούστων τῶν τριῶν ° οὐδὲ πρὸς τὰ διαστήματα τῶν ὁδῶν ἀποκνήσαντες, μόνον τίνα πάντα μείζονα δικαστήρια τῆς κατηγορίας αὐτῶν ἐμπλησθῇ. Κατηγορία γὰρ ἀληθῶς, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὰ παρʼ αὐτῶν γενόμενα, καὶ πασῶν ἀνωτάτω κατηγορίαʼ ὅπου γε καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀνωτάτω τά δικαστήρια. Τί γάρ ἄλλο τέλος τῆς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐξετάσεως, ἢ θάνατος ἐκ βασιλικῆς κινήσεως ἐπαγόμενος ;

### English translation (Claude)

We could, beloved brothers, have made a defense at the very beginning, as soon as the plot was laid against our fellow minister Athanasius, or at least after his entry into Alexandria, against what Eusebius and his party contrived against him; we could have complained of what he suffered at their hands and exposed all the false charges made against him. But at that time circumstances did not permit it, as you also know; and afterwards we thought that, once Bishop Athanasius had returned, they would be put to shame and blush at wrongs of theirs so manifest, and for this reason we persuaded ourselves to keep silent. But since, after the man has suffered so much—after his journey to the Gauls, after his sojourn in a foreign land, and that very far away, instead of his own, after he came near to death through their slanders, had he not found a humane emperor, things with which even the cruelest enemy would have glutted his anger—they do not blush, but again behave insolently against the Church and the man, and, vexed at his release, venture on a second and worse attempt; since they accuse lightly and do not fear what is written in the holy Scriptures, “A false witness shall not go unpunished,” and, “The mouth that lies slays the soul”: for this reason we can keep silent no longer, but we marvel at their wickedness and their insatiable zeal for plots. For see, they do not cease again to stir the emperors’ ears against us; they do not cease writing letters of destruction for the ruin of a bishop who is the enemy of their impiety. Again they have written to the emperors against him; again they wish to plot against him, charging slaughters that did not take place; again they wish to murder him, charging murders that did not take place. For they would have murdered him then by their slanders, had we not found a humane emperor. Again—to put it at the least—they press for him to be sent into exile, while pretending to lament the misfortunes of exiles as though he had caused them. They lament before us things that did not happen, and are not content with what was done against him, but wish to fasten upon him second and worse things: so gentle and humane are they, so reasonable in character! Or rather (for the truth shall be told), wicked and bitter, and honored for the fear and threats they inspire rather than for the piety and reasonableness that befit bishops. For words such as not even a busybody among those outside would utter they have dared to pour out in what they wrote to the emperors. And they have charged so many murders and slaughters, not before a governor, nor before any other higher official, but before the three Augusti, not shrinking even from the length of the journeys, if only all the greater courts might be filled with their accusation. For what they have done is truly an accusation, beloved, and the highest accusation of all, since the courts before which it is brought are the highest of all human courts. For what other end can an inquiry into such matters have than death inflicted at the emperor’s instigation?

### Scripture references

- Prov 19:5: quotation, high confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Wis 1:11 (Wisdom of Solomon): quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- From here to ch. 19 Athanasius quotes the encyclical letter of the Egyptian synod held at Alexandria (about 338). “A false witness shall not go unpunished”: Prov 19:5. “The mouth that lies slays the soul”: Wis 1:11. “The three Augusti”: Constantine II, Constantius, and Constans.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 3 (PG 25:252b–253c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-3).

## Defence against the Arians 4

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-4
- Source: PG 25:253c–256b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops say it is the accusers, not Athanasius, who deserve lament, since they seek his death and exile again after he has been restored.

### Greek text

Οὐκοῦν ού τὰ παρά ’Δθανασίου, ἀλλὰ τά παρʼ αὐτῶν γινόμενα, θρήνου καὶ οἰμωγῆς ἄξια. Οὐκοῦν αὐτοὺς μᾶλλον ἄν τις δικαίως θρηνήσειεν· ἐπί τούτοις γάρ ὀδύρεσθαι χρή· ἐπεὶ καὶ γέγραπται. Μὴ κλαίετε τὸν τεθνηκότα,μήτε θρηνεῖτε αὐτόν · κλαύσατε κλαυθμῷ τὸν ἐκπορευόμενον, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιστρέψει ἔτι. Πᾶσα γάρ αὐτῶν ἡ ἐπιστολή οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ πρὸς θάνατον ὁρᾷʼ καὶ φονεύειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν, ἐὰν συγχωρῶνται, καὶ ποιεῖν ἐξορίστους. Συνεχωρήθησαν γὰρ, τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου πατρὸς τῶν βασιλέων, ἀντὶ θανάτου, τῇ μεταθέσει τοῦ τόπου τὸν θυμὸν αὐτῶν έκπλήσαντος. Ταῦτα γὰρ ὅτι μηδὲ ψιλῶν Χριστιανῶν ἕργαίσπανίως δὲ καὶ ἐθνικῶν, μήτι γε ἐπισκόπων, δοκούντων καὶ τούς ἄλλους τά δίκαια διδάσκειν, συνορᾶν ὑμῶν τήν ἐν Χριστῷ συνείδησιν ἡγούμεθα· πῶς γὰρ οἱ τοὺς ἄλλους κωλύοντες κατηγορεῖν, αὐτοὶ κατήγοροι καὶ μέχρι βασιλέων γίνονται ; πῶς οἱ συμφορὰς ἐλεεῖν διδάσκοντες, οὐδὲ μετὰ τήν ἐξοριστίαν ἡμῶν ἡσυχάζουσιςΚοινὸς γὰρ γέγονεν ἡμῶν τῶν ἐπισκόπων ὁμολογουμένως ἐξορισμός· καὶ πάντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐξορίστους εἴχομεν, καὶ νῦν ὡς σὺν Ἀθανασίῳ ταις πατρίσιν ἀποοοθεντας, πάλιν εδδ, ἀντὶ τῶν προτέρων ὀδυρμῶν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ καὶ θρήνων μεγίστηνῨεύθυμίαν ἀπολαβόντας καὶ χάριν, ἣν (Ξ Κύριος διαφυλάξειε, καὶ ἀνατρέψαι τοῖς Ιέύσέβιον μὴ ἐπιτρέψῃ. Ταῦτα μὲν, εἰ καὶ ἀληθῆ ἦν ἃ κατηγορουν αὐτὸν, ἦν τινα κατηγορήματα, ὅτι παρὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τὸν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐξορισμὸν ἐπεμβαίνοντες πάλιν, φόνων και σφαγῶν καὶ,ἄλλων ἐγκλημάτων κατηγοέ ροῦσι, καὶ βασιλικαῖς ἀκοαῖς ταῦτα λατὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων ἐπηχοῦσιν, Ὅτε δὲ πάντα ψεύδονται, καὶ πάντα συκοφαντοῦσι, καὶ μὴ πρόσεςτιν αὐτῶν ἀλήθεια τοῖς στόμασι, μηδὲ τοῖς γράμμασι, ποσαπλοῦν τὸ κακὸν παρʼ αὐτοῖς; Ἢ ποταποὺς εἶναι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὑπολαμάάνετε ;’ Ἤδη τοίνυν ἐπʼ αύτά ἀωρήσωμεν, καὶ πρὸς τὰς κατηγορίας αὐτῶν ’τάξ ’νῦν τά-πρότερα παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ συνόδῳ καὶ κρίσει θρυλλούμενα, καλῶς πεπραγμένα, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἀληθῆ λεγόμενα ἐλεγχθήσεται, καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τούτοις γνωσθήσονται.

### English translation (Claude)

So it is not what Athanasius has done, but what they are doing, that deserves lament and wailing; it is they whom one might more justly lament. For over such things one ought to mourn, as it is also written: “Weep not for the dead, nor lament him; weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more.” For their whole letter looks to nothing but death; they attempt to murder, if they are permitted, and to make men exiles. They were permitted before, when the most God-loving father of the emperors satisfied their anger by a change of place instead of death. That these are not the deeds even of ordinary Christians, and seldom even of pagans, let alone of bishops, who are supposed to teach others what is just, your conscience in Christ perceives, we believe. For how can those who forbid others to accuse become accusers themselves, even before emperors? How can those who teach compassion for misfortunes not keep quiet even after our exile? For the exile was, admittedly, shared by us bishops: we all counted ourselves exiles, and now, as though we had been restored with Athanasius to our homelands, we have received again, instead of our former lamentations and wailing over him, the greatest gladness and grace—which may the Lord preserve, and not permit Eusebius and his party to overturn. Even if the charges they made against him were true, these would be charges against them: that contrary to the precept of Christianity, after the exile that came with that trial, they attack again, accusing him of murders and slaughters and other crimes, and din these into the emperors’ ears against the bishops. But when they lie in everything and make false accusations in everything, and there is no truth in their mouths or in their letters, how manifold is the evil in them! Or what kind of men do you take them to be? Let us now therefore come to the facts themselves and to their accusations, so that what they bandied about formerly at the synod and the trial as well done—or rather, as not even truly said—may be refuted, and they may again be known for what they are.

### Scripture references

- Jer 22:10: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “Weep not for the dead … ”: Jer 22:10. “The most God-loving father of the emperors” is Constantine, who exiled Athanasius to Trier in 335. A few words near the end of the section are damaged in the scan and are translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 4 (PG 25:253c–256b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-4).

## Defence against the Arians 5

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-5
- Source: PG 25:256b–260a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The Egyptian bishops deny that Athanasius caused any killings, recount the origins of the hostility of Eusebius’s party, defend Athanasius’s election, and attack Eusebius’s moves from see to see.

### Greek text

Δυσωπούμεθα μὲν οὖν περι τοιούτων ἀπολογούμενοι· πλὴν ἐπειδήπερ πρὸς πάντα ἑαυτοὺς οἱ προπετεῖς ἐπάγουσι κατήγοροι, καῖ μετὰ τήν εἴσοδον Ἀθανασίου ιρόνους καὶ σφαγὰς αἰτιῶνται γεγενῆσθαι, παρακαλοῦμεν ἀνασχέσθαι τῆς ἀπολογίας, διά πλειόνων ᾖο τά γὰρ πράγματα ἀναγκάζει. Φόνος μὲν οὔτε παρά Ἀθανασίου γέγονεν, οὕτε διʼ αὐτὸν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ εἰς ταύτην ἡμᾶς τὴν ἄδοξον ἀπολογίαν, (Ec προείπομεν, ἐμβιβάζουσιν o't κατήγοροι· σφαγαὶ δε καὶ δεσμοὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡμῶν ἀλλότριαί δημίῳ παραδέδωκεν ’Δθανάσιος οὐδένα· καὶ τὸν δεσμωεήριον, ὅσον ἐπ” αὐτῷ, οὐδεπώποτε ἐνοχληθὲν παρʼ αὐτοῦ. Τὰ παρʼ ἡμῖν ἱερατεῖα, ὥσπερ ἀεὶ, καὶ νῦν καθαρὰ, μόνῳ σεμνυνόμενα τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν εὐσεβείᾳ. Οὐ πρεσβύτερος, ού διάκονοςᾲάνηρέθη παρά Ἀθανασίου, ού φόνον, οὐκ ἐξ· οριστίαν ἔδρασεν ὁ ἅνθρωπος. Ἀλλʼ ενὶθε μηδὲ ἐγεῖνοι κατʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦτʼ ἔδρασαν ἀληθείᾳ τὴν πεῖραν ἐπαγαγόντες. Οὐδεὶς γάρ ἐξόριστος ἐνταῦθα γέγονε διʼ αὐτὸν, πλὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἀθανασίου τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας παρʼ αὐτῶν, ὃν ἀφεθέντα, καὶ πάλιν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἢ καὶ χείροσι περιβάλλειν ἐπιὲ ζητοῦσι, πάντα πρὸς ψευδῆ καὶ θανατηφόρα ρήματα τήν γλῶτταν ἑαυτῶν ὀτρύνοντες. Ἰδοὺ γάρλοιπὸν καὶ τάς τῶν δικαστῶν πράξεις ἐπʼ αὐτὸν μεταφέρουσι καὶ τὸν μὲν ἔπαρχον τῆς Αἰγύπτου φανερῶς ὁμολογοῦσιν ἐν τῇ ’ἐπιστολῇ κατά τινων ἀποπεφάνθαι* φ πάλιν δὲ ού δυσωποῦνται καὶ ταύτας τὰς ἀποφάσεις ’Δθανασίῳ προσάπτοντες · καὶ ταῦτα μηδέπω τῆς ’Δλεξανδρείας ἐπιβάντι, ἀλλʼ ἔτι τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐξοριστίας ἐχομένῳ, καὶ κατὰ τὴν Συρίαν ὄντι· εἷʼ γε δεῖ καὶ μακρὰν ἀποδημίαν εἰς ἀπολογίαν φέρειν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδέ ὑπεύθυνον εἶναί τινα, οἷς ἐὰν ἡγεμὼν ἢ ἔπαρχος Αἰγύπτου πράξῃ. Εἰ γάρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἦν, τί πρὸς ’Δθανάσιον αἱ τοῦ ἐπάρχου πράξεις; Ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὐδὲ ἐπεδήμει τοῖς τό· ποις · καὶ τὰ πραχθέντα ού διὰ προφάσεις ἐκκλησιαε στικὰς πέπρακται παρὰ τοῦ ἐπάρχου τῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἀλλά διά τινας ἃς, ἐκ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων εἷʼσεσθε ἅπερ, μετά τὸ γνῶναι τά παρά τούτων, γραφέντα,πολυη πραγμοντςσαντες ἀπεστείλαμεν ὑμῖν. Οὐκοῦν ὅτε κα νῦν τὰ μὴ γενόμενα μήτε παρʼ αὐτοῦ μήτε διʼ αὐτὸς βοῶσιν ὡς γενόμενα, καὶ τοσούτοις μαρτυροῦσιν ὡς πληροφορηθέντες κακοῖς, εἰπάτωσαν ἐκ ποίας συνόδοι καὶ ταῦτα ἔγνωσαν; ἐκ ποίων ἀποδείξεων; ἐκ ποῖαι κρίσεως; Εἰ δὲ μηδὲν ἔχοντες τοιοῦτον ἁπλῶς διαβεβαιοῦνται, καὶ τά πρότερα πῶς γέγονεν, ἢ πῶι λέγουσίν, ὑμῖν κατελίπομεν σκοπεῖν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλ( ἐστὶν ἤ συκοφαντία καὶ ἐχθρῶν ἐπιβουλὴ, καὶ θυμὸς ἄσχετα φρονῶν, καὶ κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἡ ὑπὲρ τῶπ ’Δρειομανιτῶν ἀσέβεια λυττῶσα, ’ίνʼ ἐκποδὼν μὲν οἱ ὀρθόδοξοι γένωνται, μετʼ ἀδείας δὲ λοιπὸν, ἃ βούλονται, κηρύττωσιν οἱ προστάται τῆς ἀσεβείας Καὶ γὰρ οὕτως ἔχει. - 6. Ἀρείου τοῦ ἀσεβήσαντος, ἀφʼ οὗ καὶ ἡ Ἀρειοο μανιτῶν διʼ αὐτὸν αἵρεσις κέκληται, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκβληθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίτου ἐπισκόπου Ἀλεξάνὃρου, οἱ περὶ Εύσέβιον μαθηταὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτοῦ καὶ κοινωνοὶ τυγχάνοντες, ἑαυτοὺς ἐκβεβλῆσθαι νομίζοντες, ἔγραφον πολλά παρακαλοῦντες Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν ἐπίσκοπον μὴ ἀφεῖναι τὸν αἱρετικὸν Ἀρειον ἔξω τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἀλεξάνδρου δὲ, διὰ τήν εἷς Χριστὸν εὐσέβειαν μὴ δεχομένου τὸν ἀσεβῆ, εἷς ’Δθανάσιοι τότε διάκονον ὄντα ἐλυποῦντο· ἐπειδὴ τὰ πλεῖστα συνόντα Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, πολυπραγμονοῦντες αὐτὸν ἤκουον, καὶ τιμώμενον παρʼ αὐτοῦ. Πεῖραν δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας τῆς εἷς Χριστὸν λαβόντες ἐκ τῆς συνόδου υῆς κατὰ Νίκαιαν συγκροτηθείο-ης, ἐν οἷς ἐπαρρησιάζετο κατὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας τῶι Ἀρειομανιτῶν, μειζόνως τὸ μῖσος ηὔξανον. Ὣς δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς ἤγαγε, τήν ἐκ παλαιοῦ τρεφομένην αὐτοῖς κακίαν ἀναζωπυρήσαντες, καὶ φοβούμενοι τήν ὀρθοδοξίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τήν κατᾶ τῆς ἀσεβείας παράστασιν, Εὐσέβιος δὲ πλεῖον καῖ ἀπὸ τῆς συνειδήσεως ὧν οἶδε πληττόμενος, πάντα τρόπον ἐπεβούλευον καὶ συνεσκευάζοντο τῷ ἀνδρί. Ἐκίνουν βασιλέα κατʼ αὐτοῦ, συνόδους ηπεί· λουν πολλάκις καί τέλος ἐν Τύρῳ συνῆλθον,καὶ μέχρι νῦν οὐκ ἀφίστανται κατʼ αὐτοῦ γράφοντες, καὶ οὕτως εἰσὶν ἀπαραίτητοι, ὡς καὶ τήν κατάστασιν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς αὐτοῦ μέμφεσθαι, πανταχοῦ δεικνύοντες ὲαυτοὺς ἐχθροὺς, καὶ μισοῦντας τόν ἄνδρα, κα ψευδῆ λέγοντες, μόνον ’ίνα ἐκφαυλίσωσιν αὐτόν ἐκ ταῖς ψευδολογίαις. ’Δλλά καὶ ἐξ αὑτῶν τούτων ὦ· ψεύδονται, τὰ πρότερα διελέγχουσι ψευδῆ καὶ συσκευῆι μεστά. Μετά γὰρ την τελευτὴν, φασὶν, Ἀλεξἀνδρου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου, ὀλίγων τινῶν Ἀθανασίοι μνήμην ποιουμένων, ἢ ἑπτὰ ἐπισκόπων λάθρα παραβύστῳ χειροτονοῦσιν αὐτόν. Ταῦτα ἔγραψαν καὶ βασιλεῦσιν, οἱ μηδὲν ψευδὲς γράφειν παραιτούμενοι. Ὅτι δὲ πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκγλησίας, ὥσπερ ἐκ μιᾶς τῆ ς ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος συνεληλυθότες, ἀνεβόων, ἔκραζον, Ἀθανασιον ἐπίσκοπον τῇ Ἐκκλησία. Τοῦτο αἰτοῦντες ηὔχοντο δημοσίᾳ τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ὥρκιζον ποιεῖν ἐπὶ πλείστας ἡμέρας καὶ νύκτας, μήτε αὐτοὶ τῆς Ἐκκθησίας ἀφιστάμενοι, μήτε ἡμᾶς ἐπιτρέποντες ἀφίστασθαι τούτου. Καὶ ἡμεῖς μάρτυρες τούτου, καὶ ἡ πόλις πᾶσα, καὶ ἡ ἐπαρχία · οὐδὲν μὶν ἐναντίον, ὡς ἔγραψαν ἐκεῖνοι, κατʼ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες ο πάντα δε τὰ βέλτιστα, σπουδαῖον, εὐλαβῆ, Χριστιανὸν ἕνα τῶν ἀσκητῶν, ἀληθῶς ἐπίσκοπον ὀνομάζοντες. Ὅτι δὲ οἱ πλείονες ἡμῶν αὐτὸν ἐχειροτόνησαν ὑπὸ ταῖς τῶν παντων ὄψεσι καὶ βοαῖς, μάρτυρες πάλιν ἡμεῖς ἀξιοπιστότεροι τῶν ἀπόντων καὶ ψευδομένων, οἱ χειροτονήσαντες. Ἀλλʼ ὅμως Εὐσέβιος τήν κατάστασιν Ἀθανασίου μέμιρεται, ἄνθρωπος τάχα μηδὲ κατάστασιν ὅλως ἐσχηκώς · εἷ δέ που καὶ ἔσχεν, αὐτὸς ἀκυρώσας αὐτήν ο ἐν Βηρυτῷ μὲν ἦν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, Βηρυτὸν δὲ ἀφεές, εἰς Νικομήδειαν ἦλθε, τήν μὲν παρὰ νόμον ἀφεὶς, εἰς ἢν δὲ παρά νόμον έπιβαίνῶν · καὶ τὴν μὶν οἰκείαν ἀστόργως κατολελοιπὼς, τὴν δὲ ἀλλοτρίαν ἀλόγως κατέχων · καὶ τῆς μὲν πρώτης τήν στοργήν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀλλοτρίας ἐπιθυμίας παριδὼν, τῇ δὲ δευτέρᾳ, μηδὲ ἣν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἔσχε τηρήσας, Ἰδοὺ γὰρ κάκεῖθεν ἀποστὰς ἀλλοτρίαν πάλιν κατέχει, πανταχοῦ ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις ἐποφθαλμιῶν πόλεσι, καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ ἐν μεγέθει πόλεων νομίζων εἶναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν, καὶ τὸν κλῆρον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καθʼ ’ὸν ἐτάχθη τις, μηδὲν ἡγούμενοςο οὐκ εἰδὼς, ὅτι καὶ ὅπου δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι είσίν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐκεῖ ἐστιν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν ὁ Κύριος. Οὑκ ἐνθυμούμενος τὰ παρά τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λεχθὲν, ὅτι οὑκ ἐν ἀλλοτρίαις καμάτοις καυχήσομαι· οὑ συνορῶν τὸ παρʼ αὑτοῦ παράγγελμα· Δέδεσαι γυναικὶ, μὴ ζήτει λύσιν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ γυναικὸς τὸ ῥητὸν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ Ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῆς αὑτῆς ἐπισκοπῆς, ’ ᾗ ὁ συνδεθεὶς ἄλλην οὑκ ὀφείλει ζητεῖν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ μοιχὸς παρᾶ ταῖς θείαις εὑρίσκηται Γράφαῖς.

### English translation (Claude)

We are ashamed to make a defense on such matters; but since these rash accusers bring themselves to anything, and allege that murders and slaughters took place after Athanasius’s entry, we beg you to bear with a defense at some length, for the facts compel it. No murder was committed by Athanasius or on his account—since, as we said, the accusers force us even into this inglorious defense. Slaughters and imprisonments are foreign to our Church. Athanasius has handed no one over to the executioner, and the prison, so far as he is concerned, has never been troubled by him. Our sanctuaries are pure, now as always, honored only by the blood of Christ and by piety toward him. No presbyter, no deacon was put to death by Athanasius; the man committed no murder and caused no exile. Would that they had not done this to him in fact, inflicting it on him! For no one here has been made an exile on his account, except Athanasius himself, the bishop of Alexandria, exiled by them; and now that he has been released, they seek to involve him again in the same or worse things, whetting their tongue for every false and deadly word. For see, they now transfer to him even the acts of the magistrates; and while in their letter they openly admit that the prefect of Egypt gave sentence against certain persons, they are not ashamed to fasten these sentences too on Athanasius—and that when he had not yet set foot in Alexandria, but was still on the road from exile, in Syria. As though one even had to plead a long journey in one’s defense, so that one might not be held answerable for whatever a governor or prefect of Egypt does! For even if he had been in Alexandria, what had the prefect’s acts to do with Athanasius? But he was not even present in the place; and what was done was done by the prefect of Egypt not on ecclesiastical grounds but for certain reasons which you will learn from the minutes, which, after learning what these men had written, we took the trouble to obtain and have sent to you. Since, then, they now cry out as having happened things that did not happen, either by him or on his account, and testify to such great evils as if fully assured of them, let them say from what synod they learned these things? From what proofs? From what trial? But if, having nothing of the kind, they simply affirm them, we leave it to you to consider how the earlier charges came about, or how they speak of them. For it is nothing but false accusation, a plot of enemies, anger with no restraint in its designs, and the impiety of the Ariomaniacs raging against piety, so that the orthodox may be put out of the way and the champions of impiety may thereafter preach freely whatever they wish. For so it is. [6] When the impious Arius, after whom the heresy of the Ariomaniacs is named, had been expelled from the Church by Bishop Alexander of blessed memory, Eusebius and his party, being disciples and partners of his impiety and considering themselves expelled too, wrote many letters urging Bishop Alexander not to leave the heretic Arius outside the Church. When Alexander, because of his piety toward Christ, would not receive the impious man, they were vexed with Athanasius, then a deacon; for, busying themselves with inquiries, they heard that he was much in the company of Bishop Alexander and was honored by him. And when they had had experience of his piety toward Christ at the synod held at Nicaea, where he spoke boldly against the impiety of the Ariomaniacs, their hatred grew all the more. And when God brought him to the episcopate, they rekindled the malice long nursed among them, and fearing his orthodoxy and his resistance to impiety—Eusebius above all, stung by his conscience over what he knows—they plotted and conspired against the man in every way. They stirred up the emperor against him, they often threatened synods, and at last they met at Tyre; and to this day they do not cease writing against him, and are so implacable that they even find fault with his appointment as bishop, everywhere showing themselves enemies and haters of the man and telling lies, if only they may disparage him by their falsehoods. But by the very lies they now tell they prove the earlier charges false and full of plotting. For they say that after the death of Bishop Alexander, when a few were mentioning Athanasius, … or seven bishops ordained him secretly in a hidden place. This they wrote even to the emperors, they who do not shrink from writing any falsehood. But the whole multitude and all the people of the catholic Church, gathered together as though with one soul and body, cried out and shouted, “Athanasius as bishop for the Church!” This they prayed for publicly to Christ, and they adjured us to do it, for very many days and nights, neither leaving the church themselves nor allowing us to leave it. Of this we are witnesses, and the whole city, and the province. They said nothing against him, as those men wrote, but called him every excellent thing: earnest, devout, a Christian, one of the ascetics, a true bishop. And that the greater part of us ordained him in the sight of all and amid the acclamations of all, we again, who ordained him, are witnesses more trustworthy than those who were absent and lie. Yet Eusebius finds fault with Athanasius’s appointment—a man who perhaps never had an appointment at all, or if he had one, annulled it himself. He was at Berytus at first; leaving Berytus, he came to Nicomedia, leaving the one against the law and entering the other against the law, deserting his own church without affection and holding another’s without reason, disregarding his love for the first out of desire for another’s, and not keeping even the second, which he had obtained through desire. For see, he has departed from there too and again holds another’s, everywhere eyeing other men’s cities, thinking that piety consists in wealth and in the size of cities, and counting as nothing the portion of God to which one has been appointed; not knowing that “where two or three are gathered together in the name of the Lord, there is the Lord in the midst of them”; not considering what the Apostle said, “I will not boast in other men’s labors”; not perceiving his precept, “Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed.” And if the saying holds of a wife, how much more of a church and of one’s own see, to which whoever has been bound ought not to seek another, lest he be found an adulterer as well according to the divine Scriptures.

### Scripture references

- Matt 18:20: quotation, high confidence
- 2 Cor 10:15: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Cor 7:27: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The numeral of chapter 6 was lost in the scan, so this staged section also contains chapter 6, marked [6] in the translation.
- “… or seven bishops”: a numeral appears to be lost in the scan before “or seven”; it is not supplied.
- Eusebius moved from Berytus to Nicomedia and later to Constantinople (“again holds another’s”). Biblical quotations: Matt 18:20 (adapted), 2 Cor 10:15, and 1 Cor 7:27, applied by analogy to a bishop’s bond to his see; the “adulterer” image is the synod’s own.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 5 (PG 25:256b–260a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-5).

## Defence against the Arians 7

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-7
- Source: PG 25:260a–261c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops turn Eusebius’s reproach back on him, since he and Theognis were themselves deposed, and deny that Athanasius’s return caused riots.

### Greek text

Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοιαῦτα ἑαυτῷ συνειδὼς, τετόλμηκε τήν κατάστασιν ’Δοανασίου, τὴν ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπὶ καλοῖς μαρτυρουμένην, διαβάλλειν· καὶ καθαίρεσιν ὀνειδίζειν αὐτῴ τολμᾷ, καθαιρεθεὶς αὐτὸς, καὶ μάρτυρα τῆς καθαιρέσεως ἔχων τήν ἀντʼ αὑτοῦ κατάστασιν. Πῶς οῦν ἢ αὐτὸς ἢ θεόγνιος ἠδύναντο καθαιρεῖν ἄλλον, αὐτοὶ καθαιρεθέντες, καὶ ταῖς ἀντʼ αὐτῶν καταστάσεσιν ἐλεγχόμενοι; Οίδατε γάρ ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι Ἀμφίων μὲν Νικομηδείᾳ, Χρηστὸς δὲ ἐν Νικαίᾳ κατεστάθησαν ἀντʼ αὐτῶν διὰ την οἰκείαν ἀσέβειαν, και τήν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀρειομανίτας κοινωνίαν, τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς συνόδου τῆς οἶκουμενικῆς ἀποδοκιμασθέντας. Κάκείνην τὴν τῷ ὄντι σύνοδον ἀναιρεῖν θέλοντες, τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἄδικον σύστασιν ὀνομάζειν σύνοδον ἐπιχειροῦσι, καὶ τὰ παρʼ ἐκείνῃ κρατεῖν μὴ θέλοντες, τὰ παρʼ αὐτοῖς κρατεῖν βούλονταιʼ καὶ σύνοδον ὀνομάζουσιν οἱ συνόδῳ τηλικαύτῃ μὴ πειθόμενοι. Οὕτως οὐ συνόδου πεφροντίκασιν, ἀλλά σχηματίζονται φροντίζειν, ἵνα, ἀνελόντες τοὺς ὀρθοδόξους, τὰ δόξαντα τῆ ἀληθεῖ καὶ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ κατὰ τῶν ’Δρειανῶν, λύσωσιν· ὧν προϊστάμενοι καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ νῦν, ψεύδεσθαι τολμῶσι κατὰ Ἀθανασίου” τοῦ ἐπισκόπου. Ὅμοια γὰρ κάκεῖνα τοῖς νῦν, ἃ ψεύδονται, ὅτι πρὸς τῆν εἴσοδον αὐτοῦ στάσεις καὶ θρῆνοι καὶ ὀδυρμοὶ γεγόναςι, τῶν λαῶν πρὸς τήν ὑποδοχὴν αὐτοῦ δυσανασχετούντων. Οὐδὲν γάρ τοιοῦτον γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τούναντίον, χαρά καὶ εὐθυμία, καὶ δρόμος τῶν λαῶν, πρὸς τήν εὐκταίαν αὐτοῦ θέαν ἐπειγομένων · εὐφροσύνης δὲ αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι μεσταὶ, καὶ εὐχαριστίαι πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἀναφερόμεναι πανταχοῦ. Λειτουργοὶ δὲ καὶ κληρικοὶ πάντες οὕτως αὐτὸν ἑωράκασιν, ὡς εὐφρανθῆναι τὰς ψυχὰς, κάκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν πασῶν εὐθυμοτέραν ἐσχηκέναι πιστεύειν. Τῆν γάρ ἡμῶν τῶν ἐπισκόπων ἀνεκκάλητον χαρὰν τί χρὴ γράφεινς προλαβόντες γὰρ εἰρήκαμεν, ὡς σὺν αὐτῷ πάσχειν ἐνομίζομεν.

### English translation (Claude)

Yet, though conscious of such things in himself, he has dared to slander the appointment of Athanasius, which all attest as honorable; and he dares to reproach him with deposition, though he has been deposed himself and has as witness to his deposition the appointment made in his place. How then could either he or Theognis depose another, when they had been deposed themselves and were convicted by the appointments made in their place? For you know well that Amphion was appointed at Nicomedia and Chrestus at Nicaea in their place, because of their own impiety and their communion with the Ariomaniacs, who were rejected by the ecumenical synod. And wishing to annul that synod, which was a synod in truth, they attempt to call their own unjust faction a synod; not wishing the decisions of that synod to prevail, they wish their own to prevail; and they speak of a synod, though they do not obey so great a synod. Thus they do not care about a synod, but pretend to care, so that, having removed the orthodox, they may undo what the true and great synod decided against the Arians, whose leaders they have been always and are now; and they dare to lie against Bishop Athanasius. For those earlier lies are like the present ones: that at his entry there were riots, lamentations, and wailing, the people being displeased at receiving him. Nothing of the kind happened, but quite the opposite: joy and gladness, and the people running, hastening to the sight they had prayed for; the churches full of rejoicing, and thanksgivings offered up to the Lord everywhere. All the ministers and clergy so beheld him that their souls were gladdened and they believed that day the happiest of all. And what need is there to write of the inexpressible joy of us bishops? For we have already said that we counted ourselves to be suffering with him.

### Translation notes

- Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis of Nicaea were exiled after Nicaea (about 325) and replaced by Amphion and Chrestus. A fragment of marginal text (a Greek and Latin gloss on 2 Cor 10:15) and other debris that leaked into the scan are removed by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 7 (PG 25:260a–261c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-7).

## Defence against the Arians 8

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-8
- Source: PG 25:261c–264b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops deny that the Council of Tyre was a true synod and point out that Arsenius, whom Athanasius was accused of murdering, is alive and seeks communion with them.

### Greek text

Τούτων τοίνυν οὕτως ὁμολογουμένων, καὶ παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐναντίως προφερομένων, ποίαν ἔχει πίστιν ἡ παρʼ αὐτῶν θρυλουμένη σύνοδος ’ἤ κρίσις ; Οἱ γάρ οὕτως ἐπιβαίνειν τολμῶντες, οἷς οὐκ εἶδον, οἷς οὐκ ἐδίκασαν, ἐφʼ οἷς οὐ συνῆλθον, καὶ γράφειν ὡς πληροφορηθέντες, πῶς ἐφʼ οἷς συνεληλυθέναι λέγουσι πιστευθῆναι δύνανται ; Ἀλλʼ οὐ κατʼ ἔχθραν κάκεῖνα πεποιηκέναι καὶ ταῦτα πιστευθήσονται ; Ποία γὰρ καὶ σύνοδος ἐπισκόπων ῆν τότε ; ποῖον συνέδριον ἀληθείας ἐχόμενον ; τίς τῶν πλειόνων ἐν αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐχθρὰς ἡμέτερος ῆν ; Οὐ διὰ τὴν Ἀρειου μανίαν οἳ περί Εὐσέβιον καθʼ ἡμῶν ὥρμησαν, Οὐ τοὺς ἄλλους συμφρονοῦντας αὐτοῖς ἐπήγοντο ; Οὐκ ἀεὶ κατʼ αὐτῶν ἐγράφομεν ὡς τὰ Ἀρείου φρονούντων; Οὐκ Εὐσέβιος ὁ ἐν Καισαρείᾳ τῆς Παλαιστίνης ἐπὶ θυσίᾳ κατηγορεῖτο ὑπὸ τῶν σὺνἡμῖν ὁμολογητῶν ; Οὐ Γεώργιος, ὡς καθαιρεθεὶς ὑπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ μακαρίου ἠλέγχετο ;Οὐκ ἐπʼ ἄλλοις ἄλλοι καὶ διαφόροις ηὐθύνοντο ; Πῶς οὖν οὗτοι συνιέναι καθʼ ἡμῶν ἤθελον ; Πῶς δέ σύνοδον ὀνομάζει τολμῶσιν, ἧς κόμης προύκάθητο, καὶ παρῆν σπεκουλάτωρ, καὶ Κομεντάριος ἡμᾶς εἷσὴγεν ἀντὶ διακόνων τῆς ἐκ· ιλησίας ; Ἐκεῖνος ἐφθέγγετο, καὶ οἱ παρόντες ἐσιώπων, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπήκουον τῷ κόμητι. Καὶ τὸ κινοῦν τοὺς δοκοῦντας ἐπισκόπους, ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου βουλῆς ἐνεποδίζετο. Ἐκεῖνος ἐκέλευεν, ἡμεῖς ὑπὸ στρατιωτῶν ἠγόμεθα· μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον κελευόντων, ἐκεῖνος ταῖς τούτων ἐξυπηρετεῖτο γνώμαις. Τὸ δὶ ὅλον, ἀγαπητοὶ, ποία σύνοδος ἔνθα τὸ τέλος ἐξοριστία καὶ φόνος εἰς δόξαν iv βασιλεῖ ; Ποῖα δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐγκλήματα ; Μεῖζον γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸ κατʼ αὐτῶν θαῦμα. Ἀρσένιός τις iv, ὃν πεφονεῦσθαι ἐμέμφοντο, καὶ ποτήριον διέβαλλον κεκλεισθαι μυστικόν. Ἀλλʼ Ἀρσένιος μὲν ζῆ, καί μεθʼ ἡμῶν είίχεται συνάγεσθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλας,ἀναμένει μαρτυρίας, ’ίνα ζῶν φανῇ, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς ὁμολογεῖ ζῇν, οίκείοις γράμμασι πρὸς τὸν συνεπίσκοπον ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσιον γράφων, ὃν αὐτοῦ φονέα διεβεβαιοῦντο. Καὶ οὐκ ᾐδοῦντο ot ἀσεβεῖς ἄν· δρα πρὸ τοσούτου διαστήματος, καὶ πλῷ καὶ πεζῇ πάμπολυ μῆκος ἀπέχοντα, παρʼ αὑτοῦ πεφονεῦσθαι κατηγοροῦντες, οὗ κατʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους μηδὲ τὴν χώραν εἶδεν ἄνθρωπος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ κρύψαι τετολμήκασι, καὶ ἀφανῆ καταστῆσαι μηδὲν παθόντα. Καὶ εἰ οἷόν τε iv εἰς ἄλλην οἰκουμένην ἂν μετετίθεσαν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τοῦ ζῇν ἀληθῶς ἂν ἐξήγαγον, ’ίνα εἴτε ἐπαληθεύοντες, εἷʼτε πλασάμενοι φόνον, ἀληθῶς Ἀθανάσιον ἀποκτείνωσιν. Ἀλλὰ τῇ θείᾳ προνοίᾳ καὶέν τούτῳ χάρις, τῇ μηδὲν ἄδικον ἰσχύειν ἐπιτρεπούσῃ, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ τὰς πάντων ὄψεις ’Δρσένιον ὑπαγούσῃ ζῶντα, καὶ φανερῶς τὴν τότε ωσκευήν καὶ συκοφαντίαν ἐλέγχοντα· οὗ γὰρ ὡς φονέας ἀποστρέφεται, οὑδὲ ὡς ἠδικηκότας μισεῖ· πέπονθε γὰρ ὅλως οὐδέν. Ἀλλὰ κοινωνεῖν ἡμῖν ἀξιοῖ, καὶ συναριθμεῖσθαι βούλεται, διʼ ὧν ἔγραψε.

### English translation (Claude)

Since, then, these facts are admitted, while they put about the contrary, what credit has the synod or trial they bandy about? For men who dare to intrude in this way on matters they did not see, did not judge, and did not assemble for, and to write as though fully informed—how can they be believed about the matters for which they say they did assemble? Will it not be believed that they did both those things and these out of enmity? For what kind of synod of bishops was that? What council that held to the truth? Which of the majority of them was not our enemy? Was it not because of the madness of Arius that Eusebius and his party rushed upon us? Did they not bring in the others who thought as they did? Have we not always written against them as men who hold the views of Arius? Was not Eusebius of Caesarea in Palestine accused of sacrificing by the confessors who were with us? Was not George proved to have been deposed by the blessed Alexander? Were not others charged with other and various offenses? How then could such men want to sit in judgment on us? And how do they dare to call it a synod, at which a count presided, an executioner was present, and a jailer brought us in instead of the deacons of the church? He spoke, and those present kept silent, or rather obeyed the count; and any move by those who passed for bishops was blocked at his will. He gave orders, and we were led about by soldiers—or rather, Eusebius and his party gave the orders, and he served their designs. In short, beloved, what kind of synod is it whose end is exile and murder at the emperor’s pleasure? And what were the charges? For in these the wonder against them is greater still. There was a certain Arsenius, whom they complained had been murdered; and they slanderously alleged that a mystical cup had been broken. But Arsenius is alive and prays to be admitted to communion with us; and he does not wait for other testimonies to show that he is alive, but himself confesses that he lives, writing in his own letters to our fellow bishop Athanasius, whom they asserted to be his murderer. And the impious men were not ashamed to accuse him of having murdered a man who lived so far away, separated by a very long distance by sea and land, whose country at that time no one had even seen. They even dared to hide him and make him vanish, though he had suffered nothing; and had it been possible they would have removed him to another world, or rather would have taken him out of life in truth, so that, whether by proving the murder or by inventing it, they might truly kill Athanasius. But thanks be to divine providence in this too, which permits nothing unjust to prevail, but brought Arsenius alive before the eyes of all, openly refuting the plot and false accusation of that time. For he does not turn away from us as murderers nor hate us as having wronged him—he has suffered nothing at all—but asks to be in communion with us and wishes to be numbered with us, as his letter shows.

### Translation notes

- The “synod” is the Council of Tyre (335), presided over by the count Dionysius. “Jailer” renders κομεντάριος (Latin commentariensis), an officer in charge of prisoners. Arsenius was a Meletian bishop of Hypsele; his letter is quoted in ch. 69.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 8 (PG 25:261c–264b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-8).

## Defence against the Arians 9

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-9
- Source: PG 25:264b–265b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops explain that Athanasius was exiled not on the Tyre charges but on Eusebius’s new slander that he threatened the grain supply to Constantinople, and that Constantine had earlier condemned the Meletians.

### Greek text

Καὶ ὅμως ’Δθανάσιος μὲν συνεσκευάζετο παρʼ αὑτῶν, ὡς τὸν ζῶντα πεφονευκὼς, ἐξωρίζετο δὶ παρὰ τῶν αὑτῶν. Οὑδὲ γὰρ 6 πατὴρ τῶν βασιλέων τοῦτον ἐξώρισεν, ἀλλʼ αἱ τούτων διαβολαί. Σκοπεῖτε γὰρ, εἶ μὴ οὕτως ἔχειʼ ’Θς οὐδὲν μὲν εὑρίσκετο κατὰ τοῦ συλλειτουργοῦ ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου, 6 δὲ κόμης ἐβιάζετο, καὶ πολὺς iv σπουδάζων κατʼ αὐτοῦʼ 6 μὶν ἐπίσκοπος ’Δθανάσιος, φυγὼ τήν γενομένην βίαν, ἀνῆλθε πρὸς τὸν εὐσεβέστατον βασιλέα, παραιτούμενος ἅμα καὶ τὸν κόμητα καὶτὰς ἐκείνων συσκευὰς, ἀξιῶν δὲ νόμιμον ἐπισκόπων σύνοδον συγκροτηθῆναι, ἢ καὶ αὑτὸν δέ· ξασθαι τήν ἀπολογίαν, ὧν ἐπήγαγον αὑτῷ. Καὶ γράφει μὲν βασιλεὺς ἀγανακτῶν, καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς, ἐπαγγελλόμενός τε αὑτὸς ἀκροάσασθαι, 6 καὶ τήν σύνοδον κελεύσας γενέσθαι· οἱ δὲ περὶ Εὑσέβιον, ἀνελθόντες, διαβάλλουσιν Ἀθανάσιον, οὑκέτι μὲν τὰ ἐν Τύρῳ θρυλούμενα παρʼ αὐτῶν, περὶ σίτου δὲ καὶ πλοίων ἐποχῆς, ὡς ’Δθανασίου ἐπαγγειλαμένου δύ·νασθαι κωλύειν τήν ἀπὸ ’Βλεξανδρείας εἷς τήν Κων σταντινούπολιν τοῦ σίτου μετακομιδιςν· ταῦτα τινες τῶν ἐξ ἡμῶν ἔνδον ὅντες μετὰ Ἀθανασίου ἀκηκόασι τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπειλοῦντος. Εἶτα τοῦ Ἀθανασίου ὀδυρομένου ἐπὶ τῇ διαβολῇ, καὶ διαβεβαιουμένου, μή εἶναι ταύτην ἀληθῆ· πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἰδιώτης ἅνθρωπος καὶ πένης τηλικαῦτα …; Εὑσέβιος, οὑδὲ δημοσίᾳ παραιτησάμενος τὴν διαβολὴν, ὤμνυε τὸν Ἀθανοὶσιον εἶναι πλούσιον,καῖ δυνατὸν,καῖ ἱκανὸν πρὸς πάντα, ’ίνα ἐκ τούτων κάκεῖνα … ’Δθανάσιος νομισθῇ. Ταῦτα μὲν οἱ σεμνοὶ κατηγόρουν ἐπίσκοποι· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις κρείττων τῆς πονηρίας αὑτῶν γεγένηται. την γὰρ εὐσέβειαντοῦ βασιλέως εἷς φιλανθρωπίαν κεκίνηκε, καὶ ἀντὶ θανάτου τὴν έξοριστίαν παρέσχεν. Οὑκοῦν αἱ διαβολαὶ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο, τούτων αʼίτιαι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ βασιλεὺς πρὸ τούτου γράφων, τήν συσκευὴν ἐμέμψατο, τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ᾐτιάσατο, τῶν Μελιτιανῶν κατεψηφίσατο, ἀθεμίτους, ἀρᾶς ἀξίους, τὰ δεινότατα αὐτοὺς ἐγγράφως εἰπών. Κεκίνηται γὰρ νεκρὸν ἀκηκοὼς ἄνθρωπον, ὃς ἐν τοῖς ζῶσιν ἦν· κεκίνηται φόνον ἀκούσας έπὶ ζῶντι, καὶτοῦ βίου μὴ στερηθέντι, καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀπεστείλαμεν.

### English translation (Claude)

And yet Athanasius was plotted against by them as having murdered the living man, and was exiled by the same men. For it was not the father of the emperors who exiled him, but their slanders. Consider whether it is not so. When nothing was found against our fellow minister Athanasius, while the count used force and was very zealous against him, Bishop Athanasius, fleeing the violence that was done, went up to the most pious emperor, protesting against the count and against their plots, and asking that a lawful synod of bishops be convened, or that the emperor himself receive his defense against what they had brought against him. And the emperor wrote in indignation, summoning them, promising to hear the case himself and ordering the synod to be held. But Eusebius and his party went up and slandered Athanasius, no longer with what they had bandied about at Tyre, but about grain and the holding back of ships, alleging that Athanasius had boasted that he could stop the shipment of grain from Alexandria to Constantinople. Some of our number who were inside with Athanasius heard the emperor threatening. Then, when Athanasius lamented the slander and affirmed that it was not true—for how could a private and poor man do such things?—Eusebius, without even withdrawing the slander publicly, swore that Athanasius was rich and powerful and able to do anything, so that on this ground Athanasius might be thought to have said the other thing too. These were the charges of those venerable bishops; but the grace of God proved stronger than their wickedness. For it moved the piety of the emperor to clemency, and gave exile instead of death. So it was the slanders, and nothing else, that caused these things. For the emperor, writing before this, had censured the plot, blamed the conspiracy, and condemned the Meletians, calling them in writing lawless and deserving of curses, and saying the harshest things about them. For he had been moved on hearing that a man was dead who was among the living; he had been moved on hearing of a murder of a living man who had not been deprived of life. And we have sent you the letter.

### Translation notes

- A few words are garbled in the scan (“how could a private and poor man do such things?” and the end of the following sentence); they are translated by sense, and the debris is removed by logged corrections where it is plainly not Greek. Constantine’s letter is quoted in ch. 68.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 9 (PG 25:264b–265b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-9).

## Defence against the Arians 10

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-10
- Source: PG 25:265b–265c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops point out the contradiction in a synod that relied on imperial power yet overturned the emperor’s own judgment clearing Athanasius.

### Greek text

Οἳ δὲ περὶ Εὑσέβιον οἱ θαυμαστοὶ, ’ίνα καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὰ γραφέντα λύειν δόξωσιν, ἄνομα συνόδου σχηματίζονται, καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὑτῆς παρᾶ βασιλέως λαμβάνουσι. Καὶ κόμης ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ στρατιῶται δορυφόροι τῶν ἐπισκόπων, καὶ βασιλικᾶ γράμματα συνελθεῖν, οὓς ᾔτησαν έπαναγκάζοντα. Ἐνταῦοα τὸ παράδοξον τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῶν ἐνθυμήθητε, καὶ τήν ἀνωμαλίαν τῶν τολμωμένων αὑτοῖς, (ίνα ὅθεν δήποτε παντὶ τρόπῳ τον ἄνθρωπον ἐξ ἡμῶν ἁρπάσωσιν, Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐπέτρεπον ἑαυτοῖς τὴν κρίσιν μόνοις ὡς ἐπίσκοποι, τίς κόμητος καὶ στρατιωτῶν χρεία; ἢ πῶς ὑπὸ βασιλικοῖς συνήγοντο γράμμαςιν ; Εἰ δὲ βασιλέως ἐδέοντο, καὶ παρʼ αὑτοῦ τὸ κῦρος ἔχειν ἤθελον, διὰ τί τὴν κρίσιν αὑτοῦ παρέλυον ; Ἢ πῶς ἐκείνου τοὺς μὲν Μελιτιανοὺς συκοφάντας, ἀθεμίτους, Ἀθανσὶσιον δὲ καθαρώτατον διʼ ὧν ἔγραψε κρίναντος, καὶ τὸν φόνον ἐκτραγερδοῦντος τὸν έπὶ τῷ ζῶντι πεπλασμένον, οὗτοι καὶ Μελιτιανοῦς ἀληθεύειν, κάκεῖνον ὑπεύθυνον εἶναι διωρίζοντο ; καὶ μὴ αἰδούμενοι, τὸν ζῶντα νεκρὸν έποίουν ; ζῶντα καὶ μετὰ τήν κρίσιν τοῖʼ) βασιλέως, καὶ ὅτε συνῄεσαν, καὶ ἄχρι νῦν σὺν ἡμῖν ὅντα. Ταῦτα μὲν περί Ἀρσενίου.

### English translation (Claude)

But the admirable Eusebius and his party, in order to appear to undo both the truth and what had been written, put on the name of a synod and obtain from the emperor the means of carrying it out. Hence a count, and soldiers as bodyguards of the bishops, and imperial letters compelling those they wished to assemble. Here consider the strangeness of their plot and the inconsistency of what they dared, so that by any means and in every way they might snatch the man from us. For if they were entrusting the judgment to themselves alone, as bishops, what need was there of a count and soldiers? Or how was it that they assembled under imperial letters? But if they needed the emperor and wished to have their authority from him, why did they set aside his judgment? Or how, when he had judged in what he wrote that the Meletians were false accusers and lawless and Athanasius entirely innocent, and had spoken with indignation of the murder invented about a living man, did these men decide that the Meletians were telling the truth and that he was guilty? And without shame they made the living man dead—living after the emperor’s judgment, living when they assembled, and to this day with us. So much for Arsenius.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 10 (PG 25:265b–265c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-10).

## Defence against the Arians 11

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-11
- Source: PG 25:265d–269a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops show that the charge of the broken chalice is impossible: Ischyras’s house was no church, he was no presbyter, and it was not the Lord’s day.

### Greek text

Ποτήριον δὲ μυστικὸν, ποῖον, ἢ ποῦ κατεαγὶν παρὰ Μακαρίου ; τοῦτο γὰρ ἄνω καὶ κάτω περιιόντες θρυλοῦσι. Καίτοι Ἀθανάσιον μὲν οὑδὲ οἱ κατήγοροι τετολμήκασιν αἰτιάσασθαι, εἰ μή παρʼ αὑτῶν ὑπεβλήθησαν· ἀλλʼ ὅμως αὑτοὶ τὸ τέλος τῆς μέμψεως ;πʼ αὐτὸν ἄγουσιν· ὃ μηδὲ ἐπὶ Μακάρων ἔδει χωρεῖν, οὐκ ἐλεγχθέντα. Καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνονται ταῦτα ἐπὶ κατηχουμένων, καὶ τό γε χείριστον, ἐπὶ Ἑλλήνων τραγῳδοῦντες τὰ μυστήρια· δέον, ὡς γέγραπται, Μυστηριον βασιλέως καλὸν κρύπτειν δ καὶ ὡς 6 Κύριος παρήγγειλε· Μή δῶτε τὰ ἅγια τοῖς κυσὶ, μηδὲ βάλητε τοὺς μαργαρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων. φῦ χρὴ γὰρ τὰ μυστήρια ἀμυήτοις τραγῳδεῖν, ’ίνα μή Ἕλληνες μὲν ἀγνοοῦντες γελῶσι, ’κατ- ’ ηχούμενοι δὲ, περίεργοι γενόμενοι, σκανδαλίζωνται. Ἀλλά καὶ ὅμως ποῖον ἢ ποῦ, ἢ παρά τίσι κατεαγὶν ποτήριον; Μελιτιανοί μὲν γάρ εἰσιν οἱ κατηγοροῦντες καθόλου πιστεύεσθαι μὴ ὀφείλοντες. Σχισματικοὶ γάρ καὶ ἐχθροὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας γεγόνασιν, οὐ νῦν, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ μακαρίου Πέτρου, ἐπισκόπου καὶ μάρτυρος γενομένου ’ οἱ καὶ αὗτῷ Πέτρῳ ἐπιβουλεύσαντες,καὶ Ἀχιλλᾶν τὸν μετʼ ἐκεῖνον διαβαλόντες, καὶ,Ἀλεξάνδρου κατηγορήσαντες μέχρις αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως. Οὕτω γὰρ δὴ μελετήσαντες, λοιπὸν καὶ εἷς Ἀθανάσιον διέβησαν, οὐδὲν ξένον τῆς πονηρίας ἑαυτῶν ποιοῦντες· καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ, οὕτω καί τοῦτον ὲσυκοφάντησαν. Ἀλλὰ νῦν αὐτῶν καί οὐ πρότερον ἡ συκοφαντία καὶ αἱ διαβολαὶ κεκραο τήκασινʼ ὅτι τοὺς περὶ Εύσέβιον ἔσχον συνεργοὺς καὶ προστάτας διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσέβειαν τῶν Ἄρειομανιτῶν, διʼ ἢν ὥσπερ πολλοῖς ἐπισκόποις, οὕτω καὶ Ἀθανασίῳ συνεσκευάσαντο. Καὶ γὰρ 6 τόπος ἐκεῖνος ἐν ᾧ κεκλεισθαι τὸ ποτήριόν φησιν, οὐκ ἦν ἐκκλησίαν πρεσβύτερος οὐκ ἦν ὁ τὸν τόπον παροικῶν· ἦμέρα, καθʼ ἢν Μακάριόν τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι φασὶν, οὐκ ἦν Κυριακή. Μήτε τοίνυν ἐκκλησίας οὔσης ἐκεῖ, μήτε τοῦ ἱερουργοῦντος, μήτε τῆς ἡμέρας ἀπαιτούσης,ποῖον ἢ πότε, ἦ ποῦ τὸ ποτήριον κέκλασται μυστικόν ; Ποτήρια μὲν γὰρ εἶναι πολλᾶ καὶ κατά τὰς οἰκίας, καὶ ἐν ἀγορᾷ μέσῃ δῆλον, καὶ τούτων οὐδὲν 6 θραύων ἀσεβεἷʼ τὸ δὲ μυστικὸν ποτήριον, ὃ, κᾶν θραυσθῇ παρʼ ἑκόντος, ἀσεβῆ ποιεῖ τὸν ἐπικεχειρηκότα, παρὰ μόνοις τοῖς νομίμως προεστῶσιν εὑρίσκεται· οὗτος 6 τρόπος τούτου τοῦ ποτηρίου μόνος, ἄλλος οὐδείς, Τοῦτο ὑμεῖς νομίμως προπίνετε τοῖς λαοῖςʼ τοῦτο ὐμοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ κανόνος παρελάβετε τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τῶν τῆς καθολικῆς Έκκλησίας προεστώτων. Μόνον γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστι προπίνειν τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ· τῶν δὲ ἄλλων οὐδενός. Ἀλλʼ ὅσον τὰ μυστικὸν 6 θλάων ἀσεβὴς, τοσοῦτον ἀσεβέστερος 6 ἐνυβρίζων τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐνυβρίζει γὰρ 6 natde τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν θεσμὸν τοῦτο ποιῶν. Καὶ ταῦτα ιραμεν οὐχ ὅτι κᾶν σχισματικῶν ποτήριον κέκλασται παρά Μακαρίου, ἀλλʼ ὅτι μηδὲν ἦν ὅλως ἐκεῖ· πῶς γάρ ; ὅπου μήτε τόπος Κυριακῆς, μήτε τις ἐκεῖ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἀλλὰ μήτε 6 καιρὸς μυστηρίων ἧν; Οὗτος δέ ἐστιν ὁ πολυθρύλλητος Ἰσχύρας, ὁ μήτε ὑπό τῆς Ἐκκλησίας χειροτονηθεὶς, καὶ ὅτε τοὺς ὑπὸ Μελετίοτ κατασταθέντας πρεσβυτέρους Ἀλέξανδρος ἐδέχετο, μηδὲ ἐκείνοις συναριθμηθείς · οὕτως ούδέ ἐκεῖθεν κατεστάθη.

### English translation (Claude)

And the mystical cup—what cup, or where was it broken by Macarius? For this is what they go about bandying up and down. Yet not even the accusers dared to charge Athanasius, except as prompted by them; and still they bring the end of the complaint round to him—though it ought not to have touched even Macarius, since it was not proved. And they are not ashamed to make a tragedy of the mysteries before catechumens and, what is worst, before pagans; whereas, as it is written, “It is good to hide the secret of a king,” and as the Lord commanded, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine.” For the mysteries ought not to be paraded before the uninitiated, lest pagans laugh in their ignorance, and catechumens grow curious and be offended. But still, what cup was broken, or where, or in whose presence? For it is Meletians who accuse, who ought not to be believed at all; for they have been schismatics and enemies of the Church, not just now, but since the time of the blessed Peter, who was bishop and martyr. They plotted against Peter himself, slandered Achillas, his successor, and accused Alexander even before the emperor himself. Having practiced in this way, they then passed on to Athanasius too, doing nothing foreign to their wickedness: as they falsely accused those before him, so they falsely accused him. But their false accusation and slanders have prevailed now, and not before, because they had Eusebius and his party as fellow workers and patrons, on account of their own Ariomaniac impiety, for whose sake they plotted against Athanasius as against many bishops. For the place in which they say the cup was broken was not a church; there was no presbyter living in the place; and the day on which they say Macarius did this was not the Lord’s day. Since, then, there was no church there, nor anyone to celebrate, nor did the day call for it, what mystical cup was broken, or when, or where? That there are many cups, both in houses and in the middle of the marketplace, is plain, and whoever breaks any of them commits no impiety; but the mystical cup, which makes impious whoever lays hands on it if he breaks it deliberately, is found only with those who preside lawfully. This is the only kind of this cup, and there is no other. This you lawfully give the people to drink; this you received by the canon of the Church; this belongs only to those who preside over the catholic Church. For it is yours alone to give the blood of Christ to drink, and no one else’s. But as he who breaks the mystical cup is impious, so much more impious is he who insults the blood of Christ; and he insults it who does this contrary to the ordinance of the Church. And we say this not because even a cup of the schismatics was broken by Macarius, but because there was nothing there at all. How could there be, where there was neither a church building, nor anyone of the Church there, nor was it the time for the mysteries? This is the notorious Ischyras, who was never ordained by the Church, and who, when Alexander received the presbyters appointed by Meletius, was not even numbered among them; so he was not appointed from that side either.

### Scripture references

- Matt 7:6: quotation, high confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Tob 12:7 (Tobit): quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “It is good to hide the secret of a king”: Tob 12:7. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs …”: Matt 7:6. Peter of Alexandria (martyred 311), Achillas, and Alexander were Athanasius’s predecessors. Ischyras is the Mareotic “presbyter” at whose house Macarius was said to have broken the chalice.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 11 (PG 25:265d–269a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-11).

## Defence against the Arians 12

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-12
- Source: PG 25:269a–269b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops argue that Ischyras was never validly ordained, since Colluthus was only a presbyter, and that he has been rewarded for his accusation with a church and perhaps a bishopric.

### Greek text

Πόθεν οὗν πρεσβύτερος Ἰσχύρας;τίνος καταστήσαντος; ἆρα Κολλούθου; τοῦτο γὰρ λοιπόν. · Ἀλλʼ ὅτι Κόλλουθος πρεσβύτερος ὢν ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ πᾶσα χεὶρ αὑτοῦ γέγονεν ἄκυρος, καὶ πάντες οἱ παρʼ αὑτοῦ κατασταθέντες ἐν τῶ σχίσμα-ει λαῖκοὶ γεγόνασι, καὶ οὕτω συνάγονται, δῆλον, καὶ Οὖδενῖ καθέστηκεν ἀμφίβολον. Πῶς οὖν ἰδιώτης ἄνθρωπος, καὶ οἰκίσκον οἰκῶν ἰδιωτικὸν, ποτήριον ἔχειν μυστικὸν πιστευθείη; ἀλλὰ τότε τὸν ἰδιώτην πρεσβύτερον ὠνόμαζον, καὶ την προσηγορίαν αὑτῷ ταύτην δια την καθʼ ἡμῶν ἀδικίαν ἐχαρίζοντο, γαὶ νῦν μισθὸν τῆς κατηγορίας ἐκκλησίας οἰκοδομήν προξενοῦσιν. Οὕτως οὑκ εἶχεν ἐκκλησίαν ἅνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ μισθὸν τῆς κακοηθείας καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὴν κατηγορίαν ὑπακοῆς · νῦν ἢν οὑκ εἶχε λαμβάνει, καὶ τάχα καὶ ἐπισκοπὴν ἀντέδοσαν αύτῷ· ταῦτα γαρ θρυλεῖ περιιὼν, καὶ οὕτω καθʼ ἡμῶν βρενθύεται. Οὕτω λοιπὸν τηλικαῦτα ἔπαθλα παρὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων τοῖς κατηγόροις καὶ συκοφάνταις προςτίθεταιο εἰκότως, οἱ γὰρ συνεργὸν εἷς ἃ ἤθελον αὑτὸν ἐσχηκότες, ὡς τῶν πραγμάτων κοινωνὸν, οὕτω καὶ τῆς ὁμοίας ἐπισκοπῆς ἠξίωσαν. Ἀλλὰ μήπω ταῦτα, ἔτι δὲ τας ἀκοὰς τοῖς τότε πραχθεῖσι παρʼ αὑτῶν ἔνδοτε.

### English translation (Claude)

Where, then, did Ischyras become a presbyter? Who appointed him? Colluthus? For that is all that is left. But it is plain and doubtful to no one that Colluthus died a presbyter, that his every laying-on of hands was invalid, and that all those appointed by him in the schism became laymen and attend services as such. How then could a private man, living in a private cottage, be believed to have a mystical cup? But at that time they called the private man a presbyter and bestowed this title on him for the sake of their injustice against us; and now, as the wage of his accusation, they procure for him the building of a church. So the man had no church, but now receives, as the wage of his malice and his obedience in making the accusation, the church he did not have; and perhaps they have given him a bishopric in return as well, for he goes about saying so and swaggers against us accordingly. So such prizes are now bestowed by bishops on accusers and false accusers—naturally, for having had him as an accomplice in what they wanted, they deemed him worthy of a share in their episcopate as a partner in their deeds. But enough of this; lend your ears still to what they did at that time.

### Translation notes

- Colluthus, an Alexandrian presbyter, had ordained clergy in his own schism; the synod of Alexandria (about 324) declared his ordinations void.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 12 (PG 25:269a–269b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/1/#p-12).

## Defence against the Arians 13

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-13
- Source: PG 25:269b–272b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops recount how Athanasius’s declared enemies were sent secretly to investigate in the Mareotis, taking the accuser with them but leaving the accused under guard at Tyre.

### Greek text

Μὴ δυνηθέντες πρὸς τήν ἀληθειαν, καίτοι κατʼ αὑτῆς παρεσκευασμένοι, καὶ ἐν Τύρῳ μηδὲν ἀποδείξαντος ’[σχύρα, ἀλλά συκοφάντου δεικνυμένου, καὶ τήν συσκευήν αὑτῶν τῆς συκοφαντίας λυούσης, εἷς ἀποδείξεις ὑπερτίθενται, καὶ ἐπαγγέλλονται ὑπερτίθενται, καὶ πέμψειν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν τοὺς κατὰ Μαρεώτην πολυπραγμονήσοντας. Καὶ οὖς· ἡμεῖς παρῃτούμεθα φανερῶς διὰ πολλὰ, καὶ ὡς τὰ ’Δρείου φρονοῦντας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἡμῶν ἐχθροὺς, ἀπέστειλαν αὑτοὶ κρύφα, χρώμενοι τῇ δυναστείᾳ, Διόγνιον, Μάριν, Θεόδωρον, Μακεδόνιον, δύο νεωτέρους τήν ἡλικίαν καὶ τὸν τρόπον, Οὑρσάκιον καὶ Οὐάλεντα ἀπὸ Παννονίας· καί οὗτοι μετὰ την τοσαύτην ὁδὸν, ἦν ὑπέμειναν, ’ίνα δικασωσι τῷ ἐχθρῷ, πάλιν ἀπὸ Τύρου καὶ εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἠπείγοντοο μηδὲ τὸ μάρτυρες οἰ δικασταῖ γενέσθαι παραιτησάμενοι, ἀλλά πάντα τρόπον ἐπιβουλῆς ἀναδεξάμενοι φανερῶς, καὶ πάντα κάματον καὶ πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ὑποστάντες,ίνα τὴν κατασκευαζομὲνην ωσκευήν πληρώσωσι. Καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐπίσκοπον ’Δθανάσιον κατεχόμενον ἐπὶ ζένης ἠφίεσαν ο αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τήν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ πόλιν εἰσῄεσαν, ὥσπερ ἐπικωμάζοντες, καὶ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ τῷ λαῷ καὶ τὸ παραλογώτερον, Ἰσχύραν τὸν κατήγορον μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν ἐπαγόμενοι, Μακάριον τὸν κατηγορούμενον οὐκ ἐπέτρεψαν ἀκολουθῆσαι, ἀλλʼ ἔμφρουρον ἀφῆκαν ἐν Τύρῳ. Ἀνω γὰρ καὶ κάτω Μακάριος ὁ πρεσβύτερος τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ὑπήγετο παρʼ αὐτῶν τῷ ἐγκλήματι. “

### English translation (Claude)

Being unable to prevail against the truth, though they had armed themselves against it, and since at Tyre Ischyras proved nothing but was shown to be a false accuser, and the truth was unraveling the plot of their false accusation, they postpone the proofs and promise to send some of their own number to make inquiries in the Mareotis. And those whom we openly objected to for many reasons, both as holding the views of Arius and for that reason our enemies, they sent themselves, secretly, using their power: Diognius, Maris, Theodore, Macedonius, and two who were young in age and in character, Ursacius and Valens from Pannonia. And these men, after so long a journey, which they endured in order to judge their enemy, hastened again from Tyre to Alexandria, not declining to become witnesses as well as judges, but openly undertaking every kind of plotting and submitting to every toil and every journey in order to complete the plot that was being prepared. They left Bishop Athanasius detained abroad, while they themselves entered their enemy’s city as if in a revel against both the Church and the people; and, what was more unreasonable, they took Ischyras the accuser along with them, but did not allow Macarius the accused to follow, leaving him under guard at Tyre. For Macarius, the presbyter of Alexandria, was being dragged up and down by them on the charge.

### Translation notes

- The commission to the Mareotis (335): “Diognius” (Διόγνιον), probably Theognis of Nicaea, Maris of Chalcedon, Theodore of Heraclea, Macedonius of Mopsuestia, Ursacius of Singidunum, and Valens of Mursa. Valens’s name is lost in the scan, replaced by a Latin word; it is restored by a logged correction. A Latin footnote of Migne that leaked into the text is removed.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 13 (PG 25:269b–272b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-13).

## Defence against the Arians 14

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-14
- Source: PG 25:272b–273a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops describe the one-sided inquiry in the Mareotis, conducted with the accuser and the prefect, excluding the clergy and using pagan witnesses.

### Greek text

Μόνοι τοίνυν μετὰ τοῦ κατηγόρου τήν Ἀλε- Ξάνδρειαν εἰσελθόντες, σύνοικον αὐτὸν, καὶ συνέστιον, καὶ συμπότην ἔχοντες, καὶ τὸν ἔπαρχον τῆς Αἰγύπτου Φιλάγριον παραλαβόντες, ἐπὶ την Ηαρεώτην ἀπῆλθον · κάκεῖ δῆθεν ἐποιοῦντο τὴν ἐξέτασιν μόνοι, ὡς ἤθελον, μετὰ τοῦ προειρη μένου · πολλὰ τοὺς πρεὤυτέρους παρεῖναι παρακαλέσαντας οὒκ ἐπιτρέψαντες. Ἠξίουν δῖε παρεῖναι οί τε τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῆς χώρας πάσης πρεσβύτεροι, ἴνα τοὺς ὐποβαλλομένους ὑπδ Ἰσχύρα διελέγξωσι τίνες καί πόθεν εἰσί. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν λειτουργοὺς ἐκώλυον παρεῖναι· ἐπὶ δὶ τῶν ἐθνικῶν ἐξήταζον περὶ ἐκκλησίας, περὶ ποτηρίου, περὶ τραπέζης, καὶ τῶν ἀγίων· καὶ τὸ δεινότερον, ἐθνικοὺς ἐκάλουν μάρτυρας περὶ ποτηρίου μυστικοῦ ζητοῦντες· καὶ οὓς ἡρπάσθαι παρά ’Δθανασίου διωρίζοντο, ἐκ μετακλήσεως τοῦ καθολικοῦ, καὶ μηδὲ ὅποι γῆς εἰσι γινώσκειν, τούτους εἰσῆγον ἐφʼ ἑαυτῶν καὶ τοῦ ἐπάρχου μόνον. Καὶ οὐκ ἡδοῦντο τούτους ἠφανίσθαι παρά τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἀθανασίου λέγοντες, ὧν ταῖς μαρτυρίαις συγχρῆσηαι δοκοῦσιν ἈλΛᾶ κάνταῦθα μόνον φονεῦσαι βουλόμενοι, πάλιν τοὺς ζῶντας, ὡς ἀποθανόντας, τὸν ἐπὶ Ἀρσενίου τρόπον μιμούμενοι πλάττονται. Ὀντας γὰρ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ φαινομένους ἐπὶ τῆς ἰδίας, ὑμῖν τοῖς μακρὰν ὡς ἀφανεῖς ἐκτραγῳδοῦσιν,ίνα, μακρὰν ὅντων τῶν ἐλέγχων,τὸν συλλειτουργὸν ἡμῶν διαβάλλωσιν, ὡς βίᾳ καὶ δυναστείᾳ χρώμενον, καίτοι πάντα αὐτοὶ μετὰ δυναστείας καὶ προστασίας πράττοντες. Καὶ γὰρ ὅμοια πάλιν τὰ κατά Μαρεώτην τοῖς κατὰ Τύρον ἐγίνετο ’ ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ κόμης ἦν μετὰ στρατιωτικῆς ὑπηρεσίας, οὐδενὶ ἐπιτρέπων παρὰ τὰ ἐκείνοις δοκοῦντα, ἢ λέγεσθαι, πράττεσθαι, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῢθα ὁ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἔπαρχος μετά τῆξ τάξεως ἦν, πάντας μὲν τοὺς τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκφοβῶν, μηδένα δὲ μετὰγάληθείας ἐπιτρέπων μαρτυρεῖν ’ καὶ τὸ παραδοξότερον ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τόπῳ. καί οἰκίᾳ τοῦ κατηγόρου, καὶ ᾤκουν,καί ἐξετάζειν ἐδόκουν ἆ ἠβούλοντο, εἴτε δικασταὶ, εἷίεε μάρτυρες, εἴτε τῆς ἑαυτῶν καὶ Εὖσεβίου σπουδῆς, ὅπερ ἀληθέστερον, ὐπηρέται παραγενό μενο ι.

### English translation (Claude)

So, having entered Alexandria alone with the accuser, having him as their housemate, table companion, and drinking companion, and taking with them Philagrius the prefect of Egypt, they went off to the Mareotis; and there they conducted the inquiry, so-called, by themselves as they pleased, with the aforesaid man, not allowing the presbyters to be present, though they asked many times. Both the presbyters of the city and those of the whole countryside asked to be present, so that they might expose who the persons put forward by Ischyras were and where they came from. And they kept the ministers from being present, while before pagans they inquired about a church, about a cup, about a table, and about the holy things; and, what was worse, they called pagans as witnesses when inquiring about a mystical cup. And those whom they asserted had been carried off by Athanasius at the summons of the catholicus, and whose whereabouts on earth were unknown, these they brought in before themselves and the prefect alone. And they were not ashamed to say that these men had been made away with by Bishop Athanasius—men whose testimony they evidently use! But here too, wishing only to murder, they again invent the living as dead, imitating their method with Arsenius. For the men exist and are seen in their own country, yet to you who are far away they make a tragedy of them as having vanished, so that, while the proofs are far off, they may slander our fellow minister as using force and power, though they themselves do everything with power and patronage. For what happened at the Mareotis again resembled what happened at Tyre: as there a count was present with a military guard, permitting nothing to be said or done contrary to their wishes, so here too the prefect of Egypt was present with his staff, frightening all the members of the church and permitting no one to testify truthfully. And what was stranger, in the very place, in the accuser’s house, they both lodged and conducted what inquiry they pleased—as judges, or witnesses, or rather, which is truer, as servants of their own zeal and Eusebius’s.

### Translation notes

- The catholicus was the imperial financial officer of Egypt. Some OCR debris and a garbled word near the end are removed or corrected by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 14 (PG 25:272b–273a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-14).

## Defence against the Arians 15

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-15
- Source: PG 25:273a–273b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops describe the violence against virgins in Alexandria during the commission’s visit and cite Ischyras’s own letter admitting that he invented the charge.

### Greek text

Καὶ τίνα τὰ παρʼ αὐτῶν εἰς τήν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν τολμηθέντα, νομίζομεν ὑμᾶς μὴ ἀγνοεῖν· πανταχοῢη γὰρ διαδεδοται. Ξίφη γυμνά κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων παρθένων καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐχώρει, καὶ μάστιγες κατά τῶν ἐντίμων παρὰ Θεῷ σωμάτων, καὶ τοὺς πόδας ἐχώλευον ὐπὸ τῶν πληγῶν, αἱ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν ἁγνείᾳ καὶ πᾶσιν ὁλόκληροι τοῖς καλοῖς. Ἐργασίαι τε κατʼ αὐτῶν ἐπεσείοντο· καὶ ἐθνικοὶ δῆμοι πρὸς τὸ γυμνοῦν, τύπτειν, ἀσελγαίνειν κατʼ αὐτῶν, βωμούς τε καὶ Θυσίας ἐπαπειλεῖν αὐταῖς. Καί τις ἀσελγὴς ἀνὴρ, ὠς ἐξουσίας λοιπὸν δοθείσης ὐπὸ τοῦ ἐπάρχου πρὸς χάριν τῶν ἐπισκόπων, χεῖρα παρθένου κατεῖχε, καὶ πρὸς τυχόντα βωμὸν εἷλκεν, ἀνάγκην θυσίας καὶ διωγμοῦ μιμούμενος. Καὶ ταῦτα ἐπράττετο, καὶ φυγή τῶν παρθένων ἦν, καὶ γέλως τῶν ἐθνικῶν κατὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τῶν ἐπισκόπων ἔνδον ὄντων, καὶ ταύτὴν τὴν οἰκίαν οἰκούντων, ἐν ταῦτα ἐπράττετο, καί ἀφʼἧς διὰ τὴν εἷς αὐτοὺς χάριν, ξιφῶν αἱ παρθένοι γυμνῶν, καὶ παντὸς κινδύνου, καὶ ὕβρεων, καὶ παροινίας πεπείρανται. Καὶ ταῦτα ἔπασχον ἐν νηστείᾳ παρὰ τῶν τοῖς ἐπισκόποις ἔνδον συνεστιωμένων. Ταῦτα προειδότες, ὡς ἐχθρῶν εἴσοδος οὐχ ἠ τυχοῦσα βλάβη, τήν παραίτησιν ἐποιησάμεθα. Ταῦτα καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐν νῷ λαβὼν ὁ τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης ἐπίσκοπος, γράφει πρὸς τοὺς ἐκεῖ μείναντας τὴν συσκευὴν ἐλέγχων, καὶ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν μαρτυρόμενος· ’ὀν κᾶν συναριθμῶσιν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς μετρῶσιν ἕνα, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ κατʼ ἐκείνου τὴν βίαν δεικνύουσι. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ παμπόνηρος Ἰσχύρας, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἄνευ φόβου καὶ βίας ἐπʼ αὐτὸ ὥρμησεν, ἀλλʼ ἀνάγκη τήν κατηγορίαν ὐπὲδυ. Τούτου τεκμήριον, αὐτὸς ἔγραψεν Ἰσχύρας πρὸς τὸν συνεπίσκοπον ’Δθανάσιον, ὅτι μηδὲν ἐκεῖ πέπρακται τοιοῦτον, ἀλλʼ ύπεβλήθη πλάσασθαι. Καὶ ταῦτα ἔγραψεν οὐ δεχθεὶς παρʼ αὐτοῦ ὡς πρεσβύτερος, οὗ τοιαύτην χάριτος προσηγορίαν λαβὼν, οὐκ οἰκοδομὴν ἐκκλησίας εἰς ἀμοιβὴν τυχὼν, οὐ μισθὸν ἐπισκοπῆς προσδοκήσας· ὧν πάντων ἔτυχε παρʼ αὐτῶν διὰ τήν κατηγο ρίαν. Ἀλλὰ καὶτό γένος αὐτοῦ πᾶν μεθʼ ἡμῶν συνήγετο· οὐκ ἂν συναχθέντες, εἷγε τὸ τυχὸν ἠδίκηντο.

### English translation (Claude)

What they dared to do in Alexandria we suppose you are not unaware of, for it has been reported everywhere. Naked swords were brought against the holy virgins and the brothers, and scourges against bodies honorable before God, and women whose souls were pure in chastity and complete in every good thing were lamed in their feet by the blows. The trades were stirred up against them, and pagan mobs, to strip them, beat them, and treat them wantonly, and to threaten them with altars and sacrifices. And a licentious man, as though license had now been given by the prefect as a favor to the bishops, seized a virgin by the hand and dragged her to an altar that happened to be there, imitating the compulsion to sacrifice in a persecution. These things were done, and the virgins fled, and the pagans laughed at the Church, while the bishops were in the city, lodging in the very house where these things were being done, and from which, out of favor to them, the virgins endured naked swords and every danger, insult, and drunken violence. And they suffered these things during a fast, at the hands of men who were feasting indoors with the bishops. [16] Foreseeing these things, knowing that the entry of enemies is no ordinary harm, we made our objection. Alexander too, the bishop of Thessalonica, bearing these things in mind, writes to those who remained there, exposing the plot and bearing witness to the conspiracy. Even if they number him with themselves and count him one of the plot, they show nothing else than the violence done to him. For even the utterly wicked Ischyras did not rush into it without fear and force, but took on the accusation under compulsion. As proof of this, Ischyras himself wrote to our fellow bishop Athanasius that nothing of the kind had been done there, but that he had been prompted to invent it. And he wrote this without having been received by him as a presbyter, without having been granted such a title as a favor, without having obtained the building of a church as a reward or expecting a bishopric as a wage—all of which he obtained from them for his accusation. Moreover, his whole family attended services with us; they would not have done so had they been wronged in the least.

### Translation notes

- The numeral of chapter 16 stands in the scan inside this staged section; it is marked [16] in the translation. “Those who remained there” are the bishops still at Tyre; Alexander of Thessalonica’s letter is quoted in ch. 80, and Ischyras’s letter in ch. 64.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 15 (PG 25:273a–273b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-15).

## Defence against the Arians 17

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-17
- Source: PG 25:273b–277a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops cite witnesses and letters, including Constantine’s, against the charges, and argue that the Meletian John was a tool of the Arian party, whose real aim was to remove an opponent of their heresy.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα μὲν οὗν ὅτι μὴ λόγος, ἀλλʼ ἔργον, μάρτυρες μὲν οἱ τοῦ Μαρεώτου πρεσβύτεροι πάντες, οἱ ἀεὶ συνόντες ἐν ταῖς περιοδίαις τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ. Ol. καὶ τότε γράψαντες κατὰ Ἰσχύρα· καὶ μήτε ἐν Τύρῳ οἱ ἐλθόντες ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπιτραπέντες εἷπεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, μήτε ἐν τῷ Μαρεώτῃ ἀπομείναντες, συγχωρηθέντες ἐλέγξαι τὸν Ἰσχύραν συκοφάντηψ καὶ δὲ τὰ ἀντίγραφα τῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου γραμμάτων, καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ τὰ Ἰσχύρα. ’Ἄπεστείλαμεν δὲ καὶ τήν τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν βασιλέων ἐπιστολήν ἔνθα οὐ μόνον ἐπʼ Ἀρσενίῳ δυσχεραίνει, ὅτι ζῶντος ἆνθρώπου φόνος ἐνεκαλεῖτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶ ποτηρίῳ ἐθαύμαζε τὸ ποικίλον τῆς κατηγορίας καὶ πεπιλαένημὲνον, ὅτι πή μὲν Μακαρίου τοῦ* πρεσβυτέρου, πή δὲ Ἀθανασίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου κατηγόρουινρςκλίίσαντος ταῖς χερσὶ τὸ ποτήριον καὶ πάλιν συκοφάντας τοὺς Μελιτιανοὺς, καὶ πάλιν Ἀθανάσιον καθαρώτατον ἀποφαίνεται. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ συκοφάνται Μελιτιανοὶ, καὶ πρὸ γε πάντων Ἰωάννης ; Ὁ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τήν ἐκκλησίαν, κοινωνήσας ἡμῖν, καταγνοὺς ἑαυτοῦ, μηδὲν ἔτι περὶ τοῦ ποτηρίου κινήσας· ἐπειδὴ τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον εἶδε σπουδάζοντας τοῖς Ἀρειομανίταις, οὐκ ἀποτολμῶντας δὲ φανερῶς αὐτοῖς συνεργεῖν, ἀλλὰ ζητοῦντας ἄλλοις χρῆσθαι προσώποιςʼ ἑαυτὸν ὑποβἐβληκεν, ὥσπερ τῶν ἔξω θεάτρων, ὑποκριτήν. Καὶ ἡ μὲν ῦπόθεσίς ἧν Ἀρειανῶν ἁγών· καὶ τὰ πρωτότυπον ἐκείνους κατορθοῦν, ὑποβολή δὲ καὶ παράρτημα τούτων Ἰωάννης καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ· ’ίνα οἱ τῶν ’Δρειανῶν σπουδασταὶ διὰ τῆς τούτων προφάσεως, δικαστῶν σχήματι, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τῆς ἀσεβείας ἀπώσωνται, καὶ ἀσέβειαν ἐγκαταπήξωσι, καὶ τοὺς Ἀρειανοὺς εἷσαγάγωσι τῇ Ἐκκλησία· καὶ, οἱ τὴν εὐσέβειαν … διʼ ἀσεβείας νικῆσαι βιάζονταιʼ καὶ οἱ τὴν ἀσέβειαν τήν κατὰ Χριστοῦ προελόμενοι, τοὺς τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐχθροὺς ὡς ἀσεβεῖςἀνελεῖν ἐπεχείρησαν· Ἂν καὶ ποτήριον ἡμῖν προφέρουσι κεκλασμένον, ’ίνα δόξῃ … καὶ Ἀθανάσιος κατά Χριστοῦ συνασεβεῖν αὐτοῖς. Ποία γὰρ καὶ μνήμη παρʼ αὺτοῖς ὀφείλεται ποτηρίου μυστικοῦ ; πόθεν ἀσεβείας, τῆς εἷς Χριστὸν προστάτπις περὶ ποτηρίου νοῦς εὐσεβής ; πόθεν τοῖς τον Χριστὸν γνωρίζουσι ποτήριον Χριστοῦ γνώριμον ; πῶς θʼι ποῖή· ριον τιμᾷν προσποιούμενοι τὸν τοῦ ποτηρίου Θεὸν ἀτιμάζουσιν ; ἢ πῶς οἱ ποτήριον ὀδυρόμενοι τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ μυσταγωγοῦντα φονεῦσαι ζητοῦσι; ναὶ ἐφόνευσαν ἂν τὸ ὅσον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. Πῶς δὲ οἱ τὸν θρόνον τὸν ἐστολισμένον ἐπισκοπικῶς ὀδυρόμενοι, τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ καθήμενον ἐπίσκοπον ἀνελεῖν ζητοῦσιν ;ίνα καὶ ὁ θρόνος τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ζητῇ, καὶ οἱ λαοὶ τῆς εὖ· σεβοῦς διδασκαλίας στερηθῶσιν. Οὔτε οὗν ποτήριον, οὔτε φόνος, οὕτε τι τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν τερατολογηθέντων εἰς τοῦτο αὐτοῦς προήγαγεν, ἀλλʼ ἡ προειρημένη τῶν Ἀρειανῶν ἀσέβεια· διʼ ἢν καὶ Δθανασίῳ καί ἄλλοις ἐπισκόποις ἐπιβουλεύσαντες, ἔτι καὶ νῦν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πολεμοῦσιν, Ἄρα γὰρ τίνες οἱ φόνους καὶ ἐξοριστίας ἀληθῶς ποιήσαντες ; οὐχ οὗτοι ; Ἀρα τίνες,ταῖς ἔξωθεν προστασίαις χρώμενοι, τοῖς ἐπισκόποις ἐπιβουλεύουσιν ; οὐχ οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον μᾶλλον, καὶ οὐκ Ἀθανάσιος, ὡς αὐτοὶ γράφουσι; παρʼ αὖ· τῶν γὰρ αὐτὸς καὶ ἄλλοι πεπόνθασι. Καὶ γὰρ διʼ ἀσέβειαν κινῆσαι … καὶ πρεσβυτεροι τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας τέτταρες κατʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν, καίτοι μηδὲ είς Τύρον ἐξελθόντες, ὑπερόριοι παρʼ αὐτῶν γεγόνασιν. Ἀρα τίνες οἱ θρήνων καὶ δακρύων ἄξίοι; οὐχ οἱ καὶ τὰ πρῶτα ποιήσαντες, καὶ δεύτερα συνάπτειν μὴ παραιτούμενοι, καὶ πάντα συκοφαντοῦντες, ’ίνα ἐπίσκοπον ἀπολέσωσι μὴ ὑπείκοντα τῇ τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν αἱρέσει; Διά τοῦτο ἡ ἔχθρα τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον υ δια τοῦτο τὰ ἐν Τύρῳ κινηθέντα ο διὰ τοῦτο αἱ προσποίητοι κρίσεις · διὰ τοῦτο νῦν καὶ χωρὶς κρίσεως παρʼ αὐτῶν, ὡς πεπληροφορημένων, γράμμα-ιαʼ διὰ τοῦτο αἱ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τῶν βασιλέων καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τοὺς εὐσεβεᾳτάτους βασιλεῖς διαβολαί.

### English translation (Claude)

That these things are not words but deeds, all the presbyters of the Mareotis are witnesses, who always accompany the bishop on his visitations; who also wrote against Ischyras at that time; and neither were those of them who came to Tyre allowed to speak the truth, nor were those who stayed in the Mareotis permitted to expose Ischyras as a false accuser. There are also the copies of Alexander’s letters, and of the presbyters’, and of Ischyras’s. We have sent also the letter of the father of the emperors, in which he is not only indignant over Arsenius, that the murder of a living man was charged, but also marvels at the inconsistency and confusion of the accusation about the cup, since they accused now Macarius the presbyter and now Athanasius the bishop of having broken the cup with his hands; and again he declares the Meletians false accusers, and again Athanasius entirely innocent. For how are the Meletians not false accusers, and John above all? He came into the church, communicated with us, condemned himself, and raised nothing further about the cup; but when he saw Eusebius and his party zealous for the Ariomaniacs yet not daring to work with them openly, and seeking to use other faces, he put himself forward like an actor of the theaters outside. The plot was a contest of the Arians, and the main aim was their success; John and those with him were their stooge and appendage, so that the partisans of the Arians, using these men as a pretext, in the guise of judges, might drive away the enemies of impiety, fix impiety firmly, and bring the Arians into the Church. And those who … piety try to conquer by impiety; and those who chose impiety against Christ attempted to destroy the enemies of impiety as impious. They bring up a broken cup against us, so that it might seem … that Athanasius too was impious against Christ along with them. For what concern for a mystical cup should they have? Whence do the champions of impiety toward Christ get a pious mind about a cup? How should the cup of Christ be familiar to those who do not know Christ? How do those who pretend to honor the cup dishonor the God of the cup? Or how do those who lament a cup seek to murder the bishop who celebrates the mysteries with it? And they would have murdered him, as far as lay in them. And how do those who lament the throne adorned for a bishop seek to destroy the bishop who sits on it, so that the throne may want its bishop and the people be deprived of pious teaching? So it was neither a cup, nor a murder, nor any of the marvels they told that led them to this, but the aforesaid impiety of the Arians, for whose sake they plotted against Athanasius and other bishops and still now make war on the Church. For who are they that have truly caused murders and exiles? Is it not these? Who are they that, using outside patronage, plot against bishops? Is it not Eusebius and his party rather, and not Athanasius, as they write? For he and others have suffered at their hands. For on account of impiety … and four presbyters of Alexandria at that time, though they had not even gone to Tyre, were sent beyond the frontier by them. Who, then, deserve lamentation and tears? Is it not those who did the first things and do not shrink from adding second ones, and make false accusations in everything, so that they may destroy a bishop who does not yield to their impious heresy? This is the reason for the enmity of Eusebius and his party; this is the reason for what was set in motion at Tyre; this is the reason for the feigned trials; this is the reason why they now write letters even without a trial, as though fully informed; this is the reason for the slanders to the father of the emperors and to the most pious emperors themselves.

### Translation notes

- John Arcaph was the Meletian leader. Several lines in this section are badly damaged in the scan; the debris is removed by logged corrections and the lost words are marked “…”, not supplied.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 17 (PG 25:273b–277a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-17).

## Defence against the Arians 18

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-18
- Source: PG 25:277a–277b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The bishops answer the new charge that Athanasius sold the imperial grain meant for widows, saying the Arians invented it in order to take the grain for themselves.

### Greek text

Οἴα γὰρ καὶ νῦν κατείρηται ὁ συλλειτουργὸς ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσιος, ἀναγκαῖον ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι, ἶνα καὶ νώσκητε ὅτι μηδὲν ἄλλο ἢ φονεῦσαι ζητοῦσι τὸν ἅνδρα. Σῖτος παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν βασιλέων ἐδίδοτο πρὸς τὰς τῶν χηρῶν διατροφὰς ἰδίᾳ μὲν Λιβύας, ἰδίᾳ δέ τισιν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. Τοῦτον πάντες λαμβάνουσιν ἄχρι νῦν, Ἀθανασίου μηδὲν ἐξ αὐτοῦ κομιζομένου πλὴν μόνου τοῦ συγκάμνειν αὐτοῖς. ’Δλλὰ νῦν ἐκείνων λαμβανόντων μὴ μεμψαμένων, ὁμολογούντων λαμβάνειν, διαβέβληται Ἀθανάσιος ὡς ὅλον τὸν σῖτον πιπράσκων, καὶ είς τὸ ἴδιον ιίιποιρερόμενος καὶ τοῦτο ἔγραψε βασιλεὺς, αἰτιώμενος ἐκ τῶν γε· γενημένων διαβολῶν. Τίνες τοίνυν οἱ διαβεβληκότες; Ούχ οἱ καὶ τα πρῶτα ποιήσαντες, καὶ τὰ δεύτερα κινεῖν μὴ παραιτούμενοι ; Τίνες οἱ τῶν γραμματων τούτων αίίτιοι τῶν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως· λεγομένων; οὐχ οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ σπουδάζοντες, καὶ μηδὲν κατὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς παραιτησάμενοι μήτε λέγειν, μήτε γράφειν; Ούδεὶς γὰρ, τοὺς τοσαῦτα ποιήσαντας ἀφεὶς, ἄλλους· ὑποπτεύσειε. Καὶ γὰρ ἐναργέστατον αὐτῶν τδ δεῖγμα τῆς διαβολῆς φαίνεταιο σπουδάζουσι γὰρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀφελέσθαι τὸν σῖτον τῇ προφάσει τῆς δια, βολῆς καὶ Ἀρειανοῖς παρασχεῖν. Ὃ πάντων μάλιστα εἰς τοὺς αἰτίους τῆς σπουδῆς καὶ τοὺς ἐξάρχους αὐτῶν ἀνατρέχει, τοὺς μήτε φόνους κατὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς κινῆσαι παραιτησαμένους, διʼ ὧν ψευδῆ διαβεβλήκασι βασιλεῖ, μήτε τῶν κλήρων τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀφελέσθαι τὰς τροφὰς, ’ίνα τῷ ὄντι κέρδος αἱρετικοῖς παράσχωνται.

### English translation (Claude)

For you must know what is now alleged against our fellow minister Athanasius, so that you may recognize that they seek nothing else than to murder the man. Grain was given by the father of the emperors for the support of the widows, one portion for Libya and another for certain persons from Egypt. All have received it up to now, Athanasius getting nothing from it but the labor of helping them. But now, although they receive it and make no complaint but acknowledge that they receive it, Athanasius has been slandered as selling all the grain and appropriating it to his own use; and the emperor has written to this effect, accusing him on the strength of the slanders that were made. Who, then, are the slanderers? Is it not those who did the first things and do not shrink from stirring up second ones? Who are the authors of these letters said to come from the emperor? Is it not the Arians, who are zealous against him and have not shrunk from saying or writing anything against the man? For no one would pass over those who have done so much and suspect others. Indeed the clearest proof of their slander appears: they are eager, on the pretext of the slander, to take the grain away from the Church and give it to the Arians. This above all points back to the authors of the scheme and their ringleaders, who did not shrink either from stirring up charges of murder against the man, by which they have falsely slandered him to the emperor, or from taking away the support of the clergy of the Church, in order in fact to provide gain for heretics.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 18 (PG 25:277a–277b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-18).

## Defence against the Arians 19

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-19
- Source: PG 25:277b–280b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The Egyptian bishops ask the bishops everywhere to accept their testimony for Athanasius, to reject Eusebius’s party, who have set up a bishop for the Arians, and to disregard letters signed in the names of Egyptian bishops.

### Greek text

Ἀπεστείλαμεν δὲ καὶ τήν μαρτυρίαν τῶν κατά Λιβύην, καὶ Πεντάπολιν, καὶ τῶν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν, ’ίνα καὶ ἐκ τούτου γνῶτε τήν κατὰ Ἀθανασίου γεγενημένην συκοφαντίαν. Ταῦτα δὲ ποιοῦσιν, ’ίνα, φόβῳ λοιπὸν ἡσυχαζόντων τῶν τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας φρονούντων, ἡ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ’Δρειανῶν αʼίρεσις ἀντεισαχθῇ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ μὲν ὑμῶν εὐλαβείᾳ χάρις, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὅτι πολλάκις τοὺς Ἀρειανοὺς ἀναθεματίζοντες ἐγράψατε, καὶ χώραν αὐτοῖς εἷς τήν Ἐκκλησίαν οὐ δεδώκατεʼ τῶν δὲ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ὁ ἔλεγχος ἐγγύς. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ μετά τὰ πρότερα παρʼ αὐ·τῶν περὶ τῶν Ἀρειανῶν γράμματα, ὧν καὶ ἀπεστείλαμεν τά ἀντίγραφα, φανερῶς λοιπὸν τοὺς παρὰ πάσης τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀναθεματισθέντας Ἀρειομανίτας ἐπεγείρουσι κατά τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ἐπίσκοπον αὐτοῖς κατέστησαν, καὶ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς καὶ τοῖς φόβοις διαιροῦσι τάς Ἐκκλησίας, ’ίνα πανταχοῦ συνεργοὺς ἔχωσι τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ διακόνους πρὸς τοὺς ’Δρειομανίτας ἀποστέλλουσιν, οἳ φανερῶς συνάγονται παρʼ αὐτοῖς καὶ γράφουσιν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἀντίγραφα παρʼ αὐτῶν κομίζονται, τήν Ἐκκλησίαν κατασχίζοντες, καὶ κοινωνοῦντες αὐτοῖς, καὶ γράμματα ἀποστέλλοντες πανταχοῦ, τήν αʼίρεσιν αὐτῶν συνιστῶντα, καί τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἀποκηρύττοντα, ὡς δυνήσεσθε μαθεῖν, ἀφʼ ὧν αὐτοὶ τῷ Ῥωμαίων ἐπισκόπῳ, καὶ τάχα καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔγραψαν. Ὡς οῦν οὐκ ἀνεκδίκητα ταῦτά ἐστι, συνορᾶτε καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἀγαπητοί. Δεινά γάρ καὶ ἀλλότρια τῆς κατά Χριστὸν διδασκαλίας ἐστί, Τούτου γοῦν ἕνεκεν κοινῇ συνελθόντες ἐγράψαμεν ὑμῖν, ἀξιοῦντες ὑμῶν τήν ἐν Χριστῷ σύνεσιν ἀποδέξασθαι μὲν τὴν ὁμολογίαν ταύτην, καὶ συναλγῆσαι τῷ συνεπισκόπῳ ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίῳ, ἀγανακτησαι δὲ κατά τῶν περὶ Εύσέβιον, τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπιχειρούντων, πρὸς τὸ μηκέτι τοιαύτην κακίαν καὶ πονηρίαν κατά τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἰσχύειν· ὑμᾶς γὰρ ἐκδίκους κατά τῆς τοιαύτης ἀδικίας ἐπικαλούμεθα, ὑπομιμνήσκοντες τὸ ἀποστολικόν· Ἐξάρανε τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν. Πονηρά γὰρ ἀληθῶς καὶ οὐκ ἄξια κοινωνίας τὰ παρʼ αὐτῶν παραχθέντα. Οὐκοῦν μηκέτι προσέχετε, κᾶν πάλιν ὑμῖν γράφωσι κατά τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἀθανασίουο (πάντα γὰρ ψευδῆ τὰ παρʼ αὐτῶν μηδʼ ἂν ὀνόματα δὲ ἐπισκόπων Αἲγυπτίων ἐγχαράττωσιν ἐπιστολαῖς. Δῆλον γὰρ, ὅτι οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν οἱ γράφοντες, ἀλλά Μελιτιανοὶ, οἱ ἀεὶ σχισματικοὶ, oi. καί μέχρι νῦν τὰς Ἐκκλησίας ταράττοντες, καὶ στάσεις κινοῦντες. Καταστάσεις γὰρ ἀλόγους καὶ σχεδὸν ἐθνικῶν ποιοῦνταιο καὶ τοιαῦτα πράττουσιν, ἃ δυσωπούμεθα μὲν γράφειν, δύνασθε δὲ μαθεῖν παρά τῶν ἀποσταλέντων παρʼ ἡμῶν, τῶν καὶ τήν ἐπιστολήν ὑμῖν,ἀποδιδόντων.

### English translation (Claude)

We have sent also the testimony of our fellow ministers in Libya and Pentapolis and from Egypt, so that from this too you may know the false accusation made against Athanasius. They do these things so that, when those who hold to piety keep quiet from fear, the heresy of the impious Arians may be brought in instead. But thanks be to your piety, beloved, because you have often written anathematizing the Arians and have given them no place in the Church; and the refutation of Eusebius and his party is near at hand. For see, after their earlier letters concerning the Arians, of which we have also sent the copies, they now openly raise up against the Church the Ariomaniacs anathematized by the whole catholic Church; they have appointed a bishop for them, and they divide the churches with threats and fears, so that they may have fellow workers in their impiety everywhere. For they even send deacons to the Ariomaniacs, who openly attend their meetings, write to them, and receive replies from them, rending the Church and communicating with them; and they send letters everywhere commending their heresy and denouncing the Church, as you can learn from what they themselves have written to the bishop of the Romans, and perhaps to you as well. That these things ought not to go unpunished, beloved, you too perceive; for they are terrible and foreign to the teaching of Christ. For this reason we have met together and written to you, asking your understanding in Christ to accept this declaration, to share the grief of our fellow bishop Athanasius, and to be indignant against Eusebius and his party, who attempt such things, so that such malice and wickedness may no longer prevail against the Church. For we call on you as avengers of such injustice, reminding you of the apostolic word, “Drive out the wicked person from among you.” For what they have done is truly wicked and unworthy of communion. Therefore pay no further attention, even if they write to you again against Bishop Athanasius (for everything from them is false), not even if they inscribe the names of Egyptian bishops on their letters. For it is plain that it is not we who write, but the Meletians, who are schismatics always, and who to this day trouble the churches and stir up factions. For they make unreasonable appointments, almost like those of pagans, and do such things as we are ashamed to write, but which you can learn from those sent by us, who deliver this letter to you.”

### Scripture references

- 1 Cor 5:13: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “Drive out the wicked person from among you”: 1 Cor 5:13 (Deut 17:7). The bishop appointed for the Arians is Pistus (see ch. 24). The quotation of the synodal letter ends here.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 19 (PG 25:277b–280b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-19).

## Defence against the Arians 20

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-20
- Source: PG 25:280b–281c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius relates how Eusebius’s party declined Julius’s invitation to a synod at Rome, where more than fifty bishops received him, and introduces Julius’s letter.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα μὲν οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου πρὸς πάντας, καὶ πρὸς Ἰούλιον τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τῆς Ῥώμηςο καὶ οἱ περί Εύσέβιον δὲ πρὸς Ἰούλιον ἔγραψαν ο καὶ νομίζοντες ἡμᾶς ἐκφοβεῖν, ἠξίωσαν σύνοδον καλέσαι, καὶ αὐτὸν Ἰούλιον, εἰ βούλοιτο, κριτήν γενέσθαι. Ἡμῶν τοίνυν ἀνελθόντων εἷς τήν Ῥώμην, ἔγραψεν εἰκότως Ἰούλιος καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς περὶ Εὗσέβιον, ἀποστείλας καὶ δύο πρεσβυτέρους ἑαυτοῦ, Ἐλπίδιον καὶ Φιλόξενον. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ, ἀκούσαντες περὶ ἡμῶν, ἐταράχθησαν, οὐ προσδοκήσαντες ἡμᾶς ἀνέρχεσθαι· καί παρῃτήσαντο, προφάσεις ἀπιθάνους πορισάμενοι, μᾶλλον δὲ φοβηθέντες, μὴ ἅπερ οἱ περὶ Οὐάλεντα καί Ούρσάκιον ὡμολόγησαν, ταῦτα κατʼ αὐτῶν ἐλεγχθῇ. Λοιπὸν οὖν συνελθόντες ἐπίσκοποι πλέον πεντήκοντα, ἔνθα Βίτων ὁ πρεσβύτερος συνῆγεν, ἡμᾶς μὲν ἀπολογουμένους ἀπεδέξαντο, καὶ ἐκύρωσαν εἷς ἡμᾶς· τήν τε κοινωνίαν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην. Ἠγανάκτησαν δὲ κατʼ ἐκείνων, καὶ ἠξίωσαν Ἰούλιον γράψαι τοῖς περὶ Εὐσέβιον ταῦτα, τοῖς καὶ γράψασιν αὐτῷ· καὶ ἔγραψεν αὐτὸς, καὶ ἀπέστειλε διὰ Γαβιανοῦ τοῦ κόμητος. ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΙΟΥΛΙΟΥ. Ἰούλιος Δανίῳ, καὶ Φλακίλλῳ, Ναρκίσσῳ, Εὐσεβίῳ, Μάρι, Μακεδονίῳ, Θεοδώρω, καὶ τοῖς σὺν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας γράψασιν ἡμῖν, ἀγαπητοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν.

### English translation (Claude)

This the bishops of Egypt wrote to all, and to Julius, bishop of Rome. Eusebius and his party also wrote to Julius and, thinking to frighten us, asked him to call a synod and, if he wished, to be the judge himself. When, therefore, we went up to Rome, Julius rightly wrote to Eusebius and his party too, sending two presbyters of his own, Elpidius and Philoxenus. But when they heard about us they were thrown into confusion, not having expected us to go up; and they declined, inventing implausible excuses, but in truth afraid that what Valens and Ursacius confessed would be proved against them. So more than fifty bishops met, in the place where the presbyter Vito held his congregation, and they accepted our defense and confirmed to us both communion and love. But they were indignant against those men, and asked Julius to write accordingly to Eusebius and his party, who had written to him; and he wrote, and sent the letter by Gabianus the count. Letter of Julius. “Julius to Danius, Flacillus, Narcissus, Eusebius, Maris, Macedonius, Theodore, and those with them who wrote to us from Antioch, beloved brothers, greeting in the Lord.

### Translation notes

- The Roman synod met in 341. “Danius” is Dianius of Caesarea in Cappadocia; Flacillus was bishop of Antioch, Narcissus of Neronias, Eusebius of Nicomedia (by then of Constantinople). Julius’s letter runs through ch. 35. The first half of a word divided between this section and the next (πρεσβυτέρων) is moved by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 20 (PG 25:280b–281c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-20).

## Defence against the Arians 21

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-21
- Source: PG 25:281c–284c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius rebukes the Eusebians for the contentious and arrogant tone of their reply to his letter of invitation.

### Greek text

Ἀνὲγνων τὰ γράμματα τά διὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων μου Ἐλπιδίου καὶ Φιλοξένου ἀποκομισθέντα, καὶ ἐθαύμασα, πῶς ἡμεῖς μὲν ἀγάπῃ καὶ συνειδήσει ἀληθείας ἐγράψαμεν, ὑμεῖς δὲ μετά φιλονεικιας,κοιὶ οὐχ ὡς ἔπρεπεν, ἐπεστείλατε. Υπεροψία γὰρ καὶ ἀλαζονεία τῶν γραψάντων διά τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἐδείκνυτο. Ταῦτα δὲ ἀλλότρια τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πιστεώς ἐστιν. Ἔδει γὰρ τά μετὰ ἀγάπης γραφέντα,ἀμοιβῆς τῆς ἴσης μετά ἀγάπης τυχεῖν, καὶ μὴ μετά φιλονεικίας. ’Ἡ οὐχὶ ἀγάπης ἐστὶ γνώρισμα πρεσβυτέρους ἀποστεῖλαι συμπαθεῖν τοῖς πάσχουσι; προτρέψασθαι τοὺς γράψαντας έλθεῖν,’ίνα πάντα θᾶττον λύσιν λαβόντα διορθωθῆναι δυνηθῇ, καὶ μηκέτι μήτε οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν πάσχωσι, μήτε ὑμᾶς τινες διαβάλλωσινς Ἀλλʼ οὐκ οἴδα, τί τὸ δόξαν οὕτως ὑμᾶς διατεθῆναι, ὥστε καὶ ἡμᾶς ποιῆσαι λογίζεσθαι, ὅτι καὶ ἐν οἷς ἐδόξατε ῥήμασιν ἡμᾶς τιμᾷν, ταῦτα μετασχηματιζόμενοι μετὰ εἰρωνείας τινὸς εἰρήκατε. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι οἱ ἀποσταλέντες, οὓς ἔδει μετὰ χαρᾶς ἐπανελθεῖν τούναντίον λυπούμενοι ἐπανῆλθον, ς ἐφʼ οἷς ἑωράκασιν ἐκεῖ γινομένοις. Καὶ ἔγωγε τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐντυχὼν, πολλὰ λογισάμενος, κατέσχον παρʼ ἐμαυτῷ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, νομίζων ὅμως ἥξειν τινας, καὶ μή χρείαν εἶναι τῆς ἐπιπολῆς, ’ίνα μὴ καὶ, ἐς φανερὸν ἐλθοῦσα, πολλοὺς τῶν ἐνταῦθα λυπήσῃ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μηδενὸς ἐλθόντος, ἀνάγκη γέγονεν αὐτὴν προκομισθῆναι, ὁμολογῶ ὑμῖν, πάντες ἐθαύμασαν, καὶ ἐγγὺς ἀπιστίας γεγόνασιν, εἰ ὅλως παρʼ ὑμῶν τοιαῦτα ἐγράφη · φιλονεικίας γὰρ μᾶλλον καί οὐκ ἀγάπης ἦν ἡ ἐπιστολή. Ei μὶν οὖν φιλοτιμίας λόγων ἕνεκεν ὁ ὑπαγορεύσας ἔγραψεν, ἄλλων τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐπιτήδευμα. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς ού Λόγων ἐπίδειξίς ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ κανόνες ἀποστολικοὶ, καὶ σπουδή τοῦ μὴ σκανδαλίζειν ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Συμφέρει γὰρ κατὰ τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν λόγον, μύλον ὀνικὸν κρεμασθῆναι εἷς τὸν τράχηλον καί καταποντισθῆναι, ἢ σκανδαλίσαι κᾶν ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν. Ei’ δὲ ὥς υινωτ λελυπημένων διὰ τήν πρὸς ἀλλήλους μικροψυχίαν, (ού γὰρ ἃν εἷʼποιμι πάντων εἶναι ταύτην γνώμην τοιαύτη γέγονεν ἡ ἐπιστολὴ, ἔπρεπε μὶν μηδὲ ὅλως λυπηθῆναι, μηδὲ ἐπδῦναι τὸν. ἥλιον ἐπὶ τῇ λύπῃ ἔδει δὲ ὅμως μή εἰς τοσοῦτον παραχθῆναι, ὥστε καὶ ἔγγραφον αὐτὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι.

### English translation (Claude)

I have read the letter brought by my presbyters Elpidius and Philoxenus, and I was surprised that, while we wrote in love and with a conscience of truth, you replied contentiously and not as was fitting; for the pride and arrogance of the writers showed through the letter. Such things are foreign to faith in Christ. For what was written with love ought to have received an equal return with love, and not with contentiousness. Or is it not a mark of love to send presbyters to sympathize with those who suffer, and to invite those who wrote to come, so that everything might be settled quickly and set right, and neither our brothers suffer any longer nor anyone slander you? But I do not know what made you so disposed as to make us think that even the words with which you seemed to honor us you spoke in disguise, with a certain irony. For the presbyters who were sent, who ought to have returned with joy, returned on the contrary grieved at what they had seen happening there. And I, on reading the letter, after much thought kept it to myself, thinking that some would come after all and that there would be no need of the letter, lest, if it came into the open, it should grieve many here. But since no one came, and it became necessary to produce it, I confess to you that all were astonished, and almost refused to believe that such things had been written by you at all; for the letter was one of contentiousness rather than love. Now if its author wrote out of ambition for eloquence, such a pursuit belongs to others. For in church matters there is no display of eloquence, but apostolic canons and care not to offend one of the little ones in the Church. For, according to the word of the Church, it is better for a millstone to be hung around one’s neck and to be drowned than to offend even one of the little ones. But if the letter was written as by men grieved through petty-mindedness toward one another (for I would not say that this is the mind of all), you ought not to have been grieved at all, nor to let the sun go down on your grief; but in any case you ought not to have been carried so far as to set it out in writing.

### Scripture references

- Matt 18:6: allusion, high confidence
- Eph 4:26: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The millstone saying: Matt 18:6; the sun going down on grief: Eph 4:26.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 21 (PG 25:281c–284c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-21).

## Defence against the Arians 22

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-22
- Source: PG 25:284c–285b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius argues that a review of a synod’s judgment is customary and was requested by the Eusebians’ own envoys, so they had no reason to be offended by his invitation.

### Greek text

Τί γὰρ καὶ γέγονεν ἄξιον λύπης,ἢ ἐν τίνι ἦν ἄξιον λυπηθῆναι ὑμᾶς οἷς καὶ ἐγράψαμεν; Ἢ ὅτι προετρεψάμεθα εἷς σύνοδον ἀπαντῆσαι; ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἔδει μετᾶ χαρᾶς δέξασθαι. 0i. γὰρ ππῤῥησίαν ἔχοντες, ἐφʼ οἷς πεποιήκασι, καὶ, ὡς δότοὶ λέγουσι, κεκρίκασιν, οὐκ ἀγανακτοῦσιν, εἰ παρʼ ἐτέρων ἐξετάζοιτο ἡ κρίσις · ἀλλὰ Δ θαρῥοῦσιν, ὅτι ἃ δικαίως ἔκριναν, ταῦτα ἄδικα ούκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ συνελθόντες ἐπίσκοποι οὐκ ἄνευ Θεοῦ βουλήσεως συνεχώρησαν ἐν ἑτέρᾳ συνόδῳ τὰ τῆς προτέρας ἐξετάζεσθαι,“ίνα καὶ οἱ κρίνοντες πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχοντες τήν ἐσομένην δευτέραν κρίσιν μετᾶ πάσης ἀσφαλείας ἐξετάζωσι, καὶ οἱ κρινόμενοι πιστεύωσι, μὴ κατʼ ἔχθραν τῶν προτέρων, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον ἑαυτοὺς κρίνεσθαι. Εἰ δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἔθος παλαιὸν τυγχάνον, μνη μονευθὶν δὲ καὶ γραφὲν ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ, ὑμεῖς τοῦτο παρʼ ὑμῖν ἰσχύειν οὗ θέλετε, ἀπρεπὴς μὲν ἡ τοιαύτη παραίτησις τὸ γὰρ ἅπαξ συνήθειαν· ἐσχηκὸς ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ ὑπὸ συνόδων βεβαιωθέν, οὐκ εὔλογον ὑπὸ ὀλίγων παραλύεσθαι. Ἄλλως τε οὐδὲ ἐν τούτῳ δικαίως ἃψφανεῖεν λυπηθέντες. Οἱ γάρ παρʼ ὑμῶν τῶν περί Εὐσέβιον ἀποσταλέντες μετὰ γραμμάτων, λέγω δὴ Μακάριος ὁ πρεσβύτερος, καὶ Μαρτύριος καὶ Ἡσύχιος οἱ διάκονοι, ἀπαντήσαντες ἐνταῦθα, ὡς οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν πρὸς τοὺς έλθόντας Ἀθανασίου πρεσβυτέρους ἀντιστῆναι, ἀλλʼ ἐν πᾶσι διετρέποντο καὶ διηλέγχοντο, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἠξίωσαν ἡμᾶς, ὥστε σύνοδον συγκροτῆσαι, καὶ γράψαι καὶἈθανασίῳ τῷ ἐπιδ-κόπῳ εἷς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, γράψαι δὲ καὶ τοῖς περὶ Εὐσέβιον, ἵνα ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ πάντων, ἡ δικαία κρίσις ἐξενεχθῆναι δυνηθῇ. Τότε γὰρ καί ἀποδεικνύναι πάντα τὰ κατά Ἀθανάσιον ἐπηγγείλαντο· κοινῇ γάρ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν διηλέγχθησαν οἱ περὶ Μαρτύριον καὶ Ἠσύχιον, καὶ οἱ Ἀθανασίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου πρεσβύτεροι, μετὰ πεποιθήσεως ἀνθίσταντο· οἱ δὲ περὶ Μαρτύριον, εἰ δεῖ τάληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ἐν πᾶσι διετρέποντο, ὅθεν καὶ ἠξίωσαν σύνοδον γενέσθαι. Εἰ τοίνυν, μηδὲ τῶν περὶ Μαρτύριον καὶ Ἠσύχιον ἀξιωσάντων γενέσθαι σύνοδον, προτρεψάμενος ἤμην ἐγὼ σκύλαι τοὺς γράψαντας, ἕνεκεν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν τῶν αἰτιωμένων ἀδικίαν πεπονθέναι, καὶ οὕτως εὔλογος ἦν καὶ δικαία ἡ προτροπὴ, ἔστι γάρ ἐκκλησιαστικὴ καὶ Θεῷ ἀρέσκουσα· ὅτε δὲ οὓς ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἀξιοπίστους ἡγήσασθε, καὶ εὗτοὶ ἠξίωσαν ἡμᾶς συγκαλέσαι, ἀκόλουθον ἦν τοὺς κληθέντας μὴ λυπηθῆναι, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον προθύμως ἀπαντῆσαι. Ούκοῦν ἡ μὲν δόξασα ἀγανάκτησις τῶν λυπηθέντων προπετὴς, ἡ δὲ παραίτησις τῶν μή θελησάντων ἀπαντῆσαι ἀπρεπὴς, καὶ ὕποπτος ἐκ τούτων δείκνυται. Αίτιᾶταί τις ἂπράττων αὐτὸς ἀποδέχεται, εἰ παρʼ ἑτέρου γινόμενα βλέποι ; Εἰ γὰρ ὡς γράφετε, ἀσάλευτον ἔχει τὴν ἰσχὺν ἑκάστη σύνοδος, καὶ ἀτιμάζεται ὁ κρίνας, ἐὰν παρʼ ἑτέρων ἡ κρίσις ἐξετάζηται, σκοπεῖτε, ἀγαπητοὶ, τινες εἰσὶν οἱ σύνοδον ἀτιμάζοντες, καὶ τινες τὰ τῶν φθασάντων κρῖναι διαλύουσι. Καὶ ἵνα μη τὰ καθʼ ἕκαστον νῦν ἐξετάζων ἐπιβαρεῖν τινας δοκῶ, ἀλλά τὸ γε τελευταῖον γενόμενον, ἐφʼ ᾦ καὶ φρίξειεν ἄν τις ἀκούων, ἀρκεῖ πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν πάντων τῶν παραλειφθέντων.

### English translation (Claude)

For what has happened that deserves grief, or in what respect was it fitting for you to be grieved at what we wrote? Was it that we invited you to attend a synod? But you ought rather to have welcomed this with joy. For those who have confidence in what they have done and, as they say, judged, are not indignant if their judgment is examined by others; they are confident that what they judged justly could never turn out unjust. For this reason the bishops assembled at the great synod of Nicaea, not without the will of God, allowed the decisions of an earlier synod to be examined in another synod, so that those who judge, having before their eyes the second judgment to come, might examine with all care, and those who are judged might trust that they are judged not by the enmity of the former judges but by justice. But if you do not wish this custom to prevail among you, though it is ancient and was mentioned and written down at the great synod, such a refusal is unbecoming; for what has once become custom in the Church and been confirmed by synods should not reasonably be set aside by a few. Besides, not even on this point could you justly be shown to be grieved. For those sent with letters by you, Eusebius and your party—I mean Macarius the presbyter and Martyrius and Hesychius the deacons—when they arrived here and could not stand up against the presbyters of Athanasius who had come, but were put to confusion and refuted on every point, then asked us to convene a synod and to write both to Bishop Athanasius at Alexandria and to Eusebius and his party, so that a just judgment might be given in the presence of all. For then they promised to prove all the charges against Athanasius. For Martyrius and Hesychius were refuted publicly by us, and the presbyters of Bishop Athanasius withstood them with confidence; Martyrius and his companions, if the truth must be told, were put to confusion on every point, which is why they asked for a synod to be held. If, then, even without Martyrius and Hesychius asking for a synod, I had been the one to invite you, so as to trouble those who wrote, for the sake of our brothers who complain of having suffered injustice, even so the invitation would have been reasonable and just, for it is ecclesiastical and pleasing to God. But when those whom you yourselves, Eusebius and your party, considered trustworthy themselves asked us to convene it, it followed that those invited should not be grieved but rather attend readily. So the indignation of those who were grieved is shown to be rash, and the refusal of those unwilling to attend unbecoming and suspicious. Does anyone blame what he himself does, if he sees it done by another? For if, as you write, each synod has unshakable force, and the judge is dishonored if his judgment is examined by others, consider, beloved, who they are who dishonor a synod, and who they are who undo the judgments of those who judged earlier. And so that I may not seem to burden anyone by examining every case now, the last thing that happened, which would make anyone shudder to hear, is enough to prove everything I pass over.

### Translation notes

- The Nicene provision for review is usually taken to be canon 5 of Nicaea (provincial synods twice a year to examine excommunications).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 22 (PG 25:284c–285b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-22).

## Defence against the Arians 23

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-23
- Source: PG 25:285b–288c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius argues that it is the Eusebians, by receiving the Arians condemned at Nicaea, who dishonor a synod, while he only sought a fair hearing for Athanasius and Marcellus.

### Greek text

Oi Ἀρειανοί οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ τῆς μακαρίας μνήμης Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ γενομένου ἐπισκόπου τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας, ἐπὶ ἀσεβείᾳ ἐκβληθέντες, οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ τῶν καθʼ εκάστην πόλιν ἀπεκηρύχθησαν, ἀλλά καὶ ὑπό πάντων τῶν κοινῇ συνελθόντων ἐν τῇ κατά Νίκαιαν μεγάλῂ συνόδῳ ἀνεθεματίσθησαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῶν τὸ τυχὸν πλημμέλημα, οὐδὲ εἷς ἄνθρωπον ἦσαν ἀμαρτήσαντες, ἀλλʼ εἷς αὐτὸν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Καὶ ὅμως οἱ ὐπὸ πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀποκηρυχθέντες, καὶ κατά πᾶσαν Ἐκκλησίαν στηλιτευθέντες, νῦν λέγονται δεδέχθαι, ἐφʼ ᾦ καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀκούσαντας χαλεπαίνειν δίκαιον ἡγοῦμαι. Τίνες οὖν εἰσιν οἱ σύνοδον ἀτιμάζοντες ; οὐχὶ οἱ τῶν τριακοσίων τὰς ψήφους παρʼ οὐ· δὲν θέμενοι, καὶ ἀσέβειαν εὐσεβείας προκρίναντες; Ἥ μὶν γὰρ τῶν ’Δρειομανιτῶν αʼίρεσις ὖπὸ πάντων τῶν ἇπανταχοῦ ἐπισκόπων κατεγνώσθη καὶ ἀπεκηρύχθη· Ἃθανάσιος δὲ καὶ Μάρκελλος οἱ ἐπίσκοποι, πλείονας ἔχουσι τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν λέγοντας καὶ γράφοντας. Μάρκελλος μὲν γὰρ ἐμαρτυρήθη ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐν τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν συνόδῳ τοῖς τὰ Ἀρείου φρονοῦσιν άντειρηκώςʼ Ἀθανάσιος δὲ ἐμαρτυρήθη, μηδέ ἐν Τύρῳ καταγνωσθεὶς, ἐν δὲ τῷ Μαρεώτῃ μὴ παρεῖναι, ἔνθα τὰ ὑπομνήματα κατʼ αὐτοῦ γεγενῆσθαι λέγεται. Οἴδατε δὲ, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὅτι τὰ κατὰ μονομέρειαν ἰσχὺν οὐκ ἔχει, ἀλλʼ ὕποπτα τυγχάνει καὶ ὅμως, τούτων ὄντων, ἡμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἀκριβείας, οὔτε ὑμῖν, οὕτε τοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν γράψασι πρόκριμα ποιοῦντες προετρεψάμεθα τοὺς γράψαντας ἐλθεῖν, ἵνʼ, ἐπειδὴ πλείους εἰσὶν οἱ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν γράψαντες, ἐπὶ συνόδου πάντα ἐξετασθῇ, πρὸς τὸ μηδὲ τὸν ἀναίτιον κατακριθῆναι, μήτε τὸν ὑπεύθυνον ὡς καθαρὸν λογισθῆναι. Οὐκοῦν 06 παρʼ ἡμῶν ἀτιμάζεται σύνοδος, ἀλλά παρʼ ἐκείνων τῶν ἅπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε τοὺς παρά πάντων κατακριθέντας ’Δρειανοὺς, καὶ παρὰ γνώμην τῶν κρινάντων δεξαμένων. Οἱ γὰρ πλείονες ἤδη ἀναλύσαντές εἰσι σὺν Χριστῷ* οἱ δὲ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ ἐξετάζονται, ἀγανακτοῦντες, ὅτι τὴν αὐτῶν κρίσιν ἔλυσάν τινες.

### English translation (Claude)

The Arians, who were expelled for impiety by Alexander of blessed memory, formerly bishop of Alexandria, were not only denounced by the bishops in each city, but were anathematized by all who assembled together at the great synod of Nicaea. For their offense was no ordinary one, nor had they sinned against a man, but against our Lord Jesus Christ himself, the Son of the living God. And yet those who were denounced by the whole world and publicly branded in every church are now said to have been received, and I think it right that you too should be angry on hearing it. Who, then, are they who dishonor a synod? Is it not those who set at naught the votes of the three hundred and preferred impiety to piety? For the heresy of the Ariomaniacs was condemned and denounced by all the bishops everywhere; but Bishops Athanasius and Marcellus have more who speak and write in their favor. For it was attested to us that Marcellus opposed, even at the synod of Nicaea, those who held the views of Arius; and it was attested that Athanasius was not condemned even at Tyre, and was not present in the Mareotis, where the minutes against him are said to have been drawn up. And you know, beloved, that one-sided proceedings have no force but are suspect. And yet, though this is so, we, for the sake of accuracy, and without prejudging the case either for you or for those who wrote on their behalf, invited those who wrote to come, so that, since those who wrote on their behalf are more numerous, everything might be examined at a synod, and neither the innocent be condemned nor the guilty be reckoned clean. So it is not by us that a synod is dishonored, but by those who received, lightly and at random, the Arians condemned by all, against the judgment of those who condemned them. For most of those judges have already departed to be with Christ; but some are still living in this life, indignant that certain people have undone their judgment.

### Translation notes

- Marcellus of Ancyra had come to Rome with Athanasius; his case is taken up again in ch. 32.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 23 (PG 25:285b–288c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-23).

## Defence against the Arians 24

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-24
- Source: PG 25:288c–289b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius explains that the Eusebians wanted him to write to Pistus, an Arian appointed by the deposed Secundus, which would have dishonored Nicaea.

### Greek text

Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενομένων μὲν ἐν τῇ ’Δλεξανδρείᾳ ἔγνωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ καί Καρπώνης τις ἐκβληθεὶς ὑπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου διὰ τήν Ἀρείου αʼίρεσιν μετά τινων, καὶ αὐτῶν ἐκβληθέντων διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αʼίρεσιν, ἐληλύθασιν ἐνταῦθα, ἀποσταλέντες παρά Γρηγορίου τινός* ὅμως δὲ ἐμάθομεν καὶ παρὰ Μακαρίου τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου, καὶ Μαρτυρίου, καὶ Ἥτυχίού τῶν διακόνων. Πρὸ τοῦ γὰρ ἀπαντησαι τοὺς Ἀθανασίου πρεσβυτέρους, προετρέποντο ἡμᾶς γράφειν έν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ Πιστῷ τινι, ἡνίκα καί ’Δθανάσιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ ἦν. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν Πιστὸν οἱ ’Δθανασίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου πρεσβύτεροι παραγενόμενοι ἀπέδειξαν εἶναι Ἀοειανὸν, ἐκβληθέντα μὲν ὐπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου καί τῆς κατὰ Νίκαιαν συνόδου, κατασταθέντα δὲ ὐπὸ Σεκούνδου τινὰς, ὃν ἡ μεγάλη σύνοδος ’Δρειανὸν ὄντα ἐξ· έβαλε. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ οἱ περὶ Μαρτύριον ἂντέλε· γον, οὐδὲ ἠρνοῦντο τδν Πιστὸν ὐπὸ Σεκούνδου ἐσχηκέναι τήν κατάστασιν. Σκοπεῖτε τοίνυν καὶ ἐκ τούτων, τίνες ἂν ὑπὸ μέμψιν δικαίως γένοιντο, οἱ μὴ πεισθέντες ἡμεῖς, ὥστε Πιστῷ τῷ Ἀρειανῷ γράψαι, ἢ οἱ συμβουλεύοντες ἀτιμάσαι τὴν μεγάλην σύνοδον, καὶ τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ὡς εὐσεβέσι γράψαι ; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Μακάριος ὁ πρεσβύτερος, ὁ παρὰ Εύσεβίου μετὰ τῶν περὶ Μαρτύριον ἀποσταλεὶς, ὡς ἤκουσεν έπιστάντας τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους Ἀθανασίου, ἐκδεχομένων ἡμῶν τήν παρουσίαν αὑτοῦ μετὰ τῶν περὶ Μαρτύριον καὶ Ἡσύχιον, ἀπεδήμησε νυκτὸς καίτοι νοσῶν τῷ σώματι· ὡς έκ τούτου λοιπὸν ἡμᾶς ἀκολούθως στοχάζεσθαι, ὅτι, αἰσχυνόμενος τὸν κατὰ Πιστοῦ ἔλεγχον, ἀνεχώρησεν. ’Δδύνατον γὰρ τήν κατάστασιν Σεκούνδου τοῦ Ἀρειανοῦ ἐν τῇ καθολικῇ ςΕκκλησίᾳ ἰσχῦσαι. Ἀτιμία γὰρ ἀληθῶς *αὕτη κατά τῆς συνόδου καὶ τῶν έν αύτῇ συνελθόντων ἐπισκόπων, έὰν τὰ μετά τοσαύτης σπουδῆς καὶ εὐλαβείας, ὡς Θεοῦ παρόντος, γενόμενα, ἀντὶ μηδενὸς λυθῇ.

### English translation (Claude)

This we learned also from what happened in Alexandria. For a certain Carpones, who had been expelled by Alexander for the heresy of Arius, came here with some others who had also been expelled for the same heresy, sent by one Gregory. We learned it also from Macarius the presbyter and Martyrius and Hesychius the deacons. For before the presbyters of Athanasius arrived, they urged us to write to one Pistus at Alexandria, at a time when Bishop Athanasius was in Alexandria. But the presbyters of Bishop Athanasius, when they arrived, proved that this Pistus was an Arian, expelled by Bishop Alexander and by the synod of Nicaea, and appointed by one Secundus, whom the great synod expelled as an Arian. Not even Martyrius and his companions contradicted this, or denied that Pistus had his appointment from Secundus. Consider, then, from this too who would justly come under blame: we, who would not be persuaded to write to Pistus the Arian, or those who advise us to dishonor the great synod and write to the impious as to the pious? For Macarius the presbyter too, who had been sent by Eusebius with Martyrius and his companions, when he heard that the presbyters of Athanasius had arrived, while we were expecting his presence with Martyrius and Hesychius, departed by night, although he was ill in body; so that from this we naturally conclude that he withdrew because he was ashamed of the refutation concerning Pistus. For it is impossible for an appointment made by Secundus the Arian to have force in the catholic Church. For this would truly be a dishonor to the synod and to the bishops who assembled at it, if what was done with such zeal and reverence, as in the presence of God, were undone as nothing.

### Translation notes

- Gregory is probably Gregory of Cappadocia, later intruded into the see of Alexandria. Secundus of Ptolemais was one of the two bishops who refused to sign at Nicaea.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 24 (PG 25:288c–289b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-24).

## Defence against the Arians 25

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-25
- Source: PG 25:289b–292a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius turns the Eusebians’ appeal to the authority of synods against them, rebukes translations of bishops from see to see, and rejects their excuses about the short notice and the troubled times.

### Greek text

Εἴπερ οῦν, ὡς γράφετε, ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Νοβἆτον καί τὸν Σαμοσατέα Παῦλον παραδείγματος τὰ τῶν συνόδων ἰσχύειν δόγματα χρὴ, ἔδει μᾶλλον μὴ λυθῆναι τῶν τριακοσίων τὴν ψῆφον, ἔδει την καθολικὴν σύνοδον ὑπὸ τῶν ηόλίγων μὴ ἀτιμασθῆναι. Αἱρετικοὶ γὰρ οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ, ὥσπερ κάκεῖνοι, καὶ ὅμοιαι αἱ κατὰ τούτων ψῆφοι ταῖς κατʼ ἐκείνων. Τούτων δὲ τολμηθέντων, τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ φλόγα διχονοίας ἀνάψαντεςς ἡμᾶς γὰρ τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι γράψαντες έμέμψασθε. 'Ap’ οὗν ἡμεῖς διχονοίας εἰργασάμεθα οἱ συναλγοῦντες τοῖς πάσχουσιν ἀδελφοῖς,καὶ κατὰ κανόνα πάντα πεποιηκότες ; ἢ οἱ φιλονείκως καὶ παρά κανόνα τῶν τριακοσίων τὴν ψῆφον λύσαντες, καὶ κατὰ πάντα τὴν σύνοδον ἀτιμάσαντες ; Οὐ γὰρ μόνον οἳ Ἀρειανοὶ ἐδέχθησαν, ἀλλὰ καί ἀπὸ τόπου εἷς τόπον μεμελετήκασιν ἐπίσκοποι διαβαίνειν. Εἰ οῦν ἀληθῶς ἴσην καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡγεῖσθε τιμὴν των επισκόπων, καὶ μη έκ τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν πόλεων, ὡς γράφετε, κρίνετε τοὺς ἐπισκόπους, ἔδει τὸν πεπιστευμένον μικρὰν μένειν έν τῇ πιστευθείσῃ, καὶ μὴ ἐξουθενεῖν μὲν τὸ πεπιστευμένον, μεταβαίνειν δὲ εἰς τήν μὴ ἐγχειρισθεῖσαν, ’ἶνα τῆς μὲν παρὰ Θεοῦ δοθείσης καταφρονῇ, τὴν δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κενοδοξίαν ἀγαπήση- Ούκοῦν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἔδει ἀπαντῆσαι, καὶμὴ παραιτήκ σασθαι, θίνα καὶ τέλος λάβῃ τὸ πρᾶγμα* τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ λόγος ἀπαιτεῖ. Ἀλλʼ ἷσως ὴ προθεσμία ἐνεπόδισεʼ γράψαντες γὰρ ἐμέμψασθε, ὅτι στενὴν τὴν προθεσμίαν τῆς συνόδου ὡρίσαμεψ ἀλλά καὶ τοῦτο, ἀγαπητοὶ, πρόφασίς ἐστιν. Ei’ μὲν γὰρ ἐρχομένους τινὰς συνέκλδισεν ἠ ἡμέρα, στενὸν ἂν τὸ διάστημα τῆς προθεσμίας ἠλέγχθη εἰ δὲ οἳ ἐλθεῖν μὴ βουλόμενοι, κατεσχήκασι καί τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἕως αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰανουαρίου μηνὸς, μή θαρρούντων ἐστὶν ἡ πρόφασιςʼ ἦλθον γὰρ ἃν, ὡς προεῖπον, εἰ ἐθάρρουν, ού πρὸς τὸ διάστημα τῆς ὀδοῦ σκοποῦντες, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν προθεσμίαν ὁρῶντες, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς δικαίοις καὶ τοῖς εὐλόγοις παρρησιαζόμενοι. Ἀλλʼ ἴσως διὰ τὸν καιρὸν οὐκ ἀπήντησαν· τοῦτο γὰρ γράφοντες πάλιν ἐδηλώσατε, ὡς ἄρα ἔδει ἡμᾶς, σκοπήσαντας τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ἑῴας καιρὸν, μή προτρέψασθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπαντῆσαι. Εἰ μὲν οὖν διὰ τὸ τοιοῦτον εἶναι τὸν καιρὸν οὐκ ἀπηντήσατε, ὡς φατὶ, ἔδει προτέρους ὑμᾶς, τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον σκοπήσαντας, μή αἰτίους σχίσματος, μηδὲ ὀλολυγῆς καὶ θρήνων ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις γενέσθαι. Νὖν δὲ οἱ ταῦτα πεποιηκότες ἔδειξαν μὴ τὸν καιρὸν αἴτιον, ἀλλὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν τῶν μὴ Θελησάντων ἀπαντῆσαι.

### English translation (Claude)

If, then, as you write, the decrees of synods must have force, on the precedent of Novatus and Paul of Samosata, still more ought the vote of the three hundred not to have been undone, still more ought the general synod not to have been dishonored by a few. For the Arians are heretics, as those were, and the votes against these are like the votes against those. Since such things have been dared, who are they who have kindled the flame of discord? For you blamed us in writing for having done this. Was it we, then, who caused discord, we who share the grief of our suffering brothers and have done everything according to the canon? Or those who contentiously and contrary to the canon undid the vote of the three hundred and dishonored the synod in every respect? For not only were the Arians received, but bishops have also made a practice of passing from place to place. If, then, you truly held the honor of bishops to be equal and the same, and did not judge bishops by the size of their cities, as you write, then he who was entrusted with a small city ought to remain in the one entrusted to him, and not despise what was entrusted to him and pass to one not committed to his charge, despising what was given by God and loving the vainglory of men. Therefore, beloved, you ought to have come and not declined, so that the matter might be brought to an end; for this is what reason requires. But perhaps the appointed date hindered you; for you complained in writing that we fixed too short a date for the synod. But this too, beloved, is a pretext. For if the day had shut out some who were on their way, the interval before the date would have been proved too short; but if those who did not wish to come detained even the presbyters until the very month of January, the pretext is that of men lacking confidence. For they would have come, as I said before, had they been confident, not looking at the length of the journey nor regarding the date, but speaking boldly on the strength of what was just and reasonable. But perhaps they did not come because of the times; for in writing you indicated this too, that we ought to have considered the situation in the East and not invited you to come. If, then, as you say, you did not come because the times were such, you ought first to have considered the times yourselves and not become the causes of schism and of wailing and lamentation in the churches. As it is, those who have done these things have shown that the cause was not the times but the will of those who did not wish to come.

### Translation notes

- Novatus (Novatian) and Paul of Samosata were condemned by synods in the third century; the Eusebians had cited these cases to argue that synodal decisions may not be reopened. The censure of bishops “passing from place to place” is aimed at Eusebius’s move from Nicomedia to Constantinople.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 25 (PG 25:289b–292a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-25).

## Defence against the Arians 26

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-26
- Source: PG 25:292a–292d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius answers the complaint that he wrote alone and only to the Eusebians, stating that his letter expresses the view of all the bishops of Italy.

### Greek text

Θαυμάζω δὲ κάκεῖνο τὸ μέρος τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, πῶς ὅλως κᾶν ἐγράφη παρʼ ὑμῶν, ὅτι δὴ τοῖς περὶ Εὐσέβιον μόνοις, καὶ οὐ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν μόνος ἔγραψα. Εὐχέρειαν γὰρ τῶν μεμψαμὲνων μᾶλλον ἅντις εὕροι ἤπερ ἀληθειαν. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, οὐκ ἄλλοθεν λαβὼν κατᾶ ’Δθανασίου γράμματα ἢ διὰ τῶν περί Μαρτύριον καὶ Ἠσὺχιον, ἐκείνοις ἀνάγκῃ ἔγραψα τοῖς καὶ γράψασι κατʼ αὑτοῦ. Ἔδει τοίνυν ἢ τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον μή μόνους χωρὶς πάντων ὑμῶν γράψαι, ἢ ὑμᾶς, οἷς μὴ ἔγραψα, μὴ λυπεῖσθαι, εἰ ἐκείνοις ἐγράφη τοῖς καὶ γράψασιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐχρῆν καὶ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν ἐπιστεῖλαι, ἔδει καὶ ὑμᾶς σὺν ἐκείνοις γράψαι. Νῦν δὲ, τὸ ἀκόλουθον σκοποῦντες, ἐκείνοις ἐγράψαμεν τοῖς καὶ δηλώσασιν ἡμῖν, καὶ τοῖς ἀποστείλασι πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ μόνον ἐμὲ γεγραφέναι ἐκείνοις ἐκίνησεν ὑμᾶς, ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν ὑμᾶς ἀγανακτεῖν, ὅτι καὶ μόνῳ ἐμοὶ ἔγραψαν. Ἀλλά καὶ ἐν τούτῳ πιθανή μὶν καὶ οὑκ εὔλογος ἡ πρόφασις, ἀγαπητοίθ ὅμως δὲ γνωρίσαι ὑμῖν ἀναγκαῖον, ὅτι, εἰ καί μόνος ἔγραψα, ἀλλʼ οὑκ ἐμοῦ μόνου ἐστὶν αὕτη ἡ γνώμη, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων τῶν κατᾶ τὴν Ἰταλίαν, καὶτῶν ἐν τούτοις τοῖς μέρεσιν ἐπισκόπων. Καὶ ἔγωγε τοὺς πάντας οὐκ ἠθέλησα ποιῆσαι γράψαι, τίνα μή παρὰ πολλῶν τὸ βάρος ἔχωσιν, Ἀμέλει καὶ νῦν τῇ ὑρισθείσῃ προθεσμίᾳ συνῆλθον ἐπίσκοποι, καὶ ταύτης τῆς γνώμης γεγόνασιν, ἢν πάλιν γράφων ὑμῖν σημαίνωο ὥστε, ἀγαπητοὶ, εἰ καὶ μόνος ἐπιστέλλω, ἀλλὰ πάν·των γνώμην ταύτην εἶναι γινώσκετε. Ταῦτα μὶν οὗν περὶ τοῦ μὴ εὐλόγως τινὰς ἐξ ὑμῶν προφάσεις, ἀλλὰάδίκους καὶ ὑπόπτους, πορίσασθαι.

### English translation (Claude)

I marvel also at that part of the letter—how it could have been written by you at all—that I wrote alone, and only to Eusebius and his party and not to all of you. For in this one would find the hastiness of the complainants rather than the truth. For I, having received letters against Athanasius from no other quarter than through Martyrius and Hesychius, necessarily wrote to those who had written against him. So either Eusebius and his party ought not to have written by themselves without all of you, or you to whom I did not write ought not to be grieved that a letter was written to those who had written. For if I ought to have written to all of you, you also ought to have written with them. As it is, considering what was fitting, we wrote to those who had both informed us and sent to us. And if the fact that I alone wrote to them has upset you, it is fitting for you to be indignant also that they wrote to me alone. But in this too, beloved, the pretext is plausible but not reasonable. Nevertheless I must let you know that, although I wrote alone, this view is not mine alone, but that of all the bishops throughout Italy and in these regions. And I did not want to make all of them write, so that you might not feel the weight of many. Indeed, even now the bishops have met on the appointed date and have agreed on this view, which I indicate to you in writing again; so, beloved, though I write alone, know that this is the view of all. So much, then, to show that certain of you have offered pretexts that are not reasonable, but unjust and suspect.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 26 (PG 25:292a–292d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/13/#p-26).

## Defence against the Arians 27

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-27
- Source: PG 25:292d–293b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius explains why he received Athanasius: the letters against him contradict each other, many bishops testify for him, Arsenius is alive, and the Mareotic inquiry was one-sided.

### Greek text

Περὶ δὲ τοῦ μὴ εὑχερῶς μηδὲ ἀδίκως ἡμᾶς ὑποδεδέχθαι εἷς κοινωνίαν τοὺς συνεπισκόπουςήμῶν Αθανάσίον καὶῖ Μάρκελλον, εἰ ’καὶ τὰ προλεγόὲντα ἱκανὰ, ὅμως διὰ βραχέων εὔλογον ὑμῖν δεῖξαι. Ἔγραψαν οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον πρότερον κατὰ τῶν περὶ Ἀθανάσιον· ἐγράψατε δὲ καὶ νῦν ὑμεῖς · ἔγραψαν δὲ καὶ πλεῖστοι ἐπίσκοποι ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου καί ἐξ ἄλλων ἐπαρχιῶν ὑπὲρ Ἀθανασίου. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ί ν τὰ κατʼ αὐτοῦ γράμματα παρʼ ὑμῶν μάχεται πρὸς ἑαυτὰ, καὶ οὐδεμίαν συμφωνίαν ἔχει τὰ δεύτερα πρὸς τὰ πρῶτα, ἀλλʼ ἐν πολλοῖς τὰ πρῶτα ὑπὸ τῶν δευτερων λύεται, καὶ τὰ δεύτερα ὑπὸ τῶν πρώτων διαβάλλεταιο ἀσυμφώνων δὲ ὄντων τῶν γραμμάτων, οὐδεμία πίστις περὶ τῶν λεγομενων ἐστίν· ἔπειτα, εἷ τοῖς παρʼ ὑμῶν γραφεῖσιν ἀξιοῦτε πιστεύειν, ἀκόλουθόν ἐστι καὶ τοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ γράψασι μή ἀπιστῆσαι θ καὶ μάλιστα δτι ὑμεῖς μὲν πόρρωθεν, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἐν τοῖς τόποις ὄντες, καὶ εἰδότες τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ γινόμενα πράγματα γραφουσι, μαρτυροῦντες αὐτοῦ τῷ βίῳ, καὶ διαβεβαιούμενοι ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸν ωσκευήν πεπονθέναι. Καὶ πάλιν Ἀρσένιός τις σίου, ἀλλὰ τοῦτον ἐμάθομεν ζῇν, ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλίαν ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτόν. Τά ὑπομνήματα τὰ ἐν Μαρεώτῃ γενόμενα διεβεβαιώσατο κατὰ μονομέρειαν γεγενῆσθαι · μήτε γὰρ ἐκεῖ παρεῖναι Μακάριον τὸν πρεσβύτερον τὸν κατηγορούμενον, μήτε αὐτὸν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον αὐτοῦ ’Δθάνάσιον καὶ τοῦτο ού μόνον ἐκ τῶν αὐτου λόγων, ἀλλά καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων, ὧν ἐκόμισαν ἡμῖν οἳ περὶ Μαρτύριον καὶ Ἥσύχιον, ἔγνωμεν ο ἀναγνόντες γὰρ εὕρομεν, 6'1: 6 μὶο κατήγορος Ἰσχύρας ἐκεῖ παρῆν, οὔτε δὲ Μακαριος, οὔτε ὁ ἐπίσκοπος Ἀθανάσιος ’ ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους Ἀθανασίου ἀξιοῦντας παρεῖναι, καὶ μὴ συγχωρηθὲντας. Ἔδει δὲ, ἀγαπητοὶ, εἷʼπερ μετὰ ἀληθείας ἐγίνετο τὸ κριτήριον, μὴ μόνον τὸν κατήγορον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν κατηγορούμενον παρεῖναι· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῇ Τύρῳ κατήγορος, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐδείχθη· οὕτως ἔδει καὶ ἐν τῷ Μαρεώτῃ μὴ μόνον ἀπελθεῖν τὸν κατήγορον, ἀλλὰ καίτὸν κατηγορούμενον, ’ίνα παρὼν ἢ ἐλεγχθῇ, ἢ, μή ἐλεγχθεὶς, δείξῃ τήν συκοφαντίαν. N6v δὲ, τούτου μὴ γενομένου, ἀλλὰ μόνου ἀπελθόντος τοῦ κατηγόρου, μεθʼ ὧν παρῃτήσατο Ἀθανάσιος, ὕποπτα τὰ πράγματα φαίνεται.

### English translation (Claude)

As for our not having received our fellow bishops Athanasius and Marcellus into communion lightly or unjustly, although what has been said is sufficient, it is reasonable nevertheless to show it to you briefly. Eusebius and his party wrote formerly against Athanasius and those with him, and you too have written now; but very many bishops from Egypt and other provinces wrote in favor of Athanasius. First, then, your letters against him contradict each other: the later ones have no agreement with the earlier, but in many points the earlier are refuted by the later and the later are discredited by the earlier; and when letters disagree, what they say deserves no credit. Next, if you think your letters should be believed, it follows that those who wrote on his behalf should not be disbelieved either—especially since you write from afar, while they are on the spot, know the man and what happens there, testify to his life, and affirm that in everything he has been the victim of a plot. Again, a certain Arsenius … but we learned that he is alive, and moreover is on friendly terms with him. He affirmed that the minutes taken in the Mareotis were drawn up one-sidedly, for neither Macarius the presbyter, the accused, nor his bishop Athanasius himself was present there. And this we learned not only from his own words but also from the minutes which Martyrius and Hesychius brought us; for on reading them we found that the accuser Ischyras was present there, but neither Macarius nor Bishop Athanasius, and moreover that the presbyters of Athanasius asked to be present and were not allowed. Yet, beloved, if the trial was conducted honestly, not only the accuser but also the accused ought to have been present. For as at Tyre the accuser … and nothing was proved, so in the Mareotis not only the accuser but also the accused ought to have gone, so that being present he might either be convicted or, if not convicted, expose the false accusation. As it is, since this did not happen, but only the accuser went, together with those to whom Athanasius objected, the proceedings appear suspect.

### Translation notes

- Words are lost in the scan in two places, marked “…”: after “a certain Arsenius” (the charge that he had been killed) and after “as at Tyre the accuser” (presumably that both parties were present there). They are not supplied.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 27 (PG 25:292d–293b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-27).

## Defence against the Arians 28

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-28
- Source: PG 25:293b–296d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius reports Athanasius’s evidence: the letters of Alexander of Thessalonica and of Ischyras himself, and contradictions in the Mareotic minutes, which show the charge was invented.

### Greek text

Ἠτιᾶτο δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀπελθόντας εις τὸν Μαρεώτην παρά γνώμην αὐτοῦ ἀπεληλυθέναι. Ἔλεγε γὰρ, ὅτι Θεόγνιον, καὶ Μάριν, καί Θεόδωρον, Οὖρσάκιον, καὶ Οὐάλεντα, καὶ Μακεδόνων, ὑπόπτους ὄντας, ἀπέστειλαν. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐκ τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ μό- ι νον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐπιπολῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ γενομένου ἐπισκόπου τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης ἐδείκνυε. -Προήνεγκε γὰρ ἐπιστολὴν αὐτοῦ γραφεῖσαν πρὸς Διονύσιον, τὸν ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ κόμητα, ἐν δηλοῖ φανερὰν συσκευὴν γενεσθαι κατά Ἀθανασιου. Καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ κατηγόρου Ἰσχύρα προεκόμισε χεῖρα ὁλόγραφον αὑθεντικὴν, ἐν μάρτυρα τὸν Θεὸν τὸν παντοκράτορα ἐπικαλούμενος, μήτε ποτηρίου κλάσιν, μήτε τραπέζης ἀνατροπὴν γεγενῆσθαι ἔλεγεν, ἀλλʼ ὑποβεβλῆσθαι ἑαυτὸν ὑπό τινων πλάσασθαι ταύτην τὴν κατηγορίαν. Ἀπαντησαντες δὲ καί πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ Μαρεώτου, διεβεβαιώσαντο μήτε τὸν Ἰσχύραν πρεσβύτερον εἶναι τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας, μήτε τι τοιοῦτον πεπλημμεληκέναι Μακάριον, ὁποῖον ἐκεῖνος κατηγόρησεν. Οἱ πρεσβύτεροι δὲκαὶ οἱ διάκονοι, ἀπαντήσαντες ἐνταῦθα, οὐκ ὀλίγα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὰ ἐμαρτύρησαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἀθανασίου, διαβεβαιούμενοι μηδὲν ἀληθὲς εἶναι τῶν κατʼ αὐτοῦ λεγομένων, ωσκευήν δὲ αὐτὸν πεπονθέναι. Καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου δὲ καί Λιβύης πάντες ἐπίσκοποι, γράφοντες διεβεβαιώσαντο καὶ τὴν κατάστασιν αὐτοῦ ἔννομον καὶ ἐκκλησιαπικὴν γεγονέναι, καὶ πάντα τὰ παρʼ ὑμῶν λεγόμενα κατʼ αὐτοῦ εἶναι ψευδῆ ο οὔτε γὰρ φόνον γεγενῆσθαι, οὔτε τινὰς ἀναιρεθῆναι διʼ αὐτὸν, οὔτε κλάσιν ποτηρίου γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ πᾶντα εἶναι ψευδῆ. Καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων δὲ τῶν ἐν Μαρεώτῃ κατά μονομέρειαν γεγενημένων, ἐδείκνυεν 6 ἐπίσκοπος Ἀθατάσιος ἕνα κατηχούμενον ἐξ· ετασθέντα, καὶ εἰπόντα ἔνδον εἶναι μετὰ Ἰοχύρα, ὅτε Μακάριος ὁ πρεσβύτερος Ἀθανασίου, ὡς λέγουσιν, ἐπέστη τῷ τόπῳ· καὶ ἄλλους δὲ ἐξετασθέντας καὶ εἷπρντας τὸν μὲν ἐν κελλίῳ μικρῷ, τὸν δὲ ὄπισθεν τῆς θύρας κατακεῖσθαι τὸν Ἰσχύραν, τότε νοσοῦντα, ὅτε Μακάριον λέγουσιν ἀρηντηκέναι ἐκεῖ. Ἀπὸ δὴ τούτων ὢν ἔλεγε καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀκολούθως στοχαζόμεθα, ὅτι πῶς οἷόν τε τὸν ὄπισθεν τῆς θύρας νόσῳ κατακείμενον τότε ἐστηκέναι, καὶ λειτουργεῖν, καὶ προσφέρειν; ἢ πῶς οἷόν τε iv προσφορὰν προκεῖσθαι, ἔνδον ὄντων τῶν κατηχουμένων ; Εἰ γὰρ ἔνδον ἦσαν οἱ κατηχούμενοι, οὔπω iv 6 καιρὸς τῆς προσφορᾶς. Ταῦτα, ὥσπερ εἷʼρηται, ἔλεγεν 6 ἐπίσκοπος ’Δθανάσιος, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων ἐδείκνυε, διαβεβαιουμένων καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ, μηδὲ ὅλως αὐτὸν πρεσβύτερον γεγενῆσθαί ποτε ἐν τῇ καθολικῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, μηδὲ συνῆχθαι αὐτόν ποτε ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησία ὡς πρεσβύτερον ο οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ ὅτε Ἀλέξανδρος ἐδέχετο μετὰ φιλανθρωπίαν τῆς μεγάλης συνόδου τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ σχίσματος Μελιτίου, ὠνομᾶσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ Μελιτίου μετὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ διεβεβαιοῦντο ’ὀ καὶ μέγιστόν ἐστι τεκμήριον μή εἶναι αὐτὸν μήτε Μελιτίου. Εἰ γὰρ iv, πάντως καί αὐτός αὐτοῖς συνηριθμεῖτο. ’Ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐν ἀλλοις ὁ Ἰσχύρας ψευσάμενος ἐδείκνυτο ὑπὸ Ἀθανασίου ἐκ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων · κατηγορήσας γὰρ ὡς βιβλίων κεκαυμένων, ὅτε, ὡς λέγουσι, Μακάριος ἐπέστη, ἠλέγχθη ὑφʼ ὧν αὐτὸς ἤνεγκε μαρτύρων ψευσάμενος.

### English translation (Claude)

He also complained that those who went to the Mareotis had gone against his wishes. For he said that they had sent Theognius, Maris, Theodore, Ursacius, Valens, and Macedonius, who were suspect. And he showed this not only from his own words but also from the letter of Alexander, the late bishop of Thessalonica; for he produced a letter of his written to Dionysius, the count at the synod, in which he makes plain that a manifest plot had been formed against Athanasius. He also produced an authentic autograph of the accuser Ischyras himself, in which, calling God Almighty to witness, he said that there had been neither breaking of a cup nor overturning of a table, but that he had been prompted by certain persons to invent this accusation. The presbyters of the Mareotis also came and affirmed that Ischyras was not a presbyter of the catholic Church and that Macarius had committed no such offense as he charged. And the presbyters and deacons who came here testified not a little but much on behalf of Bishop Athanasius, affirming that none of the charges against him was true, but that he had been the victim of a plot. All the bishops of Egypt and Libya also affirmed in writing that his appointment was lawful and ecclesiastical, and that all you say against him is false: no murder had taken place, no one had been put to death on his account, no cup had been broken, but everything was false. And from the minutes taken one-sidedly in the Mareotis Bishop Athanasius showed that a catechumen was examined and said he was inside with Ischyras when Macarius, Athanasius’s presbyter, as they say, burst in on the place; and that others were examined and said, some that Ischyras was lying in a small cell, others that he was lying behind the door, being sick at the time when they say Macarius came there. From this, as he said, we too naturally infer: how could a man lying sick behind the door have been standing at that time, ministering and offering? Or how could the offering have been set out while catechumens were inside? For if the catechumens were inside, it was not yet the time of the offering. These things, as has been said, Bishop Athanasius stated and showed from the minutes, while those with him affirmed that Ischyras had never at all been a presbyter in the catholic Church, nor had he ever attended services in the Church as a presbyter; for not even when Alexander, in accordance with the clemency of the great synod, received those from the schism of Meletius was he named by Meletius among his clergy, as they affirmed. This is the strongest proof that he was not even of Meletius’s party, for if he had been, he would certainly have been numbered with them. Besides, Athanasius showed from the minutes that Ischyras had lied in other things too; for when he charged that books had been burned when, as they say, Macarius burst in, he was proved a liar by the very witnesses he brought.

### Translation notes

- The catechumens’ presence matters because they were dismissed before the eucharistic offering began.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 28 (PG 25:293b–296d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-28).

## Defence against the Arians 29

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-29
- Source: PG 25:296d–297b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius argues that he acted canonically in receiving Athanasius, while the Eusebians acted against the canons in appointing a stranger at Antioch and sending him to Alexandria with soldiers.

### Greek text

Τούτων τοίνυν οὕτως λεγομένων, καὶ τοσούτων μὶν ὄντων τῶν μαρτύρων τῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, τοσούτων δὲ δικαιωμάτων προφερομένων ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, τί ἔδει ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς ; ἢ τί ὁ ἐκκλησιαστικὸς κανὼν ἀπαιτεῖ, ἢ μῆ καταγνῶναι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἀλλά μᾶλλον ἀποδέξασθαι καὶ ἔχειν αὐτὸν ἐπίσκοπον, ὥσπερ καὶ ἕχομεν; Καὶ γὰρ πρὸς τούτοις πᾶσι παρέμεινεν ἐνταῦθα ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ ἓξ μῆνας, ἐκδεχόμενος τὴν παρουσίαν ὐμῶν ἢ τῶν βουλομένων ἐλθεῖψ τῇ δὲ παρουσίᾳ ἐδυσώπει πάντας, ὅτι οὐκ ἃν παρῆν εἰ μὴ ἐθάρρει. Καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ἐλήλυθεν, ἀλλὰ κληθεὶς καὶ λαβὼν γράμματα παρʼ ἡμῶν, καθάπερ καὶ ὑμῖν ἐγράψαμεν. Καὶ ὅμως μετὰ τοσαῦτα ὑμεῖς ὡς παρᾶ κανόνας ποιήσαντας ἡμᾶς ἐμέμψασθε. Σκοπεῖτε τοίνυν, τίνες είσὶν οἱ παρὰ κανόνας πράξαντες, ἡμεῖς οἱ μετά τοσούτων ἀποδείξεων τὸν ἄνδρα δεξάμενοι, ἢ οἱ ἀπὸ τριάκοντα καὶ ’ἐξ μονῶν έν ’Δντιοχείᾳ ὀνομάσαντες τινα ὡς ἐπίσκοπον ξένον, καὶ ἀποστείλαντες εἷς τῆν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν μετὰ στρατιωτικῆς ἐξουσίας; ὅπερ οὗ γέγονεν, οὐδὲ εἷς Γαλλίας αἰ)τοῦ ἀποσταλέντος. ἐγεγόνει γὰρ ἂν καὶ τότε, εί ὅντως ῆν καταγνωσθείς. Ἀμέλει ἐπανελθὼν σχολάζουσαν καὶ ἐκδεχομένην αὐτὸν τῆν Ἐκκλησίαν εὗρεν.

### English translation (Claude)

Since these things were said, and there were so many witnesses on his behalf and so many justifications produced by him, what ought we to have done? Or what does the canon of the Church require, except not to condemn the man but rather to receive him and hold him as bishop, as indeed we do? Besides all this, he remained here a year and six months, awaiting the arrival of you or of whoever wished to come; and by his presence he put everyone to shame, since he would not have been present had he not been confident. For he did not come of his own accord, but was summoned and received letters from us, just as we wrote to you. And yet after all this you have blamed us as having acted against the canons. Consider, then, who they are who have acted against the canons: we, who received the man on such strong proofs, or those who at Antioch, thirty-six stages away, named a stranger as bishop and sent him to Alexandria with military force? This was not done even when he was sent to the Gauls; it would have been done then, had he really been condemned. Indeed, when he returned he found the church vacant and awaiting him.

### Translation notes

- The stranger is Gregory of Cappadocia, installed at Alexandria in 339.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 29 (PG 25:296d–297b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-29).

## Defence against the Arians 30

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-30
- Source: PG 25:297b–300c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius condemns the uncanonical installation of Gregory at Alexandria by soldiers, and the violence that accompanied it, as the real breach of the canons.

### Greek text

Ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκ οἶδα, ποίῳ τρόπῳ γέγονε τὰ γενόμενα. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ, εἰ δεῖ τάληθὲς εἰπεῖν, οὐκ ἔδει, γραψάντων ἡμῶν σύνοδον γενέσθαι, προλαβεῖν τινας τὴν ἐκ τῆς συνόδου κρίσινʼ ἔπειτα οὐκ ἔδει τοιαύτην καινοτομίαν κατά τῆς Ἐκκλησίας γενέσθαι. Ποῖος γάρ κανὼν έκκλησιαστικὸς, ἢ ποία παράδοσις ἀποστολική τοιαύτη, ὥστε, εἷρηνευούσης Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ἐπισκόπων τοσούτων ὁμόνοιαν ἐχόντων πρὸς τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας Ἀθανάσιον, ἀποσταλῆναι Γρηγόριον, ξένον μὲν τῆς πόλεως μήτε ἐκεῖ βαπτισθέντα, μήτε γινωσκόμενον τοῖς πολλοῖς, μὴ αἰτηθέντα παρὰ πρεσβυτέρων, μὴ παρτ ἐπισκόπων, μὴ ’παρα λαῶν, ἀλλά κατασταθῆναι μὶν ἐν Ἀντιοχεία, ἀποσταλῆναι δὲ είς τῆν Ἀλεξάνλ δρειαν, οὐ μετά πρεσβυτέρων, οὐ μετὰ διακόνων τῆς πόλεως, ού μετὰ ἐπισκόπων τῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἀλλὰ μετὰ στρατιωτῶν ; Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔλεγον καὶ ᾐτιῶντο οἱ ἐνταῦθα ἐλθόντες· εἷ γὰρ καὶ μετὰ τήν σύνοδον ὑπεύθυνος ἦν εύρεθεὶς ὁ Ἀθανάσιος, οὐκ ἔδει τήν κατάστασιν οὕτω παρανόμως, καὶ παρά τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν κανόνα γενέσθαι· ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ αὑτῆς τῆς ὲκκλησίας, ἀπʼ αὑτοῦ τοῦ ἱερατείου, ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κλήρου, τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐπαρχίᾳ ἐπισκόπους ἔδει καταστῆσαι, καὶ μὴ νῦν τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων κανόνας παραλύεσθαι. Ἀρα γάρ, εἰ καθʼ ἐνὸς ὑμῶν ἐγεγόνει τοιοῦτον, οὑκ ἂν ἐβοήσατε, οὑκ ἂν ἠξιώσατε, ὡς παο ραλελυμένων τῶν κανόνων, ἐκδικηθῆναι ; Ἀγαπητοί, ὡς Θεοῦ παρόντος, μετά ἀληθείας φθεγγόμεθα καὶ λὲγομεν, οὑκ ἔστι τοῦτο εύσεβἐς, οὑδέ νόμιμον, οὑδὲ ἐκκλησιαστικόν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὰ λεγόμενα γεγενῆσθαι παρὰ Γρηγορίου ἐν τῇ είσύδῳ αὑτοῦ δείκνυσι τήν τῆς καταστάσεως τάξιν. ’Δν γὰρ τοιούτοις εἷρηνι· κοῖς καιροῖς, ὡς αὐτοὶ οἱ ἐλθόντες ἀπὸ τῆς ’Δλεξανδρείας ἀπήγγειλαν, καθὼς καὶ οἱ ἐπίσκοποι ἔγραψαν, ἡ ἐκκλησία ἐμπρησμὸν ὐπέμεινε, παρθένοι ἐγυμνώθησαν, μονάζοντες κατεπατήθησαν, πρεσβύτεροι καὶ πολλοὶ τοῦ λαοῦ ᾐκίσθησαν, καὶ βίαν πεπόνθασιν, ἐπίσκοποι ἐφυλακίσθησαν, περιεσύρησαν ζπολλοίο τά ἅγια μυστήρια, ἐφʼ οἷς ᾐτιῶντο Μακάρων τὸν πρεσβύτερον, ύπὸ ἐθνικῶν διηρπάζετο, καὶ είς γῆν κατεβάλλετο, ’ίνα τήν Γρηγορίου τινὲς κατάστασιν δέξωνται· τά δὲ τοιαῦτα δείκνυσι τοὺς παραλύοντας τοὺς κανόνας. Εἰ γὰρ νομίμη ἦν ἡ κατάστασις, οὐκ ἂν διὰ παρανομίας ἠνάγκαζε πείθεσθαι τοὺς νομίμως ἀπειθοῦντας αὐτῷ. Καὶ ὅμως, τοιούτων γενομένων, γράφετε εἱρήνην μεγάλην γεγενῆσθαι ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ τῇ Αίγύπτῳο ἐκτὸς εί μὴ ἀν·τιμεταβἑβληται τὸ ἔργον τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα εἰρήνην ὀνομάζετε.

### English translation (Claude)

But now I do not know in what way what has happened came about. First, if the truth must be told, when we had written that a synod should be held, no one ought to have anticipated the synod’s judgment; and next, no such innovation should have been made against the Church. For what canon of the Church, or what apostolic tradition, is there of this kind: that while the Church was at peace and so many bishops were in concord with Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, Gregory should be sent—a stranger to the city, neither baptized there nor known to the many, not asked for by presbyters, bishops, or people—appointed at Antioch and sent to Alexandria not with presbyters, not with deacons of the city, not with bishops of Egypt, but with soldiers? For this is what those who came here said and complained of. Even if, after the synod, Athanasius had been found guilty, the appointment ought not to have been made so lawlessly and against the canon of the Church; rather the bishops of the province ought to have appointed someone from that very church, from its own priesthood, from its own clergy, and the canons that come from the apostles ought not now to be set aside. If such a thing had been done against one of you, would you not have cried out and demanded redress for the violation of the canons? Beloved, we speak truly, as in the presence of God, and we say: this is not pious, nor lawful, nor ecclesiastical. For what is said to have been done by Gregory at his entry shows the character of his appointment. In such peaceful times, as those who came from Alexandria reported and as the bishops also wrote, the church suffered burning, virgins were stripped, monks were trampled underfoot, presbyters and many of the people were maltreated and suffered violence, bishops were imprisoned, many were dragged about, and the holy mysteries, on account of which they accused Macarius the presbyter, were plundered by pagans and thrown on the ground—so that certain people might accept Gregory’s appointment. Such things show who it is that set aside the canons. For if the appointment had been lawful, he would not have used lawlessness to compel the obedience of those who lawfully refused to obey him. And yet, though such things have happened, you write that great peace has come about in Alexandria and Egypt—unless the work of peace has been turned into its opposite, and you call such things peace.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 30 (PG 25:297b–300c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-30).

## Defence against the Arians 31

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-31
- Source: PG 25:300c–301a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius protests that the inquiry into the chalice was held before a civil judge, catechumens, pagans, and Jews, while the presbyters were excluded.

### Greek text

Κάκεῖνο δέ ύμῖν ἀναγκαῖον ἐνόμισα δηλῶσαι, δτι ’Δθανάσιος διεβεβαιοῦτο Μακάριον ἐν Τύρῳ ύπὸ στρατιώτας γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ μόνον τὸν κατήγορον ἀπεληλυθέναι μετὰ τῶν ἀπελθόντων εἲς τὸν Μαρεώο τήν, καὶ τοὺς μέν πρεσβυτέρους ἀξιοῦντας παρεῖναι ἐν τῇ ἐξετάσει μή συγκεχωρῆσθαι· τήν δέ ἐξέτασιν γεγενῆσθαι περὶ ποτηρίου καὶ τραπέζης, ἐπί παρουσία τοῦ ἐπάρχου καὶ τῆς τάξεως αύτοῦ, παρόντων ἐθνικῶν καὶ Ἰουδαίων. Τοῦτο δέ κατὰ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἄπιστον ἦ, εί μή καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων ἐδείκνυτο, ἐφʼᾇ» καὶ ἐθαυμάσαμεν, νομίζω δὲ καὶ ύμᾶς ἐπιθαυμάζειν, ἀγαπητοί. Πρεσβύτεροι μὲν οὐκ ἐπιτρέπονται παρεῖναι, οἱ καὶ τῶν μυστηρίων λειτουρο γοὶ τυγχάνοντες, ἐπὶ δέ ἐξωτικοῦ δικαστοῦ, παρόντων κατηχουμὲνων, καί τό γε χείριστον, ἐπὶ ἐθνικῶν καὶ Ἰουδαίων τῶν διαβεβλημένων περὶ τὸν χριστιανισμὸν, ἐξέτασις περὶ αἵματος Χριστοῦ καὶ σώματος Χριστοῦ γίνεται. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὅλως ἐγεγόνει τι πλημμέλημα, ἔδει ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησία ὐπὸ κληρικῶν νομίμως ἐξετάζεσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα, καὶ μὴ ὑπό ἐθνικῶν τῶν τὸν Λόγον βδελυσσομένων καῖ μὴ εἰδότων τήν ἀλήθειαν. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἁμάρτημα ἡλίκον καὶ ὁποῖόν ἐστι, συνορᾷν καὶ ὑμᾶς καὶ πάντας πεπίστευκα. Περὶ μὲν Ἀθανασίου τοιαῦτα.

### English translation (Claude)

I thought it necessary also to let you know this: Athanasius affirmed that Macarius was kept under guard of soldiers at Tyre, and that only the accuser went with those who went to the Mareotis; that the presbyters who asked to be present at the inquiry were not permitted, while the inquiry about the cup and the table took place in the presence of the prefect and his staff, with pagans and Jews present. At first this was incredible, had it not been shown from the minutes too; we marveled at it, and I think you too marvel, beloved. Presbyters, who are the ministers of the mysteries, are not permitted to be present, while before an outside judge, in the presence of catechumens and, worst of all, before pagans and Jews, who are ill-disposed toward Christianity, an inquiry is held about the blood of Christ and the body of Christ! For even if some offense had been committed at all, such things ought to have been examined lawfully in the Church by clergy, and not by pagans who abhor the Word and do not know the truth. How great and of what kind this sin is, I trust that both you and everyone perceive. So much about Athanasius.

### Translation notes

- The reference to Jews is part of Julius’s complaint that outsiders judged a matter of the Church’s mysteries; it is translated as written.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 31 (PG 25:300c–301a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-31).

## Defence against the Arians 32

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-32
- Source: PG 25:301a–301b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius reports that Marcellus of Ancyra confessed an orthodox faith at Rome and was therefore kept in communion.

### Greek text

Περὶ δὲ Μαρκέλλου, ἐπειδὴ καὶ περὶ αὖτοῦ ὡς ἀσεβοῦντος εἷς τόν Χριστὸν ἐγράψατε, δηλῶσαι ὑμῖν ἐσπούδασα, δτι ἐνταῦθα γενόμενος, διεβεβαιώσατο μὶν μὴ εἶναι ἀλῃθῆ τὰ περὶ αὐτού γρατ φὲντα παρʼ 1 ὑμῶν · ὅμως δὲ ἀπαιτούμενος παρʼ ἡμῶν εἰπεῖν περὶ τῆς πίστεως, οὕτω μετὰ παρρησίας ἀπεκρίνατο διʼ ἑαυτοῦ. ὡς ἐπιγνῶναι μὲν ἡμᾶς, ὅτι μηδὲν ἔξωθεν τῆς ἀληθείας ὁμολογεῖ · οὕτως γὰρ εὐσεβῶς περί τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὡμολόγησε φρονεῖν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ καθολικῆ ’Ἐκκλησία φρονεῖ· καὶ οὐ νῦν ταῦτα πεφρονηκέναι διεβεβαιώσατο, ἄλλα,καὶ ἔκπαλαιῖ ὡσπεροῦν καὶ oi ἡμέτεροι πρεσβύτεροι, τότε ἐν τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν συνόδῳ γενόμενοι, ἐμαρτύρησαν αὐτοῦ τῇ ὁρθοδοξίᾳο καὶ γὰρ καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν κατὰ τῆς αἱρέσεως τῶν Ἀρειανῶν πεφρονηκέναι δισχυρίσατο · ἐφʼ ᾧ καὶ ὑμᾶς ὑπομνῆσαι δίκαιόν ἐστιν, ’ίνα μηδεὶς τὴν τοιαύτην αʼίρεσιν ἀποδέχηται, ἀλλᾶ βδελύττηται ὡς ἀλλοτρίαν τῆς ὑγιαινούσης διδασκαλίας, Ὀρθὰ τοίνυν αὐτὸν φρονοῦντα, καὶ έπί ὀρθοδοξίᾳ μαρτυρούμενον, τί πάλιν καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου ἔδει ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς, ἢ ἔχειν αὐτὸν,,ὥσπερ καὶ εἷʼχομεν, ἐπίσκοπον, καὶ μή ἀποβάλλειν τῆς κοινωνίας; Ταῦτα μὶν οὖν ἐγὼ, οὐχ ὡς ὑπεραπολογούμενος αὐτῶν γέγραφα, ἀλλʼ ἔνεκα τοῦ πιστεῦσαι ὑμᾶς, ὅτι δικαίως καῖ κανονικῶς ἐδεξάμεθα τοὺς ἄνδρας, καὶ μάτην φιλονεικεῖτε · ὑμᾶς δὲ δίκαιόν ἐστι σπουδάσαι, καὶ πάντα τρόπον καμεῖν, τίνα τά μὲν παρὰ κανόνα γενόμενα διορθώσεως τύχῃ, αἱ δὲ Ἐκκλησίαι εἰρήνην ἔχωσι, πρὸς τὸ τήν τοῦ Κυρίου εἰρήνην τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν παραμεῖναι, καὶ μὴ σχίζεσθαι τὰς Ἐκκλησίας, μηδέ ὑμᾶς ὡς αἰτίους σχίσματος μέμψιν ὑπομεῖναι Ὀμολογῶ γὰρ ὑμῖν, τὰ γενόμενα οὐκ εἰρήνης, ἀλλὰ σχίσματπ προφάσεις εἰσίν.

### English translation (Claude)

As for Marcellus, since you wrote of him too as impious toward Christ, I am anxious to let you know that when he was here he affirmed that what you had written about him was not true; nevertheless, when asked by us to speak about the faith, he answered on his own account with such boldness that we recognized that he confesses nothing outside the truth. For he confessed that he holds as piously about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the catholic Church holds; and he affirmed that he had held these views not only now but long since, as indeed our presbyters, who were at the synod of Nicaea at that time, bore witness to his orthodoxy; for he maintained that both then and now he had held views opposed to the heresy of the Arians. On this point it is right to remind you too that no one should accept such a heresy, but should abhor it as foreign to sound teaching. Since, then, he holds correctly and is attested as orthodox, what again ought we to have done in his case, but hold him as bishop, as we did, and not cast him out of communion? I have written these things not to make a defense on their behalf, but so that you may believe that we received the men justly and canonically and that you contend in vain. But it is right for you to be zealous and to labor in every way so that what was done against the canon may be corrected and the churches have peace, so that the peace of the Lord which was given us may remain, the churches not be divided, and you not incur blame as the causes of schism. For I confess to you, what has been done gives occasion not for peace but for schism.

### Scripture references

- 1 Tim 1:10: echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Marcellus of Ancyra had been deposed in 336 for his teaching on the Word. Julius’s judgment that his confession was orthodox is reported as he wrote it; Marcellus’s statement of faith survives in Epiphanius, Panarion 72.2–3. “Sound teaching”: cf. 1 Tim 1:10; Titus 1:9.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 32 (PG 25:301a–301b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-32).

## Defence against the Arians 33

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-33
- Source: PG 25:301b–304c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius reports that many bishops and presbyters from the East came to Rome complaining of violence and persecution, which made his invitation to a synod the more necessary.

### Greek text

Οὗ γὰρ μόνον oi περὶ Ἀθανάσιον καὶ Μάρκελλον oi. ἐπίσκοποι ἐληλύθασιν ἐνταῦθα, αἰτιώμενοι κατʼ αὑτῶν ἀδικίαν γεγονέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλεῖστοι ἅλλοι ἐπίσκοποι ἀπὸ Θρᾴκης, ἀπὸ Κοίλης Συρίας, ἀπὸ Φοινίκης καὶ Παλαιστίνης, καὶ-πρεσβύτεροι μὲν οὐκ ὀλίγοι, ἄλλοι δέ τινες ἀπὸ ’Δλεξανδρείας, καί ἄλλοι ἐξ ἄλλων μερῶν, ἀπήντησαν εἰς τὴν ἐνταῦθα σύνοδον, ἐπῖ πάντων τῶν συνελθόντων ἐπισκόπων, πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις, οἷς ἕλεγον,ὅτι καὶ ἀπωδύροντο, βίαν θοι ιαὶ ἀδικίαν τὰς Έκκλησίας πεπονθέναι, καί ὃμοια τοῖς κατὰ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν … ἒαυτων, και ἐν αλλαις Ἐκκλησίαις γεγενῆσθαι διεβεβαιοῦντο, οὐ λόγῳ μόνον, ἀλλά καὶ πράγμασι.Καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου δὲ xui τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας, πάλιν ἐλθόντες νῦν πρεσβύτεροι μετά γραμμάτων, ἀπωδύροντο, ὅτι πολλοὶ ἐπίσκοποι καὶ πρεσβύτεροι, θέλοντες ἐλθεῖν εἷς τήν σύνοδον, ἐκωλύθησαν. Μέχρι γάρ νῦν καὶ μετά τὴν τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἀθανασιου ἀποδημίαν, ἔλεγον ἐπισκόπους ὁμολογητάς κατακόπτεσθαι πληγαῖς, xui ἄλλους φυλακίζεσθαι, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἀρχαίους, πλεῖστον ὅσον χρόνον ἔχοντας ἐν τῇ ἐπισκοπῇ, εἰς λειτουργίας δημοσίας παραδίδοσθαι, καὶ σχεδὸν-πάντας τοὺς τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας κληρικοὺς, καὶ λαοὺς, ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι καὶ διώκεσθαι. Καὶ γάρ καί τινας ἐπισκόπους, καί τινας ἀδελφοὺς ὑπερορίους ἔλεγον γεγενῆσθαι διʼ οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἢ ’ίνα καὶ ἄκοντες ἀναγκάζωνται κοινωνεῖν Γρηγορίῳ καί τοῖς σὺν αὑτῴ Ἀρειανοῖς. Καὶ ἐν Ἀγκύρᾳ δὲ τῆς Γαλατίας οὐκ ὀλίγα γενενῆσθαι, ἀλλά τά αὐτὰ πάλιν τοῖς κατά Ἀλεξάνδρειαν γενομένοις ἠκούσαμεν καὶ παρʼ ἑτέρων, καὶ Μάρκελλος δὲ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος διεμαρτύρατο. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ τοιαύτας κατηγορίας, καὶ οὕτω δεινάς κατά τινων ἐξ ὑμῶν, τίνα μὴ λέγω τά ὀνόματα, οἰ ἀπαντήσαντες εἰρήκασιν, ’ἀς ἐγὼ μὲν γράψαι παρῃτησάμην ἴσως δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς παρʼ ἑτέρων ἀκηκόατε. Διά τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα καὶ ἔγραψα προτρεπόμενος ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν, ’ίνα καὶ παρόντες ἀκούσητε, καὶ πάντα διορθωθῆναι xui θεραπευθῆναι δυνηθῇ. Ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων προθυμοτέρους ἔδει τοὺς κληθέντας ἀπαντῆσαι καὶ μὴ παραιτήσασθαι, ’ίνα μὴ τέως ὕποπτοι περὶ τὰ λεχθέντα, ἐὰν μὴ ἀπαντήσωσι νομισθῶσιν, ὡς δυνάμενοι ἐλέγξαι ἃ ἔγραψαν.

### English translation (Claude)

For not only have Bishops Athanasius and Marcellus come here, complaining that injustice had been done to them, but also very many other bishops from Thrace, from Coele-Syria, from Phoenicia and Palestine; and not a few presbyters, and others from Alexandria and others from other parts, came to the synod here; and in the presence of all the bishops assembled, besides the other things they said, they lamented the violence and injustice the churches had suffered, and they affirmed that things like those at Alexandria … had happened in their own churches and in other churches, not in word only but in deed. And presbyters have now come again with letters from Egypt and Alexandria, lamenting that many bishops and presbyters who wished to come to the synod were prevented. For they said that up to now, even after the departure of Bishop Athanasius, bishops who are confessors are being cut down with blows and others imprisoned; that even aged men, who have held the episcopate for a very long time, are being handed over to public duties; and that almost all the clergy and people of the catholic Church are being plotted against and persecuted. For they said that some bishops and some brothers had been banished for no other reason than to compel them, even against their will, to communicate with Gregory and the Arians with him. We heard from others too that not a few things had happened at Ancyra in Galatia, the same as had happened at Alexandria, and Bishop Marcellus bore witness to it. Besides this, those who came have brought such charges, and such grave ones, against some of you—I do not name them—as I have declined to put in writing; but perhaps you too have heard them from others. It was chiefly for this reason that I wrote inviting you to come, so that you might hear in person and everything might be set right and healed. In such matters those who were summoned ought to have attended the more readily and not declined, lest they be thought suspect with regard to what was said, if they did not attend, as though unable to prove what they had written.

### Translation notes

- “Handed over to public duties”: compelled to serve on the city councils, a burden from which clergy were exempt. Several lines are badly garbled in the scan where marked “…”; the debris is removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 33 (PG 25:301b–304c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-33).

## Defence against the Arians 34

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-34
- Source: PG 25:304c–305c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius urges the Eusebians to correct their uncanonical acts, to stop demanding a choice between communion with them and with Athanasius and Marcellus, and to come and prove their charges.

### Greek text

Τούτων τοίνυν οὕτω λεγομένων, καὶ οὕτως τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν πασχουσῶν, καὶ ἐπιβουλευομένων, ὡς οἱ ἀπαγγέλλοντες διεβεβαιοῦντο, τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ φλόγα διχονοίας ἀνάψαντες; ἡμεῖς oi λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις, xui συμπάσχοντες τοῖς πάσχουσιν ἀδελφοῖς, ἢ οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐργασάμενοι; Θαυμάζω γάρ πῶς, τοι· αύτης καὶ τοσαύτης ἐκεῖ ἀκαταστασίας καθʼ ἑκάστην Ἐκκλησίαν οὔσης, διʼ ἢν καὶ οἱ ἀπαντήσαντες ἦλθον ἐνταῦθα, γράφετε ὑμεῖς ὁμόνοιαν γεγενῆσθαι ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις · τά δὲ τοιαῦτα οὐκ ἐπὶ οἰκοδομῇ τῆς Ἐκ·κλησίας, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει ταύτης γίνεται· xui ο ἐν τούτοις δὲ χαίροντες οὐκ εῗσὶν εἰρήνης υἰοὶ, ἀλλὰ ἀκαταστασίας ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἡμῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκαταστασίας, ἀλλʼ εἰρήνης. Διόπερ, ὡς οἶδεν ὃ Θεὸς καὶ Ιξατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κηδόμενος μὲν καὶ τῆς ὑμῶν ὑπολήψεως, εὐχόμενος δὲ καὶ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας μὴ ἐνʼ ἀκαταστασία εἶναι, ἀλλὰ διαμένειν ὥσπερ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐκανονίσθη, γράψαι ὑμῖν ταῦτα ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην, *ίνα ἤδη ποτὲ δυσωπήσητε τοὺς διὰ τήν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀπέχθειαν οὕτω διαθεμένους τάς Έκκλησίας. ’Ἠκουσα γὰρ, ὅτι τινές εἰσιν ὀλίγοι οἱ τούτων πάντων αἴτιοι τυγχάνοντες. Σπουδάσατε ὡς σπλάγχνα ἔχοντες οἰκτιρμοῦ διορθώσασθαι, ὡς προεῖπον, τά παρά κανόνα γενόμενα, ἵνα, εί καί τι προελήφθη, τοῦτο τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ σπουδῇ θεραπευθῇ. Καὶ μὴ γράφητε, ὅτι Τὴν Μαρκέλλου καὶ Ἀθανασίου, ἢ τήν ἡμῶν ἑλοῦ κοινωνίαν· οὐ γὰρ εἰρήνης, ἀλλά φιλονεικίας καὶ μισαδελφίας, τὰ τοιαῦτα γνωρίσματα. Δ;ἀ τοῦτο οῦν κάγὼ τὰ προειρημένα ἔγραψα, ἵνα, μαθόντες, ὅτι οὔκ ἀδίκως ἐδεξάμεθα αὐτοὺς, παύσησθε τῆς τοιαύτης ἔριδος. Εἰ μὶν γὰρ ἐλθόντων ὑμῶν ἦσαν καταγνωσθέντες. εί μή εὐλόγους ἀποδείξεις ἔχειν ἐφαίνοντο ὀπὶρ ἑαυτῶν, καλῶς ἂν τοὶ τοιαῦτα γεγραφήκειτε· ἐπειδὴ δὲ, ὡς προεῖπον, κωονικῶς καὶ οὐκ ἀδίκως τήν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔσχομεν κοινωνίαν, παρακαλῶ ὐπὶρ Χριστοῦ, μή ἐπιτρέψητε διασχισθῆναιτά μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ μηδὲ τοῖς προλήμμασι πιστεύσητε, ἀλλά τήν τοῦ Κυρίου εἰρήνην προτιμήσατε· οὐ γὰρ ὅσιον οὐδὲ δίκαιον διʼ ὀλίγων μικροψυχίαν τοὺς μὴ καταγνωσθέντας ἀπορρίπτειν καὶ λυπεῖν ἐν τούτῳ τὸ Πνεῦμα. Ei δὲ νομίζετε δύνασθαί τινα κατʼ αὐτῶν ἀποδεῖξαι, καὶ εἲς πρόσωπον αὐτοὺς ἐλέγξαι, ἐλθέτωσαν οἱ βουλόμενοι. Ἑτοίμους γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς καὶ αὐτοὶ εἶναι ἐπηγγείλαντο, ὥστε καὶ ἀποδεῖξαι καὶ διελέγξαι, περὶ ὦν ἡμῖν ἀπήγγειλαν.

### English translation (Claude)

Since, then, such things are said, and the churches are thus suffering and being plotted against, as those who reported them affirmed, who are they who have kindled the flame of discord? We, who are grieved at such things and suffer with our suffering brothers, or those who have done such things? For I wonder how, when there is such great disorder in every church there—the very reason why those who came here have come—you write that concord has come about in the churches. Such things are done not for the building up of the Church but for its tearing down; and those who rejoice in them are not sons of peace but of disorder; and our God is not a God of disorder but of peace. Therefore, as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ knows, caring for your good name and praying that the churches may not be in disorder but may remain as they were ordered by the apostles, I thought it necessary to write these things to you, so that you may at last put to shame those who through their enmity toward one another have brought the churches to this state. For I have heard that there are a few who are the cause of all this. As men who have hearts of compassion, be zealous to correct, as I said before, what was done against the canon, so that if anything has been done prematurely, it may be healed by your zeal. And do not write, “Choose communion with Marcellus and Athanasius, or with us”; for such things are marks not of peace but of contentiousness and hatred of brothers. It was for this reason that I wrote what precedes, so that, learning that we received them not unjustly, you may cease from such strife. For if they had come and been condemned, or had not appeared to have reasonable proofs on their own behalf, you would have been right to write such things; but since, as I said before, we held communion with them canonically and not unjustly, I beg you for Christ’s sake not to allow the members of Christ to be torn apart, nor to trust in prejudgments, but to prefer the peace of the Lord. For it is neither holy nor just, through the petty-mindedness of a few, to cast off those who have not been condemned and in this to grieve the Spirit. But if you think you can prove anything against them and convict them face to face, let those who wish come; for they too have promised to be ready both to prove and to refute what they reported to us.

### Scripture references

- 1 Cor 14:33: quotation, high confidence
- 2 Cor 11:31: allusion, high confidence
- Col 3:12: echo, medium confidence
- Eph 4:30: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “Not a God of disorder but of peace”: 1 Cor 14:33. “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ knows”: 2 Cor 11:31. “Hearts of compassion”: Col 3:12. “Grieve the Spirit”: Eph 4:30.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 34 (PG 25:304c–305c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-34).

## Defence against the Arians 35

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-35
- Source: PG 25:305c–308d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius closes by asking for a new synod, protesting that bishops were deposed and exiled without reference to all the churches, and claiming that matters concerning Alexandria should first be referred to Rome.

### Greek text

Σημάνατε οῦν ἡμῖν, ἀγαπητά, περὶ τούτου, ’ίνα κάκείνοις γράψωμεν, καὶ τοῖς ὀφείλουσι πάλιν συνελθεῖν ἐπισκόποις πρὸς τὸ πάντων παρόντων τοὺς ὒπευθῦνους καταγνωσθῆναι, καὶ μηκέτι ἀκαταστασίαν ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις γενέσθαι. ’Δρκεῖ γὰρ τά γενόμενα ἀρκεῖ, ὅτι παρόντων ἐπισκόπων ἐπίσκοποι ἐξωρίζοντο. Περὶ οῦ οὐδὲ μακρηγορεῖν δεῖ, ’ίνα μὴ βαρεῖσθαι οἳ παρόντες τότε δοκῶσιν. Εἰ γάρ δεῖ τάληθὲς εἰπεῖν, οὐκ ἔδει μέχρι τούτων φθάσαι, οὐδὲ είς τοσοῦτον ἐλθεῖν τὰς μικροψυχίας. Ἔστω δὲ Ἀθανάσιος καὶ Μάρκελλος, ὡς γράφετε, μετετέθησαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίμν τόπων, τί καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἄν τις ei'noz τῶν ἐκ διαφόρων τόπων, ὡς προεῖπον, ἐλθόντων ἐνταῦθα ἐπισκόπων καὶ πρεσβυτέρων ; Καὶ αὐτοὶ γὰρ πάλιν ἡρπάσθαι ἐαυτοὺς καὶ τοιαῦτα πεπονθέναι ἔλεγον. Ὠ ἀγαπητοί ! οὐκέτι κατά τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἀλλὰ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ ἐξορισμῷ καὶ θανάτῳ αἱ κρίσεις τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰσὶν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὅλως, ὡς φατὲ, γέγονέ τι εἰς αὐτοὺς ἁμάρτημα, ἔδει κατὰ τὸν ἰκκλησιαστικὸν κανόνα, καί μὴ οὕτως γεγενῆσθαι τήν κρίσιν· ἔδει γραφῆναι πᾶσιν ἡμῖν, ἵνα οὕτως παρὰ πάντων ὁρισθῇ τὸ δίκαιον· Ἐπίσκοποι γὰρ ἦσαν οἳ πάσχοντες, καὶ οὐχ αἱ τυχοῦσαι Έκκλησίαι αἱ πάσχουσαι, ἀλλʼ ὧν αὐτοὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι διʼ ἑαυτῶν καθηγήσαντο. Διά τί δὲ περί τῆς ’Δλεξανδρέων Ἑκκλησίας μάλιστα οὐκ ἐγράφετο ἡμῖν ; Ἦ ἀγνοεῖτε, δτι τοῦτο ἔθος ἦν, πρότερον γράφεσθαι ἡμῖν, καὶ οὕτως ἔνθεν ὁρίζεσθαι τὰ δίκαια ; Εἰ μὲν οὗν τι τοιοῦτον ἦν ὑποπτευθὶν εἰς τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τὸν ἐκεῖ, ἔδει πρὸς τήν ἐνταῦθα Ἐκκλησίαν γραφῆναι· νῦν δὲ οἱ ἡμᾶς μή πληροφορήσαντες, πράξαντες δὲ αὐτοὶ ὡς ἠθέλησαν, λοιπὸν καὶ ἡμᾶς οὗ καταγνόντας βούλονται συμψήφους εἶναι. Οὐχ οὕτως αἱ Παύλου διατάξεις, οὐχ οὕτως οἱ πατέρες παραδεδώκασιν ἄλλος τόπος ἐστὶν οὗτος, καὶ καινὸν τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα. Παρακαλῶ, μετὰ προθυμίας ἐνέγκατε· ὗπέρ τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντός ἐστιν ἃ γράφω· ἃ γὰρ παρειλήφαμεν παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ταῦτα καὶ ὖμῖν δηλῶ· καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔγραψα, φανερά ἡγούμενος εἶναι ταῦτα παρὰ πᾶσιν, εἰ μή τὰ γενόμενα ἡμᾶς ἐτάραξεν. Ἐπίσκοποι ἀρπάζονται καὶ ἐκτοπίζονται· ἄλλοι δὲ ἀλλαχόθεν ἀντιτίθενται, καὶ ἄλλοι ἐπιβουλεύονται· ὥστε ἐπὶ μὲν τοῖς άρπασθεῖσιν αὐτοὺς πενθεῖν, ὲπὶ δὲ τοῖς πεμπομὲνοις ἀναγκάζεσθαι, ’ίνα οὓς μὲν θέλουσι, μὴ ἐπιζητῶσιν, οὓς δὲ μὴ βούλονται, δέχωνται. Ἀξιῶ ὑμᾶς μηκέτι τοιαῦτα γίνεσθαι, γράψατε δὶ μᾶλλον κατὰ τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπιχειρούντων, ’ίνα μηκέτι τοιαῦτα πάσχωσιν αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι, μηδὲ τις ἐπίσκοπος ἢ πρεσβύτερος ὕβριν πάσχῃ, ἢ παρᾶ γνώμην, ὥσπερ ἐδήλωσαν ἠμῖν,ἀναγκάξηταί τις. ποιεῖν, ’ἱνα μὴ καὶ παρά τοῖς ἔθνεσι γέλωτα ὀφλήσωμεν, καὶ πρὸ γε πάντων, ’ίνα μή τὸν Θεὸν παροξύνωμεν. Ἕκαστος γὰρ ἡμῶν ἀποδώσει λόγον ὲν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως περί ὧν ἱνταῢθα ἔπραξε. Γένοιτο δὲ πάντας κατὰ θεὸν φρονῆσαι, τίνα καὶ αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι τοὺς ἐπισκόπους αὐτῶν ἀπολαβοῦσαι, χαίρωσι διὰ παντὸς ὲν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, διʼ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα είς τοὺς αἰωνας τῶν αἰώνων. ’Δ μήν. Ἐῤῥῶσθαι ὖμᾶς ἑν Κυρίῳ εὔχομαι, ἀγαπητοὶ καὲ ποθεινότατοι ἀδελφοί.

### English translation (Claude)

Inform us, then, beloved, about this, so that we may write both to them and to the bishops who must assemble again, so that the guilty may be condemned in the presence of all and there may be no more disorder in the churches. What has happened is enough; it is enough that bishops were exiled in the presence of bishops. I need not speak at length about this, lest those who were present then should seem to be burdened. For if the truth must be told, things ought not to have gone so far, nor petty-mindedness to have reached such a pitch. Granted that Athanasius and Marcellus, as you write, were removed from their own places—what would one say about the others, the bishops and presbyters who, as I said before, have come here from various places? For they too said that they had been carried off and had suffered such things. O beloved! The judgments of the Church are no longer according to the Gospel, but now end in banishment and death. For even if, as you say, some offense had been committed by them, the trial ought to have been held according to the canon of the Church and not in this way. You ought to have written to all of us, so that justice might thus be determined by all. For those who suffered were bishops, and the churches that suffered were no ordinary ones, but those which the apostles themselves governed in person. And why were we not written to, above all, concerning the church of the Alexandrians? Or do you not know that this was the custom, that we be written to first, and that what is just be determined from here? If, then, any such suspicion had fallen on the bishop there, it should have been referred in writing to the church here. But now those who did not inform us, but acted as they themselves wished, want us too to join in their vote, though we did not condemn him. Not so are the ordinances of Paul, not so have the Fathers handed down; this is a different pattern and a new practice. I beg you, bear it willingly; what I write is for the common good. For what we have received from the blessed apostle Peter, this I make known to you also; and I would not have written, thinking these things plain to all, had not what happened troubled us. Bishops are carried off and removed from their places, others are put in their stead from elsewhere, and others are plotted against; so that the people mourn for those carried off and are coerced in the case of those sent, so that they may not seek those they want and may receive those they do not want. I ask you that such things happen no more; rather write against those who attempt such things, so that the churches may no longer suffer them, and no bishop or presbyter suffer outrage, or anyone be compelled, as they have shown us, to act against his judgment, lest we incur ridicule among the pagans, and above all lest we provoke God. For each of us will give an account on the day of judgment for what he has done here. May all think according to God, so that the churches too, having received their bishops back, may rejoice always in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom be glory to the Father for ever and ever. Amen. I pray for your health in the Lord, beloved and most longed-for brothers.”

### Scripture references

- Rom 14:12: echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Julius’s statement that it was the custom to write first to Rome about the church of Alexandria, and his appeal to what was received from Peter, are translated as written. “Each of us will give an account”: cf. Rom 14:12. Julius’s letter ends here.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 35 (PG 25:305c–308d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-35).

## Defence against the Arians 36

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-36
- Source: PG 25:308d–312a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius recounts how the Eusebians at Sardica refused to face trial and were deposed, and introduces the synod’s letter to the church of Alexandria.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα. τῆς ὲν Ῥώμῃ συνόδου γραψάσηςι διὰ Ἰουλίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ῥώμης, ἒπειδή πάλιν ἡναισχόντουν οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον, τάς τε Ἐκκλησίας ἑτάρατο εον, καὶ πολλοῖς ἐπεβούλευον, μαθόντες οἱ θεοιριλέστατοι βασιλεῖς Κωνστάντιος καὶ Κώνστανς, ἒκὲλευσαν τούς τε ἀπὸ τῆς Δόσεως καὶ τῆς Ἀνατολῆς ἑπισκόπους συνελσεῖν είς τήν Σαρδῶν πόλιν. '0 μὲν ουν Εὐσέβιος ἒν τῷ μεταξὺ τετελεύτηκε ο πλείστων δὲ πανταχόθεν συνελθόντων, ἡμεῖς μὲν προεκαλούμεθα τοὺς κοινωνοὺς τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον εἷς κρίσιν. Ἐκεῖνοι δέ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχοντες ἃ ἔπραξαν, καὶ βλέποντες τοὺς ἀνελθόντας κατηγόρους αὐτῶν, ἐφοβοῦντο τήν κρίσιν· καὶ γὰρ πάντων καθαρῶς ἀπαντησάντων, αὐτοὶ, πάλιῦ-ἐπήγοντο μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν κόμηη τας, Μουσωνιανὸν, καὶ Ἡσύχιον τὸν Καστρήσιον, τἶνʼ, ὥσπερ εἰώθεισαν, τῇ ἐκείνων ἐξουσίᾳ, ταῦθʼ ἅπερ ἐβούλοντο πράξωσιν. Ἐπειδὴ δῖε χωρὶς κομήτων ἡ σύνοδος ἦν, καὶ στρατιώτης οὐδεὶς ἐγίνετο μέσος, ἐταράχθησαν πληγέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος. Ούκέτι γὰρ ὡς ἤθελον ἐκρίνοντο, ἀλλʼ ὡς ὁτῆς ἀληθείας ἀπῄτει λόγος. Ἐπὶ πολὺ τοίνυν ἡμῶν προκαλουμένων, καὶ τῆς συνόδου τῶν ἐπισκόπων προκαλούσης αύτοὺς, καὶ λεγούσηςο ‹‹ ᾜλθετε κριθῆναι, διὰ τί τρίνυν ἐλθόντες ὑποποδίζετε; Ἐχρῆν γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἢ μή ἐλθεῖν, ἢ ἐλθόντας μὴ κρύπτεσθαι · τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν φέρει μεγίστην κατάγνωσιν. Ἰδοὺ, παρεισιν οἱ περὶ Ἀθανάσιον, οὓς ἀπόντας διεβάλλετε, τἶνʼ, εἷʼ τι νομίζετέ ἔχειν, διελέγξητε τούτους παρόντας· εἰ δὲ μὴ δύνασθε, προσποιεῖσθε δὲ μὴ βούλεσθαι, δῆλοί ἐστε συκοφάνται, καὶ ταύτην ὑμῖν ἡ σύνοδος δώσει τήν κρίσιν. n Οἱ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες, καὶ καταγιέ νώσκοντες ἑαυτῶν (ἤδεισαν γὰρ ἃ ἔπραξαν, καὶ ἐπλάσαντο καθʼ ἡμῶν), ᾐσχύνθησαν ἀπαντῆσαι, πολλὴν καί ἀπρεπῆ καθʼ ἑαυτῶν τήν συκοφαντίαν ἐλέγξαντες. Ἡ τοίνυν ἁγία σύνοδος, καταγνοῦσα τῆς ἀπρεποῦς καὶ ὑπόπτου φυγῆς ἐκείνων, ἐδέξατο ἡμᾶς εἷς ἀπολογίαν. Διηγησαμένων δὲ ἡμῶν διὰ μαρτύρων καὶ ἀποδείξεων τὰ πραχθέντα καθʼ ἡμῶν, ἐθαύμασαν ο καὶ ἅπαντες ἐπέγνωσαν, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο εῗκότως ἐφοδήθησαν τὴν σύνοδον, είνα μὴ εἰς πρόσωπον ἐλεγχθῶσιν· ἔλεγόν τε· Ἴσως νομίζοντες μὴ παραγίνεσθαι τοὺς περὶ ’Δθανάσιον, ἀπήντησαν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀνατολῆς, ὅπουγε, ἰδόντες αὐτοὺς παρρησιαζομένους, καὶ προκαλουμένους τὴν κρίσιν, φεύγουσιν. ᾜμᾶς μὲν οὖν ἀπεδέξαντο ὡς ἀδικηθέντας καὶ μῄτην διαβληθέντας, καίπέκύρωσαν ἔτι μᾶλλον εἷς ἡμᾶς τήν τε κοινωνίαν καὶ ἀγάπην τοὺς δὲ κοινωνοὺς καὶ ἀναιδεστέρους γενομένους τῆς Εὖσεβίσυ κακουργίας καθεῖλον, Θεόδωρον ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείας, Νάρκισσον ἀπὸ Νερωνιάδος, ’Δκάκιον ἀπὸ Καισαρείας, Στέφανον ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας, καὶ Οὐρσάκιον καὶ Ούάλεντα ἀπὸ Παννονίας, καὶ Μηνόφαντον ἀπὸ Ἐφέσου, καὶ Γεώργιον ἀπὸ Λαοδικείας. Καὶ ἔγραψαν τοῖς ἁπανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐπισκόποις, καὶ τῇ ἑκάστου τῶν ἀδικηθέντων παροικίᾳ,, ταῦτα ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΤΗΣ ΕΝ ΣΑΡΔΙΚῌ ΣΥΝΑΧΘΕΙΣΗΣ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΥ. Ἡ ἉΓΙΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ ἡ κατὰ Θεοῦ χάριν ἐν Σαρδικῇ συναχθεῖσα ἀπὸ Ῥώμης, καὶ Σπανιῶν, Γαλλιῶν, Ἰταλίας, Καμπανίας, Καλαβρίας, Ἀπουλίας, Ἀφρικῆς, Σαρδινίας, Παννονιῶν, Μυσιῶν, Δακίας, Νωρικοῦ, Σισκίας, Δαρδανίας, ἄλλης Δακίας, Μακεδονίας, Θεσσαλίας, Ἀχαΐας, Ἠπείρων, Θρᾴκης, καὶ Ῥοδόπης, καὶ Παλαιστίνης, καὶ Ἀραβίας, καὶ Κρήτης, καὶ Αἰγύπτου, πρεσβυτέροις, καὶ διακόνοις, καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἁγίᾳ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ παροικούσῃ, ἀγαπητοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐν …

### English translation (Claude)

So wrote the synod at Rome through Julius, bishop of Rome. But when Eusebius and his party again behaved shamelessly, troubling the churches and plotting against many, the most God-loving emperors Constantius and Constans, learning of it, ordered the bishops both of the West and of the East to assemble at the city of Sardica. Eusebius died in the meantime; but when very many had assembled from every side, we challenged the partners of Eusebius’s party to a trial. They, however, having before their eyes what they had done and seeing that their accusers had come up, were afraid of the trial; and while all others came in good faith, they again brought with them counts, Musonianus and Hesychius the castrensis, so that, as they were accustomed, they might do whatever they wished by their authority. But when the synod was held without counts and no soldier was present among them, they were thrown into confusion, stricken by their conscience; for they were no longer judged as they wished, but as the reason of truth required. So when we challenged them for a long time, and the synod of bishops challenged them, saying, “You came to be judged; why, having come, do you now withdraw? You ought either not to have come, or having come not to hide; for this brings the greatest condemnation on you. See, Athanasius and his companions are here, whom you slandered in their absence; if you think you have anything, refute them in their presence. But if you cannot, and pretend to be unwilling, you are plainly false accusers, and this is the judgment the synod will give you”—when they heard this, they condemned themselves (for they knew what they had done and invented against us) and were ashamed to appear, having exposed against themselves their great and unseemly false accusation. The holy synod, then, condemning their unseemly and suspicious flight, admitted us to make our defense. And when we related by witnesses and proofs what had been done against us, they marveled, and all recognized that it was with good reason that those men had feared the synod, lest they be refuted face to face. And they said, “Perhaps they came from the East thinking that Athanasius and his companions would not appear; for now that they see them speaking boldly and challenging a trial, they flee.” So they received us as men wronged and slandered without cause, and confirmed to us still more their communion and love; but they deposed those who were partners in Eusebius’s wickedness and had become even more shameless than he: Theodore of Heraclea, Narcissus of Neronias, Acacius of Caesarea, Stephen of Antioch, Ursacius and Valens of Pannonia, Menophantus of Ephesus, and George of Laodicea. And they wrote to the bishops throughout the whole world, and to the church of each of those who had been wronged, as follows. Letter of the synod assembled at Sardica. “The holy synod assembled by the grace of God at Sardica, from Rome, the Spains, the Gauls, Italy, Campania, Calabria, Apulia, Africa, Sardinia, the Pannonias, the Moesias, Dacia, Noricum, Siscia, Dardania, the other Dacia, Macedonia, Thessaly, Achaia, Epirus, Thrace, Rhodope, Palestine, Arabia, Crete, and Egypt, to the presbyters and deacons and all the holy church of God dwelling at Alexandria, beloved brothers in …

### Translation notes

- The Council of Sardica (343). A castrensis was an official of the imperial household. Migne’s Latin note that leaked into the text is removed. The heading and address of the synodal letter are scattered and garbled in the scan; the legible names are reassembled by a logged correction, and the closing words of the greeting are lost (“…”).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 36 (PG 25:308d–312a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-36).

## Defence against the Arians 37

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-37
- Source: PG 25:312a–313c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The synod of Sardica tells the church of Alexandria that the Arian party fled trial, that Julius rightly received Athanasius, and that the Mareotic minutes were one-sided and self-refuting.

### Greek text

Καὶ πρὶν μὲν λαβεῖν ἡμᾶς τὰ. γράμματα τῆς ν 1 1,νη ἡμῖν ἦν, ὡς ὅτι οἱ τῆς δυσωνύμου τῶν ζΑρειοινῶν αἱρέσεως προστάται πολλά καὶ δεινὰ, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐπʼ. ὀλέθρῳ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς ἢ κατὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας … τήν παρὰ τῶν Πατέρων αὐτοῖς παραδοθεῖσαν, σπουδάζειν ἐλαύνειν καὶ διώκειν. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ πλαστοῖς έστελλον, ἄλλους έν αὐταῖς ταῖς τιμωρίαις κατεπόνουν. Ἀμέλει καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ συνεπισκόπου ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου τήν καθαρότητα βίᾳ καὶ..τυραννίδί ’συλλαβέσθαι ἐσπούδασαν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὕτεΙέπιμελής, οὔτε μετά πίστεως, οὔθʼ ὅλως δικαία γέγονενὴ παρʼ ἐκείνων κρίσιςη Διόπερ οὐδὲ θαῤῥοῢντες, οἷς ἀλλὰ καί θεωροῦντες, ὡς ού δύνανται περὶ τούτων ἀποδείξεις ἔχειν ἀληθεῖς, παρόντες εἰς ’τὴν Σαρδῶν πόλιν, οὐκ ἠθέλησαν είς τήν σύνοδον πάντων τῶν ἁγίων ἐπισκόπων ἀπαντῆσαιι Ἐκ δὴ τούτου φανερά καὶ δικαία καθέστηκεν ἠ κρίσις τοῦ-ἀδελφοῦ καί συνεπισκόπου ἡμῶν Ἰουλίου· οὐ γὰρ ἀσκεπτὶ βεβούλευται, ἀλλὰ καί μετʼ ἐπιμελείας ὥρισεν, ὥστε μηδὲ ὅλως διστάσαι περὶ* τῆς κοινωνίας τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου. *Εἶχε* γὰρ έπισκὸπων ὅτι διὰ τῶν ἀγαπητῶν. ἀδελφῶνιῖῆμῶν τῶν πρεσβυτεί ρων ἑαυτοῦ καὶ διὰ γραμμάτωνί μεθώδευσε τοὺς περὶ Εύσέβιον, τοὺς οὐκ κρίσει, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ μᾶλλον έπερειδομένους. Ὅθεν οἱ πανταχοῦ πάντες … αὐτοῦ. Κἀκεῖνο δὲ ὑμῶν ἡ ἀγάπη ινοράτω· ἐπειδὴ εἷς τήν ἀγίαν σύνοδον τὴν έν Σαρσυναχθεῖσαν παρεγένετο, τότε δὴ, καθὰ προείπομεν, καὶ διὰ γραμμάτων καὶ διʼ ἀγράφων ἐντολῶν ὑπεμνήσθησαν οἱ τῆς ἑῴας, καὶ ἐκλήθησαν παρʼ ἡμῶν ὥστε παρεῖναι. Ἀλλξ ἐκεῖνοι ὑπδ τῆς] συνειδήσεως καταγινωσκόμενοι, ἀπρεπέσι χρώμενοι προφάσεσι, φυγοδικεῖν ἤρξαντο. Ἠξίουν γὰρ τὸν ἀθῶον, ὡς ὑπεύθυνον, ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας κοινωνίας ἐκβάλλεσθαι, ού συνορῶντες, ὡς ἀπρεπὲς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀδύνατον ἦν τοῦτο. Καὶ τὰ ὑπομνήματα δέ τὰ ἐν τῷ Μαρεώτῃ γενόμενα ὑπὸ παμπονήρων-καὶ ἐξωλεστάτων τινέυν νεωτέρων, οἷς ούκ ἄν τις ἐπίστευσεν οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα βαθμὸν τοῦ κλήρου, συνέστηκε Δκατὰ ’μονομέρεῖαν πεπράχθαι. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀδελφὸς ημῶν Ἆθανάσιοέ ὑ- ἐπίσκοπος, οὔτε Μακάριος ὁεπρεσβύτερος ὁ κατηγορούμενος ὑπ αὐτῶν- παρῆν. Καὶ ὅμως ἡ παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐρώτησις, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑποβολή ηγενομένη, πάσης αἰσχύνης ἦν μεστήο πῆ μὲν γὰρ ἐθνικοὶ, πῆ δέ κατηχούμενοι ἠρωτῶντο, οὐχ τίνοι, ἅπερ ῗίτασιν, εἴπωσιν, ἀλλʼ ἵνα, ἅπερ παρʼ αὐτῶν μεμαθήκασι, ψεύσωνται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὑμῶν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων φροντιζόντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ τοῦ ὑμετέρου ἐπισκόπου, καὶ βουλομένων παρεῖναι ἐπὶ τῇ ἐξετάσει, καὶ τήν ἀλήθειαν δεῖξαι, καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ διελέγξαι, οὐδεὶς λόγος γέγονεν· οὐκ ἐπέτρεψαν γὰρ ὑμᾶς παρεῖναὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεθʼ ὕβρεως ἐξέβαλον. Καὶ εἷ καὶ τὸι μάλιστα φανερὰ πᾶσι καθέστηκε καὶ ἐκ τούτων ἡ“συκοφαντία, ὅμως, ἀναγινωσκομένων τῶν ὑπομνημάτων, εὕρομεν αὑτὸν τὸν παμπόνηρον Ἰσχύραν, τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ συκοφαντίᾳ μισθὸν παρʼ αὐτῶν λαβόντα τὸ δοκοῦν ὄνομα τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς, διελέγχοντα ἑαυτοῦ τήν συκοφαντίαν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ Ἰσχύρας ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ὑπομνήμασι σοῦτα τότε κατακεῖσθαι ἑαυτόν · Ἰσχύραν καὶ προσφέρειν, ὅτε Μακάριος ἐπέστη.

### English translation (Claude)

We were not unaware—indeed it was plain to us even before we received the letter of your piety—that the champions of the abominable heresy of the Arians were contriving many terrible things, to the destruction of their own souls rather than against the Church. For this has always been their craft and villainy, this their deadly purpose: to be zealous to drive out and persecute all who are anywhere of the right belief and hold the teaching of the catholic Church handed down by the Fathers. Some they subjected to false charges, others they sent into exile, others they wore down with punishments themselves. Indeed they were zealous to seize by violence and tyranny our brother and fellow bishop Athanasius in his innocence, and for this reason the judgment given by them was neither careful, nor in good faith, nor just at all. Therefore, having no confidence in what they had staged, but seeing that they could have no true proofs of these things, though they were present in the city of Sardica they would not come to the synod of all the holy bishops. From this the judgment of our brother and fellow bishop Julius has proved manifest and just; for he did not deliberate without examination, but decided with care, so that there should be no hesitation at all about communion with our brother Athanasius. For he had eighty bishops as true witnesses; and he had this just ground too, that through our beloved brothers his presbyters and by letters he outmaneuvered Eusebius and his party, who relied not on judgment but rather on force. Hence all the bishops everywhere confirmed their communion with him. And let your love consider this too: when he came to the holy synod assembled at Sardica, then, as we said before, the Easterners were reminded both by letters and by unwritten messages, and were summoned by us to be present. But they, condemned by their conscience, began to flee from trial, using unseemly pretexts. For they demanded that the innocent man be expelled from our communion as guilty, not seeing how unseemly, or rather impossible, this was. And the minutes taken in the Mareotis by certain utterly wicked and abandoned young men, whom no one would have trusted even with the lowest rank of the clergy, have been shown to have been drawn up one-sidedly. For neither our brother Athanasius the bishop nor Macarius the presbyter, whom they accused, was present. And yet the questioning conducted by them, or rather the prompting, was full of every shame: now pagans and now catechumens were questioned, not so that they might say what they knew, but so that they might lie as they had been taught by them. And when your presbyters, who were concerned in the absence of your bishop, wished to be present at the inquiry, to show the truth and refute the lies, no account was taken of them; for they did not permit you to be present, but even drove you out with insult. And although the false accusation is perfectly plain to all from this too, yet on reading the minutes we found the utterly wicked Ischyras himself, who received from them, as the wage of his false accusation, the supposed title of the episcopate, refuting his own false accusation. For Ischyras himself, in the very minutes, … that at that time he was lying [ill] …, whereas … that Ischyras was … offering when Macarius came.

### Translation notes

- This section is badly garbled in the scan, and Migne’s Latin notes are mixed into it. Where words are illegible, the translation follows the identical wording of the same synod’s letter to the bishops of Egypt and Libya (ch. 41, in staged section 39), in particular for “he had eighty bishops as true witnesses”. The last sentence is too damaged to restore and is translated only as far as it can be read: it contrasts Ischyras’s own statement in the minutes that he was lying ill with the claim that he was offering when Macarius came; the bracketed “ill” is supplied from the sense (cf. ch. 28). Debris is removed by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 37 (PG 25:312a–313c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-37).

## Defence against the Arians 38

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-38
- Source: PG 25:313c–316b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The synod recalls the exposed charge that Athanasius murdered Arsenius and urges the Alexandrians to hold the right faith and endure persecution.

### Greek text

Κάκείνη δὲ πᾶσι φανερά καθέστηκεν ὴ συκοέ φαντία καὶ διαβολῇ, ἢν ᾐτιάσαντο μετὰ, ταῦτα. Ἔφασαν γὰρ καὶ κατεβόησαν, φόνον δεδρακέναι τὸν Ἀθανάσιον, καὶ ὡς Ἀρσένιόν τινα Μελιτιανὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνῃρηκέναι, ἐφʼ ᾧ προσποιητῷ στεναγμῷ καὶ πεπλασμένοις δάκρυσιν ὑπεκρίνοντο, καὶ ἠξίουν τοῦ ζῶντος ὡς τεθνηκότος τὸ σῶμα ἀποδοθῆναι. Ἀλλʼ οὐκ άγνωστα γέγονε τὰ σοφίσματα τούτων. Ἐγνωσαν γὰρ ἅπαντες, ζῇν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ζῖυσιν ἐξ· ετάζεσθαι· καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐώρων ἑαυτοὺς οἱ πρὸς πάντα εὐχερεῖς διελεγχομένους ἐπὶ τοῖς ψεύσμασι τούτοις (αὐτὸς γὰρ ζῶν ὁ ’Δρσὲνιος ἐδείκνυεν ἑαυτὸν μὴ ἆνῃρῆσθαι μηδέ τεθνηκέναι), ὅμως οὐχ ἡσύχασαν, ἀλλʼ ἐτέρας συκοφαντίας πρὸς ταῖς προτέραις συκοφαντίαις ἐπεζήτουν, ’ίνα πάλιν μηχανησάμενοι, διαβάλλωσι τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Τί οὖν, ἀγαπητοί; Οὐκ ἐταράχθη ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσιος, ἀλλὰ πάλιν πολλῇ παῤῥηέ σίᾳ χρώμενος, προεκαλεῖτο καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτούς· καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ ηὐχόμεθα καὶ προετρεπόμεθα -ὲλθεῖν αὐτοὺς εἷς τὴν κρίσιν, καὶ εἷʼπερ δὺνανται, διελέγξαι. Ὠ τῆς πολλῆς πλεονεξίας i ὣ τῆς δεινῆς ὑπερηφανίαςί μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ δεῖ τάληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ὣ κακῆς καὶ ὑπευθύνου συνειδήσεως ί τοῦτο γὰρ πᾶσι πεφανέρωται. "008v, ἄγαπητοῖ ἀδελφοὶ, ὑπομιμνήσκομεν καὶ προτρεπόμεθα ὑμᾶς πρὸ πάντων τὴν ὀρθὴν πίστιν τῆς καθολικῆς Έκκλησίας κατέχειν. Πολλὰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ δεινὰ καὶ χαλεπᾶ πεπόνθατε, πολλὰς δὲ ὕβρεις καὶ ἀδικίας ὑπέμεινεν ἡ καθολική Ἐκκλησία · ἀλλʼ ὁ ὑπομείνας εἷς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται. Διόπερ κᾶν ἔτι ποιεῖν τολμήσωσι καθʼ ὑμῶν, ἡ θλίψις ἀντὶ χαρᾶς ὑμῖν ἔστω· τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα παθήματα μέρος ἐστὶ μαρτυρίου, καὶ αἱ τοιαῦται ὑμῶν ὁμολογίαι καὶ αἱ βάσανοι οὐκ ἄμισθοι τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἀπολήψεσθε παρᾶ τοῦ Θευῦ τὰ ἔπαθλα. Διότι μάλιστα ἀγωνίζεσθε ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑγιαινούσης πίστεως καὶ ’τῆς καθα· ρότητος τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ὑμῶν Ἀθανασίου τοῦ συλλειο τουργοῦ ἡμῶν. Καὶ γὰρ οὑδὲ ἡμεῖς παρεσιωκήσαμεν, οὑδὲ ἠμελήσαμεν τῆς ὑμῶν ἀμεριμνίας χάριν ἀλλʼ ἂφροντίσαμεν καὶ πεποιήκαμεν, ἅπερ 6- τῆς ἀγάπης λόγος ἀπαιτεῖ. Συμπάσχομεν γὰρ τοῖς πάσχωσιν ἀδελφοῖς ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων παθήματα ἴδια ἡγούμεθα.

### English translation (Claude)

That false accusation and slander, too, which they brought afterwards has become plain to all. For they said and cried out that Athanasius had committed murder and had killed one Arsenius, a Meletian bishop; over this they played their part with feigned groans and fabricated tears, and demanded that the body of the living man be given up as though he were dead. But their sophistries did not go unrecognized; for all knew that the man was alive and numbered among the living. And when these men, ready for anything, saw themselves refuted in these lies (for Arsenius himself, alive, showed that he had not been killed and was not dead), still they did not keep quiet, but sought other false accusations in addition to the former ones, so as to slander the man by fresh contrivances. What then, beloved? Our brother Athanasius was not troubled, but again with great boldness challenged them on these points too; and we too prayed and urged them to come to the trial and, if they could, to refute him. O great greed! O terrible arrogance! Or rather, if the truth must be told, O evil and guilty conscience! For this has been made plain to all. Therefore, beloved brothers, we remind and exhort you above all to hold the right faith of the catholic Church. You have suffered many terrible and grievous things, and the catholic Church has endured many insults and injustices; but he who endures to the end will be saved. Therefore, even if they dare to do still more against you, let affliction be joy to you; for such sufferings are a share in martyrdom, and such confessions and tortures of yours are not without reward, but you will receive the prizes from God. Wherefore strive above all for the sound faith and for the innocence of your bishop Athanasius, our fellow minister. For we have not kept silent nor neglected to secure your peace of mind; we have taken thought and have done what the law of love requires. For we suffer with your suffering brothers and count their sufferings our own.

### Scripture references

- Matt 10:22: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “He who endures to the end will be saved”: Matt 10:22; 24:13.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 38 (PG 25:313c–316b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/27/#p-38).

## Defence against the Arians 39

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-39
- Source: PG 25:316b–320c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The synod of Sardica asks the emperors to stop magistrates from judging clergy, declares Gregory deposed, clears four Alexandrian presbyters, and begins its parallel letter to the bishops of Egypt and Libya.

### Greek text

Διόπερ ἀνηνέγκαμεν, καὶ ἠξιώσαμεν τοὺς εὑσεβεστᾶτους καὶ θεοφιλεστάτους βασιλέας, ὅπως ἡ φιλανθρωπία αὑτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἔτι κάμνοντας καὶ πιεζομένους ἀνεθῆναι κελεύσῃ, καὶ προστάξωσι μηδὲν.. τῶν δικαστῶν, οἷς περὶ μόνων τῶν δημοσίων μέλειν προσήκει, μήτε κρίνειν κληρικοὺς, μήτε ὅλως τοῦ λοιποῦ, προφάσει τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν, ἐπιχειρεῖν τι κατὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ἀλλʼ ἵνα ἕκαστος χωρίς τινος διωγμοῦ, χωρίς τινος βίας καὶ πλεονεξίας, ὡς εὔχεται καὶ βούλεται, ζῇ, καὶ μεθʼ ἡσυχίας καὶ εἰρήνης τήν καθολικὴν καὶ ἀποστολικὴν πίστιν μετερχηται. Γρηγόριος μέντοι ὁ παρανόμως παρὰ αἱρετικῶν λεγὺμενος κατασταθῆναι, καὶ εἰς τὴν ὑμετέρα-ν πόλιν παρʼ αὑτῶν ἀποσταλείςο καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ γινωσκὲτω ὑμῶν ἠ ὁμοψυχία, ὅτι κρίσει τῆς ἱερᾶς πάσης συνόδου καθῃρέθη, εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα οὑδεπώποτε οὑδὲ ὡς ἐπίσκοπος ὅλως γενόμενος ἐνομίσθη. Χαίρετε τοίνυν ἀπολαμβάνοντες ἑαυτῶν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον Ἀθανάσιον· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ μετʼ εἰρήνης αὑτὸν ἀπελὺσαμον. Ὅθεν καὶ παραινοῦμεν πᾶσι τοῖς, ἢ διὰ φόβον ἢ διὰ περιδρομήν τινων, κοινωνήσασι Γρηγορίῳ, ἵνα νῦν, ὑπομνησθέντες καὶ προτραπέντες καὶ ἆναπειυ σθὲντες παρʼ ἡμῶν, παύσωνται τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον μυσαρᾶς κοινωνίας, καὶ λοιπὸν συνάψωσι τῇ καθολικῇ Ἐκκλησία. (Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔγνωμεν, δτι καὶ Ἀφθόνιος, καὶ Ἀθανάσιος ὁ Καπίτωνος, και Παυλος, και Πλουτίων, οἱ συμπρεσβύτεροι ἡμῶν, συσκευήν καὶ αὐτοὶ πεπόνθασιν ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ Εύσέβιον, ὥστε τοὺς μὲν ἐξορισμοῦ πειραθῆναι, τοὺς δὲ καὶ θανάτων ἀπειλὰς διαπεφευγέναι · τούτου ἕνεκεν καὶ περὶ τούτου δηλῶσαι ὑμῖν ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμεθα, καὶ ἀθώους ἀπελύσαμεν, εἰδότες, ὅτι πάντα τὰ παρᾶ τῶν περὶ Εύσέβιον κατὰ τῶν συσκευασθέντων ὑπʼ αὐτῶν γέγονεν. Ἔπρεπε μὲν οὗν τὸν ὑμέτερον ἐπίσκοπον, τὸν συλλειτουργὸν ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσιον, περὶ αὐτῶν ὡς περὶ ἰδίου ἰδίοις ὑμῖν δηλῶσαι · ἐπειδή δὲ ὑπὲρ πλείονος μαρτυρίας καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν σύνοδον ἠθέλησεν ὑμῖν γράψαι, διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀνεβαλλόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ σημᾶναι ὑμῖν ἐσπουδάσαμεν, ἵνʼ, ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς, οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς αύτοὺς ἀποδέξησθε· ἄξιοι γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπαίνου, ὅτι διὰ τὴν εἷς Χριστὸν εὐσέβειαν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἠξιώθησαν παρὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ὕβριν ὑπομεῖναι.) Τίνπ δέ ἐστι τὰ παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας συνόδου δογματισθέντα κατὰ τῶν προῖσταμένων τῆς ’Δρειανῆς αἱρέσεως, καὶ πλημμελησάντων καθʼ ὑμῶν, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων Ἐκκλησιῶν, γνώσεσθε ἐκ τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων ο ἀπεστείλαμεν γὰρ, ὑμῖν. ’ἶνα καὶ ἐκ τούτων γνῶτε, ὅτι ἡ καθολικὴ Ἐκκλησία ού παρορᾷ τοὺς εἷς αὐτὴν πλημμελοῦντας. Η ΑΓΙΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ ἡ κατὰ θεοῦ χάριν. ἐν ἒαρδικῇ συναχθεῖσα τοῖς κατʼ Αἴγυπτοῖ λκαὶ Αιβύην,ἐπισκόποῗς καὶ συλλειῖουργοῖς, ἀγαπητοῖς“ ἀδελφοῖς ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Καὶ πρὶν μὲν λαβεῖν ἡμᾶς τὰ γράμματα τῆς εύλᾶβείας ὑμῶν, οὐκ ἠγνοοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ φανερὸν ἡμῖν ἦν, ὡς ὅτι οἱ τῆς δυσωνύμου τῶν Ἀρειανῶν αἱρέσεως προστάται, πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς ἢ κατὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐμηχανῶντο. Αὕτη γὰρ ἦν αὐτῶν τέχνη καὶ πανουργία, ταύτης ἀεὶ τῆς θανατηφόρου γεγόνασι προθέσεως, ὅπως πάντας τοὺς ὁποιδήποτε τυγχάνοντας τῆς ὀρθῆς δόξης, καὶ τήν τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας διδασκαλίαν κατέχοντας, τὴν παρὰ τῶν Πατέρων παραδοθεῖσαν, σπουδάζειν ἐλαύνειν καὶ διώκειν. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ πλαστοῖς ἐγκλήμασιν ὑπέβαλλον,ἄλλους εἷς ἰξορισμὸν ἀπέστελλον, ἄλλους ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς τιμωρίαις κατεπόνουν. ’Δμέλει καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ συνεπισκόπου ἡμῶν ’Δθανασίου τήν καθαρότητα βία καὶ τυραννίδι συλλαβέσθαι ἐσπούδασαν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὕτε μετά πίστεως· οὔθʼ ὅλως δικαία γέγονεν ἡ, παρʼ ἐκείνων κρίσις · διόπερ οὐδὲ θαρροῦντες, οἷς ἐδραματούργησαν, οὐδὲ οἷς ἐθρύλησαν κατʼ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλά καὶ θεωροῦντες, ὡς ού δύνανται περὶτούτων ἀποδείξεις ἔχειν ἀληθεῖς, παρόντες εἰς τὴν Σαρδῶν πόλιν,ούκ ἠθέλησαν εἰς τὴν σύνοδον πάντων τῶν άγίων ἐπισκόπων ἀπαντῆσαι · ἐκ δὴ τούτου φανερᾶ καὶ διο καία καθέστηκεν ἡ κρίσις τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ συνεπισκόπου ἡμῶν Ἰουλίου · οὐ γὰρ ἀσκεπτὶ βεβούλευται, ἀλλᾶ καὶ μετʼ ἐπιμελείας ὥρισεν, ὥστε μηδὲ ὅλως διστάσαι περὶ τῆς κοινωνίας τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν ’Δθανασίου. Εἶχε γὰρ ἐπισκόπων ὀγδοήκοντα ἀληθεῖς μάρτυρας εἶχε καὶ τοῦτο δίκαιον,8τι διὰ τῶν ἀγαπητῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ διὰ γραμμάτων μεθώδευσε τοὺς περί Εὐσέβιον, τοὺς οὐκ ἐπὶ κρίσει, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ βίᾳ μᾶλλον ἐπερειδομένους. Ὅθεν οἳ πανταχοῦ πάντες ἐπίσκοποι τήν κοινωνίαν Ἀθανασίου ἐβεβαίωσαν διὰ τὴν καθαρότητα αὐτοῦ. Κάκεῖνο δὲ ὑμῶν ἡ ἀγάπη συνοράτω· Ἐπειδή εἷς τὴν ἁγίαν σύνοδον τήν ἐν Σαρδικῇ συνάχθεῖσαν παρεγένετο, τότε δὴ, καθὰ προείπομεν, καὶ διὰ γραμμάτων καὶ διʼ ἀγράφων ἐντολῶν ὑπεμνήσθησαν οἱ τῆς ἑῴας, καὶ ἐκλήθησαν παρʼ ἡμῶν ὥστε παρεῖναι. Ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνοι, ὑπὸ τῆς συνειδήσεως καταγινωσκόμενοι, ἀπρεπέσι χρώμενοι προφάσεσι, φυγοδικεῖν ἤρξαντο. Ἠξίουν γὰρ τὸν ἀθῶον, ὡς ὑπεύθυνον, ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας κοινωνίας ἐκβάλλεσθαι. οὐ συνορῶντες ὡς ἀπρεπὲς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀδύνατον ἦν τοῦτο. Καὶ τὰ ὑπομνήματα δέ τὰ ἐν τῷ Μαρεώτῃ γενόμενα ὑπὸ παμπονήρων καὶ ἐξωλεστά-ιʼ των τινῶν νεωτέρων, οἷς οὐκ ἄν τις ἐπίστευσεν οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα βαθμὸν τοῦ κλήρου, συνέστηκε κατὰ μονομέρειαν πεπράχθαι. Οὔτε γὰρ 6 ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος, οὔτε Μακάριος 6 πρεσβύτερος ὁ κατηγορούμενος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν παρῆν. Καὶ ὅμως ἡ παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐρώτησις, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑποβολή ἡ γενομένη, πάσης αἰσχύνης ἦν μεστή ο πῆ μὲν γὰρ ἐθνικοὶ, πῆ δὲ κατηχούμενοι ἠρωτῶντο, οὐχ ἵνα, ἅπερ ἴσασιν, εἴπωσιν, ἀλλʼ ἵνα, ἅπερ παρʼ αὐτῶν μεμαθήκασι, ψεύσωνται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὑμῶν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων φροντιζόντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ τοῦ ῥμετέρου ἐπισκόπου, καὶ βουλομένων παρεῖναι ἐπὶ τῇ ἐξετάσει, καὶ τήν ἀλήθειαν δεῖξαι, καὶ τὰ ψευδή διελέγξαι, οὐδεὶς λόγος γέγονεν ’ οὐκ ἐπέτρεψαν γὰρ ὑμᾶς παρεῖναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεθʼ ὕβρεως ἐξέβαλον. Καὶ εἴ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα φανερὰ πᾶσι καθέστηκε καὶ ἐκ τούτων ἡ συκοφαντία, ὅμως, ἀναγινωσκομένων τῶν ὑπομνημάτων, εὕρομεν αὐτὸν τὸν παμπόνηρον Ἰσχύραν, τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ συκοφαντίᾳ μισθὸν παρʼ αὐτῶν λαβόντα τὸ δοκοῦν ὄνομα τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς, διελέγχοντα ἑαυτοῦ τὴν συκοφαντίαν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ Ἰσχύρας ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ὑπομνήμασι διελάλησε, κατʼ ἐκείνην τήν ὥραν, ἐν Μακάριον

### English translation (Claude)

Therefore we have made representations and asked the most pious and God-loving emperors that their clemency would order the release of those who are still suffering and oppressed, and would command that none of the magistrates, whose concern should be only public affairs, should judge clergy, or in future attempt anything at all against the brothers on the pretext of the churches, but that each may live as he prays and wishes, without any persecution, without any violence and greed, and follow the catholic and apostolic faith in quiet and peace. As for Gregory, who is said to have been appointed lawlessly by heretics and sent by them to your city—let your unanimity know this too—he has been deposed by the judgment of the whole holy synod, although indeed he was never regarded as having been a bishop at all. Rejoice, then, receiving back your own bishop Athanasius; for it was for this that we sent him away in peace. Hence we exhort all who, either from fear or through the intrigues of certain people, communicated with Gregory, that now, reminded, exhorted, and persuaded by us, they cease from that abominable communion with him and henceforth unite themselves to the catholic Church. [40] (Since we have learned that Aphthonius, Athanasius the son of Capito, Paul, and Plution, our fellow presbyters, also suffered from the plotting of Eusebius and his party, so that some experienced exile and others escaped threats of death, for this reason we thought it necessary to inform you of this too; and we have released them as innocent, knowing that everything done by Eusebius and his party against those they plotted against has turned out … It would have been fitting for your bishop, our fellow minister Athanasius, to inform you, his own people, about them as his own; but since, for fuller testimony, he wished the holy synod too to write to you, we did not delay but hastened to let you know, so that you too may receive them as we have done. For they also deserve praise, because for their piety toward Christ they too were counted worthy to suffer insult from the heretics.) What the holy synod decreed against the leaders of the Arian heresy, who have offended against you and against the other churches, you will learn from what is appended; we have sent it to you so that from this too you may know that the catholic Church does not overlook those who offend against her.” “The holy synod assembled by the grace of God at Sardica, to the bishops and fellow ministers in Egypt and Libya, beloved brothers in the Lord, greeting. [41] Even before we received the letter of your piety we were not unaware, but it was plain to us, that the champions of the abominable heresy of the Arians were contriving many terrible things, to the destruction of their own souls rather than against the Church. For this was their craft and villainy, and this deadly purpose they have always held: to be zealous to drive out and persecute all who are anywhere of the right belief and hold the teaching of the catholic Church handed down by the Fathers. Some they subjected to false charges, others they sent into exile, others they wore down with punishments themselves. Indeed they were zealous to seize by violence and tyranny our brother and fellow bishop Athanasius in his innocence, and for this reason the judgment given by them was neither in good faith nor just at all. Therefore, having no confidence in what they had staged or in what they had bandied about against him, but seeing that they could have no true proofs of these things, though present in the city of Sardica they would not come to the synod of all the holy bishops. From this the judgment of our brother and fellow bishop Julius has proved manifest and just; for he did not deliberate without examination, but decided with care, so that there should be no hesitation at all about communion with our brother Athanasius. For he had eighty bishops as true witnesses; and he had this just ground too, that through our beloved brothers his presbyters and by letters he outmaneuvered Eusebius and his party, who relied not on judgment but rather on force. Hence all the bishops everywhere confirmed communion with Athanasius because of his innocence. And let your love consider this too: when he came to the holy synod assembled at Sardica, then, as we said before, the Easterners were reminded both by letters and by unwritten messages, and were summoned by us to be present. But they, condemned by their conscience, began to flee from trial with unseemly pretexts; for they demanded that the innocent man be expelled from our communion as guilty, not seeing how unseemly, or rather impossible, this was. And the minutes taken in the Mareotis by certain utterly wicked and abandoned young men, whom no one would have trusted even with the lowest rank of the clergy, have been shown to have been drawn up one-sidedly. For neither our brother Athanasius the bishop nor Macarius the presbyter, whom they accused, was present. And yet the questioning conducted by them, or rather the prompting, was full of every shame: now pagans, now catechumens were questioned, not so that they might say what they knew, but so that they might lie as they had been taught by them. And when your presbyters, concerned in the absence of your bishop, wished to be present at the inquiry, to show the truth and refute the lies, no account was taken of them; they did not permit you to be present, but even drove you out with insult. And although the false accusation is perfectly plain to all from this too, yet on reading the minutes we found the utterly wicked Ischyras himself, who received from them, as the wage of his false accusation, the supposed title of the episcopate, refuting his own false accusation. For Ischyras himself declared in the very minutes that at that hour, when Macarius …

### Translation notes

- The numerals of chapters 40 and 41 were lost in the scan, so this staged section contains chapters 39–41, marked [40] and [41] in the translation. Chapter 41 repeats ch. 37 almost word for word; its last sentence breaks off in the scan (“…”). In ch. 40 the end of the clause “has turned out …” appears to be lost in the scan.
- Gregory of Cappadocia had been installed at Alexandria in 339. Migne’s chapter numeral 40 and OCR debris are removed by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 39 (PG 25:316b–320c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-39).

## Defence against the Arians 42

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-42
- Source: PG 25:320c–321b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: In its letter to Egypt and Libya the synod repeats its account of the Arsenius charge and its exhortation to hold the faith and endure, adding that many other bishops have suffered likewise.

### Greek text

Κάκείνη δὲ πᾶσι φανερὰ καθέστηκεν ἡ συκοφαντία καὶ διαβολὴ, ἢν ᾐτιάσαντο μετὰ ταῦτα. ’Ἐφασαν γὰρ καὶ κατεβόησαν φόνον δεδρακέναι τὸν Ἀθανάσιον, καὶ ὡς Ἀρσὲνιόν τινα, Μελιτιανὸν ἐπίσκοπον, ἀνῃρηκέναι, ἐφʼ προσποιητῷ στεναγμῷ καὶ πεπλασμένοις δάκρυσιν ὑπεκρίνοντο, καὶ ἠξίουν τοῦ ζῶντος ὡς τεθνηκότος τὸ σῶμα ἀποδοθῆναι.Αλλʼ οὐκ ἄγνωστοι γέγονε τὰ σοφίσματα τούτων· ἔγνωσαν γὰρ ἅπαντες ζῇν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ζῶσιν ἐξετάζεσθαι· καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐώρων ἑαυτοὺς οἱ πρὸς πάντα εὐχερεῖς διελεγχομένους ἐπὶ τοῖς ψεύσμασι τούτοις· αὐτὸς γὰρ ζῶν 6 Ἀρσένιος ἐδείκνυεν ἑαυτὸν μὴ ἀνῃρῆσθαι μηδέ τεθνηκέναι· ὅμως οὐχ ἡσύχασαν, ἀλλʼ ἐτέρας συκοφαντίας πρὸς ταῖς προτέραις συκοφαντίαις ἐπεζήτουν, ’ίνα πάλιν, μηχανησάμενοι, διαβάλλωσι τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Τί οὗν,ἀγαπητοί ; Οὐκ ἐταράχθη 6 ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσιος, ἀλλά πάλιν πολλῇ παῤῥησίᾳ χρώμενος προεκαλεῖτο καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτούς. Καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ ηὐχόμεθα καὶ προετρεπόμεθα ἐλθεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κρίσιν, καὶ εἷʼπερ δύνανται, διελέγξαι. *Ω τῆς πολλῆς πλεονεξίας ! ὣ τῆς δεινῆς ὑπερηφανίας ί μʼάλλον δὲ, εἷ δεῖ τάληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ὣ κακῆς καὶ ὑπευθύνου συνειδήσεως ! τοῦτο γὰρ πᾶσι πεφανέρωται. Ὅθεν, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ, ὑπομιμνήσκωμεν καὶ προτρεπόμεθα ὑμᾶς πρὸ πάντων τὴν ὀρθὴν πίστιν τῆς Καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας κατέχειν· Πολλα μεν γαρ και οεινα και χαλεπά πεπόνθατε, πολλὰς δὲ ὕβρεις καὶ ἀδικίας ὑπέμεινεν ἡ Καθολική Ἐκκλησία· ἀλλʼ Ὀ ὑπομείνας εἷς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται. Διόπερ, κᾶν ἔτι ποιεῖν τολμήσωσι καθʼ ὑμῶν, ἡ θλίψις ἀντὶ χαρᾶς ὑμῖν ἔστω· τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα παθήματα μέρος ἐστὶ μαρτυρίου· καὶ αἱ τοιαῦται ὑμῶν ὁμολογίαι καὶ αἱ βάσανοι οὐκ ἄμισθοι τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἀπολήψεσθε παρᾶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ. ἔπαθλα. Διότι μάλιστα ἀγωνίζεσθε ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑγιαινούσης πίστεως καὶ τῆς καθαρότητος τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ὑμῶν Ἀθανασίου τοῦ συλλειτουργοῦ ἡμῶν. Καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς παρεσιωπήσαμεν, ούδέ ἠμελήσαμεν τῆς ὑμῶν ἀμεριμνίας χάριν· ἀλλʼ ἐφροντίσαμεν καὶ πεποιήκαμεν, ἅπερ 6 τῆς ἀγάπης λόγος ἀπαιτεῖ. Συμπάσχομεν γὰρ τοῖς πάσχουσιν ἀδελφοῖς ἡμῶν, καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων παθήματα ἴδια ἡγούμεθα, καὶ τοῖς δάκρυσιν ὑμῶν τὰ ὑμέτερα δάκρυα συνεμίξαμεν. Ούχ ὑμεῖς δὲ μόνοι πεπόνθατε, ἀδελφοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοὶ ἄλλοι συλλειτουργοὶ ἡμῶν ταῦτα ἐλθόντες ἀπωδύροντο.

### English translation (Claude)

That false accusation and slander, too, which they brought afterwards has become plain to all. For they said and cried out that Athanasius had committed murder and had killed one Arsenius, a Meletian bishop; over this they played their part with feigned groans and fabricated tears, and demanded that the body of the living man be given up as though he were dead. But their sophistries did not go unrecognized; for all knew that the man was alive and numbered among the living. And when these men, ready for anything, saw themselves refuted in these lies (for Arsenius himself, alive, showed that he had not been killed and was not dead), still they did not keep quiet, but sought other false accusations in addition to the former ones, so as to slander the man by fresh contrivances. What then, beloved? Our brother Athanasius was not troubled, but again with great boldness challenged them on these points too; and we too prayed and urged them to come to the trial and, if they could, to refute him. O great greed! O terrible arrogance! Or rather, if the truth must be told, O evil and guilty conscience! For this has been made plain to all. Therefore, beloved brothers, we remind and exhort you above all to hold the right faith of the catholic Church. You have suffered many terrible and grievous things, and the catholic Church has endured many insults and injustices; but he who endures to the end will be saved. Therefore, even if they dare to do still more against you, let affliction be joy to you; for such sufferings are a share in martyrdom, and such confessions and tortures of yours are not without reward, but you will receive the prizes from God. Wherefore strive above all for the sound faith and for the innocence of your bishop Athanasius, our fellow minister. For we have not kept silent nor neglected to secure your peace of mind; we have taken thought and have done what the law of love requires. For we suffer with our suffering brothers and count their sufferings our own, and we have mingled our tears with your tears. And not you alone have suffered, brothers; many others of our fellow ministers too have come and lamented these things.

### Scripture references

- Matt 10:22: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- This chapter repeats ch. 38 of the letter to Alexandria, with a few added sentences at the end. “He who endures to the end will be saved”: Matt 10:22; 24:13.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 42 (PG 25:320c–321b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-42).

## Defence against the Arians 43

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-43
- Source: PG 25:321b–324b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The letter to Egypt and Libya repeats the synod’s request to the emperors and its deposition of Gregory, and introduces the synod’s encyclical letter to all bishops.

### Greek text

Διόπερ ἀνηνέγκαμεν καὶ ἠξιώσαμεν τοὺς εὑσεβεστάτους καὶ Θεοφιλεστάτους βασιλέας, ὅπως ἠ φιλανθρωπία αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἔτι κάμνοντας καὶ πιεζομένους ἀνεθῆναι κελεύσῃ, καὶ προστάξωσι μηδένα τῶν δικαστῶν, οἷς περὶ μόνων τῶν δημοσίων μέλειν προσήκει, μήτε κρίνειν κληρικοὺς, μήτε ὅλως τοῦ λοιποῦ προφάσει τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἐπιχειρεῖν τι κατὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ἀλλʼ ’ίνα ἕκαστος χωρίς τινος διωγμοῦ, χωρίς τινος βίας καὶ πλεονεξίας, ὡς εὗχεται καὶ βούλεται, ζῇ, καὶ μεθʼ ἡσυχίας καὶ εἰρήνης τήν καθολικὴν καὶ ἀποπολικὴν πίστιν μετέρχηται. Γρήγόριος μέντοι ὁ παρανόμως παρά τῶν αἱρετικῶν λεγόμενος κατασταθῆναι, καὶ εἷς τὴν ὑμετέραν πόλιν παρʼ αὐτῶν ἀποσταλείς· καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ γινωσκέτω ὑμῶν ἡ ὑμοψυχία, ὅτι κρίσει τῆς ἱερᾶς πάσης συνόδου καθῃρέθη, εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα ούδεπώποτε οὐδὲ ὠς ἐπίσκοπος ὅλως γενόμενος ἐνομίσθη· χαίρετε τοίνυν ἀπολαμβάνοντες ἑαυτῶν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ’Δθανάσιον- διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ μετʼ εἰρήνης αὐτὸν ἀπελύσαμεν. Ὅθεν καὶ παραινοῦμεν πᾶσι τοῖς διὰ φόβον ἢ διὰ περιδρομήν τινων κοινωνήσασι Γρηγορίῳ, ’ίνα νῦν, ὑπομνησθέντες καὶ προτραπέντες, καὶ ἀναπεισθὲἑντες παρʼ ἡμῶν, παύσωνται τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον μυσαρᾶς κοινωνίας, καὶ λοιπὸν ἑαυτοὺς συνάψωσι τῇ Καθολικῇ Ἐκκλησία. Τίνα δὲ ἔστι τὰ παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας συνόδου δογματισθὲντα κατᾶ Θεοδώρου, καὶ Ναρκίσσου, καὶ Στεφάνου, καὶ Ἀκακίου, καὶ Μηνοφάντω, καὶ Ούρσακίου, καὶ Οὐάλεντος, καὶ Γεωργίου τῶν προϊσταμένων τῆς Ἀρειανῆς αἱρέσεως, καὶ πλήμμελήσάντων καθʼ ὑμῶν, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων Ἐκκλησιῶν γνώσεσθε ἐκ τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων. Ἀπεστείλαμεν γὰρ ύμῖν, ’ίνα καὶ ἠ H ΔΓΙΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ Η κατάιθεοῦ χάριν ἐν,Σαρδικῇ-συναχθεῖσα τοῖς ἁπανταχοῦ ἐπισκόποίς καὶ συλλειτουργοῖς τῆς" Καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀγαπητοῖς ἀδεξφῖοῖς ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν.

### English translation (Claude)

Therefore we have made representations and asked the most pious and God-loving emperors that their clemency would order the release of those who are still suffering and oppressed, and would command that none of the magistrates, whose concern should be only public affairs, should judge clergy, or in future attempt anything at all against the brothers on the pretext of the churches, but that each may live as he prays and wishes, without any persecution, without any violence and greed, and follow the catholic and apostolic faith in quiet and peace. As for Gregory, who is said to have been appointed lawlessly by the heretics and sent by them to your city—let your unanimity know this too—he has been deposed by the judgment of the whole holy synod, although indeed he was never regarded as having been a bishop at all. Rejoice, then, receiving back your own bishop Athanasius; for it was for this that we sent him away in peace. Hence we exhort all who, from fear or through the intrigues of certain people, communicated with Gregory, that now, reminded, exhorted, and persuaded by us, they cease from that abominable communion with him and henceforth unite themselves to the catholic Church. What the holy synod decreed against Theodore, Narcissus, Stephen, Acacius, Menophantus, Ursacius, Valens, and George, the leaders of the Arian heresy, who have offended against you and against the other churches, you will learn from what is appended. For we have sent it to you, so that … “The holy synod assembled by the grace of God at Sardica, to the bishops and fellow ministers of the catholic Church everywhere, beloved brothers in the Lord, greeting.

### Translation notes

- The first part repeats ch. 39 of the letter to Alexandria. The end of the sentence “so that …” is lost in the scan, and the heading of the encyclical is doubled and garbled; the debris is removed by a logged correction. The encyclical runs through ch. 49.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 43 (PG 25:321b–324b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-43).

## Defence against the Arians 44

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-44
- Source: PG 25:324b–328a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The synod’s encyclical relates that the Eastern bishops came to Sardica but, though summoned repeatedly in the presence of Hosius and others, refused to face Athanasius, Marcellus, and Asclepas.

### Greek text

Πολλὰ μὲν καὶ πολλάκις ἐτόλμησαν οἱ Ἀρειομανῖται κατὰ τῶν δούλων τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν τήν πίστιν φυλαττόντων τὴν ὀρθήν· νόθον γὰρ ύποβάλλοντες διδασκαλίαν, τοὺς -ὀρθοδόξους ἐλαύνειν ἐπειράθησαν· τοσοῦτον δὲ λοιπὸν κατεπανέστησαν κατὰ τῆς πίστεως, ὡς μηδὲ τὴν εὐσέβειαν τῶν εύλαβεστάτων βασιλέων λαθεῖν. Τοιγαροῦν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ συνεργούσης, καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ εὐσεβέστατον. βασιλεῖς συνήγαγον ἡμᾶς ἐκ διαφόρων ἐπαρχιῶν καὶ πόλεων, καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν ταύτην σύνοδον ἓν τῇ Σαρδῶν πόλει γενέσθαι δεδώκασιν, ’ίνα πᾶσα μῗεν διχόνοια περιαιρεθῇ, πάσης δὲ κακοπιστίας ἐξ- ,ελαθείσης, ἠ είς Χριστὸν εὐσέβεια μόνη παρὰ πάντων φυλάττηται. Ἦλθον γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑῴας ἐπίσκοποι, προτραπέντες καὶ αὐτοὶ παρὰ τῶν εὐσεβεστάτων βασιλέων, μάλιστα διʼ ἅπερ ἐορόλλουν πολλάκις περὶ τῶν ἀγαπητῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν καὶ συλλειτουργῶν, Ἀθανασίου ἐπισκόπου τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας, καὶ Μαρκέλλου ἐπισκόπου τῆς ’Λγκυρογαλατίας. Ἴσως γὰρ καὶ εἷς ὑμᾶς ἔφθασαν αὐτῶν αἱ διαβολαίʼ καὶ ἴσως, καὶ τὰς ὑμετέρας ἀκοὰς ἐπεχείρησαν παρασαλεῦσαι, ’ίνα κατὰ μὲν τῶν ἀοώων ἆ λέγουσι πιστεύσητε, τὴν δὲ τῆς μοχθηρᾶς αὐτῶν αἱρέσεως ὑπόνοιαν ἐπικρύψωσιν. Ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ ταῦτα ποιεῖν συνεχωρήθησαν. Ἔστι γὰρ ὁ προϊστάμενος τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν Κύριος, ὁ ὑπὲρ τούτων καὶ πάντων ἡμῶν θάνατον ὑπομείνας καὶ διʼ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν ἄνοδον πᾶσιν ἡμῖν δεδωκώς. Πάλαι μὲν οῦν γραψάντων τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον Ἰουλίῳ τῷ συλλειτουργῷ ἡμῶν τῷ τῆς Ῥωμαίων Ἐκκλησίας ἐπισκόπῳ κατά τῶν προειρημένων συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν, λέγομεν δὴ ’Δθανασίου, καὶ Μαρκέλλου, καὶ Ἀσκληπᾶ, ἔγραψαν καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν ἐπίσκοποι, μαρτυροῦντες μὲν τῇ καθαρότητι τοῦ συλλειτουργοῦ ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου, τὰ δὲ παρά τῶν περῖ Εὐσέβιον γενόμενα μηδὲν ἕτερον ἢ ψευδῆ καὶ συκοφαντίας εἶναι μεστά· καὶ εἷ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα ἐκ τοῦ κληθέντας αὐτοὺς παρᾶ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ συλλειτουργοῦ Ἰουλίου μή ἀπαντῆσαι, καὶ ἐκ τῶν γραφέντων παρά τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰουλίου φανερὰ τούτων ἡ συκοφαντία πέφηνεν ο ἦλθον γὰρ ἃν, εἰπερ ἐθάρρουν οἷς ἔπραξαν καὶ πεποιήκασι κατά τῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν· ὅμως καὶ ἐξ ὧν πεποιήκασιν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἁγίᾳ καὶ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ φανερωτέραν τήν ἑαυτῶν συσκευὴν ἀπέδειξαν. Ἀπαντήσαντες γὰρ εἷς τὴν Σαρὸῶν πόλῖν, ἰδόντες τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσιον, καὶ Μάρκελλον, καὶ Ἀσκληπᾶν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, ἐφοβήθησαν εἰς κρίσιν ἐλθεῖν, καὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ, οὐδὲ δεύτερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις κληθέντες, οὐκ ἐπήκουσαν ταῖς κλησεσι· καίτοι πάντων ἡμῶν συνελθόντων ἐπισκόπων, καὶ μάλιστα τοῦ εῦγηροτάτου Ὃσίου, τοῦ καὶ διὰ τὸν χρόνον καὶ τὴν ὁμολογίαν κάὶ διὰ τὸ τοσοῦτον κάματον ὑπομεμενηκέναι πάσης αἰδοῦς ἀξίου τυγχάνοντος, ἀναμενόντων καὶ προτρεπομένων αὐτοὺς εἰσελθεῖν εἷς τήν κρίσιν, τίνʼ ἅπερ ἀπόντων τῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν ἐθρύλλησαν καὶ ἔγραψαν,κατʼ αὐτῶν, ταῦτα παρόντες ἐλέγξαι δυνηθῶσιν · ἀλλʼ ούκ ἦλθον κληθέντες, καθάπερ προείπομεν, δεικνύντες καὶ ἐκ τούτων τήν συκοφαντίαν ἑαυτῶν, καὶ μονονουχὶ τήν έπιβουλὴν καὶ συσκευήν, ἦν πεποιήκασι, βοῶντες διὰ τῆς παραιτήσεως. Οἱ γὰρ θαρῥοῦντες οἷς λέγουσι, τούτοῖς καὶ εἷς πρόσωπον συστῆναι δύνανται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ούκ ἀπήντησαν, νομίζομεν λοιπὸν μηδένα ἀγνοεῖν,

### English translation (Claude)

The Ariomaniacs have often dared many things against the servants of God who guard the right faith; for, putting forward a spurious teaching, they have tried to drive out the orthodox; and they have now risen up so far against the faith that it has not escaped even the piety of the most religious emperors. Therefore, with the grace of God working with them, the most pious emperors themselves assembled us from various provinces and cities and granted that this holy synod be held in the city of Sardica, so that all discord might be removed and, every false belief being driven out, piety toward Christ alone might be kept by all. For the bishops of the East also came, urged by the most pious emperors, chiefly because of what they had often bandied about concerning our beloved brothers and fellow ministers Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, and Marcellus, bishop of Ancyra in Galatia. For perhaps their slanders have reached you too, and perhaps they have tried to unsettle your ears also, so that you might believe what they say against the innocent, and they might hide the suspicion of their own wicked heresy. But they were not allowed to do this for long. For there is One who presides over the churches, the Lord, who endured death for them and for all of us, and through himself has given all of us the ascent into heaven. Long ago, then, when Eusebius and his party wrote to Julius, our fellow minister and bishop of the church of the Romans, against our aforesaid fellow ministers—namely Athanasius, Marcellus, and Asclepas—the bishops from other parts also wrote, testifying to the innocence of our fellow minister Athanasius, and that what had been done by Eusebius and his party was nothing but lies and full of false accusation. And although their false accusation was plainly shown both by their failure to appear when summoned by our beloved fellow minister Julius and by what Julius himself wrote—for they would have come if they had had confidence in what they had done and practiced against our fellow ministers—nevertheless, by what they have done at this holy and great synod, they have shown their plot more plainly still. For when they had come to the city of Sardica and saw our brothers Athanasius, Marcellus, Asclepas, and the others, they were afraid to come to trial; and though summoned not once nor twice but many times, they did not obey the summonses. And yet all of us bishops had assembled, and above all the most venerable old man Hosius, who for his age, his confession, and the great toil he has endured is worthy of all reverence; we waited and urged them to come to trial, so that what they had bandied about and written against our fellow ministers in their absence they might prove in their presence. But they did not come when summoned, as we said before, showing by this too their false accusation, and all but proclaiming by their refusal the plot and conspiracy they had made. For those who have confidence in what they say can also stand by it face to face. But since they did not come, we think that no one henceforth is unaware …

### Translation notes

- Hosius of Cordova presided at Sardica. Asclepas was bishop of Gaza. A doubled address list (Lydia, the Cyclades, Egypt, the Thebaid, Libya, Galatia, Palestine, Arabia) and Migne’s Latin note leaked into the text and are removed by a logged correction. The sentence at the end continues in the next section, after words apparently lost.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 44 (PG 25:324b–328a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-44).

## Defence against the Arians 45

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-45
- Source: PG 25:328a–329b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The synod explains that the Eastern bishops fled Sardica because their victims—exiles, bishops in chains, and envoys of whole churches—had come to accuse them.

### Greek text

Ἐφυγον γὰρ, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ, ού μόνον διὰ τὴν τούτων συκοφαντίαν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ διαφόροις ἐγκαλοῦντας αὐτοῖς ἐθεώρουν ἀπαντήσαντας · δεσμᾶί γὰρ ἦν καὶ σίδηρα προφερόμενα, ἀπʼ ἐξοριστίας ἐπανελθόντες ἄνθρωποι, καὶ παρά τῶν ἔτι κατεχομένων εἷς ἐξοριοτίαν, ἐλθόντες ἦσαν συλλειτουργοὶ συγγενεῖς · καὶ φίλοι δὲ τῶν διʼ αὐτῶν ἀποθανόντων παρεγένοντο· καὶ τὰ μέγιστον, ἐπίσκοποι παρῆσαν, ὧν 6 μὲν τὰ σίδηρα καὶ τὰς ἁλύσεις προέφερεν, ’ἀς διʼ αὐτοὺς ἐφόρεσεν, οἱ δὲ τὸν ἐν τῆς διαβολῆς αὐτῶν θάνατον ἐμαρτύραντο. Εἰς τοσοῦτον γάρ ἔφθασαν ἀπονοίας, ὡς καὶ ἐπισκόπους ἐπιχειρεῖν ἀνελεῖν, καὶ ἀνεῖλον ἂν, εἰ μὴ ἐξέφυγον τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ι ἀπέθανεν ούν ὁ συλλειτουργὸς ἡμῶν ὁ μακαρίτης Θεόδουλος φεύγων αὐτῶν τῆν διαβολὴν, κεκέλευστο γὰρ ἐκ διαβολῆς αὐτῶν ἀποθανεῖν. ’Ἄλλοι δὲ πληγὰς ξιφῶν ἐπεδείκνυντο · ἄλλοι δὲ λιμὸν ὑπομεμενηκέναι παρʼ αὐτῶν ἀπωδύροντο· καὶ ταῦτα ούχ οἱ τυχόντες ἐμαρτύρουν ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλʼ Ἐκκλησίαι ὅλαι ἦσαν, ὑπὲρ ὧν οἱ ἀπαντήσαντες καὶ πρεσβεύοντες ἐδίδασκον, στρατιώτας ξιφήρεις, ὄχλους μετά ῥοπάλων, δικαστῶν ἀπειλὰς, πλαστῶν γραμμάτων ὑποβολας. Ἀνεγνώσθη γὰρ γράμματα τῶν περὶ Θεόγνιον πλαττομένων κατὰ τῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου, καὶ Μαρκέλλου, καὶ ’Δσκληπᾶ, ’ἱνα καὶ βασιλέας κατʼ αὐτῶν κινήσωσιι καὶ ταῦτα ἤλεγξαν οἱ γενόμενοι τότε διάκονοι Θεογνίου. Πρὸς τούτων, παρθένων γυμνώσεις, ἐμπρησμοὺς Ἐκκλησιῶν, φυλακὰς κατά τῶν λειτουργῶν, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα διʼ οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἢ διὰ τὴν δυσώνυμον αἵρεσιν τῶν ’Δρειομανιτῶνο οἱ γὰρ παραιτούμενοι τὴν πρὸς τούτους κοινωνίαν ἀνάγκην εἶχον πυρᾶσθαι τούτων. Ταῦτα τοίνυν συνορῶντες, εἷς στενὸν εἶχον τὰ τῆς προαιρέσεως· ᾐσχύνοντο μὲν γὰρ ὁμολογεῖν ἃ δεδράκασι. Διὰ δὲ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι λοιπὸν ἔτι ταῦτα κρύπτεσθαι, ἀπήντησαν εἷς τήν Σαρδῶν πόλιν, ’ίνα διὰ τῆς ἀφίξεως ὑπόνοιαν ὡς μή πλημμελήσαντες δόξωσιν ἀποφέρεσθαι. ’ἰδόντες δὲ τοὺς παρʼ αὑτῶν συκοφαντηθέντας, καὶ τοὺς παρʼ αὐτῶν παθόντας, τοὺς κατηγόρους, τοὺς ἐλέγχους πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχοντες, ἐλθεῖν οὐκ ἐβούλοντο κληθέντες, καίτοι τῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου, καὶ Μαρκέλλου, καὶ ’Δσκληπᾶ, πολλῇ τῇ παρρησίᾳ χρωμένων, ἀποδυρομένων, καὶ ἐπικειμένων, καὶ προκαλουμένων αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐπαγγελλομένων μή μόνον ἐλέγχειν τὴν συκοφαντίαν, ἀλλᾶ καὶ δεικνύναι ὅσα κατὰ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν αύτῶν ἐπλημμέλησαν. Οἱ δὲ τοσούτῳ φόβῳ τοῦ σῦνειδότος κατεσχέθησαν, ὡς φυγεῖν αὐτοὺς, καὶ διὰ τῆς φυγῆς τὴν συκοφαντίαν αὐτῶν ἐλέγξαι, καὶ ἅπερ ἐπλημμέλησαν, διὰ τον δρασμὸν ὁμολογῆ- ,σαι.

### English translation (Claude)

For they fled, beloved brothers, not only because of their false accusation against these men, but because they saw that those who charged them with various offenses had come. For chains and irons were produced; men had come back from exile; fellow ministers had come, kinsmen of those still kept in exile; friends of those who died through them were present; and, greatest of all, bishops were present, one of whom produced the irons and chains he had worn on their account, while others testified to the death caused by their slander. For they had come to such a pitch of madness as even to attempt to kill bishops; and they would have killed them, had they not escaped their hands. Our fellow minister of blessed memory, Theodulus, died while fleeing their slander, for through their slander he had been ordered to be put to death. Others showed wounds from swords; others lamented that they had endured hunger at their hands. And these things were testified not by ordinary people, but whole churches were there, on whose behalf those who came as envoys told of soldiers with drawn swords, mobs with clubs, threats of judges, and the submission of forged letters. For letters were read that Theognius and his party had forged against our fellow ministers Athanasius, Marcellus, and Asclepas, in order to stir up the emperors against them; and those who were then deacons of Theognius proved it. Besides these things, they told of the stripping of virgins, burnings of churches, imprisonments of ministers—and all for no other reason than the abominable heresy of the Ariomaniacs; for those who refused communion with them were forced to experience these things. Seeing this, then, they were in a strait as to what to choose: they were ashamed to confess what they had done, yet, because these things could no longer be hidden, they came to the city of Sardica, so that by their arrival they might seem to clear themselves of the suspicion of having offended. But seeing those whom they had falsely accused and those who had suffered at their hands, and having the accusers and the proofs before their eyes, they would not come when summoned—although our fellow ministers Athanasius, Marcellus, and Asclepas spoke with great boldness, lamented, pressed them, challenged them, and promised not only to refute the false accusation but also to show what offenses they had committed against their churches. But they were seized with such fear of conscience that they fled, by their flight proved their false accusation, and by their running away confessed their offenses.

### Translation notes

- Theodulus was bishop of Trajanopolis in Thrace. Theognius is Theognis of Nicaea, who died before Sardica.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 45 (PG 25:328a–329b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-45).

## Defence against the Arians 46

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-46
- Source: PG 25:329b–332b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The synod reports its own examination of the charges: Arsenius is alive, the Mareotic evidence shows no Eucharist could have been celebrated, and Ischyras was never a presbyter.

### Greek text

Εἰ καὶ τὲ μάλιστα τοίνυν οὑ μόνον ἐκ τῶν προτέρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τούτων. αὑτῶν ἠ κακοτροπία δείκνυται καὶ συκοφαντία, ὅμως ’ίνα μηδέ ἐκ τῆς φυγῆς πρόφασίν τινα ἐτέρας κακουργίας πορίσασθαι δυνηθῶσιν· ἐσκεψάμεθα κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον τὰ παρʼ ἐκείνων δραματουργηθέντα ἐξέτάσαι καὶ τοῦτο προθέμενοι, εὕρομεν αὑτοὺς καὶ ἐκ τῶν πραχθέντων συκοφάντας, καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον ἢ ἐπιβουλὴν κατὰ τῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἡμῶν πεποιηκότας· ὃν γὰρ ἔλεγον παρά Ἀθανασίου πεφονεῦσθαι Ἀρσένιον, οὗτος ζῇ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ζῶσιν ἐξετάζεται. Ἀπὸ δέ τούτου καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων θρυλληθέντα παρʼ αὐτῶν φαίνεται πλάσματα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ περί ποτηρίου ἐθρύλλουν, ὡς κλασθέντος παρᾶ Μακαρίου τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου Ἀθανασίου, ἐμαρτύρησαν μὲν oi παραγενόμενοι ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας, καὶ Μαρεώτου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τόπων, ὅτι μηδὲν τούτων πέπρακταιʼ καὶ οἱνέπίσκοποι δὲ γράφοντες οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου πρὸς Ἰούλιον τὸν συλλειτουργὸν ἡμῶν ἱκανῶς διεβεβαιοῦντο μηδέ ὑπόνοιαν ὅλως τοιαύτην ἐκεῖ γεγενῆσθαι. Ἄλλως τε ἃ λέγουσιν ὑπομνήματα ἔχειν κατʼ αὑτοῦ κατὰ μονομέρειαν συνέστηκε γεγενῆσθαν καὶ ὅμως καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασι τούτοις ἐθνικοὶ καὶ κατηχούμενοι ἠρωτῶντο· ἐξ ὤν εἴς κατηχούμενος ἐρωτώμενος ἔφασκεν ἔνδον εἶναι, ὅτε ὁ Ιακάριος ἐπέστη τῷ τόπῳ· καὶ ἔτερος ἐρωτώμενος ἔλεγε τὸν θρυλλούμενον παρʼ αὑτῶν Ἰσχύραν νοσοῦντα τότε κατακεῖσθαι ἐν κελλίῳ· ὡς ἀπὸ τούτου φαίνεσθαι μηδόλως γεγενῆσθαί τι τῶν μυστηρίων, διὰ τὸ τοὺς κατηχουμένους ἔνδον εἶναι, καὶ τὸν Ἰσχύραν μὴ παρεῖναι, ἀλλά νοσοῦντα κατακεῖσθαι. νΚαὶ γὰρ καὶ αὑτὸς 6 παμπόνηρος Ἰσχύρας, ψευσάμενος ἐπὶ τῷ εἰρηκέναι κεκαυκέναι τὸν Ἀθανάσιόν τινα τῶν θείων βιβλίων καὶ διηλέγχθαι, ὡμολόγησε κατʼ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ νοσεῖν ὅτε Μακάριος παρῆν, καὶ κατακεῖσθαι, ὡς καὶ ἐκ τούτου συκοφάντην αὐτὸν εἶναι. Ἀμέλει τῆς συκοφαντίας ταύτης μισθὸν αύτῷ τῷ Ἰσχύρᾳ δεδώκασιν ἐπισκοπῆς ὄνομα, τῷ μηδέ πρεσβυτέρῳ τυγχάνοντι. Ἀπαντήσαντες γὰρ δύο πρεσβύτεροι σὺν Μελιτίῳ ποτέ γενόμενοι, ίστερον δὲ ὐπὸ τοῦ μακαρίτου Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ γενομένου ἐπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας δεχθέντες, καὶ νῦν σὺν Ἀθανασίῳ ὄντες, ἐμαρτύρησαν μηδεπώποτε τοῦτον πρεσβύτερον Μελιτίου γεγενῆσθαι, μηδὲ ὅλως ἐσχηκέναι Μελίτιον εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην Ἐκκλησίαν ἢ λειτουργόν* καί ὅμως τὸν μηδέ πρεσβύτερον

### English translation (Claude)

Although, then, their bad character and false accusation are shown not only by their earlier conduct but also by this, nevertheless, so that they might not be able to find in their flight a pretext for further villainy, we resolved to examine what they had staged according to the reason of truth; and having done so, we found them false accusers from their deeds as well, and that they had made nothing else than a plot against our fellow ministers. For Arsenius, whom they said had been murdered by Athanasius, is alive and is numbered among the living; and from this it appears that what they bandied about on the other matters too was invention. And since they bandied about a cup as having been broken by Macarius, the presbyter of Athanasius, those who came from Alexandria, the Mareotis, and the other places testified that none of this had happened; and the bishops of Egypt, writing to our fellow minister Julius, affirmed fully that there had not been even any such suspicion there at all. Besides, the minutes they say they have against him were evidently drawn up one-sidedly; and even in these minutes pagans and catechumens were questioned. One catechumen, when questioned, said that he was inside when Macarius burst into the place; and another, when questioned, said that Ischyras, about whom they make so much noise, was lying sick in a cell at the time; so that it appears from this that no celebration of the mysteries took place at all, since catechumens were inside and Ischyras was not present but lying sick. Moreover, the utterly wicked Ischyras himself, who lied in saying that Athanasius had burned some of the divine books and was refuted, confessed that he was sick and lying down at the time Macarius was there, so that from this too he is a false accuser. Indeed, as the wage of this false accusation they have given this Ischyras the title of a bishopric, though he was not even a presbyter. For two presbyters who were once with Meletius but were afterwards received by Alexander of blessed memory, formerly bishop of Alexandria, and are now with Athanasius, came and testified that this man had never been a presbyter of Meletius, and that Meletius never had a church or a minister in the Mareotis at all. And yet the man who was not even a presbyter …

### Translation notes

- The section breaks off in the scan (“…”); the end of the sentence is lost.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 46 (PG 25:329b–332b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-46).

## Defence against the Arians 47

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-47
- Source: PG 25:332b–333a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The synod reports that Marcellus’s book was found orthodox when read in context, that Asclepas proved his innocence, and that the Eastern bishops promoted deposed Arians.

### Greek text

Ἀνεγνώσθη δὲ καὶ τὸ σύγγραμμα τοῦ συλλειτουργοῧ Μαρκέλλου, καὶ εὑρέθη τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἡ κακοτεχνία. Ἃ γὰρ ὡς ζητῶν 6 Μάρκελλος εἶʼρηκε, ταῦτα ὡς ὁμολογούμενα διαβεβλήκασιν. Ἀνεγνώσθη γοῦν τὰ ἑξῆς, καί τὰ πρὸ αὐτῶν τῶν ζητημάτων, καὶ όρθή ἡ πίστις τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εὑρέθη· οὔτε γάρ διπὸ τῆς ἁγίας Μαρίας, ὡς αὐτοὶ διεβεἰαιώσαντο, ἀρχὴν ἐδίδου τῷ Θεοῦ Λόγῳ, οὔτε τέλος ἔχειν τήν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἄναρχον καὶ ἀτελεύτητον εἶναι τήν τούτου ἔγραψε. Καὶ ’Δσκληπᾶς δὲ 6 συλλειτουργὸς προἤνεγκεν ὑπομνήματα γενόμενα ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, παρόντων τῶν κατηγόρων, καί Εὐσεβίου τοῦ ἀπὸ Καισαρείας· καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀποφάσεων τῶν δικασάντων ἐπισκόπων ἔδειξεν ἑαυτὸν ἀθῶον εἶναι. Εἰκότως οὖν, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ, καλούμενοι πολλάκις οὐχ ὑπήκουσαν, εἰκότως ἔφυγον. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῦ συνειδότος ἐλαυνόμενοι, φυγῇ τὰς συκοφαντίας ἑαυτῶν ἐβεβαίωσαν, καὶ πιστευθῆναι κατʼ αὐτῶν πεποιήκασιν, ἃ παρόντες οἱ κατηγοροῦντες ἔλεγον καὶ ἐπεδείκνυον. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν πρὸς τούτοις πᾶσι καὶ τοὺς πάλαι καθαιρεθέντας καὶ ἐκβληθέντας διὰ τὴν Ἀρείου αʼίρεσιν ού μόνον ἐδέξαντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἷς μείζονα βαθμὸν προήγαγον, διακόνους μὲν εἷς πρεσβυτὲριον, ἀπὸ δέ πρεσβυτέρων εἷς ἐπισκόπους, διʼ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ i’va τῆν ἀσέβειαν διασπεῖραι καὶ πλατῦναι δυνηθῶσι, καὶ τὴν εύσεβῆ διαφθείρωσι πίστιν.

### English translation (Claude)

The book of our fellow minister Marcellus was also read, and the villainy of Eusebius and his party was discovered. For what Marcellus had said by way of inquiry, they slandered as though he affirmed it. So what followed and what preceded the questions was read, and the man’s faith was found to be correct. For he did not, as they asserted, give the Word of God a beginning from holy Mary, nor say that his kingdom has an end; on the contrary, he wrote that his kingdom is without beginning and without end. Our fellow minister Asclepas also produced minutes drawn up at Antioch in the presence of his accusers and of Eusebius of Caesarea, and from the sentences of the bishops who judged him he showed that he was innocent. With good reason, then, beloved brothers, did they not obey when summoned many times; with good reason did they flee. For, driven by their conscience, they confirmed their false accusations by flight, and made credible against themselves what the accusers who were present said and demonstrated. Since, then, besides all this they have not only received those who were long ago deposed and expelled for the heresy of Arius, but have even advanced them to a higher rank, deacons to the presbyterate and presbyters to the episcopate, for no other reason than to be able to sow and spread their impiety and corrupt the pious faith—

### Translation notes

- The synod’s judgment on Marcellus of Ancyra, whose teaching on the Word and the kingdom was later widely rejected, is translated as written. A line of OCR debris is removed by a logged correction. The sentence continues in ch. 48.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 47 (PG 25:332b–333a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-47).

## Defence against the Arians 48

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-48
- Source: PG 25:333a–333b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The synod names the leaders of the Arian party and reports, on the evidence of two bishops who left them, that they had agreed beforehand to avoid the trial.

### Greek text

Εἰσὶ δὲ τούτων μετὰ τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον νῦν ἔξαρχοι Θεόδωρος 6 ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείας, Νάρκισσος 6 ἀπὸ Νερωνιάδος τῆς Κιλικίας, Στέφανος 6 ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας, Γεώργιος 6 ἀπὸ Λαοδικείας, Ἀκάκιος ὁ ἀπὸ Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστίνης, Μηνύφαντος ἀπὸ Ἐιρέσου τῆς Ἄσίας, Ούρσάκιος ὁ ἀπὸ Σιγγιδόνου τῆς Μυσίας, Οὐάλης ἀπὸ Μουρσῶν τῆς Παννονίας· καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐλθόντας ἀπὸ τῆς ἑῴας οὐκ ἐπέτρεπον οὔτε εἷς τὴν ἁγίαν σύνοδον εἴσελθεῖν, οὔτε ὅλως εἷς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραβάλλειν. Καὶ ἐρχόμενοι δὲ εἰς τὴν Σαρδικῆν, κατά τόπους συνόδους ἐποιοῦντο πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ συνθήκας μετά ἀπειλῶν · ὥστε ἐλθόντας αὐτοὺς εἷς τήν Σαρδικῆν, μηδὲ ὅλως εἷς τὴν κρίσιν ἐλθεῖν, μηδιʼ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνελθεῖν τῇ ἁγίᾳ συνόδῳ, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἐλθόντας, καὶ ἀφοσιώσει τὴν ἐπιδημίαν ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδειξαμένους, ταχέωξ φυγεῖν. Ταῦτα γάρ γνῶναι δεδυνήμεθα παρά τῶν συλλειτουργών ἡμῶν Μακαρίου ἀπὸ Παλαιστίνης καὶ Ἀστερίου ἀπὸ Ἀραβίας, τῶν ἐλθόντων σὺν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἀναχωρησάντων ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπιστίας αὐτῶν. Οὗτοι γάρ, ἐλθύντες εἷς τήν ἁγίαν σύνοδον, τήν μὲν βίαν ἣν ἔπαθον, ἀπωδύροντο, οὐδὲν δὲ παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὀρθὸν ἔλεγον πράττεσθαι, προστιθέντες καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς ἄρα εἶεν ἐκεῖ πολλοὶ τῆς ὀρθῆς ἀντιποιούμενοι δόξης, καὶ κωλυόμενοι παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐλθειν ενταυθα, οια το απειλειν και ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι κατά τῶν βουλομένων ἀναχωρεῖν ἀπʼ ἐπιτρέψαντες.

### English translation (Claude)

Their leaders now, after Eusebius and his party, are Theodore of Heraclea, Narcissus of Neronias in Cilicia, Stephen of Antioch, George of Laodicea, Acacius of Caesarea in Palestine, Menophantus of Ephesus in Asia, Ursacius of Singidunum in Moesia, and Valens of Mursa in Pannonia. For these did not allow those who came with them from the East either to enter the holy synod or to approach the Church of God at all. On their way to Sardica they held synods among themselves in various places and made compacts with threats, that when they came to Sardica they would not come to the trial at all, nor meet together with the holy synod, but would only come, make a show of their arrival as a formality, and quickly flee. This we were able to learn from our fellow ministers Macarius of Palestine and Asterius of Arabia, who came with them and withdrew from their unbelief. For these men came to the holy synod, lamented the violence they had suffered, and said that nothing was done rightly among them, adding that there were many there who held to the right belief and were prevented by them from coming here, through threats and promises against those who wished to withdraw from them …

### Translation notes

- The end of the section is garbled in the scan; the last words are translated by sense, and what followed (“…”) is lost. OCR debris is removed by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 48 (PG 25:333a–333b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-48).

## Defence against the Arians 49

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-49
- Source: PG 25:333c–336b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The synod declares Athanasius, Marcellus, and Asclepas innocent, rejects the bishops intruded into their sees, deposes and excommunicates the Arian leaders, and asks all bishops to sign.

### Greek text

Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἔδει παρασιωπῆσαι, οὐδὲ ἀνεκδιηγήτους ἐᾶσαι τὰς συκοφαντίας, τὰ δεσμὰ, τοὺς φόνους, τὰς πληγὰς, τὰς περὶ τῶν πλαστῶν ἐπιστολῶν συσκευάς, τὰς αἰκίας, τάς γυμνώσεις τῶν παρθένων, τὰς ἐξοριστίας,τάς καταλύσεις τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν, τοὺς ἐμπρησμοὺς, τὰς μεταθέσεις ἀπὸ μικρῶν πόλεων εἷς μείζονας παροικίας, καὶ πρό γε πάντων, τήν κατά τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως ἐπαναστᾶσαν δυσώνυμον Ἀρειανὴν αʼίρεσιν διʼ αὐτῶν· τούτου ἓνεκεν, τοὺς μὲν ἀγαπητοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν καὶ συλλειτουργοὺς Ἀθανάσιον, καὶ Μάρκελλον, καὶ Ἀσκληπᾶν, καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς συλλειτουργοῦντας τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀθώους καὶ καθαροὺς εἶναι ἀπεφηνάμεθα, γράψαντες καὶ εἰς τήν ἑκάστου παροικίαν, ὥστε γινώσκειν ἑκάστης Ἑκκλησίας τοὺς λαοὺς τοῦ ἰδίου πισκόπου τὴν καθαρότητα, καὶ τοῦτον μὲν ἔχειν ἐπίσκοπον καὶ προσδοκᾷν ο τοὺς δὲ εἷς τὰς Ἐκκλησίας αὐτῶν ἐπελθόντας δίκην λύκων, Γρηγόριον τὸν ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ, Βασίλειον τὸν ἐν Ἀγκύρᾳ, καὶ Κυϊντιανὸν τὸν ἐν Γάζῃ, τούτους μηδέ ἐπισκόπους ὀνομάζειν, μηδὲ ὅλως κοινωνίαν τινὰ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔχειν, μηδὲ δέχεσθαί τινα παρὰ τούτων γράμματα, μηδὲ γράφειν πρὸς αὐτούς · τοὺς δέ γε περὶ Θεόδωρον, καὶ Νάρκισσον, καὶ Ἀκάκιον, καὶ Στέφανον, καὶ Ούρσάκιον, καὶ Οὒάλεντα, καὶ Μηνόφαπον, καὶ Γεώργιον, εἰ καὶ φοβηθεὶς μὴ παρεγένετο ἀπὸ τῆς ἐῲας, ὅμως διὰ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ μακαρίτου Ἀλεξάνδρου καθῃρῆσθαι αὐτὰν, καὶ διὰ τὸ εἶναι καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τούσους τῆς Ἀρείου μανίας, καὶ διὰ τὰ ἐπενεχθέντα αὐτοῖς ἐγκλήματα, τούτους παμψηφὶ καθεῖλεν ἡ ἆγία σύνοδος ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς. Καὶ ἐκρίναμεν μή μόνον αὐτοὺς ἐπισκόπους μὴ εἶναι, άλλὰ μηδὲ κοινωνίας μετὰ τῶν πιστῶν αὐτοὺς καταξιοῦσθαι. Τοὺς γὰρ χωρίζοντας τὸν Υὶὸν, καὶ ἀπαλλοτριοῦντας τὸν Λόγον ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς, χωρίζεσθαι τῆς Καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας προσήκει, καὶ ἀλλοτρίους εἶναι τοῦ Χριστιανῶν ὀνόματος. Ἔστωσαν τοίνυν ὑμῖν ἀνάθεμα, διὰ τὸ κεκαπηλευκὲναι τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας· ἀποστολικόν ἐστι τὸ παράγγελμα. E’L’ τις ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται παρʼ ’ὀ παρελάβετε, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. Τούτοις μηδένα κοινωνεῖν παραγγείλατευ οὐδεμία γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος · τούτους πάντας μακρὰν ποιεῖτε· οὐδεμία γὰρ συμφωνία Χριστῷ πρὸς Βελίαρ. Καὶ φυλάξασθε. ἀγαπητοὶ, μήτε γράφειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς, μήτε γράμματα παρʼ αὐτῶν δέχεσθαι. Σπουδάσατε δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ συλλειτουργοὶ, ὡς τῷ πνεύματι παρόντες τῇ συνόδῳ ἡμῶν, συνεπιψηφίσασθαι διʼ ὑπογραφῆς ὑμετέρας, ὑπὲρ τοῦ παρὰ πάντων τῶν πανταχοῦ συλλειτουργῶν τήν ὁμοφωνίαν διασώζεσθαι. Ἦ θεία πρόνοια καθωσιωμένους ὑμᾶς καὶ υύθυμοῦντας διαφυλάττοι, …

### English translation (Claude)

Since, then, we ought not to pass over in silence nor leave untold the false accusations, the chains, the murders, the blows, the plots with forged letters, the outrages, the stripping of virgins, the exiles, the destruction of churches, the burnings, the translations from small cities to greater dioceses, and above all the abominable Arian heresy that has risen up through them against the right faith—for this reason we have declared our beloved brothers and fellow ministers Athanasius, Marcellus, and Asclepas, and those who minister to the Lord with them, to be innocent and pure, and we have written to the diocese of each, so that the people of each church may know the innocence of their own bishop, and hold him as bishop and look for his return. As for those who have come into their churches like wolves—Gregory at Alexandria, Basil at Ancyra, and Quintianus at Gaza—they are not even to call them bishops, nor have any communion at all with them, nor receive letters from them nor write to them. And as for Theodore, Narcissus, Acacius, Stephen, Ursacius, Valens, Menophantus, and George—George, though from fear he did not come from the East, yet because he had been deposed by Alexander of blessed memory, and because both he and these others belong to the madness of Arius, and because of the charges brought against them—the holy synod has unanimously deposed them from the episcopate. And we have judged that they are not only not bishops, but are not worthy even of communion with the faithful. For those who separate the Son and estrange the Word from the Father ought to be separated from the catholic Church and to be strangers to the name of Christians. Let them therefore be anathema to you, because they have peddled the word of truth. It is an apostolic precept: “If anyone preaches to you a gospel other than what you received, let him be anathema.” Command that no one communicate with them, for there is no fellowship of light with darkness; keep all these far away, for there is no harmony of Christ with Belial. And take care, beloved, neither to write to them nor to receive letters from them. Be zealous rather, brothers and fellow ministers, as being present in spirit at our synod, to add your votes by your signatures, so that unanimity may be preserved by all our fellow ministers everywhere. May divine providence keep you sanctified and rejoicing …”

### Scripture references

- 2 Cor 2:17: allusion, high confidence
- Gal 1:9: quotation, high confidence
- 2 Cor 6:14: quotation, high confidence
- 2 Cor 6:15: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Cor 5:3: echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- “Peddled the word”: 2 Cor 2:17. “If anyone preaches to you a gospel other than what you received …”: Gal 1:9. “No fellowship of light with darkness … no harmony of Christ with Belial”: 2 Cor 6:14–15. “Present in spirit”: 1 Cor 5:3. The anathema is the synod’s own and is translated as written.
- The close of the letter is lost in the scan: the last words are followed by debris (“καθαιρεθῆναι” and garbled letters), removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 49 (PG 25:333c–336b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-49).

## Defence against the Arians 50

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-50
- Source: PG 25:337a–341a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius lists the bishops who signed the decrees of Sardica, by region, and counts 344 supporters in all.

### Greek text

Ὃσιος ἀπὸ Σπανίας, Ἰούλιος Ῥώμης διʼ Ἀρχιδάμου καὶ Φιλοξένου πρεσβυτέρων, Πρωτογένης Σαρδικῆς,Γαυδέντιος, Μακεδόνιος, Σευῆρος, Πραιτέξτατος, Ούρσίκιος, Αούκιλλος, Εὐγένιος, Βιτάλιος, Καλεπόδιος, Φλωρέντιος, Βάσσος, Οὐϊνκέντιος, Στερκόριος, Παλλάδιος, Δομιτιανὸς, Χαλβὶς, Γερὸντιος,Προτάσιος, Εύλογος, Πορφύριος, Διόσκορος, Ζώσιμος, Ἰανουάριος, Ζώσιμος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Εὐτύχιος, Σωκράτης, Διόδωρος, Μαρτύριος, Εύθήριος. Εὕκαρπος, Αθηνόδωρος, Εἰρηναῖος, Ἰουλιανὸς, Ἀλύπιος, Ἰωνᾶς, Αέτιος, Ῥεστιτοῦτος, Μαρκελλῖνος, ’Δπριανὸς, Βιτάλιος, Οὐάλης, Ἑρμογένης, Κάστος, Δομετιανὸς, Φορτουνάτιος, Μάρκος, Ἀννιανὸς, Ἡλιόδωρος, Μουσαῖος, Δστέριος, Παρηγόριος, Πλούταρχος, Ὑμέναιος, Ἀθανάσιος, Λούκιος, Ἀμάντιος, Ἀρειος, Ἀσκληπιὸς, Διονύσιος, Μάξιμος, Τρύφων, Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀντίγονος, Αίλιανὸς, Πέτρος, Σύμφορος, Μουσώνιος, Εὔτυχος, Φιλολόγιος, Σπουδάσιος, Ζώσιμος, Πατρίκιος, Ἀδόλιος, Σαπρίκιος · Γαλλίας, Μαξιμιανὸς, Βηρίσιμος, Βήκτουρος, Βαλεντῖνος, Δισιδέριος, Εύλόγιος, Σαρβάτιος, Δυσκόλιος, Σουπερίωρ, Μερκούριος, Δηκλοπετὸς, Εὐσέβιος, Σεβηρῖνος, Σάτυρος, Μαρτῖνος, Παῦλος, Ὀπτατιανὸς, Νικάσιος, Βίκτωρ, Σεμπρόνιος, Βαλερῖνος, Πακᾶτος, Ἰεσσῆς, Ἀρίστων, Σιμπλίκιος, Μετιανὸς, νΔμαντος, Ἀμιλλιανὸς, Ἰουστινιανὸς, Βικτωρῖνος, Σατορνῖλος, Ἀβουνδάντιος, Δωνατιανὸς, Μάξιμος· ’Δφρικῆς, Νέσσος, Γρᾶτος, Μεγάσιος, Κολδαῖος, Ῥογατίανὸς, Κονσόρτιος, Ῥουφῖνος, Μαννῖνος, Κεσσιλιανὸς, Ἑρεννιανὸς, Μαριανὸς, Οὐαλέριος, Δυνάμιος, Μιζόνιος, Ἰοῦστος, Κελεστῖνος, Κυπριανὸς, Βίκτωρ, Ὁνορᾶτος, Μαρῖνος, Παντάγαθος, Φήλιξ, Βαύδιος, Λίβερ, Καπίτων, Μινερβάλις, Κύσμος, Βίκτωρ, Ἑσπερίων, Φήλιξ, Στβηριανὸς, Ὀπτάντιος, Ἕσπερος, Φιδέντιος, Σαλούστιος, Πασχάσιος · Αἰγύπτου, Διβούρνιος, Ἀμάντιος, Φήλιξ, Ἰσχυράμμων, Ῥωμῦλος, Τιβερῖνος, Κονσόρτιος, Ἡρακλείδης, Φορτουνάτιος, Διόσκορος, Φορτουνάτιανὸς, Βαστάμων, Δάτυλλος, ’Δνδρέας, Σερῆνος, Ἀρειος, Θεόδωρος, Εὐαγόρας, Ἦλίας, Τιμόθεος, Ὠρίων, Ἀνδρόνικος, Παφνούτιος, Ἑρμείας, Ἀραβίων, Ψενόσιρις, Ἀπολλώνιος, Μοῦϊς, Σαραπάμπων, Φίλων, Φίλιππος, Ἀπολλώνιος, Παφνούτιος, Παῦλος, Διόσκορος, Νειλάμμων, Σερῆνος, Ἀκύλας, ’Δωτᾶς, Ἀρποκρατίων, Ἰσὰκ, Θεόδωρος, Ἀπολλὼς, ’Δμμωνιανὸς, Νεῖλος, Ἡράκλειος, ’Δρείων, ’Δθᾶις, ’Δρσὲνιος, ’Δγαοάμμων, Θέων, Ἀπολλώνιος, Ἠλίας, Πανινούθιος, ’Δνδραγάθιος, Νεμεσίων, Σαραπίων, Ἀμμώνίος, Ἀμμένιος, Ξένων, Γερόντιος, Κύῖντος, Λεωνίδης. Σεμπρωνιανὸς, Φίλων, Ἡρακλείδης, Ἱὲρακυς, Ῥοῦφος, Πασόφιος, Μακεδόνιος, ’Δπολλόδωρος, Φλαβιανὸς, Ψάης, Σύρους, ’Δπφοῦς, Σαραπίων, «Ησαΐας, Παφνούτιος, Τιμόθεος, Ἐλουρίων, Γαῖος, Μουσαῖος, Πιστὸς,Ηρακλάμμων, ζἨρων, Ἡλχίας, ’Δνάγαμφος, ’Δπολλώνιος, Γάϊος, Φιλωτᾶς, Παῦλος, Τιθόης, Εὐδαίμων, Ἰούλιος ’ Οἱ ἐν τῷ Καναλίῳ τῆς Ἰταλίας, Προβάτιος, Βιάτωρ, Φακουνδῖνος, Ἰωσῆς, Νουμήδιος, Επηράνῐ τιος, Σεὸῆρος, Ἣρακλειανὸς, Φαυστῖνος, Ἀντωνῖνος Ἡράκλειος, Οὖϊτάλιος, Φήλιξ, Κρησπῖνος, Παυλιανό-ς- Κύπρου, Αὐξίβιος, Φώτιος, Γηράσιος, ’Δφροόίσιος, Εἶρηνικὸς, Νουνὲχιος, Ἀθανάσιος, Μακεδόνιος, Τριφύλλιος, Σπυρίόων, Νορβανὸς, Σωσικράτης ο Παλαιστίνης, Μάξιμος, Ἀἑτιος, Ἀρειος, Θεοδόσιος, Γερμανὸς, Σιλουανὸς, Παῦλος, Κλαύξιος, Πατρίκιος,Ἐλπίδιος, Γερμανὸς, Εὐσέβιος, Ζηνόβιος, Παῦλος, Πέτρος. οὶ μὲν οὖν τοῖς ὑπὸο τῆς συνόδου γραφεῖσιν ὓπογράψαντες οὗτοι ’ ἕτεροι δὲ πλεῖστοί εἰσιν, οἱ καί πρὸ τῆς συνόδου -γράψαντες ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἀπό τε τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ Φρυγίας, καὶ Ἰσαυρίας, καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς ἰδίαις ἐπιστολαῖς ἐμφέρεται, ἐγγὺς ξγ“, ὁμοῦ τμδ“.

### English translation (Claude)

Hosius of Spain; Julius of Rome, through the presbyters Archidamus and Philoxenus; Protogenes of Sardica; Gaudentius, Macedonius, Severus, Praetextatus, Ursicius, Lucillus, Eugenius, Vitalius, Calepodius, Florentius, Bassus, Vincentius, Stercorius, Palladius, Domitianus, Chalbis, Gerontius, Protasius, Eulogus, Porphyrius, Dioscorus, Zosimus, Januarius, Zosimus, Alexander, Eutychius, Socrates, Diodorus, Martyrius, Eutherius, Eucarpus, Athenodorus, Irenaeus, Julianus, Alypius, Jonas, Aetius, Restitutus, Marcellinus, Aprianus, Vitalius, Valens, Hermogenes, Castus, Dometianus, Fortunatius, Marcus, Annianus, Heliodorus, Musaeus, Asterius, Paregorius, Plutarchus, Hymenaeus, Athanasius, Lucius, Amantius, Arius, Asclepius, Dionysius, Maximus, Tryphon, Alexander, Antigonus, Aelianus, Petrus, Symphorus, Musonius, Eutychus, Philologius, Spudasius, Zosimus, Patricius, Adolius, Sapricius. From Gaul: Maximianus, Verissimus, Victurus, Valentinus, Desiderius, Eulogius, Sarbatius, Dyscolius, Superior, Mercurius, Declopetus, Eusebius, Severinus, Satyrus, Martinus, Paulus, Optatianus, Nicasius, Victor, Sempronius, Valerinus, Pacatus, Jesses, Ariston, Simplicius, Metianus, Amantus, Amillianus, Justinianus, Victorinus, Satornilus, Abundantius, Donatianus, Maximus. From Africa: Nessus, Gratus, Megasius, Coldaeus, Rogatianus, Consortius, Rufinus, Manninus, Cessilianus, Herennianus, Marianus, Valerius, Dynamius, Mizonius, Justus, Celestinus, Cyprianus, Victor, Honoratus, Marinus, Pantagathus, Felix, Baudius, Liber, Capito, Minervalis, Cosmus, Victor, Hesperion, Felix, Severianus, Optantius, Hesperus, Fidentius, Salustius, Paschasius. From Egypt: Liburnius, Amantius, Felix, Ischyrammon, Romulus, Tiberinus, Consortius, Heraclides, Fortunatius, Dioscorus, Fortunatianus, Bastamon, Datyllus, Andreas, Serenus, Arius, Theodorus, Evagoras, Helias, Timotheus, Orion, Andronicus, Paphnutius, Hermeias, Arabion, Psenosiris, Apollonius, Muis, Sarapampon, Philon, Philippus, Apollonius, Paphnutius, Paulus, Dioscorus, Nilammon, Serenus, Aquila, Aotas, Harpocration, Isaac, Theodorus, Apollos, Ammonianus, Nilus, Heraclius, Arion, Athas, Arsenius, Agathammon, Theon, Apollonius, Helias, Paninuthius, Andragathius, Nemesion, Sarapion, Ammonius, Ammenius, Xenon, Gerontius, Quintus, Leonides, Sempronianus, Philon, Heraclides, Hieracys, Rufus, Pasophius, Macedonius, Apollodorus, Flavianus, Psaes, Syrus, Apphus, Sarapion, Esaias, Paphnutius, Timotheus, Elurion, Gaius, Musaeus, Pistus, Heraclammon, Heron, Helchias, Anagamphus, Apollonius, Gaius, Philotas, Paulus, Tithoes, Eudaemon, Julius. Those in the Canalis of Italy: Probatius, Viator, Facundinus, Joses, Numedius, Sperantius, Severus, Heraclianus, Faustinus, Antoninus, Heraclius, Vitalius, Felix, Crispinus, Paulianus. From Cyprus: Auxibius, Photius, Gerasius, Aphrodisius, Irenicus, Nunechius, Athanasius, Macedonius, Triphyllius, Spyridon, Norbanus, Sosicrates. From Palestine: Maximus, Aetius, Arius, Theodosius, Germanus, Silvanus, Paulus, Claudius, Patricius, Elpidius, Germanus, Eusebius, Zenobius, Paulus, Petrus. These, then, are those who signed what was written by the synod; but there are very many others who wrote on our behalf even before the synod, from Asia, Phrygia, and Isauria, and their names are given in their own letters: about 63; in all, 344.

### Translation notes

- Names are transliterated; several are uncertain in the scan (e.g. “Sperantius”, printed as a garbled word; “Ammenius”). “The Canalis” (Κανάλιον) is a district of Italy, probably along the Via Flaminia. Migne’s stray Latin word is removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 50 (PG 25:337a–341a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-50).

## Defence against the Arians 51

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-51
- Source: PG 25:341a–344c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius quotes Constantius’s three letters inviting him back after Sardica and tells how he took leave of Rome, where Julius wrote to the church of Alexandria.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα μαθὼν 6 θεοφιλέστατος βασιλεὺς Κωνο στάντιος, μετεπέμψατο ἡμᾶς, γράψας ἰδίᾳ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἑαυτοῦ τὸν μακαρίτην Κώνσταντα, πρὸς δὲ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δεύτερον καὶ τρίτον, ταυτα. ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΟΣ ΝΙΚΗῚῊΣ ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΣ ΔΘΑΝΔΣΙῼ. Ἐἰ πολῦ σε κλυδωνίζεσθαι καὶ χειμάζεσθαι τοῖς τῆς θαλάττης ἀγρίοις κύμασιν οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἡ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἡμερότητος φιλανθρωπίαν γυμνωθέντα σε τῆς πατρῴας ἑστίας, καὶ στερηθέντα τῶν ἰδίων, καὶ πλανώμενον ἐν θηριώδεσιν ἀνοδίαις οὐ παρεῖδεν] ὴ ἀκάματος ἡμῶν εὐσέβεια. Καὶ εἷʼ καὶ τά μάλιστα ἐπιπολὺ ὑπερεθέμην γράψαι τήν πρόθεσιν τῆς ἐμῆς διανοίας, προσδοκῶν αὐθαίρετόν σε παραγενέσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ τῶν καμάτων αἰτεῖν θεραπείαν · ὅμως, ἐπειδὴ ἴσως 6 φόβος τὴν προαίρεσιν τῆς προθέσεως ἐνεπόδισε, διὰ τοῦτο δωρεᾶς πληρέστατα γράμματα πρὸς τὴν σὴν περῥότητα διεπεμψάμεθα, ’ίνα ἀφόβως ταῖς ἡμετέραις προσόψεσι ταχεῖαν τήν σαυτοῦ παρουσίαν παρασχεῖν σπουδάσῃς, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τῆς σαυτοῦ ἐπιθυμίας ἀπολαύσας, καὶ πειραθεὶς ἡμῶν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀποκατασταθῇς· τούτου γάρ ἓνεκα καὶ τὸν δεσπότην μου καὶ ἀδελφόν μου Κώνστειντα τὸν Νικητήν Αὔγουστον ὑπὲρ σοῦ παρεκάλεσα, ’ίνα τοῦ ἐλθεῖν ἐξουσίαν σοι δῷ, ἐπὶ τῷ, ἑχυρον. Ἐπιστολή δευτέρα. El καὶ τὰ μάλιστα διὰ προτέρων γραμμάτων ἐδηλώσαμεν, ὅπως ἀμερίμνως εἰς τὸ ἡμέτερον κομιτᾶτον παραγένῃ, διὰ τό μάλιστα βούλεσθαι ἡμᾶς ἀποστεῖλαί σε εἷς τὰ ἴδια· ὅμως καὶ νῦν καί ταῦτα τὰ γράμματα πρὸς τήν σὴν στερρότητα δεδώκαμεν, διʼ ὧν προτρεπόμεθα, χωρίς τινος ἀπιστίας καὶ φόβου, ἐπιβῆναί σε δημοσίοις ὀχήμασι, καί σπουδάσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ’ίνα ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖς ἀπολαῦσαι δυνηθῇς. Ἐπιστολὴ τρίτη. Ἡνίκα ἐν τῇ Έδέσοῃ διετρίβομεν, παρόντων τῶν σῶν πρεσβυτέρων,ἤρεσεν ὅπως, ἀποσταλέντος πρεσβυτέρου πρὸς σὶ, ἐλθεῖν εἷς τὸνὴμὲτερον κομι·τᾶτον σπουδάσῃς, ἐπὶ τῷ, ἰδόντα σε τὴν ἠμετέραν πρόσοψιν, εὐθέως είς τῆν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ὁδεύσῃς. Ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ πλεῖστος χρόνος παρῆλθεν, ἀφʼ οὗ γράμματα δεξάμενος παρʼ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἀπήντησας, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ὑπομνῆσαί σε ἐσπουδάσαμεν, ’ἶνα καὶ νῦν τήν σῆν παρουσίαν ταχεῖαν ποιῆσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς σπουδάσῃς, καὶ οὕτω δυνηθῇς τῇ τε πατρίδι σου ἀποκατασταθῆναι, καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς σου ἐπιτυχεῖν πρὸς δὲ πληρεστέραν διήγησιν, Ἀχιτᾶν τὸν διάη κονον ἀπεστείλαμεν, παρʼ οὗ δυνήσῃ μαθεῖν τῆς τε ἠμετέρας ψυχῆς τήν προαίρεσιν, καὶ ὅτι τούτων ὧν εὔχῃ τυχεῖν δυνήσῃ. τ ’ Ὀ μὲν οὗν βασιλεὺς τοιαῦτα γράφει· ἐγὼ δὲ δεξάμενος ἀνῆλθον εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην συντάξασθαι τῇ ἱΕκκλησίᾳν καὶ. τῷ ἐπισκόπω· *ἐνʼ* Ἀκυληίᾳ,γὰρ ἥμην, ὅτε ταῦτα ἐγράφη. Καὶ ἡ μὲν Ἐκκλησία πάσης χαρᾶς πεπλήρωτο ὁ δὲ ἐπίσκοπος Ἰούλιος, συγχαίρων τῇ ἐπανόδῳ, γράφει πρὸς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Καὶ διερχομένους ἡμᾶς οἱ ἐπίσκοποι καθεξῆς μετʼ εἰρήνης προέπεμψαν. Καὶ ἔστι τὰ γραφέντα ταῦτα. ΙΟΥΛίοΣ Πρεσβυτέροις, καὶ διακόνοις,, καὶ λαῷ παροικοῦντι ’Δλεξάνδρειαν.

### English translation (Claude)

When the most God-loving emperor Constantius learned these things, he sent for us, having written privately to his brother Constans of blessed memory, and to us once, twice, and three times, as follows. “Constantius Victor Augustus to Athanasius. The humanity of our clemency has not allowed you to be tossed and battered for long by the wild waves of the sea; our untiring piety has not overlooked you, stripped of your ancestral hearth, deprived of your own possessions, and wandering in savage and pathless places. And although I long put off writing the purpose of my mind, expecting that you would come to us of your own accord and ask relief for your labors, nevertheless, since perhaps fear hindered the carrying out of your intention, we have therefore sent to your firmness a letter full of bounty, so that you may hasten without fear to present yourself quickly before us, in order that, having obtained your desire and experienced our humanity, you may be restored to your own. For this reason I have also asked my lord and brother Constans Victor Augustus on your behalf to give you leave to come, so that …” Second letter. “Although we indicated very plainly in a previous letter that you should come without anxiety to our court, since we greatly wish to send you back to your own, nevertheless we have now also given this letter to your firmness, in which we urge you, without any distrust or fear, to take the public conveyances and hasten to us, so that you may be able to obtain what you desire.” Third letter. “When we were staying at Edessa, in the presence of your presbyters, it was decided that a presbyter should be sent to you and that you should hasten to come to our court, so that after seeing our face you might go at once to Alexandria. But since a very long time has passed since you received a letter from us and you have not come, we have been eager to remind you now too, so that even now you may hasten to come to us quickly, and so be able both to be restored to your homeland and to obtain your prayer. For a fuller account we have sent Achitas the deacon, from whom you will be able to learn the intention of our soul, and that you can obtain what you pray for.” This, then, is what the emperor wrote; and I, on receiving it, went up to Rome to take leave of the church and the bishop, for I was at Aquileia when this was written. The church was filled with all joy, and Bishop Julius, rejoicing with us at the return, writes to the church; and as we passed through, the bishops one after another sent us on our way in peace. And what was written is this. “Julius to the presbyters, deacons, and people dwelling at Alexandria.

### Translation notes

- The end of the first letter of Constantius is lost in the scan (“so that …”). The letters date from about 345–346.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 51 (PG 25:341a–344c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/39/#p-51).

## Defence against the Arians 52

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-52
- Source: PG 25:344c–345a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius congratulates the Alexandrians that God has restored their bishop in answer to their faith and prayers.

### Greek text

Συγχαίρω κάγὼ ὑμῖν, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι τὸν καρπὸν τῆς ἑαυτῶν πίστεως ἐπʼ ὀφθαλμῶν λοιπὸν ὁρᾶτεʼ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἀληθῶς ἄν τις ἴδοι γενόμενον ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ συνεπισκοπου μου Ἀθανασίου, ’ὀν διὰ τὴν καθαρότητα τοῦ βίου, καὶ διὰ τὰς ὑμετέρας εὐχας, Θεὸς ὑμῖν ἀποδίδωσιν. Ἐκ δὴ τούτου συνορᾷν καθαρὰς, ὑμᾶς καὶ μεστὰς ἀγάπης ἀεὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἀνενηνοχεναι πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Μνήμονες γὰρ ὄντες τῶν οὐρανίων ἐπαγγελιῶν καὶ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὰς ἀγωγῆς, ἢν ἐκ τῆς διδασκαλίας τοῦ προειρημένου ἀδελφοῦ μου ἐπαιδεύθητε, ἔγνωτε ἀληθῶς καὶ κατά τὴν προσοῦσαν ὑμῖν ὀρθὴν πίστιν κατειλήφατε, ὠς οὐκ ἃν είς τέλος ἀφʼ ὑμῶν ἀποσχοινισθήσεται οὗτος, ὃν ταῖς θεοσιβεστάταις ὐμῶν ψυχαῖς ἀεὶ ὠς παρόντα ἐσχήκατε· Οὐκοῦν οὑ πολλῶν μοι χρεία λόγων πρὸς ὑμὰς ἐπιστέλλοντι. Ὅσα γὰρ ὐμῖν ἂν λεχθῇ παρʼ ἐμοῦ,ταῦτα ἡ ὗμετέρα πίστις προῦλαβε, καὶ πεπλήρωκε κατὰ Θεοῦ χάριν τὰ τῆς κοινῆς πάντων ἡμῶν εὐχῆς, Συγχαίρω τοίνυν ὑμῖν, πάλιν γὰρ ἐρῶ, ὅτι τάς ψυχὰς άκαταμαχήτους ἐν τῇ πίστει τετηρήγατε, καὶ αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ ἀδελφῷ μου Ἀθαπάσχων λυπηρὰ, οὐδεμίαν ὥραν ἐπιλήσμων γέγονε τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης καὶ τοῦ ὑμετέρου πόθου. Ei γάρ καὶ τῷ σώματι πρὸς καιρὸν ἔδοξεν ἀφʼ ὑμῶν ἀφελκυσθῆναι, ἀλλὰ τῷ πνεύματι διαπαντὸς ὡς συνὼν ὑμῖν διῆγεν.

### English translation (Claude)

I too rejoice with you, beloved brothers, that you now see before your eyes the fruit of your faith. For one may truly see this in the case of my brother and fellow bishop Athanasius, whom God restores to you because of the purity of his life and because of your prayers. From this one may see that you have always offered up to God prayers pure and full of love. For, mindful of the heavenly promises and of the conduct that leads to them, in which you were trained by the teaching of my aforesaid brother, you knew truly, and grasped by the right faith that is in you, that he would not be cut off from you for ever whom in your most God-fearing souls you have always held as present. So I need not use many words in writing to you; for whatever I might say to you, your faith has anticipated, and by the grace of God has fulfilled the common prayer of us all. I rejoice with you, then—I say it again—that you have kept your souls invincible in the faith; and I rejoice too with my brother Athanasius himself, that, though … suffering grievous things, he has not for one hour forgotten your love and your longing. For though in body he seemed for a time to be torn from you, yet in spirit he lived always as one with you.

### Translation notes

- A few words are lost in the scan after “my brother Athanasius” (“…”).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 52 (PG 25:344c–345a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-52).

## Defence against the Arians 53

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-53
- Source: PG 25:345b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Julius tells the Alexandrians to receive Athanasius with joy, as one proved like gold in the fire and declared innocent by the whole synod.

### Greek text

Ἐπανέρχεται τοίνυν πρὸς ὑμὰς λαμπρότερος νῦν, ἢ ἀτε παρʼ ὐμῶν ἀπεδήμησεν. Ei γὰρ καὶ τὰς τιμίας ὕλας, χρυσὸν δὴ καὶ ἄργυρον, εἷς καθαρότητα τὸ πῦρ δοκιμάζει, τί ἄν τις εἷʼποι κατʼ ἀξίαν τοῖʼ) τοσούτου ἀνδρὸς, ὃς, κινδύνους τοσούτων θλίψεων νικήσας, ἀποδίδοται ύμῖν ἀθῶος οὐ παρʼ ἡμῶν μόνον, ἀλλά καὶ παρὰ πάσης τῆς συνόδου ἀποδειχθείς ; Ὑποδέξασθε τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ, μετὰ πάσης τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν δόξης καί χαρᾶς τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ὐμῶν Ἀθανάσιον μετά τούτων οίτινες αύιῷ καὶ τῶν τοσούτων καμάτων κοινωνοὶ γεγόνασιʼ xui χαίρετε τῶν εὐχῶν ἑαυτῶν ἀπολαύοντες, οἳ τὸν ποιμένα τὸν ὐμέτερον, ’ἐνʼ οὕτως εἷʼπω, ποθοῦντα xui διψῶντα τὴν

### English translation (Claude)

He returns to you, then, more glorious now than when he departed from you. For if fire tests even precious materials, gold and silver, for purity, what could one say worthily of so great a man, who, having overcome the dangers of so many afflictions, is restored to you, shown to be innocent not by us only but by the whole synod? Receive, then, beloved brothers, with all godly glory and joy, your bishop Athanasius, together with those who have shared in his so many labors; and rejoice in obtaining your prayers, you who … your shepherd, longing, so to speak, and thirsting for …

### Scripture references

- 1 Pet 1:7: echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- The image of gold and silver tested by fire: cf. 1 Pet 1:7; Zech 13:9. The rest of Julius’s letter and the beginning of ch. 54 are lost in the scan; the section breaks off mid-sentence (“…”).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 53 (PG 25:345b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-53).

## Defence against the Arians 55

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-55
- Source: PG 25:348a–349b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius tells of his reception by Constantius and quotes the emperor’s letters ordering the clergy and people of Alexandria to receive him and the magistrates to punish disturbers.

### Greek text

Μετᾶ τούτων ἐλθόντα με γνησίως ἑώρακεν 6 ΝΙΚΗΤΗΣ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΟΣ Μέγιστος σεβαστός Ἐπισκόποις καὶ ’πρεσβυτέροις τῆς Καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Οὐκ ἀπελείφθη τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος 6 αἰδε- Ἐπιστολὴ δευτέρα. νοιάν τινα ἢ στάσιν ἐν ὑμῖν κινηθῆναι, ὑπεναντίον τῆς τῶν ἡμετέρων καιρῶν εὐμοιρίας. Καὶ τούτε μὲν ἀπεῖναι ἀφʼ ὑμῶν παντελῶς βουλόμεθα, τὸ δὲ ταῖς εὐχαῖς ὑμᾶς διαρκῶς αὐτῷ, ὡς προείρηται, προστάτῃ καὶ ἐπικούρῳ χρωμένους πρὸς τὸ Θεῖον, ἐμμένειν συνήθως παραιυοῢμενο ὡς ἂν τῆς τοιαύτης ὑμῶν προθέσεως, εἷς τὰς ἁπάντων εὐχὰς διαβαινούσης, καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῇ τῶν εἰδώλων πλάνῃ ἔτι καὶ νῦν προσανέχοντες ἐπὶ τήν τῆς ἱερᾶς θρησκείας ἐρίγνωσιν προθυμότατα σπεύδοιεν, ἀγαπητοί. Καὶ αὖθις οὖν παραινοῦμεν τοῖς προειρημένοις ἐμμένειν, τὸν δὲ ἐπίσκοπον ψήφῳ τοῦ κρείττονος, καὶ ἡμετέρᾳ γνώμῃ ἀπεσταλμένον, ἡδέως δέξασθε, καὶ πάσῃ ψυχῇ καὶ γνώμῃ ἀσπαστὸν ’ἱγήσασθε · τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὑμῖν πρέπει, καὶ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ πραότητι προσήκειν συνέστηκεν. Ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ πᾶσαν ἀνασοβῆς καὶ στάσεως πρόφασιν περιαιρεθῆναι τῶν ἐθελοκακίᾳ χρωμένων, τοῖς παρʼ ὑμῖν δικασταῖς διὰ γραμμάτων προσετάξαμεν, ἅπαντας οὖς ἂν στασιώδεις καταμάθοιεν, τῇ τῶν νόμων ὑποβάλλειν ἐκδικίᾳ. Ἀμφότεροι τοίνυν συνορῶντες, καὶ τὴν ἡμετέναν μετὰ τοῦ κρείττονος γνώμην, καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καὶ τῆς ὁμονοίας λόγον, καί τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀτάκτων τιμωρίαν, τὰ πρέτοντα καὶ ἁρμόζοντα τῷ τῆς ἱερᾶς θρησκείας θεσμῷ διαφυλάττοντες, τὸν προειρημένον δια πάσης αἰδοῦς καὶ τιμῆς ἄγοντες, τὰς εὐχὰς ἅμα αὐτῷ ὑπέρ τε ἑαυτῶν καὶ τῆς τοῦ βίου παντὸς εὐνομίας, τῷ τῶν ὅλων Πατρὶ Θεῷ ἀναπέμπειν σπουδάσατε.

### English translation (Claude)

With these I came, and the Victor Constantius received me kindly … “Constantius Victor Maximus Augustus to the bishops and presbyters of the catholic Church. The most reverend … has not been left without the grace of God … ” Second letter. “… any discord or faction be stirred up among you, contrary to the good fortune of our times. That this should be wholly far from you we wish; and we exhort you to persevere, as you are accustomed, in your prayers, using him constantly, as was said before, as your champion and helper before God; so that, when such a purpose of yours passes into the prayers of all, even those of the pagans who still cling to the error of idols may hasten most eagerly to the knowledge of the holy religion, beloved. Again, therefore, we exhort you to abide by what has been said: receive gladly the bishop sent back by the vote of the Almighty and by our judgment, and regard him as welcome with all your soul and mind; for this befits you and is consistent with our gentleness. For in order that every pretext for disturbance and faction may be taken away from those who are wilfully wicked, we have commanded your magistrates by letter to subject to the vengeance of the laws all whom they find seditious. Considering, therefore, both our judgment, which accords with that of the Almighty, and our concern for you and for concord, and the punishment for the disorderly, observe what is fitting and suitable to the ordinance of the holy religion, treat the aforesaid with all reverence and honor, and be zealous to offer up prayers together with him for yourselves and for the good order of all life to God, the Father of all.”

### Translation notes

- The numeral of chapter 54 was lost in the scan, and much of the text is lost with it: the end of Julius’s letter, the account of Athanasius’s audience, and most of Constantius’s first letter to the clergy. The section begins with the last words of ch. 54 (“With these I came …”); the gaps are marked “…”. The heading “Second letter” stands in the scan inside the lost passage; what follows is the end of an imperial letter (in NPNF² 4 this is ch. 55, to the people of Alexandria). Debris is removed by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 55 (PG 25:348a–349b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-55).

## Defence against the Arians 56

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-56
- Source: PG 25:349b–352a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius reports that Constantius had his earlier hostile orders removed from the official records of Egypt.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα γράψας, ἐκέλευσε καὶ τὰ πρότερον παρʼ αὑτοῦ γραφέντα κατʼ ἐμοῦ ἐκ διαβολῆς τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἀναιρεθῆναι καὶ ἀφανισθῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν τάξεων τοῦ τε δουκὸς καὶ τοῦ ἐπάρχου τῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἀποσταλεὶς Εὐσέβιος ὁ δεκουρίων, ἔλαβεν αὐτα ἀπὸ τῶν τάξεων, καὶ ἔστι τὰ γραφέντα ταῦτα ο τουργησίαν, ἢν ἀεὶ εἶχον, ἢν καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ κΛηρικοὶ ἔχουσιν, ἵνʼ, οὕτως ἔχοντες xui αὐτοὶ, χαίρωσιν.

### English translation (Claude)

Having written this, he ordered that what he had formerly written against me, through the slander of Eusebius and his party, be removed and expunged from the records of the duke and of the prefect of Egypt; and Eusebius the decurion was sent and took it out of the records. And what was written is this: … the immunity which they always had, which the other clergy also have, so that, having it themselves too, they may rejoice.

### Translation notes

- The emperor’s order and the beginning of the following letter are lost in the scan (“…”); the surviving end speaks of the clergy’s immunity from public duties (ἀλειτουργησία).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 56 (PG 25:349b–352a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-56).

## Defence against the Arians 57

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-57
- Source: PG 25:352a–353a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius quotes the letter of the synod of Jerusalem, which received him on his way home and rejoiced with the Alexandrians at his return.

### Greek text

Προπεμφθεὶς οὕτω xui διερχόμενος τήν Συρίαν, συνέτυχον τοῖς μετᾶ τήν Παλαιστίνην ἐπισκόποις καὶ σύνοδον ποιήσαντες έν Ἰερουσαλήμ, γνησίως ἡμᾶς ἀπεδέξαντο, καὶ αὐτοὶ μετʼ εἰρήνης προέπεμψαν, καὶ ἔγραψαν πρὸς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν καὶ τοὺς ἐπισκόπους ταῦτα. Η ΑΓΙΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ Ἡ έν Ἱεροσολύμοις συναχθεῖσα, τοῖς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ κα),Λιβύςζις ’ ςυλλέὶτουργοῖς,,καὶῃ τοῖς ἐν ξΑλεξανδρείᾳπρεσβυτέροις Αʼκαὶ ᾇδιακόνοις- καὶ … ποθεινοτάτοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐν κυρίῳχαίρειν. Κατʼ ἀξίαν τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ σύχαριστεῖν οὐκ ἀρκοῦμεν, ἀγαπητοί, ἐφʼ οἷς θαυμασίοις ἐποίησε … πάντοτε, ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ νῦν μετὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας Ἐκκλησίας, τὸν ποιμένα ὑμῶν καὶ κύριον, καὶ συλλειτσυργὸν ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσιον ἀποδοὺς ὑμῖν. Τίς γὰρ ἤλπισέ ποτε ταῦτα ὀφθαλμοῖς ἰδεῖν, ἃ νῦν ὑμεῖς ἔργῳ ἀπολαμβάνετες Ἀληθῶς αἱ προσευχαὶ ὑμῶν εἰσηκούσθησαν παρά τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, τῷ κηδομένῳ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ Ἐκκλησίας καὶ ἐπιδόντι ὑμῶν τὰ δάκρυα καὶ τοὺς ὀδυρμοὺς, καὶ δια τοῦτο τῶν δεήσεων ὑμῶν ἐπακούσαντι. Ἦτε γὰρ ὡς πρόβατα έῤῥιμμένα καὶ έσκυλμένα μή ἔχοντα ποιμέναο διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεσκέψατο ὑμᾶς ὁ ἀληθινὸς ποιμὴν οὐρανόθεν, ὁ τῶν ἰδίων προβάτων κηδόμενος,ἀποδοὺς ὑμῖν ὃν ἐπιθυμεῖτε, Ἰδοῦ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντα ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκκλησιαπικῆς εἰρήνης πράττοντες, καὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ συμπνέοντες ἀλάπῃ, προλαβόντες αὐτὸν ἠσπασάμεθα, καὶ κοινωνήσαντες διʼ αὐτοῦ ὑμῖν, ταύτας τὰς προσρήσεις διαπεμπόμεθα καὶ τὰς εὐχαριστηρίους ὑμῶν εὐχὰς, ίνέἷδῆτε τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς ἀγάπης τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἡνῶσθαι. Ὀφείλετε δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων ο βασιλέων εὔχεσθαι, οἵτινες, καὶ αὐτοὶ γνόντες ’τὸν πόθον ὑμῶν τὸν περὶ αὐτὸν xui τὴν αὐτοῦ καθαρότητα, ἀποκαταστῆσαι αὐτὸν ὑμῖν μετὰ πάσης τιμῆς κατηξίωσαν. Ὑπτίαις οὖν ὑποδεξάμενοι αὐτὸν χερσὶ, xui τὰς ὀφειλομένας περὶ τούτου εὐχαριστηρίους εὐχὰς ἀναπέμψαι τῷ ταῦτα ὑμῖν χαρισαμένῳ Θεῷ σπουδάσατε. ὑπὲρ τοῦ διαπαντὸς ὑμᾶς χαίρειν σὺν Θεῷ καὶ δοξάζειν ἡμῶν τὸν Κύριον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, διʼ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα εἷς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. Τῶν δὲ ὑπογραψάντων τὰ ὀνόματα, εἷ καὶ φθάσας ἐδήλωσα, ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν ἔγραψα· εἶσὶ γὰρ Μάξιμος, Ἀέτιος, Ἀρειος, Θεόδωρος, Γερμανὸς, Σπλουανὸς, Παῦλος, Πατρίκιος, Ἐλπίδιος, Γερμανὸς, Εύσέβιος, Ζηνόβιος, Παῦλος, Μακρῖνος, Πέτρος, Κλαύδιος.

### English translation (Claude)

Sent on my way thus, and passing through Syria, I met the bishops of Palestine; and having held a synod at Jerusalem they received us kindly, themselves sent us on our way in peace, and wrote to the church and the bishops as follows. “The holy synod assembled at Jerusalem to the fellow ministers in Egypt and Libya, and to the presbyters and deacons and … at Alexandria, most longed-for brothers, greeting in the Lord. We are not able to give worthy thanks to the God of all, beloved, for the wonders he has … always done, and has done now with your church, restoring to you your shepherd and lord, our fellow minister Athanasius. For who ever hoped to see with his eyes what you now enjoy in fact? Truly your prayers have been heard by the God of all, who cares for his Church and has looked on your tears and laments, and therefore has heard your petitions. For you were like sheep scattered and harassed, having no shepherd; therefore the true Shepherd from heaven, who cares for his own sheep, has visited you, restoring to you him whom you desire. For see, we too, doing everything for the peace of the Church and breathing together with your love, have been the first to embrace him; and having entered into communion with you through him, we send you these greetings and our prayers of thanksgiving, so that you may know that we are united with him and with you in the bond of love. You ought also to pray for the piety of the most God-loving emperors, who, learning of your longing for him and of his innocence, have deigned to restore him to you with all honor. Receive him, then, with open hands, and be zealous to offer up to God, who has granted you these things, the prayers of thanksgiving owed for this, so that you may always rejoice with God and glorify our Lord in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom be glory to the Father for ever. Amen.” The names of those who signed, though I mentioned them before, I have written now also: they are Maximus, Aetius, Arius, Theodorus, Germanus, Silvanus, Paulus, Patricius, Elpidius, Germanus, Eusebius, Zenobius, Paulus, Macrinus, Petrus, Claudius.

### Scripture references

- Matt 9:36: allusion, high confidence
- John 10:11: echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- The synod of Jerusalem under Maximus (346). “Like sheep scattered and harassed, having no shepherd”: Matt 9:36; the true Shepherd: cf. John 10:11. A few words of the address and of the first sentence are lost (“…”), and Migne’s notes citing Sozomen’s variant readings leaked into the text; the debris is removed by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 57 (PG 25:352a–353a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-57).

## Defence against the Arians 58

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-58
- Source: PG 25:353a–356a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius quotes the recantation of Ursacius and Valens to Julius, with their anathema of Arius, and their letter of peace to himself, and prepares to recount the affair from its beginning.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα βλέποντες Ούρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης, κατέγνωσαν λοιπὸν ἑαυτῶν, καὶ ἀνελθόντες εἷς τὴν Ῥώμην, ἐξωμολογήσαντο καὶ αὐτοὶ μεταγινώσκοντες, συγγνώμην τε ᾐτήσαντο, καὶ ἔγραψαν πρὸς Ἰούλιον τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τῆς· πρεσβυτέρας Ῥώμης καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ταῦτα. Τὰ μέντοι ἀντίγραφα ἀπεστάλη μοι παρά Παυλίνου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Τριβἐρων. ἀπὸ τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ τῆς -πρὸς,Ἰούλιον ἐπιστολῆς περὶ τῆς μετανοίας Ούρσακίου καὶ Οὐάλεντος. Κυρίῳ μακαριωτάτῳ πάπᾳ Ἰουλίῳ Ούρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης. Εʼπειδὴ συνέστηκεν ἡμᾶς πρὸ τούτου πολλά τε καὶ δεινά περὶ ’Δθανασίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου διὰ γραμμάτων ὑποβεβληκέναι, γράμμασί τε τῆς σῆς χρηστότητος μεθοδευθέντες, τοῦ πράγματος χάριν περὶ οὗ ἐδηλώσαμεν, οὐκ ἠδυνήθημεν λόγον ἀποδοῦναι· ὁμολογοῦμεν παρὰ τῇ σῇ χρηστότητι, παρόντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν πάντων τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ὅτι πάντα τά πρὸ τούτου ἐλθόντα εἷς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν περὶ τοῦ όνόματος τοῦ προειρημένου Ἀθανασίου ψευδῆ καὶ πλαστά ἐστι, πάσῃ τε δυνάμει ἀλλότρια αὑτοῦ τυγχάνει· διά τε τοῦτο ἡδέως ἀντιποιούμεθα τῆς κοινωνίας τοῦ προειρημένου Ἀθανασίου, μάλιστα ὅτι ἡ θεοσέβειά σου, κατὰ τὴν ἔμφυτον ἑαυτῆς καλοκάγαθίαν, τῇ πλάνῃ ἡμῶν κατηξίωσε συγγνώμην δοῦναι. Ὁμολογοῦμεν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἂν ποτε ἡμᾶς οἳ Ἀνατολικοὶ θελήσωσιν, ἢ καὶ αὐτὸς Ἀθανάσιος κακοτρόπως περὶ τούτου εἰς κρίσιν καλέσαι, μὴ ἀπέρχεσθαι παρά γνώμην τῆς σῆς διαθέσεως· τὸν δὲ αἱρετικὸν Ἀρειον καὶ τοὺς ὑπερασπίζοντας αὐ·τοῦ τοὺς λόγοντας, (ι Ἠν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος ὁ Υἱός ἐστι, ›› καὶ τοὺς ἀρνουμένους τὸν Χριστὸν Θεὸν εἶναι Θεοῦ Υἱὸν πρὸ αἰώνων, καθὼς καὶ ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ λιβἐλλῳ ἑαυτῶν ἐν τῇ Μεδιολάνῳ ἐπιδεδώκαμεν, καὶ νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ ἀνα. θεματίζομεν. Ταῦτα δὲ τῇ χειρὶ ἑαυτῶν γράψαντες, ὁμολογοῦμεν πάλιν, ὅτι τήν Ἀρειανὴν αʼίρεσιν, καθά ταύτῃ παρὼν ὑπέγραψα· ὁμοίως καὶ Οὐάλης. ΚΥΡΙῼ ΑΔΕΛΦῼ ΔΘΔΝΑΣῙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ Α Οὐρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης ἐπίσκοποι. Ἀφορμήν εὑρόντες διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ συμπρεσβυτέρου ἡμῶν Μουσαίου, ἐρχομένου πρὸς τὴν σήν ἀγάπην, ἆδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ, διʼ αὐτοῦ σε καὶ πάνυ προσαγορεύομεν ἀπὸ τῆς ’Δκυλίης, καῖ εὐχόμεθα ὑγιαίνοντα σε τὰ γράμματα τὰ ἡμέτερα ἀναγνῶναι· δώσεις γὰρ καὶ ἡμῖν θαρρεῖν, ἐὰν καὶ σὺ ἐν τῷ γράφειν τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ἡμῖν ἀποδῷς. Γίνωσκε γὰρ ἡμᾶς εἰρήνην ἔχειν μετᾶ σοῦ, καὶ κοινωνίαν ἔχειν ἐκκλησιαπικήν, καὶ τούτου γνώρισμα ἡ διὰ τούτων τῶν γραμμάτων προσηγορία. Ἡ θεία πρόνοιά σε διαφυ- , Τά ’μὲν οὖν γραφέντα ταῦτα, καὶ αὕτη τῶν ἐπισκόπων ἡ ψῆιρος καὶ κρίσις ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. ’Ότι δὲ οὐ κεχαρισμένα πεποιήκασιν, οὐδὲ ἀναγκαζόμενοι παρά τινος, βούλομαι, συγχωρούντων ὑμῶν, ἄνωθεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς διηγήσασθαι τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἵνα γνῶτε, ὡς οἱ μὲν ἐπίσκοποι ὀρθῶς καί δικαίως βουλόμενοι τοιαῦτα ἔγραψαν· ὁ δὲ Οὐάλης καὶ Οὐρσάκιος κᾶν ὀψέ ποτε τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὡμολόγησαν.

### English translation (Claude)

Seeing this, Ursacius and Valens at last condemned themselves; and going up to Rome they confessed and repented, asked pardon, and wrote to Julius, bishop of elder Rome, and to us as follows. The copies were sent to me by Paulinus, bishop of Trier. Translated from the Latin, the letter to Julius on the repentance of Ursacius and Valens: “Ursacius and Valens to the most blessed lord, Pope Julius. Since it is established that we previously put forward in letters many grave charges against Bishop Athanasius, and, when called to account by the letters of your goodness, were unable to give an account of the matter we had reported, we confess before your goodness, in the presence of all our brothers the presbyters, that everything that previously reached your ears concerning the name of the aforesaid Athanasius is false and fabricated, and wholly foreign to him. For this reason we gladly lay hold of communion with the aforesaid Athanasius, especially since your godliness, according to its inborn goodness, has deigned to pardon our error. We confess also that, if ever the Easterners, or even Athanasius himself, should maliciously wish to summon us to trial on this matter, we will not go without your consent. And the heretic Arius and his defenders, who say, ‘There was once when the Son was not,’ and ‘the Son is from what is not,’ and who deny that Christ is God, Son of God before the ages, we anathematize now and always, as we did also in our former petition presented at Milan. Having written this with our own hand, we confess again that the Arian heresy … I, being present, signed this; and likewise Valens.” “Ursacius and Valens, bishops, to the lord brother Athanasius, bishop. Having found an opportunity through our brother and fellow presbyter Musaeus, who is coming to your charity, beloved brother, we greet you very warmly through him from Aquileia, and pray that you may read our letter in good health. You will give us confidence too if you also make us a return in writing. Know that we are at peace with you and in ecclesiastical communion; and the greeting in this letter is the proof of it. May divine providence keep …” This, then, is what was written, and this is the vote and judgment of the bishops in our favor. But that they did not act to do a favor, nor under compulsion from anyone, I wish, with your leave, to recount the matter from the very beginning, so that you may know that the bishops wrote such things rightly, justly, and of their own will, while Valens and Ursacius, though late, confessed the truth.

### Translation notes

- The letter to Julius (about 347) was written in Latin and is given by Athanasius in Greek translation. “There was once when the Son was not” and “from what is not” are the Arian formulas condemned at Nicaea. Words are lost in the scan after “the Arian heresy” and at the end of the letter to Athanasius (“…”). A line of OCR debris is removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 58 (PG 25:353a–356a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-58).

## Defence against the Arians 59

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-59
- Source: PG 25:356a–360b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius recounts the origin of the Meletian schism, Eusebius’s alliance with the Meletians, Constantine’s threatening letter, and the charge of treason dismissed at Psammathia.

### Greek text

Πέτρος παρʼ ἡμῖν πρό μὲν τοῦ διωγμοῦ γέγονεν ἐπίσκοπος, ἐν δὲ τῷ διωγμῷ καί ἐμαρτύρησεν. Οὗτος Μελίτιον ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου λεγόμενον ἐπίσκοπον, ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ἐλεγχθέντα παρανομίαις καὶ θυσία, ἐν κοινῇ συνόδῳ τῶν ἐπισκόπων καθεῖλεν. Ἀλλὰ Μελίτιος οὐ πρὸς ἑτέραν σύνοδον κατέφυγεν, οὐδὲ ἐσπούδασεν ἀπολογήσασθαι τοῖς μετᾶ ταῦτα. σχίσμα δὲ πεποίηκε. Καὶ ἀντὶ Χριστιανῶν Μελιτιανοὶ μέχρι νῦν οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου μερίδος ὀνομάζονται, εὐθύς τε τοὺς ἐπισκόπους λοιδορεῖνἤρξατο, καὶ πρῶτον αὐτὸν Πέτρον, καὶ τὸν μετʼ αὐτὸν Ἀχιλλᾶν διέβαλε, καὶ μετὰ Ἀχιλλᾶν Ἀλέξανδρον. Τοῦτο δὲ πανούργως ἔπραττε, μαθὼν καὶ παρά τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ, τἶνʼ, ἐπειδὴ διὰ τὴν καθαίρεσιν ᾐσχύνετο, κᾶν ταῖς διαβολαῖς ἀπατῆσαί πως τοὺς ἀκεραίους δυνηθῇ. Ταῦτα δὲ πράττοντος τοῦ Μελιτίου, γέγονε καὶ ἡ Ἀρειανὴ αʼίρεσις · ἀλλʼ ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν ἠ μὶν αʼίρεσις ἀνεθεματίσθη, καὶ οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ ἐξεβλήθησαν, οἱ δὲ Μελιτιανοὶ ὁπωσδήποτε ἐδέχθησαν ' οὐ γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον νῦν τὴν αἰτίαν ὄνομά, ζειν. Οὔπω γὰρ πέντε μῆνες παρῆιιθον, καὶ ὁ μὲν μακαρίτης Ἀλέξανδρος τετελεύτηκεν· οἱ δὲ Μελιτιανοὶ, δέον ἠρεμεῖν καὶ χάριν ἔχειν, ὅτι κᾶν ὅλως ἐδέχθησαν, οἱ δὲ, κατὰ τοὺς κύνας οὐκ ἐπιλαθόμενοι ὧν ἐξήρασαν, πάλιν τὰς Ἐκκλησίας ἐτάραττον. Εὐσέβιος τοίνυν, τοῦτο μαθὼν, καὶ προϊστάμενος τῆς Ἀρειανῆς αἱρέσεως, πέμπει καὶ ὠνεῖται τοὺς Μελιτιανοῦς ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ἐπαγγελίαις· καὶ γίνεται μὲν αὐτῶν κρύφα φίλος, συντάττεται δὲ αὐτοῖς εἰς ὃν ἐβούλετο καιρόν. Τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀρχὴν ποοσέπεμπε προτρέπων δέξασθαί με τοὺς περὶ ’Δρειον, καὶ ἀγράφους μὲν ἠπείλει, γράφων δὲ ἠξίου. Ἐπειδή δὲ ἀντέλεγον, μὴ χρῆναι φάσκων δεχθῆναι τοὺς αἳρεσιν ἐφευρόντας κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἀναθεματισθέντας παρὰ τῆς οἷκουμενικῆς συνόδου, ποιεῖ καὶ βασιλέα μοι γράψαι τὸν μακαρίτην Κωνσταντῖνον, ἀπειλὴν ἔχοντα, εί μή λάβοιμι τοὺς περὶἈρειον, ταῦτά με παθεῖν, ἃ πρότερον καὶ νῦν πέπονθα. Τὸ τοίνυν μέρος τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἐστι τοῦτο, καὶ Παλατῖνοι Συγκλήτιος καὶ Γαυδέντιος ἦσαν οἱ κομίσαντες τὰ γράμματαʼ ουν πρεσβύτεροι ἦσαν, ”Απις καὶ Μακάριος· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς γράφει καταγινώσκων μὲν Ἱσίωνος, κελεύων δὲ ἐμὲ ἀπαντῆσαι πρὸς αὐτόν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν γραφέντα ἐστὶ ταῦτα.......... Ὀ δὲ Εὐσέβιος μαθὼν, πείθει περιμένειν αὐτούς. Καὶ ἐλθόντος μου, κατηγοροῦσι πάλιν Μακαρίου μὶν περὶ ποτηοίου, ἐμὲ δὲ οὐ τήν τυχοῦσαν διαβολὴν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀνωτάτω πασῶν, ὅτι δή, κατὰ βασιλέως γενόμενος, ἔπεμψα γλωσσόκομον χρυσίου Φιλουμένῳ τινί. '0 μὶν οὖν βασιλεὺς καὶ περὶ ταύτης ἐν τῇ Ψαμμαθίᾳἤκουσεν ἡμῶν, αὐτοὶ δὲ συνήθως καταγνωσθέντες ἐρρίφησαν· καὶ γράφει τοῖς λαοῖς, ἐπανερχο μένων ἡμῶν, ταῦτα, ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΜΕΓΙΣΤΟΣ ΣΕΒΔΣΤΟΣ τῷ λαῷ τῷ κατά Ἀλεξάνδρειαν καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας.

### English translation (Claude)

Peter was bishop among us before the persecution, and in the persecution he also suffered martyrdom. He deposed Meletius, who was called a bishop in Egypt and had been convicted of many lawless acts and of sacrificing, in a common synod of the bishops. But Meletius did not appeal to another synod, nor try to make his defense to those who came after; he made a schism, and those of his party are called to this day Meletians instead of Christians. He at once began to revile the bishops: he slandered first Peter himself, then Achillas after him, and after Achillas, Alexander. This he did craftily, having learned it from Absalom, so that, since he was ashamed because of his deposition, he might at least deceive the simple by his slanders. While Meletius was doing this, the Arian heresy also arose. But at the synod of Nicaea the heresy was anathematized and the Arians were expelled, while the Meletians were received on whatever terms (it is not necessary to name the reason now). Five months had not yet passed when Alexander of blessed memory died; and the Meletians, who ought to have kept quiet and been thankful that they had been received at all, like dogs that do not forget what they have vomited, again troubled the churches. Eusebius, then, learning this, and being the leader of the Arian heresy, sends and buys the Meletians with many promises; he becomes their friend in secret, and arranges with them for the occasion he wished. At first he sent urging me to receive Arius and his party; he threatened me in unwritten messages, but in writing he made requests. And when I refused, saying that those who had invented a heresy against the truth and had been anathematized by the ecumenical synod ought not to be received, he caused the emperor too, Constantine of blessed memory, to write to me, with a threat that unless I received Arius and his party I should suffer what I suffered before and have suffered now. This, then, is the part of the letter, and the palatines Syncletius and Gaudentius were those who brought it: … [60] … the presbyters were Apis and Macarius; and the emperor writes condemning Ision and ordering me to come to him. And what was written is this: … But Eusebius, learning of it, persuades them to wait; and when I arrived, they accuse Macarius again about the cup, and me not with an ordinary slander, but the highest of all: that, having turned against the emperor, I had sent a chest of gold to one Philumenus. The emperor heard us on this too at Psammathia, and they, as usual, were condemned and thrown out; and as we were returning, he writes to the people as follows: “Constantine Maximus Augustus to the people of the catholic Church at Alexandria.

### Scripture references

- 2 Sam 15:2: allusion, medium confidence
- Prov 26:11: allusion, high confidence
- 2 Pet 2:22: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Peter of Alexandria (martyred 311) deposed Meletius of Lycopolis. Absalom slandered his father’s judgment to win the people (2 Sam 15:2–6). “Like dogs …”: Prov 26:11; 2 Pet 2:22. Psammathia was a suburb of Nicomedia.
- The numeral of chapter 60 was lost in the scan; it is marked [60] where NPNF² 4 begins the chapter. Much is lost in the scan here: the quoted part of Constantine’s letter, the account of the charge about linen vestments brought by the Meletians Ision, Eudaemon, and Callinicus (only the words “the presbyters were Apis and Macarius”, Athanasius’s presbyters, survive), and the emperor’s letter that followed; the gaps are marked “…”. OCR debris is removed by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 59 (PG 25:356a–360b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-59).

## Defence against the Arians 61

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-61
- Source: PG 25:360b–361a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Constantine opens his letter to the Alexandrian church by lamenting the envy and slander that have broken their concord.

### Greek text

’Δγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ, προσαγορεύω ύμᾶς, ἐπικαλούμενος τὸν Θεὸν τὸν τῆς ἐμῆς βουλήσεως μέ.. γιστον μάρτυρα, καὶ τὸν τοῦ ἡμετέρου νόμου Μονογενῆ δημιουργὸν, ὃς καὶ τῆς ζωῆς προκαθέζεται τῶν ἁπάντων, καὶ τὰς διχονοίας μισεῖ. Πλήν τί ἂν εἴποιμι ; ὅτι καλῶς ὑγιαίνομεν ; Ἀλλʼ ἐξῆν καλλίονος ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς εύρωστίας, εἰ ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀμοιβαδὶς ἠγαπᾶτε, ἀποσεισάμενοι τὰ μίση, διʼ ὧν ταῖς τῶν ἐρεσχελούντων τρικυμίαις τὸν λιμένα τῆς ἀγάπης ἐγκατελίπομεν. Φεῢ τῆς ἀτοπίας ταύτης l Ὅσα καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν συμπτώματα τοῦ συγκεχυμένου φθόνου κινεῖται l Οὕτω πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦ εδεοῦ μετῳκίσθησαν αἱ δυσφημίαι. Ποῦ τοίνυν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡ πίστις ἀνακεχώρηκεν, ὅπου γε εἷς τοσοῦτον τῇ τοῦ σκότους ἀχλύϊ περιβεβλήμεθα οὗ μόνον διὰ τὴν πολύπλοκον πλάνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὰ τῶν ἀχαρίστων ἕλαττώματα, τῶν μὶν τὴν ἄνοῖαν βραβευόντων ἀνεχόμεθα, τῶν δὲ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν διακρουομένων αἰσθανόμενοι παρενθυμούμεθα ; Τί τὸ δείνὸν τοῦτο τῆς ἡμετέρας κακίας; Τοὺς ἐχθροὺς οὐκ ἐλέγχομεν, ἀλλʼ ἑπόμεθα τῷ λῃστηρίῳ, διʼ οὗ ὁδόν τινα ἑαυτῇ, τίνʼ οὕτως εἷʼπω, ἡ τῆς ἀπωλείας ἀπάτη, μηδενὸς ἀντικειμένου, ῥᾳδίως εἰργάσατο Ἀρα οὐδεμία ἐστὶν αἴσθησις, οὐδὲ κατὰ ’χάριν τῆς κοινῆς ἁπάντων φύσεως, εἷʼ γε τῶν τοῖʼ) νόμου προσταγμάτων ἡμελήσαμεν ; Ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις, κατὰ φύσιν ἡ ἀγάπη ἐξευρίσκεται. Τί οὖν, ὅτι ἡμεῖς, καὶ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον πρὸς τῇ εὐφυΐᾳ σχόντες, ἀνεχόμεθα τῆς ὀχλήσεως Ικαὶ τοῦθορύβόῖδ ἐχθρῶν, πυρσοῖς τισιν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐξαπτομένωνς Καὶ οὐχ ὁρῶμεν ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες, οὐδὲ αἰσθανόμεθα, καίτοι ταῖς τοῦ νόμου αἰσθήσεσιν ὄντες πεφραγμένοι. Ὁπόση ἄρα πτόησις τήν ἡμετέραν ζωὴν κατείληφεν, ὅπου γε ἡμῶν αὐτῶν οὕτως ἀμελοῦμεν, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπομιμνήσκοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ; Εἶτα οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφόρητον τὸ κακόν; οὐ πολεμίους ἡγεῖσθαι ώλεις ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ ἐπιπλήσσουσιν ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων ἡμῖν.

### English translation (Claude)

Beloved brothers, I greet you, calling on God, the greatest witness of my intention, and on the Only-begotten, the author of our law, who presides over the life of all and hates dissensions. But what am I to say? That I am in good health? Yet I could enjoy better strength if you loved one another, having shaken off the hatreds through which, because of the storms raised by the quarrelsome, we have abandoned the harbor of love. Alas for this perversity! What mishaps of confused envy are stirred up every day! So have the slanders migrated to the people of God. Where, then, has the faith of justice withdrawn, since we are wrapped in such a mist of darkness that, not only through manifold error but also through the faults of the ungrateful, we tolerate those who reward folly, and, though we perceive those who repel gentleness and truth, we pay no heed? What is this dreadful thing in our wickedness? We do not refute our enemies, but follow the band of robbers through which the deceit of destruction has easily made itself a road, so to speak, with no one opposing. Is there no perception, not even for the sake of the common nature of all, if we have neglected the commands of the law? But someone will say that love is found by nature. Why then do we, who have the law of God besides our good nature, put up with the annoyance and uproar of enemies who are kindled, it seems, as if by firebrands? We do not see, though we have eyes, nor perceive, though we are fenced about with the senses of the law. What terror has seized our life, that we so neglect ourselves, and that while God reminds us? Is not the evil unbearable? Not to regard … as enemies; those men, and they rebuke us from the opposite side.

### Translation notes

- Constantine’s letter to the people of Alexandria (about 332). Its style is highly rhetorical and obscure, and the scan is damaged at the end of this section (“…”); the translation keeps close to the wording, and several sentences are uncertain.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 61 (PG 25:360b–361a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-61).

## Defence against the Arians 62

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-62
- Source: PG 25:361a–361d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Constantine denounces the envy and ambition of Athanasius’s enemies, tells the Alexandrians that he received Athanasius as a man of God, and urges them to concord.

### Greek text

Μεθʼ ὅσης δὲ ἀπονοίας τοῦτο πράττουσιν, ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐννοεῖν ἀξιῶ Οἱ γὰρ μωροὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γλώττης κειμένην ἔχουσι τήν κακίαν. Οὗτοι γοῦν μολυλδίνας τινὰς ὀργάς πέριφέρονται, ὡς ἑαυτοὺς μὲν κατʼ ἀντίδοσιν πλήττειν, ἡμᾶς δὲ πρὸς κέρδος τῆς οἰκείας κολάσεως ἀπάγειν · καὶ ὁ μὲν καλῶς διδάξας πολέμιος κρίνεται· ὁ δὲ τήν φθόνου κακίαν προβεβλημένος, ἐκεῖνος τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ ἡμερότητα οὐ δεόντως καταλαμβάνει, πορθεῖ, καταναλίσκει, καὶ ἑαυτὸν κακοθελεῖ, ἐγκωμίῳ κοσμεῖ καὶ συντίθησιʼ τήν δὲ ἀλήθειαν ἀνατρέπει καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἀπατᾷ, μέχρις οὗ τῷ οἰκείῳ συνειδότι φωλεὸν καὶ κρυπτηρίαν ἐπιζητήσας εὕρῃ. Αὕτη γοῦν αὐτοὺς ἡ σκαιότης ἀθλίους ποιεῖ, ὅταν προπετῶς ἑαυτοὺς ἀναξίους ὄντας ἀποδέχωνται, λέγοντες· Φεῦ τῶν κακῶνί Ἐκεῖνος πρεσβύταρός ἐστι, καὶ ἐκεῖνος παῖς, ἐμοῦ ἅπτεται ἡ τιμὴ, ἐμοὶ ὀφείλεται, ἐκείνου ἀφῃρέθη ° ἐπεὶ αὐτὸς, ἐμαυτῷ ἀφαρπάσας ἅπαντας, ἐπʼ ἐξουσίας ἀπολέσαι πειράσομαι. Λαμπρά τις ἡ τῆς μανίας ἐκβόησις ’ τάγματα καὶ συλλόγους, ἢ, ’ίνʼ οὕτως εἷίπω, ἀρχιερεσίαν τῶν ἀτόπων τούτων συστημάτων ἴδεῖν. Ὦ τῆς ἀτοπίας ἡμῶν,’ίνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνοίας ἐστὶν ἐπίδειξις; Εἶτα οὐκ αἰδοῦνται; Οὐκ αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοὺς ψέγουσιν; Οὐδὲ τάς ψυχὰς δάκνονται, ’ίνα νῦν γοῦν καταντικρὺ τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ τῆς ἐρεσχελίας ἄξιόν τι φρονεῖν δόξωσι; Βία μόνη ἐστὶ τοῦ φθόνου τοῖς ἰδίοις ἐπ ερειδομένη φαρμάκοις. Οὐδὲν ἴσχυσαν οἱ πονηροὶ κατά τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ὑμῶν. Ἐμοὶ πιστεύσατε, ἀδελφοὶ, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἐσπουδάκασιν, ἢ ἵνα, κατατρίψαντες τοὺς ἡμετέρονς χρόνους, μηδεμίαν χώραν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ μεταμελείας ἔχωσιν. Ἐπικουρήσατε τοίνυγ ὑμῖν αὑτοῖς, παρακαλῶξντὸ φίλτρον τὸ ημέτερον ἀγαπήσατε, καὶ παντὶ σθένει διώξατε τοὺς τήν τῆξ ἡμετέρας ὁμονοίας χάριν ἀφανίζειν ἐπιθυμοῦντας, καὶπρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀπιδόντες, ὑμᾶς αὑτοὺς ἀγαπᾶτε Ἐγὼ γὰρ τὸν ὑμέτερον ἐπίσκοπον Ἀθανάσιον ἀσμένως προσηκάμην, οὕτως τε προσεφθεγξάμην, ὡς ἄνθρωπον αὑτὸν Θεοῦ ὄντα πεπεισμένος. Ὑμέτερόν ἐστι ταῦτα συνιέναι, οὑκ ἐμὸν κρίνειν. Τὴν γάρ παρʼ ἐμοῦ πρόσρησιν αὑτὸν Ἀθανάσιον ὑμῖν διακονῆσαι τὸν αίδεσιμώτατον ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην, ἐννοῶν τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῆς ἐπιεικείας αὑτοῦ,ἥτις οὐκ ἀναξίως τῆς εἰρηνικῆς μου πίστεως, εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν τῆς σωτηριώδους γνώμης κατέχεται διαπαντὸς, καὶ ἕξει τὸν προτρέποντα λογισμόν. Ὁ Θεὸς ὑμᾶς διαφυλάξοι, ἀδελφοὶ ἀγαπητοί. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος.

### English translation (Claude)

With what madness they do this I ask you to consider. For fools have their wickedness lying on their tongue. These men carry about leaden passions, so as to strike themselves in return and lead us to profit from their own punishment. He who has taught well is judged an enemy; while he who has put forward the wickedness of envy wrongfully seizes the gentleness of the people, plunders it, consumes it, adorns and composes himself with praise though he wishes evil, overturns the truth, and cheats faith, until he finds a den and hiding place for his own conscience. This perversity makes them wretched, when they rashly accept themselves though they are unworthy, saying: “Alas for these evils! That man is older, and that one a boy; the honor touches me, it is owed to me, it has been taken from him; for I will snatch all to myself and try to destroy him by authority.” A splendid outcry of madness—to see ranks and assemblies, or, so to speak, a high-priesthood of these absurd factions! O our absurdity, so to speak! Is there in the Church of God a display of folly? Are they not then ashamed? Do they not blame themselves? Are they not stung in their souls, so that now at least they may seem to think something worthy, in opposition to deceit and quarrelsomeness? It is only the violence of envy, propped up by its own poisons. The wicked have had no power against your bishop. Believe me, brothers, they have been eager for nothing else than that, having worn out our time, they may have no room for repentance in this life. Help yourselves, then, I beg you; love our affection, and with all your strength drive away those who desire to destroy the grace of our concord; and looking to God, love one another. For I received your bishop Athanasius gladly, and so addressed him, being convinced that he is a man of God. It is yours to understand these things, not mine to judge. I thought it necessary that the most reverend Athanasius himself should convey my greeting to you, considering the care of his gentleness, which, not unworthily of my peaceable faith, holds always to the good of saving purpose, and will have the reasoning that urges it on. May God preserve you, beloved brothers.” This is what Constantine wrote.

### Translation notes

- The letter is obscure in places and translated closely; “fools have their wickedness lying on their tongue” recalls Sir 21:26 but is not a quotation. A Latin word and OCR debris are removed by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 62 (PG 25:361a–361d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-62).

## Defence against the Arians 63

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-63
- Source: PG 25:364a–364c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius tells how the Meletians, with Eusebius’s party, built the charges of the broken chalice and the murder of Arsenius around Ischyras, who later confessed the plot.

### Greek text

Τούτων οὕτως πραχθέντων, πρός ὀλίγον ἠσυχάσαντες οἱ Μελιτιανοὶ, παροξύνονται πάλιν, καὶ ταύτην ὕστερον τίθενται βουλὴν, σπουδάζοντες ἀρέσαι τοῖς μισθωσαμένοις αύτούς. Μαρεώτης χώρα τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐστίν· ἐν ταύτῇ σχίσμα Μελίτιος οὐκἠδυνήθη ποιῆσαι. Τῶν τοίνυν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἐν ὡρισμένοις τόποις οὐσῶν, καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων πάντων ἐν αὐταῖς συναγόντων, τῶν τε λαῶν εἷʼρηνευόντων, Ἰσχύρας τις οὕτω λεγόμενος, ού κληρικὸς, ἀλλά καὶ τὸν τρόπον πονηρὸς, ἐπεχείρει τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἰδία κώμῃ πλανᾷν, λέγων εἷναί τινα ἑαυτὸν κληρικόν. Τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ τῶν τόπων πρεσβύτερος περιερχόμένῳ μοι τὰς Ἐκκλησίας ἀναγγέλλει ο,καὶ ἀποστέλλω σὺν αὐτῷ Μακάριον πρεσβύτερον καλέσαι τὸν Ἰσχύραν. Εύρόντες δὲ αὐτὸν (νοσοῦντα καὶ κατακείμενον ἐν κελλίῳ, ἐντέλλονται τῷ πατρί αὐτοῦ παραγγεῖλαι τῷ υἱῷ μηδέν τι τοιοῦτον ἐπιχειρεῖν. οἷον εἷʼρηται κατʼ αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλʼ ἀναστὰς ἀπὸ τῆς νόσου, καὶ κωλυόμενος ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς, καταφεύγει πρὸς τοὺς Μελιτιανούς· κάκεῖνοι κοινοῦνται τοῖς περὶ Εὐσέβιον, καὶ λοιπὸν συντίθεται παρʼ αὐτῶν ἡ συκοφαντία, ὅτι δὴ ποτήριον μὲν Μακάριος κατέαξεν, ’Δρσένιος δέ τις ἐπίσκοπος ἐφονεύθη παρʼ ἡμῶν, Καὶ τὸν μὲν Ἀρσένιον κρύπτουσιν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ, μή φαινόμενον αὐτὸν, ὡς ἀναιρεθέντα νομίζεσθαι· καὶ χεῖρα, φησὶν, ὡς συγκοπέντος αὐτοῦ, περιέφερον. Τὸν δὲ Ἰσχύραν, ὃν οὐκ ᾔδεισαν, ἄρχονται θρυλλεῖν ὡς πρεσβύτερον, ’ίνα καὶ περὶ ποτηρίου λέγων πλάνᾷν δύνηται. Ὃ μὲν οὖν Ἰσχύρας, μεμφομένων αὐτὸν τῶν ἰδίων, ἦλθε πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀποδυρόμενος, καὶ λέγων μηδὲν μὲν γεγενῆσθαι παρά Μακαρίου, οἷον ἐθρύλλήσαν, ὑποβεβλῆσθαι δὲ ἑαυτὸν παρά τῶν Μελιτιανῶν πλάσασθαι τοιαύτην λοιδορίαν. Καὶ γράφει ταῦτα · ΜΔΚΑΡΙῼ ΠΔΠᾼ ΔΘΔΝΑΣΙῼ Ἰσχύρας ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν.

### English translation (Claude)

After these things had been done, the Meletians kept quiet for a little while, but are provoked again, and afterwards adopt this plan, eager to please those who had hired them. The Mareotis is a country district of Alexandria; in it Meletius was never able to make a schism. While, then, the churches were in their appointed places, and all the presbyters held services in them, and the people were at peace, one Ischyras, so called, who was not a cleric and was wicked in character besides, attempted to lead astray those in his own village, saying that he was a cleric. Learning this, the presbyter of the place reports it to me while I was going round the churches, and I send Macarius the presbyter with him to summon Ischyras. Finding him sick and lying in a cell, they charge his father to instruct his son not to attempt any such thing as had been reported of him. But when he rose from his sickness, being restrained by his own family and his father, he flees to the Meletians; and they communicate with Eusebius and his party, and so the false accusation is put together by them: that Macarius broke a cup, and that a certain bishop Arsenius had been murdered by us. And they hide Arsenius, so that by not appearing he might be thought to have been killed; and they carried about a hand, so it is said, as though he had been hacked to pieces. And Ischyras, whom they did not even know, they begin to talk up as a presbyter, so that in speaking about the cup he might be able to deceive. But Ischyras, being blamed by his own people, came to us lamenting and saying that nothing such as they had spread abroad had been done by Macarius, but that he had been prompted by the Meletians to invent such an abuse. And he writes this: “To the blessed Pope Athanasius, Ischyras, greeting in the Lord.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 63 (PG 25:364a–364c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-63).

## Defence against the Arians 64

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-64
- Source: PG 25:364c–368a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Ischyras’s written confession to Athanasius that the charges of the broken chalice and the overturned table were false and extorted from him by violence.

### Greek text

Ἐπειδὴ προσῆλθόν σοι, κύριε ἐπίσκοπε, βουλόμενος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἶναι, ᾐτιάσω δέ με, ἐφʼ οἷς πρότερον ἐφθεγξάμην, ὡς ἐμοῦ ἀπὸ προαιρέσεως εἷς τοῦτο παρελθόντος, τούτου ἕνεκεν ταύτην τὴν ἀπολογίαν ἐγγράφως σοι ἐπιδίδωμι, ’ἶνʼ εἰδέναι ἔχοις, ὅτι, βίας μοι γενομένης, καὶ πληγῶν ἐπιτεθεισῶν ἀπὸ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἡρακλείδου, καὶ Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ τῆς Λητοῦς, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν σὺν αὐτοῖς. Ἐγὼ δὲ, μάρτυρα τὸν Θεὸν εἰς τοῦτο λαμβάνων, ἀπολογοῦμαι, ὅτι οὐδὲν ὧν ἐκεῖνοι εἰρήκασι, σύνοιδά σε πεποιηκέναι. Οἰίτε γὰρ ποτηρίου κλάσις γέγονεν, οὕτε τῆς ἀγίας τραπέζης καταστροφή γεγένηται· ἀλλᾶ ταῦτα πάντα ἐκεῖνοι βίαν ἐπιθέντες μοι, εἷς τοῦτο παρώρμησάν με. Ταῦτα δὲ ἀπελογησάμην σοι, καὶ ἐγγράφως ἐπιδέδωκα, αἱρούμενος καὶ ἐπιδικαζόμενος εἶναι τῶν ἐπὶ σε συναγομένων. Ἐῤῥῶσθαί σε εὔχομαι ἐν Κυρίῳ. Ἐπιδέδωκα δὲ τήδε μου τὴν χεῖρά σοι τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ Ἀθα- ΚΥΡΙῼ ἈΓΑΠΗΤῼ υἱῷ καὶ … συλλειτουργῷ Ἀθανασίῳ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπίσκοπος ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν.

### English translation (Claude)

Since I came to you, my lord bishop, wishing to belong to the Church, and you blamed me for what I said before, as though I had entered into it of my own will, I therefore present this defense to you in writing, so that you may know that violence was done to me and blows were laid on me by Isaac and Heraclides, and Isaac of Letopolis, and by those with them. And I, taking God as witness to this, declare in my defense that I know of none of the things they have said to have been done by you. For neither was there any breaking of a cup, nor was the holy table overturned; but they drove me to all this by laying violence on me. This defense I have made to you and presented in writing, choosing and claiming to be one of those who assemble under you. I pray for your health in the Lord. I have presented this, my own hand, to you the bishop Atha[nasius] …” … “To my lord, beloved son and … fellow minister Athanasius, Alexander, bishop, greeting in the Lord.

### Translation notes

- Isaac of Letopolis and Heraclides of Niciu were Meletian bishops (see the list in ch. 71). The end of Ischyras’s letter (with the names of the witnesses), the whole of ch. 65 (which recounts how Ischyras’s confession was afterwards ignored), and the beginning of ch. 66 are lost in the scan (“…”). The section ends with the heading of the letter of Alexander of Thessalonica, garbled in the scan and partly reassembled by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 64 (PG 25:364c–368a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-64).

## Defence against the Arians 66

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-66
- Source: PG 25:368a–368b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Alexander of Thessalonica writes to Athanasius rejoicing that the accuser Archaph was disgraced when the supposedly murdered Arsenius was found alive.

### Greek text

Συγχαίρω τῷ βελτίστῳ Σαραπίωνι, οὑτως εροῖς ἑαυτὸν ἤθεσι κοσμεῖν ἀγωνιζομένῳ, καὶ τήν τε τοῦ πατρὸς μνήμην ὲγκωμιαστικώτερον inadfiovn. Ἐτελεύτησε γὰρ, ὥς που ἡ ἱερά φησι Γραφὴ, 6 πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὡς ούκ ἀπέθανε ιατέλιπε γὰρ τῷ βίῳ μνημόσυνον. Ὅπως μὲν οὖν( διεκείμεθα περὶ τὸν μνήμης ἄξιον Σώζοντα, οὐδ ιῦτὸς ἀγνοεῖς, δέσποτα, τήν περὶ ἐκεῖνον ἱερὰν μνήμην καὶ τὴν προσοῦσαν τῷ νεωτὲρῳ ἐπιείκειαν. Μίαν μόνην τήν διὰ τοῦ νεωτέρου τούτου ἐδεξάμην παρά τῆς σεμνότητός σου ἐπιστολήν. Ἐδήλωσα οὖν σοι αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ἵνα είδέναι ἔχοις, δέσποτα. Ὀ ἀγαπητὸς ἡμῶν καί συνδιάκονος Μακάριος εὔφρανὲ με ἀπὸ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου πόλεως γράψας, ὅπως ’Δρχᾶφ 6 συκοφάντης ἠσχημόνησε, τὸν ζῶντα ὡς φονευθέντα παρὰ πᾶσι κηρύξας. Ὅτι γὰρ τήν ἐπὶ τοῖς τολμηθεῖσιν αύτῷ ἀξίαν εἴσπραξιν κομιεῖται παρά τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ μετὰ τοῦ ὁμοτρόπου στίφους, αἱ ἀψευδεῖς ἀναφωνοῦσι Γραφαί. Ὀ τῶν ὅλων διατηροίη σε ἐπὶ μήκιστον δεσπότης, κύριε πάντων χάριν χρηστότατε.

### English translation (Claude)

I congratulate the excellent Sarapion, who strives so hard to adorn himself with holy ways and to honor the memory of his father with praise. For, as the holy Scripture says somewhere, his father died and is as though he had not died; for he left behind a memorial in his life. How I was disposed toward Sozon, worthy of remembrance, you yourself, my lord, are not unaware, knowing my holy memory of him and the good character of the young man. I have received only one letter from your reverence, the one brought by this young man; I tell you this so that you may know it, my lord. Our beloved fellow minister Macarius delighted me by writing from Constantinople how Archaph the false accuser was disgraced, having proclaimed before all a living man as murdered. That he will receive due retribution for what he dared from the just Judge, together with his like-minded crew, the truthful Scriptures proclaim. May the Lord of all preserve you for a very long time, my lord, most kind in every respect.”

### Extrabiblical texts

- Sir 30:4 (Sirach): allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The letter of Alexander, bishop of Thessalonica (about 334). “His father died and is as though he had not died”: Sir 30:4. Archaph is John Arcaph, the Meletian leader. “Fellow minister” renders συνδιάκονος.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 66 (PG 25:368a–368b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-66).

## Defence against the Arians 67

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-67
- Source: PG 25:368c–369a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius quotes the letter of the Meletian presbyter Pinnes admitting to John Arcaph that Arsenius had been hidden in their monastery and found alive.

### Greek text

Ὀτι δὶ ἐκρύπτετο ’Δρσὲνιος, διὰ τοῦτο, ’ίνα θάνατον οὗτοι πλάσωνται, τοῦτο μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ διατρίψαντες ζητοῦντες γὰρ αὐτὸν. εὕρομεν τοῦτον, και ἔγραψε πρὸς Ἰωάννην τὸν ὑποκρινόμενον τὴν τοιαύτην συκοφαντίαν, ταῦταʼ (ζ Πίννης πρεσβύτερος μονῆς.. Πτεμεγκύρκεως τῆς Ἀντεοπολίτουʼνομοῦ χαίρειν. Γινώσαειν σε θὲλω, ὅτι ἀπέστειλεν Ἀθανάσιος εἷς τὴν Θηβαΐδα διάκονον ἑαυτοῦ, ἐρευνῆσαι πάντα ἓνεκεν Ἀρσενίου. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν, εὖρεθέντες Πεκύσιος πρεσβύτερος, καὶ Σιλβανὸς, 6 ἀδελφὸς Ἠλία, καὶ Ταπενακεραμεὺς, καὶ Παῦλος, μοναχὸς ἀπὸ Ὑψηλῆς, ὡμολόγησαν, δτι παρʼ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ’Δρσένιος- ἡμεῖς δὲ, μαθόντες, πεποιήκαμεν αὐτὸν ἐμβληθῆναι εἰς πλοῖον, καὶ πλεῦσαι εἷς τὰ κάνω μέρη μετὰ Ἠλία μοναχοῦ. Καὶ ἐξαίφηνης μετά ταῦτα πάλιν ἀνελθὼν 6 διάκονος μετά τινων, ἐπιστὰς ἐν τῇ μονῇ ἡμῶν ἓνεκεν τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἀρσενίου, αὑτὸν μὲν οὐχ εὸρηκαν, διὰ τὸ ἀπεσταλκέναι ἡμᾶς αὐτόν, ὡς προείπομεν, ἐν τοῖς κάτω μὲρεσινο ἐμὲ 0‘s μετὰ τοῦ μοναχοῦ τοῦ αὐτὸν παραλαβόντος ’Πλία κατήνεγκαν είς τήν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, καὶ προσήνεγκαν μὲν τῷ Δουκὶ, καὶ οὐδὲ ἷʼσχυσα ἀρνήσασθαι, ἀλλʼ ὡμολόγησα, δτι ζῇ καί οὐκ ἀνῃρέθη· τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ καὶ 6 παραλαβὼν αὑτὸν μοναχὸς ὡμολόγησε. Διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτά σοι γνωρίζω, Πάτερ, ’ίνα μή δόξῃ σοι κατηγορῆσαι Ἀθοινοισίου εἶπον γὰρ ὅτι ζῇ, καὶ παρʼ ἡμῖν ἧν κρυπτόμενος· καὶ ἐγνωρίσθη πάντα ταῦτα ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ ούκέτι δύναται κρυβῆναι τοῦτο. Παφνούτιος μοναχὸς τῆς αὐτῆς μονῆς ὁ γράψας τήν ἐπιστολὴν πολλά σε ἀσπάζομαι, ἐῤῥῶσθαί σε εὔχομαι. ’Ἀ δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς ἔγραψε, μαθὼν, ὅτι εὑρέθη Ἀρσένιος ζῶν, ἔστι ταῦτα · ΝΙΚΗΤΗΣ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ Μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς τῷ πάπᾳ Ἀθανασίῳ.

### English translation (Claude)

That Arsenius was hidden in order that these men might invent his death is testified by those who lived with him. For when we searched for him we found him; and one of them wrote to John, who was playing the part in this false accusation, as follows: “Pinnes, presbyter of the monastery of Ptemencyrcis in the Antaeopolite nome, greeting. I want you to know that Athanasius sent his deacon into the Thebaid to search out everything concerning Arsenius. First Pecysius the presbyter, Silvanus the brother of Helias, Tapenacerameus, and Paul, a monk from Hypsele, were found and confessed that Arsenius is with us. When we learned this, we had him put into a boat and sail to the lower parts with Helias the monk. Then suddenly, after this, the deacon came up again with some others and came to our monastery on account of the same Arsenius; they did not find him, because, as we said, we had sent him to the lower parts; but they brought me down to Alexandria with the monk Helias who had taken him away, and presented us to the duke; and I could not deny it, but confessed that he lives and was not killed; and the monk who had taken him away confessed the same. Therefore I make these things known to you, Father, so that you may not decide to accuse Athanasius; for I said that he lives and was hidden with us; and all this has become known in Egypt and can no longer be hidden. I, Paphnutius, monk of the same monastery, who wrote the letter, greet you warmly. I pray for your health.” And what the emperor too wrote, on learning that Arsenius had been found alive, is this: “Constantine Victor Maximus Augustus to Pope Athanasius.

### Translation notes

- “Tapenacerameus” may be a name with an occupation (“Tapena the potter”); it is uncertain. Hypsele was Arsenius’s see. The address “to John” is not in the printed letter but is given in the introduction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 67 (PG 25:368c–369a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-67).

## Defence against the Arians 68

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-68
- Source: PG 25:369a–372a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Constantine’s letter to Athanasius condemns the Meletians, whose charges of murder were refuted by the living men themselves and whose charge about the chalice kept shifting.

### Greek text

Τοῖς παρὰ τῆς σῆς συνέσεως ἐντυχὼν γράμμασι, ταύτης γνώμης αὐτὸς ἐγενόμην, ὡς ἀντιγράφων τῇ στερρότητι, προτρέψασθαί σε, ὅπως πρὸς εὐταξίαν καὶ οἶκτον τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λαὸν ἄγειν σπουδάσῃς. Ταῦτα γὰρ μάλιστα προηγούμενα ἐν ἶῗέ ἐμαυτοῦ ψυχῇ κατέχω, ὡς ἀλήθειάν τε ἀσκεῖν, καὶ ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ δικαιοσύνην ἀεὶ φυλάττειν, καὶ τούτοις μάλιστα χαίρειν, τοῖς ὀρθὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ βίου πορευομένοις. Περὶ δὲ ἐκείνων τῶν πάσης ἀρᾶς ἀξίων, τῶν Μελιτιανῶν δηλαδή τῶν σκαιοτάτων καὶ ἀθεμίτων, οτίτινες τῇ ἐμπληξίᾳ λοιπὸν ἀπονεναρκήκασι, καὶ μόνον φθόνῳ καὶ ζάλῃ καὶ θορύβοις τά ἄτοπα κινοῦσι, τήν ἀθέμιτον αὐτῶν διάνοιαν ἐπιδεικνύντες, ταῦτα φθέγξομαι· Ὁρᾷς γὰρ ὅπως οἱ ἄνδρες οὓς ἐκεῖνοι ξίφει ἀνῃρῆσθαι ἔφασκον, ἐν μέσοις νῦν εἰσι, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἀπολαύουσι. Πρὸς δή ταῦτα τί ἂν γένοιτο πρόκριμα χεῖρον, οὕτω φανερῶς καὶ σαφῶς ἐπιφερόμενον τῇ ἐκείνων δίκῃ, ἢ τὸ τούτους, οὓς ἀνῃρῆσθαι ἔλεγον, ζῇν τε καὶ τοῦ βίου ἀπολαύειν, οἵτινες δηλονότι καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν φθέγξασθαι δυνήσονται; Προσέκειτο δὲ τοῖς παρὰ τῶν Μελιτιανῶν ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦτο· διεβεβαιοῦντο γὰρ ἇθεμῖτῳ ὁρμῇ ἐπεισελθρντα σε καὶ ἁρπάσαντα ποιήριον ἐν τῷ ἁγιωτάτῳʼἀποκείμενον τόπῳ κεκλακέναι, οὗ πράγματος ἀληθῶς οὐδὲν μεῖζον ἦν ἔγκλημα, οὔτε τηλικοῦτον ἀτόπη μα, εί τοῦτο οὕτως πεπρᾶχθαί τε καὶ ἡμαρτῆσθαι συνέβαινεν. Ἀλλὰ γάρ τίς ἡ κατηγορία αὕτη ; Τίς δὲ ἡ μετάβασις καὶ ποικιλία καὶ διαφορὰ τοῦ πράγματος, ὡς νῦν εἰς ἕτερον πρόσωπον τὴν κατηγορίαν τοῦ ἐγκλήματος τούτου -μετάγειν ; Ὅπερ δηλονότι πρᾶγμα αὐτοῦ τοῦ φωτὸς, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐστὶ τηλαυγέστερον, ὅτι τῇ συνέσει ἐπιβουλεῦσαι ἐσπούδαζον. Μετὰ δὴ ταῦτα τίς ἂν ἐκείνοις τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῖς τοσαῦτα εἰς βλάβην ἀναπλασαμένοις ἀκολουθῆσαι ἐθελήσειεν ;ὅταν μάλιστα αὑτοὶ ἑαυτοὺς εἷς ὄλεθρον ἄγουσι, καὶ συνορῶσιν, ὅτι πεπλασμένων καὶ ψευδῶν πραγμάτων εἰσὶ κατ· ήγοροι ; Ὡς ἔφην τοίνυν, τίς ἂν ἐκείνοις ἐξακολουθήσειε, καὶ εἷς τήν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀπωλείας πρηνὴς ἀπέλθοι ἓ Εἷς ἐκείνην δηβαδὴ, εἷς ἣν ἐκεῖνοι μόνοι τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας καὶ τῆς ἐπικουρίας ἔχειν οἷονται. Εἰ γὰρ βούλοιντο ἐπὶ καθαρὰν ἐλθεῖν συνείδησιν, καὶ ὑπομνησθῆναι τῆς ἀρίστης γνώμης, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ὑγιαίνουσαν ἐλθεῖν διάνοιαν· ῥᾳδίως γνώσονται οὑδεμίαν αὑτοῖς ὑπάρχειν ἐπικουρίαν παρὰ τῆς Προνοίας, ἐπειδήπερ τοιούτων εἰσὶ ζηλωταί καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ οἷʼκείῳ ὀλέθρῳ πειράζονται. Ταύτην δὴ οῦν οὗ τρα χύτητά τινα, ἀλλά ἀλήθειαν δικαίως ἂν εἷʼποιμι. Τὸ τελευταῖον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο προστίθημι, ὅτι περ βουλόμεθα δημοσίᾳ παρὰ τῆς σῆς συνέσεως πολλάκις ἀναγνωσθῆναι ταῦτα, ὡς ἃν ἐντεῦθεν εἷς τήν ἁπάντων γνῶσιν ἔλθοι, καὶ μάλιστα είς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀφικέσθαι δυνηθείη, οἵτινες οὕτω πράττουσιν, οὕτως ἀναστρέφουσιν, ὡς ταῦτα ἅπερ παρʼ ἡμῶν εὑθείας λεγεται λόγῳ, τῇ τῆς ἀληθείας εἰρῆσθαι πράξει. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ πράγματι τηλικοῦτόν ἐστιν ἀτόπημα, γινωσκέτωσαν οὕτω με κεκρίκέναι,

### English translation (Claude)

Having read the letter of your prudence, I was minded, in writing back to your firmness, to urge you to strive to lead the people of God to good order and compassion. For these things above all I hold foremost in my own soul: to practice truth, always to keep justice in my mind, and to rejoice most in those who walk the right road of life. But concerning those men deserving every curse—the Meletians, I mean, most perverse and lawless—who have by now become numb in their stupidity, and stir up absurdities only by envy, turmoil, and uproar, displaying their lawless mind, I will say this. You see how the men whom they said had been killed by the sword are now in our midst and enjoy life. What prejudgment could be worse against their case, so plainly and clearly brought, than that those whom they said had been killed are alive and enjoy life, and will of course be able to speak for themselves? To the charges of those Meletians this too was added: they affirmed that you burst in with lawless violence, seized a cup lying in the most holy place, and broke it. Truly no charge could be greater than this, nor any outrage so grave, if this had in fact been done and sinned in this way. But what accusation is this? What shifting, variation, and inconsistency is there in the matter, that they now transfer the charge of this crime to another person? This shows, clearer than light itself, so to speak, that they were eager to plot against your prudence. After this, who would wish to follow those men who have invented so many things to do harm, especially when they lead themselves to destruction and perceive that they are accusers in fabricated and false matters? As I said, then, who would follow them and go headlong into the road of destruction—that road in which they alone think they have the hope of salvation and help? For if they would come to a pure conscience, remember the best judgment, and come to a sound mind, they will easily recognize that there is no help for them from Providence, since they are zealots for such things and are tempted to their own destruction. This I would justly call not harshness but truth. Finally I add this too, that we wish this to be read publicly and often by your prudence, so that from there it may come to the knowledge of all, and especially reach those who act thus and so conduct themselves; for what is said by us with a straight word is spoken with the deed of truth. Since, then, there is so great an outrage in this matter, let them know that I have so judged …

### Translation notes

- The end of the letter is lost in the scan (“…”).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 68 (PG 25:369a–372a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-68).

## Defence against the Arians 69

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-69
- Source: PG 25:372b–373a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Arsenius, the bishop supposedly murdered by Athanasius, writes to him submitting to the catholic Church and breaking communion with the Meletian schismatics.

### Greek text

Ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ καὶ πλέον δειχθῆναι τὴν ἶπονηρίαν τῶν συκοφαντῶν, ἰδοὺ καὶ ἔγραψεν Ἀρσένιος μετά τὸ εὑρεθῆναι κρυπούμενον αὐτόν. Ὧς γὰρ Ἰσχύρας ἔγραψεν ὁμολογῶν τήν συκοφαντίαν, οὕτως Ἀρσένιος γράφων ἐλέγχει πλέον ἐκείνων τὴν κακοήθειαν. ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΩ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΩ ΠΑΠᾼ ’Δρσένιος ἐπίσκοποςᾼᾷ τῶν,ποτε ὑπὸ _ Μελίτιον τῆς,Υψηλιτῶν ’πόλεως ἅμα- πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοιςήέν Κυρίῳ πλεῖστα χαίρειν. Καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀσπαζόμενοι τήν εἰρήνην καὶ ἕνωσιν πρὸς τήν καθολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἧς σὺ κατά χάριν Θεοῦ ποοίστασαι, προῃρημένοι τε τῷ ἐκκλησιαστικῷ κανόνι κατά τὸν παλαιὸν τύπον ὑποτάσσεσθαι, γράφομεν σοι, ἀγαπητὲ πάπα, ὁμολογοῦντες έν ὀνόματι Κυρίου τοῦ λοιποῦ μὴ κοινωνήσειν τοῖς ἔτι σχίζουσι, καὶ μηδέπω εἰρηνεύουσι πρὸς τὴν καθολικήν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐπισκόποις τε καὶ πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις, μήτε συνθέσθαι αὐτοῖς βουλομένοις τι έν συνόδῳ, μήτε γράμματα εἰρηνικά ἀποστέλλειν, μήτε δέξασθαι παρʼ αὐτῶν, μηδʼ αὖ δίχα γνώμης σου τοῦ τῆς μητροπόλεως ἐπισκόπου ὅρον τινὰ ἐκφέρειν περὶ ἐπισκόπων. ἢ περὶ δόγματος ἑτέρου κοινοῦ έκά κλησιαστικοῦο ἀλλʼ εἴκειν πᾶσι τοῖς προτετυπωμένοις κανόσι καθʼ ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἐπισκόπων Ἀμμωνιανοῦ, καὶ Τυράννου, καὶ Πλουσιανοῦ, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπισκόπων. Πρὸς τοῦτα οῦν ἀξιοῦμεν τήν σὴν χρηστότητα ἀντιγράψαι μὲν ἡμῖν διὰ τάχους, ὡσαύτως τε καὶ τοῖς συλλειτουργοῖς περὶ ὑμῶν, ὅτι εἷἠμεν ἤδη ἐπὶ τοῖς προειρημένοις ὅροις, εἰρηνεύσαντες πρὸς τήν καθολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ὲνωθέντες τοῖς συλλειτουργοῖς ἐπὶ τῶν τόπων πιστεύομεν δὲ, ὡς εὐχαί σου ἐνεργήσουσιν εύπρόσδεκτοι οὖσαι, ὥστε τήν τοιαύτην εἰρήνην βεβαίαν καὶ ἀδιάλυτον εἶναι μέχρι τέλους, κατά τὸ βούλημα τοῦ δεσπότου τῶν ἁπάντων Θεοῦ, διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν. Τὸ ὑπὸ σε ἱερατεῖον ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ σὺν ἡμῖν προσαγορεύομεν. Ὅσον δέ οὐδέπω, Θεοῦ ἐπιτρέποντος, ἀπαντήσομεν πρὸς τὴν σήν χρηστότητα. Ἀρσένιος ἐρξὧσθαί σε εὔχομαι ἐν Κυρίῳ πολλοῖς χρόνοις, μακαριώτατε πάπα.

### English translation (Claude)

To show still more the wickedness of the false accusers, see, Arsenius too wrote after he was found in hiding. For as Ischyras wrote confessing the false accusation, so Arsenius by writing convicts their malice still more. “To the blessed Pope Athanasius, Arsenius, bishop of those formerly under Meletius in the city of the Hypselites, together with presbyters and deacons, abundant greeting in the Lord. We too, embracing peace and union with the catholic Church, over which you preside by the grace of God, and choosing to submit to the ecclesiastical canon according to the ancient form, write to you, beloved pope, confessing in the name of the Lord that from now on we will not communicate with those 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 to do anything in a synod; nor send them letters of peace nor receive such from them; nor, without the consent of you, the bishop of the metropolis, issue any decree about bishops or about any other common ecclesiastical teaching; but yield to all the canons previously laid down, after the example of the bishops Ammonianus, Tyrannus, Plusianus, and the other bishops. We therefore ask your goodness to write back to us quickly, and likewise to our fellow ministers about us, that we are now, on the aforesaid terms, at peace with the catholic Church and united with the fellow ministers in the various places. And we trust that your prayers, being acceptable, will be effective, so that such peace may be firm and indissoluble to the end, according to the will of God the Lord of all, through Jesus Christ our Lord. We and those with us greet the clergy under you. As soon as God permits, we will come to your goodness. I, Arsenius, pray for your health in the Lord for many years, most blessed pope.”

### Translation notes

- Arsenius was the Meletian bishop of Hypsele; his letter dates from about 332–334. Migne’s notes on variant readings, which leaked into the text, are removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 69 (PG 25:372b–373a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/52/#p-69).

## Defence against the Arians 70

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-70
- Source: PG 25:373a–377a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius quotes Constantine’s letter welcoming John Arcaph’s reconciliation, then tells how Eusebius’s party revived the Meletian charges at Tyre, and gives Meletius’s own list of his clergy, which shows that Ischyras was never a presbyter.

### Greek text

Μείζων δὲ καὶ φανερώτερος ἔλεγχος τῆς καθʼ ἡμῶν συκοφαντίας ἡ μετάνοια Ἰωάννου· καὶ τούτου μάρτυς ὁ θεοφιλέστατος καὶ μακαρίας μνήμης βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος· εὶδὼς γάρ ἅπερ Ἰωάννης κατʼ αὐτοῦ κατηγόρησε, καὶ διξάμενος γράμματα μεταγινώσκοντος αὑτοῦ, ἔγραψε ταῦταʼ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΜΕΓΙΣΤΟΣ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ Ἰωάννῃ. Πάνυ μοι καταθύμια γέγονε τὰ παρὰ τῆς σῆς φρονήσεως γράμματα· ἔγνων γάρ ἐξ αὑτῶν ἃ μάλιστα γνῶναι ἐπόθουν, πάσαν μὲν μικροψυχίαν ἀποτεθεῖσθαί σε, τῇ δὲ Ἐκκλησία, ὡς προσῆκον ἦν, κεκοινωνηκέναι, καὶ Ἀθανασιῳ τῷ αἰδεσιμωτάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα εἷς ὁμόνοιαν ἐλθεῖν. Εὖ ἴσθι τοίνυν» ὠς ἕνεκά γε τούτων πάνυ σε ἐπαινέσας ἔχω, ὅτι πᾶσαν ἀφεὶς ἁψιμαχίαν, ὃ τῷ Θεῷ φίλον ἦν πεποίηκας, τῆς πρὸς τήν Ἐκκλησίαν ένώσεως ἀντιλαμβανόμενος. Ἵνα τοίνυν καὶ ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖς τετυχηκέναι δοκοίης, ἐπιτρέψαι σοι δεῖν ᾠήθην ὀχήματος ἐπιβῆναι δημοσίου. καὶ είς τὸ στρατόπεδον τῆς ἐμῆς ἡμερότητος σπουδάσαι. Σὸν λοιπὸν ἔστω μηδὲν μελλῆσαι, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς σοι ταύτης ὀχήματος δημοσίου ἐξουσίαν χορηγούσης, εὐθέως πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφικέσθαι, ’ίνα καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμπλήσῃς τὴν σαυτοῦ, καὶ θεασάμενος ἡμᾶς, τῆς προσηκούσης ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ. Οὕτω μεν ουν τελος εσχεν ἡ συσκευη, και οἱ Μελιτιανοὶ καταισχυνθέντες ἀπεστράφησαν · οἱ δὲ περὶ Εὐσέβιον οὐδʼ οὕτως ἠρέμησαν· εμεκλε γαρ αυτοῖς ού τῶν Μελιτιανῶν, ἀλλὰ τῶν περὶ Ἄρειον, καὶ ἐφοβοῦντο μὴ, παυσαμένων ἐκείνων, μηκέτι τοὺς ὑποκρινομένους εὕρωσι, διʼ ὧν τοῦτο εἰσαγαγεῖν δύνωνται. Παροδύνουσι τοίνυν πάλιν τοὺς Μελιτιανους, καὶ πείθουσι τὸν βασιλέα σύνοδον αὖθις ἐν Τύρῳ κελεῦσαι γενέσθαι. Καὶ κόμης Διονύσιος ἀποστέλλεται, καὶ στρατιῶται δορυφόροι δίδονται τοῖς περὶ Εὐσέβιον. Καὶὸ μὲν Μακάριος δέσμιος διά στρατιωτῶν πέμπεται είς Τύρον ἐμοὶ δὲ γράφει καὶ ἀνάγκην ἐπιτίθησιν · ὥστε καὶ ἄκοντας ἡμᾶς ἀποστέλλεσθαι. Τήν μὲν οὖν πᾶσαν συσκευὴν γνῶναι δυνατὸν, ἐξ ὧν ἔγραψαν οἱ ἐπίσκοποι τῆς Αίγόπτου. Πῶς δὲ παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς συνετέθη, ἀναγκαῖον ἂν εἴη λέγεινʼ καὶ γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν θεωρεῖν τήν κακοήθειαν καὶ τήν πανουργίαν τήν καθʼ ἡμῶν γενομένην ἔξεστιν. Ἐπίσκοποί εἰσιν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ Λιβύῃ, καὶ Πενταπόλει ἐγγὺς ἑκατόν· οὐδεὶς τούτων ἡμας ᾐτιᾶτο. οὐ πρεσβύτερος ἐμέμφετο, ού τῶν λαῶν τις . κατελάλειʼ ἀλλʼ οἱ Μελιτιανοὶ οἱ ἀπὸ Πέτρου ἐκβληθέντες καὶ οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ ἦσαν οἱ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν μερισάμενοι· καὶ οὶ μὲν τὸ κατηγορεῖν, οἱ δὲ τὸ δικάζειν ἑαυτοῖς ἐξεδίκουν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν παρῃτούμεθα τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον ὡς ἐχθροὺς διὰ τὴν αʼίρεσιν ὄντας· ἔπειτα τὸν λεγόμενον κατήγορον μὴ εἶναι πρεσβύτερον ὅλως ἐδείκνυμεν οὕτως. Ὅτε Μελίτιος ὑπεδέχθη, ὡς μήποτʼ ὤφελον, γινώσκων αὐτοῦ τὴν πανουργίαν ὁ μακαρίτης Ἀλέξανδρος, ἀπῄτησεν αὗτὸν βρεβίον ὧν ἔλεγεν ἔχειν ἐπισκόπων ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ Αʼλεξανδρείᾳ πρεσβυτέρων καὶ διακόνων, καὶ εἰ ἔχει τινὰς ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ. αὐτῆς. Τοῦτο δὲ πεποίηκεν ὁ πάπας Ἀλέξανδρος, ’ίνα μὴ Μελίτιος, λαβὼν τήν τῆς Εκκλησίας παρρησίαν, πωλήσῃ πολλοὺς, καὶ ψεύσηται καθημὲραν ὑποβάλλων οὓς βούλεται. Τῶν μὲν οὗν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πεποίηκε τὸ βρεβίον τοῦτο. ΒΡΕΒΙΟΝ Δοθέν παρᾶ Μελιτίου Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ. Ἐγὼ Μελίτιος ἐν Λυκῷ, Λούκιος ἐν Ἀντινόου, Φασιλεὺς ἐν Ἐρμουπόλει, Ἀχιλλεὺς ἐν Κουσαῖς, Ἀμμώνιος ἐν Διοσπόλει. Ἑν Πτολεμαΐδι, Παχύμης ἐν Τεντύραις. Ἐν Μαξιανουπόλει, Θεόδωρος ἐν Κόπτῳ. Ἐν Θηβαίδι, Κάλης ἐν Ἑρμέθῃ, Κόλλουθος ἐν τῇ ἅνω Κυνῷ, Πελάγιος ἐν Ὀξυρῦγχῳ, Πέτρος ἐν Ἠρακλεοῦς, Θέων ἐν Νειλουπόλει, Ἰσαὰκ ἐν Λητοῦς, Ἡρακλείδης ἐν Νικίους, Ἰσαὰκ ἐν Κλεοπατρίδι, Μελας ἐν Ἀρσενοίτῃ. Ἀμὼς ἐν Λεόντων, Ἰσίων ἐν Ἐν Ἡλιοὺς, Ἀθριβί. Ἐν Φαρβεθῷ, Ἁρποκρατίων ἐν βουόάστῳ,,Μωσῆς ἐν Φακουσαῖς, Καλλίνικος ἐν Πηλουσίῳ, Εὐδαιμων ἐν Τάνει, Ἐφραίμ ἐν Θμουΐ. Ἐν Σαί· Ἑρμαίων ἐν Κυνῷ καὶ Βούσιρι, Σωτήριχος ἐν Σεβεννύτῳ, Πινινούθης ἐν Φθενεγὺ, Κρόνιος ἐν Μετῆλι, Ἀγαθάμμων ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρέων χώρᾳο Ἐν Μέμφι Ἰωάννης κελευσθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εἶναι μετά τοῦ ἀρχιεπισκόπου. Oi μὲν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ουτοι. Τῶν δὲ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ εἶχε κληρικῶν Ἀπολλώνιος πρεσβύτερος, Ἐἰρηναῖος ύρεσβύτερος, Διόσκορος πρεσβύτερος, Τύραννος πρεσβύτερος. Διάκονοι, Τιμόθεος διάκονος, Ἀντίνοος διάκονος, Ἡφαιστίων διάκονος, καὶ Μακάριος πρεσβύτερος τῆς Παρεμβολῆς. παρέδωκεν

### English translation (Claude)

A greater and clearer refutation of the false accusation against us is the repentance of John; and of this the most God-loving emperor Constantine of blessed memory is witness. For knowing what John had charged against him, and receiving a letter from him in repentance, he wrote this: “Constantine Maximus Augustus to John. The letter of your prudence has been very pleasing to me; for I learned from it what I very much longed to learn, that you have laid aside all petty-mindedness, have entered into communion with the Church, as was fitting, and have come into complete concord with the most reverend bishop Athanasius. Know well, then, that on this account I commend you highly, because, abandoning all quarrelsomeness, you have done what is dear to God, embracing union with the Church. So that you may know that you have obtained what you desire, I have thought it right to allow you to take a public conveyance and hasten to the camp of my clemency. Let it be yours, then, to make no delay, but, since this letter grants you the use of a public conveyance, to come to us at once, so that you may fulfil your desire and, having seen us, … beloved brother.” [71] Thus, then, the plot came to an end, and the Meletians were turned back in shame. But Eusebius and his party did not keep quiet even so; for their concern was not for the Meletians but for Arius and his party, and they feared that, if the Meletians stopped, they would no longer find men to play the parts through whom they might bring him in. They therefore stir up the Meletians again and persuade the emperor to order a synod again at Tyre. Count Dionysius is sent, and soldiers are given to Eusebius and his party as a bodyguard. Macarius is sent in chains to Tyre by soldiers; and the emperor writes to me and lays compulsion on me, so that we were sent off even against our will. The whole plot can be learned from what the bishops of Egypt wrote; but how it was put together by them from the beginning it would be necessary to tell, for from this too one can see the malice and villainy practiced against us. There are bishops in Egypt, Libya, and Pentapolis, nearly a hundred; none of them accused us, no presbyter blamed us, none of the people spoke against us; but it was the Meletians expelled by Peter and the Arians who shared out the plot between them: the one claimed the right of accusing, the other of judging. We objected to Eusebius and his party as enemies because of their heresy; then we showed as follows that the so-called accuser was not a presbyter at all. When Meletius was received—would that he had never been!—Alexander of blessed memory, knowing his villainy, demanded of him a list of the bishops he said he had in Egypt, and of the presbyters and deacons in Alexandria itself, and of any he had in its countryside. Pope Alexander did this so that Meletius, having obtained the freedom of the Church, might not sell many offices and deceive by putting forward whomever he wished day by day. So he made this list of those in Egypt. List given by Meletius to Alexander the bishop: I, Meletius, at Lycopolis; Lucius at Antinoopolis; Phasileus at Hermopolis; Achilles at Cusae; Ammonius at Diospolis. In Ptolemais: Pachymes at Tentyra. In Maximianopolis: Theodorus at Coptos. In the Thebaid: Cales at Hermethes; Colluthus at Upper Cynopolis; Pelagius at Oxyrhynchus; Peter at Heracleopolis; Theon at Nilopolis; Isaac at Letopolis; Heraclides at Niciu; Isaac at Cleopatris; Melas in the Arsinoite nome. In Heliopolis: Amos at Leontopolis; Ision at Athribis. In Pharbaethus: Harpocration at Bubastis; Moses at Phacusae; Callinicus at Pelusium; Eudaemon at Tanis; Ephraim at Thmuis. In Sais: Hermaeon at Cynopolis and Busiris; Soterichus at Sebennytus; Pininuthes at Phthenegys; Cronius at Metelis; Agathammon in the district of the Alexandrians. At Memphis, John, ordered by the emperor to be with the archbishop. These are those in Egypt. Of the clergy in Alexandria he had: Apollonius, presbyter; Irenaeus, presbyter; Dioscorus, presbyter; Tyrannus, presbyter. Deacons: Timotheus, deacon; Antinous, deacon; Hephaestion, deacon; and Macarius, presbyter of the Parembole. [72] … handed over …

### Translation notes

- The numerals of chapters 71 and 72 were lost in the scan, so this staged section contains chapters 70–72 (the beginning of 72), marked [71] and [72]. Words are lost at the end of Constantine’s letter (“…”). In Meletius’s list the names “In Ptolemais”, “In Maximianopolis”, “In the Thebaid”, “In Heliopolis”, “In Pharbaethus”, and “In Sais” head groups of sees; the scan scrambles the Heliopolis entry, which is given in its evident order. The Parembole was a district of Alexandria. Debris and Migne’s notes are removed by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 70 (PG 25:373a–377a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-70).

## Defence against the Arians 72

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-72
- Source: PG 25:377a–380a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius shows from Meletius’s list that Ischyras was never a presbyter, and recounts how, after failing at Tyre, his enemies sent a hostile commission to the Mareotis with the accuser but without the accused.

### Greek text

Τούτους Μελίτιος καὶ παρόντας Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ. Τοῦ δέ λεγομένου ’ἰσχύρα οὔτʼ ἐμνημόνευσεν, οὔτε ὅλως ἐν τῷ Μαρεώτῃ ἐσχηκέναι πώποτε ὡμολόγησε· καὶ ὅμως καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ οὐκ ἀφίσταντο, καὶ ὁ μὴ πρεσβύτερος ὡς πρεσβύτερος ἐπλάττετο · κόμης γὰρ ἧν ὁ ἀναγκάζων, καὶ στρατιῶται εἷλκον ἡμᾶς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ νενίκηκεν ο οὔτε γὰρ Μακάριόν ’ἤλεγξαν περὶ τοῦ ποτηρίου · ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀρσένιος, ὃν ἐθρύλλησαν ἀνῃρῆσθαι παρʼ ἡμῶν, εἱστήκει ζῶν καὶ δεικνύων δυνηθέντων τοίνυν τὴν ἐκείνων συκοφαντίαν. Μὴ ἐκείνων ἐλέγξαι τὸν Μακάριον, οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἐχαλέπαινον, ὡς ἀπολέσαντες ὅπερ ἐθήρευον, καὶ πείθουσι τὸν κόμητα τὸν σὺν αὐτοῖς Διονύσιον, ἵνʼ εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην ἀποστείλῃ, μὴ ἄρα τι δυνηθῶσιν εύρεῖν ἐκεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ο μᾶλλον δὲ ’ίνα ἀπελθόντες καττύσωσιν, ἀπόντων ἡμῶν, ὡς βούλονται· τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν τὸ σπουδαζόμενον αὐτοῖς. Ἀμέλει λεγόντων ἡμῶν περιττὴν μὲν εἶναι τήν εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην ἀποδημίαν ο ἃ γὰρ ἐκ πολλοῦ χρόνου μεμελετήκασι, μή προφασιζέσθωσαν ἐνδεῶς εἰρηκέναι, μηδξ ὑπερτιθέσθωσαν · ἃ γὰρ ἐνόμιζον ἔχειν εἰρήκασι, καἰ λοιπὸν ἀποροῦντες προφασίζονται ι ἢ εἰ χρεία καὶ τοῦ Μαρεώτου, τοὺς γοῦν ὑπόπτους μή πέμπεσθαι, Ὀ μὲν κόμης περί τῶν ὑπόπτων ἐπείθετο, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ πάντα μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦτο πεποιήκασιν· οὓς γὰρ παρῃτούμεθα διὰ τὴν Ἀρειανὴν αʼίρεσιν, οὗτοι σπουδαίως ἀπῆλθον, Διόγνιος, Μάρις, Θεόδωρος, Μακεδόνιος, Ούρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης. Πάλιν τε γράμματα πρὸς τὸν ἔπαρχον τῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ στρατιωτικὴ δορυφορία, καί τό γε θαυμαστὸν καὶ πάσης ὑπεροψίας γέμον, Μακάριόν μὲν τὸν κατηγορούμενον πεποιήκασι διὰ στρατιωτῶν ἀπομεῖναι, τὸν δὲ κατηγορον μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν ἀπήγαγον. Τίς οὖν λοιπὸν ἐκ τούτων ού θεωρεῖ τήν συσκευήν ; Τίς ού συνορᾷ λευκῶς τῶν περῗ Εύσέβιον τήν πονηρίαν; Εἰ γαρ κρίσεως ἦν ἐν τῷ Μαρεώτῃ χρεία, ἔδει καὶ τὸν κατηγορούμενον ἀποστέλλεσθαι · εἰ δὲ μὴ κρίσεως ἕνεκεν ἀπήρχοντο, διὰ τί τὸν κατήγορον ἐπήγοντο; Καὶ γὰρ ἤρκει, ὅτι μὴ ἀπέδειξεν. Ἀλλὰ τούτο πεποιήκασιν, ’ίνʼ, ἐπειδὴ παρόντα τὸν πρεσβύτερον ούκ ἤλεγξαν, τοῦτον ἀπόντα συσκευάσωνται, καὶ τυρεύσωσιν ἅπερ αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει. Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ τῆς χώρας πάσης μεμψαμένους, ὅτι μόνοι παρεγένοντο, καὶ ἀξιοῦντας κᾶν αὐτοὺς παρεῖναι οἷς ἔπραττον (εἰδέναι γὰρ ἔλεγον καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ τὰ κατά τὸν λεγόμενον Ἰσχύραν), οὐκ ἐπέτρεψαν, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν ἔπαρχον τῆς Αἰγύπτου Φιλάγριον παραβάτην, καὶ στρατιώτας ἐθνικοὺς εἶχον μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν ἐξετάζοντας ἃ μηδὲ κατηχουμένους ἔπρεπε θεωρεῖν · τοὺς δὲ κληρικοὺς ού συνεχώρησαν, ἵνα μὴ κάκεῖ, ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ Τύρῳ, τοὺς διελέγχοντας αὐτοὺς ἔχωσιν.

### English translation (Claude)

These men Meletius presented in person to Bishop Alexander. Of the so-called Ischyras he made no mention, nor did he ever profess at all to have anyone in the Mareotis. And yet our enemies did not desist, and the man who was not a presbyter was feigned to be one; for there was a count to compel us, and soldiers dragged us about. But even so the grace of God prevailed: they could not convict Macarius about the cup, and Arsenius, whom they had noised abroad as killed by us, stood there alive and showed up their false accusation. Since, then, they were unable to convict Macarius, Eusebius and his party were enraged, as having lost the prey they were hunting, and they persuade the count Dionysius, who was on their side, to send to the Mareotis, to see whether they could find anything there against the presbyter—or rather, so that they might go and patch together whatever they wished in our absence; for this was what they were aiming at. Indeed, we said that the journey to the Mareotis was superfluous—for they should not pretend that they had spoken inadequately on what they had been practicing for a long time, nor should they postpone it; they had said what they thought they had, and now, being at a loss, were making excuses—or that, if the Mareotis was needed, at least the suspected men should not be sent. The count was persuaded about the suspected men; but they did anything rather than this. For those whom we objected to because of the Arian heresy were the very ones who eagerly set off: Diognius, Maris, Theodore, Macedonius, Ursacius, and Valens. Again there were letters to the prefect of Egypt and a military guard; and, what was astonishing and full of all arrogance, they caused Macarius the accused to stay behind under soldiers, while they took the accuser with them. Who, then, does not see the plot from this? Who does not plainly perceive the wickedness of Eusebius and his party? For if a trial was needed in the Mareotis, the accused too ought to have been sent; but if they were not going for the sake of a trial, why did they take the accuser? It was enough that he had not proved his case. But they did this so that, since they had not convicted the presbyter when present, they might plot against him in his absence and concoct whatever they pleased. For when the presbyters of Alexandria and of the whole countryside complained that they had come by themselves, and asked that they too might be present at their proceedings (for they said they knew both the affair and the facts about the so-called Ischyras), they did not permit it; but they had with them Philagrius the prefect of Egypt, an apostate, and pagan soldiers, examining matters which it was not fitting even for catechumens to see, while they did not allow the clergy, lest there too, as at Tyre, they should have people to refute them.

### Translation notes

- Diognius: probably Theognis of Nicaea (see ch. 13). Philagrius is called an apostate (παραβάτης), i.e. a Christian who had given up the faith. A few words near the beginning are displaced in the scan and are translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 72 (PG 25:377a–380a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-72).

## Defence against the Arians 73

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-73
- Source: PG 25:380b–381a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The clergy of Alexandria protest to the Mareotic commission that it proceeded one-sidedly, without the accused and without them.

### Greek text

Ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ οὕτως λαθεῖν ἠδυνήθησαν συνορῶντες γάρ oi πρεσβύτεροι τῆς πύλεως καὶ τού Ματρεώτου τὰς κακουργίας αὐτῶν, ἔγραψαν καὶ διεμαρτύραντο ταῦτα · ΘΕΟΓΝΙῼ, MAPI ΚΑΙ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙῼ, θεοᾷώρῳ,,παῖ Ούρσακίῳ, ’καὶ Οὐάλεντι, τοῖς ἀπὸ Τύρου ἐλθοῦσινξ ἐπισκόποις, παρλὰ ’τῶν πρεσβυτέρῳν- καὶ _ διακόνων καθολικῆς- Ἐκκλησίας Ἀλεξανδρείας, ὑπὸ τὸν αἰδεσιμώτατον ἐπίσκοπον Ἀθανάσιον. Ἔπρεπεν ὑμᾶς, ἐρχομένους καὶ ἄγοντας μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν τὸν κατήγόρον, ἀγαγεῖν καὶ Μακάριον τὸν πρεσβύτερον · αἱ γὰρ κρίσεις οὕτω συνίστανται κατὰ τὰς ἀρίας Γηαφᾶς, ὥστε τὸν κατήγορον μετὰ τοῦ κατηγορουμένου ἑστάναι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὔτε Μακάριον ἠγάγετε, οὔτε ὁ αἰδεσιμώτατος ἡμῶν ἐπίσκοπος Ἀθανάσιος μεθʼ ὑμῶν εἰσῆλθεν, ἠξιώσαμεν κᾶν αὐτοὶ παρεῖναι ἐν τῇ κρίσει, ἵνα παρόντων ἡμῶν ἀσφαλής, ἡ ἐξέτασις γένηται, καὶ πεισθῶμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς. Ἐπειδῆ δὲ οὐ τοῦτο συνεχωρήσατε, ἀλλὰ μόέ νοι μετὰ τοῦ ἐπάρχου τῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ τοῦ κατηγόρου ἠθελήσατε πράττειν,ἃ βούλεσθεο ὁμολογοῦμεν, ὅτι ὑποψίαν εἷῗομεν ἐν τῷ πράγματι πονηρὰν, καὶ ἐθωρήσαμεν ὅτι συσκευή καὶ ἐπιβουλὴ μόνον ἐστὶν ἠ εἷʼσοδος ὑμῶν. Διὰ τοῦτο ταύτην ὑμῖν ἐπιδίδομεν τήν ἐπιστολὴν, μαρτύριον ἐσομένην εἴς ἀληθινὴν σύνοδον, ’ἕνα γνωσθῇ πᾶσιν, ὅτι κατὰ μονομὲρειαν ἅπερ ἠθελήσατε ἐπράξατε, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ συσκευήν ἠθελήσατε συνθεῖναι καθʼ ἡμῶν. Τούτων δὲ τὰ ἷίσα ἐπιδεδώκαμεν καὶ Παλλαδίῳ τῷ κουριώσῳ τοῦ Αὐγούστου, τίνα μή κρυβᾔ παρʼ ὑμῶν. “Α γὰρ ἐπράξατε, τοιαῦτα λοιπὸν ἡμᾶς ὑποπτεύειν καὶ. λογίζεσθαι ποιεῖ περὶ ὑμῶν. Διονύσιος πρεσβύτερος ἐπιδέδωκα, Ἀλέξανδρος περσβύτερος, Νειλαρᾶς πρεσβύτερος, Λόγγος πρεσβύτερος, Ἀφθόνιος πρεσβύτερος, Ἀθανάσιος πρεσβύτερος, Αμύντιος πρεσβύτερος, Πιστὸς πρεσβύτερος, Ηλουτίων πρεσβύτερος, Διόσκορος πρεσβύτερος, Ἀπολλώνιος πρεσβύτερος, Σαραπίων πρεσβύτερος, Ἀμμώνιος πρεςβύτερος, Γαῖος πρεσβύτερος, Ῥῖνος πρεσβύτερος, Αἰθαλής πρεσβύτερος. Διάκονοι, Μαρκελλῖνος, διάκονος, Ἀππιανὸς διάκονος, Θέων διάκονος, Τιμόθεος διάκονος, καὶ Τιμόθεος ἄλλος διάκονος.

### English translation (Claude)

But not even so could they escape notice; for the presbyters of the city and of the Mareotis, perceiving their villainy, wrote and protested as follows: “To Theognius, Maris, Macedonius, Theodore, Ursacius, and Valens, the bishops who have come from Tyre, from the presbyters and deacons of the catholic Church of Alexandria under the most reverend bishop Athanasius. It was fitting for you, when you came bringing the accuser with you, to bring Macarius the presbyter too; for trials are so constituted according to the holy Scriptures that the accuser stands together with the accused. But since you neither brought Macarius, nor did our most reverend bishop Athanasius come here with you, we asked that we ourselves at least might be present at the trial, so that the inquiry might be held securely in our presence and we too might be persuaded. But since you did not grant this, but wished to do what you pleased alone with the prefect of Egypt and the accuser, we confess that we have conceived an evil suspicion in the matter and have perceived that your coming is nothing but a plot and conspiracy. For this reason we present this letter to you, to be a testimony before a true synod, so that it may be known to all that you did what you wished one-sidedly and wished to put together nothing but a plot against us. We have also given copies of this to Palladius, the curiosus of the Augustus, so that it may not be concealed by you. For what you have done makes us suspect and think such things of you. I, Dionysius, presbyter, have presented this; Alexander, presbyter; Nilaras, presbyter; Longus, presbyter; Aphthonius, presbyter; Athanasius, presbyter; Amyntius, presbyter; Pistus, presbyter; Plution, presbyter; Dioscorus, presbyter; Apollonius, presbyter; Sarapion, presbyter; Ammonius, presbyter; Gaius, presbyter; Rhinus, presbyter; Aethales, presbyter. Deacons: Marcellinus, deacon; Appianus, deacon; Theon, deacon; Timotheus, deacon; and another Timotheus, deacon.”

### Translation notes

- A curiosus was an imperial inspector. The heading is garbled in the scan and is reassembled by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 73 (PG 25:380b–381a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-73).

## Defence against the Arians 74

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-74
- Source: PG 25:381a–385a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The clergy of the Mareotis testify to the synod of Tyre that Ischyras was never a presbyter, that no chalice was broken, and that the commission suborned witnesses through fear of the prefect.

### Greek text

Τὰ μὲν τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως κληρικῶν γράμματά τε καὶ ὀνόματα ταῦτα· ἃ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ Μαρεώτου κληρικοὶ ἔγραψαν γινώσκοντες τὸν τρόπον τοῦ κατηγόρου, καὶ ἐν τῇ περιοδείᾳ σὺν ἐμοὶ ὄντες, ἔστι ταῦταʼ Τῇ ἉΓΙᾼ ΣΥΝΟΔῼ τῶν μακαρίων ἐπισκόπων τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας οἱ κατὰ Μαρεώτην πάντες πρεσβύτεροι καὶ διάκονοι ἐν Κσρίῳ χαίρειν.. Εἷδότες τὸ γεγραμμένον, ὅτιἈεἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου λέγε, καὶ ὅτι Μάρτυς ψευδὴς οὐκ ἀτιμώρητος ἕσται, ’ἃ εἴδομεν μαρτυροῦμεν, μάλιστα, ὅτι ἀναγκαίαν ἡμῶν ἐποίησεν εἶναι τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἡ γενομένην συσκευή κατᾶ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου. Θαυμάζομεν γὰρ πῶς ὅλως Ἰσχύρας κᾶν εἷς μέτρον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐμετρήθη, περὶ οὔ πρῶτον διηγήσασθαι ἀναγκαῖον ἡγούμεθα. Ἰσχύρας οὐδέποτε λειτουργὸς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας γέγονεν · ἀλλʼ ἑαυτὸν μὲν πρὸ τούτου ἐφήμισε Κολλούθου πρεσβύτερον, ουκ ἔσχε δὲ· τὸν πειθόμενον αὐτῷ, εἷʼ μή μόνον τοὺς συγγενεῖς ἑαυτοῦ · οὕτε γὰρ ἐκκλησίαν ἔσχε ποτε, οῦτε ὅλως κληρικὸς ἐνομίσθη παρὰ τοῖς ὀλίγον διεστῶσιν ἀπὸ τῆς κώμης αὐτοῦ, πλὴν μόνοις. ὡς προείπομεν, τοῖς συγγενεῦσιν ἑαυτοῦ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅμως τοιαύτην ἐαυτῷ προσηγορίαν ἐπιφημίσας, ἐπὶ τῆς συνόδου τῆς συγκροτηθείσης ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ, ἐπὶ τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ὁσίου καθῃρέθη, καὶ λαϊκὸς συνήχθη, καὶ οὕτως ἔμεινε τὸν ἑξῆς χρόνον, ἐκπεσὼν καὶ τῆς ψευδοῦς ὑπονοίας τοῦ πρεσβυτερίου. Περὶ γὰρ τῶν ἠθῶν αὐτοῦ περιττὸν ἡγούμεθα λέγειν, δυναρένων πάντων εἰδέναι τὰ τοιαῦτα. Ἐπειδή δὲ περὶ κλάσεως ποτηρίου καὶ τραπέζης ἐσυκοφάντησεν ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον Ἀθανάσιον, καὶ περὶ τούτου διηγήσασθαι ὑμῖν ἀναγκαῖον ἠπείχθημεν. Φθάσαντες γὰρ εἷʼπομεν ἐκκλησίαν αὐτὸν μηδέποτε ἐσγηκέναι ἐν τῷ Μαρεώτῃ· ὡς δὲ ἐπὶ Θεοῦ μάρτυρος, οὐδὲ ποτήριον κέκλασται, οὐδὲ τράπεζα ἀνετράπη παρὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ παρʼ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν συνόντων αύτῷ- ἀλλᾶ πάντα ἐστί τὰ λεγόμενα συκοφαντία· καὶ ταῦτα λέγομεν, οὗ μακρὰν τοῑ ἐπισκόπου ἀπόντες πάντες γὰρ σὺν αὖτῷ ἐσμεν, ὅταν περιοδεύῃ τὸν Μαρεώτην· καὶ οὐδέποτε μόνος περιέρχεται, ἀλλᾶ μετά πάντων ἡμῶν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ τῶν διακόνων, καὶ λαῶν ἱκανῶν. Διὸ καὶ ὡς συμπαρόντες αὐτῷ ἐν πάσῃ περιοδείᾳ, πεποίηται πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ταῦτα λέγομεν καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν, ὅτι οὔτε ποτήριον κατέαγεν, οὔτε τράπεζα ἀνετράπη, ἀλλὰ πάντα ψεύδεται, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τῆς εαυτοῦ χειρὸς μαρτυρεῖ. Θελήσαντα γὰρ αὐτὸν συναχθῆναι μετά τὸ ἀπελθεῖν αὐτὸν μετά Μελιτιανῶν, καί τοιαῦτα φημίσαι κατά τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου, οὐκ ἐδέξαντο αὐτὸν, καίτοι γράψαντα, καὶ ἰδίᾳ χειρὶ ὁμολογήσαντα μηδὶν τούτων γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλʼ ὑποβεβλῆσθαι ὑπό τινων ταῦτα εἰπεῖν. Διὸ καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ περῖ Θεόγνιον καὶ Θεόδωρον, καὶ Μάριν, καὶ Μακεδόνιον, καὶ Ούρσάκιον, καὶ Οὐάλεντα, εἷς τὸν Μαρεώιην, οὐδὲν εὑρόντες ἀληθὲς, ἀλλὰ μέλλοντος τοῦ πράγματος ἐλέγχεσθαι, ὅτι συκοφαντίαν εῗργάσαντο κατά τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ἡμῶν Ἀθανάσῖου, αὐτοὶ οἱ περὶ Θεόγνιον, ἐχθροὶ τυγχάνοντες, τοὺς συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ καί τινας Ἀρειομανίτας πεποιήκασιν εἰπεῖν ἅπερ ἤθελον. Οὑ γάρ τις τοῦ λαοῦ κατὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου εἷʼρηκεν, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ ἐπάρχου τῆς Αἰγύπτου Φιλαγρίου, καὶ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς καὶ τῇ προστασίᾳ τῶν Ἀρειομανιτῶν, ἅπερ ἠθέλησαν πεποιήκασι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐλθόντας ἡμᾶς ἐλέγξαι τήν συκοφαντίαν οὐκ ἐπέτρεψαν, ἀλλʼ ἀπέῤῥιπτον μὲν ἡμᾶς, οὓς δὲἤθελον συσκευαζόμενοι, προσεδέχοντο, καὶ συνετίθεντο αὐτοῖς διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ ἐπάρχου Φιλαγρίου· διʼ ’ὀν οὔτε παρεῖναι ἡμᾶς ἐπέτρεψαν, ἵνα κᾶν τοὺς ὑποβαλλομένους ὑπʼ αὐτῶν δυνηθῶμεν ἐλέγξαι εἰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰσὶν, ἢ Ἀρειομανῖται. Οἵὃατε δὲ, ἀγαπητοὶ Πατέρες, καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὡς διδάσκετε ἡμᾶς, ὅτι ἐχθρῶν ούκ ἰσχύει μαρτυρία. Καὶ ὅτι μὲν ἀληθεύομεν, μαρτυρεῖ μὲν καί ἡ χεὶρ Ἰσχόρα, μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ πράγματα αὐτὰ, ὅτι, Σἡμῶν μηδὲν συνειδότων τοιοῦτόν τι γεγενῆσθαι, Φιλο άγριον παρέλαβον μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν, ’ίνα τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ ξίφους καὶ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς ἃ βούλονται συσκευά σωνται. Ταῦτα ὡς ἐπὶ Θεοῦ μαρτυροῦμεν, ταῦτα ὡς εἰδότες καὶ ἐσομένην κρίσιν παρὰ Θεοῦ λέγομεν, θέλοντες μὶν ἐλθεῖν πάντες πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀρκεσθέντες δὲ τοῖς ἐξ ἡ μῶν, ’ίνα τά γράμματα τὴν τῶν μὴ παραγενομένων παρουσίαν ἀποπληρώσῃ. Ἰγγένιος πρεςβύτερος ἐρρῶσθαι ὑμᾶς εὔχομαι ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἀγαπητοί Πατέρες, Θέων πρεσβύτερος, Ἀμμωνᾶς πρεσβύτερος, Ἡράκλειος πρεσβύτερος, Βόκκων πρεσβύτερος, Τρύφων πρεσβύτερος, Πέτρος πρεσβύτερος, Ἰέραξ πρεσβύτερος, Σαραπίων πρεσβύτερος, Μάρκος πρεσβύτερος, Πτολλαρίων πρεσβύτερος, Γάϊος πρεσβύτερος, Διόσκορος πρεσβύτερος, Δημήτριος πρεσβύτερος,’ Θύρσος πρεσβύτερος. Διάκονοιο Πιστὸς διάκονος, Ἀπολλὼς διάκονος, Σερρἆ διάκονος, Πιστὸς διάκονος, Πολύνικος διάκονος, Ἀμμώνιος διάκονος, Μαῦρος διάκονος, Ἥφαιστος διάκονος, Ἀπολλὼς διάκονος, Μετωπᾶς ὃιάκσνος, Σεραπᾶς διάκονος, Μελίφθογγος διάκονος, Λούκιος διάκονος, Γρηγορᾶς διάκονος. ΟΙ ΑΥΤΟΙ Πρὸς τὸν Κουριῶσον καὶ Φιλάγριον, τότε λεγόμενον ἔπαρχον Αἰγύπτου. Φλαβίῳ Φιλαγρίῳ, καὶ ψλαβίῳ Παλλαδίῳ δουκιναρίῳ παλατίνῳ,Κουριώσῳ, καὶ Φλαβίῳ Ἀντωνίνῳ βιάρχῳ κεντηναρίῳ τῶν κυρίων μου τῶν λαμπροτάτων ἐπάρχων τοῦ ἱεροῦ πραιτωρίου, παρά τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ διακόνων τοῦ Μαρεώτου, νομοῦ τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν αἰδεσιμῶτατον ἐπίσκοπον ’Δθανάσιον, διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ὑπογραφόντων, τάδε μαρτυρούμενοι ἐπιδιδόαμεν·

### English translation (Claude)

These are the letter and the names of the clergy of the city. And what the clergy of the Mareotis wrote, who knew the character of the accuser and were with me on the visitation, is this: “To the holy synod of the blessed bishops of the catholic Church, all the presbyters and deacons of the Mareotis, greeting in the Lord. Knowing what is written, ‘What your eyes have seen, tell,’ and ‘A false witness shall not go unpunished,’ we testify what we have seen, especially since the plot formed against our bishop Athanasius has made our testimony necessary. We wonder how Ischyras was ever counted within the measure of the Church at all; and about him we think it necessary to speak first. Ischyras has never been a minister of the Church. Formerly he called himself a presbyter of Colluthus, but he had no one who obeyed him except his own relatives; for he never had a church, nor was he ever regarded as a cleric by those living a short distance from his village, except only, as we said, by his own relatives. Yet, although he had given himself such a title, at the synod held at Alexandria in the presence of our father Hosius he was deposed and received to communion as a layman, and so he remained thereafter, having fallen even from the false supposition of being a presbyter. Of his character we think it superfluous to speak, since all are able to know such things. But since he falsely accused our bishop Athanasius about the breaking of a cup and a table, we have felt compelled to tell you about this too. We said before that he never had a church in the Mareotis; and, as before God as witness, no cup was broken nor table overturned by our bishop or by anyone else of those with him; but all that is said is false accusation. And we say this not as men who were far from the bishop; for we are all with him when he visits the Mareotis, and he never goes round alone, but with all of us presbyters and deacons and a good number of the people. Therefore, as having been present with him on every visitation he has made among us, we say and testify that no cup was broken nor table overturned, but that he lies in everything, as he himself testifies with his own hand. For when, after he had gone off with the Meletians and spread such things about our bishop Athanasius, he wished to be admitted to communion, they did not receive him, although he wrote and confessed with his own hand that none of these things had happened, but that he had been prompted by certain persons to say them. [75] For this reason, too, when Theognius, Theodore, Maris, Macedonius, Ursacius, and Valens came to the Mareotis and found nothing true, but the matter was about to be exposed as a false accusation they had fabricated against our bishop Athanasius, Theognius and his companions, being enemies, made his relatives and certain Ariomaniacs say what they wished. For none of the people spoke against the bishop; but these men did what they wished through fear of Philagrius, the prefect of Egypt, and by the threats and patronage of the Ariomaniacs. For when we came to refute the false accusation they did not permit it, but drove us away, while they received those whom they wished to suborn and came to terms with them through fear of the prefect Philagrius; through him they did not allow us even to be present, so that we might at least be able to establish whether those put forward by them were of the Church or Ariomaniacs. You know, beloved fathers, as you yourselves teach us, that the testimony of enemies has no force. That we speak the truth, the hand of Ischyras testifies, and the facts themselves testify: since we know of nothing of the kind having happened, they took Philagrius with them, so that by fear of the sword and by threats they might contrive what they wished. These things we testify as before God; these things we say knowing that there will be a judgment from God. We all wished to come to you, but have contented ourselves with some of our number, so that the letter may supply the presence of those who have not come. I, Ingenius, presbyter, pray for your health in the Lord, beloved fathers; Theon, presbyter; Ammonas, presbyter; Heraclius, presbyter; Boccon, presbyter; Tryphon, presbyter; Peter, presbyter; Hierax, presbyter; Sarapion, presbyter; Marcus, presbyter; Ptollarion, presbyter; Gaius, presbyter; Dioscorus, presbyter; Demetrius, presbyter; Thyrsus, presbyter. Deacons: Pistus, deacon; Apollos, deacon; Serras, deacon; Pistus, deacon; Polynicus, deacon; Ammonius, deacon; Maurus, deacon; Hephaestus, deacon; Apollos, deacon; Metopas, deacon; Serapas, deacon; Meliphthongus, deacon; Lucius, deacon; Gregoras, deacon.” [76] The same to the curiosus and to Philagrius, then called prefect of Egypt: “To Flavius Philagrius, and to Flavius Palladius, ducenarius of the palace and curiosus, and to Flavius Antoninus, biarchus and centenarius of my lords the most illustrious prefects of the sacred praetorium, from the presbyters and deacons of the Mareotic nome of the catholic Church under the most reverend bishop Athanasius, through those who sign below: we present the following testimony.

### Scripture references

- Prov 25:7: quotation, medium confidence
- Prov 19:5: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The numerals of chapters 75 and 76 were lost in the scan, so this staged section contains chapters 74–76 (the heading of the letter in ch. 76), marked [75] and [76]. “What your eyes have seen, tell”: Prov 25:7 (LXX). “A false witness shall not go unpunished”: Prov 19:5. Ducenarius, biarchus, and centenarius are ranks of imperial officers. The heading of the letter is garbled in the scan and reassembled by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 74 (PG 25:381a–385a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-74).

## Defence against the Arians 75

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-75
- Source: PG 25:385a–385b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The Mareotic clergy testify to the imperial officials that Ischyras is no presbyter, that his “church” is an orphan’s small house, and that no chalice was broken.

### Greek text

Ἐπειδή Θεόγνιος, καὶ Μάρις, καὶ Μακεδόνιος, καὶ Θεόδωρος, καὶ Οὖρσάκιος, καὶ Οὐάλης, ὡς ἀποσταλέντες ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐπισκόπων τῶν συνελθόντων ἐν τῇ Τύρῳ, ἀπήντησαν ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ παροικίᾳ, φάσκοντες ἐντολάς εἰληφέναι, ὡς ζητῆσαι τινα ἐκκλησιαστικά πράγματα, ἐν οἷς ἔλεγον καὶ περὶ ποτηρίου κυριακοῦ κεκλασμένου, ὑποβληθέντος αύτοῑς ὑπὸ Ἰσχύρα, δν ἤγαγον μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν, λέγοντος ἑαυτὸν εἶναι πρεσβύτερον, ὃς ούκ ἔστι πρεσβύτερος. Ὑπὸ γὰρ Κολλούθου τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ιραντασθέντος ἐπισκοπὴν, καὶ ὕστερον ὑπὸ κοινῆς συνόδου Ὁσίου καὶ τῶν σὺν αύτῷ ἐπισκόπων κελευσθέντος πρεσβυτέρου εἶναι, καθό καὶ πρότερον ἦν, κατεσταθη“ καὶ κατά ἀκολουθίαν πάντες οἱ ὑπὸ Κολλούθου κατασταθέντες ἀνέδραμον εἷς τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον, εἰς ὃν καὶ πρότερον ἦσαν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ’ἰσχύρας λαϊκὸς ὤφθη. "HV τε λέγει ἔχειν ἐκκλησίαν, μηδὲ πώποτε ἐκκλησίαν γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλʼ οἰκητικὸνι οἰκη μάτιον μικρὸν ὀρφανοῦ παιδίου ’1σίωνος τοῦνομα. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῇδε τῇ διαμαρτυρίᾳ ἐχρησάμεθα, ἐπορκίζοντές σε κατά τοῦ παντοκράτορος Θεοῦ, καὶ κατά τῶν δεσποτῶν ἡμῶν Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ Αὐγούστου, καὶ τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων Καισάρων παίδων αὐτοῦ, ταῦτα αύτά εἷς γνῶσιν ἀνενεγκεῖν τῆ εύσεθείᾳ αὐτῶν. Οὔτε γάρ πρεσβύτερός ἐστι τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας, οὔτε ἐκκλησίαν ἔχει, οὔτε ποτὲ ποτήριον ἐκλάσθη, ἀλλά πάντα ψεύδεται, καὶ πλάττεται. Ὑπατείᾳ Ἰουλίου Κωνσταντίου τοῦ λαμπροτάτου πατρικίου, ἀδελροῦ τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ Αὐγούστου, καὶ Ῥουφίνου ’Δλβίνου, τῶν λαμπροτάτων, Θὼθ δεκάτῃ. Οἱ μὲν οὖν πρεσβύτεροι ταῦτα.

### English translation (Claude)

Since Theognius, Maris, Macedonius, Theodore, Ursacius, and Valens, as having been sent by all the bishops assembled at Tyre, came to our diocese, saying they had received orders to investigate certain ecclesiastical matters, among which they spoke of a Lord’s cup having been broken, at the prompting of Ischyras, whom they brought with them, who says he is a presbyter though he is not a presbyter. For he was appointed by Colluthus the presbyter, who fancied himself a bishop and was afterwards ordered by a general synod of Hosius and the bishops with him to be a presbyter, as he had been before; and consequently all those appointed by Colluthus returned to the same rank in which they had been before, so that Ischyras himself was shown to be a layman. And what he says he has as a church has never been a church, but a small dwelling belonging to an orphan boy named Ision. For this reason we have made use of this testimony, adjuring you by God Almighty and by our lords Constantine Augustus and the most illustrious Caesars his sons, to bring these very things to the knowledge of their piety. For he is neither a presbyter of the catholic Church, nor has he a church, nor was a cup ever broken; but he lies and invents everything. In the consulship of Julius Constantius, the most illustrious patrician, brother of the most pious emperor Constantine Augustus, and of Rufinus Albinus, most illustrious men, on the tenth of Thoth.” This is what the presbyters wrote.

### Translation notes

- This staged section contains the body of the letter whose heading stands at the end of section 74 (ch. 76 in NPNF² 4). The date is 7 September 335. A stray number in the scan is removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 75 (PG 25:385a–385b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-75).

## Defence against the Arians 77

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-77
- Source: PG 25:385b–393b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: The Egyptian bishops at Tyre protest to the council and twice to the count Dionysius against the hostile Mareotic commission, ask them not to sign the Eusebians’ decisions, and appeal to the emperor.

### Greek text

"A δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐπίσκοποι, οἱ μεθʼ ἡμῶν ἐλθόντες εἷς την Τύρον, συνορῶντες την συσκευην καί την ἐπιβουλὴν, ἔγραψαν καὶ διεμαρτύραντο, ἔστι ταῦτα· ΤΟΙΣ ΕΝ ΤΥΡΩ. ΣΥΝΕΛΘΟΥΣΙΝ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΙΣ, Κυρίοις τιμιωτάτοις, οὶ ἀπʼ Αἰγύπτου σὺν Ἀθα- . νασίφ έλθόνεες τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐν Κυρίφ χαίρειν. Οὐκέτι νομίζομεν τήν συωιευήν ἄδηλον εἶναι, τήν παρά τῶν περὶ Εὑσέβιον, καὶ Θεόγνιον, καὶ Μάριν, καὶ Νάρκισσον, καὶ Θεόδωρον, καὶ Πατρόφιλον ἡμῖν γινομένην. Καὶ κατʼ ἀρχὴν μὲν γὰρπαρῃτούμεθα πάντες διὰ τοῦ συλλειτουργοῦ ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου, παρόντων αὐτῶν τήν ἀκρόασιν γενέσθαιο εἰδότες, ὅτι καὶ ἑνὸς μόνου ἐχθροῦ παρουσία, μήτιγε πολλῶν, ταράττειν καὶ βλάπτειν δύναται τὴν ἀκρόασιν. Οἴδατε γὰρ καὶ ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ τήν ἔχθραν αὑτῶν ἢν ού πρὸς ἡμᾶς μόνον ἐσχήκασιν, ἀλλᾶ καὶ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς όρθοδόξους, ὅτι διὰ τὴν Ἀρείου μανίαν, καὶ τήν ἀσεβῆ διδασκαΛίαν ἐκείνου κατὰ πάντων ἐπιφύονται, καὶ πᾶσι συσκευάζονται. Ἐπειδή δὲ θαρῥοῦντες ἡμεῖς ἀληθείᾳ, δεῖξαι τὴν συκοφαντίαν τήν κατά τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπὸ τῶν Μελιτιανῶν γινομένην ἠθελήσαμεν, οὐκ οἴδαμεν πῶς οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ταράττειν τὰ παρʼ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα ἐπειρῶντο, καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐσπούδαζον τά παρʼ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα ἐκβάλλεσθαι, τοῖς μὲν ἀκεραίως δικάζουσιν ἀπειλοῦντες, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ὑβρίζοντες, μόνονἶνα τὸ καθʼ ἡμῶν σπουδαζόμενον αὐτοῖς γένηται. Καὶ ἴσως ἠ ἔνθεος ὑμῶν εὐλάβεια, κύριοι τιμιώτατοι, ἠγνόει τὴν γενομένην παρʼ αὐτῶν συσκευήν · ἀλλὰ νῦν νομίζομεν φανερὰν γεγενῆσθαι αὐτήν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ φανερῶς αὐτοὶ τήν συπευήν ἐνεδείξαντο τοὺς γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὑποπτευομένους ἀποστεῖλαι ἠθέλησαν εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην, ἵνα, ἀπόντων ’ὑμῶν καὶ ἐνταῦθα μενόντων, τοὺς λαους ταράξωσιν, ἃ δὲ βούλονται διαπράξωνται. Εἶδον γὰρ, ὅτι οἱ ἰκρειομανῖται, καὶ Κολλουθιανοὶ καὶ Μελιτιανοὶ, ἐχθροῖ τῆς καθολτκῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰσί· διὰ τοῦτο ἐσπούδασαν ἀποστεῖλαι τούτους, ἵνα, παρόντων ἐχθρῶν, καττύσωσι καθʼ ἡμῶν ἃ βούλονται. Καὶ γὰρ oi. ἐνταῦθα τῶν Μελιτιανῶν ἀπέστειλαν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν τινας, καὶ πρὸ τεσσάρων μὲν ἡμερῶν, ὥσπερ εἰδότες τοῦτο τὸ σκέμμα γιγνόμενον ἔσεσθαι, καὶ ἑσπέραν δὲ βηριδαρίους πρὸς τὸ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου Μελιτιανοὺς συναγαγεῖν εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην. διὰ τὸ μὴ εἷναι ἐκεῖ μηδένα καθόλου, καὶ Κολλουθιανοὺς καὶ Ἀρειομανίτας ἀπὸ ἄλλων τό· πων, καὶ καττῦσαι καθʼ ἡμῶν αὐτοὺς λέγειν. Οἴδατε γὰρ καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὅτι αὐτὸς Ἰσχύρας ὡμολόγησεν ἐφʼ ὑμῶν οὐ πλέον έπτά συναγομένων ἔχειν. Ἐπεὶ οὗν μετὰ τὸ αὐτοὺς κατασκευάσαι ὅπερ βούλονται, καὶ ἀποστεῖλαι τοὺς ὑπόπτους, ἠκούσαμεν, ὅτι καθʼ ’ἐκαπον ὑμῶν περιερχόμενοι ἀπαιτοῦσιν ὑπογραφὴν, πρὸς τὸ δοκεῖν τῇ πάντων ὑμῶν σκέψει γεγενῆσθαι τούτου ἕνεκεν γράψαι ὑμῖν ἠπείχθημεν, καὶ ἐπιδοῦναι τόδε τὸ μαρτύριον· μαρτυρόμενοι μὲν, ὅτι συσκευαζόμεθα καὶ πάσχομεν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ διʼ αὐτῶν ἐπιβουλὴν, ἀξιοῦντες δὲ ὅπως έν νῷ λαβόντες τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φοβον, καὶ καταγνόντες, ὅτι χωρὶς ἡμῶν ἀπέστειλαν οὓςή θέλησαν, μὴ ὑπογράψητε, ’ἱνα μή, ἅπερ αὐτοὶ καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς καττύουσι, ταῦτα ὡς παρʼ ὑμῶν γιγνόμενα λέγωσι, Καὶ γὰρ πρέπει τοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ ἀνθρώπους μὴ εἷς ἀνθρώπινα βλέπειν, ἀλλά τήν ἀλήθειαν πάντων προκρίνειν. Καὶ μήτε ἀπειλὴν χρῶνται πρὸς πάντας, μήτε συπευὴν φοβηθῆτε, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τὸν Θεόν. Ἔδει γὰρ, εἷʼπερ ἦν ὅλως ἀκόλάυθον εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην ἀποσταλῆναι, καί ἡμᾶς συμπαρεῖναι, τίνα τοὺς μὲν ἐχθρούς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας έλέγξωμεν, τοὺς δὲ ξένους ἀποδείξωμεν, καὶ καθαρὰ τοῦ πράγματος ἡ ἔρευνα γένηται. Οἴδατε γὰρ, ὅτι οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἐκάττυσαν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπιδοθῆναι, ὡς ἀπὸ Κολλουθιανῶν, καὶ Μελιτιανῶν, καί ’Δρειανῶν, γραφεῖσαν καθʼ ἡμῶνο καὶ δῆλον, ὅτι αὐτοὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας οὐδὲν Β ἀληθὲς περὶ ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ πάντα καθʼ ἡμῶν λέγουσιν. Ὁ δὲ νόμος τοῦ Θεοῦ οὕτε ἐχθρὸν μάρτυρα. οὔτε κριτὴν εἶναι βούλεται. Λοιπὸν ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως λόγον μέλλοντες διδόναι, λαβόντες τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦτο, καὶ γνόντες συωιευὴν τήν καθʼ ἡμῶν γενομένην, παρακληθέντες φυλάξασθε μηδὲν τι καθʼ ἡμῶν πρᾶξαι, μηδὲ συνάρασθαι τῇ τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον σκέψει. Καὶ γὰρ πάλιν οἴδατε, ὡς προείπομεν, ὡς … κύριοι ποθεινότατοι. ΦΛΑΒΙῼ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΙῼ τῷ λαμπροτάτῳ κόμητι παρὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων τῆς Αἰγύπτου καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τῶν ἐλθόντων ε ς Τύρον. Οὐκ ἔτι νομίζομεν τήν συσκευήν ἄδηλον εἶναιτὴν παοὰ τῶν περὶ Εὗσέβιον, καὶ Θεόγνιον, καὶ Μάριν, καὶ Νάρκισσον, καὶ Θεόδωρον, καὶ Πατρόφιλον ἡμῖν γιγνομένην. Κατʼ ἀρχὴν μὲν γὰρ παρῃτοόμεθα πάντες διὰ τοῦ συλλειτουργοῦ ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου, παρόντων αὐτῶν, τὴν ἀκρόασιν γενέσθαι· εἰδότες, ὅτι καὶ ἐνὸς μόνου ἐχθροῦ παρουσία, μήτιγε πολλῶν, ταράτ- ‘ τειν καὶ βλάπτειν δύναται τήν ἀκρόασιν. Φανερά γάρ ἐστιν ἠ ἔχθρα αὐτῶν, ἢν οὐ πρὸς ἡμᾶς μόνον ἐσχήκασιν, ἀλλὰ καῖ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς ὀρθοδόξουςʼ ὅτι κατά πάντας ἐπιφύονται, καὶ πᾶσι σοσκευάζονταιʼ ἐπειδή δὲ θαρροῦντες ἡμεῖς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, δεῖξαι τήν συκοφαντίαν τὴν κατά τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπὸ τῶν Μελιτιανῶν γενομένην ἠθελήσαμεν, οὐκ οἷʼδαμεν πῶς αὐτοὶ οἱπερὶ Εὐσέβιον ταράττειν τά παρʼ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα ἐπειρῶντο· καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐσπούδαζον τὰ παρʼ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα ἐκβάλλεσθαι, τοῖς μὲν ἀκεραίως δικάζουσιν ἀπειλοῦντες, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ὑβρίζοντες, μόνον ’ίνα τὸ καθʼ ἡμῶν σπουδαζόμενον αὐτοῖς γένηται. Καὶ ἴσως ἠ χρηστότης ὑμῶν ἠγνόει τήν καθʼ ἡμῶν γινομένην παρʼ αὐτῶν συσκευήν· ἀλλά νῦν νομίζομεν φανερὰν αὐτὴν γεγενῆσθαι. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ φανερῶς αὐτοὶ τήν συπευην ἐνεδείξαντον τοὺς γὰρ ἐξ ἑαυτῶν ἀποστεῖλαι ἠθέλησαν εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην· τίνα, ἀπόντων ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐνταῦθα μενόντων, τοὺς μὲν λαοὺς ταράξωσιν, ἆ δὲ βούλονται διαπράξωνται. Εἱδότες γὰρ, ὅτι Ἀρειομανῖται καὶ Κολλουθιανοὶ, καὶ Μελιτιανοὶ, ἐχθροὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰσὶ, διά τοῦτο έσπούδασαν ἀποστεῖλαι τούτουςσ ἵνα, παρόντων ἐχθρῶν, καττύσωσι καθʼ ἡμῶν ἃ βούλονται. Καὶ γὰρ ἤδη οἱ ἐνταῦθα Μελιτιανοί ἀπέστειλαν ἐξ αὐτῶν τινας, καὶ πρὸντεσσάρων μὲν ἡμερῶν, ὥσπερ εἰδότες τοῦτο τὸ σκέμμα γενόμενον ἔσεσθαι, καὶ ἑσπέραν δὲ δύο βηριδαρίους πρὸς τὸ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου Μελιτιανοὺς συναγαγεῖν εἷς τὸν Μαρεώτην, διά τὸ μή εἶναι ἐκεῖ μηδένα καθόλου, καὶ Κολλουθιανοὺς καὶ Ἀρειομανίτας ἀπʼ ἄλλων τόπων καὶ καττύσαι καθʼ ἡμῶν αὐτοὺς λέγειν. Οἵδε δέ σου ἡ χρηστότης, ὅτι αὐτὸς ὡμολόγησεν ἐπὶ σοῦ μή πλέον ἒπτά συναγομένων ἔχειν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν μετά τὸ αὐτοὺς κατασκευάσαι ὅπερ βούλονται, καὶ ἀποστεῖλαι τοὺς ὑπόπτας, ἠκούσαμεν, ὅτι καθʼ ἕκαστον τῶν ἐπισκόπων περιερχόμενοι, ἀπαιτοῦσιν ὑπογραφὴν, πρὸς τὸ δοκεῖν τῇ πάντων αὐτῶν σκέψει γενέσθαι · τούτου ἕνεκεν ἀνενεγκεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν σήν λαμπρότητα ἠπείχθημεν, καὶ ἐπιδοῦναι τόδε τὸ μαρτύριον μαρτυρόμενοι μὲν, ὅτι συσκευαζόμεθα, καὶ πάσχομεν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ διʼ αὐτῶν ἐπιβουλὴν, ἀξιοῦντες δὲ ὅπως, ἐν νῷ λαβὼν τόν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τάς εὐσεβεῖς έντοΛάς τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου βασιλέως, ὡς καταγνοὺς, ὅτι χωρὶς ἡμῶν οὖς ἠθέλησαν ἀπέστειλαν, μὴ ἀνάσχῃ αὐτῶν. ’Δδαμσὶντιος ἐπίσκοπος ἐπιδέδωκα, Ἰσχύρας, Ἀμμων, Πέτρος, ’Δμμωνιανὸς, Τύραννος, Ταυρῖνος, Σαραπάμμων, Αἷλουρίων, Ἀρποκρατίων, Μωσῆς, Ὀπτᾶτος, ’Δνουβίων, Σαπρίων, Ἀπολλώνιος, Ἰσχυρίων, ’Δρβαιθίων, Ποτάμων, Παφνούτιος, Ἡρακλείδης, Θεόδωρος, Ἀγαθάμμων, Γάῖίος, Πιστὸς..“Ἀθας, Νίκων, Πελάγίος, Θέων, Πανινούθιος, Νόννος, ’Δρίστων, Θεόδωρος, Εἰρηναῖος, Βλαστάμμων, Φίλιππος, Ἀπολλὼς, Διόσκορος, Τιμόθεος Διοσπόλεως, Μακάριος, Ἠρακλάμμων, Κρόνιος, Μῦϊς, Ἰάκωβος, ’Δρίστων, Ἀρτεμίδωρος, Φινεὲς, Ψάϊς, Ἡρακλείδης. Καὶ δεύτερον οἱ αὐτοί ΦΛΑΥΙΩ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΙΩ Τῷ λαμπροτάτιὸ κόμητι, οἱ ἐν Τύρῳ ἀπʼ Αἰγύπτου ἐλθόντες ἐπίσκοποι τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Πολλ-ἀς ὁρῶντες συπευάς καθʼ ἡμῶν γινομένας, καὶ ἐπιβουλὰς ἐκ συσκευῆς τῶν περὶ-Εὐσέβιον, καὶ Νάρκισσον, καὶ Φλάκιλλον, καὶ Θεόγνιον, καὶ Μάριν, καὶ Θεόδωρον, καί Πατρόφιλον, οὒς κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν θελήσαντες παραιτήσασθαι, οὐκ έπετράπημεν, ἀνάγκην ἔχομεν ἐπὶ τήνδε τήν διαμαρτυρίαν ἐλθεῖν. Καὶ γάρ πολλὴν ὑπὲρ Μελιτιανῶν ὁρῶμεν σπουδὴν γιγνομένην, κατά δὲ τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς έν Αἰγύπτῳ διʼ ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλήν. Ὅθεν ἐπιδίδομέν σοι τήνδε τήν ἐπιστολὴν, ἀξιοῦντες ἐν νῷ σε λαβεῖν τὸν Θεὸν τὸν παντοκράτορα, τὸν τήν βασιλείαν τοῑ οὐσεβεστάτου καὶ θεοφιλεστάτου βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου διαφυλάττοντα, τηρῆσαι τήν ἀκρόασιν τῶν καθʼ ἡμᾶς πραγμάτιον αὐτῷ τῷ εὐσεβεστάτῳ βασιλεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ εὔλογον ἀποσταλέντα σε παρά τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοϋ, καὶ ἡμῶν ἐπικαλεσαμένων τὴν εὐσέβειαν αὐτοῦ αὐτῷ τηρῆσαι τὸ πρᾶγμα. Οὐκέτι γὰρ φέρομεν συσκευαζόμενοι καὲ ἐπιβουλευόμενοι διὰ τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον τῶν προειρημένων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῷ εὐσεβεστάτῳ καὶ θεοφιλεστάτῳ βασιλεῖ τηρηθῆναι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀξιοῦμεν παρʼ ᾧ δυνάμεθα καὶ τὰ δίκαια τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καὶ ἑαυτῶν παραθέσθαι. Πιστεύομεν γὰρ, ὅτι ἡ εὐσέβεια αὐτοῦ, ἀκούσασα, οὐ καταγνώσεται ἡμῶν. Καὶ πάλιν οὖν ὁρκίζομέν σε τὸν παντοκράτορο. Θεὸν, οὕτω τὸν εὐσεβέστατον βασιλέα ἀεί εἰς πολλὰς ἐτῶν περιόδους νικῶντα καὶ ὑγιαίνοντα. μετὰ τῶν παίδων τῆς εὐσεβείας αὐτοῦ, μηδὲν πλέον πρᾶξαι, μηδὲ ἐπιτρέψαι τι σεαυτῷ ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ κινῆσαι περὶ τῶν καθʼ ἡμᾶς πραγμάτοῖς ὀρθοδόξοις ἐδηλώσαμεν.

### English translation (Claude)

What the bishops too who came with us to Tyre wrote and protested, perceiving the plot and conspiracy, is this: “To the bishops assembled at Tyre, most honored lords, the bishops of the catholic Church who came from Egypt with Athanasius, greeting in the Lord. We no longer think that the plot formed against us by Eusebius, Theognius, Maris, Narcissus, Theodore, and Patrophilus is obscure. From the beginning we all objected, through our fellow minister Athanasius, to the hearing taking place in their presence, knowing that the presence even of one enemy, let alone many, can disturb and harm a hearing. For you yourselves know their enmity, which they have had not toward us alone but toward all the orthodox: because of the madness of Arius and his impious teaching they assail all and plot against all. But when we, confident in the truth, wished to show the false accusation brought against the Church by the Meletians, we do not know how Eusebius and his party tried to confuse what we said, and for a long time were eager to have what we said thrown out, threatening those who judged honestly and insulting others, only so that what they were eager for against us might come about. Perhaps your godly piety, most honored lords, was unaware of the plot they formed; but now we think it has become plain. For see, they have openly displayed the plot themselves: they wished to send those of their number who are suspect to the Mareotis, so that, while we are absent and remain here, they may stir up the people and accomplish what they wish. For they saw that the Ariomaniacs, Colluthians, and Meletians are enemies of the catholic Church; therefore they were eager to send these men, so that in the presence of enemies they might concoct what they wish against us. For the Meletians here sent some of their own number four days ago, as if they knew that this plan would come about, and in the evening couriers, to gather Meletians from Egypt too into the Mareotis, since there are none there at all, and Colluthians and Ariomaniacs from other places, and to put them up to speaking against us. For you yourselves know that Ischyras confessed before you that he has no more than seven people attending his services. Since, then, after they have arranged what they wish and sent the suspect men, we have heard that they are going round each of you demanding a signature, so that it may appear to have been done by the decision of you all, for this reason we have hastened to write to you and present this testimony: we testify that we are plotted against and suffer conspiracy from them and through them, and we ask that, keeping in mind the fear of God and condemning them for sending without us those whom they wished, you do not sign, lest what they concoct by themselves they say was done by you. For it befits men in Christ not to look to human considerations but to prefer the truth to all things. And do not fear the threats they use against all, nor their plot, but rather God. For if it was at all consistent that some should be sent to the Mareotis, we too ought to have been present with them, so that we might expose the enemies of the Church, show up the strangers, and make the inquiry into the matter pure. For you know that Eusebius and his party concocted a letter to be presented as written against us by Colluthians, Meletians, and Arians; and it is plain that these enemies of the catholic Church say nothing true about us but everything against us. But the law of God wills that an enemy be neither witness nor judge. Therefore, as men who are to give account on the day of judgment, receive this testimony, recognize the plot formed against us, and, we beseech you, take care to do nothing against us and not to join in the design of Eusebius and his party. For you know again, as we said before, … most longed-for lords.” [78] “To Flavius Dionysius, most illustrious count, from the bishops of the catholic Church of Egypt who came to Tyre. We no longer think that the plot formed against us by Eusebius, Theognius, Maris, Narcissus, Theodore, and Patrophilus is obscure. From the beginning we all objected, through our fellow minister Athanasius, to the hearing taking place in their presence, knowing that the presence even of one enemy, let alone many, can disturb and harm a hearing. For their enmity is plain, which they have had not toward us alone but toward all the orthodox; for they assail all and plot against all. But when we, confident in the truth, wished to show the false accusation brought against the Church by the Meletians, we do not know how Eusebius and his party tried to confuse what we said, and for a long time were eager to have what we said thrown out, threatening those who judged honestly and insulting others, only so that what they were eager for against us might come about. Perhaps your goodness was unaware of the plot they were forming against us; but now we think it has become plain. For see, they have openly displayed the plot: they wished to send men of their own number to the Mareotis, so that, while we are absent and remain here, they may stir up the people and accomplish what they wish. For knowing that the Ariomaniacs, Colluthians, and Meletians are enemies of the Church, they were eager to send these men, so that in the presence of enemies they might concoct what they wish against us. For the Meletians here have already sent some of their own number four days ago, as if they knew that this plan would come about, and in the evening two couriers, to gather Meletians from Egypt too into the Mareotis, since there are none there at all, and Colluthians and Ariomaniacs from other places, and to put them up to speaking against us. Your goodness knows that he himself confessed before you that he has no more than seven people attending his services. Since, then, after they have arranged what they wish and sent the suspect men, we have heard that they are going round each of the bishops demanding a signature, so that it may appear to have been done by the decision of them all, for this reason we have hastened to refer it to your excellency and present this testimony: we testify that we are plotted against and suffer conspiracy from them and through them, and we ask that you, keeping in mind the fear of God and the pious commands of the most God-loving emperor, and condemning them for sending without us those whom they wished, do not tolerate them. I, Adamantius, bishop, have presented this; Ischyras, Ammon, Peter, Ammonianus, Tyrannus, Taurinus, Sarapammon, Aelurion, Harpocration, Moses, Optatus, Anubion, Saprion, Apollonius, Ischyrion, Arbaethion, Potamon, Paphnutius, Heraclides, Theodorus, Agathammon, Gaius, Pistus, Athas, Nicon, Pelagius, Theon, Paninuthius, Nonnus, Ariston, Theodorus, Irenaeus, Blastammon, Philippus, Apollos, Dioscorus, Timotheus of Diospolis, Macarius, Heraclammon, Cronius, Muis, Jacobus, Ariston, Artemidorus, Phinees, Psais, Heraclides.” [79] And a second time the same: “To Flavius Dionysius, most illustrious count, the bishops of the catholic Church who came from Egypt to Tyre. Seeing many plots formed against us, and conspiracies contrived by Eusebius, Narcissus, Flacillus, Theognius, Maris, Theodore, and Patrophilus, whom we wished to object to at the beginning but were not permitted, we are compelled to come to this protest. For we see great zeal on behalf of the Meletians, and a conspiracy, through us, against the catholic Church in Egypt. Therefore we present this letter to you, asking you to keep in mind God Almighty, who preserves the reign of the most pious and God-loving emperor Constantine, and to reserve the hearing of our affairs for the most pious emperor himself. For it is reasonable that you, who were sent by his majesty, should reserve the matter for him, since we have appealed to his piety. For we can no longer bear being plotted and conspired against by Eusebius and his party aforesaid; and for this reason we ask that the matter be reserved for the most pious and God-loving emperor, before whom we can set forth both the rights of the Church and our own. For we trust that his piety, when he has heard, will not condemn us. Again, then, we adjure you by God Almighty—so may the most pious emperor be ever victorious and in health for many cycles of years, with the children of his piety—to do nothing further, and not to permit yourself to raise anything in the synod about our affairs … we have made known to the orthodox …”

### Translation notes

- The numerals of chapters 78 and 79 were lost in the scan, so this staged section contains chapters 77–79, marked [78] and [79]. Words are lost at the end of the first letter and at the end of the last (“…”). The bishop Ischyras in the list of signatories is a different person from the Mareotic accuser. Doubled and garbled headings are corrected by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 77 (PG 25:385b–393b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-77).

## Defence against the Arians 80

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-80
- Source: PG 25:393b–396a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Alexander of Thessalonica warns the count Dionysius against the one-sided Mareotic commission, and Dionysius warns the Eusebians that their proceedings will incur blame.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα δεξάμενος Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης ἔγραψε Διονυσίῳ τῷ κόμητι ταῦτα. ΤΩ ΔΕΣΠΟΤῌ ΜΟΥ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΙΩ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπίσκοπος. Φανεράν ὁρῶ κατᾶ Ἀθανασίου συσκευὴν γενομένηνο πάντας γὰρ οὒς παρῇτήσατο, τούτους οὐκ οἶδα τί πεπονθότες ἀποστεῖλαι ἠθέλησαν, μηδέ σημάναντες ἡμῖν. Ἦν γὰρ δόξαν κατὰ τὸ αότὸ σκέψασθαι, τίνας δεήσει ἀποσταλῆναι. Συμβούλευσον οὖν μή τι προπετὲς γενέσθαι (ἐληλύθασι γὰρ πρὸς μὲ τεθορυβημένοι, λέγνντες ἤδη τὰ θηρία ἐσφρῖχθαι, καὶ μέλλειν ἐξορμᾷν· περιηχήθησαν γὰρ ὡς Ἰωάννου τινας ἀποστείλαντος), μὴ προλαβόντες καττύσωσιν ὡς ἂν ἐθέλοιεν. Οἶδας γὰρ, ὅτι καῖ Κολλουθιανοὶ τῆς ἘκκΛησίας ἐχθροὶ ὄντες, καὶ Ἀρειανοέ, καὶ Μελιτιανοὶ, οὗτοι πάντες, ἀλλήλοις σύμψηφοι γενόμενοι, δύνανται μεγάλα κακὰ ἐργάσασθαι. Σκέψαι οὖν τὸ συμφέρον, ἵνα μή ἀνακύψῃ τι σκυθρωπὸν, καί αἰτίᾳ ὑποβληθῶμεν, ὡς οὐ κατά τὸ δίκαιον κρίναντες. Κάκεῖνοι μάλιστα ὑφορῶνται, μὴ διοδεύοντες τὰς Ἐκκλησίας, ὧν οι ἐπίσκοποί εἶσιν ἐνταῦθα, φόβον ἐμποιήσαντες, ταράξωσι πᾶσαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ὡς τοῖς Μελιτιανοῖς παραδοθέντες. ’Δκ τοῦ πλείστου γὰρ τοῦτο συνορῶσι γινόμενον. Πρὸς ταῦτα Διονύσιος ὁ κόμης ἔγραψε τοῖς περὶ Εὐσέβιον ταῦτα· Γαῦτα ἦν ἃ νῦν διελεγόμην τοῖς κυρίοις μου τοῖς περί Φλάκιλλον, ὅτι ’Δθανάσιος ἐπιστὰς ᾐτιάσατο, οὓς παρῃτησάμην, Λέγων τούτους ἀποστέλλεσθαι, καὶ βοῶν ὠς ἀδικούμενος καὶ περιγραφόμενος ταῦτα καὶ ὁ κύριός μου τῆς ψυχῆς Ἀλέξανδρος ἀπέστειλε. Καὶ ἵνα γνῶτε, ὅτι κατά λόγον ἔχει τὰ γραφέντα μοι παρᾶ τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ, ὑπέταξα αὐτὰ ἀναγνωσθησόμενα ύμῖν. Μέμνησθε δέ καὶ τῶν ἄνωθεν παρʼ ἐμοῦ γραφέντωψ ἐπέστειλα γὰρ ὑμῶν τῇ χρηστότητι, κύ·ριοι, ὅτι χρὴ τοὺς ἀποστελλομένους κοινῇ κρίσει καὶ δόγματι ἀποσταλῆναι. Ὁρᾶτε τοίνυν μή ἐγκλήματι ὑποπέσῃ τὰ γινόμενα, μηδέ δικαίας μέμψεως ἀφορμήν τοῖς βουλομένοις ἡμᾶς αἰτιάσασθαι δῶμεν. "Qaπερ γὰρ βαρεῖσθαι τό μέρος τῶν κατηγόρων οὐ προσ· ήκει, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸ τῶν φευγόντων. Νομίζω δὲ ού μικρὰν εἶναι ἀφορμὴν καθʼ ’ἱμῶν μέμψεως, ὅταν φαίνηται 6 κύριός μου Ἀλέξανδρος μὴ ωναινῶν τοῖς πραττομένοις.

### English translation (Claude)

On receiving this, Alexander, the bishop of Thessalonica, wrote to Dionysius the count as follows: “To my lord Dionysius, Alexander, bishop. I see a manifest plot formed against Athanasius. For all those to whom he objected they have—I do not know what has come over them—wished to send, without even informing us; for it had been agreed to consider together who should be sent. Advise, then, that nothing rash be done (for they have come to me in alarm, saying that the wild beasts are already bristling and about to rush out; for a rumor went round that John had sent some), lest they anticipate us and concoct whatever they please. For you know that the Colluthians, enemies of the Church, and the Arians and the Meletians—all of these, having joined their votes together, can do great evils. Consider, then, what is expedient, so that nothing grievous may come of it and we be exposed to the charge of not having judged justly. And these men especially fear that, passing through the churches whose bishops are here, they will cause fear and throw all Egypt into confusion, as if it had been handed over to the Meletians; for they see this happening to a very great extent.” [81] In reply Dionysius the count wrote to Eusebius and his party as follows: “This is what I was saying just now to my lords Flacillus and his companions: that Athanasius came forward and complained that those to whom he had objected were being sent, crying out that he was wronged and defrauded; and my lord Alexander, dear to my soul, has sent the same. And so that you may know that what his goodness has written to me is reasonable, I have subjoined it to be read to you. Remember also what I wrote before; for I wrote to your goodness, my lords, that those who are sent ought to be sent by common judgment and decree. See, then, that what is done does not fall under accusation, and that we give no ground for just blame to those who wish to accuse us. For just as the side of the accusers ought not to be burdened, so neither ought that of the defendants. And I think it is no small ground for blame against us when my lord Alexander is seen not to agree with what is being done.”

### Translation notes

- The numeral of chapter 81 was lost in the scan; it is marked [81] where NPNF² 4 begins the chapter. Flacillus was bishop of Antioch. Small OCR slips in the headings are corrected by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 80 (PG 25:393b–396a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-80).

## Defence against the Arians 82

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-82
- Source: PG 25:396b–396c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius explains that he withdrew from the Council of Tyre because one-sided proceedings have no force, as Paul and Festus attest.

### Greek text

Τούτων οὕτω πραττομένων, ἀνεχωρήσαμεν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ὡς ἀπὸ συνόδου τῶν ἀθετούντων · ἃ γὰρ ἐβούλοντο, ταῦτα καὶ ἔπραττον. ’Ότι μὶν οὖν τὰ πραττόμενα κατά μονομέρειαν οὐδεμίαν ἔχει δύναμιν, οὐδείς ἐστιν ὃς ἀγνοεῖ τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώ·πων. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ θεῖος νόμος κελεύεν τοῦτο καῖ ὁ μακάριος ’Δπόστολος πάσχων τοιαύτην ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ κρινόμενος ἠξίου, λέγωνʼ Ἔδει τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀσίας Ἰουδαίους ἐπὶ σοῦ παρεῖναι, καὶ κατηγορεῖν εἷʼ τι ἔχοιεν· ὅτε καὶ ὁ Φῆστος, θελόντων τῶν Ἰουδαίων τοιαύτην ἐπιβουλὴν ἐργάσασθαι, οἵαν νῦν καθʼ ἡμῶν πεποιήκασιν, ἔλεγεν Ούκ ἔστιν ἔθος Ῥωμαίοις χαρίζεσθαί τινα ἄνθρωπον, πρὶν ἢ ὁ κατηγορούμενος κατᾶ πρόσωπον ἔχοι τοὺς κατ ηγόρους, τόπον τε ἀπολογίας λάβοι περὶ τοῦ ἐγε κλήματος. Ἀλλʼ οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον καὶ τὸν νόμον παραποιεῖν ἐτόλμησαν, καὶ πλέον τῶν ἀδικούντων ι ἀδικώτεροι γεγόνασιν, Οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς καταμόνας ἔπραξαν, ἀλλʼ ὅτε παρόντων ἡμῶν ἠσθένησαν, τότε λοιπόν ἐξελθόντες, ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι, συμβούλιον ἔλαβον καταμόνας, ὅπως ἡμᾶς μὲν ἀπολέσωσι, τὴν δὲ αʼίρεσιν εἰσαγάγωσιν, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι τὸν Βαραββᾶν ᾐτήσαντο· τούτου χάριν αὐτοὶ ταῦτα πάντα πεποιηκέναι διʼ ἐαυτῶν ὡμολόγησαν.

### English translation (Claude)

While these things were being done thus, we withdrew from them as from a synod of transgressors; for they did whatever they wished. That proceedings conducted one-sidedly have no force, there is no one among all men who does not know. For this the divine law commands, and this the blessed Apostle, when he suffered such a plot and was on trial, demanded, saying, “The Jews from Asia ought to have been present before you and to accuse, if they had anything”; when Festus too, when the Jews wished to carry out such a plot as these men have now made against us, said, “It is not the custom of the Romans to give up any man before the accused has met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge.” But Eusebius and his party dared even to pervert the law, and became more unjust than the wrongdoers. For they did not act by themselves from the beginning; but when they failed while we were present, then, going out like the Jews, they took counsel by themselves how they might destroy us and bring in the heresy, as those men asked for Barabbas. For this reason they themselves have confessed, by their own acts, that they did all this.

### Scripture references

- Acts 24:19: quotation, high confidence
- Acts 25:16: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 12:14: echo, medium confidence
- Matt 27:20: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- Paul’s words: Acts 24:19; Festus: Acts 25:16. “Took counsel … how they might destroy”: cf. Matt 12:14; 27:1; Barabbas: Matt 27:20–21. The comparison with the Jews of the Gospel narrative is Athanasius’s own.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 82 (PG 25:396b–396c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/70/#p-82).

## Defence against the Arians 83

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-83
- Source: PG 25:396c–397b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius shows from the Mareotic minutes themselves that the charge was impossible: catechumens were present and Ischyras was lying sick, so no Eucharist was being celebrated.

### Greek text

Καὶ εἰ ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀπολογίαν, ὅμως ύπέρ τοῦ καὶ πλέον τούτων μέν τὴν πονηρίαν δειχθῆναι, τῆς δέ ἀληθείας τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, οὐδὲν ἐλύπει καὶ πάλιν ὑπομνῆσαι, καὶ δεῖξαι, ὡς αὐτοὶ ἐαυτοῖς ἐναντία ἔπραξαν, καὶ ὡς, ἐν σκότῳ βουλευόμενοι, τοῖς ἑαυτῶν προσέκοπτον, καὶ θέλοντες ἡμᾶς ἀνελεῖν, ἑαυτοὺς ἔτρωσαν ὡς μαινόμενοι. Περὶ μυστηρίων γὰρ ἐρευνῶντες, Ἰουδαίους ἀνέκρινον, καὶ κατηχουμένους ἐξήταζον ‹‹ Ποῦ ἦτε, ὅτε Μακάριος ἦλθε, καὶ ἀνέτρεψε τὴν τράπεζαν ; ›› Κάκεῖνοι ἀπεκρίναντο, ὅτι ‹‹ Ἔνδον ὄντες ἐτυγχάνομεν.» Οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἦν προσφορὰ εἱ κατηχούμενοι ἔνδον ἦσαν. Ἔπειτα γράψανη τες πανταχοῦ, ὡς, ἑστῶτος τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου καὶ ἐπιτελοῦντος, εἰσελθὼν Μακάριος ἀνέτρεψε πάντα, ἀνέκρινον οὓς ἠβούλοντο, ποῦ ἦν Ἰσχύρας ὅτε Μακάριος ἐπέστη. Κάκεῖνοι πάλιν ἀπεκρίναντο, ὅτι ἐν κελλίῳ νοσῶν κατακείμενος ἦν. Οὐκοῦν οὐκ εἱστήκει 6 κατακείμενος, οὐδὲ προσέφερεν 6 ἐν κελλίῳ νοσῶν καὶ κατακείμενος. Πρὸς τούτοις, λέγοντος τοῦ Ἰσχύρα κεκαῦσθαι βιβλία παρά Μακαρίου, οἱ ὑποβληθέντες μαρτυρες ἔλεγον μηδέν τι τοιοῦτον γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλά ψεύδεσθαι τὸν Ἰσχύραν. Καὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, γράψαντες παλ ιν πανταχοῦ ἠφανίσθαι παρʼ ἡμῶν τοὺς δυναμένους μαρτυρεῖν, τούτους φαινομένους ἀνέκρινον, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχύνοντο βλέποντες ἑαυτοὺς συκοφάντας πανταχόθεν δεικνυμένους, καὶ ταῦτα καταμόνας πράττοντας ὡς ἠβούλοντο. ’Ένέυον μὲν γὰρ τοῖς μάρτυσι, καὶ 6 ἔπαρχος ἠπείλει, καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται ἔνυττον· 6 δὲ Κύριος τήν ἀλήθειαν ἐξεκάλυπτε, καὶ συκοφάντας αὐτοὺς ἐδείκνυε. Διά τοῦτο καὶ τά ὐπομνήματα ἔκρυψαν, καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἔσχον αὐτὰ, παρήγγειλαν δὲ τοῖς γράψασιν ἀφανίσαι καὶ μηδενὶ τὸ σύνολον ἐκδοῦναι. ’Δλλʼ ἐσφάλησαν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ· 6 μὲν γὰρ γράψας αὐτὰ Ῥοῦφός ἐστιν, ὃ νῦν ἐν τῇ Αὐγουσταλιανῇ σπεκουλατωρ, καὶ δύναται μαρτυρῆσαι οἱ δῖε περὶ Εὖσέβιον εἷς Ῥώμην αύτὰ διὰ τῶν ἰδίων ἀπέστειλαν, καὶ Ἰούλιος 6 ἐπίσκοπος αύτά μοι διεπέμψατο. Καί μαίνονται νῦν, ὅτι ἃ ἐκεῖνοι ἀποκρύπτειν ἐβούλοντο, ἡμεῖς ἔσχομεν, καὶ ἀνέγνωμεν.

### English translation (Claude)

Although this suffices for a complete defense, nevertheless, to show still more their wickedness and the freedom of the truth, it does no harm to remind you again and to show how they acted against themselves, and how, plotting in darkness, they stumbled against their own devices, and, wishing to destroy us, wounded themselves like madmen. For, investigating the mysteries, they questioned Jews and examined catechumens: “Where were you when Macarius came and overturned the table?” And they answered, “We were inside.” So there was no offering, if catechumens were inside. Next, having written everywhere that, while the presbyter was standing and celebrating, Macarius came in and overturned everything, they asked whom they pleased where Ischyras was when Macarius burst in. And they answered again that he was lying sick in a cell. So the man lying down was not standing, nor was he who lay sick in a cell offering. Moreover, when Ischyras said that books had been burned by Macarius, the suborned witnesses said that nothing of the kind had happened, but that Ischyras was lying. And, what is remarkable, having written again everywhere that those able to testify had been made away with by us, they questioned these very men, who appeared; and they were not ashamed, seeing themselves shown up as false accusers on every side—and that while doing these things by themselves as they wished. For they nodded to the witnesses, the prefect threatened, and the soldiers prodded them; but the Lord uncovered the truth and showed them to be false accusers. For this reason they hid the minutes, kept them themselves, and ordered those who wrote them to destroy them and give them to no one at all. But they failed in this too; for the man who wrote them is Rufus, who is now a speculator in the Augustalian office and can testify; and Eusebius and his party sent them to Rome by their own people, and Bishop Julius forwarded them to me. And they are furious now that we have obtained and read what they wished to hide.

### Translation notes

- The Augustalian office is that of the prefect of Egypt (praefectus Augustalis); a speculator was an officer of the court. OCR debris is removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 83 (PG 25:396c–397b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-83).

## Defence against the Arians 84

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-84
- Source: PG 25:397b–400a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius reveals the purpose of the plot: the same bishops went on to Jerusalem and received Arius into communion, as their synodal letter shows.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα συνθέντες, εὐθὺς καὶ τήν αἰτίαν διʼ ἣν ταῦτα ἔπραξαν ἐφανέρωσαν. Ἀπερχόμενοι γὰρ, ἀπήγαγον μεθʼ ’Δρειανοὺς εἷς τήν Ἰερουσαλὴμ, κάκεῖ τούτους εἰς κοινωνίαν ἐδέξαντο, γράψαντες ἐπιστολὴν περὶ αὐτῶν, ἧς ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ μέρος ἐστὶ τοῦτοʼ Ἡ ἉΓΙΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ ἡ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις Θεοῦ χάριτι συναχθεῖσα τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ τοῖς κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον, καὶ Θηβαΐδα, καὶ Λιβύην, καὶ Πεντάπολιν, καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπισκόποις καὶ πρε σβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Πᾶσι μὲν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνελθοῦσιν ἐξ ἐπαρχιῶν διαφόρων πρὸς τῇ μεγάλῃ πανηγύρει, ἦν ἐπί ἀφιερώσει τοῦ Σωτηρίου Μαρτυρίου σπουδῇ τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου τῷ πάντων βασιλεῖ Θεῷ καί τῷ Χριστῷ αὐτοῦ κατασκευασθέντος ἐπετελέσαμεν, πλείονα θυμηδίαν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις ἐνεποίησεν· αὐτός τε ὁ θεοφιλέστατος βασιλεὺς διὰ γραμμάτων οἰκείων, τοῦθʼ ὅπερ ἐχρῆν παρορμήσας, πάντα μὲν ἐξορίσας τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ φθόνον, καί πᾶσαν μακρὰν ἀπελάσας βασκανίαν, διʼ ες τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μέλη πρότερον διειστήκει, ἡπλωμένῃ δὲ καὶ εἰρηναίᾳ ψυχῇ δέξασθαι τούς περὶ ’Αρειον, οὓς πρός τινα καιρὸν ὁ μισόκαλος φθόνος ἔξω γενέσθαι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰργάσατο. ἐμαρτύρει δὲ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ὁ θεοφιλέστατος βασιλεὺς διὰ τῆς ἐπιπολῆς πίστεως ὁρθοτομίαν, ἢν παρʼ αὐτῶν πυθόμενος αὐτός τε διʼ ἑαυτοῦ παρὰ ζώσης φωνῆς αὐτῶν ἀκούσας ἀπεδέξατο, ἡμῖν τε φανερὰν κατεστήσατο, ὑποτάξας τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ γράμμασιν ἔγγραφον τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν ὀρθοδοξίαν.

### English translation (Claude)

Having arranged these and similar things, they immediately revealed the reason for which they had done them. For as they departed they took the Arians with them to Jerusalem, and there received them into communion, writing a letter about them, of which the beginning and a part is this: “The holy synod assembled at Jerusalem by the grace of God, to the church of God at Alexandria and to those throughout all Egypt, the Thebaid, Libya, and Pentapolis, and to the bishops, presbyters, and deacons throughout the world, greeting in the Lord. To all of us who had come together from various provinces for the great festival which we celebrated at the dedication of the Martyrium of the Savior, built by the zeal of the most God-loving emperor Constantine for God the King of all and for his Christ, the grace of God has given more abundant gladness. The most God-loving emperor himself by his own letter urged what was needful, banishing all envy from the Church of God and driving far away all malice, by which the members of God had previously been divided, so that we should receive with a simple and peaceful soul Arius and his companions, whom envy, the hater of good, had caused for a time to be outside the Church. And the most God-loving emperor bore witness in his letter to the soundness of the men’s faith, which he had ascertained from them and accepted, having heard them himself in person; and he made it plain to us, subjoining to his own letter the written statement of the men’s orthodoxy.”

### Translation notes

- The synod of Jerusalem (335) met at the dedication of Constantine’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre (the Martyrium). The synod’s description of Arius and his companions as orthodox is translated as written. The heading of the letter is garbled in the scan and reassembled by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 84 (PG 25:397b–400a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-84).

## Defence against the Arians 85

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-85
- Source: PG 25:400a–401b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius points out that Ischyras was rewarded with the title of bishop in a tiny village and an imperial order to build him a church, and quotes the order of the catholicus.

### Greek text

Τίς τούτων ἀκούων ού συνορᾷ τὴν συσκευήνς Ού γὰρ ἔκρυψαν ἃ ἔπραξαν ἢ τάχα καί μή βουλόμενοιτὴν ἀλήθειαν ὡμολόγησαν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἤμην ὁ κωλύων τοὺς περὶ ’Δρειον εἰσελθεῖν, κάμοῦ ωσκευήν παθόντος, ἐδέχθησαν τί ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἢ ὅτι ταῦτα διʼ ἐκείνους γέγονε, καὶ πάντα καθʼ ἡμῶν ἔπραξαν» καὶ πέπλασται ποτηρίου κλάσις, καὶ Ἀρσενίου φόνος, ’ἕνα μόνον τήν ἀσέβειαν εἷς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν εἰσαγάγωσι, καί μή ὡς αἱρετικοὶ καταγνωσθῶσιο τούτο γὰρ ἧν ’ὀ καὶ πρὸ τούτου γράφων ἐμοὶ βασιλεὺς ἠπείλησε. Καὶ οὐκ ᾐδέσθησαν τοιαῦτα γράφοντες καὶ λέγοντες τούτους ὀρθῶς φρονεῖν, οὓς πᾶσα οἰκουμενική σύνοδος ἀνεθε·λ.άτισεʼ καί οὐκ ἐφοβήθησαν τὴν τηλικαύτην σύνοδον ἐν γωνίᾳ λύοντες τὸ ὅσον ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς, οἱ πάντα λέγοντες καί πράττοντες εὐχερῶς. Καὶ ὁ μισθὸς δὲ τῆς συκοφαντίας ἔτι πλέον αὐτῶν τὴν πονηρίαν καὶ τὴν ἀσεβῆ πρόθεσιν δείκνυσιν Ὁ Μαρεώτης, καθὰ προεῖπον, χώρα τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ γέγονεν ἐπίσκοπος οὐδὲ χωρεπίσκοπος“ ἀλλὰ τῷ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπισκόπῳ αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι πάσης τῆς χώρας ὑπόκεινται. Ἕκαστος δὲ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἔχει γτὰ-ς ἰδίας κώμας μεγίστας, καὶ ἀριθμῷ δέκα που καί πλέονας. Ἡ δὲ κώμη, ἔνθα οἰκεῖ ὁ ’[σχύρας, βραχυτάτη καὶ ὀλίγων ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶν, οὕτως ὡς μηδὲ την ἐκκλησίαν ἐκεῖ γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῇ πλησίον κώμῃζΚαὶ ὅμως τὸν μηδὲ πρεσβύτερον ἐν τῇ,τοιαύτῃ κώμῃ παρὰ τήν παλαιὰν παράδοσιν ἔδοξαν δῆθεν ὀνομάζειν ἐπίσκοπον, εἰδότες μὲν καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰ ἄτοπον, ἀναγκαζόμενοι δὲ ὅμως διὰ τήν τῆς συκοφαντίας ὑπόσχεσιν, ὑπέμειναν καὶ τοῦτο, ’ἱνα μὴ ἀγνωμονηθεῖςιὸ παμπόνηρος ἐκεῖνος ἐξείκῃ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ δείξῃ τὴν πονηρίαν τῶν περὶ Εύσέβιον, Ἀμέλει οὔτε ἐκκλησίαν, οὕτε λαοὺς πειθομένους ἔχει, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρά πάντων, ὡς κύων διώκεται· καὶ ὅμως πεποιήκασι καὶ βασιλέα γράψαι τῷ καθολικῷ (πάντα γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἔξεστιν), ἐκκλησίαν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι, ἵνα, ταύτην ἔχων, ἀξιόπιστος φαίνηται περὶ ποτηρίου καὶ τραπέζης λέγων. Καὶ γὰρ εὐθὺς πεποιήκασιν αὐτὸν ὀνομασθῆναι καὶ ἐπίσκοπον, ἐπειδὴ, μὴ ἔχων ἐκκλησίαν, μηδὲ πρεσβύτερος ὅλως ὢν, ἐδείκνυτο συκοφάντης, καὶ πάντα πλαττόμενος, ’Δμέλει μὴ ἔχων λαοὺς, μηδὲ τούς ἰδίους πειθομένους αύτῷ, ὥσπερ κενὸν τὸ ὄνομα, οὕτως καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἄφρακτον κατέχει, ἔλεγχον τῆς παμπονήρου προαιρέσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν περί Εύσέβιον ἐπιδεικνύμενος ταύτην. ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΘΟΛΙΚΟΥ. Φλαυϊος Ἡμέριος ἐξάκτορι Μαρεώτου χαίρειν. Ἰσχύρα τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου δεηθέντος τῆς εὐσεβείας τῶν δεσποτῶν ἡμῶν σεβαστῶν καὶ Καισάρων ἐν τό· πῳ Εἰρήνης Σεκονταρούρου ἀνοικοδομηθῆναι ἐκκλησίαν, προσέταξεν ἡ θειότης αὐτῶν ᾖ τάχος τοῦτο πραχθῆναι. Φρόντισον τοίνυν προστυχών καὶ τῷ ἀντιτύπῳ τοῦ θείου γράμματος, ὃ μετά τοῦ οἰκείου σεβάσματος προτέτακται, καί τοῖς πραχθεῖσιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς καθοσιώσεως ὑπομνήμασιν, ἐν τάχει τήν σύνοψιν ποιησάμενος, εἷς τὴν τάξιν ἀνενεγκεῖν, ’ίνα τὰ θειωδῶς προσταχθέντα ἐπὶ πέρας ἀχθῆναι δυνηθῇ.

### English translation (Claude)

Who, hearing this, does not perceive the plot? For they did not hide what they did; or perhaps they confessed the truth even against their will. For if I was the one preventing Arius and his party from entering, and when I had been plotted against they were received, what else does this mean than that these things happened for their sake, that they did everything against us, and that the breaking of a cup and the murder of Arsenius were invented only so that they might bring impiety into the Church and not be condemned as heretics? For this was what the emperor had threatened when he wrote to me before. And they were not ashamed to write such things and to say that those men hold correct views whom a whole ecumenical synod anathematized; nor were they afraid to undo, as far as lay in them, so great a synod in a corner—these men who say and do everything lightly. And the wage of the false accusation shows their wickedness and impious purpose still more. The Mareotis, as I said before, is a country district of Alexandria; there has never been a bishop in the district, nor even a chorepiscopus, but the churches of the whole district are subject to the bishop of Alexandria. Each of the presbyters has his own villages, very large ones, about ten or more in number. But the village where Ischyras lives is very small and has few people, so that there has not even been a church there, but only in the neighboring village. And yet, contrary to the ancient tradition, they decided to name as bishop, forsooth, in such a village a man who was not even a presbyter. They knew the absurdity well themselves; but, compelled by the promise made for the false accusation, they submitted to this too, lest that utterly wicked man, if treated ungratefully, should give way to the truth and expose the wickedness of Eusebius and his party. Indeed, he has neither church nor people obeying him, but is driven away by all like a dog; and yet they caused even the emperor to write to the catholicus (for they can do anything) that a church should be built for him, so that, having it, he might appear credible when speaking about the cup and the table. And they immediately had him named a bishop too, since, having no church and not being a presbyter at all, he was shown to be a false accuser who invented everything. Indeed, having no people, and not even his own family obeying him, he holds the letter unused, like his empty title, displaying it as a proof of his utterly wicked purpose and that of Eusebius and his party. Letter of the catholicus: “Flavius Hemerius to the exactor of the Mareotis, greeting. Since Ischyras the presbyter has petitioned the piety of our lords the Augusti and Caesars that a church be built in the place called Irene of Secontarurus, their divinity has commanded that this be done as quickly as possible. Take care, then, having read the copy of the divine letter, which is placed before this with due reverence, and the minutes drawn up before my devotion, to make the summary quickly and report it to the office, so that what has been divinely commanded may be carried to completion.”

### Translation notes

- The catholicus was the imperial financial officer of Egypt; the exactor was a local tax official. “Irene of Secontarurus” is apparently the name of a place (a small estate) in the Mareotis; uncertain. Two transposed half-lines in the scan are restored to their order by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 85 (PG 25:400a–401b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-85).

## Defence against the Arians 86

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-86
- Source: PG 25:401b–405a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Constantine summons the bishops of Tyre to Constantinople after Athanasius met him on the road and asked for a hearing in their presence.

### Greek text

Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἐτύρευον, καὶτὰς συσκευάς ἔπλαττον· ἡμεῖς δέ ἀνελθόντες ἐδείξαμεν βασιλεῖ τὰς ἀδικίας τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτός ἦν ὁ τήν σύνοδον γενέσθαι κελεύσας, καὶ κόμης αύτοῦ καθηγεῖτο ταύτης. Ἐκεῖνος τοίνυν ἀκούσας καὶ κινηθεὶς, ἔγραψε ταῦτα· ΝΙΚΗΤΗΣ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ Μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς. τοῖς. ἐν Τύρῳ συνελθοῦσιν ἐπισκόποις. Ἐγὼ μὲν ἀγνοῶ τίνα ἐστί τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας συνόδου μετά θορύβου καὶ χειμῶνος κριθέντα· δοκεῖ δέ πως ὑπό τινος ἀταξίας ταραχώδους ἡ ἀλήθεια διεστράφθαι, ὑμῶν δηλαδὴ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς πλησίον ἐρεσχελίαν, ἢν ἀήττητον εἶναι βούλεσθε, τὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἀρέσκοντα μὴ συνορώντων. Ἀλλʼ ἔσται τῆς θείας προνοίας ἔργον καὶ τὰ τῆς φιλονεικίας ταύτης κακά (ρανερᾶις ἁλόντα διασκεδάσαι, καὶ ἡμῖν διαρρήδην ἐπιδεῖξαι, εἴ τινα τῆς ἀληθείας αὐτόθι συνελθόντες ἐποιήσασθε φροντίδα, καὶ εἰ τὰ κεκριμένα χωρίς τινος χάριτος καὶ ἀπεχθείας ἐκρίνατε. Τοιγαροῷν ἡπειγμένως πάντας ὑμᾶς πρός τὴν ἐμήν συνελθεῖν εὐσέβειαν βούλομαι,“ίνα τήν τῶν πεπραγμένων ὑμῖν ἀκρίβειαν διʼ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν παραστήσητε. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ταῦτα γράψαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐδικαίωσα, καὶ ὑμᾶς πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν διὰ τοῦ γράμματος καλῶ, ἐκ τῶν ἑπομένων γνώσεσθε. Ἐπιβαίνοντί μοι λοιπὸν τῆς ἐπωνύμου ἡμῶν καὶ πανευδαίμονος πατρίδος τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως (συνέβαινε δὲ τηνικαῦτα ἐφʼ ’ίππου ὀχεῖσθαι), ἐξαίφνης Ἀθανάσιος 6 ἐπίσκοπος ἐν μέσῃ τῇ λεωφόρῳ μετὰ ἑτέρων τινῶν, οὓς περὶ αὑτὸν εἶχεν, ἀπροσδόκητος οὕτως προσῆλθεν, ὡς καὶ παρέχειν ἐκπλήξεως ἀφορμήν. Μαρτυρεῖ μοι γὰρ 6 πάντων ἔφορος Θεὸς,ὡς οὐδὲ ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτὸν, ὅστις ἦν, παρὰ τήν πρώτην ὄψιν ἠδυνήθην, εἷʼ μὴ τῶν ἡμετέρων τινες, καὶ ὅστις ἦν καὶ τὴ ἀδικίαν ἢν πέπονθε, διηγήσασθαι πυνθανομένοις, ὥσπερ εἰκὸς, ἀπήγγειλαν ἡμῖν. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὔτε διηλέχθην αὐτῷ κατʼ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ, οὔτε ὁμιλίας ἐκοινώνησα. Ὦς δὲ ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἀκούσθῆναι ἠξίου, ἐγὼ δὲ παρῃτούμην, καὶ μικροῦ δεῖν ἀπελαύνεσθαι αὐτὸν ἐκέλευον, μετά πλείονος παρρησίας οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἑαυτῷ παρʼ ἡμῶν ἢ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἄφιξιν ἠξίωσεν ὑπάρξαι, ἵνα, ὑμῶν παρόντων, ἃ πέπονθεν ἀναγκαίως, ἀποδύρασθαι δυνηθῇ. Ὅπερ ἐπειδὴ εὔλογον εἶναι μοι καὶ τοῖς καιροῖς πρέπον κατεφαίνετο, ἀσμένως ταῦτα γραφῆναι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔταξα, ’ίνα πάντες ὅσοι τὴν σύνοδον τήν ἐν Τύρῳ γενομένην ἀν·επληρώσατε,άνυπερθέτως εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον τῆς ἐμῆς ἡμερότητος ἐπειχθῆτε, τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῖς ἐπιδείξοντες τὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας κρίσεως καθαρόν τε καί ἀδιάστροφον· ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ δηλαδὴ, ’ὀν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι γνήσιον θεράποντα οὐδʼ ἃν ὑμεῖς ἀρνηθείητε. Τοιγαροῦν διά τῆς ἐμῆς πρὸς Θεὸν λατρείας τὰ πανταχοῦ εἰρηνεύεται, καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων αὐτῶν τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὄνομα γνησίως εὐλογοὺμενον, οἳ μέχρι νῦν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἠγνόουν δῆλον δῖε, ὅτι 6 τήν ἀλήθειαν ἀγνοῶν οὐδὲ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιγινώσκει. Πλὴν ὅμως, καθά προείρηται, καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι νῦν, διʼ ἐμὶ τὸν Θεοῦ θεράνποντα γνήσιον, ἐπέγνωσαν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εὐλαβεῖσθαι μεμάθηκαν, ὃν ὑπερασπίζειν μου πανταχοῦ καί προνοεῖσθαι τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῖς ᾔσθοντοο ὅθεν μάλιστα καὶ ἴσασι τὸν Θεόν· ὃν ἐκεῖνοι μὲν διὰ τὸν πρὸς ἡμᾶς φόβον εὐλαβοῦνται, ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ τὰ ἅγια μυστήρια τῆς εὐμενείας αὐτοῦ δοκοῦντες προβάλλεσθαι (οὐ γάρ ἂν εἴποιμι φυλάττειν), ἡμεῖς, φημί,οῦδὲν πράττομεν ἢ τὰ πρὸς διχόνοιαν καὶ μῖσος συντείνοντα, καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, τά πρὸς ὄλεθρον τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους ἔχοντα τὴν ἀναφοράν. Ἀλλʼ ἐπείχθητε, καθά προείρηται, πρὸς ἡμᾶς σπουδάσατε πάντες ᾗ τάχος, πεπεισμένοι, ὡς παντὶ σθένει κατορθῶσαι πειράσομαι, ὅπως ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Θεοῦ ταῦτα ἐξαιρέτως παρέχουσιν.

### English translation (Claude)

They, then, were concocting and fabricating plots in this way; but we went up and showed the emperor the injustices of Eusebius and his party, since it was he who had ordered the synod to be held, and his count who presided over it. On hearing this he was moved, and wrote as follows: “Constantine Victor Maximus Augustus to the bishops assembled at Tyre. I do not know what was decided by your synod amid tumult and storm; but it seems that the truth has been somehow perverted by a certain turbulent disorder, since you, through quarrelsomeness toward your neighbors, which you wish to be unconquerable, do not perceive what is pleasing to God. But it will be the work of divine providence to scatter the evils of this contentiousness, plainly convicted, and to show us clearly whether you who assembled there took any care for the truth, and whether you decided what you decided without favor or enmity. Therefore I wish all of you to come with haste to my piety, so that you may present in your own persons an exact account of what you have done. Why I have thought it right to write this to you and summon you to me by letter you will learn from what follows. As I was entering our eponymous and all-blessed homeland of Constantinople (I happened at that time to be riding on horseback), suddenly Athanasius the bishop, in the middle of the highway, with certain others whom he had with him, approached so unexpectedly as to give cause for astonishment. For God, the overseer of all, is my witness that at first sight I could not even recognize who he was, until some of our people, when we asked, as was natural, told us who he was and the injustice he had suffered. I did not converse with him at that time, nor share in any talk. But when he asked to be heard, and I refused and all but ordered him to be driven away, he asked with greater boldness for nothing else from us than that your arrival should be granted, so that in your presence he might lament what he had been compelled to suffer. Since this seemed to me reasonable and fitting to the times, I gladly ordered this to be written to you, so that all of you who made up the synod held at Tyre may hasten without delay to the camp of my clemency, to show by the facts themselves the purity and integrity of your judgment—before me, of course, whom not even you would deny to be a genuine servant of God. For through my worship of God everything everywhere is at peace, and the name of God is genuinely blessed even by the barbarians, who until now were ignorant of the truth; and it is plain that he who is ignorant of the truth does not know God either. Nevertheless, as was said, even the barbarians now, through me, the genuine servant of God, have come to know God and have learned to revere him, whom they have perceived by the very deeds to shield me everywhere and provide for me; and so they know God above all, whom they revere through fear of us. But we, who are supposed to set forth (for I would not say guard) the holy mysteries of his kindness—we, I say, do nothing but what tends to discord and hatred, and, in a word, what leads to the destruction of the human race. But hasten, as was said; all of you be quick to come to us as soon as possible, convinced that I will try with all my strength to set right, so that in the law of God … especially …”

### Translation notes

- Constantine’s letter of late 335. The end of the letter is garbled in the scan and partly lost (“…”). A line of OCR debris is removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 86 (PG 25:401b–405a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-86).

## Defence against the Arians 87

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-87
- Source: PG 25:405a–408a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius tells how the Eusebians had him exiled to Gaul on the charge of threatening the grain supply, and quotes Constantine II’s letter restoring him after his father’s death.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα μαθόντες οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον, καί εἰδότεέ ἂ πεποιήκασι, τοὺς μὲν άλλους ἐπισκόπους ἐκώλυσαν ἀνελθεῖν, αὐτοὶ δὲ μόνοι, Εὐσέβιος, Θεόγνιος, Πατρόφιλος, ἕτερος Εὐσέβιος, καὶ Οὖρσάκιος, καὶ Οὐάλης ἀνελθόντες, οὐκέτι περῖ ποτηρίου καὶ Ἀρσενίου ἔλεγον· παρρησίαν γὰρ οὐκ εἶχον· ἄλλην δὲ πλάσαντες κατηγορίαν τὴν εἰς βασιλέα φθάνουσαν, εἰρήκασιν αὐτῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὅτι ἠπείλησεν Ἀθανάσιος κωλύσειν τὸν σῖτον τὸν εἷς τήν πατρίδα σου πεμπόμενον ἀπὸ ’Δλεξανδρείας. Καὶ τοῦτο παρόντες μὲν Ἀδαμάντιος, καὶ Ἀνουβίων, Ἀγαθάμμων, Ἀρβεθίων, Πέτρος, οἱ ἐπίσκοποι,ἤκουσαν· ἔδειξε δὲ καὶ ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ βασιλέως. Ὀ γὰρ τοιαῦτα γράψας, καὶ καταγινώσκων τῆς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν, ὡςἤκουσε τὴν τοιαύτην διαβολὴν, εὐθὺς ἐπυρώθη, καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς ἀκροάσεως εἷς τὰς Γαλλίας ἡμᾶς ἀπέστειλεν. Ἀλλά καὶ τοῦτο μᾶλλον αὐτῶν δείκνυσι τήν πονηρίανο 6 γαρ μακαρίτης Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ νεώτερος, ἀποστέλλω ἡμᾶς εἷς τὴν πατρίδα, καὶ μεμνημένος, ὧν ἔγραψεν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, ἔγραψε καὶ αυτὸς ταῦτα· ΚΩΝΣΤΔΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ Τῷ λαῷ τῆς καθολικῆςᾼ Ἐκκλησίας πόλεως Ἀλεξανδρείας. Οὐδὲ τήν τῆς ὑμετέρας ἱερᾶς ἐννοίας ἀποπεφευγέναι γνῶσιν οἶμαι, διὰ τοῦτο Ἀθανάσιον τὸν τοῦ προσκυνητοῦ νόμου ὑποφήτην πρὸς καιρὸν εἰς τάς Γαλλίας ἀπεστάλθαι, ἵνʼ, ἐπειδή ἡ ἀγριότης τῶν αἱμοβὀρων αὐτοῦ καὶ πολεμίων ἐχθρῶν εἷς κίνδυνον τῆς ἱερᾶς αὐτοῦ κεφαλῆς ἐπέμεινε, μὴ ἄρα διὰ τῆς τῶν φαύλων διαστροφῆς ἀνήκεστα ὐποστῇ. Πρὸς τδ διαπαῖξαι τοίνυν ταύτην, ἀφαιρεθείς τῶν φαρυγγων τῶν ἐπικειμένων αὐτῴ ἀνδρῶν, ὑπʼ ἐμοὶ διάγειν κεκέλευσται, οὕτως ὡς έν ταύτῃ τῇ πόλει, ἐν διέτριβε, πάσι τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις έμπλεονάζειν ο εἰ καὶ τά μάλιστα αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀοίδιμος ἀρετὴ, ταῖς θείαις πεποιθυῖα βοηθείαις, καὶ τὰ τῆς τραχυτέρας τύχης ἄχθη έξουθενεῐ. Τοιγαροῦν εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα πρὸς τὴν προσφιλεστάτην ὑμῶν θεοσέβειαν ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Σεβαστός, 6 ἐμὸς πατὴρ, τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπίσκοπον τῷ ἰδίῳ τόπῳ παρασχεῖν προήρητο, ὅμως, ἐπειδὴ, ἀνθρωπίνῳ κλήρῳ προληφθεὶς, πρὸ τοῦ τὴν εὐχὴν πληρῶσαι ἀνεπαύσατο, ἀκόλουθον ἡγησάμην τήν προαίρεσιν τοῦ τῆς θείας μνήμης βασιλέως διαδεξάμενος πληρῶσαι. Ὅστις ἐπειδὰν τῆς ὑμετέρας τύχοι προσόψεως, ὅσης αἰδοῦς τετύχηκε, γνώσεσθε. Οὐ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν εἷʼ τι δʼ ἂν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πεποίηκα · καὶ γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχὴν τε τοῦ ὑμετέρου πόθου εἰκὼν καὶ τὸ τοῦ τηλικούτου ἀνδρὸς· σχῆμα είς τοῦτο ἐκίνει καὶ προ-

### English translation (Claude)

When Eusebius and his party learned this, knowing what they had done, they prevented the other bishops from going up; and they alone—Eusebius, Theognius, Patrophilus, the other Eusebius, Ursacius, and Valens—went up, and no longer spoke about the cup and Arsenius, for they had no confidence; but inventing another accusation that touched the emperor, they said to the emperor himself that Athanasius had threatened to stop the grain sent from Alexandria to your native city. This the bishops Adamantius, Anubion, Agathammon, Arbethion, and Peter heard, being present; and the emperor’s anger showed it too. For he who had written such things and condemned their injustice, when he heard such a slander, was at once inflamed, and instead of a hearing sent us to the Gauls. But this too shows their wickedness all the more. For Constantine the younger, of blessed memory, sending us back to our homeland, and mindful of what his father had written, himself wrote as follows: “Constantine Caesar to the people of the catholic Church of the city of Alexandria. I think it has not escaped the knowledge of your holy mind that Athanasius, the interpreter of the venerable law, was sent to the Gauls for a time for this reason: since the savagery of his bloodthirsty and hostile enemies persisted to the danger of his sacred head, lest through the perversity of wicked men he should suffer irreparable harm. To frustrate this, then, he was snatched from the jaws of the men pressing upon him and ordered to live under my care, so that in this city where he stayed he has had abundance of all necessities—although his celebrated virtue, trusting in divine help, makes light even of the burdens of harsher fortune. Therefore, although our lord Constantine Augustus, my father, intended to restore this bishop to his own place for your most beloved piety, nevertheless, since he was overtaken by the lot of men and was laid to rest before fulfilling his wish, I thought it fitting, as his successor, to fulfill the intention of the emperor of divine memory. When he comes into your presence, you will know how much respect he has received. For it is no wonder if I have done anything for him; for both the image of your longing and the bearing of so great a man moved my soul to this and …

### Translation notes

- “The other Eusebius” is Eusebius of Caesarea. “Your native city” (Constantinople) slips into the words spoken to the emperor. The letter of Constantine II is dated at Trier, June 337; its end is lost in the scan (“…”).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 87 (PG 25:405a–408a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-87).

## Defence against the Arians 88

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-88
- Source: PG 25:408a–408c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius concludes that his exile to Gaul was a protective measure and that the bishops’ verdicts and the recantation of Valens and Ursacius were just.

### Greek text

Ταύτης τῆς αἰτίας οὔσης, διʼ ἢν ἀπεστάλημεν εἷς τὰς Γαλλίας, τίς πάλιν οὑ συνορᾷ τὴν μὲν τοῦ βασιλέως προαίρεσιν, τὴν δὲ τῶν περί Εὐσέβιον φονικὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο πεποίηκε βασιλεύς, ’ίνα μὴ τινα μείζονα σκευὴν βουλεύσωνται; Ἐπτςκουσε γὰρ ἁπλῶς- Αὕτη τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἡ πρᾶξις, αὕτη τῆς καθʼ ἡμῶν συσκευῆς ἡ μηχανή. Τίς ταῦτα συνορῶν οὐκ ἂν εἷίποι μηδὲν κατὰ χάριν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλʼ ὅτι δικαίως καὶ ἀκολούθως τὸ τοσοῦτον πλῆθος τῶν ἐπισκόπων καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ κοινῇ τοιαῦτα μὲν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἔγραψε, τῆς δὲ συκοφαντίας τῶν ἐχθρῶν κατέγνωσαν ; Τίς τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ τοσαῦτα θεωρήσας οὐκ ἂν εʼίποι, ὅτι καὶ Οὐάλης καὶ Οὖρσάκιος εἰκότως κατέγνωσαν ἑαυτῶν, καὶ μεταγινώσκοντες τοιαῦτα καθʼ ἑαυτῶν ἔγραψαν, μᾶλλον ἑλόμενοι πρὸς ὀλίγον αἰσχυνθῆναι, ἢ αἷωνίως τὴν τῶν συκοφαντῶν ὑπομεῖναι τιμωρίαν;

### English translation (Claude)

This being the reason for which we were sent to the Gauls, who again does not perceive both the emperor’s purpose and the murderous spirit of Eusebius and his party, and that the emperor did this so that they might not devise some greater plot? For he had simply listened to them. Such is the conduct of Eusebius and his party; such the machinery of their plot against us. Who, seeing this, would not say that nothing was done for us as a favor, but that so great a number of bishops, both individually and together, justly and consistently wrote such things on our behalf and condemned the false accusation of our enemies? Who, seeing such and so many things, would not say that Valens and Ursacius too rightly condemned themselves, and in repentance wrote such things against themselves, choosing rather to be ashamed for a short time than to suffer forever the punishment of false accusers?

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 88 (PG 25:408a–408c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-88).

## Defence against the Arians 89

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-89
- Source: PG 25:408d–409b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius points to the exile of many bishops, including Liberius and Hosius, as proof that they upheld the judgments in his favor, explaining that both later yielded only under compulsion.

### Greek text

Διὰ τουτο γὰρ δικαίως καὶ ἐκκλησιαστικῶς ποιοῦντες καὶ οἳ μακάριοι συλλειτουργοὶ ἡ μῶν, ἐπειδή τινες ἀμφίβολα τὰ καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἔλεγον, καὶ ἀκυροῦν ἐβιάζοντο τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κριθέντα, πάντα παθεῖν ὑπέμειναν νῦν, καῖ ἐξορισθῆναι εἵλοντο, ἢ λυομένας ἰδεῖν τας τοσούτων ἐπισκόπων κρίσεις. Ei μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοὺς βουλευσαμένους καθʼ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐθελήσαντας ἀνατρέψαι τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἄχρι λόγων ἦσαν ἐνστάντες o't ἀληθῶς ἐπίσκοποι, ἢ τυχόντες ἦσαν ἄνδρες, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐπισήμων πόλεων, καὶ κεφαλαὶ τοσούτων Ἐκκλησιῶν · ἦν ἂν ὑποπτεύειν μη ἄρα κεχαρισμένα πάλιν ποιοῦντες ἐφιλονείκησαν καὶ νῦν αὐτοί ὅτε δὲ καὶ λογισμοῖς ἔπειθον καὶ ἐξ· ορισμὸν ὑπέμειναν, καὶ Λιβέριός ἐστιν ὁ τῆς Ῥώμης ἐπίσκοποςο εἰ γὰρ καὶ εἰς τέλος οὐχ ὑπέμεινε τοῦ ἐξορισμοῦ τήν θλίψιν, ὅμως διετίαν ἔμεινεν ἐν τῇ μετοικίᾳ, γινώσκων τὴν καθʼ ἡμῶν συσδιιευήν καὶ ἐπειδὴ καὶ ’Ὀσιος ὁ μέγας ἐστὶ, καὶ οἱ τῆς Ἰταλίας, καὶ οἱ τῶν Γαλλιῶν, καὶ ἄλλοι ἀπὸ Σπανιῶν, καί ἀπʼ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ Λιβύης, καὶ οἱ τῆς Ιῐενταπόλεως πάντεςο εἰ γὰρ καὶ,πρὸς ὀλίγον φοβηθεὶς τὰς ἀπειλας Κωνσταντίου, ἔδοξεν ἐκείνοις μὴ ἀντιλέγειν, ἀλλʼ πολλή βία καὶ τυραννικὴ ἐξουσία Κωνσταντίου, καῖ αἱ πλεῖσται ὕβρεις καὶ πληγαὶ δεικνῦσιν, ὅτι μὴ καταγνοὺς ήμῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ την ἀσθένειαν τοῦ γήρως ού φέρων τὰς πληγὰς, πρὸς καιρὸν εἶξεν αύτοῖςʼ δίκαιόν ἐστι πλέον πάντας, ὡς πληροφορηθέντας, μισεῖν καὶ ἀποστρέφεσθαι την ἀδικίαν, καὶ τήν βίαν τήν καθʼ ἡμῶν γενομένην· διὰ τὸ μάλιστα διʼ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ διὰ τὴν Ἀριιανην ἀσέβειαν συνέστηκεν ἡμᾶς ταῦτα πεπονθέναι.

### English translation (Claude)

For this reason our blessed fellow ministers too, acting justly and ecclesiastically, when some said that our case was doubtful and tried by force to annul what had been decided on our behalf, have now endured to suffer everything, and have chosen to be exiled rather than see the judgments of so many bishops undone. Now if the true bishops had opposed only in words those who plotted against us and wished to overturn what had been done for us, or if they were ordinary men and not of renowned cities and heads of so many churches, one might suspect that in this too they had contended in order to do us a favor. But they both persuaded by reasoning and endured exile; and Liberius, the bishop of Rome, is among them—for even though he did not endure the affliction of exile to the end, yet he remained two years in banishment, knowing the plot against us; and the great Hosius is among them, and the bishops of Italy and of the Gauls, and others from the Spains, from Egypt and Libya, and all those of Pentapolis—for even though he, fearing the threats of Constantius for a little while, seemed not to oppose them, yet the great violence and tyrannical power of Constantius, and the very many insults and blows, show that it was not because he condemned us, but because through the weakness of old age he could not bear the blows, that he yielded to them for a time. It is right, then, for all the more, as fully informed, to hate and turn away from the injustice and violence done against us, especially since it is evident that we suffered these things for no other reason than the Arian impiety.

### Translation notes

- This chapter and the next were added after 357: Liberius of Rome, exiled in 355, returned in 357 after making concessions, and Hosius of Cordova, nearly a hundred years old, signed the Second Creed of Sirmium (357) under duress. Athanasius’s account of their yielding is translated as written.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 89 (PG 25:408d–409b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-89).

## Defence against the Arians 90

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-90
- Source: PG 25:409b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-09

Summary: Athanasius closes by commending the testimony of so many bishops, and the sufferings of Liberius and Hosius, as a lasting witness against the Arian heresy.

### Greek text

Ei’ τις τοίνυν βούλεται τά τε καθʼ ἡμᾶς μαθεῖν καί τήν περί Εὐσέβιον συκοφαντίαν, ἐντυγχανέτω τοῖς γραφεῖσιν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, καὶ μάρτυρας ἐχέτω, οὐχ ἕνα, ἢ δύο, ἦ τρεῖς, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον πλῆθος ἐπισκόπωνο καὶ τούτων μάρτυρας πάλιν λαμβανέτω τοὺς περὶ Λιβέριον καί Ὅσιον, καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς, θʼίτινες, ὁρῶντες τὰ καθʼ ἡμῶν γενόμενα, πάντα παθεῖν ὑπέμειναν, προδοῦναι την ἀλήθειαν καὶ την ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κρίσιν· τοῦτο δέ καλῶς καὶ ὁσίως βουλευόμενοι πεποιήκασιν ἃ γὰρ οὗτοι πεπόνθασι, δείκνυσι μὲν τήν ἀνάγκην, ἣν καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἐπίσκοποι πεπόνθασιν. Ἔστι δὲ ὑπομνήματα μὲν καὶ στηλογραφία κατὰ τῆς Ἀρειανῆς αἱρέσεως καὶ τῆς πονηρίας τῶν συκοφαντῶν, ὑπογραμμὸς δὲ καὶ τύπος τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα γιγνομένοις, ἀγωνίζεσθαι μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας μέχρι θανάτου, ἀποστρέφεσθαι δὲ τὴν Ἀρειανην αʼίρεσιν, Χριστομάχον οὖσαν, καὶ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου πρόδρομον, μὴ πιστεύειν δὲ τοῖς καθʼ ἡμῶν ἐπιχειροῦσι λέγειν. Ἀξιόπιστος γὰρ καὶ ἱκανὴ μαρτυρία τῶν τοιούτων καὶ τοσούτων ἐπισκόπων ἡ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπολογία καὶ ψῆφος.

### English translation (Claude)

If anyone, then, wishes to learn the facts about us and the false accusation of Eusebius and his party, let him read what was written on our behalf, and let him have as witnesses not one, or two, or three, but so great a multitude of bishops; and again let him take as witnesses of these Liberius and Hosius and those with them, who, seeing what was done against us, endured to suffer everything rather than betray the truth and the judgment given on our behalf. This they did with good and holy counsel; for what they suffered shows the constraint which the other bishops too have suffered. It is a record and a monument against the Arian heresy and the wickedness of the false accusers, and a pattern and model for those who come after: to contend for the truth unto death, to turn away from the Arian heresy, which fights against Christ and is the forerunner of Antichrist, and not to believe those who attempt to speak against us. For the defense and vote on our behalf of such and so many bishops is a trustworthy and sufficient testimony.

### Scripture references

- Deut 19:15: echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- “Not one, or two, or three” recalls Deut 19:15.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Apol. sec. 90 (PG 25:409b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-apologia-arianos/83/#p-90).