# To the Bishops of Egypt and Libya

- Author: [Athanasius of Alexandria](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/athanasius/)
- Latin title: *Epistula ad episcopos Aegypti et Libyae*
- Date: ca. 356 (approximate)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 25 (Paris: Migne, 1857), Epistula ad episcopos Aegypti et Libyae (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-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/
- Passages: 18

## To the Bishops of Egypt 1

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-1
- Source: PG 25:537a–540d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius opens by recalling that Christ foretold false prophets and gave believers the gift of discernment, because the devil disguises himself as the truth.

### Greek text

Πάντα μὶν ὅσα 6 Κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτήρ Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ὡς ἔγραψεν ὁ Λουκᾶς, πεποίηκέ τε καὶ ἒδίδαξεν, εἷς τὴν ἡμετέραν φανεὶς σωτηρίαν διεπράξατο. ἦλε γὰρ, ὡς 6 Ἰωάννης φησὶν, οὔχ ’ίνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλʼ ’ίνα σωθῇ 6 κόσμος διʼ αὐτοῦ. Ἐστι δὲ μετὰ πάντων καὶ τοῦτο θαυμάσαι τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ, ὅτι καὶ περὶ τῶν πρὸς ἡμᾶς μαχομένων οὐ παρεσιώπησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μάλα προείρηκεν, ἵνα, ἐπειδὰν ἐκεῖνα παραγένηται, εὐθέως εὑρεθῶμεν ἠσφαλισμένην ἔχοντες τὴν διάνοιαν ἐκ τῆς ὶκείνου διδασκαλίας, λέγοντος. Ἐγερθήσονται ψευδοπροφῆται καὶ ψευδόχριστοι, καὶ δώσουσι σημεῖαμεγάλα καὶ τέρατα, ὥστε πλανᾶσθαι, εἱ δυνατὸν, καὶ τοὺς ἐκλεπτούςο ἰδοὺ προείρηκα ὑμῖν. Τὰ μὶν γὰρ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀποτεθέντα μαθήματά τε καὶ χαρίσματα παρʼ αὐτοῦ πολλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἅνθρωπόν ἐστινʼ οὐρανίου γάρ πολιτείας τύπος, καί δύναμις κατὰ δαιμόνων, υἱοποίησίς τε καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν χάρισμα καὶ ἐξαίρετον, ἡ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς γνῶσις καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Λόγου,καὶ δωρεὰ Πνεύματος ἁγίου. Ἠ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διάνοια ἐπιμελῶς ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ ἔγκειται* καὶ μὴν 6 ἀντίδικοςἡμῶν διάβο λος,φθονῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς τοσούτοις ἡμῖν ἀγαθοῖς γενομενοις, περιέρχεται ζητῶν ἁρπάσαι τὰ εἰς ἡμᾶς τοῦ Λόγου σπέρματα. Διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν, ὥσπερ ἴδια κειμήλια τὰ μαθήματα σφραγίζων ἰν ἡμῖν διὰ τῆς προρρήσεως, ἔλεγεν 6 Κύριος· Βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, λέγοντεςʼ Ἐγὼ εἶμι· καὶ 6 καιρὸς ἤγγικε, καὶ πολλοὺς πλανήσουσι μή οὖν πορευθῆτε ὀπίσω αὐτῶν. Μέγα τι χάρισμα δέδωκεν ἡμῖν 6 Λόγος, ὥστε μὴ ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων ἀπατᾶσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον, κᾶν ταῦτα κεκαλυμμένα τυγχάνῃ, διακρίνειν τῇ τοῦ [Ιτεύματος χάριτι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὅλος ἐστὶ μισητὸς 6 τῆς κακίας εὑρετὴς καί μέγας δαίμων 6 διάβολος, μόνον τε φαινόμενος βάλλεται παρὰ πάντων, ὡς ὄφις, ὡς δράκων, ὡς λὲων ζητῶν τινας ἁρπάσαι καὶ καταπιεῖν ο διὰ τοῦτο ὃ μὲν ἔστιν αὐτὸς, ὑποκρύπτει καὶ σκέπει, τὸ δὲ παρὰ πάντων ποθούμενον ὄνομα ὑποκρίνεται πανούργως , ἵνα, ἀπατήσας τῇ φαντασίᾳ, λοιπὸν τοὺς πλανηθὲντας τοῖς ἰδίοις περιπείρῃ δεσμοῖς. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἂν εἷʼ τις, ἀνδραποδίσασθαι θέλων ἀλλοτρίους παῖδας, ἀποδημούντων τῶν γονέων, ὑποκρίνηται τὰς ἐκείνων ὄψεις, καὶ ποθοῦντας τοὺς υἱοὺς ἀπατήσῃ, καὶ λοιπὸν ἀπαγαγὼν αὐτοὺς μακρὰν, ἀπολέσῃο τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ 6 κακοδαίμων καὶ σκολιὰς διάβολος, οὐκ ἔχων μὲν αὐτὸς παρρησίαν, εἰδὼς δὲ τὸν εἷς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔρωτα τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὑποκρίνεται μὶν ταύτην τῇ φαντασίᾳ, τὸν δὶ ἴδιον ἰὸν ἐπιβάλλει τοῖς ἐπακολουθήσασιν αὐτῷ.

### English translation (Claude)

All that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as Luke wrote, did and taught, he accomplished having appeared for our salvation. For he came, as John says, not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. And among all else, this too is to be admired in his goodness: that he did not keep silent even about those who would fight against us, but foretold it plainly, so that, when those things came about, we might at once be found with our minds made secure by his teaching, when he said: “False prophets and false christs will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand.” For the teachings and gifts deposited in us by him are many and beyond man: a pattern of heavenly citizenship, power against demons, adoption as sons, and the gift that is above all and surpassing, the knowledge of the Father and of the Word himself, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. But the mind of men is diligently bent on evil things; and indeed our adversary the devil, envious of such great good things that have come to us, goes about seeking to snatch away the seeds of the Word sown in us. For this reason, then, sealing up the teachings within us like our own treasures by his prediction, the Lord said: “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is at hand,’ and they will lead many astray. Do not go after them.” A great gift the Word has given us: not to be deceived by appearances, but rather, even if these are veiled, to discern by the grace of the Spirit. For since the inventor of evil and great demon, the devil, is altogether hateful, and as soon as he shows himself is pelted by all, as a serpent, as a dragon, as a lion seeking whom he may seize and devour, he therefore hides and conceals what he is, and craftily assumes the name that all desire, so that, having deceived by the illusion, he may then bind those he has led astray in his own chains. And as if someone wishing to enslave other people's children, while the parents were abroad, were to counterfeit their appearance and deceive the sons who long for them, and then lead them far away and destroy them; in the same way the wretched and crooked devil, having no boldness of his own, but knowing men's love for the truth, counterfeits it in appearance and casts his own poison on those who follow him.

### Scripture references

- Acts 1:1: allusion, high confidence
- John 3:17: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 24:24: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 24:25: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 24:4: quotation, medium confidence
- Luke 21:8: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 13:19: echo, low confidence
- 1 Pet 5:8: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “As Luke wrote”: Acts 1:1. “Not to judge the world …”: John 3:17. “False prophets …”: Matt 24:24–25 (Mark 13:22). “See that no one …”: Luke 21:8 with Matt 24:4–5. “As a lion seeking …”: 1 Pet 5:8.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 1 (PG 25:537a–540d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-1).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 2

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-2
- Source: PG 25:540d–541a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius shows how the devil deceived Eve and Job's wife by counterfeiting, and how since Christ's coming even children mock him and believers see through his disguises.

### Greek text

Οὕτως καὶ τήν Εὔαν ἠπάτησεν, ού τὰ ἴδια λαλῶν, ἀλλʼ ὑποκρινόμενος μὶν τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥήματα, τὴν δὲ διάνοιαν αὐτῶν παραποιῶν οὕτω καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ Ἰὼβ ὑπέβαλε, πείσας αὐτὴν ὑποκρίνασθαι μὶν φιλανδρίαν, διδάξας δὲ βλασφημεῖν εἰς τὸν Θεόνʼ οὕτως τοὺς ἀνθρώπους 6 δόλιος παίζει ταῖς φαντασίαις, ὑποκλέπτων καὶ σύρων ἕκαστον εἰς τὸν ἴδιον τῆς κακίας βόθρον. Πάλαι μὶν οὗν ἀπατήσας τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον τὸν Ἀδὰμ, καὶ νομίσας διʼ ἐκείνου ὑποχειρίους ἐσχηκέναι τοὺς πάντας, ὶνήλΛετο θρασυνόμενος καὶ λέγων. Τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καταλήψομαι τῇ χειρί ὡς νοσσιὰν, καὶ ὡς καταλελειμμένα ὦά ἀρῶ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς δια· φεύξεταί με, ἢ ἀντείπῃ μοι. Ὀτε δὲ 6 Κύριος έπεδήμησε, καὶ πεῖραν ἔσχεν 6 ἐχθρός τῆς ἀνθρω· πίνης οἰκονομίας αὐτοῦ, μή δυνηθεὶς ἀπατῆσαι τήν ὑπʼ αὑτοῦ φορουμένην σάρκα, τότε δὴ 6 τήν οἰκουμένην ὅλην ἐπαγγελλόμενος καταλαμβάνειν λοιπὸν έξ ἐκείνου καὶ διʼ ἐκεῖνον παίζεται καὶ ὑπὸ παιδίων, ὡς στρουθίον, 6 ὑπερήφανος. Παιδίον γὰρ νῦν νήπιον εἰς τρώγλην ἀσπίδων βάλλον τὴν χεῖρα, γελᾷ τὸν ἀπατήσαντα τὴν Εὕανο καί πάντες δὲ οι ὀρθῶς πιστεύοντες εἰς τὸν Κύριον πατοῦσι τὸν εἰπόντα· Θήσομαι τὸν θρόνον μου ἐπάνω τῶν νεφελῶν, ἀναβήσομαι, ὅμοιος ἔσομαι τῷ ’Υψίστῳ. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν πάσχει μετʼ αἰσχύνης ἐκεῖνος· ὅμως δὲ, εἰ καὶ τολμᾷ πάλιν 6 ἀναίσχυντος σχηματίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ γινώσκεται καί νῦν μᾶλλον 6 τάλας ὑπὸ τῶν τὸ σημεῖον έν τῷ μετώπῳ φορούντων, καὶ δεινότερον ἀποστρέφεται τεταπεινωμένος καὶ κατῃσχυμμένος. Κᾶν τε γὰρ ὡς ὄφις νῦν ἕρπων μετασχη ματίσηται εἰς ἄγγελον φωτὸς, ἀλλʼ οὐκ εἰς ὄνησιν ἕξει τὴν ὑπόκρισιν· πεπαιδεύμεθα γὰρ, ὅτι κᾶν ἅγγελος ἐξ ούρανοῦ εὐαγγελίσηται ἡμᾶς παρʼ ὃ παρελάβομεν, ἀνάθεμα τοῦτον εἶναι.

### English translation (Claude)

So too he deceived Eve, not speaking words of his own, but counterfeiting the words of God while perverting their sense. So too he prompted Job's wife, persuading her to feign love for her husband while teaching her to blaspheme against God. So the crafty one mocks men with illusions, stealing upon each and dragging him into his own pit of wickedness. Long ago, having deceived the first man, Adam, and thinking that through him he held all men in subjection, he leaped up in his insolence, saying: “I will seize the whole world in my hand like a nest, and I will take it up like eggs that are left; and there is none who will escape me or speak against me.” But when the Lord came to dwell among us, and the enemy made trial of his human economy and could not deceive the flesh that he bore, then the proud one who promised to seize the whole world is from that time, and because of him, mocked even by children, like a sparrow. For now a little child puts its hand into the hole of asps and laughs at him who deceived Eve; and all who rightly believe in the Lord tread upon him who said: “I will set my throne above the clouds; I will ascend; I will be like the Most High.” Thus he suffers with shame; and yet, even if the shameless one dares again to disguise himself, the wretch is now all the more recognized by those who bear the sign on their foreheads, and he turns away humbled and put to shame more terribly. For even if, creeping now as a serpent, he disguises himself as an angel of light, he will have no profit from his pretense; for we have been taught that even if an angel from heaven preaches to us a gospel contrary to what we received, he is to be accursed.

### Scripture references

- Gen 3:4: allusion, high confidence
- Job 2:9: allusion, high confidence
- Isa 10:14: quotation, high confidence
- Job 41:5 (40:29 LXX): allusion, medium confidence
- Isa 11:8: allusion, high confidence
- Isa 14:13: quotation, high confidence
- Isa 14:14: quotation, high confidence
- Ezek 9:4: allusion, medium confidence
- 2 Cor 11:14: allusion, high confidence
- Gal 1:8: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- Eve: Gen 3:1–5; Job's wife: Job 2:9. “I will seize the whole world …”: Isa 10:14. “Mocked … like a sparrow”: Job 41:5 (LXX 40:29). The child and the asps: Isa 11:8. “I will set my throne …”: Isa 14:13–14. The sign on the forehead: Ezek 9:4. “An angel of light”: 2 Cor 11:14; “even if an angel from heaven …”: Gal 1:8.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 2 (PG 25:540d–541a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-2).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 3

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-3
- Source: PG 25:541a–544d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius argues that the devil's truths are not to be trusted, as Christ showed by rebuking Satan and silencing the demons, and that every heresy borrows Christ's name and Scripture's words.

### Greek text

Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ πάλιν τὸ ἴδιον κρύψῃ ψεῦδος, καὶ λαλεῖν ὑποκρίνηται διὰ χειλέων τήν ἀλήθειαν· ἀλλʼ ούκ ἀγνοοῦντες αὑτοῦ τὰ νοήματα, δυνάμεθα λέγειν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰς αὐτὸν εἰρημέναο Τῷ δὲ ἀμαρτωλῷ εἶπεν 6 Θεός· Ἵνα τί σὺ έκδιηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μους καὶ, Οὐχ ὡραῖος αʼίνος ἐν τῷ στόματι τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τήν ἀλήθειαν λέγων ἀξιόπιστός ἐστιν 6 πανοῦργος. Καὶ τοῦτο ἔδειξε μὲν ἡ Γραφὴ διηγουμένη τὴν έν τῷ παραδείσῳ πρὸς τὴν Εὕαν αὐτοῦ κακοτεχνίαν ο ἤλεγξε δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ 6 Κύριος, πρῶτον μὲν έν τῷ ὄρει, διαιρῶν τὴν πτύειν τοῦ θώρακος αὐτοῦ, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅστις ἐστὶν 6 δόλιος, καὶ ἐλέγχων, ὅτι μή τῶν ἁγίων εἷς ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ Σατανᾶς ἐστιν 6 πειράζων, ἐν τῷ λέγειν Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανεὶ γέγραπται γάρ · ’Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις, καὶ αύτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσειςο καὶ ὅτε δὲ κράζοντας ἀπὸ τῶν μνημείων ἐφίμωσε τοὺςδαίμονας. Ἦν μὲν γὰρ ἀληθὲς τὸ παρʼ αὐτῶν λεγόμενον, καὶ οὐκ ἐψεύδοντο τότε λέγοντες, ὅτι Σὺ εἴ 6 Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἤθελε διʼ ἀκαθάρτου στόματος τὴν ἀλήθειαν προφέρεσθαι καὶ μάλιστα διʼ ἐκείνων, ἵνα μὴ, προφάσει ταύτης ἐπιμίξαντες τὸ ἴδιον θέλημα τῆς κακίας, έπισπείρωσι τοῦτο καθεύδουσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Διά τοῦτο οὔτε αὐτὸς ἠνέσχετο τοιαῦτα λαλούντων αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ ἡμᾶς ἀνασχέσθαι τῶν τοιούτων βουλόμενος, παρήγγειλε διʼ ἑαυτοῦ μὲν, Προσέχετε, λέγων, ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἵτινες ἔρχονται πρὸς. ὑμᾶς έν ἐνδύμασι προβατων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσι λύκοι ἅρπαγες ο διὰ δὲ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλωνο Μὴ παντῖ πνεύματι πιστεύετε. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ 6 τρόπος τῆς ἀντικειμένης ἐνεργείας ἐστί· τοιαῦτα δὲ τὰ τῶν αἱρέσεων συγκροτη ματα τυγχάνει· πατέρα γὰρ ἒκάστη τῆς ἰδίας ἐπινοίας ἔχουσα τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τραπέντα καὶ γε· νόμενον ἀνθρωποκτόνον καὶ ψεύστην τὸν διάβολον, καὶ αἰσχυνομένη τὸ τούτου μισητὸν ὄνομα προφέρειν, ὑποκρίνεται τὸ καλὸν καὶ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα τοῦ Σωτῆρος, τάς τε τῶν Γραφῶν λέξεις πεο ριβάλλεται. Καὶ λέγει μὶν τὰ ῥήματα, κλέπτει

### English translation (Claude)

And if again he hides his own lie and pretends to speak the truth with his lips, yet, since we are not ignorant of his designs, we can say what was spoken by the Spirit against him: “But to the sinner God said, ‘Why do you declare my statutes?’” and, “Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner.” For even when he speaks the truth the crafty one is not to be trusted. And Scripture showed this when it told of his evil craft toward Eve in paradise; and the Lord too exposed him, first on the mountain, laying open the fold of his breastplate and showing who the deceiver is, and proving that the tempter is not one of the saints but Satan, when he said, “Get behind me, Satan; for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve’”; and again when he muzzled the demons crying out from the tombs. For what they said was true, and they did not lie then in saying, “You are the Son of God” and “the Holy One of God”; but he did not wish the truth to be uttered through an unclean mouth, and especially through theirs, lest under cover of it they should mix in their own evil will and sow it besides among men while they slept. For this reason he himself did not endure them when they said such things, and, not wishing us to endure such people either, he gave command, through himself, saying, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves,” and through the holy apostles, “Do not believe every spirit.” For such is the manner of the working of the adversary; and such are the contrivances of the heresies. For each, having as father of its own invention the devil, who turned aside from the beginning and became a murderer and a liar, and being ashamed to bring forward his hateful name, assumes the good name of the Savior, which is above every name, and clothes itself in the words of the Scriptures. It speaks the words, but steals …

### Scripture references

- 2 Cor 2:11: echo, medium confidence
- Ps 50:16 (49:16 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- Job 41:13 (41:5 LXX): allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 4:10: quotation, high confidence
- Deut 6:13: quotation, medium confidence
- Mark 5:7: allusion, high confidence
- Mark 1:24: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 13:25: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 7:15: quotation, high confidence
- 1 John 4:1: quotation, high confidence
- John 8:44: allusion, high confidence
- Phil 2:9: echo, medium confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Sir 15:9 (Sirach): quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “Why do you declare my statutes?”: Ps 50:16 (LXX 49:16). “Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner”: Sir 15:9. “Laying open the fold of his breastplate”: Job 41:13 (LXX 41:5), applied to Christ's unmasking of the tempter. “Get behind me, Satan …”: Matt 4:10 (Deut 6:13). The demons from the tombs: Mark 5:2–7; “the Holy One of God”: Mark 1:24. “Beware of the false prophets …”: Matt 7:15. “Do not believe every spirit”: 1 John 4:1. Murderer and liar: John 8:44. The section breaks off (“steals …”); the rest of the sentence is lost in the scan.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 3 (PG 25:541a–544d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-3).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 4

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-4
- Source: PG 25:544d–549b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius argues that heresies use Scripture's words without its sense, and warns that the Arians plan to send the Egyptian bishops a new creed to sign under threat of banishment, in order to bury Nicaea.

### Greek text

Ἐπεὶ πόθεν Μαρκίωνι καὶ Μανιχαίῳ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἀρνουμένοις τὸν νόμον; ἐκ γὰρ τῶν παλαιῶν τὰ νέα, καὶ τὰ νέα τοῖς παλαιοῖς μαρτυρεῖ. Οἱ τοίνυν ἀρνούμενοι ταῦτα πῶς ὁμολογήσουσι τὰ έκείνων; Παῦλος γὰρ ἀπόστολος Εὐαγγιλίου οῦ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ έν Γραφαῖς ἀγίαις. '0 δὲ Κύριος αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν· Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς Γραφάς, ὅτι αὐταί εἷʼσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ. Πῶς οῦν ὁμολογήσουσι τὸν Κύριον, μὴ προερευνῶντες τὰς περὶ αὐτοῦ Γραφάς ; "Ov γάρ ἔγραψε Μωυσῆς καὶ o't προφῆται, τοῦτον εύρηκέναι λέγουσιν οἳ μαθηταί. Τί δέ καὶ Σαδδουκαίοις ὁ νόμος μή δεχομένοις τοὺς προφήτας ; Ὁ γάρ τὸν νόμον δεδωκὼς Θεὸς, αὐτὸς ἐγείρειν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ καὶ προφήτας ἐπηγγείλατο, ὥστε τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι Κύριον τοῦ τε νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ τὸν ἀρνούμενον θάτερον ηύτῶν ἀρνεῖσθαι πάντως καὶ τὸ ἕτερον. Τί δὲ καὶ Ἰουδαίοις λοιπὸν ἠ Παλαιά, μή ἐπεγνωκόσι τὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς προσδοκώμενον Κύριον; Εἰ γὰρ ἐπίστευον τοῖς Μωυσέως γράμμασιν, ἐπί-ι στευσαν ἂν τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου ῥήμασι. Περί γὰρ ἐμοῦ, φησὶν, ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψε. Τί δὲ καὶ τῷ Σαμοσατεῖ τά τῶν Γραφῶν, ἀρνουμένῳ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῆς τε Παλαιᾶς καὶ Καινῆς Διαθήκης σημαινομένην καὶ δεικνυμένην ἔνσαρκον τοῦ Λόγου παρουσίαν ; Τί δὲ καὶ τοῖς Ἀρειανοῖς αἱ Γραφαὶ, καὶ τί ταύτας οὗτοι προφέρουσιν, ἄνθρωποι κτίσμα λέγοντες εἶναι τὸν Θεοῦ Λόγον, καὶ ὡς ἂν Ἕλληνες, λατρεύοντες τῇ κτίσει παρά τὸν κτίσαντα Θεόν ; Πρὸς μὲν γάρ τὴν ἰδίαν τῆς ἐπινοίας ἀσέβειαν ἑκάστη τούτων τῶν αἱρέσεων οὐδὲν κοινὸν ἔχει πρὸς τάς Γραφάςο καὶτοῦτο ἴσασι καὶ οἱ τὰ τούτων πρεσβεύοντες, δτιπολὺ,μʼάλλον δὲ τὸ ὅλον εἰσὶν ἐναντίαι πρὸς τὸ ἑκάστης ἐκείνων φρόνημα· ἀπάτης δὲ χάριν τῶν ἁπλουστέρων, οἷοί εἰσι περὶ ὧν ἐν Παροιμίαις γέγραπται ο Ἀκακος πιστεύει παντὶ λόγῳ ’ σχηματίζονται μελετᾷν καὶ λέγειν τὰς λέξεις,ὡς ὁ πατήρ αὐτῶν διάβολος, ’ίνα ἐκ τῶν λέξεων δόξωσιν ὀρθὸν ἔχειν καὶ τὸ φρόνημα, καὶ λοιπὸν πείσωσι παρά τάς Γραφάς φρονεῖν τοὺς ταλαιπώρους ἀνθρώπους Ἀμέλει ἐν ἑκάστῃ, τῶν αἱρέσεων οὕτω σχηματισάμενος ὁ διάβολος, λέξεις ὑπέβαλε μεστὰς δολιότητος* περὶ γὰρ τούτων ὁ Κύριος εἷʼρηκεν, ὅτι Ἐγερθή σονται ψευδόχριστοι καὶ ψευδοπροφῆ τοι, ὥστε πλανῆσαι πολλούς · τοιγαροῦν ὁ διάβολος ἦλθε, λέγων διʼ ἑκάστης· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ χριστὸς, καὶ παρʼ ἐμοὶ 1d ἀληθές ἐστι· καὶ πάσας ἰδίᾳ καὶ κοινῇ πεποίηκε ψεύδεσθαι ὁ συκοφάντης. Καὶ τό γε παράδοξον, πᾶσαι πρὸς ἑαυτάς αἱ αἱρέσεις μαχόμεναι περὶ ὧν ἔπλασεν ἑκάστη κακῶν, ὲν μόνῳ τῷ ψεύδεσθαι συνεδέθησαν ἀλλήλαις· ἕνα γὰρ ’ἔχουσι πατέρα τὸν πάσαις ἐπισπείραντα τὸ ψεῦδος. Ὀ μὲν οὖν πιστὸς καὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου μαθητὴς, ἔχων χάριν τοῦ διακρίνειν τὰ πνευματικὰ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν οἰκοδομήσας ἑαυτοῦ τὴν τῆς πίστεως οὶκίαν, ἕστηκεν ἑδραῖος καὶ ἀσαλὴς ἀπὸ τῆς τούτων ἀπάτης διαμένων· ἆ δὲ ἁπλοῦς, ὡς προεῖπον, καὶ μὴ κπηχηθεῖς ἰσχυρῶς, ὁ τοιοῦτος τὰ λεγόμενα μόνον , σκοπῶν, καὶ μὴ τὴν διάνοιαν θεωρῶν, εὐθὺς ὑποσύρεται ταῖς ἐκείνων μεθοδείαιςρ Διὰ τοῦτο καλόν ἐστι καὶ ἀναγκαῖον εὔχεσθαι λαμβάνειν χάρισμα διακρίσεως πνευμάτων, ’ίνα ἕκαστος γινώσκῃ κατὰ τοῦ ξΙωάννου παραγγελίαν, τίνας μὲν ἀποβάλλειν ὀφείλει, τίνας δὲ προσλαμβάνεσθαι, ὡς φίλους Ῠκαὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὄντας πίστεως. Πολλᾶ μὲν οὖν ἄν τις γράψειεν, εἰ βούλοιτο περὶ τούτων ἐπεξεργάσασθαι· πολλή γὰρ καὶ ποικίλη τῶν αἱρέσεων ἡ ἀσέβεια καὶὴ κακοφροσύνη φανήσεται, καὶ δεινὴ λίαν ἡ τῶν ἀπατώντων, πανουργία. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἠ θεία Γραφὴ πάντων ἐστὶν ἱκανωτέρα, τούτου χάριν τοῖς βουλομένοις τά πολλὰ περὶ τούτων γινώσκειν συμβουλεύσας ἐντυγχάνειν τοῖς θείοις λόγοις, αὐτὸς νῦν τὸ κατεπεῖγον ἐσπούδασα δηλῶσαι, διὸ μάλιστα καὶ οὕτως ἔγραψα. ,5. ’Ήκουσα ἐν τοῖς μέρεσι τούτοις διατρίβων, ἀδελφοὶ γάρ γνήσιοι καὶ τῆς ὀρθῆς δόξης ὅντες ἀπήγγειλαν, ὡς ἄρα τινὲς συνελθόντες τῶν τὰ ’Δρείου φρονούντων ἔγραψαν δῆθεν περὶ πίστεως, ὡς ἦθέλησαν, καὶ θέλουσιν ἀποστεῖλαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ’ίνα ἢ ὑπογράψητε κατά τὸ δοκοῦν ἀύτοῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ καθδ ἐνέπνευσεν αὐτοῖς ὁ διάβολος ἢ ὁ ἀντιλέγων ὑπερόριος γένηται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἐπισκόπους τῶν μερῶν τούτων ἤδη διοχλεῖν ἄρχονται. Ἐντεῦθεν οὗν ὁ τρόπος τῶν γραφόντων δῆλος γίνεται. Οἱ γὰρ οὕτω γράφοντες, ὥστε τὸ τέλος τῶν γραμμάτων αύτῶν ἐξορισμὸν καὶ ἄλλας τιμωρίας ἔχειν, τί ἂν εἶεν οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἢ Χριστιανῶν μὲν ἀλλότριοι, διαβόλου δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐκείνου δαιμόνων φίλοι; μάλιστα ὅτι, τοῦ θεοσεβεστάτου βασιλέως Κωνσταντίου φιλανθρώπου ὄντος, παρὰ γνώμην αὐτοῦ θρυλλοῦσιν ἃ θέλουσιν αὐτοί· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ποιοῦσι μετὰ πολλῆς μὲν πανουργίας, δύο δὲ τούτων μάλιστα χάριν, ὥς γέ μοι φαίνεταιο ἐνὸς μὲν, ’ἱνα καὶ, ὑμῶν ὑπογραψάντων, δόξωσι παύειν μὲν τὴν Ἀρείου κακωνυμίαν, λανθάνειν δὲ αὐτοὶ ὡς μὴ τὰ Ἀρείου φρονοῦντες · ἑτέρου δὲ, ’ἶνα ταῦτα γράφοντες, δόξωσι πάλιν ἐπικρύπτειν τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ γενομένην σύνοδον, καὶ τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν ἐν αὐτῇ κατὰ τῆς ’Δρειανῆς αἱρέσεως πίστιν. Ἀλλά καὶ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἐλέγχει αὐ· τῶν τὴν κακοήθειαν καὶ τὴν ἑτεροδοξίαν εἴ γὰρ ἐπί- Β στευον ὀρθῶς, ἠρκοῦντο τῇ ἐν Νικαίᾳ ἐκτεθείσῃ πίστει παρὰ πάσης τῆς οἷκουμενικῆς συνόδου· καὶ εἷ ἐνόμιζον ἑαυτοὺς συκοφαντεῖσθαι καὶ μάτην λεγομένους Ἀρειανοὺς, ἐχρῆν αὐτοὺς μὴ σπουδάζειν ἐναλλάττειν τὰ κατά Ἀρείου γραφέντα,ίνα μὴ ὡς κατʼ αὐτῶν ὁρισθέντα τὰ κατʼ ἐκείνου γραφέντα. Νῦν δὲ τοῦτο μὲν ού ποίοῦσιν, ὡς δὲ αὐτοὶ ὄντες ’Λρειος ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν ἀγωνίζονται. Σκοπεῖτε γὰρ ὡς ούκ ἀληθείας μέλει τούτοις, ἀλλά πάντα διὰ τὴν Ἀρειανὴν αʼίρεσιν καὶ λέγουσι καὶ πράττουσιν. Οἱ γὰρ τολμῶντες διαβάλλειν τὰ καλῶς ὁρισθέντα, καὶ γράφειν ἐπιχειροῦντες ἄλλα παρʼ ἐκεῖνα, τί ἓτερον ποιοῦσιν, ἢ κατηγιροῦσι μὲν τῶν Πατέρων, προΐστανται δὲ τῆς αἱρέσεως, καθʼ ἧς ἐκεῖνοι γεγόνασί τε καὶ ἀπεφήναντο; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἃ γράφουσιν, οὐκ ἀληθείας φροντίζοντες γράφουσι, καθά προεῖπον, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον παίζοντες καὶ τέχνη τοῦτο ποιοῦντες, πρὸς ἀπάτην τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τίνʼ ἐν τῷ διαπέμπεσθαιτὰς ἐπιστολὰς, τὰς μὲν τῶν λαῶν ἀκοὰς ἀπασχολεῖσθαι περὶ ταῦτα ποιήσωσι, κερδαίνωσι δὲ τὸν χρόνον τοῦ κατηγορεῖσθαι αὐτοὶ. καὶ λαθόντες ὡς ἀσεβοῦντες, ἔχωσι χώραν ἐπεκτεῖναι τὴν ατίρεσιν, ὡς γάγγραιναν, ἔχουσαν νομὴν πανταχοῦ.

### English translation (Claude)

Otherwise, how do Marcion and Manichaeus come to have the Gospel, when they deny the law? For the new comes from the old, and the new bears witness to the old. How then will those who deny the one confess the other? For Paul became an apostle of the gospel which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. And the Lord himself said, “Search the Scriptures, for it is they that bear witness about me.” How then will they confess the Lord, if they do not first search the Scriptures about him? For the disciples say they have found him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote. And what has the law to do with the Sadducees, who do not accept the prophets? For the God who gave the law himself promised in the law to raise up prophets too, so that the same is Lord of the law and of the prophets, and he who denies one of them necessarily denies the other as well. And what has the Old Testament to do with the Jews any longer, who have not recognized the Lord who was expected from it? For if they believed the writings of Moses, they would have believed the words of the Lord; “for he wrote of me,” he says. And what have the Scriptures to do with the Samosatene, who denies the Word of God and his coming in the flesh, signified and shown by both the Old and the New Testament? And what have the Arians to do with the Scriptures, and why do they bring them forward, men who say that the Word of God is a creature, and, like the Greeks, serve the creature rather than God who created it? For as regards the impiety peculiar to its invention, each of these heresies has nothing in common with the Scriptures; and their champions know this too, that the Scriptures are greatly, or rather wholly, opposed to the mind of each of them. But to deceive the simpler sort, such as those of whom it is written in Proverbs, “The innocent believes every word,” they pretend to study and recite the words, like their father the devil, so that from the words they may seem to have a right mind as well, and then persuade wretched men to think contrary to the Scriptures. In fact in each of the heresies the devil, having disguised himself so, has suggested words full of deceit; for of these the Lord said, “False christs and false prophets will arise, so as to lead many astray.” So the devil has come, saying through each, “I am the Christ, and with me is the truth”; and the slanderer has made them all lie, each by itself and all together. And what is strange: all the heresies, fighting among themselves about the evils each has fashioned, are bound together with one another in lying alone; for they have one father, who sowed the lie in them all. The faithful man, then, the disciple of the Gospel, having the grace to discern spiritual things, and having built the house of his faith upon the rock, stands firm and unshaken, remaining safe from their deceit; but the simple one, as I said before, who has not been firmly instructed, looking only at what is said and not perceiving the meaning, is at once dragged off by their wiles. For this reason it is good and necessary to pray to receive the gift of discerning spirits, so that each may know, according to John's precept, whom he ought to reject and whom to receive as friends and of the same faith. Much might be written, if one wished to work these matters out; for the impiety and perversity of the heresies would appear many and various, and the craftiness of the deceivers very dreadful. But since the divine Scripture is more sufficient than all, I advise those who wish to know much about these things to read the divine words; and I myself have now hastened to make known what is urgent, which is chiefly why I have written in this way. [5] I have heard, while staying in these parts (for genuine brothers of right belief reported it), that certain of those who hold the views of Arius have come together and written, forsooth, about faith as they pleased, and wish to send it to you, so that either you subscribe as they see fit, or rather as the devil has inspired them, or whoever objects is banished. Indeed they are already beginning to harass the bishops of these parts. From this the character of the writers becomes plain. For those who write in such a way that their letters end in banishment and other punishments, what can such men be but strangers to Christians and friends of the devil and his demons? Especially since, while the most God-fearing Emperor Constantius is humane, they noise abroad what they themselves wish, against his mind. And they do this with much craft, and for two reasons chiefly, as it seems to me: first, so that, when you have subscribed, they may seem to put an end to the ill name of Arius and themselves pass unnoticed as not holding Arius's views; and second, so that by writing this they may seem again to cover over the council held at Nicaea and the faith set forth at it against the Arian heresy. But this exposes their malice and heterodoxy all the more. For if they believed rightly, they would be content with the faith set forth at Nicaea by the whole ecumenical council; and if they thought themselves slandered and called Arians without reason, they ought not to be eager to alter what was written against Arius, lest what was written against him should appear defined against them. But now they do not do this, but contend for themselves as if they were Arius. For see how they care nothing for the truth, but say and do everything for the sake of the Arian heresy. For those who dare to slander what was well defined, and attempt to write other things beside it, what else are they doing but accusing the Fathers and championing the heresy against which they met and pronounced? Indeed, even what they now write they do not write out of care for the truth, as I said before, but rather in mockery and by art, to deceive men: so that by sending the letters round they may keep the ears of the people occupied with these things, and gain time against being accused themselves, and, escaping notice as impious, may have room to spread the heresy, which, like gangrene, eats its way everywhere.

### Scripture references

- Rom 1:1: quotation, high confidence
- Rom 1:2: quotation, high confidence
- John 5:39: quotation, high confidence
- John 1:45: allusion, high confidence
- Deut 18:18: allusion, medium confidence
- John 5:46: quotation, high confidence
- Rom 1:25: allusion, high confidence
- Prov 14:15: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 24:24: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 24:5: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 7:24: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Cor 12:10: allusion, high confidence
- 2 John 1:10: allusion, medium confidence
- 2 Tim 2:17: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- This staged section contains chapters 4 and 5: the numeral of chapter 5 was lost in the scan; “[5]” marks where it begins. “Paul became an apostle …”: Rom 1:1–2 (the OCR repeats part of the line). “Search the Scriptures …”: John 5:39; “him of whom Moses … wrote”: John 1:45; the promise of prophets: Deut 18:15–18; “he wrote of me”: John 5:46. The Samosatene: Paul of Samosata. “Served the creature …”: Rom 1:25. “The innocent believes every word”: Prov 14:15. “False christs …”: Matt 24:24, with Matt 24:5. The house on the rock: Matt 7:24–25. Discerning spirits: 1 Cor 12:10; “John's precept”: 2 John 10. Gangrene: 2 Tim 2:17. The creed that the Arians intended to send was probably that of Sirmium (357) or of the councils of 359; Athanasius does not name it.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 4 (PG 25:544d–549b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-4).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 6

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-6
- Source: PG 25:549b–552b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius mocks the Arians' yearly new creeds, which they write to cover their plots and which they keep changing.

### Greek text

Πάντα γοῦν κινοῦσι καὶ ταράττουσι, καὶ οὐδε οὕτω τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἀρκοῦνται κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν γὰρ, ὡς οἱ ὰς διαθήκας γράφοντες, συνερχόμενοι καὶ αὐτοὶ, προσποιοῦνται περὶ πίστεως γράφειν,ίνα καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γέλωτα μᾶλλον καὶ αἰσχύνην ὀφλήσωrw, ὅτι μή παρʼ ἑτέρων, ἀλλά παρʼ αὐτῶν τὰ αὐτῶν έκβάλλεται. Εἰ γὰρ έθάῤῥουν οἷς ἔγραφον προτέροις, ούκ ἂν δεύτερα γράφειν ἐζήτουν ο οὐδὲ πάλιν ἀφόντες ἐκεῖνα, ταῦτα νῦν ἔγραφον ἅπερ, πάντως τοῦτο μελετήσαντες, πάλιν ἀλλάξουσιν, ἐὰν ὀλίγος πάνυ παρέλθῃ χρόνος, καὶ πρόφασιν λάβωσι τοῦ συνήθως τισὶν ἐπιβουλεύειν. Τότε γὰρ, ὅταν ἐπιβουλεύσωσι, μάλιστα προσποιοῦνται περὶ πίστεως· γράφειν, ἵνα, ὡς ὁ Πιλᾶτος ἐνίψατο τὰς χεῖρας, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι δράκοντες ἀποκτείνωσι τοὺς είς Χριστὸν εὐσεβοῦντας καὶ τίνα, ὡς περὶ πίστεως ὁρίζοντες δόξωσιν, ὡς πολλάκις εἶπον, φεύγειν τὸ τῆς ἑτεροδοξίας ἔγκλημα. Ἀλλʼ οὕτε λαθεῖν, οὔτε φυγεῖν δυνήσονταν ἕως γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς ἀπολογοῦνται, ἑαυτῶν ἀεὶ κατήγοροι γίνονται, καὶ δικαίως γεʼ οὗ γὰρ τοῖς ἐλέγχουσιν αὐτοὺς ἀποκρίνονται, ἀλλ, ἑαυτοὺς, ὡς βούλονται, πείθουσι. Πότε οὖν, τοῦ ὑπευθύνου κρίνοντος ἑαυτὸν, λύσις γίνεται τοῦ ἐγκλήματος; Διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν ἀεὶ γράφουσι, καί ἀεὶ τὰ ἴδια μεταποιοῦντες, ἄδηλον ἔχουσι τὴν πίστιν, μᾶλλον δὲ φανερὰν ἔχουσι τὴν ἀπιστίαν καὶ τὴν κακοφροσύνην. Πάσχειν δέ μοι τοῦτο δοκοῦσιν εἰκότως. Ἐπειδή γὰρ, τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποστάντες, καὶ θέλοντες ἀνατρέψαι τήν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν γραφεῖσαν καλῶς, ἠγάπησαν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, κινεῖν πόδας ἑαυτῶν° διὰ τοῦτο καὶ οὗτοι, ὡς ἥ ποτε Ἰερουσαλὴμ. κεκοπιάκασι καὶ κάμνουσιν ἐν ταῖς μεταβολαῖς, ἄλλοτε ἄλλα γράφοντες, μόνον τίνα τοὺς χρόνους κερδάνωσι, καὶ διαμείνωσι χριστομάχοι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πλανωντες.

### English translation (Claude)

So they stir up and disturb everything, and not even so are they content with their own statements; but every year, like people drawing up wills, they too come together and pretend to write about the faith, so that in this too they incur ridicule and shame rather, because their own work is cast out, not by others, but by themselves. For if they had confidence in what they wrote first, they would not seek to write a second time; nor, abandoning that, would they now be writing this, which (having no doubt made a practice of it) they will change again, if a very little time passes and they find a pretext for plotting against someone as usual. For it is then, when they are plotting, that they especially pretend to write about the faith, so that, as Pilate washed his hands, so these too, by writing, may kill those who worship devoutly in Christ, and, appearing to make definitions about the faith, may seem, as I have often said, to escape the charge of heterodoxy. But they will be able neither to escape notice nor to escape; for while they make their defense to themselves, they are always becoming their own accusers, and rightly; for they do not answer those who refute them, but persuade themselves as they wish. When, then, is a charge cleared, when the accused is his own judge? This is why they are always writing, and, always altering their own statements, have an uncertain faith, or rather a manifest unbelief and perversity. And this seems to me to happen to them fittingly. For since, having departed from the truth and wishing to overthrow the faith well written at Nicaea, they have loved, as it is written, to move their feet, therefore these too, like Jerusalem of old, have toiled and grown weary in their changes, writing now one thing and now another, only so that they may gain time and remain fighters against Christ, leading men astray.

### Scripture references

- Matt 27:24: allusion, high confidence
- Jer 14:10: quotation, high confidence
- Jer 9:5: echo, low confidence

### Translation notes

- “By writing” renders the OCR's δράκοντες, read as γράφοντες. Pilate's washing: Matt 27:24. “They have loved to move their feet”: Jer 14:10; “toiled and grown weary”: an echo of Jer 9:5.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 6 (PG 25:549b–552b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-6).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 7

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-7
- Source: PG 25:552b–556a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius lists the Arian bishops who were promoted for their heresy and warns that George of Cappadocia, a man of violent character, is about to be sent to Alexandria.

### Greek text

Τίς οὖν, ᾧ μάλιστα μέλει ἀληθείας, ἔτι τού.. των ἀνέχεσθαι θελήσει; Τίς γράφοντας αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἀποστραφήσεται; Τίς οὐκ ἃν καταγνώσεται, τῆς τόλμης αὐτῶνς Ὀλίγοι γὰρ ὄντες τὸν ἀριθμὸν, θέλουσι τὰ ἑαυτῶν ὑπὲρ πάντων ἰσχύειν· τά τε ἑαυτῶν συγκροτή ματα ἐν γωνίαις γινόμενα καὶ ὕποπτα τυγχάνοντα βουλόμενοι κρατεῖν, βιάζονται λύειν καὶ ἀκυροῦν τήν οἷκουμενικῆν γενομένην ἄδολον καὶ καθαρὰν σύνοδονο καὶ ἄνθρωποι, διὸ τὸ συνηγορεῖν τῇ χριστομάχῳ αἱρέσει προαχθέντες παρᾶ τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον, τολμῶσιν ὁρίζειν περὶ πίστεως, καὶ ὀφείλοντες ὡς ὑπεύθυνοι κρίνεσθαι, κρίνειν, ὡς οἱ περὶ Καϊάφαν, ἐπιχειροῦσι καὶ αὐτοί· καὶ Θαλίαν ποιοῦσι πιστεύεσθαι θέλοντες, οἱ μηδὲ πῶς πιστεύουσι γινώσκοντες. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν, δτιδιὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἀρείου μανίαν Σεκοῦνδος μὲν ὁ Πενταπολίτης, ὁ πάλαι πολλάκις καθαιρεθεὶς, ἐδέχθη παρʼ αὐτῶν, προεβλήθησαν δὲ Γεώργιος, ὁ νῦν ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ, καὶ Λεόντιος ὁ ἀπόκοπος, καὶ πρὸ αὑτοῦ Στέφανος, καὶ Θεόδωρος ὁ ἐν Ἡρακλείᾳ; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ πρότερον ἀπὸ τοῦ πρεσβυτερίου καθαιρεθέντες, ὕστερον διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐκλήθησαν ἐπίσκοποι Οὑρσάκιός τε καὶ Οὐάλης, οἳτινες καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν, ὡς νεώτεροι, παρʼ Ἀρείου κατηχήθησανο Ἀκάκιός τε καὶ Πατρόφιλος καὶ Νάρκισσος, οἱ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν τολμηρότατοι· οὗτοι μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐν τῇ κατὰ Σαρδικὴν γενομένῃ μεγάλῃ συνόδῳ καθῃρέθησαν· Εὐστάθιός τε ὁ νῦν ἐν Σεβαστείᾳ, Δημόφιλός τε καὶ Γερμίνιος, καί Εὖδόξιος, καὶ Βασίλειος, συνήγοροι τῆς ἀσεβείας ὅντες, εἰς τοῦτο προήχθησαν. Περὶ γὰρ τῶν νῦν Κεκροπίου, καὶ τοῦ λεγομένου Αὑξεντίου, καὶ Ἐπικτήτου τοῦ ὑποκριτοῦ, περιττόν ἐστι καὶ λέγειν, φανεροῦ πᾶσιν ὄντος, πῶς καὶ διὰ ποίας προφάσεις καὶ παρά τίνων ἐχθρῶν καὶ οὗτοι προεβλήθησαν ὑποκρίνασθαι τὰς κατά τῶν ἐπιβουλευθέντων ἐπισκόπων ὀρθοδόξων συκοφαντίαςο ὅτι καὶ οὗτοι, καίτοιάπὸ ὀγδοήκοντα μονῶν τυγχάνοντες, καὶ μή γινωσκόμενοι παρὰ τῶν λαῶν, ὅμως διὰ τήν ἀσέβειαν ἐπραγματεύσαντο ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἐπισκόπου. Διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ Γεώργιον ἀπὸ τῆς Καππαδοκίας τινὰ μισθωσάμενοι, θέλουσι νῦν ἀποστεῖλαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ περὶ τούτου λόγος οὐδείς. Φήμη γὰρ ἐν τοῖς μέρεσίν ἐστι τούτοις, τι μηδόλως Χριστιανός ἐστιν οὗτος, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τὰ τῶν εἰδώλων ἐζήλωσε, καὶ τὸν τρόπον ἐστὶ δή· μιος· διὸ καὶ τοιοῦτον αὐτὸν ὅντα προσελάβοντο, ὥστε ἀδικεῖν, ἁρπάζειν, φονεύειν δύνασθαι· ταῦτα γὰρ πλέον ἤσκησεριαὶ οὖδόλως οἶδε τὰ ἴδια τῆς εἷς Χριστὸν πίστεως.

### English translation (Claude)

Who, then, who cares at all for the truth, will still be willing to bear with them? Who will not turn away from them when they write? Who would not condemn their audacity? For though they are few in number, they want their own decisions to prevail over those of all; and wishing their own gatherings, held in corners and under suspicion, to prevail, they try by force to undo and annul the ecumenical council, which was held without guile and in purity. And men who were promoted by Eusebius and his party for advocating the Christ-fighting heresy dare to make definitions about the faith; and though they ought to be judged as men under accusation, they too, like Caiaphas and his party, attempt to judge; and they compose a Thalia and want it believed, they who do not even know how they themselves believe. For who does not know that because of the madness of Arius, Secundus of the Pentapolis, who long ago was often deposed, was received by them, and that George, now at Laodicea, and Leontius the eunuch, and before him Stephen, and Theodore of Heraclea were put forward? For Ursacius and Valens too, who had earlier been deposed from the presbyterate, were afterwards called bishops because of their impiety, men who from the beginning, as young men, had been instructed by Arius; and Acacius and Patrophilus and Narcissus, most audacious in every impiety (these indeed were deposed at the great council held at Sardica); and Eustathius, now at Sebaste, and Demophilus and Germinius, and Eudoxius and Basil, being advocates of the impiety, were advanced to this. As for those of the present, Cecropius and the so-called Auxentius and Epictetus the play-actor, it is superfluous even to speak, since it is plain to all how, on what pretexts, and by what enemies these too were put forward to act out the slanders against the orthodox bishops who were plotted against; for these too, though coming from eighty stages away and unknown to the people, nonetheless because of their impiety have bought for themselves the name of bishop. For this reason they have hired a certain George from Cappadocia and now wish to send him to you. But there is nothing at all to say even about him. For there is a report in these parts that he is not a Christian at all, but rather has been devoted to the worship of idols, and in character is an executioner; and so they have taken him, being such a man, so that he may be able to wrong, plunder, and murder. For these are the things he has practiced more; and he knows nothing at all of what belongs to faith in Christ.

### Translation notes

- The Thalia: Arius's verse work. “Epictetus the play-actor” renders Ἐπικτήτου τοῦ ὑποκριτοῦ (Epictetus of Centumcellae); the word also means “hypocrite”. “Eighty stages” (μοναί): eighty halts on the imperial road, i.e. from far away. The characterizations of these bishops are Athanasius's own polemic. The OCR's stray word “Simiam” after “when they write” is left untranslated.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 7 (PG 25:552b–556a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-7).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 8

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-8
- Source: PG 25:556a–557b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius urges the bishops to hold to the Nicene faith and to reject the Arians' writings even when they use Scripture's words, contrasting them with the orthodox bishops whose writings could be trusted.

### Greek text

Ἐκεῖνοι μὶν οῦν τοιαῦτα μηχανῶνται κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας· δὲ γνώμη τούτων ἔκδηλος ἔσται πᾶσι, κᾶν μυριάκις ὡς ἐγχέλυες ἐξειλεῖν ἐπιχειρῶσι καὶ λανθάνειν ὡς χριστομάχοι. Διά τοῦτο παρακαλῶ, μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ἀπατάσθω, μηδεὶς υμῶν ὑφαρπαζέσθω· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον, ὡς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἱσεβείας έπιβαινούσης κατὰ τῆς εἷς Χριστὸν πίστεως, πάντες ζηλώσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ κατέχων ἕκαστος τὴν ix Πατέρων πίστιν, ἢν καὶ οἱ έν Νικαίᾳ συνελθόντες ὂπέμνησαν γράψαντες, μὴ ἆνασχέσθω τῶν κατʼ αὐτῆς καινοτομεῖν ἐπιχειρούντων. Κᾶν γὰρ τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν λέξεις γράφωσι, μή ἀνέχεσθε τῶν γραφόντων* κᾶν τὰ ῥήματα τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας φθέγγωνται, μηδʼ οὕτως τοῖς λαλοῦσι προσέχετε. Οὐ γὰρ ὀρθῇ διανοίᾳ λαλοῦσιν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἔνδυμα προβάτου τὰ ῥήματα περιβαλλόμενοι, ἔνδοθεν τὰ τοῦ Ἀρείου φρονοῦσιν, ὡς 6 τῶν αἱρέσεων καθηγεμὼν διάβολος. Καὶ γὰρ κάκεῖνος ἐλάλει μὲν τὰ ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν, ἐφιμώθη δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος. Ei γὰρ ἃ ἔλεγε, καὶ ἐφρόνει, οὐκ ἂν ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν· νῦν δὲ, τῷ φρονήματι πεσὼν, ὑποκρίνεται τοῖς ῥήμασιν 6 πανοῦργος· πόλλάκις δὲ καὶ διʼ Ἑλληνικῆς κομψολογίας, καί τοῖς αὐτῆς σοφίσμασι πειράζει πλανᾷν 6 κακοθελής. Ei μὲν οῦν παρά ὀρθοδόξων ἦν τὰ γραφόμενα, οἷα ἂν ἐγεγόνει παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ ὁμολογητοῦ Ὀσίου, καὶ Μαξιμινου τοῦ τῆς Γαλλίας, ἢ τοῦ διαδεξαμένου τοῦτον, παρὰ Φιλογονίου καὶ Εὖσταθίου τῶν τῆς Ἀνατολῆς, ἢ Ἰουλίου καὶ Λιβερίου τῶν ἐπισκόπων Ῥώμης, ἢ Κυριακοῦ τοῦ τῆς Μυσίας, ἢ Πιστοῦ καὶ Ἀρισταίου τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐλλάδος ἐπισκόπων, ἢ Σιλβἐστρου καὶ Πρωτογένους τοῦ τῆς Δακίας, ἢ Λεοντίου καὶ Εὖψυχίου τῶν τῆς Καππαδοκίας ἐπισκόπων, ἢ Κεκιλιανοῦ τοῦ τῆς Ἀφρικῆς, Εὐστοργίου τοῦ τῆς Ἰταλίας, ἢ Καπίτωνος τοῦ τῆς Σικελίας, ἢ Μακαρίου τοῦ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ, ἢ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, ἢ Παιδέρωτος τοῦ τῆς Ἡρακλείας,ἤ τῶν μεγάλων Μελετίου καὶ Βασιλείου, καὶ Λογγιανοῦ, καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτοῖς τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀρμενίας καὶ τοῦ Πόντου. ἤ Λούπου καὶ ’Δμφίωνος τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Κιλικίας, ἤ Ἰακώβου καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς μέσης τῶν ποταμῶν, ἤ τοῦ ἡμετέρου τοῦ μακαρίου Ἀλεξάνδρου, καὶ τῶν ὁμοδόξων αὐτοῖς, οὐδὲν ἦν ἐν τοῖς γραφομένοις ὑποπτεύειν· ἄδολος γάρ καὶ ἀπλοῦς ἐστιν ὁ τῶν ἀποπολικῶν ἀνδρῶν τρόπος.

### English translation (Claude)

They, then, contrive such things against the truth; but their intention will be manifest to all, even if a thousand times, like eels, they try to wriggle out and escape notice as Christ-fighters. For this reason I beseech you, let none of you be deceived, let none of you be carried off; but rather, as though Jewish impiety were advancing against faith in Christ, be zealous for the Lord, all of you; and let each hold fast the faith from the Fathers, which those who met at Nicaea recorded in writing, and not tolerate those who attempt innovations against it. For even if they write the words from the Scriptures, do not tolerate those who write them; even if they utter the words of orthodoxy, do not heed those who speak them even so. For they do not speak with a right mind, but, putting on the words like sheep's clothing, inwardly they think the things of Arius, like the devil, the leader of the heresies. For he too spoke words from the Scriptures, but was silenced by the Savior. For if he had also thought what he said, he would not have fallen from heaven; but as it is, having fallen in his mind, the crafty one counterfeits in words; and often, too, the malicious one tries to lead astray by Greek elegance of speech and its sophistries. If, then, what is being written came from the orthodox, such as might have come from the great confessor Hosius, and from Maximinus of Gaul or his successor, from Philogonius and Eustathius of the East, or Julius and Liberius, bishops of Rome, or Cyriacus of Moesia, or Pistus and Aristaeus, the bishops from Greece, or Silvester and Protogenes of Dacia, or Leontius and Eupsychius, the bishops of Cappadocia, or Caecilian of Africa, Eustorgius of Italy, or Capito of Sicily, or Macarius of Jerusalem, or Alexander of Constantinople, or Paederos of Heraclea, or the great Meletius and Basil and Longianus and those with them from Armenia and Pontus, or Lupus and Amphion from Cilicia, or James and those with him from Mesopotamia, or our own blessed Alexander, and those of like belief with them, there would be nothing in what is written to suspect; for the manner of apostolic men is guileless and simple.

### Scripture references

- Matt 7:15: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 4:6: allusion, medium confidence
- Luke 10:18: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- “Sheep's clothing”: Matt 7:15. The devil quoting Scripture and silenced by the Savior: Matt 4:6–10; fallen from heaven: Luke 10:18. Several of the bishops named (Hosius of Cordova, Maximinus of Trier, Julius and Liberius of Rome, Macarius of Jerusalem, Alexander of Constantinople, James of Nisibis, Alexander of Alexandria) were present at Nicaea or defended its faith.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 8 (PG 25:556a–557b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-8).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 9

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-9
- Source: PG 25:557b–560b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius warns that the Arian envoys are antichrists who use Scripture's words as bait, and that it is the mind and conduct, not the wording, that show a true believer.

### Greek text

Ἐπειδὴ δὲ παρὰ τῶν συνηγορεῖν αἱρέσει χάριν μισθωθέντων ἐστὶ τά γραφέντα, κατὰ δὲ τὴν θείαν παροιμίαν, Οἱ λόγοι τῶν ἀσεβῶν εἰσι δόλιοι, καὶ, Στόμα ἀσεβῶν ἀποκρίνεται κακὰ, καὶ, Κυβερνῶσιν ἀσεβεῖς δόλους· γρηγορεῖν δεῖ, ὡς εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, ἀδελφοῖ, καὶ νήφειν, μή τις ἐκ τῆς κομψολογίας καὶ πανουργίας ἀπάτη γένηται, μὴ τῷ ὀνόματί τις ἔλθῃ λέγων, ὅτι Κάγὼ τὸν Χριστὸν καταγγέλλω, καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγον Ἀντίχριστνς γνωσθῇ. Ἀντίχριστοι δὲ οὗτοι τυγχάνουσιν, ὅσοι διὰ τὴν Ἀρείου μανίαν ἔρχονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Τί γὰρ λείπει παρʼ ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἔξωθεν τις ὑμῖν ἐπιδημήσῃ; Ἢ τίνος αἱ κατʼ Αἴγυπτον καὶ Λιβύας καὶ τήν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν Ἐκκλησίαι χρείαν ἔχουσιν, Ἵνα, ἀντὶ ξύλων καὶ φορτίων πραγματευόμενοι τήν ἐπισκοπὴν, ἐπιβαίνωσι ταῖς μὴ προσηκούσαις αὐτοῖς Ἐκκλησίαις; Τίς οὐκ οἶδε, τίς οὐ θεωρεῖ λευκῶς, ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα πράττουσι διὰ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀσεβείας eda-tactv; Διᾶ τοῦτο, κᾶν ἐνεοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ποιῶσι, κᾶν μείζονα κράσπεδα τῶν Φαρισαίων περιδήσωσιν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ πλατύνωσιν ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς φθέγμασι, καί τὸν τόνον ἀσκήσωσι τῆς φωνῆς, οὒκ ὀφείλουσι πιστεύεσθαιο οὐ γὰρ ἡ λέξις, ἀλλʼ ἡ διάνοια καὶὴ μετʼ εὐσεβείας ἀγωγή συνίστητι τὸν πιστόν. Διὰ τοῦτο οἱ Σαδδουιαῖοι καὶ oi Ἡρωδιανοὶ, καίπερ τὸν νόμον διὰ χειλέων ἔχοντες ἐνετράπησαν παρᾶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀκοῦσαντες· Πλανᾶσθε μὴ εἰδότες τὰς Γραφὰς μηδὲ τῆν δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ δέδεικται πᾶσιν, δτι καὶ oi δοκοῦντες τὸν νόμον λαλεῖν ἠλέγχθησαν τήν διάνοιαν ὄντες αἱρετικοὶ καί Θεομάχοι. ’Ἄλλους μὶν οῦν ἐπλάνησαν τοιαῦτα λέγοντες τὸν δὲ Κύριον γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν ἀπατῆσαι· 6 Λόγος γὰρ σὰρξ ἐγένετο, 6 γινώσκων τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅτι εἶσὶ μάταιοι ο οὕτω γὰρ καὶ Ἰουδαίους ὑφαρπάζοντας ἤλεγξε, λέγων ο Εἰὸ Θεὸς Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἦν, ἠγαπᾶτέ με ἄν ’ ἐγὼ γάρ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐξῆλθον, καὶ ἥκω πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Οὕτω μοι καί νῦν οὗτοι δοκοῦσι ποιεῖν κρύπτουσι γάρ ἃ φρονοῦσι, καὶ λοιπὸν εἷς τὸ γράφειν χρῶνται παρά τῶν Γραφῶν τὰς λέξεις, ἵνʼ ἐν αὐταῖς δελεάσαντες ὑποσῦρωσιν εἴς τὴν ίδίαν κακίαν τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας.

### English translation (Claude)

But since what has been written comes from those who were hired to advocate a heresy, and, according to the divine proverb, “The words of the ungodly are deceitful,” and “The mouth of the ungodly answers evil things,” and “The ungodly steer deceits,” we must watch, brothers, as the Lord said, and be sober, lest some deception come from their fine speech and craft, lest someone come in the name saying, “I too preach Christ,” and shortly be recognized as Antichrist. And antichrists are all who come to you because of the madness of Arius. For what is lacking among you, that someone should come to you from outside? Or what need have the churches of Egypt and Libya and Alexandria, that these men, trafficking in the episcopate instead of timber and cargo, should intrude upon churches that do not belong to them? Who does not know, who does not see clearly, that they do all this out of zeal for their impiety? Therefore, even if they make themselves out to be speechless, even if they bind on larger fringes than the Pharisees, and puff themselves up in their utterances, and practice their tone of voice, they ought not to be believed; for it is not the wording, but the mind and a conduct joined with piety, that commend the believer. For this reason the Sadducees and the Herodians, though they had the law on their lips, were put to shame when they heard from the Savior, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” And it has been shown to all that even those who seemed to speak the law were proved to be heretics in their mind and fighters against God. Others, then, they led astray by saying such things; but the Lord, become man, they could not deceive; for the Word became flesh, he who knows the thoughts of men, that they are futile. For so he refuted the Jews too when they tried to seize upon him, saying, “If God were your Father, you would love me; for I came forth from the Father and have come to you.” So these men too seem to me to be acting now; for they hide what they think, and then in writing use the words of the Scriptures, so that, having baited men with them, they may drag the ignorant into their own wickedness.

### Scripture references

- Prov 12:6: quotation, high confidence
- Prov 15:28: quotation, high confidence
- Prov 12:5: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 26:41: allusion, medium confidence
- 1 Thess 5:6: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 24:5: allusion, medium confidence
- 1 John 2:18: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 23:5: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 22:29: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 22:16: allusion, medium confidence
- John 1:14: quotation, high confidence
- Ps 94:11 (93:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- John 8:42: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The proverbs: Prov 12:6, 15:28, 12:5 (LXX). “Watch … and be sober”: Matt 26:41 with 1 Thess 5:6. “Many will come in my name”: Matt 24:5; antichrists: 1 John 2:18. “Make themselves out to be speechless” renders ἐνεοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ποιῶσι literally; the sense is uncertain. “Out of zeal” renders the OCR's garbled “eda-tactv” by sense. Larger fringes: Matt 23:5. “You are wrong …”: Matt 22:29 (Sadducees; the Herodians: Matt 22:16). “The Word became flesh”: John 1:14. “Knows the thoughts of men …”: Ps 94:11 (LXX 93:11). “If God were your Father …”: John 8:42.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 9 (PG 25:557b–560b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-9).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 10

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-10
- Source: PG 25:560b–561a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius argues that a creed which says nothing about the Arian errors is like a physician who ignores the wound and talks about the healthy limbs.

### Greek text

Θεάσασθε δὲ, εἶ μὴ οὕτως ἔχει. Εἰ μὶν γὰρ, μηδενὸς ὑποκειμένου, γράφουσι περὶ πίστεως, περιττὸν τὸ ἐπιχείρημα, τάχα δὶ καὶ ἐπιβλαόὶς, ὅτι, μηδεμιᾶς ζητήσεως οὔσης, αὐτοὶ πρόφασιν λογομαχίας παρέχουσιν ἀνασκευάζοντες τὰς ἀκάκους τῶν ἀδελφῶν καρδίας, καὶ παρασπείροντες ἃ μηδὲ εἷς νοῦν αὐτῶν ποτε ἀνέβη · εἰ δὲ διὰ τὴν Ἀρειανήν αʼίρεσιν ἀπολογούμενοι γράφειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν, ἔδει τῶν φόντων κακῶν τὰ σπέρματα προανελεῖν, καὶ τοὺς τὰ σπέρματα παρασχόντας στηλιτεῦσαι, καὶ οὕτως τὰ ἀντʼ ἐκείνων γράφειν ὀρθῶς, ἢ ἐκδικεῖν φανερῶς τὰ ’Δρείου, ’ίνα μή κεκρυμμένως, ἀλλὰ φανερῶς χριστομάχοι δεικνύωνται, καὶ πάντες αὐτοὺς φεύγωσιν ὡς ἀπὸ προσώπου ὄφεως. Νῦν δὲ κάκεῖνα κρύπτουσι, καὶ περὶ ἄλλων προσποιούμενοι γράφουσι* καὶ ὥσπερ ἰατρὸς κληθεὶς πρὸς πληγέντα καὶ κάμνοντα, καὶ εἰσελθὼν περὶ μὲν.τῶν τραυμάτων μηδὲν λέγοι, περὶ δὲ τῶν ὑγιαινόντων μελῶν διαλέγοιτο, πολλῆς ἂν ἐμβροντησίας καταγνωσθείη, ὅτι ὧν μὲν χάριν εἰσῆλθε, σιωπᾷ, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων, ὧν οὐκ ἔστι χρεία αὐτοῦ, διαλέγεται τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ οὗτοι τὰ μὲν τῆς αἱρέσεως αὐτῶν ἀφιᾶσιν,ἕτερα δὲ γράφειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν. Ἔδει δὲ, εἷʼπερ περὶ πίστεως ἐφρόντιζον, καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἠγάπων, πρῶτον τὰ κατʼ αὐτοῦ βλάσφημα ῥήματα προανελεῖν, καὶ οὕτως ἀντʼ ἐκείνων τοὺς ὑγιεινοὺς λέγειν τε καὶ γράφειν λόγους. Ἀλλʼ οὔτε αὐτοὶ τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν, οὔτε τοὺς θέλοντας ποιεῖν ἐπιτρέπουσιν, ἢ ἀγνοοῦντες, ἤ τέχνῃ πανουργίας χρώμενοι.

### English translation (Claude)

Consider whether this is not so. If, when nothing is in question, they write about the faith, the undertaking is superfluous, and perhaps even harmful, because, when there is no dispute, they themselves furnish an occasion for strife about words, unsettling the innocent hearts of the brothers and sowing among them things that never even entered their minds. But if they attempt to write in self-defense on account of the Arian heresy, they ought first to have removed the seeds of the evils that sprang up, and to have publicly branded those who furnished the seeds, and so to write correctly what is opposite to them; or else to champion openly the views of Arius, so that they may be shown to be fighters against Christ not covertly but openly, and all may flee from them as from the face of a serpent. But as it is, they hide those things too, and write while pretending to be dealing with other things. And as a physician called to a man wounded and sick, who on entering said nothing about the wounds but discoursed about the healthy limbs, would be condemned for great stupidity, because he is silent about what he came for and discourses about other things for which he is not needed; in the same way these men too leave aside the matters of their heresy and attempt to write about other things. Yet, if they cared about the faith and loved Christ, they ought first to have removed the blasphemous words against him, and so in their place to speak and write sound words. But they neither do this themselves nor permit those who wish to do it, whether from ignorance or using an art of craftiness.

### Scripture references

- 1 Tim 6:4: echo, medium confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Sir 21:2 (Sirach): allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “Strife about words”: an echo of 1 Tim 6:4. “As from the face of a serpent”: Sir 21:2.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 10 (PG 25:560b–561a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/1/#p-10).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 11

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-11
- Source: PG 25:561a–565b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius argues that the Arians must answer the charges actually brought against them, and then sets out the statements of Arius for which Alexander cast him out of the Church.

### Greek text

Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀγνοοῦντες τοῦτο πάσχουσι, προπετείας ἃν ἐγκολοῖντο, ὅτι περὶ ὧν οὐκ ἴσασι, διαβεβαιοῦνται· εἰ δὲ γινώσκοντες ἃ προσποιοῦνται , μείζων κατʼ αὐτῶν ἡ κατάγνωσις, ὅτι περὶ μὲν τῶν ἰδίων βουλευόμενοι, πάρεργον οὐδὲν τίθενται· περὶ δὲ τῆς εἰς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν πίστεως γράφοντες, παίζουσι, καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον ἤ ἀληθεύουσι· καὶ κρύπτουσι μὲν, περὶ ὧν ἡ αʼίρεσις αὐτῶν ἐγκαλεῖται, λέγουσι δε τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν λέξεις. Ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο κλοπὴ τῆς ἀληθείας ἄντικρυς, καὶ πάσης ἀδικίας μεστόν ' καὶ τοῦτο εὖ ὀἷδʼ ὅτι καὶἡ ὑμετέρα θεοσέβεια συνορᾷν ἐκ τούτων καλῶς δυνήσεται. ῼύδείς γὰρ ἐγκαλούμενος περὶ μοιχείας ἀπολογεῖται περὶ κλοπῆς, ούδέ φόνου τις ἔγκλημα διώκων ἀνέχεται τῶν κατηγορουμένων, εἰ ἀπολογοῖντο λέγοντες, οὐκ ἐπιωρκήσαμεν, ἀλλά καὶ τὴν παρακαταθήκην ἐφυλάξαμεν· μᾶλλον γάρ ἐστι τοῦτο παίγνιον ἤ λύσις ἐγκλήματος καὶ ἀληθείας ἀπόδειξις. Τί γὰρ φόνος πρὸς παρακαταθήκην; ἥ τί μοιχεία πρὸς κλοπήν ; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀλλήλων ἔχονται αἱ κακίαι ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς καρδίας ἐξερχόμεναι, ἀλλʼ ὡς πρὸς τὸ λῦσαι τὸ πλημμεληθὲν, οὐδεμίαν εἰς τοῦτο πρὸς ἑαυτὰς ἔχουσι τὴν κοινωνίαν. '0 οὖν Ἀχαρ, ὡς ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ τοῦ Ναυῆ γέγραπται, ἐγκαλούμενος περὶ γλοπῆς, οὗ τὴν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις εὔνοιαν προφέρων ἀπελογεῖτο, ἀλλʼ ἐλεγχθεὶς ἐν τῷ κλέμματι , λίθοις ἐβλήθη παρά πάντων. Καὶ Σαοὺλ δὲ ὀλιγωρίας καὶ παρανομίας ἐγκαλούμενος, οὐδὲν ὤνησεν ἐν ἄλλοις προφασιζόμενος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ ἐν ἄλλοις ἀπολογία λύσιν ἄλλων ἐγκλημάτων ἐργάζεται· ἀλλʼ εἰ ἄρα δεῖ νομίμως καὶ δικαίως πάντα πράττειν, προσήκει περὶ ὧν ἐγκαλεῖταί τις, περὶ τούτων καὶ ἀπολογεῖσθαι, καὶ ἤ δεικνύειν, ὅτι μὴ πεποίηκεν,ἤ ὁμολογεῖν, εἶ ἐλέγχοιτο, μηκέτι δρᾷν μηδὲ ποιήσειν τὰ αύτά. Ἀν δὲ ἄρα πεποίηκε καὶ δέδρακε, καὶ μήτε ὁμολογοίη, ἀλλὰ καὶ κρύπτων, ἕτερα ἀνθʼ ἑτέρων … · δῆλός ἐστιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς πράξας, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνειδὼς αὐτὸς … Τί δὲ δεῖ λόγων μακρῶν, ὅπου γε καὶ αὐτοὶ οὗτοι κατήγοροι τῆς Ἀρειανῆς αἱρέσεώς εἰσιν; Εἰ γὰρ οὐ θαρροῦσιν εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον κρύπτουσι τὰ ἐκείνων τῆς βλασφημίας ῥήματα, δῆλοί εἰσι γινώσκοντες ξένην καὶ ἀλλοτρίαν τῆς ἀληθείας εἶναι τήν αἵρεσιν ταύτην. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ κρύπτουσιν αὐτοὶ καὶ φοβοῦνται λέγειν, ἀναγκαῖον ἡμᾶς ἀποδῦσαι τὸ κάλυμμα τῆς ἀσεβείας, καὶ δειγματίσαι τὴν αἵρεσιν, εἰδότας ἃ τότε οἱ περὶ Ἄρειον ἔλεγον, καὶ πῶς ἐξεβλήθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ καθῃρέθησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ κλήρου· συγγνώμην μέντοι πρότερον αἰτησαμένους, ἐφʼ οἷς μέλλομεν προφέρειν ῥυπαροῖς ῥήμασιν· ὅτι μὴ φρονοῦντες, ἀλλὰ ἐλέγχοντες τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς, λέγομεν ταῦτα. Ὁ μακαρίτης Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐξέβαλε τὸν Ἄρειον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας φρονοῦντα καὶ λέγοντα ταῦτα· «Οὐκ ἀεὶ ὁ Θεὸς Πατὴρ ἦν, οὐκ ἀεὶ ἦν ὁ Υἱός· ἀλλὰ πάντων ὄντων ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐστί· καὶ πάντων ὄντων κτισμάτων, καὶ αὐτὸς κτίσμα καὶ ποίημά ἐστι· καὶ πάντων οὐκ ὄντων πρότερον, ἀλλʼ ἐπιγενομένων, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἦν ποτε, ὅτε οὐκ ἦν πρὶν γεννηθῆναι, ἀλλʼ ἀρχὴν ἔχει τοῦ εἶναι· τότε γὰρ γέγονεν, ὅτε βεβούληται αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς δημιουργῆσαι· ἓν γὰρ τῶν πάντων ἔργων ἐστὶ καὶ αὐτός· καὶ ὅτι τῇ μὲν φύσει τρεπτός ἐστι, τῷ δὲ ἰδίῳ αὐτεξουσίῳ, ὡς βούλεται, μένει καλός· ὅτε μέντοι θέλει, δύναται τρέπεσθαι καὶ αὐτὸς ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ πάντα. Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, προγινώσκων ἔσεσθαι καλὸν αὐτὸν, προλαβὼν ταύτην αὐτῷ τὴν δόξαν δέδωκεν, ἣν ἂν καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔσχε μετὰ ταῦτα· ὥστε ἐξ ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὧν προέγνω ὁ Θεὸς, τοιοῦτον αὐτὸν νῦν γεγονέναι.» Λέγουσι γοῦν, ὅτι «Οὐδὲ Θεὸς ἀληθινός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ μετοχῇ καὶ αὐτὸς, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες, λέγεται Θεός.» Προστιθέασι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι «Οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτὸς ὁ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ φύσει, καὶ ἴδιος τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ Λόγος, καὶ ἡ ἰδία Σοφία, ἐν ᾗ καὶ τοῦτον ἐποίηκε τὸν κόσμον· ἀλλʼ ἄλλος μέν ἐστιν ὁ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ ἵδιος αὐτοῦ λόγος, καὶ ἄλλη ἦ ἐν τῗριῐατρὶ ῗδία αὐτοῦ σοφία, έν ᾖ σοφίᾳ καὶ τοῦτον τὸν Λόγον πεποίηκεν· αὐτὸς δὲ οὗτος 6 Κύριος κατʼ ἐπίνοιαν λέγεται Λόγος διὰ τὰ λογικὰ, καὶ κατʼ ἐπίνοιαν λέγεται Σοφία διὰ τὰ σοφιζόμενα. ›› Ἀμέλει φασὶν, ὅτι «Ξένων πάντων καί ἀλλοτρίων ὄντων κατὰ τήν οὐσίαν τοῦ Πατρὸς, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς ξένος μὲν καὶ ἀλλότριος κατὰ πάντα τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίαις ἐστὶ, τῶν δὲ γενητῶν καὶ κτισμάτων ἴδιος καὶ εἷς τυγχάνει-κτίσμα γάρ ἐστι καὶ ποίημα καὶ ἔργον. ‹‹ Πάλιν τέ φασιν,ὅτι ‹‹ Οὐχ ἡμᾶς ἔκτισε διʼ ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνον διʼ ἡμᾶς. Ἦν γὰρ, φασὶ, μόνοςό Θεὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἦν 6 Λόγος σὺν αὐτῷʼ εἶτα Θελήσας ἡμᾶς δημιουργῆσαι, τότε πεποίηκε τοῦτον, καὶ ἀφʼ οὗ γέγονεν, ὠνόμασεν αὐτὸν Λόγον, καὶ Υἱὸν, καὶ Σοφίαν, τα βουλήματι τοῖʼ) Θεοῦ οὐκ ὅνκα πρότερον, ὑπέστη· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ βουλήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ὣν πρότερον, γέγονεν. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι τοῦ Πατρὸς ἴδιον καὶ φύσει γέννημα 6 Λόγος, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς χάριτι γέγονεν. '0 γὰρ ὢν Θεὸς τὸν μὴ ὄντα Υἱὸν πεποίηκε τῇ βουλῇ, ένῇ καὶ τὰ πάντα πεποίηκε, καὶ ἐδημιούργησε, καὶ ἔκτισε, καὶ γενέσθαι ἠθέλησε. ›› Καὶ γὰρ καὶτοῦτο λέγουσιν, ὅτι ‹‹ Οὐκ ἔστιν 6 Χριστὸς ἡ φυσική καὶ ἀληθινὴ δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ” ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ἡ κάμπη καὶ 6 βροῦχος λέγονται δύναμις, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς λέγεται δύναμις τοῦ Πατρός.» Πρὸς τούτοις ἔλεγεν, ὅτι ‹‹ Τῷ Υἱῷ 6 Πατὴρ ἅῤῥητος ὑπάρχει· καὶ οὔτε ὁρᾷν, οὔτε γινώσκειν τελείως καὶ ἀκριβῶς δύο ναται 6 Υἱὸς τὸν Πατέρα. ’Δρχὴν γὰρ ἔχων τοῦ εἶναι, οὐ δύναται τὸν ἄναρχον γινώσκειν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὃ γινώσκει καὶ βλέπει, ἀναλόγως οἶδε τοῖς ἰδίοις μέτροις, καὶ βλέπει, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς γινώσκομεν καὶ βλέπομεν κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν δύναμιν. ›› Προσετίθει δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι ‹‹ Ὁ Υἱὸς οὐ μόνον τὸν Πατέρα τὸν ἴδιον οὐκ οἶδεν ἀκριβῶς, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὴν ἰδίαν ἑαυτοῦ οὐσίαν οἶδεν. ››

### English translation (Claude)

If, then, they suffer this through ignorance, they could be charged with rashness, because they make confident assertions about what they do not know; but if they know what they are pretending, the condemnation against them is greater, because when deliberating about their own affairs they treat nothing as a side matter, but when writing about the faith in our Lord they play, and do anything rather than speak the truth; and they hide the points on which their heresy is charged, but recite the words from the Scriptures. This is downright theft of the truth and full of every injustice; and I know well that your piety too will be able to see this clearly from these facts. For no one charged with adultery makes his defense about theft, nor does anyone prosecuting a charge of murder tolerate the accused if they defend themselves by saying, “We have not perjured ourselves, but have even kept the deposit”; for this is mockery rather than the clearing of a charge and a proof of the truth. For what has murder to do with a deposit, or adultery with theft? For though the vices cling to one another, coming out of the same heart, yet for clearing an offense they have no fellowship with one another. So Achar, as it is written in Joshua the son of Nun, when charged with theft, did not defend himself by pleading his good service in the wars, but, convicted in the theft, was stoned by all. And Saul, when charged with negligence and lawlessness, gained nothing by making excuses about other matters. For a defense on other points does not bring acquittal of other charges; but if all things are to be done lawfully and justly, a man ought to make his defense on the very matters on which he is charged, and either show that he has not done it, or, if convicted, confess and no longer do or commit the same things. But if he has in fact done and committed it, and does not confess but even hides it, bringing up other things in place of others, it is plain that he has not acted rightly, but is himself conscious … But what need is there of long words, when these men themselves are accusers of the Arian heresy? For if they do not dare to speak, but rather hide the blasphemous words of those men, they are plainly aware that this heresy is foreign and alien to the truth. But since they hide it and are afraid to speak, it is necessary for us to strip off the covering of the impiety and expose the heresy, since we know what Arius and his party said at that time, and how they were cast out of the Church and deposed from the clergy; first, however, asking pardon for the foul words we are about to bring forward, since we say these things not as holding them but in refutation of the heretics. [12] The blessed bishop Alexander cast Arius out of the Church for holding and saying these things: “God was not always Father; the Son was not always; but, as all things are from nothing, the Son of God too is from nothing; and as all things are creatures, he too is a creature and a thing made; and as all things did not exist before but came into being afterwards, the Word of God himself too once was not, before he was begotten, but has a beginning of being; for he came into being then, when God willed to create him; for he too is one of all the works. And by nature he is changeable, but by his own free will, as he wishes, he remains good; when, however, he wishes, he too can change, just as all things can. For this is why God, foreknowing that he would be good, gave him in advance this glory, which he would have had afterwards from his virtue; so that it is from his works, which God foreknew, that he has now become such.” They say, further, that “Christ is not true God either, but he too, like all the others, is called God by participation.” And they add this too, that “He is not the Word who is in the Father by nature and proper to his essence, and his own Wisdom, in which he made this world; but there is another Word, proper to him, who is in the Father, and another Wisdom, his own, in the Father, in which Wisdom he made this Word too; and this Lord himself is called Word in thought because of rational beings, and is called Wisdom in thought because of beings made wise.” Indeed they say that “as all things are foreign and alien in essence to the Father, so he too is in every respect foreign and alien to the Father's essence, but is proper to things originate and creatures, and is one of them; for he is a creature and a thing made and a work.” And again they say that “He did not create us for his sake, but him for our sake. For God, they say, was alone, and the Word was not with him; then, wishing to create us, he made him, and from the time he came into being he named him Word and Son and Wisdom … by the will of God, not existing before, came to subsist; so he too came into being by the will of God, not existing before. For the Word is not the proper and natural offspring of the Father, but he too came into being by grace. For God, who is, made the Son, who was not, by the will by which he also made and fashioned and created all things and willed them to come into being.” And they say this too, that “Christ is not the natural and true power of God; but as the caterpillar and the locust are called power, so he too is called power of the Father.” In addition he said that “the Father is ineffable to the Son; and the Son can neither see nor know the Father perfectly and exactly. For having a beginning of being, he cannot know the one who is without beginning; but what he knows and sees, he knows and sees in proportion to his own measures, just as we too know and see according to our own power.” And he added this too, that “the Son not only does not know his own Father exactly, but does not even know his own essence.”

### Scripture references

- Josh 7:25: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Sam 15:22: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 15:19: echo, low confidence
- Joel 2:25: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- This staged section contains chapters 11 and 12: the numeral of chapter 12 was lost in the scan; “[12]” marks where it begins. In the scan the second half of chapter 11 and most of chapter 12 are printed with an unreadable duplicate of every line; the duplicates (and a Migne footnote) were removed by one logged correction. A word after “is himself conscious” is unreadable (marked …). Achar (Achan): Josh 7; Saul: 1 Sam 13 and 15. The quoted statements of Arius and his followers are close to those condemned in Alexander of Alexandria's encyclical letter and in the Thalia; Athanasius gives a similar list in Against the Arians 1.5–6. “Changeable” (τρεπτός); “essence” (οὐσία); “things originate” (γενητά). Words are lost after “Word and Son and Wisdom” (marked …); the sense is that, as all things came to subsist by God's will, so did the Son. The caterpillar and the locust are called God's “power” in Joel 2:25.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 11 (PG 25:561a–565b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-11).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 13

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-13
- Source: PG 25:565b–569a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius recalls Nicaea's unanimous condemnation of Arius and sets the Arian statements against John, Paul, and the words of Christ.

### Greek text

Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγων μὲν ὁ Ἀρειος, αἱρετικὸς ἀπεδείχθη. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ μόνον γράφων, ἐκάθαιρον ἐμαυτὸν ένθομούμενος τὰ κατὰ τούτων, καὶ κρατῶν τήν τῆς εὐσεβείας διάνοιαν.. Καὶ γὰρ καί ἐν τῇ κατά Νίκαιαν συνόδῳ οἳ συνελθόντες πάντες πανταχόθεν ἐπίσκοποι τὰς μὲν ἀκοὰς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐκράτουν, παμψηφεί δὲ πάντες καὶ διὰ ταῦτα κατέκριναν τήν αἳρεσιν ταύτην, καί ἀνεθεμάτισαν, εἰπόντες ἀλλοτρῗαν εἶναι καὶ ξένην ταύτην τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς πίστεως. Ούκ· ἀνάγκη δὲ τοὺς κρίναντας ἦγεν ἐπὶ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ πάντες προαιρέσει τήν ἀλήθειαν ἐξεδίκουψ πεποιήκασι δὲ τοῦτο δικαίως καὶ ὀρθῶς. Ἀθεότης γὰρ ὲκ τούτων εἶσάγεται, καὶ μᾶλλον παρὰ τὰς Γραφὰς Ἰουδαϊσμὸς, ἔχων ἐγγὺς ἐπακολουθοῦντα τὸν Ἑλληνισμὸν, ὥστε τὸν ταῦτα φρονοῦντα μηκέτι μηδὲ Χριστιανὸν καλεῖσθαι· ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα τῶν Γραφῶν ἐστιν ἐναντία. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἰωάννης φησίν· Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λύγος· οὗτοι δὲ φάσκουσιν· Οὐκ ἦν, πρὶν γεννηθῇ. Καὶ αὐτὸς ’δὲ πάλιν ἔγραψε· Καί ἐσμεν ἐν τῷ ἀληθινῷ, ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ή αἰώνιος. Οὗτοι δὲ ὥσπερ ἀντιμαχόμενοι φάσκουσι μὴ εἶναι τὸν Χριστὸν ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ μετοχὴν καὶ αὖ· τὸν ὡς τὰ πάντα λέγεσθαι Θεόν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἀπόστολος αἲτιᾶται τοὺς Ἕλληνας, ὅτι κτίσματα σέβουσι, λέγωνʼ Ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα Θεόν· οὗτοι δὲ κτίσμα λέγοντες τὸν Κύριον εἶναι, ’καὶ ὡς κτίσματι λατρεύοντες αὐτῷ, τί διαφέρουσιν Ἑλλήνων ; Πῶς γὰρ, εἱ τοῦτο φρονοῦσιν, οὐχὶ καὶ κατʼ αὐτῶν ἐστι τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα, καὶ ὡς αὖτοὺς μεμφόμενός ἐστιν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος; Καὶ ὁ μὲν Κύριός φησινʼ Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ ΙΙατήρ ἔν ἐσμεν· καὶ, '0 ἐμὲ ἑωρακὼς ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα· καὶὸ παρʼ αὐτοῦ δὲ κηρύττειν ἀποσταλεὶς Ἀπόστολος γράφει· Ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης, καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ · οὗτοι δὲ· τολμὼςι διαιρεῖν, καὶ ἀλλότριον αὐτόν τῆς τοῦ ΙΙατρὸς οὐσίας καὶ ἀϊδιότητος λέγειν, καὶ τρεπτὸν εἰσάγειν οἳ ἄθεοι, οὐ βλέποντες, ὅτι, ταῦτα λέγοντες, οὐκέτι ποιοῦσιν αὐτὸν ’ὲν μετά τοῦ ΙΙατρὸς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῶν κτισμάτων. Τίς γὰρ οὐχ ὁρᾷ, ὅτι ἀδιαίρετόν ἐστι τὸ ἀπαύγασμα πρὸς τὸ φῶς, καὶ ἴδιον αὖτοῦ συνυπάρχον τούτῳ φύσει, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιγεγονεν ὕστερον; Εἶτα τοῦ [Ιατρὸς λὲγοντος, Οὗτός ἐστιν 6 Υἱός μου 6 ἀγαπητὸς, καὶ τῶν Γραφῶν λεγουσῶν τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν τοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγον, ἐν ᾧ καὶ οἱ οὗρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν, καὶ ἁπλῶς πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο · οὗτοι, καινῶν ἐφευρεταὶ δογμάτων καὶ πλασμάτων γενόμενοι, ἕτερον ἐπεισάγουσι λόγον, καὶ ἄλλην σοφίαν τοῦ Πατρὸς εἶναι, τοῦτον δὲ κατʼ ἐπίνοιαν διὸ, τὰ λογικὰ λέγεσθαι Λόγον καὶ Σοφίαν, οὐχ ὁρῶντες ἐκ τούτου τὸ ἄτοπον.

### English translation (Claude)

By saying these and similar things Arius was shown to be a heretic. And I, merely in writing them down, have been cleansing myself by pondering the arguments against them and holding fast the mind of piety. For indeed at the council of Nicaea all the bishops who came together from every quarter stopped their ears at these things, and all unanimously condemned this heresy on account of them and anathematized it, declaring it alien and foreign to the faith of the Church. It was not compulsion that led the judges to this; all by deliberate choice championed the truth, and they did this justly and rightly. For through these doctrines godlessness is brought in, or rather, contrary to the Scriptures, Judaism, with paganism following close behind, so that he who holds these things can no longer even be called a Christian; for all these things are contrary to the Scriptures. For John says, “In the beginning was the Word”; but these men assert, “He was not, before he was begotten.” And again he wrote, “And we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ; this is the true God and eternal life”; but these men, as though fighting against him, assert that Christ is not true God, but that he too, like all things, is called God by participation. And the Apostle blames the Greeks because they worship creatures, saying, “They served the creature rather than God who created it”; but these men, saying that the Lord is a creature and serving him as a creature, how do they differ from the Greeks? For if they hold this, how is the passage not against them too, and how is blessed Paul not blaming them as well? And the Lord says, “I and the Father are one,” and “He who has seen me has seen the Father”; and the Apostle sent by him to preach writes, “who, being the radiance of his glory and the exact imprint of his hypostasis”; but these godless men dare to divide him, and to call him alien to the Father's essence and eternity, and to bring him in as changeable, not seeing that by saying this they no longer make him one with the Father, but one with the creatures. For who does not see that the radiance is inseparable from the light, and is proper to it, coexisting with it by nature, and did not come into being afterwards? Then, when the Father says, “This is my beloved Son,” and the Scriptures say that he is the Word of the Father, by whom the heavens too were established, and in short “all things came into being through him,” these men, become inventors of new doctrines and fictions, bring in another Word and another Wisdom of the Father, and say that he is called Word and Wisdom in thought because of rational beings, not seeing the absurdity that follows from this.

### Scripture references

- John 1:1: quotation, high confidence
- 1 John 5:20: quotation, high confidence
- Rom 1:25: quotation, high confidence
- John 10:30: quotation, high confidence
- John 14:9: quotation, high confidence
- Heb 1:3: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 3:17: quotation, high confidence
- Ps 33:6 (32:6 LXX): allusion, high confidence
- John 1:3: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “In the beginning was the Word”: John 1:1. “We are in him who is true …”: 1 John 5:20. “They served the creature …”: Rom 1:25. “I and the Father are one”: John 10:30; “He who has seen me …”: John 14:9. “The radiance of his glory …”: Heb 1:3; ὑπόστασις is left untranslated here (later Greek theology distinguishes it from οὐσία; in Heb 1:3 it means the Father's very being). “This is my beloved Son”: Matt 3:17. “By whom the heavens were established”: Ps 33:6 (LXX 32:6). “All things came into being through him”: John 1:3.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 13 (PG 25:565b–569a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-13).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 14

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-14
- Source: PG 25:569b–572b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius argues that Scripture, the angels and even the demons know only one Son and Word, and that a created Word would need another Word through whom to be made.

### Greek text

Ei’ γὰρ διʼ ἡμᾶς λέγεται κατʼ ἐπίνοιαν Λόγος καὶ Σοφία, τί ἂν εἷή αὐτὸς, οὐκ ἂν εἷʼποιεν. Εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα αὐτόν λέγουσιν εἶναι αἱ Γραφαῖ, οὗτοι δὲταῦτα εἶναι τὸν Κύριον οὐ θέλουσι, φανερῶς οὐδὲ ὑπάρχειν αὐτὸν θέλουσιν οἱ ἄθεοι καὶ τῶν Γραφῶν ἐναντίοι. Καὶ τοῦτο οἱ μὲν πιστοὶ δύνανται παρʼ αὐτῆς τε τῆς πατρικῆς φωνῆς, καὶ παρὰ τῶν προσκυνούντων αὐτὸν ἀγγὲλων, καὶ τῶν περῖ αὐτοῦ γραψάντων ἀγίων μαθεῖν · οὗτοι δὲ, ἐπεὶ τὴν διάνοιαν οὐκ ἔχουσι καθαρὰν, οὐδὲ δύνανται θείων ἐπακούειν καί θεολόγων ἀνδρῶν, δύνανται κᾶν παρὰ τῶν ὁμοίων αὐτοῖς δαιμόνων μαθεῖν, ὅτι μὴ ὡς πολλῶν ὄντων ἀνεφώνουν, ἀλλᾶ τοῦτον μόνον εἰδότες ἔλεγον · Σὺ εἴ 6 ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ 6 τήν αʼίρεσιν αὐτοῖς ὑποβαλὼν, πειράζων ἐν τῷ ὄρει, οὐκ ἔλεγεν· Εἰ καὶ σὺ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς ὄντων ἄλλων · ἀλλʼ, Εἰ σὺ εἶὸ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς μόνου ὄντος αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλʼ οἱ θαυμαστοὶ, ὥσπερ Ἕλληνες, ἐκπεσόντες τῆς περὶ τοῦ ἐνὸς Θεοῦ ἐννοίας, εἷς πολυθεότηνα κατῆλθον, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι, μὴ πιστεύοντες ἕνα εἶναι τὸν τοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγον, sic; πολλῶν ἐπίνοιαν πεπτώκασιʼ καὶ τὸν μὲν ὅντως ὄντα Θεὸν καὶ ἀληθινὸν Λόγον ἀρνοῦνται. κτίσμα δὲ αὐτὸν κᾶν ἐνθυμεῖσθαι τετολμήκασιν, οὗ βλέποντες ὅσης ἀσεβείας μεστόν ἐστι τὸ φρόνημα. Εἰ γὰρ κτίσμα ἐστὶ, πῶς αὐτὸς τῶν κτισμάτων ἐστὶ ὅημιουργός; ἢ πῶς αὐτὸς 6 Υἱὸς καὶ Σοφία, κα) Λόγος; Λόγος γὰρ οὐ κτίζεται, ἀλλὰ γεννᾶται· καὶ τὸ κτίσμα οὐχὶ υίὸς, ἀλλὰ ποίημα. Καὶ εἰ τὰ κτίσματα διʼ αὐτοῦ γέγονε, κτίσμα δέ ἐστι καὶ αὺτός· διὰ τίνος ἄρα καὶ αὐτὸς γέγονεν; Ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὰ ποιήματα διά τινος γίνεσθαι, ῶσπερ οῦν καὶ γέγονε διὰ τοῦ Λόγου, ὅτι μὴ αὐτὸς ἦν ποίημα, ἀλλὰ Λόγος τοῦ Πατρός. Καὶ πάλιν, εἰ ἄλλη ἐστὶν ἡ ἑν τῷ Πατρὶ σοφία παρὰ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ Σοφία ὲν σοφίᾳ γέγονεν. Ei δὲ Σοφία ἑστὶν 6 τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, εἴη ἂν καὶ 6 Λόγος ἑν λόγῳ γεγονώς ο καὶ εί 6 Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἑστιν 6 Υἱὸς, εἴη ἂν καὶ 6 Υἱὸς ἑν τῷ υίῷ ποιηθείς.

### English translation (Claude)

For if it is because of us that he is called Word and Wisdom in thought, what he himself is they could not say. For if the Scriptures say that he is these things, and these men do not want the Lord to be these things, plainly the godless men, opposed to the Scriptures, do not want him even to exist. And this the faithful can learn from the Father's own voice, and from the angels who worship him, and from the saints who wrote about him; but these men, since they do not have a pure mind and cannot listen to divine men who speak of God, can at least learn from the demons, who are like them, that they did not cry out as though there were many, but knowing him alone said, “You are the Holy One of God, and the Son of God.” For he too who suggested the heresy to them, when tempting on the mountain, did not say, “If you too are a son of God,” as though there were others, but, “If you are the Son of God,” as though he alone were. But these remarkable men, just as the Greeks, falling away from the notion of the one God, sank into polytheism, so these too, not believing that the Word of the Father is one, have fallen into the notion of many; and they deny the God who truly is and the true Word, and have dared even to think of him as a creature, not seeing how full of impiety the notion is. For if he is a creature, how is he the creator of the creatures? Or how is he himself the Son, and Wisdom, and Word? For a word is not created but begotten; and a creature is not a son but a thing made. And if the creatures came into being through him, and he too is a creature, through whom then did he himself come into being? For things made must come into being through someone, as indeed they did come into being through the Word, because he was not a thing made but the Word of the Father. And again, if the wisdom in the Father is other than the Lord, then Wisdom has come into being in wisdom. And if the Word of God is Wisdom, the Word too would have come into being in a word; and if the Word of God is the Son, the Son too would have been made in a son.

### Scripture references

- Heb 1:6: allusion, medium confidence
- Mark 1:24: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 8:29: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 4:3: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The angels who worship him: Heb 1:6. “You are the Holy One of God”: Mark 1:24; “the Son of God”: Matt 8:29. “If you are the Son of God”: Matt 4:3.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 14 (PG 25:569b–572b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-14).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 15

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-15
- Source: PG 25:572b–573b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius argues from John, Paul and the order of creation that the Word through whom all things were made is the one true Word, and that the Arians can show no work of their other “word.”

### Greek text

Πῶς τοίνυν 6 Κύριος ἔλεγεν · Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὀ Πατὴρ ὲν ἐμοὶ, ὄντος ἑτέρου ἑν τῷ Πατρὶ, ἑν ᾧ καὶ αὐτὸς 6 Κύριος γέγονε; Πῶς δὲ και 6 Ἰωάννης, ἀφεὶς ἐκεῖνον, περὶ τούτου διηγεῖται λέγων· Πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὑτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν; Ei δὲ πάντα τὰ βουλήματι γενόμενα διʼ αὑτοῦ γέγονε, πῶς καὶ αὐτὸς εἷς τῶν γενομένων ἐστί; Πῶς δὲ καὶ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος, Διʼ ὃν τὰ πάντα καὶ διʼ οὗ τὰ πάντα, οῦτοι λέγουσιν· Οὐχ ἡμεῖς διʼ αὑτὸν, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνος διʼ ἡμᾶς γέγονεν ; Ἔδει γὰρ, εἴπερ οὕτως ἦν, εἰπεῖν αὑτὸν, Διʼ οὒς γέγονεν 6 Λόγος. Νῦν δὲ μὴ τοῦτο λέγων, ἀλλὰ, διʼ ὃν τὰ πάντα καὶ διʼ οὗ τὰ πάντα, δείκνυσι τούτους αἱρετικοὺς καὶ συκοφάντας. Ἀλλως τε, εἰ τε· Θαρρήκασιν ἄλλον εἶναι Λόγον ἑν τῷ Θεῷ, ἐπεὶ μὴ φανερὰς ἔχουσι τὰς ἑκ τῶν Γραφῶν ἀποδείξεις. κᾶν ἓν ἔργον αὑτοῦ δεικνύτωσαν, ἢ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἔργον χωρὶς τούτου τοῦ Λόγου γεγονὸς, ἵνα τινὰ δοκῶσι πρόφασιν ἔχειν τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἐπινοίας. Τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἀληθινοῦ Λόγου πᾶσίν ἐστι φανερὰ τὰ ἔργα. ὡς καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν αὑτὸν ἀναλόγως θεωρεῖσθαι· ὡς ἐκ τῶν γεγενημένων. Ὡς γὰρ τήν κτίσιν ὁρῶντες, διανοούμεθα τὸν ταύτην κτῖσαντα Θεὸν, οὕτω βλέποντες μηδὲν ἄτακτον ἐν τοῖς γενομένοις, ἀλλά πάντα τάξει καὶ προνοίᾳ κινούμενά τε καὶ μένοντα, ἐνθυμούμεθα Λόγον εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων ὄντα τε καὶ ἡγεμονεύοντα. Τοῦτο καὶ αἱ θεῖαι Γραφαὶ μαρτυροῦσι, λέγουσαι αὐτόν τε εἶναι τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, καὶ ὅτι διʼ αὑτοῦ τὰ πάντα γέγονε, καὶ χωρὶς αὑτοῦ ἐγένετο οὑδὲ ἓν. Ἐκείνου δὲ, περὶ οὗ λέγουσιν, οὐδὲν οὔτε ῥητὸν οῦτε ἔργον ὑπʼ αὐτῶν δείκνυται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς δʼΠατὴρ λέγων, Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, οὐδένα ἕτερον εἶναι παρʼ αὑτὸν σημαίνει.

### English translation (Claude)

How then did the Lord say, “I am in the Father and the Father in me,” if there is another in the Father, in whom the Lord himself came into being? And how does John, passing that one by, tell about this one, saying, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being”? And if all things that came into being by the will came into being through him, how is he himself one of the things that came into being? And when the Apostle says, “For whom are all things and through whom are all things,” how do these men say, “Not we for his sake, but he came into being for ours”? For if that were so, he ought to have said, “for whom the Word came into being.” But as it is, by saying not this but “for whom are all things and through whom are all things,” he shows these men to be heretics and slanderers. Besides, if they have been bold enough to say that there is another Word in God, since they have no clear proofs from the Scriptures, let them show at least one work of his, or a work of the Father done without this Word, so that they may seem to have some pretext for their notion. For the works of the true Word are manifest to all, so that from them he is contemplated by analogy, as from the things that have come into being. For as, seeing the creation, we perceive God who created it, so, seeing nothing disordered in the things that have come into being, but all things moving and abiding in order and providence, we consider that there is a Word of God who is over all and governs all. This the divine Scriptures too bear witness to, saying that he is the Word of God, and that all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. But of that other one of whom they speak, neither saying nor work is shown by them. For the Father himself too, in saying, “This is my beloved Son,” signifies that there is no other beside him.

### Scripture references

- John 14:10: quotation, high confidence
- John 1:3: quotation, high confidence
- Heb 2:10: quotation, high confidence
- Rom 1:20: echo, low confidence
- Matt 3:17: quotation, high confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Wis 13:5 (Wisdom of Solomon): echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- “I am in the Father …”: John 14:10. “All things came into being through him …”: John 1:3. “For whom are all things …”: Heb 2:10. “Contemplated by analogy”: an echo of Wis 13:5. “This is my beloved Son”: Matt 3:17.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 15 (PG 25:572b–573b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-15).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 16

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-16
- Source: PG 25:573b–576d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius likens the Arians to the Manichees, who name a God without works, and rejects their claims that the Son is one power among many and does not know the Father or himself perfectly.

### Greek text

Οὐκοῦν κατὰ τοῦτο καὶ Μανιχαίοις οἱ θαυμαστοὶ λοιπὸν προσετέθησαν. Καὶ γάρ κάκεῖνοι μόνον ὀνομάζουσι, καὶ ἄχρις ὀνόματος ἀγαθὸν Θεὸν ἔργον μὲν αὑτοῦ οὕτε βλεπόμενον οὕτε ἀόρατον δεικνύειν δύνανται· τὸν δὲ ἀληθινὸν καὶ ὅντως ὅντα Θεὸν, τὸν ποιητὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀοράτων ἀρνούμενοι, παντελῶς εἰσι μυθολόγοι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ οὗτοι πάσχει μοι δοκοῦσιν oi. κακόφρονες. Τοῦ γὰρ ἀληθινοῦ Λόγου καὶ μόνου ὄντος ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ τὰ ἔργα βλέπουσι, καὶ τοῦτον μὲν ἀρνοῦνται, ἄλλον δὲ ἑαυτοῖς ἀναπλάττονται λόγον, ὃν οὔτε ἐξ ἔργων οὔτε ἐξ ἀκοῆς ἀποδεικνύειν δύνανταιο εἰ μή ἄρα σύνθετον τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς ἅνθρωπον, λαλοῦντα καὶ ἀμείβοντα τοῦς λόγους, καὶ πάλιν οὕτω νοοῦντα καὶ σοφιζόμενον ὑπονοοῦντες μυθολογοῦσιν, οὐχ ὁρῶντες εἷς ὅσην ἀλογίαν ταῦτα λέγοντες ἐκπεπτώκασιν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐπισυμβαίνοντας ἔχει τοὺς λόγους, πολὺττοῦτο ἄνθρωπον νομίζουσιν· εἰ δὲκαὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ προφέρονται καὶ λοιπὸν ἀφανίζονται· μειζόνως ἀσεβοῦσιν, ὅτι τὰ ἐκ τοῦ ὐντος εἷς τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἀναλύουσιν. Εἴ γὰρ ὅλως γεννᾷν αύτὸν ὑπονοοῦσι, βέλτιόν ἐστι καὶ εὐσεβέστερον λέγειν ἑνὸς εἶναι Λόγου γεννήτορα τὸν Θεὸν, ὅς ἐστι τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ, ἐν ᾧ καί οἱ θησαοροὶ τῆς γνώσεως πάσης εἰσὶν ἀπόκρυφοι, καὶ τοῦτον λέγειν εἷναί τε καὶ συνυπάρχειν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Πατρὶ, διʼ οὗ καὶ τὰ πάντα γέγονεν· ἢ πολλῶν μὴ φαινομένων Πατέρα νομίζειν τὸν Θεὸν, ἢ ὡς ἐκ πολλῶν συγκείμενον, ὡς ἀνθρωποπαθῆ καὶ ποικίλον, τὸν ἁπλοῦν ὄντα τῇ φύσει φαντάζεσθαι. Εἶτα τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος · Χριστὸς Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία, οὗτοι ταῖς πολλαῖς δυνάμεσιν ἕνα καὶ τοῦτον συναριθμοῦσι, καὶ τό γε χείριστον, ὅτι τῇ κάμπη καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀλόγοις, τοῖς διʼ ἐπὶτιμίαν πεμπομένοις διʼ αὒτοῦ, παραβάλλουσιν αὐτὸν οἱ παράνομοι. Εἶτα, τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· Οὐδεὶς ἐπιγινώσκει τὸν Πατέρα εἷ μή 6 Υἱὸς, καὶ πάλιν, Οὐχ ὅτι τὸν Πατέρα τις ἑώρακεν εἰ μὴ 6 ὢν παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός· πῶς οὐκ ἀληθῶς εἶσιν οὗτοι θεομάχοι, λέγοντες μήτε ὁρᾶσθαι μήτε ἐπιγινώσκεσθαι τὸν Πατέρα παρὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τελείως; Ei γὰρ 6 Κύριος λέγει, Καθὼς γινώσκει με 6 Πατὴρ, κάγὼνγινώσκω τὸν Πατέρα· οὐκ ἐκ μέρους δὲ γινώσκει ὁ Πατὴρ τὸν Υἱόν· πῶς οὐ μαίνονται φλυαροῦντες, ὅτι ἐκ μέρους καὶ οὐ πλήρης γινώσκει 6 Υἱὸς τὸν Πατέρα ; Εἶτα εἰ ἀρχὴν ἔχει 6 Υἱὸς εἷς τὸ εἶναι, ἀρχὴν δὲ ἔχει καὶ τὰ πάντα εἷς τὸ γεγενῆσθαν τί τίνος ἐστὶ πρῶτον, λεγέτωσαν. Ἀλλʼ οὕτε τι εἰπεῖν ἔχουσιν, οὕτε τοῦ Λόγου τοιαύτην ἀρχὴν δεικνύειν δύνανται oi πανοῦργοι. Τοῦ γὰρ Πατρός ἐστιν ἀληθινὸν καὶ ἷδιον αὐτοῦ γέννημα, καὶ Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ 6 Λόγος ἧν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν 6 Λόγος. Περὶ γὰρ τοῦ λέγειν αὐτοὺς μὴ εἰδέναι τὸν Υἱὸν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ οὐσίαν περιττόν ἐστιν ἀποκρίνασθαι, εἰ μὴ μόνον μανίας αὐτῶν καταγινώσκειν, εἷʼ γε ἑαυτὸν οὐκ οἶδεν 6 Λόγος, 6 τοῖς πᾶσι τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν περὶ τοῦ Ῑῐατρὸς καὶ ἑαυτοῦ χαριζόμενος, καὶ μεμφόμενος τοὺς μή γινώσκοντας ἑαυτούς.

### English translation (Claude)

Accordingly, in this respect the remarkable men have now joined the Manichees. For they too merely name a good God, and only as far as the name, but they can show no work of his, either visible or invisible; and, denying the true God who truly is, the maker of heaven and earth and of all things invisible, they are mere tellers of myths. And these perverse men seem to me to suffer the same. For they see the works of the true Word, who alone is in the Father, and deny him, and fashion for themselves another word, whom they can prove neither from works nor from hearing; unless indeed, supposing God to be composite like a man, speaking and exchanging words, and again in the same way thinking and becoming wise, they tell myths, not seeing into what absurdity they have fallen by saying these things. For if he has words that come upon him in addition, they consider him all the more a man; and if the words are uttered from him and then vanish, they are even more impious, because they dissolve what comes from him who is into non-existence. For if they suppose at all that he begets, it is better and more pious to say that God is the begetter of one Word, who is the fullness of his Godhead, in whom also the treasures of all knowledge are hidden, and to say that he exists and coexists with his own Father, and that through him all things came into being; rather than either to think God the Father of many who do not appear, or to imagine him who is simple by nature as composed of many parts, subject to human passions and manifold. Then, when the Apostle says, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God,” these men count him as one among the many powers; and, what is worst, the lawless men compare him to the caterpillar and the other irrational creatures sent by him for punishment. Then, when the Lord says, “No one knows the Father except the Son,” and again, “Not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from the Father,” how are these men not truly fighters against God, when they say that the Father is neither seen nor known perfectly by the Son? For if the Lord says, “As the Father knows me, I also know the Father,” and the Father does not know the Son in part, how are they not mad when they babble that the Son knows the Father in part and not fully? Then, if the Son has a beginning of being, and all things too have a beginning of having come into being, let them say which is first. But the crafty men have nothing to say, nor can they show such a beginning of the Word. For he is the true and proper offspring of the Father, and “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” As for their saying that the Son does not know his own essence, it is superfluous to answer, except only to condemn their madness: as if the Word did not know himself, he who grants to all the knowledge of the Father and of himself, and blames those who do not know themselves!

### Scripture references

- Col 1:16: echo, low confidence
- Col 2:9: echo, medium confidence
- Col 2:3: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Cor 1:24: quotation, high confidence
- Joel 2:25: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 11:27: quotation, high confidence
- John 6:46: quotation, high confidence
- John 10:15: quotation, high confidence
- John 1:1: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The Manichees' good God and their denial of the creator: Athanasius's characterization. “The fullness of his Godhead”: an echo of Col 2:9; “the treasures of all knowledge”: Col 2:3. “Christ the power of God …”: 1 Cor 1:24. The caterpillar: Joel 2:25. “No one knows the Father …”: Matt 11:27. “Not that anyone has seen the Father …”: John 6:46. “As the Father knows me …”: John 10:15. “In the beginning was the Word …”: John 1:1.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 16 (PG 25:573b–576d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-16).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 17

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-17
- Source: PG 25:576d–580a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius answers the Arian appeal to “The Lord created me” by referring such expressions to Christ's human flesh, and judges Arianism worse than other heresies because it attacks the Godhead itself.

### Greek text

Ἀλλὰ γέγραπται, φασί Κύριος ἔκτισε με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ · ἀπαίδευτοι καὶ τὰς φρένας ἐμβεβροντημένοι l Καὶ δοῦλος έν ταῖς Γραφαῖς ἐλέχθη, καὶ παιδίσκης υἱὸς, καὶ ἀρνίον κα πρόβατον, καὶ ὅτι κεκοπίακε, καὶ ἐδίψησε, καὶ ἐτυπτήθη, καὶ πέπονθεν. Ἀλλʼ ἔχει τὴν πρόφασιν καὶ τὸ αἷαειον εὔλογον ἐγγὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πάλιν ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν σημαινόμενα. Ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο, διότι ἄν· θρωπος καὶ ι”ιὸς ἀνθρώπου γέγονε, λαβὼν τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφὴν, ἥτις ἦν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη σάρξ. Ὀ γὰρ Λόγος, φησὶν ὁ Ἰωάννης, σὲιρξ ἐγένετο. Εἰ δὲ ἅνθρωπος γέγονεν, οὐ δεῖ τινας ἐπὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις φωναῖς σκανδαλίζεσθαι · ἀνθρώπου γὰρ ἴδιόν ἐστι τὸ κτίζεσθαι, τὸ γίνεσθαι, τὸ πλάττεσθαι, τὸ κοπιᾷν, τὸ πάσχειν, τὸ ἀποθνήσκειν, τὸ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγείρεσθαι. Καὶῶσπερ Λόγος ὢν καὶ σοφία τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἔχει πάντα τά τοῦ Ματρὸς, τὸ ἀίδιον, τὸ ἄτρεπτον, τὸ κατά πάντα καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν ὅμοιον, τὸ μή πρότερον καὶ ὕστερον, ἀλλὰ τὸ συνυπάρχειν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς θεότητος εἶδος αὐτὸν εἶναι, καὶ τὸ δημιουργικὸν, καὶ τὸ μὴ κτίζεσθαι· ὅμοιος γὰρ ὢν κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ Πατρὸς, οὐκ ἂν εἷή κτιστὸς, ἀλλὰ κτίστης, ὡς αὐτὸς εἷʼρηκεν· '0 Πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κάγὼ ἐργάζομαιο οὕτως ἅνθρωπος γεγονὼς, καὶ σάρκα φορὲσας, ἐξ ἀνάγκης κτίζεσθαι λέγεται και ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ πάντα τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ἴδια, κᾶν οὗτοι, ὡς Ἰουδαϊκοὶ κάπηλοι, τὸν οἶνον μίσγωσιν ὕδατι, ταπεινσῦντες τὸν Λόγον, καί τὴν θεότητα αὐτοῦ ταῖς τῶν γεννητῶν ἐννοίαις ὑποβάλλοντες. Διὰ τοῦτο γάρ εἷʼκότως καὶ δικαίως οἱ μὲν Πατὲρες,ἠγανάκτησαν, καὶ ἀνεθεμάτισαν τὴν ἀσεβεστάτην ταύτην αʼίρεσιν, οὗτοι δὲ ὡς εὐέλεγκτον καὶ πανταχόθεν οὖσαν σαθρὰν φοβοῦνται καὶ κρύπτουσι. Καὶ γάρ βραχέα μὲν ταῦτα πρὸς κατάγνωσιν αὐτῶν ἡμεῖς ἐγράψαμεν· ἐὰν δέ τις θελήσῃ πλατυτὲρῳ τῷ κατ αὐτῶν ἐλέγχῳ χρήσασθαι, εὑρήσει την ατίρεσιν ταύτην Ἑλλήνων μὲν οὗ μακρὰν, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων αἱ.ρέσεων ἐσχάτην καὶ τρυγίαν τυγχάνουσαν. Ἐκεῖναι μὲν γὰρ ἢ περί τὸ σῶμα καί τήν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Κυρίου πλανῶνται, αἱ μὲν οὕτως, αἱ δὲ ἐκείνως ιαταψευδόμεναι, ἢ μηδόλως ἐπιδεδημηκέναι τὸν Κύριον, ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι νομίζοντες ἐπλανήθησαν· αὕτη δὲ μόνη μανικώτερον εἷς αὐτὴν τὴν θεότητα καταιετόλμηκε, λέγουσα μηδόλως εἶναι τὸν Λόγον, μηδὶ τὸν Πατέρα ἀεὶ Πατέρα εἶναι.Οθεν εὐλόγως ἂν τις κατʼ αὐτῶν ἐκεῖνον εἷʼποι γεγράφθαι τὸν ψαλμόν· Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, Ούκ ἔστι Θεός

### English translation (Claude)

“But it is written,” they say, “The Lord created me as a beginning of his ways for his works.” Uninstructed men, thunderstruck in mind! He was also called in the Scriptures a servant, and son of a handmaid, and lamb and sheep, and it is said that he grew weary, and thirsted, and was struck, and suffered. But such expressions have their reason and their fitting explanation close at hand, again indicated from the Scriptures. It is this: that he became man and Son of Man, taking the form of a servant, which was the human flesh. For “the Word,” says John, “became flesh.” And if he became man, no one ought to be offended at such expressions; for it is proper to man to be created, to come into being, to be fashioned, to toil, to suffer, to die, to rise from the dead. And just as, being the Word and Wisdom of the Father, he has all that is the Father's: eternity, unchangeableness, being like him in all respects and in all things, being neither earlier nor later but coexisting with the Father, being himself the very form of the Godhead, and the power to create, and not being created (for being like the Father in essence, he would not be created but creator, as he himself said, “My Father is working until now, and I am working”); so, having become man and bearing flesh, he is of necessity said to be created and made, and all that is proper to the flesh, even if these men, like Jewish hucksters, mix their wine with water, debasing the Word and subjecting his Godhead to the notions of things begotten. For this is why the Fathers were rightly and justly indignant and anathematized this most impious heresy, while these men fear it and hide it, as easily refuted and rotten on every side. And indeed we have written these few things to condemn them; but if anyone wishes to use a fuller refutation against them, he will find that this heresy is not far from the Greeks, and is the last and the dregs of the other heresies. For those err either about the body and the incarnation of the Lord, some falsifying in one way and some in another, or have gone astray like the Jews in thinking that the Lord has not come at all; but this one alone has more madly dared against the Godhead itself, saying that the Word does not exist at all, and that the Father is not always Father. So one might reasonably say that that psalm was written against them: “The fool said in his heart, There is no God.”

### Scripture references

- Prov 8:22: quotation, high confidence
- Phil 2:7: allusion, high confidence
- Ps 116:16 (115:7 LXX): allusion, medium confidence
- Isa 53:7: allusion, high confidence
- John 4:6: allusion, high confidence
- John 19:28: allusion, high confidence
- John 1:14: quotation, high confidence
- John 5:17: quotation, high confidence
- Isa 1:22: allusion, high confidence
- Ps 14:1 (13:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “The Lord created me …”: Prov 8:22 (LXX), the chief Arian proof text. Servant: Phil 2:7; son of a handmaid: Ps 116:16 (LXX 115:7); lamb and sheep: Isa 53:7; weary: John 4:6; thirsted: John 19:28. “The Word became flesh”: John 1:14. “My Father is working …”: John 5:17. “Like … in essence” renders ὅμοιος κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν. “Mix their wine with water”: Isa 1:22; “Jewish hucksters” is Athanasius's own polemic. “Things begotten” renders γεννητῶν as printed (γενητῶν, “things originate”, may be meant). “The fool said …”: Ps 14:1 (LXX 13:1).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 17 (PG 25:576d–580a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-17).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 18

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-18
- Source: PG 25:580b–581b
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius challenges the Arians to state their doctrine openly, and recalls how Arius hid his views and swore a false oath before Constantine.

### Greek text

Ἀλλά καὶ ίσχύομεν, φασὶ, καὶ δυνάμεθα ταῖς· πανουργίαις ’προστῆναι τῆς αἱρέσεως. Βελτίων δʼ ἃν γένοιτο αὐτῶν ἡ ἀπολογία, ἐὰν μὴ τέχνῃ τινὶ μηδὲ σοφίσμασιν Ἑλληνικοῖς, ἀλλʼ ἁπλῇ τῇ πίστει ταύτης προστῆναι δύνανται. Ούκοῦν εἷ τεθαῤῥήκασι καὶ γινώσκουσιν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν εἶναι ταύτην, λεγέτωσαν φανερῶς τὸ φρόνημα· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἅψας λύχνον τίθησιν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν, καὶ λάμπει πᾶσι τοῖς εἰσερχομένοις. Ei. τοίνυν καὶ οὗτοι προστῆναι δύνανται, γραψάτωσαν τὰ προειρημένα, καὶ δειξάτωσαν πᾶσιν, ὡς λύχνον, γυ·μνὴν τήν ἑαυτῶν αʼίρεσιν· φανερῶς τε καὶ κατηγορείτωσαν Ἀλεξάνδροῦ τοῦ μακαρίτου ἐπισκόπου, ὡς ἀδίκως ἐκβαλόντος τὸν Ἀρειον λέγοντα ταῦτα, καὶ μεμφέπθωσαν τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ σύνοδον, ἀντὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπομνήσασαν καὶ γράψασαν τήν εὐσεβῆ πίστιν. _ Ἀλλʼ ού ποιήσουσιν, εῦ οῖδα, ὅτι ούχ οὕτως εῗσίν ἀγνῶτες ὧν ἐπλάσαντο καὶ φιλονεικοῦσιν ἐπισπεῖραι κακῶν ἀλλά καὶ μάλα γινώσκουσιν, ὅτι, κᾶν κατά τὴν ἀρχὴν τοὺς ἀκεραίους διὰ κενῆς ἀπάτης ὑφαρπάσωσιν, ἀλλʼ εὐθὺς ἡ "ewouz αὐτῶν ὡς φῶς ἀσεβῶν σβέννυται, καί στηλιτεύονται πανταχοῦ, ὡς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροί. Διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν … πάντα μωρῶς ποιοῦντες, καὶ ὡς μωροὶ λαλοῦντες, τοῦτο μόνον, ὡς υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος ὄντες τούτου, φρονίμως πεποιήκασι, κρύπτοντες ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον τὸν ἑαυτῶν λύχνον, ’ίνα νομίζηται φαίνειν, καὶ μὴ φαινόμενος ἀποσβεσθῇ καταγινωσκόμενος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὖ· τὸς ’Ἄρειος ὁ τῆς μὲν αἱρέσεως ἔξαρχος, Εὖσεβίου δὲ κοινωνὸς, κληθεὶς ἐκ σπουδῆς τότε τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίτου Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ Αὐγούστου, καὶ ἀπαιτούμενος εἰπεῖν ἐγγράφως τήν ἑαυτοῦ πίστιν, ἔγραώεν 6 δόλιος, κρύπτων μὲν τὰς ἶδίας τῆς ἀσεβείας λέξεις, ὐποκρινόμενος δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς, ὡς 6 6L66010;,ri τῶν Γραφῶν ῥήματα ἁπλᾶ, καὶ ὥς ἐστι γεγραμμένα. Εἶτα λέγοντος τοῦ μακαρίτου Κωνσταντίνου· ‹‹ Εἰ μηδὲν ἕτερον ἔχεις παρὰ ταῦτα ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ, μάρτυρα τὴν ἀλήθειαν δός· ἀμύνεται γὰρ ἐπιορκήσανταὶ σε 6 Κύριοςʼ » ὤμοσεν 6 ἄθλιος μήτε ἔχειν, μήτε ἄλλα παρά τὰ νῦν γραφέντα κᾶν εἰρῆσθαι πώἐλάλησε μέσος.

### English translation (Claude)

“But we are strong,” they say, “and able by our cleverness to champion the heresy.” Their defense would be better if they could champion it not by some art or by Greek sophistries, but by simple faith. So if they are confident and know that it belongs to the Church, let them state their mind openly; for no one who lights a lamp puts it under the bushel, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who come in. If, then, these men can champion it, let them write what was stated above, and show their heresy naked to all, like a lamp; and let them openly accuse the blessed bishop Alexander of having unjustly cast out Arius for saying these things, and let them find fault with the council of Nicaea for recording and writing down the pious faith instead of the impiety. But they will not do it, I know well; for they are not so ignorant of the evils they have fashioned and are eager to sow; on the contrary, they know very well that even if at first they carry off the innocent by empty deceit, their invention is at once quenched like the light of the ungodly, and they are branded everywhere as enemies of the truth. For this reason, then, … doing all things foolishly and speaking as fools, in this alone, as sons of this age, they have acted prudently: they hide their lamp under the bushel, so that it may be thought to shine, and lest, appearing, it be condemned and put out. For Arius himself too, the originator of the heresy and the associate of Eusebius, when he was summoned at that time, through the efforts of Eusebius and his party, by Constantine Augustus of blessed memory, and was required to state his faith in writing, the crafty man wrote it, hiding the words proper to his impiety and pretending, like the devil, to the words of the Scriptures, simply and as they are written. Then, when Constantine of blessed memory said, “If you have nothing else in your mind beside these, take the truth as your witness; for the Lord avenges you if you swear falsely,” the wretch swore that he neither held nor had ever said anything other than what he had now written … burst asunder in the middle.

### Scripture references

- Matt 5:15: allusion, high confidence
- Col 2:8: echo, medium confidence
- Prov 13:9: allusion, high confidence
- Luke 16:8: allusion, high confidence
- Acts 1:18: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “No one who lights a lamp …”: Matt 5:15 (Luke 11:33). “Empty deceit”: Col 2:8. “The light of the ungodly is quenched”: Prov 13:9. “Sons of this age”: Luke 16:8. An unreadable line after “For this reason, then,” is marked …. “Like the devil” renders the OCR's garbled “ὡς ὁ 6L66010;,ri” by sense. Lines are lost after “what he had now written”: the scan runs on to the end of the account of Arius's death, “burst asunder in the middle” (an echo of Acts 1:18, said of Judas).

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 18 (PG 25:580b–581b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-18).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 19

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-19
- Source: PG 25:581b–584d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius tells of Arius's sudden death at Constantinople on the eve of his readmission, and urges the bishops to judge the Arians' writings by Arius's own words.

### Greek text

( 8) Πᾶσι μὲν οὖν ἀνθρώποις κοινὸν τοῦ βίου τέλος 6 θάνατός ἐστι, καὶ ού δεῖ τινας ἐπεμβαίνειν Β , κᾶν ἐχθρὸς 6 τελευτήσας, ἀδήλου ὄντος μὴ ἕως ἑσπέρας καὶ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο καταλάβῃ· τὸ δὲ τέλος Ἀρείου, ἐπεὶ ἁπλῶς γέγονε, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ διηγήματος ἄξιόν ἐστι. Τῶν γὰρ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἀπειλούντων εἰσαγαγεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, 6 μὲν ἐπίσκοπος τῆς Κωνσταυτινουπόλεως Ἀλέξανδρος ἀντέλεγεν, 6 δὲ Ἄρειος ἐθάρρει τῇ βίᾳ καὶ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς Εὐσεβίου· σάββατον γὰρ ἧν, καὶ προσεδόκα τῇ ἐξῆς συνάγεσθαι. Πολὺς τοίνυν ἦν ἀγὼν, ἐκείνων μὲν ἀπειλούντων, Ἀλεξάνδρου δὲ εὖ· χομένου · ἀλλʼ 6 Κύριος κριτὴς γενόμενος ἐβράὃευσε κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων. Οὔπω γὰρ 6 ἥλιος ἔδυ, καὶ χρείας αὐτὸν ὲλκυσάσης εἷς τόπον, ἐκεῖ κατέπεσε, καὶ ἀγφοτέρων τῆς τε κοινωνίας καὶ τοῦ ζῆν εὐθὺς ἐστερήθη. Kal? 6 μὲν μακαρίτης Κωνσταντῖνος εὐθὺς ἀκούσας ἐθαύμασεν, ἰδὼν ἐλεγχθέντα τοῦτον ἐπίοροκον · πᾶσι δὲ γέγονε τότε φανερὸν, ὅτι τῶν μὲν περὶ Εὐσὲβιον ἡσθὲνησαν αἱ ἀπειλαὶ, καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς Ἀρείου ματαία γέγονεν, Ἐδείχθη δὲ πάλιν, ὅτι παρα τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀκοινώνητος γέγονεν ἠ Ἀρειανὴ ματία καί ὦδε καὶ έν τῇ πρωτοτόκων ἐν οὗ· ρανοῖς Ἐκκλησία. Τίς οὖν οὐκ ἂν θαυμάσειεν ὁρῶν τούτους ἀδίκως φιλονεικοῦντας, οὓς 6 Κύριος κατέκρινε, καὶ βλέπων αὐτοὺς ἐκδικοῦντας τήν αʼίρεσιν, ἣν Κύριοσ ἀκοινώνητον ἤλεγξε, μὴ ἀφεῖς τὸν ταύτης ἔξαρχον εἷσελθεῖν εἷς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ μὴ φοβουμένους τὸ γεγραμμένον, ἀλλʼ ἀδυνάτοις ἐπιχειροῦντας ; "A γὰρ 6 Θεὸς ὁ ἅγιος βεβούλευται, τίς διασκεδάσει ; καί ὃν ὁ Θεὸς κατέκρινε, τίς 6 δικαιῶν ; Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὗν, ὡς ἰδίας φαντασίας ἐκδικοῦντες, γραφέτωσαν ἃ θέλουσιν· ὑμεῖς δὲ, ἀδελφοὶ, ὡς τὰ τοῦ Κυρίου σκεύη φέροντες, καὶ τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκδικοῦντες δόγματα. παρακαλῶ, δοκιμασταὶ γίνεσθε τοῦ πράγματοςο καὶ εἰ μὲν ἑτέρας παρὰ τὰς προειρημένας Ἀρείου λέξεις γράφουσιν, ἐντεῦθεν ὡς ὑποκριτῶν τούτων κατάγνωτε, κρυπτόντων μὶν τὸν ἰὸν τοῦ φρονήματος, σαινόντων δὲ κατὰ τὸν ὄφιν τοῖς ἀπὸ χειλέων ῥήμασι. Καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα γράφοντες ἔχουσι μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν τοὺς ἐκβληθέντας τότε μετὰ Ἀρείου, Σεκοῦνδον τὰν Πενταπολίτην, καὶ τοὺς ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ ποτὲ ἐλεγχθέντας κληρικοὺς, τούτοις τε γράφουσιν ὲν τῇ ’Δλεξανδρείφ καί τό γε θαυμαστὸν, ἡμᾶς μὲν καί τοὺς μεθʼ ἡμῶν ἐποίησαν διωχθῆναι, καίτοι τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου μετʼ εἰρήνης ἀποστείλαντος ἡμᾶς εἷς τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ κηδομένου τῆς ὁμονοίας τῶν λαῶνʼ τούτοις δὲ παραδοθῆναι νῦν πεποιήκασι τὰς ἐκκλησίας, καί πᾶσιν ἔδειξαν, ὅτι τούτων χάριν ἡ πᾶσα καθʼ ’ί μῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ κατά τῶν ἑτέρων γέγονεν ἐπιβουλή.

### English translation (Claude)

Death is the common end of life for all men, and one ought not to trample on anyone, even if the dead man was an enemy, since it is uncertain whether the same will not overtake us too before evening. But the end of Arius, since it did not happen in an ordinary way, is for that reason worth telling. When Eusebius and his party were threatening to bring him into the church, Alexander, the bishop of Constantinople, opposed it; but Arius was confident in the violence and threats of Eusebius. For it was the Sabbath, and he expected to join in the assembly on the next day. There was, then, a great struggle, they threatening and Alexander praying; but the Lord, becoming judge, gave decision against the wrongdoers. For the sun had not yet set when, need having drawn him to a certain place, he fell down there, and was at once deprived both of communion and of life. And Constantine of blessed memory, hearing of it, was at once amazed, seeing him convicted of perjury; and it became plain to all then that the threats of Eusebius and his party had been powerless and the hope of Arius had come to nothing. And it was shown again that the Arian madness had been excluded from communion by the Savior, both here and in the Church of the firstborn in heaven. Who, then, would not be amazed, seeing these men contending unjustly for those whom the Lord condemned, and championing the heresy which the Lord proved to be excluded from communion, by not permitting its originator to enter the church, and not fearing what is written, but attempting the impossible? For “what the holy God has purposed, who shall frustrate?” and whom God has condemned, who is he that justifies? Let them, then, as championing their own fancies, write what they wish; but you, brothers, as bearers of the vessels of the Lord and champions of the doctrines of the Church, I beseech you, be examiners of the matter; and if they write words other than the words of Arius stated above, condemn them from that as hypocrites, hiding the poison of their mind and fawning like the serpent with words from the lips. For in writing these things they have with them those who were cast out with Arius at that time, Secundus of the Pentapolis, and the clergy once convicted in Alexandria, and they write to them in Alexandria; and what is remarkable, they caused us and those with us to be persecuted, although the most pious Emperor Constantine sent us back in peace to our country and our church and cared for the concord of the people; but to these men they have now caused the churches to be handed over, and have shown all that it was for their sake that the whole plot against us and against the others was made from the beginning.

### Scripture references

- Heb 12:23: allusion, high confidence
- Isa 14:27: quotation, high confidence
- Rom 8:33: allusion, medium confidence
- Isa 52:11: allusion, medium confidence
- Gen 3:1: echo, low confidence

### Translation notes

- The OCR prints “(8)” at the opening, probably a stray marker; left untranslated. Arius died in Constantinople in 336; Athanasius tells the story more fully in his letter to Serapion On the Death of Arius. “Sabbath” is Saturday. The Church of the firstborn: Heb 12:23. “What the holy God has purposed …”: Isa 14:27; “who is he that justifies?”: an adaptation of Rom 8:33–34. The vessels of the Lord: Isa 52:11. The Emperor Constantine here is Constantine II, who sent Athanasius back from exile in 337.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 19 (PG 25:581b–584d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-19).

## To the Bishops of Egypt 20

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-20
- Source: PG 25:584d–593d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius begins to argue that the Arians would be believed only if they renounced Arius's Thalia; the rest of the letter is lost in the scan.

### Greek text

Πῶς οὖν, ταῦτα ποιοῦντες, δύνανται ταῦτα γράφοντες πιστεύεσθαι ; Εἰ γὰρ ἔγραφον ὀρθῶς, ἐξήλειφον ἢν ἔγραψεν 6 ’Ἄρειος Θαλείαν, καὶ …

### English translation (Claude)

How, then, when they do these things, can they be believed when they write these things? For if they were writing correctly, they would blot out the Thalia that Arius wrote, and …

### Translation notes

- Only the first words of chapter 20 survive in the scan. The rest of the letter (chapters 20–23) is missing; in its place the scan has pages of another work of Athanasius, the Defence against the Arians (chapters 74–80: the protest of the Mareotic clergy and the letters of the Egyptian bishops, of Alexander of Thessalonica and of Count Dionysius), which were removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Aeg. Lib. 20 (PG 25:584d–593d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-episcopos-aegypti/11/#p-20).