# To Rufinianus

- Author: [Athanasius of Alexandria](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/athanasius/)
- Latin title: *Epistula ad Rufinianum*
- Date: ca. 370–373 (approximate)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 26 (Paris: Migne, 1857), Epistula ad Rufinianum (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-rufinianum/
- Passages: 1

## Letter to Rufinianus 1

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-rufinianum/1/#p-1
- Source: PG 26:1180a–1181d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-12

Summary: Athanasius tells Rufinianus that the councils decided to pardon clergy who had yielded to force without embracing Arianism and to let them keep their rank, but to admit the leaders of the heresy only as laymen.

### Greek text

Σὺ μέν τὰ υἱῷ ἠγαπημένῳ πρέποντα πρὸς Πατέρα γράφεις · έγγίσαντα γοῦν σε διὰ τοῦ γράμματος περιεπτυξάμην, πάντων ἐμοὶ ποθεινότατε Ῥουφινιανέ · κάγὼ δὲ, ὡς υἱῷ δυνάμενος γράφειν ἔν τε τοῖς προοιμίοις καὶ μέσοις καὶ τελευταίοις, ἐπέσχον, ’ίνα μή ἐκ γραμμάτων ἡ σύστασις καὶ ἡ μαρτυρία γνωρίζηται. Σὺ γὰρ ἐμοὶ ἐπιστολὴ, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ἐπιγινωσκομένη καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένη ἐν καρδίᾳ. Οὕτω τοίνυν πίστευε διακείμενος, καὶ πίστευε. Προσαγορεύω σε καὶ προτρέπω γράφειν · οὐ γὰρ ὀλίγως. ἀλλὰ μεγάλως εὐφραίνεις τοῦτο ποιῶν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ φιλοκάλως καὶ ἐκκλησιαστικῶς, τοῦτο γὰρ πάλιν πρέπει τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ. ἠρώτησας περὶ τῶν διʼ ἀναγκην ὐποσυρέντων μὲν, μὴ φθαρέντων δὲ έν τῇ κακοπιστίᾳ, καὶ ἠθέλησας γράψαι με τὰ δόξαντα περὶ αὐτῶν έν ταῖς συνόδοις καὶ πανταχοῦ ο γινωσκε, Κύριέ μου ποθεινότατε, ὅτι ἰν ἀρχῇ μὲν, παυσαμέδης τῆς γινομένης βίας, γέγονε σύνοδος, παρόντων ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξω μερῶν ἐπισκόπων · γέγονε δὲ καὶ παρᾶ τοῖς τὴν ἙΑλάδα κατοικοῦσι συλλειτουργοῖς · οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον καὶτοῖς έν Σπανίᾳ καὶ Γαλλίᾳ ° καὶ ἤρεσεν ὅπερ ὧδε καὶ πανταχοῦ, ὥστε τοῖς μὶν κακαπεπτωκόσι καὶ προϊσταμένοις τῆς ἀσεβείας συγγινώσκειν μὶν μετανοοῦσι, μὴ διδόναι δὲ αὐτοῖς τόπον κλήρου · τοῖς δὲ μὴ αὖ· θεντοῦσι μὲν τῆς ἀσεβείας, παρασυρεῖσι δὶ διʼ ἀνάγκην καὶ βίαν, ἔδοξε δίδοσθαι μὶν συγγνώμην, ἔχειν δὲ καὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦ κλήρου ° μάλιστα ὅτι ἀπολογίαν πιθανὴν ἐπορίσαντο, καὶ εδοξε τοῦτό πως οἰκονομικῶς γενέσθαι Διεβεβαιώσαντο γὰρ μή μεταβεβλῆσθαι εἰς ἀσέβειαν· ’ίνα δὲ μή κατασταθέντες τινὶς ἀσεβέστατοι διαφθείρωσι τὰς Ἐκκλησίας, εʼίλοντο μᾶλλον συνδραμεῖν τῇ βίᾳ καὶ βαστάσαι τὸ βάρος, ἢ λαοὺς ἀπολέσθαι. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγοντες ἕδοξαν ἡμῖν πιθανῶς λέγειν · διὰ τὸ καὶ προφασίζεσθαι ιύτοῦς τὸν Ἀαρὼν τὸν τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἀδελφὸν έν τῇ ερήμῳ συνδραμεῖν μὶν τῇ τοῦ λαοῦ παραβάσει· ἀπο· λογίαν δὲ ἐσχηκέναι, ’ίνα μὴ ὁ λαὸς ἐπιστρέψας εἰς Αἰγυπτον πιμείνη τῇ εἷδωλολατρείᾳο καὶ γὰρ ἦν τὸ φαινόμενον εὔλογον· ὅτι μένοντες ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ δύνανται παύσασθαι τῆς ἀσεβείας· εἶσελθόντες δὲ εἷς Αʼίγυπτον, ἔπετρίβοντο καὶ ηὔξανον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Τούτων τοίνυν ἕνεκα συγγνωστὸν τὸ πρὸς τὸν κλῆρον γὲγονεʼ τοῖς δὲ ἀπατηθεῖσι καὶ βίαν παθοῦσι συγγνώμη δίδοται. Ταῦτα καὶ τῇ σῇ εὐσεβείᾳ δηλῶ, θαρρῶν, ὅτι καὶ τὰ δόξαντα ἀποδέξεταί σου ἡ θεοσέβεια, καὶ ού καταγνώσεται ἐκεχειρίας τῶν συνελθόντων οὕτως. Καταξίωσον δὲ αὐτὰ ἀναγνῶναι τῷ ἱερατείῳ καὶ τῷ λαῷ τῷ ὑπὸ σὲ,’ίνα, καὶ αὐτοὶ γινώσκοντες, μη μὲμφωνται οὕτω σὲ διακείμενον περὶ τοὺς τοιούτους. Ἀπρεπὲς γὰρ ἦν ἐμὲ γράφειν, δυναμένης τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας καὶ τήν ἡμῶν περὶ αὐτοὺς διάθεσιν ἀπαγγεῖλαι, καὶ πάντα τὰ λείποντα ἀποπληρῶσαι. Χάρις τῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ πλη ρώσαντί σε ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει. Οἱ μὲν οὖν μετανοοῦντες φανερῶς ἁναθεματιζὲτωσαν ὀνομάζοντες Εὐδοξίου καὶ Εύζωίου τὴν κακοδοξίαν Αύτοὶ γὰρ λοιπὸν βλασφημοῦντες, αὐτὸν κτίσμα άπεγράψαντο τῆς Ἀρειανῆς αἱρέσεως προστάται. Ὁμολογειτωσαν δὲ τήν ἐν Νικαίᾳ παρὰ τῶν Πατὲρων ὁμολογηθεῖσαν πίστιν, καὶ μηδεμίαν ἄλλην σύνοδον προκρίνειν ταύτης τῆς συνόδου. [Ιρόσειπε τὴν παρὰ σοὶ ἁδελφότητα σὲ ἡ σὺν ἡμῖν ἐν Κυρίῳ προσαγορεύει.

### English translation (Claude)

You write as befits a beloved son to a father; so when you came near me through your letter I embraced you, Rufinianus, most longed-for of all to me. And I, though able to write to you as to a son, at the beginning, in the middle and at the end, refrained, so that your commendation and testimony might not be known from letters. For you are my letter, as it is written, known and read in the heart. So believe that I am so disposed toward you, and believe it. I greet you and urge you to write; for you gladden me not a little but greatly by doing so. And since, in a manner honorable and befitting the Church (for this again befits your reverence), you asked about those who were carried away by force but were not corrupted by false belief, and wished me to write what was decided about them in the councils and everywhere, know, my most longed-for lord, that at first, when the violence had ceased, a council was held, with bishops present from the regions abroad; one was held also by our fellow ministers who dwell in Greece, and no less by those in Spain and Gaul; and what was decided here was decided everywhere: that those who had fallen and had been champions of the impiety should be pardoned if they repented, but not be given a place in the clergy; but that those who were not authors of the impiety, but were carried away by necessity and force, should be given pardon and keep their place in the clergy, especially since they offered a plausible defense, and it seemed that this had happened in a way by economy. For they assured us that they had not been changed into impiety; but, lest certain most impious men be appointed and corrupt the churches, they chose rather to go along with the violence and bear the burden than that the people should perish. In saying this they seemed to us to speak plausibly, since they also pleaded the example of Aaron, the brother of Moses, who in the wilderness went along with the people's transgression, but had as his defense that the people might not turn back to Egypt and remain in idolatry. And indeed the reasoning appeared sound, that by staying in the wilderness they could cease from impiety, but if they entered Egypt they would be worn down and increase the impiety in themselves. For these reasons the allowance regarding the clergy has been made; and to those who were deceived and suffered violence pardon is given. I make this known to your piety too, confident that your piety will accept what was decided and will not condemn those who met for such leniency. But be pleased to read this to the clergy and the people under you, so that they too, knowing it, may not blame you for being so disposed toward such men. For it would have been unfitting for me to write, since your reverence can both report our disposition toward them and supply everything that is lacking. Thanks be to the Lord, who has filled you with all speech and all knowledge. Let those who repent, then, openly anathematize, naming them, the heterodoxy of Eudoxius and Euzoius; for these, champions of the Arian heresy, blaspheming henceforth, have written him down as a creature. And let them confess the faith confessed by the Fathers at Nicaea, and prefer no other council to this council. Greet the brotherhood with you; the brotherhood with us greets you in the Lord.

### Scripture references

- 2 Cor 3:2: quotation, high confidence
- Exod 32:4: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 32:24: allusion, medium confidence
- 1 Cor 1:5: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- Letter 55, to Rufinianus (ca. 362–363), probably a bishop. The councils referred to include the council of Alexandria of 362 (see the Tome to the Antiochenes). “Economy” renders οἰκονομικῶς. “You are my letter …”: 2 Cor 3:2. Aaron and the golden calf: Exod 32:1–24. “All speech and all knowledge”: 1 Cor 1:5. Eudoxius (then bishop of Constantinople) and Euzoius (Arian bishop of Antioch); “him” is the Son. A Migne footnote on the question (in Greek and Latin) leaked into the text in the middle of “in the wilderness” and was removed by a logged correction.

### Citation (SBL)

Athanasius, Ep. Ruf. 1 (PG 26:1180a–1181d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-epistula-rufinianum/1/#p-1).