Church History 1.8
Greek text: PG 67 (OCR text layer from the Bavarian State Library, cleaned for this site).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 2 (1890).
Chapter 1
1.8PG 67:59–77
Τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν θαυμαστὰ σοφίας μεστὰ. παρΐήνει ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιστολή. Τὸ δὲ κακὸν ἐπικρατέστερον ἦν τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως σπουδῆς, ἀξιοπιστίας τοῦ διαχονησαμένονυ τοῖς γράμμασιν" οὔτε γὰρ ᾿Αλέξανδρος, οὔτε "Ἄρειος ὑπὸ τῶν γραφέντων ἐμαλάτσοντο, ἀλλά τις ἦν ἄχριτος παρὰ τοῖς λαοῖς ἔρις ταραχή" προῦπῆρχε δὲ ἄλλη. τις προτέρα νόσος τοπιχὴ, τὰς ἐκκλησίας ταράττουσα, διαφωνία τῆς τοῦ Πάσχα ἑορτῆς" ἥτις περὶ. τὰ τῆς ἑῴας μέρη μόνον ἐγένετο" τῶν μὲν Ἰουδαΐ- | χώτερον ἑορτὴν ποιεῖν ἑσπουδαχότων, τῶν δὲ μουμένων σύμπαντας τοὺς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην Χρι» στιανούς. Διαφωνοῦντες δὲ οὕτω περὶ τῆς ἑορτῆς, τῆς κοινωνίας μὲν οὐδαμῶς ἐχωρίζοντο, στυγνοτέραν δὲ τὴν ἑορτὴν τῇ διαφωνίᾳ εἰργάζοντο. Δι᾿ ἀμφότερα τοίνυν ὁρῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς ταραττομένην τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, σύνοδον οἰκουμενικὴν συνεκρότει, τοὺς πανταχόθεν ἐπισκόπους διὰ γραμμάτων εἰς Νίκαιαν τῆς Βιθυνίας ἀπαντῆσαι παρακαλῶν. Παρῆσάν τε ἐκ πολλῶν ἐπαρχιῶν καὶ πόλεων οἱ ἐπίσκοποι· περὶ ὧν ὁ Παμφίλου Εὐσέβιος ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ βιβλίῳ τῶν εἰς τὸν Κωνσταντίνου βίον, τάδε κατὰ λέξιν φησίν· Τῶν γοῦν ἐκκλησιῶν ἁπασῶν, αἱ τὴν Εὐρώπην ἅπασαν, Λιβύην τε καὶ τὴν ᾿Ασίαν ἐπλήρουν, ὁμοῦ συνῆκτο τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ λειτουργῶν τὰ ἀκροθίνια. Εἷς τε οἶκος εὐκτήριος, ὥσπερ ἐκ Θεοῦ πλατυνόμενος, ἔνδον ἐχώρει κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ Σύρους τε καὶ Κίλικας, Φοίνικάς τε καὶ ᾿Αραβίους, καὶ Παλαιστινοὺς, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις Αἰγυπτίους, Θηβαίους, Λίβυας, τους τε ἐκ μέσης τῶν ποταμῶν ὁρμωμένους· ἤδη δὲ καὶ Πέρσης ἐπίσκοπος τῇ συνόδῳ παρῆν· οὔτε Σκύθης ἀπελιμπάνετο τῆς χορείας. Πόντος τε καὶ Ἀσία, Φρυγία τε καὶ Παμφυλία, τοὺς παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς παρεῖχον ἐκκρίτους. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Θρᾷκες καὶ Μακεδόνες, ᾿Αχαιοί τε καὶ Ἠπειρῶται, τούτων τε οἱ ἔτι προσωτάτω οἰκοῦντες ἀπήντων. Αὐτός τε Ἱσπανῶν ὁ πάνυ βοώμενος, εἷς ἦν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἅμα συνεδρεύων. Τῆς δέ γε βασιλευούσης πόλεως, ὁ μὲν προεστὼς, διὰ γῆρας ὑστέρει· πρεσβύτεροι δὲ αὐτοῦ παρόντες, τὴν αὐτοῦ τάξιν ἐπλήρουν. Τοιοῦτον μόνον ἐξ αἰῶνος, εἷς βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος, Χριστῷ στέφανον δεσμῷ συνάψας εἰρήνης, τῷ αὐτοῦ Σωτῆρι τῆς κατ᾿ ἐχθρῶν καὶ πολεμίων νίκης θεοπρεπὲς ἀνετίθη χαριστήριον, εἰκόνα χορείας ἀποστολικῆς ταύτην καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς συστησάμενος. Ἐπεὶ κατ᾿ ἐκείνους συνῆχθαι λόγος, ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄνδρας εὐλαβεῖς, ἐν οἷς ἐτύγχανον Πάρθοι καὶ Μῆδοι καὶ Ἐλαμῖται, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Μεσοποταμίαν, Ἰουδαίαν τε καὶ Καππαδοκίαν, Πόντον τε καὶ τὴν ᾿Ασίαν, Φρυγίαν τε καὶ Παμφυλίαν, Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Λιβύης, τῆς κατὰ Κυρήνην· οἵ τε ἐπιδημοῦντες Ῥωμαῖοι, Ἰουδαῖοί τε καὶ προσήλυτοι, Κρήτες καὶ ᾿Αραβες. Πλὴν ὅσον ἐκείνοις μὲν ὑστέρει, τὸ μὴ ἐκ Θεοῦ λειτουργῶν συνεστάναι τοὺς πάντας· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς παρούσης χορείας, ἐπισκόπων μὲν πληθὺς τριακοσίων ἀριθμὸν ὑπερακοντίζουσα ἦν· ἑπομένων δὲ τούτοις πρεσβυτέρων καὶ διακόνων, ἀκολούθων τε πλείστων ὅσων ἑτέρων, οὐδὲ ἦν ἀριθμός. Τῶν δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ λειτουργῶν οἱ μὲν διέπρεπον σοφίας λόγῳ· οἱ δὲ βίου στεῤῥότητι, καὶ καρτερίας ὑπομονῇ· οἱ δὲ η τῷ μέσῳ τρόπῳ κατεκοσμοῦντο. Ἧσαν δὲ τούτων οἱ μὲν χρόνου μήκει τετιμημένοι· οἱ δὲ νεότητι καὶ ψυχῆς ἀκμῇ διαλάμποντες· οἱ δὲ ἄρτι παρελθόντες ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς λειτουργίας δρόμον. Οἷς δὴ πᾶσι βασιλεύ, ἐφ᾿ ἑκάστης ἡμέρας τὰ σιτηρέσια δαψιλῶς χορηγεῖ σθαι διετάξατο. Καὶ τοιαῦτα μὲν περὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ συν· ελθόντων Εὐσέβιος. Ἐπιτελέσας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπινίκιον κατὰ Λικιννίου ἑορτὴν, ἀπήντα καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς τὴν Νίκαιαν. Διέπρεπον δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐπισκόποις Παφνούτιός τε ὁ ἐκ τῆς ἄνω Θηβαΐδος, καὶ Σπυρίδων· ὁ ἐκ Κύπρου. Ὅτου χάριν δὲ τούτων ἐμνημονεύσαμεν, μετὰ ταῦτα ἐρῷ. Συμπαρῆσαν δὲ λαϊκοὶ πολλοί διαλεκτικῆς ἔμπειροι, ἐν ἑκατέρῳ μέρει συνηγορεῖν προθυμούμενοι. ᾿Αλλὰ τὴν μὲν ᾿Αρείου δόξαν συνεκρότουν Εὐσέβιός τε Νικομηδεὺς, ὥς μοι καὶ πρότερον εἴρηται, καὶ Θέογνις, καὶ Μάρις· ὧν ὁ μὲν Νικαίας ἐπίσκοπος ἦν, Μάρις δὲ τῆς ἐν Βιθυνίᾳ Χαλκηδόνος· τούτοις δὲ γενναίως ἀντηγωνίζετο ᾿Αθανάσιος, διάκονος μὲν τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρέων Ἐκκλησίας. Σφόδρα δὲ αὐτὸν διὰ τιμῆς ἦγεν ᾿Αλέξανδρος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος· διὸ καὶ φθόνος ὡπλίσατο κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ὕστερον λέξομεν. Μικρὸν οὖν πρὸ τῆς εἰς ἕνα τόπον συνελεύσεως τῶν ἐπισκόπων, οἱ διαλεκτικοὶ πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς προαγῶνας ἐποιοῦντο τῶν λόγων. Ἑλκομένων δὲ πολλῶν πρὸς τὸ τοῦ λόγου τερπνὸν, εἷς τις τῶν ὁμολογητῶν λαϊκὸς, ἀκέραιον ἔχων τὸ φρόνημα, ἀντιπίπτει τοῖς διαλεκτικοῖς, καὶ φησι πρὸς αὐτοὺς· ὡς ἄρα ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι οὐ διαλεκτικὴν ἡμῖν παρέδοσαν τέχνην, οὐδὲ κενὴν ἀπάτην, ἀλλὰ γυμνὴν γνώμνην, πίστει καὶ καλοῖς ἔργοις φυλαττομένην. Ταῦτα εἰπόντος, οἱ μὲν παρόντες πάντες. ἐθαύμασαν καὶ ἀπεδέξαντο· οἱ δὲ διαλεκτικοὶ εὐγνωμονέστερον ποιοῦντες ἡσύχασαν, τὸν ἁπλοῦν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας ἀκούσαντες. Τότε μὲν οὖν οὕτως ὁ ἐκ τῆς διαλεκτικῆς γινόμενος θόρυβος κατεστάλη. Τῇ δὲ ἑξῆς πάντες ἅμα οἱ ἐπίσκοποι εἰς ἕνα τόπον συνήρχοντο. Παρῄει δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς μετ᾿ αὐτούς. Καὶ ἐπεὶ παρῆλθεν, εἰς μέσους ἔστη· καὶ οὐ πρότερον καθίζειν ἡρεῖτο, πρὶν ἂν οἱ ἐπίσκοποι ἐπινεύσειαν. Τοσαύτη τις εὐλάβεια καὶ αἰδὼς τῶν ἀνδρῶν τὸν βασιλέα κατεῖχεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ πρέπουσα τῷ καιρῷ ἡσυχία ἐγένετο, ἤρξατο ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτόθεν ἐκ τῆς καθέδρας παραινετικοῖς πρὸς αὐτοὺς χρῆσθαι λόγοις, πρὸς συμφωνίαν καὶ ὁμόνοιαν προτρέπων αὐτούς· καὶ τὴν μὲν ἑκάστου ἰδιάζουσαν λύπην πρὸς τὸν πλησίον παραχωρεῖν συνεβούλευε· καὶ γὰρ ἀντεγκαλοῦντες ἦσαν ἀλλήλοις οἱ πλείονες· πολλοί τε ἐξ αὐτῶν βιβλία δεήσεων τῷ βασιλεῖ τῇ προτεραίᾳ ἦσαν ὀρέξαντες. Ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ προκείμενον, διὸ καὶ συνεληλύθεισαν, χωρεῖν παρακαλέσας, τὰ βιβλία καυθῆναι ἐκέλευσεν, ἐπειπὼν μόνον· Κελεύει Χριστὸς ἀφιέναι τῷ ἀδελφῷ τὸν ἀφέσεως τυχεῖν ἐπειγόμενον. Τότε οὖν τοὺς περὶ αὖθις περὶ τῶν δογμάτων ἐπιμελέστερον ἐπισκέψασθαι τῇ αὐτῶν γνώμῃ ἐπέτρεψεν. Οἷα δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτων ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τρίτῳ βιβλίῳ τῶν εἰς τὸν βίον Κωνσταντίνου ὁ αὐτός φησιν Εὐσέβιος, ἐπακοῦσαι καλόν· ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα· Πλείστων δὴ τῶν ὑφ᾽ ἑκατέρῳ τάγματι προτεινομένων, πολλῆς τε ἀμφιλογίας ταπρῶτα συνισταμένης, ἀνεξικάκως ἐπηκροᾶτο ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν πάντων, σχολῇ τε εὐτόνῳ τὰς προτάσεις ὑπεδέχετο. Ἐν μέρει τε ἀντιλαμβανόμενος τῶν παρ' ἑκατέρου τάγματος λεγομένων, ἠρέμα συνῆγε τοὺς φιλονείκως ἐνισταμένους, πραέως τε ποιούμενος τὰς πρὸς ἕκαστον ὁμιλίας· Ἑλληνίζων τε τῇ φωνῇ, ὅτι μηδὲ ταύτης ἀμαθῶς εἶχε, γλυκύτερός τις ἦν καὶ ἡδὺς, τοὺς μὲν συμπείθων, τοὺς δὲ καὶ δυσωπῶν τῷ λόγῳ· τοὺς δὲ εὖ λέγοντας ἐπαινῶν. Πάντας δὲ εἰς ὀμόνοιαν ἐλαύνων, ὁμογνώμονάς τε καὶ ὁμοδόξους αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀμφισβητουμένοις ἅπασιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατεστήσατο, ὡς ὁμοφώνως μὲν κρατῆσαι τὴν πίστιν, τῆς δὲ σωτηρίου ἑορτῆς τὸν αὐτὸν παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁμολογηθῆναι καιρόν. Ἐκυροῦτό τε ἤδη καὶ ἐγγράφως δι᾽ ὑποσημειώσεως ἑκάστου τὰ κοινῇ · δεδογμένα. Τοιαῦτα καὶ περὶ τούτων ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ φωναῖς ὁ Εὐσέβιος ἐγγράφως κατέλιπεν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἀκαίρως αὐτοῖς ἐχρησάμεθα· ἀλλὰ μάρτυσι χρώμενοι τοῖς ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ λεχθεῖσι, τῇδε αὐτὰ κατετάξαμεν τῇ γραφῇ· ἵν᾿ ὅταν τινὲς τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου ὡς περὶ τὴν πίστιν σφαλείσης Ρκαναγινώσκωσι, μὴ αὐτῶν ἀνεχώμεθα, μηδὲ πιστεύσωμεν Σαβίνῳ τῷ Μακεδονιανῷ, ἰδιώτας αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀφελεῖς καλοῦντι τοὺς ἐκεῖσε συνελθόντας. Σαβῖνος γὰρ, ὁ τῶν ἐν Ἡρακλείᾳ τῆς Θράκης Μακεδονιανῶν ἐπίσκοπος, συναγωγὴν ὧν διάφοροι ἐπισκόπων σύνοδοι ἐγγράφως ἐξέδωκαν ποιησάμενος, τοὺς μὲν ἐν Νικαίᾳ, ὡς ἀφελεῖς καὶ Ιδιώτας διέσυρε, μὴ αἰσθανόμενος, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸν Εὐσέβιον, τὸν μετὰ πολλῆς δοκιμασίας τὴν πίστιν ὁμολογήσαντα, ὡς ἰδιώτην διαβάλλει. Καὶ τινὰ μὲν ἑκὼν παρέλιπεν, τινὰ δὲ παρέτρεψεν. Πάντα δὲ πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον σκοπὸν μᾶλλον ἐξείληφεν. Καὶ ἐπαινεῖ μὲν τὸν Παμφίλου Εὐσέβιον, ὡς ἀξιόπιστον μάρτυρα· ἐπαινεῖ δὲ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα, ὡς τὰ Χριστιανῶν δογματίζειν δυνάμενον· μέμφεται δὲ τῇ ἐκτεθείσῃ ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστει, ὡς ὑπὸ ἰδιωτῶν καὶ οὐδὲν ἐπισταμένων ἐκδεδομένῃ· καὶ ὃν ὡς σοφὸν καὶ ἀψευδῆ καλεῖ μάρτυρα, τούτου τὰς φωνὰς ἑκουσίως ὑπερορᾷ. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Εὐσέβιος, ὅτι τῶν παρόντων ἐν τῇ Νικαίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ λειτουργῶν οἱ μὲν διέπρεπον σοφίας λόγῳ, οἱ δὲ βίου στεῤῥότητι· καὶ ὅτι ὁ βασιλεὺς παρών, πάντας εἰς ὁμόνοιαν ἄγων, ὁμογνώμονας καὶ ὁμοδόξους κατέστησεν. Ἀλλὰ Σαβίνου μὲν, εἰ που χρεία καλέσοι, ποιησόμεθα μνήμην. Ἡ δὲ ἐν Νικαίᾳ παρὰ τῆς μεγάλης συνόδου μεγαλοφώνως ἐξενεχθεῖσα συμφωνία τῆς πίστεως ἔστιν αὕτη· Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα Θεὸν, Πατέρα παντοκράτορα, πάντων ὁρατῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων Ποιητήν· καὶ εἰς ἕνα Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, γεννηθέντα ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς μονογενῆ, τουτέστιν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ Πατρὸς, Θεὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ καὶ φῶς ἐκ φωτὸς, Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ· γεννηθέντα, οὐ ποιηθέντα, ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί· δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο, τά τε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ· δι᾽ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν κατελθόντα καὶ σαρκωθέντα καὶ ἐνανθρωπήσαντα · παθόντα καὶ ἀναστάντα τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, ἀνελθόντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, ἐρχόμενον κρίναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς· καὶ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα 4. Τοὺς δὲ λέγοντας, ὅτι ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν, καὶ Πρὶν γεννηθῆναι οὐκ ἦν, καὶ ὅτι Ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐγένετο, ἢ ἐξ ἑτέρας ὑποστάσεως ἢ οὐσίας φάσκοντας εἶναι, ἢ κτιστὸν, ἢ τρεπτὸν, ἢ ἀλλοιωτὸν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀναθεματίζει ἡ ἁγία καθολικὴ καὶ ἀποστολικὴ Ἐκκλησία. Ταύτην τὴν πίστιν τριακόσιοι μὲν πρὸς τοῖς δεκαοκτὼ ἔγνωσάν τε καὶ ἔστερξαν, καὶ, ὡς φησιν ὁ Εὐσέβιος, ὁμοφωνήσαντες καὶ ὁμοδοξήσαντες ἔγραφον. Πέντε δὲ μόνοι οὐ προσεδέξαντο, τῆς λέξεως τοῦ ὁμοουσίου ἐπιλαβόμενοι· Εὐσέβιός τε ὁ Νικομηδείας ἐπίσκοπος, καὶ Θέογνις Νικαίας, Μάρις Χαλκηδόνος, Θεωνᾶς Μαρμαρικῆς, Σεκοῦνδος Πτολεμαΐδος. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔφασαν ὁμοούσιον εἶναι, ὅ ἔκ τινός ἐστιν, ἢ κατὰ μερισμὸν, ἢ κατὰ ῥεῦσιν, ἢ κατὰ προβολήν· κατὰ προβολὴν μὲν, ὡς ἐκ ῥιζῶν βλάστημα· κατὰ δὲ ῥεῦσιν, ὡς οἱ πατρικοὶ παῖδες· κατὰ μερι σμὸν δὲ, ὡς βώλου χρυσίδες δύο ἢ τρεῖς· κατ᾿ οὐδὲν δὲ τούτων ἐστὶν ὁ Υἱός· διὰ τοῦτο οὐ συγκατατίθεσθαι τῇ πίστει ἔλεγον. Πολλὰ οὖν τὴν λέξιν τοῦ ὁμοουσίου σκώψαντες, τῇ καθαιρέσει ᾿Αρείου ὑπογράψαι οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν. Διόπερ ἡ σύνοδος ῎Ἄρειον μὲν καὶ τοὺς - ὁμοδόξους αὐτοῦ ἀνεθεμάτισεν ἅπαντας, προσθέντες μήτε ἐπιβαίνειν τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρείας αὐτόν· βασιλέως δὲ πρόσταγμα καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς περὶ Εὐσέβιον καὶ Θέογνιν, εἰς ἐξορίαν ἀπέστειλεν. Εὐσέβιος μὲν οὖν καὶ Θέογνις μικρὸν ὕστερον μετὰ τὴν ἐξορίαν βιβλίον μετανοίας ἐπιδόντες, τῇ πίστει τοῦ ὁμοουσίου συνέθεντο, ὡς προϊόντες δηλώσομεν. Τότε δὲ ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ Εὐσέβιος, ὁ τὴν Παμφίλου προσωνυμίαν ἔχων, καὶ τῆς ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ Καισαρείας τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν κεκληρωμένος, μικρὸν ἐπιστήσας, καὶ διασκεψάμενος εἰ δεῖ προσδέξασθαι τὸν ὅρον τῆς πίστεως, οὕτως ἅμα τοῖς πολλοῖς πᾶσι συνῄνεσέν τε καὶ συνυπέγραψεν· · καὶ τῷ ὑπ᾿ αὐτὸν λαῷ ἔγγραφον τὸν ὅρον τῆς πίστεως διεπέμψατο, τὴν τοῦ ὁμοουσίου λέξιν ἑρμηνεύσας, ἵνα μηδὲ ὅλως τις ὑπόνοιαν ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ἐπέστησεν ἔχῃ περὶ ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Ἔστι δὲ αὐτοῦ τὰ γραφέντα κατὰ λέξιν τάδε· Τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς πίστεως πραγματευθέντα κατὰ τὴν μεγάλην σύνοδον τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ συγκροτηθεῖσαν, εἰκὸς μὲν καὶ ὑμᾶς, ἀγαπητοί, μεμαθηκέναι, τῆς φήμης προτρέχειν εἰωθυίας τὸν περὶ τῶν πραττομένων ἀκριβῆ λόγον. Ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα μὴ ἐκ μόνης τοιαύτης ἀκοῆς τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἑτεροίως ὑμῖν ἀπαγγέλληται, ἀναγκαίως διεπεμψάμεθα ὑμῖν πρῶτον μὲν τὴν ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν προτεθεῖσαν περὶ τῆς πίστεως γραφὴν, ἔπειτα τὴν δευτέραν, ἣν ταῖς ἡμετέραις φωναῖς προσθήκας ἐπιβαλόντες ἐκδεδώκασι. Τὸ μὲν οὖν παρ' ἡμῶν γράμμα, ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου ἡμῶν βασιλέως ἀναγνωσθὲν, εὖ τε ἔχειν καὶ δοκίμως ἀποφανθὲν, τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον· Καθώς παρελάβομεν παρὰ τῶν πρὸ ἡμῶν ἐπισκόπων, καὶ ἐν τῇ κατηχήσει, καὶ ὅτε τὸ λουτρὸν ἐλαμβάνομεν, καὶ καθὼς ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν μεμαθήκαμεν, καὶ ὡς ἐν τῷ πρεσβυτερείῳ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἐπισκοπῇ ἐπιστεύσαμέν τε καὶ ἐδιδάσκομεν, οὕτω καὶ νῦν πιστεύοντες, τὴν ἡμετέραν πίστιν ὑμῖν προσαναφέρομεν. Ἔστι δὲ αὕτη · Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα Θεὸν, Πατέρα παντοκράτορα, τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων ὁρατῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων Ποιητήν· καὶ εἰς ἕνα Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, Θεὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ, φῶς ἐκ φωτὸς, ζωὴν ἐκ ζωῆς Γ, Υἱὸν μονογενῆ, πρωτότο- : κον πάσης κτίσεως, πρὸ πάντων τῶν αἰώνων ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς γεγεννημένον · δι' οὗ καὶ ἐγένετο τὰ πάντα, τὸν διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν σαρκωθέντα, καὶ ἐν ἀνθρώποις πολιτευσάμενον· καὶ παθόντα, καὶ ἀναστάντα τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ· καὶ ἀνελθόντα πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ ἥξοντα πάλιν ἐν δόξῃ κρίναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς. Πιστεύομεν καὶ εἰς ἓν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. Τούτων ἔχαστον εἶναι ὑπάρχειν πιστεύοντες, Πατέρα Οἱ ἀληθῶς Πατέρα, ΥἹὸν ἀληθῶς Υἱὸν, Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἀληθῶς ἅγιον Πνεῦμα" χαθῶὼς Κύριος ἡμῶν ἀποστέλλων εἰς τὸ χήρυγμα τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ μαθητὰς, εἶπε" μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθγη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Περὶ ὧν διαθεθαιούμεθα οὕτως ἔχειν, καὶ οὕτω φρονεῖν, πάλαι οὕτως ἐσχηκέναι, μέχρι θανάτου οὕτω σχήσειν, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ ἐνίστασθαι τῇ πίστει, ἀναθεματίζοντες πᾶσαν αἴρεσιν ἄθεον; Ταῦτα ἀπὸ χαρδίας καὶ ψυχῆς πάντα πεφρονηχέναι, ἐξ οὗπερ ἴσμεν ἑαυτοὺς; νῦν φρονεῖν τε λέγειν ἐξ ἀληθείας, ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος, τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρούμεθα, δειχνύνάι ἔχοντες δι᾽ ἀποδείξεων, καὶ πείθειν ὑμᾶς, ὅτι τοὺς παρελθόντας χρόνους οὕτως ἐπιστεύομέν τε ἐχηρύσσομεν ὁμοίως. Ταύτης ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν ἐκτεθείσης τῆς πίστεὼς, οὐδενὶ παρῆν ἀντιλογίας τόπος. ᾽ΔΑλλ᾽ αὐτός τε πρῶτος ὁ θεοφιλέστατος ἡμῶν βασιλεὺς, ὀρθότατα περιέχειν αὐτὴν ἐμαρτύρησεν " οὕτω τε ἑαυτὸν φρονεῖν ἐμαρτύρατο, καὶ ταύτῃ τοὺς πάντας συγχαταθέσθαι, ὑπογράφειν τοῖς δόγμασι, φωνεῖν τούξοις αὐτοῖς παρέἐχελεύετο, ἑνὸς μόνου προσεγγραφέντος ῥήματος τοῦ ὁμοουσίου. Ὃ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡρμήνευσε λέγων, ὅτι μὴ κατὰ τὰ τῶν σωμάτων πάθη λέγοι τὸ ὁμοούσιον, οὔτε οὖν κατὰ διαίρεσιν, οὔτε χἄᾶτά τίνα ἀποτομὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑποστῆναι" μῆτε γὰρ δύνασθαι τὴν ἄῦλον καὶ νοερὰν, καὶ ἀσώματον φύσιν, σωματιχόν τὶ πάθος ὑφίσταὅθαι" θείοις δὲ καὶ ἀποῤῥήτοις ῥήμασι προσήκει τοιαῦτα νοεῖν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν σοφώτατος εὐσεδὴς ἡμῶν βασιλεὺς τοιάδε ἐφιλοσόφει. Οἱ δὲ, προφάσει τοῦ ὁμοουσίου, τήνδε τῆν γραφὴν πεποιήκασι" Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα Θεὸν Πατέρα παντοκράτορα, πάντων ὁραξῶν τὲ καὶ ἀοράτων Ποιητήν" καὶ εἰς ἕνα Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, γεννηθέντα ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς μονογενῆ, τουτέστιν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ Πατρός· Θεὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ, φῶς ἐκ φωτὸς, Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ· γεννηθέντα, οὐ ποιηθέντα· ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρὶ, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο, τά τε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ· τὸν δι᾽ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν κατελθόντα καὶ σαρκωθέντα, ἐνανθρωπήσαντα, παθόντα, καὶ ἀναστάντα τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ· ἀνελθόντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς· ἐρχόμενον κρίναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς· καὶ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Τοὺς δὲ λέγοντας, ὧν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν, ἢ Οὐκ ἦν πρὶν γεννηθῆναι ', ἢ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐγένετο, ἢ ἐξ ἑτέρας ὑποστάσεως ἢ οὐσίας φάσκοντας εἶναι, ἢ κτιστὸν, ἢ τρεπτὸν, ἢ ἀλλοιωτὸν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τούτους ἀναθεματίζει ἡ καθολική, καὶ ἀποστολικὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησία. Καὶ δὴ ταύτης τῆς γραφῆς ὑπ' αὐτῶν ὑπαγορευ θείσης, ὅπως εἴρηται αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τὸ τῷ Πατρὶ ὁμοούσιον, οὐκ ἀνεξέταστον αὐτοῖς καταλιμπάνομεν. Ἐπερωτήσεις τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἀποκρίσεις ἐντεῦθεν ἀνεκινοῦντο, ἐβασάνιζέν τε ὁ λόγος τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν εἰρημένων· καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας ὡμολόγητο πρὸς αὐτῶν, δηλωτικὸν εἶναι τοῦ ἐκ μὲν τοῦ Πατρὸς εἶναι, οὐ μὴν ὡς μέρος ὑπάρχειν τοῦ Πατρός. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν ἐδόκει και λῶς ἔχειν συγκατατίθεσθαι τῇ διανοίᾳ τῆς εὐσεβοῦς διδασκαλίας, ὑπαγορευούσης ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν, οὐ μὴν μέρος τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ τυγχάνειν. Διόπερ τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ αὐτοὶ συντιθέμεθα, οὐδὲ τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ ὁμοουσίου παραιτούμενοι, τοῦ τῆς εἰρήνης σκοποῦ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἡμῖν κειμένου, καὶ τοῦ μὴ τῆς ὀρθῆς ἐκπεσεῖν διανοίας. Κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ, καὶ τὸ γεννηθέντα, οὐ ποιηθέντα, κατεδεξάμεθα, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ποιηθὲν, κοινὸν ἔφασκον εἶναι πρόσρημα τῶν λοιπῶν κτισμάτων, τῶν διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ γενομένων· ὧν οὐδὲν ὅμοιον ἔχειν τὸν Υἱόν· διὸ δὴ μὴ εἶναι αὐτὸν ποίημα, τοῖς δι' αὐτοῦ γενομένοις ὅμοιον · κρειττονος δὲ ἢ κατὰ πᾶν ποίημα τυγχάνειν οὐσίας, ἣν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς γεγενῆσθαι διδάσκει τὰ θεῖα Λόγια, τοῦ τρόπου τῆς γεννήσεως ἀνεκφράστου καὶ ἀνεπιλογίστου ͵ ἐξῆς ἐπιλεγομένοις κεχρημένης, οὐκ εὔλογον ἐφάνη πάσῃ γεννητῇ φύσει τυγχάνοντος. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸ ὁμοούσιον εἶναι τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸν Υἱὸν ἐξεταζόμενος ὁ λόγος συνίστησιν, οὐ κατὰ τὸν τῶν σωμάτων τρόπον, οὐδὲ τοῖς θνητοῖς ζώοις παραπλησίως· οὔτε γὰρ κατὰ διαίρεσιν τῆς οὐσίας· οὔτε κατὰ ἀποτομὴν, ἢ ἀλλοίωσιν τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίας τε καὶ δυνάμεως· τούτων γὰρ πάντων ἀλλοτρίαν εἶναι τὴν ἀγέννητον φύσιν τοῦ Πατρός. Παραστατικὸν δὲ εἶναι τῷ Πατρὶ, τὸ ὁμοούσιον, τὸ μηδεμίαν ἐμφέρειαν πρὸς τὰ γεννητὰ κτίσματα τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐμφαίνειν· μόνῳ δὲ τῷ Πατρὶ τῷ γεγεννηκότι κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ἀφωμοιῶσθαι, καὶ μὴ εἶναι ἐξ ἑτέρας τε ὑποστάσεως καὶ οὐσίας, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός. ᾧ καὶ αὐτῷ τοῦτον ἑρμηνευθέντι τὸν τρόπον, καλῶς ἔχειν ἐφάνη συγκαταθέσθαι· ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν παλαιῶν τινας λογίους καὶ ἐπιφανεῖς ἐπισκόπους καὶ συγγραφέας ἔγνωμεν ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ θεολογίας, τῷ τοῦ ὁμοουσίου συγχρησαμένους ὀνόματι 4. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τῆς ἐκτεθείσης εἰρήσθω πίστεως, ᾗ συνεφωνήσαμεν πάντες οὐκ ἀνεξετάστως, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰς ἀποδοθείσας διανοίας ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου βασιλέως ἐξετασθείσας, καὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις λογισμοῖς συνομολογηθείσας. Καὶ τὸν ἀναθεματισμὸν δὲ τὸν μετὰ τὴν πίστιν πρὸς αὐτῶν ἐκτεθέντα, ἄλυπον εἶναι ἡγησάμεθα, διὰ τὸ ἀπείργειν ἀγράφοις χρήσασθαι φωναῖς· διὸ σχεδὸν ἡ πᾶσα γέγονε σύγχυσίς τε καὶ ἀκαταστασία τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν. Μηδεμιᾶς γοῦν θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς τὸ Ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων, καὶ τὸ Ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν, καὶ τοῖς ταῦτα λέγειν καὶ διδάσκειν. ῳ καὶ αὐτῷ καλῶς δόξαντι συνεθέμεθα, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου χρόνῳ, τούτοις εἰώθαμεν χρῆσθαι τοῖς ῥήμασι. Ταῦτα ὑμῖν ἀναγκαίως διεπεμψάμεθα, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὸ κεκριμένον τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐξετάσεώς τε καὶ συγκαταθέσεως φανερὸν ὑμῖν καθιστῶντες · καὶ ὡς εὐλόγως τότε μέχρι ὑστάτης ὥρας ἐνιστάμεθα, ὅθ᾽ Πὰς ἡμῖν τὰ ἑτεροΐω; γραφέντα προσέχοπτεν'" τότε δὲ ἀφιλονείκως τὰ μὴ λυποῦντα κατεδεξάμεθα, ὅτε ἡμῖν εὐγνωμόνως ἐξετάζουσι τῶν λόγων τὴν διάνοιαν, ἐφάνη συντρέχειν τοῖς ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ προεχτεθείσῃ ὡμολογημένοις. Τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ τοῦ Εὑσέδιος εἰς τὴν Παλαιστίνης Καισάρειαν διεπέμψατο. Καὶ τῇ ᾿Αλεξανδρέων δὲ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, τοῖς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ Λιδύῃ καὶ Πενταπόλει, κοινῇ ψήφῳ τάδε ἡ σύνοδος ἔγραψεν"
Toiauta men oun thaumasta sophias mesta. parïēnei hē tou basileōs epistolē. To de kakon epikratesteron ēn tēs tou basileōs spoudēs, axiopistias tou diachonēsamenony tois grammasin" oute gar ᾿Alexandros, oute "Areios hypo tōn graphentōn emalatsonto, alla tis ēn achritos para tois laois eris tarachē" proupērche de allē. tis protera nosos topichē, tas ekklēsias tarattousa, diaphōnia tēs tou Pascha heortēs" hētis peri. ta tēs heǭas merē monon egeneto" tōn men Ioudaï- | chōteron heortēn poiein hespoudachotōn, tōn de moumenōn sympantas tous kata tēn oikoumenēn Chri» stianous. Diaphōnountes de houtō peri tēs heortēs, tēs koinōnias men oudamōs echōrizonto, stygnoteran de tēn heortēn tę̄ diaphōnią eirgazonto. Di᾿ amphotera toinyn horōn ho basileus tarattomenēn tēn Ekklēsian, synodon oikoumenikēn synekrotei, tous pantachothen episkopous dia grammatōn eis Nikaian tēs Bithynias apantēsai parakalōn. Parēsan te ek pollōn eparchiōn kai poleōn hoi episkopoi; peri hōn ho Pamphilou Eusebios en tǭ tritǭ bibliǭ tōn eis ton Kōnstantinou bion, tade kata lexin phēsin; Tōn goun ekklēsiōn hapasōn, hai tēn Eurōpēn hapasan, Libyēn te kai tēn ᾿Asian eplēroun, homou synēkto tōn tou Theou leitourgōn ta akrothinia. Heis te oikos euktērios, hōsper ek Theou platynomenos, endon echōrei kata to auto Syrous te kai Kilikas, Phoinikas te kai ᾿Arabious, kai Palaistinous, kai epi toutois Aigyptious, Thēbaious, Libyas, tous te ek mesēs tōn potamōn hormōmenous; ēdē de kai Persēs episkopos tę̄ synodǭ parēn; oute Skythēs apelimpaneto tēs choreias. Pontos te kai Asia, Phrygia te kai Pamphylia, tous par᾿ autois pareichon ekkritous. Alla kai Thrąkes kai Makedones, ᾿Achaioi te kai Ēpeirōtai, toutōn te hoi eti prosōtatō oikountes apēntōn. Autos te Hispanōn ho pany boōmenos, heis ēn tois pollois hama synedreuōn. Tēs de ge basileuousēs poleōs, ho men proestōs, dia gēras hysterei; presbyteroi de autou parontes, tēn autou taxin eplēroun. Toiouton monon ex aiōnos, heis basileus Kōnstantinos, Christǭ stephanon desmǭ synapsas eirēnēs, tǭ autou Sōtēri tēs kat᾿ echthrōn kai polemiōn nikēs theoprepes anetithē charistērion, eikona choreias apostolikēs tautēn kath᾽ hēmas systēsamenos. Epei kat᾿ ekeinous synēchthai logos, apo pantos ethnous tōn hypo ton ouranon andras eulabeis, en hois etynchanon Parthoi kai Mēdoi kai Elamitai, kai hoi katoikountes Mesopotamian, Ioudaian te kai Kappadokian, Ponton te kai tēn ᾿Asian, Phrygian te kai Pamphylian, Aigypton kai ta merē tēs Libyēs, tēs kata Kyrēnēn; hoi te epidēmountes Rhōmaioi, Ioudaioi te kai prosēlytoi, Krētes kai ᾿Arabes. Plēn hoson ekeinois men hysterei, to mē ek Theou leitourgōn synestanai tous pantas; epi de tēs parousēs choreias, episkopōn men plēthys triakosiōn arithmon hyperakontizousa ēn; hepomenōn de toutois presbyterōn kai diakonōn, akolouthōn te pleistōn hosōn heterōn, oude ēn arithmos. Tōn de tou Theou leitourgōn hoi men dieprepon sophias logǭ; hoi de biou sterrhotēti, kai karterias hypomonę̄; hoi de ē tǭ mesǭ tropǭ katekosmounto. Hēsan de toutōn hoi men chronou mēkei tetimēmenoi; hoi de neotēti kai psychēs akmę̄ dialampontes; hoi de arti parelthontes epi ton tēs leitourgias dromon. Hois dē pasi basileu, eph᾿ hekastēs hēmeras ta sitēresia dapsilōs chorēgei sthai dietaxato. Kai toiauta men peri tōn ekei syn; elthontōn Eusebios. Epitelesas de ho basileus epinikion kata Likinniou heortēn, apēnta kai autos eis tēn Nikaian. Dieprepon de en tois episkopois Paphnoutios te ho ek tēs anō Thēbaïdos, kai Spyridōn; ho ek Kyprou. Hotou charin de toutōn emnēmoneusamen, meta tauta erǭ. Symparēsan de laïkoi polloi dialektikēs empeiroi, en hekaterǭ merei synēgorein prothymoumenoi. ᾿Alla tēn men ᾿Areiou doxan synekrotoun Eusebios te Nikomēdeus, hōs moi kai proteron eirētai, kai Theognis, kai Maris; hōn ho men Nikaias episkopos ēn, Maris de tēs en Bithynią Chalkēdonos; toutois de gennaiōs antēgōnizeto ᾿Athanasios, diakonos men tēs ᾿Alexandreōn Ekklēsias. Sphodra de auton dia timēs ēgen ᾿Alexandros ho episkopos; dio kai phthonos hōplisato kat᾿ autou, hōs hysteron lexomen. Mikron oun pro tēs eis hena topon syneleuseōs tōn episkopōn, hoi dialektikoi pros tous pollous proagōnas epoiounto tōn logōn. Helkomenōn de pollōn pros to tou logou terpnon, heis tis tōn homologētōn laïkos, akeraion echōn to phronēma, antipiptei tois dialektikois, kai phēsi pros autous; hōs ara ho Christos, kai hoi apostoloi ou dialektikēn hēmin paredosan technēn, oude kenēn apatēn, alla gymnēn gnōmnēn, pistei kai kalois ergois phylattomenēn. Tauta eipontos, hoi men parontes pantes. ethaumasan kai apedexanto; hoi de dialektikoi eugnōmonesteron poiountes hēsychasan, ton haploun logon tēs alētheias akousantes. Tote men oun houtōs ho ek tēs dialektikēs ginomenos thorybos katestalē. Tę̄ de hexēs pantes hama hoi episkopoi eis hena topon synērchonto. Parę̄ei de kai ho basileus met᾿ autous. Kai epei parēlthen, eis mesous estē; kai ou proteron kathizein hēreito, prin an hoi episkopoi epineuseian. Tosautē tis eulabeia kai aidōs tōn andrōn ton basilea kateichen. Epei de kai hē prepousa tǭ kairǭ hēsychia egeneto, ērxato ho basileus autothen ek tēs kathedras parainetikois pros autous chrēsthai logois, pros symphōnian kai homonoian protrepōn autous; kai tēn men hekastou idiazousan lypēn pros ton plēsion parachōrein synebouleue; kai gar antenkalountes ēsan allēlois hoi pleiones; polloi te ex autōn biblia deēseōn tǭ basilei tę̄ proteraią ēsan orexantes. Epi de to prokeimenon, dio kai synelēlytheisan, chōrein parakalesas, ta biblia kauthēnai ekeleusen, epeipōn monon; Keleuei Christos aphienai tǭ adelphǭ ton apheseōs tychein epeigomenon. Tote oun tous peri authis peri tōn dogmatōn epimelesteron episkepsasthai tę̄ autōn gnōmę̄ epetrepsen. Hoia de kai peri toutōn en tǭ autǭ tritǭ bibliǭ tōn eis ton bion Kōnstantinou ho autos phēsin Eusebios, epakousai kalon; esti de tauta; Pleistōn dē tōn hyph᾽ hekaterǭ tagmati proteinomenōn, pollēs te amphilogias taprōta synistamenēs, anexikakōs epēkroato ho basileus tōn pantōn, scholę̄ te eutonǭ tas protaseis hypedecheto. En merei te antilambanomenos tōn par' hekaterou tagmatos legomenōn, ērema synēge tous philoneikōs enistamenous, praeōs te poioumenos tas pros hekaston homilias; Hellēnizōn te tę̄ phōnę̄, hoti mēde tautēs amathōs eiche, glykyteros tis ēn kai hēdys, tous men sympeithōn, tous de kai dysōpōn tǭ logǭ; tous de eu legontas epainōn. Pantas de eis omonoian elaunōn, homognōmonas te kai homodoxous autous epi tois amphisbētoumenois hapasin epi to auto katestēsato, hōs homophōnōs men kratēsai tēn pistin, tēs de sōtēriou heortēs ton auton para tois pasin homologēthēnai kairon. Ekyrouto te ēdē kai engraphōs di᾽ hyposēmeiōseōs hekastou ta koinę̄ ; dedogmena. Toiauta kai peri toutōn tais heautou phōnais ho Eusebios engraphōs katelipen. Hēmeis de ouk akairōs autois echrēsametha; alla martysi chrōmenoi tois hyp᾿ autou lechtheisi, tę̄de auta katetaxamen tę̄ graphę̄; hin᾿ hotan tines tēs en Nikaią synodou hōs peri tēn pistin sphaleisēs Rkanaginōskōsi, mē autōn anechōmetha, mēde pisteusōmen Sabinǭ tǭ Makedonianǭ, idiōtas autous kai apheleis kalounti tous ekeise synelthontas. Sabinos gar, ho tōn en Hērakleią tēs Thrakēs Makedonianōn episkopos, synagōgēn hōn diaphoroi episkopōn synodoi engraphōs exedōkan poiēsamenos, tous men en Nikaią, hōs apheleis kai Idiōtas diesyre, mē aisthanomenos, hoti kai auton Eusebion, ton meta pollēs dokimasias tēn pistin homologēsanta, hōs idiōtēn diaballei. Kai tina men hekōn parelipen, tina de paretrepsen. Panta de pros ton oikeion skopon mallon exeilēphen. Kai epainei men ton Pamphilou Eusebion, hōs axiopiston martyra; epainei de kai ton basilea, hōs ta Christianōn dogmatizein dynamenon; memphetai de tę̄ ektetheisę̄ en Nikaią pistei, hōs hypo idiōtōn kai ouden epistamenōn ekdedomenę̄; kai hon hōs sophon kai apseudē kalei martyra, toutou tas phōnas hekousiōs hyperorą. Phēsi gar ho Eusebios, hoti tōn parontōn en tę̄ Nikaią tou Theou leitourgōn hoi men dieprepon sophias logǭ, hoi de biou sterrhotēti; kai hoti ho basileus parōn, pantas eis homonoian agōn, homognōmonas kai homodoxous katestēsen. Alla Sabinou men, ei pou chreia kalesoi, poiēsometha mnēmēn. Hē de en Nikaią para tēs megalēs synodou megalophōnōs exenechtheisa symphōnia tēs pisteōs estin hautē; Pisteuomen eis hena Theon, Patera pantokratora, pantōn horatōn te kai aoratōn Poiētēn; kai eis hena Kyrion Iēsoun Christon ton Huion tou Theou, gennēthenta ek tou Patros monogenē, toutestin ek tēs ousias tou Patros, Theon ek Theou kai phōs ek phōtos, Theon alēthinon ek Theou alēthinou; gennēthenta, ou poiēthenta, homoousion tǭ Patri; di' hou ta panta egeneto, ta te en tǭ ouranǭ kai ta en tę̄ gę̄; di᾽ hēmas tous anthrōpous kai dia tēn hēmeteran sōtērian katelthonta kai sarkōthenta kai enanthrōpēsanta ; pathonta kai anastanta tę̄ tritę̄ hēmerą, anelthonta eis tous ouranous, erchomenon krinai zōntas kai nekrous; kai eis to hagion Pneuma 4. Tous de legontas, hoti ēn pote hote ouk ēn, kai Prin gennēthēnai ouk ēn, kai hoti Ex ouk ontōn egeneto, ē ex heteras hypostaseōs ē ousias phaskontas einai, ē ktiston, ē trepton, ē alloiōton ton Huion tou Theou, anathematizei hē hagia katholikē kai apostolikē Ekklēsia. Tautēn tēn pistin triakosioi men pros tois dekaoktō egnōsan te kai esterxan, kai, hōs phēsin ho Eusebios, homophōnēsantes kai homodoxēsantes egraphon. Pente de monoi ou prosedexanto, tēs lexeōs tou homoousiou epilabomenoi; Eusebios te ho Nikomēdeias episkopos, kai Theognis Nikaias, Maris Chalkēdonos, Theōnas Marmarikēs, Sekoundos Ptolemaïdos. Epei gar ephasan homoousion einai, ho ek tinos estin, ē kata merismon, ē kata rheusin, ē kata probolēn; kata probolēn men, hōs ek rhizōn blastēma; kata de rheusin, hōs hoi patrikoi paides; kata meri smon de, hōs bōlou chrysides dyo ē treis; kat᾿ ouden de toutōn estin ho Huios; dia touto ou synkatatithesthai tę̄ pistei elegon. Polla oun tēn lexin tou homoousiou skōpsantes, tę̄ kathairesei ᾿Areiou hypograpsai ouk ēboulēthēsan. Dioper hē synodos ᾿Areion men kai tous - homodoxous autou anethematisen hapantas, prosthentes mēte epibainein tēs ᾿Alexandreias auton; basileōs de prostagma kai auton kai tous peri Eusebion kai Theognin, eis exorian apesteilen. Eusebios men oun kai Theognis mikron hysteron meta tēn exorian biblion metanoias epidontes, tę̄ pistei tou homoousiou synethento, hōs proïontes dēlōsomen. Tote de en tę̄ synodǭ Eusebios, ho tēn Pamphilou prosōnymian echōn, kai tēs en Palaistinę̄ Kaisareias tēn episkopēn keklērōmenos, mikron epistēsas, kai diaskepsamenos ei dei prosdexasthai ton horon tēs pisteōs, houtōs hama tois pollois pasi synę̄nesen te kai synypegrapsen; ; kai tǭ hyp᾿ auton laǭ engraphon ton horon tēs pisteōs diepempsato, tēn tou homoousiou lexin hermēneusas, hina mēde holōs tis hyponoian anth᾽ hōn epestēsen echę̄ peri ᾿ autou. Esti de autou ta graphenta kata lexin tade; Ta peri tēs ekklēsiastikēs pisteōs pragmateuthenta kata tēn megalēn synodon tēn en Nikaią synkrotētheisan, eikos men kai hymas, agapētoi, memathēkenai, tēs phēmēs protrechein eiōthuias ton peri tōn prattomenōn akribē logon. All᾿ hina mē ek monēs toiautēs akoēs ta tēs alētheias heteroiōs hymin apangellētai, anankaiōs diepempsametha hymin prōton men tēn hyph᾽ hēmōn protetheisan peri tēs pisteōs graphēn, epeita tēn deuteran, hēn tais hēmeterais phōnais prosthēkas epibalontes ekdedōkasi. To men oun par' hēmōn gramma, epi parousią tou theophilestatou hēmōn basileōs anagnōsthen, eu te echein kai dokimōs apophanthen, touton echei ton tropon; Kathōs parelabomen para tōn pro hēmōn episkopōn, kai en tę̄ katēchēsei, kai hote to loutron elambanomen, kai kathōs apo tōn theiōn Graphōn memathēkamen, kai hōs en tǭ presbytereiǭ, kai en autę̄ tę̄ episkopę̄ episteusamen te kai edidaskomen, houtō kai nyn pisteuontes, tēn hēmeteran pistin hymin prosanapheromen. Esti de hautē ; Pisteuomen eis hena Theon, Patera pantokratora, ton tōn hapantōn horatōn te kai aoratōn Poiētēn; kai eis hena Kyrion Iēsoun Christon, ton tou Theou Logon, Theon ek Theou, phōs ek phōtos, zōēn ek zōēs G, Huion monogenē, prōtoto- : kon pasēs ktiseōs, pro pantōn tōn aiōnōn ek tou Theou Patros gegennēmenon ; di' hou kai egeneto ta panta, ton dia tēn hēmeteran sōtērian sarkōthenta, kai en anthrōpois politeusamenon; kai pathonta, kai anastanta tę̄ tritę̄ hēmerą; kai anelthonta pros ton Patera, kai hēxonta palin en doxę̄ krinai zōntas kai nekrous. Pisteuomen kai eis hen Pneuma hagion. Toutōn echaston einai hyparchein pisteuontes, Patera Hoi alēthōs Patera, HuIon alēthōs Huion, Pneuma hagion alēthōs hagion Pneuma" chathōōs Kyrios hēmōn apostellōn eis to chērygma tous heautou mathētas, eipe" mathēteusate panta ta ethgē, baptizontes autous eis to onoma tou Patros, kai tou kai tou hagiou Pneumatos. Peri hōn diathethaioumetha houtōs echein, kai houtō phronein, palai houtōs eschēkenai, mechri thanatou houtō schēsein, kai en autę̄ enistasthai tę̄ pistei, anathematizontes pasan airesin atheon? Tauta apo chardias kai psychēs panta pephronēchenai, ex houper ismen heautous? nyn phronein te legein ex alētheias, epi tou Theou tou pantokratoros, tou Kyriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou martyroumetha, deichnynai echontes di᾽ apodeixeōn, kai peithein hymas, hoti tous parelthontas chronous houtōs episteuomen te echēryssomen homoiōs. Tautēs hyph᾽ hēmōn ektetheisēs tēs pisteōs, oudeni parēn antilogias topos. ᾽DAll᾽ autos te prōtos ho theophilestatos hēmōn basileus, orthotata periechein autēn emartyrēsen " houtō te heauton phronein emartyrato, kai tautę̄ tous pantas synchatathesthai, hypographein tois dogmasi, phōnein touxois autois pareecheleueto, henos monou prosengraphentos rhēmatos tou homoousiou. Ho kai autos hērmēneuse legōn, hoti mē kata ta tōn sōmatōn pathē legoi to homoousion, oute oun kata diairesin, oute chaata tina apotomēn tou Patros hypostēnai" mēte gar dynasthai tēn aulon kai noeran, kai asōmaton physin, sōmatichon ti pathos hyphistaothai" theiois de kai aporrhētois rhēmasi prosēkei toiauta noein. Kai ho men sophōtatos eusedēs hēmōn basileus toiade ephilosophei. Hoi de, prophasei tou homoousiou, tēnde tēn graphēn pepoiēkasi" Pisteuomen eis hena Theon Patera pantokratora, pantōn horaxōn te kai aoratōn Poiētēn" kai eis hena Kyrion Iēsoun Christon, ton Huion tou Theou, gennēthenta ek tou Patros monogenē, toutestin ek tēs ousias tou Patros; Theon ek Theou, phōs ek phōtos, Theon alēthinon ek Theou alēthinou; gennēthenta, ou poiēthenta; homoousion tǭ Patri, di' hou ta panta egeneto, ta te en tǭ ouranǭ, kai ta en tę̄ gę̄; ton di᾽ hēmas tous anthrōpous, kai dia tēn hēmeteran sōtērian katelthonta kai sarkōthenta, enanthrōpēsanta, pathonta, kai anastanta tę̄ tritę̄ hēmerą; anelthonta eis tous ouranous; erchomenon krinai zōntas kai nekrous; kai eis to Pneuma to hagion. Tous de legontas, hōn pote hote ouk ēn, ē Ouk ēn prin gennēthēnai ', ē ex ouk ontōn egeneto, ē ex heteras hypostaseōs ē ousias phaskontas einai, ē ktiston, ē trepton, ē alloiōton ton Huion tou Theou, toutous anathematizei hē katholikē, kai apostolikē tou Theou Ekklēsia. Kai dē tautēs tēs graphēs hyp' autōn hypagoreu theisēs, hopōs eirētai autois to ek tēs ousias tou Patros, kai to tǭ Patri homoousion, ouk anexetaston autois katalimpanomen. Eperōtēseis toigaroun kai apokriseis enteuthen anekinounto, ebasanizen te ho logos tēn dianoian tōn eirēmenōn; kai dē kai to ek tēs ousias hōmologēto pros autōn, dēlōtikon einai tou ek men tou Patros einai, ou mēn hōs meros hyparchein tou Patros. Tauta de kai hēmin edokei kai lōs echein synkatatithesthai tę̄ dianoią tēs eusebous didaskalias, hypagoreuousēs ek tou Patros einai ton Huion, ou mēn meros tēs ousias autou tynchanein. Dioper tę̄ dianoią kai autoi syntithemetha, oude tēn phōnēn tou homoousiou paraitoumenoi, tou tēs eirēnēs skopou pro ophthalmōn hēmin keimenou, kai tou mē tēs orthēs ekpesein dianoias. Kata ta auta de, kai to gennēthenta, ou poiēthenta, katedexametha, epeidē to poiēthen, koinon ephaskon einai prosrēma tōn loipōn ktismatōn, tōn dia tou Huiou genomenōn; hōn ouden homoion echein ton Huion; dio dē mē einai auton poiēma, tois di' autou genomenois homoion ; kreittonos de ē kata pan poiēma tynchanein ousias, hēn ek tou Patros gegenēsthai didaskei ta theia Logia, tou tropou tēs gennēseōs anekphrastou kai anepilogistou ͵ exēs epilegomenois kechrēmenēs, ouk eulogon ephanē pasę̄ gennētę̄ physei tynchanontos. Houtō de kai to homoousion einai tou Patros ton Huion exetazomenos ho logos synistēsin, ou kata ton tōn sōmatōn tropon, oude tois thnētois zōois paraplēsiōs; oute gar kata diairesin tēs ousias; oute kata apotomēn, ē alloiōsin tēs tou Patros ousias te kai dynameōs; toutōn gar pantōn allotrian einai tēn agennēton physin tou Patros. Parastatikon de einai tǭ Patri, to homoousion, to mēdemian emphereian pros ta gennēta ktismata ton Huion tou Theou emphainein; monǭ de tǭ Patri tǭ gegennēkoti kata panta tropon aphōmoiōsthai, kai mē einai ex heteras te hypostaseōs kai ousias, all᾿ ek tou Patros. hǭ kai autǭ touton hermēneuthenti ton tropon, kalōs echein ephanē synkatathesthai; epei kai tōn palaiōn tinas logious kai epiphaneis episkopous kai syngrapheas egnōmen epi tēs tou Patros kai Huiou theologias, tǭ tou homoousiou synchrēsamenous onomati 4. Tauta men oun peri tēs ektetheisēs eirēsthō pisteōs, hę̄ synephōnēsamen pantes ouk anexetastōs, alla kata tas apodotheisas dianoias ep᾿ autou tou theophilestatou basileōs exetastheisas, kai tois eirēmenois logismois synomologētheisas. Kai ton anathematismon de ton meta tēn pistin pros autōn ektethenta, alypon einai hēgēsametha, dia to apeirgein agraphois chrēsasthai phōnais; dio schedon hē pasa gegone synchysis te kai akatastasia tōn Ekklēsiōn. Mēdemias goun theopneustou Graphēs to Ex ouk ontōn, kai to Ēn pote hote ouk ēn, kai tois tauta legein kai didaskein. ǭ kai autǭ kalōs doxanti synethemetha, epei mēde en tǭ pro toutou chronǭ, toutois eiōthamen chrēsthai tois rhēmasi. Tauta hymin anankaiōs diepempsametha, agapētoi, to kekrimenon tēs hēmeteras exetaseōs te kai synkatatheseōs phaneron hymin kathistōntes ; kai hōs eulogōs tote mechri hystatēs hōras enistametha, hoth᾽ Pas hēmin ta heteroïō? graphenta prosechopten'" tote de aphiloneikōs ta mē lypounta katedexametha, hote hēmin eugnōmonōs exetazousi tōn logōn tēn dianoian, ephanē syntrechein tois hyph᾽ hēmōn autōn en tę̄ proechtetheisę̄ hōmologēmenois. Toiauta men ho tou Heusedios eis tēn Palaistinēs Kaisareian diepempsato. Kai tę̄ ᾿Alexandreōn de Ekklēsią, tois en Aigyptǭ Lidyę̄ kai Pentapolei, koinę̄ psēphǭ tade hē synodos egrapsen"
Such were the admirable counsels, full of wisdom, of the emperor’s letter. But the evil was stronger than the emperor’s zeal and than the trustworthiness of the man who carried the letter. For neither Alexander nor Arius was softened by what was written; there was an unchecked strife and disturbance among the people. There was also another, earlier, local disease that had already been troubling the churches: the disagreement about the feast of Easter, which arose only in the regions of the East, some being eager to keep the feast in a more Jewish manner, while others … all the Christians throughout the world. Though they disagreed in this way about the feast, they did not separate from communion, but the disagreement made the feast more gloomy. Seeing the church troubled on both accounts, the emperor convened an ecumenical synod, summoning the bishops from everywhere by letter to meet at Nicaea in Bithynia. The bishops came from many provinces and cities. Of them Eusebius, son of Pamphilus, says word for word in the third book of his Life of Constantine:
“From all the churches that filled all Europe, Libya, and Asia, the choicest of the ministers of God were gathered together. One house of prayer, as though enlarged by God, held within it at the same time Syrians and Cilicians, Phoenicians and Arabians and Palestinians, and besides these Egyptians, Thebans, Libyans, and those who came from Mesopotamia. A Persian bishop too was present at the synod, nor was a Scythian missing from the company. Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia furnished their chosen men. Thracians and Macedonians, Achaeans and Epirotes, and those who live still farther beyond them, came too. Even the most celebrated man of Spain himself took his seat with the rest. The president of the imperial city was absent because of old age, but his presbyters were present and filled his place. Such a crown, bound with the bond of peace, Constantine alone of all emperors since time began presented to Christ his Saviour as a thank-offering worthy of God for his victory over his enemies and foes, assembling this likeness of the apostolic company in our own time. For in their time too, it is said, devout men were gathered from every nation under heaven, among whom were Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and those who dwelt in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians. Only, they fell short in this, that not all of them were ministers of God; but in the present company the number of bishops exceeded three hundred, while the presbyters and deacons who followed them, and the very many other attendants, were beyond counting. Of the ministers of God, some excelled in the word of wisdom, some in steadfastness of life and patient endurance, and some were adorned by the middle way. Some of them were honoured for length of years, others shone with youth and vigour of soul, and others had only just entered on the course of their ministry. For all of them the emperor ordered provisions to be supplied abundantly every day.”
So Eusebius writes of those who met there. The emperor, after celebrating the feast of his victory over Licinius, came to Nicaea himself. Among the bishops Paphnutius of the Upper Thebaid and Spyridon of Cyprus were distinguished; why we have mentioned them I will say later. Many laymen skilled in dialectic were also present, eager to plead for one side or the other. Eusebius of Nicomedia, as I have said before, and Theognis and Maris supported Arius’s opinion; of these Theognis was bishop of Nicaea and Maris of Chalcedon in Bithynia. Against them Athanasius, a deacon of the church of Alexandria, contended nobly. Alexander the bishop held him in great honour, and for this reason envy armed itself against him, as we shall tell later.
A little before the bishops met in one place, the dialecticians held preliminary contests of words before the crowd. When many were being drawn by the charm of the speaking, one of the confessors, a layman of simple mind, opposed the dialecticians and said to them that Christ and the apostles had not handed down to us the art of dialectic or empty deceit, but a plain understanding, kept by faith and good works. When he said this, all who were present admired it and approved, and the dialecticians, acting more sensibly, fell silent on hearing the simple word of truth. So the uproar arising from dialectic was quieted for the time.
On the next day all the bishops came together in one place, and after them the emperor entered. When he had come in, he stood in the middle, and would not take his seat until the bishops nodded to him; such reverence and respect for the men held the emperor. When the silence fitting to the occasion had fallen, the emperor began from his seat to address them with words of exhortation, urging them to agreement and concord. He advised each to give up his private grievance against his neighbour; for most of them were bringing charges against one another, and many had handed the emperor petitions on the previous day. Urging them to proceed to the business for which they had come together, he ordered the petitions to be burned, adding only: “Christ commands him who is eager to obtain forgiveness to forgive his brother.” Then he left it to them to examine the doctrines again more carefully by their own judgment. What the same Eusebius says about this in the same third book of the Life of Constantine is good to hear. It is this:
“Very many proposals were put forward by each party, and much controversy arose at first. The emperor listened to all with patience and received the proposals with steady attention. Taking up in turn what was said by each party, he gently brought together those who were contentiously opposed, conversing mildly with each. Speaking in Greek, since he was not ignorant of that language either, he was pleasant and agreeable, persuading some, shaming others by his words, and praising those who spoke well. Driving all to concord, he brought them to be of one mind and one opinion on all the disputed points, so that the faith prevailed with one voice and the same time for the saving feast was agreed by all. What had been decided in common was confirmed also in writing by the signature of each.”
These things too Eusebius left in writing in his own words. We have not used them out of season, but have set them down in this writing as witnesses, so that when some condemn the synod at Nicaea as having erred about the faith, we may not bear with them, nor believe Sabinus the Macedonian, who calls those who met there ignorant and simple men. For Sabinus, bishop of the Macedonians at Heraclea in Thrace, who made a collection of what various synods of bishops issued in writing, disparaged those at Nicaea as simple and ignorant, not noticing that he is accusing of ignorance even Eusebius himself, who confessed the faith after much examination. Some things he has omitted on purpose, some he has distorted, and he has interpreted everything rather to suit his own aim. He praises Eusebius, son of Pamphilus, as a trustworthy witness, and praises the emperor as able to teach Christian doctrine; yet he finds fault with the faith set out at Nicaea, as issued by simple men who knew nothing, and he deliberately overlooks the words of the very man whom he calls a wise and truthful witness. For Eusebius says that of the ministers of God present at Nicaea some excelled in the word of wisdom and some in steadfastness of life, and that the emperor, being present and bringing all to concord, made them of one mind and one opinion. But of Sabinus we shall make mention wherever need requires.
The agreement of faith proclaimed aloud by the great synod at Nicaea is this: “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, only-begotten, that is, from the essence of the Father; God from God, light from light, true God from true God; begotten, not made, of the same essence as the Father; through whom all things came to be, things in heaven and things on earth; who for us men and for our salvation came down and was made flesh and became man, suffered, and rose on the third day, ascended into the heavens, and is coming to judge the living and the dead; and in the Holy Spirit. But those who say, ‘There was once when he was not,’ and, ‘Before he was begotten he was not,’ and that he came into being from things that are not, or who say that the Son of God is of another hypostasis or essence, or created, or changeable, or alterable, these the holy catholic and apostolic church anathematizes.”
This faith three hundred and eighteen recognized and accepted, and, as Eusebius says, being of one voice and one opinion, they signed it. Only five did not accept it, objecting to the word homoousios: Eusebius bishop of Nicomedia, Theognis of Nicaea, Maris of Chalcedon, Theonas of Marmarica, and Secundus of Ptolemais. For they said that that is homoousios which is from something either by division, or by flowing out, or by putting forth: by putting forth, as a shoot from the roots; by flowing out, as children from their fathers; by division, as two or three gold vessels from a lump. The Son is from the Father in none of these ways; therefore, they said, they did not assent to the faith. Having much ridiculed the word homoousios, they would not sign the deposition of Arius. So the synod anathematized Arius and all who held his opinion, adding that he should not set foot in Alexandria; and an order of the emperor sent him into exile, together with Eusebius and Theognis. Eusebius and Theognis, however, a little after their exile, handed in a statement of repentance and agreed to the faith of the homoousios, as we shall show as we go on.
At that time in the synod, Eusebius, who bore the surname of Pamphilus and held the bishopric of Caesarea in Palestine, paused a little and considered whether he ought to accept the definition of faith; then he agreed and signed with all the rest. He sent the definition of faith in writing to the people under him, explaining the word homoousios, so that no one should have any suspicion of him on account of his hesitation. His letter reads word for word as follows:
“What was transacted concerning the faith of the church at the great synod held at Nicaea, beloved, you have probably learned already, since report usually runs ahead of an exact account of what is done. But lest by such hearsay alone the truth should be reported to you otherwise than it was, we have necessarily sent you, first, the statement of faith put forward by us, and then the second, which they published after making additions to our words. Our document, read in the presence of our most God-loving emperor and declared to be right and approved, is as follows:
‘As we received from the bishops before us, both in our catechetical instruction and when we received the washing, and as we have learned from the divine Scriptures, and as we believed and taught both as presbyters and in the episcopate itself, so believing now also, we present our faith to you. It is this: We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God from God, light from light, life from life, only-begotten Son, firstborn of all creation, begotten before all ages from God the Father, through whom also all things came to be; who for our salvation was made flesh and lived among men, and suffered, and rose on the third day, and ascended to the Father, and will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We believe also in one Holy Spirit. We believe that each of these is and exists: the Father truly Father, the Son truly Son, the Holy Spirit truly Holy Spirit; as our Lord, sending out his disciples to preach, said: “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Concerning these things we affirm that we hold so and think so, that we have long held so, and will hold so until death, and stand firm in this faith, anathematizing every godless heresy. That we have thought all this from heart and soul since we have known ourselves, and that we now think and say it in truth, we testify before God Almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ, being able to show by proofs and to persuade you that in times past we likewise believed and preached so.’
When this faith was set out by us, there was no room for contradiction. Our most God-loving emperor himself was the first to testify that it was most orthodox. He testified that he himself thought so, and urged all to agree with it and to sign its doctrines and to accord with them, with only the addition of the one word homoousios. This he himself explained, saying that homoousios was not said according to bodily experiences, and that the Son did not subsist from the Father by division or by any severing; for an immaterial, intellectual, and incorporeal nature cannot undergo any bodily experience, and such things must be understood in divine and ineffable terms. So our most wise and pious emperor philosophized. But they, with the homoousios as their occasion, produced this document: ‘We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, only-begotten, that is, from the essence of the Father; God from God, light from light, true God from true God; begotten, not made, of the same essence as the Father; through whom all things came to be, things in heaven and things on earth; who for us men and for our salvation came down and was made flesh, became man, suffered, and rose on the third day, ascended into the heavens, is coming to judge the living and the dead; and in the Holy Spirit. But those who say, “There was once when he was not,” or, “He was not before he was begotten,” or that he came into being from things that are not, or who say that the Son of God is of another hypostasis or essence, or created, or changeable, or alterable, these the catholic and apostolic church of God anathematizes.’
When this document had been dictated by them, we did not leave unexamined how they used the phrases ‘from the essence of the Father’ and ‘of the same essence as the Father’. Questions and answers were raised about this, and reason tested the sense of the words. They acknowledged that ‘from the essence’ meant that he is from the Father, but not that he exists as a part of the Father. It seemed good to us too to agree to this sense, as pious teaching, which says that the Son is from the Father but not a part of his essence. So we ourselves agree to the sense, not refusing even the word homoousios, keeping before our eyes the aim of peace and of not falling from the right sense. In the same way we accepted ‘begotten, not made’, since they said that ‘made’ is a name common to the other creatures that came to be through the Son, to which the Son has no likeness; therefore he is not a thing made, like the things that came to be through him, but is of an essence higher than any thing made, which the divine oracles teach was begotten from the Father, the manner of the begetting being inexpressible and incalculable to every begotten nature. So too reason, on examination, establishes that the Son is homoousios with the Father, not in the manner of bodies, nor like mortal living things; for it is not by division of essence, nor by severing, nor by any change in the Father’s essence and power, since the unbegotten nature of the Father is foreign to all these. Rather, homoousios with the Father indicates that the Son of God has no likeness to the begotten creatures, but is in every way made like to the Father alone, who begot him, and that he is not of another hypostasis and essence, but from the Father. To this term, explained in this way, it seemed good to agree, since we know that some of the ancients, learned and distinguished bishops and writers, used the term homoousios in their theology of the Father and the Son.
Let this, then, be said about the faith that was set out, to which we all agreed, not without examination, but according to the senses given, which were examined in the presence of the most God-loving emperor himself and agreed for the reasons stated. The anathema they set out after the faith we considered inoffensive, because it forbids the use of unscriptural words, from which almost all the confusion and disorder of the churches has come. Since no divinely inspired Scripture has used ‘from things that are not’ and ‘there was once when he was not’ and the phrases that follow, it did not seem reasonable to say and teach these things. To this too we agreed, as rightly decided, since even before this time we were not accustomed to use these words. We have necessarily sent these things to you, beloved, making plain to you the judgment of our examination and assent, and how reasonably we held out to the last hour, when the parts written otherwise offended us, but then accepted without contention what was not offensive, when, as we examined the sense of the words fairly, it appeared to agree with what we ourselves had confessed in the faith set out earlier.”
Such was the letter Eusebius sent to Caesarea in Palestine. And to the church of the Alexandrians and to those in Egypt, Libya, and the Pentapolis the synod wrote as follows by common vote.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Acts 2:5 (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 2:9 (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 2:10 (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 2:11 (allusion, high confidence) · Col 2:8 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 6:14 (allusion, medium confidence) · Col 1:15 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 28:19 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Constantine convenes the synod of Nicaea; Socrates quotes Eusebius on the assembly, the Nicene Creed, the five who objected to homoousios, and Eusebius of Caesarea’s letter to his church explaining his assent.
- homoousios: “of the same essence” (homoousios); the key word of the Nicene Creed, by which the Son is declared to be of the same essence as the Father. It is translated so throughout, and also kept in transliteration where the word itself is discussed.
- The two long quotations are from Eusebius, Life of Constantine 3.7–9 and 3.13–14. The list of nations echoes Acts 2:5–11.
- The letter of Eusebius of Caesarea to his church is also preserved by Athanasius (On the Decrees, appendix).
- “others … all the Christians throughout the world”: a word is lost in the scan (the sense is that others followed the practice of all other Christians).
- In the scan a stray line (“having gone through words of concord and peace at length”) interrupts the name Paphnutius; it is removed by a logged correction. Likewise the end of the creed’s anathema (“catholic and apostolic church”) stands a few lines too early in the scan and is put back in place.
- In Eusebius’s letter the scan has displaced two line-ends between the sentences on the begetting and on the anathema; they are translated in their proper places.
- Sabinus of Heraclea’s collection of synodal acts is lost.
- The creed and the explanations of homoousios are translated exactly as printed; the objections of the five bishops are given as Socrates reports them.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (a stray line from elsewhere in the scan interrupts the name Paphnutius; displaced line restored to its place; line displaced in the scan; restored below): Παόμονοίας καὶ εἰρήνης λόγους εἰς πλάτος διεξελθών, φνούτιός → Παφνούτιός; ( θολικὴ καὶ ἀποστολικὴ Ἐκκλησία. γεννηθέντα → γεννηθέντα; ἡ ἁγία και Ταύτην → ἡ ἁγία καθολικὴ καὶ ἀποστολικὴ Ἐκκλησία. Ταύτην.
Extrabiblical texts: Eusebius, Vit. Const. 3.7-9 (Life of Constantine; quotation); Eusebius, Vit. Const. 3.13-14 (Life of Constantine; quotation); Conc. Nic. creed (Creed and Canons of the Council of Nicaea (325); quotation); Athanasius, Decr. (Defence of the Nicene Definition; echo)
Topics: Trinity, Christology, Heresy, Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 1.8 (PG 67:59–77; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/1-8). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/1-8
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.