Church History 3.10–3.14
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 3
3.10PG 67:1057–1059
Τῶν δὲ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐπισκόπων ψευδῆ ταῦτα εἶναι γραψάντων, μαθὼν Ἰούλιος οὐχ ἀσφαλὲς ᾿Αθανασίῳ τέως ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διάγειν, τὸν μὲν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν μετεκαλέσατο. Τοῖς δὲ ἐν ᾿Αντιοχεία συνελθοῦσιν, ἔτυχε γὰρ τηνικαῦτα τὴν τούτων δεξάμενος ἐπιστολὴν, ἔγραψεν ἐγκαλῶν, ὡς λάθρα περὶ τὸ δόγμα τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου νεωτερίζουσι, καὶ παρὰ τοὺς νόμους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν σύνοδον οὐ χεχλήχασιν. Εἶναι γὰρ νόμον ἱερατικὸν, ὡς ἄχυρα ἀποφαίνειν τὰ παρὰ γνώμην πραττόμενα τοῦ Ῥωμαίων ἐπισκόπου. Τὰ δὲ ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ Μαρεώτῃ, μὴ ἐν δίκῃ πεπράχθαι κατὰ ᾿Αθανασίου" κατηγορεῖν δὲ τῶν μὲν, τὴν κατὰ ᾿Αρσένιον συχοφαντίαν᾽" τῶν δὲ ἐν τῷ Μαρεώτῃ, τὴν ᾿Αθανασίου ἀπουσίαν. ἅπασι δὲ, τὸ αὔθαδες τῶν γραμμάτων ἐμέμφετο. Καὶ ἐκ τούτων δὲ ἐκ πάντων ἀνελογίζετο χρῆναι βοηθεῖν ᾿Αθανασίῳ καὶ Παύλῳ. Μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς Ἰταλίαν παραγενόμενος, τὰ αὑτὸν ἀπωδύρετο. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐξ ὧν ἔγραψε περὶ σὑτῶν τοῖς ἀνὰ τὴν ἕω ἱερεῦσιν, οὐδὲν ἦνυε, δῆλα τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐποίησε Κώνσταντι τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ὁ δὲ Κωνσταντίῳ τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἔγραψε, πέμψαι τινὰς τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω ἐπισκόπων, ἀπολογησομένους περὶ τῆς αὑτῶν καθαιρέσεως. Καὶ αἱροῦνται ἐπὶ τούτῳ τρεῖς, Νάρκισσος ὁ Εἰρηνοπόλεως τῆς Κιλικίας ἐπίσκοπος, Θεόδωρος ὁ Ηραχλείας τῆς Θράκης, : καὶ Μάρκος ὁ ᾿Αρεθούσης τῆς Συρίας. Καὶ παραγενόμενοι εἰς Ἰταλίαν, τοῖς ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν πεπραγμένοις ἰσχυρίζοντο, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα πείθειν ἐπειρῶντο, δικαίαν εἶναι τῆς ἀνατολικῆς συνόδου τὴν κρίσιν. ᾿Απαιτούμενοι δὲ λέγειν ὅπως πιστεύσωσι, τὴν μὲν ἐκτεθεῖσαν παρ' αὐτῶν ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ ἀπεκρύψαντο • ἑτέραν δὲ ἔγγραφον ὁμολογίαν ἐκδεδώκασι, καὶ οὕτως ἀπάδουσαν τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ δοκιμασθείσης. Συνιδών δὲ Κώνστας ὡς ἀδίκως ἐπεβούλευσαν τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, οὐκ ἐγκλημάτων ἕνεκεν, οὐδὲ βίου, ἀποστρεφόμενοι τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς κοινωνίαν, ὡς αἱ καθαιρέσεις εἶχον, ἀλλὰ τῆς περὶ τὸ δόγμα διαφωνίας, ἀπέπεμψαν τούτους, μὴ πείσαντας περὶ ὧν ἐληλύθεισαν.
Tōn de ex Aigyptou episkopōn pseudē tauta einai grapsantōn, mathōn Ioulios ouch asphales ᾿Athanasiǭ teōs en Aigyptǭ diagein, ton men pros heauton metekalesato. Tois de en ᾿Antiocheia synelthousin, etyche gar tēnikauta tēn toutōn dexamenos epistolēn, egrapsen enkalōn, hōs lathra peri to dogma tēs en Nikaią synodou neōterizousi, kai para tous nomous tēs Ekklēsias auton eis tēn synodon ou chechlēchasin. Einai gar nomon hieratikon, hōs achyra apophainein ta para gnōmēn prattomena tou Rhōmaiōn episkopou. Ta de en Tyrǭ kai en tǭ Mareōtę̄, mē en dikę̄ peprachthai kata ᾿Athanasiou" katēgorein de tōn men, tēn kata ᾿Arsenion sychophantian᾽" tōn de en tǭ Mareōtę̄, tēn ᾿Athanasiou apousian. hapasi de, to authades tōn grammatōn emempheto. Kai ek toutōn de ek pantōn anelogizeto chrēnai boēthein ᾿Athanasiǭ kai Paulǭ. Met᾿ ou poly gar kai autos eis Italian paragenomenos, ta hauton apōdyreto. Epei de ex hōn egrapse peri sytōn tois ana tēn heō hiereusin, ouden ēnye, dēla ta kat' autous epoiēse Kōnstanti tǭ basilei. Ho de Kōnstantiǭ tǭ adelphǭ egrapse, pempsai tinas tōn apo tēs heō episkopōn, apologēsomenous peri tēs hautōn kathaireseōs. Kai hairountai epi toutǭ treis, Narkissos ho Eirēnopoleōs tēs Kilikias episkopos, Theodōros ho Ērachleias tēs Thrakēs, : kai Markos ho ᾿Arethousēs tēs Syrias. Kai paragenomenoi eis Italian, tois hyp᾿ autōn pepragmenois ischyrizonto, kai ton basilea peithein epeirōnto, dikaian einai tēs anatolikēs synodou tēn krisin. ᾿Apaitoumenoi de legein hopōs pisteusōsi, tēn men ektetheisan par' autōn en ᾿Antiocheią apekrypsanto • heteran de engraphon homologian ekdedōkasi, kai houtōs apadousan tēs en Nikaią dokimastheisēs. Synidōn de Kōnstas hōs adikōs epebouleusan tois andrasin, ouk enklēmatōn heneken, oude biou, apostrephomenoi tēn pros autous koinōnian, hōs hai kathaireseis eichon, alla tēs peri to dogma diaphōnias, apepempsan toutous, mē peisantas peri hōn elēlytheisan.
When the bishops of Egypt wrote that these charges were false, Julius, learning that it was not safe for Athanasius to stay in Egypt for the time being, summoned him to himself. To those who had met at Antioch (for he had just then received their letter) he wrote accusing them of innovating secretly on the doctrine of the synod of Nicaea, and of not having summoned him to their synod, contrary to the laws of the church; for there was a priestly law declaring void whatever was done without the consent of the bishop of the Romans. He said that what had been done at Tyre and in the Mareotis against Athanasius had not been done justly; he charged the former with the false accusation concerning Arsenius, and those in the Mareotis with the absence of Athanasius; and he blamed the arrogance of their letter in everything. On all these grounds he concluded that he must help Athanasius and Paul. For not long afterward Paul too came to Italy and lamented his own case. When Julius achieved nothing by what he wrote about them to the priests of the East, he made their case known to the emperor Constans. Constans wrote to his brother Constantius to send some of the bishops of the East to defend their deposition of these men. Three were chosen for this: Narcissus, bishop of Irenopolis in Cilicia, Theodore of Heraclea in Thrace, and Mark of Arethusa in Syria. Arriving in Italy, they maintained what they had done and tried to persuade the emperor that the judgment of the eastern synod was just. When asked to state what they believed, they concealed the creed they had set out at Antioch and gave another written confession, also differing from the one approved at Nicaea. Constans, seeing that they had plotted unjustly against the men, rejecting communion with them not on account of charges or of their lives, as the depositions alleged, but because of disagreement about the doctrine, sent them away without having persuaded him of what they had come for.
Notes and citation
Summary: Julius rebukes the Eastern bishops for acting without him and against Nicaea; at his request Constans summons Eastern envoys, who present a new creed but fail to convince him.
- The “priestly law” requiring the consent of the bishop of Rome is Sozomen's report of Julius's claim; Socrates (2.17) gives a similar statement. The commission sent to the Mareotis in 335 had examined the chalice charge in Athanasius's absence. The creed presented in Gaul (342) is the so-called fourth creed of Antioch.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slip): Τῶν δὲ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐπισκόπων Ψευδῇ → Τῶν δὲ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐπισκόπων ψευδῆ; γὰρ γαὶ αὐτὸς → γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς.
Extrabiblical texts: Athanasius, Apol. sec. 21-35 (Defence against the Arians; allusion)
Topics: Church office, Heresy
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.10 (PG 67:1057–1059; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-10). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-10
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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 Hartranft's English in NPNF² 2.
3.11PG 67:1059–1063
Τριῶν δὲ ἤδη γενομένων ἐνιαυτῶν, πάλιν οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς ἕω ἐπίσκοποι, τοῖς ἀνὰ τὴν δύσιν ἑτέραν διεπέμψαντο γραφήν, ἣν μακρόστιχον ἔκθεσιν ὀνομάζουσιν, ὡς διὰ πλειόνων ῥημάτων τε καὶ ὀνομάτων παρὰ τὰς προτέρας συγκειμένην. Καὶ οὐσίας μὲν ἐν ταύτῃ Θεοῦ μνήμην οὐκ ἐποιήσαντο. Τοὺς δὲ λέγοντας ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων τὸν Υἱὸν, ἢ ἐξ ἑτέρας ὑποστάσεως, οὐκ ἐκ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὅτι ἦν ποτε χρόνος ἢ αἰὼν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν, ἀπεκήρυττον. Εὐδοξίου δὲ, ὃς τῆς Γερμανικείας ἐπίσκοπος ἦν, Μαρτυρίου τε καὶ Μακεδονίου διακομισάντων ταύτην τὴν γραφὴν, οὐ προσεδέξαντο οἱ ἀνὰ τὴν δύσιν ἱερεῖς. Αρκεῖσθαι γὰρ ἔφασαν τοῖς ἐν Νικαίᾳ δόξασι, καὶ παρὰ ταῦτα πολυπραγμονεῖν οὐδὲν λοιπὸν ᾤοντο δεῖν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ Κώνστας ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾔτει χάριν τὸν ἀδελφὸν, ὥστε τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀθανάσιον τοὺς οἰκείους ἀπολαβεῖν θρόνους, καὶ γράφων οὐδὲν ἤνυεν, ἀντιπραττόντων τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐναντίας αἱρέσεως· οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν ᾿Αθανάσιον καὶ Παῦλον, προσιόντες αὐτῷ γενέσθαι σύνοδον ἐζήτουν, ὡς ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων ἐπιβουλευθέντες, ἔδοξε γνώμῃ τῶν βασιλέων, τοὺς ἀφ' ἑκατέρας ἀρχομένης ἐπισκόπους, εἰς ῥητὴν ἡμέραν καταλαβεῖν τὴν Σαρδώ· πόλις δὲ αὕτη Ἰλλυριῶν. Συνελθόντες δὲ πρῶτον εἰς Φιλίππου πόλιν τῆς Θράκης οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς ἔω, γράφουσι τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς δύσεως ἤδη ἐν Σαρδικῇ συνεληλυθόσιν, ἀπώσασθαι τοῦ συνεδρίου καὶ τῆς κοινωνίας τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν ᾿Αθανάσιον, ὡς καθῃρημένους· ἄλλως δὲ μὴ συνιέναι ἔφασαν. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ εἰς Σαρδικὴν παραγενόμενοι, ἰσχυρίζοντο μὴ ἐμβαλεῖν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, συνιόντων τῶν πρὸς αὐτῶν καθῃρημένων. Πρὸς ταῦτα δὲ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς δύσεως ἀντέγραψαν, ὡς οὐδέποτε τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς κοινωνίας ἀπέστησαν, οὔτε νῦν ταύτης ἀναχωρήσουσι· καὶ μάλιστα Ἰουλίου τοῦ ῾Ῥωμαίων ἐπισκόπου τὰ κατ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἐξετάσαντος, καὶ μὴ καταγνόντος. Παρεῖναι δὲ αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἑτοίμως ἔχειν δικάζεσθαι, καὶ αὖθις ἀπελέγξειν τὰς ἐπαχθείσας αὐτοῖς αἰτίας. Ὡς δὲ παρὰ σφᾶς τοιαῦτα δηλοῦντες οὐδὲν ἤνυον, ἤδη καὶ ὑπερημέρου τῆς κυρίας γενομένης, ἐν ᾗ κρίνειν ἔδει περὶ ὧν συνεληλύθεσαν, τὸ τελευταῖον τοιαῦτα ἔγραψαν ἀλλήλοις, ἐξ ὧν εἰς μείζονα τῆς προτέρας δυσμενείας κατέστησαν. Καὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς συνελθόντες, ψήφους ἐναντίας ἤνεγκαν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ᾿Ανατολῆς, τὰ ἤδη αὐτοῖς δόξαντα ἐπὶ ᾿Αθανασίῳ καὶ Παύλῳ καὶ Μαρκέλλῳ καὶ Ἀσκληπᾷ κυρώσαντες, καθεῖλον Ἰούλιον τὸν Ῥώμης ἐπίσκοπον, ὡς ἄρξαντα τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς κοινωνίας · ῞Οσιόν τε τὸν ὁμολογητὴν, καὶ διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν, καὶ ὅτι φίλος ἐγένετο Παυλίνῳ καὶ Εὐσταθίῳ τοῖς ἡγησαμένοις τῆς ᾿Αντιοχέων Ἐκκλησίας· καὶ Μαξιμῖνον τὸν Τριβέρεως ἐπίσκοπον, ὡς πρῶτον Παύλῳ κοινωνήσαντα, καὶ αἴτιον αὐτῷ γενόμενον τῆς εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν καθόδου, καὶ τοὺς εἰς Γαλλίαν ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω παραγενομένους ἐπισκόπους ( ἀποκηρύξαντα. Ἐπὶ τούτοις καθεῖλον καὶ Πρωτογένην τὸν Σαρδικῆς ἐπίσκοπον, καὶ Γαυδέντιον. Τὸν μὲν ὡς Μαρκέλλου ὑπερμαχοῦντα, πρότερον αὐτοῦ καταψηφισάμενον · τὸν δὲ Γαυδέντιον, ὡς ἐναντία σπουδάσαντα Κυριακῷ, ὂν διεδέξατο, καὶ περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμενον τοὺς πρὸς αὐτῶν καθῃρημένους. Ταῦτα ψηφισάμενοι, τοῖς πανταχοῦ ἐπισκόποις δῆλα ἐποίησαν· ὥστε μήτε προσίεσθαι εἰς κοινωνίαν, μήτε γράφειν αὐτοῖς, μήτε τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν γραφόμενα δέχεσθαι. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοξάζειν ἐκέλευον, ὃν τρόπον ὑφηγεῖτο ἡ τῇ αὐτῶν ἐπιστολῇ ὑποτεταγμένη γραφή· Ὁμοουσίου μὲν μνήμην μὴ ποιουμένη· ἀποκηρύττουσα δὲ τοὺς λέγοντας τρεῖς εἶναι Θεούς· ἢ τὸν Χριστὸν μὴ εἶναι Θεόν· ἢ τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, ἢ ἀγέννητον τὸν Υἱόν· ἢ ὅτι ἦν ποτε χρόνος ἡ αἰὼν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν.
Triōn de ēdē genomenōn eniautōn, palin hoi epi tēs heō episkopoi, tois ana tēn dysin heteran diepempsanto graphēn, hēn makrostichon ekthesin onomazousin, hōs dia pleionōn rhēmatōn te kai onomatōn para tas proteras synkeimenēn. Kai ousias men en tautę̄ Theou mnēmēn ouk epoiēsanto. Tous de legontas ex ouk ontōn ton Huion, ē ex heteras hypostaseōs, ouk ek Theou, kai hoti ēn pote chronos ē aiōn hote ouk ēn, apekērytton. Eudoxiou de, hos tēs Germanikeias episkopos ēn, Martyriou te kai Makedoniou diakomisantōn tautēn tēn graphēn, ou prosedexanto hoi ana tēn dysin hiereis. Arkeisthai gar ephasan tois en Nikaią doxasi, kai para tauta polypragmonein ouden loipon ǭonto dein. Epei de Kōnstas ho basileus ę̄tei charin ton adelphon, hōste tous amphi ton Athanasion tous oikeious apolabein thronous, kai graphōn ouden ēnyen, antiprattontōn tōn apo tēs enantias haireseōs; hoi de peri ton ᾿Athanasion kai Paulon, prosiontes autǭ genesthai synodon ezētoun, hōs epi kathairesei tōn orthōn dogmatōn epibouleuthentes, edoxe gnōmę̄ tōn basileōn, tous aph' hekateras archomenēs episkopous, eis rhētēn hēmeran katalabein tēn Sardō; polis de hautē Illyriōn. Synelthontes de prōton eis Philippou polin tēs Thrakēs hoi apo tēs eō, graphousi tois apo tēs dyseōs ēdē en Sardikę̄ synelēlythosin, apōsasthai tou synedriou kai tēs koinōnias tous amphi ton ᾿Athanasion, hōs kathę̄rēmenous; allōs de mē synienai ephasan. Meta de tauta kai eis Sardikēn paragenomenoi, ischyrizonto mē embalein tę̄ ekklēsią, syniontōn tōn pros autōn kathę̄rēmenōn. Pros tauta de hoi apo tēs dyseōs antegrapsan, hōs oudepote tēs pros autous koinōnias apestēsan, oute nyn tautēs anachōrēsousi; kai malista Iouliou tou ῾Rhōmaiōn episkopou ta kat᾿ autous exetasantos, kai mē katagnontos. Pareinai de autous, kai hetoimōs echein dikazesthai, kai authis apelenxein tas epachtheisas autois aitias. Hōs de para sphas toiauta dēlountes ouden ēnyon, ēdē kai hyperēmerou tēs kyrias genomenēs, en hę̄ krinein edei peri hōn synelēlythesan, to teleutaion toiauta egrapsan allēlois, ex hōn eis meizona tēs proteras dysmeneias katestēsan. Kai kath' heautous synelthontes, psēphous enantias ēnenkan. Hoi men gar apo tēs ᾿Anatolēs, ta ēdē autois doxanta epi ᾿Athanasiǭ kai Paulǭ kai Markellǭ kai Asklēpą kyrōsantes, katheilon Ioulion ton Rhōmēs episkopon, hōs arxanta tēs pros autous koinōnias ; ῾Osion te ton homologētēn, kai dia tēn autēn aitian, kai hoti philos egeneto Paulinǭ kai Eustathiǭ tois hēgēsamenois tēs ᾿Antiocheōn Ekklēsias; kai Maximinon ton Tribereōs episkopon, hōs prōton Paulǭ koinōnēsanta, kai aition autǭ genomenon tēs eis Kōnstantinoupolin kathodou, kai tous eis Gallian apo tēs heō paragenomenous episkopous ( apokēryxanta. Epi toutois katheilon kai Prōtogenēn ton Sardikēs episkopon, kai Gaudention. Ton men hōs Markellou hypermachounta, proteron autou katapsēphisamenon ; ton de Gaudention, hōs enantia spoudasanta Kyriakǭ, on diedexato, kai peri pollou poioumenon tous pros autōn kathę̄rēmenous. Tauta psēphisamenoi, tois pantachou episkopois dēla epoiēsan; hōste mēte prosiesthai eis koinōnian, mēte graphein autois, mēte ta par' autōn graphomena dechesthai. Peri de tou Theou doxazein ekeleuon, hon tropon hyphēgeito hē tę̄ autōn epistolę̄ hypotetagmenē graphē; Homoousiou men mnēmēn mē poioumenē; apokēryttousa de tous legontas treis einai Theous; ē ton Christon mē einai Theon; ē ton auton einai Patera kai Huion kai hagion Pneuma, ē agennēton ton Huion; ē hoti ēn pote chronos hē aiōn hote ouk ēn.
When three years had passed, the bishops of the East again sent the bishops of the West another document, which they call the Long Exposition, as being composed of more words and terms than the earlier ones. In it they made no mention of the essence of God; but they anathematized those who say that the Son is from nothing, or from another subsistence and not from God, and that there was once a time or age when he was not. When Eudoxius, who was bishop of Germanicia, Martyrius and Macedonius brought this document, the priests of the West did not accept it. For they said that they were content with what had been decided at Nicaea and thought there was no need to busy themselves further beyond it. When the emperor Constans asked his brother as a favour that Athanasius's party should recover their own sees, and achieved nothing by writing, since those of the opposite sect worked against it, and Athanasius and Paul came to him asking for a synod, since they had been plotted against with a view to overthrowing the right doctrines, it was decided by the emperors' judgment that the bishops of both parts of the empire should come on a set day to Sardica, a city of Illyricum. Those from the East first gathered at Philippopolis in Thrace, and wrote to those from the West who had already met at Sardica to expel Athanasius's party from the assembly and from communion as deposed men; otherwise, they said, they would not join them. After this they came to Sardica too, but insisted that they would not enter the church if those deposed by them were assembling there. To this those from the West replied that they had never withdrawn from communion with them, nor would they withdraw from it now, especially since Julius, bishop of the Romans, had examined their case and had not condemned them; and that they were present and ready to be tried and to refute again the charges brought against them. When by such messages to each other they achieved nothing, and the appointed day for judging the matters for which they had met had already passed, they finally wrote such things to each other as made their former hostility greater. Meeting separately, they passed contrary votes. Those from the East confirmed what they had already decided about Athanasius, Paul, Marcellus and Asclepas, and deposed Julius, bishop of Rome, as having begun communion with them; Hosius the confessor, for the same reason and because he had become a friend of Paulinus and Eustathius, the former leaders of the church of Antioch; and Maximinus, bishop of Trier, as the first to communicate with Paul and responsible for his return to Constantinople, and as having refused the bishops who came from the East to Gaul. Besides these they deposed Protogenes, bishop of Sardica, and Gaudentius: the former because, though he had earlier voted against Marcellus, he now championed him; Gaudentius, because he had worked against Cyriacus, whom he succeeded, and made much of those deposed by them. Having passed these votes, they made them known to the bishops everywhere, so that they should neither admit these men to communion, nor write to them, nor receive their letters. About God they bade them hold as the document appended to their letter set out; it made no mention of “of the same essence,” but anathematized those who say there are three Gods, or that Christ is not God, or that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are the same, or that the Son is unbegotten, or that there was once a time or age when he was not.
Notes and citation
Summary: The Eastern bishops send the Long Exposition west; the council called to Sardica splits, and the Easterners, meeting apart, depose Julius of Rome, Hosius and others and issue their own creed.
- A fragment of Valesius's chapter title (“… having communicated with the rest”) stood at the head of the section in the scan and has been removed; a marginal gloss (“long-lined,” μακρόστιχος) was printed inside the name of Macedonius and has been removed. The Long Exposition (Ekthesis Makrostichos) dates from 344. The council of Sardica (Serdica, modern Sofia) met in 343; Sozomen calls it a city of Illyricum. The Eastern bishops' encyclical is preserved in Latin by Hilary (Historical Fragments).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (a marginal gloss (μακρόστιχος) printed inside the name; fragment of Valesius's chapter title leaked into the text; repeated letters; stray letter): τοῖς λοιποῖς κοινωνήσαντας. → ; ἐνιαυτῶν ὅ, πάλιν → ἐνιαυτῶν, πάλιν; Μαμακρόστιχος κεδονίου → Μακεδονίου; ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾔἥτει χάριν → ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾔτει χάριν.
Extrabiblical texts: Athanasius, Syn. 26 (On the Councils of Ariminum and Seleucia; allusion); Hilary, Frag. hist. (Historical Fragments; allusion); Conc. Sard. (Canons of the Council of Sardica (Greek); allusion)
Topics: Heresy, Trinity, Church office
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.11 (PG 67:1059–1063; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-11). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-11
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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 Hartranft's English in NPNF² 2.
3.12PG 67:1063–1065
Ἐν μέρει τε καὶ οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ὅσιον συνελθόντες, ἀθώους ἀπέφηναν · ᾿Αθανάσιον μὲν, ὡς ἀδίκως ἐπιβουλευθέντα παρὰ τῶν ἐν Τύρῳ συνελθόντων · Μάρκελλον δὲ, ὡς μὴ τάδε φρονεῖν ὁμολογήσαντα ἃ διεβάλλετο · ᾿Ασκληπᾶν δὲ, ὡς Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Παμφίλου καὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων δικαστῶν ψήφῳ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἀπολαβόντα· καὶ ὅτι τάδε ἀληθῆ εἴη, ὑπόμνημα τῆς δίκης ἐπιδείξαντα· Λούκιον δὲ ὡς τῶν αὐτοῦ κατηγόρων φυγόντων. Καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἑκάστου παροι κίαν ἔγραψαν, αὐτοὺς ἔχειν ἐπισκόπους καὶ προσδυκᾶν· Γρηγόριον δὲ τὸν ἐν ᾿Αλεξανδρείᾳ, καὶ Βασίλειον τὸν ἐν ᾿Αγκύρᾳ, καὶ Κυντιανὸν τὸν ἐν Γάζῃ, μηδὲ ἐπισκόπους ὀνομάζειν, μηδὲ κοινωνίαν τινὰ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔχειν, μηδὲ Χριστιανοὺς ἡγεῖσθαι. Καθεῖλον δὲ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς Θεόδωρον τὸν Θρᾷκα, καὶ Νάρκισσον τὸν Εἰρηνοπόλεως ἐπίσκοπον, καὶ ᾿Ἀκάκιον τὸν Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστίνης, καὶ Μηνόφαντον τὸν Ἐφέσου, καὶ Οὐρσάκιον τὸν Σιγγιδώνου τῆς Μυσίας,ὶ καὶ Οὐάλεντα τὸν Μυρσῶν τῆς Παννονίας, κα Γεώργιον τὸν Λαοδικείας, εἰ καὶ μὴ τῇ συνόδῳ ταύτῃ παρεγένετο συν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω ἐπισκόποις. ᾿Αφεί λοντο δὲ τούτους τῆς ἱερωσύνης καὶ τῆς κοινωνίας, ὡς τὸν Υἱὸν χωρίζοντας τοῦ Πατρὸς τῆς οὐσίας, καὶ τοὺς πάλαι καθαιρεθέντας διὰ τὴν ᾿Αρείου αἵρεσιν δεξαμένους, καὶ εἰς ἀξιώματα μείζω λειτουργίας Θεοῦ παραγόντας. Διὰ ταῦτὰ τε αὐτοὺς ἀποκηρύξαντες, καὶ τῆς καθόλου Ἐκκλησίας ἀλλοτρίους ψηφισάμενοι, ἔγραψαν τοῖς πανταχοῦ ἐπισκόποις, ἐπιψηφίσασθαι παρ' αὐτῶν κεκριμένοις, καὶ ὁμοφρονεῖν αὐτοῖς περὶ τὸ δόγμα. ᾿Εξέθεντο δὲ αὐτοὶ τηνικαῦτα πίστεως γραφὴν ἑτέραν, πλατυτέραν μὲν τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ " φυλάττουσαν δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν διάνοιαν, οὐ παρὰ πολὺ διαλλάττουσαν τῶν ἐκείνης ῥημάτων. ᾿Αμέλει “Ὅσιος καὶ Πρωτογένης, οἱ τότε. ὑπῆρχον ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς δύσεως ἐν Σαρδικῇ συνεληλυθότων, δείσαντες ἴσως μὴ σθεῖεν τισὶ καινοτομεῖν τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς ἐν Νικαίᾳ, ἔγραψαν Ἰουλίῳ , καὶ ἐμαρτύραντο κύρια τάδε ἡγεῖσθαι " κατὰ χρείαν δὲ σαφηνείας, τὴν αὐτὴν διάνοιαν πλατῦναι " ὥστε μὴ ἐγγενέσθαι τοῖς τὰ ᾿Αρείου φρονοῦσιν, ἀποχεχρημένοις τῇ συντομίᾳ τῆς γραφῆς, εἰς ἄτοπον ἕλκειν τοὺς ἀπείρους διαλέξεως. Ταῦτα πράξαντες , διέλυσαν ἐὸν σύλλογον, εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἔκαστος ἐπανῆλθε. Συνέστη δὲ : αὕτη ἡ σύνοδος, Εὐσεδίου ὑπατευόντων ἐνδέχατον δὲ τοῦτο ἔτος ἣν ἀπὸ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου τελευτῆς, Συνῆλθον δὲ, μὲν τῶν πῤὸς Δύσιν πόλεων ἀμφὶ τριακόσιοι ἐπίσκοποι: δὲ τῆς Ἕω, ἐξ ἑύδομήχοντα " σὺν τούτοις δὲ καὶ Ἰσσχυρίων, ἐπιτραπεὶς τὴν τοῦ Μαρεώτου ἐπιτχοπὴν πρὸς τῶν ᾿Αθανασίῳ ἀπεχθανομένων.
En merei te kai hoi amphi ton Hosion synelthontes, athōous apephēnan ; ᾿Athanasion men, hōs adikōs epibouleuthenta para tōn en Tyrǭ synelthontōn ; Markellon de, hōs mē tade phronein homologēsanta ha dieballeto ; ᾿Asklēpan de, hōs Eusebiou tou Pamphilou kai pollōn allōn dikastōn psēphǭ tēn episkopēn apolabonta; kai hoti tade alēthē eiē, hypomnēma tēs dikēs epideixanta; Loukion de hōs tōn autou katēgorōn phygontōn. Kai pros tēn hekastou paroi kian egrapsan, autous echein episkopous kai prosdykan; Grēgorion de ton en ᾿Alexandreią, kai Basileion ton en ᾿Ankyrą, kai Kyntianon ton en Gazę̄, mēde episkopous onomazein, mēde koinōnian tina pros autous echein, mēde Christianous hēgeisthai. Katheilon de tēs episkopēs Theodōron ton Thrąka, kai Narkisson ton Eirēnopoleōs episkopon, kai ᾿Akakion ton Kaisareias tēs Palaistinēs, kai Mēnophanton ton Ephesou, kai Oursakion ton Singidōnou tēs Mysias,i kai Oualenta ton Myrsōn tēs Pannonias, ka Geōrgion ton Laodikeias, ei kai mē tę̄ synodǭ tautę̄ paregeneto syn tois apo tēs heō episkopois. ᾿Aphei lonto de toutous tēs hierōsynēs kai tēs koinōnias, hōs ton Huion chōrizontas tou Patros tēs ousias, kai tous palai kathairethentas dia tēn ᾿Areiou hairesin dexamenous, kai eis axiōmata meizō leitourgias Theou paragontas. Dia tauta te autous apokēryxantes, kai tēs katholou Ekklēsias allotrious psēphisamenoi, egrapsan tois pantachou episkopois, epipsēphisasthai par' autōn kekrimenois, kai homophronein autois peri to dogma. ᾿Exethento de autoi tēnikauta pisteōs graphēn heteran, platyteran men tēs en Nikaią " phylattousan de tēn autēn dianoian, ou para poly diallattousan tōn ekeinēs rhēmatōn. ᾿Amelei “Hosios kai Prōtogenēs, hoi tote. hypērchon archontes tōn apo tēs dyseōs en Sardikę̄ synelēlythotōn, deisantes isōs mē stheien tisi kainotomein ta doxanta tois en Nikaią, egrapsan Iouliǭ , kai emartyranto kyria tade hēgeisthai " kata chreian de saphēneias, tēn autēn dianoian platynai " hōste mē engenesthai tois ta ᾿Areiou phronousin, apochechrēmenois tę̄ syntomią tēs graphēs, eis atopon helkein tous apeirous dialexeōs. Tauta praxantes , dielysan eon syllogon, eis ta oikeia ekastos epanēlthe. Synestē de : hautē hē synodos, Eusediou hypateuontōn endechaton de touto etos hēn apo tēs Kōnstantinou teleutēs, Synēlthon de, men tōn pros Dysin poleōn amphi triakosioi episkopoi: de tēs Heō, ex heudomēchonta " syn toutois de kai Isschyriōn, epitrapeis tēn tou Mareōtou epitchopēn pros tōn ᾿Athanasiǭ apechthanomenōn.
For their part, those who met with Hosius declared the accused innocent: Athanasius, as unjustly plotted against by those who met at Tyre; Marcellus, as having confessed that he did not hold the views he was charged with; Asclepas, as having recovered his episcopate by the vote of Eusebius son of Pamphilus and many other judges, and having shown the record of the trial to prove that this was true; and Lucius, because his accusers had fled. They wrote to the church of each that they should have them as bishops and expect them; and that Gregory in Alexandria, Basil in Ancyra and Quintianus in Gaza should not even be named bishops, nor should anyone have communion with them or regard them as Christians. They deposed from the episcopate Theodore the Thracian, Narcissus, bishop of Irenopolis, Acacius of Caesarea in Palestine, Menophantus of Ephesus, Ursacius of Singidunum in Moesia, Valens of Mursa in Pannonia, and George of Laodicea, even though he had not come to this synod with the bishops from the East. They deprived them of the priesthood and of communion as separating the Son from the essence of the Father, and as having received those formerly deposed for the heresy of Arius and promoted them to higher ranks in the ministry of God. Having anathematized them for these reasons and voted them strangers to the catholic church, they wrote to the bishops everywhere to ratify what they had decided and to agree with them about the doctrine. They then set out another document of faith, fuller than that of Nicaea but keeping the same meaning and not differing much from its words. Indeed, Hosius and Protogenes, who were then the leaders of those from the West who had met at Sardica, fearing perhaps that they might seem to some to be innovating on the decisions of Nicaea, wrote to Julius and protested that they held these as valid, but had enlarged the same meaning for the sake of clarity, so that those who held the views of Arius should not be able, by misusing the brevity of the document, to drag those unpractised in argument into absurdities. Having done this, they dissolved the assembly, and each returned home. This synod met in the consulship of … and Eusebius; it was the eleventh year since the death of Constantine. About three hundred bishops from the cities of the West came together, and seventy-six from the East; among these was Ischyrion, who had been entrusted with the episcopate of the Mareotis by those hostile to Athanasius.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: The Western bishops at Sardica, led by Hosius, acquit Athanasius, Marcellus, Asclepas and Lucius, depose leading Eastern bishops, and issue an expanded statement of the Nicene faith.
- The name of the first consul is lost in the scan; the consuls of 347 were Rufinus and Eusebius. Sozomen dates the council to 347, while it probably met in 343. The scan reads ἐξ ἑβδομήκοντα, taken as ἓξ καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα, “seventy-six.” The Western statement of faith, the letter of Hosius and Protogenes to Julius, and the canons of Sardica survive (see Theodoret, Church History 2.8).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray figures from the scan; stray letter): τὸν Ὅσιον Η συνελθόντες → τὸν Ὅσιον συνελθόντες; κεκριμένοις, 18108. ὁμοφρονεῖν → κεκριμένοις, καὶ ὁμοφρονεῖν.
Extrabiblical texts: Conc. Sard. (Canons of the Council of Sardica (Greek); allusion)
Topics: Heresy, Trinity, Church office
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.12 (PG 67:1063–1065; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-12). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-12
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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 Hartranft's English in NPNF² 2.
3.13PG 67:1065–1067
Μετὰ ταύτην τὴν σύνοδον, οὐκέτι ἀλλήλοις ὡς ὁμοδόξοις ἐπεμίγνυντο, οὐδὲ ἐκοινώνουν, Οἱ μὲν ἀνὰ τὴν Δύσιν, μέχρι Θρᾳκῶν σφᾶς χωρίσαντες " οἵ ὃς ἀνὰ τὴν μέχρις Ἰλλυριῶν. Τὰ δὲ τῶν Ἔχχλησιῶν, ὡς εἰκὸς, ἐν διχονοίαις συγχέχυτο, καὶ ἐν διαβολαῖς ἦν. Εἰ γὰρ πρότερον περὶ τὸ δόγμα ὃδιἐφέροντο, ἀλλ᾽ οὖν ἀλλήλοις συγχοινωνοῦντες, οὐ μέγα τὸ χαχὼν ἐποίουν, παραπλησίως φρονεῖν ἐνομίζοντο ὡς ἐπίπαν γὰρ, ἡ μὲν ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν Δύσιν Ἐκκλησία καθαρῶς διὰ τῶν πατρίων ἰθυνομένη δογμάτων, ἔριδός τε καὶ τῆς περὶ ταῦτα τερθρείας ἀπήλλακτο. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῇδε ὑπήκοον πρὸς τὴν ᾿Αρείου δόξαν μετάγειν ἐσπούδαζον, Αὐξέντιος ὁ Μεδιολάνου γενόμενος, Οὐάλης Οὐρσάκιος οἱ ἐκ Παννονίων, οὐ δήπου κατὰ γνώμην αὐτοῖς ἡ σπουδὴ προὐχώρει, προϊσταμένου τοῦ Ῥωμαίων θρόνου, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἱερέων ἐπιμελῶς φθάνοντος, καὶ τὰς βλάστας ἐκκόπτοντος τῆς τοιαύτης αἱρέσεως. Τὸ δὲ ἐῷον, εἰ καὶ ἐστασίαζε μετὰ τὴν ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ σύνοδον, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν περιφανῶς ἤδη διεφέρετο, τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς, οἶμαι, κατὰ τὴν τῶν πλειόνων γνώμην εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν συνέτρεχε διάνοιαν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίας τὸν Υἱὸν συνωμολόγει. Ἐριστικῶς δὲ πρὸς τὴν Ὁμοούσιον λέξιν τινὲς ἀπεμάχοντο. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῷ ὀνόματι ἐναντιωθέντες, ὡς συμβάλλω, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πολλοῖς συμβαῖνον, αἰσχύνην ἡγοῦντο δόξαι νενικῆσθαι. Οἱ δὲ, καὶ ὑπὸ ἕξεως τῶν περὶ ταῦτα συχνῶν διαλέξεων, ἐπὶ τὸ ὧδε δοξάζειν περὶ Θεοῦ τραπέντες, ἀμεταθέτως λοιπὸν εἶχον. Οἱ δὲ, εἰδότες ὡς οὐ δέον φιλονεικοῦσι, πρὸς τὸ κεχαρισμένον ἑκατέροις ὑπεκλίνοντο διὰ δύναμιν, ἢ οἰκειότητα, ἢ ἄλλας αἰτίας, ὑφ᾽ ὧν ἄνθρωποι προάγονται τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα χαρίζεσθαι, ἢ παρρησίαν μὴ ἄγειν ἐφ᾽ οἷς χρὴ διελέγχειν. Πολλοὶ δὲ λῆρον ἡγοῦντο, τρίβεσθαι περὶ τὰς τοιαύτας ἔριδας τῶν λόγων· ἡσυχῇ δὲ τῆς γνώμης εἴχοντο τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνελθόντων· ἐῴκεισαν δὲ παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ἀνὰ τὴν ἕω εἰς τὸ φανερὸν ἀπρὶξ ἔχεσθαι τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ δοξάντων, Παῦλος ὁ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος, καὶ ᾿Αθανάσιος ὁ ᾿Αλεξαν δρείας, καὶ σύμπαν τὸ μοναχικὸν πλῆθος· ᾿Αντώνιός τε ὁ Μέγας ἔτι περιὼν, καὶ οἱ συγγενόμενοι αὐτῷ, καὶ ἄλλοι πλεῖστοι ἀνὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἀλσθην, ὅσους περιφανεῖς κατ᾿ αὐτὴν τὴν ἡγεμονίαν παρείληφα, ἐπιδραμοῦμαι τῷ λόγῳ. λαχοῦ τῆς Ῥωμαίων γῆς. Τούτων δὲ ἐπείπερ ἐπεμνή-
Meta tautēn tēn synodon, ouketi allēlois hōs homodoxois epemignynto, oude ekoinōnoun, Hoi men ana tēn Dysin, mechri Thrąkōn sphas chōrisantes " hoi hos ana tēn mechris Illyriōn. Ta de tōn Echchlēsiōn, hōs eikos, en dichonoiais synchechyto, kai en diabolais ēn. Ei gar proteron peri to dogma hodiepheronto, all᾽ oun allēlois synchoinōnountes, ou mega to chachōn epoioun, paraplēsiōs phronein enomizonto hōs epipan gar, hē men ana pasan tēn Dysin Ekklēsia katharōs dia tōn patriōn ithynomenē dogmatōn, eridos te kai tēs peri tauta terthreias apēllakto. Ei gar kai to tę̄de hypēkoon pros tēn ᾿Areiou doxan metagein espoudazon, Auxentios ho Mediolanou genomenos, Oualēs Oursakios hoi ek Pannoniōn, ou dēpou kata gnōmēn autois hē spoudē prouchōrei, proïstamenou tou Rhōmaiōn thronou, kai tōn allōn hiereōn epimelōs phthanontos, kai tas blastas ekkoptontos tēs toiautēs haireseōs. To de eǭon, ei kai estasiaze meta tēn en ᾿Antiocheią synodon, kai pros tēn en Nikaią pistin periphanōs ēdē diephereto, to men alēthes, oimai, kata tēn tōn pleionōn gnōmēn eis tēn autēn synetreche dianoian, kai ek tēs tou Patros ousias ton Huion synōmologei. Eristikōs de pros tēn Homoousion lexin tines apemachonto. Hoi men gar tēn archēn tǭ onomati enantiōthentes, hōs symballō, touto dē to pollois symbainon, aischynēn hēgounto doxai nenikēsthai. Hoi de, kai hypo hexeōs tōn peri tauta sychnōn dialexeōn, epi to hōde doxazein peri Theou trapentes, ametathetōs loipon eichon. Hoi de, eidotes hōs ou deon philoneikousi, pros to kecharismenon hekaterois hypeklinonto dia dynamin, ē oikeiotēta, ē allas aitias, hyph᾽ hōn anthrōpoi proagontai ta mē prosēkonta charizesthai, ē parrēsian mē agein eph᾽ hois chrē dielenchein. Polloi de lēron hēgounto, tribesthai peri tas toiautas eridas tōn logōn; hēsychę̄ de tēs gnōmēs eichonto tōn en Nikaią synelthontōn; eǭkeisan de para pantas tous ana tēn heō eis to phaneron aprix echesthai tōn en Nikaią doxantōn, Paulos ho Kōnstantinoupoleōs episkopos, kai ᾿Athanasios ho ᾿Alexan dreias, kai sympan to monachikon plēthos; ᾿Antōnios te ho Megas eti periōn, kai hoi syngenomenoi autǭ, kai alloi pleistoi ana tēn Aigypton, kai alsthēn, hosous periphaneis kat᾿ autēn tēn hēgemonian pareilēpha, epidramoumai tǭ logǭ. lachou tēs Rhōmaiōn gēs. Toutōn de epeiper epemnē-
After this synod they no longer mixed with one another as of the same faith, nor held communion: those throughout the West separated themselves as far as Thrace, and those throughout the East as far as Illyricum. The affairs of the churches, naturally, were confounded in dissensions and were full of slanders. For though before they had differed about the doctrine, yet while they held communion with one another they did no great harm, being thought to hold much the same views. For on the whole the church throughout the West, governed purely by the ancestral doctrines, was free from strife and from hair-splitting on these matters. For even if Auxentius, who became bishop of Milan, and Valens and Ursacius of Pannonia were eager to bring the subjects there over to the opinion of Arius, their efforts did not go as they wished, since the see of the Romans presided, carefully forestalling the other priests and cutting off the shoots of such a heresy. The East, though it was in strife after the synod at Antioch and already differed openly from the faith of Nicaea, in truth, I think, in the judgment of the majority agreed in the same meaning, and confessed the Son to be from the essence of the Father. But some fought contentiously against the word “of the same essence.” Some, having opposed the term at first, thought it shameful, as I conjecture, to seem defeated, as happens to many people. Others, through habit formed by frequent debates on these matters, turned to thinking so about God and thereafter held immovably to it. Others, knowing that they were contending needlessly, inclined toward what pleased either side, because of power or friendship or other causes by which people are led to grant favours they ought not, or not to use frank speech where they ought to refute. Many thought it nonsense to wear themselves out in such contests of words, and quietly held to the judgment of those who met at Nicaea. Above all those in the East, those who openly held fast to the decisions of Nicaea were Paul, bishop of Constantinople, Athanasius of Alexandria, and the whole body of monks: Antony the Great, who was still alive, and those who had lived with him, and very many others throughout Egypt and elsewhere in the Roman world. Since I have mentioned them, I shall run through in my account those whom I have received as renowned in this same reign.
Notes and citation
Summary: After Sardica East and West break communion; the West holds firmly to Nicaea under Rome's lead, while in the East many who agree in substance resist the word homoousios, and Paul, Athanasius and the monks hold openly to Nicaea.
- Sozomen's judgment that most Eastern bishops held the Son to be from the Father's essence while rejecting the word homoousios is his own; it anticipates the later “homoiousian” position. The scan has displaced and garbled several words at the end of the chapter (“and elsewhere in the Roman world”; “in this same reign”), given in their evident order.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (first words lost in the scan; stray characters from the scan): γὰρ τὸ τῇδε ὑπήκοον → Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῇδε ὑπήκοον; Αὐξέντιος ὁ ΧΙΠ. Μεδιολάνου → Αὐξέντιος ὁ Μεδιολάνου.
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.13 (PG 67:1065–1067; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-13). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-13
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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 Hartranft's English in NPNF² 2.
3.14PG 67:1067–1081
῎Αρξομαι δὲ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ Μακαρίων τῶν δύο. τῶν ἀοιδιμωτάτων ἡγεμόνων τῆς Σκήτεως, καὶ τοῦ τῇδε ὄρους. Τούτοιν δὲ, ὁ μὲν Αἰγύπτιος· ὁ δὲ πολιτικὸς, ὡς ἀστὸς, ὠνομάζετο. Ἧν γὰρ τῷ γένει ᾿Αλεξανδρεύς. "Αμφω δὲ ὅτι μάλιστα θεσπεσίω ἐγενέσθην, καὶ θείαν πρόγνωσιν καὶ φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ δαίμοσι φοβερώ · πολλῶν τε καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων καὶ ἰαμάτων δημιουργώ. Τὸν δὲ Αἰγύπτιον λόγος, ὡς καὶ νεκρὸν ζῆν ἐποίησεν, ἵν᾿ ἑτερόδοξον πείσῃ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν ἔσεσθαι. Διεβίω δὲ ἀμφὶ τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτη · ἑξήκοντα δὲ ἐκ τούτων ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις διέτριβεν. Αὐτίκα τε φιλοσοφεῖν ἀρχόμενος, ἔτι νέος ὧν διέπρεπεν, ὡς παιδαριογέροντα παρὰ τῶν μοναχῶν ὀνομάζεσθαι, καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη γεγο νότα, χειροτονηθῆναι πρεσβύτερον. Ὁ δὲ ἕτερος, χρόνῳ μὲν ὕστερον πρεσβύτερος ἐγένετο· παντοδαπῆς δὲ σχεδὸν ἀσκήσεως ἐπειράθη· τὰ μὲν αὐτὸς περινοῶν· ἃ δὲ παρ᾿ ἄλλοις ἤκουσεν, ἐκ παντὸς τρό που κατορθῶν · ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἄγαν κατεσκληκέναι, μὴ φύειν τοῦ γενείου τὰς τρίχας. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ περὶ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἐφιλοσόφουν Πάμβω τε καὶ Ἡρακλείδης, καὶ Κρόνιος, καὶ Παφνούτιος, καὶ Πουτουβάστης, καὶ ᾿Αρσίσιος, καὶ Σαραπίων ὁ μέγας, καὶ Πιτυρίων, ὃς παρὰ Θηβαίοις τὴν διατριβὴν εἶχε· καὶ Παχώμιος, ὃς ἀρχηγὸς ἐγένετο τῶν καλουμένων Ταβεν νησιωτῶν. Σχῆμα δὲ τούτοις ἦν καὶ πολιτεία ἔν τισι παρηλλαγμένη τῆς ἄλλης μοναχικῆς· πρὸς ἀρετὴν μέντοι ὁρῶσα, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν προσερεθίζουσα, τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς καταφρονεῖν· ἄνω δὲ ὁρᾶν, ἵν᾿ εὐμαρῶς ἐπὶ τὰ οὐράνια χωροίη, ἡνίκα τοῦ σώματος ἀπαλλαγείη · διφθέρας δὲ ἀμφιέννυσθαι κατὰ μίμησιν Ἡλιοῦ τοῦ Θεσβίτου· ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, ὥστε ἐκ τοῦ περικειμένου δέρματος, εἰς ἀνάμνησιν ἀεὶ λαμβάνοντας τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ προφήτου, ἀνδρείως πρὸς τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῶν ἀφροδισίων συντετάχθαι, καὶ ζήλῳ τῷ πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐλπίδι ὁμοίων ἀμοιβῶν, προθυμότερον σωφρονεῖν. Αόγος δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄλλᾳ ἐνδύματα τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ μα ναχῶν, συλλαμβάνεσθαι εἰς ὑπόδειγμα φιλοσοφίας τινός · μηδὲ ὡς ἔτυχε παραλλάσσειν τῶν ἄλλων. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν χιτῶνας ἀχειριδώτους ἐνδεδύσκεσθαι, παιδεύοντας μὴ ἑτοίμους ἔχειν τὰς χεῖρας εἰς ὕβριν. Τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς σκέπασμα, ὃ κουκούλιον καλοῦσιν, ὥστε ἐπίσης ἀκεραίως καὶ καθαρῶς βιοῦν τοῖς γάλακτι τρεφομένοις παισὶν, οἷς αἱ τοιαῦται τιάραι ἐπίκεινται, τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν σκέπουσαί τε καὶ περιθάλπουσαι. Ζώνη δὲ καὶ ἀναβολεὺς, ἡ μὲν τὴν ὀσφὺν περισφίγγουσα, ὁ δὲ τοὺς ὤμους καὶ τοὺς βραχίονας ἀνέχων, ἑτοίμους εἶναι εἰς διακονίαν Θεοῦ καὶ ἐργασίαν, ὧδε παρακελεύεται. Οὐκ ἀγνοῶ δὲ, ὡς περὶ τούτων ἄλλοι ἀλλοίους ἀποδεδώκασι λόγους. Ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀπόχρη τοσοῦτον εἰπεῖν. Τόν γε μὴν Παχώμιόν φασι μόνον ἐν σπηλαίῳ τὰ πρῶτα φιλοσοφῆσαι. Προφανέντα δὲ αὐτῷ θεῖον ἄγγελον, παρακελεύσασθαι νέους ἀθροῖσαι μοναχοὺς, καὶ συνεῖναι αὐτοῖς. Εὖ γὰρ τὰ κατ᾿ αὐτὸν ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ κατωρθωκέναι, καὶ χρῆναι καὶ συνοικιῶν ἡγούμενον ὠφελεῖν πολλούς. ῎Αγειν δὲ αὐτοὺς νόμοις οἷς ἂν δοίη · δεδωκέναι δὲ αὐτῷ δέλτον, ἣν ἔτι φυλάττουσιν. Ἐνοῦσα δὲ ταύτῃ γραφὴ προσἐταττε συγχωρεῖν ἑκάστῳ, ὡς ἂν οἷός τε ἦν, φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν, καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι, νηστεύειν τε, καὶ μή. Τοῖς μέντοι ῥωμαλεωτέρως ἐσθίουσι, τὰ ἐπιπονώτερα τῶν ἔργων ἐπιτρέπειν · τὰ δὲ εὐχερῆ, τοῖς ἀσκουμένοις. Οἰκήματα δὲ μικρὰ κατασκευάσαι πολλά, καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον οἴκημα τρεῖς καταμένειν · ὑπὸ ἕνα δὲ οἶκον πάντας τροφῆς μεταλαμβάνειν· σιγῇ τε ἐσθίειν, καὶ καθῆσθαι παρὰ τὰς τραπέζας ἐπικεκαλυμμένους τὰ πρόσωπα, ὡς μήτε ἀλλήλους ὁρᾶν, μήτε ἄλλο τι, πλὴν τῆς τραπέζης καὶ τῶν προκειμένων. Ξένον δὲ μὴ συνεσθίειν αὐτοῖς, μόνον εἰ μὴ παροδεύων ἐπιξενωθείη · τὸν δὲ συνοικεῖν αὐτοῖς βουλόμενον, πρότερον ἐπὶ τριετίαν τὰ χαλεπώτερα τῶν ἔργων πονεῖν, καὶ οὕτω μετέχειν τῆς αὐτῶν συνοικίας. Διφθέρας δὲ ἀμφιέννυσθαι, καὶ τιάραις ἐρίναις τὰς κεφαλὰς σκέπεσθαι. Κατασημαίνεσθαι δὲ ταύτας τὰς τιάρας οἷονεὶ – κέντροις πορφυροῖς προσέταξε. Χιτῶσι δὲ λινοῖς καὶ ζώναις κεχρῆσθαι, καὶ ἐζωσμένους σὺν τοῖς χιτωνίοις καὶ ταῖς διφθέραις καθεύδειν, καθημένους ἐν οἰκοδομητοῖς θρόνοις, ἑκατέρωθεν περιπεφραγμένοις, ὥστε τὴν ἑκάστου συνέχειν στρωμνήν. Τῇ δὲ πρώτῃ καὶ τελευταίᾳ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἑβδομάδος, ἐπὶ κοινωνίᾳ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσιόντας, τὰς ζώνας λύειν, καὶ τὰς διφθέρας ἀποτίθεσθαι · δωδέ κατον δὲ πάσης τῆς ἡμέρας εὔχεσθαι, καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ὁμοίως · τοσαυτάκις δὲ καὶ νύκτωρ· ἐννάτῃ δὲ ὥρᾳ, τρίτον. Ἡνίκα δὲ μέλλοιεν ἐσθίειν, ἑκάστης εὐχῆς προᾴδειν ψαλμόν. Πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν συνοικίαν εἰς ε εἰκοσιτέσσαρα τάγματα διελεῖν, καὶ ἐπονομάσαι ταῦτα τοῖς Ἑλλήνων στοιχείοις· καὶ ὅπως ἔχοι βίου καὶ ἤθους ἑκάστῳ τάγματι τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐφαρμόσαι. Οἷον, ἁπλουστέρους μὲν ἰῶτα ἀποκαλοῦντας, σκολιοὺς δὲ ζἢ ξ, καὶ ἄλλους ἄλλως, καθὼς ἐκλαμβάνειν εὐστόχως ἔστι πρὸς τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ γράμματος τὴν προαίρεσιν τοῦ τάγματος. Κατὰ τούτους τοὺς νόμους, τοὺς ἰδίους μαθητὰς ἦγεν ὁ Παχώμιος, ἀνὴρ τὰ μάλιστα φιλάνθρωπος, καὶ θεοφιλὴς εἰς ἄγαν, ὡς προειδέναι τὰ ἐσόμενα, καὶ θείοις ἀγγέλοις ὁμιλῶν πολλάκις. Διέτριβε δὲ ἐν Ταβέννῃ νήσῳ τῆς Θηβαΐδος, ὅθεν Ταβεννησιῶται εἰσέτι νῦν ὀνομάζονται. Ὑπὸ δὲ τούτους τοὺς νόμους πολιτευόμενοι, ὀνομαστότατοι ἐγένοντο, καὶ εἰς πλῆθος τῷ χρόνῳ ἐπέδοσαν, ὡς εἰς ἑπτακισχιλίους ἄνδρας συντελεῖν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐν Ταβέννῃ νήσῳ συνοικία, μεθ' ὧν αὐτὸς Παχώμιος διέτριβεν, ἀμφὶ τοὺς χιλίους καὶ τριακοσίους' εἶχεν · οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν Θηβαΐδα, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην Αἴγυπτον οἰκοῦσι. Μία δὲ καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ ἀγωγὴ πᾶσι, καὶ κοινὰ πάντων τὰ πάντα · καθάπερ δὲ μητέρα τὴν ἐν Ταβέννῃ νήσῳ συνοικίαν ἡγοῦντο· πατέρας δὲ καὶ ἄρχοντας, τοὺς ἐνθάδε ἡγουμένους. Κατὰ τοῦτον δὲ τὸν χρόνον καὶ ᾿Απολλώνιος ἐπὶ μοναχικῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ διέπρεπεν. Ον φασί δέκα καὶ πέντε ἐτῶν ὄντα, φιλοσοφῆσαι ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις · εἰς ἔτη δὲ τεσσαράκοντα γεγονώς, κατὰ θείαν πρόσταξιν εἰς τοὺς οἰκουμένους ἦλθε τόπους. Εἶχε δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν Θηβαΐδι τὴν συνοικίαν. Ἐγένετο δὲ θεοφιλὴς εἰς ἄγαν, καὶ παραδόξων ἰάσεων καὶ σημείων δημιουργὸς, καὶ πρακτικὸς ὧν δεῖ, καὶ τῶν εἰς φιλοσοφίαν ἡκόντων διδάσκαλος ἀγαθὸς καὶ χαρίεις · καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς εὐήκοος, ὡς μηδὲν ἀνήνυτον γενέσθαι, ὧν παρὰ Θεοῦ ἐζήτησε. Πάντως γὰρ σοφὸς ὢν, σοφῶς τὰς αἰτήσεις ἐποιεῖτο, αἷς τὸ Θεῖον ἑτοίμως ἐπινεύειν πέφυκε. Κατὰ τούτους εἰκάζω γενέσθαι καὶ ᾿Ανοῦφ τὸν θεσπέσιον · ὃν ἐπυθόμην, ἀφ᾿ οὗ πρῶτον ἐν τοῖς διωγμοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ δόγματος ὡμολόγησε, μήτε ψεῦδος εἰπεῖν, μήτε ἐπιθυμῆσαί τινος τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς. Ἐπιτυχεῖν δὲ πάντων ὧν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐδεήθη, καὶ ὑπὸ θείου ἀγγέλου διδασκάλου πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν παιδευθῆναι. ᾿Αλλὰ περὶ μὲν τῶν ἐν Αἰγυπτῳ μοναχῶν τοσάδε τέως ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ Παλαιστίνη τὸν ἴσον τρόπον φιλοσοφεῖν ἤρχετο, παρ' Αἰγυπτίων μαθοῦσα· διέπρεπε δὲ τότε ἐνθάδε Ιλαρίων ὁ θεσπέσιος. Τούτῳ δὲ πατρὶς μὲν ἦν Θαβαθὰ κώμη · πρὸς νότον δὲ Γάζης κειμένη παρὰ τὸν χειμάῤῥουν, ὃς ἐπὶ θάλασσαν τὰς ἐμβολὰς ἔχων, ἐπιχωρίως ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς τῆς κώμης τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἔλαβε. Γραμματικῷ δὲ φοιτῶν ἐν ᾿Αλεξανδρείᾳ, κατὰ θέαν ᾿Αντωνίου τοῦ μεγάλου μοναχοῦ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ἦλθε. Καὶ συγγενόμενος αὐτῷ, παραπλησίως φιλοσοφεῖν ἔγνω. Ὀλίγον δὲ χρόνον ἐνθάδε διατρίψας, “κατὰ γνώμην ἠρεμεῖν, πολλῶν ὄντων ἑκάστοτε τῶν ( ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα. Οὐ γὰρ συνεχωρεῖτο ὡς Ἀντώνιον ἐρχομένων. Καταλαβὼν δὲ τελευτήσάντας τοὺς πατέρας, εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τοὺς δεομένους τὴν οὐσίαν διένειμεν. Οὐθὲν δὲ παντάπασι xαταλιπὼν ἑαυτῷ, διέτριβεν ἐν ἐρήμῳ τόπῳ παρὰ θάλασσαν, ἀμφὶ τὰ εἴκοσι στάδια τῆς αὐτοῦ κώμης διεστῶτι. Οἴκησις δὲ ἦν αὐτῷ, δωμάτιον μικρὸν, ἐκ πλίνθου καὶ φορυτοῦ καὶ κεράμων κατεαγότων κατεσκευασμένον· εὔρους τε καὶ ὕψους καὶ μήκους τοσ οῦτον, ὅσον ἑστῶτα μὲν κεκυφέναι τὴν κεφαλήν · κείμενον δὲ τοὺς πόδας συλλέγειν ἐπάναγκες εἶναι. Διαπάντων γὰρ εἴθιζεν ἑαυτὸν ταλαιπωρεῖν, καὶ ῥᾳστώνης κρατεῖν. Αμέλει τοι ὧν ἴσμεν ἐγκρατείας ἀκόμπου καὶ δεδοκιμασμένης, οὐδενὶ κατέλιπεν ὑπερβολὴν, ἀγωνιζόμενος πρὸς ἀσιτίαν καὶ δίψος, καὶ ῥῖγος καὶ πνίγος, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα πάθη, καὶ θωπείας τοῦ σώματος τῆς ψυχῆς. Ἦν δὲ τὸ μὲν ἦθος δαῖΐος " σεμνὸς δὲ τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἐπήδολος ἀχριθδὴς τῶν ἱερῶν Γραφῶν" ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δὲ θεοφιλὴς ἐγένετο, ὡς ἔτι νῦν ἐπὶ τῷ αὐτοῦ τάφῳ πολλοὺς ἰᾶσθαι κάμνοντας καὶ δαιμονῶντας " καὶ τόγε παραδοξότατον, παρά τε Κυπρίοις οὗ πρότερον ἐτάφη, παρὰ ΠΙαλαιστινοῖς παρ᾽ οἷς ἐστὶ νῦν. Συμδὰν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐν Κύπρῳ διατρίδοντα τελευτῆσαι, πρὸς τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ἐχηδεύθη, ἐν πολλῇ τιμῇ καὶ θεραπείᾳ παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἦν. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἡσύχας, ὃς εὐδοχιμώτατος ἐγένετο τῶν αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν, χλέψας τὸ λείψανον, διεκόμισεν εἰς Παλαιστίνην, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ μοναστηρίῳ ἔθαψε. Καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἐκείνου, δημοτελῆ καὶ μάλα λαμπρὰν ἐνθάδε ἐτήσιον ἑορτὴν ἄγουσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι. Ὧδε γὰρ Παλαιστινοῖς ἔθος γεραίρειν τοὺς παρ᾽ αὑτοῖς ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς γενομένους, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει Αὐρήλιον τὸν ᾿Ανθηδόνιον, ᾿Αλεξίωνα τὸν ἀπὸ Βηθαγάθωνος, ᾿Αλαφίωνα τὸν ἀπὸ ᾿Ασαλέας κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν γενόμενοι χρόνον, ἐπὶ τῆς παρούσης βασιλείας εὐσεβθῶς καὶ ἀνδοείως ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ ἐπολιτεύσαντο, ταῖς οἰκείαις ἀρεταῖς ἐν ἑλληνιζούσαις ἄγαν ταῖς τῇδε πόλεσι κώμαις, εἰς ἐπίδοσιν ἤγαγον τὴν θρησκείαν. ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ Ἰουλιανὸς ἀμφὶ τὴν Ἔδεσαν ἐφιλοσόφει, ἀκχριδεστάτῃη, καὶ οἷα ἀσωμάτῳ ἀγωγῇ καὶ πολιτείᾳ ἐπιχειρήσας, ὡς ἐκτὸς σαρκῶν ὀστέοις καὶ δέρματι δοκεῖν συνεστάναι καὶ Ἐφραὶμ τῷ Σύρῳ συγγραφεῖ πρόφασις γενέσθαι ματείας τῆς κατὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ βίον ἀφηγήσεως. Ἐπεψηφίζετο δὲ Θεὸς αὐτὸς οἷς ἄνθρωπαι περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐδόξαζον, δαίμονας ἀπελαύνειν, παντοδαπῶν νόσων ἰάσεις αὐτῷ δωρησάμενος, οὐ φαρμάκοις τισὶν, ἀλλ᾽ εὐχῇ χατορθουμένας. Ἐπὶ τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοις πολλοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς φιλοσόφοις, τὸ τῇδε ὑπήκοον τηνικαῦτα διέπρεπε, κατά τε τὸν ᾿Εδεσσηνῶν νομὸν, ὑπό τε τὴν ᾿Αμιδηνῶν πόλιν, ἀμφὶ τὸ Γαυγάλιον χαλούμενον ὄρος " ὧν ἤστην Δανιὴλ Συμεών. ᾿Αλλὰ περὶ μὲν τῶν ἐν Συρίᾳ μοναχῶν τάδε εἰρήσθω νῦν. Τελεώτερον εἰ ὁ Θεὸς θελήσειε, τοῖς ἑξῆς εἰρήσεται περὶ αὐτῶν. ᾿Αρμενίοις δὲ καὶ Παφλαγόσι, καὶ τοῖς πρὸς τὸν Πόντον οἰκοῦσι, λέγεται Εὐστάθιος ὁ τὴν ἐν Σεθαστίᾳ τῆς ᾿Αρμενίας ἐκκλησίαν ἐπιτροπεύσας, μοναχικῆς πολιτείας ἄρξαι· καὶ ( ἀποκηρύξωσιν. Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ λόγος, Εὐστάθιον ἐπιτῆς ἐν ταύτῃ σπουδαίας ἀγωγῆς, ἐδεσμάτων τε ὧν χρὴ μετέχειν καὶ ἀπέχεσθαι, καὶ ἐσθῆτος ᾗ δεῖ κε χρῆσθαι, καὶ ἡθῶν, καὶ πολιτείας ἀκριβοῦς εἰσηγητὴν γενόμενον. Ὡς καὶ τὴν ἐπιγεγραμμένην Βασιλείου τοῦ Καππαδόκου Ασκητικὴν βίβλον, ἰσχυρίζεσθαί τινας αὐτοῦ γραφὴν εἶναι. Λέγεται δὲ ὑπὸ πολλῆς ἀκριβείας, εἰς παραλόγους ἐπιτηρήσεις ἐκπεσεῖν, παντελῶς ἀπᾳδούσας τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν νόμων. Οἱ δὲ αὐτὸν μὲν τοῦ ἐγκλήματος ἐξαιροῦνται · ἐπαιτιῶνται δὲ τινας τῶν αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν, ὡς γάμῳ καταμεμφομένους, καὶ ἐν οἴκοις γεγαμηκότων εὔχεσθαι παραιτουμένους, καὶ τοὺς γεγαμηκότας πρεσβυτέρους ὑπερφρονοῦντας, καὶ ἐν Κυριακαῖς ἡμέραις νηστεύοντας, καὶ ἐν οἰκίαις ἐκκλησιάζοντας, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους καθάπαξ ἀμοίρους τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποφαινομένους, καὶ τοὺς κρέα ἐσθίοντας βδελυττομένους· καὶ χιτῶνας μὲν συνήθεις καὶ στο λὰς μὴ ἀνεχομένους ἀμφιέννυσθαι · ξένῃ δὲ καὶ ἀήθει ἐσθῆτι χρωμένους, καὶ ἄλλα πλεῖστα νεωτερίζοντας. Ἐκ τούτου δὲ πολλὰς γυναῖκας ἀπατηθείσας καταλιπεῖν τοὺς ἄνδρας · εἶτ' ἐγκρατεύεσθαι μὴ δυνηθείσας, μοιχείας ἁμαρτεῖν· τὰς δὲ, προφάσει θεοσεβείας, τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποκείρασθαι, καὶ ἀλλοίως ἢ γυναικὶ πρέπει, ἀνδράσι δὲ σύνηθες, ἀμφιέννυσθαι. Διὰ δὴ ταῦτα, τοὺς πλησιοχώρους ἐπισκόπους συνελθεῖν ἐν Γάγγραις τῇ μητροπόλει Παφλαγόνων, καὶ ἀλλοτρίους αὐτοὺς ψηφίσασθαι τῆς καθόλου Ἐκκλησίας, εἰ μὴ κατὰ τοὺς ὅρους τῆς συνόδου ἕκαστον τῶν εἰρημένων δεικνύμενον ὡς οὐκ αὐθαδείας ἕνεκα, ἀλλὰ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν ἀσκήσεως εἰσηγεῖτο ταῦτα καὶ ἐπιτηδεύοι, ἀμεῖψαι τὴν στολὴν, καὶ παραπλησίως τοῖς ἄλλοις ἱερεῦσι τὰς προόδους ποιήσασθαι. Τοιοῦτος δὴ τὰ περὶ τὸν βίον ὑπάρχων, καὶ ἐπὶ λόγοις ἐθαυμάζετο. δὲ ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ἐγένετο λέγειν μὲν οὐ δεινός. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἐπιστήμην ἐξήσκητο. Τὸ δὲ ἦθος θαυμάσιος, καὶ πείθειν ἱκανώτατος· ὡς καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν ἐκπορευομένων ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν, μεταπείσαι σώφρονα καὶ σπουδαῖον βίον ἀναλαβεῖν. Φασὶ γοῦν αὐτὸν, ἄνδρα τινὰ καὶ γυναῖκα κατά θεσμὸν Ἐκκλησίας παρθενίαν προσποιουμένους, καὶ εἰς ταὐτὸν συνιέναι διαβαλλομένους, σπουδάσαι τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὁμιλίας παῦσαι. ᾿Αποτυχόντα δὲ, μέγα ἀνοιμῶξαι καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὡς κατὰ νόμον ἀνδρὶ συνοικοῦσα γυνή, τοὺς περὶ σωφροσύνης λόγους ἀκούσασα αὐτοῦ, συνουσίας ἀπέσχετο, ἧς γαμεταῖς θέμις πρὸς ἰδίους ἄνδρας κοινωνεῖν· τοὺς δὲ παρανόμως συνουσιάζοντας ἀλλήλοις, ἀσθενῆ ἀποφῆναι τὴν αὐτοῦ πειθώ. Τὸν δὴ τοιοῦτον, τῆς κατὰ τόδε τὸ κλίμα ἀκριβοῦς μοναστικῆς ἀγωγῆς ἀρχηγὸν γενέσθαι λόγος. Θράκιοι δὲ καὶ Ἰλλυριοὶ, καὶ ὅσοι τὴν καλουμένην Εὐρώπην οἰκοῦσιν, εἰ καὶ ἀπείρατοι ἔτι μοναχικῶν συνοικῶν ἦσαν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ παντελῶς φιλοσόφων ἀνδρῶν ἡτύχουν. Ἐγνωρίζετο δὲ τάτε παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς Μαρτῖνος, ὃς ἀπὸ Σαβωρίας τῆς Παννονίας ἐπίσημος ἦν τὸ γένος · ἐν ὅπλοις δὲ λαμπρῶς στρατευσάμενος, καὶ συνταγματάρχης ἐγένετο. Προτιμήσας δὲ τὸ θεῖον, τὸν φιλόσοφον μετῄει βίον. Διέτριβε δὲ τὰ πρῶτα παρ' Ἰλλυριοῖς· ἐπεὶ δὲ προθύμως ὑπὲρ τοῦ δόγματος ἀγωνιζόμενος, τινὰς τῶν ἐνθάδε ἐπισκόπων ἐφώρασε τὰ ᾿Αρείου φρονοῦντας, ἐπιβουλευθεὶς καὶ πολλάκις δημοσίᾳ τυπτηθεὶς, ἐξηλάθη· καὶ εἰς Μεδιόλανον ἐλθὼν, καθ᾽ ἑαυτὸν διέτριβεν. Ὑπεχώρησέ τε ἔνθεν, ἐπιβουλευόμενος παρὰ Αυξεντίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου, οὐδὲ αὐτοῦ ὑγιῶς ἔχοντος περὶ τὴν πίστιν τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνελθόντων. Καὶ ἐπί τινα χρόνον ῥίζαις βοτανῶν ἀρκούμενος, νῆσον ᾤκησεν ἣν Γαλληναρίαν καλοῦσι. Μικρὰ δὲ αὕτη καὶ ἀοίκητος, ἐν τῷ Τυῤῥηνικῷ πελάγει κειμένη. Χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον καὶ ἐπισκοπὴν ἐπετράπη τὴν ἐν Ταῤῥακίναις ἐκκλησίαν. Ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δὲ θαυματουργίαις προελθεῖν παραδέδοται, ὡς νεκρὸν ἐγεῖραι πιστεύεσθαι, ἄλλα τε σημεῖα ἐπιτελέσαι Ἀποστολικῶν οὐ λειπόμενα. Κατὰ τόδε τὸ ὑπήκοον, ἐν τῷ τότε καὶ Ἱλάριον γενέσθαι παρειλή - φαμεν, ἄνδρα βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ θεσπέσιον · ὃς Μαρτίνῳ τῆς φυγῆς ἐκοινώνησε διὰ τὴν περὶ τὸ δόγμα σπουδὴν. Ἀνδρῶν μὲν οὖν πέρι, οἱ τότε ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ ἐκκλησιαστικῷ θεσμῷ ἐφιλοσόφουν, τάδε ἔγνων ὡς συνέγραψα. Ὑπερφυῶς δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ μάλα ἐλλόγιμοι κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις διέπρεπον. Ἑπισημότατοι δὲ ἐν τούτοις ἐγένοντο, Εὐσέβιος ὁ τὴν Ἐμέσης ἱερωσύνην ἐπιτροπεύσας, καὶ Τίτος ὁ Βόστρης, καὶ Σεραπίων ὁ Θμουαῖος, Βασίλειός τε ὁ ᾿Αγκύρας, καὶ Εὐδόξιος ὁ Γερμανικίας, καὶ ᾿Ακάκιος ὁ Καισαρείας, καὶ Κύριλλος ὃς τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων θρόνον ἐπετρόπευσε. Σύμβολον τῆς αὐτῶν παιδείας, ἃ συνεγράψαντο καὶ καταλελοίπασι, πολλά τε καὶ λόγου ἄξια.
᾿Arxomai de ex Aigyptou, kai Makariōn tōn dyo. tōn aoidimōtatōn hēgemonōn tēs Skēteōs, kai tou tę̄de orous. Toutoin de, ho men Aigyptios; ho de politikos, hōs astos, ōnomazeto. Hēn gar tǭ genei ᾿Alexandreus. "Amphō de hoti malista thespesiō egenesthēn, kai theian prognōsin kai philosophian, kai daimosi phoberō ; pollōn te kai paradoxōn pragmatōn kai iamatōn dēmiourgō. Ton de Aigyption logos, hōs kai nekron zēn epoiēsen, hin᾿ heterodoxon peisę̄ nekrōn anastasin esesthai. Diebiō de amphi ta enenēkonta etē ; hexēkonta de ek toutōn en tais erēmois dietriben. Autika te philosophein archomenos, eti neos hōn dieprepen, hōs paidariogeronta para tōn monachōn onomazesthai, kai tessarakonta etē gego nota, cheirotonēthēnai presbyteron. Ho de heteros, chronǭ men hysteron presbyteros egeneto; pantodapēs de schedon askēseōs epeirathē; ta men autos perinoōn; ha de par᾿ allois ēkousen, ek pantos tro pou katorthōn ; hōs hypo tou agan katesklēkenai, mē phyein tou geneiou tas trichas. En toutǭ de peri ton auton chronon ephilosophoun Pambō te kai Hērakleidēs, kai Kronios, kai Paphnoutios, kai Poutoubastēs, kai ᾿Arsisios, kai Sarapiōn ho megas, kai Pityriōn, hos para Thēbaiois tēn diatribēn eiche; kai Pachōmios, hos archēgos egeneto tōn kaloumenōn Taben nēsiōtōn. Schēma de toutois ēn kai politeia en tisi parēllagmenē tēs allēs monachikēs; pros aretēn mentoi horōsa, kai tēn psychēn proserethizousa, tōn epi gēs kataphronein; anō de horan, hin᾿ eumarōs epi ta ourania chōroiē, hēnika tou sōmatos apallageiē ; diphtheras de amphiennysthai kata mimēsin Hēliou tou Thesbitou; emoi dokein, hōste ek tou perikeimenou dermatos, eis anamnēsin aei lambanontas tēn aretēn tou prophētou, andreiōs pros tas epithymias tōn aphrodisiōn syntetachthai, kai zēlǭ tǭ pros auton, kai elpidi homoiōn amoibōn, prothymoteron sōphronein. Aogos de kai ta allą endymata tōn en Aigyptǭ ma nachōn, syllambanesthai eis hypodeigma philosophias tinos ; mēde hōs etyche parallassein tōn allōn. Kai tous men chitōnas acheiridōtous endedyskesthai, paideuontas mē hetoimous echein tas cheiras eis hybrin. To de epi tēs kephalēs skepasma, ho koukoulion kalousin, hōste episēs akeraiōs kai katharōs bioun tois galakti trephomenois paisin, hois hai toiautai tiarai epikeintai, to hēgemonikon skepousai te kai perithalpousai. Zōnē de kai anaboleus, hē men tēn osphyn perisphingousa, ho de tous ōmous kai tous brachionas anechōn, hetoimous einai eis diakonian Theou kai ergasian, hōde parakeleuetai. Ouk agnoō de, hōs peri toutōn alloi alloious apodedōkasi logous. Emoi de apochrē tosouton eipein. Ton ge mēn Pachōmion phasi monon en spēlaiǭ ta prōta philosophēsai. Prophanenta de autǭ theion angelon, parakeleusasthai neous athroisai monachous, kai syneinai autois. Eu gar ta kat᾿ auton en philosophią katōrthōkenai, kai chrēnai kai synoikiōn hēgoumenon ōphelein pollous. ᾿Agein de autous nomois hois an doiē ; dedōkenai de autǭ delton, hēn eti phylattousin. Enousa de tautę̄ graphē prosetatte synchōrein hekastǭ, hōs an hoios te ēn, phagein kai piein, kai ergazesthai, nēsteuein te, kai mē. Tois mentoi rhōmaleōterōs esthiousi, ta epiponōtera tōn ergōn epitrepein ; ta de eucherē, tois askoumenois. Oikēmata de mikra kataskeuasai polla, kai kath' hekaston oikēma treis katamenein ; hypo hena de oikon pantas trophēs metalambanein; sigę̄ te esthiein, kai kathēsthai para tas trapezas epikekalymmenous ta prosōpa, hōs mēte allēlous horan, mēte allo ti, plēn tēs trapezēs kai tōn prokeimenōn. Xenon de mē synesthiein autois, monon ei mē parodeuōn epixenōtheiē ; ton de synoikein autois boulomenon, proteron epi trietian ta chalepōtera tōn ergōn ponein, kai houtō metechein tēs autōn synoikias. Diphtheras de amphiennysthai, kai tiarais erinais tas kephalas skepesthai. Katasēmainesthai de tautas tas tiaras hoionei – kentrois porphyrois prosetaxe. Chitōsi de linois kai zōnais kechrēsthai, kai ezōsmenous syn tois chitōniois kai tais diphtherais katheudein, kathēmenous en oikodomētois thronois, hekaterōthen peripephragmenois, hōste tēn hekastou synechein strōmnēn. Tę̄ de prōtę̄ kai teleutaią hēmerą tēs hebdomados, epi koinōnią tōn theiōn mystēriōn tǭ thysiastēriǭ prosiontas, tas zōnas lyein, kai tas diphtheras apotithesthai ; dōde katon de pasēs tēs hēmeras euchesthai, kai pros hesperan homoiōs ; tosautakis de kai nyktōr; ennatę̄ de hōrą, triton. Hēnika de melloien esthiein, hekastēs euchēs proądein psalmon. Pasan de tēn synoikian eis e eikositessara tagmata dielein, kai eponomasai tauta tois Hellēnōn stoicheiois; kai hopōs echoi biou kai ēthous hekastǭ tagmati tēn prosēgorian epharmosai. Hoion, haplousterous men iōta apokalountas, skolious de zē x, kai allous allōs, kathōs eklambanein eustochōs esti pros to schēma tou grammatos tēn proairesin tou tagmatos. Kata toutous tous nomous, tous idious mathētas ēgen ho Pachōmios, anēr ta malista philanthrōpos, kai theophilēs eis agan, hōs proeidenai ta esomena, kai theiois angelois homilōn pollakis. Dietribe de en Tabennę̄ nēsǭ tēs Thēbaïdos, hothen Tabennēsiōtai eiseti nyn onomazontai. Hypo de toutous tous nomous politeuomenoi, onomastotatoi egenonto, kai eis plēthos tǭ chronǭ epedosan, hōs eis heptakischilious andras syntelein. Hē men gar en Tabennę̄ nēsǭ synoikia, meth' hōn autos Pachōmios dietriben, amphi tous chilious kai triakosious' eichen ; hoi de kata tēn Thēbaïda, kai tēn allēn Aigypton oikousi. Mia de kai hē autē agōgē pasi, kai koina pantōn ta panta ; kathaper de mētera tēn en Tabennę̄ nēsǭ synoikian hēgounto; pateras de kai archontas, tous enthade hēgoumenous. Kata touton de ton chronon kai ᾿Apollōnios epi monachikę̄ philosophią dieprepen. On phasi deka kai pente etōn onta, philosophēsai en tais erēmois ; eis etē de tessarakonta gegonōs, kata theian prostaxin eis tous oikoumenous ēlthe topous. Eiche de kai autos en Thēbaïdi tēn synoikian. Egeneto de theophilēs eis agan, kai paradoxōn iaseōn kai sēmeiōn dēmiourgos, kai praktikos hōn dei, kai tōn eis philosophian hēkontōn didaskalos agathos kai charieis ; kai epi tosouton en tais euchais euēkoos, hōs mēden anēnyton genesthai, hōn para Theou ezētēse. Pantōs gar sophos ōn, sophōs tas aitēseis epoieito, hais to Theion hetoimōs epineuein pephyke. Kata toutous eikazō genesthai kai ᾿Anouph ton thespesion ; hon epythomēn, aph᾿ hou prōton en tois diōgmois hyper tou dogmatos hōmologēse, mēte pseudos eipein, mēte epithymēsai tinos tōn epi gēs. Epitychein de pantōn hōn para tou Theou edeēthē, kai hypo theiou angelou didaskalou pasan aretēn paideuthēnai. ᾿Alla peri men tōn en Aigyptǭ monachōn tosade teōs hēmin eirēsthō. Ēdē de kai Palaistinē ton ison tropon philosophein ērcheto, par' Aigyptiōn mathousa; dieprepe de tote enthade Ilariōn ho thespesios. Toutǭ de patris men ēn Thabatha kōmē ; pros noton de Gazēs keimenē para ton cheimarrhoun, hos epi thalassan tas embolas echōn, epichōriōs ap᾿ autēs tēs kōmēs tēn epōnymian elabe. Grammatikǭ de phoitōn en ᾿Alexandreią, kata thean ᾿Antōniou tou megalou monachou eis tēn erēmon ēlthe. Kai syngenomenos autǭ, paraplēsiōs philosophein egnō. Oligon de chronon enthade diatripsas, “kata gnōmēn ēremein, pollōn ontōn hekastote tōn ( epanēlthen eis tēn patrida. Ou gar synechōreito hōs Antōnion erchomenōn. Katalabōn de teleutēsantas tous pateras, eis tous adelphous kai tous deomenous tēn ousian dieneimen. Outhen de pantapasi xatalipōn heautǭ, dietriben en erēmǭ topǭ para thalassan, amphi ta eikosi stadia tēs autou kōmēs diestōti. Oikēsis de ēn autǭ, dōmation mikron, ek plinthou kai phorytou kai keramōn kateagotōn kateskeuasmenon; eurous te kai hypsous kai mēkous tos outon, hoson hestōta men kekyphenai tēn kephalēn ; keimenon de tous podas syllegein epanankes einai. Diapantōn gar eithizen heauton talaipōrein, kai rhąstōnēs kratein. Amelei toi hōn ismen enkrateias akompou kai dedokimasmenēs, oudeni katelipen hyperbolēn, agōnizomenos pros asitian kai dipsos, kai rhigos kai pnigos, kai pros ta alla pathē, kai thōpeias tou sōmatos tēs psychēs. Ēn de to men ēthos daiïos " semnos de ton logon, kai epēdolos achrithdēs tōn hierōn Graphōn" epi tosouton de theophilēs egeneto, hōs eti nyn epi tǭ autou taphǭ pollous iasthai kamnontas kai daimonōntas " kai toge paradoxotaton, para te Kypriois hou proteron etaphē, para PIalaistinois par᾽ hois esti nyn. Symdan gar auton en Kyprǭ diatridonta teleutēsai, pros tōn epichōriōn echēdeuthē, en pollę̄ timę̄ kai therapeią par᾽ autois ēn. Meta de tauta Hēsychas, hos eudochimōtatos egeneto tōn autou mathētōn, chlepsas to leipsanon, diekomisen eis Palaistinēn, kai en tǭ idiǭ monastēriǭ ethapse. Kai to ex ekeinou, dēmotelē kai mala lampran enthade etēsion heortēn agousin hoi epichōrioi. Hōde gar Palaistinois ethos gerairein tous par᾽ hautois andras agathous genomenous, hōsper amelei Aurēlion ton ᾿Anthēdonion, ᾿Alexiōna ton apo Bēthagathōnos, ᾿Alaphiōna ton apo ᾿Asaleas kata ton auton genomenoi chronon, epi tēs parousēs basileias eusebthōs kai andoeiōs en philosophią epoliteusanto, tais oikeiais aretais en hellēnizousais agan tais tę̄de polesi kōmais, eis epidosin ēgagon tēn thrēskeian. ekeino kairou Ioulianos amphi tēn Edesan ephilosophei, akchridestatę̄ē, kai hoia asōmatǭ agōgę̄ kai politeią epicheirēsas, hōs ektos sarkōn osteois kai dermati dokein synestanai kai Ephraim tǭ Syrǭ syngraphei prophasis genesthai mateias tēs kata ton autou bion aphēgēseōs. Epepsēphizeto de Theos autos hois anthrōpai peri autou edoxazon, daimonas apelaunein, pantodapōn nosōn iaseis autǭ dōrēsamenos, ou pharmakois tisin, all᾽ euchę̄ chatorthoumenas. Epi toutǭ de kai allois pollois ekklēsiastikois philosophois, to tę̄de hypēkoon tēnikauta dieprepe, kata te ton ᾿Edessēnōn nomon, hypo te tēn ᾿Amidēnōn polin, amphi to Gaugalion chaloumenon oros " hōn ēstēn Daniēl Symeōn. ᾿Alla peri men tōn en Syrią monachōn tade eirēsthō nyn. Teleōteron ei ho Theos thelēseie, tois hexēs eirēsetai peri autōn. ᾿Armeniois de kai Paphlagosi, kai tois pros ton Ponton oikousi, legetai Eustathios ho tēn en Sethastią tēs ᾿Armenias ekklēsian epitropeusas, monachikēs politeias arxai; kai ( apokēryxōsin. Enteuthen de logos, Eustathion epitēs en tautę̄ spoudaias agōgēs, edesmatōn te hōn chrē metechein kai apechesthai, kai esthētos hę̄ dei ke chrēsthai, kai hēthōn, kai politeias akribous eisēgētēn genomenon. Hōs kai tēn epigegrammenēn Basileiou tou Kappadokou Askētikēn biblon, ischyrizesthai tinas autou graphēn einai. Legetai de hypo pollēs akribeias, eis paralogous epitērēseis ekpesein, pantelōs apądousas tōn ekklēsiastikōn nomōn. Hoi de auton men tou enklēmatos exairountai ; epaitiōntai de tinas tōn autou mathētōn, hōs gamǭ katamemphomenous, kai en oikois gegamēkotōn euchesthai paraitoumenous, kai tous gegamēkotas presbyterous hyperphronountas, kai en Kyriakais hēmerais nēsteuontas, kai en oikiais ekklēsiazontas, kai tous plousious kathapax amoirous tēs basileias tou Theou apophainomenous, kai tous krea esthiontas bdelyttomenous; kai chitōnas men synētheis kai sto las mē anechomenous amphiennysthai ; xenę̄ de kai aēthei esthēti chrōmenous, kai alla pleista neōterizontas. Ek toutou de pollas gynaikas apatētheisas katalipein tous andras ; eit' enkrateuesthai mē dynētheisas, moicheias hamartein; tas de, prophasei theosebeias, tēn kephalēn apokeirasthai, kai alloiōs ē gynaiki prepei, andrasi de synēthes, amphiennysthai. Dia dē tauta, tous plēsiochōrous episkopous synelthein en Gangrais tę̄ mētropolei Paphlagonōn, kai allotrious autous psēphisasthai tēs katholou Ekklēsias, ei mē kata tous horous tēs synodou hekaston tōn eirēmenōn deiknymenon hōs ouk authadeias heneka, alla tēs kata Theon askēseōs eisēgeito tauta kai epitēdeuoi, ameipsai tēn stolēn, kai paraplēsiōs tois allois hiereusi tas proodous poiēsasthai. Toioutos dē ta peri ton bion hyparchōn, kai epi logois ethaumazeto. de alēthes eipein, egeneto legein men ou deinos. Oude gar tēn epi toutǭ epistēmēn exēskēto. To de ēthos thaumasios, kai peithein hikanōtatos; hōs kai pollous tōn ekporeuomenōn andrōn kai gynaikōn, metapeisai sōphrona kai spoudaion bion analabein. Phasi goun auton, andra tina kai gynaika kata thesmon Ekklēsias parthenian prospoioumenous, kai eis tauton synienai diaballomenous, spoudasai tēs pros allēlous homilias pausai. ᾿Apotychonta de, mega anoimōxai kai eipein, hōs kata nomon andri synoikousa gynē, tous peri sōphrosynēs logous akousasa autou, synousias apescheto, hēs gametais themis pros idious andras koinōnein; tous de paranomōs synousiazontas allēlois, asthenē apophēnai tēn autou peithō. Ton dē toiouton, tēs kata tode to klima akribous monastikēs agōgēs archēgon genesthai logos. Thrakioi de kai Illyrioi, kai hosoi tēn kaloumenēn Eurōpēn oikousin, ei kai apeiratoi eti monachikōn synoikōn ēsan, all᾽ ou pantelōs philosophōn andrōn hētychoun. Egnōrizeto de tate par᾿ autois Martinos, hos apo Sabōrias tēs Pannonias episēmos ēn to genos ; en hoplois de lamprōs strateusamenos, kai syntagmatarchēs egeneto. Protimēsas de to theion, ton philosophon metę̄ei bion. Dietribe de ta prōta par' Illyriois; epei de prothymōs hyper tou dogmatos agōnizomenos, tinas tōn enthade episkopōn ephōrase ta ᾿Areiou phronountas, epibouleutheis kai pollakis dēmosią typtētheis, exēlathē; kai eis Mediolanon elthōn, kath᾽ heauton dietriben. Hypechōrēse te enthen, epibouleuomenos para Auxentiou tou episkopou, oude autou hygiōs echontos peri tēn pistin tōn en Nikaią synelthontōn. Kai epi tina chronon rhizais botanōn arkoumenos, nēson ǭkēsen hēn Gallēnarian kalousi. Mikra de hautē kai aoikētos, en tǭ Tyrrhēnikǭ pelagei keimenē. Chronǭ de hysteron kai episkopēn epetrapē tēn en Tarrhakinais ekklēsian. Epi tosouton de thaumatourgiais proelthein paradedotai, hōs nekron egeirai pisteuesthai, alla te sēmeia epitelesai Apostolikōn ou leipomena. Kata tode to hypēkoon, en tǭ tote kai Hilarion genesthai pareilē - phamen, andra biǭ kai logǭ thespesion ; hos Martinǭ tēs phygēs ekoinōnēse dia tēn peri to dogma spoudēn. Andrōn men oun peri, hoi tote en eusebeią kai ekklēsiastikǭ thesmǭ ephilosophoun, tade egnōn hōs synegrapsa. Hyperphyōs de polloi kai mala ellogimoi kata ton auton chronon en tais Ekklēsiais dieprepon. Hepisēmotatoi de en toutois egenonto, Eusebios ho tēn Emesēs hierōsynēn epitropeusas, kai Titos ho Bostrēs, kai Serapiōn ho Thmouaios, Basileios te ho ᾿Ankyras, kai Eudoxios ho Germanikias, kai ᾿Akakios ho Kaisareias, kai Kyrillos hos tōn Hierosolymōn thronon epetropeuse. Symbolon tēs autōn paideias, ha synegrapsanto kai kataleloipasi, polla te kai logou axia.
I shall begin from Egypt and the two Macarii, the most celebrated leaders of Scetis and of the mountain there. Of these two, one was called the Egyptian, the other the townsman, as a citizen; for he was an Alexandrian by birth. Both were exceedingly godly men, possessed divine foreknowledge and philosophy, were terrible to demons, and worked many wonderful deeds and healings. It is said of the Egyptian that he even made a dead man live, in order to persuade a man of another opinion that there will be a resurrection of the dead. He lived about ninety years, sixty of which he spent in the deserts. As soon as he began the philosophic life, while still young, he excelled so that the monks called him the “boy-elder,” and at forty he was ordained presbyter. The other became a presbyter later in life; he tried almost every kind of discipline, partly devising it himself and partly carrying out by every means what he heard from others, so that from extreme dryness of body no hair grew on his chin. About the same time there were practising philosophy Pambo, Heraclides, Cronius, Paphnutius, Putubastes, Arsisius, Serapion the Great, and Pityrion, who lived in the Thebaid; and Pachomius, who became the founder of the so-called Tabennesiots. These had a habit and way of life differing in some respects from the rest of the monks, but looking to virtue and stirring the soul to despise earthly things and to look upward, so that it might pass easily to heavenly things when released from the body. They wore sheepskins in imitation of Elijah the Tishbite; in my opinion, so that, always reminded of the prophet's virtue by the skin they wore, they might stand bravely in battle against the desires of the flesh, and, from zeal for him and hope of similar rewards, be the more eager to live chastely. It is said too that the other garments of the monks in Egypt contribute to an example of a certain philosophy, and do not differ from others by chance. They wear tunics without sleeves, teaching that their hands should not be ready for violence. The covering on the head, which they call a cowl, signifies that they should live as innocently and purely as infants fed on milk, who wear such caps, which cover and keep warm the ruling part. The girdle and the scapular, the one binding the loins and the other holding up the shoulders and arms, bid them be ready for the service and work of God. I am not unaware that others have given other explanations of these things; for me it is enough to say this much. They say that Pachomius at first practised philosophy alone in a cave; and that a divine angel appeared to him and bade him gather young monks and live with them, for he had succeeded well in his own philosophy, and ought, as leader of a community, to benefit many; and that he should govern them by the laws the angel would give; and that he gave him a tablet, which they still keep. The writing on it directed him to allow each to eat and drink as he was able, to work, and to fast or not; but to assign the heavier tasks to those who ate more vigorously, and the lighter to the ascetics. He was to build many small cells, three to live in each cell; all were to take food in one house, eat in silence, and sit at table with their faces covered, so as to see neither one another nor anything else but the table and what was on it. A stranger was not to eat with them, except one lodging as he passed through; and one who wished to live with them was first to labour at the harder tasks for three years, and so share in their community. They were to wear sheepskins and cover their heads with woollen caps, and he ordered these caps to be marked with purple crosses, as it were. They were to use linen tunics and girdles, and to sleep girded in their tunics and sheepskins, sitting on built seats enclosed on either side so as to hold each one's bedding. On the first and last day of the week, approaching the altar for communion in the divine mysteries, they were to loosen their girdles and lay aside their sheepskins. They were to pray twelve times in the whole day, likewise in the evening, and as many times at night; at the ninth hour, three times. When about to eat, they were to sing a psalm before each prayer. He was to divide the whole community into twenty-four orders and name them after the letters of the Greek alphabet, fitting the name to each order according to its life and character: for example, calling the simpler ones iota, the crooked ones zeta or xi, and others in other ways, as one could aptly relate the disposition of the order to the shape of the letter. By these laws Pachomius led his disciples, a man exceedingly kind and so dear to God that he foresaw the future and often conversed with divine angels. He lived at Tabenna, an island in the Thebaid, from which they are still called Tabennesiots. Living under these laws they became most renowned and grew in time to such numbers that they amounted to some seven thousand men. The community on the island of Tabenna, with which Pachomius himself lived, had about thirteen hundred; the others live throughout the Thebaid and the rest of Egypt. There is one and the same rule for all, and all things are common to all; they regard the community on the island of Tabenna as their mother, and its leaders as their fathers and rulers. At this time Apollonius too was distinguished in monastic philosophy. They say that at fifteen he practised philosophy in the deserts, and at forty, by divine command, came to inhabited places. He too had his community in the Thebaid. He was exceedingly dear to God, a worker of wonderful healings and signs, effective in what was needed, and a good and gracious teacher of those who came to philosophy; and so readily heard in his prayers that nothing he asked of God went unaccomplished. For being altogether wise, he made his requests wisely, and the Divine is naturally ready to grant such. I conjecture that the godly Anuph too lived at this time; I have learned that from the time he first confessed the doctrine in the persecutions he never told a lie nor desired anything on earth, obtained everything he asked of God, and was taught every virtue by a divine angel as his teacher. But let so much be said for now about the monks of Egypt. Palestine too was already beginning to practise philosophy in the same way, having learned it from the Egyptians; and the godly Hilarion was then distinguished there. His home was the village of Thabatha, lying south of Gaza by the torrent which, emptying into the sea, takes its local name from the village. While attending a grammarian at Alexandria, he went to the desert to see Antony the great monk; and associating with him, he resolved to practise philosophy in like manner. After spending a short time there he returned to his homeland; for he was not allowed to live in quiet as he wished, since many people were always coming to Antony. Finding his parents dead, he distributed his property among his brothers and the needy, and, keeping nothing at all for himself, lived in a desert place by the sea, about twenty stades from his village. His dwelling was a small hut built of brick, rubbish and broken tiles, so wide, high and long that standing he had to bend his head and lying he had to draw up his feet. For he accustomed himself to hardship in everything and to mastering ease. Indeed, of all whom we know he left no one able to surpass him in unboastful and proven self-control, contending against hunger and thirst, cold and heat, and the other passions and flatteries of body and soul. He was earnest in character, grave in speech, and an exact student of the sacred Scriptures; and he was so dear to God that even now many sick and possessed are healed at his tomb, and, most wonderful of all, both among the Cypriots, where he was first buried, and among the Palestinians, where he now is. For having died while staying in Cyprus, he was buried by the inhabitants and was held there in great honour and veneration. Afterward Hesychas, the most renowned of his disciples, stole his remains, carried them to Palestine, and buried them in his own monastery; and from that time the inhabitants keep a public and very splendid yearly feast there. For it is the custom of the Palestinians to honour in this way the good men who have lived among them, as for example Aurelius of Anthedon, Alexion of Bethagathon, and Alaphion of Asalea, who lived at the same time, practised philosophy piously and bravely under the present reign, and by their own virtues advanced the religion in the cities and villages there, which were exceedingly given to paganism. At that time Julian practised philosophy near Edessa, undertaking a most exact and, as it were, bodiless discipline and way of life, so that he seemed to consist of bones and skin without flesh; and he gave Ephrem the Syrian writer occasion for a work narrating his life. God himself confirmed what men thought of him, granting him to drive out demons and to heal diseases of every kind, not by any medicines but by prayer. Besides him, the region there was then distinguished by many other churchly philosophers, in the district of Edessa and near the city of Amida, about the mountain called Gaugalion; among them were Daniel and Symeon. But let this be said for now about the monks of Syria; more fully, God willing, it will be told about them in what follows. Among the Armenians and Paphlagonians and those who live by the Pontus, Eustathius, who governed the church of Sebaste in Armenia, is said to have begun the monastic way of life, and to have introduced an earnest discipline there: what foods one should partake of or abstain from, what dress one should use, and customs and an exact way of life; so that some insist that the book entitled the Ascetic Book of Basil the Cappadocian is his writing. It is said that through excessive strictness he fell into unreasonable observances quite contrary to the laws of the church. Others clear him of the charge, but blame some of his disciples as condemning marriage, refusing to pray in the houses of married people, despising married presbyters, fasting on the Lord's days, holding assemblies in houses, declaring the rich entirely without share in the kingdom of God, abhorring those who eat meat, not tolerating the wearing of ordinary tunics and robes but using a strange and unusual dress, and making very many other innovations. Through this, it is said, many women were deceived and left their husbands, and then, unable to remain continent, fell into adultery; others, on the pretext of piety, cut off their hair and dressed otherwise than befits a woman, in the fashion usual for men. For these reasons the neighbouring bishops met at Gangra, the metropolis of Paphlagonia, and voted them strangers to the catholic church unless they renounced each of the things mentioned, according to the definitions of the synod. Eustathius, showing that he had introduced and practised these things not out of arrogance but for discipline according to God, changed his dress and thereafter made his public appearances like the other priests. Such a man in his life, he was also admired for his words; though, to tell the truth, he was not a powerful speaker, for he had not trained himself in that skill. But in character he was wonderful and most able to persuade, so that he persuaded many men and women who were living immorally to take up a chaste and earnest life. They say, for instance, that when a certain man and woman, who professed virginity according to the rule of the church, were accused of living together, he tried to stop their association; and failing, he groaned deeply and said that a woman living lawfully with her husband had, on hearing his words about chastity, abstained from the intercourse that wives may lawfully have with their own husbands, while those who lived together unlawfully had proved his persuasion weak. Such a man, it is said, was the founder of the strict monastic discipline in that region. The Thracians, Illyrians and those who live in what is called Europe, though they still had no experience of monastic communities, were not altogether without philosophic men. Among them Martin was known, who was of distinguished family from Sabaria in Pannonia; he served brilliantly in arms and became a commander. But preferring divine things, he took up the philosophic life. He lived first among the Illyrians; but when, contending eagerly for the doctrine, he exposed some of the bishops there as holding the views of Arius, he was plotted against, often beaten in public, and driven out. Coming to Milan, he lived by himself. He withdrew from there too, being plotted against by Auxentius the bishop, who himself did not hold soundly to the faith of those who met at Nicaea; and for a time, living on roots of herbs, he dwelt on an island they call Gallinaria, which is small and uninhabited, lying in the Tyrrhenian sea. Later he was entrusted with the episcopate of the church at Terracina. It is handed down that he advanced so far in wonder-working that he is believed to have raised a dead man and to have performed other signs not falling short of the apostles'. In this part of the empire, we have received, there lived at that time also Hilary, a man godly in life and speech, who shared Martin's exile because of his zeal for the doctrine. Concerning the men, then, who at that time practised philosophy in piety and according to the rule of the church, I have written these things as I learned them. Exceedingly many and very learned men were also distinguished in the churches at the same time. The most famous among them were Eusebius, who held the priesthood of Emesa, Titus of Bostra, Serapion of Thmuis, Basil of Ancyra, Eudoxius of Germanicia, Acacius of Caesarea, and Cyril, who governed the see of Jerusalem. The many and noteworthy works they wrote and left behind are a token of their learning.
1 Kgs 19:19 (allusion, low confidence) · Heb 11:37 (allusion, medium confidence) · 1 Cor 11:14 (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: A survey of the monks of Constantius's reign: the two Macarii and other Egyptian ascetics, Pachomius and his rule, Hilarion in Palestine, Julian near Edessa, Eustathius of Sebaste and the excesses condemned at Gangra, Martin in the West, and the learned bishops of the time.
- A fragment of Valesius's chapter title (a list of names: “… of Pityrion, Pachomius, Apollonius, Anuph, Hilarion and very many other saints, a catalogue”) stood at the head of the section and has been removed. In the scan several lines are displaced: in the story of Hilarion the reason for his return (“he was not allowed to live in quiet … coming to Antony”) and, at Gangra, the words “unless they renounced” were printed out of place; the translation follows the evident order. A word describing Hilarion's character is damaged (δαῖΐος); it is taken as the end of σπουδαῖος, “earnest.” Sozomen's account of Pachomius's rule follows Palladius, Lausiac History 32. The excesses ascribed to Eustathius's followers are those condemned by the council of Gangra (canons 1–21); the women who “left their husbands” and then fell into adultery are reported as Sozomen gives the charge. Sozomen's “Terracina” for Martin's see is a mistake for Tours.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (fragment of Valesius's chapter title leaked into the text; repeated syllables and stray letter; stray characters inside a word; stray figure; stray letters; stray letters and repeated word): Πιτυρίωνος, Παχωμίου, Ἀπολλωνίου, ᾿Ανούς, Ἰλαρίωνος καὶ ἑτέρων πλείστων ἁγίων κατάλογος. → ; ὁ δὲ πολι· πολιτικὸς, τικὸς ἱ, ὡς ἀστὸς → ὁ δὲ πολιτικὸς, ὡς ἀστὸς; ἐπὶ μο: ζ §, ναχικῇ φιλοσοφία → ἐπὶ μοναχικῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ; καὶ θωπείας τοῦ Εἰ σώματος → καὶ θωπείας τοῦ σώματος; λέγεται Εὐστάθιος 1 ὁ → λέγεται Εὐστάθιος ὁ; ἐκκλησιάζοντας, Β΄ καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους καθάπαξ ἀμοίρους τῆς τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποφαινομένους κ, → ἐκκλησιάζοντας, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους καθάπαξ ἀμοίρους τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποφαινομένους,; Μαρτῖνος 1, ὃς → Μαρτῖνος, ὃς.
Extrabiblical texts: Conc. Gangr. (Canons of the Council of Gangra; allusion)
Topics: Fasting, Marriage, Church office
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.14 (PG 67:1067–1081; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-14). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-14
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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 Hartranft's English in NPNF² 2.