Church History 3.15–4.1
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
3.15PG 67:1083–1085
Ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον καὶ Δίδυμος ἐκκλησιαστικός συγγραφεὺς διέπρεπε, προϊστάμενος ἐν ᾿Αλεξανδρείᾳ τοῦ ἱεροῦ διδασκαλείου τῶν ἱερῶν μαθημάτων. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ παντοδαπὴ σοφία ᾤκει, ποιηταί τε καὶ ῥήτορες, ἀστρονομία τε καὶ γεωμετρία καὶ ἀριθμοὶ, καὶ δόξαι φιλοσόφων. Πάντων δὲ νῷ μόνῳ καὶ ἀκοῇ εἴδησιν ἐκτήσατο. Νέος γὰρ ἔτι, τυφλὸς ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ πείρᾳ τῆς μαθήσεως τῶν στοιχείων. Ἤδη δὲ εἰς ἐφήβους τελῶν, ἐπεθυμησε λόγων καὶ παιδείας· καὶ τοῖς ταῦτα διδάσκουσι φοιτῶν, ἡκροᾶτο μόνον · καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἦλθε σοφίας, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς μαθήμασι σκολιῶν θεωρημάτων ἐφικέσθαι. Λέγεται δὲ τοὺς χαρακτῆρας τῶν γραμμάτων, σανίδι καταχαραχθέντας εἰς βάθος, ἐκμαθεῖν τοῖς δακτύλοις ἐφαπτόμενος • συλλαβὰς δὲ καὶ ὀνό ματα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐφεξῆς, καταλήψει νοῦ καὶ συνεχεῖ ἀκροάσει καὶ ἀναμνήσει τῶν ἀκοῇ θηρωμένων. Ἦν δὲ οὐ τὸ τυχὸν θαῦμα· καὶ πολλοὶ κατὰ κλέος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εἰς ᾿Αλεξάνδρειαν παρεγίνοντο, οἱ μὲν αὐτοῦ ἀκουσόμενοι, οἱ δὲ, ἱστορήσοντες μόνον. Ἑλύπει δὲ οὐ μετρίως τοὺς ᾿Αρείου, τῷ δόγματι τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου συνιστάμενος. Ἔπειθε γὰρ ῥᾳδίως, οὐ βίᾳ λόγων τοῦτο ποιεῖν δοκῶν· ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τῆς ἄγαν πειθοῦς, ἕκαστον αὐτῶν οἱονεὶ κριτὴν καθίστη τῶν ἀμφιβόλων. Τοῖς δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς καθόλου Ἐκκλησίας περισπούδαστος ἦν· ἐπῄνει δὲ αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰ τάγματα τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ μοναχῶν, καὶ ᾿Αντώνιος ὁ Μέγας. Ον φασι τότε ἐπὶ μαρτυρίᾳ τῆς ᾿Αθανασίου πίστεως ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου παραγενόμενον εἰς ᾿Αλεξάνδρειαν, τάδε πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰπεῖν· Οὐ χαλεπὸν, οὐδὲ λύπης ἄξιον, ὦ Δίδυμε, ὀφθαλμῶν ἀπορεῖν σε, ὧν μέτεστι σαύραις καὶ μυσὶ καὶ τοῖς εὐτελέσι ζώοις. Μακάριον δὲ καὶ χάριεν, ὅτι παραπλησίως ἀγγέλοις τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχεις, δι' ὧν τρανῶς τὸ θεῖον κατανοεῖς, καὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν ἀκριβῶς ὁρᾷς. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ Ἰταλοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἀνὰ τόδε τὸ ὑπήκοον οἰκοῦσιν, ἐπὶ ἀρετῇ πατρίων λόγων διέπρεπον, Εὐσέβιος καὶ Ἱλάριος ὁ δηλωθείς · οὗ περὶ πίστεως καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἑτεροδόξους φασὶν εὐδοκίμους φέρεσθαι λόγους. Καὶ Λουκίφερ, ὂν εὑρετὴν γενέσθαι λέγουσι τῆς όμωνύμου αἱρέσεως. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ᾿Αέτιος πρὸς τῶν ἑτεροδόξων ἐθαυμάζετο, διαλεκτικός τις ὢν, καὶ συλλογίζεσθαι ἱκανὸς, καὶ περὶ τὰς ἔριδας τῶν λόγων ἐσχολακὼς, καὶ ἀτεχνῶς ταῦτα σπουδάζων. Αμέλει τοι ὡς ῥᾳδίως περὶ Θεοῦ διαλεγόμενος, ἄθεος παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ὠνομάζετο. Φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν ἰατρὸν ὄντα τὰ πρῶτα ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ τῶν Σύρων, σπουδαίως δὲ ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις φοιτῶντα, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἱερῶν Γραφῶν διαλεγόμενον, γνώριμον γενέσθαι Γάλλῳ, Καίσαρι ὄντι τότε, πολὺν ποιουμένῳ λόγον τῆς θρησκείας, καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐπιμελουμένοις εἰς ἄγαν χαίροντι· ὡς δὲ εἰκὸς, προφάσει τοιούτων διαλέξεων, φίλον αὐτῷ γενόμενον, ἀσκηθῆναι τοῦτο τὸ εἶδος τῶν λόγων, ἵνα μᾶλλον ἀρέσκῃ. Ἑλέγετο γὰρ καὶ διὰ τῶν ᾿Αριστοτέλους μαθημάτων ἐλθεῖν, καὶ ἐν ᾿Αλεξανδρείᾳ φοιτῆσαι τοῖς τούτων διδασκάλοις. Καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ παρά τούτους, πλῆθος ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἦσαν, ἱκανοὶ διδάσκειν καὶ διαλέγεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἱερῶν Γραφῶν. ᾿Απαριθμήσασθαι δὲ πάντας, ἔργον. Μήτῳ δὲ χαλεπὸν εἶναι δόξῃ, ὅτι τινὰς τῶν εἰρημένων αἱρέσεων ἢ ἀρχηγοὺς ἢ σπουδαστὰς γενομένους, ἐπαινέσας ἔχω. Εὐγλωττίας γὰρ ἕνεκεν καὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις δεινότητος, θαυμασίους εἶναι σύμφημι. Δογμάτων δὲ πέρι, κρινέτωσαν οἷς τοῦτο ποιεῖν θέμις. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τάδε συγγράφειν προὐθέμην, οὔτε ἱστορίᾳ πρέπον, ᾗ ἔργον, μόνα τὰ ὄντα ἀφηγεῖσθαι, μηδὲν οἰκεῖον ἐπεισαγούσῃ. Ὅσοι μὲν δὴ τότε ὧν παρειλήφαμεν, τῇ Ῥωμαίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων φωνῇ κεχρημένοι, ἐπὶ παιδεύσει καὶ λόγοις ἐνδοξότατοι ἐγένοντο, ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις τετάχθω.
Hypo de touton ton chronon kai Didymos ekklēsiastikos syngrapheus dieprepe, proïstamenos en ᾿Alexandreią tou hierou didaskaleiou tōn hierōn mathēmatōn. En toutǭ de kai pantodapē sophia ǭkei, poiētai te kai rhētores, astronomia te kai geōmetria kai arithmoi, kai doxai philosophōn. Pantōn de nǭ monǭ kai akoę̄ eidēsin ektēsato. Neos gar eti, typhlos egeneto en tę̄ prōtę̄ peirą tēs mathēseōs tōn stoicheiōn. Ēdē de eis ephēbous telōn, epethymēse logōn kai paideias; kai tois tauta didaskousi phoitōn, hēkroato monon ; kai epi tosouton ēlthe sophias, hōs kai tōn en tois mathēmasi skoliōn theōrēmatōn ephikesthai. Legetai de tous charaktēras tōn grammatōn, sanidi katacharachthentas eis bathos, ekmathein tois daktylois ephaptomenos • syllabas de kai ono mata kai ta alla ephexēs, katalēpsei nou kai synechei akroasei kai anamnēsei tōn akoę̄ thērōmenōn. Ēn de ou to tychon thauma; kai polloi kata kleos tou andros eis ᾿Alexandreian pareginonto, hoi men autou akousomenoi, hoi de, historēsontes monon. Helypei de ou metriōs tous ᾿Areiou, tǭ dogmati tēs en Nikaią synodou synistamenos. Epeithe gar rhądiōs, ou bią logōn touto poiein dokōn; all᾽ hypo tēs agan peithous, hekaston autōn hoionei kritēn kathistē tōn amphibolōn. Tois de apo tēs katholou Ekklēsias perispoudastos ēn; epę̄nei de auton, kai ta tagmata tōn en Aigyptǭ monachōn, kai ᾿Antōnios ho Megas. On phasi tote epi martyrią tēs ᾿Athanasiou pisteōs ek tēs erēmou paragenomenon eis ᾿Alexandreian, tade pros auton eipein; Ou chalepon, oude lypēs axion, ō Didyme, ophthalmōn aporein se, hōn metesti saurais kai mysi kai tois eutelesi zōois. Makarion de kai charien, hoti paraplēsiōs angelois tous ophthalmous echeis, di' hōn tranōs to theion katanoeis, kai tēn alēthē gnōsin akribōs horąs. Ou mēn alla kai para Italois kai tois ana tode to hypēkoon oikousin, epi aretę̄ patriōn logōn dieprepon, Eusebios kai Hilarios ho dēlōtheis ; hou peri pisteōs kai pros tous heterodoxous phasin eudokimous pheresthai logous. Kai Loukipher, on heuretēn genesthai legousi tēs omōnymou haireseōs. En toutǭ de kai ᾿Aetios pros tōn heterodoxōn ethaumazeto, dialektikos tis ōn, kai syllogizesthai hikanos, kai peri tas eridas tōn logōn escholakōs, kai atechnōs tauta spoudazōn. Amelei toi hōs rhądiōs peri Theou dialegomenos, atheos para tōn pollōn ōnomazeto. Phasi de auton iatron onta ta prōta en ᾿Antiocheią tōn Syrōn, spoudaiōs de tais Ekklēsiais phoitōnta, kai peri tōn hierōn Graphōn dialegomenon, gnōrimon genesthai Gallǭ, Kaisari onti tote, polyn poioumenǭ logon tēs thrēskeias, kai tēs eusebeias epimeloumenois eis agan chaironti; hōs de eikos, prophasei toioutōn dialexeōn, philon autǭ genomenon, askēthēnai touto to eidos tōn logōn, hina mallon areskę̄. Helegeto gar kai dia tōn ᾿Aristotelous mathēmatōn elthein, kai en ᾿Alexandreią phoitēsai tois toutōn didaskalois. Kai heteroi de para toutous, plēthos en tais Ekklēsiais ēsan, hikanoi didaskein kai dialegesthai peri tōn hierōn Graphōn. ᾿Aparithmēsasthai de pantas, ergon. Mētǭ de chalepon einai doxę̄, hoti tinas tōn eirēmenōn haireseōn ē archēgous ē spoudastas genomenous, epainesas echō. Euglōttias gar heneken kai tēs en tois logois deinotētos, thaumasious einai symphēmi. Dogmatōn de peri, krinetōsan hois touto poiein themis. Oude gar tade syngraphein prouthemēn, oute historią prepon, hę̄ ergon, mona ta onta aphēgeisthai, mēden oikeion epeisagousę̄. Hosoi men dē tote hōn pareilēphamen, tę̄ Rhōmaiōn kai Hellēnōn phōnę̄ kechrēmenoi, epi paideusei kai logois endoxotatoi egenonto, en tois eirēmenois tetachthō.
About this time Didymus too, a church writer, was distinguished, presiding at Alexandria over the sacred school of sacred learning. In him dwelt every kind of wisdom: poets and orators, astronomy, geometry and arithmetic, and the opinions of philosophers. He acquired knowledge of all these by mind and hearing alone. For while still young he became blind, at his first attempt at learning the letters. When he was already reaching youth, he longed for letters and education; attending those who taught them, he only listened, and came to such wisdom that he mastered even the difficult theorems of mathematics. It is said that he learned the shapes of the letters by touching with his fingers letters carved deeply into a board, and syllables, words and the rest in order by grasp of mind, constant listening, and recollection of what he had captured by hearing. He was no ordinary marvel; and many came to Alexandria because of the man's fame, some to hear him, others only to see him. He greatly grieved the Arians, since he upheld the doctrine of the synod of Nicaea. He persuaded easily, not seeming to do it by force of argument, but by his great persuasiveness he made each of them, as it were, judge of the disputed points. He was highly prized by those of the catholic church; the orders of monks in Egypt praised him, and Antony the Great. They say that Antony, coming from the desert to Alexandria at that time to bear witness to the faith of Athanasius, said this to him: “It is not hard, Didymus, nor worth grieving over, that you lack eyes, which lizards and mice and the meanest creatures share. But it is blessed and gracious that you have eyes like the angels, by which you discern the Divine clearly and see true knowledge exactly.” Among the Italians, moreover, and those living in that part of the empire, Eusebius and the Hilary already mentioned were distinguished for excellence in the ancestral doctrines; they say that his treatises on the faith and against those of another opinion are well regarded. And Lucifer, whom they say was the founder of the sect named after him. At this time Aetius too was admired by those of another opinion, being a dialectician, able at syllogisms, given to contests of words and pursuing them without skill. Indeed, because he discoursed so readily about God, most people called him godless. They say that at first he was a physician at Antioch in Syria, that he zealously attended the churches and discussed the sacred Scriptures, and became known to Gallus, who was then Caesar, who made much of religion and greatly delighted in those who cared for piety; and that, having naturally become his friend through such discussions, he trained himself in this kind of argument in order to please him more. For he was said to have gone through the learning of Aristotle and to have attended its teachers at Alexandria. Besides these there were a multitude of others in the churches able to teach and discuss the sacred Scriptures; to enumerate them all would be a labour. Let no one think it hard that I have praised some who were leaders or zealots of the heresies mentioned. For I agree that they were admirable for eloquence and skill in speaking; but concerning doctrines, let those judge to whom it belongs to do so. For I did not set out to write about these things, nor is it fitting for history, whose task is to narrate only what happened, adding nothing of its own. Let those, then, of whom we have received that at that time, using the Latin and Greek languages, they became most renowned for learning and eloquence, be ranked among those named.
Notes and citation
Summary: Didymus the Blind teaches at Alexandria and is praised by Antony; Hilary, Eusebius and Lucifer are distinguished in the West, and Aetius among the Arians; Sozomen explains why he praises the eloquence of men he does not follow in doctrine.
- The Eusebius named with Hilary is Eusebius of Vercelli. Lucifer of Cagliari gave his name to the Luciferians. Aetius was the leader of the Anomoeans; Sozomen reports that he was called “godless” (ἄθεος).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slip; a word from the line above (ἄθεος) printed inside the name): Γάλλῳ, Κα:σαρι ὄντι → Γάλλῳ, Καίσαρι ὄντι; τῶν ᾿Αριἄθεος στοτέλους → τῶν ᾿Αριστοτέλους.
Topics: Heresy, Scripture and canon
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.15 (PG 67:1083–1085; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-15). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-15
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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.
3.16PG 67:1085–1093
Ἐῴκει δὲ πάντας παρευδοκιμεῖν, καὶ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα τὴν καθόλου Ἐκκλησίαν σεμνύνειν, Ἐφραὶμ ὁ Σύρος. Ὃς ἐκ Νισίβεως ἢ τῶν τῇδε χωρίων τὸ γένος εἶχεν. Ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ δὲ μοναστικῇ τὸν βίον ἐξασκήσας, οὔτε μαθὼν, οὔτε προσδοκηθεὶς τοιοῦτος εἶναι, ἐξαπίνης ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον παιδείας κατὰ τὴν Συρων φωνὴν ἐπέδωκεν, ὡς φιλοσοφίας μὲν τῶν ἄκρων ἐφικέσθαι θεωρημάτων · εὐκολίᾳ δὲ καὶ λαμπρότητι λόγου, καὶ τῷ πυκνῷ καὶ σώφρονι τῶν νοημάτων, ὑπερβαλέσθαι τοὺς παρ' Ἕλλησιν εὐδοκιμωτάτους συγγραφέας. Οὕτω γοῦν τῶν μὲν, εἴτις πρὸς τὴν Σύρων ἢ ἑτέραν γλῶτταν μεταβάλλοι τὰ γράμματα, καὶ τὴν καρυκείαν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἀφέλοιτο τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν γλωττισμάτων, αὐτίκα φωρᾶται, καὶ τῆς προτέρας ἀποῤῥεῖ χάριτος. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν Ἐφραὶμ λόγων, οὐχ οὕτως. Περιόντος τε γὰρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰσέτι νῦν, ἃ συνεγράψατο πρὸς Ἑλληνίδα φωνὴν ἑρμηνεύουσι · καὶ οὐ πολὺ ἀποδεῖ τῆς ἐν ᾧ πέφυκεν ἀρετῆς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἕλλην ἀναγινωσκόμενος, ἐπίσης τῷ Σύρος εἶναι θαυμάζεται. Αμέλει τοι καὶ Βασίλειος, ὁ τὴν Καππαδοκῶν μητρόπολιν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπισκοπήσας, ἠγάσθη τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ τῆς παιδεύσεως ἐθαύμασεν. ( Ὥστε μοι δικαίως καταφαίνεται, κοινῇ παρὰ τῶν τότε παρ' Ἕλλησιν ἐπὶ λόγοις θαυμαζομένων ταύτην τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἀπενέγκασθαι τὸν Ἐφραὶμ, διὰ τῆς τοῦ Βασιλείου φωνῆς ἐξενεχθεῖσαν, ὡς τῶν κατ᾿ αὐτὸν πάντων ἐλλογιμώτερος γεγενῆσθαι συνωμολόγηται. Λέγεται δὲ τὰς πάσας ἀμφὶ τὰς τριακοσίας μυριάδας ἐπῶν συγγράψαι, καὶ μαθητὰς ἐσχηκέναι πολλοὺς, σπουδῇ τὴν αὐτοῦ παίδευσιν ζηλώσαντας. Ἐπισημοτάτους δὲ Ἀββᾶν, καὶ Ζηνόβιον, ῾Αβραάμ τε καὶ Μαρᾶν καὶ Συμεῶνα· ἐφ᾽ οἷς μέγα αὐχοῦσιν οἱ Σύρων παῖδες, καὶ ὅσοι τὴν παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς παιδείαν ἠκρίβωσαν. Ἐπίσης δὲ Παυλωνᾶν, καὶ ᾿Αρανάδ ἐπαινοῦσιν ἐπὶ εὐγλωττίᾳ· φασὶ δὲ τῶν ὑγιῶν δογμάτων διαμαρτεῖν αὐτούς. Οὐκ ἀγνοῦ δὲ, ὡς καὶ πάλαι ἐλλογιμώτατοι τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον παρὰ Ὁσροηνοῖς ἐγένοντο, Βαρδησάνης τε, ὃς τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ καλουμένην αἵρεσιν συνεστήσατο, καὶ Αρμόνιος ὁ Βαρδησάνου παῖς· ὃν φασι διὰ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι λόγων ἀχθέντα, πρῶτον μέτροις καὶ νόμοις μυσικοῖς τὴν πάτριον φωνὴν ὑπαγαγεῖν, καὶ χοροῖς παραδοῦναι, καθάπερ καὶ νῦν πολλάκις οἱ Σύροι ψάλλουσιν, οὐ τοῖς Ἁρμονίου συγγράμμασιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μέλεσι χρώμενοι. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ οὐ παντάπασιν ἐκτὸς ἦν τῆς πατρώας αἱρέσεως, καὶ ὧν περὶ ψυχῆς, γενέσεώς τε καὶ φθορᾶς σώματος, καὶ παλιγγενεσίας, οἱ παρ' Ἕλλησι φιλοσοφοῦντες δοξάζουσιν, οἷά γε ὑπὸ λύραν ἃ συνεγράψατο συνθεὶς, ταυτασὶ τὰς δόξας τοῖς οἱκείοις προσέμιξε γράμμασιν. Ἰδὼν δὲ Ἐφραὶμ κηλουμένους τοὺς Σύρους τῷ κάλλει τῶν ὀνομάτων, καὶ τῷ ῥυθμῷ τῆς μελῳδίας, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο προσεθιζομένους ὁμοίως αὐτῷ δοξάζειν, καίπερ Ἑλληνικῆς παιδείας ἄμοιρος, ἐπέστη τῇ καταλήψει τῶν ᾿Αρμονίου μέτρων · καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλη τῶν ἐκείνου γραμμάτων, ἑτέρας γραφὰς συνᾳδούσας τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς δόγμασι συνέθηκεν· ὁποῖα αὐτῷ πεπόνητο ἐν θείοις ὕμνοις καὶ ἐγκωμίοις ἀπαθῶν ἀνδρῶν. Ἐξ ἐκείνου τε Σύροι κατὰ τὸν νόμον τῆς ᾿Αρμονίου ᾠδῆς τὰ τοῦ Ἐφραὶμ ψάλλουσιν. Ἡλίκος μὲν οὖν τὴν φύσιν ἐγεγόνει, καὶ ἐκ τούτου τεκμαίρεσθαι χρεών. Ἧν δὲ καὶ τὸν βίον, ἐξ ἀγαθῶν ἔργων καὶ ἀκριβοῦς πολιτείας ἐπιφανὴς, καὶ ἡσυχίας εἰς ἄγαν ἐραστής. ( Σεμνὸς δὲ, καὶ τὰς διαβολὰς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον εὐλαβούμενος, ὡς πάσης γυναικὸς καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν θέαν φυλάττεσθαι. Λόγος γοῦν ποτε γυναῖκά τινα ἀμελῆ τὸν βίον, ἀναιδῆ δὲ ἴσως τὸν τρόπον, ἢ αὐτὴν τὸν ἄνδρα πειρῶσαν, ἢ ἐπὶ μισθῷ τοῦτο ἄλλοις σπουδάζουσαν, ἐπίτηδες ἐν στενωπῷ ἀντιπρόσωπον ὑπαντῆσαι, ἀσκαρδαμυκτὶὲς αὐτὸν βλέπουσαν. Τὸν δὲ ἐπιτιμῆσαι αὐτῇ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ὁρᾶν παρακελεύσασθαι. Καὶ πῶς, ἔφη ἡ γυνὴ, ἥτις οὐκ ἀπὸ γῆς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ σοῦ ἐγενόμην; δικαιότερον γὰρ εἶναι, σὲ μὲν εἰς γῆν ὁρᾶν ἀφ᾿ ἧς ἔχεις τὴν γένεσιν· ἐμὲ δὲ, εἰς σὲ ὅθεν εἰμί. Θαυμάσας δὲ τὸ γύναιον Ἐφραὶμ, εἰς σύγγραμμα τὸ συμβάν ἐσχημάτισεν, ὅπερ Σύρων λόγιοι ἐν τοῖς σπουδαίοις τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων τετάχασι. Λέγεται γοῦν τὸ πρὶν ἀκρατῶς ὀργῆς ἔχων, ἀφ᾽ οὗ τὴν μοναστικὴν ἀγωγὴν μετῆλθε, μηδέπω θεαθῆνα! παρά τινος ὀργιζόμενος. Εἰ Οὕτω γοῦν ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ἡμέραι; ὥσπερ εἰώθει στεύοντι, προσφέρων αὐτῷ τὸ ὄψον, ὁ διακονούμενος, τὴν χύτραν ἔχλασεν. Αἰδοῖ δὲ δέει χεχρατημένον ἰδὼν, ἀλλὰ, Θάῤῥει, καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἔφη, πρὸς τὸ ὄψον ἴωμεν, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ἡμᾶς οὐχ ἦλθε. Καὶ καθεσθεὶς παρὰ τὰ χλάσματα τῆς χύτρας, ἐδείπνησεν. "Ὅσον δὲ χενῆῇῆς ἐκράτει δόξης, ἐντεῦθεν ἱστέον. Ποτὲ ψῆφον ἐπισχοπῇς ἐνηνόχασιν αὐτῷ τινες, καὶ συλλαθεῖν ἐπειρῶντο, ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν χειροτονίαν ἄξοντες. Αὐτίκα δὲ αἰσθόμενος, εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐνέβαλε, καὶ οἷα παραπαίων ἐδείκνυ ἑαυτὸν, ἀτάκτως βαδίζων, τὴν ἐσθῆτα ἐπισύρων, καὶ δημοσίᾳ ἐσθέων. Ἐπεὶ, δὲ ἔξω φρενῶν εἶναι νομίσαντες οἱ συλληψόμενοι, τῇ τ᾿ ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν ὁρμῆς ἀνεχόπησαν, καιρὸν εὑρὼν ἀπέδρασε, μέχρι ἕτερος ἐχειροτονήθη, διέλαθεν. ᾿Αλλὰ τούτοις μὲν ἐγὼ περὶ τοῦ Ἐφραὶμ ἀρχεσθήσομαι. Τὰ δὲ πλείω ἴσασιν εἴ τε καὶ λέγουσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, Οἷον δὲ αὐτῷ εἴργασται οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ τῆς τελεντῆς, ἐπεὶ ἀξιομνημόνευτον εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ, ἐνθάδε γράψομαι. Λιμοῦ γὰρ προχαταλαθόντος τὴν Ἐδεσηγῶν πόλιν, διὰ πολλοῦ χρόνου προελθὼν τοῦ οἰχήματος ἐν ᾧ ἐφιλοσόφει, κατεμέμφετο τοὺς τὰς οὐσία; ἔχοντας, ὡς οὐ δέον ὑπερορῶντας τὸ ὁμόφυλον, ἀπορίᾳ ἐπιτηδείων φθειρόμενον " τὸν δὲ οἰκεῖον πλοῦτον ἐπιμελῶς φυλάττοντας, ἐπὶ βλάβῃ σφῶν τιμωρίᾳ τῆς ἰδίας ψυχῆς, ἣν τιμιωτέραν παντοδαποῦ πλούτο" καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, φιλοσοφῶν ἐδείκνυ" παρ᾽ οὐδὲν δὲ ταύτην ποιουμένους, διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἀπήλεγχεν. Οἱ δὲ, αἰδεσθέντες τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ λόγους, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲν ἡμῖν μέλει οὐσίας, ἔφασαν " ᾧ δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπιτρέψομεν διαχονεῖσθαι, ἀποροῦμεγ, σχεδὸν πάντων πρὸς κέρδος κεχηνότων, καὶ χαπηλίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα ποιουμένων. Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ, Οἷος ὑμῖν δοκῶ, ἤρετο’ τῶν δὲ, ᾿Αξιόχρεών τε καὶ μάλα καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι, καὶ τοιοῦτον οἷον ἡ περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξα ἐκράτει συνομολογούντων, Οὐκοῦν ἑχοντῆς, ἔφη, δι᾽ ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦτο χειροτονήσω ἐμαυτόν. Καὶ λαδὼν ἀργύριον παρ᾽ αὐτῶν, ἀμφὶ τὰς τριακοσίας χλίνας ἐν τοῖς δημοσίοις ἐμθόλοις εἶχε. Καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ λιμοῦ νοσούντων ἐπεμελεῖτο, ξένους, καὶ τοὺς κατὰ σπάνιν ἀναγκαίων ἐχ τῶν ἀγρῶν παραγενομέγους ἐδεξιοῦτο. ᾿Επεὶ δὲ ὁ λιμὸς ἐπαύσατο, ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὸ οἴχτιμα ἔνθα πρὸ τούτου διέτριβε. Καὶ ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν ἐπιδιώσας, ἐτελεύτησε " διακόνου μὲν ἄχρι κληρικοῦ τάγματος ἐπιβάς περιδόητος δὲ ἐπὶ ἀρετῇ γεγονὼς, οὐχ ἧττον τῶν ἱερωσύνη πολιτείᾳ ἀγαθοῦ βίου καὶ παιδεύσει θαυμαζομένων. Ταυτα τῆς Ἐφραὶμ ἀρετῆς τὰ μηνύματα. Ἐπαξίως δὲ εἰπεῖν, καὶ περὶ πάντων διεξελθεῖν, ὡς ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἕκαστος τῶν τότε φιλοσοφησάντων ἐδίω. καὶ ἐπολιτεύσατο, καὶ παρὰ τίσι, δεήσει συγγράφεως οἷος αὐτός - ἐμοὶ δὲ ἄπορον εἶναι τοῦτο χαθορῶ, ὑπό τε ἀσθενείας λόγων, καὶ ἀγνοίας αὐτῶν τε τῶν ἀνδρῶν, καὶ ὧν χαθώρθωσαν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀνὰ τὰς ἐρέμους ἐλάνθανον" οἱ δὲ ἐν ὁμίλῳ πόλεων διατρέθοντες, εὐτελεῖς σφᾶς παρεῖχον φαίνεσθαι, καὶ τῶν πολλῶν μηδὲν διαφέροντας " ἀρετὴν μὲν ἐργαζόμενοι, χλέστοντες τὴν ἀληθῆ περὶ αὐτῶν δόχησιν, ὥστε μὴ ἃ ἐπαινεῖσθαι παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων. Πρὸς γὰρ τὰ; ἀμοιδὰς τῶν ἐσομένων ἀγαθῶν τὸν νοῦν τείνοντες, μάρτυρα ὧν ἐπόνουν μόνον τὸν Θεὸν ἐποιοῦντο τῆς δὲ ἔξωθεν δόξης οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς λόγος ἦν.
Eǭkei de pantas pareudokimein, kai es ta malista tēn katholou Ekklēsian semnynein, Ephraim ho Syros. Hos ek Nisibeōs ē tōn tę̄de chōriōn to genos eichen. En philosophią de monastikę̄ ton bion exaskēsas, oute mathōn, oute prosdokētheis toioutos einai, exapinēs epi tosouton paideias kata tēn Syrōn phōnēn epedōken, hōs philosophias men tōn akrōn ephikesthai theōrēmatōn ; eukolią de kai lamprotēti logou, kai tǭ pyknǭ kai sōphroni tōn noēmatōn, hyperbalesthai tous par' Hellēsin eudokimōtatous syngrapheas. Houtō goun tōn men, eitis pros tēn Syrōn ē heteran glōttan metaballoi ta grammata, kai tēn karykeian, hōs eipein, apheloito tōn Hellēnikōn glōttismatōn, autika phōratai, kai tēs proteras aporrhei charitos. Epi de tōn Ephraim logōn, ouch houtōs. Periontos te gar autou, kai eiseti nyn, ha synegrapsato pros Hellēnida phōnēn hermēneuousi ; kai ou poly apodei tēs en hǭ pephyken aretēs. Alla kai Hellēn anaginōskomenos, episēs tǭ Syros einai thaumazetai. Amelei toi kai Basileios, ho tēn Kappadokōn mētropolin meta tauta episkopēsas, ēgasthē ton andra, kai tēs paideuseōs ethaumasen. ( Hōste moi dikaiōs kataphainetai, koinę̄ para tōn tote par' Hellēsin epi logois thaumazomenōn tautēn tēn martyrian apenenkasthai ton Ephraim, dia tēs tou Basileiou phōnēs exenechtheisan, hōs tōn kat᾿ auton pantōn ellogimōteros gegenēsthai synōmologētai. Legetai de tas pasas amphi tas triakosias myriadas epōn syngrapsai, kai mathētas eschēkenai pollous, spoudę̄ tēn autou paideusin zēlōsantas. Episēmotatous de Abban, kai Zēnobion, ῾Abraam te kai Maran kai Symeōna; eph᾽ hois mega auchousin hoi Syrōn paides, kai hosoi tēn par᾿ autois paideian ēkribōsan. Episēs de Paulōnan, kai ᾿Aranad epainousin epi euglōttią; phasi de tōn hygiōn dogmatōn diamartein autous. Ouk agnou de, hōs kai palai ellogimōtatoi touton ton tropon para Hosroēnois egenonto, Bardēsanēs te, hos tēn par' autou kaloumenēn hairesin synestēsato, kai Armonios ho Bardēsanou pais; hon phasi dia tōn par' Hellēsi logōn achthenta, prōton metrois kai nomois mysikois tēn patrion phōnēn hypagagein, kai chorois paradounai, kathaper kai nyn pollakis hoi Syroi psallousin, ou tois Harmoniou syngrammasin, alla tois melesi chrōmenoi. Epei gar ou pantapasin ektos ēn tēs patrōas haireseōs, kai hōn peri psychēs, geneseōs te kai phthoras sōmatos, kai palingenesias, hoi par' Hellēsi philosophountes doxazousin, hoia ge hypo lyran ha synegrapsato syntheis, tautasi tas doxas tois hoikeiois prosemixe grammasin. Idōn de Ephraim kēloumenous tous Syrous tǭ kallei tōn onomatōn, kai tǭ rhythmǭ tēs melǭdias, kai kata touto prosethizomenous homoiōs autǭ doxazein, kaiper Hellēnikēs paideias amoiros, epestē tę̄ katalēpsei tōn ᾿Armoniou metrōn ; kai pros ta melē tōn ekeinou grammatōn, heteras graphas synądousas tois ekklēsiastikois dogmasi synethēken; hopoia autǭ peponēto en theiois hymnois kai enkōmiois apathōn andrōn. Ex ekeinou te Syroi kata ton nomon tēs ᾿Armoniou ǭdēs ta tou Ephraim psallousin. Hēlikos men oun tēn physin egegonei, kai ek toutou tekmairesthai chreōn. Hēn de kai ton bion, ex agathōn ergōn kai akribous politeias epiphanēs, kai hēsychias eis agan erastēs. ( Semnos de, kai tas diabolas epi tosouton eulaboumenos, hōs pasēs gynaikos kai autēn tēn thean phylattesthai. Logos goun pote gynaika tina amelē ton bion, anaidē de isōs ton tropon, ē autēn ton andra peirōsan, ē epi misthǭ touto allois spoudazousan, epitēdes en stenōpǭ antiprosōpon hypantēsai, askardamykties auton blepousan. Ton de epitimēsai autę̄, kai eis gēn horan parakeleusasthai. Kai pōs, ephē hē gynē, hētis ouk apo gēs, all᾽ ek sou egenomēn? dikaioteron gar einai, se men eis gēn horan aph᾿ hēs echeis tēn genesin; eme de, eis se hothen eimi. Thaumasas de to gynaion Ephraim, eis syngramma to symban eschēmatisen, hoper Syrōn logioi en tois spoudaiois tōn autou logōn tetachasi. Legetai goun to prin akratōs orgēs echōn, aph᾽ hou tēn monastikēn agōgēn metēlthe, mēdepō theathēna! para tinos orgizomenos. Ei Houtō goun epi pollais hēmerai? hōsper eiōthei steuonti, prospherōn autǭ to opson, ho diakonoumenos, tēn chytran echlasen. Aidoi de deei chechratēmenon idōn, alla, Tharrhei, kai hēmeis, ephē, pros to opson iōmen, epeidē pros hēmas ouch ēlthe. Kai kathestheis para ta chlasmata tēs chytras, edeipnēsen. "Hoson de chenēę̄ēs ekratei doxēs, enteuthen histeon. Pote psēphon epischopę̄s enēnochasin autǭ tines, kai syllathein epeirōnto, hōs epi tēn cheirotonian axontes. Autika de aisthomenos, eis tēn agoran enebale, kai hoia parapaiōn edeikny heauton, ataktōs badizōn, tēn esthēta episyrōn, kai dēmosią estheōn. Epei, de exō phrenōn einai nomisantes hoi syllēpsomenoi, tę̄ t᾿ ep᾽ auton hormēs anechopēsan, kairon heurōn apedrase, mechri heteros echeirotonēthē, dielathen. ᾿Alla toutois men egō peri tou Ephraim archesthēsomai. Ta de pleiō isasin ei te kai legousin hoi epichōrioi, Hoion de autǭ eirgastai ou pro pollou tēs telentēs, epei axiomnēmoneuton einai moi dokei, enthade grapsomai. Limou gar prochatalathontos tēn Edesēgōn polin, dia pollou chronou proelthōn tou oichēmatos en hǭ ephilosophei, katemempheto tous tas ousia? echontas, hōs ou deon hyperorōntas to homophylon, aporią epitēdeiōn phtheiromenon " ton de oikeion plouton epimelōs phylattontas, epi blabę̄ sphōn timōrią tēs idias psychēs, hēn timiōteran pantodapou plouto" kai autou tou sōmatos kai tōn allōn, philosophōn edeikny" par᾽ ouden de tautēn poioumenous, dia tōn ergōn apēlenchen. Hoi de, aidesthentes ton andra kai tous autou logous, all᾽ ouden hēmin melei ousias, ephasan " hǭ de ta toiauta epitrepsomen diachoneisthai, aporoumeg, schedon pantōn pros kerdos kechēnotōn, kai chapēlian to pragma poioumenōn. Hypolabōn de, Hoios hymin dokō, ēreto’ tōn de, ᾿Axiochreōn te kai mala kalon kai agathon einai, kai toiouton hoion hē peri autou doxa ekratei synomologountōn, Oukoun hechontēs, ephē, di᾽ hymas epi touto cheirotonēsō emauton. Kai ladōn argyrion par᾽ autōn, amphi tas triakosias chlinas en tois dēmosiois emtholois eiche. Kai tōn apo limou nosountōn epemeleito, xenous, kai tous kata spanin anankaiōn ech tōn agrōn paragenomegous edexiouto. ᾿Epei de ho limos epausato, epanēlthen eis to oichtima entha pro toutou dietribe. Kai oligōn hēmerōn epidiōsas, eteleutēse " diakonou men achri klērikou tagmatos epibas peridoētos de epi aretę̄ gegonōs, ouch hētton tōn hierōsynē politeią agathou biou kai paideusei thaumazomenōn. Tauta tēs Ephraim aretēs ta mēnymata. Epaxiōs de eipein, kai peri pantōn diexelthein, hōs ekeinos kai hekastos tōn tote philosophēsantōn ediō. kai epoliteusato, kai para tisi, deēsei syngrapheōs hoios autos - emoi de aporon einai touto chathorō, hypo te astheneias logōn, kai agnoias autōn te tōn andrōn, kai hōn chathōrthōsan. Hoi men gar ana tas eremous elanthanon" hoi de en homilǭ poleōn diatrethontes, euteleis sphas pareichon phainesthai, kai tōn pollōn mēden diapherontas " aretēn men ergazomenoi, chlestontes tēn alēthē peri autōn dochēsin, hōste mē ha epaineisthai para tōn allōn. Pros gar ta? amoidas tōn esomenōn agathōn ton noun teinontes, martyra hōn eponoun monon ton Theon epoiounto tēs de exōthen doxēs oudeis autois logos ēn.
Ephrem the Syrian seemed to surpass them all and to adorn the catholic church above all. His family came from Nisibis or the places near it. Having spent his life in monastic philosophy, without having studied or being expected to become such a man, he suddenly advanced so far in learning in the Syriac language that he attained the highest speculations of philosophy, and by the ease and brilliance of his style and the density and soundness of his thought surpassed the most esteemed writers among the Greeks. For if one translates their works into Syriac or another language and removes, so to speak, the seasoning of the Greek idioms, they are at once exposed and lose their former charm. But it is not so with the works of Ephrem. Both in his lifetime and still now they translate what he wrote into Greek, and it falls little short of the excellence it has in the original; read in Greek, he is admired as much as in Syriac. Basil, for instance, who afterward was bishop of the metropolis of the Cappadocians, admired the man and marvelled at his learning. So it seems to me that Ephrem rightly received this testimony from those then admired among the Greeks for eloquence, expressed through the voice of Basil, since it is agreed that Basil was the most learned of all in his time. It is said that he wrote some three million lines in all, and had many disciples who zealously emulated his learning; the most distinguished were Abbas, Zenobius, Abraham, Maras and Symeon, of whom the sons of the Syrians, and all who have mastered their learning, boast greatly. They praise Paulonas and Aranad likewise for eloquence, but say that they fell away from the sound doctrines. I am not unaware that long ago very learned men of this kind arose among the Osrhoenians: Bardaisan, who founded the sect called after him, and Harmonius, Bardaisan's son. They say that Harmonius, trained in Greek letters, was the first to bring his native language under metres and musical rules, and to give it to choirs, as the Syrians still often sing now, using not the writings of Harmonius but his melodies. For since he was not entirely free of his father's heresy and of what the Greek philosophers hold about the soul, the generation and destruction of the body, and rebirth, he set his compositions to the lyre, as it were, and mixed these opinions into his writings. When Ephrem saw the Syrians charmed by the beauty of the words and the rhythm of the melody, and through this becoming accustomed to think as he did, though he had no share in Greek learning, he set himself to master the metres of Harmonius, and to the melodies of his writings he composed other works agreeing with the doctrines of the church, such as he laboured at in divine hymns and in praises of passionless men. From that time the Syrians sing the works of Ephrem according to the rule of Harmonius's ode. How great his nature was must be judged from this too. In his life also he was illustrious for good works and an exact way of life, and an exceeding lover of quiet. He was grave, and so careful to avoid slander that he guarded himself even from the sight of any woman. It is said, for instance, that once a woman careless in her life and perhaps shameless in manner, either testing the man herself or being paid by others to do so, deliberately met him face to face in a narrow lane, staring at him without blinking. He rebuked her and told her to look at the ground. “And how,” said the woman, “when I came not from the earth but from you? It is more just that you look at the earth, from which you have your origin, and I at you, from whom I am.” Ephrem, admiring the woman, made what happened into a composition, which the learned among the Syrians have ranked among the most excellent of his works. It is said, too, that though formerly prone to anger, from the time he took up the monastic discipline he was never seen angry by anyone. Thus once, when as usual he had fasted for many days, the one who served him, bringing him his food, broke the pot. Seeing him overcome with shame and fear, Ephrem said: “Take courage; since the food has not come to us, let us go to the food.” And sitting down by the pieces of the pot, he ate his meal. How far he was master of vain glory may be known from this. Once some people cast a vote for him for a bishopric and tried to seize him to take him to be ordained. As soon as he perceived it, he rushed into the market-place and showed himself as if deranged, walking in disorder, trailing his clothes, and eating in public. When those who meant to seize him thought he was out of his mind and were checked in their rush at him, he found an opportunity, ran away, and stayed hidden until another had been ordained. With this I shall be content about Ephrem; the people of the country know and tell more. But what he did not long before his death seems to me worth remembering, so I shall write it here. When famine had seized the city of Edessa, he came out, after a long time, from the cell in which he practised philosophy, and rebuked those who had property for disregarding their own kin, who were perishing for want of necessities, while carefully guarding their own wealth, to the harm and punishment of their own souls, which he showed, philosophizing, to be more precious than all wealth and than the body itself and everything else; and he proved by their deeds that they made no account of it. They, respecting the man and his words, said: “We do not care about property; but we are at a loss to whom we may entrust such services, since almost everyone gapes after gain and makes a trade of the matter.” He took them up and asked, “What do you think of me?” When they agreed that he was trustworthy, a very good and upright man, and such as his reputation held, “Then for your sakes,” he said, “I will willingly appoint myself to this.” Taking money from them, he set up about three hundred beds in the public porticoes, cared for those sick from the famine, and welcomed strangers and those who came in from the country for lack of necessities. When the famine ended, he returned to the cell where he had lived before; and having lived a few days more, he died. He rose in the clerical order no higher than deacon, but became famous for virtue no less than those admired for priesthood, a good life and learning. These are the tokens of Ephrem's virtue. To speak worthily and go through everything, how he and each of those who then practised philosophy lived and conducted themselves, and among whom, would need a writer such as he was. I see that this is beyond me, from weakness of speech and ignorance both of the men themselves and of what they achieved. For some lay hidden in the deserts; others, living among the crowds of cities, made themselves appear ordinary and no different from the many, practising virtue while hiding the true opinion about themselves, so as not to be praised by others. For, intent on the rewards of the good things to come, they made God alone the witness of their labours and took no account of glory from outside.
Gen 2:22 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gen 3:19 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Ephrem the Syrian, whose writings keep their power in Greek translation, counters the heretical hymns of Harmonius with orthodox hymns to the same melodies; anecdotes of his chastity, meekness and humility, and of his famine relief at Edessa.
- Ephrem died in 373. Bardaisan (Bardesanes, died 222) and his son Harmonius are presented as Ephrem relates; modern scholarship doubts Harmonius's role. The “three million lines” is Sozomen's figure. The woman's retort alludes to Gen 2:21–23 (woman taken from man) and Gen 3:19 (man from the dust). Garbled words in the scan (“fasted,” “deacon”) are given from the evident sense.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (letters lost and OCR slips; stray characters at the end; stray letter): Ἐφραὶμ ὁ Σύρος τ. Ὃς → Ἐφραὶμ ὁ Σύρος. Ὃς; διακομὲν ἄχρι κληρικοῦ τάγματος ἐπιδάς → διακόνου μὲν ἄχρι κληρικοῦ τάγματος ἐπιβάς; τῆς δὲ ἔξωθεν δόξης οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς λόγος ἦν. ἃ) ἃ → τῆς δὲ ἔξωθεν δόξης οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς λόγος ἦν..
Topics: Heresy, Fasting, Church office
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.16 (PG 67:1085–1093; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-16). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-16
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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.
3.17PG 67:1093–1095
Ὡς ἐπίπαν δὲ καὶ οἱ προεστῶτες τότε τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν, τὸν βίον ἡχρίδωντο. Εἰχότως τε ὑπὸ τοιούτοις ἐναγόμενα τὰ πλήθη, σπουδαίως συντέτακτο περὶ τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σέβας " καὶ ἡ θρησκεία ὁσημέρα: ἐπεδίδου, ζήλῳ τε ἀρετῇ, παραδόξοις πράξεσιν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν φιλοσόφων,ἐθήρα καὶ πρὸς ἐπυτὴν μετῆγε τῆς ᾿ΕἙλληνιχῆς τερθρείας, τοὺς ᾿Ἑλληνιστάς. Συνελαμβάνοντο δὲ εἰς ἐπίδοσιν τούτων οἱ βασιλεῖς, οὐχ ἧττον ἢ ὁ πατὴρ περὶ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας σπουδάζοντες, κληρικοὺς καὶ παῖδας αὐτῶν καὶ οἰκείους ἐξαιρέτοις τιμαῖς ἀτελείαις γεραίροντες, τοῖς πατρῴοις νόμοις ἐπιψηφιζόμενοι, καὶ οἰκείους τιθέντες νόμους κατὰ τῶν θύειν, ἣ ξόανα θεραπεύειν, ἢ ἄλλως 'Ἑλληνικῶς θρησκεύειν ἐπιχειρούντων. Ναοὺς δὲ τοὺς πανταχῇ κειμένους ἐν πόλεσι καὶ ἀγροῖς χεχλεῖσθαι προσέταξαν. Τοὺς δὲ, ταῖ: Ἐκκλησίαις προσένειμαν, ἢ τόπων, ἢ ὑλῶν προυσδεομέναις μάλιστα γὰρ πολλὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἐποιοῦντο, τοὺς μὲν ὑπὸ χρόνου κάμνοντας τῶν εὐκτηρίων οἴκων ἀνανεοῦν, τοὺς δὲ μεγαλοπρεπῶς θεμελίων ἐγείρειν. Ὧν ἔστι καὶ ἡ ἀξιοθέατος καὶ κάλλει ἀοίδιμος Ἐμέσης Ἐκκλησία. Ἰουδαίων δὲ ἐνομοθέτησαν μηδένα δοῦλον ὠνεῖσθαι τῶν ἐξ ἑτέρας αἱρέσεως ; εἰ δὲ παρὰ τοῦτο ποιήσει, δημόσιον οἰχέτὴν εἶναι ; εἰ δὲ καὶ περιτέμῃ καθὰ Ἰουδαίοις θέμις, εἰς κεφαλὴν εἶναι τὸν κίνδυνον, καὶ ἀφαίρεσιν τῶν ὄντων. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ τὴν θρησκείαν πάντοθεν αὔξειν ἠδούλοντο, τούτον πρόνοιαν ἐποιήσαντο, ὥστε μὴ ἀδεῶς εἰς Ἰουδαϊσμὸν ὑποσύρεσθαι τοὺς μὴ τοιούτους ἐκ γένους ὄντας · φυλάττεσθαι δὲ τῇ Ἐκκλησία καὶ τοὺς ἐλπίδα Χριστιανισμοῦ ἔχοντας. Μάλιστα γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ἑλληνικοῦ πλήθους ἐπεδίδου ἡ θρησκεία.
Hōs epipan de kai hoi proestōtes tote tōn Ekklēsiōn, ton bion hēchridōnto. Eichotōs te hypo toioutois enagomena ta plēthē, spoudaiōs syntetakto peri to tou Christou sebas " kai hē thrēskeia hosēmera: epedidou, zēlǭ te aretę̄, paradoxois praxesin hiereōn kai tōn ekklēsiastikōn philosophōn,ethēra kai pros epytēn metēge tēs ᾿HeEllēnichēs terthreias, tous ᾿Hellēnistas. Synelambanonto de eis epidosin toutōn hoi basileis, ouch hētton ē ho patēr peri tas Ekklēsias spoudazontes, klērikous kai paidas autōn kai oikeious exairetois timais ateleiais gerairontes, tois patrǭois nomois epipsēphizomenoi, kai oikeious tithentes nomous kata tōn thyein, hē xoana therapeuein, ē allōs 'Hellēnikōs thrēskeuein epicheirountōn. Naous de tous pantachę̄ keimenous en polesi kai agrois chechleisthai prosetaxan. Tous de, tai: Ekklēsiais proseneiman, ē topōn, ē hylōn prousdeomenais malista gar pollēn epimeleian epoiounto, tous men hypo chronou kamnontas tōn euktēriōn oikōn ananeoun, tous de megaloprepōs themeliōn egeirein. Hōn esti kai hē axiotheatos kai kallei aoidimos Emesēs Ekklēsia. Ioudaiōn de enomothetēsan mēdena doulon ōneisthai tōn ex heteras haireseōs ? ei de para touto poiēsei, dēmosion oichetēn einai ? ei de kai peritemę̄ katha Ioudaiois themis, eis kephalēn einai ton kindynon, kai aphairesin tōn ontōn. Epei gar tēn thrēskeian pantothen auxein ēdoulonto, touton pronoian epoiēsanto, hōste mē adeōs eis Ioudaïsmon hyposyresthai tous mē toioutous ek genous ontas ; phylattesthai de tę̄ Ekklēsia kai tous elpida Christianismou echontas. Malista gar ek tou hellēnikou plēthous epedidou hē thrēskeia.
On the whole the leaders of the churches at that time too lived exact lives. Naturally, the people, led by such men, were zealously devoted to the worship of Christ; and religion grew daily, and by the zeal, virtue and wonderful deeds of the priests and the church's philosophers it captured the pagans and drew them to itself from pagan nonsense. The emperors helped toward this growth, being no less zealous for the churches than their father, honouring the clergy, their children and households with special honours and exemptions, confirming their father's laws, and enacting laws of their own against those who attempted to sacrifice, to worship images, or to practise pagan religion in any other way. They ordered the temples everywhere in cities and countryside to be closed; and some they gave to churches that needed sites or materials. For they took great care to renew the houses of prayer worn by time and to raise others magnificently from the foundations; among these is the church of Emesa, worth seeing and celebrated for its beauty. They enacted that no Jew should buy a slave of another religion; if he did so, the slave was to become public property; and if he also circumcised him, as is lawful for Jews, the penalty was to be capital and the confiscation of his property. For since they wished to increase the religion in every way, they made provision that those who were not Jews by birth should not be drawn freely into Judaism, and that those who had hope of Christianity should be kept for the church. For religion grew most of all from the pagan multitude.
Notes and citation
Summary: Under Constantius and Constans the churches are well led and grow; the emperors exempt the clergy, close pagan temples, build churches, and forbid Jews to own or circumcise non-Jewish slaves.
- The laws referred to are in the Theodosian Code (on sacrifices, 16.10.2–6; on Jews owning Christian slaves, 16.9.2). Sozomen's account of the motive is his own and is translated as written.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slip; OCR slips; stray characters and split word): σπουδαίως δυντέταχτο → σπουδαίως συντέτακτο; ἀτελείαις ΧΥΙ͂. γεραίροντες, τοῖς πατρῴοις νόμοις ἐπιψηφιζόμε- (, ; καὶ → ἀτελείαις γεραίροντες, τοῖς πατρῴοις νόμοις ἐπιψηφιζόμενοι, καὶ; ἀφαίρεσιν οἱ πῶν ὄντων → καὶ ἀφαίρεσιν τῶν ὄντων.
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.17 (PG 67:1093–1095; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-17). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-17
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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.
3.18PG 67:1095
Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ αὐτὸ τὸ δόγμα, τὰ πρῶτα τὴν πατρῷαν ἐφύλαττον δόξαν· ἄμφω γὰρ ἐπαινέται τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστεως. Καὶ Κώνστας μὲν οὕτω διαμείνας ἐτελεύτησε· Κωνστάντιος δὲ, μέχρι μέν τινος, ὁμοίως εἶχε. Μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ διαβληθείσης τῆς τοῦ ὁμοουσίου λέξεως, τῆς προτέρας παρεκινήθη γνώμης· οὐ μὴν παντελῶς ἀπέσχετο τοῦ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν ὅμοιον εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν συνομολογεῖν τῷ Πατρί. Οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ τὸν Εὐσέβιον, καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς τῶν τότε ἀνὰ τὴν Ἕω ἐπὶ λόγῳ καὶ βίῳ θαυμαζομένων ἐπισκόπων, διαφορὰν, ὡς ἔγνωμεν, εἰσηγοῦντο τοῦ ὁμοούσιον λέγειν καὶ κατ' οὐσίαν ὅμοιον, ὅπερ ὁμοιούσιον ὠνόμαζον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὁμοούσιον, ἐπὶ σωμάτων κυρίως νοεῖσθαι, οἷον ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζώων, καὶ δένδρων καὶ φυτῶν, οἷς ἐξ ὁμοίου ἡ μετουσία καὶ ἡ γένεσίς ἐστι. Τὸ δὲ ὁμοιούσιον, ἐπὶ ἀσωμάτων, οἷον ἐπὶ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀγγέλων, ἑκατέρου πρὸς ἑαυτὸν νοουμένου κατ' ἰδίαν οὐσίαν. Ὑπὸ δὴ τῶν τοιούτων καὶ Κωνστάντιος ὁ βασιλεὺς μετεπείσθη. Καὶ κατὰ μὲν διάνοιαν, ὡς εἰκάζω, ὅμοια τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐφρόνει. Ῥητὸν δὲ ῥητοῦ ἀμείψας, ἀντὶ ὁμοουσίου ὁμοιοούσιον ἔλεγε. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδόκει τοῖς τούτων εἰσἡγηταῖς, ἀκριβέστερον ὧδε ὀνομάζειν ἰσχυριζομένοις ὡς εἴτις μὴ τοῦτο λέγει, κινδυνεύοι σῶμα τὸ ἀσώματον νοεῖν· ὅπερ εὔηθες εἶναι πολλοῖς ἐδόκει. Ἐκ γὰρ τῶν φαινομένων ἔφασκον χρῆναι περὶ τῶν νοητῶν τὰ ὀνόματα μεταλαμβάνειν · λέξεώς τε κίνδυνον μηδένα εἶναι, ἣν μὴ περὶ ἔννοιαν ἡ ἁμαρτία γένηται.
Ou mēn alla kai peri auto to dogma, ta prōta tēn patrǭan ephylatton doxan; amphō gar epainetai tēs en Nikaią pisteōs. Kai Kōnstas men houtō diameinas eteleutēse; Kōnstantios de, mechri men tinos, homoiōs eiche. Meta tauta de diablētheisēs tēs tou homoousiou lexeōs, tēs proteras parekinēthē gnōmēs; ou mēn pantelōs apescheto tou kat᾿ ousian homoion einai ton Huion synomologein tǭ Patri. Hoi de amphi ton Eusebion, kai alloi tines tōn tote ana tēn Heō epi logǭ kai biǭ thaumazomenōn episkopōn, diaphoran, hōs egnōmen, eisēgounto tou homoousion legein kai kat' ousian homoion, hoper homoiousion ōnomazon. To men gar homoousion, epi sōmatōn kyriōs noeisthai, hoion anthrōpōn kai tōn allōn zōōn, kai dendrōn kai phytōn, hois ex homoiou hē metousia kai hē genesis esti. To de homoiousion, epi asōmatōn, hoion epi Theou kai angelōn, hekaterou pros heauton nooumenou kat' idian ousian. Hypo dē tōn toioutōn kai Kōnstantios ho basileus metepeisthē. Kai kata men dianoian, hōs eikazō, homoia tǭ patri kai tǭ adelphǭ ephronei. Rhēton de rhētou ameipsas, anti homoousiou homoioousion elege. Touto gar edokei tois toutōn eisēgētais, akribesteron hōde onomazein ischyrizomenois hōs eitis mē touto legei, kindyneuoi sōma to asōmaton noein; hoper euēthes einai pollois edokei. Ek gar tōn phainomenōn ephaskon chrēnai peri tōn noētōn ta onomata metalambanein ; lexeōs te kindynon mēdena einai, hēn mē peri ennoian hē hamartia genētai.
Moreover, in the doctrine itself they at first kept their father's opinion; for both approved the faith of Nicaea. Constans remained so until his death; Constantius held the same for a time. Afterward, when the word “of the same essence” had been attacked, he was moved from his former opinion; yet he did not altogether refrain from confessing the Son to be like the Father in essence. Eusebius's party and certain others of the bishops then admired in the East for speech and life introduced, as we have learned, a distinction between saying “of the same essence” and “like in essence,” which they called homoiousios. For “of the same essence,” they said, is properly understood of bodies, such as men and other animals, trees and plants, whose sharing and generation are from something like themselves; but “like in essence” of incorporeal beings, such as God and angels, each being conceived in its own essence. By such men the emperor Constantius too was won over. In meaning, as I conjecture, he held the same as his father and brother; but exchanging one expression for another, he said homoiousios instead of homoousios. For the proponents of these views thought it more exact to speak in this way, insisting that if one did not say this, one risked conceiving the incorporeal as a body. This seemed foolish to many; for they said that names for intelligible things must be taken from visible things, and that there is no danger in a word unless the error lies in the thought.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Constans keeps the Nicene faith; Constantius is persuaded to replace “of the same essence” with “of like essence” (homoiousios), which its proponents defended as more fitting for incorporeal beings.
- ὁμοιούσιος, “of like essence” (homoiousios), is the term of the party later led by Basil of Ancyra. Sozomen's judgment that Constantius meant the same as the Nicene faith is his own conjecture, as he says.
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.18 (PG 67:1095; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-18). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-18
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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.
3.19PG 67:1095–1097
Οὐ θαυμαστὸν δὲ, εἰ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸ τοῦτο πέπονθεν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἱερέων πολλοὶ ἀφιλονείκως τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο προσίεντο, τῇ διανοίᾳ συνάδοντες τοῖς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνεληλυθόσιν. Οἱ δε ἑκατέρᾳ λέξει μηδὲν διαφερόμενοι, ἐχρῶντο ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς σημασίας. "Ωστε μοι δοκεῖ παρὰ πολὺ τῆς ἀληθείας κεκομψεῦσθαι ἐκεῖνον τὸν λόγον τοῖς τὰ ᾿Αρείου φρονοῦσιν. Λέγουσι γὰρ ὡς μετὰ τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ͵ σύνοδον, πολλοὶ τῶν ἱερέων, ὧν ἦσαν Εὐσέβιος καὶ Θεόγνιος, οὐκέτι λέγειν ἠνείχοντο ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρὶ τὸν 1244 χαλεπήνας Κωνσταντῖνος ὑπερορίαν αὑτοὺς οἰκεῖν κατεδίκασεν. δὲ 7| ὕπαρ θεόθεν. προανεφάνη τῇ ἀδελφῇ τοῦ βασιλέως, ὡς ὀρθῶς δοξάζουσι, καὶ ἀδίκως τάδε πεπόνθασιν. Ἔχ τούτου δὲ τὸν βασιλέα μετακαλέσασθαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ πυθέσθαι. τί δήποτε παρὰ τὰ ἐν Νικαίᾳ δόξαντα φρονοῦσι, καὶ ταῦτα κοινωνοὶ γενόμενοι τῆς ἐκτεθείσης ἐνθάδε ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει γραφῆς. Τοὺς δὲ φάναι, οὐχ ἀπὸ γνώμης συναινέσαι δεδιότας δὲ μὴ, ὡς εἰκὸς, ἔριδος ἐπὶ τούτῳ γενομένῆς, χαταγνῳ ὡς ἀμφιθόλου τοῦ δόγματος, πρὸς Ἑλληνισμὸν τραπείη, καὶ διώξει τὴν ᾿Εχχλησίαν, ἔναγχος Χριστιανίζειν ἀρξάμενος, καὶ ἔτι ἀδάπτιστος ὥν. Ἐπὶ ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ φασὶ Κωνσταντῖνον συγγνώμην αὐτοῖς νεῖμαι" προνοῆσαι δὲ πάλιν ἑτέραν συναθροῖσαι σύνοδον. Ἐν δὲ τῷ ταῦτα βουλεύεσθαι φθαπάσης τῆς αὐτοῦ τελευτῆς, οἷα πρεσδυτέρῳ παιδὶ ἐντείλασθαι Κωνσταντίῳ το" τοῦτο ἐπιτελέσαι, ὡς οὐδὲν ὄφελος ὃν αὐτῷ βασιλείας, εἰ μὴ συμφώνως πρὸς πάντων τὸ Θεῖον θρησχεύοιτο. Τὸν δὲ τῷ πατρὶ πειθόμενον, τὴν ἐν ᾿Αριμίνῳ συγχροτῆσαι σύνοδον, μάλιστα τὸ ψεῦδος φωρᾶται. Συνεληλύθασι γὰρ Ὑπατίου καὶ Εὐσεδίου ὑπατευόντων, ἡνίκα ἀμφὶ τὸ δεύτῆρον καὶ εἰχοστὸν ἔτος ἐν τῇ ἡγεμονίᾳ διήῆνυς Κωνστάντιος, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτὴν ᾿ πολλῶν ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ συνόδων γενομένων, ἐν αἷς περὶ ὁμοουσίου ὁμοιοουσίου ζήτησις ἣν. Τὸ δὲ χατ᾽ οὐσίαν ὅμοιον τῷ Πατρὶ τὸν Υἱὸν δοξάζειν, παντελῶς οὐδεὶς ἠθέλησεν, εἰσότε περὶ τούτου ᾿Αέτιος χαλεπῶς ἤνεγκε. Καὶ ἐπὶ ἀναιρέσει τοῦ τοιούτου δόγματος, ἐν Σελευκείᾳ προσέταξε κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον τοὺς ἱερέας συνελθεῖν. Ὥστε τὴν ἀληθῆ αἰτίαν ταυτησὶ τῆς συνόδου γενέσθαι, οὐ τὴν Κωνσταντίνου κέλευσιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ᾿Δέτιον ζήτησιν, Ὅτι μὲν οὖν τάδε ὧδε ἔχει, τὰ ἑξῆς ἐπιδείξει.
Ou thaumaston de, ei ho basileus auto touto peponthen; epei kai tōn hiereōn polloi aphiloneikōs to onoma touto prosiento, tę̄ dianoią synadontes tois en Nikaią synelēlythosin. Hoi de hekaterą lexei mēden diapheromenoi, echrōnto epi tēs autēs sēmasias. "Ōste moi dokei para poly tēs alētheias kekompseusthai ekeinon ton logon tois ta ᾿Areiou phronousin. Legousi gar hōs meta tēn en Nikaią͵ synodon, polloi tōn hiereōn, hōn ēsan Eusebios kai Theognios, ouketi legein ēneichonto homoousion tǭ Patri ton 1244 chalepēnas Kōnstantinos hyperorian hautous oikein katedikasen. de 7| hypar theothen. proanephanē tę̄ adelphę̄ tou basileōs, hōs orthōs doxazousi, kai adikōs tade peponthasin. Ech toutou de ton basilea metakalesasthai autous, kai pythesthai. ti dēpote para ta en Nikaią doxanta phronousi, kai tauta koinōnoi genomenoi tēs ektetheisēs enthade epi tę̄ pistei graphēs. Tous de phanai, ouch apo gnōmēs synainesai dediotas de mē, hōs eikos, eridos epi toutǭ genomenēs, chatagnǭ hōs amphitholou tou dogmatos, pros Hellēnismon trapeiē, kai diōxei tēn ᾿Echchlēsian, enanchos Christianizein arxamenos, kai eti adaptistos hōn. Epi tautę̄ de tę̄ apologią phasi Kōnstantinon syngnōmēn autois neimai" pronoēsai de palin heteran synathroisai synodon. En de tǭ tauta bouleuesthai phthapasēs tēs autou teleutēs, hoia presdyterǭ paidi enteilasthai Kōnstantiǭ to" touto epitelesai, hōs ouden ophelos hon autǭ basileias, ei mē symphōnōs pros pantōn to Theion thrēscheuoito. Ton de tǭ patri peithomenon, tēn en ᾿Ariminǭ synchrotēsai synodon, malista to pseudos phōratai. Synelēlythasi gar Hypatiou kai Eusediou hypateuontōn, hēnika amphi to deutēron kai eichoston etos en tę̄ hēgemonią diēēnys Kōnstantios, meta tēn tou patros teleutēn ᾿ pollōn en tǭ metaxy synodōn genomenōn, en hais peri homoousiou homoioousiou zētēsis hēn. To de chat᾽ ousian homoion tǭ Patri ton Huion doxazein, pantelōs oudeis ēthelēsen, eisote peri toutou ᾿Aetios chalepōs ēnenke. Kai epi anairesei tou toioutou dogmatos, en Seleukeią prosetaxe kata ton auton chronon tous hiereas synelthein. Hōste tēn alēthē aitian tautēsi tēs synodou genesthai, ou tēn Kōnstantinou keleusin, alla tēn ᾿Detion zētēsin, Hoti men oun tade hōde echei, ta hexēs epideixei.
It is not surprising that the emperor was affected in this way, since many of the priests too accepted this term without contention, agreeing in meaning with those who had met at Nicaea; and others, finding no difference between the two words, used them with the same sense. So it seems to me that the story put about by those who hold the views of Arius is far from the truth. For they say that after the synod of Nicaea many of the priests, among them Eusebius and Theognis, would no longer say that the Son is of the same essence as the Father; that Constantine, angry at this, condemned them to live in exile; that it was revealed by God beforehand to the emperor's sister, in a dream or a waking vision, that they held right views and had suffered unjustly; that the emperor then recalled them and asked why they held views contrary to what was decided at Nicaea, especially since they had taken part in the document on the faith set out there; and that they said they had assented not from conviction, but fearing that, if strife arose on this, he would naturally condemn the doctrine as doubtful and turn to paganism and persecute the church, since he had only lately begun to be a Christian and was still unbaptized. On this defence, they say, Constantine pardoned them and planned to gather another synod; but his death came before he could carry this out, and he charged his elder son Constantius to accomplish it, since there was no profit to him in empire unless the Divine were worshipped by all in harmony; and Constantius, obeying his father, convened the synod at Ariminum. Here above all the falsehood is detected. For they met in the consulship of Hypatius and Eusebius, when Constantius was completing about the twenty-second year of his reign after his father's death, and many synods had been held in between, at which there was inquiry into “of the same essence” and “of like essence.” No one at all was willing to deny that the Son is like the Father in essence until Aetius gave offence on this point; and to do away with such a doctrine, the emperor ordered the priests to meet at Seleucia at the same time. So the true cause of this synod was not Constantine's command but Aetius's inquiry. That this is so, what follows will show.
Notes and citation
Summary: Sozomen rejects the Arian story that Constantine, persuaded by his sister, wished to undo Nicaea and charged Constantius to hold the council of Ariminum; the councils of Ariminum and Seleucia arose rather from Aetius's teaching.
- Several words are lost or garbled in the scan in the middle of the Arians' story (“the Son; and angry at this”; “in a dream or a waking vision”), and some marginal words (glosses on “like in essence,” “unlike in essence,” homoousios, homoiousios) were printed at the end of the chapter; the translation gives the evident sense and omits the glosses. The councils of Ariminum (Rimini) and Seleucia met in 359. Aetius taught that the Son is unlike (ἀνόμοιος) the Father.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slip, and marginal glosses printed after the end of the text): “τι μὲν οὖν τάδε ὧδε ἔχει, τὰ ἑξῆς ἐπιδείξει. Τὸ δὲ κατ᾽ οὐσίαν ὅμοιον. χατ᾽ οὐσίαν ἀνόμοιον ὁμοούσιον ὁμοιούσιον μὲ ὁμοουσίῳ ὁμοιουσί → Ὅτι μὲν οὖν τάδε ὧδε ἔχει, τὰ ἑξῆς ἐπιδείξει..
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.19 (PG 67:1095–1097; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-19). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-19
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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.
3.20PG 67:1099–1101
Ὁ δὲ Κώνστας τὰ ἐν Σαρδικῇ γεγενημένα μαθών, ἔγραψε τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἀποδοῦναι τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν ᾿Αθανάσιον καὶ Παῦλον τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐκκλησίας. Ὡς δὲ ἀνεβάλλετο, πάλιν ἔγραψεν, ἢ δέχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας, ἢ πρὸς πόλεμον παρασκευάσασθαι. Κοινωσάμενος δὲ περὶ τούτου Κωνστάντιος τοῖς ἀνὰ τὴν Ἕω ἐπισκόποις, εὔηθες ἐνόμισε τούτου χάριν ἐμφύλιον αἱρεῖσθαι μάχην. Μετακαλεῖται δὲ ᾿Αθανάσιον ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας, δημόσια ὀχήματα δοὺς αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν ἐπάνοδον, καὶ γράμμασι πολλάκις προτρέψας θᾶττον ἐπανελθεῖν. ᾿Αθανάσιος δὲ ἐν Ἀκυληίᾳ τότε διάγων, δεξάμενος τὸ Κωνσταντίου γράμματα, ἧκεν εἰς Ῥώμην, τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἰούλιον συνταξόμενος. Ὁ δὲ μάλα φιλοφρό νως ἀπέπεμψεν αὐτὸν, ἐπιστολὴν δοὺς πρὸς τὸν ᾿Αλε ξανδρέων κλῆρον καὶ λαὸν, ὡς εἰκὸς τὸν ἄνδρα θαυμάζουσαν, ἐπιδοξότατον τοῖς πολλοῖς κινδύνοις γεγενημένον, καὶ συνηδομένην τῇ ᾿Αλεξανδρέων ἐκκλησία ἐπὶ τοσούτου; ἱερέως ἐπανόδῳ, καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ φρονεῖν παρακελευομένην. Ἐντεῦθέν τε ἧκεν εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν τῆς Συρίας, ὅπου τότε διέτριβεν ὁ βασιλεύς· τὰς δὲ Ἐκκλησίας κατεῖχε Λεόντιος. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν Εὐσταθίου φυγὴν, οἱ ἐκ τῆς ἐναντίας αἱρέσεως τὸν ᾿Αντιοχείας ἐπετρόπευον θρόνον· πρῶτος μὲν Εὐφρόνιος μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Πλάκητος, καὶ ἐφεξῆς Στέφανος. Ὡς ἀναξίου δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀποχειροτονηθέντος, Λεόντιος τότε τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν διεῖπεν. Ον ὡς ἑτερόδοξον, παρῃτεῖτο ᾿Αθανάσιος · τοῖς δὲ καλουμένοις Εὐσταθιανοῖς ἐκοινώνει, ἐν ἰδιωτῶν οἰκίαις ἐκκλησιάζων. Ἐπεὶ δὲ εὔνου καὶ ἐπιεικοῦς ἐπειράθη Κωνσταντίου καὶ ἐδόκει τὴν ἰδίαν αὐτῷ ἀπολαβεῖν Ἐκκλησίαν, ὑποθεμένων τῶν προεστώτων τῆς ἐναντίας αἱρέσεως· ᾿Αλλ' ἐγὼ μὲν, ἔφη ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἕτοιμός εἰμι περάναι τὰς ὑποσχέσεις, ἐφ᾿ αἷς σε μετεκαλεσάμην. Ἐν δίκῃ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς, ἣν ἂν αἰτήσαιμι χάριν, προθύμως συγχωρήσεις. Ἡ δὲ ἐστιν, ὥστε ἐκ πολλῶν τῶν ὑπό σε ἐκκλησιῶν μίαν ἔχειν τοὺς κοινωνεῖν σοι παραιτουμένους. Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ᾿Αθανάσιος, Καὶ μάλα, βασιλεῦ, εἶπε, δίκαιον καὶ ἀναγκαῖον, τοῖς σοῖς προστάγμασι πείθεσθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἀντερῶ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἀνὰ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων ἡμῖν ἀποφεύγοντες, παραπλησίαν τήνδε τὴν ᾿Αντιόχειαν πόλιν, εἰσὶν οἱ τὴν κοινωνίαν αἰτῶ χάριν, ὥστε καὶ αὐτοὺς μίαν ἔχειν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἀδεῶς ἐν ταύτῃ συνιέναι. Δίκαια δὲ λέγειν ᾿Αθανάσιον τοῦ βασιλέως δοκιμάσαντος, ἄμεινον ἐφάνη τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς ἑτέρας αἱρέσεως ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν, λογιζεμένοις ὡς οὐ πάντως τὰ τῆς οἰκείας δόξης ἐπίδοσιν ἕξει παρὰ ᾿Αλεξανδρεῦσι δι' αὐτὸν ᾿Αθανάσιον · ἱκανὸν ὄντα τοὺς ὁμοφρονοῦντας ἀσφαλῶς ἔχειν, καὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐπάγεσθαι · παρὰ δὲ Ἀντιοχεῦσιν εἰ τοῦτο γένοιτο, πρῶτον μὲν συγκροτηθήσεσθαι τοὺς Εὐσταθίου ἐπαινέτας πολλοὺς ὄντας. Ἔπειτα δὲ, ὡς εἰκὸς, νεωτέρων αὐτοὺς πειραθήσεσθαι πραγμάτων, ἐξὸν ἀκινδύνως ἔχειν οὓς ἔχουσιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ κρατούντων αὐτῶν τῶν τῇδε ἐκκλησιῶν, οὐ παντελῶς οἷς ἐδόξαζον ὁ πᾶς κλῆρος καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐπείθοντο· ἀλλὰ κατὰ χοροὺς ὡς ἔθος ἐν τῷ ὑμνεῖν τὸν Θεὸν συνιστάμενοι, πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῶν ᾠδῶν τὴν οἰκείαν προαίρεσιν ἐπεδείκνυον. Καὶ οἱ μὲν, Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν ὡς ὁμότιμον ἐδόξαζον· οἱ δὲ, Πατέρα ἐν Υἱῷ, τῇ παρενθέσει τῆς προθέσεως, δευτερεύειν τὸν Υἱὸν ἀποφαίνοντες. Αμέλει τοι τούτων ὧδε γεγενημένων, ἀπορῶν ὅ τι ποιήσειε Λεόντιος, ὃς κατὰ τόνδε τὸν χρόνον ἐκ τῆς ἐναντίας αἱρέσεως τὸν ᾿Αντιοχέων διεῖπε θρόνον, κωλύειν μὲν οὐκ ἐπεχείρησε τοὺς κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνοῦντας · ἐδεδίει γὰρ, μὴ στασιάσῃ τὸ πλῆθος· λέγεται δὲ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐφαψάμενος, ὑπὸ πολιᾶς λευκῆς οὔσης, εἰπεῖν· ὡς ταυτησὶ τῆς χιόνος λυθείσης, πολὺς ἔσται πηλός. Ὑποδηλῶν ὡς αὐτοῦ τελευτήσαντος, εἰς στάσιν τῷ λαῷ καταλήξει ἡ ἐν τοῖς ὕμνοις διαφωνία, μὴ ἀνεχομένων τῶν μετ᾿ αὐτὸν ὁμοίως συμπεριφέρεσθαι τῷ πλήθει.
Ho de Kōnstas ta en Sardikę̄ gegenēmena mathōn, egrapse tǭ adelphǭ apodounai tois amphi ton ᾿Athanasion kai Paulon tas heautōn ekklēsias. Hōs de aneballeto, palin egrapsen, ē dechesthai tous andras, ē pros polemon paraskeuasasthai. Koinōsamenos de peri toutou Kōnstantios tois ana tēn Heō episkopois, euēthes enomise toutou charin emphylion haireisthai machēn. Metakaleitai de ᾿Athanasion ek tēs Italias, dēmosia ochēmata dous autǭ pros tēn epanodon, kai grammasi pollakis protrepsas thatton epanelthein. ᾿Athanasios de en Akylēią tote diagōn, dexamenos to Kōnstantiou grammata, hēken eis Rhōmēn, tois amphi ton Ioulion syntaxomenos. Ho de mala philophro nōs apepempsen auton, epistolēn dous pros ton ᾿Ale xandreōn klēron kai laon, hōs eikos ton andra thaumazousan, epidoxotaton tois pollois kindynois gegenēmenon, kai synēdomenēn tę̄ ᾿Alexandreōn ekklēsia epi tosoutou? hiereōs epanodǭ, kai ta autou phronein parakeleuomenēn. Enteuthen te hēken eis ᾿Antiocheian tēs Syrias, hopou tote dietriben ho basileus; tas de Ekklēsias kateiche Leontios. Meta gar tēn Eustathiou phygēn, hoi ek tēs enantias haireseōs ton ᾿Antiocheias epetropeuon thronon; prōtos men Euphronios meta de touton Plakētos, kai ephexēs Stephanos. Hōs anaxiou de autou apocheirotonēthentos, Leontios tote tēn episkopēn dieipen. On hōs heterodoxon, parę̄teito ᾿Athanasios ; tois de kaloumenois Eustathianois ekoinōnei, en idiōtōn oikiais ekklēsiazōn. Epei de eunou kai epieikous epeirathē Kōnstantiou kai edokei tēn idian autǭ apolabein Ekklēsian, hypothemenōn tōn proestōtōn tēs enantias haireseōs; ᾿All' egō men, ephē ho basileus, hetoimos eimi peranai tas hyposcheseis, eph᾿ hais se metekalesamēn. En dikę̄ de kai autos, hēn an aitēsaimi charin, prothymōs synchōrēseis. Hē de estin, hōste ek pollōn tōn hypo se ekklēsiōn mian echein tous koinōnein soi paraitoumenous. Hypolabōn de ᾿Athanasios, Kai mala, basileu, eipe, dikaion kai anankaion, tois sois prostagmasi peithesthai, kai ouk anterō. Epei de kai ana tōn heterodoxōn hēmin apopheugontes, paraplēsian tēnde tēn ᾿Antiocheian polin, eisin hoi tēn koinōnian aitō charin, hōste kai autous mian echein ekklēsian, kai adeōs en tautę̄ synienai. Dikaia de legein ᾿Athanasion tou basileōs dokimasantos, ameinon ephanē tois apo tēs heteras haireseōs hēsychian agein, logizemenois hōs ou pantōs ta tēs oikeias doxēs epidosin hexei para ᾿Alexandreusi di' auton ᾿Athanasion ; hikanon onta tous homophronountas asphalōs echein, kai tous enantious epagesthai ; para de Antiocheusin ei touto genoito, prōton men synkrotēthēsesthai tous Eustathiou epainetas pollous ontas. Epeita de, hōs eikos, neōterōn autous peirathēsesthai pragmatōn, exon akindynōs echein hous echousin; epei kai kratountōn autōn tōn tę̄de ekklēsiōn, ou pantelōs hois edoxazon ho pas klēros kai ho laos epeithonto; alla kata chorous hōs ethos en tǭ hymnein ton Theon synistamenoi, pros tǭ telei tōn ǭdōn tēn oikeian proairesin epedeiknyon. Kai hoi men, Patera kai Huion hōs homotimon edoxazon; hoi de, Patera en Huiǭ, tę̄ parenthesei tēs protheseōs, deutereuein ton Huion apophainontes. Amelei toi toutōn hōde gegenēmenōn, aporōn ho ti poiēseie Leontios, hos kata tonde ton chronon ek tēs enantias haireseōs ton ᾿Antiocheōn dieipe thronon, kōlyein men ouk epecheirēse tous kata tēn paradosin tēs en Nikaią synodou ton Theon hymnountas ; edediei gar, mē stasiasę̄ to plēthos; legetai de tēs kephalēs ephapsamenos, hypo polias leukēs ousēs, eipein; hōs tautēsi tēs chionos lytheisēs, polys estai pēlos. Hypodēlōn hōs autou teleutēsantos, eis stasin tǭ laǭ katalēxei hē en tois hymnois diaphōnia, mē anechomenōn tōn met᾿ auton homoiōs symperipheresthai tǭ plēthei.
When Constans learned what had been done at Sardica, he wrote to his brother to give back their churches to Athanasius and Paul. When Constantius put it off, he wrote again that he should either receive the men or prepare for war. Constantius, consulting the bishops of the East about this, thought it foolish to choose civil war for this reason. He recalled Athanasius from Italy, giving him the public carriages for the return journey, and urging him by many letters to return quickly. Athanasius, who was then staying at Aquileia, on receiving Constantius's letters, came to Rome to take leave of Julius. Julius sent him away very kindly, giving him a letter to the clergy and people of Alexandria which naturally admired the man, made most famous by his many dangers, rejoiced with the church of Alexandria at the return of so great a priest, and urged them to hold his views. From there he came to Antioch in Syria, where the emperor was then staying; and Leontius held the churches. For after the exile of Eustathius those of the opposite sect had governed the see of Antioch: first Euphronius, after him Placetus, and then Stephen; and when he was deposed as unworthy, Leontius then governed the episcopate. Athanasius declined him as of another opinion, and communicated with those called Eustathians, who assembled in private houses. When he found Constantius well disposed and fair, and it seemed that he would recover his own church, at the suggestion of the leaders of the opposite sect the emperor said: “I am ready to fulfil the promises on which I recalled you. But it is just that you too should readily grant a favour I may ask: that of the many churches under you, those who decline to communicate with you may have one.” Athanasius replied: “It is most just and necessary, emperor, to obey your commands, and I will not oppose it. But since in this city of Antioch too there are those who flee communion with the heterodox and are in communion with us, I ask the same favour, that they too may have one church and meet in it without fear.” When the emperor judged that Athanasius spoke justly, it seemed better to those of the other sect to keep quiet. They reckoned that their own opinion would in any case make no progress among the Alexandrians because of Athanasius himself, who was able to keep those of his opinion secure and to win over his opponents; whereas if this happened at Antioch, first the admirers of Eustathius, who were many, would be organized, and then, naturally, they would attempt innovations, when they could have what they had without danger. For even while they held the churches there, not all the clergy and people obeyed their views; but gathering in choirs, as is the custom, to sing praise to God, they showed their own preference at the end of the odes. Some glorified the Father and the Son as equal in honour; others the Father in the Son, by inserting the preposition declaring the Son to be second. Indeed, when things had come to this, Leontius, who at this time governed the see of Antioch for the opposite sect, was at a loss what to do; he did not try to prevent those who sang praise to God according to the tradition of the synod of Nicaea, for he feared the people would riot; but it is said that, touching his head, which was white with grey hair, he said: “When this snow melts there will be much mud,” hinting that after his death the disagreement in the hymns would end in strife among the people, since those after him would not be so accommodating toward the multitude.
Notes and citation
Summary: Under pressure from Constans, Constantius recalls Athanasius, who refuses communion with Leontius at Antioch and asks a church for the Eustathians; the rival doxologies at Antioch and Leontius's saying about the melting snow.
- A fragment of Valesius's chapter title (“… of the doxology in hymns”) stood at the head of the section and has been removed; the Greek of Athanasius's reply is somewhat garbled in the scan and is translated by sense. The two doxologies are “Glory to the Father and to the Son” and “Glory to the Father in [or through] the Son.” Julius's letter to the Alexandrians is in Athanasius, Defence against the Arians 52–53.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slips; fragment of Valesius's chapter title leaked into the text; stray letter): τῆς ἐν ὕμνοις δοξολογίας. → ; ἐν Ἀκυλίᾳ τό τότε → ἐν Ἀκυληίᾳ τότε; ἀποχειροτονηθέντος η, → ἀποχειροτονηθέντος,.
Extrabiblical texts: Athanasius, Apol. sec. 52-53 (Defence against the Arians; allusion)
Topics: Trinity, Heresy, Prayer
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.20 (PG 67:1099–1101; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-20). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-20
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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.
3.21PG 67:1101–1103
Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀποπέμπει ᾿Αθανάσιον εἰς Αἴγυπτον· ἔγραψε δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῖς κατὰ πόλιν ἐπισκόποις καὶ πρεσβυτέροις, καὶ τῷ λαῷ τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρέων Ἐκκλησίας, ὀρθότητά τε βίου μαρτυρῶν αὐτῷ καὶ τρόπων ἀρετήν · παρακελευόμενος ὁμονοεῖν καὶ, ὑπὸ πρωτοστάτῃ αὐτῷ εὐχαῖς καὶ ἱκεσίαις τὸ θεῖον θεραπεύειν. Εἰ δὲ τινες ἐθελοκακοῦντες στασιώδεις άναφανεῖεν, τιμωρίαν διδόναι κατὰ τοὺς περὶ τούτων κειμένους νόμους. Προσέταξε δὲ καὶ τὰ πρότερον παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ γραφέντα κατὰ ᾿Αθανασίου καὶ τῶν αὐτῷ κοινωνούντων, ἀπὸ τῶν δημοσίων ὑπομνημάτων ἀπαλειφῆναι· καὶ ὡς τὸ πρὶν, ἀτέλειαν ἔχειν λειτουργημάτων τοὺς αὐτοῦ κληρικούς. Καὶ περὶ τούτου πρὸς τοὺς ἀνὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ Λιβύην ἄρχοντας ἔγραψε. Παραγενόμενος δὲ ᾿Αθανάσιος εἰς Αἴγυπτον, οὓς μὲν ἔγνω τὰ ᾿Αρείου φρονοῦντας, καθεῖλεν. Οἷς δὲ αὐτὸς ἐδοκίμασε, τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἐπέτρεψε, καὶ τὴν πίστιν τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου· καὶ σπουδῇ ταύτης ἔχεσθαι ἐνετέλλετο. Λέγεται δὲ τότε καὶ διὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν ποιούμενος, ὅμοια πρᾶξαι, εἰ συνέβαινε ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Αρείου κατέχεσθαι. Αμέλει τοι καὶ τοῦτο ἔγκλημα αὐτῷ ἐπῆγον, ὡς ἐν πόλεσι μηδὲν αὐτῷ προσηκούσαις, χειροτονεῖν ἐτόλμησεν. Οἷα δὲ καὶ ἀκόντων τῶν ἐναντίων κατωρθωκὼς τὴν ἐπάνοδον, καὶ διὰ τὴν φιλίαν Κώνσταντος τοῦ βασιλέως οὐ δοκῶν εὐκαταφρόνητος εἶναι, μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον ἐν τιμῇ ἦν. Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐπισκόπων, τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπεχθείας μετέθεντο, καὶ κοινωνίας μετέδοσαν, ὡς Παλαιστινοί· παριόντα γὰρ αὐτὸν τότε δι' αὐτῶν, εὐμενῶς προσεδέξαντο· καὶ σύνοδον ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐπιτελέσαντες Μάξιμός τε καὶ ἕτεροι, ἔγραψαν περὶ αὐτοῦ τάδε.
Ho de basileus apopempei ᾿Athanasion eis Aigypton; egrapse de peri autou tois kata polin episkopois kai presbyterois, kai tǭ laǭ tēs ᾿Alexandreōn Ekklēsias, orthotēta te biou martyrōn autǭ kai tropōn aretēn ; parakeleuomenos homonoein kai, hypo prōtostatę̄ autǭ euchais kai hikesiais to theion therapeuein. Ei de tines ethelokakountes stasiōdeis anaphaneien, timōrian didonai kata tous peri toutōn keimenous nomous. Prosetaxe de kai ta proteron par᾿ autou graphenta kata ᾿Athanasiou kai tōn autǭ koinōnountōn, apo tōn dēmosiōn hypomnēmatōn apaleiphēnai; kai hōs to prin, ateleian echein leitourgēmatōn tous autou klērikous. Kai peri toutou pros tous ana tēn Aigypton kai Libyēn archontas egrapse. Paragenomenos de ᾿Athanasios eis Aigypton, hous men egnō ta ᾿Areiou phronountas, katheilen. Hois de autos edokimase, tas ekklēsias epetrepse, kai tēn pistin tēs en Nikaią synodou; kai spoudę̄ tautēs echesthai enetelleto. Legetai de tote kai dia tōn allōn ethnōn tēn hodoiporian poioumenos, homoia praxai, ei synebaine tais ekklēsiais hypo tōn ᾿Areiou katechesthai. Amelei toi kai touto enklēma autǭ epēgon, hōs en polesi mēden autǭ prosēkousais, cheirotonein etolmēsen. Hoia de kai akontōn tōn enantiōn katōrthōkōs tēn epanodon, kai dia tēn philian Kōnstantos tou basileōs ou dokōn eukataphronētos einai, mallon ē proteron en timę̄ ēn. Polloi de kai tōn episkopōn, tēs pros auton apechtheias metethento, kai koinōnias metedosan, hōs Palaistinoi; parionta gar auton tote di' autōn, eumenōs prosedexanto; kai synodon en Hierosolymois epitelesantes Maximos te kai heteroi, egrapsan peri autou tade.
The emperor sent Athanasius away to Egypt, and wrote about him to the bishops and presbyters in the cities and to the people of the church of Alexandria, bearing witness to the uprightness of his life and the virtue of his character, urging them to be of one mind and, under him as their leader, to serve the Divine with prayers and supplications; and if any wilfully showed themselves seditious, they were to be punished according to the laws on such matters. He also ordered that what he had earlier written against Athanasius and those in communion with him should be erased from the public records, and that his clergy should be exempt from public duties as before; and he wrote about this to the governors in Egypt and Libya. When Athanasius came to Egypt, he deposed those he knew held the views of Arius, entrusted the churches to those he himself approved, together with the faith of the synod of Nicaea, and charged them to hold zealously to it. It is said that at that time, travelling through the other provinces too, he did the same wherever the churches happened to be held by those of Arius. Indeed, they brought this charge too against him, that he had dared to ordain in cities that did not belong to him. Since he had achieved his return in spite of his opponents, and because of his friendship with the emperor Constans did not seem one to be despised, he was in more honour than before. Many of the bishops too gave up their hostility to him and gave him communion, as did those of Palestine; for when he passed through their country at that time they received him kindly; and holding a synod at Jerusalem, Maximus and others wrote about him as follows.
Notes and citation
Summary: Constantius sends Athanasius back with letters commending him; Athanasius replaces Arian clergy in Egypt and is welcomed by the bishops of Palestine, who hold a synod at Jerusalem.
- Constantius's letters are in Athanasius, Defence against the Arians 54–56. Athanasius returned in October 346.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (split word and OCR slip): ἀπὸ τῶν δημοσίων ὑπομνημάτων ἀπ᾿ αλιφῆναι → ἀπὸ τῶν δημοσίων ὑπομνημάτων ἀπαλειφῆναι.
Extrabiblical texts: Athanasius, Apol. sec. 54-56 (Defence against the Arians; allusion)
Topics: Church office, Heresy
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.21 (PG 67:1101–1103; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-21). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-21
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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.
3.22PG 67:1103–1105
Ἡ ἁγία σύνοδος ἡ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις συναχθεῖσα, τοῖς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ Λιβύῃ, καὶ τοῖς ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις καὶ λαῷ, ἀγαπητοῖς καὶ ποθεινοτάτοις ἀδελφοῖς, ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Κατ᾿ ἀξίαν τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ εὐχαριστεῖν οὐκ ἀρκοῦμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἐφ᾽ οἷς θαυμασίοις ἐποίησε πάντοτε, ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ νῦν μετὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας Ἐκκλησίας, τὸν ποιμένα ὑμῶν καὶ κύριον καὶ συλλειτουργὸν ἡμῶν ᾿Αθανάσιον ἀποδοὺς ὑμῖν. Τίς γὰρ ἤλπισέ ποτε ταῦτα ὀφθαλμοῖς ἰδεῖν, ἃ νῦν ὑμεῖς ? ἔργῳ ἀπολαμβάνετε; ἀλλ᾿ ἀληθῶς αἱ εὐχαὶ ὑμῶν αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἡνῶσθαι. Ὀφείλετε δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰσηκούσθησαν παρὰ τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, τῷ κηδομένῳ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπιδόντι ὑμῶν τὰ δάκρυα καὶ τοὺς ὀδυρμοὺς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῶν δεήσεων ὑμῶν ἐπακούσαντι. Ἦτε γὰρ ὡς πρόβατα ἐῤῥιμμένα καὶ ἐσκυλμένα, μὴ ἔχοντα ποιμένα. Καὶ διατοῦτο ἐπεσκέψατο ὑμᾶς ὁ ἀληθινὸς ποιμὴν οὐρανόθεν, ὁ τῶν ἰδίων προβάτων κηδόμενος, ἀποδοὺς ὑμῖν ὃν ἐπαθεῖτε. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντα ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκκλη - σιαστικῆς εἰρήνης πράττοντες, καὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ συμπνέοντες ἀγάπη, προλαβόντες αὐτὸν ἠσπασάμεθα · καὶ κοινωνήσαντες δι' αὐτοῦ ὑμῖν ταύτας τὰς προσρήσεις διαπεμπόμεθα, καὶ τὰς εὐχαριστηρίους ὑμῶν εὐχὰς, ἵν᾽ εἰδῆτε τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς ἀγάπης πρὸς εὐσεβείας τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων βασιλέων εὔχεσθαι · οἵτινες καὶ αὐτοὶ γνόντες τὸν πόθον ὑμῶν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ καθαρότητα, ἀποκαταστησαι ὑμῖν αὐτὸν μετὰ πάσης τιμῆς κατηξίωσαν. Ὑπτίαις οὖν δεξάμενοι αὐτὸν χερσὶ, καὶ τὰς ὀφειλομένας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ εὐχαριστηρίους εὐχὰς ἀναπέμψαι τῷ ταῦτα ὑμῖν χαρισαμένῳ Θεῷ σπουδάσατε, ὑπὲρ τοῦ διὰ παντὸς ὑμᾶς χαίρειν σὺν Θεῷ, καὶ δοξάζειν τὸν Κύριον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, δι' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ᾿Αμήν.
Hē hagia synodos hē en Hierosolymois synachtheisa, tois en Aigyptǭ kai Libyę̄, kai tois en Alexandreią presbyterois kai diakonois kai laǭ, agapētois kai potheinotatois adelphois, en Kyriǭ chairein. Kat᾿ axian tǭ tōn holōn Theǭ eucharistein ouk arkoumen, agapētoi, eph᾽ hois thaumasiois epoiēse pantote, epoiēse de kai nyn meta tēs hymeteras Ekklēsias, ton poimena hymōn kai kyrion kai sylleitourgon hēmōn ᾿Athanasion apodous hymin. Tis gar ēlpise pote tauta ophthalmois idein, ha nyn hymeis ? ergǭ apolambanete? all᾿ alēthōs hai euchai hymōn auton kai hēmas hēnōsthai. Opheilete de kai hyper tēs eisēkousthēsan para tǭ tōn holōn Theǭ, tǭ kēdomenǭ tēs Ekklēsias autou, kai epidonti hymōn ta dakrya kai tous odyrmous, kai dia touto tōn deēseōn hymōn epakousanti. Ēte gar hōs probata errhimmena kai eskylmena, mē echonta poimena. Kai diatouto epeskepsato hymas ho alēthinos poimēn ouranothen, ho tōn idiōn probatōn kēdomenos, apodous hymin hon epatheite. Idou gar kai hēmeis panta hyper tēs ekklē - siastikēs eirēnēs prattontes, kai tę̄ hymeterą sympneontes agapē, prolabontes auton ēspasametha ; kai koinōnēsantes di' autou hymin tautas tas prosrēseis diapempometha, kai tas eucharistērious hymōn euchas, hin᾽ eidēte tǭ syndesmǭ tēs agapēs pros eusebeias tōn theophilestatōn basileōn euchesthai ; hoitines kai autoi gnontes ton pothon hymōn kai tēn autou katharotēta, apokatastēsai hymin auton meta pasēs timēs katēxiōsan. Hyptiais oun dexamenoi auton chersi, kai tas opheilomenas hyper autou eucharistērious euchas anapempsai tǭ tauta hymin charisamenǭ Theǭ spoudasate, hyper tou dia pantos hymas chairein syn Theǭ, kai doxazein ton Kyrion en Christǭ Iēsou tǭ Kyriǭ hēmōn, di' hou tǭ Patri hē doxa eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn. ᾿Amēn.
“The holy synod gathered at Jerusalem to the presbyters, deacons and people in Egypt and Libya and in Alexandria, beloved and most longed-for brothers, greeting in the Lord. We cannot thank the God of all worthily, beloved, for the wonders he has always done, and has done now with your church, in giving back to you your shepherd and lord and our fellow minister Athanasius. For who ever hoped to see with his eyes what you now receive in fact? But truly your prayers have been heard by the God of all, who cares for his church and has looked upon your tears and lamentations, and for this reason has heard your petitions. For you were like sheep scattered and harassed, having no shepherd. Therefore the true Shepherd, who cares for his own sheep, has visited you from heaven and given back to you the one you longed for. For see, we too, doing everything for the peace of the church and breathing with your love, have met him first and embraced him; and having entered into communion with you through him, we send you these greetings and our prayers of thanksgiving, so that you may know that we too are united with you by the bond of love. You ought also to pray for the piety of the most God-beloved emperors, who themselves, knowing your longing and his innocence, have seen fit to restore him to you with all honour. Receive him, then, with outstretched hands, and be eager to send up the thanksgiving you owe for him to God, who has granted you these things, so that you may always rejoice with God and glorify the Lord in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom be glory to the Father for ever and ever. Amen.”
Matt 9:36 (allusion, high confidence) · John 10:11 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The synodal letter of the bishops at Jerusalem rejoices with the church of Alexandria at the return of Athanasius.
- The letter is also in Athanasius, Defence against the Arians 57. Some lines are displaced in the scan (“have been heard … by the God of all”; “ought also to pray for the piety”); the translation follows the order of the letter as Athanasius gives it. “Sheep … having no shepherd” echoes Matt 9:36.
Extrabiblical texts: Athanasius, Apol. sec. 57 (Defence against the Arians; quotation)
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.22 (PG 67:1103–1105; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-22). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-22
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-sozomen-historia-3-22) · Report an error
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.
3.23PG 67:1105–1107
Καὶ τὰ μὲν ὧδε ἔγραψεν ἡ ἐκ Παλαιστίνης σύνοδος. Μέγιστον δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις ᾿Αθανασίῳ συνεκύρησε, περιφανῶς ἐλέγχον, ἀδίκως αὐτοῦ καταδικάσαι τοὺς ἐν Τύρῳ συνεληλυθότας. Οὐάλης γὰρ καὶ Οὐρσάκιος, οἱ σὺν τοῖς ἀμφὶ Θεόγνιον, ὡς πρόσθεν εἴρηται, εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην παρεγένοντο ἐρευνῆσαι, εἰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰσχυρίωνος γραφὴν ποτήριον ἱερὸν συνέτριψε, μεταμεληθέντες τάδε ἔγραψαν Ἰουλίῳ τῷ Ῥωμαίων ἐπισκόπῳ. Τῷ Κυρίῳ μακαριωτάτῳ πάπᾳ Ἰουλίῳ, Οὐρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης. Ἐπειδὴ συνέστησεν ἡμᾶς πρὸ τούτου πολλά τε καὶ δεινὰ περὶ ᾿Αθανασίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου διὰ γραμμάτων ὑμῶν ὑποβεβληκέναι, γράμμασι τῆς σῆς Χρηστότητος μεθοδευθέντες, τοῦ πράγματος χάριν περὶ οὗ ἐδηλώσαμεν, οὐκ ἠδυνήθημεν λόγον ἀποδοῦναι, ὁμολογοῦμεν παρὰ τῇ σῇ Χρηστότητι, παρόντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν πάντων τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ὅτι πάντα τὰ πρὸ τούτου ἐλθόντα εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ προειρημένου ᾿Αθανασίου, ψευδῆ καὶ πλαστά ἐστιν, πάσῃ τε δυνάἀλλότρια αὑτοῦ τυγχάνε: " διά τε τοῦτο, ἡδέως ἀντιποιούμεθα τῆς κοινωνίας τοῦ προειρημένου ᾿Αθανασίου " μάλιστα ὅτι ἡ Θεοσέδειά σου κατὰ τὴν ἔμφυτον αὐτῆς χαλοχαγαθίαν, τῇ πλάνῃ ἡμῶν συγγνώμην κατηξίωσε δοῦναι. 'Ομολογοῦμεν τοῦτο, ὅτι ἐάν ποτε ἡμᾶς οἱ ἀνατολικοὶ θελήσωσιν, 7| αὐτὸς ᾿Αθανάσιος χαχοτρόπως περὶ τούτου εἰς κρίσιν καλέσαι, μὴ. ἀπέρχεσθαι παρὰ γνώμην τῆς σῆς διαθέσεως. Τὸν δὲ αἱρετικὸν τοὺς ὑπερασπίζοντας αὐτῷ. τοὺς λέγοντας, ποτε ὅτε οὐχ ἦν ὁ Υἱὸς, ὅτι τοῦ μὴ ὄντος Χριστός ἐστιν, τοὺς ἀρνουμένους τὸν Χριστὸν Θεὸν εἷναι καὶ Υἱὸν Θεοῦ πρὸ αἰώνων, καθὼς καὶ ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ λιβέλλῳ ἑαυτῶν ἐν τῇ Μεδιολάνων ἐπιδεδώχαμεν, νῦν ἀεὶ ἀναθεματίζομεν παῦτα δὲ τῇ χειρὶ αὐτῶν γράψαντες, ὁμολογοῦμεν πάλιν ὅτι τὴν ᾿Αρειανιχὴν αἵρετιν, καθὰ προείπομεν, τοὺς ταύτης αὐθέντας χατεχρίναμεν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, Ἐγὼ Οὐρσάκιος τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ μου ταύτῃ παρὼν ὑκἐγραψα ὡσαύτως δὲ Οὐάλης. Καὶ ἃ μὲν πρὸς Ἰούλιον ὡμολόγησαν, ταῦτά ἐστιν. δὲ καὶ πρὸς ᾿Αθανάσιον ἔγραψαν, ἀναγκαίως παραθήσομαι. Ἔχει δὲ
Kai ta men hōde egrapsen hē ek Palaistinēs synodos. Megiston de epi toutois ᾿Athanasiǭ synekyrēse, periphanōs elenchon, adikōs autou katadikasai tous en Tyrǭ synelēlythotas. Oualēs gar kai Oursakios, hoi syn tois amphi Theognion, hōs prosthen eirētai, eis ton Mareōtēn paregenonto ereunēsai, ei kata tēn Ischyriōnos graphēn potērion hieron synetripse, metamelēthentes tade egrapsan Iouliǭ tǭ Rhōmaiōn episkopǭ. Tǭ Kyriǭ makariōtatǭ papą Iouliǭ, Oursakios kai Oualēs. Epeidē synestēsen hēmas pro toutou polla te kai deina peri ᾿Athanasiou tou episkopou dia grammatōn hymōn hypobeblēkenai, grammasi tēs sēs Chrēstotētos methodeuthentes, tou pragmatos charin peri hou edēlōsamen, ouk ēdynēthēmen logon apodounai, homologoumen para tę̄ sę̄ Chrēstotēti, parontōn tōn adelphōn hēmōn pantōn tōn presbyterōn, hoti panta ta pro toutou elthonta eis tas akoas hymōn peri tou onomatos tou proeirēmenou ᾿Athanasiou, pseudē kai plasta estin, pasę̄ te dynaallotria hautou tynchane: " dia te touto, hēdeōs antipoioumetha tēs koinōnias tou proeirēmenou ᾿Athanasiou " malista hoti hē Theosedeia sou kata tēn emphyton autēs chalochagathian, tę̄ planę̄ hēmōn syngnōmēn katēxiōse dounai. 'Omologoumen touto, hoti ean pote hēmas hoi anatolikoi thelēsōsin, 7| autos ᾿Athanasios chachotropōs peri toutou eis krisin kalesai, mē. aperchesthai para gnōmēn tēs sēs diatheseōs. Ton de hairetikon tous hyperaspizontas autǭ. tous legontas, pote hote ouch ēn ho Huios, hoti tou mē ontos Christos estin, tous arnoumenous ton Christon Theon heinai kai Huion Theou pro aiōnōn, kathōs kai en tǭ proterǭ libellǭ heautōn en tę̄ Mediolanōn epidedōchamen, nyn aei anathematizomen pauta de tę̄ cheiri autōn grapsantes, homologoumen palin hoti tēn ᾿Areianichēn hairetin, katha proeipomen, tous tautēs authentas chatechrinamen eis ton aiōna, Egō Oursakios tę̄ homologią mou tautę̄ parōn hykegrapsa hōsautōs de Oualēs. Kai ha men pros Ioulion hōmologēsan, tauta estin. de kai pros ᾿Athanasion egrapsan, anankaiōs parathēsomai. Echei de
So wrote the synod of Palestine. A very great thing besides befell Athanasius, which clearly proved that those who met at Tyre had condemned him unjustly. For Valens and Ursacius, who, as was said before, had gone with Theognis's party to the Mareotis to inquire whether he had broken a sacred chalice, as Ischyrion's charge alleged, repented and wrote as follows to Julius, bishop of the Romans: “To the lord most blessed Pope Julius, Ursacius and Valens. Since it is established that we earlier made many grievous charges against Athanasius the bishop in our letters, and when summoned by letters of your Goodness we could not give an account of the matter about which we had informed, we confess before your Goodness, in the presence of all our brothers the presbyters, that everything that came earlier to your hearing about the name of the aforesaid Athanasius is false and fabricated and wholly foreign to him. For this reason we gladly embrace communion with the aforesaid Athanasius, especially since your Piety, in its innate goodness, has seen fit to grant pardon for our error. We confess also that if ever the Easterners, or even Athanasius himself, should wish maliciously to summon us to judgment about this, we will not go without your consent. The heretic Arius and his supporters, who say, ‘There was once when the Son was not,’ and ‘Christ is from what was not,’ and who deny that Christ is God and Son of God before the ages, as we also stated in our former libellus given at Milan, we anathematize now and always. Having written this with our own hand, we confess again that, as we said before, we have condemned the Arian heresy and its authors for ever. I, Ursacius, subscribed this my confession in person; likewise Valens.” This is what they confessed to Julius. What they also wrote to Athanasius I shall necessarily set down. It reads as follows.
Notes and citation
Summary: Ursacius and Valens, who had investigated Athanasius in the Mareotis, retract their charges in a letter to Julius of Rome and anathematize Arius.
- The letter of Ursacius and Valens (347) is also in Athanasius, Defence against the Arians 58 (Greek translation of a Latin original) and in Hilary, Historical Fragments. The Greek in the scan is badly garbled in places; the translation follows the sense of the letter as preserved there.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray figure and OCR slip; stray letter): συνέστησεν ἡμᾶς Ρ πρὸ τούτου → συνέστησεν ἡμᾶς πρὸ τούτου; λιδέλλῳ 4 ἑαυτῶν → λιβέλλῳ ἑαυτῶν.
Extrabiblical texts: Athanasius, Apol. sec. 58 (Defence against the Arians; quotation)
Topics: Heresy, Christology
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.23 (PG 67:1105–1107; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-23). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-23
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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.
3.24PG 67:1107–1109
Κυρίῳ ἀδελφῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ᾿Αθανασίῳ, Οὐρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης ἐπίσκοποι. 'Δφορμὴν εὑρόντες διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ συμπρεσβυτέρου ἡμῶν Μουσαίου ἐρχομένου πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἀγάπην, ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητὲ, διὰ τούτου σε πάνυ αγορεύομεν ἀπὸ τῆς ᾿Αχυλίας " εὐχόμεθά ὑγιαίνοντα, τὰ γράμματα τὰ ἡμέτερα ἀναγνῶναι. Δώσεις γὰρ ἡμῖν θαῤῥεῖν, ἐὰν σὺ ἐν τῷ γράφειν ἀποδῶς ἡμῖν τὴν ἀμοιβήν. Γίνωσκε γὰρ ἡμᾶς εἰρήνην ἔχειν μετά σου, καὶ κοινωνίαν ἐκκλησιαστικήν. τούτων γνώρισμα, ἡ διὰ τούτων τῶν γραμμάτων προσηγορία. ᾿Αθανάσιος μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἐκ τῆς πρὸς δύσιν ἀρχομένης ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον. Καὶ Παῦλος δὲ καὶ Μάρκελλος, ᾿Ασκληπᾶς τε καὶ Λούκιος, τοὺς ἰδίους ἀπέλαβον θρόνους. Καὶ γὰρ δὴ τούτοις γράμματα βασιλέως ἐπέτρεπε τὴν ἐπάνοδον. Καὶ ἐν μὲν τῇ Κωνσταντινουπόλει Παύλου εἰσελθόντος, ὑπεχώρησε Μακεδόνιος, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκκλησίαζεν. Ἐν ᾿Αγκύρᾳ δὲ μέγιστος συνέβη θόρυβος, ἀφαιρουμένου Βασιλείου τῆς ἐνθάδε ἐκκλησίας, ἡνίκα Μάρκελλος εἰσῄει. Τοῖς δὲ ἄλλοις οὐ χαλεπή ἡ εἴσοδος ἐγένετο.
Kyriǭ adelphǭ episkopǭ ᾿Athanasiǭ, Oursakios kai Oualēs episkopoi. 'Dphormēn heurontes dia tou adelphou sympresbyterou hēmōn Mousaiou erchomenou pros tēn sēn agapēn, adelphe agapēte, dia toutou se pany agoreuomen apo tēs ᾿Achylias " euchometha hygiainonta, ta grammata ta hēmetera anagnōnai. Dōseis gar hēmin tharrhein, ean sy en tǭ graphein apodōs hēmin tēn amoibēn. Ginōske gar hēmas eirēnēn echein meta sou, kai koinōnian ekklēsiastikēn. toutōn gnōrisma, hē dia toutōn tōn grammatōn prosēgoria. ᾿Athanasios men oun houtōs ek tēs pros dysin archomenēs epanēlthen eis Aigypton. Kai Paulos de kai Markellos, ᾿Asklēpas te kai Loukios, tous idious apelabon thronous. Kai gar dē toutois grammata basileōs epetrepe tēn epanodon. Kai en men tę̄ Kōnstantinoupolei Paulou eiselthontos, hypechōrēse Makedonios, kai kath' heauton ekklēsiazen. En ᾿Ankyrą de megistos synebē thorybos, aphairoumenou Basileiou tēs enthade ekklēsias, hēnika Markellos eisę̄ei. Tois de allois ou chalepē hē eisodos egeneto.
“To the lord brother bishop Athanasius, Ursacius and Valens, bishops. Finding an opportunity through our brother and fellow presbyter Musaeus, who is coming to your love, beloved brother, we greet you warmly through him from Aquileia, and pray that you may read our letter in good health. You will give us confidence if you repay us by writing in return. For know that we are at peace with you and in ecclesiastical communion; the token of this is the greeting in this letter.” So Athanasius returned from the western part of the empire to Egypt. Paul too, and Marcellus, Asclepas and Lucius, recovered their own sees; for letters of the emperor allowed them to return. In Constantinople, when Paul entered, Macedonius withdrew and held assemblies by himself. At Ancyra a very great disturbance occurred when Basil was deprived of the church there and Marcellus entered. For the others the return was not difficult.
Notes and citation
Summary: Ursacius and Valens write to Athanasius offering peace; Athanasius, Paul, Marcellus, Asclepas and Lucius recover their sees, with disturbance only at Ancyra.
- The letter to Athanasius is also in Athanasius, Defence against the Arians 58. The opening lines are garbled in the scan; the names and the greeting are given from that text.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slips; names lost in the scan, supplied from the same letter in Athanasius, Apol. sec. 58): Κυρίῳ ἀδειϊφῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, Θὑρσάκιος καὶ ἐπίσκοποι. → Κυρίῳ ἀδελφῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ᾿Αθανασίῳ, Οὐρσάκιος καὶ Οὐάλης ἐπίσκοποι..
Extrabiblical texts: Athanasius, Apol. sec. 58 (Defence against the Arians; quotation)
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 3.24 (PG 67:1107–1109; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-24). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/3-24
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-sozomen-historia-3-24) · Report an error
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.
Chapter 4
4.1PG 67:1111
Καὶ τὰ μὲν ὧδε συνέβη. Τετάρτῳ δὲ ἔτει· τῆς ἐν Σαρδοῖ συνόδου, κτίννυται Κώνστας περὶ τοὺς πρὸς δύσιν Γαλάτας. Μαγνέντιος δὲ, ὃς αὐτῷ τὸν φόνον ἐπεβούλευσε, πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπὸ Κώνσταντος ἀρχομένην, ὑφ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ἐποίησε. Βρετανίων δέ τις, ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐν τῷ Σιρμίῳ βασιλεὺς ἀνηγορεύθη. Πλεῖστον δὲ τούτων τῶν κακῶν μέρος καὶ ἡ πρεσβυτέρα Ῥώμη μετείχε, Νεποτιανοῦ ὃς ἀδελφιδοῦς ἦν καὶ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος, τοὺς μονομάχους περὶ ἑαυτὸν ποιησαμένου, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἀμφισβητοῦντος. ᾿Αλλ' ὁ μὲν, ὑπὸ τῶν Μαγνεντίου στρατιωτῶν ἀνῃρέθη. Κωνστάντιος δὲ, ὡς εἰς μόνον αὐτὸν τῆς πάσης ἀρχῆς περιελθούσης, αὐτοκράτωρ ἀναγορευθεὶς, τοὺς τυράννους καθελεῖν ἐσπούδαζεν. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ᾿Αθανάσιος παρεγένετο εἰς 'Αλεξάνδρειαν, καὶ σύνοδον γενέσθαι παρεσκεύασε τῶν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐπισκόπων, καὶ ἐπιψηφίσαι τοῖς ἐν Σαρδοῖ καὶ Παλαιστίνῃ περὶ αὐτοῦ δεδογμένοις.
Kai ta men hōde synebē. Tetartǭ de etei; tēs en Sardoi synodou, ktinnytai Kōnstas peri tous pros dysin Galatas. Magnentios de, hos autǭ ton phonon epebouleuse, pasan tēn hypo Kōnstantos archomenēn, hyph᾽ heauton epoiēse. Bretaniōn de tis, hypo tōn Illyriōn stratiōtōn en tǭ Sirmiǭ basileus anēgoreuthē. Pleiston de toutōn tōn kakōn meros kai hē presbytera Rhōmē meteiche, Nepotianou hos adelphidous ēn kai Kōnstantinou tou basileusantos, tous monomachous peri heauton poiēsamenou, kai tēs basileias amphisbētountos. ᾿All' ho men, hypo tōn Magnentiou stratiōtōn anę̄rethē. Kōnstantios de, hōs eis monon auton tēs pasēs archēs perielthousēs, autokratōr anagoreutheis, tous tyrannous kathelein espoudazen. En toutǭ de ᾿Athanasios paregeneto eis 'Alexandreian, kai synodon genesthai pareskeuase tōn ex Aigyptou episkopōn, kai epipsēphisai tois en Sardoi kai Palaistinę̄ peri autou dedogmenois.
So these things happened. In the fourth year after the synod at Sardica, Constans was killed among the western Gauls; and Magnentius, who had plotted his murder, brought under himself the whole of the empire ruled by Constans. Vetranio was proclaimed emperor by the Illyrian soldiers at Sirmium. The elder Rome too had a very great share in these evils, when Nepotianus, a nephew of the emperor Constantine, gathered the gladiators about him and laid claim to the empire; but he was killed by the soldiers of Magnentius. Constantius, since the whole empire had come round to him alone, was proclaimed sole emperor and set himself to overthrow the usurpers. Meanwhile Athanasius came to Alexandria and had a synod of the bishops of Egypt held to confirm what had been decided about him at Sardica and in Palestine.
Notes and citation
Summary: Constans is murdered by Magnentius; Vetranio and Nepotianus also claim the empire; Athanasius has the Egyptian bishops confirm his acquittal.
- Constans was killed in 350. Vetranio's name appears in the Greek as Βρετανίων.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (split word): ἀδελφι δοῦς → ἀδελφιδοῦς.
Cite (SBL): Sozomen, Hist. eccl. 4.1 (PG 67:1111; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/4-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/sozomen-historia/4-1
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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.