Compendium of Heretical Fables 4.1–4.12
Greek text: PG 83.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 4
4.1PG 83
Καὶ τὸν “Ἄρειον εὑρὼν ἀνθρωπίνης ὀριγνώμενον δόξης, καὶ τῆς ἀλαζονείας ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ πάθος ἐπύρσευσε, καὶ τῆς αἱρέσεως τὸν πλάνον ἐνέθηκεν. Οὗτος γὰρ εἰς τῶν πρεσθυτέρων κατάλογον τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρέων Ἐκκλησίας τελῶν, καὶ τὸν μέγαν ᾿Αλέτοῦ φθόνου τὸ κέντρον ἐδέξατο, καὶ τῆς πρὸς αὑτὸν ἁψιμαχίας ἐπιζητῶν ἀφορμὰς, πρόφασιν εὗρε τὴν τῶν δογμάτων ἀσέδειαν. ᾿Εκείνον γὰρ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν πόαν τῇ ποίμνῃ προσφέροντος, καὶ πρὸς τὰς εὐαγγελικὰς τὰ πρόθατα ποδηγοῦντος πηγὰς, οὗτος καὶ ἀντεῖπε τοῖς λεγομένοις, καὶ τοῦ πανσόφου διδασκάλου τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸν Υἱὸν ὁμοούσιον λέγοντος, οὗτος ἀντέλεγε, κτίσμα ἀποκαλῶν, ὃν υἱὸν γνήσιον προσηγόρΞξυσε᾽" κἀκείνου τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον συναΐδιον λέγοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, ὡς ἐν ἀρχῇ ὄντα, καὶ Θεὸν ὄντα Λόγον, καὶ ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης" οὗτος ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἔλεγε γεγενῆσθαι τὸν ὄντα, καὶ τρεπτὴν αὐτὸν ἔχειν ἔρησε φύσιν. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸν τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως ἠχρωτηρίασε λόγον. Σῶμα γὰρ αὐτὸν ἄψυχον ἔφη εἰληφέναι, ἐνηργηκέναι δὲ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν θεότητα, ὥστε ταύτῃ προσάψαι τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος ἐγγινομένην συμπάθειαν. Οὗτος καὶ τῆς δοξολογίας τοὺς νόμους καταλιπὼν, οὖς οἱ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτόπται καὶ ὑπηρέται τοῦ Λόγου παρέδοσαν, ἕτερον ἐπεισήγαγε τύπον, δοξάζειν, τοὺς ἐξηπατημένους διδάξας τὸν Πατέρα διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐν ἀγίῳ Πνεύματι. Καὶ τὴν μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος γινομένην ἐπίκλησιν ἐναλλάξαι διὰ τὸ τῆς παραθάσεως προφανὲς οὐκ ἐθάῤῥησεν" ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν Δεσποτικὴν ἐντολὴν, βαπτίζειν μὲν παρέδωκεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος " δοξάζειν δὲ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ βαπτίσματος διεχιύλυσε νόμον, καίΐίτοι τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἁπλῶς βαπτίσαι, ἀλλὰ πρότερον μαθητεῦσαι προστεταχότος. ε« Πορευθέντες γὰρ, ἔφη, μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. » Κατὰ τοῦτον δὲ τὸν νόμον καὶ οἱ θεῖοι ἀπόστολοι, καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ ἐκείνους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διδάσκαλοι, μαθητεύουσι τοὺς προσιόντας πιστεύειν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, καὶ τοὺς μαθητευθέντας βαπτίζουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Οὗ δὴ χάριν, οἱ τῆς δωρεᾶς ἀποδοξάζουσι τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ τὸ ἅγιηον Πνεῦμα Σχέτλιον γὰρ, τοὺς παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος χομισαμένους τὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος δωρεὰν, μόνῳ τὴν δοξολογίαν προσενεγκεῖν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ἀγέραστον καταλιπεῖν τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐν οἷς κατ᾽ ἐχείνων συνεγράψαμεν διὰ πλάτους εἰρήκαμεν" τῆς δὲ παρούσης συγγραφῆς ὁ σκοπὸς αἱρέσεως ἐκάστης ἐπιδεῖξαι τὸν χαρακτήρα. Τοῦτον τοίνυν τὸν Αρεῖιον, ταῦτα πεφρονηχότα, οἱ ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνεληλυθότες ἅγιοι Πατέρες ἄντικρυς ἀπεκήρυξαν, ὡς ἀλλότρια παντελῶς τῶν θείων λογίων καὶ ἀλλόφυλα ἐπεισάγοντα δόγματα. Χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον σχηψάμενος μεταμέλειαν, τοὺς τῷ μεγάλῳ βασιλεῖ Κωνσταντίνῳ παραδυναστεύοντας ἕπεισε χώραν αὐτῷ μετανοίας δοθήναι. Δεξάμενος δὲ τὴν ἱκετείαν ὁ βασιλεὺς, τῆς βασιλενούσης πόλεως ἐπήγγειλε τὸν ἐπίσκοπον, ὁρέξαι χεῖρα τῷ σωτηρίας ἐφιεμένῳ. Ὁ δὲ θεῖος ᾿Αλέ… ἀληθῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, σὺν δύο τισὶ συνόντων … περὶ τὸ λυχαυγὲς προελήλυθεν. Εἶτα τῆς γαστρὸς … Ἐξαπίνης δὲ τῶν σπλάγχνων διαλυθέντων τὲ καὶ … Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ὑπόξχεσιν, καὶ τοῦ ἀσέδειαν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως καὶ τούτων οὕτως γεγενημένων, καὶ λίαν ἐναργῶς τῆς ψήφου τῆς θείας ἐπέμειναν οἱ τὴν νόσον εἰσδεδεγμένοι, κατὰ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς καὶ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ἀχονῶντες τὰς γλώττας. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα διὰ πλάτους ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησιαστικῇ Ἱστορίᾳ συγγράψας, περιττὸν ἡγοῦμαι ταὐτὰ λέγειν. Καταλιπὼν τοίνυν Εὐσέδιον, καὶ Θέογνιν καὶ Θεόδοτον τὸν Περίνθιον, καὶ Μηνόφαντον τὸν Ἐφέσιον, καὶ τὸν Σχυθοπολίτην Πατρόφιλον, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, Εὐδοξίου μόνον μνησθήσομαι. ᾿Απαιτεὶ γὰρ τούτου τὴν μνήμην τὰ κατὰ ᾿Δέτιον καὶ Εὐνόμιον διηγήματα.
Kai ton “Areion heurōn anthrōpinēs orignōmenon doxēs, kai tēs alazoneias en autǭ to pathos epyrseuse, kai tēs haireseōs ton planon enethēken. Houtos gar eis tōn presthyterōn katalogon tēs ᾿Alexandreōn Ekklēsias telōn, kai ton megan ᾿Aletou phthonou to kentron edexato, kai tēs pros hauton hapsimachias epizētōn aphormas, prophasin heure tēn tōn dogmatōn asedeian. ᾿Ekeinon gar tēn apostolikēn poan tę̄ poimnę̄ prospherontos, kai pros tas euangelikas ta prothata podēgountos pēgas, houtos kai anteipe tois legomenois, kai tou pansophou didaskalou tou Patros ton Huion homoousion legontos, houtos antelege, ktisma apokalōn, hon huion gnēsion prosēgorXxyse᾽" kakeinou ton Theon Logon synaïdion legontos tou Theou kai Patros, hōs en archę̄ onta, kai Theon onta Logon, kai apaugasma tēs doxēs" houtos ex ouk ontōn elege gegenēsthai ton onta, kai treptēn auton echein erēse physin. Kai mentoi kai ton tēs enanthrōpēseōs ēchrōtēriase logon. Sōma gar auton apsychon ephē eilēphenai, enērgēkenai de ta tēs psychēs tēn theotēta, hōste tautę̄ prosapsai tēn apo tou sōmatos enginomenēn sympatheian. Houtos kai tēs doxologias tous nomous katalipōn, ous hoi ex archēs autoptai kai hypēretai tou Logou paredosan, heteron epeisēgage typon, doxazein, tous exēpatēmenous didaxas ton Patera dia tou Huiou en agiǭ Pneumati. Kai tēn men epi tou theiou baptismatos ginomenēn epiklēsin enallaxai dia to tēs parathaseōs prophanes ouk etharrhēsen" alla kata tēn Despotikēn entolēn, baptizein men paredōken eis to onoma tou Patros, kai tou Huiou, kai tou hagiou Pneumatos " doxazein de kata ton tou baptismatos diechiylyse nomon, kaiïitoi tou Theou kai Sōtēros hēmōn, ouk haplōs baptisai, alla proteron mathēteusai prostetachotos. e« Poreuthentes gar, ephē, mathēteusate panta ta ethnē, baptizontes autous eis to onoma tou Patros, kai tou Huiou, kai tou hagiou Pneumatos. » Kata touton de ton nomon kai hoi theioi apostoloi, kai hoi met᾽ ekeinous tēs Ekklēsias didaskaloi, mathēteuousi tous prosiontas pisteuein eis to onoma tou Patros, kai tou Huiou, kai tou hagiou Pneumatos, kai tous mathēteuthentas baptizousin eis to onoma tou Patros, kai tou Huiou, kai tou hagiou Pneumatos. Hou dē charin, hoi tēs dōreas apodoxazousi ton Patera, kai ton Huion, kai to hagiēon Pneuma Schetlion gar, tous para tēs hagias Triados chomisamenous tēn tou baptismatos dōrean, monǭ tēn doxologian prosenenkein tǭ Patri, kai ageraston katalipein ton Huion, kai to panagion Pneuma. ᾿Alla tauta men en hois kat᾽ echeinōn synegrapsamen dia platous eirēkamen" tēs de parousēs syngraphēs ho skopos haireseōs ekastēs epideixai ton charaktēra. Touton toinyn ton Areiion, tauta pephronēchota, hoi en Nikaią synelēlythotes hagioi Pateres antikrys apekēryxan, hōs allotria pantelōs tōn theiōn logiōn kai allophyla epeisagonta dogmata. Chronǭ de hysteron schēpsamenos metameleian, tous tǭ megalǭ basilei Kōnstantinǭ paradynasteuontas hepeise chōran autǭ metanoias dothēnai. Dexamenos de tēn hiketeian ho basileus, tēs basilenousēs poleōs epēngeile ton episkopon, horexai cheira tǭ sōtērias ephiemenǭ. Ho de theios ᾿Ale… alēthōs tou Theou anthrōpos, syn dyo tisi synontōn … peri to lychauges proelēlythen. Eita tēs gastros … Exapinēs de tōn splanchnōn dialythentōn te kai … Epeidē de kai tou basileōs tēn hypoxchesin, kai tou asedeian. ᾿All᾽ homōs kai toutōn houtōs gegenēmenōn, kai lian enargōs tēs psēphou tēs theias epemeinan hoi tēn noson eisdedegmenoi, kata tou Monogenous kai tou panagiou Pneumatos achonōntes tas glōttas. ᾿Alla tauta dia platous en tę̄ ekklēsiastikę̄ Historią syngrapsas, peritton hēgoumai tauta legein. Katalipōn toinyn Eusedion, kai Theognin kai Theodoton ton Perinthion, kai Mēnophanton ton Ephesion, kai ton Schythopolitēn Patrophilon, kai tous allous, Eudoxiou monon mnēsthēsomai. ᾿Apaitei gar toutou tēn mnēmēn ta kata ᾿Detion kai Eunomion diēgēmata.
[The devil] found Arius longing for human glory, kindled in him the passion of arrogance, and put into him the error of heresy. For he was enrolled among the presbyters of the church of the Alexandrians, and [seeing] the great Ale[xander] … he received the sting of envy, and seeking occasions for skirmishing with him, found a pretext in impious doctrines. When Alexander offered the flock the apostolic pasture and led the sheep to the springs of the gospel, this man contradicted what was said; when the all-wise teacher said that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, he spoke against it, calling a creature the one Alexander called a true Son; and when Alexander said that God the Word is coeternal with God the Father, as being in the beginning and being God the Word and the radiance of his glory, he said that the One who is had come into being from what was not, and declared that he had a changeable nature. He also mutilated the doctrine of the incarnation, for he said that he took a soulless body and that the Godhead did the work of the soul, so as to attach to it the feelings that arise from the body. He also abandoned the laws of doxology handed down by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, and introduced another form, teaching those he deceived to glorify the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. He did not dare to change the invocation made at divine baptism, because the transgression would be obvious; following the Master's command, he handed down that baptism be into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; but he forbade glorifying according to the rule of baptism, although our God and Savior commanded not simply to baptize, but first to make disciples. “Go,” he said, “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” According to this rule the divine apostles and the teachers of the church after them teach those who come to believe in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and baptize those so taught into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. For this reason those who [share in] the gift glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. For it is cruel that those who received the gift of baptism from the holy Trinity should offer the doxology to the Father alone and leave the Son and the all-holy Spirit without honor. But these things we have said at length in what we wrote against them; the aim of the present treatise is to show the character of each heresy. This Arius, then, who held these views, the holy Fathers assembled at Nicaea openly condemned as introducing doctrines wholly foreign and alien to the divine oracles. Later, feigning repentance, he persuaded those with influence on the great Emperor Constantine that room for repentance should be given him. The emperor accepted the plea and ordered the bishop of the imperial city to stretch out a hand to one seeking salvation. But the divine Ale[xander] …, truly a man of God, … [when Arius,] with two companions, came out around the time of lamp-lighting; then [he was seized by a need of] the belly …; suddenly his bowels dissolved and …. Since both the emperor's promise and the … impiety. Yet even after these things had happened so very clearly, those who had taken in the disease persisted in it, sharpening their tongues against the Only-begotten and the all-holy Spirit. But since I have written about these things at length in the Church History, I think it superfluous to say the same again. Leaving aside, then, Eusebius, Theognis, Theodotus of Perinthus, Menophantus of Ephesus, Patrophilus of Scythopolis and the others, I will mention only Eudoxius; for the accounts of Aetius and Eunomius require that he be remembered.
John 1:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Heb 1:3 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 1:2 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 28:19 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 23:2 (22:2 LXX) (echo, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodoret describes Arius's envy of Alexander, his doctrine that the Son is a changeable creature and that Christ had no human soul, his altered doxology, his condemnation at Nicaea and his sudden death at Constantinople.
- Large parts of the account of Arius's death are lost where Migne's Latin was read as Greek (marked …); the full story is in Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 1.14, which he mentions here. Words in square brackets are supplied for sense.
- On the doxology: the Arians preferred “glory to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit”, which Theodoret contrasts with the baptismal formula of Matt 28:19 (Father, Son and Holy Spirit named together).
- Arius's teaching and death are reported as Theodoret reports them, with his polemic.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (Latin debris; Latin debris; Greek lost; Migne's Latin column read as Greek; OCR letters; column letter and number inside a word; footnote and Latin debris; Greek lost; footnote marker; marginal reference): οὗτος καὶ Ἐνθ. 65. ἰδἰὰ. ἀντεῖπε. → οὗτος καὶ ἀντεῖπε; διδασκά- Α 350 λου → διδασκάλου; (88. ἔλεγε → ἔλεγε; θν- δὴ χάριν → Οὗ δὴ χάριν; ἀϊοορθαὶ, οἱ τυ Δ Ὀ] 6 πὶ 1}}} παῖυγϑιη 6886. Οαυΐη οἱ οἱ ἱπιοποτγαίαμι ΕἸ} υπὶ ἃς ϑρί γί πὶ βαποίαπι ΓΟ] ]ἢταῦτα → ταῦτα; συνεληλυθότες ἢ) ἰδῃ ἅγιοι → συνεληλυθότες ἅγιοι; Αλέὃ ἀλλά, χ. τ. λ. σοι. 1. 1], ν. 705 5674. ε Ρ. 782 ἱπο 6 }}}}} σΟηΒΠΠ ὁ ἱηρταὰϊ ρου 8 (ἰπνδϑιίσατὶ ἀληθῶς → Αλέ… ἀληθῶς; συνόντων, 1οτἷβ ρο!] οἰ τατίοπαπι, οἱ ροπε [8 Ὁγαιοπδπι οοσηο- περὶ → συνόντων … περὶ; γαστρὸς ᾿ς ἰΐὰ δυδηδγίπί, οἱ ρου ἰββίπηθ οδίθηβα οἷὲ ἀϊνίθῃα Ἐξαπίνης → γαστρὸς … Ἐξαπίνης; καὶ Εἰ ῬαιτΟΡ ἢ ]]0 ΘΟγΠΟρΟΙ ᾶπο, οἵ 1115, 301108 Εὐυάοχ! Ἐπειδὴ → καὶ … Ἐπειδὴ.
Extrabiblical texts: Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 1.14 (Church History; allusion)
Topics: Heresy, Trinity, Christology, Baptism, Prayer
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.1 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-1
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-1) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.2PG 83
Οὗτος ὁ Εὐδόξιος Γερμανιχείας τῆς τῷ Ταύρῳ … εἰς τὸ συνέδριον δὲ εἰσελθεῖν οὐκ ἐθάῤῥησεν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντίνον πόλιν ἔδραμε, καὶ τοὺς … γῶν μηκύνω (τούτων γὰρ πάντων ἐμνήσθην ἐν καὶ ἐκείνῃ τῇ συγγραφῇ), ἴσχυσε καὶ τὸν τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης ἁρπάσαι θρόνον, καὶ τῶν χηρύχκων τῆς ἀληθείας τὰς Ἐκκλησίας γυμνῶσαι.
Houtos ho Eudoxios Germanicheias tēs tǭ Taurǭ … eis to synedrion de eiselthein ouk etharrhēsen, all᾽ eis tēn Kōnstantinon polin edrame, kai tous … gōn mēkynō (toutōn gar pantōn emnēsthēn en kai ekeinę̄ tę̄ syngraphę̄), ischyse kai ton tēs poleōs ekeinēs harpasai thronon, kai tōn chērychkōn tēs alētheias tas Ekklēsias gymnōsai.
This Eudoxius, [bishop] of Germanicia near the Taurus, … did not dare to enter the council, but ran to the city of Constantine, and the … [but not to] lengthen [the account] (for I mentioned all these things in that other work as well), he managed to seize the throne of that city and to strip the churches of the heralds of truth.
Notes and citation
Summary: Eudoxius of Germanicia avoided the council, went to Constantinople and seized its see.
- Much of this short chapter is Migne's Latin read as Greek; it is removed, and lost Greek is marked “…”. “That other work” is Theodoret's Church History (2.25–27).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (Latin debris; Latin debris and footnote variant; Greek lost; Latin debris; Greek lost; Migne's Latin heading read as Greek): Ἑυάὰοχὶυβ πος ἀοτιτηδηϊοίαδ υτϊδ Ταῦτο υἱοὶῃβο → ; [πη 406 ῬΓΟΡΘΓΟ σοπίοπάδηϑ, 6 ἐπιρογαῖοῦ!β8 οὐ θίοα- ὠ → … ; [τς ὈΙαπα 68, ρογϑυδϑὶς τι ἰδ] σγποάπ οορογοίαῦΓ. → ; Δι ταῦ! ροββαῖ, Δηὴ6 611 Ἰεβοπάυπι Θεογόνιον. [ἃ εἰς, Χ. τ. λ. Βάϊ!. Ἀοιῃ. εἰς δὲ τὸ συνέδριον γῶν → … γῶν.
Extrabiblical texts: Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.27 (Church History; allusion)
Topics: Heresy, Church office
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.2 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-2
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-2) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.3PG 83
Τότε τὸν πανεύφημον Ἐλεύσιον ἐξαγαγὼν τῆς Κυ» λον, οὗ τὸν τρισάθλιον βίον, καὶ ἃ μετῆλθεν ἐπιτης δεύματα, καὶ Γρηγόριος ὁ Νύσσης καὶ Θεόδωρος ὁ Μοψουεστίας, ἐν οἷς κατ᾽ Εὐνομίου συνἐγραψαν, ἐδίδαξαν ἀκριδῶς. Οὗτος τὰς ᾿Αρείου προφανῶς ηὔξησε βλασφημίας. Οὗ δὴ χάριν αὑτὸν ὁ Κωνστάντιος εἰς ἐσχατιάν τινα τῆς Φρυγίας ἐξώρισε" καὶ ταῦτα οὕτω πως ἐκτραπεὶς τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς εὐθείας, καὶ εἰς ἑτέραν ἀποχλίνας ὁδόν. Μετὰ γὰρ δὴ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτὴν, ὑπαχθείς τισι τὴν θεραπείαν τὸῦ σώματος πεπιστευμένοις, νόμον τέθεικεν ἀπαγορεύοντα μὴτε ὁμοούσιον, μήτε μὴν ἑτερογύσιον τολμᾶν τινα λέγειν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ" οὐ γὰρ ὅσιον ἔλεγε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν οὐσίάν ἐρευνᾷν" ὅμοιον δὲ κατὰ πάντα τῷ γεγεννηκότι λέγειν ἐκέλευσε. Διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τὸν ᾿Αέτιον, φάναι πρῶτον τολμήσαντα ἂνόμοιον εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν κατὰ πάντα τῷ τοῦτον γεγεννηκότι Θεῷ, ἐξέπεμψεν εἰς τὴν προειρημένην ἐσχατιάν. Ταῦτ᾽ εἰδὼς ὁ Εὐδόξιος, ἕπεισε τὸν Εὐνόμιον μὴ γυμνῶσαι τὸ σφέτερον φρόνημα, ἀλλὰ τέως ἐν παραδύστῳ χαπέχειν, καὶ ἐν σκότῳ τοέφειν οἷόν τι λαθρίδιον κύημα, ἄκρις ἂν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ χαι… συνεσχιασμένην τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐν Κυζίχῳ διδασκαλίαν προσέφερεν. Ὠδίνων δὲ τεκεῖν τὴν ἀσέδειαν, παρεδήλου ταύτην διαλεγόμενος, καὶ τῶν ἀχονόντων ἐτίτρωσχε τὰς ψυχάς. Τότε τινὲς, ζήλῳ πυρπολούμενοι θείῳ, κρύπτουσι μὲν τὸν ζῆλον, τὸ δὲ τῆς αἱρέσξως ὑποδύονται πρόσωπον, καὶ τὸ τοῦ Εὐνομίον φότες δωμάτιον, ἢντιδόλουν σαφῶς διδάξαι τοῦ δόγὙματος τὴν ἀλήθειαν, Ὑπαχθεὶς δὲ ἐκεῖνος, καὶ τοπάσας εἶναι ὁμόφρονας, ἤμεσε τὸν ἰὸν, ὃν τέως χατἐχρυπτεν. Οἱ δὲ πάλιν σπουδαιότερον ἐλιπάρησαν ταύτην αὐτὸν παντὶ τῷ λαῷ τὴν διδασκαλίαν προσενεγκεῖν, καὶ τῆς βασιλέως θεραπείας προτιμῇ ται τὸ ποίμνιον μαθεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὀριγνώμενον. Οὕτω φημίαν. Οἱ δὲ παραυτίκα νῶν ὁμοπίστων φότες πολλοὺς, εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἔδραμον, καὶ τὸν Εὐδόξιος ἤλγησε μὲν μαθὼν τὸν Εὐνόμιον ὀηχέναι τὰς συγχειμένας συνθήκας᾽ τοῖς δὲ κατηγό… ἀσχολίας σχηπτόμενος. Οἱ δὲ Εὐνομίου κατήγοροι͵ τὸν Εὐδοξίου κατειληφότες σκοπὸν, τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰς Εὐνομίου βλασφημίας ἐμήνυσαν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐκέλευσε τῷ Εὐδοξίῳ τὸν Εὐνόμιον ἀγαγεῖν, καὶ τὴν γεγενημένην βασανίσαι κατηγορίαν. Ἐπειδὴ ᾿ δὲ ἀναδαλλόμενον ἔγνω (συνεχῶς γὰρ προσήεσαν οἱ κατήγοροι), ἀμφοτέρους ἢπείλησε πέμψειν εἰς ἣν ᾿Λέτιος διήγεν ἐσχατιάν. Δείσας τοίνυν ὁ Εὐδόξιος, ἤγαγε τὸν Εὐνόμιον" καὶ πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὸν ἀνέμνησε τῶν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ γεγενημένων ὑποθηχῶν, ἕπειτα δὲ προφανῶς ἐλεγχθέντα καθεῖλε, καίτοι τὴν αὐτὴν τὶ αὐτὸς περικείμενος νόσον᾽ τάς γὰρ βασιλικὰς ἔδεισεν ἀπειλάς. Ὁ δέ γε Εὐνόμιος, εὐθὺς προστάτὴν αἱρέσεως ἑαυτὸν ἀνηγόρευσε, καὶ ταῦτα ἐσχατιάν τινα τῆς Παμφυλίας ἠναγχασμένος οἰκεῖν. Ἕντεῦθεν ἡ τῶν Εὐνομιανῶν ἐφάνη συμμορία. Οὗτος τὴν θεολογίαν τεχνολογίαν ἀπέφηνε, καὶ προφανῶς τὰς κατὰ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς καὶ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ἡρεύξατο βλασφημίας. Καὶ τὸν μὲν Υἱὸν πρῶτον κτίσμα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ ἐξαίρετον ἔφησεν εἶναι" τὸ δὲ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων παρὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ δημιουργηθῆναι ποιημάτων. Αὐτὸς καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος ἀνέτρεψε τὸν ἀνέκαθεν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ ἀποστόλων παραδοθέντα θεσμὸν, καὶ ἄντικρυς ἀντενομοθέτησε, μὴ χρῆναι λέγων τρὶς χαταδύειν τὸν βαπτιζόμενον, μηδὲ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν τῆς Τριάδος ἐπίκλησιν" ἀλλ᾽ ἅπαξ βαπτίζειν εἰς τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ βαπτίζον-τες δὲ μέχρι τῶν στέρνων τῷ ὕδατι δεύουσι, τοῖς δὲ ἄλλοις μορίοις τοῦ σώματος ὡς ἐναγέσι προσφέρειν τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπαγορεύουσιν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν, ἡνίχα μὲν εἰς πύελον ἐδάπτιζον, ἔξω τὸν ἄνδρα ταύτης στήσαντες, ᾿ πὴν τούτου κεφαλὴν μέχρι τοῦ στήθους ἅπαξ εἷς τὸ ὕδωρ χατῆῇγον. Ἐπειδὴ δέ τινα συνέθη τραυματίαν γενέσθαι τῆς κεφαλῆς τῇ πυέλῳ σης, ἕτερον εἶδος βαπτίσματος ἐπενόησαν. Ἐπὶ βάθρου γάρ τινος πρηνῆ τὸν ἄνθρωπον διατείνοντες, ἔξω δὲ τούτου τὴν κεφαλὴν αἱἰωροῦντες, χαταχέουσι τὸ ὕδωρ, οὐδενὸς ἄλλου μορίου προσψαῦον. Τινὲς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ ἕτερον τρόπον ἐξεῦρον βαπτίκαὶ ταύτην καθιερώσαντες, ἑλίττουσι ταύτῃ τὸν ἄνθρωπὸν μέχρι τῶν ὀνύχων, ἀπὸ τοῦ στήθους ἀρξάμενοι, εἶθ᾽ οὔτως προσφέρουσι τοῦ ὕδατος τὴν κατάχυσιν. Ταῦτα δὲ μεμηνύκασιν οἱ τὴν ἐχείνων πεφευγὙότες ἀσέδειαν, καὶ τοῖς τοῦ Σωτῆρος καὶ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν συναφθέντες προδάτοις. Καὶ ἄλλο δέ τι … συγγραφῇ παραδοῦναι ἱκανὴ γὰρ καὶ μόνη ἣ τοῦ μύσους: ἀκοὴ μιάναι τὸν λογισμόν. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν εἴτε τολμᾶται παρ᾽ αὐτῶν, εἴτε καὶ μὴ, ἐγὼ, μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἰσχυρισαίμην᾽ ἀκήκοα δὲ ὅμως αὐτὰ παρ᾽ ἀνδρῶν ἀχριθῶς τὰ ἐχείνων ἐπισταμένων. Οὕτω λυττήσας κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ Εὐνόμιος, αὔξειν ὁσἡμέραι τὴν νόσον ἑσπούδαζεν, Ἐτόλμησε γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν θείων ἐγνόησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὖτὴν ἀχριθῶς ἐπίσταται τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν, ἣν αὐτὸς ἔχει περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Θεός. Εἰς ταύτην ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὴν μανίαν τολμῶσιν ἄντικρυς λέγειν, οὕτως εἰδέναι τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς αὐτὸς ἑαυτόν. Καὶ ἕτερα δὲ ἅττα προσεπενόησεν, ἵνα δόξῃ καινῶν εὑρετὴς γεγενῆσθαι δογμάτων. Ἐντϑῦθεν ἡ ᾿Αρειανιχὴ συμμορία διῃρέθη διχῆ" καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐκλήθησαν ᾿Αρειανοὶ, οἱ δὲ Εὐνομιανοί, Οἱ δὲ Ἀρειανοὶ καὶ Εὐδοξιανοὶ προσωνομάσθησαν κατὰ τὸν Εὐδοξίου καιρόν' τῇ γὰρ κενῇ ζόξῃ τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιθεῖναι τοῖς ὁμόφροσι προσηγορίαν ἐσπούδασεν. Οἱ αὐτοὶ δὲ καὶ Ἑ ξαχιονῖται ρεύονται, ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου τὴν ὀνομασίαν δεξάμενοι, ἐν ᾧ ποιεῖσθαι εἰώθασι τὴν συνέλευσιν. Οἱ δὲ Εὐνομιανοὶ καὶ ᾿Αετιανοὶ ἐκαλοῦντο, ὡς Εὐνομίου τὸν ᾿Αέτιον διδάσκαλον ὀνομάσαντος" οἱ δὲ αὐτοὶ καὶ Τρωγλῖται ἤγουν Τρωγλοδύται ὀνομάζονται, ὡς ἐν οἰκίαις λανθανούσαις τὰς συνόδους ποιούμενοι. Καὶ γὰρ ἄγαν εἰσὶν εὐαρίθμητοι, πάντων αὐτοὺς βδελυττομένων διὰ τὴν τῆς βλασφημίας ἀναίδειαν. Καὶ τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον «ἧς: οἰκουμένης τῆς τούτων λύμης ἀπήλλακται, ὀλίγαι δὲ καὶ ἄγαν εὐαρίθμητοι πόλεις ἔχουσιν ἐκ τούτῶν τινὰς, καὶ αὐτοὺς πειρωμένους λανθάνειν.
Tote ton paneuphēmon Eleusion exagagōn tēs Ky» lon, hou ton trisathlion bion, kai ha metēlthen epitēs deumata, kai Grēgorios ho Nyssēs kai Theodōros ho Mopsouestias, en hois kat᾽ Eunomiou synegrapsan, edidaxan akridōs. Houtos tas ᾿Areiou prophanōs ēuxēse blasphēmias. Hou dē charin hauton ho Kōnstantios eis eschatian tina tēs Phrygias exōrise" kai tauta houtō pōs ektrapeis tēs hodou tēs eutheias, kai eis heteran apochlinas hodon. Meta gar dē tēn tou patros teleutēn, hypachtheis tisi tēn therapeian tou sōmatos pepisteumenois, nomon tetheiken apagoreuonta mēte homoousion, mēte mēn heterogysion tolman tina legein ton Huion tou Theou" ou gar hosion elege tou Theou tēn ousian ereunąn" homoion de kata panta tǭ gegennēkoti legein ekeleuse. Dia toi touto kai ton ᾿Aetion, phanai prōton tolmēsanta anomoion einai ton Huion kata panta tǭ touton gegennēkoti Theǭ, exepempsen eis tēn proeirēmenēn eschatian. Taut᾽ eidōs ho Eudoxios, hepeise ton Eunomion mē gymnōsai to spheteron phronēma, alla teōs en paradystǭ chapechein, kai en skotǭ toephein hoion ti lathridion kyēma, akris an tēn para tou chai… syneschiasmenēn tois pollois en Kyzichǭ didaskalian prosepheren. Ōdinōn de tekein tēn asedeian, paredēlou tautēn dialegomenos, kai tōn achonontōn etitrōsche tas psychas. Tote tines, zēlǭ pyrpoloumenoi theiǭ, kryptousi men ton zēlon, to de tēs hairesxōs hypodyontai prosōpon, kai to tou Eunomion photes dōmation, ēntidoloun saphōs didaxai tou dogYmatos tēn alētheian, Hypachtheis de ekeinos, kai topasas einai homophronas, ēmese ton ion, hon teōs chatechrypten. Hoi de palin spoudaioteron eliparēsan tautēn auton panti tǭ laǭ tēn didaskalian prosenenkein, kai tēs basileōs therapeias protimę̄ tai to poimnion mathein tēn alētheian orignōmenon. Houtō phēmian. Hoi de parautika nōn homopistōn photes pollous, eis to stratopedon edramon, kai ton Eudoxios ēlgēse men mathōn ton Eunomion oēchenai tas syncheimenas synthēkas᾽ tois de katēgo… ascholias schēptomenos. Hoi de Eunomiou katēgoroi͵ ton Eudoxiou kateilēphotes skopon, tǭ basilei tas Eunomiou blasphēmias emēnysan. Ho de basileus, to men prōton ekeleuse tǭ Eudoxiǭ ton Eunomion agagein, kai tēn gegenēmenēn basanisai katēgorian. Epeidē ᾿ de anadallomenon egnō (synechōs gar prosēesan hoi katēgoroi), amphoterous ēpeilēse pempsein eis hēn ᾿Letios diēgen eschatian. Deisas toinyn ho Eudoxios, ēgage ton Eunomion" kai prōton men auton anemnēse tōn hyp᾽ autou gegenēmenōn hypothēchōn, hepeita de prophanōs elenchthenta katheile, kaitoi tēn autēn ti autos perikeimenos noson᾽ tas gar basilikas edeisen apeilas. Ho de ge Eunomios, euthys prostatēn haireseōs heauton anēgoreuse, kai tauta eschatian tina tēs Pamphylias ēnanchasmenos oikein. Henteuthen hē tōn Eunomianōn ephanē symmoria. Houtos tēn theologian technologian apephēne, kai prophanōs tas kata tou Monogenous kai tou panagiou Pneumatos hēreuxato blasphēmias. Kai ton men Huion prōton ktisma tou Patros kai exaireton ephēsen einai" to de panagion Pneuma pro tōn allōn para tou Huiou dēmiourgēthēnai poiēmatōn. Autos kai tou hagiou baptismatos anetrepse ton anekathen para tou Kyriou kai apostolōn paradothenta thesmon, kai antikrys antenomothetēse, mē chrēnai legōn tris chatadyein ton baptizomenon, mēde poieisthai tēn tēs Triados epiklēsin" all᾽ hapax baptizein eis ton thanaton tou Christou. Kai baptizon-tes de mechri tōn sternōn tǭ hydati deuousi, tois de allois moriois tou sōmatos hōs enagesi prospherein to hydōr apagoreuousin. Hou dē charin, hēnicha men eis pyelon edaptizon, exō ton andra tautēs stēsantes, ᾿ pēn toutou kephalēn mechri tou stēthous hapax heis to hydōr chatēę̄gon. Epeidē de tina synethē traumatian genesthai tēs kephalēs tę̄ pyelǭ sēs, heteron eidos baptismatos epenoēsan. Epi bathrou gar tinos prēnē ton anthrōpon diateinontes, exō de toutou tēn kephalēn haiiōrountes, chatacheousi to hydōr, oudenos allou moriou prospsauon. Tines de ex autōn kai heteron tropon exeuron baptikai tautēn kathierōsantes, helittousi tautę̄ ton anthrōpon mechri tōn onychōn, apo tou stēthous arxamenoi, eith᾽ outōs prospherousi tou hydatos tēn katachysin. Tauta de memēnykasin hoi tēn echeinōn pepheugYotes asedeian, kai tois tou Sōtēros kai Theou hēmōn synaphthentes prodatois. Kai allo de ti … syngraphę̄ paradounai hikanē gar kai monē hē tou mysous: akoē mianai ton logismon. ᾿Alla tauta men eite tolmatai par᾽ autōn, eite kai mē, egō, men ouk an ischyrisaimēn᾽ akēkoa de homōs auta par᾽ andrōn achrithōs ta echeinōn epistamenōn. Houtō lyttēsas kata tēs alētheias ho Eunomios, auxein hosēmerai tēn noson hespoudazen, Etolmēse gar eipein, hōs ouden tōn theiōn egnoēsen, alla kai autēn achrithōs epistatai tou Theou tēn ousian, kai tēn autēn echei peri tou Theou gnōsin, hēn autos echei peri heautou ho Theos. Eis tautēn hyp᾽ autou tēn manian tolmōsin antikrys legein, houtōs eidenai ton Theon, hōs autos heauton. Kai hetera de hatta prosepenoēsen, hina doxę̄ kainōn heuretēs gegenēsthai dogmatōn. Entϑythen hē ᾿Areianichē symmoria dię̄rethē dichē" kai hoi men eklēthēsan ᾿Areianoi, hoi de Eunomianoi, Hoi de Areianoi kai Eudoxianoi prosōnomasthēsan kata ton Eudoxiou kairon' tę̄ gar kenę̄ zoxę̄ tēn oikeian epitheinai tois homophrosi prosēgorian espoudasen. Hoi autoi de kai He xachionitai reuontai, apo tou topou tēn onomasian dexamenoi, en hǭ poieisthai eiōthasi tēn syneleusin. Hoi de Eunomianoi kai ᾿Aetianoi ekalounto, hōs Eunomiou ton ᾿Aetion didaskalon onomasantos" hoi de autoi kai Trōglitai ēgoun Trōglodytai onomazontai, hōs en oikiais lanthanousais tas synodous poioumenoi. Kai gar agan eisin euarithmētoi, pantōn autous bdelyttomenōn dia tēn tēs blasphēmias anaideian. Kai to men pleiston «hēs: oikoumenēs tēs toutōn lymēs apēllaktai, oligai de kai agan euarithmētoi poleis echousin ek toutōn tinas, kai autous peirōmenous lanthanein.
Then, having driven the all-praised Eleusius out of Cy[zicus, he put in his place Eunomius] …, whose thrice-wretched life and the practices he pursued Gregory of Nyssa and Theodore of Mopsuestia taught accurately in what they wrote against Eunomius. This man openly increased the blasphemies of Arius. For this reason Constantius banished him [Aetius] to a remote part of Phrygia, and this though he himself had somehow turned aside from the straight road and taken another. For after his father's death, led on by some of those entrusted with the care of his person, he laid down a law forbidding anyone to dare call the Son of God either consubstantial or of another substance; for it was not holy, he said, to inquire into God's substance; but he ordered that he be called like in all things to the one who begot him. That is why he sent Aetius, who first dared to say that the Son is unlike in all things to God who begot him, to the remote place mentioned. Knowing this, Eudoxius persuaded Eunomius not to lay bare his own view but for the time to hold it in concealment and nurse it in darkness like some secret embryo, until the opportunity … he offered at Cyzicus a teaching overshadowed for the many. But in labor to give birth to his impiety, he hinted at it in his discourses and wounded the souls of his hearers. Then some, burning with divine zeal, hid their zeal, put on the mask of the heresy, [came] to Eunomius's room, and begged him to teach them clearly the truth of the doctrine. He was taken in, supposed them to be of his mind, and vomited the venom he had hidden till then. They then pressed him still more earnestly to offer this teaching to the whole people, and to prefer to the emperor's favor a flock longing to learn the truth. So … [he uttered] the [blas]phemy. At once they [gathered] many of their fellow believers and ran to the court, and … Eudoxius was pained to learn that Eunomius had broken the agreed terms; but to the accusers … pretending to be busy. Eunomius's accusers, perceiving Eudoxius's aim, informed the emperor of Eunomius's blasphemies. The emperor first ordered Eudoxius to bring Eunomius and examine the charge. When he learned that he was putting it off (for the accusers kept coming), he threatened to send both to the remote place where Aetius was living. So Eudoxius in fear brought Eunomius; first he reminded him of the advice he had given him, and then, when he was plainly convicted, deposed him, although he himself was suffering from the same disease; for he feared the imperial threats. Eunomius at once proclaimed himself leader of a heresy, and this while forced to live in a remote part of Pamphylia. From then on the company of the Eunomians appeared. He turned theology into technology, and openly belched out blasphemies against the Only-begotten and the all-holy Spirit. He said that the Son is the first and choice creature of the Father, and that the all-holy Spirit was made by the Son before the other works. He also overturned the rule of holy baptism handed down from the beginning by the Lord and the apostles, and laid down an opposing law, saying that the one baptized should not be immersed three times nor should the invocation of the Trinity be made, but that one should baptize once into the death of Christ. When they baptize, they wet with water only as far as the chest, and forbid applying water to the other parts of the body as accursed. For this reason, when they baptized in a tub, they stood the man outside it and dipped his head down to the chest once into the water. When it happened that someone's head was wounded by the tub …, they devised another form of baptism: they stretch the man face down on a bench, hold his head out beyond it, and pour the water on it without touching any other part. Some of them found yet another way of baptizing: … and consecrating this, they wrap the man with it down to the toenails, beginning from the chest, and then apply the pouring of water. These things were reported by those who fled their impiety and were joined to the sheep of our Savior and God. They [are said to do] something else, which I [did not think it right] to hand down in writing; for merely hearing of the abomination is enough to defile the mind. Whether they really dare these things or not, I would not affirm; but I have heard them from men who know their affairs accurately. Raving thus against the truth, Eunomius was eager to increase the disease every day. He dared to say that he was ignorant of nothing divine, but knows accurately the very substance of God and has the same knowledge of God that God has of himself. [Led] by him into this madness they dare to say outright that they know God as he knows himself. He also devised some other things, so as to seem the inventor of new doctrines. From then on the Arian company was divided in two: some were called Arians, others Eunomians. The Arians were also named Eudoxians in the time of Eudoxius, for in vain glory he was eager to give his own name to those of his mind. The same are also called Exakionites, taking their name from the place where they are accustomed to hold their assembly. The Eunomians were also called Aetians, since Eunomius named Aetius as his teacher; the same are also named Troglites, that is, Troglodytes, because they hold their meetings in hidden houses. They are very few, since all abhor them for the shamelessness of their blasphemy. Most of the world is freed from their plague; a few cities, very easily counted, have some of them, and these try to escape notice.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Rom 6:3 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 28:19 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodoret tells how Eunomius, sheltered by Eudoxius, was exposed at Cyzicus and deposed, then founded the Eunomians, who called the Son a creature, claimed to know God's essence as God does, and replaced triple-immersion baptism with single and partial forms.
- Several lines are lost where Migne's Latin and footnotes stand (marked …; bracketed words supplied for sense). Compare Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.27–29, and Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius.
- “He turned theology into technology”: Theodoret's pun on θεολογία and τεχνολογία (systematizing by syllogism).
- The Eunomian baptismal practices are reported from converts; Theodoret says he cannot vouch for the further rumour he leaves unrecorded.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (Latin debris inside a word; Latin debris; Greek lost; OCR slip; column letter inside a word; footnote and Latin debris inside a word; footnote and Latin debris; Greek lost; footnote marker; footnote variants; Greek lost): (Δ) → ; Οὗτος (ὁ) τὰς → Οὗτος τὰς; χαι- 8010] 6 πὶ γο]ορσαν ἢ : ἰά4φι6 οὑπὶ ἃ τϑοί υἷα συνεσχιασμένην → χαι… συνεσχιασμένην; κατηγό- Ἢ ᾿Δλάτιον. ὨςΒ8. ἰμ οὐἀϊ(. οι. ὁ. Βαϊ! οι. ὁμόψυχος. ἀσχολίας → κατηγό… ἀσχολίας; ἀνέμντ σε → ἀνέμνησε; ἀρξάγόγυμῃ πδς Δ 1118 ρουροιγοηίγ, ἃ 5660, Θαυ 6 πὶ ἢ) μένοι → ἀρξάμενοι; κατά- Ἷ τὸ δὲ, χ. τ. λ. ἀθηῖγδ χυσιν → κατάχυσιν; ἐδ καὶ ἄλλο --- παραδοῦναι. ος ᾳυϊὰ 51, [ὉΓηλ11ἃ : « ἴὴ ποῖ οὶ ἱπογδϑῖὶ, οἱ ἴῃ ποιπηΐηθ συγγραφῇ → … συγγραφῇ; Ἐν- Β τϑῦθεν → Ἐντϑῦθεν.
Extrabiblical texts: Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.29 (Church History; allusion)
Topics: Heresy, Trinity, Christology, Baptism
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.3 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-3
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-3) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.4PG 83
Ἐκ δὲ τῆς ᾿Αρείου βλασφημίας πάλιν ἕτερον ἀπεῤῥάγη τμῆμα. Οὗτοι δέ φασι" Πατὴρ ὁ Θεὸς, ἀεὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐχτισμένος. Ταὐτὸν γάρ ἔστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ κτίσαι καὶ τὸ γεννῆσαι. τὸν γὰρ τῆς αἱρέσεως ἄρχοντα λέγουσι τοιούτων ποπάνων γεγενῆσθαι δημιουργόν. Καὶ ἄλλοι δὲ πάλιν ἐξ αὐτῶν χωρισθέντες, οἱ μὲν παρ᾽ ἐνίων Κυρτιανοὶ, Πιθηχιανοὶὺ δὲ παρ᾽ ἄλλων ἐκλήθησαν, σμικροῦ τινος ἀνθρωπίσχου, καὶ τὸ μετάφρενον ὑψηλὸν ἐσχηκότος, σὺν ἐκείνοις ἐξεληλυθότος, καὶ ταύτην αὐτοῖς τὴν ἑπωνυμίαν ἐπιτεθεῖναι παρασχευάσαντος. Χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον καὶ ἕτερος συνέστη σύλλογος, ἔχ τῶν ᾿Αρειανῶν χωρισθείς" τὴν δὲ προσηγορίαν ἐκ τῆς ἀσεδείας ἐσχήχαπι. Δουλειανοὶ γὰρ ὠνομάσθησαν, τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸν δοῦλον τοῦ Πατρὸς τολμήσαντες καλέσαι. Συλλογισμῷ δὲ τοιῷδε κεχρημένοι τὴν βλασφημίαν κατασκευάζουσι. Πᾶν κτίσμα, φασὶ, δοῦλον τοῦ κεχτιχότος " κτίσμα δὲ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁ Υἱός. Τοσαύτας ἔλαδον ἐκ τῆς ᾿Αρείου μανίας βλασφημιῶν ἀφορμάς" εἰς τοταῦτα τμήματα καὶ ἡ ᾿Αρείονυ διηρέθη συμμορία.
Ek de tēs ᾿Areiou blasphēmias palin heteron aperrhagē tmēma. Houtoi de phasi" Patēr ho Theos, aei de kai ho Huios hypo tou Theou echtismenos. Tauton gar estin epi tou Theou to ktisai kai to gennēsai. ton gar tēs haireseōs archonta legousi toioutōn popanōn gegenēsthai dēmiourgon. Kai alloi de palin ex autōn chōristhentes, hoi men par᾽ eniōn Kyrtianoi, Pithēchianoiy de par᾽ allōn eklēthēsan, smikrou tinos anthrōpischou, kai to metaphrenon hypsēlon eschēkotos, syn ekeinois exelēlythotos, kai tautēn autois tēn hepōnymian epitetheinai parascheuasantos. Chronǭ de hysteron kai heteros synestē syllogos, ech tōn ᾿Areianōn chōristheis" tēn de prosēgorian ek tēs asedeias eschēchapi. Douleianoi gar ōnomasthēsan, ton monogenē tou Theou Huion doulon tou Patros tolmēsantes kalesai. Syllogismǭ de toiǭde kechrēmenoi tēn blasphēmian kataskeuazousi. Pan ktisma, phasi, doulon tou kechtichotos " ktisma de tou Patros ho Huios. Tosautas eladon ek tēs ᾿Areiou manias blasphēmiōn aphormas" eis totauta tmēmata kai hē ᾿Areiony diērethē symmoria.
From the blasphemy of Arius another section broke off in turn. These say: God is Father, and the Son too is always created by God; for in God's case creating and begetting are the same. … for they say that the leader of the heresy was a maker of such cakes. Others again separated from them, called Kyrtians by some and Pithecians by others, because a little manikin with a high back went out with them and caused this nickname to be put on them. Later another assembly too was formed, separated from the Arians; they took their name from their impiety. They were named Doulians, because they dared to call the only-begotten Son of God a slave of the Father. They build up the blasphemy with this syllogism: every creature, they say, is the slave of the one who owns it; the Son is a creature of the Father. So many occasions of blasphemy they took from Arius's madness; into so many sections the company of Arius was divided.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodoret lists Arian splinter groups: the Psathyrians, who equated creating and begetting, the Kyrtians or Pithecians, and the Doulians, who called the Son the Father's slave.
- The remains of Migne's heading (“On those descended from the heresy of Arius”) and a misplaced footnote are removed. A line is lost where the Psathyrians are named (from ψαθυρός, a kind of cake, after their founder's trade); compare Socrates, Hist. eccl. 5.23.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (a footnote and a marginal title printed in the line; remains of Migne's heading): τῆς ᾿Αρείου καταγομένων αἱρέσεως. → ; τοῦ τὸ δὲ σραλῆναι ἐν τινὶ πορνείᾳ ἣ ἑτέρᾳ ἁμαρτίᾳ, Περὶ ᾿Αρειανῶν καὶ Εὐνομιανῶν, τα ᾿Αετιανῶν. κεχτιχότος → τοῦ κεχτιχότος.
Topics: Heresy, Trinity, Christology
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.4 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-4). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-4
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-4) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.5PG 83
Καὶ ἑτέρα δὲ πρὸς ταῖς εἰρημέναις ἐκ τούτων Παύλου γὰρ τοῦ πανευφήμου, τοῦ τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν ποιμάναντος, παρὰ τῶν τὴν ᾿Αρείου νόσον τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκείνης ἐνεχειρίσθη Οὗτος ὁ Μακεδόνιος, τὸ μὲν ὁμοούσιον εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν τῷ Πατρὶ παντελῶς ἀπεχήρυξεν " ὅμοιον δὲ κατὰ πάντα λέγειν ἐνομοθέτησε, καὶ τὸ ὁμοιούσιον ἀντὶ τοῦ ὁμοουσίου προσεπενόησε. Τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ᾿Αρείῳ καὶ Εὐνομίῳ παραπλησίως, βλασφημῶν διετέλεσεν. Ὅθεν οἱ ἐκ τῆς τούτον συμμορία: καλούμενοι Πνευματομάχοι ἐπωνομάσθησαν. Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὸ τῶν Μαχεδονιανῶν
Kai hetera de pros tais eirēmenais ek toutōn Paulou gar tou paneuphēmou, tou tēn basilida polin poimanantos, para tōn tēn ᾿Areiou noson ta tēs Ekklēsias ekeinēs enecheiristhē Houtos ho Makedonios, to men homoousion einai ton Huion tǭ Patri pantelōs apechēryxen " homoion de kata panta legein enomothetēse, kai to homoiousion anti tou homoousiou prosepenoēse. To de Pneuma to hagion, ᾿Areiǭ kai Eunomiǭ paraplēsiōs, blasphēmōn dietelesen. Hothen hoi ek tēs touton symmoria: kaloumenoi Pneumatomachoi epōnomasthēsan. Enteuthen kai to tōn Machedonianōn
And another [heresy], besides those mentioned, [broke off] from these. For when the all-praised Paul, who shepherded the imperial city, [was driven out] by those [sick with] the disease of Arius, the affairs of that church were entrusted to … This Macedonius wholly rejected the Son's being consubstantial with the Father, but laid down that he be called like in all things, and devised “of like substance” instead of “of the same substance.” He continued to blaspheme the Holy Spirit like Arius and Eunomius. Hence those of his company were named Pneumatomachi (Spirit-fighters). From then on the [heresy] of the Macedonians …
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Macedonius, intruded into the see of Constantinople in place of Paul, taught that the Son is of like substance with the Father and blasphemed the Holy Spirit; his followers were called Pneumatomachi.
- Lines are lost (marked …; bracketed words supplied for sense); the chapter breaks off. Compare Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.5–6.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.5 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-5). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-5
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-5) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.6PG 83
Ἐν δὲ τῇ πάλαι μὲν Λιδύῃ, νῦν δὲ ᾿Αφρικῇ λουμένῃ, τὴν τῶν καλουμένων Δονατιστῶν παραπληξίαν ὁ κοινὸς ἀλάστωρ ἔδειξεν. Οὗτοι δὲ, κατὰ μὲν τὴν αἴρεσιν τοῖς ᾿Αρείου συμφέρονται. Καινὸν δὲ μανίας ἐπενόησαν εἶδος. Τὸν γὰρ βίαιον θάνατον μαρτύριον ὀνομάζουσι " καὶ οἱ τῆσδε τῆς προσηγορίας τυχεῖν ἱμειρόμενοι, πρὸ πολλοῦ μὲν τοῦτο χρόνου μηνύουσι τοῖς ὁμόφροσιν. Οἱ ὃΣ πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς προσφέρουσι θεραπείαν, καὶ παντοδαπὴν χομίζουσιν τες. Ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δὲ ταύτης τῆς χλιδῆς τες, ἀναγκάζουσιν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς, οὖς ἂν εὕρωσιν, τὰς διὰ τοῦ ξίφους αὐτοῖς ἐπενεγκεῖν θανατηφόρους τινὲς δὲ διαμαρτάνονσι. Τίς γὰρ σωφρονῶν ἀνάσχοιτο ἂν τοῦ τῆς μιαιφονίας ἄγους τὴν ἅλωσιν εἰσδέξασθαι; Σφᾶς αὐτοὺς τοίνυν χορυθαντιῶντες ῥίπτουσιν ἀφ᾽ ὕψους κατὰ κρημνῶν. Ἐγὼ δὲ μεταξὺ τῶν ᾿Δρειανιχῶν διηγημάτων, χαρίεν τι συμδὰν ἐπὶ τούτοῖς διηγήσασθαι βούλομαι, Συχνοὶ γὰρ ἐκ τούτων νεανίᾳ τινὶ περιτυχόντες γενναίῳ, εἶτα γυμνὸν τὰ ξίφος ὁὀρέξαντες, ἐπέταξαν ἐπενεγκεῖν τὰς πληγὰς, κελευσθέν. Ὃ δὲ ἔφησς δεδιέναι, μή τινων ἀναιρεθέντων, μεταμεληθέντες οἱ λειπόμενοι δίκας αὐτὸν εἰσπράξωνται τῆς σφαγῆς " χρῆναι τοίνυν ἑκάστῳ πρότερον ἐπιθεῖναι δεσμὸν, εἶθ᾽ οὕτως τὸ ξίφος ἐπενεγκεῖν. Εἰξάντων ἐχείνων, καὶ τὰ δεσμὰ δεξαμένων, ῥάδδοις ἅπαντας αἰχισάμενος, ᾧχετο δεδεμένους καταλιπών. Εἰς τοιαύτην καὶ τούτους ἀληθῶς … Ἕν ᾿Αλεξανδρείᾳ τῇ πρὸς Αἰγύπτῳ, καθ᾽ ὃν χκαιρὸν "Άρειος τῆς κατὰ Μονογενοῦς ἤρξατο βλασφημίας, Μελέτιός τις ἐπίσκοπος κατὰ τῆς ᾿Αλεπόλεσι καὶ ἐπισκόπους ἐχειροτόνησε, καὶ πρεσδυτέρους, καὶ διακόνους, οὐ καινῆς αἱρέσεως προστατεύων, ἀλλὰ ταὐτὰ μὲν τῇ ἘἜχκχλησίᾳ φρονῶν, τὸ δὲ τῆς φιλαρχίας εἰσδεξάμενος πάθος. Τοῦτον οἱ ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνεληλυθότες ἁγιώτατοι Πατέρες τῶν τῆς Ἐκχχλησίας ἀπέστησαν πηδαλίων " τοὺς δὲ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ χειροτονηθέντας τῶν παρανόμως δοθέντων ἐγύμνωσαν. Ἐντεῦθεν τὸ τῶν Μελετιανῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ῥῆγμα συνέστη. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὐδὲν τῶν τῆς εὐσεδείας δογμάτων ἑκαινοτόμησεν " οὗτοι δὲ, τὴν αἵρεσιν τὴν ᾿Αρείου παρὰ τῶν τηνικαῦτα βασιλευόντων χρατυνομένην ἰδόντες, εἷς ἐχείνην ἀπἔχλιναν. Νῦν δέ γέ φασιν αὐτοὺς ταύτης μὲν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς νόσου, ἰδικῶς δὲ διάγειν, ὑφ᾽ ἐτέρὼν μὴ βουλομένους ἰθύνεσθα:, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὰς Ἐκκλησίας παραιτεῖσθαι συνάφειαν. Ταύτῃητοι, ὡς αὐτόνομοι, καὶ τὰ καταγέλαστα ἐκεῖνα προσεπἐνόησαν, τὸ παρ᾽ ἡμέραν μὲν ὕδατι τὸ σῶμα χαθαΐθέειν, μετὰ δὲ κρότου χειρῶν, χαΐ τινος ὀρχήσεως,
En de tę̄ palai men Lidyę̄, nyn de ᾿Aphrikę̄ loumenę̄, tēn tōn kaloumenōn Donatistōn paraplēxian ho koinos alastōr edeixen. Houtoi de, kata men tēn airesin tois ᾿Areiou sympherontai. Kainon de manias epenoēsan eidos. Ton gar biaion thanaton martyrion onomazousi " kai hoi tēsde tēs prosēgorias tychein himeiromenoi, pro pollou men touto chronou mēnyousi tois homophrosin. Hoi hoS pasan autois prospherousi therapeian, kai pantodapēn chomizousin tes. Epi pleiston de tautēs tēs chlidēs tes, anankazousin en tais hodois, ous an heurōsin, tas dia tou xiphous autois epenenkein thanatēphorous tines de diamartanonsi. Tis gar sōphronōn anaschoito an tou tēs miaiphonias agous tēn halōsin eisdexasthai? Sphas autous toinyn chorythantiōntes rhiptousin aph᾽ hypsous kata krēmnōn. Egō de metaxy tōn ᾿Dreianichōn diēgēmatōn, charien ti symdan epi toutois diēgēsasthai boulomai, Sychnoi gar ek toutōn neanią tini peritychontes gennaiǭ, eita gymnon ta xiphos hoorexantes, epetaxan epenenkein tas plēgas, keleusthen. Ho de ephēss dedienai, mē tinōn anairethentōn, metamelēthentes hoi leipomenoi dikas auton eispraxōntai tēs sphagēs " chrēnai toinyn hekastǭ proteron epitheinai desmon, eith᾽ houtōs to xiphos epenenkein. Eixantōn echeinōn, kai ta desma dexamenōn, rhaddois hapantas aichisamenos, hǭcheto dedemenous katalipōn. Eis toiautēn kai toutous alēthōs … Hen ᾿Alexandreią tę̄ pros Aigyptǭ, kath᾽ hon chkairon "Areios tēs kata Monogenous ērxato blasphēmias, Meletios tis episkopos kata tēs ᾿Alepolesi kai episkopous echeirotonēse, kai presdyterous, kai diakonous, ou kainēs haireseōs prostateuōn, alla tauta men tę̄ EEchkchlēsią phronōn, to de tēs philarchias eisdexamenos pathos. Touton hoi en Nikaią synelēlythotes hagiōtatoi Pateres tōn tēs Ekchchlēsias apestēsan pēdaliōn " tous de par᾽ autou cheirotonēthentas tōn paranomōs dothentōn egymnōsan. Enteuthen to tōn Meletianōn en Aigyptǭ rhēgma synestē. ᾿All᾽ ekeinos men ouden tōn tēs eusedeias dogmatōn hekainotomēsen " houtoi de, tēn hairesin tēn ᾿Areiou para tōn tēnikauta basileuontōn chratynomenēn idontes, heis echeinēn apechlinan. Nyn de ge phasin autous tautēs men apallagēnai tēs nosou, idikōs de diagein, hyph᾽ eterōn mē boulomenous ithynestha:, kai tēn pros tas Ekklēsias paraiteisthai synapheian. Tautę̄ētoi, hōs autonomoi, kai ta katagelasta ekeina prosepenoēsan, to par᾽ hēmeran men hydati to sōma chathaïtheein, meta de krotou cheirōn, chaï tinos orchēseōs,
In what was formerly called Libya and now Africa, the common scourge displayed the derangement of those called Donatists. In doctrine these agree with the followers of Arius, but they devised a new kind of madness. They call a violent death martyrdom; and those who long to obtain this title announce it to those of their mind long beforehand. These offer them every kind of care and bring them every sort of … ; and having [enjoyed] this luxury for a long time, they force whomever they meet on the roads to deal them deadly blows with the sword …; but some fail. For who in his senses would consent to take on himself the guilt of murder? So, in a frenzy, they throw themselves from heights down cliffs. Between my accounts of the Arians I wish to tell a pleasant thing that happened in their case. A number of them met a sturdy young man, held out a naked sword to him and ordered him to deal the blows …. He said he feared that, when some had been killed, the rest might change their minds and exact from him the penalty for the slaughter; so he must first put bonds on each, and then use the sword. They agreed and accepted the bonds; he beat them all with rods and went off, leaving them tied up. Into such [madness] these too truly … In Alexandria by Egypt, at the time when Arius began his blasphemy against the Only-begotten, a certain Meletius, a bishop, [rising up] against [the bishop] of Ale[xandria], … ordained bishops [in various] cities, and presbyters and deacons, not as leader of a new heresy, but holding the same views as the church, having taken in the passion of love of rule. The most holy Fathers assembled at Nicaea removed him from the helm of the church and stripped those he had ordained of what had been given unlawfully. From then on the Meletian schism in Egypt was formed. He made no innovation in the doctrines of godliness; but these, seeing the heresy of Arius strengthened by the emperors of that time, inclined to it. Now, they say, they are freed from that disease, but live apart, not wishing to be governed by others, and refusing union with the churches. For this reason, as a law to themselves, they devised those ridiculous practices: washing the body with water every day, and with clapping of hands and a kind of dancing
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodoret describes the Donatists who sought violent death as martyrdom, with the story of a young man who tricked them, and then the Meletian schism in Egypt and its odd practices.
- Some words are lost (marked …), including the end of the Donatist account and the heading of the account of the Meletians, which begins at “In Alexandria by Egypt”; the sentence runs on into the next passage.
- Theodoret's statement that the Donatists agree with Arius in doctrine is his own report; the sources he follows confused the Donatists with an Arianizing group in Africa. The violent-death seekers are the Circumcellions.
- Footnotes and a marginal reference to Theodoret's Church History are removed. On Meletius and Nicaea see the synodal letter in Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 1.9.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR marks inside a word; column letter; footnotes and a marginal reference; Greek lost): ξίφος Ὁ ἐπενεγκεῖν → ξίφος ἐπενεγκεῖν; ἀληθῶς τὸ δὲ, χ. τ. λ. [00 οἰΐ. ἰος οχϑίδληϊ : κτιστὸν δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα προφανῶς ὀνομάτων. ἢ Παύλου, κ. τ. λ. γιὰ. Ηἱἰξῖ. δοοίοδ8. 1. τ1, Ο. 4. Ἕν → ἀληθῶς … Ἕν; πρεσδυ- «ἐρους → πρεσδυτέρους.
Extrabiblical texts: Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 1.9 (Church History; allusion)
Topics: Heresy, Martyrdom, Church office
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.6 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-6
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-6) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.7PG 83
τὰς ὑμνῳδίας ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ κώδωνας πολλοὺς κάλου τινὸς ἐξηρτημένους κινεῖν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα τούτοις ἐστὶ παραπλήσια, Οὗ δὴ χάριν αὐτοῖς ὁ μέγας ἐκεῖνος ᾿Αθανάσιος πολεμῶν διετέλεσεν.
tas hymnǭdias poieisthai, kai kōdōnas pollous kalou tinos exērtēmenous kinein, kai ta alla hosa toutois esti paraplēsia, Hou dē charin autois ho megas ekeinos ᾿Athanasios polemōn dietelesen.
they make their hymn-singing, and they shake many bells hung from a rope, and do other things like these. For this reason the great Athanasius continued to fight against them.
Notes and citation
Summary: The Meletians sang hymns with clapping, dancing and bells, and Athanasius opposed them.
- This passage continues the sentence begun at the end of 4.6; the chapter division is the scan's, and the chapter is probably incomplete.
Topics: Heresy
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.7 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-7). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-7
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-7) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.8PG 83
᾿Απολινάριος δὲ ὁ Λαοδιχεὺς ἐν ἐνίοις συγγράμμασι τὸν περὶ τῆς Τριάδος οὐ παρέφθειρε λόγον " ἀλλ᾽ ὁμοίως ἡμῖν καὶ τὴν μίαν τῆς Θεότητος οὐσίαν, καὶ τὰς «τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις ἐκήρυξεν᾽ ἐν ἑγίοις δὲ βαθμοὺς ἀξιωμάτων ὡρίσατο, ἑαυτὸν διανομέα τῆς θείας χειροτονήσας νομῆς. Αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐστὶν εὕρεμα, τὸ, Μέγα, μεῖζον, μέγιστον " ὡς μεγάλου μὲν ὄντος τοῦ Πνεύματος, τοῦ δὲ Υἱοῦ μείζονος, μεγίστου δὲ τοῦ Πατρός. Τί δὲ τούτου γένοιτ᾽ ἂν γελοιότερον; Εἰ γὰρ μίαν εἶναι τῆς Τριάδος τὴν οὐσίαν τῷ ὄντι φησὶν, πῶς τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ σμικρὰν καὶ μεγάλην ὑπείληφεν; Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς σώμασιν ἡ ποσότης καὶ ἣ πηλιχότης τὰ τοιαῦτα μέτρα ποιεῖ" ἡ δὲ τούτων ἐλευθέρα φύσις οὐδὲ τούτων ἐπιδέχεται μέτρα. ᾿Αλλὰ νῦν οὐκ ἀντειπεῖν, ἀλλὰ δεῖξαι τὰς διαφόρους προεθέμεθα δόξας. Ἐν ἐνίοις τοίνυν πάλιν οὗτος συγγράμμασι τὰς τῶν ὑποστάσεων συνέχεεν ἰδιότητας, καὶ ταὐτὸ δέδραχεν ἐπὶ τῆς Τριάδος, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐτόλμησεν. Ὅθεν καὶ τὴν ναί τε τὸν Θεὸν ἔφησε Λόγον, σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν ἀνειληφότα, οὐ τὴν λογικὴν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἄλογον, ἣν φυτικὴν, ἥγουν ζωτικὴν τινες ὀνομάζουσι" τὸν δὲ νοῦν ἄλλο τι παρὰ τὴν ψυχὴν εἶναι λέγων, οὐκ ἔφησεν ἀνειλῆφθαι, ἀλλ᾽ ἀρκέσαι τὴν θείαν φύσιν εἰς τὸ πληρῶσαι τοῦ νοῦ τὴν χρείαν. Καὶ οὐ συνεῖ:δεν ὁ σοφώτατος, ὡς οὐδὲ σώματος ἂν μὴ βουληθεὶς ἐδεήϑη " ἀλλ᾽ ὥφθη ἂν καὶ δίχα σώματος, ὥσπερ δὴ πάλαι τοῖς πατριάρχαις. ᾿Δλλλὰ τὸν περὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας λόγον ἐν τῷ μετὰ τοῦτον φυλᾶ-
᾿Apolinarios de ho Laodicheus en eniois syngrammasi ton peri tēs Triados ou parephtheire logon " all᾽ homoiōs hēmin kai tēn mian tēs Theotētos ousian, kai tas «treis hypostaseis ekēryxen᾽ en hegiois de bathmous axiōmatōn hōrisato, heauton dianomea tēs theias cheirotonēsas nomēs. Autou gar estin heurema, to, Mega, meizon, megiston " hōs megalou men ontos tou Pneumatos, tou de Huiou meizonos, megistou de tou Patros. Ti de toutou genoit᾽ an geloioteron? Ei gar mian einai tēs Triados tēn ousian tǭ onti phēsin, pōs tēn autēn kai smikran kai megalēn hypeilēphen? En men gar tois sōmasin hē posotēs kai hē pēlichotēs ta toiauta metra poiei" hē de toutōn eleuthera physis oude toutōn epidechetai metra. ᾿Alla nyn ouk anteipein, alla deixai tas diaphorous proethemetha doxas. En eniois toinyn palin houtos syngrammasi tas tōn hypostaseōn synecheen idiotētas, kai tauto dedrachen epi tēs Triados, hoper epi tēs oikonomias etolmēsen. Hothen kai tēn nai te ton Theon ephēse Logon, sōma kai psychēn aneilēphota, ou tēn logikēn, alla tēn alogon, hēn phytikēn, hēgoun zōtikēn tines onomazousi" ton de noun allo ti para tēn psychēn einai legōn, ouk ephēsen aneilēphthai, all᾽ arkesai tēn theian physin eis to plērōsai tou nou tēn chreian. Kai ou synei:den ho sophōtatos, hōs oude sōmatos an mē boulētheis edeēϑē " all᾽ hōphthē an kai dicha sōmatos, hōsper dē palai tois patriarchais. ᾿Dllla ton peri tēs oikonomias logon en tǭ meta touton phyla-
Apollinaris of Laodicea, in some of his writings, did not corrupt the doctrine of the Trinity, but like us proclaimed the one substance of the Godhead and the three hypostases. In others he laid down degrees of rank, appointing himself distributor of the divine allotment. His is the invention “great, greater, greatest”: the Spirit being great, the Son greater, the Father greatest. What could be more ridiculous? If he says that the substance of the Trinity is truly one, how did he suppose the same to be both small and great? In bodies quantity and magnitude produce such measures; but the nature free of these does not admit such measures either. But our purpose now is not to refute but to show the different opinions. In some writings, then, he again confused the properties of the hypostases, and did with the Trinity what he dared with the dispensation. Hence [he said that] God the Word [became man] taking a body and a soul, not the rational soul but the irrational one, which some name vegetative, that is, vital; and saying that the mind is something other than the soul, he said it was not assumed, but that the divine nature sufficed to fill the mind's need. The very wise man did not realize that he would not have needed a body either, had he not willed it; he could have appeared without a body, as he did long ago to the patriarchs. But I will keep the account of the dispensation for the [book] after this one ….
Gen 18:1–2 (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Apollinaris sometimes taught degrees within the Trinity and held that the Word took a body and an irrational soul but no human mind, the Godhead taking the mind's place.
- Footnotes and Latin debris are removed; a few words are lost (marked …; bracketed words supplied for sense). Apollinaris's views are reported with Theodoret's objections.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (footnotes, footnote variants and Latin debris; marginal letters; stray marks): Οἱ Ξρἀ, οὐσίαν → οὐσίαν; ἣν 88. '΄πολ., κ.- τ. λ. Ῥααοὶβ Β. 1. ἀδ Ἢ τῶν ἐν Αἰἷγ. τος ἀδδυηΐ ἰη [ηάϊςθ, Ρ, 8428. βιηΐ. Υἱά. ᾿πἰαπὶ ἀΐα]. 4, Ῥ. 75, εἱ ἴ. 11, ». 104 ἐν ἐνίοις. ἘΠῚϊ. Ἀδπι. ἐνίοις μέν. Αἰ αυδλπὶ Α φυτικὴν → ἣν φυτικὴν; τὸν ΄ο δὲ νοῦν → τὸν δὲ νοῦν.
Topics: Heresy, Christology, Trinity
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.8 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-8). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-8
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-8) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.9PG 83
Πολέμιος δέ τις, ἐκ τῶν τούτου συγγραμμάτων τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐσχηκὼς, καὶ συνουσίωσιν λέγει γεγενῆσθαι καὶ κρᾶσιν τῆς θεότητος καὶ τοῦ σώματος. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡ τῶν Πολεμιανῶν αἵρεσις. Καὶ ἄλλοι δέ τινες ἐκ τῆς ᾿Απολιναρίου συναγωγῆς, ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἔφασαν κατεληλυθέναι τοῦ Κυρίου τὸ σῶμα " διάφορα δὲ εὑρόντες ἐν ποῖς ἐχείνου συγγράμμασι δόγματα, οἱ μὲν τούτοις, οἱ δὲ ἐκείνοις ἢρέσθησαν. “Ὅπως δὲ οὗτος τοῦ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀποτμηθεὶς σώματος «ὃν διάφορον ἐκύησε φλήναφον τῶν δογμάτων, περιττὸν φήθην εἰπεῖν,
Polemios de tis, ek tōn toutou syngrammatōn tas aphormas eschēkōs, kai synousiōsin legei gegenēsthai kai krasin tēs theotētos kai tou sōmatos. Enteuthen hē tōn Polemianōn hairesis. Kai alloi de tines ek tēs ᾿Apolinariou synagōgēs, ek tōn ouranōn ephasan katelēlythenai tou Kyriou to sōma " diaphora de heurontes en pois echeinou syngrammasi dogmata, hoi men toutois, hoi de ekeinois ēresthēsan. “Hopōs de houtos tou tēs Ekklēsias apotmētheis sōmatos «hon diaphoron ekyēse phlēnaphon tōn dogmatōn, peritton phēthēn eipein,
A certain Polemon, taking his starting points from Apollinaris's writings, says that there came about a co-essentiation and a mixture of the Godhead and the body. Hence the heresy of the Polemians. Some others of Apollinaris's assembly said that the Lord's body came down from heaven; finding different doctrines in his writings, some were pleased with these, others with those. How he, cut off from the body of the church, gave birth to a varied babble of doctrines, I thought it superfluous to say.
Notes and citation
Summary: Followers of Apollinaris split: Polemon taught a fusion of Godhead and body, others a body from heaven.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (column letter): Πολεμιανῶν Β αἵρεσις → Πολεμιανῶν αἵρεσις.
Topics: Heresy, Christology
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.9 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-9). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-9
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-9) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.10PG 83
Αὐδαῖος δέ τις, ἐκ τῆς πέραν Εὐφράτου Συρίας ὁρμώμενος, ἀνθρωπόμορφον ἔφησε τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὰ τοῦ σώματος αὐτῷ περιτέθειχε μόρια, τὰ συγχαταδατιχῶς παρὰ τῆς θείας εἰρημένα Γραφῆς ἀνοήτως νενοηκώς. Καὶ γὰρ ἀνθρώποις ἡ θεία … φύσιν ἐπισταμένοις, ὡς ἑνὴν αὐτοῖς ἀκούειν, τὴν διδασκαλίαν πεποίηται. Διά τοι τοῦτο τὴν ὀπτιχὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν ὀφθαλμοὺς προσηγόρευσε, καὶ ὦτα τὴν ἀκουστικὴν, καὶ χεῖρας τὴν πρακτικὴν, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἐνεργείας ὡσαύτως. Τούτων οὐδὲν συνεὶς ὃ ἀνόητος, τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν τῷ Θεῷ μορφὴν περιτέθειχεν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἐνόησε καὶ τό" « Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ᾽ εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ᾽ ὁμοίωσιν. » Καὶ ἀλογίαν νοσῶν, τὸ μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀόρατον καὶ ἀθάνατον οὐ συνεῖδε, τῷ δὲ σώματι μόνῳ τὸν λογισμὸν προσαπήρεισε. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ περὶ τούτου ἐν τοῖς περὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου διαπλάσεως σὺν θεῷ φάναι λεχθήσεται. Τοῦτον τοίνυν φασὶ τὸν Αὐδαῖον, καὶ τὸ σκότος εἰπεῖν, καὶ τὸ πῦρ, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἀγέννητα. Οἱ δὲ τῆς τούτου προσηγορίας μετειλῃφεύγειν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὴν κοινωνίαν., διὰ τοὺς τὴ… λῶν καὶ παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς τολμουμένων χαλεπωτέρων. Καὶ οὐ συνορῶσιν, ὡς οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀχριδέσι τῶν ἐπισκόπων χρεία δὲ μαρτύρων, κατὰ τὸν ἀποπστολιχὸν νόμον " ε Κατηγορίαν γὰρ, φησὶ, κατὰ πρεσδυτέρου μὴ καταδέξῃ ἐκτὸς δύο ἣ τριῶν μαρτύρων. » Ὅτι δὲ τοὺς ἁλισκομένους οἱ ἐκκλησιαστικοὶ κολάζουσι νόμοι, μαρτυρεῖ πανταχοῦ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης πὰ γινόμενα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπίσκοποι, καὶ διάκονοι, καὶ ζονται,, Οὗτοι δὲ ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων ποιεῖσθαι νεανιεύονται. Διχῆ γὰρ τὰς ἱερὰς βίδλους μετὰ τῶν νόθων διελόντες (διαφερόντως γὰρ ταύτας νομίζουσιν ἀποκρύφους καὶ μυστικὰς), καὶ στιχηδὸν ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν τεθεικότες, διαδαίνειν ἔκαστον μεταξὺ τούτῶν κελεύουσι, καὶ τὰ πλημμεληθέντα ὁμολογεῖν’ εἴτα τοῖς ὡμολογηχόσιν δωροῦνται τὴν ἄφεσιν " οὐ χρόνον ὁριζόμενοι εἰς μετάνοιαν, καθὰ κελεύουσιν οἱ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας θεσμοὶ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξουσίᾳ ποιούμενοι τὴν συγχώρησιν. Εἰδότες δὲ οἱ διαδαίνοντες παιδιὰν τὸ γινόμενον, τὰ μὲν ἀληθῇ πλημμελήματα χατάκρύπτουσι, σμικρὰ δέ τινα λέγουσι, καὶ γέλωτος ἄξια, ἃ καὶ λέγειν ὀχνήσειεν ἄν τις, εἰ μὴ τὴν τού-
Audaios de tis, ek tēs peran Euphratou Syrias hormōmenos, anthrōpomorphon ephēse ton Theon, kai ta tou sōmatos autǭ peritetheiche moria, ta synchatadatichōs para tēs theias eirēmena Graphēs anoētōs nenoēkōs. Kai gar anthrōpois hē theia … physin epistamenois, hōs henēn autois akouein, tēn didaskalian pepoiētai. Dia toi touto tēn optichēn tou Theou dynamin ophthalmous prosēgoreuse, kai ōta tēn akoustikēn, kai cheiras tēn praktikēn, kai tas allas energeias hōsautōs. Toutōn ouden syneis ho anoētos, tēn anthrōpeian tǭ Theǭ morphēn peritetheichen. Houtō gar enoēse kai to" « Poiēsōmen anthrōpon kat᾽ eikona hēmeteran kai kath᾽ homoiōsin. » Kai alogian nosōn, to men tēs psychēs aoraton kai athanaton ou syneide, tǭ de sōmati monǭ ton logismon prosapēreise. ᾿Alla kai peri toutou en tois peri tēs tou anthrōpou diaplaseōs syn theǭ phanai lechthēsetai. Touton toinyn phasi ton Audaion, kai to skotos eipein, kai to pyr, kai to hydōr agennēta. Hoi de tēs toutou prosēgorias meteilę̄pheugein tēs Ekklēsias tēn koinōnian., dia tous tē… lōn kai par᾽ autois tolmoumenōn chalepōterōn. Kai ou synorōsin, hōs oude tois achridesi tōn episkopōn chreia de martyrōn, kata ton apopstolichon nomon " e Katēgorian gar, phēsi, kata presdyterou mē katadexę̄ ektos dyo hē triōn martyrōn. » Hoti de tous haliskomenous hoi ekklēsiastikoi kolazousi nomoi, martyrei pantachou gēs kai thalattēs pa ginomena. Kai gar episkopoi, kai diakonoi, kai zontai,, Houtoi de aphesin hamartēmatōn poieisthai neanieuontai. Dichē gar tas hieras bidlous meta tōn nothōn dielontes (diapherontōs gar tautas nomizousin apokryphous kai mystikas), kai stichēdon enthen kai enthen tetheikotes, diadainein ekaston metaxy toutōn keleuousi, kai ta plēmmelēthenta homologein’ eita tois hōmologēchosin dōrountai tēn aphesin " ou chronon horizomenoi eis metanoian, katha keleuousin hoi tēs Ekklēsias thesmoi, all᾽ exousią poioumenoi tēn synchōrēsin. Eidotes de hoi diadainontes paidian to ginomenon, ta men alēthę̄ plēmmelēmata chatakryptousi, smikra de tina legousi, kai gelōtos axia, ha kai legein ochnēseien an tis, ei mē tēn tou-
A certain Audaeus, from Syria beyond the Euphrates, said that God has human form and gave him the parts of the body, foolishly understanding what the divine Scripture says by condescension. For the divine [Scripture] taught people who know [only bodily] nature, in the way they could hear. That is why it called God's power of sight eyes, his power of hearing ears, his power of acting hands, and his other activities likewise. Understanding none of this, the fool gave God human form; for so he understood also: “Let us make man in our image and likeness.” Sick with unreason, he did not perceive the invisibility and immortality of the soul, but fastened the reasoning on the body alone. But about this too, God willing, we shall speak in what we say about the formation of man. They say this Audaeus also said that darkness, fire and water are unbegotten. Those who share his name [claim to] flee the communion of the church because of those who [are guilty of] … , though worse things are dared among themselves. They do not see that even for the most exact of the bishops witnesses are needed, according to the apostolic law: “Do not accept an accusation against a presbyter except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” That the church's laws punish those convicted is witnessed by what happens everywhere on land and sea: bishops, deacons and [presbyters are deposed] …. These presume to grant remission of sins. Dividing the sacred books together with spurious ones into two groups (they consider these especially secret and mystical), and setting them in rows on this side and that, they order each person to pass between them and confess his faults; then they bestow remission on those who have confessed, not fixing a time for repentance, as the ordinances of the church command, but granting pardon on their own authority. Those who pass through, knowing the thing is a game, hide their real faults and mention some small and laughable ones, which one would hesitate even to mention, were it not that [their] …
Gen 1:26 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Tim 5:19 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Audaeus gave God human form; his followers left the church over the sins of clergy and granted quick absolution to those who walked between rows of sacred and apocryphal books confessing faults.
- Footnotes and Latin debris are removed; some words are lost (marked …; bracketed words supplied for sense). The chapter breaks off. Compare Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 4.10.
- Quotations: Gen 1:26; 1 Tim 5:19. The Audians' practice is reported as Theodoret reports it.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (Latin debris and footnotes; Greek lost; OCR slip; footnote and reference; Greek lost; footnote marker): Αὐδαῖος (4 ἢ δέ → Αὐδαῖος δέ; διαοΟἸ Δ Δπία65. τη 1 Υ 15, Πυδιην 8 ἀρ {105 τη] 43 (ση. Σ, 20. ἀλλὰ, κ. τ. λ. Υἱά. Ββαυδηίοπη ᾿Ιθγαπι Υ, ἃ. 11 56 { ἰδ, χ, ἄ. 'λπ. 65. ἰπ οἀϊί(. φύσιν → … φύσιν; χο» τὰς ἄλλας → καὶ τὰς ἄλλας; ᾿Αλλὰ (δ) καὶ → ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ; τὴ τοῦτον, χ. τ. λ. Υἱά. Ηΐδι. δεείθδ. ὶ. τν, 6. ϑ. λῶν → τὴ… λῶν.
Extrabiblical texts: Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 4.10 (Church History; allusion)
Topics: Heresy, Church office, Scripture and canon
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.10 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-10). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-10
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-10) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.11PG 83
μενον εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν, τοὺς Εὐχίτας σημαίνει), τὸ μὲν βάπτισμά φαὸῦι μηδὲν ὀνεῖν τοὺς προσἐόντας" ξυροῦ γὰρ δίκην ἀφαιρεῖται τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὰ πρότερα, τὴν δὲ ῥίζαν οὐκ ἐκκόπτει τῆς ἁμαρτίας" ἣ δὲ ἐνδελεχῇς πρὸσευχὴ, Καὶ τὴν ῥίζαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας πρόῤῥιζον ἀνασπᾷ, καὶ τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς συγχληρωθέντα πονηρὸν δαίμονα τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξελαύνει. Ἑκάστῳ γάρ φασιν ἀνθρώπῳ τιχτομένῳ παραυτίκα συνέπεσθαι δαίμονα, καὶ τοῦτον εἰς τὰς ἀτόπους πράξεις παρακινεῖν. Τοῦτον δὲ οὔτε τὸ βάπτισμα, οὔτε ἄλλο τι δύναται τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξελάσαι, ἀλλὰ μόνη τῆς προσευχῆς ἡ ἐνέργεια. ᾿Εξιέναι δέ φασι τὸν ἔνοικον δαίμονα διὰ χορύζης καὶ τῶν οἱ τρισάϑλιοι ἔργον μὲν οὐδὲν υετίασι γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ὀνομάζουσι), τῇ δὲ εὐχῇ δῆθεν ἐδχολαχότες, τῆς ἡμέρας τὸ πλεῖστον καθεύδουσιν. Εἶτα ὑπὸ τοῦ σφᾶς ἐχόαχχεύσαντος δαίμονος ἐξαπατηθέντες, ἀποκαλύψεις ἑωρακέναι φασὶ, καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα προλέγειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν " ἐλέγχονται δὲ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ψευδόμενοι. Βρενθύονται δὲ καὶ τὸν Παπέρα βλέπειν, καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα, τοῖς τοῦ σώματος ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ τῆς γινομένης τοῦ … χειροι δέ εἰσιν εἰς ἄρνησιν, κἂν βιασθῶσιν, ματίζουσιν εὐπετῶς τοὺς τούτων τι λέγοντας. Αὐτίκα τοίνυν ἐπὶ τοῦ πανευφήμου Φλαδιανοῦ, τοῦ τῆἧς ᾿Ανιοχέων ἐπισκόπου, κρινόμενοι, συκοφαντίας ἐκάλουν τὰς γεγενημένας κατηγορίας. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὁ “πάνσοφος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ τὴν λανθάνουσὰν ἐφώρασεν ᾿Αγανακτεῖν γὰρ κατὰ τῶν κατηγόρων δόξας, καὶ χαλεπαίνειν ὡς ψευδεῖς λόγους συντεθεικότων, παρ᾽ αὐτὸν χαϑίσαι προσέταξε τὸν ᾿Αδέλφιον" αὐτὸς γὰν ἡγεῖτο τῶν ἐγχαλουμένων τὴν αἵρεσιν, ἀνὴρ πρεσδύτης καὶ τυμδογέρων, καὶ παρ᾽ αὐτὰς λουκὸν ὧν τοῦ θανάτον τὰς πύλας. Πρὸς τοῦτον ὁ τρισμαχάριος ἔφη Φλαδιανὸς, ἀγνοεῖν τοὺς κατηγόρους, ἅτε δὴ παχυτέρους, τὴν πνευματικὴν πολιτείαν. Ἡμεῖς ταύτην εἰσεδεξάμεθα. ᾿Αλλ᾽ εἰπέ μοι, ἔφη, φιλαλήθως, τίνα ἐστὶ τὰ λεγόμενα. Οὕτω χαφαθελχθεὶς ὁ κρεσδύτης, καὶ κοινωνὸν τῶν δογμάτων ἐὑρηκέναι νομίσας, τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ τὴν κατηγορίαν ἐκράτυνε. Ταῦτα τοίνυν μεμαθηκὼς ὁ θεῖος ἀνῃρ, τῶν τῆς φρενίτιδος ἔῤγα τολμῶσι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐξαπίνης πηδῶσι , καὶ δαίμονας ὑπερπεπηδηκέναι νεανιεύονται" καὶ τοῖς δακτύλοις τὸ τῆς τοξείας ἐπιτελοῦσι σχῆμα, τοὺς δαίμονας ποξεύειν ἰσχυριζόμενοι. Καὶ ἕτερα ἄττα δρῶσι παραπλησίως παραπληξίας μεστὰ, διὸ δὴ καὶ τῶν Ἐνθουσιαστῶν ἐσχήκασιν ὄνομα͵ Ταύτης ἡγήσατο τῆς αἱρέσεως Σάθδας, καὶ ᾿Αδέλφιος, καὶ Δαώδης, καὶ Συμεώνης, καὶ Ἑρμᾶς, καὶ ἄλλοι τινές. "Ἔγραψε δὲ κατὰ τούτων ἐπιστολὰς, φωράσας τὴν αἴρεσιν, ὁ πανεύφῃμος Λητόϊος, ὃ τῆς Μελιτινῆς ἐπίσκοπος. Ὁ δὲ πάντων ἄριότος χιος, ὁ τοῦ Ἰκονίου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἰθύνας, ἀκριδέστερον τὴν αἵρεσιν ἐστηλίτευσε, τοῖς ὑπ᾿ ἐχείνου πραχθεῖσιν ὑπομνήμασιν ἐντεθειχὼς αὐτῶν τὰς φωνὰς, ἐναργῶς δηλούσας τοῦ δόγματος τὴν διαφοράν.
menon eis tēn Hellada phōnēn, tous Euchitas sēmainei), to men baptisma phaoui mēden onein tous proseontas" xyrou gar dikēn aphaireitai tōn hamartēmatōn ta protera, tēn de rhizan ouk ekkoptei tēs hamartias" hē de endelechę̄s proseuchē, Kai tēn rhizan tēs hamartias prorrhizon anaspą, kai ton ex archēs synchlērōthenta ponēron daimona tēs psychēs exelaunei. Hekastǭ gar phasin anthrōpǭ tichtomenǭ parautika synepesthai daimona, kai touton eis tas atopous praxeis parakinein. Touton de oute to baptisma, oute allo ti dynatai tēs psychēs exelasai, alla monē tēs proseuchēs hē energeia. ᾿Exienai de phasi ton enoikon daimona dia choryzēs kai tōn hoi trisaϑlioi ergon men ouden yetiasi gar heautous onomazousi), tę̄ de euchę̄ dēthen edcholachotes, tēs hēmeras to pleiston katheudousin. Eita hypo tou sphas echoachcheusantos daimonos exapatēthentes, apokalypseis heōrakenai phasi, kai ta esomena prolegein epicheirousin " elenchontai de dia tōn pragmatōn pseudomenoi. Brenthyontai de kai ton Papera blepein, kai ton Huion, kai to panagion Pneuma, tois tou sōmatos ophthalmois, kai tēs ginomenēs tou … cheiroi de eisin eis arnēsin, kan biasthōsin, matizousin eupetōs tous toutōn ti legontas. Autika toinyn epi tou paneuphēmou Phladianou, tou tēēs ᾿Aniocheōn episkopou, krinomenoi, sykophantias ekaloun tas gegenēmenas katēgorias. ᾿All᾽ ho “pansophos ekeinos anēr tēn lanthanousan ephōrasen ᾿Aganaktein gar kata tōn katēgorōn doxas, kai chalepainein hōs pseudeis logous syntetheikotōn, par᾽ auton chaϑisai prosetaxe ton ᾿Adelphion" autos gan hēgeito tōn enchaloumenōn tēn hairesin, anēr presdytēs kai tymdogerōn, kai par᾽ autas loukon hōn tou thanaton tas pylas. Pros touton ho trismacharios ephē Phladianos, agnoein tous katēgorous, hate dē pachyterous, tēn pneumatikēn politeian. Hēmeis tautēn eisedexametha. ᾿All᾽ eipe moi, ephē, philalēthōs, tina esti ta legomena. Houtō chaphathelchtheis ho kresdytēs, kai koinōnon tōn dogmatōn heurēkenai nomisas, tę̄ homologią tēn katēgorian ekratyne. Tauta toinyn memathēkōs ho theios anę̄r, tōn tēs phrenitidos erga tolmōsi. Kai gar exapinēs pēdōsi , kai daimonas hyperpepēdēkenai neanieuontai" kai tois daktylois to tēs toxeias epitelousi schēma, tous daimonas poxeuein ischyrizomenoi. Kai hetera atta drōsi paraplēsiōs paraplēxias mesta, dio dē kai tōn Enthousiastōn eschēkasin onoma͵ Tautēs hēgēsato tēs haireseōs Sathdas, kai ᾿Adelphios, kai Daōdēs, kai Symeōnēs, kai Hermas, kai alloi tines. "Egrapse de kata toutōn epistolas, phōrasas tēn airesin, ho paneuphę̄mos Lētoïos, ho tēs Melitinēs episkopos. Ho de pantōn ariotos chios, ho tou Ikoniou tēn Ekklēsian ithynas, akridesteron tēn hairesin estēliteuse, tois hyp᾿ echeinou prachtheisin hypomnēmasin entetheichōs autōn tas phōnas, enargōs dēlousas tou dogmatos tēn diaphoran.
… [the Messalians, a name which, translated] into Greek, means Euchites [Praying ones]), say that baptism profits nothing to those who come to it; for like a razor it removes the former sins but does not cut out the root of sin; but persistent prayer pulls the root of sin up entirely and drives out of the soul the evil demon allotted to it from the beginning. For they say that a demon attends every person as soon as he is born and incites him to unseemly deeds; neither baptism nor anything else can drive it from the soul, but only the working of prayer. They say the indwelling demon goes out through mucus and … The thrice-wretched [do no] work (for they call themselves [spiri]tual), but, supposedly devoting themselves to prayer, they sleep most of the day. Then, deceived by the demon who has made fools of them, they say they have seen revelations and try to foretell the future; but they are refuted by events as liars. They also boast that they see the Father, the Son and the all-holy Spirit with the eyes of the body, and of the … that occurs. They are ready to deny, and if pressed they readily anathematize those who say any of these things. So when they were tried before the all-praised Flavian, bishop of Antioch, they called the accusations made slander. But that all-wise man detected the hidden [disease]. Pretending to be indignant with the accusers and angry with them for having composed false charges, he ordered Adelphius to sit beside him; for he led the heresy of those accused, an old man with one foot in the grave, already at the very gates of death. To him the thrice-blessed Flavian said that the accusers, being rather gross, did not know the spiritual way of life. “We have accepted it. But tell me truthfully,” he said, “what is it you teach?” So the old man was charmed, and thinking he had found a sharer in his doctrines, confirmed the accusation by his own confession. When the divine man had learned this, … They dare the works of frenzy. For they suddenly leap up and boast that they have leapt over demons; with their fingers they make the gesture of shooting arrows, claiming to shoot at the demons. They do certain other things in like manner full of derangement; and so they have also got the name Enthusiasts. This heresy was led by Sabbas, Adelphius, Daodes, Symeones, Hermas and some others. The all-praised Letoius, bishop of Melitene, having detected the heresy, wrote letters against them. And the best of all, [Amphilo]chius, who governed the church of Iconium, branded the heresy more exactly, setting down in the minutes of the proceedings he conducted their own words, which plainly show the difference of the doctrine.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: The Messalians or Euchites held that only prayer, not baptism, expels the indwelling demon, claimed bodily visions of the Trinity, and were exposed by Flavian of Antioch and condemned by Letoius and Amphilochius.
- The beginning of the chapter is lost in the scan, and other lines where Migne's Latin and footnotes stand (marked …; bracketed words supplied for sense). Compare Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 4.11, which tells the same story of Flavian and Adelphius.
- The Messalian teaching on baptism and prayer is reported as Theodoret reports it.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (Latin debris; Migne's Latin column read as Greek, inside a word; column letter; footnote marker; footnote variant; footnotes and Latin debris; Greek lost): ἐσόμε- ΦΘΟΘΣΙ. ----δὲ Μοεραϊϊαπὶς, εἷυςε Ἐπεὶ ες, εἰ Ἐπί. ὁοπι [πα {08 6 ν6}}}, οἱ τη] πὶ ἀφ 6 πηι, αυὶ δὉ ἱπἰ ἀδοορίὶ, του θ δι! 0198 86 Υἱ ἀΐδ86 ρου θοηΐ, οἱ να προλέγειν → ἐσόμενα προλέγειν; διὰ τῶν ἢ ΕἸ πὶ, οἱ ϑρὶ γιατ πραγμάτων → διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων; τοῦ 1 κατ. [000 οἰἷϊ. 651 μὴ παραδέχου. 52 ΒΕ χ. τ. λ. 1014. ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ πὶ ὃ. ἣ τρ. τὸ μὲ», κ. τ. λ. Οπιπὶπο δά ἢ. 1. οοπίογοῃπ ἃ ὁ. θαπιαϑοοηυηι, ἢ6 Παγός. ο. 80, υ᾽ὶῇ Κεφάλαια τοῦ Ἢ χειροι → τοῦ … χειροι; (θὅ) → ; ἄλλοι Ὁ τινές → ἄλλοι τινές; ω θεῖος. Εκ εἀϊ!. Ἀοιη. → .
Extrabiblical texts: Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 4.11 (Church History; allusion)
Topics: Heresy, Prayer, Baptism, Church office
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.11 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-11). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-11
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-11) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
4.12PG 83
“Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦ κόσμου κατὰ μικρὸν ὑποῤῥέοντος, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς ἐπειγομένον λύσιν, πᾶς τις δαυτὸν ἀξιόχρεων εἶναι τῆς εὐσεδείας διδάσκαλον ᾧετο, διὰ τὸν ἐξ ἀμαθίας τῦφον οὐδενὸς μανθάνειν ἀνεχομένου, οὐκέτι λοιπὸν ὁ ἀνθρωποκτόνος δαίμων, ὁ τοῦ ψεύδους πατὴρ, ὁ τῶν ζιζανίων σπορεὺς, τοῖς ἔξωθεν καὶ φανερῶς πολεμίοις κατὰ τῆς ᾿Εκκλησίας ὡπλίζετο" ἀλλ᾽ εὑρὼν ὄργανον πᾶσαν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἀθρόως αὐτοῦ τὴν τέχνην ὑποδεχόμενον, ἐν τῷ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας προσχήματι, τὴν ἄρνησιν τῆς βεότητος ὁμοῦ καὶ φιλανθρωπίας τοῦ Μονογεγοῦς παρεισάγει, τὸ ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἀτεχνολόγητον τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν Ἑλληνικοῖς συνταράττων σοφίσμασι. Νεστόριον που πάντως ἀκούετε" καὶ γὰρ ἐπίσημος ὁ ἀνήρ. Οὗτος ἐκ τῆς Γερμανιχέων ὁρμώμενος, οὐκ οἷδα ποταποῖς τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐντεθραμμένος ἐπιτηδεύμασιν, ἄλλην. ἐξ ἄλλης ἀμείθων χώραν, καθάπερ Αἰγυπτιακή τις μάστιξ, τῇ μεγάλῃ τῶν ᾿Αντιοχέων ἐνέσχηψε πόλει. Ἐν ταύτῃ λόγων ἐλευθερίων μετρίως μετεσχηκὼς, φωνὴν τε ὅτι καλλίστην καὶ μεγίστην ἀσκήσας, τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ προϊὼν “εἰσεφθάρη, καὶ τῷ καταλόγῳ τῶν πρεσδυτέρων ἐναρίθμιος γεγονὼς, τόν τε τοῦ Θεοῦ λαὸν διδάσκειν. πεπιστευμένος, ἔδειξεν εὐθὺς ἐν προοιμίοις, οἵας παρὰ πάντα τὸν βίον γενήσεται. Οὐ γὰρ τὸν εὐγενῆ καὶ γόνιμον, καὶ γεωργῆσαι ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων δυνάμενον, ἐζήλωσε χαρακτῇρα τῶν λόγων" ἁλλὰ πρὸς τὸ δημοτερπὲς ἀποχλίνας, καὶ τῶν εἰς ἀέρα λυομένων κρότων θηρευτὴς, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος, γενόμενος, τὸ συρφετῶδες καὶ ἀστάθμητον πλῆθος πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον ἐξεκαλέσατο πόθον, φαιὸν περιδεδλημένος ἱμάτιον, ἐστυγναχὼς βαδίζων, τοὺς ἀγοκεῖν ἐγκρατὴς εἶναι θηρώμενος, οἴκοι τὰ πολλὰ βινόμενας, Τοιούτοις σχήμασί τε καὶ πλάσμασι τοὺς πολλοὺς δελεάζων, μέχρι πόῤῥω προῆλθε τῆς ἡλικίας, τὸ δοκεῖν Χριστιανὸς εἶναι πρὸ τοῦ εἶναι διώκων, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ δόξης τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προτιμῶν. ε« Ἐπεὶ δὲ, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον τῷ Δεσπότῃ, « Οὐδὲν κρυπτὸν ὃ οὐ γνωσθήσεται, οὐδὲ ἀπόκρυφον ὃ οὐ μὴ εἰς φανερὰν ἔλθῃ, » καὶ ς Τὰ καλὰ ἔργα πρόδηλά ἐστι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλως ἔχοντα κρυθῆναι οὐ δύναται, » κατὰ τὴν ἀνιχνίαστον τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ χριμάτων ἄῤδυσσον, καὶ Νεστόριος ψήφῳ τῶν περὶ τὰ βαφίλεια καὶ τοὺς θρόνους, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τηνικαῦτα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ σκῆπτρα διέποντος, τῆς Ἐκκλησίᾳς τὴν προεδρίαν πιστεύεται, οὐδὲν δὲ ἦττον καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀπάφης. Ἐνταῦθά μοι λοι. πὸν καὶ τὰ δράματα, ὧν μιχρηῦ πλήρης πᾶσα γῆ τε καὶ θάλαττα. ΄Ὡς γὰρ τὸν μέγιστον ἐκεῖνον χατἐλαδς θρόνον, καθάπερ τινὰ τυραννίδα τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης τὴν προστασίαν ἁρπάσα:, οὐκέτι κατέχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ὠδῖνα τῆς ἀσεδεία; οἷός τε ἦν᾽ ἀλλ᾽ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐξουσίας προσλαδὼν ἀμαθῇ παῤῥησίαν, εἰς μέδον ἄγει, καὶ προτίθησιν ἅπασιν, ἣν πάλαι κατὰ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς συνέλαθδε βλασφημίαν. Καὶ πόλεμον ἄντικρυς κατὰ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν αἱρεῖται δογμάτων, καὶ τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων, ἀφ᾽ οὗ κατηγγέλθη … πίστεως, ἐχθαλεῖν πειρᾶται τοὺς λόγους, ταράττων μὲν τῆς βασιλίδος πόλεως τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ταράττων δὲ καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν" οὐδὲν τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου κεκραγότος ἐπιστρεφόμενος" « Ὁ δὲ ταράσσων ὁμᾶς βαστάσει τὸ κρῖμα, ὅστις ἂν ἧ. » ᾿Αλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν τοῦ θείου τῶν ἀρχιερέων βήματος, οὗ τὸν λύχνον τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλὰ τὸν ζόφον τίθησι τῆς ἀσεδείας. Γίνεται δὲ αὑτῷ πρῶτον τῆς καινοτομίας ἐγχείρημα, τὸ μὴ δεῖν τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον, τὴν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον τεκοῦσαν ἐξ αὐτῆς σάρκα λαθόντα, Θεοτόκον ὁμολογεῖν, Χριστοτόχον δὲ μόνον" τῶν πάλαι καὶ πρόπαλαι τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως κηρύκων, κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν παράδοσιν, Θεοτόκον διδαξάντων ὀνομάζειν, καὶ πιστεύειν τὴν τοῦ φημον τεχνολογίαν καὶ παρατήρησιν, οὐδενὶ πρότερον ἐγνωσμένην, εἰς τὸ μέσον ἀγάγωμεν. Ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσηγορία, φησὶ, τῶν δύο φύσεών ἔστι σημαντικὴ, τῆς τε θεότητος τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος᾽ ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπολύτως λεγομένη φωνὴ, τὴν ἁπλήν καὶ ἀσώματον τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου παρίστησιν οὐσίαν" ἡ δὲ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, μόνην τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ὑποδείκνυσι φύσιν. Διὰ τοῦτο Χριστοτόχον, φησὶν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ Θεοτόκον τὴν Παρθένον ὁμολογεῖν ἀναγκαῖον, μήποτε λάθωμεν ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἶναι λέγοντες τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας εἰληφότα Παρθένου, καὶ οὕτω προγενεστέραν τὴν μητέρα τοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐξ αὐτῆς, κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον ὁμολογεῖν βιασθῶμεν. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ δόξω λοιδορίαις κεναῖς ταῦτα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς κατηγορεῖν, αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον οἷς εἶπε τῆς οἰκείας ἀσεδείας ποιήσομαι μάρτυρα. Τῶν γὰρ ἀποστολικῶν διδαγμάτων, καὶ παντὸς ἁγίου μνήμην τῆς ἑαυτοῦ διανοίας ὑπερορίσας, ἐν τῇ τῶν φωνάς" Οὐκ ἕτεκεν, ὦ βέλτιστε, Μαρία Θεὸν, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτεκεν ἄνθρωπον Θεότητος ὄργανον. Καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις δὲ πάλιν φληνάφοις- ᾿Ανέγκλητος Ἕλλην μητέρα θεοῖς ἐπεισάγων. Ταῦτα μὲν ὡς ἀπὸ πολλῶν ὀλίγα μοι τῶν ἐχείνου τέως εἰρήσθω, πρὸς τὰ ἑξῆς ἔπειγομένου τοῦ λόγον. Ὅθεν ἐπειδὴ θανάτῳ ἐξαισίῳ ἀπολοῦνται παράνομοι, τῆς τε ἀρχιερωσύνης διὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἐφέσῳ συναθροισθέντων ἁγίων ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ἐξεθάλετο ψήφου, καὶ βασιλικῷ νεύματι τὴν Ὅασιν χαταδιχασθεὶς οἰκεῖν, τῆς μελλούσης τῶν ἀσεθδῶν κολάσεως ἐντεῦθεν ἐδέξατο τὰ προοίμια, παρανάλωμα τῆς οἰκείας φρενοδλαδείας γενόμενος, καὶ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῷ πληρώσας τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο λόγιον, ὅτι «ε Τινῶν ἀνθρώπων αἱ ἁμαρτίαι πρόδηλοί εἰσι προάγουται εἰς χρίσιν. ν ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν, ὡς καὶ ἄλλοις πολλοῖς ἐξητασμένα, παραδραμεῖν ἀναγκαῖον, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰ ἑξῆς ἴωμεν τῆς ἱστορίας.
“Epeidē de tou kosmou kata mikron hyporrheontos, kai pros tēn toude tou pantos epeigomenon lysin, pas tis dauton axiochreōn einai tēs eusedeias didaskalon hǭeto, dia ton ex amathias typhon oudenos manthanein anechomenou, ouketi loipon ho anthrōpoktonos daimōn, ho tou pseudous patēr, ho tōn zizaniōn sporeus, tois exōthen kai phanerōs polemiois kata tēs ᾿Ekklēsias hōplizeto" all᾽ heurōn organon pasan, hōs eipein, athroōs autou tēn technēn hypodechomenon, en tǭ tēs orthodoxias proschēmati, tēn arnēsin tēs beotētos homou kai philanthrōpias tou Monogegous pareisagei, to haploun kai atechnologēton tēs pisteōs hēmōn Hellēnikois syntarattōn sophismasi. Nestorion pou pantōs akouete" kai gar episēmos ho anēr. Houtos ek tēs Germanicheōn hormōmenos, ouk hoida potapois to ex archēs entethrammenos epitēdeumasin, allēn. ex allēs ameithōn chōran, kathaper Aigyptiakē tis mastix, tę̄ megalę̄ tōn ᾿Antiocheōn eneschēpse polei. En tautę̄ logōn eleutheriōn metriōs meteschēkōs, phōnēn te hoti kallistēn kai megistēn askēsas, tę̄ Ekklēsią tou Theou proïōn “eisephtharē, kai tǭ katalogǭ tōn presdyterōn enarithmios gegonōs, ton te tou Theou laon didaskein. pepisteumenos, edeixen euthys en prooimiois, hoias para panta ton bion genēsetai. Ou gar ton eugenē kai gonimon, kai geōrgēsai psychas anthrōpōn dynamenon, ezēlōse charaktę̄ra tōn logōn" halla pros to dēmoterpes apochlinas, kai tōn eis aera lyomenōn krotōn thēreutēs, ei kai tis allos, genomenos, to syrphetōdes kai astathmēton plēthos pros ton oikeion exekalesato pothon, phaion peridedlēmenos himation, estygnachōs badizōn, tous agokein enkratēs einai thērōmenos, oikoi ta polla binomenas, Toioutois schēmasi te kai plasmasi tous pollous deleazōn, mechri porrhō proēlthe tēs hēlikias, to dokein Christianos einai pro tou einai diōkōn, kai tēs tou Christou doxēs tēn heautou protimōn. e« Epei de, kata to eirēmenon tǭ Despotę̄, « Ouden krypton ho ou gnōsthēsetai, oude apokryphon ho ou mē eis phaneran elthę̄, » kai s Ta kala erga prodēla esti, kai ta allōs echonta krythēnai ou dynatai, » kata tēn anichniaston tōn tou Theou chrimatōn ardysson, kai Nestorios psēphǭ tōn peri ta baphileia kai tous thronous, kai autou tou tēnikauta tēs oikoumenēs ta skēptra diepontos, tēs Ekklēsiąs tēn proedrian pisteuetai, ouden de ētton kai tēs oikoumenēs apaphēs. Entautha moi loi. pon kai ta dramata, hōn michrēu plērēs pasa gē te kai thalatta. ΄Hōs gar ton megiston ekeinon chatelads thronon, kathaper tina tyrannida tēs archierōsynēs tēn prostasian harpasa:, ouketi katechein en heautǭ tēn ōdina tēs asedeia? hoios te ēn᾽ all᾽ apo tēs exousias prosladōn amathę̄ parrhēsian, eis medon agei, kai protithēsin hapasin, hēn palai kata tou Monogenous synelathde blasphēmian. Kai polemon antikrys kata tōn apostolikōn haireitai dogmatōn, kai tōn hagiōn Paterōn, aph᾽ hou katēngelthē … pisteōs, echthalein peiratai tous logous, tarattōn men tēs basilidos poleōs tēn Ekklēsian, tarattōn de kai tēn oikoumenēn hapasan" ouden tou thespesiou Paulou kekragotos epistrephomenos" « Ho de tarassōn homas bastasei to krima, hostis an hē. » ᾿All' epi tēn lychnian tou theiou tōn archiereōn bēmatos, hou ton lychnon tēs alētheias, alla ton zophon tithēsi tēs asedeias. Ginetai de hautǭ prōton tēs kainotomias encheirēma, to mē dein tēn hagian Parthenon, tēn ton tou Theou Logon tekousan ex autēs sarka lathonta, Theotokon homologein, Christotochon de monon" tōn palai kai propalai tēs orthodoxou pisteōs kērykōn, kata tēn apostolikēn paradosin, Theotokon didaxantōn onomazein, kai pisteuein tēn tou phēmon technologian kai paratērēsin, oudeni proteron egnōsmenēn, eis to meson agagōmen. Hē tou Christou prosēgoria, phēsi, tōn dyo physeōn esti sēmantikē, tēs te theotētos tou Monogenous, kai tēs anthrōpotētos᾽ hē de tou Theou apolytōs legomenē phōnē, tēn haplēn kai asōmaton tou Theou Logou paristēsin ousian" hē de tou anthrōpou, monēn tēn anthrōpeian hypodeiknysi physin. Dia touto Christotochon, phēsin, all᾽ ou Theotokon tēn Parthenon homologein anankaion, mēpote lathōmen archēn tou einai legontes ton Theon Logon ek tēs hagias eilēphota Parthenou, kai houtō progenesteran tēn mētera tou gennēthentos ex autēs, kata to akolouthon homologein biasthōmen. Hina de mē doxō loidoriais kenais tauta tou andros katēgorein, auton ekeinon hois eipe tēs oikeias asedeias poiēsomai martyra. Tōn gar apostolikōn didagmatōn, kai pantos hagiou mnēmēn tēs heautou dianoias hyperorisas, en tę̄ tōn phōnas" Ouk heteken, ō beltiste, Maria Theon, all᾽ eteken anthrōpon Theotētos organon. Kai en heterois de palin phlēnaphois- ᾿Anenklētos Hellēn mētera theois epeisagōn. Tauta men hōs apo pollōn oliga moi tōn echeinou teōs eirēsthō, pros ta hexēs epeigomenou tou logon. Hothen epeidē thanatǭ exaisiǭ apolountai paranomoi, tēs te archierōsynēs dia tōn en tę̄ Ephesǭ synathroisthentōn hagiōn hypo tēs theias exethaleto psēphou, kai basilikǭ neumati tēn Hoasin chatadichastheis oikein, tēs mellousēs tōn asethdōn kolaseōs enteuthen edexato ta prooimia, paranalōma tēs oikeias phrenodladeias genomenos, kai eph᾽ heautǭ plērōsas to apostolikon ekeino logion, hoti «e Tinōn anthrōpōn hai hamartiai prodēloi eisi proagoutai eis chrisin. n ᾿Alla tauta men, hōs kai allois pollois exētasmena, paradramein anankaion, epi de ta hexēs iōmen tēs historias.
Since the world is gradually ebbing away and hastening toward the dissolution of this universe, and everyone thought himself worthy to be a teacher of godliness, no one, from the conceit of ignorance, bearing to learn, the man-killing demon, the father of lies, the sower of weeds, no longer armed himself against the church with outside and open enemies, but found an instrument ready to receive, so to speak, his whole art at once, and under the pretext of orthodoxy brings in the denial both of the Godhead and of the loving-kindness of the Only-begotten, confounding the simple, unsophisticated character of our faith with Greek sophistries. You have surely heard of Nestorius, for the man is notorious. Coming from Germanicia, trained from the beginning in I know not what practices, changing from one country to another, like some Egyptian plague he fell upon the great city of the Antiochenes. There, having had a modest share of liberal learning and having trained his voice to be as fine and as loud as possible, he crept into the church of God to its ruin, and being enrolled among the presbyters and entrusted with teaching the people of God, he showed at once, at the outset, what he would be throughout his life. He did not imitate the noble and fruitful style of discourse that can cultivate human souls, but, turning to what pleases the crowd and becoming, more than anyone, a hunter of applause that dissolves into air, he drew the motley and unstable multitude to love of himself, wearing a dark cloak, walking with a gloomy air, … hunting [the reputation] of being self-controlled, [staying] at home much of the time. With such poses and pretenses he enticed the many until he was well on in years, pursuing the seeming to be a Christian before the being one, and preferring his own glory to Christ's. But since, as the Master said, “nothing is hidden that will not be known, nor secret that will not come into the open,” and “good works are evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden,” according to the unsearchable abyss of God's judgments Nestorius too, by the vote of those about the palace and the thrones, and of the one himself who then held the scepters of the world, is entrusted with the presidency of the church, and no less of the whole world. Here now come the dramas of which practically all land and sea are full. As soon as he had seized that greatest throne, snatching the leadership of the high priesthood like a tyranny, he could no longer hold in himself the birth-pangs of his impiety, but taking from his authority an ignorant boldness, he brings into the open and sets before all the blasphemy against the Only-begotten he had long since conceived. He openly chooses war against the apostolic doctrines and against the holy Fathers, and tries to throw out the words of faith preached since … , troubling the church of the imperial city and troubling the whole world as well, paying no heed to the inspired Paul crying out, “Whoever troubles you will bear the judgment, whoever he is.” On the lampstand of the divine tribunal of the bishops he sets not the lamp of truth but the darkness of impiety. His first attempt at innovation is that the holy Virgin, who bore the Word of God who took flesh from her, must not be confessed as Theotokos, but only as Christotokos, though the heralds of the orthodox faith of old and of very old taught, according to the apostolic tradition, that she be named and believed Theotokos …. Let us bring into the open his [much-talked-of] technical reasoning and observation, known to no one before. The name Christ, he says, signifies the two natures, the Godhead of the Only-begotten and the humanity; the word God used absolutely presents the simple and bodiless substance of God the Word; and the word man shows the human nature alone. Therefore, he says, the Virgin must be confessed Christotokos but not Theotokos, lest we unwittingly say that God the Word took the beginning of his being from the holy Virgin, and so be forced in consequence to confess the mother older than the one born of her. So that I may not seem to accuse the man with empty abuse, I will make him the witness of his own impiety by what he said. Banishing from his mind the memory of the apostolic teachings and of every saint, in the [church he uttered these] words: “Mary did not bear God, my good man; she bore a man, the instrument of the Godhead.” And again in other babblings: “A Greek who brings in a mother for gods is beyond reproach.” Let these few of his many words be said for now, since my account hastens to what follows. Then, since the lawless perish by a strange death, he was cast out of the high priesthood by the divine vote through the saints assembled at Ephesus, and condemned by imperial decree to live in the Oasis, he received there the first fruits of the punishment awaiting the ungodly, becoming a casualty of his own derangement and fulfilling in himself that apostolic saying, “The sins of some people are evident, going before them to judgment.” But these things, examined by many others, must be passed over; let us go on to what follows in the history.
John 8:44 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 13:25 (allusion, medium confidence) · Luke 8:17 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 10:26 (allusion, medium confidence) · 1 Tim 5:25 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 11:33 (echo, low confidence) · Gal 5:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 5:15 (allusion, medium confidence) · 1 Tim 5:24 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: A hostile account of Nestorius: his rise at Antioch, his promotion to Constantinople, his rejection of the title Theotokos, his deposition at Ephesus and his exile to the Oasis.
- The authenticity of this chapter is disputed: Theodoret had defended Nestorius for many years, and some scholars hold the chapter to be a later addition; others take it as his own after 451. It is translated as printed, with its polemic.
- Footnotes and Latin debris are removed; a few words are lost (marked …; bracketed words supplied for sense).
- Quotations: Luke 8:17 (cf. Matt 10:26); 1 Tim 5:25; Gal 5:10; 1 Tim 5:24. The lampstand image recalls Matt 5:15. The two sayings attributed to Nestorius are given as the chapter quotes them.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (Latin debris; Migne's Latin column read as Greek; OCR slip inside a word; column letter; column letter and stray mark; marginal references and Latin debris; Greek lost; stray letter): κατὰ ἀογοῖο [886 οΟμροβ[[05, αἱ ΟΥγΉ πὶ Δ Πα δα θοοίοδ., ἰ. ᾿Υ͂, ν. 102. Θυοὰ το] φυῦπῃ οδι, πος σαρὰϊ τῆς → κατὰ τῆς; πᾶσαν, Α ὡς → πᾶσαν, ὡς; προοι- Εἷοις → προοιμίοις; τοὺς ἢ πολλοὺς → τοὺς πολλοὺς; ἀπό- Ἀρυφον → ἀπόκρυφον; Τὰ καλὰ Β ς ἔργα → Τὰ καλὰ ἔργα; ὅδ Νᾶτο, ιν, 28. 5:1 Τίῃ. ν, 25.. Ὁ ἀοχαΐ αἱ μ᾽ υγίτυπι που 6 8, ἃ. ἰὴ ΟΙΪο οἱ φυϊοῖο πίστεως → … πίστεως; {Πε᾿π|2πὶ δ 6 πὶ οπληΐ πὶ ποία ἀλ Ευὶγοῃ λπο- → .
Topics: Heresy, Christology, Church office
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 4.12 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-12). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/4-12
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-4-12) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.