Defence before Constantius 2–19

As for the slander made against me before your humanity concerning the most pious Augustus of blessed and eternal memory, Constans your brother (for this is what my enemies noise abroad and have dared to write), the earlier refutations are enough to show that this too is untrue. For if it were other persons who said it, the matter would be one for trial, needing much proof and confrontation face to face; but if those who invented the first charges have also composed these, how is it not reasonably shown from those that these too are fabricated? This is why they again speak in private, thinking they can take your godliness by surprise. But they have failed; for you did not listen as they wished, but in your long-suffering have given us too an opportunity to defend ourselves. For not to be moved at once and demand punishment was nothing else than to wait, as a just king, for the defense of the one slandered; and if you deign to hear it, I am confident that in this too you will condemn those who acted rashly and did not fear God, who commanded that no lie be spoken to the king from the mouth.

I am truly ashamed even to defend myself on such matters, which I think not even the accuser himself would mention any longer in our presence. For he knows well both that he is lying and that I was neither mad nor out of my senses, that I should be suspected of even thinking any such thing. Therefore I would not even have answered others who asked me, lest during the time of my defense my hearers should have their minds in suspense; but to your reverence I make my defense with a loud and clear voice, and stretching out my hand, as I have learned from the Apostle, I call God as witness upon my soul; and, as it is written in the histories of the Kings, the Lord is witness and his Christ is witness (permit me too to say it), that I never spoke ill of your piety before your brother of blessed memory, Constans, the most pious Augustus. I did not provoke him, as these men have slandered; but if ever, when we came in to him, he himself made mention of your humanity—and he made mention of it when Thalassus and his companions came to Pitybion and we were staying at Aquileia—the Lord is witness how I spoke of your godliness, and said such things as God will reveal to your soul, so that you may condemn the false accusation of those who have slandered me to you. Forgive me for saying this, most humane Augustus, and grant me much pardon. For that lover of Christ was not so lightminded, nor was I of such standing, that we should converse about such things, that I should slander a brother to a brother or speak ill of an emperor before an emperor. I am not mad, O emperor, nor have I forgotten the divine voice that says: “Curse not the king, not even in your thought, and in your bedchamber curse not the rich; for a bird of the air shall carry your voice, and that which has wings shall tell your word.” If, then, what is said privately against you emperors is not hidden, is it not incredible that I should have spoken against you in the presence of the emperor and so many standing by? For I never saw your brother alone, nor did he ever converse with me alone; but I always went in with the bishop of the city where he was and others who happened to be there; we saw him together and withdrew together. Fortunatian, bishop of Aquileia, can bear witness to this; father Hosius is able to tell it, and Crispinus of Patavium, Lucillus of Verona, Dionysius of Elis, and Vincent, bishop in Campania. And since Maximinus of Trier and Protasius of Milan have died, Eugenius, who was master of the offices, can bear witness; for he stood before the curtain and heard what we asked of him and what he deigned to say to us. Though this is sufficient proof, permit me nevertheless to recount the course of my travels too, so that from this as well you may condemn those who slander us … [4] When I left Alexandria, I went up not to your brother’s court nor to any others, but only to Rome; and having committed my affairs to the church (for this alone was my concern), I devoted myself to the assemblies. To your brother I did not write, except when Eusebius and his party wrote to him against me and I was obliged, while still at Alexandria, to defend myself; and when he ordered me to prepare volumes of the divine Scriptures, I made them and sent them—for I must tell the truth in my defense before your godliness. Then, three years having passed, in the fourth year he writes ordering me to come to him; he was at Milan. And I, inquiring the reason (for I did not know, the Lord is witness), learned that certain bishops had gone up and asked him to write to your piety that a synod should be held. Believe me, O emperor, so it happened, and I do not lie. So I went down to Milan and met with great kindness; for he deigned to see me and to say that he had written and sent to you asking that a synod be held. While I was staying in that city, he sent for me again to the Gauls, for father Hosius too was coming there, so that we might travel from there to Sardica. After the synod he wrote to me while I was staying at Naissus; and going up, I then stayed at Aquileia, where the letters of your godliness reached me. And being summoned again from there by the blessed one, and going up to the Gauls, so I came to your piety.

What place, then, what time does the accuser name in which he slanders me as having said such things? Or before whom was I so mad as to utter such things as he falsely claims I said? Or who is there to support him and bear witness? For what his eyes have seen, that he ought to say, as the divine Scripture enjoined. He will find no witness of things that did not happen; but I have your piety too, together with the truth, as witness that I do not lie. For I ask you, knowing you to have an excellent memory, to recall the words I spoke when you deigned to see me—first at Viminacium, second at Caesarea in Cappadocia, and third at Antioch—whether I spoke ill to you even of Eusebius and his party, who had grieved me, or slandered any of those who had wronged me. And if I did not slander even those against whom I had cause to speak, what madness possessed me to slander an emperor to an emperor and set brother against brother? I beg you, either have me confronted in person, or condemn the slanders; and imitate David, who says, “Him who secretly slanders his neighbor I drove away.” For as far as lay in them they have murdered; for “the mouth that lies slays the soul.” But your long-suffering has prevailed, granting freedom of defense, so that they may be condemned as contentious men and false accusers. So much concerning your most pious brother of blessed memory; for by the wisdom given you by God you can grasp much from these few things and recognize the fabricated accusation. [6] … me, and leads into great perplexity. And believe me, most God-loving emperor, often reasoning with myself I could not believe that anyone was so mad as to tell such lies. But when this too was noised abroad by the Arians, and they boasted of having presented a copy of a letter, I was the more astounded; I passed sleepless nights fighting as with the accusers present; I suddenly let out a great cry, and at once prayed, groaning with tears, to find your ears favorable. And having found them so by the grace of the Lord, I am again at a loss how to begin my defense; for whenever I try to speak, I am hindered by amazement at the matter. For in the case of your brother of blessed memory, the false accusers had a plausible pretext: that we were deemed worthy to see him, that he deigned to write to your brotherly affection about us, that he often honored us when present and sent for us when absent; but the devil Magnentius—the Lord is witness, and his Christ is witness—I neither know nor ever knew. What acquaintance can there be between a man not known and one who does not know him? What pretext could have drawn me to write to such a man? What opening would I have given the letter, writing to him? “You did well to murder the man who honored me, whose kindnesses I could never forget”? And, “I approve of you for killing our friends, Christians and most faithful men”? And, “I approve of you for slaughtering those who genuinely received us at Rome—your blessed aunt, Eutropia, true to her name, the noble Abuterius, the most faithful Spirantius, and many other good men”?

Is it not madness for the accuser even to suspect such things? For what could have persuaded me to trust him? What disposition of his did I see that was safe? That he killed his own master, was faithless to his own friends, broke oaths, and was impious toward God, contriving sorcerers and enchanters against the judgment of God? With what conscience would I bid him rejoice, whose madness and cruelty grieved not only me but the whole world around us? Great and abundant thanks indeed I owed him for these things: that your brother of blessed memory filled the churches with offerings, and this man murdered him! And seeing this, the abominable man was not ashamed, nor did he fear the grace given to the blessed one through baptism; but like some avenging and devilish demon he raged against him. For the blessed one this became a martyrdom; but that man was thereafter hunted like a prisoner, groaning and trembling like Cain, so that he might imitate Judas too in his death, becoming his own executioner and bringing on himself a double punishment in the judgment hereafter.

Such a man the slanderer thought had become my friend; or perhaps he did not even think so, but as an enemy invented it implausibly; for he knows well that he lied. I would wish him, whoever he is, to be present here, and to ask him in the presence of the truth itself (for we speak as in the presence of God; this is the oath we Christians have) which of us rejoiced while the blessed Constans lived, and who prayed for him more. The first slander shows it, and it is plain to everyone. And he himself knows well that, of those so disposed, anyone who loved the blessed Constans did not become a friend of the one who rose against him; but if he was otherwise disposed than we, I fear that what the man who hated him had in mind, this he has falsely laid against me. [9] … and like a robber murder those who love and remember the blessed one, among whom I count myself second to none.

Fearing that they thought this, should I not rather have prayed for your humanity? Should I love the one who murdered him, and be grieved at you, his brother, who avenged his death? Should I remember that man’s lawlessness and forget your kindness, which you deigned to declare to me by letter would be the same toward me after the death of the blessed one as it had been while he lived? With what eyes would I look on the murderer? Or how, when praying for your safety, should I not think I saw that blessed one too? For brothers by nature are mirrors of one another. Therefore, seeing you in him, I would never have slandered you; and seeing him again in you, I would never have written to the one who rose against him, but rather prayed for your safety. And witnesses of this are first the Lord, who heard and granted you the whole kingdom of your ancestors; and witnesses also those then present: Felicissimus, who was duke of Egypt, and Rufinus and Stephen, the one catholicus and the other magister there; Asterius the count, Palladius, who was master of the palace, and Antiochus and Evagrius, the agentes in rebus. For I said only, “Let us pray for the safety of the most pious Augustus Constantius”; and all the people at once cried with one voice, “Christ, help Constantius!”, and went on praying so.

That I never wrote to that man nor received a letter from him, I have called to witness God and his Word, his only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. And permit the accuser to be questioned briefly about this too: whence did he come by this? Will he say he has copies of a letter? For this is what the Arians tirelessly bandy about. First, even if he shows the handwriting to be like ours, that is not yet certain; for there are forgers who have often imitated even the hands of you emperors, and imitation does not give letters validity unless those accustomed to write such things bear witness to them. I wish, then, to ask the slanderers this too: who supplied these, and where were they found? For I had my secretaries, and he too had those who received letters from the bearers and handed them to him. Ours are present; deign to summon those men too—for they are surely living—and learn about these letters; examine as with the truth beside you. For truth is the safeguard of kings, especially Christian ones; with it it is safe for you to reign, as the divine Scripture says: “Mercy and truth are a guard to a king, and they will encircle his throne in righteousness.” Putting forward this, the wise Zerubbabel prevailed, and all the people cried out, “Great is truth, and it prevails!”

If, then, I had been slandered before others, I would have appealed to your piety, as the Apostle then appealed to Caesar, and the plot of his enemies against him ceased. But since they have dared to accuse me before you, to whom shall I appeal from you? To the Father of him who says, “I am the truth,” that he may incline your heart to kindness. O Lord Almighty, King of the ages, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you through your Word have given this kingdom to your servant Constantius; shine into his heart, that, knowing the false accusation against us, he may receive our defense kindly, and make all know that his ears are kept safe in truth; and, as it is written, “Righteous lips alone are acceptable to a king.” For so you caused it to be said through Solomon that the throne of the kingdom is established. So then question them, and let the accusers learn that you care to learn the truth. And see whether they do not show the false accusation by the color of their face; for this is a proof of the conscience, and it is written: “When the heart rejoices the face blooms; but when it is in sorrow it is downcast.” So conscience convicted those who plotted against Joseph, and Laban’s wickedness against Jacob was shown from his face. You see, then, their suspiciousness, as they flee and hide, and our freedom as we make our defense. For the trial now is not about possessions but about the glory of the Church. He who is struck by a stone seeks the physician; but the blows of slander are sharper than stones. “Slander is a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow,” as Solomon said; and truth alone can heal these; but if it is disregarded, the wounds grow worse.

For these reasons the churches everywhere have been thrown into turmoil. They invented pretexts, and bishops of such standing and of many years were exiled because of their communion with me. If this had gone only so far, there would be some good hope, for you are humane; but lest the evil go further, let truth prevail with you, and do not allow a suspicion to arise against the whole Church, as though Christians, and especially bishops, plotted and wrote such things. Or, if you do not wish to examine the matter, it is just that we who make our defense should be believed rather than those who slander. For they act wickedly as enemies, while we, in anguish, provide the proofs. But I marvel how we speak with reverence, while they had such shamelessness as even to lie to the emperor. But examine for the sake of truth, and, as it is written, search diligently in our presence, whence they say these things and whence the letters were found. But neither will anyone of ours be convicted, nor will anyone of his say so; for it is fabricated. And perhaps it is not fitting to inquire further, nor do they wish it, lest the one who wrote these letters be found by necessity. For the devils alone know him, and no one else.

Since they have also made accusations about the great church, that a synaxis was held there before it was completed, come, I will make my defense about this too to your piety; for those hostile to us drag us even to this. Yes, it happened, I confess; for as I did not lie in saying the former things, so now I will not deny this. But the matter is otherwise than they have alleged. Permit me to say, most God-fearing Augustus, we did not celebrate a day of dedication; for it would truly have been unlawful to do so before your order; nor did we come to it by premeditation; no bishop or other cleric was invited to it, and much was still lacking in the work. Nor was the synaxis held by announcement, so as to give these men a pretext for accusation. But what happened … all …; yet hear it with your gentleness and long-suffering. It was the feast of the Pascha, and the people were very many—as many as Christ-loving emperors might pray to have as Christians in their cities. Since the churches were few and very small, there was no small uproar, as they asked to assemble in the great church and all pray there for your safety, which indeed happened. For when I urged them to wait for a while and to assemble in the other churches, however uncomfortably, they would not listen, but were ready to go out of the city and assemble in desert places in the sun, thinking it better to bear the toil of a journey than to keep the feast in grief. … [15] Again accept the truth as witness: at the assemblies in Lent, because of the narrowness of the places and the great multitude of the people, very many children, not a few young women, very many old women, and not a few young men were crushed and carried home; and by God’s providence no one died; but all murmured, and asked for the great church. And if even in the days before the feast there was such crushing, what would have happened at the feast itself? Surely all would have been far worse. But it was not fitting that the people should have grief instead of joy, weeping instead of the feast, mourning instead of gladness—especially since I knew we had the example of the Fathers. For the blessed Alexander, when the other places were narrow and he was building the church then thought the greater, called that of Theonas, held services there because of the multitude, and while holding them did not neglect the building. This I saw done at Trier and at Aquileia too; for there also, at the feasts, because of the multitude, they held services in places still being built; and they found no such accuser. Indeed your brother of blessed memory, when such a synaxis was held at Aquileia, attended it. So I too did; and it was not a dedication but an assembly for prayer. You, then, I know well, being a lover of God, accept the people’s zeal and pardon me for not preventing the prayers of so great a people. [16] … And how was it better that the people should be divided into parts, with dangerous crowding, than that, since there was already a place able to receive all, they should come together in it and there should be one and the same voice of the people in harmony? This was better; for this showed the unanimity of the multitude, and so God quickly hears. For if, according to the Savior’s own promise, if two agree about anything they ask, it will be done for them, what if, when so many people have assembled, there is one voice, saying to God the Amen? Who then did not marvel? Who did not call you blessed, seeing so great a people assembled in one place? How the people rejoiced, seeing one another, who formerly assembled in separate places! This gladdened all, and grieved only the slanderer.

I wish to anticipate his other, remaining objection. For the accuser says: “The work had not yet been completed, and prayers ought not to have been held there; and the Lord said, ‘But you, when you pray, go into your room and shut the doors.’” What, then, would the accuser say? Or rather, what would wise and … Christians say? Ask them, O emperor; for it is written of those, “The fool will speak foolishness,” but of these, “Take counsel from everyone who is wise.” When the churches were narrow and the people so many, and they wished to go out into the deserts, what ought to have been done? For the desert has no doors and is a thoroughfare for anyone who wishes, but the Lord’s place is walled and has doors, and shows the difference between … and the profane. Does not every wise man, O emperor, together with your piety, assent to this? For they know that here prayer is lawful, but there … disorder … unless there were no places, and those praying had only the desert, as Israel had; but for them too, once the tabernacle had been made, the place of prayer was thereafter defined. O Lord and truly King of …, Christ, only-begotten Son of God, Word of the Father: since … the people prayed, and through you to your Father, God over all, for the safety of your servant, the most pious Constantius, … I am accused. But thanks be to your goodness that it is for this that I have been slandered, even in your laws! For I would have been slandered more, and it would truly have been a charge, if we had passed by the place the emperor built and sought a desert for prayer. How the accuser would then have babbled! How plausible he would have been, saying: “He despised your place; what is done is against his will; he laughed as he passed by; he showed the desert supplying the need for the place; he prevented the people who wished to pray.” This is what he wished to say, this he sought; and not finding it he is vexed and so invents words. For if he had said this, he would have put me to shame; as it is, he does wrong, taking up the devil’s way and spying on those who pray; and so he failed, ignoring the case of Daniel. For the ignorant man thought that with you too the ways of the Babylonians prevail, and did not know that you are a friend of the blessed Daniel and worship the same God as he, and do not hinder but wish all to pray, knowing that the prayer of all is that you may be kept safe and reign in peace always. [18] I, then, lament this too against the accuser; but you, most God-loving Augustus, may you live through many cycles of years and celebrate the dedication. For the prayers made by all for your safety do not hinder the festival of the dedication. Let the ignorant not lie about this, but let them learn from the Fathers and read the Scriptures—or rather let them learn from you, for you are a lover of learning—that Jeshua son of Jozadak the priest and his brothers, and the wise Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Ezra the priest and scribe of the law, when the temple was being built after the captivity and the feast of Tabernacles came round (this was a feast and festival and great prayer in Israel), gathered the people with one accord into the open space of the first gate toward the east, prepared the altar of God, and there offered and there kept the feast. And thereafter they offered the sacrifices of the sabbaths and new moons, and the people offered their prayers. And the Scripture says plainly that these things were done when the temple of God was not yet built; rather, while they prayed thus, the house being built made progress; and neither were the prayers hindered by expectation of the dedication, nor was the dedication hindered by the assemblies for prayer; but the people prayed so, and when the whole house was finished they celebrated the dedication, made offerings for the dedication, and all kept festival at its completion. This again the blessed Alexander and the other Fathers did: they held assemblies, and when they had completed the work they gave thanks to the Lord, celebrating a dedication. This it befits you too to do, most learned emperor; for the place is ready, sanctified beforehand by the prayers already offered, and seeking the presence of your piety; for this alone it lacks for its perfect adornment. May you fulfill this, and pay your vow to the Lord, for whom you have built the house; for this is the prayer of all.

Come now, let us look at the other slander too, and permit me to make my defense concerning it. For they have dared to slander this too, that I resisted your orders, so as not to leave the church. I marvel that they do not grow weary of false accusations; yet I do not grow weary even so, but rather rejoice in making my defense; for the more defenses there are, the more those men can be condemned. I did not resist the order of your piety—God forbid! For I was not of such standing as to resist even the curator of a city, let alone so great an emperor; and there is no need for many words from me about this, for the whole city bears me witness. Permit me nevertheless to recount this matter too from the beginning; for when you hear it you will marvel, I know well, at the recklessness of my enemies. Montanus the palatine came bringing a letter, as though I had written asking to come to Italy, so that what I thought lacking in church affairs might be supplied. Thanks be to your piety, that it deigned to agree, as though I had written, and made provision for the journey so that I might come and complete it without fatigue; but I marveled again at those who lied to your ears, not fearing that falsehood is proper to the devil and that liars are strangers to him who says, “I am the truth.” For I did not write, nor will the accuser be able to find such a letter. Even if I ought to write every day, so as to behold your gracious countenance, yet it was neither holy to leave the churches, nor right to be a burden to your piety, especially since even in our absence you assent to church requests. What Montanus ordered, command me to read; it is this …