History of the Arians 73–80

Who then, seeing or hearing these things, seeing the arrogance of the impious and such great injustice, if he is righteous, would not groan? For in the places of the impious the righteous groan. Who, when these things are being done and impiety has taken on such shamelessness, still dares to call this Costyllius a Christian, and not rather the image of Antichrist? For which of his marks has he omitted? Or how will this man not be thought in every respect to be that one, and that one be supposed to be such as this man is? Were not the sacrifices in the great church in the Caesareum and the blasphemies against Christ done by the Arians and pagans as at his command? Does not the vision of Daniel describe the Antichrist thus: that he will make war with the saints and prevail against them, and will surpass in evils all who were before him, and will humble three kings, and will speak words against the Most High, and will think to change times and law? Who else, then, has ever attempted to do such things but Constantius alone? For he is such as that one would be. He speaks words against the Most High, championing the impious heresy; and he makes war against the saints, exiling the bishops—though he has this power only for a little while, to his own destruction. For he has surpassed those before him in wickedness, having devised a new manner of persecution; and having overthrown three kings—Vetranio, Magnentius, and Gallus—he at once championed impiety, and like a giant has dared to exalt himself in arrogance against the Most High. He has thought to change law, setting aside the ordinance of the Lord given through the apostles, changing the customs of the Church, and himself devising a new manner of appointments. For he sends bishops from other places, even fifty stages away, with soldiers, to people who do not want them; and instead of making themselves known to the people, those men bring threats and letters to the magistrates. Thus he sent Gregory from Cappadocia to Alexandria, sent for Germinius from Cyzicus to Sirmium, and sent Cecropius from Laodicea to Nicomedia.

And one Auxentius, a busybody rather than a Christian, he transferred from Cappadocia to Milan, so that, since he had exiled the bishop there, Dionysius, a devout man, for his piety toward Christ, he might order this man to be there—a man who did not yet even know the Latin language, nor anything but impiety. And now again one George, a Cappadocian, who had been a receiver of the treasury at Constantinople and had appropriated everything and fled for that very reason, he ordered to enter Alexandria with military pomp and the authority of the general. Then, having found one Epictetus, a neophyte and a bold young man, he took a liking to him, seeing him ready for wickedness; and through him he now plots against whatever bishops he wishes; for that man is ready to do everything the emperor wishes. Using this man as his servant, he did a strange thing at Rome too, truly a likeness of the malice of Antichrist: having prepared the palace instead of the church, and having had about three of his own eunuchs present instead of the people, he then compelled three wicked spies (for one could not call them bishops) to appoint, forsooth, as bishop in the palace one Felix, worthy of them. For all the people, knowing the lawlessness of the heretics, did not allow them to enter the churches, but withdrew far from them.

What, then, of the Antichrist has this man omitted? Or what more will that one do than this man when he comes? Or how will that one, when he comes, not find the way to deceit made easy, prepared for him by this man? For again, instead of the churches, he summons the trials to himself in the palaces, and presides over them himself; and the astonishing thing is that, if he sees the accusers at a loss, he himself takes up the accusation, so that the wronged may no longer even be able to make a defense because of his violence. This he did in the case of Athanasius. For seeing the boldness of the bishops Paulinus, Lucifer, Eusebius, and Dionysius, and how from the repentance of Ursacius and Valens they refuted those who spoke against the bishop, and advised that Valens and his party, having changed their minds, should no longer be believed in what they now say, he at once stood up and said, “I am now the accuser of Athanasius; for my sake believe whatever these men say.” Then they said: “How can you be the accuser when the accused is not present? For even if you are the accuser, he, not being present, cannot be judged. For the trial is not a Roman one, that you should be believed as emperor; the judgment concerns a bishop, and the trial must be equal for the accuser and the accused. And how do you accuse? For you could not have been with one who lived far from you; but if you speak because you have heard it from these men, it is just that you should believe also what is said by him; and if you do not believe him but believe these, it appears rather that these men say these things for your sake and accuse Athanasius to please you.” Hearing this, and thinking what was rightly said an insult, he exiled them; and, enraged against Athanasius, he wrote more savagely that he should suffer what was done, that the churches should be handed over to the Arians, and that they should be free to do whatever they wished.

Such things are terrible, and beyond terrible; yet the conduct befits one who is playing the part of Antichrist. For who, seeing him leading the so-called bishops and presiding over the church trials, would not fittingly say that this is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel? For clothing himself with Christianity, and entering the holy places and standing in them, he makes the churches desolate, setting aside their canons and forcing his own to prevail. Does anyone still dare to say that this time is one of peace for Christians, and not rather of persecution—a persecution such as never happened before, and such as perhaps no one will ever carry out again, unless it be the son of lawlessness, whom the Christ-fighters display, already portraying him in themselves? Therefore it is especially fitting to be watchful, lest this heresy, which has great shamelessness and spreads like the venom of the horned serpent, as is written in the Proverbs, and teaches men to think against the Savior, be the apostasy after which that one will be revealed, having Constantius as his forerunner. For why else does he rage so against the pious? Why does he contend as for his own heresy, and call his own enemy whoever does not yield to the madness of Arius, while gladly receiving what is said by the Christ-fighters, and dishonoring such and so many synods? Why did he order the churches to be handed over to the Arians? Was it not so that that one, when he comes, may find a way to enter them, and may welcome this man who prepared the places for him? For the old bishops, appointed from the time of Alexander, and of Achillas before him, and again of Peter before him, were cast out; and those were brought in whom the followers of the soldiers named; and they named those who promised to hold their views.

This proposal was easy for the Meletians; for most of them, or rather all, are not of godly upbringing, nor do they know the sound faith in Christ, nor at all what Christianity is or what Scriptures we Christians have. For some of them came from the idols, others from the council chamber and the chief civic offices, for the sake of the wretched immunity from public duties and the patronage; and having persuaded with money the Meletians before them, they came to this office even before being catechized. And even if they seemed to have been, what catechizing is there among the Meletians? Yet without even seeming to be catechized they came, and at once, like children receiving a name, they were called bishops. And therefore, being such, they thought nothing of the matter, nor considered piety to differ from impiety. So eagerly and quickly they became Arians from Meletians; and if the emperor orders something else, they are ready to change to that too. For their ignorance of piety quickly carries them back to the folly they had from the beginning and learned. For it is nothing to them to be carried about by every wind and wave, so long as they are exempt from public duties and have human patronage; perhaps they would not even be changing, but be such as they were before, and as they were when they were pagans. Indeed, being of such pliable character, thinking the Church a civic council, and holding the views of idolaters, entering like gentiles into the beautiful name of the Savior, they have defiled all Egypt, causing the Arian heresy even to be named in it. For in Egypt alone was there still full freedom for orthodoxy; and for this reason the impious were eager to bring ill will upon it too—or rather not they, but the devil who moved them—so that, when his herald the Antichrist comes, he may find the churches in Egypt too become his, and the Meletians already catechized in his ways, and may recognize himself already formed in them.

Such, then, is the lawless order that went out from Constantius. Among the people there was eagerness for martyrdom and still greater hatred of the most impious heresy; yet there was mourning for the churches and groaning from all, crying to the Lord: “Spare your people, O Lord, and do not give your inheritance to reproach to your enemies; but make haste to deliver us from the hand of the lawless. For see, they have not spared your servants, and they are preparing the way for Antichrist.” For the Meletians will never resist him, nor care for the truth, nor think it a bad thing to deny Christ—men who have never genuinely come to the Word, taking every shape like the chameleon, and becoming the hirelings of those who serve their needs. For their aim is not the truth; they prefer to it the pleasure of the moment, and say only, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Such is the purpose of the hypocrites—“Epicritians” rather than Meletians—and such their faithless character. But the faithful servants of the Savior and true bishops, who believe genuinely and live not for themselves but for the Lord—these, faithfully pious toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and knowing, as I said before, that the pretexts against the truth are false and were plainly invented for the sake of the Arian heresy (for from the repentance of Ursacius and Valens they learned of the false accusation composed against Athanasius, in order to put him out of the way and bring the impiety of the Christ-fighters into the churches)—seeing this, as champions and heralds of the truth, chose rather to be insulted and exiled, and endured it, than to sign against him and communicate with the Ariomaniacs. For they did not forget what they had taught; but they know all the more that for traitors there is great dishonor, and for those who confess the truth the kingdom of heaven; and that for the careless and those who feared Constantius there will be nothing good, but for those who endured afflictions here, as a calm harbor for sailors after a storm, as a crown for athletes after the contest, so for them there will be great and eternal joy and gladness in heaven—such as Joseph had after those afflictions, such as the great Daniel had after his trials and the many plots of the courtiers, such as Paul now has, crowned by the Savior. Such joy the peoples of God everywhere also await; and seeing these things, they have not weakened in purpose, but rather been strengthened in faith and increased their zeal the more. For being fully assured of the false accusation and impiety of the heretics, they condemn the persecutor and run with the persecuted in mind and accord, so that they too may receive the crown of confession.

Many things one could say against this abominable and Christ-fighting heresy; and one could show that many of Constantius’s practices are preludes of Antichrist. But since, as the prophet said, from the feet to the head there is nothing sound in it, but it is full of all filth and all impiety, so that it is to be shunned even on hearsay alone, like a dog’s vomit and the venom of serpents; and since Costyllius openly bears the image of the adversary—so that the account may not be long, it is good to be content with the divine Scripture, and for all to obey it as it commands, both concerning the other heresies and especially concerning this one. Its command is this: “Depart, depart, go out from there, and touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of them and be separate, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.” This suffices for the instruction of all: so that, if anyone has been deceived by them, he may go out as from Sodom and no longer return to them, lest he suffer the fate of Lot’s wife; and if anyone has remained pure from this impious heresy from the beginning, he may have his boast in Christ, saying: “We have not stretched out our hands to a strange god, nor worshipped the works of our hands, nor served the creature rather than you, God, who created all things through your Word, the only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom to you, the Father, and with … ” … [81] … him, as though there had been neither tumult nor anyone killed. This is no small proof that these things were not done according to the mind of the most humane Augustus Constantius; for he would not have been afraid over what had happened, if he had done it by command. Indeed, when we went to him and asked him to do violence to no one and not to deny what had happened, he ordered us, Christians as we are, to be beaten with clubs, showing by this too the war waged by night against the Church. For this reason we now make this protest, since some of us are already about to travel to the most pious Augustus. And we adjure, by God Almighty and for the safety of the most pious Augustus Constantius, Maximus the prefect of Egypt and the curiosi, to report everything to the piety of the Augustus and to the authority of the most illustrious prefects. We adjure also all the shipmasters to proclaim these things everywhere, and to bring them to the ears of the most pious Augustus, and to the prefects, and to the magistrates in every place, so that it may be known that a war was made against the Church, and that in the times of Augustus Constantius Syrianus caused virgins and many others to become martyrs. For as the day was dawning on the fifth before the Ides of February, that is, the fourteenth of the month Mechir, while we were keeping vigil in the Lord’s house and devoting ourselves to prayers (for a synaxis was to take place …), suddenly about midnight the most illustrious duke Syrianus came upon us and the church with many legions of soldiers, having arms and drawn swords and bows and other implements of war, and helmets on their heads. And while we were actually praying and the reading was going on, they broke down the doors; and when the doors had been forced open by the mass of men, he gave the order: some shot arrows, others raised the war cry, there was a clashing of arms, and the swords flashed in the light of the lamps. And then, as a result, virgins were killed, many were trampled underfoot and fell over one another as the soldiers came on, and men were shot with arrows and died. Some of the soldiers also turned to plunder and stripped the virgins, for whom even to be touched by some of them was a fear greater than death. And the bishop sat on his throne, urging all to pray; and the duke led the attack, having with him Hilary the notary, who was working such things as the outcome showed. For the bishop, being dragged, was nearly torn to pieces; and being greatly weakened, and become as one dead, he disappeared from them, we know not where; for they were eager to kill him. And when they saw that many had died, they ordered the soldiers to make the bodies of the dead disappear. But the most holy virgins who were left dead were buried in the tombs, having the boast that they became martyrs in the times of the most pious Constantius. And deacons were beaten with blows in the very Lord’s house and shut up there. Nor did the matter stop there; but after this had happened, whoever wished broke down and opened whatever door he could, searched, and seized what was inside; and they entered places that not even all Christians may enter. Gorgonius, the general of the city, knows this, for he was there. And no small proof of such a warlike attack is that the arms, arrows, and swords of those who entered were left in the Lord’s house; for to this day they have been hung up in the church, so that they cannot deny it. Indeed he has often sent Dynamius of the office and the general, wishing to remove them; and so far we have not allowed it, so that … it may be known. If, then, there is an order that we be persecuted, we are all ready to be martyred; but if it is not the order of the Augustus, we ask Maximus the prefect of Egypt and all the councillors to ask him not to attempt such things again. And we ask that this petition of ours too be reported, that they not attempt to bring in any other bishop here; for we stand firm unto death, desiring the most reverend Athanasius himself, whom God gave us from the beginning in succession to our fathers.