Historical Fragments 1.4.1.20–1.7.5.2

What they themselves did, or what kind of council they held, you can learn from this. For Protogenes, as we said above, though he had anathematized Marcellus as well as Paul in the acts, afterwards received them into communion. And Dionysius of Elis in the province of Achaea, whom they themselves had deposed, they had in their council: deposers and deposed together, judges and accused, communicating, handle the divine mysteries. And Bassus of the city of Diocletianopolis, detected in outrages and crimes and justly deported from Syria, they ordained bishop; and he, detected living still more wickedly among them and condemned by them, is seen today to be joined with them. Protogenes often brought many reproaches and charges against Aetius of Thessalonica, saying that he had and has concubines, and he never wished to communicate with him; but now, received into friendship, as though cleansed by the fellowship of worse men, he is held among them as righteous. And Asclepas, when he had come to the city of Constantinople on account of Paul, after the monstrous and atrocious things that were done in the middle of the church of Constantinople, after a thousand murders, which polluted the very altars with human blood, after the killings of brothers and the deaths of pagans, to this day does not cease to communicate with Paul, on whose account these things were done; and (also) those who communicate with Paul through Asclepas, receiving letters from him and sending letters to him.

From this coagulation, then, and from this gathering of lost men, what kind of council could have been held, in which they did not so much punish their outrages as acknowledge them! For they act not as we do, who preside over the most holy churches and are rulers of the peoples, forgiving and remitting what can never be remitted or forgiven by them. They pardoned Marcellus, Athanasius, and the other criminals their outrages and blasphemy, which it was wicked to remit, though it is written: "If a man sins against a man, they will pray for him to the Lord; but if a man sins against God, who will pray for him?" But we have no such custom, nor does the church of God. Nor do we allow anyone to teach these things or to bring in new traditions, lest we be called, which is wicked, betrayers of the faith and traitors of the divine Scriptures, lest we be condemned by the Lord and by men.

But those men mentioned above plotted these things too against us. Since they knew that we could not communicate with them in the favor shown to the wicked, they thought to terrify us with writings of the emperors, to drag us unwillingly to their communion. And they were looking on while the deep and eternal peace of the church of the whole world was divided because of Athanasius and Marcellus, through whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed among the nations. These men, if they had had any fear of God in them, ought, lest this storm born through them should continue, to depart even late from their most perverse presumption, so that the church should not be split against itself for their sake. Or if there were fear of God in those who contend for them, even if nothing damnable were found in them, yet, because the unity of the church is split for their sake and the deep peace is overturned by insane rage and greed for honor, they ought to curse them and shudder at them.

When we saw things running this way, each of us decided to return to his own country, and it pleased us to write from Serdica, to report what was done, and to declare our judgment. For we cannot receive again into the honor of the episcopate Athanasius and Marcellus, who lived wickedly, blaspheming impiously against the Lord, long since deposed and condemned; who, crucifying the Son of God again and exposing him anew, pierced him with bitter blows. For one of them, by blaspheming against the Son of God and his kingdom, died once for all an eternal death; the other, sinning atrociously in a profane manner against the body of the Lord and his mysteries, and committing other outrages monstrously, was cast out and condemned by the sentence of bishops. For this reason, since we cannot depart from the tradition of the fathers, because the church has not taken such authority nor received such power from God, we ourselves do not receive the aforesaid into the honor and dignity of the church, and we justly condemn those who receive them. Nor do we receive in the church others who were justly condemned, either long ago or since, adhering to the laws of God, the traditions of the fathers, and the church's disciplines, believing the prophet who says: "Do not pass the eternal boundaries which your fathers set." Therefore we never shake what is fixed and solid, but rather keep what was established by the fathers.

After much, then, dearest brothers, we charge you this openly: that none of you, deceived by anyone, ever communicate with Ossius, Protogenes, Athanasius, Marcellus, Asclepas, Paul, Julius, nor with any of the condemned cast out of the holy church, nor with their associates who communicate with them either in person or by letter. Therefore you must never write to them nor receive letters from them. For the rest, we pray you, dearest brothers, to care for the unity of the church (and) perpetual peace, to choose holy bishops in whom are both sound faith and holy life, abhorring those who for their crimes have been stripped of the honor of the episcopate and wish to recover the place they justly lost for their misdeeds. Curse more and more those whom you see committing worse things after their crime and not hearing the Lord who says: "You have sinned; be still." For they grow young again and are made stronger by their crimes, and the more they plunge into the abyss of vices, the more they overturn the whole world. By riots of vices they bring wars and the sharpest persecutions on the holy churches, and strive like tyrants to capture the peoples of God into their own dominion.

From these things, then, recognize their most wicked attempts, when they brought such a storm of tempest upon the world, by which they disturbed almost the whole East and West: so that, each of us leaving the cares of the church, deserting the peoples of God and putting aside the very teaching of the Gospel, we came from far away, old men heavy with age, weak in body, infirm with sickness (and we were dragged through various places and left our sick behind on the journeys) on account of a very few wicked men long since justly condemned, seeking the primacy of the church against right; and that the empire should be concerned about us, and the religious emperors, tribunes, and generals be occupied, to the great harm of the state, with the life and status of bishops. Nor are the peoples silent. For the whole brotherhood in all the provinces waits in suspense and anxiety to see to what end this storm of evils will come. And the public post itself, worn out, is reduced to nothing. And why say more? The rising and setting of the world is utterly overturned and disturbed by a hard and savage tempest for the sake of one or two or a few wicked men who think impiously and live shamefully, in whom no seeds of religion have settled. If they had them, they would imitate the prophet who says: "Take me and throw me into the sea, and the sea will be calm for you, for this storm has come because of me." But they do not imitate this because they do not follow the righteous. Thus the leaders of all criminals seek the primacy of the church as if it were some tyrant's kingdom.

Nor do they seek this for the good of justice either. For those who try hard to dissolve the laws and divine rights (and) the decrees of others are not caring for the churches. Therefore they were trying to bring in this novelty, which the old custom of the church abhors: that whatever the Eastern bishops might have decided in council should be reopened by the Western bishops, and likewise whatever the bishops of the Western parts decided should be undone by the Easterners. But they treated this from that most perverse sense of theirs. In truth, the acts of our elders confirm that the decrees of all councils justly and lawfully held are to be made firm. For the council held in the city of Rome under the heretics Novatus, Sabellius, and Valentinus was confirmed by the Easterners; and again, what was decided in the East under Paul of Samosata was signed by all. For this reason we exhort you, dearest brothers, considering the order of church discipline and caring for the peace of the whole world, to rebuke those who communicate with criminals, and to cut the wicked out of the churches by the roots, so that, when the storm rushes on because of them, Christ the Lord, floating on it, may command all the winds and storms of the sea to depart, and grant the holy church perpetual and quiet peace.

We have done injury to no one, but we keep the precepts of the law. For we were gravely injured and badly treated by those who wished to disturb the rule of the catholic church by their perversity; but, having the fear of God before our eyes and considering the true and just judgment of Christ, we respected no one's person, nor spared anyone, so as not to keep church discipline. Hence the whole council condemned Julius of the city of Rome, Ossius, Protogenes, Gaudentius, and Maximinus of Trier, according to the most ancient law, as authors of communion with Marcellus, Athanasius, and the other criminals, who also communicated with the murders of Paul of Constantinople (and) his bloody acts. Protogenes, then, must be anathematized together with Marcellus, having often subscribed to the sentence passed against him or his book; and these also gave sentence against Paul of Constantinople and afterwards communicated with him. Gaudentius, as forgetful of his predecessor Cyriacus, who subscribed to the sentences justly passed against the criminals, and as mixed in the crimes of Paul, whom he even shamelessly defended. Julius of the city of Rome, as the chief and leader of the wicked, who first opened the door of communion to the criminals and condemned, and made a way for the rest to dissolve divine rights, and defended Athanasius presumptuously and boldly, a man whose witnesses and accusers he did not know. And Ossius for the cause mentioned above and on account of Mark of most blessed memory, to whom he always did grave injuries; and also because he defended with all his strength all the wicked justly condemned for their crimes, and because he lived in the East with criminals and lost men. For he was shamefully the inseparable friend of Paulinus, formerly bishop of Dacia, a man who was first accused of sorcery and driven from the church, and to this day remains in apostasy, fornicating publicly with concubines and prostitutes, whose books of sorcery Macedonius, bishop and confessor of Mopsuestia, burned. And (also) he clung most wickedly to Eustathius and Cymatius and was dear to them, of whose infamous and shameful life nothing need be said; for their end has made them known to all. Joined with these and such men from the beginning, Ossius, always favoring criminals, came against the church and always brought help to the enemies of God. And Maximinus of Trier, because he would not receive our colleagues the bishops whom we had sent to Gaul, and because he himself first communicated with Paul of Constantinople, a wicked and lost man, and because he himself was the cause of so great a disaster, that Paul was recalled to the city of Constantinople, on whose account many murders were committed. He, then, was the cause of so many murders, who recalled Paul, long since condemned, to Constantinople.

For these causes, then, the council judged it just to strip and condemn Julius of the city of Rome, Ossius, and the others mentioned above. Since this is so, you must guard yourselves against them and keep away from them, dearest brothers, and never admit them to your communion, nor receive their letters, nor give them letters of communion. And since those who were with Ossius wished to break the catholic and apostolic faith, bringing in the new sect of Marcellus, Jewish in character, mixed with Sabellius and Paul, judaizing, we have of necessity set out the faith of the catholic church, which those aforesaid who are with Ossius denied, and the followers of Marcellus the heretic brought in. It follows that, having received our letter, each of you, giving consent to this judgment, should seal our decrees with your own subscription.

The creed. Our faith is this: We believe (in) one God the Father almighty, founder and creator of all things, from whom every creature in heaven and on earth is named.

(1) Stephen, bishop of Antioch in the province of Coele-Syria: I wish you well in the Lord. (2) Olympius, bishop of Doliche: I wish you well in the Lord. (3) Gerontius, bishop of Raphanea: (I wish you well in the Lord). (4) Menophantus, bishop of Ephesus: I wish you well in the Lord. (5) Paul, bishop: I wish you well in the Lord. (6) Eulalius, bishop of Amasea: I wish you well in the Lord. (7) Macedonius, bishop of Mopsuestia: I wish you well in the Lord. (8) Thelaphius, bishop of Chalcedon: I wish you well in the Lord. (9) Acacius, bishop of Caesarea: I wish you well in the Lord. (10) Theodore, bishop of Heraclea: I wish you well in the Lord. (11) Quintianus, bishop of Gaza: I wish you well in the Lord. (12) Mark, bishop of Arethusa: I wish you well in the Lord. (13) Cyrotus, bishop of Rhosus: I wish you well in the Lord. (14) Cyrotus, bishop of Lysinia: I wish you well in the Lord. (15) Antonius, bishop of Zeugma: I wish you well in the Lord. (16) Antonius, bishop of Docimium: I wish you well in the Lord. (17) Dianius, bishop of Caesarea: I wish you well in the Lord. (18) Vitalis, bishop of Tyre: I wish you well in the Lord. (19) Eudoxius, bishop of Germanicia: I wish you well in the Lord. (20) Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria in the province (of Cilicia): I wish you well in the Lord. (21) Macedonius, bishop of Berytus: I wish you well in the Lord. (22) Eusebius, bishop of Dorylaeum: I wish you well in the Lord. (23) Basil, bishop of Ancyra: I wish you well in the Lord. (24) Prohaeresius, bishop of Sinope: I wish you well in the Lord. (25) Eustathius, bishop of Epiphania: I wish you well in the Lord. (26) Pancratius, bishop of Parnassus: I wish you well in the Lord. (27) Eusebius, bishop of Pergamum: I wish you well in the Lord. (28) Sabinianus, bishop of Chadimena: I wish you well in the Lord. (29) Bithynicus, bishop of Zela: I wish you well in the Lord. (30) Dominius, bishop of Polydiane: I wish you well in the Lord. (31) Piso, bishop of Trocnada: I wish you well in the Lord. (32) Cartherius, bishop of Aspona: I wish you well in the Lord. (33) Philetus, bishop of Juliopolis: I wish you well in the Lord. (34) Ischyras, bishop of Mareotis: I wish you well in the Lord. (35) Philetus, bishop of Cratia: I wish you well in the Lord. (36) Timasarchus, bishop: I wish you well in the Lord. (37) Eusebius, bishop of Magnesia: I wish you well in the Lord. (38) Quirius, bishop of Philadelphia: I wish you well in the Lord. (39) Piso, bishop of Adana: I wish you well in the Lord. (40) Timothy, bishop: I wish you well in the Lord. (41) Eudaemon, bishop of Thmuis: I wish you well in the Lord. (42) Callinicus, bishop of Pelusium: I wish you well in the Lord. (43) Eusebius, bishop of Pergamum: I wish you well in the Lord. (44) Leucadius, bishop of Ilium: I wish you well in the Lord. (45) Nicon, bishop of Troas: I wish you well in the Lord. (46) Adamantius, bishop of Cius: I wish you well in the Lord. (47) Edesius, bishop of Cos: I wish you well in the Lord. (48) Theodulus, bishop of Neocaesarea: I wish you well in the Lord. (49) Sion, bishop: I wish you well in the Lord. (50) Theogenes, bishop of Lycia: I wish you well in the Lord. (51) Florentius, bishop of Ancyra: I wish you well in the Lord. (52) Isaac, bishop of Letopolis: I wish you well in the Lord. (53) Eudaemon, bishop, I subscribed for him: I wish you well in the Lord. (54) Agapius, bishop of Thenae: I wish you well in the Lord. (55) Bassus, bishop of Carpathus: I wish you well in the Lord. (56) Narcissus, bishop of Irenopolis: I wish you well in the Lord. (57) Ambracius, bishop of Miletus: I wish you well in the Lord. (58) Lucius, bishop of Antinoe: I wish you well in the Lord. (59) Nonnius, bishop of Laodicea: I wish you well in the Lord. (60) Pantagathus, bishop of Attalia: I wish you well in the Lord. (61) Flaccus, bishop of Laodicea: I wish you well in the Lord. (62) Sisinnius, bishop of Perge: I wish you well in the Lord. (63) Diogenes, bishop: I wish you well in the Lord. (64) Cresconius, bishop: I wish you well in the Lord. (65) Nestorius, bishop: I wish you well in the Lord. (66) Ammonius, bishop: I wish you well in the Lord. (67) Eugenius, bishop: I wish you well in the Lord. (68) Antonius, bishop of Bostra: I wish you well in the Lord. (69) Demophilus, bishop of Beroea: I wish you well in the Lord. (70) Eutychius, bishop of Philippopolis: I wish you well in the Lord. (71) Severus, bishop of Gabala: I wish you well in the Lord. (72) Timothy, bishop of Anchialus: I wish you well in the Lord. (73) Valens, bishop of Mursa: I wish you well in the Lord. Here ends the decree of the synod of the Eastern bishops at Serdica, of the Arian party, which they sent to Africa.

With this letter, the catholic bishops subscribing to the sound faith sent ten legates to the emperor. Nevertheless the party of the heretics also sent ten legates from its body, who, when they came to the emperor, were received, while the legates of the catholics were not received; and, worn out by long delay and terrified by the emperor's threats, they condemned the sound faith which they had defended before, and accepted the unbelief which they had condemned before. You will find that this is so from what is appended below.

When the bishops had sat down at the station of Nicé, which was formerly called Ustodizo, in the province of Thrace, namely Restutus, Gregory, Honoratus, Artemius, Hyginus, Justinus, Priscus, Primus, …mus, Taurinus, Lucius, Mustacius, Urbanus, Honoratus, Solutor, Restutus, bishop of Carthage, said: "Your prudence knows, most holy fellow priests, that when the discussion about the faith was held at Ariminum, contention caused such a split that discord arose among the priests of God at the devil's prompting; and it then came about that I, Restutus, and the part of the bishops who followed, pronounced sentence against our brothers Ursacius, Valens, Germinius, and Gaius as authors of a bad understanding, that is, that they should be separated from our communion.

"But because, placed face to face, we have treated everything and discussed everything, and have found what should displease no one, namely that the faith in them is catholic according to their profession, to which we all also subscribed, and that they were never heretics; and therefore, because the concord of peace is the greatest thing before God, it has pleased us that by our common consent everything that was done at Ariminum be made void, and that communion with them, God favoring, be made whole, and that no one remain in a split that could or should stain them. And therefore, as I said, because we are present, each must say whether what I have set forth is right, and subscribe with his own hand." By all the bishops it was said, "Agreed," and they subscribed.

What the confession of faith was, to which they afterwards subscribed, which Valens also brought with him to Ariminum, you will recognize from what is written below. The end.

Enlightened by the writings of Your Piety, we have given and give the greatest thanks to God that you have made us happy by informing us of what we ought to do in accordance with the judgment of Your Piety: that no one should ever name the words ousia or homoousion, unknown to the church of God, which usually cause scandal among brothers. We have rejoiced greatly, because we have recognized what we held.

O happy we, to whom so great a happiness has come, that by the knowledge of Your Piety the others, who are accustomed to take up these names for God and the Son of God, have been refuted and received a limit! We therefore render obedience to Your Clemency, because before you the state of the truth has shone forth, which, since it cannot be conquered, has also won the victory, so that a name unworthy of God, which is nowhere written in the holy laws, is now said by no one.

So we pray Your Piety, since we are still detained in the place where the synod was held, from which we gave a reply through our legates, to order us, who hold the sound teaching together with the Easterners, to be sent back now to our peoples; so that from this side the lovers of truth may appear, who do not change God's name; and that we, who hold the catholic truth, may not be detained longer with those who are infected with perverse teaching.

Therefore we earnestly pray Your Piety, lord, before God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, God and Son of God, to treat us, who have subscribed to the sound teaching, withdrawing from the name ousia at your command, (and) to order us to be sent back to our peoples; that the church may rejoice, which does not allow the names of God and his Son to be changed at all, by the command of your power and glory, to which the Godhead has granted so much that, the sacrilege of the expression having been made plain, the names ousia and homoousion now withdraw, which are not found written in the divine Scriptures concerning God and the Son of God.

Help, devout emperor, the worshipers of the most high God; help those who pray to God the Father almighty through Christ the Son of God; help those who offer devoted ears to your judgment, who know how to worship only God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of his glory. And order, lord emperor, that we return to our peoples, by letters given to Taurus, the most distinguished praetorian prefect, because

we too render full obedience to the Easterners and to your arrangement in proclaiming the name of God. In this matter, in which we have always held, we must now return to our peoples. About this matter we have given a letter to our fellow bishops the Easterners, so that they may know that we have always held this and remain with them in the catholic faith. May the divine goodness make you always and everywhere, in all things, a most glorious defender, lord most devout emperor. The end.

I beseech you, most serene emperor, that Your Clemency grant me kindly ears, so that the purpose of my mind may appear to Your Gentleness. For from a Christian emperor and son of Constantine of holy memory I deserve to obtain this very thing without hesitation; but I understand that I labor in this, that by repeated satisfaction I cannot bring back into favor toward me your mind, which is placable even toward the guilty.

For the speech of Your Piety, sent long ago to the people, tears me greatly, though I must bear all things patiently; but that your mind, which is always free for gentleness, which never, as it is written, keeps anger until the setting of the day, should retain indignation toward me is a wonder to me. For I, most religious emperor, seek with you a true peace, not one composed in words with an inner design of deceit, but reasonably confirmed by the precepts of the Gospels.

Not only the affair of Athanasius but many other things have come into the open, for which I had besought Your Gentleness that a council be held: so that, above all (which the sincere devotion of your mind toward God especially desires), when the cause of the faith, in which our first hope toward God lies, had been carefully treated, the affairs of those who ought to admire our reverence toward God could be settled. And it would have been worthy of a worshiper of God, worthy of your empire, which is ruled and increased by the piety of Christ, that Your Clemency should grant us to obtain this very thing, especially out of reverence for the holy religion, to which you are prudently attentive.

But many hasten to tear the members of the church, who have invented that I suppressed a letter, so that the crimes of him whom they were said to have condemned should not be made plain to all; as though that letter of the bishops

of the East and of Egypt, in all of which the same crimes (against) Athanasius were contained… But it is clear enough to all, and no one denies, that we made known the letter of the Easterners, read it to the church, read it to the council, and also replied to the Easterners about it; to which we did not lend our faith and judgment, because at the same time the judgment of eighty Egyptian bishops about Athanasius

opposed it, which we likewise read out and made known to the Italian bishops. Hence it seemed against the one law, since the number of bishops for Athanasius was greater, to lend consent in any part. These writings, if Eusebius, who had been sent, owes faith to God, he left with us as he hastened to Africa. Yet all these writings were afterwards brought to Arles by Vincent, who had been sent with the others, so that they might not perhaps be lacking for obtaining a council.

Your prudence sees, then, that nothing has entered my mind that it was not worthy for servants of God to think. God is my witness, and the whole church with its members is witness, that by faith and fear toward my God I trample, and have trampled, all worldly things, as the gospel and apostolic reasoning commanded; not with rash fury, but with settled purpose, observing divine law; and, living as a churchman in another ministry, I fulfilled nothing that pertained to the law through boasting, nothing through desire of glory.

I came to this office (God is my witness) unwillingly; in it I wish indeed to remain without offense to God as long as I am in the world. And I have never brought about my own decrees, but always that the apostolic ones should be confirmed and guarded. Following the custom and order of the elders, I have allowed nothing to be added to the episcopate of the city of Rome, nothing to be diminished. And keeping that faith which has come down through the succession of so many bishops, of whom many were martyrs, I always desire that it be guarded unimpaired.

Finally, church concern and devotion itself persuade me now to open the case to Your Piety. The Easterners signify that they wish to be joined to our peace. What peace is this, most clement emperor, when there are from those very parts four bishops, Demophilus, Macedonius, Eudoxius, and Martyrius, who eight years ago, when they would not condemn the heretical opinion of Arius at Milan, walked out of the council in anger? Your fairness and clemency can judge what it is, or what danger it holds, to lend consent to the judgments of these men, if it is right to do so.

What they now attest subtly and under pretext of the name of Athanasius is nothing new. The letter of Bishop Alexander, once sent to Silvester of holy memory, remains, in which he made known that before the ordination of Athanasius he had cast out of the church eleven presbyters and deacons because they followed the heresy of Arius. Some of these, now placed outside the catholic church, are said to have found conventicles for themselves, with which George in Alexandria is also asserted to communicate by letter. What peace, then, can there be, most serene emperor, if bishops, when produced, as has now been done throughout Italy, are compelled to obey the judgments of such men?

Hear something else, since Your Serenity patiently admits it. The letter of the legates who had been sent to Your Clemency remains, which lately arrived. In it they make known that, because of the disturbance of all the churches, they had indeed been willing at first to yield to the judgments of the Easterners, but had proposed a condition: that if the same

men condemned the heresy of Arius, they would, inclining in this way, obey their judgments. The agreement, as they make known, is confirmed by a written witness; they go into the council; after deliberation they receive the reply that they could not condemn the doctrine of Arius, but that Athanasius (which alone they demanded) must be deprived of communion. From this let Your Clemency consider this too: whether, the right of the catholic religion being properly kept, the cause of a man ought to be diligently and thoroughly examined. Therefore again and again we ask Your Gentleness and your mind devoted to God, by the power of him who has shown all mortals how great he is in your defense, that, having before your eyes the benefits of him who rules your empire in all things, you have these matters diligently treated in an assembly of bishops with all consideration; so that, the times being made peaceful through you with God's favor, and Your Serenity consenting, everything may be so discussed that what stands confirmed by the judgment of God's priests (that all agreed to the exposition of the faith which was confirmed among so many bishops at Nicaea in the presence of your father of holy memory) may be kept for the future by example; so that the Savior himself, who looks from above on the purpose of your mind, may rejoice in so great a settling of affairs that you have, not undeservedly, put the cause of faith and peace even before the needs of the state. To entreat Your Gentleness, then, that you deign to hear our representations with a kindly mind, it has seemed good that my brother and fellow bishop, the holy man Lucifer, should go with the presbyter Pancratius and the deacon Hilary; who we believe can without difficulty obtain from Your Clemency a council for the peace of all the catholic churches. May the clemency of almighty God keep you for us, most clement (and most religious) Augustus. The end.