To the bishops of Egypt and Libya, a district letter against the Arians

The message “To the bishops of Egypt and Libya, a district letter against the Arians” (23 chapters) was written by St. Athanasius the Great in 356 in order to warn the bishops of Egypt and Libya against the designs of the Arians. In particular, against any symbols that they intended to put into circulation and impose under threats of expulsion, explaining that in the newly compiled symbols of faith, under a plausible appearance, often under passages cited from the Holy Scriptures, Arian wickedness is hidden. St. Athanasius expounds and refutes the actual teachings of Arius and points to his death as a manifestation of Divine judgment over the heretic. In conclusion, St. Athanasius calls on pastors to courageously endure all kinds of violence, to be ready to endure everything rather than abandon the Nicene Symbol and the defense of the truth. *The title of the work in Greek is Ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἐπισκόπους Αἰγύπτου καὶ Λιβύης. *The title of the work in Latin is Epistula encyclyca ad episcopos Aegypti et Lybyae. Everything that, as Luke wrote, he did and that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ taught, He did, for our salvation; because he came, as John says, “not to let the world judge, but to let the world be saved by Him” (John 3:17). But we should marvel at His goodness, among other things, in that He did not keep silent about those who argued with us, but, on the contrary, clearly predicted that when this happens, it would immediately turn out that our mind is protected by His teaching, which says: “False prophets and false Christs will arise and show great signs and wonders, as if it were possible to deceive even the elect. Behold, first of all I spoke to you” (Matthew 24:24, 25). Although numerous and higher than man are the teachings and gifts communicated to us from Him, such as: the image of heavenly residence, power over demons, sonship, and all the gifts that exceed and exceed - the knowledge of the Father and His Word, also the gift of the Holy Spirit; however, “the human mind diligently pursues evil” (Gen. 8:21), and “our adversary the devil,” envious that so many good things have been given to us, “goes seeking” to steal from us the seeds of the Word (1 Pet. 5:8). Therefore, the Lord, as if His jewels, imprinting these teachings on us with a prophecy, said: “Take heed lest anyone deceive you: for many will come in My name, saying... I am: and the time is drawing near... and they will deceive many... Do not go out after them” (Matthew 24:4, 5; Luke 21:8 ). We have received some great gift from the Word - not to be deceived by what is visible, but even to discern what is hidden by the grace of the Spirit. since he is completely hated - the inventor of sin, and the great demon is the devil; then, as soon as he appears, everyone pursues him, like a snake, like a dragon, like a lion who is looking for someone to kidnap and devour. Therefore, he conceals and hides about himself what he is, and cunningly appropriates to himself the name coveted by everyone, so that, having seduced with an empty appearance, he can entangle those who are deceived with his own bonds. Whoever wants to betray other people's children into slavery, as soon as their parents leave, takes on their appearance, and then, having taken them far away, destroys them. In the same way, the evil demon and deceiver the devil, not having the courage to act openly, knowing human love for the truth, falsely assumes the appearance of truth, and spews out his poison on those who follow him. So he deceived Eve, not speaking his own way, but falsely using God’s words and changing their meaning. So he deposed Job’s wife, inspiring her to cover herself with love for her husband, and teaching her to blaspheme God. So this flatterer deceives people with an empty appearance, kidnapping everyone and dragging them into his abyss of sin. So in ancient times, having seduced the first man Adam and thinking that through him he had made everyone subject to himself, he laughed with insolence, saying: “I take the whole world with my hand... like a nest, and like an abandoned egg; When the Lord came, and the enemy learned experimentally about His human economy, because he could not deceive the flesh He wore: from then on, this proud man, who promised to embrace the whole universe with his hand, after Christ, according to Christ’s power, like a sparrow, already serves as a playground for children; because now the “young boy,” having laid his hand on the cave of asps (Isa. 11:8), mocks the one who deceived Eve, and all those who truly believe in the Lord trample under foot the one who said: “I will set my throne... I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Is. 14:13, 14). So the enemy endures this with shame. However, this shameless one dares to take on someone else’s appearance: but those who wear a sign on their foreheads now recognize the accursed one even more easily, and with greater force drive away the humiliated and disgraced one. For, although now, like a reptile serpent, he turns into an Angel of light; however, hypocrisy is not in his favor; since we have been taught that “even if an angel from heaven brings good news to us, we shall be accursed” (Gal. 1:8, 9). If he again covers up his lies and pretends to speak the truth with his lips; then, knowing his intentions, we can say what was spoken about him by the Spirit: “But to the sinner God said: All things... will My justifications be known” (Ps. 49:16)? and: “Praise is not sweet in the mouth of a sinner” (Sir. 15:9); for this insidious one does not deserve to be believed when he speaks the truth. Scripture also showed this, telling about his evil deception in paradise against Eve. And the Lord convicted him, first on the mountain, when he revealed the folds of his heart, showed who this flatterer was, and made it clear that the tempter was not one of the saints, but Satan, saying to him: “Follow me, Satan: for it is written: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and thou shalt serve him only” (Matthew 4:10); and again, when he silenced the demons calling from the graves. Although what they affirmed was true, and they did not lie then, saying: “You are... the Son of God” (Matthew 8:29), “The Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24); however, he did not want the truth to be spoken by unclean lips, and especially by the lips of demons, and so that, under the pretext of truth, mixing in their sinful will, they would not infuse it with a “sleeping man” (Matthew 13:25). Why, just as He Himself did not tolerate demons saying this, so He did not want us to tolerate such things, and He Himself commanded, saying: “Take heed... from lying prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15), and through the holy Apostles: “Do not believe every spirit” (1 John 4:1). Such is the image of opposing action, such are the heretical gatherings. For each heresy, having as the father of its own invention the devil, who has been seduced from time immemorial and has become a murderer and a liar, and is ashamed to pronounce his hated name, feigningly assumes upon itself the beautiful and supreme name of the Savior, collects the sayings of the Scriptures, utters words, conceals the true meaning, and finally, covering up its own invention with some kind of flattery her fabrication, she herself becomes a murderer of those misled. For what is the Gospel for Marcion and Manichaeus, who deny the law? The old proves the new, and the new testifies to the old. Therefore, do those who deny the latter confess what is proven by it? Paul became the Apostle of the Gospel, “whom God first promised by His prophets in the Scriptures of the saints” (Rom. 1:2). The Lord Himself said: “Test the Scriptures, for... this is the one who testifies of Me” (John 5:39). Therefore, how will they confess the Lord without first testing the Scriptures about Him? The disciples say that they have found Him “whose writings were written by Moses and Prophets" (John 1:45). What use is the law again for the Sadducees, who do not accept the Prophets? God, who gave the law, himself promised to raise up the Prophets; for He is the Lord of both the law and the Prophets; and what is the use of the old Scripture for the Jews, who did not know the Lord according to it? in the words of the Lord: “For this is written about Me,” says the Lord (John 5:46). What use are the Scriptures to Samosatsky, who denies the Word of God and the coming of the Word in the flesh, foreshadowed and indicated in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments! What use are the Scriptures for the Arians? – Why are they offered by people who claim that the Word of God is a creature, and, like the pagans, serve the “creature rather than the Creator” God (Rom. 1:25)? Due to the wickedness of their invention, each of these heresies has nothing in common with the Scriptures, and the defenders of heresies know that the Scriptures in many ways, or better yet, in everything, are contrary to the wisdom of each of them. But to deceive the simple-minded, such as those mentioned in Proverbs: “The gentle man has faith in every word” (Proverbs 14:15), they pretend, like their father the devil, that they study and collect the sayings of Scripture in order to use these sayings to show the correctness of their wisdom, and finally, to convince poor people to philosophize contrary to the Scriptures. And of course, in every heresy, the devil, hiding behind himself in this way, presented sayings filled with flattery. For the Lord said about them that “they will arise... false Christs and false prophets, so as to deceive many” (Matthew 24:24). So the devil came, speaking on behalf of each heresy: “I am Christ” (Matthew 24:5), for me it is the truth; and this slanderer forced all heresies to lie, both individually and collectively. And the strange thing is that all of them, quarreling among themselves over everything that each of them had invented, were inextricably united with one another in one thing, namely in lies; because they have one father, who instills lies in everyone. Therefore, the faithful disciple of the Gospel, who has the grace to reason about spiritual things and who has built the house of his faith on rock, stands firm and is safe from their deception. But whoever is simple, as I said above, and not firmly instructed in the faith, having only words in mind and not penetrating the meaning, is soon carried away by their intrigues. Therefore, it is a wonderful and necessary thing to wish to accept the gift of discernment of spirits, so that everyone, according to John’s commandment, knows whom to reject and whom to accept as friends and fellow believers. And much could be written by one who intended to go into detail; then the wickedness and maliciousness of heresies would be extreme and varied, and the cunning of the deceivers extremely terrible. But since the Divine Scripture is most sufficient, having advised those who want to know a lot about this to read God’s Word, I myself have now tried to reveal what is most necessary, which is why I especially wrote it this way. I heard while living in these countries (faithful and Orthodox brethren told me this) that some of those who adhere to the Arian way of thinking, having come together, wrote about the faith that was desirable for them, and want to send it to you, so that either by signature you would express your consent to their opinion, or better yet, to what the devil inspired them with, or anyone who would object to this would be expelled; because they are already beginning to disturb the bishops of these countries. So, from this the character of those who wrote is made clear. For those who wrote so that the end of their writings would be exile and other executions, how can they not be alien to Christians and not friends of the devil and his demons, especially since the most godly King Constantius is a lover of mankind, and they, against his will, divulge what they want? For this too is done with great cunning, and, as it seems to me, most of all for these two reasons: firstly, so that when you also subscribe, the bad rumors about Arius will apparently subside, and they themselves will become inconspicuous, as if they no longer adhere to Arian thoughts; and secondly, so that by writing this, apparently, he would also eclipse the Council that took place in Nicaea and the faith expressed at it against the Arian heresy. But this is what further exposes their malice and unorthodoxy. For if they believed rightly, they would be content with the faith set forth by the entire Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. And if they thought that they were being slandered and in vain they were called Arians; then they should not try to change what was written against Arius, so that what was written against Him would not serve as if it had been decreed against them. Now they act differently: they strive for themselves, as if they were Arius himself. For look: they are not concerned about the truth, but, on the contrary, everything they say and do is in favor of the Arian heresy. By daring to slander what was perfectly defined by the Council, and by undertaking to write something different - contrary to what they do otherwise - is it not the same thing that they accuse the Fathers and stand up for the heresy against which the Fathers stood and gave their verdict? What they write now, they write, as I have already said, not caring about the truth, but rather for fun, with cunning they do it to seduce people, in order by sending letters to draw the attention of the people to this, to gain time for themselves to avoid accusations, and, having hidden their wickedness, to be able to spread heresy like gangrene, which finds food everywhere. They set everything in motion and confusion, and are not content with their definitions. Every year they come together as if to write treaties, and they themselves pretend that they are writing about faith, most of all exposing themselves to ridicule and shame because their definitions are rejected not by others, but by themselves. For if they were confident in what was written by them before; then they would not try to write another one, and leaving it again, they would not begin to write another new one, which, without a doubt, having thought about it, they would change it again, as soon as a little time passed and the opportunity presented itself - according to custom, to arrange intrigues for someone. For when they plot intrigues, then they especially pretend that they are writing about faith, so that, just as Pilate washed his hands of them, so they, having written, kill those who piously believe in Christ, and so that when drawing up a definition of faith, as I have said more than once, apparently, they can avoid accusations of unorthodoxy. But they will not be able to hide or run away; because as long as they justify themselves, they always become their own accusers. And this is fair, because they do not answer those who accuse them, but convince themselves of what they want. When is the defendant cleared of guilt in his own court? That is why they always write, and constantly changing their opinions, do that their faith is unknown, or rather, their unbelief and malicious intent are obvious. And it seems that they are rightly enduring this. since, having departed from the truth and wishing to pervert the faith beautifully written in Nicea, “they loved, as it is written, to struggle with their noses” (Jer. 14:10); then, like Jerusalem once did, they trouble and exhaust themselves with these changes, writing one thing instead of another, just to gain time and for them to remain opponents of Christ, misleading people. Therefore, who of those who care most about the truth will still want to endure them? Who does not, in all fairness, disdain these writers? Who will not condemn their insolence? They are not numerous, but want their opinions to be the strongest; desiring that their crowds, gathering in hidden and suspicious places, gain the upper hand, they are striving to disrupt and turn into nothing the former ecumenical unflattering and pure Council. And people, exalted by Eusebius’ adherents for defending the Christian heresy, dare to draw up a definition of faith; and when they must be judged as guilty, like Caiaphas, they undertake to judge for themselves, they compose the Talia, wanting to be believed when they do not know how they themselves believe. For who does not know that Secundus of Pentapolis, who had been deposed more than once before, was mistaken by them for Arian madness, and that George, who is now in Laodicea, and Leontius the eunuch, and before him Stephen and Theodore in Irakleia, rose to prominence? Ursacius and Valens, who at the beginning, as younger ones, were instructed in the faith by Arius and were once deposed from the presbyterate rank, were later named bishops for impiety; Acacius, Patrophilus and Narcissus were the most daring of all wickedness, and they were deposed at the great Council of Sardicia, and Eustathius, who is now in Sebaste, Dimophilus, Herminius, Eudoxius and Basil, defenders of wickedness, were elevated to the rank. It is in vain to talk about the present ones - Cecropius, the so-called Auxentius, the buffoon Epicteius, when it is obvious to everyone how, on what pretexts, and what enemies they have been made - to slander the Orthodox bishops against whom they are plotting; because they, although they lived eighty marches away and were unknown to the people, nevertheless, for their wickedness they acquired for themselves the episcopal name. For this reason, having hired some George from Cappadocia, they now want to send you to you. But there is no word about him either; because in these countries there is a rumor that he is not a Christian at all, but rather a zealot of idols and an executioner by trade. That’s why they accepted such a person into their midst so that he could commit insults, thefts, and murders; since he practiced more in this, he does not know at all what is characteristic of faith in Christ. This is how they contrive against the truth, and their thought will be obvious to everyone, although thousands will take means to slip away, like eels, and hide the fact that they are fighters against Christ. Therefore, I beg you: let none of you fall into deception, let none of you be caught by them, but be zealous for the Lord, as if the faith of Christ were threatened by Jewish wickedness. Let each one, holding the faith received from the Fathers, which those gathered at Nicaea commemorate in writing, not tolerate those who plot innovations against it. Although they write you sayings from the Scriptures, do not tolerate those who write them; although Orthodox sayings will be uttered, do not listen to those who speak like that; because they do not speak according to the correct meaning, but, as if clothed in words with sheep’s clothing, they philosophize internally in an Arian manner, like the heretical leader the devil. For he too spoke with words from the Scriptures, but was silenced by the Savior. If only he had said what he meant; then he would not have fallen from the sky. And now this cunning man, having fallen in thought, pretends in words. Often this ill-wisher attempts to deceive with pagan eloquence and pagan false thinking. So, if anything is written by the Orthodox, for example, Hosea, the great confessor, Maximinus, Bishop of Gaul, or his successor, or Philogonius and Eustathius, Bishops of the East, or Julius and Liberius, Bishops of Rome, or Cyriacus, Bishop of Mysia, or Pistus and Aristaeus, Bishops of Greece, or Sylvester and Protogenus, Bishops Dacia, or Leontius and Eupsychius, Bishops of Cappadocia, or Caecilian, Bishop of Africa, or Eustorgius, Bishop of Italy, or Capito, Bishop of Sicily, or Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem, or Alexander, Bishop of Constantinople, or Pederotus, Bishop of Heraclius, or the great Meletius and Basil, and Longianus and the other Bishops of Armenia and Pontus with them, or Lupus and Amphion, the Bishops of Cilicia, or James and the other Bishops of Mesopotamia with him, or our blessed Alexander and his fellow believers: there is nothing suspicious in what they wrote; because the disposition of these apostolic men is unflattering and simple. Since this is written by bribed people to defend heresy, and, according to the Divine Proverb, “The words of the wicked are flattering” (Prov. 12:6), and “the mouth of the wicked speaks evil” (Prov. 15:28), and “the wicked are ruled by flattery” (Prov. 12:5): then, as the Lord said, we must, brothers, be vigilant and sober (Matt. 24:42), so that we are not deceived by eloquent speech and cunning, and someone does not come in the name of Christ, saying about himself: “I preach Christ too,” and soon turn out to be the Antichrist. Yet those are antichrists who come to you to sow Aryan madness. For what do you lack that someone from a foreign land needs to come to you? Or, what do the Churches of Egypt, Libya and Alexandria need, so that those who provide themselves with a bishopric for wood and ship cargo invade churches that do not belong to them? Who does not know and see clearly that all this is done to conspire in favor of wickedness? Therefore, although they imagine themselves astounded, although they shout great Pharisees, they expand in broadcasts, and exercise the power of their voices: one should not, however, believe them; because faith is not confirmed by sayings, but by meaning and pious life. Why, the Sadducees and Herodians, although they had the law on their lips, were put to shame by the Savior, hearing from Him: “You are deceived, not knowing the Scripture, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29); and everyone knew that those who apparently spoke the law were convicted in their hearts of heretics and atheists. So, by saying this, they deceived others; but they could not deceive the Lord, who became a man. For “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14), the Word, which is “the message of the thoughts of men, as they are vanity” (Ps. 93:11). Thus the Lord denounced the Jews who were seeking against Him, saying: “If God were your Father, they would quickly love Me: for I departed from the Father, and came” to you (John 8:42). This is what these people seem to be doing now; because they hide what they think, and borrow the sayings of the Scriptures into their writings, so that, having caught the ignorant with them, they can draw them into their malice. Consider, isn't this really so? For if they write about faith without any intended purpose, then this is an unnecessary undertaking, and perhaps even harmful; because, when there is no pressing question, they give rise to verbal debate, upsetting the kind hearts of the brethren and introducing everything into them that has never occurred to them. If they decide to write in their defense, they say that they do not adhere to the Arian heresy; then it was necessary to destroy in advance the seeds of increased evils and bring to shame those who delivered these seeds, and thus write against them in the Orthodox way, or openly pursue the Arian teaching, so that the opponents of Christ would not remain hidden, but would be clearly discovered, and everyone would flee from them, “as from the face of the serpent” (Sir. 21:2). Now they hide Aria’s teaching and pretend that they are writing about something else. And a doctor - who is called to the ulcerated and suffering, but, having entered, does not say anything about ulcers, but begins to talk about healthy members - can be accused of great stupidity, because he is silent about what he came for, but talks about something else, for which there is no need for him. Likewise, they abandon what pertains to their heresy and begin to write something else. And if they cared about faith and loved Christ, then it would be necessary to destroy in advance the blasphemous words against Him, and then instead of them, utter and write healthy words. But they themselves do not do this, and they do not allow those who want to do this, either out of ignorance or out of cunning. If they fall into this out of ignorance, they may be accused of recklessness for speaking affirmatively about something they do not know. If, knowing this, they pretend, then even greater condemnation falls on them for the fact that, discussing their own affairs, they do nothing carelessly, but when writing about faith in our Lord, they joke and rather allow themselves everything, rather than stand in the truth; They hide what their heresy is condemned for, but cite sayings from the Scriptures. And this is a clear theft of the truth, and is filled with all untruth; which, as I well know, your piety can well see from this. No one accused of adultery is justified by saying that he is not a thief. And whoever accuses of murder will not tolerate the accused justifying themselves by saying: “We did not break our oath, but kept what was entrusted to us.” This can rather be called a joke than an excuse for guilt and proof of the truth. What is the relationship between murder and keeping one's trust, or adultery and theft? Although all vices have a connection with each other, coming from the same heart; however, when acquitted of a crime, they have nothing in common with each other. So Achar, according to what is written in the book of Joshua, accused of theft, did not justify himself, representing his zeal for military affairs, but caught in theft, he was swept away from everyone with stones. And Saul, accused of negligence and violation of the law, did not benefit from excusing himself with other excuses. For justification in one crime does not relieve guilt in other crimes. But if one must act lawfully and fairly in everything, then one must justify oneself for what one is accused of, or prove that one did not do it, or, if convicted, promise that one does not do it and will not do it again. If he did it and carried it out, but, hiding it, does not confess, and will say one thing instead of another; it is clear that he acted wrongly and is aware of his crime. But is it necessary to say much when they themselves serve as accusers of the Arian heresy? If they do not dare to utter, but rather hide their blasphemous words; it is clear that they also recognize this heresy as strange and alien to the truth. But since they hide and are afraid to speak, it is necessary for us to remove the veil from wickedness and expose this heresy to shame; since we know what the Arians said then, how they were expelled from the Church and deposed from the clergy. But first we need to ask for an apology for the bad sayings that we will utter; because we say this, not sharing the same wisdom with heretics, but denouncing them. So, Bishop Alexander of blessed memory cast out Arius from the Church, who philosophized and said this: “God was not always the Father; there was not always a Son; but just as all beings are from non-existent, so the Son of God is from non-existent, and just as all beings are creatures, so He is a creature and a work. As all beings were not before, but came into being; It was once so that the Word of God itself did not exist; - and It was not until it was born; has the beginning of being. For then it came into being when it pleased God to create Him; because It is also among the works of God. And although It is changeable by nature, yet, by its own freedom, it remains perfect as long as it wants. And if it wanted, then It could change, like everything else. Therefore, God, by foreknowledge that He would be Perfect, previously bestowed upon Him the glory that He would subsequently have for virtue; why, for its deeds, which God foreknew, it has now become such.” On this basis they say that “Christ is not true God, but that He, like all others, is called God by communion.” They also add that “Christ is not by nature existing in the Father, and His own Word of essence, and His own Wisdom, by which this world was created, but there is another, existing with the Father, His own word, and another is, existing in the Father, His own wisdom, by which wisdom He created this Word. This Lord Himself is called the Word by thought (κατ επινοιαν), because of verbal creatures, and Wisdom is called by thought, because of creatures gifted with wisdom.” They say, without a doubt, this: “Just as all beings are in essence far from the Father and alien to Him, so Christ is in everything far from the essence of the Father and alien to it, but is in common with beings that have received existence and with creatures, and is one of their number; because He is a creature, a work, a work.” And they also say that “God did not create us for Him, but Him for us: because, as they say, there was only God and there was no Word with Him; and then, wanting to create us, He already created Him, and, as soon as He came into being, He called Him Word, and Son, and Wisdom, in order to create us through Him. And just as everything that did not exist before came into being by the will of God, so He, having no prior existence, was brought into existence by the will of God; because the Word is not the Father’s own birth by nature, but itself came into existence by grace. The existing God created the non-existent Son by the same will with which he created, produced, created, and willed all things to come into being.” For they also say that “Christ is not the proper and true power of God, but just as a caterpillar and a moss are called power (Joel 2:25), so He is called the power of the Father.” To this Arius added that “the Father is a mystery to the Son, and the Son can neither see the Father nor know Him completely and exactly; because, having the beginning of being, it cannot cognize the Beginningless, even what it cognizes and sees, it knows and sees according to its own measure, just as we know and see according to our own powers.” Arius also added to this that “the Son not only does not know exactly His Father, but does not even know His own essence.” Arius asserted this and similar things, and for this reason he was declared a heretic; and I also repented of the fact that I wrote only this, although I think the opposite of this and adhere to a pious understanding. For all the Bishops who came from everywhere to the Council in Nicaea blocked their ears at these words of Aryan, and they all unanimously condemned for this and anathematized his heresy, confirming that it was new and alien to the church faith. It was not coercion that brought those who gave the trial to this, but all of their own free will stood up for the truth; They did this lawfully and by right, because these teachings introduce atheism, or rather, Judaism, contrary to the Scriptures, which is not far followed by paganism. And whoever has such a way of thinking should no longer be called a Christian, for all this is contrary to the Scriptures. John says: “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1); and these heretics say: “He was not until he was born.” And John also wrote: “And let us be in the True One, in His Son Jesus Christ: this is the true God and the eternal life” (1 John 5:20); They, as opponents, say that Christ is not the true God, that He, like everyone else, is called God by communion (κατα μεταχεν). And the Apostle accuses the pagans of honoring creatures, saying: “having served the creature more than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25); But they, claiming that the Lord is a creature, and serving Him as creatures, how do they differ from the pagans? If they philosophize this way, then isn’t the passage cited against them and isn’t it them that Blessed Paul reproaches? And the Lord says: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30); and: “seeing Me in the form of the Father” (John 14:9); and the Apostle sent by Him to preach writes: “Who is the radiance of glory and the image of His hypostasis” (Heb. 1:3); These godless ones dare to separate and call Him alien to the Father’s essence and eternity, and present Him as changeable, not seeing that, by affirming this, they make Him one not with the Father, but with creatures. For who will not see that the radiance is inseparable from the light and is a property that abides with it by nature, and did not happen later? Then, the Father says: “This is my beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17), and the Scriptures say that He is the Father’s Word, by whom “the heavens were established” (Ps. 32:6), and, in short, through whom “all things were made” (John 1:3); these, having become the inventors of new dogmas and inventions, introduce another word, say that there is another Wisdom of the Father, and Christ, by invention, because of verbal creatures, is called the Word and Wisdom, and do not see how many absurdities come out of this. For if He is called the Word and Wisdom for our sake by thought (κατ´ επινοιαν), then, of course, they will not say, what is He? If the Scriptures affirm that He is the Word and Wisdom, but they do not want the Lord to be the Word and Wisdom; then these atheists and opponents of the Scriptures clearly do not want His existence. But believers can be taught this by the very voice of the Father, as well as by the Angels who worship Him and the Saints who wrote about Him. But they, since they do not have pure understanding and are not able to listen to divine men and theologians, can at least learn from demons like them; because not recognizing many they proclaimed, but knowing Him alone, they said: You are “the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24), and “Son of God” (Matthew 8:29). And the one who instilled heresy in them, tempting them on the mountain, did not say: “If you are the Son of God,” supposing that there are other sons, but says: “If you are the Son of God” (Matthew 4:3), recognizing that He alone is the Son. And now we see that just as the pagans, having lost the concept of one God, reached polytheism, so these wonderful people, not believing that there is one is the Father's Word, they fell to the imagination of many. They deny Him who truly is God and the true Word, but they dare to imagine Him as a creature, not noticing what wickedness this wisdom is filled with. If He is a creature, then how is He the creator of creatures? Or, as the same Son and Wisdom and Word? The Word is not created, but is born, and creation is not a son, but a product. And if creatures came into being through Him, He Himself is a creature; then through whom did He Himself come into being? For works must come into being through someone, just as they actually came through the Word; because It is not a work, but the Father's Word. And again: if, besides the Lord, there is another wisdom existing in the Father; then Wisdom is brought into being by wisdom. And if Wisdom is the Word of God, then the Word was produced by the Word. And if the Word of God is the Son, then the Son was created a son. Therefore, how did the Lord say: “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me” (John 14:10), when there is another in the Father, by whom the Lord himself was brought into being? Why did John, keeping silent about that other thing, tell about this, saying: “all things were by Him, and without Him were nothing” (John 1:3)? If everything created by will was created by Him; then how is He Himself one of the created things? Why, when the Apostle says: “For His sake are all things, and unto Him are all things” (Heb. 2:10), they assert: not we for His sake, but He for our sakes received being? If this were so, the Apostle should have said: for their sake the Word became. And now, not saying this, but “For His sake all things and for His sake all things,” shows that they are heretics and slanderers. Otherwise, if they dared to assert that there is another word in God; then, since they do not have clear evidence for this in the Scriptures, let them point out at least one work of another word, or the work of the Father, accomplished without the Word that we preach, in order to have some visible pretext for their invention. The deeds of the true Word are obvious to everyone, and It itself is known from these deeds to a corresponding extent; because, just as when we see a creature, we understand the God who created it, so seeing that there is nothing disorderly in created things, that everything moves and remains in order and according to the orders of Providence, we conclude that there is a sovereign and sovereign Word of God over everything. The Divine Scriptures testify to this, saying that this Word is God’s Word, and that “all things were by Him, and without Him they were nothing.” And the word they talk about is not indicated by them in a single word or deed. For the Father himself, saying: “This is my beloved Son,” makes it clear that there is no other Son besides Him. Therefore, in this regard, these wonderful people have already joined the Manichaeans. For even they name only the good God by name, and cannot indicate either His visible or invisible work; denying the true and truly existing God, the Creator of heaven and earth and everything invisible, without a doubt, they are composing a pure fable. It seems to me that these evil-minded people experience the same thing. For they see the works of the true and one existing Word in the Father, and deny Him, invent for themselves another word, which they cannot prove either from works or from hearing, they compose fables, imagining a complex God, who, like a man, speaks and changes words, and again thinks and is wise in the same way; Meanwhile, they don’t see what foolishness they are falling into when they say this. For if he has random words, then, in their opinion, He is a perfect man. If He utters words and then disappears, then to say this is even more wicked; because by this and that which is from Existence is resolved into non-existence. If at all it is supposed that God gives birth; then it is better and more pious to say that God is the Parent of the one Word, Who is the fullness of His Divinity, in Whom are hidden the treasures of all knowledge, and to acknowledge that He is the Word and coexists with His Father, and that “all things were by Him”, rather than to consider God the Father of many who are not revealed, and to imagine a being simple by nature composed as if from many, as if servile to man and diverse. Then, when the Apostle says: “Christ, God’s power and God’s Wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:24), they classify Him alone among many powers, and, what’s even worse, these lawless ones compare Him with moss and other dumb creatures sent by Him as punishment. Moreover, since the Lord says: “no one knows... the Father... except the Son” (Matthew 11:27), and also: “No one has seen the Father, but He is from God” (John 6:46); Isn’t it true that they are fighters against God when they claim that the Father is invisible and completely unknowable by the Son? If the Lord says: “As the Father knows Me, and I know the Father” (Jn. 10:15), but the Father does not know the Son in part; then are they not mad, vainly saying that the Son partially, and not completely, knows the Father? Then, if the Son has the beginning of being, and also everything has the beginning of its creation; then let them say that - what comes first? But these insidious ones cannot say anything, they cannot indicate such a beginning for the Word; because It is the true and proper birth of the Father, and “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word” (John 1:1). And to what they say, as if the Son does not know His essence, it will be unnecessary to answer, unless it is necessary to condemn their madness, as if the Word does not know Himself, which gives everyone knowledge of the Father and of Himself, and reproaches those who do not know themselves. But, they say, it is written: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways for His works” (Prov. 8:22). O ignorant and damaged minds! In the Scriptures He is called both a servant, and the son of a slave, and a lamb, and sheep; It is said of Him that He was weary, thirsty, beaten and suffered. But such expressions in the Scriptures have both a pretext and a fundamental reason, namely, that He became man and the son of man, taking upon Himself the form of a servant, that is, human flesh. For John says: “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14). If one has become a man, then one should not be tempted by such expressions; because it is human nature to be created, to come into being, to be formed, to tire, to suffer, to die, to be raised from the dead. And, as being the Word and Wisdom of the Father, it has everything that belongs to the Father: eternity, immutability, likeness in everything and in everything, and that which is not primary in being and did not subsequently come into being, but coexists with the Father and Himself is the same image of the Divine, as well as creativeness and uncreatedness; because, being similar to the Father in essence, He is not created, but is the Creator, as He Himself said: “My Father works hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17); Thus, having become a man and bearing flesh, he is of necessity called created, and created, and having everything characteristic of flesh, although heretics, like Jewish innkeepers, mix wine with water, disparaging the Word, and subsuming His Divinity under the concept of created things. Therefore, the Fathers were rightfully and justly indignant and anathematized this most wicked heresy; and these, realizing that it is easily refutable and not solid in all respects, are afraid and hide it. And we have written this briefly in condemnation of them; and if anyone wants to make the most extensive reproof against them, he will find that this heresy is not far from paganism and constitutes the remnants and residues of other heresies. For those - either are mistaken in the teaching about the body and incarnation of the Lord, sinning one way, others another, or are in deception, like the Jews, thinking that the Lord did not come to us at all; but this one, rebelling with great madness against the Divinity itself, dared to assert that there is no Word at all, and the Father is not the Father. Why, not without reason, others can say that it is against them that the Psalm was written: “The fool says in his heart: there is no God. Having become corrupted and disgusted in my undertakings” (Ps. 13:1). But they say: “we are able and can defend heresy in cunning ways.” Their defense would be better if they could defend it not with any art or Hellenic false thinking, but with simple faith. Why, if they know and are sure that this is church teaching; then let them openly express their wisdom. “No one burns a lamp, puts it in a secret place, but in a candlestick, and it gives light to all who come in” (Matthew 5:15; Luke 8:16). Therefore, if they can defend their heresy, then let them write what was said before this, and show their heresy like a lamp without any cover; let Bishop Alexander of blessed memory be clearly accused of unjustly deposing Arius, who asserted this; let them condemn the Council of Nicea, which wrote and commemorated, instead of wickedness, pious faith. But I know very well that they will not do this; because they are not unaware of the evil they have invented and are trying to dispel. On the contrary, they know well that although at the beginning they will captivate the simple-minded with their empty deception, yet soon their teaching will go out as “the light of the wicked” (Job. 18:5); and everywhere they are given over to shame as enemies of the truth. Why, and doing everything like holy fools, and speaking like holy fools, in that one, as “the sons of this age” (Luke 16:8), they act prudently, that they hide their lamp under a bushel, so that it would be possible to become visible to it, and it would not be quenched by condemnation, actually becoming visible. And the heresy leader and accomplice of Eusebius himself, the cunning Arius, - when, through the efforts of Eusebius’ followers, he was called by Augustus Constantine of blessed memory, and they demanded from him to set out his faith in writing - hiding his wicked expressions and hypocrisy, like the devil, he wrote, using simple sayings of the Scriptures, and as it is really written. Then, when Constantine, of blessed memory, said: if you have nothing else in your mind except this, then call the truth as a witness (because the Lord will punish you if you swear falsely); Then this unfortunate man swore that he had nothing in his mind beyond what was now written, and he never said or thought anything different. But soon he came out, as if he had truly suffered punishment, and fell on his face, “grayed in the middle” (Acts 1:18). It is true that death is the common end of life for all people, and one should not mock anyone, even if the deceased was an enemy, because it is not known whether the same end will befall us ourselves before the evening; but the end of the Aryans was not simple, and therefore it is worth retelling about it. Eusebius' accomplices threatened to bring Arius into the Church; Bishop Alexander of Constantinople objected; Arius firmly relied on Eusebius’s violence and threats. The day was Saturday, and Arius expected that he would be received the next day. Therefore there was a great struggle; They threatened, Alexander prayed. But the Lord, having become the Judge, pronounced a ruling on the offenders. The sun had not yet set when need drew Arius to a certain place; there he fell - and was suddenly deprived of both - communion with the Church and life. Having soon heard about this, Konstantin of blessed memory was surprised to see that he had been exposed as an oathbreaker. It then became clear to everyone that the threats of Eusebius’s accomplices were powerless, and Ariev’s hope became vain. It also turned out that Arian madness has no communion with the Savior either here or in the Church of the Firstborn in heaven. Therefore, who will not be surprised, seeing those whom the Lord condemned extremely stubborn, and noticing that they defend a heresy, which the Lord made known, that they are deprived of communion with Him, not allowing its leader to enter the Church, and do not fear what is written, but accept the impossible? “For even though the Holy God consults, who will destroy?” (Isa. 14:27). And who is the justifier of whom God has condemned? Let them, defending their dreams, write what they want; but I beg you, brethren, as guardians of God’s vessels, as defenders of church dogmas, be the judges of this matter. And if they use other sayings besides the Arievs mentioned above; then condemn them for this as hypocrites who hide the poison of their wisdom and, like a serpent, flatter with the words of their lips. For, writing this, they have with them the clergy of Alexandria who were then exiled with Arius Secunda Pentapolitus and the clergy of Alexandria who were once exposed. And they write to these residents of Alexandria, and, strangely enough, they drove me and those close to me into exile. Although the most pious Tsar Constantine, guardian of the people's unanimity, sent me in peace to the fatherland and to the Church; but they did so, that the churches were handed over to them, and it became clear to everyone that all the evil intentions against me and against others from the very beginning were due to their mercy. By doing this, can they inspire confidence in what they write? If they had written rightfully, they would have destroyed the Talia written by Arius and rejected these offspring of heresy, because they became students and accomplices of both wickedness and the punishment of Arius. And therefore, without rejecting heretics, they make it obvious to everyone that they do not have the right way of thinking, although they will write a thousand times. Therefore, we must be vigilant so that no deception is hidden under the cover of writings and they do not distract others from the pious faith. If, seeing themselves successful and happy in everything, they dare and write according to Ariev; then we have no choice but to use great boldness. Remembering the predictions of the Apostle, written to protect us from such heresies, it is fitting for us to say: we know that “in the last times some will depart from sound faith, heeding spiritual flattery and the teaching of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1), “turning away from the truth” (Tit. 1:14); and: “But all who want to live godly in Christ... will suffer persecution: but wicked men and sorcerers will prosper in their deeds, those who deceive and those who are deceived” (2 Tim. 3:12, 13). But nothing like this will convince us and will not separate us from the love of Christ, even if the heretics threaten us with death; because we are Christians, not Arians. Oh, if only those who wrote this did not adhere to the Aryan teachings! Yes, brethren; Now such boldness is needed: “for we did not receive the spirit of work back into fear” (Rom. 8:15), but God called us “to freedom” (Gal. 5:13). And it is truly shameful, extremely shameful, if we have faith from the Savior through the Apostles, and we destroy it for the sake of Arius or for the sake of those who hold on to Aryan thoughts and defend them. Therefore, very many in these countries, having learned the deceit those who write, are ready to resist their machinations even to the point of blood, especially when they hear about your firmness, since you also proclaim the denunciation of heresy, and it was discovered among you, like a serpent in a hole; Therefore, I beg you, having in your hands the faith written in Nicea by the Fathers and defending it with great zeal and trust in the Lord, be examples for everyone, showing that now there is a struggle against heresy for the truth and that the machinations of the enemy are manifold. For not only not to sacrifice incense means to be a martyr, but also not to renounce the faith is already a bright martyrdom in conscience. Not only those who worshiped idols, but also those who betrayed the truth are condemned as strangers. Therefore, Judas was expelled from the Apostleship not for making sacrifices to idols, but for becoming a traitor. And Hymenaeus and Alexander did not turn to idols and fell away, but because they suffered a failure in faith (1 Tim. 1:20). Also, Patriarch Abraham was crowned not because he was killed, but because he became faithful to God. And the other saints about whom Paul speaks - Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, David and Samuel, and the rest with them (Heb. 11:32) did not achieve perfection by shedding blood, but were justified through faith and to this day inspire wonder; because they were ready to endure death for the sake of piety before the Lord. If we must add previous examples, then you know how Alexander, of blessed memory, fought against this heresy even to his death, and as an old man, he endured many sorrows and great labors, and in his old age he joined his Fathers. And many others have worked so hard, learning to resist this wickedness, and in Christ they have the praise of this confession! Therefore, we, as obligated to embark on a feat to protect everything, when it is necessary to either renounce the faith or preserve it, we will decide and make efforts to preserve what we have received, having as a reminder the faith written in Nicea, to turn away from innovations and teach the people so that they do not listen to “spiritual flattery”, but avoid in every possible way the wickedness of the Arians and those in conspiracy with them Meletian. For you see that, having previously argued among themselves, now, like Herod and Pontius, they agreed in blasphemy against our Lord Jesus Christ, for which another will rightly hate them; because for the sake of their own they were at enmity against each other, in hostility to the truth and in wickedness before God they became friends and shake hands with each other, yet they patiently endure this against their aspirations, each to please their own intentions: the Meletians - for the sake of primacy and out of the insane passion of love of money, the Arians - for the sake of their own wickedness - so that with such a conspiracy they could serve each other with their evilness, and one - to cover up the wickedness of others, and for others - to promote the malice of the first with their wickedness, and together - having mixed their evil deeds into one, like the Babylonian cup (Rev. 18:6) - to plot evil against those who rightly venerate before our Lord Jesus Christ. The wickedness and slander of the Meletians was obvious to everyone even before this, the wickedness and God-fighting heresy of the Arians has long been everywhere and open to everyone; because this time is not enough already. And fifty-five years have passed since some became schismatics, and thirty-six years since others were declared heretics and expelled from the Church by the judgment of the entire Ecumenical Council. But what they did now and those who apparently favored them clearly showed that for no other reason than for the sake of their own evil heresy, from the very beginning they were plotting against me and against all the Orthodox bishops. For now what the Eusebius adherents have been striving for for a long time has happened: they have done that our churches have been stolen; bishops and presbyters who had no communion with them were expelled, as they wished; all who abhor them are removed from the churches; These churches were handed over to the Arians, who had been condemned for so long, so that, when the hypocrisy of the Meletians was combined with them, it would be safe for them to spew out their wicked sayings in the churches and prepare, as they themselves think, the path of deception for the Antichrist who sowed heresy in them. So, in their sleepiness, let them indulge in so many dreams in vain. For we know that the man-loving King, having heard, will rebuke their wickedness and they will not remain in power for long, but, according to what is written, “the hearts of the wicked will quickly perish” (Prov. 10:20). And we, as against the apostates who want to establish their madness in the house of the Lord, having clothed ourselves, according to what is written, with the words of the Divine Scriptures, we will resist them, and just as we will not fear bodily death, so Let us not be jealous of their ways. On the contrary, let the word of truth be preferred over everything. For we, as you all know, were then convinced by Eusebius’s accomplices, either to pretend to accept their wickedness, or to expect intrigues from them, did not want to agree with them, but decided that it was better to be persecuted by them than to imitate the character of Judas. Of course, they did what they threatened, and imitating Jezebel, prepared the Meletians for an ambush. Knowing how they behaved against the blessed martyr Peter, and after him against the great Achilles, then against Alexander of blessed memory, in the same way against me, the Meletians, as experienced in this, had to conduct the matter as it would be inspired to them, so that the Arians would find in this a pretext to persecute me and seek my death. For they thirst for this, and to this day they have not ceased to thirst, wanting to shed my blood. But I don’t have the slightest concern about this; for I know and am confident that those who endure will receive a reward from the Savior, and that you, having endured like the Fathers, becoming examples for the people and putting down this strange and alien idea of ​​the wicked, will have praise, saying: “I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). You will also receive “the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12). Oh, that I might also inherit with you the promises proclaimed not only to Paul, but also to all who loved the coming of the Lord, Savior, God and All-King of our Jesus Christ, through Whom to the Father be glory and power in the Holy Spirit, both now and to all ages of ages! Amen. You might be interested in: