History of the Arians 1 part 5/5

Who, then, still dares to call this present time a time of peace for Christians, and not rather a persecution? — and a persecution such as has never occurred before, nor perhaps will anyone ever bring about the like again, unless it be the son of lawlessness, whom the Christ-fighters already display, even now portraying him in themselves.

Therefore it is especially fitting to be watchful, lest this heresy — possessing such great shamelessness, and spreading abroad like the venom of the horned serpent, as it is written in the Proverbs, and teaching men to think against the Savior — should prove to be that very apostasy, after which that one shall assuredly be revealed, having Constantius as his own forerunner.

For why, then, does he rage so fiercely against the pious? Why does he strive as though for his own private heresy, calling his personal enemy the man who does not submit to the madness of Arius, while gladly receiving what is said by the Christ-fighters, and dishonoring so many and so great synods? Why did he command that the churches be handed over to the Arians? Was it not so that, when that one comes, he might find how to enter into them, and might welcome this man as having prepared the places for him? For the aged bishops descending from Alexander, and before him Achillas, and before him again Peter, were being cast out, while those men were being brought in whom the followers of the soldiers would name.

And by "those men" they meant those who professed to hold their opinions.

This problem, however, was an easy one for the Meletians.

For the majority of them — or rather, all of them — are not from a God-fearing upbringing, nor do they know the sound faith in Christ, nor at all what Christianity is, or what Scriptures we Christians possess.

For some of them came from among the idols [i.e. from paganism], while others came from the council-chamber and the first rank of civic life on account of the wretched exemption from public services and patronage they craved; and having persuaded with money the Meletians before them, they entered upon this office even before they had been catechized.

But even if they seemed to have been, what catechesis is there among the Meletians? Yet not even seeming to be catechized did they come at once; and immediately, like children given a name, they were called bishops.

And for this reason, being such men, they thought nothing of the matter, nor did they suppose that piety differed from impiety.

Readily, then, and swiftly, from Meletians they became Arians.

And if the emperor should command yet another thing, they stand ready again to change over to that as well.

For ignorance of true piety quickly carries such men down to the familiar folly which they learned from the very beginning.

For it is nothing to them to be tossed about by every wind and wave, so long as they remain exempt from public services and enjoy human patronage — and perhaps it is not even a change at all, since they are the very same men they were before this, and the same men they were when they happened, in their turn, to be pagans.

so that they might at least succeed in having the Arian heresy named at all within her.

For still, in the whole of Egypt alone, there remained the free and open profession of orthodoxy; and for this reason the impious ones were eager to bring their envy against her as well — or rather, not they themselves, but the devil who set them in motion — so that when his herald, the Antichrist, should come, he might find that even in Egypt the churches had already become his own, and that the Meletians had already been pre-instructed in his ways, and might recognize himself as already formed within them.

Such, then, is the unlawful edict that went forth from Constantius; and as for the people, their readiness was for martyrdom, and yet more, hatred against this most impious heresy — yet there was mourning nonetheless on account of the churches, and groaning from all, as they cried out to the Lord:

Spare, O Lord, your people, and do not give your inheritance over to reproach among your enemies; but rather hasten to deliver us out of the hand of the lawless.

For behold, they have not spared even your own servants, but are preparing the way for the Antichrist.

For the Meletians will never stand against him, nor will they be concerned for the truth, nor will they consider it a base thing to deny Christ — men who have never genuinely come near to the Word at all, shifting their shape to fit every occasion like the chameleon, and becoming hirelings of whoever it is that serves their need.

For they do not set their aim upon the truth, but prefer to it the pleasure of the moment, and they say only this:

Such, then, is the purpose of these hypocrites [called 'Picritians,' by a play on words, instead of Meletians], and their manner is faithless.

But the faithful servants of the Savior and the truly [genuine] bishops — those who genuinely believed, and live not for themselves but for the Lord — these, faithfully worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ, and knowing, as I said before, that against the truth these are false pretexts manifestly fabricated for the sake of the Arian heresy —

for indeed they had also learned, from the recantation of Ursacius and Valens, of the slander that had been fabricated against Athanasius, in order that they might remove him out of the way and bring the impiety of these Christ-fighters into the churches — perceiving all this, as men who were champions and heralds of the truth, they chose rather to be insulted and exiled, and endured it, than to sign against him and hold communion with the Arian-madmen.

For they did not forget what they had taught, but know all the more that great dishonor belongs to traitors, while the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who confess the truth.

For being fully assured concerning the slander and impiety of the heretics, they condemn the persecutor, but run together with the persecuted in mind and in one accord, so that they too may receive the crown of confession.

Much, indeed, could one say against this abominable and Christ-fighting heresy, and much also could one demonstrate to show that the practices of Constantius are preludes to the Antichrist.

But since, as the prophet said, from the feet to the head there is nothing sound in her, but she is filled with all filth and all impiety, so that even the mere hearing of her is to be shunned, like a dog's vomit and the venom of serpents — and there is also Costyllius, openly bearing the very image of the Adversary —

it is good to be content with the divine Scripture, and for all to be persuaded by what it commands, both on account of the other heresies, and especially on account of this one.

And this is its command:

'Depart, depart, go out from there, and touch nothing unclean; go out from their midst, and be separated, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.'

For this suffices for the instruction of all: if anyone was deceived by them and went out as from Sodom, let him no longer turn back to them, lest he suffer the fate of Lot's wife; but if anyone has remained pure from the beginning, apart from this impious heresy, let him have his boast in Christ, saying:

'We have not spread out our hands to a strange god, nor have we worshipped the works of our own hands, nor have we served the creation rather than you, the God who made all things through your own Word, your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom, to you the Father, and with him the Word, in the Holy Spirit, be glory and might unto the ages of ages.'

We have already borne witness concerning the nocturnal assault which we, together with the Lord's [church], suffered — even though there was no need of such testimony, seeing that the whole city has known, and knows, these things.

For the bodies of those who were slain and found were publicly displayed, and the weapons and bows left in the Lord's [church] cry aloud the lawlessness of it.

But since, even after our testimony, the most illustrious dux Syrianus is compelling everyone to agree with him that no disturbance occurred and that no one died — this is no small proof that these things did not take place by the will of the most humane Augustus Constantius.

For he would not have been afraid on account of things that happened in this manner, had he done these things by imperial command.

For indeed, when we went to him and asked that he do violence to no one, and not deny what had happened, he commanded that we, though we were Christians, be beaten with clubs — thereby showing, even by this, the war that had been waged by night against the Church.

For this reason we also now bear witness to these things, since some of us are already about to journey to the most pious Augustus.

And we adjure, by Almighty God, for the sake of the salvation of the most pious Augustus Constantius, both 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 also adjure all the shipmasters to proclaim these things everywhere, and to bring them to the hearing of the most pious Augustus, and to the prefects, and to the local judges, so that the war waged against the Church may become known, and that in the times of Augustus Constantius, Syrianus caused virgins and many others to become martyrs.

For as day was dawning on the fifth day before the Ides of February — that is, the fourteenth of the month Mechir — while we were keeping vigil in the Lord's [church] and were occupied with our prayers (for the assembly was to be held on the day of preparation), suddenly, around midnight, the most illustrious dux Syrianus came upon us and upon the church, with many legions of soldiers bearing weapons and drawn swords, and arrows, and other implements of war, and helmets upon their heads.

And while we were truly at prayer, and a reading was taking place, they broke down the doors; and when the doors had been forced open by the violence of the crowd, he gave the command.

And some shot their arrows, others raised the war-cry, and there arose a clamour of weapons, and the swords flashed back the light of the lamps.

As the soldiers advanced, men were struck down by arrows and put to death.

Some of the soldiers turned also to plunder, and stripped the virgins naked, so that for them the fear of merely being touched at all by anyone was greater than the fear of death.

And the bishop sat upon his throne, urging all to pray, while the dux directed his troops, having with him also Hilarius the notary, who was carrying out such deeds as the outcome itself made plain.

For the bishop, being dragged about, came within a little of being torn to pieces.

Having thus been utterly overcome and rendered as one dead, we do not know to where he vanished from among them.

For they were eager to kill him.

But when they saw how 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 their tombs, holding this as their boast: that in the times of the most pious Constantius they had become martyrs.

And deacons, within the Lord's [church] itself, were beaten with blows and thrown into confinement.

But the matter did not stop even at this.

But rather, after these things had happened, whoever wished thereafter broke open and opened whatever door he pleased, and searched, and plundered whatever was within; and they entered into such places as it is not even lawful for all Christians to enter.

Gorgonius, the strategos of the city, also knows these things.

For it is no small proof of such a warlike assault, that the weapons, arrows and swords of those who broke in were left behind in the Lord's [church].

For to this very day they have been hung up in the church, so that they [our adversaries] might not even be able to deny it.

And meanwhile we have not allowed them to be taken down, until it should become known to all.

If, then, it is by imperial command that we are being persecuted, we are all ready to bear witness [in martyrdom]; but if it is not the command of the Augustus, we request the prefect of Egypt, Maximus, and all the city councillors, to require of him that he no longer attempt such things.

We also request that this our petition be forwarded, so that they may not attempt to install any other bishop here.

For unto death we stand firm, longing for him, the most reverend Athanasius, whom God gave to us from the beginning according to the succession of our fathers, and whom the most pious Augustus Constantius himself also sent back, together with letters and oaths.

For we believe that, when his piety learns of these things, he will be indignant at what has happened, and will do nothing contrary to his oaths, but will again command our bishop Athanasius to remain with us.

In the year after the consulship of the most illustrious Arbaetio and Collianus, the consuls to be designated [for the current year not yet having taken office], Mechir 17, that is, the day before the Ides of February.

(The letter written above, addressed to the monks everywhere, ends with the events that took place in Alexandria concerning the ordination of George the Cappadocian, [promoted] from among the purveyors of the Arian [party]; but the following letter, which recounts the synods held at Ariminum and at Seleucia in Isauria, states that the aforementioned George was deposed at Seleucia.)