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Epistles on the Arian Heresy

Alexander of Alexandria

Section 2

About this work

Author: Alexander of Alexandria

2. And we, indeed, though we discovered

‹ Section 1 Section 3 ›

rather

late

,

on

account

of

their

concealment

,

their

manner

of

life

,

and

their

unholy

attempts

,

by

the

common

suffrage

of

all

have

cast

them

forth

from

the

congregation

of

the

Church

which

adores

the

Godhead

of

Christ

.

But

they

,

running

hither

and

thither

against

us

,

have

begun

to

betake

themselves

to

our

colleagues

who

are

of

the

same

mind

with

us

;

in

appearance

,

indeed

,

pretending

to

seek

for

peace

and

concord

,

but

in

reality

seeking

to

draw

over

some

of

them

by

fair

words

to

their

own

diseases

,

asking

long

wordy

letters

from

them

,

in

order

that

reading

these

to

the

men

whom

they

have

deceived

,

they

may

make

them

impenitent

in

the

errors

into

which

they

have

fallen

,

and

obdurate

in

impiety

,

as

if

they

had

bishops

thinking

the

same

thing

and

siding

with

them

.

Moreover

,

the

things

which

amongst

us

they

have

wrongly

taught

and

done

,

and

on

account

of

which

they

have

been

expelled

by

us

,

they

do

not

at

all

confess

to

them

,

but

they

either

pass

them

over

in

silence

,

or

throwing

a

veil

over

them

,

by

feigned

words

and

writings

they

deceive

them

.

Concealing

,

therefore

,

their

pestilent

doctrine

by

their

specious

and

flattering

discourse

,

they

circumvent

the

more

simple

-

minded

and

such

as

are

open

to

fraud

,

nor

do

they

spare

in

the

meanwhile

to

traduce

our

piety

to

all

.

Hence

it

comes

to

pass

that

some

,

subscribing

their

letters

,

receive

them

into

the

Church

,

although

in

my

opinion

the

greatest

guilt

lies

upon

those

ministers

who

venture

to

do

this

;

because

not

only

does

the

apostolic

rule

not

allow

of

it

,

but

the

working

of

the

devil

in

these

men

against

Christ

is

by

this

means

more

strongly

kindled

.

Wherefore

without

delay

,

brethren

beloved

,

I

have

stirred

myself

up

to

show

you

the

faithlessness

of

these

men

who

say

that

there

was

a

time

when

the

Son

of

God

was

not

;

and

that

He

who

was

not

before

,

came

into

existence

afterwards

,

becoming

such

,

when

at

length

He

was

made

,

even

as

every

man

is

wont

to

be

born

.

For

,

they

say

,

God

made

all

things

from

things

which

are

not

,

comprehending

even

the

Son

of

God

in

the

creation

of

all

things

rational

and

irrational

.

To

which

things

they

add

as

a

consequence

,

that

He

is

of

mutable

nature

,

and

capable

both

of

virtue

and

vice

.

And

this

hypothesis

being

once

assumed

,

that

He

is

“

from

things

which

are

not

,

”

they

overturn

the

sacred

writings

concerning

His

eternity

,

which

signify

the

immutability

and

the

Godhead

of

Wisdom

and

the

Word

,

which

are

Christ

.

Notes

4
It is inferred from these words that this letter of Alexander was written after the Synod of Alexandria in which Arius and his companion were condemned. But Alexander convened two synods of the bishops of Egypt against Arius and his friends.—Tr.