To the Bishops of Cilicia

Your piety has heard of the slanders aimed at me. The opponents of the truth claim that I divide our one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, into two sons. And some say that the grounds for their slander come from a handful of men among you who hold these opinions and divide God the Word made man into two sons. Such men ought to listen to the words of the Apostle, which openly declare “one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things,” and again, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” They ought to have followed the Master’s teaching, for the Lord himself says, “And no one has ascended into heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.” And again: “If you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before.” And the tradition of holy baptism teaches us that there is one Son, just as there is one Father and one Holy Spirit. [a]

So I hope your piety will be pleased to act, if there really are any who disobey the apostolic doctrines, though I cannot believe it. Shut their mouths, rebuke them as the laws of the church require, and teach them to follow in the footsteps of the holy fathers and to keep undefiled the faith laid down at Nicaea in Bithynia by the holy and blessed fathers, which sums up the teaching of the Evangelists and Apostles. For it is fitting that you who love God should care both for God’s glory and for our common good name, and not overlook the attacks made on all of us through the ignorance or quarrelsomeness of these few men. That is, if they really are guilty, and are not, like us, suffering from the sharpened tongues of false accusers. Be pleased to remember us in your prayers to God, for so the law of love commands.