To Eusebius, Bishop of Ancyra, Against the Charge of Two Sons

Many are the schemes secretly plotted against me, and through me cobbled together against the faith of the apostles. Yet I take comfort in the sufferings of the saints, the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs, and the men famous in the churches in the word of grace. Besides these, I take comfort in the promises of our God and Savior. For in this present life he has promised us nothing pleasant or delightful, but rather trouble, toil and danger, and the attacks of enemies. “In the world,” he says, “you will have trouble,” and, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too,” and, “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household,” and, “The time is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God,” and, “Narrow is the gate and hard the way that leads to life,” and, “When they persecute you in this city, flee to another”; and I could quote all the passages like them. The divine Apostle too speaks in the same way: “Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” These words give me the greatest comfort in this distress. Since the slanders spoken against me have probably reached your holiness’s ears, I beg your holiness to give no credence to the lies of my slanderers. I am not aware that I have ever, up to this day, taught anyone to believe in two sons. I have been taught to believe in one only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Word made man. But I know the distinction between flesh and Godhead, and I regard as impious all who divide our one Lord Jesus Christ into two sons, and also those who, going in the opposite direction, call the Godhead and manhood of the Master Christ one nature. These are extremes that stand opposed to each other, and between them lies the road of the gospel’s teachings, made beautiful by the footprints of the prophets and apostles, and of all who after them have been distinguished for the gift of teaching. I wanted to bring forward their views and to show how they bear witness in favor of my own, but that needs more words than a letter has room for. So I have written in summary what I have been taught about the incarnation of the only Son, and I am sending this statement to your godly excellency. I have written it not in order to teach others, but to defend myself against the charges brought against me, and to explain my views to those who do not know them. When your holiness has read what I have written, if you find it in agreement with the apostolic teachings, I hope you will confirm my view in your reply. If, on the other hand, anything I have said clashes with the divine teaching, I ask your holiness to tell me so. For though I have spent a long time teaching, I still need someone to teach me. “We know in part,” says the divine Apostle; and again he says, “If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he does not yet know as he ought to know.” So I hope that I may hear the truth from your holiness, and that you will also attend to the calm of the church and fight for the divine teachings. It is for their sake that the very godly bishops, making light of the hardships of the journey and of the winter, have set out for the imperial city, trying to bring the storm to some end. Please send them on their way with your prayers, and with your prayers strengthen me too. [a]