To Domnus, Bishop of Antioch, Before the Council of Ephesus

When news reached me that the victorious emperor’s pettiness had come to an end, that he had been reconciled with the very godly bishop, that the summons to the council had been canceled, and that the peace of the churches had been restored, I hoped our troubles were a thing of the past. But what I hear from your holiness distresses me deeply. It is impossible to hope for any good from this notorious council, unless the merciful Master, with his usual providence, undoes the devices of the riotous demons. Even at the great synod, I mean the one at Nicaea, the Arian party voted with the orthodox and signed the apostolic statement of faith. But they did not stop making war on the truth until they had torn apart the body of the church. For thirty years those who upheld the apostolic teachings and those infected with the Arian blasphemy remained in communion with one another. But at Antioch, when the latest council was over, when they had seated the man of God, the great Meletius, on the apostolic throne and then, after a few days, thrown him out by imperial authority, Euzoius, who was infected with the unmistakable plague of Arius, was put forward. At once the champions of the apostolic teachings separated, and from then on the division continued. [a]

As I look back on what happened then, and look ahead to similar events in the future, my wretched spirit sighs and wails, for I see no prospect of good. The people of the other dioceses do not know the poison that lies in the Twelve Chapters. Looking at the fame of the man who wrote them, they suspect no harm; and his successor in the see is, I think, using every means to have them confirmed at a second synod. For suppose the man who lately wrote them on command, and anathematized all who would not abide by them, were presiding over an ecumenical council: what could he not bring about? And be well assured, my lord, that no one who knows the heresy they contain will consent to accept them, even if twice as many men of this kind decree them. Before now, though a larger number had rashly confirmed them, I resisted at Ephesus, and refused to be in communion with their writer until he had agreed to the points I laid down and had brought his teaching into line with them, without making any mention of the Chapters. Your holiness can find this out without any difficulty if you order the acts of the synod to be searched; for they are preserved, as is customary, with the signatures of the synod, and more than fifty synodical acts still exist showing the charge against the Twelve Chapters. For before the journey to Ephesus the blessed John had written to the very godly bishops Eutherius of Tyana, Firmus of Caesarea, and Theodotus of Ancyra, denouncing these Chapters as Apollinarian. And at Ephesus, setting out these Chapters and confirming them was the reason we deposed the bishop of Alexandria and the bishop of Ephesus. Moreover, at Ephesus many synodical letters were written about these Chapters, both to the victorious emperor and to the great officers of state, and likewise to the laity at Constantinople and to the reverend clergy. And when we were summoned to Constantinople, we held five discussions in the emperor’s presence, and afterward sent the emperor three formal protests. We also wrote on the same subject to the very godly bishops of the West, of Milan, I mean, of Aquileia and of Ravenna, protesting that the Chapters were full of the Apollinarian novelty. Furthermore, their writer received a letter from the blessed John, by the hand of the blessed Paul, openly finding fault with them; and likewise one from Acacius of blessed memory. To give your holiness brief information on the subject, I have sent you both the letter of the blessed Acacius and that of the blessed John to the blessed Cyril, so that you may see that, though they were writing to him about agreement, they found fault with these Chapters. And the blessed Cyril himself, in his letter to the blessed Acacius, plainly showed the drift of these Chapters in the words, “I wrote this against his innovations, and when peace is made they will be made plain.” The very defense proves the charge. I have also sent you a copy of what he wrote at the time of the agreement, so that you may see, my lord, that he made no mention of them; and that those who attend the council are bound to bring forward what was written at the time of the agreement, and to state plainly what had caused the difference and on what terms the divided parties were reconciled. For those who are summoned to fight for the truth must shrink from no labor, and must call on the divine help, so that we may keep unharmed the heritage our forefathers left us. [d]

Your holiness must look for men of like mind among the godly bishops and make them companions of your journey, and likewise, from the reverend clergy, those who are zealous for the truth. Otherwise, betrayed even by those on our own side, we may either be driven to do something displeasing to the God of all, or, left on our own, fall an easy prey to our enemies. It is in faith that we have our hope of salvation, and we must leave no means untried to keep anything counterfeit from being brought into it, and to keep the apostolic teaching from being corrupted. I write you these words from far away, with sighs and groans, and I beg our common Master to scatter this dark cloud and to grant us once more the gift of bright sunshine.