The Letter of the Synod in Illyricum on the Faith

The bishops of Illyricum, to the churches of God and the bishops of the dioceses of Asia, of Phrygia, and of Carophrygia Pacatiana, greeting in the Lord.

After meeting together and making a long inquiry concerning the word of salvation, we have declared that the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is of one substance. And it seemed right to write a letter to you, not that we write about the worship of the Trinity for the sake of empty dispute, but in humility, as men counted worthy of this duty. [a] We have sent this letter by our beloved brother and fellow worker Elpidius the presbyter. For it is written, not in the letters of our hands but in the books of our Savior Jesus Christ, “I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” [b]

It did indeed seem right to our humility not to write you any letter, because of the great terror your preaching causes in all the region under your authority, since you separate the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son. We were therefore compelled to send you our lord and fellow worker Elpidius, to find out whether your preaching really is of this kind, and to carry this letter from the imperial government of Rome. [c]

Let those who do not hold the Trinity to be of one substance be anathema; and if anyone is found to be in communion with them, let him be anathema. But for those who preach that the Trinity is of one substance, the kingdom of heaven is prepared. We urge you, therefore, brothers, to teach no other doctrine, and not even to hold any other, empty belief, but always and everywhere to preach that the Trinity is of one substance, so that you may be able to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

While writing on this point, we have also been reminded to write to you about the appointment, now or in the future, of our fellow ministers as bishops: if there are any sound men among the bishops who have already held public office; and if not, from the order of presbyters. In the same way, presbyters and deacons should be appointed from the priestly order itself, so that they may be blameless in every way, and not from the ranks of the senate and the army. [d] We have not wished to write you a long letter, because we are sending one representative of us all, our lord and fellow worker Elpidius, to inquire carefully into your preaching, whether it really is such as we have heard from our lord and fellow worker Eustathius.

In conclusion: if at any time you have been in error, put off the old man and put on the new. The same brother and fellow worker Elpidius will instruct you how to preach the true faith: that the Holy Trinity, of one substance with God the Father, together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, is hallowed, glorified and made manifest, Father in Son, Son in Father, with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. For since this has been made manifest, we will manifestly be able to confess the Holy Trinity to be of one substance, according to the faith set forth long ago at Nicaea, which the fathers confirmed. As long as this faith is preached, we will be able to escape the snares of the deadly devil. And when he is destroyed, we will be able to honor one another with letters of peace while we live in peace. [f]

We have therefore written to you so that you may know of the deposition of the Arian madmen, who do not confess that the Son is of the substance of the Father, nor the Holy Spirit. We add their names: Polychronius, Telemachus, Faustus, Asclepiades, Amantius, Cleopater. [g] We write this to the glory of Father and Son and Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. We pray the Father, and the Son our Savior Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, that you may fare well for many years.