An Appeal to Unite Against Gregory

You know the history of the Arian madmen, beloved, for you have often condemned their impiety, both one by one and together. And you know too that Eusebius and his party, as I said before, are engaged in the same heresy, and for its sake have long been carrying on a conspiracy against me. I have set before you what has now been done, both on their behalf and by them, with greater cruelty than is usual even in time of war, so that, after the example I put before you in the story I told at the beginning, you may hate their wickedness with zeal and reject those who have committed such enormities against the church. Last year, before these things had happened, the brothers at Rome wrote letters calling a council because of these men’s earlier misdeeds, so that these evils might be set right. (Eusebius and his party feared this, and so took care beforehand to throw the church into confusion, and wanted to destroy me, so that from then on they might act as they pleased without fear, with no one to call them to account.) If the brothers at Rome did that, how much more ought you to be indignant now at these outrages and to condemn them, seeing that they have added this to their earlier misconduct! [a]

I beg you, do not overlook such proceedings, and do not let the famous church of the Alexandrians be trampled down by heretics. Because of these things the people and their ministers are separated from one another, as one would expect; they are silenced by the violence of the prefect, yet they hate the impiety of the Arian madmen. So if Gregory writes to you, or anyone else on his behalf, do not receive his letters, brothers. Tear them to pieces and put their bearers to shame, as ministers of impiety and wickedness. Even if he presumes to write to you in a friendly way, do not receive them all the same. Those who bring his letters carry them only out of fear of the governor and because of his frequent acts of violence. And since Eusebius and his party will probably write to you about him, I was anxious to warn you beforehand, so that in this you may imitate God, who shows no partiality, and drive away from you those who come from them. For it was for the sake of the Arian madmen that they caused persecutions, the rape of virgins, murders, the plunder of the church’s property, burnings, and blasphemies in the churches, all committed by pagans and Jews at such a season. The impious and mad Gregory cannot deny that he is an Arian; the man who writes his letters proves it. This is his secretary Ammon, who was cast out of the church long ago by my predecessor, the blessed Alexander, for many misdeeds and for impiety. [c]

For all these reasons, then, be so kind as to send me a reply and condemn these impious men. Then even now the ministers and people here, seeing your orthodoxy and your hatred of wickedness, may rejoice in your agreement in the Christian faith; and those who have committed these lawless deeds against the church may be reformed by your letters and brought at last, though late, to repentance. Greet the brotherhood among you. All the brothers who are with me greet you. Farewell, and remember me; and may the Lord keep you always, most truly beloved lords.