Chapter 1.
Chapter 1.
1. Thou hast done well, in signifying to me the discussion thou hast had with the advocates of Arianism, among whom were certain of the party of Eusebius, as well as very many of the brethren who hold the doctrine of the Church. Very welcome to me was thy Christian vigilance, which excellently confuted the impiety of their heresy; while I marvelled at the effrontery which led them, after the exposures already made of their bad reasonings in the past, and of that perverse temper to which all men bore witness, still to be complaining like the Jews, “Why did the bishops at Nicæa use terms not in Scripture, ‘Of the substance’ and ‘Consubstantial’?” Thou then, as a man of learning, in spite of their pretences, didst convict them of talking idly; and they in those pretences were but acting in accordance with their own evil disposition. For they are as variable and fickle in their sentiments, as chameleons in their colours; and when confuted they are confused; and when questioned they hesitate; and then they lose shame, and betake themselves to evasions. Lastly, when detected in these, they do not rest till they have invented fresh pleas which have no substance, and all this that they may persist in being loyal to an impiety.
2. Now such tactics are nothing else than an obvious token of their want of Divine Reason, and a copying, as I have said, of Jewish malignity. For the Jews too, when convicted by the Truth, and unable to confront it, made excuses, such as What miracles doest Thou, that we may see and believe Thee? What dost Thou work?[1] though so many miracles were given, that they themselves said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles?[2] In truth, dead men were raised, lame walked, blind saw afresh, lepers were cleansed, and the water became wine, and five loaves satisfied five thousand, and all of them wondered and worshipped the Lord, confessing that in Him were fulfilled the prophecies, and that He was God, the Son of God; all but the Pharisees, who, though the miracles shone brighter than the sun, yet complained still, as ignorant men, Why dost Thou, being a man, make Thyself God?[3] Insensate, and verily blind in understanding! they ought contrariwise to have said, “Why hast Thou, being God, become man?” for His works did prove Him God, that thereupon they might both worship the Father’s goodness, and admire the Son’s descent from on high for our sakes. However, this they did not say; no, nor would they witness what He was doing; or they witnessed indeed, for this they could not avoid, but they changed their ground of complaint and said again, “Why healest Thou the paralytic, why makest Thou the born-blind to see, on the sabbath day?” But this too was a mere excuse and a finding fault; for on other days as well as the sabbath did the Lord heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease,[4] but they complained still according to their wont, and in calling Him Beelzebub, preferred the imputation of Atheism, to a recantation of their wickedness. And though in sundry times and diverse manners[5] the Saviour thus showed His own Godhead and preached the Father to all men, nevertheless, as kicking against the goad, they rashly spoke against Him, as if in order that, according to the divine proverb, they might find occasions for separating themselves[6] from the truth.
3. As then the Jews of that day, for acting thus wickedly and denying the Lord, were with justice deprived of their laws and of the promise made to their fathers, so the Arians, judaizing now, are in my judgment in circumstances like those of Caiaphas and the contemporary Pharisees. For, perceiving that their heresy is utterly unreasonable, they start difficulties, saying, “Why was this defined and not that?” Yet wonder not though in the event they do not persevere in that sort of warfare; for in no long time they will have recourse to outrage, and will be throwing out threats of the band and the captain.[7] Such is their inconsistency; yet how can it be otherwise with them? for, denying the Word of God, Divine Reason they have utterly forfeited. Aware then of this, I would of myself have made no reply to their attacks; but, since thy friendliness has asked to know what was done in the Council, I have not delayed to inform you, in order to show in few words how destitute Arianism is of a religious temper, and how its very business is to frame evasions.