| Reference
| Dok.
28;
Urk.
33; CPG 2041
|
| Incipit
| Το?? πονηρο?? κα? ?σεβε??
|
| Date
| late 325
|
| Ancient sources
| Greek: Athanasius,?
De decr. Nicenae
?39.1-2; Socrates,?
H. E.
?1.9.30; Anonymous Church History?2.36.1
Latin: Verona, Cod. 60; Some Latin canon law collections
Syriac: Brit. Mus.,? Add. 14,528; Vatican, Borg. Syr. 82
|
| Modern edition
| Opitz,
AW
3:37-38
|
In Athanasius’s
De decretis
this edict is preceded by the heading given below, stating that what follows was a copy (
antigrafon
) of what the imperial magistrates (
agentes in rebus
) Syncletius and Gaudentius delivered. Since a similar heading with the same two names appears at the end of
Dok.
29 (which follows immediately in
De decretis Nicaenae
39.43b), Opitz concluded that these two edicts were composed and delivered at the same time. Again, disagreeing with Opitz’s dating to 333, Heil argues (
AW
3.3:38) that this is part of the official imperial condemnation that came in the immediate aftermath of the council (and after Arius did not respond to
Dok.
27).
The Greek text below is taken from
AW
3.1:66-68 where Opitz provided also both Latin versions and the Syriac (the latter taken from (F. Schulthess, “Die syrischen Kanones der Synoden von Nicaea bis Chalcedon,”?Abh. der Konigl. Ges. der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen, Phil.-Hist. Klasse?N.F. 10, no. 2 [Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1908], 1-2). Opitz gives all three because he concludes they were all independent of Athanasius’s Greek text. The English translation below is that of Aaron West from the Greek text. See also the translation of Socrates text by Zenos (NPNF
2
?2:4). This document is not included in NPNF
2
4 which ends its translation of
De decr. Nic.
at section 32.
Click
here
to access a downloadable pdf of this document.
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| ?ντ?γραφον ?ν ?κ?μισαν Συγκλ?τιο? κα? Γαυδ?ντιο? μαγιστριανο?.
| Copy of those things which the imperial couriers Synkletios and Gaudentios carried.
|
| Νικητ?? Κωνσταντ?νο? Μ?γιστο? Σεβαστ?? ?πισκ?ποι? κα? λαο??.
| The great and victorious Constantine Augustus to the bishops and laity:
|
| 1. Το?? πονηρο?? κα? ?σεβε?? μιμησ?μενο? ?ρειο? δ?και?? ?στι τ?ν α?τ?ν ?κε?νοι? ?π?χειν ?τιμ?αν. ?σπερ το?νυν Πορφ?ριο? ? τ?? θεοσεβε?α? ?χθρ?? συντ?γματα ?ττα παρ?νομα κατ? τ?? θρησκε?α? συστησ?μενο? ?ξιον ε?ρατο μισθ?ν κα? τοιο?τον ?στε ?πονε?διστον μ?ν α?τ?ν πρ?? τ?ν ?ξ?? γεν?σθαι χρ?νον κα? πλε?στη? ?ναπλησθ?ναι κακοδοξ?α?, ?φανισθ?ναι δ? τ? ?σεβ? α?το? συγγρ?μματα, ο?τω κα? ν?ν ?δοξεν ?ρει?ν τε κα? το?? ?ρε?? ?μογν?μονα? Πορφυριανο?? μ?ν καλε?σθαι, ?ν’ ?ν το?? τρ?που? μεμ?μηνται, το?των ?χωσι κα? τ?ν προσηγορ?αν.
| 1. Since Arius is an imitator of the wicked and the ungodly, it is only right that he should suffer the same dishonor as they. Porphyry, who was hostile to anyone who feared God, composed a book which transgressed against our religion, and has found a suitable reward: namely that he has been disgraced from that time onward, his reputation is completely terrible, and his ungodly writings have been destroyed. In the same way it seems appropriate that Arius and those of like mind with Arius should from now on be called Porphyrians, so that their name is taken from those whose ways they have imitated.?
|
| 2. πρ?? δ? το?τ? κα? ε? τι σ?γγραμμα ?π? ?ρε?ου συντεταγμ?νον ε?ρ?σκοιτο, το?το πυρ? παραδ?δοσθαι, ?να μ? μ?νον τ? φα?λα α?το? τ?? διδασκαλ?α? ?φανισθε?η, ?λλ? μηδ? ?π?μνημα α?το? ?λω? ?πολε?ττοιτο. ?κε?νο μ?ντοι προαγορε?ω, ?? ε? τι? σ?γγραμμα ?π? ?ρε?ου συνταγ?ν φωραθε?η κρ?ψα? κα? μ? ε?θ?ω? προσενεγκ?ν κα? πυρ? καταναλ?σα?, το?τ? θ?νατο? ?σται ζημ?α. παραχρ?μα γ?ρ ?λο?? ?π? το?τ? κεφαλ?? ?ποστ?σεται τιμωρ?αν.
| 2.?In addition, if any writing composed by Arius should be found, it should be handed over to the flames, so that not only will the wickedness of his teaching be obliterated, but nothing will be left even to remind anyone of him. And I hereby make a public order, that if someone should be discovered to have hidden a writing composed by Arius, and not to have immediately brought it forward and destroyed it by fire, his penalty shall be death. As soon as he is discovered in this offense, he shall be submitted for capital punishment.
|
| κα? ?λλ? χειρ?? ? θε?? ?μ?? διαφυλ?ξει, ?δελφο??γαπητο?.
| And in another hand:
God will watch over you, beloved brothers.
|
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