Reference:Mel. 30, CPG 2123.27, CPG 8541, FNS 72
Incipit:Οὐκέτι νομίζομεν τὴν συσκευήν … οἴδατε
Date:335
Greek Text:Athanasius, Apol. Sec. 77
English Translation:NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 140-141, adapted for FCC by SMT

This letter was written by the bishops in Egypt in response to the group sent to the Mareotis to investigate Ischyras’ accusation that Macarius broke a sacred chalice under the guidance of Athanasius. They, like the Presbyters in Mel. 27, Mel. 28, and Mel. 29, took issue with the fact that Ischyras was brought along and not Athanasius. They encourage the Council at Tyre to drop the charges that Ischyras brought. This letter is nearly identical to Mel. 31.

The Greek text below is that of Opitz as found in AW 2.4:77. The English translation has been adapted from NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 140-141 by SMT for FCC.

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The derivative translation below is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Τοῖς ἐν Τύρῳ συνελθοῦσιν ἐπισκόποις, κυρίοις τιμιωτάτοις, οἱ ἀπ᾽ Αἰγύπτου σὺν Ἀθανασίῳ ἐλθόντες τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν.To the bishops assembled at Tyre, most honored Lords, those of the catholic Church who have come from Egypt with Athanasius send greeting in the Lord.
Οὐκέτι νομίζομεν τὴν συσκευὴν ἄδηλον εἶναι τὴν παρὰ τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον καὶ Θεόγνιον καὶ Μάριν καὶ Νάρκισσον καὶ Θεόδωρον καὶ Πατρόφιλον ἡμῖν γιγνομένην. καὶ κατ᾽ ἀρχὴν μὲν γὰρ παρῃτούμεθα πάντες διὰ τοῦ συλλειτουῤγοῦ ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου παρόντων αὐτῶν τὴν ἀκρόασιν γενέσθαι εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ ἑνὸς μόνου ἐχθροῦ παρουσία, μήτιγε πολλῶν, ταράττειν καὶ βλάπτειν δύναται τὴν ἀκρόασιν.We suppose that the conspiracy which has been formed against us by Eusebius, Theognius, Maris, Narcissus, Theodorus, Patrophilus and their fellows is no longer uncertain. From the very beginning we all objected, through our fellow minister Athanasius, to the holding of the enquiry in their presence, knowing that the presence of even one enemy only, much more of many, is able to disturb and injure the hearing of a cause.
οἴδατε γὰρ καὶ ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ τὴν ἔχθραν αὐτῶν, ἣν οὐ πρὸς ἡμᾶς μόνον ἐσχήκασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς ὀρθοδόξους, ὅτι διὰ τὴν Ἀρείου μανίαν καὶ τὴν ἀσεβῆ διδασκαλίαν ἐκείνου κατὰ πάντων ἐπιφύονται καὶ πᾶσι συσκευάζονται. ἐπειδὴ δὲ θαρροῦντες ἡμεῖς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ δεῖξαι τὴν συκοφαντίαν τὴν κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὑπὸ τῶν Μελιτιανῶν γινομένην ἠθελήσαμεν, οὐκ οἴδαμεν πῶς οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ταράττειν τὰ παρ᾽ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα ἐπειρῶντο καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐσπούδαζον τὰ παρ᾽ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα ἐκβάλλεσθαι, τοῖς μὲν ἀκεραίως δικάζουσιν ἀπειλοῦντες, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ὑβρίζοντες, μόνον ἵνα τὸ καϑ’ ἡμῶν σπουδαζόμενον αὐτοῖς γένηται.And you also yourselves know the enmity which they entertain, not only towards us, but towards all the orthodox, how that for the sake of the madness of Arius, and his impious doctrine, they direct their assaults, they form conspiracies against all. And when, being confident in the truth, we desired to show the falsehood which the Melitians had employed against the Church, Eusebius and his fellows endeavored by some means or other to interrupt our representations and strove eagerly to set aside our testimony, threatening those who have an honest judgment, and insulting others for the sole purpose of carrying out the design they had against us.
καὶ ἴσως ἡ ἔνθεος ὑμῶν εὐλάβεια, κύριοι τιμιώτατοι, ἠγνόει τὴν γενομένην παρ᾽ αὐτῶν συσκευήν, ἀλλὰ νῦν νομίζομεν φανερὰν γεγενῆσθαι αὐτήν. ἰδοὺ γὰρ φανερῶς αὐτοὶ τὴν συσκευὴν ἐνεδείξαντο. τοὺς γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὑποπτευομένους ἀποστεῖλαι ἠθέλησαν εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην, ἵνα ἀπόντων ἡμῶν καὶ ἐνταῦθα μενόντων τοὺς μὲν λαοὺς ταράξωσιν, ἃ δὲ βούλονται διαπράξωνται.Your godly piety, most honored Lords, was probably ignorant of their conspiracy, but we suppose that it has now been made manifest. For indeed they have themselves plainly disclosed it; for they desired to send to the Mareotis those of their party who are suspected by us, so that, while we were absent and remained here, they might disturb the people and accomplish what they wished.
εἶδον γὰρ ὅτι οἱ Ἀρειομανῖται καὶ Κολλουθιανοὶ καὶ Μελιτιανοὶ ἐχθροὶ τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας εἰσί· διὰ τοῦτο ἐσπούδασαν ἀποστεῖλαι τούτους, ἵνα παρόντων ἐχθρῶν καττύσωσι καθ᾽ ἡμῶν, ἃ βούλονται. καὶ γὰρ οἱ ἐνταῦθα Μελιτιανοὶ ἀπέστειλαν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν τινας καὶ πρὸ τεσσάρων μὲν ἡμερῶν ὥσπερ εἰδότες τοῦτο τὸ σκέμμα γιγνόμενον ἔσεσθαι, καθ᾽ ἑσπέραν δὲ δύο βηριδαρίους πρὸς τὸ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου Μελιτιανοὺς συναγαγεῖν εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἐκεῖ μηδένα καθόλου, καὶ Κολλουθιανοὺς καὶ Ἀρειομανίτας. ἀπὸ ἄλλων τόπων καὶ καττῦσαι καθ᾽ ἡμῶν αὐτοὺς λέγειν.They knew that the Arian madmen and Colluthians and Melitians, were enemies of the catholic Church, and therefore they were anxious to send them, that in the presence of our enemies they might devise against us whatever schemes they pleased. And those of the Melitians who are here, even four days previously (as they knew that this enquiry was about to take place), dispatched at evening certain of their party as couriers for the purpose of collecting Melitians out of Egypt into the Mareotis, because there were none at all there, and Colluthians and Arian madmen from other parts, and to prepare them to speak against us.
οἴδατε γὰρ καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὅτι αὐτὸς Ἰσχύρας ὡμολόγησεν ἐφ᾽ ὑμῶν οὐ πλέον ἑπτὰ συναγομένων ἔχειν. ἐπεὶ οὖν μετὰ τὸ αὐτοὺς κατασκευάσαι, ὅπερ βούλονται, καὶ ἀποστεῖλαι τοὺς ὑπόπτους ἠκούσαμεν ὅτι καθ’ ἕκαστον ὑμῶν περιερχόμενοι ἀπαιτοῦσιν ὑπογραφὴν πρὸς τὸ δοκεῖν τῇ πάντων ὑμῶν σκέψει γεγενῆσθαι, τούτου ἕνεκεν γράψαι ὑμῖν ἠπείχθημεν καὶ ἐπιδοῦναι τόδε τὸ μαρτύριον, μαρτυρόμενοι μὲν ὅτι συσκευαζόμεθα καὶ πάσχομεν ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν καὶ δι’ αὐτῶν ἐπιβουλήν, ἀξιοῦντες δὲ ὅπως ἐν νῷ λαβόντες τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φόβον καὶ καταγνόντες ὅτι χωρὶς ἡμῶν ἀπέστειλαν οὓς ἠθέλησαν, μὴ ὑπογράψητε, ἵνα μή, ἅπερ αὐτοὶ καθ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς καττύουσι, ταῦτα ὡς παρ᾽ ὑμῶν γιγνόμενα λέγωσι.For you also know that Ischyras himself confessed before you, that he had not more than seven persons in his congregation. When therefore we heard that, after they had made what preparations they pleased against us, and had sent these suspected persons, they were going about to each of you and requiring your subscriptions in order that it might appear as if this had been done with the consent of you all; for this reason we hastened to write to you, and to present this our testimony; declaring that we are the objects of a conspiracy under which we are suffering by and through them, and demanding that having the fear of God in your minds, and condemning their conduct in sending whom they pleased without our consent, you would refuse your subscriptions, lest they pretend that those things are done by you, which they are contriving only among themselves.
καὶ γὰρ πρέπει τοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ ἀνθρώπους μὴ εἰς ἀνθρώπινα βλέπειν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν πάντων προκρίνειν. καὶ μήτε ἀπειλὴν ᾗ χρῶνται πρὸς πάντας μήτε συσκευὴν φοβηθῆτε, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τὸν θεόν. ἔδει γάρ, εἴπερ ἦν ὅλως ἀκόλουθον εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην ἀποσταλῆναι, καὶ ἡμᾶς συμπαρεῖναι, ἵνα τοὺς μὲν ἐχθροὺς τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐλέγξωμεν, τοὺς δὲ ξένους ἀποδείξωμεν, καὶ καθαρὰ τοῦ πράγματος ἡ ἔρευνα γένηται.Surely it becomes those who are in Christ, not to regard human motives, but to prefer the truth before all things. And be not afraid of their threatening, which they employ against all, nor of their plots, but rather fear God. If it was at all necessary that people should be sent to the Mareotis, we also ought to have been there with them, in order that we might convict the enemies of the church, and point out those who were aliens, and that the investigation of the matter might be impartial.
οἴδατε γὰρ ὅτι οἱ περὶ Εὐσέβιον ἐκάττυσαν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπιδοθῆναι ὡς ἀπὸ Κολλουθιανῶν καὶ Μελιτιανῶν καὶ Ἀρειανῶν γραφεῖσαν καθ᾽ ἡμῶν, καὶ δῆλον ὅτι αὐτοὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας οὐδὲν ἀληθὲς περὶ ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ πάντα καθ᾽ ἡμῶν λέγουσιν. ὁ δὲ νόμος τοῦ ϑεοῦ οὔτε ἐχθρὸν μάρτυρα οὔτε κριτὴν εἶναι βούλεται.For you know that Eusebius and his fellows contrived that a letter should be presented as coming from the Colluthians, the Melitians, and Arians and directed against us; but it is evident that these enemies of the catholic Church speak nothing that is true concerning us, but say everything against us. And the law of  God forbids an enemy to be either a witness or a judge.
λοιπὸν ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως λόγον μέλλοντες διδόναι λαβόντες τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦτο καὶ γνόντες συσκευὴν τὴν καθ᾽ ἡμῶν γενομένην παρακληθέντες φυλάξασθε μηδέν τι καθ’ ἡμῶν πρᾶξαι μηδὲ συνάρασθαι τῇ τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον σκέψει. καὶ γὰρ πάλιν οἴδατε, ὡς προείπομεν, ὡς ἐχθροί εἰσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ διὰ τί Εὐσέβιος ὁ τῆς Καισαρείας ἐχθρὸς γέγονεν ἀπὸ πέρυσιν. ἐρρῶσθαι ὑμᾶς εὐχόμεθα, κύριοι ποθεινότατοι.Wherefore as you will have to give an account in the day of judgment, receive this testimony, and recognizing the conspiracy which has been framed against us, beware, if you are requested by them, of doing anything against us, and of taking part in the designs of Eusebius and his fellows. For you know, as we said before, that they are our enemies, and you are aware why Eusebius of Caesarea became such last year. We pray that you may be in health, greatly beloved Lords.

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