Fourth Century Christianity

1. Ἀλέξανδρος πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοιςἈλεξανδρείας καὶ Μαρεώτου, παρὼν παροῦσιν, ἀγαπητοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν.

Alexander, to his assembled and beloved brethren, the priests and deacons of Alexandria, and the Mareotis. Greetings in the Lord.

2. Εἰ καὶ φθάσαντες ὑπεγράψατε οἷς ἐπέστειλα τοῖς περὶ Ἄρειον προτρέπων αὐτοὺς ἀρνήσασθαι μὲν τὴν ἀσέβειαν πεισθῆναι δὲ τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ καὶ καθολικῇ πίστει, καὶ ἐδείξατε ἑαυτῶν ὀρθὴν τὴν προαίρεσιν καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς δόγμασι συμφωνίαν τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας, ὅμως ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἁπανταχοῦ συλλειτουργοὺς ἐπέστειλα περὶ τῶν περὶ Ἄρειον, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην ὑμᾶς μὲν τοὺς τῆς πόλεως κληρικοὺς συναγαγεῖν, ὑμᾶς δὲ τοὺς ἀπὸτοῦ Μαρεώτου μεταπέμψασθαι:

1. If you indeed have already subscribed to the letter I addressed previously to Arius’s supporters, in which I encouraged them to renounce his impiety, and to submit themselves to the sound catholic faith, then you have shown your right commitment to and agreement with the doctrines of the catholic church.  Yet, since I have written also to our fellow-ministers in every place concerning those supporting Arius, I decided that I needed to assemble you, the clergy of the city, and to send for you the clergy of the Mareotis.

3. μάλιστα ὅτι καὶ ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν Χάρης καὶ Πιστὸς πρεσβύτεροι, καὶ Σαραπίων καὶ Παράμμων καὶ Ζώσιμος καὶ Εἰρηναῖος διάκονοι ἐπηκολούθησαν τοῖς περὶ ῎Αρειον καὶ ἠγάπησαν σὺν αὐτοῖς καθαιρεθῆναι· ἵνα καὶ τὰ νῦν γραφόμενα γνῶτε τήν τε ἐν τούτοις συμφωνίαν ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδείξησθε καὶ τῇ καϑαιρέσει τῶν περὶ Ἄρειον καὶ τῶν περὶ Πιστὸν σύμψηφοι γένησθε.

2. This was especially needed since some in your own ranks – the priests Chares and Pistos and the deacons Serapion, Parammon, Zosimos, and Irenaeos – have joined themselves with Arius’s group, and devoted themselves to undergo destruction with them.  You need to understand what I now am writing, testify your agreement to it, and vote together for the deposition of those who are aligning themselves with Arius and Pistos. 

3. For it is desirable that you understand what I write, and that each of you have a heart-felt adherence to it, as though each had written it himself.