Reference:Mel. 32, CPG 2123.29, CPG 8543, FNS 32
Incipit:Πολλὰς ὁρῶντες συσκευάς
Date:335
Greek Text:Athanasius, Apol. Sec. 79
English Translation:NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 142, adapted for FCC by SMT

Upon seeing that Flavius Dionysius did not condemn the group sent to the Mareotis as they asked in Mel. 31 and rather allowed them to continue their accusation, the bishops in Egypt sent this letter to appeal to Emperor Constantine’s judgment. They now wish for him to preside over this trial instead of Flavius Dionysius.

The Greek text below is that of Opitz as found in AW 2.4:79. The English translation has been adapted from NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 142 by SMT for FCC.

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

Φλαυίῳ Διονυσίῳ τῷ λαμπροτάτῳ κόμητι οἱ ἐν Τύρῳ ἀπ᾽ Αἰγύπτου ἐλθόντες ἐπίσκοποι τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας.The bishops of the catholic Church who have come from Egypt to Tyre, to the most illustrious Count Flavius Dionysius,
Πολλὰς ὁρῶντες συσκευὰς καθ’ ἡμῶν γινομένας καὶ ἐπιβουλὰς ἐκ συσκευῆς τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον καὶ Νάρκισσον καὶ Φλάκιλλον καὶ Θεόγνιον καὶ Μάριν καὶ Θεόδωρον καὶ Πατρόφιλον, οὓς κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν θελήσαντες παραιτήσασθαι οὐκ ἐπετράπημεν, ἀνάγκην ἔχομεν ἐπὶ τήνδε τὴν διαμαρτυρίαν ἐλθεῖν. καὶ γὰρ πολλὴν ὑπὲρ Μελιτιανῶν ὁρῶμεν σπουδὴν γιγνομένην, κατὰ δὲ τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας τῆς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ δι’ ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλήν. ὅθεν ἐπιδίδομέν σοι τήνδε τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀξιοῦντες ἐν νῷ σε λαβεῖν τὸν θεὸν τὸν παντοκράτορα τὸν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου καὶ θεοφιλεστάτου βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου διαφυλάττοντα τηρῆσαι τὴν ἀκρόασιν τῶν καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς πραγμάτων αὐτῷ τῷ εὐσεβεστάτῳ βασιλεῖ. καὶ γὰρ εὔλογον ἀποσταλέντα σε παρὰ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡμῶν ἐπικαλεσαμένων τὴν εὐσέβειαν αὐτοῦ αὐτῷ τηρῆσαι τὸ πρᾶγμα. οὐκέτι γὰρ φέρομεν συσκευαζόμενοι καὶ ἐπιβουλευόμενοι διὰ τῶν περὶ Εὐσέβιον τῶν προειρημένων. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῷ εὐσεβεστάτῳ καὶ θεοφιλεστάτῳ βασιλεῖ τηρηϑῆναι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀξιοῦμεν, παρ᾽ ᾧ δυνάμεθα καὶ τὰ δίκαια τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τὰ ἑαυτῶν παραθέσθαι. πιστεύομεν γὰρ ὅτι ἡ εὐσέβεια αὐτοῦ ἀκούσασα οὐ καταγνώσεται ἡμῶν. καὶ πάλιν οὖν ὁρκίζομέν σε τὸν παντοκράτορα θεὸν καὶ τὸν εὐσεβέστατον βασιλέα ἀεὶ εἰς πολλὰς ἐτῶν περιόδους νικῶντα καὶ ὑγιαίνοντα μετὰ τῶν παίδων τῆς εὐσεβείας αὐτοῦ μηδὲν πλέον πρᾶξαι μηδὲ ἐπιτρέψαι τι σεαυτῷ ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ κινῆσαι περὶ τῶν καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς πραγμάτων, ἀλλὰ τηρῆσαι τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀκρόασιν. περὶ δὲ τῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τοῖς κυρίοις μου ἐπισκόποις τοῖς ὀρθοδόξοις ἐδηλώσαμεν.Perceiving that many conspiracies and plots are being formed against us through the machinations of Eusebius, Narcissus, Flacillus, Theognius, Maris, Theodorus, Patrophilus and their fellows (against whom we wished at first to enter an objection, but were not permitted), we are constrained to have recourse to the present appeal. We observe also that great zeal is exerted on behalf of the Melitians and that a plot is laid against the catholic Church in Egypt in our presence. Therefore we present this letter to you, beseeching you to bear in mind the Almighty Power of God, who defends the kingdom of our most religious and godly Emperor Constantine, and to reserve the hearing of the affairs which concern us for the most religious Emperor himself. For it is but reasonable, since you were commissioned by his Majesty, that you should reserve the matter for him upon our appealing to his piety. We can no longer endure to be the objects of the treacherous designs of the aforementioned Eusebius and his fellows, and therefore we demand that the case be reserved for the most religious and God-beloved Emperor, before whom we shall be able to set forth our own and the Church’s just claims. And we are convinced that when his piety shall have heard our cause, he will not condemn us. Therefore we again adjure you by Almighty God, and by our most religious Emperor, who, together with the children of his piety, has thus ever been victorious and prosperous these many years, that you proceed no further, nor suffer yourselves to move at all in the council in relation to our affairs, but reserve the hearing of them for his piety. We have likewise made the same representations to my Lords the orthodox Bishops.

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