Fragments of a letter from Alexander of Alexandria to Sylvester of Rome
Reference numbers | Urk. 16 Doc. 18 CPG 2005 |
Incipit | Τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ λόγος ὁ ἀληθινὸς / [Manent litterae Alexandri] |
Date | Unknown |
Ancient source for part one |
Manuscript 86 (catal. 84) from Musée national d’Ochrid. |
Modern edition used for part one |
Marcel Richard, “Quelques nouveaux fragments des Pères anténicéens et nicéens” in Symbolae Osloensis 38 (1963), p. 82. reprinted in Marcel Richard, Opera Minora, vol. 1, (Turnhout: Brepols, 1976) as article number 5. |
Ancient source for part two |
Hilary: Fragmenta historia, Ed. Feder A, 7 (VII) |
Modern edition used for part two |
Feder, A. L., S. Hilarii episcopi Pictaviensis Opera, CSEL vol. 65, part 4 (Vindobonae [Vienna]: F. Tempsky, 1916), pp. 91-9 |
[Part One: – not included in Athanasius Werke]
From a festal letter of the holy Alexander of Alexandria to Sylvester:
The true Word of God, the Life, the image of the unseen God, the firstborn of all creation [cf. Col 1:15], our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ emptied himself on our behalf, taking the form of a slave, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself to the point of death [cf. Phil 2:5-7].
Part Two:
[From a letter of Liberius of Rome to Constantius, 354 AD. He summarizes a letter in his possession written by Alexander of Alexandria to Julius of Rome:]
A letter of Bishop Alexander survives which was once sent to Sylvester, of blessed memory. It indicates that before the consecration of Athanasius there were already eleven priests and deacons who had been removed from the church because they were followers of the heresy of Arius. Some of these, although they have been put outside the catholic church, are apparently now holding their own public meetings, whom George* in Alexandria is confirmed to have given letters of fellowship.
[*George had been appointed as bishop of Alexandria in the exile of Athanasius.]
Translation by AJW
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