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 τοῖςπερὶ Ἄρειον προτρέπων αὐτοὺς ἀρνήσασθαι μὲν τὴνἀσέβειαν πεισθῆναι δὲ τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ καὶ καθολικῇπίστει, καὶ ἐδείξατε ἑαυτῶν ὀρθὴν τὴν προαίρεσινκαὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς δόγμασι συμφωνίαν τῆς καθολικῆςἐκκλησίας, ὅμως ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἁπανταχοῦσυλλειτουργοὺς ἐπέστειλα περὶ τῶν περὶἌρειον, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην ὑμᾶς μὲν τοὺςτῆς 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 Πιστὸςπρεσβύτεροι, καὶ Σαραπίων καὶ Παράμμων καὶΖώσιμος καὶ Εἰρηναῖος διάκονοι ἐπηκολούθησαντοῖς περὶ ῎Αρειον καὶ ἠγάπησαν σὺν αὐτοῖςκαθαιρεθῆναι· ἵνα καὶ τὰ νῦν γραφόμενα γνῶτε τήντε ἐν τούτοις συμφωνίαν ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδείξησθε καὶ τῇκαϑαιρέσει τῶν περὶ Ἄρειον καὶ τῶν περὶ Πιστὸνσύμψηφοι 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.