§1.1Κατὰ Εὐσεβίου καὶ Θεογνίου. »Κωνσταντῖνος Σεβαστὸς τῇ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Νικομηδέων.
Against Eusebius and Theognis. »Constantine Augustus to the Catholic Church of the Nicomedians.
>Τὸν δεσπότην θεὸν δηλαδὴ καὶ σωτῆρα Χριστὸν ἀκριβῶς ἄπαν- >τες ἴστε, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοί, πατέρα τε καὶ υἱὸν εἶναι.
You all know well, beloved brethren, that the Lord God and Savior Christ is Father and Son.
>φημὶ ἄναρχον ἄνευ τέλους γονέα τοῦ αἰῶνος αὐτοῦ, υἱὸν δέ, τοῦτ᾿ >τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς βούλησιν, ἥτις οὔτε δέ ἐνθυμήσεώς τινος οὔτε πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ τελεσιουργίαν διά τινος ἐξεζητη- >μένης οὐσίας κατελήφθη.
I mean the parent of this world, without beginning and without end, and the Son, that is, the will of the Father, which has been grasped neither by any reflection nor through any researched essence for the completion of His works.
ὃς γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ νοεῖ καὶ νοήσει, >ἕξει πρὸς ἅπαν τιμωρίας γένος ἀκάματον ὑπομονήν.
For he who understands this and will understand it, will have unwearied patience against every kind of punishment.
§1.2ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὁ >τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸς Χριστὸς ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων δημιοεργὸς καὶ τῆς ἀθανα- >σίας αὐτῆς χορηγὸς ἐγεννήθη ὅσον πρὸς πίστιν ἀνῆκεν ᾑ >καμεν, ἐγεννήθη — μᾶλλον δὲ προῆλθεν αὐτὸς καὶ πάντοτε ἐν >πατρὶ ὢν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ γεγενημένων διακόσμησιν — >τοίνυν ἀμερίστῳ προελεύσει·
But indeed, Christ the Son of God, the creator of all things and the giver of immortality itself, was begotten, as far as pertains to faith which we [already know], was begotten—or rather, He Himself came forth, being always in the Father, for the ordering of those things made by Him— thus by an undivided coming-forth.
ἡ γὰρ βούλησις ὁμοῦ καὶ τῷ >αὐτῆς ἐμπέπηγε καὶ ταῦθ’ ἅπερ διαφόρου δέεται ἐπιμελείας κατὰ τὴν >ἑκάστου ποιότητα πράττει τε καὶ διοικεῖ.
For the will is at the same time implanted in [Him] and performs and manages these very things which require different care according to the quality of each.
τί οὐν;
What then?
§1.3ἔστι τι μεταξὺ >τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ;
Is there anything between God the Father and the Son?
οὐδὲν δηλαδή·
Clearly nothing.
αὕτη γὰρ ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων συμπλήρωσις αἰσθήσει παρείληφε τὸ τῆς βουλήσεως πρόσ- >ταγμα, οὐχὶ δὲ μερισθεῖσαν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίας τὴν >διέστησεν.
For this fulfillment of things has received by perception the command of the will, and has not separated the [will] divided from the essence of the Father.
ὅ δὲ τούτοις ἕπεται· τίς έστιν, ὃς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἐμοῦ >δεσπότου ὀπαδὸς δι’ αἰδῶ μᾶλλον ἢ μωρίαν δέδιεν;
And what follows from these: who is he who, being a follower of Christ my Lord, fears through shame rather than folly?
§1.4ἀρ’ οὖν πάσχει
>τὸ θεῖον, ἐπειδὰν ἡ τοῦ σεμνοῦ σώματος οἴκησις πρὸς >τῆς ἰδίας ἁγιότητος ὁρμᾷ, ἢ ὑποπίπτει θίξει τὸ τοῦ σώματος >χωρισμένον;
Does then the Divine suffer, when the dwelling of the venerable body hastens towards its own holiness, or does that which is separated from the body submit to touch?
ἆρ’ οὐχὶ διέστηκε τοῦθ’ ὅπερ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ σώματος >ρηται ταπεινότητος;
Is not that which has been [lifted] up from the lowliness of the body distinct from it?
οὐχὶ δὲ ζῶμεν, κἂν πρὸς θάνατον ἡ τῆς >εὔκλεια τὸ σῶμα προσκαλέσηται;
And do we not live, even if the glory [of divinity] should summon the body to death?
§1.5>Τί τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα ἡ ἀβλαβής τε καὶ εἰλικρινὴς πίστις ἄξιον >ἀμφιβολίας κατείληφεν;
What then has the harmless and pure faith grasped here that is worthy of doubt?
ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅτι σεμνότατον σῶμα ὁ >ἐπελέξατο, δι’ οὗ τὰ τῆς πίστεως τεκμήρια καὶ τὰ τῆς οἰκείας >τῆς ὑποδείγματα ἔμελλεν ἐμφανίζειν, καὶ τὴν ἤδη >ὀλεθρίῳ πλάνῃ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους ἀπώλειαν ἀποσείεσθαι. >τε θρησκείας διδόναι διδασκαλίαν καὶ τῷ τῆς ἁγνείας ὑποδείγματι >τὰς ἀναξίας τοῦ νοῦ πράξεις καθαίρειν, ἔπειτα δὲ τὴν μὲν τοῦ >θανάτου βάσανον ἐκλύειν, τὰ δὲ τῆς ἀθανασίας ἔπαθλα προαναφω- >νεῖν.
Or do you not see that He chose a most venerable body, through which He was to display the proofs of faith and the examples of His own [virtue], and to shake off the destruction of the human race which had already occurred by a deadly error, and to give instruction in religion, and by the example of purity to cleanse the unworthy deeds of the mind, and then to loosen the torture of death, and to announce beforehand the rewards of immortality?
§1.6ἀλλ’ ὑμεῖς, οὓς λοιπὸν ἀδελφοὺς ἡ τῆς ἀγάπης κοινωνία >εἰκότως ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ προσαγορεύεσθαι ποιεῖ, οὐκ ἀγνοεῖτέ με τὸν >τερον συνθεράποντα, οὐκ ἀγνοεῖτε τὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας >ρωμα, οὗ τὴν φροντίδα γνησίως ἐπανῄρημαι, καὶ δι’ οὑ τῶν >ἐχθρῶν οὐ μόνον τὰ ὅπλα κατεμαχεσάμεθα ἀλλὰ καὶ ζῶντας ἔτι
>τὴν ψυχὴν συγκατείρξαμεν πρὸς τὸ τὴν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας >πίστιν ἐκφάναι.
But you, whom henceforth the fellowship of love reasonably makes to be addressed by me as brethren, do not ignore me as your fellow-servant, do not ignore the [bulwark] of your salvation, of which I have genuinely undertaken the care, and through which we not only fought down the weapons of the enemies but also, while they were still living, confined their souls so as to manifest the faith of humanity.
§1.7ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τούτοις διὰ τὴν τῆς >οἰκουμένης μάλιστα ἀνανέωσιν ἔχαιρον.
But I was rejoicing in these good things, especially for the renewal of the inhabited world.
καὶ γὰρ θαύματος ᾐν >ἀληθῶς ἔθνη τοσαῦτα εἰς ὁμόνοιαν ἐπαγαγεῖν, ἃ πρὸ βραχέος ἐλέγετο >τὸν θεὸν ἀγνοεῖν.
For it was indeed a wonder truly to bring so many nations into harmony, which a short time ago were said to be ignorant of God.
πλὴν τί ἔμελλε γινώσκειν τὰ ἔθνη ταῦτα, ἃ >οὐδεμίαν φιλονεικίας ἐπανῄρηντο φροντίδα;
Yet what were these nations to know, which had undertaken no concern for strife?
τί οὐν νοεῖτε, >ἀγαπητοί, ὡς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς αἰτιῶμαι;
What then do you think, beloved, as if I blame you yourselves?
Χριστιανοί ἐσμεν καὶ >διαθέσει διχονοοῦμεν.
We are Christians and we disagree in disposition.
§1.8αὕτη ἄρα ἐστὶν ἡ ἡμετέρα πίστις, αὕτη ἡ >τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου νόμου διδασκαλία;
Is this indeed our faith? Is this the teaching of the most holy law?
ἀλλὰ τίς έστιν εἰτία, δι’ ἥν ὁ τοῦ >παρόντος κακοῦ ὄλεθρος ἐξεγήγερται;
But what is the cause for which the destruction of the present evil has been aroused?
ὢ τῆς ἀτοπίας, ὢ μίσους >ὑπερβολὴ πάσης ἀγανακτήσεως μέγεθος ὑπερπαίουσα.
O the absurdity, O the excess of hatred surpassing the magnitude of all indignation!
τίς >λῃστηρίου τούτου ἀναπέφανται δεινότης, ἣ τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸν >ται ἐξ ἀμερίστου τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίας προεληλυθέναι;
What dreadfulness of this robbery has appeared, which [denies] that the Son of God has come forth from the undivided essence of the Father?
ἀρ’ οὐχὶ >ταχοῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεός, καίτοι γε τοῦτον πάντοτε παρεῖναι ἡμῖν αἰσθα- >νόμεθα;
Is not God everywhere, though we always feel Him to be present with us?
ἆρ’ οὐχὶ διὰ τῆς τούτου δυνάμεως ἡ τῶν ὅλων >εὐκοσμία; καίτοι γε τῆς τοῦ χωρισμοῦ διαστάσεως ἐστέρηται;
Is not the beautiful order of the universe through His power, although He is devoid of the distance of separation?