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"THE bishops of Illyricum to the churches of God, and bishops of
the dioceses of Asia, of Phrygia, and Carophrygia Pacatiana,
greeting in the Lord.
"After meeting together and making long enquiry concerning the Word
of salvation, we have set forth that the Trinity of Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost is of one substance. And it seemed fitting to pen a
letter to you, not that we write what concerns the worship of the
Trinity in vain disputation, but in humility deemed worthy of the
duty.
"This letter we have sent by our beloved brother and fellow labourer
Elpidius the presbyter. For not in the letters of our hands, but in
the books of our Saviour Jesus Christ, is it written 'I am of
Paul and I of Apollos and I of Cephas and I of Christ. Was
Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?'
"It seemed indeed fitting to our humility not to pen any letter to
you, on account of the great terror which your preaching causes to all
the region under your jurisdiction, separating as you do the Holy
Spirit from the Father and Son. We were therefore constrained to
send to you our lord and fellow labourer Elpidius to ascertain if your
preaching is really of this character and to carry this dispatch from
the imperial government of Rome.
"Let them who do not regard the Trinity as one substance be
anathema, and if any man be detected in communion with them let him be
anathema.
"But for them that preach that the Trinity is of one substance the
Kingdom of Heaven is prepared.
"We exhort you therefore brethren to teach no other doctrine, nor
even hold any other and vain belief, but that always and everywhere,
preaching the Trinity to be of one substance, ye may be able to
inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
"While writing on this point we have also been reminded to pen this
letter to you about the present or future appointment of our fellow
ministers as bishops, if there be any sound men among the bishops who
have already discharged a public office; and, if not, from the order
of presbyters: in like manner of the appointment of presbyters and
deacons out of the actual priestly order that they may be in every way
blameless, and not from the ranks of the senate and army.
"We have been unwilling to pen you a letter at length, because of the
mission of one representative of all, our lord and fellow labourer
Elpidius, to make diligent enquiry about your preaching, if it really
is such as we have heard from our lord and fellow labourer Eustathius.
"In conclusion, if at any time you have been in error, put off the
old man and put on the new. The same brother and fellow labourer
Elpidius will instruct you how to preach the true faith that the Holy
Trinity, of one substance with God the Father, together with the
Son and Holy Ghost, is hallowed, glorified, and made manifest,
Father in Son, Son in Father, with the Holy Ghost for or ever
and ever. For since this has been made manifest, we shall manifestly
be able to confess the Holy Trinity to be of one substance according
to the faith set forth formerly at Nicaea which the Fathers
confirmed. So long as this faith is preached we shall be able to avoid
the snares of the deadly devil. When he is destroyed we shall be able
to do homage to one another in letters of peace while we live in peace.
"We have therefore written to you in order that ye may know the
deposition of the Ariomaniacs, who do not confess that the Son is of
the substance of the Father nor the Holy Ghost. We subjoin their
names, Polychronius, Telemachus, Faustus, Asclepiades,
Amantius, Cleopater.
"This we thus write to the glory of Father and Son and Holy Ghost
for ever and ever, amen. We pray the Father and the Son our
Saviour Jesus Christ with the Holy Ghost that you may fare well for
many years."
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