.—The Letter of the Synod, relative to its Decisions: and the Condemnation of Arius and those who agreed with him.
the holy, by the grace of
God, and great church of the Alexandrians, and to our beloved brethren
throughout Egypt, Libya, and Pentapolis, the bishops assembled at
Nicæa, constituting the great and holy Synod, send greeting in the
Lord.
Since, by the grace of God, a great and holy Synod has
been convened at Nicæa, our most pious sovereign Constantine
having summoned us out of various cities and provinces for that
purpose, it appeared to us indispensably necessary that a letter should
be written to you on the part of the sacred Synod; in order that ye may
know what subjects were brought under consideration and examined, and
what was eventually determined on and decreed.
In the first place, then, the impiety and guilt of Arius
and his adherents were examined into, in the presence of our most
religious emperor Constantine: and it was unanimously decided that his
impious opinion should be anathematized, with all the blasphemous
expressions he has uttered, in affirming that ‘the Son of God
sprang from nothing,’ and that ‘there was a time when he
was not’; saying moreover that ‘the Son of God, because
possessed of free will, was capable either of vice or virtue; and
calling him a creature and a work. All these sentiments the holy Synod
has anathematized, having scarcely patience to endure the hearing of
such an impious opinion, or, rather, madness, and such blasphemous
words. But the conclusion of our proceedings against him you must
either have been informed of already or will soon learn; for we would
not seem to trample on a man who has received the chastisement which
his crime deserved. Yet so contagious has his pestilential error
proved, as to drag into perdition Theonas, bishop of Marmarica, and
Secundus of Ptolemaïs; for they have suffered the same
condemnation as himself. But when the grace of God delivered us from
those execrable dogmas, with all their impiety and blasphemy, and from
those persons, who had dared to cause discord and division among a
people previously at peace, there still remained the contumacy of
Melitius [to be dealt with] and those who had been ordained by him; and
we now state to you, beloved brethren, what resolution the Synod came
to on this point. It was decreed, the Synod being moved to great
clemency towards Melitius, although strictly speaking he was wholly
undeserving of favor, that he remain in his own city but exercise no
authority either to ordain or nominate for ordination; and that he
appear in no other district or city on this pretense, but simply retain
a nominal dignity. That those who had received appointments from him, after having been confirmed by a more legitimate ordination, should be admitted to communion on these conditions: that they should continue to hold their rank and ministry, but regard themselves as inferior in every respect to all those who have been ordained and established in each place and church by our most-honored fellow-minister, Alexander, so that they shall have no authority to propose or nominate whom they please, or to do anything at all without the concurrence of some bishop of the Catholic Church who is one of Alexander’s suffragans. On the other hand, such as by the grace of God and your prayers have been found in no schism, but have continued in the Catholic Church blameless, shall have authority to nominate and ordain those who are worthy of the sacred office,