7_letter on the council of nicaea_letter of eusebius of cæsarea to the people of his diocese

8/18/2019 7_Letter on the Council of Nicaea_Letter of Eusebius of Cæsarea to the People of His Diocese

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Letter on the Council of Nicaea

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Letter of Eusebius of Cæsarea to the people of his Diocese.

1. What was transacted concernin ecclesiastical !aith at theGreat Co"ncil asse#$led at Nic%a& 'o" ha(e )ro$a$l' learned& *elo(ed&

!ro# other so"rces& r"#o"r $ein wont to )recede the acc"rate acco"nto! what is doin. *"t lest in s"ch re)orts the circ"#stances o! the case

ha(e $een #isre)resented& we ha(e $een o$lied to trans#it to 'o"&!irst& the !or#"la o! !aith )resented $' o"rsel(es& and ne+t& the second&

which ,the Fathers- )"t !orth with so#e additions to o"r words. O"r own

)a)er& then& which was read in the )resence o! o"r #ost )io"sE#)eror&and declared to $e ood and "ne+ce)tiona$le& ran th"s/

0. As we ha(e recei(ed !ro# the *isho)s who )receded "s& and in o"r

!irst catechisins& and when we recei(ed the Hol' a(er& and as we ha(elearned !ro# the di(ine Scri)t"res& and as we $elie(ed and ta"ht in

the)res$'ter'& and in the E)isco)ate itsel!& so $elie(in also atthe ti#e )resent& we re)ort to 'o" o"r !aith& and it is this /

2. We $elie(e in One God& the Father Al#iht'& the Ma3er o! all thins

(isi$le and in(isi$le. And in One ord4es"s Christ& the Word o!God& God !ro# God& iht !ro# iht& i!e !ro# i!e& Son Onl'5

$eotten& !irst5$orn o! e(er' creat"re& $e!ore all the aes& $eotten!ro# the Father& $' Who# also all thins were #ade6 Who !oro"rsal(ation was #ade !lesh& and li(ed a#on #en& and s"!!ered& and

rose aain the third da'& and ascended to theFather& and will co#e aainin lor' to 7"de the 8"ic3 and dead. And we $elie(e also in One Hol'

Ghost

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$elie(in each o! these to $e and to e+ist& the Father tr"l' Father& andthe Son tr"l' Son& and the Hol' Ghosttr"l' Hol' Ghost& as also o"r ord&

sendin !orth His disci)les !or the )reachin& said& Go teach all

nations&$a)ti9in the# in the Na#e o! the Father and o! the Son& and o! the Hol' Ghost Matthew 0:1; . Concernin Who# we con!identl' a!!ir#

that so we hold& and so we thin3& and so we ha(e held a!oreti#e& andwe #aintain this !aith "nto the death& anathe#ati9in e(er'

odless heres'. That this we ha(e e(er tho"ht !ro# o"r heart and so"l&

!ro# the ti#e we recollect o"rsel(es& and now thin3 and sa' in tr"th&$e!ore God Al#iht' and o"r ord 4es"s Christ do we witness& $ein

a$le $' )roo!s to show and to con(ince 'o"& that& e(en in ti#es )ast&s"ch has $een o"r $elie! and )reachin.


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And those who sa'& >Once He was not&> and >*e!ore His eneration Hewas not&> and >He ca#e to $e !ro# nothin&> or those who )retend that

the Son o! God is >O! other s"$sistence or essence &> or >created> or

>altera$le&> or >#"ta$le&> the Catholic Ch"rch anathe#ati9es.

?. On their dictatin this !or#"la& we did not let it )ass witho"t in8"ir'in what sense the' introd"ced o! theessence o! the Father& and one

in essence with the Father. Accordinl' 8"estions and e+)lanations too3)lace& and the #eanin o! the words "nderwent the scr"tin' o! reason.

And the' )ro!essed& that the )hrase o! theessence was indicati(e o!the Son>s $ein indeed !ro# the Father& 'et witho"t $ein as i! a )art o!

Hi#. And with this "nderstandin we tho"ht ood to assent to thesense o! s"ch reliio"s doctrine& teachin& as it did& that the Son was

!ro# the Father& not howe(er a )art o! His essence. On this acco"nt we

assented to the sense o"rsel(es& witho"t declinin e(en the ter# Onein essence& )eace $ein the o$7ect which we set $e!ore "s& and

stead!astness in the orthodo+ (iew.

@. n the sa#e wa' we also ad#itted $eotten& not #ade6 sincethe Co"ncil alleed that #ade was ana))ellati(e co##on to the other

creat"res which ca#e to $e thro"h the Son& to who# the Son had noli3eness. Where!ore& sa' the'& He was not a wor3 rese#$lin the thins

which thro"h Hi# ca#e to $e & $"t was o! anessence which is too hih

!or the le(el o! an' wor36 and which the Di(ine oracles teach to ha(e$een enerated !ro# the Father & the #ode o! eneration $ein

inscr"ta$le and incalc"la$le to e(er' oriinated nat"re.

B. And so too on e+a#ination there are ro"nds !or sa'in that the Sonis one in essence with the Father6 not in the wa' o! $odies& nor li3e

#ortal $eins& !or He is not s"ch $' di(ision o! essence& or $'se(erance& no& nor $' an' a!!ection& or alteration& or chanin o! the

Father>s essence and )ower since !ro# all s"ch the "noriinatenat"re o! the Father is alien& $"t $eca"se one in essence with the Father s"ests

that the Son o! God $ears no rese#$lance to the oriinated creat"res&

$"t that to His Father alone Who $eot Hi# is He in e(er' wa'assi#ilated& and that He is not o! an' other s"$sistence and essence&

$"t !ro# the Father. To which ter# also& th"s inter)reted& it a))earedwell to assent6 since we were aware that e(en a#on the ancients&

so#e learned and ill"strio"s *isho)s and writers ha(e "sed the ter# one

in essence& in their theoloical teachin concernin the Father and Son.

:. So #"ch then $e said concernin the !aith which was )"$lished6 to

which all o! "s assented& not witho"t in8"ir'& $"t accordin to the

s)eci!ied senses& #entioned $e!ore the #ost reliio"s E#)eror hi#sel!&

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and 7"sti!ied$' the !ore#entioned considerations. And as tothe anathe#atis# )"$lished $' the# at the end o! the Faith& it did not

)ain "s& $eca"se it !or$ade to "se words not in Scri)t"re& !ro# which

al#ost all the con!"sion and disorder o! the Ch"rch ha(e co#e. Sincethen no di(inel' ins)ired Scri)t"re has "sed the )hrases& o"t o!

nothin& and once He was not& and the rest which !ollow& there a))earedno ro"nd !or "sin or teachin the#6 to which also we assented as

a ood decision& since it had not $een o"r c"sto# hitherto to "se these

ter#s.

;. Moreo(er to anathe#ati9e *e!ore His eneration He was not& did not

see# )re)ostero"s& in that it iscon!essed $' all& that the Son o! God was$e!ore the eneration accordin to the !lesh.

1. Na'& o"r #ost reliio"s E#)eror did at the ti#e )ro(e& in a s)eech&

that He was in $ein e(en accordin to His di(ine eneration which is$e!ore all aes& since e(en $e!ore He was enerated in ener'& He was

in (irt"ewith the Father ineneratel'& the Father $ein alwa's Father& as

in alwa's& and Sa(io"r alwa's& $ein all thins in (irt"e& and $einalwa's in the sa#e res)ects and in the sa#e wa'.

11. This we ha(e $een !orced to trans#it to 'o"& *elo(ed& as #a3in

clear to 'o" the deli$eration o! o"r in8"ir' and assent& and howreasona$l' we resisted e(en to the last #in"te as lon as we were

o!!ended at state#ents which di!!ered !ro# o"r own& $"t recei(edwitho"t contention what no loner )ained "s& as soon as& on a candid

e+a#ination o! the sense o! the words& the' a))eared to "s to coincidewith what we o"rsel(es ha(e )ro!essed in the !aith which we ha(ealread' )"$lished.

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Source. Translated $' 4ohn Henr' New#an and Archi$ald Ro$ertson. Fro# Nicene andost5Nicene Fathers& Second Series& =ol.

7_letter on the council of nicaea_letter of eusebius of cæsarea to the people of his diocese

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