Petitiones Arianorum

A petition presented at Antioch to the Emperor Jovian by Lucius, Bernicianus, and certain other Arians against Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria. First petition, which they made as the emperor was going to the camp at the Romanesian gate. We beseech your power, your majesty, and your piety, hear us. The emperor said: Who are you, and from where? The Arians said: Lord, Christians. The emperor said: From where and from what city? The Arians said: Alexandria. The emperor said: What do you want? The Arians said: We beseech your power and your majesty, give us a bishop. The emperor said: I ordered the former one, whom you had before, Athanasius, to sit on the throne. The Arians said: We beseech your power; and he has been in exile and under accusation for many years. A soldier suddenly, moved by zeal, answered: I beseech your majesty, examine for yourself who they are and from where. For these are the remnants and the offscouring of Cappadocia, the leftovers of that unholy George, who laid waste the city and the world. Hearing this, the emperor spurred his horse and went to the camp. Second petition of the Arians. We have accusations and proofs against Athanasius, who ten and twenty years ago was separated from the ever-memorable Constantine and Constantius, and under the most God-beloved, most philosophical, and most blessed Julian had his exile. The emperor said: The accusations from ten, twenty, and thirty years ago have already passed. Do not speak to me about Athanasius.

For I know why he was accused and how he was exiled. Third petition of the Arians. And now we have other accusations against Athanasius. The emperor said: Justice will not be revealed by the crowd and by the many voices; but choose two from among yourselves, and two others from the multitude. For I cannot pronounce judgment to each one of you individually. Those from the multitude said: These are the remnants from the unholy George, who laid waste our province and left no councillor to dwell in the cities. The Arians said: We beseech you, if you wish anything without Athanasius. The emperor said: I told you that the matters concerning Athanasius have already been settled; and becoming angry he said: Away, away. The Arians said: We beseech you, if you send Athanasius, he ravages our city, and no one associates with him. The emperor said: Yet having inquired, I have learned that he thinks rightly, and is orthodox, and teaches well. The Arians said: With his mouth he speaks well, but in his soul he thinks deceitfully. The emperor said: This is sufficient, that you have testified about him that he speaks well and teaches well. But if with his tongue he teaches and speaks well, but in his soul he thinks evilly, that is a matter for God. For being men, we hear the word; but the thoughts within are known to God. The Arians said: Order us to assemble. The emperor said: For who prevents you? The Arians said: We beseech you, he proclaims us heretics and dogmatists. The emperor said: That is his work, and that of those who teach well. The Arians said: We beseech your majesty.

We cannot bear this man, and he has stripped the precincts of the churches. The emperor said: So have you come here for the sake of money, and not for the sake of faith? And again he said: Go away, and keep the peace. Adding further, he said to the Arians: Go to the church; tomorrow you have a synaxis. And after the dismissal, there are bishops here, and Nemesinus is here; each of you, as you believe, will subscribe. And Athanasius is here; whoever does not know the word of faith, let him learn from Athanasius. You have tomorrow and the day after. For I am going out to the plain. And a certain scholasticus of the Cynics petitioned the emperor. I beseech your imperial majesty, the catholicus has taken my houses on the pretext of Athanasius the bishop. The emperor said: If the catholicus took your houses, what common concern is that to Athanasius? Another scholasticus, Patalas, said: I have an accusation against Athanasius. The emperor said: And what common concern have you with Christians, being a Greek? But some of the multitude of the Antiochenes seized Lucius and brought him before the emperor, saying: We beseech your power and your imperial majesty, see whom they wished to make bishop. Another petition made at the gate of the palace by Lucius. I beseech your power, hear me. The emperor stopped and said: I say to you yourself, Lucius, how did you come here, by ship or on foot? Lucius said: I beseech you, by ship. The emperor said: I say to you, Lucius, may the God of the universe, and the comet, the sun and the moon, be angry with those who sailed with you, because they did not throw you into the sea.

And may that ship never have favorable winds for all time, nor, when storm-tossed with its passengers, find a harbor. And through Euzoïus they petitioned those around Probatius, the successors of Eusebius and Bardion, the eunuchs, so that the faithless Arians might obtain a hearing. And the emperor, learning of this and having tortured the eunuchs, said: If anyone wishes to bring a charge against Christians, let him suffer the same. And thus the emperor dismissed them.