Circular Letter.
————————————
To his fellow-ministers in every place, beloved
lords, Athanasius sends health in the Lord.
§1. The whole Church affected by what has
occurred.
Our sufferings have been dreadful beyond
endurance, and it is impossible to describe them in suitable terms; but
in order that the dreadful nature of the events which have taken place
may be more readily apprehended, I have thought it good to remind you
of a history out of the Scriptures. It happened that a certain Levite444
was
injured in the person of his
wife; and,
when he considered the exceeding greatness of the
pollution (for the
woman was a Hebrew, and of the
tribe of
Judah), being astounded at the
outrage which had been
committed against him, he divided his
wife’s body, as the Holy Scripture relates in the Book of Judges,
and sent a part of it to every
tribe in
Israel, in order that it might
be understood that an injury like this pertained not to himself only,
but extended to all alike; and that, if the people sympathised with him
in his sufferings, they might
avenge him; or if they neglected to do
so, might bear the disgrace of being considered thenceforth as
themselves
guilty of the wrong. The messengers whom he sent related
what had happened; and they that heard and saw it, declared that such
things had never been done from the day that the
children of
Israel
came up out of Egypt. So every
tribe of
Israel was moved, and all came
together against the offenders, as though they had themselves been the
sufferers; and at last the perpetrators of this
iniquity were
destroyed
in
war, and became a
curse in the mouths of all: for the
assembled
people considered not their
kindred blood, but regarded only the
crime
they had
committed. You know the history,
brethren, and the particular
account of the circumstances given in Scripture. I will not therefore
describe them more in detail, since I
write to persons acquainted with
them, and as I am anxious to represent to your
piety our present
circumstances, which are even worse than those to which I have
referred. For my object in reminding you of this history is this, that
you may compare those ancient transactions with what has happened to us
now, and perceiving how much these last exceed the other in
cruelty,
may be filled with greater indignation on account of them, than were
the people of old against those offenders. For the treatment we have
undergone surpasses the
bitterness of any persecution; and the calamity
of the Levite was but
small, when compared with the enormities which
have now been
committed against the
Church; or rather such
deeds as
these were never before heard of in the whole
world, or the like
experienced by any one. For in that case it was but a single
woman that
was
injured, and one Levite who
suffered wrong; now the whole
Church is
injured, the
priesthood insulted, and worst of all,
piety445
| 445 εὐσέβεια, orthodoxy, see de Decr. 1, note. |
is
persecuted by impiety. On that occasion
the
tribes were astounded, each at the sight of part of the body of one
woman; but now the members of the whole
Church are seen divided from
one another, and are sent abroad some to you, and some to others,
bringing word of the insults and
injustice which they have
suffered. Be
ye therefore also moved, I beseech you, considering that these wrongs
are done unto you no less than unto us; and let every one
lend his aid,
as feeling that he is himself a sufferer, lest shortly ecclesiastical
Canons, and the
faith of the
Church be
corrupted. For both are in
danger, unless
God shall speedily by your
hands amend what has been
done
amiss, and the
Church be
avenged on her
enemies. For our Canons
446
| 446 Vid.
Beveridg. Cod. Can. Illustr. i. 3. §2, who comments on this
passage at length. Allusion is also made to the Canons in Apol.
contr. Arian. §69. |
and our forms were not given to the
Churches
at the present day, but were wisely and safely transmitted to us from
our forefathers. Neither had our
faith its beginning at this time, but
it came down to us from the
Lord
through His
disciples447
| 447 Vid.
de Syn. §4. Orat. i. §8. Tertull.
Præscr. Hær. §29. |
. That therefore the
ordinances which have been
preserved in the
Churches from old time
until now, may not be lost in our days, and the
trust which has been
committed to us required at our
hands;
rouse yourselves,
brethren, as
being
stewards of the
mysteries of
God448
, and
seeing them now
seized upon by others. Further particulars of our
condition you will
learn from the bearers of our letters; but I was
anxious myself to
write you a brief account thereof, that you may know
for certain, that such things have never before been
committed against
the
Church, from the day that our Saviour when He was taken up, gave
command to His
disciples, saying, ‘Go ye and make
disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost
449
.’
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