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The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret (CCEL)

Chapter XXX. Of the church of the Goths.

It was perceived by John that the Scythians were involved in the Arian net; he therefore devised counter contrivances and discovered a means of winning them over. Appointing presbyters and deacons and readers of the divine oracles who spoke the Scythian tongue, he assigned a church to them, ¹ and by their means won many from their error. He used frequently himself to visit it and preach there, using an interpreter who was skilled in both languages, and he got other good speakers to do the same. This was his constant practice in the city, and many of those who had been deceived he rescued by pointing out to them the truth of the apostolic preaching.

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ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΟΥ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ ΤΟΜΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ

ιγʹ.

Περὶ Ἰουστίνης τῆς Βαλεντινιανοῦ γαμετῆς, καὶ τῆς κατὰ Ἀμ βροσίου γεγενημένης ἐπιβουλῆς.

Κατ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν χρόνον Ἰουστίνα, ἡ Βαλεντινιανοῦ μὲν τοῦ μεγάλου γαμετή, τοῦ δὲ νέου μήτηρ, ἃ πάλαι τῆς Ἀρειανικῆς διδασκαλίας ἐδέξατο σπέρματα δῆλα πεποίηκε τῷ παιδί. Τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ὁμόζυγος τὸ θερμὸν ἐπισταμένη τῆς πίστεως, λαθεῖν ἅπαντα τὸν χρόνον ἐσπούδασε· τοῦ δὲ παιδὸς τὸ τῶν φρενῶν ἁπαλὸν καὶ εὔεικτον θεωμένη προσενεγκεῖν τὴν ἐξαπάτην ἐθάρρησεν. Ὁ δὲ τῆς μητρὸς τὰς ὑποθήκας ὀνησιφόρους ὑπολαβὼν (εἰς γὰρ τὸ τῆς φύσεως δέλεαρ ἀποβλέπων τὸ θανατηφόρον ἄγκιστρον οὐχ ἑώρα), Ἀμβροσίῳ πρώτῳ τοὺς περὶ τούτων προσενήνοχε λόγους, ἡγούμενος, εἰ τοῦτον μετα πείσοι, τῶν ἄλλων ῥᾳδίως ἂν περιέσεσθαι καὶ οὐδένα ἀντίπαλον ἔσεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ τῆς τε τοῦ πατρὸς ἀνεμίμνησκεν εὐσεβείας καὶ τὸν κλῆρον παρεκάλει φυλάττειν ὃν παρέλαβεν ἄσυλον· ἐδίδασκε δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν δογμάτων διαφοράν, καὶ ὅπως τὰ μὲν τῇ τοῦ κυρίου διδα σκαλίᾳ καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων συμβαίνει κηρύγμασι, τὰ δὲ ἄντικρύς ἐστιν ἐναντία καὶ τῇ πνευματικῇ νομοθεσίᾳ μαχόμενα. Ὁ δὲ νέος, οἷα δὴ νέος καὶ παρὰ μητρὸς ἠπατημένης θηγόμενος, οὐ μόνον οὐ προσίετο τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ θυμοῦ πλήρης ἐγίγνετο καὶ λόχοις ὁπλιτῶν τε καὶ πελταστῶν τοὺς ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς περιβόλους ἐκύκλου. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸν μέγιστον ἐκεῖνον ἀριστέα οὐδὲν ἐδεδίξατο τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενομένων (μορμολύκεια γὰρ ὑπέλαβε ταῦτα, μειρακυλλίοις ὑπό τινων προσφερόμενα), τότε δὴ χαλεπήνας προφανῶς αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσε τῶν ἱερῶν ἔξω βῆναι προθύρων. Ὁ δέ·

" Ἑκὼν εἶναι τοῦτο", ἔφη, "οὐ. Δράσω, οὐδὲ προδώσω τοῖς λύκοις τὸν τῶν προβάτων σηκόν, οὐδὲ τοῖς βλασφημοῦσι τὸν θεῖον παραδώσω νεών· ἀλλ' εἴ σοι κτεῖναι δοκεῖ, ἔνδον ἐπένεγκέ μοι τὸ ξίφος ἢ τὴν αἰχμήν· ἀσπα σίως γὰρ δέξομαι τὴν τοιαύτην σφαγήν".