Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Fathers Series 2 - The Still Small ...

they should travel hither, attracting as little attention as possible, by the sea, with the object
of escaping the notice of the enemies of peace.
2. A point also that is insisted upon by some of those in these parts, very necessarily,
as is plain even to myself, is that they 2247 should drive away the heresy of Marcellus, 2248 as
grievous and injurious and opposed to the sound faith. For up to this time, in all the letters
which they write, they are constant in thoroughly anathematizing the ill-famed Arius and
in repudiating him from the Churches. But they attach no blame to Marcellus, who propounded
a heresy diametrically opposite to that of Arius, and impiously attacked the very
existence of the Only begotten Godhead, and erroneously understood the term “Word.” 2249
He grants indeed that the Only begotten was called “Word,” on coming forth at need and
in season, but states that He returned again to Him whence He had come forth, and had no
existence before His coming forth, nor hypostasis 2250 after His return. The books in my
possession which contain his unrighteous writings exist as a proof of what I say. Nevertheless
they nowhere openly condemned him, and are to this extent culpable that, being from the
first in ignorance of the truth, they received him into the communion of the Church. The
present state of affairs makes it specially necessary that attention should be called to him,
so that those who seek for their opportunity, may be prevented from getting it, from the
fact of sound men being united to your holiness, and all who are lame in the true faith may
be openly known; that so we may know who are on our side, and may not struggle, as in a
night battle, without being able to distinguish between friends and foes. Only I do beseech
you that the deacon, whom I have mentioned, be despatched by the earliest possible packet,
that at least some of the ends which we pray for may be accomplished during the ensuing
year. One thing, however, even before I mention it, you quite understand and I am sure
will give heed to, that, when they come, if God will, they must not let loose schisms among
the Churches; and, even though they find some who have personal reasons for mutual differences,
they must leave no means untried to unite all who are of the same way of thinking.
For we are bound to regard the interests of peace as paramount, and that first of all attention
be paid to the Church at Antioch, lest the sound portion of it grow diseased through division
on personal grounds. But you will yourself give more complete attention to all these matters,
2247 i.e. the Romans; specially the proposed commissioners. It was a sore point with Basil that Marcellus,
whom he regarded as a trimmer, should have been “received into communion by Julius and Athanasius, popes
of Rome and Alexandria.” Jer., De Vir. Illust. c. 86.
2248 On the heretical opinions attributed to Marcellus of Ancyra, cf. Letters cxxv. and cclxiii.
2249 Although he strongly espoused the Catholic cause of Nicæa later in attacking the errors of Asterius, he
was supposed to teach that the Son had no real personality, but was merely an external manifestation of the
Father.
2250 ὑφεστάναι.
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria.
490
166