CHAPTER XXIII

VALENS AND URSACIUS, WHO BELONGED TO THE ARIAN FACTION, CONFESS TO THE BISHOP OF ROME THAT ATHANASIUS HAD BEEN UNJUSTLY DEPOSED

SUCH was the letter written by the synod convened in Palestine. Some time after Athanasius had the satisfaction of seeing the injustice of the sentence enacted against him by the Council of Tyre publicly recognised. Valens and Ursacius, who had been sent with Theognis and his followers to obtain information in Mareota, as we before mentioned, concerning the chalice which Ischyrion had accused Athanasius of having broken, wrote the following retractation to Julius, bishop of Rome.

“Ursacius and Valens, to Julius the most blessed Lord and Pope.

“As, in our former letters to you, we lodged divers insinuations against Athanasius, the bishop, and omitted to comply with the injunctions contained in yours, we now confess to your reverence, in the presence of all the presbyters, our brethren, that all that you have heard concerning the aforesaid Athanasius is utterly false. For this reason, we joyfully enter into communion with him, particularly as you, with your natural benevolence, have granted forgiveness to us for our past error. Moreover, we declare unto you that if the bishops of the East, or even Athanasius himself, should at any time summon us to judgment, we will in no wise appear before them without your consent and sanction. We now and ever shall anathematize, as we formerly did in the memorial which we presented at Milan, the heretic Arius and his followers, who say that there was a time in which the Son existed not, and that Christ is from that which had no existence, and who deny that Christ was God and the Son of God before all ages. We again protest, in our own handwriting, that we shall ever condemn the aforesaid Arian heresy and its originators. I, Ursacius, sign this confession with my own signature, as does likewise Valens.”

This was the confession which they sent to Julius. It is also necessary to append to it their letter to Athanasius: it is as follows.