communicated with the Meletian {66a} schismatics, knowing their
malice and apostasy from the beginning; nor did he converse amicably
with Manichaeans or any other heretics, save only to exhort them to
be converted to piety. For he held that their friendship and
converse was injury and ruin to the soul. So also he detested the
heresy of the Arians, and exhorted all not to approach them, nor
hold their misbelief. {66b} In fact, when certain of the
Ariomanites came to him, having discerned them and found them
impious, he chased them out of the mountain, saying that their words
were worse than serpent's poison; and when the Arians once pretended
that he was of the same opinion as they, he was indignant and fierce
against them. Then being sent for by the bishops and all the
brethren, he went down from the mountain, and entering Alexandria he
denounced the Arians, saying, that that was the last heresy, and the
forerunner of Antichrist; and he taught the people that the Son of
God was not a created thing, neither made from nought, but that he
is the Eternal Word and Wisdom of the Essence of the Father;
wherefore also it is impious to say there was a time when he was
not, for he was always the Word co-existent with the Father.
Wherefore he said, "Do not have any communication with these most
impious Arians; for there is no communion between light and
darkness. For you are pious Christians: but they, when they say
that the Son of God and the Word, who is from the Father, is a
created being, differ nought from the heathen, because they worship
the creature instead of God the Creator. {67} Believe rather that
the whole creation itself is indignant against them, because they
number the Creator and Lord of all, in whom all things are made,
among created things." All the people therefore rejoiced at hearing
that Christ-opposing heresy anathematized by such a man; and all
those in the city ran together to see Antony and the Greeks, {68a}