Divine Power and the Council of Nicaea

They are being seized, or rather encompassed, rather than they encompass the spheres. But a certain divine and unutterable power, encompassing the innermost and outermost of the cosmos, strengthens them, and having sounded through from here and there, it holds all the masses together, encompassing them.

If the sun, being a visible body and perceptible by sense, endures such and such ravages everywhere on earth without changing its order, or feeling a small or large wound, we should think that the incorporeal Wisdom endures the same, and does not change her nature, even if her temple is fastened to a cross, or undergoes dissolution, or suffers wounding, or receives corruption. But the cosmos suffers, while the unclouded essence remains entirely pure.

I proceed from here already even to the things accomplished. What then? Since because of these things the assembly at Nicaea arrives greatest, perhaps even two hundred and seventy in number being gathered together (for the exact number I am not able to write because of the multitude of many people, since I do not investigate all this with great care), and as the way of the faith was being sought, the letter of Eusebius was being put forward as a clear proof, a blasphemy. And after all was read, it immediately increased the unmeasured disaster of the defection for those who had heard it, and provided unendurable shame to the writer. And since the work of those concerning Eusebius was clearly caught, some of a device, putting forward the name of peace, tearing apart the unlawful letter in the sight of all, silenced all those who spoke most eloquently.

But the Arian ones, fearing lest they should be ostracized from such a same assembly, first anathematize the forbidden doctrine, having signed with their own hands agreeing letters. And having held the presidencies through most of the circuit, it is necessary for them to take a pretext, sometimes through oblivion, sometimes obviously, to represent the rejected opinions, attacking the proofs in various ways. Wishing to fix the weed-like fabrications, they condemn the overseers; and in this way they wage war against the preachers of piety. But we do not believe that atheistic men can ever hold fast to the divine. For even if they should be strong again, they shall be defeated again according to the solemn-sounding prophet Isaiah.