Church History 6.17–7.6
Greek text: PG 67 (OCR text layer from the Bavarian State Library, cleaned for this site).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 2 (1890).
Chapter 6
6.17PG 67:713–715
Πρότερον δὲ κατὰ τὴν χειροτονίαν Ἡρακλεί δου ἀναζητεῖσθαι Θεόφιλος παρεσκεύαζεν, ὅπως εἰ δύναιτο, ταύτην γοῦν ἀφορμὴν λάβοι πρὸς τὴν Ἰωάννου καθαίρεσιν. Ἡρακλείδης μὲν οὖν οὐ παρῆν· ἐκρίνετο δὲ ἀπὼν, ὡς εἴη τυπτήσας τινὰς ἀδίκως, ἀλύσει τε δήσας, καὶ πομπεῦσαι ποιήσας διὰ μέσης τῆς Ἐφεσίων πόλεως. Τῶν τοίνυν περὶ Ἰωάννου λεγόντων, μὴ δεῖν κατὰ ἀπόντων κριτήριον ποιεῖσθαι, οἱ ἐκ τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρείας ἐφιλονείκουν, δεῖν δέχεσθαι τοὺς κατηγοροῦντας Ἡρακλείδου, εἰ καὶ κατηγοροῦσιν ἀπόντος αὐτοῦ. Στάσις οὖν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ διαπληκτι σμὸς μεταξὺ τῶν Κωνσταντίνου πόλεως καὶ τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρείας ἐγίνετο σύντονος· καὶ γενομένης συμπληγάδος, πολλοὶ μὲν τραύματα ἔλαβον, ὀλίγοι δὲ καὶ ἀπώλοντο. Ταῦτα εἰδὼς Θεόφιλος, εὐθὺς, ὡς εἶχεν, ἐπὶ τὴν ᾿Αλεξάνδρειαν ἔφυγε. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἐποίουν ἐπίσκοποι, πλὴν ὀλίγων, οἳ τὰ Ἰωάννου ἡσπάζοντο· καὶ πάντες εἰς τὰ ἑαυτῶν φυγῇ ἀνεχώρησαν. Τούτων οὕτω γενομένων, ἐν καταγνώσει μὲν τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ Θεόφιλος ἦν. Ηὔξησε δὲ τὸ κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ μίσος, τὸ αὖθις αὐτὸν μηδὲν ὑποστειλάμενον τὰ Ὠριγένους ἀσκεῖσθαι βιβλία. Ἐρωτηθεὶς οὖν ὑπό τινος, πῶς ἃ νατο· Τὰ Ὠριγένους ἔοικε βιβλία λειμῶνι πάντων ἀνθέων. Εἴ τι οὖν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐφεύρω καλὸν, τοῦτο δρέπομαι, εἰ δὲ τί μοι ἀκανθῶδες φανείη, τοῦτο ὡς κεντοῦν ὑπερβαίνω. Τοιαῦτα Θεόφιλος ἀπεκρίνατο, μὴ λογισάμενος τὸ τοῦ σοφοῦ Σολομῶντος, ὅτι λόγοι σοφῶν ὡς τὰ βούκεντρα, καὶ οὐκ ὀφείλουσι λακτίζειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς οἱ ὑπὸ τῶν θεωρημάτων κεντούμενοι. Διαταῦτα μὲν δὴ ἐν καταγνώσει παρὰ πᾶσιν ὁ Θεόφιλος ἦν. Διόσκορος δὲ εἷς τῶν Μακρῶν, ὁ τῆς Ἑρμουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος, ὀλίγον ὕστερον μετὰ τὴν Θεοφίλου φυγὴν ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ ταφῆς ἠξιώθη λαμπρᾶς, ἐν τῷ μαρτυρίῳ τῷ ἐν τῇ δρυΐ κηδευθεὶς, ἔνθα διὰ Ἰωάννην γέγονεν ἡ σύνοδος. Ἰωάννης δὲ ταῖς διδασκαλίαις ἐσχόλαζε. Καὶ χειροτονεῖ Σαραπίωνα, τῆς ἐν Θράκῃ 'Ἡρακλείας ἐπίσκοπον, δι' ὂν τὸ κατ' αὐτοῦ μῖσος ἐγήγερτο. Μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπισυνέβη γενέσθαι. - ἀπεκήρυξε, ταῦτα ἀσπάζεται πάλιν, ταῦτα ἀπεκρί-
Proteron de kata tēn cheirotonian Hēraklei dou anazēteisthai Theophilos pareskeuazen, hopōs ei dynaito, tautēn goun aphormēn laboi pros tēn Iōannou kathairesin. Hērakleidēs men oun ou parēn; ekrineto de apōn, hōs eiē typtēsas tinas adikōs, alysei te dēsas, kai pompeusai poiēsas dia mesēs tēs Ephesiōn poleōs. Tōn toinyn peri Iōannou legontōn, mē dein kata apontōn kritērion poieisthai, hoi ek tēs ᾿Alexandreias ephiloneikoun, dein dechesthai tous katēgorountas Hērakleidou, ei kai katēgorousin apontos autou. Stasis oun enteuthen kai diaplēkti smos metaxy tōn Kōnstantinou poleōs kai tēs ᾿Alexandreias egineto syntonos; kai genomenēs symplēgados, polloi men traumata elabon, oligoi de kai apōlonto. Tauta eidōs Theophilos, euthys, hōs eichen, epi tēn ᾿Alexandreian ephyge. Touto de kai hoi alloi epoioun episkopoi, plēn oligōn, hoi ta Iōannou hēspazonto; kai pantes eis ta heautōn phygę̄ anechōrēsan. Toutōn houtō genomenōn, en katagnōsei men tois pasin ho Theophilos ēn. Ēuxēse de to kat᾿ autou misos, to authis auton mēden hyposteilamenon ta Ōrigenous askeisthai biblia. Erōtētheis oun hypo tinos, pōs ha nato; Ta Ōrigenous eoike biblia leimōni pantōn antheōn. Ei ti oun en autois epheurō kalon, touto drepomai, ei de ti moi akanthōdes phaneiē, touto hōs kentoun hyperbainō. Toiauta Theophilos apekrinato, mē logisamenos to tou sophou Solomōntos, hoti logoi sophōn hōs ta boukentra, kai ouk opheilousi laktizein pros autous hoi hypo tōn theōrēmatōn kentoumenoi. Diatauta men dē en katagnōsei para pasin ho Theophilos ēn. Dioskoros de heis tōn Makrōn, ho tēs Hermoupoleōs episkopos, oligon hysteron meta tēn Theophilou phygēn eteleutēse, kai taphēs ēxiōthē lampras, en tǭ martyriǭ tǭ en tę̄ dryï kēdeutheis, entha dia Iōannēn gegonen hē synodos. Iōannēs de tais didaskaliais escholaze. Kai cheirotonei Sarapiōna, tēs en Thrakę̄ 'Hērakleias episkopon, di' on to kat' autou misos egēgerto. Met᾿ ou poly de tauta episynebē genesthai. - apekēryxe, tauta aspazetai palin, tauta apekri-
Earlier, Theophilus had arranged for an inquiry into the ordination of Heraclides, so that, if he could, he might take this at least as an occasion for deposing John. Heraclides was not present, but he was tried in his absence on the charge of having beaten some people unjustly, bound them with a chain and paraded them through the middle of the city of Ephesus. When John's party said that no trial should be held against people who were absent, those from Alexandria contended that the accusers of Heraclides should be heard even though he was absent when they accused him. From this a fierce riot and fighting arose between the people of Constantinople and those of Alexandria; and in the clash many were wounded and a few even killed. Knowing this, Theophilus at once fled to Alexandria just as he was; and the other bishops did the same, except a few who embraced John's side; all fled back to their own places. After this, Theophilus was condemned by everyone. The hatred against him increased because he again, without any concealment, studied the books of Origen. When someone asked him how he again embraced what he had proscribed, he answered: 'The books of Origen are like a meadow of all kinds of flowers. If I find anything good in them, I pick it; if anything seems thorny to me, I pass over it as something that pricks.' So Theophilus answered, not considering the saying of the wise Solomon that the words of the wise are like goads, and that those pricked by their teachings ought not to kick against them. For these reasons Theophilus was condemned by all. Dioscorus, one of the Tall Brothers, the bishop of Hermopolis, died a little after Theophilus's flight and was granted a splendid burial, being interred in the martyr-shrine at The Oak, where the synod had been held on John's account. John devoted himself to his teaching; and he ordained Serapion bishop of Heraclea in Thrace, on whose account the hatred against him had been roused. Not long after, the following happened.
Eccl 12:11 (quotation, high confidence) · Acts 26:14 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: A riot between Constantinopolitans and Alexandrians over the trial of Heraclides drives Theophilus from the city; Theophilus is discredited for reading Origen again, and John makes Serapion bishop of Heraclea.
- The opening words of the scan text ('... of the ... and of the Alexandrians, at which Theophilus and some of the bishops, in fear, left the city'), the end of Valesius's chapter title, are removed.
- In the scan text the words 'he had proscribed, he embraced again, he answered' stand at the very end of the chapter; they are translated in the question to Theophilus, where they belong.
- 'The words of the wise are like goads' is Eccl 12:11; 'kick against the goads' echoes Acts 26:14.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (end of the printed chapter title leaked into the text; stray letter): τῶν καὶ τῶν ᾿Αλεξανδρέων, ἐφ' οἷς φοβηθεὶς Θεόφιλος καί τινες τῶν ἐπισκόπων, τῆς πόλεως ἐξεληλύθασι. Πρότερον → Πρότερον; Ἡρακλεί δου ἡ ἀναζητεῖσθαι → Ἡρακλεί δου ἀναζητεῖσθαι.
Topics: Church office, Heresy
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.17 (PG 67:713–715; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-17). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-17
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.18PG 67:715–721
Τῆς Αὐγούστης Εὐδοξίας ἀνδριὰς ἀνέστη ἀργυροῦς ἐπὶ κίονος πορφυροῦ, χλανίδα ἐνδεδυμένος. Ἔστηκε δὲ οὗτος ἐπὶ βήματος ὑψηλοῦ, οὔτε ἐγγὺς πόῤῥω τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ᾗ ἐπώνυμον Σοφία· ἀλλὰ διείργει ἄμφω μέση πλατείας ὁδός. . Ἐπὶ τοῦτο συνήθως δημώδεις ἤγοντο παιδιαί. Ἰωάννης δὲ ὕβριν τὰ γινόμενα τῆς ἐκκλησίας νομίζων, τῇ συνηθείᾳ τε παῤῥησίαν ἀνακτησάμενος πάλιν, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γλῶτταν κατὰ τῶν ταῦτα ποιούντων ἐξώπλιζε. Καὶ δέον τοὺς κρατοῦντας λόγῳ παρακλητικῷ πείθειν παῦσαι τῆς παιδιᾶς· ὁ δὲ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἐποίει· καταφορικῇ δὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ χρησάμενος, ἔσκωπτε τοὺς γενέσθαι ταῦτα κελεύσαντας. Ἡ δὲ βασίλισσα πάλιν εἰς ἑαυτὴν εἶλκε τὰ γενόμενα· καὶ ὕβριν ἑαυτῆς τοὺς ἐκείνου λόγους νομίζουσα, πάλιν παρασκευάζει σύνοδον ἐπισκόπων συνάγεσθαι κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Αἰσθόμενος δὲ ὁ Ἰωάννης τὴν περιβόητον ἐκείνην ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας διεξῆλθεν όμιλίαν, ἧς ἡ ἀρχή · Πάλιν Ἡρωδίας μαίνεται, πάλιν ταράσσεται, πάλιν ὀρχεῖται, πάλιν ἐπὶ πίνακι τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου ζητεῖ λαβεῖν. Τοῦτο πλέον εἰς ὀργὴν ἐξῆψε τὴν βασιλίδα. Καὶ μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ παρῆσαν οἱ ἐπίσκοποι, Λεόντιος ἐπίσκοπος ᾿Αγκύρας, τῆς μικρᾶς Γαλατίας· Αμμώνιος Λαοδικείας, τῆς ἐν Πισιδίᾳ· Βρίσων Φιλίππων, τῶν ἐν Θράκῃ· ᾿Ακάκιος Βεροίας, τῆς ἐν Συρίᾳ, καὶ ἄλλοι τινές. Παρόντων δὲ τούτων, ἀνεκινοῦντο οἱ πρώην κατήγοροι. Ἰωάννης μὲν οὖν ἐθάῤῥει ἐπὶ τούτοις, καὶ ἠξίου ἐπιζητεῖσθαι τὰ κατηγορούμενα. Τῆς δὲ ἑορτῆς τῶν Γενεθλίων τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπελθούσης, ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν συνήθως οὐκ ἀπήντα, ἀλλὰ δηλοῖ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ὡς οὐ πρότερον αὐτῷ κοινωνήσει, πρὶν ἂν πρότερον ἀποδύηται τὰ ἐγκλήματα. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἰωάννου θαῤῥοῦν· α τος οἱ κατήγοροι δειλότεροι ἐδείκνυντο, οἱ παρόντες ἐπίσκοποι ἄλλο μὲν ἐρεύνων οὐδέν· μόνον δὲ τοῦτο δεῖν εἰς κρίσιν ἄγεσθαι ἔλεγον, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν καθαίρεσιν, μὴ ψηφισαμένης τῆς συνόδου αὐτῷ, εἰς τὸν θρόνον εἰσεπήδησε. Τοῦ δὲ λέγοντος, ὡς ἐξηκονταπέντε ἐπίσκοποι κοινωνήσαντες αὐτῷ ἐψηφίσαντο, οἱ περὶ Λεόντιον ἀντεπῆγον· Ἀλλὰ πλείους, ὦ Ἰωάννη, κατεψηφίσαντό σου ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πάλιν ὁ Ἰωάννης τὸν κανόνα τοῦτον οὐ τῆς αὐτῶν Ἐκκλησίας, ἀλλὰ τῶν ᾿Αρειανῶν εἶναι ἔλεγεν· οἱ γὰρ ἐν τῇ ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ συνελθόντες ἐπὶ τῇ καθαιρέσει τῆς ὁμοουσίου πίστεως, ἀπεχθείᾳ τῇ πρὸς ᾿Αθανάσιον, τὸν κανόνα ἐξέδωκαν· μὴ προσδεξάμενοι τὰς ἀπολογίας, κατεψηφίσαντο · μὴ νοήσαντες, ὅτι τῷ κανόνι τούτῳ χρησάμενοι καὶ ᾿Αθανάσιον καθεῖλον. Ταῦτα πέπρακται, ἐγγιζούσης τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ Πάσχα. Δηλοῖ οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ Ἰωάννῃ μὴ δύνασθαι εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐλθεῖν, ὅτι δύο αὐτοῦ κατεψηφίσαντο σύνοδοι. Ἥργει οὖν ὁ Ἰωάννης λοιπὸν, οὐδαμῶς τε : εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν κατήρχετο. Εὐθὺς οὖν πάντες οἱ αὐτῷ προσκείμενοι, ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀναχωρήσαντες, τὸ μὲν Πάσχα ἐν τῷ δημοσίῳ λουτρῷ τῷ ἐν Κωνσταντιαναῖς ἐπετέλεσαν· σὺν αὐτοῖς δὲ πολλοὶ ἐπίσκοποι καὶ πρεσβύτεροι, καὶ ἄλλοι ἱερατικοῦ τάγματος. Ἐξ ἐκείνου τε κατ᾿ ἰδίαν τὰς συναγωγὰς ἐν διαφόροις τόποις ποιούμενοι, Ἰωαννίται προσηγορεύθησαν. Ἰωάννης δὲ ἐπὶ δύο μῆνας οὐδαμοῦ προέβαινεν, ἕως ὅτου βασιλέως ἐκέλευε πρόσταγμα εἰς ἐξορίαν ἀπἀγεσθαι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπήγετο, τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἑλκυσθείς.. Τινὲς δὲ τῶν Ἰωαννιτῶν κατ᾿ αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐνέπρησαν. Καιομένης δὲ αὐτῆς, ἄνεμος ἀπηλιώτης πνεύσας, καὶ τὸν οἶκον τῆς συγκλήτου γερουσίας κατέκαυσεί. Τοῦτο γέγονε τῇ εἰκάδι τοῦ Ἰουνίου μηνὸς, ἐν ὑπατείᾳ Ονωρίου ἕκτῃ, ἣν σὺν ᾿Αρισταινέτῳ ἐδίδου. "Οσα μὲν οὖν διὰ τὸν γεγενημένον ἐμπρησμὸν, ὁ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου πόλεως ὕπαρχος, ᾧ ὄνομα ἦν Ὀπτάτος, Ἕλλην τὴν θρησκείαν ὑπάρχων καὶ διατοῦτο τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς μισῶν, κατὰ τῶν φιλούντων τὸν Ἰωάννην ἔπραξε, καὶ ὡς πολλοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐκόλασεν, παραλιπεῖν μοι δοκῶ.
Tēs Augoustēs Eudoxias andrias anestē argyrous epi kionos porphyrou, chlanida endedymenos. Estēke de houtos epi bēmatos hypsēlou, oute engys porrhō tēs ekklēsias, hę̄ epōnymon Sophia; alla dieirgei amphō mesē plateias hodos. . Epi touto synēthōs dēmōdeis ēgonto paidiai. Iōannēs de hybrin ta ginomena tēs ekklēsias nomizōn, tę̄ synētheią te parrhēsian anaktēsamenos palin, tēn heautou glōttan kata tōn tauta poiountōn exōplize. Kai deon tous kratountas logǭ paraklētikǭ peithein pausai tēs paidias; ho de touto men ouk epoiei; kataphorikę̄ de tę̄ glōssę̄ chrēsamenos, eskōpte tous genesthai tauta keleusantas. Hē de basilissa palin eis heautēn eilke ta genomena; kai hybrin heautēs tous ekeinou logous nomizousa, palin paraskeuazei synodon episkopōn synagesthai kat᾿ autou. Aisthomenos de ho Iōannēs tēn periboēton ekeinēn epi tēs ekklēsias diexēlthen omilian, hēs hē archē ; Palin Hērōdias mainetai, palin tarassetai, palin orcheitai, palin epi pinaki tēn kephalēn Iōannou zētei labein. Touto pleon eis orgēn exēpse tēn basilida. Kai met᾿ ou poly parēsan hoi episkopoi, Leontios episkopos ᾿Ankyras, tēs mikras Galatias; Ammōnios Laodikeias, tēs en Pisidią; Brisōn Philippōn, tōn en Thrakę̄; ᾿Akakios Beroias, tēs en Syrią, kai alloi tines. Parontōn de toutōn, anekinounto hoi prōēn katēgoroi. Iōannēs men oun etharrhei epi toutois, kai ēxiou epizēteisthai ta katēgoroumena. Tēs de heortēs tōn Genethliōn tou Sōtēros epelthousēs, ho basileus eis tēn ekklēsian synēthōs ouk apēnta, alla dēloi tǭ Iōannę̄ hōs ou proteron autǭ koinōnēsei, prin an proteron apodyētai ta enklēmata. Epei de tou Iōannou tharrhoun; a tos hoi katēgoroi deiloteroi edeiknynto, hoi parontes episkopoi allo men ereunōn ouden; monon de touto dein eis krisin agesthai elegon, hoti meta tēn kathairesin, mē psēphisamenēs tēs synodou autǭ, eis ton thronon eisepēdēse. Tou de legontos, hōs exēkontapente episkopoi koinōnēsantes autǭ epsēphisanto, hoi peri Leontion antepēgon; Alla pleious, ō Iōannē, katepsēphisanto sou en tę̄ synodǭ. Epei de palin ho Iōannēs ton kanona touton ou tēs autōn Ekklēsias, alla tōn ᾿Areianōn einai elegen; hoi gar en tę̄ ᾿Antiocheią synelthontes epi tę̄ kathairesei tēs homoousiou pisteōs, apechtheią tę̄ pros ᾿Athanasion, ton kanona exedōkan; mē prosdexamenoi tas apologias, katepsēphisanto ; mē noēsantes, hoti tǭ kanoni toutǭ chrēsamenoi kai ᾿Athanasion katheilon. Tauta pepraktai, engizousēs tēs heortēs tou Pascha. Dēloi oun ho basileus tǭ Iōannę̄ mē dynasthai eis tēn ekklēsian elthein, hoti dyo autou katepsēphisanto synodoi. Hērgei oun ho Iōannēs loipon, oudamōs te : eis tēn ekklēsian katērcheto. Euthys oun pantes hoi autǭ proskeimenoi, ek tēs ekklēsias anachōrēsantes, to men Pascha en tǭ dēmosiǭ loutrǭ tǭ en Kōnstantianais epetelesan; syn autois de polloi episkopoi kai presbyteroi, kai alloi hieratikou tagmatos. Ex ekeinou te kat᾿ idian tas synagōgas en diaphorois topois poioumenoi, Iōannitai prosēgoreuthēsan. Iōannēs de epi dyo mēnas oudamou proebainen, heōs hotou basileōs ekeleue prostagma eis exorian apagesthai. Kai ho men apēgeto, tēs ekklēsias helkystheis.. Tines de tōn Iōannitōn kat᾿ autēn tēn hēmeran tēn ekklēsian eneprēsan. Kaiomenēs de autēs, anemos apēliōtēs pneusas, kai ton oikon tēs synklētou gerousias katekausei. Touto gegone tę̄ eikadi tou Iouniou mēnos, en hypateią Onōriou hektę̄, hēn syn ᾿Aristainetǭ edidou. "Osa men oun dia ton gegenēmenon emprēsmon, ho tēs Kōnstantinou poleōs hyparchos, hǭ onoma ēn Optatos, Hellēn tēn thrēskeian hyparchōn kai diatouto tous Christianous misōn, kata tōn philountōn ton Iōannēn epraxe, kai hōs pollous ex autōn ekolasen, paralipein moi dokō.
A silver statue of the Augusta Eudoxia, clothed in a robe, was set up on a column of porphyry. It stood on a high platform, neither near nor far from the church called Sophia, but the middle of a broad street separated the two. Popular games were customarily held at it. John, regarding what was done as an insult to the church, and having recovered his usual freedom of speech, armed his tongue against those who did these things. Whereas he ought to have persuaded the authorities by words of entreaty to stop the games, he did not do this, but with abusive language he mocked those who had ordered them to be held. The empress again took what was said to herself, and regarding his words as an insult to her, she again arranged for a synod of bishops to be assembled against him. John, aware of this, delivered in the church that famous homily that begins: 'Again Herodias rages, again she is troubled, again she dances, again she seeks to receive the head of John on a platter.' This inflamed the empress to still greater anger. Not long after the bishops arrived: Leontius, bishop of Ancyra in Lesser Galatia; Ammonius of Laodicea in Pisidia; Briso of Philippi in Thrace; Acacius of Beroea in Syria; and some others. When they were present, the former accusers were stirred up again. John took courage at this and demanded that the charges be examined. When the feast of the Saviour's Nativity came, the emperor did not go to the church as usual, but let John know that he would not communicate with him until he had first cleared himself of the charges. Since the accusers appeared more cowardly as John grew bolder, the bishops present examined nothing else, but said only that this must be brought to trial: that after his deposition he had leapt onto the throne without a synod voting for him. When he said that sixty-five bishops in communion with him had voted for him, Leontius and his party retorted, 'But more, John, voted against you in the synod.' And when John said again that this canon was not of their church but of the Arians, for those who met at Antioch to overthrow the faith of the 'same essence' had issued the canon out of hatred for Athanasius, they did not accept his defence but condemned him, not perceiving that by using this canon they condemned Athanasius too. This was done as the feast of Easter drew near. So the emperor let John know that he could not come into the church, because two synods had condemned him. So John was idle from then on, and did not go down to the church at all. At once all who were attached to him withdrew from the church and celebrated Easter in the public bath at the Constantianae; with them were many bishops and presbyters and others of the priestly order. From then on, holding their assemblies apart in various places, they were called Johannites. John did not go out anywhere for two months, until an order of the emperor commanded that he be taken into exile. And he was taken away, dragged from the church. Some of the Johannites on that very day set fire to the church. While it burned, an east wind blew and burned down the house of the senate too. This happened on the twentieth of June, in the sixth consulship of Honorius, which he held with Aristaenetus. What Optatus, the prefect of Constantinople, a pagan by religion and for that reason a hater of Christians, did because of the fire against those who loved John, and how he punished many of them, I think best to pass over.
Matt 14:6–11 (allusion, high confidence) · Mark 6:22–28 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: After John denounces the games at Eudoxia's statue and preaches the 'Herodias' sermon, a second synod condemns him under the Antiochene canon; his followers, the Johannites, meet apart, and when he is exiled the church and senate house burn.
- The 'Herodias' homily attributed to John may not be authentic; the allusion is to Mark 6:22–28 / Matt 14:6–11.
- The canon invoked is canon 4 of the council of Antioch (341), which deprived a deposed bishop who resumed office without a synod.
- John was exiled on 20 June 404, in the consulship of Honorius (sixth time) and Aristaenetus.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray footnote numeral; stray letter): Ἡρωδίας 6 μαίνεται → Ἡρωδίας μαίνεται; ἐνέπρησαν ί. → ἐνέπρησαν..
Extrabiblical texts: Conc. Antioch. 4 (Canons of the Council of Antioch (in Encaeniis); allusion)
Topics: Church office, Persecution
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.18 (PG 67:715–721; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-18). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-18
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.19PG 67:721–723
Ὀλίγων δὲ ἡμερῶν διελθουσών χειροτονεῖται ἐπίσχοπος Κωνσταντίνου πόλεως ᾿Αρσάκιος, ὃς ἀδελφὸς μὲν ἐγεγόνει Νεκταρίου, τοῦ πρὸ Ἰωάννου τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν καλῶς διοικήσαντος, γηραιὸς δὲ σφόδρα· ὑπὲρ, γὰρ ὀγδοήκοντα ἔτη ἐτύγχανεν ὧν. Καὶ τούτου δι' ὑπερβολὴν πραότητος τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἡσύχως διέπον τος, ὁ τῆς Χαλκηδόνος ἐπίσκοπος Κυρῖνος, οὗ τὸν πόδα ἄκων Μαρουθᾶς ὁ Μεσοποταμίας ἐπίσκοπος ἐπάτησεν, οὕτω κακῶς διετέθη, ὡς σηπεδόνα ποιῆται, καὶ γενέσθαι ἀνάγκην ὥστε ἀποπρισθῆναι τὸν πόδα. Οὐχ ἅπαξ δὲ τοῦτο ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ πλειστάκις ἀπεπρίζετο. Ἐπενέμετο γὰρ τὸ πάθος καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα, ὥστε καὶ τὸν ἕτερον πόδα, μεταλαβόντα τοῦ κακοῦ, τὸ αὐτὸ ὑπομεῖναι. Τούτου χάριν δὲ πεποίημαι μνήμην, ὅτι πολλοὶ ἔφασκον, διὰ τὴν εἰς Ἰωάντην βλασφημίαν ταῦτα παθεῖν τὸν Κυρῖνον, ὅτι ἀγό· νατον αὐτὸν συνεχῶς ἀπεκάλει, ὡς μοι καὶ πρότερον : εἴρηται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ συνέβη καὶ χάλαζαν παμμέγεθεστάτην ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πόλει καὶ περὶ τὰ αὐτῆς κατενεχθῆναι προάστεια · γέγονε δὲ τοῦτο ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ὑπατείᾳ, περὶ τὴν τριακάδα τοῦ Σεπτεμβρίου μηνός· τοῦτο ἔλεγον κατὰ Θεοῦ μῆνιν γενέσθαι, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκρίτῳ καθαιρέσει Ἰωάννου. Ηὔξησε δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους καὶ ἡ τῆς βασιλίδος ἐπιγενομένη τελευτή· τετάρτῃ γὰρ ἡμέρᾳ μετὰ τὸ κατενεχθῆναι τὴν χάλαζαν ἐτελεύτησεν. "Ἄλλοι δὲ ἔφασκον δίκαια πεπονθέναι τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐπὶ τῇ καθαιρέσει, ὅτι πολλὰς ἐκκλησίας τῶν Ναυατιανῶν καὶ Τεσσαρεσκαιδεκατι τῶν, καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ τὴν Λυ δίαν γενόμενος ἔλαβεν, ἡνίκα διὰ τὴν Ἡρακλείδου χειροτονίαν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἔφεσον ἐστάλη. Ἀλλὰ πότερον δικαία ἡ καθαίρεσις Ἰωάννου κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῶν λυπηθέντων ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, ἡ Κυρῖνος δικαίαν τῆς βλασφημίας ἐδίδου δίκην, καὶ πότερον διὰ Ἰωάννην ἡ χάλαζα κατηνέχθη, καὶ ἡ βασίλισσα ἐτελεύτησεν, ἢ ταῦτα δι᾽ ἑτέρους ἐγίνετο λόγους, ἢ καὶ δι ἀμφότερα, Θεὸς ἂν εἰδείη, ὁ τῶν κρυπτῶν γνώστης, ὁ καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας κριτής δίκαιος. Ἐγὼ δὲ τὰ τότε θρυλλούμενα ἔγραψα.
Oligōn de hēmerōn dielthousōn cheirotoneitai epischopos Kōnstantinou poleōs ᾿Arsakios, hos adelphos men egegonei Nektariou, tou pro Iōannou tēn episkopēn kalōs dioikēsantos, gēraios de sphodra; hyper, gar ogdoēkonta etē etynchanen hōn. Kai toutou di' hyperbolēn praotētos tēn episkopēn hēsychōs diepon tos, ho tēs Chalkēdonos episkopos Kyrinos, hou ton poda akōn Marouthas ho Mesopotamias episkopos epatēsen, houtō kakōs dietethē, hōs sēpedona poiētai, kai genesthai anankēn hōste apopristhēnai ton poda. Ouch hapax de touto egeneto, alla pleistakis apeprizeto. Epenemeto gar to pathos kai holon to sōma, hōste kai ton heteron poda, metalabonta tou kakou, to auto hypomeinai. Toutou charin de pepoiēmai mnēmēn, hoti polloi ephaskon, dia tēn eis Iōantēn blasphēmian tauta pathein ton Kyrinon, hoti ago; naton auton synechōs apekalei, hōs moi kai proteron : eirētai. Epeidē de synebē kai chalazan pammegethestatēn en tę̄ Kōnstantinou polei kai peri ta autēs katenechthēnai proasteia ; gegone de touto en tę̄ autę̄ hypateią, peri tēn triakada tou Septembriou mēnos; touto elegon kata Theou mēnin genesthai, epi tę̄ akritǭ kathairesei Iōannou. Ēuxēse de tous toioutous logous kai hē tēs basilidos epigenomenē teleutē; tetartę̄ gar hēmerą meta to katenechthēnai tēn chalazan eteleutēsen. "Alloi de ephaskon dikaia peponthenai ton Iōannēn epi tę̄ kathairesei, hoti pollas ekklēsias tōn Nauatianōn kai Tessareskaidekati tōn, kai allōn tinōn kata tēn Asian kai tēn Ly dian genomenos elaben, hēnika dia tēn Hērakleidou cheirotonian epi tēn Epheson estalē. Alla poteron dikaia hē kathairesis Iōannou kata ton logon tōn lypēthentōn hyp᾿ autou egeneto, hē Kyrinos dikaian tēs blasphēmias edidou dikēn, kai poteron dia Iōannēn hē chalaza katēnechthē, kai hē basilissa eteleutēsen, ē tauta di᾽ heterous egineto logous, ē kai di amphotera, Theos an eideiē, ho tōn kryptōn gnōstēs, ho kai autēs tēs alētheias kritēs dikaios. Egō de ta tote thrylloumena egrapsa.
A few days later Arsacius was ordained bishop of Constantinople. He was the brother of Nectarius, who had governed the bishopric well before John, and very old, for he was over eighty years. While he administered the bishopric quietly because of his exceeding gentleness, Cyrinus, the bishop of Chalcedon, whose foot Maruthas, bishop of Mesopotamia, had accidentally trodden on, became so ill that it mortified and the foot had to be sawn off. This happened not once but many times, for the disease spread over his whole body, so that the other foot too, catching the evil, underwent the same. I have mentioned this because many said that Cyrinus suffered this because of his blasphemy against John, since he constantly called him 'the man who will not bend the knee', as I have said before. When very great hail also fell in Constantinople and its suburbs, which happened in the same consulship about the thirtieth of September, people said it came through God's wrath at John's deposition without trial. The death of the empress that followed strengthened such talk, for she died on the fourth day after the hail fell. Others said that John had suffered justly in his deposition, because when he went to Ephesus for the ordination of Heraclides he took many churches of the Novatians, the Quartodecimans and some others in Asia and Lydia. But whether John's deposition was just, as those he had aggrieved said; whether Cyrinus paid a just penalty for his blasphemy; whether the hail fell and the empress died because of John, or these things came about for other reasons, or for both, God alone knows, who knows hidden things and is the just judge of the truth itself. I have written what was commonly said at the time.
Notes and citation
Summary: Arsacius succeeds John; Cyrinus's crushed foot mortifies, and a hailstorm and Eudoxia's death are taken by some as judgments, while others think John was justly punished; Socrates leaves the judgment to God.
- Eudoxia died in October 404.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray footnote numeral; stray letter): ᾿Αρσάκιος κ, → ᾿Αρσάκιος,; τελευτή 1· → τελευτή·.
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.19 (PG 67:721–723; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-19). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-19
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.20PG 67:725
᾿Αρσάκιος δὲ οὐ πολὺν ἐπεδίω τῇ ἐπισκοπῇ χρόνον. Τῇ γὰρ ἑξῆς ὑπατείᾳ, ἥτις ἣν Στελίχωνος τὸ δεύτερον καὶ ᾿Ανθεμίου, περὶ τὴν ἐνδεχάτη"» τοῦ Νοεμμηνὸς ἐτελεύτησε. Περισπουδάστου δὲ πολλοῖς γενομένης τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς, καὶ διατοῦτο πολλοῦ διαδραμόντος χρόνου, τῇ ἑξῆς ὑπατείᾳ, ἥτις ἣν ᾿Αρκαδίου τὸ ἔχτον καὶ Πρόθδου, προεβλήθη εἰς τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἀνὴρ εὐλαβὴς, ᾧ ὄνομα ἦν ᾿Αττιχός. Ὃς τὸ μὲν γένος Σεβαστείας τῆς ᾿Αρμενίας χατῆγεν, ἀσκητικὸς τὸν βίον νέας ἡλικίας, ἄλλως μετὰ τοῦ μετρίως πεπαιδεῦσθαι, πλέον φυσιχῶς φρόνιμος ἦν. ᾿Αλλὰ περὶ μὲν. τούτου μικρὸν ὕστερον λέξω..
᾿Arsakios de ou polyn epediō tę̄ episkopę̄ chronon. Tę̄ gar hexēs hypateią, hētis hēn Stelichōnos to deuteron kai ᾿Anthemiou, peri tēn endechatē"» tou Noemmēnos eteleutēse. Perispoudastou de pollois genomenēs tēs episkopēs, kai diatouto pollou diadramontos chronou, tę̄ hexēs hypateią, hētis hēn ᾿Arkadiou to echton kai Prothdou, proeblēthē eis tēn episkopēn anēr eulabēs, hǭ onoma ēn ᾿Attichos. Hos to men genos Sebasteias tēs ᾿Armenias chatēgen, askētikos ton bion neas hēlikias, allōs meta tou metriōs pepaideusthai, pleon physichōs phronimos ēn. ᾿Alla peri men. toutou mikron hysteron lexō..
Arsacius did not survive long in the episcopate. In the next consulship, that of Stilicho for the second time and Anthemius, he died about the eleventh of November. As the bishopric was eagerly sought by many, and so a long time passed, in the following consulship, that of Arcadius for the sixth time and Probus, a devout man named Atticus was advanced to the bishopric. He came by birth from Sebaste in Armenia and had lived an ascetic life from his youth; and, besides being moderately educated, he was even more naturally sensible. But about him I shall speak a little later.
Notes and citation
Summary: Arsacius dies in 405 and, after a long vacancy, Atticus is made bishop of Constantinople in 406.
- The consulship of Stilicho (second time) and Anthemius is 405; that of Arcadius (sixth) and Probus 406.
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.20 (PG 67:725; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-20). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-20
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.21PG 67:725–727
Ἰωάννης δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξορίαν ἀπαγόμενος ἐν Κομάνοις τοῦ Εὐξείνου Πόντου ἐτελεύτησε", τῇ τεσααρεσχαιδεχάτῃ τοῦ Σεπτεμόρίου μηνὸς. τῇ ἑξῆς ὑπατείᾳ, ἥτις ἣν ᾿θνωρίονυ τὸ ξύδομον Θεοδησίου τὸ δεύτερον᾽ ἀνὴρ, ὡς πρότερον ἔφην, διὰ ζῆλον σωφροσύνης, θυμῷ πλέον ἣ αἰδοῖ χαριζόμενος, καὶ διὰ σωφροσύνην παῤῥησιαιτέρᾳ διὰ βίου τῇ γλώσσῃ χρησάμενος. Θαυμάσα: δὲ μοι ἔπεισι, πῶς τοσοῦτον ζῆλον. σωφροσύγης ἀσκῶν, ἐν προσομιλίαις αὐτοῦ καταφρονεῖν τῆς σωφροσύνης ἐδίδαξε. ΔΙ .ᾶς γὰρ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα παρὰ τῆς συνόδου τῶν ἐπισκόπων μετανοία: τοῖς ἐ πταιχόσι δοθείσης, αὐτὸς ἀπετόλμησεν εἰπεῖν - Χιλιάχις μετανοήσας εἴσελθε. Ἐφ᾽ διδασκαλίᾳ πολλοὶ μὲν καὶ τῶν πιο οἱ ἃ : γνωρίμων αὑτοῦ κατέγνωσαν " μάλιστα δὲ Σισίννιος ὁ τῶν Νανατιανῶν ἐπίσκοπος. λόγον ὑπεναντίον τοῦ λεχθέντος συνέγραψεν, καὶ γενναίως αὐτοῦ διατοῦτο κατέδραμεν. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἤδη πρότερον ἐγεγόνει. |
Iōannēs de epi tēn exorian apagomenos en Komanois tou Euxeinou Pontou eteleutēse", tę̄ tesaareschaidechatę̄ tou Septemoriou mēnos. tę̄ hexēs hypateią, hētis hēn ᾿thnōriony to xydomon Theodēsiou to deuteron᾽ anēr, hōs proteron ephēn, dia zēlon sōphrosynēs, thymǭ pleon hē aidoi charizomenos, kai dia sōphrosynēn parrhēsiaiterą dia biou tę̄ glōssę̄ chrēsamenos. Thaumasa: de moi epeisi, pōs tosouton zēlon. sōphrosygēs askōn, en prosomiliais autou kataphronein tēs sōphrosynēs edidaxe. DI .as gar meta to baptisma para tēs synodou tōn episkopōn metanoia: tois e ptaichosi dotheisēs, autos apetolmēsen eipein - Chiliachis metanoēsas eiselthe. Eph᾽ didaskalią polloi men kai tōn pio hoi ha : gnōrimōn hautou kategnōsan " malista de Sisinnios ho tōn Nanatianōn episkopos. logon hypenantion tou lechthentos synegrapsen, kai gennaiōs autou diatouto katedramen. ᾿Alla tauta men ēdē proteron egegonei. |
John, while being taken into exile, died at Comana on the Euxine Sea on the fourteenth of September, in the next consulship, that of Honorius for the seventh time and Theodosius for the second; a man, as I said before, who out of zeal for self-control gave way rather to anger than to modesty, and who because of his self-control used a rather too free tongue throughout his life. I cannot help wondering how, practising such zeal for self-control, he taught in his addresses contempt for self-control. For whereas the synod of bishops granted repentance once to those who had fallen after baptism, he dared to say: 'Come in, even if you have repented a thousand times.' For this teaching many even of his acquaintances condemned him, and especially Sisinnius, bishop of the Novatians, who wrote a discourse against what had been said and attacked him vigorously for it. But this had happened earlier.
Notes and citation
Summary: John dies in exile at Comana in 407; Socrates criticizes his teaching that repentance may be granted repeatedly, which Sisinnius the Novatian answered in writing.
- John died in 407.
- The saying 'Come in, even if you have repented a thousand times' is attributed to John by Socrates; Sisinnius's reply is lost.
- Several words are garbled in the scan text of this chapter (e.g. 'once'); translated by sense.
Topics: Ethics, Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.21 (PG 67:725–727; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-21). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-21
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.22PG 67:727–729
Περὶ δὲ Σισιννίου βραχέα διεξελθεῖν, οὐχ ἄκαιρον εἶναι ἡγοῦμαι. ᾿Ανὴρ ἦν, ὡς πολλάκις ἔφην, ἐλλόγιμος, τὰ φιλόσοφα ἄκρως μαθών. Διαλεχτιχῇς δὲ σφόδρα ἐπεμελεῖτο, καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ Γράμματα ἄκρως ἑρμηνεύειν ἠπίστατο ὡς καὶ Εὐνόμιον τὸν ἀἐρετιχὸν πολλάκις αὐτοῦ φυγεῖν τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ διαλέξει δεινότητα. Τὴν δὲ δίαιταν ἦν οὐ λιτός. ἐν ἄκρᾳ σωφροσύνῃ, πολυτελεῖ ταύτῃ ἐκέχρητο, τρυφῶν τε ἐν ἐσθῆτι λευκῇ, καὶ δὶς τῆς ἡμέρα: ἐν λουτροῖς ὅπμοσίοις λουόμενος διετέλει. Καί ποτε ἐρομένου αὐτόν τινος, τοῦ χάριν ἐπίσκοπος ὧν, δὶς λούοιτο τῆς ἡμέρας, Ἐπειδὴ τρίτον οὐ φθάνει, ἀπεκρίνατο. "Ἄλλοτε δὲ ᾿Αρσάκιον τὸν ἐπίσκοπον κατὰ τιμὴν ὁρῶν, ἢρωτήθη ὑπό τινος τῶν περὶ ᾿Αρσάκιον, διὰ πί ἀνοίχειον ἐπισκόπῳ ἐσθῆτα φοροίη, ποῦ γέγρᾶπται λευχὰ τὸν ἱερωμένον' ἀμφιέννυσθαι " ὁ δὲ, Σὺ πρότερον, ἔφη, εἰπὲ ποῦ γέγραπται μέλαιναν ἐσθῆτα φορεῖν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον. Τοῦ δὲ ἐρωτήσαντος ἐν ἀπόρῳ γενομένου πρὸς τὴν ἀντερώτησιν, ἐπήγαγεν ὁ Σισίννιος " ᾿Αλλὰ σὺ μὲν οὐχ ἂν, ἔφη, δεῖξαι ( δυνήσῃ, ὡς δεῖ τὸν ἱερωμένον μέλανα ἀμφιέννυσθαι" ἐμοὶ δὲ ὁ Σηλομὼν παρῇήνεσε λέγων, « Ἔστωσάν σοι ἱμάτια λευκά" ν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις λευκῇ φαίνεται ἐσθῆτι χρησάμενος. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Μωῦσῆν Ἠλίαν λευχοφοροῦντας τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἔδειξεν. Ταῦτα δὴ ἄλλα πολλὰ ἑτοίμως εἰπὼν, τὰ μέγιστα ἐπὶ τῶν παρόντων ἐθαυμάσθη. Λεοντίου δὲ, τοῦ ᾿Αγκύρας τῆς ἐν τῇ μικρᾷ Γαλατίᾳ ἐπισκόπου, Ναυατιανῶν ἐκκλησίαν ἀφαιρουμένου, καὶ τῇ Κωσταντίνου πόλει ἐπιδημοῦντος, ὁ Σισίννιος ἐλθὼν παρ' αὐτὸν, παρεκάλει ἀποδοῦναι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. Ὁ δὲ θερμῶς ἀπήντησε, καί φησι πρὸς αὐτόν · Ὑμεῖς, φησὶν, οἱ Ναυατιανοὶ οὐκ ὀφείλετε ἐκκλησίας ἔχειν, τὴν μετάνοιαν ἀναιροῦντες, καὶ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποκλείοντες. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πλείονα τοῦ Λεοντίου κακῶς τοὺς Ναυατιανοὺς λέγοντος, ἔφη ὁ Σισίννιος· Καὶ μὴν οὐδεὶς οὕτω μετανοεῖ ὡς ἐγώ. Τοῦ δὲ πάλιν ἐπάγοντος, Πῶς μετανοεῖς; ἔφη ὁ Σισίννιος, Ὅτι σε εἶδον, ἀπεκρίνατο. Ἰωάννου δὲ ποτε τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ἐγκαλοῦντος αὐτῷ, καὶ λέγοντος, ὅτι οὐ δύναται ἡ πόλις ο ἐπισκόπους ἔχειν, ὁ Σισίννιος ἔφη, Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχει. Τοῦ δὲ Ἰωάννου χαλεπήναντος, καὶ φήσαντος, Ὁρᾶς ὅτι μόνος εἶναι βούλει ἐπίσκοπος; ὁ Σισίννιος, Οὐ τοῦτο, ἔφη, λέγω, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι ἐγὼ παρὰ σοὶ μόνῳ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐπίσκοπος, ὃς τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰμί. Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης πρὸς τὸ λεχθὲν ἀγανακτήσας, ᾿Αλλ' ἐγώ σε, ἔφη, παύσω προσομιλεῖν· αἱρετικὸς γὰρ ὑπάρχεις. Πρὸς δὴ τούτῳ χαριέντως ὁ Σισίννιος ὑπήντησεν· Ἀλλ᾿ ἐγὼ, ἔφη, καὶ μισθοὺς παρέξω, εἴ με τηλικούτου καμάτου ἀπαλλάξειας. Διαμαλαχθεὶς δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως ὁ Ἰωάννης, Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἄν σε, ἔφη, παύσω τοῦ προσομιλεῖν ἐγὼ, εἴ σε ὅλως τὸ λέγειν λυπεῖ. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἕτοιμος πρὸς τὰς ἀποκρίσεις, καὶ χαρίεις ἦν ὁ Σισίννιος. Γράφειν δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ἀπομνημονεύειν τὰ εἰρημένα αὐτῷ, μακρὸν ἂν εἴη · διὸ καὶ δι' ( ὀλίγων ἐπέδειξα οἷος ἦν, ἀρκεῖν ἡγησάμενος. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ φημι, ὅτι διὰ παίδευσιν περιβόητος ἦν· καὶ διὰ ταύτην πάντες ἐφεξῆς οἱ ἐπίσκοποι ἠγάπων τε καὶ ἐτίμων αὐτόν. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ τῆς συγκλήτου περιφανεῖς ἔστεργόν τε αὐτὸν καὶ ἐθαύμαζον. Καὶ πολλὰ μὲν αὐτῷ βιβλία συγγέγραπται· λεξιθηρεῖ δὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ποιητικὰς παραμίγνυσι λέξεις. Λέγων δὲ μᾶλλον, ἢ ἀναγινωσκόμενος έθαυμάζετο. Προσῆν γὰρ αὐτῷ χάρις, τῷ τε προσώπῳ καὶ τῇ φωνῇ, καὶ τῷ σχήματι καὶ τῷ βλέμματι, καὶ τῇ ὅλῃ κινήσει τοῦ σώματος. Ἠγαπᾶτο οὖν καὶ διὰ ταῦτα παρὰ πασῶν τε τῶν θρησκειῶν, καὶ μάλιστα παρὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἀττικοῦ. Καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ Σισιννίου ἐξαρκεῖν ἡγοῦμαι.
Peri de Sisinniou brachea diexelthein, ouch akairon einai hēgoumai. ᾿Anēr ēn, hōs pollakis ephēn, ellogimos, ta philosopha akrōs mathōn. Dialechtichę̄s de sphodra epemeleito, kai ta hiera Grammata akrōs hermēneuein ēpistato hōs kai Eunomion ton aeretichon pollakis autou phygein tēn epi tę̄ dialexei deinotēta. Tēn de diaitan ēn ou litos. en akrą sōphrosynę̄, polytelei tautę̄ ekechrēto, tryphōn te en esthēti leukę̄, kai dis tēs hēmera: en loutrois hopmosiois louomenos dietelei. Kai pote eromenou auton tinos, tou charin episkopos hōn, dis louoito tēs hēmeras, Epeidē triton ou phthanei, apekrinato. "Allote de ᾿Arsakion ton episkopon kata timēn horōn, ērōtēthē hypo tinos tōn peri ᾿Arsakion, dia pi anoicheion episkopǭ esthēta phoroiē, pou gegraptai leucha ton hierōmenon' amphiennysthai " ho de, Sy proteron, ephē, eipe pou gegraptai melainan esthēta phorein ton episkopon. Tou de erōtēsantos en aporǭ genomenou pros tēn anterōtēsin, epēgagen ho Sisinnios " ᾿Alla sy men ouch an, ephē, deixai ( dynēsę̄, hōs dei ton hierōmenon melana amphiennysthai" emoi de ho Sēlomōn parę̄ēnese legōn, « Estōsan soi himatia leuka" n ho Sōtēr en tois Euangeliois leukę̄ phainetai esthēti chrēsamenos. Ou mēn alla kai Mōysēn Ēlian leuchophorountas tois apostolois edeixen. Tauta dē alla polla hetoimōs eipōn, ta megista epi tōn parontōn ethaumasthē. Leontiou de, tou ᾿Ankyras tēs en tę̄ mikrą Galatią episkopou, Nauatianōn ekklēsian aphairoumenou, kai tę̄ Kōstantinou polei epidēmountos, ho Sisinnios elthōn par' auton, parekalei apodounai tēn ekklēsian. Ho de thermōs apēntēse, kai phēsi pros auton ; Hymeis, phēsin, hoi Nauatianoi ouk opheilete ekklēsias echein, tēn metanoian anairountes, kai tēn philanthrōpian tou Theou apokleiontes. Tauta kai ta toiauta pleiona tou Leontiou kakōs tous Nauatianous legontos, ephē ho Sisinnios; Kai mēn oudeis houtō metanoei hōs egō. Tou de palin epagontos, Pōs metanoeis? ephē ho Sisinnios, Hoti se eidon, apekrinato. Iōannou de pote tou episkopou enkalountos autǭ, kai legontos, hoti ou dynatai hē polis o episkopous echein, ho Sisinnios ephē, Oude gar echei. Tou de Iōannou chalepēnantos, kai phēsantos, Horas hoti monos einai boulei episkopos? ho Sisinnios, Ou touto, ephē, legō, all᾽ hoti egō para soi monǭ ouk eimi episkopos, hos tois allois eimi. Ho de Iōannēs pros to lechthen aganaktēsas, ᾿All' egō se, ephē, pausō prosomilein; hairetikos gar hyparcheis. Pros dē toutǭ charientōs ho Sisinnios hypēntēsen; All᾿ egō, ephē, kai misthous parexō, ei me tēlikoutou kamatou apallaxeias. Diamalachtheis de ek tēs apokriseōs ho Iōannēs, All᾿ ouk an se, ephē, pausō tou prosomilein egō, ei se holōs to legein lypei. Houtō men oun hetoimos pros tas apokriseis, kai charieis ēn ho Sisinnios. Graphein de tauta kai apomnēmoneuein ta eirēmena autǭ, makron an eiē ; dio kai di' ( oligōn epedeixa hoios ēn, arkein hēgēsamenos. Ekeino de phēmi, hoti dia paideusin periboētos ēn; kai dia tautēn pantes ephexēs hoi episkopoi ēgapōn te kai etimōn auton. Ou mēn alla kai pantes hoi tēs synklētou periphaneis estergon te auton kai ethaumazon. Kai polla men autǭ biblia syngegraptai; lexithērei de en autois, kai poiētikas paramignysi lexeis. Legōn de mallon, ē anaginōskomenos ethaumazeto. Prosēn gar autǭ charis, tǭ te prosōpǭ kai tę̄ phōnę̄, kai tǭ schēmati kai tǭ blemmati, kai tę̄ holę̄ kinēsei tou sōmatos. Ēgapato oun kai dia tauta para pasōn te tōn thrēskeiōn, kai malista para tou episkopou Attikou. Kai ta men peri Sisinniou exarkein hēgoumai.
I think it not out of place to go through a few things about Sisinnius. He was, as I have often said, a learned man who had thoroughly studied philosophy. He took great pains with dialectic and knew how to interpret the sacred writings excellently, so that even Eunomius the heretic often avoided his skill in debate. In his way of life he was not frugal; with the greatest self-control he nevertheless lived expensively, indulging in white clothing and bathing twice a day in the public baths. Once, when someone asked him why, being a bishop, he bathed twice a day, he answered, 'Because there is no time for a third.' Another time, when he visited the bishop Arsacius as a courtesy, he was asked by one of those with Arsacius why he wore clothing unsuitable for a bishop, and where it is written that a consecrated man should be dressed in white. He said, 'You tell me first where it is written that a bishop should wear black clothing.' When the questioner was at a loss at the counter-question, Sisinnius went on: 'You cannot show that a consecrated man must be dressed in black; but Solomon advises me, saying, "Let your garments be white"; and the Saviour in the Gospels is seen wearing white clothing; and he showed Moses and Elijah to the apostles clothed in white.' By saying these and many other things readily, he was greatly admired by those present. When Leontius, bishop of Ancyra in Lesser Galatia, had taken away a church of the Novatians and was visiting Constantinople, Sisinnius went to him and asked him to give the church back. He answered him hotly and said, 'You Novatians ought not to have churches, for you abolish repentance and shut out the loving-kindness of God.' When Leontius was abusing the Novatians with these and many more such words, Sisinnius said, 'Yet no one repents as I do.' When Leontius went on to ask, 'How do you repent?' Sisinnius answered, 'That I came to see you.' Once when John the bishop was reproaching him and saying that the city could not have two bishops, Sisinnius said, 'Nor does it have.' When John grew angry and said, 'You see that you want to be the only bishop?' Sisinnius said, 'I do not mean that, but that only with you am I not a bishop, though I am one with others.' John, vexed at this, said, 'But I will stop you from preaching, for you are a heretic.' To this Sisinnius answered pleasantly, 'I will even pay you a fee, if you will free me from so great a labour.' John, softened by the answer, said, 'Then I will not stop you from preaching, if speaking grieves you so.' So ready in answers and so witty was Sisinnius. To write down and record what he said would take long; so I have shown briefly what he was like, thinking it enough. But I say this: he was famous for his learning, and for this all the bishops in succession loved and honoured him; moreover all the eminent members of the senate cherished and admired him. He wrote many books; but in them he hunts after words and mixes in poetic expressions. He was admired more when speaking than when read; for there was grace in him, in his face and voice, his bearing and look, and the whole movement of his body. For this too he was loved by all the religions, and especially by the bishop Atticus. I think this enough about Sisinnius.
Eccl 9:8 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 17:2–3 (allusion, high confidence) · Mark 9:3 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Anecdotes of the witty and learned Novatian bishop Sisinnius, including his white clothing, his retorts to Leontius of Ancyra and to John Chrysostom.
- 'Let your garments be white' is Eccl 9:8; the transfiguration, Matt 17:2–3 (Mark 9:3).
- Leontius's charge reflects the Novatian refusal to readmit those who sinned gravely after baptism (see 4.28).
Topics: Church office, Heresy
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.22 (PG 67:727–729; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-22). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-22
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.23PG 67:729–735
Τελευτᾷ δὲ οὐ πολὺ μετὰ τὴν Ἰωάννου τελευτὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾿Αρκάδιος, ἀνὴρ πρᾶος καὶ ἡσύχιος, καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῆς ζωῆς, θεοφιλοῦς δόξαν κτησάμενος ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε· Ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντινουπολει οἶκος ἐστὶ μέγιστος, Καρύαν ἔχων ἐπώνυμον· ἔστι γὰρ ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ τοῦ οἴκου δένδρον καροία, ἐφ᾿ ἧς κρεμασθῆναι· λόγος τὸν μάρτυρα ᾿Ακάκιον καὶ τελειωθῆναι · δι᾽ ἣν· αἰτίαν καὶ οἰκίσκος τῷ δένδρῳ παρῳκοδομήθη εὐκτήριος. Τοῦτον ἱστορῆσαι ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾿Αρκάδιος βουληθεὶς, εἰς αὐτὸν παρεγένετο. Εὐξάμενός τε αὖθις ἀπεχώρει. Πάντες δὲ οἱ περιοικοῦντες τὸν εὐκτήριον, οἶκον ἐπὶ τῷ θεάσασθαι τὸν βασιλέα συνέτρεχον·:· καὶ οἱ μὲν, ἔξω τῆς οἰκίας γενόμενοι, προκαταλαβεῖν τὰς παρόδους ἐσπούδαζον, ἀφ᾽ ὧν φανερώτερόν τε τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν δορυφορίαν ἡγοῦντο θεάσασθαι. "Αλλοι δὲ ἐπηκολούθουν, ἕως ἅπαντες σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ παιδίοις ἐκτὸς τοῦ οἴκου ἐγένοντο. Καὶ μετατοῦτο εὐθὺς ὁ περικείμενος. τῷ εὐκτηρίῳ μέγιστος οἶκος, ἅπας κατέπεσεν. Ἐκ δὴ τούτου βοὴ σὺν θαύματι ἐπηκολούθει, ὡς ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως εὐχὴ τοσούτους τῆς ἀπωλείας ἐῤῥύσατο.. Τοῦτο μὲν οὕτως ἐγένετο. Καταλιπὼν δὲ τὸν υἱὸν. Θεοδόσιον ὀκταετῆ τυγχάνοντα, ἐτελεύτησεν ἐν ὑπατείᾳ Βάσσου καὶ Φιλίππου, τῇ πρώτῃ τοῦ Μαΐου. μηνός · τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ἔτος δεύτερον τῆς διακοσιοστῆς ἐνενηκοστῆς ἑβδόμης Ὀλυμπιάδος· συμβασιλεύσας μὲν τῷ πατρὶ Θεοδοσίῳ ἔτη δεκατρία, μετὰ δὲ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ πατρὸς, ἔτη δεκατέσσαρα · ζήσας ἔτη τριακονταέν. Περιέχει ἡ βίβλος χρόνον ἐτῶν δώδεκα, μηνῶν ἔξ. Ἐν ἄλλοις ἀντιγράφοις εὕρηται ταῦτα κείμενα, οὐχ ὡς λείποντα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τρόπον ἄλλον φρά-. σεως ὄντα. Συνείδομεν οὖν ὡς καλόν ἐστι ταῦτα παραθέσθαι· τούτου χάριν ταῦτα παρεθήκαμεν ἐνταῦθα. Ἐπειδὴ Ρ δὲ ἐν τοσούτῳ συνέβη τῆς Ἐφέσου τελευτῆσαι τὸν ἐπίσκοπον, ἀνάγκη κατέλαβε τὸν Ἰωάννην εἰς τὴν Ἔφεσον ἀπελθεῖν, ἐπὶ τὸ χειροτονῆσαι ἐπίσκοπον. Καὶ γενόμενος ἐν αὐτῇ, ἄλλων τε ἄλλον προβαλέσθαι σπουδαζόντων, αὐτὸς Ἡρακλείδη τινὰ διάκονον ἑαυτοῦ, γένει Κύπριον, εἰς τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν προεβάλετο. Γενομένης δὲ ἐπὶ τούτῳ στάσεως ἐν τῇ Ἐφέσῳ, ὡς οὐκ ἀξίου πρὸς τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν τοῦ Ἡρα-· κλείδου, ἀνάγκη γέγονε χρονίζειν τὸν Ἰωάννην κατά τὴν Ἔφεσον. Παρέλκοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτὴν, ὁ Σεβηριανὸς ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πόλει ἐρασμιώτερος τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς ἐγίνετο. Καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐλάνθανε τὸν Ἰωάννην· ταχέως γὰρ αὐτῷ τὰ γινόμενα διηγγέλλετο παρὰ Σαραπίωνος, ὃς πάνυ ἠγαπᾶτο παρὰ τοῦ Ἰωάννου, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν περὶ τὸ ἐπισκόπειον φροντίδα ἐκεχείριστο, διὰ τὸ εὐλαβὲς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι πιστὸν, καὶ περὶ πάντα νηφάλεον καὶ σπουδαῖον περὶ τὴν τοῦ ἐπισκόπου συγχρήτησιν. οὐχ εἰς μακρὰν Ἰωάννης ἐπὶ τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἔρχεται. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν πάλιν τὴν προσήκουσαν κηδεμονίαν τῶν ἔχχλησιῶν ἐποιεῖτο. Μεταξὺ δὲ Σαραπίωνος τοῦ διακόνου Σεβηριανοῦ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου πολλή τις ἣν μικροψυχία, 7.9 μὲν Σαραπίωνος ἀντιχειμένου τῷ Σεβηριανῷ, διὰ τὸ ἐθέλειν αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς διαλέξεσι παρευδοχιμεῖν τοῦ Ἰωάννου" τοῦ δὲ Σεβηριανοῦ ζηλοῦντος τὸν Σαραπίωνα, διὰ τὸ προσχεῖσθα: αὐτῷ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἐπίσκοπον, πᾶσαν τὴν φροντίδα ἐγχειρισθῆναι τοῦ ἐπισχοπείου, Οὕτω δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐχόντων, συνέβη τὴν χαχίαν τοῦ μίσους ἐπὶ πλεῖον προελθεῖν, ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε" Ποτὲ γὰρ τοῦ Σεβηριανοῦ παριόντος, τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐπιτχόπῳ τιμὴν ὁ Σαραπίων οὐχ ἀπένειμεν ἀλλὰ καθήμενος διετέλει, ἢ μὴ ἑωρακὼς αὐτὸν, ὡς ὕστερον ἐπὶ τοῦ συνεδρίου μεθ᾽ ὄρχων ἐδεδαιοῦτο, ἢ μικρὰ φροντίσας ὡς κατὰ ἐπισκόπου παρουσίας, καθὼς ἔλεγε Σεδηριανὸς, οὖχ ἔχω λέγειν" ὁ Θεὸς μόνος ἴστω. Τότε δὲ Σεβηριανὸς οὐχ ἤνεγκε τὴν τοῦ Σαραπίωνος καταφρόνησιν, ἀλλὰ παρ᾽ αὐτὰ πρὸ κοινῆς διαγνώσεως συνεδρίου, μεθ" ὅρκου χαταχρίνει τὸν Σαραπίωνα, καὶ οὐ μόνον τῆς ἀξίας τοῦ διακόνου ἀποχηρύττει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αὑτῆς. Μαθὼν ταῦτα Ἰωάννης βαρέως ἤνεγκεν. Τοῦ δὲ πράγματος μεταταῦτα ζητουμένου ἐπὶ συνεδρίου, καὶ τοῦ Σαραπίωνος ἀπολογουμένου, πιστουμένου τὸ μὴ ἑωρακέναι, ἀλλὰ μάρτυρᾶς παράγοντος, τὸ μὲν κοινὸν τῶν συνεληλυθότων ἐπισκόπων συνεγίνωσχε, καὶ παρεκάλει τὸν Σεθηριανὺν δέξασθαι ἀπολογούμενον τὸν Σαραπίωνα. Ὁ δὲ ἐπίσκοπος Ἰωάννης, πρὸς πληροφορίαν Σεδηρ!ιανοῦ, ἀφορίζει: τὸν Σαραπίωνα, ἑθδομάδα ἀποστήσας τῆς τιμῆς τοῦ διακόνου ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς πράγμασι δεξιὰν χεῖρα ἔχων αὐτὸν, περὶ τὰς ἐκκλησιαστικὰς ἀποκρίσεις ὀξύτατον σπουδαῖον ὄντα. Σεβηριανὸς δὲ οὐδ' οὕτως ἐπείθετο " ἀλλὰ παντοῖος ἐγίνετο, πελείως ἀποχηρυχθῆναι τῆς διακονίας τὸν Σαραπίωνα, τῆς κοινωνίας. Λυπηθεὶς σφόδρα ἐπὶ τούτοις Ἰωάννης, καὶ ἀναστὰς ἀπὸ ταῦ συνεδρίου, κατέλιπε τοῖς παροῦσιν ἐπισκόποις τὰ τῆς δίκης, εἰρηκὼς πρὰς αὐτοὺ:, Τὸ παριστάμενον ὑμῖν καταξιώσατε αὐτοὶ διαλαθόντες, καὶ κρίναντες ὁρίσαι" ἐγὼ γὰρ παραιτοῦμαι τὴν μεταξὺ αὐτῶν διάγνωσιν. Τούτων λεχθέντων ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου, καὶ ἀναστάντος αὐτοῦ, ὁμοίως τὸ κοινὸν τοῦ συνεδρίου ἀναστὰν, κατέλιπεν οὕτω τὰ τῆς δίκης, χαταμεμφόμενοι μᾶλλων Σεδηριανὸν, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶξαι τοῖς ῥηθεῖσι παρὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Τοῦ λοιποῦ δὲ οὐχέτ: εἰς συντυχίαν τὸν Σεδηριανὸν Ἰωάννης ἐδέξατο" ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὴν πατρίδα τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκδημεῖν αὐτὸν παρεκελεύετο, δηλώσας αὐτῷ τοιάδε: Οὐχέτι χρήσιμον. φησὶ, ὦ Σεδηριανὲ, ἐν τοτούτῳ χρόνῳ τὴν ἐμπιστευθεῖσάν σοι παροικίαν ἀπρονόητον καὶ ἐκτὸς ἐπισκόπου τυγχάνειν. Διὸ σπεύσας κατάλαβε τὰς ἐκκλησίας σου, καὶ μὴ ἀμέλει τοῦ χαρίσματος τοῦ ἐν σοί. Ἤδη δὲ στειλαμένου αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν, γνοῦσα ταῦτα ἡ Αὐγοῦστα Εὐδοξία, μέμφεται μὲν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ, παρασκευάζει δὲ ᾗ τάχος καλεῖσθαι τὸν Σεβηριανὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐν Βιθυνία Χαλκηδόνος· καὶ ὁ μὲν ὅσον οὐδέπω, παρῆν. Ἰωάννης δὲ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν φιλίαν ἐξέκλινε, καὶ οὐδενὸς παρακαλοῦντος ἐπείθετο· ἕως ἡ βασίλισσα Εὐδοξία, ἐν τῇ ἐπωνύμῳ τῶν ᾿Αποστόλων ἐκ. κλησίᾳ τὸν υἱὸν Θεοδόσιον τοῦτον τὸν νέον, τότε κοι μιδῇ νήπιον ὄντα, εἰς τὰ γόνατα τοῦ Ἰωάννου έμβαλοῦσα, καὶ ὅρκους κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ πολλοὺς καθορκώσασα, μόλις τὴν πρὸς Σεβηριανὸν ἔπεισε φιλίαν ἀσπάσασθαι. Τοῦτον μὲν οὖν τὸν τρόπον, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.
Teleutą de ou poly meta tēn Iōannou teleutēn ho basileus ᾿Arkadios, anēr praos kai hēsychios, kai pros tǭ telei tēs zōēs, theophilous doxan ktēsamenos ex aitias toiasde; En tę̄ Kōnstantinoupolei oikos esti megistos, Karyan echōn epōnymon; esti gar en tę̄ aulę̄ tou oikou dendron karoia, eph᾿ hēs kremasthēnai; logos ton martyra ᾿Akakion kai teleiōthēnai ; di᾽ hēn; aitian kai oikiskos tǭ dendrǭ parǭkodomēthē euktērios. Touton historēsai ho basileus ᾿Arkadios boulētheis, eis auton paregeneto. Euxamenos te authis apechōrei. Pantes de hoi perioikountes ton euktērion, oikon epi tǭ theasasthai ton basilea synetrechon;:; kai hoi men, exō tēs oikias genomenoi, prokatalabein tas parodous espoudazon, aph᾽ hōn phanerōteron te tou basileōs to prosōpon, kai tēn peri auton doryphorian hēgounto theasasthai. "Alloi de epēkolouthoun, heōs hapantes syn gynaixi kai paidiois ektos tou oikou egenonto. Kai metatouto euthys ho perikeimenos. tǭ euktēriǭ megistos oikos, hapas katepesen. Ek dē toutou boē syn thaumati epēkolouthei, hōs hē tou basileōs euchē tosoutous tēs apōleias errhysato.. Touto men houtōs egeneto. Katalipōn de ton huion. Theodosion oktaetē tynchanonta, eteleutēsen en hypateią Bassou kai Philippou, tę̄ prōtę̄ tou Maïou. mēnos ; touto de ēn etos deuteron tēs diakosiostēs enenēkostēs hebdomēs Olympiados; symbasileusas men tǭ patri Theodosiǭ etē dekatria, meta de tēn teleutēn tou patros, etē dekatessara ; zēsas etē triakontaen. Periechei hē biblos chronon etōn dōdeka, mēnōn ex. En allois antigraphois heurētai tauta keimena, ouch hōs leiponta, alla kata tropon allon phra-. seōs onta. Syneidomen oun hōs kalon esti tauta parathesthai; toutou charin tauta parethēkamen entautha. Epeidē R de en tosoutǭ synebē tēs Ephesou teleutēsai ton episkopon, anankē katelabe ton Iōannēn eis tēn Epheson apelthein, epi to cheirotonēsai episkopon. Kai genomenos en autę̄, allōn te allon probalesthai spoudazontōn, autos Hērakleidē tina diakonon heautou, genei Kyprion, eis tēn episkopēn proebaleto. Genomenēs de epi toutǭ staseōs en tę̄ Ephesǭ, hōs ouk axiou pros tēn episkopēn tou Hēra-; kleidou, anankē gegone chronizein ton Iōannēn kata tēn Epheson. Parelkontos de autou kat᾿ autēn, ho Sebērianos en tę̄ Kōnstantinou polei erasmiōteros tois akroatais egineto. Kai tauta ouk elanthane ton Iōannēn; tacheōs gar autǭ ta ginomena diēngelleto para Sarapiōnos, hos pany ēgapato para tou Iōannou, kai pasan tēn peri to episkopeion phrontida ekecheiristo, dia to eulabes autou, kai en pasi piston, kai peri panta nēphaleon kai spoudaion peri tēn tou episkopou synchrētēsin. ouch eis makran Iōannēs epi tēn Kōnstantinoupolin erchetai. Kai autos men palin tēn prosēkousan kēdemonian tōn echchlēsiōn epoieito. Metaxy de Sarapiōnos tou diakonou Sebērianou tou episkopou pollē tis hēn mikropsychia, 7.9 men Sarapiōnos anticheimenou tǭ Sebērianǭ, dia to ethelein auton en tais dialexesi pareudochimein tou Iōannou" tou de Sebērianou zēlountos ton Sarapiōna, dia to proscheistha: autǭ Iōannēn ton episkopon, pasan tēn phrontida encheiristhēnai tou epischopeiou, Houtō de pros allēlous echontōn, synebē tēn chachian tou misous epi pleion proelthein, ex aitias toiasde" Pote gar tou Sebērianou pariontos, tēn prosēkousan epitchopǭ timēn ho Sarapiōn ouch apeneimen alla kathēmenos dietelei, ē mē heōrakōs auton, hōs hysteron epi tou synedriou meth᾽ orchōn ededaiouto, ē mikra phrontisas hōs kata episkopou parousias, kathōs elege Sedērianos, ouch echō legein" ho Theos monos istō. Tote de Sebērianos ouch ēnenke tēn tou Sarapiōnos kataphronēsin, alla par᾽ auta pro koinēs diagnōseōs synedriou, meth" horkou chatachrinei ton Sarapiōna, kai ou monon tēs axias tou diakonou apochēryttei, alla kai tēs Ekklēsias hautēs. Mathōn tauta Iōannēs bareōs ēnenken. Tou de pragmatos metatauta zētoumenou epi synedriou, kai tou Sarapiōnos apologoumenou, pistoumenou to mē heōrakenai, alla martyras paragontos, to men koinon tōn synelēlythotōn episkopōn syneginōsche, kai parekalei ton Sethērianyn dexasthai apologoumenon ton Sarapiōna. Ho de episkopos Iōannēs, pros plērophorian Sedēr!ianou, aphorizei: ton Sarapiōna, hethdomada apostēsas tēs timēs tou diakonou en pasi tois pragmasi dexian cheira echōn auton, peri tas ekklēsiastikas apokriseis oxytaton spoudaion onta. Sebērianos de oud' houtōs epeitheto " alla pantoios egineto, peleiōs apochērychthēnai tēs diakonias ton Sarapiōna, tēs koinōnias. Lypētheis sphodra epi toutois Iōannēs, kai anastas apo tau synedriou, katelipe tois parousin episkopois ta tēs dikēs, eirēkōs pras autou:, To paristamenon hymin kataxiōsate autoi dialathontes, kai krinantes horisai" egō gar paraitoumai tēn metaxy autōn diagnōsin. Toutōn lechthentōn hypo Iōannou, kai anastantos autou, homoiōs to koinon tou synedriou anastan, katelipen houtō ta tēs dikēs, chatamemphomenoi mallōn Sedērianon, dia to mē eixai tois rhētheisi para tou episkopou Tou loipou de ouchet: eis syntychian ton Sedērianon Iōannēs edexato" all᾽ eis tēn patrida tēn autou ekdēmein auton parekeleueto, dēlōsas autǭ toiade: Oucheti chrēsimon. phēsi, ō Sedēriane, en totoutǭ chronǭ tēn empisteutheisan soi paroikian apronoēton kai ektos episkopou tynchanein. Dio speusas katalabe tas ekklēsias sou, kai mē amelei tou charismatos tou en soi. Ēdē de steilamenou autou epi tēn hodoiporian, gnousa tauta hē Augousta Eudoxia, memphetai men tǭ Iōannę̄, paraskeuazei de hę̄ tachos kaleisthai ton Sebērianon ek tēs en Bithynia Chalkēdonos; kai ho men hoson oudepō, parēn. Iōannēs de tēn pros auton philian exekline, kai oudenos parakalountos epeitheto; heōs hē basilissa Eudoxia, en tę̄ epōnymǭ tōn ᾿Apostolōn ek. klēsią ton huion Theodosion touton ton neon, tote koi midę̄ nēpion onta, eis ta gonata tou Iōannou embalousa, kai horkous kat᾿ autou pollous kathorkōsasa, molis tēn pros Sebērianon epeise philian aspasasthai. Touton men oun ton tropon, kai ta hexēs.
Not long after John's death the emperor Arcadius died, a gentle and quiet man, who toward the end of his life gained a reputation for being dear to God for the following reason. In Constantinople there is a very large house named Karya, for in the court of the house there is a walnut tree on which the martyr Acacius is said to have been hanged and to have been perfected; for this reason a small house of prayer was also built beside the tree. The emperor Arcadius, wishing to visit it, went there, prayed, and then went away. All who lived around the house of prayer ran together to see the emperor. Some, getting outside the house, were eager to get first to the passages from which they thought they would see the emperor's face and his guard more clearly; others followed, until all, with women and children, were outside the house. Immediately after this the very large house surrounding the house of prayer fell down entirely. Then a shout with wonder followed, that the emperor's prayer had saved so many from destruction. This happened so. Leaving his son Theodosius, who was eight years old, he died in the consulship of Bassus and Philip, on the first of May. This was the second year of the two hundred and ninety-seventh Olympiad. He had reigned with his father Theodosius thirteen years, and after his father's death fourteen years, having lived thirty-one years. The book covers a period of twelve years and six months.
[In other copies the following is found, not as something missing but as a different wording. We have thought it good to set it down, and for this reason we have added it here:]
When, meanwhile, the bishop of Ephesus happened to die, John had to go to Ephesus to ordain a bishop. When he was there, and different people were eager to put forward different men, he himself put forward for the bishopric one Heraclides, a deacon of his own, a Cypriot by birth. When a riot arose over this in Ephesus, on the ground that Heraclides was unworthy of the bishopric, John had to stay some time in Ephesus. While he lingered there, Severian became more beloved by his hearers in Constantinople. This did not escape John's notice, for what was happening was quickly reported to him by Serapion, who was much loved by John and had been entrusted with the whole care of the bishop's house because of his piety, his faithfulness in all things, his soberness in everything, and his zeal in serving the bishop. Not long after, John came to Constantinople, and he again exercised the proper care of the churches. Between Serapion the deacon and Severian the bishop there was much pettiness, Serapion opposing Severian because he wished to win more esteem than John in his discourses, and Severian jealous of Serapion because John the bishop was attached to him and had entrusted him with the whole care of the bishop's house. While they were so disposed toward each other, the malice of their hatred happened to go further, for the following reason. Once, when Severian passed by, Serapion did not give him the honour due to a bishop but remained seated; whether because he had not seen him, as he afterwards affirmed with oaths before the council, or because he cared little for the presence of a bishop, as Severian said, I cannot say: God alone knows. Then Severian would not bear Serapion's contempt, but at once, before a general examination by a council, condemned Serapion with an oath and proscribed him not only from the rank of deacon but from the church itself. John took this hard. When the matter was later examined before a council, and Serapion defended himself, affirming that he had not seen him and bringing witnesses, the body of bishops assembled forgave him and urged Severian to accept Serapion's defence. But John the bishop, to satisfy Severian, suspended Serapion, removing him for a week from the honour of deacon, though he held him as his right hand in all affairs, a man very sharp and diligent in church business. But not even so was Severian persuaded; he did everything to have Serapion entirely proscribed from the diaconate and from communion. John, greatly grieved at this, rose from the council and left the judgment to the bishops present, saying to them: 'Deign yourselves to examine what is before you, judge and decide; for I decline to judge between them.' When John had said this and risen, the whole council likewise rose and so left the judgment, blaming Severian rather for not yielding to what the bishop had said. From then on John no longer received Severian to meet him, but urged him to depart for his own country, sending him this message: 'It is no longer useful, Severian, that the diocese entrusted to you should be so long without care and without a bishop. So make haste and return to your churches, and do not neglect the gift that is in you.' When he had already set out on the journey, the Augusta Eudoxia, learning this, blamed John and had Severian quickly recalled from Chalcedon in Bithynia; and he was there almost at once. But John refused friendship with him and would not be persuaded by anyone who urged it, until the empress Eudoxia, in the church named after the Apostles, put her son Theodosius, this young emperor, then a very small infant, on John's knees, and, adjuring him with many oaths, barely persuaded him to embrace friendship with Severian. In this way, and so on.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
1 Tim 4:14 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Arcadius's prayer at the martyr-shrine of Acacius saves a crowd from a collapsing house, and he dies in 408; an alternative version of the quarrel of Severian and Serapion from other manuscripts is appended.
- The consulship of Bassus and Philip is 408.
- The appended passage is an alternative form of 6.11 found in other manuscripts, printed by Valesius at the end of Book 6; it is translated as printed. 'Do not neglect the gift that is in you' quotes 1 Tim 4:14.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray letter): Φιλίππου ο, → Φιλίππου,.
Topics: Prayer, Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.23 (PG 67:729–735; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-23). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-23
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
Chapter 7
7.1PG 67:739–741
Τοῦ δὴ βασιλέως ᾿Αρκαδίου τελευτήσαντος τῇ σοφίας, καὶ κατὰ τὴν πολιτικὴν φρόνησιν τῷ πρώτῃ τοῦ Μαΐου μηνὸς, ἐν ὑπατείᾳ Βάσσου καὶ Φιλίππου, Ονώριος μὲν ὁ αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὸς τὰ ἑσπέρια. διεῖπε μέρη· ὑπὸ δὲ τῷ υἱῷ τῷ νέῳ Θεοδοσίῳ ὀκταετεῖ τυγχάνοντι τὰ τῆς ἑῴας ἑτάττετο, ᾿Ανθεμίου τοῦ ὑπάρχου τὴν διοίκησιν ποιουμένου τῶν ὅλων. ὡς ἔγγονος μὲν ἦν Φιλίππου τοῦ Παῦλον τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἐπὶ Κωνσταντίου ἐκβαλόντος τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἀντεισαγαγόντος δὲ Μακεδόνιον. Οὗτος τὰ μεγάλα τείχη τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πόλει περιεβάλετο. Φρονιμώτατος δὲ τῶν τότε ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐδόκει καὶ ἦν, καὶ ἀβούλως ἔπραττεν οὐδέν · ἀλλὰ ἀνεκοινοῦτο πολλοῖς τῶν γνωρίμων περὶ τῶν πρακτέων, μάλιστα δὲ Τρωΐλῳ τῷ Σοφιστῇ ὃς μετὰ τῆς οὔσης αὐτῷ ᾿Ανθεμίῳ ἐφάμιλλος ἦν· διὸ σχεδὸν πάντα τῇ συμβουλῇ Τρωΐλου ἐπράττετο.
Tou dē basileōs ᾿Arkadiou teleutēsantos tę̄ sophias, kai kata tēn politikēn phronēsin tǭ prōtę̄ tou Maïou mēnos, en hypateią Bassou kai Philippou, Onōrios men ho autou adelphos ta hesperia. dieipe merē; hypo de tǭ huiǭ tǭ neǭ Theodosiǭ oktaetei tynchanonti ta tēs heǭas hetatteto, ᾿Anthemiou tou hyparchou tēn dioikēsin poioumenou tōn holōn. hōs engonos men ēn Philippou tou Paulon ton episkopon epi Kōnstantiou ekbalontos tēs ekklēsias, anteisagagontos de Makedonion. Houtos ta megala teichē tę̄ Kōnstantinou polei periebaleto. Phronimōtatos de tōn tote anthrōpōn kai edokei kai ēn, kai aboulōs epratten ouden ; alla anekoinouto pollois tōn gnōrimōn peri tōn prakteōn, malista de Trōïlǭ tǭ Sophistę̄ hos meta tēs ousēs autǭ ᾿Anthemiǭ ephamillos ēn; dio schedon panta tę̄ symboulę̄ Trōïlou epratteto.
When the emperor Arcadius had died on the first of May, in the consulship of Bassus and Philip, his brother Honorius governed the western parts, while the East was ranged under his son, the young Theodosius, who was eight years old, Anthemius the prefect having the administration of the whole. He was the grandson of the Philip who under Constantius expelled Paul the bishop from the church and brought in Macedonius in his place. He surrounded Constantinople with the great walls. He both seemed and was the most prudent man of his time, and did nothing without counsel, but consulted many of his acquaintances about what was to be done, and above all Troilus the sophist, who, with the wisdom he had, was Anthemius's rival in political prudence too; and so almost everything was done on Troilus's advice.
Notes and citation
Summary: After Arcadius's death the young Theodosius II reigns in the East under the regency of the prefect Anthemius, who builds the great walls of Constantinople and relies on the sophist Troilus.
- In the scan text the words 'wisdom, and in political prudence' have been displaced into the first sentence; they are translated in the sentence about Troilus, where they belong.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray footnote numeral): ποιουμένου 4 τῶν → ποιουμένου τῶν.
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 7.1 (PG 67:739–741; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-1
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
7.2PG 67:741
Τοῦ τοίνυν βασιλέως ὄγδοον ἔτος ἄγοντος, τρίτον ἔτος εἶχεν Αττικὸς τοῦτο ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πόλει διαπρέπων· ἀνὴρ, ὡς φθάσαντες εἴπομεν, μετὰ τοῦ πολὺ πεπαιδεῦσθαι, εὐλαβής τε καὶ φρόνιμος. Διὸ καὶ τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἐπὶ αὐτοῦ συνέβη εἰς μέγα ἐπιδοῦναι. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τοὺς οἰκείους τῆς πίστεως συνεκρότει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς αἱρεσιώτας τῇ φρονήσει κατέπληττε· καὶ σκύλλειν αὐτοὺς οὐδαμῶς ἡρεῖτο, φοβεῖν δὲ ἐπιχειρῶν, αὖθις αὐτοῖς πρᾶον ἑαυτὸν ἐπεδείκνυεν. ᾿Αλλὰ μὴν οὔτε λόγων ἠμέλει. Ἐπόνει γὰρ περὶ τὰ τῶν παλαιῶν ἀναγνώσματα, διανυκτερεύων ἐν αὐτοῖς · διὸ καὶ οὐκ ἐξενοφωνεῖτο παρὰ τῶν φιλοσόφων ἢ σοφιστῶν. Ἦν δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι χαρίεις τε καὶ ἐπαγωγός· καὶ τοῖς λυπουμένοις συνεστύγναζε. Καὶ ἁπλῶς, κατὰ τὸν ᾿Απόστολον, τοῖς πᾶσι τὰ πάντα ἐγίνετο. Καὶ πρότερον μὲν ἡνίκα ἐν τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ ἐτάττετο, ἐκμαθὼν οὓς καὶ ἐπόνει λόγους, ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας ἐδίδασκε. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα σὺν τῇ φιλοπονίᾳ καὶ παῤῥησίαν κτησάμενος, ἐξ αὐτοσχεδίου καὶ πανηγυρικωτέραν τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἐποιεῖτο. Οὐ μὴν τοιοῦτοι ἦσαν οἱ λόγοι, ὡς καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀκροατῶν σπουδάζεσθαι, ἢ γραφῇ παραδίδοσθαι. Περὶ μὲν ἤθους αὐτοῦ καὶ τρόπου καὶ παιδεύσεως ἀποχρώντως εἰρήσθω. Ὅσα μέντοι μνήμης ἄξια ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ χρόνων ἐγένετο, διηγήσομαι.
Tou toinyn basileōs ogdoon etos agontos, triton etos eichen Attikos touto en tę̄ Kōnstantinou polei diaprepōn; anēr, hōs phthasantes eipomen, meta tou poly pepaideusthai, eulabēs te kai phronimos. Dio kai tas ekklēsias epi autou synebē eis mega epidounai. Ou gar monon tous oikeious tēs pisteōs synekrotei, alla kai tous hairesiōtas tę̄ phronēsei kateplētte; kai skyllein autous oudamōs hēreito, phobein de epicheirōn, authis autois praon heauton epedeiknyen. ᾿Alla mēn oute logōn ēmelei. Eponei gar peri ta tōn palaiōn anagnōsmata, dianyktereuōn en autois ; dio kai ouk exenophōneito para tōn philosophōn ē sophistōn. Ēn de kai tois entynchanousi charieis te kai epagōgos; kai tois lypoumenois synestygnaze. Kai haplōs, kata ton ᾿Apostolon, tois pasi ta panta egineto. Kai proteron men hēnika en tǭ presbyteriǭ etatteto, ekmathōn hous kai eponei logous, ep' ekklēsias edidaske. Meta de tauta syn tę̄ philoponią kai parrhēsian ktēsamenos, ex autoschediou kai panēgyrikōteran tēn didaskalian epoieito. Ou mēn toioutoi ēsan hoi logoi, hōs kai para tōn akroatōn spoudazesthai, ē graphę̄ paradidosthai. Peri men ēthous autou kai tropou kai paideuseōs apochrōntōs eirēsthō. Hosa mentoi mnēmēs axia epi tōn autou chronōn egeneto, diēgēsomai.
When the emperor was in his eighth year, Atticus was in his third year of distinction in Constantinople, a man, as we said before, who with much learning was also devout and prudent. So it came about that the churches grew greatly under him. For he not only strengthened those of his own faith, but also astonished the heretics by his prudence; he would by no means harass them, but after attempting to frighten them he showed himself gentle toward them again. Nor did he neglect learning: he laboured over the writings of the ancients, spending whole nights on them, so that he was not put out of countenance by the philosophers or sophists. He was gracious and attractive to those who met him, and sympathized with those in grief; in short, as the Apostle says, he became all things to all. Earlier, when he was ranked in the presbyterate, he used to learn by heart the discourses he composed and deliver them in church; but afterwards, having gained confidence along with his diligence, he taught extempore and in a more festive style. Yet his discourses were not such as to be sought after by his hearers or handed down in writing. Let this be enough about his character, manner and learning. I shall now relate what happened worth remembering in his times.
1 Cor 9:22 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Socrates describes Atticus, bishop of Constantinople: learned, prudent, gentle toward heretics, a diligent but unremarkable preacher.
- 'All things to all' is 1 Cor 9:22.
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 7.2 (PG 67:741; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-2
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
7.3PG 67:741–743
Ἐν Συνάδῳ πόλει τῆς Πακατιανῆς Φρυγίας Θεοδόσιός τις ἐπίσκοπος ἦν, ὃς τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ αἱρετικοὺς, πολλοὶ δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ ὄντες ἐτύγχανον τῆς Μακεδονιανῶν θρησκείας, συντόνως ἐδίωκεν · ἐξελαύνων αὐτοὺς οὐ μόνον τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ τῶν ἀγρῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐποίει, οὐκ εἰωθὸς διώκειν τῇ ὀρθοδόξῳ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, οὔτε μὴν ζήλῳ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως · ἀλλὰ φιλαργυρίας πάθει δουλεύων, ἐκ τῶν αἱρετικῶν χρήματα συλλέγειν ἐσπούδαζεν. Διὸ πάντα ἐκίνει κατὰ τῶν τὰ Μακεδονίου φρονούντων, τὰς χεῖρας ἐξοπλί ζων τῶν ὑφ᾽ αὑτῷ κληρικῶν, καὶ μυρίαις κατ᾿ αὐτῶν χρώμενος μηχαναῖς, οὐδὲ τοῦ δικαστηρίοις αὐτοὺς προσδεσμεῖν ἀπήλλακτο. Μάλιστα δὲ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον αὐτῶν, ᾧ ὄνομα ἦν ᾿Αγαπητὸς, διαφόρως ἑτάραττεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οἱ τῆς ἐπαρχίας ἄρχοντες οὐδαμῶς ἐξαρκεῖν αὐτῷ πρὸς τιμωρίαν ἐδόκουν, ἀναδραμὼν ἐπὶ τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν, ἐπαρχικῶν προσταγμάτων ἐδέετο. Ἐν ὅσῳ οὖν ὁ Θεοδόσιος ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πόλει διὰ ταῦτα παρεῖλκεν, ὁ ᾿Αγαπητὸς ὂν προεστάναι τῆς Μακεδονίου θρησκείας ἔφην, ἐπὶ ἀγαθὴν ἦλθεν ἀπόνοιαν. Βουλευσάμενος γὰρ ἅμα τῷ αὐτοῦ κλήρῳ παντὶ, καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν ὑφ᾽ αὐτῷ λαὸν, πείθει τὴν τοῦ ὁμοουσίου πίστιν προσδέξασθαι. Καὶ τοῦτο καταστήσας, εὐθὺς ὡς εἶχε σὺν πλήθει πολλῷ, μᾶλλον δὲ σὺν παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ὥρμησεν. Εὐχήν τε ἐπιτελέσας, καταλαμβάνει τὸν θρόνον ἐν ᾧ εἰώθει ὁ Θεοδόσιος προκαθέζεσθαι. Ἑνώσας δὲ τὸν λαὸν, καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ τὴν τοῦ ὁμοουσίου πίστιν διδάσκων, τῶν ὑπὸ Σύναδα ἐκκλησιῶν ἐγκρατὴς ἐγένετο. Τούτων οὕτω γενομένων, ἐφίσταται μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ Θεοδόσιος, τὴν ἐπαρχικὴν βοήθειαν ἐπαγόμενος· οὐδέν τε τῶν γενομένων εἰδὼς, ὡς εἶχεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐχώρει· ἐξελαθεὶς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῆς παρὰ πάντων ὁμοῦ, αὖθις ἐπὶ τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν πάλιν ἐπορεύετο. Γενόμενός τε ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Αττικοῦ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀπωδύρετο, ὡς παραλόγως εἴη τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἐκβληθείς. ᾿Αττικὸς δὲ γνοὺς πρᾶγμα λυσιτελῶς ἀποβὰν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, τὸν μὲν Θεοδόσιον λόγῳ παρεμυθήσατο, πείσας ἀνεξικάκως τὸν ἡσύχιον βίον ἀσπάζεσθαι, προκρίνειν τε τὰ κοινὰ τῶν ἰδίων διδάξας· γράφει τε τῷ ᾿Αγαπητῷ, ἔχεσθαι τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς, μηδὲν ἐκ τῆς Θεοδοσίου λύπης ἀνιαρὸν ὑφορώμενον.
En Synadǭ polei tēs Pakatianēs Phrygias Theodosios tis episkopos ēn, hos tous en autę̄ hairetikous, polloi de en autę̄ ontes etynchanon tēs Makedonianōn thrēskeias, syntonōs ediōken ; exelaunōn autous ou monon tēs poleōs, alla dē kai tōn agrōn. Kai touto epoiei, ouk eiōthos diōkein tę̄ orthodoxǭ Ekklēsią, oute mēn zēlǭ tēs orthēs pisteōs ; alla philargyrias pathei douleuōn, ek tōn hairetikōn chrēmata syllegein espoudazen. Dio panta ekinei kata tōn ta Makedoniou phronountōn, tas cheiras exopli zōn tōn hyph᾽ hautǭ klērikōn, kai myriais kat᾿ autōn chrōmenos mēchanais, oude tou dikastēriois autous prosdesmein apēllakto. Malista de ton episkopon autōn, hǭ onoma ēn ᾿Agapētos, diaphorōs hetaratten. Epeidē de hoi tēs eparchias archontes oudamōs exarkein autǭ pros timōrian edokoun, anadramōn epi tēn Kōnstantinoupolin, eparchikōn prostagmatōn edeeto. En hosǭ oun ho Theodosios en tę̄ Kōnstantinou polei dia tauta pareilken, ho ᾿Agapētos on proestanai tēs Makedoniou thrēskeias ephēn, epi agathēn ēlthen aponoian. Bouleusamenos gar hama tǭ autou klērǭ panti, kai proskalesamenos ton hyph᾽ autǭ laon, peithei tēn tou homoousiou pistin prosdexasthai. Kai touto katastēsas, euthys hōs eiche syn plēthei pollǭ, mallon de syn panti tǭ laǭ, epi tēn ekklēsian hōrmēsen. Euchēn te epitelesas, katalambanei ton thronon en hǭ eiōthei ho Theodosios prokathezesthai. Henōsas de ton laon, kai tou loipou tēn tou homoousiou pistin didaskōn, tōn hypo Synada ekklēsiōn enkratēs egeneto. Toutōn houtō genomenōn, ephistatai met᾿ ou poly Theodosios, tēn eparchikēn boētheian epagomenos; ouden te tōn genomenōn eidōs, hōs eichen epi tēn ekklēsian echōrei; exelatheis de ex autēs para pantōn homou, authis epi tēn Kōnstantinoupolin palin eporeueto. Genomenos te en autę̄, epi tou episkopou Attikou ta kath' heauton apōdyreto, hōs paralogōs eiē tēs episkopēs ekblētheis. ᾿Attikos de gnous pragma lysitelōs apoban tę̄ Ekklēsią, ton men Theodosion logǭ paremythēsato, peisas anexikakōs ton hēsychion bion aspazesthai, prokrinein te ta koina tōn idiōn didaxas; graphei te tǭ ᾿Agapētǭ, echesthai tēs episkopēs, mēden ek tēs Theodosiou lypēs aniaron hyphorōmenon.
In Synnada, a city of Phrygia Pacatiana, there was a bishop named Theodosius, who vigorously persecuted the heretics in the city, many of whom there were of the Macedonian religion, driving them out not only from the city but also from the countryside. He did this not because the orthodox church is accustomed to persecute, nor out of zeal for the right faith, but being a slave to the passion of avarice, he was eager to collect money from the heretics. So he moved everything against those who held the opinions of Macedonius, arming the hands of the clergy under him and using countless devices against them; nor did he refrain from binding them over to the courts. Above all he harassed their bishop, whose name was Agapetus, in various ways. When the governors of the province seemed by no means sufficient for his purpose of punishment, he hastened to Constantinople and sought orders from the prefects. While Theodosius was lingering in Constantinople for this, Agapetus, whom I said presided over the Macedonian religion, came to a good resolution. Taking counsel with all his clergy and calling together the people under him, he persuaded them to accept the faith of the 'same essence'. Having settled this, at once, just as he was, with a great crowd, or rather with all the people, he went to the church; and having offered prayer, he took possession of the throne on which Theodosius used to preside. Having united the people, and teaching from then on the faith of the 'same essence', he became master of the churches under Synnada. When this had happened so, not long after Theodosius arrived, bringing the prefect's help; and knowing nothing of what had happened, he went straight to the church. Driven out of it by all together, he went back again to Constantinople, and there he lamented his case before the bishop Atticus, saying that he had been unreasonably expelled from his bishopric. Atticus, recognizing that the matter had turned out to the advantage of the church, consoled Theodosius with words, persuading him to embrace the quiet life patiently and teaching him to prefer the common good to his own; and he wrote to Agapetus to keep the bishopric, fearing nothing unpleasant from Theodosius's grievance.
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodosius of Synnada persecutes the Macedonians out of greed; their bishop Agapetus leads his people into the Nicene faith and takes over the see, which Atticus confirms.
- Socrates expressly says that the orthodox church is not accustomed to persecute; he condemns Theodosius's conduct.
Topics: Heresy, Persecution, Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 7.3 (PG 67:741–743; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-3
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
7.4PG 67:745
Ἓν μὲν οὖν τοῦτο χρηστὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ᾿Αττικοῦ χρό νων τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ὑπῆρξεν. Οὔτε δὲ θαυμάτων, ἢ ἰαμάτων, ἡ τῶν χρόνων τούτων κατάστασις ἅμοιρος ἦν. Ἰουδαῖος γάρ τις παραλυτικὸς ὧν ἐκ πολλῶν ἐτῶν, ἐπὶ κλίνης κατέκειτο, καὶ πάσης ἰατρικῆς εἰς αὐτὸν γυμνασθείσης, καὶ πάσης Ἰουδαϊκῆς εὐχῆς οὐδὲν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ δυνηθείσης, τέλος προστρέχει τῷ χριστιανικῷ βαπτίσματι, τούτῳ μόνῳ ἀληθινῷ ἰατρῷ χρήσασθαι πιστεύσας. Τοῦτο καταφανὲς τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ Αττικῷ ταχέως ἐγίνετο. Κατηχήσας οὖν αὐτὸν, καὶ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν ἐλπίδα εὐαγγελισάμενος, κομισθῆναι σὺν τῇ κλίνῃ κελεύει ἐπὶ τὸ φωτιστήριον. Ὁ δὲ παραλυτικὸς Ἰουδαῖος εἰλικρινεῖ πίστει τὸ βάπτισμα δεξάμενος, ἀπὸ τῆς κολυμβήθρας τοῦ βαπτιστηρίου ἀναληφθεὶς, εὐθὺς ἀπήλλακτο τοῦ νοσήματος, καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐν τοῖς ὑγιαίνουσιν ἦν. Ταύτην τὴν θεραπείαν ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμις καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις καιροῖς δεῖξαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἠθέλησε· δι᾽ ἣν Ἕλληνες μὲν πολλοὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐβαπτίσθησαν· Ἰουδαίους δὲ καίπερ σημεία ζητοῦντας, οὐδὲ τὰ γινόμενα σημεία προσηγάγετο. Τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπῆρχε χρηστά.
Hen men oun touto chrēston epi tōn ᾿Attikou chro nōn tę̄ Ekklēsią hypērxen. Oute de thaumatōn, ē iamatōn, hē tōn chronōn toutōn katastasis hamoiros ēn. Ioudaios gar tis paralytikos hōn ek pollōn etōn, epi klinēs katekeito, kai pasēs iatrikēs eis auton gymnastheisēs, kai pasēs Ioudaïkēs euchēs ouden ep᾿ autǭ dynētheisēs, telos prostrechei tǭ christianikǭ baptismati, toutǭ monǭ alēthinǭ iatrǭ chrēsasthai pisteusas. Touto kataphanes tǭ episkopǭ Attikǭ tacheōs egineto. Katēchēsas oun auton, kai tēn eis Christon elpida euangelisamenos, komisthēnai syn tę̄ klinę̄ keleuei epi to phōtistērion. Ho de paralytikos Ioudaios eilikrinei pistei to baptisma dexamenos, apo tēs kolymbēthras tou baptistēriou analēphtheis, euthys apēllakto tou nosēmatos, kai tou loipou en tois hygiainousin ēn. Tautēn tēn therapeian hē tou Christou dynamis kai epi tois hēmeterois kairois deixai tois anthrōpois ēthelēse; di᾽ hēn Hellēnes men polloi pisteusantes ebaptisthēsan; Ioudaious de kaiper sēmeia zētountas, oude ta ginomena sēmeia prosēgageto. Toiauta men oun para tou Christou tois anthrōpois hypērche chrēsta.
This, then, was one good thing that happened to the church in the times of Atticus. Nor was the state of these times without its share of miracles and healings. A certain Jew, who had been paralysed for many years, lay on a bed; and when every medical skill had been tried on him and every Jewish prayer had been able to do nothing for him, he at last ran to Christian baptism, believing that this alone was the true physician. This quickly became known to the bishop Atticus. So he instructed him, preached to him the hope in Christ, and ordered him to be carried on his bed to the place of illumination. The paralysed Jew, receiving baptism with sincere faith, was taken up from the font of the baptistery at once freed from his disease, and from then on was among the healthy. The power of Christ willed to show people this healing in our times too; because of it many pagans believed and were baptized; but the Jews, though seeking signs, were not won over even by the signs that happened. Such good things were given to people by Christ.
1 Cor 1:22 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: A paralysed Jew is healed on being baptized by Atticus; many pagans are converted, but not the Jews.
- 'The Jews seek signs' echoes 1 Cor 1:22. Socrates' remark on the Jews is his own and is translated as written.
- 'Place of illumination' (phōtistērion) is a term for the baptistery.
Topics: Baptism
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 7.4 (PG 67:745; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-4). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-4
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-socrates-historia-7-4) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
7.5PG 67:745–747
Πολλοὶ δὲ παρ᾽ οὐδὲν ταῦτα τιθέμενοι, τῇ αὐτῶν μοχθηρίᾳ ἐσχόλαζον. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον Ἰουδαῖοι τοῖς γινομένοις τεραστίοις ἠπίστουν, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ οἱ φιλοῦντες ἐκείνοις ἀκολουθεῖν, ἐφάμιλλα αὐτοῖς φρονοῦντες ἠλέγχθησαν. Σαββάτιος μὲν οὖν, οὗ μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν ἐμνήσθημεν, μὴ βουλόμενος ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ τάγματι τοῦ πρεσβυτερείου μένειν, ἐπισκοπεῖν δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς σπεύδων, ὑπὸ τοὺς αὐτοὺς χρόνους τῆς Ναυατιανῶν Ἐκκλησίας ἀνεχώρησε, πρόφασιν τὴν παρατήρησιν τοῦ Ἰουδαϊκοῦ Πάσχα ποιούμενος. Παρασυνἀγων οὖν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ἑαυτοῦ Σισιννίῳ ἐν τόπῳ τῆς πόλεως, ᾧ προσωνυμία Ξηρόλοφος, ἐν ᾧ νῦν ἡ ἀγορὰ ᾿Αρκαδίου ὀνομάζεται, πρᾶγμα ἐτόλμησε πολλῶν κινδύνων ἄξιον. Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ γὰρ συνάξεως, τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου περιοχὴν ἀναγινώσκων ἐν ᾧ λέλεκται, ὅτι ὧν δὲ ἡ ἑορτὴ ἡ λεγομένη τῶν Ἰουδαίων Πάσχα, προστίθησι τὰ μηδαμῶς μήτε γεγραμμένα, μήτε ἀκουσθέντα ποτέ · ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα· Ἐπικατάρατος, φησὶν, ὁ ἔξω ἀζύμων τὸ Πάσχα ποιήσας. Τοῦτο ἀκουσθὲν, διεδόθη εἰς τοὺς πολλούς. Καὶ συναρπασθέντες οἱ ἀκέραιοι τῶν παρὰ Ναυατιανοῖς λαϊκῶν, πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐχώρουν. Οὐ μὴν ἀπώνατο τοῦ σοφίσματος. Εἰς κακὸν γὰρ τέλος αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς πλαστογραφίας κατέστρεψε. Μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ γὰρ τὴν ἐκ προλήψεως ἑορτὴν ἐπετέλει· καὶ συνέῤῥεον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐξ ἔθους πολλοί · καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἔθους παννυχίδα ποιούντων, θόρυβός τις δαιμόνιος ἐνέπεσεν εἰς αὐτοὺς, ὡς ἄρα Σισίννιος ὁ αὐτῶν ἐπίσκοπος σὺν πολλῷ πλήθει ἔρχεται κατ᾿ αὐτῶν. Καὶ ταραχῆς γενομένης, οἷα εἰκὸς, ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ στενῷ τόπῳ ἀποληφθέντες, ἑαυτοὺς συνέτριψαν · ὡς ἀπολέσθαι ἐξ αὐτῶν νον, πολλοὺς τοῦ Σαββατίου ἀπέστησε. Τινὲς δὲ αὐτῷ παρέμειναν, τῇ ἀγροικικῇ προλήψει κρατούμενοι. ᾿Αλλὰ Σαββάτιος μὲν, ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπίορκον παρῆλθεν ἐπισκοπὴν, μικρὸν ὕστερον λέξομεν. • ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα ἀνθρώπους. Τοῦτο γενόμε-
Polloi de par᾽ ouden tauta tithemenoi, tę̄ autōn mochthērią escholazon. Ou gar monon Ioudaioi tois ginomenois terastiois ēpistoun, alla dē kai hoi philountes ekeinois akolouthein, ephamilla autois phronountes ēlenchthēsan. Sabbatios men oun, hou mikron emprosthen emnēsthēmen, mē boulomenos en tǭ oikeiǭ tagmati tou presbytereiou menein, episkopein de ex archēs speudōn, hypo tous autous chronous tēs Nauatianōn Ekklēsias anechōrēse, prophasin tēn paratērēsin tou Ioudaïkou Pascha poioumenos. Parasynagōn oun tǭ episkopǭ heautou Sisinniǭ en topǭ tēs poleōs, hǭ prosōnymia Xērolophos, en hǭ nyn hē agora ᾿Arkadiou onomazetai, pragma etolmēse pollōn kindynōn axion. En hēmerą gar synaxeōs, tou Euangeliou periochēn anaginōskōn en hǭ lelektai, hoti hōn de hē heortē hē legomenē tōn Ioudaiōn Pascha, prostithēsi ta mēdamōs mēte gegrammena, mēte akousthenta pote ; esti de tauta; Epikataratos, phēsin, ho exō azymōn to Pascha poiēsas. Touto akousthen, diedothē eis tous pollous. Kai synarpasthentes hoi akeraioi tōn para Nauatianois laïkōn, pros auton echōroun. Ou mēn apōnato tou sophismatos. Eis kakon gar telos autǭ ta tēs plastographias katestrepse. Met᾿ ou poly gar tēn ek prolēpseōs heortēn epetelei; kai synerrheon pros auton ex ethous polloi ; kai tēn ex ethous pannychida poiountōn, thorybos tis daimonios enepesen eis autous, hōs ara Sisinnios ho autōn episkopos syn pollǭ plēthei erchetai kat᾿ autōn. Kai tarachēs genomenēs, hoia eikos, en nykti kai stenǭ topǭ apolēphthentes, heautous synetripsan ; hōs apolesthai ex autōn non, pollous tou Sabbatiou apestēse. Tines de autǭ paremeinan, tę̄ agroikikę̄ prolēpsei kratoumenoi. ᾿Alla Sabbatios men, hōs epi tēn epiorkon parēlthen episkopēn, mikron hysteron lexomen. • hyper tous hebdomēkonta anthrōpous. Touto genome-
But many, counting these things as nothing, gave themselves to their own wickedness. For not only did the Jews disbelieve the wonders that happened, but those too who love to follow them were shown to think as they do. Sabbatius, whom we mentioned a little before, unwilling to remain in his own rank of the presbyterate and from the beginning eager to be a bishop, about this time withdrew from the Novatian church, making the observance of the Jewish Passover his pretext. Holding assemblies in opposition to his own bishop Sisinnius in a place in the city called Xerolophus, where the Forum of Arcadius is now so named, he dared a deed deserving many dangers. On a day of assembly, reading the passage of the Gospel in which it is said, 'Now the feast of the Jews called Passover was near', he added words that were never written nor ever heard; they are these: 'Accursed is he who keeps the Passover outside the days of unleavened bread.' When this was heard it spread to many, and the guileless among the Novatian laity were carried away and went over to him. But he did not profit by the sophism; for the forgery turned out to a bad end for him. Not long after, he was celebrating the feast according to his prejudice, and many flocked to him as usual; and while they were keeping the usual all-night vigil, a panic sent by a demon fell on them, as if Sisinnius their bishop were coming against them with a great crowd. A tumult arose, as one would expect; caught at night in a narrow place, they trampled one another, so that more than seventy people of them perished. When this had happened, it turned many away from Sabbatius; but some remained with him, held by their rustic prejudice. How Sabbatius came to his perjured episcopate we shall tell a little later.
John 6:4 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 22:1 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Sabbatius splits from the Novatian bishop Sisinnius over the Jewish date of Easter, forges a Gospel curse in its support, and a panic at his vigil kills more than seventy people.
- The Gospel words read are from John 6:4 (cf. Luke 22:1); the added 'curse' is Sabbatius's forgery, as Socrates says.
- In the scan text the words 'more than seventy people. When this had happened' stand at the end of the chapter; they are translated in their place.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (page number inside a word): σοφίσμα351 τος → σοφίσματος.
Topics: Heresy
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 7.5 (PG 67:745–747; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-5). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-5
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-socrates-historia-7-5) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
7.6PG 67:747–749
Δωρόθεος δὲ, ὁ τῆς ᾿Αρειανῆς προεστὼς θρησκείας, ὃν ἐκ τῆς ᾿Αντιοχείας ἐπὶ τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν μετενηνέχθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Αρειανῶν ὡς ἀνωτέρω τ ἐμνημονεύσαμεν, ἑκατὸν πρὸς τοῖς δεκαεννέα ἐπιβιοὺς ἔτη, ἐτελεύτησεν ἐν ὑπατείᾳ Ονωρίου τὸ ἔβδομον καὶ Θεοδοσίου Αὐγούστου τὸ δεύτερον, τῇ ἔκτῃ τοῦ Νοεμβρίου μηνός. Μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον τῆς ᾿Αρειανῆς θρησκείας προέστη Βάρβας. Ἐπὶ τούτου δὴ τοῦ Βάρδα, δύο ἀνδρῶν ἐλλογίμων ἡ τῶν ᾿Αρειανῶν θρησκεία ηὐτύχησε, τὴν ἀξίαν τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ἐχόντων. Τιμόθεος θατέρῳ ὄνομα· τῷ δὲ ἑτέρῳ Γεώργιος. Ἀλλὰ Γεώργιος μὲν μᾶλλον τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν κατωρθώκει παίδευσιν· Τιμόθεος δὲ πάλιν τὰ ἱερὰ ἡσκεῖτο γράμματα. Καὶ μὴν καὶ τὰ ᾿Αριστοτέλους καὶ Πλάτωνος ἀεὶ μετὰ χεῖρας εἶχεν ὁ Γεώργιος · Τιμόθεος δὲ τὸν Ωριγένην ἀνέπνεεν· καὶ δημοσίᾳ τὰ ἱερὰ ἑρμηνεύων γράμματα, οὐδὲ τῆς Ἑβραίων γλώσσης ἄμοιρος ἦν. Καὶ Τιμόθεος μὲν ἤδη πρότερον, τῆς Ψαθυριανῶν • θρησκείας ἦν, Γεώργιος δὲ ὑπὸ κεχειροτόνητο. Δὐϊιοβογαι ἃ Τῷ δὴ Τιμοθέῳ καὶ αὐτὲς ἐντετύχηχα, καὶ ἔγνων ὅπως τοῖς ἐπερωτῶσιν ἕτοιμος ἣν ἀποχρίνεσθαι, διαλύων ὅσα ἀσαφῆ κατὰ τὰ θεῖα εὑρίσκοιτο λόγια. Πανταχοῦ τε τὸν Ὡριγένην ἐκάλει, ὡς ἀληθῆ μάρτυρα τῶν ὑπ᾽ αὐτῷ λεγομένων. Θαυμάσα! οὖν μοι ἔπεισι, πῶς οὗτοι οἱ ἄνδρες τῇ ᾿Αρειανῶν θρησκείᾳ παρέμειναν, ὧν ὁ μὲν τὸν Πλάτωνα ἀεὶ μετὰ χεῖρας εἶχεν. ὁ δὲ τὸν Ὡριγένην ἀνέπνεεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ Πλάτων τὸ δεύτερον καὶ τὸ τρίτον αἴτιον, ὡς αὐτὸς ὀνομάζειν εἴωθεν, ἀρχὴν ὑπάρξεως εἰληφέναι φησί. Καὶ Ὠριγένης συναΐδιον πανταχοῦ ὁμολογεῖ τὸν Υἱὸν τῷ Πατρί. Πλὴν εἰ καὶ τῇ ἑαυτῶν Ἐκκλησίᾳ παρέμειναν, ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως τὴν ᾿Αρειανὴν θρησκείαν λεληθότως ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖσσον μετέθεσαν. Πηλλὰς γὰρ τῶν τοῦ ᾿Αρείου βλασφημιῶν ταῖς οἰκείαις διδασκαλίαις ἐξέβαλλον. ᾿Αλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων τοιαῦτα εἰρήσθω. Οὐχ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ καὶ Σισιννίου τοῦ Νανατιανῶν ἐπισκόπου τελευτήσαντος ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ὑπατείᾳ, χειροτονεῖται Χρύσανθος, περὶ οὗ μιχρὺν ὕστερον λέξομεν.
Dōrotheos de, ho tēs ᾿Areianēs proestōs thrēskeias, hon ek tēs ᾿Antiocheias epi tēn Kōnstantinoupolin metenēnechthai hypo tōn ᾿Areianōn hōs anōterō t emnēmoneusamen, hekaton pros tois dekaennea epibious etē, eteleutēsen en hypateią Onōriou to ebdomon kai Theodosiou Augoustou to deuteron, tę̄ ektę̄ tou Noembriou mēnos. Meta de touton tēs ᾿Areianēs thrēskeias proestē Barbas. Epi toutou dē tou Barda, dyo andrōn ellogimōn hē tōn ᾿Areianōn thrēskeia ēutychēse, tēn axian tou presbyterou echontōn. Timotheos thaterǭ onoma; tǭ de heterǭ Geōrgios. Alla Geōrgios men mallon tēn Hellēnikēn katōrthōkei paideusin; Timotheos de palin ta hiera hēskeito grammata. Kai mēn kai ta ᾿Aristotelous kai Platōnos aei meta cheiras eichen ho Geōrgios ; Timotheos de ton Ōrigenēn anepneen; kai dēmosią ta hiera hermēneuōn grammata, oude tēs Hebraiōn glōssēs amoiros ēn. Kai Timotheos men ēdē proteron, tēs Psathyrianōn • thrēskeias ēn, Geōrgios de hypo kecheirotonēto. Dyïiobogai ha Tǭ dē Timotheǭ kai autes entetychēcha, kai egnōn hopōs tois eperōtōsin hetoimos hēn apochrinesthai, dialyōn hosa asaphē kata ta theia heuriskoito logia. Pantachou te ton Hōrigenēn ekalei, hōs alēthē martyra tōn hyp᾽ autǭ legomenōn. Thaumasa! oun moi epeisi, pōs houtoi hoi andres tę̄ ᾿Areianōn thrēskeią paremeinan, hōn ho men ton Platōna aei meta cheiras eichen. ho de ton Hōrigenēn anepneen. Oude gar Platōn to deuteron kai to triton aition, hōs autos onomazein eiōthen, archēn hyparxeōs eilēphenai phēsi. Kai Ōrigenēs synaïdion pantachou homologei ton Huion tǭ Patri. Plēn ei kai tę̄ heautōn Ekklēsią paremeinan, all᾽ homōs tēn ᾿Areianēn thrēskeian lelēthotōs epi to kreisson metethesan. Pēllas gar tōn tou ᾿Areiou blasphēmiōn tais oikeiais didaskaliais exeballon. ᾿Alla peri men toutōn toiauta eirēsthō. Ouch eis makran de kai Sisinniou tou Nanatianōn episkopou teleutēsantos en tę̄ autę̄ hypateią, cheirotoneitai Chrysanthos, peri hou michryn hysteron lexomen.
Dorotheus, who presided over the Arian religion and who, as we mentioned above, had been brought by the Arians from Antioch to Constantinople, having lived one hundred and nineteen years, died in the consulship of Honorius for the seventh time and Theodosius Augustus for the second, on the sixth of November. After him Barbas presided over the Arian religion. Under this Barbas the Arian religion was fortunate in two learned men who held the rank of presbyter, one named Timothy and the other George. George had mastered Greek learning more, while Timothy had trained himself in the sacred writings. George always had Aristotle and Plato in his hands, while Timothy breathed Origen; and in interpreting the sacred writings publicly he was not without knowledge of the Hebrew language. Timothy had earlier belonged to the Psathyrian religion, while George had been ordained by Barbas. I myself have met this Timothy and learned how ready he was to answer questioners, resolving whatever was found obscure in the divine oracles; and everywhere he called on Origen as a true witness to what he said. I cannot help wondering how these men remained in the Arian religion, one of whom always had Plato in his hands, the other breathed Origen. For Plato does not say that the second and third cause, as he is accustomed to call them, took a beginning of existence; and Origen everywhere confesses that the Son is co-eternal with the Father. However, though they remained in their own church, they nevertheless secretly changed the Arian religion for the better; for they removed many of Arius's blasphemies by their own teaching. Let this be said about these. Not long after, when Sisinnius, bishop of the Novatians, died in the same consulship, Chrysanthus was ordained, about whom we shall speak a little later.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Under the Arian bishop Barbas the presbyters George, a Platonist, and Timothy, a follower of Origen, soften Arian teaching; Socrates, who knew Timothy, wonders that such men stayed Arian.
- The consulship of Honorius (seventh time) and Theodosius (second) is 407.
- Plato's 'second and third cause' alludes to the Platonic Letter 2 (312e); the name of the one who ordained George (Barbas) is lost in the scan text and supplied by sense.
Extrabiblical texts: Plato, Ep. 2.312e (Plato (works); allusion)
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 7.6 (PG 67:747–749; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/7-6
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-socrates-historia-7-6) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.